This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: August 9th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 09 Aug 2026 07:03:04 -0000

August 9, 1942
ETO 8th AF: Unit moves in England: HQ 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) to Chelveston from the US; 27th Fighter Squadron from Goxhill to Atcham (the squadron is operating their P-38s from Reykjavik, Iceland).

August 9, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Air Support Command Mis-sions 16A and 16B: 72 B-26's are dispatched to the St Omer/Ft Rouge Air-field in France; clouds prevent bombing and only 1 aircraft hits the target at 1904 hours; 11 aircraft are damaged and 6 men are WIA.

August 9, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 224
Target: Boot and Shoe Factory, Pirmasens, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 41
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 50 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb M76 & 10 x 500 lb M17 Incendiary bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 20,200, 18,700 & 17,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 200 rounds

August 9, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 533: 824 bombers and 675 fighters are dispatched to strategic targets (aircraft and tank factories, airfields and fuel depots) in SE Germany; weather deteriorated enroute and many bombers were recalled when confronted with a front rising to 28,000-feet (8,534 m) and most units attacked targets of opportunity; only 25 bombers hit their primary (Sindelfingen); 18 bombers and 3 fighters are lost; targets were (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of bombers bombing): 1. Of 359 B-17s, 103 hit Pirmasens; 56 hit Elsenborn, 41 hit Karlsruhe, 30 hit Ulm, 8 hit Spreicher and marshalling yards at Saarbrucken (34) and Luxembourg (29); they claim 1-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 157 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 5 WIA and 96 MIA. Escort is provided by 243 P-47s and P-52s; they claim 33-0-10 aircraft in the air and 24-0-15 on the ground; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots are MIA); 2 P-47s and 5 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 2. Of 218 B-17s, 16 hit Aacen, 12 hit Eindhoven, 12 hit St Vith marshalling yard and 7 hit targets of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 94 are damaged; 5 airman are WIA and 18 MIA. Escort is provided by 162 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 3. Of 247 B-24s, 147 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yard and 25 hit an aircraft engine plant at Sindelfingen; 4 B-24s are lost, 2 are damaged beyond repair and 126 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 10 WIA and 39 MIA. Escort is provided by 165 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 6-0-4 aircraft; 1 P-38 is lost (pilot is MIA). Mission 535: 3 of 4 B-17s fly a Micro H test mission against Aubigny, France airstrip. Escort is provided by 16 P-38s without loss. Mission 536: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Netherlands during the night. 116 P-47s, escorted by 40 P-51s, are dispatched on fighter-bomber missions against communications in France without loss. In England, HQ 325th Photographic Wing (Reconnaissance) is activated at High Wycombe; and HQ 25th Bombardment Group (Reconnaissance) and 652nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy, Weather Reconnaissance) with B-24s, the 653rd Bombardment Squadron (Light, Weather Reconnaissance) with B-24s and Mosquito XVIs and 654th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy, Reconnaissance, Special) with B-24s, B-26s and Mosquito XVIs are activated at Watton.

August 9, 1945
An Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.