Air War WW2 Portal 
8th Air Force Europe in November 1942
MONDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
Eighth Air Force: Brigadier General Robet C Candee, Commanding General VIII
Air Support Command, states that the effort expended and personnel lost in
organizing the Twelfth AF and preparing for its move from the UK to N Africa
has severely retarded organization of his HQ and staff.
SATURDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
Eighth Air Force: Mission 16: 23 of 56 B-17s and 11 of 12 B-24s attack the
U-boat pens at Brest, France; they claim 4-3-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-17 is
damaged beyond repair and 12 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA. 7 B-24s fly a
diversion.
SUNDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Mission 17: 53
bombers are dispatched to hit two targets in France; 1 B-17 is lost:
1. 11 of 15 B-17s bomb the Abbeville/Drucat Airfield; they claim 1-2-1
Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s are damaged and 5 airmen are WIA.
2. 31 of 38 B-17s bomb the Atelier d'Hellemmes locomotive works at Lille;
they claim 10-4-13 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-17 is lost and 8 damaged; 3
airmen are WIA and 11 MIA.
MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Lieutenant General
Carl Spaatz, Commanding General Eighth Air Force, in a memo to Lieutenant
General Dwight D Eisenhower, agrees that any increase in air commitments to N
Africa must necessarily be made at the expense of US forces in the UK as US
forces in other theaters are considered irreducible.
Mission 18: 31 of 33 B-17s and 12 of 14 B-24s attack the U-boat base at
Saint Nazaire, France from reduced altitude; only 1 of the 12 B-24s bombing
from 17,500 to 18,300 feet (5,334 to 5,578 m) suffer AA damage, but 31 B-17s
at 7,500 to 10,000 feet (2,286 to 3,048 m) lose 3 of aircraft and have 22
damaged by AA fire, 1 airman KIA, 11 WIA and 32 MIA; this ends the experiment
with low-level attacks of heavy bombers, against submarine bases.
FRIDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): HQ VIII AF Composite
Command moves from the temporary station at Long Kesh to Kirkassock House,
Ireland.
SATURDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Mission 19: 34
bombers are dispatched to hit U-boats pens at La Pallice, France but the
target is covered by 10/10 clouds and 15 of 21 B-17s and 9 of 13 B-24s hit
the secondary, the port area at St Nazaire, France; 1 B-24 is damaged. 6
B-24s fly a diversion for this mission.
TUESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Mission 20: 2
locations are targetted:
1. 23 of 49 B-17s and 12 of 14 B-24s hit the U-boats pens at St Nazaire,
France; they claim 6-8-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 9 B-17s and 7 B-24s are damaged;
1 airman is KIA and 3 WIA.
2. 6 B-24s are dispatched to hit Maupertus Airfield at Cherbourg but abort
due to cloud cover.
3. 10 B-17s fly a diversion to covert the missions above.
WEDNESDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Mission 21: 65
bombers are dispatched to hit targets against U-boat bases in France; 1 bomber
is lost:
1. 13 of 13 B-24s hit Lorient; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 3 are
damaged; 5 airmen are KIA and 8 WIA.
2. 19 of 21 B-17s hit St Nazaire; 15 B-17s are damaged and 3 airmen are
WIA.
3. 21 of 34 B-17s hit La Pallice; 1 B-17s is lost and 9 damaged; 1 airman
is KIA and 3 WIA.
4. 20 B-17s and 6 B-24s fly diversions for the above missions.
THURSDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Submarine yards at
Vegesack, Bremen, and Kiel, Germany are added to day bombardment program as
top priority objectives.
SATURDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): The 109th Observation
Squadron, 67th Observation Group, moves from Membury to Atcham, England with
A-20s (first mission is Dec 43).
SUNDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Mission 22: 68 B-17s
and 8 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Keroma U-boat pens at Lorient, France;
only 11 B-17s find a gap in the 10/10 cloud cover and bomb at 1410 hours
local without loss.
MONDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): Mission 23: 50 B-17s
and 8 B-24s are dispatched to hit the St Nazaire submarine base in France for
the 5th time in 2 weeks; the cumulative effect of the operation on the base
is large though the sub shelter shows little permanent damage; 28 B-17s and 8
B-24s hit the target; they claim 16-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; the AAF crews
report a change in fighter tactics from rear to head-on attack as the
Luftwaffe learns that the B-17 and B-24 are weak in forward firepower; 4
B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 16 B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged;
3 airmen are KIA, 16 WIA and 43 MIA. Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, First Lord of
the Admiralty, writes to Lieutenant General Ira C Eaker, Commanding General
Eighth AF, praising the effects of the US bomber attacks on disorganizing the
servicing schedule of the German U-boat bases on the French W coast.
WEDNESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): The 107th Observation
Squadron, 67th Observation Group, moves from Membury to Aldermaston, England
with A-20s, L-4s and Spitfires (first mission is 20 Dec 43).
SATURDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): In England, the 153d
Observation Squadron, 67th Observation Group, moves from Membury to Keevil
with A-20s, L-4s and P-51s (first mission is 18 Aug 43); the 330th
Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93d Bombardment Group (Heavy), ceases operating
from Holmsley with B-24s and returns to base to Alconbury.
MONDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO, Eighth Air Force): In a meeting at the
Air Ministry a joint decision is made on the allocation of responsibility,
with the RAF to provide aerial defense of sectors in which US airfields are
located while the VIII Fighter Command operates principally as escort for
bomber strikes against the Continent.
Source:
COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59
used sources by McKillop:
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
