USAAF CHRONOLOGY
OCTOBER - DECEMBER 1944
10/1/44 Ninth AF XXIX TAC (Prov) locates adv HQ at Arlon. Weather prevents bmr operations. A few ftrs fly armed rcn over E France and wide areas of W Germany and patrol battle areas. Night patrols are flown over E France and Luxembourg.
10/1/44 Twelfth AF B-25's and B-26's attack bridges, fuel dumps, factory, and barracks in C and W Po Valley, including 3 attacks on Piacenza while XII FC's LBs hit fuel dump and bivouacs and FBs blast guns and comm in mountainous battle areas between Florence and Bologna.
10/1/44 Fifteenth AF 5th Photo Gp, Rcn, with component units, is assigned to Fifteenth AF, completing the full establishment of 21 HB gps, 7 ftr gps, and 1 rcn gp, as authorized in WD directive of 23 Oct 43. Weather permits only photo and weather rcn missions.
10/1/44 Tenth AF 34 P-47's bomb Thetkegyin while 20 others hit railroad tgts throughout N Burma railroad corridor and troop concentrations at Ponlon. 4 P-47's bomb Shwegugale while 6 others hit Lungling and sweep Burma Road in the area.
10/1/44 Fourteenth AF 18 B-25's bomb Tien Ho and White Cloud A/Fs, town of Wuchou, and T/Os in Samshui and Canton areas. 100-plus P-40's and P-51's on armed rcn throughout China areas S of the Yangtze hit variety of T/Os, concentrating on comm tgts and troops in Mangshih and Hsinganhsien areas.
10/1/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Langoan while B-25's hit Lembeh I, Menado, and Bolaang-oeki port. B-24's bomb Taka while P-38's hit Amahai, Kairatoe, and shipping off Amboina. B-25's and P-38's on shipping sweeps off Halmahera I destroy several barges and luggers. A-20's and P-38's attack Urarom A/F and Fak Fak supply dumps, while P-40's hit Doom I and T/Os in Windissi, Idorra, and MacCluer Gulf. P-47's and A- 20's hit Doeroa, Langgoer, and Faan A/Fs.
10/1/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan strike A/F on Iwo Jima. B-25's from Makin bomb Nauru while B-24's, staging through Eniwetok, hit Truk.
10/2/44 Eighth AF Over 1,100 HBs, escorted by 17 gps of ftrs, attack 4 assigned tgts at Bettenhausen ordnance depot, Henschel plant and other Kassel areas, Cologne motor works, Hamm M/Y, and several T/Os in these areas. 15 HBs and 11 ftrs fail to return.
10/2/44 Ninth AF IX TAC moved advanced HQ to Verviers, maintaining close association with US First Army. HQ XXIX TAC (Prov) goes into operation along with US Ninth Army. This new TAC is formed from elements of IX and XIX TAC. 9th Bomb Div strikes industrial area of Ubach and defended positions at Herbach.
Ftrs fly armed rcn (and later night patrol) over Belgium, E France, and W Germany and spt US First, Third, and Seventh Armies in E France and W Germany.
10/2/44 Twelfth AF Weather grounds MBs and restricts ftrs to rcn and patrols. During 1/2 Oct LBs bomb T/Os in Po Valley.
10/2/44 Fifteenth AF Unfavorable weather again cancels bombing missions and limits operations to weather rcn.
10/2/44 Tenth AF 49 P-47's pound several towns and bridges in Bhamo area and destroy buildings in Shwekyina, Kaungsin, Maingka, Kyungyi, Singan, and Kabani. 20-plus P-47's hit N Burma railroad tgts and troops at Man He and Manla. 7 P-47's bomb Kutkai while 8 sweep LunglingLoiwing area, destroying a warehouse at Selan. 8 B-25's slightly damage road bridges N of Lashio. 4 others bomb and damage Namhkai road bridges and their vicinity. TC airplanes fly 260-plus sorties, delivering men and supplies to various points in CBI.
10/2/44 Fourteenth AF 11 B-25's attack town of Pingnam while 16 bomb Tien Ho and White Cloud A/Fs and town of Samshui.
70-plus P-40's and P-51's on armed rcn over S China attack various T/Os, chiefly river traffic and troop areas around Chuanhsien, Taochuan, Takhing, Wuchou, Dosing, and Wenchow peninsula, and attack shipping in Campha PortHongay area.
10/2/44 FEAF B-25's pound Laha A/F while B-24's hit Haroekoe. P-38's cover Laha raid, attack shipping in Seri and Amboina Bays and hit Amahai and Kairatoe A/Fs. Off Halmahera I B-25's fly barge sweep, bomb Laboehan, and attack coastal villages on Weda and Boeli Bays. P-40's attack vessels off Tamoelol village and Misool I and bomb Otawiri and Ransiki A/Fs.
10/2/44 Seventh AF Saipan-based B-24's hit Marcus and shipping W of Chichi Jima.
10/2/44 Eleventh AF Photo rcn missions, by 4 B-25's to Paramushiru and by 2 B-24's to Onnekotan, abort due to weather.
10/3/44 Eighth AF Almost 1,000 HBs attack 3 A/Fs W of Nurnberg, city of Nurnberg, synthetic oil works at Wesseling, and a motor works and A/F in Karlsruhe area (all assigned tgts), and hit several other tgts in Nurnberg-Cologne-Karlsruhe areas. 16 ftr gps give escort.
10/3/44 Ninth AF 220-plus MBs and LBs sent to bomb tgts at Duren, Aldenhoven, and Arnhem are recalled because of weather. Ftrs fly armed rcn over W Germany, hit railroads W of Rhine, and spt US Third Army in Metz area. IX ADC continues night patrols.
10/3/44 Twelfth AF MBs continue to pound road and rail bridges and fuel dumps in Po Valley. LBs, FBs, and ftrs of XII FC hit fuel dumps, rail lines, and transportation in the Valley and spt US Fifth Army forces in battle areas in the N Apennines S and SW of Bologna and N of the Arno R Valley.
10/3/44 Fifteenth AF For the eighth consecutive day bad weather prevents bombing operations.
10/3/44 Tenth AF TCs fly 240-plus sorties, delivering men and supplies to various points in CBI.
10/3/44 Fourteenth AF 23 B-25's attack Pingnam, trucks and rivercraft in Wuchou, Samshui, and Canton areas, and bomb Tien Ho and White Cloud A/Fs. 100 P-51's and P-40's continue armed rcn over wide expanses of China S of the Yangtze, attacking rivercraft, road traffic, troops, town areas, and other T/Os.
Hsinganhsien, Pingnam, and Chuanhsien areas are covered exceptionally well.
10/3/44 FEAF For second time B-24's bomb oil refineries in Balikpapan area, MBs hit shipping and bomb Sanana.
MBs smash Kaoe runway and bomb Galela. MBs and HBs over Ceram-Amboina hit barge and coastal T/Os and pound Taka A/F, while FBs attack Halong seaplane base and Namlea and Haroekoe A/Fs. On Vogelkop Peninsula FBs again hit Fak Fak and Otawiri.
10/3/44 Seventh AF AF B-24's from Saipan hit shipping in the Bonins while P-47's pound gun positions, buildings, and wharf on Pagan. B-24's on special rcn missions bomb A/F at Iwo Jima.
10/3/44 Eleventh AF 2 B-24's flying offshore rcn over Onnekotan, Harumukotan, and Shasukotan also strafe several small vessels.
10/4/44 Ninth AF Bmrs drop leaflets in Metz, Saint-Die, and Saarburg areas. Ftrs spt US First and Third Armies in W Germany and E France, escort MBs, and fly armed rcn in forward areas, attacking rail and military tgts.
10/4/44 Twelfth AF Weather restricts MBs to attacks on 2 bridges at Bistagno and Villafranca d'Asti. FBs closely spt ground forces fighting in Loiano-Quinzanod'Oglio-Sassoleone areas, and hit comm N of battle areas.
10/4/44 Fifteenth AF 327 B-17's and B-24's, with ftr escort, bomb Munich W M/Y. Around 400 other HBs attack rail line in Trento-Mezzaselva area (covering over 50 mi of the Brenner route), Aviano A/F, Avisio viaduct, and railroad and road bridges at Pinzano al Tagliamento, Pordenone, Latisana, Casarsa della Delizia, Mezzocorona, Ora, and San Dona di Piave. 39 P-51's strafe Tatoi, Kalamaki, and Eleusis A/Fs. Other P-51's escort MATAF C-47's and fly rcn.
10/4/44 Tenth AF 8 P-47's damage approaches to bridge between Myitkyina and Bhamo. 16 P-47's hit town of Palwesho. 4 others hit small towns S of Bhamo, including Man The and Hantet.
10/4/44 Fourteenth AF 5 B-25's hit Hsinantien and areas N of Chefang. 80-plus P-40's and P-51's continue to attack T/Os during armed rcn over areas of China S of the Yangtze. More than 20 FBs hit buildings, troops, and river shipping in Paoching area.
10/4/44 FEAF B-25's bomb Sidate and and Bolaang-oeki. P-40's and B-25's attack Galela and Kaoe A/Fs. B-25's and A-20's on shipping sweep bomb town and port area of Amboina, hit wharf at Halong, and attack shipping and shore T/Os at various points.
10/4/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan attack shipping W of Iwo Jima and bomb A/Fs, radio station, buildings, and area tgts on Marcus, Pagan, and Iwo Jima. P-47's hit gun positions, beach defenses, buildings, and wharf area on Pagan. B-24's from the Marshalls bomb A/F at Moen.
10/4/44 Eleventh AF A B-24 weather aborts a photo run off Matsuwa. 4 B-25's's bomb a freighter and a barge off Shimushu. 15-17 ftrs intercept and the B-25's score one victory.
10/5/44 International Sec of the Treassury Morgenthau and Lord Keynes begin series of talks on the course of Lend-Lease between V-E and V-J Days.
10/5/44 Eighth AF GO 507 implements decision of 15 Sep to assign staff officers of HQ VIII FC to HQ Eighth AF to represent units in administrative functions, thus eliminating administrative and operational control from HQ VIII FC and placing it under Eighth AF HQ. This is necessitated by the transfer of ftr gps to bomb divs. Over 900 HBs, escorted by 15 ftr gps, strike 4 primary tgts (a M/Y and 4 A/Fs) in NW Germany and several secondary tgts and T/Os (M/Y, A/F, city areas) in the same area, especially around Dusseldorf and Cologne.
10/5/44 Ninth AF 330-plus MBs and LBs dispatched against tgts in Arnhem, Aldenhoven, and Duren are recalled. Ftrs hit pillboxes along Westwall, spt ground forces of XV Corps in France, fly armed rcn in Prum, Bonn, Koblenz, Trier and Landau areas, hit tgts along Rhine-Marne Canal, and during 5/B Oct fly patrol in Belgium, E France, and W Germany.
10/5/44 Twelfth AF During 4/5 Oct A-20's bomb T/Os in battle area in mountains S of Bologna and N of Arno R Valley.
During the day weather grounds MB wgs and XII FC.
10/5/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather causes recall of HBs.
10/5/44 Tenth AF 11 P-47's hit Mawlu and attack locomotives and T/Os in Naba area. 8 B-25's attack bridges at Namhkai, damaging the main bridge. TCs fly over 250 sorties to various locations in CBI.
10/5/44 Fourteenth AF 12 B-25's and 22 FBs attack Samshui, Koyiu and Takhing. 8 hit T/Os in Canton-Wuchou area, and 3 bomb storage area at Mangshih. 50-plus P-40's and P-51's over wide areas of S China attack rivercraft, road trafflc, bridges, town areas, and troops.
10/5/44 FEAF B-24's bomb A/Fs in Kendari area. B-25's and P-38's hit Kairatoe A/F, town of Amboina and numerous coastal and shipping T/Os in Amboina-Ceram area. A-20's, B-25's's, and FBs attack Urarom, Simora Pt area, Doom I, Babo, Efman and Samate A/Fs and disposal areas. A-20's blast Japanese bivouacs and supply areas near Sarmi.
10/5/44 Seventh AF Saipan-based P-47's hit Pagan with rockets and bombs. A B-24 bombs gun positions on the islands.
B-25's from the Gilberts bomb runways and gun positions on Nauru while B-24's from the Marshalls bomb an A/F at Moen and during 5 /6 Oct strike Wake.
10/5/44 Eleventh AF At dawn 2 B-24's bomb Kashiwabara and Kurabu Cape.
10/6/44 Eighth AF Nearly 1,200 HBs attack 11 primaries, including oil plants, aircraft factories, ordnance facilities, and AF trg school, in N Germany, and 19 T/Os including A/Fs at Stralsund and Stade. 16 ftr gps in escort claim 19 air victories.
10/6/44 Ninth AF 300-plus MBs and LBs hit M/Ys, barracks, and ammo dump at Hengelo and Duren and bridges at Arnhem and Aldenhoven. Ftrs fly armed rcn in Dusseldorf, Aachen, Trier, Dieuze, and Koblenz areas, sweeps and patrols in forward areas, attack railroads in Dorsel area, and spt US First, Third, and Seventh Armies' forces in E France and W Germany.
10/6/44 Twelfth AF Weather cancels all operations of MB wgs and XII FC.
10/6/44 Fifteenth AF Weather cancels bombing operations. 35 P-38's strafe A/Fs at Sedhes, Megalo Mikra, Megara, Eleusis, and Tatoi A/Fs, and 55 P-51's strafe Kalamaki A/F.
10/6/44 Tenth AF 20-plus P-47's bomb troop concentrations in Mawlu and Bilumyo and damage approach to bridge at Seywa. 8 B-25's attack bridges at Hsenwi, damaging main bridge but causing little harm to bypass bridges. Transport operations continue on large scale in CBI.
10/6/44 Fourteenth AF 12 B-25's bomb Wuchou and attack boats and other T/Os in Canton area. 50-plus P-40's and P-51's on armed rcn over areas of China S of the Yangtze R attack rivercraft, bridges, town areas, troop concentrations and T/Os along N Indochina coast.
10/6/44 FEAF P-38's hit Kaoe A/F and shipping near Djailolo. P-47's bomb Kaimana. In Ceram-Amboina-Boeroe area B-25's and P-38's attack Namlea, Waai, Amahai, and several small craft.
10/6/44 Twentieth AF The first P-61 night ftrs arrive in Chengtu on even of third air raid. (In 10 attacks from 6 Sep to 19 Dec, only 43 aircraft participate).
10/6/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan hit Iwo Jima in harassment attacks during 6/7 Oct. A B-24 from Kwajalein bombs heavy gun battery on Emidj. During 6/7 Oct, 3 B-24's bomb Wake.
