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

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-40s hit the town of Ransa and motor convoys S of Sumprabum; 40 P-51s and A-36s attack bivouacs at Walawbum, bivouac and motor pool at Padaw, storage area at the road junction near Chishidu and the town of Chishidu; 30+ P-51s and B-25s hit camps between Tsumhpawng Ga and Walawbum, storage area and motor pool S of Kamaing, motor convoy on the Myitkyina-Sumprabum road, the town of Namting and bridges at Meza and Kanni. 59th Fighter Squadron, 33d Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.
BURMA: Combat Mission No. 1 with the First Air Commandos. Aircraft B-25H crew Lt/Col. R.T.Smith -Pilot, 1st Lt Wesley Weber -Nav, M/sgt Chuck Baisden -engineer /turret gunner, S/sgt Richard Dickson Radio operator/side gunner, S/Sgt Charles Miller-Tail gunner.
Flew from Hailikandi, Assam to Imphal,Assam and picked up C.O. of the Brit Chindits , General Orde Wingate and flew a reconn mission in the Katha, Burma area. Wingate very interested in our .75 cannon and R.T .very happily obliged by destroying a small rail road bridge and blowing off the roof of a very large building that stuck out above the jungle canopy. Had some small arms ground fire which holed the fuselage. One bullet hit the ammunition feed tray near Miller's head, he was unaware of this until after the mission. Although we were gone from daylight to dusk the actual mission took only 3 hours.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 9 P-40s pound the warehouse area at Wanling, Burma. In French Indochina, 6 P-40s bomb the barracks at Vinh and strafe Dong Cuong Airfield, railroad yards at Cam Duong, and sampans at Phu Tho; 5 B-25s on a sea sweep in the Gulf of Tonkin claim 2 trawlers sunk and hit shore targets of opportunity SW of Haiphong; a single B-25 damages a bridge at Ha Trung. 24 P-38s, P-51s, and P-40s intercept 25 Japanese fighters near Suichwan, China, claiming 7 shot down; 2 US fighters are lost.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island hit Wotje and Maloelap Atolls; A-24s and P-39s from Makin bomb and strafe Mille Atoll.

INDIAN OCEAN: The Japanese submarine I-27 sinks the British troopship KHEDIVE ISMAIL, in the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 2,000 people, and is herself sunk by the destroyers HMS PETARD and HMS PALADIN.

HAWAII: The US Fleet sails, from Majuro Harbor in Nauru, bound for Truk in the Marianas Islands. Glen Boren is told 'it was their "Pearl Harbor" and that they were expecting to find a lot of shipping in the area and a lot of aircraft also.'

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-25s, with US Navy fighters in support, bomb Tobera Airfield; 21 B-24s, escorted by P-39s and USN fighters, pound Vunakanau Airfield. Lost is B-24D 42-72818. P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive-bomber strike on Lakunai.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Brigadier General Carl W Connell resumes command of the V Air Force Services Command. About 50 A-20s blast occupied areas SE of Wewak, New Guinea. Lost on a flight is C-47A "Ghost of Billie L" 42-23713.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 P-51s and a B-25 damage a road bridge and 2 warehouses in the Wuntho area; 32 P-51s and A-36s hit the supply area and radio installations S of Kamaing and blast bivouacs S of Walawbum; 18 P-51s hit the road and railroad junction N of Sahmaw, a bivouac N of Kamaing and a camp between Tsumhpawng Ga and Walawbum; during the night, 16 B-24s bomb Heho Airfield.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 23 B-24s pound railroad shops at Vinh; 4 B-25s hit a convoy E of Foochow, China claiming 3 freighters
and a transport sunk; 4 other B-25s damage 2 vessels off SW Hainan Island and bomb dock, railroad, and oil dump at Bakli on Hainan Island; 6 P-40s bomb and strafe barracks and hangars at Phu Tho and strafe freight cars at Yen Bay and Suo Ha.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): During the night of 13/14 Feb, B-24s from Tarawa Atoll operating individually at intervals, bomb Wotje and Mille Atolls and Taroa.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 20 B-25s bomb Tobera Airfield and 23 B-24s of the 5th BG bomb Lakunai Airfield; both forces are escorted by fighters; P-40s and USN fighters escort USN SBDs and TBFs dive-bombing runway and AA positions at Vunakanau. Lost is P-40N Kittyhawk NZ3165

