1943
American
Goes on the
Offensive
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1943
1943 commences with the Japanese having concluded an Imperial Conference between the Army
Chief of Staff, General Hajime Sugiyama, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Osami Nagano, and the
Emperor on the subject of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The two Chiefs of Staff have
come to the Imperial Palace seeking Hirohito’s permission to evacuate surviving troops from the
island, prompting a retreat. Imperial General Headquarter has realized that the continued
reinforcing of Guadalcanal will drain men, materials, aircraft, ships, and resources from the war
effort. Imperial Japanese forces continue to grab territory in an attempt to secure their holding in
the Southwest Pacific. In January 4,000 troops are put ashore at Lae in New Guinea. Later
forces land at Wewak and 1,807 men goes ashore at Kolombangara on New Georgia in the
Central Solomon Islands.
On January 14 President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill meet for ten
days in Casablanca, Morocco, for the first Allied war conference to agree on a plan for victory.
The conference addresses a list of items such as details of tactical procedures, allotment of
resources, and the issues of diplomatic guidelines. The most significant achievement of the
Casablanca Conference is the agreement by the President and the Prime Minister on the policy of
unconditional surrender of the Axis powers.
Also in January Imperial General Headquarters issues an order to Admiral Yamamoto,
Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet and Lieutenant General Imamura, Commander of
the Eighth Area Army, directing a major withdrawal of Japanese forces from Buna at the
trailhead to the Kokoda Track on New Guinea and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the first,
since the start of the War in the Pacific. Imperial General Headquarters orders that operations on
New Guinea to be continued for the purpose to “secure a position of superiority.” Lae, Madang,
Salamaua, and Wewak on New Guinea are to be strengthened or occupied, and the area north of
the Owen Stanley Mountain Range is to be protected so that it could function as a base for
operations aimed at Port Moresby on the southeastern coast of the Papuan Peninsula of the island
of New Guinea.
In May the TRIDENT conference is held in Washington D. C., besides setting the date for the
invasion of France and Italy, the meeting decides to increase aid to China, and to step up the war
against Tokyo by island-hopping through the Central Pacific.
President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin meet at Teheran, Iran, in
October. The Allies decide to try war criminals after the defeat of Germany and Japan. Other
agreements include the decision that China should join the alliance as the fourth major power
and that a postwar organization to keep peace should be established. The latter will be the future
United Nations.
On November 22, the Cairo Conference starts with President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister
Churchill, and Chinese Chiang Kai-shek attending for the first Allied war planning. They
mainly consider postwar planning for China and Burma. The conference ends with plans being
made for offensive operations in Burma that will include larger number of Chinese troops. The
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members also agreed that B-29s will be based in the China-Burma-India Theater for attacks on
the Japanese homeland.
On November 28 the Tehran Conference starts with Roosevelt and Churchill meeting for the first
time with Stalin. As the conference comes to a conclusion the Russian restates their intention to
go to war against Japan once Germany surrenders.
December finds President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill meeting in Cairo with
Generalissimo Chaing Kai-shek for Mountbatten proposed retake of Burma. Then the Second
Cairo Conference, SEXTANT, follows in Cairo with President Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill meeting with President Ismet Inonu of Turkey to discuss participation in the war on the
side of the Allies. On the second anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack the Cairo Conference
concludes. The delegates from the United States and Britain agree on further Pacific actions, but
an amphibious operation in the Bay of Bengal is canceled because of the need for the landing
craft in the projected invasion of southern France.
Imperial General Headquarters makes a major strategic change with the hypothesis of absolute
national defense zone in September. Under this new policy delaying actions would be fought in
the South Pacific area until a new security line will be developed through the Caroline Islands,
Mariana Islands, and the Philippine.
Later in September Imperial General Headquarters holds a conference to discuss the wars
progress from offensive to defensive action. Also a compromise is reached which sets a
production goal of 40,000 planes for the fiscal year 1944.
In the Pacific, the Japanese complete their evacuation of Guadalcanal on February 7. The United
States Marines and the U.S. Army continues their progress through the Solomon Islands with
landings on the Russell Islands, New Georgia Island Group, Cape Gloucester on New Britain
Island, and Bougainville in the Solomon Islands in Operation Cartwheel, Allied plan developed
for the encirclement of Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. By the close
of the year the Solomon Islands are cleared and the fortress of Rabaul is isolated and dying on
the vine.
On New Guinea, the second largest island in the world, the Australian Infantry Force
commanded by General Sir Thomas Blamey bears the burden of the eastern ground offensive
against the Imperial forces. In late 1943, the Japanese located at Wau, Lae and Salamaua, Huon
Peninsula, the Ramu River Valley, and Wewak are attack and killed or flee into the interior to
starve or die of illness. Near the end of January the Papuan Campaign on New Guinea ends the
threat of Japanese invasion of Australia. It also marks the first Allied land campaign victory
over Japan
General Walter Krueger of the U.S. 6th Army will be responsible for the New Guinea offensive
against Kiriwina and Woodlark in June 1943. In November General Krueger creates a strategic
reconnaissance unit, Alamo Scouts, as a volunteer elite unit to perform scouting and raiding
operations in and behind enemy lines in the Southwest Pacific.
In Burma Detachment 101 of the American Office of Strategic Services and the British Chindits
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carried the war to the enemy within the country. Detachment 101 provides supplies, training,
and fight alongside troops known as the Kachin Rangers. The Kachin people live in villages in
the jungles and hills of north Burma. The Kachins supply information on targets for the Allied
air forces; destroy enemy bridges, supply dumps, and rail lines; rescue downed Allied fliers; and
provide scouting and other help for the American infantry operating in Burma. They also
provided instructions to the Americans on how to survive in the jungles of Burma.
Also in Burma the Chindits, an international force formed and lead by British Major General
Orde Wingate as a special operations component, begin operations. The Chindits perform deep
actions behind Japanese lines in north Burma using gliders, parachutes, or by foot to conduct
their guerilla warfare. Their operations would last for months in the jungles of occupied Burma
and had to be restocked on airdrops.
In late 1943, President Roosevelt calls for volunteers to step forward to form a detachment to
operate in Burma behind Japanese lines disrupting supply and communications. The unit will be
lead by Brigadier General Frank Merrill. They will come to be known as Merrill's Marauders
In February, the Indian National Army (INA) is reorganized with the Indian nationalist Subhash
Chandra Bose as it leader. The purpose of the organization is to obtain Indian independence
from the British with assistance from the Japanese. The Japanese support the establishment of
the organization to spread anti-European, anti-colonial sentiments, fight a guerrilla war against
the British, and most important bolster the Japanese Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The
army is preliminary made up of prisoners of war from Indian troops captured at Singapore and in
Burma serving with the British Indian Army. The appeal of the army also touches a chord with
Indian expatriates in South Asia. In reality its members are trading one type of domination for
another.
At sea opposing forces continue to try to gain an upper hand in the South and Southwest Pacific.
In January the Battle of Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands is fought and ends with a Japanese
victory and the sinking of the cruiser Chicago. The Battle of the Bismarck Sea takes place as
Allied aircraft attack a convoy consisting of six transports carrying 6,000 troops and supplies to
reinforce their position at Lae on New Guinea is halted. In July American and Japanese ships
come together in the Battle of Kula Gulf. The United States Navy looses one cruiser and the
Japanese two destroyers. On August 6th the Battle of Vella Gulf takes place where three
Japanese destroyers are sunk, killing 600 sailors and 900 Japanese Imperial Army passengers. In
October the last surface engagement in the Central Solomon Islands is fought, Battle of Vella
Lavella in the Solomon Islands. In November two naval confrontations takes place. The first is
the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay off the western coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands. Americans hit first, scattering the Japanese task group, but the Japanese are able to
reorganize and coerce the American warships to withdraw. Though the action is inconclusive,
the Japanese are unsuccessful in interrupting the Bougainville operation. The second and last
surface battle of the Solomon Islands campaign is the Battle of Cape St. George which takes
place near the island of Buka north of Bougainville.
Through 1943, American submarines efforts gradually become more successful in their
campaign against Japanese Imperial Japanese Navy and the merchant fleet. The Silent Service
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has been working under a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare against Japan. This policy
gives the submariners authorization to attack and sink any ship flying the Japanese flag.
Through 1942 and early 1943 submarine results were disappointing, largely due to torpedo
malfunctions, skippers being precautious, and unimaginative strategic deployment. These
deficiencies are overcome by mid 1943.
Japanese industry could not produce replacement ship, aircraft, or war materials at the rate that
the United States is able. By 1943 American industry has retooled for war production and is in
the process of designing new and better instruments of war at unbelievable numbers not only for
the military but for all the Allied nations involved.
The war in the Pacific quickly became dependent on airpower due to the size and distance
involved and the aircraft carrier supplies the agent to transport that power over the vast expanse
of the Pacific in the island-hopping campaign through speed and mobility.
The newest class of carrier designed and built by American shipyards and before the end of the
war will become the backbone of the fleet is the fast carriers of the Essex Class, launched in
1943. The Essex Class at 870 feet in length is able to travel at 32-knot, capable of operating 90 to
100 aircraft from her flight deck and hold a complement of 870 air crew, 215 officers and 2,171
enlisted men. The number of planes on board generally included a mix of fighters, dive-bombers
and torpedo planes.
With the Essex Class of carrier came new techniques of using and protecting the fast carriers.
The carriers are organized into task groups of three to four carriers placed in the center with
battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts forming a defensive ring for protection.
The carriers add their fighter planes for overhead protection as well as scouting in a 360 degree
circle miles from the task group. This arrangement is known as a Combat Air Patrol.
In July the carrier Casablanca, first of her class and the first escort carrier designed and built for
escort duty is commissioned. This class of American carrier will go on to be the most numerous
class of aircraft carriers ever built. This class is designated as a convoy escort carrier, but it will
be commonly used in large fleet amphibious operations; because their small air groups could be
combine to provide an effective defensive umbrella and a better offensive punch of a much
bigger carrier.
In 1943 the Allied air forces have increased in size and numbers with the U.S. Army 5th, 7th, 10th,
11th, 13th, and 14th operation in the Pacific and CIB Theaters along with the Royal Australian Air
Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and the U.S.M.C. Air Wings present in the South and
Southwest Pacific Areas. In September the First and Fourth U.S. Army Air Forces are relieved
from their assignments to the Eastern and Western Defense Commands in the Zone of Interior
(United States) and primarily will be training organizations. In November the XX Bomber
Command is officially activated with headquarters at Smoky Hill Army Air Field.
In October the remaining B-17s fly their last combat mission in the Pacific Theater as the B-24
will become the major heavy bomber throughout the war. Surviving B-17s are reassigned to the
54th Troop Carrier Wing special airdrop section. The Wing will use the planes to drop supplies
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to ground forces operating in close contact with the enemy. Special airdrop B-17s will be use to
support Australian commandos operating near the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul.
On April 18Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet,
is killed when American P-38s from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands shoots down his plane
before landing at Kahili airfield, Bougainville.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska the Eleventh Air Force is keeping the pressure on Japanese
positions on Kiska and Attu. In March the Battle of Komandorski Island is fought between an
American task group comprising of two cruisers and four destroyers and a Japanese force of four
cruisers and four destroyers escorting reinforcements to Attu, Aleutian Islands. The result is
Japanese reinforcements fail to reach Attu. On May 11 U.S. Army's 7th Division goes ashore on
Attu. One landing is made at Massacre Bay on the southern side and at Holtz Bay on the
northern shore. In mid-May the Attu campaign takes a turn as Japanese troops withdraw to
Chichagof Harbor for a last stand. May 21 Imperial General Headquarters decides it is time to
abandon Attu and evacuate the garrison at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Operation KE. May
30 organize resistance ends on Attu. American losses are reported as 600 dead and 1200
wounded. Japanese losses are given as 2350 killed and 28 wounded have been captured.
In early June, Japanese high command orders Kiska in the Aleutian Islands to be abandoned. On
June 21 Admiral Kawase cancels underwater evacuation of Kiska after seven of thirteen
submarines are damaged or sunk. In July Japanese fearing that by gradually weakening the
garrison on Kiska over a prolonged period, the withdraw operation might fail. It is then decided
to evacuate the force at one time, in one movement, using cruisers and destroyers as transports.
The Japanese successfully leave the island with their troops on July 28 under the cover of a
heavy fog, without the Allies noticing. 6,500 American troops go ashore on the west side of the
island; August 15. The next day 5,300 Canadian troops go ashore north of the American
landing. The following day U.S. troops moving through the fog reach the Japanese main camp
only to find it deserted.
The Central Pacific Campaign, Operation Galvanic, gets underway as U.S. Marines of the 2nd
Marine Division lands on Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. The Tarawa landing marks the first
time that assaulting troops are taken ashore by amphibian vehicle which will climb over coral
reefs. The Marines are met with bitter resistance causing high casualties. This experience helps
the Allies to improve their techniques of amphibious landings; such as pre-emptive aerial
bombings and naval shelling, careful planning regarding tides and landing craft schedules, and
better overall coordination.
On the same day as the Marines start their invasion of Tarawa Atoll U.S. Army’s 27th Division,
a National Guard unit from New York, goes ashore on Butaritari Island of Makin Atoll in the
Gilbert Islands, the Army portion of the Central Pacific Campaign is codenamed Kourbash, part
of Galvanic. After two days of gritty fighting Japanese resistance wanes. The one tragic event
of the invasion is the sinking of the carrier Liscome Bay by a Japanese submarine who torpedo
hit the ships aircraft bomb storage area. The carrier quickly sinks counting the majority of the
American casualties in the battle for Makin.
On December 6, the Central Pacific Campaign against the Empire of Japan, one of the longest in
World War II, was terminated with the help of the Seventh Army Air Force. The Seventh had
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flown many tiresome hours of reconnaissance over the immense reaches of the Central Pacific
which consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands; and its units had engaged the
Japanese for the most part only when on loan to some other army air force. In addition to serving
as a basin to be drawn upon for emergencies in adjacent theaters, the Seventh had performed also
as a forwarding organization for men, aircraft, and units en route from the United States to the
more active Pacific theaters.
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JANUARY 1
U.S. submarine Nautilus evacuates 29 civilians from Teop Island, Solomon
Islands.
U.S. submarine Porpoise, in an attack on a Japanese convoy, sinks the cargo ship
Renzan Maru off northeastern coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Trigger damages the Japanese transport Shozan Maru south of
Honshu Island, Japan.
Mine damages the Japanese army cargo ship Osaka Maru off Ambon Island,
Dutch East Indies.
The 10th Army Air Force attacks the railroad bridge at Myitnge, Burma.
A force of B-24s, escorted by P-38s, from the 11th Army Air Force attacks
Japanese cargo ships in Kiska Harbor, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
B-17s and B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force raid Simpson Harbor as well as the
airfields at Rabaul and Gasmata on New Britain and Lae, New Guinea.
Dauntless dive-bombers drop bombs in the area of Kokumbona, where Japanese
headquarters on Guadalcanal Island is believed to be located. Dense jungle
growth prevents observation of results.
A letter of intent is issued from the Office of Scientific Research and
Development (OSRD) to the University of California for finances and
procurement of the Manhattan Project.
U.S. Army 27th Infantry arrives at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Near the Gifu
area U.S. infantry begins their final attack on Mount Austen, Guadalcanal.
Japanese begins work on the submarine I-400 Sentoku, seaplane carrier
submarine, designed to attack the West Coast of the United States as well as the
Panama Canal in Central America.
Japanese occupies the town of Madang, New Guinea.
In the United States the annual salaries are capped at $25,000 as part of a shortlived plan designed to curb inflation.
JANUARY 2
The Japanese supply-carrying destroyers are attacked by Allied army and naval
planes west of Rendova Island, Solomon Islands. Later this group is attacked by
PT Boats off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal. One destroyer is damaged.
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U.S. Army I Corps captures Buna, New Guinea, significantly reducing the
threat to Port Moresby in southern New Guinea.
.
The Japanese attempt to rescue the troops holding out at Buna Mission area of
New Guinea by sending the Yazawa relief unit from Giruwa, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Argonaut sinks the Japanese guardboat Ebon Maru, Bismarck
Sea north of the island of New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Spearfish damages the Japanese Army cargo ship Akagisan Maru
off New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago.
Aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force makes an attack on a Japanese truck convoy
moving along the Burma Road. B-25s also bomb the Monywa airfield, Burma.
U.S. Army Air Force and USMC airplanes assault 10 Japanese destroyer
transports west of Rendova Island, Solomon Islands.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, three B-25s, three B-26s and eight P-38s of the
Eleventh Army Air Force flying towards Kiska are forced back due to bad
weather. The weather aircraft cannot see into Kiska Harbor or Gertrude Cove,
Aleutian Islands. Two B-24s fly photographic reconnaissance over Amchitka and
encounter poor weather.
Flying Fortresses of the 5th Army Air Force starts a campaign against Japanese
shipping found in the Buin area of New Guinea. A-20s, B-25s, B-26s, and B-24s,
hit the airfields and other targets of opportunity around Lae on New Guinea and
Gasmata, New Britain.
Marauder B-26s and Dauntless dive-bombers, escorted by Wildcats, Airacobra, P-
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39s, and P-40 fighters, bomb the Japanese airfield at Munda on New Georgia
Island in the Western Solomon Island.
General Harmon activates a new headquarters on Guadalcanal, XIV Corps, with
General Patch in command.
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Americans mount another attack on
Japanese held Mount Austen.
JANUARY 3
The American submarine Grayback damages the Japanese submarine I-18 in the
Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-36 delivers 20 tons of supplies to Kamimbo Bay,
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. She leaves with 23 sick and wounded soldiers.
An Australian Brigade is airlifted to Wau, New Guinea.
Japan and the Nanking puppet government in China sign an agreement abolishing
all extraterritorial rights in China and providing for the return of all concessions
and settlements to Chinese control.
Japanese form a garrison headquarters in Thailand, Southeast Asia.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-26s along with a single B-24 to bomb the
airfield at Lae, New Guinea, a B-24 bomber to assault Madang on New Guinea,
an A-20 hits Salamaua, New Guinea, and a lone B-24 to strafe the airfield at
Gasmata, New Britain. In New Guinea, P-40s strafe Japanese troops in the waters
off Buna as U.S. and Australian ground forces are mopping up in the nearby Buna
Missions area.
B-17 Flying Fortress escorted by P-38s attack a formation of Japanese destroyers
south of the Shortland Island in the Solomon Islands. No hits are observed.
Dauntless dive-bombers escorted by Wildcats and Lightnings attack a detachment
of Japanese destroyers northwest of Rendova Island in the New Georgia Group in
the Western Solomon Islands. One of the destroyers is left burning and another
appeared to be sinking.
JANUARY 4
Imperial General Headquarters issues an order to Admiral Yamamoto,
Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet and Lt. General Imamura,
Commander of the Eighth Area Army, directing a major withdrawal of Japanese
forces from Buna on New Guinea and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the
first, since the start of the War in the Pacific. Imperial General Headquarters
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orders that operations on New Guinea to be continued for the purpose to “secure a
position of superiority.” Lae, Madang, Salamaua, and Wewak on New Guinea are
to be strengthened or occupied, and the area north of the Owen Stanley Mountains
are to be protected so that it could function as a base for operations aimed at Port
Moresby on the southeastern coast of New Guinea.
Imperial General Headquarters orders troops at Sanananda, New Guinea, to
withdraw by either overland or barge to Lae and Salamaua on New Guinea.
The Japanese Yazawa relief unit attempting to rescue Imperial troops holding out
at Buna Mission on New Guinea have an encounter with about 300 Allied soldiers
at Siwori Creek during the night but are able across the creek at a point about one
mile west of Buna, New Guinea.
Japanese troops, during the night, land on the southern tip of Mayu Peninsula near
Angumaw, Burma.
U.S. Task Force 67 shells Japanese base at Munda on New Georgia in the
Western Solomon Islands with a group of cruisers and destroyers that fire
approximately 4,400 rounds.
Japanese submarine I-19 delivers 15 tons of cargo to Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
U.S. Army 161st Infantry arrives at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands American forces attacks and gains the
high ground positions in the vicinity of Mount Austen, capturing an enemy field
piece. Six Japanese counterattacks are repulsed.
PBY Catalinas and B- 17s fly a series of air attacks on the Munda area in the New
Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
American dive-bombers escorted by fighters’ bomb enemy antiaircraft positions,
taxiways, and runways in the Munda area of New Georgia, Western Solomon
Islands.
Admiral Nimitz relieves Admiral Robert A. Theobald, Commander North Pacific,
with Admiral Thomas Kinkaid.
B-26s from the 5th Army Air Force hit Sanananda Point on New Guinea, A-20s
and B-25s attack the airfield, AA positions, and buildings at Lae, New Guinea,
and B-24s, on single-plane flight, bombs the airfield at Lae, New Guinea.
The 10th Army Air Force turns its attention on the railroad yards in Mandalay and
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Naba, Burma. Heavy bombers also damage a 15,000-ton transport at the mouth of
the Rangoon River, Burma.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, six B-24s, three B-25s, three B-26s and ten P40s en route to Kiska, are forced back near Segula by snow squalls and low
ceiling. The weather aircraft flies an unsuccessful reconnaissance over Kiska and
photographic reconnaissance is flown over Amchitka.
6th U.S. Marines arrive at New Zealand in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
1, 978 Australian and Dutch POWs steam from Java in the Dutch East Indies to
Singapore in Malaya.
The Russians send Soviet-trained Korean and Chinese guerrillas into Manchuria,
China, to spy on the Japanese. The Russians plan is to use these units as
vanguards of a planned attack on Japanese controlled Manchuria and Korea.
JANUARY 5
U.S. Navy Task Group 67.2 shells the airfield and installations at Munda, New
Georgia, Western Solomon Islands. After the rest of Task Force 67 joins Task
Group 67.2, Japanese planes attack the force, missing the light cruiser Honolulu
and damaging the light cruiser HMNZS Achilles, south of Cape Hunter, Guadalcanal. In the action, the light cruiser Helena becomes the first U.S. Navy ship to
use the Mk. 32 proximity-fused projectiles in combat, downing a Japanese Aichi
Type 99-carrier bomber, VAL, with her second salvo.
At Bougainville, Solomon Islands, B-17s with P-38 escort makes an attack on a
cruiser at Buin located on the southwest end of Bougainville Island.
The 5th Army Air Force uses B-26s again to hit Sanananda Point area of New
Guinea. B-17s, A-20s, B-25s, and B-24s are sent to pound the airfield at Lae, and
the harbor New Guinea. A dawn bombing attack on Rabaul on New Britain has
problems from the start. B-24s that are to take off from Australia are prevented
due to weather conditions. Eventually six B-17s and six B-24s leave by mid
morning. Of the 12 planes that are able to take off nine reach Rabaul and attack
the harbor sinking the transport ship Keifuku Maru, damaging the destroyer
Tachikaze, and damaging two cargo ships. Two B-17s are lost, one taking
Brigadier General Kenneth Walker, Commanding General V Bomber Command
to his death.
B-17s and B-24s attack Japanese shipping at Rabaul's Simpson Harbor at New
Britain.
Three B-25s of the 11th Army Air Force sink the 6,500-ton cargo ship Montreal
Maru at Kiska previously sighted by a PBY off Holtz Bay, Alaska. A B-24 with a
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direct bomb hit sinks the freighter Kotohiro Maru shortly afterwards. A B-24 flies
photographic reconnaissance over Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands, concentrating
on Constantine Harbor. An attack on Kiska, Aleutian Islands, by six heavy
bombers, six medium bombers and12 fighters is cancelled due to weather.
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands U.S. Army engineers complete a bridge
across the Matanikau River.
Australian infantry and armored elements reach Soputa in New Guinea and U.S.
forces of the 128th Infantry Regiment start northwest along the coast toward
Tarakena as preliminary moves to an all-out assault on Sanananda, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-18 arrives at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands with 15 tons of cargo in supply in drums.
Okabe Detachment leaves Rabaul, New Britain, for Lae, New Guinea on five
transports escorted by five destroyers.
JANUARY 6
Five B-17s from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands hits Japanese shipping in
Tonolei Harbor, New Guinea.
The Fifth Army Air Force uses B-26s to attack Japanese forces in the Sanananda
Point area of New Guinea, A-20s to hit the Lae airfield, New Guinea, B-17s, B24s, B-26s, and P-38s to go after a convoy off the coast of New Britain bound for
B-26 Marauder U.S.A.F. Photo
Lae, New Guinea, after a convoy off the coast of New Britain bound for Lae,
Battle of Huon Gulf. The transport Nichiryu Maru, carrying most of the 3rd
Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment assigned to the Okabe Detachment is hit and
sinks. A single B-24 makes a bomb run on the Gasmata airfield, New Britain. B17 and B-24 bombers attacked Japanese shipping at Rabaul, New Britain.
Five B-24s of the 11th Army Air Force, exploiting a break in cloud cover over
Kiska, bombs the submarine base. B-24s sink the Japanese cargo ship Kotohira
Maru off Holtz Bay, Attu in the Aleutian Island of Alaska.
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Motor torpedo boats PT-22 and PT-24 are damaged in collision during storm,
Dora Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutian Islands.
B-17s and B-24s bomb Japanese shipping at Rabaul, New Britain, sinking the
army cargo vessel Keifuku Maru and damaging the destroyer Tachikaze and
cargo vessel Kagu Maru.
AAF aircraft damages the Japanese torpedo boat Tomozuru off Kai Island, Banda
Sea, Dutch East Indies.
At Donbaik and Rathedaung in Burma the Japanese hold up the 14th Indian
Division progress in the Arakan in Burma.
JANUARY 7
China Air Task Force, CATF, aircraft begin a series of raids, lasting through
January 10th, during this time they destroy trucks along the Burma Road, barges
on the Irrawaddy River, and supplies in the Bhamo area of Burma.
Aircraft of the 5th Army Air Force and RAAF planes, off
Finschhafen, New Guinea, again attack a Japanese convoy sailing for
Lae, New Guinea, however, despite the heavy air attacks the convoy
reaches Lae. Marauders fly an attack on the airfield and installations
at Munda on New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
P-40s of the Tenth Army Air Force blast fuel storage facilities at Mangshih,
China.
B-24s from the 11th Army Air Force circle Kiska, Aleutian Islands, for two hours
until they can bomb the submarine base.
In the Solomon Islands, B-17s bomb Bougainville; B-26s with P-39 escort attacks
Rekata Bay on Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Kingfish sinks two Japanese sailing vessels with her deck gun
west of the Bonin Islands south of Japan.
The convoy carrying the Okabe Detachment arrives at Lae on New Guinea and
starts discharging troops and supplies under continuous Allied air attack.
Japanese submarine I-25 delivers supplies to Buna, New Guinea, and evacuates
70 sick or wounded soldiers.
JANUARY 8
Chinese 5th Army surrenders to the Japanese.
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President Roosevelt receives a letter from Chiang Kai-shek informing the
President at a large offensive would not be coming in the spring.
Two companies of the U.S. 127th Infantry capture the village of Tarakena on New
Guinea.
Colonel Yazawa relief unit recover several hundred Imperial Army and Navy
survivors of the force which defended the Buna sector of New Guinea. The relief
unit then falls back under Allied harassment to the Konombi Creek line, where it
will occupy positions for the defense of Giruwa, New Guinea.
4,000 Japanese troops of the Okabe Detachment are put ashore at Lae, New
Guinea, during Fifth Army Air Force and RAAF attacks on the convoy as it
unloads at Lae, New Guinea. The attacks became so severe that unloading is
discontinued and those ships that are still navigable sail back to Rabaul on New
Britain. Only half of the supplies will be safely unloaded.
Japanese truck convoys moving along the Burma Road are attacked by aircraft of
the 10th Army Air Force and P-40s bombs and strafes Watugyi and Nsopzup,
Burma, B-25s bomb the warehouse area at Bhamo in Burma. Six B-25s bombs
the storage area at Bhamo.
British troops attack Japanese defensive positions near Donbaik, Burma.
Japanese submarine I-36 delivers 12 tons of supplies to Kamimbo Bay,
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands the U.S. 35th Infantry Regiment has been
moved to the mount Austen region in preparation for an attack.
High Commissioner General Legentilhomme of the Free French accepts the duty
of overseeing Madagascar transferred from the British except for Diego Suarez
sector of the island. This area has been developed into a British base for the navy
and air force.
JANUARY 9
Battle for Gifu Strongpoint, Guadalcanal, ends and soon after the U.S. Army starts
a campaign to eliminate the Japanese from the island.
Americans forces capture the village of Tarakena, New Guinea, but their attempts
to advance further toward Sanananda are held up by the Japanese.
Australian 17th Brigade is airlifted to Wau, New Guinea, to establish a forward
base for the next phase of the Allied offensive.
479
Aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force makes an attack on enemy truck convoys
moving along the Burma Road. B-25s, with escort from P-40s, bomb Bhamo,
Burma. Other aircraft strafe the Wanling, Bhamo, and Loi-wing areas of Burma.
RAAF planes as well as planes from
the Fifth Army Air Force continue to
hit the convoy even as it leaves Lae,
New Guinea. Airfields, supply
dumps, and troop concentrations at
Lae and at Salamaua are also
attacked.
The Lockheed C-69 transport (a
military version of the Model 49
Constellation) makes its first flight
at Burbank, California.
U.S. submarine Gar damages the Japanese oiler Notoro in Makassar Strait, Dutch
East Indies.
Lockheed C-69 transport
USAAF Photo.
U.S. submarine Nautilus
sinks the Japanese transport
Yoshinogawa Maru just
east of Kieta, Bougainville;
even though she is damaged early in the engagement, Yoshinogawa Maru depthcharges Nautilus, but the latter escapes unharmed.
U.S. submarine Searaven damages the Japanese army cargo ship Yubae Maru off
New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Tautog damages the Japanese light cruiser Natori southeast of
Ambon Island, Dutch East Indies.
British troops attack Japanese defensive positions near Donbaik, Burma.
Japanese submarine I-19 delivers 12 supply drums to Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
Japanese submarine I-32 completes a trip from Rabaul on New Britain to Buna,
New Guinea, to evacuate 43 wounded and sick soldiers.
480
"National Government of China" in Nanking, Japanese puppet government,
declares war on the United States and Great Britain.
JANUARY 10
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands the U.S. 25th Division starts the final
offensive by attacking from Gifu area and moved west across the Matanikau River
against a hill mass called Galloping Horse. Also, on Guadalcanal U.S. troops start
an assault against enemy resistance south of Hill 66.
Three companies of the U.S. 127th Infantry cross Konombi Creek on New Guinea
using boats.
Amphibious movement of Major General Okabe Detachment from Lae to
Salamaua on New Guinea begins.
Aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force makes an attack on Japanese truck convoys
moving along the Burma Road. Also in Burma, six B-24s and B-25s jointly
attack the Myitnge railroad bridge, destroying a span and causing damage to the
entire target.
Allied planes of the 5th Army Air Force continue to attack the Japanese convoy,
which departed Lae on New Guinea after unloading reinforcements and supplies.
The supply dumps and AA positions in the area of Lae are also bombed.
In the Solomon Islands, P-39s and dive-bombers support Allied ground forces in
the Guadalcanal battle area. A strongpoint and an ammunition dump are
destroyed. B-26s attack Munda, New Georgia, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Argonaut is sunk by a Japanese aircraft and destroyers Isokaze
and Maikaze, as Argonaut had made an attack on a convoy southeast of New
Britain, Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Grenadier sinks a Japanese sampan with her deck gun north off
Java, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Trigger sinks the Japanese destroyer Okikaze off Yokosuka at the
entrance to Tokyo Bay, Japan.
U.S. Navy destroyer Shaw is damaged by grounding, Bulari Passage, New
Caledonia, southwest Pacific Ocean.
Between Doma and Tassafaronga on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, PT–43
attacks the Japanese destroyer Hatsukaze with her torpedoes. During the assault
PT–43 is hit and has to be abandoned. PT-40 takes up the attack by firing all four
of her torpedoes and achieves one hit. PT 112 continues the attack with all four of
481
her torpedoes making a hit but 112 is hit by return fire and has to be abandoned
and sinks. PT-46 follows up with a torpedo run firing her allotment of torpedoes.
No tangible results are observed or found the next day but a large quantity of
drums filled with supplies is sighted floating towards the beach. The New
Zealand corvette locates PT–43 sitting on a beach and destroyers her with shell
fire to prevent her falling into Japanese hands.
Motor torpedo boats PT-27 and PT-28 are damaged by storm, Dora Harbor,
Unimak Island, Aleutian Islands.
The destroyer HMAS Arunta removes the last 282 Australians, along with twenty
Portuguese men, 11 women, and children from East Timor, Dutch East Indies.
JANUARY 11
PT Boats attacks Japanese destroyers off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, damaging
two of the destroyers in an attempt to deliver supplies. PT-43 and PT-112 are
sunk by enemy naval gunfire.
U.S. Infantry on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands drive Japanese forces off the
Sea Horse area.
U.S. submarine Trout damages the Japanese oilier Kyokuko Maru off Miri,
Burma.
The United Kingdom and the United States sign treaties with the Nationalist
Chinese relinquishing all extraterritorial rights in China. In exchange the Chinese
Nationalists form an official alliance with the United States and Great Britain
In the Solomon Islands, B-26s and P-39s hit the Munda, New Georgia area of the
Western Solomon Islands.
Aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force attacks Japanese truck convoy moving along
the Burma Road. Also barges, tugs, warehouses, and port facilities at Bhamo are
attacked as well as fuel drums along the road between Chefang and Mangshih,
Burma.
U.S. Army lands on Amchitka Island, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
During the morning hours on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, a Japanese
plane drops bombs on U.S. positions in the area southwest of the airfield.
Japanese submarine I-18 arrives at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands with 25 tons of cargo in supply in drums.
482
Japanese submarine I-24 arrives at Buna, New Guinea, with 25-tons of food and
ammo and then evacuates 79 soldiers.
Nearly 1,000 Dutch POWs leave Singapore in Malaya for Moulmein, Burma.
JANUARY 12
U.S. Army lands unopposed at Constantine Harbor on Amchitka Island in the
Aleutian Islands, just 69 miles from Kiska.
U.S. Navy destroyer Worden is lost when she sinks after running aground south of
Kuril of Point, at entrance to Constantine Harbor, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Guardfish sinks the Japanese Patrol Boat No.1 southwest of the
Tingwon Islands, located just southwest of the northern tip of New Hanover,
Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. Navy district patrol vessel YP-183 sinks after running aground off west coast
of the Territory of Hawaii.
Australian troops of the 18th Brigade attack north and west of Gona, New Guinea,
using tanks. Japanese antitank guns destroy most of the tanks.
Japanese force in New Guinea at Southern Giruwa, having not been able to
communicate with headquarters launch a breakthrough in the Allied lines and rush
to the southwest into the jungle.
American soldiers drive up the coast from Buna to launch an attack on the
Japanese left flank following Konombi Creek of New Guinea.
In the Solomon Islands, B-26s, P-38s, P-39s and P-40s attack Munda, New
Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands. Other P-39s hits targets on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force flying in single-plane attack formation, drops
bombs on Finschhafen and the Madang areas of New Guinea. A-20s of the 5th
Army Air Force bomb and strafe the Sanananda Point area and Japanese ground
forces along the Sanananda track. Bombers pound the dock facilities at Lae and
airfields at Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea.
JANUARY 13
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the hill area called Galloping Horse is
secured. 2nd Marine Division moves west along the coast from Cruz Point.
Allied forces capture Garara on New Guinea.
483
After the landing of the American 51st Division at Lae, New Guinea, General
Adachi gave General Yamagata permission to start evacuating troops from
Sanananda and Giruwa. The evacuation plan calls for the Japanese to withdraw to
the mouths of the Kumusi and Mambare Rivers, and from there they would either
march or be taken by sea to Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea. As many of the
troops as possible are to be evacuated in motor launches, but the rest are to make
their way westward to the Japanese-held zone on the other side of Gona by
stealing through the Allied lines.
After the AIF 5th Division leaves for New Guinea the troops that are to staying
behind are merged and formed into the Yorkforce, a defense unit.
In New Guinea, A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe Sanananda
Point area of New Guinea and forces along the Sanananda track. Heavy and
medium bombers hit the dock facilities at Lae and airfields at Lae and Salamaua,
New Guinea.
Thirteenth Army Air Force is activated under General Twining at Noumea, New
Caledonia. Operational control of the Thirteenth's subordinate units is exercised
by the USMC officer commanding USMC air units on Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands.
Thirteenth Army Air Force aircraft, B-26s, P-38s and P-39s, attack the airfield at
Munda, and hit the Rekata Bay Santa Isabel Island in the in the Solomon Islands,
South Pacific. P-39s strafe enemy forces on the beach at Kokumbona village on
the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and hit Visale on Guadalcanal in
support of the ground offensive. During the night, aircraft hit enemy positions at
Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
Transport Arthur Middleton is damaged when she runs aground at the western
end of Constantine Harbor, Amchitka, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Triton damages the Japanese tanker Maru north of the St.
Matthias Island Group, a small group of islands in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Whale sinks the Japanese collier Iwashiro Maru north of
Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supply drums to Cape Esperance on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Because of American aircraft patrolling the area
the submarine leaves the supplies to float ashore and returns to Rabaul, New
Britain.
On New Guinea, Japanese submarine I-25 delivers supplies to Buna and evacuates
37 sick or wounded soldiers.
484
JANUARY 14
The American carrier Independence is commissioned. She is the first of nine of
her class constructed on Cleveland class cruiser hulls.
During the morning a force of dive-bombers escorted by Wildcats and P-39s
attacks Japanese destroyers northwest of Lunga Point on Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
On New Guinea the Fifth Army Air Force sends A-20s to strafe Labu and small
craft in Sachsen Bay, B-25s to go after the fuel dump and supplies along the beach
at Voco Point near Lae, B-24s carry out single-plane attacks on Madang and
Finschhafen, and also bombs Gasmata on New Britain Island.
P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force drop improvised gasoline bombs around Mount
Austen, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and strafes Kokumbona, and hit barges
and launches at Kaimana Bay and Aruligo Point. During the afternoon Flying
Fortress with Lightnings, Airacobras, and Warhawks attack five Japanese
destroyers 37 miles southeast of Faisi in the Shortland Islands.
During the morning, U.S. planes bomb Sorum village, three miles east of the
Japanese airfield on the southern end of Buka Island of New Guinea.
During the evening dive-bombers with Wildcats and P-39s attack a Japanese
cargo ship north of Munda, New Georgia, Western Solomon Islands.
During the morning hours the Japanese send two separate groups of aircraft to
attack Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.
The Japanese send planes on three different sorties during the night to attack
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
In the Solomon Islands at Guadalcanal the Japanese drop off 600 troops close to
Cape Esperance. These men are to be used as safeguard when it is time to
evacuated remaining soldiers from the island.
In Morocco, the Casablanca Conference begins to strategize the next phase of the
global war.
Japanese submarine I-32 delivers 22-tons of food and ammunition to Buna, New
Georgia, Western Solomon Islands.
A small force of Japanese reinforcements, from the Matsude Detachment, land
near Cape Esperance to begin Operation KE, the planned evacuation of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
485
On New Guinea an echelon of the Major General Okabe Detachment, 1st
Battalion, 102nd Infantry, moves from Salamau towards Wau.
On New Guinea General Vasey orders the Australian 18th Brigade to launch a
attack with the U.S. Army 163rd Infantry to block Japanese escape routes along
the Soputa-Sanananda Track (Motor Transport Road) and the Killerton Trail.
This is after interrogating a sick Japanese prisoner found south of Musket.
The U.S. submarine Gudgeon lands Australian-trained Filipinos and supplies
close
to Catmon Point, Negros Island, Philippines.
U.S. submarine Nautilus hits the Toa Maru with a dud torpedo off Bougainville,
Solomon Islands, South Pacific.
Bombs and depth charges off Ichie Saki, southern Honshu Island, Japan, damage
the U.S. submarine Pike; she is forced to terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Searaven attacks a Japanese convoy northwest of the Palaus
Islands, Caroline Islands, sinking the escort, auxiliary submarine chaser No.1
Ganjitsu Maru, and cargo ship Shiraha Maru.
PT-28, previously damaged after being washed upon a reef is abandoned at Dora
Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutian Islands.
Nine Japanese destroyers are attacked by 13 U.S. Navy Motor Torpedo Patrol
Boats. Five of the destroyers enter Esperance Channel off Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands. PT-37 and PT-45 fire their torpedoes resulting in a single hit.
The destroyers return fire causing PT-47 runs aground.
Aircraft locate and illuminate a Japanese destroyer for PT-boats; the planes also
bomb and strafe the enemy ships.
During the early morning a Catalina PBY reconnaissance plane make an attack
up-on a group of five Japanese destroyers northeast of the Russell Islands in the
Solomon Islands. One direct and two near hits damaged one of the destroyers,
which is left burning.
JANUARY 15
Nine Japanese destroyers are attacked by U.S. Navy SBD Dauntless dive-bombers
and B-17s from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands,
damaging two destroyers northeast of New Georgia, Solomon Islands.
486
Three Japanese transports escorted by destroyers sail from Truk Atoll in the
Caroline Islands for Bougainville in the Solomon Islands carrying Section A made
up of Japanese Army troops transferred from China.
In the Solomon Islands Japanese reinforcements arrive at Guadalcanal from
Rabaul on New Britain.
Wye Point on New Guinea is secured by Allied troops.
In Tokyo, scientist meets to discuss a method to separate U 235 from U 238
uranium for atomic research.
Iraq in the Middle East declares war on the Axis powers.
The Pentagon is completed in Arlington, Virginia. The five sided five story
building with 6.5 million square feet of floor space provides the United States
War Administrators space to conduct military operations.
U.S. 2nd Marines sets sail for New Zealand from Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands.
U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, use flamethrowers against
Japanese positions near Hill 66.
Fifth Army Air Force's A-20s strafe Sanananda Point, New Guinea, B-25s bomb
supply dumps at Lae, New Guinea, while B-24s hit the airfield at Gasmata on
New Britain, B-24s carry out a single-plane attack on bridge construction at
Wewak, New Guinea, and the runway at Cape Gloucester, New Britain.
In Burma, B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force hit shipping targets in
the Rangoon River along with targets in Nsopzup and targets of
opportunity at Taipha Ga, and Yupbang Ga.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, the Eleventh Army Air Force sends
a total of eight P-38s, three B-25s and a B-24 to patrol Constantine
Harbor and fly reconnaissance over Kiska.
B-17s, P-40s, P-39s, and P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force along with divebombers and Wildcats attack Japanese shipping, one B-17 assaults Ballale Island
in the Solomon Islands, P-39s support ground forces on Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands and attack ships off Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands. B-17s stationed on Guadalcanal are pressed
into use to drop supplies by parachute to fighting around Mount Austen. B-17s,
487
P-38s, P-39s and P-40s attack five destroyers near Faisi in the Shortland Island
group; SBDs with F4Fs and P-39s bomb a cargo ship off Munda, New Georgia
Island. B-17s and PBYs bomb Kahili, Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
During the night Flying Fortresses hit Kahili airfield south coast of Bougainville
Island with one ton bombs.
B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force bomb a Japanese convoy, sinking the cargo ship
Nichimei Maru and damaging cargo ship Moji Maru, south-southwest of
Rangoon, Burma. Unknown to the aviators, Nichimei Maru is transporting Allied
POWs, 500 are lost.
Japanese attempt to reinforce their troops in the Solomon Islands. It starts as the
first group of ships, Section A, three transports accompanied by destroyer Shigure,
departs Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands for Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands. The soldiers are being transferred from China.
During the evening, Japanese aircraft bomb U.S. positions on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
JANUARY 16
U.S. troops capture Japanese positions overlooking the Matanikau River,
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. A second group of U.S. Soldiers move to the
southwest going inland to turn the Japanese flank. A third prong made up of U.S.
Infantry and Marines attack to the west to push the enemy from Kokumbona and
over the Poha River.
On New Guinea, the U.S. 163rd Infantry moves to cut the road Between Soputa
and Sanananda as the Australian 18th Brigade drives to open the road to the coast
from Sanananda to Cape Killerton.
U.S. submarine Greenling sinks the Japanese transport Kimposan Maru west of
Kavieng located at the western tip of New Ireland Island, after forcing Greenling
to dive deep, submarine chaser Ch 17 rescues Kimposan Maru's survivors.
U.S. submarine Growler attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the passenger-cargo
ship Chifuku Maru north of Waton Island, and surviving escorts' counterattacks.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends A-20s to attack the Sanananda Trail on New
Guinea, the Kurenada area, and the area south of the Kumusi River. B-25s again
bomb supplies areas at Lae, New Guinea. B-24s fly single-plane attacks on the
airfields at Gasmata on New Britain Island and the town of Finschhafen, New
Guinea, and cruiser off of Cape Orford region of New Britain Island. B-17s make
a night attack on Japanese shipping in Simpson Harbor of New Britain Island.
488
The 10th Army Air Force turns its attention on the railroad yards in Mandalay,
Burma, using B-25s. China Air Task Force P-40s intercept Japanese aircraft that
are attempting a strike on Yunnani in Burma and claim seven Zekes shot down in
the air battle. Anticipating that the Japanese planes will land at Lashio Airfield,
six B-25s and eleven fighters are sent to that field in the hope of catching the
enemy on the ground; finding no aircraft there, the B-25s and fighters attack the
town of Lashio. This is the last raid by the China Air Task Force before a fuel
shortage grounds the fighters for the remainder of January and the B-25s for 33
days. Ten B-25s bomb the railroad yards at Maymyo, Burma.
In the Solomon Islands B-26s of the 13th Army Air Force from
Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides join P-38s and P-39s in the
Guadalcanal campaign, pounding the Japanese at Tassafaronga on
Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands. The Munda, New Georgia
area is also bombed. B-17s bomb the Buin-Faisi area, concentrating
on Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands and Ballale Airfield in
the Shortland.
Australian and American troops launch a finial attack on Sanananda, New
Guinea.
On New Guinea, officers and men of Major General Okabe Detachment arrives at
Salamaua. This completes the amphibious movement from Lae, New Guinea.
JANUARY 17
United States Naval Base and Naval Air Station are established at Brisbane,
Australia.
During a night patrol off the coast of New Guinea, PT-120 comes upon three
Japanese barges with Imperial Japanese Army officers on board. Two are sunk
and the third is set on fire.
Japanese submarine I-36 travels up the Mambare River estuary, Buna to on New
Guinea to evacuate 47 soldiers.
Japanese aircraft attack the Milne Bay airfield at the eastern tip of New Guinea.
Six experienced naval pilots flying F4U-1s report that anti-blackout suits raised
their tolerance to acceleration dives and other maneuvers by three to four G's.
Section B of the Japanese Solomon Islands reinforcement convoy sails from Truk,
Atoll in the Caroline Islands bound for the Shortlands with Japanese Army troops
transferred from China.
The 5th Army Air Force's A-20s strafes the Mambare Delta and positions between
489
Bakumbari and Salamaua, New Guinea. B-17s bomb airfields and shipping in and
around Rabaul, New Britain. B-25s hit supply dumps at Lae, New Guinea. B-24s
flying in groups of one, attack Finschhafen and the Madang wharf, the Malahang
airfield, the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain, and a vessel near of Rambutyo
Island in the Admiralty Islands.
The 10th Army Air Force turns its attention on the railroad yards in Mandalay,
Burma, while B-25s bomb the railroad at Monywa and three others B-25s bomb
the rail junction at Maymyo, Burma. IATF planes hit railroad lines at SagaingYe-u, Burma.
In the Solomon Islands, the 13th Army Air Force sends P-39s to pound mortar
positions near American lines on Guadalcanal. Ground supply lines to the Mount
Austen battle area reopen after three days of being closed because their extension
outran the capacity of the native carriers. During the three days, B-17s from
Henderson Field airlift rations, water, and ammunition to the troops, using what
improvised cargo parachutes are available and in many cases wrapping the
supplies in burlap or canvas and pushing them out.
U.S. submarine Finback damages the Japanese cargo ship Yachiyo Maru off
Tanega Shima, Japan.
U.S. submarine Searaven torpedoes the Japanese ship Gokoku Maru just off
Palau, Caroline Islands, but the torpedo proves to be a dud.
U.S. submarine Whale damages the Japanese troopship Heiyo Maru northeast of
Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
Iraq declares war on Japan.
JANUARY 18
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs a motor pool and supply dumps at Lae.
B-24s, operating individually, bombs the Madang and Malahang airfields on New
Guinea and attacks a cargo ship off Rambutyo Island in the Admiralty Islands. A
B-24 sinks the Japanese transport Senzan Maru off Kavieng. B-17s and P-39s
aircraft sank Japanese cargo ship Yamafuku Maru off Shortland Islands, Solomon
Islands.
The 10th Army Air Force sends P-40s and a B-25 to attack Kamaing the northernmost part of Burma.
In the Aleutian Islands, a B-24 from the 11th Army Air Force on reconnaissance
reports two enemy ships in Kiska Harbor. Four B-24s, four B-26s, one B-25 and
six P-38s fly out of Adak. Mechanical trouble forces two B-26s to return. The
bomb run proves negative, meanwhile, bad weather closes in on Kiska and Adak.
490
Six aircraft are lost; one B-24 lands in a 20 mph downwind and crashes into two
P-38s while three other B-24s are missing on the return flight.
B-17s from the 13th Army Air Force escorted by P-38s and P-40s attack Japanese
shipping in the Shortland Islands in the Western Solomon Islands sinking the
Japanese cargo vessel Yamafuku Maru off Shortland Island and bomb Ballale
Island
The British 14th Indian Division attempts an unsuccessful attack on Japanese
positions at Donbaik in the Arakan, Burma.
The Japanese in Burma march their way over the steep jungle of the Tenasserim
Range, and attacked Tavoy. The 3rd Burma Rifles and the 6th Burma Rifles
defending the town are overrun and are forced to evacuate.
On New Guinea, General Yamagata sees his Sanananda front collapsing under
Allied attack.
U.S. submarine Greenling damages the Japanese ammunition ship/survey vessel
Soya in Queen Carola Channel near Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Silversides sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Genyo Maru southwest
of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands, but is damaged by depth charges from
escorting warship and is forced to terminate her patrol.
The Japanese collier Tokachi Maru is sunk by a Japanese mine west of Surubaya,
Java, Dutch East Indies.
American cruisers and four destroyers shells Japanese positions on Attu Island in
the Aleutian Islands.
Japanese submarine I-21 torpedoes and sinks the Australian freighter Kalingo
sailing in the Tasman Sea, New South Wales, Australia.
U.S. tanker Mobilube is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-21 off the coast
of New South Wales, Australia; Australian minesweeper HMAS Kapunda
provides assistance, as the tanker remains afloat. Mobilube is towed to Sydney by
salvage tug St. Aristell, but is eventually declared a total loss.
Japanese submarine I-24 delivers 20-tons of supplies to Buna on New Guinea and
then evacuates 58 soldiers along with their divisional flag.
JANUARY 19
Japanese forces land at Wewak, New Guinea.
491
During the night Major General Yamagata, his headquarters staff, and casualties
evacuate the Giruwa area of New Guinea in landing barges. The remaining troops
move along the Sanananda-Soputa track to the west, heading for an assembly
point at the mouth of the Kumusi River.
On New Guinea, the Fifth Army Air Force is busy with A-20s strafing enemy
troops in the Kurenada area; B-25s go after barracks and supply dumps at Toeal
and the supply dumps at Lae; heavy bombers fly individual attacks on targets of
opportunity at Lae, Madang, Cape Hollman, Cape Saint George, Finschhafen, and
Gasmata.
B-24s of the10th Army Air Force from Pandaveswar fly reconnaissance flight
over
Burma and Thailand. One flight bombs the Thazi railroad junction near
Mandalay. The others carry out a photo mission of Kanchanaburi and bomb the
docks at Bassein on the return flight. This reconnaissance flight, the largest
mission in the C-B-I to date, shows construction of a new rail-line from Thailand
to Burma. Also, P-40s and a B-25 hits Kamaing.
B-17s with P-38s and P-39s from the 13th Army Air Force hit the airfield at
Munda on the island of New Georgia in the Western Province of the Solomon
Islands.
28 officers and 535 men of the 2/6th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force
are delivered to Wau on New Guinea by Douglas C-47 transport aircraft, however,
bad weather and clouds prevent more from arriving.
Japanese forces pull out of Sanananda Point, New Guinea, after General
Yamagata orders his troops to pull out.
British troops attack Japanese defensive positions near Donbaik, Burma.
U.S. submarine Greenling damages the Japanese army cargo ship Shinai Maru
north of Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Haddock attacks a Japanese convoy off south coast of Honshu
Island of Japan, damaging transport Shunko Maru.
U.S. submarine Nautilus damages the Japanese destroyer Akizuki west of Tulagi,
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Spearfish, en route to Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii,
after completing her patrol, is damaged by aerial bombs off the Gilbert Islands.
492
U.S. submarine Swordfish encounters Section A of the Japanese Solomon Islands
reinforcement convoy, and sinks the army cargo ship Myoho Maru. Section C of
the reinforcement convoy, meanwhile, departs Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
Japanese ship 663 Canadians from Hong Kong, China, to Nagasaki on the island
of Kyushu in Japan.
In Australia the Women’s Land Army formed.
JANUARY 20
The U.S. Navy destroyer escort Brennan is commissioned at Mare Island,
California. This is the first ship of her type to be commissioned.
The freighter Samuel Gompers is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine I-10 near
New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean and she goes down within five
minutes.
U.S. aircraft conduct several harassing attacks on Japanese installations on Ballale
Island off the northeast coast of Shortland Island group of islands in the Western
Solomon Islands.
Chile in South America breaks relations with the Axis powers.
U.S. Army troops begin attacking Japanese positions at Kokumbona,
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force bomb the supply dumps at Lae, New Guinea,
and hit targets on Aroe Island south of New Guinea. Liberators, operating
individually, attack Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island, Gasmata on New
Britain Island, Madang on New Guinea, and Finschhafen on New Guinea.
The Seventh Army Air Force with B-24s and based at Wheeler Field, territory of
Hawaii begins operating from Midway in the North Pacific Ocean.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force again return to the harbor in the Shortland
Islands in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Silversides encounters Section C of the Japanese Solomon
Islands reinforcement convoy, and sinks the army transport Meiu Maru and
irreparably damages army transport Surabaya Maru.
Japanese submarine I-162 also reconnoiters Cocos Island off the coast of Burma.
Japanese submarine I-176 arrives off Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands with
supplies stuffed into drums, however, because of patrol boats in the area the
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submarine releases its cargo from periscope depth. None of the drums make it to
shore.
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands Japanese positions at Gifu strongpoint
suffer heavily from American artillery fire.
JANUARY 21
American soldiers on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands capture Hills 90 and
98.
Japanese aircraft attacks Frances Bay in the Darwin area of Australia.
A Japanese plane drops several bombs on Espiritu Santo Island in the New
Hebrides group.
During the night a single Japanese planes drops bombs in the vicinity of the
Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
American B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force go after Japanese shipping in Blanche
Bay near Rabaul and the airfield nearby on the island of New Britain. In New
Guinea, B-25s hit supply dumps and an airfield. A single B-24 attacks the light
cruiser Natori at Amboina Harbor of Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East
Indies. The 403rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), with B-17s and B-24s,
transfers from Milne Bay, New Guinea to Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. The
squadron will begin transitioning from B-17s to B-24s.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sets up its original headquarters base on Espiritu
Santo in the New Herbride Islands.
B-17s, B-26s, and P-39s from the 13th Army Air Force hit the Munda airfield on
New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands. B-17s also attacks shipping
near Kieta on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
Rear Admiral Robert H. English, Commander Submarines, Pacific Fleet, is killed
in the accidental crash of the Pan American Airways Martin 130 Philippine
Clipper
in California.
U.S. submarine Gato encounters Section B of the Japanese Solomon Islands
reinforcement convoy and damages the army transport Kenkon Maru just east of
Kieta, Bougainville in the Solomon Islands; escorts scuttle the ship to hasten her
sinking.
U.S. submarine Pollack sinks the Japanese cargo ship Asama Maru off Kushiro,
Japan.
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U.S. submarine Trout torpedoes and damages the Japanese auxiliary gunboat
Eifuku Maru, off the coast of French Indochina.
JANUARY 22
Australian and American troops capture Sanananada, New Guinea.
The Papuan campaign on New Guinea ends eliminating the Japanese threat to
Australia. This Allied campaign victory is the first of the war against the Japanese
on land. The campaign has been the bloodiest and most difficult land fighting of
the War in the Pacific to date. Australia has lost 2,165 troops killed and 3,533
wounded. The United States KIA is 671 troops and 2,172 wounded. Of the near
20,000 Japanese troops landed in Papua it is estimated that the IJA lost about
13,000.
Japanese troops mount an attack against U.S. positions around the Gifu area,
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, but are forced to withdraw after suffering
heavy losses.
During the night, U.S. positions on Espiritu Santo Island in the New Herbride
Islands are bombed by Japanese aircraft.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb the Lae area. B-24s hit Simpson Harbor's
shipping and searchlights at Rabaul on New Britain Island, and attack a ship off
Amboina in the Dutch East Indies. A-20s strafe small boats in Baden Bay and at
Woiba on New Guinea.
P-40s from the 10th Army Air Force bombs and strafes Nsopzup, Burma.
Thirteenth Army Air Force uses B-17s to bomb Rekata Bay on the island of Santa
Isabel, Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-18 arrives at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands, with 18 tons of cargo in supply in drums.
U.S. freighter Peter H. Burnett is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-21 east
of Newcastle, Australia. When I-21 withdraws, the freighter is reboarded and
towed to Sydney, Australia, for repairs.
U.S. submarine Tautog sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Yashima Maru, exDutch passenger-cargo ship Mijer, east of Salier Strait, off southern tip of Celebes
Island, Dutch East Indies.
JANUARY 23
The Casablanca Conference in Morocco ends with President Roosevelt, Prime
Minister Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff reaching a decision on
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invasion of Sicily and a cross-channel amphibious assault of Western Europe, a
vigorous campaign in Burma, and the opening of a land route to China. Roosevelt
calls for unconditional surrender of Axis Powers.
On Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, all Japanese resistance ends as American
forces reduce pockets of Japanese in the Gifu area. Also, Kokumbona is
occupied. This causes the Japanese to loose control of the good landing beach
west of the airfields; captured at the beach are the artillery pieces that have
menaced Henderson Field and the ground forces in the Mount Austen area. The
enemy's supply routes, communications systems, and ammunition dumps are also
lost. Remaining Japanese begin pulling back to evacuation points. During the
night, Japanese forces begin a withdraw from Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal.
B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force attacks the airfields at Rabaul on the island
of New Britain and shipping off Cape Gazelle at New Guinea. B-25s attack the
supply dumps near Lae, New Guinea. B-24s, operating individually, pounds
Madang and Finschhafen on New Guinea, and go after Japanese transports
near Rabaul and at Simpson Harbor of the island of New Britain.
24 P-40s of 78th Fighter Squadron of the Seventh Army Air Force take off from
Barking Sands, Kauai, in the Hawaiian Islands to fly to Midway Island in the
North Pacific Ocean. Once there they are to carry out patrols flights. This flight of
about 1,100 nautical miles is the longest over-water massed flight of a singleengine aircraft made to date.
P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force and Marine fighter-bombers have helped
American ground forces to push the Japanese up the Guadalcanal coast and have
taken Kokumbona and the Poha River Valley. At noon a force of Marauder
medium bombers with Wildcats and Airacobras escorts attack and silence enemy
antiaircraft batteries on Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon
Islands. During the early afternoon Flying Fortresses with Lightning Lockheed
fighter escorts attack the enemy areas again and started a number of fires. During
the evening Marauders with Airacobra escorts carry out a fourth attack on enemy
positions on New Georgia.
During the early morning a PBY bombs the Japanese-held area of Munda, New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands, a large explosion results,
indicating hits on an ammunition dump.
The American submarine Guardfish, off New Ireland, northeast of the island of
New Britain and part of the Bismarck Archipelago, sinks the Japanese destroyer
Hakaze.
After sundown and continuing into the next day, U.S. Navy cruisers and
destroyers shell Kolombangara Island, New Georgia, Western Solomon Islands.
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Nimitz meets with Halsey at Noumea on New Caledonia to discuss their next
objective. Later, Nimitz gives Halsey verbal approval to start planning for the
occupation of the Russell Islands, Solomon Islands, code named CLEANSLATE.
During the night, Japanese aircraft attacks U.S. positions on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
The Japanese submarine I-8 shells Canton Island, Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Island
chain.
In the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal Gifu area falls.
Japanese planes bomb U.S. shipping in Milne Bay, New Guinea; fragments from
near misses damage the freighter Stephen Johnson Field.
Japanese submarine I-21 launches her seaplane for a reconnaissance of Sydney
Harbor, Australia. The pilot reports the seeing a heavy cruiser and smaller ships in
the harbor.
JANUARY 24
American cruisers and destroyers shells as carrier based planes bomb VilaStanmore area of Kolombangara, Solomon Islands.
Japanese aircraft attacks Port Moresby on the southeastern coast of the island of
New Guinea, at night.
American airstrip located at Amchitka on the Aleutian Islands is assaulted by
Japanese planes.
B-17s from the 5th Army Air Force bomb the airfield, the harbor, and shipping at
Rabaul, New Britain Island. B-25s attack supply dump at Lae, New Guinea. B-24s
flying individually attacks on the runways at Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island,
and Gasmata, New Britain Island, and bombs Dili, East Timor, Dutch East Indies.
Aircraft form the 10th Army Air Force hits the docks at Rangoon, Burma, and a
6,000-ton transport in the harbor also, P-40s bomb and strafe ammo dumps at
Shaduzup, Burma.
American aircraft of the 13th Army Air Force makes an attack on enemy positions
on Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group in the Western Solomon
Islands.
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Bombardment group of Allied destroyers shells Japanese fuel and munitions
dumps in the Stanmore area, Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands. Later that
same day, aircraft from the carrier Saratoga bomb the same target.
Japanese transports begin to gather at Rabaul on New Britain Island, in
preparation for the Japanese evacuation of starving Japanese troops on
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
A Kanga Force on patrol on New Guinea, reports to Brigadier Murray Moten they
had observed movement on the alternative “Jap Track” but the Australians did not
know that an entire regiment is advancing over this route towards Wau, New
Guinea.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese destroyer Harusame west of Wewak,
New Guinea.
Japanese light cruiser Nagara is damaged off Anatahan Island in the Northern
Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
JANUARY 25
The final phase of the Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands starts with
the pursuit of the Japanese along the Northwest coast toward Cape Esperance.
Map Milne Bay area
In the Gona and Oro Bay area of New Guinea, General Horace Fuller, U.S.A.
takes over command of Allied troops.
A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force strafe several areas in Northeast New
Guinea where there appears to be Japanese movement. B-25s attacks supply
dumps, AA, and machine-gun positions around Lae, New Guinea. B-24s hits the
runways at Gasmata and Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island, and a runway
and a beached ship at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
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Seventh Army Air Force sends six B-24s to carry out a photographic
reconnaissance missions over Wake Island in the Central Pacific and drop bombs.
In Burma, the 10th Army Air Force makes an attack on the railroad bridge at
Myitnge then turns their attention on the railroad yards in Mandalay and at Naba.
Six B-24s hit the Rangoon dock area, Burma.
B-26s and P-38s from the 13th Army Air Force hit the airfield at Munda, New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands, and bomb the wharf at Repirepi.
P-38s bombs installations in Rekata Bay area, Santa Isabel Island, Solomon
Islands.
The airfield at Ballale Island Shortland Island group, Solomon Islands, is bombed
by B-17s.
A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force strafe areas in Northeast New Guinea where
there appears to be Japanese movement. B-25s attack supply dumps, AA, and
machine-gun positions around Lae, New Guinea. B-24s hit the runways at
Gasmata and Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island, and a runway and a beached
ship at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Japanese floatplanes bomb Amchitka, Alaska.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers 18-tons supplies to Cape Esperance,
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in supply containers.
Japanese submarine I-34 delivers supplies to the garrison at Kiska Island, Aleutian
Islands of Alaska.
JANUARY 26
U.S. submarine Flying Fish damages the Japanese transport Tokai Maru at Port
Apra, Guam in the Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine Grayling sinks the Japanese cargo ship Ushio Maru in Verde
Island Passage, north of Mindoro, Philippines.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon is damaged by depth charges in the Banda Sea, bordered
by the Moluccas Islands to the south Ceram, Buru, and Sula on the north in the
Dutch East Indies but remains on patrol.
U.S. submarine Wahoo attacks and sinks an entire group of Japanese ships, the
Japanese army cargo ships Buyo Maru and Fukuei Maru No.2. Wahoo then
torpedoes and damages the Japanese armed cruiser Ukishima Maru and the
Japanese tanker Pacific Maru.
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Japanese aircraft strafes Constantine Harbor, Amchitka Island, Aleutian Islands.
Japanese submarine I-24 arrives at Buna, New Guinea, with 16-tons of supplies
and leaves with 64 sick and wounded soldiers.
Independence Day for India is announced in Berlin, Germany.
In Burma, Detachment 101 of the OSS makes their first guerrilla operation by
A-20 medium bomber. U.S. Air Force photo
parachuting behind Japanese lines
in an attempt to destroy parts of the
Myitkyina railroad tracks and its
bridges.
The airfield at Ballale Island in the
Shortland Island group, Solomon
Islands, is bombed by B-17s.
B-17s from the 5th Army Air Force drop bombs on shipping and the Rapopo
airstrip at Rabaul, New Britain Island. In New Guinea A-20s and B-25s attack
Lae, concentrating on supply dumps. B-24s carries out individual attacks on the
runways at Cape Gloucester and Gasmata on New Britain Island and hit
Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Three B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force, taking off from Funafuti in the Ellice
Islands to fly a photo reconnaissance mission over Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert
Islands, Maiana, Abemama, Beru, and Tomama in the Gilbert islands. The
bombers attack cargo ships in the lagoon at Tarawa Atoll. P-40s of the 73rd
Fighter Squadron, escorted by three LB-30s, fly from Midway in the North Pacific
to NAS Kaneohe, Territory of Hawaii, a distance of about 1,100 nautical miles.
The 73rd had been dispatched to Midway Island immediately after the Battle of
Midway and had been flown off the flight deck of the carrier Saratoga, the first
land based fighters to take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier.
B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force bombs Japanese shipping and the dock at
Rangoon, Burma, B-25s hit the Mandalay switching yards, P-40s and B-25s hit
the
bridge at Shaduzup, the railroad near Meza, and the Naba switching yards, Burma.
JANUARY 27
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force hit supply dumps and the airfield at Malahang,
New Guinea. Individual B-24s bombs the town of Finschhafen on New Guinea,
the airfield on tip of Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, and the Gasmata airfield on
New Britain Island.
500
General Twining of the 13th Army Air Force and a crew of 14 go down at sea
between Guadalcanal and Espiritu Santo. The entire group is rescued six days
later. General Twining's rubber raft contained no radio set, an item which
COMGEN SOPAC, General Millard Harmon, had been requesting for some time.
This incident results in the rapid appearance of Dinghy radio sets in the area.
13th Army Air Force: Six B-26s and eight P-39s attack the airfield at Munda,
New Georgia. A force of B-26 medium bombers, with P-39 escort, bombs enemy
installations on Kolobangara Island in the New Georgia group.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon arrives of the coast of Negros in the Philippines in the
submarine is Captain Jesus A. Villamor, a Filipino aviator, who will go ashore to
organize an intelligence network in the Philippines to determine means of
delivering emergency supplies as well as obtaining general information on
Japanese activities in the islands. Villamor soon established efficient radio
contact with Australia.
U.S. submarine Whale damages the Japanese transport Shoan Maru in the central
Pacific; towed to Saipan in the Mariana Islands and grounded to facilitate salvage,
Shoan Maru performs no more active service.
During the evening, a force of dive-bombers and torpedo planes with Wildcat
escort attacks a Japanese destroyer and a cargo ship in the Vella Gulf between
Vella Lavella Island and Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands of the
Southwest Pacific.
Japanese destroyer Karukaya is damaged off Takao, Formosa off the southeast
coast of China.
Japanese submarine I-27 is damaged off Penang, Malaya.
On New Guinea the advance echelon of the Okabe Detachment arrives at Hill
5500, about six miles northeast of Wau. From this vantage point Major General
Okabe decides to launch a surprise night attack on the Allied troops assembled
around the airfield, however, due to Allied air attacks, encounters with Allied
patrols, and the terrain the attack does not take place until January 30.
JANUARY 28
A Kanga Force patrol reports that “hundreds” of Japanese are approaching Wau,
New Guinea, using the alternative “Jap Track.” This force attack without success
against Australian positions at Wau, New Guinea. Moten has retained only a small
number of troops at the base and it was too late to pull back the Australian 2/6th
Battalion to block the Japanese. Moten sends companies to take on the Japanese
on their flanks but these actions are unsuccessful. The defense of Wau, and its
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airfields, now depends on the urgent airlift of reinforcements from Port Moresby
located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, New Guinea.
At Wau on New Guinea the main problem faced by the Australians is bad weather
and only four transport planes are able to reach the base before clouds closed in.
The Japanese Okabe Detachment has advanced to within two miles of the airfield
at Wau, New Guinea, and the troops are weary and hungry after trekking from the
coast but anticipated capturing Australian supplies at Wau. Many Australians at
the base believe it might indeed fall, and some supplies and huts are destroyed as
a precautionary measure.
Japanese submarine I-165 shells the small Australian township of Port Gregory
north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia, north of Perth.
On New Guinea, A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force goes after Garrison Hill on
the Komiatum Track area as B-17s pounds Wewak and B-24s fly individual
attacks to Salamaua. In the Bismarck Archipelago, B-24s carry out individual
attacks on a cargo vessel in Open Bay and a nearby village on New Britain. In the
Dutch East Indies, B-24s in individual attacks bombs a transport off Amboina,
Ambon Island.
Five B-26s and 12 P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force hit the airfield at Vila on the
island of Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Solomon Islands, and P-38s, P-40s,
and U.S. Navy planes takes on Japanese shipping between Choiseul and
Kolombangara. B-17s are sent to bomb the Kahili airfield on the south coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
Two Japanese float-planes attacks American ships operating in the Aleutian
Islands, however, no damage is caused.
During the afternoon, dive-bombers and torpedo planes with P-38 escort attack
Japanese ships northeast of Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group of
the Western Solomon Islands.
JANUARY 29
The Battle of Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands commences as a task force of
cruisers and destroyers, covering a convoy of troop transports to Guadalcanal in
the Solomon Islands are attacked by Japanese aircraft. The heavy cruiser Chicago
is sunk.
The Japanese begin using the airstrip at Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, which
causes a treat to Allied sea routes.
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Japanese aircraft attack U.S. positions on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gato sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Nichiun Maru off
southeast tip of Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
The New Zealand corvettes, Kiwi and Moa, surprise the Japanese submarine I-1 at
Kamimbo Bay of Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands, and sink her by ramming.
A later salvage operation by the submarine rescue vessel Ortlan recovers many of
the codebooks, communications, and other secret documents from the I-1 and the
surrounding waters.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-25s to attack around Mubo, Garrison, and Mat
Hill, all on New Guinea. A lone B-24s bombs the runways at Cape Gloucester and
Gasmata, New Britain Island.
B-26s and P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force go after Japanese at Vila on the
southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands, targets on
Kolombangara, and the airfield at Munda Point on New Georgia Island as B-17s
hit the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island.
In the morning at Wau on New Guinea the clouds have lifted and C-47s deliver
814 men of the 2/5th and 2/7th Battalions of the AIF.
JANUARY 30
The Battle of Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands continues as carrier based and
land based aircraft attack Japanese planes attempting to attack the cruiser and
destroyer task force.
B-17s drop bombs on Japanese shipping and the wharf at Simpson Harbor,
Rabaul, New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago
Naval Station is established at Fox Island, Akutan Harbor, Alaska.
Floating dry dock YFD-220 founders and sinks in heavy weather off California
coast.
Japanese submarine I-36 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, from Rabaul on New Britain
Island to unload 23 tons of supplies and to evacuate 59 soldiers.
A-20s from the 5th Army Air Force strafes and bomb Lae and Mubo around
Garrison Hill and along the Komiatum Trail of New Guinea. A single B-24s
bombs the runway at Gasmata on New Britain Island and attacks transports in
Open Bay, New Guinea.
503
B-17 crew, Eleventh Army Air Force, makes an attack on an unidentified
submerged object in the Alaskan waters, and dropped four depth charges and one
bomb. The unidentified object turns out to be a whale.
B-17s, B-26s, P-40s, and P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force drum AA positions
and the airfield at Munda, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
At Wau on New Guinea, the Australians’ firepower is enhanced by Beaufighter
fighter-bombers of the Royal Australian Air Force, which have flow from Port
Moresby, New Guinea, to strafe Japanese troops.
C-47s delivered more Australian infantrymen and two 25-pound field guns and
gunners of the 2/1st Field Regiment to Wau on New Guinea; the artillery is
reassembled and in action by midday. Australian troops repulse a Japanese attack
at Wau airfield, New Guinea.
At Wau on New Guinea, Major General Okabe takes command of his left wing
force and orders it to attack the southwest perimeter of the airstrip. The attack
fails as the assault force, moving up in the darkness, suddenly run into fierce
automatic weapons fire and is thrown into confusion.
On New Guinea, Wau’s right flank, Major General Okabe’s 2nd Battalion
launches an attack on the Allied camp and succeeds in capturing a segment of the
northeast corner of the airfield. Due to severe losses, however, the battalion is
unable to hold the captured ground and falls back east to reorganize.
JANUARY 31
B-17s bomb the airfields, Japanese shipping, and the town of Rabaul on New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
The Fifth Army Air Force deploys a single B-24 to hits the runway at Cape
Gloucester on New Britain Island and one B-17 does the same at Wewak, New
Guinea. A-20s pound positions enemy between Mubo and Komiatum, New
Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands, a weather and photographic reconnaissance aircraft flies
twice over Kiska. Four B-17s, two B-24s, six B-25s, four P-38s and four P-40s
then attempt an attack on Kiska; P-40s turn back with mechanical troubles; the
other aircraft find Kiska closed in and abort the mission. Two patrol missions,
each by a single B-25 and four P-38s, flies over Amchitka.