10/7/44 Eighth AF Over 1,300 HBs, in 4 forces, bomb 5 synthetic oil plants, an armament, a tank, and an aero engine works in C and NE Germany, plus 16 identified and 19 other unidentified tgts in the area. 19 escorting ftr gps claim 22 air victories including 4 jets. Air opposition and ground fire is heavy. 52 HBs and 15 ftrs are lost.
10/7/44 Ninth AF HQ cancels previous instructions against bombing bridges and opens to attack all bridges on US front, except those over the Rhine R. 300-plus MBs and LBs strike bridges at Arnhem, Bullay, and Dillingen, supply depot at Euskirchen, and M/Y and warehouse at Hengelo and Trier. Ftrs fly bmr escort, sweeps and armed rcn in forward areas, hitting railroads, barges, and troop concentrations, and spt ground forces in E France and W Germany.
10/7/44 Twelfth AF Weather again grounds MBs. FBs hit guns and troop concentrations in battle area, which extends over wide front S of Bologna in region of Monte Stanco, Monte Cauala, Monte Castellaro, and Monte Ceci, and comm to the N.
10/7/44 Fifteenth AF 350-plus B-17's and B-24's bomb Lobau and Schwechat oil refineries and Winterhafen oil depot in Vienna area. Nearly 30 others hit T/Os in Hungary including M/Ys at Szombathely and Zalaegerszeg.
330-plus HBs, escorted by P-38's and P-51's, attack M/Ys at Nove Zamky and Komarom and A/F at Gyor. 6 B-17's escorted by 54 P-51's, evacuate US airmen from Czechoslovakia to Italy.
10/7/44 Tenth AF 5 P-47's bomb supplies and troops at Man Hpa. Large-scale transport operations continue to deliver men and supplies to various points in CBI.
10/7/44 Fourteenth AF 53 P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn attack troop concentrations, bridges, river and rail trafflc, town areas, and supply dumps around Tunghsiangchiao, Pingnam, Hsinganhsien, Chuanhsien, Lingling, Wuchou, Houmachen, Chiuchiang, and Paoching.
10/7/44 FEAF B-24's over Mindanao bomb Zamboanga while a P-38 cover force hits seaplanes, shipping, and other T/Os in the area. B-25's bomb Langoan, Tompaso, and Tondegesang. P-38's attack Kaoe I, and hit Boela oil tanks. B-25's bomb storage area on W Amboina. P-38's and B-25's strike Doom I and Babo A/F.
10/7/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan, on armed rcn, attack Marcus and nearby shipping.
10/8/44 Ninth AF Revision and elaboration (from 28 Sep-8 Oct) of Ninth AF interdiction program against railroads connected with Rhine R results in issue of a new interdiction program. It includes rail lines further to the E and requires attacks by all 4 TACs of the Ninth AF, plus aid from British Second Tac AF. More than 300 MBs and LBs hit strongpoints and bridges over wide areas of E France and W Germany. Ftrs spt ground forces of US VII, XV, XIX, and XX Corps in E France and W Germany, escort 9th Bomb Div, and attack A/Fs, railroads, and numerous military tgts in forward areas.
10/8/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather forces MBs to cancel missions. XII FC ftrs are airborne to spt ground forces over battle area and abort all missions.
10/8/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn and sea-search missions.
10/8/44 Tenth AF 20-plus P-47's hit T/Os in Mawhun and Manyut areas, knock out bridge at Seywa, and bomb railroad tracks in N Burma. 5 B-26's damage 1 bridge and score hits on the other bridge approaches at Namhkai and knock out 2 bridges at Wuntho and Kawlin.
10/8/44 Fourteenth AF 12 P-40's and P-51's hit locomotives, trucks, and river trafflc at Yuncheng and NE of Pengtse.
10/8/44 FEAF P-47's bomb Amahai and Boela. P-38's hit Dodinga Bay barge hideouts, supplies and T/Os along Wasile and Kaoe Bays. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit Sorong, Doom I, runways and T/Os at Efman and Samate, and gun positions, bivouacs, and supplies at Simora Pt.
10/8/44 Seventh AF 3 Saipan-based B-24's hit Pagan and Marcus. 24 P-47's hit buildings, beach defenses, and gun positions on Pagan. During the day and 8/9 Oct B-24's from the Marshalls bomb Wake.
10/8/44 Eleventh AF Photo missions to Paramushiru, Matsuwa, Onnekotan and Shasukotan turn back due to weather.
10/9/44 International Churchill and Eden, with Harriman, US presidential representative, as observer, arrive in Moscow.
Polish PM arrives later. Talks with Soviets deal with spheres of influence, the Balkans, and Poland's position.
10/9/44 Eighth AF Over 1,000 HBs strike 2 M/Ys and an engine plant at Mainz, and hit Koblenz, Gustavsburg, Schweinfurt, and 2 T/Os in W Germany. 19 ftr gps, including 2 from Ninth AF, provide spt.
10/9/44 Ninth AF HQ gives the TACs an initial attack list of 10 bridges on US front. Other lists follow. 309th Bomb Div aircraft attack rail bridge at Euskirchen. Ftrs provide escort and fly uneventful armed rcn. Dive bmrs sent against A/Fs in Germany are recalled because of bad weather.
10/9/44 Twelfth AF Weather again grounds MBs. FBs, and ftrs hit roads, rail crossing, transport and other tgts in Bologna and Sabbioso areas.
10/9/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather restricts operations to weather rcn missions.
10/9/44 Tenth AF 50-plus P-47's knock out bridge at Manyut and thoroughly pound town area, bomb enemy positions at Nyaunggon, Pinhe, and near Mawhun, damage bridge near Mawlu, and hit a variety of tgts in Katha area. 9 B-25's attack road bridges SW of Lashio, knocking out Na-lang and Nampawng bridges. The MBs hit several T/Os in the area. Transport aircraft continue steady supply of various points in CBI.
10/9/44 Fourteenth AF 2 B-25's bomb area N of Mangshih. 3 B-24's hit shipping along lower Yangtze R. 29 P-51's and P- 40's on armed rcn attack river trafflc, troops, bridges, and other T/Os in areas around Tanchuk, Tengyun, Anking, and Amoy. Airstrip at Tanchuk is temporarily put out of commission.
10/9/44 FEAF B-25's, A-20's, and FBs attack Boela, Namlea, Kairatoe, and Liang, concentrating on oil tanks and A/Fs. B-25's and FBs hit Lolobata and Hate Tabako A/Fs and nearby barges, supplies, and other T/Os. A-20's and FBs strike Faan and Langgoer A/Fs. P-40's hit Manokwari and B-25's bomb Samate.
10/9/44 Seventh AF 18 B-24's from Saipan pound Iwo Jima. 25 B-25's from the Marshalls bomb Truk.
10/10/44 Ninth AF Weather cancels daytime bmr and ftr operations. IX ADC during 10/11 Oct flies patrol over Belgium and W Germany.
10/10/44 Twelfth AF MBs are again grounded due to weather. FBs, though also hampered by weather, manage to closely spt ground forces, particularly at Monte delle Formiche where US 85th Inf Div elements are stopped short of the crest, and attack comm N of battle area in the N Apennines.
10/10/44 Fifteenth AF Almost 170 B-17's and B-24's attack 4 M/Ys at Treviso and Mestre and bridges at Susegana and San Dona di Piave plus rail lines in surrounding areas. About 90 ftrs provide spt in Udine-Treviso area.
350-plus other HBs are forced to abort because of weather.
10/10/44 Tenth AF 28 P-47's spt ground forces near Pinhe, bomb towns of Tawbon and Man Naung, and hit T/Os in and near Momauk. Transport operations to various points in CBI continue at the rate of 250-plus sorties.
10/10/44 Fourteenth AF 12 B-25's bomb and considerably damage Kunlong ferry. 38 P-40's and P-51's on armed rcn attack bridge and other T/Os near Mangshih, hit troop areas around Tanchuk and Wuchou, river traffic near Dosing, and locomotives and barges along N Indochina coast.
10/10/44 FEAF B-24's strike oil refineries and an A/F in Balikpapan area. The HBs and escorting P-47's and P-38's claim over 30 Japanese ftrs downed. P-38's and B-25's bomb Djailolo, Kaoe, and Hate Tabako A/F and Wasile town area. P-47's hit Liang A/F. A-20's hit Sarmi area. A-20's and B-25's bomb Urarom A/F.
10/10/44 Seventh AF 14 B-24's from Saipan bomb A/F at Iwo Jima and shipping off the E shore. 24 P-47's pound buildings and storage caves on Pagan. Later a B-24 bombs the radio station N of Pagan A/F. 12 B-25's from Makin bomb runways and adjacent AA positions on Nauru.
10/10/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-24's abort a strike at Kashiwabara due to weather.
10/11/44 Eighth AF 130 B-17's bomb Wesseling synthetic oil plant and Koblenz M/Y. 3 P-47 gps give spt.
10/11/44 Ninth AF 99 MBs and LBs sent to bomb Camp-de-Bitche military camp are recalled when Pathfinder equipment malfunctions and weather prevents visual bombing. Ftrs escort bmrs, fly armed rcn, cut rail lines in Aachen-Rhine area, and spt US VII and XIX Corps in Aachen area, and US XII, XV, and XX Corps in Metz-Saarlautern area.
10/11/44 Twelfth AF Despite bad weather MBs attack bridges and supply dumps in Po Valley. FBs and ftrs closely spt ground forces in Apennine Mountains between Florence and Bologna where fierce fighting rages on Monte delle Formiche, Livergnano escarpment, Monte delle Tombe, Gesso ridge, and Monte Battaglia.
Also hit are comm behind battle area and as far W and N as Genoa, Turin, and Savona.
10/11/44 Fifteenth AF About 180 B-17's and B-24's, with ftr escort, bomb Vienna S ordnance depot, Graz motor works, S and SW areas of Vienna, towns of Hirtenberg and Enzesfeld, M/Y at Zeltweg, Dravograd railroad bridge on Yugoslav-Hungarian boundary, railroad and highway bridges at Cesara, and Trieste harbor.
Over 250 HBs fail to complete missions because of bad weather. 18 P-51's strafe tgts in Bratislava and Budapest areas, including supply dumps, and trains and destroy 17 airplanes at Esztergom landing ground. 37 other P-51's strafe Prostejov A/F and T/Os in surrounding area, destroying nearly 30 aircraft and trucks, locomotives, and railroad cars.
10/11/44 Tenth AF 15 P-47's hit guns and enemy positions near Pinhe while 9 attack town of Manwein and hit T/Os in the area. 8 others hit towns of Nayakaung and Nansiaung. 8 B-25's attack bridges at Man Pwe, Tahpalai, and Namyao damaging only Man Pwe bridge. 23 P-47's hit troops and stores near Tawbon and at Hkawan, knock out Kawnghka bridge and damage Wanling bridge. Transport flights continue to points throughout CBI.
10/11/44 Fourteenth AF 2 B-25's knock out bridge S of Mangshih. 3 P-40's attack sampans from Tanchuk to Tengyun while 8 hit general T/Os N of Mangshih.
10/11/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Koeandang and Langoan area. P-38's pound Miti A/F. A-20's and FBs attack Liang, Kairatoe, Laha, Haroekoe, and Namlea A/F. Langgoer A/F is bombed by P-47's. P-47's hit Babo A/F while A-20's attack Sarmi troop concentrations. At night B-24's bomb Sasa Matina and Buayoan A/F.
10/11/44 Seventh AF Saipan-based P-47's hit buildings on Pagan with rockets and bombs. A Kwajalein-based B-24 bombs Wake during the night.
10/11/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's over Shimushiru and Paramushiru blow up 3 buildings and damage 2 others at Cape Namikawa.
10/12/44 Eighth AF Over 500 HBs attack M/Y at Osnabruck, aircraft industries at Bremen, and T/Os including Diepholz A/F. 11 ftr gps escort HBs, claiming 18 ftrs downed.
10/12/44 Ninth AF Ninth AF is delegated administrative (in addition to operational ) control over XII TAC hitherto assumed by USSTAF. Advanced HQ XIX TAC arrives at Nancy, following the adv of US Third Army. Almost 250 MBs and LBs bomb Camp-de-Bitche military camp, rail bridges at Grevenbroich and Ahrweiler, city areas of Langerwehe, Aldenhoven, and Venraij, and various T/Os. Escorting ftrs fly also armed rcn and rail cutting in Dusseldorf, Aachen, and Belfort areas, and spt VIII, XII, XV, and XX Corps in E France and W Germany.
10/12/44 Twelfth AF MBs, supporting US Fifth Army, attack comm, supply dumps, and bivouac and barracks areas S of Bologna. FBs and XII FC ftrs, mainly in spt of US Fifth Army, blast supply dumps, gun positions, troop concentrations, and comm in the high country S of Bologna (while DAF gives similar spt to British Eighth Army in Rimini area).
10/12/44 Fifteenth AF Around 700 HBs, with ftr spt, pound ammo and fuel dumps and depots, bivouac area, barracks, vehicle repair shop, munitions factory and T/Os in Bologna area (Operation PANCAKE) supporting US Fifth Army offensive in that sector. 160 P-51's strafe mainline railroad and Danube R traffic in Vienna- Gyor-Budapest areas and strafe Seregelyes A/F, disrupting traffic and destroying many enemy airplanes.
10/12/44 Tenth AF 18 P-47's bomb railroad tgts in the Naba-Mawlu rail corridor damaging a bridge approach, and strike troops and stores near Nayakaung. 12 other P-47's hit various tgts at Pintha and Nyaunggon. 4 B-26's knock out a bridge just N of Lashio. 3 others knock out bridge at Kawlin and damage tracks near Man Pwe bridge.
10/12/44 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's and 12 P-40's hit Chefang storage area and bridge and general T/Os in Mangshih area. 40- plus P-40's and P-51's on armed rcn covering wide areas of S China and extending into W Burma attack troop concentrations, river trafflc, storage areas, and buildings in areas around Taochuan, Kweiping, Hsinganhsien, Yuncheng, Tanchuk, and Hsenwi.
10/12/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Ambesia, Langoan, Mapanget, and Sidate A/Fs. B-25's, A-20's, and P-47's again pound A/Fs at Liang, Laha, Namlea, Kairatoe and Haroekoe, and town of Boela. P-38's hit numerous T/Os on Halmahera I. FBs hit Manokwari and Urarom and A-20's bomb pillboxes in Sarmi area.
