World War II in real time

Day 1980 of World War II, February 11th 1945

Eastern Front

Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front begin to break out of their bridgehead over the Oder River, near Steinau, and attack west and north threatening Glogau. Other units will turn south to help surround Breslau. Leignitz is also attacked.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



Elements of the Canadian 1st Army capture Cleve in the advance toward the Rhine. Farther south, elements of the US 8th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) capture the important road junction at Prum.

Photo: Churchill tank of 6th Guards Tank Brigade and infantry of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders in Kleve, 11 February 1945



Photo: Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Tank Brigade and infantry of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders in Kleve, 11 February 1945



Photo: Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Tank Brigade and infantry of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders in Kleve, 11 February 1945



Photo: Archer 17-pdr self-propelled gun in the flooded streets of Kranenburg, 11 February 1945



Photo: Infantry of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders clearing snipers in Kleve, 11 February 1945



Photo: Infantry of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders searching German prisoners in Kleve, 11 February 1945



Air War over Europe

The flight of the 112th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to HQ Command, SHAFE), operating from Namur, Belgium with UC-78s and L-5s, returns to base at Buc, France.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 827: In Germany, 124 of 127 B-24s attack the Dulmen oil depot using Micro H; 1 B-24 hits the Lochern road junction using H2X; no losses. Escorting are 50 of 51 P-51s without loss. Other fighter missions are: 1. 48 of 51 P-51s hit the Celle/Uelzen railroad without loss. 2. 183 of 192 P-51s make a sweep over NW Germany; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 7 of 11 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany without loss. 4. 8 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 97 B-26s and A-20s bomb the Bingen and Modrath marshalling yards; fighters fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, attack special targets and targets of opportunity, and attack in cooperation with the US XII Corps across the Sauer River NW of Echternach, Luxembourg.

Italian campaign

(US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations to B-24 supply mission to Yugoslavia during the night of 10/11 Feb and to P-38 reconnaissance missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20s on night intruder missions attack enemy movement and lights at various points in N Italy, hit bridges in the Po Valley, and attack frontline positions in the N Apennines; weather grounds the medium bombers but fighters and fighter-bombers blast railroad bridges and lines in the NE and C Po Valley and stores and supply dumps in the C and W Po River areas.

Soviet Union

The Yalta Conference ends. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin and their senior military and political advisors meet to discuss the postwar order and the war with Japan. It is agreed that the USSR will join the war against Japan within two months of the end of the war in Europe. In return, the Soviet Union will be granted the Japanese part of Sakhalin Island and the Kurile Islands. Also, the postwar borders of Poland are established, as is the division of Germany into occupation zones. There are vague Soviet assurances concerning "free" and "democratic" elections in eastern European countries liberated by the USSR. In addition, there is discussion of a United Nations Organization and there is agreement on a preliminary meeting to create the institution, in April in San Francisco.

Germany

The entire German gold reserve (about 100 tons) is transported from Berlin to a salt mine near Eisenach.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 17 B-25s hit railroad yards at Sinyang and Lohochai and a locomotive foundry at Hsuchang; 23 P-47s pound Hankow Airfield; 8 fighters hit Anyang Airfield and Pinghan railroad targets of opportunity; B-24s claim 2 cargo vessels sunk in the S China Sea.

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 36: 56 of 59 B-29s bomb storage dumps around Rangoon; they claim 0-0-3 Japanese aircraft; no B-29s are lost; the mission is flown in conjunction with B-24s of the Eastern Air Command's Strategic AF which also hit the target.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 11 B-25s bomb troops and supplies at Loilem; 22 P-47s support ground forces in the Mongmit area, hitting buildings at Nabu and Japanese positions S of Myitson; 100+ fighter-bombers pound troop concentrations, supplies, ammunition dumps, gun positions, and targets of opportunity at several locations including Pangsang, Taung-gaing, Panghsapye, Nampok, Byaungbyan, Manai, Kutkai, Mongmit, Namun, and Pangmakhe-leng. Transports complete 503 sorties to forward bases and over frontline areas (dropping supplies).

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 21 B-24s from Saipan operating in 2 separate forces, bomb airfields and defenses on Iwo Jima; 3 others, on armed reconnaissance, bomb Marcus. 25 B-24s based on Angaur Airfield bomb Corregidor. During the night of 11/12 Feb, 10 B-24s from Saipan fly individual harassment strikes against Iwo Jima.

MARIANA ISLANDS

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 30: 9 B-29s from the Mariana carry out a reconnaissance mission for the US Navy; 1 returns early; the area covers 135-OOE to 148-OOE to 30-OON.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

B-24s attack Corregidor almost continuously throughout the day; fighter-bombers support ground forces blasting numerous targets from Cauringan to Taytay and at Wawa, Montalban, Antipolo, and Marikina. B-24s fly a light strike against Bago on Negros . The 388th and 389th Bombardment Squadrons, 312th BG, move from San Jose to Mangaldan with A-20s.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): Of 7 B-24s off on an air cover mission for a naval task force, only 3 reach the target.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 255, FEBRUARY 11, 1945

Marine Mitchells of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, made rocket attacks on a medium size tanker and a large cargo ship north of Iwo Jima in the Volcanos in the early morning hours of February 10 (East Longi­tude Date). Explosions were observed aboard both ships. Our aircraft were opposed by night fighters and by intense antiaircraft fire.

Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force bombed Haha Jima in the Bonins on February 10 through intense antiaircraft fire; results were un­observed. One of our aircraft was shot down over the target.

Shore installations on Babelthuap in the Palaus were attacked by fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing on February 10.

On the same date Marine fighters strafed targets on Rota in the Marianas.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA PRESS RELEASE NO. 5, FEBRUARY 11, 1945

Vice Admiral George D. Murray, USN, Commander Air Forces, Pacific Fleet, has revealed that during Pacific Fleet Carrier operations from June 11 to October 30, 1944, Japanese aircraft losses in aerial combat were 2472 against 123 of our own, a ratio of approximately 20 to 1.

Admiral Murray attributed this ratio to a combination of the Navy's superior pilot training program and of our sturdy and well‑designed aircraft.

The period of operations includes the First and Second Battles of the Philippines Sea, the air assault on the Bonin Islands, the Palau invasion, and the Leyte phase of the Philippines invasion during which carrier aircraft were pitted against Japanese land‑based air power operating from scores of air strips on the Nansei Shoto, Formosa and the Philippines.

These figures are solely those of aerial combat‑plane against plane in the air. They do not include planes shot down by antiaircraft fire.

Included in the total of 123 planes lost by our forces are aircraft which were able to return to the vicinity of our forces or bases, and even were landed aboard our aircraft carriers, but which were so badly damaged they were junked. The enemy total of 2472 includes only those aircraft confirmed to have been seen crashing, or to have been abandoned by pilot and crew.

Of the 123 planes lost by our forces, a substantial number of the pilots were rescued.

The totals of 2472 Jap planes lost against 123 of our own includes all types of planes, including both fighters and bombers.

"This highly favorable score can be attributed to a combination of the superior naval pilot training program and our sturdy and well‑designed air­craft," Admiral Murray said.

"Despite the difficulties inherent in mass training of large numbers of students, there has been no deterioration of quality. Our young men gaining their Naval Aviator's wings today take their place among the best in the world."

PACIFIC

TF 92 (Rear Admiral John F. McCrea), comprising three light cruisers and seven destroyers, arrives off Matsuwa Island Kurils, to conduct bombardment, but encounters heavy weather that would make high-speed retirement impossible; the operation is accordingly cancelled and the ships return to Attu on 14 February.

Marianas-based USAAF B-29s carry out extended search missions to look for Japanese guardboats in the path of TF 58 as it steams toward Japan, augmented by Tinian- based PB4Ys and planes from the carriers. These searches will be repeated on 12 and 14 February.

Tank landing ship LST-577, torpedoed by Japanese submarine RO 50 while in a reinforcement convoy proceeding from Hollandia to Leyte, 08°05'N, 126°17'E, is scuttled by destroyer Isherwood (DD-520). RO 50 is damaged by gunfire in the encounter with U.S. ships.

Fleet tug Takelma (ATF-113) is damaged by collision east of Leyte, P.I., 10°50'N, 125°25'E.

Submarine Batfish (SS-310) sinks Japanese submarine RO 112 off Camiguin, P.I., 18°53'N, 121°50'E.

Submarine Burrfish (SS-312) is damaged by depth charges and aerial bombs off Bonins, 27°51'N, 141°55'N, but remains on patrol.

Japanese escort destroyer Miyake is damaged by aircraft, 19°08'N, 108°15'E.

Japanese fast transport T.13 is damaged by aircraft, Bonins.

