The 75 Sqdn left from Mepal at 1944-03-05 at 20:51. Loc or duty SOE

On Sunday 05 March 1944, a member of the 75 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant R S Jones, took off from Mepal in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned elsewhere on Back to Normandy. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not separately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at 20:51.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial EF215, code AA-M).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Mission 248: 219 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Mont De Marsan, Cayeux and Bordeaux/Merignac, France but bad cloud conditions force a target change and multiple aborts; 62 hit Bergerac Airfield, 60 hit Cognac/Chateaubernard Airfield, 41 hit Landes de Bussac Airfield and 1 hits La Roche Airfield; they claim 14-2-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-24s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 23 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 35 MIA.

Escort is provided by 34 P-38s, 185 P-47s and 88 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 2 P-38s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 1 pilot is killed and another MIA; 1 P-47 is damaged and 1 pilot is KIA; the P-51s claim 14-0-6 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-6 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 4 MIA.

Mission 249: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Le Mans, Paris, Orleans and Reims, France at 2132-2152 hours without loss.

A CARPETBAGGER mission is also flown.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): 217 B-26s attack NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in the Saint-Omer-Abbeville, France area. HQ 365th Fighter Group and 386th, 387th and 388th Fighter Squadrons move from Gosfield to Beaulieu, England with P-47s.

Campaign report of the RAF:

Day Operations, 1-16 March 1944

On 5 days during this period, 2 Bomber Command Oboe Mosquitos acted as 'formation leaders' for bomber units of the Second Tactical Air Force attacking flying-bomb sites. The formation bombed as soon as it saw the bombs of the Oboe Mosquito being released. There were no losses from the 10 Bomber Command sorties flown in this period.

4/5 March 1944

Mosquito operations: 15 to Berlin, 6 to Duisburg, 1 to Aachen and 1 to Sottevaast, 10 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest, 76 aircraft on Resistance operations. 15 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron were unable to locate their target, the La Ricamerie needle-bearing factory near Lyons, because of cloud, and returned without bombing. No aircraft lost.

5/6 March 1944

9 Mosquitos to Duisburg and 1 to Aachen, 4 RCM sorties, 4 Serrate patrols, 49 Stirlings and 17 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. 1 aircraft, believed to be a Halifax, was lost on one of the Resistance flights.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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