The Mighty Eighth Air Force
 plane

 2 March 1944

THURSDAY, 2 MARCH 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 244:
1. 327 B-17s are dispatched to the Frankfurt Main marshalling yard; only
101 hit the primary target because of PFF failures; 103 hit Frankfurt
Offenbach, 49 hit Ludwigshafen, 20 hit Limburg, 12 hit Fischbach and 8 hit
other targets of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost with 1 KIA, 5 WIA and 80 MIA.
154 B-24s are also dispatched to the same target; 36 hit the primary and 46
hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 3 damaged beyond repair;
casualties are 16 KIA, 4 WIA and 11 MIA. The bombers claim 2-0-2 Luftwaffe
aircraft. Escort is provided by 33 P-38s, 445 Eighth and Ninth Air Force
P-47s and 111 P-51s; 1 P-38 is damaged; the P-47s claim 13-2-3 Luftwaffe
aircraft, 3 P-47s are lost and 7 damaged, 2 pilots are MIA; the P-51s claim
4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft, 2 P-51s are damaged and 1 pilot is MIA.
2. 84 of 106 B-17s dispatched hit the air depot at Chartres, France; 1 B-17
is lost and 12 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 10 MIA. This mission is
escorted by 89 P-38s, 145 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 47 Ninth Air
Force P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 1 P-38 is
lost.
Mission 245: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Caen, Amiens,
Rouen, Chartres and Rennes, France at 2015-2054 hours without loss.
HQ 92d Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) moves from Camp Blainey to
Sudbury, England.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, 353 B-26s attack NOBALL
(V-weapon) targets, Tergnier, and Amiens/Glisy and Rosieres-en-Santerre
Airfields in morning and afternoon missions.
Moves in England: 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group,
from Bottesford to Membury with C-47s; 391st Fighter Squadron, 366th
Fighter Group, from Membury to Thruxton with P-47s (first mission is 14
Mar).