This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
December 12, 1942
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 6
Target: Railroad Marshalling yards, Rouen / Sotteville, France
Crews Dispatched: 21
Crews Lost: Frost (2 KIA, 5 POW, 3 EVD) Flickenger (4 POW, 6 EVD)
Length of Mission: 4 hours, 51 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lbs H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitude: 22,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 10,539 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 2 Destroyed, 2 Probables, 1 Damaged
View Mission Report
December 12, 1942
8th AF: During Mission Number 25, 90 bombers are dispatched to bomb two targets in France; 78 aircraft are dispatched to the Rouen-Sotteville Marshalling Yard; 17 attack the target with the loss of two aircraft. A diversion is flown against the Abbeville/Drucat Airfield by 12 aircraft but the target is overcast and the aircraft return without attacking.
December 12, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 153: 4 B-17's drop 800,000 leaflets on Paris, Amiens and Orleans, France at 2033-2044 hours; no casualties. HQ 92nd and 94th Combat Bombardment Wings (Heavy) transfer from Polebrook to Camp Blainey and Alconbury, England respectively. HQ 95th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) is activated at Attlebridge, England.
December 12, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 286
Target: Leuna Synthetic Oil Refinery at Merseburg, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 38
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 12 X 500 lb RDX M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 25,200, 24950 & 25,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 2,390 rounds
View Mission Report
December 12, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 748: 895 bombers and 928 fighters are dispatched to make a H2X attack on Merseburg, Germany and visual attacks on rail targets in Germany; 4 bombers and 7 fighters are lost: 1. 337 of 380 B-17s hit the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg, 10 hit the secondary, Nordhausen and 12 hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost and 25 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 10 MIA. Escorting are 392 of 447 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft on the ground; 7 P-51s are lost (6 pilots MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair. 2. 378 B-24s are sent to hit the Hanau (270) and Aschaffenburg (69) marshalling yards; 17 hit the secondary, Gelnhausen and 8 hit a last resort target, the marshalling yard at Friedburg; 3 B-24s are lost and 45 damaged; 11 airmen are KIA and 20 MIA. Escorting are 193 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair. 3. 461 of 497 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Darmstadt, 9 hit a last resort target, Dieburg and 4 hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged. Escort is provided by 214 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 4. 15 of 20 B-17s and B-24s fly a screening mission. 5. 32 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 749: 7 B-24s and 4 B-17s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night.
December 11
December 13
