This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: May 28th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 28 May 2026 12:57:52 -0000

May 28, 1943
303rd BG: Colonel Charles E. Marion was appointed as 303rd BG(H) Commanding Officer.

May 28, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 162
Target: Eifeltor marshalling yards at Cologne, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 19
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 33 minutes
Bomb Load: 2,000 lb Glide bombs
Bombing Altitude: 19,000 ft

May 28, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 163
Target: Molbis Hermal Electric Power Station, Leipzig, Ger.
Crews Dispatched: 16
Crews Lost: Lt. Determan, 7 KIA, 3 POW
Length of Mission 7 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 500 lb G.P. RDX bombs
Bombing Altitude: 23,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 1,960 rounds

May 28, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 376: 1,341 bombers and 697 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany; 32 bombers and 9 fighters are lost; they claim 64-30-31 Luftwaffe aircraft: 1. 610 B-17s are dispatched against an oil targets at Ruhland/Schwarz-Heide (38 bomb) and aircraft factory at Dessau (12 bomb); secondary targets are aviation factories at Zwickau (15 bomb) and Leipzig (28 bomb); 14 bomber hit Bohlen, 15 hit Meissen, 19 hit Brandis/Polenz Wusten-Sachsen Airfield, 12 hit Frankfurt marshalling yard, 32 hit Ubigau, 20 hit Dessau, 4 hit Frankfurt, 5 hit Camburg and 22 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 20-21-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 17 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 107 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 155 MIA. 2. 255 B-17s are dispatched to an oil dump at Konigsburg/Magdeburg (105 bomb) and oil industry at Magdeburg/Rothensee (55 bomb); 17 hit Dessau and 6 bomb the marshalling yard at Gera; they claim 16-8-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 9 B-17s are lost and 64 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 90 MIA. 3. 106 B-24s are dispatched to Lutzkendorf/Halle (66 bomb); 10 hit Wetzlar and 6 hit a target of opportunity; 3 B-24s are lost and 16 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 3 MIA. 4. 311 B-24s are dispatched to oil targets at Merseburg/Leuna (63 bomb) and Zeitz-Troglitz (187 bomb); 10 hit Limburg, 8 hit Memmingen, 9 hit Saalfeld and 10 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost and 23 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 1 WIA and 26 MIA. 5. 58 of 59 B-17s hit Cologne/Eifeltor marshalling yard without loss; glide bombs are used but the weapon proves unsuccessful. Escort is provided by 182 P-38s, 208 P-47s and 307 P-51s; no P-38s are lost; P-47s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-1 on the ground with the loss of 4 P-47s (pilots are MIA), 2 damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged; P-51s claim 25-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of 5 (pilots are MIA), 1 damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged. 527 Ninth Air Force fighters also fly escort and claim 33-0-10 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 5-0-7 on the ground for the loss of 5 fighters. Mission 377: 5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in Belgium and Norway. 22 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 1 is lost .

May 28, 1944
The US 8th Air Force attacks synthetic fuel-producing plants at Leuna-Meseburg.

May 28, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Unit moves from England to the US: HQ 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy) from Tibenham; the 564th, 565th, 566th and 567th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 389th Bombardment Group (Heavy), from Hethel with B-24s.