|
MONDAY, 17 JULY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 478: In the morning
670
bombers and 472 fighters are dispatched to hit tactical targets in
France; 1
bomber and 1 fighter are lost:
1. Of 331 B-17s, 37 hit Joigny la Roche, 36 hit Jussy, 35 hit
Auxerre, 35
hit Peronne, 33 hit Ham-sur-Somme, 32 hit Anizy-le-Chateau, 25 hit
Frevent,
12 hit Tergnier and 11 hit Eu Bridges; 12 hit Doullens road
junction, 12 hit
Hesdin fuel dump, 12 hit Frevent railroad and road junction, 11 hit
Laon
marshalling yard and 15 hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost,
1 damaged
beyond repair and 64 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 9 MIA.
2. Of 339 B-24s, 58 hit Rilly la Montagne dump, 52 hit Belfort
marshalling
yard; 36 hit Gien, 34 hit Coulanges, 34 hit Neuvy-sur-Loire, 32 hit
Sully, 30
hit Nanteuil and 10 hit Le Soulons Bridges; 11 hit St Dizier
Airfield and 5
hit targets of opportunity; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 54
damaged;
2 airmen are KIA and 7 WIA.
Escort for the 2 groups above is 433 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47
is lost
(pilot is MIA); elements of 4 fighter groups afterwards strafe
ground
targets, claiming 23 locomotives, 18 trucks, and 55 train cars
destroyed.
Mission 479: During the evening 34 of 69 B-17s and 106 of 115 B-24s
attack
12 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; 3 B-24s are damaged
beyond
repair and 23 B-24s and 28 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 5
WIA.
Escort is provided by 209 of 227 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair.
Mission 480: 5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France and the
Netherlands
during the night.
16 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): With operations limited by
weather
in France, 69 B-26s hit fuel dumps at Rennes while 37 A-20s strike
fuel dumps
at Bruz and a marshalling yard at Dol-de-Bretagne; fighters escort
transports, fly area cover, attack fuel dumps and landing field at
Angers,
dive-bomb defenses at Coutances in support of the US First Army,
attack
Nevers marshalling yard, and hit troop concentrations in support of
the First
Army assault in the Saint-Lo area.
|
