This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: May 25th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 25 May 2026 00:40:27 -0000

May 25, 1942
ETO Lieutenant General Henry H "Hap" Arnold, Rear Admiral John H Towers and Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles F Portal attend an Anglo-American air conference in London. Topics of discussion include allocation of aircraft and the establishment of US air forces in the UK. The meeting begins at 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister Winston S Churchill.

May 25, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 160
Target: Railroad marshalling yards, Blainville, France
Crews Dispatched: 28
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 23,000 & 22,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 205 rounds

May 25, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 370: 406 bombers and 604 fighters make visual attacks on rail installations and airfields in Belgium and France; 4 bombers and 12 fighters are lost; the fighters claim 13-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; unless otherwise indicated, all targets are in France: 1. 307 B-24s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Belfort (74 bomb) and Mulhouse (134 bomb); 12 hit Tonnere marshalling yard and 37 bomb Bretigny and 1 bombs Dijon Airfields; 2 B-24s are lost and 57 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. 2. 320 B-17s are dispatched to Nancy/Essey Airfield (75 bomb) and marshalling yards at Metz (69 bomb), Saarguemines (36 bomb) and Blainville (36 bomb); 56 B-17s hit Thionville marshalling yard and 3 bomb Liege Airfield, Belgium; 14 B-17s are damaged. 3. 103 B-24s bomb Montignies sur Sambre marshalling yard and 9 bomb Alos marshalling yard; 3 B-24s are damaged. 4. In Belgium 247 B-17s are dispatched against marshalling yards at Brussels/Schaerbeck (52 bomb), Brussels/Midi (29 bomb) and Leige/Guillemines (50 bomb); other marshalling yards hit are Brussels/Melsbroek (18 bomb) and Liege/Renory (50 bomb); 2 B-18s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 71 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 6 WIA and 28 MIA. 5. 18 of 38 B-17s and 18 of 18 B-24s hit Fecamp gun battery without loss. 6. 15 B-17s hit St Valery gun battery without loss. Escort is provided by 136 P-38s, 181 P-47s and 287 P-51s; P-38s claim 3-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 9 P-38s (pilots are MIA) are lost and 8 damaged; P-47s claim 4-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground, 6 P-47s are damaged; P-51s claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft, 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA) and 1 damaged. MISSION 371: 4 of 4 B-17s drop leaflets in France without loss.