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FRIDAY, 11 AUGUST 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Three missions are flown
today
(numbers in parenthesis indicate number of bombers attacking the
target).
Mission 541: 660 bombers and 300+ fighters are dispatched to attack
13
marshalling yards, fuel dumps, airfields, and targets of
opportunity, in NE
France and the Paris area; 4 bombers are lost:
1. 157 B-17s are dispatched to attack Belfort (76) and Mulhouse (76)
marshalling yards and 1 B-17 hit a target of opportunity; 16 B-17s
are
damaged.
2. Of 141 B-24s, 47 hit Coulommiers Airfield, 36 hit
Pacy-sur-Armancon and
34 hit St Florentin; 5 B-24s are damaged.
3. 76 of 77 B-17s hit Villacoublay aircraft depot; 1 B-17 is lost
and 17
damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 9 MIA.
4. 45 of 65 B-24s dispatched hit Toussus le Noble Airfield; 9 others
hit
Orleans/Saran Airfield; 1 B-24 is damaged.
5. Of 220 B-24s, 66 hit Strasbourg fuel dump; marshalling yards at
Strasbourg (65) and Saarbrucken (60); Nivelles Airfield (10) and 1
hits a
target of opportunity; 3 B-24s are lost and 112 damaged; 7 airman
are KIA, 7
WIA and 19 MIA.
Mission 542: 275 of 294 B-17s attack 23 arsenal areas, barracks,
concrete
emplacements and heavy artillery posts in and around Brest, France;
1 B-17 is
lost and 37 damaged.
Mission 541 and 542 are escorted by 356 P-38s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is
lost and
1 damaged beyond repair; 1 pilot is WIA and 1 MIA.
Mission 543: 1 of 2 B-17s flies a Micro H test against La Chenaie
rail
bridge. Escort is provided by 7 of 8 P-47s.
Mission 544: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in Franc during the night.
165 of 180 P-47s fly a fighter sweep of the Paris area; they claim
3-0-0
Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground.
28 of 31 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, A-20s and B-26s
attack
bridges at Montrichard, Oissel, Fismes, and Creil/Saint-Maximin, gun
defenses
at Ile de Cezembre and Saint-Malo, and an ammunition dump at Foret
de
Roumare; fighters cover the assault area, escort IX Bomber Command
aircraft,
and fly armed reconnaissance in the battle area and extensively over
N
France; HQ 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 12th
Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron and 34th Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron move
from Chalgrove, England, Le Molay and Chalgrove respectively, to
Rennes with
F-6s and F-5s; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command
(attached
to First Army), moves from Canisy to St Pois with L-5s; and the 353d
Fighter
Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, moves from Cricqueville to Gael with
P-51s.
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