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

[syscom3]

July 7th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers strike at remnants of the Japanese army in the Laguna de Bay and Marikina areas and fighter-bombers also hit areas of resistance near Kiangan, Penablanca, and Mankayan.

NEI: B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s support Australian ground forces in the area near Balikpapan, Borneo.

USA: U.S. President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of State James F. Byrnes and Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy depart the U.S. in the heavy cruiser USS Augusta for Antwerp, Belgium. This is the first leg of their journey to the Potsdam Conference with British and Russian leaders.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 100+ P-51s dispatched from Iwo Jima to hit airfields in the Tokyo area abort due to bad weather. HQ XX Bomber Command arrives at Sakugawa, Okinawa from India; HQ 414th Fighter Group and 413th, 437th, and 456th Fighter Squadrons arrive at North Field, from the US with P-47s (first mission is 13 Jul).

Fourteenth Air Force: 80+ P-51s and P-38s over French Indochina and S and E China continue to disrupt the Japanese withdrawal, pounding numerous communications and transport targets and general targets of opportunity particularly in the Yangso, Kweilin, and Fenstun areas.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Matsuyama and Taihoku Airfields in force.

 

[syscom3]

July 8th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, P-38s and P-51s supporting ground operations hit supply and personnel areas near Kiangan and Penablanca.

NEI: On Borneo, B-24s and B-25s, supporting Australian forces, hit the Balikpapan area defensive positions, Samarinda shipyards, various targets along the Samarinda road, and warehouses at Tandjung. B-24s [including some of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)] bomb warehouses at Donggala on Celebes Island.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 fighter groups (100+) P-51s from Iwo Jima pound airfields and other targets at Hyakuri, Chofu, Tokorozawa, and Yachimata, Japan; 5 aircraft are claimed downed and at least 25 destroyed on the ground; 8 P-51s are lost.

Fourteenth Air Force: 6 B-25s and 4 P-47s severely damage a bridge N of Sinsiang and hit nearby trains. 60+ P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s pound river shipping, rail traffic, supplies, and troops at Haiphong, Do Son, and Tourane, French Indochina and at numerous locations in S and E China.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Shinchiku Airfield, B-25s start fires at the Getsubi alcohol plant and on Koto Island, and P-38s attack oil production area at Gyuni Kuki. The 69th and 311th Fighter Squadrons, 58th FG, move from Porac to Okinawa with P-47s.

 

[syscom3]

July 9th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, P-38s and P-51s fly ground support in the Iguig area of the Cagayan River Valley and hit Sabangan.

NEI: On Borneo, B-24s and P-38s supporting Australian forces, hit Japanese forces in areas near Balikpapan, Manggar, and Sepinggang; (Australian and Dutch forces complete the encirclement of Balikpapan Bay); other B-24s hit the Samarinda shipyards; and B-25s in support of operations in the Brunei Bay area bomb a Japanese-occupied area E of Beaufort.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): 43 B-24s from Okinawa bomb Omura Airfield, Kyushu, Japan (1 other bombs the airfield on Kikaiga-shima, Amami Islands, Ryukyu Islands) and 50+ Okinawa-based B-25s hit Tokuno Airfield on Tokuno Shima, Amami.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): During the night of 9/10 Jul, 1 mining, 1 bombing and 4 incendiary missions are flown against Japan; 3 B-29s are lost:
Mission 256: 29 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the waters at Niigata and Nanao; 1 other mines other targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 257: 123 B-29s attack the Senai urban area destroying 1.22 sq mi, 27% of the city area; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 258: 115 B-29s attack the Sakai urban area destroying 1.02 sq mi, 44% of the city area; 3 other B-29s hit alternate targets.
Mission 259: 108 B-29s hit the Wakayama urban area destroying 2.1 sq mi, 52.5% of the city area.
Mission 260: 129 B-29s attack Gifu urban area destroying 1.93 sq mi, 74% of the city area; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 261: 61 B-29s attack the Utsube Oil Refinery at Yokkaichi with poor results; 1 hits an alternate target.
102 Iwo Jima based P-51s hit airfields at Itami, Hamamatsu, Aichi, and Washinomiya, claiming 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 15-5 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost.

Tenth Air Force: The 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Reconnaissance Group, moves from Nagaghuli to Dergaon, India with F-6s.

