Air Operations, Carolines

During the night, 868th Heavy Bomb Squadron SB-24s attack Japanese airfields and defenses in the Palau Islands.

Air Operations, CBI

• 23 10th Air Force P-47s support British Army ground forces around Pinbaw.

• 9 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack river and road traffic at Changsha, Hankow, Hengyang, and Yoyang.
• 7 B-25s attack airfields at Canton, Hengyang, and Pailochi.
• More than 120 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack many targets throughout east-central China.
• A 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Siangtan at about 1315 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Miti, Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 216 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group and 14 Mosquitos and 13 Lancasters of No. 8 Group are sent on a historic raid to Homberg, the first major raid by Bomber Command to Germany in daylight since since August 12, 1941 when 54 Blenheim attacked the power station at Cologne. This raid is escorted by 9 squadrons of Spitfires on the outward flight and 7 squadrons on the return. 1 Me-110 is seen, but the Spitfires drove it off. There is intense flak over the target but no bombers are lost. The target is the Rheinpreussen synthetic oil refinery at Meerbeck. The bombing is based on Oboe marking but 5-8/10ths cloud produces difficult conditions, though some accurate bombing is claimed through gaps in the clouds.
• The RAF raid on the Homberg-Meerbeck oil plant is the first large-scale daylight operation by Bomber Command over Germany since the early months of the war. Although Mosquito bombers have often made daylight attacks before this, the employment of the slower, more vulnerable heavy bombers shows the extent of the air superiority which has been established by the long-range fighters.
• 226 aircraft including 176 Halifaxes, 40 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos carry out an accurate raid on a flying bomb site at Mimoyecques.
• There are no losses.
• 24 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No. 5 Group bomb 2 ships in Brest harbor and claim hits on both ships.
• There are no losses.

• 30 Mosquitos are sent to Mannheim, 66 OTU Wellingtons make a diversionary sweep, 7 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 26 Mosquito patrols and 19 RCM sorties.
• 2 Mosquitos from the Mannheim raid and 1 Intruder Mosquito are lost.

Air Operations, Japan

• 5 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s mount 2 attacks against Kashiwabara.
• 4 B-25s attack Japanese Navy picket boats north of the Kurile Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack airfields at Babo, Manokwari, and Ransiki, bivouacs near Boram, barges and a fuel dump on Kairiru Island, and Japanese Army ground troops at various locations.
• During the night, 3 Japanese airplanes attack the Allied base at Sansapor. Damage is negligible.

Burma

The 36th Div, British XXXIII Corps, advances along the Mogaung-Mandalay road and captures Pinbaw.

Having undertaken several months of exhausting operations in northern Burma, the final groups of Chindits are evacuated to India.

Eastern Front

In Rumania Foscani and Galati are captured along with a large part of their garrisons by the 2nd Ukraine Front and 3rd Ukraine Front respectively. The advance continues in the direction of Ploesti and Bucharest.

Foscanit falls to the 6th Tank Army, trapping the XXIX Corps on the east bank. The Ploesti oilfields are threatened with capture.

English Channel

A group of 4 British minesweepers, sweeping mines off Le Havre, France, are attacked in error by Allied aircraft. The Hussar is badly damaged and 55 of her crew are killed. Survivors are picked up by the British trawler Colsay. The Britomart is also badly damaged and 14 of her crew are lost. Her survivors are picked up by the British trawler Lord Ashfield. Both the Hussar and the Britomart are scuttled by the British destroyer Pytchley. Also damaged in the attack is the Salamander which is taken in tow by Jason to Arromanches. A total of 78 men are killed and 149 wounded in the attack.

Italy

The British 8th Army continues to advance toward the 'Gothic' Line.

Northern France

The Allied attacks over the Seine continue. The British I Corps reaches the mouth of the Seine, while units of the Canadian II Corps begin to cross the Seine between Elbeuf and Pont-de-l'Arche. Further south, in the XII Corps sector, the 15th Div crosses the Seine east of Louviers, while in the Mantes-Gassicourt sector the 30th and 79th Divs of the US XV Corps attack across the river.

The US XX Corps, with the 7th Arm Div in the lead, reaches the Marne at Château-Thierry as it advances toward Rheims. The US XII Corps advances from Troyes northeastward, toward Chàlons-sur-Marne.

In Brittany the VIII Corps completes the encirclement of Brest.

Gen Eisenhower, the Allied Commander-in-Chief, visits Paris and confers with Gen de Gaulle.

Allied forces in France are beginning to experience extreme supply shortages, although few units are actually stalled.

Southern France

The US 3rd Div, moving north along the Rhône valley, nears Montélimar. The American 45th Div pushes on from Grenoble toward Lyons. At Marseilles the German garrison asks for talks on surrender terms.

Images from August 27, 1944

Troops from the 2nd Hampshire Regiment move up to their last objective before the Gothic Line, 27 August 1944

British Troops Advancing

An M10 tank destroyer of 93rd Anti-Tank Regiment passes infantry of the 5th Sherwood Foresters during the advance to the Gothic Line, 27-28 August 1944.

M10 Tank Destroyer

British XXX Corps Crosses the Seine River at Vernon. A bulldozer is ferried across the river, 27 August 1944

Crossing the Seine

Canadians of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry meet up with Americans of the 2nd US Armored Division in Elbeuf, 27 August 1944

Allies Meet

Jeep-mounted Infantry Pass through the Village of Vernonnet, 27 August 1944

A Universal Carrier Crosses the River Seine at Vernon, 27 August 1944

Infantry Cross the River Seine across the Wrecked Road Bridge at Vernon, 27 August 1944

A woman pours a drink for men of a 17-pdr anti-tank gun unit in Vernon, 27 August 1944

Pouring a Drink