USAAF CHRONOLOGY 1945
3/1/45 Eighth AF 1,153 B-17's and B-24's bomb 8 M/Ys in SW Germany, plus 2 T/Os. 9 P-51 gps provide close escort, 7 gps afterward strafe transportation facilities and A/Fs.
3/1/45 Ninth AF 340-plus MBs and LBs attack ordnance depot at Giessen, comm centers at Pulheim, Rheinbach, Rommerskirchen, and Stommeln, rail bridge at Pracht, a road bridge, and 8 T/Os. Ftrs escort MBs and LBs, fly alerts, scheduled patrols, and armed rcn, hit assigned ground tats and spt US 3d Armd Div at Erft R bridgehead near Paffendorf, 9th Armd Div between Neffelbach and Rotbach (creeks), XVI and XIII Corps in Venlo area and along Niers R, XIX Corps in Monchen-Gladbach area, VIII Corps astride the Prum R, XII Corps between Prum and Nims Rivers and along the Kyll R, and XX Corps in Trier area.
3/1/45 Twelfth AF A-20's fly intruder missions during 28 Feb/1 Mar against tgts at Lecco and in Parma area, starting large fires and causing several explosions during strike on Casarsa della Delizia temporary railroad bridge, and hit bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia and Sacile. Weather cancels all daytime operations except for rcn and supply runs.
3/1/45 Fifteenth AF 630-plus B-24's and B-17's bomb Moosbierbaum oil refinery and alternate tgts and T/Os including M/Ys at Sankt Polten, Amstetten, Villach, Klagenfurt, Knittelfeld, Feldbach, Jesenice, and Maribor, plus several scattered T/Os. Over 220 ftrs provide escort. 22 P-38's bomb Moosbierbaum refinery and Tulln M/Y (afterward 12 of them strafe Wiener-Neustadt-Gloggnitz rail lines). 47 other P-38's strafe rail traffic around Graz and W of Vienna.
3/1/45 USAFIME USAFIME takes over NW Africa from MTOUSA and is redesignated AMET (Africa-Middle East Theater).
3/1/45 Tenth AF 27 P-47's spt ground forces in Mogok area. 16 fly close spt strikes near Lashio. 14 P-47's damage approaches of bypass bridge at Na-lang, but leave the bridge serviceable. About 100 FBs attack troops, supply areas, comm tgts, a ferry landing, and general T/Os along battlefronts and immediately behind German lines. Large-scale transport operations continue.
3/1/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-25's and 5 P-51's pound S side of Ishan while 17 other P-51's hit E and W sections of the city. 9 P-51's attack T/Os of Chinchengchiang while 4 others hit troops and road traffic between Chinchengehiang and Hwalyang.
3/1/45 FEAF B-24's over Formosa and the Ryukyu Is bomb Takao aluminum plant, Tainan A/F and nearby satellite field. Ftrs hit buildings at Keishu and storage tanks, railroad yards, and T/Os throughout the Ryukyus.
Troops on Corregidor and W of Ft Stotsenburg are hit with napalm. Other B-24's bomb Tarakan, Labuan, and Manggar A/Fs. B-25's hit Zettle Field.
3/1/45 Thirteenth AF Thirteenth AF moves from Morotai to Leyte. XIII FC moves from Leyte to Palawan.
3/1/45 Seventh AF VII FC is removed from control of Seventh AF and transferred to AAFPOA. 7 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F. 1 other hits Haha Jima. During 1/2 Mar, 5 HBs make separate harassment strikes on Susaki A/F and town of Omura.
3/2/45 Eighth AF 1,159 HBs bomb synthetic oil plants at Bohlen, Ruhland, and Magdeburg, 2 oil refineries at Rositz and Schonebeck, M/Ys at Chemnitz, Dresden, and Magdeburg, and T/Os in Germany and Czechoslovakia. 15 ftr gps fly 675 effective supporting sorties. Also part of 3 of these gps strafe A/Fs.
3/2/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits 5 bridges, 2 comm centers, 3 ordnance and motor transport depots, several city areas, and 6 T/Os. Objectives are to hinder movement of enemy troops trying to help German army caught in front of US Third Army, to obstruct movement in general, and to damage enemy repair and refitting capabilities. Over 1,700 ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, hit special tgts, fly armed rcn and patrols, and spt US 3d Armd Div at expanding bridgehead on the Erft R, XVI and XIX Corps in Sevelen, Monchen-Gladbach, and Neuss area, and VIII, XII, and XX Corps E of Prum R, astride the Kyll R, and in Trier-Saarburg area.
3/2/45 Twelfth AF Weather again grounds MBs, FBs and ftrs hit comm, ammo and stores dumps, 2 sugar refineries, guns, vehicles, and buildings S of Bologna and in Po Valley, and A/F at Aviano and Lonate Pozzolo.
3/2/45 Fifteenth AF 470 B-24's and B-17's, with ftrs flying escort, bomb M/Ys at Linz, Sankt Polten, Amstetten, Graz, Knittelfeld, and Brescia. 31 P-51's on strafing mission attack rail and river comm from Linz to Regensburg, while 18 others fly top cover. P-38's fly rcn missions. B-24's drop supplies during 1/2 Mar in N Italy and C Yugoslavia.
3/2/45 Tenth AF 20-plus P-47's fly close spt strikes in Mogok area. 2 B-25's damage ferry slips at Li-lu while 10 others hit bridges at Tonglau, Na-lang, Mong Pawn, and Namsang. 90-plus FBs attack gun positions, troops, supply areas, and highway T/Os in general battle areas and behind enemy lines. Transports complete 564 sorties to forward areas.
3/2/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-24's on sweeps over Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea claim 2 vessels sunk and 3 damaged.
3/2/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit Matsuyama, Toyohara, Kagi, and Kato A/Fs. Other B-24's pound Sepinggang and Manggar A/Fs and waterfront area of Sandakan.
3/2/45 Twentieth AF Around 50 B-29's bomb shop and warehouse area at naval base in Singapore. 5 others hit alternates on Bukum I, at Arang Hill, and at Khao Huakhang.
3/2/45 Seventh AF 7 Guam-based B-24's make daylight raid on Chichi Jima A/F and 5 more bomb same A/F and town of Omura during 2/3 Mar.
3/3/45 Eighth AF 1,048 HBs operating in 6 forces bomb 10 primary tgts (6 oil refineries, an oil plant equipment works, motor transport factory, tank plant, and a rail bridge) in NC and E Germany along with several secondaries, last resort tgts, and T/Os including M/Ys, casting plant, tank plant, and industrial and city areas.
657 effective ftr sorties are flown in spt. Ftrs also strafe ground tgts.
3/3/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits Wiesbaden, Giessen, Bergisch Born, and Nahbollenbach ordnance and storage depots, rail bridges at Remagen and Simmern, comm center at Heimersheim, motor transport concentration at Schwelm, Rheinbach ammo dump, Kirn M/Y and town, and several T/Os. Ftrs fly bmr escort, hit special tgts, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt US 9th Inf Div, 3d Armd Div, and VII Corps astride Erft R W of Euskirchen and area near Roggendorf W of the Rhine R, XIII, XVI, and XIX Corps E of Sevelen, NE of Krefeld, and W of the Rhine in Dusseldorf area, and VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the area between the Prum and Kyll R and along the Mosel in Trier area.
3/3/45 Twelfth AF Overcast skies and turbulent winds hamper MB missions against comm in Brenner area, allowing only limited success against tgts. Crema and Fidenza bridges in Po Valley are damaged. XXII TAC FBs, destroy a sugar refinery at Verona and achieve good results against comm and dumps in C Po Valley and Brenner area. Other ftrs and FBs spt US Fifth Army S of Bologna. A-20's during 2/3 Mar hit roads, ammo supplies, and vehicles at several points in Po Valley, particularly in Bologna-Modena regions, and bomb Legnano M/Y.
3/3/45 Fifteenth AF Rapidly deteriorating weather cancels bombing operations. P-51's strafe rail traffic between Leibuitz and SW of Spittal an der Drau and attack A/F S of Graz. P-38's fly rcn and rcn escort. 1 B-24, of 6 dispatched, drops supplies in N Yugoslavia.
3/3/45 Tenth AF 24 P-38's and P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div near Mansam. 16 spt British 36th Div in Mogok area. 10 P-47's knock out Nalang bridge while 2 B-25's drop delay-action bombs in good pattern around Loi-leng bridge. 10 B-25's join 80-plus FBs in attack on troops, supplies, tanks, trucks, gun positions, and transport elephants behind enemy lines. 29 of the FBs concentrate on Kankang area.
643 air supply sorties are completed.
3/3/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-24's over Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea attack shipping T/Os, claiming 1 vessel sunk and 3 damaged. 3 B-25's hit Kep, damaging several locomotives and boxcars and hit a bridge. 12 P-51's over Indochina hit T/Os between Vinh and Nam Dinh (2 direct hits are scored on bridge at Minh Koi) while 2 others blast HQ building in Hanoi.
3/3/45 FEAF B-24's pound Tainan area and Kiirun while ftrs sweeping over Formosa hit numerous T/Os. FBs bomb Koshun A F. B-25's bomb San Roque A/F. B-24's and B-25's attack Zettle Field. Echague, Ternate, and Caballo I areas are bombed by A-20's. B-25's, aborting strike against Formosa, bomb airstrip at Basco.
3/3/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam pound Susaki A/F in afternoon strike, and 4 more, flying individual strikes, hit same tat during 3/4 Mar.
3/4/45 Eighth AF Over 1,000 HBs are dispatched to bomb tgts in SW Germany. Bad weather causes over 300 aborts.
656 HBs bomb M/Ys at Ulm, Ingolstadt, Oflfenburg, military vehicle plants and ordnance depot at Ulm, jet aircraft plant at Schwabmunchen, and 6 city areas. 13 ftr gps fly 467 uneventful supporting sorties.
3/4/45 Ninth AF About 180 B-26's, A-20's, and A-26's strike M/Ys and rail junction at Recklinghausen, Lenkerbeck, and Herne, comm centers at Bruhl, Sechtem, and Rheinbach, and several other tgts including rail bridge and towns. Weather limits ftr operations. A few ftrs fly armed rcn E of the Rhine and others fly cover for XX Corps.
3/4/45 Twelfth AF Good flying weather permits full-scale effort by Twelfth AF. MBs hit 7 railroad bridges on Brenner line and in NE Italy. Salorno railroad fill receives a particularly good concentration of bombs. XXII TAC P- 47's concentrate on comm tgts in Po Valley, knocking out a span of the Cittadella railway bridge.
Brazilian P-47's blast ammo dump at Villafranca di Verona. A-20's during 3/4 Mar bomb bridge and bridge approaches at Casarsa della Delizia, Ostiglia, and Nervesa della Battaglia, radar station at Vignola, and lights, motor transport, roads, and other T/Os at over 30 places in the C Po Valley.
3/4/45 Fifteenth AF 630-plus B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escort, bomb M/Ys at Sopron (2), Szombathely, Knittelfeld, Zelfweg, Graz, Sankt Veit an der Glan, Wiener-Neustadt, Zagreb (2) and Ljubljana, and several scattered T/Os. Other B-24's, with P-51 escort, drop supplies in Yugoslavia. P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort operations.
3/4/45 Tenth AF 100 FBs attack troop concentrations, villages, roads, tanks, trucks, animal transport, and supplies along and immediately behind the battlelines running from SW to NE across C Burma. Meiktila is largely occupied by forces of Indian 17th Div.
3/4/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-24's on sea sweep damage a destroyer escort in S China Sea.
3/4/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Sasa and Likanan A/Fs and town of Zamboanga and pound gun positions, ammo storage, and T/OS at Antipolo and Wawa, supply dumps and town area at Bamban, T/Os in Cagayan Valley, fortifications on Caballo I, and A/Fs at Aparri and Tuguegarao.
3/4/45 Twentieth AF Gen Giles becomes Dep Cmdr of Twentieth AF and CG Of AAFPOA. A B-29 makes an emergency landing on Iwo Jima. This begins a series of over 2,400 such emergency landings on the island during World War II. 192 Marinanas-based B-29's are airborne against Musashino (Musashi) but heavy clouds prevent bombing the primary. 159 of the VHBs bomb secondary tat, the urban areas of Tokyo, and almost 20 others hit alternate tgts. This aborted try at Musashino marks end of XXI BC's effort to knock out Japanese aircraft industry by high-altitude, daylight precision bombing. (The indirect effect of causing Japanese industrialists to lose confidence in their supposed immunity from air attacks exceeds the effect of actual bomb damage to the aircraft industry). During 4/5 Mar, 11 B-29's, staging from Luliang, mine the confluence of the Hwangpoo and Yangtze Rivers and the Tai-hsing Narrows. 1 VHB drops mines at Tungting Lake.
3/4/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F. During 4/5 Mar, 3 HBs make separate harassment raids on the A/F.
3/5/45 Eighth AF Almost 400 HBs attack M/Y at Chemnitz, oil refinery at Hamburg Harburg, and T/Os including 2 railway storage sidings and 3 town areas. 587 supporting sorties are flown by ftrs. A gp of P-51 FBs bomb M/Ys, a tunnel, a rail line, and a road. 2 other gps escort MBs of Ninth AF.
3/5/45 Ninth AF 565 MBs and LBs attack 6 M/Ys, comm center, ordnance depot, a city area and T/Os with aim of obstructing reinforcements and supplies to German forces being pushed back across the Rhine R.
Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, drop leaflets in Cologne-Bonn area, and fly armed rcn over Ruhr and Hamm-Duisburg area.
3/5/45 Twelfth AF A-20's hit lines of comm in N Po Valley during 4/5 Mar. Results are generally good. Bad daytime weather grounds MBs. XXII TAC FBs and ftrs operate on greatly reduced scale, mostly in C Po Valley, hitting bridges at Casarsa della Delizia, Nervesa della Battaglia, Ostiglia, ancl Ostellato, and attacking town of Vignola.
3/5/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to supply, escort, and rcn missions.
3/5/45 Tenth AF 50-plus P-47's spt forces of British 36th Div in Mogok sector and forces of Chinese 50th Div in Mansam area. 46 P-47's and 12 B-25's hit troop concentrations in battle areas and attack supply areas, road traffic, and general T/Os behind enemy lines. 664 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/5/45 Fourteenth AF 30 B-25's knock out bridges at Phu Xuyen, Thinh Duc, Phu Ly, Ninh Binh, and Phu Lang Thuong and damage bridge at Kep. 2 B-25's, escorted by 8 P-47's, knock out bridge at Changtuikuan while 4 bomb Chikhom. 40-plus P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn hit road, rail, and river traffic, town areas, and other T/Os in Indochina, C Yangtze R area, and elsewhere in S and E China.
3/5/45 FEAF B-25's hit San Roque A F. B-24's with ftr spt hit troops in Antipolo area while FBs dive-bomb San Pablo, hit Ft Drum, attack troops W of Ft Stotsenburg, and spt guerrilla forces NE of Lingayen Gulf.
Tgts on Formosa and in the Ryukyus are hit by ftrs on sweeps and B-24's on armed rcn. The ftr sweeps are especially effective against railroad tgts. B-25's hit Zettle Field.
3/5/45 Seventh AF Susaki A/F is pounded by 11 B-24's from Guam. During 5/6 Mar, 5 more hit the A/F in individual snooper strikes. 22 B-24's from Angaur bomb Matina A/F.
3/6/45 Ninth AF 260-plus A-26's, and B-26's hit Recklinghausen, Siegburg, and Opladen M/Ys, Siegburg storage depot, and town of Bochum as a T/O. Weather grounds IX and XIX TAC. XXIX TAC flies alerts and covers US XVI Corps as it completes drive to the Rhine in Rheinburg area.
3/6/45 Twelfth AF MBs pound comm in Brenner Pass and hit bridges at Pordenone, Ossenigo, Enego, Ora, Pizzighetone, and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Ftrs and FBs concentrate on close spt of US Fifth Army S and SW of Bologna. During 5/6 Mar a few A-20's bomb T/Os in Po Valley.
3/6/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather restricts all operations except rcn and a supply mission, with escort, to Yugoslavia.
3/6/45 Tenth AF 31 P-47's spt British 36th Div forces in Mogok area. 12 B-25's join 60-plus FBs in striking troop concentrations, road traffic, supply and fuel dumps, and other tgts in vicinity of the battlefront and in areas close behind enemy lines. Transport operations continue on a large scale with 663 sorties completed to forward areas throughout the day.
3/6/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's bomb Chikhom. About 50 FBs hit storage, troops, railroad tgts, and river and road traffic around Hankow, along Pinghan railroad, Kaifeng, Suchow, Hsuchang, Changsha, Yoyang, Liuyang, and Hengyang, and on railroads from Liuliho to Chengtung and from Tungpu to Tatung.
3/6/45 FEAF HBs pound San Roque and Zamboanga areas. Other HBs, MBs, and FBs hit Antipolo area, bomb Balete Pass, and spt guerrillas near San Fernando, Ft Drum, and Caballo I. B-25's and P-38's attack Hainan I and considerably damage Samah A/F. Ftrs sweeping over Formosa hit Koshun area.
3/6/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's again pound Susaki A/F. 5 more hit the A/F during 6/7 Mar in separate strikes.
28 P-51's and 12 P-61's land on Iwo Jima.
3/6/45 Eleventh AF Mission to the Kurils is canceled due to inclement weather.
3/7/45 Eighth AF 873 HBs attack benzol plant and oil refinery at Dortmund, benzol plants at Datteln and Castrop/Rauxel, rail viaduct at Bielefeld, and M/Ys at Soest, Paderborn, Siegen, Giessen, and city of Fulda. 7 ftr gps provide close area spt.
3/7/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels combat operations except for XXIX TACs spt of US XVI Corps along the Rhine in Wesel area.
3/7/45 Twelfth AF B-25's continue interdiction of enemy comm, damaging railroad bridge at Longarone and railroad fills at Peri and Ossenigo. XXII TAC concentrates on comm in NE Po Valley and fuel and ammo dumps in C part of the Valley with generally good results. During 6/7 Mar LBs hit Ostiglia crossing and bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia and Casarsa della Delizia, and bomb T/Os in Brenner area.
3/7/45 Fifteenth AF Continued bad weather limits operations to a supply drop in Yugoslavia and routine rcn and escort missions. All bombing operations are canceled and 42 P-51's sent on strafing mission against railroad comm in Austria are recalled.
3/7/45 Tenth AF 30 P-47's spt troops of British 36th Div in Mogok area. 18 others spt elements of Chinese 50th Div near Mansam. Elements of Chinese 38th Div occupy Lashio. 12 B-25's and 35 FBs attack road tgts, troops, vehicles, and a variety of T/Os immediately behind enemy lines. Transports fly 630 sorties supplying forward areas with men and equipment.
3/7/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's and 9 P-40's blast railroad tgts N of Kiaotow. Single B-25's hit truck convoys in Hsiang R Valley, waterfront at Changsha, and bridge and other T/Os on Pinghan railroad. 130-plus FBs attack numerous tgts throughout S and E China, concentrating on railroad, road, and river tgts in the areas around Nanking, Yoyang, Sintsiang, and Changsha.
3/7/45 FEAF B-24's hit Balete Pass area while A-20's and FBs hit troop concentrations and gun positions near Antipolo and near San Fernando, NW of Ft Stotsenburg, and in Bayombong-Solano area and T/Os in Lake Taal area, towns of Santa Fe, Lal-lo and Vigan, and on Caballo I. Numerous ground spt missions are flown throughout Luzon.
3/7/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's hit Susaki A/F and town of Okimura and Haha Jima. 5 more hit Susaki during 7/8 Mar in individual harassment strikes.
3/7/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's, dispatched to strike a reported convoy, abort due to weather. So do 8 B-24's after departing on a shipping sweep and a strike on Kataoka.
3/8/45 Eighth AF 1,201 HBs bomb 6 benzol plants, 7 M/Ys, aircraft plant, rail center, synthetic oil plant, and a city area in WC Germany. 287 sorties by 6 P-51 gps provide spt.
3/8/45 Ninth AF Operational HQ of XXIX TAC moves from Maastricht to Monchen-Gladbach. 328 MBs and LBs hit 7 comm centers, 2 Mi/Ys, road overpass, and military transport depot in furtherance of interdiction program.
Weather prevents ftr operations except for small alert mission by XXIX TAC.
3/8/45 Twelfth AF MBs are hampered by heavy clouds but hit Novara M/Y, Longarone and Mori rail fills, and Rovereto bridge. Ftrs and FBs pound comm and supplies, destroy road bridge SW of Bologna, severely damage ammo plant and surrounding complex NW of Milan, and hit several other tgts, including bridge near Montebello which Brazilian P-47's operating with XXII TAC cut in half. A-20's, operating during 778 Mar, attack river crossings at Borgoforte, Cremona, Ostiglia, San Benetto Po, Viadana, and Ora, and numerous vehicles, lights, and general movement in C Po Valley and along Brenner line.
3/8/45 Fifteenth AF Over 550 HBs hit Hegyeshalom, Komarom, and Verona M/iYs, Maribor locomotive depot, and Kapfenberg steel works. P-51's and P-38's fly escort and rcn missions.
3/8/45 Tenth AF 20 P-47's spt British 36th Div. 40 FBs hit troop concentrations and supply areas along battlefront and behind enemy lines. 39 others sweep roads S of the bomb line, attacking gun positions and other T/Os. Transports fly 554 sorties to advanced bases and over frontline areas.
3/8/45 Fourteenth AF 34 B-24's, supported by 21 P-51's, pound Shihkiachwang. 3 B-24's claim transport sunk in S China Sea. 16 B-25's and 6 P-40's attack railroad tracks, boxcars, gun positions, sampans, and locomotives, knock out 2 bridges and damage another, and destroy and damage several locomotives at or near Hengshan, Yehhsien, Lohochai, and Chungmow. 140-plus FBs fly armed rcn over wide areas of S and E China, attacking numerous T/Os, mainly river, road, and railroad tgts, storage areas, gun positions, and troops, concentrating around Changsha, Changanyi, and bridge at Puchi.
3/8/45 FEAF B-24's pound Zamboanga area. B-24's hit road tgts at Balete Pass while A-20's spt guerrilla forces in San Fernando area. FBs hit fuel dumps, gun positions, and other tgts near Angat and Ipo dam and numerous T/Os in Antipolo area, personnel and storage areas near Baguio, and several tgts in Cagayan Valley (including town of Caggay, Dummun R area, and barges at Naguilian).
3/8/45 Seventh AF 14 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F through heavy cloud layers. 5 more HBs hit Susaki again during 5 individual harassment strikes during 8/9 Mar.
3/9/45 Eighth AF 1,007 B-17's and B-24's bomb 6 M/Ys, a large tank factory, and a castings plant at Frankfurt/Main, Kassel, Munster, Osnabruck, and Rheine. 5 ftr gps fly close escort and 3 fly area patrol.
3/9/45 Ninth AF 600-plus MBs and LBs hit 6 M/Ys, storage and vehicle depots, ammo-filling plants, and 12 T/Os as part of interdiction campaign in Germany. Ftrs fly armed rcn, hit special tgts, cover Remagen bridgehead and spt US 9th Inf and 9th Armd Divs committed there, spt 4th Armd Div at Mosel bridge at Treis, XX Corps along Mosel and Saar Rivers, and XVI Corps along the Rhine R near Wesel.
3/9/45 Twelfth AF B-25's hit bridges at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, San Michele all'Adige, Bozzolo, Santa Margherita d'Adige, Ora, and Montebello, M/Y at Ora, and bridge approach at Ala. Ftrs and FBs attack bridges, railroads, vehicles, trains, supply dumps, parked airplanes, buildings, and other tgts over wide areas of N Italy, including Milan, Cittadella, Ala, Santa Margherita d'Adige, La Spezia, Ghedi, Lecco, and battle area in N Apennines. A-20's, on intruder missions during 8/9 Mar bomb river crossings in Po Valley at several locations, among them Ostiglia, San Benedetto Po, and Borgoforte.
3/9/45 Fifteenth AF 372 B-17's and B-24's, with ftr escorts, bomb M/Ys at Graz (2), Klagenfurt, Sankt Stefan, Sankt Paul, and Ljubljana. River bridges at Sankt Paul are also bombed. 27 P-38's bomb Knittelfeld M/Y and 13 others strafe Graz-Maribor railroad lines. Routine supply, rcn, and escort missions continue.
3/9/45 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt elements of Chinese 50th Div near Mansam. 80-plus FBs operating over and behind enemy lines attack trucks, horses and carts, troops, and arty pieces. 568 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/9/45 Fourteenth AF 32 B-24's, escorted by 5 P-51's, bomb railroad yards at Sinsiang. 15 B-25's and 2 P-40's knock out 2 bridges at Hwaiyuanchen and E of Jungtse, and hit railroad tgts and other T/Os at Yehhsien, at Chowkiakow, at Hsuchang, and E of Junan. 50-plus FBs on armed rcn attack railroad tgts, river and road traffic, bridges, gun positions, and troops at several locations, particularly around Kweiyi, Hengyang, Nanking, and Sinyang.
3/9/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Zamboanga. B-25's, in cooperation with PT boats, attack tgts on Basilan I. B-24's hit Ipo area, B-25's and FBs spt ground forces E of Manila Bay, hit Japanese occupied areas at Mahiga, Lipa Bay, and Ternate, and bomb and strafe T/Os on Caballo I. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit bridges at Bayombong, town of Makati, Cabugao, and Cauayan, San Fernando and Solvec Cove areas on NW coast, town of Cauayan, and Aparri A/F. B-24's pound dock area at Takao.
3/9/45 Seventh AF 13 Guam-based B-24's fly daylight strike on Susaki A/F while 5 more, on single-bmr raids, hit the A/F during 9/10 Mar. 24 Angaur-based B-24's pound town of Zamboanga.
3/9/45 Eleventh AF 3 B-24's fly a negative shipping search.
3/10/45 Eighth AF 1,321 HBs strike 6 M/Ys, 2 rail viaducts, 4 railway centers, and a town area all in W Germany. 10 ftr gps fly 484 supporting sorties. 2 other gps spt Ninth AF Mbs.
3/10/45 Ninth AF 383 LBs and MBs strike 5 M/Ys, comm center, 2 city areas, miscellaneous tgts in Koblenz-Braubach area, and a T/O. Ftrs escort MBs and LBs, attack ground tgts, fly patrols, armed rcn, and provide cover and ground spt over Remagen bridge area where US 9th Inf Div expands bridgehead against fierce opposition, spt 4th Armd Div in Koblenz area and XX Corps in Saarburg area, and cooperate with XVI Corps near Wesel.
3/10/45 Twelfth AF LBs bomb bridges and other comm tgts in E Po Valley during 9/10 Mar. B-25's bomb bridges at Ora, Bozzolo, and San Michele all'Adige, and railroad fill at Ceraino railroad station. Ftrs and FBs hit comm and T/Os at various locations in E Po Valley, including several bridges, and numerous ammo dumps and vehicles.
3/10/45 Fifteenth AF 191 HBs hit VeronaParona di Valpolicella railroad bridge. 1 other bombs Voghera M/Y. Supply missions to Yugoslavia and rcn operations continue.
3/10/45 Tenth AF 13 P-47's spt forces of British 36th Div in Mogok area. 46 P-47's and P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line. 49 others hit supply areas behind enemy lines, attack a bivouac near Nam-yang, and bomb a truck park N of Mong Yai. 537 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/10/45 Fourteenth AF 32 B-24's blast railroad yards at Tsanghsien and Tehsien. 10 B-24's and 4 P-40's attack Siangtan and nearby T/Os. 60-plus FBs hit river, road, and railroad tgts, gun positions, warehouses, airstrips, and troops around Sinyang, Yiyang, Changsha, Kiyang, Yoyang Hengyang, Hankow, and Wuchang.
3/10/45 FEAF B-24's and B-25's over Zamboanga Peninsula area bomb town of Zamboanga, Calarian A/F, Pangasahan, Port Holland, Kulibato Point, and Sibago I. B-24's bomb Ipo area and Aparri A/F. B-25's and A-20's spt guerrillas near San Fernando and bomb Cabugao. FBs hit Caballo I, bomb town of Minanga, hit enemy concentrations at Burgos, near Ft Stotsenburg, in Batangas province, and at other locations on Luzon, and attack Teresa. B-24's bomb Kudat and Jesselton A/Fs.
