Mission 116
Mission Summaries > June 1944
THURSDAY, 29 JUNE 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):
Mission 447:
1,150 bombers and 779 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany and the Netherlands; 15 bombers and 3 fighters are lost; cloud cover causes 400+ aircraft to abort the mission:
Of 179 B-17s, 81 bomb the synthetic oil plant at Bohlen and 61 strike an aircraft components factory at Wittenberg; 4 B-17s are lost and 111 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 30 MIA.
Of 380 B-17s, 41 hit Leipzig/Heiterblick, 30 hit Leipzig / Taucha Airfield, 19 hit Leipzig, 18 hit Wittenberg, 15 hit Limbach, 14 hit Quakenbruck and 2 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 76 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 21 MIA.
Of 591 B-24s, 81 hit Magdeburg, 74 hit Oschersleben, 54 hit Bernburg, 47 hit Aschersleben, 46 hit Burg bie Magdeburg Airfield, 42 hit an aviation plant at Fallersleben, 35 hit a target of opportunity (Kothen), 26 hit Stendal Airfield, 9 hit Gardelegen Airfield, 8 hit Oebisfelde/Kaltendorf marshalling yard, 8 hit Zerbst Airfield, and 4 hit Leopoldshall marshalling yard; 9 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 204 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 12 WIA and 92 MIA.
The missions above are escorted by 203 P-38s, 216 P-47 and 352 P-51s of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces; they claim 34-0-9 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 16-0-8 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA).
4 of 8 P-38s fly a fighter-bomber mission against shipping at Ijmuiden, the Netherlands without loss.
Target: Primary Target: Kothen, Germany - German Airfield (Target Abandoned) Secondary Target: Burg bie Magdeburg Airfield (Lead & Righ Right Squadrons) Target of Opportunity: Oebisfelde Kaltendorf Marshalling Yard (Low Left Squadron) | ||
8th Air Force Mission No: | 447 | |
Aircraft Taking Off: | 34 | |
Aircraft Dispatched: | 34 | |
Aircraft Aborts: | 0 | |
Aircraft Over Primary: | 0 | |
Aircraft Over Secondary: | 26 | |
Aircraft Over Last Resort: | 8 | |
Aircraft Bomb Load: | 12x500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs | |
Group Bomb Load: | Secondary: 312x500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs T/O: 96x500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs | |
Results: | Secondary: Poor T/O: Excellent | |
Tactical Mission Report: | 445th Bomb Group Mission Report 1. A/C Scheduled ----------------------- A/C Airborne ------------------------- A/C Dispatched ---------------------- A/C Returned Early ----------------- A/C Over Target --------------------- A/C Returned ------------------------ 2. Assembly: 3. Route In: 4. Bomb Run: 5. Route Out: 6. Enemy Fighters: 7. Fighter Support: 8. Flak: | |
Losses: None. | ||
Note: None. | ||
Primary Target: Kothen Airfield
Image courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration ©
No target photos were available for the secondary or target of opportunity