USAAF Combat Operations 1941

USAAF Worldwide Operations Chronology
                COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
                              
FEBURARY 1944


AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  A-24, Douglas Dauntless
  A-36, North American Apache
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  Baltimore, Martin (RAF)
  Beaufighter, Bristol
  C-47, Douglas Skytrain
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  F-7, Consolidated Liberator
  F4U, Vought Corsair (USN)
  Hurricane, Hawker (RAF)
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-39, Bell Airacobra
  P-40, Curtiss
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  P-70, Douglas
  SBD, Douglas Dauntless (USN)
  Spitfire, Vickers Supermarine
  TBF, Grumman Avenger (USN)
  Ventura, Lockheed

MONDAY, 1 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-24s bomb Mingaladon Airfield;
another hits the airfield at Nyaungbinwun; 32 P-51s and A-36s and a single
B-25 hit the main airfield at Myitkyina; some of the aircraft then strafe the
Radhapur transport depot and storage area to the NW.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China during Feb 44, a detachment of the
16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, based at Chengkung, operates from
Nanning with P-40s; 449th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, transfers
from Kunming to Suichwan with P-38s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Transfers in England: 363d Fighter
Squadron, 357th Fighter Group from Raydon to Leiston with P-51s (first
mission is 11 Feb); 752d, 753, 754th and 755th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy,
458th Bombardment Group (Heavy) from US to Horsham St Faith with B-24s
(first mission is 24 Feb).
  Transfers in England during Feb 44: HQ 95th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy)
from Attlebridge to Ketteringham; HQ 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy) to North
Pickenham.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Colonel Clarence E Crumrine
temporarily takes command of the XIX Air Support Command, replacing Major
General Elwood R Quesada. The latter assumes command of the IX Air Support
Command which assumes control of all fighter and reconnaissance units of the
IX Fighter Command.
  Transfers in England: HQ IX Air Support Command from Aldermaston Court to
Middle Wallop; HQ XIX Air Support Command from Middle Wallop to Aldermaston
Court; HQ 416th Bombardment Group (Light) and 669th, 670th and 671st
Bombardment Squadrons (Light) from the US to Wethersfield with A-20s (first
mission is 3 Mar); 30th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, III
Reconnaissance Command, from the US to Chalgrove with F-5s (first mission is
25 Feb); 366th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group, from Leiston to Raydon
with P-47s.
  Transfers in UK during Feb 44: HQ 438th Troop Carrier Group and 87th, 88th,
89th and 90th Troop Carrier Squadrons from the US with C-47s. 

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Operations are limited to a
fighter sweep of the Orvieto-Viterbo, Italy area by P-47s and to photo and
weather reconnaissance.
  HQ 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) transfers from Cerignola to Lucera,
Italy.
  Transfers in Italy during Feb 44: HQ 305th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) from
Foggia to Spinazzola.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb the Albano
Laziale road junction; P-40s bomb Cori, while A-36s hit Poggio Mieteto and
P-47s attack the station at San Valentino; fighters cover the Anzio battle
area.
  Detachment of 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, operating from
Capodichino, Italy with P-39s, returns to base at Montecorvino Airfield.
  During Feb 44, HQ 81st Fighter Group and 93d Fighter Squadron transfer from
Castelvetrano, Sicily to Montecorvino Airfield with P-39s.
  During Feb, ground echelon of 417th Night Fighter Squadron, Twelfth Air
Force (attached to RAF No. 337 Wing) transfers from Ghisonaccia to Borgo,
Corsica; air echelon is at La Senia, Algeria with Beaufighters.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Makin Island, Gilbert
Islands hit the beach defenses on Kwajalein Island, Marshall Islands; P-40s
on armed reconnaissance over Mille Atoll, Marshall Islands strafe a beached
schooner. Operation CATCHPOLE (operations against Eniwetok and Ujelang
Atolls in the Marshall Islands) is begun to occupy and defend Eniwetok Atoll,
which is to furnish a striking base for operations against the Marianas
Islands. During the operation, Seventh Air Force aircraft operating from
newly acquired bases in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands neutralize airfields
in the Marianas and continue to pound by-passed airfields in the Marshalls.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Weather prevents 50 B-24s
sent against installations in the Admiralty Islands from reaching the target;
2 B-24s bomb a freighter NE of Vanimo, New Guinea while a single B-24 on
armed reconnaissance strafes barges in the Solomon Sea.
  HQ 308th and 309th Bombardment Wings (Heavy) and 310th Bombardment Wing
(Medium) are activated at Oro Bay, Lae and Gusap New Guinea respectively; the
wings will operate with various groups that are attached for brief periods.
  Transfers in New Guinea: 8th Bombardment Squadron (Light) from Dobodura to
Nadzab with A-20s; 421st Night Fighter Squadron, V Fighter Command, from
Milne Bay to Nadzab with P-70s.
  In New Guinea during Feb 44, a detachment of the 26th Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, based at
Dobodura, begins operating from Port Moresby with F-5s.

WEDNESDAY, 2 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO): Marshall Josef V Stalin agrees to
provide 6 bases for US aircraft in the USSR.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 205: 95 of 110 B-24s
hit V-weapon construction sites at St Pol/Siracourt and Watten, France; 2
B-24s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; casualties are
10 KIA and 19 MIA. 183 P-47s escort the B-24s without loss.
  364th Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, transfers from Raydon to
Leiston, England with P-51s; first mission is 11 Feb.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 36 B-26s attack Triqueville
Airfield, France. Eighth Air Force escorts are 34 P-38s and 44 P-47s. No
losses.
  Transfers in England: 365th Fighter Squadron, 358th Fighter Group from
Leiston to Raydon with P-47s; 381st Fighter Squadron, 363d Fighter Group,
from Keevil to Rivenhall with P-51s, first mission is 24 Feb; 668th
Bombardment Squadron (Light), 416th Bombardment Group (Light), from the US
to Wethersfield with A-20s, first mission is 3 Mar.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): B-24s, with Spitfire escort,
bomb the radar station at Durazzo, Albania.
  32d, 352d, 353d and 419th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 301st Bombardment
Group (Heavy), transfer from Cerignola to Lucera, Italy with B-17s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Major General Gordon P Saville
becomes Commanding General, XII Air Support Command.
  In Italy, B-25s attack the Marino road junction and A-20s bomb Norma;
A-36s and P-40s bomb villages, road junctions, trucks, trains, parked
aircraft, supply dump, and the Viterbo road during several fighter-bomber
missions; P-40s on patrol over the battle areas attack Cisterna di Latina
and Formia.
  23d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 5th Photographic Reconnaissance
Group, transfers from San Servero, Italy to Alghero, Sardinia with F-5s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): A-24s and P-40s from Makin
Island bomb runways and gun positions on Mille Atoll and along with P-39
escort strafe NE tip of the island; B-24s from Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands
bomb Rongelap Island, Marshall Islands.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 31st Bombardment Squadron
(Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based on Guadalcanal Island, begins
operating from Munda, New Georgia Island with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, B-24s bomb
Sorong and Alexishafen; nearly 50 A-20s pound installations in the Madang
area. B-25s hit coastal targets on New Britain Island from Cape Gauffre to
Rein Bay. Other B-25s attack shipping off Tingwon Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago and off the SE coast of New Britain Island.

THURSDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 P-38s attack bridges,
encampments, and buildings along the Prome-Taungup road; 1 bridge is knocked
out and another damaged; a tugboat is sunk at Akyab; 14 A-36s and a B-25
attack troops and camp area at Kumnyen and Lalawng Ga, and hit a motor pool
and repair depot at Shingban; 16 P-51s hit an encampment at Sawnghka.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 206: 553 of 671 B-17s
hit the port area at Wilhelmshaven, Germany; another 56 hit the Emden area;
and 1 hits Oldenburg; 1.8 million leaflets are dropped by B-17s; 193 B-24s
are dispatched but they abort the mission over the Zuider Zee due to clouds;
0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft are claimed; 4 B-17s are lost, 1 B-24 is damaged
beyond repair and 47 B-17s are damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 9 WIA and 42
MIA. Escort is provided by 74 P-38s, 508 P-47s of the Eighth and Ninth Air
Force and 50 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 8-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8
P-47s and 1 P-51 are lost, 3 P-47s are damaged beyond repair and 13 P-47s
are damaged; casualties are 9 MIA.
  Mission 207: 7 of 7 B-17s drop 420 bundles of leaflets on Paris, Rouen,
Amiens, Reims, Orleans and Rennes, France at 2110-2146 hours; no losses.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): The 358th Fighter Group at Raydon
becomes operational with P-47s. This is the first of 17 fighter groups which
are to be added by 9 May 44 to the Ninth Air Force, which previously had only
1 fighter group, the 354th at Boxted with P-51s.
  52 B-26s bomb V-weapon sites on the W coast of France. Weather causes
100+ other aircraft to abandon the mission.
  380th Fighter Squadron, 363d Fighter Group, transfers from Keevil to
Rivenhall, England with P-51s, first mission on 24 Feb.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, B-24s, finding the
primary target obscured by bad weather, bomb targets of opportunity (railroad
yards and stations) at Stimigliano and Sulmona; other B-24s return to base
without bombing; P-47s fly a fighter sweep over the Prato-Pontassieve area.
  154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 68th Tactical Reconnaissance
Group attached to Fifteenth Air Force, arrives at Oran, Algeria from Bari,
Italy with P-38s, first mission as a weather reconnaissance unit on 13 Feb.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Medium bomber missions are all
aborted. In Italy, A-36s hit roads and other targets S of Rome, destroying
or damaging numerous trucks and bombing the towns of Sezze and Fondi as US
ground forces meet strong resistance in their drive toward Cassino; P-47s
hit Manopello and railroad facilities at Sulmona; and fighters patrol the
Anzio area.
  HQ 332d Fighter Group and 100th Fighter Squadron arrive at Montecorvino,
Italy from the US with P-39s, first mission on 19 Feb.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin Island, bomb
and strafe Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-40s and US Navy (USN) fighters cover a USN dive-bomber strike on Tobera;
15 B-24s with P-38 and USN fighter escort bomb the airfield at Lakunai;
Allied aircraft claim 13 Japanese interceptors downed during the 2 strikes.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, nearly 100
B-24s and B-25s, supported by P-38s, P-40s and P-47s, pound airfields in
the Wewak area; about 8O aircraft are destroyed on the ground and in the air;
A-20s attack Alexishafen and the Hansa Bay areas; P-39s and B-25s on armed
reconnaissance hit trucks at Erima, barges on the New Britain coast, shipping
in the N Bismarck Sea, and Momote and Hyane Harbor on Los Negros Island.
  Transfers in New Guinea: HQ 3d Bombardment Group (Light) from Dobodura to
Nadzab; 25th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic
Reconnaissance Group, from Brisbane, Australia to Lae with F-5s, first
mission on 5 Feb; 673d Bombardment Squadron (Light), 417th Bombardment
Group (Light), from Cape Sudest to Dobodura with A-20s, first mission on
25 Mar.

FRIDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 12 P-51s strafe runways and buildings at
Indaw, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 208: 589 B-17s and 159
B-24s are dispatched to attack industry and railroad yards at Frankfurt/
Main, Germany; 346 B-17s and 27 B-24s hit the target; due to weather and
navigational problems, 122 B-17s hit Giessen, 51 B-17s hit Wiesbaden, 17
B-24s hit the Trier area, 15 B-24s hit the Arloff area, 2 B-24s hit the
Russelheim area, 1 B-24 hits Grafenhausen, 1 B-24 hits Darmstadt, 1 B-17 and
1 B-24 hit Koblenz and 26 B-24s and 23 B-17s hit unknown targets; they
claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 18 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost, 2 B-17s and
1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 359 aircraft are damaged; casualties are
7 KIA, 20 WIA and 203 MIA. Escort is provided by 56 P-38s, 537 Eighth and
Ninth Air Force P-47s and 44 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 8-0-4
Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 is lost, 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 5
P-38s and 4 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 1 MIA.
  Mission 209: 7 of 7 B-17s drop 319 bundles of leaflets on Lorient, Tours,
Nantes, Raismes, Lille and Cambrai, France and Antwerp, Belgium at 2102-2132
hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Major General Otto P Weyland becomes
Commanding General, XIX Air Support Command.
  HQ 313th Troop Carrier Group transfers from Trapani/Milo Airfield, Sicily
to Folkingham, England.

