This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

22 May 1944 Monday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two new RCN torpedo boat flotillas start operating off coast of France.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet 21st Army begins to transfer its tank and artillery units to the Karelian Isthmus against Finns. This is done by rail and boats during nights to keep it secret. Gen. Gusev's 21st Army comprises of 97th and 109th Army Corps and the crack 30th Guards Army Corps. Gusev's Army has spent the most of May in intensive training, which is of essence, because it's to act as the Soviet spearhead in the coming offensive against the Finnish Army. The Red Army has not forgotten the fierce resistance of the Finns in the Winter War, so as little as possible is left to chance. To practice storm-troop tactics, training-grounds has been built south-west of Leningrad to resemble as much as possible the first Finnish defence-lines. The morale of the soldiers is also taken care of: they have received intensive political training.

GERMANY: 361 RAF Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups carried out the first large raid on Dortmund for a year. 18 Lancasters were lost, 4.8 per cent of the force. The attack fell mainly in the south-eastern districts of Dortmund, mostly in residential areas.

Brunswick: 225 RAF Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No 1 and 5 Groups. 13 Lancasters lost, 5.5 per cent of the force. This raid was a failure. The weather forecast had predicted a clear target but the marker aircraft found a complete covering of cloud. There was also interference on the Master Bomber's radio communications, The No 5 Group method could not cope with these conditions and most of the bombing fell in the country areas around Brunswick. A reconnaissance aircraft flying through this area an hour later found it completely free of cloud. The raids on Dortmund and Brunswick were the last major Bomber Command raids on German cities until after the invasion forces were firmly established in Normandy.

MEDITERRANEAN: US II Corps push north on Route 7. The French take Pico. In an attack on the Hitler Line, the Canadian Three Rivers Regiment's tanks arrive at their jump off point where 30-40 British Churchill tanks (of the North Irish Horse and the 21st RTR) sat burning in front of them. These have been destroyed by a few well-placed 88mm anti-tank guns. Fortunately the 88's were moved back by the time the Three Rivers Regiments Shermans arrived.

The weather clears again and the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 550+ B-17s and B-24s to attack communications and military targets in central and northwestern Italy; B-17s bomb the marshalling yard at Avezzano; B-24s hit port areas at Fano, Porto Civitanova and La Spezia; fighters fly 200+ sorties in escort to bombers; there is no fighter opposition.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 361: 438 bombers and 568 fighters are dispatched on PFF attacks to targets in Germany and France; five bombers and seven fighters are lost: 342 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to the port area at Kiel, Germany; 289 hit the primary and five bomb targets of opportunity; five B-17s are lost. 94 of 96 B-24 Liberators hit V-weapon sites at Siracourt, France. Escort is provided by 145 P-38 Lightnings, 95 P-47 Thunderbolts and 328 P-51 Mustangs; P-38s claim 8-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft, P-47s claim 12-1-2 and P-51s claim 2-2-1; three P-38s, three P-47s and a P-51 are lost. 130 P-47s are dispatched on a fighter-bomber attack on railroad bridges at Hasselt and Liege, Belgium; one P-47 is lost.

Mission 363: Four B-17s drop 320,000 leaflets on The Hague, Haarlem, Rotterdam and Utrecht, The Netherlands without loss.

Twelve B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions without loss.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force on England dispatches about 330 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb airfields and other targets in the Cherbourg, Calais, and Paris areas of France while a like number of P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb marshalling yards, airfields and other targets in the same general areas.

133 RAF aircraft - 112 Halifaxes, 13 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 6 and 8 Groups again attacked the railway yards at Le Mans. The local report confirms that the bombing was accurate, with much damage to the railways and the nearby Gnome Rhone factory. 1 Halifax lost. Orleans: 128 aircraft - 108 Halifaxes, 12 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax lost. Most of the bombs fell on the passenger station and the railway-repair workshops. 26 Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 9 to Courtrai, 9 RCM sorties, 21 Serrate and 8 Intruder patrols, 54 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians and off the French coast, 25 OTU sorties. 1 OTU Whitley was lost, probably the last Whitley to be lost on operations.

French resistance members blow up the hydroelectric station at Bussy.

 

[Njaco]

23 May 1944 Tuesday
EASTERN FRONT: The Germans cease to look for the remains of the V2 rocket which fell into the River Bug on 20 May. The Poles now remove the rocket with a team of horses and transport it on two heavy farm carts to a barn in the village of Holowczyce-Kolonia.

GERMANY: 46 RAF Mosquitos - 24 to Dortmund, 16 to Berlin and 6 to a railway junction at Lison in France, 2 RCM sorties, 2 Serrate patrols, 30 aircraft minelaying off various coasts, 4 aircraft on Resistance operations, 8 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.

Goering, Milch, Galland and other senior Luftwaffe officials as well as Albert Speer and his staff, were called to Berchtesgaden to discuss the current fighter production program. The meeting was routine up to the point where production of the Me 262 was discussed. Hitler asked Milch how many Me 262s were ready for bombing, believing that his 'orders' of 26 November 1943 were being carried out. The reply was that none were ready because all available jets were being produced as fighters. Hitler was puzzled;

"I thought the 262 was coming as a high-speed bomber. How many of the 262s already manufactured can carry bombs?"

Milch replied;

"None, Mein Fuhrer. The Me 262 is being manufactured exclusively as a fighter aircraft."

After a chilly silence, Milch then pointed out that the aircraft could not be adapted to the 'Jabo' role without major design changes and even then it would not be able to carry more than 500 kg of bombs. Hitler was shocked.

"Who pays the slighest attention to the orders I give?! I gave an unqualified order, and left nobody in any doubt that the aircraft was to be equipped as a fighter bomber!"

Goering made excuses and passed the blame to Milch, who was soon stripped of most of his powers. Hitler ordered that work now be focused on delivering the 'Jabo' version of the Me 262, though he did consent to continued testing of the fighter version as long as it didn't slow down deliveries of the 'jabo' variant - one Me 262 out of every 20 built could be completed as a fighter.

MEDITERRANEAN: US VI Corps attacks Cisterna making some gains at Anzio. Forcing a drive from the beach-head towards the hills. The US 6th Corps in the Anzio beachhead begin offensive operations to link up with the rest of the US 5th Army. The initial attacks are directed at Cisterna. The fighting is very heavy and losses are severe. Meanwhile, other elements of the 5th Army reaches Terracina. The Carleton and York Regiment of the 1st Canadian Division, with the 25th British Tank Brigade, break through the Hitler Line, one kilometre south of Aquino. Tanks of the Canadian 5th Armoured Division race through the breach toward the Melfa River. The West Nova Scotia and Royal 22nd regiments of the Canadian 1st Division drive nearly a mile through the Hitler Line, reporting that they have met their division's final objective. German forces counterattack the American breakout from Anzio, with eight Tiger tanks but is finally broken up.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy sends 300+ B-17s and B-24s to attack troop concentrations and communications in the rear of the battle area, at Avezzano, Subiaco, Valmontone, Marino, Nemi and Grottaferrata; P-38s and P-51s provide escort; other P-38s, covered by P-47s, strafe the airfield at Ferrara.

Light cruiser 'Brooklyn' (CL-40) and destroyers 'Kearny' (DD-432) and 'Ericsson' (DD-440) shell enemy positions in vicinity of Ardea, Italy, with good results. The three ships repeat bombardment of troop concentrations and supply dumps on 24 and 26 May with equal success.

Light cruiser 'Philadelphia' (CL-41) and destroyer 'Laub' (DD-613) are damaged in collision 20 miles southwest of Nettuno, Italy.

Submarine chaser PC-626 captures German speedboat off Anzio and takes crew prisoner.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions. Mission 364: 1,045 bombers and 562 fighters are dispatched to hit airfields and rail targets in France; three bombers are lost: 1. 580 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to the marshalling yard at Metz (34 bomb), Epinal (36 bomb) and Chaumont (54 bomb); airfields at Orleans/Bricy (17 bomb) and Chateaudun (18 bomb); secondary targets hit are marshalling yards at Saarbrucken, Germany (139 bomb), Bayon (12 bomb), the town of Neunkirchen, Germany (37 bomb), Caen/Carpiquet Airfield (18 bomb) and 12 hit targets of opportunity; two B-17s are lost. 2. 465 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Orleans/Bricy (167 bomb), Bourges (84 bomb), Avord (88 bomb) and Etampes/Mondesir (97 bomb); one aircraft hits a target of opportunity; one B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 96 P-38s, 142 P-47 Thunderbolts and 324 P-51 Mustangs; none are lost and no Luftwaffe aircraft are claimed.

Mission 365: 103 P-51s are dispatched to bomb a railroad bridge at Hasselt, Belgium; 75 bomb escorted by 14 acting as top cover; one P-51 is lost.

Mission 366: Four of five B-17s drop 928,000 leaflets on Belgium and The Netherlands without loss.

Seven B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches B-26 Marauders and P-38s against targets in France; 15 B-26s bomb the airfield at Beaumont-le-Roger in a predawn attack; during the afternoon 58 B-26s bomb coastal batteries at Etretat/Sainte-Marie-Au-Bosc, Maisy and Mont Fleury; and 120+ P-38s strafe and bomb rolling stock in central France.

 

[Njaco]

24 May 1944 Wednesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-736' shot down an RAF 612 Sqn Wellington. The boat was severely damaged by an RAF 224 Sqn Liberator from just before shooting down the Wellington.

'U-921' shot down an RCAF 422 Sqn Sunderland. The U-boat was looking for survivors from 'U-476' damaged earlier that day by an RAF 210 Sqn Catalina. The aircraft was shot down but not before wounding 3 men, including the Commander, Oblt. Wolfgang Leu. As the boat crash dived Leu got both his wounded men down but did not manage to get down into the tower himself. He slammed the hatch down as the boat dove and was drowned. The boat reached Trondheim, Norway under the command of the I WO on the 26th. (An American submarine commander received the Medal of Honor for the very same act in the Pacific).

'U-675' sunk west of Alesund, by depth charges from an RAF 4 Sqn Sunderland. 51 dead (all hands lost).

Icelandic voters severed all ties with Denmark.

GERMANY: 442 RAF aircraft - 264 Lancasters, 162 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5 to attack 2 railway yards at Aachen - Aachen-West and Rothe Erde (east of the town). These were important links in the railway system between Germany and France. 18 Halifaxes and 7 Lancasters lost, 5.7 per cent of the force. The Aachen report duly records that the 2 railway yards were the targets attacked, with the railways to the east of Aachen being particularly hard hit. But, because this was a German town, Bomber Command sent more aircraft than normal for railway raids and many bombs fell in Aachen itself and in villages near the railway yards.

59 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group were dispatched to attack the Philips factory at Eindhoven but the Master Bomber ordered the force not to bomb because of bad visibility. 1 aircraft did not hear the order and released its load. No aircraft lost. 15 Mosquitos to Berlin, 6 RCM sorties, 31 Serrate and 8 Intruder patrols, 18 Halifaxes and 7 Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians and off Brest, 23 OTU sorties. 1 RCM Halifax lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Canadian 5th Armored reaches the River Melfes. The Canadian I Corps takes Pontecorvo and the US 3rd Division reaches the key city of Cisterna; The relatively fresh 29th Panzer Grenadier Division bears the brunt of the rearguard fighting. Hitler authorizes a withdrawal to the Adolf Hitler Line, west of Cassino. Maj. John Keefer Mahoney (b.1911), Canadian Army, led his company brilliantly in setting up and holding a bridgehead until more troops came. (Victoria Cross)

At Anzio the attack reaches Route 7 near Latinam. Sergeant Sylvester Antolak of the US Army, Company B, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division, charges 200 yards over flat, coverless terrain to destroy a German machinegun nest during the second day of the offensive to break out of the Anzio beachhead. He is killed charging a second machinegun another 100 yards distant (Medal of Honor).

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 340+ bombers to attack targets in France and Italy; B-17s attack the marshalling yard at Lyon, France; B-24s attack marshalling yards at Amberieux, Toulon and Givors, France, and in Italy, the port area at Monfalcone, airfield at Piancenza and industrial area at Porto Marghera; P-38s and P-51s fly 200+ sorties in support.

U.S. motor torpedo boats PT-202, PT-213 and PT-218 (Lieutenant Commander Robert A. Allan, RNVR) sink German corvette UJ.2223 (ex-Italian Navy corvette 'Maragone') and damage corvette UJ.2222 (ex-Italian Navy corvette 'Tuffeto') off Vada Rocks.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 370: 406 bombers and 604 fighters make visual attacks on rail installations and airfields in Belgium and France; four bombers and 12 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 13-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; (unless otherwise indicated, all targets are in France): 1. 307 B-24s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Belfort (74 bomb) and Mulhouse (134 bomb); 12 hit Tonnere marshalling yard and 37 bomb Bretigny and one bombs Dijon Airfields; two B-24s are lost. 2. 320 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to Essey Airfield at Nancy (75 bomb) and marshalling yards at Metz (69 bomb), Saarguemines (36 bomb) and Blainville (36 bomb); 56 B-17s hit Thionville marshalling yard and three bomb Liege Airfield, Belgium. 3. 103 B-24s bomb Montignies sur Sambre marshalling yard and nine bomb Alos marshalling yard.

In Belgium 247 B-17s are dispatched against marshalling yards at Brussels/Schaerbeck (52 bomb), Brussels/Midi (29 bomb) and Leige/Guillemines (50 bomb); other marshalling yards hit are Brussels/Melsbroek (18 bomb) and Liege/Renory (50 bomb); 2 B-17s are lost. 18 of 38 B-17s and 18 of 18 B-24s hit Fecamp gun battery without loss. 15 B-17s hit St Valery gun battery without loss. Escort is provided by 136 P-38s, 181 P-47 Thunderbolts and 287 P-51 Mustangs; P-38s claim 3-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 9 P-38s are lost; P-47s claim 4-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; P-51s claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft, 3 P-51s are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 225+ B-26 Marauders to attack bridges near Liege, Belgium and airfields at Lille/Nord and Monchy-Breton, France. About 250 P-47s dive-bomb various targets in western Europe.

