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

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 90+ P-40s, A-36s, P-51s, and B-25s over the Mogaung Valley support ground forces, bomb supply areas, and hit numerous targets of opportunity in areas around Mogaung, Myitkyina, Kamaing,
Taungni, and Shaduzup; 5 B-25s knock out a bridge at Natmauk while 2 others damage the Pyu bridge near Rangoon; 5 B-24s bomb Nagorn Sawarn while 7 hit the Moulmein railroad station and jetties and bomb the SE part of Prome.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s, flying out of Abemama Island, bomb Maloelap Atoll, rearm at Majuro, and hit Jaluit Atoll on the return trip.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): HQ 5th Bombardment Group is ordered to move from Guadalcanal Island and New Georgia Island to Los Negros Island where it will form the nucleus of the Thirteenth Air Task
Force. On New Britain Island, 23 B-25s and 11 P-39s pound the W section of Rabaul, 7 other B-25s cause considerable damage in the Ratawul supply area; 23 fighter-bombers blast the concrete airstrip at Vunakanau. On Bougainville Island 12 fighter-bombers bomb and strafe the Numa Numa trail and pound the harbor area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and P-39s bomb and strafe various targets at Wewak, Madang, along Hansa Bay and on Karkar; other P-39s fly a barge sweep from Alexishafen up the coast as far as the mouth of the Sepik River. 2 B-25s bomb Penfoei on Timor. Lost is B-25G 42-64835. and B-24D "Yankee Doodle Dandy" 42-40077.

PACIFIC: Submarine USS Halibut, despite the presence of at least 3 escort vessels, sinks a Japanese army passenger/cargo ship about 20 miles SW of the Nansei Shoto, Ryukyo Islands.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s fly armed reconnaissance and bombing runs over the airfield on Matsuwa Island and installations on Onnekotan Island.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 90+ P-40s, P-51s and A-36s and a few B-25s carry out ground support missions near Kamaing and hit assorted targets throughout the Mogaung Valley; 12 B-25s and 11 P-51s support ground forces at Mawlu.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 28 fighters attempt to intercept but fail to make contact with 13 Japanese airplanes which bomb Namyung, China.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (XX Bomber Command): Units arriving in India with B-29s from the US: HQ 468th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and 792d, 793d, 794th and 795th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy) at Kharagpur; 677th and 679th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), at Charra; first mission for all units is 5 Jun 44.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s out of Eniwetok Atoll strike Truk Atoll; B-25s from Abemama Island hit Ponape Island; B-25s from Tarawa bomb Jaluit Atoll, rearm at Majuro and hit Maloelap Atoll.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s blast Talili Bay and Ratawul supply areas and the town of Rabaul; 40+ fighter-bombers strike the Malaguna area SW of Rabaul; 17 fighter-bombers hit personnel and supply areas at Mosigetta, Mawareka, Meive, and Maririei. During the early morning 23 B-24s bomb Truk Atoll. 394th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Guadalcanal Island to Momote Airfield.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 80+ B-24s and A-20s pound the airfields at Dagua and But on the N coast of New Guinea; 33 A-20s hit Aitape; P-39s, B-25s, and B-24s fly light strikes against a variety of targets along Hansa Bay, on Wakde, at Uligan, and several other points along the coast.

PACIFIC: Submarine USS Harder sinks Japanese destroyer HIJMS Ikazuchi 180 miles SSW of Guam.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s fly armed photo reconnaissance mission during early the morning over Matsuwa, Onnekotan, and Paramushiru Islands, Kurile Islands. Photographs taken are negative due to cloud cover.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 20 P-40s over the Mogaung Valley attack a camp at Manywet; 20 P-51s and 3 B-25s support ground forces in the Mawlu area.

BURMA: The British 2nd Indian Division breaks the Japanese position at Zubza and relieves the British 161st Brigde in the Burma Theater.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): A single B-24, enroute from Kwajalein to Tarawa, bombs Jaluit Atoll; B-25s from Eniwetok Atoll bomb Ponape Island while B-25s from Abemama Island strike Jaluit and Maloelap Atolls, using Majuro as an arming station between strikes; 26th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 11th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Tarawa to Kwajalein with B-24s.
- Eniwetok: Shortly after 0100 hours local, 12 Japanese Betty bombers approach Engebi Island in Eniwetok Atoll to attack the airfield. They are intercepted at 20,000 feet (6096 meters) by four F4U-2 Corsair night fighters of a detachment of Marine Night Fighting Squadron VMF(N)-532 based on Engebi. The Marines shoot down 2 Bettys and get a "probable" on a third. All enemy bombs fell into the water; one
Marine plane and pilot are lost and another pilot has to bail out with the loss of the aircraft. This was the first successful interception by F4U night fighters. Unfortunately for the squadron, it was their first and last victory of the war.

U.S.: In the Pacific, the I Marine Amphibious Corps was redesignated the III Amphibious Corps.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 19 B-24s on a mission to the Caroline Islands bomb Eten, Param, and Kuop Islands and targets ofopportunity in Truk Atoll. On New Britain Island, 24 B-25s and 40+ fighter- bombers blast a supply area at Ratawul; and 8 fighter-bombers hit Vunapope. 20+ fighter-bombers strike various targets in the NE part of Bougainville Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s and P-39s hit barges and luggers in Vanimo Harbor and at Bogia. 673d Bombardment Squadron , 417th Bombardment Group, moves from Dobodura to Saidor with A-20s.

