This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
April 11, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 134
Target: City of Sorau, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 33
Length of Mission: 10 hours, 38 minutes
Bomb Load: 16 x 100 lb G.P. & 8 x 500 lb M17 incendiary bombs
Bombing Altitudes: Group A - 13,000 ft; Group B - 11,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 2,860 rounds
View Mission Report
April 11, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 298: 917 bombers and 819 fighters are dispatched in 3 separate forces to bomb production centers (primarily fighter aircraft factories) and targets of opportunity in N Germany; 64 bombers are lost, one of the heaviest single-day losses of World War II. The bombers also drop 2.4 million leaflets. Details are: 1. 341 B-17s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Sorau (108 bomb) and Cottbus (17 bomb); 127 hit Stettin, 20 hit Trechel, 16 hit Dobberphel and 23 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 12-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 19 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 190 damaged; casualties are 12 KIA, 13 WIA and 200 MIA. 2. Of 302 B-17s dispatched, 172 hit Rostock, 52 hit Politz, 35 hit the industrial area at Arnimswalde and 15 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 34-20-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 33 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 153 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 9 WIA and 330 MIA. 3. 274 B-24s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Oschersleben (121 bomb) and Berenburg (99 bomb); 9 bomb aviation industry targets at Halberstadt, 9 bomb Eisleben and 5 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 27-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 12 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged; casualties are 5 KIA, 9 WIA and 122 MIA. Escort is provided by 124 P-38s, 454 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 241 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the fighters claim 51-5-25 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 65-0-67 on the grounds: no P-38s are lost; 7 P-47s are lost and 16 damaged, 7 pilots are MIA; 9 P-51s are lost and 13 damaged, 9 pilots are MIA. Mission 299: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 2 million leaflets on Paris, Rouen, Le Mans, Rennes, Vichy, Lyon, Limoges and Toulouse between 2301 and 0055 hours local without loss. 12 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.
April 11, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 358
Target: Underground Oil Storage Tanks at Freiham, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 10 hours, 31 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 26,500, 26,000 & 27,500 feet
View Mission Report
April 11, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 941: 1,303 bombers and 913 fighters are dispatched to hit a variety of targets in Germany; 1 B-17 is lost: 1. 445 B-17s are sent to hit the Freiham oil depot (300) and Kraiburg munitions plant (133); secondary targets hit are the munitions depot at Landshut (1) and the marshalling yard at Treuchtlingen (1); 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 15 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 10 MIA. Escorting are 273 of 294 P-51s. 2. 509 B-17s are sent to hit the munitions depot (28) and marshalling yard (82) at Landshut; the airfield (131) and marshalling yard (79) at Ingolstadt; and the marshalling yards at Treuchtlingen (70) and Donauworth (108); no losses or casualties. The escort is 281 of 294 P-51s. 3. 346 B-24s are dispatched to hit Obertraubling Airfield (79), a munitions depot (31) and an oil depot (80) at Regensburg, and the marshalling yards at Neumarkt (71) and Amberg (73); 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged; 22 airmen are KIA. 211 P-47s and P-51s escort. 4. 3 B-17s and 28 of 29 P-51s fly scouting missions. 5. 52 P-51s fly a freelance sweep over Regensburg. 6. 28 P-51s escort 10 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. Mission 942: 9 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany during the night and 11 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in Denmark.
April 10
April 12
