Action This Day

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401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire VB) 27-10-43
No flying owing to fog and heavy ground mist. Flight Lieutenant "Dink" Morrison, D.F.C., D.F.M. who was shot down over France whilst serving in this Squadron, returned from Germany on the recent large-scale exchange of wounded prisoners. He looks very well and is still using crutches pending an artificial leg. He plans to spend his time with us pending repatriation to Canada. According to "Dink", the German Medical Officers are very efficient and take an efficient interest in our lads who are wounded.

BOMBER COMMAND
22 O.T.U. Wellingtons on leaflet flights to France without loss.

USAAF
AUSTRIA: More than 150 XII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s attack aircraft-industry targets at Wiener-Neustadt and bridges and rail lines at two other locations.

ITALY: Although most NATAF missions are canceled in the face of bad weather, XII Air Support Command aircraft are able to provide some support for Allied ground forces in the battle area, and fighter-bombers attack Gaeta.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF fighter-bombers attack small ships and craft at Opuzen

RAF Base Changes
1435 Sqn (Spitfire VB/VC/IX) moves to Grottaglie

First and Last Operational Missions
69 Sqn (Luqa) flies its last OM in the Baltimore IIIA

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401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire VB) 28-10-43
The mists dissolved around lunch-time, and local and cine gun practices were carried out during the afternoon. This is a great day for the Squadron as the first lot of Spitfire IX's Aircraft powered with Merlin 66 Engines were flown in-7 in all. This re-equipment has been in the "wind" for some time and our days of "stooging" is in the clipped-wing Spitfire Fives will soon be over.

2nd TAF
The Dutch Mitchell Squadron suffered more casualties to Flak when bombing shipping at Cherbourg. Two Mitchells were hit and one went down over the target. The other (FR151 'C') was forced to jettison its bomb load, but continued with the rest of the formation as bombs were released. The crippled aircraft was then flown back to England by the shortest possible route and landed at Tarrant Rushton.

With starboard engine streaming smoke and flames, a 320 Squadron Mitchell falls away from its formation after having been hit by Flak whilst bombing shipping at Cherbourg an 28 October 1943; FR174 'NO-K' was lost with all her crew.

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USAAF
ITALY: Most of the Twelfth Air Force is grounded by bad weather, but XII Air Support Command A-36s are able to attack gun emplacements and several highways and bridges between Rome and the battle area.

During a mission to the Rome area, A-36 pilots of the 27th Fighter-Bomber Group’s 522d Fighter-Bomber Squadron down six Bf-109s between 1100 and 1130 hours. Later, during an afternoon engagement over Civita Castellana, a pair of A-36 pilots from the 86th Fighter-Bomber Group’s 526th Fighter-Bomber Squadron down three Bf-109s.

RAF Base Changes
55 Sqn (Baltimore IV) moves to Foggia I

First and Last Operational Missions
304 Sqn (Davidstowe Moor) flies its first OM in the Wellington XIV

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401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire VB) 29-10-43
Fog and ground mists settled in again and precluded flying of any kind. Flying Officer P.C.V. Martin reported on posting from 57 O.T.U.

USAAF
TALY: XII Bomber Command B-17s attack marshalling yards at Genoa and Sampierdarena, several industrial plants at San Giorgio, and bridges around Genoa-Ansaldo. Although bad weather prevents extensive coverage of the battle area, NATAF aircraft attack two gun emplacements, several bridges, and ships and port facilities at Giulianova.

RAF Base Changes
123 Sqn (Non-Op) leaves for India
223 Sqn (Baltimore IV) moves to Celone
308 Sqn (Spitfire VB) moves to Northolt

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401Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire VB) 30-10-43
No flying owing to heavy mist.

USAAF
FRANCE: Five IX Air Support Command A-20s—the first of their kind to operate from bases in the U.K. since October 1942—attack Cherbourg/Maupertus Airdrome.

ITALY: XII Bomber Command B-24s attack steel works at Genoa-Ansaldo and Sampierdarena and marshalling yards at Genoa; XII Bomber Command B-17s attack marshalling yards at Imperia, Porto Maurizio, Savona, and Varazze; NATAF B-25s attack Frosinone; and NATAF fighter-bombers attack various road, rail, and tactical targets in and around the battle area.

Following a hiatus from combat since July—in order to retrain to conduct infantry-support operations—the 324th Fighter Group, a former Ninth Air Force P-40 unit, is transferred from Tunisia to Cercola Airdrome, where it joins the XII Air Support Command.

SOVIET UNION: The TRIPARTATE Conference of foreign ministers is concluded in Moscow with an agreement to force an “unconditional surrender” from Germany and to establish a world peace organization.

RAF Base Changes
18 Sqn (Boston III) moves to Foggia I
114 Sqn (Boston III/IIIA) moves to Celone

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401Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire VB) 31-10-43
Advise was received that F/Sgt. Lawson R.W. is now a Pilot Officer w.e.f. 23-10-43.

BOMBER COMMAND
11 Mosquitoes to the Ruhr and 6 Mosquitoes to Emden. All targets were bombed but 1 aircraft was lost from its sortie to the Ruhr.

2nd TAF
The month ended well, when a trio of Mustangs from 414 Squadron encountered more diverse Luftwaffe aircraft over France during a 'Rhubarb. Flg Offs R.C.J.Brown and L.F.May first encountered a Yale trainer (the Luftwaffe having taken over a number supplied to the French in 1940) which was duly dispatched, followed by a Ju 88 a few minutes later. May then shot up another Ju 88 on the ground at Bretigny.

USAAF
ALBANIA: 82d Fighter Group P-38 pilots down an Fi-156 and three Bf-109s between 1500 and 1520 hours during a bombing and strafing attack on Tirana Airport.

FRANCE: XII Bomber Command B-17s attack a viaduct at Antheor.

ITALY: Although most NATAF aircraft are grounded by bad weather, XII Bomber Command B-25s attack Anzio, and XII Bomber Command B-26s attack port facilities and shipping at Civitavecchia.

RAF Base Changes
350 Sqn (Spitfire VVB/VC) moves to Hawkinge

First and Last Operational Missions
96 Sqn (Drem) flies its last OM in the Beaufighter VIF

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197 Sqn (Tangmere – Typhoon IB) 1-11-43
Good rhubarb weather this morning, so two sections, one from each flight were sent out during the day. One JU.52 was destroyed by P/O. O'Callaghan (see full report attached to F.541) but his No. 2. F/Sgt. RICHARDS.L.R. was missing, probably a victim to flak. In the second rhubarb, a locomotive was destroyed by F/O. TURTON and F/Sgt. GILBERT.

ADDENDUM – Typhoon IB JP665 OV-I. Pilot F/Lt LR Richards KIA. Flak near Caumont.

USAAF
ENGLAND: The Ninth Air Force is placed under the operational control of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), which is activated to oversee operations of the British and American tactical air forces for Operation OVERLORD.

The 92d Combat Bombardment Wing is activated to oversee several 1st Bombardment Division B-17 groups, and the 93d Combat Bombardment Wing is activated to oversee several 2d Bombardment Division B-24 groups.

The veteran 351st Heavy Bombardment Group is reassigned to the 92d Combat Bombardment Wing, as is the newly arrived 401st Heavy Bombardment Group.

ITALY: On the day it becomes operational, the new Fifteenth Air Force dispatches the B-17s of all four groups of its 5th Heavy Bombardment Wing from their bases in Tunisia against the former Italian naval base at La Spezia, in northern Italy, and against a nearby rail bridge at Vezzano. Also, 47th Medium Bombardment Wing B-25s—now also part of the Fifteenth Air Force—attack marshalling yards at Ancona and Rimini.

