This day in the war in the Pacific 65 years ago. (3 Viewers)

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May 28th 1945

OKINAWA: Off Okinawa, the Japanese wage their last strong air effort and sink one ship and damage five others:
- The destroyer USS Drexler is attacked by two kamikazes at 0700 hours. One aircraft is shot down and the second tries to crash USS Lowry and failing, stumbled into Drexler, cutting off all power and starting large gasoline fires. At 0703 hours, another suicider crashed in flames into Drexler's superstructure resulting in a tremendous explosion and the destroyer rolled on her starboard side and sank stern first in less than a minute after the second hit. Because of the speed with which she sank, casualties were heavy: 168 dead and 52 wounded.
- While unloading cargo at 0730 hours, the attack transport USS Sandoval is attacked by a kamikaze which crashes into the portside of the wheelhouse. Five men are killed and 29 wounded; three of the latter died later. Flames lit the bridge, central fire control was lost and radar and interior communications were knocked out. The fire on the bridge was extinguished by 0830 and central fire control was regained after 0900 hours.
- The large support landing craft LCS(L)-119 is damaged by a kamikaze.
- The armed U.S. freighter SS Mary A. Livermore is hit by a kamikaze which kills four sailors and seven merchant sailors.
- The armed U.S. freighter SS Brown Victory is hit by a kamikaze off Ie Shima killing three sailors and one merchant sailor.
- The armed U.S. freighter SS Josiah Snelling is also hit by a kamikaze. Gunfire by the Armed Guard deflect the plane from hitting a vital part of the ship and nobody is killed.

PHILLIPINES: B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack Pateng, the Ipo Dam area, Tuguegarao and Ugae airstrips, Anuling, the Baguio area, guns and defenses in the Balete Pass area, and support ground forces at several points.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s, B-25s, and fighters hit gun positions and other targets at Balikpapan and P-38s dive-bomb Keningau and Jesselton Airfields.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 19 B-25s, along with 8 fighter- bombers, hit railroad, road, and river traffic around Vinh, Quang Tri, Dap Cau, and Song Chu, French Indochina, knock out a bridge at Hwayuan and demolish a tunnel opening near Wuchang, China. In China, 16 P-51s cause heavy damage and casualties blasting a bridge and military installations near Wuchang; 27 P-51s hit bridges, troops, storage, trucks, trains, rivercraft, and other targets in the Yoyang area; 65 other fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity at several locations throughout S and E China; 15 photo reconnaissance aircraft continue to maintain good coverage of enemy movements; the detachment of the 25th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, operating from Poseh with P-51s, returns to base at Yunnani.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Fighters from Iwo Jima hit Kasumigaura and its airfield with 6 planes claimed destroyed and 40+ damaged and P-47s fly heckler strikes against Kyushu during the night of 28/29 May. Mines previously laid by B-29 Superfortresses sink a Japanese transport and damage a coast defense vessel, two freighters and a fishing boat in Japanese waters.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In French Indochina, B-24s again bomb the railroad yards E of Saigon at Phan Rang and Muong Man. In Formosa, B-25s and fighter-bombers attack industrial targets of opportunity at Shoka, Taichu, Ujitsu, Byoritsu, and other locations. Unit moves: HQ 374th Troop Carrier Group from Biak Island, New Guinea to Nielson Field, Luzon; 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th Fighter Wing), based at Tacloban, Leyte Island with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, sends a detachment to operate from Sanga Sanga (another detachment is operating from Zamboanga).

 

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May 29th 1945

JAPAN: Admiral Ozawa is named to replace Admiral Toyodo as Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet for the Imperial Japanese Navy.

OKINAWA: Off Okinawa, Japanese kamikazes are again active and strike two ships: - The destroyer USS Shubrick is attacked by two aircraft at 0010 hours; one crashes the ship. The bomb carried by the plane blew a 30- foot hole in the starboard side, and further damage was done when one of the ship's depth charges exploded. All wounded and unnecessary personnel were removed in anticipation that the ship would sink but the crew finally controlled the flooding, and Shubrick was towed to Kerama Retto. The ship lost 35 men killed and missing, and 25 wounded in the attack.
- The high-speed transport USS Tatum is attacked by four aircraft at dusk. One aircraft is shot down but when it strikes the water, its bomb skips off the water and strikes the underside of a gun sponson and pierces the ship's hull and two of her longitudinal bulkheads. The dud comes to rest with its nose protruding 8-inches into a passageway. The gunners on the ship shoot down the second and third aircraft before the fourth attacks. They also shoot down the fourth which crashes 30-feet off her port bow; the bomb the aircraft was carrying explodes underwater and rocks the ship but causes no damage. Tatum later takes aboard a bomb disposal officer and the bomb is removed and dumped overboard 2 miles offshore.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s hit a variety of targets in the N while other fighter- bombers hit the C part of the island including the Cagayan Valley, Baguio, Balete, and Ipo areas.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s hit airfields at Oelin, Tabanio, and Ft Brook.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-25s weather abort a shipping sweep along the E coasts of Paramushiru and Shimushu.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, a single B-24 damages a railroad bridge over the Huto River and 4 B-25s and 4 P-51s knock out a bridge S of Kuanshuishih. In French Indochina, 2 B-25s attack locomotives
near Vinh and about 30 fighter-bombers attack communications and transportation targets around Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Quang Tri, Vinh and Yen, Chenghsien and Yoyang, China

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 88th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, moves from Moran to Dudhkundi, India with P-47s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 186: 454 B-29s, escorted by 101 P-51s from the VII Fighter Command for the first time on a fire-bomb raid, bomb Yokohama with incendiaries and destroy the main business district (a third of the city's area) along the waterfront; the burned out area of Yokohama now amounts to almost 9 square miles; about 150 Japanese fighters attack the formations; the B-29s claim 6 fighters and the P-51s claim 26-9-23: 7 B-29s and 3 P-51s are lost. HQ 509th Composite Group arrives at North Field from the US.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, 100+ B-24s bomb Kiirun and several other towns and B-25s, and fighter-bombers, hit the Tainan alcohol plant and targets of opportunity.

