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The Mighty Eighth - Wednesday, 14 February, 1945 |
WEDNESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 1945 EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 830: 1,377 bombers and 962 fighters are dispatched to hit oil and rail targets in Germany; bombing of most targets is by H2X radar; they claim 11-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 7 fighters are lost: 1. 461 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Dresden (311); targets of opportunity are Prague (62), Brux (25) and Pilsen (12) in Czechoslovakia and other (25); they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 49 MIA. Escorting are 281 of 316 P-51s; 3 are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 457 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Chemnitz (294); targets of opportunity are Eger Airfield (38), Bamberg (33), Sonneberg (23), Tachau (24), Hof marshalling yard (12) and other (17); 1 B-17 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 103 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 14 MIA. The escort is 224 of 238 P-51s; 2 are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 375 B-24s are sent to hit an oil refinery at Magdeburg but are unable to attack due to weather; 340 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are Emlicheim (1), Meppen (1), Bodenteich (1) and other (1); 1 B-24 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 16 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. 253 of 273 P-51s escort; they claim 10-0-3 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 84 B-17s are sent to hit the Wesel road bridge (37); 35 hit the secondary, the Dulmen oil depot and 1 hits Ahaus, a target of opportunity; 15 B-17s are damaged. 26 of 30 P-51s escort the bombers. 5. 44 of 49 P-47s fly a sweep of the Magdeburg area without loss. 6. 24 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 7. 29 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 831: 10 B-24s drop leaflet in the Netherlands and Germany during the night. TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 600+ A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s attack rail bridges, a marshalling yard, communications centers, an ammunition dump, a prime mover depot, and several targets of opportunity in morning and afternoon missions aimed primarily at obstructing enemy movement and supply; fighters fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas, escort the bombers bombers, attack river traffic, bridges, and other targets, and support US Third Army elements E of the Our and Sauer Rivers. |