10 Feburary 1944

THURSDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 216: 141 of 169 B-17s hit
the industrial area at Brunswick, Germany and 2 hit targets of opportunity;
they claim 42-30-61 Luftwaffe aircraft; 29 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged
beyond repair and 52 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 295 MIA; escort
is provided by 64 P-38s, 357 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 45 Ninth
Air Force P-51s; they claim 56-1-40 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-2
on the ground; 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s are lost, 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 are damaged
beyond repair and 6 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 9
MIA. 27 of 81 B-24s hit the Gilze-Rijen Airfield, The Netherlands; dense
contrails and frost prevent most aircraft from attacking; 4 B-24s are
damaged beyond repair; casualties are 26 KIA and 14 WIA; escort is provided
by 91 P-47s without loss.
Mission 217: In a CARPETBAGGER mission, 5 of 5 B-17s drop 260 bundles of
leaflets on Rennes, Caen, Rouen and Amiens, France and Antwerp, Belgium at
2111-2145 hours without loss.
HQ 364th Fighter Group and 383d, 384th and 385th Fighter Squadrons arrive
at Honington, England from the US with P-38J's; first mission is 2 Mar.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 114 B-26s attack V-weapon sites in
coastal France, airfields at Poix and Beauvais/Tille, a bridge at Le Crotoy,
and a coastal battery N of the Conch River.
496th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 344th Bombardment Group (Medium),
arrives at Stansted, England from the US with B-26s; first mission is 29 Feb.