Fourteenth Air Force: 5 B-25s knock out 2 bridges in the Sinantien area; 14 P-51s and P-38s knock out bridges near Hengyang and Sinshih, damage a bridge near Chihsien, and attack shipping and railroad targets of opportunity around Hankow, Lukou, and Sinshih, China, and Dong Hoi, French Indochina. The detachment of the 1st Combat Cargo Squadron, Fourteenth AF, operating from Liangshan returns to base at Hsinching with C-47s.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Nearly 50 P-51s are weathered out of a Kyushu, Japan sweep from Okinawa. On Formosa, B-24s bomb Okaseki, Toyohara, and Takao Airfields and A-26s attack Karenko. Unit moves: HQ 348th FG and 340th Fighter Squadron from Floridablanca to Ie Shima with P-51s; ground echelon of 25th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Reconnaissance Group, from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Okinawa (air echelon is at Clark Field, Luzon with F-5s); 310th Fighter Squadron, 58th FG, from Porac to Okinawa with P-47s; 418th Night Fighter Squadron, V Fighter Command [attached to 308th Bombardment Wing (Heavy)] from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Okinawa with P-61s.

 

[Bernhart]

didn't realize dutch had land forces fighting late in the war. will have to do some research on that, or can any of our dutch friends fill me in?

 

[Wildcat]

didn't realize dutch had land forces fighting late in the war. will have to do some research on that, or can any of our dutch friends fill me in?

AFAIK a single Dutch rifle company took part in the Balikpapan invasion, and don't forget that Dutch airmen had been flying mission's out of Australia and later New Guineafrom 1942 right to the end.

 

[syscom3]

Between the fall of Okinawa and the end of the war, the following locations still had brutal battles on the land.

1) ANZAC forces still fighting in the Solomons and New Guinea
2) Allied (Mostly British and Indian) forces fighting in Burma and China
3) Aussie forces fighting on Borneo
4) US forces in the PI still mopping up.

 

[Bernhart]

i knew about the airmen, Ibelieve on european front there was a fighter sqadron and a bomber one. Where the dutch east indian soldiers ones who made it to Australia, or liberated from Holland? 2 of my uncles fought in the idependence war after, and I have seen records that show them in a Dutch army regiment that was attached to the Canadian army in march 45, Makes me wonder if they might have been part of the east indian one too? Can't ask them as they are both gone now and they really didn't discuss thier army exploits alot.

 

[syscom3]

Wildcat, I suspect that most of the Dutch infantryman that had been stationed in the NEI prior to the war, were either dead or captured. Not many would have been around in the summer of 1945.

 

[Wildcat]

G'day Sys, I just came across this link which should answer some questions - 400 years Netherlands-Australia: Allies: Operations: The Royal Netherlands Indies Army. I was aware of the Dutch participation at Balikpapan, but had totally forgotten about the guys attached to the Merauke forces.

 

[Wildcat]

Here's another link that may be of interest to you guys -
Australian War Memorial - Allies in adversity, Australia and the Dutch in the Pacific War

 

[syscom3]

July 10th 1945

JAPAN: In Japan, the USN's Task Force 38, consisting of eight aircraft carriers and six light aircraft carriers under Vice Admiral John S. McCain, launches carrier-based aircraft to attack airfields around Tokyo. Fighter-bombers locate and destroy an estimated 100 degassed aircraft dispersed at sites no closer than 10 miles from any airfield. (The Japanese have decided to hoard their aircraft preparing for the Allied invasion which they believe will occur in October 1945.)

