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

[syscom3]

June 17th 1945

OKINAWA: The US continues to make advances in the Kunishi Ridge area of Okinawa.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers pound Cagayan Valley targets and numerous other objectives throughout N Luzon; many of the strikes support US Sixth Army forces.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s pound Balikpapan area oil targets and gun positions; B-25s and P-38s hit Limbang town and sweep from Beaufort to Jesselton, hitting Beaufort buildings, several communications targets at various points, and personnel areas on Labuan Island.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-25s bomb shipping near Kataoka, Shimushu; one ship (KONGO MARU) is observed exploding, another burns after a strafing run; 4 other B-25s fly a shipping sweep from Shimushu to Kurabu Cape, Paramushiru Island; a number of vessels are sighted but cannot be attacked because of land-based AA.

ZONE OF INTERIOR (ZI): General of the Army Henry H "Hap" Arnold, Commanding General US Army Air Forces, requests of Lieutenant General Albert C Wedemeyer, Commanding General US Forces in China, that Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer replace Major General Clare L Chennault as head of AFs in China.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2 B-25s bomb road and rail supply movements in the Paoching and Hengyang areas; 2 B-25s and 4 P-47s severely damage a bridge at Linmingkuan; 54 P-51s, P-47s, and P-61s hit road transport, railroad, river traffic, gun positions, bridges, and targets of opportunity around Kukong, Hankow, Lingkuantien, Changsha, Yoyang, Loyunghsien, Luchai, Hwangshapu, Kiyang, Kweilin, Kaifeng, and Shihkiachwang; and 4 P-47s blast a communications center at Puchou.

HQ AAF (XX Bomber Command): HQ XX Bomber Command begins a movement from Kharagpur to Okinawa.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 1 mining and 4 incendiary missions are flown during the night of 17/18 Jun. Mission 205: 25 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters around Kobe; 2 others mine alternate targets.
Mission 206: 117 B-29s attack the Kagoshima urban area and 1 hits an alternate target; 2.15 square miles are destroyed; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 207: 116 B-29s hit the Omuta urban area and 3 hit alternate targets; the was the heaviest attack of the 5 but only 0.217 square miles were destroyed, only 4.1% of the city's area.
Mission 208: 130 B-29s hit the Hamamatsu urban area; 2.44 square miles are destroyed.
Mission 209: 89 B-29s attack the Yokkaichi urban area; 1.23 square miles are destroyed. 33 P-47s from Ie Shima bomb and strafe shipping, the airfield,villages, a bridge and radar and radio facilities on Amami Gunto Island and Tokuno, Japan. During the night of 17/18 Jun, 2 P-61s from Ie Shima Island fly an unsuccessful (due to weather) intruder strike over Amami Gunto and Kyushu, Japan; this begins a campaign of night and day intruder missions over Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands by the night fighters (12 more are flown during Jun).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb industrial and railroad targets at Kiirun and P-38s pound a railroad bridge and trucks at Soton. The detachment of the 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, operating from Zamboanga with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, returns to base at Tacloban detachment are at Sanga Sanga and Puerto Princessa).

 

[syscom3]

June 18th 1945

JAPAN: The Submarine USS Bonefish, CO Lawrence L. Edge, is sunk by ASW forces in Toyama Wan, West coast of Honshu. All hands are lost.

PHILLIPINES: Organized Japanese resistance ends on Mindanao Island in the Philippines. Supporting US Sixth Army forces on Luzon Island, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to attack targets in the Cagayan Valley, Balete Pass, and Cervantes areas, and other locations.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s blast troop concentrations in Balikpapan and S of Miri, Manggar Airfield and Sepinggang defenses and B-25s support ground forces on Labuan Island.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 6 B-24s join US Navy aircraft in attacking Kataoka, Shimushu and Tomari Cape, Paramushiru Island; cloud cover prevents observation of effects; 1 B-24 flies a radar-ferret mission over the Kurile Islands.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 70+ P-51s, P-61s, and P-47s continue to disrupt the Japanese withdrawal from S and E China, attacking bridges, villages and town areas, barracks, troop concentrations, motor transport, shipping and rail traffic, and targets of opportunity throughout wide areas.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: In Formosa, B-24s destroy a block of buildings and several warehouses and small vessels in Kiirun harbor area, P-51s hit Taien and Toyohara Airfields and targets of opportunity while P-38s start numerous fires in the town of Kari.

 

[syscom3]

