The 161 Sqdn left from Tempsford at 1944-08-05 at 21:32. Loc or duty SOE

He flew with a Westland Lysander (type IIIA, serial V9748, code MA-D).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

2 August 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Two missions are flown today.

Mission 510: 319 bombers and 158 fighters are dispatched to attack oil and supply dumps and bridges in the Paris area (number in parenthesis indicates number of bombers attacking); 2 bombers and 2 fighters are lost:

1. Targets for 156 B-17s are Paris/Gennevilliers (51), Paris/Dugny (38), Mery-sur-Oise (37), Bernay marshalling yard (12), Courtalain rail junction (7) and targets of opportunity (4); 2 B-17s are lost and 47 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 18 MIA.

2. Targets for 163 B-24s are bridges at Neuvy-sur-Loire (36), Nogent-sur- Seine (31), Mantereau (28); 26 hit Sens oil depot; airfields at St Dizier (12) and Creton (3); and Pacy-sur-Armancon (10); 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 23 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA.

The two forces above are escorted by 132 of 158 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged; 1 pilot is KIA and 2 MIA.

Mission 511: 517 bombers and 249 fighters are dispatched to attack CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites and bridges in France; 3 bombers and 5 fighters are lost:

1. Of 195 B-17s, 77 hit V-weapon sites, and rail bridges at Jussy (31), Aulnoye (21), Beautor (21) and Crocal de St Quentin (11); 3 B-17s are lost and 45 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 1 WIA and 28 MIA.

2. Of 322 B-24s, 182 hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 22 hit Thennes Bridge, 12 hit Peronne Rail Bridge, 11 hit Achiet Airfield and 8 hit targets of opportunity; 5 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 78 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA.

Escort for the 2 forces above is provided by 236 of 249 P-51s; 5 are lost and 1 is damaged beyond repair; 5 pilots are MIA.

49 P-38s, 183 P-47s and 51 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail and road transport in the Paris-Amiens-Brussels-St Quentin area; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 6 P-47s and 2 P-51s are damaged; 2 pilots are MIA.

42 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): In France, the IX Bomber Command halts bombing of bridges, fuel dumps, and similar targets in Brittany except on the request of the 12th Army Group, as the US Third Army wants the use of bridges access to all fuel they may find in their advance across France; around 300 A-20s and B-26s attack bridges at Mezieres-sur-Seine, Mainvillers, Cinq Mars-la-Pile, Nantes, and Lisle, and ammunition dumps at Caudebec-les- Elbeuf and Le Lude; fighters fly armed reconnaissance in wide areas surrounding Paris and the SW as far as Laval, escort IX Bomber Command aircraft, and provide cover for armored columns and close support for ground forces; HQ IX Tactical Air Command moves from Les Obeaux to Canisy; HQ 84th Fighter Wing moves from Houesville to Criqueville; HQ 303d Fighter Wing moves from La Combe to Houesville; and the 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Third Army) moves from Nehou to Le Bepas with L-5s.

3 August 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Two missions are flown.

Mission 512: 672 bombers and 352 fighters are dispatched to hit rail and other targets in the French/German border area and oil dumps and bridges SE of Paris; 6 bombers and 6 fighters are lost:

1. Of 345 B-17s, 106 hit the Merkwille Oil Refinery, 68 hit Strasbourg marshalling yard, 62 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yard, 54 hit Mulhouse marshalling yard, 16 hit Toul/Croix de Metz Airfield, 11 hit a railroad near Saarbrucken and 6 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 4-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 98 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA, 9 WIA and 54 MIA.

Escort is provided by 175 of 200 P-51s; they claim 6-0-0 aircraft in the air and 5-0-1 on the ground; 6 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA).

2. Of 155 B-17s, 38 hit Troyes Bridge and 36 hit Joigny/La Roche Bridge; 11 B-17s are damaged.

Escort is provided by 96 of 103 P-51s.

3. Of 172 B-24s, 27 hit Conches Airfield, 12 hit Melun marshalling yard, 11 hit Etampes Mondesir Airfield and 3 hit targets of opportunity; 51 B-24s are damaged.

Escort is provided by 47 P-47s.

Mission 513: 482 bombers and 178 fighters are dispatched to oil installations and dumps in the Brussels, Paris and Lille areas and CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in the Pas de Calais; 2 bombers are lost:

1. 112 of 126 B-17s and 117 of 121 B-24s hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais; 1 B-24 is lost; 6 B-17s and 20 B-24s are damaged.

