This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

2 MAY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: The crossword in the Daily Telegraph has caused uproar among the D-Day planners today by apparently revealing two of the most closely guarded codewords of the invasion. The clue to 17 across is "One of US" and that of 3 down is "Red Indian on the Missouri", the answers - "Utah" and "Omaha" - are the names given to two of the American invasion beaches. These clues were spotted with horror by senior officers who are among the devotees of the crossword. Their immediate reaction was that the invasion's secrets were being leaked to the Germans. Their fears have been increased by the discovery that, in a puzzle prepared by the same compiler for publication a few days before D-Day, the answer to one clue is "Overlord", the codename for the whole invasion. MI5 is now investigating the compiler, Leonard Dawe, a 54-year old teacher from Leatherhead, Surrey.

NORTH AMERICA: Baseball star Ted Williams earns his wings and a commission to become a pilot in the USMC.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-846' shot down an RAF 58 Sqn Halifax shortly after 0100.

'U-674' sunk in the Arctic Ocean NW of Narvik, by rockets from an 842 Sqn Swordfish from HMS 'Fencer'. 49 dead (all hands lost).

'U-959' sunk SE of Jan Mayen, by depth charges from an 842 Sqn Swordfish from HMS 'Fencer'. 53 dead (all hands lost).

Allied authorities and the Franco government come to an agreement to limit Spanish exports to Germany in exchange for exports increased imports of oil from the Allies.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 335: 50 of 50 B-24s bomb V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France without loss; escort is provided by 50 P-47s and 52 P-51s.

250+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s bomb marshalling yards at Busigny, Valenciennes and Blanc-Misseron, France. 400+ P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb airfields and marshalling yards in France and the Low Countries.

MEDITERRANEAN: 250+ US Fifteenth Air Force bombers hit targets in Italy; B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Bolzano; B-24s, most with fighter escort, attack Castel Maggiore and a railroad bridge at Faenza; 300+ bombers are forced to abort because of weather.

In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force attacks against rail lines and bridges in N Italy continue; medium bombers bomb an approach to a bridge in N Oriveto, bridges in S Ficulle and in Marsciano, and marshalling yards in Florence/Campo di Marte and W and NW Florence; light bombers hit an ammunition dump NE of Rome; P-40s and P-47s hit rail lines N of Rome, bridges SW of Rome, guns N of Anzio, a road at Montefiascone, a road bridge at Cecina, trucks and planes at Malignano landing ground and several other dumps, roads, and rail lines in N Italy.

GERMANY: 2./JG 400 is established at Oranienburg (on paper), commanded by Hauptmann Otto Böhner.

 

[Njaco]

3 MAY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: Destroyer escort 'Donnell' (DE-56) is damaged by German submarine 'U-765', 450 miles southwest of Cape Clear, Ireland. USS 'Donnell' was on her fifth transatlantic voyage, when she made a sound contact and sighted a periscope 450 miles SW of Cape Clear, Ireland. She prepared for a depth charge attack but was hit at 1200 by one torpedo that hit the after part and the explosion of her own depth charges blew off the stern. 29 men were killed and 25 wounded. The vessel was towed by destroyer escorts USS 'Reeves' and 'Hopping' and the tug HMS 'Samsonia' to Dunnstaffnage Bay, Scotland, arriving on 12 May.

346 RAF Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 5 Groups and 2 Pathfinder Mosquitos to bomb a German military camp situated close to the French village of Mailly. 42 Lancasters lost, 11.6 per cent of the force. The control of this raid in the target area failed to operate according to plan. The initial low-level markers were accurate and were well backed up by Lancaster marker aircraft. The 'Marker Leader', Wing Commander Cheshire, ordered the Main Force to come in and bomb but the 'Main Force Controller', Wing Commander LC Deane, could not transmit the order to do so to the waiting Lancasters because his VHF radio set was being drowned by an American forces broadcast and his wireless transmitter was wrongly tuned. German fighters arrived during the delay and bomber casualties were heavy. The main attack eventually started when the Deputy Controller, Squadron Leader ENM Sparks, took over. Approximately 1,500 tons of bombs were dropped with great accuracy. 114 barrack buildings, 47 transport sheds and some ammunition buildings in the camp were hit; 102 vehicles, including 37 tanks, were destroyed. The night-fighter attacks continued over the target and on the return route. Among the aircraft shot down was that of Squadron Leader Sparks, who had stayed over the target to the end. Sparks evaded capture and soon returned to England. The squadrons of No 1 Group, which made up the second wave of the attack, suffered the most casualties - 28 aircraft out of their 173 dispatched. No 460 (Australian) Squadron, from Binbrook, lost 5 out of its 17 Lancasters on the raid.

84 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos attacked a Luftwaffe airfield at Montdidier and caused much damage among buildings and installations on the northern part of the airfield. 4 Lancasters lost.

27 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 14 to an ammunition dump at Châteaudun, 3 RCM sorties, 7 Intruder and 6 Serrate patrols, 32 Halifaxes minelaying off the French coast and in the Frisians, 23 aircraft on Resistance operations, 34 OTU sorties. 4 aircraft lost: 1 RCM Halifax, 1 Serrate Mosquito, 1 Resistance operation Lysander and 1 OTU Wellington. In the most successful example of precision bombing of the war - and probably the most accurate since the air weapon was invented - an RAF Mosquito today lobbed two bombs through the front door of the Air Ministry in the crowded centre of the Dutch capital, The Hague. Two more bombs, delivered at the same time, penetrated windows on either side of the door. The building had to be struck at the first attempt from 50 feet.

French resistance cells increase their activities in anticipation of the cross channel invasion. On this night, 100,000 liters of acetone are burned at the the Lambiotte plant in Premery.

Pro-Nazi Spain bent under Allied pressure today and agreed to cut by a sixth its exports of Wulfram - the steel hardening element - to Germany. General Franco, the Spanish dictator, has succumbed to British and US demands for the release of Italian ships held in Spanish ports, the withdrawal from the eastern front of his "Blue" division of 14,284 men and "Blue" air squadron, and the closure of the German "spy" consulate at Tangiers.

'U-278' shot down an RN Martlet.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 336: 47 of 51 B-24s bomb the V-weapon site at Wizernes, France; 33 are damaged; 3 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 48 P-47s and 53 P-51s without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: As convoy GUS 38 heads west toward the Straits of Gibraltar, German submarine 'U-371' closes in; destroyer escort 'Menges' (DE-320) locates the enemy but is torpedoed and damaged by her quarry off Bougie, Algeria. The U-boat managed to hit USS 'Menges' with a Gnat in the stern. The explosion severely damaged the stern, blew off both propellers and the rudders. 31 men were killed and 25 wounded, but the destroyer was towed to port and repaired. Consequently, destroyer escorts 'Pride' (DE-323) and 'Joseph E. Campbell' (DE-70) hunt for 'U-371', joined by British destroyer HMS 'Blankney', French destroyer 'L'Alycon' and destroyer escort 'Senegalais', and minesweeper 'Sustain' (AM-119). 'U-371', however, escapes.

In Italy, B-25s and B-26s pound railway bridges at Monte Molino, Orvieto, and Taggia, bridge approaches at Ficulle and Imperia, and Ventimiglia marshalling yards; A-20s attack ammunition dumps; P-40s and P-47s attack rail lines, bridge, dump, guns and buildings in the battle area and score 4 direct hits on an observation post S of Cassino; vessels and docks at Civitavecchia and Montalto di Castro and road bridges and rail lines in the area; town of Fondi and rail lines and bridges nearby; railway bridges at Foligno, Sant'Elpidio a Mare and Grosseto; viaduct at Terni; and numerous vehicles, dumps, railroads, vessels, and other targets in the battle areas and in N Italy; and 447th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 321st Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Gaudo Airfield to Solenzara, Corsica with B-25s.

 

[Njaco]

4 MAY 1944

MEDITERRANEAN: In the early morning of 4 May 'U-371' had to surface and save his crew, but at 0404 the U-boat still fought back and also damaged the 'Senegalais' (T 22) with a Gnat. U-371 finally sunk at 0409 in the Mediterranean north of Constantine by depth charges from destroyer escorts USS 'Pride' and 'Joseph E. Campbell', the French 'Senegalais' and destroyer HMS 'Blankney'. 3 dead and 49 survivors.

In Italy, main effort again is against lines of communications; medium bombers hit bridges, tracks and marshalling yards; P-40s, A-36s and P-47s hit rail lines in and around Priverno, guns and radar station N of Anzio, railroad cars, rail lines, and bridge in the Orte-Attigliano and Orte-Narni areas, motor transport and stores E of Frascati, marshalling yards at Colleferro and Follonica, and trucks and personnel on the Fondi-Pico road; vessels at Leghorn and numerous railroad targets at scattered points are attacked.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-846' sunk in the Bay of Biscay north of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from an RCAF 407 Sqn Wellington aircraft. 57 dead (all hands lost).

28 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 4 to Leverkusen, 20 Halifaxes minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports. No losses.

In France, 170+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s and 36 A-20s bomb gun emplacements and other military targets at Etretat/Sainte-Marie-Au-Bosc, Etaples, Le Treport, Ault, Fecamp and Ouistreham.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 338: 591 bombers and 516 fighters are dispatched to Berlin, Brunswick and targets in C Germany; the mission is recalled due to cloud cover but 40 B-17s bomb Bergen/Alkmaar Airfield, The Netherlands; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 15 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA and 1 WIA. Escort is provided by 50 P-38s, 179 P-47s and 287 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-47s claim 8-2-5 Luftwaffe aircraft and the P-51s claim 1-0-1; 2 P-47s and 1 P-51 are lost, 3 P-47s and 2 P-51s are damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 8 P-47s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 3 MIA.

 

[Njaco]

5 MAY 1944

GERMANY: Intelligence services intercept a telephone conversation between Roosevelt and Churchill, but hear no secrets.

The prototype Ar 234V-11 made its first flight.

MEDITERRANEAN: General Alexander orders Allied units to break through the Gustav Line on 11 May.

RAF Mustangs and RAAF and SAAF Warhawks attack the Torre Dam.

Marshal Tito's partisan army, now numbering nearly 300,000 well-armed men and women has fought its way into the Croatian capital of Zagreb, it was learned today. A huge cache of German weapons was captured with lorryloads of prisoners, before the partisans "melted away" in typical fashion. Tito's National Liberation Front now controls almost every town in mountainous Montenegro. It also took four German divisions to drive them from Slovenia; even so few main roads of railways there are safe for troop transport. Twelve divisions of General Rendulic's Second Panzerarmee are being kept fully occupied by Tito's fiercely determined irregulars. Although the Germans have retaken most of the Adriatic Islands between Fiume and Split - captured by partisans when the Italian army collapsed last year - their garrisons are under constant harassment. The head of the British military mission, Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean, has selected the outer island of Vis as a base for organizing British commando operations in Nazi-held Yugoslavia.

