World War II in real time

Day 1949 of World War II, January 11th 1945

Western Front (1945) - Battle of the Bulge

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 11th 1945



Units of the US 3rd Army and the British 30th Corps join up near St. Hubert as the German salient in the Ardennes is further reduced. To the south, the fighting in the US 7th Army around Bitche is also continuing but German attacks are being held.

Photo: Pvt. Jesse Kenner, Mooresburg, Tenn., of HQ Co., 501st PIR, 101st AB, depends on a bazooka to help him guard the road into Foy, Belgium. 11 January, 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force):: Mission 790: 2 B-17s and 4 of 6 B-24s drop leaflets in Belgium during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): About 120 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s attack communications centers and rail bridges in Belgium and Germany; fighters escort the bombers, hit an ammunition dump at Mayen, Germany, and patrol areas around Malmedy, Belgium and NE of Trier, Germany.

152 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on the railway yard in the Uerdingen suburb of Krefeld. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 10/11 Jan, A-20s attack targets of opportunity in the W Po Valley; clearing weather during the day enables an increase of fighter and fighter-bomber attacks in the Po Valley and in the US Fifth Army battle area in the N Apennines; many ammunition and fuel dumps, rail lines, trains, and vehicles are pounded, and an alcohol refinery at Piacenza is severely damaged.

Arctic naval operations

In the Norwegian Sea a British squadron inflicts heavy damage on a German coastal convoy of southern Norway. Half of the estimated 7 or 8 vessels are sunk.

United States

Photo: Commissioning of the U.S. Navy high-speed transport USS Register (APD-92) at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, South Carolina (USA), on 11 January 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Wiseman (DE-667) off Charleston, South Carolina (USA), on 11 January 1945, en route to the Pacific Ocean. She had been in the Charleston Naval Shipyard since early December of 1944 being converted into a floating power station. Her canvas covered cable reels are visible just forward of the aft 40mm gun mount



Germany

Description: shows newly raised German Volksgrenadier and Volkssturm units, collection of civlian clothings for the army, soldiers taking an oath, combat footage from Courland and Navy Fast Boat units, a German/American prisoner exchange at St. Nazaire, fighting on the West Front and German Air Force attacks against allied air fields (Operation Bodenplatte).

YouTube (German Newsweek No. 748- 11 January 1945)



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In Burma, 5 B-25s damage a bridge at Wan Mai-Lo; 12 fighter-bombers hit targets of opportunity NE of Wanling, 7 drop napalm on targets of opportunity NE of Muse, and 11 attack targets of opportunity SE of Wanting, China and in the E end of the Wanting River valley.

INDIA

(Twentieth Air Force): The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XX Bomber Command flies Mission 27: 47 B-29s from the Calcutta, India area, are dispatched to bomb two large drydocks at Singapore; 25 hit the primary targets; around 15 others bomb Penang Island, Malaya, Mergui, Burma, and various targets of opportunity; they claim 6-1-17 Japanese aircraft; two B-29s are lost.

BURMA

In the British Fourteenth Army's Indian IV Corps area, after Gangaw is captured by the East African 28th Brigade and Lushai Brigade, the corps is able to advance quickly toward the Irrawaddy River in the Pakokku area for a drive on Meiktila.

Photo: A DUKW reversing into a landing craft at Akyab during the embarkation of No. 3 Commando for the Myebon Peninsula, 11 January 1945



Photo: Men of No. 3 Commando rest at Akyab while waiting to embark for the Myebon Peninsula, 11 January 1945



INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 P-47s support ground forces in the Si-U and Namhkam sectors. 3 others strafe trucks between Namhkam and Selan; troop concentrations, vehicles, artillery pieces, supply areas, and general enemy movement are pounded by 80+ fighter-bombers; 12 B-25s bomb storage buildings in the Lashio area. 509 transport sorties are flown to forward areas. The 6th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, based at Asansol, India, sends a detachment to operate from Cox's Bazar, India with P-47s.

CAROLINE ISLANDS

Japanese submarines commence operation Kongo against Ulithi, employing suicide torpedoes [kaitens]; I 36 launches kaitens that damage ammunition ship USS Mazama and an infantry landing craft.

During hunter-killer operations near Yap Island, USN destroyer USS Evans and destroyer escort USS McCoy Reynolds bombard Japanese defenses; they repeat the operation tomorrow.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 23 B-24s from Saipan pound airfields on Iwo Jima; the bombing of Iwo Jima is continued during the night of 11/12 Jan, by 3 B-24s flying individual snooper strikes from the Mariana. The 6th Night Fighter Squadron, VII Fighter Command (attached to 318th Fighter Group), moves from Kipapa, Hawaii to East Field, Saipan (a detachment has been operating from Saipan with P-47s and P-61s since Jun 44; a detachment operates from Kipapa, Hawaii until May 45).

GUAM

(Twentieth Air Force): The 3d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Heavy), 311th Photographic Wing (attached to XXI Bomber Command), moves from Saipan to Guam with F-13s (the squadron flies photo, electronic and weather reconnaissance missions in the W Pacific).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: HQ 308th Bombardment Wing moves from Leyte to Luzon.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25s and P-38s attack Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

General Headquarters Southwest Pacific Area orders the 11th Airborne Division to be prepared to land on Luzon, Philippine Islands, at Nasugbu and Tayabas Bays in late January. The plan to land XI Corps at Vigan, Luzon, is dropped.

A company of the Australian 2/5th Battalion, 17th Brigade, 6th Division, occupies Samisai, Northeast New Guinea.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

In the U.S. Sixth Army area on Luzon, Regimental Combat Team 158, part of the army reserve, begins a drive up Route 251 toward Rabon and relieves elements of the 172d Infantry Regiment, 43d Infantry Division. The XIV Corps is largely on the Army Beachhead Line by the end of day. The 40th Infantry Division consolidates in the Dulig-Labrador- Uyong area, and finds Aguilar in the hands of Philippine guerrillas, and makes contact with the 37th Infantry Division east of Aguilar. The 37th Infantry Division organizes defensive positions along the Army Beachhead Line; patrols actively and establishes outposts; maintains contact with I Corps. Regimental Combat Team 145, all of which is now ashore, establishes defense positions along Route 261. In the I Corps area, the 6th Infantry Division finds Philippine guerrillas in control of Santa Barbara and moves 3.5 miles S to Balingueo. The 103d Infantry Regiment, 43d Infantry Division, takes Manoag without opposition; gains positions on the slopes of the hill mass that Hill 200 crowns; and establishes contact with the 6th Infantry Division. The 169th Infantry Regiment tries in vain to take Hill 318 and gains a weak hold on Hill 560. The 172d Infantry Regiment, under intense fire, makes little headway. Corps front is rapidly widening and extends nearly 30 miles from south to north.

Map: Map shows Lingayen Gulf Invasion Beaches (White, Blue, Crimson, Yellow, Green and Orange) on 9 January 1945 and beachhead perimeter on 11 January 1945



With elimination of a small Japanese force at Boac, Marinduque Island is now secure. [Marinduque Island is a 370 square mile island midway between southern Luzon and Mindoro Island.]

Large number of USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers concentrate on communications targets throughout northern Luzon and attack airfields, communications, and town areas in southern Luzon, the central Philippine Islands, and on Mindanao Island.

The first elements of Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) land at Lingayen, Luzon, to provide close air support for Army forces. Over the next three months, MAG-24 and MAG-32 will fly a total of 8,842 combat sorties and drop more than 19,000 bombs as part of the USAAF Fifth Air Force in support of the Sixth Army.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Bougainville, a platoon of the Australian 47th Battalion, 29th Brigade, 3rd Division, crosses the Adele River in assault boats without casualties. The platoon had been supported by artillery that fired at the Japanese positions at ranges of 600 to 800 yards, and mortar and machinegun fire.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile , 3 B-24s on an armed reconnaissance to Suribachi on Paramushiru , bomb NW of Taro Lake; 5 B-25s hit Kotani Shima.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 229, JANUARY 11, 1945

On January 8 (West Longitude Date) Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, bombed air installations on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos.

