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

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March 30th 1945

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 8 B-25s cancel a shipping strike because of weather.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24s bomb the Samah Bay area of Hainan . In China, 4 B-25s, supported by 24 P-40s, knock out a bridge at Chungmow; 10 B-25s bomb Hsuchang, 9 bomb Changanyi, and 9 pound the Yanglowtung railroad yards; 15 P-40s fly escort; 2 B-25s bomb Hankow Airfield, 2 bomb Neihsiang, and single B-25s attack targets around Fang-cheng, Nanyang, and Anlu; 100+ fighter-bombers over S and E China hit troops, railroad targets, trucks, tanks, supplies, and rivercraft especially around Hankow, Wuchang, Kanchou, and Hangchow; the airfield area at Kanchou and airfield and railroad yards at Hangchow are hit particularly hard; the 529th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, based at Pungchacheng with P-51s, sends a detachment to operate from Hsian.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In the C Burma battle area 41 P-38s and P-47s hit enemy troops and supplies at Loiwing, Pawngleng, and Nawnghkio; 7 B-25s hit personnel, a supply area, and trucks behind the enemy lines in and near Laihka and at Kongleng; 7 other B-25s attack road bridges, knocking out a bridge at Loi Putau; transports complete 612 sorties to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 10 Guam based B-24s bomb the airfield on Marcus in the N Pacific; during the night 5 others individually strike Chichi Jima airfield.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown during the night of 30/31 Mar. Mission 48: 12 of 14 B-29s attack the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya, Japan shortly past 0000 hours without loss. Mission 49: 85 of 94 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait between Honshu and Kyushuu s; 2 others drop their mines in other areas; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: On Luzon, B-24s bomb the Balete Pass and Solvec Cove areas; P-38s hit artillery positions in the Santa Fe area; B-24s and A-20s hit Legaspi Port and nearby Little Batsan; A-20s and fighter-bombers continue ground support missions in the Laguna de Bay area and W of Ft Stotsenburg. B-24s and A-20s support ground forces on Cebu. B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit Bongao, Philippine, and the Sanga Sanga, and Kuching, Borneo area.

 

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March 31st 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 30 B-24s, with an escort of 9 P-51s, blast railroad yards at Shihkiachwang; 12 B-25s bomb railroad yards at Sinyang while 4 hit the Yanglowtung yards; 6 B-25s damage a bridge and hit gun position at Sienning while 6 more knock out a bridge near Ninh Binh, French Indochina and hit storage area at Samah on Hainan Bay; 26 P-51s attack Ningpo Airfield, destroying or damaging several airplanes; 6 of the P-51s are lost; about 125 other fighter-bombers and several B-25s (operating individually) attack numerous targets in French Indochina and S and E China including bridges, troops, supplies, and rail, road, and river traffic.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 12 B-25s hit troop dispersal areas behind enemy lines in C Burma and hit 1 road bridge and 8 P-38s attack supply dump at Namsang Airfield. The 164th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Ondaw, Burma to Asansol, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

Seventh Air Force: During the night of 31 Mar/1 Apr, 5 B-24s from Guam, flying individual harassment strikes, hit Susaki Airfield. VII Fighter Command: 15 P-51s from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe vessels, air installations, and targets of opportunity on Chichi Jima; 16 more follow with attacks on vessels and harbor area.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 50: 137 of 152 B-29s strike the Tachiarai machine works, which is completely destroyed, and Omura Airfield on Kyushu , Japan; this is a diversionary strike preceding the invasion of Okinawa which begins at 0830 hours local on 1 Apr; the AAF claims 11-5-3 Japanese aircraft; 1 B-29s is lost and 15 damaged.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, A-20s attack an army camp at Saiatan, P-51s sweep from Babuyan Channel to the SW of the island and B-24s bomb harbors and shipping at Kiirun and Yulin, China. On Luzon , fighters attack targets in the Cagayan Valley and N of Laguna de Bay, blasting bridges and gun positions over wide stretches. B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit Cebu targets, several of the strikes being flown in support of ground forces. B-24s again bomb Bongao and hit Oelin, Borneo and fighters harass N Borneo airfields.

 

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April 1st 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s attack railroad targets at Ninh Binh and Minh Koi, French Indochina. In China, 7 B-24s bomb the Ft Bayard storage area; 6 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack river shipping and warehouses in the Sienning-Puchi area; 5 B-25s hit warehouses and other buildings at Hsuchang while 3 damage a bridge at Changtuikuan; single B-25s bomb targets of opportunity around Sanshihlitun, Sichuan, Loning, and Suicheng; 23 P-51s pound airfields in the Shanghai area; 70+ other fighter-bombers attack river, road, and rail traffic, storage areas, troops, and general targets of opportunity throughout wide areas of occupied S and E China; the detachments of the 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), operating from Chihkiang with B-25s, return to base at Yangkai; during Apr 45, the 426th Night Fighter Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to 312th Fighter Wing), based at Shwangliu with P-61s, sends detachments to operate from Liangshan and Ankang.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 10 B-25s attack roads and bridges behind enemy lines in C Burma; 478 transport flights are made throughout the day; British 36 Division forces begin to push down the railroad from Mandalay to Rangoon. Unit moves In India: 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, from Moran to Tulihal with C-47s; detachments of the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, operating from Tulihal and Cox's Bazar with F-7s, return to base at Guskhara.

OKINAWA: Operation Iceburg; the invasion of Okinawa begins. Admiral Turner with TF 51 consists of 1200 transport and landing ships, 450,000 Army and Marine soldiers. The III Amphibious and XXIV Corps of General Buckner's 10th Army land in the Hangushi area on the SW side of Okinawa They land against no resistance. They secure a beachhead of 3 miles by 9 miles by nightfall. Kadena and Yontan Airfields are captured. US TF 58; British TF 57; and TF 54 (Heavy ships) are also involved. The BB USS West Virginia and CV HMS Indomitable, receive damage from Kamikaze raids.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): The detachment of the 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, VI Air Service Area Command (attached to VII Fighter Command), operating from Peleliu with F-5s, joins the detachment operating from Saipan.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): During Apr 45, the 25th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy), 40th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), the 676th, 677th and 678th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 444th BG (Very Heavy), and the 768th, 769th and 770th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 462d BG move from Chakulia, Dudhkundi and Piardoba, India respectively to West Field, Tinian Island, Mariana Islands with B-29s.

PACIFIC: Off Formosa, the USN submarine USS Queenfish inadvertently sinks the Japanese relief ship SS Awa Maru in Formosa Straits. Awa Maru, a cartel ship, is carrying Red Cross supplies earmarked for distribution to Allied POWs in Singapore. Guaranteed safe conduct by the U.S. government, Awa Maru is properly marked and lighted, but Queenfish's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Charles E. Loughlin, does not discern the markings in the foggy weather in which his boat encounters the enemy vessel. Loughlin is relieved of his command for the mistake, and is court-martialed.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s attack Giran Airfield on Formosa while B-25s and P-47s sweep wide areas. On Luzon Island, B-24s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit the Legaspi area (where a US amphibious landing is taking place), targets N of Balete Pass, the Batangas area, and support troops over parts of S and NW Luzon. In the C Philippine Islands, B-25s and A-20s support ground forces near Cebu City and on Negros Island. B-24s hit Oelin Airfield in Borneo. The 159th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, based at Mangaldan with UC-64s and L-5s, sends detachments to operate from Negros and Cebu. Unit moves during Apr 45: HQ Fifth Air Force from Mindoro Island, Philippine Islands to Clark Field, Luzon; 4th Photographic Charting Squadron, 311th Photographic Wing (Mapping and Charting) [attached to 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance)], based at Hollandia, New Guinea with F-7s, sends a detachment to operate from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands, to map areas of the SW and W Pacific (another detachment is operating in Australia).