June 19th 1945

PHILLIPINES: A-20s and fighter- bombers continue to pound Luzon Island, chiefly around Cagayan Valley, SE of Aparri, and around Cervantes while heavy strikes in the C Cagayan area are in support of guerilla offensive.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s bomb fortifications and AA guns at Balikpapan while B-25s hit N Borneo targets including Keningau Airfield and targets N and NW of Kudat.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In a coordinated shipping search, a B-24 flies the theater's longest mission, a 2,700-mile roundtrip lasting 15.5 hours and flying as far as Uruppu Island, Japan; turning N the B-24 bombs a small convoy 25 miles SW of Shimushu Bay, Shimushu, sinks a vessel, heavily damages another, and sets 2 more afire; another B-24 bombs and photographs Matsuwa Island; 4 B-25s break off a shipping sweep due to the presence of Japanese fighters.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out a bridge on the Pinghan (Hankow-Peking) railroad while 4 P-51s knock out another NE of Kihsien on the Tungpu railroad; 70+ other P-51s damage several bridges, hit rail, road and river traffic, supplies, troops, and general targets of opportunity throughout S and E China.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 22 Guam Island-based B-24s bomb the airfield on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 4 missions, 1 mining and 3 incendiary missions against secondary cities, are flown during the night of 19/20 Jun.
Mission 210: 136 B-29s hit the Toyohashi urban area destroying 1.7 square miles.
Mission 211: 221 B-29s attack the Fukuoka urban area destroying 1.37 square miles; 2 other B-29s attack alternate targets.
Mission 212: 123 B-29s attack the Shizuoka urban area destroying 2.25 square miles; 1 other hits an alternate target; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 213: 28 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the waters at Niigata, Miyazu, and Maizuru. 47 Ie Shima based P-47s bomb the airfield on Tokuno Island while 16 others patrol uneventfully over Amami-O-Shima Island. 117 fighters dispatched from Iwo Jima against Kagamigahara Airfield and Meiji abort because of bad weather.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In Formosa, B-24s bomb docks, warehouses, and railroad yards at Kiirun and B-25s pound the Shoka railroad yards and P-51s attack AA positions between Rokko and Toyohara; 2 bridges in the Shoka area are destroyed or badly damaged. The detachment of the 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, operating from Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, returns to base at Tacloban (a detachment is operating from Sanga Sanga).

 

[syscom3]

June 20th 1945

OKINAWA: US General Simon Buckner is KIA by an artillery round. General Stillwell is appointed as his replacement for the US 10th Army on Okinawa.
There was a brief problem in the selection of Stillwell as his successor, and this was not announced until 23 Jun 45. In the interim, the senior Corps Commander, Marine Lt Gen Roy Gieger, assumed command of the Tenth Army, the only occasion in which a US Field Army was commanded by a Marine.

PHILLIPINES: A-20s and fighter- bombers blast resistance on Luzon Island and directly support a guerilla offensive in the C Cayagan Valley.

NEI: B-24s again pound AA positions in the Balikpapan, Borneo area.

CENTRAL PACIFIC: US TG 12.4, Lexington, Hancock and Cowpens send air strikes against Japanese positions on Wake Island. This practice will assist them when they join the 3rd Fleet.
The USN's Task Group 12.4 launches five strikes against Japanese positions on Wake Island while enroute from Pearl Harbor to Leyte in the Philippine Islands; this is the fifth Wake Raid. TG 12.4 consists of the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens with Light Carrier Air Group Fifty, and the aircraft carriers USS Hancock with Carrier Air Group Six and USS Lexington with CVG-94 plus escorting vessels.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 8 B-25s and 6 P-51s knock out 2 bridges near Quang Tri and My Chanh and blast surrounding AA positions while 8 fighter-bombers sink at least 3 river steamers in a canal at Haiphong. In China, 37 P-51s hit rail, road, and river traffic, bridges, and general targets of opportunity around Liuchow, Kweilin, Juchai, Hankow, Siangtan, Changsha, Hengshan, Sintsiang, Kweiyi, Kueiyangshih, and Ft Bayard; a bridge at Hankow is destroyed and several others damaged. The 11th Combat Cargo Squadron, Fourteenth AF, move from Yunnani to Luliang, China with C-47s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 14 P-47s from Ie Shima bomb and strafe vessels, buildings, a lighthouse, and a village on Amami Gunto Island and the airfield on Tokuno Island; 38 others bomb the airfield at Omura and hit Tokuno on the return trip.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Shinchiku Airfield. The 419th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, based at Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island with P-61s, sends a detachment to operate from Sanga Sanga (another detachment is at Zamboanga).

 

[syscom3]

June 21st 1945

OKINAWA: Hill 69 on Okinawa falls to US forces. General Ushijima's body is found near his HQ located there.
Okinawa is declared secured at 1330 hours local after 82 days of fighting.
Kamikazes are still active off Okinawa. A kamikaze sinks a medium landing ship (LSM) and damages three other ships. A kamikaze attacks the destroyer escort USS Halloran; the ships gunners shoot the plane down but it lands 75 yards from the ship and an exploding bomb kills three crewmen and causes considerable damage to hull and superstructure. Two seaplane tenders are damaged by Kamikazes. An aircraft crashes USS Curtiss and its bomb rips two holes in her hull and exploded on the third deck, killing 35 and wounding 21 of her crew. Effective damage control keeps her afloat and four days later she was underway for the U.S. USS Kenneth Whiting shoots down a kamikaze but part of the plane hits the ship, causing minor damage and wounding five men.

PHILLIPINES: Fighter-bombers attack positions and supply areas in the the Cagayan Valley, other locations in N Luzon and in the Marikina and Infanta areas in C Luzon.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s pound the Balikpapan town area, Manggar Airfield, Sepinggang defenses, and Oelin Airfield and B-25s bomb the town of Keningau while P-38s blast the nearby airfield; the fighter-bombers attack Kudat and caves near Jesselton.

KOREA: USN PB4Y-2 Privateers of Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Eighteen sow mines between Hakin Do, Iion Do and Gantai Do in the Korean Archipelago.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 16 B-25s bomb an enemy fort at Bac Ninh, hit railroad yards and trains at Thanh Hoa, Phu Dien, Yen Li Station, Ha Trung, and Ninh Binh, damage a tunnel at La Son, bomb a barge concentration at Ha Dong, and attack a train near the Duc Tho bridge. 40+ P-51s and P-38s hit road, rail, and river transport, coastal shipping, troops, supply lines, and targets of opportunity in French Indochina and S and E China.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Guam bomb fuel oil storage and power plant buildings on Eten. The detachment of the 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seventh AF, operating from Ie Shima with F-5Es, returns to base on Okinawa.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 214: 25 B-29s mine the sea approaches around Fushiki, Senzaki, Nanao, and Yuya Bay, Japan during the night of 21/22 Jun; 2 others mine alternate areas.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, P-38s hit targets at Mato and Kagi and targets of opportunity along the western coast.

