USAAF CHRONOLOGY
MARCH - MAY 1945
3/1/45 Eighth AF 1,153 B-17's and B-24's bomb 8 M/Ys in SW Germany, plus 2 T/Os. 9 P-51 gps provide close escort, 7 gps afterward strafe transportation facilities and A/Fs.
3/1/45 Ninth AF 340-plus MBs and LBs attack ordnance depot at Giessen, comm centers at Pulheim, Rheinbach, Rommerskirchen, and Stommeln, rail bridge at Pracht, a road bridge, and 8 T/Os. Ftrs escort MBs and LBs, fly alerts, scheduled patrols, and armed rcn, hit assigned ground tats and spt US 3d Armd Div at Erft R bridgehead near Paffendorf, 9th Armd Div between Neffelbach and Rotbach (creeks), XVI and XIII Corps in Venlo area and along Niers R, XIX Corps in Monchen-Gladbach area, VIII Corps astride the Prum R, XII Corps between Prum and Nims Rivers and along the Kyll R, and XX Corps in Trier area.
3/1/45 Twelfth AF A-20's fly intruder missions during 28 Feb/1 Mar against tgts at Lecco and in Parma area, starting large fires and causing several explosions during strike on Casarsa della Delizia temporary railroad bridge, and hit bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia and Sacile. Weather cancels all daytime operations except for rcn and supply runs.
3/1/45 Fifteenth AF 630-plus B-24's and B-17's bomb Moosbierbaum oil refinery and alternate tgts and T/Os including M/Ys at Sankt Polten, Amstetten, Villach, Klagenfurt, Knittelfeld, Feldbach, Jesenice, and Maribor, plus several scattered T/Os. Over 220 ftrs provide escort. 22 P-38's bomb Moosbierbaum refinery and Tulln M/Y (afterward 12 of them strafe Wiener-Neustadt-Gloggnitz rail lines). 47 other P-38's strafe rail traffic around Graz and W of Vienna.
3/1/45 USAFIME USAFIME takes over NW Africa from MTOUSA and is redesignated AMET (Africa-Middle East Theater).
3/1/45 Tenth AF 27 P-47's spt ground forces in Mogok area. 16 fly close spt strikes near Lashio. 14 P-47's damage approaches of bypass bridge at Na-lang, but leave the bridge serviceable. About 100 FBs attack troops, supply areas, comm tgts, a ferry landing, and general T/Os along battlefronts and immediately behind German lines. Large-scale transport operations continue.
3/1/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-25's and 5 P-51's pound S side of Ishan while 17 other P-51's hit E and W sections of the city. 9 P-51's attack T/Os of Chinchengchiang while 4 others hit troops and road traffic between Chinchengehiang and Hwalyang.
3/1/45 FEAF B-24's over Formosa and the Ryukyu Is bomb Takao aluminum plant, Tainan A/F and nearby satellite field. Ftrs hit buildings at Keishu and storage tanks, railroad yards, and T/Os throughout the Ryukyus.
Troops on Corregidor and W of Ft Stotsenburg are hit with napalm. Other B-24's bomb Tarakan, Labuan, and Manggar A/Fs. B-25's hit Zettle Field.
3/1/45 Thirteenth AF Thirteenth AF moves from Morotai to Leyte. XIII FC moves from Leyte to Palawan.
3/1/45 Seventh AF VII FC is removed from control of Seventh AF and transferred to AAFPOA. 7 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F. 1 other hits Haha Jima. During 1/2 Mar, 5 HBs make separate harassment strikes on Susaki A/F and town of Omura.
3/2/45 Eighth AF 1,159 HBs bomb synthetic oil plants at Bohlen, Ruhland, and Magdeburg, 2 oil refineries at Rositz and Schonebeck, M/Ys at Chemnitz, Dresden, and Magdeburg, and T/Os in Germany and Czechoslovakia. 15 ftr gps fly 675 effective supporting sorties. Also part of 3 of these gps strafe A/Fs.
3/2/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits 5 bridges, 2 comm centers, 3 ordnance and motor transport depots, several city areas, and 6 T/Os. Objectives are to hinder movement of enemy troops trying to help German army caught in front of US Third Army, to obstruct movement in general, and to damage enemy repair and refitting capabilities. Over 1,700 ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, hit special tgts, fly armed rcn and patrols, and spt US 3d Armd Div at expanding bridgehead on the Erft R, XVI and XIX Corps in Sevelen, Monchen-Gladbach, and Neuss area, and VIII, XII, and XX Corps E of Prum R, astride the Kyll R, and in Trier-Saarburg area.
3/2/45 Twelfth AF Weather again grounds MBs, FBs and ftrs hit comm, ammo and stores dumps, 2 sugar refineries, guns, vehicles, and buildings S of Bologna and in Po Valley, and A/F at Aviano and Lonate Pozzolo.
3/2/45 Fifteenth AF 470 B-24's and B-17's, with ftrs flying escort, bomb M/Ys at Linz, Sankt Polten, Amstetten, Graz, Knittelfeld, and Brescia. 31 P-51's on strafing mission attack rail and river comm from Linz to Regensburg, while 18 others fly top cover. P-38's fly rcn missions. B-24's drop supplies during 1/2 Mar in N Italy and C Yugoslavia.
3/2/45 Tenth AF 20-plus P-47's fly close spt strikes in Mogok area. 2 B-25's damage ferry slips at Li-lu while 10 others hit bridges at Tonglau, Na-lang, Mong Pawn, and Namsang. 90-plus FBs attack gun positions, troops, supply areas, and highway T/Os in general battle areas and behind enemy lines. Transports complete 564 sorties to forward areas.
3/2/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-24's on sweeps over Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea claim 2 vessels sunk and 3 damaged.
3/2/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit Matsuyama, Toyohara, Kagi, and Kato A/Fs. Other B-24's pound Sepinggang and Manggar A/Fs and waterfront area of Sandakan.
3/2/45 Twentieth AF Around 50 B-29's bomb shop and warehouse area at naval base in Singapore. 5 others hit alternates on Bukum I, at Arang Hill, and at Khao Huakhang.
3/2/45 Seventh AF 7 Guam-based B-24's make daylight raid on Chichi Jima A/F and 5 more bomb same A/F and town of Omura during 2/3 Mar.
3/3/45 Eighth AF 1,048 HBs operating in 6 forces bomb 10 primary tgts (6 oil refineries, an oil plant equipment works, motor transport factory, tank plant, and a rail bridge) in NC and E Germany along with several secondaries, last resort tgts, and T/Os including M/Ys, casting plant, tank plant, and industrial and city areas.
657 effective ftr sorties are flown in spt. Ftrs also strafe ground tgts.
3/3/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits Wiesbaden, Giessen, Bergisch Born, and Nahbollenbach ordnance and storage depots, rail bridges at Remagen and Simmern, comm center at Heimersheim, motor transport concentration at Schwelm, Rheinbach ammo dump, Kirn M/Y and town, and several T/Os. Ftrs fly bmr escort, hit special tgts, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt US 9th Inf Div, 3d Armd Div, and VII Corps astride Erft R W of Euskirchen and area near Roggendorf W of the Rhine R, XIII, XVI, and XIX Corps E of Sevelen, NE of Krefeld, and W of the Rhine in Dusseldorf area, and VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the area between the Prum and Kyll R and along the Mosel in Trier area.
3/3/45 Twelfth AF Overcast skies and turbulent winds hamper MB missions against comm in Brenner area, allowing only limited success against tgts. Crema and Fidenza bridges in Po Valley are damaged. XXII TAC FBs, destroy a sugar refinery at Verona and achieve good results against comm and dumps in C Po Valley and Brenner area. Other ftrs and FBs spt US Fifth Army S of Bologna. A-20's during 2/3 Mar hit roads, ammo supplies, and vehicles at several points in Po Valley, particularly in Bologna-Modena regions, and bomb Legnano M/Y.
3/3/45 Fifteenth AF Rapidly deteriorating weather cancels bombing operations. P-51's strafe rail traffic between Leibuitz and SW of Spittal an der Drau and attack A/F S of Graz. P-38's fly rcn and rcn escort. 1 B-24, of 6 dispatched, drops supplies in N Yugoslavia.
3/3/45 Tenth AF 24 P-38's and P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div near Mansam. 16 spt British 36th Div in Mogok area. 10 P-47's knock out Nalang bridge while 2 B-25's drop delay-action bombs in good pattern around Loi-leng bridge. 10 B-25's join 80-plus FBs in attack on troops, supplies, tanks, trucks, gun positions, and transport elephants behind enemy lines. 29 of the FBs concentrate on Kankang area.
643 air supply sorties are completed.
3/3/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-24's over Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea attack shipping T/Os, claiming 1 vessel sunk and 3 damaged. 3 B-25's hit Kep, damaging several locomotives and boxcars and hit a bridge. 12 P-51's over Indochina hit T/Os between Vinh and Nam Dinh (2 direct hits are scored on bridge at Minh Koi) while 2 others blast HQ building in Hanoi.
3/3/45 FEAF B-24's pound Tainan area and Kiirun while ftrs sweeping over Formosa hit numerous T/Os. FBs bomb Koshun A F. B-25's bomb San Roque A/F. B-24's and B-25's attack Zettle Field. Echague, Ternate, and Caballo I areas are bombed by A-20's. B-25's, aborting strike against Formosa, bomb airstrip at Basco.
3/3/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam pound Susaki A/F in afternoon strike, and 4 more, flying individual strikes, hit same tat during 3/4 Mar.
3/4/45 Eighth AF Over 1,000 HBs are dispatched to bomb tgts in SW Germany. Bad weather causes over 300 aborts.
656 HBs bomb M/Ys at Ulm, Ingolstadt, Oflfenburg, military vehicle plants and ordnance depot at Ulm, jet aircraft plant at Schwabmunchen, and 6 city areas. 13 ftr gps fly 467 uneventful supporting sorties.
3/4/45 Ninth AF About 180 B-26's, A-20's, and A-26's strike M/Ys and rail junction at Recklinghausen, Lenkerbeck, and Herne, comm centers at Bruhl, Sechtem, and Rheinbach, and several other tgts including rail bridge and towns. Weather limits ftr operations. A few ftrs fly armed rcn E of the Rhine and others fly cover for XX Corps.
3/4/45 Twelfth AF Good flying weather permits full-scale effort by Twelfth AF. MBs hit 7 railroad bridges on Brenner line and in NE Italy. Salorno railroad fill receives a particularly good concentration of bombs. XXII TAC P- 47's concentrate on comm tgts in Po Valley, knocking out a span of the Cittadella railway bridge.
Brazilian P-47's blast ammo dump at Villafranca di Verona. A-20's during 3/4 Mar bomb bridge and bridge approaches at Casarsa della Delizia, Ostiglia, and Nervesa della Battaglia, radar station at Vignola, and lights, motor transport, roads, and other T/Os at over 30 places in the C Po Valley.
3/4/45 Fifteenth AF 630-plus B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escort, bomb M/Ys at Sopron (2), Szombathely, Knittelfeld, Zelfweg, Graz, Sankt Veit an der Glan, Wiener-Neustadt, Zagreb (2) and Ljubljana, and several scattered T/Os. Other B-24's, with P-51 escort, drop supplies in Yugoslavia. P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort operations.
3/4/45 Tenth AF 100 FBs attack troop concentrations, villages, roads, tanks, trucks, animal transport, and supplies along and immediately behind the battlelines running from SW to NE across C Burma. Meiktila is largely occupied by forces of Indian 17th Div.
3/4/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-24's on sea sweep damage a destroyer escort in S China Sea.
3/4/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Sasa and Likanan A/Fs and town of Zamboanga and pound gun positions, ammo storage, and T/OS at Antipolo and Wawa, supply dumps and town area at Bamban, T/Os in Cagayan Valley, fortifications on Caballo I, and A/Fs at Aparri and Tuguegarao.
3/4/45 Twentieth AF Gen Giles becomes Dep Cmdr of Twentieth AF and CG Of AAFPOA. A B-29 makes an emergency landing on Iwo Jima. This begins a series of over 2,400 such emergency landings on the island during World War II. 192 Marinanas-based B-29's are airborne against Musashino (Musashi) but heavy clouds prevent bombing the primary. 159 of the VHBs bomb secondary tat, the urban areas of Tokyo, and almost 20 others hit alternate tgts. This aborted try at Musashino marks end of XXI BC's effort to knock out Japanese aircraft industry by high-altitude, daylight precision bombing. (The indirect effect of causing Japanese industrialists to lose confidence in their supposed immunity from air attacks exceeds the effect of actual bomb damage to the aircraft industry). During 4/5 Mar, 11 B-29's, staging from Luliang, mine the confluence of the Hwangpoo and Yangtze Rivers and the Tai-hsing Narrows. 1 VHB drops mines at Tungting Lake.
3/4/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F. During 4/5 Mar, 3 HBs make separate harassment raids on the A/F.
3/5/45 Eighth AF Almost 400 HBs attack M/Y at Chemnitz, oil refinery at Hamburg Harburg, and T/Os including 2 railway storage sidings and 3 town areas. 587 supporting sorties are flown by ftrs. A gp of P-51 FBs bomb M/Ys, a tunnel, a rail line, and a road. 2 other gps escort MBs of Ninth AF.
3/5/45 Ninth AF 565 MBs and LBs attack 6 M/Ys, comm center, ordnance depot, a city area and T/Os with aim of obstructing reinforcements and supplies to German forces being pushed back across the Rhine R.
Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, drop leaflets in Cologne-Bonn area, and fly armed rcn over Ruhr and Hamm-Duisburg area.
3/5/45 Twelfth AF A-20's hit lines of comm in N Po Valley during 4/5 Mar. Results are generally good. Bad daytime weather grounds MBs. XXII TAC FBs and ftrs operate on greatly reduced scale, mostly in C Po Valley, hitting bridges at Casarsa della Delizia, Nervesa della Battaglia, Ostiglia, ancl Ostellato, and attacking town of Vignola.
3/5/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to supply, escort, and rcn missions.
