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SATURDAY, 29 JULY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 503: 1,228 bombers
and 755
fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany and airfields
in
France; 17 bombers and 7 fighters are lost:
1. Of 657 B-17s, 569 hit the Merseburg/Leuna synthetic oil plant, 13
hit
Gottingen, 11 hit Hildesheim marshalling yard, and 10 hit targets of
opportunity; they claim 15-8-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 15 B-17s are
lost, 1 is
damaged beyond repair and 349 are damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 17 WIA
and 138
MIA. Escort is provided by 429 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim
21-2-3
Luftwaffe aircraft (including a jet aircraft) in the air and 3-0-2
on the
ground; 7 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA) and 1 P-47 and 6 P-51s are
damaged.
2. Of 473 B-24s, 442 hit Bremen/Oslebshausen oil refinery, 2 hit
targets of
opportunity and 1 hit Cuxhaven; 2 B-24s are lost and 96 damaged; 3
airmen are
KIA, 2 WIA and 15 MIA. Escort is provided by 106 of 109 P-51s.
3. Of 98 B-24s, 38 hit Juvincourt Airfield and 26 hit Laon/Couvron
Airfield
in France; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; 5 airmen are KIA and 7
WIA.
Escort is provided by 142 of 150 P-51s.
Mission 504: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
44 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 12 abort.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, bad weather
cancels all
IX Bomber Command missions; fighters fly armed reconnaissance in the
Rouen,
Amiens, Beaumont-en-Beine, Tours, Vendome, and Le Mans areas,
furnish assault
area cover, carry out armed reconnaissance of enemy installations
and
movement in the battle area, and provide cover in support of the US
First
Army.
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