P-39s, P-38s, P-40s, from the 13th Army Air Force and other Navy planes carry
out sorties over Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon
Islands, Munda on New Georgia Island in the Solomon Islands, and Vella Gulf
between Vella Lavella Island and Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands of
504
the Southwest Pacific. B-17s bombs the ammunition dump and the airfield at
Vila. Naval aircraft and P-39s, flying from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands
sink the Japanese transport Toa Maru between Vella Lavella and Kolombangara
Islands. Torpedo boat Hiyodori and minelayer Kamime, damaged in the air
attacks, rescue survivors and transport them to Kolombangara Island.
A U.S. destroyer shells a number of enemy barges off Cape Esperance,
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Two Japanese floatplanes bomb Constantine Harbor on Amchitka in the Aleutian
Islands of Alaska without results.
The Okabe Detachment that has been attacking Wau on New Guinea now has
fallen into retreat. The Detachment is in a poor state. It has suffered over 1,000
battle casualties and hundreds more are sick. Wirraway tactical reconnaissance
aircraft track the Japanese movements, enabling patrols, artillery, mortars, and
aircraft to harass the rearguard. This action ends the last Japanese offensive on
New Guinea.
Australian troops begin mop up operations against the Japanese at Wau, New
Guinea.
U.S. M1 Garand Rifle
505
FEBRUARY 1
Twenty Japanese destroyers are attacked by aircraft from Henderson Field located
on Guadalcanal as well as nine Japanese PT Boats en route to evacuate troops
from Guadalcanal.
During the night, Japanese planes, in groups of from one to four planes, attack
Allied positions on Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands.
Japanese troops on Guadalcanal begin assembling at Cape Esperance for
evacuation.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska Japanese planes bomb and strafe Amchitka
Harbor and American shipping without inflicting much damage.
British and Indian troops attack Japanese positions at Donbaik, Burma. In Burma
the Indian 55th Brigade attacks Donbaik with tanks however Japanese anti-tank
guns turns back the action.
In the Solomon Islands U.S. forces on Guadalcanal cross the Bonegi River, onehalf mile east of Tassafaronga.
U.S. Army 2nd Battalion, 132nd Infantry lands at Verahue, Guadalcanal, in an
attempt to cut off withdrawing Japanese. After unloading, three LCT’s, escort
destroyers Nicholas and DeHaven, come under attack from Japanese planes south
of Savo Island. DeHaven is sunk by three bombs, while Nicholas is damaged by
near-misses.
Last Australian troops in the Middle East sail for home.
B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Rapopo airfield near Rabaul on New
Britain. A single B-24 bombs the runway at Finschhafen, New Guinea, then flies
on to New Britain where it does the same at Cape Gloucester.
B-24s of the Tenth Army Air Force flying from Pandaveswar in India hit the
Arakan tea sheds on the Rangoon River, Burma.
B-17s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force makes an attack on Japanese shipping
near the island of Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. P-38s, P-40s, and P-39s,
along with Navy and Marine aircraft, attack Japanese destroyers near Vangunu
Island in the Solomon Islands.
To deny the Japanese "Tokyo Express" access to the channel between Savo Island
and Guadalcanal’s Cape Esperance, light minelayers Tracy, Montgomery, and
Preble sow 255 mines in those waters. The three ships clear the mining area as
Japanese men-of-war are only 12,000 yards away and closing. This marks the first
506
offensive minefield laid in the war in the Pacific.
During the morning, U.S. Navy dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo planes with
Wildcats as escorts, bomb the enemy-held area at Munda, New Georgia in the
Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Tarpon sinks the Japanese passenger-cargo ship Fushimi Maru
south of Omai Zaki, Japan.
FEBRUARY 2
During the night, B-17s from the 5th Army Air Force makes an attack on the
Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul, New Britain. The Japanese use night fighters to
defend the airfield. This is the first use of night fighters by the enemy. Other
activity of the 5th Army Air Force includes B-24s attacking shipping between
Lolobau Island off New Britain, sinking the Japanese cargo vessel Kenkoku Maru
while en route from Kokope to New Guinea, hitting Gasmata, New Britain,
runway, and bombing Timika, Dutch East Indies. A-20s bomb and strafe high
points between Mubo and Komiatum, New Guinea.
P-40s strafe aircraft, AA positions and targets of opportunity at Kentung, Burma.
The Munda airfield, New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands, is attacked by
B-26s, P-38s, and P-39s from the 13th Army Air Force. Flying Fortresses of the
13th Army Air Force hit Japanese shipping near the Shortland Islands in the
Western Solomon Islands sinking Japanese cargo vessel Keiyo Maru.
Japanese destroyer Makigumo is damaged by mine laid by light minelayers Tracy,
Montgomery, and Preble off Cape Esperance the previous night; she is scuttled by
destroyer Yugumo. Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., Commander South Pacific
Force, lauds the success of the mining mission as resulting from "bold execution
of a sound plan," while Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific
Fleet, calls it a "splendidly conducted operation... carried out by old ships,
inadequate in speed and gun power..."
During the night, Japanese planes again bomb U.S. positions on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
During the evening, a force of Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo
planes attack Munda on the island of New Georgia in the Western Solomon
Islands.
Australian guerrillas fighting on Timor, Dutch East Indies, since December 8,
1941, are withdrawn by sea.
British and Indian troops attack Japanese positions at Donbaik, Burma.
507
During the night five crew members of the abandoned submarine I-1 and 11
Japanese soldiers attempt to blow up the submarine submerged on a reef off
Kamimbo near Guadalcanal. The I-1 carries a case containing past and future
codes, charts, manuals, the ship's log and as well as other secret documents that
could fall into Allied hands. They use two depth charges, but the explosion is too
weak to destroy the wreck.
FEBRUARY 3
In the Solomon Islands, U.S. Army troops of the 132nd land at Verahue,
Guadalcanal, and push towards Tenaro village.
B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force go after the Gasmata runway, Rabaul,
shipping in Simpson Harbor, the Cape Gazelle area, and the airfield at Cape
Gloucester, New Britain. A-20s attack along the Mubo-Komiatum Trail on New
Guinea.
During the night, B-24s and B-25s with fighter escort, from the Eleventh Army
Air Force bomb Japanese positions at Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. Navy and Marine planes along with P-39s, P-38s, and P-40s from the
Thirteenth Army Air Force hit the Munda airfield, New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Tunny damages the Japanese army transport No.1 Shinto Maru in
the South China Sea.
During the morning, a force of U.S. Navy dive-bombers bomb Japanese positions
at Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Island.
During the morning, dive-bombers, with fighter escort, bomb enemy positions on
Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group in the Western Solomon Islands.
In the Solomon Islands, U.S. positions, on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, are
bombed twice by a single Japanese plane.
During the afternoon, five Japanese float-planes attack U.S. positions in the
western Aleutian Islands causing no damage.
On New Guinea, Australian Kanga Force attack from Wau and drives the
Japanese out of Mubo.
British and Indian troops attack Japanese positions at Donbaik, Burma.
Indian 123rd Brigade in the Arakan area of Burma are turn back at Rathedaung.
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FEBRUARY 4
A Japanese naval force of one cruiser and twenty two destroyers en route to
evacuate troops at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands are attacked by American
aircraft from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal damaging four destroyers, however,
they extracts 3,921 enemy soldiers.
Five enemy bombers attack American positions on Amchitka, Aleutian Islands of
Alaska.
U.S. submarine Tunny damages the Japanese transport Tatsuwa Maru in the
South China Sea.
In Burma the Myitnge Bridge south of Mandalay is bombed by aircraft of the 10th
Army Air Force along with the railroad shops at Myitnge, Burma. Railroad targets
in Rangoon and Meza are bombed.
Australian 9th Division sails from Suez after two years in North Africa for the
Pacific.
In New Delhi, Field Marshals Sir John Dill and Archibald Percival Wavell,
Generals Joseph Stilwell, Arnold, and Somervell attend a conference where a
decision is made to take over Burma first then assault Japanese forces in China.
FEBRUARY 5
Imperial General Headquarters orders Admiral Hosogaya and General Higuchi "to
hold the western Aleutian Islands at all cost."
Japanese submarine I-36 sails up the Mambare estuary at Buna, New Guinea, to
deliver 18 tons of supplies and to evacuate 40 soldiers.
Fifth AAF aircraft sinks the Japanese cargo vessels Shunko Maru off Finschhafen,
New Guinea, and Hoshikawa Maru off Talasea, West New Britain.
In Burma the Myitnge Bridge south of Mandalay is bombed by aircraft of the 10th
Air Force. Railroad targets in Rangoon and Meza are bombed.
FEBRUARY 6
In New Guinea, A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force, bomb and strafe the
Japanese from Mubo to Komiatum to Salamaua and also the in the Mambare
River delta. B-25s hits the airfield at Lae.
The Myitnge Bridge, south of Mandalay, Burma, is bombed by aircraft of the 10th
Army Air Force but fail to do serious damage to it.
509
Japanese aircraft attacks the Allied airfield Wau, New Guinea.
During the evening, dive-bombers with Wildcat escort bombs Munda on New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish damages the transport Nagizan Maru off Tinian
Island, Mariana islands.
AAF planes sink the Japanese cargo ship Gisho Maru.
Ten Japanese aircraft from New Britain attack the Wau, New Guinea, airfield in
an effort to curb Allied air activity.
Japanese submarine RO-100 is attacked by a Japanese patrol aircraft flying out of
Rabaul, New Britain.
At Wau on New Guinea the Allies, after being reinforces, attack the Okabe
Detachment with heavy air support forcing the 102nd Infantry withdraw to
reorganize.
FEBRUARY 7
Japanese begin their third evacuation of troops from Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
A Japanese naval force of eighteen destroyers en route to Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands to evacuate troops is attacked by aircraft from Henderson Field
damaging two.
Decimated survivors of the Japanese Buna-Gona campaign on New Guinea,
approximately 3,400, gather at the mouth of the Mambare River to form a
defensive line but due to their condition they are ordered to continue their
withdrawal by sea to Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea.
OSS agents of Detachment 101 parachute into the Kaukkwe Valley of central
Burma where they are to cut the Mogaung-Katha Railroad in conjunction with an
Allied offensive and then organize guerrillas south of Myitkyina.
Admiral Halsey informs Rear Admiral Tuner to commence tactical plans for the
occupation of the Russell Islands, Central Solomon Islands, code named
Cleanslate.
On New Guinea a single B-24 bombs Dobo, Babo, Timika and Kaukenau.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers, with Wildcat escort, attack a Japanese surface
force near Rendova Island in the New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
510
U.S. submarine Growler is damaged by accidental ramming from the Japanese
store ship Hayasaki and gunfire from the same vessel, northwest of
Rabaul, New Britain. During this action, Growler's commanding officer,
Commander Howard W. Gilmore, is mortally wounded. Rather than risking
further hazard to his ship, he
orders the sub to be taken down. For his gallantry, Gilmore is awarded the
Medal of Honor posthumously. Hayasaki is damaged in the encounter; Growler
is forced to terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Swordfish is damaged when mistakenly attacked by a B-17, north
of New Ireland, northeast of the island of New Britain and part of the Bismarck
Archipelago, and terminates her patrol as a result.
U.S. submarine Trout damages Japanese tanker Nisshin Maru off Miri, British
Borneo.
Shoe rationing begins in the United States.
FEBRUARY 8
The Japanese complete the evacuation of 11,000 troops from Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands. This marks the last Tokyo Express run.
Japanese Girwa Garrison withdraws to Mambare, New Guinea, 7,600 troops of
the Nankai Detachment have been killed during the Port Moresby operation.
Japanese submarine I-21 torpedoes and sinks the British freighter Iron Knight
near Montague Island, New South Wales, Australia.
Japanese cargo ship Shotoku Maru is sunk by storm near Hinomizaki, Honshu,
Japan.
U.S. submarine Tunny sinks Japanese cargo ship Kusuyama Maru off southwest
coast of Formosa west of Takao.
In the Solomon Islands American forces arrive at the western end of Guadalcanal
at Doma, nine miles from Cape Esperance, what they believe to be the Japanese
evacuation point, however, they are only able to find empty boats and abandoned
supplies.
Indian troops of the 77th Brigade (Chindits) under Brigadier General Orde
Wingate set out from Imphal for Tamu to begin guerrilla operations against
Japanese forces in Burma.
Detachment 101, group "A", consisting of twelve Anglo-Burmese agents under
511
Captain Jack Barnard of the British Army, parachuted into Kaukkwe Valley,
Burma
The Fifth Army Air Force sends A-20s to attack the Japanese at Mubo, B-25s to
bomb the town of Dobo, and a single B-24 to the Gasmata airfield, New Britain.
In Burma the marshaling yards at Rangoon and the airfield at Mingaladon are
attacked by B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force.
In the Aleutian islands of Alaska B-24s and B-25s of the 11th Army Air Force
bombs the Kiska area and hits the water tank and several buildings. B-25s hit
North Head.
P-38s, from the 13th Army Air Force, and Navy aircraft bombs the Munda
Airfield, New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
FEBRUARY 9
The U.S. 161st and 132nd Regiments joins up at Tenaro thus organized resistance
on Guadalcanal ends. American forces are unaware that all Japanese have been
completely pulled out in view of air and naval forces in the area.
Elsewhere on Guadalcanal, Seabees of the 18th Naval Construction Battalion
complete a fighter airstrip at Lunga.
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs the Kendari airfield, Dutch East Indies
and A-20s attacks the Malahang area of New Guinea.
During the evening, dive-bombers, with P-38s and Wildcat escort, attack Japanese
positions at Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
B-26s, P-38s, and P-39s all form the 13th Army Air Force hit the airfield at Vila
and P-38s accompany Navy planes in pounding the Munda airfield, New Georgia
in the Western Solomon Islands.
During the night, a PBY raids Japanese positions at Munda, New Georgia in the
Western Solomon Islands.
President Roosevelt declares that all American war plants must operate on a
minimum of a 48-hour week.
U.S. submarine Tarpon sinks the Japanese transport Tatsuta Maru east of Mikura
Jima, Japanese island in the Philippine Sea.
500 POWs of the United Kingdom are transported from Java to Singapore,
Malaya.
512
FEBRUARY 10
Railroad rolling stock in Maymyo, Burma, is bombed by B-25s of the 10th Army
Air Force.
B-24s, B-17s, B-25s, and P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force attack the airstrip
and buildings at Kiska, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
Navy planes and P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force again hit the Munda airfield,
New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
The Japanese send carrier planes to try to destroy the submarine I-1, sunk on
January 29th, in order to prevent code books, charts, and other documents from
falling into the hands of the Allies.
The Japanese submarine I-21 pursues the U.S. freighter Starr King and torpedoes
her. Starr King sinks during the night while under undertow. Australian destroyer
HMAS Warramunga rescues survivors but has to abandon the attempt to tow the
crippled freighter when a line fouls her port screw.
Japanese submarine I-24 arrives at Buna, New Guinea, with 16-tons of supplies
and then evacuates 71 wounded soldiers.
U.S. submarine Pickerel sinks the Japanese cargo ship Amari Maru off Sanriku,
Japan.
Last Australian guerillas are evacuated from East Timor, Dutch East Indies, after a
year of resistance in the jungle.
FEBRUARY 11
The Vought F4U Corsair is flown on its first combat mission when 12 aircraft
from Guadalcanal escort a PB2Y to Vella Lavella Island in the Solomon Islands
to pick up a down pilot.
F4U Corsair fighter. USMC Photo.
B-26s, P-38s, and P-39s from the 13th Army Air Force bomb the airfields at
Munda and Vila, New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
513
The American destroyer Fletcher and a seaplane from the light cruiser Helena
sink the Japanese submarine I-18 in the Coral Sea off the northeast coast of
Australia.
U.S. submarine Grayling damages the Japanese army cargo ship Hoeizan Maru
off Corregidor Island, Manila Bay, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands.
Japanese battleship Musashi replaces the Yamoto as the flagship of the Combined
Fleet.
FEBRUARY 12
The Fifth Army Air Force uses B-24s to attack a sawmill at Ubili, on the northern
coast of New Britain, the runway at Cape Gloucester, the harbor, and the airfield
at Rabaul, New Britain Island.
In Burma the Myitnge Bridge, south of Mandalay, is bombed by aircraft of the
10th Army Air Force. 2,000 pound 'blockbusters' bombs are used for the first time
in the CBI Theater, though the attack did little real damage to the bridge. The
marshaling area and railroad station at Rangoon are bombed.
In the Western Solomon Islands, on the island of New Georgia anti-aircraft
batteries at Rapa, the area around Kokengolo, and Munda are attacked by P-38s
from the 13th Army Air Force and Navy aircraft. B-26s and P-39s follow the
attack at Munda with a hit on the airfield.
Dauntless dive-bombers, with Wildcat and P-38 escorts, again attacked enemy
installations at Munda, New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
General MacArthur issues his plan for the push toward Rabaul on New Britain,
code named Elkton.
U.S. submarine Grampus sails from Brisbane, Australia, for her sixth war patrol.
U.S. forces never hear from her again.
Tanker Salamonie is damaged in collision with cargo vessel Uruguay.
FEBRUARY 13
Japanese 41st Division arrives at Wewak, New Guinea from China.
Colonel Wingate and the 3000 men of the77th Indian Brigade, the Chindits,
leaves Imphal, India, for Burma on their first operation into enemy territory.
The 5th Army Air Force sends A-20s to hit ground forces around Mubo, New
Guinea, B-25s to hit Lae, New Guinea, a lone B-24 to bomb the sawmill at Ubili,
514
New Britain, and a single B-17 to attack targets in the Rabaul area of New
Britain.
In Burma the switching yards at both Rangoon and Paukkan are bombed by the
10th Air Force. Also, P-40s hit the Japanese headquarters at Lonkin, burning
down several barracks. B-25s hit train cars at Paukkan and along the rail line
from Shwebo to Sagaing.
Col. Wingate with Col. Cochran of the USAAF.
USAAF photo.
B-24s and B-25s along with P-38s of the
11th Army Air Force bomb and strafe
Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force from
Guadalcanal, bombs Buin and shipping
near the Shortland Islands. This is the
baptism of fire in the Solomon Islands for the B-24s of 424th Bomb Squadron of
the 307th Bomb Group.
FEBRUARY 14
"Saint Valentines Day Massacre,” Japanese Zero's jump American bombers and
their escorts, downing ten aircraft to a loss of only four planes.
Japanese submarine RO-100 is damaged by an Allied destroyer off Port Moresby,
New Guinea, forcing her to return to Rabaul, New Britain, for repairs.
During the morning, dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo planes, with P-39s and
Wildcat escorts, attack Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon
Islands.
During the night, Boeing B-17s fly a skip bomb attack on Japanese shipping in the
Buin-Faisi area of New Guinea. During this attack the B-17s completing the
destruction of the Hitachi Maru.
On New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army
Air Force pounds the Rabaul area, and the Kokopo area, Watom Island, and
shipping off Kokopo and Cape Nelson. Single B-24s attack the Madang area of
New Guinea and the saw mill at Ubili, New Britain. B-25s bombs the airfield at
Lae, New Guinea.
In Burma the Myitnge Bridge, south of Mandalay, is bombed by aircraft of the
10th Army Air Force.
515
B-24s again attacks Buin, New Guinea. As a result of the loss of five bombers in
15 sorties in two days, all daylight bombing missions in the northern Solomon
Islands are halted till adequate protection can be furnished.
U.S. submarine Amberjack is probably sunk by Japanese naval aircraft, torpedo
boat Hiyodori and submarine chaser Ch 18 off Cape St. George, New Britain in
the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Runner unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese cargo vessel Tokyo
Maru north of Biak, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Thresher damages the Japanese submarine I-162 off the Lesser
Sundas. The Thresher fires two torpedoes, but one is a dud and the other misses
and explodes harmlessly. The I-162 uses her deck guns to fire back at the
Thresher then escapes.
U.S. submarine Trout sinks the Japanese gunboat Hirotama Maru at south
entrance to Makassar Strait, between the islands of Borneo and Celebes in the
Dutch East Indies. The Trout torpedoes and damages the Japanese gunboat then
surfaces to sink it with her deck gun but several of her crew are wounded by
gunfire from the Japanese ship. The Commander then decided to finish off the
Japanese ship with another torpedo.
PBYs strafe and damages the ammunition ship Hitachi Maru off Buin,
Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
General Wingate and 3000 Chindits cross the Chindwin River in two groups at
Auktaung and Tonhe, Burma.
In the Wau area of New Guinea, the Okabe Detachment begins to withdraw to
Mubo and the Nassau Bay area after receiving orders from the Eighteenth Army
command at Rabaul, New Britain.
FEBRUARY 15
Joint Air Command designated Aircraft Solomon Islands is established under
Rear Admiral C. P. Mason is established with headquarters at Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
The Myitnge Bridge south of Mandalay, Burma, is bombed by aircraft of the 10th
Army Air Force
Japanese 55th Division attacks the British-Indian troops at Rathedaung, Burma.
The Indian National Army is reorganized.
516
Southern Luzon Guerrilla Forces are re-organized. Colonel Gyles Merrill
becomes
Commanding Officer, the highest ranking U.S. Officer left on Luzon assumes
command of the organized Guerrilla Forces in Luzon in the Philippines of the
USAFFE.
B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Rabaul and Simpson Harbor, New
Britain. B-24s hit the town of Amboina on Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands,
Dutch East Indies and shipping nearby. B-25s attack the town of Dili, East Timor
in Dutch East Indies, the airfield, and supply dumps at Malahang, New Guinea.
Unknown to the bomber crew the Japanese had set up POW camps next to the
supply dumps. 27 Dutch women and children along with six Australian officers
are killed. B-24s operating singly bomb the runway at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
B-24s bombs the airfields at Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville in the
Solomon Islands and on Ballale Island of the Shortland Islands Group
northwestern Solomon Islands. P-39s, P-40s, and B-26's go after the Vila airfield
on the southern end of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gato sinks Japanese stores ship Suruga Maru in Bougainville
Strait that separates Choiseul Island from Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands.
U.S. submarine Pickerel attacks Japanese convoy, sinking cargo vessel Tateyama
Maru off the east coast of Honshu Island of Japan.
U.S. submarine Tunny sinks a Japanese sampan with her deck gun east of the
Bonin Islands a group of islands south of Tokyo, Japan.
AAF aircraft sinks Japanese cargo ship Kokoku Maru in the Bismarck Sea in the
southwestern Pacific Ocean to the north of the island of New Guinea
.
FEBRUARY 16
Japanese troops land on Luichow Peninsula, China.
Japanese submarine I-36 delivers 45 tons of supplies to Lae, New Guinea, from
Rabaul on New Britain and evacuates 90 soldiers.
B-17s from the 5th Army Air Force bombs warehouses at Ubili and B-25s bombs
the Malahang airfield, New Guinea.
U.S. fighters of the 11th Army Air Force begins using a new airstrip on Amchitka,
the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
517
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese stores ship Hyuga Maru off Pagan,
Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine Triton departs Brisbane, Australia, for her sixth war patrol.
Dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo planes, with Wildcat escort, attack Japanese
positions at Munda, on New Georgia Island.
During the afternoon, dive-bombers and Avengers, with Wildcat and Corsair
escort, carried out a second attack on Munda, New Georgia Island.
Lieutenant General Walter Krueger takes command of the newly created Sixth
United States Army, based in Australia.
British and Indian troops attack Japanese positions at Donbaik, Burma.
FEBRUARY 17
The carrier Lexington is commissioned at Quincy, Mass.; named after carrier
sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Dive-bombers, with Bell P-39s and Wildcats escort, bomb Japanese-held area at
Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
Madame Chiang Kai-shek addresses a joint meeting of the United States
Congress.
British Chindits crosses the Chindwin River, Burma, to cut the MandalayMyithyina railroad.
B-24s individually fly to Gasmata to attack the airfield, Pondo Harbor, Babo, and
the saw mill at Ubili on the northern coast of New Britain.
Individual B-24s attacks Nusave Island, the airfields on Ballale Island, Shortland
Island Group in the Western Solomon Islands, and Kahili on the south coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
7th Army Air Force flying out of Funafuti Atoll in the Ellice Group on a photo
reconnaissance of Butaritari Island of Makin Island Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, in
search for a seaplane base.
U.S. Navy aircraft and P-39s from the 13th Army Air Force hit the Munda airfield
on New Georgia Island, Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
American carrier planes attacks Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands.
518
The Japanese government states that they intend to try all American POW's
before a military tribunals and impose severe penalties including death.
U.S. submarine Sawfish accidentally sinks the Soviet cargo ship Ilmen off the east
coast of Kyushu Island, Japan.
HMNZS Moa lands a reconnaissance team on Banika, Russell Islands, Central
Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-24 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, with 32-tons of supplies and
then evacuates 72 sick or wounded soldiers.
U.S. 503rd Parachute Regiment constructs a facility for packing parachutes at
Norman Park in Gordonville in Australia.
FEBRUARY 18
Two cruisers and four destroyers under the flag of Admiral Charles McMorris
shells Japanese installations at Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor, Attu, Aleutian
Islands.
Bowing to German pressure, Tokyo issues a proclamation ordering all
undocumented refugees in Shanghai, China, to be move to the tiny ghetto in
Hongkew, China.
Prototype of the B-29 crashes killing the test pilot and the crew and 19 on the
ground near Boeing's Seattle headquarters.
During the night, B-17s and U.S. Navy PBYs attack the seaplane base and the
airfield at Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands
and on Ballale Island in the Shortland Island Group in the Western Solomon
Islands.
U.S. Navy dive-bombers, with P-39s and Wildcats as escort, bomb the Japaneseheld area on Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
Individual B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Finschhafen and the
Madang areas of New Guinea, and attempt to attack Japanese shipping off Cape
Gloucester and Cape Orford on New Britain Island. B-25s hit the Barar area and
shipping off Dili on East Timor, Dutch East Indies.
of
Heavy cruiser HMAS Australia and three U.S. destroyers operating south of
Australia cover the passage of a five-ship convoy transporting the 30,000 troops
the 9th Australian Division to Sydney, Australia.
HMNS Moa lands a reconnaissance team on Pavuvu, Russell Islands, Solomon
519
Islands.
U.S. Naval forces shells Japanese positions at Holtz Bay and at Chichagof Harbor
on Attu Island, Aleutian Islands.
German auxiliary cruiser Michel (Schiffe 28) arrives at Singapore, Malaya; the
next day she turns over to the Japanese the merchant and armed guard sailors she
had captured when she sank the U.S. freighter Sawokla on November 29, 1942.
On the Arakan front in Burma the Indian 55th Brigade strikes Donbaik, Burma,
but accomplish little.
Australian 9th Division, having served in North Africa, arrives at Fremantle in
Australia after they were ordered back to help defend Australia against the
Japanese.
FEBRUARY 19
The Fifth Army Air Force B-17s attack Japanese shipping and seaplane base
between Buin and Faisi, New Guinea, and at Ballale Island, Shortland Island
Group in the Western Solomon Islands, and hit the Kahili airfield, south coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. A-20s bomb and strafe Butibum and
Angari areas of New Guinea. B-24s fly single-plane attacks against ships at
Salamaua, New Guinea, off Cape Gloucester, New Britain. and at Gasmata, New
Britain.
B-25s from the 10th Army Air Force bomb the rail terminal at Sagaing and
fighters attack the Japanese headquarters at Hpunkizup, Burma.
American planes attack Japanese airfields at Vila, on Kolombangara Island in the
Solomon Islands and at Munda on New Georgia Island Western Solomon Islands.
Naval forces under MacArthur are designated the Seventh Fleet.
U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Indianapolis and destroyers Coghlan and Gillespie,
intercept the Japanese army cargo ship Aragane Maru bound for the Aleutian
Islands and engage her northwest of Attu.
U.S. submarine Gato torpedoes the Japanese ammunition ship Hibari Maru off
eastern Bougainville. Hibari Maru is beached off Buin, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Grampus torpedoes the Japanese transport/aircraft ferry Keiyo
Maru off New Britain.
U.S. submarine Runner is damaged by aerial bomb off Palaus, in the Caroline
Islands of the western Pacific, and is forced to terminate her patrol.
520
Australian Parliament passes the Defense (Citizen Military Forces) Bill
introducing conscription for service in the Southwest Pacific war zone. This
allows the sending of the Militia anywhere in the Southwest Pacific
FRUMEL (Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne) code breakers inform MacArthur of a
Japanese convoy that will be arriving at Lae early in March with reinforcements.
FEBRUARY 20
Office of Strategic Services, OSS, agents reach the Namkwin area of Burma, after
reconnoitering in the dark, they divide into three groups; each is to demolish a
bridge on the railroad.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends Fortresses to bomb the airfields at Kahili, on
Ballale Island in the Shortland Island Group in the Western Solomon Islands, and
at Gasmata on New Britain.
B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands,
makes a reconnaissance of Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands, Abaiang in the
Gilbert Islands, and Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, and attack shipping at Tarawa.
In Burma a factory, oil tanks, and railroad tracks at Sahmaw, as well as the
Gokteik Viaduct are bombed by the 10th Army Air Force.
B-24s, B-25s and P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force hit the Japanese on Kiska,
Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. Navy planes and 13th Army Air Force P-39s attack Munda on New Georgia
Island, hitting the airfield and nearby Lambeti and Munda Point, New Georgia
Island. Navy PBYs and B-17s bomb Ballale Island, Shortland Island Group, and
Kahili, south coast of Bougainville Island.
P-40s of New Zealand’s 15 Squadron leave Tonga and fly to Espiritu Santo in the
New Herbride Islandsto assist in the lands defense.
The American Task Force 62, the South Pacific Amphibious Force, sails from
Guadalcanal for the Russell Islands, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Albacore torpedoes and sinks the Japanese destroyer Oshio northnorthwest of Manus, Admiralty Islands. Albacore escapes damage in the resultant
depth-charging by an accompanying enemy warship.
U.S. submarine Halibut torpedoes and sinks the Japanese transport Shinkoku
Maru north of Ponape, Caroline Islands.
521
Japanese auxiliary patrol vessel Yoshida Maru is damaged by mine, probably
placed by the submarine Sunfish between December 14-17, 1942.
Japanese army cargo ship Aragane Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted
by gunfire from heavy cruiser Indianapolis and destroyers Coghlan and Gillespie
off Attu, Aleutian islands of Alaska.
Japanese ship 86 Allied citizens (American, Belgian, Canadian, Dutch, and
English) up the Yangtze River from Hankow to Nanking, China.
1,200 Filipinos serving with U.S. Armed services are granted American
citizenship.
FEBRUARY 21
In the Solomon Islands, U.S. Marines and Army troops of the U.S. 43rd Division
occupy undefended Russell Islands of Banika and Pavuvu to establish a new air
base 60 miles northwest of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
British Commandos raid Akyab, Burma.
U.S. carrier planes bomb Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Avenger torpedo planes and Dauntless dive-bombers, with fighter escort, attack
Japanese held positions on Munda, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon
Islands.
A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs and strafes several villages and
tracks throughout the Mubo, Komiatum-Salamaua region of New Guinea and B24s bomb the harbor and at Amboina Island, Dutch East Indies.
Avenger torpedo planes and dive-bombers with P-40s and Corsairs flying escort
522
bomb Japanese positions at Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Sawfish damages the Japanese tanker Ose, former Dutch Genota,
off Oagari Jima of Japan.
U.S. submarine Thresher attacks a Japanese convoy northeast of Soembawa
Island, Dutch East Indies, damaging the IJA cargo ship Kuwayama Maru.
Dutch submarine O-24 sinks the Japanese cargo vessel Bandai Maru off Salang
Island in Malaysia.
During the morning hours, Japanese aircraft conduct a light raid on Allied
positions on Espiritu Santo Island in the New Hebrides.
During the night, Japanese planes raid Allied positions at Tulagi in the Solomon
Islands.
FEBRUARY 22
B U.S. Navy battleship Iowa is commissioned at New York, New York.
In Burma mining operations in the Gulf of Martaban and the Rangoon River begin
during the night by air, while 10th AAF B-24s and RAF Liberators flying a
diversionary strike against Rangoon and Mingaladon Airfield, Burma.
B-17s hit enemy shipping near Rabaul, New Britain, during the night.
A single Flying Fortress of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Lae, New Guinea, and
a B-24 hits the Lorengau airfield, Manus Island off New Guinea, and B-25s attack
Lae while A-20s bombs Buibuining, Waipali, Guadagasal, and other targets on the
trails surrounding the area on New Guinea.
The 13th Army Air Force sends P-38s, P-39s, and Navy planes to hit Rekata Bay
and barges in Sambi Bay, Santa Isabel Island. During the late afternoon, P-39s,
Corsairs, and P-38s strafe Japanese positions at Rekata Bay on the northern shore
of Santa Isabel Island.
A U.S. search plane, operating near Choiseul Island, western Solomon Islands,
southwestern Pacific Ocean attacks and hits a Japanese barge loaded with
Japanese soldiers.
District patrol craft YP-72 sinks after grounding off Spruce Cape entrance to
Kodiak, Alaska.
523
Japanese submarine I-36 arrives at Lae, New Guinea from Rabaul, New Britain, to
deliver 40 tons of cargo and ten soldiers and evacuates 72 soldiers.
Japanese army cargo ship Kuwayama Maru sinks off Soembawa Island, Dutch
East Indies, as the result of damage inflicted by submarine Thresher the previous
day.
FEBRUARY 23
B-17s of the Fifth Army Air Force again attacks shipping in Simpson Harbor,
New Britain.
On New Guinea A-20s pound villages and trails in the Buibuining-Waipali and
Guadagasal-Mubo areas and B-25s bombs and strafes Angari and Yangla.
The Myitnge Bridge south of Mandalay, Burma, is bombed by aircraft of the 10th
Army Air Force
The 11th Army Air Force bombs Kiska in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
During the night, a U.S. Navy Liberator PB4Y bombs Japanese positions at Vila
on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands and at Munda
in the New Georgia Group in the Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-24 delivers 39-tons of supplies to the garrison on Lae, New
Guinea, and evacuates 64 soldiers.
Japanese submarine I-34 carries out a reconnaissance of the airdrome on
Amchitka, Alaska, during the night.
During the early morning hours, a Japanese plane drops bombs on Henderson
airfield at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
46 Japanese aircraft attempt to attack Chabua Airfield, India, but are driven off by
P-40s after shooting down 14 of the attackers
FEBRUARY 24
Naval Air Facility is established at Amchitka, Alaska.
Six B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Japanese shipping in Simpson
Harbor of New Britain. Also on New Guinea, B-25s hit Lae, Angari, Yangla,
Malahang airfields, and villages in the area. A-20s continue to attack the
Guadagasal Saddle, Waipali, trails from Waipali to Guadagasal, Saddle and
Mubo, and in area of the Waria River mouth of New Guinea. B-24s fly singleplane strikes against shipping and airfields in coastal areas of New Guinea and in
the Solomon Sea off Cape Saint George.
524
P-40s from the 10th Army Air Force knock out a span of a railroad bridge near
Pinbaw in Northern Burma.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands and Faisi in the Shortland Island Group in the
Western Solomon Islands.
In New Guinea the Okabe Detachment completes there with draw to Mubo and
the Nassau Bay area. 2,200 have survived the march from Salamaua, the attack on
Wau, and the with draw from the Wau area. 1,540 of these troops are suffering
from dysentery, malaria, malnutrition, and other tropical diseases, and are unfit for
combat duty.
FEBRUARY 25
The American aircraft carrier Princeton is commissioned.
U.S. Navy dive-bombers with P-38s and Wildcat escorts bomb Japanese positions
at Vila, on Kolombangara Island, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
P-38s, P-40s, and F4Us attack Kahili, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
Heavy bombers of the 5th Army Air Force attacks shipping, airfield, at Rabaul,
New Britain. Gasmata airfield, New Britain, is also hit. A-20s bombs and strafes
at Guadagasal Saddle and the surrounding vicinity of New Guinea.
A single span of a bridge near Myitkyina, Burma, is knocked out and another
damaged by aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force.
The 11th Army Air Force hit Kiska, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
40 Japanese aircraft attack the airfield at Dinjan, India.
Japanese POWs at Featherston POW camp in New Zealand stage a strike after
being ordered to work. The protest turns violent when the camp's commander
shoots one of the leaders of the protest. The Japanese prisoners attack the other
guards who in turn open fire and killed 48 POWs and wounded another 74.
FEBRUARY 26
Flying Fortresses hit the Wewak airfield, New Guinea, and shipping nearby.
Other B-17s with B-24s drop bombs on the Gasmata airfield, New Britain.
In Burma P-40s of the 10th Army Air Force hits a bridge near Pinbaw, destroying
a span and damaging other parts of the bridge. A-20s hit the Buibuining-Waipali
525
area.
During the night, P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force and Navy planes hit Vila
southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-169 arrives at Kiska, Aleutian Islands, with a Type A
midget
submarine and Japanese troops.
Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Kyo Maru No. 3 hits a mine and sinks off
Rangoon, Burma.
Dive-bombers, with Wildcats escorting, attack Japanese positions at Munda, New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
As the fighting on New Guinea around the town of Wau comes to an end the
Japanese recognize that an Allied possession of Wau will pose a significant threat
to their important bases at Lae and nearby Salamaua. The Japanese begin to
understand that they are defeated after weeks of heavy fighting.
FEBRUARY 27
On New Guinea B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs the Finschhafen airfield
and B-25s hits a Japanese village in the Labu area of New Guinea.
P-40s from the Tenth Army Air Force bomb and strafe warehouses and supply
dumps near Waingmaw, Burma. B-24s sinks the Japanese cargo vessel Asakasan
Maru southeast of Rangoon, Burma
In the Aleutian islands of Alaska B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s of the 11th Army Air
Force bomb and strafe Kiska and makes several bombing and strafing run on Attu
and nearby barges.
During the afternoon, dive-bombers, with Wildcat escorts, bombs Japanese
positions at Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
United States Navy SBDs and F4Us, escorted by P-38s and P-40s, attack a
Japanese convoy off the northeast coast of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands,
damaging the transport Kirikawa Maru, despite efforts of her escorting
minesweeper W. 22 and submarine chaser Ch 26, they end up scuttling the
burning ship.
U.S. submarine Grampus possibly damages the Japanese minesweeper W 22 off
Kolombangara Island, Western Solomon Islands.
526
U.S. submarine Plunger torpedoes the Japanese tanker Iro west of Jaluit; Katori
Maru tows the crippled ship to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands for repairs.
Australian 9th Division arrives at Sydney from the Middle East after 23 days at
sea.
U.S. Army 41st Division arrives on New Guinea at Milne Bay.
FEBRUARY 28
A Japanese convoy of eight transports, with a escort of eight destroyers leaves
Rabaul to deliver 7,000 reinforcements of the 51st Division to the Lae-Salamaua
area of New Guinea.
B-17s attacks the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain.
P-38s and Navy planes attack the Vila airfield while B-24s hit the Kahili airfield
on the south coast of Bougainville Island and Ballale Island, Shortland Island
Group in the Western Solomon Islands.
In Burma the 10th Army Air Force finishes the month by knocking a bridge near
Kazu, bombing Nsopzup, attacking the Thazi railroad junction, and bombing a
storage area a Mangshih.
B-24s and B-25s of the 11th Army Air Force bomb Kiska, Aleutian Islands of
Alaska.
Navy aircraft bombs Japanese shipping at Buin, New Guinea, and completes
destruction of previously damaged ammunition ship Hibari Maru.
Japanese cargo ship Kashii Maru is sunk in collision with the Kasagisan Maru off
Shimoda, Honshu Island, Japan.
Ledo Road construction reaches the India-Chinese border 36 miles into the Patkai
Range of the Himalaya Mountains on the border of India and China.
Elkton Plan is outlined by the Allies. The goal of the plan is to take control and
occupy the southwest Pacific region of New Guinea, New Britain, and New
Ireland.
U.S. M-2 Browning 50 cal. Machine Gun, Air Cooled
527
MARCH 1
B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain.
A-20s bomb and strafe Japanese ground forces at Guadagasal on New Guinea and
along the trails throughout Mubo, Komiatum, and the Salamaua area of New
Guinea.
U.S. Navy dive-bombers and Wildcats attack and start fires on the Japanese-held
area of Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
P-40s of New Zealand’s 15 Squadron leaves Tonga, in the South Pacific Ocean
south of Samoa, and flies to Espiritu Santo in the New Herbride Islands to assist
in the lands defense.
During the morning, Liberator heavy bombers bomb enemy installations at Buin
on New Guinea, at Kahili and on Ballale Island in the Shortland Island area in the
northwestern Solomon Islands.
The Japanese submarine I-10 torpedoes the U.S.
tanker Gulfwave west of Fiji in the South Pacific.
The ship makes it to Suva, Fiji.
Two Japanese planes attack U.S. positions on
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Tokyo Rose’s first broadcast, "Zero Hour," is aired
from Tokyo, Japan.
Iva d’Toguri, a Nisei, Tokyo Rose.
The Chindits in Burma make slow progress because they have been concerned
with finding open clearings for supply drops. The force later finds out that it is
easier to recover supplies dropped in jungle areas than they though.
The Japanese convoy Operation 81 carrying a total of 7,000 troops steam from
Rabaul, New Britain. The convoy is soon located by a B-24 on patrol along the
northern coast of New Britain; seven B-17 bombers are sent out to attack, but they
are unable to locate the convoy.
MARCH 2
USAAF reconnaissance aircraft sights 16 Japanese ships, eight destroyers and
eight cargo ships, en route to New Guinea’s Lae and Salamaua area. The cargo
ships are carrying 7,000 men as well as supplies and aircraft fuel.
The Battle of the Bismark Sea (March 2-5) starts as American and Australian
aircraft attack eight Japanese transports carrying the 51st Division escorted by
eight destroyers en route to Lae, New Guinea. Motor torpedo boats enter the fight
to aid the Allies. The fight continues until all of the transports and four destroyers
528
are sunk. This is the last attempt the Japanese will make to reinforce their position in the Lae sector of New Guinea. During the battle B-17s employ skipbombing tactics to sink several enemy transports.
A single A-29 Hudson patrol bomber, while returning from a mission, drops
bombs on Japanese positions at Munda, on New Georgia Island.
The southern Chindit group cuts the Mandalay-Myitkyina railroad line, north of
Kyaikthin, Burma.
Japanese aircraft attack Coomalie Creek airfield in the Northern Territory of
Australia.
In Burma B-24s of the Tenth
Army Air Force fly three separate
raids; one on the Ahlone docks,
one on the Mahlwagon round
house and one on the bridge at
Pazundaung.
A-29 Lockheed Hudson USAF Photo
During the early morning, P-40s of the 11th Army Air Force attacks Japanese
positions at Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. submarine Permit damages the Japanese cargo ship Tsurushima Maru off
northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Thresher sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Toen Maru in southern
Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sula west Dutch East Indies.
MARCH 3
In Burma, the Marauders reach the Japanese line of retreat and established a pair
of roadblocks, the 3rd Battalion at the little Kachin village of Walawbum, the 2nd
farther northwest near Kumnyan Ga.
Southern Chindits succeeds in cutting the Mandalay to Myitkyina railroad just
north of Kyaikthin, Burma.
During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, U.S. Army and Australian aircraft from
Milne Bay and Port Moresby sinks the Japanese destroyers Ashio, Arashio,
Tokitsukaze, and Shirayuki that are escorting eight transports heading for Lae and
Salamaua on New Guinea. Allied planes that have expended their bomb start
strafing survivors in the sea.
529
U.S. Navy dive-bombers and Wildcat fighters, attack Japanese positions and
started a fire at Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western Pacific.
Allied planes strike the Lea airfield on New Guinea.
In Burma, B-24s returned to Mahlwagon to bomb the marshaling yard, the dock
area of Rangoon, the railroad sheds at Maymyo, and railroad facilities at
Ywataung.
A U.S. Navy Liberator (PB4Y) bombs the Japanese-held areas at Kahili on the
south coast of Bougainville Island, Buin on New Guinea, Ballale Island in the
Shortland Island group of the Solomon Islands, and Villa Lavella Island in the
Solomon Islands, and sinks the Japanese guardboat Choei Maru in the
northwestern Solomon Islands.
Ten U.S. Navy PT Boats from Milne Bay, New Guinea, and Tufi travel into Huon
Gulf, New Guinea, for a night strike against the remains of a Japanese convoy still
moving towards Lae, New Guinea. PT-143 and PT-150 sink the cargo ship
Oigawa Maru.
U.S. submarine Halibut torpedoes the Japanese naval auxiliary Nichiyu Maru
south of Guam in the Mariana Islands. Nichiyu Maru reaches Apra Harbor, Guam,
undertow, but deemed beyond salvage and never resumes active service.
U.S. freighter Harvey W. Scott, bound for Iran in convoy DN 21, is torpedoed by
the German submarine U-160 off the coast of South Africa.
MARCH 4
The British fast carrier Victorious arrives at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, to
begin familiarization training with Pacific Fleet units.
The Japanese 56th Regiment attacks the Marauders 3rd Battalion roadblock at
Walawbum, Burma.
The Japanese cargo ship Hokuto Maru is sunk by mine south of Muroran, small
city in the Southwest region of Hokkaido, Japan.
Battle of Bismarck Sea concludes, although attacks on survivors found on rafts
and in landing barges continue over the ensuing days by Allied aircraft and U.S.
motor torpedo boats. Failure of this operation, Japanese Navy officials admit later,
proves "the impossibility of surface transport in the Lae area of New Guinea." Of
the sixteen ships that sailed for Lae, all eight transports are sunk, as are four of the
escorting destroyers. Motor torpedo boats PT-143 and PT-150, patrolling 25 miles
northeast of Cape Ward Hunt, New Guinea, in the wake of the battle, encounter a
Japanese submarine-rescuing survivors of the engagement and force her to
submerge.
530
The U.S. Navy escort carrier Bogue starts convoy duty as a base for
anti-submarine patrols, this is the first time an escort carrier has been assigned
this
type of assignment.
U.S. submarine Kingfish sinks a large Japanese sampan with her deck gun off the
Bonin Islands, group of islands south of Tokyo, Japan.
The U.S. submarine Tambor lands personnel, ammunition, and currency at
Pagadian Bay, Mindanao in the Philippines. One of the personnel that lands is
Commander Charles Parsons, USNR. He is on a fact-finding mission to the island
to see a major guerrilla base can be established. He also carries cipher materials
and is accompanied by two agents sent by Colonel Wendell W. Fertig, who is a
guerrilla leader on southern Mindanao.
Four bombs are dropped on the PT Squadron base at Sesapi on Tulagi Island in
the Solomon islands by a single plane. Operation shack and the New Zealand
corvette Moa are hit.
Australian and American planes return to the area of the Battle of Bismarck Sea to
search for anything floating in the sea.
531
U.S. aircraft bomb Japanese installations at Viru Harbor on the southern coast of
New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
In the Bismarck Archipelago, heavy bombers of the Fifth Army Air Force,
operating individually, hit Gasmata, New Britain. In New Guinea, A-20s pounds
Lae while other bombers, hits Lae and Alexishafen. In the Dutch East Indies, B24s hits Saumlakki on Yamdena Island in the Mulaccas Islands.
During the night, Japanese aircraft raid U.S. positions on Tulagi Island, north of
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
The U.S. Navy battleship Massachusetts is transferred to the Pacific.
Engineers and support personnel for the construction of the Ledo Road coming
out of China reaches India.
MARCH 5
Royal Australian Army Air Force installs a Radio Direction Finding Station at
Cape Edgecumbe, Australia.
Japanese survivors of ships sunk during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea are strafed
by B-25 as they sit or hang on to their life rafts and life boats.
MARCH 6
Three cruisers and seven destroyers of the U.S. Navy shells the Japanese base on
Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands, and Munda, New
Georgia Island, during the night destroying barracks, a radio tower, damaging the
airfield, and ammunition dump.
U.S. submarine Tautog lays mines off the southeast coast of Borneo, Dutch East
Indies.
U.S. submarine Sawfish damages the Japanese army cargo ship Clyde Maru
southeast of Toizaki, Japan.
U.S. submarine Triton sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kiriha Maru northwest
of the Admiralty Islands, located just north of the eastern end of New Guinea in
the Bismarck Archipelago. Triton, which reports her success on March 11, is
never heard from again.
Japanese submarine I-26 rescues 20 IJA soldiers from a collapsible lifeboat after
the Battle of the Bismarck Sea.
Japanese aircraft hit U.S. Marine Corps 11th Defense Battalion position located
on the Russell Islands in the Solomon Islands.
532
Tokyo again tells Berlin that Japan cannot enter the war against Russia.
Japanese aircraft makes their first attack against American positions on Russell
Island, Solomon Islands.
During the early morning, U.S. planes attack Japanese positions at Munda on New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force makes an attack on the Guadagasal area of
New Guinea. A single B-24 attacks shipping off Manus Island in the Admiralty
Islands and off Talasea, New Britain Island, and strikes the airfield on Gasmata,
New Britain.
In Burma the Tenth Army Air Force sends four B-24s to bomb shipping near
Pagoda Point. On the return flight, they strafe the lighthouse on Alguada Reef, a
lightship off China Park, and a radio station at Diamond Island. Six B-24s
unsuccessfully attack the Myitnge Bridge, Burma.
During the morning, B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force drops bombs on enemy
held areas at Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands, Buin on New Guinea, and Ballale in the Shortland Island area in the
northwestern Solomon Islands.
Australian 53rd Infantry Battalion arrives at home from the fighting in Gona on
New Guinea for rest.
Roosevelt appoints a committee to investigate manpower problems in American
industry.
MARCH 7
Japanese troops attack Wau, New Guinea.
American Naval gunfire and torpedoes sinks the Japanese destroyers Minegumo
and Murasame at Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands.
In New Guinea, A-20s attack the Guadagasal area and barges offshore; B-25s
bomb Toeal. A single B-24 attacks a ship off Madang and bomb Salamaua, New
Guinea. In the Bismarck Archipelago, a single B-24 bombs Gasmata and Cape
Gloucester on New Britain Island. During the night, B-24s of the Fifth Army Air
Force attack Japanese installations at Kahili and Ballale in the Shortland Island
area, and at Vila and Rekata Bay in the central Solomon Islands.
B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force attack the Gokteik Viaduct, Burma.
533
Heavy and medium bombers of the Eleventh Army Air Force attack Japanese
positions on Kiska. The first flight of B-25s is brought up to Amchitka Island.
This enables stepped-up raids on Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Nine B-24s
and four P-38s bomb and strafe the Chichagof Harbor area and Holtz Bay
installations on Kiska. A fighter sweep of six B-24s, and 10 B-25s hit North Head
and the Main Camp area on Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
A lone B-24 of the Thirteenth Army Air Force hit an airfield at Vila on
Kolombangara Island and Kahili on Bougainville Island. Eight B-24s bomb
Munda Airfield on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy PB4Ys attack Japanese installations at Kahili on the south coast of
Bougainville Island and on Ballale Island in the Shortland Island area and bomb
enemy positions at Vila on Kolombangara Island, New Georgia Group, Western
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Permit damages the Japanese fishing vessel Shoshin Maru off
northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Tautog lays mines off southeast coast of Borneo, Dutch East
Indies.
Japanese submarine I-26 rescues 54 IJA soldiers stranded on an uncharted coral
island after the Battle of the Bismarck Sea.
During the night a Japanese plane drops bombs on U.S. positions on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
MARCH 8
Japanese forces cross the Yangtze River in East China between Ichang and
Yoyang, China.
A Japanese advance threatens both the British Army in Assam and Stilwell's
supply line to India.
On Bougainville in the Solomon Islands American forces located on Hill 700 are
assaulted by Japanese troops.
Tokyo starts a second unity movement named Putera, to motivate war-time
collaboration with Japan in the Dutch East Indies.
In New Guinea, heavy bombers of the 5th Army Air Force raid Japanese occupied
areas in the coastal region of New Guinea and also strike at Saumlakki and Babo,
New Guinea.
534
In Burma the Myitnge Bridge, the Bassein docks, and targets near Pebu and WanHat are attacked by aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force.
Airfields on Munda, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands, and
Vila on Kolombangara Island New Georgia Group, Solomon Islands, are again hit
by Thirteenth Army Air Force B-24 raids.
U.S. submarine Permit attacks a Japanese convoy off the northern tip of
Honshu, Japan, sinks the cargo ship Hisashima Maru.
In China, Japanese troops conduct a rice raid in the Yoyang and Yichang area.
The purpose is to secure food supplies for the occupation force and to prevent
food being supplies to Chiang Kai-shek’s army.
MARCH 9
U.S. Naval Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, with Wildcat
escorts, attacks Japanese installations at Munda, New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands.
Supplies and reinforcements arrive at the Japanese held Attu Island in Alaska.
Japanese submarine I-26 rescues 40 IJA soldiers after the Battle of the Bismarck
Sea.
U.S. submarine S-32 is damaged by Japanese depth charges off Holtz Bay, Attu
Island, Aleutian Islands.
British Chindits begin operations east of the Irrawaddy River, Burma.
During the morning, Liberator’s drop bombs on Japanese areas at Kahili and
Ballale in the Shortland Island area of the Western Solomon Islands and at Munda
and Vila in the central Solomon Islands.
Mitchell medium bombers and Liberator heavy bombers, with P-38s escort the
11th Army Air Force to bomb Japanese positions at Kiska Island in the Aleutian
Islands.
In Burma, the Myitnge Bridge and the Bassein docks along with targets near Pebu
and Wan-hat are attacked by the 10th Army Air Force.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the airfields at Munda, New Georgia
Island; Kahili, Bougainville Island; and Ballale Island Shortland Island Group,
Solomon Islands.
At Wau on New Guinea Japanese planes attack in heavy numbers to slow the
Allied advance.
535
The Imperial Japanese Navy’s Kure 6th Special Naval Landing Force goes ashore
between the villages of Bairoko and Enogai close to the Munda airfield on New
Georgia, Western Solomon Islands.
In the Dutch East Indies the Japanese organize Putera (Pusat Tenaga Rakyat, a
political auxiliary organization.)
Japanese begin to organize local military auxiliaries called Heiho, soldiers from
Indonesia. They are a combination of volunteers and forced conscripts attached to
regular Japanese units.
MARCH 10
During the early morning, Liberator bombers (Navy PB4Y) carry out a minor
bombing attack on Japanese positions at Kahili, on Bougainville Island, and at
Munda and Vila in the central Solomon Islands.
Later in the morning a large force of Avenger torpedo bombers, Dauntless divebombers, and Wildcat fighters attack Vila, on the southern coast of Kolombangara
Island, Solomon Islands.
B-24s, 5th Army Air Force, damages the Japanese fleet tanker Kaijo Maru south
of Buton Passage, Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies; Kaijo Maru is run aground
on Landaila Reef, where she is abandoned. B-17s attack the Japanese at Wewak,
New Guinea.
In Burma, heavy bombers of the Tenth Army Air Force hit Rangoon and the
surrounding area at two locations. Five B-24s hit the Pazundaung Bridge; four
others attack the runways, buildings, and revetments at the Mingaladon Airfield.
During the morning, American aircraft of the Eleventh Army Air Force attack
enemy positions on Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands and scored bomb hits in
the target area. Later in the morning, a force of B-24s Liberators, Mitchell B-25s
and P-38 Lighting fighters again attack Japanese installations at Kiska, Aleutian
Islands. Antiaircraft batteries are bombed and strafed at low level and hits are
scored.
Chennault is promoted to major general and his command in China
Air Task Force is enlarged and designated the Fourteenth Army Air
Force by the special order of President Roosevelt. The China Air
Task Force (CATF) is absorbed by the Fourteenth Army Air Force
with all USAAF units in China falling under the responsibility of the
new Army Air Force command. B-24s bombs the Pazundaung Bridge in Burma,
the runways, and buildings at Mingaladon Airfield, Burma.
536
During the afternoon, U.S. aircraft intercepted ten Japanese dive-bombers, with an
escort of 12 Zeros, northwest of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-29 and her German escorts are attacked by Allied aircraft
off
Lorient, France. The I-29 escapes undamaged.
Japanese 11th and 13th Armies occupy Yang Zi Jiang, China.
The Japanese 40th Division occupies Hua Rong, China.
Acting on intelligence that 18 Japanese in a lifeboat, survivors from the Battle of
the Bismarck Sea, have drifted ashore on Kiriwina in the Trobriand Islands, coral
atolls off the eastern coast of New Guinea, motor torpedo boat PT-114 captures
the enemy soldiers and takes them to Milne Bay, New Guinea.
The Chindits cross the Irrawaddy River in two places, at Tagaung and Tigyaing,
Burma.
U.S. Congress works to extend the Lend-Lease Act, which would allow supplies
and war materials to continually be shipped to the Allies without any expectation
of repayment.
MARCH 11
A-20s from the 5 Army Air Force bombs and strafes Vickers Ridge and the
Guadagasal area of New Guinea. A single B-24 attacks Finschhafen, New Guinea.
In the Bismarck Archipelago, B-24s bomb the airfield at Rabaul on New Britain
Island while a Liberator attacks Cape Gloucester on New Britain and Powell
Point, New Guinea.
th
In Burma the bridge at Myitnge is attacked once again by B-25s of the 10th Army
Air Force with little damage while B-24s returning to the Pazundaung.
During the early morning, Navy PB4Y’s carries out minor bombing attacks on
Japanese positions at Kahili and Ballale in the Shortland Island area and at Vila on
the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
British light bombers attack the Burmese village of Sabahta.
Two Japanese aircraft drops bombs on U.S. positions on Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
In Washington D.C. the Lend-Lease agreement is extended by one year.
MARCH 12
537
Switzerland releases confidential news that two crews who were captured in the
Doolittle raid over Tokyo had been executed.
At Washington D.C., the Pacific Military Conference gets under way to discuss
operational strategy, resources, deployment, and command for the Southwest and
South Pacific Areas. Practically all American senior air commanders and staff
officers are in attendance. MacArthur’s Chief of Staff General Sutherland put
forward a plan for the taking of New Britain with its Japanese base at Rabaul and
the New Ireland-New Guinea area. The strategy calls for joint effort of Admiral
Halsey’s South Pacific force and MacArthur’s forces. Differences between
MacArthur and Nimitz surface especially in availability of shipping and the
allotment of aircraft especially bombers.
A-20s of the 5th Army Air Force attack the Guadagasal Gap area and Salamaua
Airfield, New Guinea. On the Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies, Liberators and
Mitchells attack Japanese shipping off Amboina, Ambon Island, and bomb
Fuiloro on Timor, Dutch East Indies. On New Britain, B-17s bomb Rabaul
airfield, New Britain, while individual B-24s hit a wreck off Talasea and bomb
Cape Gloucester, New Britain.
During the early morning, Liberator bombers carried out minor bombing attacks
on Japanese positions at Ballale Island, in the Shortland Island area, and at Vila
and Munda in the New Georgia Group of the Western Solomon Islands. During
the night, Liberator bombers carry out small bombing attacks against Japanese
positions at Kahili, south coast of Bougainville Island, and Ballale in the
Shortland Island area, and at Vila and Munda in the central Solomon Islands.
B-17s attacks the Lakunia airfield near Rabaul, New Britain.
B-24s, from the Tenth Army Air Force, return to the bridge at Pazundaung,
Burma, but cause little damage.
The Eleventh Army Air Force sends P-40s to bomb and strafe Japanese positions
on Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
During the night, a force of U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers attack Japanese
positions at Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Plunger sinks the Japanese water carrier Taihosan Maru off
Ponape, Caroline Islands.
Admiral King sends a message to Admiral Nimitz directing Nimitz to “form a
tactical group of four to six submarines trained and indoctrinated in coordinated
action (Wolf Packs).”
538
The 14th Indian Division in the Arakan area of Burma is attacked by the Japanese
55th Division.
MARCH 13
Chinese troops push the Japanese back across the Yangtze River, East China.
The Pacific Military Conference begins in Washington D.C., to establish the
strategy for the Pacific Theater.
B-17s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb enemy airfield and shipping at Wewak,
New Guinea, sinking the cargo vessel Momoyama Maru. In the Bismarck
Archipelago, a B-l7 bombs the airfield on Gasmata, New Britain, and warehouses
on Wide Bay located to the south of Rabaul, on the southern coast of Gazelle
Peninsula of New Britain, while a B-24 attacks shipping off New Guinea. U.S.
Army Air Force Lightnings strafe and destroy a small Japanese vessel near
Rendova Island in the New Georgia Group in the Western Solomon Islands.
Again B-24s of the Tenth Army Air Force attempt to hit the Pazundaung Bridge,
Burma.
Twelve P-40s of the 11th Army Air Force hit the beach on Kiska Island in the
Aleutian Islands of Alaska as well as the camp, runway and parked airplanes.
Eight P-38s with P-40s flying top cover again take off for Kiska to target and
strafe aircraft on the beach.
B-24 heavy bombers of the Thirteenth Army Air Force carry out attacks on
Japanese positions in the Shortland Island area and at Munda on the island of New
Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands and Vila on the southern end of
Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
During the morning, Dauntless dive-bombers with Wildcat escorts attack Japanese
positions at Vila on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
Japanese reconnaissance flight travels over Darwin, Australia.
On Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, Japanese troops stop their attack against
American positions on Hill 700.
U.S. submarine Grayback damages the Japanese transport Noshiro Maru
northwest of Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Sunfish sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kosei Maru near Tokara
Jima, Ryukyu Islands.
539
Dutch submarine O-21sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kasuga Maru off Port Blair,
Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal,
between the Indian peninsula and Burma.
Japanese submarine I-6 places magnetic mines including German TMC type to
the approaches to U.S. Navy's large submarine base on the Brisbane River at
Capricorn Wharf, Australia.
The Chinese counterattack Japanese forces in the Yangtze Valley, East China.
MARCH 14
B-17s and B-24s bomb Wewak, Tring, and Madang, New Guinea. In the
Bismarck Archipelago, single B-17s bomb Gasmata, New Britain, and strafe a
vessel off Talasea, New Britain, AA positions at Cape Gloucester, New Britain,
and Finschhafen airfield, New Guinea. A lone B-24 bombs Dili on Timor Island,
Dutch East Indies.
The Moulmein docks are bombed by B-24s from the 10th Army Air Force, while
B-25s hit the Gokteik Viaduct, Burma.
MARCH 15
Admiral E. J. King, Commander in Chief United States Fleet, establishes a
numbered fleet system; all fleets in the Pacific are to have odd numbers and the
Atlantic fleets are to carry even numbers. The Pacific Fleet is reorganized into the
Third, Fifth, and the new Seventh Fleets in anticipation of new ships and aircraft
to arrive. All naval forces in the Southwest Pacific will be assigned to the 7th
Fleet with Rear Admiral Arthur Carpender as commander.
The Pacific Military Conference in Washington ends with two plans being placed
before the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that either the forces allocated to the war in the
Pacific are augmented or the current directives for operations be modified. In the
meantime, a subcommittee is appointed to study the possibilities of redistributing
forces already allotted to the Pacific in order to ensure the most economical use of
them.
Oppenheimer and a few associates arrive in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to continue
work on the atomic bomb.
During the evening, U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers, with F4F escorts, bomb
Japanese positions at Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the
Solomon Islands and Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon
Islands.
B-25s and four P-38s of the Fifth Army Air Force, along with Royal Australian
Air Force bomb shipping at Dobo Island and Wokam Island in the Arue Islands,
540
French Polynesia. In the Bismarck Archipelago, B-17s, on single-plane flights
bombs Gasmata Island and Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island.
In Burma the Myitnge Bridge is bombed by the 10th Army Air Force. Eight B-25s
bomb the Gokteik Viaduct and eight others attack Myitnge.
Heavy and medium bombers, with P-38 and P-40 support, of the 11th Army Air
Force carries out six heavy bombing attacks on Japanese installations at Kiska,
Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
A single B-17, 13th Army Air Force, raids the Munda airfield on New Georgia
Island and Vila airfield on Kolombangara Island; P-38s strafe the airfield at Viru,
New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force sends 12 B-25s to bomb the power plant and
railroad yards at Luo Kay, French Indochina.
U.S. Navy PT Boats 114 and 129 ambush several barges in Maiama Bay, New
Guinea, sinking six.
Japanese aircraft attack the oil storage facilities near Darwin, Australia.
U.S. submarine Trigger makes an attack on a Japanese convoy northwest of the
Admiralty Islands, north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean, damaging the
transport Florida Maru and sinks the IJA cargo ship Momoha Maru.
Japanese submarine RO-103 runs aground on an uncharted reef. The crew is
forced to throw food, supplies, and torpedoes over board to lighten the submarine
so she can float free.
Japanese troops enter Htizwe on the Mayu River, Burma.
Chindits, Indian 77th Brigade, continue their guerrilla actions having crossed the
Irrawaddy River and cutting the Burma Railroad in several locations.
MARCH 16
Chinese troops defeat the Japanese at Hunan-Hupeh, China.
During the early morning B-17s of the Fifth Army Air Force harass Japanese
positions on Kahili and Buka in the Bougainville area and at Munda on New
Georgia Island. Later in the day, P-38 Lightning’s strafe shore positions in the
vicinity of Viru Harbor on New Georgia Island. During the night, B-24s carry out
minor attacks on Japanese positions at Munda and Vila in the central Solomon
Islands and at Kahili and Ballale in the Shortland Island area.
541
The Myitnge Bridge is bombed in Burma by the Tenth Army Air Force. Also, the
approaches to the Pazundaung Bridge are bombed.
During the morning, B-24s and B-25s of the Eleventh Army Air Force supported
by P-38s bomb the Japanese main camp area and the submarine base on Kiska,
Aleutian Islands. During the early afternoon, eight P-38s attack enemy aircraft in
the vicinity of Kiska Island. Later in the afternoon, B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s again
attack the enemy submarine base and other installations. Still later in the
afternoon, a group of B-25s again attacks and scores bomb hits on the submarine
base.
B-17s and B-24s, heavy bombers of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, raid Kahili on
the south coast of Bougainville Island, Vila, and Ballale Airfields Island in the
Shortland Island group, Solomon Islands, Shortland Island Group, Solomon
Islands.
In French Indochina, the 14th Army Air Force uses P-40s to strafe the Mong Yaw
storage area and docks, warehouse area, and rail-river terminal for the phosphate
mines at Lao Kay.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers, with Wildcat escorts, attack Japanese
positions at Vila in the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon
Islands.
Four U.S. destroyers shells Japanese positions at Vila, southern end of
Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese supply ship Hyuga Maru west of
the Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine S-32 damages the Japanese submarine RO-103 off Silipuaka
Island in the Trobriand Group, Milne Bay Province, in New Guinea.
Royal Australian Air Force sets up a Radio Direction Finding Station on the
western coast of Cape York Peninsula, Australia.
MARCH 17
On the Arakan front in Burma the Japanese 55th and 33rd Divisions launch an
offensive that outflanks the Indian troops of the 123rd Bridge north of Rathedaung
forcing a withdraw.
The Myitnge Bridge, Burma, is bombed by the 10th Army Air Force.
U.S. PT- 67, PT-119, and the Australian cargo ship AS16 are sunk by a
542
fuel fire along with drums of fuel, dock, depth charges, and ammunition in the
eastern New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Kingfish damages the Japanese transport Tenryugawa Maru in
Formosa Strait, which is a water body situated between the Formosa Island and
the Chinese mainland.
U.S. submarine Tautog inflicts further damage to the Japanese fleet tanker Kaijo
Maru, driven aground and abandoned on March 10th.
MARCH 18
In Burma, Chindits begin filtering back to India from behind Japanese lines. This
withdraw is because of extreme hardships that has causes them to abandon their
plans to cut the Mandalay-Lashio rail lines. In the Arakan, Htizwe falls to a
British pincer attack and an attack on Donbaik, on the Mayu Peninsula, fails.
Wingate's column crosses the Irrawaddy south of Inywa, Burma. The Japanese
have now assembled considerable forces to hunt the Chindits and their operations
are being increasingly circumscribed.
U.S. Army Flying Fortresses carry out minor attacks against Japanese positions at
Kahili and Ballale in the Shortland Island area and at Vila on the southern end of
Kolombangara Island in the central Solomon Islands.
The Myitnge Bridge is again bombed by units of the 10th Army Air Force.
A single P-40 carrying a 1,000 pound bomb makes an attack on the bridge near
Mogaung as part of an experiment to see if a P-40 can carry and delivers heavy
bombs effectively; despite the fact that the bridge suffered negligible damage the
mission is considered a success.
A group of B-24s land in India to reinforce the 14th Army Air Force.
A force of U.S. Navy Wildcat fighters strafes enemy positions on Munda, New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
In the afternoon, a force of U.S. Navy dive-bomber, escorted by fighters, bombs
Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the central Solomon Islands
and start a fire.
MARCH 19
Lieutenant General H.H. Arnold is promoted to four-star rank, a first for the Army
Air Forces.
543
U.S. submarine Kingfish sinks the Japanese army hospital ship Takachiko Maru in
the Formosa Strait, a water body situated between the Formosa Island and the
Chinese mainland.
U.S. submarine Sawfish damages the Japanese guardboat Shinsei Maru, southeast
of Japan.
U.S. submarine Wahoo, operating in the Yellow Sea, sinks the Japanese cargo
ship Zogen Maru just east of Dairen, Kwantung Peninsula, Manchukuo, and
damages the cargo ship Kowa Maru.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Wildcat fighters attack Vila on the
southern end of Kolombangara Island in the central Solomon Islands.
Flying Fortresses and Liberators hits the Kahili, south coast of Bougainville
Island, and Ballale airfields, Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands.
The Myitnge Bridge, Burma, is bombed. This time the bridge is destroyed.
A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force damage the Japanese submarine I-176 as she is
unloading supplies at Lae, New Guinea. I-176 is grounded in shallow water so
that emergency repairs can be made. I-176 is then able to continue her voyage to
Rabaul, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
During the night, U.S. Marine and Navy planes drop magnetic mines into Kahili
Harbor as Army bombers attach Kahili, south coast of Bougainville Island . This
is the first aerial mining mission of the South Pacific.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Wildcat fighters attack Munda on New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
B-25s, Tenth Army Air Force, hit the Myitnge Bridge, Burma.
During the evening, B-17s and B-24s attack Japanese positions on Kahili in the
Shortland Island area on the south coast of Bougainville Island.
U.S. submarine Scamp damages the Japanese cargo ship Seinan Maru off Tomari,
Japan.
U.S. submarine Trigger fires what turns out to be a dud torpedo but stills damages
the Japanese gunboat Choan Maru off the Admiralty Islands to the north of New
Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean.
544
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the British armed ship Fort
Mumford, northwest of Ceylon Island in the Dutch East Indies. As the ship is
being abandoned the crew of I-27 complies with the Imperial "disposal" policy
concerning POWs and kills all of the Fort Mumford crew members.
MARCH 20
Imperial Japanese Navy issue orders stating that IJN ships are not to stop with the
sinking of enemy ships and their cargoes; at the same time they are to carry out the
complete destruction of the crew members of enemy’s ships however they are to
seize some of the ship crew to secure information.
MARCH 21
The Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) flies a mission against Feni
Airfield, India, composed of 21 heavy bombers and 15 fighters, the planes make
their return at night. This heavy bomber formation is fired upon by friendly antiaircraft batteries stationed around Rangoon, Burma, since the ground air defenses
have not been properly notified to the approach of the returning bombers that have
changed their air base. The 50th Hiko Sentai, equipped with captured P-40
Warhawks for the defense of Rangoon, take off to intercept. In the darkened sky
the Warhawks fire on the bombers. By the time the unit realized what has
happened, some of the heavy bombers have made a force-landed after being hit by
the friendly fire.
Japanese submarine I-20 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, with 30-tons of food and
ammunition.
Again U.S. Marine and Naval aircraft drop mines in the waters in the BuinTonolie area of New Guinea as Army heavy bombers attack the airfield.
P-40s armed with 1,000 lb bombs hit targets in the Mogaung, Burma area.
During the afternoon, U.S. Navy dive-bombers and fighters attack Munda, on
New Georgia Island In the Western Solomon Islands, and Vila on the southern
end of Kolombangara Island in the Central Solomon Islands.
During the evening, a force of B-17s and B-24s attack Japanese positions at
Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Shortland Island area of the
Solomon Islands.
Two groups of the 11th Army Air Force B-24s and B-25s with fighter escorts
attack Japanese positions at Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
PBY Catalina drops off a group of U.S. Marine Corps scouts at Segi Plantation on
New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands for a reconnaissance
545
exercise; when they are picked up they report that the beaches at Segi could not
accommodate a substantial landing operation.
American PT Boats 77, 78, 79, and 80 start their run for Adak in Alaska from
Seattle, Washington.
U.S. submarine Finback damages the Japanese transport Sanuki Maru south of
the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Scamp damages the Japanese transport Manju Maru off east
coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Wahoo, operating in the Yellow Sea off Korea, sinks the Japanese
cargo ships Hozan Maru and Nittsu Maru.
MARCH 22
United States submarines Amberjack and Grampus are reported lost in the
Pacific Ocean Area.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon attacks a Japanese convoy north of Surabaya, Java,
sinking the army cargo ship Meigen Maru and survives the resultant depthcharging by escort vessels.
U.S. submarine Tambor damages the Japanese transport Bugen Maru in the Sulu
Sea, off Negros Island, Philippine Islands.
The Tenth Army Air Force sends B-25s to hit the Thazi railroad junction and the
Gokteik Viaduct, Burma, is again a target by two waves of B-25s.
Nine B-17s make an attack against Rabaul on New Britain with incendiaries and
high explosive bombs. One B-17 drops two 1-ton bombs into the Rabatana Crater
in an attempt to cause the volcano to erupt.
MARCH 23
Aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force raid barracks, warehouses, railroad tracks,
and the airfield at Meiktila, Burma.
A force of P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force, strafe the Japanese seaplane base at
Rekata Bay in the Central Solomon Islands, Santa Isabel Island.
U.S. submarine Kingfish is damaged by depth charges off the island of Formosa
and is forced to terminate her patrol.
546
U.S. submarine Whale sinks the Japanese transport Kenyo Maru northwest of
Aipan, Northern Mariana Islands; one of Whale's torpedoes circles back toward
her, forcing the boat to "go deep" but then heads back and hits the target.
During the night, a small number of Japanese aircraft attacks Henderson Field on
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
The United States Navy completes construction of an advance base construction
depot near Eagle Farm in Australia named Camp Seabee.
MARCH 24
Various Chindit columns join up between Baw and Pago, however, Wingate is
ordered to break off the operation and return to India.
Wingate's forces split up into small groups in an attempt to withdraw to India.
Japanese troops cross the Mayu River and begin climbing the Mayu Mountains,
Burma.
First depot for the Ledo Road, Burma, is established for rest and refueling stops at
Hell’s Gate, which marks the road's entry to Pangsau Pass near the India-Burma
Border.
A mixed force of B-24s and B-17s from the Tenth Army Air Force hit the
Myitnge Bridge, Burma.
