8 Feburary 1944

TUESDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 214: 53 of 54 B-24s hit
the V-weapon site at Siracourt, France while 57 of 73 B-24s hit the
V-weapon site at Watten, France; 41 B-24s are damaged and 10 airmen are WIA;
escort is 89 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s. 88 of 236 B-17s hit the
marshalling yards at Frankfurt, Germany using blind-bombing techniques; 107
other B-17s hit targets of opportunity; they claim 1-3-0 Luftwaffe aircraft;
13 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 108 damaged; casualties are
11 KIA, 4 WIA and 130 MIA; escort is provided by 77 P-38s, 435 Eighth and
Ninth Air Force P-47s and 41 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 16-1-8
Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 4 P-51s are lost, 1 P-47 is
damaged beyond repair and 4 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 9 MIA.
Mission 215: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 360 bundles of leaflets in a CARPETBAGGER
operation over Caen, Rouen, Paris, Rennes and Amiens, France at 2106-2136
hours without loss.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): HQ Ninth Air Force extends IX Bomber
Command's choice of targets considerably, although first priority for
Operation POINTBLANK missions [the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and
RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industry] and next
priority for Operation CROSSBOW (code name for operations against German
V-weapon sites) targets is maintained.
In a morning raid, nearly 200 B-26s attack V-weapon sites and targets of
opportunity in NW France. In an afternoon raid, 100+ B-26s bomb V-weapon
sites and military instsllations in the same general area, most of the B-26s
attacking Breck-sur-Mer. This is the IX Bomber Command's first 2-mission day.
494th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 344th Bombardment Group (Medium),
arrives at Stansted, England from the US with B-26s; first mission is 29
Feb.