This Day in . . .
303rd Bomb Group (H) History
December 20, 1942
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 7
Target: Air Depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France
Crews Dispatched: 21
Crews Lost: Lt. Witt - 10 KIA
Length of Mission: 5 hours, 6 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lbs H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitude: 22,500 ft
Ammo Fired: 20,701 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 15 Destroyed, 15 Probables
View Mission Report
December 20, 1942
During Mission Number 26, 80 B-17s and 21 B-24s are dispatched to attack the Luftwaffe air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine; 72 bomb the target with the loss of six B-17s to German fighters.
December 20, 1943
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 90
Target: City area, Bremen, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 21 plus 2 spares
Crews Lost: 2 crews; 2Lt. A. Alex, 1 KIA, 6 POW, 3 REP
and 2Lt. F. Leve, 8 KIA, 2 POW
Crew Members Wounded: 5 Wounded, 6 Injured on
2Lt. J.F. Henderson crew, ditched in North Sea
Length of Mission: 6 hours, 40 minutes
Bomb Load: 42 x M47A1 Incendiaries
Bombing Altitude: 26,200 ft
Ammo Fired: 17,120 rounds
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 5 Destroyed, 1 Probable, 2 Damaged
View Mission Report
December 20, 1943
303rd BG: T/Sgt Forest L. Vosler, 358BS radio operator, fought from his radio gun position when wounded and nearly blinded, then begged to be thrown overboard to save weight on the battered bomber. He later received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
December 20, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 159: the port area at Bremen, Germany is hit. 357 of 407 B-17's, 103 of 127 B-24's and 12 of 12 PFF aircraft hit the target at 1142-1214 hours; they claim 21-14-23 Luftwaffe aircraft; 21 B-17's and 6 B-24's are lost; 3 B-17's are damaged beyond repair; 213 B-17's and 34 B-24's are damaged; casualties are 9 KIA, 41 WIA and 270 MIA. Window-metal foil strips which, when dropped from an airplane, provide an echo which confuses radar locating equipment is used for the first time on an 8th AF mission. This mission is escorted by 26 P-38's, 418 P-47's and 47 Ninth Air Force P-51's; they claim 19-3-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-47's and 4 P-51's are lost; 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 5 P-47's are damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 5 MIA. Twin-engine, rocket-firing Luftwaffe fighters attack under protection of single engine airplanes. VIII Bomber Command Mission 160: 5 B-17's drop 1 million leaflets on Lille and Lens, France and Ghent and Brussels, Belgium at 2005-2015 hours; no losses.
December 20, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: The 859th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 492nd Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrives at Brindisi, Italy from Harrington, England with B-24s and C-47s; the squadron is detached to the 15th Special Group (Provisional) and will fly CARPETBAGGER missions in the MTO beginning 31 Dec.
December 19
December 21
