This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: August 3rd

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 03 Aug 2026 09:47:00 -0000

August 3, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Major General William E. Kepner becomes Commanding General, VIII Fighter Command. HQ 353rd Fighter Group and its 350th Fighter Squadron transfer from Goxhill to Metfield, England with P-47's; the squadron will fly its first mission on 9 Aug. These units will remain at this station until Apr 44.

August 3, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 217
Target: Military Installation at Fresnoy, Crepieul & Fressin, France
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 4 hours
Bomb Load: 20 X 250 lb G.P. M57 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 20,900, 25,000 & 24,000 ft

August 3, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: Two missions are flown. Mission 512: 672 bombers and 352 fighters are dispatched to hit rail and other targets in the French/German border area and oil dumps and bridges SE of Paris; 6 bombers and 6 fighters are lost: 1. Of 345 B-17s, 106 hit the Merkwille Oil Refinery, 68 hit Strasbourg marshalling yard, 62 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yard, 54 hit Mulhouse marshalling yard, 16 hit Toul/Croix de Metz Airfield, 11 hit a railroad near Saarbrucken and 6 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 4-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 98 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA, 9 WIA and 54 MIA. Escort is provided by 175 of 200 P-51s; they claim 6-0-0 aircraft in the air and 5-0-1 on the ground; 6 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA). 2. Of 155 B-17s, 38 hit Troyes Bridge and 36 hit Joigny/La Roche Bridge; 11 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 96 of 103 P-51s. 3. Of 172 B-24s, 27 hit Conches Airfield, 12 hit Melun marshalling yard, 11 hit Etampes Mondesir Airfield and 3 hit targets of opportunity; 51 B-24s are damaged. Escort is provided by 47 P-47s. Mission 513: 482 bombers and 178 fighters are dispatched to oil installations and dumps in the Brussels, Paris and Lille areas and CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in the Pas de Calais; 2 bombers are lost: 1. 112 of 126 B-17s and 117 of 121 B-24s hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais; 1 B-24 is lost; 6 B-17s and 20 B-24s are damaged. Escort is provided by 43 of 46 P-51s. 2. Of 76 B-24s, 62 hit Brussels/Vivorde, 10 hit Ghent/Terneuzen and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 49 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA. Escort is provided by 33 of 36 P-47s. 3. Of 159 B-24s, 49 hit Harnes, 28 hit Courchelettes, 22 hit Pas de Calais V-weapons sites, 10 hit Lille/Marquette, 10 hit Lille/Sequedin and 8 hit Ghent marshalling yard; 1 B-24 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 38 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is provided by 90 of 96 P-51s. 133 P-38s and P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail traffic in the Metz-Strasbourg-Saarbrucken area; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-47 is lost.

August 3, 1945
VIII Fighter Command: The 709th and 711th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 447th Bombardment Group (Heavy), begin a movement from Rattlesden, England to the US with B-17s.