- Mission 552: 1,183 bombers and 429 fighters, in 4 forces, are dispatched to attack 9 airfields, 2 aero engine factories, 1 oil plant, 2 bridges, 2 rail junctions and other secondary and targets of opportunity in southwestern Germany, eastern France, and the Bordeaux, France region; 2 bombers and 1 fighter are lost (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of bombers attacking the target).
(1) B-24s attack 3 airfields in France, Lyon/Bron (108), Dijon/Longvi (83) and Dole/Evaux (70); 2 bridges Anizy (46) and Fismes (34); and 12 B-24s hit Liart rail junction and 1 hits a target of opportunity; escort is provided by 92 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs.
(2) B-24s bomb French rail junctions at Saintes (38) and Angouleme (38); escort is provided by 40 P-51s.
(3) B-17s dispatched to Germany hit Ludwigshafen (144), Mannheim (110) and Sandhofen Airfield at Mannheim(72); 4 others hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 88 P-51s;
(4) B-17s dispatched to Germany hit airfields at Hagenau (92), Metz/Frascaty (72), Florennes (24), Chievres (9); Stuttgart/Echterdingen (72), Kaisereslautern (46), Sindelfingen (12), Trier (10) and targets of opportunity (16); escort is provided by 168 P-51s that claim 10-0-11 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost.

- Mission 553: 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft.

- 37 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France; 1 B-24 is lost.

- 136 P-38s and P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions in the Paris area; claiming 3-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-38 and 2 P-47s are lost.

Northern Ireland: Naval operating Base, Londonderry, is disestablished, except for the radio station.

Paris: The police agree to go on strike and join the resistance.

The Tribal-class destroyer HMCS Iroquois (G89) led by the Fiji-class light cruiser HMS Mauritius (80) and accompanied by the U-class fleet destroyer HMS Ursa (R22), were deployed for a 'KINETIC' patrol off of Les Sables and Ile d'Yeu, France. At 0305, they encountered two merchant ships escorted by the Elbing-class destroyer T-24. A wild gun and torpedo engagement ensued and, although shell hits were observed on all of the German ships, none were sunk. German coastal artillery and ship-laid smoke, plus a torpedo attack that narrowly missed Iroquois from the Elbing covered the withdrawal of the German formation. At 0620 the British-Canadian formation encountered a second German force of two merchant ships and two minesweepers. This time, despite heavy return fire, the German ships were all driven ashore and set on fire by gunfire. Once again, German coastal artillery intervened and drove off the allied warships. That the RN-RCN force was driven off by only one small destroyer is not a very complimentary observation on the conduct of the first engagement. The odds were overwhelmingly in favor of the Allied formation in both engagements and both should have had the same outcome. It seems that the force commander was more resolute when he was presented with a golden 'second chance'. Long-range fire from shore batteries was notoriously erratic. Normally, it was only regarded as harassing fire until the range closed to less than five miles, when it became significantly more deadly. That it was even mentioned in the first (night) engagement indicates that a defence against charges of lack of aggression during the attack was already being constructed.

U-445, (British Wellington aircraft, Squadron 172/K) Aircraft shot down on the Brest - La Pallice route.

U-766, (Canadian Wellington aircraft, Squadron 407/E) Aircraft shot down on the Brest - La Pallice route.

 

GERMANY: U-2507 launched.

U-3011 and U-3511 laid down.

POLAND: Majdanek: Reports of the German death camp here, liberated on 24 July by the advancing Red Army, were published by London newspapers today. Britons are appalled by the description of the huge barracks, with the "world's biggest crematorium" in the centre.

Over half a million people from all over Europe, mainly Jews, were gassed and incinerated here. With macabre efficiency, the charred bones and ashes were pulverised and tinned, then shipped to Germany. The German people are fertilizing their fields with the corpses of their victims.
 

ITALY: The US Fifteenth Air Force  sends 540 B-24s and B-17s to bomb gun positions in the Toulon, France and Genoa, Italy areas as the Operation DRAGOON (the invasion of southern France) convoy heads for the French Mediterranean coast; 145 P-38s and P-51s strafe radar installations at several coastal points.

The US Twelfth Air Force dispatches medium bombers to hit coastal defenses while fighter-bombers pound various gun positions, tracks, enemy HQ, and targets of opportunity in the Toulon-Nice area; fighters strafe radar installations and targets of opportunity along the south coast as Operation DRAGOON forces approach.

CENTRAL PACIFIC: The US Seventh Air Force is reorganized as a "mobile tactical airforce" retaining only units that will function in the combat area; the VII Bomber Command includes the 11th, 30th and 494th Bombardment Groups (Heavy), and the 41st Bombardment Group (Medium); the VII Fighter Command includes the 15th, 21st (in Hawaii) and 318th Fighter Groups and the 6th Night Fighter Squadron; and the 9th Troop Carrier and 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadrons assigned directly to HQ Seventh Air Force.
 

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: Aleutians: The USN's Task Force 94 sorties from Attu to sweep the Kurile Islands but weather forces the ships to return to port.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Smiths Falls launched.

U.S.A.: The top pop songs today are (1) "I'll Be Seeing You" by Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with vocal by Frank Sinatra; (2) "Amor" by Bing Crosby; (3) "Swinging on a Star" by Bing Crosby; and (4) "Is You is or is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)" by Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five.

Destroyer USS Myles C Fox laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine U-618 is sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of St. Nazaire, in position 47.22N, 04.39W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Duckworth and HMS Essington and by depth charges from an RAF Liberator of No. 53 Squadron based at St Eval, Cornwall, England. All hands on the U-boat, 61 men, are lost.

U-1163, (Norwegian Mosquito aircraft, Squadron 333/E) No damage to U-boat. U-1163 and U-771 were being transferred from Stavanger to Kristiansand South, and were proceeding on the surface, accompanied by surface escorts. Mosquitoes E/333 and S/333 made the attack. The attack took place off Egero, Norway.

U-667 attacked Convoy EBC-72 sinking HMS LCI (L) 99 and damaged USS LST 921 beyond repair.