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MONDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS (IX Troop Carrier Command): HQ 440th Troop
Carrier
Group moves from Exeter, England to Reims.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Two missions are flown.
Mission 623: 1,131 bombers and 440 fighters are dispatched to hit
synthetic
oil plants and refineries in Germany; AAF encounters an estimated
525
Luftwaffe fighters; 40 bombers and 17 fighters are lost; AAF claim
115-7-23
aircraft in the air and 42-0-43 on the ground:
1. 384 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil refineries at Bohlen (75),
Chemnitz
(75), Brux (39) and Ruhland (22); the Chemnitz force is an Operation
FRANTIC
force that along with 64 P-51s, continues on and lands in the USSR;
targets
of opportunity are a tire plant at Fulda (66), a marshalling yard at
Fulda
(40) and 16 others; they claim 12-16-1 aircraft; 16 B-17s are lost,
3 damaged
beyond repair and 94 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 153 MIA.
Escort is
provided by 252 of 275 P-51s; they claim 57-2-12 aircraft in the air
and
26-0-25 on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and
5
damaged; 4 pilots are MIA.
2. 351 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil refineries at Merseburg (111)
and
Lutzkendorf (96); targets of opportunity hit are Eisennach (71),
Labejum
(12), Rossla (6) and 25 others; they claim 1-1-2 aircraft; 13 B-17s
are lost,
2 damaged beyond repair and 106 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 21 WIA
and 120
MIA. Escort is provided by 247 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 13-0-1
aircraft in
the air and 4-0-2 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost, 2 damaged beyond
repair
and 2 P-47s and 4 P-51s damaged; 3 pilots are MIA.
3. 396 B-24s are dispatched to hit an engine factory at Hannover
(88), oil
refineries at Misburg (87) and Magdeburg (33) and an ordinance depot
at
Magdeburg (27); targets of opportunity hit are Magdeburg (70),
Stendal (45),
Diepholz (9) and 3 others; they claim 4-8-1 aircraft; 10 B-24s are
lost, 2
damaged beyond repair and 179 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 13 WIA and
102 MIA.
Escort is provided by 164 P-38s and P-51s; they claim 45-5-10
aircraft in the
air and 12-0-16 on the ground; 10 P-51s are lost, 4 damaged beyond
repair and
7 damaged; 14 pilots are MIA.
Mission 625: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Germany during
the
night.
38 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 358 B-26s and
A-20s,
escorted by fighters, in support of the US Third Army, hit gun
positions and
strongpoints in the Metz area; in Germany, fighters fly armed
reconnaissance
over the Lissendorf and Duren areas, and support Third Army ground
forces in
the Metz area; armored reconnaissance elements of this Army cross
into
Germany, the first Allied unit to do so; fighters also support
ground forces
in the Brest, France area; HQ IX Tactical Air Command moves from
Versailles
to Janoulx, Belgium; HQ 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group and the
161st
Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron move from Azeville to Le Mans and
Montrevil
respectively with F-6s; HQ 368th Fighter Group and the 395th, 396th
and 397th
Fighter Squadrons move from Chartres to Laon/Athies with P-47s; HQ
370th
Fighter Group and the 402d and 485th Fighter Squadrons move from
Lonray to
Roye/Amy with P-38s; HQ 397th Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from
Gorges to
Dreux; the 386th and 388th Fighter Squadrons, 365th Fighter Group,
move from
Bretigny to Juvincourt with P-47s; the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th
Fighter
Group, moves from Pera to Clastres with P-38s; the 425th Night
Fighter
Squadron, IX Air Defense Command, moves from Le Moustoiris to
Coulommiers
with P-61s; the 506th Fighter Squadron, 404th Fighter Group, moves
from
Bretigny to Juvincourt with P-47s; and the 510th Fighter Squadron,
405th
Fighter Group, moves from Picauville to St Dizier with P-47s.
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