INDIA: India: Bombay: The merchant ship Fort Stikine catches fire while at No. 1 berth, in the early stages of cargo discharge. From a sister-ship Fort Crevier, berthed 400 yards away, smoke is seen
spiralling from the Fort Stikine's ventilators. Later it is also seen by the steamer Iran, and also by an inspector from the dock police. To no one did it occur that the ship might be on fire, and it was not reported.
Some time later the fire was seen by returning stevedores, and even then was reported as a routine fire alarm and without any suggestion of undue danger or emergency. This resulted in the dispatch of quite inadequate fire-fighting appliances. In the previous five years there had been over 60 fires in ships in Bombay, but only one vessel had been lost, although 15 had carried explosives.
Soon the serious nature of the fire became apparent, and every effort was made to contain it. Thirty-two hoses crossed her decks and a thousand tons of water poured onto the seat of the fire in No. 2 hold. Decks and shell plating grew red-hot.
At 15:45 the explosive caught fire. Five minutes later a great sheet of flame shot up and the ship became a flaming torch. At 16:06 the fore-part of the ship exploded with a deafening roar. Flaming
drums, blazing cotton and damaged. Dock gates, bridges and berths were destroyed, sheds warehouses and offices were demolished and the ruins afire; roads, railways and equipment a mass of tangled wreckage.
No. 1 berth was a devastated crater, very few persons remained alive nearby, and smoke and flame enveloped the wreck. The million pounds-worth of gold had disintegrated. In the explosion the fore-part of the ship had blown off and sunk. The after-part remained afloat and on fire.
Thirty-four minutes later this after-part containing 784 tons of explosive, also blew up with a blast even more shattering than before. Flying, flaming debris fell again into the dock area and into other parts of the city, causing terrible devastation and many more casualties.
Another huge crater was born where the remains of No. 1 berth had previously been. Chaos followed, for no organisation was equipped to deal with a disaster of such magnitude, and the two docks at the heart
of the fire were virtually abandoned. The radius of the fire was over a mile; hundreds of sheds, the edge of the oil depot and the western part of the city burnt furiously.
In the Alexandra Dock area were three ammunition ships and many sheds filled with explosives. A loaded tanker lay nearby. Fires had to be extinguished and the injured rescued. A central organisation was
finally formed and the task of salvage and rescue got under way as confusion turned into efficiency.
Subsequently piles of debris were cleared, sunken vessels scrapped or lifted, quay walls, sheds and other buildings repaired or rebuilt. Docks were drained and cleared and other ruins and wreckage swept into the open sea.
Clearance and reconstruction would normally have taken years, but wartime requirement called for action on a grand scale, and the docks were operating again some six months later.
Allied shipping losses in the Bombay explosion were:
FORT STIKINE (7,142 grt);
FORT CREVIER (7,131 grt);
JALAPADMA (3,935 grt);
BARODA (3,205 grt);
GRACIOSA (1,773 grt);
KINGYUAN (2,653 grt);
TIMOMBA (872 grt)
ROD EL FARAG (6,842 grt);
IRAN (5,704 grt) ;
GENERAL VAN DER HEIJDEN (1,213 grt);
GENERAL VAN SWIETEN (1,300 grt).

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): During the night of 14/15 Apr 3 B-24s on armed reconnaissance mission over Matsuwa and Onnekotan Islands hit several targets including Matsuwa Airfield; reconnaissance over Paramushiru Island fails due to overcast.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 12 B-24s over the Andaman Islands attack shipping and other targets at Port Blair. 12 P-38s hit Heho Airfield, Burma, destroying several parked airplanes. 19th Liaison Squadron, US Army Forces, CBI, arrives at Kanchrapara, India with L-5s (first mission is in Jun 44).

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-25s knock out a bridge at Viet Tri, French Indochina, and damage another.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Major General Robert W Douglass Jr becomes Commanding General Seventh Air Force. B-25s, based on Tarawa, bomb Maloelap Atoll, rearm at Majuro and hit Jaluit and Mille Atolls on the return trip.

PACIFIC: Two Japanese ships are sunk at sea:
- A merchant cargo ship is sunk, probably by a mine laid by submarine USS Steelhead, off Honshu, Japan.
- British submarine HMS Storm sinks a minesweeper in the Andaman Islands.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s bomb an ammunition dump on Talili Bay; 11 P-39s follow with a strike on the same target; 3 P-38s fire the Vunapope supply area; other fighter-bomber strikes on the same area are cancelled by weather. A few P-38s hit targets in the NE part of Bougainville. 72d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Munda to Momote Airfield with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 180+ B-24s, B-25s and A-20s bomb landing strips, off-shore islands and the entire coastal area in the vicinity of Aitape; 16 P-40s strafe barges at nearby Seleo Island; 20 P-39s hit villages, supply dumps, trucks and other targets along Hansa Bay and in the Alexishafen area.

RAAF Lost is Wirraway A20-480.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s hit a bridge over the Mogaung River while 9 others, along with 12 P-51s, hit a warehouse and railroad station at Mohnyin; 9 P-38s destroy 3 medium bombers at Zayatkwin near Rangoon while 2 P-51s in the Mandalay area hit Anisakan Airfield, destroying 2 airplanes.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (XX Bomber Command): 768th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy), 462d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), arrives at Piardoba, India with B-29s; first mission is 5 Jun.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, strike Truk Atoll; B-25s from Abemama Island hit Maloelap and Mille Atolls, using Majuro as a rearming base between the strikes.

