This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
June 23, 1942
ETO 8th AF: Major General Carl Spaatz is informed that Operation ROUNDUP (plans for the invasion of Western Europe) has been put off until Spring 1943. This postponement is due to a decision to mount Operation TORCH (plan for Allied landings in North and Northwest Africa in Nov 42), which will necessitate the diversion of large numbers of aircraft earlier slated for the 8th AF in the UK.
June 23, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 43A
Target: Airdrome, Villocoublay, France
Mission Recalled
Crews Dispatched: 22
Length of Mission: 3 hours, 45 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 23,000 ft
View Mission Report
June 23, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 435: at midday 110 of 134 B-17s and 102 of 106 B-24s attack 12 CROSSBOW (V-weapon) installations, damaging at least 6 of them; 3 B-17s and 2 B-24s are damaged. Fighter support is furnished by 4 P-51 groups (141 of 161 aircraft) all of which afterward strafe transportation targets in the Paris area, destroying 3 locomotives, 100 pieces of rolling stock, and 14 motor vehicles; An exploding ammunition train causes a low-flying P-51 to crash, the only aircraft lost on the mission (pilot is MIA). Mission 436: During the late afternoon, 109 B-17s are dispatched to Nanteuil; 13 hit the primary and 2 hit targets of opportunity; the rest abort due to heavy cloud cover; 1 B-17 is lost and 2 are damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 10 MIA. Of 219 B-24s dispatched to airfields in France, 113 hit Juvincourt, 46 hit Laon/Athies, 23 hit Coulommiers and 1 hits Soissons; 6 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 81 are damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 3 WIA and 58 MIA. Escort is provided by 155 P-47s and 83 P-51s; afterwards part of a P-47 group bombs and strafes a marshalling yard while the remainder of the group bombs and strafes a train carrying trucks and armored cars, destroying the locomotive, 3 trucks, and an armored car, and damaging 20 freight 169 of 195 P-38s fly flighter-bomber missions in the Paris area; 2 P-38s are lost (pilots are MIA. 21 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER mission during the night.
June 23, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: HQ 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 324th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), begin a movement from Bassingbourn, England to the US with B-17s.
June 22
June 24
