This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: 236 US Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and 34 A-20s attack gun positions, coastal defenses and V-weapons sites at Etaples, at Berck-sur-Mer, near Doullens, and in the Saint-Omer, Abbeville, and Amiens area; 4 B-26s are lost. The Sacrè Couer at Montmarte is damaged in an air raid. 175+ US Ninth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts dive-bomb marshalling yards and concentrations at Montignies-sur-Sambre, Hasselt, Namur, and Haine-Saint-Pierre.
....RAF Bombers continue to pummel rail yards in preparations for the Normandy Invasion, dropping 4500 tons of bombs on Cologne, Paris, Lens, and Brussels. 4 RCM sorties, 40 Halifaxes and 18 Stirlings minelaying off Brest and Lorient and in the Frisians, 9 aircraft on Resistance operations, 11 OTU aircraft and 4 Stirlings on leaflet flights to France. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Twelfth Air Force A-20s blast an ammunition dump while P-47s attack train, rail lines, and motor transport behind enemy lines; other P-47s, along with P-40s and A-36 Apaches, attack railway lines and trains between Rome and Terni, between Rome and Tivoli, and between Orte and Attigliano; hit a motor transport concentration northeast of Rome; and attack several bivouac areas and gun positions in the battle areas.

EASTERN FRONT: German Colonel-General (Generaloberst) Ferdinand Schorner begs Hitler to evacuate the 17th German-Romanian Army from Sevastopol. Once again, Hitler ignores a top military commander. He orders "Fortress Sevastopol" to hold out for eight weeks to discourage Turkey from joining the Allies. Hitler doesn't know that the Turks have already decided to remain neutral.
....100+ US Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb marshalling yards at Bucharest; all 17 bomb groups dispatched are recalled due to bad weather but 7 groups fail to receive the recall signal; 150+ P-38s and P-51s are dispatched as escort; 40+ rendezvous with the B-24s and battle some 30 enemy fighters that attack the bomber force; the other fighters, failing to meet the bombers, engage about 40 enemy fighters; the bombers and fighters claim 35 aerial combat victories; 10 US aircraft are shot down.

GERMANY: 24 RAF Mosquitos bombed the Cologne area through complete cloud cover. No aircraft lost.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The US Ninth Air Force dispatches 400+ B-26s and about 90 A-20s to fly two missions against V-weapon sites in the area of Saint-Omer and Hesdin.
....During the night, the US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 312: 5 B-17s drop 1.44 million leaflets on Orleans, Tours, Paris, Nantes, Lille, Reims, Chartres and Rouen.
....Frigates HMCS 'Matane' and 'Swansea' sank 'U-311' Kptlt Joachim Zander CO. Of the crew of 51 there were no survivors. Escort Group 9, commanded by A/Cdr Layard, was operating independently when ordered to join a nearby RAF 'Wellington' patrol a/c that had gained a radar contact on a probable U-boat. A deliberate search by 'Matane' and 'Swansea', supported by the frigate 'Stormont' and corvette Owen Sound, produced a firm ASDIC contact. The U-boat was moving rapidly right as Matane closed for a deliberate 'Hedgehog' attack (indicating close range) when a periscope was sighted at only 200 yards on 'Matane's' starboard bow. The Hedgehog attack was abandoned and an urgent depth charge attack was carried out. 'Swansea' followed with a deliberate d/c attack, after which contact was lost. It was not until the mid-1980's that record reconstruction proved that 'U-311' had been sunk in this engagement.
....181 RAF aircraft attacked the Laon railway yards - 69 Halifaxes, 52 Lancasters, 48 Stirlings, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 9 aircraft - 4 Lancasters, 3 Stirlings, 2 Halifaxes - lost, 5.0 per cent of the force. The attack was carried out in 2 waves and severe damage was caused. The aircraft of one of the Master Bombers, Wing Commander AGS Cousens of No 635 Squadron, was shot down; Wing Commander Cousens was killed.

GERMANY: The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 311: 803 bombers and 859 fighters are dispatched to hit a marshalling yard at Hamm; the bombers claim 20-6-8 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 40-2-16; 15 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 459 B-17s bomb the primary, 20 hit Bonn, 19 hit Soest, 15 hit Hamm City and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost. 179 B-24s hit the primary, 50 hit Koblenz and 36 hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-24s are lost. The escort is 132 P-38 Lightnings, 485 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts and 242 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 2 P-38s, 5 P-47s and 6 P-51s are lost.
.... 596 RAF aircraft attacked Düsseldorf - 323 Lancasters, 254 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5. 29 aircraft - 16 Halifaxes and 13 Lancasters - lost, 4.9 percent of the force. 2,150 tons of bombs were dropped in this old-style heavy attack on a German city which caused much destruction but also allowed the German night-fighter force to penetrate the bomber stream. The attack fell mostly in the northern districts of Düsseldorf. Widespread damage was caused.
....238 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 10 Lancasters of No 1 Group despatched to Brunswick. Few German fighters were attracted to this raid and only 4 Lancasters were lost, 1.5 per cent of the force. This raid is of importance to the history of the bombing war because it was the first time that the No 5 Group low-level marking method was used over a heavily defended German city. The raid was not successful. The initial marking by No 617 Squadron Mosquitos was accurate but many of the main force of bombers did not bomb these, partly because of a thin layer of cloud which hampered visibility and partly because of faulty communications between the various bomber controllers. Many bombs were dropped in the centre of the city but the remainder of the force bombed reserve H2S-aimed target indicators which were well to the south. RAF bomber command used their new "J" liquid incendiary bomb for the first time in the raid on Brunswick. German night-fighters, hidden by friendly radar echoes, followed the bombers home, attacking and claiming 20 bombers. Hptm. Dietrich Puttfarken of 5./KG 51 claimed 2 bombers but was shot down, his Me 410 crashing near Cambridge.
....17 RAF Mosquitos on diversion raid to Mannheim and 2 more to a flying-bomb store at Wissant, 10 RCM sorties, 19 Serrate and 7 Intruder patrols, 19 aircraft on leaflet flights. No aircraft lost.
....Hitler and Mussolini met at Obersalzburg.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bomb a bridge and tracks south of Ficulle and a bridge north of the town; other B-25s and B-26s attack San Stefano al Mare harbor, the northern section of Orvieto, Chiusi railroad bridge, viaducts south and west of Arezzo and Bucine, Certaldo railroad bridge, bridge approaches at Incisa in Valdarno, a bridge near Siena and viaduct at Poggibonsi; A-20s hit Valmontone ammunition dump and Sonnino; P-47s hit a railroad, trains, and tunnels in the Florence area and west of Chiusi, marshalling yard at Siena, a vessel south of Savona, railroad lines south of Orte and the town of Gaeta; and P-40s attack gun positions north of the Anzio beachhead and bomb the Ferentino dump area and towns of Fondi, Terracina and Formia.
....The Greek naval commander-in-chief, Vice-Admiral Petros Voulgaris, is preparing to board five warships whose refusal to obey orders sparked a virtual strike by 12 April of all Greek navy seamen in Egypt. The First Division of the Greek Army has also rebelled against its officers. Britain is keeping an eye on developments. The mutiny's causes are confused, but seem to stem from dissatisfaction with the Greek government in exile.
....Tito's forces land on the Island of Korcula, capturing the German garrison of 800 men.
....The 352nd Yugoslav squadron RAF was formed on this day at Benina, Libya. The squadron was joined mostly by the ex-Royal Yugoslav Air Force personnel from the Middle East which decided to join the new Yugoslav Partisan Air Force same as indigenous partisans. This squadron was formed as the part of No 212 group RAF and under command of wing commander John Ernest Proctor (1913-1991). Proctor's deputy was squadron leader Mileta Protić. After training programme on Lete airfield performed on Harvards and Hurricane Mk IICs, the squadron recieved 16 Spitfire Mk Vs (painted with Yugoslav partisan insignia) in June 1944 and operational deployment began on 18th August 1944. (info courtesy of imalko)

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: German forces launch limited counterattacks at Narva (Army Group North) in an attempt to stabilize the deteriorating situation on that front.

