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

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ALASKA (11th Air Force): 1 B-26 patrols Tanaga and Adak .

WESTERN DEFENSE COMMAND (4th Air Force): A Japanese airplane, launched from a submarine off the coast, drops an incendiary bomb on a mountain slope near Brookings, Oregon, causing a small forest fire; this comprises the total bombing of the continental US by enemy aircraft during World War II.

CBI (10th Air Force): HQ 7th BG moves from Dum-Dum to Karachi, India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): P-40s strafe the Galaiwa Bay area on Goodenough. In New Guinea, A-20s, in support of encircled Australian ground forces, strafe and bomb troops in the Efogi Spur area; and the 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, V Bomber Command, moves from Townsville, Australia to Port Moresby 14 Mile Drome with F-4s.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australians
continue their delaying withdrawal southward and reach Menari about noon.
The Australian 25th Brigade lands at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. This unit will be rushed northward to reinforce the troops fighting on the Kokoda Track.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Japanese Lieutenant General HYAKUTAKE Seikichi, commander of the 17th Army, lands at Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal. Elements of the 2nd Division are also landed. Hyakutake’s presence on the island indicates some importance now attached to the battle for this island and Henderson Field. His previous HQ was at Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, and he controlled operations in New Guinea.
The IJN sends 26 "Betty" bombers and an unknown number of "Zeke" fighters to attack Guadalcanal at noon. USMC F4F Wildcats intercept and shoot down seven "Bettys" and three "Zekes;" the Marines lose four F4Fs. On Guadalcanal, Fighter-1, the grass-surfaced auxiliary fighter airfield, is declared operational.

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ALASKA (11th Air Force): Weather, photo reconnaissance, and patrol missions are flown during the morning over Nazan Bay, Tanaga, Adak and Amchitka ; poor weather is encountered at Kiska, Attu, and AgAttu ; a detachment of the 42d Fighter Squadron, 54th Fighter Group arrives at Adak with P-39s (the squadron is based at Harding Field, Louisiana).

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, some Australian troops move north on the track.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: A second airstrip, Fighter One, becomes operational on Guadalcanal. Fighter One is a grassy field that will be used by USMC and USN F4F Wildcats and USAAF P-400 Airacobras.
In the air, the IJN dispatches 27 "Betty" bombers and 15 "Zero" fighters to bomb Guadalcanal. They are met by five USMC F4F Wildcats which shoot down five "Bettys" with the loss of a Wildcat. The Americans now have only 12 serviceable fighters on Guadalcanal.

UNITED STATES: The Baruch Commission, tasked with investigating the availability of rubber, warns of military and civilian collapse due to a shortage of rubber in the U.S. As a result, the government mandates gasoline rationing in the U.S. to limit the amount of driving thus saving rubber required for tires.

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ALASKA (11th Air Force): A weather, photo, and patrol aircraft draws AA fire over Chichagof Harbor, Attu and also covers Tanaga, Amchitka, and Semichi. HQ 343d Fighter Group is actived at Elmendorf Field, Anchorage.
- The completion of the runway at Davis Army Airfield on Adak Island permits a stepped up air offensive against Japanese-held Kiska Island located 219 nautical miles (405 kilometers) west of Adak.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): combat control groups are authorized for New Caledonia and Fiji; these units, under immediate control of the Commanding General of US Army Forces in the South Pacific (COMGENSOPAC), are to take over local operational direction of fighter aircraft and all other units in the combat team. Lost after an escort mission against Guadalcanal is A6M2 piloted by Murakami.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): A-20s and B-26s hit Efogi and Menari in the Owen Stanley Range and Buna Airfield; B-17s, along with RAAF Hudsons, attack 2 destroyers 20 miles (32 km) E of Normanby ; a B-17 scores a direct hit on the stern of the destroyer Yayoi, which later sinks.