10/12/44 Twentieth AF First B-29 (Joltin' Josie, the Pacific Pioneer) arrives at Saipan, piloted by Gen Hansell, CG XXI BC, for whom temporary HQ are set up on Saipan. Also the regular air echelon of 73d Bomb Wg arrives at Saipan on this date, followed during Oct and first week in Nov by 4 bomb gps and 4 air serv gps.
(313th Bomb Wg will be established in the theater in Dec 44, 314th in Jan 45, 58th in Mar, and 315th in Apr. In Mar 45 VII FC will be established at Iwo Jima from where some of its units escort B-29 missions).
10/12/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan bomb harbor and shipping at Chichi Jima, shipping S of Haha Jima, AA positions on Marcus, and A/F area on Pagan. P-47's hit Pagan A/F area with bombs and rockets. B-24's from Kwajalein bomb Wake during 12/13 Oct.
10/12/44 Eleventh AF 3 B-24's hit A/F and shipping tgts in the MatsuwaOnnekotan area.
10/13/44 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits bridges at Saarlouis, Roermond, Venlo, Euskirchen, and Mayen, plus several T/Os.
Escorting ftrs also fly armed rcn over areas of Metz and extensively over W Germany, attacking railroads and other tgts, and spt US First, Third, and Seventh Armies.
10/13/44 Twelfth AF Weather cancels all MB operations except for attacks on 4 tgts (bridges and supply dumps) in the battle area S of Bologna. FBs spt US Fifth Army operations more successfully in the area, hitting gun emplacements, troop concentrations, supply dumps, bridges, and vehicles.
10/13/44 Fifteenth AF More than 650 ftrescorted HBs bomb oil refineries at Blechhammer and Vienna/Floridsdorf, motor works, locomotive shops, and M/Y at Vienna, Graz, Banhida, Szekesfehervar, Papa, Hranice and Mezirici. Some of the escorting ftrs strafe railroads, roads, and A/F in areas of Balaton and Neusiedler Lakes, Vienna, and Prostejov. Other ftrs strafe roads, railroads, and Danube R traffic in Vienna-Gyor- Budapest areas.
10/13/44 Tenth AF 38 P-47's strike Okkyin, Yebyangale, and Theinlon, and hit troops in Myothit area. 8 P-47's spt ground forces in Mohnyin area, 12 attack and considerably damage Wanling bridge and 4 hit T/Os in the area. Transports fly over 280 sorties hauling troops and supplies to CBI terminals.
10/13/44 Fourteenth AF 138 P-40's and P-51's on numerous armed rcn missions throughout S China and into W Burma attack troop areas, rivercraft, town areas, bridges, trucks, and other T/Os. 71 of the FBs hit tgts in Kweiping area while the others attack tgts around Chuanhsien, Litou, Shepchung, Tengyun, Lungfukwan, Kingshan, Mangshih, and Chefang.
10/13/44 FEAF B-25's bomb Menado and surrounding area. P-38's hit AA positions, enemy concentrations, and other tgts in NE Celebes and Halmaheras. A-20's and FBs attack Boela oil installations and A/Fs at Amahai, Kairatoe, and Namlea.
10/13/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan bomb Yap. From the Marshalls B-24's pound Truk. Gilberts-based B-25's bomb Nauru.
10/13/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's bomb Kurabu A/F and bomb and strafe buildings on Tomari Cape, scoring hits on canneries, warehouses, and barracks. Later, 4 B-24's photograph and bomb tgts at Kashiwabara.
10/14/44 Eighth AF About 1,100 HBs bomb 7 M/Ys at Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern, and Cologne, city of Euskirchen, and T/Os in the Cologne area. 15 ftr gps give escort.
10/14/44 Ninth AF Bad weather grounds 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs escort leaflet mission, fly sweeps and rail cutting operations, armed rcn over E France and W Germany, and spt US Third Army.
10/14/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather cancels all MB operations. Over 100 ftrs and FBs pound troop concentrations, gun positions, supplies, bridges, roads, and rail lines S of Bologna where hard fighting is taking place in Monterumici, Livergnano, and Gesso ridge areas.
10/14/44 Fifteenth AF 317 B-17's and B-24's hampered by bad weather, bomb oil refineries at Blechhammer and Odertal, and several T/Os including M/Ys at Bratislava, Nove Zamky, Komarom, Komarom and Nove Zamky railroad bridges, Borzavar industrial area, and Ugod military garrison. Escorting ftrs strafe A/Fs, rail and road traffic and other T/Os in tgt areas. 52 B-24's bmb railroad bridge and M/Y at Maribor. 54 P- 51's on strafing mission in Balaton Lake area attack A/Fs at Szekesfehervar and Seregelyes. 55 P- 38's escort MATAF C-47's carrying airborne forces to Megara A/F.
10/14/44 Tenth AF Transport aircraft fly more than 200 sorties, delivering men and supplies to various points in CBI.
10/14/44 Fourteenth AF 32 P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn attack troops, town areas, and river traffic around Samshui, Mangshih, Kweiping, Hsinganhsien, Konghow and Tajungchiang.
10/14/44 FEAF B-24's again bomb oil refineries and associated industries in Balikpapan area. Others bomb Pombelaa mine. A-20's, B-25's, and FBs again hit Laha and Haroekoe A/Fs.
10/14/44 Twentieth AF 103 Chengtu-based B-29's bomb aircraft plant at Okayama. 12 more hit last-resort tgts and T/Os.
This is first Twentieth AF mission during which over 100 VHBs attack tgts and the first of a series of missions against Formosa in conjunction with US invasion of Leyte.
10/14/44 Seventh AF 3 B-24's on armed rcn from Saipan bomb Marcus. P-47's on sweep over Pagan bomb and strafe storage caves. 1 B-24 from the Marshalls bombs Wake during 14/15 Oct.
10/14/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's bomb and strafe buildings at Otomae Bay.
10/15/44 Eighth AF More than 1,000 HBs attack 9 M/Ys and gas unit plant in and around general area of Cologne, along with several other tgts including oil facilities at Reisholz and Monheim. 3 ftr gps give general area spt while 12 gps provide close escort. 2 P-47 gps attack comm in Hannover and Munster-Kassel areas.
10/15/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents bmr operations. Ftrs fly rail cutting missions and spt elements of US First, Third, Seventh, and Ninth Armies in E France and W Germany.
10/15/44 Twelfth AF B-25's bomb bridges in W Po Valley. B-26's hit bridges in the E part of the Valley, and have excellent success bombing a railway fill at Ossenigo, trapping over 300 railway cars N of the tgt. Ftrs and FBs concentrate efforts toward spt of ground forces along wide front in the mountains S of Bologna.
10/15/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to weather rcn missions.
10/15/44 Tenth AF About 40 P-47's attack positions in Mohnyin area and at Man Naung, supply concentrations at Kyungyi, railroad tgts in Mawhun area, ammo stores at Manwing, and buildings near Muse. 12 B-25's hit town of Onbauk, storage facilities at Indaw, and vicinity of Thabeikkyin. Transport operations in CBI continue on large scale.
10/15/44 Fourteenth AF 28 B-24's, 33 P-51's, and 18 P-40's pound White Cloud A/F and shipping in Hong Kong area. 2 B-24's bomb Amoy. 6 FBs hit T/Os near Mangshih and Taj ungchiang.
10/15/44 FEAF A-20's again pound A/Fs and oil storage on Ceram. P-38's carry out shipping sweep over Flores area and on Halmahera bomb Pitoe and Kaoe areas. P-38's bomb Amahai A/F while bmrs on armed rcn hit nearby T/Os. P-47's attack Sagan A/F.
10/15/44 Seventh AF 27 B-24's from Saipan strike fuel storage, AA positions, and installations at A/F on Iwo Jima. 1 other HB bombs A/F at Pagan. 2 B-24's from the Marshalls bomb Wake on 15/16 Oct.
10/15/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's on armed rcn over Paramushiru turn back when flight drifts off course. 1 B-24 strafes a freighter off Shimushiru.
10/16/44 Ninth AF Ninth AF adv HQ follows HQ 12th AG to Luxembourg. All operations cancelled due to weather.
10/16/44 Twelfth AF MB operations are cancelled by bad weather. LBs and FBs hit troop concentrations, bridges, gun positions, road, rail lines, and vehicles in battle area, particularly in Monte Belmonte vicinity.
10/16/44 Fifteenth AF Nearly 600 HBs, with ftr escort, hit tank factory, tank assembly plant, and aero engine works at Steyr, benzol plant and ordnance depot at Linz, plus alternate tgts and T/Os in Austria, including Graz- Neudorf aircraft engine factory, Trieben, Linz, Graz, Villach, Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Spittal an der Drau and Zeltweg M/Ys, town of Sankt Veit an der Glan, Brux synethetic oil refinery, and armament works in Plzen. Over 20 P-51's and P-38's fly photo and weather rcn missions and sea patrol. 29 P-38's escort MATAF C-47's (transporting airborne troops) to Greece and back to Italy.
10/16/44 Tenth AF 11 P-47's attack 2 railroad bridges in Naba-Mawlu area, damaging approaches to both tgts. 5 other P- 47's hit Japanese forces in NW part of Madangyang. 12 B-25's, supported by escort of 8 P-47's, pound A/F at Shwebo. Transports fly over 300 sorties in CBI.
10/16/44 Fourteenth AF 28 B-24's, 8 B-25's, 26 P-51's, and 21 P-40's blast shipping and Kowloon Dock area. 15 cargo vessels are damaged or sunk. 3 other P-51's hit Wuchou area. 36 P-40's, P-51's, and P-38's hit village and town areas, bridges, and troop concentrations in Kweiping, Tanchuk, Hsinganhsien, Tingka, and Chefang areas.
10/16/44 FEAF P-38's hit harbor, shipFing, A/F and trucks at Cagayan. B-24's blast Makassar area. B-24's, B-25's, and FBs again pound the Boeroe-Ceram A/Fs and towns of Boela and Amboina and hit shipping in Binnen Bay. FBs hit Timoeka and Mongosah and Sagan A/Fs. Langgoer A/F is pounded by A-20's.
10/16/44 Twentieth AF Over 40 B-29's, out of Chengtu, bomb Okayama aircraft plant and Heito A/F. 20-plus other B-29's bomb alternate or chance tgts at Takao, Swatow, Toshien, and Sintien harbors, Hengyang, and several A/Fs, including Taichu.
10/16/44 Seventh AF 15 P-47's and 1 B-24 from Saipan hit Pagan. From the Marshalls 14 B-24's hit Truk.
10/16/44 Eleventh AF 7 B-24's fly cover sorties for naval TF.
10/17/44 Eighth AF More than 1,200 HBs attack 5 M/Ys and 2 T/Os at Cologne. 15 ftr gps give spt.
10/17/44 Ninth AF All Rhine rail and road bridges are cleared for attack. 2 days later Adv HQ prescribes bridges as having priority on tgt list second only to rail lines. 35 MBs hit rail bridge at Euskirchen. Ftrs escort MBs, fly armed rcn in Strasbourg-Colmar-Mulhouse area, attack railroads in Allendorf an der LahnGemunden area, and M/Y at Dielkirchen.
10/17/44 Twelfth AF Weather cancels all MB operations and limits FBs to limited sorties in the battle area S of Bologna, hitting roads, rail lines and bridges. A-20's during 16/17 Oct on armed rcn over Po Valley bomb T/Os and cause explosions on N edge of Ravenna.
10/17/44 Fifteenth AF 330-plus HBs attack Blechhammer S oil refinery and industrial area of Vienna, plus alternate tgts and T/Os including M/Ys at Banhida, Nagykanizsa, Szombathely, Strass, Graz, and Maribor, railroad bridge at Maribor, rail line at Furstenfeld, and T/Os scattered throughout the Balkans. P-51's escort a C-47 picking up personnel at Valjevo A/F, a B-17 carrying a photo crew to Rumania (to photograph Ploesti), and several C-47's transporting personnel to Araxos A/F.
10/17/44 Tenth AF 15 P-47's bomb supply area near Naba, hit Japanese HQ and supply area near Mawhun, and blast supply base and permanent camp at Myazedi. 8 B-25's bomb Nawnghkio A/F and 3 attack bridges near Kawlin and Thityabin. Approach to the latter bridge is damaged. Transports fly almost 300 sorties to various points in CBI.
10/17/44 Fourteenth AF 15 B-25's, 12 P-40's, and 10 P-51's pound supply depot at Tien Ho A/F. 2 B-24's bomb supply depot at Victoria Harbor. 44 P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn attack rivercraft, troop concentrations, villages, and other T/Os around Kweiping, Tengyun, Mangshih, Tajungchiang, Wuchou, and Dosing. Runway at Tanchuk A/F suffers considerable damage.
10/17/44 FEAF FBs and B-25's hit A/Fs, shipping and scattered T/Os in the Halmahera area. In Ceram- AmboinaBoeroe area A-20's, B-25's, and FBs continue to pound A/Fs and oil facilities. In the principal strike of the day almost 60 B-24's hit oil installations, barracks, and shore tgts on Ilang and N Davao Bay areas.
10/17/44 Thirteenth AF XIII BC moves from Wakde to Morotai.
10/17/44 Twentieth AF 10 B-29's, flying out of Chengtu, bomb Einansho air depot. 14 others bomb alternate tgts.
10/17/44 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Saipan hit shipping off Haha Jima and town of Okimura. Later, during 17/18 Oct, 1 B- 24 bombs A/F on Iwo Jima. B-25's from the Gilberts hit Nauru.
10/17/44 Eleventh AF 7 B-24's fly cover sorties for naval TF.
10/18/44 Eighth AF Over 450 HBs hit aircraft plants at Kassel, motor plant and M/Y at Cologne, and chemical works at Leverkusen, along with nearby T/Os. 12 ftr gps provide escort and 2 gps later strafe rail trafflc between Cologne and Kassel.
10/18/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents operations of all cmds ( including 9th Bomb Div) except IX TAC ftrs which fly sweeps, rail cutting missions, and night patrols, and provide air cover for US 1st Inf Div in Aachen area.
10/18/44 Twelfth AF Most MB missions are aborted because of weather, but B-26's effectively hit Castel San Pietro dell'Emilia warehouses and railroad bridge at Padua. Ftrs and FBs, operating on restricted schedule due to weather, offer effective close spt to ground forces in mountains S of Bologna and hit comm tgts in Bologna and Modena areas. On 17/18 Oct LBs on armed rcn bomb lights and vehicles E of Bologna.
10/18/44 Fifteenth AF 38 P-38's dive-bomb Vinkovci. 41 P-41's escort C-47's to Greece.