PTO: The submarine USS Paddle attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks an army transport and a merchant cargo ship in the Ceram Sea.
The submarine USS Redfin continues to pursue the convoy attacked the previous day, sinking an army cargo ship in Moro Gulf, southwest of Mindanao, Philippine Islands.
The movement of Japanese convoy TAKE No.1, carrying elements of the Imperial Army's 32d and 35th Divisions to reinforce garrisons in the Halmaheras and in northwestern New Guinea, gets underway as four transports, and escorts, depart Pusan, Korea.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 15 B-24s bomb the runway at Satawan. On New Britain Island, 24 B-25s hit the Ratawul supply area and alternate target of Raluana; at Rabaul 30+ fighter-bombers attack area inland from Toboi wharf. 23d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Munda to Momote Airfield with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): "Black Sunday": 170+ B-24s, B-25s and A-20s bomb Hollandia town and airfield and numerous other targets in the area. On the way back from the strike, the aircraft meet a massive weather front that causes 46 aircraft lost to weather. Listing of aircraft lost on Black Sunday. P-39s hit a wooded area and communications targets along Hansa Bay and attack villages and supply dumps from Bogia to Uligan Harbor; P-38s hit Madang area; B-24s fly a light strike against Wakde; other aircraft, operating singly or in pairs, attack targets of opportunity on the N coast of New Guinea and SE coast of New Britain Island. Other B-25s bomb Koepang on Timor Island.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 P-51s support ground forces near Meza; 9 P-38s destroy several airplanes at Heho Airfield while 5 B-24s bomb Ywataung; 26 B-25s and 36 P-51s support ground forces at Mawlu and bomb a fuel dump at Kin; 13 other P-51s are diverted to intercept a Japanese force over the Imphal, India area and claim 3 airplanes shot down.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s, based on Tarawa, strike Maloelap and Mille Atolls, rearming at Majuro between the raids.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 20 B-24s bomb the airfield at Satawan. On New Britain Island, 24 B-25s pound runway and revetments at Rapopo Airfield; 40+ fighter-bombers hit Matupi with incendiaries while 10 others pound the runway at Keravat.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 20+ B-24s bomb storage areas and troop concentrations in Kai Island, Moluccas Islands. P-39s attack AA positions at Bogia; other planes, operating individually or in pairs, attack Hollandia, Uligan Harbor and vicinity and the Madang area. 674th Bombardment Squadron, 417th Bombardment Group, moves from Dobodura to Saidor with A-20s.

RNZAF - Lost on a strke against Lakunai Airfield is SBD NZ5050.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s fly armed reconnaissance over Matsuwa, Onnekotan, and Paramushiru Islands; cloud cover and lack of moonlight permit only bombing of Kashiwabara Airfield and the Banjo Cape area.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 B-24s bomb an oil plant at Yenangyaung while 5, along with 7 P-38s, hit Ywataung; 6 B-25s score numerous hits on the Mandalay-Shwebo railroad; and 15 B-25s and 4 P-51s bomb Kamaing
and hit the Myitkyina-Bhamo road.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): HQ 33d Fighter Group moves from Karachi, India to Shwangliu, China. Lost on a mission to Hong Kong is B-24D "Sweepy Time Gal" 42-40622.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Seven PB4Y-1P Liberators of Photographic Squadron Three (VD-3) and Marine Photographic Squadron Two Hundred Fifty Four (VMD-254), take off on a 1,252 mile (2015 km) flight from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, to Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The next day, the aircraft take off, escorted by 5 Seventh Air Force B-24s, which bomb Saipan, and fly over 1,000 miles (1609 km) to Momote Airdrome on Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, via Saipan, Tinian and Aguijan Islands, in the Mariana Islands, obtaining complete photographic coverage which will be used for the upcoming invasions.
Other B-24s staging through Eniwetok hit Truk. B-25s from Tarawa bomb Ponape Island; B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wake after failing to find shipping reported in the area; and B-25s from Abemama Island bomb Jaluit and Maloelap Atolls, using Majuro as a shuttle base between strikes. 19th Fighter Squadron, 318th Fighter Group, moves from Kualoa Field to Bellows Field with P-47s.

PACIFIC: The submarine USS Gudgeon, CO Robert A. Bonin, is sunk, probably by Japanese naval aircraft (901st Air Group), southwest of Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands. All hands lost.
Submarine USS Tambor sinks a Japanese guardboat 300 miles NW of Wake Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 14 B-24s bomb the airfield at Satawan. 23 B-25s, weathered out of Vunakanau, bomb Tobera Airfield; 12 others and 9 fighter-bombers which fail to reach Rapopo bomb the airstrip at Keravat; Vunapope is hit by about 40 fighter-bombers, with considerable damage to the supply area. Lost are F-5B 42-67328 and P-38J 42-67788.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): The newly created (11 Apr) Thirteenth Air Task Force (Provisional) commanded by Major General St Clair Streett and temporarily composed of elements of the Thirteenth Air Force (which is being moved to the SWPA), a few Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) squadrons, USN Seventh Fleet air units, and Fifth Air Force units in the Admiralty Islands and New Britain Island, is placed under operational control of Fifth Air Force Advanced Echelon. Operating out of Momote Airfield, B-24s of Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb Woleai Atoll and Mariaon Island, Caroline Islands. B-24s of the Fifth Air Force hit Manokwari and Babo; and the Madang area is hit by fighter-bombers. HQ 54th Troop Carrier Wing moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s and 8 P-51s attack troops and stores NW of Banmauk; 10 P-38s hit the airfield near Meiktila; and 5 P-51s attack troop positions near Mawlu and a bridge at Shweli.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-25s damage a bridge at Thanh Moi, French Indochina and score hits on railroad and buildings S of the bridge. 4 P-40s attack the village of Takaw, Burma, causing several fires and sink a ferry-boat in the area.
The Japanese offensive gathers momentum as the 12th Army pushes down the Peking-Hankow Railroad toward four B-29 bases of the U. S. 14th Air Force. The Japanese easily defeat Chiang Kai-shek's poorly led, equipped and trained army.

