He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial LW685, code AL-C).
10 March 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 254: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Monceau-sur-Sambre, Belgium at 2127-2137 hours without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Units arriving in England from the US: 96th Troop Carrier Squadron, 440th Troop Carrier Group, at Bottesford with C-47s; 585th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 394th Bombardment Group (Medium), at Boreham with B-26s (first mission is 23 Mar).
11 March 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 255: France and Germany are hit in two raids; 1 B-17 and 4 fighters are lost; both forces use blind-bombing techniques due to thick overcast: 1. 120 of 124 B-17s dispatched hit the marshalling yard at Munster; 1 B-17 drops on Bentheim as a target of opportunity and 3 drop on Burgsteinfurt accidentally; 1 B-17 is lost and 24 damaged; casualties are 10 MIA.
Escort is provided by 90 P-47s and 50 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost and 2 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 2 MIA.
2. 34 of 51 B-24s hit V-weapon sites at Wizernes, France; 1 B-24 is damaged.
Escort is provided by 40 P-38s and 213 P-47s; 2 P-47s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 2 MIA.
HQ 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 789th, 790th and 791st Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) arrive at Rackheath, England from the US with B-24s; first mission is 10 Apr.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): 61 B-26s bomb V-weapon sites in N France; 53 abort because of weather and navigational difficulties.
Arrivals in England from the US: HQ 53d Troop Carrier Wing at Greenham Common; HQ 394th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 584th, 586th and 587th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) with B-26s at Boreham (first mission is 23 Mar); HQ 440th Troop Carrier Group at Bottesford.
On 5 days during this period, 2 Bomber Command Oboe Mosquitos acted as 'formation leaders' for bomber units of the Second Tactical Air Force attacking flying-bomb sites. The formation bombed as soon as it saw the bombs of the Oboe Mosquito being released. There were no losses from the 10 Bomber Command sorties flown in this period.
102 Lancasters of No 5 Group carried out moonlight raids on 4 factories in France -33 aircraft to the Michelin works at Clermont-Ferrand, 30 to an aircraft factory at Châteauroux, 23 to Ossun and 16 (from 617 Squadron) to the La Ricamerie factory. All targets were successfully bombed. 1 Lancaster lost from the Clermont-Ferrand raid.
29 Mosquitos to Duisburg, 93 aircraft on Resistance operations. No losses.
47 Mosquitos to 6 German cities, with the largest raid being by 20 aircraft to Hamburg, 4 Serrate patrols, 43 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians and off Brest and Biscay ports, 22 aircraft on Resistance operations, 21 OTU sorties. 1 Stirling minelayer lost.
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