NATAF aircraft attack port facilities and shipping at Ancona, and transportation and tactical targets in or near the battle area.

MEDITERRANEAN: A 57th Fighter Group P-40 pilot downs a Do-24 rescue-and-reconnaissance flying boat at sea during the afternoon.

TUNISIA: The Fifteenth Air Force is activated at Tunis under the command of MajGen James H. Doolittle. To implement the new command, Headquarters, XII Bomber Command, is redesignated Headquarters, Fifteenth Air Force, a move that effectively disbands the XII Bomber Command. Initially, the new air force consists of the 5th Heavy Bombardment Wing, composed of four B-17 groups (2d, 97th, 99th, and 301st) and two B-24 groups (98th and 376th); the 42d Medium Bombardment Wing, composed of three B-26 groups (17th, 319th, and 320th); the 47th Medium Bombardment Wing, composed of two B-25 groups (310th and 321st); the new 306th Fighter Wing, composed of three P-38 groups (1st, 14th, and 82d) and one P-40 group (325th); and the veteran but newly redesignated 68th Tactical Reconnaissance Group.

UNITED STATES: A U.S. military mission to the Soviet Union is organized under MajGen John R. Deane with the purpose of establishing facilities in Russia to support shuttle-bombing operations against Germany by Eighth and Fifteenth air force heavy bombers.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF aircraft attack shipping and port facilities at Split.

RAF Base Changes
612 Sqn (Wellington XIV) moves to St. Eval

First and Last Operational Missions
17 Sqn SAAF (St. Jean) flies its first OM in the Ventura V
85 Sqn (Hunsdon) flies its first OM in the Mosquito NFXIII

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183 Sqn (Predannack – Typhoon IB) 2-11-43
F/L Lowell S.J. feeling an urge to have a crack at something decided to do a ‘Rhubarb’. He took Smithy with him, but very wisely abandoned it 5 miles off the French coast, cloud base being about 2,000 ft. In the early evening, there was a shipping recco to the Goulets. Two ships, 2,000 tons and 800 tons respectively were attacked and left on fire. This was considered by all, to have been the most successful shipping prang yet. Very sorrowfully, however, we have to record the loss of Alan Palmer. He joined the Squadron on its formation as a Sergeant, was one of the first to be commissioned, and proved to be a popular member of the Squadron, as well as a most efficient pilot. We extend our deepest sympathy to his parents.

ADDENDUM – Typhoon IB JR184 HF-? Pilot F/O AS Palmer KIA. Flak west of Camaret.

2nd TAF
A pair of Mustang pilots of 414 Squadron flew a 'Rhubarb' to the Brussels area soon after midday. Fw Peter Crump and Uffz Robert Ney of 6./JG 26 were scrambled to intercept, but in the fight which followed, Ney was shot down by Flg Offs Gordon Wonnacott and R.D.Brown jointly, crashing to his death from 6,500 feet near Albert. The Canadian fighter-reconnaissance pilots returned, also claiming to have shot up four trains and a barge.

USAAF
AUSTRIA: In its first Combined Bomber Offensive mission of the war, the Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 139 B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 72 P-38s, against the Bf-109 factory at Wiener-Neustadt. Opposition from flak and fighters is heavy, but the attack is considered punishing when 74 B-17s and 38 B-24s drop 327 tons of bombs with results that are reported as being “excellent.” Accurate, heavy flak and attacks by an estimated 160 GAF fighters result in the loss of six B-17s and five B-24s.

ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-25s attack a marshalling yard at Ancona; Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack a rail bridge at Amelia and the harbor at Civitavecchia; and NATAF A-20s and B-25s attack an ammunition dump and gun emplacements in the zone of the British Eighth Army, the coastal road at Terracina, the town of Fondi, rail facilities at Aquila, and several bridges and road junctions near the battle area.

A 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilot downs a Bf-109 near Rome at 1135 hours.

The Twelfth Air Force’s 12th Medium Bombardment Group, in B-25s, moves from Sicily to the Foggia Airdrome complex.

RAF Base Changes
7 Sqn SAAF (Spitfire VC/IX) moves to Savoia

First and Last Operational Missions
154 Sqn (Goia del Colle) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VC

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408 Sqn RCAF (Linton-on-Ouse – Lancaster II) 3-11-43
Fourteen aircraft were detailed for bombing operations. Thirteen aircraft were off on time, one aircraft being scrubbed prior to take-off owing to mechanical failure. Ten aircraft were successful in attacking the primary target, same being DUSSELDORF, Germany. Three aircraft returned early from this operation owing to technical defects. One aircraft is reported missing from this operation.

ADDENDUM – Lancaster II DS774 EQ-F. Crew: F/S RA Young RCAF KIA, Sgt RC Smith RCAF, Sgt TW Hilliard RCAF KIA, F/O HS Oien USAAF KIA, F/O JE Sauve RCAF KIA, F/S CP Miller RCAF KIA, F/S CM MacDonald RCAF KIA. T/o 1717 Linton-on-Ouse. Presumed lost off the Dutch Coast. Three are buried in Rotterdam General Cemetery, their bodies being discovered in a dinghy that washed ashore on 12 November near Rockanje. The others have no known grave. F/O Oien USAAF is commemorated on the Cambridge Memorial at Madingley.

BOMBER COMMAND
DÜSSELDORF
589 aircraft – 344 Lancasters, 233 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitoes. 18 aircraft – 11 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes – lost, 3.1 percent of the force.

The main weight of the raid fell in the centre and south of the city but it is difficult to obtain precise results of the outcome; like some other German cities, Düsseldorfs records start to show a deterioration under the pressure of the severe raids of 1943. There was certainly extensive damage both to housing and to industrial premises but a detailed résumé is not possible. The same problem exists with casualties. An early local report says that 23 people died but this appears to have been altered to 118 at a later date. The United States Bombing Survey* gives a figure of 622 dead and 942 injured for the whole month of November; there were no more other attacks on Düsseldorf in that month.

38 Mark II Lancasters – 13 from 3 Group and 25 from 6 Group – which took part in this raid made the first large-scale test of the G-H blind-bombing device and attempted to bomb the Mannesmann tubular-steel works on the northern outskirts of Düsseldorf while the main raid was taking place. 5 of the G-H Lancasters had to return early and 2 more were lost; the equipment in 16 other aircraft failed to function leaving only 15 aircraft to bomb the factory on G-H. The Düsseldorf records do mention this factory, stating that ‘several assembly halls were burnt out’; G-H later became a most useful blind-bombing device when it was produced in sufficient numbers for a major part of Bomber Command to be fitted with it.

COLOGNE
52 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitoes of 8 Group carried out a diversionary raid without loss.

A report from Cologne shows the extreme accuracy with which some of the bombs hit the centre of the city. The cathedral was hit several times, one heavy bomb blowing a 10-metre hole in the north-west tower. The Cathedral Hotel, another hotel near by and the ramp to the Hohenzollern Bridge were all severely damaged by high-explosive bombs. 7 people were killed in the city.

Minor Operations: 13 Oboe Mosquitoes to a Krupps foundry at Rheinhausen and 2 Mosquitoes to Dortmund, 23 aircraft of 3 Group minelaying in the Frisians, 27 O.T.U. sorties. 1 O.T.U. Whitley lost. H2S was used for the first time to assist the minelaying force and is an indication that a start had been made in equipping Main Force squadrons with H2S.

Total effort for the night: 716 sorties, 19 aircraft (2.7 percent) lost.

