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WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): The Allied Expeditionary
Air Force
(AEAF) directs air attacks against congested points to delay
movement of more
enemy forces into the assault area. In the first mission (Mission
397) in
the morning, 182 B-17s and 291 B-24s, including 20 PFFs, are
dispatched; of
the B-17s, 58 hit Conde sur Noireau, 60 hit Flers, and 54 hit
Falaise; of the
B-24s, 66 hit Argentan, 19 hit Vascoeuil, 61 hit Laigle and 83 hit
Lisieux;
1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 17 B-17s are damaged; 8 airmen
are KIA
and 3 WIA.
In the second mission (Mission 398) in the afternoon, 487 B-17s and
88
B-24s are dispatched; the primary targets for the B-17s are Nantes
(190 bomb)
and the Kerlin/Bastard Airfield (132 bomb); 23 B-17s hit Niort and
40 hit the
Nantes Bridge; the primary target for the B-24s is Tours/La Roche
(12 bomb)
and 13 hit Pouance, 13 hit Blain, 13 hit Chateaubriand, 25 hit Laval
Airfield, 12 hit Vitre and 3 hit Tours; 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 are lost,
1 B-17
and 7 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 78 B-17s and 96 B-24s are
damaged;
21 airmen are KIA, 12 WIA and 12 MIA. Heavy cloud prevents almost
100 others
from bombing targets.
VIII Fighter Command furnishes area support for beachhead areas in
the
early morning and to heavy bomber operations at midday and in the
late
afternoon, at the same time maintaining harassment of communications
and
flying shipping patrol. 526 P-38s and 294 P-51s patrol the beachhead
and
provide escort in N France; they claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in
the air
and 0-0-2 on the ground; 8 P-51s are lost; 1 airman is KIA and 7
MIA. 505
P-47s and 148 P-51s engage in general strafing over N France and
claim
29-1-12 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 25-0-12 on the ground; 10
P-47s and
4 P-51s are lost and 3 P-51s are damaged beyond repair; 1 airman is
KIA and
12 MIA.
Mission 399: 10 B-17s drop leaflets over The Netherlands, France and
Belgium.
14 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER operations in France.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 600+ B-26s hit bridges,
junctions,
trestles, coastal and field batteries, and marshalling yards in
France in
support of the invasion; 1,100+ fighters support ground troops by
dive
bombing and strafing, escort B-26s and C-47s, and make sweeps
throughout the
battle area as Bayeux is liberated and the Bayeux-Caen road is cut;
and 400+
C-47s, C-53's, and gliders resupply paratroops in the assault area.
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