70 Years Ago Today: Sunday, August 27,1944 European Theater 8th Air Force Mission 583 – 426 B-17s are dispatched but encounter very high clouds over Denmark and north Germany and are recalled. Five aircraft hit the Ausum Airfield, four hit targets of opportunity and one hits the Flensburg marshalling yard. Escort is provided by 194 P- 51s. Two B-17s and three P-51s are lost, with 13 men listed as killed or missing. The RAF sends 216 Halifaxes, 14 Mosquitos and 13 Lancasters to bomb the Rheinpreussen synthetic-oil refinery at Meerbeck. This raid was escorted by nine squadrons of Spitfires on the outward flight and seven squadrons on the withdrawal. One Me 110 is seen. Meanwhile, 176 Halifaxes, 40 Lancasters, and 10 Mosquitos carry out an accurate attack on a flying-bomb site at Mimoyecques. Elsewhere, 24 Lancasters and one Mosquito bomb two ships in Brest harbour. 8th Air Force Mission 584 – 777 bombers, 326 fighter-bombers and 351 fighters are dispatched to targets in Germany and eastern France. During the night, the RAF dispatches 30 Mosquitos to Mannheim, while 66 training unit Wellingtons fly a diversionary sweep, and 19 aircraft fly radio countermeasure sorties. Meanwhile, 26 Mosquito fly patrols, and seven aircraft fly resistance operations. For the night, three Mosquitos and crews are lost. European Theater, Northern France 9th Air Force bombers attack troop concentrations in the Rouen area, the Rouen bridge, the Boulogne sur Mer/Boursin navigational beam station, and the Bucy les Pierrepont and Foret de Samoussy fuel dumps. Fighters cover ground forces and fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance in the Senlis area and south of the Loire River, shooting down 11 aircraft and destroying five more on the ground. Six fighters are lost. In Canadian First Army area, British I Corps elements reach the Seine River, in the coastal sector. In the II Corps area, the Canadian 4th Armoured Division and 3rd Infantry Division begin crossing the Seine, between Elbeuf and Pont de l’Arche, and clear Tourlaville. In British Second Army’s XXII Corps area, the 15th Division begins crossing the Seine east of Louviers and establishes a bridgehead in the Muids–Porte-Joie area with ease. A second crossing site, about a mile upstream, is found to be strongly defended and is abandoned. XXX Corps continues to expand and strengthen the bridgehead at Vernon. In the US First Army area, XV Corps attacks with the 30th Division on the right and 79th Division on the left to enlarge the Mantes-Gassicourt bridgehead. In the V Corps area, against scattered resistance, with the French 2nd Armored Division on the right, and the 4th Division on left, drive northeast to the outskirts of Paris, overcoming strong opposition at Le Bourget Airfield. In the VII Corps area, the 3rd Armored Division speeds northeast toward Soissons, with the 4th Cavalry Group spearheading, and the 1st and 9th Divisions following, crossing the Marne River in the Mieux area and taking that town. In US Third Army area, VIII Corps completes the encirclement of Brest. Task Force Sugar, of the 29th Division, cuts the main Le Conquet–Recouvrance highway. The 83rd Division moves forward to protect the southern flank along the Loire River, west of Orléans. In the XX Corps area, the 7th Armored Division drives northeast toward Reims on a broad front, followed by the 5th and 80th Divisions. Armored forces reach the Marne River at Château Thierry, secure the crossings, and overrun that town. In the XII Corps area, Combat Command A, of the 4th Armored Division, heads from Troyes northeast toward Châlonssur Marne, followed by the 80th Division. The 35th Division protects the southern flank of the Third Army from Orléans to Troyes. The US 12th Army Group allocates priority in supply to the US First Army, as supplies are becoming increasingly short. General Eisenhower and General Bradley visit Paris and confer with General Charles de Gaulle. European Theater, Southern France In US Seventh Army’s VI Corps area, the 3rd Division, coming up from the south, secures positions from which to attack Montélimar. The 36th Division restores the line along the Roubion River. Task Force Butler reaches Highway 7 at La Coucourde, but is unable to block it. So effective is artillery fire, however, that