INDIAN OCEAN: Admiral Sommerville' s British Eastern Fleet including the US carrier Saratoga attacks Sebang.
During Operation COCKPIT, an Allied task force consisting of ships of the British Eastern Fleet, including the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, and the US aircraft carrier USS Saratoga and three US destroyers, attacks Japanese ships and positions at Sabang, Netherlands East Indies. This is the first joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): XX Bomber Command is assigned to HQ Twentieth Air Force.
769th and 770th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 462d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), arrive at Piardoba, India from the US with B-29s; first mission is 5 Jun.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, bomb Truk Atoll. B-25s from the Gilbert Islands strike Ponape Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 21 B-24s bomb the airfield at Satawan, hitting the target area with about 50 tons of high explosives. On New Britain Island, 38 fighter-bombers hit Matupi supply areas while 7 bomb Rapopo airstrip. Fighters hit the Numa Numa area on Bougainville Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s hit Urarom and Manokwari; B-25s, A-20s, and fighter aircraft strike a wide variety of targets around Hollandia, Aitape, Bogia, Uligan, Bunabun, Madang and Cape Croisilles. B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb Woleai Atoll. Unit moves in New Guinea: HQ 49th Fighter Group from Gusap to Finschhafen; HQ 317th Troop Carrier Group from Port Moresby to Finschhafen; the detachment of the 82d Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter), 71st Reconnaissance Group, ceases operating from Finschhafen with returns to base at Saidor with P-39s.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 aborts a weather mission to Shasukotan Island, Kurile Islands

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 11 B-25s hit a bivouac and supply area NW of Manywet, Burma. 5th Liaison Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector, arrives at Ledo, India from the US with L-5s; first mission is 1 May.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Kwajalein search the area near Wake for shipping; finding none, the bombers hit Wake and Peale. Tarawa based B-25s, using Majuro as a shuttle base between strikes, bomb Maloelap and Jaluit Atolls. 396th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 41st Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Tarawa to Makin with B-25s.

PACIFIC: Submarine USS Seahorse sinks Japanese submarine HIJMS RO-45 off the Marianas.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): Major General Field Harris, USMC, becomes Commander Air Solomons (COMAIRSOLS). With improved weather conditions bombing of targets in the Bismarck Archipelago resumes; 22 B-25s hit the Matupi supply area and 40+ fighter-bombers blast the airfields at Lakunai and Keravat. 31st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Guadalcanal to Momote Airfield with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s bomb airfields on Noemfoor. B-25s, A-20s, and fighters hit a variety of targets around Hollandia, on Cape Croisilles, in the Bunabun area and along Hansa Bay. Woleai Atoll is again bombed by B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s and 14 P-51s pound Indaw and Mawlu, causing several fires in supply dumps and in the general target areas; 12 B-25s bomb the camp and supply area at Kamaing. 8 B-24s bomb storage and fuel dumps at Lashio and bomb Namtu; 13 B-24s bomb Maymyo while 5 B-25s knock out 3 bridges in the Tangon area; and 4 P-51s knock out a bridge at Shweli.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 12 P-40s fly armed reconnaissance over roads in Burma, strafing bridges, buildings, steamrollers, trucks, and troops in areas around Takaw, Bhamo, Loiwing, Kutkai, Hsenwi, and Lashio; at least 3 steamrollers and 7 trucks are destroyed.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Kwajalein hit Wotje Atoll. B-24s from Eniwetok Atoll, staging through Kwajalein, bomb Truk Atoll. B-25s from Engebi bomb Ponape Island. Abemama Island-based B-25s, using Majuro as a shuttle base, bomb Jaluit and Maloelap Atolls. HQ 7th Fighter Wing and 21st Fighter Group are activated at Fort Shafter and Wheeler Field respectively to provide air defense of the Hawaiian Islands. No squadrons are assigned to the group until 15 Jun. 531st Fighter Squadron, Seventh Air Force, moves from Bellows Field to Kuoloa with P-38s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): HQ 307th Bombardment Group is ordered to move from New Georgia and Guadalcanal Islands to the Admiralty Islands, where it will become part of the Thirteenth Air Task Force, serving operationally under the Fifth Air Force. In spite of heavy weather in the Bismarck Archipelago, 24 B-25s blast Matupi supply area on New Britain Island; and 11 P-39s, closed out of Rabaul, New Britain Island, bomb Tinputs Harbor on Bougainville Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 21 B-24s bomb airstrips on Noemfoor. About 320 B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s hit numerous targets in the Tadji, Wewak, and Madang area.

