January 1945

The Mighty Eighth - Thursday, 5 April 1945

THURSDAY, 5 APRIL 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 928: 1,358 bombers and 662 fighters attack marshalling yards,
ordnance depots, armament works and airfields in Germany; they claim 8-0-6
aircraft; 10 bombers and 1 P-51 are lost:
1. 436 B-17s are dispatched to hit munitions dumps at Ingolstadt (211)
and Grafenwohr (94), and the marshalling yard at Bayreuth (73); targets of
opportunity are Weiden (30) and Nurnberg (1); the attacks are made visually;
1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 11 airmen are KIA and
2 WIA. Escorting are 182 of 201 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air
and 7-0-3 on the ground.
2. 397 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Plauen (151) and the
munitions dump at Bayreuth (39); targets of opportunity are the munitions
dump at Grafenwohr (1) and munitions plant at Ingolstadt (1); bombing is with
H2X radar; 5 B-24s are lost and 5 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 44 MIA. 280
P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 1-0-2 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost
(pilot MIA).
3. 521 B-17s are sent to hit the Unterschlauersbach Airfield (59), an
aircraft parts factory (13) and munitions depot (54) at Furth, and the
Nurnberg S marshalling yard (37); 271 bombers hit the Nurnberg Station
marshalling yard, the secondary; bombing is visual; 4 B-17s are lost, 2
damaged beyond repair and 112 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 39 MIA.
The escort is 91 of 104 P-51s.
4. 4 B-17s fly scouting missions.
5. 18 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
6. 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 929: 12 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany
during the night.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS
First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves: HQ 27th Fighter Group
and 522d and 524th Fighter Squadrons from Ochey, France to Biblis, Germany
with P-47s; 406th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group from Metz, France to
Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt, Germany with P-47s; 417th Night Fighter
Squadron, 64th Fighter Wing [attached to First Tactical AF (Provisional)]
from La Vallon to St Dizier, France with Beaufighters.
Ninth Air Force: Weather prevents operations by the 9th Bombardment
Division. In Germany, fighters fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance,
and support the US 7th Armored Division's attack on the Ruhr pocket SW of
Brilon, the XX Corps' drive E in the Muhlhausen area, the XII Corps' advance
in the Meiningen area, the 2d Armored Division bridgehead astride the Weser
River S of Hameln, the 8th Armored Division (preparing for an assault on
Soest), and the 5th Armored Division near Minden. Units moving: HQ 10th
Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 31st Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron from Evren Airfield, Trier to Ober Olm, Germany with F-5s; HQ 344th
Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 497th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) from
Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France to Juzaine Airfield, Florennes, Belgium with
B-26s; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to
Twelfth Army Group) from Bad Godesberg to Marburg, Germany with L-5s; the
167th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group) from Vittel,
France to Kaiserslautern, Germany with L-5s; the 450th Bombardment Squadron
(Medium), 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), from Tille Airfield, Beauvais,
France to Le Culot, Belgium with B-26s.