AUSTRALIA: General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief Southwest West Pacific Area, submits a plan to Australian General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief Allied Land Forces Southwest Pacific Area and Commander in Chief Australian Military Force, for accelerating operations in New Guinea. While Australians, upon receiving reinforcements, are to attack to drive the Japanese back on the Kokoda Track, a regimental combat team of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division is to execute a wide flanking
movement to the east to get behind the Japanese at Wairopi and thus hasten their expulsion from New Guinea.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Australian 2/14th and 2/16th Battalions surrounded four days previously fights its way out of the Japanese encirclement and fall back to Nauro. But the Australians are
forced to pull back from Nauro again and take up positions on a ridge north of Ioribaiwa. The Japanese 18th Army is only 32 miles (51 kilometers) from Port Moresby and number about 5,000 fighting men.
- In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders hit Efogi and Menari in the Owen Stanley Range and Buna Airfield in Northeast New Guinea; B-17 Flying Fortresses, along with Royal
Australian Air Force Hudsons, attack the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) destroyers HIJMS Isokaze and Yayoi 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Normanby Island; a B-17 Flying Fortress scores a direct hit on the stern of the destroyer HIJMS Yayoi, which later sinks. These destroyers are on their way to Goodenough Island to rescue Japanese troops.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USN submarine USS Saury sinks a Japanese aircraft transport about 127 nautical miles (235 kilometers) northwest of Makassar, Celebes Islands, Netherlands East Indies, in position 03.15S,
118.27E.
Somewhere under the surface of the western Pacific, the submarine USS Seadragon, while en route from Australia to French Indochina, is quietly waiting while Seaman Darrell Dean Rector, age 19,
undergoes an emergency operation. Pharmacist's Mate First Class Wheeler B. Lipes and others with no surgical training are removing his appendix.
Their actions save his life. Franz Hoskins, who will be come a Doctor after the war, administers the ether. George Weller of the Chicago Tribune will win a Pulitzer Prize for his report on this, in the category of Battlefront Writing. In the late 1950's it will be adapted for television.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, Colonel Oka, in command of Japanese forces west of the Lunga perimeter, issues his attack plan for the attack on the west side of the Perimeter. This morning he reaches the naval ground forces under Captain Monzen near the mouth of the Matanikau River. He also has the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment which landed last night. Accompanying them is Colonel Matsumoto, advance man for Japanese Army HQ.
Major General Alexander Vandegrift, Commanding General 1st Marine Division, Colonel Merritt Edson, Commander of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, and Colonel Gerald Thomas, Chief of Staff of the 1st Marine Division, know the Japanese will attack soon. Edson picks a ridge one mile south of Henderson Field and his 1st Marine Raider Battalion digs in.
Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner, Commander of Amphibious Force, South Pacific Force, arrives on Guadalcanal. He has discussed Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley's pessimistic view of the situation.
(Ghormley is Commander South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force.) Turner also wants to bring the 7th Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal. He proposes sprinkling them in small groups around the island but Major General Alexander Vandegrift, Commanding General 1st Marine Division opposes this plan.
Admiral Turner visits with war correspondents and is quoted: "...Marines will be on the island for a long time and things will get worse before they get better."
Lieutenant General Kawaguchi Kiyotake, Commanding Officer of the 35th Brigade, has issued his attack plan on 7 September which calls for his forces to split into three groups. One would attack the east side
of the Perimeter, the other two would surprise the Marines by attacking from the south. This main attack would cross a ridge, known to the Japanese as "The Centipede." This ridge will become known to history as "Edson's" or "Bloody" Ridge. The forces are almost in place for battle tomorrow night.
Twelve USMC F4F Wildcats intercept 26 IJN Japanese Navy "Betty" bombers and eight "Zeke"
fighters at about 1200 hours. The Marines shoot down six Betty's and a Zeke's but lost an F4F.
After being damaged by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine on 31 August, the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga goes to Tongatabu Island in the Tonga Islands, for temporary repairs. To aid the Cactus
Air Force on Guadalcanal, 24 F4F-4s of the USN's VF-5, which is part of the Saratoga Air Group, land at Henderson Field in the afternoon to augment the defenses.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) 11th Air Force weather and patrol reconnaissance aircraft finds overcast at Japanese-held Kiska Island but takes photos over Tanaga and Kanaga Islands, and Japanese-held Attu Island. The runway at Adak Island is completed.