3/10/45 Twentieth AF 24 B-29's bomb M/Y at Kuala Lumpur. (1 of the VHBs drops over half of its bombs at Alor Star A/F). 3 others attack Khao Huakhang, and freighter in channel leading to Port Swettenham. During the predawn hours 279 B-29's, of 325 airborne, blast Tokyo urban area with incendiaries, destroying more than 267,000 buildings about one-fourth in the city and killing more than 83,000 people. This death total is the highest of any single day's action during the war, (exceeding the deaths caused by the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima). 20 other B-29's bomb alternates and T/Os. 14 VHBs are lost. The participating B-29's are from the XXI BC's Bomb Wgs, the 73d, 313th, and 314th, based on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. The raids are flown at levels ranging from 4,900 to 9,200 ft.
3/10/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam hit Susaki A/F which 9 HBs again hit during 10/11 Mar on separate snooper strikes. 23 B-24's from Angaur bomb Calarian A/F.
3/10/45 Eleventh AF 5 B-24's radar-bomb tgts on Kataoka, Suribachi, and Kakumabetsu with unobserved results. l ftr is sighted but no attack is made. 2 other B-24's on this mission abort due to weather and mechanical trouble. B-25 missions to Hayakegawa and Paramushiru are also canceled due to weather.
3/11/45 Eighth AF U-boat yards at Kiel and Bremen and shipyard and refinery area at Hamburg are bombed by 1,212 HBs. Close escort is provided by 14 P-51 gps while 1 P-47 gp flies area spt in Kiel area.
3/11/45 Ninth AF 696 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's, hit 4 A/Fs, 3 comm centers, 2 ammo filling plants, and several city areas and other casual tgts. Attacks are to obstruct air operations and supply and troop movements in general. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn, escort 9th Bomb Div, spt US 9th Inf Div push at Remagen bridgehead and fly cover over the area, and spt XX Corps E of Trier and Saarburg.
3/11/45 Twelfth AF B-25's of 57th Bomb Wg score damaging hits on bridge and fills at San Michele all'Adige, Volargne, and Ossenigo, and, attacking tgt in Austria for first time, bomb bridge at Drauburg. Ftrs and FBs of XXII TAC hit rail lines and dumps in C Po Valley and in Brenner area. During 10/11 Mar LBs hit several Po R crossings, Ghedi and Pavia A/Fs, road junctions, and other tgts in Po Valley.
3/11/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn and supply missions.
3/11/45 Tenth AF 14 B-25's pound stores, troops, vehicles, and ammo dumps at Konghsa, Kwai-Kong, Man Kat, and Mong Yai. 4 P-38's knock out bridge at Mong Tong. 8 P-47's hit troop concentration at Kyaukme. 30- plus P-47's hit T/Os during road sweeps behind enemy lines. Transports fly 547 sorties to forward areas.
3/11/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's knock out 1 bridge and hit numerous boxcars at Kep and near Don Met. 5 B-24's over S China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin claim 1 freighter sunk and another damaged. 10 P-40's and P-51's blast locomotives on Tsinpu railroad and demolish 3 villages E of Lohochai.
3/11/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Zamboanga area, Mercedes village, and San Roque A/F. B-25's hit Mercedes, spt ground forces near Zamboanga, and in conjunction with PT boats, hit Isabela, Barlak, Taluksangay, and HQ N of Zamboanga. B-24's hit Aparri area and spt ground forces at Wawa. A-20's and FBs fly ground spt missions and attack supply dumps and numerous T/Os throughout Luzon. FBs hit Takao and B-24's bomb Mako. " 3/11/45 Twentieth AF Attacking at altitudes ranging from 5,100 to 8,500 ft, 285 B-29's bomb Nagoya urban area with incendiaries during 11/12 Mar.
3/11/45 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Guam again hit Susaki A/F, while 8 more during 11/12 Mar, pound the A/F individually.
Iwo Jima-based P-51's also bomb Susaki and strafe Okimura and Kitamura.
3/12/45 Eighth AF 1,309 HBs strike Swinemunde area and 7 M/Ys at Friedberg, Wetzlar, Marburg/Lahn, Siegen, Frankfurt/Main, Betzdorf, and Dillenburg. 523 P-51 sorties are flown in spt of Hbs.
3/12/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div MBs and LBs attack 8 M/Ys, ammo-filling plant, city areas and T/Os. Attacks on M/Ys are aimed at blocking troop movements by rail into Ruhr and Remagen areas. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, bomb special tgts, fly armed rcn, cover Remagen area, and spt US 9th Inf Div in Kalenborn and Hargarten areas and XX Corps in Saarburg bridgehead area.
3/12/45 Twelfth AF B-25's hit 7 railroad bridges, cutting two, and fills severely damaging one and a train in Brenner area and in NE Italy as far E as Yugoslav border area. FBs blast comm in N Italy, making 36 rail cuts, 19 of them on the Brenner line. P-47's also bomb and severely damage a munitions factory NW of Zagreb.
During 11/12 Mar LBs on intruder missions hit Po crossings, sugar refinery, vehicles, and trains.
3/12/45 Fifteenth AF 790 B-24's and B-17's bomb Vienna/Floridsdorf oil refinery and alternate tgts of Graz, Zeltweg, and Wiener-Neustadt M/Ys. 98 P-38's bomb Knittelfeld railroad bridge (2 others hit nearby T/Os) and strafe comm in Wiener-NeustadtGraz-Klagenfurt areas. 12 P-38's sweep Zagreb area. Bad weather forces 60 P-51's sent against Austrian comm to abort. Supply mission to Yugoslavia and rcn operations are successful.
3/12/45 Tenth AF 13 B-25's and 35 P-47's hit troop concentrations, supplies, vehicles, and AA guns along battlefront and behind enemy lines. 66 P-47's hit transportation tgts and a bridge during several road sweeps in C Burma. 12 others damage bypass bridge at Hay-ti. Transports complete 677 sorties delivering men and supplies to advanced bases and dropping supplies to frontline forces.
3/12/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's knock out Song Rang bridge. 6 P-51's hit road comm at Hwayuan and bomb a building at Ha Coi.
3/12/45 FEAF B-24's hit Mercedes and Malabang. Other B-24's bomb Japanese troops near Ipo. B-25's hit supply area at Bangued and troops at Pattao. A-20's and FBs fly ground forces spt missions throughout Luzon. FBs also bomb Calallo I. On Formosa B-24's, with P-38 spt bomb Takao Tainan. P-51's also hit Tainan and bomb Jitsugetsu power plants.
3/12/45 Twentieth AF 44 B-29's hit oil storage facilities on Bukum I, Samboe, and Sebarok Is. 1 other VHB bombs Arang Hill. Results are poor.
3/12/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's bomb and strafe Okimura. 13 B-24's fly daylight strike against Susaki A/F. During 12/13 Mar, 8 HBs hit Susaki and Okimura. 24 B-24's from Angaur hit Sarangani Bay storage area.
3/12/45 Eleventh AF 5 B-24's bomb Kurabu A/F area. 8 B-25's weather-abort a mission to Hayakegawa.
3/13/45 Eighth AF 16 continent-based P-51's fly uneventful aircraft sweep in Remagen-Koblenz area.
3/13/45 Ninth AF 450-plus A-26's, A-20's, and B-26's, bomb 3 M/Ys, 2 A/Fs, rail sidings, and several T/Os in continuing interdiction campaign in Germany. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, and armed rcn, attack assigned tgts, cover US First Army area in general along the Rhine R from Dusseldorf to Linz/Rhine, spt US 9th Inf Div around Hargarten, cover Remagen bridgehead, and spt XX Corps as it opens offensive SE from Saarburg bridgehead.
3/13/45 Twelfth AF B-25's bomb railroad bridges and fills at Perca, Vo Sinistrof, Pizzighetone, Salorno, and Sacile. Ftrs and FBs attack bridges, flak positions, ammo and supply dump, rail lines, various other tgts, and fly close spt to US Fifth Army force as XXII TAC operates over wide areas of N Italy from the N Apennines through the Po Valley, and into NE Italy. On 12/13 Mar LBs hit railroads, Po R crossings, dumps, and movement, mainly in Po Valley.
3/13/45 Fifteenth AF 569 B-24's and B-17's bomb Regensburg M/Y. 3 other HBs bomb T andshut M/Y and T/Os. Over 280 P-38's and P-51's provide escort and several strafe rail traffic in Germany and Austria during return flight. 41 P-51's on strafing mission attack rail traffic in MunichLandshut-Regensburg and Ingolstadt areas and between Vienna and Wiener-Neustadt. Photo rcn is particularly extensive, with 18 P-38's covering areas of Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and N Italy. 41 ftrs escort photo missions.
3/13/45 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div, hitting Japanese positions along Namtu R in Namhsan area.
26 P-38's hit road tgts S of bomb line in C Burma. 12 B-25's attack troop concentrations, supplies, and gun positions behind enemy lines. 4 P-47's hit wooded area in British 36th Div battle sector. Other FBs make ineffective bridge strikes. Transports complete more than 500 sorties to forward areas.
3/13/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-24's over Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea claim a cargo vessel and a large junk destroyed. 13 P- 40's, P-38's, and P-51's destroy a storehouse and damage a compound at Chingchengchiang and knock out a bridge and hit machinegun positions and other T/Os at Lang Son.
3/13/45 FEAF B-24's hit tgts in Sarangani Bay area and effectively hit town of Lagao. MBs spt ground operations in Zamboanga area. B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs spt ground forces hitting forces and positions in Cagayan Valley. B-25's hit sampans off Hainan I while P-51's sweep Samah A/F. B-24's hit installations in WC Formosa. B-24's bomb Mako.
3/13/45 Twentieth AF In the third of the Twentieth AF's great fire raids, 274 B-29's begin bombing Osaka shortly after midnight, 13/14 Mar. The heart of the city, an area of 8.1 sq mi, is wiped out during 3 hrs of bombing from altitudes of 5,000 to 9,600 ft.
3/13/45 Seventh AF 6 B-24's from Guam hit Woleai while 10 bomb Susaki A/F. During 13/14 Mar 8 more, flying individual strikes, pound Susaki. 24 B-24's from Angaur bomb storage area on Sarangani Bay.
3/14/45 Eighth AF 1,188 HBs hit 3 tank and armored vehicle plants, 2 oil refineries, 2 M/Ys (all in the Hannover area), M/Ys at Gutersloh, Holzwickede, Giessen, Osnabruck, and Hameln, 2 rail bridges and a M/Y near Herford, road bridge near Minden, and jet castings plant at Hildesheim. 13 ftr gps fly 610 effective supporting sorties. 3 other gps spt Ninth AF Mbs.
3/14/45 Ninth AF 350-plus MBs and LBs hit 3 A/Fs, 4 rail bridges, a junction, 5 towns, and 3 T/Os as interdiction operations continue. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack railroads and other special tgts, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, cover Remagen area, and spt US XII Corps as it begins drive from the Mosel R to the Rhine R, and XX Corps operations W of Trier and Saarburg.
3/14/45 Twelfth AF B-25's damage bridges at Casarsa della Delizia, Cittadella, Vipiteno, and Campo. Ftrs and FBs attack comm, ammo and supply dumps, motor transport, trains, buildings, and other tgts, escort MBs, and spt ground forces, operating over much of N Italy from the Apennine battle area N and NE. LBs hit river crossings and T/Os in Po Valley during 13/14 Mar.
3/14/45 Fifteenth AF 634 HBs, with ftr escorts, hit Szony and Almasfuzito oil refineries and M/Ys at Komarom, Nove Zamky, Zagreb, WienerNeustadt, Graz, and Knittelfeld. 90 P-38's dive-bomb bridges at Ptuj, 42 of them afterwards strafing rail traffic in Yugoslavia and Austria. 21 P-51's also strafe rail traffic in Austria. B-17's and B-24's drop supplies in N Italy and in Yugoslavia. P-38's continue rcn missions, including larger than usual number of photo rcn flights (most of them heavily escorted) over Italy, Germany, Austria, and Yugoslavia.
3/14/45 Tenth AF 20 P-37's fly close spt for elements of Chinese 50th Div in Mansam area. 3 B-25's knock out bridge at Laihka while 11 others bomb troop and vehicle concentration nearby. 39 P-47's hit troop concentrations, supplies and vehicles at Laihka and Namlan while 29 others sweep roads S of bomb line. 614 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/14/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-24's claim 1 cargo vessel sunk in S China Sea. 1 B-25 and 4 FBs damage 12 track sections near Tungyangchen. 4 P-51's hit railroad T/Os near Chihsien. 19 P-51's and P-38's blast barracks area at Vinh Yen.
3/14/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Konel area while B-25's and B-24's hit village and AA positions near Zamboanga and dock area at Isabela. A-20's and numerous FBs (including some Marine aircraft) hit installations and defensive positions throughout Luzon. A-20's over Palawan hit Pandanan I. B-24's bomb Mako naval base. B-25's on armed rcn and shipping sweep along China coast bomb secondary tgts when no ships are sighted.
3/14/45 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F while 23 from Angaur hit Sarangani Bay supply area. 5 Iwobased P-51's strafe and fire-bomb positions on N tip of Mindanao. 16 more strafe and dive-bomb Susaki A/F, town of Omura, and several gun positions on Chichi Jima. During 14/15 Mar, 5 more B- 24's flying individually hit Susaki.
3/14/45 Eleventh AF Of 12 B-25's taking off to cover naval TF on its way to Matsuwa, 6 abort due to weather and failure to locate the TF. The others fly coverage sorties throughout the day.
3/15/45 Eighth AF 1,282 HBs bomb primary tgts of Army HQ at Zossen and M/Y at Oranienburg, along with T/Os including M/Ys at Stendal and Birkenwerder, rail sidings at Gardelegen, rail center at Wittenberge, road bridge at Gusen, and town of Havelberg. 14 ftr gps in close escort and 1 in area patrol fly 732 effective spt sorties.
3/15/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's attack comm centers at Neunkirchen and Pirmasens, M/Ys at Turkismuhle and Erbach, 3 flak positions, and several other tgts, as well as dropping leaflets on Koblenz. Ftrs hit Overberge M/Y and other tgts, escort 9th Bomb Div, fly sweeps and armed rcn, and spt US XII Corps crossing Mosel in offensive toward the Rhine, and XX Corps E of Trier and Saarbrucken.
3/15/45 Twelfth AF B-25's attack railroad bridges and fills at Salzano, Canale d'Isonzo, Rovereto, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Romano di Lombardia, and Mori. Ftrs and FBs of XXII TAC concentrate on comm lines in NE Italy, particularly the Brenner rail line, and also blast several supply and ammo dumps. I,Bs continue intruder missions during 14/15 Mar hitting Po R crossings and fills in San Ambrogio di Valpolicella area.
3/15/45 Fifteenth AF 109 B-17's bomb Ruhland oil refinery (marking the Fifteenth's deepest penetration into Germany). 103 others bomb alternate tgt of Kolin refinery. 470-plus other HBs attack tgts in Austria, including Moosbierbaum, Schwechat, and Vienna/Floridedorf oil refineries, M/Ys at Wiener-Neustadt, Sankt Polten, Graz, Bruck an der Mur, Klagenfurt, and Murzzuschlag, and bridge at Klagenfurt. Supply missions to N Italy and Yugoslavia continue, along with extensive photo and weather rcn. Ftrs fly over 300 sorties in escort of HBs and supply and rcn flights.
3/15/45 Tenth AF 30 P-47's spt elements of Chinese 50th Div in Namhsan area. 32 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line.
Transports fly 625 sorties to forward areas.
3/15/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-24's claim 1 vessel sunk in S China Sea. 4 B-25's hit area E of Pingsiang. 4 P-51's hit locomotives between Sinsiang and Shihkiachwang and 4 attack motor transport in Paotou area.
3/15/45 FEAF In spt of US ground forces on Luzon B-24's, A-20's, and P-38's hit HQ area at Baguio. P-47's hit Minuli bridge and enemy concentrations in Balete Pass and W of Ft Stotsenburg. A-20's and P-47's hit gun positions and occupied areas around Batangas. B-24's and B-25's hit personnel N of Sarangani Bay and troops and gun positions in Zamboanga area. B-24's bomb Lahug. P-47's dive-bomb Takao power installations.
3/15/45 Seventh AF 8 Guam-based B-24's bomb Susaki A/F. 3 more, on snooper strikes, hit Susaki during 15/16 Mar.
3/15/45 Eleventh AF 1 B-24 flies air coverage for naval TF. 7 others weather-abort.
3/16/45 Ninth AF 280-plus MBs and LBs hit Landau barracks area and comm center, Niederscheld town area and rail bridge, 6 other town areas, a M/Y, rail junction, crossroads, and also drop leaflets. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, armed rcn, and cover VIII, XII, and XX Corps in assault across the Mosel from W of Koblenz and N of Boppard, at one point, as far E as Bad Kreuznach, and as far S as Merzig.
3/16/45 Twelfth AF B-25's of 57th Bomb Wg, flying their farthest N penetration to date, bomb Brixlegg railroad bridge. The MBs also hit Spilimbergo power plant, with excellent results, and lightly damage 3 bridges on Brenner line, 1 in C Po Valley, and 1 in NE Italy. XXII TAC FBs continue to attack comm in Po Valley and NE Italy, while LBs bomb bridges and T/Os on night intruder missions along Po R and in N Po Valley.
3/16/45 Fifteenth AF 720-plus B-24's and B-17's bomb Korneuburg, Vienna/Floridsdorf, Schwechat, and Moosbierbaum oil refineries and M/Ys at Sankt Veit an der Glan, Amstetten, Graz, Varazdin and Pragersko. 52 P-51's strafe rail lines in Vienna, Linz, Passau, and Regensburg areas and A/F at Mettenheim. B-17's and B- 24's continue supply drops to N Italy and Yugoslavia while P-38's fly extensive weather and photo rcn missions. Ftrs fly more than 300 sorties in escort of HBs, supply runs, and rcn operations.
3/16/45 Tenth AF 23 P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div in Hsipaw area. 4 P-38's, supporting British 36th Div, bomb arty positions NE of Mogok. 12 B-25's blast fuel dump and troop concentration at Panghai. 40 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line. Transport operations continue on steady basis.
3/16/45 Fourteenth AF 32 B-24's, escorted by 10 P-51's, pound N railroad yards at Shihkiachwang. 1 B-25 and 2 P-51's attack railroad between Sinsiang and Shihkiachwang.
3/16/45 FEAF A-20's and B-24's continue pounding Japanese installations at Baguio. P-51's strike Patapat, hitting vehicles and supplies. Ftrs on patrol hit Caballo I. Batangas area is again pounded by FBs and A-20's.
B-24's hit Talisay and Carolina A/Fs and bomb tgts pinpointed by guerrillas on Cebu. B-25's bomb San Roque A/F and attack Tarakan and Jesselton A/Fs. B-24's also hit town of Taihoku, A/Fs at Heito, and Okayama naval airbase.
3/16/45 Twentieth AF 307 XXI BC B-29's, of 331 airborne, fire-raid Kobe in the heaviest attack to date, bombing from 5,000 to 9,500 ft during the predawn hours of 16/17 Mar. About one-fifth of the city's area is burned.
3/16/45 Seventh AF 13 Guam-based B-24's bomb Susaki A/F. 16 Iwo-based P-51's dive-bomb and strafe radio and radar installations, gun positions, and storage area on Chichi Jima. During 16/17 Mar Susaki is hit again, by 5 B-24's flying individual harassment strikes. Iwo Jima is declared secure although fierce resistance continues on some parts of the island.
3/16/45 Eleventh AF Because of a navigational error, 2 B-24's on a photo mission to Matsuwa reach 130 mi S of the island, the deepest penetration of the Japanese Home Islands to date. The B-24's turn N, photograph Matsuwa and bomb Shimushiru with unobserved results.
3/17/45 Eighth AF 1,260 HBs hit 2 synthetic oil plants, 2 power stations, an instruments works, an industrial complex around a tank factory, 2 M/Ys, and 5 city areas in W and NC Germany. 13 P-51 gps, plus an extra P- 51 section, provide spt.
3/17/45 Ninth AF 650-plus A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb 5 M/Ys, 2 comm centers, an ordnance depot, 3 city areas, and several T/Os. Attacks are to impede enemy movement of troops, equipment, and supplies in face of advancing Allied forces. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, and armed rcn, cover Remagen bridgehead, spt US III Corps NE of Remagen, cooperate with XII Corps which has penetrated several mi E of Bad Kreuznach at one point, and operate with XX Corps which at one point reaches as far E as Birkenfeld.
3/17/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and B-26's during 16/17 Mar bomb Po R crossings, other bridges, lights, and movements in Po Valley. B-25's bomb railroad bridges and fills at Cittadella, San Michele all' Adige, Aldeno, Bozzolo, Canneto sull' Oglio, Pontetidone, Pizzighettone, and Pontevico. Ftrs and FBs are greatly restricted by bad weather but score effectively against dumps, bridges, railroads, M/Ys, trains, and buildings mainly in Po Valley.
3/17/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather grounds HBs. 98 P-38's dive-bomb Ptuj and Zagreb railroad bridges, Klinca Sela M/Y, and Sisak M/Y and bridge. B-24's, with ftr escort, drop supplies in Yugoslavia and P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort. During 17/18 Mar B-24's drop supplies in N Italy.
3/17/45 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt British 36th Div around Mogok. 12 B-25's bomb troops and supplies near Namlan. 33 P- 47's hit road tgts behind enemy lines, concentrating on Hayti and Mong Yai sectors. 40-plus other FBs attack troops, supplies, tanks, and trucks behind the battleline including Ta-mun, Namsaw, Pansupe, Tal-ti, and Kankang areas. Transports continue to fly troops and supplies to frontline areas.
3/17/45 Fourteenth AF 1 B-25 and 12 P-51's damage 21 locomotives and a river launch in Peking area, around Tsinan, and between Taiyuan and Tatung.
3/17/45 FEAF Formosa A/Fs are pounded by B-24's operating in force. On Luzon nearly 500 sorties are flown in spt of ground forces by B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs. B-24's hit Panay beaches preparatory to allied landings on 18th and bomb troops in combat areas on Mindanao. Bacolod A/F is also bombed.
3/17/45 Twentieth AF 70 B-29's hit storage dump at Rangoon. 2 others bomb T/Os Sagyi A/F and warehouses at Bassein.
3/17/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's hit Chichi Jima. During 17/18 Mar, 5 more hit Susaki A/F.
3/17/45 Eleventh AF 2 B-24's fly bombing and photo missions over Matsuwa, concentrating on the A/F, and on returning photograph Shasukotan, Harumukotan, and Onnekotan.
3/18/45 Eighth AF 1,251 HBs attack 2 rail centers and 2 tank and armament plants in Berlin area, along with several T/Os including 2 M/Ys, 3 town areas, and an industrial area near Berlin (secondary tgt). 14 P-51 gps fly 645 effective supporting sorties.
3/18/45 Ninth AF 660-plus MBs and LBs hit M/Ys at Wetalar, Worms, Kreuztal, and Bad Durkheim, comm center at Bad Durkheim, and 4 town areas with aim of hampering enemy movement. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack assigned tgts, fly patrols, and armed rcn, and cooperate with US III Corps of Remagen, with XII Corps as it begins assault toward Mainz-Worms sector of the Rhine, and with XX Corps as it moves rapidly eastward through Sankt Wendel area toward Kaiserslautern.
3/18/45 Twelfth AF During 17/18 Mar A-20's and A-26's continue intruder missions in Po Valley, concentrating on Po R crossings. B-25's bomb railroad bridges at Bozzolo, and Palazzuolo sull' Oglio, railroad fill at Salorno, and causeway at Mantua. Ftrs and FBs hit dumps and spt ground forces S of Bologna, and attack comm tgts over wide areas of Po Valley. The most devastating raid of the day is flown against Novara M/Y where 14 locomotives are destroyed.
3/18/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn and supply missions, a FB attack by P-38's on Varazdin railroad bridge, after which many of the P-38's strafe railroad comm in Zagreb, Varazdin, Maribor, and Villach areas, and a strafing mission against rail comm and A/Fs in Graz, Wiener-Neustadt, Maribor, and Szombathely areas.
3/18/45 Tenth AF 12 P-47's spt Chinese ground forces near Hsipaw. 8 others spt British 36th Div troops by dropping napalm NE of Mogok. 11 B-25's and 20 FBs hit troop concentrations and supplies immediately behind the battlefront. Roads S of bomb line are swept by 16 P-38's. Transports continue steady operations.
3/18/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-24's sweep Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea, claiming 1 freighter damaged. 2 P-51's over N Indochina strafe trucks, troops, and horsecarts.
3/18/45 FEAF In S Luzon HBs, A-20's, and ftrs spt ground forces by hitting Ipo area and various tgts in Batangas Province. B-24's again bomb Bacolod, hit several tgts on Cebu, and bomb Sepinggang and Jesselton A/Fs. A/F at Tainan, seaplane base at Takao, and emergency field at Koshun are also hit.
3/18/45 Twentieth AF During 18/19 Mar, 290 XXI BC B-29's continue fire raids on Japanese cities, bombing Nagoya from 4,500 to 9,000 ft with incendiaries for the second time this month. This mission ends the Mar fire raids. " 3/18/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima dive-bomb radar and radio installations and barges at Chichi Jima. 14 B-24's from Guam pound Susaki A/F. 1 other hits Haha Jima. During 18/19 Mar 5 more HBs individually strike Susaki.
3/18/45 Eleventh AF A weather sortie is flown.
3/19/45 Eighth AF 1,223 HBs attack M/Ys at Fulda and Plauen, industrial areas around military vehicle and optical works at Jena and Zwickau, A/Fs and jet aircraft plants at Neuburg an der Donau, Baumenheim, and Leipheim, and industrial and city areas at Plauen and Saalfeld. P-51's fly 606 effective sorties in spt of HBs. Over 100 ftrs, including 36 jets in formation (largest number yet seen as a unit) are encountered.
US ftrs claim 42 ftrs destroyed (including 3 jets).
3/19/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div strikes 2 M/Ys, 5 rail bridges, comm center and several casual tgts as part of interdiction program to impede enemy movement. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US III Corps W of Remagen, cooperates with XII Corps' 4th Armd Div E of Kaiserslautern as it drives toward the Rhine. FBs of XIX TAC, on special mission, bomb HQ of CinC West (FM von Rundstedt) at Ziegenberg.
3/19/45 Twelfth AF XXII TAC LBs strike heavily against general movement in Po Valley during 18/19 Mar, and are followed during day by ftr and FB attacks on comm in C Po Valley and NE Italy where numerous rail cuts are made, 3 bridges damaged, and several supply dumps hit. MBs damage bridge at Muhldorf, bridges and fills at Perca, and at 7 other locations on the N Italian approaches to Brenner Pass.
3/19/45 Fifteenth AF 800-plus HBs, with ftr escorts, hit M/Ys at Landshut, Passau, Sankt Veit an der Glan, Lambach, Muhldorf, Plattling, Garching an der Alz, Klagenfurt, and Altenmarkt an der Alz. 54 P-51's strafe railroads in the HB tgt areas. 36 P-38's bomb Varazdin M/Y. B-24's drop supplies in Yugoslavia while P- 38's and P-51's fly rcn and escort.
3/19/45 Tenth AF 24 P-38's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div near Hsipaw. 12 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line while 27 P-47's operating over and behind enemy lines hit troop concentrations and supplies at Namlan, Namio, and Nam-maw-long and Japanese-held monastery at Nammaw-long. Transports fly 502 sorties to forward areas.
3/19/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-24's on sweep over S China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin claim a large freighter sunk. 4 P-38's strafe trucks from Son La to Hoa Binh.
3/19/45 FEAF B-24's and FBs again hit installations in N Luzon. B-24's hit variety of tgts on Cebu including town of Minglanilla.
3/19/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe Susaki A/F, radio installation, and storage area on Chichi Jima. 12 Guam-based B-24's follow up with another attack on the A/F and radio installations later in the day. During 19/20 Mar Susaki is hit again by 5 B-24's flying separate snooper strikes.
3/19/45 Eleventh AF 5 B-24's bomb and photograph Kashiwabara naval base. 8 B-25's bomb canneries along the Masugawa and Asahigawa Rivers.
