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WEDNESDAY, 5 JULY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 453: 371 bombers
and 445
fighters are dispatched to attack 3 airfields in the Netherlands and
2 in
Belgium, a factory near Mol, and 3 V-weapon supply sites in France;
5
fighters are lost:
1. Of 79 B-17s dispatched to the Netherlands, 38 hit Gilze-Rijen
Airfield,
20 hit Volkel Airfield and 19 hit Noll without loss.
2. Of 221 B-24s, 43 hit Bois de Cassan V-weapon site, 36 hit Le
Coulet
Airfield, 29 hit Foret de L'Isle Adam and 29 hit hit Mery sur Oise
V-weapon
sites, 13 hit Eindhoven Airfield, 5 hit Melsbroek Airfield and 2 hit
Tulemont
Airfield; 49 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA.
The two missions above are escorted by 180 of 192 P-51s that claim
4-0-2
Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-51s are
lost
(pilots are MIA).
3. 70 of 71 B-17s hit Beziers marshalling yard; 13 B-17s are
damaged. 228
P-47s and P-51s escort the bombers and claim 18-1-9 Luftwaffe
aircraft in the
air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots are
MIA).
Of 93 P-47s, 22 bomb Rouen, 10 hit L'Arche Bridge, 10 hit Seine
River
locks, 7 hit Boissy le Bois, 7 hit Pantgouin, 7 hit Veulettes Bridge
and 6
hit communication targets; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in
the air and
1-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-47s are lost (pilots are MIA). The P-47s
are
escorted by 181 of 190 P-38s; 2 P-38s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 is
damaged
beyond repair.
During the night, 8 of 8 B-17s drop leaflets in France with the loss
of 1
B-17; and 8 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.
70 B-17s on shuttle mission (UK-USSR-Italy-UK) attack a marshalling
yard at
Beziers, France (with Fifteenth AF B-24s) while on the last leg from
Italy to
the UK; 42 P-51s return to UK with the B-17s (of the 11 P-51s
remaining in
Italy, 10 return to the UK the following day and the last several
days
later).
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, about 180 B-26s
and A-20s
bomb bridges at Caen and also sidings, tracks, and rolling stock; in
the
afternoon 4 NOBALL (V-weapon) HQ are hit; 600+ fighters escort the
bombers,
carry out armed reconnaissance of communication and enemy movements,
attack
rail lines, rolling stock, marshalling yards, bridges, supply dumps,
and
cover the beach area; HQ 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and
107th
Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron move from Middle Wallop, England to
Le
Molay with F-6s; the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th
Photographic
Group (Reconnaissance) (attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance
Group),
moves from Middle Wallop, England to Le Molay with F-6s; and the
380th
Fighter Squadron, 363d Fighter Group, moves from Staplehurst,
England to
Maupertus with P-51s.
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