World War II in real time

Day 1680 of World War II, April 16th 1944

Eastern Front

Soviet General Eremenko's Independent Maritime Army has taken Yalta in the Crimea. This is the last port apart from Sevastopol through which the Germans can escape the Crimea. Sevastopol's airfield at Kacha has also been captured and, as fighting rages across the old battlefields of Balaklava and Inkerman, the position of Germany's 17th Army looks hopeless. A terrible toll is being taken of the Germans as they try to escape. A German correspondent describes how "bombers, dive-bombers and fighters in endless procession are raining their bombs on our ships and riddling them with cannon fire." Sevastopol harbour is choked with sunken ships and the bodies of drowned men.

In the Ukraine, Marshal Rodion Malinovsky's troops cross the Dniester at Tiraspol. The 3rd Ukrainian Front establishes several bridgeheads over the Dniester River. German forces launch immediate counterattacks that fail to dislodge the Soviet troops.

Italian Campaign

US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bomb approaches to Ficulle and Todi railway bridges; A-20 Havocs hit fuel supplies; P-40s, P-47 Thunderbolts and A-36 Apaches hit the Capranica viaduct, town of Zagarolo, railway at Spigno Monferrato, marshalling yard at Orte-Terni, tunnel at Capranica and tracks, vehicles, railway cars, ammunition dump, bridge, and targets of opportunity at various points in central Italy.

Battle of the Atlantic

The armed U.S. tanker SS 'Pan Pennsylvania', in United Kingdom-bound convoy CU 1, is torpedoed by German submarine 'U-550' 150 miles (241 km) east of Ambrose Light, New York. Later, destroyer escort USS 'Gandy' (DE-764) is damaged when she intentionally rams 'U-550' off Nantucket Shoals, and teams with destroyer escorts USS 'Peterson' (DE-152) and USS 'Joyce' (DE-317) to sink the U-boat. Twelve of the 56-man U-boat crew survive. During the action, shells from the destroyer escorts set afire 'Pan Pennsylvania's' abandoned wreck.

Battle of the Mediterranean

432 US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s hit targets in Romania and Yugoslavia; B-17s bomb the industrial area at Belgrade, Yugoslavia and an aircraft plant at Brasov, Romania; B-24s hit marshalling yards at Brasov and Turnu Severin, Romania; 90+ fighters fly escort while 50+ others, failing to rendezvous with the bombers, strafe trains on the Craiova line east of Turnu Severin. The Belgrade Zemun airdrome was bombed by Allied forces for the 3rd day in a row. The bombing was carried out by the 414th Bomb Squadron stationed at Amendola, Italy.

German submarine 'U-407' attacks convoy UGS 37 about 17 miles off Derna, Libya, torpedoing US freighters 'Meyer London' and 'Thomas G. Masaryk'; the latter, out of control at one point, nearly rams 'Meyer London'. There are no casualties on board either ship (including the 27-man Armed Guard in each freighter). French-manned British corvette HMS 'La Malouine' rescues 'Meyer London's' crew; another escort vessel rescues the other ship's complement. British rescue tug HMS 'Captive' later tows 'Thomas G. Masaryk' and beaches her in Maneloa Bay, Libya, where the damaged ship is subsequently written off as a total loss. 'Meyer London' sinks.

United States

The U.S. Navy's last battleship, USS 'Wisconsin' (BB-64), is commissioned at the US Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Meredith (DD-726) underway at sea on 16 April 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 3D



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s hit a bridge over the Mogaung River while 9 others, along with 12 P-51s, hit a warehouse and railroad station at Mohnyin; 9 P-38s destroy 3 medium bombers at Zayatkwin near Rangoon while 2 P-51s in the Mandalay area hit Anisakan Airfield, destroying 2 airplanes.

INDIA

(XX Bomber Command): 768th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy), 462d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), arrives at Piardoba, India with B-29s; first mission is 5 Jun.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-25s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, strike Truk Atoll; B-25s from Abemama Island hit Maloelap and Mille Atolls, using Majuro as a rearming base between the strikes.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 15 B-24s bomb the runway at Satawan. On New Britain Island, 24 B-25s hit the Ratawul supply area and alternate target of Raluana; at Rabaul 30+ fighter-bombers attack area inland from Toboi wharf. 23d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Munda to Momote Airfield with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(ifth Air Force): "Black Sunday": 170+ B-24s, B-25s and A-20s bomb Hollandia town and airfield and numerous other targets in the area. On the way back from the strike, the aircraft meet a massive weather front that causes 46 aircraft lost to weather. Listing of aircraft lost on Black Sunday. P-39s hit a wooded area and communications targets along Hansa Bay and attack villages and supply dumps from Bogia to Uligan Harbor; P-38s hit Madang area; B-24s fly a light strike against Wakde; other aircraft, operating singly or in pairs, attack targets of opportunity on the N coast of New Guinea and SE coast of New Britain Island. Other B-25s bomb Koepang on Timor Island.

GILBERT AND MARSHALL ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Photo: A U.S. Navy Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator patrol bomber takes off from Eniwetok Airfield (Stickell Field), 16 April 1944. Bombing Squadrons VB-108 and VB-109 flew from Eniwetok in April 1944



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 359, APRIL 16, 1944

Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force raided Matsuwa in the Kuriles on the night of April 14 (West Longitude Date).

Oroluk, Nauru, Pakin, and Ulul Islands were bombed by single search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two on April 14 (West Longitude Date).

Airfields on Ponape Island were bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells on the same day. A small tanker and two escort vessels were bombed near Ant Island. The tanker was sunk and the escorts were beached on the island. Our planes pressed home their attack through heavy antiair­craft fire.

Forty‑six tons of bombs were dropped on four objectives in the Marshalls by Liberators and Mitchells of the Seventh Army Air Force, Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, and Navy Hellcat fighters. One of these objectives was severely strafed. Bomb hits were obtained on gun positions and barracks.

PACIFIC

Submarine Paddle (SS-263) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks Japanese army transport Mito Maru and merchant cargo ship No.1 Hino Maru in the Ceram Sea, 02°25'S, 127°24'E.

Submarine Redfin (SS-272) continues to pursue the convoy attacked the previous day, sinking army cargo ship Yamagata Maru in Moro Gulf, southwest of Mindanao, 06°52'N, 123°47'E.

RAAF Catalinas mine the principal entrances to Woleai to prevent the Japanese from using them during the projected Hollandia operations. The evolution is repeated on 18 and 19 April.

Movement of Japanese convoy TAKE No.1, carrying elements of the Imperial Army's 32d and 35th Divisions to reinforce garrisons in the Halmaheras and in northwestern New Guinea, gets underway as four transports, and escorts, depart Pusan, Korea (see 18 April).

Battleship Colorado (BB-45) runs aground on Kuia Shoal, off Kahoolawe, T.H., but suffers no serious damage.

Day 1682 of World War II, April 18th 1944

Eastern Front

German and Hungarian forces begin limited counterattacks against the 2nd Ukrainian Front between Buchach and southward to the Pruth River. The attacks made little impression, but the Red Army forces were nearing the end of this latest offensive in any event.

General Feodor Tolbukhin's 4th Ukrainian Army reaches the outskirts of Sevastopol and takes Balaklava, scene of the charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The 17th German-Romanian Army is trapped in Sevastopol and awaiting evacuation by ship.

Continuation War

Hitler forbids all exports of weapons to Finland. This comes as a further retaliation for the Finnish peace feelers earlier in this year, even though Finland just recently decided to reject the Soviet terms for peace.

Air War over Europe

Invasion stripes are ordered for Allied aircraft. These stripes are to be applied to all aircraft except four-engined bombers, transports (not troop carriers), gliders, night fighters and sea planes.

Photo: Aerial photograph mosaic of Halesworth (Holton) airfield , P-47 Thunderbolts of the 56th Fighter Group are taxying on the perimeter and main runway, 18 April 1944



The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 306 Part 1: 776 bombers and 634 fighters are dispatched to hit airfields and aviation industry targets; they claim 33-5-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 19 bombers and 5 fighters are lost; due to poor weather, several units bomb targets of opportunity in the Berlin area: 275 B-17s hit aviation industry targets at Oranienburg, Perleberg Airfield, Wittenberge and targets of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost. 210 B-17s hit Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Luneburg Airfield, Rathenow and targets of opportunity; 14 B-17s are lost. 248 B-24s hit Brandenburg, Rathenow, Cuxhaven, Wittenberge and targets of opportunity; 2 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 119 P-38s, 296 P-47s and 219 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51 Mustangs; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 3 P-51s are lost. Major Friedrich-Karl Muller, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 3 claimed 3 B-17s destroyed.