During the afternoon and evening, B-24s and Mitchell medium bombers of the
11th Army Air Force, escorted by fighters, carried out four attacks against
Japanese positions at Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
During the evening, B-17s and U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers attack
Japanese positions at Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the
Shortland Island area starting a fire.
Operating in the Yellow Sea near Port Arthur, Kwantung Peninsula in Manchuria,
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese passenger-cargo ship Teisho Maru,
cargo ship Takaosan Maru, and cargo ship Satsuki Maru.
MARCH 25
U.S. Army and Naval planes bombs Nauru Island, South Pacific.
In the afternoon a force of U.S. Navy Wildcat fighters strafe a Japanese barge in
Roviana Lagoon, Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
In Burma, aircraft of the 10th Army Air Force drop bombs the engine sheds at
Maymyo in Burma.
547
B-24s and B-25s, escorted by P-38s, of the Eleventh Army Air Force conduct
three attacks against the runway, hangar, and camp area on Kiska, Aleutian
Islands. Low flying fighters strafe Japanese personnel. A search plane bombs
Abraham Harbor on the southwest coast of Attu Island, Aleutian Islands.
Royal Australian Air Force completes construction of a radio direction finding
station at Mornington Island, Australia.
Admiral Yamamato and General Imamura receive a directive giving priority to
New Guinea in recognition of the importance of the island to Japan’s war effort.
A revised Imperial Army and Navy central agreement has been completed. This
results in a significant commitment to the defense of the Lae and Salamaua areas
of New Guinea and the escalation of air bases along the northern New Guinea
coast, while a delaying operation will be fought in the Solomon Islands. The
planned attacked on Port Moresby, New Guinea, while officially still be a longterm objective, are, for all practical purposes, abandoned.
During the night, Canton Island in the Phoenix Island Group in the central Pacific
Ocean east of the Gilbert Islands is bombed by two Japanese planes.
Japanese War Lords declares that New Guinea is where Operation I should begin.
MARCH 26
The Battle of Komandorski Island is fought between an American task group
comprising of two cruisers and four destroyers and a Japanese force of four
cruisers and four destroyers escorting reinforcements to Attu, Aleutian Islands. In
this daylight action one United States cruiser heavy cruiser Salt Lake City is
damaged by gunfire from the Japanese heavy cruisers Maya and Nachi and light
cruiser Abukuma, but damages Nachi in return; destroyers Bailey and Coghlan are
also damaged by gunfire. The result is Japanese reinforcements fail to reach Attu.
Two groups of B-24s take off for Rangoon in Burma during the night; while onegroup attacks the Mingaladon Airfield, the other group drops mines into the
Rangoon River, Burma.
B-25s bombers of the Eleventh Army Air Force attack Japanese positions at
Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
During the morning B-24 bombers attack Japanese installations on Nauru
Island in the South Pacific. They hit the wharf, runway, officers' quarters, and
barracks area. Several fires are started and several planes are damaged.
Soviet Government renewed their fishing agreement with Japan.
548
MARCH 27
Japanese form the Burma Theater Command.
Early in the morning, seven Japanese aircraft make five attempts to bomb
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-20 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, with supplies from Rabaul,
New Britain.
Avenger bombers escorted by P-39s and U.S. Navy Wildcats, attack Japanese
positions at Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon
Islands. Six fires are started.
In the early afternoon, U.S. Navy Avenger bombers, escorted by Wildcats, attack
Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
On the same afternoon, dive-bombers, escorted by Wildcat fighters, bomb and
strafe enemy positions in Ugali, on the northeast coast of Rendova Island in the
New Georgia Group of the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon torpedoes and sinks the Japanese tanker Toho Maru in
Makassar Strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in the Dutch East
Indies and damages the Japanese tanker Kyoei Maru.
U.S. Navy Cruiser Task Force Eight is involved in the Battle of the Komandorski
Islands in the North Pacific south of the Soviet Komandorski Islands. This is a
running fight pitting the cruisers Salt Lake City and Richmond and the destroyers
Bailey, Coghlan, Dale, and Monaghan against a superior Japanese force of two
heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and four destroyers commanded by Vice
Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya. This battle was one of the few engagements entirely
between surface ships in the war in the Pacific and one of the last pure gunnery
clashes between naval fleets. Both forces suffer damage and Admiral Hosogaya
fearing U.S. aircraft would soon appear retires without destroying Rear Admiral
Charles McMorris force.
MARCH 28
U.S. submarine Tunny damages the Japanese troopship Suwa Maru off Wake
Island, Central Pacific. The Japanese prevent her from sinking by running her
aground off Wake's southern shore (near the wrecks of two patrol boats beached
there on December 23, 1941).
HMS Masaya, converted WWI four stack destroyer is attacked and sunk by a
enemy aircraft off Oro Bay, New Guinea, with 400 drums of aviation gas, radio
transmitter, tools, and other Motor Torpedo Patrol Boat spare parts.
549
Japanese cargo ship Funakawa Maru is stranded off Shiraya Zaki, northeast tip of
Honshu Island of Japan, and sinks.
During the morning, B-17s attack Japanese positions at Buin on New Guinea and
Kahili in the Shortland Island area on the south coast of Bougainville Island.
1,000 U.K.POWs are shipped from Changi to Kuching, China.
American Chief of Staff Committee authorizes new directives resolving the
differences between Admiral Halsey and General MacArthur in support of
MacArthur. The general will command all forces in the SWPA as well as having
operational responsibility for the South Pacific forces under Haley in the Solomon
Islands.
MARCH 29
U.S. submarine Gato evacuates military and civilian personnel from Teop Island,
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese auxiliary cable ship Yamabato Maru
south of Kyushu Island, Japan.
During the morning, a group of P-38s and U.S. Marine Corsairs attack the
Japanese seaplane base at Faisi in the Shortland Island area. Following the attack
on Faisi, the group conducts a low level strafing attack on a Japanese destroyer off
Alu Island, Solomon Islands. The attack is carried out at such low altitude that
three feet of the wing of one plane is sheared off by the destroyer's mast.
In Burma the harbor area at Tavoy and the railroad yards at Maymyo are attacked
by planes from the 10th Army Air Force.
B-24 and B-25 bombers, escorted by Lightning fighters (P-38s), attack the
runway, camp area, and gun installations at Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
Royal Australian Air Force completes construction of a radio direction finding
station on Cape York Peninsula, Australia.
Meat, butter, & cheese rationing begin in the United States.
MARCH 30
Japanese reinforcements arrive at Finschhafen, New Guinea, by destroyers.
In the early morning hours B-17s attack Japanese positions at Vila on the southern
end of Kolombangara Island in the Central Solomon Islands and at Kahili on the
south coast of Bougainville Island in the Shortland Island area of the Solomon
Islands.
550
In Burma the 10th Army Air Force bombs the rail yards of Maymyo again and the
switching yard at Pyinmana.
U.S. submarine Tuna attacks s Japanese convoy north of Manus, Admiralty
Islands, sinks the cargo ship Kurohime Maru and survives the resultant depthcharging by escort vessels.
MARCH 31
U.S. troops occupy positions around Morobe, New Guinea.
American PT Boats 77, 78, 79, and 80 arrive in Adak after 10 day run from
Seattle, Washington State, USA.
The American carrier Belleau Wood is commissioned.
The 10th Army Air Force concentrates their effort on the marshaling yard at
Pyinmana, Burma.
Lt. General Oshima Hiroshi, Japanese Ambassador to Germany, meets with the
Japanese high command. They discuss a consideration from German Field
Marshal Erich von Manstein to convert older submarines to cargo carriers. This
suggestion is brought on by the fact that so many blockade-runners are being sunk
by the Allies in both Theaters of War.
Japanese cargo ship Nanshin Maru is sunk in a collision with the Ona Maru west
of Oshima, off Hakata, Honshu Island, Japan.
Vice Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka initiates a two-wave fighter attack with 57
fighters (32 in the first wave and 25 in the second) down Solomon Island chain to
draw out Allied fighters. 30 Guadalcanal-based Wildcats, P-38 fighters, and a
several F4U fighters take off to confront the enemy over the Russell Islands. Nine
Japanese Zeros, five F4F Wildcats, and a F4U Corsair are lost in the conflict.
551
IJA 8mm Nambu Pistol Type 1904
552
APRIL 1
The ex-American minesweeper Finch is reclassified as a patrol boat and enlisted
into the Japanese Navy after being refloated in Manila Bay, Luzon Island,
Philippine Islands.
U.S. Army B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force attack a Japanese convoy near
Kavieng, northwest tip of the island of New Britain, sinking the cargo ship
Kokoko Maru. Other B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force hit the airfields at
Gasmata and Cape Gloucester, New Britain, and the town of Madang, New
Guinea.
In Burma the Maymyo railroad sheds along with railroad yards at Ywatsung are
bombed by planes of the 10th Army Air Force.
In the Aleutian Islands B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s, Eleventh Army Air Force, fly a
raid to Kiska from Adak and Amchitka in preparations for Operation
LANDGRAB the invasion of the island of Attu.
P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force and U.S. Navy and Marine planes from
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands intercept Japanese aircraft trying to hit U.S.
supply dumps on Guadalcanal, naval base at Tulagi, and the incomplete airstrips
in the Russell Islands. The air battle lasts for nearly three hours with American
aircraft scoring a four to one victory.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers escorted by fighters, attack Japanese positions
on Suavanau Plantation southeast coast of Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island in the
Solomon Islands, South Pacific.
American Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff gives their approval for the Attu operation, codename LANDGRAB.
U.S. submarine Gato is damaged by depth charges off New Ireland, northeast of
the island of New Britain and part of the Bismarck Archipelago, and is forced to
terminate her patrol. She sails to Brisbane in Australia for temporary repairs.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers 40-tons of supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
During the morning, 30 to 40 Japanese Zero fighters attempt to raid Guadalcanal,
however, a force of fighters from Henderson Field engaged them and shoots down
16, Solomon Islands.
Japanese troops attack the headquarters of guerrilla fighters in the jungle and
mountain area of Manokwari, New Guinea, and capture their commander
Willemsz Geerom of the Dutch KNIL. He will be executed in Manokwari, New
Guinea, at a later date.
552
APRIL 2
In New Guinea, the Fifth Army Air Force uses A-20s to attack the Kitchen Creek
area and the Labiabi-Duali area. A single B-24s attacks Salamaua, Finschhafen
and the bridge at Rempi. In the Bismarck Archipelago, single B-24 hits the
airfields at Gasmata and Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain.
The 10th Army Air Force attacks railroad targets at Thazi, Burma.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska 18 B-24s of the 11th Army Air Force bomb
Kiska, hitting North Head. Six B-25s, 16 P-38s, and 24 P-40s in six missions
from Amchitka to Kiska, drop bombs on Main Camp and the submarine base
areas. Four B-24s bombs the runway at Attu.
P-38s and P-40s attack a small cargo ship in Kokolope Bay, Vella Lavella Island,
New Georgia Islands, Western Solomon Islands.
Lightning and Corsair fighters attack a small Japanese cargo vessel at anchor at
Vella Lavella Island, New Georgia Islands, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Tunny sinks the Japanese transport Toyo Maru west of Truk Atoll,
Caroline Islands.
Japanese submarines I-16 and I-20 collides underwater while returning from Lae,
New Guinea. The I-16 is damaged.
APRIL 3
Admiral Yamamoto flies to Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago for an inspection tour and to oversee the start of Operation I, air raid
against Allied advances on New Guinea as well as Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands.
Japanese submarine I-20 delivers 37-tons of supplies to the garrison at Lae. The
sub then evacuates 39 men, including Lt. General Adachi Hatazo and his staff.
In New Guinea, Fifth Army Air Force use A-20s to hit Kitchen Creek while a
single B-24 makes a bomb run on Korindindi. In the Bismarck Archipelago, B17s sink the Japanese transport Florida Maru in Kavieng Harbor located at the
western tip of New Ireland Island and the airfield at Kavieng and a single B-24
bombs Kavieng and with B-17s damage the heavy cruiser Aoba and destroyer
Fumizuki off Kavieng.
The Tenth Army Air Force attacks the Myitnge Bridge, Burma.
U.S. submarine Haddock sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Arima Maru north of
553
Palau, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Pickerel makes a torpedo hit on the Japanese submarine chaser
Ch 13 southeast of Shiriyasaki, Japan, but afterwards the ship is sunk by the
minelayer Shirakami and auxiliary subchaser Bunzan Maru off northern Honshu
Island, Japan.
Japanese destroyer Kazagumo is damaged by mine, Kahili Bay, Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands.
British troops withdraw from Horseshoe Hill area northwest of the Burmese
village of Indin.
Japanese reinforcements arrived from Central Burma by crossing rivers and
mountain ranges which the Allies have though to be impassable. They assault the
Indian 14th Infantry Division's exposed left flank on and overran several units
APRIL 4
B-17s along with B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force starts a four-day bombing
campaign against Japanese shipping at Kavieng Harbor, New Britain Island in the
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western
Pacific Ocean. In New Guinea, B-25s and A-20s pound areas along the Huon
Gulf and around Kitchen Creek and the Heaths and Lane Plantations. Single B-17
bombs Salamaua, New Guinea. A single B-17 bombs Cape Gloucester, New
Britain.
On Burma, Eight B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force bombs the Maymyo railroad
sheds. Nine others bombs the Pyawbwe railroad yards. Seven B-24s heavily
damages the Thilawa oil refinery.
Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher assumes the position of Commander Air in the
Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Solomons (COMAIRSOL) that has
operational control of all Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), USAAF,
USMC and USN aircraft in the South Pacific.
U.S. submarine Haddock is damaged by depth charges off Palaus in the Caroline
Islands of the western Pacific, and is forced to terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Porpoise sinks the Japanese whaling ship Koa Maru near
Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Japanese troops attack and capture the Burmese village of Indin.
APRIL 5
Japanese forces overrun the British 6th Brigade headquarters at Mayu, Burma.
554
Japanese submarine I-29 sails from Penang, Malaya, to Europe. She carries within
her hull a Type 89 anti-aircraft weapon, two Type 2 aerial torpedoes, drawings for
a midget submarine, and planes for an aircraft carrier, and two tons of gold to be
delivered to the Japanese Embassy in Berlin.
In New Guinea, a single B-17 from the Fifth Army Air Force makes an attack on
enemy held areas at several points along the Huon Gulf coast, hit Finschhafen on
the Huon Peninsula, bombs Madang, New Guinea, and other points on the coast
of New Guinea and hits Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
In Burma, Railroad targets at Mandalay, Prome, and the Mahlwagon and the
roundhouse are hit by the 10th Army Air Force. B-24s hit the bridge at
Pazundaung, Burma. Two B-17s hits Ngamya. 12 P-40s and a B-25 support
Allied ground forces in northern Burma.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska,16 B-24s and six B-25s of the 11th Army Air
Force bomb the Attu Island runway and Kiska's Main Camp and runway. Three B25s, 16 P-40s, and 16 P-38s bomb Kiska again.
P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force on armored reconnaissance strafes 15 horsedrawn wagons at Wanling, China.
U.S. Navy destroyer O'Bannon sinks the Japanese submarine RO-34 near Russell
Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Finback inflicts further damage upon the Japanese troopship
Suwa Maru (previously damaged by Tunny on March 28th and beached) off Wake
Island in the Central Pacific.
APRIL 6
In New Guinea, B-25s of the 5 Army Air Force bomb the town area and AA
positions at Salamaua. A single B-17 bombs Finschhafen. In the Bismarck
Archipelago, one B-17 bombs Gasmata, New Britain while another strafes Cape
Gloucester, New Britain.
th
In Burma, six Tenth Army Air Force’s B-24s attack Pazundaung Bridge.
During the night, Catalina PBY on patrol bombs Vila, Kolombangara Island in the
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Permit torpedoes and damages the Japanese transport ship Tokai
Maru at Apra Harbor at Guam in the Mariana Islands.
555
During the morning, a force of U.S. Navy dive-bombers, escorted by Wildcats
fighters, attack Japanese installations at Vila on the southern end of
Kolombangara Island in the Central Solomon Islands.
In the early evening, three Japanese planes bomb Guadalcanal Island, Solomon
Islands.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers weapons and ammunition, clothing, food,
and 30 passengers to Lae, New Guinea. On the return trip she carries 29
passengers to Rabaul, New Britain.
Admiral Yamamoto launches Operation I, the all out air attack against Allied
advances on New Guinea as well as at Guadalcanal to prevent the isolation of
Truk Atoll and the possible fall of Rabaul on New Britain.
APRIL 7
U.S. submarine Grayling unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese cargo ship Lima
Maru off Mindoro, Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Pickerel sinks the Japanese cargo ship Fukuei Maru near Shiriya
Zaki, Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Trout lays mine near Sarawak, British North Borneo.
U.S. submarine Tunny, despite presence of an escort vessel, torpedoes the
Japanese supply ship Kosei Maru northwest of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
An attempt is made by the Japanese to tow the damaged vessel but the effort fails
and the Kosei Maru sinks en route to Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands.
During the early morning, a force of U.S. Navy dive-bombers, escorted by
fighters, attack Japanese antiaircraft positions and the camp area on Vila,
Kolombangara Island in the Central Solomon Islands.
In the early afternoon, a force of U.S. Navy Avenger and Dauntless dive-bombers,
escorted by fighters, attack Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon
Islands.
B-25s from the 5th Air Force raids areas along the coast from Mur to Singor, New
Guinea. B-24s bomb the landing ground at Babo and town area of Fak Fak, New
Guinea. A heavy bomber makes an attack on shipping and coastal targets at Lae,
Salamaua, Finschhafen and Wewak, New Guinea; Cape Gloucester and Kavieng
in the Bismarck Archipelago; and off Lorengau, in the Admiralty Islands.
The 10th Army Air Force attacks rail targets in Ywataung, Burma.
556
In the Solomon Islands, a large force of Japanese dive-bombers and fighters are
reported by Australian Coastwatchers to be moving down” The Slot.” Around
Guadalcanal and off Tulagi are transports and a task force. All operable fighters
on Guadalcanal are sent up, and the bombers are moved to the tip of the island for
safety. The air battle takes place off the Russell Islands, near Tulagi, and over the
convoy. P-38s, P-39s, Marine, and Navy aircraft claim 39 aircraft shot down.
Allied losses total seven fighters.
Bolivia declares war on the Axis Powers.
Admiral Yamamoto starts Operation I by watching planes taking off from the
Lakunai airfield, New Britain, to fly against Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the
Solomon Islands in an attempt to set the American offensive back by destroying
their air and sea power. The fighting begins with over170 planes attacking
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and the anchorage at Tulagi sinking a
destroyer, a New Zealand corvette, and an oilier and damaging a cargo ship and a
tanker. This operation will continue for the next six days.
APRIL 8
General Kawabe replaces General Idia in command of Japanese forces in Burma.
The Japanese forces are renamed the Burma Area Army.
B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force carry out harassing strikes against
Ulamoa, Finschhafen, New Guinea, and the airfield at Kavieng northwest tip of
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
In Burma nine B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force bomb the Meiktila Airfield; six
B-24s attack the airfield at Heho; and Fort Bayard Airfield is strafed by nine P40s. Japanese supplies at Ningam are hit by P-40s and a B-25.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force strikes enemy targets in French Indochina.
U.S. Navy carrier plane TBF/TBM Avenger. U.S. Navy photo.
557
B-17 bombers of the Thirteenth Army Air Force and U.S. Navy Avenger light
bombers attack Japanese positions at Kahili in the Shortland Island area located
just off the southern tip of Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy PT-114 conduct a reconnaissance of Morobe Harbor, New Guinea,
with the commanding general of the 41st Division for a new forward base.
Tanker Kanawha, damaged by Japanese dive-bombers the day before, and
beached off Tulagi, Solomon Islands, by tugs Rail and Menominee, sinks.
Japanese cargo ship Toyo Maru is sunk by Allied aircraft near Rabaul, New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
APRIL 9
The United States Navy reestablishes the rank of Commodore.
U.S. submarine Drum attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the army cargo ship
Oyama Maru north-northwest of Kavieng, New Ireland northeast of the island of
New Britain and part of the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Grayling in attack on Japanese convoy off Mindoro, sinks the
army cargo ship Shanghai Maru east of Dumali Point, Mindoro, Philippines.
U.S. submarine Tautog attacks a Japanese convoy in Buton Passage, off
southeastern Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies, sinking the army cargo ship
Penang Maru. Tautog then sinks the destroyer Isonami as the enemy warship
attempts to rescue Penang Maru's survivors.
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe the airfield, town of
Madang, New Guinea, and the dock areas. A-20s hit the Kitchen Creek-Mubo
area of New Guinea. A lone B-17 attack barges at Bogia, Alexishafen, and
Finschhafen and assaults the town of Wewak, New Guinea. In the Admirality
Islands, vehicles at Lorengau on Manus Island are strafed.
Japanese submarine I-20 delivers 30-tons of supplies to the garrison at Lae, New
Guinea.
APRIL 10
B-17s and B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force pound Wewak, New Guinea. B-17s
also drop bombs on Cape Boram, New Guinea, and Kairiru Island, off the coast of
New Guinea while B-24s hits Alexishafen, New Guinea, and shipping off Wewak.
B-25s hits the harbors at Bobia and Uligan, New Guinea. A single B-17 strafe
barges off Bogia and trucks at Cape Croisilles, New Guinea, while another bombs
the airfield at Arawe on the island of New Britain.
558
Three B-25s, 17 P-40s, and six P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force fly five attack
missions to Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force flies harassing strikes against the Kahili
Airfield, south coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
During the night, Catalina PBY’s drop bombs on Japanese installations at Munda
on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands, starting a small fire.
Two Japanese destroyers attempting to deliver supplies to the garrison on Kiska,
Aleutian Islands, are turned back a U.S. Navy PBY.
APRIL 11
94 Japanese planes from Rabaul on New Britain strike Oro Bay, New Guinea,
during Operation I sinking a cargo ship, a destroyer, damaging one transport, and
damaging a Australian minesweeper.
Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoes and sinks the Australian Government
chartered Yugoslavian cargo ship Recina traveling in a convoy off Cape
Howe, Victoria, Australia.
B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force hit the Rabaul airfields of Lakunia, Rapopo,
and Vunakanau on New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago. B-17s bombs Lae
and Finschhafen, New Guinea. Single B-24 bombs Finschhafen three times and
hits Madang, New Guinea, once. On the island of Timor, B-25s hit Vila Salazar,
Dutch East Indies.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, four B-25s, 22 P-40s, and eight P-38s of the 11th
Army Air Force hits Kiska five times. Some fighters strafe Little Kiska.
P-38s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, and U.S. Navy fighters strafe gun positions in
the Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island. B-17s bomb the airfields at Kahili on the
south coast of Bougainville Island and on Ballale Island, Shortland Island Group,
Solomon Islands.
A force of U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers carries out an attack on Munda,
New Guinea.
During the evening, P-38s and Corsair fighters strafe Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel
Island, Solomon Islands.
During the night, a Catalina PBY attacks Munda on New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands
.
APRIL 12
559
174 Japanese aircraft attacks Port Morseby, New Guinea, in Admiral Yamamoto’s
Operation I. This is Yamamoto's last attack order as well as the Japanese last
major day light attack on the Port. The attack destroys three B-25 bombers and a
Beaufighter at Schwimmer Airfield near Port Moresby; nearby Berry Airfield
takes damage to buildings and Ward's Airfield has 5,000 drums of gasoline go up
in flames.
The 72nd Bomb Squadron flies their last mission in a B-17 before changing to an
all B-24 unit.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers and Wildcat fighters attack Vila on
Kolombangara Island as well as Ringi Cove, three miles northwest of Vila.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the
Japanese cargo ship No.12 Sapporo Maru
at the eastern entrance to Tsugaru Strait,
just off Shiriyazaki, northern Honshu,
Japan.
New Guinea natives help carries wounded
American soldiers. U.S. Army photo.
B-17s and B-24s, 5th Army Air Force,
bombs Japanese shipping in Hansa Bay,
New Guinea, sinking the cargo ship Sydney Maru. In the Bismarck Archipelago,
B-24s and B-17s pounds the airfields at Rabaul and Gasmata, New Britain,
shipping in the Saint George Channel off the island of New Ireland, and targets of
opportunity in the Ubili and Talasea areas of New Britain. B-24s, operating
individually, attacks several targets, scoring hits on the Madang dock area of New
Guinea.
Nine B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force hit the airfield at Magwe, Burma. P-40s
bombs and strafes ammunition and supply dump at Walawbum, Burma.
In the Aleutian Islands, three B-25s, 24 P-40s, and 13 P-38s of the 11th Army Air
Force fly seven missions to the island of Kiska. The fighters also strafe Little
Kiska.
A single B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force continue snooper strikes, hitting
Kahili Airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands
twice during the evening.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force uses P-40s to strafe Japanese vehicles east of Loiwing, China.
560
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers ammunition and weapons, clothing, food, supply
drums, and 26 passengers to Lae, New Guinea. She returns to Rabaul on New
Britain with 42 passengers.
APRIL 13
In New Guinea, A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs and strafes the Labiabi
area while a single B-l7 bombs the runway at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Units of the 10th Army Air Force hit the Myitnge Bridge, Burma.
15 B-24s, 15 B-25s, 28 P-38s and 20 P-40s of the 11th Army Air Force conduct 11
attacks to Kiska on the Main Camp, North Head, and runway, Aleutian Islands of
Alaska.
P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft bomb the airfield at
Munda, New Guinea, and strafes a barge at Bambatana on Ohoiseul Island, New
Georgia Group in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by Corsair and P-38 fighters, bomb
and strafe the runway and dispersal areas on Munda, New Guinea.
APRIL 14
196 Japanese planes of all types raid Milne Bay, New Guinea, sinks two
transports, damaging three others ending Operation I.
An intercepted message is decoded at Combat Intelligence Headquarters at Pearl
Harbor. The content of the message tells of Admiral Yamamoto's visit to
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands on the 18th.
Bottom pole pieces of the Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
cyclotron are laid.
Japanese submarine RO-102 is sunk by PT-150 and PT-152, off Lae, New
Guinea.
U.S. submarine Pike damages the Japanese army cargo ship Madras Maru north
of the Admiralty Islands located just north of the eastern end of New Guinea in
the Bismarck Archipelago.
During the afternoon, U. S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers and Wildcat fighters
bomb and strafe enemy barges and installations in Viru Harbor, New Georgia
Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
B-17s, 5th Army Air Force, bomb Japanese shipping in Hansa Bay, New Guinea,
sinking the cargo ship India Maru.
561
In Burma, the Tenth Army Air Force sends P-40s loaded with 1,000 pound bombs
to hit the airfields at Myitkyina and Manywet, rendering the runways at both
unusable.
In the Aleutian islands of Alaska the Eleventh Army Air Force flies 10 missions
to Kiska using 30 P-40s, 17 P-38s, nine B-24s and six B-25s to bomb and strafe
the runway, North Head area, installations, parked seaplanes, and facilities on
Little Kiska.
In China, P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force strafes packhorses near Tengchung,
barracks and warehouses in Lungling, cattle, and trucks close to Lungling.
Japanese aircraft carry out an attack on the Milne Bay area of New Guinea,
severely damaging a ship, beaching another, and hitting a couple of others, but
doing very little damage to airfield facilities in the area.
APRIL 15
The carrier Yorktown is commissioned at Newport News, Virginia; it is named for
the carrier sunk after the Battle of Midway.
During the morning, Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by Wildcat fighters,
bomb Japanese installations at Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands.
During the afternoon, Dauntless dive-bombers, with Wildcat fighter escort, attack
enemy installations at Vila on Kolombangara Island New Georgia Group, Western
Solomon Islands.
Later in the day, Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by Corsair and Wildcat
fighters, attack and sink an 80-foot Japanese vessel in Rekata Bay, on Santa Isabel
Island in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish torpedoes and sinks the Japanese transport ship Seiryu
Maru off Esansaki, Japan.
U.S. submarine Seawolf sinks the Japanese transport Kaihei Maru southsouthwest of Marcus Island northwestern Pacific Ocean.
In the Bismarck Archipelago, B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb the airfields
at Rabaul and Gasmata on New Britain Island. In New Guinea, B-17s bombs the
airfield at Lae.
The oil fields at Thilawa, Burma, are bombed, also the railroad at Mandalay are
hit as well as Ywataung and Prome are attacked by the 10th Army Air Force.
562
In the Aleutian Islands the Eleventh Army Air Force sends two bomber missions
from Adak and 11 fighter missions from Amchitka, composed of 23 B-24s, 20 B25s, 25 P-38s, and 44 P-40s, to hit Kiska Island.
Allied aircraft begins operating off of Banika Island, Russell Islands, Solomon
Islands.
The first production model B-29 rolls out of the Wichita plant in Kansas.
The Sino-American agreement is signed allowing Americans to set up weather
observation stations in China.
Japanese submarine I-20 delivers 37-tons of cargo to Lae, New Guinea. The
submarine then evacuates 40 soldiers.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress. U.S. Air Force photo
APRIL 16
Admiral Yamamoto recalls remnants of his carrier aircraft used in Operation I to
return to the Third Fleet. After a reconnaissance plane fails to return from
northeastern New Guinea region. Despite this recall, Admiral Yamamoto declares
the operation a triumphant.
Japanese occupation force in the Dutch East Indies encourages a nationalistic
movement by recruiting Dutch East Indies nationalist leaders to rally the populace
to support a mobilization center called Putera to help rally the people in their war
effort against the Allies.
In New Guinea, B-24s bomb Kaimana, Wewak, Madang, and Lae. B-17s pound
shipping at Wewak, damaging the destroyer Tachikaze and leaving several other
ships sunk or in sinking condition. On the eastern side of the island of Timor in
the Dutch East Indies, B-25s bomb Vila Salazar.
563
The 10th Army Air Force attacks railroad targets at Thazi, Burma. Elsewhere in
Burma, railroad targets at Mandalay are bombed. A railroad bridge near
Mogaung, Burma, is attacked leaving the bridge temporarily unserviceable. Later
in the day the bridge near Pinbaw, Burma, is demolished by direct hits.
In the Aleutian islands of Alaska the 11th Army Air Force attacks Kiska 13 times
using 13 B-24s, 12 B-25s, 32 P-40s, 29 P-38s, and two F-5As hitting installations
in the Holtz Bay area and gun positions on North Head.
B-17s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs the airfield at Kahili, Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force sends P-40s to strafe a group of buildings near
Tengchung, China.
Six U.S. Navy PT Boats are towed from Cairns in Australia to York Peninsula on
the northern extreme of Australia to set up a base; Allied command is under the
notion that the Japanese might make an assault on Torres Straits.
APRIL 17
In the Moluccas Islands, B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Amboina. In
New Guinea, a single B-24 attacks Hollandia Bay. B-17s assault the airfield at
Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island.
In Burma B-24s from the 10th Army Air Force hit the bridge at Pazundaung. The
bridges at Kamaing and Namti are bombed, along with the town of Nanyaseik,
Burma. Seven B-25s bomb the Myitnge Bridge. Ten others hit the Myitnge
railroad works.
B-24s of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombs and scores direct hits on the runway
and gun emplacements at Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Four B25s, 31 P-38s, and 14 P-40s hit Kiska, Aleutian Islands, nine times, bombing
installations and strafing gun emplacements and parked airplanes.
B-17s, during the night, from the Thirteenth Army Air Force strikes the Kahili
Airfield, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Wildcat fighters bomb the Japanese
dispersal and runway areas at Munda, in the Central Solomon Islands.
During the night, the Japanese transport Shinnan Maru is sunk by a mine, laid by
U.S. Navy TBFs on March 30, near Buin, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
Admiral Nimitz has a meeting with Admiral Halsey, Commander, South Pacific,
564
after wards he authorizes a mission to Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands
to intercept Admiral Yamamoto's flight en route and shoot it down. U.S. Army's
339th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, Thirteenth Army Air Force that
were flying P-38G Lightnings, is assigned the task of intercept and engage
Admiral Yamamoto's Mitsubishi G3M "Betty" bomber. The pilots are not
informed who they will be intercepting except it is an "important high officer."
Japanese ex-whale factory ship Nissho Maru is sunk by unknown cause east of
Formosa Island off the southeast coast of China.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Amaho Maru off
Yerimozaki, Hokkaido Island of Japan.
APRIL 18
On Timor Island in the Dutch East Indies, B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force
attack the airfield at Penfoei. In New Guinea, single B-24 hit the Finschhafen and
Saidor areas of New Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands, 22 P-38s, some flown by Royal Canadian Air Force pilots,
and the Eleventh Army Air Force along with 37 P-40s strike the island of Kiska
nine times. The submarine base and gun emplacements on North Head are
bombed and gun emplacements near the submarine base are put out of order.
P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force strafes a Japanese-held supply village near
Tengchung, China.
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the
Japanese Combined Fleet, is killed when American P-38s from
Guadalcanal shoots down his plane before landing at Kahili
airfield, Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
Australian Prime Minister John Curtin openly protest
the Allied "Europe first" policy,
which denies
supplies to Australia which is rapidly exhausting its
resources.
Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto
General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey meet in
Brisbane, Australia. They agreed that the tentative date
for the New Georgia invasion is to be May 15th, and that a U.S. Marine Corps
defense battalion, a U.S. Navy construction battalion, and a Army RCT will be
transferred to the theater to support the invasion.
U.S. submarine Drum sinks the Japanese ammunition ship Nisshun Maru near
Mussau Island, Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New.
565
U.S. submarine Narwhal leaves San Diego for Dutch Harbor, Alaska, loaded with
soldiers of the 7th Infantry Scout Company.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers ammunition and weapons, clothing, supply
drums, and 28 passengers to Lae, New Guinea. She returns to Rabaul on New
Britain with 39 passengers.
During the night, two Japanese planes attack Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
APRIL 19
U.S. submarine Scorpion lays mines near Kashima Nada, Japan.
U.S. submarine Seawolf sinks the Japanese depot ship No.5 Banshu Maru off the
Bonin Islands, group of islands south of Tokyo, Japan.
U.S. Navy TBF Avengers bomb Japanese shipping off Buin, Bougainville,
Solomon Islands, damaging cargo vessel Shirogare Maru.
Fifth Army Air Force bombers bomb the airfields at Hollandia and Lae, New
Guinea and Cape Gloucester and Gasmata on New Britain in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
14 B-24s, 12 B-25s, 32 P-40s, and 23 P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force fly nine
missions to Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers attacks the Japanese airfield at Kahili on the
south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
The Japanese Eighteenth Army transfers its headquarters from Rabaul on New
Britain to Madang on New Guinea in order to enable Lt. General Adachi, Army
Commander, to assume personal direction of operations in the New Guinea area.
The body of Admiral Yamamoto is found in the jungle of Bougainville by a
Japanese search and rescue party. His seat had been thrown clear of the Mitsubishi
G3M wreckage, still upright in his seat under a tree. He had been hit by two 50caliber bullets, one to the back of his left shoulder and another that entered his left
lower jaw and made an exit above his right eye.
APRIL 20
B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Wewak, Nubia, and Boram Airfields
and shipping off Wewak, New Guinea, sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kosei Maru
north of Wewak. B-24s bombs Kaimana and targets of opportunity on Kendari
Island in Celebes, Dutch East Indies.
566
In the Gilbert Islands, 22 B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force, from Funafuti in
the Ellice Island Group, flies a photo-bombing mission and bombing run on
Nauru Island in the South Pacific scoring several direct hits on the runways.
The 10th Army Air Force attacks railroad targets at Thazi, Burma.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska 15 B-24s, 16 B-25s, 10 P-38s, and 32 P-40s of
the 11th Army Air Force conduct 10 bombing and strafing missions to Kiska
hitting shipping in the harbor, sinking the Nojima Maru north of Kiska, and gun
positions in North Head, buildings in the Main Camp area and the runway.
Contract, w7405-Eng36, is issued for the Manhattan Project.
Japanese submarine I-20 arrives at Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western
Solomon Islands, with food and ammunition.
Japanese submarine I-26 leaves Penang Island for the tip of Africa near
Madagascar Island in the Indian Ocean to rendezvous with a Germany U-boat 180
to pick up Netaji and Abid Hasan.
U.S. Navy Avengers and Dauntless dive-bombers bomb Japanese installations at
Munda on the island of New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Runner mines the waters near Hong Kong, China.
U.S. submarine Scorpion sinks the Japanese gunboat No.1 Meiji Maru off east
central coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
Japanese transport/cargo ship Sumerusan Maru is sunk by accidental explosion,
Surabaya, Java, Dutch East Indies.
The Japanese Cabinet is reorganized with Shimegitsu becoming Foreign Minister.
APRIL 21
With credible information from neutral sources and intelligence work it is reveled
that American POWs are being executed by the Japanese. President Roosevelt
announces to the American public that Japan has been executing some members
of the military held as prisoners.
Orders are issued to American forces to recapture Attu Island, Aleutian Islands.
The Emperor appoints Admiral Mineichi Koga Commander- in-Chief of the
Combined Fleet.
567
Admiral Mineichi Koga
.
The Emperor appoints Admiral Mineichi Koga Commanderin-Chief of the Combined Fleet.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Kaimana and
Laga on New Guinea. A single B-17 attacks coastal
village in northeast New Guinea and hits Ubili and
Gasmata in the Bismarck Archipelago.
Planes of the 10th Army Air Force bombs the Maymyo
railroad sheds. A force of B-24s bombs the Bangsue
Arsenal in Bangkok, Thailand. Nine more bomb the area around the Myitnge
Bridge in Burma.
During the night, Flying Fortress and Liberator of the 13th Army Air Force,
supported by Avenger torpedo bombers, attack Poporang Island in the
Shortland Islands in the Western Solomon Islands.
During the night, Avenger torpedo bombers attack a cargo ship near Buin in the
Shortland Islands in the Western Solomon Islands.
A Japanese plane flying near the Straits of Malacca, that connects the Andaman
Sea Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, damages U.S. submarine Grenadier.
U.S. submarine Stingray mines waters off Wenchow, China.
APRIL 22
During the night, Japanese aircraft bomb the airfield at Funafuti, Ellice Island.
Nearly 3,100 Allied POWs are moved from Java in the Dutch east Indies to
Ambon Island, Maluku Islands of the Dutch East Indies, by sea.
U.S. submarine Grenadier is scuttled off Penang, Malaya, after having been
damaged by Japanese plane the previous day.
U.S. submarine Stingray continues to lay mines in the waters off Wenchow,
China.
Dutch submarine O-21 sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Yamazato Maru in
Malacca Straits, a stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Dutch
East Indies island of Sumatra.
During the afternoon, Avenger torpedo bombers attacks Japanese installations at
Munda on the island of New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands. Bombs are
dropped on the runway and antiaircraft positions.
568
Corsair fighters strafe the airfield on Munda, New Georgia Island, and set fire to
three enemy planes sitting on the ground.
A-20s and B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the Lababia-Duali area on
Nassau Bay. A single B-17s bombs the Dobo and Nubia area of Aru Islands, off
the coast of New Guinea, Dutch East Indies, and strafes Ubili in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
APRIL 23
Railroad targets at Mandalay, Burma, are hit along with the warehouses, 10th
Army Air Force.
U.S. submarine Pike is damaged by depth charges off central Caroline Islands and
is forced to terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Seawolf sinks the Japanese Patrol Boat No.39 off the east central
coast of Formosa, off the southeast coast of China, while the enemy warship is
screening the towed wrecked Nisshin Maru.
U.S. Navy district patrol craft YP-422 founders after grounding on Tumbo Reef,
three miles southeast of entrance to North Bulari Passage, New Caledonia.
In New Guinea, a single B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force makes a bomb run
on the airfield and town area at Finschhafen, scoring a direct hit on a cargo vessel
close by.
In the Gilbert Islands, 12 B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Funafuti in
the Ellice Island Group makes an attack on Tarawa Atoll, hitting fuel storage and
barracks areas.
In Burma, nine B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force bomb the Mandalay
warehouse area. Five P-40s damage the approaches to the bridge at Shaduzup.
P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force strafes a 15-truck convoy near Lungling,
China.
During the early morning, SBD dive-bombers, escorted by Corsair fighters, bomb
and strafe Japanese positions at Rekata Bay, on Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon
Islands of the South Pacific.
Australian troops occupy positions around Mubo, New Guinea, unopposed.
APRIL 24
The Attu invasion force sets sail from San Francisco for Cold Harbor, Alaska,
569
with the 7th Infantry Division.
In the Bismarck Archipelago, a single B-24 of the 5th Army Air Force bombs the
runway at Cape Gloucester. On the Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies, B-24s
bomb the Kendari airfield. In New Guinea, A-20s bombs and strafes positions in
the Mubo area of New Guinea. A single B-24 makes an attack on Lae, Gumbi, and
Singor, New Guinea . On the island of Timor in the Dutch East Indies, B-25s
pound the Dili Airfield.
A pair of P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force bombs Kiska and strafes near Mutton
Cove, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Nine B-25s, escorted by 11 P-40s, of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb the
Namtu mines and railroad yards in China. Seven of the P-40s strafes the mine and
smelter area.
Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers escorted by Wildcat
fighters, attack Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese passenger-cargo ship Kasuga
Maru in Tsugaru Strait, a channel between Honshu Island and Hokkaido Island in
northern Japan, connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean.
U.S. submarine Runner damages the Japanese army hospital ship Buenos Aires
Maru south of Hong Kong, China.
Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoes the Australian cargo ship Kowarra.
APRIL 25
On New Guinea, B-17s of the 5 Army Air Force bomb Wewak airfield and the
towns of Madang and Saidor. A-20s bomb and strafe enemy positions at Green's
Hill. A single B-24 raids the airfields at Madang and Finschhafen.
th
The 10th Army Air Force attacks rail targets in Ywataung, Burma.
15 B-24s, 12 B-25s, 32 P-40s, 23 P-38s, and 1 F-5A of the Eleventh Army Air
Force carries out 12 missions to Kiska and Attu, Aleutian Islands. This armada of
planes hits targets such as Holtz Bay, North Head, South Head, the beach areas,
the runway, shipping, and the submarine base.
Several B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force flies a harassing strikes during
the night against Kahili Airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island. 12
others bomb the same target later during the night.
570
U.S. Marine Corsair fighters strafe Japanese installations on Kolombangara Island
and Bougainville Island in the Central Solomon Islands.
Admiral Charles McMorris’ Cruiser Task Force 8 shells Kamchatka Point,
Kamchatka Peninsula, which lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the
Sea of Okhotsk to the west.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers to Lae on New Guinea ammunition, clothing,
food, and 20 passengers. She returns to Rabaul, New Britain with 42 passengers.
Chinese army commander Sun Tien-ying joins the Japanese.
APRIL 26
A task group of three cruisers and six destroyers shells Japanese installations at
the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands.
Japanese aircraft makes a successful raid against the Fourteenth Army Air Force
airfield, Yunnani, China.
Japanese submarine I-26 and the German U-boat U-180 with passengers Netaji,
Abid Hasan, and Subhas Chandra Bose rendezvous four hundred miles southsouthwest of Madagascar Island in the Indian Ocean to transfer them.
Japanese submarine I-177 sinks the British freighter Limerick near Cape Byron,
off Brisbane, Australia.
1,500 Allied POWs, Australian, British, and Dutch, are loaded on to Japanese
army cargo ship for transfer from Singapore in Malaya to Japan.
MacArthur's headquarters issues plans that laid out for a two-pronged offensive,
code-named CARTWHEEL, which would envelop and isolate the Japanese at
Rabaul on New Britain. One prong by MacArthur would advance along the
northern shores of New Guinea and into the Bismarck Archipelago. The second
prong from Halsey would drive northwest from Guadalcanal and seize the
remainder of the Solomon Islands.
New Zealand aircraft arrive at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
General Kenney begins using the airfield at Aitape, New Guinea.
APRIL 27
The airfield on Hollandia, New Guinea, falls into American hands.
B-24s, operating individually; from the Fifth Army Air Force assaults Japanese
571
ships off Cape Gloucester, Cape Goltz and Gasmata, New Britain. In New
Guinea, A-20s bomb and strafe enemy positions in the Green's Hill-Mubo area. B25s bombs a village near Beru, New Britain. Heavy bombers, operating singularly,
go after shipping near Dobo and Nabire, Aru Islands, off the coast of Dutch New
Guinea, and small ships and other targets in the Marienberg, Wewak, and
Finschhafen areas of New Guinea.
The 10th Army Air Force attacks railroad targets at Thazi, Burma with 19 B-25s.
P-40s hit enemy positions south of Sarenghkyet, Burma.
The Eleventh Army Air Force sends four P-38s to bomb Main Camp, Kiska,
Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force hammer Vila on the southern end of
Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands and the airfield on Ballale Island,
Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands. B-17s hit Kahili Airfield south coast of
Bougainville Island.
U.S. submarine Scorpion attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking cargo ship Yuzan
Maru off east coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. freighter Lydia M. Child is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-178
east of Sydney, Australia.
APRIL 28
In New Guinea, repair work begins on the Hollandia airfield for the Wakde
invasion and the Biak operation.
The only known submarine-to-submarine transfer of passengers in World War II,
is made in an area dominated by the enemy's air and naval forces, Netaji and Abid
Hasan are transferred into the Japanese submarine I-26 by a rubber raft from
German U-boat U-180.
The American carrier Enterprise starts home for an overhaul.
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force attacks a couple of ships close to Dobo, Aru
Islands, off the coast of Dutch New Guinea. A single B-17 buffet building near
Finschhafen airfield, Wilwilan village, and other targets along the coast of New
Guinea from the Nankina River to Mur.
B-25s from the 10th Army Air Force attack the docks at Monywa and river traffic
in the Katha vicinity, Burma.
Several B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force flies snooper missions over
572
Bougainville, bombing the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville
Island.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon sinks the Japanese transport/hospital ship Kamakura
Maru southwest of Naso Point, Panay Island in the Philippines located in the
western part of the Visayas Islands.
20 Japanese medium bombers and fighters attack airfields at Kunming, China.
APRIL 29
U.S. Submarine Gato lands Coastwatchers at Teop Island, Solomon Islands, and
evacuates missionaries.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers, supported by
Wildcat fighters, attack Japanese positions at Munda on the island of New
Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers, escorted by P-38s and
Corsair fighters, bomb Japanese installations at Gatere on the southwestern coast
of Kolombangara Island in the Central Solomon Islands.
Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers, with Lightning and
Corsair escorts, attack Pelpeli, northwest of Gatere on Kolombangara Island.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the airfield at Kahili south coast of
Bougainville Island.
Japanese submarine I-180 sinks the Australian cargo ship Wollongbar near
Smokey Cape, Australia.
APRIL 30
U.S. submarine Gudgeon lands personnel and supplies on Panay Island,
Philippines.
U.S. submarine Narwhal leaves Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to join up with the
Nautilus off the northern side of Attu, Aleutian Islands, and the two ships,
debarked Army Scouts into rubber boats for the preliminary landings in the
recapture of Attu.
U.S. submarine Snook lays mines off Saddle Island, China.
U.S. submarine Scorpion sinks the Japanese guardboat No.5 Ebisu Maru with her
deck gun east of Japan.
The U.S. freighter Phoebe A. Hearst is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese
573
submarine I-19 southeast of Suva, Fiji Islands, South Pacific.
A single B-24 of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Lae on New Guinea and
airfields at Cape Gloucester and Gasmata on New Britain in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
General Claire Chennault. U.S. Air Force photo.
General Chennault presents his case to President
Roosevelt that the Japanese do not wish to engage in
an air war over China.
The Trident Conference starts in Washington, D.C.
In Burma, 16 B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force
attacks the Gokteik Viaduct, damaging one end.
Four others bomb the Maymyo railroad yards.
Five B-24s bomb the Sule Pagoda wharves at Rangoon. Four P-40s and a B-25 hit
Mohnyin, while six P-40s raid a camp near Weshi.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, four B-25s, 17 P-38s, and seven P-40s of the
11th Army Air Force fly four missions to the island of Kiska. Only the P-38s get
through and pounds Gertrude Cove, Main Camp, the submarine base and a ship.
Corsair fighters strafe the Japanese-held area at Rekata Bay on the northern coast
of Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific.
Five B-17s from the 13th Army Air Force bombs the airfield at Kahili,
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers and, Dauntless dive-bombers, escorted by
Airacobra and Wildcat fighters, bomb and strafe Japanese installations at Vila on
the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
Chinese forces halt the Japanese advance in Hupeh Province thus ending the
threat to Chungking, China.
IJA 7.7mm, Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun
574
MAY 1
In Japan, Tokyo starts controlled distribution of heavy oil, gasoline, charcoal, and
firewood.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers to Lae supplies of ammunition and weapons,
clothing, food, and 30 passengers. She returns to Rabaul on the island of New
Britain, with 41 passengers.
U.S. submarine Pogy makes an attack on a Japanese convoy, sinking the gunboat
Keishin Maru off Iwaki, Japan.
Six PT boats leave Milne Bay in New Guinea for Thursday Island off Yorkly
Peninsula, Australia. They are being towed by the tender Tulsa and two
minesweepers.
In the Aleutian Islands PT Boats 77, 78, and 79 arrive at Adak after traveling
under their own power from Seattle, Washington.
B-24s from the 5th Army Air Force bomb the landing strip at Nabire on Aru
Islands, off the coast of Dutch New Guinea, and hit ships in Manokwari Harbor,
New Guinea.
B-25 medium bomber by North American. USAAF Photo.
In the Aleutian islands of Alaska the Eleventh Army Air Force flies16 attack
missions to Kiska and Attu using 16 B-24s, 15 B-25s, 35 P-38s, 38 P-40s, and
four F-5As for the attack.
In China, the forward echelon of the Fourteenth Army Air Force, under Colonel
Clinton D. Vincent and Lieutenant Colonel David L ("Tex") Hill, move into
Eastern China along the Hengyang-Kweilin border. This will bring 14th Air Force
planes within fly distance of all major Japanese-held bases from northern China to
Indochina and Thailand, and makes sailing in the South China Sea more
vulnerable to U.S. air strikes.
U.S. Navy TBF torpedo bombers and, SBD dive bombers, escorted by P-39s and
Wildcat fighters, bomb and strafe Japanese installations at Vila in the Western
Solomon Islands on southern end of Kolombangara Island.
575
During the evening, Corsair fighters strafe the Japanese held area at Rekata Bay
on the northern coast of Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands.
MAY 2
Japanese aircraft operating out of Salamaua, New Guinea, bombs Darwin,
Australia.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Penfoei and a single B-17 drops bombs
on the dock at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
B-25s, P-40s, and P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force flies a bombing, photo and
attack mission to Kiska in the Aleutian Island of Alaska.
B-17s from the 13th Army Air Force strike the Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel
Island and Munda Airfield, New Georgia Island in the Solomon Islands, and P-38s
and P-39s join U.S. Navy aircraft in pounding runway area at Munda.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers escorted by Wildcat fighters, makes a bomb
run on Japanese installations at Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Island.
The Japanese submarine I-19, near Suva, Fiji Islands, torpedoes the U.S. freighter
William Williams.
Japanese submarine I-20 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, with 39-tons of supplies and
takes on 31soldiers for the return trip.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks the Japanese guardboat No.12 Jimbo Maru in Makassar
Strait, between the Malay Peninsula and the Dutch East Indies island of Sumatra.
U.S. submarine Pogy sinks a Japanese sampan with her deck gun east of Honshu
Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Stingray attacks a Japanese convoy off Wenchow, China, sinking
then army transport Tamon Maru off Nanki Shan, China.
MAY 3
Japanese 11th and 13th Armies start an operation against the Chinese 6th Army
near Jiang Han, China.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force strafe the airfield at Gasmata on New Britain
Island. A single B-17 strafes motor launches near Lolobau Island off the coast of
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
576
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska B-24s, B-25s, P-38s, and P-40s 11th Army Air
Force, participate in a weather reconnaissance mission to Attu and an attack
missions to Kiska.
P-40s and P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Navy dive-bombers and
fighters in an attack on the Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island, Solomon
Islands.
U.S. Navy dive-bombers, escorted by Wildcat, P-40s and P-38s, bomb and strafe
Japanese installations at Rekata Bay, on Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands.
In the Aleutian Islands U.S. Navy PT Boats 74, 75, 76, and 79 sails from Adak to
Constantine Harbor located on Amchitka. From they will patrol Ogiala Pass and
Rat Island Pass to protect the approaches from Kiska to Amchitka from a possible
enemy attack during the Attu landing.
President Roosevelt request U.S. Army Chief of staff, General George Marshall,
to send a communication to Chiang Kai-shek that a decision has been made to
give sizeable air power to China in their war with Japan.
MAY 4
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force drop bombs on Babo and town area, harbor,
and shipping at Wewak, New Guinea.
U.S. bombers of the 10th Army Air Force raid targets along the Red River at
Tonkin on the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of French Indochina and on Hainan
Island in the Gulf of Tonkin off China coast.
The 11th Army Air Force makes an air strike against Chichagof Harbor, AA
positions at Holtz Bay, and a floatplane at Attu, Aleutian Islands.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-17s to fly a snooper strike, during the
night, against the Vila airfield on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands,
and Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands. P-40s join Navy
aircraft in strike on Vangavanga, Solomon Islands.
In French Indochina the 14th Army Air Force sends 18 B-24s to bomb the dock
installations, coal yards, and oil storage area at Samah on Hainan Island in the
Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of China; nine B-25s pound the docks at Haiphong
on the Gulf of Tonkin; 19 P-40s escort B-17s and B-25s to Hanoi and then
proceed with B-25s to Haiphong and strafe the target area following the bombing
strike.
P-40s and Wildcat fighters bomb and strafe Japanese positions at Vangavanga and
at Ringi Cove on Kolombangara Island in the Central Solomon Islands. Avenger
577
torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers, along with Corsair fighter escort,
follow the attack with additional bombing and strafing.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon sinks the Japanese trawler Naku Maru west of Panay
Island in the Philippines located in the western part of the Visayas, using her deck
gun.
U.S. submarine Seal attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the fleet tanker San
Clemente Maru off Palau, Caroline Islands.
In Burma, Japanese infiltrate between Buthidaung and Maungdaw, disrupting
British communications.
MAY 5
Japanese Prime Minister General Tojo visits Manila on Luzon Island in the
Philippines, and inspects the military administration.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force pound Toeal in the Dutch East Indies. In the
Bismarck Archipelago, a single B-24 bombs airfields at Cape Gloucester and
Gasmata, New Britain.
B-24s, B-25s, P-38s, and P-40s from the 11th Army Air Force flies an attack
missions to Attu and RCAF pilots fly to Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
P-38s from the 13th Army Air Force and Navy F-4U's strafes Nyanga, Vella
Lavella Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon attacks a tanker with her deck gun. The tanker turns out
to be an armed ship that counterattacks causing her to dive. The Japanese ship
then drops depth charges that cause damage. Gudgeon continues on patrol
after repaires.
U.S. submarine Permit damages the Japanese transport Tokai Maru, Apra Harbor,
Guam in the Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine Sawfish sinks the Japanese gunboat Hakkai Maru off Ise-Wan,
Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Snook attacks Japanese shipping in the Yellow Sea, located
between China and the Korean Peninsula, sinking the cargo ships Kinko Maru,
former British Stangton, and Taifuku Maru.
Japanese submarine I-180 torpedoes and sinks the Norwegian cargo ship
Fingal off Coffs Harbor, Australia.
578
MAY 6
Japanese submarine I-29 carrying Subhas Bose and his aide Major Dr. Habib
Hassan, reached Sabang, small town on the northeastern coast of Mindoro Island,
Philippine Islands, after making a ship-to-ship transfer with the German U-boat I180. Bose is welcomed by Colonel Yamamoto, who is the head of the Hikari
Kikan, the Japanese-Indian liaison group.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kotoku Maru, Tarakan,
Borneo, Dutch East Indies.
P-38s and Corsair fighters strafe Japanese positions on Vella Lavella Island in the
Central Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers, Avenger torpedo bombers, and New Zealand
P-40s, escorted by Corsair and Wildcat fighters, attack Japanese installations at
Munda, on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
A single B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force hits Madang and Finschhafen, New
Guinea, A-20s hit the Green Hill area, and B-25s pound Dili on East Timor,
Dutch East Indies, while B-24s hit Manokwari on New Guinea and Toeal, in the
Dutch East Indies.
In the Aleutian Islands aircraft from the 11th Army Air Force drop over 52 tons of
bombs on Holtz Bay, Sarana Bay, and Chichagof Harbor area of Attu. Kiska
targets include radar, gun positions, and Gertrude Cove and Main Camp areas.
Returning P-38s also bomb and strafe hut on Rat Island. P-40s blasts Kiska and
Little Kiska.
The 13th Army Air Force's P-40s and U.S. Navy dive bombers hit the Munda
airfield on New Georgia Island and B-24s strikes the Kahili airfield south coast of
Bougainville Island, Fauro, Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands, and Ballale
Island, Shortland Island Group.
Sikorsky XR-4 helicopter is demonstrated on the carrier Bunker Hill; the U.S.
Navy remained unconvinced, but the Army Air Force is satisfied that helicopters
can safely operate from surface vessels.
MAY 7
A minefield is laid across Blackett Strait, Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands, by Allied
minelayers.
B-17s and B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the airfield and supply dumps
on Madang on New Guinea, while A-20s hit enemy forces in Green's Hill area and
B-25s pound Penfoei on Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
579
British troops retreat from Buthidaung, Bumra. The city is occupied by the
Japanese.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks a sampan with her deck gun in the Celebes Sea,
bordered by Borneo to the west and Mindanao Island of the Philippines to the
north.
U.S. submarine Snook sinks the Japanese cargo ships Tosei Maru and No. 3
Shinsei Maru in the Yellow Sea, located between China and the Korean
Peninsula.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese passenger/cargo ship No.5 Tamon
Maru off Benten Zaki, Honshu Island, Japan.
G. W. Carver launches the first Liberty Ship named for a black American, George
Washington Caver.
Net tender Catalpa, escorted by the minesweeper Dash, brings damaged U.S.
freighter William Williams, torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-19 on May 2,
1943, into Suva, Fiji Islands, South Pacific.
Mine sink Vichy French steamship Gouverneur General Pasquir off coast of
French Indochina.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes then sinks the Dutch freighter Berakit with her
deck gun in the Gulf of Oman, strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait
of Hormuz.
MAY 8
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-17s to bomb the airfield at Rabaul, New
Britain. B-25s sinks the Japanese cargo ship Tomioka Maru and army cargo ship
Sumida Maru, Madang Harbor, New Guinea.
P-40s of the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Navy aircraft in an attack on Japanese
destroyers in Blackett Strait, Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands. Other P-40s and P-38s
hit AA positions at Vila, southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon
Islands.
U.S. bombers of the 14th Army Air Force attack the Tien Ho Airdrome outside
Canton, China. The 24 escorting P-40s strafe the target areas following the
bombing strikes.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers attack several Japanese destroyers in the
vicinity of Gizo Island in the New Georgia Group in the Western Solomon
Islands.
580
Avenger torpedo bombers and Corsair fighters bomb and strafe Japanese positions
at Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks a sampan with her deck gun west of Mindanao Island,
Philippine Islands.
Japanese destroyers Kagero, Kuroshiro, and Oyashio are sunk in the Kula Gulf,
Solomon Islands, by mines and planes.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers to Lae on New Guinea, weapons, artillery shells,
clothing, supply drums, and 10 passengers. She returns to Rabaul, New Britain,
with 12 passengers.
Japanese submarine I-20 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, with 39-tons of supplies.
Japanese submarine I-34 delivers supplies to the garrison on Kiska, Aleutian
Islands of Alaska.
The Japanese battleship Yamato pulls up anchor and sails from Truk Atoll,
Caroline Islands. This is her first voyage since August 29, 1942.
The Combined Chiefs-of -Staff approves the American concept for the defeat of
Japan and agrees to present it to the British Chiefs-of-Staff at the third BritishAmerican Conference.
MAY 9
Japanese 55th Division retakes Buthidaung- Maundaw line, Burma.
Japanese aircraft bomb Millingimbi, Australia.
B-24s and B-17s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Manokwari, New Guinea,
Nabire on Aru Islands off the coast of Dutch New Guinea, Kaimana, Madang
airfield on New Guinea, and in the Wewak-But area of New Guinea. B-25s hit
the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain Island.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks the Japanese gunboat Aso Maru southeast of Cagayan
Island, Philippines.
U.S. submarine Pogy damages the Japanese transport Uyo Maru off Iwaki, Japan.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese cargo ships Takao Maru and Jimmu
Maru off Kone Zaki, northeastern Honshu Island of Japan.
581
MAY 10
Japanese submarine I-31 delivers supplies to the garrison stationed on Kiska,
Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Japanese aircraft bomb Millingimbi, Australia.
Japanese aircraft from Rabaul, New Britain, attack American positions in the
Russell Islands, Solomon Islands.
Japanese torpedo boat Hiyodori is damaged in a collision with Tatsutake Maru
and Kinai Maru.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
Corsairs, Wildcats and P-38s, attack Japanese installations at Munda on New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, with Corsair
escorts, bomb Japanese positions at Vangavanga on the southwest coast of
Kolombangara Island New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force pound the Cape Gloucester airfield on New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago and A-20s bombs and strafes the Labu
area of New Guinea.
P-40s of the Tenth Army Air Force bomb and strafe Kwitu, Burma.
The 13th Army Air Force sends P-38s to join U.S. Navy and Marine aircraft in a
strike against gun emplacements, runway, and revetments around the Munda
airfield, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force destroy four train engines and several
riverboats in the Nam Dinh and Hanoi areas of French Indochina.
U.S. navy destroyer MacDonough and light minelayer Sicard are damaged in a
collision north-northwest of Holtz Bay, Attu Island, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Plunger attacks a Japanese convoy sinking the passenger/cargo
ship Tatsutake Maru and damaging the transport Kinai Maru east of Saipan,
Northern Mariana Islands, Kinai Maru is abandoned.
U.S. PT Boats 81, 82, 83, and 84 leave Seattle in Washington under their own
power for Adak, Aleutian Islands.
MAY 11
U.S. Army's 7th Division goes ashore on Attu, Aleutian Islands. One landing is
582
made at Massacre Bay on the southern side and at Holtz Bay on the northern
shore.
B-17s and B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force hit the airfield and general area at
Rabaul on New Britain and B-25s bomb Penfoei and Dili on East Timor, Dutch
East Indies.
B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force pound Syriam, Burma, causing severe damage.
In the Aleutian Islands the Eleventh Army Air Force sends B-24 to dropping
supplies to ground forces on Attu,
and to fly attack missions, flown
by 11 B-24s and 12 B-25s. First
attack mission cannot find their
target and instrument-bombs
runway, radar, submarine base,
and camp area. Because of poor
visibility next missions hit Kiska,
where the runway and Main
Camp are attacked. B-24s then
bomb Chichagof Harbor area
through fog.
During the night B-17s, 13th
Army Air Force, strikes the
Kahili airfield on the south coast
of Bougainville Island, and fly
against Shortland Island. B-17s
follow up with the attack with a
raid of their own.
U.S. Navy Dauntless divebombers and Avenger torpedo
bombers, escorted by Wildcat and
Corsair fighters, attack Japanese
positions at Rekata Bay, on Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarines Nautilus and Narwhal land scouts on Attu Island, Aleutian
Islands.
U.S. submarine Grayback attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the Yodogawa Maru
northwest of Kavieng, northwest tip of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Plunger finishes off the abandoned Japanese transport Kinai
Maru, damaged the day before east of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.
583
U.S. submarine Pogy sinks a Japanese sampan with her deck gun east of Honshu
Island, Japan.
First use of CVE (Escort Carrier) based aircraft in air support in the Pacific and
the debut of a Support Air Commander afloat.
During the night, 16 Chinese divisions, encouraged by American persistence’s
under the command of General Wei Li-Huang crossed the Salween River, Burma.
Their task is to corner Japanese forces by controlling the terrain north and south of
the Burma Road. Fierce Japanese resistance slowed the attack.
MAY 12
U.S. Navy battleship Pennsylvania neutralizes Japanese positions on the west
arm of Holtz Bay, Attu Island, while the battleship Nevada renders positions at
Massacre Bay on Attu ineffective
Japanese submarine I-31 attacks the Pennsylvania nine miles northeast of Holtz
Bay, Aleutian Islands, but the torpedoes miss their mark; I-35 likewise conducts
an unsuccessful attack against light cruiser Santa Fe. Destroyer Edwards, assisted
by destroyer Farragut, subsequently sinks I-31 about five miles northeast of
Chichagof Harbor, Attu, Aleutian Islands.
Japanese submarine I-180 torpedoes and damages the Australian cargo ship
Ormiston off Coffs Harbor, Australia.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Sumatra Maru off
Mount Bulusan, Luzon Island. Philippine Islands.
United States submarine Pickerel is reported lost Pacific Ocean Area.
U.S. submarine Steelhead lays mines off Erimo Zaki, Japan.
American cruisers and destroyers, under the command of Rear Admiral W. L.
Ainsworth, shell Munda and Vila on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon
Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
P-40s and Corsair fighters, attack Japanese installations at Munda on New
Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs
of Staff open the TRIDENT meetings in Washington D. C. Churchill and
Roosevelt reinforce the 'Germany First'. The British feel that the United States is
584
committing increasing resources to the Pacific at the
expense of European military operations.
Prime Minister Churchill arrives in Washington, D.C. for meeting
with the President. UPS photo
The British 26th Division evacuates Maungdaw, Burma,
marking the failure of the first Arakan campaign forcing the
Allies to start over. The 26th Division has suffered 3,000
killed and seriously wounded. The Japanese have
experienced less than half that number of casualties in the
campaign. Furthermore, British morale is low and the health of the troops is poor.
On Attu in the Aleutian Islands, two columns of the 7th Division come together at
Jarmin Pass.
B-17s drop bombs on Treasury Island, south of Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force attack the airfield at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
A B-24 bomb Saumlakki and Gasmata in the Bismarck Archipelago.
B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s of the Eleventh Army Air Force bomb and strafe Attu,
Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
During the night B-17s, 13th Army Air Force, strikes the Kahili airfield on
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. Early in the morning P-40s and U.S. Navy
planes hit AA positions and the runway.
The Battle of West Hubei in China begins between the Imperial Japanese Army
and National Revolutionary Army of China.
MAY 13
A U.S. Navy cruiser and destroyer task force shells Munda, Bougainville Island,
and Vila on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands, while minelayers lay
mines across the northwest approach to Kula Gulf, off the coast of Kolombanga
Island.
Light cruiser Nashville is damaged by a turret explosion, Solomon Islands, and
destroyers Chevalier and Nicholas are also damaged by gun mount explosions.
U.S. Navy battleship Idaho and destroyer Phelps shells enemy batteries on Attu,
permitting U.S. Army artillery units to move up at Holtz Bay, New Guinea.
585
The Hospital Ship Centaur, under the command of Capt. George Murray, sails
from Sydney, Australia, for New Guinea, via Cairns in far north of Queensland,
Australia, with a crew of 74, eight Army Officers, 12 female army nurses, 45
other army personnel, 192 men of 2/12 Field Ambulance, and 1 Torres Strait
Pilot. The ship is painted white, with red crosses, in accordance with the
requirements of the Rules for the use of Hospital Ships. She is fully illuminated,
with floodlights above the Red Crosses.
Marquis Koichi Kido, Japan's Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, confides with
Mamoru Shigemitsu, Foreign Minister, that only the Emperor could end the war
and keep the military under control.
A-20s from the 5th Army Air Force attack the Cape Gloucester airfield, New
Britain, B-17s bomb the airfields at Rabaul, New Britain, Wewak, New Guinea,
and Boram, New Guinea. In the Bismarck Archipelago, B-25s blast the airfield,
town area, and targets of opportunity at Gasmata while A-20s hits Cape
Gloucester airfield and area. Single B-24s and B-17s attack various shoreline and
offshore targets, including landing strips, buildings, gun positions, barges, and
vessels, on the New Guinea coast, New Britain, and in the Admiralty Islands.
In the Aleutian Islands, air-ground support mission of six B-24s of the 11th Army
Air Force divert from Attu to Kiska; two of the bombers that did not get the
message, proceed to Attu, and bomb Chichagof Harbor and Holtz Bay. The other
four bomb the Main Camp area. Eight P-40s dispatched to Kiska in two waves
cannot see the target and instead bomb Little Kiska installations.
Two B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the Kahili airfield on Bougainville
Island, and Ballale airfield, Shortland Island Group. This mission is followed by
six B-17s. Later, B-17s again hit the Kahili and Ballale airfields. During the day,
34 P-38s, P-39s, and P-40s, along with 62 Navy and Marine fighters and six
RNZAF P-40s, intercept 20-plus airplanes over Russell Island-Tulagi area of the
Solomon Islands. Allied pilots claim 16 aircraft shot down.
During the night Avenger torpedo planes attack Japanese shipping in the Buin
area of New Guinea and scored two hits on a cargo vessel.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers to Lae, New Guinea, weapons, ammunition, food,
supply drums and 10 passengers. She returns to Rabaul on New Britain with four
passengers.
During the night four Japanese bombers drops bombs on Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
During the night Japanese planes attack Port Morseby, New Guinea.
586
A secret conference is held in Tokyo to incorporate Dutch East Indies into the
Japanese empire.
MAY 14
United States Marine Corp, USMC, aircraft damage the Japanese army cargo ship
Hound Maru and force her aground off Tonolei, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force pound the airfield and surrounding areas
at Gasmata, New Britain Island, while B-24s and B-17s hit the Rabaul airfield on
New Britain. Other B-25s bomb Penfoei airfield, Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
and the Dili area of East Timor, Dutch East Indies.
In the Aleutians, the Eleventh Army Air Force experience poor weather that
curtails bombings operations. B-24 flies reconnaissance and photo-reconnaissance
over Attu throughout the day. One B-24 carrying supplies for the ground forces
hits a mountain side 10 miles from the drop zone. Six B-24s and five B-25s fly
ground support bombing missions over Attu. Two P-40s bomb Kiska through the
overcast.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends a lone B-24s to fly early evening snooper
raid against the airfields at Kahili on Bougainville Island, Ballale Island in the
Shortland Island Group, and Munda, New Guinea.
The hospital ship Centaur is torpedoed by the submarine I-177 off North
Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. The torpedo strikes the fuel tanks,
causing them to detonate. The bulkhead separating the fuel tanks from the Engine
Room collapse, and the fireball killed everyone on watch. The fireball swept
through the open hospital decks, and those who survived the blast awake up to
find their bedclothes on fire. They are swept off their feet by the inrush of water,
as Centaur began to sink bow first, everyone left alive has to scramble up ladders
down which water is pouring. In three minutes, the ship disappears. No Mayday
message is sent (most likely because of the collapse of the Main mast brought the
aerials down), and no lifeboats are launched. Of the 332 people aboard the ship an
estimated 200 survived the sinking.
During the night Japanese shipping in the Buin area of New Guinea is again
attacked by Avenger torpedo planes.
The Japanese occupy Maungdaw and Buthidaung, Burma.
MAY 15
United States Naval Advance Base and naval Air facility is established on Russell
Island in the Solomon Islands.
Naval Air Station is established on Adak, Aleutian Islands.
587
Japanese retaliate for the bomber strikes of May 4th and May 8th against their
China and Indochina installations by attacking the Fourteenth Army Air Force
Headquarters at Kunming, China.
Chiang Kai-shek recalls General Chen Cheng and the Chinese Expeditionary
Force from Burma to defend Yichang on the Yangtze River in East China from
Japanese rice offensive.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force pound the airfields at Lae on New Guinea and
Gasmata on the island of New Britain. A-20s strafe aircraft and buildings at Lae,
New Guinea. B-24s bomb the airfield at Rabaul on New Britain and hit Nabire in
the Aru Islands, off the coast of New Guinea, Dutch East Indies.
Seven B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force taking off from Midway to bomb
Wake Island, Central Pacific.
B-24s of the 11th Army Air Force bomb Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor; P-38s
strafes AA installations in Holtz Bay area of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
In China, 25-35 Japanese bombers and 30-40 fighters attack Kunming, China.
U.S. submarine Gar attacks a Japanese convoy screened by escort vessel
Matsuwa, at the eastern entrance of Verde Island passage, strait that separates the
islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippine Islands, and sinks the Japanese
army cargo ships Meikai Maru and Indus Maru between Dumali Point, Mindoro,
and Marinduque Island, Philippine Islands.
British General Slim is appointed to command the 14th Army in Burma. Generals
Irwin and Lloyd have been relieved.
Japanese submarine I-20 arrives at Lae, New Guinea, with 39-tons of supplies.
The Japanese conduct two raids on Port Morseby, New Guinea, during the night.
MAY 16
In the Aleutian Islands the Attu campaign takes a turn as Japanese troops
withdraw to Chichagof Harbor for a last stand.
At Attu U.S. Army General A.E. Brown is relieved of command by General
Eugene Rockwell by orders from Admiral T.C. Kindaid.
The U.S. freighter William K. Vanderbilt is torpedoed the Japanese submarine I19 off Suva, Fiji Islands. I-19 then fires upon one lifeboat and two rafts, and
questions the ship's master before departing.
588
U.S. submarine Grayback damages the Japanese destroyer Yugure northwest of
Kavieng, northwest tip of New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Snook sinks a Japanese trawler with her deck gun south of
Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Dauntless dive-bombers, escorted by P-39s and
Wildcats, bomb and strafe Japanese installations at Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel
Island, Solomon Islands.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the Kendari Airfield, Dutch East
Indies.
B-24 from the Eleventh Army Air Force bombs Chichagof Harbor, Aleutian
Islands, with unobserved results as another B-24 drops supplies to troops on the
ground.
Subhas Chandra Bose and Colonel Yamamoto arrives in Tokyo by plane from
Sabang. In Tokyo Bose is received by Premier Hideki Tojo and later by the
Emperor.
MAY 17
The British carrier Victorious arrives in the South Pacific.
MacArthur's troops land on Wewak, New Guinea.
Netaji meets with Japanese Army and Navy Chiefs-of-Staff, Navy Minister and
Foreign Minister.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Gasmata on New Britain, Dili on East
Timor in the Dutch East Indies, and Penfoei, Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force and Navy planes bomb and strafe positions in
the Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island.
U.S. dive-bombers attack the Japanese seaplane base at Rekata Bay on Santa
Isabel Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Grayback attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the army cargo ship
England Maru northwest of Mussau Island, Bismark Archipelago.
Japanese cargo ship Woosung Maru strikes a reef and sinks off Chiba Prefecture,
southern Honshu island, Japan.
589
MAY 18
In China, the Japanese attempt to take the Chungking, capital of China, by
opening an offensive across the Yangtze River in East China.
