This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: April 24th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 24 Apr 2026 06:44:21 -0000

April 24, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 140
Target: Landsberg Airdrome & Oberpfaffenhofen Airdrome,
Munich, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 28
Crews Lost: Lt. McClure & Lt. Hofmann went to Switzerland,
Lt. Stewart was shot down
Crew Members Killed or Wounded: Lt. Kelly KIA
Length of Mission: 9 hours, 10 minutes
Bomb Load: 24 X 65 lb M47A1 Incendiary bombs
Bombing Altitudes: Group A 21,100 ft; Group B 21,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 5,210 rounds

April 24, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 315: 754 bombers and 867 fighters are dispatched to bomb airfields, aircraft production industries and targets of opportunity in Germany; the bomber claim 20-1-36 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 124-6-58 fighters; 40 bombers and 17 fighters are lost; details are: 1. Of 281 B-17s dispatched, 109 hit Erding Air Depot, 84 hit aviation industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen, 57 hit Lansberg Airfield and 18 hit targets of opportunity; 27 B-17s are lost and 112 damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 22 WIA and 260 MIA. 2. 243 B-17s are dispatched to bomb aviation industry targets at Friedrichshafen/Lowenthal (98 bomb) and Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb), industrial areas at Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb) and Neckarsulm (15 bomb); 3 also hit targets of opportunity; 9 B-17s are lost and 119 damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 4 WIA and 71 MIA. 3. 230 B-24s are dispatched to bomb airfields; 120 hit Gablingen Airfield, 98 hit Leipheim Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost and 26 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 40 MIA. Escort is provided by 131 P-38s, 490 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 246 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s: P-38s claim 4-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; P-47s claim 2-1-0 aircraft in the air and 36-0-16 on the ground, 5 P-47s are lost and 15 damaged, 5 pilots are MIA; P-51s claim 64-4-2 aircraft in the air and 21-0-20 on the ground, 12 P-51s are lost and 8 damaged; 12 pilots are MIA. Mission 316: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 1.12 million leaflets on Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, The Netherlands and Lille and Reims, France at 2322-2344 hours without loss. 8 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.

April 24, 1945
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Mission 967: During the night of 24/24 Apr, 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.