106 RAF Halifaxes, 102 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos, split into small forces, attacked coastal gun positions at Boulogne, Colline Beaumont, Le Clipon and Trouville without loss. 44 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of 5 and 8 Groups to attack the Ford motor factory at Antwerp but the bombing missed the target. Some bombs fell on nearby dockside buildings. No aircraft lost.

 

[Njaco]

25 May 1944 Thursday
ATLANTIC OCEAN:'U-853' drove off an attack by three RN Swordfish from MAC ship 'Empire MacKendrick'. All were damaged and one was deemed a total loss on return to the ship and was jettisoned.

'U-476' scuttled after aircraft attack the previous day at 0102 NW of Trondheim by torpedoes from 'U-990'. 'U-990' was sunk in North Sea west of Bodö, later that day, by depth charges from an RAF 59 Sqn Liberator. 20 dead and 33 survivors.

EASTERN FRONT: An RAF Dakota takes off from Brindisi in Italy and heads for Tarnow in Poland for a night landing. There it is met by a reception party of 400 partisans and the Polish Underground with 50 kilos of components from the stolen rocket, and a Polish engineer who is to accompany the finds to London. The pilot of the Dakota is F/Lt. Culliford and his Polish co-pilot as F/O Szajer. The Dakota bogs down in mud whilst it is being loaded and a farm cart has to be dismantled and used to provide boards to lay under the wheels, before a takeoff is managed after some considerable difficulty, and the Dakota and its "treasure" makes the long flight back to Hendon.

MEDITERRANEAN: Patrols of the US II and III Corps linked up on the Pontine Marshes near Terracina, today bringing the four-month ordeal of the beach-head to an end. The race to Rome is on, but the great political prize may prove harder to reach than the battle maps suggest. The Germany army is retreating systematically north-west to new defensive positions - the Caesar Line - after fierce resistance at Cisterna in which more than 950 men of the US 3rd Division were killed or injured. The German 10.Armee is in serious situation as it is authorized to withdraw to the Ceasar line north of Rome. The American commander, General Mark Clark, is anxious for the beach-head forces to head straight for Rome. However, the Allied supreme commander, General Alexander, has ordered a US attack on Valmontone which, he hopes, will trap the German 10.Armee in a pincer movement with the advance of the British Eighth Army in the south. Clark has compromised. He has ordered the Anzio commander, Major-General Lucien Truscott, to split his forces and attack both along Highway 7 at Albano with the US VI Corps and at Valmontone to comply with Alexander's orders. The attack on Valmontone - a vital road junction on Highway 6 - began today, but was stopped almost immediately by German tanks and anti-tank guns.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy sends 340+ bombers to attack targets in France and Italy; B-17s attack the marshalling yard at Lyon, France; B-24s attack marshalling yards at Amberieux, Toulon and Givors, France, and in Italy, the port area at Monfalcone, airfield at Piancenza and industrial area at Porto Marghera; P-38s and P-51s fly 200+ sorties in support.

The German paratroopers and glider-borne troops, drop on Tito's HQ in Drvar, Bosnia. Tito and Major Randolph Churchill, the prime minister's son, escape successfully, after the Germans surround partisan headquarters in this village. Major Churchill, who is serving with the British military mission here, had left the headquarters a few minutes before the attack. Tito was forced to leave one of his staff officers dying in agony from a head wound. Two war correspondents, Stoyan Pribichevich of Time-Life and John Talbot of Reuters were captured, although the Time-Life man managed to escape. The attack known as Operation Knight's Move, is believed to have been masterminded by SS Major Otto Skorzeny, the man who rescued Mussolini. Other members of the British mission are understood to have left the headquarters several days earlier.

WESTERN FRONT: In Belgium 247 B-17s are dispatched against marshalling yards at Brussels/Schaerbeck (52 bomb), Brussels/Midi (29 bomb) and Leige/Guillemines (50 bomb); other marshalling yards hit are Brussels/Melsbroek (18 bomb) and Liege/Renory (50 bomb); two B-17s are lost. 18 of 38 B-17s and 18 of 18 B-24s hit Fecamp gun battery without loss. 15 B-17s hit St Valery gun battery without loss. Escort is provided by 136 P-38s, 181 P-47 Thunderbolts and 287 P-51 Mustangs; P-38s claim 3-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 9 P-38s are lost; P-47s claim 4-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; P-51s claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft, three P-51s are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 225+ B-26 Marauders to attack bridges near Liege, Belgium and airfields at Lille/Nord and Monchy-Breton, France. About 250 P-47s dive-bomb various targets in western Europe.

 

[Njaco]

26 May 1944 Friday
GERMANY: A group of senior officers and generals who had been participants in an ideological training course were addressed by Himmler in the Platterhof, a big hotel next to the Berghof. The Reichsfuhrer wanted to strengthen their commitment to National Socialism and to stiffen their spines before they returned to the front. At this late date in the war, people at this level knew what had happened, and was still happening, to the Jews of Europe. Himmler reminded them that they, as well as leaders of the regime, would be held responsible if Germany lost the war.They were all in the same boat with respect to the elimination of Jews from Europe. Hitler addressed the officers that afternoon. He, too, wanted to cement their solidarity with National Socialism. He spoke of the Jews as a foreign body which he had eliminated. His key point:

In removing the Jews I eliminated in Germany the possibility of creating some sort of revolutionary core or nucleus."

Reichsmarschall Goering, following Hitler's decree regarding the Me 262, orders control of all Me 262s to be transferred to the General der Kampfflieger.

30 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen, 11 to railway yards at Aachen and 8 to Lison, 7 Serrate patrols, 42 aircraft minelaying off Dutch, Belgian and French coasts. 2 Mosquitos were lost from the Ludwigshafen raid.

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches just over 700 bombers to attack targets in Italy; B-17 Flying Fortresses hit marshalling yards at Ferrara and Mantua and an air depot at Piacenza; B-24s hit Vicenza marshalling yard and air depots at Piacenza and Reggio Emilia; fighters fly 170+ sorties in escort; 48 P-38s strafe Aviano and Villaorba airfields.

Allied forces in Italy continue their advance against stiffening German resistance. Roccasecca, San Giovanni, Artena are all captured.

UNITED KINGDOM: 425th Night Fighter Squadron, Ninth Air Force, arrives at Chormy Down, England from the US with P-61s; first mission is in Jul 44.

WESTERN FRONT: Rommel holds a special luncheon for General Wolfgang Pickert, commanding the III Flak Corps. Pickert, had once commanded the 9th Flak division in the East, and had been there with his unit when it had been nearly annihilated at Stalingrad at the end of 1942. Pickert, a member of the Luftwaffe, had been one of the lucky ones that had been flown out of the surrounded 6.Armee that winter. Pickert, his headquarters now just south of the city of Amiens, now commands some 24 batteries of antiaicraft regiments, a sizeable weapon against the hoards of enemy aircraft that would dominate the skies over an invasion site. At the beginning of the month, Rommel had requested from the Luftwaffe that the corps be relocated to Normandy. Goering had turned him down, and Pickert had agreed with the decision, although a few units eventually did make it to the Normandy area. Most of the regiments though, remained scattered north of the Seine, thus with little effective power against the Allied air force anywhere. A little later, they are joined by General der Fallshirmjaeger Kurt Student, commanding all the airborne troops. Having dissolved the XI Fliergerkorps, he had in its place formed the Fallshirmjaegerkorps and had established his new headquarters near Nancy in March. Also joining them is General von Funck, who is commanding (now Rommel's) XLVII Panzerkorps.

French resistance members bomb the hydroelectric station supplying the Tulle Arsenal.

P-38s participate in 2 sweep over The Netherlands for familiarization purposes without loss; 1 sweep consists of 30 aircraft, the second consists of 28 aircraft.

In France, nearly 400 B-26s and A-20s attack airfields at Beaumont-sur-Oise and Chartres and bridges at Vernon and Poissy; 108 P-47 and P-51 fighter-bombers hit a bridge at Oissel and airfields at Creil, Cormeilles-en-Vesin and Evreux/Fauville; P-47s and P-38s dive-bomb targets in NW Europe.

 

[Njaco]

27 May 1944 Saturday
GERMANY: USAAF Eighth Air Force Mission 373: 1,126 bombers and 710 fighters in six forces are dispatched against rail targets in France and Germany and gun batteries in France; 24 bombers and 7 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 35.5-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 9-0-2 on the ground. 369 B-24s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Saarbrucken (145 bomb), Neunkirchen (66 bomb) and Kons/Karthus (72 bomb); 3 others hit targets of opportunity; five B-24s are lost.

162 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups to attack the Rothe Erde railway yards at Aachen. 12 Lancasters lost, 7.0 per cent of the force. The railway lines at the yards, which were not seriously hit in the raid of 2 nights earlier, were now severely damaged and all through traffic was halted. A large proportion of delayed-action bombs were dropped. The local people were impressed that the whole raid only lasted 12 minutes. 23 Mosquitos to Berlin and 6 to Düsseldorf, 7 RCM sorties, 28 Serrate and 10 Intruder patrols, 60 aircraft minelaying from Le Havre to the River Gironde, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations, 7 OTU sorties. 3 Mosquitos - 2 Intruders and 1 Serrate - lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: Artena is held by the 3rd Division in the face of German counterattacks.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force dispatches almost 700 bombers to hit France; B-17s bomb the marshalling yard at Avignon while B-24s bomb airfields at Montpellier and Salon and marshalling yards at Nimes, Marseille/St Charles and Marseille/La Blancharde; escort is provided by P-38s and P-51s.

U.S. motor torpedo boats attack three German F-lighters in vicinity of Vada Rocks, sinking two and damaging one; PTs also attack an enemy motor vessel.

WESTERN FRONT: 344 USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to marshalling yards at Ludwigshafen (150 bomb) and Mannheim (125 bomb); 18 hit Lachen/Apeyerdorf, 19 hit the Mannheim area and 6 hit targets of opportunity; 12 B-17s are lost. 269 B-17s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Karlsruhe (98 bomb) and Strasbourg, France (49 bomb) and aviation factory at Strasbourg/Meinau, France (53 bomb); seven B-17s are lost. 69 of 86 B-24s bomb an aviation factory at Woippy, France; three others hit targets of opportunity. 36 of 40 B-17s bomb Fecamp gun battery, France without loss. 18 of 18 B-24s bomb St Valery, France without loss. Escort is provided by 170 P-38s, 238 P-47 Thunderbolts and 302 P-51 Mustangs; one P-38 is lost; P-47s claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground without loss; P-51s claim 34.5-1-4 aircraft in the air and 7-0-2 on the ground with the loss of six P-51s. 425 Ninth Air Force aircraft also support the mission; they claim 4-0-0 with the loss of one.

USAAF Eighth Air Force Mission 374: 24 P-47s hit a barge convoy between Willenstadt and Meerije, The Netherlands; two barges are destroyed.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches about 590 B-26 Marauders to attack railroads, bridges, and marshalling yards in France. P-47s bomb targets in northwestern Europe.

'U-292' sunk west of Trondheim, by depth charges from an RAF 59 Sqn Liberator. 51 dead (all hands lost).

331 RAF aircraft - 267 Halifaxes, 56 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - to attack the military camp at Bourg Léopold in Belgium. 9 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost, 3.0 per cent of the force. 1 Oboe-aimed target indicator fell right on the target and the bombing which followed caused severe damage to the camp. 100 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group to attack a railway junction and workshops at Nantes. The first 50 Lancasters bombed so accurately that the Master Bomber ordered the remainder of the force to retain their bombs. 1 Lancaster lost. 78 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 8 Group attacked the airfield at Rennes in good visibility. The marking was good and the bombing was very accurate. Much damage to the airfield installations was caused and there was a large explosion, probably in the bomb dump. 272 aircraft - 208 Lancasters, 49 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitos - carried out raids on 5 coastal-battery positions on the French coast. All of the targets were bombed satisfactorily. 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito lost.

Hptm. Horst Carganico (60 kills) was killed in action while serving as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 5. His Bf 109G-5 crashed into the ground after hitting high-tension wires while he was attempting a forced landing near Chevry.

 

[Njaco]

28 May 1944 Sunday
GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 376: 1,341 bombers and 697 fighters in five forces are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany; 32 bombers and 9 fighters are lost; they claim 64-30-31 Luftwaffe aircraft: 610 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched against an oil targets at Ruhland/Schwarz-Heide (38 bomb) and aircraft factory at Dessau (12 bomb); secondary targets are aviation factories at Zwickau (15 bomb) and Leipzig (28 bomb); 14 bomber hit Bohlen, 15 hit Meissen, 19 hit Brandis/Polenz Wusten-Sachsen Airfield, 12 hit Frankfurt marshalling yard, 32 hit Ubigau, 20 hit Dessau, four hit Frankfurt, five hit Camburg and 22 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 20-21-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 17 B-17s are lost. 255 B-17s are dispatched to an oil dump at Konigsburg/Magdeburg (105 bomb) and oil industry at Magdeburg/Rothensee (55 bomb); 17 hit Dessau and six bomb the marshalling yard at Gera; they claim 16-8-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; nine B-17s are lost. 106 B-24 Liberators are dispatched to Lutzkendorf/Halle (66 bomb); ten hit Wetzlar and six hit a target of opportunity; three B-24s are lost. 311 B-24s are dispatched to oil targets at Merseburg/Leuna (63 bomb) and Zeitz-Troglitz (187 bomb); 10 hit Limburg, eight hit Memmingen, nine hit Saalfeld and ten hit targets of opportunity; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; three B-24s are lost. 58 of 59 B-17s hit Cologne/Eifeltor marshalling yard without loss; glide bombs are used but the weapon proves unsuccessful. Escort is provided by 182 P-38 Lightnings, 208 P-47 Thunderbolts and 307 P-51 Mustangs; no P-38s are lost; P-47s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-1 on the ground with the loss of four P-47s; P-51s claim 25-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of five. 527 Ninth Air Force fighters also fly escort and claim 33-0-10 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 5-0-7 on the ground for the loss of fighters.

