Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

Covered by carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.1 and Task Group 58.3, escorting cruisers bombard Chichi Jima and Iwo Jima with complete impunity.

Following the bombardment by surface warships, Task Group 58.1 and Task Group 58.3 depart the area for Eniwetok.

Air Operations, Carolines

FEAF B-24s attack the Yap Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 10th Air Force B-25s attack Mohnyin. 2 B-25s attack a bridge at Hsenwi.
• 21 10th Air Force P-51s attack 4 rail bridges between Naba and Pinbaw.
• Several P-40s attack targets of opportunity near Myitkyina.
• P-47s and P-51s attack numerous targets throughout northern Burma.

• 47 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack the Hengyang area.
• 28 P-40s attack Tengchung.
• 19 P-40s attack sampans and trucks near Changsha.
• 20 P-40s attack targets in the Yangtze River area.
• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s down 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomber and 4 Japanese fighters near Hengyang during a morning engagement.
• 76th Fighter Squadron P-51s down a D3A 'Val' dive bomber and a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Hengyang during a mid-afternoon engagement.

Air Operations, Europe

US 15th Air Force planes return to Italy, completing shuttle bombing missions against targets in Rumania after refueling and rearming in Russia. 8th Air Force B-17s at the same time bomb the German aircraft factory at Gdynia in Poland and proceed to their Russian base.

• 222 aircraft of Nos. 4, 5 and 8 Groups attack the Bois de Cassan and Forêt de Nieppe V-weapons sites. In this total are 107 Lancasters, 105 Halifaxes and 10 Mosquitos. 1 Lightning accompanies the Bois de Cassan raid. The bombing at both targets is scattered. Some markers at the Forêt de Nieppe site are not accurate and some of the Master Bomber's instructions at Bois de Cassan are misunderstood resulting in more than half the bomber force there retaining their bombs.
• 3 Lancasters are lost on the Bois de Cassan raid.
• 51 Halifaxes, 6 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos bomb the railway center at Hazebrouck. The attack opens well, but the target becomes obcured by smoke.
• 1 Halifax is lost.
• 12 Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No. 617 Squadron bomb the U-boat pens at Lorient without a loss. 2 direct hits are scored.

• 40 Mosquitos attack the synthetic oil plant at Castrop-Rauxel. A large fire is seen.
• 1 Mosquito is lost.

• 7 Mosquitos are sent to Cologne and 4 to Forêt de Nieppe, 12 Stirlings lay mines off Brest, 22 aircraft are on Resistance ops, 10 Lancasters of No. 8 Group are on a special operation in support of ground troops described as 'a recce of target marking by ground forced in the battle area', and there are 10 Mosquito patrols and 14 RCM sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Stirling is lost.

• 24 3rd Bomb Division B-24s, escorted by 24 P-47s, attack V-weapons sites in the Pas-de-Calais area.
• An 8th Air Force Operation APHRODITE test mission consisting of 2 drone B-17 flying bombs fails when both drones crash into the sea.

• 830 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s mount highly successful visual bombing attacks against aircraft assembly plants and a munitions plant at Brandenburg, engine and diesel-engine plants at Berlin, six oil refineries at Hamburg, and several airdromes and other secondary targets in those redions.
• 24 heavy bombers are lost
• Escort is provided by 535 VIII Fighter Command fighters. Escort pilots down 30 Luftwaffe fighters and 1 Do-217 over Germany between 1100 and 1500 hours.
• 4 fighters are lost with their pilots

• 75 8th Air Force B-17s of the 3rd Bomb Division's 95th and 390th Hevay Bomb Groups attack the Rahmel aircraft factory, near Gdynia, and proceed to USAAF bases in the Soviet Union.
• Escorting the bombers to Gdynia but returning to their own bases in the UK are 154 55th and 339th Fighter Group P-51s, which are credited with the longest round-trip fighter mission so far of the war in Europe--1592 miles.
• 5 P-51s are lost with their pilots
• 357th Fighter Group P-51 pilots, who join the FRANTIC bomber formation near Jutland, down 1 Ju-88 and 1 Bf-109 near Warsaw at 1345 hours.

• IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack fuel and ammo dumps, a locomotive depot, and several bridges.
• IX TAC fighter pilots down 2 Bf-109s near Dreux at 1500 hours.