On Attu, Aleutian Islands, two American forces join up forming an unbroken
semi-circle that surrounds the Japanese putting their backs to the sea.
American surface forces shell the Japanese in an attempt to in clear the Holtz
Bay-Massacre Bay, Aleutian Islands, pass of enemy troops.
The U.S. tanker H.M. Storey is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-25, west of
Fiji Island, while en route from Nouméa, New Caledonia, to San Pedro,
California. I-25 then hastens the sinking by shelling the burning ship.
Japanese aircraft attack Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force attack Gasmata and Rabaul airfields on New
Britain Island twice and Cape Gloucester, Arawe on New Britain, and Lorengau in
the Admiralty Islands, once.
B-24s from the 11th Army Air Force bombs Gertrude Cove, Kiska, Aleutian
Islands.
U.S. submarine Pollack sinks the Japanese gunboat Terushima Maru southwest of
Maleolap Atoll, Marshall Islands.
MAY 19
Prime Minister Winston Churchill addresses the United States Congress in a joint
meeting. In his speech he pledges Britain will support the United States in its war
against Japan.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks the Japanese guardboat Asuka Maru in Makassar Strait,
between Borneo and Sula west Dutch East Indies, with her deck gun.
U.S. submarine Tuna is attacked by a Japanese submarine, en route to her war
patrol station, when a torpedo passes near to her. The Japanese submarine then
breaks off the attack.
30 TBF Avenger bombers of U.S. Navy Torpedo Squadron 11 and USMC of
Scout-Bomber Squadron 143 mined the waters off Buin, Bougainville, Solomon
Islands.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Penfoei, Timor Island, Dutch East
Indies, and the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain Island, and B-25s attacks the
Salamaua area of New Guinea.
590
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the Japanese defensive positions around
Kahili, south coast of Bougainville Island, as Navy Avenger's drops mines in the
Shortland Harbor, Solomon Islands.
On Attu American troops, of U.S. 7th Division, advance along Clevesy Pass
toward Chicagof, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
During the night, eight Japanese bombers attack U.S. positions on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands, and on Russell Islands in the Solomon Islands.
MAY 20
U.S. submarine Gar sinks a Sampan with her deck gun.
U.S. submarine Pollack sinks the Japanese armed merchant cruiser Bangkok
Maru southeast of Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands. The Bangkok Maru is carrying
1200 troops to Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. One-third of the troops and all
of their equipment go down with the ship. The troops that survive must sit out the
war on Jaluit. The Pollack is damaged by depth charges during counterattacks
but remains on patrol.
During the night, a strong Japanese position on a ridge in the Sarana-Massacre
Bay area of Attu, Aleutian Islands, is neutralized. A Japanese unit which succeeded in penetrating between the 7th Divisions lines is subsequently wiped out.
During the night, A-20s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Gasmata, New Britain,
and the airfield near-by, later B-17s hit the same area. B-17s drop bombs on
Treasure Island. B-17s and B-24s bombs Vunakanau Airfield, New Britain. In
New Guinea, B-25s sinks several barges offshore between Madang and Cape
Cretin.
In the Aleutian Islands, P-40s from the 11th Army Air Force bombs Main Camp
and the submarine area at Kiska, as well as strafe barges in the harbor.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the Kahili area of Bougainville Island
and Ballale Island, Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands.
British Prime Minister Churchill meets with the Chinese Foreign Minister Dr. T.
V. Soong to discuss the rumor that China is placing troops along the border of
Tibet instead of moving against the Japanese.
The New Zealand government agrees to reduce their three divisions in the Pacific
area and keep two NZEF in the Middle East to be available for operations in
Europe.
591
Chindit operations in Burma under General Wingate come to an ends.
Japanese planes raid Exmouth Gulf on Western Australia.
MAY 21
The People of Japan are told of Admiral Yamamoto's death, his ashes arrive on
board the battleship Musashi.
Japanese cabinet decides that the people of Japan will need to be self-supporting
on rations.
Imperial General Headquarters decides it is time to abandon Attu and evacuate the
garrison at Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Operation KE.
Japanese open a new offensive by advancing across the Yangtze River, East
China.
Japanese planes raid Exmouth Gulf on Western Australia. Shortly after the U.S.
Navy decide to abandon their submarine base located at Exmouth Gulf and move
their operations to Fremantle.
B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the airfields at Rabaul, New Britain,
while B-24s attack the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain. The Nabire airfield Aru
Islands, is also hit by B-24s and B-25s hit the AA positions, supply areas, and the
town of Saumlakki in Central Borneo, Dutch East Indies.
B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s from the Eleventh Army Air Force fly to Attu, Aleutian
Islands, however, six P-38s and one B-24, are able to bomb and strafe Japanese
troops and near installations.
MAY 22
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the town of Kaimana in western
New Guinea and strafe launches around Koer Island located southeast of Molucca
Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-17s and B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force assist the U.S. Navy in a mine
laying operation in the Buin-Kahili-Tonolai area of the Solomon Sea. During the
night, B-24s bomb both the Kahili, south coast of Bougainville Island, and Ballale
airfields in Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands.
Japanese aircraft makes a torpedo attack on the cruiser Charleston and the
destroyer Phelps patrolling off Attu, Aleutian Islands, neither of the ships suffer
negligible damage.
592
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers to Lae on New Guinea, weapons, ammunition,
food and 31 passengers. She returns to Rabaul, New Britain, with 40 passengers.
MAY 23
The battleship New Jersey is commissioned at Philadelphia.
B-24s and B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force attack the harbor and the airfield
at Kavieng on northwest tip of New Britain, the airfield at Gasmata, New Britain,
and the village of Ubili on the northern coast of New Britain.
In the Territory of Hawaii, a flight of P-40s of the Seventh Army Air Force on
patrol from Kauai attack a submarine after which an oil slick and debris are seen.
B-24s and B-25s, 11th Army Air Force, flies three air-ground support missions to
Attu, however, due to bad weather they are routed to Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
Weather there is also poor and only one B-25 bombs the Main Camp area. Next,
B-24s and P-38s fly air cover missions to Attu, Aleutian Islands.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends aircraft to lay mines in the Northern
Solomon Islands in the Buin area of New Guinea, B-17s and B-24s, in
diversionary raids, bomb Buin-Kahili-Tonolai shoreline area of the Solomon Sea.
B-24s bomb the airfields at Kahili of Bougainville Island and Ballale Island in the
Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands, during the night of May 23rd.
During the night, Japanese aircraft attack Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, with
little results.
During the afternoon, sixteen Japanese twin-engine bombers are attacked by six
P-38s over the eastern part of Attu in the Aleutian Islands. Five of the enemy
bombers are shot down.
The Imperial Japanese Navy holds its private farewell to Admiral Yamamoto.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers to Lae, New Guinea, 49-tons of ammunition and
provisions as well as 12 officers.
A single Japanese aircraft attempts to bomb Espiritu Santo, in the New Hebrides
group, however, bombs fall short.
Motor torpedo boat tender Niagara is damaged by horizontal bomber, while en
route from Tulagi in the Solomon Islands to New Guinea, is scuttled by motor
torpedo boat PT-147.
Motor torpedo boats PT-165 and PT-173 are lost on board U.S. tanker Stanvac
593
Manila when Japanese submarine I-17 torpedoes the tanker (which is transporting
the boats) south of Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Claire Phillips is captured for spying. She is the owner of Club Tsubaki in Manila on
Luzon Island of the Philippine Islands where she is able to discover information on
Japanese activities which she in turns supplies to local guerrillas.
MAY 24
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force pounds the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul, New
Britain, while B-25s hits the runway at Gasmata, New Britain, and Penfoei, Timor
Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-24s and B-25s from the 11th Army Air Force bomb Attu in the Aleutian Islands
of Alaska.
Avenger torpedo bombers and Wildcats bomb and strafe Japanese installations at
Ringi Cove, west of Vila on Kolombangara Island.
United States Army, 7th Division, clears out both sides of Chichagof Valley, Attu
in the Aleutian islands. An assault is made by the combined northern and southern
forces along the ridge north of the Valley.
PT Boats 110, 136, 144, 145, 146, 147, and 148 pull into Tulagi, Solomon
Islands, with 136 officers and men of the sunk tender Niagara.
Merchant tanker S.S. Stanuac Manila is torpedoed while transporting PT boats
167, 167, 171, 172, 173, and 174. Boats 167, 171, 172, and 174 survive and are
towed to Noumea, New Caledonia, South Pacific.
Japanese submarine I-17 torpedoes and sinks the Panamanian tanker Atanvac
Manila.
MAY 25
The U.S. Navy carrier Bunker Hill is commissioned at Quincy, Massachusetts,
USA.
U.S. Naval task force shells Japanese shore installations in the Chichagof area,
Attu, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
The TRIDENT meeting concludes in Washington D. C., besides setting the date
for the invasion of France and Italy, the meeting decides to increase aid to China,
and to step up the war against Tokyo by island-hopping through the Central
Pacific.
594
A single B-24 makes a bomb run on the New Guinea areas of Madang, Kakakog,
Simbang, and Cape Gloucester airfields on New Britain and attacking barges off
Gavuvu, New Britain.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers, Avenger torpedo bombers, and Wildcats
bomb and strafe Japanese installations at Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island,
Solomon Islands, damaging a ammunition dump.
Australian 26th Militia sails for Horn Island, Queensland, Australia, and Thursday
Island, Queensland, Australia, from Cairns, Australia.
MAY 26
U.S. Navy cruiser Charleston bombards Japanese positions around the Chichagof
area of Attu Island, Aleutian Islands, starting numerous fires.
U.S. submarine Pogy, in attack on a Japanese convoy, sinks the cargo ship Tainan
Maru off Shioyazaki, Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Saury attacks a Japanese convoy south of Kyushu Island of Japan,
sinking the transport Kagi Maru north of Amami Oshima Nansei Shoto, Japan.
U.S. submarine Trout lands currency, equipment, and personnel on Basilan
Island, Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Whale sinks the Japanese gunboat Shoei Maru, transporting men
of the Guam Base Detachment, north-northwest of Rota Island, Mariana Islands.
Japanese tanker Palembang Maru is damaged by mine, possibly laid by the U.S.
submarine Trout on April 7, 1943.
B-24s and B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force bombs the Madang town area of
New Guinea and the airfield close by.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Canton Island (in the Gilbert Islands)
flies a bombing mission over Abemama Atoll in the Gilbert Island Group against
the barracks area.
In the Aleutian Islands, B-24s and P-38s of the Eleventh Army Air Force fly air
cover sorties and also patrol and strafe Attu. Kiska is covered by on photo sorties
and attack missions, flown by B-25s and P-40s.
Japanese submarine I-7 arrives off Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska, with
ammunition, food, and arms then evacuate approximately 60 men. This begins the
Japanese evacuation of troop from Kiska to Paramushiro, Kuril Island chain,
northern Japan, via submarines. Between May 26th and June 21st, thirteen boats
595
will be involved in the operation that will eventually extricate 820 men. Three
boats will be sunk.
MAY 27
All U.S. contractors involved in war production are barred from practicing racial
discrimination.
U.S. submarine S-41 patrolling off Paramushiro, Kuril Island chain, northern
Japan, sinks a large schooner.
U.S. submarine Finback sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kochi Maru
northwest of Palau, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Runner departs Midway, Central Pacific for her third war patrol.
She is never heard from again.
U.S. PT Boats 81, 82, 83, and 84 that left Seattle under their own power on the
10th of the month arrive at Adak, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. troops under MacArthur lands on Biak Island at the entrance to Geelvink
Bay, Dutch New Guinea.
B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force pound the town of Lae and the
airfield, New Guinea. Other B-25s attacks New Guinea locations of Labu and
Jacobsens Plantation, Finschhafen, Saidor, Kakakog, and Langgoer in single-plane
strikes.
At Attu in the Aleutian Islands a single B-25, 11th Army Air Force, flies ground
support, bombing and strafing enemy troops and dropping photos taken on the
previous day to troops of the 7th Division. Also in the Aleutian Islands, Six P-40s
flies an attack and reconnaissance mission to Kiska, concentrating on Little Kiska
and on the Main Camp area.
In the Aleutian Islands, American 7th Division makes some progress along the
Clevesy Pass on Attu. Japanese are driven off of Fish Hook Ridge in heavy
fighting. Also, Americans begin work on an airfield at Alexai Point.
Japanese submarine I-7 delivers food, ammunition, and a radio beacon to Kiska,
Aleutian Islands. When she leaves the island there are 60 mostly sick and
wounded personnel, 28 boxes of the ashes of soldiers KIA, and four tons of brass
shell casings on board.
MAY 28
Leaflets are dropped on Japanese troops on Attu, Aleutian Islands, telling them
that they are surrounded and they should surrender.
596
Japanese aircraft bombs Millingimbi, Australia.
Japanese submarine I-6 delivers to Lae, New Guinea, food, weapons, medicine,
and clothes.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers to Lae, New Guinea, 49 tons of food, medicines,
and 29 soldiers. After discharging all her cargo she disembarked with six soldiers.
The U.S. carrier Cowpens is commissioned.
On New Guinea, B-17s and B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force attack Wewak,
Dagua, and the Boram airfields and the Wewak-Dagua coast road.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Canton Island, Phoenix Islands, fly a
bombing mission over Abemama Atoll of the Gilbert Island group.
P-38s and P-40s from the 13th Army Air Force, along with naval aircraft, attempt
a strike on the Kolombangara area of the New Georgia Group, Solomon Islands
and Munda, New Guinea, but are hampered by bad weather. Some of the naval
dive-bombers manage to bomb the runway and revetment area at Munda.
P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force dive-bomb the railroad yards, tracks,
warehouses, and the roundhouse at Yoyang, China.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers bomb Munda on New Georgia Island in the
Central Solomon Islands.
Royal Australian Air Force sets up a radar station at Queens Beach, Australia.
U.S. submarine S-41 sinks the Japanese cargo ship Asuka Maru off Paramushiro,
Kurile Islands.
U.S. submarine Saury torpedoes and sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Akatsuki
Maru northwest of the island of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, southwest of Kyushu
Island of Japan.
U.S. submarine Scamp torpedoes and sinks the Japanese seaplane carrier
Kamikawa Maru north of Kavieng, New Ireland. The sub survives an attack by
one of the submarine chasers escorting her, Ch 12 or Ch 37.
U.S. submarine Trigger damages the Japanese tanker Koshin Maru off Irosaki,
Japan.
The Office of War Mobilization is established to coordinated war production.
597
MAY 29
Chinese Nationalist troops halt the Japanese advance on Chungking in the Ichang
area of China.
Chinese troops launch offensive on the Hupeh-Hunan border in China.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks the Japanese gunboat Aso Maru southeast of Cayagan,
Sulu Sea in the Philippine Islands.
U.S. Gato lands Australian commandos at Toep Island, Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands and transported evacuees to Ramos Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Tambor sinks the Japanese cargo ship Eisho Maru (exPanamanian Folozu) in South China Sea southeast of Hainan Island in the Gulf of
Tonkin, China.
U.S. submarine Tinosa unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese cargo vessel Shinto
Maru
Japanese submarine RO-107 is sunk by United States subchaser SC-669 off New
Hebrides Islands.
On New Guinea, B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Madang, Babo,
Alexishafen, Saidor, Finschhafen, Manam Island, and Nabire on Aru Islands, off
the coast of New Guinea as well as the Dutch East Indies locations of Dili on East
Timor, Penfoei on Timor Island in the Dutch East Indies, Damar Island,
Soembawa, Soemba, and Cape Gloucester of New Britain are bombed by heavy
and medium bombers in single flights or in groups of two.
B-24s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb Ichang, China. Four P-40s hit
targets in Tengchung and Lungling areas of China.
Cheese rationing begun in the United States.
In the Aleutian Islands Japanese troops remaining on Attu stage a final suicide
charge against American forces established at Chicagof Harbor, which fails.
MAY 30
Organized resistance ends on Attu, Aleutian Islands. American losses are
reported as 600 dead and 1200 wounded. Japanese losses are given as 2350 killed
and 28 wounded have been captured.
The carrier Essex enters Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii after
participating in the North Africa landings.
598
On New Guinea, B-17s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Wewak, Boram, and
Madang. B-24s hit Kendari area of the Dutch East Indies.
In the Aleutian Islands, eight P-40s of the 11th Army Air Force fly reconnaissance
missions to Kiska. Three air-ground support missions are flown to Attu by seven
B-24s and 12 B-25s drop no bombs there and instead bomb Kiska installations.
Two B-24s and 12 P-38s fly air cover missions over Attu and patrol the area.
Three aircraft fly photo-reconnaissance and eight P-40s make an attack and strafes
tents and troops as well as blast the runway at Kiska.
P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb and strafe Tengchung in China and
along the Burma Road and at Lamaing; B-24s bomb Ichang, China.
U.S. submarine Saury attack a Japanese convoy, sinking the cargo ship Hakozaki
Maru and army cargo ship Takamisan Maru east-southeast of Shanghai located in
the Yangtze River Delta in East China.
Japanese submarine I-21 arrives off Kiska in the Aleutian Islands to evacuate
crew members of 10 midget submarines.
MAY 31
U.S. submarine Steelhead lays mines off Erimo Saki, Japan.
U.S. submarine S-41 patrolling off Paramushiro, Kuril Island chain, northern
Japan, torpedoes a freighter that blows up.
PT boats sail into New Guinea’s Milne Bay with their escort seaplane tender
Ballard.
Royal Australian Navy has the armed merchant cruisers HMAS Kanimbla and
HMAS Westralia converted to Landing Ship Infantry (LSI).
Imperial Headquarters concedes the loss of Attu, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force pounds the Lae, New Guinea, airfield and
the town area.
B-25s, P-40s and P-38s from the Eleventh Army Air Force flies attack missions to
Kiska, Aleutian Islands, to attack Gertrude Cove, AA installation trenches, North
Head runway, and a vessel anchored near by in the harbor.
B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force fly over Southern Bougainville Island in
the Solomon Islands to bomb the Numa area and Tinputs.
599
The 14th Army Air Force sends B-24s, escorted by U.S. and Chinese P-40s, to
bomb the Ichang airfield, China. P-40s blast a train and strafes troop concentration
near Siaokan, China.
Japanese Type 14 8mm Pistol
600
JUNE 1
United States submarines start warfare against Japanese merchant shipping.
U.S. submarine Trigger sinks the Japanese ship Noborikawa Maru off
Kominato, southern Honshu Island, Japan.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the Lae airfield, New Britain, in the
Bismarck Archipelago, and B-25s hits Bogadjim, New Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska on Kiska parked aircraft and installations, the
runway, gun positions, radar, and tents on South Head, North Head, Gertrude
Cove and Main Camp are attacked by B-25s, P-38s and P-40s of the Eleventh
Army Air Force.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force sends P-40s to dive-bomb the warehouses and
railroad yards at Changanyi, China.
Royal Australian Air Force sets up a radar station on Fitzroy Island, Queensland,
Australia.
In the United States more than 500,000 coal miners go on strike after protracted
wage negotiations break down.
In Japan, the submarine I-8 sails for Lorient, France. Her mission is delivering to
the Germans two Type 95 torpedoes, drawings of an automatic trim system, Type
95 submarine torpedo tubes and a new naval reconnaissance plane. At Singapore
in Malaya she will pick up quinine, tin, and raw rubber to transport to France.
JUNE 2
Chinese troops, aided by the Fourteenth Army Air Force, check the Japanese
advance into Yangtze River Valley of East China and dislodge them from part of
Hunan, China.
In New Guinea, B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Wewak during
the night as well as Boram, Dagua, and But.
Two B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force attack gun positions, cargo boats,
and shipping at Numa Numa on Bougainville Island and Tinputs also on
Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
B-25s, escorted by P-40s, from the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs the Pailochi
airfield, China, and P-40s strafes troop barges and launches at Itu and columns of
Japanese troops East of Changyang, China.
U.S. submarine Tambor sinks the Japanese transport/cargo ship Eika Maru (ex601
Portuguese Wing Wah) in the South China Sea.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska the island of Attu secured by U.S. Forces.
JUNE 3
Japanese troops seize all shipping on the Yangtze River in Hupei Province of
China. West of Hupeh province of China. The Japanese close their rice offensive
after confiscating large amounts of rice and river boats.
U.S. freighter Montanan is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-27
off the Arabian coast.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs a supply dump Dobo, Aru Islands, off
the coast of New Guinea, Dutch East Indies.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the Kahili airfield, south coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, during the night.
JUNE 4
B-17s and B-24s, 5 AAF, hit the town of Wewak and the nearby airfield, New
Guinea.
th
The 11th Army Air Force's B-24s following a Navy Ventura and makes a radar
bombing run over North Head. P-40s and P-38s bombs North Head, Main Camp
and Little Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Silversides lays mines in Steffan Strait between New Hanover and
New Ireland.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae on New Guinea from Rabaul,
New Britain. On the return trip to Rabaul Lt. General Imamura Hitoshi, CINC,
Eighth Area Army, is on board.
JUNE 5
A state funeral is held in Tokyo for Admiral Yamamoto, the anniversary of
Admiral Togo's funeral, Yamamoto's hero.
In the Aleutian Islands, Japanese submarine I-169 reconnoiters Kuluk Bay, Adak
before heading for Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
B-24s, B-25s, and P-40s, 11th Army Air Force, flies a weather patrol and radarbombing missions over Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Fourteenth Army Air Force's P-40s strafes Japanese troop columns near Peiyang,
China, and hits a barge and near Yoyang, China.
602
U.S. Navy carrier planes sink the Japanese cargo ship Shintoku Maru
southwest of Buin, New Guinea.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
P-40s, P-38s, and Corsair fighters, attack a Japanese destroyer, a corvette and a
cargo vessel in the Bougainville Island area of the Solomon Islands.
JUNE 6
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force makes a bomb run on the town of Koepang,
Timor Island, Dutch East Indies, and the airfield at Penfoei, Timor Island, Dutch
East Indies.
P-38s, P-40s, from the Thirteenth Army Air Force along with U.S. Navy and
Marine fighters and dive-bombers attack shipping off Buin, New Guinea. Other
P-38s and P-40s strafe the Luti Bay area of Choiseul Island, Western Solomon
Islands.
The 14th Army Air Force sends P-40s to strafe trucks, barracks, and Japanese
troops at Tangyang, China; P-40s attacks approaches to the bridge at Puchi,
China. Two locomotives in the area are destroyed. Other P-40s attacks the Shasi
airfield and river shipping in the general area. B-25s bombs the airfield at
Pailochi, China.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
Wildcat fighters, attacks Japanese installations at Munda, New Georgia Island,
Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine S-30 sinks the Japanese cargo ship No. 3 Nagashige Maru south
of Kamchatka, Soviet Union, with her deck gun.
U.S. submarine Tautog sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Shinei Maru off
Basalin Strait in the Philippine Islands between Mindanao and the island of Sulu.
Japanese river gunboat Seta is damaged by Chinese planes on the Yangtze River,
East China.
General Count Hisaichi Terauchi is promoted to Field Marshal of the Southern
Expeditionary Army Group in southwest Asia.
JUNE 7
A final ceremony is held for Admiral Yamamoto in Nagoaka, Japan.
`
Japanese planes start a series of air raids on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
603
Naval Air Fleet is established on Attu, bring Fleet Air Wing 4 bases to the tip of
the Aleutian chain, 1,000 miles from the Alaskan mainland and 750 miles from
the Japanese Kurile Islands northeast from Hokkaido Island of Japan.
On New Guinea, Wewak, Lae, Madang, and Kesup are attacked by B-17s and B24s of the 5th Air Force, hitting the town areas and the airfields, and strafing
sampans on the Sepik River, New Guinea.
P-38s and P-40s, along with Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-40s and
U.S. Navy and Marine fighters, intercept a large force of fighter-escorting divebombers on a mission against Allied shipping off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Fighters from the newly opened Russell Island airfield, Solomon Islands, initiate
the interception. In the air battle that pursues the Japanese loses 23 planes to nine
for the Allies.
Royal Australian Air Force constructs a radio direction finding station at Alligator
Creek outside of Townville, Queensland.
In Australia butter rationing begins.
JUNE 8
Naval Air facility is established on Attu, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. Army engineers complete construction of an airfield on Attu near Massacre
Bay, Aleutian Island, Alaska.
Japanese high command order Kiska in the Aleutian Islands, to be abandoned.
The Japanese battleship Mutsu sinks in Hiroshima Bay, Japan, after an internal
explosion.
Imperial Japanese Naval codebooks are captured at Biak Island at the entrance to
Geelvink Bay, western New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Finback attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the auxiliary
minelayer Kahoku Maru north of Palau islands, Caroline Islands.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Koepang, Timor Island, Dutch East
Indies, and Dili, East Timor, Dutch East Indies.
A C-47 of the Eleventh Army Air Force becomes the first AAF airplane to land at
Attu in the Aleutian islands of Alaska.
B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs the Kahili airfield on the south
604
coast of Bougainville Island and Ballale Island, Shortland Island Group, Solomon
Islands.
Douglas C-47 Sky Train
B-24s and B-25s, with P-40 escorts, from the 14th Army Air Force are
dispatched to bomb shipping and the dock installations at Haiphong, French Indochina, however, bad weather prevents them from striking the primary targets;
alternates targets, including Hongay, China, shipping, the rail yard, and power
facilities, the Gia Lam airfield, French Indochina and warehouses east of Hanoi,
French Indochina. P-40s bomb and strafe the Japanese headquarters at Tatung,
barracks east of Lamaing on the Salween River of Burma, and a Japanese camp
north of Lungling, China.
JUNE 9
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force drops bombs on the town of Manokwari, New
Guinea, and the airfield at Nabire, Aru Islands. A lone B-17 bombs Unea Island
of New Britain Island in the Bismark Sea.
B-17s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands
along with fighter escort of P-40s and P-38s hits Munda , New Georgia Island,
Western Solomon Islands.
P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force damage the railroad bridge at Puchi and strafe
the nearby railroad yards.
Royal Australian Air Force constructs a radio direction finding station at Mitchell
River on Cape York Peninsula, Australia.
U.S. submarine Greenling damages the Japanese tanker Akebono Maru en route
to Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska Japanese submarine I-7 delivers to Kiska, 19
tons of ammunition and 15 tons of food. She will then evacuate 101 men.
605
Japanese submarine I-169 delivers to Kiska, Aleutian Islands, 1,440 rifles with
ammunition and two tons of food. After unloading her supplies and she leaves
with 60 passengers on board.
P-40 Warhawk aka Tomahawk and Kittyhawk by Curtiss. USAF photo.
JUNE 10
U.S. subchaser PC-487 depth charges and forces the Japanese submarine I-9 to
surface. The submarine chaser rams the submarine, but rides up and over the hull
and is damaged. The subchaser rams the submarine again this time in the conning
tower causing the sub to rolls over and sink north-northeast of Shemya Island,
Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine S-30 sinks the Japanese cargo ship Jimbu Maru.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese cargo vessel
Fujikawa Maru.
U.S. submarine Silversides torpedoes and sinks the Japanese transport ship
Hinode Maru, north of New Ireland Island in the Bismark Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Tinosa damages the Japanese tanker Iro off Fuka Island, Kyushu
Island of Japan. Although damaged by depth charges during counterattacks, the
Tinosa remains on patrol.
U.S. submarine Trigger damages the Japanese carrier Hiyo, Admiral Koga
flagship, off Irozaki, Japan.
Chinese aircraft near Tung Ting Lake, China, damages Japanese river gunboat
Atami.
U.S. Marine Corsairs and P-38s intercept and shot down four Mitsubishi bombers
over the north end of Malaita Island, Solomon Islands.
Allied bombers hit the Vunakanau airfield on New Britain, with incendiary and
fragmentary bombs, while other heavy bombers attack the town of Rabaul, New
Britain.
606
Prime Minister General Tojo grants Netaji an interview.
B-17s and B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airfields on Rabaul,
New Britain, and a single B-24 bomb the town of Sorong on New Guinea and
shipping at village of Kokas on the Bay of Sekar on West Java, Dutch East Indies
.
In the Aleutian Islands gun batteries, the runway, North Head and Main Camp are
attacked by B-24s, B- 25s, P-40s, and F-5A's from the Eleventh Army Air Force.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, along with
fighter escorts hits Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force strafe barges and a gunboat at Chienli, China.
JUNE 11
United States PT-22 is beached by a storm in the Aleutian Islands and abandoned.
U.S. destroyer Frazier sinks the Japanese submarine I-9 off Kiska in the Aleutian
Islands.
U.S. Patrol Craft PC-487 sinks Japanese submarine I-24 off Attu in the Aleutian
Islands.
U.S. submarine Finback attacks Palau-bound convoy just west of Babelthuap,
largest island in the Caroline Islands, sinking the Japanese army cargo ship Genoa
Maru. Patrol Boat No.46s counterattack fails to inflict damage, and Finback
escapes undamaged.
U.S. submarine Runner sinks the Japanese cargo ship Seinan Maru off Monomi
Zaki, off northwest coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
The Japanese fly in 100 aircraft to increase the number of planes at Rabaul, New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
During the night, Flying Fortresses and Liberators raid the airfield near Rabaul,
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
On New Guinea, B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force hit areas along the Huon
Gulf coast, pounding Kela Point, Salamaua, and a bridge at Nuk Nuk. Koepang,
Timor Island, Dutch East Indies, is blasted by B-24s while Penfoei, Timor Island,
and the Dili airfields on East Timor, Dutch East Indies are hit by B-25.
607
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska Gertrude Cove and Main Camp, South Head,
North Head, the runway, and offshore barges at Kiska are attacked by B-24s, B25s, P-40s, and P-38s from the Eleventh Army Air Force.
JUNE 12
U.S. submarine Trout lands supplies and personnel on Mindanao, Philippines.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to attack the runways at Nabire on Aru
Islands, off the coast of New Guinea, and the town of Kaimana, western New
Guinea.
Japanese aircraft attempting to attack Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands are
intercepted by Army Air Force fighters of the 13th Army Air Force, along with
RNZAF, USN, and USMC fighters. They claim over 30 enemy aircraft shot
down.
Japanese planes of the 11th Air Fleet take off from Rabaul, New Britain in the
Bismarck Archipelago, to attack U.S. positions in the Russell Islands in the
Solomon Islands, but are turned back by Allied fighters.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea. She returns to
Rabaul, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, with several sick soldiers.
JUNE 13
U.S. Marine Raiders along with Australian Coastwatchers goes ashore at Segi
Point on New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands, to prepare for Operation
"Toenails" by locating possible landing locations for an invasion.
U.S. submarine Guardfish sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Suzuya Maru off
the southwest coast of New Ireland Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Sargo attacks a Japanese convoy off Yap Atoll, Caroline Islands,
and sinks the army transport Konan Maru. The submarine is damaged by depth
charges, but remains on patrol.
During the night, Japanese bombers attack Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
During the night, the Japanese fly their last raid on Port Moresby, New Guinea, of
the war.
On New Britain of the Bismarck Archipelago, B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army
Air Force bomb the airfields at Rabaul and at Gasmata. B-25s hit Dili, East
Timor, Dutch East Indies, Koepang, Timor Island, Dutch East Indies, and bomb
and strafe barges off Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, at Jabob Island, off Cape
Gerhards, and south of Cape Cretin, New Guinea. A single B-24s bombs the
608
Malahang airfield, New Guinea, and attack a freighter in Humboldt Bay, New
Guinea.
In Burma, B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force bomb the railway bridge at Meza
on the Mandalay-Myitkyina line.
B-17s and B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force combine to attack Kahili airfield on
the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-25s supported by P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force, bomb the hangars and the
depot area at the Nanchang airfield, China.
JUNE 14
Subhas Chandra Bose the pro-Axis Indian leader who fled from India in1941
meets with Prime Minister General Tojo after making an 18-week trip from Kiel
in German to Japanese by submarine. Tojo encourages Bose to form a provisional
government, which could take control of Indian Territory, which the Japanese
plan to occupy.
A single B-24 from the Fifth Army Air Force drops bombs on the Lakunai airfield
at Rabaul, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
A lone B-24 of the Seventh Army Air Force from Funafuti Island in the Ellice
Island Group bombs the runways at Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, escorted by F4U's, hit the Vila airfield of
Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands. B-17s and B-24s bomb the Kahili
airfield on Bougainville Island and hit the nearby Shortland Island.
Eight of the 14th Army Air Force’s P-40s intercept eight Japanese bombers and 20
fighters near Nanchang, China. The P-40s claim seven fighters shot down.
Headquarters is set up in Kweilin in the Kwangsi Chuang province of China.
U.S. submarine Sargo is damaged by depth charges off Palau Islands in the
Caroline Islands, but remains on patrol.
Admiral William Halsey relieves Admiral John Newton as the commanding
officer of the South Pacific area. Combined with this personnel change is the
transfer of the Solomon Islands region to the Southwest Pacific command.
JUNE 15
The Japanese enlist the American destroyer Stewart, after raising and repairing
the ship at Soerabaja, East Java, Dutch East Indies, as Patrol Boat No. 102.
609
U.S. submarine Gunnel sinks the Japanese passenger-cargo ship Koyo Maru in
Tsushima Straits, eastern channel of the Korean Strait between Korea and Japan.
U.S. submarine Sailfish sinks the Japanese cargo ship Shinju Maru south of
Todozaki, Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Trout damages the Japanese tanker Sanraku Maru in the Celebes
Sea, bordered by Borneo to the west and Mindanao Island of the Philippines to the
north off Sibitu; Sanraku Maru is eventually scuttled.
During the afternoon, U.S. Navy Ventura medium bombers attack the Main Camp
area, along the runway and among antiaircraft batteries on Kiska, Aleutian Islands
of Alaska.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
Wildcat fighters, attacks Japanese positions on New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands.
President Roosevelt approves a ceiling of 31,447 planes for the U.S. Navy.
The 58th Bombardment Wing, the Army Air Forces' first B-29 unit, is established
at Marietta, Georgia, USA.
B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airfields at Rabaul on the island
of New Britain in predawn strike and hits the Kendari airfield, Celebes Island,
Dutch East Indies, in the evening.
B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force attacks the bridge at Myitnge, Burma.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the Ballale Island airfield,
Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands.
B-25s of the 14th Army Air Force, escorted by P-40s, support Chinese ground
forces, by bombing Japanese positions at Owchihkow, China.
Hansa Bay, New Guinea falls to the Allies.
Early in the morning, Japanese planes bomb Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, with
little damage.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff inform MacArthur that the Central Pacific forces would
attack the Marshall Islands and possibly the Gilbert Islands, beginning midNovember 1943.
In the Indian Ocean, the disguised German raider Michel sinks a Norwegian ship
610
west of Australia.
JUNE 16
Prime Minister General Tojo tells the Japanese Diet that the war has reached a
critical point.
Netaji is invited to visit the Diet where Prime Minister General Tojo surprised
him with a historic declaration on India.
General Kenney flies men and engineers into a deserted gold mine strip at Tsili
Tsili, New Guinea, to improve the field for an advanced fighter base.
Major General John Hester reveals the date for the New Georgia invasion in the
Western Solomon Islands is to be June 30, 1943.
U.S. Navy Avenger and Dauntless dive-bombers escorted by Corsair fighters,
attacks Japanese positions on Choiseul Island, Western Solomon Islands,.
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Koepang and Oeikoesi and, along
with A-20s, hits barges and shore targets along the coasts of northeast New
Guinea and New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
General Jamison becomes Commanding General of the XIII Bomber Command.
AIF 2/43rd Battalion of the 24th Brigade begins amphibian training at Trinity
Beach at Cairns in Australia. The first Australian troops to undergo these drills.
The Japanese submarine I-37 torpedoes and sinks the British tanker San Ernesto
with her deck gun in the Indian Ocean.
Japanese submarine I-157 runs aground off Amchitka, Aleutian Islands. The crew
dumps equipment, fuel, torpedoes, and a number of battery cells to her free
herself. She eventually breaks loose but is unable to dive.
Japanese submarine I-174 torpedoes and damages the Landing Ship Tank LST469 and sinks the U.S. Army transport Portmar off the eastern coast of Australia.
Allied search aircraft report nearly 250 Japanese airplanes at Rabaul, New Britain
in the Bismarck Archipelago, and other airfields jammed with aircraft.
In air action over the Solomon Islands, about 120 Japanese aircraft converging on
Allied vessels off Tulagi and Guadalcanal are met by more than 100 Allied
fighters, Thirteenth Army Air Force, RNZAF, USN, and USMC. The skies above
Savo Island, Tulagi, Cape Esperance, and Koli Point are filled with dogfights and
flak from ship and ground AA guns. The battle results in the largest single-day
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Allied aerial victory of the Solomon Islands campaign. 79 airplanes are claimed
shot down by Allied fighters, and AA claims 17 more. Six Allied aircraft are lost.
The Japanese succeed in damaging three ships (two of which have to be beached)
and cause considerable destruction on Guadalcanal.
A group of Japanese dive bombers and fighters unsuccessfully attack American
positions in the Russell Islands, Solomon Islands; a large number of the enemy
planes are shot down.
JUNE 17
The U.S. carrier Monterey (CVL-26) is commissioned on the east coast of the
United States.
U.S. submarine chaser PC-740 sinks after running aground.
U.S. submarine Drum attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the transport Myoko
Maru east-northeast of Kavieng, New Ireland, northeast of the island of New
Britain and part of the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers escorted by Wildcat fighters attacks Japanese
positions at Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands.
B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force pounds the Madang and Salamaua areas; B24s bomb Sorong and Boela; a lone B-24 drops bombs on the Cape Gloucester
airfield, New Britain, and during the night a B-25 attacks power launches nearby.
During the night, four B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force take off from
Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Islands at 2-hour intervals to bomb Tarawa Atoll in the
Gilbert Islands. One aborts and another fails to find the target. The two remaining
B-24s hit runways, silence an AA battery, and blow up an ammo dump. The raid
is a diversion in support of the first night photo- reconnaissance mission by VII
Bomb Command, during which three B-24s photograph Mille Atoll and nearby
waters in the Marshall Islands.
P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force strafe warehouse and a train near Chiuchiang
China, and a train north of Nanchang, China. Road traffic outside of Hanoi,
French Indochina, is also attacked.
Japanese planes target Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and drop several bombs
into the water off Tulagi, Solomon Island, with little damage.
Japanese flying boat conducts the last air attack on Horn Island, Queensland,
Australia.
612
Japanese submarine I-175 delivers supplies to the garrison on Kiska, Aleutian
Islands of Alaska.
RAAF Beaufort attacks and sinks the Japanese submarine I-178 off Coffs Harbor,
Australia.
The U.S. Marine Corps 9th Defense Battalion is relieved of its responsibility in
the defense of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and is directed to begin training for
the forthcoming New Georgia invasion.
JUNE 18
Australian Prime Minister John Curtin announces that the threat of invasion is
over.
Field Marshal Sir Archibald Wavell becomes Viceroy of India. General Sir
Claude Auchinleck succeeds him as Commander-in-Chief of India.
U.S. submarine S-33 damages two Japanese fishing craft off Paramushiro,
Kurile Islands.
During the night U.S. Navy Catalinas (PBY) patrol planes and B-24 Liberators
attack Japanese positions on Nauru Island in the South Pacific.
Japanese aircraft attack Horn Island, Queensland, Australia.
Tokyo Radio announced Netaji's arrival in Tokyo. The Indian National Army and
the Indian Independence movement suddenly assume importance.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb and strafe launches off Cape Gloucester
and Finschhafen, New Guinea, sinking one and damaging two near the Cape. A
single B-17 bombs Unea Island, off New Britain Island, while an A-20 on armed
reconnaissance during the night makes a bombing and strafing attack on
Salamaua, New Guinea, and nearby coastal areas.
B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force drop bombs on the Kahili airfield on the
south coast of Bougainville Island while B-25s go after Ballale Island, Shortland
Island Group, Solomon Islands, and strafe barges in Wilson Strait between the
island of Vella Lavella and Ganongga Island, Solomon Islands.
JUNE 19
American planes attack Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
Netaji hold a press conference to unfold his plan of action for India’s
independence.
On New Britain B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Rabaul and
613
the Vunakanau airfield. A-20s hits barges in Hanisch Harbor and trail near village
of Tamigudu, New Guinea. Single B-24s bombs Finschhafen area of New Guinea
and Rapopo airstrip New Britain.
During the night, a pair of B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force flies a photoreconnaissance to Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands from Funafuti Atoll in the
Ellice Islands.
During the night Thirteenth Army Air Force's B-24s bombs Nauru in the South
Pacific.
U.S. submarine Guardfish is damaged by depth charges north of Bismarck
Archipelago but remains on patrol.
U.S. submarine Growler, in an attack on a Japanese convoy on the Palau-toRabaul route, sinks the army cargo ship Miyadono Maru north-northwest of
Mussau Island in the Bismark Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Gunnel damages the Japanese gunboat Hong Kong Maru (exPhilippine Argus), sinks the cargo ship Tokiwa Maru, off Shirase, Japan. Later
she sinks the coastal minesweeper Tsubame.
U.S. submarine Sculpin sinks the Japanese guardboat No.1 Miyasho Maru and
army cargo ship Sagami Maru off Inubozaki, Japan.
U.S. freighter Henry Knox, en route from Fremantle, Australia, to Bandar
Shahpur, Iran, is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-37. Although I37 surfaces and conducts an extensive questioning of the survivors in one boat,
the Japanese take no action against the men, who begin sailing toward the
Maldive Islands, 200 miles distant, upon the enemy's departure.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers 48.5 tons of supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
JUNE 20
Japanese forces attack Australian 17th Brigade unsuccessfully in the Mubo area,
New Guinea.
Japanese aircraft attacks the Darwin and Winnellie airfields, Australia.
Coastwatcher Donald Kennedy reports that the Japanese are moving against Segi
Point on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands and his
Coastwatcher organization.
Upon hearing Coastwatcher Kennedy’s report Admiral Turner orders two
companies of the Marines 4th Raiders, under Lt. Colonel Currin, to move by APD
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immediately to Segi Point on New Georgia from Guadalcanal.
General Sir Claude Auchinleck takes over as Commander-in-Chief of Indian
forces.
U.S. 6th Army set up headquarters at Milne Bay on New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Seawolf sinks the Japanese cargo ship Shojin Maru in Formosa
Strait that separates Formosa from the mainland of China.
U.S. submarine Tautog sinks the Japanese transport Meiten Maru west of the
Marianas Islands.
U.S. Navy Ventura medium bombers attack Japanese installations at Kiska,
Aleutian Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers escorted by
Warhawk P-40s and Navy Wildcat fighters attack Vila on Kolombangara Island.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airstrip at Rapopo, New Britain
Island, and the airfields at Keravat and Rabaul, New Britain Island, and also hit
Rabaul town area. A-20s pound the Lae airfield, New Guinea. B-25s and an A-20
hit Finschhafen, New Guinea.
During the night, several B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force from Funafuti Atoll in
the Ellice Islands fly photo-reconnaissance of Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
P-40s from the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Marine and Navy airplanes in a
strike against the Vila airfield on Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands. B-24s blast the airfield at Kahili on the south
coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands and also bomb Kieta,
Bougainville.
JUNE 21
U.S. Marines of the 4th Marine Raider Battalion and army troops go ashore at
Segi Point, New Georgia, Western Solomon Islands, after sailing from
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. Army engineers complete an airfield on Shemya in the Aleutian Islands.
Admiral Kawase cancels underwater evacuation of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands
after seven of thirteen submarines are damaged or sunk.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
Wildcat fighters, attack Japanese installations at Munda, New Georgia Island,
615
Western Solomon Islands.
On New Guinea, A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe the airfields
at Lae and Malahang while B-25s hit the airfield at Salamaua. Early in the
morning B-25s bomb Koepang, Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-25s of the 14th Army Air Force escorted by P-40s, bomb the village of
Shihshow, China. B-25s also escorted P-40s attack the Japanese-held village of
Hwajung, China, but mistakenly bomb the friendly village of Nanhsien, China,
killing over 50 Chinese.
U.S. submarine Harder damages the Japanese tanker No. 3 Kyoei Maru east of
Daiozaki, Japan.
U.S. submarine Hoe attacks the Japanese vessel Koyo Maru; although Hoe claims
a sinking, Koyo Maru survives the encounter with no damage.
U.S. destroyer Monaghan fires on the Japanese submarine I-7 near Gertrude
Cove in the Aleutian Islands. The I-7 takes two direct hits that prevents her from
submerging. The I-7 is then run aground at Bukhti Point, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. transport ships carrying the 112th Cavalry leave Australia for Woodlark
Island located off the northeast coast of New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area.
The Japanese gunboat Hong Kong Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted by
U.S. submarine Gunnel off Shirase, Japan, on June 19, 1943.
JUNE 22
Two companies of the 43rd Division and a naval survey party go ashore at Segi
Point, New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
Australian Z Force Special Unit performs a mock attack on Townsville Harbor in
Australia. The anchorage is full of all kinds of shipping that where under tight
security due to the constant threat of Japanese air and submarine attack. A team
of nine men paddle folboats through the heavily mined mouth of the harbor and
attach dummy limpet mines to ten ships, including two destroyers. The team then
leaves and hid their folboats.
The Fifth Army Air Force's B-24s bombs Taberfane, Aru Island, off the coast of
New Guinea.
Three B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Canton Island in the Phoenix
Islands, fly photo-reconnaissance over the Gilbert Islands especially of Beru
Island, Nukunau Island, Tabiteuea Island, Onotoa Island, Tarawa Atoll, and
Arorae. One of the bombers strafes Arorae.
616
B-24 bombers join B-25s, the 10th Army Air Force, in pounding the Ywataung,
Burma, marshalling yard. Monywa, Burma is also bombed.
U.S. submarine Grayling fires on and damages the Japanese tanker Eiyo Maru east
of Malaya.
Dutch submarine N-39 is commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS
K- 9.
U.S. troop ships carrying the 112th Cavalry land without opposition on Woodlark
Island off the northeast coast of New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area.
Japanese submarine I-7, with the help of a group of IJA soldiers, has her cargo
unloaded and water pumped out. The I-7 is refloated and moved to the entrance
of Gertrude Cove, Aleutian Islands, where emergency repairs are completed,
however, the submarine is still unable to submerge. The Captain decides to return
to Paramushiro, Kuril Island chain, northern Japan, on the surface since the I-7’s
speed is not impaired. So after steaming off for Japan the I-7 is again attacked
and damaged enough that she must be sunk at Vega Bay, Aleutian Islands.
JUNE 23
U.S. troops of the 158th Regimental Combat Team and the 46th Engineer Combat
Company land on Kiriwina in the Trobriand Islands between the Solomon Islands
and New Guinea without opposition.
Several B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb shipping, the dock area, a factory,
and residential areas of Makassar, Celebes Island in the Dutch East Indies.
Thirteenth Army Air Force's B-25s and Navy fighters and dive-bombers hit the
village of Buki, Buki Island, Ganongga Island, New Georgia in the Western
Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine RO-103 torpedoes and sinks the cargo ship Aludra and
torpedoes the cargo ship Deimos while both are in a convoy to Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands. Deimos, irreparably damaged, is scuttled by destroyer
O'Bannon.
U.S. submarine Harder damages the Japanese seaplane carrier Sagara Maru off
southern Honshu Island, Japan. The Sagara Muru is beached.
U.S. aircraft sink the Japanese guardboat Nikka Maru north of Bougainville.
In the Australian, House of Representatives a motion to censure the government is
617
defeated by one vote. Prime Minister John Curtin announces that he will advise
the Governor General to dissolve Parliament.
JUNE 24
Bose Netaji makes an appeal over a broadcast from Tokyo for Indians to start an
armed revolt against the British.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the British tanker British Venture in
the Indian Ocean.
Admiral Nimitz orders, at the request of Charles Lockwood that the "super secret"
magnetic detonators on American Mark VI torpedoes to be deactivated.
U.S. submarine Runner torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Shinryu
Maru off Matsuwa Island, Kurile Islands.
U.S. submarine Snook damages the Japanese tanker Ose, former Dutch Genota
captured on May 9,1942, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean by the Japanese
merchant cruisers Hokoku Maru and Aikoku Maru west of Amami Oshima Island,
Amami Islands, Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan.
During the night, U.S. Army units go ashore on Kriwina Island in the Trobriand
Group, between the Solomon Islands and New Guinea.
B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force strafe the Salamaua airfield, New Guinea, and
bomb villages in the area.
In Burma B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force attack a road bridge at Shweli with
little damage.
Eleventh Army Air Force bombers attack barges near Vega Point, Main Camp
area, and North Head, Aleutians Islands.
U.S. Navy Wildcat fighters strafe a Japanese barge southeast of Vangunu Island,
New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
JUNE 25
General MacArthur issues a formal statement on his account of the Philippine
disaster.
General MacArthur and Australian General Blamney watch the 503rd Parachute
Regiment make a practice jump at Greenhill near Cairnes, Australia.
During the afternoon, four Japanese twin-engine bombers unsuccessfully attack a
U.S. light surface unit in the Solomon Islands.
618
Japanese bombers attack American positions in the Russell Islands, Solomon
Islands, causing some damage to supply installations.
U.S. submarine Sailfish attacks and sinks the Japanese army collier Iburi Maru
off northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avengers, escorted by Wildcats, attack
Labeti Plantation, Munda Area, New Georgia.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe villages in the Sepu area of
New Guinea.
B-25s, B-24s, and P-38s from the 11th Army Air Force hits Kiska in the Aleutian
Islands of Alaska.
B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force attack the Kahili area and hit the airfield on
Buka Island, New Guinea.
The Smith-Connally Bill is passed by the U.S. Congress which is a War Labor
Disputes Act. It authorizes the President to take over plants where war production
had ceased or is needed for the war effort because of a labor dispute.
JUNE 26
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s and B-17s to bomb the airfield and harbor
at Rabaul, New Britain, and the town of Lae, New Guinea. During midday B-25s
attack the Lae airfield, New Guinea, and the town of Salamaua, New Guinea,. In
the early evening, B-25s bomb Penfoei, Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb Ballale Island airfield in the Shortland
Island Group, Solomon Islands and bomb Poporang Island in the Solomon
Islands, Buin on New Guinea, Faisi in the Shortland Island Group area, and P-38s
strafe Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers escorted by
Wildcat fighters attack Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands. At
the same time another formation of Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger
torpedo bombers escorted by Wildcat fighters attacked Vila, Kolombangara
Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Jack attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the transports Shozan
Maru and Toyo Maru off Hachijo Jima in the Philippine Sea, southern Honshu
Island, Japan. Although damaged by a Japanese aerial bomb during enemy
countermeasures, Jack continues on patrol.
619
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers 48.5 tons of supplies to Lae, New Guinea. As
she departs for Rabaul on New Britain she takes on 15 wounded and sick soldiers.
The Japanese shut down the Coastwatchers operation on Bougainville Island in
the Solomon Islands.
JUNE 27
In the Western Solomon Islands, U.S. Marine 4th Raider Battalion, Companies Q
and P, start an overland march to Viru Harbor from Segi Point, New Georgia to
attack the small naval base at Viru Harbor.
Accompanied by his wife Rashbehari Bose, Netaji arrives at Singapore in Malaya
from Tokyo. The resident Indians give him a tumultuous welcome.
On New Guinea, B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb and strafe Japanese at
Dumpu, Kaigulin, and Kaiapit while A-20s strafes barges and shore installations
at Labu Lagoon. B-24's hit Taka, Saumlakki, and Malo Island in the Moluccas
Islands and Boeroe Island in the Sunda Islands, Dutch East Indies
In the Aleutian Islands, B-24s and B-25s from the Eleventh Army Air Force bomb
the Kiska Main Camp area and the vicinity north of Salmon Lagoon. B-25s bomb
Gertrude Cove and North Head.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the Kahili airfield on the south coast of
Bougainville Island and hit Ballale Island in the Shortland Island Group, Solomon
Islands.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers hit Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island,
Solomon Islands.
During the morning, U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo
bombers attack Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers attack Vila,
Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group of the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Liberator (PB4Y) bombers attack Ballale Island, Shortland Area,
Solomon Islands.
German submarine U-511 torpedoes and sinks the Liberty Ship Sebastian
Cermeno in the Indian Ocean.
JUNE 28
American forces occupy the islands of Kiriwina and Woodlark, Trobriand Islands
between the Solomon Islands and New Guinea.
620
A change is made in the design of the U.S. National Star Insignia on aircraft by
adding white rectangles on the left and right sides of the blue circular field to form
a horizontal bar, and a red border stripe around the entire design.
Japanese aircraft attack Vesteys in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the Norwegian cargo ship Dah Pu in
Muscat Harbor, India, while she is loading cargo into her hold.
The Seventh Army Air Force attempts a bombing mission against Nauru Island,
Gilbert Islands from Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Islands. The mission is hampered by
engine trouble and bad weather. One B-24 crashes at Palmyra Island, Oceania on
the 27th while en route from the Hawaiian Islands to the staging base at Funafuti
Atoll. Of the 18 arriving at the forward base, two are released from duty because
of engine trouble, two crashes on takeoff, and eight are grounded after a second
crash. Six B-24s are airborne for the mission, two abort, two fail to find Nauru
Island because of a heavy front, and the others drop bombs on the island, with
unobserved results.
B-24 Liberator heavy bomber by Consolidated.
B-25s of the 11th Army Air Force bomb Gertrude Cove, Little Kiska, and
southern Main Camp, Aleutian Islands.
Royal Australian Air Force constructs a radar station at Pinkenba, Australia.
U.S. submarine Peto sinks a Japanese hydrographic-meteorological research
ship between Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands and Rabaul on New Britain.
U.S. submarine Tunny sinks the Japanese gunboat Shotoku Maru off west coast of
Rota, Marianas Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
Wildcat fighters, hit Munda, New Georgia Island.
621
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by
Wildcat fighters, bombs Japanese positions at Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island.
U.S. Marines paddle from Segi Point, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon
Islands, using rubber boats to land at Regi, New Georgia Island.
JUNE 29
Naval Auxiliary Air Facility is established at Shemya, Alaska.
Allied cruisers and destroyers shell the airfields at Vila on Kolombangara Island
in the Solomon Islands and Buin on New Guinea.
Elements of VP-101 arrive at Brisbane from Perth with their Black Cat PBYs,
extending the patrol coverage from the east coast of Australia to Papuan
Peninsula, New Guinea.
Officials of the Army Air Force accept the first production B-29.
During the night the 5th Army Air Force sends B-17s and B-24s to attack
Vunakanau Airfield, New Britain. This mission marks the last time the 403rd
Bomb Squadron will fly B-17s.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe strong points along the Bitoi
River and A-20s pounds supply dump on south side of Nassau Bay in preparation
for Allied amphibious landings. A lone B-24 bombs building area of Parsee Point
near Salamaua, New Guinea. Other B-24s bombs Nabire, Aru Islands.
During the night, Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers raid the
airfield, the Japanese supply dumps and camp areas at Vila, Kolombangara Island,
New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese cargo vessel No.8 Mikage Maru is sunk in collision with Nikko Maru
west of Iwanni, northern coast of Hokkaido Island, Japan.
JUNE 30
Operation Cartwheel is launched in the central Solomon Islands by the United
States.
Just after midnight, a task force of cruisers and destroyers shell Vila-Stanmore on
Kolombangara New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands, and BuinShortland on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. Mines are laid in
Shortland Harbor.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo bombers go after
622
Japanese defensive positions and camp area at Munda, New Georgia Island,
Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. destroyer Gwin is damaged off Munda, New Georgia, by Japanese shore
battery.
U.S. submarine Steelhead torpedoes and damages the Japanese escort carrier
Unyo northwest of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
Allied warships shell Ballale, Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy attempts an amphibious assault against Viru on New Georgia, Western
Solomon Islands however, Japanese 3-inch gun quickly drives them off. Headquarters decides to land the Army force at Regi, New Georgia Island, near the
same spot where Marine Raiders had been dropped off on the 27th.
The Japanese commander at Viru, New Georgia, reports that he had repulsed an
American landing.
U.S. Marines of the Fourth Raider Battalion and Army troops of the 43rd Division
land on Rendova Island in the New Georgia Islands in the Western Solomon
Islands unopposed near Oloana Bay, New Georgia area. They will capture
Wickham Anchorage by the end of the day.
On Rendova Island, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands, units of the
U.S. Army 172nd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army 103nd Infantry Regiment, U.S.
Navy 24th Naval Construction Battalion, and U.S. Navy 9th Defense Battalion
goes ashore against light resistance; Japanese aircraft attempted to disrupt landing
operations, but they were intercepted by aircraft of USMC Fighter Squadrons 121,
122, 213, and 221.
U.S. Marines lands at Wickham Anchorage, off Vangunu Island, New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands.
Australian forces and the American Army 41st Division lands at Nassau Bay, New
Guinea, east of Salamaua. The Australians open the assault on Bobdubi Ridge
and maintain pressure on the enemy in the Mubo area of New Guinea.
Japanese aircraft attack Fenton Airfield, Australia.
Approximately 110 Japanese aircraft comprising Zero fighters, Mitsubishi
medium bombers, Aichi dive-bombers and various other types attack at intervals
against U.S. Naval forces during the landing at Rendova Island, New Georgia
Group. Planes of the USMC Fighter Squadrons 121, 122, 213, and 221 intercept
and disrupt their attack.
623
The transport McCawley is disabled by a Japanese torpedo after discharging her
troops on Rendova in the New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
Airfield construction begins at Segi Point, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon
Islands.
B-24s and B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb the Rabaul airfield. B-25s, in
support of the assault at Nassau Bay and Allied forces at Logui and Salamaua
pound Bobdubi Ridge. B-25s also bomb the airfield at Cape Chater on Timor
Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-25s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force and Navy dive-bombers bomb the
Munda airfield, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Grounding, Solomon Islands, damages high-speed minesweeper Zane.
Grounding, off Alexai Point, Massacre Bay, Aleutian Islands damages the
seaplane tender Hulbert.
Off Rendova Island, New Georgia Islands, the transport ship McCawley ,flag ship
of Commander Amphibious force South Pacific Rear Admiral Turner, is hit by a
torpedo from a Japanese plane. Admiral Turner’s flag is transferred the destroyer
Farenholt. The transport is taken in tow but later is sunk by torpedoes from PT
boats.
U.S. 30 cal. Machine Gun, Model 1919
624
JULY 1
United States Operating Base is established on Espiritu Santo, New Herbride
Islands.
The American destroyer Radford, in the Solomon Islands, attacks the Japanese
submarine RO-101.
PT-162, operating out of Rendova, is damaged by a Japanese plane, south of
Malumbala Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gar lands commandoes on the south coast of Timor Island, Dutch
East Indies.
U.S. submarine Gurnard unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese transport/aircraft
transport Akitsu Maru.
U.S. submarine Thresher attacks a Japanese convoy off the northwest coast of
Celebes Island, in the Straits of Makassar, Dutch East Indies damaging the
destroyer Hokaze and sinking the army cargo ship Yoneyama Maru off
Balikpapan. Hokaze is grounded in Sibaya Harbor, Celebes Island, to prevent
sinking and to permit salvage.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers attack Japanese defensive positions at Lambeti
Plantation, Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers attack Japanese
defensive positions and camp sections at Vila, Kolombangara Island, New
Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
The 978th Signal Services Company is created to handle the secret underground
radio communication with the Philippine Islands. It will function as the net
control station for all Philippine radio traffic, operating both the radio station and
message center, and sending men on secret mission into the islands to build and
operate radio stations through which military intelligence can be sent into and
out of the islands prior to an invasion.
B-24s bomb the Lakunai and Rapopo airfields on the island of New Britain,
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe Duail; other A-20s strafes Lea
New Guinea; B-25s attack Kela Point and Logui, New Guinea; B-17s and B-24s
bombs the airfields at Rabaul on the island of New Britain in the Bismarck
Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
625
Japanese 6th Air Division launches a series of attacks on the Salamaua beachhead
area of New Guinea, destroying or damaging a large number of landing craft,
although at the cost of relatively high number of airplane.
United States Marines, 4th Raider Battalion, capture the village of Tombe and
Vera Harbor, New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands. On the west side of
Vera Harbor two companies of the 4th Raider Battalion over run Tetemar, New
Georgia.
U.S. Marine Corps 9th Defense Battalion lands on Rendova Island, New Georgia
Islands in the Western Solomon Islands with supplies and 90mm and 150mm
guns.
Southeast of New Georgia, U.S. Marine Corps 4th Raider Battalion and a
company of the U.S. Army 103rd Regiment on the island of Vangunu falls back
to Vura for a counterattack to be launched against Kaeruka and Cheke Point in the
next few days.
Public Law 74, 78th Congress, established the United States Cadet Nurse Corps
under the administration of the United States Public Health Service.
American Task Force 39 shells Shortland Islands in the Solomon Islands.
After offering brief resistance to the Australian AIF and the American Army
elements put ashore at Salamaua, in New Guinea, the Japanese Nassau Garrison
Unit begins a withdrew northward , while the 3rd Battalion, 66th Infantry is
ordered forward to help slow the Allied advance from the beachhead.
JULY 2
Japanese cruisers and destroyers as well as Japanese bombers, escorted by Zeros
attack Rendova Island in the Solomon Islands damaging fuel dumps, construction
equipment, and patrol craft.
United States, 37th and 43rd Divisions land on Munda, New Georgia, Western
Solomon Islands.
American heavy artillery located on Rendova Island, New Georgia Islands in the
Solomon Islands, began shelling the Munda airfield, New Georgia Island, across
the narrow channel between the two islands
General Hester begins ferrying units of the 172nd Infantry across the Blanche
Channel to New Georgia in order to build up his forces for a drive on Munda,
New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
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The Japanese realize that a major American offensive is
under way, the Southeast Detachment and the 8th
Combined Special Naval Landing Force make a joint
local agreement placing all Imperial army and navy
ground forces defending Munda under operational
command of Major General Minoru Sasaki, Southeast
Detachment commander.
General Douglas MacArthur. U.S. Army photo.
MacArthur lands troops on the island of Numfoor off the
coast of New Guinea.
Airfield construction begins on Trobriand Island, between the Solomon Islands
and New Guinea, by a Seabee Unit.
United States PT-153 and PT-158 are lost due to grounding in the Solomon
Islands.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese troopship Canton Maru off the
China coast.
U.S. submarine S-35 sinks the Japanese cargo ship No.7 Banshu Maru off the
west coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. submarine Trout sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Isuzu Maru off north
coast of Marinduque Island, Philippine Islands.
B-25 medium bombers escorted by U.S. Navy Corsair fighters, bomb and strafe a
Japanese vessel in Bairoko Anchorage, Kula Gulf, New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands.
During the night B-17s and B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force fly a mission to
Vunakanau and Rapopo airfields, New Britain Island. A single B-24 bombs the
Salamaua area of New Guinea. B-25s hit Japanese defenses at Kela Point, New
Guinea and the trail near Logui, New Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska B-24s and B-25s of the Eleventh Army Air
Force assaults Kiska. B-25s on a submarine attack hits the Kiska seaplane ramp.
P-40s covers troops making an unopposed landing on Rat Island.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-25s to assist Navy F-4Us in bombing
and strafing the Japanese auxiliary minelayer Kashi Maru off New Georgia in the
Western Solomon Islands.
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JULY 3
American forces from the 172nd Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army 43rd
Division land at Zanana near Munda, New Georgia in the Western Solomon
Islands. There is no Japanese resistance and the beachhead is quickly
consolidated.
U.S. forces occupy Wickham Anchorage at Vanguna Island, New Georgia,
Solomon Islands, Western Solomon Islands.
Australian forces, in New Guinea, advancing from Wau are engaged by Japanese
forces around Mubo. During the day, the Australians link up with the Americans
from the Nassau Bay landing force in the Bitoi River region.
Japanese cruisers and destroyers shells Rendova Island beachhead, New Georgia
Islands in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Scorpion attacks a Japanese convoy in the Yellow Sea, located
between China and the Korean Peninsula, and sinks the cargo ships Anzan Maru
and Kokuryu Maru.
U.S. submarine Snook torpedoes and damages the Japanese troop transport
Atlantic Maru and sinks the Japanese army cargo ships Liverpool Maru and Koki
Maru north-northeast of Keelung, Formosa off the southeast coast of China.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers and Dauntless dive-bombers attack the
Japanese camp at Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airfields at Rabaul and attacks
the Kendari airfield, Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies. Koepang on Timor Island
in the Dutch East Indies is attacked by B-25s. A single B-17 drops bombs on the
landing strip at Cape Gloucester, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago. A
combined mission with B-17s and B-24s is flown to Lae, New Guinea.
The bridge at Myitnge in Burma is once again attacked by B-25s of the 10th Air
Force.
B-24s from the Eleventh Army Air Force bomb the Main Camp area and takes
photos of Segula, Aleutian Islands.
B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs airfield and AA positions at
Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
The first Filipino infantry battalion is sent to the Pacific.
Japanese bombers hit a supply dumps on Rendova Island, New Georgia Islands in
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the Western Solomon Islands, but causes very little damage.
JULY 4
Japanese reinforcements of 1200 troops are landed from destroyers at Vila,
Kolombangara Island, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
To the south of New Georgia, the Japanese try their last large daylight air foray on
Rendova Island in the New Georgia Group when 16 bombers are able to break
through to drop bombs on the island, but 12 failed to return home.
B-24s of the Tenth Army Air Force bombs Shweli, Burma.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force pounds Bairoko, New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands.
India League of Independence Conference is held in Singapore, Mayala, where
Netaji addresses representatives of the Indian communities in East Asia.
U.S. Marines land at Rice Anchorage on the northwest coast of New Georgia,
approximately 15 miles from Munda, and start to drive swiftly to Bairoko before
Japanese resistance could be organized.
U.S. Marines and U.S. Army troops secured Kaeruka and Cheke Point on
Vangunu Island, just southeast of New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
Later on the island a 52-man special weapons unit of the U.S. Marine Corps 9th
Defense Battalion disembarks with four 40mm anti-aircraft guns.
Admiral Kusaka and General Imamura confer at Rabaul on New Britain Island,
and decide to hold New Guinea with local forces deployed there and directs their
main effort against New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
Allied reinforcements arrive at Nassau Bay, New Guinea.
U.S. troops of the 523rd Regiment and AIF 20th Battalion undergo amphibious
training at trinity Beach in Australia.
Sixteen Japanese bombers attack Rendova, New Georgia Islands in the Western
Solomon Islands. After eighty-eight rounds of anti-aircraft fire twelve are shot
down, and waiting fighters shoot down the rest.
PT Boats 156, 157, and 161 patrolling off Baniata Point of Rendova Island, New
Georgia, encounter a Japanese destroyer and attack. The PT boats receive minor
damage the destroyer retires to the northwest.
U.S. submarine Jack attacks a Japanese convoy off the southeast coast of Honshu
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Island, Japan, sinking the cargo ship Nikkyu Maru.
U.S. submarine Pompano sinks the Japanese seaplane carrier Sagara Maru,
previously beached due to damage by Harder on June 23rd.
During the night, a number of U.S. surface ships shells Japanese installations at
Vila, Kolombangara Island, and Bairoko in Kula Gulf, New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands.
JULY 5
On New Georgia Island, U.S. Army troops and Marines of regimental strength
lands in the north at Rice Anchorage.
Japan cedes five Malaya provinces to Thailand.
During the night, Japanese destroyers unload nearly 3000 more troops to Vila on
Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group of the Western Solomon Islands.
Damaged Japanese submarine I-7 is scuttled at Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and damages the American freighter Alcoa
Prospector sailing in convoy PA 44 in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Army Air Force Hudson, A-29, light bombers attacks Rekata Bay, Santa
Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-25s to bomb and strafe the airfield at
Salamaua, Komiatum Track, New Guinea, and the Japanese headquarters at Kela
and Salamaua, New Guinea.
B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force fly over Buin, New Guinea, however, they
fail to find any Japanese shipping and bomb the secondary targets of Munda, New
Georgia Island, and Ballale Island in the Shortland Island Group, Solomon
Islands.
United States destroyer Strong is sunk by torpedo in the Solomon Islands.
RAAF Beaufighters sinks the Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.12 Koyo Maru,
chartered to carry fuel en route to Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East
Indies.
Netaji takes over the command of the Indian National Army, now called Azad
Hind Fauj (Free India Army). prime Minister General Tojo arrives from Manila in
the Philippine Islands to review the parade of troops standing alongside with
Bose.
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JULY 6
The Battle of Kula Gulf, off the coast of Kolombanga Island, Solomon Islands, is
fought by an U.S. task force made up of three cruisers and four destroyers against
ten Japanese destroyers carrying troops and supplies to Kolombangara during the
night. The American cruiser Helena is sunk along with two Japanese destroyers,
Nagatasuki and Niizuki, however, 850 Japanese troops make it to shore.
Japanese troops attack American positions near Zanana Beach, New Georgia
Island, causing the soldiers to fall back in panic.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force attacks the Penfoei airfield on West Timor
Island, Dutch East Indies and hit Labu Lagoon at New Guinea.
B-24s of the 11th Army Air Force bombs the Main Camp, Kiska in the Aleutian
Islands.
B-17s and B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force hits Ballale, Shortland Island
Group. B-25s hits a beached destroyer at Bamberi on New Georgia in the Western
Solomon Islands. Allied bombers raids Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force hit the runway and revetment area at
Pailochi airfield in China.
Japanese aircraft attacks Fenton airfield in the Northern Territory of Australia.
United States task force shell Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
Allied reinforcements arrive at Nassau Bay, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Gurnard is damaged by aerial bombs and depth charges off Palau
Island, Caroline Islands, but remains on patrol.
U.S. submarine Permit sinks the Japanese cargo ship No.33 Banshu Maru west of
Hokkaido Island, Japan.
PB4Y-1 assaults Japanese installations at Greenwich Island in the Solomon
Islands, but during the daring, low-level operation the plane is shot down.
JULY 7
Australian troops capture Observation Hill, New Guinea.
United States Army lands on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands
and begin taking over the airfield.
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The Battle for Bloody Hill begins on New Georgia Island along the Munda Trail.
Elsewhere a company of the 1st Raider Battalion captures the village of Maranusa
after a brief firefight with units of the 6th Special Naval Landing Force.
U.S. Marines and the two companies of the 145th Infantry reaches Enogai Inlet
and, after heavy skirmishing, seized the village of Triri, New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands.
B-24s and B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force, along with RAAF airplanes,
supports Allied ground operations in the Mubo area of New Guinea, dropping
over 100 tons of bombs on targets as MacKechnie Force. They then begin their
assault on Bitoi Ridge.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-25s and P-38s to attack Vila airfield
on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands while B-24s
bombs the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island.
B-25s and P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack shipping at Canton,
China.
U.S. submarine Permit sinks the Japanese cargo ship Showa Maru off Otaru,
Hokkaido Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Peto damages the Japanese oiler Shinkoku Maru north-east of
Manus Island, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Plunger damages the Japanese cargo ship Anzan Maru
in the Sea of Japan.
In a speech at Gambir, Jakarta, Prime Minister Tojo promises Indonesians limited
self-government.
Japanese ships sail from Paramushiro, Kuril Island chain, northern Japan, to
evacuate the troops of the Kiska garrison in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
The Japanese Eighteenth Army command decides that a decisive battle must be
fought at Salamaua in New Guinea since loss of the Salamaua base on New
Guinea would render Lae, to the north, untenable.
Lt. General Hatazo Adachi, after returning to Madang, New Guinea, from an
urgent air trip to the Salamaua front, orders the 238th Infantry Regiment , which
had moved up to Madang from Wewak, New Guinea, to advance to Lae via
Finschhafen in New Guinea in order to reinforce the 51st Division.
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JULY 8
American naval planes bombs Vila, Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Seal is damaged by bombs and depth charges off northern Honshu
Island of Japan and is forced to terminate her patrol.
American destroyers Aylwin and Monaghan shells Kiska in the Aleutian Islands
during the night.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force pounds Japanese positions around Mubo and
along the coast of New Guinea, hitting Kela Point and the village, Malolo,
Buigap Creek, and trails from the Salamaua airfield and Kennedy's Crossing to
Logui, New Guinea.
B-24 Liberators of the 7th Army Air Force flying from Midway bombs the
Japanese base on Wake Island in the Central Pacific.
Eight B-25s from the 77th Bomber Squadron, Eleventh Army Air Force,
conducts the first land base air attack against the Japanese home islands, departs
Attu and bombs the Shimushu Japanese Naval Base in the Northern Kurile
Islands.
B-24s, escorted by P-40s, of the 14th Army Air Force attacks Japanese shipping,
docks, and cement works at Haiphong in French Indo China.
U.S. Army troops of the 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry establishes a camouflaged
blocking position along the Bairoko-Munda Trail, New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands.
The U.S. Navy carrier Casablanca, first of her class and the first escort carrier
designed and built for escort duty is placed in commission at Astoria, Oregon,
USA.
Japanese submarine I-38 reconnoiters the Kula Gulf off the coast of Kolombanga
Island, Solomon Islands.
JULY 9
United States destroyers shells Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon
Islands.
U.S. freighter Samuel Heintzelman, en route from Fremantle, Australia, to
Colombo, Ceylon, is torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-511.
In the Aleutian Islands the destroyer Aylwin, on Kiska blockade patrol, bombards
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Japanese positions in the Gertrude Cove area, drawing light and inaccurate return
fire.
U.S. submarine Permit shells the Soviet oceanographic vessel Seiner No.20 off
Kaiba To. Once the mistake is realized, Permit comes alongside the blazing vessel
and rescues the survivors before the Russian craft sinks. The Soviet sailors are
taken to Akutan, Alaska.
U.S. submarine Thresher lands personnel, supplies, and ammunition on the west
coast of Negros, Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Trout extracts a party of five American officers off the southern
coast of the island of Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands.
On New Guinea, B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force attacks around Old Bobdubi,
Malolo, and Busama. B-25s hit the landing fields on East Timor in the Dutch East
Indies: Dili, and Cape Chater.
In Burma, B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force bomb the railroad bridge over the
Mu River between Ywataung and Monywa.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the Kahili airfield on Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands, Buin, New Guinea, and Poporang in the Solomon
Islands. B-25s and several fighters attack Japanese forces near Vella Lavella in the
Solomon Islands failing to locate any targets and strafe the village of Buki on
Buki Island, Ganongga Islands, New Georgia Group and a destroyer beached on
near Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
100 Japanese aircraft attacks American ships off Munda, New Georgia Island,
Western Solomon Islands, however, the attack is driven off.
Japanese submarine I-38 reconnoiters the Kula Gulf off the coast of Kolombanga
Island, Solomon Islands.