Passing through frontal weather during the night and preceded by a submarine sweep on the look out for enemy picket boats and with air barriers formed by patrol aircraft to prevent snooping, Task Force 38 arrived undetected at a point 140 miles SE of Honshu at 0400 on 10th July. As anticipated, the weather cleared sufficiently to allow strikes to be launched. The primary targets for the day's strikes were airfields and aircraft mainly in the Tokyo area, but extending from Koriyama in the north to Hamamatsu in the southwest. No airborne opposition was met. Only 13 airborne aircraft were seen, all of which avoided contact. Around the Task Force, only 3 enemy aircraft were sighted, 2 of which were shot down by the CAP and the 3rd was chased away before making contact.
The air defense of the Task Force was organized to counteract any possible suicide attacks. The method was similar to those used off Okinawa except that sufficient destroyers were available to establish 3 destroyer picket stations - 2 "Tomcat" stations consisting of one division of destroyers each, placed on bearing clear of the probable approach path of enemy aircraft and a further destroyer division called "Watchdog" on the mean = of the target bearing line - all 40 to 50 miles from the Task Force Guide. All aircraft returned to the Task Force via the Tomcat positions (one DD in each division being fitted with YE or YG homing beacons) and were inspected visually before being allowed to proceed towards the approach sector to the Task Force. The Watchdog was primarily a fighter direction base, one of whose destroyers was one the long hull 2200 ton class DDs fitted with SP radar which allowed accurate height finding on aircraft at much longer ranges from the Task Force. E
ach Task Group maintained a CAP of 32 fighters, 24 of them at various heights over the Task Group and 8 fighters over either the Tomcats or the Watchdog.
Pilots returned with reports that few aircraft could be seen on the ground and that those that were seen were mainly well dispersed and camouflaged. Photographs of airfields were available within 2 hours after the camera planes landed, showing that large numbers of aircraft were present, but most of them ingeniously dispersed in fields woods and villages, some of them as much as 3 miles from their parent field. A total of 1500 aircraft were counted on photographs of 61 airfields. Altogether, 69 airfields were attacked; 109 aircraft were destroyed on the ground and 231 damaged. Air facilities and industrial targets were also attacked. 1303 strike sorties were flown and 425 CAP. 450 tons of bombs and 1648 HVAR were expended on strikes. Combat losses in aircraft were 7 VF/VBF and 6 VT. Operational losses were 4 VF and 2 VT. There were no VB losses. Crew losses were 4 VF/VBF pilots, 3 VT pilots, and 6 VT crewmen.

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, P-38s and P-51s support ground action in the N Cagayan Valley and hit enemy pockets E of Manila.

NEI: B-24s hit the town of Muarakaman and airfield at Tabanio, Borneo while P-38s strafe numerous targets of opportunity in SE Borneo. B-24s bomb the warehouse area at Donggala on Celebes Island.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-24s fly a search down the W coasts of Paramushiru and Shimushu and then radar-bomb Minami Zaki on Shimushu. 1 B-24 flies a radar-ferret mission over the N Kurile Islands.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): During the night of 10/11 Jul, 1 B-24 from Okinawa bombs Karasehara Airfield, Japan; 43 other Okinawa-based B-24s bomb Wan and Sateku Airfields on Kikaiga-shima, Amami Islands; 50+ B-25s bomb Wan Airfield and Saha-Saki on Nakano Shima, Ryukyu Islands, and Kurume, Kyushu, Japan.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 102 P-51s, based on Iwo Jima attack Hashin, Nishinomiya, Sano, and Tokushima, Japan mostly hitting airfields; 3 P-51s are lost.

Fourteenth Air Force: 14 B-25s bomb the town of Dong Anh and the railroad shops at Phu Lang Thuong, French Indochina, and truck convoys moving through the Siang Chiang Valley, China. In China, 22 P-51s and P-38s bomb warehouses at Wuchang, hit railroad targets of opportunity near Yoyang, strafe 3 railroad stations N of Chuanhsien, bomb buildings N of Kanchou, knock out a bridge approach S of Chuting, damage a bridge near Hengyang, and hit targets of opportunity at Weichow Island, Laohokow, China, and Tourane, French Indochina. The 71st Liaison Squadron, Fourteenth AF, begins a movement from Piardoba, India to Kunming, China with UC-64s, L-1s, L-4s and L-5s.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Tainan Airfield, destroying several planes, and bomb warehouses at Takao. Bad weather again prevents fighter sweep from Okinawa over Kyushu, Japan. HQ 58th FG moves from Porac to Okinawa.

 

[syscom3]

July 11th 1945

USA: In the U.S., Admiral H. Kent Hewitt concludes his "investigation of facts pertinent to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor." The report, consisting of 1,342 pages, is forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy. Admiral Kimmel is still faulted for the attack.

NEI: B-25s and P-38s pound highway targets in the Balikpapan area.

PHILLIPINES: B-25s and fighter-bombers pound troop concentrations and defenses in the Cagayan Valley on Luzon Island and B-24s pound troop concentrations on Negros Island

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): 5 B-24s radar-bomb Kataoka on Shimushu and 4 B-25s fly a shipping sweep and bomb a Otomae Wan fishery, scoring hits among the buildings.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA: During the night of 11/12 Jul, 2 B-24s from Okinawa attack Byu and Miyazaki Airfields, Kyushu, Japan. P-51s sweep Kyushu, Japan. B-24s bomb Shinchiku Airfield.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 262: During the night of 11/12 Jul, 25 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters at Miyazu, Maizuru, Obama Island and, in the first B-29 operation to Korea, 2 mine Pusan and Najin.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 25 P-51s and P-40s attack bridges, troops, gun positions, rail traffic, rivercraft, coastal shipping, and various scattered targets at or near Nanchang, Kweiyi, Puchi, Tanchuk, and the Luichow Peninsula.

