This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[syscom3]

19 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The Goodwood battles continue east of Caen, France. Large numbers of tanks are involved on both sides. The defensive postions and better armament of the Germans make up for their lack of superior numbers. Canadian forces clear the Caen suburbs of Vaucelles, Louvigny and Flery-sur-Orne.

In France, during the afternoon 262 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20 Havocs bomb bridges on the Loire and Seine Rivers and a fuel dump at Bruz; fighters provide escort and, though limited by bad weather, hit rail lines and scattered enemy installations and movements in the Amiens-Tours- Chartres area and along the Ghent-Brussels, Belgium railroad.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 483: Five B-17s drop leaflets in France and Belgium during the night.

Five B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

In air battles against the Allies, Uffz. Walter Holl of 9./JG 26 with seven victories was shot down and killed and Fw. Kurt Röhrich of 11./JG 3 was also shot down and killed. Fw. Röhrich had thirteen victories flying with JG 3 and the first Sturmgruppe, Sturmstaffel 1.

Nine Geschwader Bongart aircraft flew operations, attacking a Resistance headquarters, an ammunition dump and billets, with good results.

MEDITTERRANEAN: The US 34th Div. captures Leghorn, Italy.

EASTERN FRONT: Russian units enter Latvia. The Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) encircled five German divisions west of Brody.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 482: 1,082 B-17s and B-24s and 670 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts, and P-51 Mustangs, operating in five forces, attack targets in western and southwestern Germany including two plants producing hydrogen peroxide (an ingredient in V-weapon fuels), a chemical plant, two aircraft factories, four ball bearing plants, six marshalling yards, four airfields, and a river dam; 17 bombers and seven fighters are lost. Attacks in the Munich area are followed, within 90 minutes, by Fifteenth Air Force attacks. 731 fighters, operating in 19 separate units support the bombers; eight of these units afterwards strafe ground targets, including parked aircraft, locomotives and rolling stock, and road vehicles. The bombers claim 6-4-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; the fighters claim 17-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 38-0-14 on the ground.

In Germany, 400+ USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s based in Italy bomb an ordnance depot, an aircraft factory, a motor works, and an airfield in the Munich area; P-51s and P-38s fly 300+ sorties in support; enemy fighter opposition is weak but flak is heavy and accurate; 16 USAAF aircraft are shot down and several are missing.

An Order of the Chief of the OKW on the Defense of the Reich was issued with the following key passages;

"Regulations hitherto issued for the defense of the coasts and frontiers of the Reich are summarized and supplemented as follows:
As basic principle, it must be observed that the Armed Forces staffs must confine themselves exclusively, in making these preparations, to matters of a purely military nature. Other questions, for example, the mobilization of all resources in the Home Theater, the direction of manpower and, particularly, measures for the evacuation of the German civilian population, are the responsibility of the Party alone. Corresponding measures in the economic sphere are the responsibility of the Ministries concerned. The necessary cooperation must be pursued relentlessly, with the sole aim of achieving the highest efficiency, regardless of questions of jurisdiction.
I. Organization of Command
The Chief of Army Equipment and of the Replacement Army is responsible for making preparations to defend the Home theater of war in all matters concerning the Army and general service matters. Commanders of Military Districts will act in accordance with his directives. In matters concerning the Navy and Luftwaffe, preparations are the responsibility of Commander-in-Chief Navy and Commander-in-Chief Luftwaffe respectively. . .
II. Tasks
In the preparatory measures for defending the Home theater of war, Commanders of Military Districts will include all command staffs, troops, offices, and establishments of the Armed Forces and Waffen SS in the area of their command. They will also include additional forces placed at the disposal of Gauleiters and Higher SS and Police Leaders. Command staffs, troops, offices, and establishments of the Navy and Luftwaffe will only be included in so far as the fulfillment of their own duties (paragraph I.1) is not thereby prejudiced. . ."
Signed: Keitel

In other business, the commander of Oberfehlshaber der Heeresgruppe C, Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring was awarded the Brillanten, becoming the fourteenth soldier so honored. Klaus Bretschneider was appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 300.

 

[syscom3]

20 July 1944
WESTERN FRONT: The British attacks south and east of Caen are wearing down by the German antitank defense units.

In France, weather prohibits morning operations by the USAAF's Ninth Air Force; in the afternoon 62 A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders strike the Senonches fuel dump and Chaulnes marshalling yard; fighters escort the bombers and transports and fly armed reconnaissance against rail lines, bridges, and gun positions south of the frontlines.

USAAF's Eighth Air Force Mission 485: Six B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

Twelve B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

Shortly after 1300 hours, II./JG 1 intercepted a formation of RAF Spitfires over St. Lô. Three Spitfires were claimed shot down by the Gruppe, including two for Oblt. Rudiger von Kirchmayr of Stab II./JG 1 but the Gruppe lost three pilots; Fw. Alfred Bindseil and Lt. Christian Steven both of 6./JG 1 and Gefr. Johannes Kamutzki of 7./JG 51.

GERMANY: A bomb planted in Hitler's conference room at Rastenburg, East Prussia, explodes just after noon. Colonel Count Klaus von Stauffenberg has planted this bomb on behalf of a wide-ranging conspiracy of senior officers and a few politicians. Hitler is only injured. Assuming that he is dead, the coup goes on. Once it is clear that Hitler has survived, the plot falls apart. The effects of this bomb are wide ranging. Hitler's distrust of his generals increases; the physical deterioration caused by the dubious combination of medicines combined with the shock of the explosion further weaken his ability to concentrate; the remaining military are further weakened in their efforts to argue for any type of rational military response to events.

The He 177 heavy bombers of KG 1 have amassed enough fuel to mount a raid on the Allies using every available aircraft from all three Gruppen. While assembling for the attacks, the bombers began circling over several lakes in the area, including one near Königsberg, very close to Rastenburg. Kommodore Horst von Riesen remarked on the day's operations,

"At mid-day we assembled over one corner of the lake to the east of the Rastenburg prohibited area. To assemble eighty aircraft into three formations takes a lot of time, and as luck would have it a couple of the aircraft developed engine fires. My crews had been previously briefed that in this event they were to release their bombs 'safe' [i.e. set so that they did not go off on impact] and aimed into the lake. This the crews did, and I set off with one of my Gruppen to make the attack. It was about 5 o'clock in the afternoon when I landed at Prowehren, and I did not get to my headquarters until six o'clock. There I was met by my adjutant who looked very serious. He ushered me into an empty office and said, 'A terrible thing has happened. One of our machines obviously did not drop his bombs "safe"; moreover they landed on the Führer's headquarters and caused an explosion there.'"

Although it was several hours before the truth was confirmed – that an assassination attempt on Hitler's life was the cause of the explosion and not a dropped bomb – Kommodore von Riesen sweated out news of his impending court-martial which never came. He was cleared of any complications in the attempt. This was the last major operational sortie of KG 1. Shortly after this, because of the fuel shortage, KG 1 was ordered back to Germany and disbanded the next month, becoming JG 7. The attempt on Hitler's life succeeded in killing several staff members but left the Führer only slightly injured. Killed in the attack was General Korten, Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe. Generalleutnant Werner Kreipe was appointed Luftwaffe Chief of Staff in his place.

At Lechfeld airbase, several pilots of I./KG 51 of Major Wolfgang Schenk's bomb unit were now comfortable enough with the Me 262 as a bomber that they were deemed available for operations and given a unit name, Einsatzkommando (Eins. Kdo) Schenk, named after their commanding officer, Major Schenk. They were immediately ordered to France, moving to Chateaudun. Thanks to an elaborate and successful deceptive Allied operation, Hitler believed that the Normandy landings were merely a diversion and that the main invasion would be launched in the Calais area. If there was to be a further invasion, the jet fighter-bombers had to be in position to strike. Nine of the bomber jets were made ready and took off for the airfield at Chateaudun in France. Only five made it to the airfield, two crashing at take-off from Lechfeld fully loaded, one landing at Schwäbisch Hall with a technical failure and the fourth suffering a navigation problem, finally making an emergency landing north of Paris. This left only five Me 262s available for bombing operations. In the fighter-bomber role, the Me 262 carried two, 550-pound bombs on racks under the nose. They occasionally flew sorties over France, though with little effect. Compounding these setbacks was a new order from Hitler. To reduce the risk of losses that would deplete the force before the expected new invasion, pilots had strict orders not to descend below 13,000 feet over enemy territory and forbid the jets to fly faster than 750 kph. That had the desired effect of saving aircraft, but it also prevented them from bombing accurately.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 484: 1,172 bombers and 542 fighters are dispatched to hit oil and industrial targets in central Germany; 19 bombers and eight fighters are lost: 1. Of 417 B-17s dispatched, 107 hit Dessau, 69 hit Kothen, 56 hit Leipzig/Mockau, 45 hit the Leipzig bearing industry, 36 hit Nordhuasen Airfield, 23 hit Kolleda Airfield, 20 hit targets of opportunity, 12 hit Bitterfeld, 12 hit Giessen Airfield, and 12 hit Rudolstadt; they claim 11-9-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 15 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 253 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 5-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 4 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 295 B-17s dispatched, 155 hit Merseburg, 53 hit Lutzkendorf, 47 hit Wetzlar and seven hit targets of opportunity; two B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 178 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 1-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-4 on the ground; a P-51 is lost. 3. Of 460 B-24s dispatched, 123 hit Erfurt Nord and 11 hit Erfurt/Bindersleben Airfields; 80 hit Schmalkalden; 72 hit Gotha; 24 hit Freiburg, 18 hit Fulda, 12 hit Idstein, 10 hit Bad Salzungen, 10 hit Wernhausen and nine hit Homburg marshalling yards; 21 hit Berka, 12 hit Bad Nauheim, seven hit Koblenz, six hit Boppard and sxi hit targets of opportunity; a B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 45 P-47s; they claim 6-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; a P-47s is lost.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches about 450 B-17s and B-24s to bomb targets in Germany; B-17s attack the airfield at Memmingen while B-24s bomb the airfield, Zeppelin works, and aircraft factory at Friedrichshafen; P-38s and P-51s provide escort and, with the bombers, claim 19 aircraft shot down.

Because of high losses and the constant stream of Allied bombers, the II./JG 26 were ordered to withdraw to Germany. The pilots of the Gruppe quickly packed up and flew to Reinsehlen, arriving by nightfall. Also ordered to move was IV(Sturm)./JG 3 who transferred from the bomb damaged airfield at Memmingen to Neu-Ulm / Schwaighofen. But not before one last mission. The Sturmgruppe IV(Sturm)./JG 3 again attacked USAAF B-17s flying to the Junkers plant at Kothen in the new Gefechtsverband tactic of 7 July with JG 300 flying escort. Lt. Walther Hagenah claimed another bomber as did Willi Maximowitz who destroyed a B-17 at 1107 hours for his tenth victory. But Uffz. Heinz Jeworrek of 4./JG 3 was killed in action. He had seven victories. Also killed in combat against the American heavies was Fw. Götz Bergmann of 5./JG 51 who died with sixteen victories to his score.

EASTERN FRONT: After less than a week, Major Heinz Lange's IV./JG 51 left Cuniow for the airfield at Starzawa. The II./JG 54 led by Hptm. Erich Rudorffer left the airbase at Petserie and traveled to the airfield at Immola. Some II./JG 54 units were detached to airfields at Helsinki and Petäjärvi and after a few days the whole Gruppe moved to the Utti airfield.

UNITED KINGDOM: Two fighters from I./JG 301 from St. Dizier were on a 'Wilde Sau' operation over Northern France this night. Becoming confused over the Pas de Calais area the two aircraft landed in error at Manston in Kent. The first made a wheels-down landing intact. The pilot thought that he was on a German Air Force airfield. The second aircraft landed 20 minutes later and made a good landing but the pilot thought that he was going to overshoot the landing strip and raised the undercarriage thus causing considerable damage. Lt. Horst Prenzel and Fw. Manfred Gromill were both taken prisoner.

 

[syscom3]

21 July 1944

MEDITTERRANEAN: The French Expeditionary Corps is taken out of the line in Italy. They begin to prepare for the Anvil/Dragoon operation.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 362 B-17s and B-24s to hit targets in Czechoslovakia; B-17s and B-24s bomb the Brux synthetic oil refinery; B-24s also hit the marshalling yard at Mestre; 100+ other bombers are forced to abort due to bad weather; P-38s and P-51s provide escort.

