The Mighty Eighth Air Force
 plane

 30 December 1943

THURSDAY, 30 DECEMBER 1943

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 169:
The port area and oil refinery at Ludwigshafen, Germany are hit at 1156-1300
hours. 502 of 530 B-17's 145 of 168 B-24's, and 11 of 12 PFF aircraft attack
the target; they claim 12-4-9 Luftwaffe aircraft; 14 B-17's and 9 B-24's are
lost, 4 B-17's and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 106 B-17's and 11
B-24's are damaged; casualties are 11 KIA, 19 WIA and 200 MIA.
The mission is escorted by 79 P-38's, 463 P-47's and 41 Ninth Air Force
P-51's; they claim 8-3-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 P-47's and 2 P-51's are
lost, 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 5 P-47's are damaged; casualties
are 12 MIA.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 170: 5 B-17's drop 1 million leaflets on
Antwerp, Ghent, Lens, Belgium and Cambrai, France at 2319-2340 hours; no
losses.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, about 100 B-26's bomb
Saint-Omer Airfield and V-weapon sites on the French N coast. About 100 others
abort missions because of bad weather.