This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: March 20th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 20 Mar 2026 12:58:47 -0000

March 20, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 124
Target: City area, Frankfurt, Germany (PFF)
Crews Dispatched: 19 plus 2 spares
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 36 x 100 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 26,300 ft
Ammo Fired: 310 rounds

March 20, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 269: 353 B-17s and 92 B-24s are dispatched to targets in Germany but high clouds and the malfunction of blind-bombing equipment cause nearly 300 bombers to abort the mission; 7 bombers and 8 fighters are lost; the bombers claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; the bombers also drop 900,000 leaflets; details are: 1. 54 B-17s hit Mannheim, 51 hit Frankfurt, 19 hit Bingen and 22 hit targets of opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 150 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 8 WIA and 40 MIA. 2. 1 of 92 B-24s hit Bretuit Airfield; 2 B-24s are lost and 15 damaged; casualties are 3 WIA and 21 MIA. Escort is provided by 44 P-38s, 345 P-47s and 205 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; claims and losses are: 1. P-38s: no claims or losses 2. P-47s claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 6 P-47s are lost and 9 damaged; 6 pilots are MIA. 3. P-51s claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost and 3 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA.

March 20, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 341
Target: Oil Refinery at Hamburg, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Crews Lost: Lt. Taub - 3 KIA, 7 POW; Lt. Moore - 5 KIA, 3 POW
Length of Mission: 7 hours
Bomb Load: 12 X 500 lb H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 26,000, 24,800, & 27,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 24,695 rounds

March 20, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 3 missions are flown. Mission 898: 451 bombers and 355 fighters are dispatched to hit the shipyard and dock area at Hamburg and an oil refinery; they claim 14-3-17 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 bombers and 2 P-51s are lost: 1. 13 of 152 B-17s hit the Blohm & Voss U-boat yard at Hamburg; 133 others hit the secondary, the port area at Hamburg; bombing is visual; they claim 1-0-3 aircraft; 1 airman is KIA and 2 WIA. Escorting are 70 of 79 P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 aircraft. 2. 149 of 162 B-17s hit the secondary target, the Hamburg port area, using H2X radar; 1 other hits the Nordholz Airfield, a target of opportunity; they claim 5-3-2 aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged; 27 airmen are MIA. The escort is 72 of 75 P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 aircraft. 3. 114 of 129 B-24s attack the oil refinery at Hemmingstedt; 1 B-24 is lost and 9 damaged; 12 airmen are MIA. 75 P-51s escort; they claim 2-0-1 aircraft in the air and 1-0-2 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 6 B-17s fly a screening mission without loss. 5. 2 B-17s and 26 of 27 P-51s fly scouting missions. 6. 78 of 82 P-51s fly a strafing mission in the Bremen-Hannover area; they claim 2-0-3 aircraft in the air and 3-0-2 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 7. 17 P-51s escort 11 F-5s and 2 Spitfires on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. Mission 899: 1 B-17, escorted by 4 P-51s, bombs Oberursel at 1650 hours from 25,000 feet (7,620 m); this is the first operational test of Micro-H Mk II radar. Mission 900: 12 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany and 2 A-26s fly CARPETBAGGER missions (1 A-26 is lost).

March 20, 1945
The US 8th Air Force launches a major attack (295 1st and 3rd Air Division bombers) against Hamburg.