'U-967' fired a Gnat at Convoy GUS-38 about 120 miles NW of Oran, Algeria and reported a hit on a medium-sized ship after 11 minutes 58 seconds, but this was probably an end-of-run detonation. Destroyer escort USS 'Laning' located the U-boat after the unsuccessful attack and started an attack run, but 'U-967' fired a Gnat at the escort ships at 0441, hitting the USS 'Fechteler' amidships. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water and broke her in two. Most crewmembers abandoned ship before both parts sank. 29 crewmembers died and 26 were injured. USS 'Laning' then picked up the survivors together with other escort ships.

640+ US Fifteenth Air Force bombers (the largest force to date) attack targets in Rumania and Yugoslavia; the B-17s hit marshalling yards at Ploesti/Campina and Brasnov, Rumania; the B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Ploesti and troop concentrations at Podgoricu, Yugoslavia; fighters fly 240+ sorties in support.

In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force A-20s bomb a supply dump W of Albano Laziale; XII Tactical Air Command A-36s, P-47s and P-40s fly 24 missions cutting rail lines N and NE of Rome, and hitting guns N of the Anzio beachhead and N of Gaeta and a dump near Frascati; bridges at Orvieto and W of Lake Bolsena are damaged by direct hits, a barge at San Stefano al Mare is hit, several trucks destroyed or damaged, rail lines are cut in several places near Sesti Bagni and aircraft are hit at the Canino landing ground.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces in the Crimea begin their final attack on Sevastopol with a massive artillery bombardment into the fortress city.

WESTERN FRONT: 16 RAF Halifaxes and 12 Stirlings minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports, 30 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 OTU sorties. No losses.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 339: 33 of 46 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Sottevast, France; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA. Escort is provided by 52 P-51s without loss. Duing the night, 21 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 1 B-24 is lost.

Brigadier General Myron R Wood assumes command of the IX Air Forces Services Command.

 

[Njaco]

6 MAY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: A last effort to remedy the mistakes and muddles thrown up in the succession of invasion exercises in held on the beaches of England has been made this week with Operation Fabius. This took place over five days and extended from Littlehampton in Sussex, through Hampshire and Dorset to Slapton Sands, the scene of last month's disaster when 638 Americans were lost in a German E-boat attack during a previous D-Day exercise. The Americans, British and Canadian forces were assigned to four separate beaches corresponding to the assault beaches in France. Two other exercises involving naval forces, took place at the same time to familiarize the invasion fleet with the boarding, disembarkation and re-enforcement plans. A third exercise, Operation Splint, handled the evacuation of wounded by landing craft. Fabius has been judged satisfactory. Afterwards, though, Brigadier-General Norman Cota told his headquarters staff of the US 29th Division that when the real thing came along;

"..the little discrepancies that we tried to correct on Slapton Sands are going to be magnified and are going to give way to incidents that you might at first view as chaotic. The landing craft aren't going in on schedule and people are going to be landed in the wrong place ... The enemy will have some success in preventing our gaining lodgement. But we must improvise, carry on, not lose our heads."

WESTERN FRONT: At the German Heeresgruppe B's HQ in north-western France, Rommel has substantially reinforced the coastal defences from the Netherlands through the Pas de Calais to Normandy. Bunkers have been built, and the beaches bristle with innumerable angle irons laced with mined stakes slanted seawards. In the Cotentin peninsula, covering the port of Cherbourg, a network of mined poles linked by wires stands as a defence against airborne landings. But the Germans are unable to agree on where the Allies will invade, so the six divisions of General Geyr von Schweppenburg's powerful Panzer Group West have been divided between Rommel's coastal forces and von Rundstedt's reserves near Paris.

The German submarine 'U-66' is sunk about 290 miles (467 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands, by depth charges, ramming and gunfire from Eastern Aircraft TBM Avenger and FM Wildcat aircraft of Composite Squadron Fifty Five (VC-55) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Block Island' (CVE-21) and by the destroyer escort USS 'Buckley' (DE-51); 36 of the 60 submariners survive. 'Block Island' and 'Buckley' were part of Task Group 21.11 which has been hunting this submarine since 1 May; several attacks had been made, including three Fido homing torpedoes that were dropped on the U-boat. Finally in the early morning hours of the 6th, 'U-66' was sighted by the crew of USS 'Buckley' and after an exchange of gunfire, 'Buckley' rammed the U-boat at 0329 hours local. Many of the U-boat survivors, some with small arms, climbed on 'Buckley's' forecastle and the Americans, thinking they were being boarded as in the days of sail, used small arms, hand grenades, fists and a coffee cup to subdue them. 'Buckley' backed away from the U-boat leaving five armed Germans on the escort who were promptly subdued and taken below. The U-boat started to draw ahead but then turned and hit the escort near its engine room opening a hole on the starboard side and for the second time the U-boat was raked with gunfire. The U-boat finally sank after a salvo from 'Buckley's' 3-inch (76.2 mm) gun after one of the longest fights in the war.

SS 'Anadyr', dispersed from Convoy TJ-30, was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-129' about 600 miles SSE of Recife. Four crewmembers and two gunners were lost. The master and seven survivors landed at Porto de Galhinas near Recife and 39 survivors landed 20 miles south of Recife.

'U-473' sunk at 0200 hrs in the North Atlantic WSW of Ireland, by depth charges from sloops HMS 'Starling', 'Wren' and 'Wild Goose'. 23 dead and 30 survivors.

'U-765' sunk in the North Atlantic, by depth charges from two 825 Sqn Swordfish from escort carrier HMS 'Vindex' and frigates HMS 'Bickerton', 'Bligh' and 'Aylmer'. 37 dead and 11 survivors.

149 RAF aircraft - 77 Halifaxes, 64 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway installations in the Gassicourt suburb of Mantes La Jolie, to the west of Paris. 2 Lancasters and 1 Halifax lost. Bomber Command's records state that 'stores depots and locomotive sheds' were severely damaged but the local report shows that some of the bombing fell outside the railway objective. The western part of the town - including 'old Mantes', the suburb of Gassicourt and the hamlet of Dennemont - were all bombed. 64 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked an ammunition dump at Sable Sur Sarthe which was destroyed by 'enormous explosions'. No aircraft lost.

52 RAF Lancasters of No 1 Group attacked an ammunition dump at Aubigne accurately and the entire target was destroyed. 1 aircraft lost. The only Lancaster shot down on this raid, from No 576 Squadron, contained a senior officer who was flying as second pilot. This was Air Commodore R Ivelaw-Chapman, who was commanding a 'base' (usually 3 airfields) in No 1 Group. Ivelaw-Chapman had only just taken up this position after a staff job in which he had had access to details of the coming invasion. There was great anxiety in England that, if he became a prisoner of war, the Germans might hand him over to the Gestapo for questioning. He was taken prisoner but the Germans never realized his importance and he was treated in the normal manner.

British forces make an attempt to hit the German battleship 'Tirpitz' in Norway but poor weather prevents the attack. The attack, and those planned in the near future, is part of the Normandy deception plan and is not only intended on destroying the dangerous ship but also to divert attention to Norway and away from France.

Off Cape Race, Newfoundland, German submarine 'U-548' torpedoes Royal Canadian Navy frigate 'Valleyfield', sinking it.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 340: 168 bombers and 185 fighters are dispatched to hit NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in France; 90 B-17s dispatched to the Pas de Calais area return to base with bombs due to cloud cover over the target; 70 of 78 B-24s hit Siracourt; 48 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 57 Ninth Air Force P-38s, 47 P-47s and 81 P-51s without loss. 22 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.

75 US Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s dispatched to attack coastal defenses abort the mission because of weather.

GERMANY: Eighteen hundred slave labourers are requisitioned from France to work on the production of rocket bombs at Dora concentration camp.

28 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen, 5 to Leverkusen and 2 to Châteaudun, 9 RCM sorties, 9 Serrate and 5 Intruder patrols, 8 Halifaxes and 6 Stirlings minelaying off Biscay ports. 33 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 OTU sorties. 1 Mosquito lost from the Leverkusen raid.

EASTERN FRONT: The final Soviet assault by troops under General Fedor Tolbukhin on the German forces in Sevastopol begins tonight with a heavy bombardment of Katyusha rockets. Soviet forces begin to move into the city as the German and Rumanian forces continue to attempt to evacuated the beleaguered city.

MEDITERRANEAN: About 300 US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s, escorted by P-51s and P-38s, hit targets in Rumania; the B-17s attack an aircraft factory at Brasov and marshalling yard at Turnu Severin; the B-24s bomb Ploesti/Campina marshalling yard and an aircraft factory at Brasov.

In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force A-20s pound a storage area at Itri; A-36s hit rail lines in the Viterbo area; P 40s hit guns, tracks and railroad station in and around Frosinone, and rail lines, stations, roads and town area in and near Itri, Colleferro and Sezze; P-47s hit Certaldo marshalling yard and numerous railroad and highway targets, including several bridges; and HQ 324th Fighter Group and 314th Fighter Squadron move from Cercola to Pignataro Maggiore with P-40s.

The German General der Flakartillerie Sud issued an order that immediately night-fighters would operate nightly over "the entire Upper Italian area" without any special notification being given. When fired on by flak, the night-fighters would fire recognition signals, whereupon the flak should cease.

 

[Njaco]

7 MAY 1944

GERMANY: The US 8th Army Air Force, attacks Berlin for the second time in three days. The USAAF's Eighth Air Force flies two missions during the day. 600 B-17s are dispatched on a PFF attack on Berlin; 514 bomb the primary and 39 hit targets of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost, 2 are damaged beyond repair and 265 damaged. Of 322 B-24s dispatched, 147 bomb Munster and 165 bomb Osnabruck; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 22 damaged. Escort is provided by 153 P-38s, 317 P-47s and 284 P-51s; 2 P-38s, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost, 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair and 5 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 1 P-51 damaged.

The German rocket unit EK16, is declared ready for operational use.

WESTERN FRONT: In the afternoon, 29 of 67 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Liege, Belgium without loss; escort is provided by 24 P-47s and 51 P-51s without loss. 14 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions during the night without loss. The US 9th Air Force continued operations against French transportation targets in preparation for the cross-channel attack.

