Mission 68

Mission Summaries > May 1944

MONDAY, 8 MAY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO):

General Dwight D Eisenhower sets D-Day for the Normandy invasion as 5 Jun; the date subsequently will be changed to 6 Jun.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 344:

In the morning, 807 bombers and 729 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany in a PFF mission; the bombers claim 76-16-16 Luftwaffe fighters, the fighters claim 55-4-20; 36 bombers and 13 fighters are lost.

500 B-17s are dispatched to bomb Berlin; 386 B-17s hit the primary, 42 bomb Brunswick, 17 bomb Brandenburg and 8 bomb Magdeburg; 25 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 169 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 261 MIA.

307 B-24s are dispatched to Brunswick-Waggum Airfield; 288 hit the primary and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 11 B-24s are lost, 7 are damaged beyond repair and 28 damaged; 7 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 112 MIA.

Escort is provided by 152 P-38s, 295 P-47s and 282 P-51s; the P-38s claim 6-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft, the P-47s claim 9-1-5 and the P-51s claim 40-3-12; 4 P-38s, 4 P-47s and 5 P-51s are lost; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair; 3 P-47s and 1 P-51 are damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 13 MIA.

Mission 345:

In the afternoon, 164 bombers and 97 fighters are dispatched against targets in France and Belgium; 5 bombers are lost:

92 of 101 B-17s bomb V-weapon sites at Glacrie and Sottevast, France; 5 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 29 damaged; 28 airmen are MIA.

Target: Brunswick, Germany - Braunschweig-Waggum Airfield
8th Air Force Mission No:	344
Aircraft Taking Off:
Aircraft Dispatched:
Aircraft Aborts:
Aircraft Over Primary:
Aircraft Over Secondary:
Aircraft Over Last Resort:
Aircraft Bomb Load:
Group Bomb Load:
Results:
Tactical Mission Report:	445th Bomb Group Mission Report 1. Aircraft Scheduled Aircraft Airborne Aircraft Dispatched Aircraft Not Dispatched Aircraft Abortive Aircraft Over Target Aircraft Returned Aircraft No. 42-95051 was reported missing before reaching the target. Aircraft No. 42-94957 was reported to go down while over the target. 2. Assembly 3. Initial Point 4. Bomb Run 5. Return 6. Enemy Fighters 7. Enemy Fighters 8. Fighter Support
Losses:
Note:

Brunswick, Germany - Braunschweig-Waggum Airfield