MEDITERRANEAN: German resistance to the Allied advance in Italy becomes stiff. Ceprano is captured by Canadian forces after heavy fighting. The German 14. Panzerkorps is committed against the US 6th Corps to insure that the 10.Armee will not be surrounded.

Davila, Rudolph B., SSgt. (later 2nd Lt.), 7th Infantry, awarded the MOH for his actions today. He was the only person of Filipino ancestry to receive the medal for his actions in the war in Europe. His company was involved in an offensive, near Artena, Italy, which broke through the German mountain strongholds surrounding the Anzio beachhead. His company was under a heavy enemy attack and for some unknown reason his machine gunners were reluctant to risk putting their guns into action. Realizing that his company was in danger, Davila crawled 50 yards to the nearest machine gun and fired over 750 rounds into the enemy strongholds in the foothills. His fellow machine gunners, reacted and Davila directed their firepower with hand and arm signals until the two enemy hostile machine guns were silenced. Despite being wounded by the enemy, he continued his assault by engaging the enemy from the turret of a burnt tank. Davila then spotted what he believed to be a rifle barrel in a farmhouse window. He grabbed a rifle and two grenades and went inside the farmhouse. He tossed the grenades at the attic and shot at the troops inside, destroying two more enemy machine gun nests. The enemy was forced to abandon their prepared positions.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 100+ B-24s to bomb Genoa harbor and Vercelli marshalling yard and troop concentrations at Niksic, Yugoslavia. In Yugoslavia, P-38s fly fighter sweeps against airfields in the Kurilovec area and vehicles, communications lines and targets of opportunity in the Knin-Bihac-Banjaluka area.

U.S. motor torpedo boats sink German corvette UJ.2210 in Ligurian Sea.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 600+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb marshalling and naval yards, railway bridges and V-weapon sites in France and Belgium; eight aircraft are lost. P-47s dive-bomb several targets in the same general area.

22 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; one is lost.

118 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of 3 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards and junction at Angers. 1 Lancaster lost. The Bomber Command report describes this as 'a good, concentrated attack' with the tracks and rolling stock very seriously damaged. A brief report from Angers, however, shows that much of the bombing must have fallen outside the target. 181 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos bombed 3 coastal gun positions. 1 Lancaster lost. 31 Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 6 to a railway junction at Laval, 3 RCM sorties, 6 Intruder patrols, 10 Halifaxes and 6 Stirlings minelaying off Dutch, Belgian and French coasts, 24 aircraft on Resistance operations, 14 OTU sorties. 2 OTU Wellingtons shot down in error by anti-aircraft guns on the Dorset coast.

 

[Njaco]

29 May 1944 Monday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The US escort carrier 'Block Island's planes detected 'U-549', on the 28th, and an intensive hunt began by the escorting destroyers. Early in the morning of 29th May, 'U-549' fired three electric and two acoustic torpedoes at the hunters. The electric torpedoes all hit the escort carrier which sank quickly. One of the acoustic torpedoes seriously damaged the destroyer USS 'Barr' and the other missed. The other escorts including the USS 'Eugene E. Elmore' finally sank 'U-549' with depth charges. All U-boat crew of 57 are lost. This engagement took place about 300 miles WSW of Madeira. No destroyer was sunk. Escort aircraft carrier USS 'Block Island' (CVE-21) was the only US aircraft carrier that was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean.

'U-23' fired a spread of two torpedoes at tanker of about 1800 tons, which was in tow escorted by two warships and aircraft. Wahlen heard two detonations, but could not observe the effects because the U-boat was attacked with depth charges for the next two hours. In fact the tug 'Smelyj' was hit by one torpedo and sank off Babushery near Suchumi.

EASTERN FRONT: Lt. Erich Hartmann, Staffelkapitaen of 9./JG 52, claimed a single Airacobra near Jassy.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 379: 993 bombers and 673 fighters are dispatched in three forces to attack aircraft plants and oil installations in Germany and Poland; they claim 117-38-49 Luftwaffe aircraft; 34 bombers and 10 fighters are lost: 443 B-24s are dispatched to hit an oil terminal at Politz (224 bomb) and airfield and aircraft assembly plant at Tutow (167 bomb); 14 hit Rensburg Airfield, nine hit Misdroy and one hits Schwerin; they claim 29-15-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; 17 B-24s are lost. 251 B-17s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Leipzig/Mockau (149 bomb) and Leipzig/Heiterblick (50 bomb); four others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 11-4-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; nine B-17s are lost. 299 B-17s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Krzesinki (91 bomb) and Posen (58 bomb), Poland and Sorau (52 bomb) and Cottbus (48 bomb), Germany; 19 others hit Schneidemuhl Airfield and two hit targets of opportunity; they claim 22-18-14 Luftwaffe aircraft; eight B-17s are lost . Escort is provided by 184 P-38 Lightnings, 187 P-47 Thunderbolts and 302 P-51 Mustangs; the P-38s claim none and none are lost; the P-47s claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of four P-47s; the P-51s claim 38-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 16-0-15 on the ground with the loss of six Mustangs. 592 Ninth Air Force fighters also support the mission; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft and lose two fighters.

31 RAF Mosquitos to Hannover, 11 to Xanten ammunition dump and 4 to a coastal battery at Mardyck, 6 Halifaxes minelaying off Ijmuiden, Dunkirk and Brest. No aircraft lost.

The Geschwaderkommodore of JG 3, Major Friedrich-Karl Muller - known as 'Tutti' - was killed trying to land at Salzwedel. His Bf 109G suddenly stalled at a height of 15 meters and crashed. Major Muller had 140 kills including 8 during the Battle of Britain, 100 on the Eastern Front and 32 Reichsverteidigung including 23 bombers. Major Heinz Bar was assigned as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 3.

Complying with orders to reinforce Reichsverteidigung units with Eastern Front squadrons, 7./JG 51 led by Hptm. karl-Heinz weber arrived at Stormede to supplement II./JG 1. They were hurried through a conversion from their Bf 109Gs to Fw 190s and were soon thrown into battle.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Canadians advance north on Route 6 from Caprano near Anzio. Heavy fighting continues in Italy as Campoleone and Carroceto are captured.

In Italy, B-25s bomb rail bridges near Bucine and at Poggibonsi and Lisciano; B-26s hit viaducts at Terni and near Stifone, railroad junction and marshalling yard at Terentola, Castiglion Fiorentino bridge, the Voltri shipyards and a bridge nearby; A-20s hit troops in bivouac and bomb a supply dump; fighter-bombers continue to blast motor transport between the battlelines and Rome; and C-47s evacuate 400+ wounded from the Anzio area.

UNITED KINGDOM: British Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory argues that the airborne operation of the D-Day attack be cancelled, due to high projected losses of men and aircraft.

Fw. Ernst Dietrich of 6./KG 51 was shot down by WC C. M. Wight-Boycat of RAF No. 25 Sqdrn off Cromer.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 450+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb airfields, marshalling yards, railroad bridges, coastal battery and NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in France and Belgium. 200+ P-47s bomb targets in the same area.

23 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; one is lost.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 829 bombers (the largest number of bombers completing attacks in a single day up to this time) to bomb targets in Austria and Yugoslavia; B-17s and B-24s attack an aircraft factory at Wollesdorf, Austria; B-24s also attack industrial areas at Wiener Neustadt and Atzgersdorf, Austria and troop concentrations at Poderica, Yugoslavia. P-38s and P-51s escort the Austrian missions while P-38s accompany B-24s to Yugoslav targets and afterwards strafe numerous targets of opportunity; fighter opposition over Yugoslavia is negligible but around 150 fighters attempt interception over Austria, principally in the Wiener-Neustadt area; 23 USAAF aircraft are lost; the bombers and fighters claim 60+ fighters shot down.

 

[Njaco]

30 May 1944 Tuesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: USS 'Herndon' (DD-198 ), commissioned as HMS 'Churchill' (I-45) on 9 Sep. 1940; is transferred to Russia as 'Dyatelnyi' today. She will be torpedoed and sunk by 'U-956' on 16 Jan. 1945 while escorting a White Sea convoy; the last war loss of the class and the only one of the destroyers transferred to Russia to be lost.

EASTERN FRONT: Elements of the newly constituted German 8.Armee launch a series of limited counterattacks around Jassy, Rumania against the advance elements of the Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front, throwing the Russians back in a few locations.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force based in England flies Mission 380: 928 bombers and 672 fighters in six forces are dispatched to hit aircraft industry targets in Germany and marshalling yards in France and Belgium; they claim 65-8-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; twelve bombers and nine fighters are lost: 268 B-17s are dispatched to attack aviation industry targets at Dessau (83 bomb), Halberstadt (107 bomb) and Oschersleben (51 bomb); five other hit targets of opportunity; they claim 8-5-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; nine B-17s are lost. 369 B-24s are dispatched to hit aviation depots at Oldenburg (135 bomb), Rotenburg (147 bomb) and Zwischenahn (71 bomb); one other hits a target of opportunity; one B-24 is lost. 46 of 91 B-24s hit Munster/Handorf Airfield and 36 others hit Diepholz Airfield; two B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 186 P-38s, 184 P-47 Thunderbolts and 302 P-51 Mustangs; P-47s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft with one aircraft lost; P-51s claim 48-3-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 7-0-3 on the ground with the loss of eight P-51s (pilots are MIA); 637 Ninth Air Force fighters support the mission; they claim 8-0-2 aircraft in the air and 0-0-4 on the ground for the loss of three aircraft.

Allied pilots who are shot down over Germany can no longer expect any mercy from the people. The Reichsleiter Martin Bormann has today issued a directive to all district and regional National Socialist leaders to the effect that lynch law is now approved by the government in Berlin. This directive from Bormann, who is also Hitler's secretary, follows a newspaper article by the Reich propaganda minister, Josef Goebbels, which was published on 27 May. Under the headline "Comments on the Enemy Air Terror", Goebbels concluded that, in view of the "criminal combat methods" now employed by the Allied air forces, pilots had no right to prevent the German people, in their "seething rage", from acting in their own defence and rewarding murder with murder. Bormann's directive has given the government seal of approval to Goebbel's incitement to mob justice.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British 8th Army takes Arce as elements of the US 5th Army move toward Velletri. The US 36th Division pierces the Caesar line of German defenses at Velletri, Italy, on Route 7.

In Rome the ancient remains of Caligula's ships, extracted from Lake Nemi, were set ablaze and destroyed. Blame was cast on German soldiers and American artillery. The ships had been used in the lake as floating entertainment palaces in time of Caligula, about year 12-41.

In Italy, B-26s and B-25s destroy or damage 10 bridges, bridge approaches and viaducts which affect supply routes to the battlefronts across C Italy; light and fighter-bombers blast motor transports and gun positions in the battle area and hit targets in and around towns in the area, including Guidonia, Ariccia, Alatri and Veroli; and C-47s evacuate wounded from Nettuno.

WESTERN FRONT: 122 of 126 US Eighth Air Force B-17s hit French marshalling yards; 62 hit Reims and 60 hit Troyes without loss. 39 of 40 B-17s hit Brussels/Schaerbeck marshalling yard, Belgium without loss. 76 of 84 B-17s hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais, France without loss.

100 P-47s are dispatched to bomb 4 rail bridges in northwestern France; 37 hit Longueil bridge, 26 hit Beaumont-sur-Oise bridge, 23 hit Canly-le-Jouque bridge and 12 hit the Creil bridge; one P-47 is lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 320+ B-26 Marauders to attack airfields at Denain/Prouvy and Mantes/Limay, and highway bridges at Meulan and Rouen, all in France. Nearly 400 P-47s dive-bomb targets in northwestern Europe.

Rommel has assembled most of his corps and army commanders at Caen to attend a weapons display at Riva Bella, just west of Ouistraham. Featured in the show are some of Major Becker's multiple rocket launchers. The whooshing missiles impress everyone there. Becker also takes the opportunity to sow off some the armored assault guns that he has fashioned onto captured French armored chassis. Also displayed are a number of smoke launchers. It will be Rommel's last tour of the invasion area before D-Day.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches nearly 500 bombers to attack targets in Austria and Yugoslavia; B-17s attack the marshalling yard at Zagreb, Yugoslavia; B-24s attack aircraft factories at Wels, Ebreichadorf, Pottendorf, Neudorfl and Neunkirchen, Austria; P-38s and P-51s provide escort and many of the fighters strafe targets of opportunity in areas around Zut, Brod, Susak, Bihac, Medak, and along the Karlovac-Livno road, Yugoslavia.

50 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of 3 and 8 Groups attacked a coastal gun position at Boulogne without loss. 30 Mosquitos to Leverkusen, 12 Stirlings minelaying off the Dutch and French coasts, 11 Stirlings on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

 

[Njaco]

31 May 1944 Wednesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Only five Allied or neutral merchant ships were lost in May, at 27,000 tons the lowest monthly figure of the war so far.

245 minesweepers begin clearing the English coast, and clearing paths to the landing sites on the French coast.