ZONE OF INTERIOR (Second Air Force): The 4th Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range, Photographic), 311th Photographic Wing (attached to 6th Reconnaissance Group), moves from Hollandia, New Guinea to Tacloban, Leyte with F-7s (the squadron is mapping areas of the SW and W Pacific).

 

[syscom3]

July 12th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers hit pillboxes E of Iguig, attack concentrations in the Bontoc-Kiangan area, and support ground forces E of Manila (the town of Kiangan falls to the 6th Infantry Division, but resistance in the area continues). B-24s over Negros Island in support of ground forces bomb a concentration NE of Mount Mandalagan.

NEI: B-24s destroy a barrack area at Tandjung, Borneo and others hit warehouses at Donggala, Celebes Island. Australian troops invade near Andus, Borneo.

JAPAN: Japanese Emperor Hirohito directs Prince Konoye to head a mission to the USSR for peace negotiations.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-25s on a shipping sweep bomb and strafe a freighter; 1 B-25 is lost killing the crew.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): HQ Seventh AF on Okinawa is declared open by a General Order on this date. 47 B-24s from Okinawa, failing to bomb the primary target, Tsuiki, Japan because of clouds, attack the airfield on Kikaiga-shima, Amami Islands. 2 Okinawa-based B-24s bomb Byu and Miyazaki Airfields, Kyushu during the night. 50+ B-25s bomb Kanoya Airfield and the town of Aburatsu on Kyushu and Tokuno airfield on Tokuno Shima, Amami Islands. Chiran Airfield is pounded by 70 B-25s and A-26s (this is the first strike against Japan by Seventh AF A-26s); 2 more A-26s hit the Ibusuki seaplane station.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): During the night of 12/13 Jul, 1 bombing and 4 incendiary missions are flown; 3 B-29s are lost.
Mission 263: 115 B-29s attack the Utsunomiya urban area destroying 0.94 sq mi, 34.2% of the city; 5 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 264: 123 B-29s hit the Ichinomiya urban area destroying 0.01 sq mi, 0.8% of the city area; 2 others hit alternate targets. Mission 265: 92 B-29s attack the Tsuruga urban area destroying 0.77 sq mi (2 sq km), 68% of the city; 2 others hit alternate targets.
Mission 266: 123 B-29s hit the Uwajima urban area destroying 0.14 sq mi,14% of the city; 1 other hits an alternate target.
Mission 267: 53 B-29s attack the Kawasaki Petroleum Center destroying about 25% of the target; 2 B-29s are lost, 1 between Guam and Tinian.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 3 B-25s blast supply convoys moving through the Siang Chiang Valley; 43 P-51s and P-38s attack bridges, rivercraft, barracks road traffic, and coastal shipping around Changsha, Hsinching, the Luichow Peninsula and Nanchang and in French Indochina, Hamrong, the Tonkin area, and Cao Bang. 2 bridges are knocked out and others damaged, airfields are strafed at Vinh, French Indochina and Kiungshan, China.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: P-51s sweep Kyushu, Japan. B-24s bomb Canton, China. On Formosa, B-24s bomb Toshien while A-26s hit numerous targets at Tamazato and P-51s hit targets along the W coast. The 341st, 342d and 460th Fighter Squadrons, 348th FG, move from Floridablanca to Ie Shima with P-51s.

 

[syscom3]

July 13th 1945

PACIFIC: Italy declares war on Japan.

ALEUTIONS: In the Aleutian Islands, the USN's Task Force 93 under Rear Admiral John H. Brown, Jr., composed of the light cruisers USS Concord and USS Richmond and five destroyers, commences an antishipping sweep off the Kurile Islands.

PHILLIPINES: B-24s bomb concentrations NE of Mount Mandalagan on Negros Island. On Luzon, B-25s and fighter-bombers hit the Kiangan area, attack Japanese pockets E of Iguig and N of Tuguegarao, pound pillboxes, ammunition dumps, and vehicles in the Cervantes sector, and blast hostile areas near Siniloan, NE of Laguna de Bay.
In the Philippines, the USN's Task Force 95 under Rear Admiral Francis S. Low, composed of the large cruiser USS Alaska and USS Guam, four light cruisers and nine destroyers, sorties from Leyte Gulf to conduct an antishipping sweep in the East China Sea.