PHILLIPINES: In the Philippines, the U.S. Army's 158th Regiment Combat Team lands near Legaspi, southern Luzon, under cover of naval gunfire and USAAF aircraft. After the troops encounter only token opposition at the beaches, considerable opposition develops inland.
On Luzon Island, Far East Air Forces B-24s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit the Legaspi area in support of the landings above, targets north of Balete Pass, the Batangas area, and support troops over parts of southern and northwestern Luzon. In the central Philippine Islands, B-25s and A-20s support ground forces near Cebu City on Cebu Island and on Negros
Island.

 

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April 2nd 1945

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 on weather reconnaissance returns early due to mechanical trouble; another B-24 investigates radar jamming on Kresta Point in the Aleutian Islands.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 28 B-25s knock out a bridge SE of That Khe, bomb the town area of Vinh, damage the bridge approaches at Kep, hit shipping and other targets of opportunity along the coast of the Gulf of Tonkin, and blast the town area of Luc Nam. In China, 25 B-25s attack trucks, tanks, rivercraft, and targets of opportunity at Sichuan, Neihsiang, Sinyang, Mingkiang, Siangtan, Kweiping, Nanning, and Hengshan; 4 B-24s bomb the Kowloon Docks in Hong Kong and hit shipping at Bakli and Samah Bays on Hainan Island; 32 P-51s pound airfields in the Shanghai area; 140+ other fighter-bombers attack numerous targets scattered throughout S and E China, including troops, trucks, horses, river shipping, bridges, gun positions, airfields, rail traffic, and town areas.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels all offensive missions; air supply missions continue with 469 sorties being flown to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 12 Guam Island, Mariana Islands-based B-24s bomb Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 3 missions are flown. Mission 51: 115 of 121 B-29s bomb the Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo; they claim 1-1-0 Japanese aircraft; 6 B-29s are lost. Mission 52: During the night of 1/2 Apr, 6 B-29s mine the harbor at Kure between 0000 and 0400 hours local without loss. Mission 53: During the night of 2/3 Apr, 9 of 10 B-29s mine the harbor at Hiroshima without loss.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the harbor at Hong Kong. On Luzon Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers attack the Bamban bridges, Balete Pass-Baguio area and Penablanca. Troops at Cebu City and on Negros Island are bombed by B-25s and fighter bombers. B-24s bomb the Sarangani Bay area on Mindanao Island. Other B-24s hit Sandakan shipyards and Tawau Airfield, Borneo. Bongao Island, Philippine Islands, is hit by B-24s.

PHILLIPINES:The US 163rd Regiment lands at Tawitawi in the Phillipine Islands in the Sulu Archipeligo.
This was the 163d Regimental Combat Team (Reinforced) which landed on Sanga Sanga Island (5.04N,119.46E) in the Sulu Archipelago, Philippine Islands. Filipino guerrillas had cleared the island in March so the 163d did not encounter any opposition. Three USN destroyers supported the landing.
US Army troops capture La Carolta and Talisay Airfields on Negros Island.

OKINAWA: 4 US transports are damaged by Kamikaze forces. The four ships were the attack transports USS Henrico and USS Goodhue, and the attack cargo ships USS Achernar and USS Tyrrell. Two other ships damaged by kamikazes are the high-speed transport USS Dickerson and infantry landing craft (gunboat) USS LCI(G)-568. The attack transport USS Chilton is damaged by a near-miss of a kamikaze and attack cargo ship USS Lacerta is damaged by friendly fire.
Other ships damaged off Okinawa today include:
The destroyer USS Franks which collides with the battleship USS New Jersey.
The destroyer USS Borie which collides with the aircraft carrier USS Essex.
The destroyer escort USS Foreman which is struck by a bomb.
Off Okinawa, aircraft of Task Group 58.4 carriers sink three Japanese ships near Amami-Oshima.

 

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April 3rd 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 17 B-25s bomb Pinglo, China railroad yards and in French Indochina, the Ninh Binh railroad yards, knock out a bridge at Thinh Duc, and damage bridges at Gian Khau and Mon Cay. In China, 60+ fighter-bombers knock out bridges at Hsitu and between Chuting and Hengyang, destroy pontoon bridges in the Kanchou area, hit Yangtong airfield, pound the Hai Duong, French Indochina railroad yards, and hit river traffic and other targets of opportunity at several locations including Hongay, and Cao Bang, French Indochina, and Tayu, Hankow, Kanchou, Yoyang, and the Ishan- Hwaiyuanchen, areas of China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather again causes cancellation of most scheduled strikes; a few fighter-bombers hit a Japanese held wooded area near Kenglong; transports complete 383 sorties to forward areas.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 4 missions are flown during the night and early morning hours of 3/4 Apr.
Mission 54: 9 B-29s mine the waters off Hiroshima without loss.
Mission 55: In the early morning, 48 of 49 B-29s hit the aircraft plant at Shizuoka, Japan without loss.
Mission 56: 43 of 78 B-29s attack the Koizumi aircraft factory and 18 hit the urban areas in Tokyo as a target of opportunity; they claim 1-0-0 Japanese aircraft.
Mission 57: 61 of 115 B-29s strike the aircraft plant at Tachikawa and 49 hit the urban area of Kawasaki as a target of opportunity; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The Hong Kong docks are again bombed by B-24s. Other B-24s and B-25s hit the airfield, butanol plant, and railroad yards at Kagi, Formosa while A-20s sweep other rail targets. On Luzon Island fighter-bombers and A-20s hit the Balete Pass-Baguio-Naguilian area N of the Cagayan Valley supply targets, the Laguna deBay area, and Infanta, also, Miri Airfield, troops in the Cebu City area. Lost is B-25J 44-31504. Also, targets on Tarakan are bombed. B-25s attack N Hainan Island.

OKINAWA: Off Okinawa, the USN escort aircraft carrier USS Wake Island is attacked by two kamikazes. At 1744 hours, a Japanese single-engine plane plunged at the ship from a high angle and missed the port forward corner of the flight deck, exploding in the water abreast the forecastle. Thirty seconds later, a second similar plane whistled down on the starboard side at tremendous speed, narrowly missing the bridge structure and plunging into the water about 10 feet from the hull. The plane exploded after impact, ripping a hole in the ship's side below the waterline, about 45 feet long and about 18 feet from top to bottom and making many shrapnel holes. Parts of the plane were thrown onto the forecastle and into the gun sponsons. Various compartments were flooded, and the shell plating cracked between the first and second decks. Other shell plating buckled, and the main condensers were flooded with salt water, contaminating some 30,000 US gallons of fresh water and 70,000 US gallons of fuel oil. At 1824 hours, salting made it necessary to secure the forward engine, and the ship proceeded on one propeller. Remarkably, there were no injuries; and, by 2140 hours, corrective measures had been taken, and the ship was again steaming on both engines. The next day, the ship steamed to Kerama Retto anchorage with destroyer escorts USS Dennis and USS Goss for inspection and temporary repairs. The ship sailed for Guam on 6 April.
Other ships damaged by kamikazes include the high speed minesweeper USS Hambleton and the tank landing ships USS LST-599.

PHILLIPINES: The US 108th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division lands on Masbate Island, located west of Leyte, to assist the guerrillas fighting the Japanese.