WESTERN FRONT: 114 RAF aircraft - 70 Halifaxes, 30 Stirlings, 14 Lancasters - to lay mines in 5 areas of the Baltic. 4 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling lost. 12 G-H Stirlings bombed a signals depot at Brussels without loss. 2 RCM sorties, 4 Serrate patrols, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 313: 382 fighters attack airfields and other targets in N France, Belgium and NW Germany; results are generally good: 136 P-38s attack Laon, Tours and Chateaudun Airfields, France using Droopsnoot aircraft; they claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 2 P-38s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA. 166 P-47s attack Leningen, Le Culot and Chievres Airfields, Belgium and Denain/Prouvy and Hagenau Airfields, France; they claim 7-0-22 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 5 P-47s are lost and 19 damaged; 5 pilots are MIA. 80 P-51s hit unknown targets; they claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 2 are damaged; no losses.
....9 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.
..... 307 US Ninth Air Force B-26s and 57 A-20s attack NOBALL (V-weapon) targets, gun positions and marshalling yards in the Pas de Calais, France area and in an adjacent area of Belgium. Around 1,000 P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb numerous targets throughout France and the Low Countries.

GERMANY: 25 RAF Mosquitos carried out a harassing raid on Mannheim without loss.
....Weather clears and bombers can resume operations. 500+ US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack aircraft factories and airfields in Austria; the B-17s hit the Wiener Neustadt industrial area; the B-24s hit industrial areas at Schwechat and Bad Voslau and an air depot at Wiener-Neustadt; close to 300 fighters provide support; many enemy fighters attack fiercely, downing 12 bombers and 1 fighter; the bombers and escorts claim 40+ air victories.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force B-25s hit bridges and approaches at Attigliano; B-26s attack Incisa in Valdarno viaduct and bridge, Cecina marshalling yard and attack, but fail to hit, Poggibonsi viaduct; P-47s, A-36s, and P-40s hit rail lines and bridges NE of Rome and along the E coast in several areas including points around Orvieto, Orte, Tivoli and Capronica.

ENGLAND: The harbour installations at Bristol were again the target on the night of April 23rd, while in parallel an attack against night fighter airfields in the Bristol area was also to be carried out by the Me 410's of I/KG 51. The raiders, probably drawn from I, II and III/KG 2, I, II and III/KG 6, II and III/KG 30, I and III/KG 54, I/KG 66, I/KG 100, together with the Ju 88's of the operational training unit IV/KG 101, were to converge on Guernsey before making for the Initial Point at the mouth of the River Usk, and the second turning point near Chepstow. From here the final approach to Bristol was to be from the north, the target being marked by a square of red and white flares at the start of the attack. Over the target area there was a 16 kph south-west wind and 5/10th's cloud at 900 metres, but ground mist reduced visibility to 800 metres. To aid navigation during the raid the pathfinders of 1/KG 66 employed Y-Verfahren which was operational from 23.45 to 02.45 hrs from St.Valery. In addition the Knickebein transmitters at Cherbourg West, Caen, and Morlaix were also in use, and Düppel was dropped in an attempt to jam the British Radar system. It first fell at about 01.25 hrs over the coast near Portland, but eventually built up overland forming extensive areas of about 20 miles radius. A total of 117 aircraft were dispatched, of which 93 reported over the City, claiming to have dropped 59.3 tonnes of H.E.'s and 79.4 tonnes of I.B's on target. Once again, however, not one bomb actually fell on Bristol, the majority being scattered throughout, Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, and East Somerset, the nearest to Bristol having landed at Batheaston at 02.05 hrs. German losses for this attack were again very high. A total of 10 aircraft failed to return resulting in the deaths of 39 crewmen, with 3 more being taken prisoner, 2 of them injured. In addition a further 4 aircraft crashed in France killing 5 and injuring another 6 men.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: Rescue tug HMS 'Zoder Zee' torpedoed and sunk by a German MTB off Dungeness.
....In the mid-Atlantic, a Royal Canadian Air Force Sunderland plane from 423 Squadron extensively damages German submarine 'U-672'.
....4 RAF G-H Stirlings to Chambly railway depot, 18 Halifaxes minelaying off Channel ports and in the Frisians, 7 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
.... 38 US Ninth Air Force B-26s dispatched against targets in France are recalled because of bad weather. 32 P-47s dive-bomb the Louvain, Belgium marshalling yard with good results.
....8 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.

GERMANY: 637 RAF aircraft were sent to Karlsruhe - 369 Lancasters, 259 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5 Group. 19 aircraft - 11 Lancasters, 8 Halifaxes - lost, 3.0 per cent of the force. Cloud over the target and a strong wind which pushed the Pathfinders too far north spoiled this attack. Only the northern part of Karlsruhe was seriously damaged and most of the bombs fell outside the city. Mannheim, 30 miles to the north, recorded a raid by approximately 100 aircraft on this night and Darmstadt, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg were also hit by aircraft which failed to find the main target.
....234 RAF Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 10 Lancasters of No 1 Group in another No 5 Group method raid on a major German target, Munich. 9 Lancasters were lost, 3.5 per cent of the force. The marking and controlling plan worked well and accurate bombing fell in the centre of the city. The intense flak and searchlight defences did not prevent the low-flying Mosquito markers from carrying out their task properly and none was seriously damaged.
....165 RAF OTU aircraft carried out a diversionary sweep over the North Sea to a point 75 miles off the German coast. 23 Mosquitos bombed Düsseldorf; 6 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron dropped flares and target indicators over Milan as a diversion for the Munich raid; No 100 Group flew 11 RCM, 21 Serrate and 8 Intruder sorties. 2 Wellingtons were lost from the OTU sweep.
....A Mosquito VI, piloted by Wg./Cdr. G. L. "Leonard" Cheshire VC, of No. 617 Squadron is used to carry out the first low-level target-marking during a raid on Augsburg.
....British air force bombers hammered a former Jesuit college housing the Bavarian Academy of Science. Anton Spitaler (1910-2003), an Arabic scholar at the academy, later lamented the loss of a unique photo archive of ancient manuscripts of the Quran. His story however was a lie, and the collection survived hidden in his hands.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 315: 754 bombers and 867 fighters are dispatched to bomb airfields, aircraft production industries and targets of opportunity in Germany; the bomber claim 20-1-36 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 124-6-58 fighters; 40 bombers and 17 fighters are lost; details are: Of 281 B-17s dispatched, 109 hit Erding Air Depot, 84 hit aviation industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen, 57 hit Lansberg Airfield and 18 hit targets of opportunity; 27 B-17s are lost and 112 damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 22 WIA and 260 MIA. 243 B-17s are dispatched to bomb aviation industry targets at Friedrichshafen/Lowenthal (98 bomb) and Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb), industrial areas at Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb) and Neckarsulm (15 bomb); 3 also hit targets of opportunity; 9 B-17s are lost and 119 damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 4 WIA and 71 MIA. 230 B-24s are dispatched to bomb airfields; 120 hit Gablingen Airfield, 98 hit Leipheim Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost and 26 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 40 MIA. Escort is provided by 131 P-38s, 490 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 246 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s: P-38s claim 4-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; P-47s claim 2-1-0 aircraft in the air and 36-0-16 on the ground, 5 P-47s are lost and 15 damaged, 5 pilots are MIA; P-51s claim 64-4-2 aircraft in the air and 21-0-20 on the ground, 12 P-51s are lost and 8 damaged; 12 pilots are MIA. Elements from JG 1, JG 3, JG 26, JG 11, JG 27 and even JG 5 intercepted the bomber formations. Fw. Heinrich Bartels of 11./JG 27 claimed 3 P-51s, Hptm. Hermann Staiger of 12./JG 26 claimed 4 B-17s and Major Walther Dahl of Stab III./JG 3 claimed two bombers and a P-51. Lost were Uffz. Franz Schwaiger of 2./JG 3, Oblt. Joachim Hincklemann of 3./JG 3, Ofw. Hans Juppner of 1./JG 11, Fw. Heinz Gasch of 5./JG 27 and Fw. Heinz Gosemann of 8./JG 3.

