This day in the war in the Pacific 65 years ago.

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CBI (Tenth Air Force): B-25's attack Gokteik Viaduct, Burma, causing minor damage.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon, 2 B-25's bomb barge depot and supply area E of Ringa Cove on New Georgia.

ELLICE ISLANDS: Engineers finish work on the 5,000 foot runway on Nonomea Island. Later, ten Imperial Japanese Navy "Betty" bombers from Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, drop 20 bombs on the airfield.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-26 Marauders bomb the Lae area and B-25 Mitchells bomb and strafe nearby targets on the road to Markham; P-38 Lightnings successfully turn back a Japanese bombing attack on Morobe; and C-47 Skytrains begin flying 544 Australians of the 2/33rd Battalion to Nadzab.
A Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberator crashes on take-off at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, hitting five trucks carrying men of the Australian 2/33rd Battalion;15 are killed instantly, 44 die of their injuries and 92 are injured but survive.

A-20's hit Gasmata area. The 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, arrives at Townsville from the US with C-47's.

 

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ELLICE ISLANDS: Japanese "Betty" bombers of the 755th Kokutai bomb Nanomea Island.
7th AF: B-24's, operating from Canton in the Phoenix , fire on a flying boat scoring hits hut causing no visible damage.

BURMA: 10th AFIn Burma, 6 B-24's mine the Rangoon River during the night of 7/9 Sep; and B-25's hit Gokteik Viaduct for the second consecutive day, scoring 5 hits at the base of the structure, which remains usable.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Japanese 51st Division begins to withdraw from Salamaua to Lae under pressure from both Australian and U.S. forces. Elements of the Australian 9th Division, moving west on Lae, reach the flooded Busu River where the Japanese hold the west bank.
USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24 Liberators, B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders attack the Lae area, and A-20 Havocs hit Salamaua. Other heavy and medium bombers carry out light raids on targets in western part of New Guinea and in islands of Netherlands East Indies.
Off New Guinea, four U.S. Navy (USN) destroyers bombard Lae.
The Japanese at Salamaua are ordered to prepare to fall back to Lae in face of the approaching Australian 5 Division. Elements of the Australian 9 Division, moving W on Lae, reach the flooded Busu River where the Japanese hold the W bank.

 

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ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): At Umnak, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No 14 (Fighter) Squadron prepares to depart for British Columbia, Canada.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): B-24's again mine the Rangoon River in Burma during the night of 8/9 Sep.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 8 B-25's and 11 P-40's hit the White Cloud Airfield at Canton; 4 P-38's bomb the docks at Whampoa; 8 P-40's and P-38's hit shipping on the Yangtze River shipping near Chiuchiang, Kichun, Wusueh, Ocheng, and Changanyi, and strafe targets of opportunity in the general area. .

SOLOMON ISLANDS: USN Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander of the South Pacific Ara and the Third Fleet, proposes that the Treasury Islands and Choiseul Bay be secured as bases from which the southern Bougainville Island-Shortland Islands area can be neutralized. The suggestion is not accepted by General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the South West Pacific Area.
Twelve USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25s and over 50 USN SBDs dive bombers attack Vila Airfield on Kolombangara Island and barges at Disappointment Cove on New Georgia Island. Eighteen B-24 Liberators, with fighter escort, bomb Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island; two nearby coastal guns are also hit.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, Major General Edward Milford, General Officer Commanding Australian 5th Division, order the American and Australian troops in the Salamaua area to advance tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Japanese XVIII Army is ordered to withdraw their troops in Salamaua to Lae. The Australian troops in the Lae-Nadzab area cross the Busu River and holds a bridgehead against counterattacks.
Four USN high-speed transports bombard Lae.
In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack the coastal area from Alexishafen to Finschhafen.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The USN submarine Grayling is sunk, possibly rammed by a Japanese transport in the South China Sea west of Luzon, Philippine Islands.

