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SATURDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): In view of the previous
decision
to concentrate most of the training activities of the Eighth Air
Force in the
VIII Air Force Composite Command, a decision is made to transfer HQ
from
Limavady, County Derry, Ireland, to Cheddington, England, to bring
it closer
to the combat crew training stations over which it is to be given
supervision. Most of the transfer is completed between 7 and 15 Feb.
Mission 210: Airfields in France are targetted. 103 B-17s are
dispatched
to Chateauroux/Martinerie and Avord Airfields with 50 hitting each
target;
121 B-17s are dispatched to Chateaudun (61 bomb) and Orleans/Bricy
(60 bomb)
Airfields; 182 B-17s are dispatched to Romilly-sur-Seine air depot
but 133
hit Villacoublay; 103 B-24s are dispatched to Meslay Airfield (90
bomb) and
8 hit Chateaudun; they claim 5-0-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 B-24s are
lost, 3
B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 39 B-17s and 31 B-24s
are
damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 15 WIA and 22 MIA. Escort is provided
by 92
P-38s, 496 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 46 Ninth Air Force
P-51s;
they claim 6-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-47s are lost, 1 P-38 and 1
P-47 are
damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 are damaged; casualties
are 2
MIA.
Mission 211: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 300 bundles of leaflets during a
CARPETBAGGER mission on Ghent, Monceau-sur-Sambre, Antwerp and
Brussels,
Belgium at 2026-2037 hours without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Around 180 B-26s attack 6
V-weapon
sites in N France.
HQ 437th Troop Carrier Group transfers from Balderton to Ramsbury,
England.
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