8th Air Force 441
25 June 1944Photographs provided by John Thayer's son, David Thayer, via Paul Fitz-George - [email protected].
Official Description
During the morning 236 B-17’s bomb Toulouse/Francazal and Toulouse/Blagnac A/F’s and oil dumps at Montbartier. 10 B-17’s bomb scattered T/Os. 107 B-24’s bomb Avord and Bourges A/Fs. 176 B-17’s drop supplies to French interior forces. A total of 8 HBs are lost. VIII FC flies 639 sorties in supporting operations. In addition 5 ftr gps carry out strafing activities, claiming numerous ground tgts including 6 airplanes on a landing ground and the A/F at Bourges. 19 enemy ftrs are claimed destroyed in aerial combat. During midday 153 B-24’s bomb 17 power and transformer stations in effort to disrupt flow of electric power to V-weapon stations. 64 B-24’s, hampered by cloud over primary aiming points, bomb
miscellaneous last resort tgts, including A/Fs at Peronne and Nuncq. Ftr spt is provided by 3 gps. All airplanes return safely. In night mission 300 B-17’s and B-24’s bomb 7 railway bridges and 2 A/Fs in Paris area. 69 HBs attack alternate tgts, including A/Fs of Orly, Romilly-sur-Seine, and Etampes/Mondesir. Ftrs fly 346 sorties in escort and tgt area spt. A P-38 gp strafes ground tgts in Angers, Le Mans-Laval area, and a P-47 gp bombs and strafes an alternate landing ground near Evreux/Fauville A/F. HB losses total 7. Ftrs claim 6 airplanes destroyed against no losses. In USSR, Eighth AF HBs and ftrs are flown, at daybreak, from dispersal bases to Poltava and Mirgorod and loaded and fueled with intentions of bombing oil refinery at Drohobycz and proceeding to base in Italy.
Bad weather cancels the mission until the following day. The aircraft return to dispersal bases for the night as precaution against air attacks.
Mission Details
Description:
Notes: Specific units not correlated in source data.
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: NA
Connections
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People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 401st Bomb Group
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 336th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-749187
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 384th Bomb Group 422nd Bomb Squadron 546th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35733061
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 336th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12170026
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 859th Bomb Squadron 788th Bomb Squadron 467th Bomb Group
- Service Numbers: O-659448
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Mary Alice
- Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 579th Bomb Squadron 859th Bomb Squadron 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron 858th Bomb Squadron 492nd Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Bangin' Lulu
- Unit: 446th Bomb Group 492nd Bomb Group 704th Bomb Squadron 857th Bomb Squadron 858th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Hard tGet
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Lucky Lass II
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 577th Bomb Squadron 492nd Bomb Group 857th Bomb Squadron
Revisions
Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.