ADDENDUM - A further Victoria Cross was awarded for an action during the Düsseldorf raid. The Lancaster of Flight Lieutenant William Reid, 61 Squadron, was twice attacked by night fighters before the target was reached. The aircraft suffered extensive damage, which put most of its guns out of action; the navigator was killed and the wireless operator fatally injured. Flight Lieutenant Reid was wounded in both attacks and his flight engineer was also hurt but Reid pressed on for the remaining 200 miles to the target and his bomb aimer, Sergeant L. G. Rolton, obtained an ‘aiming point photograph’. The return flight was full of problems. The cockpit windscreen was shattered and the oxygen supply failed. The pilot lapsed into semi-consciousness and the injured flight engineer, Sergeant J. W. Norris, had to do some of the flying. Flight Lieutenant Reid recovered to take over for the emergency landing in misty conditions which took place at Shipdham in Norfolk, even though he could not see properly for blood running into his eyes from a head wound. One leg of the Lancaster’s undercarriage collapsed but the landing was otherwise successful.

Flight Lieutenant Reid was awarded the Victoria Cross but the 61 Squadron Operations Record Book, not one of Bomber Command’s best, does not say whether other crew members were decorated.

Dusseldorf mission as planned

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Dusseldorf mission as flown

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2nd TAF


'Ramrod 289' was off at 1030, B-26s being escorted to St André and Triqueville. Over the St André area, pilots of 421 Squadron encountered a reported 40 fighters, claiming two Fw 190s shot down plus a Bf 109 probable and a second damaged. B-26s were then dispatched to bomb Schipol in the afternoon. Here II/JG 3 was caught trying to scramble, and was savagely dealt with by Canadian pilots of 11 Group, who claimed nine German fighters shot down, with a tenth claimed by an RAF unit. 132 Squadron was also present, but was able to submit only a claim for a single Messerschmitt damaged; the Luftwaffe unit lost five pilots killed, including the 'Experte' Maj Kurt Brändle (180 victories; Knights Cross with Oakleaves), while a sixth Bf 109 was destroyed and two more damaged. A pilot of 9./JG 26 who was operating on attachment to the unit was also shot down and killed.

A pair of Mustang pilots of 414 Squadron flew a 'Rhubarb' to the Brussels area soon after midday. Fw Peter Crump and Uffz Robert Ney of 6./JG 26 were scrambled to intercept, but in the fight which followed, Ney was shot down by Flg Offs Gordon Wonnacott and R.D.Brown jointly, crashing to his death from 6,500 feet near Albert. The Canadian fighter-reconnaissance pilots returned, also claiming to have shot up four trains and a barge.

USAAF
ENGLAND: The 435th Troop Carrier Group arrives in England and is assigned to the IX Troop Carrier Command’s 50th Troop Carrier Wing.

FRANCE: Seventy-one IX Bomber Command B-26s attack Tricqueville Airdrome, and 71 B-26s attack St.-Andre-de-L’Eure Airdrome. One B-26 is lost over the latter target.

GERMANY: In its largest daylight mission to date, VIII Bomber Command dispatches a total 566 B-17s and B-24s against the Wilhelmshaven port area. Led by 11 482d Heavy Pathfinder Bombardment Group B-17s equipped for the first time with new H2X guidance radar, a total of 434 B-17s and 105 B-24s drop a record 1,448 tons of bombs on the briefed target area between 1307 and 1335 hours. Opposition is meager, but seven B-17s are downed with their 70 crewmen. This mission also marks the first time that a heavy-bomber group—the 96th—goes out at double strength, in this case 50 B-17s.

Three hundred thirty-three VIII Fighter Command P-47 and 45 P-38 escorts down 14 GAF fighters over the Netherlands and the Wilhelmshaven area between 1226 and 1350 hours. Fighter losses are two P-47s missing with their pilots, five P-47s damaged, and one P-47 written off following a rough landing.

The newly committed 20th Fighter Group’s 79th Fighter Squadron, in P-38s, makes its combat debut when it accompanies the 55th Fighter Group on the bomber-escort mission to Wilhelmshaven. The 20th Fighter Group has a full complement of pilots in the U.K., but there is a shortage of up-to-date P-38s that will persist for several months and prevent the new group from becoming fully operational.

GREECE: Twelfth Air Force B-25s, escorted by Fifteenth Air Force P-38s, attack Axis aircraft on the ground at Araxos Airdrome.

ITALY: NATAF aircraft attack Cisterna di Latina Airdrome and the landing grounds at Ancona and Pescara, plus numerous road, rail, and tactical targets in and around the battle area, especially in support of the British Eighth Army.

NETHERLANDS: Sixty-five IX Bomber Command B-26s attack Amsterdam/Schipol Airport.

TUNISIA: The 310th and 321st Medium Bombardment groups, in B-25s, are transferred from the Fifteenth Air Force back to the Twelfth Air Force.

RAF Base Changes
3 Sqn SAAF (Hurricane IIB) moves to Bersis
81 Sqn (Non-Op) leaves for India
122 Sqn (Spitfire IX) moves to Gravesend
152 Sqn (Non-Op) leaves for India
407 Sqn RCAF (Wellington XII/XIV) moves to St. Eval
414 Sqn RCAF (Mustang I) moves to Gatwick
422 Sqn RCAF (Sunderland III) moves to St. Angelo

First and Last Operational Missions
141 Sqn (Wittering) flies its first OM in the Mosquito NFII
203 Sqn (Berka III) flies its last OM in the Baltimore II
242 Sqn (Goia del Colle) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VB
415 Sqn RCAF (Thorney Island) flies its first OM in the Wellington XIII
514 Sqn (Foulsham – Lancaster II) flies its first OM of the war

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75 Sqn (Mepal – Stirling III) 4-11-43
TRAINING
The above consisted of Fighter Affiliation and air-to-sea firing No other flying was possible owing to a fog which hung over the aerodrome most of the day.
OPERATIONS MINING IN THE BALTIC SEA
Four aircraft were detailed to carry out the above operation with mines of 1500 lbs. This was an unfortunate night as three aircraft failed to return and the other aircraft returned early having jettisoned its mines. This aircraft met an enemy night fighter and sustained damage to the port wing, starboard flap, rear turret, and many other large holes in the fuselage, the rear- gunner, Sgt. W. HURDIE killed during the combat The weather was bad and ten tenths cloud made visibility poor. Navigation was good.

ADDENDUM – Stirling III BF461 AA-B. Crew: P/O GK Williams RNZAF POW, Sgt H Moffat POW, F/S WF Morice RNZAF EVD, Sgt FE McGregor RNZAF POW, Sgt WJ Champion KIA, F/O JA Black RAAF POW, Sgt R Ingrey POW. T/o 1601 Mepal. Shot down by Lt Karl Rechberger (4th victory) 12./NJG3 at Kallerup, 10 km SW Thisted at 1853. Sgt Champion is buried in Frederickshvn Cemetery.

Stirling III BK778 JN-U. Crew: P/O WS Masters RNZAF KIA, Sgt AA Copeland KIA, F/S GB Imrie RNZAF KIA, F/S C James RNZAF KIA, Sgt RJ Thomas KIA, Sgt L Grimwood KIA, F/F LS Crawford-Watson RNZAF KIA. T/o 1600 Mepal. Shot down by Oblt Werner Speidel (6th victory) 10./NJG3 in the Kolby-Sundby area at 2111. Six are buried in the Frederickshavn Cemetery, while Sgt. Copeland is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Stirling III EE897 AA-G. Crew: F/O NCB Wilson RNZAF KIA, Sgt RW Sratton KIA, F/O T Lodge RNZAF KIA, F/O AT Dance RNZAF KIA, F/S R Charlton KIA, Sgt LC Gaskins KIA, F/S AG Fawcett RNZAF KIA. T/o 1557 Mepal. Shot down by Oblt Hans Hubert-Müller (8th victory) 10./NJG3 NW Skagen at 1940. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

BOMBER COMMAND
MINOR OPERATIONS
24 Mosquitoes attacked a chemical works at Leverkusen, causing fires and a large explosion, 4 Mosquitoes to Aachen, 36 aircraft minelaying at various places from Lorient to the Kattegat. 4 minelaying Stirlings lost.

