THURSDAY, 28 DECEMBER 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
Mission 766: 1,275 bombers and 606 fighter are dispatched to hit rail and
road bridges and several cities in the W German tactical area; 2 bombers are
lost:
1. 361 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Kaiserslautern (123),
Homburg (28) and Neunkirchen (18), the Kaiserslautern rail bridge (31) and
the bridge at Bullay (20); secondary targets hit are Bierbach (32) and
Zweibrucken (20); 12 other hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-24s are lost, 1
damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 22 MIA.
Escorting are 147 of 161 P-51s without loss.
2. 535 B-17s are dispatched to hit the rail bridge at Irlich (109); 399 hit
the secondary, the Mosel marshalling yard at Koblenz; 2 other hit a target of
opportunity; 4 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA. Escort is provided by 236
of 247 P-51s without loss.
3. 379 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Koblenz/Lutzel (131),
Bruhl (75), Sieburg (36), and Troisdorf (11), and the Remagen Bridge (71); 1
B-17s hit the secondary, Sinzig; and 5 hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s
are damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 2 WIA. Escorts
are 158 of 168 P-51s without loss.
4. 27 of 30 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 767: During the night, 7 of 16 B-24s hit de la Colibre, France
without loss.
Mission 768: During the night, 2 B-24s drop leaflets in Belgium without
loss.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents all combat
operations except night-fighter missions.