10/18/44 Tenth AF 13 P-47's attack Mingaladon A/F, 21 spt ground forces in Mohnyin area, 8 knock out 2 bridges at Wanting, and 6 hit troops near Hwemun. 6 B-25's damage approaches to 2 road bridges at Wuntho. 6 other B-25's damage approaches to 2 bridges at Namhkai and Meza. Transports again fly nearly 300 sorties to several locations in CBI.
10/18/44 Fourteenth AF 100-plus P-40's and P-51's fly armed rcn over vast areas of China S of the Yangtze R, attack town areas, troops, rivercraft, gun positions, supply facilities, A/Fs, and other T/Os around Kweiping, Shangkaishow, Tajungchiang, Konghow, Wuchou, Shepchung, Hsinganhsien, Tengyun, Liutu, Tanchuk, and Takhing. Railroad tgts at Lang Son are also attacked.
10/18/44 FEAF Bad weather curtails major strike on Balikpapan. Of 120plus HBs and ftrs, only 8 B-24's and 8 P-38's reach the tgt. P-38's hit barges, small shipping, and vehicles on W coast of Mindanao. B-24's at tack Sagan and Babo A/Fs. M/Bs and FBs again hit Namlea, Amboina, Liang, and nearby tgts, attack T/Os at Djailolo and in Wasile Bay area, and pound Urarom, Manokwari, Babo, Sagan, Otawiri, and other Vogelkop area tgts.
10/18/44 Seventh AF B-24's out of Saipan bomb Haha Jima while P-47's bomb and strafe Pagan.
10/18/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's bomb Kurabu Cape A/F and Suribachi. 8-12 interceptors attack the B-25's, which claim 2 victories.
10/19/44 Eighth AF More than 900 HBs attack Gustavsburg diesel engine and armored vehicle plant, Mainz M/Y, arty tractor plant at Mannheim, and several nearby towns and T/Os. 15 ftr gps fly escort.
10/19/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents bmr operations. Ftrs attack tank concentration E of Luneville, strafe tgts NW of Kaiserslautern, fly rcn in W Gerrnany, and provide cover for US Third and Seventh Army forces in E France.
10/19/44 Twelfth AF XII AF redesignates XII FC as XXII TAC following a reorganization period during which the XXII TAC was temporarily referred to as 'X'TAC and 'X-Ray'TAC, to distinguish it from XII FC HQ around which it was formed. B-26's attack Mantua causeway, railway fill at Ossenigo, and bridges at Calcinato and Peschiera del Garda. Ftr attack NW of Mantua accounts for 2 MBs lost and 1 missing. At least 2 of the attacking ftrs are destroyed. B-25's attack bridges in Milan area at Lonate Pozzolo, Cameri, and Magenta. FBs of XXII TAC hit tgts in spt of ground forces, concentrating on Monte Grande area, and attack rail lines and bridges N of battle zone. On 18/19 Oct LBs hit T/Os during armed rcn in Genoa and Bologna areas.
10/19/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather restricts operations to rcn missions.
10/19/44 Tenth AF 10 P-47's blast approaches to 2 bridges in Mawlu are and 15 spt ground forces in Mohnyin area, hitting village of Nyaunggaing and damaging nearby bridge and pounding railroad station at Kadu.
10/19/44 Fourteenth AF More than 100 P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn over S China hit numerous T/Os from Tungting Lake area to Luichow Peninsula. The FBs concentrate on rivercraft, troop compounds, and building areas.
10/19/44 FEAF B-24's hit Parepare. FBs hit Amboina and Boela A/F and shipping from Zamboanga S in Sulu- Mindanao area, pound Cebu A/F, hit nearby shipping, and strafe Miti, Djailolo, and Hate Tabako. A- 20's and FBs blast A/Fs at Urarom, Sagan, and Babo.
10/19/44 Seventh AF B-24's on armed rcn from Saipan bomb bridge, pier, and town area at Yap.
10/19/44 Eleventh AF A B-24 bombs Kurabu Cape.
10/20/44 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits Geertruidenberg/Parenboom and Moerdijke rail bridges. Attacks on other tgts are aborted because of bad weather. Ftrs fly armed rcn over E France and widespread areas of W Germany, attack railroads and various military tgts, and spt US Third and Seventh Armies' elements in E France.
10/20/44 Twelfth AF Weather clears, permitting for the first time in several days a maximum effort by MBs which attack 12 bridges and railroad fills in Po Valley. FBs of XXII TAC, operating on full scale, blast gun positions, troop concentrations, supply dumps, and comm tgts in close spt of US Fifth Army's drive on Bologna from the S. The FBs concentrate on approaches to Monte Grande area to prevent counterattacks.
10/20/44 Fifteenth AF 480-plus HBs attack oil refinery at Brux, oil storage at Regensburg, A/F at Bad Aibling, M/Ys at Rosenheim and Innsbruck, motor transport, armament plants, and ordnance works at Milan, plus scattered T/Os. P-38's and P-51's escort Brux and Regensburg missions.
10/20/44 Tenth AF 9 P-47's hit encampments and stores near Naba. 5 others knock out road bridge near Wanling and hit supply dump in the area, while 4 more attack troops and supplies in Nansiaung area. Transports fly over 200 sorties in the CBI.
10/20/44 Fourteenth AF 18 B-25's bomb docks and storage area at Samshui and town of Kweiping. 28 P-51's and P-40's join attack on Samshui area. 77 P-40's and P-51's on armed rcn pound road, river, and rail trafflc, town and village areas and other T/Os around Kweiping, Menghsu, Shawan, Kaotienhsu, Pingnam, Hsenwi, Wuchou, Dosing, Tanchuk, and coastal areas of Indochina including Hongay.
10/20/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Davao. B-25's hit Amboina town.
10/20/44 Seventh AF 6 Saipan-based P-47's bomb and strafe Pagan. Later in the day 4 B-24's hit the island. During 20/21 Oct a B-24 on a snooper mission bombs Iwo Jima.
10/21/44 Ninth AF Bad weather grounds bmrs. Ftrs fly armed rcn and attack railroads in W Germany and spt elements of US Third and Seventh Armies in E France and W Germany.
10/21/44 Twelfth AF B-26's, in the day's only MB mission, attack Nervesa della Battaglia railroad bridge and causeway.
Ftrs and FBs operate in close spt of US Fifth Army forces S of Bologna and FBs also hit comm in N Italy as far N as Verona and as far W as Turin. During 20/21 Oct LBs bomb T/Os during intruder missions N of battle area.
10/21/44 Fifteenth AF 104 B-24's with ftr escort attack M/Ys at Gyor and Szombathely. Almost 100 P-38's and P-51's strafe Szombathely and Seregelyes A/Fs and rail lines between Sajoszentpeter to Ipolyszog.
10/21/44 Tenth AF 15 P-47's damage at least 3 bridges throughout the railroad corridor in N Burma. 15 other P-47's spt ground forces in Mohnyin area, hitting gun positions and defensive works at Ywathit. 12 others attack positions and occupied areas around Bhamo and Muse, 6 knock out Paungni R bridge, and 4 attack town of Mawhun. About 270 sorties are flown by Tenth AF transports in CBI.
10/21/44 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's and 130-plus P-40's and P-51's attack shipping, gun positions, troop areas, bridges, town areas, road traffic, and other T/Os around Yuma, Takhing, Dosing, Konghow, Shawan, Kuanyang, Kweiping, Tungpingchi, Tingka, Muse, Wan Lai-Kam, Shekpo, Menghsu, and Amoy.
10/21/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Cagayan and Parepare. B-25's and FBs hit Misamis and blast truck convoy near Kibawe.
Other FBs hit Kaoe Bay supply areas. FBs hit Boela A/F and Amboina town area. Mongosah and Sagan A/Fs are also bombed.
10/21/44 Seventh AF 28 B-24's from Saipan bomb Iwo Jima. 2 B-24's, in first US air strike from Guam, hit Yap.
10/22/44 Eighth AF 492d Bomb Gp (CARPETBAGGER gp under control of VIII FC) is transferred to 1st Bomb Div to operate as night bombing gp, one sq remaining on CARPETBAGGER duty. This reduction of supplydropping forces results from recapture of major portions of France. The remaining sq will supply underground forces in Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and Germany until V-E Day. More than 1,000 HBs attack 2 military vehicle plants at Brunswick and Hannover, 2 M/Ys at Hamm and Munster, and 11 T/Os. 15 ftr gps fly spt.
10/22/44 Ninth AF Adv HQ XXIX TAC (Prov) moves from Arlon to Maastricht to maintain close association with Ninth Army. Weather forbids bmr operations. Ftr sweeps and armed rcn spt US Third and Seventh Army elements in E France and W Germany.
10/22/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather grounds all MBs and LBs. Ftrs and FBs, flying less than 20 sorties, hit rail lines and trains in N Italy.
10/22/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn flights.
10/22/44 Tenth AF 40-plus P-47's hit a variety of tgts including bridges at Panghkam, and at 2 other points along N Burma rail corridor, towns of Manna and Kyaungle, bivouac in Indaw area, and various T/Os.
10/22/44 Fourteenth AF 2 B-25's knock out 2 railroad bridges at Pingnam while 8 P-51's pound town area. 54 P-40's and P- 51's on armed rcn attack town areas and general T/Os at Nampang, Wanling, Kuanyang, Shekpo, Pingnam, Kweiping, and near Menghsu.
10/22/44 FEAF B-25's and P-38's attack shipping in Sulu Archipelago and Jolo and Zamboanga harbors while B-24's hit Opon and Lahug A/Fs. B-25's hit Ternate and B-24's pound Matina A/F, Cagayan, and Likanan. B- 25's hit Piroe Bay supply dumps and gun positions and FBs hit Kairatoe and Amahai A/Fs and T/Os in Binnen Bay. A-20's blast pillboxes and occupied areas in Metimedan-Sawar Rivers sector.
10/22/44 Seventh AF Guam-based B-24's hit Yap with harassment raids during the day, operating singly or in groups of 2 or 3. Makin-based B-25's bomb Nauru.
10/23/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents all cmds, including 9th Bomb Div, from flight operations.
10/23/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather grounds MBs. Ftrs and FBs although cancelling many operations, cause much damage to transportation, destroying or damaging numerous locomotives, railroad cars, and motor transport, and damaging vessels in Savona, Turin, Padua, and Genoa areas.
10/23/44 Fifteenth AF Around 500 B-24's and B-17's bomb Skoda armament works at Plzen, Rosenheim M/Y, Plauen industrial area, Munich airplane engine plant, Augsburg diesel engine factory, and Regensburg oil storage depot, and comm tgts in N Italy including M/Y at Bressanone, bridges at or near Casarsa della Delizia, Pordenone, Santo Stino di Livenza, and Maniago, and rail line running N to Brenner area. Ftrs escort missions to Germany and Czechoslovakia.
10/23/44 Tenth AF 20 P-47's hit Japanese concentrations at Nanhlaing and Kyungyi. 16 spt ground forces at Mawlu and Henu and in nearby areas. Bivouac area S of Indaw is pounded by 4 FBs while 7 knock out bypass bridge at Panghkam. 3 B-25's blast train cars and sidings at Kyaukme, 3 hit nearby motor pool, 2 hit motor pool at Namhsim, and 1 blasts rail line at Nawngpeng. Transports fly 270-plus sorties in CBI.
10/23/44 Fourteenth AF 3 B-25's knock out bridge at Lohochai while 7 P-40's hit trucks and locomotives nearby. 6 B-25's and 11 P-51's pound town area of Menghsu. 50-plus P-40's and P-51's hit small towns and other T/Os in Menghsu area. 40-plus others attack shipping, bridges, and general T/Os around Anfu, Kweiping, Shepchung, Kuanyang, Ssuwangshu, Mangshih, Chefang, Panghkam, Wanling, Takhing, Tanchuk, Dosing, Wuchou, and Tengyun.
10/23/44 FEAF B-24's and P-38's maintain shipping sweeps in Makassar area. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit Boela oil storage, Amboina town, 2 A/Fs, and other tgts in Amboina-Ceram-Boeroe area. FBs hit Sagan while A-20's spt ground forces further E in Sawar R-Orai R area. Vehicles and small vessels in Mindanao area are attacked by FBs while B-25's attack small shipping in Sulu Archipelago. FBs over Halmahera I hit scattered bivouacs.
10/23/44 Seventh AF 8 B-24's from Guam bomb Yap. 2 from Saipan hit Pagan and, during 23/24 Oct, 1 bombs Iwo Jima.
10/23/44 Eleventh AF 3 B-24's hit Kashiwabara tgts. 3 more B-24's bomb Otomari and fly a photo mission over Onnekotan.
5 B-25's bomb Asahi Bay area.
10/24/44 Eighth AF By this date, all Pathfinder aircraft of 482d Bomb Gp (engaged in H2X and other radar trg at RAF Alconbury) have been dispersed to HB gps within the bomb divs, which set up their own H2X trg.
Over 400 FBs are dispatched to attack aircraft and ground tgts in Hannover-Kassel area. 73 bomb flak positions at Elburg, factory near Nienburg, and miscellaneous ground tgts. Bad weather causes other FBs to jettison bombs in Channel and Zuider Zee. The FBs strafe transportation and other ground tgts with good results.
10/24/44 Ninth AF Bad weather cancels all operations except ftr patrols by IX and XXIX TAC over W Germany. The ftrs attack rail tgts.
10/24/44 Twelfth AF Weather grounds MBs. Over 300 XXII TAC ftrs and FBs attack tgts in spt of US Fifth Army S of Bologna and hit comm and shipping in Turin-Genoa and E Po Valley areas, destroying 14 locomotives and over 100 railroad cars. During 23/24 Oct LBs attack T/Os in Po Valley.
10/24/44 Fifteenth AF Weather cancels all offensive operations.
10/24/44 Tenth AF From 24 Oct through 27 Oct FBs and MBs steadily spt Allied troops on the N Burma front, pounding road and rail comm, troop concentrations and supply dumps, and sweeping A/Fs. The strikes include close spt of British troops advancing on the right flank of the front known as the 'Rail Corridor', and of Chinese forces pushing down the left flank along the Myitkyina-Bhamo road. CBI is split into 2 theaters- India-Burma and China.
10/24/44 Fourteenth AF About 80 P-40's, P-51's, and P-38's on armed rcn over SE China, SW China, and E Burma hit runways, storage facilities, town areas, troops, horses, gun positions, and other T/Os around Amoy, Lohochai, Tanchuk, Sinthe, Menghsu Pingnam, Mangshih, Chefang, and Lashio.
