Pacifica Military History Free Sample Chapters.pmd

138 Pacifica Military History
December 19, 1942
TUNISIA: Twelfth Air Force A-20s, escorted by 33d Fighter Group P-
40s, attack the marshalling yards at Sfax, and a 33d Fighter Group P-40
pilot downs a Ju-88 near Sfax.
December 20, 1942
FRANCE: In the first mission in which the Eighth Air Force’s four
operational B-17 groups operate under the supervision of the 1st Heavy
Bombardment Wing and its one operational B-24 group operates under
the supervision of the 2d Heavy Bombardment Wing, 60 B-17s and 12
B-24s drop more than 167 tons of bombs on Romilly-sur-Seine Airdrome.
Fighter opposition is extremely heavy. Whereas bomber gunners
claim an incredible 53 GAF fighters downed and 13 probably
downed, enemy fighters and flak definitely down six B-17s, cause
unrepairable damage to one B-17, and damage 29 B-17s and one B-24.
Also, two B-17s crash-land in England. Crew losses amount to two killed,
58 missing, and 12 wounded. Overall, these are the worst losses for a
single day sustained by the Eighth Air Force so far in the war.
TUNISIA: IX Bomber Command B-24s dispatched against Sousse harbor
abort in the face of bad weather, but three of them claim the destruction
of an Axis ship north of Sfax.
December 21, 1942
ALGERIA: 14th Fighter Group P-38s scrambled from their base at
Youk-les-Bains down three Ju-88s during the afternoon.
TUNISIA: XII Bomber Command B-17s are prevented by bad weather
from attacking Sfax or Gabes, and 93d Heavy Bombardment Group B-
24s, operating under IX Bomber Command control, are prevented by
bad weather from attacking the port at Sousse. However, XII Fighter
Command P-40s destroy a tank and several motor vehicles near
Kairouan.
December 22, 1942
TUNISIA: Bad weather prevents XII Bomber Command B-17s from
attacking Bizerte or secondary targets at Sfax and Sousse; and only two
93d Heavy Bombardment Group B-24s dispatched against Sousse pen-