Suribachi on Paramushiru in the Kuriles was bombed by Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force on January 9. The enemy offered no opposition to the attack.

Corsairs of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked enemy installations on Babelthuap in the Palaus on the same date.

Meager antiaircraft fire was encountered by Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing fighters in an attack on gun positions and the power plant on Nauru on January 9.

Fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing also carried out neutralizing attacks on enemy held bases in the Marshalls on January 8 and 9.

PACIFIC

Off Luzon, high speed transport Belknap (APD-34) is damaged by kamikaze, 16°20'N, 120°10'E; tank landing ships LST-270 and LST-918 are damaged by shore battery, 16°20'N, 120°10'E; and tank landing ship LST-700 is damaged by friendly fire, 16°43'N, 119°58'E.

U.S. destroyer gunfire sinks Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa.10, south of Vigan, 17°20'N, 120°00'E. Auxiliary minesweeper No.56 Banshu Maru and auxiliary submarine submarine chaser Hakuyo Maru are scuttled as blockships at south entrance of Manila Bay, Luzon.

During hunter-killer operations near Yap, destroyer Evans (DD-552) and destroyer escort McCoy Reynolds (DE-440) bombard Japanese defenses; they repeat the operation the following day.

Destroyer escort Brackett (DE-41) extracts party of Marshallese scouts from Jaluit, where they had been landed on 9 January to determine the condition of the garrison there.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Kinsei Maru is sunk by marine casualty in Osaka Bay, Japan.

Day 1951 of World War II, January 13th 1945

YouTube (Soviet and American Massive Attacks)



Eastern Front

In East Prussia, the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front (Chernyakhovsky) strikes the German 3.Panzerarmee, part of Heeresgruppe Nord (Reinhardt). The attack begins in the early morning hours but progresses very slowly in spite of intensive supporting fire. Schlossberg and Kattenau change hands several times during the fighting. Meanwhile, in southern Poland, the 1st Ukrainian Front achieves an advance of 40 km along a 64 km frontage.

Western Front (1945) - Battle of the Bulge

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 13th 1945



In the Ardennes units of US 1st Army from the north and the British 30th Corps from the west, reach Ourthe between Laroche and Houffalize. British 2nd Army reaches the Ourthe River. US 3rd Army forces are also moving toward Houffalize from the south.

The IX Tactical Air Command supports the US VII Corps near Houffalize, Belgium, the XIX Tactical Air Command supports the US III, VIII, XII, and XX Corps elements in the Saint- Hubert, Belgium-Bastogne, Belgium-Wiltz, Luxembourg areas and points E and S near the Clerf River, Luxembourg and the Mosel River, Germany.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

British Royal Marine Commando unit launches a third assault on Kapelsche Veer, Holland, at night. Germans, safely underground, fire mortar shells on their own positions, inflicting heavy casualties on the British attackers.

Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 791: 958 bombers and 469 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and Rhine rail bridges mostly by PFF methods; they claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 367 B-17s are sent to hit the Mainz rail bridge (31), the Gustavsburg rail bridge at Mainz (95) and the Bischofsheim marshalling yard (119); 74 hit the secondary target, the Mainz marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are Euskirchen (13) and other (7); most attacks are made using Micro H but some formations bomb visually; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 126 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 4 WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 79 of 80 P-51s; 3 are damaged beyond repair. 2. 276 B-24s are dispatched to hit rail bridges at Worms (86) and Rudesheim (89) and the Kaiserslautern marshalling yard (87); 1 hits a target of opportunity; most attacks are made using Gee-H but some formations bomb visually; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 39 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 10 MIA. The escort is 114 of 118 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 315 B-17s are sent to hit rail bridges at Germersheim (71, using Gee-H) and Maximiliansau (159) and rail and highway bridges at Mannheim (76) visually; 1 hits a target of opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 9 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 42 MIA. Escorting are 77 of 82 P-51s; 2 are damaged beyond repair. 4. 102 P-47s and P-51s fly a freelance fighter sweep supporting the bombers; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-0-1 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. 5. 45 of 45 P-51s fly a fighter-bomber mission against Mannheim, Trier, etc without loss. 6. 20 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. 7. 4 of 4 P-51s escort an F-5 on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 95 9th Bombardment Division bombers strike road and rail bridges at Dasburg, Steinebruck, and Simmern to disrupt enemy movements; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, Eighth AF, and RAF bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, and bomb and strafe numerous ground targets.

158 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the railway yards at Saarbrücken during the day. The bombing appeared to be accurate, though with some overshooting. 1 Lancaster crashed in France.

Saarbrücken: 274 RAF aircraft - 242 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax crashed in France. Bomber Command assessed this raid, on the railway yards, as being extremely accurate and effective.

Politz: 218 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked this oil plant, near Stettin. 2 Lancasters lost. This raid had been planned as a blind-bombing attack but, because the weather conditions were better than forecast, low-level marking was carried out and very accurate bombing followed. Bomber Command, on the basis of photographic reconnaissance, states that the oil plant was 'reduced to a shambles'.

19 RCM sorties, 22 Mosquito patrols, 10 Lancasters minelaying off Swinemünde. 1 Mosquito of l00 Group lost.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Block Island (CVE-106) on 13 January 1945 off the north end of Vashon Island, Washington (USA). She wears Camouflage Measure 33 Design 18A



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Beale (DD-471) at the Hunters Point Naval Drydocks, San Francisco, California (USA), 13 January 1945. White outlines mark recent alterations to the ship



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s blast 6 storage buildings at Kengtung, China. 3 others damage a bridge at Hawng Luk, Burma. In China, 31 P-51s, P-38s, and P-40s hit targets of opportunity in the Wanting area; 16 P-51s hit targets of opportunity around Shanhsien, Chiatsochen, and Chaling.

BURMA

In the Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALFSEA) area, the Indian XV Corps strengthens the Myebon bridgehead.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 10 fighter-bombers hit Aungban Airfield while 4 others support ground forces along the Irrawaddy River at Molo; 20+ fighter-bombers hit horses and vehicles at Hsa-ihkao, buildings at Man Ping, and troops at Mankang and Man Sang. Transports fly 556 sorties to forward areas. The detachment of the 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, operating from Dinjan, India with C-47s, returns to base at Kalaikunda, India.

SAPAIN

(Seventh Air Force): 14 Saipan based B-24s hit an airfield on Iwo Jima; 2 B-24s from Guam and Saipan again raid the airfields on the night of 13/14 Jan.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: HQ 18th FG and the 12th Fighter Squadron move from Sansapor to Lingayen Airfield with P-38s (the 12th has been operating from Morotai since Nov 44).

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

Four RAAF pilots ferrying (P-40) Kittyhawks from New Guinea to Morotai Island are reported missing. After the war, it is learned that two of the pilots had been captured by the Japanese after they crashed landed and both were killed at a "special ceremony."

Twelve RAAF Spitfires attack targets on the northwestern tip of Halmahera Island.

HAWAII

Photo: The U.S. Navy large cruiser USS Alaska (CB-1) underway at sea on 13 January 1945, the day she arrived at Pearl Harbor



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

With scattered strikes at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, major Japanese air attacks on the Luzon Attack Force come to an end.

In the U.S. Sixth Army area, Lieutenant General Walter Krueger takes command ashore. In the XIV Corps area, elements of 185th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division, move along the coast of Lingayen Gulf to a site chosen for a seaplane base in Cabalitan Bay and find that Allied Naval Forces have already secured it without Japanese interference. Wawa falls to elements of the 37th Infantry Division. In the I Corps area, the 6th Infantry Division gains its holding line, Malisiqui-Catablan- Torres. In the 43d Infantry Division zone, Regimental Combat Team 158 takes Damortis without a struggle. Attacking from the Alacan area, the 63d Infantry Regiment gets about halfway to Hill 363, its first objective. Hills 580 and 318 are practically cleared by 172d and 169th Infantry Regiments, respectively.

