1. 1st Lt Eldon D. Jukes was assigned as squadron operations officer, taking over the duties of Lt McIntosh, interned in Sweden. Captain Arthur Briggs was transferred to the 532nd as its commanding officer as on July 30.

2. 1st Lt Clayton Greenwood promoted Captain as of July 24. Promotions for EM were: five T/Sgts to M/Sgts; eight S/Sgts made T/Sgts (including gunners, Darrington, Crowley and E. Miller); seven Sgts made S/Stgs (including gunners Conery, Jones, Robbins and R.W. Smith); nine Cpls made Sgts; 29 Pfcs made Cpl and seven Pvts made Pfcs.

3. Although interned in Sweden with his crew, 1st Lt Osce V. Jones, was promoted Captain. A mission to Villacoublay, France, was scrubbed.

4. Pfc H. M. Thompson, utility gunner, was assigned.

5. Pfc Thompson promoted to Sgt.

6. Cpl James J. Dwyer, utility gunner, was assigned.

7. Cpl Dwyer promoted to Sgt.

9. A mission against Schweinfurt, Germany, was scrubbed.

12. Major Ingenhutt led the group on its 17th mission, following a 12-day suspension of combat operations. Targets were industrial installations in the Ruhr, called by combat crewmen "Happy Valley", in the ironical reference of flak units there, but today determined enemy fighter opposition outweighed the AA guns for opposition. Half a dozen men in the group were hospitalized for frostbite after flying several hours at a temperature of -40 degrees. Among them from this squadron were Sgts Crowley and Conery.

Lt Cupp was wounded slightly in the right shoulder when a piece of instrument table slammed into him following the destruction of the table by an indoor bursting 20mm shell. His heavy clothing probably saved him from a more serious wound.

The five ships that took part were piloted by: Lts King (534th as lead with Major Ingenhutt), Chapman, Smith, Disbrow and Manchester, while F/O Evans is missing in action.

MIA crew: F/O Fred G. Evans, F/O Joseph K. Robbins, 2nd Lt John F. Lander, 2nd Lt Clarence Watkins; T/Sgt Charles G. Dodge, S/Sgts Herbert R. Kern, Walter V. Messler, Charles C. Miller, Stuart A. Doll and Kenneth L. Hackett.

13. A mission against Schweinfurt was scrubbed for the second time.

15. On the group's 19th mission today, against Brussels, the squadron sent six Forts. There were no casualties and no aborts. The pilots were: Lts Smith, Koenig, Cormany, Disbrow, Chapman and Dowell.

16. Two 535th Forts took part in a mission to attack Le Bourget airfield, France, the pilots being Lts Chapman and Cormany, for whom his bombardier, Lt Becker was confirmed to have shot down an e/a.

17. Target for today was the ball-bearing factory at Schweinfurt, Germany, 70 miles east of Frankfurt, a mission briefed and scrubbed twice recently.

Flak was light but the group met its heaviest fighter opposition to date. An estimated 300 FW190's and ME109's carried out continuous and persistent attacks against the group from the Belgian coast to the target and much of the way out again. Two of the squadron ships are missing in action.

Of the 25 381st ships over the target, ten are listed as missing in action for the entire group. Total group claims allowed by Wing HQ 21 e/a destroyed and 14 probable, bringing it up to date as 65-8-50. Five enlisted gunners were credited with one each: Sgts Bang, Bathrick, Frost, Jones and Rumberger.

Sgt Bathrick heroically stuck to his guns after a 20mm shell exploded outside his ball turret, wounding him seriously. He refused to come up into the waist for treatment and eventually shot down the German fighter whose shell had wounded him. He remained in his turret until "Tinker Toy", his Fort, was out of fighter danger, even though his ammunition had been exhausted long before that time. Until he was sure all danger to the ship and crew was past, Sgt Bathrick continued to swing his empty guns at attacking e/a, thus disguising the fact that the weapons were actually "dead". He was hospitalized at the 121st General Hospital, Braintree, Essex, today.