USAAF
ENGLAND: The Eighth Air Force officially promulgates Operation ARGUMENT, the air campaign specifically aimed at destroying the GAF interceptor force over Germany.

Headquarters, Ninth Air Force, creates the IX Engineer Command under Col Karl B. Schilling. The command will be responsible for building, rehabilitating, and maintaining airstrips in northern Europe following the invasion of France. Meantime, the command’s aviation engineer battalions will build fighter strips and emergency bomber strips in southern England.

354th Fighter Group personnel arrive in England by ship without any airplanes. Although trained in P-39s, the 354th is assigned to become the first fighter group in Europe or the Mediterranean to be equipped with the new P-51B Mustang long-range fighter.

The newly arrived 445th Heavy Bombardment Group, in B-24s, is assigned to the 2d Bombardment Division’s 2d Combat Bombardment Wing; and the newly arrived 446th Heavy Bombardment Group, also in B-24s, is assigned to the 2d Bombardment Division’s 20th Combat Bombardment Wing.

ITALY: B-17s of the Fifteenth Air Force’s 5th Heavy Bombardment Wing attack the highway between Leghorn and Rome and three separate rail lines; Fifteenth Air Force P-38 fighter-bombers attack a tunnel near Terni and strafe ground targets around Montalto di Castro; and NATAF aircraft attack Furbara and Tarquinia airdromes, small ships off Pescara and Solta, and trains and motor vehicles between Avezzano and Sora.

27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36 pilots down an Me-210 and a pair of Bf-109s near Guidonia Airdrome at about 1100 hours.

TUNISIA: BriGen Donald A. Davison assumes command of the new XII Air Force Provisional Engineer Command.

RAF Base Changes
60 Sqn SAAF R (Mosquito VI/IX) moves to El Aouina
94 Sqn (Hurricane IIC) moves to El Adem
203 Sqn (Non-Op) moves to LG.91
454 Sqn RAAF (Baltimore IV) moves to Berka III

First and Last Operational Missions
454 Sqn RAAF (El Adem) flies its first OM in the Baltimore IV

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414 Sqn RCAF (Gatwick – Mustang I) 5-11-43
Cloudy and foggy the entire day; visibility 500 to 1000 yards. There were 12 operational sorties for 19.15 hours In the morning F/L Stover, P/O K.A. Brown, F/O Burroughs and F/O Bromley did a Ranger and attacked and damaged trains, and F/L Stover and P/O Brown attacked a JU 52 on the ground and left it burning fiercely. F/O Blakeney and F/L Carrillo attempted a popular of the Antrain area but were called back after being airborne for 10 minutes. Later they took off again and successfully did the job. S/L Peters and F/O Wonnacott did a Ranger of the South Holland and Belgium area. They damaged trains and several pylons. When leaving the Dutch Coast S/L Peters attacked a small vessel just off shore. He encountered heavy flak and was hit in several places. The aircraft started to burn, climbed steeply and then lost height quickly. S/L. Peters was seen to jettison the hood and jump at about 20 feet from the mud bank into which the aircraft smashed. F/O Wonnacott circled the spot and saw the body of our C.O. in the mud. He is not sure whether he was alive or not but the C.O. has been classified as "Missing- Believed Killed". F/O Wonnacott returned without further incident. The Squadron was a quiet, sad lot when the news came in as our C.O. was very popular with the boys. Everyone is hoping for the best and that he is O.K. and a P.0.W. In the afternoon it was announced that F/L Stover would be our new C.O. and F/O Bernhardt took over A flight. Good luck to them both. F/0's Kehrer and MacLeod did a Rhubarb in the Cambrai area. After being inside the French coast for about 15 minutes they returned, shooting up pylons and flak positions on the way out. F/O Kehrer landed at Beaulieu and then flew over from there to Gatwick. Non-op flights were one for 0.30 hours. A bad day.

ADDENDUM – Mustang I AM111. Pilot: S/L HP Peters RCAF DFC KIA.

BOMBER COMMAND
MINOR OPERATIONS
26 Mosquitoes made small attacks on Bochum, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Hannover. 27 O.T.U. Wellingtons carried leaflets to France. No aircraft lost.

2nd TAF
The day was marked by the opening of the campaign against the V-weapons sites which would account for a substantial percentage of the TAF's operational commitment during the next six months. Although the nature of the sites would not be known to the aircrew involved (they were referred to as 'construction works' until the code-name 'Noball' came into use) the first site to receive attention was a huge bunker to house the HDP or Hochdruckpumpe (high pressure pump - the German code-name for the device) at Mimoyecques to the south-west of Calais. The site comprised a group of batteries totalling 25 long-range guns aligned on London, which had a range approaching 100 miles; this was deemed to be a priority target.

Accordingly, 24 Bostons and 48 Mitchells of 2 Group, joined by US Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders, set off for Mimoyecques, but bad weather forced the entire formation to turn back apart from 24 Mitchells equipped with 'Gee' navigational equipment. Although the site was successfully bombed despite fierce Flak, the nature of its massive concrete construction meant that many further visits would be required.

414 Squadron's aggressive Mustang pilots were active again, but during one reconnaissance sortie the Commanding Officer, Sqn Ldr H.P.Peters, was shot down by Flak whilst attacking a small ship south of Tholen Island; he baled out at very low-level, but was killed. Flt Lt Stover spotted a Ju 52/3m transport on the ground at Tillé and claimed to have destroyed this, while two 168 Squadron Mustang pilots claimed another of these aircraft damaged at Crépy-en- Valois airfield.

USAAF
ALBANIA: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack Berat/Kocove Airdrome.

FRANCE: Despite numerous aborts caused by bad weather, more than 150 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack a secret military construction site* at Mimoyecques. One B-26 is lost. (The “secret military construction sites” are later identified as V-1 rocket launching sites.)

GERMANY: Three hundred twenty-three 1st and 3d Bombardment division B-17s and five B-17 pathfinders attack the oil refinery and marshalling yard at Gelsenkirchen with 739 tons of bombs between 1313 and 1350 hours. Flak and GAF fighters account for eight B-17s lost, three damaged beyond repair, and 216 damaged. Crew casualties are four killed, 84 missing, and 31 wounded.

One hundred four 2d Bombardment Division B-24s plus four B-17 pathfinders attack a marshalling yard at Munster with 284 tons of bombs between 1349 and 1358 hours. Three B-24s are lost, one is written off, and 43 are damaged. Crew losses are seven killed, 31 missing, and 22 wounded.

Escort and support for the heavy bombers is provided by 336 P-47s and 47 P-38s, whose pilots down 19 GAF fighters, mostly over the Netherlands, between 1300 and 1430 hours at a cost of four P-47s and their pilots missing.

ITALY: NATAF aircraft attack roads and bridges in or near Atina, Cassino, Castrocielo, Isernia, Lucana, Rome, Pescara, and Vasto.