USAAF aircraft sink Japanese cargo vessel Shoto Maru, Saigon, French Indochina.

Day 1982 of World War II, February 13th 1945

Eastern Front

After a battle lasting for almost two months, the garrison of Budapest surrenders to 2nd Ukrainian Front (Malinovsky). Over 100,000 German prisoners have been taken in the city. The Soviet advance from the Oder River to the Neisse River begins to gain momentum despite desperate German efforts. Bunzlau on the Bober River is captured by Soviet forces.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



Forces of the British 2nd Army clear the last of the German units from the Reichswald Forest region on the right flank of British 21st Army Group.

Photo: Private A. Rees of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, 15th (Scottish) Division, cleaning his rifle in a bomb-damaged building in Kleve, Germany, 13 February 1945



Air War over Europe

The Air Ministry had, for several months, been considering a series of particularly heavy area raids on German cities with a view to causing such confusion and consternation that the hard-stretched German war machine and civil administration would break down and the war would end. The general name given to this plan was Operation Thunderclap, but it had been decided not to implement it until the military situation in Germany was critical. That moment appeared to be at hand. Russian forces had made a rapid advance across Poland in the second half of January and crossed the eastern frontier of Germany. The Germans were thus fighting hard inside their own territory on two fronts, with the situation in the East being particularly critical. It was considered that Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz - all just behind the German lines on the Eastern Front now - would be suitable targets. They were all vital communications and supply centres for the Eastern Front and were already packed with German refugees and wounded from the areas recently captured by the Russians. As well as the morale aspect of the attacks, there was the intention of preventing the Germans from moving reinforcements from the West to face the successful Russian advance. The Air Ministry issued a directive to Bomber Command , at the end of January. The Official History. describes how Winston Churchill took a direct hand in the final planning of Operation Thunderclap - although Churchill tried to distance himself from the Dresden raid afterwards. On 4 February, at the Yalta Conference, the Russians asked for attacks of this kind to take place, but their involvement in the process only came after the plans had been issued. So, Bomber Command was specifically requested by the Air Ministry, with Churchill's encouragement to carry out heavy raids on Dresden, Chemnitz and Leipzig. The Americans were also asked to help and agreed to do so. The campaign should have begun with an American raid on Dresden on 13 February but bad weather over Europe prevented any American operations. It thus fell to Bomber Command to carry out the first raid.

Dresden: 796 RAF Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos were dispatched in two separate raids and dropped 1,478 tons of high explosive and 1,182 tons of incendiary bombs. The first attack was carried out entirely by No 5 Group, using their own low-level marking methods. A band of cloud still remained in the area and this raid, in which 244 Lancasters dropped more than 800 tons of bombs, was only moderately successful. The second raid, 3 hours later, was an all-Lancaster attack by aircraft of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups, with No 8 Group providing standard Pathfinder marking. The weather was now clear and 529 Lancasters dropped more than 1,800 tons of bombs with great accuracy. Much has been written about the fearful effects of this raid. Suffice it to say here that a firestorm, similar to the one experienced in Hamburg in July 1943, was created and large areas of the city were burnt out. No one has ever been able to discover how many people died but it is accepted that the number was greater than the 40,000 who died in the Hamburg firestorm and the Dresden figure may have exceeded 50,000.Bomber Command casualties were 6 Lancasters lost, with 2 more crashed in France and 1 in England. The first wave of British bombers attack Dresden, Germany, dropping target markers (white flares and green target indicators) and incendiaries. Nine British Mosquito bombers mark the stadium near the centre of Dresden with red target indicators. Among the witnesses to events in Dresden at the time is Kurt Vonnegut, an American POW, who will vividly describe the scene in 'Slaughterhouse Five'.

Böhlen: 368 RAF aircraft - 326 Halifaxes, 34 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups attempted to attack the Braunkohle-Benzin synthetic-oil plant at Bohlen, near Leipzig. Bad weather - 10/10ths cloud to 15,000ft with icing - was encountered and the marking and bombing were scattered. No post-raid photographic reconnaissance was carried out. 1 Halifax was lost.

71 RAF Mosquitos to Magdeburg, 16 to Bonn, 8 each to Misburg and Nuremberg and 6 to Dortmund, 65 RCM sorties, 59 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

HQ 435th Troop Carrier Group moves from Welford Park, England to Bretigny, France.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 829: 9 B-24s drop leaflet in the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

In France, HQ 97th Combat Bombardment Wing (Light) moves from Voisenon to Marchais; the 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF, based at Amand with F-5s, sends a flight to operate from Gosselies, Belgium (another flight is operating from Jarny); and the 405th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group, moves from Tantonville to Metz with P-47s. The 155th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), moves from St Dizier, France to Le Culot, Belgium with A-20s and F-3s.

Italian campaign

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In the Vienna area of Austria, 640+ B-17s and B-24s with fighter support hit the S ordnance depot, S and SE goods yards and depot, C repair shops, and Matzleinsdorf marshalling yard, and the marshalling yards at Graz, Austria; Sarvar, Hungary; and in Yugoslavia, 2 at Zagreb and 2 at Maribor, the Pula harbor, the Maribor locomotive depot and rolling stock repair shops, and several targets of opportunity. P-38s and P-51s carry out reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 12/13 Feb, A-20s attack enemy movement in the C and NC Po Valley; medium bombers hit bridges at Calcinato, Dogna, and Chiusaforte and the bridge approach at Lavis; fighter-bombers fly nearly 350 sorties against enemy communications in N Italy including marshalling yards at Verona, Parma, and Vicenza.

Photo: A 5.5-inch gun and tractor of heads to a new firing position near San Clemente, 13 February 1945



Battle of the Indian Ocean

Frigate Corpus Christi (PF-44) rescues 102 survivors of U.S. freighter Peter Silvester, sunk on 6 February 1945 in the Indian Ocean by German submarine U-862.

Germany

The OKL issues orders including reducing the supplies of aviation fuel to aircraft training units in order to save fuel for frontline fighters.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, fighters sweep the railroad from Sinyang to Hsuchang, bomb the approach to a Hsuchang bridge, and strafe Sinyang and Ichang Airfields; B-25s bomb a foundry at Hsuchang

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, troop concentrations, supply areas, and targets of opportunity are pounded by 70 fighter-bombers at several locations including Kongpaw, Namtu, Kyao-hpak, Laihka, Kon-wet, Mong Pa, Hkom-nio, and Naung-lang; 19 fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Mongmit-Myitson area; 16 fighter-bombers knock out the approach to the main bridge and damage the bypass bridge at Hay-ti. 477 air supply sorties are flown by transports throughout the day. In India, the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons (Commando) move from Kalaikunda to Cox's Bazar with P-51s.

BURMA

The British 20th Indian Division establishes a solid bridgehead over the Irrawaddy River despite Japanese counterattacks.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 25 B-24s from Saipan fly two strikes against Iwo Jima, while 10 others hit Haha Jima ; during the night of 13/14 Feb, 5 B-24s, flying individual harassment strikes, bomb Iwo Jima at intervals over an 8-hour period.

Photo: The U.S. Navy seaplane tender USS Hamlin (AV-15) at anchor in Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, on 13 February 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 8Ax



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

US Navy forces begin operations in Manila Bay, clearing minefields and shelling landing grounds. Corregidor is bombarded. In the ground fighting, the US 11th Airborne Division takes Cavite and completes the capture of Nichols Field.

Photo: Trucks and equipment of the US Army 1978th Engineering Aviation Battalion roll off of USS LST-24 after landing at Luzon, Island, Philippines, 13 February 1945



B-24s continue to pound Corregidor as a large segment of B-24s attack the main coastal guns and score direct hits on several batteries; B-24s bomb Mariveles on Bataan Peninsula while A-20s and P-47s bomb and strafe targets of opportunity throughout the S part of Bataan Peninsula; B-25s and fighters attack small shipping during sweeps of E and N coasts. B-25s, with fighter support, hit Kagi Airfield on Formosa. HQ 345th BG (Medium), moves from Tacloban to San Marcelino. The 339th Fighter Squadron, 347th FG, based on Middelburg with P-38s, begins operating from Morotai.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 576, FEBRUARY 13, 1945

Pacific Area.

1. The escort carrier USS Ommaney Bay and the minesweeper USS Long have been lost in the Philippine Area as the result of enemy action.

2. The next of kin of casualties have been informed.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 257, FEBRUARY 13, 1945

Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, bombed airfield installations and antiaircraft positions on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos on February 12 (East Longitude Date).

On the same date bombers of the same force struck at Naval installations on Chichi Jima and at Me! Jima in the Haha Jima Group in the Bonins. Re­sults were unobserved.

Fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing destroyed one building and damaged another on Babelthuap in the Palaus on February 12. Marine fighters and torpedo bombers struck dock installations on Yap in the Western Carolines on the same date.

PACIFIC

Although submarine Sennet (SS-408) is damaged by gunfire of Japanese guardboat [No.8 Kotoshiro Maru or No.3 Showa Maru], south of Japan, she administers the coup de grace to No.8 Kotoshiro Maru after the enemy patrol craft had already been damaged by Lagarto (SS-371) and Haddock (SS-231), 30°00'N, 136°30'E. Haddock then sinks No.3 Showa Maru, which had already been damaged by Lagarto and Sennet, 30°00'N, 136°30'E.

Submarine Batfish (SS-310) sinks Japanese submarine RO 113 off Babuyan Islands, P.I., 19°10'N, 121°23'E.

RAAF Liberator sinks Japanese motor sailship No.24 Sakura Maru in Lesser Sundas.

Day 1984 of World War II, February 15th 1945

Eastern Front

Force of the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) surround Breslau, to the west of the Oder River. During the evening, the German 3rd Panzer Army, part of Army Group Vistula, begins a counterattack from Stargard, near Stettin, against the right flank of the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front. General Wenck, is supervising the German attack at the headquarters of Reichsfuhrer SS Himmler -- nominally commanding the German army group.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



Air War over Europe

In France, HQ 371st Fighter Group and the 404th and 406th Fighter Squadrons move from Tantonville to Metz with P-47s; and the 671st Bombardment Squadron (Light), 416th Bombardment Group (Light), moves from Melun to Athies Airfield, Laon with A-26s.

37 RAF Lancasters and 18 Halifaxes minelaying in Oslo Fjord and the Kattegat, 2 RCM sorties, 6 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito fighter crashed in France.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 832: 1,131 bombers and 510 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany; with some exceptions, all attacks are made using H2X radar; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 bombers and 1 P-51 are lost 1. 459 B-17s are sent to hit oil targets at Bohlen; 435 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Cottbus; targets of opportunity are Dresden (1), Quackenbruck (1) and other (2); 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 34 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 9 MIA. 153 of 173 P-51s escort; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 3 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 2. 224 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil targets at Ruhland; 210 hit the secondary, Dresden; targets of opportunity are Lingen (1) and the Ems-Weser Canal (1); 4 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged; 7 airmen are KIA and 8 WIA. Escorting are 141 of 158 P-51s; 1 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 353 of 372 B-24s hit the Magdeburg synthetic oil plant; 1 B-24 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 32 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA and 3 MIA. The escort is 110 of 120 P-51s. 4. 58 of 76 B-17s hit a target of last resort, the Rheine marshalling yard; 13 others hit Munster, a target of opportunity. Escorting are 27 P-47s. 5. 4 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany. 6. 25 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission.

Graphic: Graphical representation of the four waves of bombers that attack Dresden during 13, 14, and 15 february 1945. First and second wave: night bomber Avro Lancaster 243+529 (772). Target: City area. Third and fourth wave: day bomber Boing B-17 Flying Fortress (316, 211). Total= 1299. Target: Marshalling yards. This representation does not show the real strategig spatial repartition, only the number of bombers in each of the four waves



(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, around 90 B-26s bomb Sinzig and Mayen rail bridges and 4 targets of opportunity in the area; fighters patrol points along the battlefront, attack railroads and other special targets, fly armed reconnaissance and support the US VII, VIII, XII, and XX Corps along the Roer and Prum Rivers and in the Saar River bridgehead area.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 650+ B-24s and B-17s bomb 5 station freight yards, SE goods depot, Korneuburg oil refinery, and Vienna/Floridsdorf, Matzleinsdorf, and Penzing marshalling yards all in the Vienna area, plus marshalling yards at Klagenfurt, Wiener-Neustadt and Graz, the Graz ordnance depot, shipyards in Fiume, Italy and scattered targets of opportunity are also hit; fighters escort the bombers and fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort missions.

Italian campaign

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers bomb the Spilimbergo ammunition dumps through an overcast, but are forced by the bad weather to cancel all other operations; fighter-bombers, limited by weather, concentrate on railway targets in NE and W Po Valley.

Military operations, Norway (1945)

German submarine 'U-1053' destroyed by diving too deeply off Bergen.

Greece

Photo: The Archbishop Regent Damaskinos of Greece with his Services Advisers: Army, Lieutenant Colonel K Vassilikopoulos; Navy, Lieutenant Commander S Boudouris; and Air, Wing Commander B Angelopoulos, in Athens, 15 February 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 15 fighter-bombers attack railroad targets at Saiping, in the Hankow area, N of Sinantien, between Hsuchang and Loyang, and along the Yangtze River from Wuhu to Hankow; the 27th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Yunnani to Chengkung with C-47s; the 528th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, based at Shwangliu with P-51s, sends a detachment to operate from Hsian.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s hit buildings, troops, and other targets of opportunity during a sweep from Lashio to Loilem and along the road E and W from Loilem; 20 P-47s fly close support strikes in the Mongmit-Myitson area; a bridge at Hay-ti is knocked out by 6 P-47s; 56 P-47s attack troops, town areas, and supplies at Paukmyaing, Nam-hpuktok, Namtoi, and Namhu-tau and 8 P-47s hit the Li-lu ferry area. Large-scale transport operations continue; 511 sorties are flown to forward areas.

VI Air Service Area Command: The 311th Troop Carrier Squadron, VI Air Service Area Command, moves from Kahuku to Bellows Field with C-47s.

SAIPAN

Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s from Saipan in two separate strikes, bomb Iwo Jima airfields and AA defenses; 12 others hit the airfield on Chichi Jima; 4 B-24s from Guam, escorting photo aircraft bomb airfields on Param and Moen; 5 B-24s fly night harassment raids against Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima
USN - The first carrier plane strikes take place on Tokyo. The pre-invasion offensive begins on Iwo Jima. Lost on a training flight is SBD-5 piloted by Battenfield.

MARIANA ISLANDS

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 34: 117 B-29s from the Mariana are dispatched to hit the Mitsubishi aircraft engine works at Nagoya, Japan; 33 hit the primary; 68 hit targets of last resort and targets of opportunity, 54 of them bombing Hamamatsu; they claim 7-8-23 Japanese aircraft; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-25s attack bridges in the S part of Formosa.  The 68th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Biak , New Guinea to Tanauan, Leyte with C-46s.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

A regiment from US 11th Corps is landed at the southern tip of Bataan on Luzon to help in the operations of the remainder of the corps. The fighting in Manila continues.

Photo: Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey, USN speaks to another ship via electric megaphone (or loud hailer) from the bridge of his flagship, the light cruiser USS Phoenix (CL-46), during the pre-landing bombardment of Corregidor, 15 February 1945



YouTube (US Army 38th Division Soldiers Land at Mariveles Philippine Islands WW2 Footage Feb 15 1945)



B-24s again blast Corregidor with A-20s and fighter-bombers bombing and strafing its few remaining gun positions; fighter-bombers hit Caballo and fighter-bombers, B-25s, and A-20s hit Bataan Peninsula all day; also hit are troops and gun positions in the Ft William McKinley area and airfields at Tuguegarao and Echague.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 259, FEBRUARY 15, 1945

Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher in command of a powerful task force of the Pacific Fleet is now attacking enemy aircraft, air bases and other military targets in and around Tokyo.

This operation has long been planned and the opportunity to accomplish it fulfills the deeply cherished desire of every officer and man in the Pacific Fleet.

Surface units of the Pacific Fleet are bombarding Iwo Jima. Aircraft of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, are bombing Iwo Jima and nearby positions in the Bonins.

The fleet forces are under the tactical command of Admiral R. A. Spruance, Commander Fifth Fleet.

PACIFIC

TG 78.3 (Rear Admiral Arthur D. Struble) lands army forces (151st Infantry RCT and 3d Battalion, 34th RCT) in the Mariveles Harbor area of Bataan Peninsula, Luzon; the troops encounter only light opposition andquickly secure the town and the nearby airfield. Medium landing ship LSM-169 is damaged by mine off Mariveles; motor minesweeper YMS-46 is damaged by shore battery, 14°23'N, 120°36'E.
TF 58 planes sink Japanese guardboats No.3 Choyo Maru and No.2 Santoku Maru off southern Japan, 30°00''N, 141°00'E, and 30°00'N, 143°00'E, respectively.

Aircraft damage Japanese fast transport T.16 off Iwo Jima.

Japanese auxiliary minesweeper No.3 Taihei Maru is damaged by aircraft off Yonaguni Island.

