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The Mighty Eighth - Thursday, 12 April 1945 |
| THURSDAY, 12 APRIL 1945 EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 95 of 99 P-51s escort Ninth AF B-26s in an attack on an ordnance depot. Mission 944: During the night of 12/13 Apr, 9 of 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany and 6 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in Denmark. TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 167 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s attack the Hof rail bridge, Kempten ordnance depot, and Goppingen marshalling yard, plus a town area and a casual target of opportunity; 275+ planes abort because of weather; fighters escort the bombers, attack the town of Kothen, fly armed reconnaissance and sweeps over wide areas and support ground forces; fighters also support the US III, XVI, and XVIII Corps as they continue to reduce the Ruhr pocket, the 9th Armored Division on the Saale River near Werben and Bad Lauchstadt, the XX Corps from the Saale River N and S of Jena E across the Weisse Elster River, the VIII Corps along the Saale further S of Jena, the XII Corp SE of Coburg on the Hasslach River, the 2d Armored Division across the Elbe River near Randau S of Magdeburg, the 5th Armored Division on the W bank of the Elbe at Wittenberge, and the XVI Corps as it continues fighting in the Duisburg and Dortmund areas. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 404th Fighter Group and 506th Fighter Squadron from Keltz to Fritzlar with P-47s; the 109th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Limburg to Eschwege with F-6s; the 125th Liaison Squadron, IX Fighter Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), from Haltern to Gutersloh with L-5s; the 386th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, from Aachen to Fritzlar with P-47s; the 425th Night Fighter Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command, from Etain, France to Frankfurt with P-61s. |