EAST INDIES: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25s bomb Selaroe Aerodrome on Selaroe Island, Netherlands East Indies, located about 259 nautical miles N of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

 

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ALASKA: 9 B-24's fly from Adak to Attu in preparation for a mission to Paramushiru in the Kurile tomorrow.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA
(Tenth Air Force): B-25's again bomb Gokteik Viaduct in Burma. The approaches are battered but the viaduct remains usable. The detachment of ground personnel of the 491st Bombardment Squadron , 341st BG (Medium), at Gaya, India returns to it's base at Chakulia, India.
(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 10 B-25's and 7 P-40's hit a cotton warehouse N of Wuchang and docks at Hankow; 9 of 20 intercepting Zekes are claimed destroyed; 9 P-38's bomb docks at Whampoa.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-25's attack barges along the New Britain coast. In New Guinea, the Australian 7 Division, having been flown to Nadzab in C-47's, begins a push E toward Lae. In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 7th Division relieves the U.S. 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment at Nadzab and begins a drive eastward toward Lae. The Japanese at Lae are thus threatened from both the east and west. The Australians begin a general advance into Salamaua and by evening, Japanese defenses south of the Francisco River have collapsed.

UNITED STATES: The USAAF First and Fourth Air Forces are relieved from their assignments to the US Army's Eastern and Western Defense Commands respectively and are reassigned to HQ, USAAF. Hereafter they serve primarily as training organizations for fighter units.

 

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ALASKA: 12 B-25's and 8 B-24's attack Paramushiru in the Kurile for the third and last time this year. 6 B-24's bomb the Kashiwabara staging area; shipping is bombed and strafed in Kashiwabara harbor and Paramushiru Straits; 1 freighter and 1 large transport are sunk while 1 transport and 2 cargo ships are damaged; 2 other cargo vessels sustain possible hits; targets hit on land include 2 buildings and an AA battery on Shimushu. Of 40 fighters giving battle, 13 are shot down and 3 more are probables. 2 B-24's force-land in the USSR, one with mechanical defect, the other after being hit; 1 B-24 is downed by AA fire; losses are 7 B-25's and 2 B-24's in this most disastrous day for the Eleventh Air Force. It will be another 5 months before it is able to strike at the Kurils again. The 77th Bombardment Squadron, 28th Composite Group, transfers from Adak to Amchitka with B-25's.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 10 B-25's and 11 P-40's attack the Hankow docks and Wuchang cotton mills; and 3 P-38's bomb ammunition and fuel depots at Tayeh and strafe warehouses and barracks at Yangsin.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): Eighteen USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack the area west of Vila airfield on Kolombangara Island and west of Disappointment Cove on New Georgia Island. The airfield is hit again in the evening by three B-24 Liberators. Twenty five B-24s, with fighter escort, bomb Kahili airfield on Bougainville Island; B-24s and fighters claim seven Japanese aircraft shot down. P-40s and P-39 Airacobras support SBD Dauntlesses in striking gun positions at Hamberi on New Georgia Island.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: A regiment of the U.S. 25th Infantry Division lands on the western end of Bomboe Peninsula on Arundel Island and starts moving east. Artillery and, for the first time in the South Pacific, 4.2 inch mortars support the attack.

EAST INDIES: In the Southwest Pacific, US Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Makassar on Celebes Island and in New Guinea, Australian forces cross the Francisco River to Salamaua airfield as Japanese forces draw toward Lae.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian attack against the Japanese at Salamaua takes the airfield without opposition. At 1500 hours local, the Australians enter the town itself as the Japanese pull out.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USN submarines sink two Japanese ships:
(1) USS Harder sinks a transport south of Mikura Island, located off Honshu, Japan;
(2) USS Narwhal sinks a transport (hit earlier by dud torpedoes) five miles northwest of Nauru Island.

 

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ALASKA: HQ XI Fighter Command transfers from Elmendorf Field, Anchorage to Adak.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA:
(Tenth Air Force): The 90th Fighter Squadron, 80th FG, transfers from Karachi to Jorhat, India with P-40's. The squadron will fly it's first combat mission on 16 Sep.
(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 8 P-38's bomb shipping in the Hong Kong area, 4 hit Yangtze River traffic at Chiuchiang, and 4 P-40's strafe barracks and destroy a locomotive W of Shihhweiyao.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, B-17's and B-24's pound Lae as the Japanese begin a withdrawal in the face of the Australian 9 and 7 Divisions moving in from E and W; the Australian 5 Division occupies Salamaua and surrounding area; the first Allied airplane lands at Salamaua Airfield; and B-25's strafe between Saidor and Langemak Bay. B-25's hit barges near Cape Gloucester on New Britain , and A-20's bomb a radio station on Gasmata. Lost on a training flight is B-26 40-1406 near Cape Killerton.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 9th and 7th Divisions push toward Lae from the east and west. Australian artillery continues pounding Lae and Malahang Airfield located 2 miles east of Lae.
The advance guard of the IJA 178th Battalion leaves their base at Saipa Village to prepare for an attack on Nadzab, Northeast New Guinea. The main body of the battalion will follow on 17 September.