SARDINIA: The 350th Fighter Group, which has been involved in coastal-protection operations from Algerian bases, is transferred to Sardinia, from which it will conduct ground-support missions over Italy.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF aircraft attack ships off Split.

First and Last Operational Missions
305 Sqn (Swanton Morley) flies its first OM in the Mitchell II
603 Sqn (Gambut) flies its last OM in the Beaufighter XIC

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430 Sqn RCAF (Gatwick – Mustang I) 6-11-43
Rain, mist, and very bad visibility this morning. Weather cleared sufficiently in the afternoon for operations. Two rhubarbs were attempted. F/O's A.J. Alliston and R.A. Walker returned at the French coast due to very bad weather. P/O V.0. Dohaney and J.R. Wardrope entered the French Coast and penetrated twenty miles. Very bad weather was encountered and both aircraft set course for base. Shortly after F/O Wardrope became separated and lost in the fog. Repeated attempts to contact him by R/T were of no avail and F/O Wardrope is now listed asmissing.

ADDENDUM – Mustang I AP178. Pilot: F/O JR Wardrope RCAF KIA. Causer unknown. Buried in Hautot-sur-Mer Canadian Military Cemetery, Dieppe.

BOMBER COMMAND
19 Mosquitoes to Bochum, Duisburg and Düsseldorf, 16 Wellingtons minelaying off Texel, Brest, Lorient and St-Nazaire, 8 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost

USAAF
ENGLAND: IX Fighter Command headquarters personnel arrive in England by ship from the Middle East.

ITALY: Seven Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack rail bridges at Orbetello; Fifteenth Air Force P-38 fighter-bombers attack bridges near Orvieto and Monte Molino, and strafe Tarquinia Airdrome, motor vehicles, and a train; and NATAF aircraft attack road, rail, and tactical targets.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF aircraft attack road and rail targets.

RAF Base Changes
309 Sqn (Mustang I) moves to Wellingore

First and Last Operational Missions
243 Sqn (Capodichino) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VB

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300 Sqn (Polish) (Ingham – Wellington X) 7-11-43
Church parade was held in the morning, and followed by working parades and daily inspections of aircraft, One aircraft made a cross-country flight for the purpose of Gee Fixes and Homings. Three aircraft carried out serviceability tests, one aircraft. combined a serviceability test with Lorenz practice. Total day flying time amounted to 3 hours 55 minutes. Fifteen crews were briefed for mining operations. Five detailed. "Jellyfish", five detailed "Artichokes" and five detailed "Beeches". Those detailed "Jellyfish" completed the task successfully, reporting moderate to good visibility, and parachutes seen to open. Those detailed "Artichokes" completed the task successfully reporting having seen parachutes open. Aircraft captained by P/O. WOJTANOWICZ reported much opposition from light flak and searchlights over garden. Four of the five detailed "Beeches, completed the task in good visibility with slight haze and reported having seen parachutes open. Aircraft captained by F/O, BOHDANOWICZ reported trip completed with C.S.U. starboard engine u/s 40 miles from base on outward Journey Aircraft "U" captained by F/S. DROBNY, crashed at Southam R.L.G. on outward- Journey due to port engine failure, followed by starboard failure. The two mines carried were jettisoned safe at 5-8 miles E.S.E. of Rugby. The aircraft was badly damaged and crew received slight injuries.

BOMBER COMMAND
6 Mosquitoes to Essen, 35 aircraft minelaying off the French coast from Brest to southern Biscay, 7 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Stirling minelayer lost.

2nd TAF
Mustangs were out again on 7th, this time a pair of 2 Squadron aircraft undertaking an early afternoon 'Rhubarb' over France where at 1418 Flt Lt C.E.Maitland and Flg Off R.C.Cooper claimed a Bf 109 shot down ten miles south-west of Douai.

USAAF
FRANCE: More than 200 IX Bomber Command B-26s dispatched against Meulan/Les Mureaux and Montdidier airdromes abort in the face of bad weather. However, 49 P-47s and 54 P-38s dispatched by the VIII Fighter Command to escort the IX Bomber Command B-26s sweep the English Channel coast from Ostend, Belgium, to Calais. Results of the sweep are nil, but two P-38s are lost.

GERMANY: Restricted and dispersed by bad weather, 112 B-17s of the 122 that are actually dispatched attack a variety of targets in Germany: 37 3d Bombardment Division B-17s attack their briefed primary, an aircraft-industry plant at Duren, with 84 tons of bombs at 1114 hours; 53 1st Bombardment Division B-17s attack their briefed primary, an aircraft-industry plant at Wesel, with 125 tons of bombs at 1125 hours; and 20 3d Bombardment Division B-17s attack their briefed secondary, at Randerath, with 48 tons of bombs between 1114 and 1125 hours.

283 VIII Fighter Command P-47s escort and support the heavy bombers, but only one GAF fighter is downed. The 56th Fighter Group posts one P-47 missing, and the 355th Fighter Group posts five P-47s missing. The 78th Fighter Group flies the VIII Fighter Command’s first group double escort mission with “A” and “B” fighter formations

RAF Base Changes
3 Sqn SAAF (Hurricane IIB) moves to Amriya
203 Sqn (Non-Op) leaves for India
268 Sqn (Mustang I) moves to Turnhouse
410 Sqn RCAF (Mosquito NFII) moves to Hunsdon

First and Last Operational Missions
46 Sqn (Idku) flies its last OM in the Beaufighter VIC
66 Sqn (Perranporth) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VC
134 Sqn (Qassassin) flies its last OM in the Hurricane IIB
401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VB
485 Sqn RNZAF (Hornchurch) flies its last OM in the Spitfire LFIXB
504 Sqn (Peterhead) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VI

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231 Sqn (Redhill – Mustang I) 8-11-43
F/Lt. D.R. TURLEY-GEORGE G.D. R.A.F. (41336) and P/O J.H. PERKINS G.D. R.A.F.V.R. (124852) carried out a “RHUBARB” in the Cherbourg Peninsular area. While the pair were attacking the first train F/LT. TURLEY-GEORGE was severely wounded in both arms by light flak but continued to fly his aircraft for a further 59 minutes, making a successful crash landing at R.A.F. TANGMERE. P/O PEKINS returned safely to base.

F/LT. D.F. TALLFIELD G.D. R.A.F.V.R. (106179) and P/O F.W. WOOD G.D. R.A.F.V.R. (122428) carried out a photographic mission over the French Coast. Mission was unsuccessful owing to the wrong area being photographed.

BOMBER COMMAND
7 Oboe Mosquitoes bombed Cologne and Duisburg without loss.

2nd TAF
A second visit to Mimoyecques by 2 Group Bostons and Mitchells discovered that the defences had been reinforced in the meantime. Flak was encountered all the way in from the coast, and two Mitchells were hit. One went down over the target, but Wg Cdr Tait nursed his damaged bomber back across the Channel, just failing to reach Manston, and crash-landing in a field nearby.

USAAF
ENGLAND: The new 354th Fighter Group, which is transitioning from P-39s into P-51s, becomes the first tactical fighter unit formally assigned to the IX Fighter Command.

ITALY: The Twelfth Air Force is grounded by bad weather, but NATAF aircraft are able to mount six small missions against gun emplacements and motor vehicles along the battle line and a few trains near the battle area. During an afternoon mission, a 57th Fighter Group P-40 pilot downs a Ju-88 off Pescara.

Eighty-one Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Fiat ball-bearing plant, marshalling yards, and an aircraft engine factory at Turin.

