The Mighty Eighth Air Force
 plane
12 June 1944
MONDAY, 12 JUNE 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 407: With bad weather over
top priority targets in Germany, 1,442 bombers are dispatched against
airfields and landing grounds in NE France and rail and road bridges on the
Brest Peninsula; 691 of 769 B-17s and 586 of 673 B-24s hit 16 airfields and
6 railroad bridges in the Rennes and St Nazaire area; they claim 1-1-0
Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost; 1 B-17 and 2 B-24s are
damaged beyond repair; and 188 B-17s and 52 B-24s are damaged; 7 airmen are
KIA, 14 WIA and 58 MIA.
988 fighter sorties are flown with the loss of 16 aircraft; 15 pilots are
MIA:
1. 234 P-38s, 80 P-47s and 201 P-51s fly escort, sweeps and patrols over
the Channel NW of Paris and in the Rennes area; they claim 20-0-8 Luftwaffe
aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 3 P-38s, 1 P-47 and 3 P-51s
are lost; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair.
2. 93 P-38s and 183 P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against 5 railroad
bridges in the Tours-Paris area; they claim 5-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the
air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-38 and 8 P-47s are lost; 1 each is damaged
beyond repair.
3. 45 P-38s and 152 P-51s fly escort for Ninth Air Force A-20s and B-26s.
Mission 408: 7 of 7 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Belgium during the
night without loss.
16 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 509 B-26s and A-20s bomb
marshalling yards, road and rail junctions, bridges, artillery, town areas,
troop concentrations and various targets of opportunity; aircraft of 15+
fighter groups fly close and area support for bombers and bomb and strafe
rail lines, gun batteries, bridges, fortifications, radar installation,
tanks, ammunition dumps, town areas and strongpoints in the battle area. In
England, HQ 366th Fighter Group begins a movement from Thruxton to France; HQ
442d Troop Carrier Group and 303d and 304th Troop Carrier Squadrons move from
Fulbeck to Weston Zoyland with C-47s; and 425th Night Fighter Squadron, IX
Air Defense Command, moves from Chormy Down to Scorton with P-61s.