 

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April 4th 1945

PACIFIC: The US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) designates General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Commander-in- Chief, US Army Forces, Pacific (CINCUSAFPAC) and Fleet Admiral Chester W Nimitz Commander-in- Chief, Pacific

OKINAWA: The first real resistance is met by Hodges troops on Okinawa. They are halted on a line just south of Kuba.
The landing craft of TF 51 off Okinawa suffer damage from heavy weather.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 2 B-25s sink a junk in the Gulf of Tonkin and 6 P-38s strafe trucks around Dien Bien Phu, Moc Chau, and Son La.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Combat operations are restricted to attacks on a troop concentration and rice and fuel supplies behind enemy lines in C Burma; transports operate on steady basis throughout the day.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield Island hit a building at Bunawan, Mindanao.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 40th and 462d Bombardment Groups (Very Heavy) arrive at West Field, Tinian Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Toyohara Airfield, Mako harbor, and Tokichito Island and A-20s hit Shinchiku factories and rail yards. B-24s bomb the harbor at Hong Kong. P-38s and P-51s pound various targets in C Luzon Island while A-20s and P-38s hit the Calauag area. A-20s pound NW Negros Island and B-24s bomb targets on C Mindanao. The 17th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Lingayen Airfield with B-25s.

 

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April 5th 1945

JAPAN: General Koiso and cabinet resign. Admiral Suzuki forms a new cabinet with Togo as Foriegn Minister and Hiranuma as President of the Privy Council. This cabinet shows a decrease in military influence and agree that no reasonable offer of Peace should be turned down.

PACIFIC: Molotov notifies Japan that the 1941 Non Aggression Treaty between the USSR and Japan will not be renewed.

OKINAWA: US BB Nevada is damaged off Okinawa during a Kamakaze attack.
According to the DANFS, the Nevada was damaged by a shore battery not a kamikaze.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 27 fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at Son La, French Indochina and Shanhsien and Shihkiachwang, and in the Tehsien and Loyang-Pinglo area of China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels scheduled strikes; transports continue large-scale operations to forward areas. The 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Ondaw to Meiktila, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 18 B-24s from Guam hit targets on Eten and Dublon at Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands. 22 B-24s from Angaur Airfield pound a bivouac area at Bunawan, Mindanao.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 315th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) arrives at Northwest Field from the US.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Kowloon Docks in Hong Kong and a nearby airfield, while other B-24s bomb Kiirun Harbor in Formosa. Damaged and later sunk is Kamoi. 180+ sorties in support of ground forces are flown on Luzon. A-20s and patrolling P-61s support troops on Cebu and Negros. P-38s hit Tarakan and Tawau, Borneo. HQ 58th Fighter Group moves from San Jose Airfield to Mangaldan.

 

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April 6th 1945

PACIFIC: PHILIPPINES: US Army Forces, Pacific (AFPAC) is established at Manila under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

OKINAWA: HIJMS Yamato sails from the Inland Sea on a Kamikaze mission to Okinawa. There is only enough fuel on board for a one way trip.
The Japanese kamikaze onslaught against the US Navy begins off Okinawa. Kamikazes sink two destroyers (DDs) (one is scuttled after being hit by four kamikazes) and one landing ship tank (LST); and damage one light aircraft carrier (CVL), nine destroyers (DD), three destroyer escorts, three high-speed minesweepers (DMSs), five minesweepers (AMs), two motor minesweepers (YMSs) and one landing ship tank (LST). (Jack McKillop)

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 8 B-24s attack and photograph Kurabu on Paramushiru Island, especially the airfield, while 8 B-25s hit radar installations in an all-out attack on Hayakegawa, Kotani Island, and Minami Cape, dropping napalm-filled incendiaries for the first time; buildings and shipping in N part of Hayakegawa are hit especially hard; another B-25 flies weather reconnaissance.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-24s hit targets of opportunity in the Bakli Bay area on Hainan Island and 4 P-38s knock out a bridge in the Dien Bien Phu area of French Indochina. In China, 8 P-51s blast railroad targets of opportunity, troops, horses, and boat landings in the Chenghsien area and along the Lung Hai railroad and Yellow River.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): With improving weather conditions combat strikes in the C Burma battle area increase; 70+ fighter-bombers attack troop concentrations, artillery positions, tanks, trucks, fuel dumps, and general targets of opportunity along and immediately behind enemy lines; targets are located in several areas including Paklu, Nawnghkio, Loilem, Takaw, Mong Hko, Kongleng, Nawnghsan Pu, and Indaw; air supply sorties continue on a steady basis throughout the day.

JAPAN - Japan's Kamikaze offensive reaches it's peak. 355 suicide sorties and 341 dive and torpedo bombers are launched against the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 11 B-24s from Guam Island pound positions and airfield on Marcus Island; 23 from Angaur Airfield bomb barracks and a wharf at Bunawan, Mindanao. 400 Kamikaze planes make an all-out effort against Okinawa shipping and beachheads; 2 destroyers, 2 ammunition ships, a mine sweeper and an LST are sunk; other vessels are damaged; nearly 300 Japanese planes are expended. The 163d Liaison Squadron, AAFPOA (attached to Tenth Army) begins a movement from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii to Okinawa with L-5s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 468th BG (Very Heavy) arrives at West Field, Tinian Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s bomb the town of Hokko on Formosa. On Luzon Island, ground support sorties continue in areas around Balete Pass, W of Ft Stotsenburg, N, NE, and S of Laguna de Bay, and around Legaspi and fighters hit Carabao and Infanta. B-24s bomb a town N of Cebu City while fighters support ground units on Cebu. A-20s support ground forces on Negros Island. B-25s pound Bunawan on Mindanao. B-24s bomb Jolo defenses and ammunition and supply dumps. At Manila US Army Forces, Pacific (AFPAC) is established under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. The 310th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group, moves from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan with P-47s.

 

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April 7th 1945

PACIFIC: Japanese BB Yamato receives the attention of 380 US a/c attacking in 2 waves from TF 58. She absorbs 10 torpedoes and 5 bomb strikes before sinking.
The crew of a Martin PBM-3D Mariner of Patrol Bombing Squadron Twenty One, based at Kerama Retto anchorage in the Ryukyu Islands, spots the Japanese First Diversion Attack Force built around the battleship HIJMS Yamato and alerts the Fifth Fleet. Task Force 58 launches 386 aircraft and the battleship and the light cruiser HIJMS Yahagi are sunk west-southwest of Kagoshima, Japan at 30.40N, 128.03E. Also sunk are destroyers HIJMS Asashimo, HIJMS Hamakaze, HIJMS Isokaze and HIJMS Kasumi; the destroyers HIJMS Suzutsuki, HIJMS Hatsushimo, HIJMS Yukikaze and HIJMS Suzutsuki are damaged.

OKINAWA: USN Fleet units shoot down 54 kamikazes against the loss of 10 fighters.
High speed minesweeper USS Emmons, irreparably damaged by five kamikazes the previous day, is scuttled by high speed minesweeper USS Ellyson; tank landing ship USS LST-447 sinks as the result of damage inflicted by kamikaze the previous day. Motor gunboat PGM-18 is sunk by mine; while picking up PGM-18's survivors, motor minesweeper YMS-103 is damaged by mine. Also off Okinawa, kamikazes damage carrier USS Hancock (a suicide plane cartwheeled across her flight deck and crashed into a group of planes while its bomb hit the port catapult to cause a tremendous explosion); battleship USS Maryland [a suicide plane loaded with a 500-pound bomb crashed the top of turret No. 3 from starboard at dusk]; destroyers USS Longshaw, and USS Bennett; destroyer escort USS Wesson; and motor minesweeper YMS-81; a shore battery damages motor minesweeper YMS-427; tank landing ship USS LST-698 is damaged by grounding; tank landing ship USS LST-890 is damaged in collision with LST-788.