RAF Base Changes
96 Sqn (Non-Op) moves to West Malling

First and Last Operational Missions
80 Sqn (Derna) flies its first OM in the Spitfire VB

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611 Sqn (Coltishall – Spitfire VC) 9-11-43
Very misty morning but the sun broke through and at 11.30 hours F/O HODGKINSON, (Red 1) SGT DALY (Red 2) F/S BEVAN (Red 3) SGT. WILSON (Red 4) took off and landed at BRADWELL BAY 11.50 hours, they took off from there at 12.30 hours on a RHUBARB to ST. POL/BETHUNE railway. A goods train was seen, approximately 5 miles East of Bethune. Red 1 called up to say that he and his No.2 (SGT. DALY) would take the engine and told No.3 (2F/S BEVAN) and No.4 (SGT. WILSON) to take flak, and told everybody to attack and break round to the left. The train on being attacked opened up with Bofors and cannon fire, strikes were seen on the engine and trucks. The leader of the formation stated that this train was heavily defended. At this point No.2 (Sgt. DALY) called over the R/T that his aircraft was hit and was climbing to bale out. SGT. WILSON just later an aircraft, which was SGT. DALY, smoking heavily but did not see SGT DALY bale out. SGT. WILSON then saw SGT Bevan bale out at 13.25 hours, he circled round and saw him land, the aircraft crashing into a wood just West of BETHUNE. The two remaining aircraft flew back individually F/O HODGKINSON landing at MANSTON at 13.45 hours and SGT. WILSON at GREAT DUNMOW at 14.20 hours.

ADDENDUM – Spitfire VC EE732 FY-? Pilot: F/S JC Bevan KIA. Buried at Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery.

Spitfire VC AR509 FY-? Pilot: Sgt JVP Daly POW.

BOMBER COMMAND
18 Oboe Mosquitoes bombed blast furnaces at Bochum and a steelworks at Duisburg. No aircraft lost.

2nd TAF
During a morning sortie, a 168 Squadron Mustang was shot down by Flak near Mont St Michel, off St Malo, Flg Off G.D.L.Machin being killed. Another pair of Mustangs was out early in the afternoon, but was hit by Flak. 2 Squadron's Flg Off M.P.Dunkerley crashed in flames near Perrey-en-Auge, and was killed, but the other pilot, Wg Cdr A.F. Anderson, the 35 Wing Leader, returned with his aircraft in a damaged condition.

USAAF
ALBANIA: NATAF fighters strafe gun emplacement, ships, and radio stations along the Albanian coast.

ITALY: NATAF aircraft attack Formia and Itri as a diversion for a bombardment of Formia and Gaeta by Allied naval forces; NATAF aircraft also attack road, rail, and tactical targets; Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Genoa-Ansaldo steel works; and 20 Fifteenth Air Force B-24s miss the target entirely when they attack Turin’s Villaperosa ball-bearing plant at 1230 hours.

One FW-190 is downed over Turin at 1220 hours by an 82d Fighter Group P-38 escort pilot.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF fighter-bombers attack shipping in Split harbour.

RAF Base Changes
7 Sqn SAAF (Spitfire VC/IX) moves to El Gamil
80 Sqn (Spitfire VB/VC/IX) moves to Kabrit
157 Sqn (Mosquito NFII) moves to Predannack
307 Sqn (Mosquito NFII) moves to Drem
1435 Sqn (Spitfire VB/VC/IX) moves to Brindisi

First and Last Operational Missions
450 Sqn RAAF (Mileni) flies its first OM in the Kittyhawk IV

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35 Sqn (Graveley – Halifax II) 11-11-43
Twenty-four aircraft set out to attack Cannes, twenty of them carrying out their attacks to plan. Two aircraft, captained by P/O R.W. Daniel and F/L. C. DALLIN respectively, failed to return; one, captained by P/O J.R. PETRIE-ANDREWS, DFC., ditched off the coast of Sardinia, the crew being rescued uninjured from their dinghy. One aircraft failed to reach the target area its bombs being jettisoned safe prior to return to base.

ADDENDUM – Halifax II HR798 TL-R. Crew: F/L WC Dallin POW, Sgt DWC Wade POW, F/L SF Jefferson POW, P/O HB Hall EVD, Sgt TR Vass EVD, Sgt DG Button KIA, Sgt TW Roberts POW. T/o 1817 Gravely. Shot down by Uffz Herbert Treff (1st victory) 2./JG2, came down near Liseaux at 0058. Sgt Button is buried in St-Desir War Cemetery.

Halifax II HR985 TL-A. Crew: P/O RW Daniel RAAF EVD, F/L JM Candlish RCAF KIA, Sgt W Phipps KIA, P/O JW Harrison RCAF KIA, F/L LD Hosking KIA, F/S AJ Thomson KIA, P/O D Wood KIA, F/S JG Bell RCAF KIA. T/o 1833 Graveley. Shot down by Uffz Werner Edelmann (1st victory) 2./JG2, N. Ste. Marguerite-des-Loges at 0112. Those who died lie in St-Desir War Cemetery.

BOMBER COMMAND
CANNES
124 Halifaxes and 10 Lancasters of 4, 6 and 8 Groups to bomb the marshalling yards and railway installations on the main coastal line to Italy. 4 Halifaxes lost.

The night was clear and the Pathfinders marked the target from 5,000 ft but the railway yards were not hit at all and the railway workshops suffered only blast damage. A report from Cannes states that the local people were at first thrilled to see the ‘firework display’ of the Pathfinders and could even see the R.A.F. aircraft in the moonlight, but the bombing, ‘like a typhoon’, mainly fell in the working-class suburb of La Bocca, where 39 people were killed, and in the village of d’Agay, where the casualties were not recorded. A local newspaper, under German control, writes of the resentment of the local French people at the inaccurate bombing, particularly as the British had been such popular pre-war visitors to Cannes. The British were, writes the newspaper, ‘pure savages’ and the raid was ‘nothing but murder for British glory … too much like a sport’.

Anthéor Viaduct
617 Squadron resumed operations after its period of high-level training with the new ‘Stabilizing Automatic Bomb Sight’. 10 Lancasters each dropped one 12,000-lb bomb but could not hit the viaduct. No aircraft lost.

Minor Operations: 29 Mosquitoes to Berlin, Hannover and the Ruhr, 45 aircraft minelaying from Brest to the Frisian Islands, 6 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Halifax and 1 Wellington lost from the minelaying force.

Cannes route as planned

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Cannes route as flown

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2nd TAF
The day started badly when on an early morning 'Rhubarb, Flg Off O.S.Peck of 414 Squadron and Flg Off K.J.Trask of 231 Squadron were both shot down and killed, while at much the same time, a 430 Squadron Mustang was damaged by Flak. About four hours later 'Ramrod 312' was flown to St Pol, where Capt Thorvold Johnsen of 122 Squadron shot down Fw Peter Ahrens of 3./JG 26, and Flt Lt T.H.Drinkwater of 19 Squadron brought down Uffz Arthur Spiegel of the same unit; Spiegel was killed and Ahrens wounded.

Further Mustang 'Rhubarbs' were then flown, two 231 Squadron pilots claiming a Do 217 shot down south of Flers during the early afternoon. They were closely followed by two more aircraft from 400 Squadron; as these flew over the Albert-Arras area at 1530, three aircraft identified as Me 210s were seen, Flt Lt H.L.Morham and Flg Off J.M.Robb jointly claiming one shot down and one probably so, Morham then claiming damage to the third. They had actually attacked three Ju 188s of the Ergänzungsstaffel/KG 6, all of which were shot down.
247 Squadron lost a second Typhoon and Australian pilot to the unit's new weapon - this time owing to a hang-up. Returning from an attack on 'construction works' at Martinvast on the Cherbourg peninsula, the bomb fell off as the aircraft touched down at Merston and Plt Off Waugh perished in the ensuing explosion and fire.