 

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May 30th 1945

OKINAWA: US forces advance to Shuri on Okinawa.

PHILLIPINES: A-20s hit Cagayan Valley targets. USMC - PBJ bomb enemy installations at the Kibawe Trail near Davao.

NEI: B-24s and fighters hit several targets in Borneo, concentrating on Tawau personnel and supply area and the airstrip at Ranau

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 7 B-25s pound railroad yards at Sinsiang and knock out a bridge at Sincheng; 28 fighter-bombers attack bridges, enemy positions, trucks, railroad targets, barracks, and general targets of opportunity around Anyang, Liuchow, Chingmen, Chungmow, Linfen, Huluehchen, Kweilin, Hsinganhsien, Leiyang, and Yenkoupu.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 90th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, moves from Moran to Dudhkundi, India with P-47s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 10 Guam Island-based B-24s hit the airfield on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 14 P-47s strafe barges at Truk Atoll; 28 P-47s from Ie Shima hit shipping and a lighthouse at Amami-O-Shima, Japan and Okino Erabu, Ryukus Islands. The 320th Troop Carrier Squadron and 393d Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy), 509th Composite Group, arrive at North Field from the US with C-47s, C-54s and B-29s respectively.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, 100+ B-24s pound Takao while fighters sweep the coastal areas and B-25s concentrate on the Shinei area..

 

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May 31st 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s and 4 P-47s hit railroad tracks and cars in the Chenghsien and Kaifeng areas, knock out a bridge at Sinyang, damage a bridge at Lohochai, and strafe AA positions at both bridges; 30+ fighter-bombers damage 4 bridges, hit several railroad targets and rivercraft, attack trucks and troops, and strafe numerous targets of opportunity around Shihkiachwang, Changsha, Yoyang, Yenkoupu, Taohwaping, Changanyi, Chiuchiang, Liuchow, Tsinkong, and Pioching.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): USAAF units, including the Tenth AF and US components of the Eastern Air Command (EAC), are withdrawn from the Southeast Asia Command (SEAC) and returned to the operational control of the AAF; EAC is inactivated, along with the Strategic AF and Combat Cargo Task Force. The detachment of the 156th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, operating from Magwe, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s, returns to base at Kalaikunda, India.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 8 P-47s from Ie Shima strafe buildings, barracks, and seaplane ramps at Amami-O-Shima, Japan.

 

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June 1st 1945

PHILLIPINES: B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to hit targets in the Cagayan Valley, at Pingkian, Kayapa, Gattaran, Cumao, Bone, and in the Ipo area; many of the missions are ground support strikes.
NEI: In Borneo, B-24s and P-38s hit Tarakan troop concentrations while B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit Kota Belud, Victoria, Jesselton, Langkon, and Labuan Island.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A four plane shipping strike is called off due to weather.

ZONE OF INTERIOR (ZI) HQ AAF: During Jun, the detachment of the 4th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 311th Photographic Wing (Mapping and Charting) (attached to 6th Reconnaissance Group), operating from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands with F-7s, moves to Clark Field, Luzon Island (squadron is based at Hollandia, New Guinea and is mapping areas of the SW and W Pacific).

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 6 B-25s bomb the Sinsiang railroad yards while 4 B-25s and 4 P-47s damage a bridge N of Linmingkuan; 18 P-51s hit river shipping, warehouses and other targets in the Yoyang area; 20 other fighter-bombers knock out a bridge near Szeshui, pound river shipping near Yoyang, and attack various targets in the Huluehchen area; during Jun, the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to 23d Fighter Group), moves from Chengkung to Laohwangping with P-40s and P-51s.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Unit moves in India: HQ 1st Combat Cargo Group from Hathazari to Myitkyina, Burma; 1st and 2d Troop Carrier Squadrons, 443d Troop Carrier Group, from Warazup and Shingbwiyang, Burma respectively to Dinjan with C-47s; 2d and 3d Combat Cargo Squadrons, 1st Combat Cargo Group, from Hathazari to Bhamo and Myitkyina, Burma respectively with C-47s; 9th, 436th and 492d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), from Pandaveswar to Tezpur with B-24s; 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, from Kalaikunda to Ledo with C-47s.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): During early Jun, HQ 465th Bombardment Group and 780th, 781st, 782d and 783d Bombardment Squadrons begin a movement from Pantanella Airfield, Italy to Waller Field, Trinidad, BWI with B-24s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 187: 458 B-29s attack Osaka, Japan and 16 others hit targets of opportunity; 148 P-51s of the VII Fighter Command, enroute to the escort rendezvous with the B-29s, encounter a severe weather front; flying behind in excessive turbulence, many of the fighters collide and 27 are lost; 27 others manage to find the B-29s and escort them over the target; the B-29s claim 16 Japanese fighters and the P-51s claim 1-0-0; 10 B-29s are lost. In the Ryukyu Islands 12 P-47s from Ie Shima fly strafing and rocket attacks against Kikaiga, Tokuno, and Amami Gunto, Japan.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In Formosa, B-24s pound Takao while fighter aircraft sweep the coastline. The 67th and 69th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 433d Troop Carrier Group, move from Tanauan, Leyte Island to Clark Field, Luzon with C-47s. Unit moves during Jun 45: HQ 54th Troop Carrier Wing and 85th Fighter Wing from Leyte Island to Clark Field and Ft William McKinley, Luzon respectively.