PACIFIC: Japanese ship loses include light cruiser HIJMS Isuzu by submarines USS Gabilan and USS Charr; an auxiliary submarine chaser by submarine USS Tirante; a fleet tanker by aircraft; and a merchant cargo ship by mines laid by B-29s;

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 flies a radar-ferret mission along the coasts of Paramushiru and Harumukotan Islands in the Kurile Islands.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 B-25s hit town areas and targets of opportunity at Sichuan, Hsihhsiassuchi, Neihsiang, Shaoyang, and Nanchang and 24 P-51s attack river, road and rail traffic in the Yellow River area, S of Anyi, at Yuncheng, and at Tengfeng. 4 B-24s bomb harbors and dock areas at Bakli and Samah Bays on Hainan Island and at Haiphong, French Indochina; and 8 P-38s hit targets of opportunity around Dien Bien Phu and along the Nam Hon area in French Indochina.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 95 fighter-bombers operating over and behind Japanese lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, trucks, and supply areas, and sweep roads S of bomb line. The 3d Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group, moves from Tulihal to Hathazari, India with C-47s.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb the barracks area at Bunawan on Mindanao. VII Fighter Command: Mission 1: 91 of 108 P-51s escort B-29s to Tokyo; they claim 21-5-7 Japanese aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.
USN - US carrier aircraft sink Yamato during the Battle of the East China Sea.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 58: 101 of 107 B-29s bomb the Nakajima aircraft engine plant at Tokyo; 2 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 80-23-50 Japanese aircraft; 3 B-29s are lost. Mission 59: 153 of 194 B-29s hit the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya; 29 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 21-11-22 Japanese aircraft; 2 B-29s are lost. HQ 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) arrives at West Field, Tinian Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Bad weather hampers strikes N of the Philippines. B-24s and P-38s over Formosa hit various targets of opportunity. Fighters fly 130+ sorties in support of ground forces at Solvec Cove, Villa Verde Trail, the Ipo and Marikina Rivers, and NE Laguna de Bay. B-24s again bomb Bunawan on Mindanao. Other B-24s and P-38s hit Jolo and B-24s bomb Bima Airfield on Sumbawa Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Unit moves: 311th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group, from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan with P-47s; 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th Fighter Wing), from Morotai Island, Moluccas Islands to Tacloban, Leyte Island, Philippine Islands with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s.

 

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April 8th 1945

OKINAWA: The destroyer USS Charles J. Badger is damaged by an assault demolition boat; the destroyer USS Gregory is damaged by kamikaze; motor minesweeper YMS-92 is damaged by a mine; tank landing ship USS LST-939 is damaged in collision with tank landing ship USS LST-268; tank landing ship USS LST-940 is damaged by grounding.
The aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and USS Randolph arrive off Okinawa from Utithi Atoll during the night of 7/8 April and Task Force 58 is reorganized with the following 15 aircraft carriers:
Task Group 58.1
USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) with Light Carrier Air Group 30
USS Bennington (CV-20) with Carrier Air Group 82
USS Hornet (CV-12) with CVG-17
Task Group 58.2
USS Enterprise (CV-6) with Night Carrier Air Group 90
USS Randolph (CV-15) with CVG-12
USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) with CVLG-45
USS Wasp (CV-18 ) with CVG-86
Task Group 58.3
USS Bataan (CVL-29) with CVLG
USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) with CVG-84
USS Cabot (CVL-28 ) with CVLG-29
USS Essex (CV-9) with CVG-83
Task Group 58.4
USS Independence (CVL-22) with CVLG-46
USS Intrepid (CV-11) with CVG-10
USS Langley (CVL-27) with CVLG-23
USS Yorktown (CV-10) with CVG-9

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 31 P-51s knock out a bridge S of Shaoyang, destroy a section of track at Sincheng, and hit numerous road and rail targets of opportunity in the Yellow River areas and points to the S, from Shanhsien to Loning, at Hungtung, and S of Hei-Shih Kuan; 4 B-24s attack shipping targets of opportunity in the S China Sea and in Bakli Bay on Hainan Island and Yulin Bay, China and bomb Kowloon Docks in Hong Kong.
The Japanese Army initiates a ground offensive against Paoching. The purpose is to drive 80 miles into Hunan Province and capture Chichiang Airfield. This turns out to be the last Japanese offensive in China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 50+ P-38s and P-47s operating in C Burma battle areas attack troops, supplies, gun positions, and trucks at several points along and behind enemy lines, and sweep roads S of bomb line; transports maintain operations throughout the day. The 156th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at Kalaikunda, India with UC-64s and L-5s, sends a detachment to operate from Myitche, Burma.
The British IV Corps and XXXIII Corps begin a rapid motorized advance down the Sittang and Irrawaddy valleys in Burma.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: 25 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb the Bunawan area on Mindanao. VII Fighter Command: During the night of 8/9 Apr, 6 P-61s from Iwo Jima, operating singly at 2-hour intervals, bomb Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, Ani Jima, and Ototo Jima.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown against airfields on Kyushu Island, Japan from which Kamikaze attacks are originating. Mission 60: 29 of 32 B-29s strike 2 airfields at Kanoya. Mission 61: 48 B-29s attack the airfield at Kokubu; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: For the second consecutive day bad weather prevents attacks on the primary targets N of the Philippine Islands. B-24s and B-25s hit secondary targets including Chomosui Airfield in the Pescadores Islands, and on Formosa, Tainan and railroad yards, the towns of Takao, Toko, and Kaiko, and other scattered objectives. A-20s and fighter-bombers over Luzon support ground forces particularly in the areas E of Manila. B-24s join A-20s and fighter-bombers in support of ground forces on Cebu and Negros. Other B-24s bomb the N Davao Bay area on Mindanao and Jolo Island. Unit moves to Luzon: 33d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, from Hollandia, New Guinea to Nielson Field with C-47s; 69th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan with P-47s.

PHILLIPINES: n the Philippine Islands, the U.S. Army's 163d Regimental Combat Team lands on Jolo Island (6.00N, 121.10E) in the Sulu Archipelago. The invasion is supported by three USN destroyers and aircraft of Marine Aircraft Groups Twelve and Thirty Two based on Mindanao. The Japanese defenders withdraw into the hills in the center of the island.

 

[syscom3]

April 9th 1945

OKINAWA: Destroyers USS Mertz and USS Monssen sink Japanese submarine HIJMS RO 56, 45 miles E of Okinawa.

