Mission 82

Mission Summaries > May 1944

SUNDAY, 28 MAY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 376:

1,341 bombers and 697 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany; 32 bombers and 9 fighters are lost; they claim 64-30-31 Luftwaffe aircraft.

610 B-17s are dispatched against an oil targets at Ruhland/Schwarz-Heide (38 bomb) and aircraft factory at Dessau (12 bomb); secondary targets are aviation factories at Zwickau (15 bomb) and Leipzig (28 bomb); 14 bomber hit Bohlen, 15 hit Meissen, 19 hit Brandis/Polenz Wusten-Sachsen Airfield, 12 hit Frankfurt marshalling yard, 32 hit Ubigau, 20 hit Dessau, 4 hit Frankfurt, 5 hit Camburg and 22 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 20-21-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 17 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 107 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 155 MIA.

255 B-17s are dispatched to an oil dump at Konigsberg/Magdeburg (105 bomb) and oil industry at Magdeburg/Rothensee (55 bomb); 17 hit Dessau and 6 bomb the marshalling yard at Gera; they claim 16-8-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 9 B-17s are lost and 64 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 90 MIA.

106 B-24s are dispatched to Lutzkendorf/Halle (66 bomb); 10 hit Wetzlar and 6 hit a target of opportunity; 3 B-24s are lost and 16 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 3 MIA.

311 B-24s are dispatched to oil targets at Merseburg/Leuna (63 bomb) and Zeitz-Troglitz (187 bomb); 10 hit Limburg, 8 hit Memmingen, 9 hit Saalfeld and 10 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost and 23 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 1 WIA and 26 MIA.

58 of 59 B-17s hit Cologne / Eifeltor marshalling yard without loss; glide bombs are used but the weapon proves unsuccessful.

Escort is provided by 182 P-38s, 208 P-47s and 307 P-51s; no P-38s are lost; P-47s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-1 on the ground with the loss of 4 P-47s (pilots are MIA), 2 damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged; P-51s claim 25-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of 5 (pilots are MIA), 1 damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged. 527 Ninth Air Force fighters also fly escort and claim 33-0-10 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 5-0-7 on the ground for the loss of 5 fighters.

Mission 377:

5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in Belgium and Norway.

22 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 1 is lost.

Target: Merseberg, Germany - IG Farben Leuna Oil Refinery
8th Air Force Mission No:	376
Aircraft Taking Off:
Aircraft Dispatched:
Aircraft Aborts:
Aircraft Over Primary:
Aircraft Over Secondary:
Aircraft Over Last Resort:
Aircraft Bomb Load:	10 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs
Group Bomb Load:	250 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs
Results:
Tactical Mission Report:	445th Bomb Group Mission Report 1. A/C Scheduled ----------------------- A/C Airborne ------------------------- A/C Dispatched ---------------------- A/C Returned Early ----------------- A/C Over Target --------------------- A/C Returned ------------------------ 2. Assembly: 3. Route In: 4. Bomb Run: 5. Route Out: 6. Enemy Fighters: 7. Fighter Support: 8. Flak:
Losses: None.
Note: None.

Merseberg, Germany - IG Farben Leuna Oil Refinery