NEW BRITAIN: RNZAF - Fighters attack Rabaul area.

 

[syscom3]

June 22nd 1945

OKINAWA: The fighting on Okinawa ends. 12,500 US soldiers and Marines are dead. They also show 35,500 wounded. The US navy shows 36 ships sunk with 368 damaged. 763 US aircraft are lost. The Japanese show 120,000 military and 42,000 civilians dead. The US count is 7,830 aircraft and numerous naval vessels, including the battleship Yamato. There are also 10,755 Japanese prisoners taken. This is the first battle in which significant Japanese prisoners are taken.

JAPAN: The Japanese Supreme Council for the Direction of the War, is requested by the Emperor to end the war. The SCDW is known as the Big 6 of the Japanese Cabinet. PM, FM, War Minister, Navy Minister, Army CofS, Navy CofS.
Mines previously laid by B-29s sink four freighters and damage a transport off Japan.

KOREA: PB4Y-2 Privateers of the USN again sow mines off Korea.

PHILLIPINES: Fighter-bombers supporting ground action continue to hit concentrations and positions in the Cagayan Valley on Luzon Island.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s pound Balikpapan area gun and defensive positions while B-25s hit nearby warehouses and numerous other buildings and P-38s dive-bomb and score direct hits on pillboxes.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Major General John B Brooks relieves Brigadier General Isaiah Davies as Commanding General, Eleventh AF.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 23 B-25s and 4 P-47s pound trucks, trains, and gun positions in the Hanoi, French Indochina area, and in China, bomb railroad yards and barracks area at Sinsiang, hit rail and road targets, buildings, and radar station in the Showyang area, knock out a bridge S of Saiping, and damage a bridge N of Hsuchang; 40+ fighters hit rail, road, and river traffic, artillery emplacements, line positions, and other targets in French Indochina and S and E China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 5th and 6th Fighter Squadrons (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Kalaikunda to Asansol, India with P-47s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 446 B-29s are dispatched in 6 missions to targets on S Honshu Island, Japan during the day.
Mission 215: 162 B-29s attack the Kure Naval Arsenal and 12 others hit alternate targets; 72% of the roof area of the arsenal is damaged; 2 B-29s are lost.
Mission 216: 108 B-29s hit the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Tamashima destroying 135 of 231 machine tools and almost half the roof area; 10 others hit alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost. Mission 217: 52 B-29s attack the Kawanishi aircraft plant at Himeji causing great destruction among the buildings and total destruction of machine tools; 4 others hit alternate targets. Missions 218 and 219: 34 B-29s hit the Mitsubishi and Kawasaki aircraft plants at Kagamigahara and 10 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 220: 25 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft factory at Akashi and 1 hits an alternate target. 40+ P-47s from Ie Shima fly combat patrols over Amami Gunto Island, Japan, claiming 11 Japanese aircraft downed.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s hit Toshien oil facilities and P-38s attack Mato while 2 B-32s blast gun positions and barracks at Heito. The 25th Liaison Squadron, 13th AF, moves from Malabang to Del Monte, Mindanao Island with UC-78s and L-5s.

 

[syscom3]

June 23rd 1945

OKINAWA: US General Stillwell is appointed to command the US 10th Army on Okinawa. He replaces US General Simon Buckner who was KIA by an artillery round on the 18th.

PHILLIPINES: There is a US paratroop landing near Aparri on the north coast of Luzon, in the Phillipine Islands. It is near the mouth of the Cagayan River. On Luzon Island, A-20s and fighter-bombers pound troop concentrations and occupied areas in the Cagayan Valley and fighter-bombers attack pockets of resistance in the Infanta and Antipolo areas.

NEI: 150+ B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers continue heavy strikes against the Balikpapan, Borneo area concentrating on gun emplacements and defensive positions.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 2 B-24s on a shipping sweep between Matsuwa and Paramushiru Islands sink 1 freighter, damage 2 more, and hit a whale boat; 1 Japanese fighter is claimed destroyed; 6 more B-24s bomb Kataoka on Shimushu.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 4 B-25s knock out the E approach to the Phu Lang Thuong bridge and 4 P-38s bomb locomotives and a barracks area at Les Pins and Lang Son. 12 P-51s strafe airfields in the Canton, China area. 17 other fighters strafe railroad targets and river traffic around Wuchou, Siaokan, and Peking, China, and Hanoi, and Vinh, French Indochina.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Major General Thomas D White becomes Commanding General, Seventh AF.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 221: In Japan, during the night of 23/24 Jun, 26 B-29s mine the harbors of Fukuoka, Karatsu, Sakai, and Niigata; 1 B-29 is lost; 38 P-47s from Ie Shima bomb airfields at Hakata and Itazuke and, during the return flight, attack 2 boats off Amami Gunto Island; 40 other P-47s bomb Saitozaki Airfield; 100 P-51s are dispatched from Iwo Jima to airfields at Kagamigahara and Hyakuri; they claim 19-3-16 aircraft in the air and 13-40 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb a butanol plant at Kobi, Formosa.

 

[syscom3]

KOREA: USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa again sow mines off Korea.