10/24/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Buayoan A/F while B-25's on armed rcn hit small shipping and troops. B-24's, B-25's, and FBs hit Sandakan area. P-38's bomb Amboina reservoir areas. A-20's and FBs again pound Babo, Moemi, Sagan, Manokwari, Otawiri, and other Vogelkop Peninsula area tgts.
10/24/44 Seventh AF Guam-based B-24's bomb Yap while Saipan-based P-47's hit Pagan.
10/24/44 Eleventh AF 3 B-24's bomb Kashiwabara and Kurabu Cape. 4 B-25's weather-abort a photo mission to Paramushiru. 2 others on a shipping sweep off Kurabu hit a freighter, which is observed listing and smoking, and strafe 2 subchasers.
10/25/44 Eighth AF Nearly 1,200 HBs in 5 forces attack 3 oil refineries, Neumunster A/F and aircraft repair works, synthetic oil tgts at Gelsenkirchen and Scholven/Buer, and several other tgts including M/Ys at Munster and Hamm. 11 ftr gps provide spt.
10/25/44 Ninth AF First Tac AF (Prov) is established, but not yet organized, therefore Ninth AF continues to administer, supply, and control all XII TAC and assigned units until mid-Nov when First Tac AF assumes full control.
9th Bomb Div's missions are cancelled because of bad weather. Ftrs fly sweeps, hit rail and military tgts in Saarbrucken area, and spt US XIX Corps in W Germany.
10/25/44 Twelfth AF Weather again grounds MBs. FBs blast guns, vehicles, and comm in battle area S of Bologna while ftrs destroy over 20 locomotives in Piacenza area.
10/25/44 Fifteenth AF Weather again limits operations. 3 B-17's bomb Klagenfurt aircraft factory and Sankt Veit and der Glan M/Y. 5 P-38's complete 3 weather rcn missions.
10/25/44 Fourteenth AF 6 B-25's and 4 P-38's damage railroad tracks at Dara bridge. 7 P-38's and P-51's hit Mongyu bridges and destroy Kawnghka bridge. 4 others strafe Nawnghkio A/F. 20-plus P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn attack T/Os at Tengyun, Kweiping, and Ssuanghsu, and about 50 strike tgts throughout Menghsu area.
10/25/44 FEAF 50-plus B-24's, supported by P-38's and P-47's, attack naval forces in Mindanao Sea, firing small vessels and claiming a light cruiser damaged. B-24's bomb Ambesia A/F and attack shipping in Makassar- Kendari area. FBs hit barges and villages in areas of Dodinga and Wasile Bays. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit Piroe, Boela, Halong, Amboina, Saparoea, Haroekoe, and N Ceram coastal tgts.
A-20's pound supply and fuel dumps in Sarmi area.
10/25/44 Twentieth AF 59 B-29's, flying out of Chengtu, bomb aircraft plant at Omura. Several other VHBs hit alternate tgts and T/Os.
10/25/44 Seventh AF 29 Saipan-based B-24's bomb Iwo Jima during the morning. Later during the day 4 B-24's from Saipan and Guam, on armed rcn missions, bomb Yap. 8 P-47's from Saipan bomb Pagan.
10/26/44 Eighth AF Over 1,100 HBs attack synthetic oil plant at Bottrop, ordnance and storage depot at Bielefeld, aircraft repair works and M/Y at Munster, military vehicle plant near Hannover, aqueduct and Mittelland Canal at Minden, and other tgts including city of Hannover. 14 ftr gps provide escort.
10/26/44 Ninth AF No bmr operations as bad weather prevails. Ftrs sweep areas of E France and W Germany from Metz to Cologne, attacking rail and road traffic, rail bridges, and M/Ys.
10/26/44 Twelfth AF Weather suspends all Twelfth AF operations.
10/26/44 Fifteenth AF Weather curtails operations. 7 B-17's bomb M/Y at Innsbruck.
10/26/44 Fourteenth AF B-24's and B-25's attack shipping off E Luichow Peninsula. B-25's also hit river shipping from Dosing to Takhing and Yellow R bridge. Ftrs attack town of Menghsu, hit T/Os around Menghsu and Kweiping, and make armed rcn attack on Hongay. B-25's and ftrs bomb railroad yards at Hsuchang.
10/26/44 FEAF B-24's attack naval force of 2 battleships, 5 carriers, and 5 destroyers W of Panay I. P-38's hit vehicles in Davao area and B-25's bomb Iligan. Hits are claimed on a battleship and 2 carriers. P-40's attack T/Os in Dodinga-Kaoe Bay area, Djailolo, supply area S of Galela, and guns S of Doro. A-20's and B-25's bomb Urarom.
10/26/44 Seventh AF 8 Saipan-based P-47's bomb and strafe Pagan. 15 B-25's based in the Gilberts, bomb A/F area on Nauru.
10/26/44 Eleventh AF Of 6 B-24's which abort a naval TF cover mission after failing to find the ships, 2 bomb installations on Onnekotan I.
10/27/44 Ninth AF Gen Robert C Richardson reassumes cmd of IX ADC. Adverse weather prevents all operations except patrols by XIX TAC and supply dropping missions (to VI Corps near Saint-Die) by XII TAC.
10/27/44 Twelfth AF Weather curtails operations. FBs on armed rcn in Genoa-Novi Ligure-Turin area hit comm and transportation tgts.
10/27/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to 5 weather rcn flights.
10/27/44 Fourteenth AF Ftrs bomb and strafe town of Mengmao and nearby hill positions, river traffic, troops, and horses from Tanchuk to Tengyun, bridges NE of Hsinganhsien, town of Kaotienhsu, troops in Kweilin area, rail trafflc W of Puchi, and A/Fs at Siangtan and Changsha.
10/27/44 FEAF 40-plus FBs, operating in 3 waves, hit shipping off Cebu and W of Mactan I. B-24's attack Malili and Palopo.
10/27/44 Seventh AF 2 B-24's on armed rcn from Saipan bomb Yap. During 27/28 Oct a B-24 on snooper mission hits Iwo Jima.
10/27/44 Eleventh AF 7 B-24's weatherabort an attempt to fly cover for naval TF.
10/28/44 Eighth AF 350-plus B-17's escorted by 4 ftr gps bomb M/Ys at Hamm and Munster.
10/28/44 Ninth AF HQ 9th Bomb Div transfers to Reims. 45 9th Bomb Div aircraft bomb rail bridges at Sinzig, Kempenich, and Ahrweiler, and A/F at Euskirchen. Ftrs escort bmrs, fly sweeps and armed rcn over W Germany, attack 6 bridges and 1 tunnel, and spt US XIX Corps in Belgium near German border.
10/28/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather again grounds MBs, and restricts XXII TAC. FBs and ftrs, flying 65 sorties, attack vehicles and trains in Turin-Milan-Genoa area.
10/28/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather again limits operations. 10 B-17's bomb Klagenfurt aircraft factory. 6 P-38's fly rcn missions, during early part of the night. 8 B-17's bomb Munich W M/Y. 1 bombs Erlsbach.
10/28/44 Tenth AF 80-plus FBs pound numerous tgts including town areas, troops, railroad facilities, and a variety of T/Os at Mannaun, Manoi, Sinkan, Winwa, Man Mao, Myazedi, Pinwe, Naba, Yebawgyi, and Kangon.
10/28/44 Fourteenth AF Ftrs strafe villages, troops, and horses in Menghsu-Konghow area, pound bridges around Kaotienhsu, and hit Yangtong A/F and shipping at Hongay and Wuchou.
10/28/44 FEAF B-24's, fighting bad weather, bomb A/F at Puerto Princesa. During 28/29 Oct, B-24's bomb Wilhelmina Docks area. B-25's and P-38's blast town of Amboina.
10/28/44 Twentieth AF Marianas-based XXI BC flies its first combat mission when 14 B-29's attack sub pens on Dublon I. 4 others (1 carrying Gen Hansell, CG XXI BC) abort. About a third of the bombs fall in general tgt area.
10/28/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan bomb Haha Jima while others, from Guam, hit Yap. Saipan-based P-47's bomb Pagan.
10/28/44 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's fly cover for naval TF.
10/29/44 Ninth AF About 170 MBs and LBs bomb rail bridges at Mayen, KonzKarthaus, Ellern, Moerdijke, and Euskirchen. Ftrs fly escort to bmrs, sweeps, defensive patrols, armed rcn over wide areas of E France, the Netherlands, and Germany, bomb rail tgts and bridges, and fly cover for US XIX Corps in Belgium.
10/29/44 Twelfth AF Weather again restricts operations. XXII TAC FBs fly 16 sorties against railroad tgts in Po Valley.
10/29/44 Fifteenth AF 35 B-24's of over 165 HBs dispatched with ftr escort, bomb Munich W M/Y. The remainder and 670 other HBs, dispatched against tgts in S Germany, abort mission due to bad weather. 30 P-38's, after escort duty, strafe comm lines from Wels to Kienberg, destroying 17 locomotives and several other road and rail transportation tgts.
10/29/44 Tenth AF 80-plus FBs again attack a wide variety of tgts including troop concentrations, bridges, supply dumps, and numerous T/Os at Kawlin, Wingnang, Hsenwi, Bhamo, Shwegu, Kyungon, Tugyaung, Yebyangale, Henu, and Kayin.
10/29/44 Fourteenth AF Ftrs in spt of Chinese ground forces blast hill positions in Lungling and Mangshih areas. Others damage bridge at Sinshih, bomb Kweiyi and Paoching, hit railroad tgts between Siaokan and Sinyang, and strafe A/Fs at Chingmen, Tangyang, and Ichang.
10/29/44 FEAF FBs and B-26's, operating in small forces, are active against A/Fs, AA positions, and T/Os on Halmahera I. FBs also hit Ransiki while FBs, A-20's, and B-25's bomb Urarom and Soeli and strafe T/Os throughout Urarom-Kaimana area.
10/29/44 Thirteenth AF Thirteenth AF moves from Noemfoor I to Morotai I.
10/29/44 Seventh AF 19 B-24's from Saipan bomb Chichi Jima. 2 from Guam strike Yap.
10/29/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's on rcn hit Tomari Cape buildings and a freighter which is left listing.
10/30/44 Eighth AF Over 600 HBs supported by 15 ftr gps attack oil refineries near Hamburg and 11 other tgts including M/Ys at Hamm and Munster. Clouds cause abort of around 600 other HBs.
10/30/44 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div bmrs are recalled from mission (mainly against bridges) because of bad weather. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn over NE France and in W Germany around Aachen and Rhine R. XIX TAC escorts 9th Bomb Div and HBs of Eighth AF.
10/30/44 Twelfth AF Weather again grounds MBs and limits XXII TAC FBs and ftrs to 51 sorties against scattered tgts in Po Valley.
10/30/44 Fifteenth AF During 30/31 Oct 3 B-24's bomb Klagenfurt M/Y, P-38's fly rcn missions, while bad weather cancels all other operations.
10/30/44 Tenth AF 10 B-25's knock out bridges at Namhkai, Wuntho, Thegyaung, and Nankan and damage others at Okkyin and Zawchaung. 50-plus P-47's knock out Hpao Nam R bridge and strafe T/Os at several locations; hit several bridges throughout N Burma rail corridor, damaging or knocking out each tgt; spt ground forces at Naba Station and Pinwe; and hit troop concentrations at Mansi and Man yut.
10/30/44 Fourteenth AF 13 B-24's lay mines in Victoria Harbor. P-40's bomb installations around Phu Lang Thuong and hit junks at sea.
10/30/44 FEAF B-24's pound Bacolod A/F, while B-25's and FBs hit San Roque A/F and barges at Zamboanga. P- 38's hit Sandakan A/F. B-24's bomb Makassar wharf area while P-40's, over NE peninsula, hit various T/Os. P-38's hit Piroe. Urarom A/F is again bombed by A-20's and B-25's.
10/30/44 Twentieth AF 8 B-29's from the Marianas bomb sub pens on Dublon I, 9 others bomb 2 mi beyond tgt.
10/30/44 Seventh AF 8 B-24's on armed rcn missions from Guam bomb Yap. 1 B-24 from Saipan, during 30/31 Oct snooper mission, bombs Iwo Jima. Saipan-based P-47's hit Pagan. B-25's from Makin strike Nauru.
10/30/44 Eleventh AF 3 B-24's fly armed rcn over Matsuwa and Onnekotan.
10/31/44 Ninth AF Weather forbids bmr operations and limits ftrs. XII and XIX TACs fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn over E France and W Germany. XII TAC also supports US Seventh Army elements in Metz area.
10/31/44 Twelfth AF B-26's hit bridge and causeway at Nervesa della Battaglia and bridges at Montebello and Piazzola sul Brenta. FBs attack guns and positions in battle area S of Bologna in the Apennines, and comm and shipping tgts in Po Valley and on Po R.
10/31/44 Fifteenth AF P-38's fly photo and weather rcn. 174 B-24's, dispatched against tgt in Yugoslavia, are forced to return because of weather.
10/31/44 Tenth AF 60-plus P-47's attack occupied areas and supply areas at Namun, Bhamo, and Nakang, and railroad bridges, locomotive shelters, and rolling stock along the KyaikthinNaba line. 2 B-25's attack T/Os from Katha to Bhamo along the Irrawaddy R.
10/31/44 Fourteenth AF 6 P-51's hit shipping T/Os at Swatow and Amoy. About 70 ftrs spt Chinese ground forces by pounding positions in Lungling area. 4 B-25's and 12 P-40's bomb railroad bridge at Pengpu.
10/31/44 FEAF P-47's and A-20's bomb Kairatoe A/F and Saharoe village. B-25's and P-40's hit Loloda and Soasioe.
P-38's and A-20's, concentrating on A/Fs, attack Samate, Efman, Sagan, and Doom I.
10/31/44 Seventh AF During 31 Oct/1 Nov a B-24 on snooper mission from Saipan bombs Iwo Jima.
10/31/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's score direct hits on a cannery at Tomari Cape and leave nearby buildings burning. 1 of 2 B- 25's hit by AA heads for and safely lands in USSR.
11/1/44 Eighth AF Over 300 HBs attack 2 synthetic oil plants near Gelsenkirchen, a bridge at Rudesheim, and M/Ys at Koblenz and Hamm. 9 ftr gps fly escort.
11/1/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents bmr operations. Ftrs fly patrols, sweeps, armed rcn over Belgium, E France, and large areas of W Germany and attack bridges, railroads, and various other tgts.
11/1/44 Twelfth AF Operations are again curtailed by bad weather. However, ftrs and FBs successfully attack bridges, rail lines, roads, vehicles, and trains in C Po Valley and hit scattered tgts elsewhere in N Italy.