Day 1986 of World War II, February 17th 1945

YouTube (German Counterattack in Pomerania)



Eastern Front

On the Russian front, the German garrison of Koenigsberg is ordered to begin attacking to the west. The German 6th SS Panzer Army counterattacking 7th Guards Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front around Hron bridgehead and the German 11th SS Panzer Army is counterattacking Soviet 1st Belorussian Front around Stargard while the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front is heavily engaged along the Bobr River.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



In the north, Canadian 1st Army troops have reached the Rhine along a 10-mile front and are attacking Goch and Hassum. Farther south, there are new attacks by US 12th and 20th Corps, of US 3rd Army, from Luxembourg and around Saarlouis. US 7th Army begins the second phase of a limited offensive to straighten and shorten the front, attacking around Saarbruecken, Kerbach, Behren, Lixing, Grosbliederstroff, and Auersmacher.

Photo: Sherman tanks of 4/7th Dragoon Guards, 8th Armoured Brigade move up to support the attack on Goch, Germany, 17 February 1945



Photo: Sherman tanks of 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) with infantry of the Royal Regiment of Canada massing in preparation for the assault on Goch, 17 February 1945



Photo: A universal carrier and Humber scout car with infantry of 43rd (Wessex) Division during the advance on Goch, 17 February 1945



Air War over Europe

The 862d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 493d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (attached to 3d Air Division), moves from Debach to Wormingford, England and begins flying weather reconnaissance missions with B-17s and P-51s.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 834: 895 bombers and 183 fighters are dispatched to hit synthetic oil plants in Germany and the Frankfurt marshalling yard; deteriorating weather forces the recall of 261 B-17s and 288 B-24s; the weather was so bad that some aircraft controls froze and several had to jettison their bombs during assembly; 3 B-17s and 2 of the recalled B-24 force are lost in addition to 1 P-51. 346 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Frankfurt (260); targets of opportunity are the Giessen marshalling yard (45), Aschaffenburg (12), Hanau (10) and other (4); 3 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost, 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair and 106 B-17s damaged; 17 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 38 MIA. The escort is 151 of 167 P-51s; 1 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 12 P-51s fly a scouting mission and 4 escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 31 B-26s strike the Mayen rail bridge and a target of opportunity at Reinfeld; fighters of the IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance; the XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) cancels operations due to bad weather.

Wesel: 298 RAF aircraft - 247 Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters, 24 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The target area was covered in cloud and the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be stopped after only 8 Halifaxes had bombed. No aircraft were lost but 3 Halifaxes crashed in England.

6 RAF Oboe Mosquitos attacked the Deschimag shipyard in Bremen but no results were seen because of ground fog. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

The damaged Italian battleship, Conte di Cavour and the unfinished Impero are sunk in Trieste harbor by British RAF attacks.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): About 500 B-17s and B-24s attack the marshalling yard, station, and benzol plant at Linz, steel works at Judenburg, tank works at Steyr and Sankt Valentin, marshalling yards at Graz, Wels, Bruck an der Mur, and Villach, Austria; plus shipyards and harbors at Fiume and Trieste, Italy, and Pula, Yugoslavia. P-38s and P-51s escort the bombers, fly reconnaissance missions, and supply drops, strafe rail lines in the Vienna-Linz, Austria area and aircraft at Ardning and Grafenstein Austria, and fly weather and photo reconnaissance.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers bomb bridges at Chiusaforte, Bressanone, Crema, and Dogna; fighters and fighter- bombers hit communications targets in the Po Valley and damage bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia, Cittadella, Calliano, Ala, and Pordenone; also bombed are guns and dumps from the S of La Spezia E to the battle area below Bologna.

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarines 'U-869' sunk off New Jersey, USA in position 39.33N, 73.02W by Hedgehogs and depth charges from the American destroyer escorts USS 'Howard D. Crow' and USS 'Koiner'. 56 dead (all hands lost).

U.S. freighter Michael J. Stone, in convoy UGS 72, is torpedoed by German submarine U-300 27 miles from Gibraltar, 35°55'N, 05°53'W. There are no casualties on board and the damaged freighter reaches her destination under her own power.

Military operations, Norway (1945)

German submarine 'U-1273' sunk in the Skagerak in Oslofjord near Horten, in position 59.24N, 10.28E, by a mine. 43 dead and 8 survivors.

German submarine 'U-1278' sunk in the North Sea north-west of Bergen, Norway in position 61.32N, 01.36E, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS 'Bayntun' and HMS 'Loch Eck'. 48 dead (all hands lost).

Arctic naval operations

German submarine 'U-425' sunk in the Barents Sea near Murmansk, Russia, in position 69.39N, 35.50E, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS 'Lark' and the corvette HMS 'Alnwick Castle'. 52 dead and 1 survivor.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy attack cargo ship USS Prentiss (AKA-102) underway on the Cooper River off Charleston, South Carolina (USA), 17 February 1945



Germany

Description: This is issue No. 752, the fourth-last Wochenschau to be ever produced. It mainly shows combat footage from both the Eastern and Western Front, aswell as some footage from German textile factories.

YouTube (German Newsweek No. 752 - 17 February 1945)



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 30 B-25s bomb Linfen and Yuncheng; a single B-25 hits railroad targets of opportunity from Hengyang to Lingling; 27 P-40s and P-51s attack animal transport, barracks, railroad targets, and the town area at Puchi; 16 P-47s hit the Hankow-Wuchang area; 37 other fighter-bombers attack railroad yards and targets of opportunity and road and river traffic near Tsinan, Changsha, and Kweiyi, and at Sinyang, Linfen, and Lung Hai.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): 14 P-47s support ground forces in the Mongmit-Myitson area; 140+ fighter-bombers strike at troop concentrations, supply points, transport, animal concentrations, tanks, and arms and ammunition stores are pounded in N Burma including at Hko-lawng, Hai-pu, Na-kyeh, Man Sang, Samlan, Hkummanmao, Mong Lang, Na-leng, Honwo, and Loi-pyek; and 10 B-25s bomb troops and supplies at Hai-hseng. 603 transport sorties are flown. The detachment of the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, operating from Chanyi, China with F-7s returns to base at Guskhara.

BURMA

The British operations in Arakan continue with successful landings at Ru-Ya, 40 miles south of Myebon. Heavy fighting continues in the area of British 33rd Corps bridgeheads over the Irrawaddy River and along the Shweli River farther north especially near Myitson.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 42 B-24s from Saipan blast defense installations and a bivouac area on Iwo Jima; 3 others, on an armed reconnaissance flight, bomb Marcus; 3 B-24s from Guam escorting a photo plane over Truk Atoll bomb Param, Uman, and Eten at Truk Lagoon. 5 B-24s from Saipan fly individual snooper strikes during the night of 17/18 Feb, against Chichi Jima. The air echelon of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron, VII Fighter Command, begins operating from Saipan with P-61s (ground echelon is enroute from Hawaii to Iwo Jima).

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 35: 8 of 9 B-29s from Saipan bomb the submarine pens on Dublon, Truk Atoll without loss.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s, with fighter support attack the airfield, railroad yard, and aluminum plant at Takao, Formosa.

JAPAN

US Task Force 58 conducts a second day of air raids. On this day the aircraft strike Tokyo and Yokohama. In two days of operations, the American planes have conducted over 2700 sorties, losing 88 aircraft. It is reported that twice as many Japanese planes are shot down. After completing the attacks, TF58 moves toward Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands.

IWO JIMA

Fire support ships, minesweeping units, and underwater demolition teams (UDT) arrive off Iwo Jima and encounter fire from shore batteries. UDT reconnaissance discloses that no underwater obstacles exist, and thatthe surf and beach conditions are suitable for landings. Infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-474 is sunk by shore battery, while supporting UDT operations. Japanese guns also account for damage to battleship Tennessee (BB-43), 24°44'N, 141°19'E; heavy cruiser Pensacola (CA-24) and destroyer Leutze (DD-481), 24°46'N, 141°19'E; as well as to infantry landing craft (gunboats) LCI(G)-346, LCI(G)-348, LCI(G)-438, LCI(G)-441, LCI(G)-449, LCI(G)-450, LCI(G)-457, LCI(G)-466, LCI(G)-469, LCI(G)-471, and LCI(G)-473. On board the damaged LCI(G)-449, her commanding officer, Lieutenant Rufus G. Herring, although badly wounded, cons his crippled ship himself, maintaining her position in support of the unfolding UDT operations until she is able to move to safety. For his heroism, Herring is awarded the Medal of Honor.