Escort is provided by 43 of 46 P-51s.

2. Of 76 B-24s, 62 hit Brussels/Vivorde, 10 hit Ghent/Terneuzen and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 49 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA.

Escort is provided by 33 of 36 P-47s.

3. Of 159 B-24s, 49 hit Harnes, 28 hit Courchelettes, 22 hit Pas de Calais V-weapons sites, 10 hit Lille/Marquette, 10 hit Lille/Sequedin and 8 hit Ghent marshalling yard; 1 B-24 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 38 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 10 MIA.

Escort is provided by 90 of 96 P-51s.

133 P-38s and P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail traffic in the Metz-Strasbourg-Saarbrucken area; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-47 is lost.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): In France, 180+ A-20s and B-26s bomb rail bridges, overpasses, and junctions at Mantes-la-Jolie, Chartres, La Chenaie and Merey, fuel dump at Maintenon, and alternate rail targets in N France; fighters escort IX Bomber Command bombers and a few C-47s, provide cover for ground forces, and fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas of N and W France; and the 22d and 23d Fighter Squadrons, 36th Fighter Group, move from Kingsnorth, England to Brucheville with P-47s.

4 August 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown: Mission 514: 1,307 bombers and 746 fighters are dispatched to strategic targets in Germany; 15 bombers are lost:

1. Of 358 B-17s, 181 hit Hamburg oil refineries, 50 hit Bremen oil refineries, 23 hit Nordhof Airfield, 22 hit Ostend, Belgium coastal defenses, 14 hit Einswarden and 7 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-4-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost, 8 damaged beyond repair and 196 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 63 MIA.

Escort is provided by 234 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 38-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 9-0-1 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA) and 2 P-47s and 2 P-51s are damaged.

2. Of 425 B-27s, 221 hit Peenemunde, 110 hit Anklam Airfield and 70 hit Anklam aircraft factories; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 94 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 40 MIA.

Escort is provided by 223 of 250 P-51s; they claim 4-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 9 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA) and 1 is damaged beyond repair; 1 pilot is KIA.

3. Of 446 B-24s, 148 hit Rostock aviation factories, 89 hit Kiel, 88 hit Schwerin aviation factories, 71 hit Wismar aviation factories, 12 hit Schlutup, 11 hit Warien and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost and 114 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 40 MIA.

Escort is provided by 209 P-38s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost and 1 P-38 is damaged; 1 pilot is KIA.

4. Of 78 B-24s, 39 hit Husum Airfield and 29 hit Hemmingstedt/Heide oil refinery without loss.

Mission 515: The first APHRODITE mission is flown using 4 radio-controlled war weary B-17s as flying bombs; targets are Mimoyecques, Siracourt, Watten, and Wizernes V-weapon sites but none are hit; 1 drone B-17 crashes killing 1 crew.

Escort is provided by 16 P-47s and 16 P-51s.

Mission 516: In France, 154 B-17s and 36 fighters are dispatched to hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais and coastal defenses at Middelkerke and Gravelines:

1. Of 95 B-24s, 24 hit the Pas de Calais, 12 hit Achiet Airfield, 11 hit Gravelines, 11 hit Middelkerke, 6 hit Lens marshalling yard and 6 hit Villy/Montigne marshalling yard; 17 B-24s are damaged.

2. Of 59 B-17s, 13 hit targets of opportunity, 12 hit Lille/Vendeville Airfield and 11 hit a bridge at Gravelines; 12 B-17s are damaged.

Escort for the two groups above is provided by 35 P-47s and P-51s.

67 of 69 P-47s fly a fighter-bomber mission against Plantlunne Airfield; they claim 30-0-5 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot is MIA), 1 is damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): In France, 62 A-20s and B-26s bomb rail bridges at Oissel, Epernon, and Saint-Remy-sur-Avre and an ammunition dump and bivouac area in Foret de Sille; fighters furnish cover over the battle area and for an armored column, fly sweeps, dive-bomb enemy positions and also fuel dumps at Angers, attack an ammunition dump at Tours, and fly armed reconnaissance in the Quimper-Nantes, Amines, and Saint-Quentin areas; HQ 70th Fighter Wing moves from Criqueville to Villedieu les Poeles; the 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Third Army), moves from Le Repas to Beauchamps with L-5s.

The 596th and 598th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 397th Bombardment Group (Medium), move from Rivenhall to Hurn, England with B-26s.