On Luzon, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s hit the Tarlac barracks and storage area, Batangas Airfield, and troop concentrations at San Juan, Del Monte, Muzon, and San Vicente. P-47s fly a sweep from Laguna de Bay to Tarlac, destroying parked aircraft and vehicles and A-20s hit the town of Batangas and nearby railroads and highways, and bomb Lucena and Calingatan Airfields.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 232, JANUARY 13, 1945

Following the first carrier attacks in the vicinity of Saigon on January 11 (West Longitude Date) numerous fires were observed on shore especially at the Thanh Son Nhut Air Base and at Port Nhabe. Six transports were in­cluded in the ships sunk at Saigon. At least six ships were sunk in the Harbor of Quinhon.

Reports of the United States Pacific Fleet Carrier Aircraft strike against Formosa on January 8 (West Longitude Date) have now been amplified. They show that the following damage was inflicted on the enemy in addition to that reported for the same attack in communiqué Number 228:

Shipping sunk:

Two destroyers or destroyer escorts
One oiler
One large cargo ship
Two medium cargo ships
Eighteen small craft

communiqué number 228 reported that fourteen small ships not included in above had been sunk. This figure is now reduced to nine.

Shipping damaged:

One destroyer
Five destroyer escorts
Two oilers
Five large cargo ships
Three medium cargo ships
Twenty‑eight small ships
Forty‑two small craft

Aircraft:

Two zeros destroyed
Forty‑four damaged

In addition to these aircraft our search and patrol planes shot down seven other enemy planes on January 9 and 10.

Ground installations:

An ammunition dump and chemical plant destroyed at Keelung.
Two hangars, five locomotives and three tank cars destroyed at Heito.
Radio stations damaged at Giran.
An aluminum and nickel smelter damaged at Karenko.
Shops damaged at Tainan, Heito, Kobi and Toyhara.

Our forces lost four aircraft in combat during the attack on Formosa.

It can now be announced that heavy bomber units of the Seventh Army Air Force assisting the Far Eastern Air Force have been operating from the Palau Islands against targets in the Philippines in support of operations of the Commander in Chief Southwest Pacific. Army Liberators of the Seventh Air Force have been engaged In attacking the enemy on Luzon, Cebu, Negros and Nactan. In addition the same units have carried out attacks in the Palaus and Western Carolines. A summary of operations from November 1, 1944 to January 4, 1945 show that 1,375 tons of bombs have been dropped on enemy targets in 714 sorties.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 233, JANUARY 13, 1945

Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed airfield facilities near Kurabu Saki at the southern end of Paramushiru in the Kuriles on January 10 (West Longitude Date). Six enemy fighters were in the air and antiair­craft fire was encountered but all our aircraft returned safely.

On the following day Eleventh Air Force Mitchells strafed and bombed installations on Torishima Retto southeast of Paramushiru starting extensive fires. The enemy sent up meager antiaircraft fire. Liberators of the Eleventh Air Force on the same date struck at installations in Suribachi on Paramushiru meeting moderate antiaircraft fire. Four enemy fighters attacked of which one was damaged. All our aircraft returned safely from these operations.

Fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing destroyed a building and supply dump on Babelthuap and bombed defenses on Urukthapel in the Palaus on January 11.

PACIFIC

Photo: Carrier Raids in the East China Sea, January 1945: the U.S. Navy fleet oiler USS Pamanset (AO-85) struggles through an East China Sea storm to refuel Task Force 38 on 13 January 1945. The aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) is in the distance. Pamanset is painted in camouflage Measure 32 Design 3AO



Japanese kamikaze attacks against Lingayen Gulf invasion shipping culminate in suicide plane crashing and damaging escort carrier Salamaua (CVE-96), 17°09'N, 119°21'E.

Destroyer escort Fleming (DE-32) sinks Japanese submarine I 362 320 miles north-northeast of Truk, 12°08'N, 154°27'E.

Open lighter YC-912 founders in heavy weather, North Pacific Ocean.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bennion (DD-662) underway on 13 January 1945. The ship is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 13D

Day 1953 of World War II, January 15th 1945

Eastern Front

German Army Group North commits its reserves (7th Panzer Division and Panzer Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland) to battle and these units inflict losses and delays on the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front. Kielce falls to the 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev). To the south, the 4th Ukrainian Front (Petrov) also goes over to the offensive.

Western Front (1945) - Battle of the Bulge

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 15th 1945



American forces encounter heavy resistance in attacks toward St. Vith. US 1st Army troops have reached Houffalize, cutting off remaining German forces to the west in the Ardennes salient.

Air War over Europe

(Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 794: 640 bombers and 782 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards in Germany; they claim 14-0-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 fighters are lost. 1. 223 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Ingolstadt (111) and Freiburg (107); 1 hits the Reudenstadt marshalling yard as a target of opportunity; H2X radar is used to bomb; 5 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 183 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair. 2. 75 of 120 B-24 hit the secondary target, the Reutlingen marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are Tubingen (19), Urich (10), the Tubingen marshalling yard (7), Mahlberg (1) and other (1); all attacks are made visually; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair. The escort consists of 109 of 117 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft without loss. 3. 253 of 297 B-17s hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Augsburg using H2X radar; targets of opportunity are Bobingen (29) and other (5) bombed visually; 16 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA. The escort is provided by 184 of 204 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 156 of 167 P-51s fly a fighter sweep over Germany; they claim 13-0-19 aircraft without loss. 5. 62 of 63 P-51s fly a fighter bomber mission against the marshalling yard at Gensingen without loss. 6. 6 of 7 P-51s escort a Spitfire on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. 7 29 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. Mission 795: 2 B-17s and 7 B-24s drop leaflet on the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 16 B-26s hit the Simmern bridge to help thwart movement in the Trier area; the XIX Tactical Air Command escorts the B-26s, flies armed reconnaissance and patrols, and supports the US III and VIII Corps in the Houffalize, Belgium-Bastogne, Belgium-Wiltz, Luxembourg areas.

82 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked a benzol plant at Recklinghausen. The bombing appeared to be excellent. No aircraft lost.

63 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid through thick cloud on the Robert Muser benzol plant at Bochum. No results known. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

An Italian naval squadron interned in Port Mahon (Minorca) since September 8, 1943, leaves for Malta.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 400+ B-24s and B-17s escorted by 270+ P-38s and P-51s, bomb marshalling yards and other railroad communications in NE and SE Vienna, Austria and marshalling yard at Treviso, Italy.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, operations resume as the weather clears; medium bombers concentrate on the Brenner rail line, flying nearly 150 sorties against bridges at San Michele all'Adige, Rovereto, Ala, Lavis, Santa Margherita d'Adige, and Motta di Livenza; the XXII Tactical Air Command attacks communications in the Po Valley and further N, destroying or damaging several bridges and a very large number of railway cars (most of them at the Como marshalling yard); during the night of 14/15 Jan, A-20s hit targets in the Po Valley, including Po River crossings at Borgoforte, Piacenza, and San Benedetto Po.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unescorted HMS 'Thane' (D 48) (A/Capt E.R.G. Baker, RN) was hit in the stern by a torpedo from 'U-1172' six cables 132° from Clyde Light Vessel. The escort carrier was ferrying aircraft when she was probably hit by a Gnat. She was towed to Greenock by HMS 'Loring' (K 565) and declared a total loss.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Destroyers Boyle (DD-600) and McLanahan (DD-615) support British and American light craft, including U.S. motor torpedo boats, in a night interdiction operation aimed at enemy coastwise shipping.

RAF Spitfire sights one large and one small enemy destroyer west of Portofino, Italy; PT-313 and British MTB 378 engage a southbound convoy of five flak lighters, sinking one and damaging another. The presence of the destroyers, however, results in the operation being discontinued.

United Kingdom

The first civilian ship since 1940 leaves London for France.

