This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
April 4, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 28
Target: Billancourt Dist. Renault Motor Works, Paris, France
Crews Dispatched: 23
Crews Lost: Lt. Ercil F. Eyster - 7 KIA, 3 POW
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 6 x 1000 lb H.E. M44 bombs
Bombing Altitude: 23,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 33,195 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 6 Destroyed, 2 Probables, 4 Damaged
View Mission Report
April 4, 1943
8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 49: 97 B-17's of the 1st Bombardment Wing are dispatched against industrial installations in the Paris, France area including the Renault armament works and motor works. 85 aircraft drop 251 tons of bombs on the target between 1414 and 1417 local and cause severe damage. We claim 47-13-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 4 B-17s and 16 others are damaged by fierce fighter opposition. Casualties are 6 WIA and 39 MIA. The 13th Photographic Squadron (Light) flew 3 F-5 sorties in Belgium and France; 1 F-5 is missing.
April 4, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Units arriving in England from the US: HQ 339th Fighter Group at Fowlmere; and 836th, 837th, 838th and 839th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 487th Bombardment Group, at Lavenham with B-24s (first mission is 7 May).
April 4, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 351
Target: Factory Area at Unterluss, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 40
Length of Mission: 9 hours, 1 minute
Bomb Load: 8 x 500 lb G.P. & 4 x 500 lb M17 Incendiary bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 13,000, 11,100 & 13,000 feet
View Mission Report
April 4, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 926: 1,431 bombers and 866 fighters are dispatched to hit airfields, a shipyard and a U-boat shipyard in Germany; they claim 30-4-30 Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 bombers and 4 fighters are lost. 1. 438 B-24s are sent to hit Parchim (33) and Perleberg (29) Airfields; 97 hit Wesendorf Airfield, the secondary; attacks are visual; they claim 6-4-6 aircraft; 6 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 76 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 59 MIA. Escorting are 324 P-47s and P-51s; the P-47s claim 14-0-20 aircraft and the P-51s claim 9-0-3 aircraft; 1 P-47 and 3 P-51s are lost. 2. 443 B-17s are sent to hit Fassberg Airfield (149); secondary targets hit are Hoya (37) and Dedelsdorf (13) Airfields; targets of opportunity are Unterluss (39) and other (24); bombing is visual; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 58 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 6 WIA and 4 MIA. The escort is 220 of 232 P-51s; 1 is lost. 3. 505 of 526 B-17s hit the Deutsche shipyard at Kiel using H2X radar; 2 others hit Eggebeck Airfield, a target of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost and 50 damaged; 27 airmen are MIA. 208 of 223 P-51s without loss. 4. 22 of 24 B-17s fly a DISNEY mission attacking the Finkenwarder U-boat yard at Hamburg without loss. 5. 19 P-51s fly a scouting mission and claim 0-0-1 aircraft. 6. 25 P-51s escort 8 F-5s and 2 P-38s on photo and radar reconnaissance missions over Germany, claiming 1-0-0 aircraft. 7. 16 P-51s escort 1 OA-10 and 2 B-17s on air-sea-rescue patrols.
April 3
April 5