MEDITERRANEAN: 520+ US Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack targets in Rumania, Yugoslavia, and Italy; B-17s bomb a marshalling yard at Ploesti, Rumania, an aircraft factory in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and the Ancona-Rimini railroad line (this is the first Azon mission by 5 B-17s); the B-24s bomb marshalling yards at Ploesti and Bucharest, Rumania; 250+ fighters fly support for the bombers.
....US Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack railroad bridges N and S of Orvieto, at Arezzo, at Grosseto and N and S of Incisa in Valdarno; A-20s hit a dump at Valmontone; P-40s, P-47s and A-36s hit shipping off Leghorn, Avezzano station, Orvieto and Terni marshalling yards, Canino landing ground, railroad tracks at numerous points S of Orvieto and rail lines, truck parks and targets of opportunity N of Rome.

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: 'U-18' was attacked in the Black Sea by German aircraft BV 138 and suffered slight damage.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-289' landed espionage agents Sverrir Matthiasson and Magnus Guðbjörnsson in Iceland.
....4 RAF Mosquitos to Cologne, 25 Stirlings minelaying off the French coast, 9 OTU sorties. No losses.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 317 Part 2: 27 of 28 B-24s bomb V-weapons sites at Wizerenes, France without loss. Escort is provided by 40 P-47s.
....240 US Ninth Air Force B-26s and 69 A-20s bomb V-weapon sites in the coastal area of France and gun positions at Le Treport, Vareneville-sur-Mer, Fontenay-sur-Mer/Crisbec, Ault, Fecamp, Houlgate and Saint-Pierre-du-Mont, France. About 150 P-47s dive-bomb airfields in France and Belgium. Around 175 B-26s are forced to abort missions because of bad weather.

MEDITERRANEAN:German mining operations commence off Capreira, Italy; minelayer TA 23 sinks after striking a mine. TA 26 and TA 29 battle U.S. motor torpedo boats PT-202, PT-213, and PT-218. A Royal Navy patrol of a cruiser (Black Prince) and three Canadian destroyers ran into the German patrol. The resulting action sunk the German Flottentorpedoboot T-29.
....In Italy, around 150 US Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb an aircraft factory at Turin, marshalling yard and bridge at Parma, marshalling yard at Ferrara and several targets of opportunity; 300+ B-24s and B-17s are forced to abort missions due to bad weather; 100+ fighters escort the bomber missions into N Italy.
....US Twelfth Air Force attacks against lines of communications N of Rome continue; A-20s hit storage areas while medium bombers attack Pesaro marshalling yard, dumps at Manoppello and bridges and approaches at Incisa in Valdarno, Arezzo, Asciano, Magra, Ficulle and Orvieto; viaducts at Incisa and Calafuria are attacked with poor results; P-40s and P-47s hit roads, gun positions, railroads, ammunition dump and trucks N of Rome, near Ficulle, Orte and Orvieto; and P-47s also damage destroyers off Elba Island.
....417th Night Fighter Squadron, US Twelfth Air Force (attached to RAF No. 337 Wing), moves from La Senia, Algeria to Borgo, Corsica with Beaufighters; the ground echelon has been at Borgo since Feb 44.

ENGLAND: The Luftwaffe’s main target was Portsmouth on this night, however a variety of targets along the South coast were struck. 1(F)./122 lost two Me 410s on sorties to photograph Portsmouth. One Me 410, shot down by a Mosquito of RAF No. 85 Sqdn, crashed into the sea off Portsmouth. Oberlt. H. Kroll (St Kap.) Killed and Ofrich. W Mayer POW.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 317 Part 1: 554 bombers and 719 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and airfields in France and Germany; 7 bombers and 2 fighters are lost; the bombers make no Luftwaffe aircraft claims. 199 B-24s are dispatched to the marshalling yard at Mannheim, Germany; 7 bomb the primary, 16 bomb the marshalling yard at Landau, Germany and 8 hit targets of opportunity; 5 B-24s are lost and 26 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 4 WIA and 49 MIA. 229 B-17s are dispatched to Nancy/Essay Airfield (42 bomb) and Metz/Frascaty Airfield (98 bomb), France and 2 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost and 33 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 3 WIA and 20 MIA. 121 of 126 B-17s hit Dijon/Longvic Airfield, France; 29 B-17s are damaged; 2 airman are WIA. Escort is provided by 177 P-38s, 296 P-47s and 246 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the fighters claim 5-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 29-7-42 on the ground; details are: P-38s claim 5-0-9 aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged, no casualties; P-47s claim 5-0-8 aircraft; 3 P-47s are damaged; 1 pilot is KIA; P-51s claim 24-7-26 aircraft, 2 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged, 2 pilots are MIA.

[Njaco]

GERMANY: 493 RAF aircraft - 342 Lancasters, 133 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - from all groups except No 5 despatched to Essen. 7 aircraft - 6 Lancasters, 1 Halifax - lost, 1.4 per cent of the force. The Bomber Command report states that this was an accurate attack, based on good Pathfinder ground-marking.
....206 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 9 Lancasters of No 1 Group to Schweinfurt. 21 Lancasters lost, 9.3 per cent of the force. This raid was a failure. The low-level marking provided for the first time by Mosquitos of No 627 Squadron was not accurate. Unexpectedly strong head winds delayed the Lancaster marker aircraft and the main force of bombers. German night fighters were carrying out fierce attacks throughout the period of the raid. The bombing was not accurate and much of it fell outside Schweinfurt.
....A Victoria Cross was awarded after the war to Sergeant Norman Jackson (b.1919), RAFVR, a flight engineer in a Lancaster of No 106 Squadron which was shot down near Schweinfurt. The Lancaster was hit by a German night fighter and a fire started in a fuel tank in the wing near the fuselage. Sergeant Jackson climbed out of a hatch with a fire extinguisher, with another crew member holding the rigging lines of Jackson's parachute which had opened in the aircraft. Sergeant Jackson lost the fire extinguisher and, as both he and his parachute rigging were being affected by the fire, the men in the aircraft let the parachute go. Sergeant Jackson survived, though with serious burns and a broken ankle received on landing with his partially burnt parachute. The remainder of the crew baled out soon afterwards.
....1./JG 400 was officially formed from 20./JG 1 at Wittmundhafen. Formed on paper in February 1944 and with Hptm. Robert Olejnik as Staffelkapitaen, the unit did not recieve a Me 163 until March and it was quickly damaged by airfield flak unfamiliar with the aircraft. Hptm. Robert Olejnik was injured on 21 April when Me 163B 'Number 16' crashed. The unit had 12 pilots and would not have a marginal number of aircraft until June 1944.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 319 Part 1: 589 bombers and 554 fighters are dispatched to targets in Germany; no claims of enemy aircraft are made; 5 fighters are lost: Of 357 B-17s dispatched, 292 hit the industrial area at Brunswick, 47 hit the Hildesheim/Hannover area and 5 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; casualties are 9 KIA and 3 WIA. The 238 B-24s dispatched to Paderborn fail to bomb because there were no PFF aircraft in the formation; 18 B-24s were damaged; 1 airman was KIA. Escort is provided by 90 P-38s, 311 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 153 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 1 P-38 and 4 P-51s are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair; 1 pilot is KIA and 5 MIA.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 319 Part 2: 62 B-17s are dispatched to Cologne but are recalled at mid-English Channel because of weather; some aircraft carry 2,000 lb (907 kg) glide bombs on external racks. Escort is provided by 43 P-47s and 47 P-51s; the P-47s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft.
....Around 125 US Ninth Air Force B-26s attack Plattling landing ground, Germany. Fighters fly 750+ sorties against scattered targets in NW Europe.