EASTERN FRONT: Red Army forces hit back around Jassy, ending the threat from the German attacks. Meanwhile, Stalin gives approval "Operation Bagration", the summer offensive against Heeresgruppe Mitte and the liberation of Byelorussia.

The Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 52, Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn, was flying his 6th mission of the day when he was bounced by a Russian Airacobra and shot down in his Bf 109G-6 "Schwarz 5". He suffered severe wounds to his right arm and leg which put him out of action for 4 months. But III./JG 52's Gruppenkommandeur, Hptm. Wilhelm Batz downed 15 Russian aircraft during 7 different sorties to bring his score to 155 kills.

GERMANY: 287 US Eighth Air Force B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards in Germany; 88 hit Osnabruck, 54 hit Schwerte, 52 hit Oeske and 50 hit Hamm; one B-17 is lost. Fighter-bomber missions against German airfields with 500 lb (227 kg) and 100 lb (45 kg) general purpose bombs: 78 of 81 P-47s hit Gutersloh Airfield; they claim 5-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft. 35 P-38s attack Rehein/Hopsten Airfield using DROOPSNOOT methods; they claim 5-0-0 aircraft on the ground.

III./KG 1 was reformed from I./KG 100 based at Fassberg and Lechfeld with He 177 heavy bombers. The formation of the Gruppe was never completed but a few crews took part in attacks on railway targets and tank concentrations on the central and northern sectors of the Eastern Front while the remainder of the Gruppe continued training in Germany.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces in Italy continue to advance as Frosinone, Sora, Velletri and Monte Artemiso are taken. Fighting is heavy at Albano. Canadian forces take Frosimeone. Velletri and Monte Artemisi fall to the US 36th Division near Anzio. This breaks the Caesar Line.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 480+ B-17s and B-24s to bomb oil refineries and communications targets in the Ploesti, Romaniaarea; fighters fly 200+ sorties in support; 15 bombers are lost to flak and fighters; 40+ enemy aircraft are claimed shot down.

During May, the Geschwaderstab of SG 4 lost 6 aircraft to enemy action, I./SG 4 lost 13 (plus 10 in accidents) and II./SG 4 lost 14 ( plus 4 in accidents). The human cost were 18 pilots killed, 3 wounded and one missing, all occurring between 13 May and 27 May. Among the dead were a Geschwaderkommodore, a Gruppenkommandeur and 2 Staffelkapitane. In terms of people and aircraft lost, May may have been SG's worst month in Italy.

II./NJG 6 operations from Perugia got off to a discouraging start. Refueling the aircraft on the night of 31 May took over 2 hours and poor signalling led to no fewer than 3 machines to taxi into bomb craters. Despite these setbacks, 6 Bf 110s were able to fly missions.

UNITED KINGDOM: More than 4,500 cooks are now on active service preparing meals for just one element of Overlord - the seaborne assault forces. All told, 54,000 men are employed on maintaining installations and getting 4,000 landing craft and barges ready for sailing with their crews. The Americans, who will take off from Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, have supply and service networks that extend deep into the Midlands. The British and Canadians in Hampshire and Sussex have similar lengthy tails. For many men these last days are marked by services conducted by padres in open fields. In the south of England Majors John Howard and Vaughan drive from the airfield at Tarrant Rushton where D Company of the Ox and Bucks Infantry are completely sealed in on the huge base, to Broadmoor. There they meet Brigadier Poett. Smith and Fox sneak out of Tarrant Rushton to have dinner with their girl friends.

Invasion stripes are to be issued to gliders at the discretion of the Air Commander-in-chief.

A Stirling bomber on a training flight from Lincolnshire caught fire, broke up and crashed on the outskirts of the town killing the entire crew. The fuselage came down on the Co-op farm. The pilot was 27 year-old Pilot Officer Stanley Raymond Wilson of Newcastle.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 382: 1,029 bombers and 682 fighters attack marshalling yards and aircraft industry targets in Germany and rail targets in France and Belgium; the fighters claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; one bomber and three fighters are lost: Of 246 B-17s, 36 hit Luxeuil marshalling yard, France; 30 hit Florennes/Juzaine Airfield and four hit Namur marshalling yard, Belgium; 23 hit Gilze-Rijen Airfield and 12 hit Roosendaal marshalling yard, The Netherlands; and three hit targets of opportunity without loss. 491 B-24s are dispatched to hit rail targets in France and Belgium but are recalled due to clouds. Four of five B-24s hit rail bridges at Beaumont-sur-Oise and bridges at Melun without loss; Azon radio-controlled bombs are unsuccessfully used against the bridges. Escort is provided by 193 P-38s, 180 P-47 Thunderbolts and 309 P-51 Mustangs; P-38s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; one P-47 is lost; P-51s claim 3-0-1 aircraft on the ground with two P-51s lost. 674 Ninth Air Force fighters provide support; no claims or losses.

22 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions over France without loss.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches about 200 B-26 Marauders to bomb lock and highway bridges at Bennecourt, Courcelles-sur-Seine and Rouen, France.

219 RAF aircraft - 125 Lancasters, 86 Halifaxes, 8 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5 Group successfully attacked the railway yards at Trappes to the west of Paris in 2 waves. 4 Lancasters lost. 129 aircraft - 109 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 4 Mosquitos - of Nos 6 and 8 Groups bombed a coastal wireless transmitting station at Au Fèvre and destroyed 4 of the 6 masts. No aircraft lost. 115 aircraft - 60 Lancasters, 51 Halifaxes, 4 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups bombed a radio jamming station at Mont Couple which was 'rendered completely unserviceable'. No aircraft lost. 111 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Tergnier. The sidings and workshops were 'squarely hit'. 2 Lancasters lost. 82 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked and destroyed a railway junction at Saumur without loss. 68 Lancasters of No 5 Group raiding a coastal gun battery at Maisy found it covered by cloud and only 6 aircraft bombed. No aircraft lost. 14 RCM sorties, 16 Serrate and 9 Intruder patrols, 28 aircraft minelaying off the Dutch and French coasts, 9 aircraft on Resistance operations, 12 OTU sorties. 5 aircraft were lost - 2 Halifaxes and 1 Hudson on Resistance operations, 1 Stirling minelayer and 1 Intruder Mosquito.

Lt. Gunther Buchholz of II./JG 1 was killed in action.

 

[Njaco]

1 June 1944 Thursday
EASTERN FRONT: A Russian counterattack near Jassy begins to get results despite strong German resistance. Attacks by the 2nd Ukrainian Front gained back much of the ground lost earlier to the German counter-attacks.

GERMANY: German Colonel Claus Count von Stauffenberg is appointed Chief of Staff of the Replacement Army. Major Heinz Bar was permanently appointed Geschwaderkommodore of JG 3 to replace Major Muller while Major Gerhard Schopfel was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of JG 4.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces in Italy continue to advance, unhinging the German defenses south of Rome. US II and VI Corps drive toward Rome through the Alban Hills. Field Marshal Kesselring orders a fighting withdrawal north of Rome.

Destroyers 'Champlin' (DD-601) and 'MacKenzie' (DD-614) shell German strongpoints and shore batteries in the vicinity of Anzio; 'Champlin' and 'Parker' (DD-604) will alternate covering minesweeping operations west of Anzio and will also do so on 2 and 4 June.

In Italy, medium, light and fighter-bombers continue support of ground troops, striking concentrations, bivouac areas, motor transport, railways and roads, bridges, trains and other targets; fighters fly sweeps over the battle areas, escort medium bombers and carry out sweeps along the E coast.

UNITED KINGDOM: The BBC transmits the first of two quotations from the poetry of Verlaine. It was a coded message intended to warn the French resistance that the D-Day invasion was imminent;

"The long sobs of the violins of autumn."

Some German units go on alert. Operations Fortitude North and Fortitude South, to convince the Germans that the invasion force will strike at both Norway and the Pas-de-Calais, come to an end.

Crucial to the success of "Ultra" the operation at Bletchley Park, are the Bombes, the machines that do the deciphering of the German Enigma codes. Initially these were wholly mechanical, but earl in 1943 an electro-magnetic version came into service. And today a new all-electronic model, codenamed Colossus, became operational. This has been developed at the Post Office Research Laboratory at Dollis Hill, in North London, and will radically speed up deciphering.

Generals Montgomery, Patton, Bradley, Dempsey and Crerar met in Portsmouth.

WESTERN FRONT: Feldmarschal Gerd von Rundstedt is looking over the latest roster of his army. At present he commands (including the eight divisions in Holland and Belgium) some 59 divisions. Of these, 34 are considered -bodenstaendige- or reserve. They could at best only be used in defensive operations. Of the remaining 25 that were considered fit for combat, 13 were actually mobile infantry (`mobile' here being used in the loosest sense; this might mean a wild mixture of anything from horse-drawn wagons to bicycles to a wild mixture of a variety of old pre-war vehicles or motorbikes). Two more divisions were paratrooper, without the airdrop capability, of course. Another 11 divisions were panzer divisions, with four of these being SS units - the 1st SS, 2nd SS, 12th SS, and the 17th SS Panzergrenadier. Three are designated as OKW reserves: the 12th SS Panzer and Panzer Lehr are inland, away from the Normandy coast. The 1st SS Panzer is up in Belgium, between Brussels and Antwerp. One panzer division, the rebuilt 21st, is equipped with many substandard vehicles. Of the three that Rommel controls, the 21st is now near Caen, with a regiment of panzer-grenadiers on each side of the Orne River. The 2nd and 116th Panzer are on the other side of the Seine River, in 15th Army's sector. Three panzer formations are allocated down south, in Blaskowitz's Army Group G. The 11th Panzer is inland from Bordeux, the 2nd SS Panzer about 70 km north of Toulouse, and the 9th Panzer-near Avignon. One more panzer division, the hard-fought and depleted 19th, was coming west to Holland to refit and reform. It would not be allocated to any kind of combat. Most of the ten available panzer divisions were still understrength.

Rommel confers with Assistant Secretary Bernd, a member of Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry. They discuss how to psychologically influence the enemy at the moment of invasion. Clearly, Rommel is not leaving any stone unturned. Rommel takes advantage of the good weather. He and Lang take off for another look at the coast. They go northeast to inspect the fortress at Dieppe and the shoreline covered by the 245th and 348th Divisions up there. While examining beach defenses, Rommel is told that the incomplete 170mm battery near Ault has now twice been bombed. He directs that the guns be withdrawn until the concrete emplacements are finished.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches about 100 B-26 Marauders to bomb airfields and coastal defence batteries from the Belgian border to the Cherbourg Peninsula.

101 RAF Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 8 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked the main German radio-listening station at Ferme d'Urville near the coast chosen for the invasion, but cloud and haze prevented accurate bombing. No aircraft lost. 58 Lancasters of No 5 Group attacked a railway junction at Saumur. Photographic reconnaissance showed 'severe damage to junction, main lines torn up'. No aircraft lost. 6 Mosquitos to the port of Aarhus in Denmark, 3 Serrate patrols, 18 aircraft minelaying in the Kattegat and off Dunkirk, 40 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 Halifax on Resistance operations lost.

 

[Njaco]

2 June 1944 Friday
EASTERN FRONT: Operation Frantic, in which 130 Flying Fortresses shuttle from North Africa to Russia, bombing targets in Hungary and Romania on the way, commences. Under command of Major General Ira C Eaker, Commanding General of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF), 130 B-17s, escorted by 70 P-51 Mustangs, bomb the marshalling yard at Debreczen, Hungary and land in the Soviet Union, the B-17s at Poltava and Mirgorod and the P-51s at Piryatin. One B-17 is lost over the target; 27 other B-17s, forced off course en route to the Oradea, Romania marshalling yard, also hit Debreczen. Nearly 400 other B-24s attack marshalling yards at Szeged, Miskolc and Szolnok, Hungary and Simeria, Romania. P-51s and P-38s provide escort.

GERMANY: Alfred Jodl, Operations Chief, OKW, talks to Hitler about the upcoming invasion. His staff has been checking moon phases, with an eye towards the port of Cherbourg. Hitler is told that a favorable time period between the 5th and the 13th of June exists.

The second flight of the Blohm und Voss Bv 40 V1 glider takes place today. This aircraft is an Ersatzjäger (substitute fighter). It is to be towed into combat behind a standard fighter and then make a head-on gliding attack on to fire a small battery of rockets into an Allied bomber. It is cheap to construct and the pilot needs less training than for a conventional aircraft.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allied forces make good progress towards Rome. German forces are in full retreat as elements of the US 5th Army take Valmontone, 20 miles from Rome. The US 100th Infantry Battalion participates in the breakout to Rome by attacking and capturing Lanuvio. The 442nd RCT arrives at Naples harbour and on June 10th meets the 100th Infantry Battalion in Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome.

Destroyer 'MacKenzie' (DD-614) shells German guns in the Partecica de Mari area, near Anzio.

UNITED KINGDOM: Driver Benjamin Gimbert (1903-76) and Fireman James William Nightall (b.1922), LNER, were moving a burning, bomb-laden wagon to a safe spot when it exploded, destroying the station and damaging 600 buildings. Nightall was killed and a signalman later died, but Gimbert, amazingly, survived. (George Crosses).

In support of tactical operations, a special conference for ground liaison officers is held by 21 Army Group officers who present a detailed exposition of the plan for the landings in Normandy.

Two British submarines, X20 and X23, leave the north of Scotland, destined for the British D-Day landing beaches. Their job is to mark the approaches for landing craft.

WESTERN FRONT: Rocket-armed Hawker Typhoon's of Nos. 198 and 609 Squadrons RAF blast radar installations at Dieppe/Caudecote.