(RAAF) Bostons attack Gasmata. DB-7B "J is for Jessica" Serial Number A28-8 crash lands at Vivigani Strip.

 

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SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER (Fifth Air Force): B-24's escorted by P-38's, bomb airfields and ammunition dumps in the Wewak area; and B-25's hit Lae. Lost are P-40N "Mr. Five by Five / Pumkins" 42-104977, P-38H 42-66837.

USN - Strikes Rabaul. Lost is F4U Corsair 17435.

CHINA: Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is elected President of the Republic of China by the Central Executive Committee. He succeeds President Lin Sen, who died on 7 August and will serve a three-year term. The committee permits President Chiang to keep his post as Commander-in- Chief of the Chinese army.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, units of the Australian 15th Brigade, 7th Division, capture Salamaua. Pressure at Lae continues as the Japanese perimeter contracts. The contracting forces are rear-guards only. The main Japanese force has already abandoned Lae and is trying to escape over the Saruwaged Range. On 8 September, Lieutenant General Nakano Hidemitsu, commander of the 51st Division, have issued orders for the withdrawal. On or about 10 September, the main body of about 7,000 left in four groups carrying half rations for a 14-day journey.
They have intended to withdraw along a preprepared withdrawal route across the Huon Peninsula to Sio; food dumps are spaced along the route. However, at the Busu River the Japanese found that Australian commandos are already in possession of the bridge across the swollen Busu River. These commandos are the flank guard of the advancing Australian 9th Division. The Japanese lose three days while they built a new bridge across the Busu further up. Then they have to follow a different route without any food. Many died of starvation or disease in the ensuing weeks.
In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Force B-24 Liberators escorted by P-38 Lightnings, bomb airfields and ammunition dumps in the Wewak area, while B-25 Mitchells hit Lae.

 

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CBI (Tenth Air Force): HQ 311th BG (Dive) and it's 382d Bombardment Squadron (Dive) arrive at Nawadih, India from the US with A-36's. The group will fly it's first combat mission on 16 Oct.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 15 B-24's are dispatched to Haiphong, French Indochina. The first flight aborts due to bad weather but the second flight reaches the target area and bombs docks and shipping. 4 P 38's severely damage 2 vessels at Chiuchiang, China. The 25th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, transfers from Dinjan, India to Yunnani, China with P-40's. The squadron's detachment at Jorhat, India also transfers.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): The 8th Brigade Group of the New Zealand 3rd Division arrive on Guadalcanal from New Caledonia Island, having rehearsed en route (in the New Hebrides Islands) for the invasion of the Treasury Islands.
Allied airfields and other facilities on Guadalcanal, and at Barakoma Airfield on Vella Lavella Island and Munda Airfield on New Georgia Island, are attacked by Japanese aircraft throughout the day.
USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators, with fighter escorts, bomb Kahili Airfield, located near Buin, on southern Bougainville Island, three times during the day. Thirty plus B-24s unload on dispersal and revetment areas and on runways, causing considerable damage; eight Japanese interceptors are claimed shot down.
Three B-25s bomb Vila Airfield on Kolombangara Island and two B-24s and six USN PV-1 Venturas attack the Vila area. P-39 Airacobras join USN fighters and dive bombers in attack on Ballale Island Airfield. During the night, Japanese Navy aircraft mount 79 separate attacks on Guadalcanal, New Georgia and Vella Lavella Islands. Lost are F6F Hellcat 8979 (rescued) and F6F Hellcat 09024 (MIA).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-25's attack Lae and barges in Hansa Bay; B-24's bomb Kendari on Celebes . The detachment of the 6th Nighter Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group, which has been operating from New Guinea since 18 Apr with P-70's, begins a movement back to it's base at Kipapa, Territory of Hawaii.

