This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
August 27, 1942
ETO 8th AF: Mission 6: 7 of 9 B-17s bomb the shipyards at Rotterdam, The Netherlands at 1740 hours; 3 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA. 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) completes nonstop flight of the last of its 4 squadrons from Newfoundland to UK without a loss. A Combat Crew Replacement Center (CCRC), the first in the 8th AF, is established at Bovingdon, England. 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, moves from Kirton in Lindsey to Ibsley, England with P-38s.
August 27, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 64
Target: Special V-weapons Installation Site, Watten, France
Crews Dispatched: 20
Crews Lost: 1 crew - Lt. Crockett (10 crewmen),
4 slightly wounded on other crews
Length of Mission: 3 hours, 40 minutes
Bomb Load: 2 x 2,000 lb H.E. M-34 bombs
Bombing Altitude: 16,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 29,309 rounds
View Mission Report
August 27, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 87: 224 B-17's are dispatched to the German rocket-launching site construction at Watten, France; 187 hit the target at 1846-1941 hours; they claim 7-0-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17's are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 98 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 18 WIA and 32 MIA. The mission escort consists of 173 P-47's; they claim 8-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 is lost and the pilot is listed as MIA. This is the first of the 8th AF's missions against V-weapon sites (later designated NOBALL targets). VIII Air Support Command Missions 36A & 36B: Two missions are scheduled to targets in France: 1. 36 B-26's are dispatched to the Poix Nord Airfield; 35 hit the target at 0826 hours; there are no losses or casualties. 2. 21 B-26's are dispatched to the Rouen Power Station but the mission is aborted because of bad weather and extremely heavy enemy fighter opposition. HQ 356th Fighter Group and its 360th Fighter Squadron arrive at Goxhill, England from the US with P-47's. The squadron will fly its first combat mission on 15 Oct. The 77th and 79th Fighter Squadrons, 20th Fighter Group, arrive at Kings Cliffe, England from the US with P-38's. The squadrons will fly their first mission on 28 Dec 43.
August 27, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 233
Target: Airfield at Esbjerg, Denmark
Crews Dispatched: 37
Crews Lost: Lt. Yarnall, 8 KIA, 1 POW; Lt. Hallum, 1 KIA, 8 B/O
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 55 minutes
Bomb Load: 5 x 1,000 lb G.P. M44 & 10 x 500 lb M17 Incendiary
Bombing Altitudes: 20,800 & 19,700 ft
Ammo Fired: 43,825 rounds
View Mission Report
August 27, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Two major missions are flown against Berlin and strategic targets in N and C Germany; 3 bombers and 10 fighters are lost: Mission 583: 426 B-17s are dispatched but encounter very high clouds over Denmark and N Germany and are recalled; 5 hit Ausum Airfield, 4 hit targets of opportunity and 1 hits Flensburg marshalling yard; 2 B-17s are lost and 16 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 180 of 194 P-51s; 3 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 1 pilot is KIA and 3 MIA. Mission 584: 777 bombers and 351 fighters are dispatched: 1. Of 371 B-17s dispatched, targets hit are Esbjerg Airfield (60), Emden marshalling yards and docks (37), Wilhelmshaven (34), Heligoland Island (11), Island of Fano (1) and Island of Sylt (1); 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 5 WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is provided by 156 of 167 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 7 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged; 7 pilots are MIA. 2. 34 of 406 B-24s hit Heligoland Island; 3 B-24s are damaged. Escort is provided by 169 P-38s and P-51s; 7 P-51s are damaged. 316 of 326 P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against transport in E France; they claim 14-0-4 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot is MIA). Mission 585: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Netherlands during the night.
August 26
August 28