NEI: P-38s attack gun entrenchments in the Miri area of Borneo. P-38s on a sweep over SW Celebes Island hit vehicles and communications targets.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 268: During the night of 13/14 Jul, 30 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters at Fukuoka, and ports at Seishin, Masan, and Reisui.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 14 B-25s and 12 P-51s attack bridges, railroad yards, AA guns, and targets of opportunity at Anyang and Puchi, China, and Do Cam, French Indochina. 33 P-51s and P-38s attack river shipping, buildings, road traffic, rail targets, and general targets of opportunity around Trung Khanh Phu, Tonkin, the Delta area, Cao Bang and Thanh Hoa, French Indochina and Wangypan, the Luichow Peninsula, Pinglo, Changsha, and Wuchou, China. The 449th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, moves from Chengkung to Mengtsz, China with P-38s.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb storage areas at Canton, China. On Formosa, B-24s bomb boatyards and buildings at Suo while A-26s hit the Karenko railroad yards.

 

[syscom3]

July 14th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Mankayan and Kiangan areas and hit enemy positions in the Ipo-Infanta sector. B-24s support ground forces on Negros Island, bombing the area NE of Mount Mandalagan.

JAPAN: In Japan, carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Force 38 against airfields in northern Honshu and Hokkaido are cancelled after 1300 hours due to poor visibility. The earlier strikes hit shipping, rail lines and ground installations in those areas.
Japanese aircraft losses are: 1 A/C shot down; 1 damaged in air combat; 24 a/c destroyed on the ground; 62 a/c damaged on the ground.
Japanese shipping losses are:
Sunk: 1 Escort Destroyer, 3 Corvettes, 1 Submarine Chaser, 1 Minesweeper, 4 Auxiliary Minesweepers, 5 Guaddboats, 1 Gunboat, 1 Transport, 1 Army Vessel, 12 Merchant Cargo Vessels, 7 Train Ferries, and 8 luggers.
Damaged: 1 Destroyer, 2 Corvettes, 1 Frigate, 2 Submarne Chasers, 1 Ausiliary Submarine Chaser, 2 Ausiliary Minesweepers, 1 Guardboat, 3 Army Vessels, 3 Train Ferries, 15 Merchant Cargo Vessels, 2 Merchant ankers, 1 Dredger, and 2 luggers.
US A/C losses: Combat: VF/VBF - 6; VT = 4; VB=6; Total = 16
Operational: VF/VBF = 6; VT = 2; VB = 3; Total = 11; Aircrew: VF/VBF = 4 Pilots, VT = 2 Pilots 4 Crew; VB = 4 Pilots, 4 Crew.
The USN's Task Unit 34.8.1 under Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth, composed of three battleships, two heavy cruisers and nine destroyers, bombard Kamaishi on the Home Island of Honshu. This is the first naval bombardment of the Japanese home islands.

NEI: On Celebes Island, B-24s bomb airstrips at Boeloedowang, Limboeng, Mapanget, and Tanamon and Japanese HQ at Sindjai.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (Seventh Air Force): HQ Seventh AF moves from Saipan Island to Okinawa and is reassigned from AAF Pacific Ocean Area and overall operational control by the US Navy to FEAF. Seventh AF units in the Ryukyu Islands, operating under Tactical AF, Ryukyus (Tenth Army Tactical AF) since Apr 45 when the first element of the Seventh AF arrived, are now under operational control of HQ Seventh AF. The move from Saipan takes place between 18 Jun and 28 Jul.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): P-51s from Iwo Jima sent on a strike against Meiji and Kagamigahara in the Nagoya, Japan area abort because of weather.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 25 P-51s and P-38s bomb or strafe ammunition and supply dumps, river, road, and rail traffic, and coastal shipping around Laohokow, Tinpak, Koyiu and Yutze, China and Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Hongay, Mon Cay and Vinh, French Indochina. On Formosa, A-26s hit the Taiharo refinery and warehouse area and P-51s over the W coast blast railroad targets. P-47s sweep the N China coast and attack coastal cargo vessels NW of Tinghai.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On this date HQ Seventh AF officially joins the Fifth and Thirteenth AFs as part of FEAF. The air echelon of the 25th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Reconnaissance Group, moves from Clark Field, Luzon to Okinawa with F-5s (ground echelon arrived on Okinawa on 9 Jul).

 

[syscom3]

July 15th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon, P-38s and P-51s support ground forces in the N Cayagan Valley, in the Kiangan sector, and in the Cervantes area and B-25s and P-51s bomb defensive positions in the Infanta sector.