BURMA: Japanese troops withdraw from the Manipur River line.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, one of the Japanese documents captured by Australian troops yesterday indicates that the Japanese have begun to evacuate Lae on 8 September, leaving only a strong rearguard.
The evacuation saved 7,000 Japanese troops of the 41st and 51st Divisions. The Australian 25th Brigade continues east towards Lae.

 

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CHINA-BURMA-INDIA CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24's attack a cement plant at Haiphong, French Indochina; 50+ Japanese fighters attack the B-24's, shooting down 4 of them; the 1 returning B-24 claims 10 fighters downed. 6 B-25's and 14 P-40's attack a cotton mill in the Wuchang, China area.

AUSTRALIA: General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in- Chief South West Pacific Area, orders the New Guinea Force (all Allied ground forces in New Guinea) to capture Kaiapit and Dumpu in Northeast New Guinea with assistance from RAAF and USAAF aircraft.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, troops of the Australian 7th and 9th Divisions continue their assault on Lae. By dusk, the 7th Division, advancing from the west, is 5 miles from Lae and the 9th Division is a little over one mile east of Lae Aerodrome, the airfield Amelia Earhart took off from in 1937 en route to Howland Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's bomb Vila Airfield, Kahili and Kara Airfield. B-24's, with fighter escort, later pound the Kahili runway area; others hit Parapatu Point on New Georgia. During the night, B-25's hit Kahili Airfield twice and heavy bombers bomb Buka Airfield and Ballale Airfield. Ballale Airfield is also hit by USN dive bombers, supported by AAF, USN and US Marine Corps (USMC) fighters; a bivouac area, revetments, supply dumps and gun positions are hit; the runway appears badly damaged by the strikes. Lost are F6F Hellcat 25883 (MIA), F6F Hellcat 26009 (survived) and PV-1 Ventura 33214 (rescued).

HQ 403d Troop Carrier Group arrives on Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides , from the US. A detachment of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group, that has been operating from Guadalcanal with P-70's since 28 Feb 43, departs for it's base at Kipapa, Territory of Hawaii. The 372d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), that has been operating from Guadalcanal with B-24's since 5 Aug, returns to it's base on Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides for R&R.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-24's, with P-38 escort, bomb airfields in the Wewak area, destroying 10 enemy aircraft on the ground; 14 more are claimed destroyed in air combat. B-17's bomb the Lae area lost is B-17F "Listen Here Tojo" 41-24552 and B-25's sink about 15 barges between Alexishafen and Finschhafen, blast an ammunition and supply dump near Bogadjim, and attack AA positions at Bostrem Bay.

PACIFIC OCEAN: A USN PBY-5 Catalina of Patrol Squadron VP-23, based in the Florida Islands, spots Japanese submarine HIJMS RO-101 about 123 nautical miles ESE of San Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands. The destroyer USS Saufley assists in sinking the submarine; all 50 submariners are lost.

GILBERT ISLANDS: Aircraft of USN Task Force 15 attack Tarawa, Makin, and Abemama to decrease Japanese pressure on the Ellice Islands and provide operational training. During the attack on Tarawa, TBF Avengerss, SBD's, and F6F Hellcats from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, and small aircraft carriers USS Princeton and Belleau Wood sink Japanese motor torpedo boats Gyoraitei and Gyoraitei No. 3.

UNITED STATES: T.V. Soong, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., presents a plan to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the reorganization of the China theater in such a way as to eliminate American Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, Commander of the U.S. China-Burma- India (CBI) Theater of Operations, Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-Shek and Commander of the Northern Area Combat Command in Burma. Stilwell had asked Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek to join the Communists against the Japanese, and Chiang complains that Stilwell does not understand the realities of China.

