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

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Aug 27th 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 5 B-24s bomb and photograph Kashiwabara, Parmushiru Island in 2 raids; and 4 B-25s on a shipping sweep E of the N Kurile Islands bomb and strafe picket boats damaging 1 and leaving another sinking.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 23 P-47s support ground forces in the Pinbaw area, hitting Kondangyi and troops and strongpoints near Pinbaw; and the 90th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, moves from Moran, India to Tingkawk Sakan with P-47s. In India, the 2d Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group, arrives at Sylhet from the US with C-47s.

BURMA: The British 36th Division, continues down the Mogaung-Mandalay railroad corridor and captures Pinbaw.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s bomb Hengyang, Tien Ho, White Cloud, and Pailochi Airfields; 9 others hit road and river traffic in the Yoyang, Hankow, Changsha, and Hengyang areas; 120+ P-40s and P-51s hit targets of opportunity in the above areas plus Yangtien, Chachiang, Anjen, Leiyang, Sintsiang, Siangsiang, and Siangtan, damaging or destroying numerous trucks, many rivercraft and hitting several troop concentrations.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): A Saipan based B-24 bombs Iwo Jima while another, after photo reconnaissance of Woleai Atoll, bombs Yap. P-47s bomb AA positions on Pagan Island and strafe buildings on Alamagan Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Fighter-bombers hit Miti and airfields at Babo, Ransiki, Sagan, and Manokwari. Lost is P-38J 42-104359. Fighter-bombers hit bivouacs near Boram, troops between Abau and Boikin, and a fuel dump and barges at Kairiru Island; and the 75th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 42d BG (Medium), moves from Stirling to Hollandia with B-25s.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: USN submarine USS Stingray lands men and supplies on Luzon to support guerilla operations against the Japanese.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 533, AUGUST 27, 1944
1. Liberators of the 7th AAF bombed the airfield and defense Installa¬tions at Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands on 25 August (West Longitude Date). More than 42 tons of bombs were dropped while the Liberators fought off 8 to 10 enemy fighters. Two fighters were destroyed and two damaged, and several Liberators were damaged. Antiaircraft fire was intense.
2. A single 7th AAF Liberator bombed Yap and Woleai Islands on 25 August. There was no opposition at Woleai, and only light antiaircraft fire at Yap.
3. Truk atoll was bombed by Liberators of the 7th AAF on 24 August.
Sixty four tons of bombs were dropped on defense installations. Eight enemy fighters intercepted, and one fighter was damaged. All of our planes returned.
4. In the Marshall Islands, Wotje and Mille were attacked on 24 August by Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Harassing raids were carried out during the night of 24 25 August against Wotje, Maloelap, Jaluit, and Mile. On 25 August Corsairs again bomber and strafed Mille and Maloelap.
5. Aguijan Island in the Marianas was bombed and strafed by our air¬craft on 25 August, starting several fires.
6. Ponape and Nauru Islands were attacked on 25 August, Ponape by Mitchell medium bombers of the 7th AAF and Nauru by Ventura search planes of Group 1, Fleet Air Wing Two.

 

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Aug 28th 1944

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Brigadier General Haywood S Hansell, Jr assumes command of the XXI Bomber Command at Peterson Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Brigadier General Lauris Norstad succeeds Hansell as Chief of Staff of the Twentieth Air Force.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 4 P-47s bomb a tank pool at Momauk, while 5 others hit Myintha; and 2 P-47s support ground forces in the Pinbaw area.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 8 B-25s bomb Tien Ho, White Cloud, Hankow, and Pailochi Airfields; 8 more attack river and road traffic from Chiuchiang to Hankow and from Hengyang to Puchi; 32 P-40s pound targets of opportunity at Hengyang and Pailochi; 23 P-40s attack Taying storage buildings and 10 P-40s and P-51s hit Anjen and nearby targets of opportunity; and HQ 311th Fighter Group moves from Tingkawk Sakan, Burma to Pungchacheng.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan based B-24s pound Iwo Jima by day and night. P-47s hit Pagan and Maug. A B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs Yap. Gilbert Island-based B-25s strike Ponape Island; Marshall Islands-based B-24s hit Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s hit the airfield on Koror, and the seaplane base on Arakabesan. Lost is B-24J 44-40603. A-20s and fighter-bombers attack small vessels along the E coast of Ceram Island. Fighter-bombers hit Kokas, vessels off Point Karakra, barracks at Nabire, storage facilities at Moemi and Manokwari and Boram fuel dumps.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: The USN's Task Force 38, with eight fleet carriers and eight light aircraft carriers, sorties from Eniwetok Atoll to attack Japanese bases in the western Pacific in support of the upcoming invasion of the Palau Islands. The aircraft carriers, and their assigned groups, of TF 38 are
- Task Group 38.1 (TG-38.1)
USS Belleau Wood with Light Carrier Air Group Twenty One CVLG-21
USS Cowpens with CVLG-22
USS Hornet with Carrier Air Group Two CVG-2
USS Monterey with CVLG-28
USS Wasp with CVG-14
- TG 38.2
USS Bunker Hill with CVG-8
USS Cabot with CVLG-31
USS Independence with Night Light Carrier Air Group Forty Two [CVLG(N)-42]
USS Intrepid with CVG-18
- TG 38.3
USS Essex with CVG-15
USS Langley with CVLG-32
USS Lexington with CVG-19
USS Princeton with CVLG-27
- TG 38.4
USS Enterprise with CVG-20
USS Franklin with CVG-13
USS San Jacinto with CVLG-51

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 535, AUGUST 28, 1944
1. Liberators of the 11th AAF and Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four bombed Onekotan Island in the Kuriles in separate strikes on 26 August (West Longitude Date). In the first raid by Navy Venturas buildings on the island and several small craft offshore were bombed. Several enemy planes were airborne but did not attempt interception. Antiaircraft fire was meager. In the second raid by 11th AAF Liberators, warehouse facilities and piers were bombed. Several fires were started. All of our planes returned. On 25 August an enemy patrol vessel was sunk near Paramushiru Island by two Mitchell bombers of the 11th AAF. Two enemy fighters attacked the Mitchells, which probably destroyed one fighter. Both of our planes returned safely.
2. Pagan and Alamagan Islands in the Marianas were attacked by our aircraft on 26 August.
3. Yap and Woleai in the western Carolines were attacked by Navy Liberators of Group 1, Fleet Air Wing Two on 26 August. Fires were started in a supply area at Woleai. On the same day a single 7th AAF Liberator bombed Yap.
4. Runways and gun emplacements at Nauru Island were attacked by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two on 25 and 26 August. Antiaircraft fire was meager.
5. In the Marshalls, Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the 6th Marine Aircraft Wing bombed Mille atoll on 25 and 26 August. On 26 august Mille was bombed by Navy Catalina search planes, and a small motor launch near the atoll was sunk. Jaluit atoll was harassed by bombing during the night of 25 26 August.

 

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Aug 29th 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 B-25s attack targets in Katha and hit 2 bridges just N of the town area; 8 P-51s attack Bilumyo; 5 P-47s destroy a road bridge at Mainghka and 5 others hit buildings in Bhamo; and HQ 80th Fighter Group moves from Nagaghuli to Tingkawk Sakan.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 24 B-24s escorted by 45 fighters, blast railroad yards at Yoyang; 15 B-25s bomb Pailochi, White Cloud, Tien Ho, and Hankow Airfields; 10 others hit trucks and other targets of opportunity from Hengyang to Yoyang, from Hankow to Chinchiang, and near Anjen; 18 P-40s hit a storage area and targets of opportunity around Tangyang; 17 attack trucks and buildings from Siangtan to Changsha; 14 P-40s claim 8 fighters downed over Shayang; 22 others attack trucks, supplies, and troops at Wuhu, Ichang, S of Isuho, SW of Lungling, and N of Hengshan; and the 491st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), based at Yankai, sends a detachment to operate from Liuchow with B-25s.

CHINA: The Japanese 11th Army, consisting of seven divisions, starts south down the railroad from Heng-Yang threatening USAAF Fourtheenth Air Force bases at Kweilin and Liuchow.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): INDIA: Major General Curtis Emerson LeMay becomes Commanding General USAAF XX Bomber Command, Twentieth Air Force, with HQ at Kharagpur, India. LeMay assumes command after Brigadier General LaVerne G Saunders is seriously injured in a non-operational flying accident.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan Island-based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima and Pagan Islands during the evening. P-47s strafe AA positions on Pagan while a B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs Yap. Gilbert based B-25s bomb Nauru.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the Palau Islands, B-24s bomb Koror, and Malakal Islands, a seaplane base on Arakabesan Island, and supply area N of Ingesebus Airfield. B-24s bomb barracks at Amboina on Ambon and P-38s hit a seaplane base at Halong on the Celebes Island. In New Guinea, the 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, moves from Garbutt Field to Finschhafen with C-47s; and the 868th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), Thirteenth Air Force, moves from Los Negros to Noemfoor with B-24s (the squadron uses airborne radar for low-level attacks at night and PFF operations).

