This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: January 15th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 15 Jan 2026 13:26:24 -0000

January 15, 1943
8th AF: Twelve Spitfire Mk Vs of the 4th Fighter Group fly uneventful fighter patrols.

January 15, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 302
Target: Railroad Marshalling Yard at Ingolstadt, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 26
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 35 minutes
Bomb Load: 38 x 100 lb Fragmentation bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 24,000 & 23,050 ft
Ammo Fired: 100 rounds

January 15, 1945
303rd BG: The 359th BS was host to twenty-six infantrymen, recovering from wounds and sickness due to enemy action on the European Continent. The men, recovering at the 303rd Station Hospital, were invited to observe Bomb Squadron operations.

January 15, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 794: 640 bombers and 782 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards in Germany; they claim 14-0-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 fighters are lost. 1. 223 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Ingolstadt (111) and Freiburg (107); 1 hits the Reudenstadt marshalling yard as a target of opportunity; H2X radar is used to bomb; 5 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 183 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair. 2. 75 of 120 B-24 hit the secondary target, the Reutlingen marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are Tubingen (19), Urich (10), the Tubingen marshalling yard (7), Mahlberg (1) and other (1); all attacks are made visually; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair. The escort consists of 109 of 117 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft without loss. 3. 253 of 297 B-17s hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Augsburg using H2X radar; targets of opportunity are Bobingen (29) and other (5) bombed visually; 16 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA. The escort is provided by 184 of 204 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 156 of 167 P-51s fly a fighter sweep over Germany; they claim 13-0-19 aircraft without loss. 5. 62 of 63 P-51s fly a fighter bomber mission against the marshalling yard at Gensingen without loss. 6. 6 of 7 P-51s escort a Spitfire on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. 7 29 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. Mission 795: 2 B-17s and 7 B-24s drop leaflet on the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss. HQ VIII Fighter Command moves from Bushey Hall, England to Charleroi, Belgium.