This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

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WESTERN FRONT: French and American units complete the capture of Colmar. All formations of French 1st Army are now making good progress in this sector. The other Allied armies keep up the pressure on the Germans all along the front.

In France, the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, moves from Juvincourt to St Dizier with P-38s.

36 RAF Lancasters of No 5 Group attacked U-boat pens at Ijmuiden (No 9 Squadron) and Poortershaven (No 617 Squadron) with Tallboy bombs. It was believed that these pens, in that part of Holland still occupied by the Germans, were sheltering midget submarines. The weather was clear and hits were claimed at both targets without loss.

Frigates "Bayntun", "Braithwaite", "Loch Dunvegan" and "Loch Eck" of the 10th Escort Group patrolling north of the Shetland Islands shared in the sinking of three U-boats in the next two weeks. The first was "U-1279" sunk with all hands off Bergen in approximate position 61.21N, 02.00E, by depth charges from the British frigates. 48 dead (all hands lost).

EASTERN FRONT: In East Prussia, the Soviet attacks continue to confine and divide the German forces. Landsberg and Bertenstein are taken, 80 miles northeast of Berlin.
. End of Vistula-Oder offensive.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 817: 1,437 bombers and 948 fighters are dispatched in a major strike on Berlin by B-17s while B-24s hit the synthetic oil industry at Magdeburg; they claim 38-1-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 25 bombers and 8 fighters are lost: : JG 7's Lt. Rademacher downs a B-17 from the formation attacking Magdeburg. 1. 1,003 B-17s are sent to hit the Tempelhof marshalling yard in Berlin (937); targets of opportunity are Bad Zwischenahn (1), Bromsche (1), Gatow (13), Luneburg (2), Sogel (1) and other (1); 23 B-17s are lost, 6 damaged beyond repair and 339 damaged; 18 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 189 MIA. Escort is provided by 575 of 613 P-51s; they claim 12-1-0 aircraft in the air and 17-0-11 on the ground; 7 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair. 2. 434 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Rothensee oil plant at Magdeburg (116); 246 hit a target of last resort, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are Wesermunde (17), Mockern (12), Cuxhaven (9), Yechta Airfield (2) and other (3); 2 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 58 damaged; 19 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 210 of 232 P-51s without loss. 3. 41 of 44 P-47s fly a sweep over Friedersdorf Airfield; they claim 9-0-6 aircraft in the air; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 5. 24 P-51s escort 9 F-5s and 7 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. Mission 818: 1 B-17 and 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and W Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, the 9th Bombardment Division attacks the Berg-Gladbach storage and repair depot, Dahlem communications center, rail bridges at Ahrweiler and Sinzig, and marshalling yard at Junkerath; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, fly patrols, and carry out armed reconnaissance over W Germany.

192 RAF Lancasters and 18 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups attacked the Prosper benzol plant at Bottrop successfully. 8 Lancasters lost.

149 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the Hansa benzol plant at Dortmund but the bombing fell north and north-west of the target. 4 Lancasters lost.

42 RAF Mosquitos to Wiesbaden and 20 to Osnabrück, 42 RCM sorties, 28 Mosquito patrols, 19 Halifaxes of No 4 Group minelaying off German ports. No aircraft lost.

MEDITTERANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): Weather again cancels bombing operations. P-38s fly photo and weather reconnaissance. P-51s escort the photo reconnaissance aircraft while other P-38s escort Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) B-25s on a transport run to Yugoslavia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather restricts combat operations to an attack by 4 P-47s on the Sonico marshalling yard.
 
EASTERN FRONT: The Yalta Conference takes place, over eight days, to discuss post-war policies. Russia asks for an Allied air bombing of Berlin and Leipzig. Yalta is a recently liberated Crimean resort.

While on temporary assignment as acting Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 53, Erich Hartmann, attacks a large flight of Soviet Yak 9s escorting a flight of twenty Soviet Douglas Boston bombers. Hartmann destroys one Yak 9 scoring his 337th and only non-JG 52 victory.

WESTERN FRONT: The Allies announce that all German forces have been expelled from Belgium. US 1st and 3rd Army units are attacking toward the Roer River around Duren. US General Omar Bradley relays an order to General Courtney Hodges of the US 1st Army to seize the Schwammenauel Dam near Schmidt on the Roer River, and other dams.

German submarine 'U-1014' sunk with all hands in the North Channel east of Malin Head, in position 55.17N, 06.44W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS 'Loch Scavaig', HMS 'Nyasaland', HMS 'Papua' and HMS 'Loch Shin'. 48 dead (all hands lost).

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 819: 7 of 9 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

The 158th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Twelfth Army Group) arrives at Somme-Suippe, France from England with L-5s.

GERMANY: (US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, the 9th Bombardment Division attacks a repair depot at Mechernich, the Arloff road and rail junction, and flies a leaflet mission. The IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands patrol the battle area.

238 RAF aircraft - 202 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups to Bonn. 3 Lancasters lost. This was a poor attack, with most of the bombing falling to the south of the target or over the Rhine in the Beuel area.

123 RAF aircraft - 100 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos, 11 Lancasters - of 6 and 8 Groups attacked a benzol plant at Osterfeld but caused no fresh damage. No aircraft lost.

120 RAF aircraft - 96 Halifaxes, 12 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitos - of 4 and 8 Groups attacked the Nordstern synthetic-oil plant, Gelsenkirchen. Some minor damage was caused but most of the bombs fell south of the target. No aircraft lost.

50 RAF Mosquitos to Hannover, 12 to Dortmund, 4 to Magdeburg and 3 to Würzburg, 59 RCM sorties, 42 Mosquito patrols, 15 Lancasters and 12 Halifaxes minelaying off Heligoland and in the River Elbe. 2 Mosquitos lost, 1 each from the Hannover and Würzburg raids.

The night-fighter unit flying Me 262 jet fighters, Kommando Welter, loses two pilots killed – one during a transfer flight and another during training on the jet.

MEDITTERANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather cancels bombing operations for the third successive day. 24 B-24s and 1 B-17 drop supplies and leaflets in N Yugoslavia. 8 P-38s carry out photo and weather reconnaissance missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers bomb railroad bridges at Ala, San Michele all' Adige, Lavis, Dogna, and Bodrez, and attack the Ala marshalling yard; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers escort the medium bombers and, in widespread areas of N Italy, destroy 2 bridges, damage 8 others, and blast rolling stock.
 
WESTERN FRONT: The German pocket near Colmar is cut in two by a link between French units and part of the US 21st Corps. Farther north, US 1st Army extends its attacks, led by US 5th Corps, toward the Roer aiming to take the Schwammenauel Dam.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels all operations except IX Tactical Air Command fighter patrols over the US First Army area around Butgenbach, Belgium.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet attacks on the surrounded city of Poznan make some progress. Soviet pressure continues in many other areas as well.

MEDITTERANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s score excellently against the San Ambrogio di Valpolicella landslide (the overhanging cliff collapses on the railroad by bombing) and bridges at San Michele all' Adige and Calliano; during the night of 4/5 Feb, XXII Tactical Air Command A-20 intruder missions hit lights, motor transport, and roads in the Po Valley and areas S of Bologna; fighters and fighter-bombers fly 270+ sorties against communications targets in N Italy; incendiary bombing of a truck park damages numerous vehicles.

GERMANY: (US Fifteenth Air Force): 730+ B-17s and B-24s bomb oil storage at Regensburg, Germany, the main station and 2 marshalling yards at Salzburg, Austria, the marshalling yards at Rosenheim, Germany and Villach, Austria, and Straubing, Germany railroad installations; 6 bombers bomb the Comeglians, Italy road bridge. P-38s and P-51s escort the bombers, fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance support missions, and accompany 25 B-24s on a supply mission to Yugoslavia.

The Me 262 training unit, III./EJG 2, scores its first victory when Lt. Rudolf Harbort shoots down a P-38 Lightning from the US Fifteenth Air Force.

63 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 7 to Magdeburg and 6 to Würzburg, 1 RCM sortie. 1 Mosquito lost from the Berlin raid.
 
EASTERN FRONT: Southeast of Breslau, the Soviet forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front begin to push out of their bridgehead over the Oder River. Hundreds of thousands of panicked German civilians flee westwards from Breslau towards Dresden.

MEDITTERANEAN: Units of US 4th Corps from US 5th Army take Gallicano in a brief offensive designed to improve the Allied positions on either side of the Serchio Valley.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather permits only supply and reconnaissance missions; 5 P-38s complete weather and photo reconnaissance while 12 B-24s and 1 B-17 drop supplies in Yugoslavia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s attack railroad targets on the line running N to the Brenner Pass, damaging bridges at Rovereto and Ala; marshalling yards at Rovereto and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella and a bridge at Crema are less successfully hit; fighter-bombers cut railroad bridges at Nervesa delta Battaglia and San Michele all'Adige; the P-47s claim 3 fighters destroyed in combat N of Verona and attack numerous targets of opportunity throughout the target areas; during the night of 5/6 Feb, A-20s attack lights, roads, and motor transport in the C Po Valley.

WESTERN FRONT: Organised German resistance in the Vosges ends.

35 RAF aircraft of No 5 Group (Nos 9 and 617 Squadrons) to attack viaducts at Bielefeld and Altenbeken were recalled because of bad weather.

The 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, ceases operating from Conflans, France with F-6s and returns to base at Le Culot, Belgium. In France, the 392d Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, moves from Juvincourt to St Dizier with P-38s. Units moving from France to Belgium with P-47s: the 509th and 510th Fighter Squadrons, 405th Fighter Group, from St Dizier to Ophoven; the 513th and 514th Fighter Squadrons, 406th Fighter Group, from Metz to Asch.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): Mission 821: 1,383 bombers and 904 fighters are dispatched to attack oil targets in Germany; the expected clear weather does not materialize and the bombers attack secondary targets and targets of opportunity using H2X radar; they claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 474 of 949 B-17s hit the secondary target in 2 forces, the marshalling yard at Chemnitz; targets of opportunity are the Gotha marshalling yard (88), Giessen (68), Saalfeld (39), Ohrdruf (35), Eisfeld (34), Schmalkalden (32), Greiz (22), Zwickau (22), Eisenach (13), Waltershausen (12), Dirlos (12), Ostheim (12), Friedrichroda (11), Steinbach (2), Meppen (1), Reichenbach (1), Schmalkalden (1), and other (1); 3 B-17s are lost, 13 damaged beyond repair and 115 damaged; 41 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 24 MIA. Escorting are 545 of 588 P-51s; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft in the air and 3-0-0 on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 7 damaged beyond repair. 2. 418 of 434 B-24s hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are the Meppen Bridge (1) and Quackenbruck (1); 2 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 61 damaged; 18 airmen are MIA. The escort is 235 of 262 P-51s without loss. 3. 33 of 38 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. 4. 8 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 5. 8 P-51s escort air-sea-rescue aircraft.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 261 B-26s, A-20s and A-26s attack the Rheinbach ammunition dump, Sotenich communications center, Vlatten defended village, Berg-Gladbach motor transport center, and several casual targets; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, alert flights and patrols, dive-bomb the Horrem bridge, cut rails, and escort the 9th Bombardment Division bombers.

Pilots of I./JG 1 give up their Fw 190s to the II Gruppe and begin converting to the He 162 jet fighter at Parchim.
 
EASTERN FRONT: Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front (Zhukov), on the Oder River, seize some small bridgeheads over the river in the Kustrin area and near Furstenberg. There are also attacks in Pomerania where Answalde and Deutsche Krone are among the main centers of German resistance. Russian attacks north of Königsberg are blocked with the help of naval gunfire by the cruisers 'Scheer' and 'Lützow'.

WESTERN FRONT: In the US 5th Corps advance toward the Roer, Schmidt is taken. To the south, US 3rd Army units move into Germany east of the Our. The Germans destroy the floodgates on the Schwammaneul Dam.

The Belgian government resigns.

The 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF, moves from Valenciennes to Amand, France with F-5s (first mission is 16 Mar).

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 822: 295 B-17s and 80 P-51s are recalled when they encounter a weather front rising to 30,000 feet (9,144 m) over the North Sea; 1 B-17 attacks Essen; no bombers are lost. Escort is provided by 41 of 80 P-51s without loss. 36 of 36 P-51s patrol the Siegen, Germany area without loss. Mission 823: 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): 16 B-26s strike the rail siding at Lipp, Germany; weather cancels other operations.

100 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group to attack the oil plant at Wanne-Eickel. Only 75 aircraft were able to bomb in wintry conditions which scattered the force. The results of the raid are not known. 1 Lancaster lost.

Goch: 464 RAF aircraft - 292 Halifaxes, 156 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 2 Halifaxes lost. This raid was preparing the way for the attack of the British XXX Corps across the German frontier near the Reichswald. The Germans had included the towns of Goch and Kleve in their strong defences here. The Master Bomber ordered the Main Force to come below the cloud, the estimated base of which was only 5,000ft, and the attack opened very accurately. The raid was stopped after 155 aircraft had bombed, because smoke was causing control of the raid to become impossible. Considerable damage was caused in Goch but most of the inhabitants had probably left the town.

Kleve: 295 RAF Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups. 1 Lancaster lost. 285 aircraft bombed at Kleve, which was battered even more than Goch. After the war, Kleve claimed to be the most completely destroyed town in Germany of its size. The British attack, led by the 15th (Scottish) Division, made a successful start a few hours later but quickly ground to a halt because of a thaw, which caused flooding on the few roads available for the advance, and also because of the ruins which blocked the way through Kleve. Lieutenant-General BG Horrocks, the Corps Commander in charge of the attack, later claimed that he had requested that Kleve should only be subjected to an incendiary raid but Bomber Command dropped 1,384 tons of high explosive on the town and no incendiaries.

177 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the Dortmund-Ems Canal section near Ladbergen with delayed-action bombs. Later photographs showed that the banks had not been damaged; the bombs had fallen into nearby fields. 3 Lancasters were lost.

38 RAF Mosquitos to Magdeburg, 16 to Mainz and 41 in small numbers to 5 other targets, 63 RCM sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols, 30 Lancasters and 15 Halifaxes minelaying in Kiel Bay. 4 Mosquitos lost - 3 from No 100 Group and 1 from the raid on Mainz.

At Brandenburg-Briest IV./JG 54 is disbanded and used to reform the fighters of II./JG 7 flying Me 262 jets but the Gruppe never fully completes its formation.

MEDITTERANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): 680 B-17s and B-24s bomb oil refineries at Moosbierbaum, Schwechat, and the Lobau, Floridsdorf, Korneuburg and Kagran refineries in the Vienna, Austria area; oil storage at Pula, Yugoslavia; shipyard and harbor of Trieste, Italy; the town of Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; Zwolfaxing Airfield, Austria; and several scattered targets of opportunity; 274 P-38s and P-51s provide escort. 8 B-24s drop supplies in Yugoslavia. 18 P-51s strafe the Zeltweg Airfield in Austria and the surrounding area while in Yugoslavia, 10 P-38s sweep the Zagreb-Karlovac- Sisak area. Other P-38s fly reconnaissance and escort operations.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 6/7 Feb, A-20s bomb lights and movement over extensive areas of N Italy; during the day B-25 blasts cut bridges at Bodrez and Lavis, a viaduct at Lavis, and block rail lines at San Michele all'Adige and Mantua; XXII Tactical Air Command P-47s destroy 4 railroad bridges and damage another severely in the NE and C Po Valley and Brenner Pass, and blast dumps and sugar refineries in the Mantua, Brescia, and Reggio Emilia areas.
 
WESTERN FRONT: The 1st Canadian Army, and the British 2nd Army, launches Operation Veritable, to clear the Reichswald Forest, break the Siegfried Line, clear the Hochwald Forest defences, and close up the Rhine river from between the Maas and the Waal southeast of Nijmegen. 1334 guns of the British and Canadian armies facing German defenders open fire in advance of Operation Veritable. Over 24 hours, over 500,000 rounds are fired. There is considerable air support and the advance penetrates the Reichswald area on the first day. In the US 3rd Army sector, the US 8th Corps manages to advance beyond the Our.

HQ 406th Fighter Group and the 512th Fighter Squadron move from Metz, France to Assche, Belgium with P-47s. The 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF, based at St Amand, France with F-5s, sends a flight to operate from Le Culot, Belgium.

15 RAF Lancasters of No 617 Squadron dropped Tallboys on the U-boat pens at Ijmuiden without loss.

Paul Semrau, a forty-six victory night-fighter with NJG 2 including nine kills over England in 1940 / 41, is killed in action over Holland.

EASTERN FRONT: In East Prussia, the German forces have now been virtually split into three groups; the defenders of Konigsberg, some forces trapped on the peninsula to the west of the town, and those to the south, the largest group, holding out around Keiligenbeil and inland.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): 150 B-17s and 264 B-24s dispatched to attack targets in W Germany are recalled before leaving the UK coast due to clouds over bases, routes, and targets. 98 of 99 P-51s fly a sweep strafing rail traffic and parked aircraft; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 11 of 13 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): 320+ B-26s, A-20s, and A-26s strike a road junction, marshalling yard, 3 defended areas, and 10 casual targets in Germany. Fighters fly armed reconnaissance, bomb numerous ground targets, and support the US XII Corps which has, on 7 Feb, crossed the Our and Sauer Rivers between Vianden and Echternach, Luxembourg and established bridgeheads.

Politz: 475 RAF Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups. 12 Lancasters lost, l of them coming down in Sweden. The attack took place in 2 waves, the first being marked and carried out entirely by the No 5 Group method and the second being marked by the Pathfinders of No 8 Group. The weather conditions were clear and the bombing of both waves was extremely accurate. Severe damage was caused to this important synthetic-oil plant. It produced no further oil during the war. Speer mentioned this raid, in his post-war interrogations, as being another big setback to Germany's war effort.

Wanne-Eickel: 228 RAF aircraft - 200 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos, 8 Lancasters - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 2 Halifaxes crashed in France. This raid was not a success. The local report says that the bombing was scattered, with only light damage to the oil refinery.

