Mission 52

Mission Summaries > April 1944

THURSDAY, 13 APRIL 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE (SHAEF):

General of the Army Dwight D Eisenhower formally assumes direction of air operations out of the UK at 0000 hours (though he began informal exercise of this authority in late Mar 44). This assumption of authority gives Eisenhower direction over the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command, and US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF) (the Fifteenth Air Force retains some degree of independence) along with the US 1st Army Group, British 21 Army Group, and Allied Naval Forces.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 301:

626 bombers and 871 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany; the bombers claim 22-13-34 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 42-8-10 in the air and 35-0-21 on the ground; 38 bombers and 9 fighters are lost; the bombers also drop 5.2 million leaflets on Germany; this mission is flown in conjunction with a raid on Hungary by 500+ Fifteenth Air Force bombers and a Ninth Air Force B-26 raid in S The Netherlands; details are:

154 of 172 B-17s hit the industrial area at Schweinfurt and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 14 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 127 damaged; casualties are 11 WIA and 139 MIA.

207 of 243 B-17s bomb aviation industry targets at Augsburg and 20 hit the city of Augsburg; 18 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 178 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 16 WIA and 170 MIA.

211 B-24s are dispatched to hit Lechfeld Airfield; 93 hit the primary, 60 bomb aviation industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen; 29 hit Lauffern and 2 hit targets of opportunity; 6 B-24s are lost and 45 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 3 WIA and 60 MIA.

Escort is provided by 134 P-38s, 504 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 233 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 3 P-38s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; 2 P-47s are lost; and 4 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; a total of 11 fighters are damaged; casualties are 2 WIA and 8 MIA.

Mission 302:

4 of 5 B-17s dispatched drop 800,000 leaflets on Amsterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven, The Netherlands at 2235-2252 hours without loss.

Target: Primary: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany - Flugzeugmontage- und Reparaturwerk der Dornier Werke Secondary: Lauffen, Germany - City Center
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Tactical Mission Report:	Mission Data: Date: 13 Apr 44 Primary Target: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany - Dornier Werke Aircraft Assembly & Repair Plant Secondary Target: Lauffen, Germany - City Center Last Resort Target: Units Participating: Narrative: Assembly: Climb: Route In: Bomb Run: Route Out: Enemy Fighters: Fighter Support: Flak:
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