Pilots of III./NJG 6 claimed three Wellingtons and one C-47 shot down during a raid on the Fanto Refinery in Pardubice, Eastern Bohemia over Bohemia and Moravia. The 205th RAF Bomber Group lost all in all six bombers. Wellington MK. X, RAF No. 142 Sqn, disappeared en-route to target, near St. Pölten area, possibly the victim of Oblt. Josef Kraft of 7./NJG 6. Another Wellington lost over the Czech territory that night was LN699 (C) of RAF No.70 Sqn which crashed-landed near Semín in Přelouč area, allegedly the victim of Oblt. Helmut Schulte of 7./NJG 6. The entire crew of Lt. N.K. Weekes was taken POW. The C-47, was from 10 TCS/60TCG and was attacked by a Ju 88 while circling over the landing ground The left wing and engine were set on fire and it exploded in the air at 23.35 hours, 300 yards from the drop zone in today's Croatia. Hptm. Leopold Fellerer of Stab III./NJG 6 claimed the Lend Lease C-47. A Wellington Mk. X, of RAF No. 40 Sqn, crashed due to mechanical trouble in the Adriatic sea, and the crew of Sgt R. Bodley baled out off Porto San Giorgio and were rescued. Oblt. Josef Krause of 6./NJG 101 also claimed a Wellington near Grussbach at 00.06 hours.

EASTERN FRONT: The Russian Third Baltic Front takes Ostrov.

astern front Geschwader lost two pilots. Fw. Horst Kirchner of 12./JG 51 and Uffz. Hans Stroinigg of 1./JG 51 were killed in combat. Fw. Kirchner had eleven victories while Uffz. Stroinigg had nine aerial victories. Following the departure of IV./JG 51 the day before from Cuniow, Hptm. Diethelm von Eichel-Streiber and III./JG 51 left their airfield and flew to a new airbase at Dubowo. IV./JG 51's stay at Starzawa was short lived as they moved again to the airbase at Jasionka.

GERMANY: German General Zeitzler resigns as Chief of Staff at OKH and is replaced by Guderian.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 486: 1,110 bombers and 795 fighters are dispatched in 4 forces to bomb targets in Germany, among them 4 aircraft plants and 2 ball bearing plants; 31 bombers and 8 fighters are lost: 1. Of 433 B-24s dispatched, 106 hit Munich, 93 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yards, 78 hit targets of opportunity, 54 hit Oberpfeffenhofen, 33 hit Neuabuing, 13 hit Bullay Bridge, and 9 hit Schorndorf; they claim 10-2-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 22 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 262 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 2-0-1 aircraft in the air and 3-0-10 n the ground; 5 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 96 B-24s dispatched, 48 hit targets of opportunity, 17 hit Duren, 12 hit Walldrun marshalling yard and 9 hit Indenboden; 2 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 109 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft. 3. Of 241 B-17s dispatched, 90 hit Regensburg/Obertrau bling, 44 hit Regensburg/Prufenin g, 40 hit Stuttgart and 18 hit targets of opportunity; 4 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 148 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost. 4. Of 340 B-17s dispatched, 99 hit Schweinfurt, 70 hit Ebelsbach, 59 hit Ludwigshafen, 13 hit Bad Kreuznach, 13 hit Ebelsbach, 13 hit targets of opportunity, 12 hit Bad Munster, 12 hit Lachen, 12 hit Simmern marshalling yard, 8 hit Wurzburg, and 5 hit Neckargemund; 3 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 187 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; a P-38 is lost.

Ofw. Eberhard Kroker of 3./JG 300 and Lt. Horst Kirchner of 2./JG 302 were both killed in action, when the Allies sent two formations of bombers to targets in Germany. One formation heading for Regensberg, Schweinfurt and Oberpfaffenhofen were met by several units from JG 300. Six B-24s were claimed shot down before Ofw. Kroker was killed. The other formation was heading for Brux when intercepted by units from JG 302 and JG 27. Eight B-17s along with two P-38s were shot down before Lt. Kirchner.

III./JG 400 was formed in Brandis as Erg.Staffel/JG 400 from Ausb.Kdo./Erpg 16 with Oblt. Franz Medicus appointed GruppenKommanduer.

WESTERN FRONT: In France, weather prevents all USAAF Ninth Air Force combat operations except for 1 fighter group which is dispatched on armed reconnaissance but is recalled before reaching the Continent; Less than 15 reconnaissance and evacuation sorties are flown.

USAAF's Eighth Air Force Mission 487: 8 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

The Allies flew 'Ramrod 458' and F/Lt. Edwin King of the RAF shot down a Bf 109 from a formation of twelve Messerschmitts.

'U-212' (Type VIIC) is sunk 21 July, in the English Channel south of Brighton, at position 50.27N, 00.13W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Curzon and Ekins. 49 dead (all crew lost).

Some 10,000 mobilized French partisans on the Vercors Plateau, south of Grenoble (90 km S.E. of Lyon) threatened German supply lines, so paratroops, Russian volunteers, mountain troops from the army's 157. Reserve Division, and Geschwader Bongart, were all used to attack them. Luftflotte 3 reported that the combined German army-air force operation against the Resistance began on this day in the area east of Valence. Aircraft from Geschwader Bongart provided cover for 22 gliders that landed on the massif south of Grenoble. The German battle group was reported to have taken up a hedgehog position at Vassieux-en-Vercors, but the day's objective was not reached due to strong enemy resistance. Re 2002 fighter-bombers, along with other Luftwaffe aircraft, dropped a total of 7.5 tons of bombs. Fourteen aircraft of the Jagdfliegerführer Süd flew operations to the area south-east of Valence, while Geschwader Bongart contributed 44 sorties.

Two Do 217's from III./KG 100 were shot down in the afternoon by two Mosquitoes of 235 Squadron as they were providing air cover for the 14th Destroyer Escort Group RN. RAF No. 248 and 406 Squadrons were also involved and claimed three Do 217s between them. They were part of a force of six Dorniers sent out from Toulouse/Blagnac to attack shipping of Brest with Hs 293s. One was flown by the Staffelführer of 9./KG 100, Oblt. Karl Lamp. The other machine was flown by a scratch crew from the 7., 8. and 9. Stafflen and the pilot was Uffz. Gustav Schmidt. Seven of the eight airmen were rescued by the ships they were meant to attack, one was MIA. 8 ./KG 100 also had a machine lost - flown by Lt Wolfgang Schirmer.

 

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22 July 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Chelm falls to Rokossovsky's First Belorussian Front on their advance to Lublin.

In Poland, the Soviets set up the communist controlled Polish Committee of National Liberation at Lublin to administer all of the territory they have occupied in Poland.

WESTERN FRONT: USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 489: Seven B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Netherlands during the night.

Forty four B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

In France, the USAAF's Ninth Air Force dispatches a group of A-20 Havocs and two groups of B-26s to attack a rail bridge at Bourth and fuel dumps at Foret de Conches and Flers; four groups of fighter-bombers fly armed reconnaissance and rail cutting missions during the late evening; a fighter group escorts the bombers; and fighters of the IX Tactical Air Command escort 100+ C-47 Skytrains on a supply-evacuation run to the Continent, and provide cover over the battle area.

Another 7.5 tons of bombs were dropped on the Resistance at Vercors. Luftwaffe aircraft provided support, flying operations against Resistance groups east of Valance. The road eight kilometres north of Die was blocked by three bomb hits. Supplies were also brought in to the hedgehog position at Vassieux-en-Vercors. The Germans were carrying out mopping up operations in the areas of Bouganeuf, Ussel, Limoges and Chateauroux. Geschwader Bongart flew sixty-eight sorties, and the Jafü Süd flew seventeen sorties in support of the 157. Reserve Division. Air cover, army support and supply missions were flown.

MEDITTERRANEAN: In Romania, 76 P-38s and 58 P-51s begin the second Fifteenth Air Force shuttle missions, attacking airfields at Zilistea and Buzau (claiming the destruction of 56 enemy aircraft) and landing at Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR; 458 B-17s and B-24s (with fighter escorts) bomb an oil refinery at Ploesti and other bombers hit alternate targets of the Verciorova marshalling yard, Orsova railroad bridge, and Kragujevac, Yugoslavia marshalling yard.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 488: Seven B-17s drop leaflets on Bremen, Hamburg and Kiel, Germany. Escort is provided by 27 P-51 Mustangs.

General Galland ordered that the II Gruppe of JG 300 convert to the Sturm or assault role. Gruppenkommandeur Hptm. Peters soon began the conversion and with Galland's help, the Gruppe was soon operational. The Luftwaffe now had three Sturmgruppen operational, IV(Sturm)./JG 3, II(Sturm)./JG 300 and II(Sturm)./JG 4. Many of the pilots received training on the Fw 190 Sturmbock variant by the knowledgeable officers of 2./JG 51 led by Hptm. Horst Haase. Many of the new pilots had experience flying with other units. Oblt. Oskar Romm came from I./JG 300 while Lt. Klaus Bretschneider was a former 'Wilde Sau' pilot with fourteen night kills in just twenty sorties. There was Fw. Konrad Bauer, an Eastern Front Experte from Stab./JG 51 and 2./JG 3 and Ernst Schröder of 5./JG 300.

Stab./Jagdgeschwader 76 was formed in Salzburg. The Stab was taken from Stab./ZG 76, I./JG 76 reformed in Bonn-Hangelar from I./ZG 76 and III./JG 76 formed in Stade from II./ZG 1. II./JG 76 and IV./JG 76 was to have been formed from II./ZG 76 and I./JG 302, but this was cancelled. Hptm. Heinrich Offterdinger was named Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 76 and Hptm. Egon Albrecht for III./JG 76.

 

[syscom3]

23 July 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Russian forces capture Pskov, the last major town of pre-war Soviet Union in German hands.

The changing battlefront also forced IV./JG 51 to again move, this time from Jasionka to Mielec. Also retreating from the area was IV./JG 54 who moved from Lublin airfield to Deblin-Irena.

A Polish Committee of National Liberation is announced in Moscow. The Polish government in Exile in London denounces this move by a handful of unknown communists.

GERMANY: German Field Marshal Schoerner replaces General Friessner at Army Group North.

MEDITERRANEAN: Units of the US IV Corps occupy parts of Pisa, Italy which lie south of the Arno River.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 42 B-24s to bomb the Berat, Albania oil refinery; 15 P-51s provide target cover for the bombers and afterwards strafe roads and targets of opportunity in Yugoslavia near the Albanian border.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 490: 280 bombers and 193 fighters are dispatched in 2 formations to attack airfields in France; 1 bomber is lost. Escort for both formations is provided by 177 P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs. 1. 78 B-17s hit Creil Airfield; 1 B-17 is lost. 2. Of 198 B-24s dispatched, 61 hit Laon/Couvron Airfield, 57 hit Laon/Athies Airfield and 48 hit Juvincourt Airfield.

Mission 491: 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

Twenty one B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

In France, 330+ USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s bomb rail bridges along the Argentan-Paris and Lisieux-Bernay- Evreux railroads, and hit fuel dumps at Foret de Conches; fighters escort bombers, attack rail lines, enemy installations, and movements in the Argentan-Alencon- Chartres- Evreux areas, and bomb bridges, strongpoints, and a supply dump in support of the US First Army.

Hptm. Helmuth Schulte was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./NJG 6 in place of Major Rolf Leuchs, who left the night-fighting unit on 14 July. Oblt. Wilhelm "Wim" Johnen, Staffelkapitän of 8./NJG 6, was awarded the Ritterkreuz for thirty-three victories.

Luftflotte 3 reported that the operation south-east of Lyon was proceeding to plan. Ten tons of high explosive bombs were dropped, and German aircraft took part in the Vercors operation. The troops had now reached Vassieux-en-Vercors, about 100 km south-south-east of Lyon, despite strong opposition from the Resistance. On this day Geschwader Bongart flew 63 anti-partisan sorties, while Jafü Süd flew six.

Near Paris newly appointed GruppenKommanduer Hptm. Robert Weiß and his III./JG 54 became embroiled in combat with a flight of Allied P-38s. Eight Lightnings were shot down with double kills being credited to Hptm. Weiß and Fw. W. Müller. But the battle came at a cost. JG 54 lost Fw. Erwin Schleef of 9./JG 54 an eleven victory pilot with the Geschwader.

 

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24 July 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Lublin, Poland falls to Rokossovsky. The First Ukraine Front captures the site of Majdanek Concentration Camp.

Another loss for Eastern front Geschwaders when Hptm. Franz-Josef Zoufahl of 8./JG 51 was shot down and killed. He had twenty-six victories all with JG 51.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Operaion Cobra attack west of St Lo is postponed due to bad weather.