PHILLIPINES: In Luzon, Fifth AF A-20s and fighter-bombers support the US Sixth Army and Filipino troops in the Kiangan sector and N and NE of Tuguegarao, blast numerous targets throughout the Cagayan Valley, Cervantes area concentrations, and the Infanta-Antipolo resistance pockets.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s bomb Balikpapan town and coastal guns and fighter-bombers pound coastal guns while B-25s bomb warehouses and the nearby Manggar Airfield.

THAILAND: British bombers destroy the bridge over the river Kwae, built by Allied PoWs with dreadful suffering.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 2 B-24s on a shipping sweep instead radar- bomb Kurabu Cape on Paramushiru Island, because of overcast and turbulence; another planned shipping strike by 6 B-25s is also cancelled due to weather.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 13 B-25s and 12 fighter- bombers knock out bridges at Lohochai and S of Chenghsien and hit surrounding AA positions, attack animal-drawn transport at Hsiangcheng, attack railroad targets of opportunity in the Shihkiachwang area, and hit railroad yards at Siaokan; 40+ fighter-bombers continue harassing enemy withdrawals in S and E China where numerous communications targets, gun positions, bridges, and rail, road, and river traffic are attacked.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): At dawn 1 B-24 from Guam Island bombs buildings on Marcus Island in the N Pacific; during the afternoon 18 more bomb the airfield. HQ 494th Bombardment Group and 864th, 865th, 866th and 867th Bombardment Squadrons move from Angaur Airfield to Yontan with B-24s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 36 P-47s from Ie Shima attack boats and a village in the Sakishima Archipelago, a wharf on Kuro Island, Ishigaki Island, and buildings, villages, targets of opportunity, and several points in the Ryukyu Islands. HQ 507th Fighter Group and 463d, 464th and 465th Fighter Squadrons arrive on Ie Shima from the US with P-47s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The detachment of the 159th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], ceases operating from Negros Island with UC-64s and L-5s, and returns to base at Mangaldan.

 

[syscom3]

June 25th 1945

JAPAN: USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa again sow mines off Korea. After completing the mining operations, the Privateers strafe targets of opportunity, e.g., lighthouses and shipping.

PHILLIPINES: With the capture of Tuguegarag in the Cagayan Valley, the surviving Japanese are concentrated in the Sierra Madre area, east of the Cagayan Valley on Luzon, Philippine Islands. On Luzon Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers hit targets (mostly troop concentrations and resistance pockets) in the Cagayan Valley, in the Cervantes area, and in the Infanta sector.

NEI: Australian forces complete the occupation of the Miri oilfield area of Sarawak. USN underwater demolition teams (UDTs) begin clearing the beaches at Balikpapen, Borneo, in advance of the invasion by Australian forces. In Borneo, oil facilities, shore defenses and the nearby Manggar Airfield in the Balikpapan, area are bombed by B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers. B-24s bomb Mandai Airfield.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 18 B-25s and 14 P-51s and P-47s knock out bridges N of Shihkiachwang and N of Saiping, bomb a power plant, barracks, and warehouse at Sinsiang, bomb the Nanyo-Hengyang road, and hit the railroad yard at Siaokan; 80+ fighter-bombers attack bridges, gun positions, river, road, and rail traffic, and generally harass Japanese movements throughout S and E China, particularly around Hengyang, Yoyang, Liuchow, Changsha, Lipu, and Luchai; the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF, based at Shwangliu sends a flight to operate from Ankang with F-5s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): At dawn 3 B-24s from Guam Island attack heavy AA positions on the W coast of Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 222: During the night of 25/26 Jun, 26 B-29s plant mines in Shimonoseki Strait and at Maizuru and off Obama Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Unit moves: HQ 403d Troop Carrier Group from Biak Island, New Guinea to Leyte Island; 157th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], from Mabalacat, Luzon to Okinawa with UC-64s and L-5s; and the detachment of the 159th Liaison Squadron, 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], ceases operating from Cebu with UC-64s and L-5s and returns to base at Mangaldan.

 

[syscom3]

June 26th 1945

USA: The Charter for the UN is signed by representatives of 50 Allied countries.
The United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO) was held in San Francisco, California. Officials gathered to draft a UN Charter, and 50 countries signed the Charter on this date at what is now the Herbst Theater. This signifies the birth of the UN.

RYUKYU ISLANDS: In the Ryukyu Islands, the USN's Task Group 31.24 lands assault troops of the Fleet Marine Force Reconnaissance Battalion and a 1st Marine Division reinforced rifle company on Kure Shima.

KOREA: USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa continue mining operations off Korea.

PHILLIPINES: Fighter-bombers hit targets in the Infanta area and troop concentrations in the Cagayan Valley and Kiangan area; ground support strikes are flown in the Cervantes area and E of Manila.