NEI: US TF 58 attacks Wadke Island, Sawar, Sarmi and Hollandia during daylight. Accompaning cruisers bombard at night.
Amplifying the above, Task Forces 58 and 78 begin a preinvasion aerial bombardment in New Guinea. Fighters from Task Group 58.1 attack Wakde Island and Sarmi at dawn and then surface vessels and aircraft of the two Task Forces attack Aitape, Hollandia, airfields in the Hollandia area and Wakde Islands. Many Japanese aircraft are strafed on the ground but the fuel has been removed from them and few burn.
The aviation composition of these two Task Forces is:
TF 58
TG 58.1
USS Bataan (CVL-29) with Light Carrier Air Group Fifty (CVLG-50)
USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) with CVLG-24
USS Cowpens (CVL-25) with CVLG-22
USS Hornet (CV-12) with Carrier Air Group Two (CVG-2)
TG 58.2
USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) with CVG-8
USS Cabot (CVL-28) with CVLG-29
USS Monterey (CVL-26) with CVLG-30
USS Yorktown (CV-10) with CVG-5
TG 58.3
USS Enterprise (CV-6) with CVG-10
USS Langley (CVL-27) with CVLG-32
USS Lexington (CV-16) with CVG-16
USS Princeton (CVL-23) with CVLG-23
TF 78
TG 78.1
USS Chenango (CVE-28) with Escort Carrier Air Group Thirty Five (CVEG-35)
USS Sangamon (CVE-26) with CVEG-37
USS Santee (CVE-29) with CVEG-26
USS Suwannee (CVE-27) with Composite Squadron Three (VC-3)
TG 78.2
USS Coral Sea (CVE-57) with VC-33
USS Corregidor (CVE-58) with VC-41
USS Manila Bay (CVE-61) with VC-7
USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62) with VC-63

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A weather sortie is aborted soon after take off due to weather.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s hit Kamaing while 5 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack ammunition and other supplies at Hopin; 3 B-25s and 4 P-51s hit a village NE of Bhamo while 7 P-51s attack Gokteik Viaduct. Detachment of 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, Tenth Air Force, operating from Jorhat, India with F-7s returns to base at Guskhara.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 6 B-24s claim 4 freighters and a gunboat sunk near Cap-Saint-Jacques and 1 other knocks out a bridge SW of Vinh. P-40s on armed reconnaissance over N Burma destroy 10 boxcars and a truck N of Lashio.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): During the night of 21/22 Apr, B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wotje Atoll; other B-24s from Kwajalein follow with another raid on Wotje during the day. B-25s from Tarawa, using Majuro as a shuttle base for rearming, bomb Jaluit, Maloelap and Mille Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 40 B-25s bomb supply areas at Ratawul and Talili Bay, pound Keravat and hit the area between Rapopo and Cape Gazelle; and 40+ fighter-bombers attack the runway and gun positions at Rapopo while 9 strike Lakunai Airfield. During the night of 22/23 Apr, 17 B-24s bomb Dublon, Param, and Eten Islands in Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 20+ B-24s bomb airstrips on Noemfoor. 80+ B-24s and A-20s hit Boram and But Airfields and other targets in the Wewak area; 100+ B-24s and B-25s pound targets along Hansa Bay; and all through the day B-25s and fighter-bombers, in flights of 1 to 20+ aircraft, attack areas around Hansa Bay, Wewak, Bogia, Madang, and many other points along the N and E coast of New Guinea; many of the strikes indirectly support HQ 375th Troop Carrier Group moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab.

HOLLANDIA - Allied amphibious landings on the N coast to the E and W of Hollandia and Aitape to seize Japanese airfields and leap frog closer to the Philippines.

USN - Task Force 58 (Vice Admiral M. A. Mitscher) covers the landings (22 April) at Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay, and Humboldt Bay, and supported troop movements ashore (23-24 April). Eight escort carriers of Task Force 78 (Rear Admiral R. E. Davison) flew cover and antisubmarine patrols over ships of the Attack Group during the approach and provided support for the amphibious assault at Aitape. Carrier aircraft accounted for the destruction of 30 enemy aircraft in the air and 103 on the ground.

USMC - PBJ 35087 is lost in bad weather near Luganville.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s fly weather and photographic reconnaissance within 100 mi (160 km) of the Kurile Islands and photograph Matsuwa Island.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 24 P-51s, 8 B-25s and 51 RAF Vengeances attack Thetkegyin, Manipur bridge, Tiddim road and Japanese positions at Indaw. 12 P-38s hit Kangaung Airfield near Meiktila; and 21 B-24s bomb railroads and jetties at Moulmein and Martaban.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 P-40s pound an artillery post at Sienning and cavalry forces at Kuan-Fou-Chiao; 2 P-40s strafe barracks S of Tengchung and 2 P-38s hit a truck convoy and barracks S of Chiengmai. 4 P-40s blast a motor pool at Lashio, Burma.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) moves from Chakulia to Kharagpur.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s based at Kwajalein hit Truk and Wotje Atolls. Makin based B-25s hit Ponape Island and Jaluit and Maloelap Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): Weather again curtails strikes, but several fighter-bombers hit Tobera and 20+ B-25s blast Matupi. 72d Fighter Squadron, 318th Fighter Group, moves from Makin to Haleiwa Field with P-39Qs.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s continue to hit airstrips on Noemfoor; they claim 14 air victories. In New Guinea, 90+ B-24s bomb Wewak, Boram, and But Airfields, a road near Boram, and track and villages S of Dagua while 80+ B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s pound AA positions, airfields, stores and troop concentrations along Hansa Bay; throughout the day A-20s, P-47s, P-38s, and P-39s pound various targets along Hansa Bay, in the Wewak area, and in the vicinity of Uligan Harbor and Cape Croisilles. 20+ B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb airfield and supply areas on Woleai Atoll. In ground action Allied forces take Hollandia, Tumleo and Selo Islands, and objectives around Tadji. 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, moves from Port Moresby to Finschhafen, New Guinea with C-47s.