In France, 11 groups of Ninth Air Force bombers scheduled to participate in Operation COBRA have missions cancelled due to weather; 5 groups of B-26s hit rail bridges and 5 groups of B-26s and A-20 Havocs strike 3 fuel and ammunition dumps; fighters fly escort to the bombers, fly area cover, bomb installations in the Laval-Nantes- Le Mans-Chartres areas, and hit bridges and supply dumps in support of the US First Army.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 492: Heavy bombers are scheduled to participate in a US First Army offensive (Operation COBRA) to penetrate the German defenses west of Saint-Lo and secure Coutances; 1,586 bombers and 671 fighters are dispatched but bad weather causes the ground forces to delay the attack until next day, and cloud conditions cause 1,102 bombers to abort. Escort for the bombers is provided by 478 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; 3 P-38s are lost. Targets hit are: 1. Of 909 B-17s dispatched, 343 hit the Periers/St Lo area and 35 hit the Granville railroad junction; a B-17 is lost. 2. 109 of 677 B-24s dispatched bomb targets of opportunity including road intersections and rail lines; 2 B-24s are lost. 143 P-51s fly a sweep over Lechfeld and Leipheim Airfields in Germany; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft in the air and 12-0-16 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost.

Mission 493: 7 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

Six B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

Whilst acting as HQ ship for troops ashore destroyer HMS 'Goathland' is mined NNE of Courcelles. She is towed back to Portsmouth but not repaired.

Action continued against the French resistance on the Vercors plateau. Geschwader Bongart flew twenty sorties. Sixteen of which were against the Resistance, while four were for supply missions and rescuing the wounded.

Spitfires of RAF No. 92 Sqd. chased an Me 410, silver-painted and streaming black smoke from its exhausts, from Corsica to just off Nice; they reckoned it "the fastest encountered in this theater", with a speed of more than 400mph. This was possibly an aircraft from 1.(F)/33, flying overwater reconnaissance originally with only the Ju 88, its coverage regularly extending to Corsica, into Spanish waters and to the shores of North Africa. Following the Normandy invasion, the unit was sometimes called upon to carry out missions over the English Channel in conjunction with operations by the Division's bombers. Perhaps the "hottest" items in the Staffel's inventory however were its few Me 410s, dispersed under trees at the north-east side of the Staffel's airfield of Saint Martin de Craux (known to the Allies as Les Chanoines) a little east of Arles. At least two were specially adapted to carry GM-1 boosting equipment in the rear fuselage, necessitating removal of the remote-controlled 13mm machine-gun barbettes. Rear protection was provided by an improvised gun mount in the cockpit. These boosted aircraft were capable of a remarkable performance — taking photographs from 11,200m (about 37,000ft) — and extremely fast, as attested to by the frustration of Allied pilots who tried to intercept them.

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 200+ bombers to attack targets in France and Italy; B-17s attack tank repair and ball bearing works in Turin, Italy; B-24s attack the harbor at Genoa, Italy, and airfields at Valence/La Tresorerie and Les Chanoines, France; fighters hit troop concentrations at Sjenica, Prijepolje, Pljevlja, and Andrijevica and strafe the Prizren, Yugoslavia area.

GERMANY: 'U-1164' (Type VIIC/41) Stricken at Kiel on 24 July, 1944 after being damaged by British bombs. Broken up.

The stab of JG 54 moved its Focke-Wulfs from Dünaburg to Jakobstadt. III./JG 76 was in Stade where they did there conversion training to single-engine fighters from flying Bf 110s as II./ZG 1.

 

[syscom3]

25 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: US Operation Cobra begins. The main attack is west of St. Lo by the US VII, VIII, and XIII Corps. 3000 planes from the 8th and 9th USAAF are involved in the pre-attack bombardment. Many of the bombs fall short and cause many causalities, including a general. The VII and VIII Corps make good progress. British attacks around Caen contribute to the success. South of Caen, Canadian forces attack along the road to Falaise and meet heavy resistance. The Luftwaffe was unable to stem the flow of troops and armour moving through the French countryside towards Germany. The 307FS/31 FG attacked Ju 87D-5's of III./SG 77 and claimed twenty-one Stukas destroyed.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 494: 1,581 bombers and 500 fighters are dispatched to support a US First Army assault (Operation COBRA) with saturation bombing in the VII Corps area in the Marigny-Saint- Gilles region, just west of Saint-Lo; 5 bombers and 2 fighters are lost; 843 of 917 B-17s and 647 of 664 B-24s hit the Periers/St Lo area and 13 B-17s hit targets of opportunity; a B-17 and 4 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 483 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s and also provide escort for Ninth Air Force B-26s; they claim 12-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost. Due to a personnel error, bombs from 35 bombers fall within US lines; 102 US troops, including Lieutenant General Lesley J McNair, are killed and 380 wounded.

Mission 495: Late in the afternoon 106 B-24s are dispatched to bomb the Brussels/Melsbroek Airfield, Belgium but they are recalled because of heavy cloud formations. Escort for this mission is provided by 26 P-38s and 110 P-51s. A P-38 and 78 P-47s fly a fighter-bomber mission against the Fournival/Bois de Mont fuel dump; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft.

Seventeen B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

In France during the morning 11 Ninth Air Force B-26 and A-20 Havoc groups attack tactical targets in the vicinity of Saint-Lo in support of the US First Army; in the afternoon 4 groups bomb bridges on the Seine and Loire Rivers; 42 B-26s, repeating errors of the previous day, short-bomb behind US lines and casualties again are concentrated in the 30th Infantry Division; fighters strafe and bomb military targets in the Saint-Lo area in support of Operation COBRA, fly area patrol and sweeps south of the battle area, and carry out armed reconnaissance against installations in the Laval-Ghent- Amiens areas.

The new Schulstaffel./NJG 1 was moved from Twente to Grove in Denmark. Formed at the end of June from parts of NJG 1, the unit flew Bf 110s and Bf 109s.

During the night of 24/25 July high-explosive bombs were dropped on Valence airfield, hitting the taxiing area, and telephone and high-tension lines. Geschwader Bongart flew thirty-two sorties against the Resistance. By this stage enemy resistance had weakened, and Luftflotte 3 went as far as to say that the enemy resistance had collapsed, after heavy fighting during this day. Mopping up operations were now undertaken by the Germans.

EASTERN FRONT: Russian units enter Luvov, Poland.

Marshal Mannerheim informs the political leadership that the German help is not enough. He wants that measures are taken to free Finland from the obligations of the Ribbentrop-pact. In practice this would mean that the President of the Republic Risto Ryti should resign. There has already been a tacit agreement between the military and political leadeship that if and when the Ribbentrop-pact becomes a liability (i.e. when the time comes to make peace with Soviet Union) Ryti should resign (as he was *personally* bound by the pact) and he will be replaced by Mannerheim.

Operating from Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR, 34 P-51s and 33 P-38s of the Fifteenth Air Force attack the airfield at Mielec, Poland and return to the USSR bases.

The crew and pilots of I./JG 51 left the airbase at Krzewica and transferred to the airbase at Okecie.

Oblt. Erich Hartmann, Staffelkapitän of 9./JG 52, was awarded the Brillanten.

GERMANY: In Austria, 420 B-17s and B-24s of the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy bomb the Hermann Goring tank works in Linz while other bombers hit the Villach marshalling yard and targets of opportunity in Austria and Yugoslavia; fighters provide escort and carry out sweeps; 175-200 enemy fighters oppose the attacks; 21 USAAF aircraft are lost; the bombers and fighters claim 60+ fighters shot down.

The Luftwaffe lost two upcoming Experten. Oblt. Ferdinand Kray of 4./JG 302 was killed in action. He had twenty-five victories. And Ofw. Karl-Heinz Munsche of 9./JG 2 was shot down and killed. He had twenty victories. Lt. Kurt Welter of 5./JG 300 was transferred yet again, this time to 1./NJG 10 performing 'Wilde Sau' missions.

German Propaganda Minister Goebbels is appointed "Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War". New decrees are issued, one of which cancel vacations for women involved in war work. He had been lobbying for thise job for two years and when he finally gets it the ship of state is taking on water a a fearful rate.

The new jet bomber, the Arado 234, was ready for missions with 1./Versuchsverband Ob.d.L. and two were ordered to a new base at Juvincourt to begin operations. The Ar-234, with its high speed, seemed likely to penetrate Allied fighter screens. The two bombers took off, one piloted by Oblt. Horst Götz and the other by Oblt. Erich Sommer. The plane of the Gruppenkommandeur, Oblt. Götz, had an engine failure shortly after take-off and had to return to the airfield at Oranienburg. Oblt. Sommer made an uneventful flight to Juvincourt only to wait a week for the take-off trolley, rocket booster units, and other kit to arrive by truck. So the jet bomber was towed into a hanger where it waited for the equipment to arrive to become operational.

Stab I. and 2./JG 400 was formed in Venlo and moved to Brandis with 1./JG 400.

 

[syscom3]

26 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: US VII Corps take Marigny and St. Gilles in France. To the west the US VIII Corps crosses the Lessay-Periers road.

In France, weather forces the recall of several groups of Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20 Havocs, assigned to support the US First Army, but about 160 aircraft manage to bomb a fuel dump at Senonches with good results; fighters escort the bombers, fly cover over the assault area, carry out close support for ground troops in the Saint-Lo area, and fly armed reconnaissance in the Poix, Amiens, Chartres, Laval, and Angers areas.

In France, the Eighth Air Force flies two missions. Mission 496: 93 P-47 Thunderbolts attack the St. Just marshalling yards and 40 attack the Givet fuel dump; a P-47 is lost. Mission 497: 7 B-17s drop leaflets during the night.

Nine B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

German submarine 'U-214' (Type VIID) is sunk in the English Channel about 34 nautical miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Plymouth, Devonshire, England (49.58N, 03.30W) by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Cooke [K 471, ex USS Dempsey. 48 dead (all hands lost).

Geschwader Bongart flew 18 sorties against partisans at Vercors, supporting the 157. Reserve Division and Kampfgruppe Schäfer. The operation concluded successfully on this day, with the Germans reporting many Resistance fighters killed, along with much ammunition and many weapons captured.

Valence airfield was attacked by Allied aircraft, with five Ju 88s and one Do 17 destroyed. Luftflotte 3 noted that the;

"...attacks on Valence airfield during the last few days were presumably aimed at 'Geschwader Bongart' based there for operations against partisan groups."

EASTERN FRONT: Units of the First Ukraine Front reach the Vistula west of Lublin. In the north Narva is captured by units of the Leningrad Front.

Major Erich Rudorffer of II./JG 54 shot down six Russian aircraft including his 150th victory. Following the move of I./JG 51 of the day before, the Stab of JG 51 left Stryj for positions at Okecie, joining the I Gruppe.

MEDITERRANEAN: Fifteenth Air Force fighters on the second shuttle mission leave USSR Operations FRANTIC bases, strafe enemy aircraft in the Bucharest-Ploesti, Romania area, and return to bases in Italy. In Austria, 330+ B-17s and B-24s attack the Wiener Neudorf aircraft factory, the airfield at Markersdorf, Thalerhof, Zwolfaxing, and Bad Voslau, and targets of opportunity in the Vienna area. Also hit are Szombathely Airfield, Hungary and oil storage at Berat, Albania. Fighters fly escort and carry out patrols and sweeps in the Brod-Zagreb, Yugoslavia and Ploesti-Bucharest, Romania areas; U.S. bombers and fighters claim 70+ enemy aircraft shot down.

The experimental Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter Gruppe, Hptm. Horst Geyer's EKdo 262, met a RAF Mosquito for the first time. Lt. Alfred Schreiber of EKdo 262 flying one of the few available Me 262 jets of the commando unit, intercepted and apparently destroyed a British Mosquito to become the first enemy aircraft downed by the special jet Gruppe. But the Mosquito was only damaged and managed to land at an Allied airfield in Italy.

GERMANY: German submarine 'U-2323' (Type XXIII) is sunk by a mine at 1635 hours west off Mšltenort, about 5 nautical miles (9 kilometers) north-northeast of Kiel, Germany, (54.23N, 10.11E) while on a training mission. (At the present, Mšltenort, on the eastern side of Kiel Bay, is the site of the U-Boat Memorial.) There are two dead and 12 survivors. The boat had been commissioned 8 days earlier.

The new Sturmgruppe, II.(Sturm)./JG 300 had its first casualty of the war when Ofhr. Martin Köhler of 4 Staffel was shot down and killed flying Fw 190A-8 'White 12'.

 

[syscom3]

27 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The US VII Corps breaksthrough between Lessay and Periers.

