Air war Europa : America's air war against Germany in Europe and north Africa, 1942-1945 : chronology

762 Pages·1994·2.64 MB·English

by  Hammel

AIR WAR EUROPA
A A W A G
MERICA’S IR AR GAINST ERMANY
I E N A
N UROPE AND ORTH FRICA
1942 – 1945
*
CHRONOLOGY
*

ERIC HAMMEL

*

Pacifica Military History
***
Copyright © 1994 by Eric Hammel
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be
mailed to: Permissions, Pacifica Military History, 1149 Grand Teton Drive,
Pacifica, California 94044.
Cover by Tom Heffron, Hudson, Wisconsin ***
For All the American and Allied Airmen Who Braved Those War-Torn Skies ***
Books by Eric Hammel
76 Hours: The Invasion of Tarawa (with John E. Lane)
Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War The Root: The Marines in Beirut Ace!: A Marine Night-Fighter
Pilot in World War II (with R. Bruce Porter) Duel for the Golan (with Jerry Asher) Guadalcanal: Starvation
Island Guadalcanal: The Carrier Battles Guadalcanal: Decision At Sea Munda Trail: The New Georgia
Campaign The Jolly Rogers (with Tom Blackburn) Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds First Across the Rhine
(with David E. Pergrin) Lima-6: A Marine Company Commander in Vietnam (with Richard D. Camp)
Ambush Valley Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue Aces Against Japan Aces Against Germany Six
Days in June Air War Europa: Chronology Aces Against Japan II Carrier Clash Aces At War Air War
Pacific: Chronology Aces in Combat Bloody Tarawa Marines at War Carrier Strike Pacific Warriors:
The U.S. Marines in World War II Iwo Jima: Portrait of a Battle Marines in Hue
City: Portrait of an Urban Battle Guadalcanal: The U.S. Marines in World War
II New Georgia, Bougainville and Cape Gloucester Tarawa and the Marshalls
How America Saved the World The Road to Big Week
Blood and Coral
***
For a complete listing of all the military history books written by Eric Hammel
and currently available in print or for Kindle, visit
http://www.EricHammelBooks.com. A free sample chapter from each book is
available on the site in the Free section.
***
Contents
Glossary & Guide to Abbreviations
Maps
Bibliography
Index I: U.S. Army Air Forces Numerical Unit Designations Index II:
Alphabetical Listings
***
Glossary & Guide to Abbreviations
1stLt: First Lieutenant
2dLt: Second Lieutenant

A-20: U.S. Douglas Havoc twin-engine light bomber A-26: U.S. Douglas
Invader twin-engine attack bomber A-36: U.S. North American Apache fighter-
bomber AAFIB: Army Air Forces in Britain
AAFMTO: Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations AEAF:
Allied Expeditionary Air Force Ar-96: German Arado advanced trainer Ar-196:
German Arado two-seat float plane Ar-234: German Arado twin-engine jet
bomber Azon: Radio-guided azimuth bombs

B-17: U.S. Boeing Flying Fortress four-engine heavy bomber B-24: U.S.
Consolidated Liberator four-engine heavy bomber B-25: U.S. North American
Mitchell twin-engine medium bomber B-26: U.S. Martin Marauder twin-engine
medium bomber Beaufighter: British-made Bristol 156 twin-engine
fighter/night-fighter benzol: German synthetic fuel
Bf-109: German Messerschmitt fighter Bf-110: German Messerschmitt twin-
engine fighter/night-fighter Bisley: British Bristol 60 twin-engine light bomber
Boston: American-made British version of the Douglas A-20 twin-engine light
bomber BriGen: Brigadier General
Br.20: Italian Fiat twin-engine medium bomber Bu-131: German Bücker two-
place primary trainer
C-47: U.S. Douglas Skytrain twin-engine cargo/transport plane C-54: U.S.
Douglas Skymaster four-engine cargo/transport plane Capt: Captain
CCS: Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff Col: Colonel
CR.42: Italian Fiat biplane fighter
D.520: French Dewoitine fighter
DATF: Desert Air Task Force
Do-217: German Dornier twin-engine medium bomber Droopsnoot: U.S.
Lockheed P-38 variant with bombardier position
ETO: European Theater of Operations
ETOUSA: European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army E-boat: German Navy
torpedo boat

F-4: U.S. Lockheed P-38 reconnaissance variant F-5: U.S. Lockheed P-38
reconnaissance variant F-6: U.S. North American P-51 reconnaissance variant
F4F: U.S. Navy Grumman Wildcat carrier fighter Fi-156: German Fieseler
ground-cooperation/reconnaissance plane Flak: Antiaircraft gun/fire (from
FLieger Abwher Kannonen) FO: Flight Officer (USAAF warrant officer) FW-
190: German Focke-Wulf fighter
FW-200: German Focke-Wulf Condor four-engine long-range reconnaissance
bomber
G.50: Italian Fiat fighter
G.55: Italian Fiat fighter
GAF: German Air Force
GB-4: Allied guided bomb
GEE: Allied blind-bombing navigational system Gen: General
GH: Allied blind-bombing system

