1. Ninety-three EM were promoted today in all grades; four T/Sgts made M/Sgts; seven S/Sgts made T/Sgts; 11 Sgts made S/Sgts; 23 Cpls made Sgts; 39 Pfcs made Cpls and seven Pvts made Pfcs.

2. The mission was scrubbed today; planned as a main effort against Le Mans, France.

4. Eight squadron ships took off on the group's seventh mission, an Indepence Day shellacking of the Gnome-Rhone engine factory at Le Mans. Bombing results proving excellent. Lt Manchester was forced to abort with oil cooler failure while Lt Holdom took off in the spare ship and returned as per schedule.

Today's pilots were: Lts Dowell, Koenig, Chapman, Cormany, Disbrow and Jones.

6. 2nd Lt Vernon W. Nicholson, bombardier, assigned today.

7. 2nd Lt John Stracotenko, bombardier, transferred to 534th.

10. Seven squadron ships took the group lead, with our commander, Major Ingenhutt, as formation leader on the eighth mission, a major effort against the airbase at Villacoublay, France. There was 10/10th cloud, no bombing, moderate enemy aircraft opposition, but no casualties.

Major Ingenhutt, Lts Manchester and Smith all aborted, the four others credited with a mission were: Lts Disbrow, Koenig, Holdom and Dowell.

S/Sgt Walters, aboard Disbrow's ship on his seventh mission, got official credit for destroying his first e/a.

11. Lt Johnson was assigned from the 533rd as of the 9th. Three replacement gunners also joined the squadron: Sgts John J. Conery, Richard W. Smith and Leon L. Robbins.

13. Mission scrubbed, intended for Poix airfield, France.

14. Ninth mission, against the airfield at Amiens-Glisy, six of the squadron's ships taking part, however "Widget", 42-30011, flown by Lt Holdom in missing in action, the first squadron loss of the war.

On this mission, Lt Manchester and crew experienced a miraculous escape from death when a `dead' FW190 plowed into the right wing of their Fort "TS", between #3 engine and the fuselage. Pieces of the FW were found later jammed into the empty bomb bays. The Nazi fighter continued on over the wing, doubled up the right waist gun and slightly damaged the right horizontal stabilizer. Not a member of the crew was injured. Lt Manchester brought the crippled "TS" into an unusually smooth belly landing at an English fighter base near the south coast, but at least two e/a did not make it back, thanks to Manchester's gunners.

The pilots taking part were: Lts Manchester, Smith, Disbrow, Cormany and Jones.

MIA crew: 1st Lt Robert J. Holdom, 2nd Lts Robert Gravelyn, William A. Bechter, James A. Phillips; S/Sgts William R. Coleman, William L. Graver, Raymond J. Pulliner, Morris E. Pryor, Kenneth L. Fossan and James B. Scollon.

15. S/Sgts Myers, O'Donnell and Roeder promoted to T/Sgts and Sgts Gugenheim, Pope and Wardell to S/Sgts.

16. An intended mission to Vitry-en-Artois airfield, near Merville, France was scrubbed.

19. Engine trouble forced six out of seven Forts to abort the group's tenth mission planned against Hamburg, but turned by poor visibility over the continent into a successful search for a target of opportunity, Geringhausen.

1st Lt Manchester was the only pilot to complete the mission; those aborting were Major Ingenhutt, Lts Smith, Chapman, Dowell, Disbrow and Cormany.

21. Base Public Relations Officer, 2nd Lt Saul B. Schwartz, took the crew of "TS", pilot Lt Manchester, to London for a broadcast account of their mid-air incident of July 14, the program to be re-broadcast in the U.S. on August 8.

A new crew was assigned today: F/O Joseph K. Robbins, F/O Donald E. Noxon, 1st Lt Sidney Novell, 2nd Lt Walter H. Utley; T/Sgt Peter K. Ludwigson, T/Sgt Sam Zletin, S/Sgts Ward R. Bathrick, Toby B. Phillips, Paul T. Mogush and Sgt John S. Channell. The latter transferred to the USAAF from the Royal Canadian Air Force last June.

24. Today the squadron lost its second crew, on the group's raid against the chemical works at Heroya, Norway.As a result of damages sustained from unusually heavy flak, Lt Osce V. Jones, with 1st Lt George B. McIntosh, squadron operations officer as co-pilot was forced to turn "Georgia Rebel" back to Sweden, where it crash-landed at Vannacka, all the crew being interned.

The five other Forts taking part were flown by: Lts Manchester, Dowell, Koenig, Chapman and Smith.

MIA crew:1st Lt Jones, 1st Lt McIntosh, 2nd Lt Arthur L. Guertin, 2nd Lt Charles W. Nevius; S/Sgt James E. Haynie, Joseph Nicatra, Charles Newcomb, Alfred E. Haugen, Shannon B. Early and Maurice M. Kelleher.

25. Four squadron Forts participated in the group's 12th mission, against Hamburg. This raid followed that by the RAF the previous night, when nearly 800 British bombers plastered the city. Our Forts simply dropped theirs into the dense smoke still pouring off the target area, six to eight hours after the RAF assault.

There were no casualties, but Lts Chapman and Cormany aborted. Taking part were: Lts Manchester, Disbrow, Dowell and Koenig. Lt Smith, Manchester's navigator, was officially credited with the destruction on an enemy aircraft.

26. The squadron sent five Forts over the target today on the group's 13th mission, an attack on the dock front at Hamburg. Flak was heavy and accurate on the return trip.

On his first mission, Lt Sidney Novell was killed by flak over the target, the squadron's first casualty of this kind. Novell was navigator on Chapman's crew.

Pilots today were: Lts Disbrow, Manchester, Chapman, Koenig and Smith. Lt Cormany aborted.

During this mission, S/Sgt Wardell, ball turret gunner with Lt Chapman, was credited with the destruction on an e/a, an ME109 which he shot down at just over 1,000 yards.

27. Following three consecutive days of gruelling missions, the crews were given a breather today.

28. The group accomplished its 14th mission today, against Altenbuna, Germany. Major Ingenhutt led his squadron's four participating Forts, the other three flown by Lts Chapman, Dowell and Smith. Abortions ruled out Manchester and Cormany.

29. Today was "Clay Pigeon" day for the squadron's gunners over Kiel, the group's 15th mission, officially credited with four e/a destroyed and five probables. Five Forts went over the target, Lts Chapman and Cormany aborted, the latter now three in a row. Taking part were: Lts Manchester, Disbrow, Smith, Dowell and Koenig.

30. The squadron completed its second period of three consecutive days of bombing by sending six Forts with the group formation on its 16th mission, an aircraft factory at Kassel, Germany, which was plastered. There were no casualties, and no abortions.

Taking part were: Lts Manchester, Disbrow, Smith, Chapman, Cormany and Dowell.
2nd Lt Hodge was promoted 1st Lt.

31. Squadron strength was 47 officers and 327 EM.