3/5/45 Tenth AF 50-plus P-47's spt forces of British 36th Div in Mogok sector and forces of Chinese 50th Div in Mansam area. 46 P-47's and 12 B-25's hit troop concentrations in battle areas and attack supply areas, road traffic, and general T/Os behind enemy lines. 664 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/5/45 Fourteenth AF 30 B-25's knock out bridges at Phu Xuyen, Thinh Duc, Phu Ly, Ninh Binh, and Phu Lang Thuong and damage bridge at Kep. 2 B-25's, escorted by 8 P-47's, knock out bridge at Changtuikuan while 4 bomb Chikhom. 40-plus P-51's and P-40's on armed rcn hit road, rail, and river traffic, town areas, and other T/Os in Indochina, C Yangtze R area, and elsewhere in S and E China.
3/5/45 FEAF B-25's hit San Roque A F. B-24's with ftr spt hit troops in Antipolo area while FBs dive-bomb San Pablo, hit Ft Drum, attack troops W of Ft Stotsenburg, and spt guerrilla forces NE of Lingayen Gulf.
Tgts on Formosa and in the Ryukyus are hit by ftrs on sweeps and B-24's on armed rcn. The ftr sweeps are especially effective against railroad tgts. B-25's hit Zettle Field.
3/5/45 Seventh AF Susaki A/F is pounded by 11 B-24's from Guam. During 5/6 Mar, 5 more hit the A/F in individual snooper strikes. 22 B-24's from Angaur bomb Matina A/F.
3/6/45 Ninth AF 260-plus A-26's, and B-26's hit Recklinghausen, Siegburg, and Opladen M/Ys, Siegburg storage depot, and town of Bochum as a T/O. Weather grounds IX and XIX TAC. XXIX TAC flies alerts and covers US XVI Corps as it completes drive to the Rhine in Rheinburg area.
3/6/45 Twelfth AF MBs pound comm in Brenner Pass and hit bridges at Pordenone, Ossenigo, Enego, Ora, Pizzighetone, and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Ftrs and FBs concentrate on close spt of US Fifth Army S and SW of Bologna. During 5/6 Mar a few A-20's bomb T/Os in Po Valley.
3/6/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather restricts all operations except rcn and a supply mission, with escort, to Yugoslavia.
3/6/45 Tenth AF 31 P-47's spt British 36th Div forces in Mogok area. 12 B-25's join 60-plus FBs in striking troop concentrations, road traffic, supply and fuel dumps, and other tgts in vicinity of the battlefront and in areas close behind enemy lines. Transport operations continue on a large scale with 663 sorties completed to forward areas throughout the day.
3/6/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's bomb Chikhom. About 50 FBs hit storage, troops, railroad tgts, and river and road traffic around Hankow, along Pinghan railroad, Kaifeng, Suchow, Hsuchang, Changsha, Yoyang, Liuyang, and Hengyang, and on railroads from Liuliho to Chengtung and from Tungpu to Tatung.
3/6/45 FEAF HBs pound San Roque and Zamboanga areas. Other HBs, MBs, and FBs hit Antipolo area, bomb Balete Pass, and spt guerrillas near San Fernando, Ft Drum, and Caballo I. B-25's and P-38's attack Hainan I and considerably damage Samah A/F. Ftrs sweeping over Formosa hit Koshun area.
3/6/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's again pound Susaki A/F. 5 more hit the A/F during 6/7 Mar in separate strikes.
28 P-51's and 12 P-61's land on Iwo Jima.
3/6/45 Eleventh AF Mission to the Kurils is canceled due to inclement weather.
3/7/45 Eighth AF 873 HBs attack benzol plant and oil refinery at Dortmund, benzol plants at Datteln and Castrop/Rauxel, rail viaduct at Bielefeld, and M/Ys at Soest, Paderborn, Siegen, Giessen, and city of Fulda. 7 ftr gps provide close area spt.
3/7/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels combat operations except for XXIX TACs spt of US XVI Corps along the Rhine in Wesel area.
3/7/45 Twelfth AF B-25's continue interdiction of enemy comm, damaging railroad bridge at Longarone and railroad fills at Peri and Ossenigo. XXII TAC concentrates on comm in NE Po Valley and fuel and ammo dumps in C part of the Valley with generally good results. During 6/7 Mar LBs hit Ostiglia crossing and bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia and Casarsa della Delizia, and bomb T/Os in Brenner area.
3/7/45 Fifteenth AF Continued bad weather limits operations to a supply drop in Yugoslavia and routine rcn and escort missions. All bombing operations are canceled and 42 P-51's sent on strafing mission against railroad comm in Austria are recalled.
3/7/45 Tenth AF 30 P-47's spt troops of British 36th Div in Mogok area. 18 others spt elements of Chinese 50th Div near Mansam. Elements of Chinese 38th Div occupy Lashio. 12 B-25's and 35 FBs attack road tgts, troops, vehicles, and a variety of T/Os immediately behind enemy lines. Transports fly 630 sorties supplying forward areas with men and equipment.
3/7/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's and 9 P-40's blast railroad tgts N of Kiaotow. Single B-25's hit truck convoys in Hsiang R Valley, waterfront at Changsha, and bridge and other T/Os on Pinghan railroad. 130-plus FBs attack numerous tgts throughout S and E China, concentrating on railroad, road, and river tgts in the areas around Nanking, Yoyang, Sintsiang, and Changsha.
3/7/45 FEAF B-24's hit Balete Pass area while A-20's and FBs hit troop concentrations and gun positions near Antipolo and near San Fernando, NW of Ft Stotsenburg, and in Bayombong-Solano area and T/Os in Lake Taal area, towns of Santa Fe, Lal-lo and Vigan, and on Caballo I. Numerous ground spt missions are flown throughout Luzon.
3/7/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's hit Susaki A/F and town of Okimura and Haha Jima. 5 more hit Susaki during 7/8 Mar in individual harassment strikes.
3/7/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's, dispatched to strike a reported convoy, abort due to weather. So do 8 B-24's after departing on a shipping sweep and a strike on Kataoka.
3/8/45 Eighth AF 1,201 HBs bomb 6 benzol plants, 7 M/Ys, aircraft plant, rail center, synthetic oil plant, and a city area in WC Germany. 287 sorties by 6 P-51 gps provide spt.
3/8/45 Ninth AF Operational HQ of XXIX TAC moves from Maastricht to Monchen-Gladbach. 328 MBs and LBs hit 7 comm centers, 2 Mi/Ys, road overpass, and military transport depot in furtherance of interdiction program.
Weather prevents ftr operations except for small alert mission by XXIX TAC.
3/8/45 Twelfth AF MBs are hampered by heavy clouds but hit Novara M/Y, Longarone and Mori rail fills, and Rovereto bridge. Ftrs and FBs pound comm and supplies, destroy road bridge SW of Bologna, severely damage ammo plant and surrounding complex NW of Milan, and hit several other tgts, including bridge near Montebello which Brazilian P-47's operating with XXII TAC cut in half. A-20's, operating during 778 Mar, attack river crossings at Borgoforte, Cremona, Ostiglia, San Benetto Po, Viadana, and Ora, and numerous vehicles, lights, and general movement in C Po Valley and along Brenner line.
3/8/45 Fifteenth AF Over 550 HBs hit Hegyeshalom, Komarom, and Verona M/iYs, Maribor locomotive depot, and Kapfenberg steel works. P-51's and P-38's fly escort and rcn missions.
3/8/45 Tenth AF 20 P-47's spt British 36th Div. 40 FBs hit troop concentrations and supply areas along battlefront and behind enemy lines. 39 others sweep roads S of the bomb line, attacking gun positions and other T/Os. Transports fly 554 sorties to advanced bases and over frontline areas.
3/8/45 Fourteenth AF 34 B-24's, supported by 21 P-51's, pound Shihkiachwang. 3 B-24's claim transport sunk in S China Sea. 16 B-25's and 6 P-40's attack railroad tracks, boxcars, gun positions, sampans, and locomotives, knock out 2 bridges and damage another, and destroy and damage several locomotives at or near Hengshan, Yehhsien, Lohochai, and Chungmow. 140-plus FBs fly armed rcn over wide areas of S and E China, attacking numerous T/Os, mainly river, road, and railroad tgts, storage areas, gun positions, and troops, concentrating around Changsha, Changanyi, and bridge at Puchi.
3/8/45 FEAF B-24's pound Zamboanga area. B-24's hit road tgts at Balete Pass while A-20's spt guerrilla forces in San Fernando area. FBs hit fuel dumps, gun positions, and other tgts near Angat and Ipo dam and numerous T/Os in Antipolo area, personnel and storage areas near Baguio, and several tgts in Cagayan Valley (including town of Caggay, Dummun R area, and barges at Naguilian).
3/8/45 Seventh AF 14 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F through heavy cloud layers. 5 more HBs hit Susaki again during 5 individual harassment strikes during 8/9 Mar.
3/9/45 Eighth AF 1,007 B-17's and B-24's bomb 6 M/Ys, a large tank factory, and a castings plant at Frankfurt/Main, Kassel, Munster, Osnabruck, and Rheine. 5 ftr gps fly close escort and 3 fly area patrol.
3/9/45 Ninth AF 600-plus MBs and LBs hit 6 M/Ys, storage and vehicle depots, ammo-filling plants, and 12 T/Os as part of interdiction campaign in Germany. Ftrs fly armed rcn, hit special tgts, cover Remagen bridgehead and spt US 9th Inf and 9th Armd Divs committed there, spt 4th Armd Div at Mosel bridge at Treis, XX Corps along Mosel and Saar Rivers, and XVI Corps along the Rhine R near Wesel.
3/9/45 Twelfth AF B-25's hit bridges at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, San Michele all'Adige, Bozzolo, Santa Margherita d'Adige, Ora, and Montebello, M/Y at Ora, and bridge approach at Ala. Ftrs and FBs attack bridges, railroads, vehicles, trains, supply dumps, parked airplanes, buildings, and other tgts over wide areas of N Italy, including Milan, Cittadella, Ala, Santa Margherita d'Adige, La Spezia, Ghedi, Lecco, and battle area in N Apennines. A-20's, on intruder missions during 8/9 Mar bomb river crossings in Po Valley at several locations, among them Ostiglia, San Benedetto Po, and Borgoforte.
3/9/45 Fifteenth AF 372 B-17's and B-24's, with ftr escorts, bomb M/Ys at Graz (2), Klagenfurt, Sankt Stefan, Sankt Paul, and Ljubljana. River bridges at Sankt Paul are also bombed. 27 P-38's bomb Knittelfeld M/Y and 13 others strafe Graz-Maribor railroad lines. Routine supply, rcn, and escort missions continue.
3/9/45 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt elements of Chinese 50th Div near Mansam. 80-plus FBs operating over and behind enemy lines attack trucks, horses and carts, troops, and arty pieces. 568 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/9/45 Fourteenth AF 32 B-24's, escorted by 5 P-51's, bomb railroad yards at Sinsiang. 15 B-25's and 2 P-40's knock out 2 bridges at Hwaiyuanchen and E of Jungtse, and hit railroad tgts and other T/Os at Yehhsien, at Chowkiakow, at Hsuchang, and E of Junan. 50-plus FBs on armed rcn attack railroad tgts, river and road traffic, bridges, gun positions, and troops at several locations, particularly around Kweiyi, Hengyang, Nanking, and Sinyang.
3/9/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Zamboanga. B-25's, in cooperation with PT boats, attack tgts on Basilan I. B-24's hit Ipo area, B-25's and FBs spt ground forces E of Manila Bay, hit Japanese occupied areas at Mahiga, Lipa Bay, and Ternate, and bomb and strafe T/Os on Caballo I. B-25's, A-20's, and FBs hit bridges at Bayombong, town of Makati, Cabugao, and Cauayan, San Fernando and Solvec Cove areas on NW coast, town of Cauayan, and Aparri A/F. B-24's pound dock area at Takao.
3/9/45 Seventh AF 13 Guam-based B-24's fly daylight strike on Susaki A/F while 5 more, on single-bmr raids, hit the A/F during 9/10 Mar. 24 Angaur-based B-24's pound town of Zamboanga.
3/9/45 Eleventh AF 3 B-24's fly a negative shipping search.
3/10/45 Eighth AF 1,321 HBs strike 6 M/Ys, 2 rail viaducts, 4 railway centers, and a town area all in W Germany. 10 ftr gps fly 484 supporting sorties. 2 other gps spt Ninth AF Mbs.
3/10/45 Ninth AF 383 LBs and MBs strike 5 M/Ys, comm center, 2 city areas, miscellaneous tgts in Koblenz-Braubach area, and a T/O. Ftrs escort MBs and LBs, attack ground tgts, fly patrols, armed rcn, and provide cover and ground spt over Remagen bridge area where US 9th Inf Div expands bridgehead against fierce opposition, spt 4th Armd Div in Koblenz area and XX Corps in Saarburg area, and cooperate with XVI Corps near Wesel.
3/10/45 Twelfth AF LBs bomb bridges and other comm tgts in E Po Valley during 9/10 Mar. B-25's bomb bridges at Ora, Bozzolo, and San Michele all'Adige, and railroad fill at Ceraino railroad station. Ftrs and FBs hit comm and T/Os at various locations in E Po Valley, including several bridges, and numerous ammo dumps and vehicles.
3/10/45 Fifteenth AF 191 HBs hit VeronaParona di Valpolicella railroad bridge. 1 other bombs Voghera M/Y. Supply missions to Yugoslavia and rcn operations continue.
3/10/45 Tenth AF 13 P-47's spt forces of British 36th Div in Mogok area. 46 P-47's and P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line. 49 others hit supply areas behind enemy lines, attack a bivouac near Nam-yang, and bomb a truck park N of Mong Yai. 537 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/10/45 Fourteenth AF 32 B-24's blast railroad yards at Tsanghsien and Tehsien. 10 B-24's and 4 P-40's attack Siangtan and nearby T/Os. 60-plus FBs hit river, road, and railroad tgts, gun positions, warehouses, airstrips, and troops around Sinyang, Yiyang, Changsha, Kiyang, Yoyang Hengyang, Hankow, and Wuchang.