5 August 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Mission 519: In the morning, 1,171 bombers and 646 fighters are dispatched to attack strategic targets in the Magdeburg-Brunswick-Hannover region of Germany including oil refineries and tank and aircraft production; 13 bombers and 4 fighters are lost:

1. Of 215 B-17s, 93 hit Magdeburg/Neustadt, 87 hit Magdeburg/Krupp, 14 hit Helmstedt Airfield and 6 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 3-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost and 189 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 28 MIA.

Escort is provided by 174 P-38s and P-51s; they claim 19-1-7 aircraft in the air and 1-0-2 on the ground; 1 P-38 and 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA) and 1 P-38 and 5 P-51s are damaged; 1 pilot is KIA and 1 WIA.

2. 70 of 78 B-24s hit Halberstadt Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 7 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA.

Escort is provided by 41 of 47 P-47s; they claim 4-0-1 aircraft.

3. Of 452 B-24s, 98 hit Brunswick Aero-Engineering, 85 hit Fallerslaben, 69 hit Brunswick/Wilhelmitor, 65 hit Brunswick/Me 110 Assembly Plant, 44 hit Brunswick/Bussing, 30 hit Brunswick aircraft components factory, 9 hit Goslar Airfield and 8 hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 147 damaged; 13 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 55 MIA.

Escort is provided by 172 of 188 P-51s; they claim 5-0-1 in the air and 3-0-3 on the ground; 1 P-51 is damaged.

4. Of 426 B-17s, 176 hit Nienburg, 143 hit Hannover/Langenhagen Airfield, 72 hit Dollbergen and 3 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 130 are damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 15 MIA.

Escort is provided by 186 of 197 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA.

Mission 520: 38 of 39 B-17s hit 6 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais; 19 B-17s are damaged.

Escort is provided by 10 of 12 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft on the ground.

Mission 522: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and France during the night.

19 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

In England, HQ 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy) moves from North Pickenham to Harrington; and the 406th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), VIII Air Force Composite Command [attached to 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional)], moves from Harrington to Cheddington with B-24s.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): In order that operations controlled by the Ninth Air Force be developed in close association with HQ 12th Army Group, the Ninth's HQ at Uxbridge and Grandcamp-les-Bains are closed and a single HQ opened the following day (6 Aug) at Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin, France near both Advance HQ 12th Army Group and Advance HQ Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF).

HQ 50th and 53d Troop Carrier Wings of the IX Troop Carrier Command are attached to the Mediterranean Allied Air Force (MAAF) for the purpose of forming, with HQ 51st Troop Carrier Wing, a Provisional Troop Carrier Air Division to handle the airborne phase of the invasion of S France; and HQ 406th Fighter Group moves from Ashford, England to Tour-en- Bassin.

In England, HQ 397th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 597th and 599th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) move from Rivenhall to Hurn with B-26s.

In France, 300+ A-20s and B-26s bomb Saint-Malo harbor and Foret de Sille fuel dump during the night of 4/5 Aug, and during the day, rail bridges at 6 cities in N and W France, and marshalling yard at Compiegne; fighters furnish cover for ground forces and fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas of N France.

Campaign report of the RAF:

4/5 August 1944

Minor Operations 12 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest, 29 aircraft on Resistance operations, 11 OTU sorties. 1 Halifax and 1 Lysander lost on Resistance operations.

5 August 1944

742 aircraft - 469 Halifaxes, 257 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the Forêt de Nieppe and St Leu d'Esserent storage sites. Bombing conditions were good. 1 Halifax lost from the St Leu d'Esserent raid.

31 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 8 Group attempted to carry out small 'Oboe leader' raids on 4 launching sites but only 9 aircraft succeeded in bombing. None lost.

306 Lancasters of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups attacked oil storage targets on the River Gironde at Blaye, Bordeaux and Pauillac with excellent results. 1 Lancaster was lost from the Pauillac raid. 30 Mosquitos of No 100 Group escorted these forces without loss.

15 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No 617 Squadron attacked the U-boat pens at Brest and scored 6 direct hits with Tallboys. 1 Lancaster shot down by flak.

14 Lancasters of No 5 Group again attacked the railway bridge at Étaples but the target was soon obscured by smoke and dust and no results could be seen. No aircraft lost.

Total effort for the day: 1,148 sorties, 3 aircraft (0.3 per cent) lost.

5/6 August 1944

35 Mosquitos attacked the synthetic-oil plant at Wanne-Eickel without loss. The markers appeared to be well placed and 2 fires were observed.

2 RCM sorties, 3 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest, 6 aircraft on Resistance operations, 5 OTU sorties. No losses.

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