USA: The Last issue of The US Technical and Tactical Trends No 59 published.

 

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June 2nd 1945 43,160

JAPAN: Carrier aircraft of Task Group 38.4 attack airfields in southern Kyushu, Japan. The aircraft carriers of TG 38.4 are:
USS Independence (CVL-22) with Light Carrier Air Group Forty Six (CVLG-46)
USS Shangri-La (CV-38 ) with Carrier Air Group Eighty Five (CVG-85)
USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) with CVG-87
USS Yorktown (CV-10) with CVG-9

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to hit the Cagayan Valley in force, support ground forces in the Balete Pass and Ipo sectors, and attack areas E of Manila and N of Baguio. Fighter-bombers hit areas near Mount Mandalagan on Negros Island and dug-in positions NW of Bogo on Cebu.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s hit Pontianak Airfield and Tarakan and Labuan Islands while B-25s and fighters attack Kudat, Sandakan, and Miri.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-25s blast fuel and ammunition dumps NE of Nanyang, Burma. In China, 20 fighter-bombers attack the airfield at Tsinan, railroad yards and targets of opportunity at Anyang and the warehouse area at Paoching, knock out a bridge S of Singtai, and hit trucks, tanks, and armored vehicles in the Liuchow area.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 11 Guam-based B-24s attack the airfield area on Moen Island in Truk Atoll.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): P-47s fly heckler strikes against Kyushu Island, Japan during the night of 2/3 Jun.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Hozan and hit warehouses and dock facilities at Kiirun.

 

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June 3rd 1945

OKINAWA: In the Ryukyu Islands:
- A reinforced regiment of the 2d Marine Division lands on Iheya Shima.
- Kamikazes damage the cargo ship USS Allegan and a large infantry landing craft [LCI(L)].

PHILLIPINES: B-24s and fighters hit resistance areas on Negros Island.

NEI: B-24s attack Kota Waringin and Muara Island while B-24s bomb Batavia, Java.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): On Shimushu Island, 1 B-24 flying a radar ferret mission to Kataoka is followed by 8 others, radar- bombing and photographing scattered targets in the naval base area; 7 B-25s take off for an attack but 4 are turned back by weather and the others low- level bomb a Masugawa River Cannery.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s and 25 P-51s blast the warehouse area and river traffic at Liuchow; 2 B-25s bomb the Sinyang- Lohochai railroad; a single B-24, escorted by 2 P-51s, damages a bridge N of Shihkiachwang; 4 P-51s damage a bridge E of Kiehsiu and strafe a train and lumber carts N of Linfen; bad weather curtails other scheduled fighter-bomber missions.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): HQ 3d Combat Cargo Group moves from Dinjan, India to Myitkyina, Burma while it's 9th and 10th Combat Cargo Squadron move from Warazup, Burma and Dinjan to Myitkyina with C-47s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): P-47s on a heckler patrol strafe targets of opportunity on Amami-O-Shima Island, Japan.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA], P-51s hit coastal cargo vessels over the SE China coast.

 

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June 4th 1945

OKINAWA: Two regiments of the 6th Marine Divison land on Oruku Penninsula on Okinawa. They intend to out flank the Japanese and are headed for some hard fighting.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in the Cagayan Valley and A-20s and fighter-bombers supporting ground forces strike defensive positions in Balete Pass, Aritao, Mount Imugan, Carulay, and Bambang.

NEI: B-24s bomb Balikpapan and Manggar and support ground forces on Tarakan and B-25s hit Manggar, Djembajan, and Kudat.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 8 B-25s abort a shipping strike at Kurabu Cape on Paramushiru Island due to weather; 11 B-24s, however, get through and radar-bomb Kataoka naval base on Shimushu.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-25s heavily damage railroad yards and warehouses at Sinsiang; 10 B-25s and 4 P-51s in repeat attack on the yards cause numerous fires; 2 B-25s and 3 P-51s hit road and railroad targets of opportunity from Sinyang to Hsuchang; 17 fighters bomb or strafe bridges, railroad traffic, and other targets of opportunity around Chihsien, Linfen, Shihkiachwang, and Liuchow.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 13 Guam Island-based B-24s hit the airfield and boat basin on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 8 P-51s from Iwo Jima bomb the radio station on Chichi Jima and strafe the town of Okimura on Haha Jima during the return flight. P-47s fly heckler strikes against Kyushu Island, Japan during the night of 4/5 Jun.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Taihoku, Formosa.