Photo: White phosphorus rounds burst ashore on Iwo Jima as U.S. Navy destroyers prepare for an Underwater Demolition Team operation off Iwo Jima's West Beach at 1600 hrs, 17 February 1945, during the pre-invasion bombardment of the island. Note the Fletcher-class destroyer firing at right. She appears to be painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 6D. 32/6D was worn by the Fletcher-class destroyers USS Jenkins (DD-447), USS Kimberly (DD-521), USS Johnston (DD-557), USS Ross (DD-563), USS McKee (DD-575), USS Twiggs (DD-591), USS Erben (DD-631), USS John Hood (DD-655) and USS Colhoun (DD-801). Twiggs was one of the destroyers which operated inshore off Iwo Jima. The photo was taken from the battleship USS Texas (BB-35)



Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and the battleship USS Arkansas (BB-33) bombarding Iwo Jima on 17 February 1945, as seen from USS Texas (BB-35). Tuscaloosa wears Camouflage Measure 31A, Design 13D, while Arkansas wears Camouflage Measure 21. Note the Vought OS2U Kingfisher in the foreground



The weather clears and aircraft from the Jeep carriers of TG 52.2 fly 226 sorties against airfield defenses on Iwo Jima. Surface ships bombard the island and 42 Seventh Air Force B-24s bomb from 5,000 feet.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Light cruisers Phoenix (CL-46) and Boise (CL-47), along with three destroyers, provide call-fire support for continuing operations on Corregidor. Light cruiser Cleveland (CL-55) and destroyers O'Bannon (DD-450) and Taylor (DD-468) bombard the Ternate area, south shore of Manila Bay. Fleet tug Hidatsa (ATF-102) is damaged by mine in Mariveles harbor, Luzon, 14°25'N, 120°30'E.

Photo: C-47s dropping supplies to our troops on Corregidor Island, P.I., who landed the previous day. 17 February, 1945



Photo: Men of the "crack" 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment of Noemfoor and Markham Valley fame make their way over a difficult trail on Corregidor Island, Luzon, P.I. 17 Feburary, 1945



Photo: Corregidor Island, P.I., is bombed prior to amphibious landing of American troops. 17 February, 1945



On Luzon , A-20s support ground forces in the Mariveles area and hit caves and dugouts in hills W of Ft Stotsenburg; A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers attack Tuguegarao and the coastal town of San Fernando. B-24s pound Miri Airfield in Borneo. HQ 375th Troop Carrier Group moves from Biak to San Jose, Mindoro.

HAWAII

During diving operations in West Loch, Pearl Harbor, on the wreckage of tank landing ships sunk in the ammunition explosions in that area in 1944, Boatswain's Mate Second Class Owen F. P. Hammerberg risks his own life to save two fellow divers trapped while tunnelling under a wrecked LST. Although Hammerberg's efforts are successful, he suffers mortal injuries in a cave-in, to which he succumbs 18 hours later. For his heroism, Hammerberg is awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-25s provide air coverage for a naval task force en route to Paramushiru .

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 261, FEBRUARY 17, 1945

Further reports on the attacks on Tokyo by aircraft of the Fifth Fleet under Admiral R. A. Spruance on February 16 and 17 (East Longitude Dates) are unavailable.

Bombardment of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands by battleships and cruisers of the Pacific Fleet is continuing. On February 17 carrier aircraft and Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, bombed targets on the island through intense antiaircraft fire. One of our ships was damaged during the attack by shore based gunfire which was intense.

Five aircraft were strafed on the ground at Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands and eighteen small craft were strafed and an ammunition barge ex­ploded at Haha Jima in the same group on February 17. Enemy antiair­craft fire was intense over both targets. Ship's antiaircraft batteries shot down two enemy planes.

Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force bombed Marcus Island on February 16.

Fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked targets on Babel­thuap in the Palaus and on Yap in the Western Carolines on the same date.

PACIFIC

Destroyer Haynesworth (DD-700) sinks Japanese guardboat No.36 Nanshin Maru southwest of Mikimoto light and auxiliary submarine chaser Wafu Maru off Omaezaki Light.

Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.56 five miles east of Mikura Jima, central Honshu, 33°53'N, 139°43'E. Bowfin and aircraft sink guardboat No.26 Nanshin Maru southwest of Mikimoto light, 30°05'N, 135°15'E.

British submarine HMS Statesman attacks Japanese convoy off Ujong Tamiang, 04°26'N, 98°16E, sinking motor sailships No.3 Matsujima Maru and 19 Nippon Maru and 17 Nanyo Maru and No. 14 Nippon Maru.

Minesweeper Champion (AM-314) is damaged by horizontal bomber, 26°00'N, 128°00'E.

Coast Guard cutter Atalanta (WPC-102), en route to assist lighthouse tender Bramble (WAGL-389) (damaged by grounding the previous day) collides with and damages mail boat Neptune near Steamer Point Light, Aleutians. District patrol craft YP-251 escorts the damaged Neptune to Naval Section Base, Ketchikan, while Atalanta, undamaged, continues on her mission.

District patrol craft YP-94, returning from landing supplies on Chirikof Island runs aground at the southern end of Tugidak and Sitkinak Islands; rescue tug ATR-68 is dispatched from Kodiak, Alaska, to render assistance, while air-sea rescue coordination succeeds in rescuing all hands (see 23 February ).

USAAF B-24s (5th Air Force), on an antishipping sweep over the South China Sea, sink Japanese landing ship T.114 off southern coast of Formosa, 23°04'N, 120°30'E.

Japanese army cargo vessel Yamashio Maru is sunk by aircraft, Yokohama harbor.

Japanese merchant tanker No.28 Nanshin Maru is sunk by aircraft, 30°00'N, 138°30'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Daibi Maru is sunk, by aircraft, off Chichi Jima.

Japanese submarine chaser Ch 47 is damaged by aircraft, 32°45'N, 111°56'E.

Day 1988 of World War II, February 19th 1945

Eastern Front

2nd Belorussian Front attack in East Prussia stopped by the Germans. German forces re-establish communications between Königsberg and the port of Pillau, thus again enabling tens of thousands of German refugees to be evacuated to the west by ships of the Kriegsmarine. 'Unternehmen Sonnenwende' is finally suspended in the face of ever strengthening Red Army resistance.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 835: 1,135 bombers and 560 fighters are dispatched to hit oil, industrial and rail targets in Germany; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-24 and 7 P-51s are lost: 1. 196 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Osnabruck (155); 24 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Munster; 10 hit Haselunne, a target of opportunity; Micro-H and H2X are used; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 21 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escorting are 38 of 42 P-51s. 2. 291 B-24s are dispatched to hit military vehicle plants at Meschede (97) and Jungenthal (86) and the marshalling yard at Siegen (94) using Gee-H; 1 B-24 is lost and 8 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. 122 P-47s and P-51s escort. 3. 422 B-17s are sent to hit benzol plants at Bochum (99) and Gelsenkirchen (36), oil refineries at Dortmund (74) and Alm (37) using Micro H and H2X; 162 hit the secondary target, the Munster marshalling yard (162) visually; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 59 damaged; 1 airman is KIA. 91 of 96 P-51s escort; 1 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 131 of 144 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Rheine with Micro H without loss. 48 P-51s escort. 5. 68 of 82 B-17s hit the rail bridge at Wesel using Micro H; 25 B-17s are damaged. 32 of 37 P-51s escort. 6. 163 of 179 P-51s fly a fighter sweep against rail and road targets in the Hannover-Magdeburg-Brunswick area claiming 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 7. 27 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting misson; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, B-26s, A-26s, and A-20s, strike the Mechernich prime mover depot, rail bridges at Pracht, Niederscheld, and Neuwied-Irlich, the Wiesbaden ordnance depot, and 4 targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, attack railroads and bridges, fly armed reconnaissance and alerts, and cooperate with the VIII, XII, and XX Corps E of the Our River, between the Westwall and the Prum River, and in the Saar-Mosel triangle.

Wesel: 168 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a good attack with the best concentration of bombs being in the railway area. 1 Lancaster lost.

254 RAF Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of No 5 Group dispatched to Böhlen. 1 Mosquito lost. This raid was not successful, probably because the aircraft of the Master Bomber, Wing Commander EA Benjamin, was shot down by flak over the target. Post-raid reconnaissance showed that damage to the target was 'superficial'; there was no evidence to show where the main bombing fell.

