The 138 Sqdn left from Tempsford at 1944-09-01 at 22:00. Loc or duty SOE
He flew with a Short Stirling (type IV, serial LJ503, code NF-P).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
1 September 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
1. Mission 595: 679 B-17s and 294 B-24s are dispatched to hit Ludwigshafen, Haguenan, Gustavsburg, Mainz and Hallach, Germany and Foret de Haguenan, France; high clouds are encountered over France and the mission is recalled; 1 B-17 bombs Hallach; 2 B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 5 B-17s are damaged; 30 airmen are KIA and 2 WIA.
Escort is provided by 508 P-38s and P-51s; 3 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA.
2. Mission 597: 12 of 12 Azon-equipped B-24s hit the Ravenstein rail bridge, the Netherlands without loss.
Escort is provided by 15 of 15 P-51s.
3. Mission 599: 3 of 3 B-17s fly a Micro H mission to attack a fuel dump in the Bois del la Haussiere, Belgium without loss.
Escort is provided by 2 of 2 P-51s.
VIII Fighter Command fighter-bomber missions:
1. 265 of 273 P-47s attack railroads in N and NE France; they claim 5-0-2 aircraft on the ground; 3 P-47s are lost (pilots are MIA), 1 damaged beyond repair and 28 damaged.
2. 33 of 33 attack targets in the Brussels, Belgium area without loss. 31 of 44 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): HQ IX Troop Carrier Command comes under administrative control of HQ US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF) and under operational control of HQ First Allied Airborne Army, to increase efficiency, especially for planning, training, and preparation of airborne operations.
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) now can deal directly with all elements of an airborne force through a single unified command instead of through various army groups and air forces [i.e. 12th and 21st Army Groups, Ninth AF, and Royal Air Force (RAF) components].
In France, B-26s attack fortifications in the Brest area which artillery fire had been unable to reduce; escorting fighters fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance in N and E France, and fly cover for 6 divisions in the Amiens, Saint-Quentin, Cambrai, Reims, and Verdun areas and the Brussels, Belgium area; the 125th Liaison Squadron, Ninth Air Force (attached to Ninth Army) moves from Erlestokes, England to St Sauveur-Lendelin with L-5s; the 425th Night Fighter Squadron, IX Air Defense Command, moves from Vannes to Le Moustoiris with P-61s; and the 556th, 557th, 558th and 559th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 387th Bombardment Group (Medium), move from Stony Cross, England to Maupertuis with B-26s.
During Sep, HQ IX Fighter Command moves from Canisy, France to Charleroi, Belgium.
2 September 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Missin 596: 34 of 36 P-47s strafe gun positions and road and rail traffic in the Bruges-Ghent-Courtrai-Roulers, Belgium area; 2 P-47s are damaged beyond repair and 7 are damaged.
2 C-47s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to France.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In France, weather grounds the bombers; fighters fly armed reconnaissance and area support to ground forces in Belgium and NW, NE, and E France; HQ IX Tactical Air Command, moving with HQ US First Army, moves from Haleine to Versailles; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command, moves from Maillebois to Sy Cyr with L-5s; the 428th, 429th and 430th Fighter Squadrons, 474th Fighter Group, move from Neuilly to St Marceau with P-38s; and the 508th Fighter Squadron, 404th Fighter Group, moves from Chapelle to Bretigny with P-47s.
3 September 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
1. Mission 601: 393 of 404 B-17s make a visual attack on 16 gun batteries and defensive installations in the Brest, France area; 2 B-17s are lost and 13 damaged; 16 airmen are MIA.
Escort is provided by 15 of 16 P-51s without loss.
Bad weather cancels fighter-bomber mission by 50 P-38s against strongpoints in the Brest area.
2. 345 B-17s are dispatched to bomb the Ludwigshafen/Opau synthetic oil plant in Germany (325); 1 hits a target of opportunity and 5 drop leaflets; 1 B-17 is lost and 103 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA.
Escort is provided by 233 of 254 P-51s; they claim 7-0-1 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 2 damaged.
125 of 127 P-47s strafe transportation targets in the Tilburg, the Netherlands, Namur, Belgium and Cologne, Germany areas; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA), 1 damaged beyond repair and 18 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA.
40 B-24s and 4 C-47s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In France, B-26s and A-20s supporting ground troops pound strongpoints and bridges in the Brest area; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, ground support, and sweeps in N and E France, Belgium, and W Germany; HQ 365th Fighter Group and the 386th, 387th and 388th Fighter Squadrons move from Lignerolles to Bretigny with P-47s; and the 125th Liaison Squadron, Ninth Air Force (attached to Ninth Army), moves from St Sauveur-Lendelin to Rennes with L-5s.
4 September 1944
(Ninth Air Force): In Belgium, the British complete the liberation of Brussels and clear most of the resistance from Antwerp.
In France, weather prevents bomber activity; fighters fly armed reconnaissance over Belgium, E France, Luxembourg, and E and C Germany, and defensive night patrols over W and NW France; HQ 50th Fighter Group moves from Meautis to Orly; HQ 367th Fighter Group and the 393d Fighter Squadron move from Criqueville to Peray with P-38s; HQ 406th Fighter Group and the 512th and 513th Fighter Squadrons move from Cretteville to Le Mans with P-47s; and the 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Third Army), moves from St Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes to Marson with L-5s.
Campaign report of the RAF:
31 August/1 September 1944
42 Mosquitos to Düsseldorf, 6 to Cologne and 6 to Leverkusen, 3 RCM sorties, 21 Mosquito patrols, 24 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Mosquitos lost, 1 each from the Cologne and Leverkusen raids.
1 September 1944
121 aircraft - 97 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitos, 9 Lancasters - of 4 and 8 Groups bombed V2 rocket storage sites at Lumbres and La Pourchinte without loss. Both raids were successful, the Lumbres attack particularly so.
1 RCM radio listening sortie was flown.
1/2 September 1944
35 Mosquitos to Bremen, 4 RCM sorties, 39 Mosquito patrols, 7 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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