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

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 04 Jan 2026 18:16:06 -0000

January 4, 1943
8th AF: Twenty Sptifire Vs of the 4th Fighter Group fly ship protection patrols. HQ 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) moves from Bovingdon to Alconbury, England.

January 4, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 95
Target: City area, Kiel, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 37
Crews Lost: 1 crew, Lt. F.C. Humphreys, 10 crewmen KIA
Crew Members Wounded: 2 wounded, 5 sustained frostbite
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 50 minutes
Bomb Load: 12 x 500 lb G.P. & 42 x M47A1 Incendiary bombs
Bombing Altitude: 25,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 17,925 rounds

January 4, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 174: 2 targets in Germany are hit; 19 bombers and 2 fighters are lost. 1. 371 of 439 B-17's and 115 of 130 B-24's are dispatched to the port area at Kiel; 7 B-17's and 34 B-24's hit targets of opportunity; they claim 4-12-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 B-17's and 6 B-24's are lost; 2 B-17's and 3 B-24's are damaged beyond repair and 111 B-17's and 16 B-24's are damaged; casualties are 22 KIA, 53 WIA and 170 MIA. 70 P-38's and 42 Ninth Air Force P-51's escort; they claim 1-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 are lost and 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair; casualties are 1 WIA and 2 MIA. 2. 68 of 75 B-17's hit Munster; 2 B-17's are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 35 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 20 MIA. 430 P-47's escort; they claim 7-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 is damaged. Mission 175: During the evening, 4 B-17's drop 800,000 leaflets on Orleans, Lorient, Rouen and Tours, France at 2005-2021 hours; no losses. This is the first CARPETBAGGER operation from Tempsford, England on this night. US airplanes begin flying supplies from UK to underground resistance forces in W Europe, this operation being coded CARPETBAGGER.

January 4, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 779: 1 B-17 and 2 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany during the night; 1 B-24 is lost. Mission 780: 10 of 12 B-24s dispatched to hit the Coubre Point Coastal battery near Bordeaux, France hit the target using H2X radar. The transfer of HQ VIII Fighter Command from Bushey Hall, England to Charleroi, Belgium begins; the HQ is to provide administrative and operational support for fighter groups operating with the Ninth AF on tactical support missions.