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MONDAY, 18 DECEMBER 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 754: 985 bombers and 773 fighters are dispatched to hit
communication and tactical targets in Germany using PFF; 4 fighters
are lost:
1. Extensive cloud formations force the recall of 358 B-24s without
loss.
Escorting are 103 of 110 P-51s.
2. 385 B-17s are sent to hit the Kalk marshalling yard at Cologne
(32);
secondary targets hit are the Lutzel marshalling yard at Koblenz
(102) and
Kaiserslautern (74) marshalling yard; 11 hit Bonn, a last resort
target; 1
B-17 is damaged. The escort is 110 of 116 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost
(pilots
MIA).
3. 157 of 220 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Mainz; 13 others hit
targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost and 2 damaged beyond repair;
1 airman
is MIA. Escort is provided by 150 of 162 P-51s without loss.
4. 22 of 22 B-17s fly a screening mission.
5. 255 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep in W Germany; they claim
3-0-0
aircraft; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots MIA).
6. 29 of 31 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 755: 4 B-17s and 9 B-24s are sent to drop leaflets in
France,
Germany and the Netherlands during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 160+ A-26s,
A-20s, and
B-26s hit defended positions at Harperscheid, Hellenthal,
Blumenthal,
Dreiborn, and Herhahn; fighters fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance
over W
Germany (claiming 40+ enemy airplanes downed plus hitting numerous
ground
targets) and support the US 2d, 4th, 28th, and 106th Infantry
Divisions W of
Butgenbach and W of Trier; SE of Clervaux, Luxembourg; and SE of
Saint-Vith,
Belgium; and the XII Corps at Niedergailbach; the IX Tactical Air
Command
hits Panzer units spearheading the Bulge. In Belgium, the
detachments of the
30th Photographic Reconnaissance and 107th and 109th Tactical
Reconnaissance
Squadrons, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, operating from
Florennes
Juzaine and Chievres with F-5s and F-6s respectively, return to base
at
Gosselies; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command
(attached to
Twelfth Army Group), based at Spa with L-5s, begins operating from
Liege.
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