82 RAF Mosquitos to Erfurt and 24 in small numbers to 6 other targets, 9 RCM sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

(US Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 18/19 Feb, 11 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy. In Austria during the day almost 500 B-24s and B-17s, escorted by about 220 P-51s and P-38s, bomb 2 marshalling yards and the S station area in Vienna, marshalling yards at Klagenfurt, Graz, and Bruck an der Mur; marshalling yards at Maribor, Yugoslavia; shipyards in Fiume, Italy; and the Pula, Yugoslavia harbor and military installations. In Austria, 51 P-51s strafe rail and river traffic and airfields between Linz and Vienna and in the Graz area; other P-51s and P-38s fly escort and reconnaissance missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): Brigadier General Edward M Morris takes command of the XII Air Force Services Command (until 1 Jan 44 designated the III Air Service Area Command). In Italy, bad weather grounds the medium bombers; fighter-bombers, some bombing by radar-control because of heavy clouds, attack-communications and dumps in the W Po Valley and NE Italy, and claim several rail line cuts in the Brenner area.

Germany

Himmler begins secret efforts to make peace.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy landing craft repair ship USS Achelous (ARL-1) steams beneath the Cooper River Bridge, Charleston, South Carolina (USA), 19 February 1945. She is painted in the Camouflage Measure 31, Design 5L. Note the large A-frame on her port side for hoisting damaged landing craft aboard for repair, and the booms stepped port and starboard for handling cargo



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 P-51s and P-40s blast rail and river traffic at Chiuchiang, Hsuchang, Lung Hai, and Tsinpu.

Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Koshun, Heito, and Takao Airfields and B-25s and fighters on sweeps attack a large number of targets of opportunity including trains, parked aircraft, buildings, and coastal vessels.

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 37: 49 of 59 B-29s bomb the Central Railroad Repair Shops at Kuala Lumpur, some bombing from only 1,000' Four other B-29s hit alternate targets, the Alor Star Airfield, and the marshalling yard at Martaban, Burma; they claim 1-0-7 Japanese aircraft; no B-29s are lost.

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 37: 150 B-29s are dispatched to hit the Musashino aircraft plant in Tokyo hoping to draw air reinforcements away from the Iwo Jima invasion; thick clouds completely cover the primary target so 119 bomb the port and urban area of Tokyo; 12 others hit targets of last resort and targets of opportunity; they claim 39-16-37 Japanese aircraft; 6 B-29s are lost.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 24 B-25s and 31 P-47s fly close support strikes in the Mongmit-Myitson area; 70+ fighter-bombers hit troop concentrations, supplies, and villages behind the battleline in C Burma. Heavy transport operations continue. The 165th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Shwebo, Burma to Asansol, India with UC-64s and L-5s.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 44 B-24s from Saipan are sent against Iwo Jima; 14 pound defense positions and bivouac and storage areas little more than an hour before elements of the American landings.
USMC - US 4th and 5th Marine Divisions make an amphibious landing on the SE coast at 0900 hours; the other 30 B-24s abort because of cloud cover, mechanical trouble, or arrival over target too late to make a bomb run. 26 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb Likanan Airfield on Mindanao . During the night of 19/20 Feb, 8 Saipan-based B-24s fly individual heckler strikes over Chichi Jima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: Major General Paul B Wurtsmith becomes Commanding General Thirteenth AF. In Formosa, B-24s bomb Koshun, Heito, and Takao Airfields and B-25s and fighters on sweeps attack a large number of targets of opportunity including trains, parked aircraft, buildings, and coastal vessels. In Borneo, Far East Air Force B-24s bomb Miri Airfield.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

US Army troops covered by USMC aircraft are landed on the northwest coast of Samar and on Capul Island to insure control of San Bernardino Strait.

Photo: Two members of a bazooka section blow out pillbox at Geart Pt., on Corregidor Island, P.I. 19 February, 1945



Photo: Troops moving into Jap territory around Geary Pt., Corregidor, P.I. 19 February, 1945



The Seventh Air Force dispatches 26 B-24s from Angaur Island in the Palau Islands to bomb Likanan Airfield on Mindanao Island.

In the Philippine , US Marine Corps (USMC) F4Us under the tactical command of the Thirteenth AF fly napalm strikes against airfields and other targets. On Luzon, fighters, B-25s, and A-20s continue to support ground forces at San Augustin, Carranglen, Balete Pass, and Bataan Peninsula and bomb Japanese-held sectors on Corregidor. B-24s bomb Miri Airfield. Five 494th BG B-24s bomb Licana Airfield, in a raid requested by guerilla forces in the area, that planned to attack immediately after the bombing.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Starting at 0640 hours, seven battleships and various other warships lay down the heaviest pre-landing bombardment of the war. Flying artillery spotting missions are Eastern Aircraft FM Wildcats and TBM Avengers of Composite Spotting Squadron One (VOC-1) in USS Wake Island. Also bombing the area are B-24s of the Seventh Air Force's VII Bomber Command; 44 aircraft are dispatched but due to thick cloud cover, only 14 find targets and release their bomb loads. Between 0805 and 0815 hours, 24 F4U Corsairs of Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Twenty Four and 24 F4Fs of Fighting Squadron Four in USS Essex, mount low-level strafing and rocket attacks on the beaches supporting the V Marine Amphibious Corps which lands at 0900 hours. During the day, aircraft from Task Groups 58.2 (Hancock, Lexington and San Jacinto) and 58.3 (Bunker Hill, Essex and Cowpens) fly 602 sorties supporting the Marines. Aircraft from the escort aircraft carriers, Task Group 52.2 support the Marines by flying several hundred sorties against Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima. Between 1900 and 2130 hours, several Japanese bombers based in Japan attacked the US ships. A Night Fighting Squadron Ninety pilot in a Hellcat downs a "Helen," 20 miles from TF 58 at 1926 hours and ship AA fire downs two others.

Photo: A U.S. Navy Vought F4U-1D Corsair of Fighting Squadron (VF) 84 "Wolf Gang" launches from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) during operations supporting the invasion of Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945



Photo: U.S. Navy carrier aircraft bomb Japanese positions on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945. The photo was taken from an aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19)



2 divisions of the US 5th Amphibious Corps are landed in Operation Detachment. The initial assault forces are from US 4th and 5th Marine Divisions with 3rd Marines in reserve. They are carried transported by TF53 (Admiral Hill) and land on the southeast of the island. About 30,000 men go ashore on the first day. The Japanese garrison of about 21,000 troops, commanded by General Kuribayashi, have prepared exceptionally elaborate and tough defenses so that the eight square miles of the island is completely fortified. The Americans realize that the island is well defended since it is part of metropolitan Japan. However, the island is strategically important because it is within fighter range of Tokyo. By controlling the airfields here, American B-29 bombers flying from the Mariana Islands can be escorted.

Photo: Initial waves of amphibious tractors head for the landing beaches on Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945



Photo: A LVT(A)-4 amphibious tractor is lowered over the side of the U.S. Navy attack transport USS Hansford (APA-106) off Iwo Jima, circa 19 February 1945. Note the camouflage paint on the LVT, which is marked "D35" and carries the nickname "Corps"



Photo: The U.S. Navy invasion fleet off Iwo Jima, with LVTs and LCIs maneouvering near the battleship USS Tennessee (BB-43), February 19, 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy attack transport USS Darke (APA-159) off Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 6A, as is her sister ship in the background. The photo was taken from USS Hansford (APA-106)



Photo: A wave of Marines is organized after reaching the Iwo beachhead and preparations are made for the push inland, February 19, 1945



Photo: A Marine machine gunner fires at Japanese positions in support of a Leatherneck advance on Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945



ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile , 6 B-24s fly photo reconnaissance over Shimushu and bomb Kurabu Cape Airfield on Paramushiru ; 6 Japanese fighters intercept; the B-24s claim 4 damaged. 4 B-25s weather-abort a mission to hit targets along the Hayakegawa River.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 263, FEBRUARY 19, 1945

The U. S. Pacific Fleet achieved a decisive victory over the enemy in attacks on Tokyo on February 16 and 17 (East Longitude Dates).

Approaching the enemy coast under cover of weather so adverse as to handicap enemy air operations complete tactical surprise was accomplished by our forces and the following damage was inflicted on the enemy:

Aircraft:

332 airplanes shot out of the air.
177 airplanes definitely destroyed on the ground.
At least 159 airplanes were probably destroyed or damaged on the first day.

An unknown number were damaged on the second day.

Shipping:

One escort carrier was bombed and set on fire. She went down by the bow and was left lying on her side at Yokohama.
9 coastal vessels sunk
One destroyer sunk
Two destroyer escorts sunk
One cargo ship sunk
22 coastal vessels damaged.
Numerous picket ships destroyed by aircraft and surface forces In­cluding one which was rammed by one of our destroyers.

Ground installations:

Hangars, shops and other installations destroyed at numerous air­fields. Ota Aircraft Factory damaged. Musashine Tama and Tachigawa engine plants heavily bombed.

