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WEDNESDAY, 24 MAY 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 367: 1,106 bombers
and 602
fighters are dispatched on visual attacks on airfields in the Paris
area and
PFF and visual bombing of Berlin; 33 bombers and 10 fighters are
lost; the
fighters claim 33-7-6 Luftwaffe aircraft:
1. 616 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin; 464 hit the primary, 34 bomb
Nauen,
13 bomb Rechlin and 6 bomb targets of opportunity; 33 B-17s are
lost, 1 is
damaged beyond repair and 256 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 24 WIA and
482 MIA.
2. 490 B-24s are dispatched to bomb airfields at Melun (168 bomb)
and Orly
(151 bomb); 58 bomb Pix Airfield and 23 comb Creil Airfield; 33
B-24s are
damaged.
Escort is provided by 144 P-38s, 178 P-47s and 280 P-51s; P-38s
claim 6-0-2
Luftwaffe aircraft and P-51s claim 27-7-4; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 8
P-51s are
lost; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 4 P-51s
are
damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 10 MIA.
Mission 368: 222 fighter are dispatched to attack rail bridges in
France;
1. 74 P-47s are dispatched to hit bridges at Creil (44 bomb) and
Verberie
(28 bomb); 1 P-47 is damaged.
2. 124 P-51s, escorted by 24 P-51s, are dispatched to bomb bridges
at
Beaumont-sur-Oise (59 bomb) and Soissons (34 bomb); 29 also hit St.
Leger/Albert Airfield; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the
air and
2-0-1 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost and 6 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA
and 3
MIA.
Mission 369: 4 of 4 B-17s drop 2.54 million leaflets on France and
Belgium
without loss.
3 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 450+ B-26s attack
airfields, coastal defenses and V-weapon sites; and P-38s and P-47s
dive-bomb
4 landing fields.
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