The role of the USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England from 2-5 June in preparation for the invasion of Normandy on 6 June includes continuation of attacks against transportation and airfield targets in northern France and the institution of a series of blows against coastal defenses, mainly located in the Pas de Calais coastal area, to deceive the enemy as to the sector to be invaded (Operation COVER). To accomplish their mission, the Eighth Air Force flies two missions: Mission 384: In the morning, 521 of 633 B-17s and 284 of 293 B-24 Liberators hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area without loss. Mission 385: In the afternoon, 242 B-17s are dispatched to railroad targets in the Paris area; 163 hit the primaries, 49 hit Conches Airfield, 12 hit Beaumont-sur-Oise Airfield and one hits Caen/Carpiquet Airfield; 77 B-24s are dispatched to Bretigny Airfield in France; 13 hit the primary target, 47 hit Creil Airfield and 14 hit Villeneuve Airfield; two B-17s and five B-24s are lost. Three of seven of P-38 Lightnings hit the Ostend Bridge, Belgium without loss.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force dispatches about 350 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb NOBALL (V-weapon) targets and coastal defence batteries along the English Channel coast in France; P-38s and P-47 Thunderbolts dive-bomb targets in the area, including V-weapon sites, fuel dump, railroad junctions and bridges.

British bombers attack railway targets in Trappes, France. 128 aircraft - 105 Halifaxes, 19 Lancasters, 4 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Trappes. Most of the bombing fell in the eastern half of the target area. 15 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost, 12.5 per cent of the force. This is the final air attack of the Transportation Plan. Since beginning in early March, almost 9000 sorties were flown in 69 attacks, with a loss of 198 planes.

103 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups attacked a radar-jamming station at Berneval with great accuracy and without loss. 271 aircraft - 136 Lancasters, 119 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos - attacked 4 coastal gun positions with the loss of 1 Lancaster. In only 1 raid was the bombing accurate but this was not too serious because these raids were part of the invasion deception plan. None of the targets were in the Normandy area; all were on the Pas de Calais coast. Further raids in the next 2 nights would continue the deception and the Normandy batteries would only be bombed on the last night before the invasion. 23 Mosquitos to Leverkusen, 4 to Laval and 3 to Lison, 16 RCM sorties, 9 Serrate and 6 Intruder patrols, 53 aircraft minelaying from Dunkirk to Brest, 36 aircraft on Resistance operations, 11 OTU sorties. 1 Stirling lost on a Resistance operation.

 

[Njaco]

3 June 1944 Saturday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-477' (Type VIIC) Sunk west of Trondheim, in position 63.59N, 01.37E, by depth charges from a Canadian Catalina aircraft (RCAF-Sqdn. 162/T). Although five men were sighted in the water after the attack, there were no survivors. 51 dead (all crew lost).

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allies maintain movement towards Rome. Field Marshal Kesselring abandons Rome and declares it an "Open City". Elements of the US 5th Army capture Albano and Frascati while elements of the British 8th Army captures Anagni.

Sgt. Maurice Albert Windham Rogers (b.1919), Wilts Regt., ran through barbed wire and a minefield to take two German positions, continuing to advance until he was killed. (Victoria Cross).

Operations by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy is drastically curtailed by bad weather. In Yugoslavia, 36 B-24s bomb the waterfront area of Omis and 38 hit the port area and western part of Split. Fighters sent to strafe targets of opportunity in the target areas abandon the mission because of low clouds over the targets.

UNITED KINGDOM: Dwight Eisenhower briefs French general Charles de Gaulle on Operation Overlord, the first De Gaulle has heard of it.

WESTERN FRONT: In Operation COVER, the USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions, both designated Mission 388. In the first, 219 of 238 B-17s and 120 of 124 B-24s attack coastal defenses in the Pas de Calais, France area, bombing a total of 22 targets without loss. Escort is provided by 91 P-38 Lightnings and 129 P-47 Thunderbolts. In the second raid, 97 of 102 B-17s and 98 of 104 B-24s hit 16 of the same targets hit in the morning without loss. Escort is provided by 102 P-38s, 34 P-47s and 83 P-51 Mustangs; one P-51 is lost.

During the night, 23 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER operations in France.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force dispatches 250+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb airfields, highway bridges, and coastal defence batteries in northern France; 400+ P-38s and P-47s dive-bomb targets in northwestern Europe.

As bad weather in the Channel worsens, RAF bombers destroy the second of two major wireless intercept stations at Ferme d'Urville.

259 RAF aircraft bomb four gun positions, three in the Pas de Calais and one in Normandy, opening a wave of round-the-clock bombings.

Orders from OKW via OB West inform Rommel that the 19th Luftwaffe Field Division is going to be transferred out of Belgium. It is slated for -Armeegruppe G,- specifically, to Chevallerie's 1st Army. Rommel also requests that the Luftwaffe lay some quick minefields in both approach channels around the Isle of Wight. Rommel calls on von Rundstedt at the suburb of St.- Germain-en-Laye. Fortified by a forecasted storm coming their way, Rommel is thankful that a possible low tide-good moon Allied landing for the 4 to 7 June period is now probably just an academic question. Then they talk about Rommel's trip home. Both of the field marshals agree that it is a good time for it, and that Rommel needs the break. Rommel gets ready to leave, and as he does, he looks at them and addresses the possibility of a landing once more.

"There's not even going to BE an invasion," he says as he starts walking out. "And if there is, then they won't even get off the beaches!"

Allied intelligence, examining of recent aerial photos, finally begins to suspect that some elements of another unit, probably the veteran 352nd Infantry Division, have relocated northwards along the Calvados coast, east of the Vire Estuary. Intelligence analysts, having heard nothing of this move up until now from any Resistance elements, theorize that these few units, if they are indeed part of the 352nd, have only recently relocated to the coast for a `defensive beach exercise' and probably will withdraw as soon as it is concluded. Still, major commands should be notified. General Bradley, commanding the American troop for that area, will not find out about the `temporarily' reinforced coastline for another 48 hours - just after his flagship puts out to sea on June 5th. The American troops hitting this strip of beach will never know until it is too late that this entire area has been permanently reinforced and fortified by major elements of a veteran infantry division, or that these seasoned troops have been alerted and are patiently awaiting their arrival. This coastal strip is designated as Omaha Beach.

Hptm. Weber of II./JG 1 was appointed Gruppenkommandeur and transferred to III./JG 1. Lt. Krakowitzer took his place as Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 51 which was assigned to II./JG 1.

 

[Njaco]

4 June 1944 Sunday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Overlord convoys at sea turn back because of bad weather which is expected for tomorrow. The bad weather puts the Germans off guard. All Allied radar jamming operations are called off, so that those stations in the German naval radar network that are still up do not set off any alarms. At once the codeword `Ripcord 24' is sent to the Allied fleet approaching the French coast in the heavy seas. Most of the thousand ships immediately begin to turn back. A force of minesweepers is only 35 miles from the beaches when they finally get the word. Another contingent of some 125 vessels, part of Force U (for Utah Beach) are a scant 26 miles from the Calvados coast before they are persuaded to turn around. USS 'Susan B. Anthony', a attack transport, stands out to sea from Bristol. On board are elements of the 90th Infantry Division, VII Corps floating reserve for Utah Beach, and personnel of the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. German radar station tracks them, but the crew relaxes their vigil when the massive blip turns back towards England. No alarm is given.

US Navy Task Force 22.3 consisting of the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Guadalcana'l (CVE-60), with Composite Squadron Eight (VC-8) aboard, and destroyers escorts USS 'Chatelain' (DE-149), USS 'Flaherty' (DE-135), USS 'Jenks' (DE-665), USS 'Pillsbury' (DE-133) and USS 'Pope' (DE-134) attack the German U-Boat 'U-505' in the South Atlantic. Directed by VC-8 TBM Avengers, the 'Chatelain' drops depth charges, one of which blasts a hole in the outer hull of the submarine and rolled the U-boat on its beam ends. The inexperienced U-Boat captain thought his ship was sinking so he surfaced. The US commander of this task force, Captain Daniel V. Gallery, USN, had been planning for an opportunity to board a submarine and capture all the documents and boarding parties had been trained and equipped. Lieutenant (j.g.) Albert L. David leads a boarding party from 'Pillsbury' to the submarine and found it abandoned. The men of the boarding party went below seizing all papers and books and closing valves and stopping leaks. By this time, a larger boarding party arrived from 'Guadalcanal' and after securing a tow line and rescuing the Germans from the water, the 'Guadalcanal' took 'U-505' in tow. For their action, the crews of the six ships were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and Lt. David is awarded the Medal of Honor. Not only Enigma codes, but also the Zaunkonig acoustic torpedoes were recovered. The original plan was to tow the U-boat to Dakar, but this is thought to be full of spies and so she will be taken to Bermuda instead. This represented the first time since 1815 that the US Navy captured an enemy warship on the high seas (the capture remained a secret). After the war, Navy plans to scuttle the U-boat in a gunnery exercise were themselves scrapped when the president of Chicago's Museum of Science Industry voiced interest and a plan to use the entire submarine as part of an exhibit. 'U-505' is currently on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois, USA and has had over 20 million visit her.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler is still enjoying the beautiful scenery of Obersaltzberg, with his headquarters staff situated at various locations around the town. In one of today's meetings, he and Albert Speer discuss turning over aircraft armament production to Speer's own War Ministry. Goering would be furious.

20 RAF Mosquitos to Cologne and 6 to Argentan, 4 RCM sorties, 6 Serrate patrols, 4 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters minelaying from the Scheldt to Dunkirk, 17 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 88th Division enters Rome. The first of the three major Axis capitals has thus fallen. Even as the US Fifth Army began to pour into Rome in huge numbers, the last Germans were fighting rearguard actions in the suburbs; but the great bulk of Kesselring's men are heading north to new defence lines, pursued by advance elements of the British Eighth Army. Three huge flags - Italian, British and American - hang from the Campidoglio [town hall] where Lieutenant-General Mark Clark and his colleagues received frenzied acclamation from the huge crowds. In St. Peter's Square, the crowd was silent long enough to hear the Pope say:

"Yesterday Rome was trembling for her sons and daughters. Today she is able to look with renewed hope and faith for her salvation."

Already Berlin radio is describing Hitler as;

"....the saviour of the Eternal City",

and claiming that Rome had no strategic value. The Allies have yet to be led to the caves near the city where the bodies of 336 hostages were hurled by their SS executioners.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 550+ B-17s and B-24s to attack communications in northwestern Italy and on both sides of the Franco-Italian frontier. In France, B-17s hit the Antheor railroad viaduct and Var River railroad bridges. In Italy, B-24s hit the marshalling yards at Genoa, Turin, Savona and Novi Ligure, the viaduct at Recco, and the railroad bridges at Orelle and Gad. Fighters fly 200+ sorties in support of the heavy bombers.

UNITED KINGDOM: General Eisenhower meets around 4:30 A.M. (DBST) with his staff. He is told that the weather is still too rough for a landing; the invasion must be postponed until conditions improve. At 5:15, Eisenhower, hoping that the weather might break, postpones the landings for 24 hours. Postponing the invasion by 24 hours has meant that, should he give the word to go on the 6th, low tide would occur about an hour later, coming now at 5:15. The U.S. landings would therefore be at least an hour later, coming between 06:15 and 06:45 DBST. An intercepted `Ultra' message gives the Allies the latest Luftwaffe weather report, which calls for more bad weather, This confirms the fact that the Germans will not be looking for an invasion at this time. Eisenhower turns to each of his commanders one by one, and gets their opinions. They discuss it some more. At 9:45 P.M., he makes it. Still staring at the table, he slowly says;

"I am quite positive we must give the order... I don't like it - but there it is."

Looking up to the men, he concludes;

"I don't see how we can possibly do anything else."

They will have a final commanders meeting at 0400. That will be the last chance they have to break off the operation.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three mission to France. In the first mission (Mission 389), the effort is to be divided between the Pas de Calais (COVER) area and the Normandy assault (NEPTUNE) area, however, D-Day is postponed 24 hours and the NEPTUNE force is cancelled. 183 of 201 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 51 of 56 B-24s attack seven targets in the Pas de Calais area; escorting are 130 P-47 Thunderbolts and 42 P-51 Mustangs; two P-51s are lost. In the second mission (Mission 390) 222 of 246 B-17s and 53 of 68 B-24s bomb eight coastal defence positions in the same area using PFF. The third mission consists of 263 B-17s and 185 B-24s hitting airfields, railway junctions and bridges; of the B-17s, 96 hit the Massey/Palaiseau railroad bridge, 50 hit the Versailles/Metelots railroad bridge and 34 hit the Villeneuve/St George railroad bridge; of the B-24s, 23 hit Brourges Airfield, 72 hit the Romorantin/Prunieres Airfield, 56 hit the Avord Airfield, 55 hit the Bretigny Airfield and eight hit the Melun bridges. Escort is 135 P-47s and 277 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-51 is lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 300+ B-26s and A-20 Havocs to bomb highway bridge and coastal batteries in France; almost 200 P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb bridges, railroad junction, rolling stock and targets of opportunity.

259 RAF aircraft - 125 Lancasters, 118 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups to bomb 4 gun positions; 3 of these were deception targets in the Pas de Calais but the fourth battery, at Maisy, was in Normandy between what would soon be known as Omaha and Utah Beaches, where American troops would land in less than 36 hours' time. Unfortunately, Maisy was covered by cloud and could only be marked by Oboe skymarkers, but it was then bombed by 52 Lancasters of No 5 Group. 2 of the 3 gun positions in the Pas de Calais were also affected by bad weather and could only be bombed through cloud but the position at Calais itself was clear and was accurately marked by the Mosquitos and well bombed by Halifaxes and Lancasters of No 6 Group. No aircraft lost on these operations.