3/20/45 Eighth AF 407 B-17's and B-24's bomb shipyard and dock area at Hamburg and oil refinery at Hemmingstedt.
Ftrs of 8 gps complete 298 effective sorties in spt.
3/20/45 Ninth AF 360-plus A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb Geisecke M/Y, Sythen ammo-filling plant, town of Gronau (including a rail bridge), and several casual tgts in or near 9 other towns. Ftrs escort MBs and LBs, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US III and VII Corps just E of the Rhine R between Bad Honningen and the Sieg R, and XII and XX Corps as they push to the Rhine R at Worms and at a point N of Mannheim.
3/20/45 Twelfth AF XXII TAC LBs during 19/20 Mar continue intruder missions into Po Valley while ftrs and FBs pound comm tgts in the Valley during the day and severely damage fuel dumps near Mantua. MBs hit 4 bridges on Brenner line and 2 others in NE Italy and hit other bridge approaches nearby.
3/20/45 Fifteenth AF 760-plus HBs, with ftr escort, hit Korneuburg and Kagran oil refineries, M/Ys at Wels, Sankt Polten, Amstetten, Wiener-Neustadt, and Klagenfurt, and tank works at Steyr. Routine supply, rcn, and escort missions continue.
3/20/45 Tenth AF 20 P-47's sweep roads S of bomb line in C Burma. 16 others hit supply dumps behind Japanese lines.
Transports continue to supply forward areas.
3/20/45 Fourteenth AF 4 P-38's claim 11 trucks destroyed and 9 damaged between Son La and Hoa Binh.
3/20/45 FEAF B-24's, A-20's, and FBs fly numerous ground spt missions and hit tgts at Balete Pass, Bayombong, Tuguegarao, Antamok, San Fernando, Bontoc and along roads. B-24's pound supply and personnel area E of Cebu City and N of Mambaling, defensive positions NW of Talisay and AA guns to the N, and also bomb Talisay. Other B-24's bomb town of Tainan. B-25's on shipping sweep sink 3 small vessels near Qui Nhon.
3/20/45 Seventh AF 12 Guam-based B-24's bomb Susaki A/F. During 20/21 Mar, 4 other HBs fly single strikes against the A/F.
3/21/45 Eighth AF Preparatory air operations for forthcoming (23 Mar) crossing of lower Rhine R by allied ground forces begin. 1,254 HBs (in conjunction with aircraft of RAF and Ninth AF attacking other tgts) bomb 10 A/Fs in NW Germany, tank factory at Plauen and M/Y at Reichenbach during morning raid. During afternoon 90 B-24's bomb Mulheim an der Ruhr A/F. Ftrs fly nearly 750 effective sorties in spt of the 2 operations.
3/21/45 Ninth AF 580-plus A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's strike 6 comm centers and a M/Y E of the Rhine R (along with several casual tgts) in interdiction campaign to obstruct enemy movement. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn, attack railroads and bridges, spt US VII Corps as its units reach Sieg R near Siegburg, cooperate with XII Corps as more of its elements reach the Rhine at various points between Boppard and Worms, and spt XX Corps as additional units reach the Rhine between Worms and Mannheim.
3/21/45 Twelfth AF LBs continue to attack comm in Po Valley especially Po R crossings during 20/21 Mar. During the day FBs concentrate on railroad tgts (lines, trains, bridges, and viaducts) and dumps in Po Valley and areas N of battleline in N Apennines. MBs bomb railroad fill at Salorno, bridges at Casarsa della Delizia and Pizzighettone, M/Ys at Vipiteno and Brennero, and bridge approaches at Campo.
3/21/45 Fifteenth AF 660-plus B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escorts, bomb Neuburg an der Donau A/F, M/Ys at Villach (2), Klagenfurt, Graz, Bruck and der Mur, and Pragersko, 3 oil refineries and a goods depot at Vienna, and 4 scattered T/Os. Supply and rcn missions with escort are flown.
3/21/45 Tenth AF 30 P-47's spt Chinese ground forces in Hsipaw area. 34 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line. 13 B- 25's and 18 P-47's attack troop concentrations and vehicles at several points behind Japanese lines.
526 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas. In ground action in the area of the British Fourteenth Army's 33 Corps, organized resistance ceases in Mandalay. Allied forces completely take over that city.
3/21/45 Fourteenth AF 4 P-51's damage several locomotives and boxcars at Vinh A/F and along railroad to the N. 6 B-24's claim 1 vessel damaged in S China Sea.
3/21/45 FEAF On Luzon B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs continue large-scale spt missions, hitting a variety of tgts including Japanese defenses at Lipa and Tarlac and town of Naga and Camiling. In C Phils B-24's hit tgts near Cebu City while A-20's pound other towns on Cebu. B-24's bomb Samah A/F. B-25's on shipping sweep attack and set afire a freighter SE of Nanao I.
3/21/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima strafe and bomb barracks and radio and radar installations on Chichi Jima.
13 B-24's, based on Guam, hit Susaki A/F, which is hit again during 21/22 Mar by 5 more, flying separate strikes.
3/21/45 ZI A P-63 from Walla Walla A/F intercepts Japanese balloon near Redmond, and, after chase that includes 2 refueling stops, shoots it down near Reno.
3/22/45 Eighth AF Air attacks in preparation for lower Rhine R crossing by Allied ground forces continue. 1,284 HBs hit 4 A/Fs and 3 M/Ys E of Frankfurt/'Main, 10 military encampments in the Ruhr, and 2 city areas nearby.
9 P-51 gps fly spt and strafe aircraft at several A/Fs.
3/22/45 Ninth AF Nearly 800 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb 9 comm centers and a M/Y E of the Rhine R (plus 7 towns, flak positions, and a T/O) as part of interdiction program to impede movement of supplies and troops. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack railroads and other assigned tgts, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US 1st and 9th Inf Divs SE of Honnef and along the Wied R, cooperate with XII Corp as it begins crossing Rhine in Mainz-Oppenheim areas and with XX Corps which begins attack on Ludwigshafen.
3/22/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and A-26's during 21/22 Mar, continue intruder raids concentrating on Po R crossings in the E Po Valley. During the day P-47's blast rail lines, trains and other comm tgts, especially in E Po Valley and areas to the N. B-25's destroy bridge at Brixlegg, severely damage Steinach bridge, and hit bridge approaches at Muhlberg and town of Matreiam Brenner. Weather prevents successful attacks on 2 tgts in N Italy.
3/22/45 Fifteenth AF 680-plus HBs (with ftr escort) hit Ruhland and Kralupy and Vltava oil refineries (some HBs on Ruhland raid bomb Lauta aluminum works to the N), a railroad comm and ordnance depot, a M/Y, and 2 oil refineries at Vienna, M/Ys at Graz, Wels, Zeltweg, Klagenfurt, and Neratovice, and scattered T/Os.
Rcn and rcn escort missions are also flown.
3/22/45 Tenth AF 16 FBs spt Chinese ground forces near Hsipaw. 12 B-25's and 41 FBs hit numerous tgts along and immediately behind enemy lines. Troops, supplies, and comm are attacked and 2 bridges are knocked out. 547 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/22/45 Fourteenth AF 24 FBs and a single B-25 attack railroad traffic and railroad yards in and around Shihkiachwang, at Chukiatsi, and from Sinsiang to Chenghsien.
3/22/45 FEAF B-24's and A-20's (along with Marine aircraft) hit Cebu City, defenses at several locations on Cebu I, and tgts on Inampulugan I nearby. On Luzon B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs continue to hit numerous objectives, chiefly Balete Pass, Tangadon, San Fernando, and Batangas areas. Other B-24's hit Tainan and Okayama A/Fs, destroying several hangars, planes, and gun positions.
3/22/45 Twentieth AF 76 B-29's, operating in 2 waves, blast storage dumps at Rangoon.
3/22/45 Seventh AF 16 Iwo-based P-51's bomb and strafe weather station, fuel storage, and radar installations on Chichi Jima. Later in the day 13 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F. 20 B-24's from Angaur bomb Cebu I.
During 22/23 Mar, 4 B-24's from Guam make individual raids on Susaki A/F.
3/23/45 Eighth AF Allied ground assault across lower Rhine begins. 1,240 HBs attack 10 assigned M/Ys E of the Rhine (primary tgts) and 4 other M/Ys as secondary tgts and T/Os, along with a power station, aluminum works, and benzol plant. 14 P-51 gps give close and area spt, flying 355 effective sorties.
3/23/45 Ninth AF Around 800 MBs and LBs strike 7 comm centers, a factory, and T/Os (including several flak positions).
Attacks on comm centers are aimed at obstructing movement of reinforcements to the front. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, attack assigned ground tgts, spt US III and VII Corps SE of Honnef and E of Wied R and XII and XX Corps astride and on W bank of the Rhine R between Mainz and Worms.
3/23/45 Twelfth AF LBs attack loading points and crossings along Po R during 22/23 Mar. P-47's concentrate on comm and general movement in lower Brenner area during the day. The FBs also blast several dumps in C Po Valley. B-25's hit bridges, railroad fills, and bridge approaches in Brenner area at Matrei am Brenner, Pordenone, Salorno, San Michele all' Adige, Vo Sinistro, Longarone, and Perca.
3/23/45 Fifteenth AF 658 HBs (with ftr escort) hit oil refineries at Ruhland, and at Vienna, M/Ys at Budejovice, Gmund, Sankt Polten and Sankt Valentin, and tank works at Sankt Valentin, plus scattered T/Os. Over 40 P- 38's and P-51's fly rcn.
3/23/45 Tenth AF 15 P-47's spt Chinese ground forces, bomb troop, positions at Nampongpang and Nakang. 16 P-47's hit T/Os along roads from Mong Nawng to Wan Sing to Kunlong. 11 P-47's hit quarters at Monglawng while 3 others attack supply dumps at Laihka. 9 B-25's bomb comm routes, creating 2 road blocks behind enemy lines. In large-scale air supply operations, 536 sorties are flown.
3/23/45 Fourteenth AF 28 B-24's bomb Tsinan railroad shops and Yellow R bridge. 5 B-25's bomb town areas, storage facilities, and T/Os at Sinsiang and Wuyang and chiefly in the Hsiangcheng area. 50-plus FBs attack troops, horses, and river, road, and railroad tgts in N Indochina and S and E China.
3/23/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs hit the Visayan Is, bombing Cebu City, hitting defenses on Cebu and other islands, and bomb Antamok mines, Balete Pass, and Tangadon areas, along with several other tgts. B-24's also hit tgts on Mindanao. FBs attack Takao.
3/23/45 Seventh AF 15 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe various tgts on Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, and Ani Jima.
During 23/24 Mar 5 Guam-based B-24's, flying single-bmr strikes, pound Susaki A/F.
3/23/45 Eleventh AF An 8-bmr strike is called off due to weather.
3/24/45 Eighth AF In conjunction with allied ground forces assault across the lower Rhine R the Eighth flies bombing, supply, and armed rcn missions. During morning 1,033 HBs strike 14 A/Fs in W Germany. 85 ftr sorties are flown in spt. At midday 235 B-24's drop supplies to allied forces in assault area E of the Rhine. During the afternoon 443 HBs, supported by 113 effective ftr sorties, bomb 5 A/Fs, a M/Y, and a railroad in NW Germany. The ftrs claim 27 kills in aerial combat. All during the day, ftrs fly 1,065 effective sorties in armed rcn patrols attacking numerous ground tgts and claiming 30 ftrs downed.
3/24/45 Ninth AF Almost 700 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's blast comm centers, rail bridges, flak positions, and numerous other tgts in cooperation with combined land-airborne assault across the Rhine R (PLUNDERVARSITY) by the British Second and US Ninth Armies and the US XVIII Corps of the First Allied Airborne Army. Over 2,000 transports and gliders of IX TCC drop and land British 6th Airborne and US 17th Airborne Divs (plus arty, vehicles, ammo, and other supplies) E of the Rhine N and NW of Wesel as British Second and US Ninth Armies cross river to the NW and SE. Ftrs attack with bmrs before the drop and carpet the landing zones with fragmentation bombs, immobilizing numerous flak batteries.
Ftrs escort bmrs and transports, cover assaulting 30th and 79th Inf Divs, attack troop concentrations, flak positions, supply and ammo dumps, A/Fs, defended villages, and road and rail traffic, and patrol the perimeter of the battle sector. Ftrs also spt US First Army elements across the Rhine E of Remagen between Koblenz and the Sieg R as they prepare for breakout assault, and US Third Army's XII Corps as it strengthens its Rhine bridgehead E of Oppenheim and commits its armor to push through toward the Main R.
3/24/45 Twelfth AF Gen Cannon takes cmd of AAFMTO, and shortly afterwards also takes over MAAF. A-20's and A-26's during 23/24 Mar pound M/Ys, river crossings and other bridges, and a variety of other tgts in Po Valley and NE Italy where ftrs and FBs during the day destroy or damage numerous rail lines and train cars. B-25's bomb bridges or bridge approaches at Piacenza, Chiari, Perca, Casarsa della Delizia, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Muhlberg, and Steinach.
3/24/45 Fifteenth AF 660 B-24's and B-17's bomb tank works at Berlin and A/Fs at Munich and Neuburg an der Donau, plus Budejovice M/Y, and alternate tgts and T/Os including A/Fs at Plattling, Erding, and Udine. P-38's and P-51's escort the missions against German tgts and fly rcn.
3/24/45 Tenth AF 31 FBs and 9 B-25's operating over battlefront and behind enemy lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, supply areas, truck park, and general T/Os. 9 other FBs attack T/Os along roads S of bomb line. 504 air supply sorties are flown, landing men and supplies at advanced bases and dropping supplies to frontline forces.
3/24/45 Fourteenth AF 34 B-24's, with escort of 9 ftrs, pound Chenghsien locomotive park and Yellow R bridge. 30-plus B- 25's and over 100 FBs, operating in forces of 1-8 airplanes, attack tanks, trucks, locomotives, troop concentrations, storage areas, airstrips, bridges, gun positions, and general T/Os throughout S and E China.
3/24/45 FEAF B-24's and A-20's pound Cebu City and defenses and installations on Cebu I. B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and P-38's attack Balete Pass, Legaspi, Batangas area, and scattered tgts throughout Luzon. B-24's hit harbor at Takao and power plant and alcohol factory E of Okayama. Twentieth AF" 3/24/45 Seventh AF 9 B-24's from Guam bomb torpedo storage area on Marcus. 24 Angaur-based B-24's bomb defensive positions and town of Naga. 16 Iwo-based P-51's hit air, naval, and radar installations and T/Os on Chichi Jima. During 24/25 Mar, 5 Guam-based B-24's hit A/F and town of Omura.
3/25/45 Eighth AF Nearly 250 B-24's bomb oil storage depots near Brunswick, Hamburg, and Lauenburg. 5 ftr gps provide escort. Over 700 B-17's are recalled because of bad weather. 1 gp of P-51's bomb ammo dump.
3/25/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits 4 comm centers, 3 M/Ys, and T/Os, including flak positions. Ftrs fly escort, armed rcn, and missions against several ground tgts. Ftrs spt US 79th Inf Div as it pushes 2 mi to the E of the Rhine (SE of Wesel), III and VII Corps as they begin breakout assault toward Altenkirchen and in Epgert and Willroth areas, and XII Corps as it establishes bridgeheads on the Main in Hanau and Aschaffenburg areas.
3/25/45 Twelfth AF During 24/25 Mar A-20's and A-26's continue intruder missions, attacking Po R crossings and railroad and motor transport tgts. P-47's, during the day, raid railroad bridges and lines, hitting tgts at Lavis, Casarsa della Delizia, San Michele all'Adige, Pavia, Santa Margherita d'Adige, and other points in Po Valley and NE Italy, and bomb fuel dumps N of battle area. 6 MB missions against bridges and fills in Italy and Austria are ineffective because of bad weather.
3/25/45 Fifteenth AF Over 650 HBs strike 2 A/Fs and a tank works at Prague (patterns of bombs also hit 2 other nearby A/Fs) and an A/F at Cheb. Alternate tgts bombed include Wels and Udine A/F. P-38's and P-47's escort HBs, and sweep and strafe Nurnberg-Eibelstadt-Wurzburg-Regensburg areas, and fly rcn operations.
3/25/45 Tenth AF 26 P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div in Hsipaw area. 44 FBs and 14 B-25's attack troops and supplies and hit T/Os along roads behind battleline in C Burma. 557 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/25/45 Fourteenth AF 20-plus B-25's and 150-plus ftrs, operating individually and in flights of up to 8 aircraft, continue attacks on numerous tgts including river, road, and rail traffic, A/Fs, troop concentrations, storage areas, horses, and gun positions throughout S and E China.
3/25/45 FEAF Cebu City is thoroughly pounded by nearly 70 B-24's. Other B-24's hit Legaspi, and B-25's and FBs fly numerous ground spt missions throughout Luzon, especially between Montalban and Laguna de Bay. B-25's attack Pandanan I.
3/25/45 Seventh AF 16 Iwo-based P-51's bomb and strafe Susaki A/F, and naval and radar installations on Chichi Jima. 16 more follow with attacks on radar station and personnel concentration on the island. 23 B-24's from Angaur bomb defenses on Cebu I. During 25/26 Mar, 5 B-24's from Guam hit Susaki A/F. Marines complete reduction of final resistance pocket on Iwo Jima.
3/26/45 Eighth AF Over 300 B-17's bomb Zeitz synthetic oil plant, Plauen tank factory, and cities of Meiningen, Wurzburg, Oelsnitz, and Markt Erlbach. 12 P-51 gps fly close and area spt.
3/26/45 Ninth AF Around 300 MBs and LBs hit M Ys at Wurzburg, Gemunden, and Flieden, town of Ruckers, and 2 T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly armed rcn, hit special tgts and spt various ground forces along the front. Ftr spt is accorded US 2d, 3d, 7th, and 9th Armd Divs in Hachenburg, Montabaur, and Limburg areas, XII Corps along the Main R from Frankfurt/Main to Aschaffenburg, and Ninth Army elements in bridgehead area around Gahlen.
3/26/45 Twelfth AF Weather grounds MBs and hampers operations in general. During 26/27 Mar 3 LBs hit bridges at Cittadella and Verona. FBs, operating on reduced scale, hit comm tgts in W Po Valley, cutting a road bridge and several railroads, and attacking several T/Os.
3/26/45 Fifteenth AF Over 500 B-17's and B-24's, escorted by P-51's and P-38's attack M/Ys at Wiener-Neustadt, Strasshof, Bruck an der Leitha, Neunkirchen, Bratislava and Szombathely. 46 P-38's dive-bomb bridge at Ybbs while 26 P-51's, covered by 13 others, strafe rail traffic in WienerNeustadt-Vienna-Budejovice areas. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn operations.
3/26/45 Tenth AF 28 P-47's and 10 B-25's operating over and behind C Burma battlelines attack arty positions, troop concentrations, road comm, and supply areas. 522 air supply sorties are being completed throughout the day.
3/26/45 Fourteenth AF 15 B-25's and 80-plus FBs, operating individually or in small flights, continue to disrupt mobility and supply lines throughout S and E China, hitting numerous T/Os chiefly trucks; tanks; supply areas, horses, troops, arty pieces. Several of the FBs also damage considerably Puchou A/F.
3/26/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs bomb Legaspi and tgts in the area including fuel dump at Camalig.
FBs hit numerous tgts in N Luzon at Solvec Cove, Baguio, Mankayan, Sante Fe, and other areas. In SW Luzon A-20's and FBs spt US ground forces, hitting Ternate, and towns in Tayabas and Batangas Provinces. B-24's and A-20's in C Phil hit Cebu City and E coast tgts. B-24's hit Takao.
3/26/45 Seventh AF 21 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe Susaki A/F while 16 bomb and strafe weather and radar stations on Chichi Jima and town of Kitamura. 9 Guam-based B-24's pound Marcus. During 26/27 Mar 3 HBs from Guam on individual snooper strikes hit Chichi Jima. Enemy makes final attack on Iwo Jima in early morning attempt to infiltrate bivouac area. Capture and occupation phase of Iwo ends at 0800 when Gen Chaney becomes Island Cmdr.
3/26/45 Eleventh AF 2 missions, each by 4 B-25's, attempt to bomb canneries on the Masugawa and the Hayakegawa rivers. Ftrs drive off Masugawa mission. Other mision cannot find tgt due to weather. 4 B-24's bomb Kataoka naval base.
3/27/45 Eighth AF 3 ftr gps escort RAF bmrs attacking Paderborn.
3/27/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels 9th Bomb Div operations. IX TAC ftrs patrol US First Army front. XIX TAC hits M/Ys, patrols Third Army front, flies area cover from Koblenz to Aschaffenburg to Worms, and supports VIII and XII Corps along Rhine R in Wiesbaden area and Main R in Frankfurt/Main-A schaffenburg area.
3/27/45 Twelfth AF Weather cancels all combat operations.
3/27/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to 3 P-38 rcn flights.
3/27/45 Tenth AF 80-plus FBs over battle areas and behind enemy lines in C Burma pound troops and supplies at several locations including Mong Kung, Man Namkat, Nam-yang, Tonglau, Ho-na, Hkai-wun, Longwai, Monglawng, Laihka, and Namlan areas. Transports are exceptionally active, flying 635 sorties to forward areas.
3/27/45 Fourteenth AF 25 B-25's hit towns, rail, road, and river traffic, and T/Os around Kweilin, Liuchow, Hengyang, Hochih, Nanyang, Kaifeng, Anlu, Ishan, Kiyang, and Siang Chiang Valley. 44 FBs hit trucks, trains, sampans, power facilities, and other tgts around Hongay, Nanyo, Son Tay, Na Cham, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Moc Chau, Muong Hang, and Bac Quang. 28 FBs knock out bridge NE of Liuchow, hit town of Szeenhsien, and attack ammo dumps and road and river traffic around Hochih, Ishan, Liuchow, Pingnam, Liangfeng, and Kweilin.
3/27/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs bomb Legaspi, Balete area, IpoSiniloan sector, Batangas area, and several other locations throughout Luzon. Ftrs spt US amphibious landings on Caballo I. In C Phil area B-24's bomb Negros A/Fs while B-25's and P-38's hit Cebu City area. Other B-25's bomb Kinsui, and B-24's lightly attack Sandakan.
3/27/45 Twentieth AF 150-plus Marianas based B-29's flying the first of many raids in spt of impending Okinawa invasion, hit Tachiarai and Oita A/Fs and Omura aircraft factory. 97 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait during 27/28 Mar. This is first of many mining operations by B-29's in Japanese waters.
3/27/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb ammo stores and town of Kitamura. During 27/28 Mar 5 B-24's, flying individual strikes from Guam, hit Susaki A/F.
3/28/45 Eighth AF Nearly 900 HBs attack tank factory and armament plant in Berlin, tank plant, M/Y, and city area at Hannover, and numerous other tgts including Stendal and Minden. 8 P-51's gps fly spt.
3/28/45 Ninth AF 215 MBs and LBs hit Neuenheerse and Erbach oil storage depots and 11 T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly armed rcn and area cover over wide expanse of German territory, and spt US XII Corps in breakout attacks across the Main R in Dornigheim area and 2d and 8th Armd Divs in Dorsten area.
3/28/45 Twelfth AF Bad weather grounds MBs and LBs. Ftrs and FBs are limited to weather rcn and some armed rcn in Milan area where they harass comm.
3/28/45 Fifteenth AF Unfavorable weather restricts operations to rcn flights by 5 P-38's.
3/28/45 Tenth AF 30-plus FBs operating over and behind battlelines in C Burma attack troop concentrations, supply areas, elephant transport, and general T/Os at or near Wan Hong, Ho-na, Kyu-sawk, Nawnghkio, and Na-ti. 642 air supply sorties are flown to advanced bases and over frontlines, where supplies are dropped, throughout the day.
3/28/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-24's bomb Haiphong and Hanoi docks and Bakli Bay barracks. 9 B-25's and 8 P-40's hit rivercraft and other tgts from Yanglowtung to Sienning. 9 other B-25's hit junks, storage, and T/Os in Lushan area and 7 bomb Chingmen. 14 B-25's, operating in gps of 1 to 4 aircraft, hit rivercraft and scattered T/Os at several other points in S and E China. 120-plus FBs over Indochina and S and E China continue to pound numerous T/Os, mainly river, road, and rail traffic and troop concentrations. River craft and A/Fs in areas around Kai Tek, Canton, Hankow, and Wuchang are severely hit.
3/28/45 FEAF B-24's and FBs hit Balete Pass tracts and ridges, installations at Santa Fe, and ground spt tgts N of Laguna de Bay and in Cavite and Batangas Provinces. B-25's and A-20's attack troop concentrations at Baguio and Ilagan. FEAF bmrs hit Cebu City area and pound A/Fs on Negros. B-24's bomb Likanan A/F. Other B-24's hit Takao and Tainan while B-25's hit shore tgts along Indochina coast.
3/28/45 Twentieth AF During 28/29 Mar, 10 B-29's mine mouth of the Hwangpoo R and S channel of the Yangtze R at Shanghai. About 50 other VHBs fly missions mining waters at Saigon, Camranh Bay, and in Singapore area.
3/28/45 Seventh AF 15 P-51's from Iwo Jima hit Chichi Jima A/Fs and defenses. 10 Guam-based B-24's bomb Truk and, flying separate snooper strikes, 5 hit Susaki A/F during 28/29 Mar.
3/29/45 Ninth AF All combat operations canceled because of weather except for 2 ftrs of IX TAC which patrol US Third Army front.
3/29/45 Twelfth AF Clear weather during 28/29 Mar permits LBs to hit rail loading points, trains, vehicles, roads, and bridges at many places in Po Valley as well as river crossings at Borgoforte, Lodi, San Benedetto Po, Ostiglia, and Casalmaggiore, factory at Brescia, and motor transport movement in Milan-Piacenza area. Bad morning weather cancels MB operations except for a pamphlet mission over Bologna.
When weather clears about noon, XXII TAC FBs hit dumps at La Spezia and other points near battle area, Lavis viaduct, railroad bridges or approaches at Ora, Santa Margherita d' Adige, Nervesa della Battaglia, Rovereto, Ala, and other locations, and many vehicles and train cars and other T/Os throughout Po Valley and NE Italy.
3/29/45 Fifteenth AF Continued bad weather limits operations to rcn and rcn escort missions by 23 P-38's.
3/29/45 Tenth AF Bad weather curtails operations in C Burma. 6 B-25's hit troop concentrations and 8 others attack unsuccessfully 2 bridges immediately behind enemy lines. Transports complete 560 sorties to forward areas.
3/29/45 Fourteenth AF 18 B-25's, escorted by 12 P-40's, bomb railroad yards at Yoyang. 11 B-24's attack shipping in S China Sea, at Bakli Bay, at Samah Bay, and at Haiphong, heavily damaging a destroyer and a merchant vessel. 4 B-25's claim 6 small steamers sunk and several vessels damaged in Liuchow area while 2 others hit town area and railroad tgts in Dong Giao area. Single B-25's hit T/Os at or near Loyang, Loning, Neihsiang, Yiyang, and Hsuchang. 90-plus FBs over S and E China and over Indochina attack troops, supplies, transport, and comm tgts at several places, concentrating strikes around Hengyang, Chuchou, Isuho, Nanking, and Namyung, and among many tgts hit A/Fs at Amoy and Kai Tek.
3/29/45 FEAF B-24's and B-25's attack Toshien, Byoritsu, and Eiko. B-24's bomb Camalaniugan, B-24's and P-51's hit Legaspi and surrounding area, and A-20's and numerous ftrs hit various tgts in SW Luzon. Cebu is bombed by B-25's in spt of ground forces while A-20's spt troops landing on Negros. B-24's bomb Oelin A/F.
3/29/45 Twentieth AF 24 B-29's fly last mission under XX BC, attacking oil storage facilities on Bukum I during 29/30 Mar. 2 other VHBs bomb individual tgts on Malay Peninsula.
3/29/45 Seventh AF 31 Iwo-based P-41's bomb and strafe Haha Jima. 9 B-24's from Guam bomb Dublon.
3/29/45 Eleventh AF 6 B-24's bomb Kataoka naval base. 8 B-25's weather-abort a mission to Tomari Cape. 1 B-24 flies radar-ferret mission along Paramushiru coast.
