He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type I, serial NN697, code KM-R).
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 403: Bad weather restricts operations to NW France; 883 bombers and 1,491 fighter sorties are flown but 200+ bombers abort due to cloud conditions; 1 bomber and 24 fighters are lost.
1. 507 B-17s are dispatched to Equihen (24 bomb), Hardelot (23 bomb), St Gabriel (26 bomb), Gael Airfield (36 bomb), Nantes/Bouguenais Airfield (55 bomb), Vannes Airfield (59 bomb), Berck (26 bomb), Merlimont Plage (39 bomb), and Toucquet-Paris-Plage (10 bomb); 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 36 damaged; 6 airmen are KIA and 4 WIA.
2. 257 B-24s are dispatched to Wimereau (23 bomb), Boulogne (34 bomb), Dreux Airfield (26 bomb), Evreux/Fauville Airfield (65 bomb) and Boulogne (13 bomb); 39 others hit Conches Airfield; 1 B-24 is lost, 2 are damaged beyond repair and 28 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA.
3. 119 B-24s are dispatched to Chateaudun Airfield (45 bomb) and Orleans/ Bricy Airfield (66 bomb) without loss.
VIII Fighter Command missions during the day are:
1. 405 P-38s fly sweep and escort; they claim 5-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft.
2. 3 P-47s and 364 P-51s provided escort for the bombers above; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 7 fighters are lost.
3. 506 P-47s and 213 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against communications targets in the beachhead area; they claim 8-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; 15 P-47s and 2 P-51 are lost; 3 P-47s and a P-51 are damaged beyond repair.
During the day, 1 fighter pilot is KIA and 24 are MIA.
Mission 404: During the evening, 11 B-17s drop leaflets on Norway and France without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In France, 500+ B-26s and A-20s bomb targets in the assault area including military concentrations, road and rail bridges and junctions, artillery batteries, marshalling yards and town areas; aircraft of 15+ fighter groups fly escort to bombers and transports, and bomb numerous targets in support of the ground assault, including rail facilities, roads, troop concentrations, artillery, and town areas; HQ IX Tactical Air Command moves from Uxbridge, England to Au Gay.
401 aircraft - 206 Lancasters, 175 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups bombed airfields at Flers, Le Mans, Laval and Rennes, all situated south of the Normandy battle area. Bomber Command documents do not give any reason for these raids; it is possible that the intention was to prevent these airfields being used for German reinforcements being brought in by air because the railways were blocked. All the attacks were successful. 2 Halifaxes were lost on the Laval raid.
108 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group, with 5 Pathfinder Mosquitos, attempted to bomb a railway junction at Étampes, south of Paris. 6 Lancasters lost. The marking was accurate but late and the bombing spread from the railway junction into the town.
36 Mosquitos to Berlin, 13 RCM sorties, 2 Serrate patrols, 24 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off Brest. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 597 sorties, 8 aircraft (1.3 per cent) lost.
432 aircraft - 323 Lancasters, 90 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos - attacked railway targets at Achères, Dreux, Orléans and Versailles. All targets were believed to have been hit but few further details are available. 15 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes lost.
32 Mosquitos to Berlin, 13 RCM sorties, 7 Serrate and 18 Intruder patrols, 30 aircraft minelaying off France on the flanks of the invasion area. 2 Mosquitos lost from the Berlin raid.
Total effort for the night: 532 sorties, 20 aircraft (3.8 per cent) lost.
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