The US Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions. Mission 498: 26 B-17s are dispatched to hit coastal batteries at Ostend and Cap Gris Nez/Calais area but weather prevents bombing. In Belgium, of 120 B-24s, 34 hit a Luftwaffe communication center at Brussels/Vilvorde, 20 hit a coastal battery at Gravelines, 11 hit oil installations and industrial plants at Ghent and 1 hits a target of opportunity without loss. Escort is provided by 154 P-38s, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; 1 P-51 is lost. Mission 499: 193 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s fly fighter-bomber mission against rail traffic south of Rouen and Amiens; 2 P-38s and 1 P-51 are lost. Mission 500: 7 B-17s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and France during the night.

The Soviet Navy lists submarine V-1, Northern Fleet, lost off coast of England (sunk in error by British bomber off Norway).

The former Staffelkapitän of 10./JG 3, Hptm. Hans Weik who was recuperating from wounds received on 18 July, was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his thirty-six aerial victories, with most of his victories against Allied four-engined bombers. It was not until early 1945 that he again took to the skies.

Major Franz Schönberger gave up his position as acting Kommodore of KG 2 to Oblt. Rudolf Hallensleben.

At 23:00 hours a Ju-88 S-3 of 6./KG 30 was shot down by flak about ten miles North of St Lo. Oblt Heinrich Kollingberger and his crew were killed.

EASTERN FRONT: The First Ukraine Front, under Konev, takes Lvov and Stanislav. The Second Belorussian Front, under Zakharov, captures Bailaystock. The First Baltic Front, under Bargamyan, takes Siauliai. The Second Baltic Front, under Yeremenko, takes Daugavpils and Rezekne.

The Focke-Wulfs of IV./JG 54 moved again from Deblin-Irena airfield to Piastow airbase. The Focke-Wulfs of 1./SG 5 moved from Immola and flew to the airfield at Salmijärvi.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Hungary, the US Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 366 B-17s and B-24s to bomb an armament works at Budapest; 24 other B-24s attack Pecs marshalling yards; P-38s and P-51s escort the Budapest mission.

UNITED KINGDOM: In the U.K., the RAF's No. 616 Squadron equipped with Gloster Meteor Mk. I jets and based at Manston, Kent, England, flies their first operational mission targeting V-1 "buzz bombs" in southern England.

 

[syscom3]

28 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The US 4th Armored Division enters Coutances, France. They have achieved the first objective of Operation Cobra.

In France, the USAAF's IX Bomber Command operates in support of the US First Army, bombing rail bridges, supply dumps and ammunition dumps in the Foret de Conches, Dreux, and Le Mans areas; fighters escort bombers, fly armed reconnaissance in the Le Mans, Laval, and Dreux areas and furnish cover over assault areas and armed columns.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 501 Part 1: 291 B-24s in 2 forces are dispatched to hit signal depots, fuel dumps and V-weapon supply sites and a bridge in Belgium and France but the forces are recalled because of cloud cover over the targets; the first force of 180 B-24s is dispatched to northwestern France V-weapon sites, fuel dumps and a railroad bridge; escort is provided by 235 P-47s and P-51 Mustangs. The second force of 111 B-24s is dispatched to hit Brussels and Vilvorde fuel and supply depots; escort is provided by 40 P-51s.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 502: 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

EASTERN FRONT: Brest-Litovsk and Przemysl fall to the Russians.

Another loss for Eastern front fighter units. Uffz. Ulrich Zemper of 1./JG 53 was killed in action having achieved five victories.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 501 Part 2: 766 B-17s are dispatched to bomb the synthetic oil plant at Merseburg, Germany; 652 hit the primary while 36 hit Leipzig/Taucha oil refinery, 18 hit the Wiesbaden marshalling yards and 8 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 1-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 386 P-38 Lightnings and P-51s; they claim 4-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.

The Luftwaffe wasn't up in force that day. Units known to have been ordered up were I./JG 300 (Bf 109s), II./JG 300 (Fw 190s), II./JG 27 (Bf 109s) and I./JG 302 (Bf 109s). However, these two latter units were ordered to alter course to the South, so that only I. and II./JG 300 flew on North, engaging combat in the Naumburg area (South of Merseburg) at about 10:05-10:15 hours. Also sent to intercept were six Me 163 Komets of I./JG 400. Only two bombers were claimed shot down, none by the rocket fighters because the high closing speeds of the little fighter disoriented the German fighter pilots and spoiled their aim. But the Luftwaffe again lost valuable pilots. Near Erfurt, the new Sturmgruppe of JG 300, II Gruppe, lost the Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 300, Oblt. Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld in action against the heavy bombers. Oblt. Hirschfeld had twenty-four victories including eight as a 'Wilde Sau' pilot. Gefr. Walter Weinzierl of 3./JG 302 was shot down and killed having achieved only five victories in combat. Also lost for a time during this action was Fw. Willi Maximowitz of IV(Sturm)./JG 3 who was shot down by escorting fighters but survived with slight injuries and returned to operations the next day. Reported as missing in action was Ofhr. Wolfgang Köcher of 3./JG 300.

A new problem presented itself when the six Me 163s returned to base. The rocket aircraft, now out of fuel and arriving at the airfield at nearly the same time, tried landing all at once, causing some tense moments and near misses. All went safely but it did not bode well for the future of the little rocket plane.

Personal Memory:

New crews that arrived a couple of weeks ago are now ready for their first mission. And I am the guy who is starting them out, taking their pilot as my copilot. FUN!! This is to be my 26th mission and our target is Mersberg, the most heavily defended city in Germany. I don't expect a milk run! I'm flying the "Betty Jane" today that I have flown several times before including the ill fated glide bomb raid on Cologne. The 303rd put up 37 B-17s that were all in the air in 29 minutes. We formed up over the Harrington Buncher at 9,000 feet with our ten, five hundred pound bombs. During the forming up phase I was approached by another B-17 and to avoid a collision I turned away and did a 360 degree turn. Pulling up or diving would have put too much strain on the wings and tail of this overloaded bomber. I was now not able to catch up with the 303rd so I latched onto the 379th which I knew was going to the same target. My new copilot for this mission was J.A. Drewry with all his crew except for his copilot who was flying with another experienced crew. My regular group saw no enemy aircraft on this mission but my new group saw a few. Our top turret gunner, E. H. Koch fired at a FW190 that was trying to tow a bomb on a long wire through our formation. For some reason the bomb didn't explode. The 190 was about three thousand feet above us and the other German planes were hanging back, evidently waiting for the big explosion which never came. We encountered flak at seven different locations and our "Betty Jane" suffered two minor wounds on this trip. It was overcast at the target and we had been discharging chaff which seemed to work to our advantage as the flak always seemed to be behind us. Evidently we didn't do such a great job on the Luena synthetic oil plant as we soon learned that this would also be our target tomorrow. This target takes a flight time of eight hours and ten minutes with four hours and twenty minutes over enemy territory. During my PIC training an attempt on Hitler's life occurred on July 20. Too bad it didn't succeed as hundreds, if not thousands of lives could have been saved by shortening the war. Score: Milk Runs 13, Others 13. (I did not consider this a milk run.) (Dick Johnson)

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 345 B-17s and B-24s to attack 2 oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania and a marshalling yard at Florina, Greece; P-51s and P-38s provide support for the Ploesti raid.

Ofw. Johann Pichler of 7./JG 77 was injured after baling out following combat with American fighters over Ploesti in Bf 109 G-6 "White 13". He deployed his chute too late and made a very hard landing.

 

[syscom3]

29 July 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The Neimen River is crossed by the Third Belorussian Front.

WESTERN FRONT: The UX XIX Corps is advancing on Torigny and Tessy, France. The US VII Corps reaches Percy and The US VIII Corps crosses the Sienne and advance towards Granville.

The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 503 Part 3: 38 B-24s hit Juvincourt Airfield and 26 hit Couvron Airfield at Laon, France. Escort is provided by 142 P-51s.

The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 504: 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night. 44 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 12 abort.

Jagdkorps II, tasked with defending against the Allies in the Normandy area, reported a total of thirty fighters on strength to fight the Allies and their breakout. These fighters included the remnants of III./JG 26 at Villacoublay and the Stab and I./JG 26 which moved this day from the destroyed fields at Chaumont to Rambouillet, near Paris. Major Karl Borris again took over as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 26 when Hptm. Hermann Staiger was transferred to JG 1.

GERMANY: In England, the US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 503 Part 1 2: 1,228 bombers and 755 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany and airfields in France in 3 groups; 17 bombers and 7 fighters are lost. (1) 569 B-17s hit the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg, 13 hit Gottingen, 11 hit Hildesheim marshalling yard, and 10 hit targets of opportunity; 15 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 429 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; 7 P-51s are lost. (2) 442 B-24s hit the Oslebshausen oil refinery at Bremen, 2 hit targets of opportunity and 1 hit Cuxhaven; 2 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 106 P-51s. The B-17s escorted by P-51s were met by numerous fighter units from JG 300, JG 302, JG 51, JG 3, and JG 27. Sixteen B-17s along with four P-51s were claimed by pilots of the intercepting Luftwaffe fighters including two Fortresses for Fhj.Ofw. Hermann Wischnewski of 2./JG 300 and two B-17s and a P-51 for Uffz. Kurt Gren of 2./JG 51 who shared a third B-17 with a Flak unit. Other notable pilots with claims were Oblt. Horst Haase of 2./JG 51( for his fiftieth kill), Fw. Wolfgang Kosse of 10./JG 3 (24 kills), Fw. Willi Maximowitz of 11./JG 3 (11 kills), Fw. Willi Unger of 12./JG 3 (13 kills), Lt. Johannes Neumann of 1./JG 300 and Hptm. Fritz Keller of Stab II./JG 27. Ofw. Ernst Schäfer of 2./JG 302 was killed during the battles over Germany. He had nine victories.

Personal Memory:

My diary reads: "Mersberg, Germany, (near Leipzig.) Same target as yesterday. (Leuna Oil Works.) Saw terrific dog fights over target between our P-51s and enemy fighters. Target CAVU and FLAK was terrific. Got several holes this time. Had third new crew. Carried 20 X 250-pound general purpose bombs. Flight time, 8 hours and thirty five minutes. Over enemy territory 4 hours and twenty minutes." I was flying the "Betty Jane" again today for an assault on Germany's most heavily defended city. My new crew for today was that of Lt. P. F. Cureton, Jr. Ironically and tragically he was to be killed in action on November 21st at this very same target. The only survivor of his nine man crew would be Radio Operator, Tech Sgt. J. A. Ellis German farmers would murder most of the others. The navigator was hanged on the spot and Cureton and his copilot were stabbed to death with pitch forks. This kind of treatment was not unusual when one bailed out over Germany itself, but was rare in occupied countries. On today's mission the 303rd Bomb Group supplied 13 aircraft for the 41st "C" Wing, High group. We did a plan "D" Group assembly over Harrington Buncher at 17,000 ft and flew in Combat Wing Formation while slowly climbing to 26,000 ft. At the IP (Initial Point) we took group interval for visual bombing and dropped our bombs from a magnetic heading of 95 degrees. At the target we saw about fifteen Me109s trying to attack the lead group but they were being harassed by our P-51s. Just after bombs away, four of the fifteen managed to elude the P-51s and made a single pass from 12 o'clock high (like the movie) through the lead group without shooting any down. We were probably lucky that these were Me109s and not FW190s with their new 30 MM cannon. After we dropped our bombs we made a sharp turn to the right to avoid flak, and at this time rejoined the Wing formation for our return to Molesworth. Over England we dropped down to one thousand feet and eventually had to fly at three hundred feet because of low clouds. We probably scared a lot of live stock and a few people, including us. At the target there were no photographs of the actual bomb bursts as they were concealed in smoke and shadows in the target area. The Germans always tried to conceal their important targets with smoke screens, but with limited success. The lead Group's bombs fell a little short of the MPI (Main Point of Impact.) They had approached the target at 103 degrees magnetic. The Low Group's bombs appeared to fall right on target. They flew to the target at 102 degrees magnetic. Our heading of 95 degrees gave us a good separation from the prop wash of the other groups and our bombs were right on target. The lead group of the "D" Wing following us headed to the target at 98 degrees but their lead bombardier didn't quite kill the drift and their bombs fell a couple hundred yards to the left of the MPI. Of the 51 (!) B-17 aircraft furnished by our group for this mission, 32 sustained battle damage but none were shot down thanks largely to the efforts of our P-51s over the target. Several of our B-17s had major damage from flak and many had a few flak holes, including my poor old "Betty Jane." Many times the ground crews repaired the holes so well that I couldn't find them. I even made mental notes on some occasions and still could not find them. These guys were good! Of course this was much more difficult on unpainted airplanes. Most of the B-17s built after 1943 were left unpainted except for identifying markings. It was impossible to hide from the German Radar or their optical devices. Being new crews, we generally were assigned whatever plane was ready to go. This meant that we flew twelve different B-17s in combat, and they all flew about the same. Of course most of the Brass flew in their favorite planes most of the time. I will note here that the Brass never shirked the tough missions, going on some of the most dangerous missions of the war. When we flew to Berlin of Hamburg there was always a squadron Commander or equal rank in the lead plane. And the lead plane was the prime target for flak gunners as well as fighter aircraft. Score: Milk Runs 13 others 14 (Dick Johnson)

During Mission 503 (above) U-872 (Type IX D2) is badly damaged at Bremen with 1 dead. Taken out of service 10 Aug, 1944 and later broken up.