NEW GUINEA: US Forces occupy Hollandia. Subsidary landings at Aitape is continuing well.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, a B-24 flies a photo and bombing run over Matsuwa Island; later another B-24 flies weather and bombing runs over Shasukotan, Yekaruma, Kharimkotan, and Onnekotan Islands.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-38s pound positions near Buthidaung and in the Myohaung are; 100+ P-40s, P-51s, A-36s, and B-25s bomb storage areas at Kamaing, Mogaung and Hopin, and railroads and other targets
at Myitkyina, Manywet and Chaungwa; 25 B-25s and P-51s hit Indaw and several other B-25s bomb Pyingaing.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In Thailand, B-25s damage bridges near Dara and Kengluang and strafe a factory at Dhasan. P-40s on a diversionary strike strafe numerous targets of opportunity at Kengtung, Burma. B-25s on a sea sweep hit 2 small steamers off Cape Bastion, China with cannon fire, claiming 1 vessel sunk and the other left burning.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): A B-29 piloted by Brigadier General LaVern G Saunders, Commanding General 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy), arrives at Kwanghan, China. Accompanying the B-29 is another carrying Major General Kenneth B Wolfe, Commanding General XX Bomber Command. These are the first B-29s to fly over the Hump to China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Engebi bomb Ponape Island while others, based on Makin, hit Jaluit and Wotje Atolls. HQ 41st Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Tarawa to Makin.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (Thirteenth Air Force): Weather continues to curtail strikes in the the Bismarck Archipelago. 10 P-40s hit runway and revetments at Tobera; fighter sweeps account for several trucks and barges in the Rabaul-New Ireland Island area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (Fifth Air Force): B-24s again bomb parked aircraft and other targets on Noemfoor. 40+ B-24s bomb airfields in the Wewak area; 140+ B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s hit stores, fuel dumps and personnel areas along Hansa Bay; throughout the day B-25s and fighter-bombers hit a variety of targets along the New Guinea coast including Karkar Island, Uligan Harbor, Cape Croisilles, and the Madang area. Lost is B-25H 43-4347.
NEW GUINEA: Madang falls to Australian ground forces.

USA: Washington: US military strategists agree that to defeat Japan it will be necessary to invade Japan itself.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s photograph and bomb installations on Matsuwa Island.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 B-25s attack Tiddim road; 80+ fighter-bombers and 2 B-25s hit a variety of targets at Kamaing, Nsopzup and Mogaung; 12 P-51s hit Japanese HQ at Katha and supply huts at Hopin; near Mandalay 12 B-24s bomb Monywa-Alon while 21 P-38s hit airfields at Heho, destroying several aircraft in the air and on the ground.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Kwajalein based B-24s, during the night of 24/25 Apr, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, strike Guam and Truk Atoll, and during the day hit Wotje and Maloelap Atolls. This is the first AAF mission against Guam. B-25s from Engebi bomb Ponape and Makin based B-25s hit Jaluit and Wotje Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): Just before dawn 15 B-24s hit Dublon, Moen, Fefan, Uman and Falo Islands, Truk Atoll. 23 B-25s bomb the airstrip and revetments at Tobera. 12 P-39s leave stockpiles aflame at Baitsi, Bougainville Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 12 B-25s bomb troop areas in the Hollandia vicinity, attacking villages S of Tanahmerah and huts and buildings along the road from Marneda to Banggerang; other aircraft carry out similar strikes against Karkar and along Hansa Bay.

RAAF: Force landed is P-40N "Come in Suckers" A29-414.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 3 B-24s bomb Akyab; 6 P-38s hit the Tiddim road near Chindwin; 70 fighter-bombers and 3 B-25s pound numerous targets at Mogaung, Kamaing and several points in the N part of the Mogaung Valley; in Mandalay and the surrounding area, 9 B-24s bomb railroad yards and engine sheds, and 9 P-38s hit stores and hangars.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In Burma, P-40s on armed reconnaissance from Lashio to Man Kat cause considerable damage; 2 trucks, a warehouse, a water tank, and 2 locomotives are destroyed, gun positions and a bridge are strafed and a Japanese-occupied building is left in flames.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): Japanese fighters make their first interception of B-29s as they are flying over the Hump; the brief confrontation results in no losses on either aide.

NEW GUINEA:

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s, having landed at Los Negros after bombing Guam Island on 25 Apr, hit Ponape Island and return to Kwajalein. B-25s based on Makin hit Jaluit and Wotje Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s bomb the runway and dispersal area at Lakunai Airfield; and 35 fighter-bombers pound the airfield at Tobera. 8 P-40s attack occupied areas along bays of Tabut and Wariki, Bougainville Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 120+ B-25s and A-20s pound the Wewak area, hitting airfields at Wewak, But, Dagua and Boram, and supply areas, troops, and several small villages. 13 B-24s bomb Awar Point, 20 P-39s and P-47s attack bridges and targets of opportunity near Madang and 8 P-39s attack roads, villages, and supply dump near Bunabun Harbor; a B-25 on reconnaissance sinks a lugger in the Sepik River.

NEW GUINEA: Allied ground forces take Hollandia and occupy Alexishafen. The new US airbase in Aitape, New Guinea is up and running only two days after the US landings on the site. This location allows ground based air cover for the entire New Guinea region. Australian forces take Alexister, New Guinea.