Today's pilots were: Lts Chapman, Cormany, Dowell, while Manchester aborted. Missing are Lts Smith and Disbrow.
MIA crews: 1st Lt Harry M. Smith, 2nd Lts Samuel J. Hawkins, John P. Noonan, Lloyd W. Gwinn; S/Sgt Judd Lischke, T/Sgt Tony A. Sylvester, S/Sgts John Jupin, Harold L. Blake, John V. Elsberry and Robert L. Colborn.

MIA: 1st Lt Loren C. Disbrow, 2nd Lts Allen J. Chapin, David R. Jones, George Gaydos; T/Sgts Otto F. Bruzeski, Thomas R. Moore, S/Sgts Joseph J. Walters, John H. Moulton, Ernest C. King and William P. Kiniklis.

19. The group's next mission was against a Nazi airfield at Gilze-Rijen, Holland, the squadron losing one ship "Man o' War", Lt Koenig, pilot, one of the squadron's original "model crew". Also aboard were two original gunners, T/Sgt Leo I. Perkins and S/Sgt Arthur L. Everett, among a mixed crew.

Only two ships took part, flown by Lts Koenig and Cormany.

MIA crew: 1st Lt Orlando H. Koenig, 2nd Lt Joseph L. Margapan*, 1st Lt Leonard L. Spivey, 2nd Lt Edward O'Loughlin*; T/Sgt Leo I. Perkins, S/Sgt Arthur L. Everett, S/Sgt Walter J. Buran*, T/Sgt Russell Chester*, S/Sgts Wilbert G. Jones and S/Sgt Eugene A. Sabourin.*

533rd BS members = *.

Returning crewmen said Koenig was lost after the group had made its second run on the target, the first being unsuccessful and no bombs were dropped.

20. A mission planned for Villacoublay, France, was scrubbed.

21. Two new combat crews were assigned today: 2nd Lts Benjamin J. Zum, Charles H. Hoover, John M. Willis, Luther J. Clark; Sgts Robert Italiano, Floyd H. Terry, Frank Crocittio, Melvin F. Wilson, Ferdinand Christofero and Matthew Berk.
2nd Lts Donald K. Hopp, Walter C. Carr, Marshall E. Tyler, William J. Johnson; Sgts Alexander Girvan, Julius F. Greer, Roy W. East, Armond P. Richard, Robert G. True and Richard E. Woodyatt.

The squadron also received another Fortress 42-5747, from 305th BG.

23. Sgt Bathrick today received the Purple Heart award for the wounds he sustained in action on the Schweinfurt raid on the 17th. The award was made in hospital.

Pvts Stuart S. Hanson and Joseph C. Long, utility gunners, were assigned to the squadron today.

24. Two squadron Forts joined the group's formation of seven for the mission today, which took off at 14.30 hrs for the target of Villacoublay airfield, France. Lt Cormany aborted and only Lt Dowell completed the mission.

25. A mission planned against an airfield near Brussels was scrubbed today.

26. Lt Saul B. Schwartz, Station PRO, took Lts Dowell and Uttley, Sgts Ludwigsen, Mogush, Thompson and Phillips to London today for a broadcast account of the story of Sgt Bathrick's heroism.

S/Sgt Thomas A. Childress, waist gunner, was transferred from the 533rd.

27. For the second time this month, Major Ingenhutt led the group, this time on its 23rd mission, against German installations in central France. Bombing results were only fair but there were no casualties.

The squadron provided four ships for today's raid flown by: Lts Manchester, Dowell, Cormany and Hopp. 2nd Lt Wilson W. Cupp promoted 1st St as of the 19th.

29. New assignments were: Sgts Albert W. Atz, George C. Barth, Paul F. Brooks and Virgil G. Buchanan; Pvt R. F. Smith, all utility gunners.

2nd Lts Frost and Cormany promoted to 1st Lt as of the 20th.

30. The mission against Cambrai, France, was scrubbed today.

31. Nineteen group Forts went over Romilly-sur-Seine today, and finding the airfield cloud covered, proceeded to the airfield at Amiens-Glisy, which they shellacked. There were no claims and no casualties.

Five ships from this squadron were flown by: Lts Manchester, Dowell, Cormany, Hopp and Zum.