The 626 Sqdn left from Wickenby at 1945-01-01 at 14:49. Loc or duty Osterfeld
He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type III, serial PB561, code UM-X2).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown.
Mission 774: 845 bombers and 725 fighters are dispatched to hit oil installations and rail bridges and junctions in W Germany visually and by PFF; they claim 23-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft including a jet fighter; 8 bombers and 2 fighters are lost:
1. 451 B-17s are sent to hit an oil refinery at Magdeburg (11); secondary targets are the Henschel marshalling yard at Kassel (292) and the Gottingen marshalling yard (26); targets of opportunity are Hadamar (12), Wetzlar (12), Dillenburg (15), Koblenz (11), Wetter (12), Limburg (8), Kirchbunden (7) and other (22); 2 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 71 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 18 MIA.
Escorting are 327 of 374 P-51s; they claim 17-1-1 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
2. 109 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil industry targets at Dollbergen (54) and Ehmen (24); targets of opportunity are the Koblenz marshalling yard (12), Limburg (4) and other (5); 3 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 43 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA.
Escort is provided by 199 P-47s and P-51s without loss.
3. 273 B-24s hit the Lutzel (56) and Guls (30) rail bridges at Koblens, the Irlich rail bridge (57) and the Remagen rail bridge (6); targets of opportunity are Andernach (26), Engers rail bridge (9), Trier (1) and others (6); 1 B-24 is lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged; 20 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 10 MIA.
The escort is 66 of 70 P-51s without loss.
4. 12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening force mission; they are 8 minutes late for their escort and are attacked by Fw 190s when 50 miles (80 km) ahead of the bombers; they claim 6-0-2 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; 45 airmen are MIA.
Escort is supposed to be 23 of 26 P-51s.
5. 2 of 5 B-17s fly an APHRODITE mission against Oldenburg without loss.
6. 11 of 11 P-51s escort 9 F-5s and 1 Spitfire on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany without loss.
7. 25 P-47s and P-51s escort 3 of 4 Mosquitoes on a special operations mission without loss.
Mission 775: 5 B-24s and 3 B-17s drop leaflet on Belgium and Germany during the night without loss.
The 1st, 2d and 3d Bombardment Divisions are redesignated 1st, 2d and 3d Air Divisions.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): The Luftwaffe launches an attack of 700-800 aircraft against Ninth AF and Allied airfields, mainly in the Brussels, Belgium and Eindhoven, the Netherlands areas, and to a lesser degree in the Metz, France area; 127 operational Allied aircraft are destroyed; Allied fighters claim 160 air victories while AA claims 300.
190 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s hit rail bridges, communications centers, a road junction, a command post, and HQ, all in Belgium and Germany; fighters escort 9th Bombardment Division and Eighth AF bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance (claiming 39 air victories and numerous ground targets destroyed) and support the US III, VII, and XII Corps between Saint-Hubert, Belgium and the Mosel River, Germany.
In France, the detachment of the 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), ceases operating from Steinbourg with L-5s and returns to base at Buhl.
During Jan 45, HQ XIX Tactical Air Command moves from France to Luxembourg.
Campaign report of the RAF:
31 December 1944/1 January 1945
149 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups to attack the railway yards at Osterfeld. The only details available are Bomber Command's estimates that the railway sidings were 35 per cent damaged and the 'facilities' 20 per cent damaged. 2 Lancasters lost.
28 Lancasters of No 5 Group attacked cruisers in Oslo Fjord but no hits were scored. 1 Lancaster lost.
77 Mosquitos to Berlin and 12 to Ludwigshafen, 33 RCM sorties, 33 Mosquito patrols, 16 Halifaxes and 10 Lancasters minelaying in the Kattegat. 1 minelaying Lancaster lost.
1/2 January 1945
152 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 5 Group carried out an accurate attack on the Gravenhorst section of the Mittelland Canal. Half a mile of banks were pitted with bomb craters and some parts were breached. No aircraft lost.
146 aircraft of No 3 Group successfully attacked the railway yards at Vohwinkel. 1 Lancaster lost.
105 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 18 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of No 8 Group attempted to bomb a benzol plant at Dortmund but the attack was scattered and the plant was not hit. No aircraft lost.
28 Mosquitos to Hanau and 27 to Hannover (both 'spoof' raids), 42 RCM sorties, 59 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost. The No 100 Group Mosquitos claimed 6 German night fighters destroyed.
Total effort for the night: 598 sorties, 1 aircraft (0.2 per cent) lost; 5 aircraft crashed in England.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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