Krefeld: 151 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the Hohenbudberg railway yards but photographic reconnaissance was unable to detect any new damage. 2 Lancasters lost.

47 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 9 to Neubrandenburg (a 'spoof' for the Politz raid) and 4 to Nuremberg, 47 RCM sorties, 42 Mosquito patrols, 10 Lancasters of No 5 Group minelaying off Swinemünde. 1 RCM Halifax lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 500+ B-24s and B-17s bomb SE Vienna communications targets and the marshalling yard at Graz, plus several targets of opportunity; 270+ P-38s and P-51s escort. In Yugoslavia, 12 B-24s drop supplies and 11 P-51s sweep the Zagreb area. Other P-51s and P-38s fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 7/8 Feb, A-20s on intruder missions bomb various targets at 58 points in the Po Valley and Brenner Pass area; medium bombers during the day attack bridges at Calliano, Chiusaforte, Dogna and Piacenza; fighters and fighter-bombers closely support US Fifth Army forces in the Serchio Valley where counterattacks oppose the Allied offensive-and destroy the Nervesa della Battaglia railroad bridge and oil dump N of Mestre.
 
WESTERN FRONT: In the British and Canadian offensive near Nijmegen (by Canadian 1st Army), the Rhine is reached at Millingen, which is captured. The US 3rd Army is attacking near Prum on its northern flank (US 8th Corps) while US 12th Corps to the south also makes gains. Farther south still, the resistance of the German forces around Colmar comes to an end.

German submarine 'U-923' sunk with all hands in Kiel Bay. When the boat was raised in 1953 a dud rocket was found. This proves that the boat was sunk by a rocket-equipped fighter plane on or near this date, possibly a Typhoon.

German submarine 'U-864' sunk off Bergen in position 60.46N, 04.35E, by torpedo from the British submarine HMS 'Venturer'. 73 dead (all hands lost).

In France, HQ 323d Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 453d, 454th, 455th and 456th Bombardment Squadrons move from Athies Airfield, Laon to Prouvy Airfield, Denain and Valenciennes (454th) with B-26s; HQ 410th Bombardment Group (Light) and the 644th, 645th, 646th and 647th Bombardment Squadrons (Light) move from Coulommiers to Juvincourt with A-20s; and the 669th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 416th Bombardment Group (Light) moves from Melun to Athies Airfield, Laon with A-26s. HQ 405th Fighter Group and the 511th Fighter Squadron move from St Dizier, France to Ophoven, Belgium with P-47s.

7 RAF Stirlings of No 3 Group flew on Resistance operations but none were able to carry out their tasks (the reasons were not recorded) and 1 Stirling was lost. 1 Mosquito flew an RCM sortie.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet troops capture Elbing.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): Mission 824: 1,296 bombers and 871 fighters in 6 forces hit oil targets in Germany; except where noted, attacks were made with PFF; they claim 61-4-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 bombers and 5 fighters are lost: 1. 313 B-24s are sent to hit the Rothensee oil plant at Magdeburg (10); 268 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are Tarchen (9) and Quackenbruck Airfield (1); the Magdeburg attacks are made using H2X; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 51 damaged; 14 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 20 MIA. Escorting are 151 of 173 P-51s; they claim 9-0-5 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 2. 198 of 311 B-17s hit the secondary target, the munitions industry at Weimar; targets of opportunity are the marshalling yards at Giessen (25) and Gottingen (15), the munitions industry at Eisenach (11), Jena (11) and Fulda (24) and other (4); attacks are made using H2X and visually; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 28 MIA. The escort is 271 of 274 P-51s; they claim 8-1-3 aircraft in the air and 2-0-9 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 304 B-17s are dispatched to the oil plants at Lutzkendorf (233); 12 hit the secondary target, Erfurt; targets of opportunity are Eisenach (13, using H2X radar), Eisleben (13), Montesada (11) and other (3); all attacks except 1 were visual; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 64 damaged; 6 airmen are KIA, 3 WIA and 26 MIA. 193 of 215 P-51s escort and claim 2-1-0 aircraft in the air and 34-0-3 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 4. 64 of 65 B-24s hit the Schildesche rail viaduct at Bielefeld using Gee-H without loss. 39 of 40 P-47s escort without loss. 5. 151 B-17s are sent to hit the Altenbeken rail viaduct at Paderborn (72) and the Arnsberg rail viaduct (75) using Gee-H; 1 B-17 is lost and 1 damaged. 47 of 53 P-51s escort without loss. 6. 107 of 152 B-17s hit the secondary target, oil plants at Dulmen using Micro H; 21 hit a target of opportunity, the marshalling yard at Munster with H2X radar; 10 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 55 of 60 P-51s without loss. 7. 33 of 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission; they claim 5-1-0 aircraft in the air without loss. 8 20 of 21 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 347 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s bomb communications centers at Viersen and Kempen, marshalling yards at Rheydt, Grevenbroich, and Viersen, and rail bridges at Neuwied-Irlich and Sinzig. Fighters fly armed reconnaissance over the E and W of the Rhine River, attack rail bridges, and support US XII Corps bridgeheads across the Our and Sauer Rivers.

The jet pilots of III./JG 7 are starting to score successes with their Me 262s over the Allies. Oblt. Wegmenn, Hptm. Georg-Peter Eder and Lt Karl Schnorrer all score kills and Lt Rademacher brings down two B-17s over Berlin.

MEDITTERANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 8/9 Feb, 1 B-17 and 10 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy. During the day in Austria, 49 bombers hit the Moosbierbaum oil refinery; 5 others bomb marshalling yards at Graz and Bruck an der Mur. 11 B-24s drop supplies in C Yugoslavia, while P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance missions and reconnaissance and supply escort.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 8/9 Feb, A-20s and A-26s on intruder missions attack communications targets throughout the C and NE Po Valley; weather restricts daytime operations to weather reconnaissance and supply dropping missions.
 
WESTERN FRONT: In the north, there are unsuccessful attacks by German forces on the British and Canadian forces of the Canadian 1st Army which are approaching Cleve and Materborn. German forces open the Schwammenauel Dam, opposite the US 1st Army, in a partially successful attempt to delay the advance of the American forces nearby.

(US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 825: 9 of 164 B-17s carry out the first DISNEY mission (Royal Navy rocket-boosted concrete piercing bombs) against the U-boat pens at Ijmuiden, the Netherlands visually; 140 hit the secondary target, the oil storage depot at Dulmen, Germany using Micro H; and 1 hits Lingen, a target of opportunity; 5 B-17s fly a screening mission; 5 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 102 of 106 P-51s without loss. 3 of 6 P-51s fly a scouting mission and 20 of 21 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 102 of 104 P-51s fly a strafing mission in the Steinhuder Lake area but abort because of bad weather; 2 P-51s are lost. Mission 826: 1 B-17 and 11 of 12 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night; 1 airman is KIA.

In France, HQ 416th Bombardment Group (Light) and the 668th and 670th Bombardment Squadrons (Light) move from Melun to Athies Airfield, Laon with A-26s; the 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF, based at St Amand with F-5s, sends a flight to operate from Jarny (another flight is at Le Culot, Belgium).

EASTERN FRONT: The last German resistance in Elbing comes to an end and the town is taken by the 2nd Belorussian Front. Soviet troops capture a large supply depot at Landau.

GERMANY: (US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 320+ bombers of the 9th Bombardment Division attack communications centers at Kempen, Horrem, and Euskirchen, vehicle center and depot at Munstereifeland at Berg-Gladbach, and several casual targets including rail bridge at Bullay; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, bomb bridges, attack railroad cars and other targets, and support the US VIII and XII Corps in the Prum area on the Prum River and in the bridgehead area E of the Sauer River NW of Echternach, Luxembourg.

82 RAF Mosquitos to Hannover and 11 to Essen, 24 RCM sorties, 22 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather prevents bombing; 12 B-24s drop supplies in Yugoslavia while P-38s fly reconnaissance and escort missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 9/10 Feb, A-20s and A-26s hit railroads, lights, and movement in the Po Valley and Brenner area and bomb docks at La Spezia; weather cancels all but 2 medium bomber missions; however, the B-25s cut bridges at Palazzuolo sull' Oglio and Romano di Lombardia; fighter-bombers concentrate on railroads in NE Italy, and destroy numerous vehicles in a truck park in the Mantua area.
 
EASTERN FRONT: At Yalta, representatives of Great Britain, the USA, and the Soviet Union sign a secret agreement on certain post-war issues. After victory over Japan, the Soviet Union is to receive the Kurile Islands, and southern Sakhalin and adjacent islands.

Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front begin to break out of their bridgehead over the Oder River, near Steinau, and attack west and north threatening Glogau. Other units will turn south to help surround Breslau. Leignitz is also attacked. Soviet troops approach Breslau and Dresden. German garrison of Budapest is destroyed.

The passenger liner 'General von Steuben' is sunk by the Soviet submarine 'S 13', with onboard more than 6.000 passengers and which has sailed from Pilau the previous day. 300 passengers were saved, and Soviet claims that among those lost were elite officers, SS men and Nazi Party officials cannot alter the fact that many refugees go down with the ship.