MEDITERRANEAN: Weather cancels all bombing operations by the US Fifteenth Air Force in Italy. 14 P-38s, taking off from bases in the USSR , sweep the Kecskemet, Hungary area.

NORTH AMERICA: In the US, the first successful test of the Pelican guided missile is conducted 44 miles (70.8 km) offshore from NAS New York, New York; 2 of the 4 missiles hit the target ship.

UNITED KINGDOM: Another Me 410 from V./KG 2 fell to the guns of a Mosquito from RAF No.256 Squadron.

 

[syscom3]

30 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: Granville and Avranches fall to US forces in France. German forces including II Parachute Corps make a strong counterattack. The British advance near Caumont, France.

In France, the US Ninth Air Force dispatches 450+ A-20 Havocs and B-26s to bomb defenses in the Chaumont area in support of the US First Army; fighters fly escort, cover the assault area and armored columns, and carry out armed reconnaissance in the Orleans-Paris area; and 200+ C-47 Skytrains fly supply and evacuation missions to the Continent

The US Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. In Mission 505, 237 P-47s and P-51 Mustangs fly sweeps of Evreux, St Quentin, Paris and Orleans, France claiming the destruction of 3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 9 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost. In Mission 506, 1 B-17 is dispatched on a night leaflet mission but is recalled. Also, 31 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

Hptm. Siegfried Luckenbach was made acting Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 27 when Hptm. Rudolf Sinner was transferred out of the Gruppe.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US Fifteenth Air Force in Italy sends 300+ bombers to attack targets in Hungary and Yugoslavia: in Hungary, B-24s bomb Duna Airfield; B-17s bomb the aircraft factory at Budapest, and marshalling yards at Brod, Yugoslavia; P-38s and P-51s escort the missions.

EASTERN FRONT: 'U-250' (Type VIIC) is sunk on this day at 19.40 hours, in the Baltic Sea in the Gulf of Finland, at position 60.28N, 28.25E, by depth charges from Russian sub chaser MO-103. 46 dead, 6 survivors. Raised in Sep 1944. From 12 April, 1945 to 20 Aug 1945 in the Russian Navy as TS-14. Later broken up. 'U-250' attacked the 56 ton Russian sub chaser MO 105 with a G7e torpedo , at the north side of the Koivisto-strait in the Gulf of Finland. The Russian boat was destroyed easily (19 dead, 7 survivors), but the noise of the explosion brought other Russian boats to the location. At 1910hrs, Russian 'Oberleutnant` Aleksander Kolenko, chief of MO 103 got a sonar contact on 'U-250' and dropped five depth charges. 'U-250' was not heavily damaged, but there were seen on the water an air-bubbles track and so MO 103 dropped a second series of five depth charges. One of these exploded over the diesel room and 'U-250' got a big hole in the hull and sank. KapitŠnleutnant Werner-Karl Schmidt along with five other crew-members in the control-room got themselves out at the last minute. Needless to say the Russians were thrilled to have a German U-boat captain alive and a sunken U-boat in shallow waters. Russian divers soon discovered that the boat lay at only 27 meter depth with only a slight listing of 14 degrees to the right and a large hole over the top of the diesel room. Two large air tanks, 200 tons each, were transported to the area and the Russians worked behind a smoke-curtain to raise the boat. The Germans and the Finnish did what they could to prevent the boat with the new secret T5 (Zaunkšnig) acoustic-torpedo falling into Soviet hands. Finnish coastal artillery and German torpedo boats made frequent attacks on the salvage site but to no avail. Finally in September 1944 the Russian raised 'U-250' and towed it between air tanks to Kronstadt for examination. On 15 Sept, 1944 'U-250' came into the dry dock at Kronstadt. The former Commander Kptlt. Schmidt had to go first into the now dry boat, as the Russian believed some explosive charges might still be on the boat. The 6 survivors then spent some years in Russian captivity.

GERMANY: Fw. Willi Maximowitz of IV(Sturm)./JG 3 was officially promoted to Feldwebel and as a celebration of sorts crash landed his Fw 190A-8. He suffered only slight injuries, the second time in three days. A Staffelkapitän of Fw. Maximowitz's Sturmgruppe IV(Sturm)./JG 3, Lt. Walther Hagenah of 10 Staffel destroyed a USAAF P-38 Lightning for his fifteenth victory.

 

[syscom3]

31 July 1944

WESTERN FRONT: US 4th Armored Division advances from Avranches and crosses the Selune near Pontaubault. German counterattacks continue around Tessy and Percy.

The Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 507 Part 2: Of 104 B-24s dispatched, 47 hit Athies Airfield at Laon, 36 hit Creil Airfield and 1 hits Poix Airfield. Escort is provided by 38 P-47s and P-51s. Thirteen B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

In France, around 500 Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s attack bridges on the Seine, Loire, Mayenne, and Ruisseau la Forge Rivers and a fuel dump at Foret de la Guerche; fighters fly armed reconnaissance of activities in the Dieppe-Rouen areas, escort bombers, provide armored column cover, dive-bomb military targets in support of the US First Army and fly a few night intruder missions over enemy territory.

The French writer, Antoine de St. Exupery, author of "The Little Prince" and "Wind, Sand, and Stars," is killed in an F-5 Lightning crash during a reconnaissance mission off Marseilles, France.

EASTERN FRONT: The Third Belorussian Front enters Kovno [Kaunas], the capital of Lithuania. The First Belorussian Front advances toward Warsaw.

By this time the Soviet offensive in Karelian Isthmus (south of Lake Ladoga) had been stopped by the Finnish Army and the fighting there died down. But in northern Karelia (north of Lake Ladoga) two Soviet divisions (176th and 289th) were advancing towards Ilomantsi, apparently trying to find a weak spot in the Finnish defences. Major-General Erkki Raappana, CO of the 14th Div, is given the mission to encircle and destroy the enemy divisions. For this purpose a force consisting of the 21st and Cavalry brigades and parts of the 14th Division is gathered in the closing days of July. The Finnish counter-attack begins in the early hours of the 31st of July. President Ryti resigns so that peace negotiations may be started. Marshal Mannerheim is nominated as new president by the Eduskunta (parliament).

Oblt. Hans Ulrich Rudel was appointed Kommodore of SG 2 in place of Oblt. Hans-Karl Stepp.

At III / JG 77, Hptm. Karl Bresoschek was officially listed as either killed or missing in action. Oblt. Erhard Niese who was acting as Gruppenkommandeur gave up the position to Major Armin Köhler.

GERMANY: The Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 507: Of 705 B-17s dispatched, 567 bomb Munich, 43 hit Schleissheim Airfield, 36 hit aircraft engine plants at Munich-Allach and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 10 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 439 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 18-0-12 on the ground; a P-47 and 2 P-51s are lost. 2. 447 B-24 Liberators bomb the chemical works and city at Ludwigshafen, and the southwestern part of the city of Mannheim; 6 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 135 P-38 Lightnings. The intercepting Luftwaffe fighters lost Uffz. Rudolf Rauhaus of 6./JG 1 who was killed during the air battles. He had seven victories. JG 1 also lost Lt. Heinz Kottucz of 3./JG 1 who was killed shortly after downing a P-47 near St. Hilaire-du-Harcouët. The II./JG 1 also lost its Gruppenkommandeur when Hptm. Hermann Staiger of I./JG 26 was appointed Gruppenkommandeur and replaced Oblt. Rüdiger Kirchmayr who left for JG 11.

Personal Memory:

My diary for today reads: "Munich, Germany (Rough!) Carried incendiaries this trip. It looked like we made big fires too. The flak was really intense. Saw several B-17s go down. I carried quite a bit of flak back with me. I saw a few FW190s, but none attacked. Carried ten M17 incendiaries of 500 lbs each. Over enemy territory 4 hours and 35 minutes with a total flight time of 8 hours and 10 minutes." The 303rd BG scheduled 38 planes to bomb the Aero Engine Works by radar. Two 17s aborted and we flew with 36 planes. We each carried 2700 gallons of fuel and I was training another new crew on their first mission. It was 2nd Lt. T. A. Duncan and his crew in AC# 42-102569. Since we were to bomb by radar we remained in Wing formation and dropped our bombs with the leader. The lead plane was being piloted by my erstwhile pilot, T. R. Beiser. We could see fires through the several holes in the clouds. I must have been a slow learner but I got a good lesson to day. Part of our protective gear is an uncomfortable "Flak Beanie" which I carried under the seat with my parachute. I sometimes put it on when the flak got bad but today I did not do so because I had never seen a flak hole in the top of a B-17. Today a German 88 came up just barely outside the plane near my left elbow. It traveled about another thirty of forty feet and exploded with a jolt and the base of the shell came down on top of the number two engine making a hole through the cowl and part way into the collector ring causing a slight loss of manifold pressure. Before I adjusted the manifold pressure I got out my "Beanie" and put it on. I never went without it again! With all its flak damage my no-name airplane of today was listed as having major damage, although it was nothing compared to what would happen to it later.On January 8, 1945 after I was back at MacDill Field instructing, after a mission to Koblenz the pilot landed long and hot, going off the end of the runway, across a road and into a farmer's field doing major damage to the right wing and engines. All systems on the B-17 are run by electricity except cowl flaps and brakes which are run by hydraulic pressure furnished by an electric motor. Early in the mission the engineer found that a limit switch was missing from the system so he removed the hydraulic fluid until just before touch down on return. He replaced the fluid but must have gotten air in the system, thus no brakes, and a loud, expensive noise. Score: Milk runs 13, Others 15 ( Dick Johnson)

Two Gruppen of Oblt. Johann Kogler's ZG 26 converted from the Me 410 twin-engined fighter to the Fw 190 and was redesignated JG 6. Oblt. Kogler retained his position as Kommodore. Hptm. Willi Elstermann was made Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 6.

Obstlt. Helmut Lent of Stab./NJG 3, was made the award of the Brillanten (Nr 15), making him the first night fighter pilot to be so recognized.

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 360+ bombers to attack targets in Rumania; B-17s hit an oil refinery at Ploesti; B-24s bomb 2 oil refineries at Bucharest, 1 at and Doicesti, and oil storage at Targoviste. Fighters escort the bombers.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-333' (Type VIIC) is sunk in the North Atlantic west of the Scilly Isles, at position 49.39N, 07.28W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS 'Starling' and the frigate 'Loch Killin'. 45 dead (all crew lost).

 

[syscom3]

1 AUGUST 1944

WESTERN FRONT: US General Patton takes command of the 3rd Army. The 12th Army Group, Bradley, now consists of the 1st Army, Hodges, and the 3rd Army. The 21st Army Group, Montgomery, now consists of the British 2nd Army, Dempsey, and the Canadian 1st Army, Crerar. Patton heads for Brittany.

In France, the USAAF Ninth Air Force's XIX Tactical Air Command becomes operational in conjunction with the US Third Army; the Ninth's fighter and fighter-bomber groups (Ninth Air Force refers to them collectively as fighter-bomber groups) are divided between the IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands; about 250 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs bomb rail bridges at Mezieres-sur- Seine, Maintenon, Les Ponts-de-Ce, Chartres, Cinq Mars-la-Pile, Bouchmaine, Nogent-sur-Loir, and Bourth; XIX Tactical Air Command fighters carry out armed reconnaissance and rail bombing missions in the Alencon, Dreux, Chartres, Nogent-sur-Loir, Le Mans, Sable-sur-Sarthe, Laval and Sille-le-Philippe areas, while IX Tactical Air Command fighters fly armored column and assault area cover, and armed reconnaissance in the battle areas.

