This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
December 25, 1942
CHRISTMAS DAY: HQ 24th Composite Wing is activated in Iceland to control all USAAF units on the island.
December 25, 1944
303rd BG: Capt Richard P. Vinal became the Group Adjutant, replacing Major Frank J. Doherty. Capt Vinal had been the Assistant Group Adjutant.
December 25, 1944
CHRISTMAS DAY found many 303rd BG (H) crews stranded at Snetterton Heath, Norfolk. As they would not be able to return to Molesworth for Christmas, their turkey dinners were transported from Molesworth to Snetteton Heath by truck.
December 25, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 761: 422 bombers and 460 fighters are dispatched to hit communications centers and rail bridges W of the Rhine River; they claim 49-7-12 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 bombers and 9 fighters are lost: 1. 248 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Hallschlag (41), Prum (40), Pelm (37), Murlenbach (33), Pronsfeld (16) and Wahlen (12); targets of opportunity are communications centers at Budesheim (21), Hillesheim (12), Marmegen (11), Nettersheim (10) and Mechernich (9); they claim 3-1-3 aircraft; 4 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 92 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 40 MIA. Escorting are 144 of 156 P-51s; they claim 6-0-1 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair. 2. 174 B-17s are sent to hit railroad bridges at Ahrweiler (44) and Bad Munster (9), the Kaiserslautern railroad (38) and the Hermeskeil Simmern communications center and Marscheid railroad bridge (36); targets of opportunity are railroad bridges at Bad Kreuznach (17) and Eller (11) and other (1); they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 36 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 278 of 294 P-51s; they claim 40-6-7 aircraft; 6 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 10 of 10 P-51s fly a scouting missions without loss.
December 24
December 26