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 536, AUGUST 29, 1944
1. The airfield at Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands was bombed on 27 August (West Longitude Date) by 7th AAF Liberators. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered. During the night of 26 27 August a single Liberator of the 7th AAF bombed Iwo Jima, encountering no opposition.
2. Pagan Island in the Marianas was attacked on 27 August by 7th AAF Liberators and in a separate strike on the same day was bombed and strafed fighter planes. Buildings and gun emplacements were the principal targets. Alamagan Island was also bombed on 27 August.
3. Yap Island in the western Carolines was attacked on 27 August by a single 7th AAF Liberator. Meager antiaircraft fire was encountered.
4. Further neutralization raids against enemy positions in the Marshalls were conducted by Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing on 27 August.
5. On 26 August Liberators of the 11th AAF bombed Paramushiru in the Kurile Islands, starting several fires.

 

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Aug 30th 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): Several P-47s bomb and strafe the town of Man Sai, Burma. The 3d Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group, arrives at Sylhet, India from the US with C-47s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s attack Hengyang, Pailochi, and Hankow Airfields, roads in the Nanyo and Changsha areas, and boats between Changsha and Hengyang, and Kichun and Wuhsueh; in the Kweiyi and Sintsiang areas 33 P-40s claim 58 trucks destroyed, 175 damaged, and at least 100 Japanese killed; 10 P-51s hit scattered targets of opportunity in the same areas; 21 P-40s hit barracks, trucks, and a bridge in the Siangsiang and Siangtan region; and 34 P-40s and P-51s attack a variety of targets, including railroad traffic and facilities, occupied areas, and trucks, at Yangtien, between Hengshan and Nanyo, NE of Ichang, SW Hengshan, and near Hengyang.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): A B-24 on armed reconnaissance from Saipan bombs Yap. P-47s strafe positions and storage areas on Pagan. Kwajalein based B-24s hit Mille Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Koror and Malakal Islands are pounded by B-24s. B-24s hit Wasile Bay storage and personnel reas in the Moluccas Islands while B-25s make a low-level attack on Kaoe town. P-38s bomb oil tanks, barracks, and AA positions at Boela. P-47s hit Urarom runway and Manokwari storage area, P-38s bomb airfields at Babo and Ransiki, and P-39s hit targets of opportunity along the W coast of Geelvink Bay; HQ 58th Fighter Group moves from Saidor to Noemfoor; and HQ 403d Troop Carrier Group moves from Espiritu Santo to Los Negros. Lost is B-25C "El Aguila" 41-12515.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: USN submarine USS Narwhal lands 10-tons of supplies, two Filipino officers and 18 men in Dubut Bay in eastern Luzon.

RAAF - Lost after a strike on Babo Airfield is P-40N A29-610.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE 537, AUGUST 30, 1944
1. Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four attacked Paramushiru Island in the Kuriles and several enemy vessels discovered near the island on 27 August (West Longitude Date). One of the Venturas obtained a direct hit on a medium tanker, setting it afire. Another Ventura bombed a large cargo ship at Suribachi, causing a heavy explosion, while a third attacked an enemy patrol vessel. One Ventura was damaged in an engagement with three enemy fighters. On the same day two 11th AAF Liberators sank an enemy patrol vessel and badly damaged another near Paramushiro. Neither Liber¬ator was damaged.
2. During the night of 27 28 August Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands was attacked by 7th AAF Liberators which bombed the airfield. Two enemy fighters were airborne but did not attempt interception. In a second strike on 27 August 7th AAF Liberators attacked Pagan Island, causing fires. Fighter planes bombed and strafed Pagan on 28 August.
3. Nauru Island was attacked on 27 August by Ventura search planes of Group 1, Fleet Air Wing Two.
4. The airfields at Moen Island in Truk atoll were bombed by 7th AAF Liberators on 28 August. Seven enemy fighters intercepted our force and damaged one Liberator, but all of our planes returned.
5. Mitchells of the 7th AAF attacked Ponape Island on 28 August, while Corsair fighters and Dauntless diva bombers conducted further neutralization raids against Mille and Maloelap in the Marshalls on the same day.

 

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Aug 31st 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s bomb targets of opportunity at Katha and 3 hit bridges at Bawgyo and Hsenwi.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-24s bomb Takao harbor, damaging the dock area and claiming 2 tankers sunk. Lost are: B-24J 44-40783 and B-24J 44-40831; 14 B-25s attack Tien Ho, White Cloud, Kai Tek, and Hengyang Airfields; 8 B-25s attack numerous trucks S of Sintsiang and near Sinshih, hit roads S of Nanyo and damage a freighter near Sinshih; and 60+ fighter-bombers attack trucks, barracks, supplies, rivercraft, bridges and troops in or near Sinshih, Changsha, Yangtien, Hengyang, Nanyo, Siangtan, Teian, and Shihhweiyao.

BONIN AND VOLCANO ISLANDS: The USN's Task Group 38.4, consisting of the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) with Carrier Air Group Twenty (CVG-20), USS Franklin (CV-13) with CVG-13 and the light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) with Light Carrier Air Group Fifty One (CVLG-51) plus supporting ships, launches aircraft against Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands. The strikes are intended to neutralize Japanese installations there and provide a diversion in advance of planned operations in the Palau, Morotai, and Philippine areas. Off Iwo Jima, F6Fs from USS Franklin sink a merchant ship and an auxiliary minesweeper. The strikes are repeated on 1 and 2 September.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan Island-based P-47s strafe gun positions at the airfield on Pagan. Yap and Pagan are bombed by single B-24s.

NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, the operations on Noemfoor and Sansapor are declared at an end.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: USN Submarine USS Redfish lands supplies and evacuates people from Palawan Island.

PHILIPPINE SEA: U.S. aircraft sink a Japanese merchant cargo ship about 45 nautical miles NNE off Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, in position 24.46N, 141.19E.

SOUTH CHINA SEA: U.S. submarines attack a Japanese convoy bound for Manila, Philippine Islands, and four ships are sunk about 40 nautical miles SSE of the southern tip of Formosa in the Luzon Strait. USS Barb sinks an auxiliary minesweeper and an army cargo ship. USS Queenfish sinks an army tanker and USS Sealion sinks a minelayer.

EAST CHINA SEA: USN submarine USS Seawolf sinks a Japanese army cargo ship and a merchant cargo ship about 180 nautical miles SSE of Shanghai, China, in position 28.30N, 123.05E.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 538, AUGUST 31, 1944
Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force and Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four attacked installations at Paramushiru Island in the Kuriles on the night of August 27 (West Longitude Date). Antiaircraft fire was meager and all of our aircraft returned.
Yap and Woleai Islands in the Western Carolines were bombed by a single Seventh Army Air Force Liberator on August 28 and 29. On both days antiaircraft fire was meager.
During the night of August 28 29 Seventh Army Air Force Liberators bombed Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands.
Pagan Island in the Marianas was bombed on the night of August 28 29 and on August 29. Gun positions and storage facilities were hit and several fires started.
Mitchells of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed the airfield at Nauru Island on August 29. During the preceding night Nauru was attacked by a Catalina search plane of Group One, Fleet Air Wing Two.
Mille Atoll in the Marshalls was attacked on August 29 by Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing.

CINCPAC RELEASE NO. 539, AUGUST 31, 1944
Lieutenant General Millard F. Harmon, USA, has assumed command of all Army Air Force units operating in the Pacific Ocean Areas. His jurisdiction extends throughout the theater commanded by Admiral C. W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas.

 

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Sept 1st 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 bombs Kashiwabara on Paramushiru , Kurile s during the night of 31 Aug/1 Sep; a B-25 bombs a shack on the SW coast of Paramushiru and sinks a nearby ship; and 5 other B-25s on this mission turn back due to overcast.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): A few P-47s attack Bhamo, Burma and strafe river boats in the area. In India, the 164th, 165th and 166th Liaison Squadrons (Commando), with UC-64s and L-5s, and the 319th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), with C-47s, are activated at Asansol and assigned to the 1st Air Commando Group.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-24s claim a small freighter sunk in Formosa Strait; 12 B-25s bomb Kai Tek Airfield, Hong Kong, and a supply depot S of Canton; B-25s hit a road S of Nanyo, a runway at Hengyang, and targets of opportunity near Anjen; 61 P-40s and P-51s attack bridges, roads, shipping, airfields, troops, and other targets of opportunity at or near Yangtien, Nanyo, Hengyang, Anjen, Changning, and Chiuchiang; and the 35th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force, moves from Guskhara to Kunming with F-5s. During Sep, the 528th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, based at Shwangliu, China with P-51s, sends detachments to operate from Hanchung and Liansshan.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan based P-47s carry out rocket and strafing strike against Pagan. A single B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs Yap and Marshall based B-24s bomb Truk.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: 50+ B-24s bomb Sasa, Matina, and Likanan; others, failing to reach Mindanao, hit Beo in the Talaud Islands. Lost is B-24D 42-73453. Fighter- bombers hit Boela and Amahai Airfield. In New Guinea, A-20s, P-40s and B-25s bomb runways at Babo and Urarom; and HQ 374th Troop Carrier Group moves from Townsville, Australia to Nadzab.

