This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
December 5, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 86
Target: St. Jean D'Angely, France
Crews Dispatched: 20 plus 3 spares
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 45 minutes
Bomb Load: 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 11,000 ft
Ammo Fired: 1,935 rounds
View Mission Report
December 5, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 149. Airfields in France are targetted; 8 B-17's and 1 B-24 are lost. 1. 216 B-17's are dispatched to La Rochelle/Laleu, St Jean D'Angely, Paris/Ivry, Paris/Bois and D'Colombes airfields; none hit the target due to weather; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged. 2. 96 B-24's are dispatched to Cognac/Chateaubernard Airfield; 2 hit St Nazaire; 1 B-24 is lost and 7 damaged; casualties are 2 WIA and 10 MIA. 3. 236 B-17's are dispatched to the Bordeaux/Merignac air depot; 1 hits the target; they claim 12-5-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-17's are lost and 19 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 4 WIA and 50 MIA. These missions are escorted by 34 P-38's and 266 P-47's plus 36 Ninth Air Force P-51's; 1 P-47 is lost; the pilot is MIA.
December 5, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 3 missions are flown. Mission 738: 589 bombers and 884 fighters are dispatched to make attacks on Germany; an estimated 275-300 Luftwaffe fighters attack and AAF fighters claim 90-7-30 aircraft; 12 bombers and 17 fighters are lost: 1. 451 B-17s are dispatched to make PFF attacks on munitions and tank plants at Berlin (404); targets of opportunity are Nienburg (2) and other (23); 12 B-17s are lost and 169 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 8 WIA and 115 MIA. Escorting are 630 of 711 P-51s; they claim 90-7-23 aircraft in the air and 0-0-2 on the ground; 15 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 114 of 129 B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Munster; 10 B-24s are damaged. Escorting are 141 P-47s and P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 P-47 damaged beyond repair. 3. 6 of 6 B-24s fly a screening mission. 4. 23 of 25 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 739 is an APHRODITE mission with 2 B-17 Castor drones, 3 B-17 control and observation aircraft, a P-38 observation aircraft and 17 of 17 P-51s as escort; the P-51s claim 1-0-0 aircraft. Mission 740: 11 of the 4 B-17s and 8 B-24s dispatched drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany.
December 4
December 6