3/10/45 FEAF B-24's and B-25's over Zamboanga Peninsula area bomb town of Zamboanga, Calarian A/F, Pangasahan, Port Holland, Kulibato Point, and Sibago I. B-24's bomb Ipo area and Aparri A/F. B-25's and A-20's spt guerrillas near San Fernando and bomb Cabugao. FBs hit Caballo I, bomb town of Minanga, hit enemy concentrations at Burgos, near Ft Stotsenburg, in Batangas province, and at other locations on Luzon, and attack Teresa. B-24's bomb Kudat and Jesselton A/Fs.
3/10/45 Twentieth AF 24 B-29's bomb M/Y at Kuala Lumpur. (1 of the VHBs drops over half of its bombs at Alor Star A/F). 3 others attack Khao Huakhang, and freighter in channel leading to Port Swettenham. During the predawn hours 279 B-29's, of 325 airborne, blast Tokyo urban area with incendiaries, destroying more than 267,000 buildings about one-fourth in the city and killing more than 83,000 people. This death total is the highest of any single day's action during the war, (exceeding the deaths caused by the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima). 20 other B-29's bomb alternates and T/Os. 14 VHBs are lost. The participating B-29's are from the XXI BC's Bomb Wgs, the 73d, 313th, and 314th, based on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. The raids are flown at levels ranging from 4,900 to 9,200 ft.
3/10/45 Seventh AF 10 B-24's from Guam hit Susaki A/F which 9 HBs again hit during 10/11 Mar on separate snooper strikes. 23 B-24's from Angaur bomb Calarian A/F.
3/10/45 Eleventh AF 5 B-24's radar-bomb tgts on Kataoka, Suribachi, and Kakumabetsu with unobserved results. l ftr is sighted but no attack is made. 2 other B-24's on this mission abort due to weather and mechanical trouble. B-25 missions to Hayakegawa and Paramushiru are also canceled due to weather.
3/11/45 Eighth AF U-boat yards at Kiel and Bremen and shipyard and refinery area at Hamburg are bombed by 1,212 HBs. Close escort is provided by 14 P-51 gps while 1 P-47 gp flies area spt in Kiel area.
3/11/45 Ninth AF 696 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's, hit 4 A/Fs, 3 comm centers, 2 ammo filling plants, and several city areas and other casual tgts. Attacks are to obstruct air operations and supply and troop movements in general. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn, escort 9th Bomb Div, spt US 9th Inf Div push at Remagen bridgehead and fly cover over the area, and spt XX Corps E of Trier and Saarburg.
3/11/45 Twelfth AF B-25's of 57th Bomb Wg score damaging hits on bridge and fills at San Michele all'Adige, Volargne, and Ossenigo, and, attacking tgt in Austria for first time, bomb bridge at Drauburg. Ftrs and FBs of XXII TAC hit rail lines and dumps in C Po Valley and in Brenner area. During 10/11 Mar LBs hit several Po R crossings, Ghedi and Pavia A/Fs, road junctions, and other tgts in Po Valley.
3/11/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn and supply missions.
3/11/45 Tenth AF 14 B-25's pound stores, troops, vehicles, and ammo dumps at Konghsa, Kwai-Kong, Man Kat, and Mong Yai. 4 P-38's knock out bridge at Mong Tong. 8 P-47's hit troop concentration at Kyaukme. 30- plus P-47's hit T/Os during road sweeps behind enemy lines. Transports fly 547 sorties to forward areas.
3/11/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's knock out 1 bridge and hit numerous boxcars at Kep and near Don Met. 5 B-24's over S China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin claim 1 freighter sunk and another damaged. 10 P-40's and P-51's blast locomotives on Tsinpu railroad and demolish 3 villages E of Lohochai.
3/11/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Zamboanga area, Mercedes village, and San Roque A/F. B-25's hit Mercedes, spt ground forces near Zamboanga, and in conjunction with PT boats, hit Isabela, Barlak, Taluksangay, and HQ N of Zamboanga. B-24's hit Aparri area and spt ground forces at Wawa. A-20's and FBs fly ground spt missions and attack supply dumps and numerous T/Os throughout Luzon. FBs hit Takao and B-24's bomb Mako. " 3/11/45 Twentieth AF Attacking at altitudes ranging from 5,100 to 8,500 ft, 285 B-29's bomb Nagoya urban area with incendiaries during 11/12 Mar.
3/11/45 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Guam again hit Susaki A/F, while 8 more during 11/12 Mar, pound the A/F individually.
Iwo Jima-based P-51's also bomb Susaki and strafe Okimura and Kitamura.
3/12/45 Eighth AF 1,309 HBs strike Swinemunde area and 7 M/Ys at Friedberg, Wetzlar, Marburg/Lahn, Siegen, Frankfurt/Main, Betzdorf, and Dillenburg. 523 P-51 sorties are flown in spt of Hbs.
3/12/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div MBs and LBs attack 8 M/Ys, ammo-filling plant, city areas and T/Os. Attacks on M/Ys are aimed at blocking troop movements by rail into Ruhr and Remagen areas. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, bomb special tgts, fly armed rcn, cover Remagen area, and spt US 9th Inf Div in Kalenborn and Hargarten areas and XX Corps in Saarburg bridgehead area.
3/12/45 Twelfth AF B-25's hit 7 railroad bridges, cutting two, and fills severely damaging one and a train in Brenner area and in NE Italy as far E as Yugoslav border area. FBs blast comm in N Italy, making 36 rail cuts, 19 of them on the Brenner line. P-47's also bomb and severely damage a munitions factory NW of Zagreb.
During 11/12 Mar LBs on intruder missions hit Po crossings, sugar refinery, vehicles, and trains.
3/12/45 Fifteenth AF 790 B-24's and B-17's bomb Vienna/Floridsdorf oil refinery and alternate tgts of Graz, Zeltweg, and Wiener-Neustadt M/Ys. 98 P-38's bomb Knittelfeld railroad bridge (2 others hit nearby T/Os) and strafe comm in Wiener-NeustadtGraz-Klagenfurt areas. 12 P-38's sweep Zagreb area. Bad weather forces 60 P-51's sent against Austrian comm to abort. Supply mission to Yugoslavia and rcn operations are successful.
3/12/45 Tenth AF 13 B-25's and 35 P-47's hit troop concentrations, supplies, vehicles, and AA guns along battlefront and behind enemy lines. 66 P-47's hit transportation tgts and a bridge during several road sweeps in C Burma. 12 others damage bypass bridge at Hay-ti. Transports complete 677 sorties delivering men and supplies to advanced bases and dropping supplies to frontline forces.
3/12/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's knock out Song Rang bridge. 6 P-51's hit road comm at Hwayuan and bomb a building at Ha Coi.
3/12/45 FEAF B-24's hit Mercedes and Malabang. Other B-24's bomb Japanese troops near Ipo. B-25's hit supply area at Bangued and troops at Pattao. A-20's and FBs fly ground forces spt missions throughout Luzon. FBs also bomb Calallo I. On Formosa B-24's, with P-38 spt bomb Takao Tainan. P-51's also hit Tainan and bomb Jitsugetsu power plants.
3/12/45 Twentieth AF 44 B-29's hit oil storage facilities on Bukum I, Samboe, and Sebarok Is. 1 other VHB bombs Arang Hill. Results are poor.
3/12/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's bomb and strafe Okimura. 13 B-24's fly daylight strike against Susaki A/F. During 12/13 Mar, 8 HBs hit Susaki and Okimura. 24 B-24's from Angaur hit Sarangani Bay storage area.
3/12/45 Eleventh AF 5 B-24's bomb Kurabu A/F area. 8 B-25's weather-abort a mission to Hayakegawa.
3/13/45 Eighth AF 16 continent-based P-51's fly uneventful aircraft sweep in Remagen-Koblenz area.
3/13/45 Ninth AF 450-plus A-26's, A-20's, and B-26's, bomb 3 M/Ys, 2 A/Fs, rail sidings, and several T/Os in continuing interdiction campaign in Germany. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, and armed rcn, attack assigned tgts, cover US First Army area in general along the Rhine R from Dusseldorf to Linz/Rhine, spt US 9th Inf Div around Hargarten, cover Remagen bridgehead, and spt XX Corps as it opens offensive SE from Saarburg bridgehead.
3/13/45 Twelfth AF B-25's bomb railroad bridges and fills at Perca, Vo Sinistrof, Pizzighetone, Salorno, and Sacile. Ftrs and FBs attack bridges, flak positions, ammo and supply dump, rail lines, various other tgts, and fly close spt to US Fifth Army force as XXII TAC operates over wide areas of N Italy from the N Apennines through the Po Valley, and into NE Italy. On 12/13 Mar LBs hit railroads, Po R crossings, dumps, and movement, mainly in Po Valley.
3/13/45 Fifteenth AF 569 B-24's and B-17's bomb Regensburg M/Y. 3 other HBs bomb T andshut M/Y and T/Os. Over 280 P-38's and P-51's provide escort and several strafe rail traffic in Germany and Austria during return flight. 41 P-51's on strafing mission attack rail traffic in MunichLandshut-Regensburg and Ingolstadt areas and between Vienna and Wiener-Neustadt. Photo rcn is particularly extensive, with 18 P-38's covering areas of Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and N Italy. 41 ftrs escort photo missions.
3/13/45 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div, hitting Japanese positions along Namtu R in Namhsan area.
26 P-38's hit road tgts S of bomb line in C Burma. 12 B-25's attack troop concentrations, supplies, and gun positions behind enemy lines. 4 P-47's hit wooded area in British 36th Div battle sector. Other FBs make ineffective bridge strikes. Transports complete more than 500 sorties to forward areas.
3/13/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-24's over Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea claim a cargo vessel and a large junk destroyed. 13 P- 40's, P-38's, and P-51's destroy a storehouse and damage a compound at Chingchengchiang and knock out a bridge and hit machinegun positions and other T/Os at Lang Son.
3/13/45 FEAF B-24's hit tgts in Sarangani Bay area and effectively hit town of Lagao. MBs spt ground operations in Zamboanga area. B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs spt ground forces hitting forces and positions in Cagayan Valley. B-25's hit sampans off Hainan I while P-51's sweep Samah A/F. B-24's hit installations in WC Formosa. B-24's bomb Mako.
3/13/45 Twentieth AF In the third of the Twentieth AF's great fire raids, 274 B-29's begin bombing Osaka shortly after midnight, 13/14 Mar. The heart of the city, an area of 8.1 sq mi, is wiped out during 3 hrs of bombing from altitudes of 5,000 to 9,600 ft.
3/13/45 Seventh AF 6 B-24's from Guam hit Woleai while 10 bomb Susaki A/F. During 13/14 Mar 8 more, flying individual strikes, pound Susaki. 24 B-24's from Angaur bomb storage area on Sarangani Bay.
3/14/45 Eighth AF 1,188 HBs hit 3 tank and armored vehicle plants, 2 oil refineries, 2 M/Ys (all in the Hannover area), M/Ys at Gutersloh, Holzwickede, Giessen, Osnabruck, and Hameln, 2 rail bridges and a M/Y near Herford, road bridge near Minden, and jet castings plant at Hildesheim. 13 ftr gps fly 610 effective supporting sorties. 3 other gps spt Ninth AF Mbs.
3/14/45 Ninth AF 350-plus MBs and LBs hit 3 A/Fs, 4 rail bridges, a junction, 5 towns, and 3 T/Os as interdiction operations continue. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack railroads and other special tgts, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, cover Remagen area, and spt US XII Corps as it begins drive from the Mosel R to the Rhine R, and XX Corps operations W of Trier and Saarburg.
3/14/45 Twelfth AF B-25's damage bridges at Casarsa della Delizia, Cittadella, Vipiteno, and Campo. Ftrs and FBs attack comm, ammo and supply dumps, motor transport, trains, buildings, and other tgts, escort MBs, and spt ground forces, operating over much of N Italy from the Apennine battle area N and NE. LBs hit river crossings and T/Os in Po Valley during 13/14 Mar.
3/14/45 Fifteenth AF 634 HBs, with ftr escorts, hit Szony and Almasfuzito oil refineries and M/Ys at Komarom, Nove Zamky, Zagreb, WienerNeustadt, Graz, and Knittelfeld. 90 P-38's dive-bomb bridges at Ptuj, 42 of them afterwards strafing rail traffic in Yugoslavia and Austria. 21 P-51's also strafe rail traffic in Austria. B-17's and B-24's drop supplies in N Italy and in Yugoslavia. P-38's continue rcn missions, including larger than usual number of photo rcn flights (most of them heavily escorted) over Italy, Germany, Austria, and Yugoslavia.
3/14/45 Tenth AF 20 P-37's fly close spt for elements of Chinese 50th Div in Mansam area. 3 B-25's knock out bridge at Laihka while 11 others bomb troop and vehicle concentration nearby. 39 P-47's hit troop concentrations, supplies and vehicles at Laihka and Namlan while 29 others sweep roads S of bomb line. 614 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/14/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-24's claim 1 cargo vessel sunk in S China Sea. 1 B-25 and 4 FBs damage 12 track sections near Tungyangchen. 4 P-51's hit railroad T/Os near Chihsien. 19 P-51's and P-38's blast barracks area at Vinh Yen.
3/14/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Konel area while B-25's and B-24's hit village and AA positions near Zamboanga and dock area at Isabela. A-20's and numerous FBs (including some Marine aircraft) hit installations and defensive positions throughout Luzon. A-20's over Palawan hit Pandanan I. B-24's bomb Mako naval base. B-25's on armed rcn and shipping sweep along China coast bomb secondary tgts when no ships are sighted.
3/14/45 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F while 23 from Angaur hit Sarangani Bay supply area. 5 Iwobased P-51's strafe and fire-bomb positions on N tip of Mindanao. 16 more strafe and dive-bomb Susaki A/F, town of Omura, and several gun positions on Chichi Jima. During 14/15 Mar, 5 more B- 24's flying individually hit Susaki.
3/14/45 Eleventh AF Of 12 B-25's taking off to cover naval TF on its way to Matsuwa, 6 abort due to weather and failure to locate the TF. The others fly coverage sorties throughout the day.