• 12th Air Force B-25s, B-26s, and fighter-bombers attack bridges in and around the Rhone and Var River valleys.

• 12th Air Force fighter-bombers attack road and rail targets, airfields, several towns, and shipping in three German-held ports.
• During the nighte, XII TAC A-20s attack shipping at three ports in northern Italy.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack the submarine base at Toulon, as well as various rail bridges and oil storage depots in southern France.
• 15th Air Force B-17s attack a marshalling yard, oil-industry targets, and a rail bridge.
• 15th Air Force P-38s dive-bomb the Orange/Plan de Dieu and Valence Airdromes.

• 60 P-38 fighter-bombers of the 15th Air Force's 82nd Fighter Group attack rail targets in the Bucharest and Ploesti areas during their return to Italy from the August 4 FRANTIC missiont to the Soviet Union.

Air Operations, Marianas

41st Medium Bomb Group B-25 gunships mount 2 missions in support of US ground troops on Guam.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Most of the 5th Air Force is grounded by bad weather, but some aircraft are able to attack artillery positions at Dagua and several targets of opportunity, and support ground troops near Sarmi.

Air Operations, Pacific

B-24s bomb Davao in the Philippines.

Atlantic

The US freigher William L. Marcy is torpedoed, possibly by a schnellboote from the 2nd or 6th Flotillas) off Juno Beach. A passenger was killed but none of the crew or the Armed Guard sailors are lost. The ship is later towed to Falmouth, England and Swansea, Wales where it is written off as a total loss.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-736 is the first U-boat to be sunk using the Squid ahead-throwing weapon. Her periscope is spotted by the British frigate Lock Killin who determines the speed and depth of the submarine when launching a pattern of 6 Squid charges. Just before the pattern exploded, a Gnat is countermined on the frigate's port side. The frigate hastily tries to clear the area before the U-boat explodes, but she did not. Her hull is shattered and she is finished off by the British sloop Starling.

U-736

Burma

Gen William Slim orders the British and Indian XXXIII Corps to advance to the Chindwin and occupy Sittaung and Kalewa. It is at this point that they will have to cross the Chindwin.

Eastern Front

The oil facilities around Drogobych (Drohobycz) are taken by the Russians.

27,000 Jews being held in camps east of the Vistula are transported to Germany.

Laura falls to the 3rd Baltic Front.

Guam

US Marines and infantry have by now occupied two-thirds of the island. On the right flank of the 77th Inf Div the Japanese send in tanks against the 305th Regt sector, inflicting serious losses on the Americans, then suddenly retire before the latter can mount a counterattack.

Italy

Instructions are issued for the preliminary operations for an offensive against the 'Gothic' Line.

The Allied forces in Florence begin to cross the Arno into the northeren half of the city.

Mediterranean

U-471, U-952 and U-969 are all sunk in shallow water during a daylight raid on Toulon by the USAAF.

New Guinea

In the area of Aitape there are hard-fought encounters between the Americans and the Japanese.

Pacific

• The US submarine Pintado (SS-387) attacks a Japanese convoy off the southwest coast of Kyushu and sinks the army cargo ship Shonan Maru (5401t) and damages the escort vessel Etorofu east of Kusagaki Jima.
• The US submarine Basher (SS-269) sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Shiroganesan Maru (4739t) west of Luzon.

Western Front

In the American 3rd Army sector units of the VIII Corps continue their offensive into the heart of Brittany cutting off the German troops there. US forces reach the German outer defense perimeter around Brest. Nantes is occupied. On the north coast of the peninsula Dinart, to the west of St Malo, comes under attack by units of the 8th Div, and the 83rd Div. The 4th Arm Div advances on Lorient. To the east, the XV Corps is making swift progress towards Le Mans and the 79th Div captures Laval, south of Mayenne. The 3rd Arm Div of the US VII Corps also reaches Mayenne from the north. Vire is taken by the 29th Div. Panzers counterattack the US forces in the Mortain-Vire sector.

Images from August 6, 1944

Working on a Runway

Gen de Gaulle in Lavel

Lt-Gen George S Patton

Marking the Shells

The Ruins of the Railroad Workshop of Lapy

Painting the Kills

Anti-aircraft Hit over Toulon