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WEDNESDAY, 8 MARCH 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 252: The primary
target
is the ball bearing plant at Erkner, a suburb of Berlin; enemy
opposition
is fierce and 37 bombers and 16 fighters are lost; 320 of 414 B-17s
and 150
of 209 B-24s dispatched hit the primary; 36 B-17s hit Wildau and
targets of
opportunity; 33 B-24s hit Berlin and targets of opportunity; the
bombers
claim 63-17-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 28 B-17s and 9 B-24s are lost, 1
B-17 and
2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; casualties are 4 KIA, 14 WIA and
364 MIA.
Escort is provided by 104 P-38s, 613 Eighth and Ninth Air Force
P-47s and 174
Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; claims/losses are:
1. P-38s claim 9-2-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 P-38s are lost, 1 is
damaged
beyond repair and 2 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA and 4 MIA.
2. P-47s claim 49-6-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 P-47s are lost, 13
damaged
beyond repair and 4 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 2 WIA and 10 MIA.
3. P-51s claim 29-4-9 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 P-51s are lost, 2
damaged
beyond repair and 1 damaged; casualties are 4 MIA.
An additional 8-4-7 Luftwaffe aircraft are claimed on the ground.
786th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 466th Bombardment Group (Heavy),
arrives at Attlebridge, England from the US with B-24s; first
mission is 22
Mar.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In the Netherlands, 225+
B-26s
attack Volkel Airfield once and Soesterberg Airfield twice in
morning and
afternoon missions.
Units arriving in England from the US: HQ 303d Fighter Wing at
Ashford;
95th, 97th and 98th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 440th Troop Carrier
Group, at
Bottesford with C-47s.
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