BONIN AND VOLCANO ISLANDS: USN Task Group 38.4 surface units, heavy cruiser USS New Orleans, light cruiser USS Biloxi and four destroyers, bombard Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands. The Japanese do not return fire.

INDIAN OCEAN: In the Arabian Sea, German submarine U-859 sinks a 7,422 ton British merchant freighter about 725 nautical miles SSW of Karachi, India, in position 14.10N, 61.04E.
NEW GUINEA: In preparation for the invasion of the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters moves to Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: The USN submarine USS Narwhal lands 10 tons of supplies, five Filipino officers and 18 enlisted men on the east coast of Luzon. The sub takes out four U.S. enlisted men.
Fifty five USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Likanan and Matina Airdromes on Mindanao.

UNITED KINGDOM: The British Chiefs of Staff propose an airborne and amphibious assault on Rangoon, Burma, in 1944. This operation is coded Operation DRACULA

UNITED STATES: Selective Service announces that no men over 26 years old will be drafted (conscripted) during the rest of 1944.

 

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Sept 2nd 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 B-25s hit targets along the Burma Road S of Wanling, including the road itself and bridges at Kawnghka and Namhpakka; another B-25 hits an alternate target, an area in Indaw; and 24 B-24s haul fuel to Kunming, China.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2 B-25s bomb the runway at Hengyang Airfield; 30 P-40s attack gun positions, troop concentrations, and sampans in the Hengyang and Changning areas; 20 P-40s hit similar targets S of Changsha, W of Pengtse, and in the Siangtan area; and 12 P-51s damage a bridge at Yangtien.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Two Saipan based B-24s hit Yap and Pagan. P-47s hit AA positions on Pagan with rocket and strafing attacks. Marshall s-based B-25s bomb Ponape , Caroline and Nauru.
USN - Lost on a bombing mission against a radio installation on Chi Chi Jima is TBM Avenger 46214.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Mindanao, 24 B-24s bomb supply and personnel areas at Lasang, 12 B-24s hit shipyards and personnel areas at Bunawan, and 22 B-24s hit Likanan Airfield. 345th BG sends 13 B-25s are sent to hit Langoan Airstrip, but when their fighter cover fails to arrive, they divert to hit troops, warehouses and shipyards along Lembeh Strait. Two are lost: B-25 "Mexican Spitfire" 41-30592 and B-25 "Hell's Fire". Two B-25s are damage and crassh land at Middleburg, one is repaired and returned to service, the other is scrapped. Other B-25s hit a position near Pitoe Airfield on S Morotai. B-24s bomb Koror , Palau. Fighter-bombers hit the Sorong area and forces at Cape Pus and Boikin. Lost on a training mission is B-25H 43-4341.

BONIN AND VOLCANO ISLANDS: USN carrier-based aircraft of Task Group 38.4 again attack installations on Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands. After recovering aircraft, TG 38.4 retires to participate in attacks in the Caroline Islands. A TBM Avenger of Torpedo Squadron Fifty One (VT-51) in USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) was shot down off Chichi Jima and the only survivor, the pilot, was rescued by the submarine USS Finback (SS-230). The pilot was Lieutenant (j.g.) George Herbert Walker Bush, A-V(N), USNR, who becomes the 41st President of the U.S. in 1989.

NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, operations in the of Wakde-Sarmi area were terminated. On Noemfoor Island, a second 7,000 foot (2 134 meter) runway was completed at Yebrurro (Kornasoren) Aerodrome. On the Vogelkop Peninsula, the first aircraft, a USAAF C-47 Skytrain, lands at Mar Airfield located just east of Biak.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 543, SEPTEMBER 2, 1944
1. On 31 August (West Longitude Date) a Navy search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two while on routine patrol near Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands sighted and attacked an enemy convoy, consisting of two small cargo vessels and three sampans. One cargo vessel was sunk and the other damaged by strafing. Another Navy search plane on the same day strafed and sank a sampan near Jaluit Atoll.
2. Pagan Island in the Marianas was attacked on 30 and 31 August. In these attacks heavy damage was done to gun emplacements and other defense Installations by rocket fire, bombing, and strafing. On both days antiaircraft fire was meager.
3. A single Liberator bomber of the 7th AAF bombed Yap Island in the western Carolines on 30 and 31 August, encountering moderate antiaircraft fire.
4. Mille atoll in the Marshalls was bombed on 30 August by Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, plus two 7th AAF Liberators. Gun positions and buildings were hit. Antiaircraft fire was meager.
5. On 30 August a lone Navy search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed Nauru, encountering no enemy anti aircraft fire.

 

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Sept 3rd 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 4 B-25s attack and slightly damage the Tabpalai Bridge NE of Hsipaw; 1 B-25 knocks out the center span of a railroad bridge in the area and another causes considerable damage at Indaw. In India, HQ 33d Fighter Group moves from Pungchacheng, China to Nagaghuli; and the 4th Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group, arrives at Sylhet from the US with C-47s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-24s pound marshalling yards at Nanking; 7 B-25s destroy at least 45 trucks and damage about 100 others during armed reconnaissance from Hengyang to Tungting Lake and Yoyang; 2 others bomb Hengyang Airfield; 100+ P-40s, P-51s, and P-38s attack troops, railroad targets, bridges, and other targets of opportunity in areas around Changning, Hengyang, Sungpai, Chuki, Yangtien, Hengshan, and in French Indochina, near Haiphong, and in the Red River Valley.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima. P-47s hit Pagan and Maug with rockets. A single B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs Yap.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Celebes, B-24s pound Langoan Airfield and Lembeh Strait warehouses and shipping. B-25s hit the village of Tobelo on Halmahera . Fighter-bombers hit oil tanks and a radio station at Boela. Fighter-bombers hit Babo, Warren and Nabire Airfield, Manokwari storage and personnel areas, strafe areas along MacCluer Gulf, and fly coastal sweeps in the Wewak area, strafing troops, supplies, and occupied areas. 42nd BG B-25s fly sweep over New Britain in search of targets of opportunity. Lost is B-25H 43-4513 that force lands.
HQ XIII Bomber Command moves from Los Negros to Wakde; and the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, moves from Nadzab to Biak with B-24s and F-7s.
USMC - Two Corsairs collide in an aerial collision. Lost is F4U 56260.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: A lone USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberator, on armed reconnaissance bombs, Yap in the Caroline Islands.

EAST INDIES: On Celebes Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators attack two targets: 22 bomb Langoan Airfield and 37 bomb Lembeh Strait warehouses and shipping. B-25s hit the village of Tobelo on Halmahera Island. Fighter-bombers hit oil tanks and a radio station at Boela on Ceram Island.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: USAAF Fourteenth Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets near Haiphong, and in the Red River Valley.

MARIANA ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts hit Pagan and Maug Islands with rockets.

NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers hit Babo, Warren and Nabire Airfields, Manokwari storage and personnel areas, and strafe areas along Maccluer Gulf. Meanwhile, RAAF Kittyhawks conduct another strike against Babo Airfield and for the first time, carry a 1,500 pound (680 kilogram) bombload. The 50 percent increase in bombload was made possible by the sturdier build of the Kittyhawk Mk. IV (= USAAF P-40N) with which the squadron was equipped.
In Northeast New Guinea, the fighters fly coastal sweeps in the Wewak area, strafing troops, supplies, and occupied areas.

WAKE ISLAND: On Wake Island, the USN's Task Group 12.5 (Rear Admiral Allen E. Smith), comprising the small aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26), three heavy cruisers, and three destroyers, pound Japanese installations.

 

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Sept 4th 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 6 B-25s fly an antishipping sweep close to Paramushiru and draw shore-based AA fire; 8 fighters intercept but there are no losses on either side.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 24 B-24s haul 32,000 US gallons (121,133 l) of fuel to Kunming, China; and though heavy rains curtail combat operations, 9 P-47s attack Bhamo and Myothit, Burma.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-25s blast sampan, barge, and motor launch concentrations in the Kweiyang area; 6 B-25s, with P-51 support, pound the Paishul and Lingling areas, considerably damaging the town of Lingling and killing an estimated 60 soldiers and 10 horses; 100+ P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance kill large numbers of troops and horses, pound river and road traffic, and a variety of other targets of opportunity in the E Burma-SW China region around Changning and Lungling and throughout areas mainly to the S of the Tungting Lake-Yangtze River section of inland SE China, mainly around Hengyang, Lingling, Leiyang, Yangtien, and Kiyang.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 5 B-24s, on armed reconnaissance, snooper mission, and training flight, bomb Iwo Jima, Marcus, Yap and Pagan . P-47s hit Pagan with rockets and strafing attacks. In the Marshall s, B-24s from Kwajalein strike Wotje Atoll.

[SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Bad weather cancels most large-scale operations. In New Guinea, A-20s and B-25s hit Urarom Airfield and fighter-bombers attack Moemi and hit Napido.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: Five USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators, on armed reconnaissance, bomb Yap Island.

EAST INDIES: During the night of 4/5 September, 23 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island.

MARCUS ISLAND: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Marcus Island in the North Pacific. The island is located in the North Pacific about 768 nautical miles WNW of Wake Island and is used as a refueling point for Japanese aircraft en route to the Central Pacific.

