February 11, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 1943

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) B-26s, P-38s and P-39s bomb Munda Airfield and Vila Airfield. B-24D LIberators from 307th BG advanced echelon from 370th BS and 424th BS arrive at Bomber 1 on Espiritu Santo then then flown northward to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) B-17s carry out a predawn harassing strike over Rabaul.

IJN: Japanese Submarine I-18 is sunk by depth charges dropped by USS Fletcher (DD-445) roughly 200 miles south of San Cristobal in the Coral Sea.

USN: USS Fletcher (DD-445) and SON (VCS-9) from light cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) sink Japanese Submarine I-18 in the Coral Sea, 14°15'S, 161°53'E. USS Grayling (SS-209) damages Japanese army cargo ship Hoeizan Maru off Corregidor, 14°16'N, 120°28'E. PT-59 under the command of Lt. Jack Searles with a U.S. Army intelligence team including U.S. Army Major General Alexander M. Patch to inspect the wreckage of Japanese submarine I-1 sunk in Kamimbo Bay off Guadalcanal. Launched is PT-193 at Electric Boat Company (Elco) in Bayonne, New Jersey.

IJN: Admiral Yamamoto designates Battleship Musashi as his flagship.