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 24 A-20s hit Aitape, New Guinea. 70+ B-25s pound Momote Airfield and 35 B-24s bomb Kavieng Airfield.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): P-51s and A-36s carry out 70+ sorties against a variety of targets in Burma; targets include the supply area at Shingban, a truck convoy N of Maingkwan, supply dumps and motor transport in the Kamaing area, a bivouac near Mogaung, troop and vehicle concentrations between Mogaung and Kamaing, artillery positions at Laawn Ga, and railroad station and warehouses at Lundaung.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 40+ B-24s from the 11th and 90th Bombardment Groups (Heavy), flying out of Makin and Tarawa strike Ponape in the first Seventh Air Force raid on the Caroline Islands; 2 of the B-24s hit the alternate target of Emidj Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 30 escorted B-25s pound Vunakanau Airfield while 28 B-24s, also with escort, bomb Rapopo Airfield; B-24s bomb the Rabaul area in a diversionary strike while USN TBFs lay mines in Simpson Harbor at dark, six are lost: TBF 47506, TBF 06311, TBF 24264, TBF 24340, TBF 25327, TBF 25316. P-40s and USN fighters escort a USN dive-bomber raid on Tobera gun positions and airfield revetments; 4 B-25s also bomb Tobera. On Bougainville Island weather clears, permitting the first attacks, by 19 B-25s, on Kara and Kahili, in recent weeks; P-39s attack Puriata River bridges.

New Zealand Army seize Green Island in the Solomons. The island is developed into a forward air base for Allied strikes on Rabaul.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): A-20s with P-40 support, bomb and strafe Dagua Airfield destroying and damaging 20+ aircraft. Lost are P-40N 42-104986 and P-47D 42-22662. 80+ plus B-25s pound Momote Airfield. 40+ B-24s bomb the airfields at Kavieng and Panapai on New Ireland Island. 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 6th Photographic Group, moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea with F-7s; first mission is 5 April.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): P-40s, P-51s, and A-36s hit targets in Burma, including rice mill and radio station at Waingmaw, targets of opportunity along the Hukawng-Walawbum road, motor pool and dumps in the Kamaing area, troops and supplies at Padi Ga and a canal bridge at Ye-u; P-40s also drop land mines on Nampaung. HQ 443d Troop Carrier Group is moved from the US to Sylhet, India without personnel and equipment. The 1st, 2d and 27th Troop Carrier Squadrons, already in the theater, will be assigned on 6 Mar.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s on a sweep in N French Indochina score a direct hit on a steamer at Haiphong and nearby railroad station, damage bridges near Viet Tri and a patrol launch at Hanoi, and hit engine sheds at Thanh Hoa.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa and Makin pound Mille Atoll and Ponape Island; 10 P-40s from Makin Island bomb and strafe runways and a disabled vessel at Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-25s, with fighter cover, bomb the runway and dispersal area of Vunakanau Airfield; 20 B-24s hit Borpop Airfield causing heavy damage in the runway and revetment areas. In ground action, US and New Zealand troops land on Nissan Island in the Green Islands, 40 mi (64 km) NW of Buka on Buka Island; opposition is weak and organized resistance ends on 23 Feb. 424th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), ceases operating from Munda, New Georgia Island with B-24s and returns to base on Guadalcanal Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): On New Ireland Island, 70+ B-24s, A-20s, and B-25s bomb the Kavieng town, harbor, and shipping and Panapai Airfield. Lost are B-25C "Stubborn Hellion" 42-32314, B-25D "Gremlins Holiday" 41-30041, B-25C "Pissonit" 41-30370, B-25D 41-30531, B-25G 42-64873, A-20G 42-86728, and A-20G 42-86616. Several of the crews are rescued by PBY Catalina "Arkansas Traveller" 08139 piloted by Nathan G. Gordon, later he earns the Medal of Honor for this action.
17 other B-24s, prevented by weather from reaching Panapai, bomb Talasea.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, A-36s and P-51s hit supply dumps, troop concentrations and an encampment area near Myitkyina, Kamaing, Tonkin and Walawbum; B-25s and P-51s destroy 3 locomotives at Kyaingkwin. 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector (attached to Tenth Air Force), arrives at Gushkara, India from the US with P-51s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-25s knock out a railroad bridge at Yen Bay, French Indochina and damage 2 other bridges to the S near the coast. 74th Fighter Squadron, 23d Fighter Group, based at Kweilin with P-40s, sends a detachment to Liuchow.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll bomb Wotje Atoll and Taroa; P-40s from Makin fly 2 bombing-strafing strikes against Jaluit Atoll; A-24s bomb Mille Atoll.