 

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June 5th 1945

OKINAWA: Off Okinawa:
- Task Groups 30.8 and 38.1 battle a typhoon which causes damage to four battleships, two aircraft carriers, two light aircraft carriers, four escort aircraft carriers, three heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, eleven destroyers, three destroyer escorts, two oilers and an ammunition ship.
- Kamikazes are again active damaging the battleship USS Mississippi and the heavy cruiser USS Louisville.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit Cagayan Valley targets while other fighter-bombers support ground actions in Cervantes, Balete Pass, and Ipo battle zones and hit forces E of Manila.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s bomb Melak, Asa, and Kuching Airfield and Tarakan and Labuan Islands, while B-25s and fighters concentrate on Tuaran, Mensalung, and Kudat.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 32 B-25s and 8 P-51s bomb the city of Nanyang, Burma, hit railroad yards at Anyang, and damage a bridge approach at Chuanhsien, China, and bomb ferries at Ninh Binh and Dap Cau, French
Indochina. 40+ fighters bomb and strafe rail, river, and road traffic and general targets of opportunity throughout S and E China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, moves from Ledo, India to Myitkyina, Burma with C-47s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 188: 473 B-29s pound Kobe with incendiaries; 8 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 86 Japanese fighters; 11 B-29s are lost; the attack burns off over 4 square miles (10.4 square km) and damages over half of the city. Lost are B-29 "Indian Maid" Serial Number 42-24809 P-47s from Ie Shima patrol over Amami Gunto, Japan and strafe a lighthouse.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s pound Taito, Formosa.

 

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June 6th 1945

JAPAN: The Japanese Supreme Council for the Direction of the War, meets to adopt a "Fundamental Policy" which includes "immediate preparations for a decisive battle on the homeland and will annihilate the attacking enemy forces at points where the attack will be decided". The SCDW is known as the Big 6 of the Japanese Cabinet. PM, FM, War Minister, Navy Minister, Army CofS, Navy CofS.

OKINAWA: The 6th Marine Division makes good progress on the Oruku Peninsula, Okinawa, after their landing 2 days ago.

Kamikazes are busy off Okinawa. The light minelayers USS Harry F. Bauer and USS J. William Ditter are patrolling when they are attacked by eight Japanese aircraft. Each ship shoots down three but the seventh aircraft crashed close aboard USS Harry F. Bauer, flooding two compartments; survey of her damage during repairs revealed an unexploded bomb in one of her flooded compartments. The eighth aircraft crashes USS J. William Ditter on the port side near the main deck. The ship loses all power and suffers many casualties but both ships make it to Kerama Retto for emergency repairs.

PHILLIPINES: A-20s and fighter-bombers blast bridges in Cagayan Valley and other fighter-bombers pound the Balete Pass area.

NEI: On Borneo, B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers hit Labuan Island supply areas, support troops on Tarakan, and bomb Kota Waringin and Pontianak Airfields, areas along the Belait River, around Brunei, and strike Miri, Jesselton, Kudat, and Beaufort.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 11 B-25s and 9 P-51s bomb railroad yards N of Siaokan and damage bridges, strafe gun positions, and attack general targets of opportunity around Saiping and Hwayuan; 30+ fighters bomb or strafe bridges near Chihsien and Fengstun and hit troops, railroad targets, and targets of opportunity around Linfen, Laohokow, Changsha, Peking, and Kweilin, and Dap Cau and Thanh Hoa, French Indochina.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 12 Guam Island-based B-24s hit oil storage buildings on Eten.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 36 Ie Shima Island-based P-47s, sweeping the S part of Kyushu Island, Japan, hit numerous targets of opportunity with rockets and machinegun fire, and claim 9 aircraft downed; in the Ryukyu Islands, Ie Shima-based P-47s patrol over Amami Gunto Island, Japan, strafing a lighthouse and buildings.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: Bad weather cancels all missions against Formosan targets.

 

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June 7th 1945

OKINAWA: Kamikazes are again active off Okinawa. The escort aircraft carrier USS Natoma Bay is struck by a "Zero" at 0635 hours. The aircraft came in over the stern, fired incendiary ammunition at the bridge and, on reaching the island structure, nosed over and crashed the flight deck. The engine, propeller and a bomb tore a hole in the flight deck, 12 by 20 feet, while the explosion of the bomb damaged the deck of the foc'sle and the anchor windlass beyond repair and ignited a nearby fighter. One ship's officer was killed. A second "Zeke" was splashed by the ship's port batteries.
The destroyer USS Anthony suffers only slight damage as a kamikaze crashes nearby.

PHILLIPINES: US I Corps take Bambang, Luzon. On Luzon Island, A-20s and fighter-bombers hit personnel and defensive positions near Infanta, at Mount Mapatad, in the Marikina area, and in other areas in the Ipo sector; in the N fighter-bombers pound numerous Cagayan Valley targets and support ground forces N of Baguio and E of Manila.

NEI: Off Brunei Bay, the USN's Task Group 74.3, consisting of three U.S. light cruisers and six destroyers, and an Australian light cruiser and destroyer, provides fire support for minesweepers and underwater demolition teams (UDTs). In Borneo, B-24s pound Brooketon and Muara Island; B-25s and fighter-bombers hit Kudat, Ft Brook, Belait, Jesselton, and Keningau.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s and 4 P-47s damage a bridge near Anyang, bomb buildings N of Changsha and the airstrip at Paoching, and hit targets of opportunity during a road and river sweep from Siangtan to Yoyang; 45 fighters bomb or strafe numerous targets including troops, river traffic, town areas, and supplies in S and E China and knock out bridges at Singtai and Chihsien.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Unit moves in India: HQ 7th Bombardment Group from Pandaveswar to Tezpur; and 81st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Fenny to Madhaiganj Airfield with B-25s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield, bomb the boat repair basin on Aurapushekaru Island. HQ 41st BG (Medium) and the 396th and 820th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) move from Wheeler Field to Okinawa with B-25s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 189: 409 B-29s, escorted by 138 VII Fighter Command P-51s, drop incendiary and high explosive bombs on Osaka, hitting the east-central section of the city which contains industrial and transportation targets and the Osaka Army Arsenal (largest in Japan); despite being forced to bomb by radar because of heavy undercast, the B-29s burn out over 2 square miles of the city, destroying 55,000+ buildings; 9 other B-29s hit alternate targets; the P-51s claim 2-0-1 Japanese aircraft; 2 B-29s and 1 P-51 are lost. Mission 190: During the night of 7/8 Jun, 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters around Fukuoka and Karatsu, Japan. 20 P-47s from Ie Shima hit targets of opportunity (radio station, warehouses, freighter, and motor launches) on Kyushu and claim 5 aircraft downed.

 

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June 8th 1945

PHILLIPINES: Bad weather limits operations on Luzon to fighter-bomber strikes against Cagayan Valley targets.

NEI: In Borneo, Labuan Island Airfield is bombed by B-24s, while other B-24s and B-25s and P-38s attack gun positions at Balikpapan.

JAVA SEA: British submarine Trenchant torpedoes the Japanese cruiser Ashigara. She was evacuating soldiers from Batavia to Japan.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Admirable-class minesweeper USS Salute sunk by mine S of Borneo.

ALASKA: Four Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons of Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Thirty Nine (VPB-139), based at Casco Field, Naval Air Station (NAS) Attu Island, Aleutian Islands, attack Shimushu Island, Kurile Islands; two aircraft attack Kataoka on the island.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 15 P-51s and P-40s attack bridges near Hankow, N of Sinsiang, and SE of Tayung, knocking out the latter; 17 other fighters bomb and strafe river-craft, warehouses, trucks, airfield, town areas, and general targets of opportunity around Hwangkang, Ichang, Hengyang, Laohokow, and Tehsien.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): HQ 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Fenny to Pandaveswar and Madhaiganj Airfield, India respectively with B-25s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Very Long Range Mission 17: 104 Iwo Jima based fighters dispatched against Kagamigahara Airfield and Meiji in the Nagoya area, abort due to bad weather. The 548th Night Fighter Squadron, VII Fighter Command (attached to AAFPOA), moves from Iwo Jima to Ie Shima with P-61s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Bad weather cancels Formosa strikes.

 

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June 9th 1945

JAPAN: Japanese Privy Seal Kido today gains the approval of the Emperor on a scheme to mediate peace through the USSR. This plan features:
1) Honourable terms for Japan.
2) Withdrawal from occupied areas at Japan's initiative.
3) Acceptable arms reductions.
Tokyo: Japan has responded to the daylight pounding of three of its mainland cities and the imminent defeat of its forces on Okinawa by stepping up kamikaze raids on the US naval task force off Okinawa. In the last three days suicide pilots have sunk two US destroyers, killing 312 servicemen. Japan has lost 67 kamikaze flyers in the raids.
The attacks have ended hopes that Japan is preparing to accept the Allied demand for unconditional surrender. It is understood that even the premier Mr. Suzuki, a known moderate, is opposed to such a surrender, believing it to be a betrayal of Japanese forces still in the field.

OKINAWA: On Okinawa, Ushijima's defence force, confined to the island's southern tip,
has been split in two after landings behind the Japanese lines by US marines.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit Cagayan Valley targets and support ground forces in the Cervantes areas. Ground forces penetrate the last defensive position on Mindanao Island. Bad weather cancels operations N of the Philippine Islands. Mindanao: US troops capture the last major defensive strongpoint on the island, at Mandog.

NEI: In Borneo, Labuan Island is bombed by B-24s and other B-24s drop napalm on Brooketon.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In coordination with US Navy surface and air forces attacking in the Kurile Islands, 6 B-24s and 8 B-25s fly extensive armed weather reconnaissance and anti-shipping sweeps over Kurabu and Otomari Capes, Ichinowatashi, and Asahigawa on Paramushiru Island; the B-24s score no results, half of them jettisoning their bombs; the B-25s then fly a diversionary bombing mission over Araido Island where they are attacked by 8 Japanese fighters; to evade them, the B-25s fly over Kamchatka where Soviet AA fire shoots down one, killing its crew; another damaged B-25 crash-lands in Petropavlovsk. This is the first time Soviet AA hits a US aircraft.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-25s and 60+ P-47s, P-51s, and P-40s damage 4 bridges, hit river shipping, pound town areas and villages, and attack various targets of opportunity around Nanyang, Burma and Hwayuan, Changte, Suchow, Sinyang, Hankow, Laohokow, Tatung, Tashihkiao, Pinyang, Luchai, Kiehsiu, Linfen, Tsinan, and Shihkiachwang, China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 83d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th BG (Medium), moves from Fenny to Pandaveswar, India with B-25s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Five missions are flown. Mission 191: 44 B-29s attack the Kawanishi Aircraft Company's plant at Narao; 1 other hits a target of opportunity. Mission 192: 24 B-29s hit the Kawasaki plant at Akashi; there is 9/10 cloud cover and bombing is by radar; the village of Akashi rather than the factory is hit; 2 others bomb targets of opportunity. Mission 193: 42 B-29s hit Aichi's Atsuta factory; only 4 bombs hit the target area but 1 causes a devastating fire; 1 other hits a target of opportunity. Mission 194: During the night of 8/9 Jun, 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait; 1 other mines an alternate target. 20 P-47s from Ie Shirna strafe various targets of opportunity on Kyushu. 57 P-51s from Iwo Jima pound Kagamigahara Airfield and the surrounding area in the Nagoya area; 20+ parked airplanes are claimed destroyed or damaged; 3 P-51s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, based at Tacloban with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, sends a detachment to operate from Puerto Princesa (other detachments are at Zamboanga and Sanga Sanga).

