October 29, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 29 OCTOBER 1943

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 14 B-24's and 16 P-40's pound the smelter area at Quang Yen, French Indochina. In China, 2 B-25's bomb the administration building and runway at Ft Bayard Airfield; Nine P-40's on offensive reconnaissance in the Chiuchiang area strafe a 200' steamer and attack a train, destroying the locomotive.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's and B-24's, along with 40+ USN aircraft, bomb Buka Airfield and Bonis Airfield.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): 37 B-24's, escorted by 53 P-38's, pound the Rabaul area claiming 45 airplanes destroyed on the ground and in the air. Lost is P-38H 42-66523 pilot 2nd Lt. Christopher O. Bartlett (POW, executed). Crashed on take off is B-25D 41-30320 pilot 1st Lt. Robert V. Lockhart, Jr. (KIA). Seventeen B-25's hit the Madang area. P-47's attack shipping in Hansa Bay area and strafe the Cape Gloucester area. B-25's sink a vessel off Tanimbar while B-24's bomb Selaroe Airfield on Tanimbar and attack the Waroe Bay area. The 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group transfers from Tsili Tsili to Gusap with P-47's. The 63d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group transfers from 7-Mile Drome to Dobodura with B-24s.

USN: USS Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Wuhu Maru off Swatow, 22°28'N, 116°10'E.

F4Us damage small Japanese cargo vessel No.16 Kiku Maru near Tonolei, 06°47'S, 155°53'E.