USN - Operation Hailstone: US Navy carrier aircraft catch a fleet of Japanese Merchant vessels and warships by surprise in Truk Lagoon. 400 tons of bombs and torpedo rained down on the lightly defended base. After a day of attacks, forty ships and thousands of men went to the bottom.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 12 B-24s, with 30+ P-38s and USN F4Us, pound the runway at Vunakanau Airfield.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 40+ B-25s attack a convoy off New Hanover Island. 30+ B-24's bomb Panapai Airfield and Kavieng on New Ireland Island, and some hit Cape Balangori and Talasea, New Britain Island. 19 B-24s and B-25s bomb Halong in the Celebes Islands. P-40s hit shipping and barges in the Wewak, New Guinea area. Transfers in New Guinea: HQ 345th Bombardment Group (Medium) from Dobodura to Nadzab; 25th Liaison Squadron, 5212th Photographic Wing (Provisional), from Lae to Nadzab with L-5s. Crashed in an emergency landing attempt is L-5A 42-98066.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 38 A-36s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance hit troops and supplies from Lonkin to Kamaing; 6 P-51s hit supply areas along roads around Lonton and Manywet; 2 others hit a road junction near Maingkwan; 2 B-25s and 6 P-51s strike a road bridge, railroad station, and rail cars in the Pyingaing area; 2 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack but fail to damage a bridge near Ye-u.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s on a sweep of the Gulf of Tonkin score 2 direct hits on a freighter at Vinh, damage a bridge approach and locomotive at Yen Xuon Station, and destroy a locomotive at Yen Ly Station.

USN - Operation Hailstone: US Navy carrier aircraft catch a fleet of Japanese merchant vessels and warships by surprise in Truk Lagoon. 400 tons of bombs and torpedo rained down on the base. Sunk are: Hoki Maru, Fujikawa Maru, Hoyo Maru (partial list).

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island hit Ponape and Kusaie Islands, and Jaluit Atoll. P-40s strafe floatplanes off Emidj Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 20 P-40s join 40+ USN fighters in covering an attack by 70 USN dive bombers on shipping in Keravia Bay, New Britain Island; 8 Japanese aircraft are claimed shot down; 2 USN fighters are lost. In the N Solomons Allied fighters hit Queen Carola Harbor, Kessa Plantation and a bridge N of Kahili.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 40 B-24s bomb Panapai Airfield, New Ireland Island and Talasea, New Britain Island. 16 B-25s claim 2 surface vessels and a submarine sunk off New Hanover Island. 16 P-47's strafe targets of opportunity in the Alexishafen, New Guinea area. HQ 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 40+ B-25s, A-36s and P-51s attack the town of Ye-u and nearby bridge, bivouacs N of Laban, bridges in the Pyingaing area and along the Mu River, supply and troop concentrations at Waingmaw radio station and a supply area near Kamaing and gun emplacements SE of Taihpa Ga; the strikes are generally successful. 58th Fighter Squadron, 33d Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s on a sweep of the Gulf of Tonkin damage 2 large boats N of Bakli Bay on Hainan Island, destroy an ammunition dump at Phu Ly and knock out a nearby railroad bridge.

USN - Operation Hailstone: For the second day, US Navy carrier aircraft catch a fleet of Japanese Merchant vessels and warships by surprise in Truk Lagoon. 400 tons of bombs and torpedo rained down on the lightly defended base. After a day of attacks, forty ships and thousands of men went to the bottom. Sunk is San Francisco Maru,

