21 March 1945

WEDNESDAY, 21 MARCH 1945

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 5 missions are flown.
Mission 901: Preparatory air operations for the forthcoming (23 Mar)
crossing of the lower Rhine River by Allied ground forces begin. 1,408
bombers and 806 fighters, in conjunction with Ninth Air Force and RAF
aircraft, attack jet fighter bases; with one exception, all attacks are
visual; they claim 58-3-49 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s and 9 P-51s are lost:
1. 107 of 152 B-17s hit the secondary target, the tank factory at Plauen;
targets of opportunity are Reichenbach (34) and other (1); they claim 3-3-3
aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost and 48 damaged. The escort is 273 of 314 P-51s;
they claim 9-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-0-0 on the ground; 3 P-51s are
lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
2. 129 of 151 B-17s attack Hardorf Airfield; 14 others hit Vorden Airfield,
a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 71
damaged. Escorting are 94 of 98 P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 aircraft in the air.
3. 214 B-17s are sent to attack the airfields at Zwischenahn (57), Marx
(77) and Wittmundhafen (74); casualties for 1., 2. and 3. above are 7 WIA and
56 MIA. 108 of 109 P-51s escort and claim 2-0-8 aircraft on the ground; 1
P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
4. 518 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Ahlhorn (61), Hesepe (165),
Achmer (180) and Mulheim Airfield at Essen (90); 21 B-24s are damaged.
Escorting are 95 of 99 P-51s; they claim 35-0-30 aircraft on the ground; 3
P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
5. 373 B-17s are sent to hit airfields at Hopsten (159 using Gee-H) and
Rheine (180); targets of opportunity are the airfields at Hesepe (13) and
Achmer (12); 1 B-17 is lost and 49 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 3 WIA and 9
MIA. 97 of 102 P-51s escort; they claim 6-0-0 aircraft on the ground.
6. 36 P-51s fly a sweep over Giebelstadt Airfield and claim 0-0-6 aircraft
on the ground.
7. 13 P-51s escort 9 F-5s, 1 P-38 and 1 Spitfire on photo reconnaissance
missions over Germany.
8. 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 902: In a DISNEY operation, 3 B-17s attack the E-boat pens at
Ijmuiden, the Netherlands with rocket bombs; 6 P-51s escort.
Mission 903: 1 B-17 bombs Oberursel in a Micro-H Mk II radar test; 4 P-51s
escort.
Mission 904: During the afternoon, 90 of 92 B-24s attack Mulheim Airfield
at Essen; 60 are damaged and 1 airman is WIA.
Mission 905: 8 of 9 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany
during the night.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 580+ A-20s, A-26s, and
B-26s strike 6 communications centers and a marshalling yard E of the Rhine
River, along with several casual targets, in the interdiction campaign to
obstruct enemy movement; fighters fly patrols and armed reconnaissance,
attack railroads and bridges, support the US VII Corps as its units reach the
Sieg River near Siegburg, cooperate with the XII Corps as more of its
elements reach the Rhine River at various points between Boppard and Worms,
and support the XX Corps as additional units reach the Rhine between Worms
and Mannheim.