Belgium

HQ VIII Fighter Command moves from Bushey Hall, England to Charleroi, Belgium. HQ 64th Fighter Wing moves from Ludres to Nancy, France.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy attack transport USS Bottineau (APA-235) at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington (USA) on 15 January 1945. She is painted Camouflage Measure 31a, Design 17F. The damaged destroyer USS Lamson (DD-367) is visible in the foreground. She hsd been hit by a kamikaze on 7 December 1944



Photo: The U.S. Navy attack transport USS Goshen (APA-108) underway off the U.S. West Coast during her shakedown cruise, 15 January 1945. She had been commissioned on 13 December 1944. The ship appears to be making a smoke screen from generators mounted on her after deck. This photograph was taken from a blimp of Lighter Than Air Patrol Squadron 31 (ZP-31)



Photo: The U.S. Navy attack cargo ship USS Alamance (AKA-75) off Charleston, South Carolina (USA), on 15 January 1945. The ship is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 6AO



Pacific War

CHINA

The Japanese begin an offensive for Suichwan airfields, driving along the Chaling-Lienhwa road.

(Fourteenth Air Force): 18 B-25s, supported by 20 P-51s and P-40s, attack Hankow, China. Others hit the Wan Pa-Hsa, Burma town area and damage a nearby bridge and in China, attack shipping near Amoy, and hit targets of opportunity in the Siang-Chiang and Hsiang River Valleys and from Hong Kong to Foochow. 130+ P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance attack numerous targets of opportunity throughout S China from the Burma border to the SE coast.

BURMA

U.S. Major General George E Stratemeyer, Commanding General Eastern Air Command, and U.S. Lieutenant General Daniel I Sultan, Commanding General India-Burma Theater, confer at Myitkyina, and agree that an Army Air Forces Headquarters to command the U.S. Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces should be set up in China.

In the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) area, the inaugural convoy from Ledo, India, reaches Myitkyina, where it halts to await clearance of the Japanese ahead. The Chinese 30th Division takes Namhkam with ease, gaining control of the lower end of Shweli Valley.
In the British Fourteenth Army's Indian XXXIII Corps area, the Indian 19th Division secures another bridgehead across the Irrawaddy River, at Kyaukmyaung.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-24s bomb a troop concentration and the supply area at Mong Ngaw; 6 fighter-bombers damage a bridge at Namhkai; 11 support ground forces along the Irrawaddy River, bombing Mabein, hitting a cable crossing at Myitson, and attacking a ferry landing on the Nampaw River, a tributary; troops, supplies, tanks and targets of opportunity are attacked at several points in N Burma including Mong Tat, Mong Yok and Mong Pa. Transports fly 527 sorties to forward areas. Lieutenant Generals Albert C Wedemeyer, Commanding General China Theater, George E Stratemeyer, Commanding General Eastern Air Command, and Daniel I Sultan, Commanding General India-Burma Theater, confer at Myitkyina, Burma and agree that an AAF HQ to command the US Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces should be set up in China. The 15th Combat Cargo Squadron, 4th Combat Cargo Group, moves from Argartala to Chittagong with C-46s. The 164th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Inbaung to Kan, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 12 B-24s from Saipan hit airfields on Iwo Jima; 2 B-24s, operating singly from Guam and Saipan, strike Iwo Jima airfields during the night of 15/16 Jan.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: The 318th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, moves from Nadzab to Leyte with C-47s.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Jesselton Airfield in British North Borneo.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, a company of the Australian 2/5th Battalion, 17th Brigade, 6th Division, occupies Maharingi.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

In the U.S. Sixth Army's XIV Corps area on Luzon, elements of the 40th Infantry Division begin probing in the Dasol Bay-Balinao Peninsula area, where action is insignificant through 18 January. The 2d Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, takes San Clemente, forcing a Japanese party back toward Camiling. Elements of the 129th Infantry Regiment and the 37th Reconnaissance Troop, 37th Infantry Division, intercept the Japanese party near Camiling and disperse it. In the I Corps area, the 6th Infantry Division, while continuing a holding action, extends their left flank to Cabanbanan, between Manoag and Urdaneta. Patrols find the Japanese in possession of Urdaneta and Cabaruan Hills. In the 43d Infantry Division zone, the 158th Infantry Regiment, assisted by artillery, naval gunfire, and aircraft, begins clearing the defile near Amlang, on the road to Rosario; the 63d Infantry Regiment drives north in an effort to make contact with the 158th Infantry Regiment but stops for the night well south of Amlang; the 172d Infantry Regiment clears Hill 665 and reaches the Damortis-Rosario road within 1.5 miles of Rosario; the 169th Infantry Regiment, unable to take Hill 355 from the west and south, prepares to strike from the east; the 103d Infantry Regiment gains most of Hill 200 area.

Photo: : "Fire direction center of the 129th Infantry Cannon Company near Bayambang, Luzon Island. Left to right: Corporal Cleophus Taylor, from San Jose, California; R.T. Bowers, from Owosso, Michigan; Captain K.W. Ellison, from Langley, Washington; and Corporal Frederick C. Frost, from Red Bluff, California," 15 January 1945



Protected by USAAF Fifth Air Force planes and motor torpedo (PT) boats, the 7th Infantry Division Task Force lands unopposed on the northern and southern tips of Ponson Island, Camotes Islands, located between Leyte and Cebu Islands.

On Mindoro, the 2d Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, driving on Calapan, meets delaying opposition along Gusay Creek. The 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, which has been assisting guerrilla forces, terminates operations on Mindoro.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack objectives on Luzon Island, in the central Philippine Islands, and on Palawan Island, hitting highways, railroads, airfields and numerous targets of opportunity including tanks, trucks, and other vehicles.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Bougainville, elements of the Australian 61st Battalion, 7th Brigade, 3rd Division, start moving south from the Jaba River.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 234, JANUARY 15, 1945

Further reports from U. S. Pacific Fleet forces which struck at shipping and other targets along the coast of French Indo‑China on January 11 (West Longitude Date) show that our carrier based aircraft inflicted the following damage on the enemy. (This report includes damage previously reported in communiqué No. 231)

Sunk:

41 ships totaling about 127,000 tons.

Damaged:

28 ships totaling about 70,000 tons.

Enemy plane damage:

15 aircraft shot down.
77 aircraft destroyed on the ground.
20 aircraft destroyed on the water.
About 50 aircraft damaged on the ground.

Ground installations:

A large dock at Camranh Bay demolished.
6 oil tanks at Saigon destroyed.
Oil storage facilities, warehouses and buildings on Saigon River de­stroyed.
Seaplane hangar at Cat‑Lai destroyed.
Two locomotives at Quang‑Ngai destroyed.
Oil refineries in Saigon area damaged heavily and fires started in Saigon Navy Yard.

Our forces suffered losses of 16 planes in combat.

While inflicting the damage listed above our aircraft sank a convoy of 1 oiler, 4 medium cargo ships, 2 destroyer escorts, and 4 coastal cargo ships in its entirety. A second convoy was all sunk or damaged and beached. It consisted of 1 light cruiser now believed to be Kashii, of the Katori‑class, 4 destroyer escorts, 4 oilers, 7 medium and 2 small cargo ships and 1 coastal ship. A third group of ships approaching Saigon from the south was attacked, an oiler sunk, and 1 large cargo ship, 1 medium cargo ship and 1 small coastal cargo ship damaged. At Camranh Bay a destroyer escort and a small cargo ship were sunk, and at Cape St. Jacques, 3 destroyer escorts, 1 oiler, 3 large cargo ships and a small cargo ship were sunk. Attacking the Saigon area heavily our planes sank a large oiler, a large troop transport, 2 medium cargo ships, a dismantled French light cruiser Lamotte Picquet and damaged a large cargo ship, 4 medium cargo ships and 2 coastal cargo ships. Along the coast our planes sank an additional medium cargo ship and damaged 5 small coastal cargo vessels.

On January 13 carrier‑based aircraft of the Pacific Fleet struck at targets in Formosa and along the China Coast including Amoy, Swatow and Hongkong. Details of these attacks are not now available.

Fires were started in storage areas on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos by bombs dropped by Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, on January 12 and 13. On the same date Marine Mitchells scored rocket hits on a small ship in Okimura Ko at Haha Jima in the Bonins.

Fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked warehouses, de­fense positions, coastal defenses and a dry dock on Babelthuap and Urukthapel in the Palaus on January 12. Attacks on Babelthuap were repeated on the following day.