AUSTRALIA: The Australian corvette HMAS Kalgoorlie (J 192) departs Darwin, Northern Territory, for Portugese Timor with 14 soldiers and 15 tons of supplies for the "Sparrow Force." The Sparrow Force
consists of the 2/2 Independent Company Australian Imperial Force, and survivors from the 2/40th Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 8th Division Australian Imperial Force, who did not surrender to the Japanese, plus local East Timorese guerillas.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, orders are issued to the Australian troops that Ioribaiwa is to be held until relief arrives. The Japanese attack late in the day but the Australians hold
their ground. Meanwhile, the 2/25th Battalion of the 25th Brigade starts up the track from Port Moresby.
- USAAF 5th Air Force P-400 Airacobras, B-26 Maruaders, A-20 Havocs, and B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Buna Airfield and strafe barges at Buna town, Northeast New Guinea.
- D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS, USAAF 5th Air Force P-40s strafe Gadaibai on Goodenough Island which is off the eastern extremity of Papua New Guinea.

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS: The U.S. 7th Marine Regiment and elements of the 5th Marine Defense Battalion arrive at Espiritu Santo Island.

PACIFIC OCEAN: A USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress strafes a vessel in the Bismarck Sea south of Kavieng, New Ireland Island, Bismarck Archipelago.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) sends 42 "Betty" bombers and an unknown
number of "Zeke" fighters to attack Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The Japanese are intercepted by
11 USMC and 21 USN F4F Wildcats; the Americans shoot down 14 Bettys and a Zeke at the cost of one F4F.
- At 2130 hours, bombardment of the Marine perimeter begins, by the IJN light cruiser HIJMS Sendai, and destroyers HIJMS Shikinami, Fubuki and Suzukaze which are offshore. Three Marine SBD Dauntless pilots are killed. After the bombardment, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) attack against the ridge, later known as Bloody or Edson's Ridge, begins.
Colonel Merritt Edson, Commander of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, has a combined 840 man between his Raider Battalion and the attached Marine Parachute Battalion. Lieutenant General Kawaguchi Kiyotake, Commander of the 35th Brigade, has three battalions with 2,506 men but the jungle has slowed the arrival of two battalions and his attack is very disjointed. The Japanese also get bogged down between the ridge and the Lunga River. Finally about one hour before daybreak the Japanese
commanders begin to gain control of their units. They regroup to attack the next night.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) 11th Air Force dispatches an LB-30 Liberator and two P-38 Lightnings to fly a photo reconnaissance, antisubmarine coverage and strafing mission over Japanese-held Kiska Island lakes and harbor; a tender in the harbor is slightly damaged, one Japanese float fighter is downed; a P-38 is hit by antiaircraft fire and fighters damage the LB-30.
- 14 B-24s of the 21st and 404th Bombardment Squadrons move up to Adak .

CHINA: U.S. Lieutenant General Joseph W. Stillwell, Commander-in- Chief U.S. China-Burma- India (CBI) Theater of Operations and Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, present a proposed plan of operations to Chiang Kai-Shek for the USAAF Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force, calling for the defense of ferry routes from India to China as its primary mission.

ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS: USAAF 5th Air Force P-40s strafe P-40s strafe buildings on Goodenough Island which is off the eastern extremity of Papua New Guinea.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Japanese fire mortars and artillery at the Australian defenders at Ioribaiwa but the night is uneventful.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): B-26s pound the airfield at Lae. B-17s unsuccessfully attack a cruiser SE of Rabaul. P-40s strafe buildings on Goodenough.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Solomons Sea, USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses unsuccessfully attack a Japanese cruiser southeast of Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Commander South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force, orders the 7th Marine Regiment, now on Espiritu Santo Island in the New Hebrides Islands, to reinforce the Guadalcanal garrison. Staff officers of the Imperial Japanese Army's 17th Army at
Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, scout Guadalcanal aboard an "Irving" reconnaissance aircraft.
Despite interception by 28 F4F Wildcat fighters from Henderson Field, they report the airstrip held by the Japanese. Colonel OKA Akinosuke, commander of the 124th Infantry Regiment, again radios Lieutenant General Kawaguchi Kiyotake, Commanding Officer 35th Brigade, to ask for a delay in his attack against the west flank of the Lunga Perimeter. The answer is No!
Colonel Merritt Edson, Commander of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, regroups his units on the Bloody Ridge after the fighting last night. He pulls back 200 yards (183 meters) to stronger positions that
will be unfamiliar to the Japanese. His line consists of small combat groups of approximately platoon strength at 100 yard (91 meter) intervals. He cannot man a continuous line. Colonel Merrill B. Twining, Assistant Operations Officer of the 1st Marine Division, visits the line and recommends immediate replacement of these troops. The division Reserve, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment moves up, but are not into place by nightfall. At 1830 hours the Japanese attack again. By 2130 hours Marine 75
mm artillery is dropping 200 yards (183 meters) in from of the line.
By 2200 hours, the 105 mm guns are also involved. Division Command Post (near Henderson Field) is under sniper fire. Major Kenneth Bailey, a company commander in the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, brings forward a resupply of grenades and ammunition at 0300 hours. Reserves are fed into the line around 0400 hours. The Japanese 7th Company, 4th Regiment, breaks though a gap in the U.S. lines and reaches the Fighter 2 (Kukum Strip) about 0530 hours and are stopped by Headquarters Company and Company D. Daylight brings the attacks to a near stop. General Kawaguchi finds that the 1 Battalion did not find the front line, but its commanding and executive officers are dead; Colonel Oka has not attacked despite orders; the attack against the eastern perimeter did not take place either. Colonel Matsumoto, from the 17th Army, radios back to Rabaul on New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, on 14 September that the major attack will occur tonight due to the heavy jungle. The Battle of Edson's
(Bloody) Ridge has already happened.
During the day, aerial reinforcements arrive:
(1) pilots from USS Hornet ferry 18 F4F Wildcats to the island;
(2) in the afternoon, 12 SBD Dauntlesses of the USN's VS-3 and six TBF Avengers of VT-8, both assigned to the USS Saratoga, are flown to Henderson Field while the Saratoga returns to Hawaii fro repairs. Four of the 18 new F4Fs are lost in air battles during the day. There have been a total of 60 new planes join the Cactus Air Force during the last three days.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: In the first combined heavy mission over Japanese-held Kiska Island, the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) 11th Air Force dispatches 13 B-24 Liberators, a B-17 Flying Fortress, 14 P-38
Lightnings, and 14 P-39 Airacobras to fly low-altitude and photographic reconnaissance runs; the P-39s strafe and damage two submarines in the harbor; the other aircraft bomb and strafe many installations including antiaircraft guns and the submarine base; a single aircraft also strafes Segula Island located about 26 nautical miles (48 kilometers) east-northeast of Kiska Island.
Japanese losses are five float planes shot down and a flying boat destroyed on the water; an ammunition ship is sunk and another vessel slightly damaged; while a large cargo vessel and several small barges and vessels sustain hits; two P-38s are lost, colliding head-on while after a fighter.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese edge to within 32 miles (51 kilometers) of Port Moresby but run into advance elements of the Australian 25th Brigade of the Australian 7th Division at Imita Ridge on the Kokoda Trail. It is the last advance the Japanese will make on the island and the high water mark of their conquests. Henceforth, all their moves will be retreats.
In Papua New Guinea, a single USAAF 5th Air Force A-20 Havoc bombs ground forces and installations at Myola located about 42 mile (68 kilometers) northeast of Port Moresby.

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS: At 0515 hours, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner, Commander, Amphibious Force South Pacific (Task Force 62), sails in a six-transport convoy from Espiritu Santo Island with the 7th Marine Regiment bound for Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands. The convoy is escorted Task Force 18 built around the battleship USS North Carolina, aircraft carriers USS Hornet and Wasp and ten
other ships.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) troops attempting to retake Henderson Field on Guadalcanal are driven back, with the loss of 600 men, for the second day in a row. USAAF P-400 Airacobras attack the Japanese troops retreating south of the Lunga Perimeter.
At about 1300 hours, 28 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) "Betty" bombers escorted by an unknown number of "Zeke" fighters bomb Henderson Field; USMC F4F Wildcat pilots shoot down two "Bettys" and two
"Zekes".


UNITED STATES: The 18-minute color documentary film "The Battle of Midway" is released. Directed, produced and filmed by John Ford, narration is provided by Donald Crisp, Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell with James Roosevelt, the President's son, appearing as an Army major. Ford is on Midway Island with a crew of Navy photographers during the epic battle in June 1942.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF 11th Air Force dispatches a B-17 Flying
Fortress and a B-24 Liberator to fly armed reconnaissance over Japanese-held Kiska Island, and bomb buildings in the Constantine Harbor area of Amchitka Island; American fighters strafe Kiska Island Camp area and shoot down four
intercepting Japanese aircraft.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the harbor and airfields at Rabaul on New Britain Island.