WESTERN FRONT: HMS "Black Prince" and four destroyers engage three German torpedo boats off Brittany, one is sunk. German destroyer T-29 sinks in the English Channel, after shelling from Royal Canadian Navy destroyer "Haida", and three other British and Canadian ships.
....Admiral Moore leads Fleet Carriers "Victorious", "Furious" and Escort Carriers "Searcher", "Striker", "Emporer" and "Pursuer"(Peter Beeston) the battleship "Anson" and 6 cruisers, from the British Home Fleet, to attack the "Tirpitz" anchored in Norwegian waters. Bad weather interferes with the planned raid. A coastal convoy is attacked instead and 3 ships are sunk.
....217 RAF aircraft - 183 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups to Villeneuve St Georges. 1 Halifax lost. Support and 16 Mosquitos to Hamburg, 10 Stirlings to Chambly, 12 RCM sorties, 20 Serrate and 13 Intruder patrols, 16 Halifaxes and 6 Stirlings minelaying off the Dutch coast and in the Frisians, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations, 21 OTU flights. 1 Serrate Mosquito lost.
....Destroyer escorts 'Frost' (DE-144), 'Huse' (DE-145), 'Barber' (DE-161), and 'Snowden' (DE-246) sink German submarine 'U-488' in mid-Atlantic.
.... 33 US Eighth Air Force P-38s (including Droopsnoot aircraft), plus escorts, hit Le Mans Airfield, France without loss; 24 P-51s, plus 4 escorts, bomb Cormeilles-en-Vexin Airfield, France without loss.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 320: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 800,000 leaflets on Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Liege and Gosselies, Belgium at 2330-2358 hours without loss.
....The Ninth Air Force Tactical Air Plan for Operation NEPTUNE (actual operations within Operation OVERLORD; used for security reasons on OVERLORD planning documents bearing place names and dates) is published, 10 days after receiving formal Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF) directive ordering such a plan.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Greece, General Heinrich Kreipe, the commander of the 22nd Panzer-Grenadier Division in Crete, was being driven home when men appeared on the road waving a red flag. The car door was opened and a polite voice said: "Please consider yourself a prisoner of war." A sub-machine gun was brandished. With the general sitting in the back and a British Guards officer at the wheel, the car headed for a beach 20 miles away. Guards at 22 checkpoints cleared the way and saluted when they saw the two pennants fluttering from the car. The general's hijackers were Major Patrick Leigh Fermor and Captain Stanley Moss of British Combined Forces. Before they left with the general for Cairo, they wrote a note telling the Germans that this was an exclusively British operation and that reprisals against the civilian population would be wholly unwarranted. It ended: "We're sorry to leave this nice car behind."
....In Italy, bad weather greatly curtails activity; P-47s attack motor transport and railroad tracks and hit a gas dump near Trasimeno Lake, a landing ground at Canino and marshalling yards of Leghorn.

[Njaco]

ENGLAND: From midnight tonight all travel abroad from Britain will be banned. Exit permits granted to would-be travellers are no longer valid, unless they have been issued during the past week. Some visits to Ireland will be allowed after strict scrutiny. Similar pre-invasion moves are being made by the enemy. Civilians are being removed from coastal areas, and German families evacuated from the Ruhr when the heavy bombing began are being sent back. Vichy France has cut communications with neutral countries in an effort to prevent military and political intelligence from reaching the Allies. In a hunt for Allied sympathisers, diplomatic bags for French military attaches in Madrid, Lisbon and Berne have been seized.
....The Martinet aircaft used to train gunners on the Wellingtons were replaced by Hurricanes.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-803' sunk near Swinemünde, by a mine. 9 dead and 35 survivors.
....Submarine HMS 'Untiring' (Lt. Boyd) sinks the German UJ 6075/Clairvoyant.
....Disaster strikes the preparations for the Normandy Invasion as Operation "Tiger" goes very wrong. Eight US LSTs escorted by the British corvette Azeala, were to make practice landings on a British beach similar to those found at Normandy, at Slapton Sands on the south coast of England. German reconnaissance aircraft spotted the convoy and two torpedo boat squadrons (9 boats) were dispatched to hit the group. In the engagement, LST 531 is sunk, LST 507 is critically damaged and later abandoned while LST 289 took a torpedo hit, but remained afloat. In all, 197 seamen and 441 soldiers were killed. Because of this incident, Adolf Hitler orders the lower Normandy defences reinforced.
....223 RAF aircraft - 191 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitos despatched to Aulnoye. 1 Halifax lost. Bombing was concentrated and much damage was caused to the railway yards.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 322: 596 bombers and 357 fighters are dispatched to bomb V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais and Cherbourg areas of France; 4 bombers and 2 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 0-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 307 of 393 B-17s and 169 of 203 B-24s hit the target; 3 B-17s are lost and 227 damaged; 1 B-24 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 25 damaged; B-17s casualties are are 7 WIA and 30 MIA; B-24 casualties are 3 KIA, 9 WIA and 10 MIA; escort is provided by 47 P-38s, 262 P-47s and 48 P-51s; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost; both pilots are MIA.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 323: 486 bombers and 543 fighters are dispatched to bomb airfields, marshalling yards and targets of opportunity in France and Belgium; 4 bombers and 4 fighters are lost. 168 B-17s are dispatched to bomb Nancy/Essay Airfield (103 bomb) and Toul/Croix de Metz landing ground (60 bomb), France; 2 B-17s are lost and 33 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. Of 120 B-17s, 98 bomb Le Culot Airfield and 20 bomb Ostend/Middelkerke Airfield, Belgium; 2 B-17s are lost and 29 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 20 MIA. Of 198 B-24s, 118 bomb Blainville sur L'eau marshalling yard and 72 bomb Chalons sur Marne marshalling yard, France; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 22 damaged; casualties are 24 KIA, 6 WIA and 1 MIA. Escort is provided by 106 P-38s, 283 P-47s and 154 P-51s; the fighters claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 4-0-5 on the ground; 4 P-47s are lost and 2 P-47s and 1 P-51 are damaged; 3 airmen are MIA.
....52 P-38s, using the Droopsnoot method, attack Roye Amy Airfield, France without loss. 36 P-38s, using the Droopsnoot method, attack Albert/Meaulte Airfield, France; 6 P-38s are damaged. 17 P-51s dive bomb Cormeilles-en-Vexin Airfield, France without loss.
.... About 450 US Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s and 275+ P-47 and P-51 dive bombers attack gun emplacements, marshalling yards, coastal batteries, airfields and several military installations in France and Belgium.