An enemy reconnaissance plane was shot down off Guam in the Marianas on January 13.

Sixty‑eight tons of bombs were dropped on installations on Truk in the Carolines by Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force on January 13. Escorting Lightning fighters shot down two defending enemy fighters and probably destroyed another.

Search Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed and strafed targets on Wake Island through intense antiaircraft fire on January 12.

Neutralizing raids were continued by the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing on enemy held bases in the Marshalls on January 12.

PACIFIC

District patrol craft YP-73 sinks after running aground 1,000 yards east of Spruce Cape signal station, Kodiak, Alaska. Coast Guard tender Bittersweet (WAG-389) rescues survivors.

Escort carrier Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75) is damaged by accidental explosion of bombs as aircraft (VC 88) lands on board as the ship operates off west coast of Luzon, 17°01'N, 119°20'E.

TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) attacks Japanese shipping and aircraft off Formosa and the China coast. Carrier planes sink destroyer Hatakaze and fast transport T.14 at 22°37'N, 120°15'E; fleet tanker Mirii Maru and army cargo ship Enoshima Maru off Takao; destroyer Tsuga off Mako, 23°33'N, 119°33'E; and damage auxiliary minelayer Maroshima off Formosa and army cargo ships Beiju Maru and Yoshun Maru off Keelung.

Photo: A Japanese transport explodes after being hit by carrier plane bombs in Takao Harbor, Formosa, on 15 January 1945. Note concussion ring on water around ship. This ship is probably fast transport T-14



TF 38 planes sink Japanese salvage ship Horei Maru, San Fernando, Luzon.

Japanese auxiliary minesweeper No.1 Kyo Maru is sunk by mine (laid by British submarine HMS Porpoise on 9 January), south of Penang, Malaya, 05°18'N, 100°20'E;

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.5 Kujyo Maru is sunk by aircraft southwest of Paramushiro Island Kurils.

Japanese river gunboat Narumi is damaged by USAAF aircraft near Hankow, China.

Destroyer Swanson (DD-443) bombards Rota Island; she repeats the operation the following day.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Waterman (DE-740) underway in the Pacific Ocean on 15 January 1945. The photo was taken from the escort carrier USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83). The ship in background is an unidentified oiler in Camouflage Design 5AO. Waterman is painted in Camouflage Measure 31, Design 3D



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Crowley (DE-303) transfers a sick crewman to the escort carrier USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83), 15 January 1945

Day 1955 of World War II, January 17th 1945

Eastern Front

The totally devastated city of Warsaw is cleared of German resistance by forces of the 1st Belorussian Front. The Russian 47th Army assaults across the Vistula, forcing the Germans to evacuate Warsaw, which is liberated the same day by the 1st Polish Army. To the north, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front enter Modlin.

Photo: Polish and Soviet defilade on the ashes of Warsaw on January 17, 1945



Western Front (1945) - Battle of the Bulge

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 17th 1945



Heavy fog along most of the front reduces Allied offensive action.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

The British 2nd Army, north of Sittard, successfully holds the village of Dieteren.

Western Front (1945) - Siegfried Line campaign

The US 3rd Army reaches Diekirch.

Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 798: 700 bombers and 362 fighters are dispatched to make visual attacks on oil refineries at Hamburg and Harburg and Gee-H and H2X attacks on rail targets; 9 bombers and 7 fighters are lost: 1. 158 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Rhenania (40) and Albrecht (34) oil refineries at Hamburg and the U-boat base at Hamburg (73); 1 other hits a target of opportunity; German submarine 'U-2523' and 'U-2525' sunk at the Blohm Voss yard in Hamburg. German submarine 'U-2530' sunk in dock at Hamburg. 4 B-17s are lost and 88 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 39 MIA. Escorting are 61 P-47s and P-51s; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair. 2. 78 of 84 B-24s hit the Rhenania oil refinery at Harburg; 1 other hits Borkum Airfield as a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 57 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 44 MIA. Escort is provided by 46 of 55 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 458 B-17s are sent to hit the Paderborn marshalling yard (397) and the Schildesche rail viaduct at Bielefeld (37); 4 others hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost and 6 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. The escort is 108 of 118 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 80 of 87 P-51s fly a fighter sweep against a rail target without loss. 5. 25 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).

72 RAF Mosquitos to Magdeburg, 8 to Ruthen oil-storage depot and 3 each to Cologne, Frankfurt, Koblenz and Mannheim, 33 RCM sorties, 13 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers, taking advantage of improved weather conditions, attack 6 rail targets on the Brenner rail line, blocking the line at Calliano, cutting tracks at Ora, and destroying a section of the bridge at Sacile; in NE Italy fighters and fighter-bombers concentrate their large effort on rail lines and bridges, destroying 4 and damaging another, cutting tracks at numerous points, and blasting vehicles and trains; HQ 3d Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 5th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron move from Rosia and Malignano respectively to Florence/Peretola with A-20s, B-25s and F-5s.

Hungary

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is picked up by Russian NKVD secret police in Budapest, Hungary. He is not ever seen again in the West. During his time in Europe, he saved about 20,000 Jews from Nazi detainment.

United Kingdom

In London... Empire forces war casualty statistics are published which report a total of 1,043,554 casualties of all ranks up to November 30, 1944. These include 282,000 dead and 80,000 missing.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38) leaving Norfolk, Virginia (USA), on 17 January 1945, heading to the Pacific. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 33, Design 10A



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-25s bomb the town area, river shipping, and trucks at Ishan and 3 B-25s and 8 P-40s pound sampans and storage areas W of Hengshan while 2 B-25s hit an oil dump and other targets of opportunity in the Hsiang River Valley and another blasts a troop compound at Chaling. 4 B-25s damage a bridge at Phu Lang Thuong, French Indochina. 180+ P-40s, P-51s, and P-38s hit a large number of targets of opportunity from the Burma border to Shanghai, China, concentrating on the Wanling, Burma area and airfields in the Shanghai, Wuchou, and Wuchang, China areas.

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 29: 77 of 92 B-29s from Chengtu, China bomb the airfield at Shinchiku; 8 other hit alternates and targets of opportunity in SE China; 1 B-29 is lost.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 4 B-25s demolish 2 bypass bridges at Ho-hko; 8 pound the village of Mansam; 20 P-47s support ground forces along the Irrawaddy River, hitting targets at Konkha, Onbaing, and Wabyudaung; troop concentrations and supplies are bombed by 75 fighter- bombers at Nawngchio, No-na, Man Hpa-yaw, Man Namket, Nanhu, Panghai, Mong Nge, and Ho-Pok. Transports fly 489 sorties to forward bases and frontline areas.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 14 B-24s from Saipan pound airfields on Iwo Jima; 3 from Guam on armed reconnaissance flight, bomb Marcus; 2 B-24s, from Guam and Saipan, fly individual harassment strikes against Iwo Jima during the night of 17/18 Jan.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): HQ 29th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and the 6th, 43d and 52d Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy) arrive at North Field from the US with B-29s (first mission is 16 Feb).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: In principal strikes of the day on Luzon, B-24s bomb railroad yards at Legaspi while B-25s hit roads and railways E of Manila, destroying many railroad cars and troop-laden trucks. Other B-24s pound the Daliao area on Mindanao and Talisay Airfield on Negros . B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to fly small strikes and armed reconnaissance against bridges, shipping, port areas, airfields, trucks, and other targets of opportunity throughout Luzon and in the C Philippines. Lost is P-47D 42-23208 off Vigan.

The air echelon of the 82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from San Jose to Lingayen Airfield with F-6s and P-40s (ground echelon is enroute from Morotai to Lingayen).

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Photo: Royal New Zealand Air Force Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighters over Bougainville, on 17 January 1945



PACIFIC

Off Philippine Islands, escort carrier Nehenta Bay (CVE-74) is damaged by storm, 17°41'N, 117°33'E.

Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese fast transport T.15 off southern Kyushu, 31°09'N, 130°29'E.

British submarine HMS Stygian sinks small Japanese cargo vessel Nichinan Maru off Perak, 05°42'N, 98°57'E.