a block is formed by wrecked enemy vehicles. Aircraft and artillery are taking an increasingly heavy toll of enemy columns in the Montélimar–Livron sector. The 45th Division is probing toward Lyon from Grenoble, while the 179th Infantry takes Bourgoin, midway between Grenoble and Lyon. The 180th Infantry, holding defensive positions in the northern part of the right flank of VI Corps, in the Briançon area, is relieved by the Provisional Flank Protection Force, called Task Force Bibo, in order to move to the Grenoble area. Task Force Bibo, commanded by Lt. Colonel Harold Bibo, and under Seventh Army control, consists of Troop A, of the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, elements of 2nd, 3rd, and 83rd Chemical Battalions, two platoons of the 180th Infantry Antitank Company, and battery of the 171st Field Artillery Battalion. In the French Army B area, II Corps continues to clear the environs of Toulon and the city of Marseille. At 1745 hours the bombardment of the San Mandrier Peninsula, south of Toulon, is halted and Germans agree to surrender the peninsula, effective on August 28. At Marseille, Fort St Nicolas surrenders, but scattered opposition remains. In the evening, the German command requests an interview to discuss surrender terms. Eastern Europe Focsani, Rumania, falls to troops of the Second Ukrainian Front. Galati, the third largest city in Rumania and chief port on the Danube River, falls to the Third Ukrainian Front. Mediterranean Theater The 15th Air Force sends over 530 bombers, with fighter escort, to attack targets in Germany and Italy. B-17s hit an oil refinery in Blechhammer, Germany, while B-24s also hit an oil refinery in Blechhammer and in Italy, a railroad bridge at Ferrara, and viaducts at Avisio, Venzone, and Borovnica. Mediterranean Theater, Italian Campaign 12th Air Force medium bombers hit gun emplacements in the Marseille area. In Italy, medium bombers attack bridges at Berceto, while fighter-bombers continue armed reconnaissance in the Po River Valley and over roads leading north from the battle line north of the Arno River. Meanwhile, A-20s hit ammunition stores in north central Italy. The British Eighth Army makes steady progress northward toward main Gothic Line positions. During the night, A-20s, from the 12th Air Force, hit motor transport and other targets of opportunity and fly armed reconnaissance over the Po River Valley and blast a command post southeast of Genoa. China – Burma – India Theater (China) In China, Seven B-25s, from the 14th Air Force, bomb Hengyang, the Tien Ho, White Cloud, and Pailochi airfields, while nine others hit road and river traffic in the Yoyang, Hankow, Changsha, and Hengyang areas. A group of over 120 P-40s and P-51s hit targets of opportunity in the same areas, plus Yangtien, Chachiang, Anjen, Leiyang, Sintsiang, Siangsiang, and Siangtan, damaging or destroying numerous trucks, many rivercraft and hitting several troop concentrations. China – Burma – India Theater (Burma) The 10th Air Force dispatches 23 P-47s to support ground forces in the Pinbaw area, of Burma. They hit Kondangyi and troops and strongpoints near Pinbaw. The British 36th Division, continuing down the Mogaung–Mandalay railroad corridor, takes Pinbaw. Southwest Pacific Area In New Guinea, fighter-bombers hit Miti and the airfields at Babo, Ransiki, Sagan, and Manokwari. Fighter-bombers hit bivouacs near Boram, troops between Abau and Boikin, and a fuel dump and barges at Kairiru Island. In New Guinea, the 1st Battalion, of the 158th Infantry, relieves elements of the 503rd Parachute Infantry remaining in the southern part of Noemfoor. Central Pacific Area A 7th Air Force B-24, from Saipan Island, bombs Iwo Jima Island, while another, after a photo reconnaissance of Woleai Atoll, bombs Yap Island. P-47s bomb anti-aircraft positions on Pagan Island and strafe buildings on Alamagan Island. North Pacific Area The 11th Air Force sends five B-24s to bomb and photograph Kashiwabara, on Parmushiru Island, in two raids. Meanwhile, four B-25s, on a shipping sweep east of the north Kurile Islands, bomb and strafe picket boats, damaging one and leaving another sinking.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 11:14:39 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015