The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 306 Part 2: 12 B-24s hit V-weapon sites at Watten; escort is provided by 36 P-47 Thunderbolts without loss. 277 US Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders, including 24 dropping Window, and 37 A-20 Havocs bomb gun positions and marshalling yards at Dunkirk, Calais, and Saint Martin Airfield at Charleroi.

During US Eighth Air Force Mission 307, 5 B-17s drop 2.56 million leaflets on Stavanger, Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim between 2336-0041 hours without loss.

273 RAF Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups to Rouen. No aircraft lost. Bomber Command claimed a concentrated attack on the railway yards, with much destruction. 202 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group with 3 Oboe Mosquitos of No 8 Group to railway targets at Juvisy. 1 Lancaster lost. The attack appeared to be completely successful. 181 aircraft - 112 Halifaxes, 61 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos of Nos 6 and 8 Groups to railway yards at Noisy-Le-Sec. The Mosquitos also operated against Tergnier. 4 Halifaxes lost. The local report describes results which were typical of these railway-target raids. The marshalling yards, the engine-sheds and the railway workshops suffered great damage. Approximately 200 delayed-action bombs continued to explode in the week after the raid. A through line was established several days later but the marshalling yards were not completely repaired until 6 years after the war. In addition to this railway damage, however, the bombing area was measured as 6km long and 3km wide. 750 houses were destroyed and more than 2,000 damaged. 464 French people were killed and 370 injured. 171 aircraft - 139 Halifaxes, 24 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos of Nos 3, 4 and 8 Groups - to Tergnier. 6 Halifaxes lost. 50 railway lines were blocked but most of the bombing fell on housing areas south-west of the railway yards. Total effort for the night: 1,125 sorties, 14 aircraft (1.2 per cent) lost. The total number of sorties on this night was a new Bomber Command record.

Minelaying Operation: 168 RAF aircraft - 88 Halifaxes, 44 Stirlings, 36 Lancasters - to Swinemünde, Kiel Bay and to the Danish coast. 2 Stirlings and 1 Halifax lost.

24 RAF Mosquitos went to Berlin, 2 to Osnabrück and 2 to Le Mans, 9 RCM sorties, 32 Serrate patrols, 46 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.

At Erfurt, two Ta 154 'Moskitoes - Ta 154V-9 and Ta 154V-12 - of EKD 154, crashed due to a failure of their undercarriages.

The last German bombers appeared over London as the "Little Blitz" comes to an end. In this raid, 125 bombers including 5 He 177s of I./KG 100 were aimed at the city, of which 53 dropped their load on the target, Fourteen were shot down. The Heinkels climbed as high as they could before diving to their target, making it difficult for defending Mosquito fighters to catch them.

Italian Campaign

US Twelfth Air Force P-47 fighter-bombers cut several rail lines in the Florence and Arezzo areas and strafe trains and motor transport; P-40s and P-47s hit Itri and a rail bridge and fuel dumps as the campaign against communications continues. US Fifteenth Air Force P-38s and P-47s strafe Udine and Aiello Airfields and targets of opportunity in the Basiliano, Sant' Andrea Island, and Cervignano del Friuli areas and in Golfo di Panzano; other fighters fly cover for the strafing missions.

Photo: Repair work being carried out on Sherman tanks at No. 1 Advanced Base Workshops, 18 April 1944



Battle of the Atlantic

Abandoned U.S. merchant tanker Pan Pennsylvania, torpedoed by German submarine U-550 on 16 April, is scuttled by aircraft, 40°24'N, 69°37'W.

United Kingdom

Even stricter rules regarding communications out of England were put in place in preparation for the cross-channel attack. Coded radio and telegraph messages were outlawed and all diplomatic bags were subject to inspection.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Corry (DD-463) underway on 18 April 1944



Photo: The Free French frigate Tunisien (T23) underway off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania (USA), 18 April 1944. The ship was originally built as USS Crosley (DE-108) but transferred to the Free French Naval Forces under lend lease on 11 February 1944, one day after her commissioning in the U.S. Navy



Photo: In this aerial photograph of the port side of the Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Shamrock Bay (CVE-84) taken by a blimp from Airship Patrol Squadron (ZP) 32 whilst the carrier proceeded down the West Coast on its shakedown cruise on 18 April 1944, the carrier is shown wearing Measure 33, Design 10A camo, using Navy Blue (5-N), Haze Gray (5-H) and Pale Gray (5-P)



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer tender USS Sierra (AD-18) underway off Tampa, Florida (USA). Sierra is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 4Ax



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 B-24s bomb an oil plant at Yenangyaung while 5, along with 7 P-38s, hit Ywataung; 6 B-25s score numerous hits on the Mandalay-Shwebo railroad; and 15 B-25s and 4 P-51s bomb Kamaing and hit the Myitkyina-Bhamo road.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): HQ 33d Fighter Group moves from Karachi, India to Shwangliu, China. Lost on a mission to Hong Kong is B-24D "Sweepy Time Gal" 42-40622.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): Seven PB4Y-1P Liberators of Photographic Squadron Three (VD-3) and Marine Photographic Squadron Two Hundred Fifty Four (VMD-254), take off on a 1,252 mile (2015 km) flight from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, to Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The next day, the aircraft take off, escorted by 5 Seventh Air Force B-24s, which bomb Saipan, and fly over 1,000 miles (1609 km) to Momote Airdrome on Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, via Saipan, Tinian and Aguijan Islands, in the Mariana Islands, obtaining complete photographic coverage which will be used for the upcoming invasions.

Other B-24s staging through Eniwetok hit Truk. B-25s from Tarawa bomb Ponape Island; B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wake after failing to find shipping reported in the area; and B-25s from Abemama Island bomb Jaluit and Maloelap Atolls, using Majuro as a shuttle base between strikes. 19th Fighter Squadron, 318th Fighter Group, moves from Kualoa Field to Bellows Field with P-47s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 14 B-24s bomb the airfield at Satawan. 23 B-25s, weathered out of Vunakanau, bomb Tobera Airfield; 12 others and 9 fighter-bombers which fail to reach Rapopo bomb the airstrip at Keravat; Vunapope is hit by about 40 fighter-bombers, with considerable damage to the supply area. Lost are F-5B 42-67328 and P-38J 42-67788.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): The newly created (11 Apr) Thirteenth Air Task Force (Provisional) commanded by Major General St Clair Streett and temporarily composed of elements of the Thirteenth Air Force (which is being moved to the SWPA), a few Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) squadrons, USN Seventh Fleet air units, and Fifth Air Force units in the Admiralty Islands and New Britain Island, is placed under operational control of Fifth Air Force Advanced Echelon. Operating out of Momote Airfield, B-24s of Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb Woleai Atoll and Mariaon Island, Caroline Islands. B-24s of the Fifth Air Force hit Manokwari and Babo; and the Madang area is hit by fighter-bombers. HQ 54th Troop Carrier Wing moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 517, APRIL 18, 1944

Pacific and Far East.

1. U. S. submarines have reported sinking fifteen vessels as a result of operations against the enemy in these waters, as follows

1 large tanker
2 medium tankers
1 medium naval auxiliary (repair ship)
7 medium cargo vessels
2 medium cargo passenger vessels
1 small cargo passenger vessel
1 small cargo vessel

2. These actions have not been announced in any previous Navy Depart­ment communiqué.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 3 B-24s fly armed reconnaissance over Matsuwa, Onnekotan, and Paramushiru Islands; cloud cover and lack of moonlight permit only bombing of Kashiwabara Airfield and the Banjo Cape area.

PACIFIC

PB4Ys (VD 3) conduct long-range reconnaissance of Saipan, Tinian and Aguijan Islands, Marshalls, obtaining complete photographic coverage. USAAF B-24s provide close air support; battle damage forces one B- 24 to ditch.

Submarine Gudgeon (SS-211) is sunk, probably by Japanese naval aircraft (901st Air Group), southwest of Iwo Jima, 22°44'N, 143°25'E.

Submarine Tambor (SS-198) sinks Japanese guardboat No.3 Shink_ Maru 300 miles northwest of Wake Island.

Second element of Japanese TAKE No.1 convoy sails from Shanghai and effects rendezvous with the first group that had departed Pusan, Korea, on 16 April.

