303d Fighter Wing (World War II)

303d Fighter Wing
P-47D-28-RA Thunderbolt (s/n 42-28473) of the 373rd Fighter Group at RAF Woodchurch, England (UK), in 1944
Active	1943–1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Fighter Command and Control

The 303d Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XXIX Tactical Air Command. It was inactivated on 20 November 1945.

Established and organized at Norfolk Army Airfield, Virginia in 1943 as a command and control organization. Deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in late 1943 and assigned to IX Fighter Command, Ninth Air Force. Initial Mission of the Wing was to receive operational orders from Headquarters, IX Fighter Command and direct subordinate groups in attacking enemy targets in Occupied France and the Low Countries in preparation for the Normandy Invasion in June 1944.

Operational missions included strafing and dive-bombing armored vehicles, trains, bridges, buildings, factories, troop concentrations, gun emplacements, airfields, and other targets in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. Also flew some escort missions with Eighth Air Force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator strategic bombers.

Participated in the June 1944 D-Day invasion of France in by patrolling the air over the landing zones and by flying close-support and interdiction missions. Operations supported the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July and the thrust of The United States Third Army toward Germany in August and September. Reassigned to XIX Tactical Air Command in November 1944 and continued supporting Third Army with Air-Ground support missions, moving through Nancy and Metz to the Siegfried Line near Saarbrücken and Haguenau.