  US STRATEGIC AIR FORCES IN EUROPE: The abbreviation for this unit is
changed from USSAFE to USSTAF.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In France, B-17s bomb Antheor
viaduct and Toulon harbor; B-24s are forced by bad weather to return bombs
to base; many of the B-17s returning from the Toulon raid are forced to land
at various friendly fields because of unsafe flying conditions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather prevents all
medium, light and fighter-bomber missions; P-40s and Spitfires maintain
patrols over the Anzio area, where a strong German counter-offensive had been
launched during the night of 3/4 Feb.
  Detachment of 414th Night Fighter Squadron, 63d Fighter Wing, operating
from Ghisonaccia with Beaufighters transfers to Borgo, Corsica; squadron is
based at Elmas, Sardinia.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s, flying from Tarawa Atoll
and Makin Island, bomb Wotje, Maloelap and Mille Atolls, Marshall Islands;
B-25s from Tarawa and Abemama Island, Gilbert Islands also hit Wotje and
Maloelap Atolls; P-40s based on Makin Island bomb and strafe Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 25
B-25s, escorted by 40+ fighters, pound the airfield at Tobera; 18 B-24s,
covered by 30+ P-38s and USN fighters, hit the airfield at Vunakanau.
  HQ 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy) transfers from Guadalcanal Island to
Munda, New Georgia Island.
  68th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, transfers from Fiji to
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands with P-38s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In the Moluccas Islands,
B-24s and B-25s carry out small raids against Laha on Ambon Island, Namlea
on Buru Island and Amboina on Ambon Island. In New Guinea, 170+ B-24s,
A-20s. and B-25s bomb But and Dagua Airfields, Marienberg and the Madang-
Alexishafen area; P-39s bomb and strafe Atemble and strafe targets of 
opportunity in the Alexishafen area.
  672d, 674th and 675th Bombardment Squadrons (Light), 417th Bombardment
Group (Light), transfer from Cape Sudest to Dobodura, New Guinea with A-20s,
first mission on 25 Mar.

SATURDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 6 B-24s and 16 P-38s
join USN aircraft to fly air cover in several relays during retirement of US
light cruisers and destroyers following bombardment of installations in the
Kurabu Cape-Musashi Bay areas; shortly afterwards, the aircraft also
photograph and attack installations at Paramushiru and Shimushu.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma during the early morning hours, 8
B-24s bomb the airfield at Heho while 6 others hit Aungban Airfield; 9 B-25s
follow with strikes on Heho, Sagaing and Myittha Airfields. During the
daylight hours 14 fighter-bombers hit the marshalling yard at Wuntho; during
the night of 5/6 Feb, 9 B-24s again hit Heho and 4 bomb Aungban. 

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 8 B-24s during the night of 5/6 Feb bomb
Bangkok, Thailand. 3 others hit Nakhon Nayok and an unidentified airfield on
the Mekong River both in French Indochina. 2 B-24s and 2 B-25s attack a
convoy E of Hong Kong and claim 2 freighters and 3 smaller cargo vessels
sunk. In Burma, 4 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe a big wagon and truck
column N of Hsenwi; 4 others bomb and strafe Hopang, causing large fires in
the village.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): In view of the previous decision
to concentrate most of the training activities of the Eighth Air Force in the
VIII Air Force Composite Command, a decision is made to transfer HQ from
Limavady, County Derry, Ireland, to Cheddington, England, to bring it closer
to the combat crew training stations over which it is to be given
supervision. Most of the transfer is completed between 7 and 15 Feb.
  Mission 210: Airfields in France are targetted. 103 B-17s are dispatched
to Chateauroux/Martinerie and Avord Airfields with 50 hitting each target;
121 B-17s are dispatched to Chateaudun (61 bomb) and Orleans/Bricy (60 bomb)
Airfields; 182 B-17s are dispatched to Romilly-sur-Seine air depot but 133
hit Villacoublay; 103 B-24s are dispatched to Meslay Airfield (90 bomb) and
8 hit Chateaudun; they claim 5-0-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 B-24s are lost, 3
B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 39 B-17s and 31 B-24s are
damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 15 WIA and 22 MIA. Escort is provided by 92
P-38s, 496 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 46 Ninth Air Force P-51s;
they claim 6-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-47s are lost, 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 are
damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 are damaged; casualties are 2
MIA.
  Mission 211: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 300 bundles of leaflets during a
CARPETBAGGER mission on Ghent, Monceau-sur-Sambre, Antwerp and Brussels,
Belgium at 2026-2037 hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Around 180 B-26s attack 6 V-weapon
sites in N France.
  HQ 437th Troop Carrier Group transfers from Balderton to Ramsbury, England.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb Terni
marshalling yard, and A-20s hit the Lanuvio and Piedimonte areas. P-40s and
A-36s hit road junctions at Cisterna di Latina, Vetralla, and Velletri, bomb
the towns of Vetralla, Ardea, and Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi, and attack
motor transport at several points, including areas N, NE and SE of Rome.
  58th, 59th and 60th Fighter Squadrons, 33d Fighter Group, begin a movement
from Cercola, Italy to India with P-40s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin Island dive-
bomb and strafe oil storage area, radio facilities, and small craft at Jaluit
Atoll, Marshall Islands; P-39s strafe runways on Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 P-40s join 40+ USN
fighters in covering a strike by more than 60 USN dive bombers on Lakunai,
New Britain Island. This strike is followed by an attack of 13 B-24s, with
30+ P-38 and USN fighter escort, on the same target.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 70+ B-25s and
A-20s attack the Hansa Bay area; 48 B-24s pound Hoskins Airfield, and some
also bomb Gasmata Island off New Britain Island, after weather prevents an
attack on Kavieng, New Ireland Island. B-24s fly a light raid on Kaimana, New
Guinea. B-25s on armed reconnaissance in the W Bismarck Sea claim 1 freighter
sunk; others bomb wrecked ships off New Hanover Island.

SUNDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 12 P-51s hit warehouses and freight cars at
Wuntho, Burma and claim 4 warehouses destroyed.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 11 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe
sampans and power launches between Yoyang and Puchi, China. 6 B-25s knock
out bridges and damage 3 trains at Anxuan, Tien An, Phong Loc and Dong Hoi,
French Indochina.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 212: Airfields in France
are targetted but weather forces 400+ bombers to abort the mission. 189 B-17s
are dispatched against the Romilly-sur-Seine Air Depot and 60 hit St Andre de
L'Eure Airfield and 40 hit Evreux/Fauville Airfield; 303 B-17s are dispatched
to Nancy/Essay and Dijon/Longvic Airfields but only 60 hit Caen/Carpiquet
Airfield; 150 B-24s are dispatched to St Pol/Siracourt V-weapon site but 37
hit Chateaudun Airfield and 9 hit the Eclimeux V-weapon site; they claim
3-3-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s are lost, 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 are damaged
beyond repair and 43 B-17s and 7 B-24s are damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 3
WIA and 43 MIA. Escorting are 85 P-38s, 506 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s
and 47 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 11-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air
and 2-0-7 on the ground; 3 P-38s and 1 P-47 are lost, 1 P-38 and 2 P-47s are
damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 are damaged; casualties are 2 WIA
and 4 MIA.
  Mission 213: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 363 leaflet bundles in a CARPETBAGGER
mission over Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liege and Monceau-sur-Sambre, Belgium
at 2202-2225 hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Around 120 B-26s bomb V-weapon
sites, airfields, and a factory, all in France; principal targets bombed are
at Rosieres-en-Santerre, Amiens/Glisy, Cormeilles-en-Vexin, and
Grandvilliers.
  Transfers in England: 34th Troop Carrier Squadron, 315th Troop Carrier
Group, from Wilford to Spanhoe (air echelon is operating from Blida, Algeria
with C-47s); 83d, 84th, 85th and 86th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 437th Troop
Carrier Group, from Balderton to Ramsbury with C-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather restricts
operations to photographic and weather reconnaissance flights.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s bomb the Orte
marshalling yard while B-25s hit the Frascati road junction; A-20s bomb the
Campoleone railroad station and the town of Roccasecca; P-40s bomb Cisterna
di Latina, Santa Lucia (near Campoleone), Cori (and nearby road junction)
and Atina; A-36s hit San Stefano al Mare, Cisterna di Latina, Frascati and
Albano Laziale, and strike numerous vehicles, railroad cars and other targets
of opportunity on armed reconnaissance missions N and S of Rome. A German
counteroffensive against the Anzio beachhead and on the Cassino front forces
an Allied withdrawal.
  HQ 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 81st, 82d, 83d and 434th Bombardment
Squadrons (Medium) begin a movement from Gaudo Airfield, Italy to India with
B-25s.
  HQ 33d Fighter Group begins a movement from Cercola, Italy to India.
  HQ 350th Fighter Group transfers from Sardinia to Corsica; 345th Fighter
Squadron based in Sardinia begins operating from Corsica with P-39s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll hit
Maloelap and Wotje Atolls; A-24s and P-40s from Makin Island attack Mille
Atoll; Tarawa-based P-39s strafe Jaluit Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): P-39s and Royal New Zealand
Air Force (RNZAF) Ventura's hit barges in the Green Island area. Lakunai
Airfield, New Britain Island, is hit by 32 B-25s, covered by 60+ AAF and USN
fighters, and shortly afterwards by 19 B-24s, escorted by nearly 50 Allied
fighters; Allied aircraft claim 16 aircraft shot down; Lakunai is practically
unserviceable as a result of cumulative damage.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, B-25s and
B-24s pound Bunabun Harbor, Madang, and targets from Bogia to Cape
Croisilles; P-39s strafe and sink barges near Nubia; and A-20s hit shipping
near Kairiru and Mushu Islands causing considerable damage and destruction.
Other bombers hit targets in the Admiralty Islands (concentrating on Momote
on Los Negros Island) and carry out light attacks on Talasea village and Cape
Dampier gun positions on New Britain Island. 

MONDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  CARIBBEAN (Sixth Air Force): 35th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 25th
Bombardment Group (Medium), transfers from Vernam Field, Jamaica to Trinidad
with B-25s.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): A single B-25 bombs a motor pool at
Sumprabum, Burma.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 16 P-40s and 4 P-51s damage
railroad bridges at Kienchang and Puchi and strafe warehouses at Teian. In
French Indochina, 2 B-25s score 2 direct hits on the powerplant at Thanh Hoa,
strafe nearby barracks, and attack the radio station at Vinh.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 36th and 406th Bombardment
Squadrons (Heavy), 1st Bombardment Division attached to 482d Bombardment
Group (Heavy), transfer from Alconbury to Watton (36th continues operating
from Alconbury) with B-24s; the squadrons fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): HQ 315th Troop Carrier Group
transfers from Welford to Stanhoe, England.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather again limits
operations to photographic and weather reconnaissance missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s bomb the bridge
approach S of Manziana; B-25s hit the Viterbo marshalling yard and, in
support of US Fifth army troops, bomb the town of Cisterna di Latina as the
enemy counterattack begins in the Anzio area; A-20s hit Piedimonte and the
road junction and railway station at Campoleone; A-36s hit San Stefano al
Mare and nearby railroad siding, Pontecorvo and Belmonte in Sabina, plus
several targets of opportunity and targets in support of ground forces in
the battle areas; P-40s attack an observation tower at Littoria, trucks at
Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi, Campoleone, a railroad gun, the Sezze
railroad yards, Cisterna di Latina and gun positions in battle areas.
Fighters encounter heavy aircraft activity over the Anzio battle area and
claim 16 shot down.
  302d Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group, arrives at Montecorvino, Italy
from the US with P-39s; first mission is 17 Feb.
  Detachment of 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, based in
Sardinia with P-39s, begins operating from Sidi Amor, Tunisia.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa Atoll and
Abemama Island hit Wotje and Maloelap Atolls and P-40s from Makin Island hit
a storage area at Jaluit Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive-bomber strike on Tobera;
several gun positions and grounded aircraft are hit and the runway is bombed
into unserviceable condition; 11 aircraft are claimed shot down; Vunakanau
Airfield is bombed by 17 B-24s, escorted by P-38s and USN fighters.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 14 B-24s bomb Amboina, Ambon
Island and Lautem, Timor Island. P-39s fly strafing sweeps over New Britain
Island. Single B-25s on reconnaissance bomb Garua Harbor, Cape Dampier on New
Britain Island and Kavieng on New Ireland Island.
  Transfers in New Guinea: HQ 35th Fighter Group from Nadzab to Gusap; HQ
417th Bombardment Group (Light) from Cape Sudest to Dobodura; 25th
Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group,
from Lae to Nadzab with F-5s; 110th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter), 71st
Reconnaissance Group, from Port Moresby to Gusap with P-39Qs.

