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FRIDAY, 21 JULY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 486: 1,110 bombers
and 795
fighters are dispatched in 4 forces to bomb targets in Germany,
among them 4
aircraft plants and 2 ball bearing plants; 31 bombers and 8 fighters
are
lost:
1. Of 433 B-24s, 106 hit Munich, 93 hit Saarbrucken marshalling
yards, 78
hit targets of opportunity, 54 hit Oberpfeffenhofen, 33 hit
Neuabuing, 13 hit
Bullay Bridge, and 9 hit Schorndorf; they claim 10-2-0 Luftwaffe
aircraft; 22
B-24s are lost, 3 are damaged beyond repair and 181 damaged; 1
airman is KIA,
7 WIA and 205 MIA. Escort is provided by 262 P-47s and P-51s; they
claim
2-0-1 aircraft in the air and 3-0-10 n the ground; 5 P-51s are lost.
2. Of 96 B-24s, 48 hit targets of opportunity, 17 hit Duren, 12 hit
Walldrun marshalling yard and 9 hit Indenboden; 2 B-24s are lost and
12
damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 109 P-47s and
P-51s; they
claim 1-0-0 aircraft.
3. Of 241 B-17s, 90 hit Regensburg/Obertraubling, 44 hit Regensburg/
Prufening, 40 hit Stuttgart and 18 hit targets of opportunity; 4
B-17s are
lost and 88 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 1 WIA and 38 MIA. Escort is
provided
by 148 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.
4. Of 340 B-17s, 99 hit Schweinfurt, 70 hit Ebelsbach, 59 hit
Ludwigshafen,
13 hit Bad Kreuznach, 13 hit Ebelsbach, 13 hit targets of
opportunity, 12 hit
Bad Munster, 12 hit Lachen, 12 hit Simmern marshalling yard, 8 hit
Wurzburg,
and 5 hit Neckargemund; 3 B-17s are lost and 81 damaged; 1 airman is
KIA, 3
WIA and 25 MIA. Escort is provided by 187 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; 1
P-38 is
lost.
Mission 487: 8 of 8 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night;
1 B-17
is damaged.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, weather prevents
all
combat operations except for 1 fighter group which is dispatched on
armed
reconnaissance but is recalled before reaching the Continent; Less
than 15
reconnaissance and evacuation sorties are flown. In England, HQ 323d
Bombardment Group (Medium) and 453d, 454th, 455th and 456th
Bombardment
Squadrons (Medium) move from Earls Colne to Beauliu with B-26s; and
the
556th, 557th, 558th and 559th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), move
from
Chipping Ongar to Stony Cross with B-26s.
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