 

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SOLOMONS (13th AF USMC, USN, RNZAF) US Navy 24 SBD and 31 TBF strike Ballale Airfield, while a mult-service escort, with 13 F6F from VF-38 and 11 F6F from VF-40 (first mission for Hellcats in theater) took off from Fighter One on Guadalcanal. Also, 13th AF and RNZAF P-40s. In addition, 23 F4Us of VF-214 "The Black Sheep" including Boyington took off from Banika at 1pm and rendevous over New Georgia with the formation. In total, more than 100 aircraft proceeded to the target. Weather was partly cloudy, the attack began around 14:50. There were a total of 71 escorts in the air.
Over the target 40-50 Japanese fighters including Zeros and Tonys and heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered. The 204th Kokutai launched 26 Zeros. A large, sprawing dog fight ensued over hudereds of miles. Greg Boyington scored victories over several Zeros, he landed at Munda with only 10 gallons of gas, 30 rounds of ammo, and minor damage from flying through the debrs of a Zero that exploded in mid-air. After refueling, he returning to Banika. VMF-214 were credited with 11 Zeros and 8 probables. One Hellcat was damged, landing at Munda Airfield, then flown back to Fighter One for a week of repairs. Two VMF-214 F4Us were minorly damaged. Lost were: TBF-1 23909, TBF-1 06452, F4U 17527, F6F piloted by Anderson (MIA), F6F 25839 (survived), F6F Lt. Riley (survived)

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 8 B-25's and 12 P-40's hit warehouses, barracks, ammunition dumps, and HQ at Liujenpa, China.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, Lae is captured by units of the Australian 9th and 7th Divisions. Many of the escaping Japanese slip through the jungle and go to the north coast of the Huon Peninsula. Lae is the focus of a major land, sea and air operation by Australian and American forces. Fighting lasted until today when the encircled Japanese garrison are either killed, captured or escaped.
Prior to the occupation of Lae, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-26 Marauders, B-25 Mitchells, and A-20 Havocs attack Japanese positions at Lae; B-24 Liberators carry out a light strike on Sorong Aerodrome.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Two Japanese ships are sunk:
(1) a gunboat is sunk by mine (laid by submarine USS Silversides on 4 June) off Kavieng, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago;
(2) a PBY Catalina sinks a small Japanese cargo vessel en route to Hansa Bay, New Guinea.

 

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GILBERT ISLANDS: Twenty USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24's bomb Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island and obtain photo coverage of Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll. A B-24 is lost to interceptors.

CBI (Tenth Air Force): The 383d and 385th Bombardment Squadrons, 311th BG (Dive), arrive at Nawadih, India from the US with A-36's. The 383d will enter combat on 16 Oct.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-25's carry out a coastal sweep against barges and villages from Reiss Point to Langemak Bay, New Guinea. Lost on a training mission is B-25D "The Little Gem" 41-30321.

 

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CENTRAL PACIFIC (Seventh Air Force): GILBERT ISLANDS: Twenty four 7th AF B-24's, flying out of Funafuti Island in the Ellice Islands and Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, bomb Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll and Maiana and Abemama Islands in the Gilbert chain during the night of 18/19 September.
This action is part of a coordinated USAAF-USN attack on Tarawa, aimed at preventing Japanese attacks on US installations at Baker Island and in the Ellice Islands.
During the day, carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Force 15 consisting of the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and light aircraft carriers USS Belleau Wood and USS Princeton , attack Japanese airfields and installations on Tarawa, Makin and Abemama.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): The 71st Liaison Squadron, US Army Forces CBI, based at Ramgarh, India sends a detachment to Ledo, India with L-4's and L-5's.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25's and 7 P-40's attack rail yards and blast furnaces at Shihhweiyao, China.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): B-24's bomb the airfield and attack a phosphate plant and radio station on Nauru in the Gilberts.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): A-20's hit Tami in the Lae area; B-26's and RAAF airplanes bomb and strafe Finschhafen. The 65th Troop Carrier Squadron, 54th Troop Carrier Wing, based at Port Moresby begins operating from Tsili Tsili with C-47's.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The fighting on Arundel Island, a small island off the northwest tip of New Georgia Island, continues as the US Army's 27th Infantry Regiment continues their advance. New Zealand General Barrowclough takes command the New Zealand and US forces on Vella Lavella Island. USAAF P-39 Airacobra and P-40 pilots and USMC F4U Corsair pilots shoot down 15 IJN aircraft at midday.

