This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: March 27th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 27 Mar 2026 05:52:59 -0000

March 27, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 129
Target: Chartres Airdrome, France
Crews Dispatched: 26
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 10 minutes
Bomb Load: 13 x 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 18,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 390 rounds
303rd BG(H) B-17F "Knockout Dropper" became the first 8th AF B-17 to
complete 75 combat missions.

March 27, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 282: Airfields in France are attacked by 701 bombers. 1. 285 of 290 B-17s hit the following airfields: St Jean D/Angely (55), La Rochell/La Leu (59), Chartres (60), Tours/Parcay Meslay Air Depot (74), Usine Liotard Air Depot (35) and targets of opportunity (2); 1 B-17 is lost and 37 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 10 MIA. 2. 248 of 256 B-17s hit the following airfields: Bordeaux/Merignac (123), Cayeux (118) and Chartres (7); 2 B-17s are lost and 51 damaged; casualties are 11 KIA, 2 WIA and 20 MIA. 3. All 168 B-24s hit the following airfields: Pau/Ont Long (72), Biarritz (49) and Mont de Marsan (47); 3 B-24s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 18 damaged; casualties are 20 KIA, 1 WIA and 31 MIA. Escort is provided by 132 P-38s, 706 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 122 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; results are: P-38s: 2 lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; 2 pilots are MIA. P-47s claim 6-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 P-47s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 5 are MIA. P-51s claim 2-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 30-1-11 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged; 3 pilots are MIA.

March 27, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Operations during the day include: 1. 110 of 115 P-47s and P-51s escort 262 RAF Lancasters attacking Paderborn, Germany. 2. 2 F-5s, escorted by 4 P-51s, fly a photo reconnaissance mission over Brunswick and Paderborn. Mission 916: 9 of 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

March 27, 1945
The 1,115th and last V2 to reach England lands in Kynaston Road, Orpington, Kent, England.