NEW GUINEA: Following an estimate by Australian Lieutenant General Sir Frank Berryman, Chief of Staff Advanced Headquarter Allied Land Forces South-West Pacific, that the Aparri, Philippine Islands, operation would require three Australian divisions, Australian General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief Allied Land Forces Southwest Pacific and Commander-in- Chief Australian Military Force, writes U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander Southwest Pacific Area, requesting the use of the Australian 6th Division, which by then (January 1945) would be at Aitape , Papua New Guinea.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USN submarine USS Bowfin sinks a Japanese guardboat in the North Pacific.

CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 113, SEPTEMBER 4, 1944
Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands were bombed and strafed by aircraft of a carrier task force on August 3 and 31 and on September 1 (West Longitude Dates). On August 30 and September 1 Chichi Jima and Iwo Jima were bombarded by cruisers and destroyers of the Pacific Fleet. Our aircraft dropped 196 tons of bombs in these operations and fired 490 rockets. The following damage was inflicted on the enemy:
Ships sunk: Three small cargo ships and a landing barge at Iwo Jima. One small cargo ship southwest of Haha Jima, damaged by bomb¬ing and later sunk by a destroyer. One small tanker and six barges at Chichi Jima. One small cargo ship northwest of Chichi Jima.
Ships probably sunk: One small cargo ship and one sub chaser northwest of Iwo Jima. One sub chaser southwest of Chichi Jima. One sub chaser at Haha Jima.
Ships damaged: Two sub chasers at Iwo Jima. One sub chaser and a sampan near Chichi Jima.
Aircraft destroyed or damaged: 10 enemy aircraft shot down near Iwo Jima. One twin engine bomber shot down over our task force. 33 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground, 29 probably destroyed, and 10 damaged at Iwo Jima. Two seaplanes destroyed at Chichi Jima.
Damage to ground Installations: Extensive damage was done to hangars, shops, warehouses, fuel dumps, and antiaircraft positions by bombing and shelling during these attacks. Several antiaircraft positions were destroyed at Iwo Jima, a large warehouse was destroyed at Haha Jima, and at Chichi Jima the seaplane base was demolished.
Own damage: In these operations we lost five aircraft in combat. Our personnel casualties were one pilot and three flight personnel. There was no damage to our ships.
Cruisers and destroyers bombarded Wake Island on September 3, and aircraft of a carrier task group bombed the island. Several coast defense guns and antiaircraft emplacements were knocked out. Extensive damage was done to other gun positions and buildings. Three small craft in the lagoon were heavily damaged. There was no opposition from enemy aircraft, and return fire from shore batteries was ineffective. We lost no aircraft and there was no damage to our ships.
Iwo Jima was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on Septem¬ber 2. More than 95 tons of bombs were dropped on air facilities. A single enemy fighter attempted to use phosphorous bombs against our formation without effect. Intense to moderate antiaircraft damaged three of our planes.
Pagan Island was the target of our planes in two attacks on September 1 and one attack on September 2. Rockets and strafing were employed in the later two attacks and little opposition was met.
Rota Island gun emplacements, bivouac areas and air installations were bombed on August 31, September 1 and September 2. Antiaircraft fire was meager.
Maug Island was attacked by our fighters using rockets on September 2.
A single Liberator of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Paramushiru in the Kuriles on August 31. No interception was encountered. A lone Mitchell bomber attacked southern Paramushiru later in the day, sinking a small cargo vessel at anchor and scoring a direct hit on docking facilities. The bomber returned undamaged.
Truk was hit with approximately 55 tons of bombs on September 1 by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators. Antiaircraft fire was meager and only one intercepting Zero was encountered.
Runways on Nauru airfields were bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells on September 2 and three of our attacking planes were damaged by meager but accurate antiaircraft fire.
Ponape Airfield was hit on September 1 by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchell bombers. Antiaircraft fire was meager.
In the Marshall Islands on September 1, gun positions, ammunition dumps, a radio station and personnel areas on Mille, Wotje and Maloelap Atolls were bombed and strafed by Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing. Sixty three tons of bombs were dropped. Anti¬aircraft fire ranged from meager to moderate.

 

[syscom3]

Sept 5th 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 8 B-25s pound targets at Indaw, Burma, 21 B-24s fly fuel to Kunming, China and numerous other cargo and troop carrier sorties are flown to various CBI terminals.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 25 B-25s pounding Kiyang and Hengyang cause considerable damage in both towns and at the Hengyang Airfield; 6 others attack trucks and other targets of opportunity at the Siangtan ferry crossing, near Hengyang and Kiyang, in the Lingling and Yoyang areas, and at Samshui; 2 more B-25s bomb Kowloon shipyards; 26 P-40s blast concentrations of river junks, troops and horses in the Kiyang-Wangyang area; and other fighter-bombers, operating individually or in flights of 2-10 aircraft, hit a variety of targets of opportunity throughout the Hengyang, Kiyang, Yungfengshih, and Lishui area.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 20 Saipan based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima and 2 others on armed reconnaissance hit Marcus and Yap. P-47s make strafing and rocket attacks on AA positions on Pagan. Gilbert s-based B-25s attack Nauru and Ponape.

[SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s hit Peleliu Airfield. Small-scale B-24 strikes hit Kendari Airfield on Celebes while fighter-bombers attack Galela Airfield and nearby villages on Halmahera , Moluccas's. Almost 60 B-24s blast Langoan Airfield on Celebes while a sizeable B-25 force bombs Djailolo Airfield, several villages, and Kaoe AA positions on Halmahera . In New Guinea, fighter-bombers hit Soepiori Peninsula villages and Waren and Moemi Airfields; the 405th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Nadzab to Biak with B-25s; and the 547th Night Fighter Squadron, Fifth Air Force, arrives at Oro Bay from the US with P-38s and P-61s.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Australian minesweeper HMAS Kiama lands a reconnaissance party of 13 Australian Imperial Force officers (from New Guinea Force and the 5th Division), 12 RAAF officers, 73 other ranks and ten natives at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain Island.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, small-scale pre-dawn strikes by USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators hit Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island while fighter-bombers attack Galela and nearby villages on Halmahera Island, Moluccas Islands. Almost 60 B-24s bomb Langoan Airfield on Celebes Island while a sizeable B-25 force bombs Djailolo Airfield, several villages, and Kaoe antiaircraft positions on Halmahera Island, all.
MARCUS ISLAND: A USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberator flies an armed reconnaissance flight over the island. The island is located in the North Pacific about 768 nautical miles WNW of Wake Island and is used as a refueling point for Japanese aircraft en route to the Central Pacific.

MARIANA ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts make strafing and rocket attacks on antiaircraft positions on Pagan Island.

NEW GUINEA: Replying to the request by Australian General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief Allied Land Forces Southwest Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Australian Military Force, for the use of the Australian 6th Division at Aparri, Philippine Islands, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area, says that the intelligence estimate of enemy strengths in northern Luzon is over-generous and that there would be little opposition. His plan is that when the 6th Division has accomplished its task at Aitape, Northeast New Guinea, it would be brought to the Philippines, where it would be landed in the Lingayen Gulf to participate in the final drive to Manila. This would probably occur in March, 1945.
In Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers hit Soepiori Peninsula villages and Waren and Moemi Aerodromes near Ransiki.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Allied submarines sink two Japanese ships: (1) USS Albacore sinks a merchant cargo ship north of Muroto Saki, Japan 32°24'N, 134°15'E., and (2) HMS Tantivy sinks a merchant cargo ship off Sumatra 05°44'S, 104°58'E.

PALAU ISLANDS: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24s hit Peleliu Airfield on Peleliu Island.

 

[syscom3]