3/30/45 Eighth AF 1,250-plus HBs attack U-boat yards and port areas at Hamburg, Bremen, and Wilhelm shaven, and oil storage and city area at Hamburg and Bremen. 16 ftr gps provide close and area spt.
3/30/45 Ninth AF 337 MBs and LBs attack Bad Oeynhausen tank factory, Munden ordnance depot, Ebenhausen oil depot, 2 town areas and 6 T/Os, and drop leaflets. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt ground forces Ftr spt is provided for US 3d and 7th Armd Divs near Paderborn and at Edersee dam on Eder R, XII Corps N of Frankfurt/Main, XX Corps in Hersfeld and Hanau areas, and XVI Corps in Marl-Polsum area.
3/30/45 Twelfth AF During 29/30 Mar LBs continue to pound Po R crossings, loading points, and other comm in Po Valley.
During the day XXII TAC ftrs and FBs fly some 400 sorties against fuel and ammo dumps, stores, bridges, rail lines, M/Ys, buildings, motor vehicles, trains, and a variety of tgts over wide areas of N Italy. Weather forces MBs to attack mainly alternate tgts. The B-25's bomb railroad bridges (or bridge approaches) at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Rovereto, Chiari, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Legnago, Ora, and Romano di Lombardia.
3/30/45 Fifteenth AF 60-plus B-17's and B-24's bomb Vienna N stations and goods depot, Graz and Klagenfurt/Kapfenberg tank works, and several minor T/Os. 28 P-38's and P-51's sweep Zagreb-Graz area. Others fly rcn.
3/30/45 Tenth AF In C Burma battle area 41 P-38's and P-47's hit enemy troops and supplies at Loiwing, Pawngleng, and Nawnghkio. 7 B-25's hit personnel, supply area, and trucks behind enemy lines in and near Laihka and at Kongleng. 7 other B-25's attack road bridges, knocking out bridge at Loi Putau.
Transports complete 612 sorties to forward areas.
3/30/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's, supported by 24 P-40's, knock out bridge at Chungmow. 10 B-25's bomb Hsuchang, 9 bomb Changanyi, and 9 pound Yanglowtung railroad yards. 15 P-40's fly escort. 5 B-24's bomb Samah Bay area. 2 B-25's bomb Hankow A/F, 2 bomb Neihsiang, and single B-25's attack tgts around Fangcheng, Nanyang, and Anlu. 100-plus FBs over S and E China hit troops, railroad tgts, trucks, tanks, supplies, and rivercraft especially around Hankow, Wuchang, Kanchou, and Hangchow. A/F area at Kanchou and A/F and railroad yards at Hangchow are hit particularly hard.
3/30/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Balete Pass and Solvec Cove areas. P-38's hit arty positions in Santa Fe area. B-24's and A-20's hit Legaspi Port and nearby Little Batsan. A-20's and FBs continue ground spt missions in Laguna de Bay area and W of Ft Stotsenburg. B-24's and A-20's spt ground forces on Cebu. B-24's, B-25's, and P-38's hit Bongao I, Sanga Sanga, and Kuching area.
3/30/45 Twentieth AF 12 B-29's attack Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya shortly past midnight during 30/31 Mar while 80-plus B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait.
3/30/45 Seventh AF 10 Guam-based B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus. During the night 5 others individually strike Chichi Jima A/F.
3/30/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's cancel shipping strike because of weather.
3/31/45 Eighth AF Nearly 1,300 HBs bomb Zeitz synthetic oil refinery, Halle M/Y, oil depot near Erfurt, cities of Gotha and Brandenburg, and 11 T/Os. 15 ftr gps provide spt.
3/31/45 Ninth AF 650-plus MBs and LBs hit storage depots at Ebrach, Wurzburg, and Marienburg, M/Y at Wurzburg, town area of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and a T/O. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, hit special tgts, fly armed rcn, and spt US 3d and 9th Armd Divs near Paderborn, XII Corps as it charges toward Eisenach, XX Corps along Fulda and Eder Rivers, and XVI and XIX Corps S of Haltern and NW of Lippstadt.
3/31/45 Twelfth AF MBs bomb several tgts (mostly alternates) in Po Valley and Brenner area despite bad weather. B-25's hit bridges or bridge approaches at San Michele all'Adige, Steinach, Crema, Canneto sull'Oglio, Legnago, and Manerbio, and rail embankment at Salorno. XXII TAC A-20's and other aircraft hit Po R crossings during 30/31 Mar at Casalmaggiore, Ostiglia, Borgoforte, and San Benedetto Po, rail facilities at Piacenza and Cittadella, plus nearby ammo dumps and other tgts. FBs continue to pound comm and dumps at Lavis, Casarsa della Delizia, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Legnago, and several other points in Po Valley and NE Italy.
3/31/45 Fifteenth AF 540 B-24's and B-17's bomb Linz main railroad station and sidings, M/Ys at Villach and Treviso, and 3 minor T/Os. P-51's and P-38's provide escort. 37 other ftrs on sweeps and strafings attack railroad tgts in Munich-Linz-Regensburg area and 43 hit similar tgts in Prague area. Still other P-38's and P- 51's fly extensively rcn and rcn escort.
3/31/45 Tenth AF 12 B-25's hit troop dispersal areas behind enemy lines in C Burma and hit 1 road bridge. 8 P-38's attack supply dump at Namsang A/F.
3/31/45 Fourteenth AF 30 B-24's, with escort of 9 P-51's, blast railroad yards at Shihkiachwang. 12 B-25's bomb railroad yards at Sinyang while 4 hit Yanglowtung yards. 6 B-25's damage bridge and hit gun position at Sienning while 6 more knock out bridge near Ninh Binh and hit storage area at Samah Bay. 26 P-51's attack Ningpo A/F, destroying or damaging several airplanes. 6 of the P-51's are lost. About 125 other FBs and several B-25's (operating individually) attack numerous tgts in Indochina and S and E China including bridges, troops, supplies, and rail, road, and river traffic.
3/31/45 FEAF A-20's attack army camp at Saiatan while P-51's sweep from Babuyan Channel to SW Formosa. Ftrs attack tgts in Cagayan Valley and N of Laguna de Bay, blasting bridges and gun positions over wide stretches of Luzon. B-25's, A-20's; and FBs hit Cebu tgts, several of the strikes being flown in spt of ground forces. B-24's again bomb Bongao I and hit Oelin. Ftrs harass N Borneo A/Fs. B-24's bomb harbors and shipping at Kiirun, Formosa and Yulin.
3/31/45 Twentieth AF 137 B-29's strike Tachiarai machine works and Omura A/F. This is diversionary strike preceding invasion of Okinawa which begins at 0830 on 1 Apr.
3/31/45 Seventh AF 15 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe vessels, air installations, and T/Os on Chichi Jima. 16 more follow with attacks on vessels and harbor area. During the night 5 B-24's from Guam, flying individual harassment strikes, hit Susaki A/F.
4/1/45 Ninth AF No bmr operations due to weather. Ftrs fly patrols, armed rcn, and spt US 3d and 9th Armd Divs in Paderborn-Lippstadt and Warburg areas, XX Corps astride and E of the Fulda R, and XII Corps which reaches the Werra R W of Meiningen.
4/1/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and A-26's on intruder missions during 31 Mar/1 Apr over Po Valley continue to attack road and railroad bridges, motor transport, loading points, and other tgts. Principal strikes are made at Po R bridges. Ftrs and FBs during the day strike rail bridges, dumps, rail lines, M/Ys, trains, vehicles, gun positions, several buildings (including ammo plant and truck factory), and a variety of T/Os in Po Valley and NE Italy. MBs hit railroad bridges at Calcinato, Crema, Mantua, Monselice, Colle Isarco, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and Perca.
4/1/45 Fifteenth AF Almost 400 B-24's and B-17's bomb Maribor railroad bridge, M/Ys at Sankt Polten, Selzthal, Zeltueg, Graz, and Villach, railroad bridge at Krieglach, and gun positions on Adriatic coast near Venice. 82 P- 38's bomb Ybbs railroad bridge while 52 P-51's strafe rail traffic in Prague-Plzen area. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort.
4/1/45 Tenth AF 10 B-25's attack roads and bridges behind enemy lines in C Burma. 478 transport flights are made throughout the day. British 36th Div forces begin to push down railroad from Mandalay to Rangoon.
4/1/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-24's bomb Ft Bayard storage area. 6 B-25's and 6 P-51's attack river shipping and warehouses in Sienning-Puchi area. 4 B-25's attack railroad tgts at Ninh Binh and Minh Koi. 5 B-25's hit warehouses and other buildings at Hsuchang while 3 damage bridge at Changtuikuan. Single B-25's bomb T/Os around Sanshihlitun, Sichuan, Loning, and Suicheng. 23 P-51's pound A/Fs in Shanghai area. 70-plus other FBs attack river, road, and rail traffic, storage areas, troops, and general T/Os throughout wide areas of occupied S and E China.
4/1/45 FEAF B-24's attack Giran A/F while B-25's and P-47's sweep wide areas. On Luzon B-24's, A-20's, and FBs hit Legaspi area (where US amphibious landing is taking place), tgts N of Balete Pass, Batangas area, and spt troops over parts of S and NW Luzon. In C Phil B-25's and A-20's spt ground forces near Cebu City and on Negros. B-24's hit Oelin A/F.
4/2/45 Eighth AF Over 700 HBs dispatched against 6 A/Fs in Denmark, along with 12 ftr gps, abandon mission because of bad weather in tgt area.
4/2/45 Ninth AF Weather prevents operations by 9th Bomb Div and XXIX TAC. IX and XIX TACs fly patrols and armed rcn over wide expanses of Germany claiming 17 airplanes downed and IX TAC supports US 9th Armd Div at Diemel R bridgehead near Warburg.
4/2/45 Twelfth AF Gen Chidlaw takes cmd of Twelfth AF (in Italy) and will shortly take over MATAF also. A-20's and A- 26's continue intruder missions during 1/2 Apr concentrating on Po R crossings and other Po Valley comm tgts. B-25's bomb railroad bridges at Fornovo di Taro, Drauburg, San Michele all' Adige, Matrei am Brenner, Steinach, and Colle Isarco, and railroad fill at Vo Sinistro. Ftrs and FBs again hit comm in Po Valley but divert sizable escort to attacks on methane plants in C Po area. The P-47's are attacked by about 40 ftrs during the day, 13 are claimed destroyed.
4/2/45 Fifteenth AF Almost 600 B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escorts, bomb comm tgts in Austria including M/Ys at Graz, Sankt Polten, and Krems, and railroad bridge on Sulm R. 38 P-38's dive-bomb railroad bridge at Wildon. 71 P-38's and 55 P-51's strafe Vienna-Munich and Wiener-Neustadt-Maribor rail traffic. Others carry out photo and weather rcn and rcn escort flights.
4/2/45 Tenth AF Bad weather cancels all offensive missions. Air supply missions continue with 469 sorties being flown to forward areas.
4/2/45 Fourteenth AF 28 B-25's knock out bridge SE of That Khe, bomb town area of Vinh, damage bridge approaches at Kep, hit shipping and other T/Os along coast of Gulf of Tonkin, and blast town area of Luc Nam. 25 B- 25's attack trucks, tanks, rivercraft, and T/Os at Sichuan, Neihsiang, Sinyang, Mingkiang, Siangtan, Kweiping, Nanning, and Hengshan. 4 B-24's bomb Kowloon Docks and hit shipping at Bakli Bay and Samah Bay. 32 P-51's pound A/Fs in Shanghai area. 140-plus other FBs attack numerous tgts scattered throughout S and E China, including troops, trucks, horses, river shipping, bridges, gun positions, A/Fs, rail traffic, and town areas.
4/2/45 FEAF B-24's bomb harbor at Hong Kong. B-25's and FBs attack Bamban bridges, Balete PassBaguio area and Penablanca. Troops at Cebu City and on Negros are bombed by B-25's and FBs. B-24's bomb Sarangani Bay area. Other B-24's hit Sandakan shipyards and Tawau A/F. Bongao I is hit by HBs.
4/2/45 Twentieth AF During the first 4 hrs after midnight (1/2 Apr), 6 B-29's mine harbor at Kure while more than 100 bomb Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo. 9 B-29's mine waters off Hiroshima during 2/3 Apr.
4/2/45 Seventh AF 12 Guam-based B-24's bomb Marcus.
4/2/45 Eleventh AF A B-24 on weather rcn returns early due to mechanical trouble. Another B-24 investigates radar jamming on Kresta Point.
4/3/45 Eighth AF Over 700 HBs attack U-boat yards at Kiel (2 HBs bomb Flensburg A/F as a T/O). 12 ftr gps fly close and area spt.
4/3/45 Ninth AF Operational HQ of XXIX TAC moves to Haltern. About 230 MBs and LBs attack Holzminden and Hameln M/Ys, town of Gottingen, 2 T/Os, and fly leaflet mission. Ftrs fly escort, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US 9th Armd Div in Warburg area, XX Corps E of Werra R toward Muhlhausen and in Kassel area, XII Corps in Gotha and Suhl areas, and 2d and 8th Armd Divs in Teutoburger Forest and Neuhaus.
4/3/45 Twelfth AF During 2/3 Apr LBs bomb M/Y at Mantua, several Po R crossings and other comm tgts in Po Valley.
Weather hampers operations during the day. MBs cancel most missions, but manage to bomb Po Valley bridges at Camposanto, Usigliano, and Modena. XXII TAC (including Brazilian and SAAF units) blast comm, fuel dumps, methane plants, trains motor transport at numerous points in N Italy (mainly Po Valley), including Parma, Modena, Fidenza, Lodi, Bergamo, Reggio Emilia, and Piacenza.
4/3/45 Fifteenth AF 95 P-38's divebomb Tainach-Stein railroad bridge. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and escort missions.
Bad weather prevents HB operations.
4/3/45 Tenth AF Bad weather again causes cancellation of most scheduled strikes. A few FBs hit Japanese-held wooded area near Kenglong. Transports complete 383 sorties to forward areas.
4/3/45 Fourteenth AF 17 B-25's bomb Pinglo, Ninh Binh railroad yards, knock out bridge at Thinh Duc, and damage bridges at Gian Khau and Mon Cay. 60-plus FBs knock out bridges at Hsitu and between Chuting and Hengyang, destroy pontoon bridges in Kanchou area, hit Yangtong A/F, pound Hai Duong railroad yards, and hit river traffic and other T/Os at several locations including Hongay, Cao Bang, Tayu, Hankow, Kanchou, Yoyang, and Ishan-Hwaiyuanchen areas.
4/3/45 FEAF Hong Kong docks are again bombed by B-24's. Other B-24's and B-25's hit A/F, butanol plant, and railroad yards at Kagi while A-20's sweep other rail tgts. On Luzon FBs and A-20's hit Balete Pass- Baguio-Naguilian area N Cagayan Valley supply tgts, Laguna de Bay area, and Infanta, also, Miri A/F, troops in Cebu City area, and tgts on Tarakan I are bombed. MBs attack N Hainan I.
4/3/45 Twentieth AF During 3/4 Apr, 9 B-29's mine waters off Hiroshima. Twice during early morning, 48 B-29's hit aircraft plant at Shizuoka, 68 attack Koizumi aircraft factory and urban areas in Tokyo, and 100-plus strike aircraft plant at Tachikawa and urban area of Kawasaki.
4/4/45 JCS JCS designates Gen MacArthur CINCUSAFPAC and Adm Nimitz CINTCPOA.
4/4/45 Eighth AF 939 HBs, supported by 826 effective ftr sorties, bomb 5 A/Fs and 2 landing grounds in N Germany, submarine yards at Hamburg and Kiel, and munitions plant near Ulzen.
4/4/45 Ninth AF XXIX TAC returns to operational control of Ninth AF (from Second Tac AF) as US Ninth Army reverts to control of 12th Army Gp (from 21st Army Gp). The British ground and air HQ have operationally controlled XXIX TAC and Ninth Army since shortly after the Ardennes breakthrough and the Battle of the Bulge. 330-plus MBs and LBs hit Ebrach oil depot, Crailsheim M/Y and barracks area, Grossaspach supply depot, town of Ellswangen, Backnang rail and road junction, and 2 T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, attack special tgts, and spt US 104th Inf Div at Scherfede and Hardehausen, 9th Armd Div in Warburg area, XX Corps in Muhlhausen-Kassel areas, 2d and 5th Armd Divs in Hameln and Minden areas on the Weser R, and 8th Armd Div as it assaults Ruhr pocket in Lippstadt area.
4/4/45 Twelfth AF B-25's continue to blast comm along Brenner rail line, ranging from railroad bridge at Drauburg to Camposanto railroad bridge. The MBs also inflict considerable damage on Merano methanol plant. P- 47's concentrate on enemy movement, rail lines, and ammo and fuel dumps throughout Po Valley.
4/4/45 Fifteenth AF Again bad weather prevents HB operations and limits effort to rcn and escort missions and to strafing attacks by 94 P-51's on rail traffic in Munich, Regensburg, Plzen, Linz, and Gmunden areas.
4/4/45 Tenth AF 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.
4/4/45 Fourteenth AF 2 B-25's sink a junk in Gulf of Tonkin. 6 P-38's strafe trucks around Dien Bien Phu, Moc Chau, and Son La.
4/4/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Toyohara A/F, Mako harbor, and Tokichito I. A-20's hit Shinchiku factories and rail yards.
B-24's bomb harbor at Hong Kong. P-38's and P-51's pound various tgts in C Luzon while A-20's and P-38's hit Calauag area. A-20's pound NW Negros and B-24's bomb tgts in C Mindanao.
4/4/45 Seventh AF 24 B-24's from Angaur hit building at Bunawan.
4/5/45 International USSR notifies Japan that it wishes to abrogate 5-year Russo-Japanese neutrality pact signed in 1941.
4/5/45 Eighth AF Over 1,000 HBs attack 5 M/Ys, 4 ordnance depots, an armament works, an A/F, an aircraft parts factory, and 2 town areas in SC Germany. 12 ftr gps spt the HBs.
4/5/45 Ninth AF Weather prevents operations by 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, and spt US 7th Armd Div's attack on Ruhr pocket SW of Brilon, XX Corps' drive E in Muhlhausen area, XII Corps' adv in Meiningen area, 2d Armd Div bridgehead astride the Weser R S of Hameln, 8th Armd Div (preparing for assault on Soest), and 5th Armd Div near Minden.
4/5/45 Twelfth AF B-25's bomb 5 bridges in N Italy and Austria, at Steinach, Matrei am Brenner, Modena, Salorno, and San Michele all'Adige, and blast gun positions at La Spezia. These attacks follow night raids by A-20's and A-26's on bridges at Lavis, Ala, San Michele all'Adige, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Piazzola sul Brenta, Cittadella, and Montebello, and other tgts. Ftrs and FBs devote their largest effort to close spt of ground forces, blasting occupied areas and gun positions in Massa Lombarda area, and also attack comm and dumps in Po Valley.
4/5/45 Fifteenth AF 457 B-24's and B-17's attack railroad bridge at Dravograd, M/Ys and locomotive depots at Brescia, Alessandria, and Turin, and A/F at Udine. 96 P-38's dive-bomb Radovljica railroad bridge, 27 P-51's with 13 flying top cover, strafe rail comm in Munich, Regensburg, Passau, and Linz areas. 20-plus P- 38's fly rcn missions. Around 300 ftr sorties are flown to escort transport, rcn, and HB missions (including RAF raid on Monfalcone shipyards).
4/5/45 Tenth AF Bad weather cancels scheduled strikes. Transports continue large-scale operations to forward areas.
4/5/45 Fourteenth AF 27 FBs on armed rcn attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at Shanhsien, Shihkiachwang, and Son La, and in Tehsien and Loyang-Pinglo area.
4/5/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Kowloon Docks and nearby A/F, while other B-24's bomb Kiirun harbor. 180-plus sorties in spt of ground forces are flown in Luzon. A-20's and patrolling P-61's spt troops on Cebu and Negros. P-38's hit Tarakan I and Tawau.
4/5/45 Seventh AF 18 B-24's from Guam hit tgts on Eten anl Dublon Is. 22 from Angaur pound bivouac area at Bunawan.
4/6/45 Eighth AF 641 HBs bomb M/Y at Halle, rail traffic center at Leipzig, M/Y and industrial complex at Gera, and city area of Eisleben. 15 ftr gps fly around 600 effective sorties in spt of the HBs.
4/6/45 Ninth AF 99 MBs and LBs hit M/Ys at Gottingen and Northeim and city area of Herzberg, and drop leaflets over 3 city areas. Ftrs fly escort, alerts, sweeps, and armed rcn, and spt US VIII Corps in Eisenach area, and XX Corps E of the Werra near Muhlhausen.
4/6/45 Twelfth AF Gen Darcy takes cmd of XXII TAC. A-20's and A-26's on night intruder missions, 5/6 Apr, bomb several bridges in Po R Valley, scoring good results on 8 of the tgts, also hitting assembly area along the Po R. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs hit lines of comm, mainly in Po Valley, and spt US Fifth Army forces attacking toward Massa Lombarda. B-25's cancel missions against tgts on Brenner line due to weather, but hit 6 bridges in C Po Valley and gun positions at La Spezia.
4/6/45 Fifteenth AF 387 HBs, with ftr escort, bomb M/Y flak positions and ordnance depot at Verona and M/Y and small arms plant at Brescia. 179 other HBs sent against tgts in N Italy are recalled. 81 P-38's dispatched to bomb bridge in Austria abort due to weather. 14 manage to attack bridges near Austro-Italian border. 6 P-51's (of 54 airborne) strafe railroad tgts in Straubing/Plattling area. Others fly rcn missions.
4/6/45 Tenth AF With improving weather conditions combat strikes in C Burma battle area increase. 70-plus FBs attack troop concentrations, arty positions, tanks, trucks, fuel dumps, and general T/Os along and immediately behind enemy lines. Tgts are located in several areas including Paklu, Nawnghkio, Loilem, Takaw, Mong Hko, Kongleng, NawngHsan Pu, and Indaw. Air supply sorties continue on steady basis throughout the day.
4/6/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-24's hit T/Os in Bakli Bay area. 4 P-38's knock out bridge in Dien Bien Phu area. 8 P-51's blast railroad T/Os, troops, horses, and boat landings in Chengheien area and along Lung Hai railroad and Yellow R.
4/6/45 FEAF B-25's bomb town of Hokko. Ground spt sorties continue in areas around Balete Pass, W of Ft Stotsenburg, N, NE, and S of Laguna de Bay, and around Legaspi. Ftrs also hit Carabao I and Infanta.
B-24's bomb town N of Cebu City while ftrs spt ground units on Cebu. A-20's spt ground forces on Negros. B-25's pound Bunawan. B-24's bomb Jolo I defenses and ammo and supply dumps. At Manila AFPAC is established under Gen MacArthur. 400 Kamikaze planes make all-out effort against Okinawa shipping and beachheads. 2 destroyers, 2 ammo ships, a mine sweeper and an LST is sunk.
Other vessels are damaged. Nearly 300 Japanese planes are expended.
4/6/45 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Guam pound positions and A/F on Marcus. 23 from Angaur bomb barracks and wharf at Bunawan.
4/6/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-24's attack and photograph Kurabu, especially the A/F, while 8 B-25's hit radar installations in an all-out attack on Hayakegawa, Kotani Shima, 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 rcn.
4/7/45 Eighth AF Over 1,200 HBs hit 6 A/Fs, 5 M/Ys, 2 explosives plants, 2 oil storage depots, and an ordnance depot in C and N Germany. 15 ftr gps, providing spt, meet well over 100 conventional ftrs and 50-plus jets.
The German ftrs attack fiercely and in the ensuing air battle down 15 HBs. US ftrs claim over 60 ftrs destroyed including a few jets against negligible losses. HBs claim 40 of the ftrs destroyed.
4/7/45 Ninth AF 268 MBs and LBs strike M/Ys at Northeim and Gottingen, plus 2 town areas. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, and armed rcn, and spt US 7th Armd Div at Schmallenberg, 3d and 9th Armd Divs along the Weser R E of Warburg, VIII, XII, and XX Corps in Muhlhausen, Eisenach, and Meiningen areas (including strong air spt against counterattack on XII and XX Corps at Struth), 2d Armd Div along Sarstedt/Hildesheim road, and XVI Corps between Lippe and Ruhr Rivers in Essen area.
4/7/45 Twelfth AF During 6/7 Apr A-20's and A-26's bomb bridges at Lavis, Ala, Rovereto, and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and several Po R crossings. During the day weather grounds MBs. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs, operating on limited scale, hit Montechino oilfield, ammo dumps and comm tgts N of battle area, and gun positions in Monte Belvedere/Strettoia area in which US Fifth Army forces push N.
4/7/45 Fifteenth AF 128 B-17's and B-24's attack Mezzocorona railroad bridge and nearby road bridge, Verona-Parona di Valpolicella railroad bridge, and M/Ys at Innsbruck, Sankt Veit an der Glan, and Klagenfurt. Over 500 HBs return to base without bombing because of multilayer clouds. 82 P-38's bomb TainachStein railroad bridge. 74 others sent against bridge in S Austria abort due to weather.
4/7/45 Tenth AF 95 FBs operating over and behind Japanese lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, trucks, and supply areas, and sweep roads S of bomb line.
4/7/45 Fourteenth AF 14 B-25's hit town areas and T/Os at Sichuan, Hsihhsiassuchi, Neihsiang, Shaoyang, and Nanchang.
4 B-24's bomb harbors and dock areas at Bakli and Samah Bays and at Haiphong. 8 P-38's hit T/Os around Dien Bien Phu and along Nam Hon area. 24 P-51's attack river, road and rail traffic in Yellow R area, S of Anyi, at Yuncheng, and at Tengfeng.
4/7/45 FEAF Bad weather hampers strikes N of the Phils. B-24's and P-38's over Formosa hit various T/Os. Ftrs fly 130-plus sorties in spt of ground forces at Solvec Cove, Villa Verde Trail, Ipo and Marikina Rivers, and NE Laguna de Bay. B-24's again bomb Bunawan. Other B-24's and P-38's hit Jolo I. B-24's bomb Bima A/F.
4/7/45 Twentieth AF 101 B-29's bomb Nakajima aircraft engine plant at Tokyo while 150-plus hit Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya. Nearly 30 others hit last resort tgts. 91 P-51's of VII FC escort the VHBs to Japan for the first time and claim 21 kills.
4/7/45 Seventh AF 24 B-24's from Angaur bomb barracks area at Bunawan.
4/7/45 Eleventh AF A B-24 flies a radar ferret mission along the coasts of Paramushiru and Harumukotan.
4/8/45 Eighth AF More than 1,150 HBs strike 3 A/Fs, 4 M/Ys, an oil storage depot, 2 ordnance depots, a railroad yard workshop, and an aircraft parts and repair factory, in areas N and NW of Leipzig, SE of and near Nurnberg, and SW of Chemnitz. 14 ftr gps fly escort.
4/8/45 Ninth AF HQ IX TAC moves from Brnhl to Marburg/Lahn. Around 620 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb Munchenbernsdorf oil storage depot, Sonderhausen comm center, Nienhagen oil refinery, Celle M/Y, and 8 city areas. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack A/F, fly patrols and armed rcn, and operate in conjunction with US VIII, XII, and XX Corps in Thuringer Forest and Erfurt areas.
4/8/45 Twelfth AF During 7/8 Apr LBs hit cmd posts and dumps. MBs, despite bad weather bomb railroad bridges at Salorno, San Michele all' Adige, Vo Sinistro, and Bondeno, railroad fill and canal at Salorno, and gun positions at La Spezia. XXII TAC FBs concentrate escorts on Brenner area comm (cutting lines in 31 places and damaging 4 bridges), oil fields in C Po Valley, and points further N.
4/8/45 Fifteenth AF More than 500 B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escorts, attack comm in N Italy, concentrating on transportation system feeding into Brenner Pass. Bridges, viaducts, and M/Ys are hit at or near Bressanone, Campodazzo, Vipiteno, Fortezza, Campo di Trens, Mezzocorona, Avisio, Brescia, Gorizia, Pordenone, and Ponte Gardena. (power dam at Ponte Gardena is also hit). 168 P-38's bomb Rattenberg and Garmisch railroad bridges and strafe rail traffic in Munich-Salzburg-Linz areas.