WESTERN FRONT: Elements of the Canadian 1st Army capture Cleve in the advance toward the Rhine. Farther south, elements of the US 8th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) capture the important road junction at Prum.

The flight of the 112th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to HQ Command, SHAFE), operating from Namur, Belgium with UC-78s and L-5s, returns to base at Buc, France.

GERMANY: The entire German gold reserve (about 100 tons) is transported from Berlin to a salt mine near Eisenach.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 827: In Germany, 124 of 127 B-24s attack the Dulmen oil depot using Micro H; 1 B-24 hits the Lochern road junction using H2X; no losses. Escorting are 50 of 51 P-51s without loss. Other fighter missions are: 1. 48 of 51 P-51s hit the Celle/Uelzen railroad without loss. 2. 183 of 192 P-51s make a sweep over NW Germany; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 7 of 11 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany without loss. 4. 8 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 97 B-26s and A-20s bomb the Bingen and Modrath marshalling yards; fighters fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, attack special targets and targets of opportunity, and attack in cooperation with the US XII Corps across the Sauer River NW of Echternach, Luxembourg.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations to B-24 supply mission to Yugoslavia during the night of 10/11 Feb and to P-38 reconnaissance missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20s on night intruder missions attack enemy movement and lights at various points in N Italy, hit bridges in the Po Valley, and attack frontline positions in the N Apennines; weather grounds the medium bombers but fighters and fighter-bombers blast railroad bridges and lines in the NE and C Po Valley and stores and supply dumps in the C and W Po River areas.
 
WESTERN FRONT: British and Canadian troops capture Kellen, Warbeyen and Cleve.

HQ 434th Troop Carrier Group and the 71st, 72d, 73d and 74th Troop Carrier Squadrons move from Aldermaston, England to Mourmelon-le-Grand, France with C-47s.

(US Eighth Air Force):: Mission 828: During the night, 6 of 7 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): All combat operations cancelled because of bad weather. In France, HQ 409th Bombardment Group (Light) and the 640th, 641st, 642d and 643d Bombardment Squadrons move from Bretigny to Couvron Airfield, Laon with A-26s.

MEDITERRANEAN: (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20s, during the night of 11/12 Feb, bomb communications targets in the Po Valley and NE Italy, including the Brenner Pass area; bad weather during the day restricts medium bomber operations to bombing the bridge at Ala and a a sugar refinery at Legnago; only 1 fighter gp, the 57th, can operate, hitting bridges, rail lines, and guns in the Po Valley.

GERMANY: 72 RAF Mosquitos to Stuttgart, 11 to Misburg, 4 to Würzburg and 3 each 'on H2S trials' to Cologne, Frankfurt, Koblenz and Wiesbaden, 1 Mosquito on an RCM sortie. No aircraft lost.

EASTERN FRONT: Thus far, the Kriegsmarine has evacuated 374,000 German refugees by sea from East and West Prussia.
 
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GERMANY: The US 8th Air Force in England cancels a scheduled assault on Dresden, Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 320+ B-26s, A-26s, and A-20s, attack rail bridges at Sinzig, Neuwied-Irlich, and Euskirchen, military transport depots at Schwelm and Iserlohn, defended points at Wittlich, and targets of opportunity; fighters escort the A-20s, A-26 and B-26s, bomb the Neuss and Zieverich bridges and other targets, fly armed reconnaissance, and support Third Army elements from Prum to Saarlautern along the Our and Sauer Rivers, and Saar River bridgehead areas.

Operation Thunderclap: The Air Ministry had, for several months, been considering a series of particularly heavy area raids on German cities with a view to causing such confusion and consternation that the hard-stretched German war machine and civil administration would break down and the war would end. The general name given to this plan was Operation Thunderclap, but it had been decided not to implement it until the military situation in Germany was critical. That moment appeared to be at hand. Russian forces had made a rapid advance across Poland in the second half of January and crossed the eastern frontier of Germany. The Germans were thus fighting hard inside their own territory on two fronts, with the situation in the East being particularly critical. It was considered that Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz - all just behind the German lines on the Eastern Front now - would be suitable targets. They were all vital communications and supply centres for the Eastern Front and were already packed with German refugees and wounded from the areas recently captured by the Russians. As well as the morale aspect of the attacks, there was the intention of preventing the Germans from moving reinforcements from the West to face the successful Russian advance. The Air Ministry issued a directive to Bomber Command , at the end of January. The Official History. describes how Winston Churchill took a direct hand in the final planning of Operation Thunderclap - although Churchill tried to distance himself from the Dresden raid afterwards. On 4 February, at the Yalta Conference, the Russians asked for attacks of this kind to take place, but their involvement in the process only came after the plans had been issued. So, Bomber Command was specifically requested by the Air Ministry, with Churchill's encouragement to carry out heavy raids on Dresden, Chemnitz and Leipzig. The Americans were also asked to help and agreed to do so. The campaign should have begun with an American raid on Dresden on 13 February but bad weather over Europe prevented any American operations. It thus fell to Bomber Command to carry out the first raid.

Dresden: 796 RAF Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos were dispatched in two separate raids and dropped 1,478 tons of high explosive and 1,182 tons of incendiary bombs. The first attack was carried out entirely by No 5 Group, using their own low-level marking methods. A band of cloud still remained in the area and this raid, in which 244 Lancasters dropped more than 800 tons of bombs, was only moderately successful. The second raid, 3 hours later, was an all-Lancaster attack by aircraft of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups, with No 8 Group providing standard Pathfinder marking. The weather was now clear and 529 Lancasters dropped more than 1,800 tons of bombs with great accuracy. Much has been written about the fearful effects of this raid. Suffice it to say here that a firestorm, similar to the one experienced in Hamburg in July 1943, was created and large areas of the city were burnt out. No one has ever been able to discover how many people died but it is accepted that the number was greater than the 40,000 who died in the Hamburg firestorm and the Dresden figure may have exceeded 50,000.Bomber Command casualties were 6 Lancasters lost, with 2 more crashed in France and 1 in England. The first wave of British bombers attack Dresden, Germany, dropping target markers (white flares and green target indicators) and incendiaries. Nine British Mosquito bombers mark the stadium near the centre of Dresden with red target indicators. Among the witnesses to events in Dresden at the time is Kurt Vonnegut, an American POW, who will vividly describe the scene in 'Slaughterhouse Five'.

Böhlen: 368 RAF aircraft - 326 Halifaxes, 34 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups attempted to attack the Braunkohle-Benzin synthetic-oil plant at Bohlen, near Leipzig. Bad weather - 10/10ths cloud to 15,000ft with icing - was encountered and the marking and bombing were scattered. No post-raid photographic reconnaissance was carried out. 1 Halifax was lost.

71 RAF Mosquitos to Magdeburg, 16 to Bonn, 8 each to Misburg and Nuremberg and 6 to Dortmund, 65 RCM sorties, 59 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

The OKL issues orders including reducing the supplies of aviation fuel to aircraft training units in order to save fuel for frontline fighters.

EASTERN FRONT: After a battle lasting for almost two months, the garrison of Budapest surrenders to 2nd Ukrainian Front (Malinovsky). Over 100,000 German prisoners have been taken in the city. The Soviet advance from the Oder River to the Neisse River begins to gain momentum despite desperate German efforts. Bunzlau on the Bober River is captured by Soviet forces. The Red Army also captures Schneidemül in Pomerania.

WESTERN FRONT: Forces of the British 2nd Army clear the last of the German units from the Reichswald Forest region on the right flank of British 21st Army Group.

HQ 435th Troop Carrier Group moves from Welford Park, England to Bretigny, France.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 829: 9 B-24s drop leaflet in the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

In France, HQ 97th Combat Bombardment Wing (Light) moves from Voisenon to Marchais; the 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF, based at Amand with F-5s, sends a flight to operate from Gosselies, Belgium (another flight is operating from Jarny); and the 405th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group, moves from Tantonville to Metz with P-47s. The 155th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), moves from St Dizier, France to Le Culot, Belgium with A-20s and F-3s.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): In the Vienna area of Austria, 640+ B-17s and B-24s with fighter support hit the S ordnance depot, S and SE goods yards and depot, C repair shops, and Matzleinsdorf marshalling yard, and the marshalling yards at Graz, Austria; Sarvar, Hungary; and in Yugoslavia, 2 at Zagreb and 2 at Maribor, the Pula harbor, the Maribor locomotive depot and rolling stock repair shops, and several targets of opportunity. P-38s and P-51s carry out reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 12/13 Feb, A-20s attack enemy movement in the C and NC Po Valley; medium bombers hit bridges at Calcinato, Dogna, and Chiusaforte and the bridge approach at Lavis; fighter-bombers fly nearly 350 sorties against enemy communications in N Italy including marshalling yards at Verona, Parma, and Vicenza.
 
GERMANY: Operation Thunderclap: Chemnitz: 499 RAF Lancasters and 218 Halifaxes of Nos 1, 3,4,6 and 8 Groups to continue Operation Thunderclap. 8 Lancasters and 5 Halifaxes lost. This raid took place in two phases, 3 hours apart. A very elaborate diversion plan succeeded in keeping bomber casualties down but Chemnitz - now called Karl-Marx-Stadt - was also spared from the worst effects of its first major RAF raid. Both parts of the bomber force found the target area covered by cloud and only skymarking could be employed. Post-raid reconnaissance showed that many parts of the city were hit but that most of the bombing was in open country.

