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FRIDAY, 28 JULY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 501: 1,057 bombers
and 753
fighters are dispatched to bomb targets in Belgium, France and
Germany; 7
bombers and 2 fighters are lost:
1. 291 B-24s in 2 forces are dispatched to hit signal depots, fuel
dumps
and V-weapon supply sites and a bridge in Belgium and France but the
forces
are recalled because of cloud cover over the targets; the first
force of 180
B-24s is dispatched to NW France V-weapon sites, fuel dumps and a
railroad
bridge; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 8 are damaged; 10 airmen
are KIA;
escort is provided by 235 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47 and 2 P-51s are
damaged
(pilots are MIA). The second force of 111 B-24s is dispatched to hit
Brussels
and Vilvorde fuel and supply depots; 8 B-24s are damaged; escort is
provided
by 40 of 53 P-51s.
2. 766 B-17s are dispatched to bomb the synthetic oil plant at
Merseburg,
Germany; 652 hit the primary while 36 hit Leipzig/Taucha oil
refinery, 18 hit
the Wiesbaden marshalling yards and 8 hit targets of opportunity;
they claim
1-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s are lost and 217 damaged; 1 airman
is KIA,
7 WIA and 67 MIA. Escort is provided by 386 P-38s and P-51s; they
claim 4-1-1
Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost and 3 are damaged; 3 pilots are
MIA.
Mission 502: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, the IX Bomber
Command
operates in support of the US First Army, bombing rail bridges,
supply dumps
and ammunition dumps in the Foret de Conches, Dreux, and Le Mans
areas;
fighters escort bombers, fly armed reconnaissance in the Le Mans,
Laval, and
Dreux areas and furnish cover over assault areas and armed columns;
and HQ IX
Air Defense Command moves from Hampstead Borough, England to
Ecrammeville and
Brigadier General Ned Schramm assumes command. In England, the 586th
and
587th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 394th Bombardment Group
(Medium), move
from Boreham to Holmsley with B-26s.
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