The USAAF's Eight Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 508: 1,291 bombers and 432 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields, bridges and tactical targets in France; 5 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 193 B-17s drop 2,281 containers of supplies to French Resistance forces (Operation BUICK) at four locations in southeastern France, i.e., Chalon-Sur-Saone, the Savoie area, Haute-Savoie and west of Geneva; 3 P-51 groups furnish escort. 2. 76 B-17s bomb Tours Airfield; 1 B-17 is lost. Escort is flown by 51 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost . 3. 400 B-17s attack 5 airfields and a railway bridge in the area south and southwest of Paris; 112 hit Bricy Airfield at Orleans, 108 hit Chateaudun Airfield, 59 hit Melun Airfield, 58 hit Chartres Airfield, 36 hit Chartres Bridge, 15 hit targets of opportunity, and 12 hit Mondesir Airfield at Etampes; 3 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 138 P-38s and P-51s. 4. 284 B-24s are dispatched to bomb targets in the Paris environs; bad weather causes 100+ aborts; 66 hit Rouen, 47 hit Melun Airfield, 44 hit Nogent Bridge, 33 hit targets of opportunity, 29 hit Bricy Airfield at Orleans, 24 hit Montereau Bridge, 12 hit Nanteuil Bridge, 12 hit Villeroche Airfield, 11 hit Coulommiers Bridge, and 6 hit Chartres Airfield; a B-24 is lost,. Escort is provided by 127 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51s; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 2 P-47s are lost. 5. 191 B-24s, sent against 8 V-weapon sites in northwestern France, run afoul of bad weather which causes multiple aborts; 61 of the planes manage to bomb 3 sites; escort is provided by 81 P-47s.

Mission 509: 6 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Belgium during the night.

In the Netherlands, 13-year-old Anne Frank makes the last entry in her diary that she has kept for two years while hiding with her family in Amsterdam. On 4 August, the Grune Polizei raid the secret annex in the house Anne and her family are hiding in and they are deported to Germany. Anne Frank dies in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at age 15.

EASTERN FRONT: Today the Finnish Parliament formally acknowledges President Ryti's resignation, tendered on 29 July. Prime Minister Edwin Linkomies acts as a provisional President of the Republic, and he immediately receives a proposal that Marshal Mannerheim is to be elected as President by a special law without elections. The law is passed by the Parliament as fast as possible, and it comes into force on 4 Aug.

Kaunas, Lithuania falls the the Third Belorussian Front. Most routes to East Prussia from the Baltic States are cut off.

The Home Army, of the London based Polish government, begins open operations in Warsaw. The Russians halt their advance towards Warsaw. These are purely political moves.

Oblt. Franz Dörr was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 5.

GERMANY: Due to pressure from Hitler, Reichsmarschall Göring and others who condemned his handling of Luftwaffe armament, General Milch resigns his position as Secretary of State and Director of Armament.

Figures indicate that for the month of August the Luftwaffe will lose one fighter pilot for every Allied bomber shot down.

Delivery of the Fw190D-9 to front-line units began. The first Gruppe to convert to the "Dora-9" was III./JG 54. Their initial assignment was to fly "top cover" for Me 262 jet fighters during takeoff when the jet fighters were especially vulnerable because of their poor acceleration. At first, Luftwaffe pilots were somewhat suspicious of their new fighter, since the Jumo 213 was thought to be only a "bomber" engine. However, it soon became apparent that they had a winner on their hands. The "Dora" could out-climb and out-dive its BMW 801-powered predecessor with ease, and it possessed an excellent turning rate at speed. An experienced pilot could pull a tighter turn in a D-9 than he could with the BMW-powered FW190A. The general opinion of the pilots who flew the FW190D-9 was that it was the finest propeller-driven fighter available to the Luftwaffe during the entire war. In fact, many of its pilots considered it more than a match for the redoubtable P-51D Mustang.

 

[syscom3]

2 AUGUST 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The US VIII Corps, now part of Patton's 3rd Army, reaches Dinan and Rennes in Brittany. The US First and Third Armies advanced toward the lower Loire river. First Army units to their left attack around Tessy toward Mortain and liberate Villedieu, France.

In France, the Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command halts bombing of bridges, fuel dumps, and similar targets in Brittany except on the request of the 12th Army Group, as the US Third Army wants the use of bridge access to all fuel they may find in their advance across France; around 300 A-20 Havocs and B-26s attack bridges at Mezieres-sur- Seine, Mainvillers, Cinq Mars-la-Pile, Nantes, and Lisle, and ammunition dumps at Caudebec-les -Elbeuf and Le Lude; fighters fly armed reconnaissance in wide areas surrounding Paris and the southwest as far as Laval, escort IX Bomber Command aircraft, and provide cover for armored columns and close support for ground forces.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 510: 319 bombers and 158 fighters in 2 forces are dispatched to attack oil and supply dumps and bridges in the Paris area (number in parenthesis indicates number of bombers attacking); the two forces above are escorted by 132 P-51 Mustangs. Two B-17s and a P-51 are lost. 1. Targets for 156 B-17 Flying Fortresses are Paris/Gennevilliers (51), Paris/Dugny (38 ), Mery-sur-Oise (37), Bernay marshalling yard (12), Courtalain rail junction (7) and targets of opportunity (4); 2 B-17s are lost. 2. Targets for 163 B-24s are bridges at Neuvy-sur-Loire (36), Nogent-sur-Seine (31), Mantereau (28 ); Sens oil depot (26); airfields at St Dizier (12) and Creton (3); and Pacy-sur-Armancon (10). Mission 511: 517 bombers and 249 fighters in 2 forces are dispatched to attack CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites and bridges in France; escort for the 2 forces is provided by 236 P-51s. Three B-17s and 5 P-51s are lost: 1. Of 195 B-17s dispatched, 77 hit V-weapon sites, and rail bridges at Jussy (31), Aulnoye (21), Beautor (21) and Crocal de St Quentin (11); 3 B-17s are lost. 2. Of 322 B-24s dispatched, 182 hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 22 hit Thennes Bridge, 12 hit Peronne Rail Bridge, 11 hit Achiet Airfield and 8 hit targets of opportunity. 49 P-38s, 183 P-47 Thunderbolts and 51 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail and road transport in the Paris-Amiens- Brussels- St Quentin area; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-47 and a P-51 are lost. 42 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy dispatches 330+ bombers to hit targets in France and Italy; B-24s attack Genoa, Italy harbor; B-17s hit targets in S France, including Le Pouzin oil storage, Portes-les-Valences torpedo factory and marshalling yard, Le Pontet oil storage, and Avignon railroad bridges; P-38s and P-51s provide escort.

The first operational jet flight took place when Oblt. Erich Sommer of 1./Versuchsverband Ob.d.L. took his Ar-234 on a reconnaissance flight over the Normandy beachhead, cruising at about 740 KPH (460 MPH) at above 9,200 meters (30,000 feet). Two Rb 50/30 aerial cameras were mounted in the rear fuselage, each canted 12 degrees from the vertical in opposite directions. At operating altitude, they took one set of pictures every 11 seconds, imaging a swath almost 10 kilometres wide across the direction of flight. Oblt. Sommer came and went unhindered. Altitude and speed kept him safe, and in fact he wasn't even detected. The images he returned showed a buildup of more than 1.5 million men and a matching amount of supplies and weapons. When Sommer returned he found the second Arado 234 V5 flown by Oblt. Götz had arrived in the meanwhile and over the next three weeks the two machines flew thirteen more missions without interference from Allied defenses. They returned high-quality intelligence data, but they only confirmed in detail what the Wehrmacht ground commanders knew only too well: the Germans were being beaten by an overwhelmingly superior adversary.

UNITED KINGDOM: The heaviest attack of the V-1 flying bombs was launched on the city of London. During a twenty-four period, 336 bombs were fired on London from thirty-eight launching sites. Only 107 bombs reached London, including one that hit the Tower Bridge for the first time, damaging the roadway.

 

[syscom3]

3 AUGUST 1944

WESTERN FRONT: Mortain, France falls to the US 1st Army.

In France, 180+ A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders of the USAAF's Ninth Air Force bomb rail bridges, overpasses, and junctions at Mantes-la-Jolie, Chartres, La Chenaie and Merey, fuel dump at Maintenon, and alternate rail targets in northern France; fighters escort IX Bomber Command bombers and a few C-47 Skytrains, provide cover for ground forces, and fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas of northern and western France.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 512: 672 bombers and 352 fighters are dispatched to hit rail and other targets in the French/German border area and oil dumps and bridges southeast of Paris; 6 B-17s and 6 P-51 Mustangs are lost: 1. Of 345 B-17s dispatched, 106 hit the Merkwille Oil Refinery, 68 hit Strasbourg marshalling yard, 62 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yard, 54 hit Mulhouse marshalling yard, 16 hit Croix de Metz Airfield at Toul, 11 hit a railroad near Saarbrucken and 6 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 4-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 175 P-51s; they claim 6-0-0 aircraft in the air and 5-0-1 on the ground; 6 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 155 B-17s dispatched, 38 hit Troyes Bridge and 36 hit La Roche Bridge at Joigny. Escort is provided by 96 P-51s. 3. Of 172 B-24s dispatched, 27 hit Conches Airfield, 12 hit Melun marshalling yard, 11 hit Etampes Mondesir Airfield and 3 hit targets of opportunity. Escort is provided by 47 P-47 Thunderbolts. Mission 513: 482 bombers and 178 fighters are dispatched to oil installations and dumps in the Brussels, Paris and Lille areas and CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in the Pas de Calais; 2 bombers are lost: 1. 112 B-17s and 117 B-24s hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais; a B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 43 P-51s. 2. Of 76 B-24s dispatched, 62 hit Brussels/Vivorde, 10 hit Ghent/Terneuzen and 1 hits a target of opportunity. Escort is provided by 33 P-47s. 3. Of 159 B-24s, dispatched 49 hit Harnes, 28 hit Courchelettes, 22 hit Pas de Calais V-weapons sites, 10 hit Lille/Marquette, 10 hit Lille/Sequedin and 8 hit Ghent marshalling yard. Escort is provided by 90 P-51s. 133 P-38s and P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail traffic in the Metz-Strasbourg- Saarbrucken area; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; a P-47 is lost.

At 1930 hours Oblt. Erich Sommer of 1./Versuchsverband Ob.d.L. took his Ar-234 on another reconnaissance flight over the Normandy beachhead.

EASTERN FRONT: Crossings over the Vistula River are seized by Konev south of Sandomierz which is 110 miles south of Warsaw. German forces caused the destruction of Soviet spearhead forces in the area east of Warsaw.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy dispatches 600+ bombers to attack targets in Germany; B-17s and B-24s hit industry in the Friedrichshafen area, including chemical works, fabric works, and 2 aircraft factories; B-24s also bomb communications targets in the Brenner Pass area, attacking Avisio viaduct and bridges at Ora and San Michele all'Adige; fighters fly about 300 sorties in support; the bombers and fighters claim 18 enemy aircraft shot down; 11 USAAF airplanes are destroyed.

By this date the Sturmgruppe IV(Sturm)./JG 3 had suffered serious losses with sixteen pilots killed. Even so, the unit was dispatched to intercept USAAF 15th AF bombers coming from Italy over the Alps. Thirty B-24 Liberators from the 465th BG targeted Friedrichshafen and were attacked on the return flight by the Sturmbocks of IV(Sturm)./JG 3 escorted by I./JG 300 from Schongau. Five out of eleven Bf 109s of I./JG 300 escorting the Fw 190s of IV.(Sturm)/JG 3 clashed with P-51s at about 15:30-15:40 hours near Tübingen (South-West of Stuttgart), while III./JG 53 saw combat against P-51s in the Pforzheim area at about 15:00 hours. III./JG 53 lost two Bf 109s destroyed and a third damaged in a belly landing. I./JG 300 losses that day were two Bf 109s destroyed in aerial combat and two more damaged during a combat sortie while IV./JG 3 losses were ten Fw 190s destroyed and one damaged. Although in existence for only a few months, the 12. Staffel of the Sturmgruppe IV(Sturm)./JG 3 was down to only Schwarm strength and was only able to get four Fw 190s into the air to combat the Allied bombers. Uffz. Willi Unger commented on the action;

". . . I took off with my Staffel in Schwarm strength as part of the Gruppe's battle formation. We had been alerted at 1035 hours and at 1125 hours we caught sight of the enemy bomber formation in Grid Square E. O. flying at some 22,000 ft in a south easterly direction towards Italy. We formed up behind several boxes of Liberators to attack. My Schwarm would attack a box of nine Liberators flying to the right and slightly above the main enemy formation. . . My 12 Staffel had been hit hard in the July air battles which was why on the 3rd August 1944 we were only at Schwarm strength, a Schwarm that comprised the following pilots: Fw. Unger, Uffz. Zimkeit, Scholz and Christ. . . . The four-engined Liberators had bombed Friedrichshafen that morning and were now flying over the Tirolean Alps back to Italy. I had positioned my Schwarm directly behind an element of three Liberators trailing the main formation and now opened fire with my cannon on the middle machine. Pieces started to fly off the enemy machine. It swerved out of the formation. In my attack I had overflown the next element of Liberators but was now on the tail of a B-24 flying in a third element. I attacked again. Two of the bomber's crew baled and shot right past my plane, as did a hail of fragments. But I'd been hit by the tail-gunner's fire, mainly in the engine and oil tank. My windshield was covered in thick film of oil. I couldn't see a thing. Without a second thought I baled out . . ."