 

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ALASKA: The 21st Bombardment Squadron, 30th BG (Heavy), begins a movement from Shemya with B-24's to Smoky Hill AAFld, Kansas where it will be inactivated on 1 Nov 43.

GILBERT ISLANDS: USN carrier-based aircraft attack targets in Tarawa and Makin Atolls and then Task Force Fifteen, consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington and the small aircraft carriers USS Belleau Wood and Princeton. In addition to attacking installations, photographic reconnaissance missions are flown over reefs, beaches and island defense. TF then retires to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii
Twenty USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb and photograph Tarawa and Abemama Atolls; one B-24 is lost.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and USN SBD Dauntlesses, covered by fighters, bomb Vila Airfield on Kolombangara Island and a causeway, Japanese positions, and ammunition dump at Disappointment Cove on New Georgia Island. Other B-25s bomb and strafe barge centers at Ringa Cove and Webster Coves on New Georgia Island.

NEW GUINEA: The Australian 2/6th Independent Company takes Kaiapit in the Markham River Valley in Northeast New Guinea in lively fighting and repels repeated counterattacks. Kaiapit is 45 air-miles (72 kilometers) northwest of Nadzab. Kaiapit is needed for the airstrip that is to be constructed there once the Japanese have been driven from the area. Kaiapit became a base for the Australian 7th Division's advance up the Markham Valley.
USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders attack Finschhafen, Northeast New Guinea, in preparation for Allied landings three days hence.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-25 Mitchells fly small strikes against Ambon Island in the Moluccas Islands, Selaroe Aerodrome on Selaroe Island in the Tanimbar Islands, and Penfui (Penfoei) Airfield on Dutch Timor.

RAAF - Lost to anti-aircraft fire over Cape Hoskins area is Beaufighter A19-133.

 

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CBI (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, B-24's bomb Sagaing and Naba. The 384th Bombardment Squadron, 311th BG (Dive), arrives at Nawadih, India from the US with A-36's. The squadron will fly it's first mission on 17 Oct.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 27 Japanese bombers and 20 fighters attack the airfield at Kunming, China; 24 P-40's and 3 P-38's intercept, claiming 17 airplanes shot down; 1 US fighter is lost; damage to the airfield is negligible. The 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, transfers from Kweilin to Hengyang, China with P-40's.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon Islands, First Lieutenant Henry Meigs II (of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron), flying a P-38 against Japanese night attackers over Bougainville, shoots down two G4M1 Betty bombers of the 702nd Kokutai within 60 seconds: G4M1 piloted by Itakura and G4M1 piloted by Kisuberi.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-25's and B-17's hit roads from Kaiapit to Madang, destroying 3 key bridges; P-39's strafe and dive-bomb the Bogadjim-Yaula area; and B-24's bomb Wewak and Boram airfields. B-25's hit Penfoei on Timor Island. Lost are P-38H "Mareelee II" 42-66851 and P-38H 42-66841.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 2/6th Independent Company kills another 100 Japanese north of Kaiapit in the Markham Valley.

EAST INDIES: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Penfui (Penfoei) Airfield on Dutch Timor Island.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The 27th Infantry Regiment forces on Sagekarasa Island find that Japanese have withdrawn from the island.

 

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CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 8 B-25's and 8 P-40's attack railroad yards and warehouses at Chiuchiang, China, causing considerable destruction.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon Islands, 20+ B-24's bomb the runway and revetment area at the airfield on Buka Island. About 20 Japanese fighters intercept; 2 Zekes are shot down.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Arundel Island, the 27th Infantry Regiment, upon renewing their assault, finds that the Japanese have withdrawn from the mainland of Arundel as well as islands nearby. The Japanese are estimated to have lost 600 dead on Arundel. By this time Japanese have decided to abandon the central Solomons entirely and want only to escape northward.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): A-20's, B-26's, and RAAF aircraft hit Tami Island and pound Finschhafen in preparation for the Allied amphibious assault on the following day; B-25's bomb and strafe the Bogadjim area and Langgoer. B-24's hit Cape Gloucester and a freighter near Talasea; A-20's and RAAF aircraft bomb Gasmata. Lost is P-40N 42-104984. The 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, transfers from Townsville, Queensland, Australia to Attu, New Guinea with C-47's.