3/15/45 Eighth AF 1,282 HBs bomb primary tgts of Army HQ at Zossen and M/Y at Oranienburg, along with T/Os including M/Ys at Stendal and Birkenwerder, rail sidings at Gardelegen, rail center at Wittenberge, road bridge at Gusen, and town of Havelberg. 14 ftr gps in close escort and 1 in area patrol fly 732 effective spt sorties.
3/15/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's attack comm centers at Neunkirchen and Pirmasens, M/Ys at Turkismuhle and Erbach, 3 flak positions, and several other tgts, as well as dropping leaflets on Koblenz. Ftrs hit Overberge M/Y and other tgts, escort 9th Bomb Div, fly sweeps and armed rcn, and spt US XII Corps crossing Mosel in offensive toward the Rhine, and XX Corps E of Trier and Saarbrucken.
3/15/45 Twelfth AF B-25's attack railroad bridges and fills at Salzano, Canale d'Isonzo, Rovereto, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Romano di Lombardia, and Mori. Ftrs and FBs of XXII TAC concentrate on comm lines in NE Italy, particularly the Brenner rail line, and also blast several supply and ammo dumps. I,Bs continue intruder missions during 14/15 Mar hitting Po R crossings and fills in San Ambrogio di Valpolicella area.
3/15/45 Fifteenth AF 109 B-17's bomb Ruhland oil refinery (marking the Fifteenth's deepest penetration into Germany). 103 others bomb alternate tgt of Kolin refinery. 470-plus other HBs attack tgts in Austria, including Moosbierbaum, Schwechat, and Vienna/Floridedorf oil refineries, M/Ys at Wiener-Neustadt, Sankt Polten, Graz, Bruck an der Mur, Klagenfurt, and Murzzuschlag, and bridge at Klagenfurt. Supply missions to N Italy and Yugoslavia continue, along with extensive photo and weather rcn. Ftrs fly over 300 sorties in escort of HBs and supply and rcn flights.
3/15/45 Tenth AF 30 P-47's spt elements of Chinese 50th Div in Namhsan area. 32 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line.
Transports fly 625 sorties to forward areas.
3/15/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-24's claim 1 vessel sunk in S China Sea. 4 B-25's hit area E of Pingsiang. 4 P-51's hit locomotives between Sinsiang and Shihkiachwang and 4 attack motor transport in Paotou area.
3/15/45 FEAF In spt of US ground forces on Luzon B-24's, A-20's, and P-38's hit HQ area at Baguio. P-47's hit Minuli bridge and enemy concentrations in Balete Pass and W of Ft Stotsenburg. A-20's and P-47's hit gun positions and occupied areas around Batangas. B-24's and B-25's hit personnel N of Sarangani Bay and troops and gun positions in Zamboanga area. B-24's bomb Lahug. P-47's dive-bomb Takao power installations.
3/15/45 Seventh AF 8 Guam-based B-24's bomb Susaki A/F. 3 more, on snooper strikes, hit Susaki during 15/16 Mar.
3/15/45 Eleventh AF 1 B-24 flies air coverage for naval TF. 7 others weather-abort.
3/16/45 Ninth AF 280-plus MBs and LBs hit Landau barracks area and comm center, Niederscheld town area and rail bridge, 6 other town areas, a M/Y, rail junction, crossroads, and also drop leaflets. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, armed rcn, and cover VIII, XII, and XX Corps in assault across the Mosel from W of Koblenz and N of Boppard, at one point, as far E as Bad Kreuznach, and as far S as Merzig.
3/16/45 Twelfth AF B-25's of 57th Bomb Wg, flying their farthest N penetration to date, bomb Brixlegg railroad bridge. The MBs also hit Spilimbergo power plant, with excellent results, and lightly damage 3 bridges on Brenner line, 1 in C Po Valley, and 1 in NE Italy. XXII TAC FBs continue to attack comm in Po Valley and NE Italy, while LBs bomb bridges and T/Os on night intruder missions along Po R and in N Po Valley.
3/16/45 Fifteenth AF 720-plus B-24's and B-17's bomb Korneuburg, Vienna/Floridsdorf, Schwechat, and Moosbierbaum oil refineries and M/Ys at Sankt Veit an der Glan, Amstetten, Graz, Varazdin and Pragersko. 52 P-51's strafe rail lines in Vienna, Linz, Passau, and Regensburg areas and A/F at Mettenheim. B-17's and B- 24's continue supply drops to N Italy and Yugoslavia while P-38's fly extensive weather and photo rcn missions. Ftrs fly more than 300 sorties in escort of HBs, supply runs, and rcn operations.
3/16/45 Tenth AF 23 P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div in Hsipaw area. 4 P-38's, supporting British 36th Div, bomb arty positions NE of Mogok. 12 B-25's blast fuel dump and troop concentration at Panghai. 40 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line. Transport operations continue on steady basis.
3/16/45 Fourteenth AF 32 B-24's, escorted by 10 P-51's, pound N railroad yards at Shihkiachwang. 1 B-25 and 2 P-51's attack railroad between Sinsiang and Shihkiachwang.
3/16/45 FEAF A-20's and B-24's continue pounding Japanese installations at Baguio. P-51's strike Patapat, hitting vehicles and supplies. Ftrs on patrol hit Caballo I. Batangas area is again pounded by FBs and A-20's.
B-24's hit Talisay and Carolina A/Fs and bomb tgts pinpointed by guerrillas on Cebu. B-25's bomb San Roque A/F and attack Tarakan and Jesselton A/Fs. B-24's also hit town of Taihoku, A/Fs at Heito, and Okayama naval airbase.
3/16/45 Twentieth AF 307 XXI BC B-29's, of 331 airborne, fire-raid Kobe in the heaviest attack to date, bombing from 5,000 to 9,500 ft during the predawn hours of 16/17 Mar. About one-fifth of the city's area is burned.
3/16/45 Seventh AF 13 Guam-based B-24's bomb Susaki A/F. 16 Iwo-based P-51's dive-bomb and strafe radio and radar installations, gun positions, and storage area on Chichi Jima. During 16/17 Mar Susaki is hit again, by 5 B-24's flying individual harassment strikes. Iwo Jima is declared secure although fierce resistance continues on some parts of the island.
3/16/45 Eleventh AF Because of a navigational error, 2 B-24's on a photo mission to Matsuwa reach 130 mi S of the island, the deepest penetration of the Japanese Home Islands to date. The B-24's turn N, photograph Matsuwa and bomb Shimushiru with unobserved results.
3/17/45 Eighth AF 1,260 HBs hit 2 synthetic oil plants, 2 power stations, an instruments works, an industrial complex around a tank factory, 2 M/Ys, and 5 city areas in W and NC Germany. 13 P-51 gps, plus an extra P- 51 section, provide spt.
3/17/45 Ninth AF 650-plus A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb 5 M/Ys, 2 comm centers, an ordnance depot, 3 city areas, and several T/Os. Attacks are to impede enemy movement of troops, equipment, and supplies in face of advancing Allied forces. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, and armed rcn, cover Remagen bridgehead, spt US III Corps NE of Remagen, cooperate with XII Corps which has penetrated several mi E of Bad Kreuznach at one point, and operate with XX Corps which at one point reaches as far E as Birkenfeld.
3/17/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and B-26's during 16/17 Mar bomb Po R crossings, other bridges, lights, and movements in Po Valley. B-25's bomb railroad bridges and fills at Cittadella, San Michele all' Adige, Aldeno, Bozzolo, Canneto sull' Oglio, Pontetidone, Pizzighettone, and Pontevico. Ftrs and FBs are greatly restricted by bad weather but score effectively against dumps, bridges, railroads, M/Ys, trains, and buildings mainly in Po Valley.
3/17/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather grounds HBs. 98 P-38's dive-bomb Ptuj and Zagreb railroad bridges, Klinca Sela M/Y, and Sisak M/Y and bridge. B-24's, with ftr escort, drop supplies in Yugoslavia and P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort. During 17/18 Mar B-24's drop supplies in N Italy.
3/17/45 Tenth AF 16 P-47's spt British 36th Div around Mogok. 12 B-25's bomb troops and supplies near Namlan. 33 P- 47's hit road tgts behind enemy lines, concentrating on Hayti and Mong Yai sectors. 40-plus other FBs attack troops, supplies, tanks, and trucks behind the battleline including Ta-mun, Namsaw, Pansupe, Tal-ti, and Kankang areas. Transports continue to fly troops and supplies to frontline areas.
3/17/45 Fourteenth AF 1 B-25 and 12 P-51's damage 21 locomotives and a river launch in Peking area, around Tsinan, and between Taiyuan and Tatung.
3/17/45 FEAF Formosa A/Fs are pounded by B-24's operating in force. On Luzon nearly 500 sorties are flown in spt of ground forces by B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs. B-24's hit Panay beaches preparatory to allied landings on 18th and bomb troops in combat areas on Mindanao. Bacolod A/F is also bombed.
3/17/45 Twentieth AF 70 B-29's hit storage dump at Rangoon. 2 others bomb T/Os Sagyi A/F and warehouses at Bassein.
3/17/45 Seventh AF 11 Guam-based B-24's hit Chichi Jima. During 17/18 Mar, 5 more hit Susaki A/F.
3/17/45 Eleventh AF 2 B-24's fly bombing and photo missions over Matsuwa, concentrating on the A/F, and on returning photograph Shasukotan, Harumukotan, and Onnekotan.
3/18/45 Eighth AF 1,251 HBs attack 2 rail centers and 2 tank and armament plants in Berlin area, along with several T/Os including 2 M/Ys, 3 town areas, and an industrial area near Berlin (secondary tgt). 14 P-51 gps fly 645 effective supporting sorties.
3/18/45 Ninth AF 660-plus MBs and LBs hit M/Ys at Wetalar, Worms, Kreuztal, and Bad Durkheim, comm center at Bad Durkheim, and 4 town areas with aim of hampering enemy movement. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack assigned tgts, fly patrols, and armed rcn, and cooperate with US III Corps of Remagen, with XII Corps as it begins assault toward Mainz-Worms sector of the Rhine, and with XX Corps as it moves rapidly eastward through Sankt Wendel area toward Kaiserslautern.
3/18/45 Twelfth AF During 17/18 Mar A-20's and A-26's continue intruder missions in Po Valley, concentrating on Po R crossings. B-25's bomb railroad bridges at Bozzolo, and Palazzuolo sull' Oglio, railroad fill at Salorno, and causeway at Mantua. Ftrs and FBs hit dumps and spt ground forces S of Bologna, and attack comm tgts over wide areas of Po Valley. The most devastating raid of the day is flown against Novara M/Y where 14 locomotives are destroyed.
3/18/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to rcn and supply missions, a FB attack by P-38's on Varazdin railroad bridge, after which many of the P-38's strafe railroad comm in Zagreb, Varazdin, Maribor, and Villach areas, and a strafing mission against rail comm and A/Fs in Graz, Wiener-Neustadt, Maribor, and Szombathely areas.
3/18/45 Tenth AF 12 P-47's spt Chinese ground forces near Hsipaw. 8 others spt British 36th Div troops by dropping napalm NE of Mogok. 11 B-25's and 20 FBs hit troop concentrations and supplies immediately behind the battlefront. Roads S of bomb line are swept by 16 P-38's. Transports continue steady operations.
3/18/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-24's sweep Gulf of Tonkin and S China Sea, claiming 1 freighter damaged. 2 P-51's over N Indochina strafe trucks, troops, and horsecarts.
3/18/45 FEAF In S Luzon HBs, A-20's, and ftrs spt ground forces by hitting Ipo area and various tgts in Batangas Province. B-24's again bomb Bacolod, hit several tgts on Cebu, and bomb Sepinggang and Jesselton A/Fs. A/F at Tainan, seaplane base at Takao, and emergency field at Koshun are also hit.
3/18/45 Twentieth AF During 18/19 Mar, 290 XXI BC B-29's continue fire raids on Japanese cities, bombing Nagoya from 4,500 to 9,000 ft with incendiaries for the second time this month. This mission ends the Mar fire raids. " 3/18/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima dive-bomb radar and radio installations and barges at Chichi Jima. 14 B-24's from Guam pound Susaki A/F. 1 other hits Haha Jima. During 18/19 Mar 5 more HBs individually strike Susaki.
3/18/45 Eleventh AF A weather sortie is flown.
3/19/45 Eighth AF 1,223 HBs attack M/Ys at Fulda and Plauen, industrial areas around military vehicle and optical works at Jena and Zwickau, A/Fs and jet aircraft plants at Neuburg an der Donau, Baumenheim, and Leipheim, and industrial and city areas at Plauen and Saalfeld. P-51's fly 606 effective sorties in spt of HBs. Over 100 ftrs, including 36 jets in formation (largest number yet seen as a unit) are encountered.
US ftrs claim 42 ftrs destroyed (including 3 jets).
3/19/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div strikes 2 M/Ys, 5 rail bridges, comm center and several casual tgts as part of interdiction program to impede enemy movement. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US III Corps W of Remagen, cooperates with XII Corps' 4th Armd Div E of Kaiserslautern as it drives toward the Rhine. FBs of XIX TAC, on special mission, bomb HQ of CinC West (FM von Rundstedt) at Ziegenberg.
3/19/45 Twelfth AF XXII TAC LBs strike heavily against general movement in Po Valley during 18/19 Mar, and are followed during day by ftr and FB attacks on comm in C Po Valley and NE Italy where numerous rail cuts are made, 3 bridges damaged, and several supply dumps hit. MBs damage bridge at Muhldorf, bridges and fills at Perca, and at 7 other locations on the N Italian approaches to Brenner Pass.
3/19/45 Fifteenth AF 800-plus HBs, with ftr escorts, hit M/Ys at Landshut, Passau, Sankt Veit an der Glan, Lambach, Muhldorf, Plattling, Garching an der Alz, Klagenfurt, and Altenmarkt an der Alz. 54 P-51's strafe railroads in the HB tgt areas. 36 P-38's bomb Varazdin M/Y. B-24's drop supplies in Yugoslavia while P- 38's and P-51's fly rcn and escort.