224 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the oil refinery in Rositz near Leipzig. 4 Lancasters were lost. Damage was caused to the southern part of the oil plant.

Diversionary and 95 aircraft of No 3 Group and of Heavy Conversion Units on a sweep into the Heligoland Bight, 46 Mosquitos to Berlin, 19 to Mainz, 14 to Dessau, 12 to Duisburg, 11 to Nuremberg and 8 to Frankfurt, 21 RCM sorties, 87 Mosquito patrols, 30 Lancasters and 24 Halifaxes minelaying in the Kadet Channel. 5 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost from the minelaying force.

36 RAF Lancasters and 1 photographic Mosquito of Nos 9 and 617 Squadrons dispatched to attack Bielefeld and Altenbeken viaducts abandoned the raids because of cloud. 1 Lancaster of No 9 Squadron lost.

(US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 830: 1,377 bombers and 962 fighters are dispatched to hit oil and rail targets in Germany; bombing of most targets is by H2X radar; they claim 11-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 7 fighters are lost: 1. 461 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Dresden (311); targets of opportunity are Prague (62), Brux (25) and Pilsen (12) in Czechoslovakia and other (25); they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 49 MIA. Escorting are 281 of 316 P-51s; 3 are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 457 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Chemnitz (294); targets of opportunity are Eger Airfield (38), Bamberg (33), Sonneberg (23), Tachau (24), Hof marshalling yard (12) and other (17); 1 B-17 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 103 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 14 MIA. The escort is 224 of 238 P-51s; 2 are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 375 B-24s are sent to hit an oil refinery at Magdeburg but are unable to attack due to weather; 340 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are Emlicheim (1), Meppen (1), Bodenteich (1) and other (1); 1 B-24 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 16 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. 253 of 273 P-51s escort; they claim 10-0-3 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 84 B-17s are sent to hit the Wesel road bridge (37); 35 hit the secondary, the Dulmen oil depot and 1 hits Ahaus, a target of opportunity; 15 B-17s are damaged. 26 of 30 P-51s escort the bombers. 5. 44 of 49 P-47s fly a sweep of the Magdeburg area without loss. 6. 24 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 7. 29 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 831: 10 B-24s drop leaflet in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 600+ A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s attack rail bridges, a marshalling yard, communications centers, an ammunition dump, a prime mover depot, and several targets of opportunity in morning and afternoon missions aimed primarily at obstructing enemy movement and supply; fighters fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas, escort the bombers bombers, attack river traffic, bridges, and other targets, and support US Third Army elements E of the Our and Sauer Rivers.

WESTERN FRONT: In the harbor of Ostend, Belgium, a gasoline spill ignites among British and Canadian patrol boats. Torpedoes and other ammunition explode, destroying boats and harbor structures. 26 Canadian and 35 British sailors are killed and most boats of 29th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla are destroyed.

The British and Canadian forces reach the south bank of the Rhine opposite Emmerich in the advance of British 21st Army Group. American forces farther south are mostly regrouping to prepare for the next series of attacks.

German submarine 'U-989' sunk in the Northern Sea at the Faeroe Islands, in position 61.36N, 01.35W by depth charges from the British frigates HMS 'Bayntun', HMS 'Bratwaite', HMS 'Loch Eck' and HMS 'Loch Dunvegan'. 47 dead (all hands lost).

MEDITTERANEAN: The 1st Canadian Corps ends its campaign in Italy, moving to north-west Europe to be re-united with the Canadian 1st Army. 92757 Canadians served in Italy, suffering 26254 casualties.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 500+ B-24s and B-17s bomb the Moosbierbaum, Vienna/Lobau, Vienna/Floridsdorf, and Schwechat oil refineries in the Vienna, Austria area; marshalling yards at Graz, Gleisdorf, Klagenfurt, and Villach, Austria; Celje, Maribor, and Zagreb, Yugoslavia; and several scattered targets of opportunity; P-38s also bomb the Moosbierbaum refinery and Maribor marshalling yard; other P-38s and P-51s escort the bombers, fly photo and weather reconnaissance, and escort reconnaissance missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 13/14 Feb, A-20s bomb the bridge approach at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and hit targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; during the day medium bombers bomb bridges or bridge approaches at San Michele all'Adige, Tarvisio, Bressanone, and hit guns near Ponte Gardena; fighters and fighter-bombers, operating in poor weather, attack mainly communications targets in the Po Valley.

NORTH AMERICA: In Canada, a voluntary repatriation plan is announced by the federal government. People in Canada of Japanese descent are offered the choice of moving to Japan after the war, or moving east of the Rocky Mountains.

EASTERN FRONT: In the Soviet attacks in Pomerania, Schneidmuhl falls. Deutsche Krone is also taken after being surrounded but Arnswalde hold out against a similar attack. The 1st Ukrainian Front captures Sorau and Grunberg in the advance toward the Neisse River.

The Luftwaffe suffers another loss. At 1206 hours four Fw 190 A-8s led by Oblt. Otto Kittel, Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 54 take off from an airbase in the Courland pocket for a Freie jagd over the frontline at Dzukste. The fighters spot fourteen Russian IL-2s flying in a row, bombing ground troops. While attacking one Sturmovik, two other Russian ground bombers pull behind Oblt. Kittel and fire on him. An explosion is seen in the cockpit of the Fw 190 and it crashes into the ground and catches fire. Oblt. Kittel is dead. With 267 victories, all with JG 54, he is the highest scoring ace to be killed in action during the war.
 
EASTERN FRONT: Force of the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) surround Breslau, to the west of the Oder River, trapping 40,000 Germans. The German 11th SS Army begins a counterattack 'Unternehmen Sonnenwende' with three Corps, the 39th Panzer, 3rd SS Panzer and the 10th SS. However, only the 3rd SS Panzer Corps is ready and begins its attack against the 47th and 61st Armies near Stargard. During the evening, the German 3rd Panzer Army, part of Army Group Vistula, begins the counterattack, near Stettin, against the right flank of the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front. General Wenck, is supervising the German attack at the headquarters of Reichsfuhrer SS Himmler -- nominally commanding the German army group.

WESTERN FRONT: German submarine 'U-1053' destroyed by diving too deeply off Bergen.

In France, HQ 371st Fighter Group and the 404th and 406th Fighter Squadrons move from Tantonville to Metz with P-47s; and the 671st Bombardment Squadron (Light), 416th Bombardment Group (Light), moves from Melun to Athies Airfield, Laon with A-26s.

37 RAF Lancasters and 18 Halifaxes minelaying in Oslo Fjord and the Kattegat, 2 RCM sorties, 6 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito fighter crashed in France.

GERMANY: Martial Law is declared.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 832: 1,131 bombers and 510 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany; with some exceptions, all attacks are made using H2X radar; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 bombers and 1 P-51 are lost 1. 459 B-17s are sent to hit oil targets at Bohlen; 435 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Cottbus; targets of opportunity are Dresden (1), Quackenbruck (1) and other (2); 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 34 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 9 MIA. 153 of 173 P-51s escort; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 3 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 2. 224 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil targets at Ruhland; 210 hit the secondary, Dresden; targets of opportunity are Lingen (1) and the Ems-Weser Canal (1); 4 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged; 7 airmen are KIA and 8 WIA. Escorting are 141 of 158 P-51s; 1 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 353 of 372 B-24s hit the Magdeburg synthetic oil plant; 1 B-24 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 32 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA and 3 MIA. The escort is 110 of 120 P-51s. 4. 58 of 76 B-17s hit a target of last resort, the Rheine marshalling yard; 13 others hit Munster, a target of opportunity. Escorting are 27 P-47s. 5. 4 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 6. 25 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, around 90 B-26s bomb Sinzig and Mayen rail bridges and 4 targets of opportunity in the area; fighters patrol points along the battlefront, attack railroads and other special targets, fly armed reconnaissance and support the US VII, VIII, XII, and XX Corps along the Roer and Prum Rivers and in the Saar River bridgehead area.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 650+ B-24s and B-17s bomb 5 station freight yards, SE goods depot, Korneuburg oil refinery, and Vienna/Floridsdorf, Matzleinsdorf, and Penzing marshalling yards all in the Vienna area, plus marshalling yards at Klagenfurt, Wiener-Neustadt and Graz, the Graz ordnance depot, shipyards in Fiume, Italy and scattered targets of opportunity are also hit; fighters escort the bombers and fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort missions.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers bomb the Spilimbergo ammunition dumps through an overcast, but are forced by the bad weather to cancel all other operations; fighter-bombers, limited by weather, concentrate on railway targets in NE and W Po Valley.
 
EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces surround Breslau, Germany. The German counterattack from Stargard, spearheaded by 3rd Panzer Army, succeeds in breaking the Soviet encirclement of Arnswalde and relieving the garrison. The remaining Corps of the 11th SS Army launch their attacks in support of 'Operation Sonnenwende'.

