The 161 Sqdn left from Tempsford at 1944-07-08 at 22:38. Loc or duty SIS
He flew with a Westland Lysander (type IIIA, serial V9490, code MA-H).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 460: 1,029 bombers and 714 fighters, in four forces, are dispatched to hit bridges, tunnels, rail targets and NOBALL (V-weapon) sites in France; only 462 aircraft bomb due to bad weather; 9 bombers and 1 fighter are lost:
1. Of 331 B-24s, 14 hit Schore Bridge, 9 hit Welle Bridge, 1 hits Orsel Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 20 B-24s are damaged; escort is provided by 266 P-38s and P-51s; they claim 20-0-19 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
2. Of 304 B-17s, 61 hit Poix Airfield, 49 hit V-1 sites, 37 hit Etaples Bridge, 13 hit a road junction, 12 hit Abbeville Airfield and 11 hit Etaples choke point; 4 B-17s are lost, 2 are damaged beyond repair and 90 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 32 MIA.
Escort is provided by 36 of 39 P-47s.
3. Of 130 B-24s, 71 hit V-1 sites, 13 hit St Vallery en Caux Airfield and 11 hit Abbeville railroad junction; 3 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 27 are damaged.
4. Of 264 B-17s, 21 hit Jaigle, 20 hit Barenton and 10 hit Chandai rail junctions, 11 hit Nantes/Gassicourt Bridge, 11 hit Nantes railroad bridge, 9 hit railroad tracks at Yvetot, 11 hit Nogent and 6 hit Rouen marshalling yards, 24 hit Conches and 11 hit St Andre de l'Eure Airfields and 25 hit targets of opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 98 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 16 WIA and 51 MIA.
Forces 3 and 4 are escorted by 286 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.
86 of 91 P-47s bomb St Andre de l'Eure Airfield without loss.
Mission 461: 4 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
17 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In France, about 280 A-20s and B-26s bomb V-weapon HQ at Chateau-de-Ribeaucourt, numerous strongpoints in the Caen battle area, rail bridges at Mantes-La-Jolie, Saumur, Nogent-le-Roi, and Caen and (late in evening) fuel dumps in Rennes and a bridge at Nantes; fighters escort the bombers and fly armed reconnaissance throughout wide areas of France, concentrating on the frontline area; targets hit include marshalling yards, bridges, ammunition and supply dumps, troop concentrations and tanks.
Campaign report of the RAF:
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.
8/9 July 1944
10 Mosquitos to Scholven/Buer, 8 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off Biscay coasts, 7 aircraft on Resistance operations, 8 Mosquitos on flying-bomb patrols. No aircraft lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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