U.S. freighter John Straub hits a mine off Sanak Island, Aleutians, 54°15'N, 163°30'W and sinks, breaking in two; 14 of the 27-man Armed Guard perish, as do 40 merchant seamen and the ship's solitary passenger. Army coastal freighter FP 41 rescues the survivors; frigate Albuquerque (PF-7) later scuttles the stern half with gunfire.

Day 1684 of World War II, April 20th 1944

Eastern Front

Soviet planes, destroyers, submarines and torpedo boats attack German and Romanian ships evacuating the 17.Armee from Sevastopol. During the next three weeks, the Soviets will sink 10 Axis ships, but the sea lift will rescue more than 42,000 troops.

Air War over Europe

The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 309: 842 bombers and 388 fighters are dispatched to hit V-weapon sites in France; 24 of 33 sites briefed are hit; 9 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 438 B-17s hit sites in the Pas de Calais and Cherbourg areas; 19 others hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-17s are lost. 113 B-24s hit sites in the Pas de Calais area; 2 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 89 P-38s, 211 P-47 Thunderbolts and 88 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 4-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 4-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost.

The US Ninth Air Force dispatches almost 400 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to attack gun positions at Etaples, Bazinghen, Villerville, Gravelines and Fecamp, the airfield at Poix, and V-weapon sites and targets of opportunity in the Pas de Calais area; nearly 140 P-47s bomb marshalling yards at Creil and Mantes-La-Jolie.

A raid on railway yards at La Chapelle just north of Paris was the first major test for the new RAF No 5 Group marking method, with the group employing not only No 617 Squadron's low-level markers but the three Pathfinder squadrons recently transferred from No 8 Group. A few regular No 8 Group Mosquitos were also used to drop markers by Oboe to provide a first indication of the target's location for the main No 5 Group marking force. 247 Lancasters of No 5 Group and 22 Mosquitos from 5 and 8 Groups dispatched. 6 Lancasters lost. The bombing force was split into two parts, with an interval between them of 1 hour, and each part of the force aimed at different halves of the railway yards. There were a few difficulties at the opening of the attack, with the markers of the Oboe Mosquitos being a fraction late and with communications between the various controlling aircraft being faulty, but these difficulties were soon overcome and both parts of the bombing force achieved extremely accurate and concentrated bombing.

196 RAF aircraft - 175 Halifaxes, 14 Lancasters, 7 Mosquitos from Nos 4 and 8 Groups despatched to Ottignies, some 35 miles south-west of Brussels. No aircraft lost. The southern half of the railway yards was severely damaged. 175 aircraft - 154 Halifaxes, 14 Lancasters, 7 Mosquitos of Nos 6 and 8 Groups in an accurate attack on railways at Lens. 1 Halifax lost. 14 Stirlings, using the G-H blind-bombing device, to bomb a railway depot at Chambly but only 4 aircraft bombed and 1 was lost.

8 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 14 RCM sorties, 25 Serrate and 8 Intruder patrols, 30 Stirlings and 8 Halifaxes minelaying off French ports, 2 aircraft on Resistance operations, 27 OTU sorties. 2 Serrate Mosquitos and 1 OTU Wellington lost.

Hull was the target for another one hundred and thirty Luftwaffe bomber raid, but as in the previous attack on the 19th/20th March 1944, none of the 49 tonnes of bombs found their target. Despite German claims that Hull was heavily bombed, and although many flares were dropped nearby, Hull was untouched, a little damage was caused in the area bounded by Scarborough - York - Peterborough - Cromer. Of the many German aircraft taking part in this raid, eight were shot down. Three Junkers Ju 188s were known to have crashed on land in the Continent, a Dornier Do 217 and three Junkers Ju 88s failed to return and a Heinkel He 177 was intercepted and shot down, 40 miles E of Spurn Head by a Mosquito of 264 Squadron.

357 RAF Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups attack Cologne. 4 Lancasters lost. This concentrated attack fell into areas of Cologne which were north and west of the city centre and partly industrial in nature. 192 industrial premises suffered various degrees of damage, together with 725 buildings described as 'dwelling-houses with commercial premises attached'. 7 railway stations or yards were also severely damaged.

Italian Campaign

B-25s and B-26s of the US Twelfth Air Force score hits on a marshalling yard and 3 fuel dumps at Leghorn and near misses on Cecina and Certaldo bridges and Arezzo viaduct; fighter-bombers hit railroad lines and fuel dump in the Florence area; bridges, dump, rail lines and train cars near Civitavecchia and Zagarolo, at Sezze, near Ladispoli, southwest of Stimipliano and north of Monterotondo; and guns south of Albano Laziale; in the battle area around Cassino fighter-bombers blast several gun positions and hit bridges, trucks, troops and other targets, at several points, including Falconara, Recanati, San Benedetto de Marsi, and the Fondi-Itri and Orte-Orvieto areas.

300+ US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack targets in Italy; the B-17s bomb marshalling yards at Ancona, Castelfranco, Padua and Vicenza and Venice harbor installations; the B-24s hit marshalling yards at Mestre, Reviso and Fano, Venice harbor, Monfalcone dockyards and Trieste; 180+ other heavy bombers dispatched against communications targets in northern Italy are forced to abort due to bad weather; about 250 fighters provide cover for the bombing raids.

Battle of the Mediterranean

German torpedo planes and submarine 'U-969' attack the 87-ship convoy UGS-38 in the Mediterranean off the coast of Algeria. The destroyer USS 'Landsdale' (DD-426) is sunk by aerial torpedo; the survivors are rescued by two destroyer escorts. The US freighter SS 'Paul Hamilton' is struck by an aerial torpedo and disintegrates; the 47-man merchant crew, the 29-man Armed Guard and 504 troops aboard are all killed. Coast Guard cutter 'Taney' (WPG-37), destroyer escort 'Lowe' (DE-325) and Dutch antiaircraft cruiser 'Van Heemskerk', however, escape torpedo attacks. Illuminated by the explosion, freighter 'Stephen F. Austin', is torpedoed and abandoned. Reboarded, the ship receives assistance from British rescue tug HMS 'Hengist' and proceeds to Algiers under her own power. By contrast with the disaster that has befallen her sistership 'Paul Hamilton', there are no casualties on board 'Stephen F. Austin'.

Germany

The so-called British Free Corps of the Waffen-SS holds its inaugural parade at the Haus Germanien in the St Michaeli Kloster, Hildesheim. Present are a small German staff and fourteen assorted British renegades including the senior NCO, SS-Oberscharfuehrer Thomas Cooper, a former concentration camp guard and veteran of 'aktions' in the Warsaw and Cracow ghettoes. After a brief speech from the German commanding officer and the formal presentation of rank insignia and side-arms, the British traitors are despatched to begin recruiting at POW camps throughout the Reich.

United Kingdom

Photo: Douglas Dakotas of No. 233 Squadron RAF lined up on the perimeter track at Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire, for an exercise with the 6th Airborne Division, 20 April 1944



United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy submarine USS Flier (SS-250) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), 20 April 1944



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): 11 B-25s hit a bivouac and supply area NW of Manywet, Burma. 5th Liaison Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector, arrives at Ledo, India from the US with L-5s; first mission is 1 May.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Kwajalein search the area near Wake for shipping; finding none, the bombers hit Wake and Peale. Tarawa based B-25s, using Majuro as a shuttle base between strikes, bomb Maloelap and Jaluit Atolls. 396th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 41st Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Tarawa to Makin with B-25s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): Major General Field Harris, USMC, becomes Commander Air Solomons (COMAIRSOLS). With improved weather conditions bombing of targets in the Bismarck Archipelago resumes; 22 B-25s hit the Matupi supply area and 40+ fighter-bombers blast the airfields at Lakunai and Keravat. 31st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Guadalcanal to Momote Airfield with B-24s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): B-24s bomb airfields on Noemfoor. B-25s, A-20s, and fighters hit a variety of targets around Hollandia, on Cape Croisilles, in the Bunabun area and along Hansa Bay. Woleai Atoll is again bombed by B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 364, APRIL 20, 1944

Forty‑six tons of bombs were dropped on Moen and Dublon Islands in the Truk Atoll by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on the night of April 18‑19 (West Longitude Date). Three enemy planes were in the air but did not attempt interception. Large fires were started at Dublon Town and several explosions were observed. At Moen the airstrip and barracks were hit. Anti­aircraft fire was meager.