Sept 6th 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s hit Indaw while 3 bomb Katha; 24 B-24s fly about 34,000 US gallons (128,704 l) of fuel to Kunming, China; and large-scale daily troop carrier and cargo operations to a variety of CBI terminals continue.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 20 B-25s pound Yiyang, Lingkuantien railroad yards, trucks N of Lingling, troops and occupied areas around Kiyang and Paishui, and Hengyang Airfield; 45 P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance attack troops, shipping, and communications targets in the Yiyang area, bomb warehouses at Hukow, destroy a fuel barge at Pengtse, hit railroad yards, trucks, troops, and sampans at Kweiyang and Lingkuantien, and attack general targets of opportunity at Yangtien.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan-based B-24s strike Iwo Jima while P-47s make strafing and rocket runs on AA positions on Pagan. B-24s on armed reconnaissance bomb Marcus-Eniwetok Atoll based B-24s bomb Truk.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit Galela on Halmahera Island and the south coast of Morotai Island. Fighter-bombers attack Kaoe (Kaoe I, Kaoe II) Aerodrome and bomb a Djailolo (Djailolo No. 1, No. 2) Aerodrome.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 498th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) arrives at Isley Field from the US.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: In the Palau Islands, carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Groups 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3 (13 aircraft carriers) begin a three-day preinvasion bombardment of the Palau Islands; a fighter sweep discloses no aerial opposition and reveals much damage caused by prior USAAF and USN strikes.
Aboard the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22), assigned to Task Group 38.2, is Night Light Carrier Air Group Forty One [CVLG(N)-41] trained for night operations. CVLG(N)-41 is composed of Night Fighting Squadron Forty One [VF(N)-41) with nine F6F-5N Hellcats and Night Torpedo Squadron Forty One (VTN-41) with 13 TBM-1D Avengers. The Independence is the first fully equipped night carrier operating with a fast carrier task force.
USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Truk Atoll. Meanwhile, aircraft of Task Group 38.4 (three aircraft carriers) attack Yap Atoll.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Mindanao Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Santa Ana port and B-25 Mitchells bomb Buayan Aerodrome in the first medium bomber raid in the Philippine Islands since early 1942; several B-24s, turning back from the Santa Ana strike, bomb Rainis in the Talaud Islands.
USN - Lost to anti-aircraft fire on Yap is F6F 58471.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Mindanao, B-24s pound Santa Ana port and B-25s bomb Buayan Airfield in the first medium bomber raid in the Philippines since early 1942; several B-24s, turning back from the Santa Ana strike, bomb Rainis in the Talaud; B-25s hit Galela Airfield and the S coast of Morotai, fighter-bombers hit Kaoe Airfield and bomb a Djailolo Airfield runway. Lost is P-47 piloted by McDougal. A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers hit airfields at Manokwari, Moemi, Ransiki, and Waren, and stores and personnel area at Nabire; P-40s attack S Soepiori and Napido; P-39s strafe barges and huts at Suain; the 69th, 310th and 311th Fighter Squadrons, 58th Fighter Group, move from Saidor to Noemfoor with P-47s; and the 71st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 38th Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Nadzab to Biak with B-25s.
CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 545, SEPTEMBER 6, 1944
1. The airfield at Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands was bombed by Libera¬tors of the 7th AAF on 4 September (West Longitude Date). Two enemy fighters were in the air but made no attempt at interception. Antiaircraft fire was moderate. A single Liberator bombed Iwo Jima during the night of 3 4 September.
2. Pagan Island was attacked by our aircraft on 2, 3 and 4 September. Gun positions were strafed and subjected to rocket fire. Antiaircraft fire was meager. The airstrip at Rota Island was bombed on 3 September.
3. Marcus Island was attacked by 7th AAF Liberators on 3 and 4 Sep¬tember. On 3 September a building apparently used for ammunition storage was hit and destroyed. Antiaircraft fire was intense.
4. A Liberator search plane of Group 1, Fleet Air Wing Two, intercepted and shot down an enemy transport plane near Iwo Jima on 4 September. A medium bomber escorting the transport managed to escape.
5. Yap Island was the target of attacks on 2, 3 and 4 September by a single 7th AAF Liberator. Airfield installations and bivouac areas were bombed. Antiaircraft fire was moderate.
6. Further neutralization raids against enemy positions in the Marshalls were conducted on 4 September by 7th AAF Liberators and Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.

 

[syscom3]

Sept 7th 1944

JAPAN: Japanese premier Lieutenant General Koiso Kuniaki warns his countrymen that an American invasion of the home islands is a distinct possibility.
Six USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells on a shipping sweep in the Kurile Islands, attack a small fishing fleet between Paramushiru and Onnekotan Islands.

MARCUS ISLAND: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators on snooper and armed reconnaissance missions hit Marcus Island. The island is located in the North Pacific about 768 nautical miles WNW of Wake Island and is used as a refueling point for Japanese aircraft en route to the Central Pacific.

BURMA: On the Salween front, a mop up of the Sung Shan position is completed. The battle for this Burma Road strongpoint has cost the Chinese 7,673 dead and virtually destroyed all of the estimated 2,000 Japanese on and around the position.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: Carrier-based aircraft from Task Groups 38.1, 38.2, and 38.3 continue full scale air strikes on Japanese installations throughout the principal Palau Islands; they will repeat the evolutions (albeit with diminishing force in view of the paucity of targets) the next day. Cruiser Division 14 (three light cruisers, screened by four destroyers, drawn from Task Groups 38.2 and 38.3) bombards Japanese installations on Peleliu, Angaur, and Ngesebus, supplementing the carrier air strikes begun the previous day by TF 58.
During the night of 7/8 September, USAAF Seventh Air Force "snooper" B-24 Liberators attacked airfields and Japanese defenses in the Palau Islands.
Heavy cruiser USS New Orleans (CA-32) and light cruiser USS Biloxi (CL-80) and four destroyers (from TG 38.4) bombard Yap Atoll; they will repeat the bombardment the following day. Planes from TG 38.4, meanwhile, on this day and the next will carry out operations against Yap and Ulithi Atolls.

CHINA: Twenty two USAAF Tenth Air Force B-24 Liberators fly fuel to Kunming, China and many other troop carrier and cargo sorties are flown to numerous CBI terminals.
Twenty four USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack town areas, river shipping and trucks in and around Kiyang, Lingling, and Yoyang; 11 B-25s bomb Tien Ho and White Cloud Airfields at Canton and two bomb the Siangtan ferry; five B-24s hit four freighters southwest of Hong Kong; and nearly 100 P-40s and P-51 Mustangs on armed reconnaissance over vast areas of southeastern China attack numerous targets of opportunity including troops, railroad targets, river shipping, warehouses, and bridges. In French Indochina, 4 P-38s hit targets of opportunity in the Hanoi-lower Red River area.

EAST INDIES: Fifty three USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the Menado area on Celebes Island and B-25 Mitchells hit Wasile Bay villages in the Molucca Islands. On Halmahera Island, USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24s strike Galela Airfield in force while Fifth Air Force P-38s dive-bomb Djailolo Airfield. A-20 Havocs bomb Boela Airfield, Ceram Island and B-25s sink a lugger in Bara Bay. RAAF Beaufighters sink a Japanese motor sailboat off the southern coast of Ceram, Netherlands East Indies.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 22 B-24s fly fuel to Kunming, China and many other troop carrier and cargo sorties are flown to numerous CBI terminals.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): In the Mariana s, Saipan based P-47s make strafing and rocket attacks on Pagan and Aguijan. B-24s on snooper and armed reconnaissance missions hit Iwo Jima and Marcus.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Ground echelons of the 873d, 874th and 875th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 498th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), arrive at Isley Field from the US (first mission is 28 Oct).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s pound Menado area on Celebes and B-25s hit Wasile Bay villages on Halmahera; other B-24s strike Galela Airfield in force while P-38s dive-bomb Djailolo Airfield and on Halmahera . A-20s bomb Boela Airfield and B-25s sink a lugger in Bara Bay. In New Guinea, A-20s hit Mongosah Airfield while fighter-bombers hit Manokwari Airstrip and villages and strafe and bomb Wewak Airfield and surrounding areas; and the 25th Liaison Squadron, 91st Photographic Wing (Reconnaissance), moves from Nadzab to Biak with L-5s.
NEW GUINEA: In the Schouten Islands of Dutch New Guinea, U.S. Army forces supported by naval vessels land on Soepiori Island..

PACIFIC OCEAN: USN submarine USS Paddle sinks Japanese transport Shinyo Maru, which unbeknown to her attacker carries 750 American prisoners of war on board, off the coast of Mindanao, Philippine Islands. Only 83 of the POWs made it to an island where they are rescued by Filipino guerillas. One man died on the beach. The guerillas contacted U.S. authorities in Australia and the submarine USS Narwhal picks up the survivors on 29 October.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 547, SEPTEMBER 7, 1944
1. The Palau Islands were swept in force by fighter planes of a Carrier Task Group on 5 September (West Longitude Date). There were no enemy planes in the air. Several aircraft on the ground were set afire by strafing. Defense installations, including antiaircraft emplacements and warehouses, were heavily strafed. An ammunition or fuel dump on Babelthuap Island was destroyed. Seventeen small craft near the islands were left burning as a result of strafing.
2. Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Four bombed Paramushiru and Onekotan in the Kuriles on 5 September. Landing barges and patrol craft were strafed.
3. On 6 September the airfield at Iwo Jima was bombed by Liberators of the 7th AAF, encountering moderate to intense antiaircraft fire. 7th AAF Liberators bombed Marcus Island on 6 September. Moderate antiaircraft fire damaged one bomber.
4. Nauru Island was attacked by 7th AAF Mitchells on 5 September. Airfields and gun positions were hit. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.
5. Antiaircraft positions on Pagan Island were subjected to rocket fire and strafing on 6 September.

 

[syscom3]

Sept 8th 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 B-25's bomb Katha; 23 B-24s haul fuel to Kunming, China; large-scale troop carrier operations to many CBI terminals continue.