Japanese cargo ship Minka Maru is sunk by mine on Yangtze, above Kiukiang, China.

Photo: Carrier Raids in the East China Sea, January 1945: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) and a destroyer refueling from the fleet oiler USS Pamanset (AO-85) during an East China sea storm on 17 January 1945. Note the wave sweeping past the oiler's bow

Day 1957 of World War II, January 19th 1945

Eastern Front

Wloclawek on the Vistula falls to elements of 2nd Belorussian Front. Lodz is captured by 1st Belorussian Front forces. Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front take Tarnow and Krakow, a former capital of Poland. Further south, Nowy Sacz is taken by the 4th Ukrainian Front. To the south, in Hungary, the German 4th SS Panzer Corps, an element of Army Group South, reaches the Danube River at Dunapentele and effectively cuts off most of the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front forces from its supplies.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 19th 1945



In the north, Sittard is cleared of German resistance.

Photo: Troops from 4/5 Royal Scots Fusiliers, 52nd Infantry Division, in the ruins of the village of Stein, Holland, 19 January 1945



Western Front (1945) - Operation Northwind

In Alsace, German forces north of Strasbourg link up with other forces to further north.

Photo: German prisoners trudge past a Sherman tank in a German frontier village of Hongen, 19 January 1945



Photo: Infantry of 1st Glasgow Highlanders ride on white-washed Sherman tanks of 8th Armoured Brigade in Hongen, 19January 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Ninth Air Force): Bad weather cancels bomber operations; fighters fly patrols and armed reconnaissance; the XIX Tactical Air Command also supports elements of the US III and VIII Corps NE of Houffalize, Belgium and around Clervaux, Luxembourg, and the 5th Infantry Division around Bettendorf, Germany.

Italian campaign

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 18/19 Jan, A-20s bomb motor transport movements, lights, roads, and railroads throughout the Po Valley; weather cancels medium bomber operations and prevents fighter-bombers from completing the XXII Tactical Air Command's only mission airborne during the day.

Germany

The Fighter Pilot Mutiny: At the 'Haus der Flieger', the Luftwaffe's officer's club in Berlin, a delegation of high-ranking Kommodoren including Obst. Hermann Graf, Günther von Maltzahn, Gustav Rödel, Johannes Steinhoff and 'Hannes' Trautloft, confront Reichsmarschall Göring at a meeting in the club. Obst. Gunther Lützow, acting as the leader of the group, outlines the pilot's grievances with what is called their "Points of Discussion" including those charges of cowardice brought against the pilots, mismanagement of available forces and the growing influence of outsiders in fighter affairs. During the talks that last almost five hours there is a call to halt Generalmajor Galland's pending dismissal and reinstate him. By the end of the discussion Göring threatens to have Lützow shot and within hours has arrest warrants issued for Lützow and Galland for court martial. But after reflection, Göring rescinds the warrants and banishes Lützow to Italy as Jafu Oberitalien. Generalmajor Galland's punishment, even though he was not present at the meeting, is to be posted to the Russian Front as a Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 54, the lowest position for a General, but is saved by Albert Speer who tells Adolf Hitler about the events of the past several hours. Hitler orders instead that Galland set up a small strength fighter force using the Me 262 jet fighter. Galland is granted complete independence from the Luftwaffe and Galland himself is given powers equal to a Division commander. Jagdverband (JV) 44 is born. The name is a cynical reference to the Luftwaffe's failures in 1944 and partially as a numerical link to the first unit Galland commanded.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) underway in Puget Sound, Washington (USA), on 19 January 1945



The U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) at anchor at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 19 January 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Weeden (DE-797) underway in the Atlantic Ocean, circa 50km east of Boston, Massachusetts (USA), on 19 January 1945. The ship's camouflage is Measure 32, Design 3Db. The photo was taken from a blimp of squadron ZP-11



Photo: USS Rhind (DD-404) operating in the Atlantic, off the U.S. East Coast, on 19 January 1945. Photographed from an aircraft belonging to squadron VJ-15. Rhind is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 3D, on 19 January 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

Japanese troops take Chingyuan, on the Canton to Hankow railway.

(Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s bomb Monguy, Burma and vicinity, 5 bomb Ishan, China, and in French Indochina, 8 hit shipping and rail targets at Song Cau, and 4 hit shipping, railroad targets, and a bridge at Do Len. About 115 P-51s, P-40s, and P-38s on armed reconnaissance over S China and N French Indochina attack a great variety of targets of opportunity covering especially in the Wanting, China area.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 B-25s bomb troops and stores at Na-mon and near Hsenwi; 28 fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Si-U and Namhkam battle sectors and along the Irrawaddy River near Yenya-u, Kyaukpyu, and Myitson; 4 others bomb a causeway in the lake at Mogok; troops, supplies, and artillery are hit by 80+ fighter-bombers at Tonghsim, Konghsa, Mankang, Mong Pa, Pangkawlong, Saihkao, Man Hio, Man Mao, and other locations in N Burma. Transports complete 500+ sorties to forward areas.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 7 B-24s from Saipan bomb harbor installations at Chichi Jima; 9 from Guam hit airfields on Iwo Jima; 7 B-24s escort photo planes over the Bonin and Kazan and 1 bombs Iwo Jima; during the night, 3 B-24s on individual snooper strikes from the Marianas bomb Iwo Jima

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 20: 80 B-29s are dispatched to hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Akashi, outside Tokyo, Japan; 62 hit the primary target and 9 others bomb alternates and targets of opportunity; they claim 4-4-8 Japanese aircraft.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: In principal missions of the day, B-24s and B-25s bomb La Carlota and Bacolod Airfields on Negros. A-20s attack shipping at Salomague and Callaguip and B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack throughout Luzon, hitting airfields, vehicles, storage areas, highways, and a variety of other targets. HQ 433d Troop Carrier Group moves from Biak to Tanauan, Leyte. The 70th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, arrives at Lingayen Airfield from Sansapor with P-38s.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the US attacks are now being concentrated to the south of the beachhead with the aim of striking to Manila. Carmen is taken. On Mindoro, there is a brief flurry of activity as the Japanese try to slow the advance toward Calapan of the US 21st Infantry. Filipino guerrillas are active throughout the island in support of US forces.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 1 B-24 flies a radar ferret mission over Shimushu and Onnekotan in the Kurile ; 2 other B-24s hit Matsuwa and Onnekotan.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 236, JANUARY 19, 1945

Seventh Army Air Force Liberators and Lightning fighters operating under the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, attacked airstrip Installa­tions on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos on January 15 (West Longitude Date).

Assurance has been received that no Frenchmen were lost in the sinking of the French light cruiser Lamotte Picquet, communiqué 234.

Enemy facilities on Rota in the Marianas were strafed and bombed by Marine Aircraft on the same date.

Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing fighters attacked installations on Babelthuap in the Palaus on January 15 and 16.

On January 16 Marine Torpedo planes and fighters struck at harbor facilities on Yap in the Western Carolines.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 237, JANUARY 19, 1945

1. Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, bombed targets on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonins starting fires among installations on both islands on January 17 (West Longitude Date).

2. On the same date Army Liberators also attacked airstrip facilities on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos.

3. Marine Mitchells of the Strategic Air Force made rocket attacks on two small convoys north of the Bonins on January 18, scoring hits on a medium cargo ship and one other vessel. The attacks were met with moderate antiaircraft fire.

4. In operations over the China coast on January 13, 14 and 15, our forces lost 22 carrier‑based aircraft in combat. (communiqués No. 234‑236. )

5. On January 17, Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing fighters and torpedo planes attacked targets in and around Arakabesan.

6. Installations on Yap in the Western Carolines were struck by torpedo planes on the same date.

PACIFIC

Submarine Spot (SS-413) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Usa Maru, 39°07'N, 122°51'E.
British submarine HMS Supreme damages Japanese auxiliary netlayer Agata Maru south of Ross Island Andaman Islands.

