Highlights of Day by Day Air Operations
27 August 1944

With American forces now across the Marne at two points near Meaux and advancing rapidly, German fighter bases along that historic river quickly became untenable and the remnants of the Luftwaffe in eastern France were forced to pull out.

Enemy fighters were again conspicuously absent. The only aerial combat were by two tactical reconnaissance P-51's, which were bounced by 12 Me-109's. One Me-109 was destroyed, one probably destroyed. Three of the Command's total losses of 8 planes for the day were suffered by the 10the Reconnaissance Group. One was shot down by small-arms fire while directing artillery at Brest, and 2 others failed to return from a mission in the Dijon region.

Cooperating with ground forces at Brest, XIX TAC fighter-bombers scored at least 9 direct bomb hits on 2 gun positions, put several Napalm bombs in a target area marked by smoke, and damaged 3 merchant vessels. Considerable execution against enemy troops and transport was wrought, and railroad tracks were cut at 5 places.

In all, 650 fighter-bomber and 63 reconnaissance sorties were flown.