93 RAF Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of 3 and 8 Groups to bomb the airfield at Nantes. 1 Lancaster lost. Accurate bombing hit runways and hangars. 56 Halifaxes of No 6 Group and 8 Pathfinder Mosquitos attempted to bomb a coastal gun position at St Valery near Dieppe but just missed the target. No aircraft lost. 58 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked an ammunition dump at Salbris. The bombing was accurate and much damage was caused but 7 Lancasters were lost. 53 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group bombed the airfield at Tours and caused much damage. 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito lost. 55 Lancasters of No 1 Group bombed the airfield and an ammunition dump at Rennes. The force was not able to locate and mark the target adequately and most of the bombs fell on a nearby village. No aircraft lost. 28 Mosquitos to Leverkusen and 4 to Châteaudun, 5 RCM sorties, 12 Intruder patrols, 42 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians and in the River Gironde, 39 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Halifaxes lost dropping supplies to the Resistance.

Adolf Hitler gives Erwin Rommel control of three panzer divisions in northern France, the 2nd, 21st, and 116th.

MEDITERRANEAN: There was a German assault on Tito's hideout in Drvar, Bosnia.

420+ US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s bomb targets in Rumania and Yugoslavia; the B-17s and B-24s hit marshalling yards at Bucharest, Rumania and 38 B-17s also hit a railroad bridge at Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 62 P-51s escort heavy bombers to the target and 53 provide withdrawal escort; 84 P-38s fly target cover.

In Italy, weather remains poor and precludes US Twelfth Air Force medium bomber operations; A-20s hit a dump SW of Albano Laziale; fighter-bombers hit communications, especially roads, with excellent results; roads, motor transports, trains, gun positions, bridges, tracks, marshalling yards, harbor areas and other targets are attacked in areas around Stimigliano, Vetralla, Viterbo, Bracciano, Anzio, Manziana, Acquapendente, Civitavecchia, Terracina, Rome and Elba Island.

 

[Njaco]

8 MAY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: Supreme Commander of Operation Overlord Dwight Eisenhower tentatively sets June 5 as D-Day for the invasion of Europe.

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler now gives in about allowing a full scale withdrawal from the Crimea. Red Army attacks into Sevastopol continues as 45,000 German and Romanian troops remain trapped in the city.

Adolf Eichmann, the head of the Jewish office of the Gestapo, is holding the Jews of Hungary hostage. Joel Brand, a member of the Hungarian Jewish Assistance and Rescue Committee, is being sent to Turkey. To save the Jews, he must persuade the Allied representatives there to provide Germany with 10,000 heavy trucks.

Lt. Fritz Neumiller of 7./SG 10 and formerly of 4./StG 77 was awarded the Ritterkreuz for completing 610 combat missions.

WESTERN FRONT: The carrier HMS 'Furious' and her escort carriers HMS 'Searcher' and HMS 'Emporer' are conducting an anti-shipping sweep along the Norwegian coast. The F6F Hellcats of 800 Squadron FAA are escorting a Barracuda strike group when they are attacked by a mixed group of Me 109 and Fw 190s. Both German fighter types were faster than the Hellcat "and both could stay with an F6F through most of a long dive. The Grumman's great advantage was a tighter turning radius, and the 'Emperor's' pilots used it as best they could. Two Hellcats, two Me 109s, and one Fw 190 were shot down.

123 RAF aircraft - 62 Halifaxes, 53 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups, went to Haine St Pierre. 6 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost. Severe damage was caused to half of the railway yards and to locomotive sheds. 58 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the airfield and seaplane base at Lanveoc Poulmic near Brest with great accuracy. 1 Lancaster lost. 31 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 8 Pathfinder Mosquitos scored direct hits on a coastal gun position at Morsalines on the Cherbourg peninsular. 1 Halifax lost. 32 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 7 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked a gun position at Berneval but only 1 aircraft hit the target. Most of the bombing was 600-700 yards from the gun position. No aircraft lost. 30 Lancasters of No 3 Group and 8 Pathfinder Mosquitos located a gun position at Cap Griz Nez but no hits were scored. No aircraft lost. 28 Mosquitos to Osnabrück and 2 to Oberhausen, 4 RCM sorties, 10 Serrate patrols, 30 Halifaxes and 8 Stirlings minelaying off the Dutch and French coasts, 41 aircraft on Resistance operations, 26 OTU sorties. 1 Stirling lost on Resistance supply work.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 345: In the afternoon, 164 bombers and 97 fighters are dispatched against targets in France and Belgium; 5 bombers are lost: 92 of 101 B-17s bomb V-weapon sites at Glacerie and Sottevast, France; 5 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 29 damaged; 28 airmen are MIA. 57 of 63 B-24s hit Brussels/Schaerbeck marshalling yard, Belgium; 29 B-24s are damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 19 MIA. Escort is provided by 97 P-47s without loss.

About 450 US Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s bomb marshalling yards, coastal defenses, bridges, airfields and V-weapons sites in France and Belgium.

MEDITERRANEAN: Nine U.S. Naval Aviators from Cruiser Scouting Squadron Eight (VCS-8 ) are assigned to the Twelfth Air Force's 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron based at Santa Maria, Italy for flight training and combat operations in the North American F-6 Mustang photographic reconnaissance aircraft. Previous combat experience with the USN's cruiser- and battleship-launched Curtiss SOC Seagull and Vought OS2U Kingfisher seaplanes used in air spotting and reconnaissance missions proved both types were vulnerable to enemy fighters and AA fire. A total of eleven Naval Aviators fly with the USAAF in support of the Italian campaign and the invasion of southern France until 2 September 1944 when they are returned to their ships. During their tour with the USAAF, the sailors flew missions from Italy, Corsica and France.

In Italy, fighter-bombers hit roads and railroads N of Rome, a supply dump N of Anzio beachhead, and the station at Colleferro; numerous trucks and railroad cars are destroyed and many troops killed; Attacks against rolling stock on the Rome-Orte rail line are especially effective; HQ 62d Troop Carrier Group and 4th, 7th and 8th Troop Carrier Squadrons move from Ponte Olivo, Sicily to Gaudo Airfield (4th Troop Carrier Squadron is operating from bases in India); and 524th Fighter- Bomber Squadron, 27th Fighter-Bomber Group, moves from Castel Volturno to Santa Maria with P-40s.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 344: In the morning, 807 bombers and 729 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany in a PFF mission; the bombers claim 76-16-16 Luftwaffe fighters, the fighters claim 55-4-20; 36 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 500 B-17s are dispatched to bomb Berlin; 386 B-17s hit the primary, 42 bomb Brunswick, 17 bomb Brandenburg and 8 bomb Magderburg; 25 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 169 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 261 MIA. 307 B-24s are dispatched to Brunswick; 288 hit the primary and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 11 B-24s are lost, 7 are damaged beyond repair and 28 damaged; 7 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 112 MIA. Escort is provided by 152 P-38s, 295 P-47s and 282 P-51s; the P-38s claim 6-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft, the P-47s claim 9-1-5 and the P-51s claim 40-3-12; 4 P-38s, 4 P-47s and 5 P-51s are lost; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair; 3 P-47s and 1 P-51 are damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 13 MIA.

Uffz. Willi Unger of Sturmstaffel 1, was shot down but survived a belly-landing. Upon his return to his unit, he found that Sturmstaffel 1 had been renamed 11./JG 3 as IV./JG 3 was expanded to a full Sturmgruppe with Hptm. Willi Moritz as Gruppenkommandeur. Major Gunther von Kornatzki and Major Erwin Bacsila were reassigned to other units.

 

[Njaco]

9 MAY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: The MK VI Hawker Tempest fighter (HM 595) flies for the first time. A tropicalized MK V with air intakes moved from the radiator to the wing and a 2,300-h.p. Sabre V engine in place of the Sabre II.

GERMANY: Dönitz says that he does not expect the Allies to invade in the near future.

Ofw. Kurt Welter of 5./JG 301 was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold and promoted to Leutnant.

WESTERN FRONT: As western Europe prepare for the expected Allied invasion, all Denmark's North Sea Coast has been closed to shipping. Any vessel sailing within ten miles of the coastline will be fired on by shore batteries, General Haneken, who is responsible for the Danish sector of the Atlantic Wall, said today. Danish islands are now isolated from the mainland, as are those of the Netherlands.

British Bomber Command makes its first major attack on coastal batteries in the Pas de Calais region of northern France. 414 RAF aircraft - 206 Halifaxes, 180 Lancasters, 28 Mosquitos - attacked 7 coastal gun batteries in the Pas de Calais area. Four of the positions were claimed to have been hit. 1 Lancaster lost while bombing the Mardyck position. 56 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the Gnome Rhone factory at Gennevilliers and another factory near by. 5 Lancasters lost. 39 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group to a small ball-bearing factory at Annecy on the France-Switzerland border. Weather en route was very bad and only 2 Mosquito marker aircraft reached the target, but the factory was accurately bombed. No aircraft lost. 30 Mosquitos to Berlin and 6 to Châteaudun, 10 RCM sorties, 11 Serrate and 24 Intruder patrols, 20 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings minelaying off Dutch and French coasts, 43 aircraft on Resistance operations, 12 OTU sorties. 2 Stirlings and 1 Halifax on Resistance operations and 1 OTU Wellington were lost.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 347: 823 bombers and 668 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and airfields in France, Belgium and Luxembourg; this is the beginning of the pre-invasion bombing of enemy installations; 6 bombers and 7 fighters are lost: Of 220 B-17s, 75 hit St Dizier Airfield, 53 hit Thionville Airfield and 37 hit Thionville marshalling yard, France and 53 hit Luxembourg marshalling yard, Luxembourg; 38 B-17s are damaged. 242 B-17s are dispatched to bomb airfields in France; 113 hit Laon/Athies, 71 hit Juvincourt, 43 hit Laon/Couvron, 10 hit Lille/Vendeville and 1 hits Chievres; 2 B-17s are lost and 44 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 1 WIA and 20 MIA. Of 361 B-24s, 101 hit St Trond Airfield, 96 hit Florennes Airfield, 63 hit Liege marshalling yard and 6 hit Hody Airfield, Belgium and 68 hit Laon/Couvron Airfield and 10 hit Nivelles Airfield, France; 2 B-24s are lost, and 35 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 1 WIA and 44 MIA. Escort is provided by 144 P-38s, 277 P-47s and 247 P-51s; the P-47s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-4 on the ground, the P-51s claim 1-0-0 in the air; 1 P-38 and 6 P-51s are lost; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 1 P-51 is damaged; 6 pilots are MIA.