3/19/45 Tenth AF 24 P-38's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div near Hsipaw. 12 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line while 27 P-47's operating over and behind enemy lines hit troop concentrations and supplies at Namlan, Namio, and Nam-maw-long and Japanese-held monastery at Nammaw-long. Transports fly 502 sorties to forward areas.
3/19/45 Fourteenth AF 5 B-24's on sweep over S China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin claim a large freighter sunk. 4 P-38's strafe trucks from Son La to Hoa Binh.
3/19/45 FEAF B-24's and FBs again hit installations in N Luzon. B-24's hit variety of tgts on Cebu including town of Minglanilla.
3/19/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe Susaki A/F, radio installation, and storage area on Chichi Jima. 12 Guam-based B-24's follow up with another attack on the A/F and radio installations later in the day. During 19/20 Mar Susaki is hit again by 5 B-24's flying separate snooper strikes.
3/19/45 Eleventh AF 5 B-24's bomb and photograph Kashiwabara naval base. 8 B-25's bomb canneries along the Masugawa and Asahigawa Rivers.
3/20/45 Eighth AF 407 B-17's and B-24's bomb shipyard and dock area at Hamburg and oil refinery at Hemmingstedt.
Ftrs of 8 gps complete 298 effective sorties in spt.
3/20/45 Ninth AF 360-plus A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb Geisecke M/Y, Sythen ammo-filling plant, town of Gronau (including a rail bridge), and several casual tgts in or near 9 other towns. Ftrs escort MBs and LBs, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US III and VII Corps just E of the Rhine R between Bad Honningen and the Sieg R, and XII and XX Corps as they push to the Rhine R at Worms and at a point N of Mannheim.
3/20/45 Twelfth AF XXII TAC LBs during 19/20 Mar continue intruder missions into Po Valley while ftrs and FBs pound comm tgts in the Valley during the day and severely damage fuel dumps near Mantua. MBs hit 4 bridges on Brenner line and 2 others in NE Italy and hit other bridge approaches nearby.
3/20/45 Fifteenth AF 760-plus HBs, with ftr escort, hit Korneuburg and Kagran oil refineries, M/Ys at Wels, Sankt Polten, Amstetten, Wiener-Neustadt, and Klagenfurt, and tank works at Steyr. Routine supply, rcn, and escort missions continue.
3/20/45 Tenth AF 20 P-47's sweep roads S of bomb line in C Burma. 16 others hit supply dumps behind Japanese lines.
Transports continue to supply forward areas.
3/20/45 Fourteenth AF 4 P-38's claim 11 trucks destroyed and 9 damaged between Son La and Hoa Binh.
3/20/45 FEAF B-24's, A-20's, and FBs fly numerous ground spt missions and hit tgts at Balete Pass, Bayombong, Tuguegarao, Antamok, San Fernando, Bontoc and along roads. B-24's pound supply and personnel area E of Cebu City and N of Mambaling, defensive positions NW of Talisay and AA guns to the N, and also bomb Talisay. Other B-24's bomb town of Tainan. B-25's on shipping sweep sink 3 small vessels near Qui Nhon.
3/20/45 Seventh AF 12 Guam-based B-24's bomb Susaki A/F. During 20/21 Mar, 4 other HBs fly single strikes against the A/F.
3/21/45 Eighth AF Preparatory air operations for forthcoming (23 Mar) crossing of lower Rhine R by allied ground forces begin. 1,254 HBs (in conjunction with aircraft of RAF and Ninth AF attacking other tgts) bomb 10 A/Fs in NW Germany, tank factory at Plauen and M/Y at Reichenbach during morning raid. During afternoon 90 B-24's bomb Mulheim an der Ruhr A/F. Ftrs fly nearly 750 effective sorties in spt of the 2 operations.
3/21/45 Ninth AF 580-plus A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's strike 6 comm centers and a M/Y E of the Rhine R (along with several casual tgts) in interdiction campaign to obstruct enemy movement. Ftrs fly patrols and armed rcn, attack railroads and bridges, spt US VII Corps as its units reach Sieg R near Siegburg, cooperate with XII Corps as more of its elements reach the Rhine at various points between Boppard and Worms, and spt XX Corps as additional units reach the Rhine between Worms and Mannheim.
3/21/45 Twelfth AF LBs continue to attack comm in Po Valley especially Po R crossings during 20/21 Mar. During the day FBs concentrate on railroad tgts (lines, trains, bridges, and viaducts) and dumps in Po Valley and areas N of battleline in N Apennines. MBs bomb railroad fill at Salorno, bridges at Casarsa della Delizia and Pizzighettone, M/Ys at Vipiteno and Brennero, and bridge approaches at Campo.
3/21/45 Fifteenth AF 660-plus B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escorts, bomb Neuburg an der Donau A/F, M/Ys at Villach (2), Klagenfurt, Graz, Bruck and der Mur, and Pragersko, 3 oil refineries and a goods depot at Vienna, and 4 scattered T/Os. Supply and rcn missions with escort are flown.
3/21/45 Tenth AF 30 P-47's spt Chinese ground forces in Hsipaw area. 34 P-38's sweep roads S of bomb line. 13 B- 25's and 18 P-47's attack troop concentrations and vehicles at several points behind Japanese lines.
526 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas. In ground action in the area of the British Fourteenth Army's 33 Corps, organized resistance ceases in Mandalay. Allied forces completely take over that city.
3/21/45 Fourteenth AF 4 P-51's damage several locomotives and boxcars at Vinh A/F and along railroad to the N. 6 B-24's claim 1 vessel damaged in S China Sea.
3/21/45 FEAF On Luzon B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs continue large-scale spt missions, hitting a variety of tgts including Japanese defenses at Lipa and Tarlac and town of Naga and Camiling. In C Phils B-24's hit tgts near Cebu City while A-20's pound other towns on Cebu. B-24's bomb Samah A/F. B-25's on shipping sweep attack and set afire a freighter SE of Nanao I.
3/21/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima strafe and bomb barracks and radio and radar installations on Chichi Jima.
13 B-24's, based on Guam, hit Susaki A/F, which is hit again during 21/22 Mar by 5 more, flying separate strikes.
3/21/45 ZI A P-63 from Walla Walla A/F intercepts Japanese balloon near Redmond, and, after chase that includes 2 refueling stops, shoots it down near Reno.
3/22/45 Eighth AF Air attacks in preparation for lower Rhine R crossing by Allied ground forces continue. 1,284 HBs hit 4 A/Fs and 3 M/Ys E of Frankfurt/'Main, 10 military encampments in the Ruhr, and 2 city areas nearby.
9 P-51 gps fly spt and strafe aircraft at several A/Fs.
3/22/45 Ninth AF Nearly 800 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's bomb 9 comm centers and a M/Y E of the Rhine R (plus 7 towns, flak positions, and a T/O) as part of interdiction program to impede movement of supplies and troops. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, attack railroads and other assigned tgts, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US 1st and 9th Inf Divs SE of Honnef and along the Wied R, cooperate with XII Corp as it begins crossing Rhine in Mainz-Oppenheim areas and with XX Corps which begins attack on Ludwigshafen.
3/22/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and A-26's during 21/22 Mar, continue intruder raids concentrating on Po R crossings in the E Po Valley. During the day P-47's blast rail lines, trains and other comm tgts, especially in E Po Valley and areas to the N. B-25's destroy bridge at Brixlegg, severely damage Steinach bridge, and hit bridge approaches at Muhlberg and town of Matreiam Brenner. Weather prevents successful attacks on 2 tgts in N Italy.
3/22/45 Fifteenth AF 680-plus HBs (with ftr escort) hit Ruhland and Kralupy and Vltava oil refineries (some HBs on Ruhland raid bomb Lauta aluminum works to the N), a railroad comm and ordnance depot, a M/Y, and 2 oil refineries at Vienna, M/Ys at Graz, Wels, Zeltweg, Klagenfurt, and Neratovice, and scattered T/Os.
Rcn and rcn escort missions are also flown.
3/22/45 Tenth AF 16 FBs spt Chinese ground forces near Hsipaw. 12 B-25's and 41 FBs hit numerous tgts along and immediately behind enemy lines. Troops, supplies, and comm are attacked and 2 bridges are knocked out. 547 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/22/45 Fourteenth AF 24 FBs and a single B-25 attack railroad traffic and railroad yards in and around Shihkiachwang, at Chukiatsi, and from Sinsiang to Chenghsien.
3/22/45 FEAF B-24's and A-20's (along with Marine aircraft) hit Cebu City, defenses at several locations on Cebu I, and tgts on Inampulugan I nearby. On Luzon B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs continue to hit numerous objectives, chiefly Balete Pass, Tangadon, San Fernando, and Batangas areas. Other B-24's hit Tainan and Okayama A/Fs, destroying several hangars, planes, and gun positions.
3/22/45 Twentieth AF 76 B-29's, operating in 2 waves, blast storage dumps at Rangoon.
3/22/45 Seventh AF 16 Iwo-based P-51's bomb and strafe weather station, fuel storage, and radar installations on Chichi Jima. Later in the day 13 B-24's from Guam bomb Susaki A/F. 20 B-24's from Angaur bomb Cebu I.
During 22/23 Mar, 4 B-24's from Guam make individual raids on Susaki A/F.
3/23/45 Eighth AF Allied ground assault across lower Rhine begins. 1,240 HBs attack 10 assigned M/Ys E of the Rhine (primary tgts) and 4 other M/Ys as secondary tgts and T/Os, along with a power station, aluminum works, and benzol plant. 14 P-51 gps give close and area spt, flying 355 effective sorties.
3/23/45 Ninth AF Around 800 MBs and LBs strike 7 comm centers, a factory, and T/Os (including several flak positions).
Attacks on comm centers are aimed at obstructing movement of reinforcements to the front. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, attack assigned ground tgts, spt US III and VII Corps SE of Honnef and E of Wied R and XII and XX Corps astride and on W bank of the Rhine R between Mainz and Worms.
3/23/45 Twelfth AF LBs attack loading points and crossings along Po R during 22/23 Mar. P-47's concentrate on comm and general movement in lower Brenner area during the day. The FBs also blast several dumps in C Po Valley. B-25's hit bridges, railroad fills, and bridge approaches in Brenner area at Matrei am Brenner, Pordenone, Salorno, San Michele all' Adige, Vo Sinistro, Longarone, and Perca.
3/23/45 Fifteenth AF 658 HBs (with ftr escort) hit oil refineries at Ruhland, and at Vienna, M/Ys at Budejovice, Gmund, Sankt Polten and Sankt Valentin, and tank works at Sankt Valentin, plus scattered T/Os. Over 40 P- 38's and P-51's fly rcn.
3/23/45 Tenth AF 15 P-47's spt Chinese ground forces, bomb troop, positions at Nampongpang and Nakang. 16 P-47's hit T/Os along roads from Mong Nawng to Wan Sing to Kunlong. 11 P-47's hit quarters at Monglawng while 3 others attack supply dumps at Laihka. 9 B-25's bomb comm routes, creating 2 road blocks behind enemy lines. In large-scale air supply operations, 536 sorties are flown.
3/23/45 Fourteenth AF 28 B-24's bomb Tsinan railroad shops and Yellow R bridge. 5 B-25's bomb town areas, storage facilities, and T/Os at Sinsiang and Wuyang and chiefly in the Hsiangcheng area. 50-plus FBs attack troops, horses, and river, road, and railroad tgts in N Indochina and S and E China.
3/23/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and ftrs hit the Visayan Is, bombing Cebu City, hitting defenses on Cebu and other islands, and bomb Antamok mines, Balete Pass, and Tangadon areas, along with several other tgts. B-24's also hit tgts on Mindanao. FBs attack Takao.
3/23/45 Seventh AF 15 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe various tgts on Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, and Ani Jima.
During 23/24 Mar 5 Guam-based B-24's, flying single-bmr strikes, pound Susaki A/F.
3/23/45 Eleventh AF An 8-bmr strike is called off due to weather.
3/24/45 Eighth AF In conjunction with allied ground forces assault across the lower Rhine R the Eighth flies bombing, supply, and armed rcn missions. During morning 1,033 HBs strike 14 A/Fs in W Germany. 85 ftr sorties are flown in spt. At midday 235 B-24's drop supplies to allied forces in assault area E of the Rhine. During the afternoon 443 HBs, supported by 113 effective ftr sorties, bomb 5 A/Fs, a M/Y, and a railroad in NW Germany. The ftrs claim 27 kills in aerial combat. All during the day, ftrs fly 1,065 effective sorties in armed rcn patrols attacking numerous ground tgts and claiming 30 ftrs downed.
3/24/45 Ninth AF Almost 700 A-20's, A-26's, and B-26's blast comm centers, rail bridges, flak positions, and numerous other tgts in cooperation with combined land-airborne assault across the Rhine R (PLUNDERVARSITY) by the British Second and US Ninth Armies and the US XVIII Corps of the First Allied Airborne Army. Over 2,000 transports and gliders of IX TCC drop and land British 6th Airborne and US 17th Airborne Divs (plus arty, vehicles, ammo, and other supplies) E of the Rhine N and NW of Wesel as British Second and US Ninth Armies cross river to the NW and SE. Ftrs attack with bmrs before the drop and carpet the landing zones with fragmentation bombs, immobilizing numerous flak batteries.
Ftrs escort bmrs and transports, cover assaulting 30th and 79th Inf Divs, attack troop concentrations, flak positions, supply and ammo dumps, A/Fs, defended villages, and road and rail traffic, and patrol the perimeter of the battle sector. Ftrs also spt US First Army elements across the Rhine E of Remagen between Koblenz and the Sieg R as they prepare for breakout assault, and US Third Army's XII Corps as it strengthens its Rhine bridgehead E of Oppenheim and commits its armor to push through toward the Main R.
3/24/45 Twelfth AF Gen Cannon takes cmd of AAFMTO, and shortly afterwards also takes over MAAF. A-20's and A-26's during 23/24 Mar pound M/Ys, river crossings and other bridges, and a variety of other tgts in Po Valley and NE Italy where ftrs and FBs during the day destroy or damage numerous rail lines and train cars. B-25's bomb bridges or bridge approaches at Piacenza, Chiari, Perca, Casarsa della Delizia, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Muhlberg, and Steinach.
