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SUNDAY, 15 OCTOBER 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
Mission 677: 754 bombers and 464 fighters are dispatched to hit
industrial,
oil and rail targets in the Cologne, Germany area; all but 1 force
bombs by
PFF methods; 7 bombers and 3 fighters are lost:
1. 454 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Geron (141), Nippes (127) and
Kalk
(111) marshalling yards; 11 others hit the Koblenz/Lutzel
marshalling yard; 4
B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 293 damaged; 14 airmen
are KIA,
15 WIA and 40 MIA. Escort is provided by 146 of 151 P-51s; 1 P-51 is
damaged
beyond repair.
2. 385 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Eifeltor (148) and Imbert
(24)
marshalling yards; secondary targets are the Kalk (117) and Gereon
(50)
marshalling yards; other targets are Wester marshalling yard (11)
and other
(1); 2 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 230 damaged; 10
airmen are
KIA, 19 WIA and 18 MIA. Escort is provided by 150 of 154 P-51s; 2
P-51s are
lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
3. 369 B-24s are dispatched to hit oil facilities at Monheim/Rhenania
(64)
and Reisholz (61) visually; secondary targets are Cologne/Gereon
marshalling
yard (185) and Dormigeon (13); targets of opportunity are Worringen
(12),
Cologne Airfield (12) and Limburg marshalling yard (6); 1 B-24 is
lost and
106 damaged; 3 B-24s are lost and 106 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 7
WIA and 10
MIA. Escort is provided by 131 of 141 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot
MIA) and 1
damaged beyond repair.
Mission 678A: 2 of 9 B-17s make an APHRODITE attack on naval
installations
on Heligoland Island, Germany; 23 of 24 B-17s fly a cover mission to
the same
targets. Escort is provided by 15 of 16 P-51s and 2 P-38s without
loss.
Mission 679: 5 B-17s and 4 B-24s fly a night leaflet mission over
the
Netherlands, France and Germany without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents bomber
operations;
fighters fly rail cutting missions and support elements of the US
First,
Third, Seventh, and Ninth Armies in E France and W Germany.
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