EAST INDIES: The Australian corvette HMAS Kalgoorlie arrives in Betano Bay, Portugese Timor with 14 soldiers and 15 tons of supplies for the “Sparrow Force.” The “Sparrow Force” consists of the 2/2 Independent Company Australian Imperial Force, and survivors from the 2/40th Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 8th Division Australian Imperial Force, who did not surrender to the Japanese, plus local East Timorese guerillas.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, a Japanese patrol
penetrates between two Australian units at 1400 hours local. Meanwhile,
Company E and attachments of the U.S. Army's 126th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, is airlifted from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to Port Moresby by USAAF transport aircraft. These is the first U.S. infantry unit in New Guinea.
In the air over Papua New Guinea, USAAF 5th Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders attack Buna and Sanananda and hit Japanese camps at Efogi and Myola on the Kokoda Track.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) (10th Air Force): HQ 341st BGroup (Medium) and the 490th and 491st Bombardment Squadrons are activated at Karachi, India with B-25s; also assigned are the 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons at Kunming, China and Karachi respectively with B-25s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force):B-17s bomb the harbor and airfield at Rabaul. B-17E "Frank Buck" 41-2659, force lands, but it is later repaired and returns to service. The 19th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 22d Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Woodstock to Iron Range, Australia with B-26s.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The USN’s Task Force 18, which is escorting the six-ship convoy transporting the 7th Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal, is located about 300 nautical miles SE of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal when it is sighted by the Japanese submarine HIJMS I-19. The submarine fires a spread of four torpedoes at the Wasp task group. Two of the torpedoes strike the aircraft carrier USS Wasp at 1445 hours GMT; the two other torpedoes miss the aircraft carrier hit the battleship USS North Carolina at 1452 hours GMT and the destroyer USS O’Brien at 1454 hours (GMT). The aircraft carrier USS Wasp is the most severely damaged. Fires break out almost simultaneously in the hangar and below decks and the heat of the intense gasoline fires detonates the ready ammunition at the forward antiaircraft guns on the starboard side, and fragments shower the forward part of the ship. The number two 1.1-inch (27.9 mm) mount is blown overboard. Water mains in the forward part of the ship prove useless, since they had been broken by the force of the explosions. There is no water available to fight the conflagration forward and the fires continue to
set off ammunition, bombs, and gasoline. As the ship lists to starboard between 10 and 15 degrees, oil and gasoline, released from the tanks by the torpedo hit, catch fire on the water. A serious gasoline fire breaks out in the forward portion of the hanger, within 24 minutes of the initial attack, three additional major gasoline vapor explosions occur. Unable to control the fires, the "abandon ship" order is given at 1520 hours.
The abandoned ship drifts and the fires travel aft; four more violent explosions occur as night begins to fall. The destroyer USS Lansdowne drew the duty of destruction, and she fires five torpedoes into the dying ship's fire-gutted hull. Three hit, but Wasp remains afloat.
By now, the orange flames had enveloped the stern. The carrier literally floats in a burning pool of gasoline and oil. She sank at 2100 by the bow leaving five aircraft carriers in commission. The battleship USS North Carolina takes a torpedo portside, 20 feet below her waterline, and six of her crewmen are killed but skillful damage control by her crew prevent disaster; a 5.6 degree list is righted in as many minutes, and she maintains her station in a formation at 26
knots.
The destroyer USS O'Brien is struck on the port bow but the explosion did little local damage, but set up severe structural stresses through the ship but she is able to proceed under her own power.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The Japanese complete transfer of the Attu garrison to Kiska, begun on 27 August; all defensive positions on Attu are destroyed by the Japanese. A USAAF 11th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator fly photographic and reconnaissance runs over Adak.

BISMARK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the wharf at Rabaul and Vunakanau and Gasmata (Tsurumi) Airfields.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese ground offensive on the Kokoda Track towards Port Moresby comes to a halt at Ioribaiwa; Australian troops are entrenched on Imita Range where they are preparing a counteroffensive. The Japanese are too ill-equipped and their supply lines too extended over forbidding terrain to enable them to reach their objective, Port Moresby.
Also in Papua New Guinea, a lone USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress attacks landing barges in the Sanananda area while a single A-20 Havoc bombs and strafes positions at Nauro and Menari in the Efogi area of the Kokoda Track.

