TUESDAY, 25 APRIL 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 317 Part 1: 554 bombers
and 719 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and airfields in
France and Germany; 7 bombers and 2 fighters are lost; the bombers make no
Luftwaffe aircraft claims.
1. 199 B-24s are dispatched to the marshalling yard at Mannheim, Germany; 7
bomb the primary, 16 bomb the marshalling yard at Landau, Germany and 8 hit
targets of opportunity; 5 B-24s are lost and 26 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA,
4 WIA and 49 MIA.
2. 229 B-17s are dispatched to Nancy/Essay Airfield (42 bomb) and Metz/
Frascaty Airfield (98 bomb), France and 2 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s
are lost and 33 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 3 WIA and 20 MIA.
3. 121 of 126 B-17s hit Dijon/Longvic Airfield, France; 29 B-17s are
damaged; 2 airman are WIA.
Escort is provided by 177 P-38s, 296 P-47s and 246 Eighth and Ninth Air
Force P-51s; the fighters claim 5-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and
29-7-42 on the ground; details are: P-38s claim 5-0-9 aircraft, 1 P-38 is
damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged, no casualties; P-47s claim 5-0-8
aircraft; 3 P-47s are damaged; 1 pilot is KIA; P-51s claim 24-7-26 aircraft,
2 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged, 2 pilots are MIA.
Mission 317 Part 2: 27 of 28 B-24s bomb V-weapons sites at Wizerenes,
France without loss. Escort is provided by 40 P-47s.
Mission 318: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 4.2 million leaflets on 20 towns in France
including Calais, Metz, Blainville, Paris, Mulhouse and Reims without loss.
852d, 853d, 854th and 855th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 491st
Bombardment Group (Heavy), move from North Pickenham to Metfield, England
with B-24s; first mission is 2 Jun.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 240 B-26s and 69 A-20s bomb V-weapon
sites in the coastal area of France and gun positions at Le Treport,
Vareneville-sur-Mer, Fontenay-sur-Mer/Crisbec, Ault, Fecamp, Houlgate and
Saint-Pierre-du-Mont, France. About 150 P-47s dive-bomb airfields in France
and Belgium. Around 175 B-26s are forced to abort missions because of bad
weather.
HQ 441st Troop Carrier Group and 99th, 100th and 301st Troop Carrier
Squadrons move from Langar to Merryfield, England with C-47s.