NEI: In Borneo, strikes against the Balikpapan area continue by B-24s and B-25s hitting oil targets and Manggar Airfield and B-24s bomb the Trombol airstrip. Other B-24s bomb the airfield at Limboeng, Celebes Island.
USN underwater demolition teams (UDTs) continue clearing obstacles on the landing beaches at Balikpapan, Borneo, in preparation for the Australian invasion.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 21 P-51s bomb or strafe road, river, and rail traffic, motor pools, gun positions, and buildings around Yoyang, Hengyang, Chenghsien, Linfen, and Tsinan, and knock out a bridge SW of Yutze. China: Chinese troops recapture Liuchow airfield.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 1 Guam Island-based B-24 attacks heavy AA positions on the W side of Marcus Island at dawn.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 510 B-29s and 148 P-51s fly 9 missions against aircraft factories, light-metals industries and arsenals in S Honshu and Shikoku; 6 B-29s and 1 P-51 are lost. Mission 223: 64 B-29s hit the light metal industry at Osaka and 4 others hit alternate targets. Mission 224: 109 B-29s attack the Osaka Arsenal; 3 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost. Mission 225: 31 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Akashi and 5 others hit targets of opportunity; the 4,000-pound bombs are well- placed but the target has been almost destroyed in previous raids.
Missions 226 and 227: 58 B-29s attack the Nagoya Arsenal; 6 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
Missions 228 and 231: 85 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Kagamigahara; 23 others hit alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost; every important building is knocked out.
Mission 229: 50 B-29s attack the Aichi aircraft plant at Eitoku and 14 others attack alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost; the raid causes light damage.
Mission 230: 29 B-29s hit the light metal industry at Nagoya and 2 others hit targets of opportunity. The B-29s claim 20 Japanese fighters destroyed. The Nagoya and Osaka missions are escorted by 148 P-51s; they claim 2-0-5 Japanese aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost.
Mission 232: During the night of 26/27 Jun, 33 B-29s attack the Utsube Oil Refinery at Yokkaichi, the top-priority petroleum target; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa during the night of 26/26 Jun, P-61s set fires at the Ensuiko sugar refinery while B-24s hit the sugar refinery at Tanshi during the day.

 

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June 27th 1945

JAPAN: USN PB4Y-2 Privateers operating from Okinawa again mine the waters off Korea.
PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit the Kiangan area, a troop concentration NW of Bolog, the Pagong area, and the Bontoc-Sabangan area, provide ground support near Montalban, and hit targets in the Infanta sector.

NEI: During the night of 26/27 Jun, B-24s over the Soerabaja Strait area bomb Tandjoeng-perak Airfield, Java. In Borneo, for the 15th consecutive day, B-24s pound Balikpapan destroying oil facilities and shore defenses, B-25s hit warehouses, other buildings, and the general waterfront area. Other B-24s bomb Mandai Airfield and Limboeng Airfields on Celebes Island.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): HQ 308th BG and 374th, 375th and 425th Bombardment Squadrons move from Hsinching and Kwanghan, China to Rupsi, India with B-24s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): In an early morning raid from Guam Island, 3 B-24s bomb the underground storage area and fortifications on Marcus Island in the N Pacific Ocean. At midday 18 B-24s pound Moen Airfield.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 233: During the night of 27/28 Jun, 29 B-29s mine the harbors of Hagi, Kobe, and Niigata. Very long range fighter mission 25: 148 P-51s are dispatched from Iwo Jima, against Kasumigaura, Imba, and Tsukuba Airfields in the Tokyo area but abort because of weather. 20 P-47s from Ie Shima hit shipping and a village on Kikai Island, Japan; AA from vessels downs 2 P-47s; 1 vessel is left aflame; 12 other P-47s hit shipping off Kakeroma Island, while 20 more attack vessels and targets of opportunity throughout the Sakishima Archipelago. During the night of 27/28 Jun, 5 P-61s fly intruder attacks, hitting vessels off Amami Gunto Island and Wan Airfield.

 

[syscom3]

June 28th 1945

JAPAN: HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 487 B-29s fly 4 incendiary missions against secondary cities during the night of 28/29 Jun; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 234: 138 B-29s attack Okayama destroying 2.13 square miles, 63% of the city area; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 235: 141 B-29s hit Sasebo destroying 0.97 square miles, 48% of the city area; 2 other B-29s hit alternate targets. Mission 236: 91 B-29s attack Moji destroying 0.302 square miles, 26.9% of the city area; 3 B-29s hit alternate targets.
Mission 237: 117 B-29s hit Nobeoka destroying 0.52 square miles, 36% of the city area. 39 P-47s from Ie Shima attack shipping at Koniya, Japan with rocket and bombing and hit Tokuno Island with rockets and machinegun fire; 26 more hit targets of opportunity in the Sakishima Archipelago including vessels, docks, an airfield, floatplane, and village.
USN PB4Y-2 Privateers again mine the waters of the Korean Archipelago.

PHILLIPINES: MacArthur announces that US offensive operations on Luzon, Philippine Islands are complete. It has been 5 months and 19 days since the invasion. Operations against the remaining Japanese troops will continue until the end of the war. Most of this fighting will be left to Filipino units. Mindanao is the only other island of the Phillipines with significant bodies of Japanese capable of organized resistance.
On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit troop concentrations in the Kiangan area while supporting ground forces and attack Japanese concentrations and positions between Ipo and Infanta.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s pound installations in the Manggar area while B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit defenses near Balikpapan; the P-38s also skipbomb oil storage and other B-24s hit runways at Tabanio and Oelin. On Celebes Island, B-24s bomb the airfields at Limboeng and Langoan.
During the night, the bombardment flotilla for the Balikpapen, Borneo invasion is attacked by five to seven land-based Japanese torpedo bombers but they score no hits and three aircraft are shot down.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s and 4 P-51s bomb the town of Changsha, a troop concentration and supply area, and blast truck convoys and ammunition trains in the Yoyang area; 28 P-51s hit a communications center S of Puchou, knock out bridges near Kiehsiu and Neikiuhsien, bomb gun emplacements and defensive positions SE of Hsihsiakou, and attack railroad traffic and damage a road bridge in the Suchow and Yoyang areas.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The detachment of the 427th Night Fighter Squadron, Tenth AF, operating from Kunming, China with P-61s, returns to base at Dinjan, India.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island bomb fuel storage on Marcus Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s strike a butanol plant at Keishu, Formosa. Unit moves: HQ 35th FG from Clark Field to Okinawa; 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, from Tanauan, Leyte Island to Clark Field, Luzon with C-46s and C-47s.