USA: The western state of Wyoming approves a statute allowing deployed soldiers to vote absentee in Wyoming's elections. This will allow voting in the November Presidential Election.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-25 bombs a submarine without success.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s hit the Kalemyo storage area; 12 B-25s hit the railroad at 4 points around Shwebo; nearly 150 P-40s, P-51s, A-36s and B-25s blast troops, fuel dumps, gun positions and railroad yard at several locations in the Mogaung Valley, including Myitkyina, Mogaung, Namti, Kamaing, Mohnyin, Hopin, Nanyaseik, Chaungwa and Myothit. 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, based at Guskhara sends a detachment to Hsinching, China with F-7s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Rocket-firing P-40s attack 20 junks S of Shasi, China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, bomb Truk Atoll during the night of 26/27 Apr. B-25s from Eniwetok follow up during the day with 3 raids on Ponape Island; Makin based B-25s hit Jaluit, Wotje and Mille Atolls. 1 B-24 from Kwajalein, using Makin as a rearming base, bombs Jabor and Emidj and Enybor Islands, Jaluit Atoll. 820th Bombardment Squadron, 41st Bombardment Group, moves from Tarawa to Makin with B-25s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 16 B-24s bomb Dublon, Eten, Moen, and Fefan Islands, Truk Atoll in the early morning. On New Britain Island, 24 B-25s blast the Talili Bay supply area; later a few P-39s hit the
same target.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Babo is bombed by 9 B-24s; 100+ B-24s, B-25s and A-20s attack Mushu and Kairiru Islands and airfields at Wewak, Boram, Dagua and But; 120+ A-20s and fighter-bombers blast the coastal areas of Hansa Bay and nearby villages, personnel areas NW of Bunabun, and AA positions, villages and bridges from Bunabun to Cape Croisilles. 7th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group, moves from Gusap to Finschhafen with P-40s.

USA: US Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox died at his home, 4704 Linnean Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C., today at 1:08 P. M. (EWT), following a continuation of a heart attack first suffered at Manchester, New Hampshire, Sunday April 23, 1944. The death of Colonel Knox was announced to all Naval personnel and establishments, ashore and afloat, throughout the world, in a dispatch from acting Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal. Frank Knox was the top civilian in the naval chain of command.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 P-38s blast the Tiddim road, causing a roadblock; in the Mogaung Valley 80+ A-36s, P-40s, P-51s, and a single B-25 pound the same general targets hit on the 27 Apr; in the Mandalay area 7 B-25s knock out a railroad bridge S of Myingatha and a canal bridge between Ye-u and Kinu.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 26 B-24s, escorted by 10 P-51s, damage 2 bridges over the Yellow River N of Chengchow (the capture of which by Japanese troops is acknowledged by the Chinese who evacuate Hulaokuan), and pound a nearby storage area; 2 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe a troop column NE of Tengchung; 3 B-25s on reconnaissance damage a small steamer off the E coast of Hainan Island; 16 P-40s and 6 B-25s pound Yangsin while 18 P-40s, P-38s, and P-51s strafe Nanchang barracks.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s, based on Makin strike Jaluit and Mille Atolls, using Majuro as a shuttle base between strikes. A single B-24 from Kwajalein bombs islands in Jaluit Atoll, hitting Emidj first, then rearming at Makin and attacking Jabor and Enybor during the return flight.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s bomb the Vunapope supply area and Rapopo airfield; and 30 fighter- bombers hit the runway and revetments at Vunakanau. 15 P-39s pound gun positions near Mamagata and hit nearby bivouac and supply areas. Lost is B-25G 43-4512.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 160+ B-24s and B-25s bomb Wakde, Biak and Efman Island airfields; 180+ P-47s, P-39s, A-20s and P-70s hit a variety of targets along the N and NE New Guinea coast including villages and supply areas in the Wewak and Boram areas, barges and troops at the mouth of the Sepik River and at Murik Lakes, and enemy communications and hideouts from the Sepik River to Cape Croisilles. 21 B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb the airfield on Woleai Atoll.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 2 B-24s abort an armed photographic mission due to weather.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 21 P-38s hit airfields in the Heho area and claim 8 aircraft downed in combat; 25 P-51s and B-25s bomb several buildings at Meza; 19 B-24s over Prome blast supply dumps in the area. 19th Liaison Squadron, US Army Forces, CBI, moves from Kanchrapara to Ondal, India with L-1s and L-5s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s bomb a warehouse and barracks at Shayang and attack 3 motor launches at Chiuchiang, leaving them burning. 22d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), based at Yankai, China with B-25s, sends a detachment to operate from Yunnani.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll from Kwajalein bomb Truk and Jaluit Atolls. B-25s from Makin also hit Jaluit Atoll and carry out 2 strikes against Ponape Island.
Task Force 58, which had supported these landings, is now freed and begins a two-day attack against Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands. Today, 84 USN fighters fly a dawn sweep over Truk and during the day, USN aircraft shoot down 58 Japanese aircraft. During the night, Seventh Air Force B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll from Kwajalein Atoll, bomb Truk and Jaluit Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 40+ P-39s bomb and strafe targets throughout Bougainville and Buka Islands, including Sipaai Mission, the Kieta area, Lontis, Numa Numa, Ibu, Toborei, Totavi, Aitara and Baitsi; 24 B-25s bomb airfields at Kara and Buka. Allied fighter sweeps continue over the N Solomons and New Ireland Island, where huts, barges, and other targets of opportunity are attacked. HQ 307th Bombardment Group moves from Munda to Los Negros.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 90+ B-24s and B-25s bomb villages, AA positions and personnel areas in the Wakde Island, Maffin Bay area, and along the coast of New Guinea from Takar to Verkam Point; 40+ A-20s hit stores at Cape Wom, and targets of opportunity between But and Dagua; 130+ A-20s, P-47s, and P-39s hit hideouts and movements along the Sepik River and from the river's mouth to Cape Croisilles. MIA on a local flight is P-47D 42-22687.