USAAF
ALGERIA: 417th Night-Fighter Squadron Beaufighters down one Ju-88 and damage another off Arzieu between 1720 and 1950 hours.

ENGLAND: The Eighth Air Force’s 479th Antisubmarine Group is officially disbanded. Groundcrews from the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron are assigned to the 482d Heavy Pathfinder Bombardment Group. Also, flying personnel from the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron and groundcrews from the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron are assigned to a nascent and as-yet-unofficial Eighth Air Force special operations group, which is being prepared to drop agents and supplies by parachute to assist partisan organizations in France and the Low Countries.

FRANCE: Thirty-one Fifteenth Air Force B-24s cause no damage when they drop 90 tons of bombs on a ball-bearing factory and viaduct at Annecy. One B-24 is lost to flak.

One hundred sixty-two IX Bomber Command B-26s attack a secret military construction site and targets of opportunity in an area of the Cherbourg Peninsula centered on Martinvast.

GERMANY: The 1st Bombardment Division abandons its mission to Wesel due to bad weather, but 59 3d Bombardment Division B-17s (from three of seven groups dispatched) and one B-17 pathfinder attack their briefed primary, a marshalling yard at Munster, with 122 tons of bombs at 1408 hours. The other four 3d Division groups turn back over the Dutch coast because of a navigational error and the failure of the pathfinder equipment.

Three hundred forty-two VIII Fighter Command P-47s and 59 P-38s—a one-day record—escorting and supporting the heavy bombers account for nine GAF fighters downed along the bomber routes between 1345 and 1500 hours.

ITALY: NATAF and RAF light bombers and fighter-bombers attack numerous tactical targets in the Palena and Rocca areas in support of the British Eighth Army; NATAF fighters attack motor vehicles along the coast between the Pescara and Sangro rivers; and NATAF aircraft attack Rocca, an explosives factory, the port of Civitavecchia, and German Army strongpoints at two locations.

During a series of midmorning engagements over central Italy, 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down two FW-109s and damage several other GAF fighters. Also, an FW-190 is downed during the afternoon by a 27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36 pilot.

The 47th Bombardment Wing headquarters is transferred without its B-26 groups or aircraft from Tunisia to Manduria, Italy, near Taranto. The wing headquarters will eventually oversee operations of Fifteenth Air Force B-24 groups (initially the 98th and 376th).

RAF Base Changes
106 Sqn (Lancaster I/III) moves to Metheringham

First and Last Operational Missions
66 Sqn (Hornchurch) flies its first OM in the Spitfire IX and its last OM in the Spitfire VB
140 Sqn (Hartfordbridge) flies its first OM in the Mosquito PRIX

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412 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill –Spitfire VB) 12-11-43
With P/O Bowker as No. 1 and P/O Likeness as No. 2, the two pilots carried out a rhubarb over France. Course was set from Beachy Head and the flew on the deck to 6 miles off the coast of France. 4 miles North of Ault, they climbed to 4,000 feet and crossed the coast in cloud. Theydived out of the cloud and onto the deckand set course för the Hornoy area. 4 miles West of Poix an attack was made on a train on a siding. It blew up. About 10 miles South ofPoixthey made for the Roye area. Two large army trucks were attacked on a small road Just South of Ailly. After two attacks both vehicles were destroyed. 10 milesSouthof Amiens a flak tower was attacked with strikes seen. Another train was attacked about 10 miles S.S.W. of Doullens and left enveloped in steam. Somewhere in the Lille area No. 1, P/O Bowker's aircraft was hit by flak and the pilot wounded in the neck and head. His instruments and R/T becameU/S but managed to return home with his No. 2, both pilots landed safely, P/0 Bowker was then removed to Orpington Hospital where his condition was not considered serious.

BOMBER COMMAND
7 Mosquitoes attacked Düsseldorf, Essen and Krefeld without loss.

USAAF
ALBANIA: After failing to locate their assigned targets near Athens, Twelfth Air Force B-25s returning from Greece attack Berat/Kocove Airdrome and an Albanian oil refinery.

ENGLAND: The 97th Combat Bombardment Wing headquarters is activated to oversee operations of several Ninth Air Force light bombardment (A-20) groups; the 3d Medium Bombardment Wing headquarters (B-26s) is redesignated the 98th Medium Combat Bombardment Wing; and the headquarters of the Eighth Air Force’s 44th Bombardment Wing is transferred to the Ninth Air Force and redesignated the 99th Medium Combat Bombardment Wing. All three wings are attached to IX Bomber Command. Also, the 323d and 387th Medium Bombardment groups are placed under the control of the 98th Wing, and the 322d and 386th Medium Bombardment groups are placed under the control of the 99th Wing. For the time being, the three wing headquarters are restricted to overseeing training of their subordinate units, and not combat operations.

ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-26s dispatched to attack rail lines and bridges around Montalto di Castro and Orbetello are dispersed by heavy cloud cover, and the attacks are largely ineffectual. NATAF aircraft attack road, rail, and tactical targets in support of the U.S. Fifth and British Eighth armies.

27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36 pilots down two Ju-88s north of Rome during an afternoon mission.

During the night of November 12–13, NATAF A-20s attack a marshalling yard at Arezzo and Perugia Airdrome.

RAF Base Changes
24 Sqn SAAF (Boston III) moves to Torterella
168 Sqn (Mustang IA) moves to Sawbridgeworth
170 Sqn (Mustang IA) moves to Sawbridgeworth
303 Sqn (Non-Op) moves to Ballyherbert
467 Sqn RAAF (Lancaster III) moves to Waddington

First and Last Operational Missions
74 Sqn (Idku) flies its first OM in the Spitfire VB
412 Sqn (Biggin Hill) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VB

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403 Sqn RCAF (Kenley – Spitfire IX) 13-11-43
Weather: Scattered cloud in morning later in afternoon intermittent showers and 10/10th cloud at times. Very cold. General: F/L. Browne and P/O. L.C. Rowe, flying as Red section, took off this afternoon on a Rhubarb, after refuelling at Friston. They penetrated France to the Cambrai area, and succeeded in damaging several locomotives. P/O. Rowe was last seen shortly after before they entered cloud on the my back to base. He is reported as missing. He had just been informed about his commission yesterday. There were nine non-operational sorties to-day on formation and cine gun practice and also on local flying.

ADDENDUM – Spitfire IX MA573. Pilot: P/O LC Rowe RCAF KIA. Shot down by Flak. Buried in Beauvais Cemetery, Oise, France.

P/O Lewis Cameron Rowe

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His grave

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BOMBER COMMAND
9 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 8 Oboe Mosquitoes to blast furnaces at Bochum. No losses.

2nd TAF
Four Typhoons of 181 Squadron undertook a 'Rhubarb' to the south of Paris during the early afternoon. Flak was encountered soon after crossing the French coast, and two of these aircraft were shot down at once with the loss of both their pilots. Flt Lt W.O.Peacock, the section leader, made it back to the area south of Shoreham, where his Typhoon then crashed into the sea and he too was lost; it was believed that his aircraft had also been hit and was suffering from damage which had caused its demise. Flg Off A.E.Vincent, who would later command the squadron, was the only survivor.

USAAF
ENGLAND: The 67th Reconnaissance Group is transferred from the VIII Air Support Command to the Ninth Air Force and reequipped with P-51A aircraft.