3/24/45 Fifteenth AF 660 B-24's and B-17's bomb tank works at Berlin and A/Fs at Munich and Neuburg an der Donau, plus Budejovice M/Y, and alternate tgts and T/Os including A/Fs at Plattling, Erding, and Udine. P-38's and P-51's escort the missions against German tgts and fly rcn.
3/24/45 Tenth AF 31 FBs and 9 B-25's operating over battlefront and behind enemy lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, supply areas, truck park, and general T/Os. 9 other FBs attack T/Os along roads S of bomb line. 504 air supply sorties are flown, landing men and supplies at advanced bases and dropping supplies to frontline forces.
3/24/45 Fourteenth AF 34 B-24's, with escort of 9 ftrs, pound Chenghsien locomotive park and Yellow R bridge. 30-plus B- 25's and over 100 FBs, operating in forces of 1-8 airplanes, attack tanks, trucks, locomotives, troop concentrations, storage areas, airstrips, bridges, gun positions, and general T/Os throughout S and E China.
3/24/45 FEAF B-24's and A-20's pound Cebu City and defenses and installations on Cebu I. B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and P-38's attack Balete Pass, Legaspi, Batangas area, and scattered tgts throughout Luzon. B-24's hit harbor at Takao and power plant and alcohol factory E of Okayama. Twentieth AF" 3/24/45 Seventh AF 9 B-24's from Guam bomb torpedo storage area on Marcus. 24 Angaur-based B-24's bomb defensive positions and town of Naga. 16 Iwo-based P-51's hit air, naval, and radar installations and T/Os on Chichi Jima. During 24/25 Mar, 5 Guam-based B-24's hit A/F and town of Omura.
3/25/45 Eighth AF Nearly 250 B-24's bomb oil storage depots near Brunswick, Hamburg, and Lauenburg. 5 ftr gps provide escort. Over 700 B-17's are recalled because of bad weather. 1 gp of P-51's bomb ammo dump.
3/25/45 Ninth AF 9th Bomb Div hits 4 comm centers, 3 M/Ys, and T/Os, including flak positions. Ftrs fly escort, armed rcn, and missions against several ground tgts. Ftrs spt US 79th Inf Div as it pushes 2 mi to the E of the Rhine (SE of Wesel), III and VII Corps as they begin breakout assault toward Altenkirchen and in Epgert and Willroth areas, and XII Corps as it establishes bridgeheads on the Main in Hanau and Aschaffenburg areas.
3/25/45 Twelfth AF During 24/25 Mar A-20's and A-26's continue intruder missions, attacking Po R crossings and railroad and motor transport tgts. P-47's, during the day, raid railroad bridges and lines, hitting tgts at Lavis, Casarsa della Delizia, San Michele all'Adige, Pavia, Santa Margherita d'Adige, and other points in Po Valley and NE Italy, and bomb fuel dumps N of battle area. 6 MB missions against bridges and fills in Italy and Austria are ineffective because of bad weather.
3/25/45 Fifteenth AF Over 650 HBs strike 2 A/Fs and a tank works at Prague (patterns of bombs also hit 2 other nearby A/Fs) and an A/F at Cheb. Alternate tgts bombed include Wels and Udine A/F. P-38's and P-47's escort HBs, and sweep and strafe Nurnberg-Eibelstadt-Wurzburg-Regensburg areas, and fly rcn operations.
3/25/45 Tenth AF 26 P-47's spt forces of Chinese 50th Div in Hsipaw area. 44 FBs and 14 B-25's attack troops and supplies and hit T/Os along roads behind battleline in C Burma. 557 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.
3/25/45 Fourteenth AF 20-plus B-25's and 150-plus ftrs, operating individually and in flights of up to 8 aircraft, continue attacks on numerous tgts including river, road, and rail traffic, A/Fs, troop concentrations, storage areas, horses, and gun positions throughout S and E China.
3/25/45 FEAF Cebu City is thoroughly pounded by nearly 70 B-24's. Other B-24's hit Legaspi, and B-25's and FBs fly numerous ground spt missions throughout Luzon, especially between Montalban and Laguna de Bay. B-25's attack Pandanan I.
3/25/45 Seventh AF 16 Iwo-based P-51's bomb and strafe Susaki A/F, and naval and radar installations on Chichi Jima. 16 more follow with attacks on radar station and personnel concentration on the island. 23 B-24's from Angaur bomb defenses on Cebu I. During 25/26 Mar, 5 B-24's from Guam hit Susaki A/F. Marines complete reduction of final resistance pocket on Iwo Jima.
3/26/45 Eighth AF Over 300 B-17's bomb Zeitz synthetic oil plant, Plauen tank factory, and cities of Meiningen, Wurzburg, Oelsnitz, and Markt Erlbach. 12 P-51 gps fly close and area spt.
3/26/45 Ninth AF Around 300 MBs and LBs hit M Ys at Wurzburg, Gemunden, and Flieden, town of Ruckers, and 2 T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly armed rcn, hit special tgts and spt various ground forces along the front. Ftr spt is accorded US 2d, 3d, 7th, and 9th Armd Divs in Hachenburg, Montabaur, and Limburg areas, XII Corps along the Main R from Frankfurt/Main to Aschaffenburg, and Ninth Army elements in bridgehead area around Gahlen.
3/26/45 Twelfth AF Weather grounds MBs and hampers operations in general. During 26/27 Mar 3 LBs hit bridges at Cittadella and Verona. FBs, operating on reduced scale, hit comm tgts in W Po Valley, cutting a road bridge and several railroads, and attacking several T/Os.
3/26/45 Fifteenth AF Over 500 B-17's and B-24's, escorted by P-51's and P-38's attack M/Ys at Wiener-Neustadt, Strasshof, Bruck an der Leitha, Neunkirchen, Bratislava and Szombathely. 46 P-38's dive-bomb bridge at Ybbs while 26 P-51's, covered by 13 others, strafe rail traffic in WienerNeustadt-Vienna-Budejovice areas. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn operations.
3/26/45 Tenth AF 28 P-47's and 10 B-25's operating over and behind C Burma battlelines attack arty positions, troop concentrations, road comm, and supply areas. 522 air supply sorties are being completed throughout the day.
3/26/45 Fourteenth AF 15 B-25's and 80-plus FBs, operating individually or in small flights, continue to disrupt mobility and supply lines throughout S and E China, hitting numerous T/Os chiefly trucks; tanks; supply areas, horses, troops, arty pieces. Several of the FBs also damage considerably Puchou A/F.
3/26/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs bomb Legaspi and tgts in the area including fuel dump at Camalig.
FBs hit numerous tgts in N Luzon at Solvec Cove, Baguio, Mankayan, Sante Fe, and other areas. In SW Luzon A-20's and FBs spt US ground forces, hitting Ternate, and towns in Tayabas and Batangas Provinces. B-24's and A-20's in C Phil hit Cebu City and E coast tgts. B-24's hit Takao.
3/26/45 Seventh AF 21 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe Susaki A/F while 16 bomb and strafe weather and radar stations on Chichi Jima and town of Kitamura. 9 Guam-based B-24's pound Marcus. During 26/27 Mar 3 HBs from Guam on individual snooper strikes hit Chichi Jima. Enemy makes final attack on Iwo Jima in early morning attempt to infiltrate bivouac area. Capture and occupation phase of Iwo ends at 0800 when Gen Chaney becomes Island Cmdr.
3/26/45 Eleventh AF 2 missions, each by 4 B-25's, attempt to bomb canneries on the Masugawa and the Hayakegawa rivers. Ftrs drive off Masugawa mission. Other mision cannot find tgt due to weather. 4 B-24's bomb Kataoka naval base.
3/27/45 Eighth AF 3 ftr gps escort RAF bmrs attacking Paderborn.
3/27/45 Ninth AF Weather cancels 9th Bomb Div operations. IX TAC ftrs patrol US First Army front. XIX TAC hits M/Ys, patrols Third Army front, flies area cover from Koblenz to Aschaffenburg to Worms, and supports VIII and XII Corps along Rhine R in Wiesbaden area and Main R in Frankfurt/Main-A schaffenburg area.
3/27/45 Twelfth AF Weather cancels all combat operations.
3/27/45 Fifteenth AF Bad weather limits operations to 3 P-38 rcn flights.
3/27/45 Tenth AF 80-plus FBs over battle areas and behind enemy lines in C Burma pound troops and supplies at several locations including Mong Kung, Man Namkat, Nam-yang, Tonglau, Ho-na, Hkai-wun, Longwai, Monglawng, Laihka, and Namlan areas. Transports are exceptionally active, flying 635 sorties to forward areas.
3/27/45 Fourteenth AF 25 B-25's hit towns, rail, road, and river traffic, and T/Os around Kweilin, Liuchow, Hengyang, Hochih, Nanyang, Kaifeng, Anlu, Ishan, Kiyang, and Siang Chiang Valley. 44 FBs hit trucks, trains, sampans, power facilities, and other tgts around Hongay, Nanyo, Son Tay, Na Cham, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Moc Chau, Muong Hang, and Bac Quang. 28 FBs knock out bridge NE of Liuchow, hit town of Szeenhsien, and attack ammo dumps and road and river traffic around Hochih, Ishan, Liuchow, Pingnam, Liangfeng, and Kweilin.
3/27/45 FEAF B-24's, B-25's, A-20's, and FBs bomb Legaspi, Balete area, IpoSiniloan sector, Batangas area, and several other locations throughout Luzon. Ftrs spt US amphibious landings on Caballo I. In C Phil area B-24's bomb Negros A/Fs while B-25's and P-38's hit Cebu City area. Other B-25's bomb Kinsui, and B-24's lightly attack Sandakan.
3/27/45 Twentieth AF 150-plus Marianas based B-29's flying the first of many raids in spt of impending Okinawa invasion, hit Tachiarai and Oita A/Fs and Omura aircraft factory. 97 B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait during 27/28 Mar. This is first of many mining operations by B-29's in Japanese waters.
3/27/45 Seventh AF 16 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb ammo stores and town of Kitamura. During 27/28 Mar 5 B-24's, flying individual strikes from Guam, hit Susaki A/F.
3/28/45 Eighth AF Nearly 900 HBs attack tank factory and armament plant in Berlin, tank plant, M/Y, and city area at Hannover, and numerous other tgts including Stendal and Minden. 8 P-51's gps fly spt.
3/28/45 Ninth AF 215 MBs and LBs hit Neuenheerse and Erbach oil storage depots and 11 T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly armed rcn and area cover over wide expanse of German territory, and spt US XII Corps in breakout attacks across the Main R in Dornigheim area and 2d and 8th Armd Divs in Dorsten area.
3/28/45 Twelfth AF Bad weather grounds MBs and LBs. Ftrs and FBs are limited to weather rcn and some armed rcn in Milan area where they harass comm.
3/28/45 Fifteenth AF Unfavorable weather restricts operations to rcn flights by 5 P-38's.
3/28/45 Tenth AF 30-plus FBs operating over and behind battlelines in C Burma attack troop concentrations, supply areas, elephant transport, and general T/Os at or near Wan Hong, Ho-na, Kyu-sawk, Nawnghkio, and Na-ti. 642 air supply sorties are flown to advanced bases and over frontlines, where supplies are dropped, throughout the day.
3/28/45 Fourteenth AF 6 B-24's bomb Haiphong and Hanoi docks and Bakli Bay barracks. 9 B-25's and 8 P-40's hit rivercraft and other tgts from Yanglowtung to Sienning. 9 other B-25's hit junks, storage, and T/Os in Lushan area and 7 bomb Chingmen. 14 B-25's, operating in gps of 1 to 4 aircraft, hit rivercraft and scattered T/Os at several other points in S and E China. 120-plus FBs over Indochina and S and E China continue to pound numerous T/Os, mainly river, road, and rail traffic and troop concentrations. River craft and A/Fs in areas around Kai Tek, Canton, Hankow, and Wuchang are severely hit.
3/28/45 FEAF B-24's and FBs hit Balete Pass tracts and ridges, installations at Santa Fe, and ground spt tgts N of Laguna de Bay and in Cavite and Batangas Provinces. B-25's and A-20's attack troop concentrations at Baguio and Ilagan. FEAF bmrs hit Cebu City area and pound A/Fs on Negros. B-24's bomb Likanan A/F. Other B-24's hit Takao and Tainan while B-25's hit shore tgts along Indochina coast.
3/28/45 Twentieth AF During 28/29 Mar, 10 B-29's mine mouth of the Hwangpoo R and S channel of the Yangtze R at Shanghai. About 50 other VHBs fly missions mining waters at Saigon, Camranh Bay, and in Singapore area.
3/28/45 Seventh AF 15 P-51's from Iwo Jima hit Chichi Jima A/Fs and defenses. 10 Guam-based B-24's bomb Truk and, flying separate snooper strikes, 5 hit Susaki A/F during 28/29 Mar.
3/29/45 Ninth AF All combat operations canceled because of weather except for 2 ftrs of IX TAC which patrol US Third Army front.
3/29/45 Twelfth AF Clear weather during 28/29 Mar permits LBs to hit rail loading points, trains, vehicles, roads, and bridges at many places in Po Valley as well as river crossings at Borgoforte, Lodi, San Benedetto Po, Ostiglia, and Casalmaggiore, factory at Brescia, and motor transport movement in Milan-Piacenza area. Bad morning weather cancels MB operations except for a pamphlet mission over Bologna.
When weather clears about noon, XXII TAC FBs hit dumps at La Spezia and other points near battle area, Lavis viaduct, railroad bridges or approaches at Ora, Santa Margherita d' Adige, Nervesa della Battaglia, Rovereto, Ala, and other locations, and many vehicles and train cars and other T/Os throughout Po Valley and NE Italy.
3/29/45 Fifteenth AF Continued bad weather limits operations to rcn and rcn escort missions by 23 P-38's.
3/29/45 Tenth AF Bad weather curtails operations in C Burma. 6 B-25's hit troop concentrations and 8 others attack unsuccessfully 2 bridges immediately behind enemy lines. Transports complete 560 sorties to forward areas.