Day 1959 of World War II, January 21st 1945

Eastern Front

In East Prussia, Soviet attacks penetrate up to 15 miles. The 2nd Belorussian Front (Rokossovsky) forces capture Tannenberg (scene of a significant German victory over Russian forces in 1914). Gumbinnen is also taken. Soviet 1st Belorussian Front (Zhukov) have reach Konin -- within 200 miles of Berlin -- along the road from Warsaw. The 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) has penetrated some 20 miles into Silesia and threatens the cities of Breslau and Oppeln.

Western Front (1945) - Siegfried Line campaign

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 21st 1945



Witlz falls to the US 3rd Corps in the Ardennes. German forces are making a general withdrawal to the Siegfried Line.

Photo: Reinforcements for front line duty move through Apach, France. 21 January, 1945



Photo: Sherman tanks of 8th Armoured Brigade advance through the snow to support 7th Cameron Highlanders in an attack on the village of Hontem near Heinsberg, 21 January 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 803: 912 bombers and 523 fighters are dispatched to hit industrial and rail targets in C Germany using PFF methods with some visual bombing; they claim 8-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 bombers are lost: 1. 379 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard (257) and oil plant (66) at Aschaffenburg; targets of opportunity are the Pforzheim marshalling yard (24) and military vehicle plant at Mannheim (3); Gee-H and H2X are used; 2 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged; 18 airmen are KIA and 2 MIA. Escorting are 112 of 139 P-51s. 2. 382 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard (254), Lanz military vehicle factory (21) and highway and rail bridges (16) at Mannheim; targets of opportunity are the Pforzheim marshalling yard (16), Speyer (4) and other (3); bombing is by Micro H and H2X; 6 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 53 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 12 WIA and 55 MIA. The escort is 138 of 150 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft on the ground. 3. 152 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Heilbronn (68 ) using H2X; targets of opportunity bombed visually are the marshalling yard at Pforzheim (11), the communications centers at Arnbach (14) and Mannheim (1) and Reutlingen (1); 4 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 120 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 6-0-1 aircraft on the ground. 4. 26 of 26 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 5. 6 of 7 P-51s fly an armed photographic mission over Politz. 6. 22 of 23 P-51s escort 4 F-5s on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. Mission 804: 2 B-17s and 9 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 166 A-26s, A-20s, and B-26s hit a rail junction and bridge at Euskirchen and marshalling yard and defended positions at Mayen; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, escort bombers, bomb bridges, and support the US 7th Armored Division.

76 RAF Mosquitos to Kassel and 4 to Mainz, 23 RCM sorties, 9 Mosquito patrols, 2 Hudsons on Resistance operations. 1 Mosquito lost from the Kassel raid.

Italian campaign

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 170 B-17s bomb the Lobau and Schweehat oil refineries at Vienna, Austria; 131 P-51s and P-38s provide support. 43 P-38s bomb an oil refinery at Fiume, Italy. Other fighters escort reconnaissance missions and accompany supply-dropping operations to Yugoslavia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather restricts operations during the night of 21/22 Jan to armed reconnaissance by 5 A-20s; the A-20s bomb communications targets in the Po Valley. During the day B-25s hit bridges at Rovereto and Lavis, destroy a bridge at Pontetidone, and blast a railroad fill at San Michele all' Adige, and supply dump at Cremona; fighters and fighter-bombers concentrate on communications in the same area as the medium bombers, destroying 1 bridge, inflicting 36 rail cuts, hitting fuel and ammunition dumps, and destroying and damaging many vehicles and much railroad rolling stock, mostly in Milan area.

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine 'U-1199' sunk off the Scilly Isles in position 49.57N, 05.42W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS 'Icarus' and the British corvette HMS 'Mignonette'. 48 dead and 1 survivor.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Clark (DD-361) underway off the U.S. East Coast on 21 January 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 30 B-24s pound the Hong Kong area; 12 P-51s hit Nanking Airfield (claiming 11 enemy aircraft destroyed) and targets of opportunity along the Yangtze River to Hankow; 30 P-51s and P-40s on armed reconnaissance hit targets of opportunity at several locations; 12 of the fighter-bombers concentrate on the Wanting area.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 10 B-25s bomb Heho Airfield; 12 P-38s bomb the bridge area at Nampawng; 26 P-47s support ground forces near Twinnge, Mahlainggon, and Konkha along the Irrawaddy River, and in the Si-U sector; 50+ P-38s and P-47s hit troop concentrations, supplies, and targets of opportunity at Me-han, Mogok, Hsenwi, Na-makhkaw, Kutkai, Kunhkan, and Man On. Nearly 500 transports sorties are flown to forward areas. Units moving to Myitkyina, Burma: 90th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, from Tingkawk, Burma with P-47s; 115th Liaison Squadron, Tenth AF [attached to 1st Liaison Group (Provisional)], from Ledo, India with L-1s and L-5s.

BURMA

There are British landings at the northern tip of Ramree Island. The British 4th and 71st Indian Brigades are put ashore. The battleship, Queen Elizabeth, and an escort carrier are in support but there is little resistance. On the mainland, Monywa on the Chindwin River, is taken by 20th Indian Division (part of British 33rd Corps).

Photo: Troops cleaning their weapons on board a ship, part of the invasion force on its way to Ramree island, 21 January 1945



Photo: Troops scramble down nets from their ship to a landing craft at the start of the invasion of Ramree Island, 21 January 1945



Photo: British troops in a landing craft make their way ashore on Ramree Island, 21 January 1945



Photo: Troops landing ashore on Ramree Island, 21 January 1945



Photo: African troops bringing supplies ashore on Ramree Island, 21 January 1945



GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 12 Guam based B-24s bomb airfields on Iwo Jima; during the night of 21/22 Jan, 8 more, flying separate snooper strikes from Saipan, pound the airfields.

MARIANA ISLANDS

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 21: 30 of 33 B-29s, flying out of the Mariana , bomb Moen Airfield in Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s bomb Marikina Airfield and hit barracks and coastal defense guns at Calabasan. B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers fly sweeps, small strikes, and armed reconnaissance attacks on airfields, road networks, bridges, gun positions, numerous vehicles, and other targets of opportunity throughout C and S Luzon. HQ 22d BG and the 33d Bombardment Squadron move from Angaur Airfield to Guiuan Airfield with B-24s.

FORMOSA

TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) attacks Japanese shipping and airfields on Formosa, and in the Pescadores, as well as in Sakashima Gunto and on Okinawa in the Ryukyus. Japanese planes make concerted counterattacks on the task force ships; kamikazes damage carrier Ticonderoga (CV-14), 22°40'N, 122°57'E and destroyer Maddox (DD-731), 23°06'N, 122°43'E; small carrier Langley (CVL-27) is damaged by bomb, 22°40'N, 122°51'E. Accidental explosion of bombs carried by TBM (VT 7) damages carrier Hancock (CV-19), 22°40'N, 122°30'E.

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) is hit by a Japanese kamikaze on 21 January 1945



Photo: the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) afire after she was hit by a "Kamikaze" attack off Formosa, 21 January 1945



Photo: Smoke pours out a hole in the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) after a hit by a Japanese kamikaze, 21 January 1945



TF 38 planes sink fleet tankers Eiho Maru and Manjo Maru; cargo ship Kuroshio Maru; army cargo ships Enoura Maru, Asaka Maru and 2 Nichiyo Maru and Teifu Maru; army tankers Shincho Maru and 3 Hoei Maru and 5 Hoei Maru, and Yamazawa Maru; fishing boat Brunei Maru; cargo vessels Daijo Maru and Yayoi Maru; and damage destroyers Kashi and Sugi, landing ships T.114 and T.143, merchant cargo ship Yulin Maru and water supply vessel Nikko Maru off Takao, Formosa; planes from carrier Yorktown (CV-10) and small carrier Cabot (CVL-28) sink merchant tanker Munakata Maru at Keelung; TF 38 planes damage destroyer Harukaze off Mako.