UNITED STATES: A training program for the Women's Auxiliary Flying Squadron (WAFS), under Jacqueline Cochran's direction, is approved as the 319th Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment (Women), or more simply Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD), at Howard Hughes Field, Houston, Texas.

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AUSTRALIA: U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area, accuses Australian troops in New Guinea of a "lack of efficiency"

BISMARK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, carrying out single-bomber attacks, bomb airfields at Rabaul.
- Rear Admiral Ugaki recalled September 16/17, 1942 night air raid:
"The noise of gunfire and small arms was terrible. Anyway it was a night of little sleep. Now, I can see the effectiveness of night raids." He also noted the Japanese anti-aircraft fire was ineffective, 'Outragiously uncontrolled and unskilled'. At his suggestion, officers and crews from battleships Yamato and Mutsu were sent to Rabaul to train gunners.

NEW GUINEA: By 1100 hours local, Australian forces have withdraw to Imita Ridge on the Kokoda Track in Northeast New Guinea. Japanese ground forces, halted within sight of Port Moresby, are unable to attack without reinforcements and supplies, neither of which are available.
In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb Lae, and hit a beached cargo vessel at Salamaua; RAAF Beaufighters and USAAF P-39 and P-400 Airacobras and P-40s strafe and bomb a concentration of Japanese landing barges at Buna and Sanananda Point.

UNITED STATES: Army Brigadier General Leslie Groves is put in command of the Manhattan Engineer Project. This project is the cover name for the atomic bomb project and, under his direction, the basic research is carried out, mainly at Columbia University in New York, New York, and the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Due to overstated concern for security and simple chauvinism, he is strongly opposed to sharing any information with the British.

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NG: A US Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress bombs Salamaua while a B-25 Mitchell strafes pack trains on the Kokoda trail in the Andemba-Wairopi- Kokoda area.
- General Horii begins pulling his Japanese Army units back from Buna and Gona. He has supply difficulties.
- HQ 8th Fighter Group and the 35th and 36th Fighter Squadrons move from Ross River, Australia to Milne Bay with P-39s and P-400s.

GUADALCANAL: The 7th Marines arrive at the Lunga Perimeter held by the 1st Marine Divison on Guadalcanal. These are the first new unit committed to the Guadalcanal Campaign since the 1st Marine Division (re-inforced) landed on Guadalcanal on August 7. US strength on the island now numbers about 23,000.

U.S.A: The designation of all USAAF Air Forces is changed from a number to a name, e.g., 1st Air Force to First Air Force, 2d Air Force to Second Air Force, etc.

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CHINA: B-25 Mitchells of the USAAF Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force strike Lungling; the raid is ineffective due to bad weather but results in the discovery of much Japanese activity which further
reconnaissance reveals as part of a heavy movement of troops and supplies along the Burma Road toward the Salween front.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kododa Track in Papua New Guinea, an Australian patrol attacks the Japanese post spotted yesterday and destroys it. The troops then set up an ambush and wait for the night.
USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders strafe and bomb the airfield at Lae, Northeast New Guinea.
- the 7th Fighter Squadron, 49th FG, moves from Batchelor, Australia to Port Moresby with P-40s.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses attack cargo vessels in the Bismarck Sea near Umboi (Rooke) Island which lies between New Guinea and New Britain Island. In the Solomon Sea, USAAF Fifth Air Force fighters strafe a whaling vessel off Goodenough Island.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, Major General Alexander Vandegrift, Commanding General 1st Marine Division, establishes continuous defense lines and divides the Lunga area into ten sectors.

USN - Commander Patrol Wing 1 departed Kaneohe, Hawaii, for the South Pacific to direct the operations of patrol squadrons already in the area. Headquarters were first established at Noumea, New Caledonia, and subsequently at Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, and Munda.

UNITED STATES: The auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Chenango is commissioned. She is the tenth ACV in commission.

