303d Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was to the 303d Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. It was de-activated on 16 June 1952.
During World War II, the group was one of the first VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
B-17 Flying Fortress units in England. The "Hell's Angels" were the first B-17 group to complete 25 combat missions in June 1943, going on to fly more than 300 combat missions, more than any other group. The 359th BS B-17F 41-24605 "Knock-out Dropper" was the first aircraft in Eighth Air Force to complete 50, then 75 missions.
Lineage
- Constituted as 303d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
- Activated on 3 February 1942
- Inactivated on 25 July 1945.
- Redesignated 303d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), on 1 July 1947
- Activated in the US on 1 July 1947
- Inactivated on 6 September 1948.
- Redesignated 303d Bombardment Group (Medium), on 4 September 1951
- Activated on 4 September 1951
- Inactivated on 16 June 1952
Assignments
- II Bomber CommandII Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, 3 February 1942 - 1st Bombardment Wing, 10 Sep 1942
- Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, February 1943
- Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May 1943
- 41st Combat Bombardment Wing, 13 September 1943 – 11 June 1945
- European Air Materiel Command, 11 June – 25 July 1945
- Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 1 July 1947 – 6 September 1948 - 303d Bombardment Wing, 4 September 1951 – 16 June 1952
Components
- 31st Reconnaissance Squadron31st Reconnaissance SquadronThe 31st Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Group, stationed at Gowen Field, Idaho. It was inactivated on 16 March 1942.-History:...
, 3 February-16 March 1942 - 358th Bombardment Squadron358th Bombardment SquadronThe 358th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 15 June 1964.-History:...
(VK), 3 February 1942 – 25 July 1945; 1 July 1947-6 September 1948; 4 September 1951 – 16 June 1952 - 359th Bombardment Squadron359th Bombardment SquadronThe 359th Bombardment Squadron was a United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was deactivated on 15 June 1964.-History:...
(BN), 3 February 1942 – 25 July 1945; 1 July 1947-6 September 1948; 4 September 1951 – 16 June 1952 - 360th Bombardment Squadron360th Bombardment SquadronThe 360th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 15 June 1964.-History:...
(PU), 3 February 1942 – 25 July 1945; 1 July 1947-6 September 1948; 4 September 1951 – 16 June 1952 - 427th Bombardment Squadron427th Bombardment SquadronThe 427th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 303d Bombardment Wing, based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The unit was inactivated on 1 January 1962.-History:...
(GN), 13 March 1942 – 25 July 1945
Stations
- Pendleton Field, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 3 February 1942 - Gowen Field, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, 11 February 1942 - Alamogordo Army Airfield, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, 17 June 1942 - Biggs Field, Texas, 7–23 August 1942
- RAF MolesworthRAF MolesworthRAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
(USAAF Station 107), England, 12 September 1942 - Casablanca Airfield, French MoroccoFrench MoroccoFrench Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, C. 31 May – 25 July 1945 - Andrews Field, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, 4 July 1947 – 6 September 1948 - Davis-Monthan AFB, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 4 September 1951 – 16 June 1952.
Aircraft assigned
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945
- B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, 1947–1948; 4 September 1951–1952
World War II
The 303rd Bombardment Group (H) was constituted on 28 January 1942 at Savannah, Georgia, was activated at Pendleton Field, Pendleton, Oregon, on 3 February 1942, and received its initial staff and training at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho on 13 February 1942. Training for its combat missions took place at Alamogordo Air Base, New Mexico and Biggs Field, Texas. On 23 August 1942, the ground echelon moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey, to board the Queen Mary for overseas deployment. Theyarrived at Molesworth, England, on 9 September 1942. The air echelon arrived in late October and the stage was set for entrance into combat.
The 358th flew the first mission for the group on 17 November 1942. The group would become one of the legendary units of the Eighth Air Force. Initially missions were conducted against targets such as aerodromes, railways, and submarine pens in France until 1943, then flying missions into Germany itself.
The 303d took part in the first penetration into Germany by heavy bombers of Eighth Air Force by striking the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
yard at Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
on 27 January 1943 then attacked other targets such as the ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
, shipbuilding yards at Bremen, a synthetic rubber plant at Huls, an aircraft engine factory at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, industrial areas of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, an aerodrome at Villacoublay, and a marshalling yard at Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
.
The 303d received a Distinguished Unit Citation for an operation on 11 January 1944 when, in spite of continuous attacks by enemy fighters in weather that prevented effective fighter cover from reaching the group, it successfully struck an aircraft assembly plant at Oschersleben
Oschersleben
Oschersleben is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2005 about 18,000.-Geography:...
.
The group attacked gun emplacements and bridges in the Pas de Calais area during the invasion of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in June 1944; bombed enemy troops to support the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
in July 1944. It struck airfields, oil depots, and other targets during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, and bombed military installations in the Wesel
Wesel
Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark,Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
area to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
The last mission for the 303d was flown on 25 April 1945 when it attacked an armament works in Pilsen. During its combat tour the group flew 364 missions comprising 10,271 sorties, dropped 26,346 tons of bombs and shot down 378 enemy aircraft with another 104 probables. The group also saw 817 of its men killed in action with another 754 becoming prisoners of war.
On 31 May 1945, the 303d Bomb Group left Molesworth, moving to Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
.
Wulf Hound
B-17F-27-BO 41-24585 8th AF / 303rd BG / 360th BS
(PU-B / Wulf Hound)
This B-17 was the first Flying Fortress to be studied by the Luftwaffe. she went MIA on the 12 December 1942 (303rd BG Mission #6) Target: Rouen / Sotteville, France – Railroad Marshalling yards (Pilot: 1Lt Paul F. Flickenger)
Due to combat damage, Lt Flickenger made a wheels-up landing in a hayfield near Melun, France (60 miles S.E. of Paris) with the ball turret guns pointing downward – 8 of the crew were captured but 1Lt Gilbert T Showalter (Navigator) and 2Lt Jack E. Williams (co-pilot) were able to escape and evaded.
Germans were able to transport the B-17 to the nearby Leeuwarden airfield in the Netherlands where repairs made and put in flyable condition. The damaged Ball Turret was never replaced.
It was painted with German Balkenkreuz Insignia and Stammkennzeichen alphabetic code DL+XC with yellow paint on the undersurfaces. It was carefully examined and tested at the Luftwaffe Test and Evaluation Center at Rechlin
Rechlin-Lärz Airfield
Rechlin-Lärz Airfield is an airfield in the village of Rechlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, which is certified for aviation equipment up to 14 tons weight...
. Wulf Hound was first flown by the Germans on 17 March 1943, followed by more testing and development of fighter tactics against B-17s.
It was transferred to the Luftwaffe "Kampfgeschwader" KG 200
KG 200
Kampfgeschwader 200 was a Luftwaffe unit during World War II. The unit was the Luftwaffe's special operations wing that carried out long-distance reconnaissance flights, tested new aircraft designs, and operated captured aircraft....
special operations wing at Rangesdforf, Germany on 11 September 1943. It then took part in training and highly secretive clandestine missions between May and June 1944.
On 20 April 1945 this aircraft was caught in an allied air-raid on Oranienburg Airfield and was partially destroyed.
In 2000, the Germany government started redeveloping this former airfield and part of Wulf Hound were recovered and placed on display at Sachsenhausen Memorial Store