Highlights of Day by Day Air Operations
5 August 1944

On this date the XIX TAC order of battle was raised to five groups when the 36th was placed under General Weyland's control.

Only part of the day was flyable, since the wind blew low stratus clouds from the English Channel onto coastal airdromes at about 1100 and they were not clear until late afternoon. Nevertheless, 246 combat sorties and 10 successful tactical and photographic reconnaissance missions were flown. Forty-four tons of bombs were dropped, results including 58 motor vehicles, a headquarters, nine horse-drawn vehicles, and eight gun positions destroyed, plus damage to a naval vessel in St. Malo harbor.

In the first 5 days of blitz warfare, United States style, the Third Army had conquered most of Brittany, and XIX TAC fighter-bombers had flown 1,088 sorties. In the face of our patrols the Luftwaffe had put up no resistance by daylight. Losses totaled only three aircraft. Claims against ground targets for this period have been given earlier.