NEW GUINEA: The amphibious assault force (the Australian 20th Brigade Group, Australian 9th Division) sails from Lae for Finschhafen while the Australian 22d Brigade starts an overland drive from Lae toward Langemak Bay. The 21st and 25th Brigades, Australian 7th Division, are flown to Kaiapit from Nadzab to pursue the Japanese up the Markham Valley to Dumpu.

 

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CBI (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, B-25's attack the Ye-u branch line railroad bridge over the Mu River between Ywataung and Monywa. Negligible damage is done to the target.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24's and B-25's bomb Gasmata Airfield on New Britain Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): After a preparatory naval bombardment, elements of the Australian 9 Division land at the mouth of the Song River N of Finschhafen and push to the S; B-25's pound defenses in the Finschhafen area; almost 90 fighters battle Japanese aircraft attacking the convoy; 38 enemy aircraft are claimed shot down. Lost is G4M1 Betty piloted by Uchibaba.

AUSTRALIA: General Headquarters South West Pacific Area issues orders for Operation DEXTERITY, the landing on Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago. The ALAMO Force (U.S. Sixth Army) is to make an airborne and amphibious assault on Cape Gloucester; neutralize Gasmata Island and then take it in a shore-to-shore operation. D-Day, at first set for 20 November, is finally postponed to 26 December.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, 5th AF B-24's bomb Ambon Island in the Moluccas Islands.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: Admiral William F Halsey Commander Third Fleet, issues a warning order for the invasion of the Northern Solomon Islands and directs Rear Admiral Theodore S Wilkinson, Commander Amphibious Force, Third Fleet, who is to head landing forces, to make detailed plans.
It is later decided to invade the Treasury Islands and the Empress Augusta Bay area of Bougainville.

NEW GUINEA: After a preparatory naval bombardment by the USN's Task Force 76 (Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey), the Australian 2/13th, 2/15th and 2/17th Battalions, 20th Brigade Group, 9th Division, land on Scarlet Beach at the mouth of the Song River, 6 miles north of Finschhafen, Northeast New Guinea, early in morning. The brigade establishes a beachhead with little difficulty and pushes south toward Finschhafen. The landing is opposed by 300-400 Japanese troops of the 80th and 238th Regiments; the Australians suffered 20 killed, 9 missing and 65 wounded.
On the Huon Peninsula, the Australian 22nd Battalion lands on Blue Beach near Hopoi on the southern coast. The battalion's objective is to advance east and then north to Finschhafen. The rest of the 2/16th Battalion and HQ 21st Brigade are flown into Kaiapit and the battalion moves west and crosses the Maniang River.
Captured Japanese documents reveal that the Japanese force destroyed by 2/6th Independent Company at Kaiapit on 20 September was not an isolated patrol but the vanguard of 3,500 Imperial Japanese Army troops.
In the air, the 5th AF provides air support and intercepts Japanese aircraft making ineffective attacks on the convoy.
B-25's hit defenses in the Finschhafen area; almost 90 fighters battle Japanese aircraft attacking the convoy; 38 Japanese aircraft are claimed shot down. A-20's and B-25's hit the Lae area.

 

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ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Admiral Thomas C Kinkaid issues Operations Plan (Op Plan) 9-43 which reorganizes the Alaskan Army and Navy air strength. The Commanding General Eleventh Air Force becomes Commander of Task Force 90 (TF 90), composed of Task Group 90.1 (TG 90.1), designated the Air Striking Unit (comprising 16 medium bombers, 12 heavy bombers, 100 fighters) and of TG 90.2, designated the Air Search Group, a Navy air arm. For operations, the Eleventh Air Force is now under the jurisdiction of Commander Northern Pacific (COMNORPAC) Forces. There is no administrative change.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-24's, 16 P-38's, and 60+ USN dive bombers, covered by AAF, USMC, USN, and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) fighters, attack Kahili; Allied aircraft claim at least 9 fighters shot down. 21 B-24's bomb area from Stanmore Plantation to the mouth of the Vila River. P-39's strafe 2 barges, at Sasamunga and Malanono, leaving both aflame.