MARSHALL ISLANDS: the 22d Marine Regiment lands on Engebi Island at the northern tip of the atoll at 0845 hours. This is part of Operation CATCHPOLE. There are over 1,200 Japanese Okinawans and Koreans on the island. Organized resistance ceases at 0800 hours local tomorrow; only 16 of the occupiers are captured. American casualties are 85 KIA and MIA and 521 WIA.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin bomb and strafe Jaluit and Mille Atolls. US forces land on Engebi Island in Eniwetok Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 34 B-25s and 18 B-24s, both forces with fighter escorts, pound Vunakanau Airfield; 2 B-25s and 4 P-38s hit Tobera.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Destroyer Squadron 23 or Task Group 39.4 under Captain Arleigh A. Burke bombards Japanese positions at Kavieng on New Ireland Island; on New Britain Island, Destroyer Squadron 12 under Captain Rodger W. Simpson shells Rabaul, Japanese installations on the Crater Peninsula, and bivouac and supply areas at Vunapope and Cape Gazelle.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s and RAAF Beaufighters hit Koepang, Timor Island. P-39s strafe targets of opportunity at Madang and Cape Raoult, New Britain Island. 499th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Dobodura to Nadzab, New Guinea with B-25s.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 60+ A-36s and P-51s and a few B-25s hit a variety of targets in Burma; targets include fuel and supply dumps at Manywet and in the Shaduzup area, the Tonkin-Kansi road and a junction W of Manywet, the Mu River bridge at Ye-u, railroad cars and tracks, locomotives, and river traffic between Monywa and Natyekan and between Alon and Segyi; rail and road traffic in the Bhamo and Hukawng Valley-Kamaing areas is also hit.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): B-24s, B-25s, and P-40s fly sea sweeps over wide-spread coastal areas from the Formosa Straits to French Indochina, claiming 3 ships sunk and others damaged; railroad bridges, trains, and other targets of opportunity near coastal areas are also attacked.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and Makin pound Ponape and Kusaie Islands; B-25s from Tarawa hit Wotje Atoll while Makin based P-40s bomb and strafe Mille Atoll. US forces land on Eniwetok Island.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: the U.S. Army's 106th Infantry Regiment, backed by a Marine battalion and supported by naval bombardment, land on two beaches of Eniwetok Island in Eniwetok Atoll at 0907 hours local. The landing is under Brigadier General Thomas E. Watson, USMC, and the overall operation is under Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill, USN. The Japanese garrison of about 800 troops is finally overcome at 1630 hours on 21 February. U.S. casualties are light, 37 KIA and 94 WIA; 23 Japanese are captured.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 20 P-40s and 40+ USN fighters escort about 70 USN dive bombers in an attack on Lakunai Airfield; fighter cover claims 22 Japanese aircraft shot down; 6 B-24s bomb the same target immediately afterward; 14 B-24s, with P-38 and USN fighter escort, hit Tobera Airfield. 12th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, based on Guadalcanal with P-38s, begins operating from Stirling. 69th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 42d Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from the Renard Field to Stirling with B-25s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 12 B-25s attack shipping SW of New Ireland Island, claiming a small freighter and a patrol boat sunk and other vessels damaged. 7 A-20s hit shipping at Kavieng. Single B-24s and B-25s carry out armed reconnaissance over wide areas of the Bismarck Sea. 26th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, from Dobodura to Finschhafen with F-5s (detachment is at Port Moresby); 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, from Finschhafen to Cape Gloucester with P-40s.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations to a routine patrol over Sumprabum, Burma.
HQ 33d Fighter Group and 60th Fighter Squadron arrive at Karachi, India from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.

USA: The Uranium plant, at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, K-25 has now produced enough weapon-grade uranium (U-235) to make an atomic bomb.
President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, on their way back from the conference with Marshal Stalin in the Crimea, met for four hours at Cairo, Egypt to plan the next phase of the war against Japan. Mr Churchill told the US president that his government was "determined to throw everything it had at the Japanese."

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 9 B-25s from Tarawa Atoll bomb the airfield at Wotje Atoll; P-40s from Makin strafe and bomb runways and small vessels at Mille Atoll.

USN - In the Marshall Islands, aircraft the USS Enterprise, part of Task Group 58.1 bomb Japanese installations on Jaluit Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 35 B-25s, with fighter escort, pound Lakunai Airfield. P-39s attack barge traffic, which has greatly increased off SE and NW Bougainville Island, claiming 20 of the craft sunk. 18th Combat Mapping Squadron, 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), is inactivated on Espiritu Santo Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 38 B-24s bomb the Alexishafen to Hansa Bay area. 18 B-24s bomb the airfield at Laha, Ambon and 12 others hit shipping off Kavieng. Transfers in and out of New Guinea: HQ Fifth Air Force advance echelon and HQ V Bomber Command from Port Moresby to Nadzab; HQ 8th Fighter Group from Finschhafen to Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island; 498th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Dobodura to Nadzab with B-25s.

NEI: 18 Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb the airfield at Laha on Ambon Island.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 50+ P-51s and A-36s and a few B-25s hit a command post at Shingban, the town of Mohnyin, a bridge at Loilaw, a camp at Shaduzup, 2 bridges at Namkwin, and warehouses and other buildings at Kawlin and Wuntho; fighter-bombers attacking a fuel dump at Pin Hmi drop bombs in the wrong area; B-25s, escorted by RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes, score effective hits on a tunnel on the Maungdaw-Buthidaung road.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island hit Ponape and Kusaie Islands and Jaluit Atoll. B-25s from Abemama bomb Maloelap Atoll. P-40s from Makin hit Mille Atoll. US forces gain complete control of Eniwetok Island. 9th Troop Carrier Squadron, Seventh Air Force, arrives at Hickam Field, Territory of Hawaii from the US with C-47s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 15 B-24s bomb Lakunai Airfield; 4 others, with fighter support, attack the airfield at Rapopo; 20 P-38s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive bomber strikes on Lakunai gun positions. In the Bougainville Island area 3 B-24s bomb Kara Airfield while P-39s hit buildings at Tsundawan and in the area S of Tabut, and bomb barges and jetty in the Matchin Bay area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Almost 30 A-20s hit Madang and the Hansa Bay area. On New Britain Island, P-39s hit Raiven Plantation; 40+ B-24s bomb the Rein Bay and Eleonora Bay areas; others attack shipping off New Hanover Island. Lost on a transport flight is B-25D 41-30374. Crashed in an emergency landing attempt is L-5A "Termite" 42-98085.

