This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
July 4, 1942
MOLESWORTH, ENGLAND: Independence Day was selected as the date for the US to enter combat from England. RAF 226 Squadron leaders had judged that most of the 15th Bombardment Squadron (L) crews were ready for war. Six American crews accompanied six 226 Squadron crews, all flying 226 Squadron Bostons. The twelve aircraft were divided into four flights of three aircraft each to bomb four Dutch airfields.
From the Molesworth-based US crews, two crews were assigned to bomb the airfield at De Koog, one crew to Bergen/Alkamaar, one to Haastede, and two to Valkenberg. The flight to hit De Koog was led by an experienced RAF pilot, with CAPT Kegelman flying one wing and 2Lt F.A. Loehrl, the other. As they neared the target, Lt Loehrl's aircraft was hit by intense enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed in flames. CAPT Kegelman's aircraft took a direct hit in the right engine, shearing off the propeller and setting the engine on fire. He simultaneously released his bomb load. The lightened Boston surged upward and then down, its right wingtip hitting the ground and ripping off part of the lower fuselage. With full throttle on the left engine, his forward guns silenced a flak tower. Through a combination of skill and luck CAPT Kegelman brought his crew home. Lt Marshall Draper became the first 8th Air Force POW. Seven other crewmen's lives were lost on 8th Air Force Mission Number 1.
July 4, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 48
Target: Gnome Rhone Aircraft Works, Le Mans, France
Crews Dispatched: 24
Crews Lost: Lt. R.S. O'Connor - 3 KIA, 4 POW, 3 ESC,
Crew Members Killed or Wounded - 1 KIA
Length of Mission: 4 hours, 25 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitude: 22,300 ft
Ammo Fired: 47,534 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 4 Destroyed, 5 Probable, 3 Damaged
View Mission Report
July 4, 1943
INDEPENDENCE DAY: 8th AF VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 71: 192 B-17's are dispatched against aircraft factores at Le Mans and Nanes, France; 166 make a very effective attack; we claim 52-14-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 7 with 1 damaged beyond repair and 53 others damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 9 WIA and 70 MIA. 83 other B-17's are dispatched against submarine yards at La Pallice, France; 71 hit the target between 1201 and 1204 local; we claim 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 1 and 1 is damaged; casualties are 10 MIA. Bombing is extremely accurate.
July 4, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 451: 558 bombers and 632 fighters are dispatched to attack 7 airfields N and W of Paris; bad weather and mechanical failures cause 350+ bombers to abort; 1 B-17 and 4 fighters are lost: 1. Of 300 B-17s, 24 hit Dreux Airfield, 24 hit Illiers L'Eveque Airfield, 13 hit Conches Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-17s is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 37 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 9 MIA. 2. Of 258 B-24s, 56 hit Conches Airfield, 50 hit Beaumont le Roger Airfield, 49 hit Evreux Airfield, 25 hit Beaumont-sur-Oise Airfield and 12 hit Creil Airfield; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 52 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. 199 P-38s, 189 P-47s and 244 P-51s are dispatched to escort the bombers but 63 abort; 2 P-38s, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged. Of 144 P-38s and 176 P-47s, 29 hit Nevers marshalling yard, 25 hit Joinville Bridge, 16 hit Chartre-Chateaudun marshalling yard, 14 hit Perrigny marshalling yard, 14 hit Fresnes Bridge, 8 hit Cercy/La Tours marshalling yard, 8 hit Cambrai marshalling yard, 6 hit St Florentin, 5 hit targets of opportunity and 4 hit Rouen Bridge; they claim 17-0-10 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-38 is lost and 1 damaged. Total VIII Fighter Command casualties are 1 KIA, 4 WIA and 7 MIA. 36 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night; 3 airmen are MIA after a plane crashes.
July 4, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: HQ 446th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 704th, 705th and 706th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) begin a movement from Flixton, England to the US with B-24s.
July 3
July 5