Rommel leaves for Germany to see Hitler and celebrate his wife's birthday. The trip is, for the most part, uneventful, except for a flat tire in Luneville. Rommel makes it home that night, tired and depressed. His wife and fifteen-year old son, Manfred try to cheer him up, including making his favorite Swabian dish, - Spaetzle mit Kalbsbraten - They retire early.

 

[Njaco]

5 June 1944 Monday
GERMANY: Late this morning, Adolf Hitler chairs a conference on Portuguese tungsten imports. He then attends his noontime OKW conference. Most of the time is spent discussing the withdrawal of the German 10.Armee from the Americans advancing up the Italian boot. That afternoon, he has a lengthy talk with Speer and Jodl about the Rhine bridges. Speer, recently noting damage by an Allied air raid, and reading reports of the Seine bridges going down, has suddenly realized that the enemy could knock out all the Rhine bridges in one day. A landing in the North Sea would then become effective, and a blitz down through Germany could effectively neutralize all the units in France. That evening, they will hear Roosevelt on the radio, broadcasting the liberation of Rome.

31 RAF Mosquitos bombed Osnabrück without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allies stage a triumphal entry into Rome.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 440+ B-17s and B-24s to hit targets in Italy; B-17s hit railroad bridges at Pioppi and Vado; and B-24s hit marshalling yards at Bologna, Castel Maggiore, Forli, Ferrara, Faenza and four railroad bridges; P-38s and P-51s fly escort; 53 P-38s strafe Ferrara and Poggio Renatico Airfields and 40 strafe and dive-bomb airfields at Bologna and Reggio Emilia.

UNITED KINGDOM: D-Day -1: Operation Neptune commences, transporting Allied invasion troops and equipment from England to France. At 7016 ships, this is the largest armada ever in the history of warfare. The orders go out at once to the Allied fleets. Nearly 6,000 ships of all types begin to set sail once again from various points in England. Thousands of vessels will be leaving port all throughout the 5th. Spearheading the task forces are waves of various-sized minesweepers. There are some 255, Including the ones already working. They must clear wide channels through the German minefields so that the task forces can safely pass through them.

Around 10:30 P.M. in England, hundreds of C-47's begin their motors. Aircraft carrying British Pathfinder forces take off from England.

Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote a note to be issued in case the D-Day invasion turned out to be a failure:

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold, and I have withdrawn the troops."

The note was apparently misdated July 5.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 392: 423 of 464 B-17s and 203 of 206 B-24s hit coastal defenses in the Le Havre, Caen, Boulogne and Cherbourg, France areas; four B-17s and two B-24s are lost. Escorting are 127 P-47 Thunderbolts and 245 P-51 Mustangs; one P-47 and one P-51 are lost. Mission 393: Seven of eight P-51 fighter-bomber attack a truck convoy near Lille, France; the 8th P-51 bombs Lille/Vendeville Airfield.

In preparation for D-Day, three B-17s fly weather reconnaissance over the UK and the Atlantic Ocean.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 100+ B-26s to bomb coastal defence batteries in France; 100+ P-47s dive-bomb targets in the same area.

1,012 RAF aircraft - 551 Lancasters, 412 Halifaxes, 49 Mosquitos - to bomb coastal batteries at Fontenay, Houlgate, La Pernelle, Longues, Maisy, Merville, Mont Fleury, Pointe du Hoc, Ouisterham and St Martin de Varreville. 946 aircraft carried out their bombing tasks. 3 aircraft were lost - 2 Halifaxes of No 4 Group on the Mont Fleury raid and 1 Lancaster of No 6 Group on the Longues raid. Only two of the targets - La Pernelle and Ouisterham - were free of cloud; all other bombing was entirely based on Oboe marking. At least 5,000 tons of bombs were dropped, the greatest tonnage in one night so far in the war.

110 RAF aircraft of Nos 1 and 100 Groups carried out extensive bomber-support operations: 24 'Airborne Cigar' (ABC)-equipped Lancasters of No 101 Squadron patrolled all likely night-fighter approaches, so that their German-speaking operators could jam the German controllers' instructions; No 100 Group flew 34 RCM sorties and 27 Serrate and 25 Intruder Mosquito patrols. 2 Intruders and 1 ABC Lancaster were lost.

58 RAF aircraft of Nos 3 and 5 Groups carried out a variety of operations to conceal the true location of the invasion for as long as possible. 16 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron and 6 G-H fitted Stirlings of No 218 Squadron dropped a dense screen of Window, which advanced slowly across the Channel, to simulate a large convoy of ships approaching the French coast between Boulogne and Le Havre, north of the real invasion coast. These flights required exact navigation; both squadrons had been practising for this operation for more than a month. The second diversion was carried out by 36 Halifaxes and Stirlings of Nos 90, 138, 149 and 161 Squadrons. These aircraft dropped dummy parachutists and explosive devices to simulate airborne landings over areas not being invaded. 2 Stirlings of No 149 Squadron were lost while carrying out this duty.

Rocket-firing Hawker Typhoons of Nos. 174, 175 and 245 Squadrons RAF destroy the Jouourg radar station. Total Bomber Command effort for the night: 1,211 sorties, 8 aircraft (0.7 per cent) lost. The number of sorties flown was a new record.

Thousands of Resistance fighters, alerted by certain prepared, coded messages broadcast that evening by the BBC (including the Verlain verse), prepare to execute dozens of different missions against their 4-year oppressors. Each of their missions has some significance to the upcoming invasion. Many of them will have to do with cutting communication links, while others will attack transportation routes. They will damage bridges, block roads, or cause breaks in rail lines, including the Avranches, Cherbourg, and Caen rail lines into St.Lo.

The second code word message is transmitted to French Resistance indicated the invasion is near. German units are again alerted, but the 7.Armee in Normandy is not. At 7.Armee headquarters, Chief of Staff Max Pemsel is concerned. There is a 'Kriegspiel' scheduled for the next day at Rennes. Despite his recommendations, too many key officers have left that evening, citing the weather and Allied bombing as excuses for leaving early. The number that are absent is alarming. Feldmarschal Rommel, perhaps the key figure in the command chain, is at home with his family. So is his operations officer, von Tempelhoff. Most of 7.Armee commanders are gone. General von Schlieben, commanding the 709th Division; General Hellmich, commanding the 243rd division; General Falley, with the 91st Air Landing Division. Other commanders missing include: General Edgar Feuchtinger, commanding the 21.Panzerdivision, somewhere in Paris; Waffen SS General Sepp Dietrich, commander of the 1.SS Panzerkorps, is in Brussels; Admiral Krancke, down in Bordeaux; Von Rundstedt's intelligence officer, Col Meyer-Detring was getting ready to leave; even Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz, is united with his family in their home in the Black Forest.

Throughout the 5th, nothing unusual is reported to Heeresgruppe B. There has been no recon flights this month, so no photo-intelligence reports have to be analyzed. There is, in short, nothing that plausibly indicates that an invasion might be on its way. On the contrary, it is dreary outside, raining at times. Rommel enjoys 5 June at home in Herrlingen, lounging around in relaxed attire with Lucie and Manfred.

 

[Njaco]

6 June 1944 Tuesday
WESTERN FRONT: D-DAY: The liberation of Europe begins with an airbourne assault. In the early morning hours, 1000 air transports dropped 20,000 paratroops into France. 822 C-47 Dakota aircraft drop the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions on Normandy, France. Pathfinders of the United States 101st Airborne Division begin parachute landing in Normandy to set up the Drop Zones for the following main force. Some 12,000 paratroopers of the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions which are dropped on the Cotentin peninsula.

Near the Orne Canal at Caen, France, a Horsa glider crash-lands with 28 men of D Company of the British 6th Airborne Division. They begin their task of taking a bridge crossing the canal. D Company of the British 6th Airborne Division completes securing the bridge. The 3rd and 5th Brigades of the British 6th Airborne Division begin landing east of Orne, to knock out the Merville battery. The 9th Battalion of British 6th Airborne begins an assault of about 150 men against 200 Germans defending the Merville battery. It consists of four 75mm guns in four casemates on open ground. The Merville battery is taken.

The airbourne forces are supported by 1,213 warships, including 7 battleships and 23 cruisers, 1,600 auxiliary ships, and 4,126 landing craft, as well as massive British and American air support, which fly 14,674 sorties that day. Opposing them in their bunkers and on the beaches are 5 German infantry divisions with about 50,000 men and 100 tanks and assault guns. The Allies hit at five locations along the coast between St. Mere-Egliese in the west and Caen in the east. The landings were made at Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sword, and Juno. American, British, Canadian and French soldiers were involved in the initial landings. German resistance was stiff but, except for Omaha, it was quickly overcome and the troops were able to move inland from 6-8 miles.

German coastal radar in Normandy detect the Allied invasion fleet. Shore batteries are told to prepare for an invasion. E-boats and armed trawlers are ordered into battle. Six Canadian Bangor-class minesweepers clear a path to the coast of Normandy, for British forces. Ten Canadian Bangor-class minesweepers clear a path to the coast of Normandy, for American forces. British submarine X23 at Sword beach completes setting up an 18-foot mast with a green light, sending out radio signals and an underwater ping. The mast is to guide British landing craft. German coastal guns begin firing on the US fleet. Allied warships begin returning fire on them. German E-boats torpedo and sink Norwegian destroyer 'Svenner'. Warships off Omaha beach commence 45 minutes of pounding beach defence targets. British Royal Navy cruisers and battleships begin firing on northern French coastal gun positions.

Allied bomber planes begin dropping their loads on the coast, with German antiaircraft gunners returning fire. Waves of American B-24 bombers drop about 1300 tons of bombs on Omaha beach defence targets, but completely miss targets, bombing too far inland. British air force planes drop 950 tons of bombs on Normandy beaches.

The Western Task Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk and composed of two assault forces, "O" under command of Rear Admiral John L. Hall and "U" under command of Rear Admiral Donald P. Moon, lands the First U.S. Army commanded by Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, USA, on Omaha and Utah beaches, respectively. The US 1st Army begins landing on beaches code-named Utah and Omaha from the Catentia Peninsula to north-west of Bayeux. 300 men of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Division, US 1st Army, land at Utah Beach, the first company of the Allies to land. They land a mile south of their target, and encounter little opposition. Twenty-eight of 32 Dual-Drive tanks reach the beach. By noon, the beach is cleared at a cost of six men killed, 39 wounded.

The first two waves to hit the Omaha Beach were decimated and pinned down. Casualties were heavy. As the third wave was moving up the already overcrowded beaches, the navy, in a particularly desperate move, ran destroyers close into the beach and provided direct fire support to the men on shore. This turned the tide and the Americans were able to crawl up the draws and get off the beach. At the end of the day, 3000 men were lost at Omaha, but they had gained a mile of depth for their beachhead. Company A of 116th Regiment of the US Ranger Force lands about 7-km west of the right flank of Omaha beach, below its target, Vierville. Most of the company is wiped out by intense German fire. American engineers on Omaha beach complete making exit E-1 open to vehicle traffic. American 1st Division Commanding Officer General Huebner lands on Easy Red sector of Omaha beach, and sets up his Command Post. Brig. General Norman "Dutch" Cota was the first American General to step foot on Omaha Beach. Cota, assistant commander of the 29th Infantry Division, heroically spurred his men to cross the beach under withering German fire. He went on to lead his infantrymen across France to the Siegfried Line and in the battle of Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge.

L Company of 16th Division lands at Omaha Beach and Company D of 2nd Ranger Battalion land at Point-du-Hoc. Company C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion reaches the crest of the cliff, likely the first assault unit to reach high ground on D-Day. Throughout the day, they fight alone, killing 69 Germans at a cost of two Americans. At the base of the cliff below Point-du-Hoc, the code message "Praise the Lord" is sent by radio to American Navy ships, indicating rangers have reached the top of the cliff. The American Rangers complete their mission of destroying 155-mm guns at Pointe-du-Hoc, making them the first American forces on D-Day to accomplish their mission.

Companies A and B of American 2nd Ranger Battalion land on Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach. 5th Ranger Battalion lands on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach. The American 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division lands on Omaha Beach.

The British 2nd Army under Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey begins landing on the beaches "Gold", "Juno", and "Sword", toward the River Orne. Units of the British 50th Division begin landing at Sword beach. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division with the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and other troops from the Canadian Army begin landing on the Juno beach, quickly establishing a beachhead. 1st Battalion of the Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment lands at Nan Green Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer. The Canadian 9th Brigade lands on "Juno" beach. By the end of the day, they advance to near the Carpiquet airfield.

The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne Division takes Varaville. The German garrison of Varaville surrenders. The Canadian 8th Brigade takes Bernieres. The 3rd British Division advances to three miles of Caen. A group of British men of the 50th Division cross highway N-13, running from Caen to Cherbourg. The 50th British Division advances to two miles of Bayeux. This is the furthest penetration of any Allied unit during D-Day. American engineers complete a road path bypassing a guarded crossroad at St. Laurent. An exit from the beach into Vierville is opened. The Canadian North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment secures St.-Aubin. One troop of Canadian 1st Hussar tanks crosses the Caen-Bayeux railway, making them the only Allied unit to reach their final objective on D-Day.

German Feldmarschal Gerd von Rundstedt orders the 12.Panzer and PanzerLehr divisions to move toward Caen, assuming there would be Allied sea landings on the Calvados and Cotentin coast. German General Alfred Jodl informs Feldmarschal von Rundstedt that the two divisions he ordered to the Calvados and Cotentin would not be moved until Adolf Hitler woke and gave the order. Rundstedt tells the two divisions to stop moving. Hitler gives approval for them to move over eight hours later. German Commander Colonel Oppeln of the 22nd Regiment of the German 21.Panzerdivision is ordered to attack British airborne troops east of Orne, France. They begin moving, but three hours later receive new orders. Then German Commander Colonel Oppeln of the 22nd Regiment of the German 21.Panzerdivision receives new orders to pass through Caen and attack into the gap between Canadian and British forces.

