This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: August 13th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 13 Aug 2026 09:10:17 -0000

August 13, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 227
Target: Road Junction at Eureux-Bernay, France
Crews Dispatched: 39
Length of Mission: 4 hours, 55 minutes
Bomb Load: 39 x 100 lb G.P. XM30 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 21,200, 20,600 & 19,400 ft

August 13, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 4 missions are flown: Mission 548: 1,264 bombers and 131 fighters are dispatched to make visual attacks in support of ground forces on coastal batteries and transportation choke points between Le Havre and Paris; 12 bombers are lost: 1. Of 798 B-17s, 634 hit battle area targets, 69 hit Le Manoir Bridge and 54 hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 484 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 63 MIA. 2. Of 466 B-24s, 347 hit battle area targets, 69 hit Ile de Cezembre and 34 hit St Malo; 5 B-24s are lost; 1 airman is KIA, 4 WIA and 50 MIA. The 2 forces above are escorted by 131 of 136 P-51s. Mission 549: 1 APHRODITE B-17 with 2,000-pounds (907 kgs) of bombs is launched against Le Havre; B-17, P-38 and Mosquito support aircraft assist; the target is missed and the Mosquito is destroyed by the exploding bombs. Mission 550: 2 of 4 B-17s fly a Micro H test mission to La Chenaie rail junction. Mission 551: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Belgium during the night. 36 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night. 844 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against transportation targets in the Seine River area; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 4 P-47s and 9 P-51s are lost, 4 P-47s are damaged beyond repair and 1 P-47 is damaged; 1 pilot is KIA, 1 WIA and 13 MIA.

August 13, 1945
8th AF: The 461st, 462nd and 463rd Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 346th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), arrive on Okinawa from the US with B-29s.