 

[syscom3]

June 29th 1945

USA: President Truman approves the invasion plans for the invasion of Japan. These plans provide for landings in southern Kyushu on November 1, 1945 to be followed by landings on Honshu near Tokyo on March 1, 1946. The first landings will utilize troops already in the Pacific Theater. The 2nd landings will include forces transferred from Europe. British and other Allied forces are included.

JAPAN: HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown during the night of 29/30 Jun. Mission 238: 32 B-29s drop 209 tons of bombs on the Nippon Oil Company refinery at Kudamatsu, Japan without loss. Mission 239: 25 B-29s mine the W Shimonoseki Strait and waters around Maizuru and Sakata without loss. 34 P-47s from Ie Shima hit airfields at Kanoya and Kushira with rockets and machinegun fire, and attack shipping while returning, claiming 7 small vessels sunk.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Kiangan area and in the Cervantes sector.

NEI: In Borneo, continuing the offensive against Balikpapan, B-24s, B-25s, and fighter- bombers bomb defensive positions and oil installations; other B-24s bomb Ft Brook and Oelin Airfields.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 15 B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out a bridge at Chungmow and damage another; 18 P-51s attack troop concentrations, gun emplacements, villages, bridges, and targets of opportunity around Hsihsiakou, Yutze, Anyang, Puchou, and Szeshuiand and knock out a bridge at Szeshui.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 427th Night Fighter Squadron, Tenth AF, based at Dinjan, India with P-61s, sends a detachment to operate from Chengkung, China.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the oil refinery at Shinchiku.

 

[syscom3]

June 30th 1945

USA: USA: Washington: Truman appoints James F. Byrnes to succeed Edward Stettinius as secretary of state.
The US Navy now has 67,952 ships and craft and 4,031,097 personnel consisting of 3,383,196 sailors; 476,709 Marines; and 171,192 Coastguardsmen.

JAPAN: HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): The 509th Composite Group, scheduled to deliver the first atomic bomb attack on Japan, begins combat flight training from Tinian; for most crews, this involves 5 or 6 practice missions such as a navigation training flight to Iwo Jima bombing Rota during the return flight, 2 or more short bombing missions against Rota or Guguan. 1 long bombing mission against Truk Atoll, and 1 against Marcus Island, all run in flights of from 2 to 9 B-29s.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Cervantes sector, N of Baguio and pound gun positions and other targets in the Kiangan area as the Luzon campaign officially ends at 2400 hours local.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s again pound Balikpapan and B-25s pound targets in NE Borneo and cause considerable damage at Tawau and Tandjoengredeb.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater): HQ AAF, China Theater is established by a General Order from HQ, US Forces, China Theater. Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer is appointed Commanding General; subordinate elements are the Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces, China Air Service Command, and the 8th Reconnaissance Group.
Chungchin falls to Chinese forces, which advance into Indochina.

Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 2 B-25s attack a bridge at Lohochai, causing little damage; 4 fighter-bombers pound hill positions and hit an artillery emplacement SW of Hsihsiakou; 3 others bomb and strafe an enemy- held temple and a troop area at Likuanchiao.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 2 Guam Island-based B-24s attack the boat basin on Marcus Island.


SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: The 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th FG, moves from Clark Field, Luzon to Okinawa with P-51s.

 

[syscom3]

July 1st 1945

USA: In the U.S., New York State establishes the New York State Commission Against Discrimination to prevent discrimination in employment because of race, creed or natural origin; it was the first such agency in the United States.

JAPAN: For the first time since the Doolittle Raid in April 1942, B-25s attack the Japanese home islands; 33 B-25s, operating in two flights from Okinawa, and escorted by USMC F4U Corsairs, bomb Chiran Airfield on Kyushu Island: two others hit Yaku-shima Island in the Osumi Islands.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): During the night of 1/2 Jul, 1 mining and 4 incendiary missions are flown:
Mission 240: 152 B-29s attack the Kure urban area destroying 1.3 square miles, 40% of the city; 2 other B-29s hit alternate targets.
Mission 241: 154 B-29s hit the Kumamato urban area destroying 1.0 square mile, 20% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 242: 100 B-29s bomb the Ube urban area destroying 0.42 square miles, 23% of the city. Mission 243: 126 B-29s attack the Shimonoseki urban area destroying 0.51 square miles, 36% of the city; 5 other B-29s hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 244: 24 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the waters at Nanao and Fushiki.
148 Iwo Jima based P-51s are dispatched to hit airfields in the Nagoya area (Kasumigaura, Itami, Hamamatsu, and Nagano); they claim 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-7 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost.
KOREA: USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa conclude their mining operations off the Korean Archipelago.