 

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JAPAN: A Kamikaze sinks the destroyer USS William D. Porter off Okinawa. At 0815 hours local, a "Val," carrier dive bomber dropped unheralded out of the clouds and made straight for the ship but the destroyer managed to evade the suicide plane, and it splashed down close aboard her. Somehow, the explosive-laden plane ended up directly beneath the destroyer before its bomb exploded; the explosion lifted the ship out of the water and then dropped her back again. The ship lost power, suffered broken steam lines and a number of fires broke out. The crew spent three hours attempting to extinguish the fires, repair the damage and keep the ship afloat but finally, the "Abandon Ship" order was given and 12-minutes later, the destroyer heeled over to starboard and sank by the stern. Fortunately, there were no fatalities among the crew.
Japanese submarine I-122 is sunk by the USS Skate off Japan.
The submarine USS Dace sinks a 1500-ton frigate and the 1391-ton cargo ship Hakuyo Maru at 47-25N, 149-09 E.

OKINAWA: Heavy fighting continues on the Oruku Peninsula. The Japanese are
reduced to an area of only 2,000 square yards.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers again pound the Cagayan Valley area and support ground forces E of Manila.

NEI: The 9th Australian Division lands at Brunei Bay and other nearby islands. B-24s bomb Labuan Island and Brooketon in coordination with landings of the Australian 9 Division on the shore of Brunei Bay and on Labuan and Muara Islands.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Four US Navy Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons attack a Japanese "Sugar Dog" (a 70-150 ton ship with smokestack aft) off Masugawa, Paramushiru Island leaving the ship in flames with the crew abandoning it while two B-24s join USN bombers and sink the cargo ship Nichiei Maru Number 5 off southwestern Paramushiru.
Beginning at 2352 hours, US Navy Task Force 92, consisting of the light cruisers USS Concord, USS Richmond and USS Trenton and escorting destroyers, bombard Matsuwa Island.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 P-51s damage a bridge near Singtai and attack barracks, river-craft, fuel dumps, trucks and other targets of opportunity around Taohsien, Lingling, Liuchow, and Kaifeng.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): HQ 4th Combat Cargo Group and the 13th, 14th and 15th Combat Cargo Squadrons move from Chittagong to Namponmao, Burma with C-46s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 6 missions are flown. Mission 195: 23 B-29s attack the seaplane base at Kasumigaura; 2 others hit alternate targets. Mission 196: 32 B-29s bomb and the Japan Aircraft Company plant at Tomioka; 1 other hits an alternate target. Mission 197: 118 B-29s are dispatched to hit the Nakajima Aircraft plant at Musashi; clouds cover the target and they hit the Hitachi engineering works at Kaigan; 2 others hit alternate targets. Mission 198: 26 B-29s attack the Hitachi plant at Chiba. Mission 199: 52 B-29s hit the Nakajima plants at Ogikubu and Omiya; 4 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost. Mission 200: 29 B-29s attack the Tachikawa Army Air Arsenal and 3 others hit alternate targets. The VII Fighter Commands sends 107 P-51s to escort the B-29s; 27-7-10 Japanese aircraft are claimed without loss. 39 Ie Shima based P-47s sweeping Kyushu strafe numerous ground targets of opportunity, and claim 17 aircraft shot down.

 

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June 11th 1945

KURILE ISLANDS: Task Force 92 consisting of the light cruisers USS Richmond and USS Trenton and five destroyers begin bombarding Japanese installations on Matsuwa Island in the Kurile Islands at 0021 hours local.
The seven ships fire 3,677 rounds of 5-inch and 6-inch rounds of ammunition. At 0232 hours local, the ships enter the Sea of Okhotsk and make an unsuccessful sweep of the area and then sail back to Matsuwa Islands and begin a second bombardment at 2347 hours local. After firing another 1,344 rounds, the bombardment ceases at 0002 hours, 12 June, and the task forces retires to the Aleutian Islands.