PACIFIC: 17 Guam-based Seventh Air Force B-24s bomb the Marcus Island airfield and defensive installations in the North Pacific.
USN submarines sink 3 Japanese ships.
- USS Parche sinks a minesweeper as she is escorting transport (ex-armed merchant cruiser) northeast of Sendai, Honshu, Japan.
- USS Spadefish damages a merchant cargo ship off the west coast of Korea,. The cargo ship attempts to run aground to facilitate salvage, but sinks before she can accomplish her goal.
- USS Tirante attacks convoy TAMO-53 in Yellow Sea, sinking an army tanker and damages a coast defense vessel.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 9 B-24s bomb the docks at Canton and Kowloon in Hong Kong and attack targets of opportunity at Bakli Bay on Hainan Island; 8 B-25s bomb Sinyang railroad yards and nearby targets of opportunity; 13 other B-25s knock out a bridge N of Hsuchang and hit various targets around Laohokow, Sichuan, Sinyang, Likuanchiao, Lichen, and along the Han River; and 19 P-51s hit targets of opportunity in or near Neihsiang, Laohokow, and Sichuan. 2 P-38s blast trucks in the Dien Bien Phu area of French Indochina; the 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group,
based at Fungwanshan with P-47s, begins operating from Hsian.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 70+ P-38s and P-47s attack troops, supplies, gun positions, and general targets of opportunity along and behind the C Burma battleline around Mong Pawn, Wan Htum, Pang po, Kyawkku, Mong Hko, Hanhwe-Mu, Laihka, and other points; transports complete 415 sorties to forward areas.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: 17 Guam Island-based B-24s pound Marcus Island airfield and defensive installations in the N Pacific. 22 B-24s from Angaur Airfield hit a troop concentration at Kabacan, Mindanao. VII Fighter Command: 16 P-51s from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe military installations at Chichi Jima during the early morning.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 62: During the night of 9/10 Apr, 16 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait between Kyushu and Honshu Islands, Japan without loss.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: A-20s and fighter bombers support ground forces at Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvec Cove areas and at several points in SW Luzon, and attack Japanese forces in the Legaspi area. B-24s and fighter-bombers support ground forces on Cebu and on Negros. Several B-24s on armed reconnaissance missions hit China and Indochina coastal targets.

 

[syscom3]

April 10th 1945

OKINAWA: The US Army's 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, lands on Tsuken Shima off the east coast of Okinawa.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): P-38s together with USN aircraft pick up bombfilled paper balloons over Attu and E of Adak Islands in the Aleutian Islands; one balloon over Attu is shot down and portions of the gondola are recovered in Massacre Bay.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s bomb Hsihhsiassuchi, 5 pound the Pinglo barracks and storage area, and a few others hit the Yanglowtung railroad yards and targets of opportunity E of Paoching; 150+ fighter-bombers attack troops, river, road and rail traffic, and a variety of targets of opportunity scattered throughout S and E China and N French Indochina.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 54 fighter-bombers hit troop and supply concentrations near Mong Kung and Mong Nim, attack trucks and targets of opportunity in other areas behind the battleline, and sweep several roads S of bomb line; transports fly 424 sorties carrying men and supplies to forward areas.

JAPAN - Kamikaze aircraft attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is seriously damaged.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield hit Cotabato supply and personnel areas on Mindanao Island. 18 Guam based B-24s pound positions on Eten.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: B-24s bomb Cotabato on Mindanao. On Negros Island, B-24s hit Japanese defenses NW of Guadalupe and A-20s hit a bivouac E of Negritos. On Luzon Island B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers bomb numerous targets including Fuga Island, the Cagayan Valley areas, Santa Fe, bridges and other communications in Iligan, Naguilian, Manga, and Tuguegarao, and troops and supply concentration N of Imugan; troop support strikes are flown in the Solvec Cove area and E of Manila; Baguio and a troop concentration in the Batangas area and on the Bicol peninsula are bombed; at Iriga, defenses are hit with napalm. On Formosa, B-24s bomb Okayama while B-25s hit several targets including the Ts'eng Wen sugar refinery, Seiko, Sunbon-sha, and Shasekiryo. P-38s attack gun positions at Tarakan.

NEI: The Dutch submarine HNMS O-19 sinks a Japanese merchant tanker as the enemy ship proceeds from Balikpapan, Borneo to Batavia on Java.

 

[syscom3]

April 11th 1945

OKINAWA: The US Army's 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, lands on Tsuken Shima off the east coast of Okinawa.
Off Okinawa, US BB Missouri and CV Enterprise are damaged by Kamakaze attacks.
RE: USS Missouri, the following is from the DANFS.
On 11 April Missouri opened fire on a low-flying suicide plane which penetrated the curtain of her shells to crash just below her main deck level. The starboard wing of the plane was thrown far forward, starting a gasoline fire at 5-inch Gunmount No. 3. Yet the battleship suffered only superficial damage, and the fire was brought quickly under control. The Missouri remained on station as part of Task Force 58.
RE: USS Enterprise,
A single Kamikaze plummeted over her flight deck and glanced over the side and its engine damaged the ship at the waterline. The bomb the aircraft was carrying, exploded beneath the ship, lifting the hull about 3 feet, rupturing eight fuel tanks and damaging some machinery. Enterprise retired to Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands for repairs.
Kamikazes also damage the destroyer USS Kidd, destroyer escort USS Samuel S. Miles and an LCS; the carrier USS Essex and destroyer USS Hale are damaged by bombs; and the destroyers USS Black and USS Hank are damaged by strafing.

PHILLIPINES: a battalion combat team of the US Army's 164th Regimental Team, Americal Division, makes an unopposed landing on Bohol Island (9.50N, 124.10E), Visayan Islands on a beach controlled by Filipino guerrillas.
24 Seventh Air Force 24 B-24s from Angaur Island, Palau Islands, hit the Cotabato supply and personnel areas on Mindanao.
Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Cotabato on Mindanao. On Negros Island, B-24s hit Japanese defenses northwest of Guadalupe and A-20s hit a bivouac east of Negritos. On Luzon Island B-24s,B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers bomb numerous targets including Fuga Island, the Cagayan Valley areas, Santa Fe, bridges and other communications in Iligan, Naguilian, Manga, and Tuguegarao, and troops and supply concentration north of Imugan; troop support strikes are flown in the Solvec Cove area and east of Manila; Baguio and a troop concentration
in the Batangas area and on the Bicol peninsula are bombed; at Iriga, defenses are hit with napalm.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): P-38s together with USN aircraft pick up bombfilled paper balloons over Attu and E of Adak Islands in the Aleutian Islands; one balloon over Attu is shot down and portions of the gondola are recovered in Massacre Bay.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s bomb Hsihhsiassuchi, 5 pound the Pinglo barracks and storage area, and a few others hit the Yanglowtung railroad yards and targets of opportunity E of Paoching; 150+ fighter-bombers attack troops, river, road and rail traffic, and a variety of targets of opportunity scattered throughout S and E China and N French Indochina.

INDIAN OCEAN: Sabang in the Indian Ocean is shelled by Admiral Walker's British Eastern Fleet. BB Queen Elizabeth and French BB Richelieu are part of this fleet.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 54 fighter-bombers hit troop and supply concentrations near Mong Kung and Mong Nim, attack trucks and targets of opportunity in other areas behind the battleline, and sweep several roads S of bomb line; transports fly 424 sorties carrying men and supplies to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield hit Cotabato supply and personnel areas on Mindanao Island. 18 Guam based B-24s pound positions on Eten.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Okayama while B-25s hit several targets including the Ts'eng Wen sugar refinery, Seiko, Sunbon-sha, and Shasekiryo. P-38s attack gun positions at Tarakan.

NEI: The Dutch submarine HNMS O-19 sinks a Japanese merchant tanker as the enemy ship proceeds from Balikpapan, Borneo to Batavia on Java.

PACIFIC: The Japanese lose 5 ships at sea:
- Submarine USS Parche sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Todogasaki, Japan.
- Submarine USS Spadefish sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Tokckok-Kundo, Japan.
- RAF Liberator G.R. Mk VIs of No. 203 Squadron based at Kankesanturai, Ceylon, sink a submarine chaser and an auxiliary netlayer in the Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal.
- A mine sinks an auxiliary submarine chaser off Futaoi-Jima, Shimonoseki, Japan.

