The 90 Sqdn left from Tuddenham at 1944-05-09 at 21:54. Loc or duty SOE
He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial BF524, code WP-U).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 347: 823 bombers and 668 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and airfields in France, Belgium and Luxembourg; this is the beginning of the pre-invasion bombing of enemy installations; 6 bombers and 7 fighters are lost:
1. Of 220 B-17s, 75 hit St Dizier Airfield, 53 hit Thionville Airfield and 37 hit Thionville marshalling yard, France and 53 hit Luxembourg marshalling yard, Luxembourg; 38 B-17s are damaged.
2. 242 B-17s are dispatched to bomb airfields in France; 113 hit Laon/Athies, 71 hit Juvincourt, 43 hit Laon/Couvron, 10 hit Lille/Vendeville and 1 hits Chievres; 2 B-17s are lost and 44 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 1 WIA and 20 MIA.
3. Of 361 B-24s, 101 hit St Trond Airfield, 96 hit Florennes Airfield, 63 hit Liege marshalling yard and 6 hit Hody Airfield, Belgium and 68 hit Laon/Couvron Airfield and 10 hit Nivelles Airfield, France; 2 B-24s are lost, and 35 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 1 WIA and 44 MIA.
Escort is provided by 144 P-38s, 277 P-47s and 247 P-51s; the P-47s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-4 on the ground, the P-51s claim 1-0-0 in the air; 1 P-38 and 6 P-51s are lost; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 1 P-51 is damaged; 6 pilots are MIA.
Mission 348: 3 of 3 B-17s drop 1.34 million leaflets on 4 towns in The Netherlands and 3 in Belgium.
13 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): 367th and 406th Fighter Groups become operational, the 17th and 18th operational groups.
40+ B-26s attack marshalling yards, railway batteries, coastal defense batteries, bridges, and NOBALL sites in France.
Campaign report of the RAF:
Day Operations, 1-21 May 1944
On 6 days during this period, Bomber Command Oboe Mosquitos flew as 'formation leaders' in Second Tactical Air Force attacks on small targets in Northern France. There were no losses from the 12 Bomber Command sorties flown.
8/9 May 1944
Haine St Pierre: 123 aircraft - 62 Halifaxes, 53 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups. 6 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost. Severe damage was caused to half of the railway yards and to locomotive sheds.
58 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the airfield and seaplane base at Lanveoc Poulmic near Brest with great accuracy. 1 Lancaster lost.
31 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 8 Pathfinder Mosquitos scored direct hits on a coastal gun position at Morsalines on the Cherbourg peninsular. 1 Halifax lost.
32 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 7 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked a gun position at Berneval but only 1 aircraft hit the target. Most of the bombing was 600-700 yards from the gun position. No aircraft lost.
30 Lancasters of No 3 Group and 8 Pathfinder Mosquitos located a gun position at Cap Griz Nez but no hits were scored. No aircraft lost.
28 Mosquitos to Osnabrück and 2 to Oberhausen, 4 RCM sorties, 10 Serrate patrols, 30 Halifaxes and 8 Stirlings minelaying off the Dutch and French coasts, 41 aircraft on Resistance operations, 26 OTU sorties. 1 Stirling lost on Resistance supply work.
Total effort for the night: 452 sorties, 12 aircraft (2.7 per cent) lost.
9/10 May 1944
414 aircraft - 206 Halifaxes, 180 Lancasters, 28 Mosquitos - attacked 7 coastal gun batteries in the Pas de Calais area. Four of the positions were claimed to have been hit. 1 Lancaster lost while bombing the Mardyck position.
56 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the Gnome & Rhone factory at Gennevilliers and another factory near by. 5 Lancasters lost.
39 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group to a small ball-bearing factory at Annecy on the France-Switzerland border. Weather en route was very bad and only 2 Mosquito marker aircraft reached the target, but the factory was accurately bombed. No aircraft lost.
30 Mosquitos to Berlin and 6 to Châteaudun, 10 RCM sorties, 11 Serrate and 24 Intruder patrols, 20 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings minelaying off Dutch and French coasts, 43 aircraft on Resistance operations, 12 OTU sorties. 2 Stirlings and 1 Halifax on Resistance operations and 1 OTU Wellington were lost.
Total effort for the night: 682 sorties in 18 separate operations, 1O aircraft (1.5 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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