4/8/45 Tenth AF 50-plus P-38's and P-47's 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.
4/8/45 Fourteenth AF 31 P-51's knock out bridge S of Shaoyang, destroy section of track at Sincheng, and hit numerous road and rail T/Os in Yellow R areas and points to the S, from Shanhsien to Loning, at Hungtung, and S of Hei-Shih Kuan. 4 B-24's attack shipping T/Os in S China Sea and in Bakli and Yulin Bays and bomb Kowloon Docks.
4/8/45 FEAF For second consecutive day bad weather prevents attacks on primary tgts N of the Phil Is. MBs and HBs hit secondary tgts including Chomosui A/F and Tainan town and railroad yards, towns of Takao, Toko, and Kaiko, and other scattered objectives. A-20's and FBs over Luzon spt ground forces particularly in areas E of Manila. B-24's join A-20's and FBs in spt of ground forces on Cebu and Negros.
Other HBs bomb N Davao Bay area and Jolo I.
4/8/45 Twentieth AF 48 B-29's strike 2 A/Fs at Kanoya and 1 at Kokubu.
4/8/45 Seventh AF 25 B-24's from Angaur bomb Bunawan area. During 8/9 Apr, 6 night ftrs from Iwo Jima, operating singly at 2-fur intervals, bomb Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, Ani Jima, and Ototo Jima.
4/9/45 Eighth AF 10 jet A/Fs, a M/Y and rail center, an ammunition plant, and an oil storage facility in SC Germany are bombed by around 1,200 HBs. 15 ftr gps give close and area spt.
4/9/45 Ninth AF Over 700 MBs and LBs strike M/Ys at Jena and Saalfeld, oil tgts at Bad Berka and Dedenhausen, ordnance depots at Naumburg and Amberg-Kummersbruck, and several T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack several A/Fs and a fuel storage facility, fly area patrols and armed rcn, and spt III Corps along Lenne R, 3d Armd Div E of the Weser R toward Nordhausen, VIII Corps in Arnstadt area and XII and XX Corps in Thuringer Forest and around Erfurt.
4/9/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and A-26's on intruder missions during 8/9 Apr bomb bridges, vehicles, and T/Os in Po R Valley and NE Italy. During the day B-25's and XXII TAC FBs (in conjunction with DAF FBs and MASAF HBs) blast gun positions, troop concentrations, enemy HQ, and strongpoints in Lugo-Imola area in spt of British Eighth Army offensive. Other XXII TAC FBs hit comm in N Italy (including Brenner line) and methane plant and ammo and fuel dumps in WC Po Valley.
4/9/45 Fifteenth AF 825 B-24's and B-17's in close coordination with the British Eighth Army, pound gun positions and other forward military tgts SE of Bologna, in the area immediately W and SW of Lugo. 88 P-51's provide tgt cover. 150-plus P-38's bomb and strafe railroad bridges at Rattenberg, Seefeld, Telfs, Rosenheim, and to the S near Austro German border, and also hit rail lines in Munich-Rosenheim area. Over 90 P-51's escort supply (to N Italy) and transport missions and spt MATAF aircraft attacking positions in Imola area. Other airplanes continue rcn operations.
4/9/45 Tenth AF More than 70 P-38's and P-47's attack troops, supplies, gun positions, and general T/Os along and behind C Burma battleline around Mong Pawn, Wan Htum, Pang po, Kyawkku, Mong Hko, HanhvieMu, Laihka, and other points. Transports complete 415 sorties to forward areas.
4/9/45 Fourteenth AF 9 B-24's bomb docks at Canton and Kowloon and attack T/Os at Bakli Bay. 8 B-25's bomb Sinyang railroad yards and nearby T/Os. 13 other B-25's knock out bridge N of Hsuchang and hit various tgts around Laohokow, Sichuan, Sinyang, Likuanchiao, Lichen, and along the Han R. 19 P-51's hit T/Os in or near Neihsiang, Laohokow, and Sichuan. 2 P-38's blast trucks in Dien Bien Phu area.
4/9/45 FEAF A-20's and FBs spt ground forces on Luzon in Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvec Cove areas and at several points in SW Luzon, and attack Japanese forces in Legaspi area. B-24's and FBs spt ground forces in C Cebu and on Negros. Several B-24's on armed rcn missions hit China and Indochina coastal tgts.
4/9/45 Twentieth AF 16 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait.
4/9/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe military installations at Chichi Jima during the early morning.
17 Guam-based B-24's pound Marcus A/F and def installations. 22 from Angaur hit troop concentration at Kabacan.
4/10/45 Eighth AF 1,224 HBs hit 8 A/Fs 2 M/Ys, a factory A/F and repair hangars, an ordnance depot, and HQ buildings all in N Germany. 15 ftr gps provide close and area spt and strafe numerous A/Fs, claiming 335 parked airplanes destroyed. About 60 jets and a few conventional ftrs are encountered. US ftrs claim over 20 aerial victories. Enemy ftrs and AA account for 16 HBs.
4/10/45 Ninth AF 423 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's strike oil storage and ordnance depots, rail bridge and viaduct (all primary tgts) and several other tgts including a M/Y and an industrial area. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, rail cutting operations, and armed rcn, and spt US 13th Armd Div crossing the Sieg R near Siegburg, 3d Armd Div approaching Nordhausen, 9th Armd Div in Hain area, XII Corps near Coburg, XX Corps W of Weimar and the Saale R, 2d and 5th Armd Divs crossing Oker R in Ahnsen and Schladen areas, and XVI Corps along the Ruhr R in Essen area.
4/10/45 Twelfth AF During 9/10 Apr LBs hit guns and other close spt tgts along British Eighth Army front (which stretches from W of Imola to Comacchio Lagoon and the coast) and also hit several Po R crossings and attack Brenner line bridges at Lavis, Rovereto, and San Michele all'Adige. During the day B-25's and XXII TAC FBs continue pounding spt tgts along the battlefront. FBs also attack bridges on the Brenner line and comm and other tgts in Po Valley.
4/10/45 Fifteenth AF 648 B-24's and B-17's, in spt of British Eighth Army forces, blast arty positions, machine-gun nests, and inf defenses along the Santerno R. This effort represents the largest number of Fifteenth AF HBs attacking tgts in a single day as of this date. 88 P-51's fly tgt cover. 152 P-38's dive-bomb bridges, a tunnel and a M/Y at Seefeld and Worgl.
4/10/45 Tenth AF About 30 FBs attack troop concentrations at Tonglau, at points along Zawgyi, and at other locations in C Burma battle area. 455 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.
4/10/45 Fourteenth AF 23 B-24's pound Yungcheng storage areas. 50-plus B-25's and 180-plus FBs (operating in small flights) attack numerous tgts throughout S and E China. Tgts hit are mainly troops, horses, town areas, storage areas, and river, road, and rail traffic.
4/10/45 FEAF HBs bomb town of Koshun. A-20's and FBs again spt ground forces in SW Luzon and in Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvec Cove areas, and pound Legaspi area. B-24's and FBs spt ground forces in C Cebu. B-24's bomb Liang and Bingkalapa A/Fs.
4/10/45 Seventh AF During 10/11 Apr, 6 Iwo Jima-based night ftrs, flying individual strikes bomb and strafe Chichi, Muko, Ani, and Haha Jima.
4/10/45 Eleventh AF In coordinated operations with Navy aircraft, 7 B-24's napalm-bomb Kataoka naval base. 4 B-25's attempt to hit radar installations on Minami Cape, the primary air warning station in the Kurils, but fail to release bombs due to approach error. 3 other B-25's decklevel bomb Masugawa R cannery. A B-24 investigates ice floes along Kurils.
4/11/45 Eighth AF Over 1,250 HBs attack 6 M/Ys, 2 A/Fs, 2 ordnance depots, 2 oil storage depots, and an ammunition factory in S Germany. 15 ftr gps provide close and area spt.
4/11/45 Ninth AF 689 MBs and LBs strike M/Ys at Bernburg, Oschersleben, Zwickau, and Kothen, Naumburg ordnance depot, Bamberg motor transport plant, and several other tgts. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, leaflet mission, and armed rcn (claiming 43 aircraft shot down), and spt US 3d and 9th Armd Divs in Nordhausen and Ringleben-Sachsenburg-Rothenberga areas, 2d Armd Div as it reaches Elbe R S of Magdeburg in a record drive of 57 mi, XVI Corps along the Ruhr R at Witten, XX Corps as it crosses the Saale R at Weimar and overruns Buchenwald concentration camp and Allied prisoner camp nearby, XII Corps in Coburg-Rottenbach area, and VIII Corps as it approaches the Saale R S of Weimar.
4/11/45 Twelfth AF During 10/11 Apr LBs bomb bridges at Lavis, Ala, Rovereto, San Michele all'Adige, and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and hit vehicles, Po R crossings and T/Os in Po Valley. MBs continue to spt British Eighth Army forces between Imola and Comacchio Lagoon, bomb guns SE of La Spezia in front of US Fifth Army adv, and bomb 4 bridges on the Brenner line. XXII TAC FBs also fly spt on Eighth Army front, and hit comm (including Brenner line) and fuel and ammo dumps in N Italy.
4/11/45 Fifteenth AF 544 B-24's and B-17's hit comm in N Italy, concentrating on transportation system feeding into Brenner area, in effort to hamper enemy's supply and escape routes. The HBs bomb bridges at Padua, Vipiteno, Campodazzo, Ponte Gardena, and Campo di Trens, M/Ys at Bronzolo and Ora, vehicle repair shop at Osoppo, and fuel depot at Goito. 40 P-38's dive-bomb Rosenheim railroad bridge.
40 other P-38's and 29 P-51's strafe rail traffic in Munich, Regensburg, Plzen, Linz, and Salzburg areas. Over 250 ftrs escort HB missions, rcn and supply missions, and operations against N Italian tgts by MATAF aircraft.
4/11/45 Tenth AF 54 FBs hit troop and supply concentrations near Mong Kung and Mong Nim, attack trucks and T/Os in other areas behind battleline, and sweep several roads S of bomb line. Transports fly 424 sorties carrying men and supplies to forward areas.
4/11/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-25's bomb Hsihhsiassuchi, 5 pound Pinglo barracks and storage area, and a few others hit Yanglowtung railroad yards and T/Os E of Paoching. 150-plus FBs attack troops, river, road and rail traffic, and a variety of T/Os scattered throughout S and E China and N Indochina.
4/11/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Cotabato. Japanese defenses NW of Guadalupe are pounded by HBs. A-20's hit bivouac E of Negritos. On Luzon B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs bomb numerous tgts including Fuga I, Cagayan Valley areas, Santa Fe, bridges and other comm in Iligan, Naguilian, Manga, and Tuguegarao, and troops and supply concentration N of Imugan. Troop spt strikes are flown in Solvec Cove area and E of Manila. Baguio and troop concentration in Batangas area and on Bicol peninsula are bombed. At Iriga, defenses are hit with napalm. B-24's bomb Okayama while B-25's hit several tgts including Ts'eng Wen sugar refinery, Seiko, Sunbon-sha, and Shasekiryo. P-38's attack gun positions at Tarakan.
4/11/45 Seventh AF 24 B-24's from Angaur hit Cotabato supply and personnel areas. 18 Guam-based B-24's pound positions on Eten I.
4/11/45 Eleventh AF P-38's together with Navy aircraft pick up bombfilled paper balloons over Attu and E of Adak. One balloon over Attu is shot down.
4/12/45 US President Roosevelt dies.
4/12/45 Eighth AF 2 ftr gps escort MBs of Ninth AF in attack on ordnance depot.
4/12/45 Ninth AF 167 MBs and LBs attack Hof rail bridge, Kempten ordnance depot, and Goppingen M/Y, plus a town area and a casual T/O. Over 275 planes abort because of weather. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack town of Kothen, fly armed rcn and sweeps over wide areas of Germany and spt ground forces. Ftrs also spt US III, XVI, and XVIII Corps as they continue to reduce the Ruhr pocket, 9th Armd Div on Saale R near Werben and Bad Lauchstadt, XX Corps from Saale R N and S of Jena E across the Weisse Elster R, VIII Corps along the Saale further S of Jena, XII Corp SE of Coburg on Hasslach R, 2d Armd Div across the Elbe R near Randau S of Magdeburg, 5th Armd Div on W bank of the Elbe R at Wittenberge, and XVI Corps as it continues fighting in Duisburg and Dortmund areas.
4/12/45 Twelfth AF LBs, during 11/12 Apr, hit Po R crossings, MBs, restricted by low clouds, bomb approaches to Maribor bridge, hit tgts along Brenner rail line, and spt British Eighth Army in Argenta area. FBs attack NE Italian railroad lines, including fuel dumps and comm tgts in Po Valley.
4/12/45 Fifteenth AF 400-plus HBs hit comm in N Italy and S Austria, attacking railroad bridges at Padua, Ponte di Piave, Nervesa della Bataglia, and Sankt Veit an der Glan, ammo dump at Malcontenta, and supply dump at Peschiera del Garda. 124 P-51's provide escort. 123 P-38's bomb railroad bridges at Unzmarkt and Arnoldstein. 128 B-24's, with P-51 escort, sent against N Italian comm abort due to bad weather. 38 P-51's escort MATAF B-25's on raids in N Yugoslavia.
4/12/45 Tenth AF 75 FBs continue to pound tgts in C Burma battle area. Troop concentrations, gun positions, supplies, vehicles, and general T/Os are attacked along battlefront, behind enemy lines, and along roads S of bomb line. 369 air supply sorties are flown throughout the day.
4/12/45 Fourteenth AF 12 B-24's supported by 14 P-51's, bomb Wuchang railroad yards and A/F. 7 B-25's bomb Hsuchang railroad yards, 3 hit Loning, 2 attack Likuanchiao, 2 bomb Tenghsien, and single B-25's attack storage areas at Pingyao and Huaiching. 100-plus FBs attack troops, horses, bridges, river shipping, trucks, and railroad tgts at several locations in Indochina and at points scattered over S and E China.
4/12/45 FEAF P-38's and A-20's spt ground troops on Cebu and Negros. B-24's bomb Sapakan, Kabacan, and Davao Bay areas. P-38's hit Cotabato and also Kabacan. Other B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs pound tgts throughout Cagayan Valley, blast defenses at Balete Pass and in Baguio area, and hit troops, comm tgts, and defenses at numerous points in SW and SE Luzon. B-24's attack Tainan and bomb Okayama A/F.
4/12/45 Twentieth AF 94 B-29's strike Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo while 11 hit secondary tgt of Shizuoka engine plant.
VHB gunners claim 16 ftrs downed. 130-plus other B-29's bomb 2 chemical p]ants at Koriyama. 32 more VHBs hit various T/Os. During 12/13 Apr, 5 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait. Ftrs from VII FC escorting the daylight operations over Tokyo area claim 15 aircraft downed.
4/12/45 Seventh AF 24 B-24's, based on Angaur hit personnel area at Kabacan. During 12/13 Apr, 6 Iwo-based ftrs, operating singly at intervals, bomb and strafe tgts at Kita, Chichi, Haha, and Ani Jima.
4/12/45 Eleventh AF P-38's shoot down paper bomb-balloons over Attu.
4/13/45 Eighth AF Over 200 B-17's bomb Neumunster M/Y. 8 ftr gps spt HBs and strafe numerous A/Fs, claiming 284 parked airplanes destroyed.
4/13/45 Ninth AF A special mission is flown by IX TAC FBs against HQ of FM Model's Army Gp B at Haus Waldesruh in the Ruhr pocket. The air attack is followed by an arty barrage. As a result the HQ is moved to Haan.
IX TAC pilots sight Soviet ftrs in the air for the first time. Weather grounds 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt US XVIII Corps in Huckeswagen and Hagen areas, III Corps between Ruhr and Honne Rivers, 3d Armd Div on Saale R in Alsleben, Nelben and Friedeburg area, XX Corps astride and between the Weisse Elster and Zwickauer Mulde Rivers N of Gera, XVI Corps NW of Hagen, 2d Armd Div in Elbenau-Grunwalde area, and 5th Armd Div along the Elbe in Tangermunde area.
4/13/45 Twelfth AF B-25's are restricted by weather to 1 mission, an attack on road bridge at Mollinella. FBs continue to hit comm and dumps in Po Valley and guns in La Spezia area. LBs during 12/13 Apr attack Po R crossings at San Benedetto Po, Ostiglia, Piacenza, and Casalmaggiore, bridges at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and motor transport and T/Os in Milan area.
4/13/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn and escort missions.
4/13/45 Tenth AF 30-plus P-47's and P-38's attack troops and supplies in Hamngai, Loi-hseng, and Wan Yin areas and sweep roads S of bomb line in C Burma. Air transport operations to front areas total 450 sorties.
4/13/45 Fourteenth AF 11 B-25's bomb railroad yards and warehouse area at Kaifeng, 6 knock out bridge at Ningwing, and 6 hit fort at Bac Ninh. 7 B-25's hit shipping in S China Sea and Bakli Bay and town areas of Tenghsien and Liuchow. 4 others, along with 5 P-51's, knock out bridge and hit town area and shipping at Puchi.
24 P-38's and P-51's knock out 3 bridges, damage another, and hit several T/Os in N Indochina.
About 140 FBs fly armed rcn and strikes throughout S and E China, hitting rail, road, and river traffic, town areas, troops, and general T/Os.
4/13/45 FEAF B-24's hit Hong Kong waterfront (Taikoo Docks) and storage areas in Canton. Other B-24's hit A/Fs at Tainan and Okayama while B-25's attack railroads. Numerous sweeps are flown over Cagayan Valley and ground spt missions are continued on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros. B-24's bomb Davao area. B-25's hit various tgts on Mindanao and in Sulu Archipelago.
4/13/45 Twentieth AF During 13/14 Apr almost 330 B-29's bomb Tokyo arsenal area.
4/13/45 Seventh AF 18 Guam-based B-24's pound enemy positions on Marcus. 23 from Angaur bomb personnel and storage areas at Kabacan. 2 Saipan-based P-61 night ftrs bomb and strafe Pagan I.
4/13/45 Eleventh AF At Attu 27 P-38's and P-40's scramble following radar reports of unidentified plots. Later, they shoot down 9 of 11 Japanese paper bomb-balloons sighted over the W Aleutians.
4/14/45 Eighth AF 1,161 HBs hit 22 defensive installations, consisting of AA and arty positions and strongpoints covering the Gironde estuary. Other Allied AFs and French naval units attack similar tgts. The air attacks precede a ground assault by French det of 6th Army Gp on the defense pockets which deny Allies use of port facilities in Bordeaux area.
4/14/45 Ninth AF Operational HQ of XXIX TAC moves to Gutersloh. 18 B-26's fly leaflet mission in Ruhr area. Ftrs fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, and spt US 3d Armd Div SW of Elbe/Mulde R junction near Dessau, 9th Armd Div in Borna and Lobstadt area, XX Corps elements which continue to arrive at Zwickauer Mulde R, VIII Corps along the Weisse Elster R S of Gera, XII Corps elements in Bayreuth area, 2d and 5th Armd Divs along the Elbe in Barby-Magdeburg and Tangermunde areas.
4/14/45 Twelfth AF During 13/14 Apr LBs continue to hit comm in Po Valley. Bad weather over N part of Brenner line pre - vents MB attacks but the B-25's hit alternates on S part of line at Salorno, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and Chiusaforte, bomb guns SE of La Spezia in spt of US Fifth Army, and hit 5 defensive positions along British Eighth Army front in Argenta area. FBs concentrate on supporting Fifth Army forces SW of Bologna.
4/14/45 Fifteenth AF 318 HBs hit ammo factories at Avigliana, Spilimbergo, Malcontenta, and Palmanova, motor transport depot at Osoppo and Klagenfurt M/Y as a T/O. 158 ftrs provide escort. 29 P-38's bomb and strafe railroad tgts in Munich-Linz-Regensburg areas. 54 P-51's fly escort for MATAF B-25's bombing tgts in N Italy.
4/14/45 Tenth AF 41 P-47's and P-38's attack troops, supplies, and fuel dumps at Tawnghkam Nawng-hkam, Mong Kung, Loi-makhkawn, and Nawngkaw. 8 P-38's damage bridges at Kong pau and Kyawngpeng. 446 transport flights are flown to forward areas.
4/14/45 Fourteenth AF 24 B-24's, supported by 12 P-51's, bomb Loyang and knock out bridge over Yellow R. 30-plus B-25's and more than 130 FBs attack bridges (knocking out at least 6), river, road, and rail traffic, troops, storage areas, town areas, and general T/Os over vast expanse of S and E China.
4/14/45 FEAF B-25's sweep Canton-Hong Kong waterways, hitting shipping and other tgts. B-24's bomb four A/Fs on Formosa. In the Phil Is B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs fly numerous strikes in spt of ground forces and against A/Fs, gun positions, defenses, and troop concentrations throughout Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao.
4/14/45 Seventh AF 24 Angaur-based B-24's pound supply and personnel areas at Tigatto.
4/15/45 Eighth AF The sole operational employment of napalm bomb by Eighth AF is carried out against German ground installations (pillboxes, gunpits, tank trenches, and heavy gun emplacements) in defensive pocket at Royan by nearly 850 HBs. Results are negligible and HQ recommends its discontinuance against this type of tgt. A total of 16 defensive installations on Gironde estuary are bombed by 1,280 HBs supporting assault by French ground troops under 6th Army Gp. 2 ftr gps escort Ninth AF MBs attacking Ulm M/Y.
4/15/45 Ninth AF 268 B-26's and A-26's bomb M/Ys at Gunzburg and Ulrn (primary tgts) and several other tgts including 3 M/Ys. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt US 3d Armd Div near Dessau and across Mulde R near Torten, 9th Armd Div along Mulde R NW of Borna, VIII Corps along Weisse Elster R between Gera and Plauen, XX Corps astride the Mulde R NE of Chemnitz (where 6th Armd Div awaits Red Army forces), and 2d Armd Div on Elbe R near Magdeburg.
4/15/45 Twelfth AF During 14/15 Apr LBs concentrate on comm tgts in Po Valley, particularly the Po crossings. During the day MBs and FBs concentrate on direct spt of US Fifth and British Eighth Army drives, hitting troop concentrations, guns, strongpoints, and a variety of tgts in areas S of Bologna, around Medicina and Sasso Marconi, and at other points in battle areas.
4/15/45 Fifteenth AF 830 B-17's and B-24's, in spt of US Fifth Army, blast gun positions, supply dumps, troop concentrations, maintenance installations, and German HQ along highways leading from Bologna. 145 P-38's furnish escort. Another force of 312 B-17's and B-24's bomb rail diversion bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia, Ponte di Piave, and Casarsa della Delizia, and ammo factory and stores at Ghedi. 191 P- 51's provide escort. 36 P-38's and 36 P-51's strafe rail comm in area bounded by Munich, Salzburg, Linz, Plzen, and Regensburg. 12 of the P-38's skipbomb rail tgts in Salzburg-Linz area, including Vocklabruck M/Y. 8 P-38's furnish top cover for the strafing missions. 128 P-51's provide uneventful escort for MATAF bmrs on 3 missions to N Italy. Other P-38's and P-51's carry out rcn and rcn escort operations. Today's effort is the largest of World War II by Fifteenth AF (most ftrs and terms dispatched and attacking, and largest bomb tonnage dropped) during a 24-hr period. 1,142 HBs bomb tgts.
4/15/45 Tenth AF 62 P-38's and P-47's attack troop concentrations and supply areas at Loi-Mwe, Lawksawk Thongdan, and near Laihka. 312 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.
4/15/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's knock out Pa Ching pontoon bridge, 7 pound storage depot at Fang-cheng, 4 bomb Tunganhsien, and 3 hit Paoching. 1 B-24 bombs Canton docks. Almost 200 FBs ranging over all of S China and up into the N China plain hit numerous tgts including bridges, river shipping, town areas, trucks, railroad traffic, gun positions, storage areas, and general T/Os. Paoching, Hengyang, Yungfengshih, and Hsihhsiassuchi areas are especially hard hit.
4/15/45 FEAF On Formosa B-24's bomb Toyohara, Shinchiku, and Shinshoshi A/Fs. B-25's hit Shoka rail yards. B- 24's and FBs bomb island fortifications in Manila Bay, FBs hit bivouacs and other tgts in N Luzon and spt ground forces E of Manila and on Carabao I. FBs and B-24's fly spt missions for ground forces on Negros and Cebu. B-24's bomb Davao area and B-25's join Marine aircraft in hitting highways and vehicles.
4/15/45 Twentieth AF During 15/16 Apr, 194 B-29's strike Kawasaki urban area while 109 hit urban area of Tokyo.
4/15/45 Eleventh AF A B-24 flies weather rcn.
4/16/45 Eighth AF During morning 486 B-17's bomb tank ditch def line at Pointe de Grave on S side of Gironde estuary in spt of ground assault in that area. In the afternoon 715 HBs bomb M/Ys at Plattling, Regensburg, and Landshut, and rail bridges and siding at Regensburg and Straubing. 15 ftr gps provide uneventful close and area spt and then strafe over 40 landing grounds and installations in Czechoslovakia and Germany, claiming a record 747 parked ftrs destroyed. 34 ftrs are downed mostly by automatic AA weapons.
4/16/45 Ninth AF About 450 MBs and LBs bomb Zerbst comm center, Gunzenhausen M/Y, Kempten ordnance depot, and Wittenberg M/Y and gun positions. IX TAC's ftrs claim 25 air victories during the day as they escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, area cover, and armed rcn, attack A/Fs and other tgts, and spt US 3rd Armd Div SW of Dessau, 9th Armd Div in Rennewitz-Colditz area along the Mulde R, XX Corps which remains at Zuickauer Mulde R bridgehead NE of Chemnitz, VIII Corps crossing Weisse Elster R between Gera and Plauen, 2d Armd Div on the Elbe R near Magdeburg, XIX Corps E of Barby, and V Corps near Leipzig. The 354th Ftr Gp (the pioneer P-51 gp of the Ninth AF) claims its 900th air victory.
4/16/45 Twelfth AF During 15/16 Apr LBs hit Po R crossings, towns of Vignola, Zocca, and Sassuolo, and several T/Os in Po V alley. During the day MBs bomb bridges on Reno R near Bologna, blast troop reserve areas SE of Portomaggiore on British Eighth Army front, and attack troop concentrations S of Portomaggiore.
Ftrs and FBs concentrate most of their effort on close spt tgts in US Fifth Army battle area S and SW of Bologna.
4/16/45 Fifteenth AF 98 B-24's bomb positions SW of Bologna. 102 P-51's fly escort. Almost 700 B-24's and B-17's abort due to bad weather. 36 P-51's sweep areas S of Munich, Plzen, and Linz. 4 strafe A/F E of Munich.
Other P-51's and P-38's fly escort and rcn missions.
4/16/45 Tenth AF 22 FBs pound troop concentrations in 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.
4/16/45 Fourteenth AF 18 B-24's pound storage area at Linfen. 3 bomb T/Os in Bakli Bay and Canton areas. 10 B-25's bomb Yungfengshih, Kweilin, and Shanhsien, knocking out 1 bridge and hitting buildings, river shipping, and rail traffic. About 120 FBs over S and E China hit river, road, and rail traffic, town areas, troops, and general T/Os at many scattered locations.
4/16/45 FEAF B-25's hit Taien A/F, while B-24's and P-51's bomb Giran and Matsuyama A/Fs and nearby areas. FBs hit N Luzon bivouacs and other tgts and spt strikes and sweeps are flown over Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao with B-25's hitting highways on Mindanao, B-24's hit defenses at Carabao I. P-38's pound Lingkas Tank Farm and other tgts at Tarakan. During 15/16 Apr B-24's bomb Taihoku.
4/16/45 Seventh AF 18 Guam-based B-24's pound Marcus. 2 P-61's from Saipan bomb and strafe Pagan.
4/16/45 VII FC In first VLR ftr operations from Iwo Jima, VII FC P-51's with B-29 navigational escort from Twentieth AF, strafe and bomb tgts at Kanoya. B-25's continue to furnish navigational escort in all subsequent VII FC strikes (through 14 Aug) on Japan from Iwo Jima.
4/16/45 Eleventh AF B-25's abort mission to bomb Hayakegawa because of weather front. 6 B-24's radarbomb Kataoka naval base. Another B-24 flies a radar-ferret sortie.
