8th Air Force Field Order 371
6 June 1944Description
D-Day. Start of Operation Overlord.
Mission Details
Description: FIGHTER ESCORT
Notes: All 8th Air Force Fighter Groups and IX Fighter Command Fighter Groups take part. VIII Fighter command fulfils a threefold mission of escorting the bombers, attacking any German movement towards the beaches and protecting the vast fleet of ships laying just off the coast. The fighters fly a total of 1,880 sorties including fighter-bomber attacks on 17 bridges, 10 marshalling yards and a wide variety of other targets. Very little fighter opposition is encountered as the Luftwaffe has been almost annihilated in France. However the fighters do claim 26 destroyed and 8 damaged Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and another 4 destroyed and 9 damaged on the ground. The fighters also destroy 21 locomotives and 2 carloads of ammunition. 25 fighters are lost from a total of 555 P-38s, 414 P-47s and 750 P-51s.
Mission Statistics
- People killed in action: 1
- People wounded in action: 1
- People missing in action: 24
- Aircraft missing in action: 25
- Aircraft damaged beyond repair: 2
- Aircraft damaged: 14
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 496th Fighter Training Group 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14036549 / O-792806
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 82nd Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-2045209, T-223080
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-814664
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 83rd Fighter Squadron Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron (78th Fighter Group)
- Service Numbers: O-402313
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-815314
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Sally Lady Jane
- Unit: 359th Fighter Group 78th Fighter Group 369th Fighter Squadron 82nd Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter 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'.