BURMA: On the Salween front, the Japanese, having assembled strong reinforcements, begin attacks on Chinese positions north of Lung-ling.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 18 B-24s attack 5 railroad bridges at Giap Nat, Dui Giang, Hue, Trach, Duc Tho, and Quang Tri, knocking out the Quang Tri bridge. 3 B-24s claim a destroyer sunk S of Hong Kong. In China, 5 B-25s destroy a bridge near Kiyang, bomb Hengyang and Lingling, and damage a bridge near Hengyang; 100+ P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance hit a large variety of targets of opportunity including troops, river shipping, bridges, airstrips, supplies, trucks, and railroad targets over the vast SE China areas at Lingling, Kiyang, Tunganhsien,Hengyang, Lingkuantien, and Leiyang; HQ 23d Fighter Group moves from Kweilin to Liuchow. Japanese ground forces overrun the USAAF Fourteenth Air Force airbase at Lingling. A second force is advancing on airbases from the south.
During the night of 8/9 September Japanese bombers attack headquarters, storage areas, and parked aircraft at Hsinching Airfield at Chengtu damaging a B-29 Superfortress, a C-46 Commando, and wounding two soldiers.

CHINA: U.S. Major General Patrick J. Hurley assumes his post as U.S. Ambassador to China.
Lieutenant General Joseph Stillwell, Commander in Chief U.S. China-Burma- India (CBI) Theater of Operations, agrees to a War Department proposal that the CBI Theater be split and that he be relieved of responsibility for lend-lease matters in order to concentrate on support of Pacific operations from China. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek proposes to Stillwell that Chinese troops from Myitkyina, Burma, be employed in the battle for Lung-ling, Burma.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): In China, 90 Chengtu-based B-29s bomb the Showa Steel Works at Anshan, 3 others bomb other targets in Anshan, 5 hit Sinsiang railroad yards, and 3 others hit various targets of opportunity; Major General Curtis Emerson LeMay, Commanding General XX Bomber Command, accompanies the mission. During the night of 8/9 Sep Japanese bombers attack HQ, storage areas, and parked aircraft at Hsinching (near Chengtu) damaging a B-29, a C-46, and wounding 2 soldiers.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima and Pagan and hit shipping at Chichi Jima. B-25s from the Gilberts hit Ponape and B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wotje.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: USN carrier based aircraft of Task Groups 38.1 and 38.4, plus surface ships, bombard targets in the Palau Islands.
USN - Ditched near Yap is F6F 58140.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s pound Langoan Airfield, Celebes . On Halmahera, B-25s hit Galela Airfield and Tobelo while B-24s bomb Lolobata and P-47s attack Kaoe Airfield and AA positions, Djailolo Airfield and barges at Point Lelo; P-38s hit Boela while B-25s hit small shipping at Ceram. In New Guinea, B-24s bomb airfields at Langgoer Airfield, Faan, Letfoean, and Toeal; fighter-bombers and A-20s hit airstrips and targets of opportunity at Efman, Samate, Babo, Urarom, Manokwari, Moemi, and Ranski; P-39s strafe the Wewak coastal area; and the 673d and 674th Bombardment Squadrons, 417th Bombardment Group , move from Saidor to Noemfoor with A-20s.
EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Langoan Airfield on the northeast tip of Celebes Island. On Halmahera Island, B-25 Mitchells hit Galela and Tobelo while B-24s bomb Lolobata and P-47 Thunderbolts attack Kaoe Airfield and antiaircraft positions, Djailolo Airfield and barges at Point Lelo. On Ceram Island, P-38 Lightnings hit Boela Aerodrome while B-25s hit small shipping.
UNITED STATES: The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) issue a directive to General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, South West Pacific Area. and Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander Pacific Ocean Areas, for the invasion of the Philippine Islands.
CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 551, SEPTEMBER 8, 1944
1. Carrier aircraft bombed and strafed Yap and Ulithi in the western Caroline Islands on 5 6 and 7 September (West Longitude Dates). Our aircraft dropped 110 tons of bombs and fired numerous rockets, destroying the radio cable station, antiaircraft positions, buildings and storage dumps. No airborne enemy aircraft were encountered and antiaircraft fire was meager. Our personnel casualties were three pilots and one aircrewman. There was no damage to any of our ships.
2. Pagan and Aguijan in the Marianas were attacked by our aircraft on 6 September. Both islands were strafed. Rockets were launched against gun emplacements and other installations at Pagan, where moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.
3. Liberators of the 7th AAF bombed Marcus Island on 6 September experiencing moderate antiaircraft fire. Explosions were observed and several fires were started.
4. On the same day further neutralization raids were carried out against enemy bases in the Marshalls. Corsair and Dauntless planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed radio facilities and gun positions at Mille. No antiaircraft fire was encountered. Corsairs also bombed Wotje. Numerous fires were started. There was no antiaircraft fire.

 

[syscom3]

Sept 9th 1944

JAPAN: In the Kurile Islands, six USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells hunt shipping off Paramushiru Island; four return to Attu Island, Aleutian Islands, with bombs, finding no targets; one lands on one engine in Petropavlovsk, USSR; and one hits the mast of a vessel and ditches in the water. A USN PBY-5A Catalina of Patrol Squadron Sixty One (VP-61) based on Attu Island attempts to land and pick up the B-25 crew but it is driven off by antiaircraft fire and the six Americans become POWs. Three B-24 Liberators make an uneventful raid during the night of 9/10 September on Kashiwabara, Paramushiru Island; later two photographic planes escorting two bombers over the Kurile Islands on a mapping project are attacked by fighters which inflict no damage.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 B-25s bomb a Japanese HQ and other buildings at Manwing; 17 B-24s run fuel to Kunming, China; numerous other transport sorties are flown to several points in the CBI.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 24 B-25s hit river traffic and troop compounds in areas around Kiyang, Lingling, and Lingkwantien, bomb the towns of Lingling and Samshui, and knock out the W end of a bridge at Lingling; about 50 P-40s and P 51s hit numerous targets of opportunity throughout inland SE China including rivercraft and troop areas around Lingling, Lupao, Tsingyun, Kiyang, Leiyang, and Yungfengshih, and a railroad bridge at Tunganhsien; 5 B-24s over the S China Sea claim 4 freighters sunk or heavily damaged; and the 322d Troop Carrier Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force, is activated at Kunming with C-47s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): A B-24 on a snooper mission from Saipan bombs Iwo Jima during the night of 9/10. B-25s based in the Gilbert s bomb Nauru .

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Mapanget Airfield, Celebes . 100+ fighter-bombers and A-20s pound airfields in the Moluccas s, i.e., Liang on Ambon , Haroekoe on Haroekoe , Boela on Ceram , and Namlea on Buru . B-24s hit Galela Airfield. Fighter-bombers hit Moemi, Manokwari, and Ransiki while B-25s hit Babo; and HQ 417th Bombardment Group moves from Saidor to Noemfoor.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Five USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators over the South China Sea claim four freighters sunk or heavily damaged.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Carrier-based aircraft from the USN's Task Groups 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3 attack Japanese airfields, shipping and installations on Mindanao, in support of the upcoming invasion of the Palau Islands. Aircraft sink three transports and a cargo ship while light cruisers USS Birmingham and Santa Fe and four destroyers detached from Task Group 38.3, covered by planes from the light aircraft carrier USS Langley, demolish a coastal convoy consisting of predominantly small ships and craft proceeding down the west coast of Mindanao.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Mapanget Airfield outside Menado on Celebes Island while Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force B-24s bomb the Kaoe Bay Seaplane Base on Halmahera Island. More than 100 A-20 Havocs and fighter-bombers attack Boela and Haroekoe and Boela Aerodromes on Ceram and Laha Aerodrome on Ambon.

RNZAF - PV-1 Ventura NZ4522 force lands at Talasea

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 552, SEPTEMBER 9, 1944
1. Cruisers and destroyers of the Pacific Fleet shelled the Palau Islands on 6 September (west longitude date). The naval bombardment destroyed and damaged numerous buildings and defense installations. Many large fires were started on Angaur, the southernmost island in the group, and carrier based planes scored direct hits on supply facilities. There was meager antiaircraft fire. Bomb hits were made on communication facilities at Peleliu Island.
Numerous large fires were started at Koror, and a radio station and fuel dump were hit on Arakabesan Island. There was no damage to our surface ships.
2. Liberators of the 7th AAF bombed airfields and installations at Iwo
Jima in the Volcano Islands on 6 and 7 September. Several fires were started. Antiaircraft fire was moderate. Of four enemy fighters airborne on 7 September, one was probably destroyed.
3. On 7 September, Liberators of the 7th AAF attacked Chichi Jima in the
Bonin Islands, damaging an enemy cargo ship in the harbor. On the same day Pagan Island in the Marianas was attacked with rocket and machine gun fire. 4. Army Liberators bombed Moen airfields in the Truk atoll on 6 September. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.
5. Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing continued their attacks on remaining positions in the Marshalls on 7 September. A single Navy search plane bombed Nauru Island on the same day.

 

[syscom3]

Sept 10th 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 6 B-25s fly shipping sweep off Suribachi, Kurile.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, troop carrier and cargo hauls continue on a large scale to numerous points in the CBI; 24 B-24s haul fuel to Kunming, China.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 45 B-25s bomb the towns of Kutkai, Ssutang, Samshui, Tunganhsien, Lingling, and Tunghsiangchiao, and hit a fuel dump near Lingling; about 140 P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance over E Burma, SW China, and inland SE China attack a huge number of targets of opportunity including troops, aircraft, river shipping, trucks, runways, bridges, and supply areas; and a flight of the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force, based at Kunming, begins operating from Liuchow with F-5s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Saipan hit the island, and strike shipping near Iwo Jima. Eniwetok Atoll based B-24s bomb Truk.

