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THURSDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 715: 1,243 bombers
and 282
fighters, along with Ninth AF and Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft,
are
dispatched to attack tactical targets E of Aachen, Germany in
support of the
US First and Ninth Armies' offensive; 1 fighter is lost:
1. 486 of 495 B-17s hit transportation targets in the Duren area; 1
B-17 is
damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escort is 151
of 159
P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair.
2. 490 of 501 B-17s and 228 of 243 B-24s hit transportation targets
in the
Eschweiler area; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged; 2
airmen
are KIA, 2 WIA and 6 MIA. Escort is 98 of 107 P-51s; 1 is lost
(pilot MIA)
and 3 damaged beyond repair.
4 of 4 B-17s fly a screening force mission.
16 of 16 P-51s fly a scouting force mission.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 80 9th
Bombardment
Division bombers hit defended areas and strongpoints at Echtz,
Luchem, and
Eschweiler; IX Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers dive-bomb gun
positions
and other targets in the Stolberg and Hurtgen areas and XIX Tactical
Air
Command supports the US XX Corps in the Merzig, Trier, and
Saarbrucken area;
the XXIX Tactical Air Command attacks targets in 12 W German towns;
the US
First and Ninth Armies begin an eastward thrust (Operation QUEEN)
into hit by
the IX and XXIX Tactical Air Commands.
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