October 18, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 18 OCTOBER 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): The 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), Fourth Air Force, departs Elmendorf Field for the US. The squadron will transition from B-25's to B-24's and deploy to England on Nov 2, 1943.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): The 530th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 311th Fighter-Bomber Group, transfers from Nawadih to Dinjan with A-36's.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): 28 B-24's and 40+ USN dive bombers, with cover of 50+ fighters including hit Ballale Airfield. F4U Corsairs of VMF-214 and VMF-221 conduct a fighter sweep against Kahili Airfield and are intercepted by 40-50 Zeros. Lost is F4U Corsair 17557 pilot 1st Lt. Milton E. Schneider (MIA). Fourteen P-39's join 20+ US Navy aircraft in a strike on Kakasa village and a tent area on Choiseul. The 70th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, transfers from Guadalcanal to New Georgia with P-39's.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): Nearly 80 B-24's from the 90th BG, 43rd BG and 380th BG escorted by fighters are sent on a mission against Rabaul, but abort due to bad weather. Thirteen of the B-24's bomb Cape Hoskins; 7 others bomb Cape Gloucester and hit Sio. Due to bad weather, the mission cost four Liberators: B-24D "Sky Lady" 41-24043 pilot 1st Lt Warren H. Smeltzer (survived), B-24D "Ben Buzzard" 42-40670 pilot 1st Lt. Stephen W. Blount, III (5 MIA), B-24D 42-40885 pilot F/O Carl A. Nelson (survived), B-24D "The Upstairs Maid" 41-41088 pilot Lt John W. Taylor (survived). However, 50+ B-25's slip beneath low clouds and pound Rabaul town, airfields, and shipping from treetop and mast-height level; the B-25's sink two vessels and claim 70+ planes destroyed on the ground and in the air. Lost are B-25D "SNAFU / MFUTU" 41-30054 pilot Captain Lyle E. Anacker (MIA), B-25D "Sorry Satchul" 41-30056 pilot 1st Lt. Harlan H. Peterson (MIA) and B-25C "Daisy May" 42-32262 pilot F/O Delbert L. Campbell (survived 1 missing). The 500th Bomb Squadron received a Distinguished Unit Citation for this mission. Other B-25's bomb and strafe a road at Bogadjim.