On the night of April 18 a search Liberator of Fleet Air Wing Two ob­tained a direct hit on a medium cargo vessel south of Fefan Island in the Truk Atoll.

Ponape Island was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on the night of April 18‑19. Several fires were started. Ponape was also bombed by Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force and by a single search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two on April 18.

A single Liberator bombed runways at Wake Island on April 18. Antiair­craft fire was intense.

On the same day 40 tons of bombs were dropped on enemy positions in the Marshall Islands by Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force, Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, and Navy Hellcat fighters. Small craft, gun positions, barracks, and runways were bombed and strafed.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 aborts a weather mission to Shasukotan Island, Kurile Islands

PACIFIC

Submarine Seahorse (SS-304) sinks Japanese submarine RO-45 off the Marianas, 15°19'N, 145°31'E. Seahorse's sinking RO 45 is a testimony to effective training. During passage to the patrol area with submarine Harder (SS-257), the boats had practiced approaches on each other.

USAAF planes sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Iwakuni Maru.

Day 1686 of World War II, April 22nd 1944

YouTube (The Biggest Offensive in Japanese History)



Air War over Europe

The US Ninth Air Force dispatches 400+ B-26s and about 90 A-20s to fly two missions against V-weapon sites in the area of Saint-Omer and Hesdin.

The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 311: 803 bombers and 859 fighters are dispatched to hit a marshalling yard at Hamm; the bombers claim 20-6-8 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 40-2-16; 15 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 459 B-17s bomb the primary, 20 hit Bonn, 19 hit Soest, 15 hit Hamm City and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost. 179 B-24s hit the primary, 50 hit Koblenz and 36 hit targets of opportunity; 7 B-24s are lost. The escort is 132 P-38 Lightnings, 485 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts and 242 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 2 P-38s, 5 P-47s and 6 P-51s are lost.

During the night, the US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 312: 5 B-17s drop 1.44 million leaflets on Orleans, Tours, Paris, Nantes, Lille, Reims, Chartres and Rouen.

181 RAF aircraft attacked the Laon railway yards - 69 Halifaxes, 52 Lancasters, 48 Stirlings, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 9 aircraft - 4 Lancasters, 3 Stirlings, 2 Halifaxes - lost, 5.0 per cent of the force. The attack was carried out in 2 waves and severe damage was caused. The aircraft of one of the Master Bombers, Wing Commander AGS Cousens of No 635 Squadron, was shot down; Wing Commander Cousens was killed.

596 RAF aircraft attacked Düsseldorf - 323 Lancasters, 254 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5. 29 aircraft - 16 Halifaxes and 13 Lancasters - lost, 4.9 percent of the force. 2,150 tons of bombs were dropped in this old-style heavy attack on a German city which caused much destruction but also allowed the German night-fighter force to penetrate the bomber stream. The attack fell mostly in the northern districts of Düsseldorf. Widespread damage was caused.

238 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 10 Lancasters of No 1 Group despatched to Brunswick. Few German fighters were attracted to this raid and only 4 Lancasters were lost, 1.5 per cent of the force. This raid is of importance to the history of the bombing war because it was the first time that the No 5 Group low-level marking method was used over a heavily defended German city. The raid was not successful. The initial marking by No 617 Squadron Mosquitos was accurate but many of the main force of bombers did not bomb these, partly because of a thin layer of cloud which hampered visibility and partly because of faulty communications between the various bomber controllers. Many bombs were dropped in the centre of the city but the remainder of the force bombed reserve H2S-aimed target indicators which were well to the south. RAF bomber command used their new "J" liquid incendiary bomb for the first time in the raid on Brunswick. German night-fighters, hidden by friendly radar echoes, followed the bombers home, attacking and claiming 20 bombers. Hptm. Dietrich Puttfarken of 5./KG 51 claimed 2 bombers but was shot down, his Me 410 crashing near Cambridge.

17 RAF Mosquitos on diversion raid to Mannheim and 2 more to a flying-bomb store at Wissant, 10 RCM sorties, 19 Serrate and 7 Intruder patrols, 19 aircraft on leaflet flights. No aircraft lost.

US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bomb a bridge and tracks south of Ficulle and a bridge north of the town; other B-25s and B-26s attack San Stefano al Mare harbor, the northern section of Orvieto, Chiusi railroad bridge, viaducts south and west of Arezzo and Bucine, Certaldo railroad bridge, bridge approaches at Incisa in Valdarno, a bridge near Siena and viaduct at Poggibonsi; A-20s hit Valmontone ammunition dump and Sonnino; P-47s hit a railroad, trains, and tunnels in the Florence area and west of Chiusi, marshalling yard at Siena, a vessel south of Savona, railroad lines south of Orte and the town of Gaeta; and P-40s attack gun positions north of the Anzio beachhead and bomb the Ferentino dump area and towns of Fondi, Terracina and Formia.

Battle of the Atlantic

Frigates HMCS 'Matane' and 'Swansea' sank 'U-311' Kptlt Joachim Zander CO. Of the crew of 51 there were no survivors. Escort Group 9, commanded by A/Cdr Layard, was operating independently when ordered to join a nearby RAF 'Wellington' patrol a/c that had gained a radar contact on a probable U-boat. A deliberate search by 'Matane' and 'Swansea', supported by the frigate 'Stormont' and corvette Owen Sound, produced a firm ASDIC contact. The U-boat was moving rapidly right as Matane closed for a deliberate 'Hedgehog' attack (indicating close range) when a periscope was sighted at only 200 yards on 'Matane's' starboard bow. The Hedgehog attack was abandoned and an urgent depth charge attack was carried out. 'Swansea' followed with a deliberate d/c attack, after which contact was lost. It was not until the mid-1980's that record reconstruction proved that 'U-311' had been sunk in this engagement.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Tito's forces land on the Island of Korcula, capturing the German garrison of 800 men.

The 352nd Yugoslav squadron RAF was formed on this day at Benina, Libya. The squadron was joined mostly by the ex-Royal Yugoslav Air Force personnel from the Middle East which decided to join the new Yugoslav Partisan Air Force same as indigenous partisans.

Germany

Hitler and Mussolini met at Obersalzburg.

United Kingdom

Photo: A jeep is loaded aboard a Horsa glider during a large-scale airborne forces exercise, 22 April 1944



Photo: Paratroopers adjust their parachute harnesses during a large-scale airborne forces exercise, 22 April 1944



United States

Photo: A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF (or TBM) Avenger torpedo plane landing aboard the escort carrier USS Charger (CVE-30), during flight training operations in the Chesapeake Bay Area, 22 April 1944. Note the flight deck crewmen in the galleries and the ship's angular smokestack



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s hit Kamaing while 5 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack ammunition and other supplies at Hopin; 3 B-25s and 4 P-51s hit a village NE of Bhamo while 7 P-51s attack Gokteik Viaduct. Detachment of 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, Tenth Air Force, operating from Jorhat, India with F-7s returns to base at Guskhara.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 6 B-24s claim 4 freighters and a gunboat sunk near Cap-Saint-Jacques and 1 other knocks out a bridge SW of Vinh. P-40s on armed reconnaissance over N Burma destroy 10 boxcars and a truck N of Lashio.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): During the night of 21/22 Apr, B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wotje Atoll; other B-24s from Kwajalein follow with another raid on Wotje during the day. B-25s from Tarawa, using Majuro as a shuttle base for rearming, bomb Jaluit, Maloelap and Mille Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 40 B-25s bomb supply areas at Ratawul and Talili Bay, pound Keravat and hit the area between Rapopo and Cape Gazelle; and 40+ fighter-bombers attack the runway and gun positions at Rapopo while 9 strike Lakunai Airfield. During the night of 22/23 Apr, 17 B-24s bomb Dublon, Param, and Eten Islands in Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): 20+ B-24s bomb airstrips on Noemfoor. 80+ B-24s and A-20s hit Boram and But Airfields and other targets in the Wewak area; 100+ B-24s and B-25s pound targets along Hansa Bay; and all through the day B-25s and fighter-bombers, in flights of 1 to 20+ aircraft, attack areas around Hansa Bay, Wewak, Bogia, Madang, and many other points along the N and E coast of New Guinea; many of the strikes indirectly support HQ 375th Troop Carrier Group moves from Port Moresby to Nadzab.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

TF 77 (Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey) lands two divisions of the I Army Corps (Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger, USA) at Aitape and Tanahmerah Bay in Operation PERSECUTION, and Humboldt Bay, Hollandia, New Guinea, in Operation RECKLESS, 300 miles inside the outer Japanese defensive perimeter. TG 77.1 (Rear Admiral Barbey) lands the 163rd RCT, 41st Infantry Division (Brigadier General Doe) at Aitape; TG 77.2 (Rear Admiral Fechteler) lands the 24th Infantry Division (Major General Irving) at Tanamerah Bay; TG 77.3 (Captain Alfred G. Noble) lands the 41st Infantry Division (Major General Irving) at Humboldt Bay. Escort carrier force (TF 78) (Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) provides close air support while TF 74 (Rear Admiral Victor A. C. Crutchley, RN) and TF 75 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey) provide gunfire support in landings that proceed against slight resistance. Fast carrier task force TF 58 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) also provides support. Hollandia becomes a major staging area for the next phase of the New Guinea campaign.

