SUNDAY, 25 JUNE 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission
441: During the morning
658 bombers are dispatched to hit targets in France; 7 bombers are lost:
1. Of 263 B-17s, 104 hit Toulouse/Francazal Airfield, 72 hit Toulouse/
Blangnac Airfield and 64 hit Montbartier oil depot; 5 B-17s are lost, 1
is
damaged beyond repair and 114 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 45
MIA.
Escort is provided by 46 P-38s, 36 P-47s and 146 P-51s; they claim
10-0-1
Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
2. Of 258 B-24s, 43 hit targets of opportunity, 23 hit Beuvry, 18 hit
Mazingarbe, 12 hit Aube-sur-Risle, 12 hit Doullens, 12 hit La Vaupalier,
12
hit Peronne Airfield, 11 hit Amiens/St Maurice, 11 hit Calais, 11 hit
Tingry,
10 hit Abbeville, 10 hit St Omer/Longuenesse, 8 hit Boulogne, 8 hit
Holque, 7
hit Nunque, 7 hit Pont-a-Vendin, 2 hit Chocques; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 is
damaged
beyond repair and 26 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 2 WIA. Escort is
provided
by 68 P-47s and 34 P-51s without loss.
3. Of 137 B-24s, 59 hit St Avord Airfield and 48 hit Bourge Airfield; 1
B-24 is lost; 10 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 102 P-38s and 44
P-47s; they claim 8-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft without loss.
Mission 442: During the midday 463 bombers
are dispatched to targets in
France; 6 bombers are lost; escort is provided by 127 P-38s, 35 P-47s
and 181
P-51s; they claim 4-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is
MIA):
1. Of 274 B-24s, 63 hit Villacoublay air depot, 35 hit Bretigny Airfield
and 11 hit Buc Airfield; 5 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and
104
damaged; 11 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 59 MIA.
2. Of 189 B-17s, 70 hit Soigny Bridge, 38 hit Sens Bridge, 28 hit
Clamecy,
21 hit Auxerre Bridge, 21 hit Nanteuil, 20 hit Nogent, 18 hit Orly
Airfield,
13 hit Romilly-sur-Seine, 12 hit Folous, 12 hit Etampes/Mondesir
Airfield and
3 hit Orly marshalling yard; 1 B-17 is lost and 20 damaged; 2 airmen are
WIA
and 19 MIA.
41 of 43 P-47s fly a flight-bomber mission against Evreux/Fauville
landing
ground.
In the USSR, B-17s and P-51s are flown, at daybreak, from dispersal
bases
to Poltava and Mirgorod and loaded and fueled with intentions of bombing
the
oil refinery at Drohobycz, Poland and proceed to base in Italy. Bad
weather
cancels the mission until the tomorrow. The aircraft return to dispersal
bases for the night as precaution against air attacks.
24 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER mission.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 400+ B-26s and A-20s
hit
fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine, Foret d'Ecouves, and Senonches, and rail
bridges at Cherisy, Chartres, Oiseme and Epernon; 14 fighter groups send
aircraft on escort, and on armed reconnaissance and dive bombing
missions
over the Chartres, Dreux, Argentan, Tours, and Orleans areas; transports
fly
supply and evacuation missions; and HQ 50th Fighter Group and 10th and
81st
Fighter Squadrons move from Lymington, England to Carentan with P-47s.
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