The first Italian submarine to reach the Far East, Aquila III arrives at Sabang,
Sumatra, Dutch East Indies with 95-tons of ammunition, bars of aluminum and
steel, replacement parts, and other war material for the Japanese.
American Army 43rd Division on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon
Islands advances across the Barike River towards Munda. A second column
moving up from Triri is stopped as a third makes little progress along the coast at
Enogai Point.
Japanese 13th Regiment start a reinforcement push by transferring 1,200 troops
from Kolombangara on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands to
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Bairoko on the northwestern shore of New Georgia; this strengthening will take
place over the next three days to move 3,700 men from the Shortland Islands,
Solomon Islands.
JULY 10
Japanese submarine I-38 continues to reconnoiter the Kula Gulf off the coast of
Kolombanga Island, Solomon Islands.
American and Australian troops cuts off the Japanese at Mubo, New Guinea, from
their position at Salamaua, New Guniea.
A single B-24 of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the village of Kela, New
Guinea; B-24s bomb Boela, Moluccas Island, Dutch East Indies, and Babo on
New Guinea; elsewhere on New Guinea B-25s pounds Salamaua, Logui, and
southeastern bank of the Francisco River.
Eight B-25s of the 11th Army Air Force, from Attu in the Aleutian Islands, bombs
Paramushiru, Kurile Islands, in Japanese the northern home waters, however, not
having detailed maps they drop their bombs on a vague land mass obscured by
overcast. Neither the Japanese nor the Russians ever make mention of being
attacked.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force pounds Kahili airfield of Bougainville Island in
the Solomon Islands.
Nine B-24s flying for the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs the dock at
Haiphong, French Indochina.
Seabees report 3,300-foot airstrip at Segi Point, New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands, available for limited operations. This provides an emergency
landing field only 40 miles from Japanese facilities at Munda, New Georgia
Island.
In the Western Solomon Islands, U.S. Marines of the 1st Raider Battalion captures
Enogai Point, New Georgia, after using an unguarded trail.
U.S. submarine Halibut damages the Japanese transport (ex-armed merchant
cruiser) Aikoku Maru near Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Pompano damages the Japanese tanker Kyokuyo off southern
Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Steelhead damages the Japanese escort carrier Unyo.
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JULY 11
Japanese counter-attack Allied positions at Wewak, New Guinea, but are turned
back.
General Griswold arrives on Rendova on New Georgia Islands in the Western
Solomon Islands with an advance section of his headquarters.
Admiral William “Bull” Halsey releases instruction for the assault on
Bougainville Island area in the Solomon Islands; Lieutenant General Alexander
Vandegrift is to be the in command of the invasion force.
Allied heavy bombers of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Vunakanau airfield near
Rabaul on New Britain Island. A-20s and B-25s attack Nassau Bay inland to
Mubo on New Guinea, hitting trail on New Guinea between Logui and Kennedy's
Crossing, Bobdubi and Bobdubi Ridge, Salamaua, Kela Point, and villages
scattered through the area. Other B-25s bombs Penfoei, Timor Island, Dutch East
Indies.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Funafuti Atoll in the Ellice Island
Group flies a photo mission to Little Makin in the Gilbert Islands; two of the
bombers bomb the main island of Makin.
In French Indochina the harbor at Haiphong is bombed by B-24s of the 10th Army
Air Force.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska B-25s and B-24s of the Eleventh Army Air
Force in three missions, one by radar, attacks North Head and Main Camp on
Kiska with unobserved results.
B-24s and B-17s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force attack the Kahili airfield on the
south coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force bombs Haiphong Harbor, French Indochina,
damage the Vichy French customs vessel Albert Sarraut and Japanese cargo
vessel No. 3 Kiri Maru, shipping in Campha Port, French Indochina, pounds
positions and barracks area at Kunlong. P-40s strafes water traffic between Lao
Kay, French Indochina, and Cha Pa, French Indochina, and hit oil storage near
Lao Kay.
1st Marine War Dog Platoon is transported into the Pacific to begin preparation of
the Bougainville operations with the 2nd Marine Raider Regiment.
After sundown, U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers shell Japanese positions at
Munda, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
636
U.S. Navy destroyer Monaghan shells Japanese positions at Gertrude Cove, Kiska
Island, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese guardboat No.8 Takatori Maru
between Okino Daito Jima Island, southeast of Okinawa Island in the Ryukyu
Islands, and Kazan Retto Island, Volcano Islands of the Bonin Island Archipelago,
using her deck gun.
U.S. submarine Gurnard attacks and sink the cargo ship Taiko Maru northeast
of Palau Island, Caroline Islands.
PBYs attack Japanese guardboats off Kamchatka, Soviet Union, sinking the Seiun
Maru and damaging Koshin Maru.
JULY 12
American cruisers and destroyers shells Munda, New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Plunger sinks the Japanese cargo ship Niitaka Maru in the Sea of
Japan, west of Hokkaido Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Spearfish damages the Japanese destroyer Kawakaze south-west
off Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands.
HMNZS Leander is heavily damage by torpedoes off New Georgia Island,
Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-29 sinks British freighter Rahmani in the Gulf of Aden,
located in the Arabian Sea bordered by Ywmen.
Japanese submarine RO-101, during the night, is attacked and damaged by the
destroyer Taylor while on the surface off Kolombangara, New Georgia Group,
Western Solomon Islands.
1,200 Japanese troops land on Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western
Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airfields and the town at Rabaul,
New Britain Island. B-25s hits the Lingat airfield, Selaroe Island, Moluccas
Islands, Dutch East Indies, and Selaroe Island villages, Tanimbar Island Group,
Dutch East Indies. A single B-17 bombs Garove Island, Witu Islands, West New
Britain.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force attack the Vila airfield, Kolombangara Island
in the Solomon Islands, which is hit later in the day by B-24s. 17 B-24s hit the
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Japanese airfield on Ballale Island, Shortland Island Group, Western Solomon
Islands. Several fighters of the 13th Army Air Force join Navy dive-bombers in an
attack on AA and bivouacs in the Munda area of New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force's B-24s attacks the docks and shipping at
Campha Port shipping at Ha Long Bay, French Indochina, and the railroad yards,
the power plant, and warehouses at Hongay, French Indochina.
In China, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek accepts a proposal by the Trident
Conference to have a limited offensive so that communications can be reestablished across Burma.
JULY 13
An Allied task force of three cruisers and ten destroyers fight the Battle of
Kolombangara off New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands during the
night against a Japanese cruiser and five destroyers escorting destroyer-transports.
One American destroyer the Gwin is sunk; two American cruisers, St. Louis and
Honolulu, one New Zealand cruiser, Leander, and two American destroyers are
damaged. The lone Japanese cruiser is sunk the Jintsu.
B-17s and B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airfield, the town area,
the harbor and other targets around the Lae area of New Guinea. B-25s hit
positions in Salamaua, New Guinea, along the road between Kela and
MacDonald's Junction, New Guinea.
The 10th Army Air Force drops mines in the Irrawaddy River, Burma.
American troops secure Laiana, New Georgia Island group in the Western
Solomon Islands.
AIF soldiers of the 6th and 7th Division undergo training with U.S. Paratroopers at
Mount Garnet in Australia.
On New Guinea, Allied forces overrun Mubo, New Guinea.
On New Guinea, Australian 3rd Division finishes the mop up of the Libabia Ridge.
Japanese submarine RO-101 is attacked by an Allied patrol plane damaging her
periscope off the Shortland Island.
JULY 14
An American destroyer task force shell Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
638
The Fifth Army Air Force sends A-20s to bomb and strafe the Orodubi area of
New Guinea; a single B-17 hits Lae, New Guinea; B-24s bomb Koepang on
Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-25s and P-40s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force go after small craft in Huna
Cove and Beagle Channel off the coast of New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands. B-24s and B-17s pound the airfields at Ballale, Shortland Island
Group, and Buka Islands off the coast of New Guinea and at Kahili on the south
coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
The Naval Operating Base is established at Adak, Aleutian Islands.
Mudo, New Guinea is captured.
Imperial General Headquarters and government liaison conference decides to
transfer 25 tons of gold from Japan to China to cope with the serious problem of
inflation.
Seabees on Woodlark Island in the Trobriand Islands between the Solomon
Islands and New Guinea complete the construction of an airfield.
American reinforcements of the Army 9th Defense Battalion and units of Army
103rd Infantry Battalion arrive at Laiana Beach on New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands along with Marine tanks.
Japanese submarine I-179 sinks, accidentally, off Akizaki, Japan.
JULY 15
U.S. submarine Narwhal shells the Japanese airbase at Matsuwa in the Kuril
Islands located northeast from Hokkaido Island, Japan, to cause a diversion so that
the submarines Lapon, Permit, and Plunger can exit from the previously
impenetrable Sea of Japan. The Narwhal draw so much attention that she is forced
to dive from the enemy shells. She accomplishes her mission: the three
submarines slip through Etorofu Strait without being detected.
U.S. submarine Tinosa sinks the Japanese armed merchant cruiser Aikoku Maru.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers and Avenger torpedo planes bombs Vila on
Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy Dauntless dive-bombers bombs and strafes Bairoko, New Georgia
Island, Western Solomon Islands.
During the morning a formation of U.S. Army Air Force Mitchell medium
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bombers, escorted by Navy Corsair fighters, bombs and sinks a small Japanese
cargo vessel off the west tip of Baga Island, west of Vella Lavella Island in the
Western Solomon Islands. Later on the same morning another small enemy cargo
vessel is attacked by the same group of aircraft and is left burning on a reef at the
north tip of Baga Island, Dutch East Indies.
In a day light raid on Rendova, New Georgia Islands, Western Solomon Islands,
Japanese military loose 45 out of 75 aircraft to only three American planes. After
this date Japanese daylight attacks are sharply curtailed.
A-20s of the 5th Army Air Force hits positions along the Orodubi-Komiatum
Track, New Guinea, and B-17s fly a night mission to Kahili on the south coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
The Eleventh Army Air Force sends nine B-24s and 14 B-25s to bomb AA
batteries at North Head, Jeff Cove and Gertrude Cove as well as other targets on
Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands.
B-25s, P-40s, and P-38s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force strafe a couple of
barges near Ganongga Island, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Island
chain.
The Japanese naval air force, lose 45 of 75 aircraft while destroying three U.S.
aircraft in a daylight raid against the Allies in the Solomon Islands.
On New Georgia Island, troops of the U.S. Army and USMC open an offensive
against Laiana Beach, Western Solomon Islands.
General Griswold replaces General Hester in command of operation in New
Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese light cruiser Nagara is damaged by a mine, most likely laid by U.S.
submarine Silversides on June 4, 1943, or possibly by an Australian Catalina, off
Kavieng on the northwest tip of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago off the
northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean.
The Japanese Southeast Detachment commanded by Major General Sasaki forces
launch a coordinated attack on the U.S. Marines on Munda, New Georgia Island,
in the Western Solomon Islands in an attempt to turn the their flank, but repeated
assaults fail to make an advance, and the attack fails.
German submarine U-511 arrives at Penang, Malaya, with a cargo of aluminum,
lead, mercury, steel, uncut optical glass, Daimler-Benz MB-518 diesel engines
for the use on Japanese torpedo boats, a full set of Messerschmitt Me-163 rocket
interceptor blueprints, samples of yellow fever vaccine, spare torpedoes and
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supplies for German U-boats.
JULY 16
U.S. destroyer transports, at night, travels up the slot to pick up Coastwatchers
and saviors of the Battle of Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western
Solomon Islands.
Griswold takes command at midnight of New Georgia ground operations.
During the night, Navy Catalina PBY plane attacks enemy positions on Nauru
Island in the South Pacific.
Admiral Turner leaves to assume a new command in the Central Pacific Theater.
His replacement is Admiral Wilkinson, who quickly establishes a better rapport
with the Army commanders.
A single B-24 of the 5th Army Air Force bombs
MacDonald's Junction, New Guinea.
B-24s and B-17s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force hit
the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville
Island. Around the Buin-Faisi area of New Guinea, B24s join Navy dive-bombers AAF, RNZAF, U.S. Navy,
and Marine fighters in attack on shipping.
Admiral Richmond K. Turner. U.S. Navy photo.
JULY 17
Elements of the Australian 3rd and American 41st Divisions move toward
Salamaua, New Guinea, in a holding action against the Japanese.
The U.S. Army-Marine Corps joint offensive located at Laiana Beach on the
island of New Georgia break through the Japanese defensive line near the beach.
During the night, B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Lautem, Timor Island,
Dutch East Indies, while B-24s bombs Adaoet Island in the Moluccas Islands,
Dutch East Indies. During the day, B-25s pounds the airfield, the Imperial Army
Headquarters and defensive positions as well as general area in and around
Salamaua, New Guinea.
B-24s and Navy and Marine aircraft, escorted by more than 100 Thirteenth Army
Air Force and Allied fighters, attack shipping off Buin, New Guinea, sinking the
destroyer Hatsuyuki and damage the destroyers Hatsukaze and Yunagi and
auxiliary minesweeper W.15. American bombers attack Kahili airdrome on
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Bougainville Island and naval fighters attack Tonolei shipping off Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands.
Brigadier General Ray L. Owens assumes command of the Thirteenth Army Air
Force
Japanese troops of the 13th and the 229th Regiments make their only
counterattack of the battle for Munda on New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands is repulsed.
During the night Japanese attack the Allied command post near Zanana on the
island of New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands.
Small seaplane tender Chincoteague is damaged by Japanese bombers off
Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz group of islands. During a night patrol off the coast of
New Georgia PT Boats 117, 159, and 160 fire upon five U.S. Navy destroyers.
The destroyers return fire causing the boats to retire to the south. No damage was
made on either group.
U.S. destroyers shell the Japanese garrison on Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
JULY 18
The 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry is ordered to abandon the trail block on the
Bairoko-Munda Trail on New Georgia Island and move north to assist with the
attack on Bairoko, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
During the night, B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the harbor area at
Makassar on Celebes Island in the Dutch East Indies. On New Guinea several B25s, a B-24, and an A-20 bomb and strafe Lokanu, Boisi, Tambu Peninsula, Dot
Island, Salamaua, and Komiatum.
The Seventh Army Air Force sends B-24s, flying out of Funafuti Atoll in the
Ellice Island Group, to bomb Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
Six B-25s the 11th Army Air Force make a land base attack from the Aleutian
Islands against Paramushiro in the Kuril Island chain, Headquarters of the
Japanese Northern Command. B-24s and B-25s bomb Gertrude Cove and Main
Camp at Kiska, Aleutian islands of Alaska.
In the Solomon Islands, 21 B-24s, 20 P-40s and P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force
and approximately 140 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps dive-bombers and fighters
blast the Kahili area on Bougainville Island; 15 B-24s concentrate on the airfield;
many AA positions are attacked, as are the revetments and runways.
In French Indochina B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force bombs enemy shipping at
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Haiphong and Hongay.
Project 7-A starts; it is a 90-day voluntary mission were a group of experienced
American Airline personnel fly emergency supplies over the Himalaya Mountains,
The Hump. The outcome from this project is to teach the Air Technical
Command (ATC) crews how to be professionals.
LST-342 is sunk by Japanese submarine RO-106, Solomon Islands.
Japanese aircraft bombs Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Island
chain, doing little damage.
JULY 19
A lone B-25 from the 5th Army Air Force bombs the bridge over the mouth of the
Francisco River. A B-17 hits the Finschhafen airfield, New Guinea. RAAF
Bostons attack gun position at Komiatum, New Guinea, and military camp at
Erskine Creek.
B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force damage the Shweli Bridge on the Burma
Road.
American aircraft (Eleventh Army Air Force) bombs Japanese bases on
Paramushiru, the Kurile Islands.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs the Kahili airfield on the south coast of
Bougainville Island. B-17s and B-25s hit the Ballale Island airfield, Shortland
Island group. B -25s fly support missions for ground forces in the Bairoko battle
area on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
B-24s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force attacks the cement works at Haiphong,
French Indochina.
Near dark, U.S. Navy PBY and TBF aircraft from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal
in the Solomon Islands, assault a Japanese task force near Choiseul Island east of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, sinking a destroyer and damaging a
cruiser.
The first basic training centers is established to provide military orientation for
U.S. Army nurses before their first duty assignment, are formally opened at Fort
Devens, Massachusetts; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.
U.S. submarine Porpoise torpedoes and sink the Japanese troop transport Mikage
Maru near Wake Island, Central Pacific.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea from Rabaul on
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New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New
Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean.
Ruperdo Kangleon establishes the civil government of “Free Leyte.”
JULY 20
American land based planes attack Japanese shipping south of Choiseul Island,
Solomon Islands.
In the Aleutian Islands, American destroyers Aylwin and Monaghan shells Kiska
during the night.
Colonel Liversedge's force, the 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry, reinforced by the 4th
Marine Raider Battalion, launch a prepared attack against Bairoko's fortified
positions on New Georgia Island, however, lacking artillery support and tactical
intelligence and outgunned by Japanese 90-mm mortars firing from across
Bairoko Harbor, and unable to obtain timely close air support, the attack fails and
he retires to Enogai, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff directed Nimitz to seize bases on the Gilbert Islands
and on the island of Naura, west of the Gilbert Islands.
AIF 20th Brigade steams out of Cairns, Australia, on three transports for Port
Moresby on New Guinea southern coast.
President Roosevelt directs that information about atomic research is to be shared
with the British, reversing an earlier order.
A-20s and B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force hits the Madang airfield on New
Georgia Island and the New Guinea area of Komiatum, Logui, along the Gum River,
Gogol River, and the Gori River bridge vicinity, and Bogadjim. B-25s bomb Lautem,
Island, Dutch East Indies, Dili, East Timor, Dutch East Indies, and the Cape Chater
Dili, East Timor, Dutch East Indies, and the Cape Chater Airfield on the island of
East Timor. A single B-24 bombs Arawe, New Britain.
B-24s from the Tenth Army Air Force bomb Mandalay, Burma.
B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force bomb the airfields at Kahili and on Ballale
Island. Four B-25s patrolling off New Georgia attack a group of U.S. Navy PT boats.
One Mitchell bomber is shot down, PT 166 explodes, and 164 and 168 are hit but
stops to pick up survivors of the bomber and 166.
P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb the warehouse area at Tengchung
while others strafe river traffic and railroad targets at Sinti, Changanyi,
Tingszekiao, Kaiyu, and near Puchi in China.
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In the Solomon Islands U.S. Marine and Navy planes sink two Japanese destroyers
south of Choiseul Island western Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean
In the Solomon Islands U.S. Marine and Navy planes sink two Japanese
destroyers south of Choiseul Island in the western Solomon Islands, southwestern
Pacific Ocean.
U.S. submarine Pompano torpedoes and damages the Japanese transport ship Uyo
Maru, Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Runner is reported lost Pacific Ocean Area.
The light cruiser HMAS Hobert is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine I-11 off
San Cristobal in the Solomon Islands.
Torpedo planes and B-25s finish attack on Japanese fleet found July 19 in the
Slot in the Solomon Islands.
During the early morning, three Japanese bombers drop bombs on Funafuti Atoll,
Ellice Islands doing little damage.
JULY 21
A small American force lands from PT boats at Vella Lauella, Solomon Islands,
for six days, to examine the island for possibility of a major landing.
U.S. Army troops break through Japanese lines to relieve the 169th Infantry on the
Munda Trail on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
The Northern Landing Group's attack on Bairoko Harbor on New Georgia Island
is turned back and the Americans have to withdraw to Enogai, New Guinea; the
Northern Landing Group is composed of 1st Marine Raider Regiment, 4th Raider
Battalion, and 3rd Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps and the 148th Division of
the U.S. Army.
B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force again pound Madang, New Guinea. Other B25s attacks the junction of the Gori and Ioworo Rivers and the village of
Bogadjim on New Guinea. B-26s hit barges and the jetties near Voco Point, New
Guinea. A lone B-24s bombs the Finschhafen airfield, New Guinea, and the town
of Rabaul on New Britain Island.
B-24s of the 11th Army Air Force bomb the runway, North Head, and Main
Camp at Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force along with AAF fighters, Navy fighters, and
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Navy dive-bombers attack the Bairoko area of New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Haddock torpedoes and sinks the Japanese troop transport Saipan
Maru off Saipan Island located in the Northern Mariana Islands.
JULY 22
An American task force, two battleships, five cruisers, and nine destroyers, shell
Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Sawfish torpedoes and damages the Japanese ammunition ship
Seia Maru in the East China Sea.
U.S. planes attack a Japanese convoy in Bougainville Strait that separates
Choiseul Island from Bougainville Island, with reinforcements for the Shortland
Islands in the northwestern Solomon Islands.
Japanese seaplane tender Nisshin is sunk by naval land based aircraft off New
Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-10 sinks the Norwegian tanker Alcides in the Gulf of Aden
situated in the Arabian Sea bordered by Ywmen.
B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s from the 5th Army Air Force hit Japanese troop
positions and AA guns at Komiatum, on Komiatum Ridge, at Kela Mountain, at
Salamaua on New Guinea, and along the trails near Komiatum and Salamaua; B24s bomb the oil refinery, docks, and railroad yards at Soerabaja, East Java, Dutch
East Indies; B-25s hit targets on Selaroe Island, Tanimbar Island Group, Dutch
East Indies.
In the Aleutian Islands B-25s, B-24s, P-40s, and P-38s, 11th Army Air Force, hits
North Head, Main Camp, and the submarine base at Kiska, as well as coastal
defenses and AA guns at both Kiska and Little Kiska.
B-17s and B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force, Navy dive-bombers, and other
Allied aircraft attack Japanese shipping off Buin, New Guinea.
During the early morning, Japanese bombers bomb Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Islands
leaving little damage.
JULY 23
B-17s and B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force attack Bogadjim, New Guinea. B25s, B-26s, B-24s, and B-17s again pound northeast New Guinea, hitting Malolo,
Asini, Busama, Voco Point, and Salamaua, blasting barges from Hanisch Harbor
to Wald Bay and Cape Busching, New Guinea.
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B-25s and P-40s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, along with Navy divebombers, hit the Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon.
During a night patrol PT-177, 154, and 155 come upon three enemy barges west
of Vila Lavila in Blackett Strait, in the Solomon Islands, lying between
Kolombanara Island and Arundel Island, traveling towards Kolombangara Island.
The PT boats fire at the barges sinking one and chasing off the others.
Japanese transfer 500 Allied POWs from Luzon’s Camp Cabanatuan to Moji,
Japan.
JULY 24
On Timor Island in the Dutch East Indies Fifth Army Air Force's B-25s bomb
Lautem, Fuiloro, Koepang, Tenau, and airfield and surrounding areas at Lae on
New Guinea.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Midway attack Wake Island in the
Central Pacific, bombing oil storage,
barracks, and a gun emplacement.
In the Aleutian Islands, P-40s from the
11th Army Air Force fly nine missions to
Kiska to bomb the runway. An AA
battery takes a direct hit and explodes.
AA guns are strafed on North Head and
Little Kiska.
USS Cabot (CVL 28). U.S. Navy photo.
th
48 fighters of the 13 Army Air Force join U.S. Navy and Marine dive-bombers
in attacking Japanese positions in support of ground forces in the Bairoko area of
New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands. Later on in the day other
aircraft attack gun positions at Bibolo Hill near Munda, New Georgia Island,
along with other targets.
The American carrier Cabot is commissioned.
Admiral Lockwood orders all submarines to deactivate the Mark VI magnetic
detonators and fire for contact hits only. Earlier in the day the USS Tinosa fires
13 torpedoes at the Japanese tanker Tonan Maru No. 3. Only one of the torpedoes
is able to damage the ship enough to cause her to stop dead in the water. The
captain of the Tinosa saves the last torpedo and head for port in frustration.
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U.S. submarine Pompon torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship
Thames Maru and torpedoes and damages the Japanese troop transport Kinsen
Maru between the Caroline and Admiralty Islands.
U.S. submarine Tinosa fires 12 torpedoes at a Japanese ship with 11 duds.
Motor Torpedo Patrol Boat Squadron 11 arrives at Level Harbor at New Guinea to
take up operations.
JULY 25
An American destroyer task force shell Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands
assisted by aircraft.
The United States destroyer escort Harmon is launched. This is the first U.S.
Naval ship ever named for a black sailor, a mess attendant killed while saving a
shipmate during the fight for Guadalcanal, Leonard R. Harmon.
U.S. Naval ships, aircraft, and army artillery attack Lambeti Plantation, New
Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr. U.S. Navy photo.
On New Georgia, Japanese positions are shelled
and bombed before American tanks and
bulldozers begin pushing the remaining Japanese
back. The 43rd Division with two regiments in
line moved along the coast. Farther inland, the
37th Division makes the main attack, combining
a frontal assault with a flanking movement
designed to envelop the Japanese northern flank,
take Bibilo Hill, and swoop down on Munda,
New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Dr. Laurel becomes candidate for first President of the Philippine Islands.
A single B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force attacks a large transport vessel near
Buka Passage in the Solomon Islands and bombs Lingat and Adaoet Islands in the
Moluccas Islands, and the area near Finschhafen, New Guinea.
P-40s, 11th AAF, fly seven attack missions to Kiska to bomb and strafe the North
Head AA batteries, runway, Main Camp, and Little Kiska, Aleutian Islands of
Alaska.
The 13th Army Air Force flies the largest air strike of the South Pacific as 170
aircraft, such as B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, Navy TBFs and SBDs, P-38s, P-39s, P648
40s, F4Fs, and F4Us fly against Munda airfield on New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands as destroyers shell the island.
B-25s, escorted by P-40s and P-38s, all from the 14th Army Air Force bomb the
Hankow airfield, China.
7th Air Division from Ambon Island, in the Dutch East Indies, arrives at Wewak,
New Guinea, and begins operating against Allied airfields in the Bena BenaHagen areas and the upper Markham Valley of New Guinea. This transfer is
caused because 6th Air Division is seriously weakened by combat losses and
fatigue.
The Japanese aircraft attempt to bomb U.S. forces on Rendova Island, New
Georgia Islands, Western Solomon Islands, but Allied fighters intercept and shoot
down several Zekes planes and force the Japanese to drop their bombs
indiscriminately.
JULY 26
Battle of the Pips takes place off the coast of Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands.
American warships make radar contact with what is believed to be enemy ships.
After firing nearly a million dollars worth of ammunition the radar contacts
suddenly disappear.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
During the night, Catalina PBY patrol plane attacks Gertrude Cove and the main
camp section of Kiska, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Approximately 40 B-24s and B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force fly a bombing
mission to the Lae-Salamana area of New Guinea.
The last attack mission against Wake Island in the Central Pacific is flown from
Midway by the Seventh Army Air Force attacking the oil storage area.
B-24s, P-40s, and P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force fly thirteen raids to Kiska and
Little Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
B-24s, P-38s, P-40s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, and Navy aircraft hit Japanese
bivouac area and the runway at Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island.
B-25s, P-40s, and U.S. Navy fighters fly over Kolombangara, New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands, then hit shore at Webster Cove and bivouac
area and
buildings on Simbo Island in the Solomon Islands.
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B-25s, escorted by fighters of the Fourteenth Army Air Force, bomb the Hankow
airfield, China.
Part of the 43rd Division captures the village of Ilangana, New Georgia Island,
Western Solomon Islands.
JULY 27
U.S. submarine Sawfish torpedoes and sinks the Japanese minelayer Hirashima
and torpedoes and sinks the Japanese submarine I-168 off Kyusyu Island, Japan.
United States submarine Scamp, Admiralty Islands area, sinks Japanese submarine
I-24.
Six military officers that have spent 144 hours doing a reconnaissance of Vella
Lavella in the Solomon Islands are picked up along with a PBY crew hiding on
the island. Information from the PBY group and observation prove that there are
no enemy occupying the island and the beaches are suitable for operation.
Ruby Olive Boye-Jones, Coastwatcher on Vanikoro Island in the Santa Cruz
Group, Solomon Islands, is made an honorary third officer in the Women’s Royal
Australian Naval Service with no pay.
The Japanese cargo ship Teikin Maru is sunk off Hainan Island in the Gulf of
Tonkin off the coast of China by a mine laid the U.S. submarine Tambor on
November 2, 1942.
Netaji leaves Singapore in Malaya for a seventeen-day tour of the East Asian and
Southeast Asian countries. The prime objective of this tour is to enlist
moral and monetary support for his movement from other countries, as well
as the resident Indian communities.
B-25s and B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force hit the Salamaua area of New
Guinea in one of the largest single-strike attacks of SWPA; B-25s attack barges
between Pommern Bay and Finschhafen, New Guinea, and B-26s bomb barge
concentration and supply area at Voco Point, New Guinea.
Bombers and fighters of the Eleventh Army Air Force hit Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
B-17s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the airfields at Kahili on the south coast
of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands and on Ballale Island in the
Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands. P-38s and Navy and Marine aircraft
attack the Munda area of New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands,
hitting positions on Bibolo Hill and at Gurasai, Munda Point, and the Munda
airfield, New Georgia Island.
650
B-17s and B-24s bomb Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
B-24s from the 14th Army Air Force attack shipping in the Samah Bay area of
Thailand. B-25s, supported by fighters, attack Stonecutter's Island in Hong Kong
area of China after failing to locate a reported freighter in the area.
JULY 28
The Japanese fearing that by gradually weakening the garrison on Kiska, Aleutian
Islands, over a prolonged period, the withdraw operation might fail. It was then
decided to evacuate the force at one time, in one movement, using cruisers and
destroyers as transports. The Japanese complete the evacuation without the
American forces detecting the withdraw.
Japanese submarine I-156 evacuates troops from Kiska to Paramushiro Island,
Kurile Islands.
Japanese radio station on Kiska, Aleutian Islands, sends out their last message.
On New Guinea, B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force attack barges and fuel
dump between Cape Raoult and Rein Bay, and hit the airfield at Cape Gloucester,
New Britain. Single B-24s bomb Unea Island off New Britain Island in the
Bismark Sea. B-24s bombs the New Guinea areas of Manokwari, Larat, and
Boela on Moluccas Island, Dutch East Indies. B-25s hits the town of Lautem,
Timor Island, Dutch East Indies, and airfield at Cape Chater on the island of East
Timor.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force and Navy aircraft hit gun positions at Webster
Cove on Simbo Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-25s of the 14th Army Air Force, with escort of P-40s, bomb Taikoo Docks at
Hong Kong, China.
B-24s attacked Japanese positions on Wake Island in the Central Pacific.
Japanese destroyers Ariake and Mikazuki are sunk by AAF bombers off New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
During a night U.S. Navy patrol patrols PT 142 and 149 come upon 30 enemy
barges moving towards Finschhafen on New Guinea. After a brief fight six of the
barges are sunk.
U.S. submarine Porpoise ended her last war patrol upon returning to Pearl
Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. Because the sub has suffer from continuing leaking
external oil tanks and that more new fleet submarines are arriving in the Pacific
the USS Porpoise is retired to training duties.
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JULY 29
Japanese troops pull out of Munda, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon
Islands to Banga Island in the Dutch East Indies. The 172nd Infantry attacks the
last high ground protecting Munda field in an attempt to break through the
Japanese defensive line.
Office of Civilian Defense, Washington, D. C., orders Fire Guard watches in San
Francisco because of the fear of Japanese incendiary bomb raids.
First B-29 is delivered to the Army Air Force.
B-17s, B-24s, and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb Kela Point on New
Guinea and the village of Kela, and Salamaua town and the peninsula area of New
Guinea; B-25s, B-26s, and a B-24 attack the Japanese Army Headquarters, barges,
and villages in the Natamo vicinity, shipping off Cape Gloucester, New Britain.
In Burma, the Mu River Bridge between Ywataung and Monywa is heavily
damaged by B-25s from the 10th Army Air Force.
In China, B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force, with escorts, bomb shipping and the
dockyard at Hong Kong. Kowloon and Taikoo Docks and the old Royal Navy
yards are also hit.
U.S. Navy PT Boats 135 and 143 on patrol east of Lae, New Guinea, attacks and
sinks three barges.
U.S. submarine Tuna is attacked by a Royal Australian Air Force patrol bomber
along the New Guinea coast. The resulting bombing damages the Tuna and she
has to return to Australia for repairs.
JULY 30
On New Guinea, B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Salamaua and Kela. B25s hit barges off Huon Peninsula and villages in the Finschhafen area of New
Guinea.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force, with escort of P-38s and P-40s and Navy
F-4Us, hit Ballale Island airfield, Shortland Island Group of the Solomon Islands
15 P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force flying over the Hengyang, China, area make
contact with 39 Japanese fighters and 24 bombers. In the battle that follows three
Japanese bombers and two fighters are downed; a pair of P-40s is lost.
U.S. destroyers Farragut and Hull shell Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
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U.S. submarine Finback sinks the cargo ship Ryuzan Maru north of Surabaya,
East Java, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. Army forces take control of Bartley Ridge on New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands. Later they turn back a Japanese counterattack.
Australian 9th Division steams from Cairns in Australia for Milne Bay, New
Guinea.
JULY 31
U.S. Submarine Guardfish lands a survey party on the west coast of Bougainville,
Solomon Islands.
U.S. Submarine Grayling lands supplies and equipment on Pacio Point,
Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Pogy torpedoes and sinks the Japanese aircraft transport
Mogamigawa Maru northwest of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Saury is rammed and damaged by a Japanese escort in the
Philippine Sea causing the Saury to terminate her war patrols.
HMS Victorious departs to return to the British Fleet.
Northern China Army starts an operation against Tai Hang, China.
Japanese Imperial Headquarters-Government committee decides to transfer four
northern states of British Malaya and two of Burmese Shan states to Thailand.
The red ball inside of the National insignia on American aircraft is painted blue to
avoid confusion with the red Japanese Hinamaru insignia.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-25s to attack the Finschhafen area and barges
at Hanisch Harbor and Mange on New Guinea; B-25s and A-20s blast several
barges in the Cape Gloucester area of New Britain Island; B-24s bomb Waingapoe
in the Dutch East Indies.
B-24s from the 10th Army Air Force mine the Rangoon River, Burma.
P-40s and P-39s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force join Navy and Marine
aircraft in hitting guns and defensive positions on Bibolo Hill as Allied ground
forces close in on the Munda airfield. B-17s, B-25s, P-40s, and Navy aircraft
attack the Vila airfield.
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Japanese troops evacuated from Kiska, Aleutian Islands, arrive at Paramushiro,
Kuril Island chain, northern Japan.
After studying the findings of a small joint American reconnaissance mission to
Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands, on July 21st, it is found that a landing in the
Barakoma area was feasible.
On New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands, Japanese forces push
back an advance by American troops against Horseshoe Hill.
.
7.92mm British Bren Mark I light Machine Gun
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AUGUST 1
A group of 15 U.S. PT-boats attempt to block a Japanese convoy south of
Kolombangra Island in the Solomon Islands.
Motor Torpedo Boats (PT Boats) attack Japanese destroyers near Rendova Island,
New Georgia Islands in the Western Solomon Islands.
Six U.S. Navy PT boats are attacked for over 270 minutes by Japanese aircraft
near the entrance of Wilson Strait located between the island of Vella Lavella and
Ganongga Island in the Solomon Islands, while attempting to engage barge traffic.
Motor torpedo boat PT-117, damaged by dive-bomber, Rendova Harbor, New
Georgia Islands, Western Solomon Islands is beached and abandoned.
PT-164 is sunk by horizontal bomber, Rendova Harbor, New Georgia Islands,
Western Solomon Islands.
PT-117 is destroyed during a air raid on their base at Lumbari Island near
Rendova Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Mongo shell Sorol Island, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Finback damages the Japanese transport Atlas Maru.
U.S. submarine Pogy sinks the cargo ship Magamigawa Maru near Truk Atoll in
the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Steelhead attacks a Japanese convoy and damages the auxiliary
vessel Seiko Maru as she tries to reach Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands.
American warship shells Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
A single B-24 of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the airfield at Lae, New Guinea.
The Tenth Army Air Force sends eight B-25s to attack the eastern approach to the
bridge at Shweli, Burma. The attack damages the cable anchorages and pylons but
the bridge is still usable.
B-24s from the11th Army Air Force bomb Kiska’s Main Camp, Aleutian Islands.
P-40s of the 13th Army Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft attack Munda, New
Georgia Island, bombing AA positions, and ammo dumps. B-24s, P-38s, and P40s, and Navy airplanes pound Kahili airfield south coast of Bougainville Island.
Royal Australian Air Force sets up a radar station at Townsville at Kissing Point,
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Australia.
In the Aleutian Island the last of the Japanese garrison on Kiska is removed, a
total of 5,639 men survive.
The Allies warn neutral nations not to give sanctuary to Axis war criminals.
Tokyo declares Burma's independence. The government in Rangoon, Burma,
under Dr. Ba Maw, immediately declares war on Britain and the United States.
Japanese General Staff becomes conscious that New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands can no longer be held by Imperial forces. They now
want to focus on Kolomangara Island, New Georgia Group, Solomon Islands, and
leave units left on New Georgia to fight a delaying action to the last troop.
AUGUST 2
An American task force of two battleships and five cruisers, and nine destroyers
shell Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands. This shelling continues until August
15.
RAAF Catalinas damages the Japanese destroyer Akikaze south of Rabaul on New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New
Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean.
U.S. PT-109, commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy, is sunk after being rammed by
the Japanese destroyer Amagiri in Blackett Strait, Solomon Islands. Kennedy’s
boat will be the only one in the war to be surprised and rammed by a Japanese
ship.
The War Manpower Commission announces that as of October 1st fathers maybe
inducted into the military.
Aerial photo-reconnaissance of Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands shows that 26
building have been destroyed and trucks parked near the harbor.
B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb the Salamaua area of New Guinea; A-20s
hit Buiambun on New Guinea and B-25s go after barges from Lae to Bogadjim,
New Guinea, from Lae to Kepler Point, New Guinea, and from Bubui River to
Lepsius Pont on New Guinea; other B-17s bomb supply dumps on the shores
of Hansa Bay, New Guinea. B-25s and P-38s sink Japanese motor torpedo boats
Gyoraitei No.112 and Gyoraitei No.113 at Lae, New Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands, B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s from the Eleventh Army Air
Force hit Kiska in two waves bombing and strafing North Head, and the coast
guns on Little Kiska.
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The 13th Army Air Force's B-25s, B-17s, P-40s, and U.S. Navy fighters attack the
shores of Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands, and B24s, B-25s, P-40s and U.S. Navy planes pound supply area on the west side of
Webster Cove on Simbo Island in the Solomon Islands.
27th Regimental Combat Team arrives to reinforce U.S. troops on New Georgia
Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-180 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
AUGUST 3
On New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands American troops reached
the Munda’s airfield's perimeter and encircled it.
U.S. Marine Corps 9th Battalion tanks join the offensive on New Georgia Island
in the Western Solomon Islands.
On New Guinea, B-25s, B-17s, and B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb near
Bogadjim, Salamaua, Manokwari, and Larat and along Bubui, Masaweng,
Mindjim, and Kofebi River and Bogadjim Road.
The Eleventh Army Air Force bombs Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands with B24s, B-25s, and P-38s.
German auxiliary cruiser Michel sights the transport Hermitage off Pitcairn
Island, southern Pacific Ocean, but does not attack.
AUGUST 4
On New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands, Bibilo Hill falls.
B-17s from the 5th Army Air Force hits Bogsdjim, New Guinea. A single B-24
bombs the supply dump near the Francisco River and Cape Gloucester airfield on
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. B-25s attack and strafe the Itni
River area and hit several villages on Selaroe Island in the Tanimbar Island
Group, Dutch East Indies.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska the 11th Army Air Force drops 153 tons of
bombs on Kiska, a new one-day record.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-25s to assist U.S. Navy dive-bombers to
bomb the Gurasai-Kindu area.
657
Radar-equipped PBY carries out pre-dawn bombing of submarine base and main
Japanese camp area on Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands. The Catalina also drops 92
empty beer bottles, for the disconcerting whistling effect they produce, on those
targets.
U.S. PT boats engage Japanese guardboats off Vanga Vanga, Kolombangara,
sinking No. 3 Matsue Maru and driving Banyo Maru ashore, damaged.
U.S. submarine Finback sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kaisho Maru.
U.S. submarine Seadragon damages the Japanese transport Kembu Maru.
Imperial General Headquarters abolishes the Northern Area Fleet and moves it
into the Fifth Fleet and the 12th Air Fleet stationed at Ominato and Paramushiro in
the Kuril Island chain, northern Japan.
AUGUST 5
The Munda airfield on New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands, principle
objective in the Central Solomon Islands Campaign, is taken by the XIV Corps
forces after twelve continuous days of fierce fighting in the jungle.
On New Guinea, B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force attack barges near Madang and
at Alexishafen, and hit the Nuru River Bridge and the towns of Bogadjim and
Saidor. A lone B-24 bombs Finschhafen while another hits Vitu Island. Lt.
Colonel Malcolm A. Moore takes command of the newly formed Second Air Task
Force based on the recently constructed advance airfield at Tsili Tsili, New
Guinea.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the shore of Rekata Bay west of
Brokeiello Point area of Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands. B-25s and Navy
aircraft strafes barges on coast of Gizo Island, southwest of Kolombangara Island,
New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese troops retreat from New Georgia to Kolombangara Island, New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands.
Moscow sends a note to Washington D.C., saying that the question of Russia
approaching the Japanese about the transporting and stockpiling relief supplies for
POWs "should be considered closed."
U.S. submarine Pike sinks the Japanese transport Shoju Maru west of Marcus
Island located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
658
U.S. submarine Silversides damages the Japanese minelayer Tsugaru northnortheast of Rabaul, New Britain Island Bismarck Archipelago off the
northeastern
coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean.
Leyte area guerrillas attack the guerrilla strong hold of the Western Leyte Guerilla
Warfare Force causing the WLGWF to run for their lives leaving supplies,
ammunition, and weapons behind.
AUGUST 6
The Battle of Vella Gulf starts just before midnight and continues through the
opening minutes of August 7. Six American destroyers attack four Japanese
destroyers attempting to bring supplies and reinforcements to Kolombangara
Island in the Solomon Islands. Three Japanese destroyers are sunk while the
American destroyers suffer no damage.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s, during the night, to bomb the Laha
Airfield on Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies.
B-17s, B-24s, B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force, along with Marine and Navy
fighters attack Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands. P-39s and P-40s
hit Tanagaba Harbor.
Strategic discussions result in the U.S. Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff directive calling for a
duel advance across the Pacific.
Military commanders in the Territory of Hawaii are directed to begin preparing
for
an amphibious operation against the Gilbert Islands.
659
Admiral Towers calls a meeting at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, to discuss
new carrier policies.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
AUGUST 7
The president of China, Lin Sen, dies.
The Munda airfield on New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands is declared
operational for emergency use.
The Fifth Army Air Force uses B-24s to attack Dagua But, and Tadji, east of
Aitape, New Guinea; A-20s go after barges on the Bubui River of New Guinea;
B-26s pound the Cape Gloucester airfield on New Britain while B-25s fly along
the coast of New Guinea, bombing, and strafing barges and enemy occupied
villages.
B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, along with P-40s and P-39s and Navy
F4Us, hit the Kahili airfield south coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
Major General Sasaki on Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands,
orders the gradual withdrawal of Japanese forces defending Munda to
Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands. The 13th
Infantry is the first to make a successfully withdrawal.
Japanese Eighteenth Army orders the 20th Division, and one battalion of the 26th
Field Artillery Regiment to move from Madang on New Guinea to Finschhafen,
New Guinea, to strengthen these inadequate forces already there.
German auxiliary cruiser Michel again sighted off Pitcairn Island in the southern
Pacific Ocean.
German submarine U-511 arrives in Japan with a cargo of aluminum,
lead, mercury, steel, uncut optical glass, a Daimler-Benz MB-518 diesel engines
for the use on Japanese torpedo boats, a full set of Messerschmitt Me-163 rocket
interceptor blueprints, samples of yellow fever vaccine, spare torpedoes, and
supplies for German U-boat.
AUGUST 8
The Combined Planning Staff completes its plans for the future conduct of the
war in the Pacific. The ultimate goal is the heavy attack by air on Japanese
cities.
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The 5th Army Air Force sends B-24s to attack Larat, New Guinea, shipping at
Semboh, New Guinea, and barges at Kokas on the Bay of Sekar on West Java,
Dutch East Indies.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force, with P-38s, P-39s, and Navy F4Us, as cover,
bombs Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands
and Buki Harbor located on Buki Island, Ganongga Island, New Georgia Group in
the Western Solomon Islands.
PT-113, damaged by grounding, eastern New Guinea is beached and abandoned.
U.S. submarine Whale sinks the Japanese ammunition ship Naruto Maru
northwest of the Mariana Islands.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
Japanese gunboat Tozan Maru is wrecked in a storm on the south coast of
Hokkaido Island, Japan.
AUGUST 9
On New Guinea, B-17s and B-24s from the 5th Army Air Force attack Lae and
the Salamaua area as well as Nuk Nuk, Somoa Harbor at mouth of the Francisco
River, New Guinea , barge near Reiss Point, New Guinea, and bridges on the
Bogadjim-Ramu Road on New Guinea and barges and machine-gun positions
along Borgen Bay, installations on Unea Island off New Britain Island in the
Bismark Sea.
B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb Vila southern end of
Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands. Shortly thereafter B-24s strike.
U.S. submarine Herring departs New London for the Pacific after five war
patrols out of Great Britain in the European Theater.
U.S. submarine Sculpin sinks the Japanese passenger/cargo ship Sekko Maru east
off northern Formosa Island located off the southeast coast of the Chinese
mainland.
The Japanese Southeast Detached Force is transferred to Kolombangara Island in
the Solomon Island chain.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
Japanese cargo ship Esutoru Maru is damaged by a mine laid by the U.S.
submarine Scorpion.
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AUGUST 10
Prime Minister Churchill arrives in Quebec for the QUADRANT Conference.
On New Guinea, the 5th Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the airfields
around Salamaua. B-25s attack barges in the Lae area of New Guinea and AA
positions around Borgen Bay. A-20s bomb and strafe several barges in the Labu
Lagoon, New Guinea, and in the Gasmata area of New Britain Island in the
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western
Pacific
Ocean.
P-38s, P-40s, A-24s, B-24s and B- 25s, 11th Army Air Force, bomb and strafe
Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
P-39s and P-40s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force turn back approximately 40
enemy fighters that attacked bulldozers preparing the Munda Airfield on New
Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
United States troops go ashore on Banga Island in the Dutch East Indies.
PT-161, operating from Rendova, New Georgia Islands in the Western Solomon
Islands, is damaged by Japanese floatplane off Gatere. Other PT boats engage
Japanese fishing boats in Blackett Strait, Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands, sinking
Suiko Maru.
U.S. submarine Salmon sinks the Japanese fishing boat Wakanoura Maru north of
Hokkaido Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Tullibee is damaged when rammed by a Japanese cargo ship
during the submarine's attack on a three-ship convoy on the Saipan-Truk route.
At New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands the U.S. Army 25th
Division takes over operational control of the Northern Landing Group.
USMC 1st Raider Regiment is disengaged from the Northern Landing Group to
join other Marine Corps units at Enogai, New Guinea.
AUGUST 11
The U.S. freighter Matthew Lyon is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-11
near Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, but reaches her destination under her
own power.
U.S. submarine Finback damages the Japanese auxiliary vessel Tatsumiya Maru,
bound for Singapore, Mayala.
662
Admiral William Halsey takes delivery of operational orders for the New Georgia
region of the Solomon Island chain, together with the capture of Vella Lavella
Island and the eradication of Japanese positions on Kolombangara Island in the
New Georgia Group, Solomon Islands.
A single B-24 of the Fifth Army Air Force on armored reconnaissance sinks an
enemy freighter close to Kavieng on New Ireland Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
Second Air Task Force completes movement to Tsili Tsili airfield, New Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, B-24s, B-25s, A-24s, and P-38s of the 11th
Army Air Force pound Kiska in 11 missions. 10 reconnaissance, strafing, and
photo missions are flown to Kiska by three P-38s, 26 P-40s, and one B-24. Nine
B-24s from Attu Island drop bombs and incendiaries on Paramushiru Island in the
Kurile Islands, including Kashiwabara Airfield and Shimushu Island where the
Kataoka Japanese naval base is located and staging area are hit.
B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb the Japanese supply area on
Suavanau Point on Rekata Bay of Santa Isabel Island and at Papatura Fa Island in
the Solomon Islands.
Royal Australian Air Force sets up a radio direction finding station and a air
warning station (low flying aircraft) at Mount Surprise, Australia.
U.S. 169th Infantry moves onto Baanga, New Georgia area of the Western
Solomon Islands.
AUGUST 12
During the night American PT boats unload 45 army and navy personnel to mark
landing beaches, channel routes, and select bivouacs areas on Vella Lavella,
Solomon Islands.
U.S. Forces land at Barakoma, Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands, during the night.
A small force also land on the islet of Baanga off Kindu Point, New Georgia
Island, but are driven back by a garrison of Japanese.
U.S. Task Force consisting of two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and five
destroyers, shells Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands.
PT-168, operating from Rendova Island, New Georgia Islands in the Western
Solomon Islands, is damaged by Japanese aircraft off Sandfly Harbor in the
Solomon Islands and Ferguson Passage, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands.
663
A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe Gasmata, New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago; B-24 hits Cape Gloucester airfield on New
Britain. B-25s hit the Bogadjim-Yaula Road, New Guinea.
In the Aleutian Islands the Eleventh Army Air Force flies mission from Adak
Island with B-24s and B-25s which fly 26 bombing, strafing, and radar and photo
sorties over Kiska Island; P-40s, P-38s, B-24s, B-25s, and A-24s from Amchitka
fly 70 bombing sorties over the island and are joined by B-24s and P-40s flying
photo sorties target runway, harbor, shipping installations, army barracks, and the
Rose Hill area.
B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force, with P-40 and F4U flying cover, bomb
the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
Imperial Japanese 4th Air Army makes effort to regain air superiority over New
Guinea skies with an attack on the Allied airfields at Bena Bena, Hagen,
Salamaua, and Wau.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
Park Kil Song, a native of Korean and a major in the Russian Army, slips into
Manchuria from Siberia with a detachment of Soviet-trained partisans. Park is
soon arrested and informs the Japanese to the Soviet training programs in Siberia.
AUGUST 13
Japanese planes attack Allied shipping, anchored around Guadalcanal Island in the
Solomon Islands, sinking the transport John Penn.
59 B-24s, B-17s, and B-26s of the 380th Bomber Group drop 175 tons of bombs
on the Salamaua area of New Guinea in the heaviest single day strike by the Fifth
Army Air Force to date. Nine other B-24s bomb the oil center at Balikpapan, East
Borneo, Dutch East Indies, during a night raid; the round trip covers 1,200 miles.
In the Aleutian Islands, B-26s of the 11th Army Air Force from Adak bomb Main
Camp and North Head at Kiska Island and Little Kiska. A B-24 flies a special
reconnaissance mission. From Amchitka B-24s, B-25s, A-24s, and P-38s fly
bombing missions against Kiska pounding the Camp area, gun emplacements,
buildings, shipping, and airstrip revetments.
P-40s of the 13th Army Air Force become the first Allied aircraft to land on the
reconstructed Munda airfield, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands;
after refueling, they are sent on a sweep of the Kolombangara Island coast, New
Georgia Group. B-17s bomb Cape Harbor depot; others Flying Fortresses on
armed reconnaissance bomb Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island.
B-25s bomb supply areas in the Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island. B-24s on
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armed recon hit Suavanau Point, Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island, bomb Ballale
Island airfield, Shortland Island group, and bomb Kahili airfield on the south coast
of Bougainville Island of the Solomon Islands.
P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force bomb and strafe enemy installations at
Lungling, Burma.
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill meet in Quebec to discuss
plans for the invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord). The Supreme
Commander for the invasion is agreed to be an American. The U.S. will remain in
command of Pacific operations. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten is chosen to
serve as chief for the new Southeast Asia Command (SEAC).
U.S. heavy bombers strike the Salamaua area of New Guinea.
Japanese aircraft attack Fenton Airfield in the Northern Territory in Australia.
Imperial General Headquarters forbids any further drain of troops down the Slot.
Soldiers already in the Solomon Islands are ordered to fight holding action as long
as possible and then withdraw by barrage or destroyer-transport.
Italian submarine Aquila VI sails into Singapore, Malaya, with a cargo of steel,
mercury, aircraft cannons, a 500-kg bomb, and spare torpedoes. Also on board is
a radio officer returning to Japan after extensive training in Germany, radar
engineer who has a set of German AA radar blueprints, three German engineers
from the U-boat builder Deshimag AG Weser on a technical mission and two
civilian mechanics.
First drop test of a prototype atomic bomb is made at the Dahlgreen Naval
Proving Grounds.
U.S. Navy grounds the Grumman TBF Avenger to determine stability in flight.
The U.S. freighter M.H. De Young is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-19
near Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, however, she remains afloat due to barge
pontoons stowed in her hold allowing her to be towed to port.
PT-181, operating out of Rendova, New Georgia Islands, Western Solomon
Islands, is damaged by near miss of Japanese bomb off Hunda Cove, Solomon
Islands.
U.S. submarine Paddle damages the Japanese transport Hidaka Maru off the
south coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
665
U.S. submarine Sunfish sinks the Japanese gunboat Edo Maru near Chichi Jima,
Bonin Islands, North Pacific Ocean.
U.S. Army 43rd Division goes ashore on Vela Cela Island in the Solomon Islands
and discovered no Japanese. Later they land at Baanga just off western New
Georgia in the Solomon Islands and engage a small enemy force.
AUGUST 14
Allied heavy bombers of the 5th Army Air Force pound the Salamaua area. Also,
A-20s strafe barges near Finschhafen, New Guinea; B-25s hit barges at Talasea,
New Britain, and Rein Bay, New Guinea, and B-25s bomb Koepang on Timor
Island, Dutch East Indies.
A B-26, B-24s, and P-38s of the 11th Army Air Force fly two missions to Kiska
Island in the Aleutian islands, with unobserved results.
B-17s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel
Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. Army Forces in the Central Pacific Area (USAFICPA) is established under
Lt. General Robert C. Richardson, Jr.
U.S. submarine chaser PC-67 makes rendezvous with damaged U.S. freighter
M.H. DeYoung, torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-19 the previous day, and takes
off wounded men to transport to Tongatabu, Tonga Islands. M.H. De Young is
subsequently towed to that port by Canadian steamship Quebec two days later.
Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 109 is damaged by an aircraft off
Balikpapan, Borneo, Dutch East Indies.
AUGUST 15
Third Amphibious Force lands 6,000 Army, Marine, and Naval personnel at Vella
Lavella in the Solomon Islands; thus bypassing Japanese positions on
Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Marine aircraft attack Kahili airfield, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
Allied B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force pound the Salamaua area of New Guinea.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force bomb Papatura Fa and Ighiti Island in the
Rekata Bay area of Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands. Fighters are sent
to cover the amphibious landings at Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands, by the
25th Infantry Division, and supporting units, go ashore in the Barakoma area
Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands, and establish a beachhead.
666
In the Solomon Islands, Commander Air (COMAIR), New Georgia command
post, opens at Munda Point, New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands
under Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC.
After threatening to land at Gertrude's Cove on Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands,
eastside of the island, American troops go ashore on the west side of the island; by
1600 a total of 6,500 troops are ashore.
U.S. submarine Wahoo damages the Japanese fleet tanker Terukawa Maru and
the fishery ship Ryokai Maru.
Japanese bomb Tsili-Tsili airfield on New Guinea , Allied forward base only 60
miles from Lae, New Guinea.
200 last-ditch Japanese troops retreat from Zuta, New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands, walks into an American ambush.
Construction work on the Burma Road has progressed on three miles since March.
AUGUST 16
The American carrier Intrepid is
commissioned.
The oil tanks at Balikpapan, East
Borneo, Dutch East Indies, are
attacked by B-24s of the Fifth Army
Air Force. In New Guinea, five B25s bomb Larat. 15 P-38s and 32 P47s intercept 25 Japanese fighters
preparing to attack Allied transports
near Tsili Tsili, New Guinea, and 12
Japanese fighters are shot down. This
marks first the combat use of the P47 in the Pacific Theater.
Bombers of the 10th Army Air Force attacks and claims two small vessels sunk
south of Rangoon, Burma.
B-25s, B-17s, of the 13th Army Air Force, and U.S. Navy aircraft attack the Vila
airfield on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands. B24s bombs Papatura Fa Island in the Solomon Islands.
Four P-40s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb the town of Tengchung,
China.
667
Canadian troops go ashore on Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands, north of the
American landing on August 15.
Japanese planes strafe Tsili-Tsili, New Guinea.
AUGUST 17
QUADRANT conference begins in Quebec, Canada.
At the Quebec Conference, code name Quadrant, General Orde Wingate proposes
air support for Chindit raids behind Japanese units, GALAHAD, in ChinaBurma-India Theater raids behind Japanese units, GALAHAD, in China-BurmaIndia Theater.
The Japanese establishes a base at Horaniu, Vella Lavella Island, Solomon
Islands, to be used in evacuating troops from Kolombangara Island, New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands, by barges.
In New Guinea, U.S. 5th Army Air Force strikes Japanese airbases on Wewak and
airfields at Boram, Dogaw, But, Tadji and Madang, New Guinea, destroying more
than 200 planes. During the midmorning, B-25s, with P-38s flying cover, carry
out the day second bombing and strafing strike on Boram, Wewak, and Dagaw,
New Guinea. Over 100 Japanese planes are destroyed, and the 4th Imperial Air
Army is reduced to an operational strength of just over 30 planes. This begins a
campaign to neutralize Japanese airfields in preparation for an offensive against
Lae. A-20s again hit enemy forces in Salamaua area of New Guinea. B-24s bomb
the oil facilities at Balikpapan, East Borneo, Dutch East Indies.
Fourteenth Army Air Force strikes Haiphong Harbor, French Indochina. B-24s,
operating in three waves, bombs the barracks at Cau Lo, French Indochina, and P40s bombs the town of Mangshih, China.
U.S. Navy destroyers Waller and Philip are damaged by collision off Barakoma,
Solomon Islands while defending convoy against Japanese air attack.
United States carrier Wasp, Essex-class, is launched at Quincy Fore River
Shipyard.
In the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, U.S. troops moving through the fog reach the
Japanese main camp on Kiska Island only to find it deserted.
U.S. Army reinforcements land on Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Kolombangara, New Georgia Group,
Western Solomon Islands.
668
AUGUST 18
American task force of four destroyers, Chevalier, Nicholas, O’Bannon, and the
Taylor, engages four Japanese destroyers, Hamakaza, Isonami, Sazanami, and the
Shigure escorting landing barges with 400 troops north to Vella Lavella Island.
Several barges are lost but the Japanese are able to land reinforcements at
Kokolope Bay, Vella Lavella Island, New Georgia Islands.
Allied heavy bombers of the 5th Army Air Force pound Wewak, New Guinea,
with bombs and incendiaries. B-25s and P-38s follow up the attack with bombing
and strafing runs.
In the first step toward acquiring airfields in the Ellice Islands to support
projected operations in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, an advanced survey party
moves onto Nanomea Atoll.
U.S. forces land on Baanga Island of the Solomon Islands.
China's Foreign Minister T. V. Soong complains to Secretary of State Hull that
China is being
excluded from Allied top-level strategy conferences. China
wants
to share policy and status as a Big Four Ally.
Tank landing ships LST-396 is sunk by explosion, believed to have been caused
by an accident within the ship en route to Barakoma, Solomon Islands.
The Secretary of the Navy establishes the Office
of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air)
with Vice Admiral John S. McCain as the first
DCNO(Air).
U.S. Navy destroyer Abner Read is damaged by a
mine off Conquer Point, Kiska Island, Aleutian
Islands.
U.S. submarine Plunger damages the Japanese
cargo ship Okuni Maru in the Sea of Japan.
Vice Admiral John
S. McCain. U.S.
Navy photo
The 129th Division of the Chinese 8th Route Army
attacks puppet troops of the Japanese supported 24th Group Army located at city
of Linnan in the southern Taihang Mountain area of China. The 129th Division
annihilates all the puppet troops found in the city.
AUGUST 19
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Japanese barges off load 390 troops on Horaniu, Vella Lavella Island, Solomon
Islands.
On Munda, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands, the Japanese 2nd
Battalion, 45th Infantry that had been defending the left flank around Bairoko,
New Georgia Island, evacuate to Kolombangara, New Georgia Group, then
moving on to Gizo Island southwest of Kolombangara Island.
U.S. Navy destroyer Warrington is damaged when she strikes a shoal.
American observation plane sinks the Japanese submarine I-17 off eastern
Australia.
U.S. submarine Finback sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 109,
ex-Dutch patrol vessel Kawi, off the east coast of Celebes Island in the Dutch East
Indies.
Today through August 26th, Japanese aircraft attack Allied forces in Barakoma
the area of Vella Lavella Island in the Solomon Islands, losing a considerable
number of aircraft to Allied planes and ground fire without doing any great
damage to the Allies.
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Manokwari, New Guinea, and bomb Larat
on New Guinea and Saumlakki in Central Borneo. On Timor Island in the Dutch
East Indies B-26s hits Koepang, Fuiloro, and Lautem.
Brigadier General Howard C. Davidson becomes Commanding General, Tenth
Army Air Force.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-25s, operating in pairs and with fighter
escort, to attack barges at Timbala Bay, Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands,
and Kakasa radio station on Gill Island, Solomon Islands, and a beached vessel in
Paraso Bay, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands.
Australian and American forces take the Japanese strongpoint of Mount Tambu,
New Guinea. Japanese troops are now wedged between Salamaua and the
Francisco River, New Guinea.
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill sign a secret accord, in Quebec,
Canada, saying that the Americans and the British will share nuclear information
as
well as work together under a combined policy committee.
AUGUST 20
U.S. troops find that all other Japanese forces have left Baanga Island off Kindu
Point, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
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B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force, escorted by P-38s, pound the Boram airfield
on New Guinea late in the morning; A-20s bomb Lae and hit Salamaua area of
New Guinea.
Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, China-Burma-India Theater is
activated under the command of General George E. Stratemeyer.
This command includes the Tenth Army Air Force, China-Burma-India Air
Service Command (Provisional), China-Burma-India Training Unit
(Provisional) and several lesser units.
The X Air Force Service Command (AFSC) personnel and organizations are
absorbed by CBI ASC (Prov), Brigadier General Robert C Oliver, Commanding
General X AFSC, became Commanding General CBI ASC (Prov).
The Headquarters of the XIII Bomb Command moves from Espiritu Santo in the
New Hebrides to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
In China, B-25 of the 14th Army Air Force bombs Tien Ho airfield at Canton.
Japanese aircraft bomb Brock's Creek, Australia.
Japanese forces abandon their positions on Mount Tambu and Komiatum Ridge,
New Guinea, and are manning last-ditch defensive position at Salamaua, New
Guinea.
U.S. Navy destroyer Pringle is damaged by Japanese strafing and near-misses of
bombs while transiting Gizo Strait, Solomon Islands.
LST-354 is damaged by near misses of bombs, off Barakoma, Vella Lavella,
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gar sinks the Japanese transport Seizan Maru in the Makassar
Strait between Borneo and Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Pompano departs Midway on her seventh war patrol. She is never
heard from again.
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U.S. submarine Pompano. U.S. Navy photo.
U.S. submarine Plunger sinks the Japanese cargo ship Seitai Maru off the
southwest coast of Hokkaido Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese sampan No.1 Inari Maru.
Dutch submarine O-24 sinks Japanese gunboat Chosa Maru south of Penang,
Malaya.
AUGUST 21
Allied forces occupy Komiatum, New Guinea.
PT-181 and PT-183, operating from Rendova Island, New Georgia Islands in the
Western Solomon Islands, are damaged by strafing by a Japanese floatplane,
northwest of Turovilu Island, Solomon Islands.
Japanese aircraft attack Fenton airfield, Coomalie, and Pell airfield in the
Northern Territory in Australia.
Provision are made by the CCS for setting up a supreme Allied command in Asia,
named Southeast Asia Command (SEAC), with Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten
as Supreme Allied Commander.
B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force attempt to bomb two bridges along the
Bogadjim-Ramu Road, New Guinea; B-25s pound But and Dagua airfields, New
Guinea. Single B-24s hits the Salamaua and Malahang areas of New Guinea. B24s carries out a strike against Pombelaa Island, Dutch East Indies.
In the Solomon Islands B-25s and fighters from the 13th Army Air Force strafe
barges at Doveli Cove, Marquana, and Paraso Bay.
Fourteenth Army Air Force strikes Haiphong Harbor, French Indochina.
14 B-24s, seven B-25s, and 11 P-40s of the Chinese Air Task Force strike the
docks and the airfield at Hankow, China.
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AUGUST 22
Allied troops finish their sweep of Kiska island, Aleutian Islands, and concede
that the Japanese have left. The island is declared secure and uninhabited.
U. S. Marines 2nd Airdrome Battalion, begin the occupation of Nukufetau Atoll,
Ellice Islands, as efforts proceeds to acquire airfields to support the projected
operations in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands.
Four American destroyers, Conyngham, Mahan, Perkins, and Smith, shell
Finschhafen during the night, the warships then return to Milne Bay, New Guinea.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force attack Dili, East Timor, Dutch East Indies. As
a result of the air offensive against Wewak, New Guinea, and nearby airfields,
Japanese airpower on New Guinea is sufficiently neutralized.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force and naval dive-bombers attack the barge
center on western Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands.
Four P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force bomb the Japanese headquarters and a
supply dump at Tengchung, China, and strafes trucks and enemy troops in the
area; two others strafes road traffic between Tengchung and Lungling, China.
Motor Torpedo Patrol Boats on patrol enter Elliott Cove on the south coast of
Kolombangara Island, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands, and
discover four enemy barges under camouflage netting. All are destroyed.
U.S. submarine Greenling land a party of Marine Raiders in the Treasury Islands
south of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Pike damages the Japanese army cargo ship Toun Maru.
U.S. submarine Plunger sinks the Japanese fishery Ryokai Maru in the Sea of
Japan.
U.S. submarine Swordfish sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Nishiyama Maru
off Palau, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Tullibee sinks the Japanese transport Kaisho Maru and survives
depth-charge attack by Ikazuchi.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
Japanese resistance on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands
disintegrates and they are forced to evacuate remaining troops from the north of
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the island to neighboring Kolombangara Island, New Georgia Group, Solomon
Islands .
AUGUST 23
U.S. Submarine Grayling delivers supplies to Filipino guerrilla forces on Panay,
Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Paddle sinks the ex-Italian passenger/cargo ship Ada off
Hamamatsu, Japan.
U.S. fleet tug Ute arrives at Vega Bay, Alaska. She is sent to investigate the
reported sinking of a Japanese submarine. Her divers find the submarine lying on
her port side in 10 fathoms of water. The conning tower is damaged but the I-7's
hull number is visible on the side of the conning tower.
During a night patrol, PT 135 comes upon two Japanese barges near Walingai on
New Guinea. The PT boat strafes the barges and the shore.
Japanese transport Heito Maru is sunk by an Allied aircraft east of Car Nicobar,
Andaman Island, Bay of Bengal, India.
Three Japanese destroyers sailing for Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands to
evacuate a garrison stationed at Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel Island, are driven away
by aircraft.
Imperial General Headquarters makes a decision to leave the central Solomon
Islands and assemble forces and materials on and around Bougainville Island,
Solomon Islands.
.
American destroyers shell Buna, New Guinea.
The island of New Georgia in the Western Solomon Islands is declared secure.
B-17s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Japanese ground troops and supply
dumps at Hansa Bay, New Guinea. Other B-24s bombs the town the airfield of
Kendari, Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies. B-25s hit Aroe Island. B-25s pound
Kela, New Guinea. B-25s hit Marawasa, Finschhafen, and Lillum Saun, New
Guinea.
In Burma, B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force fly a low level attack on the Myitnge
Bridge, knocking out a center span.
B-24s and P-39s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force strafe Wagina Island, Solomon
Islands.
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Coastal minesweeper Crow is sunk by erratic running friendly aircraft torpedo,
Puget Sound, Washington.
Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters the island of Espiritu Santo with a small
plane.
AUGUST 24
U.S. Army troops occupy Bairokos Harbor, New Georgia Island, Western
Solomon Islands, ending the campaign.
QUADRANT Conference ends in Quebec, Canada, with decisions made about the
European Theater. The Pacific Theater is to go along two routes leading to
Tokyo, one through the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and the other leading to the
Philippines.
On New Guinea the Australian 5th Division is exchanged for the 3rd Division in
preparation for the push Salamaua and Lae, New Guinea.
A seaplane from the Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Espiritu Santo in the
New Hebridies.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
PT-175 and PT-176, operating from Rendova, New Georgia Islands in the
Western Solomon Islands, are damaged by Japanese floatplanes, Gizo Strait
southwest of Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Whale damages Japanese fleet tanker San Diego Maru.
Kiska Island is declared secured, ending the Aleutian Island Campaign.
In New Guinea the Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to pound Wewak and bomb
Salamaua and B-25s bombs Larat and barges near Wotap.
B-17s, B-24s and B-25s again bomb Hansa Bay, New Guinea.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force, with fighter escort, bomb Papatura Fa Island
in the Solomon Islands and attacks the shore of Ringa Cove. P-39s strafe barges at
Kakasa, Gill Island.
B-24s and B-25s, escorted by P-40s and P-38s, all from the 14th Army Air Force
bomb the airfields at Hankow and Wuhan, China.
AAF Antisub Command is redesignated I Bomb Command after Army Air Force
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and USN reach an agreement under which the AAF withdrew from antisub
operations; subsequently, I Bomb Command, Second Air Force, is redesignated
XX Bomb Command.
U.S. Marine Corps Colonel William Brice transfers his headquarters of the
Fighter Command to the Munda Point airfield on New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Islands. The responsibility of Commander, Aircraft, New
Georgia is also united under his command.
AUGUST 25
Lord Mountbatten is appointed Supreme Allied commander, Southeast Asia.
Rear Admiral Marc A. Mitscher is relieved as Commander Aircraft, Solomon
Islands, by Major General Nathan F. Twining, U.S.A.
Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands, is occupied by
U.S. troops as the last pocket of resistance is removed.
U.S. Army troops secure New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands. The
Japanese withdraw to Kolombangara \Island, New Georgia Group, Solomon
Islands, and Arundel, New Georgia Group, Solomon Islands.
On New Guinea approximately 100 B-24s, B-25s, and B-17s of the 5th Army Air
Force carry out an hour long strike against Hansa Bay area, Nubia, and Awar, and
nearby shipping. Small flights of B-24s attacks Finschhafen, New Guinea, and hit
transport off New Hanover Island off the coast of New Guinea. A-20s hits
Gasmata on New Britain Island in the Bismark Archipelago. B-25s bombs Timor
Island in the Dutch East Indies.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force, along with U.S. Navy dive-bombers and an
escort of fighters, pound a barge centers at Webster Cova on Simbo Island in the
Solomon Islands, and Ringa Cove, Solomon Islands. B-24s, along with 24
fighters, hit the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands.
The 14th Army Air Force sends B-25s to bomb the Kowloon Docks at Hong
Kong, China.
U.S. submarine Trout sinks a Japanese fishing vessel with her deck gun.
U.S. Navy destroyer Patterson sinks Japanese submarine RO-35, southeast of San
Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands.
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Four American destroyers, sows mines off Wilson Cove, western Kolombongara
Island, Western Solomon Islands; light minelayers Montgomery and Preble are
damaged in collision as they retire from the area.
AUGUST 26
The head of the Soviet Purchasing Aid Division informs the United States that the
Russians are ready to help deliver relief supplies to American POWs in Japan.
The Eleventh Army Air Force shrinks as the 21st, 36th, 73rd, and 406th Bomb
Squadrons are ordered to prepare for departure back to the States.
B-25s, from the 13th Army Air Force, and 60 plus Navy dive-bombers, pound AA
positions and barges at Ringa Cove, Solomon Islands, and Webster Cove located
on Simbo Island in the Solomon Islands, and at Nusatuva Island. B-24s bomb
Papatura Ite in the Solomon Islands located off the north coast of western Santa
Isabela Island and supply areas on Papatura Fa, Solomon Islands. B-24s bombs
the Kahili airfield south coast of Bougainville Island. P-39s strafes buildings on
Gizo Island southwest of Kolombangara Island and at Kolulavabae Inlet, New
Georgia Island.
B-24s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb Kowloon Docks at Hong Kong,
China. B-25s supported by P-40s, bomb Tien Ho airfield at Canton, China.
U.S. submarine Tunny attacks a Japanese convoy consisting of transport
Amagisan Maru and tanker Tsurumi, escorted by submarine chaser Ch 4, off
Palaus in the Caroline Islands. Tunny's attack is unsuccessful but Ch 4 damages
the submarine and forces her to terminate her patrol.
The Japanese 2nd Battalion of the 238th Infantry Regiment, 41st Division, which
had been ordered to transferred makes their advance from Madang to Finschhafen
on New Guinea before making its way to Lae, New Guinea, to reinforce the 51st
Division, is ordered to remain at Finschhafen.
AUGUST 27
U.S. Marines and Seabees complete occupation of Nukufetau, Ellice Islands.
U.S. Army forces of the 43rd Division go ashore on Arundel Island, Solomon
Islands at Nauro Peninsula and take over control of Japanese artillery positions
which had been firing on American positions at Munda Point, New Guinea.
B-24s bomb Japanese shipping off western tip of New Hanover Island off the
coast of New Guinea, damaging army cargo ship No.18 Shinsei Maru.
B-26s of the 5th Army Air Force attacks bridges in the Bogadjim area of New
Guinea. A-20s bombs and strafes barges and Japanese troops along the Bubui
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River in the Lae area, New Guinea. B-25s bombs the Dili, East Timor in the
Dutch East Indies, and Cape Chater airstrip on the island of East Timor. B-17s
and B-24s, escorted by P-38s, bomb Japanese installations in the Hansa Bay area
of New Guinea, damaging small cargo vessel No.8 Manryu Maru.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force stations SB-24s (Snoopers) equipped with radar
devices, permit blind bombing, at Camey Field, Guadalcanal. B-25s, P-40s,
and Navy F4Us strafe barges and the shoreline at Kakasa, Gill Island. P-39s
strafes barges and other targets at Ringa Cove, Kolombangara Island, Solomon
Islands.
In China the 14th Army Air Force sends P-40s to strafe a large truck convoy
between Sintsiang and Yoyang, other P-40s hit communication lines between
Yoyang and Hankow.
LCT-319 sinks after running aground, Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
U.S. submarine Drum damages the Japanese transport Yamagiri Maru.