H2S: Allied blind-bombing radar system H2X: Allied blind-bombing radar
system HALPRO: USAAF Halverson Provisional bombardment detachment
He-111: German Heinkel twin-engine medium bomber He-115: German
Heinkel twin-engine reconnaissance float plane He-177: German Heinkel twin-
engine heavy bomber Hs-126: German Henschel biplane reconnaissance plane
IAR.80: Romanian single-engine fighter
Ju-52: German Junkers tri-motor cargo/transport plane Ju-87: German Junkers
Stuka single-engine dive-bomber Ju-88: German Junkers twin-engine medium
bomber/dive-bomber
Lt: Lieutenant
LtCol: Lieutenant Colonel
LtGen: Lieutenant General
MAAF: Mediterranean Allied Air Forces MAC: Mediterranean Air Command
MACAF: Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force Maj: Major
MajGen: Major General
MASAF: Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force MATAF: Mediterranean
Allied Tactical Air Force Mc.200: Italian Macchi interceptor fighter Mc.202:
Italian Macchi interceptor fighter Mc.205: Italian Macchi interceptor fighter
Me-163: German Messerschmitt Komet rocket-propelled fighter Me-210:
German Messerschmitt twin-engine heavy fighter Me-262: German
Messerschmitt jet interceptor fighter Me-323: German Messerschmitt six-engine
heavy powered transport glider Me-410: German Messerschmitt twin-engine
heavy fighter Micro-H: Allied blind-bombing system Mistel: German Ju-88
flying bomb/FW-190 tandem Mosquito: British de Havilland D.H.98 twin-
engine fighter/reconnaissance plane MTO: Mediterranean Theater of Operations
NAAF: Northwest African Air Forces
NAASC: Northwest African Air Service Command NACAF: Northwest
African Coastal Air Force NASAF: Northwest African Strategic Air Force
NATAF: Northwest African Tactical Air Force NATBF: Northwest African
Tactical Bomber Force NATC: Northwest African Training Command
NATCC: Northwest African Troop Carrier Command NATOUSA: Northwest
African Theater of Operations, U.S. Army
Oboe: Allied blind-bombing navigational system OSS: U.S. Office of Strategic
Services
P-38: U.S. Lockheed Lightning twin-engine fighter P-39: U.S. Bell Airacobra
fighter/fighter-bomber P-40: U.S. Curtiss fighter/fighter-bomber P-47: U.S.
Republic Thunderbolt fighter/fighter-bomber P-51: U.S. North American
Mustang fighter/fighter-bomber P-61: U.S. Northrop Black Widow twin-engine
night-fighter P-400: U.S. Bell Airacobra export fighter variant
R-boat: German Navy gunboat
RAF: Royal Air Force
Re.2000: Italian Reggiane fighter/fighter-bomber (also Re.2001 and Re.2005
variants)
SBD: U.S. Navy Douglas Dauntless carrier dive-bomber Sgt: Sergeant
SHAEF: Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force SM.79: Italian
Savoia-Marchetti twin-engine medium bomber SM.82: Italian Savoia-Marchetti
twin-engine heavy bomber/transport Spitfire: British Supermarine fighter SS:
Nazi military force (Schutzstaffel) SSgt: Staff Sergeant
TAC: Tactical Air Command
TBF: U.S. Navy Grumman Avenger single-engine carrier torpedo bomber TSgt:
Technical Sergeant

U-boat: German Navy submarine
U.K.: United Kingdom (i.e., British Isles) USAAC: U.S. Army Air Corps
USAAF: U.S. Army Air Force
USAAFNATO: U.S. Army Air Forces, North African Theater of Operations
USAAFUK: U.S. Army Air Forces in the United Kingdom USAFBI: U.S.
Army Forces in the British Isles USAFIME: U.S. Army Forces in the Middle
East USAMEAF: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces USSAFE: U.S. Strategic
Air Forces in Europe (original designation) USSTAF: U.S. Strategic Air Forces
in Europe (final designation)
V-1: German flying bomb
V-2: German sub-orbital rocket bomb
V-weapon: Refers to German V-1 flying bomb
WDAF: Western Desert Air Force
Wellington: British Vickers twin-engine long-range night bomber
YB-40: U.S. Boeing B-17 gunship variant (“Y” prefix refers to in-service test
model) ***
Maps