This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: April 21st

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 21 Apr 2026 12:44:46 -0000

April 21, 1944
303rd BG: Mission to Hamm, Germany was scrubbed due to 10/10 clouds just prior to formation assembly.

April 21, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 8th AF offensive against German oil targets is scheduled to start on this date, but the mission is cancelled because of bad weather. 309th and 310th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 8th AF, arrive at Spanhoe, England from the US with C-47s; they will be reassigned to the Ninth Air Force on 26 Apr.

April 21, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 963: 532 bombers and 444 fighters attack jet fighter airfields and rail targets in SE Germany; 2 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 111 of 113 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Munich, a target of last resort, with H2X radar; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged. Escorting are 90 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair. 2. 186 B-24s are sent to hit the Salzburg marshalling yard and rail bridge but abort the mission due to 10/10 cloud cover; 1 B-24 is lost and 4 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 12 MIA. The escort is 99 of 109 P-51s. 3. 6 of 232 B-17s hit the secondary target, the Amlech Airfield at Landsberg; 212 hit a target of last resort, the town of Ingolstadt; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA and 7 MIA. 144 of 160 P-51s escort; 2 are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 1 B-17 and 23 P-51s fly scouting missions. 5. 48 of 57 P-47s fly a fighter sweep in the Salzburg area. 6. 4 of 5 P-51s escort 3 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. Mission 964: During the night of 21/22 Apr, 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.