Photo: An U.S. Navy landing craft, loaded with troops, approaches the beach at Hollandia, New Guinea. In the background shell bursts from the preliminary bombardment can be seen



Photo: American landing craft cross Humboldt Bay during the assault on Hollandia



Photo: A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless covering the landings at Tanahmerah Bay, Hollandia, Papua New Guinea. Landing craft are heading toward Red Beach 2. Despite unfavorable weather, the U.S. Navy Task Force 58 managed to maintain planes on air alert over the Hollandia area



Photo: Aerial view of the Allied amphibious forces in Humboldt Bay off Hollandia, New Guinea, 22 April 1944



Photo: Operation Reckless, Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, 22 April 1944: LVTs head for the invasion beaches at Humboldt Bay, as light cruisers bombard in the background. The ship firing tracer shells in the right center is USS Boise (CL-47). Just ahead of her is USS Phoenix (CL-46)



Photo: U.S. Navy tank landing ships in Tanahmerah Bay at "Red Beach 2" during the landings of the U.S. 24th Infantry Division, 22 April 1944. This was the Western Task Force during the Landings at Hollandia (Operation Reckless)



Photo: Onto the Beach: American Soldiers moving ashore at Aitape, New Guinea, 22 April 1944



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 366, APRIL 22, 1944

A group of Army and Navy heavy bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force and Fleet Air Wing Two bombed Saipan and Tinian in daylight on April 17 (West Longitude Date). One of a force of about 25 intercepting enemy fighters was shot down and one was probably shot down. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Dublon, Moen, Eten, and Mesegon in the Truk Atoll before dawn on April 19 (West Longitude Date). Two airborne enemy fighters did not attempt interception.

Ponape Island was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells on April 20 (West Longitude Date). Airfields were hit and large fires started. Anti­aircraft fire was intense.

On the same day a single search plane of Fleet Air Wing bombed Ulul Island.

Sixty‑seven tons of bombs were dropped on enemy positions in the Mar­shalls by Liberator and Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force, Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, and Navy Hellcat fighters on April 20. Gun positions and airstrips were bombed and strafed. One large explosion was caused by a hit in a magazine area.

Erikub and Aur Atolls in the Marshall Islands have been reconnoitered by our forces and United States sovereignty established thereon.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 367, APRIL 22, 1944

Outnumbered three to one, a carrier‑based Navy Hellcat squadron shot 12 Japanese Zeros from the sky in just two minutes, with the loss of only one American plane, during the recent Palau strike, it was revealed here today.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 368, APRIL 22, 1944

Moen and Dublon in the Truk Atoll were bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on the night of April 20 (West Longitude Date). Several explosions were observed on a runway and fires were started in adjacent areas.

Three enemy night fighters were airborne but only one attempted interception. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered. None of our planes was damaged.

Ulul Island and Igup, Murilo, and Ruo in the Hall Islands were attacked by single search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two on April 21 (West Longitude Date). Three small craft were destroyed at Ruo and two damaged. One small craft was destroyed at Murilo and two damaged.

PB4Y sights survivors of USAAF B-24 that had been damaged over the Marianas and had ditched on 18 April; PBY sent to rescue the aviators, however, suffers damage in landing and is unable to take off.

Army landing force (Company "I", 3rd Battalion, 111th Infantry) occupies Ujelang Atoll, Marshalls; operation to extend U.S. control over the westernmost atoll is supported by small seaplane tender Onslow (AVP-48) and motor minesweeper YMS-91.

USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force) attack Japanese Singapore- to-Saigon convoy anchored off Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina, sinking transport (ex-gunboat) Nagata Maru, 10°19'N, 107°05'E; fleet tanker K_ry_ Maru; army cargo vessel London Maru, and merchant tanker No.3 Sansui Maru; and damaging tanker Nisshin Maru. Only escort vessel, submarine chaser Ch 9, escapes the low-level onslaught unscathed.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): A weather sortie is aborted soon after take off due to weather.

PACIFIC

U.S. aircraft sink Japanese transport Suiten Maru off Murilo Island, Carolines.

British submarine HMS Taurus sinks salvage vessel Hokuan I-Go off Malaya, 07°10'N, 99°20'E.

Day 1688 of World War II, April 24th 1944

Air War over Europe

4 RAF G-H Stirlings to Chambly railway depot, 18 Halifaxes minelaying off Channel ports and in the Frisians, 7 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

38 US Ninth Air Force B-26s dispatched against targets in France are recalled because of bad weather. 32 P-47s dive-bomb the Louvain, Belgium marshalling yard with good results.

8 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.

637 RAF aircraft were sent to Karlsruhe - 369 Lancasters, 259 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5 Group. 19 aircraft - 11 Lancasters, 8 Halifaxes - lost, 3.0 per cent of the force. Cloud over the target and a strong wind which pushed the Pathfinders too far north spoiled this attack. Only the northern part of Karlsruhe was seriously damaged and most of the bombs fell outside the city. Mannheim, 30 miles to the north, recorded a raid by approximately 100 aircraft on this night and Darmstadt, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg were also hit by aircraft which failed to find the main target.

234 RAF Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 10 Lancasters of No 1 Group in another No 5 Group method raid on a major German target, Munich. 9 Lancasters were lost, 3.5 per cent of the force. The marking and controlling plan worked well and accurate bombing fell in the centre of the city. The intense flak and searchlight defences did not prevent the low-flying Mosquito markers from carrying out their task properly and none was seriously damaged.

165 RAF OTU aircraft carried out a diversionary sweep over the North Sea to a point 75 miles off the German coast. 23 Mosquitos bombed Düsseldorf; 6 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron dropped flares and target indicators over Milan as a diversion for the Munich raid; No 100 Group flew 11 RCM, 21 Serrate and 8 Intruder sorties. 2 Wellingtons were lost from the OTU sweep.

A Mosquito VI, piloted by Wg./Cdr. G. L. "Leonard" Cheshire VC, of No. 617 Squadron is used to carry out the first low-level target-marking during a raid on Augsburg.

British air force bombers hammered a former Jesuit college housing the Bavarian Academy of Science. Anton Spitaler (1910-2003), an Arabic scholar at the academy, later lamented the loss of a unique photo archive of ancient manuscripts of the Quran. His story however was a lie, and the collection survived hidden in his hands.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 315: 754 bombers and 867 fighters are dispatched to bomb airfields, aircraft production industries and targets of opportunity in Germany; the bomber claim 20-1-36 Luftwaffe aircraft and the fighters claim 124-6-58 fighters; 40 bombers and 17 fighters are lost; details are: Of 281 B-17s dispatched, 109 hit Erding Air Depot, 84 hit aviation industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen, 57 hit Lansberg Airfield and 18 hit targets of opportunity; 27 B-17s are lost and 112 damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 22 WIA and 260 MIA. 243 B-17s are dispatched to bomb aviation industry targets at Friedrichshafen/Lowenthal (98 bomb) and Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb), industrial areas at Friedrichshafen/Manzell (58 bomb) and Neckarsulm (15 bomb); 3 also hit targets of opportunity; 9 B-17s are lost and 119 damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 4 WIA and 71 MIA. 230 B-24s are dispatched to bomb airfields; 120 hit Gablingen Airfield, 98 hit Leipheim Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost and 26 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 40 MIA. Escort is provided by 131 P-38s, 490 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 246 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s: P-38s claim 4-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; P-47s claim 2-1-0 aircraft in the air and 36-0-16 on the ground, 5 P-47s are lost and 15 damaged, 5 pilots are MIA; P-51s claim 64-4-2 aircraft in the air and 21-0-20 on the ground, 12 P-51s are lost and 8 damaged; 12 pilots are MIA. Elements from JG 1, JG 3, JG 26, JG 11, JG 27 and even JG 5 intercepted the bomber formations. Fw. Heinrich Bartels of 11./JG 27 claimed 3 P-51s, Hptm. Hermann Staiger of 12./JG 26 claimed 4 B-17s and Major Walther Dahl of Stab III./JG 3 claimed two bombers and a P-51. Lost were Uffz. Franz Schwaiger of 2./JG 3, Oblt. Joachim Hincklemann of 3./JG 3, Ofw. Hans Juppner of 1./JG 11, Fw. Heinz Gasch of 5./JG 27 and Fw. Heinz Gosemann of 8./JG 3.

