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The Mighty Eighth - Tuesday, 6 February, 1945 |
TUESDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 1945 EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 821: 1,383 bombers and 904 fighters are dispatched to attack oil targets in Germany; the expected clear weather does not materialize and the bombers attack secondary targets and targets of opportunity using H2X radar; they claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 474 of 949 B-17s hit the secondary target in 2 forces, the marshalling yard at Chemnitz; targets of opportunity are the Gotha marshalling yard (88), Giessen (68), Saalfeld (39), Ohrdruf (35), Eisfeld (34), Schmalkalden (32), Greiz (22), Zwickau (22), Eisenach (13), Waltershausen (12), Dirlos (12), Ostheim (12), Friedrichroda (11), Steinbach (2), Meppen (1), Reichenbach (1), Schmalkalden (1), and other (1); 3 B-17s are lost, 13 damaged beyond repair and 115 damaged; 41 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 24 MIA. Escorting are 545 of 588 P-51s; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft in the air and 3-0-0 on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 7 damaged beyond repair. 2. 418 of 434 B-24s hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are the Meppen Bridge (1) and Quackenbruck (1); 2 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 61 damaged; 18 airmen are MIA. The escort is 235 of 262 P-51s without loss. 3. 33 of 38 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. 4. 8 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 5. 8 P-51s escort air-sea-rescue aircraft. TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 261 B-26s, A-20s and A-26s attack the Rheinbach ammunition dump, Sotenich communications center, Vlatten defended village, Berg-Gladbach motor transport center, and several casual targets; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, alert flights and patrols, dive-bomb the Horrem bridge, cut rails, and escort the 9th Bombardment Division bombers. The 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, ceases operating from Conflans, France with F-6s and returns to base at Le Culot, Belgium. In France, the 392d Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, moves from Juvincourt to St Dizier with P-38s. Units moving from France to Belgium with P-47s: the 509th and 510th Fighter Squadrons, 405th Fighter Group, from St Dizier to Ophoven; the 513th and 514th Fighter Squadrons, 406th Fighter Group, from Metz to Asch. |