This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: March 9th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 09 Mar 2026 12:24:06 -0000

March 9, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 120
Target: City Area, Berlin, Germany (PFF)
Crews Dispatched: 19
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 24,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 730 rounds

March 9, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 253: 8 bombers and 1 fighter are lost on missions to Germany; the bombers claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 221 bombers are damaged; details are: 1. 339 of 361 B-17s dispatched hit Berlin; 6 B-17s are lost and 1 is damaged beyond repair; casualties are 10 KIA, 6 WIA and 43 MIA. 2. 150 of 165 B-24s hit secondary targets at Hannover, Brunswick and Nienburg; 2 B-24s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; casualties are 12 WIA and 20 MIA. Escort is provided by 83 P-38s, 572 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 153 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; no claims are made; 1 P-38 is lost, 2 P-38s and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 1 MIA. 784th, 785th and 787th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 466th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrive at Attlebridge, England from the US with B-24s; first mission is 22 Mar.

March 9, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 875: 1,045 bombers and 443 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and industrial plants in Germany; they claim 0-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers are lost: 1. 423 B-17s are sent to hit the Ost (150) and Main (222) marshalling yards and a casting plant (38) at Frankfurt visually and using Micro H, H2X radar and smoke markers; 6 B-17s also fly a screening mission; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 182 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 28 MIA. Escorting are 94 of 101 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air. 2. 318 of 336 B-17s attack the marshalling yard and a large tank factory at Kassel visually; 6 other B-17s fly a screening mission; 3 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 188 damaged; 4 airmen are WIA and 28 MIA. The escort is 97 of 99 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair. 3. 282 B-24s are sent to bomb marshalling yards at Munster (97), Rheine (93) and Osnabruck (87) using Gee-H and H2X; 1 B-24 is lost and 52 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 12 MIA. 47 of 51 P-51s escort. 4. 4 B-17s fly a scouting mission. 5. 141 P-47s and P-51s fly a freelance sweep in support of the bombers; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair. 6. 27 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 7. 15 P-51s escort 12 F-5s and 3 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air. Mission 876: 11 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night; and 2 of 9 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.