Italian Campaign

US Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack railroad bridges N and S of Orvieto, at Arezzo, at Grosseto and N and S of Incisa in Valdarno; A-20s hit a dump at Valmontone; P-40s, P-47s and A-36s hit shipping off Leghorn, Avezzano station, Orvieto and Terni marshalling yards, Canino landing ground, railroad tracks at numerous points S of Orvieto and rail lines, truck parks and targets of opportunity N of Rome.

Battle of the Atlantic

Rescue tug HMS 'Zoder Zee' torpedoed and sunk by a German MTB off Dungeness.

In the mid-Atlantic, a Royal Canadian Air Force Sunderland plane from 423 Squadron extensively damages German submarine 'U-672'.

Battle of the Mediterranean

520+ US Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack targets in Rumania, Yugoslavia, and Italy; B-17s bomb a marshalling yard at Ploesti, Rumania, an aircraft factory in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and the Ancona-Rimini railroad line (this is the first Azon mission by 5 B-17s); the B-24s bomb marshalling yards at Ploesti and Bucharest, Rumania; 250+ fighters fly support for the bombers.

United States

Washington: US military strategists agree that to defeat Japan it will be necessary to invade Japan itself.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-38s pound positions near Buthidaung and in the Myohaung are; 100+ P-40s, P-51s, A-36s, and B-25s bomb storage areas at Kamaing, Mogaung and Hopin, and railroads and other targets
at Myitkyina, Manywet and Chaungwa; 25 B-25s and P-51s hit Indaw and several other B-25s bomb Pyingaing.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In Thailand, B-25s damage bridges near Dara and Kengluang and strafe a factory at Dhasan. P-40s on a diversionary strike strafe numerous targets of opportunity at Kengtung, Burma. B-25s on a sea sweep hit 2 small steamers off Cape Bastion, China with cannon fire, claiming 1 vessel sunk and the other left burning.

(Twentieth Air Force): A B-29 piloted by Brigadier General LaVern G Saunders, Commanding General 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy), arrives at Kwanghan, China. Accompanying the B-29 is another carrying Major General Kenneth B Wolfe, Commanding General XX Bomber Command. These are the first B-29s to fly over the Hump to China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Engebi bomb Ponape Island while others, based on Makin, hit Jaluit and Wotje Atolls. HQ 41st Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Tarawa to Makin.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): Weather continues to curtail strikes in the the Bismarck Archipelago. 10 P-40s hit runway and revetments at Tobera; fighter sweeps account for several trucks and barges in the Rabaul-New Ireland Island area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): B-24s again bomb parked aircraft and other targets on Noemfoor. 40+ B-24s bomb airfields in the Wewak area; 140+ B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s hit stores, fuel dumps and personnel areas along Hansa Bay; throughout the day B-25s and fighter-bombers hit a variety of targets along the New Guinea coast including Karkar Island, Uligan Harbor, Cape Croisilles, and the Madang area. Lost is B-25H 43-4347.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

Madang falls to Australian ground forces.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, a B-24 flies a photo and bombing run over Matsuwa Island; later another B-24 flies weather and bombing runs over Shasukotan, Yekaruma, Kharimkotan, and Onnekotan Islands.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 370, APRIL 24, 1944

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Moen, Eten and Param in the Truk Atoll before dawn on April 23 (West Longitude Date). Two enemy fighters were in the air but did not attempt interception. Fires were set and explosions observed on airfields.

Ponape Island was bombed on April 22 (West Longitude Date) by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchell bombers and a single search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two, and before dawn on April 23 by Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force. Numerous fires were started.

Puluwat Island was bombed before dawn on April 23 by a single Seventh Army Air Force Liberator, and Ulul Island was bombed on April 22 by a single search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two.

Remaining enemy positions in the Marshalls were bombed on April 22 by Liberators and Mitchells of the Seventh Army Air Force, and Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing. Gun posi­tions, runways, and storage tanks were bombed and strafed.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 372, APRIL 24, 1944

Supplementing Pacific Ocean Areas communiqué Number 43, the following information is now available concerning operations of Pacific Fleet forces supporting and covering landings by forces of the Commander in Chief, South‑ west Pacific Area, at Hollandia, Aitape, and Tanahmerah Bay on April 20 and 21 (West Longitude Date):

Airfields at Hollandia, Wakde Island and Sawar were struck by carrier aircraft on April 20. Thirteen airborne enemy planes were shot down over the target areas. At Hollandia, 67 planes were destroyed on the ground. Fuel storage facilities, ammunition dumps, supply areas and buildings were heavily bombed. Two small cargo ships, and several barges and small craft were sunk.

At Wakde and Sawar 21 enemy planes were destroyed on the ground and 17 damaged by our aircraft during daylight on April 20. On the night of April 20 cruisers and destroyers bombarded the Wakde‑Sawar airfields. The bom­bardment was accomplished without effective opposition. No damage was done to our surface ships.

PACIFIC

Destroyers Benham (DD-796) and Uhlmann (DD-687) are damaged in collision during night maneuvers with carriers, south of Oahu.

Submarine Robalo (SS-273) is damaged by aerial bomb off French Indochina, 10°29'N, 109°26'E, but remains on patrol.

Navy aircraft sink Japanese fishing vessel No.5 Shinh_ Maru and Mizuno Maru off north coast of Vogelkop.

Japanese army cargo ship Taka Maru is sunk by aircraft north of New Guinea, 01°36'S, 138°47'E.

USAAF B-24s damage Japanese fishing vessels No.5 Takara Maru and No.25 Sumiyoshi Maru off western New Guinea.

Day 1690 of World War II, April 26th 1944

Air War over Europe

493 RAF aircraft - 342 Lancasters, 133 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - from all groups except No 5 despatched to Essen. 7 aircraft - 6 Lancasters, 1 Halifax - lost, 1.4 per cent of the force. The Bomber Command report states that this was an accurate attack, based on good Pathfinder ground-marking.

206 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 9 Lancasters of No 1 Group to Schweinfurt. 21 Lancasters lost, 9.3 per cent of the force. This raid was a failure. The low-level marking provided for the first time by Mosquitos of No 627 Squadron was not accurate. Unexpectedly strong head winds delayed the Lancaster marker aircraft and the main force of bombers. German night fighters were carrying out fierce attacks throughout the period of the raid. The bombing was not accurate and much of it fell outside Schweinfurt.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 319 Part 1: 589 bombers and 554 fighters are dispatched to targets in Germany; no claims of enemy aircraft are made; 5 fighters are lost: Of 357 B-17s dispatched, 292 hit the industrial area at Brunswick, 47 hit the Hildesheim/Hannover area and 5 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; casualties are 9 KIA and 3 WIA. The 238 B-24s dispatched to Paderborn fail to bomb because there were no PFF aircraft in the formation; 18 B-24s were damaged; 1 airman was KIA. Escort is provided by 90 P-38s, 311 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 153 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 1 P-38 and 4 P-51s are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair; 1 pilot is KIA and 5 MIA.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 319 Part 2: 62 B-17s are dispatched to Cologne but are recalled at mid-English Channel because of weather; some aircraft carry 2,000 lb (907 kg) glide bombs on external racks. Escort is provided by 43 P-47s and 47 P-51s; the P-47s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft.

Around 125 US Ninth Air Force B-26s attack Plattling landing ground, Germany. Fighters fly 750+ sorties against scattered targets in NW Europe.

217 RAF aircraft - 183 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups to Villeneuve St Georges. 1 Halifax lost. Support and 16 Mosquitos to Hamburg, 10 Stirlings to Chambly, 12 RCM sorties, 20 Serrate and 13 Intruder patrols, 16 Halifaxes and 6 Stirlings minelaying off the Dutch coast and in the Frisians, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations, 21 OTU flights. 1 Serrate Mosquito lost.

