Eighth Air Force. Over 950 United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
heavy bombers attack 8 railway centres, junctions, stations
and marshalling yards and 1 oil depot in East Germany and
West Czechoslovakia 15 fighters groups fly support, encountering
about 50 Luftwaffe fighters, mostly jets, and claiming 13
destroyed including 4 jets in aerial combat. The fighters
strafe numerous airfields and claim over 250 parked aircraft
destroyed.
Ninth Air Force. United States Army Air Force (USAAF) 9th
Bomber Division attacks defended city of Magdeburg including
numerous gun positions in the area, marshalling yard and ordnance
depot at Aalen, marshalling yard and ordnance depot at Tubingen,
and ordnance depot at Ravensburg. Fighters fly escort to 9th
Bomber Division, fly patrols, area cover, and armed reconnaissance,
hit airfields at Marianske Lazne and Michalovy Hory, and support
United States 3d Armoured Division mopping up South of the
Elbe River and West of the Mulde River near Dessau, 9th Armoured
Division along the Mulde River East of Leipzig, VIII Corps
in Greiz, Zwickau area, XX Corps South West of Chemnitz, 5th
Armoured Division at Knesebeck Forest, South of Wittingen,
and 2d Armoured Division opening assault on Mapdeburg.
Twelfth Air Force. United States Army Air Force (USAAF) light
bombers during
16-17
April 1945, hit Po River crossings and several towns West
and South West of Bologna. During the day B-25 Mitchell medium
bombers of 57th Bomber Wing successfully attack 4 Reno River
bridges near Bologna and close support targets on British
Eighth Army front to the South West, and extensively damage
4 bridges in North Italy and Austria on Brenner rail line.
XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers concentrate
on close support of United States Fifth Army South and West
of Bologna.
Fifteenth Air Force. 751 United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
B-24 Liberator heavy bombers and B-17 Flying Fortress heavy
bombers, in support of United States Fifth Army, hit troop
concentrations, supply dumps, gun positions, and Headquarters
immediately South and South West of Bologna. 143 P-51 Mustang
fighter-bombers provide escort. 147 P-38 Lightning fighters
dive-bomb railroad bridges at Seefeld and Mariahof. 14 P-51
Mustang fighter-bombers, with 10 flying top cover, strafe
targets in Munich, Plzen, and Linz areas. 61 P-51 Mustang
fighter-bombers escort Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force
(MATAF) supply missions to North Italy and bombing raids on
bridges in West Austria. Other P-38 Lightning fighters and
P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance
escort.
Tenth Air Force. 18 United States Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter-bombers
hit troops and supplies near Mong Kung and Wan Hpun. 12 others
attack vehicles and other targets along roads South of bomb
line. 489 transport sorties are completed to forward areas
throughout the day.
Fourteenth Air Force. 4 United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
B-25 Mitchell medium bombers and 4 P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers
blast river shipping South of Yiyang. 6 B-25 Mitchell medium
bombers bomb area around Kwangsi University at Liang-feng.
2 B-24 Liberator heavy bombers bomb Bakli Bay dock area. 70
P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers and P-40 fighters hit troops,
town areas, road traffic, river shipping, and general targets
at several locations in South and East China including Changsha,
Sinning, Sinhwa, Yiyang, Tungting Lake, Paoching, Yungfengshih,
Shanhsien, Lingling, Pingsiang, Tsinkong, and Hochih.
Far East Air Force (FEAF). United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
B-24 Liberator heavy bombers bomb Taichu, Shinshoshi, Toyohara,
and Okayama airfields. B-25 Mitchell medium bombers hit airfields
at Taito. Numerous sweeps and sorties are flown in support
of ground forces over Luzon, Cebu, Negros, Mindanao ,and Sulu
Archipelago. B-24 Liberator heavy bombers over Mindanao bomb
Cotabato and Kabacan.
Twentieth Air Force. Nearly 120 United States Army Air Force
(USAAF) B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber's bomb airfields at
Tachiarai, Kokubu, Izumi, Nittagahara, and Kanoya (2). Beginning
on this date and continuing through
11
May 1945, XXI Bomber Command devotes about 75 per cent
of its combat effort to support of Okinawa campaign. During
this period the B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber's fly more
than 2,100 sorties against 17 airfields on Kyushu and Shikoku
Islands which are dispatching air attacks including Kamikaze
raids against United States Navy and Marine forces.
Seventh Air Force. 18 United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers flying two strikes from Iwo Jima,
attack vessels in Futamiko.
Go To: 18th
April
Articles:
The Second Great War.
Edited by Sir John Hamilton
The War Illustrated.
Edited by Sir John Hamilton
2194 Days Of War.
ISBN-10: 086136614X
For a complete list of
sources