PACIFIC: The USN's Task Force 38 sorties from Leyte, Philippine Islands, for the attacks on the Japanese home islands. The eight aircraft carriers and six light aircraft carriers of TF 38 are:
Task Group 38.1
USS Belleau Wood with Light Carrier Air Group Thirty One (CVLG-31)
USS Bennington with Carrier Air Group One (CVG-1)
USS Hancock with CVG-6
USS Lexington with CVG-94
USS San Jacinto with CVLG-49
Task Group 38.3
USS Bataan with CVLG-47)
USS Essex with CVG-83
USS Monterey with CVLG-34
USS Randolph with CVG-16
Task Group 38.4
USS Bon Homme Richard Night Carrier Air Group Ninety One. CAG was Cdr. HM Avery, VF(N)-91 commanded by Lt Cdr A Minvielle. and VT(N)-91 under Lt Cdr RH Smith. USS Cowpens with CVLG-50
USS Independence with CVLG-27
USS Shangri-La with CVG-85
USS Yorktown with CVG-88


NEI: The reinforced 7th Australian Division, General Milford, land at Balikpapan, Borneo. Naval support is from the TF commanded by Admiral Barbey.
Amplifying the above:
USN Task Group 78.2 lands the 7 Australian Division (Reinforced) (less one brigade) at Balikpapaen, Borneo. The landing is proceeded by a 40-minute preinvasion strike by 83 USAAF B-24s and naval gunfire. A B-25 Mitchell lays a last minute smoke screen to conceal the landing craft. Once the troops are ashore, air support is provided by USAAF B-25s and P-38s and carrier-based aircraft of Task Group 78.4 consisting of the escort aircraft carriers USS Block Island with Marine Carrier Air Group One, USS Gilbert Islands with MCVG-2 and USS Suwanee with Escort Carrier Air Group Forty. This is the last major amphibious operation of World War II.
In Borneo, B-24s pound defenses at Balikpapan as Australian forces make amphibious landings; and B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit airfields at Oelin, Tabanio, and Trombol, and bomb the Tawau area. B-24s hit Limboeng Airfield and Mandai Airfield.

PHILLIPINES: Fighter-bombers hit troops and gun positions in the Kayan-Tadian area on Luzon, Philippine Islands.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): 2 B-24s from Guam Island, Mariana Islands, bomb the building concentration on Marcus Island in the N Pacific. 33 B-25s, operating in two flights from Okinawa bomb Chiran Airfield. 2 others hit Yaku-shima Island in the Osumi Islands. During Jul, HQ VII Bomber Command moves from Saipan Island, Mariana Island to Okinawa. The 9th Troop Carrier Squadron, Seventh AF, moves from Saipan Island to Guam Island with C-47s.

Fourteenth Air Force: In China, a few B-25s bomb a bridge and ferry terminal at Chungmow and near Kaifeng and 4 escorting P-47s strafe Kaifeng Airfield and locomotives in the area; 4 other P-47s bomb the railroad yards at Yuhsiang and 4 P-51s knock out a bridge E of Kiehsiu; on this date Chinese forces capture Liuchow.

 

[syscom3]

July 2nd 1945

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s bomb defenses in the Balikpapan area, P-38s support Australian forces as they complete the capture of Balikpapan and its oil installations and B-25s hit the Bintula personnel area.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit resistance pockets near Kiangan and supply areas in the Cervantes sector.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island attack a radar installation on Marcus Island. Unit moves to Okinawa: HQ 11th BG and 26th, 98th and 431st Bombardment Squadrons from Guam with B-24s; HQ 319th BG and 437th, 439th and 440th Bombardment Squadrons to Kadena from the US with A-26s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 245: During the night of 2/3 Jul, 39 B-29s bomb an oil refinery at Minoshima; 1 other hits alternate targets.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 28 P-51s hit rail, river, and road traffic, bridge, and buildings around Hengyang, Hankow, and Yoyang, attack a bivouac area and HQ E of Changsha, and bomb a troop concentration and buildings at Yangan. The fighter-bombers pound HQ, buildings, a fortified compound, barracks, general targets of opportunity around Tartin, and a troop concentration near Sichuan.

FORMOSA: B-24s pound Toyohara Airfield on Formosa.

UK: London: Admiral Mountbatten is ordered to launch Operation Zipper, the liberation of Malaya in August.

 

[syscom3]

July 3rd 1945 43,864

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers hit resistance areas in the Mankayan and Kiangan sectors.

NEI: Sepinggan airfield on Borneo falls to the 7th Australian Division. On Celebes Island, B-24s bomb runways at Mandai Airifled and Limboeng airfields. In Borneo, B-24s pound Batu Kawa airstrip SE of Kuching and defensive positions near Balikpapan in support of the Australian drive inland.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): 2 B-24s from Guam Island attack water storage buildings
on Marcus. 36 B-25s from Okinawa, attacking in two flights, hit Chiran Airfield. The 438th Bombardment Squadron, 319th BG, arrives at Kadena, Okinawa from the US with A-26s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 509 B-29s participate in 1 mining and 4 incendiary missions during the night of 3/4 Jul; 3 B-29s are lost:
Mission 246: 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters at Funakawa and Maizuru during the predawn hours of the 4th; 2 other B-29s mine alternate targets.
Mission 247: 116 B-29s attack the Takamatsu urban area destroying 1.4 sq mi, 78% of the city; 3 other hit alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost.
Mission 248: 125 B-29s hit the Kochi urban area destroying 0.92 sq mi, 48% of the city; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 249: 106 B-29s attack Himeji urban area destroying 1.216 sq mi, 63.3% of the city.
Mission 250: 129 B-29s hit the Tokushima urban area destroying 1.7 sq mi, 74% of the city; 2 B-29s attack alternate targets.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 3 B-25s knock out a bridge near Suicheng while 2 P-47 escorts hit nearby AA positions; 70+ P-51s and P-47s continue to disrupt the Japanese withdrawal, attacking transport, supply, and communications targets, troops, bridges and Japanese-held points; the targets are near Hengyang, Paoching, Kueiyangshih, Changsha, Kweilin, Lingling, Kukong, Hankow, Siangtan, Isuho, Chiuchiang, Fahsien, Tanchuk, Lohochai, and the Luichow Peninsula. The fighter bombers also hit shipping, a cement plant, an airfield, and barracks area near Haiphong, French Indochina.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): The air echelon of the XX Bomber Command, including Brigadier General Joseph Smith, Commanding General, sets sails from India for Okinawa; the rest of the command sails in 2 lots, on 12 Jul and 4 Aug, leaving only a few small detachments in the India-Burma area. [The 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) earlier sailed to the Marianas on 27 Feb].