33 US Eighth Air Force P-38s (including Droopsnoot aircraft), plus escorts, hit Le Mans Airfield, France without loss; 24 P-51s, plus 4 escorts, bomb Cormeilles-en-Vexin Airfield, France without loss.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 320: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 800,000 leaflets on Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Liege and Gosselies, Belgium at 2330-2358 hours without loss.

The Ninth Air Force Tactical Air Plan for Operation NEPTUNE (actual operations within Operation OVERLORD; used for security reasons on OVERLORD planning documents bearing place names and dates) is published, 10 days after receiving formal Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF) directive ordering such a plan.

Italian Campaign

In Italy, bad weather greatly curtails activity; P-47s attack motor transport and railroad tracks and hit a gas dump near Trasimeno Lake, a landing ground at Canino and marshalling yards of Leghorn.

Battle of the Atlantic

HMS "Black Prince" and four destroyers engage three German torpedo boats off Brittany, one is sunk. German destroyer T-29 sinks in the English Channel, after shelling from Royal Canadian Navy destroyer "Haida", and three other British and Canadian ships.

Destroyer escorts 'Frost' (DE-144), 'Huse' (DE-145), 'Barber' (DE-161), and 'Snowden' (DE-246) sink German submarine 'U-488' in mid-Atlantic.

Battle of the Mediterranean

In Greece, General Heinrich Kreipe, the commander of the 22nd Panzer-Grenadier Division in Crete, was being driven home when men appeared on the road waving a red flag. The car door was opened and a polite voice said:

"Please consider yourself a prisoner of war."

A sub-machine gun was brandished. With the general sitting in the back and a British Guards officer at the wheel, the car headed for a beach 20 miles away. Guards at 22 checkpoints cleared the way and saluted when they saw the two pennants fluttering from the car. The general's hijackers were Major Patrick Leigh Fermor and Captain Stanley Moss of British Combined Forces. Before they left with the general for Cairo, they wrote a note telling the Germans that this was an exclusively British operation and that reprisals against the civilian population would be wholly unwarranted. It ended:

"We're sorry to leave this nice car behind."

Arctic naval operations

Admiral Moore leads Fleet Carriers "Victorious", "Furious" and Escort Carriers "Searcher", "Striker", "Emporer" and "Pursuer"(Peter Beeston) the battleship "Anson" and 6 cruisers, from the British Home Fleet, to attack the "Tirpitz" anchored in Norwegian waters. Bad weather interferes with the planned raid. A coastal convoy is attacked instead and 3 ships are sunk.

United Kingdom

Photo: Civilian workers pose with sections of an Airspeed Horsa glider, as received from the manufacturers, before assembling it at No. 6 Maintenance Unit, Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, 26 April 1944



United States

The western state of Wyoming approves a statute allowing deployed soldiers to vote absentee in Wyoming's elections. This will allow voting in the November Presidential Election.

Photo: The U.S. Navy small seaplane tender USS Shelikof (AVP-52) underway off Houghton, Washington (USA), on 26 April 1944, about a week after commissioning. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 2Ax



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Booth (DE-170) off the New York Naval Shipyard (USA) on 26 April 1944



Photo: The U.S. Navy troop transport USS General George M. Randall (AP-115) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 26 April 1944. She is wearing Camouflage Measure 32, Design 10T. The photo was taken by a blimp of squadron ZP-12



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 3 B-24s bomb Akyab; 6 P-38s hit the Tiddim road near Chindwin; 70 fighter-bombers and 3 B-25s pound numerous targets at Mogaung, Kamaing and several points in the N part of the Mogaung Valley; in Mandalay and the surrounding area, 9 B-24s bomb railroad yards and engine sheds, and 9 P-38s hit stores and hangars.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In Burma, P-40s on armed reconnaissance from Lashio to Man Kat cause considerable damage; 2 trucks, a warehouse, a water tank, and 2 locomotives are destroyed, gun positions and a bridge are strafed and a Japanese-occupied building is left in flames.

(Twentieth Air Force): Japanese fighters make their first interception of B-29s as they are flying over the Hump; the brief confrontation results in no losses on either aide.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-24s, having landed at Los Negros after bombing Guam Island on 25 Apr, hit Ponape Island and return to Kwajalein. B-25s based on Makin hit Jaluit and Wotje Atolls.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s bomb the runway and dispersal area at Lakunai Airfield; and 35 fighter-bombers pound the airfield at Tobera. 8 P-40s attack occupied areas along bays of Tabut and Wariki, Bougainville Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): 120+ B-25s and A-20s pound the Wewak area, hitting airfields at Wewak, But, Dagua and Boram, and supply areas, troops, and several small villages. 13 B-24s bomb Awar Point, 20 P-39s and P-47s attack bridges and targets of opportunity near Madang and 8 P-39s attack roads, villages, and supply dump near Bunabun Harbor; a B-25 on reconnaissance sinks a lugger in the Sepik River.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

Allied ground forces take Hollandia and occupy Alexishafen. The new US airbase in Aitape, New Guinea is up and running only two days after the US landings on the site. This location allows ground based air cover for the entire New Guinea region. Australian forces take Alexister, New Guinea.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 375, APRIL 26, 1944

Shimushu and Paramushiru in the Kurile Islands were bombed by Ven­tura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four, and a single Liberator of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Matsuwa on the night of April 23‑24 (West Longitude Date). Antiaircraft fire ranged from light to heavy.

Ant Island was bombed by a single search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two on April 24 (West Longitude Date). Small craft at Nomwin in the Hail Islands were strafed by another search plane on the same day.

Ponape was bombed on April 24 by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchell bombers. Airstrips were bombed and fires started.

Remaining enemy objectives in the Marshall Islands were bombed by Liberator and Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force, Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, Ven­tura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, and Navy Hellcat fighters. One hundred and thirty‑eight tons of bombs were dropped in these operations. At one objective Marine Corsairs fired 23,000 rounds of machine gun ammuni­tion at gun positions and fuel storage facilities. Coastal defense guns, build­ings, ammunition dumps, and runways were heavily hit by our bombers.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 376, APRIL 26, 1944

Paramushiru and Shimushu in the Kurile Islands were bombed by Ven­tura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four, and Matsuwa Island was bombed by Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force at night on April 24‑25 (West Longitude Date). Heavy antiaircraft fire was encountered over Paramushiru and Shimushu. No opposition was encountered at Matsuwa.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Eten, Param, Moen, Tol and Dublon in the Truk Atoll on the night of April 24‑25 (West Longi­tude Date). Several enemy fighters were airborne but did not attempt inter­ception. Thirty‑six tons of bombs were dropped.

Ponape Town and an airstrip on Ponape Island were bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators before dawn on April 25.

PACIFIC

Destroyer escort Gilmore (DE-18) sinks Japanese submarine I-180, southwest of Cherikof Island, Aleutians, 55°10'N, 155°40'W.

Submarine Bonefish (SS-223) sinks Japanese transport Tokiwa Maru at entrance to Davao gulf, 06°13'N, 125°49'E.

Submarine Guavina (SS-362) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks transport Noshiro Maru I-G_ off Miko Jima, 28°42'N, 141°26'E, and attacks cargo ship No.2 Asahi Maru unsuccessfully.

Submarine Jack (SS-259) encounters Japanese TAKE No.1 convoy off west coast of Luzon, and sinks army transport No.1 Yoshida Maru, 18°06'N, 119°40'E, and damages army cargo ship Wales Maru, 18°14'N, 119°53'E.

Submarine Sargo (SS-188) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks army cargo ship Wazan Maru (ex-British Vitorlock) off Ichiye Zaki, Honshu, 33°31'N, 135°24'E.

Day 1692 of World War II, April 28th 1944

Eastern Front

Stavka, the highest Soviet military command, decides that the fourth strategic strike of the year shall be directed against Finns to eliminate the threat to the security of Leningrad. For that purpose the Leningrad Front is reinforced by the 21st Army from the high command reserve.

Western Front (1944)

In the aftermath of Operation "Tiger", a number of ‘lessons’ were learned and post-event recommendations included: using more capable and numerous escort forces; having rescue craft for any landing operation; disseminating quickly enemy contacts reports; introducing standard radio procedures, special circuits, and radio frequencies; reinforcing instructions to avoid looking directly at flares or fires to preserve night vision; limiting the amount of fuel carried in landing ships to that needed for the operation itself to reduce risk of fire; making small arms available to fire on E-boats when main guns cannot depress sufficiently; making life boats and life rafts as ready for lowering as possible; issuing illumination rockets to all large ships; improving fire fighting equipment, including manually operated pumps; providing training in the use of the 'kapok' life jacket and making them the preferred life preserver over the CO2 type; ordering boot laces be loosened when preparing to abandon ship to make it easier to remove them in the water.

