2 March 1945

FRIDAY, 2 MARCH 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 859: 1,232 bombers and 774 fighters are dispatched to hit
synthetic oil plants and a tank factory in Germany; most attacks are made
using H2X radar; they claim 110.5-9-60 Luftwaffe aircraft; 14 bombers and 13
P-51s are lost:
1. 450 B-17s are sent to hit an oil plant at Bohlen (60), oil refinery at
Rositz (36) and gun batteries at Bohlen (36); 255 hit the secondary target,
Chemnitz; targets of opportunity are Penig (12), Saalfeld (13), Jocketa (12),
Cologne (1) and other (12); some attacks are made visually; they claim 2-0-1
aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 52 damaged; 1 airman
is KIA, 4 WIA and 29 MIA. Escorting are 254 of 272 P-51s; they claim 7.5-1-4
aircraft in the air and 0-0-6 on the ground without loss.
2. 321 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Rothensee oil plant (38) and Buckau
tank factory (257) at Magdeburg; 4 others hit a target of opportunity; some
attacks are made visually; 3 B-24s are lost and 61 damaged; 1 airman is KIA
and 28 MIA. The escort is 187 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 5-2-0 aircraft in
the air; 2 P-51s are damaged beyond repair.
3. 455 B-17s are sent to hit the oil plant at Ruhland (24); 406 hit the
secondary, Dresden; 1 other hits a target of opportunity; they claim 6-3-10
aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost and 53 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 72 MIA.
225 of 249 P-51s escort; they claim 54-3-16 aircraft in the air and 36-0-23
on the ground; 13 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
4. 6 B-24s fly a screening mission.
5. 25 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss.
6. 22 of 23 P-51s escort 14 F-5s and 4 Spitfires on photo reconnaissance
missions over Germany without loss.
Mission 860: 11 of 12 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany
without loss and 4 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, the 9th Bombardment
Division hits 5 bridges, 2 communications centers, 3 ordnance and motor
transport depots, several city areas, and 6 targets of opportunity; the
objectives are to hinder movement of enemy troops trying to help the German
army caught in front of the US Third Army, to obstruct movement in general,
and to damage enemy repair and refitting capabilities; 1,700+ fighters escort
the bombers, hit special targets, fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, and
support the US 3d Armored Division at expanding the bridgehead on the Erft
River, the XVI and XIX Corps in the Sevelen, Monchen-Gladbach, and the Neuss
area, and the VIII, XII, and XX Corps E of the Prum River, astride the Kyll
River, and in the Trier-Saarburg area.