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Fifth AF fighters fly their first mission over Japan, P-51s destroying floatplanes in the Fukuoka harbor area on Kyushu. The 868th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), Thirteenth AF, moves from Morotai Island to Leyte Island with B-24s (the squadron specializes in low-level night attacks and pathfinder missions).

 

[syscom3]

July 4th 1945

NEI: On Borneo, B-24s again pound defenses near Balikpapan and B-25s bomb Sibuti. On Celebes Island, B-24s pound the Donggala seaplane base and runways at Boeloedowang and Limboeng Airfields.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Cagayan Valley and others attack Batan Island.

JAPAN: [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: P-51s fly a massive sweep along the W coast of Kyushu Island, Japan.
General Spaatz will command the US Strategic Air Force against Japan. General Carl A. Spaatz is selected to command the US Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF) when it is activated in mid-July.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): To celebrate the 4th of July, 8 B-24s radar-bomb the Kataoka naval base on Shimushu with napalm.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island attack AA installations on the SW corner of Marcus.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 159 Iwo Jima based P-51s attack the Yokosuka naval base, and airfields in the Tokyo area (Imba, Tsukuba, and Kasumigaura); they claim 9-25 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) A group of officers arrives at Chungking Airfield to organize HQ, AAF China Theater.

Fourteenth Air Force: 30 P-51s and P-38s over French Indochina and S and E China attack docks and shipping at Haiphong, Red River shipping between Hanoi and Hung Yen, French Indochina, small craft between Mon Cay, French Indochina and Pakhoi, China, between Hongay and Pai-lung Wei Cape, and between Pai-lung Wei Cape and Umpo, China; the fighter-bombers also hit road traffic on the Luichow Peninsula and sampans E of Tanchuk, China.

 

[syscom3]

July 5th 1945

PACIFIC: General Douglas MacArthur declares that the Philippine Islands have been completely liberated.

UK: Today is election day in Britain. The results of this first postwar election will not be available until July 26 so that the votes of soldiers overseas may be counted.

PHILLIPINES: Fighter-bombers fly nearly 100 sorties in support of ground forces in the Kiangan area on Luzon.

NEI: In Borneo, B-24s bomb Manggar and Riko and Australian troops cross Balikpapan Bay and land on the W shore.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): 46 B-24s and 24 B-25s all from Okinawa bomb Omura Airfield and 2 towns in the Omura-Nagasaki area, Japan.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 100 P-51s, based on Iwo Jima, strike airfields in the Tokyo area (Ibaraki, Yatabe, Yawatasaki Cape, and Maruta); they claim 5-11 aircraft on the ground.

Fourteenth Air Force: 8 B-25s sink several sampans and junks at Haiphong, French Indochina and damage several larger vessels. 2 B-25s and 2 P-47s knock out a bridge S of Chumatien, China. 37 P-51s over French Indochina and S and E China blast shipping in the Hongay and Haiphong, French Indochina area, and in China, pound docks and small vessels at Chikhom, knock out a bridge at Chumatien, blast a barracks area at Anyang, and hit river and rail traffic around Tanchuk and Chenghsien.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Toshien, Takao, Toyohara and the nearby Kamioka supply area, and Taihoku Airfield. P-51s sweeping Kyushu Island, Japan strafe targets of opportunity and down several aircraft.

 

[syscom3]

July 6th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers continue to support ground forces N of Kiangan and bomb the town of Mankayan.

NEI: B-24s over Borneo bomb Bandjermasin warehouses, Tandjoengredeb buildings, Samarinda shipyards, and the Balikpapan and Manggar areas.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Taking off during the late evening hours of 6 Jul, 517 B-29s make four incendiary and 1 HE attacks between 0700 and 0800 hours local on 7 Jul; 1 B-29 is lost: Mission 251: 124 B-29s attack the Chiba urban area destroying 0.86 sq miles, 43.4% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 252: 123 B-29s hit the Akashi urban area destroying 0.81 sq miles, 57.0% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 253: 133 B-29s attack the Shimizu urban area destroying 0.71 sq miles, 50% of the city; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 254: 131 B-29s hit the Kofu urban area destroying 1.3 sq miles, 65% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 255: 59 B-29s drop 500-pound bombs on the Maruzen Oil Refinery at Wakayama; 1 other hits an alternate target. 110 Iwo Jima-based P-51s attack airfields in the Tokyo area (Kumagaya, Yamagata, and Chiba); they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 6-25 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer officially assumes command as Commanding General AAF China Theater; he will arrive in China several days later.

Fourteenth Air Force: 98 P-51s and P-38s over French Indochina and S and E China continue to disrupt the Japanese retreat and hit transport and supply targets; rail, road, and river traffic, coastal shipping, bridges, troops, Japanese-held areas, and general targets of opportunity are blasted at many locations chiefly around Kweilin, Kukong, and Yangso, China, and Haiphong, and Hanoi, French Indochina.
On this date Major General Claire L Chennault, Commanding General Fourteenth AF, requests permission to retire, which is soon granted.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In Formosa, B-24s bomb Heito, Ryutan, and Taien Airfields and A-26s pound the Taito railroad yards. Okinawa-based P-51s hit transportation targets in the Kagoshima Bay area of Japan.