January 1945

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The Mighty Eighth - Wednesday, 7 March 1945

WEDNESDAY, 7 MARCH 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
Mission 869: 946 bombers and 322 fighters are dispatched to hit oil and
communication targets using PFF; 1 P-51 is lost:
1. 246 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Soest (144) and the
Schildesche water viaduct at Bielefeld (80); Gee-H and H2X radar are used
for bombing; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA.
Escorting are 77 P-47s and P-51s.
2. 344 B-17s are dispatched to bomb the Horderverein (24) and Harpenerweg
(62) oil refineries at Dortmund; secondary targets hit are the marshalling
yards at Paderborn (11), Siegen (113) and Giessen (87); Gee-H and H2X radar
are used; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 20 damaged; 1 airman is KIA.
The escort is 74 of 85 P-51s.
3. 340 B-17s are sent to hit the Emscherlippe benzol plant at Datteln
(173) and the Rauxel benzol plant at Castrop (77); secondary targets hit
are the marshalling yards at Siegen (43) and Giessen (28); 1 other hits a
target of opportunity; Micro H and H2X radar are used; 56 B-17s are
damaged. 75 of 76 P-51s escort the bombers.
4. 6 B-17s and 6 B-24s fly a screening mission.
5. 4 B-17s fly a scouting mission.
6. 37 of 38 P-51s fly a sweep of the Dummer Lake-Kassel-Koblenz area.
7. 23 P-51s escort 5 F-5s and a Spitfire on a photo reconnaissance mission
over Germany; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
8. 24 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 870: 11 of 12 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany and the Netherlands.
Mission 871: 19 of 20 B-24s bomb Dortmund during the night using PFF; 1
B-24 is lost.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels combat operations
except for the XXIX Tactical Air Commands support of the US XVI Corps along
the Rhine River in the Wesel area. The 39th Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), moves from St Amand to
Jarny, France with F-5s (flights are operating from Gosselies and Le Culot,
Belgium).

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