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
TUESDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 1944
FTP SITES
  1. ftp.rutgers.edu in directory pub/wwii/usaf
  2. byrd.mu.wvnet.edu (129.71.32.152) in pub/history/military/airforce/
     wwii_chronology

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  A-36, North American Apache
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-39, Bell Airacobra
  P-40, Curtiss
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 B-25s bomb bridges at Budalin
and Songon, displacing a section of the former and destroying an approach to
the latter; 7 others hit the stronghold at Badana; 16 A-36s and P-51s and 1
B-25 hit a camp at Mogaung; 4 P-51s strafe railroad cars NW of Myitkyina
while 1 B-25 bombs a camp at Kumnyen.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 214: 53 of 54 B-24s hit
the V-weapon site at Siracourt, France while 57 of 73 B-24s hit the
V-weapon site at Watten, France; 41 B-24s are damaged and 10 airmen are WIA;
escort is 89 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s. 88 of 236 B-17s hit the
marshalling yards at Frankfurt, Germany using blind-bombing techniques; 107
other B-17s hit targets of opportunity; they claim 1-3-0 Luftwaffe aircraft;
13 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 108 damaged; casualties are
11 KIA, 4 WIA and 130 MIA; escort is provided by 77 P-38s, 435 Eighth and
Ninth Air Force P-47s and 41 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 16-1-8
Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 4 P-51s are lost, 1 P-47 is
damaged beyond repair and 4 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 9 MIA.
  Mission 215: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 360 bundles of leaflets in a CARPETBAGGER
operation over Caen, Rouen, Paris, Rennes and Amiens, France at 2106-2136
hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): HQ Ninth Air Force extends IX Bomber
Command's choice of targets considerably, although first priority for
Operation POINTBLANK missions [the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and
RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industry] and next
priority for Operation CROSSBOW (code name for operations against German
V-weapon sites) targets is maintained. 
  In a morning raid, nearly 200 B-26s attack V-weapon sites and targets of
opportunity in NW France. In an afternoon raid, 100+ B-26s bomb V-weapon
sites and military instsllations in the same general area, most of the B-26s 
attacking Breck-sur-Mer. This is the IX Bomber Command's first 2-mission day.
  494th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 344th Bombardment Group (Medium),
arrives at Stansted, England from the US with B-26s; first mission is 29
Feb.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): The 454th Bombardment Group
(Heavy) with B-24s becomes operstional, giving the Fifteenth Air Force 10
operational heavy bomber groups.
  In Italy, B-24s bomb airfields at Viterbo, Tarquinia, Orvieto, Piombino
and Prato; B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Verona; P-38s and P-47s
escort the Orvieto, Piombino, and Prato missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb Cisterna di
Latina; B-26s hit the Siena marshalling yard and warehouses, and a railway
bridge NE of Civita Castellana; A-20s bomb Piedimonte; A-36s attack gun
positions near Ausonia, tracks between Rome and Orte, and the town of Veroli,
and fly strafing and bombing sweeps in the Anzio battle area against motor
transport, gun positions, road junction E of Cisterna di Latina, and the town
of Pontecorvo; P-40s hit Roccasecca, Castello, Caprile. Piedimonte, Aquino
and other targets, including a supply dump and gun positions; P-47s bomb
Atina; Desert Air Force (DAF) fighters (US and RAF) destroy a large number of
trucks near Sora.
  301st Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group, arrives at Montecorvino, Italy
from the US with P-39s; first mission is 15 Feb.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Makin and Abemama
Islands hit Maloelap and Mille Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): P-39s over Bougainville
Island bomb and strafe Tiaraka huts and bivouac area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, nearly 50
A-20s and B-25s hit the Alexishafen and Madang areas; P-39s strafe targets
of opportunity during sweeps over wide areas of NE New Guinea and New Britain
Island; during the night of 8/9 Feb, B-25s bomb Toeal.

WEDNESDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, B-25s, P-51s, P-38s, P-40s, and
A-36s carry out 75 attack sorties against Seinnyinba, bivouac and supply
areas in the Mogaung-Loilaw area, bivouac and buildings at Pyindaw, camps at
Kumnyen and near Maingkwan and Shingban, and storage area and bivouac on
the Mogaung-Kamaing road near Sawnghka; a bridge over the Namtamng River near
Maingkwan also is destroyed.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 16 P-40s strafe and bomb large
barracks and oil storage at Chefang and pound town areas of Homun and
Mangshih. 2 B-25s demolish a radio station SW of Haiphong, French Indochina.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 133 B-26s bomb V-weapon sites in
coastal France, marshalling yards at Tergnier, France and targets of
opportunity in the area. This marks the first of the IX Bomber Command raids
on marshalling yards.
  HQ 344th Bombardment Group (Medium) arrives at Stansted, England from the
US.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Weather grounds all aircraft
with exception of 1 P-38 which flies a weather reconnaissance mission.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s and B-26s, in
close support to US Fifth Army forces, attack motor transport and troop
concentrations in the Campoleone area while A-20s blast another troop
concentration to the W; P-40s hit Cisterna di Latina and gun positions; A-36s
and P-40s pound concentration points of a counterattack against the Fifth
Army beachhead in the Anzio area, strike along the main Fifth Army front, and
attack the villages of Piedimonte and Aquino and gun positions near Cassino
and Ausonia.
  HQ 87th Fighter Wing transfers from Nouvion, Algeria to Caserta, Italy.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): A-24s from Makin Island along
with supporting P-40s, bomb and strafe oil storage and gun positions on
Jaluit Atoll; during a dusk-to-dawn operation on 9/10 Feb B-24s operating at
intervals from Tarawa Atoll maintain strikes against Wotje Atoll and Taroa
Island in Maloelap Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-40s and USN fighters cover a USN dive-bomber attack on Vunakanau Airfield,
scoring many hits on AA positions, buildings, and runways; 24 B-24s with USN
fighter escort follow with a strike on the same target hitting runways and
revetment area; 19 B-24s. with 20 P-38s supporting, hit Tobera Airfield,
thoroughly saturating the runway.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): On New Guinea, the occupation
of the Huon Peninsula is completed as US and Australian forces meet SE of
Saidor; A-20s pound the village of Mindiri. B-24s bomb Amboina, Ambon Island
and Lautem, Timor Island.

THURSDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Thailand, 9 B-24s bomb the Ban Mah
arsenal at Bangkok and Don Maung Airfield immediately to the N. In Burma, 3
B-24s bomb Prome and Akyab, 9 B-25s pound Chiradan and Godusara, and 16
P-51s hit barracks and a road at Chishidu.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 8 P-40s bomb Wanling and vicinity
while 3 others fly top cover; the target area, a supply staging and training
center, is heavily damaged; 5 B-24s during the night of 9/10 Feb mine the
mouth of the Yangtze River; B-25s on sea sweeps claim 2 freighters sunk near
Hainan Island and SW of Hong Kong; 12 P-51s and P-38s strafe boats and parked
aircraft in the Chiuchiang area; 12 P-40s strafe power boats and sampans
along the Yangtze River from Puchi to Yoyang.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 216: 141 of 169 B-17s hit
the industrial area at Brunswick, Germany and 2 hit targets of opportunity;
they claim 42-30-61 Luftwaffe aircraft; 29 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged
beyond repair and 52 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 295 MIA; escort
is provided by 64 P-38s, 357 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 45 Ninth
Air Force P-51s; they claim 56-1-40 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-2
on the ground; 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s are lost, 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 are damaged
beyond repair and 6 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 9
MIA. 27 of 81 B-24s hit the Gilze-Rijen Airfield, The Netherlands; dense
contrails and frost prevent most aircraft from attacking; 4 B-24s are
damaged beyond repair; casualties are 26 KIA and 14 WIA; escort is provided
by 91 P-47s without loss.
  Mission 217: In a CARPETBAGGER mission, 5 of 5 B-17s drop 260 bundles of
leaflets on Rennes, Caen, Rouen and Amiens, France and Antwerp, Belgium at
2111-2145 hours without loss.
  HQ 364th Fighter Group and 383d, 384th and 385th Fighter Squadrons arrive
at Honington, England from the US with P-38J's; first mission is 2 Mar.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 114 B-26s attack V-weapon sites in
coastal France, airfields at Poix and Beauvais/Tille, a bridge at Le Crotoy,
and a coastal battery N of the Conch River.
  496th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 344th Bombardment Group (Medium),
arrives at Stansted, England from the US with B-26s; first mission is 29 Feb.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, B-17s bomb Albano
Laziale, Cisterna di Latina and Cecina; B-24s strike Campoleone and Velletri;
P-38s bomb and strafe the Tivoli, Vicovaro, and Monterotondo area; P-47s fly
uneventful sweeps over Cisterna di Roma and Albano; numerous heavy bombers
are forced to abort operations because of unsafe flying conditions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Light and medium bomber missions
are aborted because of bad weather. In Italy, P-40s and A-36s support an
unsuccessful attempt of the US Fifth Army's 1st Infantry Division to stem an
attack in the Carroceto area; P-47s fail to locate their target (Sora) and
drop bombs on targets of opportunity.
  347th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, based on Corsica with P-39s,
sends a detachment to Capodichino, Italy.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa Atoll hit
Wotje and Maloelap Atolls; 9 B-24s from Abemama Island, sent to bomb a
weather and radio station on Rongelap Island, abort due to a fuel leak in the
lead B-24; an attempt to bomb Jaluit Atoll during the return flight is
unsuccessful.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-40s and USN fighters cover a USN dive-bomber attack on Vunakanau Airfield;
B-25s with fighter escort bomb Vunakanau later in the day; Tobera is pounded
by 21 B-24s supported by P-38s and USN fighters; the Allied aircraft claim
30+ aircraft downed in the New Britain area. P-39s hit buildings at Bonis and
barges in Matchin Bay on Bougainville Island and near Green Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 50+ B-24s bomb Boram Airfield
and harbor at Wewak. 6 B-25s and a B-24 hit Momote Airfield on Los Negros
Island and jetties at Manus Island. P-39s strafe targets of opportunity
during a sweep over wide areas of New Britain Island. The junction of Allied
forces from Arawe and Cape Gloucester marks the completion of the campaign
for the W end of New Britain Island; occasional missions will still be flown
in the area, but most will be restricted to barge sweeps and patrols.

FRIDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 77th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 28th
Bombardment Group (Composite), moves from Amchitka Island to Attu Island
with B-25s.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 10 A-36s and P-51s hit the
supply area at Sawnghka; 12 A-36s and P-51s and a single B-25 bomb a supply
and bivouac area at Pyindaw; 8 P-51s hit a road junction near Mogaung and
nearby supply area; 8 P-51s and P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe a
large river steamer and a launch in the Mandalay-Shwebo area.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 P-38s knock out 1 bridge and
damage another at Sheklung; 6 B-25s, escorted by 20 US and Chinese P-40s,
bomb the storage area at Kai Tek Airfield; the P-40s claim 5 Japanese
fighters shot down; Japanese aircraft bomb and strafe Namyung putting the
field out of use for several days.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 218: 94 of 201 B-24s bomb
the Siracourt V-weapon site in France with PFF equipment; the remaining
aircraft were assigned individual targets without PFF and were unable to
locate their targets; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 17 damaged;
casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 10 MIA; escort is provided by 85 Eighth and
Ninth Air Force P-47's and 41 P-51s without loss. The primary target for 223
B-17s is the marshalling yard at Frankfurt, Germany; 157 hit the primary, 32
hit Ludwigshafen, 19 hit Saarbrucken and 4 hit other targets of opportunity;
they claim 3-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond
repair and 124 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 26 WIA and 51 MIA; escort is
provided by 82 P-38s, 486 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47's and 38 Ninth Air
Force P-51s; they claim 30-2-28 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-1-4 on
the ground; 8 P-38s, 4 P-47's and 2 P-51s are lost, 2 P-47's and 1 P-51 are
damaged beyond repair and 2 P-38s and 4 P-47's are damaged; casualties are
14 MIA.
  Mission 219: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Ghent, Brussels
and Antwerp, Belgium at 2118-2146 hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Most of the 139 B-26s dispatched to
attack NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in N France are recalled because of bad
weather; 35 manage to bomb the marshalling yard at Amiens.
  495th and 497th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 344th Bombardment Group
(Medium), arrives at Stansted, England from the US with B-26s; first mission
is 29 Feb.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): HQ 460th Bombardment Group
(Heavy) and 760th, 761st, 762d and 763d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) arrive
at Spinazzola, Italy from the US with B-24s; first mission is 19 Mar.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s and P-39s dive-bomb and
strafe hangar, airfield installations and gun positions on Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive-bomber strike on Wunapope; 22
B-25s, escorted by USN fighters, pound Vunakanau Airfield; Tobera Airfield is
bombed by 15 B-24s with P-38 and USN fighter escort.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): About 50 B-24s pound the
airfield at Kavieng, New Ireland Island, and 2 bomb Garove Island. 7 B-24s
bomb Kendari Airfield, Celebes Island and Dili, Timor Island. P-40s and
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft pound Japanese forces still
remaining in the Saidor, New Guinea area. Fighter sweeps and armed
reconnaissance continue over wide areas of the SWPA.
  25th Liaison Squadron, 512th Photographic Wing (Provisional), arrives at
Lae, New Guinea from Brisbane, Australia with L-5s.
 
SATURDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-40s hit the town of Ransa and
motor convoys S of Sumprabum; 40 P-51s and A-36s attack bivouacs at
Walawbum, bivouac and motor pool at Padaw, storage area at the road junction
near Chishidu and the town of Chishidu; 30+ P-51s and B-25s hit camps
between Tsumhpawng Ga and Walawbum, storage area and motor pool S of Kamaing,
motor convoy on the Myitkyina-Sumprabum road, the town of Namting and bridges
at Meza and Kanni.
  59th Fighter Squadron, 33d Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from
Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 9 P-40s pound the warehouse area at Wanling,
Burma. In French Indochina, 6 P-40s bomb the barracks at Vinh and strafe
Dong Cuong Airfield, railroad yards at Cam Duong, and sampans at Phu Tho; 5
B-25s on a sea sweep in the Gulf of Tonkin claim 2 trawlers sunk and hit
shore targets of opportunity SW of Haiphong; a single B-25 damages a bridge
at Ha Trung. 24 P-38s, P-51s, and P-40s intercept 25 Japanese fighters near
Suichwan, China, claiming 7 shot down; 2 US fighters are lost.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 220: 97 of 99 B-24s hit
the V-weapon site at St Pol/Siracourt, France; 29 B-24s are damaged; no
losses or casualties; escort is provided by 84 Eighth and Ninth Air Force
P-47's and 41 P-51s; no claims, losses or casualties.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): HQ 370th Fighter Group and 401st,
402d and 485th Fighter Squadrons arrive at Aldermaston, England from the US
with P-47's; the unit will transition to P-38s and fly their first mission
on 1 May.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, B-17s and B-24s
strike troop concentrations and highways in the Cecina area and near Lake
Nemi. Bad weather causes all other missions to abort.
  HQ 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 756th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) 
arrive at Giulia Airfield, Italy from the US with B-24s; first mission is 2
Mar.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s attack gun
positions at Campoleone and the surrounding area; B-26s hit Cecina; A-36s
hit aircraft and trucks on the landing ground and in the area near Fahrica di
Rorila, attack troops in the area, bomb gun positions SW of Roccasecca, and
hit the towns of Fondi and Lanuvio; P-40s attack Gisterna di Roma, Sezze
station and road junction, Cori and gun positions NW of Atina.
  HQ 61st Troop Carrier Group and 14th and 15th Troop Carrier Squadrons begin
a movement from Sciacca, Sicily to England with C-47s.
  HQ 62d Troop Carrier Group and 7th Troop Carrier Squadron move from Ponte
Olivo, Sicily to Brindisi, Italy with C-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa Atoll and
Abemama Island hit Wotje and Maloelap Atolls; A-24s and P-39s from Makin
Island bomb and strafe Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 23
B-25s, with US Navy (USN) fighters in support, bomb Tobera Airfield; 21
B-24s, escorted by P-39s and USN fighters, pound Vunakanau Airfield; P-40s
join USN fighters in covering a USN dive-bomber strike on Lakunai.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Brigadier General Carl W
Connell resumes command of the V Air Force Services Command. About 50 A-20s
blast occupied areas SE of Wewak, New Guinea.

SUNDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ZONE OF INTERIOR: The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) accepts revision of
the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) Plan. The targets are reduced to a number
that can be decisively attacked and target lists are revised to keep up with
the effort of the Germans to relocate vital industrial plants. Disruption of
communication lines and reduction of the Luftwaffe are high priority aims
included in the CCS directive on this date.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 P-51s and a B-25 damage a road
bridge and 2 warehouses in the Wuntho area; 32 P-51s and A-36s hit the supply
area and radio installations S of Kamaing and blast bivouacs S of Walawbum;
18 P-51s hit the road and railroad junction N of Sahmaw, a bivouac N of
Kamaing and a camp between Tsumhpawng Ga and Walawbum; during the night, 16
B-24s bomb Heho Airfield.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 23 B-24s pound railroad
shops at Vinh; 4 B-25s hit a convoy E of Foochow, China claiming 3 freighters
and a transport sunk; 4 other B-25s damage 2 vessels off SW Hainan Island
and bomb dock, railroad, and oil dump at Bakli on Hainan Island; 6 P-40s bomb
and strafe barracks and hangars at Phu Tho and strafe freight cars at Yen Bay
and Suo Ha.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 221: V-weapon sites in the
Pas de Calais area of France are hit; 266 of 277 B-17s hit 12 sites and 138
of 192 B-24s hit 5 sites; 12 B-24s hit targets of opportunity; they claim
0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s are lost, 2 B-17s and 2 B-24s are damaged
beyond repair, and 74 B-17s and 57 B-24s are damaged; casualties are 7 KIA,
23 WIA and 24 MIA. Escort is provided by 189 P-47s and 43 P-51s; they claim
6-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-4 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost
and 4 P-47s damaged; no casualties.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 182 B-26s attack V-weapon sites in
the coastal area of France; 16 others bomb secondary targets in the area.        
MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Operations are restricted to
weather reconnaissance.
  757th and 758th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 459th Bombardment Group
(Heavy), arrive at Giulia Airfield, Italy from the US with B-24s; first
mission is 2 Mar.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s bomb the Bucine
viaduct; B-25s and A-20s support Fifth Army forces N and E of the Anzio
beachhead, blasting an ammunition dump and troop and vehicle concentrations;
P-40 and A-36 fighter-bombers give support in the same areas, hitting troop
concentrations, a railway tunnel, buildings, vehicles, a supply dump, and gun
positions.
  Units moving from Sicily to England: HQ 52d Troop Carrier Wing from
Agrigento; HQ 314th Troop Carrier Group and 32d Troop Carrier Squadron
from Castelvetrano with C-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): During the night of 13/14 Feb,
B-24s from Tarawa Atoll operating individually at intervals, bomb Wotje and
Mille Atolls and Taroa Island in Maloelap Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 20
B-25s bomb Tobera Airfield and 23 B-24s bomb Lakunai Airfield; both forces
are escorted by fighters; P-40s and USN fighters escort USN SBDs and TBFs
dive-bombing runway and AA positions at Vunakanau.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 24 A-20s hit Aitape, New
Guinea. 70+ B-25s pound Momote Airfield on Los Negros Island and 35 B-24s
bomb Kavieng Airfield on New Ireland Island.

MONDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): P-51s and A-36s carry out 70+ sorties
against a variety of targets in Burma; targets include the supply area at
Shingban, a truck convoy N of Maingkwan, supply dumps and motor transport in
the Kamaing area, a bivouac near Mogaung, troop and vehicle concentrations
between Mogaung and Kamaing, artillery positions at Laawn Ga, and railroad
station and warehouses at Lundaung.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO): General Dwight D Eisenhower establishes
HQ Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). Chief of Staff,
Supreme Allied Commander (COSSAC) comes under control of SHAEF.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 222: 48 P-47s are
dispatched to Eindhoven Airfield in the Netherlands; the primary target is
overcast and 46 of 48 hit Gilze-Rijen Airfield without loss.
  22d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Photographic Group
(Reconnaissance) based at Mount Farm, England, sends a detachment to operate
from Attlebridge, England with F-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, B-17s attack the
marshalling yards at Modena, Brescia, and Verona and several targets of
opportunity including the airfield and Piaggio aircraft factory at Pontedera
and railroad bridges and lines at Parma, Sassuolo, Rubiera, and S of Vicenza;
B-17s and escorting P-47s claim 20 fighters shot down; B-24s bomb the
marshalling yards at Mantua, Verona, Massa Lombarda, Fenara and Arezzo, and
targets of opportunity including the Pisa and Prato marshalling yards,
airfields at Pisa and Pontedera, and road-rail junction near Vaiano.        
  759th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 459th Bombardment Group (Heavy),
arrives at Giulia Airfield from the US with B-24s; first mission is 2 Mar.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): The Twelfth Air Force loses
several of its operational units, the 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 33d
and 81st Fighter Groups being moved to India, and the 52d Troop Carrier Wing
and its 4 groups being sent to England.
  In Italy, B-25s bomb the Perugia marshalling yard, A-20's hit
Grottaferrata; A-36s attack guns in the Pontecorvo area, railway yards at
Civita Castellana and Frosinone, motor transport near Genzano di Roma,
airfield at Furbara, and Ferentino railway station, some of the missions
being in direct support of the US Fifth Army main front; P-40s bomb and
strafe troop concentrations N and E of the Anzio beachhead, scoring hits on
tanks, motor transport and guns near Cisterna di Roma, Cori and Rocca di
Papa; P-47s hit Colleferro and dump at Valmontone; P-40s score direct hits
on a vessel and fuel dump in the Rogoznica area.
  92d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, begins a movement from
Capodichino, Italy to India.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 40+ B-24s from the 11th and 90th
Bombardment Groups (Heavy), flying out of Makin Island and Tarawa Atoll
strike Ponape Island in the first Seventh Air Force raid on the Caroline
Islands; 2 of the B-24s hit the alternate target of Emidj Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
B-24s bomb the Rabaul area in a diversionary strike while USN TBFs lay mines
in Simpson Harbor; 30 escorted B-25s pound Vunakanau Airfield while 28 B-24s,
also with escort, bomb Rapopo Airfield; P-40s and USN fighters escort a USN
dive-bomber raid on Tobera gun positions and airfield revetments; 4 B-25s
also bomb Tobera. On Bougainville Island weather clears, permitting the first
attacks, by 19 B-25s, on Kara and Kahili, in recent weeks; P-39s attack
Puriata River bridges.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): A-20s with P-40 support, bomb
and strafe Dagua airfield, New Guinea, destroying and damaging 20+ aircraft.
80+ plus B-25s pound Momote Airfield on Los Negros Island. 40+ B-24s bomb
the airfields at Kavieng and Panapai on New Ireland Island.
  20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 6th Photographic Group, moves from Port
Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea with F-7s; first mission is 5 Apr.

TUESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): P-40s, P-51s, and A-36s hit targets in
Burma, including rice mill and radio station at Waingmaw, targets of
opportunity along the Hukawng-Walawbum road, motor pool and dumps in the
Kamaing area, troops and supplies at Padi Ga and a canal bridge at Ye-u;
P-40s also drop land mines on Nampaung.
  HQ 443d Troop Carrier Group is moved from the US to Sylhet, India without
personnel and equipment. The 1st, 2d and 27th Troop Carrier Squadrons,
already in the theater, will be assigned on 6 Mar.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s on a sweep in N French Indochina
score a direct hit on a steamer at Haiphong and nearby railroad station,
damage bridges near Viet Tri and a patrol launch at Hanoi, and hit engine
sheds at Thanh Hoa.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 223: 52 of 54 B-24s hit
V-weapon sites at St Pol/Siracourt, France; 29 B-24s are damaged; no losses
or casualties.
  Mission 224: 95 P-47s are dispatched to bomb 2 airfields in France but are
recalled; 1 P-47 is damaged; no casualties
  Mission 225: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 300 bundles of leaflets on Orleans,
Chartres, Cambrai, Le Mans, Lille and Reims, France at 2124-2155 hours
without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 194 B-26s bomb V-weapon sites,
Cherbourg/Maupertus Airfield and targets of opportunity during a morning
mission. 122 B-26s again bomb V-weapon construction sites in the coastal area
of N France during the afternoon.
  HQ IX Air Support Command moves from Middle Wallop to Uxbridge, England.
  HQ 316th Troop Carrier Group arrives at Cottesmore, England from Sicily.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, around 100 B-17s bomb
the Monte Cassino Benedictine Abbey. 60+ B-24s attack the Poggibonsi
marshalling yard, Campoleone and Porto d'Ascoli; heavy cloud cover causes
numerous aborts; all the missions are unescorted.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s and B-25s bomb the
Monte Cassino Benedictine Abbey in support of the New Zealand Corps assault
to establish a bridgehead across the Rapido River S of Cassino; other B-26s
bomb the railroad at Monte Molino and marshalling yard at Montepescali; A-20s
attack motor transport, roads and road junction in the Albano Laziale area
and NW of Valmontone; P-40s bomb concentrations near Cisterna di Roma and
dumps in the Valmontone and Rocca di Papa areas; A-36s hit concentrations N
of the Anzio beachhead, strafe trucks and barracks in the Frosinone-Rieti
areas, bomb the Tiburtina and Trastevere marshalling yards in the Rome area
and hit buildings N of Velletri.
  Units beginning a movement from Sicily to England with C-47s: 29th Troop
Carrier Squadron, 313th Troop Carrier Group, from Trapani/Milo Airfield; 36th
and 37th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 316th Troop Carrier Group, and 62d Troop
Carrier Squadron, 314th Troop Carrier Group, from Castelvetrano.
  91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, begins a movement from
Montecorvino Airfield, Italy to India.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and
Makin Island pound Mille Atoll and Ponape Island; 10 P-40s from Makin Island
bomb and strafe runways and a disabled vessel at Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-25s, with fighter
cover, bomb the runway and dispersal area of Vunakanau Airfield on New
Britain Island; 20 B-24s hit Borpop Airfield on New Ireland Island causing
heavy damage in the runway and revetment areas. In ground action, US and New
Zealand troops land on Nissan Island in the Green Islands, 40 mi (64 km) NW
of Buka on Buka Island; opposition is weak and organized resistance will end
on 23 Feb.
  424th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), ceases
operating from Munda, New Georgia Island with B-24s and returns to base on
Guadalcanal Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): On New Ireland Island, 70+
B-24s, A-20s, and B-25s bomb the Kavieng town area, harbor, and shipping and
Panapai Airfield; 17 other B-24s, prevented by weather from reaching
Panapai, bomb Talasea on New Britain Island.

WEDNESDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, A-36s and P-51s hit supply dumps,
troop concentrations and an encampment area near Myitkyina, Kamaing, Tonkin
and Walawbum; B-25s and P-51s destroy 3 locomotives at Kyaingkwin.
  118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector (attached
to Tenth Air Force), arrives at Gushkara, India from the US with P-51s.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-25s knock out a railroad bridge at Yen
Bay, French Indochina and damage 2 other bridges to the S near the coast.
  74th Fighter Squadron, 23d Fighter Group, based at Kweilin with P-40s,
sends a detachment to Liuchow.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, B-24s, unescorted,
bomb marshalling yards at Pontassieve, Siena, Poggibonsi and Prato, a bridge
at Cecina, and a railroad and highway near Rieti.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb the Orte
marshalling yard and attack the Campoleone area; B-26s bomb San Stefano al
Mare and hit the area near the Perugia railroad bridge, a bridge N of
Orvieto, a factory near the Marsciano bridge and a bridge at Albinia Station;
A-20s, with RAF and South African Air Force (SAAF) Baltimores and Spitfires,
hit concentrations in the Anzio battle area; A-36s bomb the Rome/Tiburtina
and Rome/Ostiense marshalling yards in the Rome area; P-40s attack Monte
Cassino Abbey, pound tanks, trucks, and troop concentrations along the US
Fifth Army front, and hit the towns of Fondi and Roccasecca; fighters over
Anzio encounter increased air effort in conjunction with an all-out ground
offensive against the Allied beachhead.
  61st Troop Carrier Squadron, 314th Troop Carrier Group, begins a movement
from Castelvetrano, Sicily to England with C-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll bomb
Wotje Atoll and Taroa Island in Maloelap Atoll; P-40s from Makin Island fly 2
bombing-strafing strikes against Jaluit Atoll; A-24s bomb Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 12 B-24s, with 30+ P-38s
and USN F4Us, pound the runway at Vunakanau Airfield on New Britain Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 40+ B-25s attack a convoy off
New Hanover Island. 30+ B-24's bomb Panapai Airfield and Kavieng on New
Ireland Island, and some hit Cape Balangori and Talasea, New Britain Island.
19 B-24s and B-25s bomb Halong in the Celebes Islands. P-40s hit shipping and
barges in the Wewak, New Guinea area.  
  Transfers in New Guinea: HQ 345th Bombardment Group (Medium) from Dobodura
to Nadzab; 25th Liaison Squadron, 5212th Photographic Wing (Provisional),
from Lae to Nadzab with L-5s.

THURSDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 38 A-36s and P-51s on armed
reconnaissance hit troops and supplies from Lonkin to Kamaing; 6 P-51s hit
supply areas along roads around Lonton and Manywet; 2 others hit a road
junction near Maingkwan; 2 B-25s and 6 P-51s strike a road bridge, railroad 
station, and rail cars in the Pyingaing area; 2 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack but
fail to damage a bridge near Ye-u. 

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s on a sweep of
the Gulf of Tonkin score 2 direct hits on a freighter at Vinh, damage a
bridge approach and locomotive at Yen Xuon Station, and destroy a locomotive
at Yen Ly Station.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Advanced HQ, Ninth Air Force, is
opened at Hillingdon House, Uxbridge. It is later joined in the area by
advanced units of the IX Fighter Command and by troop carrier units, all of
which form a nucleus of advanced echelons so as to centralize tactical
operations in anticipation of combat on the Continent.
  Arrivals in England from Sicily: HQ 52d Troop Carrier Wing at Cottesmore;
15th Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group, at Bardston with
C-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): The 455th and 456th Bombardment
Groups (Heavy) become operational giving the Fifteenth Air Force 12 B-24
groups. In Italy, unescorted B-17s and B-24s attack Campoleone and
Grottaferrata, motor transport parks in the Campoleone junction and Rocca di
Papa areas, a troop concentration near Frascati, stores depots in the
Grottaferrata area, and other targets in advance of the US Fifth Army's Anzio
battle line which is under heavy counterattack by German forces.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb the
Campoleone and Lanuvio area, B-25s hit dumps SW of Rome and N of Anzio, and
also hit guns nearby; A-20s blast a dump and troop concentrations in the
Anzio area; P-47s bomb dumps near Valmontone; A-36s hit Carroceto,
concentrations SE of Rome, and a railroad underpass and a factory N of Anzio;
P-40s blast enemy transport, guns, and assembly areas N of Cisterna di
Latina, trucks N of Anzio and N of the beachhead battleline, railroad
stations at Campoleone and Carroceto, and bivouac areas, dumps, a factory,
and bridge in the battle area; this entire air effort (the heaviest to date
in support of troops) is aimed at helping prevent a breakthrough at the
beachhead, where the Germans are committed to a full-strength counter-
offensive; A-36s bomb Monte Cassino Abbey in the only air action on the US
Fifth Army main front.
  Detachment of 23d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 5th Photographic
Reconnaissance Group, operating from San Servero, Italy with F-5, returns to
base at Alghero, Sardinia.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and
Abemama Island hit Ponape and Kusaie Islands, and Jaluit Atoll. P-40s strafe
floatplanes off Emidj Island, as a USN Task Force begins a heavy attack on
Truk Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 20 P-40s join 40+ USN
fighters in covering an attack by 70 USN dive bombers on shipping in Keravia
Bay, New Britain Island; 8 Japanese aircraft are claimed shot down; 2 USN
fighters are lost. In the N Solomons Allied fighters hit Queen Carola Harbor,
Kessa Plantation and a bridge N of Kahili.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 40 B-24s bomb Panapai
Airfield, New Ireland Island and Talasea, New Britain Island. 16 B-25s claim
2 surface vessels and a submarine sunk off New Hanover Island. 16 P-47's
strafe targets of opportunity in the Alexishafen, New Guinea area.
  HQ 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab,
New Guinea.

FRIDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 40+ B-25s, A-36s and P-51s attack
the town of Ye-u and nearby bridge, bivouacs N of Laban, bridges in the
Pyingaing area and along the Mu River, supply and troop concentrations at
Waingmaw radio station and a supply area near Kamaing and gun emplacements SE
of Taihpa Ga; the strikes are generally successful.
  58th Fighter Squadron, 33d Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from
Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s on a sweep of
the Gulf of Tonkin damage 2 large boats N of Bakli Bay on Hainan Island,
destroy an ammunition dump at Phu Ly and knock out a nearby railroad bridge.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): HQ Eighth Air Force issues orders
to establish a photographic reconnaissance wing [8th Reconnaissance Wing
(Provisional)] in Cheddington. The purpose is to make the Eighth independent
in aerial reconnaissance and to consolidate the efforts of units presently
engaged in this and related activities. Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, the
President's son and currently Director of Reconnaissance for the Ninth Air
Force, is named Commanding Officer.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): HQ 61st Troop Carrier Group arrives
at Barkston, England from Sicily.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Operations are restricted to
photographic and weather reconnaissance.
  764th, 765th, 766th and 767th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 461st
Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrive at Venosa, Italy from the US with B-24s;
first mission is 2 Apr.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20s hit a troop
concentration near Piedimonte; XII Air Support Command P-40s and A-36s fly 17
missions in support of US Fifth Army troops resisting the German
counteroffensive which reaches its deepest penetration into the Anzio
beachhead on this day; objectives include tanks, vehicles, gun positions,
troop concentrations, and a railroad underpass along the Anzio-Albano Laziale
axis; fighters over Anzio successfully intercept air strikes on the
beachhead; New Zealand troops capture Cassino Station.
  HQ 321st Bombardment Group (Medium) and 445th, 446th, 447th and 448th
Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) move from Vincenzo Airfield to Gaudo Airfield,
Italy with B-25s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin Island bomb and
strafe Jaluit and Mille Atolls. US forces land on Engebi Island in Eniwetok
Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 34
B-25s and 18 B-24s, both forces with fighter escorts, pound Vunakanau
Airfield; 2 B-25s and 4 P-38s hit Tobera.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s and RAAF Beaufighters
hit Koepang, Timor Island. P-39s strafe targets of opportunity at Madang, New
Guinea and Cape Raoult, New Britain Island.
  499th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium),
moves from Dobodura to Nadzab, New Guinea with B-25s.

SATURDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 60+ A-36s and P-51s and a few B-25s hit a
variety of targets in Burma; targets include fuel and supply dumps at Manywet
and in the Shaduzup area, the Tonkin-Kansi road and a junction W of Manywet,
the Mu River bridge at Ye-u, railroad cars and tracks, locomotives, and river
traffic between Monywa and Natyekan and between Alon and Segyi; rail and road
traffic in the Bhamo and Hukawng Valley-Kamaing areas is also hit.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): B-24s, B-25s, and P-40s fly sea sweeps over
wide-spread coastal areas from the Formosa Straits to French Indochina,
claiming 3 ships sunk and others damaged; railroad bridges, trains, and other
targets of opportunity near coastal areas are also attacked.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Operations are again limited to
reconnaissance flights.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Colonel Peter S Rask becomes
acting Commanding Officer of the XII Troop Carrier Command (Provisional)
until its disbandment on 5 Mar 44.
  In Italy, B-25s blast troop concentrations to the N of Anzio beachhead;
A-36s and P-40s keep troops, tanks, and motor transport in the beachhead
battle area under attack, flying 200+ sorties in 20+ missions as an Allied
counterattack turns the tide of battle; fighters maintain control over the N
part of the battle area.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and
Makin Island pound Ponape and Kusaie Islands; B-25s from Tarawa hit Wotje
Atoll while Makin-based P-40s bomb and strafe Mille Atoll. US forces land on
Eniwetok Island in Eniwetok Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 20
P-40s and 40+ USN fighters escort about 70 USN dive bombers in an attack on
Lakunai Airfield; fighter cover claims 22 Japanese aircraft shot down; 6
B-24s bomb the same target immediately afterward; 14 B-24s, with P-38 and USN
fighter escort, hit Tobera Airfield.
  12th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, based on Guadalcanal Island with
P-38s, begins operating from Treasury Island.
  69th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 42d Bombardment Group (Medium),
moves from the Russell Islands to Stirling Island with B-25s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 12 B-25s attack shipping SW
of New Ireland Island, claiming a small freighter and a patrol boat sunk and
other vessels damaged. 7 A-20s hit shipping at Kavieng, New Ireland Island.
Single B-24s and B-25s carry out armed reconnaissance over wide areas of the
Bismarck Sea.
  Movements in New Guinea: 26th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th
Photographic Reconnaissance Group, from Dobodura to Finschhafen with F-5s (a
detachment is at Port Moresby); 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group,
from Finschhafen to Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island with P-40s.

SUNDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations to a routine
patrol over Sumprabum, Burma.
  HQ 33d Fighter Group and 60th Fighter Squadron arrive at Karachi, India
from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 226: The Eighth Air Force
begins "Big Week," attacks on German aircraft plants and airfields. For the
first time, over 1,000 bombers are dispatched; 21 bombers and 4 fighters
are lost hitting 3 areas in Germany, i.e.:
  1. 417 B-17s are dispatched to Leipzig/Mockau Airfield, and aviation
industry targets at Heiterblick and Abnaundorf; 239 hit the primary targets,
37 hit Bernburg, 44 hit Oschersleben and 20 hit other targets of opportunity;
they claim 14-5-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond
repair and 161 damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 17 WIA and 72 MIA.
  2. 314 B-17s are dispatched to the Tutow Airfield; 105 hit the primary and
immediate area, 76 hit Rostock and 115 hit other targets of opportunity; they
claim 15-15-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair
and 37 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA and 60 MIA.
  3. 272 B-24s are dispatched to aviation industry targets at Brunswick,
Wilhelmtor and Neupetritor; 76 hit the primary, 87 hit Gotha, 13 hit
Oschersleben, 58 hit Helmstedt and 10 hit other targets of opportunity; they
claim 36-13-13 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair
and 37 damaged; casualties are 10 KIA, 10 WIA and 77 MIA.
  Missions 1 and 3 above are escorted by 94 P-38s, 668 Eighth and Ninth Air
Force P-47s and 73 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 61-7-37
Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38, 2 P-47s and 1 P-51 is lost, 2 P-47s are damaged
beyond repair and 4 aircraft are damaged; casualties are 4 MIA.
  Mission 227: 4 of 5 B-17s drop 200 bundles of leaflets on Tours, Nantes,
Brest and Lorient, France at 2123-2200 hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 35 B-26s bomb Haamstede Airfield,
The Netherlands, as a target of opportunity, after about 100 B-26s abort
attacks on other airfields because of weather.
  HQ 314th Troop Carrier Group and 32d Troop Carrier Squadron arrive at
Saltby, England from Sicily with C-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): B-24s blast troop
concentrations in the Anzio, Italy beachhead area as the Axis efforts end.
  HQ 461st Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrives at Torretto Airfield, Italy from
the US.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s hit troop
concentrations along roads in the Vallalta area; B-25s hit dumps and assembly
areas at the N edge of the Anzio beachhead, and A-20s bomb a troop and motor
transport concentration SE of Carroceto; A-36s and P-40s hit troops, trucks
and tanks NE of Carroceto, bomb the town of Fondi, a factory E of Carroceto,
the town of Piedimonte, and hit guns and targets of opportunity along the N
line of the beachhead; an Axis attempt to achieve a breakthrough is
decisively defeated in the center of the salient created by a
counteroffensive and their efforts end.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 9 B-25s from Tarawa Atoll bomb
the airfield at Wotje Atoll; P-40s from Makin Island strafe and bomb runways
and small vessels at Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 35 B-25s, with fighter
escort, pound Lakunai Airfield on New Britain Island. P-39s attack barge
traffic, which has greatly increased off SE and NW Bougainville Island,
claiming 20 of the craft sunk.
  18th Combat Mapping Squadron, 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), is
inactivated on Espiritu Santo Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 38 B-24s bomb
the Alexishafen-Hansa Bay area. 18 B-24s bomb the airfield at Laha, Ambon
Island and 12 others hit shipping off Kavieng, New Ireland Island.
  Transfers in and out of New Guinea: HQ Fifth Air Force advance echelon and
HQ V Bomber Command from Port Moresby to Nadzab; HQ 8th Fighter Group from
Finschhafen to Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island; 498th Bombardment
Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Dobodura to Nadzab
with B-25s.

MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 50+ P-51s and A-36s and a few
B-25s hit a command post at Shingban, the town of Mohnyin, a bridge at
Loilaw, a camp at Shaduzup, 2 bridges at Namkwin, and warehouses and other
buildings at Kawlin and Wuntho; fighter-bombers attacking a fuel dump at Pin
Hmi drop bombs in the wrong area; B-25s, escorted by RAF Spitfires and
Hurricanes, score effective hits on a tunnel on the Maungdaw-Buthidaung road.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 228: "Big Week" continues
with 3 areas in Germany targetted with the loss of 16 bombers and 5 fighters:
  1. 336 B-17s are dispatched to the Gutersioh, Lippstadt and Werl Airfields;
because of thick overcast, 285 hit Achmer, Hopsten, Rheine, Diepholz,
Quakenbruck and Bramsche Airfields and the marshalling yards at Coevorden and
Lingen; they claim 12-5-8 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged
beyond repair and 63 damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 13 WIA and 75 MIA.
  2. 281 B-17s are dispatched to Diepholz Airfield and Brunswick; 175 hit the
primaries and 88 hit Alhorn and Verden Airfields and Hannover; they claim
2-5-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 36
damaged; casualties are 20 KIA, 4 WIA and 57 MIA.
  3. 244 B-24s are dispatched to Achmer and Handorf Airfields; 11 hit Achmer
Airfield and 203 hit Diepholz, Verden and Hesepe Airfields and Lingen; they
claim 5-6-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and
6 damaged; casualties are 3 WIA and 31 MIA.
  Escort for Mission 228 is provided by 69 P-38s, 542 Eighth and Ninth Air
Force P-47s and 68 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-38s claim 0-1-0
Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair; the P-47s claim 19-3-14
Luftwaffe aircraft, 2 P-47s are lost, 2 are damaged beyond repair, 3 are
damaged and 2 pilots are MIA; the P-51s claim 14-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft, 3
P-51s are lost and the pilots are MIA.
  Mission 229: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Rouen, Caen,
Paris and Amiens, France at 2215-2327 hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 18 B-26s bomb Coxyde Airfield,
Belgium; weather causes almost 190 aborts. The Ninth Air Force's Pathfinder
Squadron (provisionally activated on 13 Feb) takes part in this operation,
its first venture into combat. 185 aircraft scheduled to attack other
airfields in the Netherlands and France in the afternoon are recalled because
of bad weather.
  Arrivals in England from the US: HQ 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance)
at Chalgrove; HQ 439th Troop Carrier Group and 91st and 92d Troop Carrier
Squadrons at Balderton with C-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb Orte
marshalling yard, and B-26s hit Imperia docks; A-20s pound troop
concentrations near Campoleone, along with P-40s and A-36s which also hit a
fuel dump, tank and truck concentrations, and gun positions in the area;
fighter-bombers also bomb and block the Itri-Gaeta road.
  100th Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group, moves from Montecorvino to
Capodichino, Italy with P-39s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and
Abemama Island hit Ponape and Kusaie Islands and Jaluit Atoll. B-25s from
Abemama bomb Maloelap Atoll. P-40s from Makin Island hit Mille Atoll.  US
forces gain complete control of Eniwetok Island in Eniwetok Atoll.
  9th Troop Carrier Squadron, Seventh Air Force, arrives at Hickam Field,
Territory of Hawaii from the US with C-47s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 15
B-24s bomb Lakunai Airfield; 4 others, with fighter support, attack the
airfield at Rapopo; 20 P-38s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive bomber
strikes on Lakunai gun positions. In the Bougainville Island area 3 B-24s
bomb Kara airfield while P-39s hit buildings at Tsundawan and in the area S
of Tabut, and bomb barges and jetty in the Matchin Bay area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, almost 30
A-20s hit Madang and the Hansa Bay area. On New Britain Island, P-39s hit
Raiven Plantation; 40+ B-24s bomb the Rein Bay and Eleonora Bay areas; others
attack shipping off New Hanover Island.

TUESDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  CARIBBEAN (Sixth Air Force): In Panama, the 28th Fighter Squadron, XXVI
Fighter Command, based at Chame with P-39s, sends a detachment to Pocri.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 70+ B-25s, P-51s, and P-40s again hit a
variety of targets in Burma; bridges are severely damaged or put out of use
at Zawa, Tindeinyan, Ye-u, Namkwin, and Loilaw; warehouses and supply dumps
are hit at Segyi and at Chantha, and the Pahok road and railroad junction are
blasted; also hit are targets of opportunity at Kawlum and along the
Walawbum-Kamaing road.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe the
airfield at Kengtung, China and nearby truck convoy. At Bhamo, Burma a large
rivercraft is hit and left sinking.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): HQ VIII Bomber Command is
redesignated as HQ, Eighth Air Force.
  Mission 230: "Big Week" continues with 799 aircraft dispatched against
German aviation and Luftwaffe airfields; 41 bombers and 11 fighters are lost.
  1. 289 B-17s are dispatched against aviation industry targets at
Aschersleben (34 bomb), Bernburg (47 bomb) and Halberstadt (18 bomb) in
conjunction with a Fifteenth Air Force raid on Regensburg, Germany; 32 hit
Bunde, 19 hit Wernegerode, 15 hit Magdeburg, 9 hit Marburg and 7 hit other
targets of opportunity; they claim 32-18-17 Luftwaffe aircraft; 38 B-17s are
lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 141 damaged; casualties are 35 KIA, 30 WIA
and 367 MIA.
  2. 333 B-17s are dispatched to Schweinfurt but severe weather prevents
aircraft from forming properly and they are forced to abandon the mission
prior to crossing the enemy coast; 2 B-17s are damaged.
  3. 177 B-24s are dispatched but they are recalled when 100 miles (160 km)
inland; since they were over Germany, they sought targets of opportunity but
strong winds drove the bombers over The Netherlands and their bombs hit
Enschede, Arnhem, Nijmegen and Deventer; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft;
3 B-24s are lost and 3 damaged; casualties are 30 MIA.
  These missions are escorted by 67 P-38s, 535 Eighth and Ninth Air Force
P-47s, and 57 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-38s claim 1-0-0
Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 6 are damaged; the
P-47s claim 39-6-15 Luftwaffe aircraft, 8 P-47s are lost and 12 damaged, 8
pilots are MIA; the P-51s claim 19-1-10 Luftwaffe aircraft, 3 P-51s are lost
and 3 damaged, 3 pilot are MIA.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 66 B-26s bomb Gilze-Rijen Airfield,
The Netherlands; bad weather causes 100+ others to abort.

