| This day the 8th USAAF dispatched no less than 1.090 4-engine bombers with an escort of 692 fighters from bases in England. Their mission for the day was to attack aircraft and fuel producing plants in central Germany. The Luftwaffe dispatched in total of 122 fighters to meet the incoming enemy force. The hardest hit Gruppe this day was II./JG 27 that had took off at around 09.00 form Frankfurt Rhein-Main with 22 fighters. This unit was not able to file a single aircraft shot down loosing six own machines, with another machine damaged. During the clash two pilots in the Gruppe was KIA, including Uffz. Willi Salinger flying in his "Weisse 5" and another two pilots was WIA. In total the Luftwaffe fighter force claimed 14 4-engine bombers and four fighters for the loss of 24 machines. In fact the USAAF lost 24 bombers with another two written off, and another 269 damaged bombers, the USAAF fighter force claimed 32 Luftwaffe fighters shot while losing just three fighters, with another one filed as a total write off. |
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