This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: February 4th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 04 Feb 2026 01:01:34 -0000

February 4, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 14
Target: Industrial Targets NW of Osnabruck, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 13
Crews Lost: Capt. Cole - 3 KIA, 6 POW, 1 WIA/POW/DOW
Crew Members Lost or Wounded: 1 WIA
Length of Mission: 5 hours plus
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lbs M43
Bombing Altitude: 19,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 20,991 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 8 Destroyed, 1 Probable, 2 Damaged

February 4, 1943
8th AF: Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews, USAAF, assumes command of the European Theater of Operations, US Army. (Also see Western Mediterranean below.) VIII Bomber Command Mission 33: 65 B-17s of the 1st Bombardment Wing and 21 B-24s of the 2nd Bombardment Wing are dispatched against the Hamm, Germany marshalling yards. The B-24s turn back before hitting the Dutch coast when the temperature drops below the lowest limit of the thermometers (-40 degrees C). Heavy clouds cover Hamm so three of four B-17 groups (39 B-17s) attack the marshalling yard, port area and industries in Emden, Germany between 1200 and 1215 hours local dropping 92.25 tons of bombs. We claim 25 enemy fighters destroyed, 8 probably destroyed and 6 damaged; 5 B-17s are lost; human casualties are 17 WIA and 50 MIA. Bombers are opposed for the first time by Ju 88 and Me 110 twin-engine fighters. The 4th Fighter Group dispatches 21 Spitfire Mk Vs on uneventful fighter patrols and an air-sea rescue search.

February 4, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 104
Target: City area, Frankfurt, Germany (PFF Bombing)
Crews Dispatched: 38
Crew Members Lost or Wounded: 3 crewmen experienced frostbite
Length of Mission: 7 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 21 & 42 65 lb M47A1 Incendiaries
Bombing Altitudes: A Group, 25,000 ft; B Group, 24,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 5,620 rounds

February 4, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 208: 589 B-17s and 159 B-24s are dispatched to attack industry and railroad yards at Frankfurt/Main, Germany; 346 B-17s and 27 B-24s hit the target; due to weather and navigational problems, 122 B-17s hit Giessen, 51 B-17s hit Wiesbaden, 17 B-24s hit the Trier area, 15 B-24s hit the Arloff area, 2 B-24s hit the Russelheim area, 1 B-24 hits Grafenhausen, 1 B-24 hits Darmstadt, 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 hit Koblenz and 26 B-24s and 23 B-17s hit unknown targets; they claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 18 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost, 2 B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 359 aircraft are damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 20 WIA and 203 MIA. Escort is provided by 56 P-38s, 537 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 44 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 8-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 is lost, 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 1 MIA. Mission 209: 7 of 7 B-17s drop 319 bundles of leaflets on Lorient, Tours, Nantes, Raismes, Lille and Cambrai, France and Antwerp, Belgium at 2102-2132 hours without loss.

February 4, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 819: 7 of 9 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

February 4, 1945
Yalta Conference begins with Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin.