Mission 81

Mission Summaries > May 1944

SATURDAY, 27 MAY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 373:

1,126 bombers and 710 fighters are dispatched against rail targets in France and Germany and gun batteries in France; 24 bombers and 7 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 35.5-1-5 aircraft in the air and 9-0-2 on the ground:

344 B-17s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Ludwigshafen (150 bomb) and Mannheim (125 bomb); 18 hit Lachen / Apeyerdorf, 19 hit the Mannheim area and 6 hit targets of opportunity; 12 B-17s are lost and 98 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 114 MIA.

269 B-17s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Karlsruhe (98 bomb) and Strasbourg, France (49 bomb) and aviation factory at Strasbourg / Meinau, France (53 bomb); 7 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 89 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 3 WIA and 70 MIA.

69 of 86 B-24s bomb aviation factory at Woippy, France; 3 others hit targets of opportunity; 1 airman is WIA.

369 B-24s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Saarbrücken (145 bomb), Neunkirchen (66 bomb) and Kons / Karthaus (72 bomb); 3 others hit targets of opportunity; 5 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 18 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 50 MIA.

36 of 40 B-17s bomb Fecamp gun battery, France without loss.

16 of 16 B-24’s bombed the Fécamp gun battery, France without loss.

18 of 18 B-24s bomb St Valery, France without loss.

Escort is provided by 170 P-38s, 238 P-47s and 302 P-51s; 1 P-38 is lost (pilot is MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair; P-47s claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground without loss; P-51s claim 34.5-1-4 aircraft in the air and 7-0-2 on the ground with the loss of 6 P-51s (pilots are MIA), another is damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged. 425 Ninth Air Force aircraft also support the mission; they claim 4-0-0 with the loss of 1.

Mission 374:

24 of 24 P-47s hit a barge convoy between Willemstad and Meerije, The Netherlands; 1 P-47 is damaged and 2 barges destroyed.

Mission 375:

3 of 4 B-17s drop leaflets in Belgium and France without loss.

Target: Fécamp, France - German Coastal Gun Batteries
8th Air Force Mission No:	373
Aircraft Taking Off:	4
Aircraft Dispatched:	4
Aircraft Aborts:	0
Aircraft Over Primary:	4
Aircraft Over Secondary:	0
Aircraft Over Last Resort:	0
Aircraft Bomb Load:	12 x 500 lb. AN-M44 General Purpose bombs
Group Bomb Load:	48 x 500 lb. AN-M44 General Purpose bombs
Results:	Fair
Tactical Mission Report:	445th Bomb Group Mission Report 1. A/C Scheduled ----------------------- 4 A/C Airborne ------------------------- 4 A/C Dispatched ---------------------- 4 A/C Returned Early ----------------- 0 A/C Over Target --------------------- 4 A/C Returned ------------------------ 4 2. Assembly: 3. Route In: 4. Bomb Run: 5. Route Out: 6. Enemy Fighters: 7. Fighter Support: 8. Flak:
Losses: None.
Note: None.

Fécamp, France - German Coastal Gun Battery