This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: October 3rd

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 03 Oct 2026 09:17:28 -0000

October 3, 1942
8th AF: The 95th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group, arrives at Eglington, Co Derry, Ireland from the US with P-38s.

October 3, 1943
8th AF: VIII Air Support Command Missions 76, 77 and 78: 1. 36 B-26's are dispatched to the Lille/Vendeveille Airfield in France but weather prevents their hitting the target. 2. 131 of 144 B-26's dispatched to Amsterdam/Schiphol (71 aircraft), Woensdrecht (34 aircraft) and Haamstede (26 aircraft) Airfields in the Netherlands hit their targets at 1120-1136 hours; 47 B-26's are damaged. 3. 72 B-26's are dispatched to Beauvais/Tille Airfield, France; 63 hit the target at 1724-1727 hours; 1 B-26 is lost and 27 damaged. Total casualties for all missions are 5 WIA. The 153rd Liaison Squadron, 67th Observation Group, transfers from Keevil to Membury, England with A-20's and L-4's. The 328th, 329th, 330th and 409th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), cease operating from Oudna, Tunisia and return to their base at Hardwick, England with B-24's. The 564th, 565th, 566th and 567th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 389th Bombardment Group (Heavy), cease operating from Massicault, Tunisia and return to their base at Hethel, England with B-24's.

October 3, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 250
Target: Synthetic Oil Plant at Wesseling, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 40 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb G.P. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 26,950, 25,900 & 24,800 ft
Ammo Fired: 2,900 rounds

October 3, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown: Mission 662: 1,065 bombers and 753 fighters make PFF and visual attacks against airfields and industrial targets in Geramny; 3 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 380 B-17s are dispatched to hit Giebelstadt Airfield (49); targets of opportunity are Nurnberg (256), Ludwigshafen (13), Ulm (11) and others (24); 130 B-17s are damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 260 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA0 and 1 is damaged beyond repair. 2. 228 B-17s are dispatched to hit motor vehicle facotry at Nurnberg (198); 10 others hit Ottingen Airfield; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 28 MIA. Escort is proivded by 227 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair. 3. 119 B-17s are dispatched to hit the oil refinery at Wesseling (87); targets of opportunity are Cogogne (26) and 1 other; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 51 damaged. Escort5 is provided by 24 of 24 P-47s. 4. 338 B-24s are dispatched to hit Gaggenau (139) and Lachen/Speyerdorf (111) visually; secondary targets hit are Offenburg marshalling yard (19) and Pforzheim Airfield (19); targets of opportunity are Speyer Airfield (30) and Lachen (2); 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 38 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 188 P-38s and P-47s. Mission 663: 6 B-24s and 4 B-17s drop leaflets in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium during the night.