The Mighty Eighth Air Force
 plane
22 October 1944
SUNDAY, 22 OCTOBER 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): HQ 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy)
and the 856th, 857th, 858th and 859th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), i.e.,
the CARPETBAGGER group assigned to HQ VIII Fighter Command, is transferred to
the 1st Bombardment Division to operate as a night bombing group; only the
856th Squadron remains on CARPETBAGGER operations over the Netherlands,
Norway and Denmark under operational control of HQ Eighth AF; this reduction
of supply dropping forces results from the recapture of major portions of
France. The 859th Squadron is sent to Italy in Dec 44 and did not return;
the 857th and 858th started night bombing sorties on a limited scale in Dec
44.
Mission 685: 1,131 bombers and 785 fighters are dispatched on PFF attacks
on targets in W Germany; 2 bombers and 1 fighter are lost:
1. 379 B-17s are dispatched to hit military vehicle plants at Hannover/
Hanomag (171) and Brunswick/Bussing (148); targets of opportunity are
Bielefeld (35) and other (6); 2 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and
15 damaged; 20 airmen are KIA, 3 WIA and 16 MIA. Escort is provided by 379
P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
2. 353 of 373 B-24s hit the Hamm marshalling yard; 29 B-24s are damaged.
Escort is provided by 196 of 212 P-51s; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair.
3. 352 of 379 B-17s hit the Munster marshalling yard; 8 others hit targets
of opportunity; 13 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 147 of 157 P-51s.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Advance HQ XXIX Tactical Air Command
(Provisional) and HQ 84th and 303d Fighter Wings move from Arlon, Belgium to
Maastricht, the Netherlands to maintain close association with the US Ninth
Army. Weather forbids bomber operations; fighter sweeps and armed
reconnaissance support US Third and Seventh Army elements in E France and W
Germany. In Belgium, HQ 373d Fighter Group moves from Reims, France to Le
Culot.