This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
January 3, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 9
Target: Torpedo Storage Areas, St. Nazaire, France
Crews Dispatched: 17
Crews Lost: Lt. Clark, Lt. Adams, Lt. Saunders, Lt. Goetz
Length of Mission: 7 hours plus
Bomb Load: 5 x 1000 lb M44 H.E. Demolition bombs
Bombing Altitude: 20,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 6,552 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 12 Destroyed, 6 Probables, 2 Damaged
View Mission Report
January 3, 1943
303rd BG: Capt Glenn E. Hagenbuch was appointed CO of the 427th BS, replacing Maj Charles C. Sheridan, who was MIA on the St. Nazaire mission of 03 January. Maj Sheridan was the only Group or Squadron CO Killed in Action on a 303rd BG combat mission.
January 3, 1943
8th AF: Sixteen Spitfire Vs of the 4th Fighter Group fly ship protection patrols. VIII Bomber Command Mission 28: The primary target is the St Nazaire U-Boat base in France; this is the first attack on this installation since 23 Nov 42 and the heaviest attack to date against U-Boat bases. The 1st Bombardment Wing dispatches 85 B-17s of the 91st, 303, 305th and 306th Bombardment Groups (Heavy); the 4th Bombardment Wing dispatches 13 B-24s of the 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy); 60 B-17s and eight B-24s hit the target dropping 171 tons of bombs between 1130 and 1140 hours local. Formation (instead of individual) precision bombing is used for the first time by the VIII Bomber Command, and considerable damage is done to the dock area. The mission stats are: We claim 14 enemy aircraft shot down, 18 probably shot down and 4 damaged; we loose seven B-17s, three B-24s are damaged beyond repair, 44 B-17s and three B-24s are damaged. Human casualties are 5 KIA, 29 WIA and 70 MIA.
January 3, 1943
The new "Combat Box" formation was inaugurated by the 305th Bomb Group. It soon became the standard combat formation.
January 3, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Special Night Operation: 1 B-17 is dispatched on an Oboe test against Germany but turns back due to an oxygen failure in the tail gun position. HQ 452nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) and its 728th, 729th, 730th and 731st Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) arrives at Deopham Green, England from the US with B-17's; first mission is 5 Feb.
January 3, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 296
Target: Tactical Target at St. Vith, Belgium
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 10 minutes
Bomb Load: 20 x 250 lb H.E. M57 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 23,400, 23,000 & 24,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 940 rounds
View Mission Report
January 3, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 778: 1,168 bombers and 589 fighters are dispatched to attack rail and communications targets in W Germany; all are PFF attacks using H2X, Gee-H and Micro H; they claim 4-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 fighters are lost: 1. 417 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Fulda (141) and Aschaffenburg (124) and communications centers at Gemund (38) and Schleiden (36); the Mosel marshalling yard at Koblenz, a secondary target, is hit by 36 bombers; targets of opportunity are the Pforzheim marshalling yard (25) and other (3); 1 B-17 is damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 219 of 227 P-51s; they claim 4-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 4 damaged beyond repair. 2. 325 B-24s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Altstadt (31), Homburg (41), Zweibrucken (55), Neunkirchen (84), Landau (59) and the Pirmasens railhead (41); 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged. Escorting are 143 of 148 P-51s. 3. 421 B-17s are sent to hit the Hermulheim W (72) and E (36) marshalling yards, a communications center at St Vith, Belgium (98), and rail junctions at Mondrath (36) and Horrem (1); 100 B-24s hit the secondary target, Cologne; targets of opportunity are Rheydt (10) and other (3); 11 B-17s are damaged. The escort is 145 of 150 P-51s; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 32 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 5. 32 of 32 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on a photo reconnaissance over Germany.
January 2
January 4
