The 23 Sqdn left from Little Snoring at 1944-09-18 at an unknown time. Loc or duty Air Test
He flew with a de Havilland Mosquito (type VI, serial PZ180, code YP-O).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
1. Mission 639: 248 of 252 B-24s drop supplies to the First Allied Airborne Army in the Netherlands; intense flak downs 7 B-24s, 6 are damaged beyond repair and 154 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 26 WIA and 61 MIA.
500+ P-38s, P-47s and P-51s escort the B-24s, escort C-47s of the First Allied Airborne Army as the second troop echelon is dropped in the Netherlands to participate in heavy fighting around the Arnhem area; 2 fighter groups strafe rail and highway traffic and 50+ fighters bomb flak positions; 100+ Luftwaffe fighters attack; AAF claims 29-0-1 aircraft in the air; 20 fighters are lost, 9 damaged beyond repair and 46 damaged; 1 pilot is KIA and 20 MIA.
2. Mission 640: In the last Operations FRANTIC mission, 107 of 110 B-17s drop 1,248 containers of supplies to Polish forces in Warsaw; 1 B-17 is lost and 7 damaged.
Escort is provided by 137 of 150 P-51s (64 P-51s continue to the USSR), they claim 4-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-0-6 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA).
3. Mission 641: 8 of 8 B-17s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels all bomber activity; <100 fighters support US VII Corps in W Germany and fly cover in the area of Brest, France, where organized resistance comes to an end.
In France, HQ 9th Bombardment Division (Medium) moves from Marks Hall, England to Chartres; HQ 371st Fighter Group moves from Beuzeville to Perthes; HQ 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 556th, 557th, 558th and 559th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) move from Maupertuis to Chateaudun with B-26s; HQ 394th Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Tour-en-Bassin to Bricy; and HQ 409th Bombardment Group (Light) and the 640th, 641st, 642d and 643d Bombardment Squadrons (Light) move from Little Walden, England to Bretigny with A-20s.
Campaign report of the RAF:
17/18 September 1944
Operation Market Garden: 241 aircraft made 2 diversionary sweeps - 1 to the Dutch coast and 1 into Holland - in order to draw up German fighters from Southern Holland. This intention was not achieved. No aircraft lost.
42 Mosquitos to Bremen and 6 to Dortmund, 29 RCM sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.
18 September 1944
74 aircraft - 34 Lancasters, 30 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - of Nos 6 and 8 Groups attempted to bomb a coastal battery at Domburg on the island of Walcheren but the Master Bomber abandoned the raid after 8 Mosquitos had attempted to mark the target in poor weather conditions. No aircraft lost.
7 RCM sorties were flown without loss.
18/19 September 1944
Bremerhaven: 206 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group. No 100 Group's RCM Operations successfully kept German night fighters away from the force and only 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito were lost. This was another successful No 5 Group method raid and Bremerhaven, which had not been seriously bombed by the RAF before, required only this one knock-out blow by the comparatively small force of aircraft carrying fewer than 900 tons of bombs. The centre of the town, the port area and the suburb of Geestemünde were gutted by fire. 2,670 buildings were destroyed and 369 seriously damaged.
33 Mosquitos to Berlin and 6 to Rheine, 30 RCM sorties, 67 Mosquito patrols, 4 Lancasters minelaying in the River Weser. No losses.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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