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THURSDAY, 2 MARCH 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 244:
1. 327 B-17s are dispatched to the Frankfurt Main marshalling
yard; only
101 hit the primary target because of PFF failures; 103 hit
Frankfurt
Offenbach, 49 hit Ludwigshafen, 20 hit Limburg, 12 hit Fischbach and
8 hit
other targets of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost with 1 KIA, 5 WIA and
80 MIA.
154 B-24s are also dispatched to the same target; 36 hit the primary
and 46
hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 3 damaged beyond
repair;
casualties are 16 KIA, 4 WIA and 11 MIA. The bombers claim 2-0-2
Luftwaffe
aircraft. Escort is provided by 33 P-38s, 445 Eighth and Ninth Air
Force
P-47s and 111 P-51s; 1 P-38 is damaged; the P-47s claim 13-2-3
Luftwaffe
aircraft, 3 P-47s are lost and 7 damaged, 2 pilots are MIA; the
P-51s claim
4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft, 2 P-51s are damaged and 1 pilot is MIA.
2. 84 of 106 B-17s dispatched hit the air depot at Chartres, France;
1 B-17
is lost and 12 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 10 MIA. This
mission is
escorted by 89 P-38s, 145 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 47
Ninth Air
Force P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 1
P-38 is
lost.
Mission 245: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Caen,
Amiens,
Rouen, Chartres and Rennes, France at 2015-2054 hours without loss.
HQ 92d Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) moves from Camp Blainey to
Sudbury, England.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 353 B-26s attack
NOBALL
(V-weapon) targets, Tergnier, and Amiens/Glisy and Rosieres-en-Santerre
Airfields in morning and afternoon missions.
Moves in England: 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier
Group,
from Bottesford to Membury with C-47s; 391st Fighter Squadron, 366th
Fighter Group, from Membury to Thruxton with P-47s (first mission is
14
Mar).
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