WESTERN FRONT: Attacking Scottish coastal convoy WN74 off the Moray Firth, "U-309" was lost to Canadian frigate "St John" of 9th EG.

The 77th Troop Carrier Squadron, 435th Troop Carrier Group, moves from Welford Park, England to Bretigny, France with C-47s. The 158th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Twelfth Army Group), moves from Somme-Suippe, France to Celles, Belgium with L-1s, L-4s and L-5s.

The British broadcast a birthday greeting to "The Night Ghost of St. Trond", Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer from a military radio station in Calais. He is only 23 years old.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: Mission 833: 1,042 bombers and 197 fighters attack benzol plants, oil refineries and marshalling yards in C Germany; 8 bombers are lost: 1. 223 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Hamm (208); targets of opportunity are Osnabruck (1), Meppen (1) and Rheine (1); bombing is by H2X, Micro H and some visual; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 95 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 11 MIA. Escorting are 44 of 45 P-51s. 2. 375 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Harpenerweg oil refinery at Dortmund (78) and oil refineries at Nordstern (104) and Minsterstein (112); 30 hit the marshalling yard at Munster, a secondary target; targets of opportunity are Langendreer (23) and other (2); bombing is by Gee-H with some visual; 5 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 170 damaged; 8 airmen are WIA and 46 MIA. 38 of 39 P-51s escort. 3. 362 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Osnabruck (174) and Rheine (94) and the Salzbergen oil refinery (46); 31 hit Burgsteinfurt, a target of opportunity; H2X and Gee-H are used; 1 B-24 is lost and 26 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. 50 P-51s escort the B-24s. 4. 63 of 76 B-17s hit the rail bridge at Wesel visually; 13 hit the marshalling yard at Rheine, a target of opportunity, with H2X. Escorting are 45 of 51 P-51s. 5. 6 B-24s fly a screening mission without loss. 6. 4 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 7. 4 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 8. 4 P-51s escort a B-17 on a "special sortie."

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 300+ B-26s and A-20s bomb the Mayen, rail bridge, Rees communications center, Solingen turbo-jet component works, Unna ordnance depot, and a target of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance, attack bridge, railroads, and other special targets; the XIX Tactical Air Command also supports the US VIII, XII, and XX Corps W of the Prum River, E of the Sauer River, and in the Saarlautern area.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 630+ B-24s and B-17s bomb airfields at Regensburg, Landsberg, and Neubiberg, Germany; marshalling yards at Rosenheim, Germany, Hall, and Innsbruck, Austria, and Bolzano, and Vipiteno, Italy, plus scattered targets of opportunity in Austria and N Italy; P-38s and P-51s escort the bombers, fly reconnaissance missions, and escort reconnaissance and supply operations.

100 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group and 1 Mosquito of No 8 Group attacked the town of Wesel on the Rhine, near the fighting area. No aircraft lost. The raid took place in clear conditions and 'the town and the railway were seen to be smothered in bomb bursts'.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, bad weather grounds medium bombers; fighter-bombers cut rail lines at the S end of Garda Lake, and bomb an ammunition and fuel dump E of Nervesa della Battaglia and an ammunition dump E of Villafranca in Lunigiana.
 
WESTERN FRONT: In the north, Canadian troops Canadian 1st Army have reached the Rhine along a 10-mile front. Farther south, there are new attacks by US 12th and 20th Corps, of US 3rd Army, from Luxembourg and around Saarlouis. US 7th Army units are attacking near Saarbrucken.

German submarine 'U-425' sunk in the Barents Sea near Murmansk, Russia, in position 69.39N, 35.50E, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS 'Lark' and the corvette HMS 'Alnwick Castle'. 52 dead and 1 survivor.

German submarine 'U-1273' sunk in the Skagerak in Oslofjord near Horten, in position 59.24N, 10.28E, by a mine. 43 dead and 8 survivors.

German submarine 'U-1278' sunk in the North Sea north-west of Bergen, Norway in position 61.32N, 01.36E, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS 'Bayntun' and HMS 'Loch Eck'. 48 dead (all hands lost).

German submarines 'U-869' sunk off New Jersey, USA in position 39.33N, 73.02W by Hedgehogs and depth charges from the American destroyer escorts USS 'Howard D. Crow' and USS 'Koiner'. 56 dead (all hands lost). U.S. Coast Guard History

The 862d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 493d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (attached to 3d Air Division), moves from Debach to Wormingford, England and begins flying weather reconnaissance missions with B-17s and P-51s.

MEDITTERANEAN: The damaged Italian battleship, 'Conte di Cavour' and the unfinished 'Impero' are sunk in Trieste harbor by British RAF attacks.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): About 500 B-17s and B-24s attack the marshalling yard, station, and benzol plant at Linz, steel works at Judenburg, tank works at Steyr and Sankt Valentin, marshalling yards at Graz, Wels, Bruck an der Mur, and Villach, Austria; plus shipyards and harbors at Fiume and Trieste, Italy, and Pula, Yugoslavia. P-38s and P-51s escort the bombers, fly reconnaissance missions, and supply drops, strafe rail lines in the Vienna-Linz, Austria area and aircraft at Ardning and Grafenstein Austria, and fly weather and photo reconnaissance.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers bomb bridges at Chiusaforte, Bressanone, Crema, and Dogna; fighters and fighter- bombers hit communications targets in the Po Valley and damage bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia, Cittadella, Calliano, Ala, and Pordenone; also bombed are guns and dumps from the S of La Spezia E to the battle area below Bologna.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): Mission 834: 895 bombers and 183 fighters are dispatched to hit synthetic oil plants in Germany and the Frankfurt marshalling yard; deteriorating weather forces the recall of 261 B-17s and 288 B-24s; the weather was so bad that some aircraft controls froze and several had to jettison their bombs during assembly; 3 B-17s and 2 of the recalled B-24 force are lost in addition to 1 P-51. 346 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Frankfurt (260); targets of opportunity are the Giessen marshalling yard (45), Aschaffenburg (12), Hanau (10) and other (4); 3 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost, 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 106 B-17s damaged; 17 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 38 MIA. The escort is 151 of 167 P-51s; 1 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 12 P-51s fly a scouting mission and 4 escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 31 B-26s strike the Mayen rail bridge and a target of opportunity at Reinfeld; fighters of the IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance; the XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) cancels operations due to bad weather.

Wesel: 298 RAF aircraft - 247 Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters, 24 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The target area was covered in cloud and the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be stopped after only 8 Halifaxes had bombed. No aircraft were lost but 3 Halifaxes crashed in England.

6 RAF Oboe Mosquitos attacked the Deschimag shipyard in Bremen but no results were seen because of ground fog. No aircraft lost.
 
WESTERN FRONT: In the continuing British and Canadian offensive, the British 30th Corps (part of British 2nd Army) attacks Goch. All US 3rd Army units are attacking. The German Siegfried Line is broken north of Echternach by US 8th Corps while both US 12th and 20th Corps, to the south, are advancing.

German submarine 'U-2344' sunk after colliding with 'U-2336' off Heiligendamm.

EASTERN FRONT: General Chernyakhovsky, commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, dies from wounds received outside Konigsberg at age 40. He was the youngest Front commander in the Red Army.

The Red Army encircles Graudenz on the Vistula. Troops of the 11th SS Army are brought to a standstill by stiffening Russian resistance to 'Unternehmen Sonnenwende'.

MEDITTERANEAN: There are new attacks by US 4th Corps (part of US 5th Army) in the area of the front just west of the Bologna-Pistoia road.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 17/18 Feb, 24 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy; during the day 160 B-17s bomb a benzol plant, main marshalling yard and station at Linz, Austria; 20 P-38s provide escort; almost 290 B-24s, with fighter escorts, are recalled because of weather from missions dispatched against targets in Austria; weather also causes the recall of 52 P-51s on a strafing mission. A few P-38s complete reconnaissance missions but most are recalled as weather worsens. In Italy, the detachments of the 71st and 94th Fighter Squadrons, 1st Fighter Group, operating from Vincenzo Airfield with P-38s, return to base at Salsola Airfield.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 17/18 Feb, A-20s bomb targets in the Po Valley, including the towns of Nogara, Castelfranco Veneto, Modena, Cremona, Bovolone, and Isola della Scala, bridges at Cittadella and Villafranca in Lunigiana, and airfields at Ghedi and Villafranca in Lunigiana; all B-25 missions abort due to weather except an attack on the Ala rail bridge; fighters and fighter-bombers fly less than 100 sorties, hitting ammunition dumps and railroad bridges and lines, mainly in the Po Valley.

GERMANY: (US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 60+ B-26s bomb the Dottesfeld rail bridge, a target of opportunity at Daun, and 5 other targets of opportunity as the 9th Bombardment Division starts a campaign to isolate the Ruhr; the XIX Tactical Air Command escorts the B-26s and flies weather reconnaissance and armed reconnaissance; the IX and XXIX Tactical Air Commands are grounded because of weather.

160 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group returned to Wesel to carry out a G-H attack through cloud. No Lancasters lost.

