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The 303rd Bombardment Group was activated in February 1942 as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber group at Pendleton Field, Oregon and assigned the 358th, 359th and 360th Bombardment Squadrons and the 31st Reconnaissance Squadron.
It moved to Gowen Field, Idaho, where its 31st Reconnaissance Squadron was replaced by the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, which had lost most of its B-17s in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The group deployed to Southern California to fly antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific. The group completed training in southwest by August 1942. The ground echelon departed Biggs Field, Texas in August 1942, arriving at Fort Dix on 24 August. It sailed aboard the RMS Queen Mary and arrived in Great Britain on 10 September. The air echelon flew through Kellogg Field, Michigan and Dow Field, Maine before ferrying its planes across the Atlantic.
Combat in Europe Due to the haste to move heavy bombers to Europe, the group was insufficiently trained for combat and it continued to train in England until it entered combat on 17 November 1942 in a strike against Saint-Nazaire, but returned without striking, having been unable to locate its target. It attacked Saint-Nazaire the following day, although its intended target was La Pallice. Its initial raids were on airfields, railroads and submarine pens in France. As one of only four Flying Fortress groups in VIII Bomber Command during late 1942 and early 1943, the 303rd participated in the development of the tactics that would be used throughout the air campaign against Germany.
In 1943, the group began flying missions to Germany, participating in the first attack by American heavy bombers on a target in Germany, a raid on the submarine yards at Wilhelmshaven on 27 January 1943. From that time, it concentrated primarily on strategic bombardment of German industry, marshalling yards, and other strategic targets, including the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, shipyards at Bremen and an aircraft engine factory at Hamburg.
The 303rd received a Distinguished Unit Citation when adverse weather on 11 January 1944 prevented its fighter cover from joining the group, exposing it to continuous attacks by Luftwaffe fighters. Despite this opposition, the unit successfully struck an aircraft assembly plant at Oschersleben.
Although a strategic bombing unit, the squadron was diverted on occasion to close air support and interdiction for ground forces. It attacked gun emplacements and bridges in the Pas-de-Calais during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, in June 1944; bombed enemy troops during Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo, and during the Battle of the Bulge. It bombed military installations near Wesel during Operation Lumberjack, the Allied assault across the Rhine. Its last combat mission was an attack on 25 April 1945 against an armament factory at Pilsen (now Plze).
Following VE Day in May 1945 the 303rd Group was reassigned to the North African Division, Air Transport Command and moved to Casablanca Airfield, French Morocco to use its B-17 bombers as transports, ferrying personnel from France to Morocco. However, the two B-17 groups moved to Casablanca proved surplus to Air Transport Command's needs and the squadron was inactivated in late July 1945 and its planes ferried back to the United States.
During the War, the 303rd flew 364 missions, more than any other Eighth Air Force B-17 group, and one group Fort, "Hell's Angels", was the first to complete 25 missions, while another, "Knock Out Dropper", was the first to complete 50 and 75 missions. Only one other group delivered more bomb tonnage than the 303rd. However, the group lost 165 planes, more than five times its authorized strength of 30 B-17s.
Lineage 303rd Air Expeditionary Group Constituted as the 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942 Activated on 3 February 1942 Redesignated 303rd Bombardment Group, Heavy on 20 August 1943 Inactivated on 25 July 1945 Redesignated 303rd Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 1 July 1947 Activated on 1 July 1947 Inactivated on 6 September 1948 Redesignated 303rd Bombardment Group, Medium on 4 September 1951 Activated on 4 September 1951 Inactivated on 16 June 1952 Consolidated with the Global Hawk Systems Group as the Global Hawk Systems Group on 23 June 2006 Redesignated 303rd Aeronautical Systems Group on 14 July 2006 Inactivated on 30 June 2010 Converted to provisional status, redesignated 303rd Air Expeditionary Group and assigned to United States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed on 8 March 2011[3] Global Hawk Systems Group Constituted on as the Global Hawk Systems Group on 23 November 2004 Activated on 18 January 2005 Consolidated with the 303rd Bombardment Group on 23 June 2006
Assignments Second Air Force, 3 February 1942 28 August 1942 1st Bombardment Wing, 10 Sep 1942 41st Combat Bombardment Wing, 13 September 1943 North African Division, Air Transport Command, 15 June 25 July 1945 Strategic Air Command, 1 July 1947 6 September 1948 303rd Bombardment Wing, 4 September 1951 16 June 1952 Reconnaissance Systems Wing (later 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing). 18 January 2005 30 June 2010 United States Air Force Europe, to activate or inactivate as needed, 8 March 2011
Components 31st Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 3 February-16 March 1942 38th Reconnaissance Squadron (later 427th Bombardment Squadron), attached 13 March 1942, assigned 31 March 1942 25 July 1945 303rd Air Refueling Squadron, 4 September 1951 8 April 1952 358th Bombardment Squadron, 3 February 1942 25 July 1945; 1 July 1947 6 September 1948; 4 September 1951 16 June 1952 359th Bombardment Squadron, 3 February 1942 25 July 1945; 1 July 1947 6 September 1948; 4 September 1951 16 June 1952 360th Bombardment Squadron, 3 February 1942 25 July 1945; 1 July 1947 6 September 1948; 4 September 1951 16 June 1952 669th Aeronautical Systems Squadron, 14 July 2006 30 June 2008
Stations Pendleton Field, Oregon, 3 February 1942 Gowen Field, Idaho, 11 February 1942 Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 12 June 1942 Biggs Field, Texas, 7 23 August 1942 RAF Molesworth (USAAF Station 107),[26] England, 12 September 1942 Casablanca Airfield, French Morocco, C. 31 May 25 July 1945 Andrews Field (later Andrews Air Force Base), Maryland, 4 July 1947 6 September 1948 Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 4 September 1951 16 June 1952 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 18 January 2005 30 June 2010
Aircraft assigned Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942 1945 Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1951 1952