The air offensive continues. Today we hit Steyr A/C Factory, Austria. Some of our ships put bombs in the target, a difficult feat. Reconnaissance after the raid showed many hits in area but few vital buildings were hit. We lost one plane over the target. A second plane crashed about twenty miles from this base on take-off. Apparently the pilot was trying tocrash land. One of his bombs went off while trying to salvo. No one lived. A B-26 crashed on take-off very near the field. One of its engines cut out. S/Sgt James Y. Hom was informally presented the Purple Heart by Lt. Col. Gent in front of the building this morning in a very simple ceremony.