OKINAWA: Kamikazes are again in action off Okinawa. One kamikaze crashes the large support landing craft LCS(L)(3)-122 near the conning tower. The commander, Lieutenant Richard M. McCool, Jr., is awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. His citation for this award reads, "When his own craft was attacked simultaneously by two of the enemy's suicide squadron early in the evening of 11 June, he instantly hurled the full power of his gun batteries against the plunging aircraft, shooting down the first and damaging the second before it crashed his station in the conning tower and engulfed the immediate area in a mass of flames.
Although suffering from shrapnel wounds and painful burns, he rallied his concussion-shocked crew and initiated vigorous firefighting measures and then proceeded to the rescue of several trapped in a blazing compartment, subsequently carrying one man to safety despite the excruciating pain of additional severe burns. Unmindful of all personal danger, he continued his efforts without respite until aid arrived from other ships and he was evacuated.
By his staunch leadership, capable direction, and indomitable determination throughout the crisis, Lt. McCool saved the lives of many who otherwise might have perished and contributed materially to the saving of his ship for further combat service."
Another kamikaze crashes alongside the armed U.S. merchant freighter SS Walter Colton.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s and fighter-bombers hit Cagayan Valley targets and pound forces E of Manila in the Ipo-Infanta areas and various targets N of Baguio; ground support strikes are flown in the Marikina River sector.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s support ground forces on Tarakan and bomb Kota Baru, Laoet Island, and Tawau; P-38s hit Beaufort while B-25s support ground forces in the Brunei Bay sector.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 8 B-24s on a shipping sweep over the Kurile Islands do not find targets because of overcast and instead radar-bomb installations on Kurabu Cape, Paramushiru Island and in the Kataoka areas of Shimushu.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25s, with fighter escort, bomb railroad yards at Kuanshuishih; 29 fighters attack bridges, rail and road traffic, river-craft, and targets of opportunity in general around Fenglochen, Liuchow, Samshui, Luchai, Lipu, Leiyang, and Kweilin.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 16th Combat Cargo Squadron, 4th Combat Cargo Group, moves from Chittagong to Namponmao, Burma with C-46s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 201: During the night of 11/12 Jun, 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and Tsuruga Bay. Iwo Jima based fighters hit Tokorozawa Airfield; pilots attacking the airfield claim 18 parked airplanes destroyed and 30+ damaged. Combat crews of the 509th Composite Group begin to arrive at North Field with their B-29s.

 

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June 12th 1945

PHILLIPINES: Numerous fighter-bombers and B-25s hit Cagayan Valley targets while other fighter-bombers support ground forces N of Baguio and Balete Pass and E of Manila, all on Luzon Island.

NEI: Borneo, numerous strikes on Tarakan the Brunei Bay area, and coastal routes in N Borneo.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-25s strafe shipping off Paramushiru Island, near Arahata Cape, damaging 4 freighters and 2 barges; one of the B-25s is shot down.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2 B-25s knock out a bridge S of Yutze while 4 escorting P-47s hit nearby AA positions and afterwards pound railroad targets at Linfen; 9 P-51s and 2 P-61s damage a bridge N of Hengyang, hit a storage area at Yunganshih, and attack railroad targets, troops, horses, AA positions, and road traffic in Neikiuhsien and Hengyang.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 12 Guam Island-based B-24s pound the airfield on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: B-24s inflict heavy destruction on the navy yard and dock area at Hong Kong and railroad yards at Saigon, French Indochina. 2 B-32s bomb the airstrip on Batan Island.

 

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June 13th 1945 43,436

OKINAWA: Fighting on Okinawa in the Kunishi Ridge area of the Oraku Penninsula ends with 170 Japanese taken prisoner.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, A-20s and fighter-bombers attack the Cervantes and Marikina areas, targets in the Cagayan Valley, and islands N of Luzon.

NEI: Borneo town falls to US and Australian forces. In Borneo, B-24s bomb the Balikpapan-Sepinggang area; B-25s and fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Brunei Bay area and, sweeping N Borneo from Kudat to Miri, hit numerous targets of opportunity.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 11 B-25s and 7 P-51s considerably damage the Kaifeng railroad yards and strafe a communications center S of Puchou; 8 P-51s damage 2 bridges at Fenglochen and Shihkiachwang and hit railroad targets of opportunity around Fenglochen and Suchow.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 13 B-24s from Guam bomb Moen Airfield.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 202: During the night of 13/14 May, 29 B-29s drop mines in Shimonoseki Strait and in the waters at Niigata. 40+ P-47s from Ie Shima strafe and fire rockets at vessels, buildings, a radio station, barracks, and airfields at Amakusa Jima and Amami-O-Shima Islands, and Tokuno, Japan.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In Formosa, bad weather hinders B-24s; a few hit Toshien, the primary target and others hit alternates including Toko, Koshun, Kontei, Garan-bi Point, Taito, the Mako naval base and other targets and 2 B-32s bomb Koshun Airfield.

 

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June 14th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers pound areas around the Cagayan Valley, Cervantes and N of Baguio and E of Manila. On Celebes Island, B-24s bomb warehouses at Parepare and a personnel area at Sidate.

NEI: B-24s bomb AA positions at Balikpapan, Borneo.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: The Royal Navy's Task Group 111.2 consisting of the aircraft carrier HMS
Implacable, the escort carrier HMS Ruler, four light cruisers and five destroyers, attack Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands to neutralize the enemy's air bases.

JAPAN: Mines previously laid by USAAF B-29S sink a Japanese army cargo ship off Japan.

The USN's VPB-118, based at Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, with PB4Y-2 Privateers, begins mining waters in the Korean Archipelago. The squadron repeats this operation for the next
three days.

BURMA: Burma is liberated by the British.

