This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: June 12th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 12 Jun 2026 13:45:15 -0000

June 12, 1942
ETO 8th AF: Another contingent of personnel for HQ 8th AF and subordinate commands arrive in the UK. Units arriving in England from the US: HQ 60th Transport Group at Chelveston; 309th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, at High Ercall (first mission is 17 Aug); 341st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy), at Polebrook with B-17s (first mission is 17 Aug).

June 12, 1943
8th AF: HQ 3rd Bombardment Wing transfers from Elveden Hall, England to Marks Hall, England. HQ 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and its 337th, 339th and 413th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) transfer with B-17's from Great Saling, England to Snetterton Heath, England. The 449th, 450th, 451st and 452nd Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 322nd Bombardment Group (Medium) transfer with B-26's from Rougham, England to Great Saling, England.

June 12, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 178
Target: Airdrome at Cambrai/Epinoy, France
Crews Dispatched: 39
Crews Lost: Lt. Eisele, 9 KIA, 1 POW
Length of Mission: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Bomb Load: 250 lb G.P. & 100 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 21,900 ft, 21,800 ft & 22,500 ft

June 12, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 407: With bad weather over top priority targets in Germany, 1,442 bombers are dispatched against airfields and landing grounds in NE France and rail and road bridges on the Brest Peninsula; 691 of 769 B-17s and 586 of 673 B-24s hit 16 airfields and 6 railroad bridges in the Rennes and St Nazaire area; they claim 1-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost; 1 B-17 and 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; and 188 B-17s and 52 B-24s are damaged; 7 airmen are KIA, 14 WIA and 58 MIA. 988 fighter sorties are flown with the loss of 16 aircraft; 15 pilots are MIA: 1. 234 P-38s, 80 P-47s and 201 P-51s fly escort, sweeps and patrols over the Channel NW of Paris and in the Rennes area; they claim 20-0-8 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 3 P-38s, 1 P-47 and 3 P-51s are lost; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair. 2. 93 P-38s and 183 P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against 5 railroad bridges in the Tours-Paris area; they claim 5-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-38 and 8 P-47s are lost; 1 each is damaged beyond repair. 3. 45 P-38s and 152 P-51s fly escort for Ninth Air Force A-20s and B-26s. Mission 408: 7 of 7 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Belgium during the night without loss. 16 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

June 12, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Unit moves in England: HQ 2nd and 98th Bombardment Wings (Heavy) from Hethel and Polebrook respectively to Alconbury; HQ 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 325th and 326th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) from Podington to Istres, France with B-17s where they begin transporting troops from Marseilles to Casablanca for return to the US; HQ 379th Bombardment Group (Heavy) begins a movement from Kimbolton to Casablanca, French Morocco; HQ 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 788th, 789th, 790th and 791st Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) begin a movement from Rackheath to the US with B-24s.