GERMANY: The Finnish Chief of General Staff jalkaväenkenraali Erik Heinrichs starts his three-day visit in Germany. At Berchtesgaden he meets with the highest German military leadership, and there's some tension because of the recent Finnish peace-feelers. Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel states bluntly, that in Germany there's no mercy for traitors and complainers. Generaloberst Alfred Jodl is more friendly, but demands that Finland give a proclamation ensuring that the weapons Germany has delivered to Finland would not end in Soviet hands.
....322 RAF Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups attack Friedrichshafen. This was a raid with some interesting aspects. The Air Ministry had urged Bomber Command to attack this relatively small town in moonlight because it contained important factories making engines and gearboxes for German tanks. But the flight to this target, deep in Southern Germany on a moonlit night, was potentially very dangerous; the disastrous attack on Nuremberg had taken place only 4 weeks previously in similar conditions. However, Friedrichshafen was further south and on the fringe of the German night-fighter defences; because of this and the various diversions which confused the German controllers, the bombers reached the target without being intercepted. However, the German fighters arrived at the target while the raid was taking place and 18 Lancasters were lost, 5.6 per cent of the force. 1,234 tons of bombs were dropped in an outstandingly successful attack based on good Pathfinder marking; Bomber Command later estimated that 99 acres of Friedrichshafen, 67 per cent of the town's built-up area, were devastated. Several factories were badly damaged and the tank gearbox factory was destroyed. They destroy two-thirds of the Zeppelin works which was building V-2 rocket components. When the American bombing survey team investigated this raid after the war, German officials said that this was the most damaging raid on tank production of the war.
....Lt. Wilhelm Johnen, Staffelkapitaen of 6./NJG 5, shot down a Lancaster and then made contact with another over Lake Constance. He attacked the bomber but his Bf 110G-4 was hit setting the port engine alight. Conned by Swiss searchlights and with a dead engine, Johnen landed at Zurich-Dubendorf and he and his crew were interred only to be released a few days later. But the incident was upsetting to German authorities because Johnen's aircraft had the FuG 220 radar system, which was not being jammed by the Allies at the time (the Allies were aware of the FuG 202/212 and were jamming this unit). It also carried the Schrage Musik gun system which the Allies would not acknowledge until Oct. 1944. In exchange for allowing the Bf 110 to be blown up, the Swiss at first demanded 30 Bf 109Gs but later settled for 12 Messerschmitts.
....144 RAF aircraft - 120 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - to attack railway yards at Montzen on the Belgian-German border. The bombing force, particularly the second of the 2 waves, was intercepted by German fighters and 14 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster were shot down. Only one part of the railway yards was hit by the bombing.The only Lancaster lost was that of Squadron Leader EM Blenkinsopp, a Canadian pilot of No 405 Squadron who was acting as Deputy Master Bomber. Blenkinsopp managed to team up with a Belgian Resistance group and remained with them until captured by the Germans in December 1944. He was taken to Hamburg to work as a forced labourer and later died in Belsen concentration camp 'of heart failure'. He has no known grave.
....159 RAF OTU aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 24 Mosquitos on diversion raid to Stuttgart, 11 RCM sorties, 19 Serrate and 6 Intruder patrols, 8 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest and Cherbourg, 44 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 Serrate Mosquito lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, weather again severely restricts US air operations; P-40s attack a supply dump N of Rome, scoring 7 hits in the target area.

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ENGLAND: In the aftermath of Operation "Tiger", a number of ‘lessons’ were learned and post-event recommendations included: using more capable and numerous escort forces; having rescue craft for any landing operation; disseminating quickly enemy contacts reports; introducing standard radio procedures, special circuits, and radio frequencies; reinforcing instructions to avoid looking directly at flares or fires to preserve night vision; limiting the amount of fuel carried in landing ships to that needed for the operation itself to reduce risk of fire; making small arms available to fire on E-boats when main guns cannot depress sufficiently; making life boats and life rafts as ready for lowering as possible; issuing illumination rockets to all large ships; improving fire fighting equipment, including manually operated pumps; providing training in the use of the 'kapok' life jacket and making them the preferred life preserver over the CO2 type; ordering boot laces be loosened when preparing to abandon ship to make it easier to remove them in the water. The casualties were not announced until nearly two months after the Normandy invasion. Full details were not known until 1974. It was the costliest training exercise in all of World War II.
....Lt. Wolfgang Wenning of II./KG 51 was killed in a collison with an Oxford near Rugby.

WESTERN FRONT: US Eighth Air Force Mission 325: 116 of 117 B-17s hit Avord Airfield, France; 2 B-17s are lost and 38 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 118 P-47s and 87 P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 8-0-3 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA. 18 of 106 B-17s bomb the Sottevast, France V-weapon site and targets of opportunity; clouds prevent most B-17s from bombing; 2 B-17s are lost and 47 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 21 MIA. Escort is provided by 46 P-47s without loss.
....2 US Eighth Air Force fighter-bomber missions are also flown against airfields in France: 34 P-38s using the Droopsnoot method, bomb Tours Airfield; 11 P-38s fly escort; 1 P-38 is lost and 1 damaged; 1 pilot is MIA. 49 P-38s using the Droopsnoot method, bomb Chateaudun Airfield while 3 P-38s fly escort; 1 P-38 is damaged; 32 P-47s, with 4 P-47 escorts, dive-bomb the same target; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft on the ground.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 325: 47 of 47 B-24s bomb the Marquise/Mimoyecques, France V-weapon sites; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged; 9 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 50 P-47s without loss. 16 P-47s, with 8 escorts, dive bomb an unidentified airfield near Paris without loss.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 326: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 1.64 million leaflets on 17 towns in Belgium, France and The Netherlands including Antwerp, Brussels, Paris, Tours, Lorient, Nantes, Orleans, Zwolle, Leeuwarden, Turnhout and Amersfoort without loss.
....21 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions without loss.
....18 US Ninth Air Force B-26s bomb the airfield at Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France as a secondary target. Nearly 250 B-26s dispatched to bomb marshalling yards are recalled because of heavy cloud cover over the targets.
....88 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attack an explosives factory near at St Médard En Jalles near Bordeaux. Only 26 aircraft bombed the target. Because of haze and smoke from fires started by flares in woods near the factory, the Master Bomber ordered the remainder of the force to retain their bombs. No aircraft lost.
....51 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group were dispatched and bombed an airframe factory near Oslo. Visibility was clear; the bombing was accurate and no aircraft were lost.

EASTERN FRONT: Stavka, the highest Soviet military command, decides that the fourth strategic strike of the year shall be directed against Finns to eliminate the threat to the security of Leningrad. For that purpose the Leningrad Front is reinforced by the 21st Army from the high command reserve.

GERMANY: 26 RAF Mosquitos to Hamburg, 2 RCM sorties, 40 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: Clearing weather again permits bomber operations; 450+ US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack targets in Italy; 188 B-17s bomb Piombino Steel Works and port; 168 B-24s bomb the port area at San Stefano al Mare; and 108 B-24s bomb the port area at Orbetello; P-38s, P-51s and P-47s provide escort.
.... In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack Piombino, railway bridges N of Orvieto, Ficulle, and W of Arezzo, and hit viaducts at Incisa in Valdarno and Piteccio; A-20s score hits on a fuel dump; P-40s and P-47s hit a fuel dump NW of Ferentino, warehouses S of Avezzano, several railway lines and targets of opportunity N of Rome, the Orbetello railroad yards, San Stefano al Mare harbor, rail lines at points between Rome and Avezzano, several gun emplacements, Follonica and Chiusi marshalling yards, and cut railroad lines at several points NW of Rome; fighter-bombers also hit Chiusi marshalling yard, tracks around Castiglione della Valle, Cortona marshalling yard, Grosseto railroad bridge, scattered motor transport and a barge near Follonica.

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WESTERN FRONT: Whilst pursuing German Elbing class torpedo boats T.27 and T.28 which were based at St.Malo, Tribal class destroyer HMS 'Athabaskan' is struck aft by a torpedo which starts a fire and brings her to a standstill. Ten minutes later she exploded either due to a second torpedo hit or a magazine explosion. T.27 is driven aground by HMS 'Haida'on Ile de Vierge and then returns to the site of the sinking to find about 100 of 'Athabaskan’s' crew in the water. 'Haida’s' motorboat and a number of floats are left to aid the survivors, and then 'Haida' heads for Devonport which is 100 miles away. 'Haida’s' motorboat loaded with survivors heads north and is chased by three German minesweepers before being escorted by a couple of Spitfires. Later the motorboat is met by a motor launch which took off the crew and survivors.
....68 RAF Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 5 Group returned to the explosives factory at St Médard En Jalles and carried out concentrated bombing on it without loss. 54 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the Michelin tyre factory at Clermont-Ferrand accurately and without loss. 8 Mosquitos to Oberhausen and 4 to Achéres railway yards, 5 RCM sorties, 6 Serrate patrols, 34 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off French ports and in the Frisians. 20 aircraft on Resistance operations, 9 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.
....14 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions without loss.
....217 US Ninth Air Force B-26s dispatched to bomb marshalling yards in France abort the mission because of heavy cloud cover over the target area.

