He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial MZ289, code DY-J).
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS
(IX Troop Carrier Command): Between 17-26 Sep, the IX Troop Carrier Command supports Operation MARKET-GARDEN as follows: Aircraft dispatched: 3,996 of which 3,634 are successful Gliders dispatched: 1,899 of which 1,635 are successful Losses: 98 aircraft and 137 gliders Troops dropped or landed: 30,481 Vehicles dropped or landed: 1,001 Artillery weapons dropped or landed: 463 Tons of equipment, including fuel, dropped or landed: 3,559
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): The last UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle mission (Operations FRANTIC) is completed as 72 B-17s and 59 P-51s fly without bombs from Italy to the UK; 2 B-17s and a P-51 abort and a P-51 crashlands SW of Paris; 70 B-17s 57 P-51s land safely in the UK.
Mission 637: 875 B-17s are dispatched bomb 117 flak batteries and installations and an airfield, all in the Netherlands; 815 B-17s attack the primaries and 6 hit Eisenach; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 119 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 15 MIA.
Escort is provided by 141 of 153 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
503 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s escort aircraft of the First Allied Airborne Army making a parachute and glider drop of 20,000 troops into the Netherlands to secure the axis of advance toward the Zuider Zee for the British Second Army, as part of Operation MARKET-GARDEN, 17-30 Sep; troops dropped are the I Airborne Corps, consisting of the British 1 Airborne Division (with Polish Parachute Brigade) and US 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions; the fighters also bomb and strafe flak positions and other ground targets, encountering intense flak and about 30 fighters; they claim 7-0-0 aircraft in the air, 1-0-0 on the ground and the destruction of 107 flak positions; 6 P-47s and 7 P-51s are lost, 3 P-47s and 2 P-51s damaged beyond repair and 41 P-47s and 6 P-51s damaged; 2 pilots are WIA and 11 MIA.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): No combat bomber missions are flown; weather permits 1 leaflet mission.
XIX Tactical Air Command supports US VIII Corps in the Brest, France area and in Germany, flies armed reconnaissance over the Trier and Saarbrucken areas and IX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance in the Dusseldorf, Duren, Cologne, and Linz/Rhine areas, supports the US 2d and 5th Armored Divisions and 4th Infantry Division in the Netherlands, and participates in Operation MARKET-GARDEN.
In France, HQ 84th and 303d Fighter Wings move from St Quentin and Rennes, respectively, to Vermand; the 507th Fighter Squadron, 404th Fighter Group, moves from Bretigny to Juvincourt with P-47s.
Operation Market Garden: Bomber Command's main operations on this night were in support of the landings by British and American airborne troops at Arnhem and Nijmegen which took place the following morning. 200 Lancasters and 23 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups bombed the airfields at Hopsten, Leeuwarden, Steenwijk and Rheine, and 54 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 3 and 8 Groups bombed a flak position at Moerdijk. The runways of all the airfields were well cratered but there were only near misses at the flak position, although its approach road was cut. 2 Lancasters lost from the Moerdijk raid.
29 Mosquitos to Brunswick and 4 to Dortmund, 14 RCM sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito lost from the Brunswick raid.
762 aircraft - 370 Lancasters, 351 Halifaxes, 41 Mosquitos - dropped more than 3,000 tons of bombs on German positions around Boulogne in preparation for an attack by Allied troops. The German garrison surrendered soon afterwards. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost.
Operation Market Garden : 112 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos of Nos: 1 and 8 Groups attacked German flak positions in the Flushing area without loss.
27 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups attacked a V1 rocket depot at Eikenhorst without loss.
9 RCM sorties, 6 Mosquito patrols, 10 Stirlings and 1 Hudson on Resistance operations. No losses.
Total effort for the day: 952 sorties, 2 aircraft (0.2 per cent) lost.
Operation Market Garden: 241 aircraft made 2 diversionary sweeps - 1 to the Dutch coast and 1 into Holland - in order to draw up German fighters from Southern Holland. This intention was not achieved. No aircraft lost.
42 Mosquitos to Bremen and 6 to Dortmund, 29 RCM sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.
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