5 January 1945

FRIDAY, 5 JANUARY 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 781: 1,032 bombers and 584 fighters are dispathed to hit rail
targets and airfields in C Germany; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in
the air and 4-0-0 on the ground; 1 B-17 and 1 P-51 are lost.
1. 259 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Neustadt (32), Sobernheim
(42), Kirm (18) and St Ingbert (3), the marshalling yard and rail bridge at
Cochem (31) and the Pirmasens railroad (39); 51 hit the Neunkirchen
marshalling yard, a secondary target; targets of opportunities hit are
communications centers at Rheinkirchen (8), Neubrucke (7), Prum (1) and Burg
(1); bombing is visual and with Gee-H; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and
51 damaged; 6 airmen are KIA and 1 WIA. Escorting are 164 of 177 P-51s.
2. 370 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Hanau (57) and
Frankfurt (81) and communications centers at Waxweiler (32), Wetteldorf (27)
and Pronsfeld (33); 29 hit the secondary target at Kaiserslautern; targets of
opportunity are Heilbronn (29) and other (11); bombing is visual and PFF; 1
B-17 is lost, 6 damaged beyond repair and 89 damaged; 13 airmen are KIA, 9
WIA and 1 MIA. Escort is provided by 194 of 213 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0
aircraft in the air and 4-0-0 on the ground.
3. 379 B-17s are sent to hit airfields at Niederbreisig (70) and
Niedermendig (54), communications centers at Dumpelfeld (37), Kall (35) and
Mechernich (1), and the the railroad at Heimbach (37); 96 hit the secondary
target, the Koblenz marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are
communications centers at Pronsfeld (2) and Waxweiler (1) and other (4);
bombing is by Gee-H and H2X; 1 B-17s is damaged beyond repair and 20 damaged.
Escort is 109 of 117 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond
repair.
4. 24 of 24 B-17s fly a screening mission.
5. 26 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 782: 4 B-24s and 1 B-17 drop leaflets during the night over SE
Belgium.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): The 9th Bombardment Division attacks
rail bridges at Ahrweiler, Simmern, and Bullay, Germany and communications
centers at Gouvy, Houffalize, and near Durler, Belgium, and Massen,
Luxembourg. Fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division and VIII Bomber
Command, fly armed reconnaissance, attack airfields, communications centers,
traffic concentrations, and other targets, and support the US III and VIII
Corps W and E of Bastogne and the 2d and 3d Armored Divisions near Manhay,
Belgium. HQ 368th Fighter Group and the 395th, 396th and 397th Fighter
Squadrons move from Juvincourt to Metz, France with P-47s.