Our forces lost 49 planes in the attack. Between 30 and 40 pilots were lost. All enemy efforts to attack our task force were turned back by our effective combat air patrols before they reached our ships. None of our ships suffered damage from enemy ace fighters who were unaggressive and avoided our fighter aircraft.

Compiling this record of damage done the forces under command of Admiral R. A. Spruance, USN, Commander, Fifth Fleet and Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, USN, in tactical command of the carrier forces have won a victory as historic as it is decisive in the heart of the enemy's defenses. The airmanship of our Naval aviators was superior to every test the enemy and adverse weather could offer.

The Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, concurs in the following message which was sent to the carrier task force by Admiral Spruance: "Congratula­tions to all hands on a superlatively well‑done job. Only courage, skill and intelligent team work by every member of Task Force Fifty Eight could have produced these historic results in spite of opposition by both enemy and weather. I know that our future operations will hurt the enemy even more."

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 264, FEBRUARY 19, 1945

United States Marines supported by heavy units of the U. S. Pacific Fleet and by shore based and carrier aircraft have landed on Iwo Island in the Volcano Islands.

The landings were made by the Fifth Amphibious Corps which includes the Fourth and Fifth Marine Divisions after heavy bombardment by battle­ships, cruisers and lighter units of the Pacific Fleet and sustained bombing by substantial forces of Navy carrier aircraft and also by Army bombers of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, which is under the command of Lieutenant General M. F. Harmon, U. S. Army.

Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, U. S. Navy, Commander Amphibious Forces, U. S. Pacific Fleet, is in overall command of the Amphibious Forces involved in the operation.

Expeditionary troops are under the command of Lieutenant General Hol­land M. Smith, U. S. Marine Corps, Commanding General Fleet Marine Force Pacific. Major General Harry Schmidt, U. S. Marine Corps, Is Commanding General of the Fifth Amphibious Corps. The Fourth Marine Division 13 under command of Major General Clifton B. Cates, U. S. Marine Corps, and the Fifth Marine Division under the command of Major General Keller E. Rockey, U. S. Marine Corps.

The Naval forces which prepared the island for invasion with heavy bombardment included the following old battleships: USS New York, USS Texas, USS Nevada, USS Arkansas, USS Idaho and USS Tennessee.

More than 800 United States ships are involved in the operation. The carrier forces and amphibious forces are under the command of Admiral R. A. Spruance, Commander, Fifth Fleet.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 265, FEBRUARY 19, 1945

The Marines who landed on Iwo Island in the Volcanos have established a beachhead along the southeast shoreline extending from the volcano at the southern tip of the island 4,500 yards northward. The operation is proceeding satisfactorily.

The landing was made at 0900 today (East Longitude Date) against resistance which was light initially. Sporadic artillery and mortar fire encountered in the early hours on the beaches increased markedly after the drive inland began. Our casualties are moderate.

By 1000 penetrations from the beaches were generally about 500 yard in depth and at that time advance units of the attackers had reached the southern end of the southern airfield and had penetrated airfield defense east of the airstrip.

The troops went ashore after intense bombardment by heavy units c the U. S. Pacific Fleet and heavy bombing by carrier air groups.

Two light units of the supporting fleet task force suffered some damage during the pre‑landing attack.

A message has been sent to the units concerned as follows: "The Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, joins the Commander Fifth Flee and Commander First Carrier Task Force in appreciation of the assistant and cooperation provided by the Twenty‑first Bomber Command, the Submarines Pacific, and Fleet Air Wing One in connection with the carrier attack on Tokyo.

PACIFIC

Submarine Guavina (SS-362), attacking Japanese convoy rounding Cape Padaran, French Indochina, damages merchant tanker Eiyo Maru, 11°22'N, 109°22'E.

Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366), attacking Japanese convoy about 175 miles northwest of Singapore, sinks merchant cargo ship Daizen Maru, 00°42'S, 106°18'E. Although Hawkbill claims sinking one other cargo vessel, the two ships in company with the lost freighter, Kanto Maru and Nankai Maru, survive unscathed.

Submarine Pargo (SS-264) sinks Japanese destroyer Nokaze off Cape Varella, French Indochina, 12°48'N, 109°38'E; destroyer Kamikaze, in company with Nokaze at the time of Pargo's attack, unsuccessfully counterattacks with depth charges.

Submarine Pintado (SS-387) is damaged by aerial bomb, Gulf of Siam, 07°25'N, 111°56'E, but remains on patrol.

Japanese army ship Rozan Maru is sunk by mine below Taku, China.

Japanese cargo vessel No.34 Kashiwa Maru is sunk by mine off Surabaya.

Day 1990 of World War II, February 21st 1945

Eastern Front

The 1st Ukrainian Front captures Guben.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



Goch falls to the attacks of the 51st Division of the British 30th Corps (part of British 2nd Army).

Photo: A Churchill tank and a Valentine Mk XI Royal Artillery OP tank (left) in Goch, 21 February 1945



Photo: U.S. soldiers of the 319th Engineer Battalion, 94th Infantry Division, 3rd U.S. Army are placing TNT demolition charges between logs of a road block, to demolish it at Orscholz, Germany, 21 February 1945



Photo: Armored car of the 10th Armored Division, 3rd U.S. Army, drives through a hole blasted in dragon's teeth anti-tank defenses near Portz on drive to Saarburg, Germany. 21 February, 1945



Air War over Europe

First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Units moving from Italy to France with P-47s: 522d, 523d and 524th Fighter Squadrons, 27th Fighter Group, from Pontedera to St Dizier; 526th Fighter Squadron, 86th Fighter Group, from Pisa to Tantonville.

(US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 839: 1,262 bombers and 792 fighters are dispatched to again attack the tank plant, main railroad station, marshalling yards and locomotive shops at Nurnberg, Germany using H2X radar; they claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 7 fighters are lost: 1. 830 of 867 B-17s hit the marshalling yard; 11 others hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 298 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 6 WIA. Escorting are 373 of 391 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 375 of 395 B-24s hit the station and marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are Speyer (1) and other (2); 63 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 3 WIA. The escort is 175 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 45 of 46 P-51s make a sweep of the Meiningen-Coburg-Nurnberg area; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 98 of 101 P-51s escort Ninth AF B-26s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft. 5. 23 of 31 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 6. 29 of 30 P-51s escort 10 F-5s and 7 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. Mission 840: During the night of 21/22 Feb, 25 of 29 B-24s attack the Duisburg power and gas stations using PFF; 2 B-24s are lost.

In Germany, the 9th Bombardment Division hits rail a overpass and bridges, an oil storage depot, marshalling yards, communications centers, and 13 targets of opportunity; 1,100+ fighter sorties are completed as the IX, XIX, and XXIX Tactical Air Commands escort the bomber, attack railroads, airfield, and other selected targets, fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas including the US First Army area between Duren and Losheim, and support the VIII, XII, and XX Corps along the Prum River, the West wall, and in the Saar-Mosel triangle.

362 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups dispatched to Duisburg. 7 Lancasters were lost and 3 crashed behind Allied lines in Europe. This was a successful area-bombing raid and much damage was caused. No other details are available. This was the last major Bomber Command raid on Duisburg.

Worms: 349 RAF aircraft - 288 Halifaxes, 36 Lancasters, 25 Mosquitos. 10 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost. This was the first and only large Bomber Command raid on Worms. The raid was an area attack in which 1,116 tons of bombs were accurately dropped. A post-war survey estimated that 39 per cent of the town's built-up area was destroyed.

165 RAF Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of No 5 Group again attempted to breach the Mittelland Canal near Gravenhorst. Visibility was clear and the attack was successful. Bomber Command claimed that the canal was rendered '100 per cent unserviceable'. 9 Lancasters were lost and 4 crashed in France and Holland, 7.9 per cent of the Lancaster force. One of the Lancasters which crashed in Holland was piloted by Group Captain AC Evans-Evans, DFC, the station commander at Coningsby, flying a No 83 Squadron aircraft. The Lancaster was shot down by a German fighter and crashed near Eindhoven. One of the gunners was the only survivor.

77 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 5 to Bremen, 66 RCM sorties, 35 Mosquito patrols, 28 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

In the predawn hours, Major Schnaufer, Kommodore of NJG 4, takes off and shoots down two RAF Lancasters from a bomber formation. Later that evening, he shoots down seven more Lancasters, destroying a total of nine bombers in two sorties for the day. Also active is Kommodore Hans-Joachim Jabs of NJG 1, who shoots down two RAF Lancasters, his last kills of the war. By war's end Jabs has survived five and a half years of combat flying the Bf 110 Zerstörer, considered by most to be a death trap against Allied fighters, with a respectable score of fifty kills.