40+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s attack marshalling yards, railway batteries, coastal defense batteries, bridges, and NOBALL sites in France.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces capture the city of Sevastopol as Hitler belated orders the full-scale evacuation of the Crimean Peninsula. Soviet troops stormed the mighty fortress of Sebastopol, all but completing the liberation of the Crimea, the peninsula which the Germans called;

"..our aircraft carrier in the Black Sea".

General Tolbukhin's soldiers fought their way into the ruined streets of the city after three days of bombardment by guns and dive-bombers. The dazed remnants of the German Seventeenth Army and its Romanian allies caved in. The Soviet Black Sea Fleet, for so long unable to act for fear of the Stukas flying from the Crimea, has also played a large part in the freeing of its traditional base. Motor Torpedo boats have been out at night causing havoc among the German ships trying to evacuate their troops. Now the fleet can return to Sebastopol; the port will need much repair work, but the ships will be able to use the natural harbour as a base for operations along the Romanian coast. A German spokesman admitted the crushing defeat in an astonishingly frank statement:

"On the morning of the third day of the onslaught, when the Russians broke into the southern part of the city, the German Command decided to give up the struggle."

About 20,000 Germans and Romanians have been killed at Sebastopol and 24,361 taken prisoner.

MEDITERRANEAN: During the night of 8/9 May 1944, USS PC-558 was escorting a coastal convoy, sank a German one-man submarine and captured the driver (an Oberleutnant) and shortly thereafter sank a second one together with USS PC-626. At 0456, the patrol craft was hit by one torpedo from 'U-230' and sank quickly with the loss of many of her crew about 28 miles NNE of Palermo, Sicily. The accompanying USS PC-1235 was missed by three torpedoes and chased away the attacking U-boat. She then hurried back to the sinking position and was able to rescue 30 survivors.

In Italy, B-26s hit Incisa in Valdarno railroad bridge and viaduct while A-20s attack fuel dumps; fighter-bombers again blast roads and railroads and other targets at various locations N of Rome, including Lake Bolsena, Civitavecchia, Colleferro, Civita Castellana, Orte and San Giovanni Valdarno; HQ 87th Fighter Wing moves from Bastia to Vescovato, Corsica; 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 68th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, attached to XII Tactical Air Command, moves from Pomigliano to Santa Maria with F-6s; and 522d and 523d Fighter- Bomber Squadrons, 27th Fighter-Bomber Group, moves from Castel Volturno to Santa Maria with A-36s and P-40s.

 

[Njaco]

10 MAY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: KptLt. Helmut Rosenbaum, commander of the 30th U-Flotilla based in the Black Sea, is killed in an air crash. He is promoted posthumously to KKpt.

WESTERN FRONT: The Free French estimate that there are 175,000 resistance fighters in France.

506 RAF aircraft - 291 Lancasters, 187 Halifaxes, 28 Mosquitos - to bomb railway yards at Courtrai, Dieppe, Ghent, Lens and Lille. No post-raid reconnaissance was carried out at Dieppe and results of the raid there are not known. All other raids were successful, although some bombs fell on nearby civilian housing. 12 Lancasters lost from the No 5 Group raid to Lille and 1 Lancaster lost from the Dieppe raid. 29 Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 2 to Châteaudun, 5 RCM sorties, 9 Intruder and 3 Serrate patrols, 26 aircraft minelaying off Brest and Heligoland, 28 aircraft on Resistance operations, 10 OTU sorties. 1 Halifax minelayer lost.

About 300 US Ninth Air Force B-26s attack marshalling yards, airfields, and NOBALL targets in France and Belgium. P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb targets in NW Europe for the sixth straight day. Bad weather causes a large number of aborts.

MEDITERRANEAN: Off Anzio, destroyers 'Charles F. Hughes' (DD-428 ) and 'Hilary P. Jones' (DD-427) bombard German supply dumps. Submarine chaser PC-556 is damaged by a bomb.

485th Bombardment Group (Heavy) with B-24s is declared operational, giving the Fifteenth Air Force its planned operational strength of 21 bomber groups. The 52d Fighter Group with P-51s also begins operations with the Fifteenth on this date, making a total of 6 fighter groups.

In Italy, weather permits medium bomber operations for first time in several days; B-25s hit bridges near San Giovanni Valdarno, Orvieto and Monte Molino, and the Terni viaduct; B-26s attack bridges W of Arezzo; fighter-bombers continue attacks on roads and railroads N of Rome; targets in the areas of Avezzano, Civitavecchia, Furbara, Terni, Todi, Orvieto, Manciano, Perugia, Monte San Savino and La Saezia, and near Rome are attacked.

GERMANY: A US Eighth Air Force bomber mission to Germany is abandoned due to deteriorating weather.

Around 400 US Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack targets at Wiener Neustadt Austria; B-17s bomb aviation industry targets; B-24s bomb the industrial area and an air depot; 200+ fighters provide support; 300+ bombers are forced to abort due to bad weather which has halted operations for the past few days; opposition is fierce; intercepting were units from JG 3, JG 5, JG 27, JG 302 and SG 152; 21 bombers and 1 fighter are lost; US aircraft claim 50 aircraft.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Bomber crashed into a church at Selby in Yorkshire. The crew of seven and eight civilians were killed.

 

[Njaco]

11 MAY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: At 1632, 'U-9' fired a Gnat at a convoy consisting of a tanker, a torpedo boat, a minesweeper and seven smaller escorts covered by three MBR flying boats and observed a heavy detonation after 2 minutes 31 seconds. The torpedo damaged the 'Shtorm'. 'U-9' was depth charged by a Soviet escort and suffered slight damage.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces (US 5th and British 8th Armies) begin a new set of attacks - Operation 'Diadem' - on the Gustav Line near Cassino,. Just prior to midnight the preparatory bombardment begins. The attack opens with a 2200 gun artillery bombardment augmented by naval gunfire along the coast. Twelve divisions (including Poles and Free French troops) hit the 6 defending German divisions of the 10th Army. This attack is by the US II, Polish II, British XIII and Free French Expeditionary Corps, 12 Divisions. The British 4th Division and the Indian 8th Division attack the Gustav Line. The German forces are somewhat disorganized in their response due to the absence of Generals Vietinghoff and Senger.

In Italy, medium bombers, hampered by weather, attack Portoferraio, bridges near Orvieto and Ficulle, tracks at Piombino, viaduct at Poggibonsi and bridges at Certaldo and Signa; fighter-bombers hit Fondi, rail lines NE of Rome, Littoria Airfield, rail facilities in the Perugia area, barge, harbor area, and factory in the Portoferraio area, and tracks near Castiglione d'Orcia; other fighter-bombers attack numerous positions along the main front as the US Fifth and British Eighth Armies begin an assault through the Gustav Line and the drive toward Rome.

WESTERN FRONT: 'Empire Heath' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-129' ENE of Rio de Janeiro. The master, 45 crewmembers and nine gunners were lost. One crewmember was taken prisoner by the U-boat.

Covered lighter YF-415 is destroyed by explosion of undetermined origin in North Atlantic off east coast of the United States.

190 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group, with 3 Mosquitos of No 8 Group, were dispatched to attack a large military camp at Bourg Léopold in Belgium. Haze hampered the marking of the target and the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be abandoned, for fear of hitting the nearby civilian housing, after 94 Lancasters had bombed. 5 Lancasters lost. 126 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups to Hasselt in norrth-eastern Belgium. The target was marked and 39 aircraft bombed, but all missed the railway yards because of thick haze and the Master Bomber ordered the bombing to stop. 5 Lancasters lost.

135 RAF aircraft - 80 Halifaxes, 47 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups went to Boulogne. 2 Halifaxes lost. Some bombs fell in the railway yards but the main weight of the raid missed the target and fell on nearby civilian housing. 128 civilians were killed. 105 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 3 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Louvain near Rennes but the main weight of the bombing hit the railway workshops and nearby storage buildings. 4 Lancasters lost. 53 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 6 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked railway yards at Trouville, south of Le Havre. The bombing was accurate and a large explosion was seen. No aircraft lost. 53 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 6 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked a gun position at Colline Beaumont near Le Touquet. The target proved difficult to mark and no results were established. No aircraft lost. 8 RCM sorties, 6 Serrate patrols, 12 aircraft minelaying off French ports, 3 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

The US 9th Air Force begins a series of attacks in Normandy, hitting airfields around Caen. 330+ B-26s attack airfields at Beaumont-le-Roger and Cormeilles-en-Vexin and marshalling yard at Mezieres/ Charleville, France and Aerschot, Belgium. Bad visibility and failure to rendezvous with fighters cause 100+ aborts. This is the start of US Ninth Air Force's participation in AAF pre-invasion offensive against airfields.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 350: 364 B-24s and 536 fighters are dispatched to bomb marshalling yards in France; 8 B-24s and 5 fighters are lost: 144 are dispatched to hit Mulhouse; 94 bomb the primary, 19 hit Belfort, 13 bomb Orleans/Bricy Airfield and 2 hit Mezidon/Pithiviers; 1 B-24 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 17 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 40 MIA. 74 are dispatched to Belfort; 33 bomb the primary and 24 hit Chaumont; 1 B-24 is lost. 76 are dispatched to Epinal; 68 hit the primary and 1 bombs Caen Airfield; 3 B-24s are lost. 70 are dispatched to Chaumont but none bomb; 3 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 30 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 31 MIA. Escort is provided by 147 P-38s, 188 P-47s and 201 P-51s; the P-38s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground, the P-47s claim 3-0-2 in the air and 2-0-6 on the ground and the P-51s claim 3-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-4s and 3 P-51s are lost, 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair and 2 P-38s, 6 P-47s and 2 P-51s are damaged; 5 pilots are MIA.

UNITED KINGDOM: Naval Advanced Amphibious Base, Southhampton, England, is established.

Four Me 410s of II./KG 51 took off on a harrasssing raid against the Allied ground organization. Two Me 410s carried out an attack in the Cambridge area. One Me 410 attacked a 4-engined aircraft with a single tail unit (thought to be a Stirling). The aircraft crashed in flames and the same Me 410 sighted another 4 engined aircraft a short time later but lost sight of it after it shut off its navigation lights. Two other Me 410s broke off the mission owing to technical difficulties.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 351: In the afternoon, 609 B-17s and 471 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards in Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg; 8 B-17s and 4 fighters are lost; primary targets are Brussels/Midi (55 bomb), Brussels (49 bomb) and Liege, Belgium (119 bomb, 2 lost); Saarbrucken (58 bomb, 5 lost), Kons Karthaus (55 bomb) and Ehrang (60 bomb, 1 lost), Germany; and Luxembourg (53 bomb); 12 hit the secondary target at Thionville, France; and 16 hit Volkingen, Germany; 19 hit Bettembourg, Luxembourg and 51 hit other targets of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 172 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 23 WIA and 83 MIA. Escort is provided by 99 P-38s, 182 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 190 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-51s claim 11-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 P-51s are lost, the pilots are MIA.