MEDITERRANEAN: 573 US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escort, attack the Toulon, France naval base and 5 B-17s attack the Rimini-Ancona railroad (second Azon mission). During the raid on Toulon, German submarine 'U-421' is sunk in harbor.
.... In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force B-25s attack the Terni viaduct and Attigliano railway bridge, while B-26s bomb bridges and bridge approaches at Pontassieve and Incisa in Valdarno; A-20s attack a dump NE of Rome; P-40s and P-47s cut rail lines in many places NE of Rome, hit guns N of Anzio and a dump SE of Rome, attack the town of Acquapendente, hit approaches and tunnel S of Arezzo and bridge and trucks in the area, bomb Sinalunga marshalling yard and bridge and approaches at Monte San Savino, and hit docks at San Vincenzo and boats at Follonica.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 327: 679 bombers and 814 fighters are dispatched to bomb Berlin, concentrating on railway facilities; they claim 95-33-48 Luftwaffe aircraft; 63 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 210 of 228 B-17s bomb Berlin; 10 B-17s are lost and 150 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 100 MIA. 218 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin; 158 hit the primary, 24 hit Magdeburg, 10 hit Brandenburg and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 28 B-17s are lost and 161 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 20 WIA and 260 MIA. 212 of 233 B-24s bomb Berlin; 25 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; 13 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 246 MIA. Escort is provided by 117 P-38s, 463 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 234 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 3 P-38s and 10 P-51s are lost; 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair; 7 P-38s, 16 P-47s and 7 P-51s are damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 12 MIA.
....This day the pilots of Sturmstaffel 1 would have their greatest success against Allied bombers. Along with Sturmstaffel 1, taking to the air were units from JG 1, JG 3, JG 11, JG 27, JG 53 and even aircraft from Stab III./NJG 3, JG 302 and 3./JGr z.b.V. The Sturmstaffel downed 8 bombers and seperated out a further 4, with Lt. Werner Gerth claiming 2 bombers. Oblt. von Kirchmayr of II./JG 1 claimed the Gruppe's 700th victory and his personal 15th.
....Oblt. Heinz Knoke of 5./JG 11 was shot down by a P-47 but as his victor overshot, Knoke pulled his battered machine toward the Thunderbolt and shot him down in turn. Both pilots parachuted to safety. When Knoke awoke from unconsciousness, he found himself in the company of the P-47 pilot, Capt. James Cannon of the US 354th FG/353 FS. Knoke promptly told Capt. Cannon he was Knoke's 25th victim to which Capt. Cannon replied that Knoke was Cannon's 17th.
....While trying to land his Bf 110 at Arnhem after combat in the afternoon, Geschwaderkommodore Hans-Joachim Jabs of NJG 1 was bounced by 8 RAF Spitfires. He shot down 2 of his attackers before crash-landing his damaged Messerschmitt.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: After an early breakfast, Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel and his inspection group board a patrol boat in the port of Royan (north bank of the Gironde River) and travel south-southwest across the estuary. They pass the destroyer Z-37 and circle her once in salutation. Their cars are waiting for them, and they leave southward towards Bordeaux. They pass a large section of coast recently ravaged by a forest fire. This fire had detonated or destroyed five percent of the estimated 200,000 mines laid there. On top of that, the areas is too lightly defended. Rommel holds his tongue. After all, this area is commanded by 1st Army commander Johannes Blaskowitz. Technically, the 1st is directly subordinate to OB West, Field Marshal von Rundstedt, and it is only a matter of time before the 1st and the 19th are combined to form a new army group. Von Rundstedt had proposed it to OKW back in March and had designated that it go to Blaskowitz. OKW had agreed at the beginning of April. Rommel finally reaches Blaskowitz's headquarters at Bordeaux late in the morning. Admiral Ruge (Rommel's Naval Advisor) and the 1st Army staff go into conference, while Rommel and Blaskowitz talk privately for a short while.
....Liberty Ship SS 'William S Thayer' sunk by 'U-711' returning from Murmansk, Russia.
....143 RAF aircraft - 114 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 9 Mosquitos - of Nos 6 and 8 Groups despatched to Somain, south-east of Lille. 1 Halifax lost.The initial Oboe marking was inaccurate and the Master Bomber ordered the bombing force to wait. Most of the Halifaxes making up the Main Force either did not hear or ignored his orders and their bombs missed the target. Some damage was caused to the railway yards by the remainder of the force.
....128 RAF aircraft - 107 Halifaxes, 13 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Achères, near Paris without loss.The Mayor of this small town reports that the bombing completely destroyed the railway yards and that there were no civilian victims, the Mayor attributing this to the fact that the bombers flew at comparatively low level.
....116 RAF Lancasters of No 1 Group attacked the largest Luftwaffe bomb and ammunition dump at Maintenon in Northern France. The marking for this raid appears to have been provided by the No 1 Group Marking Flight, based at Binbrook; the Bomber Command records do not mention any other group taking part. The raid was entirely successful and a spectacular series of explosions were seen on the ground. French houses near by were not hit.

GERMANY: 28 RAF Mosquitos to Saarbrücken and 5 to Düren, 14 RCM sorties, 9 Serrate and 5 Intruder patrols, 48 Halifaxes minelaying off the French coast, 36 aircraft on Resistance operations, No aircraft lost.
....General Adolf Galland reported the following; "Between January and April 1944 our day fighter arm lost more than 1,000 pilots. They included our best Staffel, Gruppe and Geschwader commanders....The time has come when our force is within sight of collapse."

MEDITERRANEAN: The Schlachtflieger suffered heavy casualties in operations over Italy and I./SG 4's experiences of April 1944 were especially bad with 25 aircraft lost to enemy action.

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: The highest Soviet military command, Stavka, formulates the political goals of the strategic strikes of the coming summer: "to purge our country of fascist invaders and reach the Barents Sea - Black Sea line".

WESTERN FRONT: The unescorted 'Janeta' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-181' about 900 miles SW of Ascension Island. The U-boat misidentified the ship as 'Banavon'. Nine crewmembers and four gunners were lost. The master, 31 crewmembers and three gunners were rescued; the master, the third officer and eight survivors were rescued and landed at Bahia on 14 May. 15 more survivors were picked up by the Swedish MS 'Freja' about 150 miles south of Bahia and landed at Rio de Janeiro. Ten survivors were picked up on 12 May by destroyer escort USS 'Alger' and landed at Bahia.
....'U-277' sunk in the Arctic Ocean SW of Bear Island, Norway, by depth charges from a 824 Sqn Swordfish from escort carrier HMS 'Fencer'. 50 dead (all hands lost).
....131 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the aircraft assembly factory and an explosives factory at Toulouse. Both targets were hit and no aircraft were lost. 137 aircraft - 89 Halifaxes, 40 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at St Ghislain with great accuracy. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost. 132 aircraft - 110 Halifaxes, 14 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway targets at Malines. 1 Halifax lost. The bombing was scattered, although the locomotive sheds were damaged.
....Chambly: 120 aircraft - 96 Lancasters, 16 Stirlings, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 3 and 8 Groups. 3 Lancasters and 2 Stirlings lost. Chambly, to the north of Paris was the main railway stores and repair depot for the Northern French system which the Allied bombers were trying to put out of action. The local report (provided by the office of the present Chief Engineer at Chambly) shows that the raid was extremely successful. Approximately 500 high-explosive bombs fell inside the railway depot area and serious damage was caused to all departments. The depot was completely out of action for 10 days.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 332: Operation CROSSBOW (operations against German missile launching sites) targets are hit in France in the early morning; 531 bombers and 209 fighters are dispatched but weather causes many aborts and only 3 of 23 V-weapons sites targetted are bombed: Of 161 B-17s dispatched,m 18 hit Poix Airfield, 18 hit Roye/Amy Airfield and 15 hit Montdidier Airfield; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 20 damaged. 22 of 187 B-17s and 57 of 183 B-24s hit the Pas de Calais area; 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair; 19 B-17s and 15 B-24s are damaged; 5 B-24 crewmen are KIA. Escort is provided by 119 P-47s and 90 P-51s without loss or claims.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 333: In the afternoon, 386 bombers and 558 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards in France and Belgium; 3 bombers and 3 fighters are lost: 110 B-17s are dispatched to Troyes (52 bomb) and Reims (57 bomb), France; 1 B-17 is lost and 52 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. 125 B-17s are dispatched to Saarguemines (64 bomb) and Metz (42 bomb), France and Brussels, Belgium (13 bomb); 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 43 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. 151 B-24s are dispatched to Brussels (59 bomb) and Liege (40 bomb), Belgium; 21 B-24s are damaged; no losses or casualties. Escort is provided by 120 P-38s, 272 P-47s and 166 P-51s; The P-47s claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft and the P-51s claim 5-0-2; 2 P-38s and 1 P-51 are lost; 4 P-47s and 1 P-51 are damaged; 4 pilots are MIA.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 334: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 1.55 million leaflets on 25 towns in France and The Netherlands without loss.
....25 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations without loss.
....The last of the 11 US Ninth Air Force bombardment groups (8 medium and 3 light) of the IX Bomber Command becomes operational.
....450 US Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s attack numerous marshalling yards and industrial targets in France and Belgium.
....III./KG 3 began converting to a He 111 modified to carry the Fi 103 flying bomb which by the end of the month was in full production.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, medium bombers attack bridges at Albinia Station, NW of Chiusi, in and near Grosseto, near Monte Molino, Calafuria and at Pontedera; also attacked are a viaduct at Monte Catellana and marshalling yards at Florence/Campo di Marte and Florence, with particularly good results at Florence; light bombers hit an ammunition dump at Fara in Sabina; P-40s and P-47s hit rail tracks in the Rome area, Priverno Station, guns N of Anzio, dumps at Frascati, stations at Colleferro and Frosinone, tracks at Orbetello and Orvieto, a bridge and tunnel N of Todi, a road in Canino, a dump and factory at Stimigliono, vessels E of Piombino, a factory E of Cecina, bridge approaches at Grosseto and Arezzo, a dump at Grosseto and a tunnel at Rignano sull Arno; and HQ 79th Fighter Group and 86th and 87th Fighter Squadrons move from Capodichino to Pomigliano with P-47s.
....Stab./122 transferred from Perugia to Bergamo-South at the beginning of May and remained there to the end of the war. Bergamo-South was also known as Orio al Serio. 2(F)./122 transferred from Perugia to Bergamo-South in northern Italy at the beginning of May and remained there until August 1944. 2(F)./122 had a mixed stock of Ju 88 and Me 410 aircraft – 8 on strength of which 4 were servicable.