4/17/45 Eighth AF More than 950 HBs attack 8 railway centers, junctions, stations and M/Ys and 1 oil depot in E Germany and W Czechoslovakia 15 ftr gps fly spt, encountering about 50 ftrs, mostly jets, and claiming 13 destroyed (including 4 jets) in aerial combat. The ftrs strafe numerous A/Fs and claim over 250 parked aircraft destroyed.
4/17/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div attacks defended city of Magdeburg (including numerous gun positions in the area), M/Y and ordnance depot at Aalen, M/Y and ordnance depot at Tubingen, and ordnance depot at Ravensburg. Ftrs fly escort to 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, area cover, and armed rcn, hit A/Fs at Marianske Lazne and Michalovy Hory, and spt US 3d Armd Div mopping up S of the Elbe R and W of the Mulde R near Dessau, 9th Armd Div along the Mulde R E of Leipzig, VIII Corps in Greiz-Zwickau area, XX Corps SW of Chemnitz, 5th Armd Div at Knesebeck Forest, S of Wittingen, and 2d armd Div opening assault on Mapdeburg.
4/17/45 Twelfth AF LBs during 16/17 Apr hit Po R crossings and several towns W and SW of Bologna. During the day B- 25's of 57th Bomb Wg successfully attack 4 Reno R bridges near Bologna and close spt tgts on British Eighth Army front to the SW, and extensively damage 4 bridges in N Italy and Austria on Brenner rail line. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs concentrate on close spt of US Fifth Army S and W of Bologna.
4/17/45 Fifteenth AF 751 B-24's and B-17's, in spt of US Fifth Army, hit troop concentrations, supply dumps, gun positions, and HQ immediately S and SW of Bologna. 143 P-51's provide escort. 147 P-38's divebomb railroad bridges at Seefeld and Mariahof. 14 P-51's, with 10 flying top cover, strafe T/Os in Munich, Plzen, and Linz areas. 61 P-51's escort MATAF supply missions to N Italy and bombing raids on bridges in W Austria. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort.
4/17/45 Tenth AF 18 FBs hit troops and supplies near Mong Kung and Wan Hpun. 12 others attack vehicles and other T/Os along roads S of bomb line. 489 transport sorties are completed to forward areas throughout the day.
4/17/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's and 4 P-51's blast river shipping S of Yiyang. 6 B-25's bomb area around Kwangsi University at Liang-feng. 2 B-24's bomb Bakli Bay dock area. 70-plus P-51's and P-40's hit troops, town areas, road traffic, river shipping, and general T/Os at several locations in S and E China including Changsha, Sinning, Sinhwa, Yiyang, Tungting Lake, Paoching, Yungfengshih, Shanhsien, Lingling, Pingsiang, Tsinkong, and Hochih.
4/17/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Taichu, Shinshoshi, Toyohara, and Okayama A/Fs. B-25's hit A/F at Taito. Numerous sweeps and sorties are flown in spt of ground forces over Luzon, Cebu, Negros, Mindanao ,and Sulu Archipelago. B-24's over Mindanao bomb Cotabato and Kabacan.
4/17/45 Twentieth AF Almost 120 B-29's bomb A/Fs at Tachiarai, Kokubu, Izumi, Nittagahara, and Kanoya (2). Beginning on this date and continuing through 11 May, XXI BC devotes about 75 per cent of its combat effort to spt of Okinawa campaign. During this period the B-29's fly more than 2,100 sorties against 17 A/Fs on Kyushu and Shikoku Is which are dispatching air attacks (including Kamikaze raids) against US Navy and Marine forces.
4/17/45 Seventh AF 18 P-51's flying two strikes from Iwo Jima, attack vessels in Futamiko.
4/18/45 Eighth AF More than 750 HBs attack 7 M/Ys, a rail bridge and junction, and 2 transformer stations in W Czechoslovakia and SE Bavaria. 13 ftr gps fly escort. 2 other gps escort Ninth AF MBs over Germany.
4/18/45 Ninth AF About 590 B-26's, A-26's, and A-20's attack oil storage at Neuburg an der Donau, M/Ys, at Juterbog and Nordlingen, and raid junctions at Falkenburg and Juterbog. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, attack; assigned tgts, and spt ground forces including US V Corps assaulting Leipzig, VII Corps in Dessau-Halle areas, 5th Armd Div near Steimke, and 2d Armd Div at Magdeburg and other XIX Corps elements astride the Elbe R S of Barby. Organized German resistance in the Ruhr pocket ceases.
4/18/45 Twelfth AF During 17/18 Apr LBs pound comm in S Po Valley and towns of Vignola, Bazzano, and Sassuolo in US Fifth Army battle area. MBs hit 2 railroad fills and a bridge on the S Brenner line and troop concentrations on Fifth and British Eighth Army fronts, SW of Bologna and in Dugnano Paderno area. FBs of XXII TAC also concentrate on spt tgts in Fifth Army battle area.
4/18/45 Fifteenth AF 473 B-24's and B-17's, with escort of 89 P-51's, spt Fifth Army offensive in Bologna area, blasting defensive positions and comm in areas around the city. 78 P-38's dive-bomb railroad bridge at Malborghetta Valbruna, while 87 others dive-bomb 2 railroad bridges at and SE of Kolbnitz. P-51's sweep Augsburg, Plzen, and Linz areas, escort rcn missions flown by P-38's, and escort MATAF B- 25's and C-47's on bombing and supply operations.
4/18/45 Tenth AF 21 P-38's attack troop concentration, tanks, arty positions, and bivouac area near Man Li and Kongsam. 5 P-61's hit supply area W of Laihka. Transports land or drop 806 tons of supplies at forward bases and front-line areas.
4/18/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's hit trucks and other T/Os E of Siangtan. 52 P-51's and P-40's 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.
4/18/45 FEAF On Formosa B-26's bomb Karenko A/F, B-24's hit Tainan, Giran, Toyohara, Hobi, and Soton A/Fs, and P-38's on sweeps hit rail and road transportation. FBs and A-20's hit Balete Pass area and spt ground forces on Luzon, Negros, and Cebu. B-24's bomb Piso Point. B-25's and P-38's hit Tarakan and Sandakan.
4/18/45 Twentieth AF B-29's hit Japanese A/Fs, as 100-plus VHBs strike A/Fs at Tachiarai, Izumi, Kokubu, Nittagahara, and Kanoya (2), the same tgts attacked on the 17th.
4/18/45 Seventh AF During 18/19 Apr 3 Iwo Jima-based P-61's flying individual strikes, bomb and strafe Futamiko and radio station on Chichi Jima.
4/19/45 Eighth AF Over 550 HBs hit 3 M/Ys, rail bridge, rail junction and other railroad facilities in SE Germany and NW Czechoslovakia. 11 ftr gps give close and area spt, encountering over 30 ftrs and claiming 12 destroyed, including several jets.
4/19/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits M/Ys at Ulm, Neu Ulm, and Gunzburg (primary tgts), city of Donauworth and T/O at Schelklingen. Weather prevents over 70 of the 450-plus dispatched aircraft from bombing tgts. Ftrs fly escort to 9th Bomb Div, carry out patrols and armed rcn, bomb radio station, and cooperate with US VII Corps in Halle-Dessau area, XII Corps attacking SE from S of Bayreuth, XX Corps in Bamberg- Nurnberg area, preparing to drive toward Austria, and XIX Corps along the Elbe R in Magdeburg area.
4/19/45 Twelfth AF During 18/19 Apr LBs bomb roads, vehicles, and lights in Bologna, Turin, Milan, and Mantua areas, and continuing to pound Po R crossings, hit 8 bridges. MBs bomb bridges in Brenner Pass and spt ground forces at .several points including Budrio, Vignola, and San Martino in Soverzano areas. FBs hit dumps, comm, and close spt tgts in US Fifth Army battle areas S and W of Bologna.
4/19/45 Fifteenth AF 619 HBs attack rail comm in S Germany, Austria, and N Italy, bombing Rattenberg railroad bridge and M/Ys at Lienz, Klagenfurt, Bischofshofen, Linz and Rosenheim, Avisio viaduct, Vipiteno railroad bridge, AA batteries near Grisolera and Santo Stino di Livenza, and several minor T/Os. 78 P-38's divebomb M/Y at Weilheim. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort, and escort MATAF B-25's and C-47's.
4/19/45 Tenth AF 14 P-38's hit supplies near Paklu, fuel dump at Hainang, and bridges near Kunna. 1 bridge is knocked out. 6 other P-38's attack T/Os along roads behind enemy lines. Air supply operations continue as 800 tons of supplies are landed or dropped in forward areas.
4/19/45 Fourteenth AF 12 B-24's bomb railway repair shops at Taiynan. 3 others attack Bakli Bay T/Os, 8 B-25's attack bridges and rail and road traffic N and NE of Anyang and NE of Taiku, damaging or destroying several locomotives and numerous boxcars. 100-plus P-40's, P-51's, and P-47's attack town areas, troops, river, road, and rail traffic, and general T/Os all over S and E China and hit a few T/Os in N Indochina.
4/19/45 FEAF B-24's over Formosa bomb Tainan A/F and Shinchiku town. Numerous missions are flown in spt of ground forces on Luzon, CEbu, and Negros. Other B-24's bomb personnel areas at Kabacan, Cagayan, and along Davao R. Tarakan on Borneo is hit by light B-25 strike while B-24's returning from Indochina coastal sweep bomb Sandakan. B-25's, with P-51 cover, hit Haimi.
4/19/45 Seventh AF 8 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe Futamiko. 25 B-24's, based in the Palaus bomb nearby Arakabesan and Koror. 17 B-24's from Guam hit Dublon, Fefan, and Eten. During 19/20 Apr, 6 P-61's from Iwo Jima, operating singly and at intervals, bomb and strafe Chichi, Haha, and Muko Jima.
4/19/45 VII FC Ftrs from Iwo Jima carry out 106 effective strike sorties against Atsugi-Yokosuka area. 24 airplanes are claimed destroyed in the air and 14 on the ground.
4/19/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's off to bomb Kuril tgts abort due to weather.
4/20/45 Eighth AF Around 800 HBs attack 8 M/Ys, 3 rail junctions, a rail bridge, other rail facilities, and an A/F, located in 7 cities in an arc from NNW to SSW of Berlin, 3 towns in E and SE Bavaria, and a town in Czechoslovakia. 15 ftr gps give close and area spt, and claim 7 ftrs downed.
4/20/45 Ninth AF 564 MBs and HBs strike oil storage at Deggendorf and Annaburg, M/Ys at Memmingen and Wittenberg, ordnance depots at Nordlingen and Straubing, and other tgts including flak positions. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, attack special tgts, and cooperate with US ground forces including VII Corps W of Dessau, VIII Corps between Plauen and Chemnitz, XII Corps in Grafenwohr area, XX Corps attacking toward the Danube and Regensburg, and XIX Corps in Magdeburg-Barby area.
4/20/45 Twelfth AF LBs on night intruder missions during 19/20 Apr continue to pound Po R crossings and vehicle movement throughout the Valley. MBs considerably damage 4 of 6 railroad bridges and fills attached on Brenner line, and also hit HQ in battle area and 2 Reno R bridges N of Bologna. FBs again spt US Fifth Army elements S and W of Bologna as they begin to emerge from the Apennines onto the Po plain.
4/20/45 Fifteenth AF HBs again pound railway systems and road bridges in effort to hinder supply or withdrawal of enemy forces in N Italy. Over 700 B-24's and B-17's hit railroad bridges at Campodazzo, Ponte Gardena, and Campo di Trens, viaduct at Avisio, M/Ys at Vipiteno Fortezza, and Brennero, and road bridges at Lusia, la Carrare, and Boara Pisani, and Mariahof viaduct and Innsbruck M/Y. 115 P-38's dive-bomb railroad line Innsbruck-Rattenberg-Rosenheim, hitting M/Ys at Hall, Schwaz, Jenbach, Kundl, Worgl and Kiefersfelden, 4 rail bridges, and several box cars, and cut rail lines at 42 places between Innsbruck and Rosenheim. Other P-38's and P-51's escort HBs, MATAF supply runs to N Italy, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and MATAF B-25 raids in N Italy, and fly rcn.
4/20/45 Tenth AF 32 P-38's knock out 3 bridges and damage 5 others in C Burma behind enemy lines. 12 P-47's hit troop concentration and ration dump at Tonglau, 18 attack troop concentration around monastery at Kengkawmanhaung, and 12 attack troops along stream near Wan Nahpeit. 497 transport sorties land or drop 784 tons of supplies in forward areas.
4/20/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-25's hit town of Neihsiang and attack railroad T/Os from Saiping to Lohochai and from Linying to Hsuchang. 9 B-25's bomb Loyang and Luchou. 100-plus P-51's, P-40's, and P-47's concentrate attacks against town areas throughout S and E China, also hitting troops, gun positions, river traffic, and other T/Os.
4/20/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Tainan A/F while P-51's attack Koshun A/F. Large-scale FEAF spt of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros continues. B-24's bomb Sepinggang and Labuan A/Fs and P-38's and B- 25's hit Tarakan I.
4/20/45 Seventh AF 11 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb Haha Jima.
4/21/45 Eighth AF 300-plus HBs attack Munich M/Y, town of Ingolstadt, and Landsberg A/F. Around 200 other HBs abort because of bad weather. 7 ftr gps fly close spt while 1 gp sweeps Munich area.
4/21/45 Ninth AF Gen Stearley takes over as CG, IX FC, and also takes cmd of IX TAC. 121 bmrs of 9th Bomb Div hit Attnang-Puchheim M/Y. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, armed rcn and cooperate with US VIII Corps as elements of 6th Cav Gp cross Czechoslovakian border to reach Hranice and, Trojmezi, XII Corps in GrafenwohrWeiden area, and XX Corps E of Nurnberg.
4/21/45 Twelfth AF During 20/21 Apr LBs bomb Po R crossings, with good results. Weather curtails daytime operations but MBs score hits on Matrei am Brenner bridge on Brenner rail line and in late afternoon hit Po R crossings. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs, grounded most of the day, fly close spt to US Fifth Army which drives into Bologna (a long-standing objective) and begins to push rapidly across the plain toward the Po R.
4/21/45 Fifteenth AF 240 B-17's and B-24's, with P-51 escort, bomb M/Ys at Rosenheim, Attnang-Puchheim, Spittal an der Drau, and Vocklabruck. Over 400 B-24's and their ftr escorts, sent to attack comm in N Italy, abort due to bad weather. 138 P-38's bomb railroad lines and facilities in Munich-Rosenheim-Rattenberg areas.
Other P-38's fly rcn while P-51's escort rcn flights, MATAF MB operations to Austria, and US and RAF supply and transport missions to Yugoslavia.
4/21/45 Tenth AF Bad weather over C Burma causes canceling or aborting of all combat missions. However, transports complete 464 sorties, landing or dropping 682 tons of supplies to forward areas.
4/21/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's bomb Loyang. A single B-24 hits Bakli Bay T/Os. 30 P-51's and P-47's attack railroad and road tgts, barracks area, buildings, and bridges at or near Paoching, Chihsien, Taiku, Hsihhsiassuchi, Shaho, Linfen, Luan, Yutze, and Shanhsien.
4/21/45 FEAF FEAF continues large-scale spt of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, Negros and on Jolo Is. B-24's bomb Miri, Kudat, Manggar, and Sepinggang A/Fs and P-38's hit Tarakan and Sandakan, Miri A/F, oil storage near Lutong, and, with B-24's, attack T/Os along SW Celebes coast.
4/21/45 Twentieth AF XXI BC continues to hit A/Fs in Japan. 217 B-29's blast A/Fs at Oita, Kanoya (2), Usa, Kokubu, Kushira, Tachiarai, Izumi, and Nittagahara. Other B-29's hit T/Os including city of Kagoshima.
4/21/45 Seventh AF 18 Guam-based B-24's bomb Marcus.
4/22/45 Ninth AF XXIX TAC moves operational HQ to Brunswick. Weather prevents combat operations by 9th Bomb Div and IX TAC. XIX TAC flies armed rcn over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia, flies area cover over Wurzburg-Bayreuth areas, patrols Third Army front (BayreuthNurnberg areas), and XII Corps in German-Czech border area near Weiden.
4/22/45 Twelfth AF Entire night and day effort is concentrated against German forces retreating N across the Po R in face of allied forces which send adv elements racing to S bank. MBs fly 16 missions against ferries and pontoon bridge sites on the Po between Casalmaggiore and Polesella. XXII TAC LBs, FBs, and ftrs maintain night and day attacks on Po crossings and enemy movement. The cmd claims over 900 motor and horse-drawn vehicles destroyed.
4/22/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather cancels all HB operations. 258 P-51's and P-38's fly armed rcn over NE Italy, bombing M/Ys, bridges, railroads, highways, and several buildings and strafing an A/F, rail and road traffic, and numerous other T/Os. Other P-38's fly rcn while P-51's escort rcn and supply missions.
4/22/45 Tenth AF Bad weather again cancels scheduled air strikes. 464 transport sorties fly 664 tons of supplies to forward areas.
4/22/45 Fourteenth AF 2 B-24's bomb T/Os at Bakli Bay and Canton. 5 B-25's bomb Hsuchang and hit area to the NW. 19 P- 51's and P-47's attack trains, trucks, troops, horses, and town areas at or near Linfen, Luan, Sincheng, Fentingfukou, Taiku, Chenghsien, Sinsiang, and Kaifeng.
4/22/45 FEAF Numerous missions in spt of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros continue. B-24's bomb Manggar and Jesselton A/Fs, B-29's hit Tarakan, and P-38's hit Kuching. B-24's hit shipping and harbor installations at Saigon.
4/22/45 Twentieth AF Strikes against A/Fs continue. 80-plus B-29's bomb A/Fs at Izumi, Kushira, Miyazaki, Tomitaka, and Kanoya.
4/22/45 VII FC 99 effective sorties are flown during ftr attack from Iwo Jima against Akenogahara and Suzuko A/Fs.
The ftrs claim 10 aircraft downed and 15 destroyed on the ground.
4/23/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels combat operations by 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs patrol Magdeburg area and US Third Army front (E of Bayreuth-Nurnberg area), fly armed rcn over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia, and operate in conjunction with XII Corps as it presses forward N of Regensburg between Danube R and Czech Border. Soviet Army forces enter Berlin.
4/23/45 Twelfth AF During 22/23 Apr LBs and night ftrs hit Po crossings, M/Y, A/Fs, vehicles, trains, and T/Os in general in N and W Po Valley. During the day MBs pound Po crossings, road bridges over Brenta R, and hit Brenner rail line at 4 points. The ftrs and FBs on armed rcn in N and W Po Valley attack motor transport, road bridges, and numerous tgts in spt of US Fifth Army, elements of which cross the Po R.
4/23/45 Fifteenth AF 719 B-24's and B-17's attack bridges over Brenta and Adige Rivers (at Bonavigo, Zevio, Albaredo d'Adige, Legnano (2), Badia, Padua (3), and Cavarzere) and hit supply dump at Peschiera del Garda.
165 P-38's and P-51's on armed rcn of NE Italy bomb and strafe rail and road bridges, highways, trains and vehicles, and other T/Os. Other P-38's fly rcn. Other P-51's escort rcn flights and MATAF B25 missions against tgts in N Italy.
4/23/45 Tenth AF 7 P-61's attack with napalm, rockets, and cannon several tgts during sweeps from Laihka to Loilem to Hopong to Wan Yin. Laihka A/Fs, bridge S of Wan Yin, trucks, and other tgts are successfully pounded.
40-plus FBs attack troop concentrations along and behind lines at several points including Loilem, Nawng Leng, Mong Pawn, and Naungtaw. Bridge at Namhkok is temporarily out due to bomb damage to approaches. 57() transport sorties are flown to forward areas throughout the day.
4/23/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's blast Hsuchang railroad yards, completely demolishing a locomotive repair shop. 2 B-24's attack T/Os in S China Sea. 39 P-47's and P-51's attack troops, horses, trains, and rivercraft at or near Taiku, Shanhsien, Nanyang, Hsihhsiassuchi, Loning, Sinyang, Chenghsien, Sichuan, Lushan, and along Pinghan railroad, and render a railroad tunnel near Sinyang unusable.
4/23/45 FEAF B-25's hit Shinei railroad yards. P-51's hit Karenko A/F and P-38's attack various T/Os. FBs continue to spt ground forces in N and S parts of Luzon pounding numerous arty positions, supply areas, and general T/Os. B-24's bomb military depot at Shanghai and shipping in Yulin harbor on Hainan I. B-29's also hit Hainan and Woody Is. B-24's bomb naval base at Saigon. Other B-24's bomb A/Fs at Sepinggang and Jesselton. P-38's drop napalm on Tarakan I tgts. Other B-24's fly shipping sweep over Makassar Strait and damage several small vessels.
4/23/45 Seventh AF First element of Seventh AF, a det of 28th Photo Rcn Sq, arrives on Okinawa. 13 B-24's from Guam pound positions at Marcus.
4/24/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits A /F at Landau an der Isar and oil depot at Schrobenhausen. Ftrs fly A/F cover, escort 9th Bomb Div, fly armed rcn, and operate in conjunction with XII Corps as it continues SE between the Danube and the Czech border, and with XX Corps as it reaches the Danube SW and E of Regensburg.
4/24/45 Twelfth AF During 23/24 Apr LBs bomb A/Fs at Yillafranca di Verona, Ghedi, and Bergamo, M/Ys at Trento Piacenza and Fidenza, and vehicles and other T/Os throughout Po Valley and elsewhere in N Italy.
MBs hit 6 Po R crossings and (as ground forces reach and cross the Po at several points, relieving necessity for many attacks along the river) then carry out 6 attacks between Verona and Trento on Brenner rail line. Ftrs and FBs blast vehicles on Po Valley roads N of the river and up to Brenner rail line, and also hit roads and vehicles between La Spezia and Parma.
4/24/45 Fifteenth AF About 700 B-24's and B-17's attack railroad bridges at Malborghetto Valbruna, Kolbritz, Drauburg, Fermata di Brondolo, Casarsa della Delizia, Arnoldstein, and Latisana, road bridges at Spilimbergo, Bassano del Grappa, and Friola, motor transport depot at Osoppo, M/Ys at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella and Rovereto, and supply dump at Peschiera del Garda. 79 P-38's and 90 P-51's fly armed rcn over wide areas of N Italy, many strafing tac tgts N of the advancing US Fifth and British Eighth Armies. The P-38's carry out several dive-bombing missions, claiming 1 bridge destroyed and 5 damaged. Other P-51's and P-38's fly 186 sorties in escort of HBs, rcn missions, and MATAF operations.
22 P-38's complete rcn flights.
4/24/45 Tenth AF About 40 P-47's and P-38's attack troop concentrations, storage areas, vehicles, and T/Os in Mong Nawng vicinity, W of Mong Kung-Laihka road, S of Loilem, and at Wan Hsan. Transports land or drop 747 tons of supplies at adv bases and in front-line areas.
4/24/45 Fourteenth AF 2 B-24's bomb Hongay railroad yards and attack T/Os in S (China Sea. 2 others damage a vessel at Bakli Bay. 4 B-25's hit railroad T/Os from Siaokan to Sinyang while 2 damage bridge at Kuanshuishih.
50-plus P-51's, P-61's, and P-40's attack rivercraft, railroad tgts, trucks, bridges, troops, horses, and other T/Os at numerous S and E China locations as pressure by allied air and ground forces mounts against enemy movement and supply routes.
4/24/45 FEAF A-20's and FBs continue to strike in spt of ground forces on Luzon. A-20's hit sugar refineries at Mizukami and Shinei while B-24's bomb Tainan and Hokko. Other B-24's bomb Tabanio and Miri.
4/24/45 Twentieth AF 101 B-29's strike Hitahi aircraft plant at Tachikawa. 21 others hit alternates and T/Os, 5 VHBs are lost.
The B-29's claim 16 ftrs destroyed.
4/25/45 International Delegates from 50 nations begin Conference on International Organization in San Francisco for purpose of organizing the United Nations.
4/25/45 Eighth AF Around 275 B-17's escorted by 4 P-51 gps bomb PlzenSkoda armament works and A/F in Czechoslovakia. This is the Eighth's final HB mission against an industrial tat. A comparable number of B-24's bombs transformer station near Traunstein, M/Ys at Hallein and Bad Reichenhall, and M/Y at Salzburg. 4 ftr gps fly spt.
4/25/45 Ninth AF 296 MBs and LBs strike Erding A/F and Freilassing ordnance depot. Ftrs fly A/F cover and escort missions, and operate in conjunction with US XII Corps as it pushes along N bank of Danube SE of Passau and spt XX Corps on the Danube at Regrensburg and surrounding areas. US and Soviet forces establish contact near Torgau.
4/25/45 Twelfth AF All combat operations are aimed at plugging retreat routes and disrupting transport in N Po Valley and points to the N. MBs hit Adige R crossing at Cavarzere and M/Y at Gorizia, and attack 5 bridges and fills on Brenner line in Austria and N Italy, damaging 2 of the tgts. Ftrs and FBs harass retreating forces in N Po Valley. During 24/25 Apr LBs and night ftrs attack crossings of Adige and Po Rivers and the Canale Bianco, and strike A/Fs at Villafranca di Verona, Udine, and Bergamo, and M/Ys at Brescia and Verona.
4/25/45 Fifteenth AF 467 B-17's and B-24's bomb main M/Y station, and sidings, N and S main M/Ys and freight yard at Linz, the major Austrian traffic center along rail-line running N to Prague, plus Wels M/Y (an alternate) and several T/Os. 119 P-38's and P-51's fly armed rcn over N Italy, a few strafing road traffic. The P- 38's dive-bomb road and rail bridges and rail-lines. P-38's and P-51's fly almost 300 sorties in escort of HBs, P-38 rcn flights, and MATAF B-26 raids.
4/25/45 Tenth AF 16 P-38's attack truck parks, fuel dumps, and supply areas at Hopong and Hotang. 20 other P-38's hit troops at Wan Kinglong and at other points in C Burma battle area. Transports complete 445 sorties to forward areas, landing or dropping 624 tons of supplies.
4/25/45 Fourteenth AF 2 B-24's bomb railroad yards at Hongay. 4 B-25's and 4 P-47's damage bridge and knock out AA position N of Anyang. More than 50 P-47's and P-51's hit river, road, and rail tgts, troops, horses, and buildings in areas around Loning, Hsihhsiassuchi, Linfen, Kuanshuishih, Saiping, Yungcheng, Sichchuan, and Tsingsinghsien.
4/25/45 FEAF B-24's bomb harbor at Saigon, Balete Pass bridges, and Boeloedowang and Basco AFs. B-25's, A- 20's, and ftrs concentrate on Cagayan Valley bridges and spt ground forces around Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvec Cove. Other FEAF spt missions continue in S Luzon from Ipo Dam to New Bosoboso, E of Santa Maria, NE of Siniloan, Anuling, Monte Banahao, near Legaspi, and S of Camalig, and in Monte Mandalagan-Monte Silay area.
4/25/45 Twentieth AF Gen Joseph Smith assumes cmd of XX BC.
4/26/45 Ninth AF HQ IX TAC moves from Marburg/Lahn to Weimar. 125 9th Bomb Div bmrs hit Plattling A/F. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly A/F cover, carry out armed rcn in Germany and Czechoslovakia, drop leaflets, and cooperate with US XII Corps as its forces cross into Austria SE of Passau, and XX Corps as it begins full-scale assault across the Danube at Regensburg. Ftrs claim 19 combat victories.
4/26/45 Twelfth AF During 25/26 Apr XXII TAC aircraft hit M/Ys, A/Fs, motor transport, and other comm tgts, mainly in N Po Valley. MBs complete 1 of 4 missions dispatched (cloud obscures 3 tgts), hitting Chioggia bridge and knocking out a span. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs attack enemy movement throughout afternoon, destroying over 150 motor transport.
4/26/45 Fifteenth AF 107 B-24's bomb motor transport depot at Tarvisio, and M/Ys at Sachsenburg, Lienz, Spittal an der Drau, and Klagenfurt (all T/Os). 117 B-17's and 196 B-24's, also dispatched against tgts in N Italy, abort due to bad weather. 155 ftrs provide escort. 75 P-38's and 102 P-51's fly armed rcn over N Italy.
