This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
March 22, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 25
Target: Port Docking Area, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 18
Crewmen Wounded: 4 - Names not available
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 5 x 1000 lb H.E. M44 bombs
Bombing Altitude: 27,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 38,637 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 3 Destroyed
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March 22, 1943
8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission No. 46: 76 B-17's and 26 B-24's are dispatched against the U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany; 69 B-17's and 15 B-24's drop 224 tons of bombs on the target at 1501-1510 hours local. We claim 28-9-9; we lose 1 B-17 and 2 B-24's; 12 B-17's and 10 B-24's are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 18 WIA and 32 MIA. The 452nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 322nd Bombardment Group (Medium) with B-26's transfers from Rattlesden to Rougham, England.
March 22, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 125
Target: City Area, Berlin, Germany (PFF)
Crews Dispatched: 28
Crew Members Lost or Wounded: 2 crewmen suffered frostbite
Length of Mission: 9 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 42 x 65 lb bombs
Bombing Altitude: 27,000 ft & 25,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 1,495 rounds
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March 22, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 273: 474 B-17s and 214 B-24s are dispatched to bomb aviation industry plants at Oranienburg and Basdorf, Germany but 8/10 to 10/10 cloud cover prevents an attack; the bombers hit the secondary target, Berlin, and targets of opportunity; the bombers also drop 6.368 million leaflets; 1 bomber is damaged beyond repair and 347 bombers are damaged; casualties are 20 WIA and 135 MIA. Details are: 1. 460 of 474 B-17s bomb Berlin; 7 B-17s are lost. 2. 196 of 214 B-24s bomb Berlin and 1 bombs Heide; 5 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 125 P-38s, 496 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 196 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s. There is no air combat and the only claim is for 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground by P-47s. Details are: 1. 3 P-38s are lost and 7 damaged; 3 pilots are MIA. 2. 5 P-47s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 9 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 5 MIA. 3. 4 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged beyond repair; 4 pilots are MIA. Mission 274: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 263 bundles of leaflets on Paris, France; and The Hague, Amsterdam and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands at 2135-2207 hours without loss.
March 22, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 343
Target: Military Camp, Tactical Target at Buer, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 1 minute
Bomb Load: 12 x 100 lb H.E. M30, 6 x 260 lb M81 Fragmentation
Bombing Altitude: 25,200, 24,000, & 26,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 850 rounds
Last mission (112th) of B-17G 42-38050 ThunderBird. Pilot was 2Lt Merwin G. Hall.
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March 22, 1945
303rd BG: The 359th BS held a Squadron Party. Almost every member of the squadron attended. The Rhythm Pilots provided the dance music at the Red Cross Club.
March 22, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 906: Air attacks in preparation for the lower Rhine River crossing by Allied ground forces continue; 1,331 bombers and 662 fighters attack barracks and military encampments in the Ruhr and airfields in Germany visually; they claim 27-1-12 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-17 and 3 P-51s are lost: 1. 99 of 114 B-17s hit Ahlhorn Airfield; 13 others hit the marshalling yard at Oldenburg, a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost; 9 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 95 of 99 P-51s. 2. 457 B-17s are sent to hit military camps at Bottrop (36), Dorsten (74), Barningholten (111), Westerholt (116), Feldhausen N (74) and S (39); 3 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 111 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA and 8 WIA. The escort is 95 of 99 P-51s. 3. 297 B-17s are sent to hit military camps at Hinsbeck (67), Geresheim (73), Ratingen (75) and Mulheim (74); 114 B-17s are damaged and 3 airmen are WIA. 48 P-51s escort; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft on the ground. 4. 342 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Kitzingen (168), Giebelstadt (75) and Schwab Hall (82); 8 others hit Wurzburg, the secondary target; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA. The escort is 138 of 153 P-51s; they claim 3-0-1 aircraft in the air and 13-0-7 on the ground. 5. 109 of 113 B-17s hit the Rhein Main Airfield at Frankfurt; 31 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 56 P-51s. 6. 6 B-17s fly a screening mission. 7. 19 of 22 P-51s escort 19 of 22 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany; they claim 11-1-3 aircraft in the air. 8. 2 B-17s and 31 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 9. 150 of 153 P-51s escort Fifteenth AF bombers from Italy. Mission 907: 9 of 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany.
March 21
March 23
