The 626 Sqdn left from Wickenby at 1944-07-07 at 19:37. Loc or duty Caen
He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type I, serial LM112, code UM-A2).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 458: 1,129 bombers and 756 fighters are dispatched to attack synthetic oil plants, aircraft assembly plants and engine works, airfields and an equipment depot, marshalling yards railway station and railway repair shops in Germany; 37 bombers and 6 fighters are lost:
1. Of 373 B-24s, 102 hit Lutzkendorf and 64 hit Halle oil plants, 90 hit Bernburg and 73 hit Aschersleben aircraft plants and 8 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 39-5-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; 28 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 126 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 274 MIA.
Escort is provided by 224 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 46-1-16 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 and 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA).
2. Of 303 B-17s, 64 hit Bohlen and 51 hit Merseburg oil plants, 67 hit Kolleda and 32 hit Lutzkendorf Airfields, 22 hit targets of opportunity and 16 hit Gottingen marshalling yard; 2 B-17s are lost and 112 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 20 MIA.
Escort is provided by 185 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 9-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-1 on the ground; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots are MIA).
3. Of 453 B-17s, 114 hit Leipzig/Taucha, 79 hit Leipzig/Mockau, 35 hit Leipzig/Heiterblick and 15 hit Leipzig/Abtnaundorf oil plants, 46 hit Leipzig bearing industry, 35 hit Kolleda Airfield, 19 hit Leipzig Station and 7 hit Nordhausen; 7 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 152 damaged; 15 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 50 MIA.
Escort is provided by 247 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 20-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair (pilot is WIA).
Mission 459: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France and Belgium during the night.
19 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER operations during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In France, 100+ A-20s and B-26s bomb rail bridge near Tours, and targets of opportunity in the Lisieux and Beuzeville areas; 500+ fighters fly escort and area cover, carry out armed reconnaissance of communication and troop activity, and bomb railroads, rolling stock, marshalling yards, ammunition dumps, and bridges in frontline areas and wide areas of W France; HQ 36th Fighter Group moves from Kingsnorth, England to Brucheville; and the 377th, 378th and 379th Fighter Squadrons, 362d Fighter Group, move from Headcorn, England to Lignerolles with P-47s.
In England, the 392d Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, moves from Stony Cross to Ibsley with P-38s.
Campaign report of the RAF:
6/7 July 1944
33 Mosquitos to Scholven/Buer and 3 to Mezieres railway junction, 6 Intruder and 16 flying-bomb patrols, 4 Stirlings minelaying off the Belgian and Dutch coasts. No aircraft lost; Mosquitos shot down 6 flying bombs, their best success of the war.
7 July 1944
467 aircraft - 283 Lancasters, 164 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups in a major effort to assist in the Normandy land battle. The Canadian 1st and British 2nd Armies were held up by a series of fortified village strongpoints north of Caen. The first plan was for Bomber Command to bomb these villages but, because of the proximity of friendly troops and the possibility of bombing error, the bombing area was moved back nearer to Caen, covering a stretch of open ground and the northern edge of the city. The weather was clear for the raid, which took place in the evening, and two aiming points were well marked by Oboe Mosquitos and other Pathfinder aircraft. The Master Bomber, Wing Commander SP (Pat) Daniels of No 35 Squadron, then controlled a very accurate raid. Dust and smoke soon obscured the markers but the bombing always remained concentrated. 2,276 tons of bombs were dropped.
It was afterwards judged that the bombing should have been aimed at the original targets. Few Germans were killed in the area actually bombed, although units near by were considerably shaken. The northern suburbs of Caen were ruined. No German fighters appeared and only 1 Lancaster, of No 166 Squadron, was shot down by flak. 2 further Lancasters and 1 Mosquito crashed behind the Allied lines in France.
7/8 July 1944
208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos, mainly from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, attacked a flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms) at St Leu d'Esserent. The bombing was accurately directed on to the mouths of the tunnels and on to the approach roads, thus blocking access to the flying bombs stored there. German night fighters intercepted the bombing force and 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos were lost, 14.0 per cent of the force. No 106 Squadron, from Metheringham, lost 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and No 630 Squadron, from East Kirkby, lost its commanding officer, Wing Commander WI Deas, who was flying his 69th operation. Wing Commander Deas was killed and is buried in a small cemetery at Omerville, north-west of Versailles.
123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups carried out an accurate raid on the railway yards at Vaires without the loss of any aircraft.
106 aircraft of Nos 1, 3, 5 and 9No 3 Groups on a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland, 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group dropping 'spoof' markers in support of the St Leu d'Esserent raid, 32 Mosquitos to Berlin and 9 to Scholven/Buer, 48 aircraft on RCM sorties or Resistance operations (no breakdown available), 83 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitos were lost from the Berlin raid and 1 aircraft (type not recorded) was lost from a Resistance flight.
Total effort for the night: 634 sorties, 34 aircraft (5.3 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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