Mission 60

Mission Summaries > April 1944

THURSDAY, 27 APRIL 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 322:

596 bombers and 357 fighters are dispatched to bomb V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais and Cherbourg areas of France; 4 bombers and 2 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 0-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 307 of 393 B-17s and 169 of 203 B-24s hit the target; 3 B-17s are lost and 227 damaged; 1 B-24 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 25 damaged; B-17s casualties are 7 WIA and 30 MIA; B-24 casualties are 3 KIA, 9 WIA and 10 MIA; escort is provided by 47 P-38s, 262 P-47s and 48 P-51s; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost; both pilots are MIA.

Mission 323:

486 bombers and 543 fighters are dispatched to bomb airfields, marshalling yards and targets of opportunity in France and Belgium; 4 bombers and 4 fighters are lost.

168 B-17s are dispatched to bomb Nancy/Essay Airfield (103 bomb) and Toul/Croix de Metz landing ground (60 bomb), France; 2 B-17s are lost and 33 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA.

120 B-17s dispatched: 98 bomb Le Culot Airfield and 20 bomb Ostend/Middelkerke Airfield, Belgium; 2 B-17s are lost and 29 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 20 MIA.

198 B-24s dispatched; 118 bomb Blainville sur L'eau marshalling yard and 72 bomb Châlons sur Marne marshalling yard, France; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 22 damaged; casualties are 24 KIA, 6 WIA and 1 MIA.

Escort is provided by 106 P-38s, 283 P-47s and 154 P-51s; the fighters claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 4-0-5 on the ground; 4 P-47s are lost and 2 P-47s and 1 P-51 are damaged; 3 airmen are MIA.

Mission 324:

5 of 5 B-17s drop 3.36 million leaflets on 23 towns in France including Cambrai, Orleans, Rennes, Nantes, Brest, Tours, Lorient, Caen, Le Mans, Limoges and Châteauroux without loss.

Target: Mimoyecques, France - NOBALL Target #5
8th Air Force F.O. No:	322
Aircraft Taking Off:	18
Aircraft Dispatched:	18
Aircraft Aborts:	0
Aircraft Over Primary:	18
Aircraft Over Secondary:	0
Aircraft Over Last Resort:	0
Aircraft Bomb Load:	8 x 1,000 lb. AN-M65 General Purpose bombs
Group Bomb Load:	144 x 1,000 lb. AN-M65 General Purpose bombs
Results:	Poor
Tactical Mission Report:	Mission Data: 2nd Bomb Division Tactical Analysis Report Date: 27 April 1944 Primary Target: Moyenneville, Bonnieres, Watten, Mimoyecques, Wizernes, Siracourt Secondary Target: None. Last Resort Target: None. Units Participating: 14th CBW (392nd, 44th BG) - NOBALL #61 96th CBW (458th, 466th, 467th BG) - NOBALL #85 20th CBW (446th, 448th, 93rd BG) - NOBALL #9 2nd CBW (389th, 453rd, 445th BG) - NOBALL #5 Narrative: 203 aircraft were dispatched from four Combat Wings to attack military installations at Moyenneville, Bonnieres, Siracourt, Wizernes, Watten, and Mimoyecques. Seven Groups of P-47's gave excellent fighter support. Assemblies were without incident and the Division departed the English Coast as planned. Routes were generally flown as planned. Targets were difficult to find due to thick haze and partial overcast. In some cases this made bombing runs so short that results were poor; however Moyenneville, Wizernes, Siracourt, Bonnieres, Hidrequent and Watten were bombed with fair to excellent results. Moderate but accurate flak was encountered, and in the target areas, accounting for one loss. No enemy fighters were seen.
Losses: None.
Note: None.

No target photo was found