11/1/44 Fifteenth AF 320-plus B-17's and B-24's, with ftr escorts, bomb diesel works, ordnance works, and M/Y at Vienna.
Also hit are M/Ys at Graz, tank factory at Kapfenberg, T/Os including M/Ys at Gussing, Ljubljana, and Cakovec, and scattered comm tgts in S Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Yugoslavia. Several ftrs strafe road and rail transport tgts and troops in Gyor-Parndorf and Neusiedler Lake areas.
11/1/44 Tenth AF 70-plus FBs knock out bridge at Panghkam, slightly damage bridges in the Wingkang and Kawnghka area, hit railroad T/Os between Indaw and Naba, attack Japanese positions near Bhamo, Si-in, Hantet, and Shwegu, and bomb towns of Loiwing and Lagaw. 9 B-25's damage bridge approaches at Hsenwi, Namhkai, and Kawnghka.
11/1/44 Fourteenth AF About 70 ftrs again spt Chinese ground forces in Lungling area. 13 ftrs strafe river, road, and rail traffic from Kunghsien to Loyang.
11/1/44 FEAF B-24's bomb A/Fs at Cebu City, and Alicante and supply dumps at Del Monte. FBs hit Bacolod, Alicante, and Carolina A/Fs. A-20's and B-25's hit Babo A/F. P-38's and B-25's pound Namlea A/Fs. P- 47's attack shipping and shore tgts during sweep over Sulu Archipelago.
11/1/44 Eleventh AF B-24's from Guam attack shipping NE of Iwo Jima. 12 B-24's escorting Navy photo airplanes over Iwo Jima, Haha Jima, and Chichi Jima, bomb A/Fs, a warehouse, and shipping. P-47's from Saipan strafe Pagan. During 1/2 Nov a B-24 on snooper mission from Saipan bombs Iwo Jima.
11/1/44 Eleventh AF A B-24 on an armed weather mission bombs Otomari Cape.
11/2/44 Eighth AF Eighth AF is ordered to increase size of 406th Bomb Sq (Night Leaflet), as liberation of Europe and conquest of Germany accelerate. About 1,100 HBs in 5 separate forces attack synthetic oil plant at Merseburg/Leuna, Castrop-Rauxel, Sterkrade, and Bielefeld/ Schildesche railroad and M/Y, along with several T/Os. Opposition is heavy with an estimated 500 ftrs attacking, mainly against the Merseburg/ Leuna force claiming 40 HBs. The 17 escorting ftr gps lose 28 planes. Total of over 160 ftrs are claimed destroyed.
11/2/44 Ninth AF 147 bmrs of 9th Bomb Div attack rail bridges at Mayen, Euskirchen, Bullay, Konz-Karthaus, and Trier.
Ftrs fly escort to 9th Bomb Div and Eighth AF, attack bridges, fly armed rcn and night patrol, and provide spt for ground forces in frontline areas.
11/2/44 Twelfth AF Clouds over Po Valley prevent MB operations. XXII TAC aircraft are also grounded due to unserviceable fields and bad weather over Italian battle areas.
11/2/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather curtails operations. 5 B-17's bomb Moosbierbaum oil refinery, while 2 others hit an A/F N of the city and bomb Klagenfurt. 6 P-38's fly weather rcn missions. All other operations are cancelled.
11/2/44 Tenth AF Tenth AF moves from New Delhi to Myitkyina. 80-plus P-47's hit variety of tgts. The FBs bomb bridge at Ho-hko, spt ground forces at Myothit, bomb supply dumps at Namdaungmawn personnel and supply areas at Naungletgyi and Mawtaung, knock out bridge at Meza, hit nearby railroad cars, attack A/Fs at Nawnghkio and Sinlanzu and strike boats and boxcars S of Katha. 8 B-25's knock out 2 bridges at Tangon and Tantabin. A single B-25 bombs Indaw. Transports fly 268 sorties to forward areas.
11/2/44 Fourteenth AF 100-plus P-40's, P-51's, and P-38's on armed rcn over SW and SE China and N Indochina attack T/Os in Lungling and Mangshih area, knock out bridge at Dara and hit Nantingshun and Pinglo towns.
The FBs also damage 4 factories at Kweilin, hit tanks and troop concentrations N of town, attack T/Os near Pinglo, Tahsu and E of Yungfu, and A/F, barracks, town area, and trains at Gia Lam.
11/2/44 FEAF B-24's over Ormoc Bay attack Japanese convoy, claiming 1 transport sunk and another damaged. P- 38's hit smaller shipping in Ormoc Bay, strafe vehicles from Ormoc to Valencia, and bomb San Enrique. B-25's pound Matina, Libby, Davao and Likanan A/Fs. During 2/3 Nov B-24's bomb Makassar, concentrating on wharf area.
11/2/44 Twentieth AF 17 Marianas-based B-29's bomb sub pens on Dublon I.
11/2/44 Seventh AF 11 Saipan-based B-24's bomb Chichi Jima. 3 from Guam, on armed rcn, hit Marcus.
11/2/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-24's bomb Suribachi and Onnekotan. 4 B-25's on a photo and offensive sweep bomb tgts at Torishima Is and Hayakegawa setting fire to 15 buildings, including a cannery.
11/3/44 Ninth AF 140-plus MBs and LBs hit rail overpass at Kaiserslautern, and rail bridges at Neuwied-Irlich, Bad Munster am Stein, Morscheid and Konz-Karthaus. Ftrs fly armed rcn, ground forces cover, attack railroads, bridge, and observation posts in W Germany, and escort 9th Bomb Div.
11/3/44 Twelfth AF Heavy clouds over most of N Italy begin to disperse. MBs are still grounded but FBs manage to fly 8 sorties against gun positions in mountains S of Bologna.
11/3/44 Fifteenth AF 46 B-17's and B-24's (in an operation adapted to bad weather and flying without escort) bomb Vienna S ordnance depot, Moosbierbaum oil refinery, Munich W M/ Y, Klagenfurt aircraft factory, towns of Innsbruck and Graz, and rail line SE of Graz. The HBs attack individually, depending on cloud cover for protection. Over 30 other HBs abort due to clearing weather.
11/3/44 Tenth AF 12 B-25's, supported by 18 P-47's, hit Nawnghkio A/F. A single MB attacks T/Os between Myitkyina and Lashio. 90-plus FBs attack bridges, enemy forces, town areas and numerous T/Os at Kawngmu, Namhai, Tonlon, Ho-hko, Hinlong, Namhsum, Hkusan, Hkawngwa, Wingkang, Namhkam, and S of Mansi.
11/3/44 Tenth AF transports fly 240-plus sorties to forward areas.
11/3/44 Fourteenth AF 69 P-40's, P-51's, and P-38's on armed rcn over E Burma, SW and SE China, and N Indochina hit T/Os in Lungling area, damage railroad bridge S of Lashio, hit town of Mangshih and destroy nearby warehouse. The FBs hit town areas and docks at Takhing and Tengyun, attack troops in Mosun area, destroy 2 Japanese ftrs near Amoy, hit trains at Hongay, and bomb areas on Hainan I.
11/3/44 FEAF B-25's bomb Alicante A/F. P-40's hit highway and oil dump N of Ormoc. A-20's and B-25's bomb Babo A/F. During 3/4 Nov harassing strikes are flown at A/Fs in C Phil Is, on NE peninsula of Celebes, and on Halmahera.
11/3/44 Twentieth AF 49 B-29's, operating from rear bases in Calcutta area, bomb Malagon railroad yards. Almost as many others hit alternate tgts.
11/3/44 Seventh AF 14 B-24's from Guam pound shipping at Chichi Jima and Haha Jima. 34 P-47's from Saipan bomb and strafe Pagan. B-24's from Saipan continue armed rcn and snooper missions over Marcus and Iwo Jima.
11/4/44 Eighth AF More than 1,000 HBs operating in 6 forces attack synthetic oil plants, oil refineries, and benzol plant at Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Hamburg/Harburg, Misburg, and Neunkirchen, and several T/Os.
17 ftr gps, including a Ninth AF gp, provide spt.
11/4/44 Ninth AF 218 MBs and LBs hit Trier ordnance depot, Baumholder depot, and Eschweiler gun positions. Ftrs escort the 9th Bomb Div, attack railroads, bridges, and other tgts, and spt US xrx Corps in Aachen area.
11/4/44 Twelfth AF Over 200 B-25's and B-26's of 42d Bomb Wg hit railway and road bridges in Brenner Pass. More than 130 B-25's of 57th Bomb Wg strike comm in W Po Valley, cutting at least 4 bridges. Ftrs and FBs of XXII TAC concentrate on comm tgts and trains in Po Valley and defenses in battle area S of Bologna.
Some XXII TAC aircraft hit guns on N Italian coast, some hit rocket launching site and comm N of battle area, and 4 P-47's bomb Milan hotel where Hitler is rumored to be staying.
11/4/44 Fifteenth AF 715 HBs with ftr escorts pound oil storage at Regensburg, M/Ys at Munich and Augsburg, main M/Y and a benzol plant at Linz, a troop concentration at Podgorica, as well as attacking several alternate tgts and scattered T/Os including M/Ys at Wels and Kufstein, Erding, A/F, railroad tgts in and near Rosenheim, and towns of Strass and Muhldorf.
11/4/44 Tenth AF 17 P-47's pound Shwebo A/F while 6 others bomb stores of guns and ammo at Mong Yaw.
11/4/44 Fourteenth AF 34 P-40's, P-51's, and P-38's attack road traffic and other T/Os in Mangshih and Lungling areas. 4 P- 38's bomb pass near Menghsu, blocking the highway.
11/4/44 FEAF B-24's again pound Alicante A/F.
11/4/44 Seventh AF 18 Saipan-based B-24's bomb Iwo Jima A/Fs. 2 others, on shipping rcn, bomb Haha Jima. 2 B-24's on armed rcn from Guam bomb Marcus. 16 P-47's bomb landing strip on Pagan.
11/4/44 Eleventh AF 6 B-24's strike A/F, buildings, and off shore shlpplng at Suribachi and Kurabu.
11/4/44 ZI First report is received of Japanese balloon SW of San Pedro; USN recovers some apparatus, envelope, and rigging.
11/5/44 Eighth AF More than 1,200 HBs attack M/Ys at Frankfurt/Main, Ludwigshafen, Karlsruhe, Hanau, and Kaiserslautern, and synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen, rail facilities at Landau, and 8 T/Os. 15 ftr gps give spt. 37 HBs and ftrs are lost.
11/5/44 Ninth AF 160 MBs and LBs strike ammo, ordnance, and supply depots at Hamburg. Ftrs escort bmrs, fly armed rcn, attack railroads and bridges, and cover ground forces of V and XIX Corps. IX TAC aids US 28th Inf Div in withstanding counter- attack near Kommerscheidt.
11/5/44 Twelfth AF MBs, flying over 300 sorties, bomb bridges in Brenner Pass and in the NE Po Valley to interdict the Germans' 2 main supply routes from the N. Ftrs and FBs hit defenses and forces in battle areas in the N Apennines S of Bologna and attack comm tgts to the N as well as in battle zone.
11/5/44 Fifteenth AF 500 B-24's and B-17's bomb Vienna/Floridsdorf oil refinery in largest operation against a single tgt during World War II. 10 other HBs bomb about 20 scattered T/Os and 1 alternate tgt (Kapfenberg tank works). 139 P-38's and 198 P-51's provide escort. 16 of the ftrs strafe T/Os in tgt area. 42 other B- 24's, with ftr escort, bomb troop concentrations at Mitrovica and Podgorica.
11/5/44 Tenth AF About 70 P-47's attack Lashlo A/F, hit gun positions on Kyundaw I, bomb Kanbalu M/Y, hit T/Os along Naba-Wuntho railroad and on Burma Road and bomb town of Namhpakka and Lasai area. 28 other P-47's maintain patrols S of Myitkyina. Transports fly 300-plus sorties carrying men, equipment and supplies to various forward areas.
11/5/44 Fourteenth AF 49 P-40's, P-38's, and P-51's attack storage facilities and other T/Os around Mangshih, Chefang, Wanling, and Kweihsien.
11/5/44 FEAF B-24's and P-40's attack A/Fs and barges in the C Phil Is. B-24's also hit town of Bima and Waingapoe Bay shipping at Soembawa. B-25's and FBs strike A/Fs, troop concentrations, and comm tgts throughout the Halmahera area and NE peninsula of Celebes. FBs and A-20's hit Amahai and T/Os on S coast of Ceram. Almost 50 A-20's, supporting ground forces, blast installations in Sarrni area.
11/5/44 Twentieth AF 24 Marianas-based B-29's bomb 2 Iwo Jima A/Fs, starting tac operations against the island in preparation for its invasion. 53 Calcutta-based B-29's bomb Singapore naval base putting the King George VI Graving Dock (one of the world's best drydocks) out of operation for 3 months, and blast other tgts at the base. 7 other B-29's bomb secondary tgt and Pangkalanbrandan refinery while 4 more hit other tgt.
11/5/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Guam hit shipping in the Bonins and, during armed rcn mission, bomb Marcus.
11/5/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's abort an offensive sweep off Suribachi due to intense shore fire. 4 more B-25's fly armed rcn over Shimushu and decklevel bomb Torishima Is tgts. Of 4 ftrs intercepting the B-25's, 1 is downed. 4 B-24's bomb Onnekotan and Matsuwa. 3 more B-24's bomb Kataoka naval base, starting fires. 7 ftrs intercept and the HBs down 1.
11/6/44 Eighth AF Over 1,000 HBs in 6 forces attack 6 oil and chemical installations, a canal aqueduct and aircraft repair plant, along with 3 M/Ys, an A/F, and several T/Os in N and NW Germany. 16 ftr gps afford close escort and later strafe ground tgts in NW Germany and the Netherlands.
11/6/44 Ninth AF Weather grounds 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs, during armed rcn, attack railroads and bridges. IX TAC also supports ground forces in Schmidt area.
11/6/44 Twelfth AF MBs strike electric transformers and converters, railway bridges and railway fills on the rail line through Brenner Pass. FBs and ftrs again hit troops and gun positions in the battlelines S of Bologna and comm tgts N of the battle area.
11/6/44 Fifteenth AF 580-plus ftr-escorted HBs bomb Moosbierbaum oil refinery and Vienna S ordnance depot, alternate tgts of Kapfenberg steel works, Deutsch Wagram, Graz and Maribor M/Ys, and railroad power sub station at Bolzano.
11/6/44 AAF, India-Burma Theater AAF, India-Burma Sector, China-BurmaIndia Theater is redesignated AAF, India-Burma Theater.
