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MONDAY, 19 JUNE 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Morning and afternoon
missions
are made against targets in France.
Mission 423: In the morning, 464 B-17s are dispatched against
airfields
in the Bordeaux area: 92 hit Cormes Ecluse, 84 hit
Bordeaux/Merignac, 39 hit
Cazaux, 34 hit Landes-de-Bussac, 12 hit Cabanac and 3 hit targets of
opportunity; 7 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 11
damaged; 3
airmen are WIA and 59 MIA; escort is provided by 88 P-38s and 261
P-51s; 4
P-38s and 6 P-51s are lost (all pilots MIA).
Mission 424: In both morning and afternoon missions, 216 of 391
B-17s and
294 of 312 B-24s hit 35 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; 1
B-24 is
lost, 1 B-24 damaged beyond repair and 65 B-17s and 22 B-24s
damaged; 2
airmen are WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is provided by 196 P-38s, 122
P-47s and 48
P-51s; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair; 1 P-38 group, after
completing
escort duty, dive-bombs and strafes transportation targets in NE
France,
destroying a locomotive and 3 barges.
858th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), VIII Air Force Composite
Command,
moves from North Pickenham to Cheddington, England with B-24s (the
squadron
begins flying leaflet missions).
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, the airfield at
Cardonville, the first US field in France, becomes operational;
around 200
fighters carry out uneventful armed reconnaissance and patrols in
the
morning, and dive-bomb 6 NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in the afternoon;
and HQ
84th Fighter Wing moves from Beaulieu, England to Houesville. 125th
Liaison
Squadron, Ninth Air Force (attached to HQ Command, ETO), moves from
Cheltenham to Chedworth, England with L-5s (first mission is in Aug)
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