This Day in 303rd Bomb Group History: November 10th

glm@303rdbg.com (Gary L. Moncur) — 10 Nov 2009 04:50:59 -0000

November 10, 1943
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: VIII Bomber Command Mission 126: 5 B-17's drop 1 million leaflets over Paris, Rennes, Le Mans and Rouen, France at 2020-2051 hours.

November 10, 1944
303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 271
Target: Ostheim Airfield and Brutzweiler Airfield at
Cologne, Germany
Crews Dispatched: 52
Crews Lost: Lt. Boulter, 2 KIA, 7 POW
Length of Mission: 7 hours, 15 minutes
Bomb Load: 38 x 100 lb H.E. M43 bombs
Bombing Altitudes: 27,400 & 26,600; 26,700 & 26,200
Ammo Fired: 12,500 rounds

November 10, 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS 8th AF: 2 missions are flown. Mission 709: 752 bombers and 808 fighters in 3 forces are dispatched to make PFF attack on airfields in W Germany; 4 bombers are lost. 1. 302 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Langendiebach Airfield at Hanau (229); 61 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Hanau; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 46 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 9 MIA. Escort is provided by 261 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 4-0-0 aircraft without loss. 2. 235 B-17s are dispatched to hit Wiesbaden Airfield (105); 73 hit the secondary, Wiesbaden/Halle; 4 others hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 90 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 20 MIA. Escort is provided by 142 of 154 P-51s without loss. 3. 203 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Butzweilerhof (96) and Ostheim (97) Airfields at Cologne; 1 B-17s is lost and 95 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 9 MIA. Escort is provided by 182 of 191 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft without loss. 4. 12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 79 of 87 P-47s hit communications targets in N and C Germany; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft on the ground. 6. 35 P-51s fly a scouting force mission. 7. 58 of 60 P-51s make strafing runs in Germany. Mission 711: 6 B_17s and 9 B-24s (1 abort) drop leaflets on the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.