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MONDAY, 20 MARCH 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 269: 353 B-17s and
92
B-24s are dispatched to targets in Germany but high clouds and the
malfunction
of blind-bombing equipment cause nearly 300 bombers to abort the
mission; 7
bombers and 8 fighters are lost; the bombers claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe
aircraft;
the bombers also drop 900,000 leaflets; details are:
1. 54 B-17s hit Mannheim, 51 hit Frankfurt, 19 hit Bingen and 22 hit
targets of opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair
and 150
damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 8 WIA and 40 MIA.
2. 1 of 92 B-24s hit Bretuit Airfield; 2 B-24s are lost and 15
damaged;
casualties are 3 WIA and 21 MIA.
Escort is provided by 44 P-38s, 345 P-47s and 205 Eighth and Ninth
Air
Force P-51s; claims and losses are:
1. P-38s: no claims or losses
2. P-47s claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 6 P-47s are
lost and
9 damaged; 6 pilots are MIA.
3. P-51s claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost and 3
damaged; 2
pilots are MIA.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 67th Tactical Reconnaissance
Group
completes a series of 83 missions (begun on 23 Feb) during which
photographs
were made of 160 miles (256 km) of French coastline and 2 inshore
strips,
each 120 miles (192 km) long; 9,500 prints are produced and no
aircraft are
lost. In France, 200+ B-26s and A-20s bomb 4 NOBALL (V-weapon)
targets and
Creil marshalling yard; and 85 P-47s dive-bomb airfields at
Abbeville, Poix
and Conches.
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