NEW GUINEA: The captured airfields at Hollandia and Aitape are now in use by MacArthur's forces.

USN - Two PT Boats: PT-347 and PT-346 are caught three miles behind the enemy demarkation line off off Cape Lambert. Attacked by friendly aircraft including Corsairs from VMF 215, Hellcats from VF 34 and SBDs and TBFs, two were shot down: F4U 13307 and F6F 09012. PBYs from VP 91 rescues survivors from the two PT-boats.

USMC - Lost on a flight from Espiritu Santo is SBD 10468.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 31 B-25s blast a tank concentration, bridges, supply dumps and general vicinity at Kalewa; 4 B-25s damage 2 bridges N of Yamethin. 5th Liaison Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector, moves from Ledo, India to Shaduzup, Burma with L-1s and L-5s; first mission is 1 May.
Japanese forces are gradually worn down in the area of Imphal, India. The food shortage is taking its toll.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): P-40s from Yungning, China knock out a bridge near Dong Mo, French Indochina and strafe railroad targets of opportunity in the area. The detachment of the 74th Fighter Squadron, 23d Fighter Group, operating from Liuchow returns to base at Kweilin, China with P-40s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 41 Kwajalein based B-24s bomb various targets at Wake. 11 Makin based B-25s bomb Jaluit Atoll while 8 from Engebi bomb Ponape Island.
USN Task Force 58 continues air strikes against Japanese installations in the Caroline Islands especially Truk Atoll. During this two-day attack that began yesterday, only three small ships are found in the harbor that once teemed with ships; all three are sunk. An IJN submarine is also sunk 20 miles (32 km) south of Truk by aircraft and destroyers. In the afternoon, nine heavy cruisers and eight destroyers begin a two-hour bombardment of an airfield on Satawan Island. During this two-day raid, 65 Japanese aircraft are destroyed on the ground.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 10 P-39s bomb Porton Plantations, Bougainville Island; 20+ other P-39s, in 11 sweeps, attack a variety of targets of opportunity on Buka and Bougainville Islands, including Ivituri Mission, the Kieta area and the Mamagata supply area. 30+ P-40s and P-38s bomb Vunakanau Airfield and 23 B-25s bomb Vunakambi Plantation.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 80+ P-39s and P-47s make almost continuous attacks throughout the day against troops and supplies along Hansa Bay; 40+ A-20s and B-25s bomb Wewak and nearby plantation; B-24s hit Noemfoor with a light raid; B-24 reconnaissance flights over the Manokwari area and Geelvink Bay result in claims of 6 Japanese interceptors shot down. P-70s hit targets of opportunity on the W shore of Hansa Bay . 23 B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb Woleai Atoll. Lost is F-5 42-67383.

May 1st 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A single weather sortie is flown.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 18 P-38s and Royal Air Force (RAF) Vengeances hit troop positions and supply dumps; 7 P-40s over the Mogaung Valley hit Kamaing and attack positions N of Nanyaseik; 30+ B-24s bomb Maymyo, Mandalay marshalling yard, and oil facilities at Yenangyaung. Moves in India: 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Tenth Air Force attached to 5320th Air Defense Wing (Provisional), based at Kisselbari with P-40s, sends a detachment to Dinjan; 89th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, based at Nagaghuli with P-40s, sends a detachment to Mokelbaria during May.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 92 P-40s hit targets over wide areas of S China, Burma and French Indochina; in Burma, the fighter-bombers knock out a bridge at Wan Lai-Kam and pound a motor pool at Wan Pa-Hsa; in China, they strafe the railroad station and airfield at Yuncheng; in French Indochina, they damage 3 bridges and hit numerous boxcars at Bac Le, Dinh Ca, and Dong Mo, bomb carbide mines at Loc Binh and strafe railroad yards at Dong Dang and Na Cham. In China, 7 B-25s and 8 P-40s bomb Tangyang Airfield and nearby cavalry post; 2 B-25s over Amoy claim a small freighter sunk; and 15 enemy aircraft bomb airstrips at Ankang and Hengyang. During May, 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, based at Chengkung, China with P-40s, sends a detachment to Yunnani; the 26th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, based at Kunming, China with P-40s, sends a detachment to Liangshan.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): By this date all 4 B-29 fields in the Chengtu, China area are open to B-29 traffic.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Shore-based Air Force Forward Area (Task Force 59) is activated to control all USAAF, US Navy (USN), and US Marine Corps (USMC) shore based aircraft in the C Pacific forward area; the command is headed by Major General Willis H Hale, former Commanding General of the Seventh Air Force. B-25s from Makin bomb Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-24s over the Borpop area attack coastal guns; 40+ fighter-bombers and 30 USN dive bombers pound Vunakambi Plantation. 38 P-39s, flying 18 different missions, hit a variety of targets on SW Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, including missions at Tinputs, Koromira and Tsimba, Hongorai River crossing, Numa Numa bridge and huts at Aravia and Kunagaupau.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 180+ B-25s, A-20s, and fighters pound the Wewak and Hansa Bay areas throughout the day. Numerous coastline targets are hit, including airfields, vehicles, communications, villages, AA positions, bivouacs, supplies, barges and offshore islands. HQ 86th Fighter Wing arrives at Finschhafen from the US; and during May, HQ 310th Bombardment Wing (Medium) moves from Gusap to Hollandia. B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force hit Woleai and Eauriprik Atolls, Caroline Islands.

RAAF: Lost is Boomerang A46-71.