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SUNDAY, 25 JUNE 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 441: During the
morning
658 bombers are dispatched to hit targets in France; 7 bombers are
lost:
1. Of 263 B-17s, 104 hit Toulouse/Francazal Airfield, 72 hit
Toulouse/
Blangnac Airfield and 64 hit Montbartier oil depot; 5 B-17s are
lost, 1 is
damaged beyond repair and 114 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and
45 MIA.
Escort is provided by 46 P-38s, 36 P-47s and 146 P-51s; they claim
10-0-1
Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
2. Of 258 B-24s, 43 hit targets of opportunity, 23 hit Beuvry, 18
hit
Mazingarbe, 12 hit Aube-sur-Risle, 12 hit Doullens, 12 hit La
Vaupalier, 12
hit Peronne Airfield, 11 hit Amiens/St Maurice, 11 hit Calais, 11
hit Tingry,
10 hit Abbeville, 10 hit St Omer/Longuenesse, 8 hit Boulogne, 8 hit
Holque, 7
hit Nunque, 7 hit Pont-a-Vendin, 2 hit Chocques; 1 B-24 is lost, 1
is damaged
beyond repair and 26 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 2 WIA. Escort is
provided
by 68 P-47s and 34 P-51s without loss.
3. Of 137 B-24s, 59 hit St Avord Airfield and 48 hit Bourge
Airfield; 1
B-24 is lost; 10 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 102 P-38s and
44
P-47s; they claim 8-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft without loss.
Mission 442: During the midday 463 bombers are dispatched to targets
in
France; 6 bombers are lost; escort is provided by 127 P-38s, 35
P-47s and 181
P-51s; they claim 4-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is
MIA):
1. Of 274 B-24s, 63 hit Villacoublay air depot, 35 hit Bretigny
Airfield
and 11 hit Buc Airfield; 5 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair
and 104
damaged; 11 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 59 MIA.
2. Of 189 B-17s, 70 hit Soigny Bridge, 38 hit Sens Bridge, 28 hit
Clamecy,
21 hit Auxerre Bridge, 21 hit Nanteuil, 20 hit Nogent, 18 hit Orly
Airfield,
13 hit Romilly-sur-Seine, 12 hit Folous, 12 hit Etampes/Mondesir
Airfield and
3 hit Orly marshalling yard; 1 B-17 is lost and 20 damaged; 2 airmen
are WIA
and 19 MIA.
41 of 43 P-47s fly a flight-bomber mission against Evreux/Fauville
landing
ground.
In the USSR, B-17s and P-51s are flown, at daybreak, from dispersal
bases
to Poltava and Mirgorod and loaded and fueled with intentions of
bombing the
oil refinery at Drohobycz, Poland and proceed to base in Italy. Bad
weather
cancels the mission until the tomorrow. The aircraft return to
dispersal
bases for the night as precaution against air attacks.
24 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER mission.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 400+ B-26s and
A-20s hit
fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine, Foret d'Ecouves, and Senonches, and
rail
bridges at Cherisy, Chartres, Oiseme and Epernon; 14 fighter groups
send
aircraft on escort, and on armed reconnaissance and dive bombing
missions
over the Chartres, Dreux, Argentan, Tours, and Orleans areas;
transports fly
supply and evacuation missions; and HQ 50th Fighter Group and 10th
and 81st
Fighter Squadrons move from Lymington, England to Carentan with
P-47s.
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