U.S. submarine Grayling sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Meizan Maru west
of Mindoro, Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Pollock sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Taifuku Maru
although minesweeper W.17 arrives on the scene in time to open fire on Pollock,
the submarine escapes.
U.S. submarine Snapper inflicts further damage on the previously damaged
Japanese transport Tokai Maru Apra Harbor, Guam, Mariana Islands.
AUGUST 28
U.S. Marines occupies Nanumea Island, Ellice Islands.
Japanese evacuates New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Organized resistance at Munda, New Georgia Island, ends.
B-25s and P-38s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs and strafes supply dumps
and shipping in the Hansa Bay area of New Guinea, sinking fishing vessels Owaru
Maru and Seio Maru; also on New Guinea B-17s and A-20s bomb the jetties at
Lae and Voco Point and hit barges in Samoa Harbor between Lae and Salamaua.
B-25s, P-40s, of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, and Navy F4Us bombs and
strafes barges, buildings, and enemy troops in the Sigolehe Island-Barora Ite
Island area off Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands.
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U.S. submarine Tarpon damages Japanese stores ship Shinsei Maru off Mikura
Shima, Japan.
PT Boats 142 and 153 discover three barges near Finschhafen, New Guinea. They
sink one using gunfire, another with depth charges and the last is boarded only to
find all are dead. PT 152 then sinks the last barge using a 37mm gun.
U.S. Navy PBY aircraft attack the Japanese minelayer Hoko off Buka Island off
the coast of New Guinea; although the Catalina crew claims damage, the enemy
auxiliary escapes unscathed.
AUGUST 29
On New Guinea, B-24s, escorted by P-38s, from the Fifth Army Air Force hit the
airfields at Wewak and Boram. Elsewhere on New Guinea, B-25s and B-17s
bombs and strafes the Alexishafen and Bogadjim areas. A-20s hit dumps in the
Gasmata area of New Britain Island. B-24s bomb Babo, New Guinea, and Adodo,
New Guinea.
B-25s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb the airfield at Chingmen, China.
Three U.S. submarines leave Pearl Harbor on the Territory of Hawaii to
experiment on using Wolf Pack tactics by mock attacking an eastbound American
convoy.
Japanese destroyers remove approximately 3,400 troops from Santa Isabel Island,
Solomon Islands, for delivery to Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands and
the surrounding area.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
AUGUST 30
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Dagua, But, and Tadji, New Guinea. A20s go after barges on the Bubui River of New Guinea. B-26s bomb Cape
Gloucester airfield on New Britain Island while B-25s sweeps along the coast,
bombing and strafing barges and enemy-occupied villages.
The 73rd Bombardment Squadron, 28th Composite Group, of the Eleventh Army
Air Force based on Amchitka Island, Aleutian Islands, with B-25s, begins a
movement back to the Zone of the Interior.
B-24s, along with P-40s and P-39s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force and
approximately 20 Navy F4Us, pound the Kahili airfield on the south coast of
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
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B-25s, some with P-40, from the 14th Army Air Force attack Owchihkow and
Shihshow, China, blasting fuel stores and several buildings; the P-40s strafes gun
positions outside Shihshow. In China P-38s and P-40s fly to Sinti to Yoyang to
Sienning, strafing and bombing targets; several locomotives are exploded and
another damaged, a water tank is knocked down, and some railroad stations are
heavily damaged. Other P-40s attack a convoy near Hong Kong, China.
The U.S. tanker W.S. Rheem is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-20 near
Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, but reaches port under her own power.
U.S. submarine Halibut sinks the Japanese cargo ship Taibun Maru off north-east
Honshu Island, Japan.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
AUGUST 31
American carrier task force bomb Marcus Island in the northwest Pacific Ocean,
the most easterly island of Japan. Nine groups strike the island during a daylong
attack. This attack marks the first strikes by the carriers of the Essex and
Independence Class carriers the Yorktown and Independence. Also,
this day commemorates the first combat use of the F6F Grumman Hellcat.
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat. U.S. Navy Photo.
U.S. troops occupy Baker Island in the Central Pacific.
The United States carrier Langley is commissioned.
Captain C.B. Momsen loads inspected Mark VI torpedoes into the U.S.
submarine Muskellunge and fires them against the vertical cliffs off the island of
Kahoolawe, Territory of Hawaii. The submarine fires three torpedoes against the
rock cliffs. The first two exploded, but the third threw up a geyser of compressed
air and water. Divers carefully retrieve the activated yet unexploded torpedo. The
valuable dud will be hauled back to Pearl Harbor for examination.
U.S. submarine Seawolf damages the Japanese torpedo boat Sagi and sinks the
cargo ship Shoto Maru and cargo ship Kokko Maru in the East China
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Sea.
USAAF aircraft sinks the small the Japanese coastal vessel Shirogane Maru off
the coast of South China, between Amoy and Hong Kong, China.
Fifth Army Air Force bombers fly scattered strikes against enemy shipping and
shore targets in the Saint George Channel between New Ireland, northeast of the
island of New Britain and part of the Bismarck Archipelago, and New Britain
Islands, and in the Dutch East Indies.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force and 50 Navy aircraft bomb gun positions
and a radio station at Vila. P-40s strafes barges in Timbala Bay on Vella Lavella
Island, Solomon Islands.
The 14th Army Air Force's B-24s bombs the Gia Lam airfield, China. P-40s and
P-38s bomb dike near Co Bi barracks, China. B-25s attack the Ichang airfield
while others attack the oil storage area close by along with P-40s. P-38s divebomb Yoyang, China, the railroad yards and the Sinti warehouses.
LCT-154 is lost during amphibious operations.
Australian 9th Division sails from Milne Bay to Lae, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-8 arrives at Beast, France, with her cargo of two Type 95
torpedoes, drawings of an automatic trim system, Type 95 submarine torpedo
tubes, a new naval reconnaissance plane, quinine, tin, and raw rubber.
Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka Type 38 Carbine, with bolt cover
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SEPTEMBER 1
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcats from American carriers raid Marcus Island in the
northwestern Pacific Ocean. This is the first time Hellcats are used in combat.
The attack, made in several waves throughout the day, destroys 80 per cent of the
military installations on the island.
U.S. 503rd Parachute Regiment drops near the trail junction of Erap and
Markham, New Guinea.
U.S. troops go ashore on Baker Island in the Central Pacific. The island is to be
used as a airbase for operation in the Central Pacific.
Flying Fortresses attack Labu Island, New Guinea. This mission begins a
weeklong assault on the Lae area of New Guinea.
U.S. Navy destroyer Wadsworth sinks the Japanese submarine I-182 off Espiritu
Santo, New Hebrides.
U.S. submarine Pompano sinks the Japanese vessel Nankai Maru off
Miyako Retto Island, southern Ryukus Islands of Japan.
U.S. submarine Seawolf torpedoes and damages the Japanese transport ship Fusei
Maru in the East China Sea. The Seawolf later finished off the ship with her
deck gun.
Approximately 70 B-24s and B-25s attack the Alexishafen-Madang area of New
Guinea, dropping 201 tons of bombs the heaviest by Fifth Army Air Force to date.
Other B-25s hit the Iboki Plantation, barges on the Bubui River, New Guinea,
Rein Bay area of New Guinea, and several villages in New Britain. Flying
Fortresses attack Labu Island off New Guinea. This mission begins a weeklong
assault on the Lae area. B-26s attack the Cape Gloucester area of New Britain
Island Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea. B-24s and
B-25s strike in the Lesser Sunda Islands located in the Banda Sea, Flores Sea, and
Timor Sea of the Dutch East Indies.
B-24s from the Seventh Army Air Force conduct daily sea-search operations from
Canton in the Phoenix Islands east of the Gilbert Islands.
B-25s and P-40s, of the 14th Army Air Force attack a Japanese destroyer at
Shihhweiyao in China; no hits are scored on the ship but considerable damage is
done to surrounding dock area. P-40s heavily damage small ship at Swatow
Harbor, China, and strafe the nearby airfield. Three P-38s and a P-40 dive-bomb
and strafe barracks at Yangsin, China.
Japanese submarine I-121 is relived of combat duty and assigned to training
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duties at the Kure Naval Base, Hiroshima, Japan.
Japanese submarine I-122 is relived of combat duty and assigned to training
duties at the Kure Naval Base, Hiroshima, on the Seto Inland Sea, Japan.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
Australian Defense Committee create a chemical warfare research base close to
Proserpine in Queensland, Australia.
SEPTEMBER 2
U.S. submarine Bowfin delivers supplies and evacuates personnel from Binuni
Point, Northern Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands.
The American submarine Snapper sinks the Japanese frigate Mutsure near Truk
Atoll, Caroline Islands.
B-17s from the 5th Army Air Force bomb Labu Island as well as Cape Gloucester
airfield on New Britain Island Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of
New Guinea. B-25s, with P-38 escorts, attack Japanese shipping at Wewak
Harbor, New Guinea, sinking the cargo ships Nagato Maru and Hankow Maru,
and damaging the Nagano Maru. The Japanese use barrage balloons to protect
ships.
10 B-25s and five P-40s, 10th Army Air Force, bombs the Kowloon area of China,
and attacks shipping off Stonecutter's and in the Lai Chi Kok area of China.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force uses B-25s along with U.S. Navy aircraft to pound
Vila at the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Western Solomon Islands,
hitting AA positions and area east of Ringa Cove, Kolombangara Island. B-24s,
P-39s and P-40s, and U.S. Navy planes attack Kahili, south coast of Bougainville
Island, hitting shore installations, the airfield, and bridges.
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force bomb the Kowloon area of China
and attacks shipping off Stonecutter's Island and in the Lai Chi Kok area of China.
U.S. Navy destroyer Kendrick is damaged by aerial torpedo.
SEPTEMBER 3
The American destroyer Ellet sinks the Japanese submarine I-20.
U.S. submarine Pollock sinks Japanese transport Tagonoura Maru off Mikura
Jima Island, Izu Islands in the Philippine Sea.
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U.S. submarine Pompano sinks the Japanese cargo ship Akama Maru south-east
of
Hokkaido Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Sunfish torpedoes and sinks the freighter Kozan Maru.
Japanese General Staff Office permits the Burma Theater command to prepare
the Imphal Operation.
Allied planes heavily attack Tuluvu and Rabaul on New Britain Island, and Lae
and Cape Cretin on New Guinea.
Heavy and medium bombers from the 5th Army Air Force bomb Lae, New
Guinea. Other heavy bombers hit the Cape Gloucester area on New Britain
Island. Light raids are flown against targets on Ceram in the Moluccas Islands and
Timor in the Sunda Islands of the Dutch East Indies.
11 P-40s and two P-38s from the Tenth Army Air Force attack the barracks area at
Pho Lu, French Indochina.
B-24s, P-40s (13th Army Air Force), and U.S. Navy planes attack the Kahili
airfield, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-24s and U.S. Navy aircraft also
bombs Vila airfield on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands and P-40s
strafe Webster Cove wharf on Simbo Island in the Solomon Islands.
SEPTEMBER 4
American Naval forces lands Australian troops of the 9th Division, many veterans
of fighting in North Africa, and troops of the American 162nd Infantry Regiment
on Huon Peninsula, near Lae, New Guinea. The Australians will move west
towards Lae as the Americans go east towards Hopoi, New Guinea.
Japanese retaliatory air strikes against the American task force at Huon Peninsula,
New Guinea, infantry landing craft LCI-339 is sunk; destroyer Conyngham is
damaged by dive bomber, LST-471 and LST-473 are damaged by torpedo and dive
bombers.
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force support the landings by pounding the Lae
airfield, New Guinea. B-25s hit the Hopoi area of New Guinea and bomb the
airfield at Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island, and A-20s and RAAF planes
hit Gasmata airfield, New Britain Island.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force hit the Dulo Cove, New Georgia Island in the
Western Solomon Island area. B-24s, AAF fighters, and Navy planes hit the
Ballale Island airfield, Solomon Islands.
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B-25s and P-40s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force pound the Tien Ho airfield
at Canton, China.
Japanese aircraft attack four Rendova Island based U.S. PT boats off Meresu
Cove, Kolombangara Island of the New Georgia Group in the Solomon Islands,
damaging PT-124 and PT-125.
U.S. submarine Albacore sinks the Japanese gunboat Heijo Maru southwest of
Ponape, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Pargo damages the Japanese fleet tanker Ryuei Maru in the East
China Sea located off East China coast, Japanese Island of Kyushu to the north,
and Formosa to the south.
U.S. submarine Tarpon sinks the Japanese guardboat Yulin Maru in northern
Pacific using her deck gun.
A Japanese-sponsored Philippine Constitution is signed.
SEPTEMBER 5
On New Guinea, U.S. Paratroopers of the 503rd make jump into the Markham
Valley at Nadzab in the near Lae. Australian troops attack from Tsili Tsili, New
Guinea.
Australian 7th and 8th Divisions make an amphibious landing close to Lae on New
Guinea in junction with U.S. Paratroopers going down in the Markham Valley at
Nadzab, New Guinea.
U.S. Navy district patrol craft YP-279 founders in heavy weather off Townsville,
Australia.
A mine sinks the salvage vessel Yusho Maru in the Makassar Strait between
Borneo and Sula west of the Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Albacore hits the Japanese transport Hokusho Maru with two dud
torpedoes.
U.S. submarine Swordfish sinks the Japanese transport Tenkai Maru near New
Guinea.
In New Guinea, heavy bombers of the Fifth Army Air Force blast the Lae airfield
and surrounding area, and medium bombers bomb and strafe enemy defenses in
Malahang and vicinity. B-25s fly a sweep against barges along the coast of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago and bomb targets on Timor in the Sunda
Islands of Dutch East Indies.
685
SEPTEMBER 6
General Stilwell proposes that both Chinese Nationalist and Communist troops be
used to defend airfields in China, however, Chiang Kai-shek does not go along
with that proposal because his forces of 400,000 troops are largely employed in
containing the Communist.
The 7th Australian Division arrives at Nadzad, New Guinea, by troop carrier
plane and begins driving overland toward Lae, New Guinea.
On the island of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands, New Zealand troops begin
mopping-up operation.
B-24 damages Japanese hospital ship America Maru.
Heavy bombers of the Fifth Army Air Force blast the Lae airfield on New Guinea
and the surrounding area, and medium bombers bomb and strafe enemy defenses
in Malahang vicinity of New Guinea. B-25s attack barges along the coast of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago and hit targets on Timor in the Sunda Islands
of Dutch East Indies.
B-25s and P-39s of the 13th Army Air Force hit enemy positions at Kakasa on
Gill Island in the Solomon Islands. B-24s blast gun positions at Vila on the
southern end of Kolombangara Island. P-39s join navy aircraft in a strike on
suspected radar
site at Morgusaia Island, Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands.
Fourteenth Army Air Force attack wharves, shipping, and a small factory building
in the Yoyang-Shihhweiyao area of China. Others hit trucks, trains, gun
emplacements, and railway facilities in areas around Sintsiang and Puchi, China.
U.S. submarine Halibut sinks the Japanese cargo ship Shogen Maru and later hits
the heavy cruiser Nachi with one dud torpedo south coast off Hokkaido, Japan.
U.S. submarine Seahorse is damaged by depth charges off the Palau Island in the
Caroline Islands shortly after attacking a convoy, but remains on patrol.
RAAF Beauforts sinks the small Japanese cargo vessel Seicho Maru east of
Garove Island, Witu Island group of the New Britain Islands.
During the night, one battalion of the Japanese 102nd Infantry and Sasebo 5th
Special Naval Landing Force are transferred to Lae on New Guinea by barge to
reinforce the weak defense in the area.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Finschhafen, New Guinea.
686
Eighteen Japanese G4M medium bombers attack the American airfield at Lea,
New Guinea.
SEPTEMBER 7
Japanese aircraft bomb Nanumea, Ellice Islands of the Western Pacific.
Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Area (ICPOA) became the Joint Intelligence
Center Pacific Ocean Area (JICPOA) under Colonel J.J. Twitty, U.S.A.
C-47s begins flying the remainder of the Australian 7th Division to Nadzab, New
Guinea.
B-24s and B-26s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Lae, New Guinea; B-25s
bomb and strafe the road to Markham on New Guinea; A-20s hits Gasmata area of
New Britain Island Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New
Guinea. P-38s successfully turn back an enemy bombing attack on Morobe on
New Guinea.
The Gokteik Viaduct, Burma, is bombed by B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force.
A pair of B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs a barge depot and supply area
near Ringa Cove on New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine rescue ship Florikan arrives at Vega Bay, Kiska Island, in the
Aleutian Islands of Alaska. She will conduct a month-long diving operation on
the sunken Japanese submarine I-7 in an attempt to recover important intelligence
documents.
U.S. submarine Shad arrives at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, to join the
Pacific War after three war patrols in the Atlantic.
U.S. freighter Lyman Stewart, en route to Durban, South Africa, from Colombo,
Ceylon, is attacked by Japanese submarine I-27and slightly damaged by a dud
torpedo. I-27s gunfire attack proves equally ineffective, and Lyman Stewart
proceeds on her way
The United States PT boats 118 and 172 are lost due to grounding Solomon
Islands.
SEPTEMBER 8
A task force of four American destroyers shells Lae, New Guinea.
The Japanese at Salamaua are ordered to prepare to fall back to Lae on New
Guinea in face of approaching Australian 5th Division.
687
Japanese military headquarters in Saigon, French Indochina, issues orders to
organize "Giyugun" or local armies throughout southeast Asia.
Japanese land attack planes bombs Nanomea, Ellice Islands, Western Pacific.
Italian submarines Aquila II, Aquila III, and Aquila IV are taken over by the
Japanese Navy after receiving the news of an armistice had been signed by the
Italian government with the Allies. Their crews are taken prisoner by the
Japanese in Singapore, Malaya, and transferred to a POW camp.
In New Guinea, American and Australian troops push down the Markham River
Valley from Nakano towards Lae. Elements of the Australian 9th Division,
moving west on Lae, reach the flooded Busu River where the Japanese hold the
west bank.
B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s from the Fifth Army Air Force pound the Lae
area, and A-20s hit Salamaua, New Guinea.
B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force, operating from Canton in the Phoenix Islands
east of the Gilbert Islands, fire on a flying boat scoring hits but causing no visible
damage.
Units of the 10th Army Air Force bomb the Gokteik Viaduct, Burma. During the
night B-24s mine the Rangoon River of Burma.
Twelve B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force hit the Vila airfield on the southern
end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands.
American destroyers shells Buna, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Drum sinks the Japanese cargo ship No. 13 Hakutetsu Maru off
Hollandia, New Guinea.
336th Service Squadron of the U.S.A.A.F. pulls into Townville, Australia, to set
up at the #2 depot of the 4th Air Depot Group.
Italy surrenders unconditional to the Allies.
SEPTEMBER 9
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the British cargo ship Larchbank
off the west coast of India.
The Japanese Submarine I-174 slips into Buna Harbor of New Guinea with
Admiral Mori to take charge of operations.
688
Japanese submarine I-182 is sunk by the American submarine Trout, Philippine
Islands.
Italian submarines Capellini, Giuliani, and Torelli are captured by the
Japanese at Sumatra, Greater Sunds Islands, Dutch East Indies, after receiving the
news of an armistice being signed by the Italian government with the Allies.
U.S. submarine Grayling is sunk, possibly rammed by the Japanese transport
Hokuan Maru in the South China Sea west of Luzon in the Philippines.
U.S. submarine Harder sinks the Japanese cargo ship Koyo Maru off
the south coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Permit damages the Japanese cargo vessel Tateyama Maru off
Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
U.S. submarine Pompano damages Japanese army cargo ship Nanking Maru east
off Honshu Island, Japan.
Australian 9th Division crosses the Busu River, New Guinea.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt lands in Brisbane, Australia, to visit U.S. combat
troops.
At Umnak, Alaska, the Royal Canadian Air Force 14th Fighter Squadron
prepares to depart for Canada.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb and strafe coastal area from Alexishafen
to Finschhafen on New Guinea and hits points on the New Britain coast.
During the night B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force mine the Rangoon River of
Burma.
Thirteenth Army Air Force B-25s and U.S. Naval dive-bombers pound the Vila
airfield on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands
and barges at Disappointment Cove. B-24s bombs the Kahili airfield on the
south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force attack the White Cloud airfield. P38s bomb the Whampoa docks, Hong Kong, China. In China P-40s and P-38s go
after shipping on the Yangtze River near Chiuchiang, Kichun, Wusueh, Ocheng,
and Changanyi.
Four high-speed transports bombard Lae, New Guinea.
689
SEPTEMBER 10
Japanese resistance collapses south of the Francisco River near Lae, New Guinea.
The Japanese 20th Division is relieved of its mission on the construction on the
Madang-Lae Road and is ordered advance to Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Japanese troops advance to the Italian settlement at Tian Jin, China, after the
Italian government surrenders.
Tottori, Japan, earthquake kills 1,083 and destroys 7,485 homes.
The Australian 7th Division, having been flown to Nadzab, New Guinea, in C47s, begins to push east toward Lae, New Guinea.
First and Fourth Army Air Forces are relieved from their assignments to Eastern
and Western Defense Commands in the Zone of Interior (United States) and
here after serve primarily as training organizations.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force attack enemy barges on the New Britain coast
in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
The Tenth Army Air Force bombs the Gokteik Viaduct, Burma.
B-24s of the 11th Army Air Force fly from Adak to Attu Island in the Aleutian
Islands in preparation for Paramushiru, Kuril Island chain, northern Japan,
mission on the 11th.
In China the 14th Army Air Force's B-25s and P-40s hits the cotton warehouse in
Wuchang and the docks at Hankow.
SEPTEMBER 11
Japanese troops start falling back from Salamaua to Lae, New Guinea. American
and Australian troops pursue the retreating enemy.
In New Guinea, Australian forces cross the Francisco River to Salamaua airfield
as Japanese forces draw toward Lae.
Americans of the 25th Division land on Arundel, Solomon Islands.
Seabees and U.S. Army engineers complete an airstrip on Baker Island in the
Central Pacific.
The Fifth Army Air Force's B-24s bombs Makassar, Celebes Island, Dutch East
Indies.
690
B-25s and B-24s from the 11th Army Air Force attack Paramushiru in the Kuril
Island chain, northern Japan for the third and last time in 1943. B-24s bombs the
Kashiwabara, Paramushiru Island, staging area. Shipping is bombed and strafed in
Kashiwabara Harbor and Paramushiru Straits. Losses are seven B-25s and two B24s in this most disastrous day for the Eleventh Army Air Force. It will be another
five months before it is able to strike at the Kuril Islands.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force pound the Vila airfield on Kolombangara
Island in the Solomon Islands and Disappointment Cove. The Vila airfield is hit
again in the evening by B-24s. 25 B-24s bomb the Kahili airfield, Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands. P-40s and P-39s support U.S. Navy dive-bombers in
striking gun positions at Hamberi, Kolombangara Island.
In China the Fourteenth Army Air Force sends B-25s and P-40s to hit the Hankow
docks and the Wuchang cotton mills. P-38s blast the ammo and fuel depots at
Tayeh and strafes the warehouses and barracks at Yangsin.
A seaplane from the Japanese submarine I-26 reconnoiters the Fiji Islands, South
Pacific.
Allied aircraft south of Makassar, Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies, sinks
Japanese minesweeper W.16.
U.S. submarine Harder sinks the Japanese transport Yoko Maru south of Mikura
Jima Island in the Philippine Sea.
U.S. submarine Narwhal sinks the Japanese transport Hokusho Maru northwest of
Nauru Island in the South Pacific.
U.S. submarine Spearfish damages the Japanese transport Tsuyama Maru southwest of Kyusyu Island, Japan.
On a night patrol PT boats land six U.S. and Australian scouts along with four
natives at selected beaches that might be used in future Allied landings north of
Finschhafen, New Guinea.
SEPTEMBER 12
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-17s and B-24s to attack Lae on New Guinea
and B-25s to strafe between Saidor and Langemak Bay, New Guinea. B-25s hit
the barges near Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, and A-20s bomb a radio
station at Gasmata on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the
northeastern coast of New Guinea.
691
Eight P-38s of the Tenth Army Air Force attack shipping in the Hong Kong area
of China, four hit Yangtze River traffic at Chiuchiang, East China, and four P-40s
strafe barracks and destroy a locomotive near Shihhweiyao, China.
The Japanese begin withdrawal in the face of the Australian 7th and 9th Divisions
moving into Lae, New Guinea. Japanese evacuate the 51st Division in a difficult
and costly retreat toward the north coast of the Huon Peninsula on New Guinea
through a steep mountain trail.
While the withdraw at Lae, New Guinea, is underway the Nakai Detachment
continues its scheduled diversionary operations in the upper Ramu Valley. The
detachment moves out from the military road terminus at Kankirei with the
objective of seizing Kaiapit and then advancing into the Markham Valley, New
Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to the Shortland Islands in the
northwestern Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-39 torpedoes and sinks the U.S. Navy’s ocean-going tug
Navajo while she is towing the YO-42 from Pago Pago, American Samoa, to
Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides.
First Allied airplane lands at Salamaua airfield, New Guinea.
The United States 162nd Infantry and two Brigades of the 5th Australian Division
seize Salamaua, New Guinea.
Japanese dive-bomber damages LST-455 while participating in the Lae operation
on New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Permit damages the Japanese aircraft transport Fujikawa Maru
off Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt tours Townville, Australia, as head of the American
Red Cross.
SEPTEMBER 13
Chiang Kai-shek is named president of China for a three-year term, giving him
greater authority.
American reconnaissance party goes ashore on Howland Island, Central Pacific,
north of the equator, Phoenix Islands, to inspect the 2400 foot landing strip
prepared for Amelia Earhart in 1937.
692
On New Guinea, B-24s, escorted by P-38s, from the 5th Army Air Force bomb
the airfields and ammo dumps in the Wewak area. B-25s hit Lae.
United States Army troops land on Saggekarasa, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Permit damages the Japanese fleet tanker Shiretoko off Kwajalein
Atoll, Marshall Islands.
U.S. submarine Snook sinks the Japanese transport Yamato Maru in the East
China Sea.
During the night, 15 Japanese aircraft attack Funafuti, Ellice Island.
During the night, Japanese planes bomb Lunga Point Area on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands.
During the night a Japanese bomber attacks Russell Island, Solomon Islands.
SEPTEMBER 14
The Australian Fifth Division occupies Salamaua, New Guinea.
MacArthur's forces land on Morotai in the Halmahera Group, Dutch East Indies.
On New Guinea, B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force attacks Lae and barges near
Hansa Bay. B-24s bombs Kendari on Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies.
The 13th Army Air Force sends B-24s, with AAF and U.S. Navy aircraft, to
bomb the Kahili airfield, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, three times during
the day. B-25s bombs the Vila on the southern end of Kolombangara Island
airfield. B-24s and B-34's attack the Vila area. P-39s join navy planes in an attack
on the Ballale Island Airfield, Shortland Island group, Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force fly to Haiphong in French Indochina, however,
only half of the bombers arrive.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force sends four P 38s to attack a pair of ships at
Chiuchiang, China.
Japanese airplanes throughout the day attack Allied airfields and other facilities on
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Barakoma, Vella Lavella Island, Solomon
Islands and at Munda on New Georgia Island, Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-10 torpedoes and sinks the Norwegian tanker Bramora in
the Indian Ocean, near the Chagos Islands.
693
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Lae, New Guinea.
The U.S. submarine Grenadier fails to return from patrol operations and is
presumed to be lost.
U.S. Navy PT boats pick up six U.S. and Australian scouts along with four natives
that have been doing a reconnaissance of selected beaches that might be used in
future Allied landings north of Finschhafen, New Guinea.
SEPTEMBER 15
United States Fleet Wing 17 is commissioned in Brisbane, Australia, for
operations in the Southwest Pacific Area.
Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Nationalist urge President Roosevelt to recall
General Stilwell, because they fill he does not understand the realities of China.
An American attack against Japanese positions is driven back by a counterattack
on Arundel Island, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands.
Five Motor Torpedo Patrol Boats inspect coves around northern Vella Lavella
Island in the Solomon Islands. They strafe enemy shore installations setting a
barge loaded with rice filled drums on fire, destroy another as well as a couple of
smaller boats.
U.S. submarine Haddock sinks the Japanese collier Sansei Maru north of Truk
Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
U.S. Navy destroyer Saufley and PBY sinks Japanese submarine RO-101 east of
San Cristobal, Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine RO-103 is sunk by U.S. Naval land-aircraft and the U.S.
destroyer Saufley, Solomon Islands.
Imperial General Headquarters makes a major strategic change with the
hypothesis of absolute national defense zone. Under this new policy delaying
actions would be fought in the South Pacific area until a new security line will be
developed through the Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, and the Philippine.
Japanese Eighth Fleet Headquarters orders the evacuation of all Army and Navy
forces from Kolombangara Island in the New Georgia Group of the Western
Solomon Islands by barges and destroyers to Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands and Rabaul on New Britain Island.
Japanese aircraft attack Fenton and Long Airfields in the Northern Territory of
Australia.
694
A single Japanese aircraft bombs Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, causing minor
damage.
B-17s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Lae, New Guinea. B-24s, with P-38
escorts, bomb airfield's in the Wewak area of New Guinea. B-25s sink about 15
barges between Alexishafen and Finschhafeu, New Guinea, blast ammo and
supply dump near Bogadjim, New Guinea, and attack AA positions at Bostrem
Bay, New Guinea.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force
bomb the Vila, Kahili, and Kara airfields. B-24s later pound Kahili runway area;
others hit Parapatu Point. During the night, B-25s hit the Kahili airfield twice and
heavy bombers bomb the airfields on Buka Island and Ballale in the Shortland
Island group. U.S. Navy dive-bombers, and fighters supported by the AAF, also
hit Ballale Island airfield. The bivouac area, revetments, supply dumps and gun
positions are hit.
B-24s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack the Haiphong, French Indochina,
cement plant. B-25s and P-40s attack Wucnang, China, cotton mill area.
SEPTEMBER 16
On New Guinea, the Ninth Australian Division occupies Lae. With the capture of
Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea, on the 11th the Japanese have lost a key port and
airfield.
The ex-German submarine U-511 is enlisted into the Japanese Navy as the RO500.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends heavy bombers to attack Lae, New Guinea. Soon
after the attack the Japanese start withdrawing ground forces towards Wewak,
New Guinea.
P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Navy aircraft in covering Navy divebombers in their strike on the Ballale Island airfield in the Shortland Island group,
Solomon Islands.
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force hit warehouses, barracks, ammo
dumps, and the Japanese headquarters at Liujenpa, China.
Mine sinks the Japanese gunboat Seikai Maru off Kavieng on the northwest tip of
New Britain Island. The mine is most likely laid by U.S. submarine Silversides on
June 4,1943.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon engages the Japanese minelayer Fumi Maru
695
with her deck gun off Rota Island, Mariana Islands.
During a night patrol PT-136 goes aground on an uncharted reef in Vitiaz Strait,
between New Britain Island and the Huon Peninsula, northern New Guinea, and is
set on fire to prevent capture.
PBY sinks small Japanese cargo vessel Taira Maru en route to Hansa Bay, New
Guinea.
SEPTEMBER 17
B-25s of the 5 Army Air Force carries out a coastal sweep against barges and
villages from Reiss Point to Langemak Bay, New Guinea.
th
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force bomb Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
PT-136, damaged by grounding, eastern New Guinea area is scuttled.
Japanese sea plane from the Ominato seaplane base attacks the U.S. submarine
Pompano as she rides on the surface off the Aomori Prefecture near Shiriya Zaki,
Honshu Island, Japan.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Finschhafen, New Guinea
High velocity gun to be used to detonate the atomic bomb is tested.
Three Battalions of the U.S. Army 503rd jump into Nadzab, northwest of Lae,
New Guinea, to secure the airfield.
SEPTEMBER 18
United States carrier aircraft attack Tarawa, Makin, and Abemama, Gilbert
Islands.
B-26s on the Fifth Army Air Force along with Royal Australian Air Force bombs
and strafes Finschhafen, New Guinea. A-20s go after Tami Island in the Lae area
of New Guinea.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force, flying out of Funafuti, Ellice Island Group,
and Canton Island, Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Island chain, to bomb Betio, Maiana,
and Abemama Islands in the Gilbert Island chain during the night. This action is
part of an effort by the U.S. Army-Navy to attack Tarawa, aimed at preventing
Japanese attacks on U.S. installations at Baker Island and in the Ellice
Island.
B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb the airfield, phosphate plant,
and radio station on Nauru Island in the South Pacific.
696
B-25s and P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack the rail yards and
attack the furnaces at Shihhweiyao, China.
The New Zealand Third Division arrives at Vella LaVella Island in the Solomon
Islands .
Japanese aircraft attack Fenton and Long airfields in the Northern Territory of
Australia.
U.S. submarine S-42 damages the Japanese gunboat Chowa Maru.
U.S. submarine Scamp attacks a Japanese convoy north of New Guinea, sinking
the cargo ship Kansai Maru although damaged by depth charges Scamp remains
on patrol.
U.S. submarine Spearfish damages the Japanese torpedo boat Sagi southwest of
Kyusyu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Trigger sinks the Japanese cargo ship Yowa Maru east
of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, southwest of Kyushu Island of Japan.
The Japanese minelayer Ashizaki dropped depth charges on a spot where oil is
surfacing from a submarine that was spotted and attacked by a seaplane on the
17th bringing up more oil. Most likely the U.S. submarine Pompano.
SEPTEMBER 19
United States carrier aircraft and Army B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force
attacks Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island to obtain photo coverage of Betio
Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands .
The 43rd Bomb Group of the 5th Army Air Force flies their last combat mission
with B-17s as they bomb Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island. B-25s and B26s pound Finschhafen, New Guinea, in preparation for Allied landings. B-24s
bomb the airfield and surrounding area at Cape Gloucester. B-24s and B-25s fly
small strikes against Amboina, Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East
Indies, Selaroe, Tanimbar Island Group, Dutch East Indies, and Penfoei at Timor
Island, Dutch East Indies.
20 B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force, out of Funafuti in the Ellice and Canton
in the Phoenix Islands, bomb Tarawa Atoll and Abemama in the Gilbert and
obtain photo coverage of Betio, Tarawa Atoll.
B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force hit Monywa, Burma.
697
The 21st Bomb Squadron of the Eleventh Army Air Force departs Alaska for the
lower 48 States.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force and U.S. Navy dive-bombers bomb the Vila
airfield on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands, and a causeway, enemy
positions, and ammo dump at Disappointment Cove, Kolombangara Island in the
Solomon Islands.
Other B-25s bomb and strafe the barge centers at Ringa Cove, Kolombangara
Island, and Webster Cove at Simbo Island in the Solomon Islands.
AIF 2/6th Independent Company captures Kaiapit on New Guinea. An airstrip
will be constructed in the area. Kaiapit will become a base for the AIF 7th
Division's as they advance up the Markham Valley, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine S-28 sinks the Japanese gunboat Katsura Maru No. 2 in the Sea
of Okhotsk, in the western Pacific between Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia on the
east, the Kuril Islands to the southeast, and the Japanese island of Hokkaido to the
south.
U.S. submarine Harder sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kachiyama Maru off the
southern coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
Early in the morning, several enemy planes bomb American positions on
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
General Stilwell goes against General Patrick Hurley’s advice and gives Chiang
Kai-shek a message from President Roosevelt requesting that Stilwell be given
unrestricted command or accepts responsibility for the deteriorating military
situation. Chiang Kai-shek reacts by asking for Stilwell to be recalled. Stilwell
agrees to stop using Communist forces. Hurley reported that Stilwell’s attitude is
the problem between Chiang Kai-shek and Roosevelt.
Japanese submarine I-180 delivers supplies to Finschhafen, New Guinea.
SEPTEMBER 20
Australian troops take Kaiapit, New Guinea.
On New Guinea, B-25s and B-17s from the Fifth Army Air Force hit roads from
Kaiapit to Madang destroying three key bridges. P-39s strafe and dive-bomb the
Bogadjim-Yaula area. B-24s bomb the Wewak and Boram airfields. B-25s hit
Penfoei, Timor Island, Dutch East Indies, Sunda Islands.
In Burma, the Tenth Army Air Force bombs Sagaing and Naba.
698
The 6th Night Fighter Squadron of the 13th Army Air Force flying a P-38 against
Japanese night attackers over Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. They shoot
down two aircraft within 60 seconds.
A modified plan is proposed by the Allies reaffirming to concentrate Allied power
against Tokyo only after Germany surrenders and to call on Russia to permit
American bases in Siberia for B-29 operations.
During the early morning, six Japanese planes bomb the vicinity of the airstrip on
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Japanese bombers and 20 fighters attack the Allied airfield at Kunming, China.
U.S. submarine Haddock damages the Japanese fleet tanker Notoro east of the
Palaus in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific.
Members of the Jaywick Raid on Singapore, Malaya, shove off from their vessel
in three folboats with 800 pounds of equipment.
Japanese repair ship Hayase is sunk by Chinese aircraft, Ch'iu-Chiang, Yangtze
River, East China.
Japanese ship 850 American POWs from Luzon in the Philippine Islands to Japan.
SEPTEMBER 21
In the Solomon Islands, Arundel, New Georgia Group, Western Solomon Islands,
is captured by United States Army troops. The lost of this island cause the
Japanese to abandon the Central Solomon Islands.
During the night, six U.S. Navy PT boats are used to form a defensive screen
north of the 7th Amphibious Force at it approaches Finschhafen Invitiaz Strait,
New Guinea.
A-20s, B-26s (Fifth Army Air Force), and RAAF aircraft hit Tami Island and
pounds Finschhafen, New Guinea, in preparation for Allied amphibious assault.
B-25s bomb and strafe the Bogadjim area of New Guinea. B-24s hit Cape
Gloucester on New Britain Island. A-20s, and RAF aircraft bombs Gasmata, New
Britain. B-25s attack Langgoer, New Guinea.
B-24s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb the runway and revetment area
at Buka Island airfield off the coast of New Guinea. In the Southwest Pacific area
the 65th Bomb Squadron fly a photo-reconnaissance mission to Buka. This will
be their last mission in B-17s.
699
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force attack the railroad yards and
warehouses at Chiuchiang, China.
U.S. submarine Haddock torpedoes the Japanese collier Shinyubari Maru westnorthwest of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Trigger sinks the Japanese fleet tankers Sheridan and Shook Maru
and cargo ship Argon Maru, and damages the fleet tanker No.1 Our Maru north of
Keeling, Formosa off the southeast coast of China.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese merchant fishing vessel Hokusei Maru
west of the Kuril Islands northeast from Hokkaido Island, Japan.
Japanese submarine I-174 delivers supplies to troops at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
In the morning, about 12 or 16 Japanese bombers hit Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands.
SEPTEMBER 22
American task force of destroyers and landing craft puts the 9th Australian
Division goes ashore at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
On Finschhafen, New Guinea, Major General Yamada issues orders for the
majority of his force camped on Satelberg Hill, New Guinea, to prepare for an
attack. The 3rd Battalion, 80th Infantry is sent as a sortie force to attack the
Australia beachhead and reconnoiter the front in preparation for a full scale
counterattack.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Finschhafen, New Guinea, but fails
to establish contact with the Japanese garrison and leaves.
Japanese Eleventh Air Fleet, flying from Rabaul, New Britain Island, conducts
heavy strikes on the American task force in the Finschhafen area of New Guinea.
On New Guinea Japanese 51st Division starts withdraw from Lea across the
Sarawaket Mountains. In this withdraw 2,000 troops are lost.
Australian troops land on New Guinea at Katika.
Amphibious forces land troops on the Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, opposite
New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Japanese defenses in the Finschhafen
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area of New Guinea. A-20s and B-25s hit Lae area of New Guinea. B-24s and B25s bomb Gasmata airfield on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
B-24 hit Amboina, Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies.
In Burma medium Bombers of the 10th Army Air Force attack the Ye-u branch
line railroad bridge over the Mu River between Ywataung and Monywa.
Negligible damage is done.
U.S. Navy coastal transport APC-35, irreparably damaged by grounding en route
to Renard Sound, New Georgia Island Group in the Western Solomon Islands is
beached and abandoned.
U.S. Navy gunboat Charleston is damaged when accidentally rammed by U.S.
cargo ship Sam Jackson, Kuluk Bay, Adak, Alaska.
U.S. submarine Harder sinks the Japanese tanker Daishin Maru and cargo ship
Kowa Maru off the south coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Hoe attacks the Japanese fleet tanker Genyo Maru.
U.S. submarine Snook sinks the Japanese cargo ship Katsurahama Maru and
damages the cargo ship Hakutetsu Maru in the Yellow Sea located between China
and the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. submarine Trigger damages Japanese army cargo ship Gyoku Maru.
SEPTEMBER 23
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe villages in the upper
Markham River Valley of New Guinea. P-40s bombs Gasmata Island off New
Britain Island.
Admiral Kinkaid issues Op Plan 9-43, which reorganizes the Alaskan Army and
Navy air strength. Commanding General Eleventh Army Air Force becomes
Commander of Task Force 90, composed of Task Group 90.1, designated the Air
Striking Unit, comprising 16 Medium Bombers, 12 Heavy Bombers, 100 fighters
and of Task Group 90.2, designated the Air Search Group, a Navy air arm. For
operations the Eleventh Army Air Force is now under the jurisdiction of the
COMNORPAC Forces. There is no administrative change.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force uses B-24s and P-38s along with U.S. Navy divebombers, covered by Army Air Force, Marine, Navy, and RNZAF fighters,
attack Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. B24s bomb from Stanmore Plantation to the mouth of the Vila River located at the
southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands. P-39s strafe barges,
at Sasamunga Village, Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands, and Malanono.
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U.S. submarine Bluefish torpedoes and damages the Japanese cargo ship
Akashi Maru southeast of Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Trout sinks the Japanese transport Ryotoku Maru and the
cargo ship Yamashiro Maru northwest of the Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine Tuna attacks the Japanese cargo vessel Shinwa Maru.
Japanese submarine I-38 again approaches Finschhafen, New Guinea, but still
does not receive a signal from the troops on shore. Later, she spots an American
convoy
but is unable to attack because of her cargo.
In Hong Kong, 24 American, 73 Canadian, and 13 Latin American internees held
at the Stanley Internment Camp board the Teia Maru for Goa in India to be
exchange for Japanese prisoners and internees from other countries.
3,500 Allied POWs are loaded on to a Japanese “Hellship” for shipment from
Java Island in the Dutch East Indies to Singapore, Malaya.
SEPTEMBER 24
On Vella Lavella Island in the Solomon Islands the airfield becomes operational
for the Allies.
The U.S. freighter Elias Howe is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-10
southeast of Aden in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. submarine Cabrilla attacks the Japanese carrier Taiyo, escort carrier Chuyo,
and destroyer Shimakaze northwest of Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands, North Pacific
Ocean, torpedoing Taiyo. Chuyo tows the disabled carrier to Yokosuka. Taiyo is
saved from worse damage because two of the three torpedo warheads that hit the
ship (of the six fired by Cabrilla) detach upon impact.
Australian forces break through the Japanese defenses on the River Bumi, New
Guinea.
Japanese planes attacks Allied shipping anchored off Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-38 once more attempts to deliver her cargo to the forces at
Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Finschhafen, New Guinea.
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The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to fly a strike against Sorong, New Guinea,
and Manokwari, New Guinea.
Eleanor Roosevelt concludes her international trip to the South Pacific islands,
New Zealand, and Australia as a representative of the Red Cross. She will see
nearly 400,000 American servicemen at bases and hospitals, including a stop at
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and also she will help advanced relations
with the Australian government.
SEPTEMBER 25
B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force attacked the Ye-u railroad bridge over the Mu
River between Ywataung and Monywa, Burma.
On New Guinea, Australian 9th Division, having crossed the Buni River, pushes
south toward the town of Finschhafen.
New Guinea, B-17s, B-24, and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb Japanese
installations and supply lines from Bogadjim to villages on Ramu and Markham
Rivers. A-20s and RAAF airplanes pound positions near Finschhafen, New
Guinea. B-25s bombs and strafes AA positions at Rein Bay, New Guinea.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Navy TBFs and SBDs in attacking
Japanese gun positions in the areas around the Vila airfield on Kolombangara
Island and Disappointment Cove, Kolombangara Island, Western Solomon
Islands.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Finschhafen, New Guinea, but fails
to make contact with the garrison.
Japanese dive-bomber off Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands damages LST-167.
U.S. submarines Bowfin, Billfish, and Bonefish attack a Japanese convoy; Bowfin
sinks the tanker Kirishima Maru north of Nha Trang, French Indochina. None of
the other attacks prove successful, and the enemy ships continue their passage to
Manila on Luzon in the Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Nautilus arrives off Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands to begin
an eighteen day photo-reconnaissance of the islands of Abemama, Makin, and
Tarawa, Gilbert Island group.
U.S. submarine Wahoo torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary gunboat
Taiko Maru west of the Tsugaru Strait in the Sea of Japan.
SEPTEMBER 26
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Japanese 80th Infantry Regiment counterattack from the Satelberg Hill area fails at
Finschhafen, New Guinea.
Japanese Eleventh Air Fleet, flying from Rabaul on New Britain Island in the
Bismarck Archipelago, conducts heavy strikes on the American task force in the
Finschhafen area of New Guinea.
On New Guinea, B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the But and Dagua
airfields, elsewhere, on New Guinea B-24s hit the Nubia and Potsdam Plantation.
B-24s, covered by P-38s, all from the 13th Army Air Force bomb a Japanese
bivouac near Kahili south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. P40s, P-39s, and Navy F4Us along with Navy dive-bombers make a strike on the
Kahili airfield hangar area and gun positions at Kangu Hill and Jakohina,
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
During the night Six British and 11 Australian army and naval personnel using
canoes enter Singapore Harbor and plant limpet mines to Japanese freighters and
tankers. This operation sinks seven ships totaling some 38,000 tons
SEPTEMBER 27
Allied aircraft attack Japanese airfield around Wewak, New Guinea.
Japanese aircraft attack Drysdale Mission airfield in Western Australia.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers her cargo meant for the troops at Finschhafen to
Sio, New Guinea, and leaves with half of her cargo still on board.
Japanese submarine I-180 arrives at Finschhafen, New Guinea, begins to unload
her cargo. Allied ships attack her causing her to submerge and releases supplies
strapped on deck in rubber containers.
117 B-24s and B-25s, escorted by 129 P-38s and P-40s, all from the Fifth Air
Force attack the airfields and shipping in the Wewak area of New Guinea sinking
the Japanese transport Taisei Maru and cargo vessels Sakihana Maru, Taisho
Maru, Fuji Maru, and Kiri Maru. On New Guinea, Finschhafen is bombed twice
during the day.
B-24s, P-40s and P-39s, from the Thirteenth Army Air Force and several U.S.
Navy aircraft hit the Kahili area on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Bluefish sinks the Japanese torpedo boat Kasasagi south of the
Flores Sea, Dutch East Indies.
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U.S. submarine Bonefish sinks the Japanese transport Kashima Maru, and
damages the cargo ship Chihaya Maru in the South China Sea, from Singapore in
Malaya to the Malacca Straits to the Straits to Formosa.
At Finschhafen on New Guinea, 300 troops of the Japanese naval garrison and a
company of the 2nd Battalion, 238th Infantry find themselves surrounded by
Australian troops.
Chiang Kai-shek orders the execution of Chen Tu-hsiu, the founder of China's
Communist Party.
SEPTEMBER 28
The Japanese start evacuating forces from Kolombangara Island in the New
Georgia Group of the Western Solomon Islands.
On New Guinea, B-24s escorted by P-38s of the 5th Army Air Force hit the
Wewak area. A-20s and RAAF Vengeances attack Finschhafen and the Lae area.
B-24s and P-39s hit road near Bogadjim.
Five B-24 of the 13th Army Air Force attacks a convoy in the northern Solomon
Islands they claim several damaging hits that
causes the convoy to reverses its course.
U.S. submarine Cisco. U.S. Navy photo.
U.S. submarine Cisco is sunk, probably by
Japanese naval aircraft and gunboat Karatsu (exU.S.-river gunboat Luzon (PR-7)) in the Sulu
Sea, off Panay Island in the Philippines located in the western part of the Visayas.
U.S. submarine Grouper lands personnel and supplies on the southern coast of
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon sinks the Japanese cargo ship Taian Maru.
Allied aircraft, off New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, sinks
Japanese
minelayer Hoko.
SEPTEMBER 29
U.S. Marines land on Nanumea, Ellis Islands, Western Pacific.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force, on armed reconnaissance, attack shipping in
the Dutch East Indies and Solomon and Bismarck Seas.
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P-38s, P-39s and P-40s from the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Navy planes in
supporting a strike by Navy dive-bombers on a barge depot at Kakasa, Gill Island
Solomon Islands. Other P-40s strafes and sets afire a barge off Sambi Point,
Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands.
In Burma B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force bombs Myitkyina and Sadon during a
routine ferry trips over the Hump, Himalaya Mountains.
During a sweep to destroy Japanese barge traffic north of Kolombangara Island in
the Western Solomon Islands, U.S. Navy destroyers Patterson and McCalla are
damaged in a collision.
U.S. submarine Bluefish, for the second time fires, on and sinks the Japanese
cargo ship Akashi Maru.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon damages the Japanese gunboat Santo Maru off Saipan
Island in the Northern Mariana islands. Transport Kenryu Maru tows the gunboat
into Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks Japanese cargo ship Masaki Maru No.2 in the Sea of
Japan, east of Hungnam, Korea.
Japanese submarine I-180 returns to Finschhafen on New Guinea and unloads the
rest of her cargo that was disrupted on September 27th .
SEPTEMBER 30
At a meeting with the Emperor the Japanese high command sets up an absolute
defensive line that the Allied Forces will not cross. This string will run from the
Kuril Islands to Ogasawara Island in the Caroline Islands to western New Guinea
and up through Burma.
Imperial General Headquarters holds a conference to discuss the wars progress
from offensive to defensive action. Also a compromise is reached which sets a
production goal of 40,000 planes for the fiscal year 1944.
The 6th Imperial Air Division is ordered to use what few planes it has left to fight
a mostly defensive operations out of Wewak, New Guinea.
B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force fly light raids against Boela, Moluccas
Island, Dutch East Indies, Sorong on New Guinea, and Manatuto on the island of
East Timor of the Dutch East Indies.
B-24s, covered by P-38s and P-40s from the 13th Army Air Force, and a few U.S.
Navy F4Us, go after the Kahili airfield area on Bougainville Island in the
706
Solomon Islands, hitting supply and bivouac area near the strip. B-25s bombs
Kakasa on Gill Island, Solomon Islands .
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force sink the Japanese auxiliary
minesweeper Chikushi Maru in Kwangchow Bay, China; the vessel is later
salvaged, however, and resumes active service.
In the Solomon Island area, Japanese dive-bombers damage LST-334.
PT-126 is damaged, accidentally, by USMC F4Us. One Corsair is shot down
killing the pilot. Four other PT boats are damaged.
Grounding off Vincke Point, Huon Peninsula, eastern New Guinea damages PT68 and is scuttled by motor torpedo boat PT-191 to prevent capture.
U.S. submarine Bowfin delivers supplies and evacuates people from Siquijor
Island, Philippines, and sinks the small Japanese cargo ship Mitake Maru.
U.S. submarine Harder sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.3
Shosei Maru with her deck gun in the North Pacific.
U.S. submarine Pogy sinks the Japanese transport Maebashi Maru east of Palau,
Caroline Islands.
Japanese Type 26 9mm Pistol
707
OCTOBER 1
The ex-Dutch vessel Valk is refloated in Tjilajap harbor of Java in the Dutch East
Indies by the Japanese.
Japanese submarine I-10 torpedoes and sinks the Norwegian freighter Storviken.
A-20s from the 5th Army Air Force and RAAF aircraft bomb and strafes the
Finschhafen area of New Guinea.
The Tenth Army Air Force fighter situation improves with the arrival of the 80th
Fighter Group, with their P-40s, and the 311th Fighter-Bomber Group with A-36s
and P-51s. The new squadron, 459th flies P-38s, the first to be used in India.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb a Japanese supply and bivouac area near
Vila airfield located on the southern end of Kolombangara Island in the Solomon
Islands. B-25s and P-38s join U.S. Navy dive-bombers in a strike on barge depot
at Kakasa, Gill Island, Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force bomb the power plant, a warehouse, and the
dock area at Haiphong, French Indochina.
U.S. Navy Air Wing 17 sets up a repair base at Challenger Bay, Queensland,
Australia.
U.S. Navy destroyer Saufley is damaged by near miss of bombs from a Japanese
horizontal bomber, Solomon Islands.
Horizontal bomber, Solomon Islands, damages LST-448.
Mobile degaussing barge YDG-4 sinks southeast of Bulari Passage, after running
aground off New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
U.S. submarine Peto sinks the Japanese transport Tonei Maru and Japanese cargo
ship Kinkasan Maru, southern Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese cargo ship Masaki Maru in Sea of
Japan located in the western Pacific between mainland of China and the Japanese
archipelago.
U.S. Navy PT boats 68 and 91 attack and sink two barges off Vincke Point, New
Guinea. Later they fire on a barge off loading troops on the beach. During this
attack 68 runs aground and has to be destroyed to prevent capture.
Australian government discharges men from the munitions industry for
reallocation within the countries war effort.
708
OCTOBER 2
U.S. submarine Kingfish lays mines off southern Celebes Island, Dutch East
Indies.
Grounding near Nanumea, Ellice Islands, damages LST-203.
Japanese minesweeper W.28 is damaged by mine, placed by the U.S. submarine
Silversides, June 4, 1943, off Kavieng on the northwest tip of New Britain Island
in the Bismarck Archipelago.
Finschhafen, New Guinea, is captured by Australian troops of the 20th Brigade, 9th
Division.
Japanese War Ministry decides to draft college students, exempting only those
students in science and medicine.
Japanese start evacuating Kolombangara Island in the Western Solomon Islands.
Japanese submarine I-10 damages, with torpedoes, the Norwegian tanker Anna
Knudsen.
On New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, B-25s from the Fifth Army Air
Force strafe villages in the Talasea area and barges off Gasmata; B-26s bomb
Hoskins Airfield; and a B-24 bombs Cape Gloucester Airfield, New Britain. Other
B-24s bombs Amboina in the Moluccas Islands of the Dutch East Indies.
Six B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force join USN dive-bombers in attacking
Hamberi Cove barge hideout near Vila on Kolombangara Island, Western
Solomon Islands.
Five P-40s, of the Fourteenth Army Air Force dive-bomb and strafe Yangtze
River shipping in the Chiuchiang, East China area.
OCTOBER 3
Japanese complete evacuation more than 9,000 troops from Kolombangara Island
in the western Solomon islands to southern Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands.
Japanese Burma Theater Command begins Nu Jiang Operation as a reinforcement
of the Imphal Operation.
Japanese forces begin offensive in Central China.
709
Japanese organize "Giyugun" or local defense forces for Sumatra and Java Islands
in the Dutch East Indies. The force for Java is called PETA (Pembela Tanah Air).
U.S. Navy destroyer Henley is sunk by Japanese submarine RO-108 off eastern
New Guinea.
Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru is damaged by mine, Surabaya, Java, Dutch
East Indies.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force hit barges along the western coast of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force uses P-39s to strafe several barges near Choiseul
Island in the Solomon Islands.
In China, seven P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force damage a vessel on the Yangtze
River near Chiuchiang; four P-38s bomb the Chiuchiang docks; six B-24s
damage a coastal freighter off Tonkin Point on Hainan Island in the Gulf of
Tonkin off French Indochina.
Under Japanese supervision, nationalists on Java Island in the Dutch East indies
form a volunteer army, PETA.
In central China, the Japanese start a major rice offensive to captures much of the
rice crops as possible.
New Zealand division secures Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands.
OCTOBER 4
Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham is named Britain's first sea lord, succeeding Sir
Dudley Pound who resigned because of ill health.
Australian troops capture Kumpu, New Guinea.
The Australian 7th Division moves up the Markham Valley and the Ramu River,
to occupy Dumpu, New Guinea.
B-25s flying with the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe enemy barges, small
craft, and villages on Vitu in the Bismarck Archipelago.
23 B-24s and16 P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force and several U.S. Navy
Wildcats, bomb Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands;
four P-39s and four Wildcats sink 18 barges in a strike along the coast of Choiseul
Island, Western Solomon Islands.
710
17 Japanese bombers and 25 Zekes fighters bomb from 20,000 feet the Kweilin
Airfield, China, however, most fail to hit the target.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
OCTOBER 5
An American task force of six carriers, seven cruisers, and 24 destroyers attack
Wake Island in the Central Pacific Ocean.
Australian 7th Division occupies Dumpu, New Guinea.
Lt. General Yasushi Sakai, commander of the 17th Division, is placed in charge of
operations in the defense of the east coast of the Dampier Strait on New Guinea.
On New Guinea, B-17s bomb the Bogadjim-Ramu Road to prevent enemy ground
forces from attacking the Huon Peninsula from Wewak.
B-25s and P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack a foundry at
Shihhweiyao, China; damaging the barrack, AA positions, blast furnaces, hoppers,
and a steam plant.
LST-448 sinks while in tow of tug Bobolink, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese transport Konron Maru in Tsushima
Straits. Loss of the Konron Maru with 616 people, of the Shimonoseki-to-Fusan
ferry line, prompts the cancellation of night ferry trips across Tsushima Straits
located on the eastern channel of the Korean Strait between Korea and Japan.
Japanese submarine I-8 sails from Brest, France, with a cargo that includes six 13mm MG 131 machine guns and full ammunition, quad 20-mm AA guns, radar and
sonar equipment, dive-bomber and horizontal-bomber bomb sights, one DaimlerBenz torpedo boat engine, electric torpedoes and naval chronometers and
penicillin. Also on board are Rear Admiral Yokoi Tadao, the former Naval
Attaché to Germany and Captain Hosoya Sukeyoshi, the former Naval Attaché to
France.
Japanese submarine I-38 arrives at Sio, New Guinea, and starts to unload her
cargo. With most of the cargo on deck an Allied plane attacks forcing her to dive.
She later surfaces and discharges the rest of the cargo.
OCTOBER 6
An American task force of six carriers, seven cruisers, and 24 destroyers attack
Wake Island in the Central Pacific Ocean.
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During the night three destroyers of the United States Navy attack nine Japanese
destroyers attempting to evacuate troops from Vella Lavella Island in the Western
Solomon Islands resulting in the Battle of Vella Lavella. In what proves to be the
last surface engagement in the Central Solomon Islands. Three U.S. destroyers are
damaged: O'Bannon in collision with
destroyer Chevalier; Selfridge by
torpedo fired from either of Japanese destroyers Shigure or Samidare; and
Chevalier by torpedo from Japanese destroyer Yugumo. Destroyer LaVallette
scuttles Chevalier. Torpedoes from Chevalier and Selfridge sink the Japanese
destroyer Yugumo.
United States forces the 25th Division land on Kolombangara Island, New Georgia
Group, Western Solomon Islands, only to find it abandoned by the Japanese.
A small party of American troops from land on New Britain at Cape Gloucester to
make a spy observation of Japanese movements in the Bismarck Archipelago off
the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force fly sweeps along the coastal areas of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea
bombing and strafing targets of opportunity.
B-25s and P-38s of the 13th Army Air Force carry out low-level strike against the
Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
P-39s and U.S. Navy Wildcats strafe barges off the Coast of Choiseul Island,
Western Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy submarine chaser PC-478 and tank landing ships LST-451 are damaged
in collision while en route from Adak to Amchitka, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. Submarine Kingfish lands Australian personnel and 5,000 pounds of supplies
on the northeast coast of British Borneo at Labian Point.
.
U.S. submarine Skate, life guarding for the Wake Island in the Central Pacific is
strafed and damaged by Japanese aircraft off the atoll, but remains on patrol.
U.S. submarine Steelhead damages the Japanese fleet tanker Kazuhay.
U.S. submarine Tinosa torpedoes and sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kazahaya
northwest of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands. The Kazahaya was torpedoed and
damaged earlier that day by the Steelhead.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kanko Maru in the Sea of
Japan east of Korea.
Japanese submarine I-183 has engine room floods during a crash-dive test because
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a main induction valve is left open. The submarines stern hits bottom with the
bow
out of the water in Hiroshima Bay, off Osu Island, Kure Naval Yard Japan.
OCTOBER 7
The Japanese complete evacuation of Vella Lavella Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-24s and fighters of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack the cement plant at
Haiphong in French Indochina. Four B-25s attacks a 2,500-ton freighter south of
Amoy, China.
U.S. Navy light cruiser Concord is damaged by on-board explosion off Nuka Hiva
Island, Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.
U.S. submarine S-44. U.S. Navy photo.
U.S. submarine S-44 is sunk by
Japanese escort destroyer Ishigaki
north-northeast of Araito Isla east
of the Kamchatka Peninsula,
Kurile Islands northeast from
Hokkaido Island, Japan.
U.S. carriers and cruisers raid Wake Island in the Central Pacific Ocean.
U.S. Navy destroyer Chevalier is sunk by a friendly fired torpedo from the
destroyer La Vallette which was severely damage during the fighting with enemy
destroyers the previous day off Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. PT boats pull out of the water 78 Japanese survivors of the destroyer
Yugumo off the island of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands. The POWs are
transported to New Guinea.
Approximately 100 United States prisoners remaining on Wake Island in the
Central Pacific are executed on order of Rear Admiral Sakaibara, IJN, Island
Commander.
Japanese submarine I-180 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-183 is raised and refloated but 16 sailors in the aft
compartment are found dead at the Kure Navy Yard on Hiroshima Bay, southeast
of Hiroshima City on Honshu Island.
Japanese submarine RO-106 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
713
Japanese guardboat No.20 Inari Maru is destroyed by fire off Wake Island in the
Central Pacific Ocean.
Japanese transport Kikukawa Maru is destroyed by fire at Truk Atoll in the
Caroline Islands.
OCTOBER 8
General Hideki Tojo.
Prime Minister General Tojo assumes control over the
Ministries of Commerce and Industry.
Japanese battleship Ise rebuild into a hybrid
battleship/carrier concept is officially completed to
compensate for the loss of aircraft carriers after the
Battle of Midway. Her aft No. 5 and No. 6 main
turrets have been removed and replaced with a flight
deck long enough to permit the launch of aircraft, but not their recovery. The Ise
will carry 22 aircraft.
B-24 damages Japanese transport Heian Maru en route to Truk Atoll in the
Caroline Islands.
A single B-24 flying for the Fifth Army Air Force, on armed reconnaissance, raids
Cape Gloucester Airfield on New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago.
B-25s and P-40s of the 13th Army Air Force sink a barge off the coast of Choiseul
Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-24s, supported by P-40s, from the 14th Army Air Force hit the Gia Lam airfield
in French Indochina. B-24s on ferry mission over the Himalaya Mountains, The
Hump, bomb warehouses, barracks, and a headquarters Tengchung area of China.
U.S. carrier planes attack Wake Island in the Central Pacific.
U.S. submarine Gato damages the Japanese cargo ship Amagisan Maru with dud
torpedo and survives ensuing hunter-killer operations by escorting torpedo boat
Hiyodori.
U.S. submarine Guardfish sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Kashu Maru
north of Manus Island, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Gurnard sinks the Japanese transport Dainichi Maru off northern
tip of Luzon island, Philippine Islands
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OCTOBER 9
Japanese Kuril-based bombers attack Attu Island, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands is completely occupied by
American forces.
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force and airplanes of the RAAF bomb and strafe
Sattelberg and Finschhafen on New Guinea and B-24s hit Makassar on Celebes
Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-25s and P-40s from the 13th Army Air Force go after barges near Choiseul
Island in the Solomon Islands; P-39s and U.S. Navy F4Us strafe buildings, radar
station, and gun positions on Poporang Island, Solomon Islands.
Four B-25s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force on a shipping sweep off the
southeast China coast in the Amoy-Quemoy area sink tanker and damage a patrol
vessel, and a freighter. 10 P-40s bomb fuel storage and barracks at Mangshih,
China.
U.S. submarine Guardfish unsuccessfully attacks Japanese stores ship Manko
Maru, en route to Davao City, Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands . Although
Guardfish claims one hit out of four torpedoes fired, none actually hits Manko
Maru.
U.S. submarine Kingfish torpedoes the Japanese tanker Hayamoto in Sibitu
Channel near Borneo, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Puffer torpedoes the Japanese tanker Kumagawa Maru in
Makassar Strait, between Borneo and Sula in the west Dutch East Indies, but is
damaged by depth charges and is forced to terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Rasher sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kogane Maru near Ambon
Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese cargo ship Hankow Maru off Oga
Peninsula located on northern island of Honshu, Japan, and projects into the Sea
of Japan.
A Chinese merchant on North British Borneo, Albert Kwok, forms an
organization known as the Kinabalu Guerrillas. The group revolt against the
Japanese occupation of the island by attacking the military station and had set fire
to the Customs sheds. The Japanese, however, quickly squash the revolt due to a
coordinated network of spies among population of northern British Borneo.
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OCTOBER 10
During the night B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force hit Saumlakki in Central
Borneo and A-20s, along with RAAF planes, pound the Sattelberg area of New
Guinea.
B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force hit the Meza railroad bridge in Burma,
destroying several spans causing the end of the central span to drop into the
river.
Units of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, B-24s, P-38s, P-39s, and P-40s, and
approximately 50 U.S. Navy aircraft pound the Kahili airfield on Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands. A single B-24 sinks the Japanese army cargo ship
No.5 Hino Maru southwest of Buka Passage, New Guinea.
B-24s and P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force attack the docks at Haiphong in
French Indochina, while P-40s hit a match factory and ammo dump site at
Tengchung, China; others P-40s hit a supply dump in the Lungling area of China.
Japanese planes attack Lambu Lambu on New Ireland Island, Bismarck
Archipelago, where U.S. motor torpedo boats are based north of Vella Lavella
Island, damaging PT-168 and PT-179.
U.S. submarine Bonefish sinks the Japanese cargo ship Isuzugawa Maru and
transport Teibi Maru off Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina.
U.S. submarine Grayback attacks the Japanese troopship Hakozaki Maru;
although the submarine crew believes one of the four torpedoes fired hit the ship,
in fact all four miss.
U.S. submarine Kingfish lays mines off Cape Pepe, Makassar Strait, Celebes
Island, Dutch East Indies.
Japanese submarine I-20 is listed as an operational loss in the New Hebrides.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
In Singapore, Malaya, the Japanese begin executing Chinese and Malaya’s to
terrorize the population and to find information about the Singapore Harbor raid
of September 23, 1943.
OCTOBER 11
On New Guinea, the Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to hit the towns of
Manokwari, Bira, and Fak Fak. B-25s bomb the Cape Charter airfield on the
716
island of East Timor, Dutch East Indies, and Lautem, Timor Island, Dutch East
Indies, during the night.
B-25s attack small Japanese cargo vessels off Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands, sinking Sanwa Maru and damaging Muyo Maru with a near miss.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force join U.S. Navy dive-bombers in attacking the
Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands
and areas between Kangu and Jakohina, scoring hits on the airstrip, fuel dumps,
supply areas, gun positions, bridges between Rangu and Jakohina, barges at the
mouth of the Uguima River.
B-24s from the 14th Army Air Force bomb the town of Tengchung, Sadon, and
Myitkyina, Burma.
U.S. submarine Skipjack damages the Japanese transport Matsutani Maru off
Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
U.S. submarine Wahoo is sunk by Japanese naval aircraft, submarine chasers Ch
15 and Ch 43, and minesweeper W.18, in La Perouse Strait that divides the
southern part of Russian island of Sakhalin from northern Hokkaido Island of
Japan.
Japanese planes attack U.S. shipping off Koli Point, Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands torpedoing freighters George H. Himes and John H. Couch; tug
Menominee beaches George H. Himes to save the ship's cargo of lumber, shells
and bombs. John H. Couch cargo of gasoline and diesel oil catches fire at the
initial explosion.
At Finschhafen, New Guinea on Satelberg Hill, Lt. General Shigeru Katagiri takes
command of all forces in the area.
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
A revolt led by Albert Kwok and Lim Teng Fatt on British North Borneo takes
over Kota Belud then goes about killing every member of the Japanese police
force in the town.
OCTOBER 12
The United States Fifth Army Air Force and RAAF send 349 aircraft to open an
offensive to isolate Rabaul on New Britain Island and to neutralize the Bismarck
Archipelago in the Solomon Islands. They attack Japanese shipping, town,
harbor, and airfields in the vicinity, sinking transports Keisho Maru and Kosei
Maru, cargo lighters No.1 Wakamatsu Maru and Kurogane Maru, and guardboat
Mishima Maru; and damaging destroyers Mochizuki, Minazuki and Tachikaze,
717
damaging submarines I-177, I-180, and RO 105, as well as special service ship
Tsukushi, tanker Naruto, and auxiliary sailing vessels Tenryu Maru and Koan
Maru.
A couple of B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force, skip-bomb two small vessels in
Matchin Bay on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-24s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb the warehouse area and the
railroad yards at Myitkyina, Burma.
U.S. submarine Cero torpedoes the Japanese stores ship Mamiya off Chichi Jima,
Bonin Islands, North Pacific Ocean; collier Asakaze Maru tows the damaged
vessel to Saeki, Japan.
OCTOBER 13
Japanese fighters appeared in large numbers over Sumprabum, Burma, attacking
flights going over the Hump, Himalaya Mountains.
10 Japanese bombers attack Massacre Bay, Attu Island, Aleutian islands, dropped
their bombs without causing damage.
B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force are sent against Rabaul on New
Britain Island, however, bad weather forces the planes to turn back, but B-24s hit
parts of New Britain including Hoskins, Lindenhafen, Gasmata, and Cape
Gloucester.
The 10th Army Air Force begins an offensive against airfields in Burma from
which Japanese aircraft might operate against transports flying over the Hump,
Himalaya Mountains.
B-25s flying for the Fourteenth Army Air Force, on sweep off the coast of China,
hits Japanese shipping in Amoy Harbor, China, sinking the auxiliary submarine
chaser Kongo Maru.
Japanese planes attack four Lambu Lambu-based U.S. PT boats southwest of
Choiseul Island in the Western Solomon Islands; PT-boat crews shoot down the
attacking Japanese floatplane.
U.S. submarine Rasher attacks a Japanese convoy proceeding from Ambon,
Moluccas Islands in the Dutch East Indies to Kendari, Celebes Island, Dutch East
Indies, sinking cargo ship Kenkoku Maru.
U.S. submarine Seadragon attacks the Kwajalein-bound Japanese ammunition
718
ship Soya, escorted by auxiliary submarine chaser No.6 Shonan Maru; Seadragon
damages neither enemy ship while No.6 Shonan Maru's attacks on the submarine
prove equally unsuccessful.
Tug Pawnee tows gutted U.S. freighter John H. Couch, torpedoed by Japanese
planes on October 11, 1943 off Koli Point, Guadalcanal, to a point east of Koli
Point, New Guinea, where the merchantman capsizes.
Mine damage Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa 101 near Madoera Island,
Dutch East Indies.
Italy declares war on former Axis powers.
OCTOBER 14
The Philippine Islands are declared an Independent Republic, under Japanese
tutelage, after signing alliance with Tokyo. Dr. Jose P. Laurel is inaugurated as
President of the Republic. The first foreign treaty concluded by the Philippine Republic
is the Japan-Phililippine Pact of Alliance which provides for political and economic
cooperation between Japan and the Philippines, also for military cooperation is signed at
Malacanang.
Japanese submarine RO-109 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
Japanese aircraft attack Oro Bay, New Guinea.
Aircraft from the Fifth Army Air Force attack Cape Gloucester, New Britain
Island, and Alexishafen on New Guinea. Several other B-25s fly harassing strikes
against Dili, East Timor, Dutch East Indies, and Lautem on Timor in the Dutch
East Indies.
A-36s of the Tenth Army Air Force bomb Sumprabum, Burma.
A single B-24, of the Thirteenth Army Air Force on armed reconnaissance, attacks
and bombs four barges near Taiof Island off the coast of New Guinea, leaving one
sinking.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force's B-25s attacks shipping in the Amoy area of
China.
Japanese aircraft attack six Lambu Lambu based U.S. PT boats off Choiseul Bay
in the Western Solomon Islands, damaging PT-183.
U.S. submarine Bonefish sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with her deck gun in
Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sula west Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Grayback sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kozui Maru northwest
719
of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, southwest of Kyushu Island of Japan.
The Japanese on British North Borneo strike back in retaliation against Albert
Kwok’s Kinabalu Guerrillas. They send aircraft to bomb and machine-gun all
villages north of Jesselton, razing to the ground every building in Kota Belud and
damaging and killing people at Inanam, Mengatal, Tuaran, and surrounding area.
OCTOBER 15
Japanese aircraft attack Allied positions around Oro Bay, New Guinea.
The Italian ship Ermanno Carotto is enlisted into the Imperial Navy after being
refloated at Shanghai located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China.
Aircraft of the Fifth Army Air Force hit Japanese positions and villages from Sio
to Saidor, New Guinea. B-24s bombs Boela, Moluccas Island, Dutch East Indies.
Approximately 50 P-38s and P-40s intercept close to 100 Japanese aircraft
attempting to attack Allied shipping in Oro Bay, New Guinea. The planes claim
more than 40 enemy aircraft shot down.
B-24s, P-38s, and Navy F4Us, Thirteenth Army Air Force, attack the Kahili
airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. B-25s
bombs the airfield on Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Tullibee attacks a 10-ship Japanese convoy, sinking the transport
Chicago Maru off the west coast of Formosa Island off the coast of East China.
British General Slim is called to Delhi in India and given command of the XIV
Army.
Sir Andrew Cunningham is appointed First Sea Lord of the Admiralty.
New Georgia Island in the Western Solomon Islands has operation terminated.
Ex-Dutch colonial service vessel Valk that was scuttled in Tjilajap harbor on
August 3, 1942, salvaged by Japanese now enters service as patrol craft Р-104.
OCTOBER 16
Japanese troops led by Lt. General Shigeru Katagiri attempt a counterattack
against Allied positions at Jivevenang, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-36 launches a floatplane from her catapult for a
reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. The pilot report sighting four
American carriers, four battleships, five cruisers and 17 destroyers in the harbor.
720
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force attack the Alexishafen area of New Guinea,
hitting coastal targets between Reiss Point and Sio, New Guinea, and bomb the
airfield at Wewak, New Guinea. A-20s bomb and strafe Gasmata on New Britain
Island.
The Tenth Army Air Force increases their fighter patrols from four to eight
planes to protect cargo planes flying over the Hump, Himalaya Mountains, with
little effect on enemy marauders.