GERMANY: Bad weather over England creates havoc with the day’s mission against Bremen. The 1st Bombardment Division abandons the mission owing to immense problems during assembly; the only two 1st Bombardment Division B-17s that get over the Continent attack targets of opportunity through holes in the clouds; and 73 3d Bombardment Division B-17s, 53 2d Bombardment Division B-24s, and three pathfinder B-17s manage to attack the primary target, the Bremen port area, but many bombs are expended on unidentified “targets of opportunity” that happen to lay beneath holes in the cloud cover. Three B-17s and 13 B-24s are downed by flak and fighters, but a high proportion of heavy bombers are lost or severely damaged in a rash of operational accidents: two B-17s crash separately during assembly, killing a total of 17 crewmen; a B-17 is abandoned by its crew over England when it catches fire; when two B-17s collide en route to the target, one ditches and the other crashes into the sea, fortunately without loss of life; two B-17s collide during the bomb run over Bremen; a B-24 crashes while landing; and another B-24 crash-lands on return to England. Also on this mission, B-24 groups fly 12-plane section formations for the first time.

Three hundred forty-five VIII Fighter Command P-47s and 45 P-38s escort and support the heavy bombers, but their range is severely limited by strong headwinds. The fighters take part in several running battles across the Netherlands and over Bremen, and they are credited with downing seven GAF fighters and two Ju-88s, but seven P-38s and three P-47s are also lost with nine pilots, and two other P-38s crash-land at U.K. bases and must be written off.

ITALY: The Fifteenth Air Force is grounded by bad weather, but NATAF A-20s attack Atina, Palena, and the harbor at Civitavecchia; and other NATAF aircraft attack tactical targets in the battle area, three Axis landing grounds, and the harbor at Giulianove.

31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down four Bf-109s over the port of Gaeta at about 1630 hours.

RAF Base Changes
225 Sqn (Beaufighter VIF) moves to Grottaglie
315 Sqn (Spitfire VB/VC) moves to Heston

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401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire VB) 14-11-43
Weather duff again, with heavy fog. Only 2 sorties carried out, one cannon test, and local flip. Pilot state: 23 operational, 3 non oper., 1 in Hospital, 6 detached and on leave.

USAAF
BULGARIA: Twelfth Air Force B-25s, escorted by P-38s of the Fifteenth Air Force’s 82d Fighter Group, attack marshalling yards at Sofia. Eighteen Axis fighters attack the bombers over the target, but they are driven off by 82d Fighter Group P-38s, whose pilots down three Bf-109s and two FW-190s against the loss of one P-38.

ITALY: NATAF operations over Italy are virtually shut down by bad weather, but fighters are able to strafe Furbara and Tarquinia airdromes and attack trains near Avezzano.

RAF Base Changes
125 Sqn (Beaufighter VIF) moves to Valley
134 Sqn (Non-Op) leaves for India
150 Sqn (wellington X) moves to Oudna I

First and Last Operational Missions
32 Sqn (Montecorvino) flies its first OM in the Spitfire VC
227 Sqn (Lakatamia) flies its first OM in the Beaufighter TFX

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105 Sqn (Marham – Mosquito BIX) 15-11-43
Eight aircraft carrying 6 x 500 H.C. and two carrying 4 x 500 M. C. were detailed to attack the RHEINMETTAL BORSIG at DUSSELDORF. S/Ldr. Blessing and P/O. Humphrey attacked the primary. F/Lts. Austin, Bird, Castle, Stephens and P/O. Wade attacked last resort target. P/O. Caesar-Gordon abandoned the task. F/L. Wills Jettisoned his bombs "safe" and F/L. Hampson failed to return. Moderate to intense, accurate heavy flak was encountered and four aircraft were damaged. P/O. Humphrey being slightly wounded in the foot.

Crews:- F/L. Austin & F/L. Westerman; F/L. Bird & F/O. Hildrew; P/O. Humphrey & F/S. Moore; F/L. Castle & F/O. Griffith; F/L. Stephens & F/L. Ruskell; P/O. Wade & F/O. Fleet; F/L. Wills & P/O. Hall; F/O. Caesar-Gordon & F/L. Strachan; S/L. Blessing & F/S. Burke; F/L Hampson & P/O. Hammond. F/L. F.R. Bird, F/O. W.E.G. Humphrey, F/L. R.W. Bray (pilots) and P/O. T.W. Pierce, F/O. T.L. Hildrew & F/Sgt. I. Moore (navigators) temporarily awarded Path Finder Force Badge.

ADDENDUM – Mosquito BIX ML904 GB-? Crew: F/L JR Hampson POW, P/O HWE Hammond RCAF POW

BOMBER COMMAND
10 Mosquitoes to Düsseldorf and 2 to Bonn. 2 aircraft lost, one from each target.

USAAF
ENGLAND: On an undisclosed date in mid-November, the 447th Heavy Bombardment Group, in B-17s, arrives in England and is assigned to the 3d Bombardment Division’s 4th Combat Bombardment Wing.

GREECE: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack Athens/Kalamaki Airdrome. Also, while Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome at about 1300 hours, P-38 escorts from the 82d Fighter Group stave off attacks by GAF fighters, damaging six and downing an FW-190 and a Ju-87.

ITALY: NATAF fighters attack road traffic south of Ancona.

RAF Base Changes
4 Sqn (Mustang I) moves to North Weald
37 Sqn (Wellington X) moves to Djedeida
70 Sqn (Wellington III/X) moves to Djedeida
142 Sqn (Wellington X) moves to Oudna I
322 Sqn (Spitfire VB) moves to Lianbedr
406 Sqn RCAF (Beaufighter VIF) moves to Exeter
415 Sqn RCAF (Wellington XIII) moves to Bircham Newton

First and Last Operational Missions
303 Sqn (Ballyhalbert) flies its first OM and starts its second tour of duty in the Spitfire VB


Last one

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[warshipbuilder]

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire LFIXB) 16-11-43
Typical Biggin HIll fog closed in on the aerodrome all day. No flying carried out. Pilot State: 21 operational, 3 non-oper., 1 in hospital, 7 detached and on leave.

BOMBER COMMAND
MINOR OPERATIONS
21 Mosquitoes to Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Krefeld, 8 O.T.U. Wellingtons on leaflet flights to France. No losses.

USAAF
ENGLAND: Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, RAF, is named Air Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), and BriGen William O. Butler, USAAF, is named as his deputy.

FRANCE: Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Istres-le-Tube and Istres/Les Pates airdromes, and Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack Salon-de-Provence Airdrome.

GREECE: Twelfth Air Force B-25s attack Athens/Eleusis Airdrome.

NORWAY: One hundred thirty 1st Bombardment Division B-17s attack aircraft-industry targets at Knaben with 313 tons of bombs between 1138 and 1238 hours; 147 3d Bombardment Division B-17s attack aircraft-industry targets at Rjukan with more than 355 tons of bombs at 1145 hours; and 29 2d Bombardment Division B-24s attack Rjukan with 74 tons of bombs between 1204 and 1212 hours.

YUGOSLAVIA: Twelfth Air Force B-25s attack Sibenik Airdrome.

RAF Base Changes
61 Sqn (Lancaster I/III) moves to Skellingthorpe
66 Sqn (Spitfire LFIXB) moves to Southend
208 Sqn (Non-Op) moves to Al Bassa
616 Sqn (Spitfire VI/VII) moves to Fairwood Common

First and Last Operational Missions
26 Sqn (Church Fenton) flies its last OM in the Mustang I
46 Sqn (Idku) flies its last OM in the Beaufighter XIC
456 Sqn RAAF (Colerne) flies its first OM in the Mosquito NFII