IJN: Sunk off New Hanover are Kokai Maru and Kowa Maru.

JAPAN: PM Tojo assumes the office of Chief of Army General Staff. Navy Minister Shimada replaces Admiral Nagano as Chief of Naval General Staff.

CHINA: The Chinese 8th Route Army takes Taiku, China.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 70+ B-25s, P-51s, and P-40s again hit a variety of targets in Burma; bridges are severely damaged or put out of use at Zawa, Tindeinyan, Ye-u, Namkwin, and Loilaw; warehouses and supply dumps are hit at Segyi and at Chantha, and the Pahok road and railroad junction are blasted; also hit are targets of opportunity at Kawlum and along the Walawbum-Kamaing road.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe the airfield at Kengtung, China and nearby truck convoy. At Bhamo, Burma a large rivercraft is hit and left sinking.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 1 B-24 bombs Kusaie Island. 8 A-24s and 9 P-40s from Makin bomb Mille Atoll; 1 P-40 launches rockets against airfield targets in the first such attack by a Seventh Air Force aircraft.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: The Allies complete their occupation of Eniwetok Atoll and land on Parry Island in the Marshalls.

JAPAN: The Japanese prime minister, General Hideki Tojo, today sacked the heads of the Japanese army and navy following last week's catastrophic losses to the Allies at Truk. Japan's strategic outlying defence base in the South-west Pacific.
General Tojo, who takes over as chief of the army general staff, succeeding the disgraced General Sugiyama, is being accused of running a one-man cabinet. In addition to being premier, he is minister of war, controller of munitions, minister of commerce and industry, and minister of education. A protest has been issued by one of the emperor's brothers, Imperial Prince Chichibu, and dissident general staff officers have nicknamed Tojo "Takauji"- a reference to a 14th century military upstart.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 20 P-40s and 40+ USN fighters cover 70 USN dive bombers attacking Keravia Bay shipping; 40+ B-24s, with fighter escorts, bomb Lakunai and Keravat Airfields. 370th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Guadalcanal to Munda with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 30+ B-25s and P-39s attack the Madang area. 60+ B-25s and B-24s pound Iboki Plantation on New Britain Island in support of US Marines (USMC) advancing on the area from Natamo (and who capture Perry Island). 319th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Dobodura to Nadzab, New Guinea with B-24s.

USN: Lost F6F Hellcat 40671.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 14 B-24s bomb airfields and other targets at Akyab and Dabaing; 3 B-25s and 12 P-51s hit a radio station at Man Pang; 4 other P-51s hit warehouses at Chantha.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s attack 2 ships in the Gulf of Tonkin and hit railroad cars and engine shed at Van Trai Station, French Indochina. 4 P-40s strafe Lashio Airfield, Burma.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin bomb Mille Atoll; 2 small boats are destroyed by strafing; B-25s from Abemama hit Taroa. B-24s from Makin and Tarawa Atoll bomb Kusaie and Ponape Islands and Jaluit Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 4 B-24s on armed reconnaissance strafe the Cape Saint George area and bomb buildings and pier at Labur Bay and 4 B-24s attack bivouacs in the upper Saua River area. 9 B-25s, with USN fighter support, bomb Vunakanau Airfield; 10 other B-25s hit Keravat Airfield; 16 P-38s dive-bomb the Vunapope supply area and some attack the town of Rabaul; this is the first P-38 bombing raid on the Rabaul area; (P-38s, now free from constant responsibility of guarding bombers against interceptors, will continue to dive-bomb the Rabaul area through Apr 44; during the latter part of this campaign against the famed Japanese garrison, which is to be bypassed by Allied ground forces, P-39s will add their strength due to completion of an airstrip on Nissan Island in the Green Islands; by 20 Apr only 120 of 1400 buildings in Rabaul will still be standing).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Almost 50 A-20s and B-24s blast the airfield, buildings, and AA positions in the Wewak, New Guinea area. Units moving from Dobodura to Nadzab, New Guinea: HQ 90th Bombardment Group and 320th, 321st and 400th Bombardment Squadrons with B-24s; 500th and 501st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), with B-25s.