32 RAF Mosquitos to Mannheim, 6 each to Berlin and Bremen and 3 on 'siren tours' of various towns in Central Germany, 34 RCM sorties, 18 Mosquito patrols, 21 Lancasters and 4 Halifaxes minelaying in the German Bight. 2 Lancasters were lost from the minelaying force.
 
EASTERN FRONT: 2nd Belorussian Front attack in East Prussia stopped by the Germans. German forces re-establish communications between Königsberg and the port of Pillau, thus again enabling tens of thousands of German refugees to be evacuated to the west by ships of the Kriegsmarine. 'Unternehmen Sonnenwende' is finally suspended in the face of ever strengthening Red Army resistance.

WESTERN FRONT: Himmler begins secret efforts to make peace.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): Mission 835: 1,135 bombers and 560 fighters are dispatched to hit oil, industrial and rail targets in Germany; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-24 and 7 P-51s are lost: 1. 196 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Osnabruck (155); 24 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Munster; 10 hit Haselunne, a target of opportunity; Micro-H and H2X are used; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 21 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escorting are 38 of 42 P-51s. 2. 291 B-24s are dispatched to hit military vehicle plants at Meschede (97) and Jungenthal (86) and the marshalling yard at Siegen (94) using Gee-H; 1 B-24 is lost and 8 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. 122 P-47s and P-51s escort. 3. 422 B-17s are sent to hit benzol plants at Bochum (99) and Gelsenkirchen (36), oil refineries at Dortmund (74) and Alm (37) using Micro H and H2X; 162 hit the secondary target, the Munster marshalling yard (162) visually; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 59 damaged; 1 airman is KIA. 91 of 96 P-51s escort; 1 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 131 of 144 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Rheine with Micro H without loss. 48 P-51s escort. 5. 68 of 82 B-17s hit the rail bridge at Wesel using Micro H; 25 B-17s are damaged. 32 of 37 P-51s escort. 6. 163 of 179 P-51s fly a fighter sweep against rail and road targets in the Hannover-Magdeburg-Brunswick area claiming 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 7. 27 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting misson; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, B-26s, A-26s, and A-20s, strike the Mechernich prime mover depot, rail bridges at Pracht, Niederscheld, and Neuwied-Irlich, the Wiesbaden ordnance depot, and 4 targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, attack railroads and bridges, fly armed reconnaissance and alerts, and cooperate with the VIII, XII, and XX Corps E of the Our River, between the Westwall and the Prum River, and in the Saar-Mosel triangle.

Wesel: 168 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a good attack with the best concentration of bombs being in the railway area. 1 Lancaster lost.

254 RAF Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of No 5 Group dispatched to Böhlen. 1 Mosquito lost. This raid was not successful, probably because the aircraft of the Master Bomber, Wing Commander EA Benjamin, was shot down by flak over the target. Post-raid reconnaissance showed that damage to the target was 'superficial'; there was no evidence to show where the main bombing fell.

82 RAF Mosquitos to Erfurt and 24 in small numbers to 6 other targets, 9 RCM sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 18/19 Feb, 11 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy. In Austria during the day almost 500 B-24s and B-17s, escorted by about 220 P-51s and P-38s, bomb 2 marshalling yards and the S station area in Vienna, marshalling yards at Klagenfurt, Graz, and Bruck an der Mur; marshalling yards at Maribor, Yugoslavia; shipyards in Fiume, Italy; and the Pula, Yugoslavia harbor and military installations. In Austria, 51 P-51s strafe rail and river traffic and airfields between Linz and Vienna and in the Graz area; other P-51s and P-38s fly escort and reconnaissance missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): Brigadier General Edward M Morris takes command of the XII Air Force Services Command (until 1 Jan 44 designated the III Air Service Area Command). In Italy, bad weather grounds the medium bombers; fighter-bombers, some bombing by radar-control because of heavy clouds, attack-communications and dumps in the W Po Valley and NE Italy, and claim several rail line cuts in the Brenner area.
 
EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet 6th Army launches an all-out attack on the southern sector of German town of Breslau. Berlin is now threatened by the advances of 1st Ukrainian Front and 1st Belorussian Front; on the lower Vistula River, Soviet troops around Elbing and Marienburg are trying to break through to Danzig and Gdynia. Among the German forces opposing the advance toward Berlin are those of Army Group Vistula, nominally under the command of Heinrich Himmler. Soviet troops capture Czersk. Red Army attacks against the lines of Army Group Courland fail in the face of stubborn German resistance.

WESTERN FRONT: The US 20th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) continues its attacks.

"U-208" attacked convoy HX337 in St George's Channel between SE Ireland and Wales, and sank escorting corvette "VERVAIN". The U-boat was then hunted down and destroyed by sloop "Amethyst" of 22nd EG.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown. Mission 836: 1,264 bombers and 726 fighters are dispatched to hit the main station and marshalling yard at Nurnberg, Germany; the target is bombed visually and using H2X radar; they claim 49-1-21 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s and 7 fighters are lost: 1. 360 B-24s dispatched abandon the mission over Belgium due to weather conditions; one B-24 hits Steig, a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair; 3 airmen are KIA and 2 WIA. Escorting are 123 of 141 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 2. 831 of 904 B-17s hit the primary target; targets of opportunity are Schiltach (16) and other (12); 5 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 241 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA, 10 WIA and 47 MIA. The escort is 315 of 337 P-51s; they claim 8-0-2 aircraft on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 194 P-47s and P-51s strafe rail and road targets in the Nurnberg and Straubing areas; they claim 12-0-1 aircraft in the air and 35-1-20 on the ground; 7 fighters are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 28 of 29 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. 5. 10 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. Mission 837: 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss. Mission 838: During the night of 20/21 Feb, 30 B-24s attack the Neustadt marshalling yard without loss and 6 of 7 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

(US Ninth Air Force): The IX Engineer Command is relieved of its assignment to the Ninth AF and assigned to US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF). (After V-E the command will revert to control of the Ninth.) Weather grounds the 9th Bombardment Division; in Germany, fighters fly armed reconnaissance E and W of the Rhine River, attack a bridge and defended area, and support the US VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the Lichtenborn area, W of the Prum River, and in the Saar-Mosel triangle.

514 RAF Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups attacked Dortmund in Bomber Command's last large-scale raid on this target. 14 Lancasters lost. The intention of this raid was to destroy the southern half of Dortmund and Bomber Command claimed that this was achieved.

173 RAF aircraft - 156 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos, 6 Lancasters - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked the Rhenania Ossag refinery in the Reisholz district of Düsseldorf. The raid was accurate and it was later established that all oil production was halted. 4 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost.

128 RAF aircraft - 112 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos, 6 Lancasters - of 6 and 8 Groups attacked the Rhenania Ossag refinery at Monheim with similar results to the Reisholz raid. 2 Halifaxes lost.

154 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of No 5 Group were ordered to attack the Mittelland Canal near Gravenhorst but the raid was ordered to be abandoned by the Master Bomber because the area was covered by cloud. No aircraft lost.

Diversionary and 91 RAF aircraft from Heavy Conversion Units in a sweep over the North Sea, 66 Mosquitos to Berlin and 16 to Mannheim, 65 RCM sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols, 6 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 aircraft of No 100 Group (type not recorded) lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): 520+ B-17s, with fighter escort, and B-24s bomb the Lobau, Vienna and Schwechat, Austria oil refineries and Floridsdorf marshalling yard at Vienna, steel works at Kapfenberg, Austria, harbor at Pula, Yugoslavia, and shipyards at Trieste and Fiume, Italy.

(US Twelfth Air Force): The 27th and 86th Fighter Groups and an air service group are transferred from the Twelfth AF to the First Tactical Air Force (Provisional) in France; HQ 86th Fighter Group moves from Pisa, Italy to Tantonville, France. In Italy, A-20s on night intruder missions during the night of 19/20 Feb, bomb targets of opportunity at over 30 points in the C Po Valley, several rail diversions, and marshalling yards at Villafranca in Lunigiana, Roncanova, Bovolone, Cerea, Legnago, Cittadella, Casa di David, Isola della Scala, Castelfranco Veneto, and Nogara; fighter- bombers devote their main effort to support the US Fifth Army offensive in the Monte Torraccia area; medium bombers bomb bridges at Montebello, Chiusaforte, Salzano, and Calcinato; the detachment of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron, 62d Fighter Wing, operating from Etain, France with Mosquitos, returns to base at Pisa.
 
WESTERN FRONT: Allied forces break through the Siegfried Line in Europe. Goch falls to the attacks of the 51st Division of the British 30th Corps (part of British 2nd Army).

