30 November 1943

TUESDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 1943

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 143.
349 B-17's, 29 B-24's and 3 PFF B-17's are dispatched to the industrial area
at Solingen, Germany; 270 B-17's, the B-24's and 2 PFF B-17's abort the
mission due to cloud formations which cause assembly difficulties and require
flying at altitudes not feasible for the B-24's; 79 B-17's and 1 PFF B-17 use
blind-bombing equipment to hit Solingen plus 1 aircraft drops on
Wermelskirchen; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17's are lost; 3
are damaged beyond repair and 9 damaged; casualties are 11 KIA, 20 WIA and
23 MIA. This mission is escorted by 20 P-38's and 327 P-47's; they claim
0-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 and 5 P-47's are lost and 1 each damaged;
casualties are 6 MIA.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 144: 6 B-17's drop 1.4075 million leaflets on
Paris, Rouen and Tours, France; and Krefeld and Opladen, Germany during the
evening; no casualties.
HQ 357th Fighter Group arrives at Raydon, England from the US.
HQ 361st Fighter Group and it's 374th, 375th and 376th Fighter Squadrons
arrive at Bottisham, England from the US with P-47's. They will fly their
first mission on 22 Jan 44.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): HQ IX Fighter Command arrives at
Middle Wallop, England from Libya.
HQ 362d Fighter Group and it's 377th, 378th and 379th Fighter Squadrons
arrive at Wormingford, England from the US with P-47's. They will fly their
first mission on 8 Feb 44.