This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: October 6th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 06 Oct 2026 16:40:15 -0000

October 6, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 252
Target: Power Plant at Stralsund, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 31
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 25,500 & 25,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 29,400 rounds

October 6, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 667: 1,271 bombers and 784 fighter are dispatched to hit industrial targets in N Germany; with one exception, all attacks are visual; 19 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 447 B-17s are dispatched to hit Stargard Airfield (199), aircraft factories at Neubrandenburg (73) and Stettin (12); targets of opportunity are Stralsund (110), Kappeln (36), Freienwalde (1) and other (1); 1 B-17 is lost and 34 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 180 of 202 P-51s; they claim 3-1-3 aircraft in the air and 30-0-14 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA), 2 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged. 2. 418 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin to hit a munitions dump at Berlin/Spandau (144), aircraft factories at Berlin/Spandau (138) and tank factory at Berlin/Tegel (100); 10 hit a target of opportunity. 17 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 234 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 154 MIA. Escort is provided by 363 of 414 P-51s; they claim 15-0-5 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost and 3 damaged. 3. 406 B-24s are dispatched to hit Harburg/Rhenania oil refinery (121) with PFF methods, munitions dumb at Hamburg/Glinde (89) and aircraft factories at Hamburg/Klockner (79) and Wenzendorf (46); targets of opportunity are Stade Airfield (29), the Hamburg area (8), Nordhoz Airfield (2), Bremervorde (1) and Ottersberg (1); 1 B-24 is lost and 127 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is provided by 156 of 168 P-47s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air; 6 P-47s are damaged. Mission 668: 6 B-24s and 4 B-17s drop leaflets in Germany, the Netherlands and France during the night without loss.