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SATURDAY, 10 JUNE 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 403: Bad weather
restricts
operations to NW France; 883 bombers and 1,491 fighter sorties are
flown but
200+ bombers abort due to cloud conditions; 1 bomber and 24 fighters
are lost.
1. 507 B-17s are dispatched to Equihen (24 bomb), Hardelot (23
bomb), St
Gabriel (26 bomb), Gael Airfield (36 bomb), Nantes/Bouguenais
Airfield (55
bomb), Vannes Airfield (59 bomb), Berck (26 bomb), Merlimont Plage
(39 bomb),
and Toucquet-Paris-Plage (10 bomb); 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair
and 36
damaged; 6 airmen are KIA and 4 WIA.
2. 257 B-24s are dispatched to Wimereau (23 bomb), Boulogne (34
bomb),
Dreux Airfield (26 bomb), Evreux/Fauville Airfield (65 bomb) and
Boulogne (13
bomb); 39 others hit Conches Airfield; 1 B-24 is lost, 2 are damaged
beyond
repair and 28 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA.
3. 119 B-24s are dispatched to Chateaudun Airfield (45 bomb) and
Orleans/
Bricy Airfield (66 bomb) without loss.
VIII Fighter Command missions during the day are:
1. 405 P-38s fly sweep and escort; they claim 5-2-1 Luftwaffe
aircraft.
2. 3 P-47s and 364 P-51s provided escort for the bombers above; they
claim
0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 7 fighters are lost.
3. 506 P-47s and 213 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against
communications targets in the beachhead area; they claim 8-0-2
Luftwaffe
aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; 15 P-47s and 2 P-51 are
lost; 3
P-47s and a P-51 are damaged beyond repair.
During the day, 1 fighter pilot is KIA and 24 are MIA.
Mission 404: During the evening, 11 B-17s drop leaflets on Norway
and
France without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 500+ B-26s and
A-20s bomb
targets in the assault area including military concentrations, road
and rail
bridges and junctions, artillery batteries, marshalling yards and
town areas;
aircraft of 15+ fighter groups fly escort to bombers and transports,
and bomb
numerous targets in support of the ground assault, including rail
facilities,
roads, troop concentrations, artillery, and town areas; HQ IX
Tactical Air
Command moves from Uxbridge, England to Au Gay.
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