JAPAN:
1. The USN's Task Unit 34.8.2 under Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger and composed of three battleships, two light cruisers and eight destroyers bombards steel and iron works at Muroran on the south coast of Hokkaido.
2. Carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Force 38 attack IJN and merchant vessels off Honshu sinking 12 vessels and damaging 12 others.
3. 104 Iwo Jima-based P-51s of the XXI Bomber Command attack airfields and other tactical targets at Meiji, Kagamigahara, Kowa, Akenogahara, Nagoya, and Suzuko, claiming 13-4-20 aircraft in the air and on the ground; three P-51s are lost.
4. 58 Far East Air Forces B-24s hit airfields at Tomitaka and Usa. 25 B-24s pound Kikaiga-shima, Amami Islands, Miranoura on Yaku-shima, Osumi Islands, and an airfield on Tamega Island.
5. During the night of 15/16 July, the USAAF's XXI Bomber Command flies a mining and a bombing mission are flown without loss.
a. Mission 269: 26 B-29 Superfortresses mine waters at Naoetsu and Niigata, and Najin, Pusan, and Wonsan, Korea; one other mines an alternate target.
b. Mission 270: 59 B-29s bomb the Nippon Oil Company at Kudamatsu and the facility is almost completely destroyed; three others hit alternate targets.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Twentieth Air Force): During the night of 15/16 Jul, 1 mining and 1 bombing mission are flown without loss. Mission 269: 26 B-29s mine waters at Naoetsu and Niigata, Japan and Najin, Pusan, and Wonsan, Korea; 1 other mines an alternate target. Mission 270: 59 B-29s bomb the Nippon Oil Company at Kudamatsu and the facility is almost completely destroyed; 3 others hit alternate targets. 104 Iwo Jima based P-51s attack airfields and other tactical targets at Meiji, Kagamigahara, Kowa, Akenogahara, Nagoya, and Suzuko, Japan claiming 13-4-20 aircraft in the air and on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 3 B-25s blast truck convoys moving through the Siang Chiang Valley of China. 39 P-51s and P-47s attack rivercraft, troops, coastal shipping, bridges, railroad yards, gun positions, trains, and other targets around the Luichow Peninsula, Anyang, Yutze, Sinsiang, Fentingtukou, Paoching, Tanchuk and Kweiyi, China, and Pac Muong and Haiphong, French Indochina. B-24s bomb an arms plant at Canton, China. On Formosa, P-51s sweep the W coast, blasting a warehouse and other buildings S of Takao and targets of opportunity on Hoko Island.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The 65th Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Morotai to Dulag with C-46s and C-47s.

 

[syscom3]

July 16th 1945

RUSSIA: Soviet, U.K. and U.S. leaders meet at Potsdam, Germany, to discuss the war with Japan and post-war issues.

USA - At 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time on July 16, 1945 the first Atomic Bomb was exploded at the 'Trinity Site', New Mexico, USA.
"Fat Boy", the experimental plutonium bomb, explodes at 0530 hours local in the first U.S. test of an atomic bomb. The mushroom-shaped cloud rose to a height of 41,000 feet above the New Mexico desert at Alamogordo Air Base. All life in a 1 mile radius had ceased to exist. The bomb was called the "Gadget" and the experiment was called Trinity from a poem by John Donne. The test, conducted in a part of the desert called Jornada del Muerto (Dead Man's Trail), measured the equivalent of 18,600 tons of TNT.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): 2 B-24s fly a negative shipping search mission to Shimushiru Island. 4 B-25s on an enemy shipping sweep deck-level bomb and strafe an enemy freighter; 3 of the bombers then bomb and strafe Torishima Retto, the secondary target.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Twentieth Air Force): HQ Twentieth AF is officially moved from Washington, DC to Harmon Field, Guam Island; HQ XX Bomber Command is inactivated, effective 18 Jul, and HQ and HQ Squadron XXI Bomber Command is redesignated HQ Squadron, Twentieth AF; thus the Bomber Commands are brought to an end as actual establishments and their wings pass to direct control of HQ Twentieth AF of which Major General Curtis Emerson LeMay takes command on this date. During the night of 16/17 Jul, 469 B-29s fly 4 incendiary raids against Japanese cities without loss.
Mission 271: 119 B-29s attack the Namazu urban area destroying 1.4 sq mi, 89.5% of the city.
Mission 272: 124 B-29s hit the Oita urban area destroying 0.555 sq mi, 25.2% of the city.
Mission 273: 94 B-29s attack the Kuwana urban area destroying 0.63 sq mi, 77% of the city; 2 other B-29s hit alternate targets.
Mission 274: 129 B-29s hit the Hiratsuka urban area destroying 1.04 sq mi, 44.2% of the city; 1 other hits an alternate target. During the day, 5 P-47s hit Yanagawa and 96 Iwo Jima based P-51s hit targets (mainly airfields) at Kameyama, Kiyosu, Komaki, Okazaki, Suzuko, and Akenogahara; 22 air victories are claimed; 1 P-51 is lost. HQ 21st Fighter Group moves from Central Field to South Field on Iwo Jima.

