This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: July 18th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 18 Jul 2026 08:50:51 -0000

July 18, 1942
ETO Harry Hopkins, General George C Marshall, Admiral Ernest V King, Prime Minister Winston S Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff begin a conference in London on the proposed invasion of N Africa (Operation TORCH).

July 18, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 206
Target: Experimental V-Rocket Station, Peenemunde, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 40 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb G.P. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: Group A - 25,100 ft; Group B - 23,300 ft

July 18, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 481: 1,394 bombers and 476 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany and tactical targets in France; 3 bombers and 3 fighters are lost: 1. 644 B-24s are dispatched, in conjunction with Ninth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command, to bomb enemy equipment and troop concentrations in support of the assault by the British Second Army in the Caen area; 249 hit Solier, 146 hit Frenouville, 139 hit Troarns, 23 hit Hubert la Folie and 12 hit the Mezidon marshalling yard; 1 B-24 is lost, 2 are damaged beyond repair and 182 are damaged. 90 RAF Spitfires fly uneventful support for the B-24s. 2. Of 291 B-17s, 107 hit the Kiel port area, 55 hit the Hemminstedt oil refinery and 54 hit Cuxhaven; 21 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 48 P-38s and 84 P-51s without loss. 3. Of 459 B-17s, 377 hit the Peenemunde experimental establishment, scientific HQ at Zinnowitz, and marshalling yards at Stralsund; 3 B-17s are lost and 64 damaged. Escort is provided by 297 P-38s and P-51s; they claim 21-0-12 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (2 pilot are MIA) and 1 is damaged beyond repair. 25 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France during the night; 1 B-24 collides with an RAF aircraft over France and is lost.

July 18, 1944
4,500 Allied aircraft pound the German positions with 7,000 tons of bombs.