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TUESDAY, 1 AUGUST 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 508: 1,291 bombers
and
432 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields, bridges and
tactical
targets in France; 5 bombers and 4 fighters are lost:
1. 193 of 195 B-17s drop 2,281 containers of supplies to French
Resistance
forces (Operation Buick) at four locations in SE France, i.e.,
Chalon-Sur-
Saone, the Savoie area, Haute-Savoie and W of Geneva; 5 B-17s are
damaged; 3
P-51 groups furnish escort.
2. 76 of 100 B-17s bomb Tours Airfield; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged
beyond
repair and 5 damaged; 6 airmen are WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is flown
by 51 of
53 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged beyond repair.
3. 400 of 416 B-17s attack 5 airfields and a railway bridge in the
area S
and SW of Paris; 112 hit Orleans/Bricy Airfield, 108 hit Chateaudun
Airfield,
59 hit Melun Airfield, 58 hit Chartres Airfield, 36 hit Chartres
Bridge, 15
hit targets of opportunity, and 12 hit Etampes/Mondesir Airfield; 3
B-17s are
lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 32 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA and
27 MIA.
Escort is provided by 138 P-38s and P-51s; 3 P-51s are damaged and 1
pilot is
KIA.
4. 284 of 389 B-24s is dispatched to bomb targets in the Paris
environs;
bad weather causes 100+ aborts; 66 hit Rouen, 47 hit Melun Airfield,
44 hit
Nogent Bridge, 33 hit targets of opportunity, 29 hit Orleans/Bricy
Airfield,
24 hit Montereau Birdge, 12 hit Nanteuil Bridge, 12 hit Villeroche
Airfield,
11 hit Coulommiers Bridge, and 6 hit Chartres Airfield; 1 B-24 is
lost, 3 are
damaged beyond repair and 85 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. Escort is
provided
by 127 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the
ground; 2
P-47s are lost, 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair and 3 P-47s are
damaged.
5. 191 B-24s, sent against 8 V-weapon sites in NW France, runs afoul
of bad
weather which causes multiple aborts; 61 of the planes manage to
bomb 3
sites; 5 B-24s are damaged; escort is provided by 81 of 84 P-47s.
Mission 509: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Belgium during
the
night.
In Aug, HQ 95th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) moves from
Halesowrth to
Ketteringham, England.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, the XIX Tactical
Air
Command becomes operational in conjunction with the US Third Army;
the
Ninth's fighter and fighter-bomber groups (Ninth Air Force refers to
them
collectively as fighter-bomber groups) are divided between the IX
and XIX
Tactical Air Commands; about 250 B-26s and A-20s bomb rail bridges
at
Mezieres-sur-Seine, Maintenon, Les Ponts-de-Ce, Chartres, Cinq
Mars-la-Pile,
Bouchmaine, Nogent-sur-Loir, and Bourth; XIX Tactical Air Command
fighters
carry out armd reconnaissance and rail bombing missions in the
Alencon,
Dreux, Chartres, Nogent-sur-Loir, Le Mans, Sable-sur-Sarthe, Laval
and Sille-
le-Philippe areas, while IX Tactical Air Command fighters fly
armored column
and assault area cover, and armed reconnaissance in the battle
areas; and HQ
71st Fighter Wing moves from Ecrammeville to St-Pierre-Eglise.
In France during Aug, HQ IX Fighter Comand moves from Les Obeaux to
Canisy
and HQ 354th Fighter Group moves from Criqueville to Gael.
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