PAULAU ISLANDS: In the Palau Islands, carrier-based aircraft of the USN Task Group 38.4 (TG 38.4) begin preinvasion air strikes against Japanese airfields and defenses on Peleliu and Angaur. During the night, radar-equipped B-24s of the US Thirteenth Air Force also attack targets on the two islands.

BORNEO: In Dutch Borneo, a USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberator strafes the Balikpapan refineries and oil storage. In British Sarawak, small refineries and a large oil storage facility (ten 50,000 barrel tanks) at Lutong in British Sarawak are also hit.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Celebes B-24s pound airfields at Langoan and Mapanget and hit Tomohon and the waterfront area of Menado. On Halmahera, Lolobata Airfield and Hate Tabako Airfield are bombed and areas along Wasile Bay strafed. B-25s, A-20s, and P-38s hit airfields and oil storage at Namlea on Buru, and Amahai and Boela on Ceram while B-24s hit Laha Airfield, Celebes. A-20s and fighters hit airfields at Samate, Sagan, Nabire, Urarom, Manokwari, Moemi, and Ransiki. Lost is A-20G 43-9180. The 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, moves from Nadzab to Biak with F-5s; and the 672d Bombardment Squadron, 417th Bombardment Group , moves from Saidor to Noemfoor with A-20s.

EAST INDIES: On Celebes Island, USAAF Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Langoan and Mapanget Airfields and attack Tomohon and the waterfront area of Menado. On Halmahera Island, Lolobata Aerodrome is bombed and areas along Wasile Bay strafed. USAAF Far East Air Force B-25 Mitchells, A-20 Havocs, and Fifth Air Force P-38 Lightnings hit airfields and oil storage at Namlea, Amahai and Boela on Ceram Island while B-24s hit Laha Airfield, Celebes Island. All of the targets are in the Netherlands East Indies.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Groups 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3 continue their attacks against Japanese installations on Mindanao

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Thank you Syscom. I'm still enjoying this a lot.

 

[syscom3]

Thank you Syscom. I'm still enjoying this a lot.

You're welcome!

 

[syscom3]

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, four US Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells on a shipping search sink a small craft off Shimushu Island; two other B-25s fly a search mission for a B-25 (which force-landed in USSR on 9 September but is still reported as missing).

SINGAPORE: British submarine HMS/M Porpoise (N 14) sails from Freemantle, Western Australia, with a 23-man commando party participating in Operation RIMAU, an attack on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbor. This raid emulated Operation JAYWICK in September 1943 when Australian commandoes attacked shipping in Singapore. However, unlike the previous attack this attack fails. The submarine successfully drops the commandos at their start point, but then things go wrong; the commandos are discovered, and in engagements with the Japanese, 13 men are killed or die of wounds. The remaining ten are captured. On 7th July 1945, the ten men are executed by the Japanese.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): 12 P-47s hit roads, towns, and general targets of opportunity in the Bhamo, Burma and Tengchung and Lungling, China areas; 23 B-24s fly fuel to Kunming, China; numerous other transport flights throughout the CBI continue. Detachments of the 2d and 4th Combat Cargo Squadrons, 1st Combat Cargo Group, based at Sylhet, India, begin operating from Yunnani, China with C-47s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 18 B-24s blast a storage area at Manling; 30 B-25s bomb Tunganhsien and Kiaotow and hit targets of opportunity in the Lingling area; 12 P-40s blast trucks along Burma Road and around Lungling; 59 P-40s and P-51s hit river shipping, railroad targets, troop concentrations, supply dumps, and other targets of opportunity in the Canton-Tungting Lake area.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan -based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima and hit shipping off Chici Jima. P-47s pound Pagan with strafing attacks and rockets.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s hit Galela Airfield and Miti on Halmahera. B-25s bomb Kairatoe Airfield and village on Celebes and Boela Airfield while P-38s hit airfields at Namlea on Buru and Amahai and oil tanks at Boela Ceram . A-20s and B-25s hit Kaoe Airfield on Halmahera and scattered targets of opportunity; the 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from Tadji to Biak with P-40s. Lost on a ferry flight is B-25D "The Wolf Pack" 41-30099.

CANADA: The Octagon Conference at Quebec City, Quebec begins. British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with their staffs, meet to discuss overall strategy of the war. The plans for continued attacks in Italy and Northern Europe are not changed. British attacks in Burma are approved. British Fleet participation in the Pacific is approved for the final campaigns against the Japanese. This conference will last through 6 September.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: In the Palau Islands, carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Group 38.4 continue preinvasion attacks on airfields and Japanese installations ; they also sink a Japanese cargo ship 2 miles (3,2 kilometers) off the coast. During the night, USAAF Thirteenth Air Force radar-equipped B-24s attack the airfields and defensive positions.
MARIANA ISLANDS: The USN destroyer USS Ellet bombards supply dumps on Aguijan Island.

NEW GUINEA: On the Vogelkop Peninsula in Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs strike Nabire, Otawir, Sagan and Utarom Airfields while fighter-bombers hit airfields and antiaircraft guns at Manokwari and Ransiki.

CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 114, SEPTEMBER 11, 1944
Carrier based aircraft of the Pacific Fleet struck at enemy airfields and other military objectives at Mindanao Island in the Philippines on September 8 (West Longitude Date). The airfields at Del Monte, Valencia, Cagayan, Buayan, and Davao were bombed and strafed. In these attacks two enemy aircraft were encountered near our carriers, five were encountered over Cagayan, and one over Davao. All were shot down. Approximately 60 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Barracks, warehouses, and hangars were hit at the several airdromes attacked. Enemy waterfront installations at Matins, Cagayan, and Surigao were also bombed.
A convoy was discovered off Hinatuan Bay consisting of 32 loaded coastal cargo ships and 20 sampans. This convoy was brought under attack by Pacific Fleet cruisers, destroyers, and carrier aircraft, and all of the enemy ships were destroyed. In addition, enemy shipping found in Sarangani Bay and Davao Gulf, and near Cagayan and Surigao was attacked, resulting in the sinking or probable sinking of 16 small cargo ships, one medium cargo ship, one patrol craft, and many sampans, and setting fire to two small cargo ships, and at least 17 sampans. Our aircraft losses in the operations were very light. There was no damage to our surface ships.
More than 80 tons of bombs were dropped and numerous rockets fired by carrier aircraft in attacking the Palau Islands on September 9. Antiaircraft emplacements and other defense installations were attacked on Angaur, Peleliu, and Koror Islands. Numerous fires were started at Koror. A de¬stroyer and a cargo ship, believed to have been heavily damaged in previous raids, were attacked again. We lost seven fight personnel in these attacks.
Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Paramushiru Island in the Kuriles on September 9, and Liberator search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four attacked the island again before dawn on September 10. In the first attack several enemy fighters unsuccessfully attempted to intercept our force, and one fighter was damaged. A convoy discovered underway near Paramushiru was bombed by Eleventh Army Air Force Mitchells on September 9.
Runways and air facilities at Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands were hit with 37 tons of bombs by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on September 9. Antiaircraft was moderate to intense. Seven to ten enemy fighters intercepted. Of this group five or six were destroyed, one probably destroyed and one dam¬aged. Three Liberators were damaged. On September 8 a single Liberator bombed the airfield at Iwo Jima while a Navy search plane bombed and strafed a small tanker west of Iwo Jima, leaving it aflame and probably sinking.
A single plane bombed Pagan on September 8 while fighter planes attacked Rota on September 9. There was no interception at either place.
Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells bombed the airfield and defense instal¬lations at Ponape on September 8. Antiaircraft ranged from intense to meager. Seventh Army Air Force Liberators hit the airstrip and antiaircraft gun positions on Nauru the following day.
Further neutralization raids were carried out against enemy held positions in the Marshalls on September 8 and 9. Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force and Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing hit gun positions, ammunition dumps and bivouac areas on Wotje, Mille and Jaluit.