Of these, 12 P-38's and 48 P-51's strafe T/Os. All of the P-38's dive-bomb rail-lines and road bridges.
16 other P-38's dive-bomb NW part of Alesso. Rcn and rcn escort and supply escort missions by P- 38's and P-51's continue as usual.
4/26/45 Tenth AF 30 P-38's and P-47's attack troop concentrations E of Vian Sing, at Naungtaw, and in Loilem vicinity.
Transports land or drop 553 tons of supplies at forward bases and front-line areas.
4/26/45 Fourteenth AF 2 B-24's bomb docks at Hongay. 10 B-25's and 4 P-47's knock out bridges near Wuchang and N of Taiku and damage bridge near Kaifeng. 80-plus FBs blast troops, horses, road and rail transport, tanks, gun positions, and T/Os at numerous places in S and E China as the campaign against the occupying Japanese intensifies.
4/26/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Shanghai. B-25's hit Heito sugar refinery and nearby T/Os. P-38's on sweep also hit several TOs. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs continue to fly numerous sorties in spt of ground forces in N and S Luzon. B-24's join USMC aircraft in pounding Cebu tgts. Other B-24's hit Miri A/F. B-25's and ftrs hit tgts on Tarakan I.
4/26/45 Twentieth AF 195 B-29's (some escorted by ftrs of VII FC) bomb A/Fs at Usa, Oita, Saeki, Tomitaka, Imabari, Nittagahara, Miyazaki, Kanoya, Kokubu, and Miyakonojo. Other VHBs hit T/Os.
4/26/45 Seventh AF 13 B-24's from Guam bomb Eten I.
4/27/45 Eighth AF By this date the flow of P-51, B-17, and B-24 replacement aircraft has stopped and authorization of 68 planes per bomb gp and 96 per ftr gp is reduced to original 48 and 75, respectively.
4/27/45 Ninth AF Weather grounds 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs fly sweeps, A/F cover, and armed rcn, and attack A/Fs. Other ftrs fly air cover for US XII Corps as 11th Armd Div reaches Czech border N of Bischofsreuth and other elements move further into Austria toward Linz, and spt XX Corps as it receives surrender of Regensburg and expands its Danube bridgehead.
4/27/45 Twelfth AF Bad weather throughout N Italy holds operations to a minimum. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs operate during latter part of afternoon, closely supporting ground forces in battle area N of Po R, hitting guns, vehicles, railroads, train cars, and Bergamo A/F as US 1st Armd Div spearheads the drive to the NW.
4/27/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather cancels HB operations and hampers ftr missions. 8 P-51's and 2 P-38's complete weather rcn missions. Other ftrs sent on rcn escort and armed rcn flights abort.
4/27/45 Tenth AF 37 P-38's and P-47's hit troop concentrations in Wan Pong and Nawng Leng areas. 12 other FBs sweep roads S of the bomb line. Transports complete 408 sorties throughout the day, landing or dropping 618 tons of supplies at forward bases and front-line areas.
4/27/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's and 70-plus FBs attack bridges, positions, villages and town areas, gun emplacements, and river, road, and rail traffic at many points in S and E China chiefly around Fantung.
4/27/45 FEAF B-25's attack Japanese installations at Cabatuan, La-lo, and Garit Norte. A-20's hit towns throughout the area. In S Luzon FBs and A-20's hit tgts E of Manila, in Legaspi area, and at other scattered points. B-24's hit Jesselton A/F and B-25's bomb Tarakan I. During 26/27 Apr B-29's bomb Tansui seaplane base. B-24's bomb Mandai A/F. HBs hit Soerabaja.
4/27/45 Twentieth AF More than 100 B-29's strike A/Fs at Izumi, Miyazaki, Kokubu, Miyakonojo, Kanoya, and Kushira.
4/27/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's bomb Woleai.
4/27/45 Eleventh AF 6 B-24's drop fragmentation bombs on Kataoka naval base. 1 B-24 hits Minami Cape, and another flies a radar-ferret mission.
4/28/45 Ninth AF Weather prevents all Ninth AF combat operations.
4/28/45 Twelfth AF Weather severely curtails operations. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs, flying just over 100 sorties, hit enemy movement in battle area at several points from S of Piacenza to NW of Milan. MBs are grounded.
Partisans apprehend Mussolini who dies before a firing squad on Lake Como.
4/28/45 Fifteenth AF Continued bad weather cancels HB operations and limits ftrs to escort and weather rcn missions.
4/28/45 Tenth AF 8 P-38's attack cav rgt and supplies in Nawhok area. 6 others hit bivouac area near Pawngleng. 22 P- 47's are detailed to strike at troops, arty positions, trucks, elephants, and carts along and behind enemy lines in C Burma. Despite bad weather most of the FBs complete missions. Transports make 441 flights to forward areas, landing or dropping 610 tons of supplies.
4/28/45 Fourteenth AF 10 B-25's bomb Paoching A/F and Shaho railroad yards, knock out bridge near Kaifeng, and damage bridge W of Showyang. About 80 FBs attack troops, A/Fs, storage facilities, railroad tgts, rivercraft, trucks, and enemy positions in S and E China, again concentrating on Fantung area. A B-24 claims a freighter sunk in S China Sea.
4/28/45 FEAF B-25's hit tgts in Itogon area of N Luzon. A-20's attack Itogon mines and start fires among huts at Fabrica. FBs attack Balete Pass, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao, Trinidad, and Cervantes. In S Luzon A-20's and FBs spt ground forces at various points including Batangas sector and hit tgts around Norzagaray, Ipo Dam, Montalban, New Bosoboso, and along San Andres trail. B-24's bomb Toshien and several secondary tgts. Other B-24's hit Kuching while B-25's and P-38's hit Tarakan I and T/Os along Sarawak coast. B-24's over Celebes bomb Masamba, Malimpoeng, and Mandai A/Fs. B-26's sink about 20,000 tons of merchant shipping in Saigon harbor.
4/28/45 Twentieth AF Around 120 B-29's hit A/Fs at Kushira, Kanoya, Miyakonojo, Kokubu, Miyazaki, and Izumi. The VHBs claim a total of 14 downed ftrs.
4/28/45 Seventh AF 12 B-24's from Guam hit Param I during early morning hours. 12 more attack Param during the afternoon.
20 P-47's from Saipan sweep Truk, strafing small vessels and A/Fs at Param and Moen.
4/29/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels operations by 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs fly patrols and A/F cover, hit special tgts, fly armed rcn over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia, and cooperate with XII Corps moving SE between the Danube and the Czech border N of Linz, and with XX Corps as some of its units establish bridgeheads and begin crossing the Isar R in Plattling-Landau an der Isar-Landshut-Passau areas.
4/29/45 Twelfth AF Weather again restricts operations. MBs are grounded. Ftrs and FBs attack retreating forces and comm throughout NE Italy including Thiene A/F and claim over 350 motor transport destroyed. Enemy forces in Italy, cmd by Gen von Vietinghoff surrender unconditionally at Caserta, effective 2 May.
4/29/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather again prevents HB operations. 8 P-51's and P-38's complete weather and photo rcn missions.
39 P-51's fly armed rcn over NE Italy. 5 of the ftrs bomb and 4 strafe various T/Os, claiming 4 motor transports destroyed and a rcn car and 2 parked aircraft damaged.
4/29/45 Tenth AF 5 P-47's attack Laihka A/F. 6 others strafe troops and horses at Tadamo. Transports fly 427 sorties to forward areas, landing or dropping 537 tons of supplies.
4/29/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's and 4 P-47's blast tgts at Talyuan railroad yards. About 50 FBs, operating in forces of 1-4 aircraft, blast numerous T/Os in S and E China, hitting especially the Fantung area.
4/29/45 FEAF In spt of ground forces FBs hit troop concentrations, supply areas, pillboxes, gun positions, vehicles, and other tgts mainly in the Balete Pass, Baguio, and Echague areas. A-20's hit New Bosoboso area, where ftrs a]so spt ground forces concentrating in Ipo Dam area. B-24's pound Kuching A/F while B- 25's bomb Tarakan I. Other B-24's hit Langoan, Mandai, and Mapanget A/Fs. P-38's sweep Indochina and strafe Thu Dau Mot A/F.
4/29/45 Twentieth AF 111 B-29's strike Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Kokubu, Kanoya (2), and Kushira A/Fs. The B-29's claim nearly 30 aircraft shot down.
4/29/45 Seventh AF 20 Saipan-based P-47's sweep Truk, strafing A/Fs, defenses, and gun positions on Moen and Param and hit Param and Falas with rockets. 24 Guam-based B-24's subsequently attack the same A/Fs. 20 B-24's, operating in 2 forces, pound air installations on Marcus.
4/29/45 Eleventh AF 12 B-25's attempting to bomb tgts in the Kurils abort due to weather front. 6 B-24's radar-bomb Kataoka naval base.
4/30/45 International Hitler commits suicide in the bunker of his chancellery.
4/30/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels 9th Bomb Div and XXIX TAC operations. IX TAC flies A/F cover, sweeps, and armed rcn. XIX TAC flies patrols and armed rcn, and cooperates with XII Corps moving SE between the Danube and the Czech border N of Linz and with XX Corps crossing the Isar R at several points in Landau an de r Isar-Land shut area.
4/30/45 Twelfth AF During 29/30 Apr A-20's and A-26's hit motor transport near Lake Como and roads in Trento, San Michele all'Adige, and Bolzano areas. Bad weather grounds MBs. FBs fly armed rcn over N Italy, blasting guns. vehicles, and other T/Os.
4/30/45 Fifteenth AF For fourth consecutive day bad weather cancels HB operations. P-38's fly rcn, escorted by P-51's.
Other P-51's and P-38's escort supply-dropping missions to N Italy and Yugoslavia.
4/30/45 Tenth AF Bad weather cancels scheduled combat strikes. Air supply operations to forward areas continue on a steady basis.
4/30/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-25's and 9 P-47's hit railroad yards at Taiyuan. 50-plus P-47's, P-51's, and P-40's attack troops, defensive positions, bridges, rail tgts, and scattered T/Os in S and E China, concentrating around Laohokow, Hsihhsiassuchi, and Loning.
4/30/45 FEAF B-24's hit Toshien fuel storage and bomb Tainan, Takao, and Okayama A/Fs while B-25's hit Taito.
Escorting P-38's attack numerous T/Os. P-51's bomb Okayama A/F. Numerous missions are flown over Luzon and Negros by B-25's, A-20's, and FBs in spt of ground forces. B-24's attack Davao area.
P-38's hit Tarakan and B-24's bomb Manggar A/F. Other B-24's bomb Malimpoeng A/F.
4/30/45 Twentieth AF 120-plus B-29's hit A/Fs at Tachikawa, Kanoya (2), Kokubu, Oita, Tomitaka, and Saeki, and city of Hamamatsu. 20-plus other B-29's hit alternates and T/Os. The VHBs claim 10 aircraft downed. Ftrs sent from VII FC to provide VLR escort fail to rendezvous.
4/30/45 Seventh AF In a thorough strafing and rocket strike on several islands of Truk Atoll, 20 P-47's from Saipan attack seaplane base, several small vessels, A/F, barracks, radio station, and numerous other tgts. 24 B-24's from Guam pound the A/Fs on Moen and Param. 22 B-24's, operating in 2 waves about 3 hrs apart, bomb air installations on Marcus.
5/1/45 Eighth AF Almost 400 B-17's drop food supplies in The Hague and Rotterdam areas.
5/1/45 Ninth AF 9 A-26's bomb ammo plant at Stod. IX TAC escorts LBs, flies A/F cover, and patrols Leipzig- Schwarzenberg area. XIX TAC flies patrols and armed rcn over E Germany, W Czechoslovakia, and Austria, dive-bombs Berchtesgaden, and operates with US XII Corps which is advancing SE between the Danube and the Czech border and N into Czechoslovakia N of Passau, and with XX Corps whose adv elements speed toward the Inn R at Wasserburg.
5/1/45 Twelfth AF During 30 Apr/1 May A-20's and A-26's bomb T/Os in N Italy. Bad weather during the day cancels MB operations. FBs destroy numerous motor and horse-drawn vehicles in NE Italy. US Fifth Army forces approach Brenner Pass on Austro-ltalian border, while British Eighth Army elements make contact with Yugoslav troops of Marshal Tito near Monfalcone.
5/1/45 Fifteenth AF Despite bad weather 27 B-17's bomb main station M/Y at Salzburg. This is the final Fifteenth AF bombing mission of World War II. P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort missions.
5/1/45 Fourteenth AF During May the Japanese decide to give up their Greater E Asia Corridor and uithdraw from S China.
Fourteenth AF further concentrates its attacks on rail and road movements and river shipping and thus plays a major role in critically reducing the enemy's mobility and supply lines. 2 B-25's and 16 P-51's knock out bridges near Taiku and Kiehsiu and hit AA positions and locomotives near the bridges, blast gun emplacements in Loning area, and hit several locomotives, near Shihkiachwang. Gen VVedemeyer selects Gen Stratemeyer to cmd AAF China Theater, with both Tenth and Fourteenth AFs under his cmd.
5/1/45 FEAF B-25's hit Heito sugar refinery and town of Kagi. FEAF continues to spt ground forces on Luzon and Negros. B-24's spt Australian landings on Tarakan I and bomb Tawau. B-25's attack Jesselton, Tarakan, Sandakan, and Kudat, concentrating on A/Fs.
5/1/45 Seventh AF 16 Guam-based B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus while 10 hit air installations on Param. During the night 9 more, flying individual snooper strikes, hit A/Fs on Param and Moen.
5/1/45 Eleventh AF 1 B-24 flies weather rcn over the Kurils.
5/2/45 Eighth AF Almost 400 B-17's drop food supplies in populated areas in the Netherlands, mostly at Schiphol and Alkmaar A/Fs, Vogelenzang, Hilversum, and Utrecht.
5/2/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels 9th Bomb Div operations. Ftrs fly A/F cover, defensive-freelance patrols, sweep over Dessau area, and patrol Straubing-Ingolstadt area and US Third Army front in Austria and Czechoslovakia. Soviet forces are in complete cmd of Berlin.
5/2/45 Twelfth AF Bad weather continues. MBs are grounded while XXII TAC flies uneventful armed rcn in NE Italy.
5/2/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to 1 weather rcn mission. " 5/2/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-24's mine areas of Yangtze R. 20-plus B-25's and about 130 FBs attack comm tgts and supply lines and hit a large variety of T /Os throughout S and E China as the air campaign accelerates with aim of disrupting imminent withdrawal of Japanese and abandonment of their Greater E Asia Corridor.
5/2/45 FEAF B-24's and P-51's pound troops near Ipo Dam while B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs hit Cagayan Valley tgts.
FEAF strikes in spt of ground forces continue on Luzon and on Cebu I. B-25's continue spt for Australian troops on Tarakan I and, in conjunction with Navy airplanes, bomb Kudat A/F.
5/2/45 Seventh AF 12 Iwo-based P-51's strike radio station on Chichi Jima. 12 B-24's from Guam pound Param A/F while 21, flying in 2 forces, hit A/Fs and gun positions on Marcus. During 2/3 May 9 more HBs make individual harassment bombings on Param, Moen, and Tol I.
5/3/45 Eighth AF 390-plus B-17's drop food supplies at Schiphol and Alkmnar A/Fs, and near Vogelenzang, Hilversum, and Utrecht.
5/3/45 Ninth AF 132 A-26's (on final 9th Bomb Div raid) bomb Stod ammo plant. IX TAC escorts 9th Bomb Div and C- 47's and flies A/F cover. XIX TAC patrols US Third Army front, flies armed rcn over Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia in frontline areas and around Kiel and Lubeck, and escorts 9th Bomb Div. XXIX TAC escorts C47's, flies sweeps, and hits shipping in Kiel-Lubeck area.
5/3/45 Twelfth AF To assure that the enemy implements surrender terms and to observe road activity, ftrs fly rcn missions over N Italy and SW Austria. MBs drop leaflets in several areas where enemy troops might be unaware of the surrender.
5/3/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather again restricts operations to rcn and rcn escort missions by 20 P-38's and escort of MATAF B-25 leaflet dropping mission in N Italy.
5/3/45 Tenth AF With the fall of Rangoon on this date (Indian 26th Div elements occupy the city), the war against the Japanese in Burma is successfully concluded. Pockets of resistance remain W of the Irrawaddy and between that river and the Mandalay-Pegu railway. However, during May AAF operations are reduced drastically due to lack of suitable air tgts and because of the onset of bad weather preceding the monsoon.
Tenth AF is withdrawn from combat and moved back to India (see 15 May 45). 1 sq of P-38's remains in Burma to patrol the roads leading into China.
5/3/45 Fourteenth AF 9 B-25's and 6 FBs attack truck convoys in Hsiang Valley and near Paoching, Changsha, and Hengyang, and pound railroad T'Os and bridges in Taiku, Singtai, and Linfen areas. 90-plus FBs attack troops, town areas, ammo dumps, river shipping and other T/Os over wide areas of S and E China. " 5/3/45 FEAF Saigon is bombed by B-24's, which greatly damage a boatyard and oil storage areas. On Luzon B- 24's and P-51's pound Ipo area while A-20's and ftrs spt ground forces. B-25's continue spt of ground forces on Tarakan and, with B-24's, carry out small raids against numerout tgts on Borneo and Celebes. Manggar A/F is heavily hit by B-24's. P-38's and Navy airplanes hit warehouses in Brunei Bay area. " 5/3/45 Twentieth AF 68 B-29's bomb A/Fs at Tachiarai, Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Kanoya (2), and Kokubu. 88 other B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait and Inland Sea. 10 ftrs are claimed destroyed by B-29's on the Tachiarai mission.
5/3/45 Seventh AF 10 Guam-based 1324's bomb A/Fs and T/Os on several islands of Truk Atoll. During 3/4 May 8 more separately strike Param, Eten, Moen, and Truk A/Fs. " 5/4/45 Ninth AF No bmr operations. IX TAC flies patrols and armed rcn, XIX TAC flies patrols and armed rcn and operates in concert with XII Corps assault on Linz, and with XX Corps which crosses the Inn R and pushes E and SE. XXIX TAC sweeps Dessau and Wittenberg areas and attacks shipping in Kiel and Flensburg areas. German forces in the Netherlands, NW Germany and Denmark surrender.
5/4/45 Twelfth AF XXII TAC continues flying visual rcn during night and day in N Italy. US 85th Inf Div reaches Austrian border near San Candido and pushes on to Brenner Pass at Vipiteno without opposition.
5/4/45 Fifteenth AF No offensive operations. Activity is limited to rcn missions (with escort), escort of MATAF leaflet drops in N Italy, and escort of C-47's on supply dropping missions to Yugoslavia.
5/4/45 Fourteenth AF 12 B-25's and 180-plus FBs, mostly operating in flights of 2 to 4 aircraft, attack tc,wn areas, storage, troops, horses, trucks, river shipping, A/Fs, and many other T/Os scattered over vast expanse of S and E China.
5/4/45 FEAF B-25's bomb Tuguegarao area while other B-25's, A-20's, and FBs, in spite of bad weather, spt ground forces in N and S Luzon and on Negros. P-38's pound Itu Aba I. B-24's heavily damage oil insta llations at Saigon. B-25's and P-38's spt ground forces on Tarakan I and B-24's hit Sandakan and Kota Baru and bomb Mandai and Masarnba A/Fs.
5/4/45 Twentieth AF 47 B-29's attack A/Fs at Oita, Omura, Saeki, and Matsuyama.
5/4/45 Seventh AF 22 B-24's from Angaur bomb AA positions on Koror. 11 from Guam hit A/F on Marcus.
5/4/45 Eleventh AF Gen Isaiah Davies replaces Gen Johnson as CG Eleventh AF on an interim basis.
5/5/45 Eighth AF About 400 B-17's drop food at Schiphol and Alkrraar A/Fs, Vogelenzang, Hilversum, and Utrecht, in the third food mission to these locations.
5/5/45 Ninth AF No Ninth AF operations except tac and photo rcn in forward areas.
5/5/45 Twelfth AF XXII TAC ftrs continue rcn flights over N Italy, SW Austria, and as far N as Munich. Ftrs destroy numerous aircraft at A/F SE of Munich.
5/5/45 Fifteenth AF 14 P-51's escort MATAF C-47's on supply-dropping missions over Yugoslavia.
5/5/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's knock out bridge at Singtai and hit railroad traffic in Sinsiang area. 5 B-25's hit railroad cars and other T/Os at Kaifeng, Hsihhsiassuchi, and in Tungkuan and Luan areas. 76 FBs, operating in flights of 2-4 aircraft, attack variety of T/Os throughout S and E China.
5/5/45 FEAF In first FEAF strike on Amoy area, B-24's bomb A/F and oil storage plant. B-24's bomb Shinchiku A/F while B-25's and FBs hit Taito sugar refinery, Shoka railroad yards, and Giran and Matsuyama A/Fs.
A-20's and FBs continue to hit Cagayan Valley tgts and spt ground forces at various Luzon locations.
B-25's and P-38's spt Australian forces on Tarakan I. On Borneo P-38's hit Miri waterfront on W coast and Keningau A/F in the N. B-24's bomb Kuching waterfront on W coast.
5/5/45 Twentieth AF 45 B-29's bomb A/Fs at Oita, Tachiarai, Kanoya, and Chiran; 148 (including B-29's of 58th Bomb Wg flying their first attack of Japan from Tinian) hit navy aircraft factory and arsenal at Kure, and 86 drop mines in Tokyo Bay, Ise Bay, and at points in the Inland Sea. The B-29's claim 11 ftrs downed.
5/5/45 Seventh AF 12 Angaur-based B-24's bomb Koror.
5/5/45 Eleventh AF 1 B-24 flies weather mission over the Kurils.
5/6/45 Eighth AF Around 380 B-17's drop food supplies at Schiphol and Alkmaar A/Fs, Vogelenzang, Hilversum, and Utrecht.
5/6/45 Ninth AF No operations by 9th Bomb Div and IX and XIX TACs. XXIX TAC flies demonstration mission in Klotze area.
5/6/45 Twelfth AF Gen Israel takes cmd of XXII TAC. Ftrs fly rcn over French and Italian Alps.
5/6/45 Fifteenth AF 9 P-38's escort Balkan AF supply-dropping missions to Yugoslavia.
5/6/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's and 4 P-51's knock out bridge at Hsihhsiassuchi. 111 FBs, operating in flights of 2 to 4 aircraft, attack numerous T /Os throughout S and E China.
5/6/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Matsuyama A/F and secondary nearby tgts and later bomb Toshien, Toko, and Kiirun. B- 25's pound town of Mato. A-20's and FBs fly numerous attack sorties in spt of ground forces in N and S Luzon. FBs fly spt missions over Panay I. B-24's bomb Kudat and Keningau A/Fs. P-38's hit Ranau and Labuan airstrips while B-25's spt Australian troops at Tarakan I. B-24's bomb Limboeng A/F. B- 25's over Indochina bomb Dong Hoi warehouses.
5/6/45 Seventh AF 18 P-47's from Saipan sweep Truk Atoll, strafing A/F on Moen, seaplane base at Dublon, and shipping off Param, off Moen, and between Dublon and Fefan.
5/7/45 International German High Command surrenders unconditionally all land, sea, and air forces at Reims effective 9 May.
5/7/45 Eighth AF 220-plus B-17's drop food near Schiphol A/F, Vogelenzang, Hilversum, and Utrecht.
5/7/45 Ninth AF XIX TAC flies sweeps over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia and carries out demonstration flights over PW camps.
5/7/45 Twelfth AF P-47's fly rcn over Austrian Alps.
5/7/45 Fifteenth AF 13 P-51's escort 3 Balkan AF supply dropping missions to Yugoslavia. " 5/7/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's and 4 P-47's knock out bridge N of Singtai. 3 B-24's attack Yellow R T/Os, damaging at least 1 bridge. 131 FBs again hit various T,'Os throughout S and E China, concentrating on railroad tgts. " 5/7/45 FEAF B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit tgts in Cagayan Valley and spt ground action in Cervantes area, Balete Pass and N of Laguna de Bay. P-38's hit Bintula, Kudat, and Ranau while B-25's, and P-38's hit gun positions and HQ on Tarakan I. B-24's bomb Bingkalapa A/F and harbor at Soerabaja. B-25's hit railroad tgts between Cap Batangan and Cap Varella.
5/7/45 Twentieth AF 41 B-29's bomb A/Fs at Usa, Oita, Ibusuki, and Kanoya. 34 aircraf t are claimed destroyed by B-29's during Usa and Oita missions.
5/7/45 Seventh AF 16 Saipan-based P-47's strafe radio station, A/F installations, and gun positions on Moen and Falas.
11 Guam-based B-24's pound runways on Marcus.
5/8/45 Ninth AF IX and XIX TACs patrol Leipzig, Chemnitz, Adorf and Linz areas, and fly sweeps and clemonstration missions.
5/8/45 Twelfth AF Transports carry out evacuation and supply missions in S Europe.
5/8/45 Fifteenth AF All Fifteenth AF aircraf t stand down on V-E -Day. Fifteenth AF offensive operations end. Subsequent operations involve transport, supply, try, and movement flights.
5/8/45 Fourteenth AF 13 B-25's knock out bridge at Do Cam and damage others at Do Len, over the Song Chu R, and N of Kaifeng. A single B-24 damages bridges at Huto. 20 P-51's pound rail and road traffic along Indochina coast while 12 P-51's and P-38's hit T/Os in several cities. About 100 FBs over wide areas of S and E China continue to hit numerous T/Os, concentrating on shipping and dock area at Taku.
5/8/45 FEAF P-38's hit Jesselton, Sengkawang, and Kudat A/Fs while B-25's bomb Kuching and Labuan A/F areas.
B-24's, B-25's, and Fbs continue to pound Cagayan Valley. B-24's hit Davao while P-38's hit Labugan A/F area. Other B-24's bomb Mandai A/F. B-25's bomb railway installations between Phan Rang and Binh Dinh.
5/8/45 Twentieth AF 40 B-29's hit A/Fs at Kanoya, Miyakonojo, Oita, and Matsuyama.
5/8/45 Seventh AF 12 Guam-based 1324's bomb A/F on Marcus. 12 others from Guam pound runway on Param I.
5/8/45 VII FC P-51's from Iwo Jima fly 94 effective sorties in strike against Kisarazu A/F.
5/9/45 Eighth AF 453d Bomb Gp, first bomb gp to be redeployed after cessation of hostilities, begins departure from Old Buckenham to US. It is only bomb gp departing by ship. " 5/9/45 Ninth AF XIX TAC patrols Linz-Klatovy areas and carries out further demonstration flights.
5/9/45 Twelfth AF With combat operations in S Europe at an end, transport aircraft continue supply and evacuation missions.
5/9/45 Fourteenth AF 14 B-24's, 14 B-25's, and 26 P-51's blast Paoching and various nearby T/Os. Some of the FBs also attack T/Os W of Hengyang. 4 P-51's pound boxcars, locomotives, and other railroad tgts from Tourane to Hue.
5/9/45 FEAF B-24's bomb 2 A/Fs in Canton area. A-20's and ftrs fly offensive sweeps over Cagayan Valley and spt ground forces in the Cervantes Baguio-Balete Pass area and the Ipo-New Bosoboso-Infanta area. B- 24's bomb area around Dalirig and MaluLo preparatory to allied landings in Macajalar Bay area on 10 May. P-38's over Borneo hit Brooketon, Sarawak and Tarakan I. " 5/9/45 Seventh AF 14 P-47's from Saipan sweep Truk. 29 B-24's from Guam, operating in 3 forces over a 6-hr period, bomb A/Fs, barracks, and T/Os on Param and Moen Is. " 5/9/45 Eleventh AF Radar discloses considerable shipping between Paramushiru and Shimushu. Thus, 12 B-24's take off and radar-bomb through overcast. Another B-24 flies a radar-ferreting sortie over Paramushiru and Shimushu.
5/10/45 Eighth AF Effective this date, Gen Doolittle, CG, is relieved of duty in ETO and assigned to HQ AAF, Washington.
He is relieved by Gen Kepner.
5/10/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div is redesignated 9th Air Div. No operations for TACs and 9th Air Div.
