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MONDAY, 13 DECEMBER 1943
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command
Mission 154;
the port area at Bremen and Kiel, Germany are hit; 5 aircraft are
lost. This
is the first mission where more than 600 aircraft are dispatched.
1. 171 of 182 B-17's dispatched to Bremen hit the target at
1159-1206
hours; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 30 damaged; casualties
are 1 KIA
and 3 WIA.
2. 367 of 403 B-17's, 93 of 107 B-24's, 12 of 12 B-17 PFF and 6 of 6
B-24
PFF aircraft are dispatched to Kiel; heavy frosting and poor
visibility
disrupts the formation and 78 B-17's hit targets of opportunity in
Hamburg
at 1300-1305 hours; the remaining aircraft hit Kiel at 1245-1317
hours;
7-3-17 Luftwaffe aircraft are claimed; 4 B-17's and 1 B-24 are lost;
1 B-17
is damaged beyond repair and 136 B-17's and 4 B-24's are lost;
casualties
are 4 KIA, 16 WIA and 50 MIA.
These missions are escorted by 31 P-38's, 322 P-47's and 41 Ninth
Air Force
P-51's; they claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are
lost, 1
P-38 and 1 P-47 are damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 is damaged;
casualties
are 2 WIA and 1 MIA. P-51's escorting the heavy bombers reach the
limit of
their escort range for the first time.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 155: 5
B-17's drop 1 million leaflets on Le
Mans, Rennes, Tours, Nantes and Chartres, France at 2138-2155 hours;
no
losses.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Nearly 200 B-26's attack
Schiphol
Airfield in The Netherlands.
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