B-24s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force hit the Kara airfield on Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands. B-25s attack the Ballale Island airfield in the Shortland
Island Group, Solomon Islands.
Australian troops of the 9th Division repulse a Japanese attack coming from the
inland area at Finschhafen, New Guinea. Advance information about this assault
was provided from captured documents.
In the provisional capitol of Chungking, China, the Supreme Allied Commander
for Southeast Asia, Admiral Lord Mountbatten, arrives for a conference with
Chiang Kai-shek.
OCTOBER 17
The American submarine Tarpon sinks the German raider Michel off Chichi Jima,
Bonin Islands, group of islands south of Tokyo, Japan.
On New Guinea, the Japanese 20th Division counterattack, started on the 16th,
against Australian positions at Finschhafen force the Australians back to the beach
at Katika.
Japanese Sugino Boat Unit lands in the rear of the Australian positions at Point
Arndt near Finschhafen, New Guinea,. The Japanese 79th Infantry Regiment
overruns Australian positions and capture large quantities of weapons,
ammunition, as well as trucks loaded with rations and medical supplies.
Sikorsky R-4 Helicopter. U.S. Air Force Photo.
721
U.S. Navy accepts a Sikorsky YR-4B as its first helicopter.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-36 reconnoiters Pearl
Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.
Japanese submarine I-37 scouts Kilindini, East Africa, with a small plane.
Japanese submarine I-38 arrives at Sio, New Guinea, and off loads most of her
cargo.
A-20s and B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe Sattelberg at New
Guinea and B-25s hit the Wewak and Boram airfields, New Guinea, with lowlevel attack. B-24s bomb Ternate Island in the Moluccas Islands, eastern Dutch
East Indies, a 2,200-mile round trip.
Both heavy and medium bombers of the 10th Army Air Force bomb Naba,
Burma.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force's B-24s bombs Htawgaw, China.
B-24s damages a Japanese troopship, Hakusan Maru, sailing from Kavieng on the
northwest tip of New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
Japanese aircraft attack Allied positions around Oro Bay, New Guinea.
Dobodura, New Guinea, is attacked by Japanese planes.
At Konkoita in Thailand the Burma-Thai Railroad joins up with the Burma work
crews.
OCTOBER 18
Buin, Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, is attacked by American aircraft
in preparation for an invasion.
The 406th Bombardment Squadron, Fourth Army Air Force, departs Elmendorf
Field, Anchorage, Alaska, for the United States. The squadron will transition
from B-25s to B-24s and arrive in England on November 2, 1943.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force slip beneath low clouds and pounds the town of
Rabaul, New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, the airfields, and
shipping from treetop and mast-height level. 13 heavy bombers bomb Cape
Hoskins, New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago; others bomb Cape
722
Gloucester, New Britain Island, and hit Sio at New Guinea. B-25s bomb and
strafe the Bogadjim Road on New Guinea.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force and U.S. Navy dive-bombers, with cover from
more than fighters, hit the Ballale Island airfield in the Shortland Island group,
Solomon Islands. P-39s join U.S. Navy aircraft in a strike on the Kakasa village
and tent area on Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands.
Small carrier Cowpens and destroyer Abbot are damaged in collision during
maneuvers in Hawaiian Operating Area.
U.S. submarine Lapon torpedoes and sinks the Japanese cargo ship Taichu
Maru and scores two dud torpedoes hits the auxiliary minesweeper Keijin Maru.
U.S. submarine Silversides sinks the Japanese cargo ship Tairin Maru north of
Wewak, New Guinea.
First LST, Landing Ship Tank, tender to be assigned to Southwest Pacific Area,
sails into Milne Bay, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
Admiral Koga sends a large part of his fleet from Truk Atoll in the Caroline
Islands to Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands to be in the best placement to
attack an American invasion of Wake Island in the Central Pacific.
In preparation for a possible American invasion of Bougainville Island the 17th
Army commander General Harukichi Hyakutake position approximately 33,000
troops around Buin, New Guinea, and Kahili, south coast of Bougainville Island,
airfields and the east coast of the island.
OCTOBER 19
Moscow Conference starts with British and Russian foreign ministers attending
along with the American Secretary of State. Agreements are reached over security
for postwar China and the punishment of war criminals
The Fifth Army Air Force sends A-20s and RAAF airplanes to attack Stolberg on
New Guinea and the surrounding areas and to bomb Gasmata on New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. B-25s and RAAF Hudsons bomb Fuiloro,
Timor Island, Dutch East Indies.
The Kara airfield on Bougainville Island and Kahili airfield on the south coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands are hit by the Thirteenth Army Air
Force's B-24s, P-38s, P-40s, U.S. Navy fighters, and dive-bombers.
723
Royal Australian Air Force installs a low flying air warning radar station at Mount
Spec, Australia.
Six British and 11 Australian army and naval personnel return to Australia with
their ship the Krait (formerly a Japanese fishing boat) after placing limpet mines
on
enemy ships in Singapore harbor in Malaya and sinking seven.
Japanese submarine delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Australian 9th Division holds back Japanese attacks in the Finschhafen area of
New Guinea with the help of artillery.
OCTOBER 20
U.S. aircraft attack the Gilbert Islands of Tarawa, Apamama, Navra, and Makin.
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb and strafes the Bogadjim area of New
Guinea. A-20s hit Gasmata New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
The bridge at Meza, Burma, is repaired after being damaged by air attack on
October 10th, is again attacked by Mitchell medium bombers.
Kakasa, Gill Island Solomon Islands, is attacked three times by the 13th Army
Air Force's B-24s, P-40s, and Navy aircraft. P-40s and nearly 50 U.S. Navy
Wildcats sweep Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands.
Six B-24s, of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs Nawlang, Burma; six P-40s
pound the barracks area at Kunlong, China.
U.S. submarine Gato sinks the Japanese transport Tsunushima Maru between
Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands and Kavieng on the northwest tip of New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Kingfish sinks the Japanese cargo ship Sana Maru off Banbon
Bay, French Indochina.
Japanese 20th Regiment, of the 16th Division, attack Philippine guerrillas on
Leyte in the Philippine Islands.
The remaining B-17s fly their last combat mission in the Pacific Theater.
On New Guinea Japanese aircraft attack Finschhafen causing minor damage.
724
In the Heldsbach area of Finschhafen, New Guinea, the Australian line suddenly
stiffens, and the Japanese 79th Infantry Regiment is forced to deploy. Later in the
day the Australian force is reinforced from the sea by the 26th Brigade and a new
battle ensued around Point Arnd on New Guinea.
The Tokyo Night Express completes the evacuation of the Japanese garrison at
Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands.
Imperial General Headquarters comes to a decision to reinforce New Britain’s
Rabaul air defense in an attempt to slow the Allied advance in the Central
Solomon Islands.
OCTOBER 21
The Provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free India) is officially proclaimed in
Singapore in Malaya during a mass rally. Netaji is unanimously elected as the
Head of the State and the Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army.
RAAF Beaufort damages the Japanese light cruiser Kiso close to Cape St. George
on New Ireland Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Japanese positions at Sattelberg, New
Guinea, other B-25s follow with low-level strike. Other B-25s carry out sweep
along the Bogadjim Road on New Guinea. P-40s bomb the Gasmata area of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago and attack two light cruisers off New Ireland
Island in the Bismark Archipelago, damaging one.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force, with escort of fighters, attack the Kara
Airfield on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
B-24s of the 14th Army Air Force bomb Nawlang, China; P-40s pound barracks
area at Kunlong in China.
U.S. submarines Grayback and Shad working as a wolfpack torpedoes and sinks
the Fuji Maru.
During the night U.S. Navy PT boats insert a reconnaissance team on to Treasury
Island, Western Solomon Islands south of Bougainville Island near the Shortland
Islands of the Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Steelhead damages the Japanese aircraft transport Goshu Maru
southeast of Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
725
Japanese cargo ship No.11 Chofoku Maru is sunk by a mine while en route from
Surabaya on East Java in the Dutch East Indies to Penang, Malaya.
Mine damage cargo ship Rakuto Maru off Padamarang Island, Dutch East Indies.
OCTOBER 22
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force carry out a low-level attack on the Wewak area
of New Guinea, sinking two small freighters, and strafing barges and airplanes. P39s and RAAF Boomerangs strafe Madang, New Guinea. More P-40s hit Gasmata
on New Britain Island and B-24s bomb the Pombelaa Island, Dutch East Indies,
nickel mines.
B-25s of the 10th Army Air Force raid the railroad bridge in the Ye-u branch line
over the Mu River, Burma.
The Kahili airfield on the northwest tip of New Britain Island is pounded by B24s, P-39s and P-40s from the 13th Army Air Force and approximately 160 U.S.
Navy planes. B-24s and Navy airplanes hit Choiseul Island in the Western
Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy aircraft hit the Kara airfield, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Grayback sinks the Japanese transport Awata Maru, China Sea
west of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands.
U.S. submarine Shad attacks the Japanese light cruisers Naka and Isuzu, en route
from Shanghai to Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
Although Shad claims damaging both, neither enemy warship is hit.
U.S. Navy PT boats return to Treasury Island, south of Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands, at night to remove the reconnaissance team inserted the night
before. The team reports only 235 enemy troops occupy the island. The team
brings back several natives of Mono Island to serve as guides for the upcoming
operation in the island group.
Philippine Major Emigdio Cruz arrives in Manila from Australia. He has been
sent on a secret mission by Manuel Quezon to contact General Manuel Roxas, a
Filipino politician with knowledge of high-level Japanese activities in the
Philippine Puppet Government and is also in contact with various guerrilla leaders
through the islands.
Archibald Wavell made Viceroy of India.
OCTOBER 23
726
Japanese make a final attack on Australian defensive lines at Finschhafer, New
Guinea, but are repulsed.
The Provisional Government of Free India signs a declaration of war on
Britain and the United States.
Japanese submarine I-37 torpedoes and sinks the Greek cargo ship Fanermeni off
of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. aircraft sink Japanese transport Kyowa Maru northwest of Buka Island off
the
coast of New Guinea.
B-24s escorted by P-38s, from the 5th Army Air Force bomb the Rapopo airstrip,
B-25s hit the Bogadjim area of New Guinea.
Seventh Army Air Force fighters shoot down a Japanese flying boat 70 miles
south
of Baker Island in the Central Pacific.
In Burma, the railroad bridge at Meza is attacked by the 10th Army Air Force.
The 13th Army Air Force uses B-24s and P-38s to attack the Kahili airfield on the
south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands; P-39s and P-40s join
U.S. Navy aircraft in a strike on the Kara airfield, Bougainville Island. Both
Kahili and Kara are attacked again later in the day, the former by B-24s and Navy
fighters and the latter by Army Air Force and Navy dive bombers; B-24s bomb
Kakasa, Gill Island Solomon Islands. A B-24 damages Japanese cargo vessel
No.1 Kinpo Maru off Greenwich Island, Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb Htawgaw, China.
U.S. submarine Silversides sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Tennan Maru and
cargo ships Johore Maru and damages the Kazan Maru.
OCTOBER 24
Black Cat, night radar equipped PBY's, sink the Japanese destroyer Mochizuki and
damages destroyer Uzuki south of Jacquinot Bay, New Britain Island in the
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
Allied aircraft of the 5th Army Air Force attack Rabaul, New Britain Island in the
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea, 45 bombers are
destroyed on the ground at the New Britain Island airfields of Vunakanau,
Rapopo, and Tobera. A-20s hit Japanese positions in the Lae area of New Guinea.
727
B-24s carry out a light attack on Manokwari, New Guinea, sinking the Japanese
cargo vessel Nagaragawa Maru.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force, along with RNZAF P-40s, U.S. Navy
Corsairs, in one attacking force, Army Air Force fighters, and Navy planes in
another force, attacks the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island,
Solomon Islands.
B-24s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force pound the Co Bi barracks. B-24s
bomb Htawgaw while on ferry flight over the Hump, Himalaya Mountains.
USMC land-based aircraft sink the Japanese destroyer Mochizuki south-southwest
of Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern
coast of New Guinea.
Admiral Koga returns a large part of the Combined Fleet from Eniwetok Atoll in
the Marshall Islands to Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands after deciding that the
American are not invading Wake Island in the Central Pacific.
Japanese cargo ship Kazan Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted by
Silversides the previous day; attempt by Japanese submarine chaser Ch 24 to
scuttle the immobilized Johore Maru fails. Silversides herself later finishes off
Johore Maru.
Grounding off Utano Island off the coast of New Guinea Island damages Japanese
destroyer Satsuki.
Japanese submarine I-10 sinks the British cargo ship Congella with her deck
gun.
OCTOBER 25
Allied aircraft belonging to the Fifth Army Air Force attack Rabaul on New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New
Guinea. A-20s hit positions near Lae, New Guinea. B-24s carry out light strike
against Manokwari, west New Guinea.
P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force strafe shipping in Haiphong, French Indochina,
B-25s and P-40s attack shipping in the Gulf of Tonkin which is located off the
east coast of French Indochina, southern China, and Hainan Island's west coast. B24 bombers from China make their first raid on Japanese airfields in Formosa off
the coast of East China.
U.S. forces go ashore at Choisul, Treasury Islands in the Western Solomon
Islands.
728
U.S. submarine Tullibee attacks the Japanese transport Teisho Maru (ex-German
Havenstein), escorted by auxiliary minesweeper No.11 Misago Maru near
Oshima. Although Tullibee claims damage to the larger vessel, Teisho Maru
survives unscathed. No.11 Misago Maru carries out counterattacks but with equal
lack of success.
During the night, U.S. Navy PY boats drop off a group of New Zealand noncommission officers along with native guides to cut enemy communication lines on
Mono Island in the Treasury Islands, Solomon Island chain.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
The Japanese celebrate the completion of the Burma-Thailand Railroad. Of the
46,000 Allied prisoners-of-war who had been forced to build it, 16,000 had died
of starvation, brutality and disease.
OCTOBER 26
The Japanese begin evacuation of troops from Finschhafen to Sattelberg, New
Guinea.
U.S. submarine Guardfish unloads a Coastwatcher on the southwestern coast of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
B-24s from the Fifth Army Air Force fly a raid against Pombelaa Island in the
Dutch East Indies. B-25s strikes at Tanimbar Island, Dutch East Indies.
B-24s, B-25s, P-38s, P-39s, P-40s, and U.S. Navy aircraft hit the Bougainville
Island airfield at Kahili two times during the day. The Buka Island airfield is
strafed by P-38s and then bombed and strafed by B-25s and P-38s, P-39s, P-40s,
and U.S. Navy planes. P-38s damages auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 20,
transporting troops and cargo, off Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea.
B-24s and P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack the railroad yards at
Haiphong, French Indochina. B-25s attack several ships at Kiungshan, China, B25s hit shipping nearby, sinking transport Yamatogawa Maru, army cargo vessels
No. 3 Shinwa Maru and Hokuzan Maru, and cargo ship Hachiman Maru, and the
airfield at Kiungshan in China is strafed by a B-25.
Chandra Bose Netaji forms provisional Indian government that sides with Japan.
OCTOBER 27
8,000 New Zealand troops of the 8th Brigade with U.S. Seabees land on Stirling
729
Island and Mono Island in the Treasury Island Group of the Solomon Islands,
during the night in an attempt to draw Japanese troops away from Bougainville
Island and to neutralize a potential threat to the American lines of communication.
The New Zealanders met considerable resistance in the difficult terrain.
During Japanese retaliatory air strikes, horizontal and dive-bombers north of
Mono, Treasury Islands, damage destroyer Cony. LST-399 and LST-485 are
damaged by mortar fire
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
2nd Marine Parachute Battalion lands, during the night, on Choiseul Island in the
Western Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean as a diversion to the
upcoming Bougainville Island campaign and also as a base to support the
landings.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends A-20s to strike the harbor and supply dump at
Gasmata on New Britain Island Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast
of
New Guinea.
In the Solomon Islands, B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force hit the Bougainville
Island airfields at Kahili and Kara. P-38s, P-39s, and P-40s, plus some RNZAF P40s and P-39s, cover the landing by New Zealand troops on Stirling Island and
Mono Island in the Treasury Islands of the Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force's B-24s bombs the city of Tungling, China.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese transport Nanman Maru near the
island of Yap of the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Shad and Grayback sink the Japanese cargo ship Fuji Maru and
the damage the cargo vessel Kamo Maru. A dud torpedo hits transport Oryoko
Maru.
OCTOBER 28
The Fifth Army Air Force uses P-40s to hit the Gasmata area of New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea; P47s to attack barges at Talasea, New Britain, and strafe the surrounding area; P47's also strafe from Sio to Fortification Point on New Guinea.
Almost 200 aircraft carry out two strikes, P-40s and P-39s join USN fighters and
dive-bombers, on Kara Airfield on Bougainville Island and the airfield on Ballale
Island, Shortland Island group, Solomon Islands. Also, the Bougainville airfield at
Kara is also bombed by 19 B-24s.
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B-24s from the 14th Army Air Force bomb Mangshih, China. P-40s strafe the
warehouse and revetments at the Yoyang airfield, China. B-25s and P-38s hit the
barracks at Fort Bayard in Zhanjiang, China. B-25s attacks shipping in the South
China Sea, an area from Singapore in Mayala to the Malacca Straits to the Straits
to Formosa.
American Motor Torpedo Patrol Boat Squardon 9 sets up a base on Stirling
Island, Treasure Island group.
District patrol craft YP-88 sinks after running aground off Cape Amchitka,
Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Koryu Maru.
Parts of the Chinese 38th Division entered Hukawng Valley in Burma.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
During the night a number of Japanese aircraft ineffectively dropped bombs on
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
OCTOBER 29
American submarines start mining the water outside Haiphong, French Indochina.
U.S. Navy or USMC F4Us damage the small Japanese cargo vessel No.16 Kiku
Maru near Tonolei on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
American bombers of the 5th Army Air Force drop 115 tons of bombs on the
Vunakanai airdrome at Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea. B-25s hit the Madang area
of New Guinea. P-47's attack shipping in Hansa Bay, New Guinea, and strafe the
Cape Gloucester area of New Britain Island. B-25s sink a vessel off Tanimbar
Island in the Dutch East Indies while B-24s bombs the Selaroe airstrip on
Tanimbar Island Group, Dutch East Indies and attack Waroe Bay area of northern
New Guinea.
B-25s and B-24sfrom the Thirteenth Army Air Force, along with U.S. Navy
aircraft, bomb the airfields at Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea and Bonis
Peninsula Airfield on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
B-24s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force the pound smelter area at Quang
Yen, China. B-25s bomb the administration building and runway at the Fort
Bayard airfield, China.
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U.S. Forces under Admiral Halsey’s command invade the Treasury Island in the
Western Solomon Islands south of Bougainville Island.
U.S. submarine Seawolf sinks the Japanese cargo ship Wuhu Maru off Swatow,
China.
OCTOBER 30
In the Soviet Union the Moscow Conference ends. Groundwork is laid for a
conference between President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier
Stalin at Teheran, Iran. The Allies also decide to try war criminals after the defeat
of Germany and Japan. Other agreements include the decision that China should
join the alliance as the fourth major power and that a postwar organization to keep
peace should be established. The latter will be the future United Nations.
U.S. Marines attacks Japanese barge station at Sangigai, Choiseul Island,
Solomon Islands.
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force strafe barges in Rein Bay, New Guinea.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands the Kara airfield is bombed by B24s of the 13th Army Air Force and shortly after the attack the airfield is again hit
by U.S. Navy dive-bombers escorted by Navy and Army Air Force fighters. The
airstrip and at Kieta, Bougainville, is attacked by B-25s, P-39s of the 13th AAF
and Navy aircraft. Tonolai Harbor on Bougainville Island area is hit by P-40s and
U.S. Navy planes.
In China B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force attack the motor pool and
barracks at Shayang and P-38s hit the Chiuchiang docks.
B-24s attacks the Japanese destroyer Satsuki south of Mussau Island in the
Bismark Archipelago.
Royal Australian Air Force opens a radar station at Mount Surprise and at Paluma
in Australia.
Chinese troops equipped with American equipment begin operations against the
Japanese 18th Division in the Hu Kwang Valley of China.
OCTOBER 31
Japanese aircraft carrier Chiyoda completed.
Japanese submarine delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
The American 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) known as GALAHAD
arrives in Bombay, India.
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The Fifth Army Air Force’s P-40s sinks a barge off the New Britain coast in the
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
In Burma, the railroad bridge at Meza is attacked by the 10th Army Air Force.
Also, in an attempt to knock out Japanese base from which their fighters attack
ferrying operations, P-40s carrying 1000-lb bombs fly four attacks against
Myitkyina. Following the bomb runs, the P-40s strafe AA positions. The attacks
cause considerable damage to the base.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force's B-25s bombs the Kara airfield on Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands.
A F4U-2 Corsair accomplishes the U.S. Navy's first successful radar-guided
interception in the skies over New Georgia Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Rasher sinks the Japanese tanker Koryu Maru.
General Vandegrift, commander of the 3rd Marine Division and the 37th Infantry
Division, I Amphibious Corps, sets sail on Task Force 31 for Bougainville Island
in the Solomon Islands.
Air crew officers, bombaridier, navigator, and pilot start their Army Air Force training at San
Antonio
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NOVEMBER 1
United States Marines of the 3rd Marines, U.S. Army
forces of the 37th Division, and troops of the 8th New
Zealand Brigade make an amphibious landing at Cape
Torokina, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. This
operation is aimed at eliminating the last Japanese
strongholds southeast of Rabaul on New Britain
Island.
The 3rd Raider Battalion assault Puruata Island off
Cape Torokina, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
American cruisers and destroyers along with carrier planes attack Japanese
installations and airfields around Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea and
Bonis Peninsula airfield on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. Later, the
task force shells airfields on Shortland Island located just off the southern tip of
Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. U.S. aircraft sink the Japanese auxiliary
submarine chaser Cha 13 west of Shortland Island.
American carrier aircraft attack Rabaul, New Britain Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
At Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii the first floating base is commissioned
in any world navy as Service Squadron 4.
The Fifth Army Air Force's B-24s bombs Maniang Island, near the Celebes Island,
and nearby Pombelaa in the Dutch East Indies.
21 B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the Kahili Airfield on the south coast
of Bougainville Island and Kara Airfield, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
Bougainville is attacked by 19 B-24s, 30 plus P-39s and P-40s, and over 70 U.S.
Navy fighters and dive-bombers. B-25s strafe barges and wharf area at Faisi,
Shortland Island group. During the night, radar snooper B-24s attacks a convoy
west of Cape Saint George on New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago.
In China B-25s and P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb the Yoyang
railroad yards.
to
Tokyo sends 173 carrier types of aircraft from Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands
reinforce Rabaul defense on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
Grounding damages destroyer Fullam, Solomon Islands area.
U.S. submarine Haddock attacks the Japanese cable-layer Tateishi and trawler
Kitagami Maru off Rokutei Island, Caroline Islands. Although Haddock claims
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damage to both ships, neither is actually damaged.
Southeast Asia Command (SEAC) is established with Lord Louis Mountbatten as
Commanding Officer.
The Solid Fuels Administration, headed up by Secretary Harold L. Ickes, meets
with President Roosevelt to take over the operation of American coal mines. By
this date there are 530,000 miners on strike.
President Roosevelt urges Congress to continue food subsidies to encourage
production and prevent inflation.
Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov is persuaded by the Americans to let
China sign the Moscow Declaration. Under the declaration the Four Powers
promised to prosecute the war unceasingly to victory without making any separate
treaties with their Axis powers.
NOVEMBER 2
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, western coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands, is fought at night as a Japanese force of two heavy and two light cruisers
and six destroyers sail to Empress Augusta Bay to attack the Allied transports. An
American task force of four light cruisers and eight destroyers intercept this force.
The Japanese ships are able to reform and compel the American ships to
withdraw. The results are two American light cruisers and three destroyers are
damaged. The Japanese force turns back leaving the light cruiser, Sendai, and a
destroyer sunk and two heavy cruisers and two destroyers damaged. Although the
action is inconclusive, the Japanese are unsuccessful in interrupting American
operations on Bougainville Island.
The 3rd Raiders destroys the last defenders on Puruata Island, Bougainville Island
in the Solomon Islands.
American carrier planes attack Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea.
United States Fifth Army Air Force encounters the toughest opposition of the
Pacific War when attacking Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea, six bombers and nine
fighters are shot down. 75 B-25s, with an escort of 70 P-38s raid the airfields and
harbor at Rabaul, sinking the Japanese stores ship Manko Maru and damaging the
heavy cruisers Haguro and Myoko, destroyer Shiratsuyu, stores ship Hayasaki,
and minesweeper W.26. P-39s hits the road in the Bogadjim area of New Guinea.
A-20s bomb airfield routes near Fortification Point, New Guinea.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the Kahili airfield on the
south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
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Five B-25s and 12 P-40s, Fourteenth Army Air Force, pound docks and
warehouses at Shasi, China.
Chinese 38th Division suffers heavy losses along the Tarung River, Burma.
In China, 100,000 Japanese troops hurl themselves against Chinese forces at
Changteh in a full-scale attempt to seize the rice bowl of Tungting Lake region as
well as threaten the left flank of Changsha.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Haddo arrives at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, from the
North Atlantic after a refit at the Mare Island Navy Yard northeast of San
Francisco in Vallejo, California.
U.S. submarine Haddock engages the Japanese submarine chaser Ch 28, but
neither side damages the other.
U.S. submarines Seahorse, Halibut, and Trigger each operating independently of
the other, attack a Japanese convoy south of Honshu Island of Japan; Seahorse
sinks the transport Chihaya Maru, and cargo ship Yawata Maru; Halibut the cargo
ship Ehime Maru; Trigger sinks the transport Delagoa Maru; Seahorse or Trigger
sinks the cargo ship Ume Maru.
Japanese 2nd Battalion of the 54th Infantry Regiment, 17th Division, leaves
Rabaul, New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, on six destroyers
escorted by four cruisers and six more destroyers for Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands. The destroyers carrying the troops soon turn back after being
spotted by Allied aircraft. The remainder of the convoy proceeds on to
Bougainville.
NOVEMBER 3
U.S. Marines, Parachute Battalion, withdraws from Choiseul Island, western
Solomon Islands.
Demolition team of the 3d Raider Battalion land on Torokina Island, small island
in Empress Augusta Bay on the western coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands, between Cape Torokina and Puruata Island, but fine that the Japanese had
already been killed or driven off.
U.S. Navy LST’s leaves Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, with troops of the 27th
Division for the landing on Makin Island in the in the Gilbert Islands.
Battleship Oklahoma, sunk on December 7, 1941, is refloated at Pearl Harbor,
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Territory of Hawaii.
U.S. Navy PB4Ys sink Japanese stores ship Minato Maru off Ocean Island.
Japanese submarine RO-104 rescues 75 survivors from the light cruiser Sendai
sinks during the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay including Rear Admiral Ijuin
Matsuji.
On New Guinea, B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force hit barges between Alexisheen
and Bogadjim. B-24s flies light strikes against shipping between Talasea on New
Britain and Cape Gloucester, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, and bomb
Boela, Moluccas Island, Dutch East Indies.
19 B-24s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, attacks a convoy about 150 miles southeast
of Mussau in the Bismarck Archipelago; the B-24s claim hits on three ships.
In China, B-24s from the 14th Army Air Force hits the Kowloon Docks. B-25s
and P-40s pounds targets of opportunity in Shihshow-Hwajung-Owchihkow area
of china. P-40s bombs the runways and installations at Lashio, Burma.
NOVEMBER 4
Chinese-American Composite Wing enters combat on this date, with B-25s hitting
Amoy and Swatow in China, successfully bombing and strafing ground troops,
supply facilities, and shipping. B-25s sinks the Japanese cargo ship Chinko Maru,
Swatow Harbor, China. The Chinko Maru goes down with 100,000,000 Yuan in
Central Reserve Bank notes.
U.S. Navy fighter aircraft damages Japanese cargo vessel Giyu Maru, Matchin
Bay, Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
U.S. Navy aircraft of Task Force 38 attack Japanese shipping in and around
Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago after the arrival of a
Japanese naval squadron of seven cruisers commanded by Admiral Takeo Kurita.
B-24s damage the Japanese cargo vessel Nissho Maru, in company with destroyer
Amatsukaze.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends P-40s to bomb the Palmalmal Plantation, New
Guinea.
B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force strike the Buka Island airfield off the coast
of New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Seawolf sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kaifuku Maru southsouthwest of Hong Kong, China.
737
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Japanese surveying ship Tsukushi and transport Ryosan Maru are sunk; light
cruiser Isuzu and destroyer Isokaze, damaged by mines laid by U.S. submarine
Silversides on June 4, 1943 off Kavieng on the northwest tip of New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.
At a facility in Oak Ridge located in Tennessee the production of plutonium at
facility commences.
NOVEMBER 5
Approximately 100 American carrier aircraft from the carriers Princeton and
Saratoga attack Japanese shipping at Rabaul on New Britain Island in the
Bismarck Archipelago preparing to attack Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands. The attack destroys the effectiveness of this threat. This attack marks the
first combat use of the SB2C Curtiss Helldivers. The Japanese cruisers Agano,
Atago, Chikuma, Maya, Mogami, Noshiro, and Takao are damaged.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force attacks the wharf at Rabaul, New Britain Island
in the Bismarck Archipelago while Japanese airplanes from surrounding airfields
search for the American carrier force that attacked Rabaul earlier in the day. B-26s
and P-39s strike Bogadjim Road on New Guinea, B-25s hit Japanese positions
near Dumpu, New Guinea, and P-39s bombs and strife Madang, New Guinea.
SB2C Curtiss Helldiver. U.S. Navy photo
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force strike Japanese bivouac area at Kieta,
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-24s sinks the Japanese fishing vessel
No.1 Kanto Maru north of Kieta on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
Aircraft of 13th Air Force from Munda, New Georgia Island in the Western
Solomon Islands, cover a carrier strike, which causes considerable damage to
shipping in the harbor at Rabaul, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago off the
northeastern coast of New Guinea.
Representatives of five Asian nations meet at the Diet building in Tokyo, Japan,
to formalize the efforts of the Greater East Asia Co-Property Sphere Conference
in Tokyo, Japan.
738
Japanese troops, transported by destroyers, land near Cape Torokina,
Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
Fleet Air Photographic Squadron VD-3 photographs Mili Atoll in the Marshall
Islands.
U.S. submarine Halibut damages the Japanese carrier Junyo, Bungo Channel that
separates Kyushu Island and Shikoku Island of Japan; heavy cruiser Tone tows the
damaged ship to Kure Naval Base Hiroshima, Japan.
U.S. submarine Scorpion torpedoes the fleet tanker Hoyo Maru.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, a Japanese attack is driven back
by U.S. forces. This allows the Americans to cut the Japanese line of
communications in the Cape Torokina vicinity.
Approximately 300 Allied POWs are shipped from Batavia on Java, Dutch East
Indies to Palembang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
NOVEMBER 6
The Japanese land 450 troops from barges, which take up positions near
Koromokina Lagoon on Bougainville Island, west of the Marine beachhead,
Solomon Islands.
Japanese aircraft attacks the Nadzab, Dumpu, and Finschhafen, New Guinea but
cause no major damage.
Japanese torpedo planes attack infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI (G)-70 and
PT-167 as the U.S. ships retire from Cape Torokina, Bougainville Island, to the
Treasury Islands. Dud torpedoes damage both LCI(G)-70 and PT-167.
The Fifth Army Air Force orders P-40s to attack Gasmata airfield, New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
Advanced Headquarters, Seventh Army Air Force, is set up on Funuti in the Ellice
Islands to provide shorter flights to the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. Landing
fields are being built at Baker Island in the Central Pacific, Nukufetau Atoll in the
Ellice Islands, and Nanumea Island of the Tuvalu Islands which is part of the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands to be used, along with existing fields at Canton Island
and Funuti, as operational bases for attacks on islands of Tarawa and Makin in the
Gilbert Islands, and on the Marshall islands of Mille, Maloelap, Jaluit, and Nauru.
These operations will mark the assumption of the offensive by Seventh Army Air
Force and will play a conspicuous role in the invasion and occupation of the
Gilbert and Marshall Islands.
739
During the night B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force dropped mines in to the
Rangoon River, Burma.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force with U.S. Navy aircraft pound the Buka Island
off the coast of New Guinea airfield and harbor sinking the submarine chaser Ch
11, auxiliary submarine chaser No.9 Asahi Maru, and cargo vessel Asayama
Maru. Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 30 and small cargo vessel No. 3
Nissen Maru are sunk in the same general area. Another B-25 bombs Kieta on
Bougainville Island and attacks Tinputs Harbor, Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands. B-25s follow the U.S. Navy dive-bombers and fighters in an attack on the
Kara airfield. B-24s bomb the Bonis Peninsula airfield on Bougainville Island.
U.S. submarine Haddock attacks a Japanese Truk Atoll-to-Singapore, Malaya
convoy consisting of fleet tankers Genyo Maru and Hoyo Maru and escorting
destroyer Yakaze. Haddock torpedoes Hoyo and during evasive maneuvers Yakaze
is damaged when she accidentally rams Genyo Maru. Despite the damage, Yakaze
counterattacks Haddock.
NOVEMBER 7
Japanese troops of the 2nd Battalion, 54th Infantry are delivered near Cape
Torokina, Bougainville Island of the Solomon Islands from Rabaul, New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea.
Japanese reinforce Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea, and leaves with
several sick and wounded soldiers.
B-24s, with escort of P-38s, from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the Rapopo
Airstrip on east New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the
northeastern coast of New Guinea. B-25s bomb Wewak, New Guinea
B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs barge concentration and beach
targets in the Atsinima Bay on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-24s hit
the Buka Island airfield located off the coast of New Guinea.
B-25s from the 14th Army Air Force pound Amoy harbor and P-40s attacks a
bridge at Hsiangyangchiao, China.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, U.S. Marines fight the Japanese at
Koromokina Lagoon, killing 300 of the 450 Japanese.
2,500 Japanese troops attack 18,000 Marines in a two-prong assault at Empress
Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
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Japanese fighters and bombers attack the carriers Princeton and Saratoga
southeast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands with little success.
Japanese aircraft attack Nadzab and Bena Bena, New Guinea. Sixteen U.S.
aircraft are destroyed or damaged by the raids.
U.S. troops board a C-47 for New Guinea. U.S. Army photographic
Admiral Omori lands troops unopposed at Torokina Island, a small island in
Empress Augusta Bay between Cape Torokina and Puruata Island, western coast
of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
British troops launch limited offensive along southern coast of Burma.
NOVEMBER 8
Advancing Japanese, near the junction of Numa Numa Trail and Piva Trail,
Bougainville Island of the Solomon Islands, attack the Second Raider Regiment,
USMC.
U.S. Navy destroyers Anthony and Hudson accidentally engage PT-163, PT-169,
and PT-170; fortunately, neither side suffers any damage in the mistaken
encounter.
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Garove Island, Witu Islands, west New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago and hits Kaimana Float Plane Base,
New Guinea.
During the night B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force dropped mines into the
Rangoon River, Burma.
The 13th Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the Bonis Peninsula airfield,
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-25s attacks Japanese positions at the
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mouth of the Laruma River on Bougainville Island and at Torokina Island off the
island of Bougainville while others bomb Kieta on Bougainville Island.
In China, B-25s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs the Kiungshan
airfield and P-40s attacks the Hsiangvangchiao Bridge, causing little damage.
U.S. submarine Albacore is attacked, in the process of chasing a convoy off New
Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago, by a U.S. bomber from the 5th AAF which
ignores the convoy. Despite some damage the Albacore remains on patrol.
U.S. submarine Bluefish sinks the Japanese tanker Kyokuei Maru. Although
Bluefish claims to destroy five more ships, none are damaged; escort vessel
Tsushima counterattacks unsuccessfully.
U.S. submarine Rasher sinks the Japanese tanker Tango Maru and escapes an
attack by the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 41.
Japanese dive-bombers attacks U.S. ships off Cape Torokina, Bougainville Island,
Solomon Islands, damaging the light cruiser Birmingham, and attacks the
transports Fuller and President Jackson.
NOVEMBER 9
The Fifth Army Air Force's B-25s and A-20s, escorted by P-38s and P-47s, pound
the airfield at Alexishaen, New Guinea. B-25s bombs a fuel dump and shipping in
Rein Bay, and P-40s hits the Gasmata supply dumps on New Britain, Bismarck
Archipelago.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force bombs Kieta, Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands, and the Buka Island airfield off the coast of New Guinea. B-24s
attacks Kara airfield on Bougainville Island, and the Kahili airfields on the south
coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. P-39s joins Navy aircraft in
strikes on Kara airfield and the Ballale airfields in the Shortland Island Group.
Australian 9th Division starts an offensive to take Sattelberg, New Guinea.
Today starts three days of bloody fighting on Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands as Japanese of the 23rd Infantry regiment attempt to stop the American
advance into the interior of the island.
After two days of fighting, Japanese troops withdraw from Empress Augusta Bay,
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, leaving approximately 600 dead.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Rasher unsuccessfully attacks Balikpapan-bound Japanese fleet
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tanker Toa Maru.
U.S. submarine Sargo sinks the Japanese cargo ship Taga Maru in the
Philippine Sea, north and east of the Philippine Islands on the western section of
the North Pacific Ocean.
U.S. submarine Seawolf unsuccessfully attacks Japanese cargo vessel
Hokuriku Maru.
NOVEMBER 10
9th Marines on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands attacks through the
Marine Raider defense lines to drive the Japanese back to Piva village.
General Vandergrift leaves the Pacific Theater to become Commandant of the
Marine Corps.
Task Force 52 steams from the Territory of Hawaii with the Gilbert Island landing
force, Operation Galvanic (USMC) and the U.S. Army portion is called Operation
Kourbash, carrying 35,000 troops, 120,000 tons of supplies, and six thousand
vehicles. The invasion fleet is divided into two forces. Rear Admiral Richmond
Turner is in command the northern force; Rear Admiral Harry Hill is in charge of
the southern force.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul on New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. B-25s pounds the Alexishceen
airfield.
The 13th Army Air Force sends B-25s to strikes the Kara airfield on Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands and Ballale airfields in the Shortland Island Group
in the western Solomon Islands and attacks shipping between Suhane Island in the
Solomon Islands and Tarlena on Bonis Peninsula on Bougainville Island.
In China, fighters of the 14th Army Air Force, on armed reconnaissance, sink three
large motor boats in the Yoyang-Sinti area and damages or sinks 15 sampans and
a barge in the Hwajung-Shasi vicinity.
U.S. submarine Barb engages a Japanese Keelung-to-Sasebo convoy,
unsuccessfully attacks the cargo ships Yamahagi Maru and damages the Nishi
Maru. Escorting auxiliary minesweeper No.7 Toshi Maru counterattacks, but
does not damage, Barb.
U.S. submarine Scamp torpedoes the Japanese transport Tokyo Maru; transport
Mitakesan Maru takes the crippled ship in tow.
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British submarine HMS Tally Ho sinks the Japanese water transport Kisogawa
Maru in Malakka Strait between the Malaya Peninsula and the Dutch East Indies
island of Sumatra.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the British lend-lease Liberty Ship
Sambo in the Gulf of Aden located in the Arabian Sea bordered by Ywmen.
Japanese cargo vessel Giyu Maru, damaged on November 4, 1943, sinks in
Matchin Bay, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
NOVEMBER 11
United States carrier aircraft from the Princeton, Saratoga, Bunker Hill, Essex,
and Independence attacks Japanese shipping at Rabaul on the island of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago sinking the destroyer Suzunami and
damaging the light cruisers Yubari and Agano, and the destroyers Naganami,
Urakaze, and Wakatsuki. This raid is the largest carrier attack launched by U.S.
Naval aircraft of the war to date. At the end of this raid Japanese naval planes are
ordered transferred to Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
The U.S. freighter Cape San Juan, bound for Townsville, Australia, with 1,348
troops on board is torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-21. The ship sinks two
days later; 130 troops are killed.
Japanese submarine I-34 sails from Singapore, Malaya, loaded with a cargo of
tungsten, tin, bales of raw rubber, medicinal opium, quinine, and samples of
Japanese weapons for the Germans in Europe.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
B-24s from the 5th Army Air Force bombs the Lakunai airfield, New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago; P-39s strafes Bogadjim, New Guinea; and B25s hits Madang, New Guinea.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force and U.S. Navy Wildcats in strike on barges and
shore installations at Matchin Bay, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-24s
joins the Fifth Army Air Force, U.S. Navy carrier aircraft, and RAAF airplanes in
attacks on shipping in Rabaul Harbor, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
This is the Thirteenth's first strike on Rabaul on New Britain Island.
B-24s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs the Burma Road about 375 miles
west of Tungling, China, producing landslide and badly damaging the road. P-40s
attacks Yoyang, China, knocking out a gun emplacement and hitting a radio
station, arracks, and hostels in the area. P-40s strafes a pontoon bridge and troops,
and sinks a river steamer, a motorboat, and several small supply boats.
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Japanese aircraft, from Rabaul, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, attacks
U.S. Marine positions and shipping around Bougainville Island. The Japanese
suffer losses of 121 out of 173 aircraft.
120 Japanese planes located and attack Rear Admiral Montgomery’s task force
built around the Bunker Hill, Essex, and Independence off the island of New
Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, but cause little damage.
Japanese aircraft bombs Nanumea, Ellice Islands in the Western Pacific hitting the
airfield and destroying or damaging several airplanes.
The 5th Marine Division is activated.
U.S. submarine Capelin sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kunitama Maru northwest
of Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Crevalle, using her deck gun, sinks a Japanese freighter.
U.S. submarine Drum engages a Japanese Truk Atoll-to-Rabaul, New Britain
convoy, unsuccessfully attacking submarine depot ship Hie Maru. Later that day,
a single B-24 bombs the same convoy, damaging Hie Maru.
U.S. submarine Sargo sinks the Japanese transport Kosei Maru east of the Nansei
Shoto, Ryukyu Islands, a chain of 55 islands southwest of Japan in the western
Pacific Ocean.
NOVEMBER 12
The Japanese Imperial Navy withdraws aircraft from Rabaul, New Britain Island
in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea, ending the
threat from air attacks from the base.
President Roosevelt embarks on the battleship Iowa for his journey that will
include him attending conferences at Teheran, Iran and Cairo, Egypt.
The U.S. Congress passes Joint Resolution No. 25 extending the terms of the
Office of the Vice-President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines until the
president of the United States shall have proclaimed the restoration of
constitutional processes and the normal functions of the government of the
Philippines.
New Zealanders of the 8th Brigade succeed in securing Mono Island in the
Treasury Islands in the western Solomon Islands.
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B-25s and B-26s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs villages between
Finschhafen and Saidor, New Guinea. In the Dutch East Indies B-24s attack
targets on Java and on Amboina in the Moluccas.
During the night, the Tenth Army Air Force B-24s drops mines into the Rangoon
River, Burma.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends 18 B-25s to bomb Tarlena Village on
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands; six others to bomb the Matchin Bay
area of Bougainville Island; and eight P-38s to strafe the Bonis airfield,
Bougainville Island.
10 B-25s and 24 P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack Yoyang, China,
hitting the warehouse area, railroad yards, and AA positions; five B-25s bombs
the Yangchi Kang, China, waterfront area and attack waterfront targets at Puchi,
China; six B-25s and 12 fighters hit targets at Yoyang; 15 P-40s and a single B-25
on armed recon-naissance hit several targets of opportunity in the Lungling area of
China and between Yang-Chia-Kang and Sichai, China.
Japanese aircraft attacks Adelaide River, Batchelor Airfield, and Parap,
Queensland, Australia.
The last Japanese air attack on the city of Darwin, Australia. The 64th air raid on
Australia since February 1942 and it will be the last one of the war.
U.S. submarine Albacore while patrolling in the Caroline Islands is again attacked
by a Fifth Army Air Force plane. The boat crash-dives and a bomb exploded in
close proximity to the bow as she was passing the 60 foot mark. She is violently
shaken and the main induction value begins to flood. Albacore drops to
approximately 450 feet before finally leveling off and returning to the surface.
Later in the day she receives orders to finish off the damaged Japanese light
cruiser Agano, torpedoed by the sub Scamp: she gets within sight of the cruiser
but is then detected by the escorts and held down by a destroyer for four hours.
U.S. submarine Harder attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking the auxiliary
minesweeper No.11 Misago Maru and damaging the motor sailing vessel Hei
Maru.
U.S. submarine Scamp torpedoes the Truk Atoll bound light cruiser Agano. That
was damaged in U.S. air raids on Rabaul, New Britain Island on November 5th.
U.S. submarine Thresher torpedoes and sinks the Japanese transport Muko Maru
north of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands but is damaged by depth charges and is
forced to terminate her patrol.
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Japanese transport Tokyo Maru, damaged by Scamp on November 10th, sinks
while undertow between Kavieng on the northwest tip of New Britain Island in
the Bismarck Archipelago and Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
NOVEMBER 13
U.S. Army and Navy aircraft based on Ellice Islands, Phoenix Islands, Baker
Island, and in the Samoan groups of islands, begin Operation GALVANIC a longrange night bombing attacks that last for seven nights, on enemy installations in
the Gilberts and Marshall Islands in preparation for the invasion of the Gilbert
Islands.
Japanese planes attack American shipping off Cape Torokina, north of Empress
Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, damaging the cruiser Denver.
The damaged cruiser is towed to Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides by the tugs
Sioux and Pawnee, for temporary repairs.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands the Battle of the Coconut Grove
takes place at the junction of the East-West and Numa Numa Trails.
Early this morning, six Japanese bombers hit installations on Funafuti, Ellice
Islands dropping their bombs from high altitude attacks.
U.S. submarine Narwhal lands personnel and supplies at Paluan Bay, Mindoro
Island, Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Thresher sinks a 4600-ton cargo ship off Truk Atoll, Caroline
Islands.
U.S. submarine Scorpion damages the Japanese tanker Shiretoko northwest of the
Mariana Islands, a chain of 14 islands running from the Central Pacific to the
North Pacific.
U.S. submarine Trigger sinks the Japanese transport Nachizan Maru in the East
China Sea; although damaged by depth charges, she remains on patrol.
During the night PT-154 is struck by shore battery fire coming from Shortland
Island, Solomon Islands.
Fleet Air Photographic Squadron VD-3 photographs Maloelap Atoll, Marshall
Islands and Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Approximately 120 B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force pounds
Alexishafen, New Guinea, and P-40s strafes the area. Other B-24s hits Gasmata,
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago and the towns of Kaukenau, and
Timoeka in western New Guinea.
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The Seventh Army Air Force begins air attack for GALVANIC, assault on the
Gilbert Islands. 17 B-24s from Funafuti Atoll in the Ellice Island Group bombs
enemy installations on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, during the
night.
During the night a B-24 from the 10th Army Air Force drops mines in to the
Rangoon River, Burma.
B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force pound AA positions, dispersal areas, and
runway at the Bonis airfield, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-25s carry
out a low-level raid on the Buka Island airfield off the coast of New Guinea. Night
fighters strafe the Shortland Islands and the Kahili on the south coast of
Bougainville Island and Bonis airfields on Bougainville Island.
Australian First Tactical Air Force is formed as No. 10 Operational. The group is
made up of 77 Wing flying A-31 Vengeance dive-bombers, and 78 Wing using P40 Kittyhawk fighters, as well as various auxiliary units.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, the 21st Marines reach the EastWest trail in an area dubbed Coconut Grove.
British submarine HMS Taurus sinks the Japanese submarine I-34 south of
Panang, Malaya. The I-34 is the first Japanese submarine to be sunk by a
submarine of the Royal Navy.
NOVEMBER 14
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-25s to attack Japanese supply dumps and
bivouac areas on Sio, New Guinea.
B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force from Nukufetau, Ellice Islands, bombs Tarawa
Atoll in the Gilbert Islands while others from Nanumea, Ellice Islands hits Mille
in
the Gilbert Islands.
P-60 night fighters of the Thirteenth Army Air Force attack the Faisi in the
Shortland Islands just off the southern tip of Bougainville in the northwestern
Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Apogon attacks a Japanese Truk bound convoy consisting of the
transports Akibasan Maru and Okitsu Maru, escorted by destroyers Asanagi and
Inadzuma; although she claims one damaging hit on a transport.
Japanese submarine I-2 torpedoes and claims to have sunk an unidentified enemy
transport. This is the first use of the Type 92 electric torpedoes with a magnetic
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exploder off Amchitka Island, Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Japanese submarine I-29 sails into Singapore, Malaya, with 80 tons of raw rubber,
80 tons of tungsten, 50 tons of tin, two tons of zinc and three tons of quinine,
opium and coffee on board for transport to Europe.
U.S. troops use tanks in their attack on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands
to increase the defensive perimeter around the airfield to be built.
NOVEMBER 15
U.S. submarine Crevalle sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kyokko Maru off San
Antonio, Zambales province, located in Central Luzon Island of the Philippine
Islands.
U.S. Submarine Narwhal lands supplies and evacuate personnel at Nasipit,
Mindanao, Philippine Islands and embarked 32 evacuees, including eight women
and three children one a baby.
U.S. submarine Paddle sets up off Nauru Island in the Ocean Islands in the South
Pacific to broadcast weather reports for the next ten days.
United States Advance Naval Base and Naval Auxiliary Air Facility are
established
at Funuti, Ellice Island.
Imperial General Headquarters orders one regiment to Minami-tori-shims (Marcus
Island) in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and to Ogasawara Islands (Bonin
Islands) Group of islands south of Tokyo, Japan, to reinforce the islands.
The carrier San Jacinto is commissioned.
On New Guinea, B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force heading for Wewak and
Boram with escort of P-40s are intercepted by Japanese aircraft that are escorting
bombers on an attack against Gusap, New Guinea.
The resulting battle causes the B-25s to abort their attack. Two P-40s are lost. P47s claim five more aircraft destroyed over Wewak, New Guinea. B-24s pound
Alexishafen New Guinea.
Late afternoon, the Seventh Army Air Force sends B-24s from Canton, Phoenix
Islands, Gilbert Island chain, and Nanumea Island, Ellice Islands, to bomb Jaluit
Atoll and Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands and Makin in the Gilbert islands. At
Jaluit Atoll the Liberators cause many fires in the hangars, shops, and supply
dump areas at the seaplane bases on Imieji and Jabor Islands. Of the five ships
anchored in the lagoon one is left burning.
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18 B-24s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs Kahili, Bougainville; fighter
patrols destroy or damage several barges along the coast and destroy a pair fuel
dumps at Tonolai, Bougainville Island. 20 B-24s strike the airfield on Buka
Island off the coast of New Guinea.
BB 56 USS Washington. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S.
National Archives.
USS San Jacinto. U.S. Navy photo.
B-24s, B-25s, and P-40s from the 14th Army Air
Force attack the docks at Kowloon, China.
Fourteenth Army Air Force's B-24s attacks Hong
Kong-Kowloon, China.
In Burma the Chinese 112th Regiment receives
reinforcements from the 38th Division.
Fort White in Burma is taken over by the Japanese after the British exit.
NOVEMBER 16
Australian troops with tank support attacks Japanese positions near Sattelberg,
New Guinea.
Allied South-East Asia Command (SEAC) is activated. Mountbatten assumes
command, General Stilwell, Commanding General of CBI, becomes deputy
commander and continued in this capacity until October 21, 1944.
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force hits installations near Finschhafen, New
Guinea, and bombs and strafes coastal track west of Reiss Point. P-39s, with P40s covering, strafes barges from Saidor, New Guinea, to Madang, New Guinea.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Nanumea Island, Ellice Islands and
Nukufetau Island, Ellice Islands bombs Jaluit Atoll and Maloelap Atoll, both in
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the Marshall Islands. Single plane attacks are carried out against Kwajalein Atoll
in the Marshall Island, Little Makin in the Gilbert Islands, and Tarawa, Gilbert
Islands.
During the early morning hours P-70s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force harass
the Kahili airfield on the south coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands. During the day, B-25s and B-24s hit the Ruka airfield on the Northern end
of Bougainville Island, other B-25s flies a sweeps over the Bougainville coastline,
Sohano Island located in Buka Passage near the southern tip of Buka Island.
Supply dumps and barges are hit. More P-40s and P-39s also carry out a sweep
over the same area, hitting gun positions at Buka Island off the coast of New
Guinea.
11 B-24s, two B-25s, and four P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force blitz the docks at
Kowloon, China; a couple of B-25s damage two freighters near Nampang and
Saint John, China, two more score hits on a tanker off the China coast of Swatow,
and two others bomb barracks and a warehouse on Nampang, China ; six P-40s on
armed reconnaissance in the Yen Bay-Dong Cuong area of French Indochina
strafes railroad stations and barracks; a single B-25 and 12 P-40s hit a cavalry
unit, barge, houses, and numerous sampans at Shihmen, China; the Li-Chou area
of French Indochina also is attacked.
Fleet Air Photographic Squadron VD-3 photographs Jaluit Atoll, Marshall
Islands, and Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
PBYs attack Japanese shipping off New Guinea, sinking the cargo vessel
Kyoritsu Maru.
Japanese minelayer Ukishima is lost to unknown cause off Hatsushima, Japan.
USS Corvina SS-226. U.S. Navy photo.
U.S.
submarine Corvina is sunk by Japanese submarine I-176,
south of Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands. Corvina is the only
American submarine known to be sunk by a Japanese
submarine in the Pacific War.
Japanese minelayer Ukishima is lost to unknown cause off
Hatsushima, Japan.
NOVEMBER 17
American destroyers shell Japanese airfield at Buka Island off the coast of New
Guinea.
751
Japanese planes attack transports carrying reinforcements to Cape Torokina,
Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. The high speed transport McKean is sunk
by aerial torpedo.
Approximately 10 Japanese bombers make a medium altitude assail on U.S.
installations at Funafuti, Ellice Islands, before dawn.
Japanese submarine I-19 launches her floatplane so that a reconnaissance can be
made of Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. The plane returns safely to the
submarine.
Australian 9th Division starts an offensive to take Sattelberg, New Guinea.
The U.S. Navy escort carrier Bataan is commissioned.
On the American home front the first tentative demobilization and post war plan
are issued.
American naval aircraft bombs islands in the Gilbert Islands to confuse the
Japanese as to where the next invasion will take place.
Fleet Air Photographic Squadron VD-3 photographs Wotje Atoll in the Marshall
Islands.
B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Soerabaja, East Java, Dutch East Indies,
Tjepoe on Java, and Denpasar, Bali Island, Dutch East Indies, during
the night and B-25s bomb a freighter off Tanimbar Island in the Dutch East
Indies. During the day, B-24s are dispatched to support an attack by Australian 9th
Division on Sattelberg, New Guinea, but because of bad weather only a few of the
B-24s (along with RAAF aircraft) get through. At New Guinea, P-47s strafes
Japanese shipping between Saidor and Finschhafen.
The Seventh Army Air Force sends B-24s from Funafuti Atoll in the Ellice Island
Group and Canton on Phoenix Islands in the Gilbert Island chain to bomb, before
dawn, Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands and at sunset hit Maloelap Atoll in the
Maloelap and make low-altitude bombing and strafing runs on the Japanese
airfield on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
B-25s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force strikes Buka Island, off the coast of
New Guinea, airfield and surrounding areas during the night and other B-24s
follow with a daylight strike. B-24s bombs Buka and Bonis airfield on
Bougainville Island at various times during the day. During the afternoon B-25s
hit Kieta, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force's P-40s strafe the airfield and barracks at
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Kengtung, Burma, others hit construction of equipment at the Dong Cuong
airfield, French Indochina, and in Burma they assault Pingkai and Tahsai on the
Salween River.
U.S. submarine Capelin departs Darwin, Australia for Molucca and Celebes Seas.
She is never heard from
again.
USS Capelin SS 289
U.S. Navy photo.
U.S. submarine
Crevalle is damages
after firing her
torpedoes at a target.
The target and her
escort fire back damaging the buoyancy tank.
U.S. submarine Drum sinks the Japanese submarine depot ship Hie Maru northnorthwest of New Ireland.
NOVEMBER 18
American carrier aircraft attack Nauru Island in the South Pacific dropping ninety
tons of bombs on the airdrome and shop areas.
American carrier aircraft attack Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
On New Guinea, B-25s and B-26s of the Fifth Army Air Force attacks enemy
positions around Sattelberg. B-24s carry out raids on Fak Fak as P-40s bombs
Iworep.
B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force from Nanumea in the Ellice Islands bombs Mille
Atoll in the Marshall Islands as two hit Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
B-24s from the 13th Army Air Force bomb the Buka Island off the coast of New
Guinea and Kara airfields, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. B-25s strafe
Greenwich Island, Solomon Islands.
The Fourteenth Army Air Force's P-40s strafes troops and horses and sinks a troop
barge at Shihmen, Burma.
U.S. submarine Bluefish sinks the Japanese destroyer Sanae and damages the
tanker Ondo south of Basilan Island, Philippine Islands.
U.S. submarine Crevalle attacks Japanese landing ship/aircraft transport the
Akitsu Maru, escorted by torpedo boat Tomodzuru; although Crevalle claims
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destruction of her quarry, Akitsu Maru survives unscathed.
U.S. submarine Nautilus makes a reconnaissance of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert
Islands reporting weather conditions, water obstructions, surf and tide, bombing
results.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the British lend-lease Liberty Ship
Sambridge in the Arabian Sea. The survivors are machine-gunner in their lifeboat
and rafts.
Japanese aircraft attack the Tarawa Atoll LSTs but are driven off by anti-aircraft
fire.
NOVEMBER 19
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, The Battle of Piva Forks begins.
U.S. carriers attack Tarawa Atoll and Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands and
Nauru in the South Pacific.
U.S. carriers attack Jaluit Atoll and Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Submarine chaser PC-1067 founders and sinks off Attu, Aleutian Islands of
Alaska.
Crew scuttles PT-147, damaged by grounding, eastern New Guinea.
The first use of outgases, a prototype of napalm, is used at Sattelberg, New
Guinea, with great success that surprises the Japanese.
B-25s and B-26s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs Japanese positions at
Sattelberg, New Guinea. A-20s attack the Finschhafen area of New Guinea and B25s attacks Kentengi Anchorage, Bismarck Archipelago.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from the Ellice Island hit Tarawa Atoll and
Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands.
B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs Matchin Bay, Bougainville Island
in the Solomon Islands, and the Ballale Island airfield, Shortland Island Group,
Solomon Islands.
The Japanese destroyer Yamagumo sailing north of Truk Atoll in the Caroline
Islands, heavily damages the U.S. submarine Sculpin. She is scuttled. Captain
John P. Cromwell, command of Submarine Division 43 on Sculpin, familiar with
secret details of upcoming operations, decides to go down with the ship rather
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than risk capture and inevitable interrogation. For his decision to accept certain
death, Cromwell is awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.
Japanese aircraft attack the Makin Island landing force with little success.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Nautilus is damaged by friendly fire from the light cruiser Santa
Fe and the destroyer Ringgold, off the shore of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert
Islands. Despite damage from the attack to her conning tower Nautilus is able to
remain on war patrol.
NOVEMBER 20
United States 2nd Marine Division lands on
Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, the first landing
in the Central Pacific. The Tarawa landing
marks the first time that the assaulting troops
are landed by amphibian vehicle which will
climbs over coral reefs. Bitter resistance is
met on Tarawa. Betio Island invaded by U.S.
Marines.
U.S. Marines go ashore on Tarawa. USMC photo
U.S. Army’s 27th Division, a National Guard unit from New York, goes ashore on
Butaritari of Makin Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
U.S. Naval Base, Cairns, Australia, is established.
During the shelling of Tarawa Atoll the battleship Mississippi has an explosion in
a gun turret killing 43 sailors.
50 B-25s and B-26s of the 5th Army Air Force pound Japanese positions at
Sattelberg, New Guinea, and sinks or damage at least ten luggers in Hansa Bay,
New Guinea. A-20s attack Lae, New guinea. 50 B-24s bomb Gasmata, New
Britain Island, the beginning of a two-day series of attacks.
Liberators of the 7th Army Air Force bomb the airdromes area at Nauru Island in
the South Pacific.
45 B-25s, B-34s, and P-38s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force attack the
Bonisairfield on Bougainville Island. A few B-25s strafe coastal villages in
Empress Augusta Bay region of Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
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The Fourteenth Army Air Force sends B-25s to attack the warehouses and
barracks on Nampang Island, French Indochina.
The XX Bomber Command is
officially activated with headquarters at Smoky Hill Army Air
Field.
Black Cat PBYs sinks the
Japanese cargo vessel Naples
Maru.
Japanese Betty torpedoes bomber
torpedoes the carrier
Independence off Makin Island in
the Gilbert Island.
At dusk, 13 Japanese Betty
bombers attack the task force of
ships off Makin Atoll, Gilbert
Islands, with poor results.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers
supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Units of the 27th Division goes
ashore at Butaritari Island, Makin
Island, Gilbert Islands.
U.S. submarine Harder continues
to stalk a convoy attacked the
previous day and sinks the Japanese transport Nikko Maru northeast of the
Mariana Islands.
U.S. submarine Plunger, while on lifeguard duty off Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands,
is strafed which causes injuries to six men.
NOVEMBER 21
A battalion of Marines under Major Michael P. Ryan, with destroyer gunfire
support, reaches the opposite side of Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. Using
Sherman tanks, for the first time in the Pacific, open the western end for landings
by reserves units.
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U.S. Marines lands on Baairiki, Tarawa Atoll, to prevent Japanese from escaping
from Betio Island.
A platoon of Marines Scouts land on Eita, Tarawa Atoll and another platoon goes
ashore on Buota, Tarawa Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
The Japanese make a surprise attack at Scarlet Beach, near Lae, New Guinea. The
assault is held off by Australian and American troops.
B-25s and RAAF Beaufighters sink the Japanese fishing vessel Shinko Maru off
Taberfane, Aru Island, Dutch East Indies.
A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force hit the Finschhafen area of New Guinea. B-24s
bombs Gasmata, New Britain Island. B-25s and B-24s hit shipping off Aroe
Island, sinking the transport Shinwa Maru off Manokwari, New Guinea.
The Seventh Army Air Force resumes operations against the Marshall Islands, in
support of the base-development phase of GALVANIC (Gilbert operations) and
in preparation for invasion of the Marshall Islands (Operations FLINTLOCK and
CATCHPOLE). B-24s from Funafuti in the Ellice Island Group, and from
Nanumea Island in the Ellice Islands, bomb Nauru Island in the South Pacific.
P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force strafes sampans and small boats on Tungting
Lake in China. Elsewhere in China P-40s attack small ships, houses, and Japanese
troops at Shihmen and between Shihmen and Li-Chou. P-40s and B-25s hit the
town of Tzeli, China. B-25s on shipping sweeps over the South China Sea
damage a freighter and blast buildings at the Taiping-hsu airfield in China.
U.S. submarine Nautilus lands a Marine reconnaissance company on Abemama,
Gilbert Islands.
U.S. submarine Trigger sinks the Japanese cargo ship Eizan Maru, Yellow Sea
located between China and the Korean Peninsula.
Japanese submarine RO-108 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
NOVEMBER 22
During the night the Japanese attempt a suicidal counterattack on Tarawa Atoll,
Gilbert Islands, but are defeated. Tarawa Atoll falls into the Marines hands at a
cost of 3,300 Marines and 4,800 Japanese.
A platoon of Marine Scouts makes a landing on an unnamed island four miles
north of Buota, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
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U.S. Marines captures the western end of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands,
ending all Japanese resistance.
U.S. Marines go ashore on Abiniama, Gilbert Islands.
A detachment of the 105th Infantry land on Kuma, a island next to Butaritari in
Makin Atoll of the Gilbert Islands to stop the Japanese attempt to move from
Butaritari.
U.S. Navy destroyer Frazier is damaged when she intentionally rams the Japanese
submarine I-35; when the I-35 surfaces Frazier and Meade fire on the submarine
with 5-inch and 40-mm guns sinking her.
A B-24 sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kinyamasan Maru that had escaped damage
the previous day; destroyer Asanagi continues on to Truk Atoll in the Caroline
Islands with survivors of Nichii Maru and Kinyamasan Maru.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
B-25s and A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force attack villages around Sattelberg on
New Guinea. More than 100 B-25s and B-24s bomb Gasmata and Cape
Gloucester on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the
northeastern coast of New Guinea.
The Seventh Army Air Force sends B-24s from Canton Island in the Phoenix
Islands to bomb Mille Atoll, Marshall Islands.
B-25s, along with B-34s, P-38s, from the 13th Army Air Force, and Navy
Corsairs, attack the Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea airfield scoring hits
on the airstrip and taxiways.
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In China 12 P-40s, Fourteenth Army Air Force, strafes river traffic from Hofuh to
Changte, and 16 other P-40s attack numerous small troop boats on Tungting Lake,
west of Changteh.
In Egypt the Cairo Conference starts with President Roosevelt, British Prime
Minister Churchill, and Chinese Chiang Kai-shek attending for the first Allied war
planning. They mainly consider postwar planning for China and Burma.
Japanese army repair ship Kashima Maru is sunk by mine off Macao.
U.S. submarine Drum is damaged by depth charges north of New Guinea and is
forced to terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Seahorse sinks the Japanese cargo ship Taish Maru.
U.S. submarine Tinosa sinks the Japanese cargo ships Kiso Maru and Yamato
Maru off Palau. The Tinosa is damaged by depth charges but is able to continue
her patrol.
U.S. troops seal off the eastern end of Butaritari Island, Makin Atoll to prevent
Japanese troops from crossing to Kuma Island located east of Butaritari Island in
the Makin Islands.
NOVEMBER 23
U.S. cruiser and destroyer force bombards Buka-Bonis area, Bougainville Island,
Solomon Islands.
PT-322 damaged by grounding, eastern New Guinea and is scuttled by U.S.
Forces.
General Hubert Harmon assumes duties as Deputy Commander for Air in the
SOPAC.
B-25s and A-20s from the 5th Army Air Force hit villages around Finschhafen
New Guinea and B-24s attack a convoy near Halmahera Island, Moluccas Islands,
Dutch East Indies, and sink one ship.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Nukufetau Atoll in the Ellice Islands
bomb Emidj Island and Jabor Island located on Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force attacks Chabai, Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands, by B-25s, B-34's, and U.S. Navy Corsairs. B-24s bombs Chabai
again later in the day. B-24s hit the Bonis Peninsula Airfield on Bougainville
Island and Buka Island airfields off the coast of New Guinea. B-25s on shipping
759
sweeps, bombs, and strafes villages along the Bougainville Island coast between
Mabiri and Luluai.
In China B-25s, P-40s, and P-51s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attacks the
Yoyang railroad yards and warehouses.
U.S. troops of the 27th Division secure Butaritari, Makin Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
Its airstrip is quickly repaired and naval aircraft start landing.
The 1st Parachute Battalion comes ashore on Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands and temporarily joins the Raider Battalion as corps reserve.
Chinese 112th Regiment is over run in Burma.
U.S. submarine Blackfish sinks Japanese transport Yamato Maru between New
Guinea and Palau in the Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Capelin sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kizan Maru.
U.S. submarine Gudgeon attacks the Takao-bound Japanese convoy, sinking the
Japanese escort vessel Wakamiya and transport Nekka Maru, East China Sea and
damaging fleet tankers Ichiyo Maru and Goyo Maru.
Japanese Second Area Army commander, General Korechika Anami,
provisionally establishes his headquarters at Davao City, Mindanao Island in the
southern Philippine islands.
NOVEMBER 24
The American carrier Wasp is commissioned at Quincy, Massachusetts. This
carrier is named for the Wasp that was sunk September 15, 1942.
The American escort carrier Liscombe Bay is sunk by the Japanese submarine
I-175 off Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands she sinks in 23 minutes. 272 officers
and grew members are rescued out of approximately 920.
Near Buka Island north of Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands the Battle
of Cape St. George takes place; three
Japanese destroyers are sunk. This ends
up being the closing surface battle of the
Solomon Islands campaign.
Japanese tank found on Makin Atoll. USMC
photo.
During the night, the first attempt at night interception of Japanese aircraft by
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carrier-based aircraft takes place by a team of two Hellcats and a radar equipped
Avenger. No contact is made on this attempt.
1st Parachute Battalion arrives at Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands and
land among a Japanese supply dump near the village of Koiari, New Guinea. The
Japanese attack in force pinning down the Marines. Only 155mm-artiliary fire and
destroyer support allowed the Marines to re-embark their landing craft and
withdraw.
B-24s and U.S. Navy PBYs damage Japanese light cruiser Yubari as she attempts
to transport soldiers and supplies to Garove Island, Witu Island Group of the New
Britain Islands in the Bismarck Archipelago. Damage to the ship prompts
cancellation of her mission.
On New Guinea, B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the
village of Kalasa. A-20s and B-25s, with P-38s escorting hits stores areas at
Finschhafen. B-24s supported by P-38s, bomb Gasmata airfield on New Britain
Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. B-25s hit shipping at Halmahera Island,
Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force out of Nanumea Island in the Ellice Islands
attack Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands.
B-24s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb Buka Island off the coast of
New Guinea and Chabai on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. B-25s
hit the Kahili airfield located on south coast of Bougainville Island and others
bomb and strafe a possible radio station at Mutupina Point on the western coast of
Bougainville Island.
B-25s and P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force bomb Hanshow, China, and strafe
small boats near the city. B-25s attack harbor and town of Amoy in China.
On Bougainville Island the Battle of Piva Forks ends after U.S. Marine artillery
fires approximately 5,600 shells into the Japanese controlled area. U.S. Marines
destroy the Japanese 23rd Imperial Infantry. This is the last major Japanese
ground operation on Bougainville.
Near Sattelberg on New Guinea, Sergeant T.C. Derrick of the AIF 2/48th
Battalion seizes the summit of Sattelberg practically single-handedly, leading the
way for Australian forces to occupation the dominating height of the area.
NOVEMBER 25
Five American Fletcher class destroyers intercept five enemy destroyers with 700
aviation personnel on board due to heavy Allied bombing of the Buka Island
airfield off the coast of New Guinea. This action will be known as the Battle of
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Cape St. George. It takes place during the early morning hours. The American
destroyers receive no damage, however, three Japanese destroyers are sunk and
one damaged. This action will be the last surface engagement of the Solomon
Islands campaign.
The American destroyer Radford sinks the Japanese submarine I-19 north of the
Gilbert Islands.
Mine sinks Japanese submarine RO-100 west of Omai Island, outside North
Channel to Buin, New Guinea.
Formosa Island off the coast of East China is attacked for the first time as the
China-based United States Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs Japanese Shinchiku
airfields.
On New Guinea, Sattelberg falls to the Australian 9th Division.
B-24s bombs Japanese installations at Taroa, Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands,
damaging guardboat Takeura Maru.
The Fifth Army Air Force uses P-39s to strafe the Bogadjim Road in New Guinea.
The Tenth Army Air Force sends B-24s of the 308th Bomb Group, on loan
from the Fourteenth Army Air Force, are unable to bomb the target because of bad
weather but B-25s, covered by P-51s, manage to hit Mingaladon Airfield at
Rangoon in Burma.
B-25s and P-38s and P-51s of the 14th Army Air Force attack the airfield at
Shinchiku on Formosa Island located off the southeast coast of the Chinese
mainland. The planes hit hangars, barracks, and buildings.
Japanese forces occupy Changteh, Hunan Province, China.
U.S. submarine Albacore sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kenzan Maru north-east
of Manus Island off the coast of New Guinea.
U.S. submarine Searaven sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Toa Maru north of
Ponape, Caroline Islands.
NOVEMBER 26
In Egypt Cairo Conference ends with plans made for offensive operations in
Burma that will include larger number of Chinese troops. Also, agreed upon is
that B-29s will be based in the China-Burma-India Theater for attacks on the
Japanese homeland.
762
American carrier Enterprise launches the United States second attempt at night
interception of Japanese planes. This results in the first aerial night battle that
disrupts a Japanese attack on the task group.
On Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, the Japanese try to hold a key
strongpoint known as Cibik Ridge, but U.S. troops capture the heavily-fortified
position.
In the Gilbert Islands Buariki Island is secured. This ends the Battle for Tarawa
Atoll.
B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Gasmata on New Britain Island and
score hits on a cruiser near Ubili on the northern coast of New Britain in the
Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New Guinea. On New
Guinea, P-40s and P-47s strafe villages and other targets around Alexishafen,
Madang, and Nubia.
B-24s, B-25s, and other aircraft of the 13th Army Air Force hit the Buka Island
airfield off the coast of New Guinea and Bonis Peninsula airfield on Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands. A few B-24s attack Green Island part of
Bougainville Islands northwest of Buka Island, causing heavy damage in bivouac
and supply area and sinking a barge. A single B-25 bombs the Ballale airfield,
Shortland Island Group, Solomon Islands.
B-25s and fighters of the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack the Kiangling airfield,
China. B-26s damages a freighter in Honghai Bay, China. P-40s attack boats in
the Changte-Tehshan area of China. P-40s hit the railroad yards at Cam Duong,
French Indochina. B-25s sink Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Genchi Maru off
Canton, China
U.S. carrier-based aircraft attacks Taroa airfield on Maloelap Atoll, Marshall
Islands.
U.S. submarine Bowfin sinks the Japanese tanker Ogurasan Maru and cargo ship
Tainan Maru.
U.S. submarine Raton damages the Japanese ammunition ship Onoe Maru and
sinks the Japanese troop transport Kamoi Maru north of the Bismarck
Archipelago.
U.S. submarine Ray carries out unsuccessful attacks on the Japanese cargo vessel
Sumiyoshi Maru but sinks the Japanese transport Nikkai Maru southwest of Truk
Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
763
U.S. submarine Tinosa sinks the Japanese cargo ship Shini Maru, and damages
cargo ship Taiyu Maru.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Australian 2/43rd Battalion fights off strong Japanese attacks at Pabu Hill on New
Guinea near Sattelberg.
In the Gilbert Islands Abemama is reinforced by U.S. troops.
NOVEMBER 27
B-25s of the Fifth Army Air Force blast the airfield at Boram, New Guinea, the
town, and harbor at Wewak, New Guinea. Others planes also bomb the town of
Finschhafen, New Guinea.
B-24s sink the Japanese army hospital ship Buenos Aires Maru in Steffen Strait
located between New Hanover Island and New Ireland in the Bismark
Archipelago.
B-25s attacks Japanese convoy, sinking the transport Hakone Maru and damaging
torpedo boat Tomodzuru.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands
and Nukufetau Island, Ellice Islands, bomb Mille Atoll, Marshall Islands.
