<p>There was an abortive attempt by the USAAF to develop a long-rang escort fighter quickly: the YB-40, a B-17E modified to carry more guns, one pair in a 'chin' turret under the nose. Twenty were built to prove the concept and most were sent to VIII Bomber Command. Few completed their missions, as their performance was inferior to that of the bombers because of their greatly increased weight. But their chin turrets were kept and added to the standard B-17 line to produce the G model of that famed bomber.
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<p>The P-47's escort range was increased by the addition of a droppable fuel tank, one of the most valuable tactical innovations of the war. On 28 July, P-47s aided a force of more than 300 bombers; they met them 260 miles from the English coast, and shot down nine Luftwaffe fighters out of the estimated 60 that attacked. But the bombers' performance was miserable. Out of 302 dispatched, 95 bombed targets. The division that went to Kassel lost 22 out of 49 aircraft; the other groups, hitting Oschersleben and targets of opportunity, escaped loss.
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<p>That mission, the deepest penetration of Germany to date, was one of a group of six in one week. It included the USAAF's then-longest mission, a 1,900-mile (3,057-km) round trip to targets in the Trondheim, Norway, area on 24 July. Other targets were Hamburg and Kiel on 25 July; Hannover and Hamburg on 26 July; Kiel and Warnemunde on 29 July; and Kassel again on 30 July.
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<p>They lost 88 bombers and their crews on those missions, and other crewmen killed and wounded. More airplanes were fit only for scrapping when they had reached home. The first four missions had dispatched more than 300 heavies each; the fifth sent out 249, and the sixth could muster only 186. Overall losses averaged above eight percent. The brief offensive against Germany ended after the second mission to Kassel.