SOUTHWEST (Fifth Air Force): B-25's bomb and strafe villages in the upper Markham River Valley. P-40's bomb Gasmata.

NEW GUINEA: Australian Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay arrives in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to take command of the New Guinea Force.
Continuing south toward Finschhafen, Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 20th Brigade, 9th Division takes the airfield and reaches the Bumi River, where the Japanese are firmly established.

 

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SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-24's fly a small strike against Sorong and Manokwari.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: ALAMO Scouts begin reconnaissance of the Cape Gloucester area on New Britain Island in preparation for the upcoming invasion. ALAMO is the code for the U.S. Sixth Army while operating as a special ground task force headquarters directly under General Headquarters, South West Pacific Area.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, commander of the Central Pacific Force, recommends to Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Fleet and commander of the Pacific Ocean Area, that an amphibious operation against Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands be substituted for projected invasion of Nauru. [Nauru Island is a 21 square kilometer (8 square mile) island in the South Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between the Gilbert and Solomon Islands. The island is rich in phosphate deposits and was occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942.] This plan is subsequently accepted.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the 20th Brigade, Australian 9th Division, forces the Bumi River, north of Finschhafen, against heavy opposition, capturing Finschhafen Airdrome. In the Markham River Valley, the 2/14th Battalion, with a battery from the 2/4th Field Regiment, lands at Kaiapit.
In the air over Northeast New Guinea, nine Japanese bombers with a fighter escort bomb and strafe Finschhafen Airdrome. A USAAF Fifth Air Force P-38 Lightning pilot shoots down one of the escorting Zero's

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Barakoma Field on Vella Lavella Island becomes operational and the first Allied plane lands.

 

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CBI (Tenth Air Force): The 436th Bombardment Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), transfers from Bishnupur, India to Panagarh, India with B-24's.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's join USN TBF's and SBD's in pounding gun positions in the areas around Vila Airfield and Disappointment Cove on New Georgia.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The Japanese begin to evacuate Kolombangara Island. The garrison has been isolated by the island hopping campaign of the U.S.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): Nearly 40 B-17's, B-24's, and B-25's bomb installations and supply lines from Bogadjim to villages on the Ramu and Markham Rivers; A-20's and RAAF airplanes pound positions near Finschhafen as the Australian 9 Division, having crossed the Buni River the previous day, pushes S toward the town. B-25's bomb and strafe AA positions at Rein Bay on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. The 66th Troop Carrier Squadron, 54th Troop Carrier Wing, transfers from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea with C-47's.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 20th Brigade, 9th Division, continues the battle for Finschhafen and consolidates its bridgehead across the Bumi River. In the Markham River Valley, the Australian 2/14th Battalion, with part of a battery of the 2/4th Field Regiment, lands at Kaiapit.

 

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SOLOMON ISLANDS: 21 B-24's, covered by 14 P-38's, bomb a bivouac near Kahili; 30 P-40's and P-39's and 15 USN F4U's support 50+ USN dive bombers in a strike on the hangar area of the airfield at Kahili and gun positions at Kangu Hill and Jakohina.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, B-24's bomb But and Dagua Airfields; P-38's claim 9 enemy fighters shot down in the But-Dagua-Wewak areas; other B-24's hit Nubia and Potsdam Plantation.

MALAYSIA: During Operation JAYWICK, six members of the Australian SOA (Special Operations Australia) Unit in three canoes, attach limpet mines to seven ships Singapore Harbour. The six men then retire safely.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Japanese try in vain to destroy the Australian beachhead in the Finschhafen area but the 20th Brigade repels their attacks. Two companies of the Australian 2/17th Battalion moving towards Sattelberg in the hills 6 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Finschhafen, stop the advance of Japanese reinforcements heading for the town.

UNITED STATES: The USN aircraft carrier USS BUNKER HILL is moored main dock, N.A.S. San Diego, California. She had just finished her shake-down cruise and with Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), had qualified all pilots. They told me she is a tight fit in the Panama Canal. We, Fighting Squadron Eighteen (VF-18 ) are told to board the carrier for transport to Pearl Harbor for further training. We are 45 percent through our training program. Things got a little tight with an additional 36 fighters aboard. IIRC, a lot of Marine Regiment are also loaded FFT to Pearl.