B-24s, with P-38s escorting, and B-25s of the Tenth Army Air Force covered by
P-51s bombed Isein in Burma.
B-25s belonging to the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb Queen Carola Harbor on
the west side of Buka Island. B-24s attacks the Buka Island airfield off the coast
of New Guinea. B-24s bombs the Bonis airfield on Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands. A few B-25s and B-24s attack the mouth of the Mobiai River on
Bougainville Island and Mutupina Point on the western coast of Bougainville
Island.
B-25s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force on sea sweeps attack the docks and
warehouses at port of Swatow, China, and hit convoy heading toward Amoy,
China.
General Wolfe becomes the Commanding General of the XX Bomb Command.
U.S. submarine Bowfin sinks the Vichy French cargo ship Van Vollenhoven off
coast of French Indochina.
U.S. submarine Seahorse sinks the Japanese fleet tanker San Ramon Maru in East
China Sea.
764
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine I-37 torpedoes and sinks the Norwegian tanker Scitia in the
Indian Ocean. The submarine’s crew is orders to machine-gun a lifeboat and a
raft.
Japanese submarine I-39 is sunk by the U.S. destroyer Boyd southwest of Tarawa
Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
NOVEMBER 28
Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands is declared secured, ending the most bitter,
intense fighting of the Pacific
War.
The Tehran Conference in Iran starts between Roosevelt and Churchill meeting
for the first time with Stalin.
U.S. Marines crosses from the island of Buariki to Naa, Tarawa Atoll in the
Gilbert Islands.
Approximately 50 B-24s from the 5th Army Air Force bomb the airfields at
Wewak and Boram, New Guinea, and B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s attack the villages
on Huon Peninsula and the track leading to Finschhafen, New Guinea.
The Seventh Army Air Force's B-24s from Nanumea, Ellice Islands, hit Nauru
Island in the South Pacific.
In Burma, B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force bomb the Botataung docks at
Rangoon and Sagaing is attacked by B-25s.
Six B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb and strafe the Mutupina Point on the
western coast of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands; fighters strafes
Tinputs Harbor, Bougainville Island, barges at Tonolai, Bougainville, and targets
of opportunity along the western coast of the island.
In Burma, P-40s from the 14th Army Air Force bomb and strafe Japanese barracks
and a village on the bank of the Saiween near Litsaoho. Others P-40s strafe the
town and airfield at Luang Prabang in French Indochina and hit radio building,
barracks, and tower at Tran Ninh, French Indochina. P-40s drops ammunition
to Chinese troops at Changte, China.
U.S. submarine Bowfin sinks the Japanese cargo ship Sydney Maru and cargo ship
Tonan Maru off the central Philippine Islands but is damaged by Japanese gunfire
and is forced to terminate her patrol.
765
U.S. submarines Pargo and Snook attack a Japanese transport convoy escorted by
the destroyer Oite and the auxiliary submarine chaser Choan Maru northwest of
the Mariana Islands. Snook sinks the Yamafuku Maru.
U.S. submarines Raton sinks the Japanese cargo ships Hokko Maru and Yuri
Maru
north of New Guinea.
The Alamo Scouts are organized on Fergusson Island,
New Guinea, to conduct reconnaissance and raids
in the Southwest Pacific Theater under the personal
command of Lt. General Walter Krueger, Commanding
General, Sixth U.S. Army.
NOVEMBER 29
American carrier Hornet (CV-12) is commissioned at Newport News, Virginia.
This carrier is named for the carrier Hornet (CV-8) sunk October 27, 1942 during
the Battle of Santa Cruz Island.
U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers from the American carrier Chenango locates
and sinks the Japanese submarine I-21 off Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
1st Marine Parachute Battalion lands before dawn about six miles east of Cape
Torokina, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
Australian forces capture the Japanese supply base at Bonga, New Guinea.
Two U.S. destroyers and two Australian destroyers, HMAS Arunta and HMAS
Warramunga, shells Japanese positions on Gasmata, New Britain Island.
U.S. Navy destroyer Perkins is sunk by a collision with the Australian troop ship
Duntroon off eastern New Guinea.
U.S. Navy PT boat 187 and two LCI gunboats go along to provide cover for 700
U.S. Marines to be evacuated off Cape Torokina, Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands, that have been trapped.
Allied warships shells Sio, New Guinea.
Australian troops begin pursuing Japanese toward Wareo, New Guinea.
Modifications of the 1st B-29 officially begins so that it will be able to carry a 2’ x
17’ uranium gun bomb as well as a plutonium implosion bomb.
766
B-25s and B-26s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Cape Gloucester on New
Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago off the northeastern coast of New
Guinea. B-24s bomb the barracks at Manokwari on west New Guinea.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force attack the Tinputs Harbor, Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands, from Numa Numa on Bougainville Island to Kieta,
Bougainville Island. B-24s pound Kieta. P-39s join U.S. Navy dive-bombers in a
strike on the Mosigetta warehouse area of Bougainville Island while a fighter
patrol attacks Gazelle Harbor, Bougainville Island. and gun positions near
Torokina Plantation on a small island in Empress Augusta Bay between Cape
Torokina and Puruata Island.
B-25s of the 14th Army Air Force attack the airfield, town area, and warehouse
section at Swatow, China, medium bombers hit the power station at Amoy, China,
and attack barges in the nearby coastal areas. P-40s drop food and ammo to
Chinese troops at Changte, Chinastrafes camp in Hsutu Lake area of China,
damage a vessel in Tien-hsin Lake and attacks numerous small craft in channels
between Hsutu and Tungting Lakes, China, and between Tsowshih and Hofuh in
China.
U.S. submarine Bonefish sinks the Surabaya-bound Japanese cargo ship Suez
Maru off Kangean Island located off East Java, north of Bali in the Lesser Sunda
Islands, Dutch East Indies. Unknown to the submariners, Suez Maru has on board
546 British POWs. Minesweeper W.12 rescues survivors.
U.S. submarine Paddle attacks the Japanese fleet tanker Nippon Maru off Brown
Island off Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Allied warships shells Sio, New Guinea.
Australian troops begin pursuing Japanese toward Wareo, New Guinea.
Modifications of the 1st B-29 officially begins so that it will be able to carry a 2’ x
17’ uranium gun bomb as well as a plutonium implosion bomb.
B-25s and B-26s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Cape Gloucester, New Britain
Island. B-24s bomb the barracks at Manokwari, New Guinea.
B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force attack Tinputs Harbor on Bougainville
Island from Numa Numa, Bougainville Island to Kieta, Bougainville Island. B24s pound Kieta. P-39s join U.S. Navy dive-bombers in a strike on the Mosigetta
warehouse area of Bougainville Island while a fighter patrol attacks Gazelle
Harbor, Bougainville Island, and gun positions near Torokina Plantation
located on a small island in Empress Augusta Bay between Cape Torokina
and Puruata Island.
767
In China, B-25s of the 14th Army Air Force attack the airfield, town area, and
warehouse section at Swatow, medium bombers hit the power station at Amoy,
and attack barges in the nearby coastal areas. P-40s drop food and ammunition to
Chinese troops at Changte, strafe a camp in Hsutu Lake area of China, damage a
vessel in Tien-hsin Lake and attacks numerous small craft in channels between
Hsutu and Tungting Lakes and between Tsowshih and Hofuh, China.
U.S. submarine Bonefish sinks the Surabaya-bound Japanese cargo ship Suez
Maru off Kangean Island located off East Java, north of Bali in the Lesser Sunda
Islands, Dutch East Indies. Unknown to the submariners, Suez Maru has on board
546 British POWs. Minesweeper W.12 rescues survivors.
U.S. submarine Paddle attacks the Japanese fleet tanker Nippon Maru off Brown
Island, Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
U.S. submarines Pargo and Snook continue attacks against Japanese transport
convoy northwest of the Mariana Islands; Pargo torpedoes and sinks the Manju
Maru; Snook torpedoes and sinks the Shiganoura Maru.
U.S. submarine Snapper sinks the Japanese transport Kenryu Maru off Hachijo
Jima, central Izu Islands in the Philippine Sea.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the Greek freighter Athina Livanos
in the Arabian Sea.
NOVEMBER 30
American destroyers shells Japanese positions on Empress Augusta Bay,
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
General Vandergrift is appointed Commandant of the United States Marine Corp
effective January 1, 1944.
PBY sinks the Palau-bound Japanese cargo ship Himalaya Maru south of New
Hanover off the coast of New Guinea in the Bismark Archipelago.
The Fifth Army Air Force sends B-24s to bomb the Cape Gloucester airfield on
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. B-25s bombs and strafes villages
along the coast from Borgen Bay, New Guinea, to Riebeck Bay on New Britain
Island. B-24s hits Alexishafen, New Guinea. B-25s and A-20s attack Kalasa, Gill
Island Solomon Islands, and hit trucks at Waroe, northern New Guinea.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Canton Island, Phoenix Islands,
Gilbert Island chain, attack Maloelap Atoll Marshall Islands, North Pacific.
768
During the morning, Liberators bombed the Taroa airdrome, Maloelap Atoll,
Marshall Islands.
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb Malai in the Shortland Islands. Aircraft
(AAF and Navy) attack barges and AA guns at Tonolai, along the Coast of Ballale
Island, the tip of Choiseul Island, Amun above Cape Moltke, Bougainville Island,
Numa Numa on Bougainville Island, and Chabai, Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands. Others cover dive-bombers attacking Jakohina Mission area of
Bougainville Island, gun positions at Kangu, Bougainville Island, and Malabita
Hill, and in Mosigetta areas of Bougainville Island. A few B-34s hit Mawareka
area of Bougainville Island.
P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb fuel and ammo dump at
Luchiangpa. Others strafe several boats on a lake near Ansiang, China. Supplies
are dropped to Chinese troops in Changte, China.
U.S. submarine Gato sinks the Japanese transport Columbia Maru and escapes
counterattacks by escorting submarine chaser Ch 24.
U.S. submarine Skate attacks the Japanese carrier Zuiho, which, along with
the carrier Unyo, escort carrier Chuyo, and escort vessels are proceeding back to
Japan from Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands. Although Skate claims one
damaging hit, none of her four torpedoes strikes home.
Japanese submarine I-176 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
769
Japanese $1.00 Invasion Currency, Philippines
770
DECEMBER 1
In Iran the Teheran Conference ends. The Russian restates their intention to go to
war against Japan once Germany surrenders.
In Japan, students may now volunteer for military service.
General Korechika Anami, Second Area Army commander, with his headquarters
located on at Davao City on Mindanao Island in the southern Philippine Islands
assumes operational command of the Second and Nineteenth Armies, the 7th Air
Division, and the 1st Field Base Unit.
B-24s bombers and P-47 escorts, 5th Army Air Force, bomb Wewak on New
Guinea, sinking the small cargo vessel No.16 Yoshitomo Maru. 16 A-20s hit Cape
Gloucester, New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. 35 B-25s and B-26s
bomb Borgen Bay area of New Guinea.
B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force, flying out of Funafuti Atoll in the Ellice
Island Group, bomb Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
B-24s of the Tenth Army Air Force bomb Insein, Burma. Medium bombers hit the
newly repaired bridge at Myitnge, Burma, rendering it temporarily unserviceable.
18 B-25s and eight P-38s from the 13th Army Air Force attack Malai. P-39s
strafe Tonolai, Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, and support U.S. Navy
dive-bombers in attacks on the Jaba River area near Empress Augusta Bay,
Bougainville Island. Other AAF and Navy fighters cover dive-bomber strikes on
Kara, Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands and Ballale Island, Shortland
Island group, Solomon Islands, elsewhere on Bougainville Island supply areas are
strafes at Tenekow, Chabai, and Mutupina Point. Six B-25s bomb Sarime
Plantation, Bougainville Island.
In China,19 B-25s, 24 P-40s, and 10 P-51s, all from the 14th Army Air Force,
pound the Kowloon shipyards, damaging the Japanese transport Teiren Maru, exVichy French Gouverneur General A. Varenne. Subsequently, the ship is written
off as a total loss. A couple of B-25s hit the Taikoo Docks, Hong Kong, China.
P-40s strafes a truck convoy near Lashio, 16 planes sinks 30 boats in the area
around Changte, China, and eight bombs Bac Ninh, Burma.
Aircraft, Central Pacific is established under Commander Central Pacific for
operational control of defense forces and shore-based air force in the area.
Last group of American Airline crews of Project 7-A leaves India after teaching
the ATC how to fly as professionals.
U.S. submarine Bonefish sinks the Japanese transport Nichiryo Maru in the
770
Celebes Sea that bordering Borneo to the west and Mindanao Island of the
Philippines to the north.
U.S. submarine Pargo sinks the Japanese transport Shoko Maru north of Ulithi
Atoll, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Peto sinks the Truk-bound Japanese transport Konei Maru and
escapes from the torpedo boat Otori.
Japanese cruiser Nagara arrives at Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands with
reinforcements.
DECEMBER 2
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill meet in Cairo, Egypt, with
Generalissimo Chaing Kai-shek to study Lord Mountbatten proposal for retake
Burma.
The Combined Allied planners conclude that an air and sea blockade of Japan
should be the ultimate objective of all operations in the Pacific War.
18 Japanese bombers and 30 Zeros attack the Suichwan airfield, China.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and sinks the Greek freighter Nitsa in the
Arabian Sea.
U.S. Submarine Narwhal lands supplies and ammunition on Mindanao Island,
Philippine Islands and evacuate personnel.
RAAF Beaufighters damage Japanese paddle steamer Assam on the Irrawaddy
River of Burma and a mine sinks the Japanese cargo vessel Koki Maru off Macao,
Burma.
Over 50 B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force pound Borgen Bay area of New
Guinea. 20 B-25s and B-26s hit enemy forces in the Finschhafen area of New
Guinea. A pair of B-24s also bombs Sio, New Guinea.
20-plus B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force hit Malai, Bougainville Island, and
attack position south on the Porror River and Rigu Mission at Kieta, Bougainville
Island. More than 20 B-24s bomb Korovo in the Shortland Islands in the Solomon
Islands.
P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs the villages between Sha Nyao
and Chiao Tou Chieh, China. 16 others bombs Japanese positions near Changte,
China.
771
On New Guinea Huanko on the Huon Peninsula is captured by Australian forces.
DECEMBER 3
United States and British delegates resume their conferences in Cairo, Egypt, after
concluding the Tehran conference.
60-plus B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force bombs the Cape Gloucester
Airfield on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. A single B-24 sinks
several barges in Johann Albrecht Harbor in New Guinea while another bombs a
large transport near New Hanover Island off the coast of New Guinea in the
Bismark Archipelago. 20-plus B-24s bomb Waingapoe in the Dutch East Indies.
A-20s attacks villages around Finschhafen, New Guinea.
23 B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force fly a bombing mission to Kieta
Harbor, Bougainville Island of the Solomon Islands, to hit nearby supply and
bivouac areas. Six others Mitchell Bombers hit Aitara Mission, Bougainville
Island. 21 B-24s pounds the Bonis Peninsula airfield on Bougainville Island.
Fighters (AAF and Navy) on patrol assault areas from Numa Numa on
Bougainville Island to Koromira, at Mosiga and Chabai, and west of Mutupina
Point on the on the western coast of Bougainville Island. B-24s hit a variety of
targets on or near Bougainville Island, including Kieta, Green Island, northwest of
Buka Island, Greenwich Island, Solomon Islands, and Korovo in the Shortland
Islands of the Solomon Islands.
Eight P-40s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force attacks Japanese barracks and
other buildings at Wanling, China.
British delegates are invited to help on the Manhattan Project arrive at Newport
News, Virginia.
U.S. submarine Guardfish is damaged in a collision with unidentified tanker.
U.S. submarine Narwhal arrives off Negros Island in the Philippine Islands and
takes nine more evacuees onboard.
U.S. submarine Tinosa sinks the Palau-bound Japanese fleet tanker Azuma Maru
northwest of Sonserol, Palau Island, Caroline Islands.
Japanese submarine I-27 torpedoes and damages the British freighter Fort
Camosun in the Gulf of Aden located in the Arabian Sea.
Nine Japanese aircraft bombed the Tarawa Atoll airdrome in the Gilbert Islands
during the night.
772
First Alamo Scout Training Camp, ASTC, is set up on Fergusson Island, New
Guinea.
DECEMBER 4
Aircraft from six-carrier of Task Force 50 under the command of Rear Admiral
Charles A. Pownall attack Kwajalein and Wotje Atolls, Marshall Islands, sinking
the ammunition ship Asakaze Maru, cargo ship Tateyama Maru, auxiliary
submarine chaser No.7 Takunan Maru, and guardboat No.5 Mikuni Maru and
damage light cruisers Nagara and Isuzu, stores ship Kinezaki, auxiliary vessel
Fujikawa Maru, and transports Eiko Maru, Kenbu Maru, and No.18 Mikage
Maru.
Japanese retaliatory air strikes damages three U.S. ships: carrier Lexington by
aerial torpedo; light cruiser Mobile when one of her 5-inch mounts accidentally
fires into one of her own 40-mm mounts; and destroyer Taylor by friendly fire
from light cruiser Oakland.
Japanese seaplane carrier Sanuki Maru is damaged by mine, Pomelaa Island in the
Dutch East Indies, as she sails for Singapore, Malaya.
Nearly 50 bombers of the Fifth Army Air Force hits the Cape Gloucester airfield
on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago and attacks shore targets from
Rottock Bay to Rein Bay, New Guinea. 12 A-20s hits villages and supply dumps
in the Finschhafen area of New Guinea. 30 P-40s sinks an oil-laden ship and two
barges off Bogia, New Guinea, and a bombs a bridge near Bogadjim, New
Guinea.
34 B-24s, Seventh Army Air Force, from Ellice and Canton Island bomb Mille
Atoll in the Marshall Islands dropping 50 tons of bombs. Over 20 others bombers
abort due to bad weather. Eight B-24s, from Funafuti Island in the Ellice Island
Group attack Nauru Island in the in the South Pacific setting an oil dump on fire.
In Burma B-24s, Tenth Army Air Force, mines Rangoon River while 12 others
mine the Salween Rivers are mined during the night.
XIII Fighter Command completes their move from the New Hebrides to
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. 21 B-24s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, attacks
Chabai on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. 17 B-25s follow with a
strike on the same target.
11 B-25s and 12 P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs Changte, China,
which was taken by the Japanese earlier in the day. 11 more B-25s and 24 P-40s
follows with two more attacks on Changte, China. Other P-40s drops ammo to
Chinese troops on Tehshan Mountain.
773
The Japanese close down the POW work camp 80 Kilo on the Thai-Burma
Railway and moves the sick to camp 105 Kilo, Thailand.
Japanese 11th Army captures the rice bowl area of Changteh, Central China.
During the morning a Japanese plane drops four small bombs on Makin Atoll in
the Gilbert Islands.
Poison Gas is used by the Japanese on Changteh in China.
Bolivia, South America, declares war on Japan.
U.S. submarine Apogon sinks the Japanese gunboat Daido Maru northeast of
Ponape, Caroline Islands.
U.S. submarine Gunnel sinks the Japanese transport Hiyoshi Maru northeast of
Haha Jima, Bonin Islands, south of the Japanese home islands, and eludes
counterattacks by destroyer Inazuma.
U.S. submarine Sailfish torpedoes and sinks the Yokosuka-bound Japanese escort
carrier Chuyo southeast of Honshu Island, Japan. Unknown to Sailfish, Chuyo is
carrying survivors from sister ship Sculpin.
USMC 1st Parachute Battalion is delivered to Bougainville in the Solomon
Islands.
U.S. military exempts Korean-Americans from alien status.
In Egypt the Second Cairo Conference, SEXTANT, starts in Cairo with President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill meet with President Ismet Inonu of
Turkey to discuss participation in the war on the side of the Allies.
DECEMBER 5
American destroyers shells Choiseul Bay, Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands.
Japanese forces give up the defense of Finschhafen, New Guinea.
In Burma the Rangoon and Salween Rivers are mined during the night by Allied
planes.
40 B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island
in the Bismarck Archipelago. A-20s destroys a small craft off New Britain. Other
A-20s hits Japanese forces in the Finschhafen, New Guinea. B-25s, B-26s, and P40s attack targets along the Bogadjim Road, New Guinea.
774
On Burma the Tenth Army Air Force sends B-24s to mine the waters in the
Moulmein area while others lay mines in the Rangoon River.
23 B-25s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, and 20 plus U.S. Navy dive-bombers hits
the Bougainville Island areas of Monoitu, Aitara Mission, and Mosigetta. Fighter
patrols hits several areas over Bougainville and on Shortland, including Chabai,
Numa Numa, Mosigetta, Monoitu, and Faisi Island.
16 P-40s flying with the 14th Army Air Force flies over the Changte area of China
and damages several large supply sampans near Ansiang, China, and strafes
various targets in the Tehshan, China, and Hsutu Lake areas. More than 20 other
P-40s on patrols over Changte area of China attacks numerous boats and
throughout the nearby lake region.
U.S. submarine Narwhal sinks the Japanese cargo ship Himeno Maru (ex-U.S.S.
Dos Hermanos) off Camiguin Island in the Philippine Islands using her deck gun.
Japanese planes bombs Calcutta, India; U.S. freighter William Whipple is
straddled and holed with fragments.
During the night approximately 50 Japanese aircraft attacks American aircraft
carriers off Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands, damaging the carrier Lexington.
During the night, enemy planes drop eight bombs near Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll,
Gilbert Islands. Only one bomb lands near American installations.
Japanese submarine I-8 sails into Singapore, Malaya, after two months at sea,
from
Beast, France with her cargo of six 13-mm MG 131 machine guns and
ammunition, quad 20-mm AA guns, radar and sonar equipment, dive-bomber and
horizontal-bomber bomb sights, one Daimler-Benz torpedo boat engine, electric
torpedoes and naval chronometers and penicillin. Also on board is Rear Admiral
Yokoi Tadao, the former Naval Attaché to Germany and Captain Hosoya
Sukeyoshi, the former Naval Attaché to France.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
DECEMBER 6
The Central Pacific Campaign, one of the longest in World War II is terminated.
Approximately 100 B-24s and B-25s from the 5th Army Air Force assault Cape
Gloucester on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago and Borgen Bay
on New Guinea. P-40s strafes Cape Hoskins, New Britain Island. A-20s and B25s attack villages and supply dump around Finschhafen, New Guinea.
775
Eastern Air Command, RAF and 10th Army Air Force, activated under General
George Stratemeyer.
B-25s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, bomb the Monoitu Mission area of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, and others, with fighter support,
pound the village of Tarlena. P-40s carry out strafing strikes on the Arawa Bay
area near Kieta, Bougainville Island. P-38s strafes the west coast of Buka Island
off the coast of New Guinea. General patrols strafe Bougainville areas of Chabai,
Koromira, and the Monoitu. Kieta, Bougainville Island, supply area is bombed by
a B-24.
More than 30 B-25s and numerous fighters of the Fourteenth Army Air Force
pound Changte, China, throughout the day. Other planes strafe the railway yard at
Hsipaw, China, and damage a train at Hopong, China.
During the night a lone Japanese plane conducts a nuisance air raid against
installations on Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands. Four bombs land harmlessly
in the lagoon.
U.S. Marines on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands attack enemy
positions on Hill 1000.
DECEMBER 7
In Egypt the Cairo Conference concludes. The delegates from the United States
and Britain agree on further Pacific actions, but an amphibious operation in the
Bay of Bengal, India, is canceled because of the need for the landing craft in the
projected invasion of southern France.
LST-208 and LST-209 unload British tanks at Regu Creek, Burma, in Operation
RATCHET.
More than 90 B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Cape Gloucester,
New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, and Borgen Bay areas of New
Guinea. A-20s bomb enemy troop encampments and dumps in the Finschhafen ,
New Guinea. P-40s strafes boats and barges near Madang, New Guinea. B-24s
bombs the airfield and village on Haroekoe Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East
Indies.
During the night, 14 B-24s, of the 7th Army Air Force staging through Tarawa
Atoll, Gilbert Islands, hit targets at Taroa airdrome, on Maloelap Atoll in the
Marshall Islands and Wotje Atolls, Marshall Islands. 22 A-24s from Makin Island,
escorted by Marine F6Fs, hit Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands. Six B24s from Nukufetau Island in the Ellice Islands, bomb Maloelap Atoll, Marshall
Islands, and one B-24, failing to reach the primary target, drops bombs on Mille
Atoll, Marshall Islands .
776
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force carries out strikes against Kahili, south coast of
Bougainville Island, and Kiet Harbor, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
Torokina Island, small island in Empress Augusta Bay between Cape Torokina
and Puruata Island, is bombed by B-24s.
In China Changte is hit twice by a total of 13 B-25s of the 14th Army Air Force.
P-40s strafes freight cars between Mogaung and Myitkyina, Burma.
Higgins helicopter makes its first trail flight.
U.S. submarine Pogy sinks the Japanese sub tender Soyo Maru north of Truk
Atoll, Caroline Islands. Escort ships damages the fire-control system forcing
Pogy to return to Midway for repairs.
U.S. submarine Sailfish is attacked by Japanese plane off Kyushu Island, Japan,
but although damaged by aerial bomb, remains on patrol.
DECEMBER 8
United States Naval, task force of carriers, battleships, and destroyers shells and
bombs Nauru Island, Gilbert Islands.
U.S. Naval aircraft sinks the Rabaul-bound Japanese fishing boats No. 3 Yusho
Maru, No.7 Fukuei Maru, Takatori Maru, and No.1 Hoko Maru.
Lockheed PV3 Ventura bomber.
Navy search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two raid in the southern Marshall Islands.
A Ventura bomber strafes installations at Mille Atoll, Marshall Islands. Another
Liberator attacks and strafes the base facilities at Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands,
sinking a patrol boat and probably sinking a medium freighter and two small
vessels.
Australian troops capture Wareo, New Guinea.
777
B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force attack Penfoei-Koepang, Timor Island, Dutch
East Indies. B-25s and B-26s pounds the Japanese supply dumps on Huon
Peninsula near Finschhafen, New Guinea. On New Guinea P-39s strafes barges
from Saidor to Fortification Point.
22 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force from Nanumea Island, Ellice Islands, bombs
Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands, and 11 from Canton Island, Phoenix Islands, Gilbert
Island chain bombs Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Thirteenth Army Air Force fighter patrols and aircraft on armed reconnaissance
bombs and strafes several targets near Kieta, southeast of Cape Torokina, at Baniu
Plantation and other targets along the coast of Bougainville Island, Solomon
Islands.
B-25s, escorted by 16 P-40s, from the 14th Army Air Force pound Changte,
China. Nine other B-25s bombs Hofuh, China and the 16 escorting P-40s bombs
two villages to the north.
U.S. submarine Sawfish sinks the Japanese transport Sansei Maru southwest of
Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands in the North Pacific Ocean.
During a typhoon Japanese army troops attacks a guerrilla camp at Campo Laugit
on Leyte Island, Philippine Islands, capturing supplies, ammunition, and weapons.
DECEMBER 9
The airfield at Torokina, Bougainville Island of the Solomon Islands becomes
operational, only 200 miles from Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck
Archipelago.
Chaing Kai-shek asks President Roosevelt to provide the Chinese with more aid
and to build up their air strength in the country.
Following the Tehran conference in Iran and the Cairo, Egypt, conferences,
President Roosevelt re-embarks on the battleship Iowa at the North African town
of Dakar for the return voyage to the United States.
50 B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force bomb and strafe the New Britain coast
from Borgen Bay to Rein Bay. 19 B-25s and A-20s hit barges, coastal
installations, and roads in the Fortification Point area of New Guinea. 60-plus P39s hit Bogadjim Road, New Guinea, barges and enemy held villages along the
northern coast of Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, and enemy positions in Ramu
River valley.
778
The Seventh Army Air Force uses 19 B-24s from Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Island
Group, to bomb Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands with more than 15 tons of
bombs.
In China 15 B-25s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb Wuchang and
Hankow, and three bombs Changte. P-40s strafes sampans at Nanhsien, China,
and attack targets on the Salween River, including road traffic south of Hsia Chai,
China, barracks at Tachai, and the town of San Tsun, China.
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
The U.S. Senate passes a resolution granting the Philippine Islands independence
as soon as conditions return to normal after the war.
DECEMBER 10
Grounding, Solomon Islands, damages U.S. Navy destroyer Sigourney.
Japanese aircraft bomb the Hengyang airfield, China.
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
27 B-24s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb Cape Gloucester and Huon
Peninsula, New Guinea. 40 B-25s and B-26s bomb supply dumps, bivouac areas,
and bridges along the Bogadjim Road, New Guinea. P-39s strafe barges in the
Madang area of New Guinea.
Thirteenth Army Air Force's B-25s bombs the Kahili, south coast of Bougainville
Island in the Solomon Islands, supply area and airfield. P-39s bomb supply dumps
and AA positions at Tonolai off Bougainville Island and strafes four barges in the
harbor. B-24s hit buildings on the Arigua Plantation on Bougainville.
12 B-25s and 16 P-40s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force attack the
marshalling yards at Hanoi, French Indochina.
U.S. Marines capture Hill 1000 on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands.
On Abemama in the Gilbert Islands, the 95th Seabees complete O’Hara Field,
named for a group commander from the Enterprise.
President Roosevelt signs a law revising the draft bill which will put men who
have been fathers before Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, at the bottom of the
list.
779
DECEMBER 11
U.S. submarine Bonefish damages the small Japanese cargo vessel Toyohime
Maru.
U.S. submarine Pompono sinks two Japanese sampans with her deck gun in the
South China Sea.
B-25s from the Fifth Army Air Force bombs and strafes the Borgen Bay area of
New Guinea. B-25s and B-26s hit bivouacs and other installations near
Fortification Point, New Guinea, and around the Finschhafen area New Guinea.
B-24s bombs Makassar, Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies, and Balikpapan, East
Borneo, Dutch East Indies.
The Thirteenth Army Air Force sends16 B-25s, in two waves, to attack Kahili,
south coast of Bougainville Island; several other B-25s hit the Arigua Plantation
on Bougainville; 20 B-24s bomb the village and wharf area at Tsirogei
Bougainville Island; eight P-39s bomb Tonola; Several aircraft, operating
individually or in small flights, attack targets scattered throughout Bougainville
Island and the Shortland area. Allied night fighters carry out strike on the Japanese
bivouac along the Jaba River. Others hit Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea,
and Bonis, Bougainville Island.
In China 14 B-25s and 10 P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force attack Shihshow and
Ansiang. Three B-24s bomb the Hankow airfield, China.
DECEMBER 12
Lord Mountbatten orders that the American (10th AAF) and British Air Forces
(Bengal Command ) in South-East Asia Command be integrated to form the
Allied Air Command, South-East Asia, under Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard
Peirse. The Eastern Air Command (EAC), a subordinate operation authority,
established under Major General Stratemeyer, Allied Air
Commander for Burma. Headquarters is established at New
Delhi, India, controlling all operational air units in Assam
and Burma
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard E. Peirse.
P-40s of the Fifth Army Air Force bomb the
Bogadjim Road, New Guinea. B-24s make raids on
Ceram in the Moluccas Islands of the Dutch east
Indies and in the far western part of Dutch New
Guinea.
25 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force flying out of their Ellice Island bases, bomb
Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands.
780
A large force B-25s and B-24s of the 10th Army Air Force carry out saturation
bombing strikes on the bridge at Myittha in Burma, over which large volume of
Japanese goods moves to the north. Despite this large effort only the approach
spans suffer effective damage.
B-25s, Thirteenth Army Air Force, strafes the Arigua Plantation on Bougainville.
Others bomb supply dumps at Bonis, Bougainville Island. The fighters afterwards
strafe Japanese forces between Kieta, Bougainville Island, and the Aropa River.
Other aircraft strafes the harbor at Tonolai off Bougainville Island and cover Navy
dive-bombers against targets in the Ratsua-Porton/Chabai-Soraken areas of
Bougainville and the Kieta Harbor-Tobera Bay area. 20-plus B-24s bombs Kahili
area of south coast of Bougainville Island and Poporang Island in the Solomon
Islands.
Nine B-24s flown by the 14th Army Air Force bomb the Hankow airfield, China.
In China 41 Japanese bombers and fighters bomb the Hengyang airfield, causing
considerable damage.
Two Navy search Liberators of Fleet Air Wing Two make a low altitude attack on
Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands at dusk.
U.S. submarine Tuna sinks the Japanese transport Tosei Maru north of
Halmahera Island in the Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies.
Japanese aircraft make small night raid on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands.
DECEMBER 13
20 Japanese bombers, escorted by 25 fighters bomb the airfield at Dinjan, India
with little damage.
Japanese aircraft make small night raid on Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
PBY sinks Japanese cargo vessel Tokiwa Maru.
100-plus B-24s and B-25s and several P-40s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb
Gasmata, New Britain Island. A-20s hit villages along the Bogadjim Road, New
Guinea. A small flight of P-39s strafes barges along the Huon Peninsula, New
Guinea.
10 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force, staging through Baker Island in the Central
Pacific from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Island chain bombs
Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
781
17 B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force bomb Porton, Bougainville Island in the
Solomon Islands and their escorts strafes the Tenekow bivouac areas of
Bougainville during their return flight. 24 B-24s bomb Bonis Peninsula on
Bougainville Island. Six B-25s carry out low-level strikes against enemy
concentrations on Numa Numa, Bougainville Island.
12 B-25s, with escorts, all from the Fourteenth Army Air Force bomb Li-Chou
and Kungan in China. B-25s pound the Wuchang airfield, China. 16 P-40s strafes
targets from Changte to Linli to Li-Chou in China.
U.S. submarine Pogy damages the Japanese cargo ship Fukkai Maru off Palau
Islands in the Caroline Islands but is damaged by depth charge and forced to
terminate her patrol.
U.S. submarine Pompono lays mines off Poulo Condore, southwest of French
Indochina.
U.S. submarine Puffer unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese transport Teiko Maru,
ex-Vichy French steamship D'Artagnan.
U.S. submarine Sailfish sinks the Japanese cargo ship Totai Maru south of
Kyushu Island, Japan.
DECEMBER 14
The Joint Chiefs of Staff decides that Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands should be
captured.
In the heaviest raid to date in the Southwest Pacific Area, 228 B-24s, B-25s, and
A-20s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb Arawe, New Britain, in an almost
continuous attack from 6:45am to 3:48pm. Gasmata, New Britain Island, is hit by
B-25s and B-26s. P-39s strafes barges along the Huon Peninsula, New Guinea. B24s hits Saidor on New Guinea, Gasmata on New Britain Island, and Unea located
off the Coast of New Britain Island in the Bismark Sea.
16 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force, flying out of bases in the Ellice Islands,
bomb Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
18 B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force, with fighter escort, bomb Japanese
positions on Sohano Island located in Buka Passage near the southern tip of Buka
Island. 18 B-25s and fighters hit the village of Manob on New Guinea east of
Buka Passage. Others hit gun positions, communications, and other targets
scattered throughout the Bougainville-Shortland areas and cover Navy planes
striking AA positions in the Chabai area of Bougainville Island in the Solomon
Islands.
782
13 B-25s, with escort, from the 14th Army Air Force bomb Shasi. Six P-40s
strafes the Gia Lam airfield, French Indochina, and railroad yard. A pair of P-40s
strafes enemy supply trucks near Tengchung, China.
Faulty fuel pump ignites a gasoline dump that in turn explodes a ammunition
dump; resultant fire destroys motor torpedo boat PT-239, Lambu Lambu Cove,
Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Grayback sinks the Japanese destroyer Numakaze east of
Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, southwest of Kyushu Island of Japan.
U.S. submarine Herring sinks the Japanese cargo ship Hakozaki Maru
northeast of Shanghai, China.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
Japanese submarine RO-110, off Madras, India, fires a spread of torpedoes on a
convoy hitting one ship. The submarine is suddenly rammed by a ship crushing
her periscopes and destroying the conning tower.
Japanese aircraft make a small night raid on Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
DECEMBER 15
U.S. Army troops of the 112th Cavalry lands on Arawe Peninsula, New Britain
Island, in rubber boats to block a Japanese retreat. The main attack used
conventional landing craft.
By the afternoon the invasion of Arawa Peninsula, New Britain, continues
however for the next several days, the Japanese launched furious air attacks from
Wewak, New Guinea, especially targeting ships that had supported the invasion
force.
Australian forces capture Lakona on New Guinea.
United States Naval Operating Base is established, Treasury Island, western
Solomon Islands.
As a preliminary to the main invasion of New Britain, following naval and air
bombardment, B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force pound villages in the Arawe area.
B-24s bombs Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, while P-39s strafes barges at
Reiss Point, New Guinea. B-25s hit two freighters on Timor Island, Dutch East
Indies.
20 B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Nanumea hit Maloelap. 10, staging
from Canton Island through Baker Island, bombs Wotje.
783
21 B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force strike Sohano Island located in Buka
Passage near the southern tip of Buka Island. Six B-25s hit installations in the
Numa Numa-Arigua area of Bougainville Island. 23 B-25s and 16 escorts attack
Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea, causing heavy damage in the Chinatown
area. P-40s destroy a bridge at Runai. Aircraft, operating individually and in small
flights, over Bougainville and other the Northern Solomon Islands, attacks
numerous targets.
25 P-40s, Fourteenth Army Air Force, strafes parked aircraft, trucks, and several
buildings at Pailochi, China. Two B-25s on a sea sweep over the Gulf of Tonkin
located off the east coast of French Indochina claims an ocean-going tug sunk. 16
P-40s strafes the towns of Owchihow and Shihshow, China. Six others attack the
town of Luchiangpa and villages in the area.
Twenty-five miles of first class road, from Lae to Nadzab, New Guinea, is
completed by the U.S, Army Corps of Engineers in three months after the fall of
Lae, New Guinea. This makes it possible for the construction of facilities for the
four aerodromes at Nadzab from which the Fifth Army Air Force will operate.
U.S. Navy destroyer escort Harveson is damaged in a collision with U.S. cargo
ship William T. Barry.
RAAF Beaufighters sinks the Japanese cargo ship Wakatsu Maru.
Dutch B-25s sinks the Japanese cargo ship Genmei Maru off Timor Island in the
Dutch East Indies.
At Gavuvu, New Britain, Lt. General Sakai, of the 17th Division orders all troops
from Gasmata to Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island to be on the watch for
Allied landings on the island. The Komori Detachment is ordered to move
overland from Kirige to the Arawe Peninsula area near Cape Merkus, New
Britain. The Tobushi Detachment is to move amphibiously from Busching for a
counter landing on Cape Merku, New Britain.
U.S. Navy PT-133 shoot down a Japanese four engine seaplane off the coast of
Gasmata, New Britain Island.
Japanese submarine I-16 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
The Japanese remove 504 Canadian POWs of the Winnipeg Grenadiers from
Hong Kong’s Shamahuipo POW camp and loads them on a cargo ship for
Formosa.
784
In Burma the Chinese New 38th Division is driven back in the Bhamo area of
Burma.
DECEMBER 16
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese cargo ship Ginyo Maru
southwest of the Ryukyu Islands southwest of the Japanese Home Islands.
Navy search Liberators of Fleet Air Wing Two strafes a small vessel southeast of
Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands and attacks a ship and shore installations
at Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Fifth Army Air Force bombers hit Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, Sio, New
Guinea, and Kelana Harbor, New Guinea. P-40s hit the Timoeka area of western
New Guinea. A B-24 sinks the Japanese cargo vessel No.6 Heiei Maru northeast
of Wewak, New Guinea.
14 B-24s, from the 13th Army Air Force, bomb Monoitu, Bougainville Island.
Smaller flights of B-24s bombs the islands of Poporang Island, Solomon Islands,
and Sohano Island located in Buka Passage near the southern tip of Buka Island
and dispersal areas at the Bonis airfield on Bougainville Island. Five B-25s, with
cover, hit Sankau Island in the Solomon Islands. B-24s attack targets on Green
Island northwest of Buka Island and on Mawareka on New Guinea, Marveiropa,
and the village of Mamaregu on Bougainville Island . Aircraft supports U.S.
Navy dive-bombers in their strikes on Sohano Island near the southern tip of Buka
Island and gun positions at Bonis and afterwards strafes several points on
Bougainville Island.
B-25s and P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force hit part of Owchihkow, China. B25s on sweeps over the South China Sea damages a freighter off of Nampang
Island off the coast of China, bomb the Tunguan docks. 15 P-40s strafes the
Pailochi airfield, China. 11 others strafe boats in the channels near Nanhsien in
Hunan province of China. P-38s fires on an enemy troop train near Changanyi of
China and attacks 25 sampans, destroying most of them, on the Yangtze River,
China, just above Huangtang Lake, in China.
Japanese submarine I-26 refueling a Kawanishi flying boat at Maldives Island
located south of India's Lakshadweep Islands in the Indian Ocean for a
reconnaissance of Goa Harbor and Cochin Harbors on India. The Kawanishi
flying boat on takes off damages her float and crashes. The submarine rescues all
ten fliers and sinks the wreck with her 25-mm AA gunfire.
Japanese submarine I-29 leaves Singapore on Malaya for a run to France with 80
tons of raw rubber, 80 tons of tungsten, 50 tons of tin, two tons of zinc and three
tons of quinine, opium, coffee along with 16 passengers that are either Imperial
Navy officers, engineers and/or specialists engineers.
785
Japanese submarine I-181 delivers supplies to Buka Island off the coast of New
Guinea.
Japanese submarine RO-109 delivers supplies to Buin, New Guinea.
DECEMBER 17
Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island and nearby shipping are attacked
by B-24s and B-25s of the 5th Army Air Force. B-25s bombs Sio area of
New Guinea. P-39s sinks two barges during sweep along Huon Peninsula,
New Guinea.
The Seventh Army Air Force sends 10 B-24s from Nanumea Island in the Ellice
Islands to bomb Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. A lone B-24 bombs an
alternate target of Mille Atoll, Marshall Islands.
18 B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force strike Malai in the Shortland Islands. Six
others join Navy aircraft in pounding the Mutupina Point on the western coast of
Bougainville Island. Five B-24s hits Poroporo Island in the Solomon Islands and
Tarekekori Village on Choiseul Island.
P-40s of the Fourteenth Army Air Force bombs and strafes barracks near
Kunlong, China; others bombs and strafes targets in Hanoi in French Indochina.
P-47s intercept 35 to 40 Japanese aircraft attacking Allied forces on Arawe
Peninsula on New Britain Island. At least 10 of the attackers are claimed shot
down.
A Navy Liberator on a search mission assault three small transports near Jaluit
Atoll in the Marshall Islands, two of which are possibly sunk.
Navy, Marine, and New Zealand aircraft lead by
Marine Ace Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington attacks
Rabaul from the newly completed airfield at Empress
Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island.
New
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio,
Guinea.
Pappy Boyington USMC photo
President Roosevelt signs the repeal of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and
allows limited immigration of Chinese to the United States in appreciation for
Chinas assistance in the Pacific Theater.
786
DECEMBER 18
70-plus B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s of the Fifth Army Air Force bombs Cape
Gloucester, New Britain Island. Over 20 B-25s bombs the Borgen Bay area of
New Guinea. Nearly 40 B-24s hits the Hoskins airfield on New Britain. 33 A-20s
bombs and strafes supply dumps and bivouacs of Finschhafen, New Guinea.
14 B-24s flying for the Seventh Army Air Force bombs Mille Atoll in the
Marshall. 30-plus P-39s and A-24s fly strafing and bombing runs against the same
target.
10 B-24s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the Kahili supply area on the south
coast of Bougainville Island, five more hit the Bonis supply area Bougainville
Island, and 19 others hit targets in the Chabai-Porton area of Bougainville Island
in the Solomon Islands. B-25s
carry out several low-level strikes on enemy
troop concentrations at Poroporo Island, Solomon Islands and more bombs
Korovo, Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands. B-24s, operating individually and in
small flights attack the Bougainville sites of Kahili, Kieta and Poporang. Fighters
strafe targets at Numa Numa, Bougainville Island, Cape Pui Pui in the Solomon
Islands, and the coast of Buka located off the shore line of New Guinea.
27 B-24s, supported by 28 P-40s, from the 14th Army Air Force pound the
airfield at Namsang; China, while P-40s strafes the Laihka airfield, China. Five
B-25s bombs part of Nanbsien, China.
U.S. submarine Aspro attacks a Japanese convoy, damaging the fleet tankers
Sarawak Maru and Tenei Maru and escapes counterattacks by the destroyer
Shiokaze.
U.S. submarine Cabrilla lays mines off Saracen Bay, Cambodia, French
Indochina.
U.S. submarine Grayback sinks the Japanese cargo ship Gyokurei Maru eastnortheast of Naha, Okinawa of the Ryukyu Islands, southwest of Kyushu Island of
Japan.
During the night PT boats 323 and 369 makes a patrol up Huon Peninsula of New
Guinea and come upon a barge and fire on it. During the assault 396 runs aground
on a reef. In the course of freeing PT369 from the reef a firefight starts with
several other barges. In the end one barge is sunk and 369 towed home by 329.
Japanese planes drop three bombs on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands before
dawn, causing no damage.
Japanese aircraft attack Kunming, China, to lessen the threat to her forces from
Burma.
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During the night, a Catalina search plane of Fleet Wing Two attacks and set afire
a large transport anchored at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
General Stilwell is given overall command of Chinese forces in the Hukawng
Valley of northern Burma and in India.
DECEMBER 19
American destroyers shells Japanese positions on the northeast coast of
Bougainville Island.
About 35 Japanese bombers and fighters attack the Hengyang airfield in China.
B-24 and PBYs sinks the Japanese cargo ship Kaito Maru southwest of Kavieng
on the northwest tip of New Britain Island.
PBY damages the Japanese cargo vessel Shoei Maru, Kwajalein Atoll in the
Marshall Islands; Shoei Maru sinks on December 20th.
Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island is bombed by more than 140 B-24s, B25s, and B-26s from the 5th Army Air Force as pre-invasion operations against
New Britain increase. 37 P-40s hit Gasmata on New Britain. 20 A-20s pound
Japanese forces northeast of Arawe, New Britain. About 30 B-25s, A-20s, and P39s hit barges, bivouac areas, and gun positions close to Finschhafen, New
Guinea. 30 B-25s and B-26s pound Madang on New Guinea as P-47s sweep the
coastline of New Guinea.
29 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force taking off from Nanumea, Ellice Islands, and
Baker Islands in the Central Pacific bombs barracks, hangars, and wharf areas on
Mille Atoll and Maloelap Atolls in the Marshall Islands. P-39s from Makin Island
in the Gilbert Islands and strafes Mille Atoll, Marshall Islands, destroying
airplanes and firing an oil dump.
The dock area at Bangkok, Thailand is attacked during the night by 20 B-24s of
the 10th Army Air Force causing considerable destruction.
24 B-25s from the 13th Army Air Force bombs Moisuru bivouac and supply
dump. 16 B-24s, escorted by 50 AAF and RNZAF fighters, bombs the town of
Rabaul and Simpson Harbor on New Britain Island. Other planes hit targets at
Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea, Bonis Peninsula of Bougainville Island,
village of Ratsua on the southwest coast of Bougainville Island, Poporang Island
in the Solomon Islands, Kara on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, Kahili on
the south coast of Bougainville Island, Koiaris on Bougainville, and
Nissan Islands, Green Islands group in the Solomon Islands.
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The Fourteenth Army Air Force uses 12 B-25s and eight P-40s to attack
Nanbsien and Ansiang in China.
On Northern Borneo the Kinabalu Guerrilla movement lead by Albert Kwok
comes to an end in the hills near Menggatal due to inadequate military training,
the lack of food, the relentless Japanese pursuits, and reprisals against the
guerrillas' relatives and other civilians. Albert Kwok, leader of the Kinabalu
Guerrillas on North British Borneo, turns himself in to the Japanese to avoid
unnecessary cruelties to the local citizens. He under goes severe torture at the
hands of the Japanese at the Jesselton Hotel, but refuses to provide any
information and accepts full responsibility for the revolt.
DECEMBER 20
On New Britain the Awara Peninsula is cleared of all Japanese.
PBYs sink the Japanese transport Alaska Maru north of northwestern
Gazelle Peninsula on New Britain Island.
At noon a force of Navy Hellcat fighters, Army light bombers, and Navy
Dauntless dive-bombers bombs and strafes Japanese installations on Imieji Island,
Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands. A medium cargo ship and one small vessel in the
lagoon are damaged.
President Roosevelt and Chaing Kai-shek exchange messages that show a
disagreement over future offensive operations in Burma as well as America's
comment to further aid for the Chinese.
MacArthur, meeting with Admiral Halsey and his staff, makes a suggestion to
complete the encirclement of Rabaul, New Britain Island, so that he could move
on to the Admiralty Group, that the Green Islands be seized as a base for new
airfields.
Major Charles M. Smith sets up a radio control station on Samar in the Philippine Islands
which will be in contact with SWPA GHQ as well as establish a firm base of operations
for guerrilla operations through the islands.
Japanese bivouac are blasted by more than 90 B-24s and B-25s flying for the 5th
Army Air Force. P-40s strafe targets along the southern coast of New Britain. B24s bombs a merchant ship off Cape Pomax. B-26s and B-25s hit bivouacs in the
Finschhafen area and bomb the town of Alexishafen, New Guinea.
16 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force flying out of Baker in the Central Pacific and
Nanumea Island in the Ellice Islands bombs Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands.
13 B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force, with air cover, bombs Korovo village
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and docks in Shortland Islands of the Solomon Islands. Others hit Buka off the
shore of New Guinea after which the fighters strafe Kieta, Bougainville Island,
and Tenekow, Bougainville. Other fighters and B-24s patrol and fly night snooper
missions attacks on numerous targets throughout Bougainville.
A Japanese reconnaissance plane report that a large concentration of Allied
transports and other assault shipping had rendezvoused in Buna Bay, New Guinea
In China 11 B-25s and six P-40s of the 14th Army Air Force from Kweilin pound
the Yoyang railroad yards.
U.S. destroyers shells Japanese positions on northeastern coast of Bougainville
Island, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Gato sinks the Japanese transport Tsuneshima Maru, East China
Sea.
U.S. submarine Puffer sinks the Japanese destroyer Fuyo west of Manila but the
submarine's attack on cargo ship Gozan Maru is not successful.
In the early morning, two Japanese planes attack Tarawa from high altitude.
DECEMBER 21
PBYs from Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska bomb Shimushu,
Paramushiro Strait, Kurile Islands northeast from Hokkaido Island, Japan.
General Stillwell takes command in the field of Chinese divisions in Burma.
He is designated as Commanding Officer of Northern Central Area Command
(NCAC) in Ledo, Burma.
B-25s sinks the small Japanese cargo vessel Matsushima Maru at Wewak, New
Guinea.
Pre-invasion air strikes continue against Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island as
more than 100 B-24s, B-25s and A 20's of the 5th Army Air Force pound the area.
P-39s strafes targets along Borgen, New Guinea, and Rein Bay on New Guinea. P40s and A-20s hit the Hoskins airfield on New Britain. A-20s hit enemy camps
north of Finschhafen, New Guinea. B-25s bombs and fires their cannon on
Madang, New Guinea. B-24s bombs the Amahai airfield in the Moluccas Islands
in the Dutch East Indies. P-40s hit Kaukenau in Dutch New Guinea.
Eight B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Nanumea escort four Navy
PBYs on a photo mission over Kwajalein Atoll. B-24s bombs enemy shipping
and aircraft landing strips and other facilities at Roi, Ennuebing, and Kwajalein
Islands. A-24s, along with Navy and Marine aircraft, hit shipping, and airfields on
Emidj Island. 16 P-39s strafes fuel dumps, shipping, and AA at Mille.
790
B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force attack Monoitu Mission. During the night,
snoopers aircraft bomb various Japanese bivouac areas on Bougainville.
29 B-24s from the 14th Army Air Force pound the railroad yards at Chiengmai,
China, and the warehouse area along the western side of the railroad yards. 14 B25s attacks Hwajung, China.
U.S. submarine Grayback attacks the Japanese auxiliary netlayer Kashiwa Maru
and the passenger/cargo ship Konan Maru south-southwest of Kagoshima, Japan.
U.S. submarine Sailfish sinks the Japanese transport Uyo Maru off Miyazaki,
Japan.
U.S. submarine Skate sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Terukawa Maru
northwest of Truk Atoll, Caroline islands.
Japanese submarine I-8 arrives at Kure, Japan after sailing 30,000 miles. She
will be the only Japanese submarine to successfully complete a round-trip voyage
from Japan to Europe during the War.
Japanese submarine I-26 lands twelve Indian revolutionaries of the Hikari Kikan
spy unit near Karachi, India to conduct insurgency operations .
Japanese submarine I-38 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
DECEMBER 22
Japanese aircraft attack Kunming, China.
Japanese air raid on Arawe, New Britain, causes minor damage.
Japanese submarine I-181 delivers supplies to Buka off the coast of New Guinea.
The railroad terminal at Bangkok in Thailand is bombed.
Navy planes and P-38s raid Milli Atoll, Marshall Island, sinking the Japanese
transport Nankai Maru.
Approximately130 B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s of the Fifth Army Air Force
continues the bombardment of Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island. Nearly 40
B-25s, with P-38 escort, bombs Wewak, New Guinea, and Boram, New Guinea.
B-25s and P-39s bomb the airfield and barges at Madang on New Guinea and the
town of Alexishafen, New Guinea. A-20s and B-26s pound occupied area
Finschhafen, New Guinea.
791
11 A-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Makin in the Gilbert Islands divebombs cargo ships in Mille lagoon in the Marshall Islands. P-39s strafes the ship,
AA, and gasoline dumps on the island.
B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force carries out strikes against Numa Numa,
Bougainville Island, Kahili on the south coast of Bougainville Island supply area,
Buka Island's Chinatown area, and other targets scattered around. Fighter aircraft
and B-24s attack barge concentrations and hideouts at Sohano Island located in
Buka Passage near the southern tip of Buka Island, Chabai Porton area of
Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, Anewa Bay, New Guinea, Ambitle
Island, New Guinea, and throughout Bougainville. B-24s, operating individually
and in pairs, attack targets near Bonis, Porton, and on Sohano Island.
17 B-25s, from the 13th Army Air Force, attack gun positions and other targets
on Sohano Island found on Buka Passage near the southern tip of Buka Island, and
several hit positions at Malevoli in Choiseul Bay. Six B-24s attack the radar
station and lighthouse on Cape Saint George, New Ireland. 16 P-39s on patrol
bombs and strafes targets on Shortland Island. 18 B-24s bomb the Taharai airfield.
Vunakanau on New Britain Island also is hit. This begins a COMAIRSOLS allout offensive
against Rabaul area of New Britain Island that continues until the end of March
1944.
Seven B-25s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force, with escorts, bomb Hwajung,
China. A couple of others claim direct hits on a freighter south of Hong Kong,
China.
U.S. submarine Gurnard damages the German cargo ship Havelland east of
Kashinosaki, Japan; the ship never returns to active service.
Enemy bombers initiate five raids on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands during
the night, causing minor damage.
DECEMBER 23
The Japanese Department of War lowers the minimum draft age from 20 to 19.
Japanese light bombers make three nuisance raids on Makin Island in the Gilbert
Islands, two at night one during the day.
Enemy bombers initiate five raids on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands during
the night, causing minor damage.
Japanese submarine I-29 refuels from the small German supply ship Bogota in the
Indian Ocean.
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Japanese submarine RO-111 torpedoes and sinks the British cargo ship Peshawur
in the Indian Ocean.
61 B-24s of the 5th Army Air Force bomb Cape Gloucester on New Britain
Island, during the day. B-24s follow during the night with harassing attacks using
small bombs, hand grenades, empty beer bottles. P-39s hit barges between Borgen
Bay and Rein Ray, and P40's bomb Gasmata, New Britain Island and strafe
Cape Hoskins on New Britain Island. Over 80 B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s attack
coastal targets from Wewak to Hansa Bay on New guinea, wide areas of Huon
Peninsula, New Guinea, and the airfields at Alexishafen, New guinea. B-24s
bombs Nabire in the Aru Islands, off the coast of New Guinea, Dutch East Indies.
19 B-24s of the 7th Army Air Force, staging through Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert
Islands from Nanumea, Ellice Islands, bombs Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.
Nine others, staging through Baker in the Central Pacific from Canton Island,
Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Island, chain hits Wotje on New Guinea and Maloelap,
Marshall Islands, North Pacific. 10 A-24s, escorted by 20 P-39s, attack Mille
Atoll, Marshall Islands, hitting shore installations and cargo vessel in lagoon.
Other aircraft hit Nauru in the South Pacific.
The Tenth Army Air Force sends19 B-24s on night raid to bomb the railroad
terminal at Bangkok, Thailand.
17 B-25s, from the 13th Army Air Force, attack gun positions and other targets
on Sohano Island located in Buka Passage near the southern tip of Buka Island,
and several hit positions at Malevoli in Choiseul Bay on Choiseul Island. Six B24s attacks a radar station and lighthouse on Cape Saint George, New Ireland
Island. 16 P-39s on patrol bombs and strafes targets on Shortland Island in the
Solomon Islands. 18 B-24s bombs the Taharai airfield. Vunakanau on New
Britain also is hit.
29 B-24s, escorted by seven P-51s and 23 P-40s, from the 14th Army Air Force
pounds the White Cloud airfield in Canton area of China. 14 P-38s dive-bombs
and strafes Huang Shan Kou, China. B-25s sinks the Japanese gunboat Nan-Yo
south of Formosa Straits separates Formosa from the mainland of China.
Approximately 300 Allied POWs are transferred from Ambon in the Moluccas
Islands, Dutch East Indies, to Makassar, Celebes Island, Dutch East Indies by
cargo ship.
DECEMBER 24
Japanese submarine I-166 lands six Indian revolutionaries on Ceylon to conduct
insurgency operations.
793
Allied aircraft sinks the Japanese auxiliary minelayer Koa Maru, Marcus Bay,
New Britain.
An American task force of three cruisers and four destroyers shells Buka-Bunis,
Solomon Islands. This attack is designed as a diversionary from the upcoming
landing on New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago.
A Navy search Liberator of Fleet Air Wing Two makes a low altitude attack on
two small transports near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Pre-invasion bombing continues against Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, as
it reaches its peak as nearly 190 B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s of the 5th Army Air
Force pound the area in a day-long bombardment. P-39s hits a disabled destroyer
offshore. Japanese forces in the Arawe area of New Britain are hit by A-20s. A20s also sweeps northeastern New Guinea coastline. B-25s bombs Atamboea,
Bougainville Island.
Seventh Army Air Force sends18 B-24s, staging through the Gilbert Islands from
the Ellice Island, to bombs Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
During the night, single aircraft of the Thirteenth Army Air Force carries out
harassing strikes against Buka island off the coast of New Guinea, Kieta,
Bougainville Island, and Faisi in the Shortland Island group. During the day, 24
B-25s attacks seaplane anchorage at Bonis on Bougainville Island. 18 B-24s bomb
the Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul, New Britain Island. Six others hit Lakunai on
New Britain island. B-24s bomb barges and enemy troops in north Bougainville.
Fourteenth Army Air Force uses 18 B-24s to bomb a Tien Ho airfield, China.
B-24 aircraft damages the Japanese cargo ship Kensho Maru, Kwajalein Atoll in
the Marshall islands.
American destroyer escort Griswold sinks a Japanese submarine off Koli Point,
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
B-24 aircraft damages the Japanese cargo ship Kensho Maru, Kwajalein Atoll in
the Marshall Islands.
American destroyer escort Griswold sinks a Japanese submarine off Koli Point,
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
Navy medium bombers of Fleet Air Wing Two, makes a low altitude attack on
Nauru Island in the South Pacific at dusk.
U.S. submarine Gurnard sinks the Japanese transport Seizan Maru east of
794
Miki Cape, Japan, and the auxiliary minesweeper Naruo Maru.
U.S. submarine Raton torpedoes the Japanese transport Heiwa Maru in Kaoe Bay,
Halmahera Island, Moluccas Islands, Dutch East Indies; Heiwa Maru is
intentionally run aground in shallow water to prevent her sinking.
General Joseph Stilwell’s headquarters announces that the campaign to retake
Northern Burma has started. Stilwell personally leads the Chinese Division and
sees the Chinese troops defeating a modern enemy on the battlefield. This is a
"first" for China.
Elements of the Chinese 38th Division liberate a battalion of the 112th Regiment
that has been surrounded in the Hukawng Valley of Burma.
During the morning 15 Japanese fighters bombs from high altitude Allied
installations on Makin Island in the in the Gilbert Islands, causing no damage.
U.S. Marines complete their advance on Bougainville Island.
DECEMBER 25
American carrier aircraft, commanded by Rear Admiral Sherman, bomb Kavieng,
New Ireland.
Thai-Burma railroad is completed at the cost of 10,562 POWs death and
approximately 30,000 local labor lives.
On Arawe Peninsula of New Britain Japanese attack forces U.S. troops to
withdraw to a better defensive perimeter.
Japanese 36th Division lands on Biak Island located at the entrance to Geelvink
Bay, western New Guinea and start construction of an airfield.
Allied aircraft attacks Madang and Wewak area, New Guinea.
U.S. Army's Americal Division, arrives on Bougainville Island to relieve the 3rd
Marines.
Cape Glouester on New Britain Island is subjected to almost around the clock air
attacks by nearly 180 B-24s, B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s of the Fifth Army Air
Force. A-20s attack Japanese forces in the Arawe area of New Britain Island
where Allied outposts and observation posts are being pushed back by fierce
enemy assaults on the beachhead.
795
10 A-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Makin Island, Gilbert Islands
supported by P-39s, attacks Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands, hitting the
runway, ammunition storage dumps, and an AA position.
B-24s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force, fighting bad weather, attack the
Rabaul area of New Britain Island, concentrating on the Lakunai airfield of the
island
Fourteenth Army Air Force uses B-25s to inflict heavy damage to a passenger
ship near Hong Kong, China. B-25s damage Japanese Patrol Boat No.14 east of
Hong Kong.
American warships attack Japanese ships at Kavieng on the northwest tip of New
Britain Island. Planes from the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill and the small aircraft
carrier Monterey sinks the transport Tenryu Maru; and damage the minesweepers
W.21 and W.22 and transport (ex-armed merchant cruiser) Kiyozumi Maru.
U.S. submarine Skate torpedoes the Japanese battleship Yamato northeast of Truk
Atoll, Caroline Islands.
Japanese planes bomb Chittagong in India.
Japanese submarine I-29 takes on supplies from the German transport SS Bogota
in the Indian Ocean.
Japanese submarine I-177 delivers supplies to Sio, New Guinea.
DECEMBER 26
Japanese airplanes strikes Allied ships off Cape Gloucester, New Britain,
destroyer Brownson is sunk by dive-bomber; destroyers Lamson, Shaw, and
Mugford are damaged by dive-bombers; and tank landing ships LST-66 is
damaged
by horizontal bomber.
B-25s, B-24s, and A-20s of the 5th Army Air Force plaster the area between
Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island, and Borgen Bay, New Guinea, starting at
7:14 am to 4:14 pm.
16 B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force, staging through Tarawa Atoll in the
Gilbert Islands, bombs Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands. P-39s flies a strafing
mission to Mille Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Seven B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force, with 34 escorts, attack Cape Saint
796
George area of New Ireland. 25 B-25s pound bivouac and supply area at Kahili on
the northwest tip of New Britain Island. B-24s bomb Chivaroi, Bougainville
Island, and Faisi in the Shortland Island group.
A low altitude attack is attempted against Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands and
shipping around the island by Ventura bombers and Hellcat fighters of Fleet Air
Wing Two.
Aircraft attacks Madang and Wewak area, New Guinea.
First Marine Division goes ashore on Cape Gloucester, New
Britain. However, because Japanese defenses are concentrated
near the airfield, the Marines land on an undefended beach
about six miles to the east.
U.S. submarine Ray torpedoes and sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyoko Maru,
former Dutch Semiramis, south of Celebes, Dutch East Indies.
20 enemy dive-bombers go after shipping in Arawe Harbor of New Britain Island
but cause little damage.
Japanese submarine RO-109 delivers supplies to Buin, New Guinea.
504 Allied POWs are removed from Formosa Island and sent to Japan.
DECEMBER 27
American cruisers and destroyers shells Kieta area, Bougainville Island.
U.S. Army relives the Marines on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
A-20s, of the 5th Army Air Force, attacks Japanese positions in the Cape
Gloucester, New Britain Island. B-25s hit villages and trails from
Rottock Bay on New Guinea to Riebeck Bay, Bougainville Island, strafes barges
along New Britain's southern coast. B-24s bomb the airfield at lloskins on
Bougainville Island. B-25s bombs Madang on New Guinea and hits coastal targets
along Huon Peninsula, New Guinea. B-24s bombs Alexishafen, New Guinea. P47s strafes a road near Bogia, New Guinea.
Close to 20 B-25s of the 13th Army Air Force bomb the seaplane anchorage at
Buka Island off the coast of New Guinea, strafes AA positions on Ramandata,
bombs the Kahili supply dumps on south coast of Bougainville Island, and
attacks the Kieta bivouac and other targets in the area of Bougainville Island. A
few B-24s hits barges at Ambitle Island off New Guinea and Aniriy, New Guinea.
16 P-38s joins 70 Navy dive-bombers in strikes off the coast of New Guinea on
797
Buka Island AA positions. About 40 Allied planes sweep Rabaul on New Britain
Island.
10 P-40s from the Fourteenth Army Air Force strafes buildings at the Pailochi
Airfield in China and sinks a nearby river boat. Two locomotives at Yoyang,
China, are also destroyed. Four P-40s bombs the Phu Tho airfield, French
Indochina and strafe the airfield at Dong Cuong in French Indochina.
Navy Liberator, while on a search mission in the Marshall Islands attacks and
damages a tanker.
Australian troops begin an assault against Japanese positions on the steep slopes
of the Finisterre Mountains, New Guinea.
At Shaggy Ridge on New Guinea the AIF 7th Division takes The Pimple.
First training class of the Alamo Scouts begins at the ASTC on Fergusson Island,
New Guinea.
36 Japanese airplanes attack the Suichwan airfield, China.
Ledo Road construction reaches the first town in Burma, Shingbwiyang, 117
miles from the start point of the road.
U.S. freighter Jose Navarro, bound for Calcutta, India, is torpedoed by the
German submarine U-178.
Coastal transport APC-15 is damaged by Japanese dive-bomber, New Britain.
U.S. submarine Flying Fish sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyuei Maru southwest of Formosa Island.
U.S. submarine Grayback sinks a Japanese sampan with her deck gun in the North
Pacific.
U.S. submarine Gurnard damages the Japanese transport (ex-armed merchant
cruiser) Gokoku Maru off the south coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
U.S. submarine Ray sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyoko Maru (ex-Dutch
Semiramis) west of the Celebes Island in the Dutch East Indies.
U.S. submarine Tautog damages the Japanese seaplane carrier Kimikawa Maru off
Shionomisaki on the south coast of Honshu Island, Japan.
798
Enemy bombers attempt a high altitude during an evening nuisance raid on
Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands causing no damage.
On the home front of America the operations of railroad are placed under the
authority of Secretary Stimson.
DECEMBER 28
Amphibious Training Base is established, Maui, Hawaii.
15 B-24s of the Seventh Army Air Force from Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Island Group,
and Canton Islands, Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Island chain, staging through Baker
in the Central Pacific and Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, hit Maloelap, Mille,
and Majuro Atolls in the Marshall Islands. 18 A-24s from Makin Island in the
Gilbert Islands, with escort of 20 P-39s, attacks Mille Atoll in the Marshall
Islands. This attack is followed by another against the atoll carried out by nine B25s from Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, supported by 12 Makin-based P-39s.
14 B-24s from the Thirteenth Army Air Force bombs the supply areas at Bonis
Peninsula on Bougainville Island. 22 B-25s hit the Kahili supply area on the
south coast of Bougainville Island. Another large fighter sweep over Rabaul on
New Britain Island results in more than 20 enemy airplanes shot down.
In China Four B-25s and P-51s of the 14th Army Air Force attack Yangtze River
shipping at Chihchow. Seven P-40s bomb building near a railroad siding at Yunchi, China.
U.S. freighter Robert F. Hoke is torpedoed in the Indian Ocean by the Japanese
submarine I-26. The ship is towed to Aden in Yemen but is written off as a total
loss.
Japanese submarine RO-104 delivers supplies to Sarmi, New Guinea.
U.S. Navy PV-1 attacks Japanese net tender Katsura Maru off Kwajalein Atoll,
Marshall Islands.
101 Detachment, in Burma, has now set up 11 radio stations that report regularly
from enemy controlled areas.
Enemy bombers attempt a high altitude evening nuisance raid on Tarawa Atoll in
the Gilbert Islands causing no damage.
On New Britain the Japanese Komori Detachment, with the Merkus Garrison Unit
begin attacking Allied positions located around Arawe Peninsula area of New
Britain Island.
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DECEMBER 29
Cape Gloucester No.1 airfield on New Britain is captured as the 1st Marine
Division roll over Japanese positions.
The Tobushi Detachment joins the Komori Detachment in the attack on the Arawe
Peninsula of new Guinea the Japanese are repulsed in the Battle of Coffin Corner.
The Chinese 38th Division makes progress in their advance toward the Tarung
River of Burma.
Political control of the Andoman Islands of India is theoretically passed by the
Japanese to the Azad Hind government of Subhas Chandra Bose.
Off Palau Islands in the Caroline Islands, U.S. submarine Silversides sinks the
Japanese transport Tenposan Maru; cargo ship Shichisei Maru; and the cargo ship
Ryuto Maru; and damages the cargo ship Bichu Maru.
During the morning, Navy medium bombers of Fleet Air Wing Two raid Nauru
Island in the South Pacific destroying an ammunition dump and started several
fires.
B-24 attacks the Truk-bound Japanese cargo ship Katori Maru.
120-plus B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s of the 5th Army Air Force pound Japanese
positions at Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island as U.S. Marines take major
objective against the airfield. B-25s hit Madang, New Guinea. B-24s bomb
bivouac and communications near Sio, New Guinea, and other B-24s fly light
attack against Manokwari, New Guinea, hitting the town and shipping.
Fourteenth Army Air Force B-25s sink the Japanese cargo ship Kakuzan Maru
and transport Daitei Maru in the middle of the Yangtze River of China. P-40s
strafes the railroad station, railroad yards, and the town area of Hsipaw, China, hit
numerous freight cars between Hsipaw and Mansam Falls, China, and attack the
railroad yards at Hopong, China.
DECEMBER 30
At Piva, Bougainville Island, the airstrip is activated.
Cape Gloucester is cleared of Japanese giving the Allies control of the airfield
located on western New Britain.
A-20s from the Fifth Army Air Force hit enemy positions in the Cape Gloucester
area of New Britain Island as Marines completely secure the airfield. B-24s and
B-25s bomb the New guinea areas of Alexishafen, Madang, Sio, and along the
coast of Huon Peninsula. P-39s strafe barges along Huon Peninsula. P-47s strafe
800
Madang area of New Guinea and huts between Sio and Vincke Point, New
Guinea.
17 B-24s, flying from Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert islands, bomb Kwajalein Atoll
in the Marshall Islands. Nine B-25s from Tarawa Atoll hit the town of Jabor on
Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands. A-24s from Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands,
escorted by 24 P-39s, dive-bomb gun positions on Mille Atoll of the Marshall
Islands. Advance HQ, Seventh Army Air Force, is moved from Funafuti in the
Ellice Island Group to Tarawa, where it remains until completion of main
campaign in Gilbert and Marshall Islands.
20 B-24s from the 10th Army Air Force pound Monywa, Burma, hitting the
railway facilities.
16 B-24s and 35 B-25s of the Thirteenth Army Air Force bomb Kahili's bivouac
and supply areas located on the south coast of Bougainville Island. 19 B-24s, with
25 fighters, attack shipping at Rabaul on New Britain Island and also hit the
Tobera airfield, New Britain Island. Six B-25s bombs the Korovo area in the
Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands.
U.S. submarine Bluefish sinks the Japanese tanker Ichiyu Maru, Java Sea,
between the Dutch East Indies islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south;
Sumatra to the west.
U.S. aircraft sinks the Japanese guardboat Ukui Maru off Rabaul, New Britain
Island.
Eight Japanese fighters strafe the Suichwan airfield, China, while 12 others
provide top cover.
In Australia proceedings takes place to court martial Non Commission Officers,
warrant officers, and guards concerning allegations of abuse of prisoners at the
AIF 3rd Detention Barracks located at the Warwick Detention Camp in Darling
Downs.
DECEMBER 31
U.S. Naval aircraft bomb Paramushiro-Shimushu, Kurile Island, Japan, from
Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
A-20s of the 5th Army Air Force hit enemy troop concentrations in the Cape
Gloucester area of New Britain Island. Nearly 50 P-40s and P-47s intercept small
force of airplanes attack Arawe beachhead area, New Britain. Almost 150
bombers pound the Madang, Alexishafen, and Bogadjim areas on New Guinea.
801
25 B-24s of the Tenth Army Air Force pound the Lampang railroad yards in
Thailand, causing several big fires and many secondary explosions. Six B-25s hit
Yangtze River shipping in the Anking and Lu-Kuan areas of China, claiming
several cargo vessels and a troop carrier sunk.
Fourteenth Army Air Force Headquarters announces that 125,000 tons of
Japanese shipping had been sunk since September. In China, 25 B-24s bomb the
Lampang railroad yards in Thailand, causing several big fires and many secondary
explosions. Six B-25s hit Yangtze River shipping in the Anking and Lu-Kuan
areas, China, claiming three cargo vessels and a troop carrier sunk; and two others
on a sea sweep damage a passenger vessel in the Hainan Straits, China.
Four PBY-5A's from Attu, Aleutian Islands, bomb Shimushu and Kashiwabara,
Kurile Islands of northern Japan.
U.S. submarine Greenling sinks the Japanese transport Shoho Maru in Eastern
Caroline Islands and evades counterattacks by submarine chaser Ch 30.
U.S. submarine Herring attacks a Japanese convoy.
Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoes and damages the British tanker Tornus in the
Indian Ocean.
UNITED STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL 1943
YEAR
1943
NAVY
1,741,750
USMC
ARMY
TOTAL
308,523 6,994,472 9,044,745
UNITED STATES AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION DURING WW II
TYPE
FIGHTERS
LIGHT BOMBERS
MEDIUM BOMBERS
HEAVY BOMBERS
B-29 BOMBER
TRANSPORTS
1941
2,170
799
745
288
254
1942
5,303
1,201
2,556
2,076
3
1,857
1943
11,875
2,371
4,370
8,027
91
6446
802
803