PACIFIC: The Royal Navy's Task Force 37 under Vice Admiral Henry B. Rawlings, RN, and composed of a battleship, four aircraft carriers (HMS Formidable, HMS Indefatigable, HMS Implacable and HMS Victorious), eight light cruisers and 18 destroyers, joins the USN's Third Fleet.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 5 B-25s pound enemy truck convoys moving supplies through the Siang-Chiang Valley and S of Kweilin; 60+ P-51s, P-38s, and P-47s continue to hit river, road, and rail traffic, bridges, troops, supplies, and other targets at many points in French Indochina and S and E China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (AAF, India-Burma Theater) Major General Thomas J Hanley, Jr assumes command of AAF, India-Burma Theater.

JAPAN (FEAF): On Kyushu Island, Japan, B-24s, A-26s, B-25s, P-51s and P-47s from Okinawa and Ie Shima pound targets; P-51s hit several E coast targets, concentrating in the Kagoshima Bay area; 27 A-26s, 1 B-24, and 39 P-47s hit the airfield and bridge at Miyazaki; 33 B-24s bomb bridges at Nobeoka; 36 B-25s, a B-24 and an A-26 pound Sadohara bridge; 6 B-24s bomb harbor and town of Aburatsu; and 5 P-47s hit Yanagawa.
FORMOSA (FEAF): On Formosa, P-51s on a sweep attack communications targets, hitting a railroad station and a locomotive shed at Byoritsu and scoring a direct hit on bridge SW of Koryu.

NEI: B-24s bomb warehouses at Watampone on Celebes Island. On Luzon, P-51s and B-25s support ground forces in the Kiangan-Baguio sector and an area E of Manila.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The 64th Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Biak to Dulag with C-47s.

 

[syscom3]

July 17th 1945

RUSSIA: Churchill, Stalin and Truman meet at Potsdam. Under discussion will be plans for dealing with Germany; the war against Japan.

NEI: B-24s bomb Limboeng, Celebes Island barracks and strafe a schooner off SW Celebes. B-25s attack Jesselton Airfield.

JAPAN (FEAF): P-51s over Kyushu and the N Ryukyu Islands attack shipping, severely damaging a 10,000-ton cargo vessel in the harbor on Amami- O-Shima Island and P-47s dive-bomb railroad tunnels NW and SW of Kagoshima, Kyushu.

JAPAN: Carrier-based aircraft of the RN's Task Force 37 and the USN's Task Force 38 attack airfields in the Tokyo area in the morning. Weather forces the cancellation of missions in the afternoon.
The RN battleship HMS King George V and two destroyers are attached to the USN's Task Unit 34.8.2 and the force bombards the Mito-Hitachi area on Honshu.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): The 77th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 28th BG (Composite), flies it's last mission of the war when 4 B-25s make an unsuccessful shipping sweep between Kurabu Zaki and Tomari Zaki; 2 of the B-25s land in the USSR and 11 of the 12 airmen become the last American aircrew interned in the USSR during the war (one airman is KIA). An unsuccessful shipping sweep is flown by 2 B-24s over Shimushiru Island.

Twentieth Air Force: Mission 275: During the night of 17/18 Jul, 27 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters in the Nanao-Fushiki area, at Henashi Cape, Iwase and at Seishin; 1 other B-29 mines an alternate target.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, a single B-25 attacks 3 truck convoys in the Siang Chiang Valley and bombs the area along the river at Hengyang; 70+ P-51s and P-47s continue to disrupt enemy movement in French Indochina and S and E China, attacking bridges, railroad yards, rail, road, and river traffic, airfields, gun positions, and many other targets at various locations, especially around Suichwan, Linfen, and Sinsiang, China.

CHINA (FEAF): In China, nearly 150 B-24s, B-25s, and A-26s pound Chiang Wan Airfield, P-47s attack shipping and warehouses in the Taishan Island area while others hit Tinghai Airfield and B-25s hit Itu Aba Island.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Espiritu Santo to Dulag with C-47s.