GERMANY: For anti-'Mosquito' operations, the He 219A was stripped down as the A-6 version, attaining 650 kph (404 mph). The He 219A-7 was the next major production version, A-7/R6 having a Junkers Jumo 222A/B engine and was the fastest of the type attaining 700 kph (435 mph). Despite the aircraft's success, Erhard Milch persuaded the RLM to cancel the whole program. He favored instead standardization on the multipurpose Ju 388 and Ta 154 night-fighter, which he thought were easier to manifacture but which in fact never saw combat. Nevertheless, Heinkel continued to produce small numbers of the He 219 at Vienna-Schwechat.
....Hptm. Thierfelder's EKdo jet Gruppe recieved 12 more pilots, 6 pilots each from the Gruppenkommandeur's old unit 8./ZG 26 and from 9./ZG 26. Most of the pilots had completed retraining from the Bf 110 to the Me 410 and now had to become familiar with the jet.

[Njaco]

ENGLAND: The crossword in the Daily Telegraph has caused uproar among the D-Day planners today by apparently revealing two of the most closely guarded codewords of the invasion. The clue to 17 across is "One of US" and that of 3 down is "Red Indian on the Missouri", the answers - "Utah" and "Omaha" - are the names given to two of the American invasion beaches. These clues were spotted with horror by senior officers who are among the devotees of the crossword. Their immediate reaction was that the invasion's secrets were being leaked to the Germans. Their fears have been increased by the discovery that, in a puzzle prepared by the same compiler for publication a few days before D-Day, the answer to one clue is "Overlord", the codename for the whole invasion. MI5 is now investigating the compiler, Leonard Dawe, a 54-year old teacher from Leatherhead, Surrey.

USA: Baseball star Ted Williams earns his wings and a commission to become a pilot in the USMC.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-846' shot down an RAF 58 Sqn Halifax shortly after 0100.
....'U-674' sunk in the Arctic Ocean NW of Narvik, by rockets from an 842 Sqn Swordfish from HMS 'Fencer'. 49 dead (all hands lost).
....'U-959' sunk SE of Jan Mayen, by depth charges from an 842 Sqn Swordfish from HMS 'Fencer'. 53 dead (all hands lost).
....Allied authorities and the Franco government come to an agreement to limit Spanish exports to Germany in exchange for exports increased imports of oil from the Allies.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 335: 50 of 50 B-24s bomb V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France without loss; escort is provided by 50 P-47s and 52 P-51s.
....250+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s bomb marshalling yards at Busigny, Valenciennes and Blanc-Misseron, France. 400+ P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb airfields and marshalling yards in France and the Low Countries.

MEDITERRANEAN: 250+ US Fifteenth Air Force bombers hit targets in Italy; B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Bolzano; B-24s, most with fighter escort, attack Castel Maggiore and a railroad bridge at Faenza; 300+ bombers are forced to abort because of weather.
....In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force attacks against rail lines and bridges in N Italy continue; medium bombers bomb an approach to a bridge in N Oriveto, bridges in S Ficulle and in Marsciano, and marshalling yards in Florence/Campo di Marte and W and NW Florence; light bombers hit an ammunition dump NE of Rome; P-40s and P-47s hit rail lines N of Rome, bridges SW of Rome, guns N of Anzio, a road at Montefiascone, a road bridge at Cecina, trucks and planes at Malignano landing ground and several other dumps, roads, and rail lines in N Italy.