5/10/45 Fourteenth AF 19 B-25's and 4 P-47's attack bridges at Fengstun and Pinyang, on the Song Chu R, and N of Singtai ( Pinyang tgt is destroyed), hit Yungfengshih and Chingshuping, and bomb A/F at Paoching. 100-120 FBs pounding T/Os over S and E China, disrupt enemy movement and supply lines.
5/10/45 FEAF B-24's bomb A/F in Canton area. A-20's and FBs hit Cagayan Valley tgts and spt ground action in battle zones throughout Luzon. B-24's hit Impasugong, Kalasungay, and Malaybalay and B-25's in spt of ground forces attack Kibawe and Tagolaan. B-24's bomb Makassar ship basins, shore tgts at Balikpapan on Borneo, and Limboeng A/F on Celebes. B-25's, with ftr escort, hit Kari and comm T/Os on Formosa.
5/10/45 Twentieth AF 42 B-29's hit A/Fs at Matsuyama, Usa, Miyazaki, and Kanoya. 302 others bomb Tokuyama naval fuel station and coal yards, Otake oil refinery, and Amami-O-Shima naval oil storage facilities. B-29's claim 10 aircraft destroyed.
5/10/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus in the morning. During afternoon 19 B-24's flying in 2 forces, hit A/Fs on Param and Moen.
5/10/45 Eleventh AF The Eleventh and Fleet Air Wing Four execute the heaviest and most successful joint mission to date.
12 B-24's bomb shipping tgts at Kataoka naval base, and fly photo rcn over E and W Paramushiru on return trip. Next, 16 Attu-based B-25's take off. 1 aborts while the others hit shipping between Kashiwabara and Kataoka. Heavy AA fire claims 1 B-25. A B-24 and a B-25 forceland in the USSR.
5/11/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-25's and 4 P-47's knock out Chungmow bridge and damage bridge at Sincheng. 2 B-25's bomb truck convoys in Paoching, Hengyang, and Changsha areas. 60-plus FBs hit troops, arty positions, comm tgts, and general T/Os in S and E China, concentrating on Yangchi and Fantung areas.
5/11/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Toshien A/F and towns of Koshun, Kato, Takao, Toko, and Shajo. B-25's pound Kagi. B- 25's, A-20's, and Fbs continue to spt ground action near Paranum and in Ipo Dam sector. B-24's bomb A/F at Keningau and B-25's bomb Brunei Bay area. B-24's hit Mandai and Boeloedowang A/Fs.
5/11/45 Twentieth AF About 50 B-29's attack A/Fs at Oita, Saeki, Nittagahara, Miyazaki, and Miyakonojo. 92 others bomb Kawanishi aircraft plant at Kobe. B-29's claim 9 ftrs downed on Kobe mission. Missions against Japanese A/Fs terminate air campaign, begun on 17 Apr, during which Twentieth AF has devoted major effort toward hitting sources of Kamikaze raids against US Navy and Marine forces in the Battle of Okinawa.
5/11/45 Seventh AF 14 P-51's from Iwo Jima strafe and bomb radio station at Chichi Jima. 10 Guam-based B-24's hit A/F on Param, while 13 pound Marcus I runways.
5/12/45 Ninth AF XIX TAC flies demonstration missions.
5/12/45 Twelfth AF Large-scale redeployment of Twelfth AF units officially begins (although first large movement to ZI has earlier taken place on 12 Jan 45, followed by redeployment of various units to all the theaters). On 12 May the Twelfth has 198 units assigned and 8 attached. By the end of May, 17 assigned units will be redeployed from the theater, 43 assigned serv units disbanded (and personnel used to form 21 new serv units), 9 assigned units transferred to other HQ in the theater, and 1 attached unit released leaving 150 assigned and 7 attached units intact.
5/12/45 Fourteenth AF 17 B-25's and 8 P-51's bomb barracks and storage area at Loyang and hit railroad tgts around Sinsiang and Sinyang, from Hankow to Sinyang, from Chenghsien to Szeshui, from Kioshan to Lohochai, and between Hengshan and Yoyang and knock out bridge N of Hengyang. 150-plus FBs again hit scattered tgts in S and E China, concentrating on road, rail, and river traffic and supply lines.
5/12/45 FEAF A-20's and FBs spt ground forces on Luzon and Negros. B-24's pound several railroad and road bridges at Binh Dinh, Phu My, Bong Son, Lai Ha, Tuy Hoa, and Phu Hiep and attack railroad yard at An Trach and other railroad tgts. B-24's, B-25's, and P-38's hit tgts in Brunei Bay area including Labuan, Brooketon, and Jesselton A/Fs and troops on Tarakan I. B-24's bomb Makassar shipyards and Limboeng A/F.
5/12/45 Seventh AF 9 Guam-based B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus while 12 more hit A/F on Param.
5/13/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-24's lay mines in Yangtze R. 10 B-25's and 5 ftrs knock out bridges at Hankow and Hengyang but fail to hit bridge N of Siaokan. 130-plus FBs over areas of S and E China attack troops, bridges, rail traffic, town areas, and other T/Os and generally disrupt Japanese movement and comm.
5/13/45 FEAF B-24's again pound bridges along Indochina coast. Bmrs and ftrs pound Cagayan Valley tgts and continue spt of ground forces on Luzon. B-24's hit troop concentrations and caves in Bugnay area. Other B-24's bomb Oelin and Tabanio A/Fs while B-25's and P-38's bomb Sandakan and spt ground forces on Tarakan I.
5/13/45 Twentieth AF During 13/14 May 12 B-29's drop mines in Shimonoseki Strait.
5/13/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam bomb underground hangar on Moen. 9 other HBs strike A/F on Marcus.
5/14/45 Fourteenth AF B-24's mine the Yangtze R. 15 B-25's and 6 FBs hit river shipping near Hengshan and pound bridges and other railroad tgts around Chushihtien, Sinyang, Kioshan, Kuanshuishih, Hengyang, Chuchou, Changsha, Yoyang, Sintien, Hsuchang, Saiping, and Hengshan. 120-plus FBs over S and E China hit numerous T/Os at several locations concentrating on Liping and Tungkow areas.
5/14/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Hozan (largest military and air supply center on Formosa). A-20's and FBs spt ground forces on Luzon and Negros. B-24's attack Jesselton and Sepinggang A/Fs. B-25s hit Jesselton, Kudat, and Bintula A/Fs and spt ground forces on Tarakan I. B-24's lightly raid Makassar harbor, Sidate A/F, and Parepare warehouses and bomb Bima A/F on Soembawa.
5/14/45 Twentieth AF 472 B-29's blast urban area of N Nagoya. 11 VHBs are lost. About 20 enemy ftrs are downed. This is the XXI BC's first 4-wg raid as VHBs of the 58th Bomb Wg join bmrs from the 73d, 313th, and 314th Wgs in a single mission.
5/15/45 Tenth AF Tenth AF moves from Myitkyina to Piardoba.
5/15/45 Fourteenth AF A single B-24, supported by 2 P-51's, seriously damages 3 bridges near Singtai and Linmingkuan. 20 B-25's, some with ftr escort, bomb bridges, barracks, troops, horses, road and railroad tgts, and general T/Os around Sinyang, Yoyang, Changsha, Hsuchang, Chenghsien, Sichuan, Pinyang, Tsinkong, Luchou, Kweiping, Tanchuk, Laohokow, Siangyang, Nanying, Paoching, and Hengyang. 150 FBs over S and E China attack a variety of tgts chiefly road, rail, and river traffic, troops, and bridges, at many scattered locations. Liping and Tungkow areas are again well covered.
5/15/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Shinchiku. Other B-24's and B-25's hit Miri and Kudat A/Fs and spt ground forces on Tarakan I. P-38's pound troop concentrations and gun positions on Mount Mandalagan.
5/15/45 Eleventh AF 13 B-24's bomb Kashiwabara-Kataoka area, claiming one ship destroyed, and a direct hit on another, and investigate radar activities. Low fog limits observation of other results. AA fire damages 2 B-24's, 1 of which forcelands in USSR.
5/16/45 Fourteenth AF B-24's continue to lay mines in Yangtze R. 33 B-25's and 16 P-47's and P-51's attack railroad tgts, barracks, HQ, bridges, town areas, river shipping, and T/Os at or near Kaifeng, Sinyang, Chungsiang, Chienyangi, Ichang, Chingmen, Yanglowtung, Kiyang, Loyang, Szeshui, Hsihhsiassuehi, Shanhsien, Neihsiang, Liuehou, Kweiping, Nanyo, Shihlipu, Hojung, Mingkiang, and Kioshan. 100-plus FBs attack river, road, and rail traffic, troops, gun positions, and generally harass Japanese movement and supply lines in S and E China hitting especially T/Os in Yangehi.
5/16/45 FEAF Nearly 100 P-38's pound tgts in Ipo Dam area with napalm. B-24's hit Manggar, Tondano, and Balikpapan while B-25's and P-38's hit Miri, Brooketon, Bintula' Ft Brook, and a flak ship near Labuan I. P-38's also spt ground forces on Tarakan I. B-24's bomb Taichu and B-25's hit alcohol plants and railroad yards.
5/16/45 Twentieth AF 25 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait and Maizuru and Miyazu harbors.
5/16/45 Seventh AF 13 Guam-based B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus. 11 others sent against Mareus abort because of bad weather.
5/17/45 Fourteenth AF 16 B-25's and about 100 ftrs continue to disrupt comm and supply lines and hinder enemy withdrawal from numerous locations of S and E China, pounding town areas, troop concentrations, storage areas, river, road, and rail traffic and general T/Os.
5/17/45 FEAF During sweeps over Formosa, B-25's and P-51's cause widespread damage hitting railroad yards, bridges, and alcohol plants. B-24's bomb A/Fs at Nanseiho and Matsuyama. Ftrs fly 130-plus sorties against Ipo Dam area. B-24's bomb Sepinggang, Manggar, and Sidate A/Fs.
5/17/45 Twentieth AF Between 0300 and 0600, 457 B-29's pound urban area of S Nagoya. 11 others hit T/Os.
5/17/45 Seventh AF Ftrs from Iwo Jima fly 41 effective strike sorties against Atsugi. Pilots claim 10 parked aircraft destroyed. During 17/18 May 2 P-47's of 318th Gp, presently arriving on Ie Shima (between 13-19 May), fly heckling mission over Kyushu the first such Seventh AF mission against Japan.
5/18/45 Eighth AF Troop Movement Section is organized at HQ Eighth AF under Director of Operations. It is to be the control unit over all redeployment activities.
5/18/45 Fourteenth AF 9 B-25's blast Siangtan supply areas. 8 B-25's, supported by 7 P-51's, hit railroad tgts and other T/Os around Sinyang, Kiaotow, Sintsiang, and Chenghsien. About 75 FBs and rcn airplanes continue harassment of enemy movement and supply lines throughout S and E China, escort of C-47 transports, and surveillance of enemy forces.
5/18/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Taichu and Tainan A/Fs. B-25's and FBs sweep Formosa hitting numerous tgts. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs spt ground forces in N Luzon and pound concentrations in S Luzon. FBs also spt ground forces on Negros. B-24's and B-25's hit Ft Brook and Sarawak while B-24's and P-38's attack defenses on Tarakan I.
5/18/45 Twentieth AF Adv air echelon of 509th Comp Gp arrives at North Field on Tinian. The 509th is scheduled to deliver atomic bomb attacks on Japan. Its CO is Col Paul W Tibbets Jr, a pilot with a distinguished record in the 97th Bomb Gp (H) in Europe and N Africa. During 18/19 May, 30 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait and Tsuruga Harbor.
5/18/45 Seventh AF 8 P-47's from Ie Shima make bombing, strafing, and rocket attacks on radar and ground installations on Kume Jima in Amami Gunto. Other P-47's fly heckler strikes against Kyushu during 18/19 May.
5/18/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-24's bomb naval, harbor, and A/F tgts in Kataoka. Another B-24 searches for enemy radar along the Kuril Is.
5/19/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's blast Kaifeng warehouse area, destroying at least 5 warehouses, while another hits nearby railroad tracks. Another B-25 bombs town of Shanhsien. About 90 FBs attack river, road, and rail shipping, troops, supplies and general T/Os, continuing the disruption of troop movement and withdrawal in S and E China.
5/19/45 FEAF B-24's pound Kiirun harbor. B-25's sweep W Formosa coast, hitting several tgts including Toyohara, Nisui, and along the Ts'eng-Wen R, hitting railroad yard, storage facilities, and damaging alcohol plant on the Ts'eng Wen. Ftrs sweep Giran, Tainan, and Heito areas. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs spt ground forces throughout Luzon, concentrating in Ipo Dam area. P-38's spt ground action on Cebu. B-24's bomb Oelin A/F and, along with P-38's, attack tgts on Tarakan I.
5/19/45 Twentieth AF 272 B-29's bomb city of Hamamatsu.
5/19/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's try to bomb Minami Cape radar installation and cannery on the Naka R. Only one gets near tgts and bombs and strafes the area, while intense AA fire and enemy ftrs drive off the rest and down 1 B-25. Another is missing and a third reaches Petropavlovsk.
5/20/45 Fourteenth AF 55 P-51's and P-40's pound truck concentrations, f uel dumps, gun positions, supply areas, troops, bridges, railroad, and river traffic, and various T/Os around Liping, Yangchi, Siangtan, Yoyang, Yungfengshih, Paoching, Taohwap ing, Hengyang, Tungkow, and Changsha.
5/20/45 FEAF Despite bad weather B-25's over Formosa bomb various comm tgts and alcohol plant at Meiji. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs pound Cagayan Valley tgts. B-24's bomb Piso Pt, and FBs spt ground action in Bukidnon area. P-38's hit Sandakan, Keningau, and Tarakan I. B-25's hit shipping at Balikpapan harbor and nearby barracks area and sawmill.
5/20/45 Twentieth AF During 20/21 May, 30 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait, Maizuru harbor, and He-Saki anchorage.
5/20/45 Seventh AF 16 Saipan-based P-47's strafe A/Fs on Moen and Eten and seaplane base and barges of Dublon. 10 Guam-based B-24's hit air operations building on Marcus. 9 P-47's from Ie Shima hit hangar and 2 boats at Fukue-Shima. 32 others hit A/Fs, railroads, buildings, and radar facilities on Kyushu.
5/21/45 Fourteenth AF 8 B-25's bomb bridge approach N of Hankow, 1 damages railroad track between Changsha and Kweiyi, and 2 score near misses on bridge at Kuanhsuishih. 3 B-25's and 6 P-51's damage br idge at Chihsien and hit railroad T/Os in Anyang area. 50-plus FBs on armed r cn continue attacks against river, road, and rail traffic, positions, troops, bridges, and numerous other tgts in S and E China.
5/21/45 FEAF B-25's blast numerous tgts in Cagayan valley while A-20's and P-51's spt ground forces in NW Luzon sectors. P-38's napalm-bomb Ipo Dam and Marikina R sectors and hit positions throughout Negros T.
B-24's hit Brunei, Melak airstrip, Samarinda shipyards, and troop concentrations on Tarakan I. P-38's strafe railroad rolling stock in Saigon area.
5/21/45 Seventh AF P-47's fly heckler strikes against Kyushu during 21/22 May.
5/22/45 Fourteenth AF 15 B-25's and 7 FBs knock out rail bridge at HeiShih Kuan, damage bridge approach at Hwayuan, and hit a variety of tgts S of Kuo-lueh-chen. 10 P-51's drop napalm on trucks, barracks, storage, trains, and town areas at Sinyang, and Shanyangchen. 45 other FBs and photo rcn airplanes attack railroad tgts, bridges, troops, and other tgts at several S and E China points and survey enemy movements.
5/22/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Toshien and Okayama while B-25's hit oil plant W of Kagi and several T/Os. B-25's, A- 20's, and FBs attack Santa Fe, Fula, and Casambalangan areas in the N part of Luzon and spt ground forces in Ipo Dam and Marikina areas in the S. HBs, Mbs, and FBs attack Jesselton, Kudat, Bintula, and Tarakan I.
5/22/45 Twentieth AF During 22/23 May, 30 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait and approaches.
5/23/45 Ninth AF Gen Weyland assumes cmd of Ninth AF. Gen Sanders becomes CG XIX TAC. XIX TAC flies navigational patrol to Gmunden, Liezen, Radstadt, and Innsbruck.
5/23/45 Fourteenth AF 14 B-25's and 6 P-51's attack bridge and gun positions N and S of Hwayuan, knock out bridge and hit boxcars at (Chungmow, damage bridge N of Lohochai, damage bridge and nearby gun positions at Kuanshuishih, and pound truck convoys around Paoching, Hengyang, and Changsha. 30-plus FBs hit various T/Os around Liping, Yoyang, Changsha, Hengyang, Luntangpu, Chingmen, Shasi, and Ichang.
5/23/45 FEAF A-20's and B-25's hit Cagayan Valley and Balete Pass tgts. P-51's spt ground forces in Baguio area and P-38's hit Ipo-Antipolo areas. Tawau, Bintula, Samarinda, and Miri are hit by HBs, Ft Brook and Weston by MBs, and Tarakan I by FBs.
5/23/45 Twentieth AF During 23/24 May, 520 out of 562 B-29's sent against Tokyo bomb an urban-industrial area S of the Imperial Palace along W side of the harbor. 5 others hit T/Os. 17 B-29's are lost. This is the largest number of B-29's participating in a single mission during World War II.
5/23/45 Seventh AF 32 P-47's from Saipan strafe Moen A/Fs and boats off Tol, buildings on Tarik, and seaplane base, buildings, and small boats at Dublon.
5/23/45 Eleventh AF 7 B-24's radar-bomb Kataoka naval base area while another flies a radar-ferret mission in the same area.
5/24/45 Ninth AF Gen Sanders becomes CG 9th Air Div.
5/24/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's knock out railroad bridge N of Anyang. 30-plus FBs attack railroad tgts, truck convoys, bridges, and other T/Os around Anyang, Sichuan, Kuolueh-chen, Kuantaokou, Luntangpu, Tioupo T,anhokow, Sinsiang, Nanyang, Kiehsiu, Linfen, Taiyuan, Puchou, and Yutze.
5/24/45 FEAF B-24's pound Cagayan Valley tgts including Aparri. B-25's, A-20's, and P-51's hit numerous tgts throughout the Valley and in NW and S Luzon, including Vira, Callang, Santa Cruz, Baguio, Balete Pass, Ipo, and Antipolo areas. FBs also spt ground forces on Negros. B-24's, B-25's, and P-38's attack Ft Brook, Bintula, Tawau, Beaufort, Jesselton, along the Lawas R, and Malinau.
5/24/45 Twentieth AF During 24/25 May, 25 B-29's lay mines in Shimonoseki Strait and at Niigata, Nanao, and Fushiki.
5/24/45 Seventh AF 26 Guam-based B-24's pound A/F and surrounding area on Marcus. P-47's fly heckler strikes against Kyushu during 24/25 May.
5/24/45 VII FC 120 Iwo Jima-based ftrs dispatched against Matsudo and Tokorozawa abort because of weather.
5/25/45 JCS JCS approve directive for Operation OLYMPIC, the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands, scheduled for 1 Nov 45.
5/25/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's and 2 P-51's knock out a bridge N of Kioshan, damage another N of Changtuikuan, and pound railroad tgts around Sinyang, Saiping, Sinantien, Hsuchang, and Chenghsien. 16 FBs on armed rcn hit various T/Os in Anyang, Hantan, Chenghsien, Kaifeng, Linfen, Shihkiachwang, Sinsiang, Miyanghsien, Nanyang, Tenghsien, Loning, Sichuan, and Hsuchang areas.
5/25/45 FEAF B-25's, A-20's, and FBs fly numerous strikes and ground spt missions. FBs also spt ground forces on Cebu I. B-24's bomb Oelin, Ft Brook, and Tarakan I while B-25's and P-38's hit Kudat. P-38's also spt ground action on Tarakan.
5/25/45 Twentieth AF During 25/26 May, 464 B-29's pound urban area of Tokyo immediately S of the Imperial Palace just N of that bombed on 23/24 May, including financial, commercial, and governmental districts as well as factories and homes. 26 B-29's are lost on this mission, the highest single-day loss of VHBs in World War II. US gunners claim 19 ftrs destroyed.
5/25/45 VII FC By concurrence of CINCPOA, VII FC, with its subordinate units, is assigned to operational and administrative control of Twentieth AF. Iwo Jima-based ftrs fly 73 effective strike sorties against Matsudo and Tokorozawa.
5/25/45 Eleventh AF 2 B-24's fly a radar ferret mission over Matsuwa and bomb Tagan Cape area. Another B-24 flies armed weather rcn.
5/26/45 Twelfth AF Gen Myers assumes cmd of Twelfth AF.
5/26/45 Fifteenth AF Gen Mollison assumes cmd of Fifteenth AF.
5/26/45 Fourteenth AF 12 B-25's and 6 P-51's damage 2 bridges N of Hankow. 4 B-25's hit railroad tgts around Lohochai and between Kinkiang and Kioshan. 3 B-25's attack truck convoys in Siangtan and Paoching areas and along Paoching-HengyangChangsha highway. 80-plus FBs over several areas in S and E China continue to harass Japanese movements, attacking troops and positions and hitting rail and road traffic.
Japanese . complete withdrawal from Yungning, severing land connection with Indochina. Chinese retake Nanning.
5/26/45 FEAF B-25's and P-38's sweep W part of Formosa causing extensive damage to a variety of comm and industrial tgts. A-20's and FBs pound numerous Luzon tgts, particularly in Balete Pass area. B-24's bomb Tuguegarao and Echague. FBs also spt ground forces on Cebu. B-24's, B-25's, and FBs hit Tarakan I, Beaufort, Weston, Tenom, Trusan Haji, Sandakan, and Jesselton.
5/26/45 Twentieth AF During 26/27 May, 29 B-29's mine waters in Shimonoseki Strait and at Fushiki, Fukuoka, and Karatsu.
5/26/45 Seventh AF 16 P-47's from Saipan strafe A/Fs on Moen, seaplane base on Dublon, and several T/Os. 10 Guambased B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus.
5/27/45 Fourteenth AF 16 B-25's bomb textile mill at Chenghsien, attack trains, railroad track and bridge in Lohochai area, and bomb railroad yards at Sinyang. 80-plus FBs attack town areas, trucks, railroad tgts, bridges, and general T/Os at scattered S and E China locations.
5/27/45 FEAF B-24's pound railroad yards and rolling stock at Muong Man and Phan Rang. B-25's and FBs attack tgts at Koshun, Shinei, Tairin, Ensui, Kohyo, and Kobi and attack numerous T/Os at many other Formosan locations. B-24's, A-20's, and FBs hit Cagayan Valley tgts while other FBs spt ground forces in Balete Pass, Baguio, and Ipo Dam sectors. HBs, MBs, and FBs attack Tawau, Kudat, Langkon, and Sandakan, and hit tgts on Tarakan I.
5/27/45 Twentieth AF During 27/28 May 9 B-29's drop mines in Shimonoseki Strait and in Moji area.
5/27/45 Seventh AF 16 Saipan-based P-47's sweep Truk, strafing A/F, aircraft, and radio tower and facilities at Moen, buildings at Dublon seaplane base and on Udot I, and small craft off Dublon and Fanamu.
5/28/45 Fourteenth AF 19 B-25's, along with 8 FBs, hit railroad, road, and river traffic around Vinh, Quang Tri, Dap Cau, and Song Chu, knock out bridge at Hwayuan, and demolish tunnel opening near Wuchang. 16 P-51's cause heavy damage and casualties blasting a bridge and military installations near Wuchang. 27 P- 51's hit bridges, troops, storage, trucks, trains, rivercraft, and other tgts in Yoyang area. 65 other FBs attack T/Os at several locations throughout S and E China. 15 photo rcn airplanes continue to maintain good coverage of enemy movements.
5/28/45 FEAF B-24's again bomb railroad yards E of Saigon at Phan Rang and Muong Man. B-25's and FBs attack industrial T/Os at Shoka, Taichu, Ujitsu, Byoritsu, and other Formosan locations. B-24's, B-25's, A- 20's, and FBs attack Pateng, Ipo Dam area, Tuguegarao and Ugac airstrips, Anuling, Baguio area, guns and defenses in Balete Pass area, and spt ground forces at several points. B-24's, B-25's, and ftrs hit; gun positions and other tgts at Balikpapan. P-38's dive-bomb Keningau and Jesselton A/Fs.
5/28/45 VII FC Ftrs from Iwo Jima hit Kasumigaura and its A/F. 6 planes are claimed destroyed and 40-plus damaged.
P-47's fly heckler strikes against Kyushu during 28/29 May. Japanese wage their last strong air effort on Okinawa hitting a number of ships and sinking destroyer USS Drexler.
5/29/45 Fourteenth AF A single B-24 damages railroad bridge over Huto R. 4 B-25's and 4 P-51's knock out bridge S of Kuanshuishih. 2 B-25's over Indochina attack locomotives near Vinh. About 30 Fbs attack comm and transportation tgts around Yoyang, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Quang Tri, Vinh Yen, and Chenghsien.
5/29/45 FEAF More than 100 B-24's bomb Kiirun and several other towns on Formosa. B-25's, and FBs hit Tainan alcohol plant and T/Os in Tokyo area. B-24's, B-25's, and A-20's hit a variety of tgts in N while other FBs hit C part of Luzon including Cagayan Valley, Baguio, Balete, and Ipo areas. HBs hit A/Fs at Oelin, Tabanio, and Ft Brook.
5/29/45 Twentieth AF Ground echelon of 509th Comp Gp begins to arrive on Tinian. 454 B-29's, escorted by 101 P-51's from the VII FC for first time on a fire-bomb raid, bomb Yokohama with incendiaries and destroy the main business district (a third of the city's area) along the waterfront. Burned out area of Yokohama now amounts to almost 9 sq mi. About 150 ftrs attack the formations. 7 B-29's and 3 P-51's are lost.
The P-51's claim 26 ftrs shot down while the VHBs claim 6.
5/29/45 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's weatherabort a shipping sweep along the E coasts of Paramushiru and Shimushu.
5/30/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-25's pound railroad yards at Sinsiang and knock out bridge at Sincheng. 28 FBs attack bridges, enemy positions, trucks, railroad tgts, barracks, and general T/Os around Anyang, Liuchow, Chingmen, Chungmow, Linfen, Huluehchen, Kweilin, Hsinganhsien, Leiyang, and Yenkoupu.
5/30/45 FEAF On Formosa 100-plus B-24's pound Takao while ftrs sweep coastal areas. B-25's concentrate on Shinei area. A-20's hit Cagayan Valley tgts. HBs and ftrs hit several tgts in Borneo, concentrating on Tawau personnel and supply area and airstrip at Ranau.
5/30/45 Seventh AF 10 Guam-based B-24's hit Marcus A /F. 14 P-47's strafe barges at Truk Atoll. 28 P-47's from Ie Shima hit shipping and lighthouse at Amami-O-Shima and Okino Erabu.
5/31/45 AAF USAAF units, including Tenth AF and US components of EAC, are withdrawn from SEAC and returned to operational control of AAF. EAC is inactivated, along with the Strategic AF and Combat Cargo TF.
5/31/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's and 4 P-47's hit railroad tracks and cars in Chenghsien and Kaifeng areas, knock out bridge at Sinyang, damage bridge at Lohochai, and strafe AA positions at both bridges. 30-plus FBs damage 4 bridges, hit several railroad tgts and rivercraft, attack trucks and troops, and strafe numerous T/Os around Shihkiachwang, Changsha, Yoyang, Yenkoupu, Taohwaping, Changanyi, Chiuchiang, Liuchow, Tsingkonp, and Paoching.
5/31/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, and FBs attack Formosan tgts, with 90-plus HBs concentrating on Takao. Other planes hit Koshun, Giran warehouses and comm tgts, and blast transportation and comm tgts over wide areas of Formosa. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit tgts in Cagayan Valley, in Balete Pass, and in Baguio and Ipo areas. Fbs also hit Negros I. B-25's and FBs hit troop concentrations on Tarakan I and occupied building area at Belait. FBs also blast A/Fs at Kudat, Jesselton, Keningau, and Labuan.
5/31/45 Seventh AF 8 P-47's from Ie Shima strafe buildings, barracks, and seaplane ramps at Amami-O-Shima.
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