Air War over Europe

US Eighth Air Force Mission 324: 116 of 117 B-17s hit Avord Airfield, France; 2 B-17s are lost and 38 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 118 P-47s and 87 P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 8-0-3 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA. 18 of 106 B-17s bomb the Sottevast, France V-weapon site and targets of opportunity; clouds prevent most B-17s from bombing; 2 B-17s are lost and 47 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 21 MIA. Escort is provided by 46 P-47s without loss.

2 US Eighth Air Force fighter-bomber missions are also flown against airfields in France: 34 P-38s using the Droopsnoot method, bomb Tours Airfield; 11 P-38s fly escort; 1 P-38 is lost and 1 damaged; 1 pilot is MIA. 49 P-38s using the Droopsnoot method, bomb Chateaudun Airfield while 3 P-38s fly escort; 1 P-38 is damaged; 32 P-47s, with 4 P-47 escorts, dive-bomb the same target; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft on the ground.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 325: 47 of 47 B-24s bomb the Marquise/Mimoyecques, France V-weapon sites; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged; 9 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 50 P-47s without loss. 16 P-47s, with 8 escorts, dive bomb an unidentified airfield near Paris without loss.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 326: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 1.64 million leaflets on 17 towns in Belgium, France and The Netherlands including Antwerp, Brussels, Paris, Tours, Lorient, Nantes, Orleans, Zwolle, Leeuwarden, Turnhout and Amersfoort without loss.

21 US Eighth Air Force B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions without loss.

18 US Ninth Air Force B-26s bomb the airfield at Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France as a secondary target. Nearly 250 B-26s dispatched to bomb marshalling yards are recalled because of heavy cloud cover over the targets.

88 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attack an explosives factory near at St Médard En Jalles near Bordeaux. Only 26 aircraft bombed the target. Because of haze and smoke from fires started by flares in woods near the factory, the Master Bomber ordered the remainder of the force to retain their bombs. No aircraft lost.

51 RAF Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 5 Group were dispatched and bombed an airframe factory near Oslo. Visibility was clear; the bombing was accurate and no aircraft were lost.

26 RAF Mosquitos to Hamburg, 2 RCM sorties, 40 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

Italian Campaign

Clearing weather again permits bomber operations; 450+ US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack targets in Italy; 188 B-17s bomb Piombino Steel Works and port; 168 B-24s bomb the port area at San Stefano al Mare; and 108 B-24s bomb the port area at Orbetello; P-38s, P-51s and P-47s provide escort.

In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack Piombino, railway bridges N of Orvieto, Ficulle, and W of Arezzo, and hit viaducts at Incisa in Valdarno and Piteccio; A-20s score hits on a fuel dump; P-40s and P-47s hit a fuel dump NW of Ferentino, warehouses S of Avezzano, several railway lines and targets of opportunity N of Rome, the Orbetello railroad yards, San Stefano al Mare harbor, rail lines at points between Rome and Avezzano, several gun emplacements, Follonica and Chiusi marshalling yards, and cut railroad lines at several points NW of Rome; fighter-bombers also hit Chiusi marshalling yard, tracks around Castiglione della Valle, Cortona marshalling yard, Grosseto railroad bridge, scattered motor transport and a barge near Follonica.

United States

US Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox died at his home, 4704 Linnean Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C., today at 1:08 P. M. (EWT), following a continuation of a heart attack first suffered at Manchester, New Hampshire, Sunday April 23, 1944. The death of Colonel Knox was announced to all Naval personnel and establishments, ashore and afloat, throughout the world, in a dispatch from acting Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal. Frank Knox was the top civilian in the naval chain of command.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Helm (DD-388) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 28 April 1944. She was in overhaul at Mare Island form 4 March until 4 May 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 31, Design 1D



Photo: The U.S. Navy attack transport USS Leonard Wood (APA-12) underway on 28 April 1944, off the coast of southern California (USA). She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32 Design 4T



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 P-38s blast the Tiddim road, causing a roadblock; in the Mogaung Valley 80+ A-36s, P-40s, P-51s, and a single B-25 pound the same general targets hit on the 27 Apr; in the Mandalay area 7 B-25s knock out a railroad bridge S of Myingatha and a canal bridge between Ye-u and Kinu.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 26 B-24s, escorted by 10 P-51s, damage 2 bridges over the Yellow River N of Chengchow (the capture of which by Japanese troops is acknowledged by the Chinese who evacuate Hulaokuan), and pound a nearby storage area; 2 P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe a troop column NE of Tengchung; 3 B-25s on reconnaissance damage a small steamer off the E coast of Hainan Island; 16 P-40s and 6 B-25s pound Yangsin while 18 P-40s, P-38s, and P-51s strafe Nanchang barracks.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-25s, based on Makin strike Jaluit and Mille Atolls, using Majuro as a shuttle base between strikes. A single B-24 from Kwajalein bombs islands in Jaluit Atoll, hitting Emidj first, then rearming at Makin and attacking Jabor and Enybor during the return flight.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s bomb the Vunapope supply area and Rapopo airfield; and 30 fighter- bombers hit the runway and revetments at Vunakanau. 15 P-39s pound gun positions near Mamagata and hit nearby bivouac and supply areas. Lost is B-25G 43-4512.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): 160+ B-24s and B-25s bomb Wakde, Biak and Efman Island airfields; 180+ P-47s, P-39s, A-20s and P-70s hit a variety of targets along the N and NE New Guinea coast including villages and supply areas in the Wewak and Boram areas, barges and troops at the mouth of the Sepik River and at Murik Lakes, and enemy communications and hideouts from the Sepik River to Cape Croisilles. 21 B-24s of the Thirteenth Air Task Force bomb the airfield on Woleai Atoll.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

After completing its support of the Hollandia landings TF 58 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher), including five carriers (CV) and seven small carriers (CVL), begins two-day attack on Japanese shipping, oil and ammunition dumps, aircraft facilities, and other installations at Truk. Japanese naval aircraft mount strong counter- attack on the U.S. formations during which destroyer Tingey (DD-539), in TG 58.2. is damaged by friendly fire.

RUSSELL ISLANDS

Photo: The U.S. Navy attack cargo ship USS Titania (AKA-13) at Pavuvu, Russell Islands, 28 April 1944, after bringing veterans of the Cape Gloucester Campaign to a rest camp. USS Aquarius (AKA-16) is on Titania's far side. The LCVPs in the left foreground are from USS Wayne (APA-54)



PACIFIC

TBF from small carrier Monterey (CVL-26), with destroyers MacDonough (DD-351) and Stephen Potter (DD- 538), sink Japanese submarine I-174 north of Truk, 06°13'N, 151°19'E.

Motor torpedo boats PT-346 and PT-347 are accidentally sunk by F4Us (VMF 215) and F6Fs (VF 34), and SBDs and TBFs off Cape Lambert, Bismarck Archipelago, 04°13'S, 151°27'E. PBY (VP 91) rescues survivors from the two PT-boats.

Submarines Bang (SS-285), Parche (SS-384) and Tinosa (SS-283) attack Japanese convoy off northwest coast of Luzon. Bang sinks army cargo ship Takegawa Maru in South China Sea, 19°20'N, 118°50'E, and damages Yashima Maru (see 30 April).

Submarine Flasher (SS-249) damages Vichy French cargo ship Song Giang Go in South China Sea, five miles off Cape Varella, French Indochina, 13°02'N, 109°28'E (see 30 April).

Submarine Halibut (SS-232) bombards Japanese installations on Kure Jima.

Submarine Pogy (SS-266) sinks Japanese submarine I-183, 30 miles south of Cape Ashizuri, Japan, 32°07'N, 133°03'E.

Japanese transport Kunikawa Maru is sunk by mine laid by RAAF Catalinas (mining operations take place on 20, 24, and 27 April) near Balikpapan, Borneo, 01°17'S, 116°49'E.

British submarine HMS Tantalus sinks coaster Pulo Salanama in Strait of Malacca.

Japanese ship Hasshu Maru is sunk by aircraft southeast of Formosa, 20°00'N, 130°50'E.