13 January 1945

SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 791: 958 bombers and 469
fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and Rhine rail bridges
mostly by PFF methods; they claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 bombers and 2
fighters are lost:
1. 367 B-17s are sent to hit the Mainz rail bridge (31), the Gustavsburg
rail bridge at Mainz (95) and the Bischofsheim marshalling yard (119); 74 hit
the secondary target, the Mainz marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are
Euskirchen (13) and other (7); most attacks are made using Micro H but some
formations bomb visually; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 126
damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 4 WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 79 of 80 P-51s; 3
are damaged beyond repair.
2. 276 B-24s are dispatched to hit rail bridges at Worms (86) and Rudesheim
(89) and the Kaiserslautern marshalling yard (87); 1 hits a target of
opportunity; most attacks are made using Gee-H but some formations bomb
visually; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 39 damaged; 2 airmen
are WIA and 10 MIA. The escort is 114 of 118 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost and 1
damaged beyond repair.
3. 315 B-17s are sent to hit rail bridges at Germersheim (71, using Gee-H)
and Maximiliansau (159) and rail and highway bridges at Mannheim (76)
visually; 1 hits a target of opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond
repair and 9 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 42 MIA. Escorting are 77 of
82 P-51s; 2 are damaged beyond repair.
4. 102 P-47s and P-51s fly a freelance fighter sweep supporting the
bombers; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-0-1 on the ground; 1 P-51
is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair.
5. 45 of 45 P-51s fly a fighter-bomber mission against Mannheim, Trier, etc
without loss.
6. 20 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss.
7. 4 of 4 P-51s escort an F-5 on a photo reconnaissance mission over
Germany.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 95 9th Bombardment
Division bombers strike road and rail bridges at Dasburg, Steinebruck, and
Simmern to disrupt enemy movements; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment
Division, Eighth AF, and RAF bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and patrols,
and bomb and strafe numerous ground targets. The IX Tactical Air Command
supports the US VII Corps near Houffalize, Belgium, the XIX Tactical Air
Command supports the US III, VIII, XII, and XX Corps elements in the Saint-
Hubert, Belgium-Bastogne, Belgium-Wiltz, Luxembourg areas and points E and S
near the Clerf River, Luxembourg and the Mosel River, Germany.