 

[syscom3]

April 12th 1945

PHILIPPINES: 24 Seventh Air Force B-24s, based on Angaur Island hit a personnel area at Kabacan on Mindanao Island. Far East Air Force operations include dispatching P-38s and A-20s to support ground troops on Cebu and Negros Islands. On Mindanao Island, B-24s bomb Sapakan, Kabacan and the Davao Bay areas and P-38s hit Cotabato and also Kabacan. On Luzon Island, B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers pound targets throughout the Cagayan Valley, blast defenses at Balete Pass and in the Baguio area, and hit troops, communications targets, and defenses at numerous points in SW and SE Luzon Island.

OKINAWA: The fighting continues. Three Kamakaze attacks achieve some results against the radar picket ships.
Destroyer USS Stanly is damaged by a Baka; high speed minesweeper USS Jeffers is damaged by a Baka and a kamikaze; kamikazes sink support landing craft LCS-33 and damage battleship USS Idaho; battleship USS Tennessee, destroyers USS Purdy, USS Cassin Young and USS Zellars and destroyer escort USS Riddle, destroyer escorts Rall, USS Walter C. Wann, and USS Whitehurst and light minelayer USS Lindsey; minesweeper Gladiator is also damaged by the near-miss of a kamikaze.
Kamikazes also attack U.S. freighter SS Minot Victory, but Armed Guard gunners inflict sufficient damage on the suicider that it only strikes the ship a glancing blow and then disintegrates; there are no fatalities on board the merchantman among the 57-man merchant complement, the 27 Armed Guard sailors and 9 passengers.
The Mannert L. Abele also caught the fill fury of the "Divine Wind." On the morning of 12 April she found herself surrounded by 15 to 25 planes that attacked in three and four-plane waves while the others orbited out of gun range. Quickly downing all three in the first wave, her guns swung to take on another trio of Zekes, opening fire at 4,000 yards. The first two, hammered by numerous hits, disintegrated in the air. The third began to belch smoke but flew defiantly on spewing flames until it smashed into the after engine room, wiping out the entire engine room black gang, exploding with such force that it broke the keel abaft of the second stack.
Dead in the water, Abele was struck a minute later by a Baka bomb - a piloted, rocket-powered, glider bomb carrying an explosive 2,600 pound warhead. The ensuing blast broke the crippled ship in two and both halves rapidly sunk. As her survivors struggled amidst the debris, the remaining Japanese aircraft began to strafe them with machine guns.
It was only the good shooting of the nearby LSMRs - 189 and 190 - that downed the staffers, allowing less than half of the luckless destroyers crew to be rescued. The USS Abele is the first destroyer to be sunk by a Baka suicide aircraft. DD-733s crew numbered roughly 345 officers and crew.
From October 1944 through June 1945, 7830 Japanese Kamikazes were destroyed at a cost of almost 800 US Navy aircraft. Thirty-six vessels were sunk with 288 being damaged with a loss of 4907 sailors. US Destroyers suffered the heaviest losses with 13 vessels sunk and 88 severely damaged.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): P-38s shoot down paper bomb-balloons over Attu Island.

ZONE OF INTERIOR (ZI): The Commander-In-Chief, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, dies in Warm Springs, Georgia and Harry S Truman is sworn in as the new President.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-24s supported by 14 P-51s, bomb the Wuchang railroad yards and airfield; 7 B-25s bomb the Hsuchang railroad yards, 3 hit Loning, 2 attack Likuanchiao, 2 bomb Tenghsien, and a single B-25 attack storage areas at Pingyao and Huaiching; 100+ fighter-bombers attack troops, horses, bridges, river shipping, trucks, and railroad targets at several locations in French Indochina and at points scattered over S and E China; the 449th Fighter Squadron, 51st FG, based at Chengkung with P-38s, sends a detachment to operate from Posek.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 75 fighter-bombers continue to pound targets in the C Burma battle area; troop concentrations, gun positions, supplies, vehicles, and general targets of opportunity are attacked along the battlefront, behind enemy lines, and along roads S of the bomb line; 369 air supply sorties are flown throughout the day. The 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, based at Myitkyina, Burma with F-6s and P-40s, sends a flight to operate from Akyab, Burma.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s, based on Angaur Airfield hit a personnel area at Kabacan on Mindanao. VII Fighter Command: 90 P-51s are dispatched to escort B-29s on a raid against Tokyo; they claim 15-6-3 Japanese aircraft; 4 P 51s are lost. During the night of 12/13 Apr, 6 Iwo Jima based fighters, operating singly at intervals, bomb and strafe targets on Kita, Chichi, Haha, and Ani Jima.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 4 missions are flown. Mission 63: 94 B-29s, escorted by 90 P-51s, strike the Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo while 11 hit the secondary target, the Shizuoka engine plant; B-29s gunners claim 16 fighters downed.
Mission 64: 66 B-29s hit a chemical plant at Koriyama and 9 hit targets of opportunity. Mission 65: 70 B-29s hit a second chemical plant at Koriyama and 6 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-29s are lost. Mission 66: During the night of 12/13 Apr, 5 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s attack Tainan and bomb Okayama Airfield. The 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Dulag to Tanauan with C-46s and C-47s.

PACIFIC: 5 Japanese ships are sunk at sea:
- Submarine USS Silversides sinks an auxiliary submarine chaser east of Tanega Jima south of Kyushu.
- British submarine HMS Stygian sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off the north coast of Bali.
- Mines sink the submarine HIJMS RO 64 off Kobe, Japan and a merchant cargo ship off Wakamatsu, Japan.
- A B-24 aircraft (service and nationality unspecified) sinks a merchant ship off Badjowe, Borneo.

 

[syscom3]

April 13th 1945

PHILLIPINES: On Luzon Island, numerous sweeps are flown over the Cagayan Valley and ground support missions are continued on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros Islands. On Mindanao, B-24s bomb the Davao area and B-25s hit various targets on Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago.
Ft. Drum, a "concrete battleship" in Manila Bay is attacked with 5,000 gallons of fuel oil and burned out over the next 5 days.

OKINAWA: Off Okinawa, destroyer escort USS Connolly is damaged by kamikaze.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): At Attu Island, 27 P-38s and P-40s scramble following radar reports of unidentified plots; later, they shoot down 9 of 11 Japanese paper bomb-balloons sighted over the W Aleutians.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s hit a fort at Bac Ninh, French Indochina. In China, 11 B-25s bomb the railroad yards and warehouse area at Kaifeng and 6 knock out a bridge at Ningming; 7 B-25s hit shipping in the S China Sea and Bakli Bay on Hainan Island and the town areas of Tenghsien and Liuchow; 4 others, along with 5 P-51s, knock out a bridge and hit the town area and shipping at Puchi; 24 P-38s and P-51s knock out 3 bridges, damage another, and hit several targets of opportunity in N French Indochina; about 140 fighter-bombers fly armed reconnaissance and strikes throughout S and E China, hitting rail, road, and river traffic, town areas, troops, and general targets of opportunity. Unit moves in China: the detachment of the 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, operating from Poseh with P-51s returns to base at Chengkung; the 490th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), from Warazup, Burma to Hanchung
with B-25s.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ P-47s and P-38s attack troops and supplies in the Hamn gai, Loi-hseng, and Wan Yin areas and sweep roads S of the bomb line in C Burma; air transport operations to the front areas total 450 sorties. The 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, moves from Palel to Kalaikunda, India with C-47s.

AAFPOA (Seventh AF): 18 Guam Island-based B-24s pound enemy positions on Marcus Island in the N Pacific; 23 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb personnel and storage areas at Kabacan on Mindanao Island. 2 Saipan-based P-61 night fighters bomb and strafe Pagan Island in the Mariana Islands.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 67: During the night of 13/14 Apr, 327 B-29s bomb the Tokyo arsenal area; 3 others hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s hit the Hong Kong waterfront (Taikoo Docks) and storage areas in Canton, China. On Formosa, other B-24s hit Tainan Airfield and Okayama Airfield while B-25s attack railroads.