MARIANA'S: Units of the US 5th Fleet attack the Marianas Islands. Including Saipan, Tinian and Guam.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Shemya search for enemy shipping; 1 B-24 crashes during takeoff, the others find nothing.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s hit bridges and trains between Pintha and Kinu; 1 bridge is damaged and several boxcars are destroyed; 13 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Mandalay and targets of opportunity at Akyab, Monywa, and Pakokku; P-51s, A-36s and P-40s attack bridges, radio stations, supply dumps, bivouacs, troop concentrations, railroad by-passes, AA positions, and other targets at Seton, Sinkan, Ye-u, Kawlin, Loilaw, Namkwin, Shaduzup, and the Mogaung-Kamaing area.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe the airfield at Myitkyina, Burma.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin strafe and bomb the runway and radio installation on Mille Atoll; B-25s from Tarawa Atoll pound the airfield on Wotje Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Isladn, 22 B-25s, with fighter escort, pound Rabaul; 9 minutes later 12 P-38s glide-bomb Rabaul; 2 minutes afterward 11 B-24s pound the same target; 6 other B-24s bomb Rapopo; P-40s and USN fighters escort USN dive bombers in a strike on Vunapope; P-39s attack Monoitu Mission. 394th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based on Guadalcanal Island with B-24s, begines operating from Munda.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 23 B-24s and 39 A-20s thoroughly pound the Hansa Bay area. Nearly 20 other B-24s bomb Nubia and Awar Airfields. In preparation for the Allied landing, 50+ B-25s and B-24s pound Momote, Lorengau on Manus and other targets in the Admiralty Islands. 80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Dobodura to Cape Gloucester with P-38s.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Shemya are over Matsuwa shortly after midnight 24/25 Feb on a photographic reconnaissance and bomb run; the mission is not completed due to weather.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 B-25s and 4 P-51s attack bridges at Meza, Sinthe, and Natmauk, causing light damage to the bridges and destroying 3 locomotives and several railroad cars. 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds and enter combat on 16 Jun.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 16 P-40s attack docks, railroad yards and warehouses at Hongay; in the harbor 1 large boat is sunk and another damaged; 2 P-40's hit a cargo vessel at Campha Port, leaving it sinking; 2 others bomb and strafe Weichow Island.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s out of Makin bomb and strafe targets at Jaluit Atoll; B-25's from Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island hit Mille and Wotje Atolls; B-24s from Abemama and Tarawa pound Ponape Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, P-39s on armed reconnaissance bomb an AA position at Monoitu, hit the Aitara area, and attack a barge in the Cape Gazelle area; 20+ B-25s hit Matupi and Rapopo; 21 B-24s and 17 P-38s follow shortly with another strike on Rapopo.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25's pound Lorengau and the Alexishafen-Madang areas and Momote Airfield and A-20s bomb airfields at Alexishafen, New Guinea. HQ 85th Fighter Wing arrives at Gusap from the US.

BISMARKS: In the Bismarck Archipelago, the USN's Destroyer Division 90 under Commander Edmund B. Taylor, bombards Rabaul on New Britain Island. Destroyer Squadron 12 under Captain Rodger W. Simpson, en route to bombard Kavieng on New Ireland Island and its airstrips, shipping, and fortifications, encounters a Japanese army cargo ship. In the ensuing action, destroyers USS Farenholt, USS Buchanan, USS Lansdowne, USS Woodworth and USS Lardner sink the enemy freighter. Japanese shore batteries subsequently give DesRon 12 a warm reception, damaging USS Buchanan and USS Farenholt.

PTO: In the Pacific, USN submarines sink two fleet tankers, an army cargo ship and a merchant cargo ship.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): XI Bomber Command (Air Striking Group Task Group 90.1) is directed to conduct armed photographic reconnaissance missions in the Kurile Islands, day or night, as weather permits.
HQ 28th Bombardment Group (Composite) moves from Adak to Shemya.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 15 B-25s and P-51s demolish warehouses in Naba and Hopin, attack bridges at Yeu, Bawgyo and Tantabin, and strafe railroad cars and tracks at Tangon, Namyao, and Pyintha; the Tantabin bridge is rendered unusable while approaches of the Ye-u and Bawgyo bridges are damaged.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 11 B-25s from Nanning, China attack targets at Tourane, French Indochina, destroying 5 warehouses and a hangar at the airfield and a locomotive and 4 buildings at the railroad yard.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island attack Wotje and Jaluit Atolls; P-40s from Makin bomb and strafe targets on Mille Atoll. 27th and 38th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based on Nanumea begin operating from Abemama and Makin respectively, with B-24s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive bomber strike on Vunapope supply and shipping facilities; 22 B-25s, with fighter support, follow up with the day's second strike on Vunapope; shortly afterwards, 17 P-38s strike the same target; 12 P-39s bomb and strafe Monoitu, Ruisei, Makapeko and Mawareka.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s bomb Wewak and Momote; B-25s, along with P-39s, hit the Madang-Alexishafen area and A-20s hit Angorum.