Italian campaign

(US Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 20/21 Feb, 1 B-17 and 13 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy. During the day 500+ B-17s and B-24s with fighter escorts bomb Vienna, Austria railroad targets (C yards, S station, and Matzleinsdorf marshalling yard), marshalling yards at Bruck an der Mur, Wiener-Neustadt, and Zeltweg, Austria, and Sopron, Hungary, and shipyards at Trieste and Fiume, Italy. HQ 1st Fighter Group moves from Vincenzo Airfield to Salsola Airfield, Italy and the detachment of the 27th Fighter Squadron ceases operating from Vincenzo and returns to base at Salsola with P-38s.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, night fighters and A-20s on intruder missions during the night of 20/21 Feb, continue to attack communications and supplies in the Po Valley; medium bombers, during the day, bomb bridges at Dogna, Crema, and Romano di Lombardia; fighter-bombers devote their main effort to close support of ground forces along the W and C US Fifth Army front, and also hit communications to the N of the battleline and in the Po Valley.

Photo: A Sherman tank of the North Irish Horse fires at enemy-occupied buildings across the River Senio, San Alberto area, 21 February 1945



Photo: Men of the 2/7th Middlesex Regiment carry out maintenance on a Vickers machine gun at Anzio, Italy, 21 February 1944



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 21 B-25s, supported by 12 P-51s, pound Taiyuan; 2 B-25s and 12 P-40s hit Yoyang; about 100 fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance attack troops, trucks, horses, railroad targets, river shipping, and other targets of opportunity at many locations throughout S and E China; the detachment of the 530th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, operating from Hsian with P-51s, returns to base at Kwanghan.

BURMA

The British 17th Indian Division and supporting armored units (elements of British 4th Corps) begin a breakout from the bridgehead at Myaungu and advance toward Meiktila. Farther north, troops of British 33rd Corps step up their efforts to attract the main Japanese forces when the British 2nd Division crosses the Irrawaddy near Ngazun to link with the British 20th Indian Division who already have a bridgehead near there. Farther north still, the British 36th Division takes Myitson.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 P-47s provide close support for ground forces in the Namhsan area; 15 support ground forces in the Mongmit sector; 100+ fighter-bombers strike supply and troop concentrations and make offensive sweeps of roads along the battleline areas. Transports continue to land men and supplies at forward bases and drop supplies to frontline troops. The 127th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at Kalaikunda, India, sends a detachment to operate from Akyab, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 24 P-47s from Saipan hit Pagan with napalm. P-38s from Guam escort photo aircraft over Truk Atoll and strafe aircraft on Moen and a wharf on Falas. 3 Guam based B-24s on an armed reconnaissance flight bomb the airfield on Marcus in the N Pacific. During the night of 21/22 Feb, 6 B-24s fly individual snooper raids from Guam against Chichi Jima.

HAWAII

Photo: USS Guam (CB-2) moored at Pearl Harbor on 21 February 1945



SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: In Borneo, B-24s bomb Kudat and Sandakan Airfields while A-20s attack Jesselton Airfield and town. The 528th Bombardment Squadron, 380th BG (Heavy), moves from Darwin, Australia to San Jose, Mindoro with B-24s.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

American forces bombarded the 40' thick walls of Manila's Intramutros Spanish walled fortress. Inside are fanatical Japanese defenders and civilians, and it is hoped that a hole in the wall can be opened without bombing the historic fortress from the air.

Bataan falls to US troops in the Philippines. Corrigedor Island in Manila Bay and Manila City continue to hold out against the US forces.

On Luzon, B-24s bomb Japanese positions in the hills W of Ft Stotsenburg, P-47s pound Corregidor and strafe the Bagae-Pilar road and P-40s support ground forces at Marikina, San Mateo, and on Corregidor; and Basco is hit by B-25s, A-20s, and P-38s.

Destroyer Renshaw (DD-499) is torpedoed by Japanese submarine RO 43 south of Siquijor Island P.I., 24°36'N, 141°48'E. RO 43 escapes a ten-hour search by destroyers Waller (DD-466) and Shaw (DD-373) around Siquijor Island.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Elements of the US 5th Amphibious Corps continue to make slow progress toward Mount Suribachi to the south and the airfield to the north. There are Japanese counterattacks and infiltration attempts during the night.

Photo: A group of U.S. Navy Grumman F6F Hellcats attacking in support of the ground force at Iwo Jima, 21 February 1945



Off Iwo Jima, kamikazes sink escort carrier Bismarck Sea (CVE-95), 24°36'N, 141°48'E, and damage carrier Saratoga (CV-3), 24°56'N, 142°01'E (Saratoga is also hit by a bomb); escort carrier Lunga Point (CVE-94), 24°40'N, 141°44'E; tank landing ships LST-477, 24°40'N, 141°44'E, and LST-809, 24°08'N, 142°06'E; and net cargo ship Keokuk (AKN-4), 24°36'N, 141°48'E. Small carrier Langley (CVL-27) is damaged by bomb. Japanese mortar fire damages tank landing ship LST-390, 24°46'N,141°19'E. Collisions account for damage to destroyer Williamson (DD-244) and oiler Suamico (AO-49), 24°39'N, 142°01'E; destroyer Bradford (DD-545) and tank landing ship LST-812; attack cargo ship Yancey (AKA-93) and heavy cruiser Pensacola (CA-24), 24°46'N, 141°19'E. Heavy weather damages medium landing ship LSM-43.

Photo: The aircraft carrier USS Saratoga after a kamikaze attack that also killed 123 of its crew, February 21, 1945



Photo: Fires range on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Lunga Point (CVE-94) off Iwo Jima, on 21 February 1945. The ship was attacked by four aircraft. All were shot down, but the last slithered over the flight deck and crashed with the right wing into the after part of the island, shearing off the wing before falling into the sea. The resulting fires from burning gasoline were quickly extinguished



Photo: View of a large explosion on board the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95), after she was hit by a Kamikaze during the night of 21-22 February 1945, while she was taking part in the Iwo Jima operation. She sank as a result of her damage with the loss of 318 crewmen



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 580, FEBRUARY 21, 1945

Far East.

1. United States submarines have reported the sinking of 25 enemy ves­sels, including an escort carrier, a large converted cruiser and a destroyer, as a result of operations in these waters. The ships sunk were:

1 escort aircraft carrier
1 destroyer
1 large converted cruiser
1 medium transport
14 medium cargo vessels
8 small cargo vessels
1 large cargo transport
2 medium cargo transports
1 small transport

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

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 269, FEBRUARY 21, 1945

The Fifth Amphibious Corps, having secured the southern Iwo airfield made a general advance toward the island's central airdrome on February 21 (East Longitude Date). Advance elements of the Fifth Marine Division on the western side of the island by‑passed the southern ends of the airstrip's runways while the Fourth Marine Division was pushing toward the center of the field directly from the south at noon. Gains were made along the whole line and were generally about 500 to 1,000 yards in extent.

In the meantime, Marines at the south end of the island were pressing slowly forward up the slopes of Mount Suribachi and during the forenoon of the third day of the assault. They made gains averaging more than 100 yards against this enemy citadel.

In both the northern and southern actions the Marines are moving for­ward yard by yard against heavy machine gun mortar, small arms, and rocket fire. The numerous small strong points which confront our forces in all areas thus far penetrated are being reduced by individual troop action.

Casualties at 0800 local time on February 21 were estimated at a total of 150 officers and 3,500 men wounded, missing and killed. Of these, our forces had evacuated 3,063 of the wounded.

During the night of February 20‑21, little activity by the enemy was noted. Attempts at infiltration of our line were frustrated and a local counter­attack on the left flank where the enemy used several tanks supported by artillery fire was repulsed.

Ship's guns supported the ground troops throughout the night with shell fire and illumination and continued heavy fire support through the morning. Carrier aircraft made heavy bombing and strafing attacks on February 21.

Supplies and rations were unloaded on the beaches throughout the night of February 20‑21.

PACIFIC

Navy and USAAF planes bomb and strafe Japanese installations at Truk.

Tank landing craft LCT-175 founders and sinks in heavy weather, 04°27'N, 133°40'E.

Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.72 and Coast Defense Vessel No.150 are damaged in collision off Wenchow, China.

Submarine Gato (SS-212) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Tairiku Maru in Yellow Sea off west coast of Korea, 35°24'N, 125°23'E.

Japanese merchant tanker Eiyo Maru, damaged by submarine Guavina (SS-362) the previous day, sinks off Cape Padaran, French Indochina, 11°22'N, 109°22'E.

Japanese cargo ship Fukusei Maru sinks after running aground off Cape Shirazaki, Honshu, 41°00'N, 142°00'E.