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AUSTRALIA: Responding to questions from the Australian government regarding the effect on the RAAF of the formation of the USAAF's Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific Area, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander Southwest Pacific Area, replies that "due to unavoidable conditions" the majority of the units assigned to the Coastal Defense Unit would be Australian although the majority of RAAF units would not be assigned to this command. He continued saying that the formation of the
Fifth Air Force would not affect the full employment of the RAAF in combat operations.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, Australian units continue to patrol along Imitra Ridge on the Kodoka Track. In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe troops and installations at Sangara, Arehe, and along the Popondetta-Andemba road in the Owen Stanley Range, and RAAF Kittyhawks strafe the airfield at Kokoda, bridges on the trail near Wairopi, and troops at Myola, Efogi, and Kagi.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: 9 B-24s, 2 B-17s, and 1 LB-30, accompanied by 15 P-39s and 20 P-40s, abort a Kiska bombing mission due to weather; photo reconnaissance suggests that Chichagof Harbor, Attu is abandoned.

BURMA: The British go on the offensive with the Indian 14th Division advancing in the Arakan River, from Chittagong via Cox's Bazar down the Mayu peninsula. The intention is to seize the peninsula, then from
there to Akyab and seize Japanese airfields that the British fear may be used to bomb Calcutta and other Indian cities. The troops of General Lord Archibald Wavell, British Commander-in- Chief India, troops are not ready for jungle warfare, and he lacks the seaborne component planned for this operation. He launches it anyway, even though the Arakan "is not fit to fight in." To reach Akyab, British and Indian troops must traverse more than 160 miles (257 kilometers) of mangrove swamps, river and rice paddies.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, artillery of the Australian 14th Field Regiment sited at Ower's Corner, about 3 miles (4,6 kilometers) south of Imita Ridge, pounds the Japanese all day. (Jack McKillop)
In the air, RAAF Kittyhawks bomb and strafe bridges and targets of opportunity along the Buna-Kokoda trail. The two RAAF Kittyhawk squadrons at Milne Bay, Nos 75 and 76, are relieved by the USAAF's
35th and 36th Fighter Squadrons flying P-39 Airacobras.
A-20s bomb and strafe occupied areas at Menari, Efogi, Nauro, Yodda, and Kokoda; P-40s strafe AA positions, huts, and barges at Buna and Salamaua and bomb and strafe Wairopi bridge, strafe buildings at Yodda, the airfield at Buna, and AA positions and other targets along the Buna-Kokoda trail; 1 B-25 bombs the N end of Buna Airfield and the coastal end of Sanananda track. B-17s bomb the airfield and shipping at Rabaul, New Britain

UNITED STATES: The prototype Boeing XB-29-BO Superfortress, USAAF s/n
41-002, msn 2482, makes its first flight at Boeing Field, Seattle,
Washington.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force dispatches an LB-30 and
nine B-24 Liberators, two B-17 Flying Fortresses, accompanied by 15 P-39 Airacobras and 20 P-40s, but they abort a Japanese-held Kiska Island bombing mission due to weather; photo reconnaissance suggests that Chichagof Harbor on Japanese-held Attu Island is abandoned.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses
bomb the airfield and shipping at Rabaul, New Britain Island.

D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS: The Australian 2/10th Battalion lands on Normanby Island located about 10 miles (16 km) from the eastern tip of
Papua New Guinea, in the Solomon Sea. The 400 square miles (1 036 kilometers) island will be used by Allied warships during the war.

NEW GUINEA: The Australian 2/25th Battalion moves forward on the Kokoda
Track and does not encounter any Japanese. However, a patrol from the 3d Battalion loses four men west of Ioribaiwa.
In the air over Papua New Guinea, Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe occupied areas at Menari, Efogi, Nauro, Yodda, and Kokoda on the Kokoda Trail; P-40s strafe antiaircraft positions, huts, and barges at Buna and Salamaua and bomb and strafe Wairopi bridge, strafe buildings at Yodda, Buna Airfield, and antiaircraft positions and other targets along the Buna-Kokoda trail; and a B-25 Mitchell bombs the northern end of Buna Airfield and the coastal end of the Sanananda track.

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ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Weather causes a USAAF Eleventh Air Force mission to
abort to Japanese-held Kiska Island; photo reconnaissance over Attu Island confirms its abandonment by the Japanese; a USN PBY Catalina escorted by two P-38 Lightnings lands off Amchitka Island with a scouting party which determines that the island is unsuited as an airfield; the P-38s also bomb a radio shack and sink a submarine at Amchitka Island.

ENTRECASTEAUX ISLAND