3/29/45 Fourteenth AF 18 B-25's, escorted by 12 P-40's, bomb railroad yards at Yoyang. 11 B-24's attack shipping in S China Sea, at Bakli Bay, at Samah Bay, and at Haiphong, heavily damaging a destroyer and a merchant vessel. 4 B-25's claim 6 small steamers sunk and several vessels damaged in Liuchow area while 2 others hit town area and railroad tgts in Dong Giao area. Single B-25's hit T/Os at or near Loyang, Loning, Neihsiang, Yiyang, and Hsuchang. 90-plus FBs over S and E China and over Indochina attack troops, supplies, transport, and comm tgts at several places, concentrating strikes around Hengyang, Chuchou, Isuho, Nanking, and Namyung, and among many tgts hit A/Fs at Amoy and Kai Tek.
3/29/45 FEAF B-24's and B-25's attack Toshien, Byoritsu, and Eiko. B-24's bomb Camalaniugan, B-24's and P-51's hit Legaspi and surrounding area, and A-20's and numerous ftrs hit various tgts in SW Luzon. Cebu is bombed by B-25's in spt of ground forces while A-20's spt troops landing on Negros. B-24's bomb Oelin A/F.
3/29/45 Twentieth AF 24 B-29's fly last mission under XX BC, attacking oil storage facilities on Bukum I during 29/30 Mar. 2 other VHBs bomb individual tgts on Malay Peninsula.
3/29/45 Seventh AF 31 Iwo-based P-41's bomb and strafe Haha Jima. 9 B-24's from Guam bomb Dublon.
3/29/45 Eleventh AF 6 B-24's bomb Kataoka naval base. 8 B-25's weather-abort a mission to Tomari Cape. 1 B-24 flies radar-ferret mission along Paramushiru coast.
3/30/45 Eighth AF 1,250-plus HBs attack U-boat yards and port areas at Hamburg, Bremen, and Wilhelm shaven, and oil storage and city area at Hamburg and Bremen. 16 ftr gps provide close and area spt.
3/30/45 Ninth AF 337 MBs and LBs attack Bad Oeynhausen tank factory, Munden ordnance depot, Ebenhausen oil depot, 2 town areas and 6 T/Os, and drop leaflets. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt ground forces Ftr spt is provided for US 3d and 7th Armd Divs near Paderborn and at Edersee dam on Eder R, XII Corps N of Frankfurt/Main, XX Corps in Hersfeld and Hanau areas, and XVI Corps in Marl-Polsum area.
3/30/45 Twelfth AF During 29/30 Mar LBs continue to pound Po R crossings, loading points, and other comm in Po Valley.
During the day XXII TAC ftrs and FBs fly some 400 sorties against fuel and ammo dumps, stores, bridges, rail lines, M/Ys, buildings, motor vehicles, trains, and a variety of tgts over wide areas of N Italy. Weather forces MBs to attack mainly alternate tgts. The B-25's bomb railroad bridges (or bridge approaches) at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Rovereto, Chiari, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Legnago, Ora, and Romano di Lombardia.
3/30/45 Fifteenth AF 60-plus B-17's and B-24's bomb Vienna N stations and goods depot, Graz and Klagenfurt/Kapfenberg tank works, and several minor T/Os. 28 P-38's and P-51's sweep Zagreb-Graz area. Others fly rcn.
3/30/45 Tenth AF In C Burma battle area 41 P-38's and P-47's hit enemy troops and supplies at Loiwing, Pawngleng, and Nawnghkio. 7 B-25's hit personnel, supply area, and trucks behind enemy lines in and near Laihka and at Kongleng. 7 other B-25's attack road bridges, knocking out bridge at Loi Putau.
Transports complete 612 sorties to forward areas.
3/30/45 Fourteenth AF 4 B-25's, supported by 24 P-40's, knock out bridge at Chungmow. 10 B-25's bomb Hsuchang, 9 bomb Changanyi, and 9 pound Yanglowtung railroad yards. 15 P-40's fly escort. 5 B-24's bomb Samah Bay area. 2 B-25's bomb Hankow A/F, 2 bomb Neihsiang, and single B-25's attack tgts around Fangcheng, Nanyang, and Anlu. 100-plus FBs over S and E China hit troops, railroad tgts, trucks, tanks, supplies, and rivercraft especially around Hankow, Wuchang, Kanchou, and Hangchow. A/F area at Kanchou and A/F and railroad yards at Hangchow are hit particularly hard.
3/30/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Balete Pass and Solvec Cove areas. P-38's hit arty positions in Santa Fe area. B-24's and A-20's hit Legaspi Port and nearby Little Batsan. A-20's and FBs continue ground spt missions in Laguna de Bay area and W of Ft Stotsenburg. B-24's and A-20's spt ground forces on Cebu. B-24's, B-25's, and P-38's hit Bongao I, Sanga Sanga, and Kuching area.
3/30/45 Twentieth AF 12 B-29's attack Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya shortly past midnight during 30/31 Mar while 80-plus B-29's mine Shimonoseki Strait.
3/30/45 Seventh AF 10 Guam-based B-24's bomb A/F on Marcus. During the night 5 others individually strike Chichi Jima A/F.
3/30/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-25's cancel shipping strike because of weather.
3/31/45 Eighth AF Nearly 1,300 HBs bomb Zeitz synthetic oil refinery, Halle M/Y, oil depot near Erfurt, cities of Gotha and Brandenburg, and 11 T/Os. 15 ftr gps provide spt.
3/31/45 Ninth AF 650-plus MBs and LBs hit storage depots at Ebrach, Wurzburg, and Marienburg, M/Y at Wurzburg, town area of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and a T/O. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, hit special tgts, fly armed rcn, and spt US 3d and 9th Armd Divs near Paderborn, XII Corps as it charges toward Eisenach, XX Corps along Fulda and Eder Rivers, and XVI and XIX Corps S of Haltern and NW of Lippstadt.
3/31/45 Twelfth AF MBs bomb several tgts (mostly alternates) in Po Valley and Brenner area despite bad weather. B-25's hit bridges or bridge approaches at San Michele all'Adige, Steinach, Crema, Canneto sull'Oglio, Legnago, and Manerbio, and rail embankment at Salorno. XXII TAC A-20's and other aircraft hit Po R crossings during 30/31 Mar at Casalmaggiore, Ostiglia, Borgoforte, and San Benedetto Po, rail facilities at Piacenza and Cittadella, plus nearby ammo dumps and other tgts. FBs continue to pound comm and dumps at Lavis, Casarsa della Delizia, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Legnago, and several other points in Po Valley and NE Italy.
3/31/45 Fifteenth AF 540 B-24's and B-17's bomb Linz main railroad station and sidings, M/Ys at Villach and Treviso, and 3 minor T/Os. P-51's and P-38's provide escort. 37 other ftrs on sweeps and strafings attack railroad tgts in Munich-Linz-Regensburg area and 43 hit similar tgts in Prague area. Still other P-38's and P- 51's fly extensively rcn and rcn escort.
3/31/45 Tenth AF 12 B-25's hit troop dispersal areas behind enemy lines in C Burma and hit 1 road bridge. 8 P-38's attack supply dump at Namsang A/F.
3/31/45 Fourteenth AF 30 B-24's, with escort of 9 P-51's, blast railroad yards at Shihkiachwang. 12 B-25's bomb railroad yards at Sinyang while 4 hit Yanglowtung yards. 6 B-25's damage bridge and hit gun position at Sienning while 6 more knock out bridge near Ninh Binh and hit storage area at Samah Bay. 26 P-51's attack Ningpo A/F, destroying or damaging several airplanes. 6 of the P-51's are lost. About 125 other FBs and several B-25's (operating individually) attack numerous tgts in Indochina and S and E China including bridges, troops, supplies, and rail, road, and river traffic.
3/31/45 FEAF A-20's attack army camp at Saiatan while P-51's sweep from Babuyan Channel to SW Formosa. Ftrs attack tgts in Cagayan Valley and N of Laguna de Bay, blasting bridges and gun positions over wide stretches of Luzon. B-25's, A-20's; and FBs hit Cebu tgts, several of the strikes being flown in spt of ground forces. B-24's again bomb Bongao I and hit Oelin. Ftrs harass N Borneo A/Fs. B-24's bomb harbors and shipping at Kiirun, Formosa and Yulin.
3/31/45 Twentieth AF 137 B-29's strike Tachiarai machine works and Omura A/F. This is diversionary strike preceding invasion of Okinawa which begins at 0830 on 1 Apr.
3/31/45 Seventh AF 15 P-51's from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe vessels, air installations, and T/Os on Chichi Jima. 16 more follow with attacks on vessels and harbor area. During the night 5 B-24's from Guam, flying individual harassment strikes, hit Susaki A/F.
4/1/45 Ninth AF No bmr operations due to weather. Ftrs fly patrols, armed rcn, and spt US 3d and 9th Armd Divs in Paderborn-Lippstadt and Warburg areas, XX Corps astride and E of the Fulda R, and XII Corps which reaches the Werra R W of Meiningen.
4/1/45 Twelfth AF A-20's and A-26's on intruder missions during 31 Mar/1 Apr over Po Valley continue to attack road and railroad bridges, motor transport, loading points, and other tgts. Principal strikes are made at Po R bridges. Ftrs and FBs during the day strike rail bridges, dumps, rail lines, M/Ys, trains, vehicles, gun positions, several buildings (including ammo plant and truck factory), and a variety of T/Os in Po Valley and NE Italy. MBs hit railroad bridges at Calcinato, Crema, Mantua, Monselice, Colle Isarco, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and Perca.
4/1/45 Fifteenth AF Almost 400 B-24's and B-17's bomb Maribor railroad bridge, M/Ys at Sankt Polten, Selzthal, Zeltueg, Graz, and Villach, railroad bridge at Krieglach, and gun positions on Adriatic coast near Venice. 82 P- 38's bomb Ybbs railroad bridge while 52 P-51's strafe rail traffic in Prague-Plzen area. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and rcn escort.
4/1/45 Tenth AF 10 B-25's attack roads and bridges behind enemy lines in C Burma. 478 transport flights are made throughout the day. British 36th Div forces begin to push down railroad from Mandalay to Rangoon.
4/1/45 Fourteenth AF 7 B-24's bomb Ft Bayard storage area. 6 B-25's and 6 P-51's attack river shipping and warehouses in Sienning-Puchi area. 4 B-25's attack railroad tgts at Ninh Binh and Minh Koi. 5 B-25's hit warehouses and other buildings at Hsuchang while 3 damage bridge at Changtuikuan. Single B-25's bomb T/Os around Sanshihlitun, Sichuan, Loning, and Suicheng. 23 P-51's pound A/Fs in Shanghai area. 70-plus other FBs attack river, road, and rail traffic, storage areas, troops, and general T/Os throughout wide areas of occupied S and E China.
4/1/45 FEAF B-24's attack Giran A/F while B-25's and P-47's sweep wide areas. On Luzon B-24's, A-20's, and FBs hit Legaspi area (where US amphibious landing is taking place), tgts N of Balete Pass, Batangas area, and spt troops over parts of S and NW Luzon. In C Phil B-25's and A-20's spt ground forces near Cebu City and on Negros. B-24's hit Oelin A/F.
4/2/45 Eighth AF Over 700 HBs dispatched against 6 A/Fs in Denmark, along with 12 ftr gps, abandon mission because of bad weather in tgt area.
4/2/45 Ninth AF Weather prevents operations by 9th Bomb Div and XXIX TAC. IX and XIX TACs fly patrols and armed rcn over wide expanses of Germany claiming 17 airplanes downed and IX TAC supports US 9th Armd Div at Diemel R bridgehead near Warburg.
4/2/45 Twelfth AF Gen Chidlaw takes cmd of Twelfth AF (in Italy) and will shortly take over MATAF also. A-20's and A- 26's continue intruder missions during 1/2 Apr concentrating on Po R crossings and other Po Valley comm tgts. B-25's bomb railroad bridges at Fornovo di Taro, Drauburg, San Michele all' Adige, Matrei am Brenner, Steinach, and Colle Isarco, and railroad fill at Vo Sinistro. Ftrs and FBs again hit comm in Po Valley but divert sizable escort to attacks on methane plants in C Po area. The P-47's are attacked by about 40 ftrs during the day, 13 are claimed destroyed.
4/2/45 Fifteenth AF Almost 600 B-24's and B-17's, with ftr escorts, bomb comm tgts in Austria including M/Ys at Graz, Sankt Polten, and Krems, and railroad bridge on Sulm R. 38 P-38's dive-bomb railroad bridge at Wildon. 71 P-38's and 55 P-51's strafe Vienna-Munich and Wiener-Neustadt-Maribor rail traffic. Others carry out photo and weather rcn and rcn escort flights.
4/2/45 Tenth AF Bad weather cancels all offensive missions. Air supply missions continue with 469 sorties being flown to forward areas.
4/2/45 Fourteenth AF 28 B-25's knock out bridge SE of That Khe, bomb town area of Vinh, damage bridge approaches at Kep, hit shipping and other T/Os along coast of Gulf of Tonkin, and blast town area of Luc Nam. 25 B- 25's attack trucks, tanks, rivercraft, and T/Os at Sichuan, Neihsiang, Sinyang, Mingkiang, Siangtan, Kweiping, Nanning, and Hengshan. 4 B-24's bomb Kowloon Docks and hit shipping at Bakli Bay and Samah Bay. 32 P-51's pound A/Fs in Shanghai area. 140-plus other FBs attack numerous tgts scattered throughout S and E China, including troops, trucks, horses, river shipping, bridges, gun positions, A/Fs, rail traffic, and town areas.
4/2/45 FEAF B-24's bomb harbor at Hong Kong. B-25's and FBs attack Bamban bridges, Balete PassBaguio area and Penablanca. Troops at Cebu City and on Negros are bombed by B-25's and FBs. B-24's bomb Sarangani Bay area. Other B-24's hit Sandakan shipyards and Tawau A/F. Bongao I is hit by HBs.
4/2/45 Twentieth AF During the first 4 hrs after midnight (1/2 Apr), 6 B-29's mine harbor at Kure while more than 100 bomb Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo. 9 B-29's mine waters off Hiroshima during 2/3 Apr.