11/6/44 Tenth AF 70-plus P-47's, sweep A/Fs at Anisakan, Onbauk, Shwebo, Kin, and Kawlin; destroy and damage bridges at Hinlong and Wingkang; bomb town of Mawtaung and M/Y at Kanbalu; hit boxcars at Wuntho and Meza, boats along the Irrawaddy from Katha to Twinnge. and attack several scattered T/Os. 28 P-47's fly combat patrols S of Myitkyina. 8 B-25's bomb military area at Namun and supply dump at Mansi. Large-scale transport operations continue.
11/6/44 Fourteenth AF 16 P-40's pound Mangshih and Lungling areas. 15 others hit buildings and other T/Os at Wanling and around Chefang and Kweihsien.
11/6/44 FEAF B-24's strike Lahug and Fabrica A/Fs, while FBs pound Palompon, bridge N of Valencia, and barges in Ormoc Bay. B-24's bomb Malili.
11/6/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan bomb shipping at Okimura and Higashi-minato and hit island of Ani Jima. During 6/7 Nov a snooper mission is flown over Iwo Jima A/Fs. Dispersal areas and runways are bombed.
Beginning on this date and continuing through 24 Dec 44, B-24's on Saipan fly 24 missions to lay 170 mines in several anchorages throughout the Bonin Is.
11/6/44 Eleventh AF 4 B-25's bomb Torishima Is, score a hit on a large building, sink two nearby barges, and probably hit other shipping tgts. About 20 ftrs intercept, downing 1 B-25. The MBs claim 3 victories.
11/7/44 Ninth AF No bmr operations because of unfavorable weather. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn, attacking railroads, guns positions and other tgts. IX TAC supports US V Corps as fierce counterattacks force US 28th Inf Div to retreat from village of Kommerscheidt. V Corps decides to withdraw Kall R bridgehead.
11/7/44 Twelfth AF AG officially orders de facto action of 19 Oct redesignating XII FC to XXII TAC. MBs of 42d Bomb Wg aid DAF in supporting British Eighth Army's attack on Forli. 57th Bomb Wg continues interdiction campaign against railway supply lines in NE Italy. FBs closely spt US Fifth Army forces astride Idice R in mountains S of Bologna and bomb comm N of the Apennines, scoring many hits on bridges between Piacenza and Bologna.
11/7/44 Fifteenth AF More than 550 HBs attack Maribor, Alipasin Most, and Brunico M/Ys, Vienna/Floridsdorf oil refinery, Brenner Pass railroad route, railroad bridges at Pinzano al Tagliamento, Casarsa della Delizia, Mezzocorona, Ora, and Albes, and troop concentrations at Novi Pazar, Sjenica, Prijepolje, and Mitrovica. Ftrs escort all operations except the attacks on troop concentrations. 124 P-38's strafe troop concentrations at Podgorica and roads and railroads near Raska, between Visegrad-Prijepolje-Sjenica and from Sjenica to Novi Pazar.
11/7/44 Tenth AF 80-plus P-47's hit gun positions, supply areas, and troops at Bhamo, Pintin, and in vicinity of Myazedi, bomb A/Fs at Kawlin, Shwebo, and Onbauk, hit fuel dump near Panghkam road junction, attack railroad T/Os between Indaw and Shwebo, and T/Os along the Irrawaddy between Bhamo and Katha. 28 other P-47's maintain overlapping patrols over area S of Myitkyina. Transports fly 260-plus sorties to forward areas.
11/7/44 Fourteenth AF 6 B-25's bomb railroad yards at Yuncheng. 2 B-25's and 21 P-51's, P-40's, and P-38's hit T/Os around Mangshih, Chefang, Wanling, and Lungling.
11/7/44 FEAF B-24's and FBs hit Fabrica, Alicante, Bacolod, and Opon A/Fs, shipping at various C Phil locations, and comm and supply tgts at Tambuco, Ormoc, Palompon, Valencia, and other areas. P-38's and B- 25's hit Del Monte A/F and T/Os in Macajalar Bay, Mindanao, and Mandai A/F. B-25's hit Tanamon, Mapanget, and Langoan. B-25's and FBs hit Galela, Miti, and Kaoe A/Fs. In sweeps over Boeroe and Ceram small groups of B-25's and P-38's hit runways and small shipping. B-24's bomb Raba Estate.
11/7/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Guam strike Iwo Jima and, during armed rcn flight, bomb AA positions on Marcus. P-47's strafe A/F on Pagan during the early morning and follow up with rocket and strafing runs later in the morning.
11/8/44 Eighth AF Transfer of trg functions from VIII AF Comp Cmd to combat gps is completed. VIII AF Comp Cmd ceases to function as personnel are attached to Air Disarmament Cmd (Prov) by USSTAF. A/F at Denain/Prouvy is assigned to Eighth AF. This is first step in establishing an VIII AFSC Serv Center on the European continent so that Eighth AF can service and administer its own aircraft and personnel in the area. Over 250 HBs attack synthetic oil plants at Merseburg/Leuna and M/Y at Rheine, along with 5 T/Os. Bad weather causes recall of over 350 other HBs. 18 ftr gps provide escort and later strafe ground tgts with good results. 23 ftrs are lost.
11/8/44 Ninth AF Weather cancels operations against military depots and troop concentrations in Germany, and fortified positions in France. Mission against rail bridges in Germany is recalled due to weather. Ftrs fly escort, attack railroads, bridges, factories, supply dumps, and cmd posts. IX and XIX TACs spt US 28th Inf Div in Schmidt area (V Corps begins withdrawing Kall R bridgehead) and Third Army elements start assault on enemy fortifications in Metz area.
11/8/44 Twelfth AF MBs strike rail line in Brenner Pass and other lines running into Italy from NE and bomb bridges in C and W Po Valley, damaging several and destroying the bridge at Mantua. Ftrs and FBs hit comm in Bologna area, but concentrate most of their operations against bridges and rail lines in Parma area in effort to disrupt battle area supply lines.
11/8/44 Fifteenth AF 34 B-24's bomb troop concentrations at Mitrovica, Prijepolje, and Sjenica. Heavy cloud over tgts forces over 70 others to abort.
11/8/44 Tenth AF 80-plus P-47's spt ground forces in Mawlu area, bomb personnel, supplies, and comm facilities at Tunhong, Chaungdauk, and Kutkai, gun positions at Hsipaw, Man Hpa town area, Kawlin A/F and T/Os along Kawlin-Pinwe railroad. 8 B-25's knock out Bawgyo railroad bridge. 270-plus transports fly sorties to forward areas.
11/8/44 Fourteenth AF In S China and N Indochina 2 B-25's hit railroad tracks at Lohochai and 2 others hit tracks at Duc Tho.
4 P-51's blast road machinery near Muse. 15 B-25's, 13 P-40's and P-51's pound storage buildings, villages, and other T/Os throughout Mangshih area.
11/8/44 FEAF B-24's again hit Alicante A/F. B-25's bomb Langoan A/F while P-38's on sweeps over Kendari area hit parked airplanes, shipping, nickel mine, and other T/Os. B-25's attack Kaoe and Hate Tabako A/F while others hit T/Os on Ceram.
11/8/44 Twentieth AF 17 XXI BC B-29's are airborne against Iwo Jima A/F. 6 manage to bomb through a hole in cloud cover.
Others fail to bomb tgt. Enemy aircraft drop phosphorous bombs on formations, damaging 1 B-29. 1 VHB ditches, the first aircraft lost by XXI BC on a combat mission.
11/8/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Saipan hit shipping at Chichi Jima and Haha Jima. A single HB on a snooper mission bombs Iwo Jima during 8/9 Nov. P-47's attempt ftr sweep over Pagan but must abort because of bad weather.
11/8/44 Eleventh AF An 8-aircraft shipping sweep is cancelled due to weather.
11/9/44 Eighth AF Over 1,100 HBs (in conjunction with Ninth AF aircraft) hit TAC tgts in Metz and Thionville area as US Third Army forces launch full-scale attack on Metz. Other tgts include Saarbrucken M/Ys, bombed by over 300 of the HBs. 11 ftr gps give escort and 6 gps of FBs bomb and strafe tgts between Frankfurt/ Main and Mannheim. Over 40 HBs and ftrs are lost.
11/9/44 Ninth AF 74 planes of 9th Bomb Div attack road junctions, barracks, ordnance arsenals, arty camps, military storage depot, and other tgts in Dieuze, Landau, Sankt Wendel, and Faulquemont areas. IX TAC flies sweeps over W Germany and attacks M/Y at Duren, while XXIX TAC escort attacks Rahling and an A/F and supports US Third Army elements (2 inf and 2 armd divs) as allout assault on Metz is pushed.
11/9/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather hampers MBs operations in Po Valley as 7 of 9 missions abort. In the 2 others, bridges in the Valley are hit. Ftrs and FBs fly less than 100 sorties, but successfully strike road and railroad bridges in Bologna-Modena areas.
11/9/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to 4 weather rcn missions.
11/9/44 Tenth AF 70-plus aircraft bomb concentrations and supply areas at Kutkai, Shwebo, Mawtawng, and Kunhailong, bomb A/F at Kawlin, knock out bridge at Ho-hko, and spt ground forces and hit T/Os near Chyauhkawng, Namakyaing, Sepein, Tonlon, and at other points in the same general area. 6 B-25's bomb rail yards at Kanbalu. Transports continue large-scale operations, flying nearly 300 sorties to forward areas.
11/9/44 Fourteenth AF 8 B-25's bomb Mangshih while 10 P-38's hit T/Os in Mangshih-Chefang area. 6 B-25's bomb Kaifeng while 6 others hit sampans, storage areas, and other T/Os in Yiyang area. 160 P-40's, P-38's, and P- 51's on armed rcn over wide expanses of S China and N Indochina attack trucks, gun positions, river and coastal shipping, and other T/Os at or near Pingnam, Kweihsien, Changsha, Yoyang, Siangtan, Lushan, Kioshan, Paoching, Hengyang, Liangshan, Liuchow, Suikai, Gia Lam, Kien An, and Weichow I.
11/9/44 FEAF FBs attack convoy off W coast of Leyte and hit barges and shipping near Ormoc. B-24's bomb Carolina A/F. B-25's attack several A/Fs and villages in the NE peninsula of Celebes and Halmahera.
A20's strike Piroe.
11/9/44 Seventh AF B-24's from Guam, fly shipping rcn over the Bonins attacking vessels and AA positions at Haha Jima, shipping and town at Okimura, and returning, strafe Iwo Jima. P-47's from Saipan strafe storage caves on Pagan. During 9/10 Nov a lone B-24 from Guam, on snooper mission, bombs Iwo Jima.
11/9/44 Eleventh AF An 8-plane armed rcn sweep and a 4-plane bombing mission are cancelled due to weather.
11/10/44 Eighth AF More than 600 HBs attack A/Fs, M/Y and chemical plant at or near Hanau, Wiesbaden, and Cologne; and 4 T/Os. 14 ftr gps give escort to HBs and 2 FB gps bomb and strafe transportation-comm tgts in NC Germany.
11/10/44 Ninth AF 150-plus bmrs dispatched against ordnance arsenal and camp area are recalled due to weather. 7 others drop leaflets. XXIX TAC attacks railroads while XIX TAC escorts bmrs and supports 80th and 5th Inf Divs in US Third Army assault in Metz area.
11/10/44 Twelfth AF HQ and HQ Sq, XII TAC; HQ and HQ Sq, 64th Ftr Wg; 324th Ftr Gp; 415th Night Ftr sq; 11th Tac Rcn Sq; and several signal, ftr control, and serv units are relieved from duty with Twelfth AF and assigned to ETOUSA and First TAC AF (Prov). MBs continue interdiction campalgn against railways in NE Italy, principally the Brenner Pass, Brenta R and Po R bridges, rail ferry at Ostiglia, and several dumps. FBs hit rail tgts and guns at several points in Po Valley.
11/10/44 Fifteenth AF Continued bad weather limits operations to rcn missions and rcn escorts by P-38's.
11/10/44 Tenth AF 60-plus P-47's again attack a variety of tgts including Japanese concentrations at Bhamo, Indaw, Hkapra, and Nawngtao, town of Naba Station bridges at Meza and in Kawlin area, and T/Os along the Irrawaddy and along the railroad corridor in N Burma and spt ground forces S of Bhamo. Transports fly more than 250 sorties to forward areas.
11/10/44 Fourteenth AF 11 B-25's pound storage buildings and town area of Wanling. 130-plus P-40's, P-38's, and P-51's on armed rcn over S China attack river, road and rail traffic, storage, A/F and villages at or near Tingka, Chefang, Kweilin, Yoyang, Nanyo, Changsha, Paoching, Kweihsien, Yungfu, Wuchou, Siangtan, Tanchuk, Mosun, Kweiping, Yuncheng, Chenghsien, Hankow, and Chikhom.
11/10/44 FEAF FBs again hit Ormoc Bay shipping while B-25's join Navy aircraft in shipping strikes throughout same area. At least 3 destroyers are claimed sunk. B-24's in the area bomb town of Ormoc. B-25's and A- 20's over Ceram bomb Haroekoe A/F, Piroe, and T/Os on S coast.
11/10/44 Seventh AF 27 Saipan-based B-24's pound Iwo Jima. 6 from Angaur I bomb Koror.
11/11/44 Eighth AF 400-plus HBs attack Oberlahnstein, Koblenz, and Rheine M/Ys, Scholven/Buer oil plant, and Bottrop synthetic oil plant, along with other tgts. 11 ftr gps provide escort.
11/11/44 Ninth AF 190 MBs and LBs hit strongpoints at Putzlohn and rail bridges at Sinzig, Euskirchen, Ahrweiler, and Mayen. IX TAC hits railroads and other tgts, escorts 9th Bomb Div, and supports US 28th Inf Div in Schmidt area. XXIX TAC hits tgts in W Germany. XIX TAC flies armed rcn and supports US XII and XX Corps in Thionville-Metz area.
11/11/44 Twelfth AF MBs strike at railroad bridges in NC and NE Italy, damaging bridge at Piazzola sul Brenta and knocking out 2 spans of bridge at Latisana. FBs continue spt of ground forces S of Bologna, attack vehicles, trains, and comm in Genoa-Alessandria area, bomb Villafranca di Verona A/F and set most of the area aflame. During 10/11 Nov A-20's bomb Ghedi A/F and T/Os in Po Valley.
