This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
December 18, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 287
Target: Railroad Marshalling Yard at Koblenz, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Bomb Load: 12 x 500 lb H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 27,900, 27,200 & 30,350 ft
View Mission Report
December 18, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 754: 985 bombers and 773 fighters are dispatched to hit communication and tactical targets in Germany using PFF; 4 fighters are lost: 1. Extensive cloud formations force the recall of 358 B-24s without loss. Escorting are 103 of 110 P-51s. 2. 385 B-17s are sent to hit the Kalk marshalling yard at Cologne (32); secondary targets hit are the Lutzel marshalling yard at Koblenz (102) and Kaiserslautern (74) marshalling yard; 11 hit Bonn, a last resort target; 1 B-17 is damaged. The escort is 110 of 116 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 157 of 220 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Mainz; 13 others hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost and 2 damaged beyond repair; 1 airman is MIA. Escort is provided by 150 of 162 P-51s without loss. 4. 22 of 22 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 255 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep in W Germany; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots MIA). 6. 29 of 31 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 755: 4 B-17s and 9 B-24s are sent to drop leaflets in France, Germany and the Netherlands during the night.
December 17
December 19