PTO: The US submarine Grayback, commanded by John A. Moore, is sunk by aircraft South of Okinawa. All hands are lost.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ P-51s and A-36s and 2 B-25s hit ammunition dumps near the Kamaing-Walawbum road, warehouses, railroad and power facilities, bridges, and targets of opportunity in the Ye-u and Tindeinyan areas.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s fly a sea sweep from Vinh to Nam Dinh, bombing the Nam Dinh distillery and railroad yards; no ships are sighted. 8 P-40s hit the railroad bridge at Puchi, China, rendering it unusable.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): A-24s and P-40s from Makin pound Jaluit and Mille Atolls, while B-25s from Abemama Island hit Wotje and Mille Atolls; B-24s from Makin and Tarawa bomb Ponape Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 16 P-39s strafe barges and other targets of opportunity along the SW coast of Bougainville Island throughout the day. Vunapope is attacked by 21 B-24s and 24 B-25s (both forces supported by fighter escorts) and by 14 P-38s; P-40s and USN fighters cover a USN dive bomber strike on Lakunai AA positions. 3 P-38s strafe a radar station at Cape Saint George.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Colonel Jarred V Crabb becomes Commanding General V Bomber Command. 30+ B-24s, with P-40 support, hit airfields at Boram, Wewak, and Tadji, 27 B-25s hit the Hansa Bay area, and over 30 A-20s attack Alexishafen and Marakum village with RAAF Vultee Vengances attack Alexishafen. Vengance A27-83 is lost. 30+ other B-25s attack Momote, Lorengau and other targets. P-39s maintain armed reconnaissance over New Britain. Lost on a reef is SS President Grant.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Shemya search for enemy shipping; 1 B-24 crashes during takeoff, the others find nothing.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s hit bridges and trains between Pintha and Kinu; 1 bridge is damaged and several boxcars are destroyed; 13 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Mandalay and targets of opportunity at Akyab, Monywa, and Pakokku; P-51s, A-36s and P-40s attack bridges, radio stations, supply dumps, bivouacs, troop concentrations, railroad by-passes, AA positions, and other targets at Seton, Sinkan, Ye-u, Kawlin, Loilaw, Namkwin, Shaduzup, and the Mogaung-Kamaing area.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe the airfield at Myitkyina, Burma.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin strafe and bomb the runway and radio installation on Mille Atoll; B-25s from Tarawa Atoll pound the airfield on Wotje Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain Island, 22 B-25s, with fighter escort, pound Rabaul; 9 minutes later 12 P-38s glide-bomb Rabaul; 2 minutes afterward 11 B-24s pound the same target; 6 other B-24s bomb Rapopo; P-40s and US Navy fighters escort USN dive bombers in a strike on Vunapope; P-39s attack Monoitu Mission. 394th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based on Guadalcanal Island with B-24s, begins operating from Munda, New Georgia Island.

Father Benson writes in Prisoner's Base and Home Again:
"Feb 28. March of of 100 Liberators and 200 dive-bombers. Earth trembled. We all expected the end. Entrance to the tunnels blown in. 20 great craters in the banana grove. All been living in tunnels for eight days now... That raid on the 28th was the most terrible and agonizing we ever had to endure."

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 23 B-24s and 39 A-20s thoroughly pound the Hansa Bay area. Nearly 20 other B-24s bomb Nubia and Awar Airfields. In preparation for the Allied landing, 50+ B-25s and B-24s pound Momote, Lorengau and other targets. 80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Dobodura to Cape Gloucester with P-38s. Lost is B-24D "Milk Run/Hit Parader" 42-41087.