4/2/45 Seventh AF 12 Guam-based B-24's bomb Marcus.
4/2/45 Eleventh AF A B-24 on weather rcn returns early due to mechanical trouble. Another B-24 investigates radar jamming on Kresta Point.
4/3/45 Eighth AF Over 700 HBs attack U-boat yards at Kiel (2 HBs bomb Flensburg A/F as a T/O). 12 ftr gps fly close and area spt.
4/3/45 Ninth AF Operational HQ of XXIX TAC moves to Haltern. About 230 MBs and LBs attack Holzminden and Hameln M/Ys, town of Gottingen, 2 T/Os, and fly leaflet mission. Ftrs fly escort, fly patrols and armed rcn, spt US 9th Armd Div in Warburg area, XX Corps E of Werra R toward Muhlhausen and in Kassel area, XII Corps in Gotha and Suhl areas, and 2d and 8th Armd Divs in Teutoburger Forest and Neuhaus.
4/3/45 Twelfth AF During 2/3 Apr LBs bomb M/Y at Mantua, several Po R crossings and other comm tgts in Po Valley.
Weather hampers operations during the day. MBs cancel most missions, but manage to bomb Po Valley bridges at Camposanto, Usigliano, and Modena. XXII TAC (including Brazilian and SAAF units) blast comm, fuel dumps, methane plants, trains motor transport at numerous points in N Italy (mainly Po Valley), including Parma, Modena, Fidenza, Lodi, Bergamo, Reggio Emilia, and Piacenza.
4/3/45 Fifteenth AF 95 P-38's divebomb Tainach-Stein railroad bridge. Other P-38's and P-51's fly rcn and escort missions.
Bad weather prevents HB operations.
4/3/45 Tenth AF Bad weather again causes cancellation of most scheduled strikes. A few FBs hit Japanese-held wooded area near Kenglong. Transports complete 383 sorties to forward areas.
4/3/45 Fourteenth AF 17 B-25's bomb Pinglo, Ninh Binh railroad yards, knock out bridge at Thinh Duc, and damage bridges at Gian Khau and Mon Cay. 60-plus FBs knock out bridges at Hsitu and between Chuting and Hengyang, destroy pontoon bridges in Kanchou area, hit Yangtong A/F, pound Hai Duong railroad yards, and hit river traffic and other T/Os at several locations including Hongay, Cao Bang, Tayu, Hankow, Kanchou, Yoyang, and Ishan-Hwaiyuanchen areas.
4/3/45 FEAF Hong Kong docks are again bombed by B-24's. Other B-24's and B-25's hit A/F, butanol plant, and railroad yards at Kagi while A-20's sweep other rail tgts. On Luzon FBs and A-20's hit Balete Pass- Baguio-Naguilian area N Cagayan Valley supply tgts, Laguna de Bay area, and Infanta, also, Miri A/F, troops in Cebu City area, and tgts on Tarakan I are bombed. MBs attack N Hainan I.
4/3/45 Twentieth AF During 3/4 Apr, 9 B-29's mine waters off Hiroshima. Twice during early morning, 48 B-29's hit aircraft plant at Shizuoka, 68 attack Koizumi aircraft factory and urban areas in Tokyo, and 100-plus strike aircraft plant at Tachikawa and urban area of Kawasaki.
4/4/45 JCS JCS designates Gen MacArthur CINCUSAFPAC and Adm Nimitz CINTCPOA.
4/4/45 Eighth AF 939 HBs, supported by 826 effective ftr sorties, bomb 5 A/Fs and 2 landing grounds in N Germany, submarine yards at Hamburg and Kiel, and munitions plant near Ulzen.
4/4/45 Ninth AF XXIX TAC returns to operational control of Ninth AF (from Second Tac AF) as US Ninth Army reverts to control of 12th Army Gp (from 21st Army Gp). The British ground and air HQ have operationally controlled XXIX TAC and Ninth Army since shortly after the Ardennes breakthrough and the Battle of the Bulge. 330-plus MBs and LBs hit Ebrach oil depot, Crailsheim M/Y and barracks area, Grossaspach supply depot, town of Ellswangen, Backnang rail and road junction, and 2 T/Os. Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, attack special tgts, and spt US 104th Inf Div at Scherfede and Hardehausen, 9th Armd Div in Warburg area, XX Corps in Muhlhausen-Kassel areas, 2d and 5th Armd Divs in Hameln and Minden areas on the Weser R, and 8th Armd Div as it assaults Ruhr pocket in Lippstadt area.
4/4/45 Twelfth AF B-25's continue to blast comm along Brenner rail line, ranging from railroad bridge at Drauburg to Camposanto railroad bridge. The MBs also inflict considerable damage on Merano methanol plant. P- 47's concentrate on enemy movement, rail lines, and ammo and fuel dumps throughout Po Valley.
4/4/45 Fifteenth AF Again bad weather prevents HB operations and limits effort to rcn and escort missions and to strafing attacks by 94 P-51's on rail traffic in Munich, Regensburg, Plzen, Linz, and Gmunden areas.
4/4/45 Tenth AF Combat operations are restricted to attacks on a troop concentration and rice and fuel supplies behind enemy lines in C Burma. Transports operate on steady basis throughout the day.
4/4/45 Fourteenth AF 2 B-25's sink a junk in Gulf of Tonkin. 6 P-38's strafe trucks around Dien Bien Phu, Moc Chau, and Son La.
4/4/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Toyohara A/F, Mako harbor, and Tokichito I. A-20's hit Shinchiku factories and rail yards.
B-24's bomb harbor at Hong Kong. P-38's and P-51's pound various tgts in C Luzon while A-20's and P-38's hit Calauag area. A-20's pound NW Negros and B-24's bomb tgts in C Mindanao.
4/4/45 Seventh AF 24 B-24's from Angaur hit building at Bunawan.
4/5/45 International USSR notifies Japan that it wishes to abrogate 5-year Russo-Japanese neutrality pact signed in 1941.
4/5/45 Eighth AF Over 1,000 HBs attack 5 M/Ys, 4 ordnance depots, an armament works, an A/F, an aircraft parts factory, and 2 town areas in SC Germany. 12 ftr gps spt the HBs.
4/5/45 Ninth AF Weather prevents operations by 9th Bomb Div. Ftrs fly patrols, sweeps, and armed rcn, and spt US 7th Armd Div's attack on Ruhr pocket SW of Brilon, XX Corps' drive E in Muhlhausen area, XII Corps' adv in Meiningen area, 2d Armd Div bridgehead astride the Weser R S of Hameln, 8th Armd Div (preparing for assault on Soest), and 5th Armd Div near Minden.
4/5/45 Twelfth AF B-25's bomb 5 bridges in N Italy and Austria, at Steinach, Matrei am Brenner, Modena, Salorno, and San Michele all'Adige, and blast gun positions at La Spezia. These attacks follow night raids by A-20's and A-26's on bridges at Lavis, Ala, San Michele all'Adige, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Piazzola sul Brenta, Cittadella, and Montebello, and other tgts. Ftrs and FBs devote their largest effort to close spt of ground forces, blasting occupied areas and gun positions in Massa Lombarda area, and also attack comm and dumps in Po Valley.
4/5/45 Fifteenth AF 457 B-24's and B-17's attack railroad bridge at Dravograd, M/Ys and locomotive depots at Brescia, Alessandria, and Turin, and A/F at Udine. 96 P-38's dive-bomb Radovljica railroad bridge, 27 P-51's with 13 flying top cover, strafe rail comm in Munich, Regensburg, Passau, and Linz areas. 20-plus P- 38's fly rcn missions. Around 300 ftr sorties are flown to escort transport, rcn, and HB missions (including RAF raid on Monfalcone shipyards).
4/5/45 Tenth AF Bad weather cancels scheduled strikes. Transports continue large-scale operations to forward areas.
4/5/45 Fourteenth AF 27 FBs on armed rcn attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at Shanhsien, Shihkiachwang, and Son La, and in Tehsien and Loyang-Pinglo area.
4/5/45 FEAF B-24's bomb Kowloon Docks and nearby A/F, while other B-24's bomb Kiirun harbor. 180-plus sorties in spt of ground forces are flown in Luzon. A-20's and patrolling P-61's spt troops on Cebu and Negros. P-38's hit Tarakan I and Tawau.
4/5/45 Seventh AF 18 B-24's from Guam hit tgts on Eten anl Dublon Is. 22 from Angaur pound bivouac area at Bunawan.
4/6/45 Eighth AF 641 HBs bomb M/Y at Halle, rail traffic center at Leipzig, M/Y and industrial complex at Gera, and city area of Eisleben. 15 ftr gps fly around 600 effective sorties in spt of the HBs.
4/6/45 Ninth AF 99 MBs and LBs hit M/Ys at Gottingen and Northeim and city area of Herzberg, and drop leaflets over 3 city areas. Ftrs fly escort, alerts, sweeps, and armed rcn, and spt US VIII Corps in Eisenach area, and XX Corps E of the Werra near Muhlhausen.
4/6/45 Twelfth AF Gen Darcy takes cmd of XXII TAC. A-20's and A-26's on night intruder missions, 5/6 Apr, bomb several bridges in Po R Valley, scoring good results on 8 of the tgts, also hitting assembly area along the Po R. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs hit lines of comm, mainly in Po Valley, and spt US Fifth Army forces attacking toward Massa Lombarda. B-25's cancel missions against tgts on Brenner line due to weather, but hit 6 bridges in C Po Valley and gun positions at La Spezia.
4/6/45 Fifteenth AF 387 HBs, with ftr escort, bomb M/Y flak positions and ordnance depot at Verona and M/Y and small arms plant at Brescia. 179 other HBs sent against tgts in N Italy are recalled. 81 P-38's dispatched to bomb bridge in Austria abort due to weather. 14 manage to attack bridges near Austro-Italian border. 6 P-51's (of 54 airborne) strafe railroad tgts in Straubing/Plattling area. Others fly rcn missions.
4/6/45 Tenth AF With improving weather conditions combat strikes in C Burma battle area increase. 70-plus FBs attack troop concentrations, arty positions, tanks, trucks, fuel dumps, and general T/Os along and immediately behind enemy lines. Tgts are located in several areas including Paklu, Nawnghkio, Loilem, Takaw, Mong Hko, Kongleng, NawngHsan Pu, and Indaw. Air supply sorties continue on steady basis throughout the day.
4/6/45 Fourteenth AF 3 B-24's hit T/Os in Bakli Bay area. 4 P-38's knock out bridge in Dien Bien Phu area. 8 P-51's blast railroad T/Os, troops, horses, and boat landings in Chengheien area and along Lung Hai railroad and Yellow R.
4/6/45 FEAF B-25's bomb town of Hokko. Ground spt sorties continue in areas around Balete Pass, W of Ft Stotsenburg, N, NE, and S of Laguna de Bay, and around Legaspi. Ftrs also hit Carabao I and Infanta.
B-24's bomb town N of Cebu City while ftrs spt ground units on Cebu. A-20's spt ground forces on Negros. B-25's pound Bunawan. B-24's bomb Jolo I defenses and ammo and supply dumps. At Manila AFPAC is established under Gen MacArthur. 400 Kamikaze planes make all-out effort against Okinawa shipping and beachheads. 2 destroyers, 2 ammo ships, a mine sweeper and an LST is sunk.
Other vessels are damaged. Nearly 300 Japanese planes are expended.
4/6/45 Seventh AF 11 B-24's from Guam pound positions and A/F on Marcus. 23 from Angaur bomb barracks and wharf at Bunawan.
4/6/45 Eleventh AF 8 B-24's attack and photograph Kurabu, especially the A/F, while 8 B-25's hit radar installations in an all-out attack on Hayakegawa, Kotani Shima, and Minami Cape, dropping napalm-filled incendiaries for the first time. Buildings and shipping in N part of Hayakegawa are hit especially hard. Another B-25 flies weather rcn.
4/7/45 Eighth AF Over 1,200 HBs hit 6 A/Fs, 5 M/Ys, 2 explosives plants, 2 oil storage depots, and an ordnance depot in C and N Germany. 15 ftr gps, providing spt, meet well over 100 conventional ftrs and 50-plus jets.
The German ftrs attack fiercely and in the ensuing air battle down 15 HBs. US ftrs claim over 60 ftrs destroyed including a few jets against negligible losses. HBs claim 40 of the ftrs destroyed.
4/7/45 Ninth AF 268 MBs and LBs strike M/Ys at Northeim and Gottingen, plus 2 town areas. Ftrs fly escort, patrols, and armed rcn, and spt US 7th Armd Div at Schmallenberg, 3d and 9th Armd Divs along the Weser R E of Warburg, VIII, XII, and XX Corps in Muhlhausen, Eisenach, and Meiningen areas (including strong air spt against counterattack on XII and XX Corps at Struth), 2d Armd Div along Sarstedt/Hildesheim road, and XVI Corps between Lippe and Ruhr Rivers in Essen area.
4/7/45 Twelfth AF During 6/7 Apr A-20's and A-26's bomb bridges at Lavis, Ala, Rovereto, and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and several Po R crossings. During the day weather grounds MBs. XXII TAC ftrs and FBs, operating on limited scale, hit Montechino oilfield, ammo dumps and comm tgts N of battle area, and gun positions in Monte Belvedere/Strettoia area in which US Fifth Army forces push N.
4/7/45 Fifteenth AF 128 B-17's and B-24's attack Mezzocorona railroad bridge and nearby road bridge, Verona-Parona di Valpolicella railroad bridge, and M/Ys at Innsbruck, Sankt Veit an der Glan, and Klagenfurt. Over 500 HBs return to base without bombing because of multilayer clouds. 82 P-38's bomb TainachStein railroad bridge. 74 others sent against bridge in S Austria abort due to weather.
4/7/45 Tenth AF 95 FBs operating over and behind Japanese lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, trucks, and supply areas, and sweep roads S of bomb line.
4/7/45 Fourteenth AF 14 B-25's hit town areas and T/Os at Sichuan, Hsihhsiassuchi, Neihsiang, Shaoyang, and Nanchang.
4 B-24's bomb harbors and dock