 

[syscom3]

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, six USAAF Eleventh Air Force bombers based in the Aleutian Islands fly a negative shipping sweep over Shimushu Island; three more attack Suribachi Airfield and offshore shipping targets; and one B-24 Liberator flies negative reconnaissance.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 4 B-25s pound buildings in the Katha area; 25 B-24s haul fuel to Kunming, China; 8 P-47s sweep a river from Bhamo to Katha, 3 strafe official buildings at Bhamo, and 16 hit targets of opportunity on the Burma Road from Lungling, China to Wanling to Namhkam and blast gun positions N of Loiwing Airfield.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 10 B-25s and 6 P-40s pound Lungling; 14 B-25s hit the town area and destroy 2 bridges and damage another at Sungpai; 22 others bomb Kaochishih, Tunghsiangchiao, and the area E of Kiyang; 27 P-51s and P-40s on armed reconnaissance over Hunan and other areas of inland SE China attack road and river traffic and general targets of opportunity around Lingling, Hengyang, Kiyang, Yangtien, and Patpo; and 15 P-40s hit coastal and river shipping in S China and in Indochina on the S China Sea, in Chikhom Bay, and along the Red River; the flight of the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force, operating from Kweilin with F-5s since Jul 43, returns to base at Kunming; and the 74th Fighter Squadron, 23d Fighter Group, moves from Kweilin and Liuchow to Luliang with P-40s and P-51s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): P-47s from Saipan hit AA positions on Pagan with a rocket and bombing attack. A lone B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs the building area on Marcus . B-25s from the Gilbert s bomb Nauru.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s pound 3 airfields in the Menado area on Celebes. B-24s and B-25s bomb Kaoe and Galela Airfields on Halmahera , and radar facilities on Morotai. B-24s hit Lautem on Timor . P-38s dive-bomb Namlea runways on Buru while P-47s hit Boela. In New Guinea, A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers hit airfields, AA guns, and other targets at Babo, Mongosah, Manokwari, Sagan, Moemi, and Samate; and the 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, move from Noemfoor to Owi with P-47s.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: The USN Western Fire Support Group of Task Force 32 arrives off the Palau Islands and begins a naval bombardment in preparation for landings. This group is covered by Task Group 38.4 plus escort aircraft carriers. Carrier-based aircraft begin the final preinvasion attacks on Peleliu Island. The escort aircraft carriers involved are:
Task Group 30.7, the Antisubmarine Warfare Group
USS Hoggatt Bay with Composite Squadron Fourteen
Task Group 30.8, the At Sea Logistics Service Group:
USS Barnes, an aircraft transport
USS Nassau, an aircraft transport
USS Nehenta Bay with VC-11
USS Rudyerd Bay with VC-77
USS Sargent Bay with VC-79
USS Sitkoh Bay, an aircraft transport
USS Steamer Bay, an aircraft transport
Task Group 32.7.1, the Covering Force
USS Kadashan Bay with VC-20
USS Marcus Island with VC-21
USS Ommaney Bay with VC-75
USS Savo Island with VC-27

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the South China Sea, USN submarine USS Pampinito sinks a merchant passenger/cargo ship (ex-U.S. passenger liner SS President Harrison) and a tanker about 169 nautical miles E of Hainan Island, China. Unknown to the Americans, the passenger/cargo ship is carrying 1,317 Australian and British POWs. Returning to the scene three days later, Pampinito will find and rescue 73 POWs. Other US submarines are dispatched to the area and pick up another 79 survivors. Many POWs are picked up by the Japanese and continued to Japan.
USN submarine USS Growler sinks the destroyer HIJMS Shikinami 208 nautical miles S of Hong Kong and an escort vessel 217 nautical miles E of Hainan Island.
In the South China Sea and the Red River of French Indochina, 14 USAAF P-40s attack coastal and river traffic.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Groups 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3 attack Japanese installations on Cebu. The aircraft also attack shipping and sink 20 vessels.
Ensign Thomas C. Tillar, USNR, a pilot from USS Hornet, in TG 38.1, is rescued by Filipinos after his F6F Hellcat ditches off Apit Island, off the southwestern coast of Leyte. Before Tillar is recovered by an SOC Seagull from heavy cruiser USS Wichita, he learns from his rescuers that the size of the Japanese garrison on Leyte is negligible. That fact, when combined with the lack of aerial opposition encountered and the few airfields that exist on Leyte and Samar, prompts Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., Commander of the Third Fleet, to recommend that the planned attack on Yap Island in the Caroline Islands be abandoned and that the date of the landings on Leyte be advanced from 20 December to 20 October 1944.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 554, SEPTEMBER 12, 1944
1. Carrier aircraft of the Pacific Fleet attacked enemy defenses in the Palau Islands on 10 and 11 September (West Longitude Date). On 11 September the islands were shelled by battleships and cruisers. One hundred and twenty tons of bombs were dropped by aircraft on buildings, gun positions, and coastal defenses at Babelthuap, Peleliu, and Angaur Islands. On 10 September a small cargo ship near the islands was sunk by bombing and strafing, and another was damaged. More than 150 rockets were fired at defensive positions during the two days, and numerous ground installations were strafed.
2. A single plane bombed the airfield at Iwo Jima on the night of 10 September.
3. Pagan Island was a target for our aircraft on 10 September. Rockets were launched at buildings and gun emplacements. Antiaircraft fire ranged from meager to intense.
4. Seventy two tons of bombs were dropped on Truk by Liberators of the 7th AAF on 10 September. Five or six enemy aircraft attempted interception. One enemy aircraft was destroyed and one was damaged. Antiaircraft fire varied from meager to intense. Minor damage was inflicted on three Liberators.
5. On the same day enemy held positions in the Marshalls were subjected to further neutralization raids. Corsairs of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed bivouac areas on Jaluit and Maloelap atolls. Corsairs and Dauntless dive bombers attacked Mille, encountering moderate antiaircraft fire.

 

[syscom3]

JAPAN: During the night of 13/14 September, three USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators strike Kurabu Cape shipping and airfield on Paramushiru Island in the Kurile Islands.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-47s hit targets at Mawhun and some of the fighter-bombers afterwards strafe targets of opportunity on the Irrawaddy River from Katha to Shwegu; 8 others sweep the river between Bhamo and Katha; 12 more hit targets along a road in the Kutkai area; large-scale transport operations in the CBI continue.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): B-24s claim 3 cargo vessels sunk off the Pescadores's near Formosa.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: A USN task force under Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf, comprised of five old battleships, [USS Maryland, USS Mississippi, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS West Virginia], nine cruisers, and destroyers begins two days of bombardment of Peleliu and Angaur Islands in the Palau Islands. Additional support is from four Third Fleet escort aircraft carriers. Minesweeping begins to clear approaches for the landing craft.
While sweeping mines 750 yards off the southeast coast of Angaur Island, a violent underwater explosion, starboard side amidships, shakes the high speed minesweeper USS Perry. All steam to her main engines is lost and the forward fireroom is demolished and flooded. Steam and oil sprayed in all directions and the ship takes on a 30 degree list to port. The list increases and, at 1420 hours, the commanding officer ordered "abandon ship". With the aid of the destroyer USS Preble final attempts to save the vessel are made, but, at 1515 hours, all remaining personnel are ordered off. At 1605 hours, USS Perry capsizes. She brakes in two at the point of damage and, at 1607 hours, sinks in 40 fathoms (240 feet) of water.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan based P-47s hit buildings on Pagan with rockets and machine gun fire. B-24s on armed reconnaissance, snooper, and training missions bomb Iwo Jima, Marcus, and Pagan

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s and B-25s hit 4 airfields and bomb villages on Morotai . In New Guinea, B-25s hit Langgoer Airfield while A-20s and fighter-bombers hit 2 airfields on Efman; A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers hit Babo AA positions and airfields at Manokwari and Ransiki; HQ Thirteenth AF moves from Los Negros to Hollandia.

USN - Lost on a mission against Peleliu is TBM Avenger 16956.

NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs and fighter-bombers hit two airfields on Efman Island; A-20s, B-25 Mitchells, and fighter-bombers hit Babo antiaircraft positions and airfields at Manokwari and Ransiki (Moemi North) Airfields.

PHILLIPPINES: Carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Groups 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3 make unopposed attacks against Japanese faculties in the central Philippines. Because of the lack of a reaction from the Japanese, Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., Commander of the Third Fleet, recommends that the invasion of the Palau Islands be scrapped and the invasion of the Philippines be moved forward.

CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 115, SEPTEMBER 13, 1944
Carrier based aircraft of the Pacific Fleet shot down more than fifty enemy aircraft and destroyed more than 150 on the ground in a day long attack against Cebu, Negros, and Panay Islands in the Philippines on Septem¬ber 11 (West Longitude Date). Preliminary reports are fragmentary, but it is indicated that air operations are continuing against strong enemy opposition. Several cargo ships and numerous smaller craft were sunk in the initial attacks.
Paramushiru in the Kurile Islands was bombed and strafed by search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four on September 10. Waterfront installations along the Southeast Coast were the principal targets and several fires were started. Each of two medium cargo ships discovered near Paramushiru suf¬fered a direct bomb hit and both were strafed. Strafing attacks were also delivered to a number of small craft offshore. On the same day a Navy search plane bombed Shimushu Island, and another search plane shot down an enemy fighter East of Onekotan Island.
On September 11, Eleventh Army Air Force Mitchells bombed and strafed a number of vessels in the harbor at Shimushu, sinking one medium cargo vessel and four small cargo vessels. Two other small cargo vessels were damaged. Seven enemy fighters intercepted our planes and inflicted minor damage on one Mitchell but all returned safely. On the same day, Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Four bombed and strafed Paramushiru, Araido and Onekotan, setting fires to docks and warehouses.
Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force dropped 26 tons of bombs on airfields at Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands on September 10. Large fires were started. One of four intercepting enemy fighters was destroyed. Anti¬aircraft fire damaged two Liberators. On September 11, a lone Navy Catalina bombed an ammunition dump at Nauru Island, and Corsairs of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing hit the storage and magazine areas at Jaluit.
Pagan Island in the Marianas was attacked on September 11, by Seventh Army Air Force Thunderbolts using bombs and rockets. Gun positions and buildings were hit.