As the bombers made their way across Occupied Europe, Obstlt. Walter Oesau, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1 was in bed with influenza. Goering phoned his staff and asked;

"Is the Kommodore flying? - No he is in bed with fever - Yes, yes, I know that kind!"

Said Goering;

"He has also turned tired and coward!"

Angered by this comment, Obstlt. Oesau mounted his Bf 109G-6 and took off alone and was never seen again. He died in action over the Eifel Mountains. His final score was 127 kills. Johannes Steinhoff once described Oesau as;

"...the toughest fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe."

 

[Njaco]

12 MAY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The Allies call on the Axis satellites Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria to withdraw from the war.

120 RAF aircraft - 96 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 4 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups went to Louvain. 3 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters lost. The bombing was more accurate than on the previous night and considerable damage was caused in the railways yards. 111 aircraft - 100 Halifaxes, 7 Lancasters, 4 Mosquitos - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups went to Hasselt. 6 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost. Most of the attack fell in open fields and only a few bombs hit the railway yards.

Major Heinz Bar gave up his command of II./JG 1 to Oblt. Georg-Peter Eder.

GERMANY: The U.S. Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 353: 886 bombers and 735 fighters are dispatched to hit oil production facilities in Germany and Czechoslovakia; there is strong Luftwaffe fighter reaction and 46 bombers and 7 fighters are lost: This results in a reduction of daily output from 5850 metric tons to 4820. 326 B-17s are dispatched to Mersenburg (224 bomb) and Lutzkendorf (87 bomb); 1 hits Hedrongen and 1 bombs Bullstadt; 2 B-17s are lost. 295 B-17s are dispatched to Brux, Czechoslovakia (140 bomb) and Zwickau (74 bomb); 11 hit Chemnitz, 14 hit Gera marshalling yard, 15 hit Hof and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 41 B-17s are lost. 265 B-24s are dispatched to Zeitz (116 bomb) and Bohlen (99 bomb); 14 hit Mersenburg, 1 hits Ostend Airfield, Belgium and 12 hit targets of opportunity; 3 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 153 P-38s, 201 P-47s and 381 P-51s; P-38s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, P-47s claim 26-0-8 and P-51s claim 33-0-3 in the air and 5-0-2 on the ground; 4 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost. Major Guther Rall, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 11 nearly succeeded in downing the commander of the US 56th FG, Lt. Col. Hubert Zemke and did succeed in destroying 2 P-47s. However, he was himself attacked by another pair of Thunderbolts and was forced to bail out over Frankfurt/Main, having his left thumb shot off in the process. This was the 9th time that Rall had been shot down.

RAF Mosquitoes lay mines in their first sortie to the Kiel Canal. 22 Mosquitos of No 8 Group attempted to block the Kiel Canal by laying mines from low level. Intelligence sources had said that the flak defences on part of the canal had been removed. 20 Mosquitos laid their mines in this stretch; 1 aircraft lost. 12 Mosquitos to Brunsbüttel (as a diversion for the Kiel Canal mining operation) and 8 to Châteaudun, 10 RCM sorties, 12 Serrate and 9 Intruder patrols, 43 aircraft minelaying off the French coast and in the Frisians. 8 OTU sorties. 1 Intruder Mosquito lost.

On January 26, 1944, ObltzS Oskar Kusch, commander of 'U-154' was condemned to death by a military tribunal and executed on May 12, 1944, after being denounced by his former IWO for alleged "Wehrkraftzersetzung" (sedition and defeatism). One of eleven politically motivated accusations against Kusch was that he had ordered a Hitler portrait removed from the boat's officers' mess to a less conspicuous location with the commentary;

"We are not in the business here of practicing idolatry."

In 1996 Kusch's legal record was finally wiped clean, and in 1998 the city of Kiel erected a memorial and renamed a street in his honour not far from the military range along the Kiel Canal where he had been shot 54 years before. Kusch was one of only two U-boat commanders to be sentenced to death by German authorities, the other being Heinz Hirsacker of 'U-572' who was convicted of cowardice and committed suicide on April 24, 1943, shortly before his scheduled execution.

EASTERN FRONT: At 2323 hours, 'U-24' fired a torpedo at two escorts and observed a hit amidships after 67 seconds and heard how five depth charges detonated when the vessel sank. The vessel sunk was the Soviet patrol craft SKA-0376.

The Soviet Red Army liberates the Crimea area. The survivors of the 17.Armee in the Crimea surrender. 36,000 are marched off to become prisoners of war.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 730 B-17s and B-24s (largest force to date) to attack targets in Italy, i.e., the German HQ at Massa d'Albe and Monte Soratte; the town of Civitavecchia; airfields at Tarquinia and in the surrounding area; marshalling yards at Chivasso, Piombino, Marina di Carrara, Viareggio and Ferrara; Orbetello Island; Piombino harbor; docks and communications at San Stefano al Mare ; harbor, marshalling yard and railroad bridge at Chiavari; La Spezia marshalling yard and harbour; and several targets of opportunity; 25 P-38s strafe Piacenza Airfield; other fighters fly 250+ sorties in support of bombing missions.

The attacks against the Gustav Line begin to develop. The US 5th Army makes some progress. The French Expeditionary Corps breaks through the defenses of the German 71st Division and captures Monte Faito. Meanwhile, the Polish 2nd Corps is stopped cold and takes heavy losses north of Cassino. The British 13th Corps crosses the Rapido River at two locations opposite Casino. Along the US 2nd Corps makes limited progress.

Sepoy Kamal Ram (b.1924), 8th Punjab Regt., knocked out two machine gun posts which had halted his company, then with a comrade destroyed a third. (Victoria Cross)

 

[Njaco]

13 MAY 1944

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 355: 749 bombers and 737 fighters hit targets in Germany; 12 bombers and 5 fighters are lost; they claim 58-5-13 Luftwaffe aircraft: 289 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil targets in western Poland but clouds force 215 to bomb Stettin and 57 to hit Stralsund; ten B-17s are lost. 199 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Osnabruck; 178 hit the primary and one bombs a target of opportunity; one B-17 is lost. 261 B-24s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Tutow; 228 hit the primary and 12 hit targets of opportunity; one B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 153 P-38s, 238 P-47s and 346 P-51s; the P-47s claim 14-2-9 Luftwaffe aircraft, the P-51s claim 33-1-4; 1 P-38, 2 P-47s and 2 P-51s are lost.

The Allied attack on Posnan in Poland - at 1,470 miles from England, one of the deepest penetrations of the US Eighth AF - resulted in one of the most disasterous missions for II./ZG 76. Taking off to intercept the bombers, thinking that any escorting fighters were beyond range, the Me 410s were jumped by 20 P-51s and decimated. Twelve Me 410s were written off, many of the aircrews lost. Ofw. Wolfgand Martin rammed a B-17 in his damaged Me 410 after ordering his crew to bail out.

EK16 is declared ready for operational use and has its first operational mission with all-red Me 163B V-41 flown by Major Späte.

UNITED KINGDOM: An initial contract for 120 de Havilland Vampire, single-jet fighters, is placed with English Electric at Preston, Lancashire.

Admiral Dönitz loses his second son, Klaus, when the Free French destroyer 'La Combattante' and the British frigate HMS 'STAYNING' sink the E-boat S-147. It was his 24th birthday and he had hitched a ride with his friends on the fast boat during an attack on Selsey on the English coast. There were six survivors.

At 04:25 hours, a Ju 88G-1 from 7./NJG 2 made a wheels down landing at Woodbridge emergency landing strip. This capture was one of Germany's latest night-fighters and was fully equipped with up-to-date radar and radio. The pilot was completely lost and when he sighted Woodbrige, believed himself to be near Berlin. He was so low on fuel that later it was impossible to obtain any samples even for analysis. Pilot Uffz. Hans Mackle, Obgefr. Heinz Olze and Obgefr. Hans Mockle were captured and interned.

WESTERN FRONT: A Resistance attack halts production of Self-Propelled guns at the Lorraine-Dietrich Works at Bagneres de Bigorre. In Clermont-Ferrand city (France), one of the leaders of "Resistance", Jacques Bingen is jailed by Gestapo agents. Bingen tries to escape without success. Finally he takes the decision to kill himself. In the south of France, an important police operation against FTP (communist) "Resistance" leaders is organised by the German services.

The Japanese submarine RO-501 is sunk by the destroyer escort USS 'Francis M. Robinson' (DE-220) in the mid-Atlantic northwest of Cape Verde Islands. The submarine had been built in Germany as the Type IXC/40 U-boat, 'U-1224', and turned over to the Japanese on 15 February 1944. She was enroute to Japan when attacked and sunk.

MEDITERRANEAN: Fierce fighting rages around Cassino. Three major assaults have failed to dislodge the Germans from the Gustav Line at Cassino. But today, the biggest army yet - British Polish, American, Canadian and French Colonials - is advancing on a narrow front and pushing northwards against stiff German opposition. Today the French Moroccan soldiers of General Juin's Corps Expeditionaire Français took Monte Faito - where the German 71st Division had obeyed orders to fight to the last man. On their right flank, the 8th Indian and 4th British Divisions launched assault boats into the fast-flowing Rapido river and established bridgeheads under fierce German fire. The Polish II Corps is attacking Monte Cassino from the east and north. The US II Corps is pushing forward along the coastal plain. The US 2nd Corps and British 13th Corps make limited advances during the day. Polish attacks against the German 1st Falshirmjagers result in no gains and heavy losses at Casino.

Capt. Richard Wakeford (1921-72), Hampshire Regt, with his orderly, cut through the enemy and took 20 PoWs; next day he led an attack and, wounded, stormed the objective. (Victoria Cross)

USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers continue interdiction in support of the ground forces. 670+ B-17s and B-24s, mostly with fighter escort, attack marshalling yards at Trento, Bronzola, Fidenza, Piacenza, Faenza, Imola, Cesena, Modena, Parma, San Rufillo, Borgo San Lorenzo, Castel Maggiore and Bologna and hit railroad bridges at Bolzano and Avisio; while fighters sweep the Bologna-Modena area.

