He flew with a Vickers Wellington (type X, serial HZ271, code HD-).
(Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 56: A maximum force is put in the air as part of a combined offensive against the Wehrmacht. 154 B-17's, 21 B- 24's and 12 B-26's are dispatched against 4 targets.
The principal attack is against submarine yards and naval installations at Kiel, Germany; 136 B-17's and 21 B-24's are dispatched with 126 B-17's and 17 B-24's hitting the target at 1200-1203 hours local. We claim 62-24-27 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 5 B-24's and 3 B-17's with 1 B-24 damaged beyond repair and 9 B-24's and 27 B-17's damaged. Casualties are 3 KIA, 17 WIA and 81 MIA. 42 B-17's are dispatched against the former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium; 38 hit the target at 1320 hours local; we claim 5-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 1 and 15 others and damaged; casualties are 3 WIA and 10 MIA; in the third raid, 39 B-17's are dispatched against Courtrai Airfield, France; 34 hit the target; we claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 2 B-17's and 10 others are damaged; casualties are 20 MIA. In the 4th raid, 12 B-26's are dispatched against the Velsen power station at Ijmuiden, The Netherlands; 11 hit the target at 1100 hours; 1 B-26 is damaged beyond repair when it crashes upon returning to base and 9 others are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA and 7 MIA.
This is first time more than 200 US bombers are dispatched. The attack at IJmuiden is made at low level by the 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), the first US medium bomber group to become operational in the UK. The Antwerp mission is escorted by 118 P-47's; they claim 4-6-11 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 3 P-47's and 1 is damaged; casualties are 3 MIA. A detachment of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron, VIII Fighter Command is sent to Bristol, England for training with the RAF. The 417th Night Fighter Squadron, VIII Fighter Command transfers from Ayr, Scotland to Cranfield, England. The squadron is training on Beaufighters with the RAF and has detachments at Ayr, Uxbridge, Coltishall and Bristol, England.
Bochum attacked by 442 aircraft - 135 Halifaxes, 104 Wellingtons, 98 Lancasters, 95 Stirlings, 10 Mosquitos; 24 aircraft - 13 Halifaxes, 6 Wellingtons, 4 Stirlings, 1 Lancaster - lost, 5.4 per cent of the force. This raid started well but, after 15 minutes, what were believed to be German decoy markers drew much of the bombing away from the target.
156 Lancasters and 12 Halifaxes were dispatched in a further attempt to bomb the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen. 120 aircraft from this force were from No 5 Group; the remainder were Pathfinders. 9 aircraft were lost. The target again proved to be a difficult one to find and mark accurately and nearly all the bombs fell in open country north of the Skoda works.
12 Mosquitos to Berlin, 8 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians, 12 OTU flights. 1 Mosquito on the Berlin raid was lost.
6 Mitchells sent to the steelworks at Ijmuiden were recalled.
5 OTU Wellingtons dropped leaflets over France without loss.
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