This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
November 3, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 80
Target: Joiner Shop & Dock Yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 23
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 10 minutes
Bomb Load: 42 x M47A1 Incendiaries; Group B, 10 x 500 lb G.P.
Bombing Altitude: 22,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 9,100 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 2 Destroyed, 1 Probable
View Mission Report
November 3, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 119. 539 of 566 B-17's and B-24's dispatched to the Wilhemshaven, Germany port area hit the target at 1307-1335 hours. They claim 21-3-24 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17's are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair, and 47 damaged; casualties are 12 WIA and 70 MIA. The mission includes 11 Pathfinders, 9 using new H2X blind-bombing device (first time on a US mission) and 2 using H2S. This is the first 8th AF blind-bombing mission in which the aiming point is completely destroyed and is also the Eighth's first 500-plane mission. 333 P-47's and 45 P-38's escort the bombers with the P-38's escorting the heavy bombers almost the entire trip and see their first real ETO combat, claiming 3-5-5 Luftwaffe aircraft. VIII Bomber Command Mission 120. During the night of 3/4 Nov, 2 B-17's drop 1.5+ million leaflets on Antwerp at 1915 hours and Rotterdam at 2008 hours. The 612th and 613th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 401st Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrive at Deenethorpe, England from the U.S. with B-17's. They will fly their first mission on 26 Nov.
November 2
November 4