  UNITED STATES STRATEGIC AIR FORCES IN EUROPE (USSTAF): HQ Eighth Air Force
is redesignated as HQ, USSTAF.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): B-17s attack Petershausen
marshalling yard and Regensburg aircraft factory in Germany and the air depot
at Zagreb, Yugoslavia; a large force of B-24s hits Regensburg aircraft plants
about the same time as the B-17 attack; other B-24s pound the town of Sibenik
and the harbor at Zara, Yugoslavia; they claim 40 Luftwaffe aircraft
destroyed; 13 bombers are lost.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s bomb Foligno
marshalling yard and Montalto di Castro railroad bridge, and B-26s attack
Albinia Station railroad bridge; A-20s hit the area E of Campoleone; P-47s
strike troops, gun positions, and a road junction N of Carroceto, roads near
Roccasecca, and the town of Campoleone; A-36s hit guns NW of Carroceto and
the town of Formia; P-40s attack guns SE of Campoleone.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 1 B-24 bombs Kusaie Island. 8
A-24s and 9 P-40s from Makin Island bomb Mille Atoll; 1 P-40 launches rockets
against airfield targets in the first such attack by a Seventh Air Force
aircraft.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 20
P-40s and 40+ USN fighters cover 70 USN dive bombers attacking Keravia Bay
shipping; 40+ B-24s, with fighter escorts, bomb Lakunai and Keravat
Airfields.
  370th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves
from Guadalcanal Island to Munda, New Georgia Island with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 30+ B-25s and P-39s attack
the Madang, New Guinea area. 60+ B-25s and B-24s pound Iboki Plantation on
New Britain Island in support of US Marines (USMC) advancing on the area from
Natamo (and who capture Perry Island).
  319th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves
from Dobodura to Nadzab, New Guinea with B-24s.

WEDNESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 14 B-24s bomb airfields and other
targets at Akyab and Dabaing; 3 B-25s and 12 P-51s hit a radio station at Man
Pang; 4 other P-51s hit warehouses at Chantha.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s attack 2 ships in the Gulf of Tonkin
and hit railroad cars and engine shed at Van Trai Station, French Indochina.
4 P-40s strafe Lashio Airfield, Burma.  

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 232: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250
bundles of leaflets on Rennes, Le Mans, Chartres, Lille and Orleans, France
at 2136-2232 hours without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): B-24s bomb the industrial
complex at Steyr, Austria. Other heavy bombers are forced to abort because of
bad weather; the bombers and escorting fighters claim 30+ aircraft shot down.
  Moves in Italy: HQ 306th Fighter Wing from Foggia to Lucera; 764th, 765th,
766th and 767th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 461st Bombardment Group
(Heavy), from Venosa to Torretto with B-24s (first mission is 2 Apr).

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, P-40s hit a gun position
N of Campoleone and patrol the Anzio area. Weather prevents other operations.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin Island bomb
Mille Atoll; 2 small boats are destroyed by strafing; B-25s from Abemama
Island hit Taroa Island in Maloelap Atoll. B-24s from Makin Island and Tarawa
Atoll bomb Kusaie and Ponape Islands and Jaluit Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Ireland Island, 4
B-24s on armed reconnaissance strafe the Cape Saint George area and bomb
buildings and pier at Labur Bay and 4 B-24s attack bivouacs in the upper Saua
River area. On New Britain Island, 9 B-25s, with USN fighter support, bomb
Vunakanau Airfield; 10 other B-25s hit Keravat Airfield; 16 P-38s dive-bomb
the Wunapope supply area and some attack the town of Rabaul; this is the
first P-38 bombing raid on the Rabaul area; (P-38s, now free from constant
responsibility of guarding bombers against interceptors, will continue to
dive-bomb the Rabaul area through Apr 44; during the latter part of this
campaign against the famed Japanese garrison, which is to be bypassed by
Allied ground forces, P-39s will add their strength due to completion of an
airstrip on Nissan Island in the Green Islands; by 20 Apr only 120 of 1400
buildings in Rabaul will still be standing).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Almost 50 A-20s and B-24s
blast the airfield, buildings, and AA positions in the Wewak, New Guinea area.
  Units moving from Dobodura to Nadzab, New Guinea: HQ 90th Bombardment Group
(Heavy) and 320th, 321st and 400th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) with B-24s;
500th and 501st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group
(Medium), with B-25s.

THURSDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Shemya Island search for enemy
shipping; 1 B-24 crashes during takeoff, the others find nothing.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s hit bridges and trains
between Pintha and Kinu; 1 bridge is damaged and several boxcars are
destroyed; 13 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Mandalay and targets of
opportunity at Akyab, Monywa, and Pakokku; P-51s, A-36s and P-40s attack
bridges, radio stations, supply dumps, bivouacs, troop concentrations,
railroad by-passes, AA positions, and other targets at Seton, Sinkan, Ye-u,
Kawlin, Loilaw, Namkwin, Shaduzup, and the Mogaung-Kamaing area.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe
the airfield at Myitkyina, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Missions 237, 238 and 239 are
flown today against targets in France; 7 B-17s are lost. Heavy clouds cause
over half the bombers dispatched to return without bombing.
  Mission 237: 49 of 81 B-24s hit the Ecalles sur Buchy V-weapon sites; 1
B-24 is damaged. Escort is provided by 61 P-47s.
  Mission 238: 258 B-17s are dispatched against V-weapon sites in the Pas
de Calais; 109 hit the primary target, 10 hit a road junction E of
Yerville, 7 hit a rail siding SW of Abbeville and 6 hit targets of
opportunity; 7 B-17s are lost and 75 damaged; casualties are 5 WIA and 63
MIA. Escort is provided by 81 P-38s, 94 P-47s and 22 P-51s; 1 P-38 is
damaged beyond repair; the P-51s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the
ground.
  Mission 239: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Amiens, Rennes,
Paris, Rouen and Le Mans, France at 2023-2055 hours without loss.
  
  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 180 B-26s attack NOBALL (V-weapon)
targets and Rosieres-en-Santerre, France. Bad weather makes bombing difficult
and causes 34 other B-26s to abort.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force):

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s attack Canino
landing ground, but clouds prevent accurate bombing and most bombs fall W and
SW of the main target area; A-36s attack airfields at Littoria, Guidonia and
Marciglialia. P-47's hit motor vessels and tug off Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia and
targets of opportunity inland.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin Island strafe
and bomb the runway and radio installation on Mille Atoll; B-25s from Tarawa
Atoll pound the airfield on Wotje Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Isladn, 22
B-25s, with fighter escort, pound Rabaul; 9 minutes later 12 P-38s glide-bomb
Rabaul; 2 minutes afterward 11 B-24s pound the same target; 6 other B-24s
bomb Rapopo; P-40s and USN fighters escort USN dive bombers in a strike on
Wunapope; P-39s attack Monoitu Mission.
  394th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based
on Guadalcanal Island with B-24s, begines operating from Munda, New Georgia
Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 23 B-24s and
39 A-20s thoroughly pound the Hansa Bay area. Nearly 20 other B-24s bomb
Nubia and Awar Airfields. In preparation for the Allied landing, 50+ B-25s
and B-24s pound Momote on Los Negros Island, Lorengau on Manus Island and
other targets in the Admiralty Islands.
  80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Dobodura, New Guinea
to Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island with P-38s.

FRIDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Shemya Island are over Matsuwa
Island shortly after midnight 24/25 Feb on a photographic reconnaissance and
bomb run; the mission is not completed due to weather.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 B-25s and 4 P-51s attack bridges
at Meza, Sinthe, and Natmauk, causing light damage to the bridges and
destroying 3 locomotives and several railroad cars.
  91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from
Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds and enter combat on 16 Jun.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 16 P-40s attack docks,
railroad yards and warehouses at Hongay; in the harbor 1 large boat is sunk
and another damaged; 2 P-40's hit a cargo vessel at Campha Port, leaving it
sinking; 2 others bomb and strafe Weichow Island.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 235: In the final "Big
Week" mission, 4 targets in Germany are hit; 31 bombers and 3 fighters are
lost.
  1. 268 B-17s are dispatched to aviation industry targets at Augsburg and
the industrial area at Stuttgart; 196 hit Augsburg and targets of
opportunity and 50 hit Stuttgart; they claim 8-4-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 13
B-17s are lost and 172 damaged; casualties are 12 WIA and 130 MIA.
  2. 267 of 290 B-17s hit aviation industry targets at Regensburg and
targets of opportunity; they claim 13-1-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 12 B-17s are
lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 82 damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 12 WIA
and 110 MIA.
  3. 172 of 196 B-24s hit aviation industry targets at Furth and targets of
opportunity; they claim 2-2-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-24s are lost, 2
damaged beyond repair and 44 damaged; casualties are 2 WIA and 61 MIA.
  Escort is provided by 73 P-38s, 687 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and
139 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-38s claim 1-2-0 Luftwaffe
aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair; the P-47s claim 13-2-10
Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-47 is lost and 6 damaged, 1 pilot is MIA; the P-51s
claim 12-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft, 2 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged beyond
repair, 2 pilots are MIA.
  Mission 236: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Grenoble,
Toulouse, Chartres, Caen and Raismes, France at 2129-2335 hours without
loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Major General Paul L Williams
becomes Commanding General IX Troop Carrier Command. 191 B-26s bomb Venlo,
Saint-Trond, and Cambrai/Epinoy Airfields, France in a morning raid as a
diversion in support of the VIII Bomber Command heavy bombers over Germany;
36 abort, mainly because of a navigational error; 164 B-26s dispatched
against military targets in France during the afternoon are recalled because
of bad weather.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Continuing coordinated attacks
with the Eighth Air Force on European targets, B-17s with fighter escorts
pound Regensburg aircraft factory; enemy fighter opposition is heavy. Other
B-17s hit the air depot at Klagenfurt, Austria and the dock area at Pola,
Italy. B-24s attack Fiume, Italy marshalling yard and port and hit Zell-am-
See, Austria railroad and Graz airfield and the port area at Zara,
Yugoslavia; 30+ US aircraft are lost; they claim 90+ fighters shot down.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, P-40s attack guns and
troop concentrations E of Campoleone and in the Carroceto area; A-36s bomb
the towns of Terracina and Sperlonga and roads in the area; P-40s also
maintain patrols over Anzio.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s out of Makin Island bomb
and strafe targets at Jaluit Atoll; B-25's from Tarawa Atoll and Abemama
Island hit Mille and Wotje Atolls; B-24s from Abemama and Tarawa pound Ponape
Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-39s on armed reconnaissance bomb an AA position at Monoitu, hit the Aitara
area, and attack a barge in the Cape Gazelle area; 20+ B-25s hit Matupi and
Rapopo; 21 B-24s and 17 P-38s follow shortly with another strike on Rapopo.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25's pound Lorengau on
Manus Island and the Alexishafen-Madang, New Guinea areas and Momote Airfield
on Los Negros Island and A-20s bomb airfields at Alexishafen, New Guinea.
  HQ 85th Fighter Wing arrives at Gusap, New Guinea from the US.

SATURDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): XI Bomber Command (Air Striking Group Task
Group 90.1) is directed to conduct armed photographic reconnaissance missions
in the Kurile Islands, day or night, as weather permits.
  HQ 28th Bombardment Group (Composite) moves from Adak Island to Shemya
Island.

  CARIBBEAN (Sixth Air Force): 39th Reconnaissance Squadron, Antilles Air
Command, begins a movement from Waller Field, Trinidad to the US; it will
remain in the US until Dec 45.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 15 B-25s and P-51s demolish
warehouses in Naba and Hopin, attack bridges at Yeu, Bawgyo and Tantabin, and
strafe railroad cars and tracks at Tangon, Namyao, and Pyintha; the Tantabin
bridge is rendered unusable while approaches of the Ye-u and Bawgyo bridges
are damaged.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 11 B-25s from Nanning, China attack targets
at Tourane, French Indochina, destroying 5 warehouses and a hangar at the
airfield and a locomotive and 4 buildings at the railroad yard.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Weather limits operations
severely, but P-47's hit shipping N and S of Velaluka, Yugoslavia.
  379th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 310th Bombardment Group (Medium),
moves from Philippeville, Algeria to Ghisonaccia, Corsica; they have been
operating from Gambit, Libya with B-25s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa Atoll and
Abemama Island attack Wotje and Jaluit Atolls; P-40s from Makin Island bomb
and strafe targets on Mille Atoll.
  27th and 38th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group
(Heavy), based on Nanumea Island, Ellice Islands begin operating from Abemama
and Makin Islands, respectively, with B-24s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island,
P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive bomber strike on Wunapope
supply and shipping facilities; 22 B-25s, with fighter support, follow up
with the day's second strike on Wunapope; shortly afterwards, 17 P-38s strike
the same target; 12 P-39s bomb and strafe Monoitu, Ruisei, Makapeko and
Mawareka.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, B-24s bomb
Wewak and Momote on Los Negros Island; B-25s, along with P-39s, hit the
Madang-Alexishafen area and A-20s hit Angorum.

SUNDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ P-51s and A-36s and 2 B-25s
hit ammunition dumps near the Kamaing-Walawbum road, warehouses, railroad and
power facilities, bridges, and targets of opportunity in the Ye-u and
Tindeinyan areas.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s fly a sea sweep
from Vinh to Nam Dinh, bombing the Nam Dinh distillery and railroad yards; no
ships are sighted. 8 P-40s hit the railroad bridge at Puchi, China, rendering
it unusable.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Major General Elwood R Quesada
(reappointed Commanding General IX Fighter Command on 21 Feb) receives
authority to revive the IX Fighter Command (existing only on paper since
creation of the IX Air Support Command) on a temporary basis as an
operational HQ to function as a Combined Control Center with RAF 11 Group at
Uxbridge, England, where Fighter Command will prepare operations orders for
Ninth Air Force fighter and fighter-bomber groups. Quesada retains command of
the IX Air Support Command.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-36s attack Littoria
and Guidonia Airfields and Ladispoli dock area; rail cars NE of Rome are also
attacked; P-40s follow up with a raid against Littoria and hit trucks and
other targets in the area; weather prevents other operations by the Twelfth
Air Force.
  4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Catania
to Ponte Olivo, Sicily with C-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): A-24s and P-40s from Makin
Island pound Jaluit and Mille Atolls, while B-25s from Abemama Island hit
Wotje and Mille Atolls; B-24s from Makin Island and Tarawa Atoll bomb Ponape
Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 16 P-39s strafe barges and
other targets of opportunity along the SW coast of Bougainville Island
throughout the day. On New Britain Island, Wunapope is attacked by 21 B-24s
and 24 B-25s (both forces supported by fighter escorts) and by 14 P-38s;
P-40s and USN fighters cover a USN dive bomber strike on Lakunai AA
positions. 3 other P-38s strafe a radar station at Cape Saint George on New
Ireland Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Colonel Jarred V Crabb
becomes Commanding General V Bomber Command. In New Guinea, 30+ B-24s, with
P-40 support, hit airfields at Boram, Wewak, and Tadji, 27 B-25s hit the
Hansa Bay area, and over 30 A-20s attack Alexishafen and Marakum village. 30+
other B-25s attack Momote on Los Negros Island, Lorengau on Manus Island and
other targets in the Admiralty Islands. P-39s maintain armed reconnaissance
over New Britain Island.

MONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Shemya Island search for enemy
shipping; 1 B-24 crashes during takeoff, the others find nothing.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s hit bridges and trains
between Pintha and Kinu; 1 bridge is damaged and several boxcars are
destroyed; 13 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Mandalay and targets of
opportunity at Akyab, Monywa, and Pakokku; P-51s, A-36s and P-40s attack
bridges, radio stations, supply dumps, bivouacs, troop concentrations,
railroad by-passes, AA positions, and other targets at Seton, Sinkan, Ye-u,
Kawlin, Loilaw, Namkwin, Shaduzup, and the Mogaung-Kamaing area.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe the
airfield at Myitkyina, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Missions 237, 238 and 239 are
flown today against targets in France; 7 B-17s are lost. Heavy clouds cause
over half the bombers dispatched to return without bombing.
  Mission 237: 49 of 81 B-24s hit the Ecalles sur Buchy V-weapon sites; 1
B-24 is damaged. Escort is provided by 61 P-47s.
  Mission 238: 258 B-17s are dispatched against V-weapon sites in the Pas
de Calais; 109 hit the primary target, 10 hit a road junction E of Yerville,
7 hit a rail siding SW of Abbeville and 6 hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-17s
are lost and 75 damaged; casualties are 5 WIA and 63 MIA. Escort is provided
by 81 P-38s, 94 P-47s and 22 P-51s; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair; the
P-51s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.
  Mission 239: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Amiens, Rennes,
Paris, Rouen and Le Mans, France at 2023-2055 hours without loss.
  
  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 180 B-26s attack NOBALL (V-weapon)
targets and Rosieres-en-Santerre, France. Bad weather makes bombing difficult
and causes 34 other B-26s to abort.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force):

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s attack Canino
landing ground, but clouds prevent accurate bombing and most bombs fall W and
SW of the main target area; A-36s attack airfields at Littoria, Guidonia and
Marciglialia. P-47's hit motor vessels and a tug off Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
and targets of opportunity inland.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin Island strafe
and bomb the runway and radio installation on Mille Atoll; B-25s from Tarawa
Atoll pound the airfield on Wotje Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 22
B-25s, with fighter escort, pound Rabaul; 9 minutes later 12 P-38s glide-bomb
Rabaul; 2 minutes afterward 11 B-24s pound the same target; 6 other B-24s
bomb Rapopo; P-40s and US Navy (USN) fighters escort USN dive bombers in a
strike on Wunapope; P-39s attack Monoitu Mission.
  394th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based
on Guadalcanal Island with B-24s, begins operating from Munda, New Georgia
Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 23 B-24s and
39 A-20s thoroughly pound the Hansa Bay area. Nearly 20 other B-24s bomb
Nubia and Awar Airfields. In preparation for the Allied landing, 50+ B-25s
and B-24s pound Momote on Los Negros Island, Lorengau on Manus Island and
other targets in the Admiralty Islands.
  80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Dobodura, New Guinea
to Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island with P-38s.

TUESDAY, 29 FEBRUARY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
  
  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 B-25s knock spans out of 2
bridges N of Taungtha and damage bridges S of Myingyan and between Panaing
and Mahlaing; 7 B-25s and 4 P-51s bomb a radio station at Sinkan, score near
misses on a bridge below Kawlin, and knock out 2 bridges in the Ye-u area.
40+ P-51s, A-36s and P-40s hit a supply area S of Seton, camp and stores near
Mogaung (at Pagoda Peak), and railroad station at Myitkyina.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 23 B-24s pound the warehouse area
at Yoyang, causing several fires and secondary explosions; 12 B-25s bomb
Yoyang railroad yards; 16 P-40s provide support; 2 B-25s on a sweep of the NE
China coast sink 3 sampans and damage a merchant ship at Siachwan Tao; 6
P-40s bomb and strafe ammunition dumps at Kunlong; 12 P-38s and P-51s sink a
large motor launch NE of Anking, strafe barracks and 3 tugs in the Teian
area, hit barracks NW of Nanchang and strafe railroad installations at
Yangsin; 4 P-40s hit a barracks W of Nanchang; 2 B-25s sink a large river-
craft on the Yangtze River near Chiuhsienchen and damage 2 more nearby.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Missions 240, 241 and 242 are
flown; 1 bomber and 5 fighters are lost.
  Mission 240: 218 of 226 B-17s hit aviation industry targets at Brunswick,
Germany and targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost and 54 damaged; casualties
are 4 WIA and 10 MIA. Escorting are 61 P-38s, 346 Eighth and Ninth Air Force
P-47s and 147 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 2 P-38s are lost and 1
damaged, 2 pilots are MIA; the P-47s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-47
is lost and 1 damaged, 1 pilot is MIA; 1 P-51 is lost, the pilot is MIA.
  Mission 241: 38 of 48 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Lottinghen, France
without loss. Escorting are 79 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s; 1 is lost
and the pilot is MIA.
  Mission 242: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Orleans, Lille,
Reims, Cambrai and Chateauroux, France at 2025-2121 hours without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 19 B-26s bomb a coastal gun position
and nearby Breck-sur-Mer Airfield, France. 216 B-26s abort a mission against
8 V-weapon sites in France because of total cloud cover over the targets.
  Moves in England: HQ 370th Fighter Group and 401st Fighter Squadron from
Aldermaston to Andover with P-38s (first mission is 1 May); 389th Fighter
Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, from Membury to Thruxton with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): For the fourth consecutive day,
bad weather limits operations to reconnaissance missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s bomb the main and
satellite airfields at Viterbo and several targets of opportunity along the
W coast; B-25s bomb troops and gun positions W of Cisterna di Roma while
A-20s hit concentrations to the S; P-40s and A-36s strike at troop
concentrations along the N perimeter of the Anzio beachhead; other P-40s hit
barracks and railroad yards at Littoria and a tank concentration S of
Cisterna; P-47's (with British aircraft) hit Giulianova railway station and
shipping off Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia; fighters maintain patrol over the Anzio
beachhead.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s bomb Maloelap, Mille and
Wotje Atolls; B-25s hit Jaluit and Mille Atolls; P-40s attack Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 23
B-25s, with USN fighter escort, pound the Rabaul area; later 12 P-38s hit
targets in the same area. 16 AAF fighters, along with 16 USN fighters, hit
targets of opportunity throughout S Bougainville and Shortland Islands.
Numerous other fighters, in forces of varying sizes, attack barges and
scattered targets of opportunity throughout the N Solomons, Bismarck
Archipelago, and waters in between.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Allied amphibious forces land
on Los Negros Island, temporarily taking Momote Airfield and then falling
back to the beachhead on Jamandilai Point; weather prevents full air support
but 7 B-24s and 8 B-25s manage to attack enemy positions and guns; Other
B-24s and A-20s hit Erima, Wewak, Tadji, Awar, and Hollandia, New Guinea.

SOURCES: 
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
  Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
  History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
  Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
THE MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY by Roger A. Freeman, ISBN 1-85409-071-2

Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Jack McKillop              |  Those who have long enjoyed such |
|  Bellcore                   |  privileges as we enjoy forget in |
|  Piscataway, NJ USA         |  time that men have died to win   |
|  [email protected]  |  them.                     FDR    |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
• With grateful thanks for the scholarship of Kit Carter, Robert Mueller and Jack McKillop •
• Thanks also to Charles McGrew •
You can show you value this content by offering your dedicated research team a coffee!
You can lay a wreath on this page to show your respect in an everlasting way.
Add us to your address book. Click here
Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Top