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

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 19 Nov 2025 05:19:53 -0000

November 19, 1942
ETO 8th AF: Submarine yards at Vegesack, Bremen, and Kiel, Germany are added to day bombardment program as top priority objectives.

November 19, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 134: 127 of 161 B-17's and 3 of 6 B-17 PFF aircraft are dispatched to Gelsenkirchen, Germany but the malfunction of blind-bombing equipment and the weather causes the force to attack targets of opportunity on the German-Dutch border at 1241-1251 hours; 1 B-17 crashes after takeoff; the crew of 10 are KIA. VIII Bomber Command Mission 135: 6 B-17's drop 2.316 million leaflets on Amiens and Reims, France; Brussels and Ghent, Belgium; and Amsterdam and The Hague, The Netherlands at 1915-2011 hours; no losses.

November 19, 1944
303rd BG: A mission scheduled for Gelsenkirchen, Germany was scrubbed after briefing.