19 November 1943

FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 1943

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 134:
127 of 161 B-17's and 3 of 6 B-17 PFF aircraft are dispatched to Gelsenkirchen, Germany but the malfunction of blind-bombing equipment and the weather causes
the force to attack targets of opportunity on the German-Dutch border at
1241-1251 hours; 1 B-17 crashes after takeoff; the crew of 10 are KIA.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 135: 6 B-17's drop 2.316 million leaflets on
Amiens and Reims, France; Brussels and Ghent, Belgium; and Amsterdam and The
Hague, The Netherlands at 1915-2011 hours; no losses.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 100+ B-26's dispatched to attack
airfields in France abort the mission when bad weather prevents rendezvous
with the fighter escorts.