EASTERN FRONT: Fighting in the Crimea ends. 130,000 Germans have been evacuated by sea plus 21,500 by air. Since April 12 the Germans have sustained 78,000 KIA and POW. The last remnants of the German 17.Armee routed at Sebastopol three days ago have been cleared from Cape Kherson, west of the fortress port. The whole peninsula has now been cleared of the Germans and their Romanian allies. Among the prisoners are Generals Dehmut and Kruger. Those who tried to escape from Cape Kherson by sea were harried from the air, and from the sea where MTBs and submarines sank 191 vessels, including 69 heavily-laden transports; over 8,000 men died in the evacuation. The Germans were also attacked by marine commandos who raided behind their lines. A tremendous amount of booty fell into Russian hands, including 111 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2,304 guns and 49 aircraft; much more was destroyed. It was a complete disaster for the Germans, and the swiftness of their collapse reflects the deep divisions in the German high command after Hitler had ordered his troops to fight to the last man, against the advice of his generals.

 

[Njaco]

14 MAY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: Intelligence officers decode a cipher message from Göring uncovering a campaign to trick Allied bombers into raiding inactive airfields.

The Luftwaffe raids Bristol and southwest England with 91 planes, losing 15 in the process. Like April, May started quietly and it was not until the night of the 14th that a force of 91 bombers took off for the third time in 1944 to attempt an attack on the harbour installations at Bristol. The raiders, probably drawn from I, II and III/KG 2, I and II/KG 6, II and III/KG 30, I and III/KG 54, I/KG 66 and I/KG 100, first flew to Guernsey where the bomber streams converged, and from there direct to Bristol. The Sonderaüfklarungsstaffel Ob.d.L. had at, the end of April, joined 1(F)/121 in photographing target markers, and it was their aircraft which provided the night photographic capability for the attack force. To aid navigation the pathfinders of 1/KG 66 employed Y-Verfahren which was operational from Cherbourg and St.Valery, while the Knickebein transmitters at Caen, Cherbourg West and Morlaix were also active. The target was to be marked by two green cascade flares dropped by I/KG 66, and the bombing run was to be south to north at 4000 to 6000 metres following a 30 degree glide. Over Bristol there was a 8 kph NNE wind, and a half moon in a cloudless sky giving 16 kilometres visibility. This raid was particularly significant for on that night the Luftwaffe initiated airborne jamming on a frequency band covering part of the British ground and airborne radar system. A few Ju 188's of I/KG 2 carried the apparatus under the code name Kettenhund or Watchdog, which was applied to both the equipment and the aircraft in which it was fitted. During the operation extensive use was also made of Düppel which was dropped from 01.20 hrs onwards, eventually covering a lane about 20 miles wide from Portland to Bristol. It persisted throughout the raid, the Bristol area not being free of it until 03.01 hrs. A total of 68 aircraft subsequently claimed to have attacked the City, with a further 15 Me 410's of I/KG 51 operating over local fighter airfields. Bristol was reported to have been raided between 01.50 hrs and 02.25 hrs with 163 tonnes of H.E.'s being dropped on target, and a further 4.65 tonnes on airfields in the Bristol area. The attack force again lost 14 aircraft, 11 of which failed to return resulting in the deaths of 40 crewmen, while 6 others were taken prisoner, including 3 injured. In addition 3 more aircraft crashed in France where a further 2 men died. However, inspite of the German claims only five bombs had actually fallen within the Bristol city boundary. These came down at around 02.00 hrs in Headley Park, and at Kings Weston where a Searchlight Site was destroyed, and its attendant killed, the last life to be lost locally as a result of enemy action during World War Two.

MEDITERRANEAN: The The French Mountain Corps (North African Colonial troops from Morocco and Algeria) advance into the Ausente Valley and cross the Aurunci Mountains. This advance assists the US forces on the left flank of the French. The 2nd French Infantry Division under General Juin, moves in the direction of the city of Liri and makes its junction with the 1st DMI, led by General d. Brosset, forcing the German 71st Division to fall back. The British XIII Corps consolidates a bridgehead over the Rapido river, and advances into the Ausente valley.

The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force dispatches just over 700 B-17s and B-24s to attack targets in Italy; B-17s 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.

SS 'Fort Fidler' (7,127 GRT) Canadian-owned, British-registered merchantman and British-flagged SS 'GS Walen' were heavily damaged in the Mediterranean Sea when torpedoed by 'U-616', OLtzS Siegfried Koitschka, Knights Cross, CO. 'U-616' was scuttled on 17 May 44 in the Mediterranean, east of Cartagena after a 3 day-long action by USS 'Nields', 'Gleaves', 'Ellyson', 'Macomb', 'Hambleton', 'Rodman', 'Emmons' and assistance from a 'Wellington' patrol a/c from RAF 36 Sqn. All of 53 of her crewmembers survived this incident. 'U-616' attacked the 94-ship Port Said to Hampton Roads convoy GUS 39 on the night of 13-14 May and damaged the American tanker 'G.S. Walden' (10,627) plus 'Fort Fidler'. The USN mounted a massive 'swamp' ASW operation code named 'Monsterous' that employed a/c from 5 Sqns and 8 US escorts. Two Benson-class destroyers ('Nields' and 'Gleaves') from the convoy were tracking and attacking 'U-616' during the day on 14 May, they were joined by the assisting units. 'U-616' repeatedly evaded her attackers but, on 15 May, further attacks finally produced an oil slick whereafter contact was lost. Unwilling to give up the search on such evidence, the searchers stayed in the area, at 2226 on 17 May, they were rewarded when the Wellington sighted 'U-616' on the surface. The destroyers were vectored in on the contact. At 2359, USS 'Macomb' illuminated the U-boat with starshell, which then crash-dived. Sonar contact was re-established at 0017 and continuous attacks finally forced 'U-616' to the surface at 0807 on 17 May. The crew abandoned the boat and were recovered by USS 'Ellyson'. Only 5 hours later, 'U-960' attacked 'Ellyson' off Oran. Her torpedo missed and another Swamp operation began that eventually resulted in the sinking of 'U-960' on 19 May.

WESTERN FRONT: 41 RAF Mosquitos - 29 to Cologne, 5 to Courtrai, 4 Châteaudun, and 3 to Leverkusen, 1 RCM sortie, 10 Halifaxes and 2 Stirlings minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports, 10 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.

Five He 115s from 1./406 were shot down by Hellcats from No. 800 Sqdrn FAA during Operation 'Pitchbowl'. All 5 crews were either killed or wounded.

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army re-captured Tarnopol in the Ukraine.

 

[Njaco]

15 MAY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: A gigantic contoured map of the Normandy beaches was displayed on the stage of St. Paul's school hall today. Set at a slope for the audience to view it clearly, it was big enough for officers explaining Operation Overlord to walk about on it and identify landmarks. In addition to the Overlord commanders, the audience included King George, Churchill and the South African prime minister, Field Marshal Smuts. General Montgomery's presentation showed that he and Eisenhower had secured a vast increase in men and supplies over those originally said to be the limit. As a result, the Normandy landing area is extended to the Carentan estuary in the west and the river Orne in the east. A massive bombardment of 72 selected targets, to knock out the enemy's communications, is going ahead despite criticism. Some commanders are sceptical, while Churchill has told Eisenhower of his fears for the;

"....scores of thousands of French civilians, men, women and children, who will lose their lives or be injured."

The French Committee of National Liberation changes its name to Provisional Government of the Republic of France, under the leadership of Charles de Gaulle.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions. Mission 356: 166 bombers and 104 fighters hit V-weapon sites in France with one fighter lost; 38 of 58 B-17s bomb Marquise/Mimoyecques; 90 of 108 B-24s bomb Siracourt; escort is provided by 104 P-51s with one lost. Mission 357: 3 of 3 B-17s drop 1.1 million leaflets on 10 towns in Belgium and France; 1 B-17 crash lands on returning to base. Five B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 45 A-20s and B-26s to bomb airfields at Creil and Evreux/Fauville and Somain marshalling yard; 300+ others are forced to abandon missions because of thick clouds.

The Germans cancel all civilian trains because air attacks on the rail system are making military movement more difficult.

MEDITERRANEAN: Kesselring orders the German 10.Armee to abandon the Gustav Line and withdraw to new positions along the "Hitler Line". Meanwhile the French Expeditionary Corps captures San Giorgio, the British 13th Corps reaches Pignaturo and the reserve Canadian 1st Corps is committed to exploit the breakthrough. The Free French take San Giorgio and Ausonia. The French divisions of General Juin continue the conquest of German positions alongside the Gustav Line. The Mountain Corps reach the Petrella mount. However, the progression is slowed down and 3rd DIA is blocked by German units.

'U-731' sunk near Tangier by depth charges from patrol vessel HMS 'Kilmarnock' and ASW trawler HMS 'Blackfly' and 2 USN VP-63 Catalinas. 54 dead (all hands lost).

A partisan attack on a movie theater killed 5 German soldiers in Genoa. 4 days later SS Officer Friedrich Engel ordered the killing of 59 Italian prisoners in reprisal. In 2002 Engel (93) was sentenced to 7 years in prison for the order.

In Italy, medium and light bombers again hit communications lines N and NW of the front while fighter-bombers in close support of the Allied ground assault through the Gustav Line blast gun positions, motor transport, ammunition supplies, bridges, rolling stock and other military targets in the battle area; medium and light bombers also hit harbors and vessels along coasts at Piombino, Talamone, Portoferraio and
Ancona.

EASTERN FRONT: The mass evacuation of Jews from Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau begins in earnest, at the rate of 4,000 a day.

Hptm. Fritz Stendel was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 5.

1./JG 302 ended its duties as Einsatzkommando Helsinki and returned to I./JG 302 at Wien-Seyring.

Wreckage of a German pilotless bomb with wings (V-1) is recovered from a Swedish island.

GERMANY: 43 RAF Mosquitos - 30 to Ludwigshafen, 10 to Carpiquet airfield near Caen and 3 to Leverkusen, 1 RCM sortie, 2 Serrate patrols, 43 aircraft minelaying from Kiel to Biscay, 6 aircraft on Resistance operations, 24 OTU sorties. 3 Lancaster minelayers and 1 OTU Wellington lost.

 

[Njaco]

16 May 1944 Tuesday
GERMANY: Adolf Hitler issues a Führer Order for the employment of long-range weapons against England to commence mid-June. The weapons include Fzg. 76 (later known as the V-1 bomb) directed at London, long-range artillery directed at British towns, and bomber planes.

The first of over 180,000 Hungarian Jews reached Auschwitz. Adolf Eichmann gives Joel Brand of the Zionist Relief and Rescue Committee a ransom demand to convey to British and American governments: 1 million European Jews would be released in exchange for food and 10,000 trucks for use on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union.

