This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: January 10th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 10 Jan 2026 15:16:31 -0000

January 10, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 181: During the evening, 5 B-17's drop 4.8 million leaflets on Orleans, Chateauroux, Rouen, Le Mans and Tours, France without loss. HQ 93rd Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) transfers from Horsham St Faith to Elveden Hall, England.

January 10, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 300
Targets: Airfield at Bonn/Hangelar, Germany,
Euskirchen, Brilon and Cologne, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Crews Lost: Lt. Gates, 2 KIA, 3 POW, 5 RTD;
Lt. Smith, 2 POW, 7 RTD; Lt. Statton, 1 KIA, 8 RTD
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 40 minutes
Bomb Load: 38 x 100 lb M30 G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 27,500, 24,500 & 18,000 ft
The 303rd BG(H) was the first 8th AF Bomb Group to complete 300
combat missions

January 10, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 789: 1,119 bombers and 362 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields, rail targets and bridges in Germany; most attacks are made using PFF methods; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 429 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Rodenkirchen (31) and Deutz (10) highway bridges at Cologne, the South (34) and Hohenzollern (52) rail bridges at Cologne and the marshalling yard at Karlsruhe (105); 20 hit the secondary target, the Gereon marshalling yard at Cologne; targets of opportunity are bridges at Duisburg (11) and Oberkassel (21), Dusseldorf (28) and other (33); some targets hit visually but most by PFF methods; 5 B-17s are lost, 5 damaged beyond repair and 199 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 48 MIA. 2. 233 B-24s are dispatched to hit highway bridges at Steinbruck (23), Schonberg (70), Weweler (60) and Dasburg (20); 1 hits Prum, a target of opportunity; targets are hit using Gee-H; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA. 3. 458 B-17s are sent to hit the Hangelar Airfield at Bonn (63); Odendorf Airfield at Euskirchen (98), Osteheim Airfield at Cologne (83) and Gymnich Airfield (52); 43 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Cologne; targets of opportunity are the marshalling yards at Euskirchen (8), Belecke (8) and Duren (12) and other (26); Gee-H is used in bombing with some visual sightings; 5 B-17s are lost, 11 damaged beyond repair and 140 damaged; 5 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 52 MIA. 4. The bombers are escorted by 137 of 152 P-51s; 6 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. 5. 123 P-47s and P-51s make a freelance sweep to cover the bombers; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 is lost (1 pilot MIA); 4 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 6. 13 of 15 P-51s dive bomb the marshalling yard at Neustadt without loss. 7. 6 of 8 P-51s escort 2 Mosquitoes on a photo reconnaissance of the Brux, Czechoslovakia area. 8. 28 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission.