January 1945

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The Mighty Eighth -Monday 8 January 1945


MONDAY, 8 JANUARY 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 787: 736 bombers and 269 fighters are dispatched to make PFF
attacks on communications centers, rail targets and bridges in Germany; 2
bombers are lost.
1. 151 B-17s are sent to hit the Wissembourg communications center (36) and
highway and rail bridge at Alzey (36); 65 hit a secondary target, the
marshalling yard at Speyer; 4 hit a target of opportunity; all attacks are
made using Gee-H and H2X; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair.
2. 117 B-17s are dispatched to hit communications centers at Kyllburg
(37), Schweich (24) and Speicher (37); 12 hit a secondary target, the
marshalling yard at Koblenz; all attacks use Gee-H and H2X; 1 B-17 is lost, 1
damaged beyond repair and 24 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 9 MIA.
3. 24 of 30 B-24s hit the Stadtkyll communications center and 2 hit a
target of opportunity using Gee-H without loss.
4. 204 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Wittlich (14),
Oudler (29), Clerf (18), Burghreuland (31) and Dasburg (30); 2 others hit a
target of opportunity; all use Gee-H; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; 1
airman is WIA.
5. 225 B-17s are sent to hit communications centers at Waxweiller (33) and
Lunebach (29); 131 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Frankfurt; 1
hits a target of opportunity; attackers use Micro H and H2X; 1 B-17 is lost,
1 damaged beyond repair and 47 damaged.
6. 219 of 229 P-51s fly a freelance escort mission of all the bombers above
without loss.
7. 9 of 9 B-17s fly a screening mission.
8. 29 of 32 P-51 fly a scouting mission.
9. 8 of 8 P-51s escort 2 Mosquitoes on photo reconnaissance missions over
Germany.
Mission 788: 1 B-17s and 2 of 4 B-24s drop leaflets over St Hubert,
Belgium.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents operations. The
153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army
Group), moves from Tongres to Rutten, Belgium with L-5s

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