29 RAF Mosquitos attacked Berlin; none were lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: Axis defences at Cassino are crumbling. The Polish II Corps are attacking against German parachute troops. These elite troops hold while the Poles sustain heavy casualties. Most of the elements of the US 5th Army meet only rearguard defenses as they march beyond the Gustav Line. However. the Polish 2nd Corps at Cassino is still confronted by diehard defenses from the German paratroops. The British 13th Corps and the Canadian 1st Corps mover up the Liri Valley toward Pontecorvo and Piumarola. The US 2nd Corps advances along the coast while the the French Expeditionary Corps captures Monte Petrella and advance toward Monte Revole. On the other side of Italy, the British 8th Army opens it's attacks on the Gustav Line.

Fusilier Francis Arthur Jefferson (1921-82), Lancs Fusiliers, smashed a counter-attack when, under blistering fire, he knocked out one tank and forced another to retreat. (Victoria Cross).

In Italy, medium bombers attack railroad bridges and a tunnel in C Italy; light bombers blast guns in Roccasecca while fighter-bombers and fighters just behind enemy lines seek out motor transport targets, crater roads and hit bridges, harassing the already strained communications network, while US Fifth Army troops push rapidly W and NW and British Eighth Army forces push through the last defenses of the Gustav Line in an effort to isolate Cassino, a joint effort by British 13 Corps and Polish 2 Corps.

NORTH AMERICA: Non-rigid airship K 5 is destroyed in crash into number one hangar, Lakehurst, New Jersey.

UNITED KINGDOM: With the liberation of their countries rapidly approaching, the the exiled governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway today agreed to give Allied military commanders a free hand in administering territories after the Germans have been expelled. Norway, a close neighbour of the Soviet Union, signed a separate pact with Moscow. Agreements signed in London give the commanders;

"...such measures of supreme responsibility and authority over the civil administration as may be required by the military situation."

The arrangements are temporary, and the exiled governments will take over as soon as the military situation permits. Talks are now being held with General de Gaulle's Free French on the administration of liberated areas of France.

Portsmouth was attacked by the Luftwaffe and weather conditions were worse than expected as, on Fliegerkorp IX's own estimates;

"...about 50% of bombs considered to have fallen in target area....Concentrated bombing could not be established...."

WESTERN FRONT: In yet another disaster for the German submarine forces, RAF Coastal Command aircraft begin patrols off the Norwegian coast, By the end of the month five U-boats would be sunk. 'U-240' was listed as missing in the North Sea west of Norway. No explanation exists for its loss. 50 dead (all hands lost).

 

[Njaco]

17 May 1944 Wednesday
MEDITERRANEAN: Kesselring and Vietinghoff are unable to stop the Allied advance in the Liri Valley. Kesselring orders the defenders of Cassino to withdraw as he releases 3 fresh divisions from his reserves. The US 5th Army continues its drive north capturing Piumarolo, Monte Faggeta, Esperia, Formia, and Sant'Angelo.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 450+ bombers to hit targets in Italy and Yugoslavia; B-17s bomb the marshalling yard at Ancona, Italy and troop concentrations at Bihac, Yugoslavia while B-24s bomb the port areas at San Stefano al Mare, Piombino, Portoferraio and Orbetello, Italy. P-38s strafe airfields at Ghedi, Villafranca di Verona, Modena, Forli and Reggio Emilia, Italy while other fighters fly 130+ sorties of bomber escort duty.

'U-616' scuttled in the Mediterranean east of Cartagena, Spain after fatal damage from depth charges from destroyers USS 'Nields', 'Gleaves', 'Ellyson', 'Macomb', 'Hambleton', 'Rodman' and 'Emmons', and by depth charges from an RAF 36 Sqn Wellington in a 3 day-long action. 53 survivors (No casualties).

UNITED KINGDOM: The prime ministers of Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa tonight endorsed not only war plans but also peace aims. At the end of a series of meetings in London, they declared: "We give thanks for deliverance from the worst perils and now we hold back nothing to end mankind's agony." The Empire leaders reaffirmed that after victory the British Commonwealth will join in setting up a world organization with necessary power to preserve peace. They added:

"We rejoice to proclaim our kinship to one another. We have stood together through two world wars and have been welded the stronger. This unity will do further service to mankind."

General Eisenhower set D-Day for June 5th.

WESTERN FRONT: A formation of 6 P-51s from RAF No. 65 Sqdrn and 2 from RAF No. 122 Sqdrn attacked the Aalborg area. At first mistaken as German aircraft, the Mustangs were allowed to split into 2 groupd and attack the airfield from the north and the south. Over Aalborg they found a number of training aircraft from 10. and 13./KG 30 and the A-Staffel of JG 11. Most were unarmed except some practice bombs and a small amount of ammunition. Two aircraft from 10./KG 30, 3 from 13./KG 30, 1 from from 2./KG 26 and 3 from JG 11 fell prey to the Mustangs. An He 177A-5 from 4./KG 100 had just taken off and was attacked by a P-51 and made an emergency landing. A Ju 88A-17 from 2./KG 26 and 3 Ju 88A-4s were attacked and fell on the Danish countryside. (for more on the attack - Day Ranger attack on Aalborg 17/5 1944)

 

[Njaco]

18 May 1944 Thursday
EASTERN FRONT: The expulsion of more than 200,000 Tartars from Crimea by Soviet Union began. They were accused of collaborating with the Germans.

Almost 450 US Fifteenth Air Force bombers, mostly with fighter escort, hit targets in Rumania and Yugoslavia; both B-17s and B-24s bomb the industrial area at Ploesti, Rumania and the marshalling yard at Belgrade, Yugoslavia; the B-17s also hit the marshalling yard at Nis, Yugoslavia; 300+ other bombers abandon the missions because of bad weather; fighters strafe airfields at Nis and Scutari, Yugoslavia.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allies in Italy finally captured Monte Cassino, Europe's oldest Monastic house, after a four-month struggle that claimed some 20,000 lives. The Polish flag flutters today over the ruins of the ancient monastery which has become a symbol of German resistance and has repelled successive Allied attacks since the beginning of the year. In the valley below, troops of the British Eighth Army have at last occupied what is left of the town of Cassino itself. The Germans' Gustav Line of defence has been breached and American and Canadian troops are advancing in numbers along the Liri valley. No one doubted that casualties would be high. In the two weeks before the attack, the Polish II Corps under General Wladyslaw Anders was under constant observation by the German defenders and losing as many as 30 men in a day as it prepared to attack. When the moment came to storm the heights on 12 May, the Poles lost a fifth of their strength within the first 90 minutes of battle and were forced to withdraw when communications failed.

The British XIII Corps took heavy casualties when it crossed the Rapido river to find its way blocked by a mass of pillboxes, barbed wire and minefields. After three days the Eighth Army had still failed to break out into the Liri valley, its principal objective. Near the coast, the US II Corps was failing to make progress when the Germans suddenly began to withdraw. The defenders had been taken by surprise in a brilliant action by the French 2nd Moroccan Division, which has crossed supposedly impassable mountainous ground at speed, outflanking the Germans. The German 71.Division was scattered in this battle, with 2,000 men taken prisoner and a huge toll in casualties. With the French and British advancing in the Liri valley below and on the hills opposite, it was for the undaunted Poles to take Monte Cassino. They attacked in waves yesterday, with 200 air sorties to support them, and continued to attack until late last night. The defending German paratroopers stood their ground and fought off the exhausted Poles until finally ordered to retreat under the cover of darkness.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches almost 450 bombers, mostly with fighter escort, to hit targets in Romaniaand Yugoslavia. Both B-17s and B-24s bomb the industrial area at Ploesti, Romania and the marshalling yard at Belgrade, Yugoslavia and the B-17s also hit the marshalling yard at Nis, Yugoslavia but 300+ other bombers abandon the missions because of bad weather. Fighters strafe airfields at Nis and Scutari, Yugoslavia.

The German submarine 'U-453' sunk a merchant ship in convoy HA-43 in the Mediterranean Sea. This would be the last German submarine kill in those waters.

WESTERN FRONT: While off Trondheim, Norway, 'U-241' was attacked by a Norwegian Catalina aircraft (Sdqn 333/C, pilot Harald E. Hartmann). The flak from the boat damaged the aircraft and killed one airman (P/O Kyrre Berg). The boat was sunk the next day.

17 RAF Mosquitos on Oboe calibration tests to targets in France. 4 aircraft bombed Mondeville and 2 bombed Orly; others did not bomb. 7 RCM aircraft also operated on this night. No aircraft lost.

Hitler attempts to settle the muddled command situation in France by placing Field Marshal von Rundstedt in command of all forces in the west. Rommel was placed in command of Heeresgruppe B (which included Normandy) and Blaskowitz in charge of Heeresgruppe G.

 

[Njaco]

19 May 1944 Friday
GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 358: 888 bombers and 700 fighters in two forces are dispatched to hit targets in Germany; very heavy cloud cover forces the bombers to use H2X PFF methods; Luftwaffe resistance is heavy and 28 bombers and 19 fighters are lost; U.S. fighters claim 77-0-33 Luftwaffe aircraft: 588 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin; 495 hit the primary, 49 hit the port area at Kiel and one hits a target of opportunity; 16 B-17s are lost. 300 B-24s are dispatched to the industrial area at Brunswick; 272 hit the primary and one bombs a target of opportunity; 12 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 155 P-38 Lightnings, 182 P-47 Thunderbolts and 363 P-51 Mustangs of the Eighth Air Force and 264 Ninth Air Force aircraft; the P-38s claim 0-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground, the P-47s claim 29-0-16 in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground and the P-51s claim 41-0-5 in the air and 4-0-10 on the ground; 4 P-38s, 4 P-47s and 11 P-51s are lost.

In one of the worst atrocities of the war involving PoWs, the Gestapo has shot 50 Allied airmen who were recaptured after escaping from a prison camp near Sagan, in Silesia, in March. The killings were without doubt carried out on Hitler's orders. Told of the escape of 79 PoWs, the Fuhrer screamed abuse at Himmler - the head of the Gestapo - and made him personally responsible for their recapture. Only three of the PoWs - two Norwegians and a Dutchman - have reached England; they got to Stettin, on the river Oder, and got on a ship to Sweden. Others got as far as Saarbrucken, near the French border, before being retaken. All were handed over to the Gestapo instead of the to the Luftwaffe as required by the Geneva Convention. The killings took place at Gorlitz prison, near Dresden. Twenty men were sent back to Stalag Luft III, where they told fellow PoWs of the killings. The Germans have warned the PoWs that all areas within several miles of camps are now "death zones"; anybody entering these areas without authority will be shot on sight. One man still in the camp is the Canadian pilot Wally Moody, the mining engineer who applied his skills to design the escape tunnel; the alarm was sounded before his turn came to use the tunnel.