First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Units moving from Italy to France with P-47s: 522d, 523d and 524th Fighter Squadrons, 27th Fighter Group, from Pontedera to St Dizier; 526th Fighter Squadron, 86th Fighter Group, from Pisa to Tantonville.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 839: 1,262 bombers and 792 fighters are dispatched to again attack the tank plant, main railroad station, marshalling yards and locomotive shops at Nurnberg, Germany using H2X radar; they claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 7 fighters are lost: 1. 830 of 867 B-17s hit the marshalling yard; 11 others hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 298 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 6 WIA. Escorting are 373 of 391 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 375 of 395 B-24s hit the station and marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are Speyer (1) and other (2); 63 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 3 WIA. The escort is 175 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 45 of 46 P-51s make a sweep of the Meiningen-Coburg-Nurnberg area; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 98 of 101 P-51s escort Ninth AF B-26s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft. 5. 23 of 31 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 6. 29 of 30 P-51s escort 10 F-5s and 7 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. Mission 840: During the night of 21/22 Feb, 25 of 29 B-24s attack the Duisburg power and gas stations using PFF; 2 B-24s are lost.

In Germany, the 9th Bombardment Division hits rail a overpass and bridges, an oil storage depot, marshalling yards, communications centers, and 13 targets of opportunity; 1,100+ fighter sorties are completed as the IX, XIX, and XXIX Tactical Air Commands escort the bomber, attack railroads, airfield, and other selected targets, fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas including the US First Army area between Duren and Losheim, and support the VIII, XII, and XX Corps along the Prum River, the West wall, and in the Saar-Mosel triangle.

362 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups dispatched to Duisburg. 7 Lancasters were lost and 3 crashed behind Allied lines in Europe. This was a successful area-bombing raid and much damage was caused. No other details are available. This was the last major Bomber Command raid on Duisburg.

Worms: 349 RAF aircraft - 288 Halifaxes, 36 Lancasters, 25 Mosquitos. 10 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost. This was the first and only large Bomber Command raid on Worms. The raid was an area attack in which 1,116 tons of bombs were accurately dropped. A post-war survey estimated that 39 per cent of the town's built-up area was destroyed.

165 RAF Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of No 5 Group again attempted to breach the Mittelland Canal near Gravenhorst. Visibility was clear and the attack was successful. Bomber Command claimed that the canal was rendered '100 per cent unserviceable'. 9 Lancasters were lost and 4 crashed in France and Holland, 7.9 per cent of the Lancaster force. One of the Lancasters which crashed in Holland was piloted by Group Captain AC Evans-Evans, DFC, the station commander at Coningsby, flying a No 83 Squadron aircraft. The Lancaster was shot down by a German fighter and crashed near Eindhoven. One of the gunners was the only survivor.

77 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 5 to Bremen, 66 RCM sorties, 35 Mosquito patrols, 28 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

In the predawn hours, Major Schnaufer, Kommodore of NJG 4, takes off and shoots down two RAF Lancasters from a bomber formation. Later that evening, he shoots down seven more Lancasters, destroying a total of nine bombers in two sorties for the day. Also active is Kommodore Hans-Joachim Jabs of NJG 1, who shoots down two RAF Lancasters, his last kills of the war. By war's end Jabs has survived five and a half years of combat flying the Bf 110 Zerstörer, considered by most to be a death trap against Allied fighters, with a respectable score of fifty kills.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 20/21 Feb, 1 B-17 and 13 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy. During the day 500+ B-17s and B-24s with fighter escorts bomb Vienna, Austria railroad targets (C yards, S station, and Matzleinsdorf marshalling yard), marshalling yards at Bruck an der Mur, Wiener-Neustadt, and Zeltweg, Austria, and Sopron, Hungary, and shipyards at Trieste and Fiume, Italy. HQ 1st Fighter Group moves from Vincenzo Airfield to Salsola Airfield, Italy and the detachment of the 27th Fighter Squadron ceases operating from Vincenzo and returns to base at Salsola with P-38s.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, night fighters and A-20s on intruder missions during the night of 20/21 Feb, continue to attack communications and supplies in the Po Valley; medium bombers, during the day, bomb bridges at Dogna, Crema, and Romano di Lombardia; fighter-bombers devote their main effort to close support of ground forces along the W and C US Fifth Army front, and also hit communications to the N of the battleline and in the Po Valley.

EASTERN FRONT: The 1st Ukrainian Front captures Guben.
 
WESTERN FRONT: In the English Channel, off Falmouth, German submarine 'U-1004' torpedoes and sinks Canadian corvette HMCS 'Trentonian', with the loss of six lives.

German submarine 'U-300' sunk in the North Atlantic west of Cadiz, in position 36.29N, 08.20W, by depth charges from British minesweepers HMS 'Recuit' and HMS 'Pincher' and the yacht 'Evadne'. 9 dead and 41 survivors..

The US 20th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) achieves most of its objectives in the area between the Saar and Moselle rivers.

HQ 27th Fighter Group moves from Tarquinia, Italy to St Dizier, France.

MEDITTERANEAN: US 5th Army makes some gains in mountain fighting high up in the Reno Valley.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 21/22 Feb, A-20s attack an ammunition dump, railroad bridges and lines, and road lights in the Po Valley; B-25s bomb railroad bridges and marshalling yards at Lavis, Bressanone, and Ala, cutting the bridge at Lavis and the through tracks at the Ala marshalling yard; fighters and fighter-bombers continue to support US Fifth Army forces S and SW of Bologna and hit communications targets, dumps, vehicles, and guns in and N of the battle area in the Apennines Mountains and in the Po Valley, and bomb airfields at Ghedi and Bergamo.

GERMANY: Start of Operation Clarion - an attack by 9,000 Allied aircraft on the German road and rail systems. (US Eighth Air Force):: Mission 841: 1,428 bombers and 862 fighters commence Operation CLARION, a joint RAF, Eighth, Ninth and Fifteenth AF operation with the objective of paralyzing the already decimated German rail and road system; most attacks were made visually; bombing was conducted from an optimum 10,000 feet (3,048 m) to achieve accuracy at target without flak defenses; they claim 28-2-43 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 1. 522 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Bamberg (64), Zwickau (2) and Kitzingen (1); targets of opportunity are Ansbach (143), Donaueschingen (24), Reutlingen (25), Ulm (77), Freiburg (21), Hafingen (10), the marshalling yards at Aalen (24), Neustadt (26), Singen (8), Schwenningen (22), and Villgen (11) and other (42); some attacks are made with H2X radar; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 2 B-17s are lost and 29 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 163 of 168 P-51s; 3 are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 452 B-24s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Halberstadt (51), Sangerhausen (11), Nordhausen (30), Vienenburg (23), Peine (52), Hildesheim (55), Kreiensen (48), and Northeim (48); targets of opportunity are Nordhausen (11), Ottbergen (10), the rail and highway bridge at Lindern (1) and marshalling yards at Wallhausen (19), Oker (8), Eschwege (30), Gottingen (29) and Celle (8) and other (1); 4 B-24s are lost and 68 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 38 MIA. 246 P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 19-0-16 aircraft on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 454 B-17s are sent to hit Wittenburg (72), Stendal (73), Salzwedel (59), Uelzen (73), Wittstock (11), Luneburg (39), and Ludwigslust (48); targets of opportunity are Grabow (13), Kobbelitz (24), Dannenberg (12) and Klotze (13). The escort is 268 of 280 P-51s; they claim 4-2-18 aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 99 of 103 P-51s fly a freelance mission in support of the bombers; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 5. 28 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission; they claim 2-0-3 aircraft on the ground. 6. 13 P-51s escort 10 F-5s and 5 Spitfires on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.

In Operation CLARION, 450+ A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s of the 9th Bombardment Division bomb SW German targets including 46 rail bridges, 12 marshalling yards, 11 stations, plus junctions, roundhouses, a viaduct, a crossing, a workshop; this marks the first low-level operations by B-26s since May 43; 1,000+ fighters of the IX, XIX, and XXIX Tactical Air Commands escort the bombers, attack several assigned ground targets, fly armed reconnaissance, and cooperate with the US VIII, XII, and XX Corps along the Prum River and in the Saar-Mosel Triangle.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): The Fifteenth's participation in Operation CLARION includes 350+ B-17s and B-24s bombing 50+ separate communications targets in Germany, Austria, and Italy, including some 25 marshalling yards and numerous railroad lines and bridges; fighters fly 300+ escort and strafing sorties.

167 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group in forces of 85 and 82 aircraft to oil refineries at Gelsenkirchen and Osterfeld. A Film Unit Lancaster of No 463 Squadron, No 5 Group, accompanied the Gelsenkirchen force. Both targets were accurately bombed in clear weather conditions. 1 Lancaster lost from the Gelsenkirchen raid.

73 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 6 to Bremen, 4 to Erfurt and 3 on 'siren tours' of various German towns, 35 Lancasters to railway viaducts at Altenbeken and Bielefeld, 48 RCM sorties, 23 Mosquito patrols, 19 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 Mosquito from the Erfurt raid crashed in Belgium.

The Me 262 jets of III./JG 7 are scrambled to intercept an Allied force of over 3000 aircraft flying as a covering force for the Allied operation 'CLARION'. During this action, Oblt Hans-Peter Waldmann, Staffelkapitän of 9./JG 7, claims two P-51s shot down. But the pilots of JG 7 suffer the loss of one of their jet aces. 10./JG 7's Obfw. Baudach, an ex-EKdo 262 Experte, bales out of his damaged jet over Schönwalde-Neiderbarin. As he leaves the cockpit, his head hits the tailplane and although landing safely in his parachute, he dies a few days later from his injuries.
 
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