The 90 Sqdn left from Tuddenham at 1944-04-13 at 23:25. Loc or duty SOE
He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial LJ483, code XY-V).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
13 April 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 301: 626 bombers and 871 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany; the bombers claim 22-13-34 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 42-8-10 in the air and 35-0-21 on the ground; 38 bombers and 9 fighters are lost; the bombers also drop 5.2 million leaflets on Germany; this mission is flown in conjunction with a raid on Hungary by 500+ Fifteenth Air Force bombers and a Ninth Air Force B-26 raid in S The Netherlands; details are:
1. 154 of 172 B-17s hit the industrial area at Schweinfurt and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 14 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 127 damaged; casualties are 11 WIA and 139 MIA.
2. 207 of 243 B-17s bomb aviation industry targets at Augsburg and 20 hit the city of Augsburg; 18 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 178 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 16 WIA and 170 MIA.
3. 211 B-24s are dispatched to hit Lechfeld Airfield; 93 hit the primary, 60 bomb aviation industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen; 29 hit Lauffern and 2 hit targets of opportunity; 6 B-24s are lost and 45 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 3 WIA and 60 MIA.
Escort is provided by 134 P-38s, 504 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 233 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 3 P-38s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; 2 P-47s are lost; and 4 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; a total of 11 fighters are damaged; casualties are 2 WIA and 8 MIA.
Mission 302: 4 of 5 B-17s dispatched drop 800,000 leaflets on Amsterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven, The Netherlands at 2235-2252 hours without loss.
SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE (SHAEF): General of the Army Dwight D Eisenhower formally assumes direction of air operations out of the UK at 0000 hours (though he began informal exercise of this authority in late Mar 44).
This assumption of authority gives Eisenhower direction over the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command, and US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF) (the Fifteenth Air Force retains some degree of independence) along with the US 1st Army Group, British 21 Army Group, and Allied Naval Forces.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): 121 B-26s and 37 A-20s attack a marshalling yard, coastal batteries, airfields and V-weapon sites at Namur, Chievres and Nieuport, Belgium; Le Havre, France; and along the N coast of France in general; nearly 175 other aircraft abort missions mainly because of weather; and 48 P-47s also dive-bomb V-weapon sites.
Moves in England: HQ 358th Fighter Group and 365th, 366th and 367th Fighter Squadrons from Raydon to High Halden with P-47s; HQ 362d Fighter Group from Wormingford to Headcorn.
14 April 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 350th and 351st Fighter Squadrons, 353d Fighter Group, move from Metfield to Raydon, England with P-47s.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Moves in England: HQ 363d Fighter Group and 380th, 381st and 382d Fighter Squadrons from Rivenhall to Staplehurst with P-51s; 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, from Boxted to Lashenden with P-51s.
15 April 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 303: 616 fighters are dispatched on strafing sweeps of C and W Germany, airfields being the primary objectives; 33 fighters are lost: 132 P-38s claim 7-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft, 11 P-38s are lost and 16 damaged, 11 pilots are MIA; 262 P-47s claim 20-1-23 aircraft, 7 P-47s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 13 damaged, 7 pilots are MIA; 222 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s claim 30-0-10 aircraft, 15 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged; 12 pilots are MIA.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Moves in England: HQ 100th Fighter Wing from Ibsley to Lashenden; HQ 397th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 596th, 597th, 598th and 599th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) from Gosfield to Rivenhall with B-26s (first mission is 20 Apr); 377th, 378th and 379th Fighter Squadrons, 362d Fighter Group, from Wormingford to Headcorn with P-47s.
16 April 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): HQ 55th Fighter Group and 338th and 343d Fighter Squadrons move from Nuthampstead to Wormingford, England with P-38s.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): HQ 410th Bombardment Group (Light) and 644th, 645th, 646th and 647th Bombardment Squadrons (Light) move from Birch to Gosfield, England with A-20s; first mission is 4 May.
Campaign report of the RAF:
12/13 April 1944
39 Mosquitos carried out a harassing raid on Osnabrück without loss.
Minor operations: 2 Mosquitos on Serrate patrols, 40 Halifaxes and 10 Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians and off Heligoland, 21 aircraft on Resistance operations, 11 OTU sorties. 2 Stirlings lost on Resistance operations.
13/14 April 1944
29 Mosquitos were dispatched to Berlin but observation of bombing results was not possible because of the glare of massed searchlights. No aircraft lost.
6 Mosquitos to Düren and 3 to Dortmund, 10 Stirlings and 6 Halifaxes minelaying off Cherbourg, Le Havre and La Pallice. No losses.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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