The experimental unit EKdo 262 suffered its first casualty when Uffz. Karl Flachs crashed the seventh prototype, Me 262V-7 during a training flight.

MEDITERRANEAN: US troops occupy Gaeta and Monte Grande. The Gustav line, the German defense line in Italy, collapsed under heavy assault by Allied troops. British troops captured Aquino airfield in the Liri valley southeast of Rome.

At the Turchino Pass outside Genoa the SS shoot 59 Italian captives from the Marassi Prison in Genoa in revenge for an attack on a movie theatre for German troops four days earlier that killed five German soldiers and injured 15. One of those present is senior Nazi official SS Major Friedrich Engel. He claims the German navy ordered the shootings. The prisoners were bound in pairs and forced to walk onto a plank laid over the open grave, where they were shot. The victims then fell into the pit, on top of he freshly killed bodies.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 500+ B-17s and B-24s to hit communications targets, ports, and oil storage in northeastern, central and western Italy; B-17s hit oil storage facilities at Porto Marghera and railroad bridges at Casarea, Latisana and Rimini; B-24s hit port areas at La Spezia and Leghorn; fighters fly 250+ sorties in support. These operations are notable for the absence of enemy fighter opposition.

'U-960' sunk in the Mediterranean NW of Algiers, by destroyers USS 'Niblack' and 'Ludlow' and RAF 36 and 500 Sqn Wellingtons. 31 dead and 20 survivors.

At 1755, the 'Fort Missanabie' in Convoy HA-43, was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-453' south of Taranto. The master, ten crewmembers and one gunner were lost. 35 crewmembers and 13 gunners were picked up by the Norwegian merchantman 'Spero' and Italian corvette 'Urania' and landed at Augusta, Sicily. The 'Fort Missanabie' was the last success of U-boats in the Mediterranean.

Light cruiser 'Brooklyn' (CL-40) shells German supply dumps at Terracina, Sperlonga, and Ganta, Italy.

WESTERN FRONT: 143 RAF aircraft - 106 Halifaxes, 32 Lancasters, 5 Mosquitos of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Boulogne. Only 1 of the Oboe Mosquitos was able to mark the target but the bombing was accurate. The local report says that the main station was badly damaged; 33 civilians were killed. No aircraft lost. 118 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups carried out a particularly accurate attack on the railway yards at Orleans. 1 Lancaster lost. 112 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos of Nos 5 and 8 Groups found that their railway target at Amiens was cloud-covered and the Master Bomber ordered the attack to stop after 37 Lancasters had bombed. 1 Lancaster lost. 113 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group to attempt the difficult task of attacking the railway installations in the centre of Tours. A previous No 5 Group raid had destroyed the yards on the outskirts of the town. Both the marking and the bombing force were ordered to carry out their tasks with particular care and to be prepared to wait until the Master Bomber was satisfied that the surrounding housing areas were not hit. The raid continued until well after the planned period but no fighters appeared and no aircraft were lost. Much damage was caused to the railways but some bombs did fall to the west of the target. Le Mans: 112 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of Nos 3 and 8 Groups. The majority of the bombs hit the railway yards and caused serious damage. The local report says that the locomotive sheds were destroyed, an ammunition train (or some ammunition wagons) blew up, 2 main lines were destroyed and all other lines blocked because overhead power lines were brought down across the tracks. Unfortunately the Lancasters of the Master Bomber and his deputy collided over the target and crashed. The Master Bomber was a brilliant young New Zealander, Wing Commander JF Barron, DSO and Bar, DFC, DFM, and the Deputy Master Bomber was Squadron Leader JM Dennis, DSO, DFC They were both killed; both were from No 7 Squadron. 1 other Lancaster was lost. 58 Halifaxes of No 6 Group and 6 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked a coastal gun position at Le Clipon but there was haze and the results are not known. No aircraft lost. 63 aircraft - 42 Halifaxes, 15 Lancasters, 6 Mosquitos of Nos 6 and 8 Groups bombed a gun position at Merville near Dunkirk. Some bombs did fall in the battery position despite the presence of haze. No aircraft were lost. 39 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 8 Group to attack a radar station at Mont Couple. The Mosquitos were not able to use their Oboe equipment but 31 Lancasters used their H2S sets to make a timed run from the coast and bomb the approximate position of the target. 1 Lancaster shot down by flak. 29 Mosquitos to Cologne, 10 RCM sorties, 8 Serrate and 23 Intruder patrols, 24 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off the French coast, 12 OTU sorties. 1 OTU Wellington lost.

Lt. Wilhelm Johnen, Staffelkapitaen of 6./NJG 5 and his crew - interned in Switzerland since 27 April - were returned to Germany. In exchange for the crew and for permitting the Germans to blow up the Bf 110G-4, the Swiss first demanded 30 Bf 109Gs but later settled for 12 of the aircraft.

Hptm. Friedrich Wilhelm Strakeljahn, former Staffelkapitaen of 14(Jabo)./JG 5, became Gruppenkommandeur of II./SG 4 replacing Hptm. Gerhard Walther who was killed the day before.

 

[Njaco]

20 May 1944 Saturday
EASTERN FRONT: A V2 rocket is test fired from Blizna, Poland and lands near the River Bug about 80 miles east of Warsaw. The Polish resistance runs a herd of cows into the river to muddy the water. The Germans fail to find the rocket and give up. The Poles got it out of the river using man power, take it apart and send the guidance systems and rocket motor to British intelligence in London by Lysander and Hudson courier aircraft.

GERMANY: 30 RAF Mosquitos attacked Düsseldorf. The target area was cloud-covered and the Oboe markers quickly disappeared into the cloud. Most aircraft bombed on dead reckoning but this must have been inaccurate; Wuppertal, 17 miles east of Düsseldorf, reports 71 people killed on this night. No Mosquitos lost. 14 Mosquitos to Reisholz, 5 Serrate and 4 Intruder patrols, 12 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off French Atlantic ports, 7 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.

EK16 conducted an operational mission with Me 163B 310048/V-40 by Oberfeldwebel Nelte. Major Späte was then ordered to return to JG 54. Command taken over by Hauptmann Thaler

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, weather prevents operations by medium and light bombers; fighter-bombers continue to hit communications and gun positions in the battle area; areas in and around Vallecorsa and Terracina are hit especially hard; fighters maintain patrols and reconnaissance, destroying or damaging numerous vehicles between Pisa and Pistoia.

UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweeping trawler HMS 'Wyoming' mined and sunk off Harwich.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 359: 638 bombers and 657 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in France and Belgium; two bombers and four fighters are lost; the AAF claims 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground: 190 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to bomb Orly Airfield (90 bomb) and Villacoublay Air Depot (73 bomb) in France. 125 of 177 B-24 Liberators bomb Reims Airfield and marshalling yard in France. 271 B-17s and B-24s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Liege and Brussels, Belgium but the mission is abandoned due to heavy cloud cover; two bombers are lost. Escort is provided by 146 P-38 Lightnings, 177 P-47 Thunderbolts and 334 P-51 Mustangs; P-38s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; one P-38, one P-47 and two P-51s are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches about 450 B-26 Marauders to attack airfields, coastal defenses, and V-weapon site in France; about 250 aborts are caused mainly by bad cloud conditions and failure to rendezvous with fighters. P-47s dive-bomb targets in northwestern Europe.

 

[Njaco]

21 May 1944 Sunday
GERMANY: 510 RAF Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups carried out the first large raid on Duisburg for a year. 29 Lancasters were lost, 5.5 per cent of the force. The target was covered by cloud but the Oboe skymarking was accurate and much damage was caused in the southern areas of the city. 25 Mosquitos to Hannover and 8 to Courtrai, 9 RCM sorties, 28 Serrate and 7 Intruder patrols. No aircraft lost. Minelaying: 70 Lancasters and 37 Halifaxes to the Frisians, Heligoland, the Kattegat and Kiel Bay. 3 Lancasters lost.

Major Walther Dahl of JG 3 was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader zur besonderen Verwendung (JGzbV), a sort of Reichverteidigung Operational Training Unit comprising simply of a Geschwaderstab and tasked with brigging fighter Gruppen in the 7th Jagddivision of southern Germany up to speed with air defense tactics.

MEDITERRANEAN: 'U-453' sunk in the Ionian Sea NE of Cape Spartivento, by depth charges from destroyers HMS 'Termagant', 'Tenacious' and 'Liddesdale'.

The US 5th Army continues moving forward capturing Fondi and Campodimele. Fighting at Pico continues.

In NC Italy, medium bombers are restricted by bad weather but bomb a few bridges and roads, while light bombers hit a bivouac area; fighter-bombers continue support of ground forces, hitting troops, vehicles, roads and railroads in or near the battle areas, particularly around Sezze, Ceccano, San Giovanni Valdarno and Pontecorvo.

UNITED KINGDOM: In the early hours of the morning, two Bf 109G-6 fighters landed at Manston airfield in Kent. The first Bf 109, piloted by Fw. Manfred Gromill of 3./JG 301 made a wheels down landing intact at 02:40 hours. Fw. Gromill thought that he was on a German airfield. The second Bf 109, flown by Lt. Horst Prenzel, Staffelfuhrer of 3./JG 301, landed 20 minutes later and made a good landing but the pilot thought that he was going to overshoot the runway and raised the undercarriage, causing considerable damage. Both pilots were from St. Dizier on a mission against Allied night bombers.

WESTERN FRONT: Allied air forces launch Operation Chattanooga, the systematic destruction by bombardment of enemy rail targets. The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 360: 150 bombers and 48 fighters hit V-weapon sites in France without loss; 25 of 40 B-17s hit Marquise/Mimoyecques; and 99 of 110 B-24s hit Siracourt. Escort is provided by 48 P-47 s without loss. 617 fighters are dispatched on strafing missions to attack rail stock in Germany; 27 fighters are lost; 91 of 225 locomotives attacked are destroyed; P-47s also dive bomb rail bridges in W Germany; and 1 P-51 pilot claims 25 cows killed; participating are: 145 P-38s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 6-0-3 on the ground; eight P-38s are lost,. 139 P-47s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air; four P-47s are lost. 333 P-51 Mustangs claim 17-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 77-0-64 on the ground; 15 P-51s are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 50 B-26 Marauders to bomb airfields at Abbeville/Drucat. 600+ P-47s and P-51s attack railroad rolling stock.