All four Focke-Wulfs were shot down including that of Uffz. Heinz Zimkeit and Uffz. Hans-Joachim Scholz who were killed and Fw. Unger, who parachuted safely over the Lechtal Alps after destroying two Liberators and Uffz. Hermann Christ safely landed at Kaufbeuren and returned to the unit. Uffz. Scholz was an Experte with six kills. Total losses for the Sturmgruppe were ten Fw 190s shot down. The Allies lost nineteen Liberators to the Sturmbocks and their escorts. At the 14th Staffel of JG 3, Lt. Werner Gerth destroyed an Allied B-24 Liberator as did Lt. Karl-Heinz von den Steinen from 11./JG 3 who had to bale out of his badly damaged plane and spent several months in hospital severely burned and injured.

Lt. Alfred Schreiber of EKdo 262 again claimed the destruction of an Allied recon Spitfire in his Me 262 but was denied the claim.

 

[syscom3]

4 AUGUST 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The German XXV Corps, in Brittany, withdraws to the major ports of St. Malo, Brest, Lorient and St. Nazaire. Commanded by General Farmbacher, Lorient and St. Nazaire will hold until May of 1945. British troops liberate Evrecy and Villers Bocage, France.

In France, 62 USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s bomb rail bridges at Oissel, Epernon, and Saint-Remy-sur- Avre and an ammunition dump and bivouac area in Foret de Sille; fighters furnish cover over the battle area and for an armored column, fly sweeps, dive-bomb enemy positions and also fuel dumps at Angers, attack an ammunition dump at Tours, and fly armed reconnaissance in the Quimper-Nantes, Amines, and Saint-Quentin areas.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 516: In France, 154 B-17s and 36 fighters in 2 forces are dispatched to hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais and coastal defenses at Middelkerke and Gravelines without loss. Escort for the 2 forces is provided by 35 P-47s and P-51s. 1. Of 95 B-24s dispatched, 24 hit the Pas de Calais, 12 hit Achiet Airfield, 11 hit Gravelines, 11 hit Middelkerke, 6 hit Lens marshalling yard and 6 hit Montigne marshalling yard at Villy. 2. Of 59 B-17s dispatched, 13 hit targets of opportunity, 12 hit Vendeville Airfield at Lille and 11 hit a bridge at Gravelines. 67 P-47s fly a fighter-bomber mission against Plantlunne Airfield; they claim 30-0-5 aircraft on the ground; a P-47 is lost.

In the Netherlands, the Gestapo, acting on tip from a Dutch informer, captures 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse at Prinsengracht 263; two of the Christians who had helped shelter them are also arrested. The Franks had taken shelter there in 1942 out of fear of deportation to a concentration camp. They occupied the small space with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man, and were aided by former Christian employees of Otto Frank and other Dutch friends who brought them food and supplies. Anne spent much of her time in the "secret annex" working on her diary which survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo that discovered the hiding place. They are sent to a concentration camp in Holland, and in September Anne and most of the others are shipped to Auschwitz in Poland. In the fall of 1944, Anne and her sister Margot are moved to Bergen-Belsen in Germany; both sisters catch typhus and die in early March 1945, two months before the camp was liberated by British forces. Anne's father Otto Frank is the only one of the 10 to survive. After the war, he returns to Amsterdam via the Soviet Union, and is reunited with Miep Gies, one of his former employees who had helped shelter him. She handed him Anne's diary and in 1947, the diary is published by Otto in its original Dutch as "Diary of a Young Girl.

MEDITERRANEAN: South African units of the British XII Corps enter Florence, Italy and areas south of the Arno River. Plans for future operations are revised by General Leese for the British 8th Army near the east coast of Italy to make the next major move.

In an attempt to comply with the first direct Soviet request for USAAF air strikes, 70+ Fifteenth Air Force P-38s and P-51s leave Italy, attack the airfield and town of Focsani, Rumania, and land at Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR.

EASTERN FRONT: German units counterattack between Riga and Jelgava reopening communications with Lithuania. The Red Army forces formed a bridgehead across the Vistula at Baranov.

Marshal of Finland, Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim is elected by the Parliament as the new President of the Republic of Finland. This election is doubly exceptional. Normally the President is elected by a chamber of electors elected by popular vote, but this procedure has already been dispensed with in 1940 and 1943 because of the exceptional times. Second, constitutionally professional soldiers can't take part in politics; they can vote but can't run as candidates or be members of political parties. Among the political leadership it has long been agreed that the 77-year old Marshal is the only person who can lead the Finnish people unified to the harsh peace that is to be expected.

Following the start of an uprising against German forces in Warsaw by the Polish Home Army on 1 August, the Allied Chiefs of Staff dispatched a signal to Air Marshal Slessor, Air Commander in Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces and Commander in Chief RAF Mediterranean and Middle East, requesting that he comply with Polish appeals for assistance if operationally practicable. Supply dropping operations began on this night, and continued until 21-22 September. The majority of resupply operations were flown by Polish and Royal Air Force (RAF) special duties units, together with RAF and South African Air Force heavy bomber squadrons, operating from Italian bases.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies 3 missions. Mission 514: 1,307 bombers and 746 fighters in 4 forces are dispatched to strategic targets in Germany; 15 bombers are lost: 1. Of 358 B-17s dispatched, 181 hit Hamburg oil refineries, 50 hit Bremen oil refineries, 23 hit Nordhof Airfield, 22 hit Ostend, Belgium coastal defenses, 14 hit Einswarden and 7 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-4-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 234 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 38-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 9-0-1 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 425 B-17s dispatched, 221 hit Peenemunde, 110 hit Anklam Airfield and 70 hit Anklam aircraft factories; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 223 P-51s; they claim 4-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 9 P-51s are lost. 3. Of 446 B-24s dispatched, 148 hit Rostock aviation factories, 89 hit Kiel, 88 hit Schwerin aviation factories, 71 hit Wismar aviation factories, 12 hit Schlutup, 11 hit Warien and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 209 P-38s and P-51s; a P-51 is lost. 4. Of 78 B-24s dispatched, 39 hit Husum Airfield and 29 hit Heide oil refinery at Hemmingstedt without loss. Mission 515: The first APHRODITE mission is flown using 4 radio-controlled war weary B-17s as flying bombs; targets are Mimoyecques, Siracourt, Watten, and Wizernes V-weapon sites but none are hit; 1 drone B-17 crashes killing the crew. Escort is provided by 16 P-47s and 16 P-51s.

Personal Memory:

My diary reads: "Peenemunde, Germany. Experimental station for jet propelled aircraft (V-2.) Lots of flak due to CAVU weather. Got only a few holes. Shot down an Me 110 on way back. Ball Turret gunner got credit. Long, hard trip. Blasted it wide open. Won't have to go back!" At least I didn't have to go back. This was one of the most successful missions that I participated in. I was flying another new crew on their first mission. It was that of Lt. L. M. Johnston in A/C number 42-31432 "Jigger Rouche, Kraut Killer" We each carried five, 1000 pound bombs and 2700 gallons of gasoline for this nine hour trip to the Baltic coast in northern Germany. The 303rd Bomb Group supplied thirty-seven aircraft for this mission plus we had two PFF planes from the 305th Bomb Group that supplied these lead ships for many groups. At the target the weather was CAVU so we made a visual seven and a half minute bomb run and bombs were away at a few seconds past 1442 from 23,000 feet, we being the high squadron for today's mission I was carrying bombs with long delay fuses since I was in the No. 9 position near the center of the group. The first of my 5 bombs would explode three hours after impact and the others would explode at intervals for the next 3 days. Other groups had similar bombs in their number 9 position. We never carried these type bombs on missions to occupied countries, only to some German targets. Our bomb patterns were very good on this mission and we did considerable damage to the area. As our bombs started falling a speed boat on the canal suddenly reversed course and sped away from the target area. It was a smart move because our bombs dammed the canal in three places. As we headed home we flew over the Baltic and over the Danish Island of Falster and immediately over the island of Lolland Maribo. At this point we saw an Me110 approaching from the rear. I asked the tail gunner how far back and he said that it was about two miles and closing. I told them that we were on our way home and hadn't fired a shot so "let him have it." Immediately all the rearward guns opened up and when the enemy got within about a mile he started a vertical dive and never stopped until he hit the ground. There was no parachute from the stricken plane which seemed undamaged. Evidently one of our fifty caliber bullets got the pilot from a mile away. This Me110 had already fired one rocket which missed and never got a chance for a second. After this action we got a little too close to Germany's northernmost city (Flensburg) which had a battery of 88MM flak guns and another of larger caliber which was fairly intense and accurate. Several of us got minor damage from this encounter. On this mission, 17 of our thirty nine B-17s had battle damage with nine major. Score: Milk runs 13, Others, 16. (Dick Johnson)

UNITED KINGDOM: In England, RAF Flying Officer T. D. Dean is flying Gloster Meteor Mk. I, s/n EE216, of No. 616 Squadron from Manston, Kent, when he encounters a V-1 "buzz bomb." Dean's guns jam and he forms on the V-1 at 365 mph (587 km/h) and tips the pilotless aircraft over with his wing tip. This is the first enemy aircraft to be destroyed by an RAF jet fighter.

 

[syscom3]

5 AUGUST 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The Fourth Ukraine Front, under Petrov, is activated by the Soviets in southern Poland and northern Hungary.

Major General Einar Wihma, the commander of the 6th Div. is killed in a Soviet artillery barrage in Ihantala. He earned himself Mannerheim Cross 2nd class commanding his division in the heavy defensive battles fought here a month earlier. Maj. Gen. Einar Wihma (some sources write it with v, others with w, both letters are pronounced the same way in Finnish) earned his Mannerheim Cross already in late 1941, for personal bravery when commanding (IIRC) the 12th Division. He's the only Finnish general ever killed by enemy action. The Russians had built in Ihantala a base behind immobilized tanks only 200 meters (600 ft) away from the Finnish front line. It was decided to destroy this base by an assault detachment made up of the troops of the 6th Div. After air and artillery attacks the detachment advances behind thick smokescreen and succeeds in destroying nine of the enemy tanks. However, the detachment loses 25 men and Maj. Gen. Wihma is killed in a Russian counter-barrage while observing the situation in the front line.

In Warsaw, Polish insurgents loyal to their government-in- exile in London liberate a German forced-labor camp, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners, who join in a general uprising against the German occupiers of the city. By this date, more than 15,000 Poles have been killed in the uprising.

RAF 148.Sqn sent a flight of Halifaxes on missions over Poland. Hptm. August Fischer of 3./ NJG 100, reported his ninth kill being a Halifax downed at 00:04 hours at 50 km SW from Dabrowa Tarnowska. Another Halifax was downed near Tarnow and fell close to Letowice village, Fw. Helmut Konter of 3./NJG 100 reporting this as his 15th kill, destroyed at 01:46 hours 65km E of Krakau. Oblt. Ernst Drünkler of 1./NJG 5 reported downing a "4-mot. Flzg." at 01:04 hours at position BK-1.

WESTERN FRONT: Over 300 USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders bomb Saint-Malo harbor and Foret de Sille fuel dump during the night of 4/5 August, and during the day, rail bridges at 6 cities in northern and western France, and marshalling yard at Compiegne; fighters furnish cover for ground forces and fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas of northern France.

At Pont Mikael in Brittany, the U.S. 15th Tank Battalion was assigned to the 6th Armored Division, having landed at Utah Beach on 18 July. The breakout at Avranches on 30 July and the drive to capture the Brittany Ports saw the 4th and 6th Armored divisions race across the Brittany peninsula, with some elements covering up to 26 miles (42 kilometres) in a day. Having fought their way through Poullaouen, the "point" of the advanced guard, consisting of one platoon of medium tanks from Company B, the 15th and one platoon of infantry from Company B, 9th Armored Infantry Battalion, as CCR (Combat Command Reserve) continued their advance toward Huelgoat, in central Brittany, at 1750 hours with Brest as their ultimate destination. The "point" was ordered to proceed rapidly toward Huelgoat. Lieutenant Schnepp proceeded without mishap until he neared the road junction about three miles east of Huelgoat, known locally as Pont Mikael.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 520: During the afternoon, 34 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb V-1 "Buzz Bomb" sites in the Pas de Calais area at Flers (14-0); Coubronne, Crepieul and Fleury (each 6-0) and Fressin (2-0).

