The 199 Sqdn left from Lakenheath at 1944-03-04 at 20:50. Loc or duty SOE

On Saturday 04 March 1944, a member of the 199 Sqdn, Flight Lieutenant K B O'Connoll, took off from Lakenheath 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 20:50.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial EE957, code EX-Q).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

3 March 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Mission 246: 555 B-17s and 193 B-24s are dispatched to industrial areas and aviation industry plants at Berlin, Erkner and Oranienburg but deteriorating weather and dense contrails force the formations to abort or seek targets of opportunity, i.e.:

1. 9 of 555 B-17s are lost, 61 hit Wilhelmshaven and 14 hit targets of opportunity; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 83 MIA.

3. 2 of 193 B-24s are lost and only 4 hit targets of opportunity; casualties are 3 KIA, 8 WIA and 20 MIA.

The bombers claim 3-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft. Escort is provided by 89 P-38s, 484 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 130 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; claim and loses are:

1. 1 P-38 is lost and 1 damaged; 1 pilot is MIA.

2. 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 13 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA.

3. P-51s claim 8-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 P-51s are lost; 5 pilots are MIA.

During a CARPETBAGGER mission on the night of 3/4 Mar, 2 B-24s are lost.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): In France, 218 B-26s bomb airfields at Laon/Couvron, Beauvais/Tille, Rosieres-en-Santerre, Roye/Amy and Montdidier, and military installations at Juvincourt-et-Damary and Berneval-le-Grand.

Moves in England: HQ 434th Troop Carrier Group and 71st, 72d, 73d and 74th Troop Carrier Squadrons from Fulbeck to Aldermaston with C-47s; HQ 436th Troop Carrier Group and 80th, 81st and 82d Troop Carrier Squadrons from Bottesford to Membury with C-47s.

4 March 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Mission 247: 502 B-17s are dispatched to hit industrial areas in the suburbs of Berlin; bad weather forces aircraft to either turn back or hit targets of opportunity and only 1 wing attacks the primary target and a total of 249 bomb.

15 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 120 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 11 WIA and 141 MIA.

Targets: 100 hit Bonn, 35 hit Cologne, 33 hit Dusseldorf, 30 hit Berlin/Klein Machnow, 7 hit Frankfurt and 33 hit other targets of opportunity.

B-24s were also dispatched but abort because of the weather.

Escort is provided by 86 P-38s, 563 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 121 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 24 fighters were lost.

Details are:

1. P-38s: 4 lost, 2 damaged beyond repair, 1 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA and 4 MIA.

2. P-47s claim 3-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 4 P-47s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged; casualties are 3 MIA.

3. P-51s claim 5-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 16 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA and 16 MIA.

CARPETBAGGER operations are flown during the night of 4/5 Mar.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): In France, 251 B-26s and 21 A-20s scheduled to bomb Malines marshalling yard and Bernay Saint Martin Airfield abort the mission because of heavy cloud cover over the targets.

HQ 84th Fighter Wing moves from Keevil to Beaulieu, England.

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.

3/4 March 1944

16 Mosquitos to Berlin, 10 to Düsseldorf, 1 to Krefeld and 2 to Sottevaast flying-bomb site, 45 aircraft minelaying off French ports, 9 OTU sorties. No losses.

3 Wellington minelaying sorties flown on this night by 300 (Polish) Squadron, based at Ingham, were the last Wellington operations flown by a normal Bomber Command squadron; RCM squadrons of No 100 Group would continue to use Wellingtons in small numbers for several months and the OTUs would use Wellingtons until the end of the war.

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.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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