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TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 306 Part 1: 776
bombers
and 634 fighters are dispatched to hit airfields and aviation
industry
targets in Germany; the AAF claims 33-5-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 19
bombers and
5 fighters are lost; due to poor weather, several units bomb targets
of
opportunity in the Berlin area; details are:
1. 275 of 280 B-17s hit aviation industry targets at Oranienburg,
Perleberg
Airfield, Wittenberge and targets of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost
and 90
damaged; 29 airmen are MIA.
2. 210 of 221 B-17s hit Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Luneburg Airfield,
Rathenow and targets of opportunity; 14 B-17s are lost and 94
damaged;
2 airmen are KIA, 12 WIA and 139 MIA.
3. 248 of 275 B-24s hit Brandenburg, Rathenow, Cuxhaven, Wittenberge
and
targets of opportunity; 2 B-24s are lost and 20 damaged; 5 airmen
are WIA and
20 MIA.
Escort is provided by 119 P-38s, 296 P-47s and 219 Eighth and Ninth
Air
Force P-51s; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 3 P-51s are lost; 3 P-38s are
damaged beyond
repair and 7 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 18 P-51s are damaged; 4 pilots are
MIA.
Mission 306 Part 2: 12 of 12 B-24s hit V-weapon sites at Watten,
France; 1
B-24 is damaged; escort is provided by 36 P-47s without loss.
Mission 307: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 2.56 million leaflets on Stavanger,
Oslo,
Bergen and Trondheim, Norway at 2336-0041 hours without loss.
HQ 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrives at North Pickenham,
England from
the US.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 277 B-26s, including 24
dropping
Window, and 37 A-20s bomb gun positions and marshalling yards at
Dunkirk,
Calais, and Charleroi/Saint Martin, France.
XIX Air Support Command is redesignated XIX Tactical Air Command and
becomes operational and IX Air Support Command is redesignated IX
Tactical
Air Command.
Unit moves in England: HQ 440th Troop Carrier Group from Bottesford
to
Exeter; 423d Night Fighter Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command,
arrives at
Chormy Down from the US with A-20s, the squadron mission will change
to photo
recon and they will fly their first mission on 6 Jun and be
redesignated
155th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 22 Jun.
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