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 521: In a Micro H test, two B-17s, escorted by eight P-51 Mustangs, bomb a power plant at Beuvry without loss.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 522: During the night of 5/6 August, six B-17s drop leaflets over France and the Netherlands.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches aircraft to bomb oil storage and V-1 targets. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1) Oil storage: Blaye (95-0); Bassens at Bordeaux (112-0); Pauillac at Bordeaux (94-1) Railroad bridge at Etaples (13-0) U-boat pens at Brest (17-0) V-1 site at Acquet, V-1 supply sites: Foret de Nieppe (281-0) and St. Leu D'Esserent (441-1)

During the night of 5/6 August, RAF Bomber Command three RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Brest while five others drop leaflets.

Dick Johnson, who flew one of the six aircraft that bombed Crepieul, reports the following:

"The 303d Bomb Group had been flying two missions per day for some time and today each squadron planned to launch ten B-17s each for a total of 40 planes. This was a rush job and Beiser was leading our 427th Squadron and only six of us made formation with their assigned group. A few of the planes were so rushed that they weren't fully loaded with bombs. We were to bomb six different targets in France in support of the ground troops. We assembled over Harrington Buncher at 3,500 feet (1 067 meters) and since we were late in taking off we took a short cut to Splasher 10 and then directly to Beachy Head at 20,000 feet (6 096 meters). As a result of this short cut three of our planes couldn't catch up and so they tacked onto another squadron. Our three plane squadron's target was Crepieul, France where we did a ten minute bomb run. Flak gunners did not fire on us as they did some of the others and as a result none of our planes were damaged. In the "A" Squadron the lead plane received a hit that disabled the manual aileron controls and tumbled the gyros that operated the auto pilot just 45 seconds before bombs away. The bombardier recovered just in time to do a fair job in his bombing attempt. The "D" squadron was 20 minutes late when they had to circle in order to avoid a large formation of British Lancasters in their path. At the target one plane was hit by flak that disabled two engines. That squadron flew a direct route to England after bombs away and the disabled plane landed at Ford, Sussex, England, which is near the White Cliffs of Dover. We saw two Me-163 'Komet' rocket planes but with their five to six minute fuel supply they could not reach our 303rd squadron. Our P-51s shot down several German fighters that day and I think that this was the intent of the mission: to lure up the German fighters so that our fighters with their superior numbers could eliminate them. This was a "FUBAR" mission from the word go, but it was a milk run for me. and it was Beiser's last mission. But I had two more to go. I had the same copilot as yesterday's mission but with a mixed crew who were making up missed missions. Why me, Lord? On my penultimate mission on August 7th I would be bombing Paris. Score; Milk runs 14, Others 16."

GERMANY: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies three missions today. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1): Mission 519: 543 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators bomb numerous targets during the morning. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1): Aircraft assembly plants: Halberstadt (Fw-190, 71-1); Langenhagen at Hannover (Fw-190, 140-0); Neupetritor at Brunswick (components, 33-0); Neustadt at Magdeburg (engines, 92-1); Querum at Brunswick (engines, 95-1); Waggum at Brunswick (Me-110, 68-1); and Wilhelmitor (Me-110, 69-3) Airfields: Goslar (7-0); Heligoland (1-0); Helmstedt (15-0); and Nordholz (2-0) Industrial areas: Dedelstorf, Helmstedt and Magdeburg (each 1-0), Oil refinery: Dollbergen (72-0) Oil storage: Nienburg (175-2) Targets of opportunity: 13-0) Vehicle assembly plant: Krupp at Magdeburg/Buckau (86-2); NAG at Brunswick (43-0); Volkswagen at Fallersleben (85-2) .

An Allied air raid on Stade destroyed the third factory production Ta 154 "TE+FG" night-fighter of III./NJG 3 fitted with a FuG 212 C-1 sub-type aerial.

During the night of 5/6 August, 34 RAF Bomber Command aircraft bomb the Krupp Treibstoff synthetic oil refinery at Wanne-Eikel without loss.

 

[syscom3]

6 AUGUST 1944

WESTERN FRONT: The US 4th Armored Division advances on Lorient, France. Vire is liberated by the US 29th Division.

In France, USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s hit bridges, fuel and ammunition dumps, and a locomotive depot at Beauvais, Beaumont-sur- Sarthe, Courtalain, Foret de Perseigne, and Blois; fighters escort IX Bomber Command and furnish cover to ground troops in the Vire, Rennes, and Redon areas.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions; 24 of 91 B-24s dispatched hit 2 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais, France, area. Escort is provided by 24 P-47s. Mission 526: 7 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night. 36 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France; a B-24 is lost.

Close to 700 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s, operating against targets in southeastern France, attack oil storage at Le Pouziii, Le Pontet, and Lyon, railroad bridges at Le Pouzin, Avignon, Tarascon, Rambert, and Givors, marshalling yards at Portes-les-Valences and Miramas, and submarine pens at Toulon where they sink the German submarines 'U-471', 'U-952' and 'U-969'; 43 P-38s dive-bomb airfields at Orange/Plan de Dieu, and Valence; P-38s and P-51s fly about 200 sorties in support of bombing missions.

'U-736' (Type VIIC) is sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of St. Nazaire, at position 47.19N, 04.16W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS 'Loch Killin'. 28 dead, 20 survivors were taken into captivity.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces in Florence, Italy cross the Arno River into the northern part of the city.

EASTERN FRONT: In Poland, the Germans begin the deportation of 70,000 Jews from Lodz to Auschwitz.

In an Operation FRANTIC mission, 75 USAAF's Eighth Air Force B-17s hit the Rahmel aircraft factories at Gdynia, Poland and proceed to bases in the USSR; they claim 0-2-2 aircraft. Escort is provided by 154 P-51s; they claim 7-2-3 aircraft; 4 P-51s are lost. Sixty USAAF Fifteenth Air Force fighters take off from Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR, attack Craiova marshalling yard and other railroad targets in the Bucharest-Ploesti, Rumania area, and land at Italian bases.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 524: 1,186 bombers and 740 fighters are dispatched to attack oil refineries, aircraft, ordnance and other factories in Germany and V-weapon sites in France; 24 bombers and 8 fighters are lost: 1. Of 414 B-17s dispatched, 126 hit Brandenburg assembly plants, 74 hit Genshagen, 69 hit Brandenburg munitions industry, 12 hit Stendal Airfield and 8 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 168 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 19-0-2 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 154 B-17s dispatched, 83 hit Berlin aircraft engine factories, 45 hit Berlin diesel factories, 7 hit targets of opportunity and 4 hit Nordholz Airfield; they claim 0-2-3 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 107 P-51s; they claim 4-0-0 aircraft in the air and 2-0-4 on the ground; a P-51 is lost. 3. Of 445 B-24s dispatched, 72 hit Hamburg/Schulau oil refinery, 62 hit Hamburg/Rhenania- Ossag oil refinery, 61 hit Hamburg/Rhenania oil refinery, 58 hit Kiel naval installation, 54 hit Hamburg/Deutsche oil refinery, 33 hit Hamburg/Eband oil refinery, 32 hit Hamburg/Schlieman oil refinery, 23 hit Hemmingstedt and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 8 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 196 P-38 Lightnings and P-47 Thunderbolts; they claim 1-0-2 aircraft; a P-47 is lost.

UNITED KINGDOM: Whilst escorting convoy EBC.66, corvette HMCS 'Regina' is attacked and sunk by 'U-667' (Oberleutnant zur See Karl-Heinz Lange). Location: English Channel off Trevose Head, Cornwall at 50 42N 05 03W.

 

[syscom3]

7 AUGUST 1944

WESTERN FRONT: Attacking between the US VII and XIV Corps the 2. and 116. Panzerdivisions launch a strong counterattack. This is east of Mortain, France. British forces failed in their attempt to achieve a breakthrough at Falaise. During their advance the Germans retake Mortain. Allied air attacks assist the ground forces in limiting the German gains.

SE of Caen Canadian forces began an attack last night. More than 1000 RAF bombers dropped more than 3,000 tons of bombs on the German positions in support of this attack. The U.S. First Army breaks through the German lines on the Cotentin Peninsula and cuts off the German-held port of Cherbourg.

At the Pas-de-Calais, Oberst Wachtel of II Abteilung Flakregiment 155 (W) was ordered to cease construction of V-1 launch sites due to the approaching Allied forces. New sites were to be scouted and explored further within France but still within range of England.

In France, 380+ USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s bomb bridges at Nogent-sur-Seine and Neuvy-sur-Loire; fighters escort IX Bomber Command aircraft, furnish defensive cover in the Vire, Laval, and Rennes areas, and support ground forces in the assault area.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies 3 missions. Mission 527: 905 bombers and 471 fighters are dispatched to hit fuel dumps and bridges in France but heavy cloud cover forces many aircraft to return with bombs and other formations to be recalled; 1 bomber and 5 fighters are lost; targets hit (number in parenthesis indicates bombers bombing) are: 1. Of 112 B-17s dispatched, 71 hit Montbartier and 34 hit St Loubes. Escort is provided by 123 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 1-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-1 on the ground. 2. The primary targets of 224 B-17s are Nanteuil Bridge (36), Sens (26), St Florentin (25), Dueny (24), Bourron Marlotte (23) and Paris-St Quen (12); other targets hit are Chartres Airfield (23), Maintenon Bridge (23), Houden marshalling yard (14), Chateaudun Airfield (11) and Rouglaf (1). Escort is provided by 96 P-51s. 3. 1 of 182 B-17s dispatched hits Montdidier Airfield. Escort is provided by 90 P-38 Lightnings and P-51s. 4. Of 51 B-24s dispatched, 10 hit Andenne Bridge, 8 hit Semuse and 8 hit targets of opportunity; a B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 34 P-47 Thunderbolts. 5. The primary targets of 333 B-24s are Doullens Bridge (37), Saleux (24), Recques-sur- Course (23), Frevent Bridge (15), Rieme/Ertveld (11) and Langerbrugge (9); 12 also hit a factory near Wendelghem and 1 hits a target of opportunity. Escort is provided by 94 P-51s. Mission 528: 1 of 3 B-17s dispatched flies a Micro H test mission (Micro H was a radar system which combined the Gee-H and H2X radar functionality for use by pathfinders) . Mission 529: 271 P-47s and P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions to marshalling yards and railroads north and east of Paris; they claim 4-0-1 aircraft on the ground; 3 P-47s and 2 P-51s are lost . During the night, 5 B-17s fly a leaflet mission over France.

Lt. Herbert Bachnick of 9./JG 52 downed a P-51 escorting American bombers. While trying to belly-land his damaged aircraft, a Bf 109G "Yellow 4", at Birkental-Myslowitz his steering malfunctioned and Bachnick crashed and died. He had eighty victories, seventy-nine of them on the Eastern Front.

Obstlt Gerhard Michalski replaced Major Gerhard Schöpfel as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 4.

EASTERN FRONT: Sambor, SW of Lvov, Poland, falls to the Soviet Army.

Fw. Horst Ademeit, a 166 victory Experte with 1./JG 54, went missing in action.

In the USSR, a shuttle mission is flown in accordance with a Soviet request; 55 USAAF's Eighth Air Force B-17s and 29 P-51s attack an oil refinery at Trzebina, Poland without loss; the aircraft return to Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR.

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 353 B-17s and B-24s to bomb 2 synthetic oil refineries at Blechhammer South (B-17s) and Blechhammer North (B-24s); 300+ fighters provide support; 76 B-24s hit Alibunar Airfield and Novi Sad oil facilities, Yugoslavia; the bombers and fighters claim nearly 30 aircraft shot down.

NORTH AMERICA: In the U.S., the world's first program-controlled calculator, the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (popularly called the Harvard Mark I) is dedicated. This mechanical machine, built by Harvard researcher Howard Aiken with the support of IBM, weighed 10,000 pounds, measured 51 feet long and 2 feet deep, and contained 750,000 parts. The machine stored 72 numbers and could perform 3 additions or subtractions a second. The machine could also perform more complicated functions, such as calculating logarithms or performing trigonometry. Although the device quickly excited public interest, the mechanical machine was eclipsed by the advent of the electronic computer in 1946.