This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
May 24, 1942
ETO 8th AF: VIII Air Force Base Command, under overall logistical control of Service of Supply, is given primary responsibility for all supply and maintenance peculiar to the AAF, thus leaving much logistical autonomy to the Army Air Forces in Britain (AAFIB).
May 24, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 159
Target: City area, Berlin, Germany (PFF)
Crews Dispatched: 38
Crews Lost: Lt. Worthley & crew
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 25 minutes
Bomb Load: 16 x 100 lb M-30, 7 x 500 lb M17A1 Incendiaries
Bombing Altitudes: Group A - 27,000 ft; Group B - 25,900 ft
Ammo Fired: 1,690 rounds
View Mission Report
May 24, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 367: 1,106 bombers and 602 fighters are dispatched on visual attacks on airfields in the Paris area and PFF and visual bombing of Berlin; 33 bombers and 10 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 33-7-6 Luftwaffe aircraft: 1. 616 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin; 464 hit the primary, 34 bomb Nauen, 13 bomb Rechlin and 6 bomb targets of opportunity; 33 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 256 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 24 WIA and 482 MIA. 2. 490 B-24s are dispatched to bomb airfields at Melun (168 bomb) and Orly (151 bomb); 58 bomb Pix Airfield and 23 comb Creil Airfield; 33 B-24s are damaged. Escort is provided by 144 P-38s, 178 P-47s and 280 P-51s; P-38s claim 6-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft and P-51s claim 27-7-4; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 8 P-51s are lost; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 4 P-51s are damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 10 MIA. Mission 368: 222 fighter are dispatched to attack rail bridges in France; 1. 74 P-47s are dispatched to hit bridges at Creil (44 bomb) and Verberie (28 bomb); 1 P-47 is damaged. 2. 124 P-51s, escorted by 24 P-51s, are dispatched to bomb bridges at Beaumont-sur-Oise (59 bomb) and Soissons (34 bomb); 29 also hit St. Leger/Albert Airfield; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-1 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost and 6 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 3 MIA. Mission 369: 4 of 4 B-17s drop 2.54 million leaflets on France and Belgium without loss. 3 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations without loss.
May 23
May 25