11/11/44 Fifteenth AF 220-plus HBs attack M/Ys in Rosenheim, Salzburg, Villach, Linz, and Lienz, railroad at Zell am See, highway bridge at Sillian, Wurzen Pass, railroad bridges at Pinzano al Tagliamento, Latisana, and Casarsa della Delizia, and Aviano A/F. Ftrs escort all missions except the bridge attacks. Bad weather grounds 100-plus other HBs, and another 320-plus are recalled before reaching tgt areas.
11/11/44 Tenth AF Nearly 90 P-47's hit troop concentrations at Chaungdauk, Nawngtao, Mankang, and in Indaw vicinity; damage and knock out bridges at Meza and S of Kawlin, score near misses on bridges i Hsenwi- Namhkai area; blast radio installation near Manoi, bomb Kawlin A/F, hit rail traffic between Shwebo and Padu, and attack T/Os along the Irrawaddy from Tigyaing to Twinnge. Transports fly 237 sorties to forward areas.
11/11/44 Fourteenth AF 18 B-25's hit Phuc Yen, Wan Lai-Kam, and damage bridge on Mekong R. 10 B-25's bomb Kweilin A/F while 4 hit Wanling. 5 B-25's and 6 P-40's attack Chingmen A/F. 70-plus P-40's, P-51's and P-38's over S China and N Indochina on armed rcn hit T/Os at several locations, concentrating on Lampang, Changsha, Lingling, and Hengyang areas.
11/11/44 FEAF B-24's hit Dumaguete A/ F while FBs hit shipping in Palompon area and T/Os at Valencia. Over Halmahera FBs and B-25's hit shipping and Namlea A/F. P-38's hit Kendari A/F and B-24's bomb Ninring R area.
11/11/44 Twentieth AF The last of the 6 preliminary trg missions of XXI BC is directed at Truk atoll. 8 B-29's bomb Dublon I sub pens.
11/11/44 Seventh AF Escorted by newly arrived P-38's (some of which also escort B-29 raid on Truk) 29 Guambased B-24's pound Iwo Jima A/Fs. 16 Saipan-based P-47's hit Pagan beach defenses and storage caves.
11/12/44 Eighth AF Operational tour of duty for ftr pilots is set at 270 hrs.
11/12/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents operations by 9th Bomb Div. Ftr operations are limited but IX and XIX TAC's fly patrols and armed rcn in W Germany and along French-German border.
11/12/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather grounds MBs. FBs spt ground forces in the N Apennines and hit railway tgts in Po Valley, cut rail lines in 18 places and destroy or seriously damage 8 bridges. During 11/12 Nov LBs hit motor transport, Bergamo A/F, and Po R crossing at San Benedetto Po.
11/12/44 Fifteenth AF 107 ftr-escorted B-24's strike at bridges at Ora, Albes, and Mezzocorona, viaduct at Avisio, plus alternate tgt of Casarsa della Delizia railroad bridges and T/Os in NE Italy including Latisana railroad bridge and an A/F to the N.
11/12/44 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt ground forces in Pinwe area and near Indaw. 24 attack supplies and comm tgts in Kawlin area while 9 bomb Japanese concentrations at Indaw and Man Hkong. Town of Pegon is attacked by 11 P-47's and 20-plus others and 9 B-25's hit T/Os during the sweeps of the Irrawaddy from Singu to Katha anl along rail lines at several points in N Burma. 250-plus transport sorties are flown to forward bases and frontline areas.
11/12/44 Fourteenth AF 8 B-25's knock out a railway bridge and damage 2 others near Thanh Hoa. 4 B-25's bomb town of Man Pwe while 4 attack Wanling. 38 P-51's and P-40's hit Hengyang A/F and attack river, rail, and road traffic, arty pieces, pillboxes, and storage around Hengyang, Lingling, and Kweilin. 13 P-40's hit Changsha area. 40 P-51's and P-38's hit various T/Os at several other locations scattered throughout S China and N Indochina.
11/12/44 FEAF B-24's bomb Alicante A/F while FBs hit Linao barges of W coast of Leyte, and shipping in Ormoc Bay.
B-25's bomb Daliao and Matina A/F. B-24's and FBs over NE Celebes and Halmahera I attack shipping and Djailolo A/F. 50-plus B-25's blast Mapia and Asia Is.
11/12/44 Twentieth AF 29 Chengtu-based B-29's bomb Omura. Over 20 others bomb last resort tgt of Nanking (due to bad weather over Omura), and 20-plus more hit various alternate tgts and T/Os.
11/12/44 Seventh AF 29 Saipan-based B-24's with P-38 escort bomb A/F on Iwo Jima. 11 P-47's strafe runway and storage area on Pagan. During the night a B-24 on snooper mission bombs Iwo Jima. B-24's from Angaur bomb Koror.
11/12/44 Eleventh AF 2 B-24's fly armed rcn over Onnekotan and Matsuwa.
11/13/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents all operations except for night patrol and weather rcn by IX TAC.
11/13/44 Twelfth AF During 12/13 Nov A-20's bomb ammo dumps, pontoon bridge, and T/Os in Po Valley. Thick overcast covering N Italy the following morning vastly curtails MBs which attack only a railway bridge at Padua.
FBs continue to hit comm N of battle area and also oil pipeline across the Po R at Ostiglia.
11/13/44 Fifteenth AF During 12/13 Nov 14 MBs hit Blechhammer oil refinery. 5 others hit alternate tgts and T/Os at scattered locations including Gleiwitz, Karvina, Ruzomberok, and Vac. Day operations are limited to rcn missions.
11/13/44 Tenth AF 100-plus FBs pound numerous tgts in N Burma. Close spt strikes are made on Pinwe area, bridges at Namhkai, Meza, and Thegyaung, on troop concentrations and on supplies at Loi-Lum and Namhpakka. Ferry crossing at Shweli is hit by 12-hr delay bombs, Nawnghkio landing ground is strafed, and numerous T/Os along the Irrawaddy and rail lines in N Burma are hit. Transports fly over 300 sorties to forward areas.
11/13/44 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's bomb Man Pwe while 4 others blast 3 warehouses at Wanling. 60-plus P-40's, P-51's, and P- 38's on armed rcn over S China and as far W and SW as Burma and Thailand hit numerous T/Os including shipping, troops, and railroad tgts.
11/13/44 FEAF B-24's pound Fabrica A/F while FBs hit shipping and other T/Os. A few FBs hit Legaspi A/F. B-25's, with P-38 cover, hit San Roque A/F and town of Zamboanga. Over Halmahera I and in Ceram area FBs and A-20's bomb A/Fs and various T/Os. Pegun I is blasted by 2 waves of 70 A-20's.
11/13/44 Seventh AF 6 B-24's from Guam, escorting Navy photo aircraft over Iwo Jima and the Bonins, attack shipping at Futamiko. 1 B-24 from Saipan, carrying out unsuccessful shipping search, bombs Iwo Jima. 7 B-24's from Angaur hit oil storage on Malakal I and attack bridge between Malakal and Koror.
11/14/44 Ninth AF Weather prevents all operations except a few ftr patrols and rcn flights.
11/14/44 Twelfth AF Bad weather restricts operations to FB attacks by 17 P-47's on rail lines and road N of battleline.
11/14/44 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn missions.
11/14/44 Tenth AF 12 B-25's bomb supply area near Lashio. 56 FBs hit supply areas, enemy concentrations, town areas, and general T/Os at Kutkai, Sandaya, Palaung, Kawlin, Tingka, and in Shwebo-Kyaukmyaung area.
12 spt ground forces in Pinwe area, 4 bomb Sindaw R bridges and 30-plus others maintain patrols S of Myitkyina. 300-plus transport sorties are flown to forward areas.
11/14/44 Fourteenth AF In E Burma and in China-Burma boundary areas 8 B-25's bomb Wanling and Hsenwi. 15 P-38's and P-40's on armed rcn hit T/Os around Wanling and Mangshih.
11/14/44 FEAF B-26's pound Pegun I in preparation for allied amphibious landings early the following morning. B- 24's, with P-38 and P-47 cover, bomb Bacolod A/F while FBs hit trucks and buildings in Valencia area and near Linao and hit shipping S of Ormoc. B-26's and FBs pound Lahug and Opon A/F. B-24's strike Langoan A/F.
11/14/44 Seventh AF 22 Saipan and Guambased B-24's bomb Woleai hitting an A/F and adjacent installations and firing an oil dump. 4 Saipan-based P-47's hit Pagan A/F. During 14/16 Nov a B-24 from Saipan on snooper mission attacks shipping SW of the Bonins.
11/15/44 Ninth AF XII TAC, along with 71st Ftr Wg, 60th, 368th, and 371st Ftr Gps, 86th Air Depot Gp, and 83d and 312th Serv Gps, is assigned to the First Tac AF (Prov). When hostilities cease the First Tac AF will be disbanded and all of its units will revert to Ninth AF. Weather prevents bmr operations and limits ftrs.
XIX TAC flies armed rcn in Merzig-Trier-Saarbrucken area and supports XX Corps in same area.
11/15/44 Twelfth AF Twelfth AF loses HQ & HQ Sq, 63d Ftr Wg; HQ and HQ Sq, 42d Bomb Wg; 17th and 320th Bomb Gps, and 310th Serv Gp to ETOUSA. Bad weather cancels all operations except for rcn by 4 P-47's and attack by 2 on railroad bridge and rolling stock in Po Valley.
11/15/44 Fifteenth AF 80 B-17's and B-24's attack benzol plant at Linz, M/Y at Innsbruck, and troop concentration at Novi Pazar (all primary tgts), and make single bmr attacks on Wolfsburg, Salzburg, Hieflau, Kapfenberg steel works, Schwaz, Ybbs, and A/Fs near Linz, Passau, and Traunstein. Ftrs escort the Novi Pazar raid.
11/15/44 Tenth AF 12 B-25's attack A/F at Kawlin. 42 P-47's hit supplies, troop and vehicle concentrations, and T/Os at Mansak, Gyogon, Banmauk, Namtao, and Wuntho. 20 spt ground forces in Pinwe area while 16 attack bypass bridges at Kawnghka and Namhkai, knocking out the latter. 8 P-47's bomb Kyaikthin rail sidings and junction, 8 strafe Anisakan A/F, and 12 hit T/Os during N Burma road sweeps. 280 transport sorties are flown.
11/15/44 Fourteenth AF 19 B-25's and 16 P-51's and P-40's over SW China, W Burma, and N Indochina hit railroad tgts, villages, town areas, and general T/Os at or near Wanling, Mangshih, Tingka, Quang Yen, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, and Man Pwe.
11/15/44 FEAF B-25's and FBs spt allied amphibious landings in Mapia Is.B-24's, with P-38 spt, bomb La Carlota A/F while B-25's hit Lahug. B-25's and FBs attack T/Os on Cebu and shipping off W coast of Leyte. On Mindanao B-24's hit 3 A/Fs while P-38's hit shipping and other T/Os. In NE Celebes B-24's bomb Tanamon while other B-24's, B-25's, and FBs hit scattered T/Os in Celebes anl Halmahera I.
11/15/44 Seventh AF Guam-based B-24's on shipping strike to the Bonins, attack vessels at Haha Jima and near Chichi Jima. 1 Saipan-based B-24, during 15/16 Nov snooper mission, bombs Iwo Jima after failing to find shipping tgts in the Bonins.
11/15/44 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's weatherabort armed photo rcn over Paramushiru.
11/16/44 Eighth AF About 1,200 HBs, along with Ninth AF and RAF airplanes, attack tac tgts E of Aachen in spt of US First and Ninth Armies' offensive. 9 ftr gps fly escort and 2 gps later strafe transportation tgts in Giessen, Marburg, and Berleburg areas.
11/16/44 Ninth AF 80 9th Bomb Div bmrs hit defended areas and strongpoints at Echtz, Luchem, and Eschweiler. IX TAC FBs dive-bomb gun positions and other tgts in Stolberg and Hurtgen areas and XIX TAC supports US XX Corps in Merzig, Trier, Saarbrucken area. XXIX TAC attacks tgts in 12 W German towns. US First and Ninth Armies begin eastward thrust (Operation QUEEN) into areas hit by IX and XXIX TACs.
11/16/44 Twelfth AF MBs fly over 250 sorties against rail lines in Brenner Pass and other parts of NE Italy destroying the railroad bridge at Sacile. FBs in spt of British Eighth Army adv to NW of Forli hit guns, ammo supplies, and other military tgts, attack pipeline crossings of the Po at Ostiglia and Ferrara, and pontoon stores near Ficarola, as well as hitting comm tgts N of battle area.
11/16/44 Fifteenth AF More than 550 HBs attack Munich W M/Y and troop concentrations at Visegrad as well as alternate tgt of Innsbruck M/Y and scattered T/Os. Over 250 P-51's and P-38's spt the attack on Munich. 26 other P-38's strafe transport tgts on roads between Sarajevo and Novi Pazar.
11/16/44 Tenth AF 30 P-47's hit troop concentrations and supply areas at Naungmo, Nawngmoloi, and Lashio. 11 spt ground forces in Pinwe area, 4 attack bridges at Meza and over Sindaw R. 4 bomb Meza railroad station, 16 sweep railroad from Sagaing to Kanbalu, and 16 strafe Nawnghkio and Hsumhsai A/Fs.
Transports fly 270-plus sorties to forward bases and frontline areas.
11/16/44 Fourteenth AF 23 B-24's bomb Changsha. 8 B-25's hit Lohochai and bomb Wanling area. 16 B-25's hit Nghia Trang, Duc Tho, Nha Trang, and Do Len. 70-plus P-40's and P-51's over SE and SW China on armed rcn attack road, river, and rail traffic, town areas, and other T/Os at several scattered locations.
11/16/44 FEAF In C Phil Is and in Mindanao area B-25's, B-24's, and FBs hit A/Fs, harbors, shipping, and T/Os. In Kendari area and on NE peninsula of Celebes, and on Halmahera, HBs, MBs, and FBs pound A/Fs, villages and shipping. MBs also spt ground forces in Mapia Is and bomb Namlea A/F.
11/16/44 Thirteenth AF Col Willard R Wolfinbarger becomes CO of XIII FC.
11/16/44 Seventh AF 12 Saipan-based B-24's bomb shipping at Chichi Jima while 2 others attack barges at Haha Jima. 12 P-47's and 3 P-38's hit A/F un ragan In the first combat strike by P-38's in the Marianas. During a 16/17 Nov snooper mission in the Bonins a B-24 attacks shipping.
11/17/44 Ninth AF 30 bmrs of 9th Bomb Div hit Haguenau. Weather prevents 1OO-plus bmrs from attacking tgts. Ftrs escort bmrs, fly patrol and armed rcn over wide area of W