PACIFIC: Six Japanese ships are sunk at sea:
- Submarine USS Parche sinks an auxiliary minesweeper and a guardboat off northern Honshu, Japan.
- RN submarine HMS Stygian sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Bali in the East Indies.
- An auxiliary submarine chaser is sunk by aircraft northwest of Hainan Island, China.
- Mines laid by USAAF B-29 Superfortresses in Japanese waters sinks two cargo ships and damage a coast defense vessel.

 

[syscom3]

April 14th 1945

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Luzon Island, B-24s and fighter-bombers bomb island fortifications in Manila Bay, fighter-bombers hit bivouacs and other targets in N Luzon and support ground forces E of Manila and on Carabao Island. Fighter bombers and B-24s fly support missions for ground forces on Negros and Cebu. On Mindanao, B-24s bomb the Davao area and B-25s join US Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft in hitting highways and vehicles.

OKINAWA: Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage battleship USS New York and destroyers USS Sigsbee, USS Dashiell, and USS Hunt.
Carrier-based F6Fs, FM Wildcats and F4Us shoot down 45 Japanese aircraft near the ships of Task Force 58.
The aircraft carrier HMS Formidable joins the RN's Task Force 57 replacing HMS Illustrious which is ordered to retire for an overhaul.
On Okinawa, the 4th and 29th Marines launched a coordinated attack on the Motobu Peninsula inland in an easterly direction and west and southwest from the center of the peninsula, respectively.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 24 B-24s, supported by 12 P-51s, bomb Loyang and knock out a bridge over the Yellow River; 30+ B-25s and 130+ fighter-bombers attack bridges (knocking out at least 6), river, road, and rail traffic, troops, storage areas, town areas, and general targets of opportunity over the vast expanse of S and E China; the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to 23d Fighter Group), based at Chengkung, begins operating from Laohwangping with P-40s and P-51s.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 41 P-47s and P-38s attack troops, supplies, and fuel dumps at Tawnghkam Nawng-hkam, Mong Kung, Loi-makhkawn, and Nawngkaw; 8 P-38s damage bridges at Kong pau and Kyawngteng; 446 transport flights are flown to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 Angaur Airfield based B-24s pound supply and personnel areas at Tigatto in the Philippines.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): B-29 units arriving at Northwest Field, from the US: HQ 16th BG (Very Heavy) and the 16th and 17th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy); HQ 501st BG (Very Heavy) and the 21st and 485th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s sweep the Canton-Hong Kong, China waterways, hitting shipping and other targets and B-24s bomb four airfields on Formosa. In the Philippine Islands, B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers fly numerous strikes in support of ground forces and against airfields, gun positions, defenses, and troop concentrations throughout Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao.

 

[syscom3]

April 15th 1945

OKINAWA: The US 6th Marine Division engages in hard fighting for Yae Taku Hill on Okinawa.
Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage the destroyer USS Laffey and a large support landing ship while a Japanese assault demolition boat damages a motor minesweeper.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: A battalion of the 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, lands on Carabao Island at the entrance to Manila Bay; landing is preceded by cruiser/destroyer and aircraft bombardment.
Far East Air Forces B-24s and fighter-bombers bomb island fortifications in Manila Bay, fighter-bombers hit bivouacs and other targets in northern Luzon and support ground forces east of Manila and on Carabao Island. Fighter bombers and B-24s fly support missions for ground forces on Negros and Cebu Islands. On Mindanao Island, B-24s bomb the Davao area and B-25s join USMC F4U Corsairs and SBD Dauntlesses in hitting highways and vehicles.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 flies a weather reconnaissance mission.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s knock out the Pa- Ching pontoon bridge, 7 pound a storage depot at Fang-cheng, 4 bomb Tunganhsien, and 3 hit Paoching; 1 B-24 bombs the Canton docks; almost 200 fighter-bombers ranging over all of S China and up into the N China plain hit numerous targets including bridges, river shipping, town areas, trucks, railroad traffic, gun positions, storage areas, and general targets of opportunity; the Paoching, Hengyang, Yungfengshih, and Hsihhsiassuchi areas are especially hard hit.

BURMA: Taungdwingyi, Burma falls to the British 20th Indian Division.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 62 P-38s and P-47s attack troop concentrations and supply areas at Loi-Mwe, Lawksawk, Thongdan, and near Laihka; 312 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown during the night of 15/16 Apr. Mission 68: 194 B-29s bomb the Kawasaki urban area; 8 others hit targets of opportunity; 12 B-29s are lost. Mission 69: 109 B-29s hit the urban area of Tokyo; 1 B-29 is lost.

JAPAN: Aircraft of fast carrier task force (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) attack airfields and aircraft on the ground in southern Kyushu Island; the strike is repeated on 16 April.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa B-24s bomb Toyohara, Shinchiku, and Shinshoshi Airfields and B-25s hit the Shoka rail yards. The 4th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, moves from Mangaldan to Laoag with P-51s.

PACIFIC: Japanese vessels sunk at sea:
- Submarine USS Gabilan attacks a Surabaya-to-Makassar convoy, sinking a cargo vessel and an auxiliary submarine chaser.
- Submarine USS Tirante attacks Japanese convoy MOSI-02 in the approaches to the Yellow Sea, sinking a transport, an escort vessel, and a coast defense vessel west of Quelpart Island. For his skill and daring in carrying out this surface attack through mined and shoal-obstructed waters, Lieutenant Commander George L. Street III, Tirante's captain, will receive the Medal of Honor.
- An aircraft sinks an auxiliary submarine chaser off French Indochina.
- An aircraft sinks a merchant cargo ship near Rima Island.
- A guardboat is sunk by U.S. aircraft off Chezhudo, Korea and
- A mine laid by USAAF B-29 Superfortresses sinks a cargo ship southeast of Hesaki Light, Japan.
- Submarine USS Charr lays mines off the Malay Peninsula.

 

[syscom3]

April 16th 1945

PHILLIPINES: Fighter bombers hit N Luzon Island bivouacs and other targets and support strikes and sweeps are flown over Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao with B-25s hitting highways on Mindana and B-24s hit defenses on Carabao Island.
The 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, makes an unopposed landing on Carabao Island in Manila Bay. The landing had been supported by the light cruiser USS Phoenix, two destroyers and two infantry landing craft (rocket). The Phoenix had blown a hole in the seawall and the only thing encountered by the soldiers was "one badly shaken pig."
Ft. Frank, a "concrete battleship", in Manila Bay is attacked with fuel oil and allowed to burn. Ft. Drum had been similarily attacked on the 14th. This completes the capture of Japanese positions in Manila Bay.

Okinawa: The U.S. Army's 77th Infantry Division, less the 307th Infantry Regiment, lands on the south and southwest coast of Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands. The island of Ie Shima is located off the northwest coast of Okinawa at 26.43N, 127.47E.

RYUKYU ISLANDS: Off Okinawa, kamikazes sink destroyer USS Pringle; and damage battleship USS Missouri; aircraft carrier USS Intrepid; destroyer USS Bryant; destroyer escort USS Bowers; high speed minesweepers USS Hobson and USS Harding; and oiler USS Taluga.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): B-25s abort a mission to bomb Hayakegawa because of weather front; 6 B-24s radarbomb the Kataoka naval base on Shimushu; another B-24 flies a radar-ferret sortie.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 18 B-24s pound a storage area at Linfen; 3 bomb targets of opportunity in the Bakli Bay, Hainan Island and Canton areas; 10 B-25s bomb Yungfengshih, Kweilin, and Shanhsien, knocking out 1 bridge and hitting buildings, river shipping, and rail traffic. About 120 fighter-bombers over S and E China hit river, road, and rail traffic, town areas, troops, and general targets of opportunity at many scattered locations; the 490th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st BG (Medium), based at Hanchung sends a detachment to operate from Hsian with B-25s.