 

[Njaco]

6 June 1944 Tuesday continued
WESTERN FRONT: D-DAY: German Commanding Officer General Kraiss of the 352nd Division receives reports about paratroopers landing between Isigny and Carentan. German General Kraiss orders the Kampfgruppe Meyer division to move from south of Bayeux to the Vire estuary, believing a large number of Allied paratroopers had landed there. German General Kraiss orders one battalion of Kampfgruppe Meyer division to act as a reserve unit defending the Omaha Beach area and two battalions of Kampfgruppe Meyer division to act as a reserve unit defending the Gold Beach area. It will take Kampfgruppe Meyer five hours to arrive.

North of Caen, the 22nd Regiment of the German 21.Panzerdivision and the 192.Panzergrenadier Regiment commence attacking a gap between British and Canadian forces, toward the sea. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt demands that the Allied bridgehead be wiped out that evening. Kampfgruppe Meyer reaches Brazenville, south of Bayeux, intending to launch a counterattack. Instead, they defend themselves against British forces already in possession of the town. German soldiers of the 21.Panzerdivision reach the beach between Canadian and British forces, and wait for tanks to arrive. Five of the arriving tanks are blown up within a few minutes, so they dig in on the defensive. The German Panzer Lehr begins moving toward the Normandy battlefield.

At JG 26 HQ, at Lille, Obstlt. Priller was given the command to move I./JG 26 and III./JG 26 to the JG 2 airfields at Creil and Cormeilles. But the crews, loaded onto trucks, started heading to pre-planned airfields around Reims and Nancy - in the opposite direction. Rinally reaching the crews, Priller ordered them to stop. Having no further orders, Obstlt. Priller and his wingman, Uffz. Heinz Wodarczyk climbed into their Fw 190s and took off for the beaches. The pair reached the invasion area and diving out of cloud cover, strafed the British at Sword beach. Breaking off they headed for Creil, the first Luftwaffe pilots to fly over the invasion area.

By late afternoon, elements of JG 2, SG 4, JG 26 and a quickly thrown together Einsatzstaffel from SG 103 began flying missions around the Orne and Caen areas. The total defensive effort of 5th Jagddivision amounted to 121 sorties, all undertaken by JG 2 and JG 26. II Fliegerkorps reported 51 sorties from SG 4.

By the end of the day, the Allies had established a tenuous beachhead that would lead to an offensive that pinned Adolf Hitler's Third Reich between two pincers--the Western Allies and the already advancing Soviets--accelerating the end of World War II. A million Allied troops, under the overall command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, moved onto five Normandy beachheads in three weeks. Operations "Neptune" and "Overlord" put forces on the beaches and supplies aimed at the liberation of Europe and the conquest of Germany. Over 90 km of Normandy coastline during the day, about 155,000 Allied troops landed, incurring 11,000 casualties (2500 dead). 69,000 British soldiers landed, with about 2,000 casualties. 14,000 Canadians landed, with about 1,000 casualties, of which 350 are dead. American casualties total about 3,200.

1,065 RAF aircraft - 589 Lancasters, 418 Halifaxes, 58 Mosquitos - to bomb railway and road centres on the lines of communication behind the Normandy battle area. All of the targets were in or near French towns. 3,488 tons of bombs were dropped on targets at Achères, Argentan, Caen, Châteaudun, Conde sur Noireau, Coutances, St Lô, Lisieux and Vire. Every effort was made to bomb accurately but casualties to the French civilians were inevitable. Cloud affected the accuracy of the bombing at many of the targets and, at Achères, the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be abandoned because of cloud and no bombs were dropped. 10 Lancasters and 1 Halifax were lost in these raids; 6 of the Lancasters were lost in the No 5 Group raid at Caen, where the main force of bombers had to wait for the target to be properly marked and then fly over an area full of German units and guns at bombing heights below 3,000ft. Some details are available of the effects of the bombing. At Argentan, Châteaudun and Lisieux, much damage was done to railways, although the towns, Lisieux in particular, were hit by many bombs. Important bridges at Coutances were badly damaged and the town centres of Caen, Conde sur Noireau, St-Lô and Vire were all badly bombed and most of the roads through those towns were blocked.

GERMANY: In Herrlingen, Germany, General Erwin Rommel receives news of the Normandy invasion. He immediately begins a long drive to La Roche-Guyon.

Adolf Hitler orders V-1 attacks on London to begin. Oberst Max Waxhtel, commander of II Abteilung Regiment 155(W), based at the Pas de calais, was ordered to prepare the equipment needed to commence firing of the Fi 103s on 12 June.

32 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen, 18 Serrate patrols, 19 aircraft minelaying in the Brest area, 26 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: The South African 6th Armored Div. takes Civita Castellona in Italy. French forces capture Tivoli, Italy.

16 residents of a Jewish home for the elderly in Florence, Italy are deported to one of the extermination camps in Poland.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy continues shuttlebombing (Operation FRANTIC) as 104 B-17s and 42 P-51 Mustangs (having flown to the USSR from Italy on 2 June) attack the airfield at Galati, Romaniaand return to Soviet shuttle bases; eight enemy fighters are shot down and two P-51s are lost. In other missions, 570+ bombers, with fighter escort, hit targets from bases in Italy; in Yugoslavia, B-17s hit the Belgrade marshalling yard and Turnu-Severin canal installations, and in Romania, B-24s hit Ploesti oil refineries and the marshalling yard at Brasov.

Arrested by the Nazis in May 1944, 260 Jews from Chania, Greece, and 5 Jewish families from Rethimnon, Greece, are among the passengers aboard a ship that is deliberately sunk near the Greek island of Pholegandros.

 

[Njaco]

7 June 1944 Wednesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-970' (Type VIIC) Sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of Bordeaux, in position 45.15N, 04.10W, by depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn. 228/R). 38 dead, 14 survivors.

'U-955' (Type VIIC) Sunk on in the Bay of Biscay north of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 45.13N, 08.30W by depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn 201/S). 50 dead (all crew lost).

GERMANY: 32 RAF Mosquitos to Cologne, 10 RCM sorties, 18 Serrate and 18 Intruder patrols, 22 Halifaxes and 3 Stirlings minelaying off Lorient and Brest, 24 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

The delivery of the first production Me 262 A-0 is made to Rechlin airfield.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces in Italy continue to advance as the US 5th Army captures intact port facilities at Bacciano and Civitavecchia. The British 8th Army takes Subiaco and Civita Castellana.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy reaches its planned operational strength of 21 heavy bomber groups and seven fighter groups. In Italy, 340 B-17s and B-24s, some with fighter cover, hit Leghorn dock and harbor installations, Volri shipyards, Savona railroad junction, and Vado Ligure marshalling yard; 42 P-38s bomb the Recco viaduct and 32 P-47s fly an uneventful sweep over the Fenara-Bologna area.

Squadron Leader Neville Duke while flying a Spitfire VIII on a low-level strafing operation is hit by anti-aircraft fire. He attempts to bale out but his harness snags on the open cockpit. Hi kicks violently to free his parachute before pulling the ripcord and lands in the middle of lake seconds later, where he nearly loses his life again as his parachute drags him through the water. Italian partisans rescue him and give him shelter until the arrival of US troops.

Italian partisans shot at least one German soldier in a radio transmitter unit that included Matthias Defregger. Eventually, 17 men, ranging from 17 to 65, were shot in retaliation, and much of the village of Filetto di Camarda was burned. Defregger later became a Bishop and faced charges in 1969 for the murders. The charges were dropped in 1970.

UNITED KINGDOM: An Enigma intercept decrypted by British Intelligence indicated the Germany was beginning to suffer severe shortages of aviation fuel. The bombing of Germany's synthetic fuel plants became the primary target for strategic bombing.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +1: The Allies continue to expand their beachheads in Normandy. Elements of US 4th Division drive inland from UTAH beach to link up with the paratroops around the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. The US 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions continue to consolidate their tenuous beachhead at OMAHA driving toward Isigny. British forces, attempting to link up with the Americans drove toward Bayeux, taking the city.

In northern France, Canadian forces occupy the village of Buron, near Caen. Canadian forces reach the village of Authie, about 2 km from Carpiquet. 12. SS Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend shoots eight unarmed Canadian prisoners in Authie. The bodies are dragged on to the road and run over with tanks.

337 RAF aircraft - 195 Halifaxes, 122 Lancasters, 20 Mosquitos - attacked railway targets at Achères, Juvisy, Massey Palaiseau and Versailles. Bombing conditions were better than on the previous night. All targets were accurately bombed and, although no details are available, it is probable that fewer civilians were killed. The targets were mostly more distant from the battle front than those recently attacked and German night fighters had more time to intercept the bomber forces. 17 Lancasters and 11 Halifaxes were lost, 8.3 per cent of the forces involved. 112 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups carried out an accurate attack on an important 6-way road junction half-way between Bayeux and St-Lô at Forêt De Cerisy. The surrounding woods were believed to contain fuel dumps and German tank units preparing to counter-attack the Allied landing forces. The nearest French village was several kilometres away. 2 Lancasters lost.

The Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF) directs air attacks against congested points to delay movement of more enemy forces into the assault area. In the first mission (Mission 397) in the morning, 182 B-17s and 291 B-24s, including 20 PFFs, are dispatched; of the B-17s, 58 hit Conde sur Noireau, 60 hit Flers, and 54 hit Falaise; of the B-24s, 66 hit Argentan, 19 hit Vascoeuil, 61 hit Laigle and 83 hit Lisieux; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 17 B-17s are damaged; 8 airmen are KIA and 3 WIA.

In the second mission (Mission 398 ) in the afternoon, 487 B-17s and 88 B-24s are dispatched; the primary targets for the B-17s are Nantes (190 bomb) and the Kerlin/Bastard Airfield (132 bomb); 23 B-17s hit Niort and 40 hit the Nantes Bridge; the primary target for the B-24s is Tours/La Roche (12 bomb) and 13 hit Pouance, 13 hit Blain, 13 hit Chateaubriand, 25 hit Laval Airfield, 12 hit Vitre and 3 hit Tours; 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 are lost, 1 B-17 and 7 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 78 B-17s and 96 B-24s are damaged; 21 airmen are KIA, 12 WIA and 12 MIA. Heavy cloud prevents almost 100 others from bombing targets.

US VIII Fighter Command furnishes area support for beachhead areas in the early morning and to heavy bomber operations at midday and in the late afternoon, at the same time maintaining harassment of communications and flying shipping patrol. 526 P-38s and 294 P-51s patrol the beachhead and provide escort in N France; they claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-2 on the ground; 8 P-51s are lost; 1 airman is KIA and 7 MIA. 505 P-47s and 148 P-51s engage in general strafing over N France and claim 29-1-12 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 25-0-12 on the ground; 10 P-47s and 4 P-51s are lost and 3 P-51s are damaged beyond repair; 1 airman is KIA and 12 MIA.

600+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s hit bridges, junctions, trestles, coastal and field batteries, and marshalling yards in France in support of the invasion; 1,100+ fighters support ground troops by dive bombing and strafing, escort B-26s and C-47s, and make sweeps throughout the battle area as Bayeux is liberated and the Bayeux-Caen road is cut; and 400+ C-47s, C-53's, and gliders resupply paratroops in the assault area.

The first Allied airstrip in France (B1) was completed at Asnelle, northeast of Bayeux.

Construction of artificial harbors and sheltered anchorages ("Mulberries") from sunken blockships and concrete caissons begins off Normandy. Off the beach- heads minesweeper 'Tide' (AM-125) is sunk by a mine. As minesweeper 'Pheasant' (AM-61) rescues Tide's survivors, she fouls the stricken minecraft and is damaged. Mines also sink transport 'Susan B. Anthony' (AP-72), and tank landing craft LCT-458 and LCT-586; motor torpedo boat PT-505 is damaged by a mine, and destroyer 'Harding' (DD-625) is damaged when she runs aground. U.S. freighter 'Francis Harrington', in OMAHA Beach-bound convoy EMB 2, is damaged by mine, but manages to discharge her cargo and disembark the troops she is bringing to the beachhead, although 6 of the 515 soldiers perish in the mining, There were no other casualties among the men on board, who include a 28-man Armed Guard.

Under the code name "Drohende Gefahr West" (Imminent Danger West), the Luftwaffe started to move a large percentage of its fighter forces forward to airfields closer to the Normandy beaches. It had been delayed one day due to the widespread belief that the Normandy invasion was a feint. 32 Fw 190s of II./JG 1 took off but found their intended airfield bombed and diverted to Le Mans airfield. The makeshift airfield at Le Mans was chaos as planes from I./JG 1 and II./JG 53 were also flying in. Altogether about 100 Fw 190s and Bf 109s were at Le Mans.

Northeast of Paris 10 Bf 109s of III./JG 1 were attacked by 30 Allied fighters and Hptm. Karl-Heinz Weber, newly appointed Gruppenkommandeur crashed to his death at Pontoise. Hptm. Alfred Grislawski was named acting Gruppenkommandeur.

The 3 Gruppen of Priller's JG 26 flew strafing attacks on infantry footholds from dawn until dusk. II./JG 26 was still at Guyancourt waiting for their ground crews to arrive. Ogfr. Erwin Mayer, a gunner with II./JG 26's flakkompanie was credited with the destruction of a P-51 while driving to Guyancourt.