ZONE OF INTERIOR (ZI): The Joint Chiefs of Staff direct Generals of the Army Henry H "Hap" Arnold and Douglas MacArthur and Fleet Admiral Chester W Nimitz to prepare for immediate occupation of Japan in the event the enemy suddenly collapses or surrenders.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 42 P-51s attack bridges, shipping, AA positions, railroad targets, trucks, and communications around Hengyang, Hankow, Yoyang, Lingling, Anyang, Szeshui, Hohsien, Shihkiachwang, Neikiuhsien and Puchou.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The air echelon of the 25th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Reconnaissance Group, begins operating from Clark Field, Luzon with F-5s (squadron is based at San Jose, Mindoro Island).

 

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June 15th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, numerous B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers pound various objectives, concentrating on the Cagayan Valley, the Cervantes area, and the Antipolo-Ipo sector.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s blast gun positions at Balikpapan and B-25s and P-38s hit areas between Brunei and Kudat.
Borneo: The Australian 9th Division met no opposition when it landed at Brunei Bay and on Labuan and Muara islands, after a heavy air and naval bombardment, five days ago. Brunei Bay is the best harbour on the north-west coast of Borneo, and the US chiefs of staff proposed it as an advance base for the British Pacific Fleet. The British argued that it was too far from the main theatre of operations and was in any case unlikely to be ready in time. Developing the naval base would be a waste of construction effort, they said, especially as it could not be made ready until the end of the year - and by then Singapore might have been recaptured. The operation has gone ahead nonetheless, using Australian troops supported by the US Seventh Fleet and the Royal Australian
First Tactical Air Force.
A brigade of the 9th Division quickly occupied Labuan Island and secured the port on 10 June. By the end of the day it had also occupied the airport. Surviving Japanese withdrew into a pocket. Advancing against slight resistance, the Australians captured Brunei Town on 13 June and today
reported the capture of the islands of Labuan and Muara.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s and 47 P-51s and P-47s knock out a bridge W of Shihkiachwang, damage and attack others, and hit trucks, barracks, river-craft, storage facilities, gun positions, railroad targets, and targets of opportunity; targets are the Pinghan railroad, Kukong, Lingling, Chenhsien, Kuotaichiao, Pakonghow, Kweilin, Anyang, Shihkiachwang, Loyang, Liuchow, and Paoching areas.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 203: 444 B-29s fly an incendiary mission against the Osaka- Amagasaki urban area, ending a month of concentrated fire raids against large Japanese cities; an additional 1.9 square miles of Osaka and 0.59 square miles of Amagasaki are burned out; 25 other B-29s hit alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost. 123 P-51s are dispatched as escort but 380 miles from Iwo Jima the fighters are warned by a weather plane of a towering front over Japan and they abort the mission; 1 P-51 is lost.
Mission 204: During the night of 15/16 May, 30 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters around Fukuoka, Karatsu, and Fushiki. The 680th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy), attached to HQ 504th BG (Very Heavy), arrives at North Field from the US with B-29s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In Formosa, B-24s bomb Taichu Airfield and B-25s hit the town of Rokko and the airfield at Okaseki. The 68th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Tanauan, Leyte Island to Clark Field, Luzon with C-46s.

USA: The US Navy establishes Experimental Development Squadron Two Hundred (XVF-200) and Experimental Utility Squadron Twenty Five (XVJ-25) at Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, to provide, under the direct operational control of Commander-In-Chief (COMINCH, flight facilities for evaluating and testing tactics, procedure, and equipment for use in special defense tasks particularly those concerned with defense against the Kamikaze.

 

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June 16th 1945

OKINAWA: Mt. Yuza falls to US forces on Okinawa.

Off Okinawa at 2030 hours local, a single, low-flying Japanese aircraft drops a torpedo which hits the destroyer USS Twiggs on her port side, exploding her number 2 magazine. The plane then circles and completes its kamikaze mission in a suicide crash. The explosion enveloped the destroyer in flame; and, within an hour, she sinks. Despite the hazard of exploding ammunition, 188 survivors are rescued from the oily waters; among the 162 dead and missing is her commanding officer.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit personnel and supply targets in the Cagayan Valley and E of Manila, and support ground forces in the Cervantes sector.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s bomb Balikpapan gun emplacements, Tawau, and Samarinda, while B-25s hit the Brunei Bay area and fighter-bombers attack Miri, Jesselton, and Keningau Airfields and N Borneo targets of opportunity.


ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 4 B-24s bomb and strafe shipping off Suribachi Bay, Paramushiru Island and a radar site on Minami Cape, Shimushu Island; one of the B-24s crashes into the water; 4 B-25s on a shipping strike score near misses on a freighter in Asahi Bay and bomb targets along the Torishima Chain; mechanical failures force 2 of the B-25s to fly to Petropavlovsk, USSR.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2 B-25s hit supply movements on the Paoching-Hengyang road; 41 P-51s attack bridges, shipping, road transport, power facilities, and railroad traffic, knocking out bridges near Siangtan, Changsha, and Suchow; rail, road and river traffic is attacked near Yoyang, Hengyang, Kuanyang, Shou-yang, Peking, and Linfen. A power plant at Uong Bi, French Indochina is heavily damaged.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): P-61s arrive on Ie Shima and take over night heckler missions against Kyushu Island, Japan from the P-47s; other P-61s fly night intruder missions over Amami Gunto Island, Japan, bombing various targets of opportunity; 38 P-47s from Ie Shima dive-bomb boats, AA positions, runways, and buildings on Kikai Island, Japan.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, 90+ B-24s pound Kiirun harbor and the town of Takao and 3 B-32s bomb Taito. HQ 308th Bombardment Wing moves from Luzon to Okinawa Island.