GERMANY: 2./JG 400 is established at Oranienburg (on paper), commanded by Hauptmann Otto Böhner.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: Destroyer escort 'Donnell' (DE-56) is damaged by German submarine 'U-765', 450 miles southwest of Cape Clear, Ireland. USS 'Donnell' was on her fifth transatlantic voyage, when she made a sound contact and sighted a periscope 450 miles SW of Cape Clear, Ireland. She prepared for a depth charge attack but was hit at 1200 by one torpedo that hit the after part and the explosion of her own depth charges blew off the stern. 29 men were killed and 25 wounded. The vessel was towed by destroyer escorts USS 'Reeves' and Hopping and the tug HMS 'Samsonia' to Dunnstaffnage Bay, Scotland, arriving on 12 May.
....346 RAF Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 5 Groups and 2 Pathfinder Mosquitos to bomb a German military camp situated close to the French village of Mailly. 42 Lancasters lost, 11.6 per cent of the force. The control of this raid in the target area failed to operate according to plan. The initial low-level markers were accurate and were well backed up by Lancaster marker aircraft. The 'Marker Leader', Wing Commander Cheshire, ordered the Main Force to come in and bomb but the 'Main Force Controller', Wing Commander LC Deane, could not transmit the order to do so to the waiting Lancasters because his VHF radio set was being drowned by an American forces broadcast and his wireless transmitter was wrongly tuned. German fighters arrived during the delay and bomber casualties were heavy. The main attack eventually started when the Deputy Controller, Squadron Leader ENM Sparks, took over. Approximately 1,500 tons of bombs were dropped with great accuracy. 114 barrack buildings, 47 transport sheds and some ammunition buildings in the camp were hit; 102 vehicles, including 37 tanks, were destroyed. The night-fighter attacks continued over the target and on the return route. Among the aircraft shot down was that of Squadron Leader Sparks, who had stayed over the target to the end. Sparks evaded capture and soon returned to England. The squadrons of No 1 Group, which made up the second wave of the attack, suffered the most casualties - 28 aircraft out of their 173 dispatched. No 460 (Australian) Squadron, from Binbrook, lost 5 out of its 17 Lancasters on the raid.
....84 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos attacked a Luftwaffe airfield at Montdidier and caused much damage among buildings and installations on the northern part of the airfield. 4 Lancasters lost.
....27 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 14 to an ammunition dump at Châteaudun, 3 RCM sorties, 7 Intruder and 6 Serrate patrols, 32 Halifaxes minelaying off the French coast and in the Frisians, 23 aircraft on Resistance operations, 34 OTU sorties. 4 aircraft lost: 1 RCM Halifax, 1 Serrate Mosquito, 1 Resistance operation Lysander and 1 OTU Wellington. In the most successful example of precision bombing of the war - and probably the most accurate since the air weapon was invented - an RAF Mosquito today lobbed two bombs through the front door of the Air Ministry in the crowded centre of the Dutch capital, The Hague. Two more bombs, delivered at the same time, penetrated windows on either side of the door. The building had to be struck at the first attempt from 50 feet.
....French resistance cells increase their activities in anticipation of the cross channel invasion. On this night, 100,000 liters of acetone are burned at the the Lambiotte plant in Premery.
....Pro-Nazi Spain bent under Allied pressure today and agreed to cut by a sixth its exports of Wulfram - the steel hardening element - to Germany. General Franco, the Spanish dictator, has succumbed to British and US demands for the release of Italian ships held in Spanish ports, the withdrawal from the eastern front of his "Blue" division of 14,284 men and "Blue" air squadron, and the closure of the German "spy" consulate at Tangiers.
....'U-278' shot down an RN Martlet.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 336: 47 of 51 B-24s bomb the V-weapon site at Wizernes, France; 33 are damaged; 3 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 48 P-47s and 53 P-51s without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: As convoy GUS 38 heads west toward the Straits of Gibraltar, German submarine 'U-371' closes in; destroyer escort 'Menges' (DE-320) locates the enemy but is torpedoed and damaged by her quarry off Bougie, Algeria. The U-boat managed to hit USS 'Menges' with a Gnat in the stern. The explosion severely damaged the stern, blew off both propellers and the rudders. 31 men were killed and 25 wounded, but the destroyer was towed to port and repaired. Consequently, destroyer escorts 'Pride' (DE-323) and 'Joseph E. Campbell' (DE-70) hunt for 'U-371', joined by British destroyer HMS 'Blankney', French destroyer 'L'Alycon' and destroyer escort 'Senegalais', and minesweeper 'Sustain' (AM-119). 'U-371', however, escapes.
....In Italy, B-25s and B-26s pound railway bridges at Monte Molino, Orvieto, and Taggia, bridge approaches at Ficulle and Imperia, and Ventimiglia marshalling yards; A-20s attack ammunition dumps; P-40s and P-47s attack rail lines, bridge, dump, guns and buildings in the battle area and score 4 direct hits on an observation post S of Cassino; vessels and docks at Civitavecchia and Montalto di Castro and road bridges and rail lines in the area; town of Fondi and rail lines and bridges nearby; railway bridges at Foligno, Sant'Elpidio a Mare and Grosseto; viaduct at Terni; and numerous vehicles, dumps, railroads, vessels, and other targets in the battle areas and in N Italy; and 447th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 321st Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Gaudo Airfield to Solenzara, Corsica with B-25s.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: In the early morning of 4 May 'U-371' had to surface and save his crew, but at 0404 the U-boat still fought back and also damaged the 'Senegalais' (T 22) with a Gnat. U-371 finally sunk at 0409 in the Mediterranean north of Constantine by depth charges from destroyer escorts USS 'Pride' and 'Joseph E. Campbell', the French 'Senegalais' and destroyer HMS 'Blankney'. 3 dead and 49 survivors.
....In Italy, main effort again is against lines of communications; medium bombers hit bridges, tracks and marshalling yards; P-40s, A-36s and P-47s hit rail lines in and around Priverno, guns and radar station N of Anzio, railroad cars, rail lines, and bridge in the Orte-Attigliano and Orte-Narni areas, motor transport and stores E of Frascati, marshalling yards at Colleferro and Follonica, and trucks and personnel on the Fondi-Pico road; vessels at Leghorn and numerous railroad targets at scattered points are attacked.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-846' sunk in the Bay of Biscay north of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from an RCAF 407 Sqn Wellington aircraft. 57 dead (all hands lost).
....28 RAF Mosquitos to Ludwigshafen and 4 to Leverkusen, 20 Halifaxes minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports. No losses.
....In France, 170+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s and 36 A-20s bomb gun emplacements and other military targets at Etretat/Sainte-Marie-Au-Bosc, Etaples, Le Treport, Ault, Fecamp and Ouistreham.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 338: 591 bombers and 516 fighters are dispatched to Berlin, Brunswick and targets in C Germany; the mission is recalled due to cloud cover but 40 B-17s bomb Bergen/Alkmaar Airfield, The Netherlands; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 15 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA and 1 WIA. Escort is provided by 50 P-38s, 179 P-47s and 287 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-47s claim 8-2-5 Luftwaffe aircraft and the P-51s claim 1-0-1; 2 P-47s and 1 P-51 are lost, 3 P-47s and 2 P-51s are damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 8 P-47s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 3 MIA.

[Njaco]

GERMANY: Intelligence services intercept a telephone conversation between Roosevelt and Churchill, but hear no secrets.
....The prototype Ar 234V-11 made its first flight.

MEDITERRANEAN: General Alexander orders Allied units to break through the Gustav Line on 11 May.
....RAF Mustangs and RAAF and SAAF Warhawks attack the Torre Dam.
....Marshal Tito's partisan army, now numbering nearly 300,000 well-armed men and women has fought its way into the Croatian capital of Zagreb, it was learned today. A huge cache of German weapons was captured with lorryloads of prisoners, before the partisans "melted away" in typical fashion. Tito's National Liberation Front now controls almost every town in mountainous Montenegro. It also took four German divisions to drive them from Slovenia; even so few main roads of railways there are safe for troop transport. Twelve divisions of General Rendulic's Second Panzerarmee are being kept fully occupied by Tito's fiercely determined irregulars. Although the Germans have retaken most of the Adriatic Islands between Fiume and Split - captured by partisans when the Italian army collapsed last year - their garrisons are under constant harassment. The head of the British military mission, Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean, has selected the outer island of Vis as a base for organizing British commando operations in Nazi-held Yugoslavia.
....'U-967' fired a Gnat at Convoy GUS-38 about 120 miles NW of Oran, Algeria and reported a hit on a medium-sized ship after 11 minutes 58 seconds, but this was probably an end-of-run detonation. Destroyer escort USS 'Laning' located the U-boat after the unsuccessful attack and started an attack run, but 'U-967' fired a Gnat at the escort ships at 0441, hitting the USS 'Fechteler' amidships. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water and broke her in two. Most crewmembers abandoned ship before both parts sank. 29 crewmembers died and 26 were injured. USS 'Laning' then picked up the survivors together with other escort ships.
....640+ US Fifteenth Air Force bombers (the largest force to date) attack targets in Rumania and Yugoslavia; the B-17s hit marshalling yards at Ploesti/Campina and Brasnov, Rumania; the B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Ploesti and troop concentrations at Podgoricu, Yugoslavia; fighters fly 240+ sorties in support.
.... In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force A-20s bomb a supply dump W of Albano Laziale; XII Tactical Air Command A-36s, P-47s and P-40s fly 24 missions cutting rail lines N and NE of Rome, and hitting guns N of the Anzio beachhead and N of Gaeta and a dump near Frascati; bridges at Orvieto and W of Lake Bolsena are damaged by direct hits, a barge at San Stefano al Mare is hit, several trucks destroyed or damaged, rail lines are cut in several places near Sesti Bagni and aircraft are hit at the Canino landing ground.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces in the Crimea begin their final attack on Sevastopol with a massive artillery bombardment into the fortress city.

WESTERN FRONT: 16 RAF Halifaxes and 12 Stirlings minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports, 30 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 OTU sorties. No losses.
....US Eighth Air Force Mission 339: 33 of 46 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Sottevast, France; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA. Escort is provided by 52 P-51s without loss. Duing the night, 21 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 1 B-24 is lost.
....Brigadier General Myron R Wood assumes command of the IX Air Forces Services Command.