This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: April 14th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 14 Apr 2026 06:00:25 -0000

April 14, 1942
ETO The British Government and Chiefs of Staff (CoSs) accept General George C Marshall's Operation BOLERO plan for the Allied build-up in the UK for an attack on Germany.

April 14, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 350th and 351st Fighter Squadrons, 353rd Fighter Group, move from Metfield to Raydon, England with P-47s.

April 14, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 359
Target: Huge Gun Emplacements at Royan, France
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 47 minutes
Bomb Load: 12 x 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 18,000, 17,500 & 18,500 feet

April 14, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 3 missions are flown. Mission 948: 1,167 bombers are dispatched without escort to visually attack enemy pockets on the French Gironde estuary; 2 B-24s are lost; other Allied AFs and French naval units attack similar targets; the air attacks precede a ground assault by a French detachment of the Sixth Army Group on the defense pockets which deny the Allies use of port facilities in the Bordeaux area: 1. 480 of 490 B-17s hit 15 strongpoints and flak batteries in the Bordeaux/Royan, Pointe Coubre and Pointe Grave areas; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. 2. 315 of 336 B-24s hit 12 strongpoints and flak batteries in the same area as Force 1; 2 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 18 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 12 MIA. 3. 338 of 341 B-17s attack 4 strongpoints and flak batteries in the Bordeaux/Royan area without loss. 4. 31 P-47s and P-51s fly scouting missions. 5. 9 of 11 P-51s escort 8 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Royan and Germany. Mission 949: 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany, the Netherlands and France during the night. Mission 950: An experimental bombing operation is flown by a Mosquito and B-24s against Neuruppin Airfield, Germany; the mission is unsuccessful. 1 of 4 B-24s completes a CARPETBAGGER mission to Denmark during the night. HQ 352nd Fighter Group and the 486th and 487th Fighter Squadrons move from Chievres, Belgium to Bodney, England with P-51s.