BURMA: Allied advances are continuing in Burma, with the capital, Rangoon, now firmly in General Slim's sights. Today it was the turn of Taungup, in the Arakan peninsula, to fall to XV Corps, while inland IV Corps is chasing General Honda's 33rd Japanese Army down the Sittang Valley towards Pyinmanna. The Japanese forces are also in retreat along the Irrawaddy, where XXXIII Corps is driving south to oil-rich Yenangyaung.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 22 fighter-bombers pound troop concentrations in the Ke-hsi Mansam vicinity; 19 others attack road bridges behind enemy lines, claiming 1 bridge destroyed; air transport operations to forward areas continue on steady basis.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: 18 Guam Island-based B-24s pound Marcus Island in the N Pacific. 2 P-61s from Saipan bomb and strafe Pagan. VII Fighter Command: Mission 3: In the first very long range fighter operation from Iwo Jima, P-51s with Twentieth AF B-29 navigational escort, strafe and bomb targets at Kanoya Airfield; 4 P-51s are lost; B-25s continue to furnish navigational escort in all subsequent VII Fighter Command strikes (through 14 Aug) on Japan from Iwo Jima.

U.S.: The federal government tacked another year on to the term of one of Roosevelt's key pieces of wartime legislation, the Lend-Lease Act. All told, the U.S. funneled US$50.6 billion (US$496 billion in year 2001 dollars) worth of Lend-Lease aid to the Allies during the war, the majority of which went to Britain and the USSR.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-25s hit Taien Airfield, while B-24s and P-51s bomb Giran and Matsuyama Airfields and nearby areas. P-38s pound Lingkas Tank Farm and other targets at Tarakan. During the night of 15/16 Apr B-24s bomb Taihoku, Formosa. The 387th Bombardment Squadron, 312th BG moves from Mangaldan to Floridablanca with A-20s.

PACIFIC:
Japanese ships sunk at sea:
- Submarine USS Sea Dog sinks a merchant cargo ship off Mikura Jima.
- Submarine USS Sunfish attacks a convoy emerging from Yamado Harbor, Honshu, and sinks a coast defense vessel and a transport.

 

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OKINAWA: Off Okinawa, destroyer USS Benham is damaged by kamikaze and by friendly fire.

PHILIPPINES: In Operation VICTOR FIVE, the U.S. Army's X Corps consisting of the
24th and 31st Infantry Division is landed on Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands, near Malabang, Parang and Cotabato. The landings are supported by the cruisers and destroyers of Task Group 74.2 and USMC aircraft (30 F4Us and 35 SBDs). The defenders do not make a determined stand.
Numerous sweeps and sorties are flown in support of ground forces over Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao Islands and the Sulu Archipelago. B-24s over Mindanao bomb Cotabato and Kabacan.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25s and 4 P-51s blast river shipping S of Yiyang; 6 B-25s bomb the area around Kwangsi University at Liang-feng; 2 B-24s bomb the Bakli Bay dock area on Hainan Island; 70+ P-51s and P-40s hit troops, town areas, road traffic, river shipping, and general targets of opportunity at several locations in S and E China including Changsha, Sinning, Sinhwa, Yiyang, Tungting Lake, Paoching, Yungfengshih, Shanhsien, Lingling, Pingsiang, Tsinkong, and Hochih.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 18 fighter-bombers hit troops and supplies near Mong Kung and Wan Hpun; 12 others attack vehicles and other targets of opportunity along roads S of the bomb line; 489 transport sorties are completed to forward areas throughout the day.

AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): 18 P-51s flying two strikes from Iwo Jima attack vessels in Futamiko in the Bonin Islands.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 70 to 75: 118 B-29s bomb airfields at Tachiarai, Kokubu, Izumi, Nittagahara, and 2 at Kanoya; 5 others attack targets of opportunity; beginning on this date and continuing through 11 May, XXI Bomber Command devotes about 75 per cent of its combat effort to support of the Okinawa campaign; during this period the B-29s fly more than 2,100 sorties against 17 airfields on Kyushu and Shikoku Islands which are dispatching air attacks (including Kamikaze raids) against USN and USMC forces.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Taichu, Shinshoshi, Toyohara, and Okayama Airfields and B-25s hit the airfield at Taito. The 69th and 311th Fighter Squadrons, 58th FG, move from Mangaldan to Porac with P-47s.

PACIFIC: Four Japanese ships are sunk at sea:
- Mines sink a guardboat off Goto Rette.
- A USN PB4Y-1 Liberator of Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Eleven (VPB-111) based at Palawan AAFld in the Philippines, sinks a cargo ship off the coast of Malaya.
- A mine laid by USAAF B-29 sinks a cargo ship off Shanghai, China.
- A mine laid by USAAF B-29 sinks a cargo ship off Wada Misaki light, Japan.

 

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April 18th 1945 42,232

OKINAWA: Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle is killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on the island of Ie Shima off the coast of Okinawa. Extremely popular, especially with the average GI, whose life and death he reported on (American infantrymen braved enemy fire to recover Pyle's body), Pyle had been at the London Blitz of 1941 and saw action in North Africa, Italy, France, and the Pacific.
A monument exists to him to this day on Ie Shima, describing him simply as "a buddy." He was 44-years-old.

PHILLIPINES: Fighter bombers and A-20s hit the Balete Pass area and support ground forces on Luzon, Negros, and Cebu. B-24s bomb Piso Point on Mindanao.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s hit trucks and other targets of opportunity E of Siangtan; 52 P-51s and P-40s attack river shipping, town areas, rail and road traffic, tanks, and bridges at several S and E China locations including Sinhwa, Hengyang, Changsha, Luchai, Paoching, Kweiyang, Yenkou, Sinning, and Siangtan.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 21 P-38s attack troop concentration, tanks, artillery positions, and a bivouac area near Man Li and Kongsam; 5 P-61s hit a supply area W of Laihka; transports land or drop 806 tons of supplies at forward bases and frontline areas.

AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): During the night of 18/19 Apr, 3 Iwo Jima based P-61s flying individual strikes, bomb and strafe Futamiko and the radio station on Chichi Jima.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 76 to 81: 112 B-29s hit Japanese airfields at Tachiarai, Izumi, Kokubu, Nittagahara, and 2 at Kanoya, the same targets attacked yesterday; 13 other B-29s hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa B-25s bomb Karenko Airfield, B-24s bit Tainan, Giran, Toyohara, Hobi, and Soton Airfields, and P-38s on sweeps hit rail and road transportation. B-25s and P-38s hit Tarakan and Sandakan. HQ 58th FG and 310th Fighter Squadron move from Mangaldan to Porac with P-47s.

PACIFIC: Japanese vessels sunk at sea:
- Submarine HIJMS I-56 is sunk 150 miles E of Okinawa by destroyers USS Heermann, USS McCord, USS Mertz, and USS Collett, assisted by destroyer USS Uhlmann and TBM Avengers from Torpedo Squadron (VT 47) in the light aircraft carrier USS Bataan.
- Submarine HIJMS RO 46 is sunk 500 yards off Wake Island by submarine USS Sea Owl.
- A mine sinks a transport near the western entrance to Shimonoseki Strait, Japan.