RAAF - Lost after a mission against Alexishafen is A-31 Vengence A27-83.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 B-25s knock spans out of 2 bridges N of Taungtha and damage bridges S of Myingyan and between Panaing and Mahlaing; 7 B-25s and 4 P-51s bomb a radio station at Sinkan, score near misses on a bridge below Kawlin, and knock out 2 bridges in the Ye-u area. 40+ P-51s, A-36s and P-40s hit a supply area S of Seton, camp and stores near Mogaung (at Pagoda Peak), and railroad station at Myitkyina.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 23 B-24s pound the warehouse area at Yoyang, causing several fires and secondary explosions; 12 B-25s bomb Yoyang railroad yards; 16 P-40s provide support; 2 B-25s on a sweep of the NE China coast sink 3 sampans and damage a merchant ship at Siachwan Tao; 6 P-40s bomb and strafe ammunition dumps at Kunlong; 12 P-38s and P-51s sink a large motor launch NE of Anking, strafe barracks and 3 tugs in the Teian area, hit barracks NW of Nanchang and strafe railroad installations at Yangsin; 4 P-40s hit a barracks W of Nanchang; 2 B-25s sink a large river craft on the Yangtze River near Chiuhsienchen and damage 2 more nearby.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s bomb Maloelap, Mille and Wotje Atolls; B-25s hit Jaluit and Mille Atolls; P-40s attack Mille Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-25s, with USN fighter escort, pound the Rabaul area; later 12 P-38s hit targets in the same area. 16 AAF fighters, along with 16 USN fighters, hit targets of opportunity throughout S Bougainville and Shortland. Numerous other fighters, in forces of varying sizes, attack barges and scattered targets of opportunity throughout the N Solomons, Bismarck Archipelago, and waters in between.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Allied amphibious forces land on Los Negros, temporarily taking Momote Airfield and then falling back to the beachhead on Jamandilai Point; weather prevents full air support but 7 B-24s and 8 B-25s manage to attack enemy positions and guns; Other B-24s and A-20s hit Erima, Wewak, Tadji, Awar, and Hollandia. Lost is B-24D 42-72899 and B-25D "BAR-FLY" 41-30593.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): XI Strategic Air Force (Provisional) is activated at Shemya . It includes all units of the XI Bomber Command and XI Fighter Command stationed at Near Island, and is only a tactical operating agency without administrative functions.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-40s score 3 hits on a bridge at Namkwin; 4 others hit the Myitkyina Airfield dispersal area; 56 A-36s and P-51s attack stores and personnel areas at Sawnghka. 93d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi, India from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds and enter combat on 14 Aug. Moves in India during March: 90th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, from Jorhat to Moran with P-40s; 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector (attached to Tenth Air Force), based at Gushkara, India, sends detachments to Chakulia and Kharagpur with P-51s (first mission is 28 Mar).

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 14 B-25s and 16 P-40s pound a military zone in the NE part of Nanchang, China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): A-24s and P-40s from Makin hit Jaluit and Mille Atolls, Marshall while B-25s pound Maloelap Atoll, Marshall . During March, 531st Fighter Squadron, Seventh Air Force, moves from Makin to Bellows Field with A-24s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): B-24s bomb Kahili; P-38s hit Ballale and Buka; P-39s bomb and strafe Monoitu Mission, Bougainville.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: B-24s and B-25s drop supplies to Allied pound forces on Los Negros. Aircraft, pound Hansa Bay, Awar Point, an airfield in the Wewak area, and enemy installations and positions at Madang, Alexishafen, and Saiba. Detachment of 26th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, ceases operating from Port Moresby and returns to Finschhafen with F-5s. Moves in New Guinea during Mar: HQ 309th Bombardment Wing from Lae to Saidor; 17th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Reconnaissance Group, from Dobodura to Finschhafen with B-25s; 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), from Dobodura to Nadzab with B-24s.

ADMIRALTY ISLANDS: US troops defending Los Negros drive off Japanese attacks on the perimeter. 30 B-24s and B-25s hit Los Negros and Lorengau.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 9 B-24s fly a futile shipping search over the Kurile; turned back by a weather front, they either jettison or bring back their bombs.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 5 P-51s bomb artillery positions in the Maingkwan area; 20 P-40s hit a fuel dump at Myitkyina, artillery at Shingban, and trucks on a road near Walawbum; 8 A-36s and P-51s hit an encampment on Pagoda Peak near Mogaung. HQ 81st Fighter Group arrives at Karachi, India from Italy.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s sink a small steamer near Mon Cay and bomb railroad shops and coal treating plant at Campho. In China, 10 P-38s damage 2 bridges and strafe 2 barracks areas N of Nanchang; 2 P-40s bomb and strafe the airfield and barracks at Kengtung.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24's from Makin and Abemama, Gilbert bomb Ponape and Kusaie, Caroline. B-25s bomb Maloelap Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): On New Britain in the Admiralty , P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive bomber strike on shipping installations in the Keravia Bay area; 12 B-25s pound Rabaul while 11 others, with USN fighter support, bomb Rapopo; shortly afterwards, 20 escorted B-24's blast the town area of Rabaul; 14 P-38s follow immediately with a strike on the same target. P-39s hit Japanese-occupied Piano and Monoitu Missions on Bougainville. 67th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, based in the Russells begins operating from Bougainville with P-39s; the squadron will convert to P-38s in Apr.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 80+ B-24s and P-40s hit the Hansa Bay area, the airstrip at Nubia, and the Madang-Alexishafen area. 60+ B-25s and A-20s pound enemy forces on Los Negros as Allied ground forces occupy Momote Airfield; P-47s providing cover for the B-25s claim 7 enemy fighters shot down.