Photo: Coastal freighters off Formosa under attack by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft, 21 January 1945. The aircraft were assigned to Carrier Air Group 81 (CVG-81) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) from November 1944 to January 1945. The location given is "Suo Bay", which may be Su'ao, Taiwan



Photo: A Japanese tanker in the harbour Toshien (Zuoying), Formosa, of under attack by U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avengers of Torpedo Squadron 81 (VT-81) "The Uninvited", 21 January 1945. VT-81 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 81 (CVG-81) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) from November 1944 to January 1945



PHILIPPINES CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the US 40th Division takes Tarlac and pushes south toward Clark Field.

Photo: USS LST-462 beached in the background as medium tanks splash off USS LST-552 on White Beach, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 21 January 1945



Photo: American soldiers fire from peak of hill south of -illegible-, Luzon, P.I., on Jap positions in the background. 21 January, 1945



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 239, JANUARY 21, 1945

Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, bombed installations on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos on January 18 ( West Longitude Date). Three enemy fighters rose to intercept our aircraft and one was shot down.

On the same date Army Liberators bombed harbor installations at Chichi Jima in the Bonins starting fires in barracks and warehouse areas.

On January 19 carrier aircraft of the Pacific Fleet shot down 16 enemy planes which were attempting to fly from Formosa to Luzon.

Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed and strafed bar­racks areas and a radio station on Wake Island on January 19. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.

Single Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Matsuwa and Onekotan Islands south of Paramushiru in the Kuriles on January 20.

Neutralizing raids on enemy held bases in the Marshalls were continued by planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing on January 19.

PACIFIC

USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force) sink Japanese salvage vessel Haruta Maru at Hong Kong, 22°20'N, 114°10'E.

Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Zuiun Maru, 33°33'N, 129°33'E;

Japanese army cargo ship Shoshin Maru is sunk by gunfire, 23°48'N, 125°16'E.

Landing craft LCT-253 founders and sinks in heavy weather en route to Tarawa.

Day 1961 of World War II, January 23rd 1945

Eastern Front

As well as the continuing attacks in Poland and East Prussia, there is a new advance from around Miskolc by the 2nd Ukrainian Front (Malinovsky) with both Soviet and Rumanian troops involved.

Western Front (1945) - Battle of the Bulge

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, January 23rd 1945



St. Vith falls to the attack of tank units from US 18th Corps. The German forces are falling back over the River Our from throughout the Ardennes salient but are losing heavily to Allied air attacks.

Photo: A patrol from No. 8 Platoon, 'C' Company, 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles advances cautiously through the snow, near Castel Bolognese, 23 January 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 807: 209 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Neuss, Germany (169); 12 others hit the Neuss Bridge; the attacks are made using Gee-H and Micro H; 1 B-17 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 95 damaged; 5 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is provided by 74 of 79 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair. Other operations are: 1. 68 of 75 P-51s fly a sweep over the Neuss area; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft without loss. 2. 16 of 17 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. Mission 808: 5 B-24s drop leaflet in the Netherlands during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, a small B-26 force hits troop concentrations, a road bridge, and military transport targets at Blankenheim, Dasburg, and Arzfeld. Fighters fly armed reconnaissance, alert flights, and patrols, and support the US III, VIII, and XII Corps and 4th, 94th, and 95th Infantry Divisions from S of Saint-Vith, Belgium, S and E along the battleline to just W of Saarlautern, Germany.

Italian campaign

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 22/23 Jan, A-20s bomb lights, roads, and river crossings at over 50 locations in the Po Valley, hit several targets of opportunity, and attack Borgoforte and San Benedetto Po and airfields at Villafranca di Verona and Ghedi; weather cancels medium bomber operations during the day; fighter-bombers operate mainly against communications, principally railroad targets, in the Po Valley but also hit ammunition dumps, shipping, guns, vehicles, and other targets in N Italy scattered from Genoa to NE Italy.

Germany

Count Helmuth von Moltke-Kreisau, leader of the pacifist "Kreisau Circle" organization, is executed.

France

Charles Maurras, the editor of the Royalist and anti-Semitic newspaper Action Francaise, is put on trial at Lyons for collaboration.

United States

President Roosevelt embarks in heavy cruiser Quincy (CA-71) at Newport News, Virginia, on the beginning of the trip that will include his participation in ARGONAUT Conferences at Malta and Yalta.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Zellars (DD-777) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington (USA), on 23 January 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 40 P-51s and P-40s on armed reconnaissance attack targets of opportunity (mainly river, road, and rail traffic) at several locations in both S China and in the N China plain, including the Wanting, Suchow and Yuankiang areas, the lower Tungting Lake region, points between Kiaotow and Kweiyi, and points as far N as Peking.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s bomb airfields at Aungban and Hsumhsai; 34 P-47s support ground forces near Namhkam and along the Irrawaddy River in the the Twinnge and Bahe areas; 55 P-47s and P-38s hit troop concentrations, storage areas and vehicles at Kawngwang, Sati, Kyaukme, Wengnan, Hko-lawng, Lothke, and Panglaw. Transports fly 542 sorties, carrying men and supplies to advanced bases and drop supplies to troops in frontline areas. In Burma, the 88th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, moves from Shingbwiyang to Myitkyina with P-47s. The detachment of the 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, operating from Arakan, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s, returns to base at Asansol, India.

INDIA

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 22: 73 B-29s of the XXI Bomber Command are dispatched to bomb the Mitsubishi engine plant at Nagoya; 28 hit the primary and 27 hit the secondary target, the urban area of the city; 9 bomb other alternates and targets of opportunity; an estimated 600+ fighters offer heavy and aggressive opposition; the AAF claims 33-22-40 Japanese aircraft; 2 B-29s are lost.

BURMA

Myinmu is taken the by 20th Indian Division. This division and the other British 33rd Corps units, which have crossed the Irrawaddy north of Mandalay, attract significant Japanese counterattacks because of the threat posed to Mandalay. This is exactly what General Slim, commanding British 14th Army, has hoped for while British 4th Corps prepares the real advance further south.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 12 B-24s from Saipan bomb Iwo Jima airfields. 3 from Guam fly armed reconnaissance over Woleai, 2 of them bombing the main runway on the island. During the night of 23/24 Jan, 10 B-24s from Saipan strike Iwo Jima singly at about 45-minute intervals.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

During the night of 22/23 Jan, B-24s again hit Formosa in force, bombing an aluminum factory at Takao. In the day's principal missions against Luzon. B-24s bomb Baguio and, along with A-20s, hit Corregidor; other A-20s attack Aparri Airfield while fighter-bombers hit a bridge at Digdig, luggers S of Alcala, guns on Grande at the mouth of Subic Bay, a bridge over the Magata River, and the base at Camp John Hay. B-24s hit Silay Airfield.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Elements of US 14th Corps take Bamban in their continuing southward attacks and almost reach Clark Field.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile , 1 B-24 flies a reconnaissance sortie along Onnekotan -Matsuwa E coasts; 4 B-24s strike the Kakumabetsu cannery and targets on Paramushiru ; 8 to 10 fighters intercept and the B-24s claim 2 victories; 1 B-24 is lost.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 241, JANUARY 23, 1945

On January 21 (West Longitude Date) a strong force of carrier aircraft of the Pacific Fleet attacked Okinawa in the Ryukyus. Reports of damage in­flicted are not yet available.

PACIFIC

Destroyer escort Conklin (DE-439), supported by sisterships Corbesier (DE-438) and Raby (DE-698) sinks Japanese submarine I 48 (fresh from her unsuccessful kaiten mission to Ulithi), 25 miles off Yap, 09°45'N, 138°20'E.

Submarine Barb (SS-220) enters Namkwan harbor, China, and despite her claim that she sinks three ships, "probably" sinks a fourth, and damages two more, she actually destroys only a single vessel, merchant cargo ship Taikyo Maru, 27°04'N, 120°27'E.

Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) delivers supplies to east coast of Mindanao.

Submarine Sennet (SS-408) sinks Japanese guardboat No.7 Kainan Maru in Hangchow Bay, China, 30°00'N, 120°16'E.

Mines laid by RAF Liberators the previous day sink Japanese merchant tanker No.1 Hozan Maru and cargo ship Nikkaku Maru south of Sembilan Island Sumatra, 04°08'N, 98°15'E.