44,326

 

[syscom3]

July 18th 1945

JAPAN: carrier-based aircraft of the RN's Task Group 37.2 and the USN's Task Force 38 attack Yokosuka Naval Base and airfields in the Tokyo area; eight ships are sunk and several damaged including the battleship Nagato.
USN Task Group 35.4 composed of four light cruisers and escorting destroyers, bombard Japanese radar sites on Honshu.

WAKE ISLAND: Carrier-based aircraft of Carrier Air Group Eighty Six in USS Wasp attack Japanese installations on Wake Island.

NEI: B-24s bomb Boetoeng and Watampone on Celebes Island; on Borneo, B-25s hit Jesselton and P-38s attack Langkon.

PHILLIPINES: P-38s hit Japanese concentration along the Kibawe trail on Mindanao.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): 2 routine search and weather sorties are flown.

CENTRAL PACIFIC [US Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF)] Headquarters US Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF) is established at Guam in the Mariana Islands under General Carl Spaatz. This new command places the USAAF on an equal footing with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy in the Pacific.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 4 B-25s blast the railroad yards at Dong Anh, French Indochina. 36 P-51s and P-38s hit river traffic, rail targets, coastal shipping, enemy positions, trucks, and other targets around Viet Tri, French Indochina and other areas of French Indochina and near Yoyang, Suichwan, Lingling, Chikhom, Kukong, and Dosing, China.

FEAF: In China, about 150 B-24s, B-25s, and A-26s, covered by 54 P-47s, hit the Shanghai area, airfields at Chiang Wan, Wusung, and Lunghua, Shanghai docks, shipping on the Whangpoo River, and airstrips on Chusan Island.

FEAF: JAPAN: Other P-47s attack various targets of opportunity on Kyushu Island, Japan and P-51s attack communications lines, bridges, shipping, towns, and other targets throughout Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands.

FEAF: FORMOSA: P-38s hit communications and transportation targets throughout the N part of Formosa while B-24s pound the airfield at Matsuyama.

 

[syscom3]

July 19th 1945

USA: The US Congress ratifies the Bretton Woods monetary agreement.

JAPAN: In Japan, carrier-based aircraft of the USN's Task Force 38 damage two IJN aircraft carriers and a battleship.
The USN's Task Group 35.4 again shells Japanese radar installations on Honshu.

CENTRAL PACIFIC [US Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF)] Twentieth Air Force: During the night of 19/20 Jul, 1 mining, 4 incendiary and 1 bombing missions are flown by B-29s against Japan and Korea; 3 B-29s are lost.
Mission 276: 27 B-29s lay mines in the Oyama, Niigata, Miyazu, Maizuru, Tsuruga, Nezugaseki, Obama Island, and Kobe-Osaka areas of Japan and at Wonsan, Korea; 1 B-29s mines an alternate target.
Mission 277: 127 B-29s attack the Fukui urban area destroying 1.6 sq mi, 84.8% of the city; 1 other B-29s hits an alternate target.
Mission 278: 126 B-29s hit the Hitachi urban area destroying 0.88 sq mi, 64.5% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target; 2 B-29s are lost.
Mission 279: 91 B-29s attack the Choshi urban area destroying 0.379 sq mi, 33.8 % of the city.
Mission 280: 126 B-29s hit the Okazaki urban area destroying 0.65 sq mi, 68% of the city; 1 B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 281: 83 B-29s bomb the Nippon oil plant at Amagasaki; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Iwo Jima based P-51s strike airfields, factories, railroads, power lines and other tactical targets at Kagamigahara, Nagoya, Meiji, Izumi, Nishinomiya, and Tambaichi during the day.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 20 B-25s, 16 P-51s, and 4 P-47s blast railroad yards at Shihkiachwang; 7 other B-25s and 2 P-51s hit bridges S of Yoyang and bomb truck convoys in the Siang Chiang Valley, particularly around the Siangtan area. 37 fighter-bombers disrupt enemy movement over wide areas of French Indochina and S and E China, attacking numerous targets of opportunity.

FEAF: JAPAN: In Japan, 90+ P-51s pound numerous targets on sweeps over the Nagoya area and hit airfields, factories, power facilities, and gun positions at locations including Kagamigahara, Nishinomiya, and Osaka.

FEAF: CHINA: B-25s hit Itu Aba Island, China.

FEAF: NEI: In Borneo, P-38s hit a suicide boat hideout at Sandakan while B-25s bomb Jesselton Airfield.

FEAF: PHILLIPINES: P-38s support ground forces, hitting positions along the Kibawe trail on Mindanao.