The Kampfgeschwader also got involved with several attacks against Allied shipping at the beaches. Included in the operations were the 'Mistletoe' conversions of 2./KG 101, who instead of flying to Grove airfield in Denmark were ordered to St. Dizier in France. But instead of attacking active warships, the German bombers focused their attention on an old French battleship, the 'Courbet' which was being used as a blockship for the Mulberry harbour at Courseulles. Sunk and lying in shallow water, the old battleship was dressed up as a working warship and promptly drew the attention of German warplanes. Most of the Luftwaffe bombing effort was wasted on sinking an already sunk ship.

On the beachead between Caen and Bayeux, ZG 1 lost at least 7 aircraft and one badly damaged. III./SG 4 mounted just 4 operations and SG 103 flew early morning attacks, losing 4 Ju 87s with 5 more damaged.

 

[Njaco]

8 June 1944 Thursday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: A 'Liberator' patrol a/c from RAF 224 Sqn, piloted by F/Lt KO Moore, RCAF, sank 2 U-boats in less than 30 minutes in the English Channel, by radar-visual attacks on a bright moonlit night. They were - 'U-441', Kptlt. Klaus Hartmann, CO, at 48.27N, 005.47W and 'U-373', OLtzS Detlev Von Lehsten, CO, at 48.10N, 005.31W. There were no survivors from 'U-441's' crew of 51 men; however, all but 4 of the 51 crewmembers from 'U-373' were rescued. OLtzS Von Lehsten has been listed among those lost by some sources (see below). For his part in the action, F/Lt. Moore was awarded the DSO and the US Silver Star.

GERMANY: The first pre-production Ar 234B-0 was flown before 400 important guests. Before the demonstration, test pilot Joachim Carl decided to make a quick test flight. Almost everything goes wrong including both engines flaming out. Carl landed safely with no idea how he did so. The plane was worked on frantically for a successful afternoon flight.

MEDITERRANEAN: German forces withdraw along the Adriatic coast.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 52 B-17s, with P-47 escort, to bomb the navy yard and drydocks at Pola, Yugoslavia.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +2: The Allied second wave is now ashore at Normandy. Allied forces in Normandy continue to drive inland as both sides move reinforcements into the area. The US 4th Infantry Division is engaged in heavy fighting around Azeville. The US 29th Division takes Isigny. Elements of the British 30th Corp take Port-en-Bessin, linking the British beaches with OMAHA. All of the beachheads, except UTAH are now linked. The 1st SS-Panzer Korps counterattack.

At Bretteville l'Orgueilleuse a Canadian rifle regiment defeats the 12.SS Panzerregiment, claiming 12 Panthers (Kurt Meyer admitted to losing 6) destroyed in a night engagement where 6-pdr anti-tank guns claimed 6 Panthers in the first charge. One Panther was dispatched with multiple PIAT hits and a necklace of '75' grenades. The SS Panzergrenadier counterattacks at Putot-en-Bessin, France, attacking the Canadian 7th Brigade. 12.SS Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend shoot at 40 Canadian prisoners in a field near Caen-Fontenay road, killing 35.

German troops capture a set of US operations plans; only now do they realize that the Normandy landings are the start of the planned invasion of France, not a diversionary attack.

Off Normandy, mines continue to take their toll: destroyer escort 'Rich' (DE-695), and tank landing ship LST-499, are sunk; destroyer 'Glennon' (DD-620) is damaged. Whilst acting as HQ ship for the assault forces off Juno beach, frigate HMS 'Lawford' is attacked and sunk by Luftwaffe Do-217 aircraft armed with Henschel 293 missiles, off Courcelles. Location Seine Bay, Juno Beach area. There are 24 casualties. A German guided bomb hits US destroyer 'Meredith'(DD-726). The ship has to be abandoned.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 400: 1,178 bombers and 1,353 fighter sorties are flown on communications in France to isolate German forward elements, and airfields are bombed to prevent Luftwaffe support. Cloud conditions prevent 400+ bombers from executing attacks. 640 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to La Frilliere (66 bomb), Orleans (36 bomb), Rennes Airfield (30 bomb), Orleans/Les Aubrais marshalling yard (60 bomb), Nantes (25 bomb), La Huchetiere (31 bomb), Tours/La Riche (61 bomb) and Cinq Mars bridge (57 bomb); 18 hit Bruz, two hit Rennes and 13 hit targets of opportunity; one1 B-17 is lost. 538 B-24 Liberators are dispatched to Pontaubault (67 bomb), Angers/St Laud (24 bomb), Angers (19 bomb), Le Mans/Arnage Airfield (14 bomb), Pontaubault (13 bomb), Nantes (42 bomb) and Cinq Mars bridge (55 bomb); five hit Dinon, one hits Precey, one hits Cinq Mars bridge, 30 hit Grandville Harbor, 19 hit a bridge at Rennes, nine hit Precey and 26 hit targets of opportunity; an attack on the Melun bridge by an Azon unit is foiled by clouds; two B-24s are lost. Escort for the bombers is provided by 116 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; two P-51s are lost.

Other fighter-bomber missions are: 381 P-38 Lightnings, 24 P-47 Thunderbolts and 89 P-51s fly sweeps and patrols along the Normandy beachhead and the Channel area; P-47s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; three P-51s are lost. 333 P-47s and 526 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against communications in northwestern France; they claim 27-2-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 21-0-11 on the ground; six P-47s and eleven P-51s are lost. Overall, the fighters fly 1,405 sorties and attack nearly 75 targets during the day.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches around 400 B-26 Marauders to attack rail and road bridges and junctions, rail sidings, marshalling yards, town areas, fuel storage tanks, ammunition dumps, troop concentration and strong points in the Calais, France area. Around 1,300 fighter sorties provide support to B-26s and high cover over the assault area, and bomb and strafe bridges, marshalling yards, gun batteries, rail facilities, vehicles, towns, and troop concentrations.

483 RAF aircraft - 286 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 28 Mosquitos - attacked railways at Alençon, Fougères, Mayenne, Pontabault and Rennes to prevent German reinforcements from the south reaching Normandy. All of the raids appear to have been successful. 4 aircraft were lost, 2 Lancasters from the Pontabault raid and 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito from the Rennes raid.

The first 12,000lb Tallboy bombs developed by Barnes Wallis were used on this night by No 617 Squadron in a raid on a railway tunnel near Saumur, 125 miles south of the battle area. The raid was prepared in great haste because a German Panzer unit was expected to move by train through the tunnel. The target area was illuminated with flares by 4 Lancasters of No 83 Squadron and marked at low level by 3 Mosquitos. 25 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron then dropped their Tallboys with great accuracy. The huge bombs exploded under the ground to create miniature 'earthquakes'; one actually pierced the roof of the tunnel and brought down a huge quantity of rock and soil. The tunnel was blocked for a considerable period and the Panzer unit was badly delayed. No aircraft were lost from this raid.

Fw 190s of III./JG 2 became engaged with P-51s and P-47s from US 361FG, 56FG and 353FG. The Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 2, Hptm. Herbert Huppertz was killed. Hptm. Josef Wurmheller was made acting Gruppenkommandeur.

At crowded Le Mans airfield, pilots of I./JG 1 and II./JG 1 were given paper instructions on jabo tactics to read while their Fw 190s were loaded with bombs. Later 25 Fw 190s took off to attack the Allied fleet but failed to have any results.

Among the important experten lost on this day on Normandy operations were Hptm Siegfried Simsch (54 kills) of I./JG 11 and Oblt. Eugen-Ludwig Zweigart (69 kills) of III./JG 54 who was kill in his parachute after bailing out of his damaged plane.

 

[Njaco]

9 June 1944 Friday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0100, eight ships of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, organized into two divisions of four destroyers each, encountered a German formation of two large Narvik-class DD's (Z-24 and Z-32) the ex-Dutch DD ZH-1 (formerly HNLMS 'Gerhard Callenburgh') and the 1939-class torpedo boat (known as Elbing- class to the allies) T-24, off the Coast of Normandy. The German formation had sortied from Brest to attack the allied invasion forces off of the Normandy coast and was then to proceed to Cherbourg to deliver a deck cargo of torpedoes for German E-boats. Upon encountering the 19th Division ('Tartar' (SO), 'Ashanti', 'Haida' and 'Huron') the German formation split. Z-32, which was the lead ship with their Senior Officer embarked, altered to the north towards the 20th Division ('Blyskawica', 'Javelin', 'Piorun', and 'Eskimo'), ZH 1 altered west towards the 19th Division, and Z-24 with T-24 altered away to the south-west. 'Tartar' and 'Ashanti' sank ZH-1 while 'Haida' and 'Huron' pursued Z-24 and T-24. The faster German ships soon outran 'Haida' and 'Huron', who then reversed course to return to the other action. At 0254, they encountered Z-32, who had outrun the 20th Division and was returning to the south at 31 knots. Z-32 attempted to shake off her pursuers by running eastward through a known minefield but the combined allied force eventually cornered her. Z-32 deliberately ran herself hard ashore where she was shelled and left in flames. Subsequent air attacks by Canadian 'Beaufighter' torpedo-bombers finished the destruction of the wreck.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet offensive against Finland in the Karelian Isthmus is initiated by a massive artillery bombardment and series of probing attacks by Army General Leonid Govorov's Leningrad Front. By nightfall the Red Army units have succeeded in penetrating into Finnish defences and tying the local Finnish reserves in battle. The main blow follows tomorrow. The Soviet aviation is also active. Ground attack and bomber aircraft scour the Finnish rear. Finnish Me 109G and Brewster Buffalo fighters of Aviation Regiment 3 (Lt. Col. Gustaf Magnusson) claim ten Soviet aircraft shot down over the Isthmus without own losses. The Finnish claims are 2 x Airacobra, 4 x La-5, 3 x Il-4 and a Pe-2 (research in Russian archives has so far confirmed the loss of 3 x Il-4, from 55th and 836th Bomber Aviation Regiments and 113th Bomber Aviation Division). However, bad weather saves Finns from a very serious blow: Soviet long-range bomber aviation was ordered to bomb the city of Viipuri (Vyborg) in north-western Isthmus by several hundred aircraft. The bombers, based in southern Russia, are forced to abort the mission after meeting an area of thunderstorms over central Russia. Viipuri, besides of being of great symbolical significance, is also an important supply and communication hub for Finnish forces in the Karelian Isthmus.

An American expert on Japanese military intelligence, Colonel Moses W. Pettigrew, meets with Soviet Far East Intelligence experts in Moscow. This is the first meeting between the two groups and will lead to a progressively better exchange of information for the rest of the war.

Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish National Guardsman, arrived in Budapest to head the local office of the US-sponsored War Refugee Board. He had been recruited in June by a US Embassy official in Stockholm and sent to Nazi-controlled Budapest under Swedish diplomatic cover. He used US funds to bribe Nazi officials and saved over 20,000 Hungarian Jews from Nazi death camps.

GERMANY: Hitler's commanders remain convinced that the main thrust of the invasion is yet to come and will be in Belgium or the Pas de Calais.

36 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 13 RCM sorties, 2 Serrate patrols, 24 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off Brest. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: Marshall Badoglio resigns from the Italian government. Ivanoe Bonomi forms a new cabinet.

The Allied advance continues north of Rome. Allied forces in Italy continue their advance against German rearguard taking Tarquinia, Viterbo and Vetrella. Meanwhile, substantial forces involved in the attacks begin to be withdrawn from the front to provide troops for the upcoming landings in southern France.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches around 500 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators to attack targets in Germany and Italy; B-17s hit the industrial area and air depot at Munich, Germany; B-24s also hit the industrial area and ordinance depot at Munich and oil storage at Porto Marghera, Italy; P-47 Thunderbolts, P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs fly 250+ sorties in support of the Munich raids; the bombers and fighters claim 30+ aircraft destroyed; 13 USAAF aircraft are lost.

UNITED KINGDOM: The prototype Avro Lancaster IV later designated the Lincoln makes its first flight. A long-range bomber it carries 14,000-lb of bombs for 1,470 miles.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +3: US forces driving out of St. Mere-Eglise cut the rail line to all important port city of Cherbourg. Azeville and Trevieres falls to US forces while British forces are heavily engaged north and west of Caen by ever stiffening German resistance. The US VII Corps takes Azeville on the way to Cherbourg. Allied aircraft are operating from air fields in Normandy. During the evening the 327 Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division crossed the River Douvre in Normandy. In addition the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment passed a few men across the river on that night. The 327th had a mission of cutting the main road leading east out of Carentan so as to prevent an escape by Germans on that road.

While attempting to move toward Normandy, elements of the 2nd SS "Das Reich" Panzer Division came under fire from French Resistance fighters near the village of Tulle. The SS troopers retaliated by killing 200 random French civilians.

Bad weather prevents operations by the USAAF's Eighth and Ninth Air Forces in England.

401 RAF 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.

Old BB HMS 'Centurion' is scuttled as a blockship off Arromanches in preparation for the construction of the Mulberry harbours off Normandy. She was not in commission at the time and there were no casualties. 53 old warships and merchant ships were used to make this 4-mile breakwater. Cruiser HMS 'Durban' (not in commission) is scuttled as a blockship off Arromanches. Auxiliary AA ship 'Alynbank' (not in commission) is scuttled as a blockship at Arromanches.

Off Normandy, destroyer 'Meredith' (DD-726) is sunk by horizontal bomber and as a result of mine damage suffered off the invasion beaches on 8 June. German schnellbootes S 172, S 174, S 175 and S 187 attack convoy in English channel, torpedoing and sinking tank landing ship LST-314, and damaging tank landing ship LST-376. The latter is later scuttled by escorts. Infantry landing craft LCI-416 is sunk by mine; motor minesweeper YMS-305 is damaged by shore battery. U.S. freighter 'Ezra Weston' is damaged by shore battery fire that kills 5 and wounds 11 of her 600 embarked troops; there are no other casualties among the ship's complement, including the 26-man Armed Guard.