This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: September 19th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 19 Sep 2026 13:17:58 -0000

September 19, 1943
8th AF: VIII Air Support Command Missions 63 and 64: 2 airfields in France are targeted: 1. 18 of 72 B-26's hit Lille/Nord Airfield at 1139 hours; clouds prevent the 2nd group for bombing; 10 B-26's are damaged; casualties are 4 WIA. 2. 72 B-26's dispatched to Merville airfield are recalled due to weather.

September 19, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 244
Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards at Osnabruck & Hamm, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 36
Crew Members Wounded: T/Sgt. Gerald Meyer, WIA
Length of Mission: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Bomb Load: 12 x 500 lb G.P. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 26,000 & 25,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 3,870 rounds

September 19, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 642: 796 B-17s are dispatched against marshalling yards in W Germany; weather prevents about half from bombing primary targets but most manage to bomb targets of opportunity; 7 bombers and 1 fighter are lost: 1. Of 380 B-17s dispatched, all hit targets of opportunity, i.e., marshalling yards at Koblenz (87), Dillenburg (39), Limburg (37) and Darmstadt (24); bridges at Limburg (35), Koblenz (25) and a bridge over the Rhine River at Koblenz (13); and Wiesbaden (38), Wetzlar (14), the railroad line at Koblenz (13) and Wiesbaden Airfield (12); 4 B-17s are lost and 159 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 37 WIA. Escort is provided by 131 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 3-0-1 aircraft in the air; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA). 2. 416 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Hamm (186) and Soest (32) and depot at Dortmund/Unna (64); other targets hit are marshalling yards at Raesfeld (11), Wesel (9), Rheine (6) and Munster (3); Dillenburg (11), Emmerich (7), Hamm (5), Osnaburck (2) and others (6); 3 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 120 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 18 MIA. Escort is provided by 109 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 100 B-17s and 61 P-51s takeoff from bases in the USSR and bomb the marshalling yard at Szolnok, Hungary and continue to bases in Italy. 172 of 182 P-51s supporting the First Allied Airborne Army in the Netherlands engage 100+ fighters, claiming 23-4-14; 6 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 1 pilot is KIA and 6 MIA.