This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: March 2nd

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 02 Mar 2026 13:04:11 -0000

March 2, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 115
Target: V.K.F. Ball Bearing Works, Frankfurt, Germany
and Messerschmidt Aircraft Factory, Hochstenbach, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 31
Crews Lost: Lt. Elder - 2 KIA, 8 POW
Crew Members Lost or Wounded: 3 men had frostbite
Length of Mission: 7 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitudes: Group - 26,000 ft; Squadron - 20,300 ft
Ammo Fired: 995 rounds

March 2, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 244: 1. 327 B-17s are dispatched to the Franfurt am Main marshalling yard; only 101 hit the primary target because of PFF failures; 103 hit Frankfurt Offenbach, 49 hit Ludwigshafen, 20 hit Limburg, 12 hit Fischbach and 8 hit other targets of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost with 1 KIA, 5 WIA and 80 MIA. 154 B-24s are also dispatched to the same target; 36 hit the primary and 46 hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 3 damaged beyond repair; casualties are 16 KIA, 4 WIA and 11 MIA. The bombers claim 2-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft. Escort is provided by 33 P-38s, 445 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 111 P-51s; 1 P-38 is damaged; the P-47s claim 13-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft, 3 P-47s are lost and 7 damaged, 2 pilots are MIA; the P-51s claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft, 2 P-51s are damaged and 1 pilot is MIA. 2. 84 of 106 B-17s dispatched hit the air depot at Chartres, France; 1 B-17 is lost and 12 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 10 MIA. This mission is escorted by 89 P-38s, 145 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 47 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 1 P-38 is lost. Mission 245: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Caen, Amiens, Rouen, Chartres and Rennes, France at 2015-2054 hours without loss. HQ 92nd Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) moves from Camp Blainey to Sudbury, England.

March 2, 1945
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 328
Target: Marshalling Yard at Chemnitz, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Bomb Load: 16 x 250 lb H.E. M57 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 26,500, 25,000, & 27,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 600 rounds

March 2, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 859: 1,232 bombers and 774 fighters are dispatched to hit synthetic oil plants and a tank factory in Germany; most attacks are made using H2X radar; they claim 110.5-9-60 Luftwaffe aircraft; 14 bombers and 13 P-51s are lost: 1. 450 B-17s are sent to hit an oil plant at Bohlen (60), oil refinery at Rositz (36) and gun batteries at Bohlen (36); 255 hit the secondary target, Chemnitz; targets of opportunity are Penig (12), Saalfeld (13), Jocketa (12), Cologne (1) and other (12); some attacks are made visually; they claim 2-0-1 aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 52 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 4 WIA and 29 MIA. Escorting are 254 of 272 P-51s; they claim 7.5-1-4 aircraft in the air and 0-0-6 on the ground without loss. 2. 321 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Rothensee oil plant (38) and Buckau tank factory (257) at Magdeburg; 4 others hit a target of opportunity; some attacks are made visually; 3 B-24s are lost and 61 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 28 MIA. The escort is 187 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 5-2-0 aircraft in the air; 2 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 3. 455 B-17s are sent to hit the oil plant at Ruhland (24); 406 hit the secondary, Dresden; 1 other hits a target of opportunity; they claim 6-3-10 aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost and 53 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 72 MIA. 225 of 249 P-51s escort; they claim 54-3-16 aircraft in the air and 36-0-23 on the ground; 13 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 6 B-24s fly a screening mission. 5. 25 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. 6. 22 of 23 P-51s escort 14 F-5s and 4 Spitfires on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany without loss. Mission 860: 11 of 12 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany without loss and 4 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.