This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: September 5th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 05 Sep 2026 11:30:47 -0000

September 5, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 236
Target: I.G. Farben Plant at Ludwigshafen, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 8 hours, 8 minutes
Bomb Load: 6 x 1,000 lb G.P. M44 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 26,000, 25,400 & 24,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 1,439 rounds

September 5, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 3 missions are flown: Mission 605: 739 bombers and 315 fighters are dispatched to SE Germany; 6 bombers are lost; during the missions, a P-51 shoots down a Swiss Bf 109 near Dubendorf. 1. 203 of 218 B-17s attack a Stuttgart aero engine plant and targets of opportunity (4); 2 B-17s are lost and 109 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 5 WIA and 18 MIA. Escort is provided by 147 of 160 P-51s; they claim 19-0-0 aircraft in the air and 14-0-27 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA. 2. 277 of 303 B-17s hit a Ludwigshafen synthetic oil plant and target of opportunity (1); 2 B-17s are lost and 163 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 18 MIA. Escort is provided by 155 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 2 damaged. 3. 183 of 218 B-24s hit Karlsruhe marshalling yard and targets of opportunity (2); 2 B-24s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 78 damaged; 22 airmen are MIA. Mission 606: 143 of 143 B-17s make a visual attack on enemy positions in the Brest, France area; 2 B-17s are lost and 1 damaged; 18 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 21 of 22 P-51s without loss. Mission 608: 7 of 8 B-17s drop leaflets in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany during the night. 46 B-24s and 2 C-47s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night; 1 B-24 is lost. VIII Fighter Command fighter-bomber missions: 1. 48 P-38s and 167 P-47s attack transportation targets in W Germany and claim 0-0-2 aircraft in the air and 62-0-30 on the ground; 4 P-47s are lost (pilots MIA), 2 damaged beyond repair and 10 damaged. 2. 67 P-38s and P-47s attack 3 airfields in the Hanau/Giessen, Germany area and claim 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and 66-0-28 on the ground; 1 P-38 and 3 P-47s are lost (pilots are MIA), 1 P-47 damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 3 P-47s damaged.