December 4, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SATURDAY, 4 DECEMBER 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Three bombers return early from an armed sea search, due to weather.

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force): Thirty-four B-24's from the Ellice and Canton bomb Mille Atoll 20+ others abort due to bad weather. 8 B-24's from Funafuti attack Nauru.

USN: At the close of the Gilberts Campaign, two groups of Task Force 50 (Rear Admiral C. A. Pownall), composed of four heavy and two light carriers and screening ships, bombed airfields and shipping at Wotje and Kwajalein.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): Five B-24's mine the Rangoon River while 12 others mine the Salween River at Moulmein during the night of 4/5 Dec.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 11 B-25's and 12 P-40's bomb Changte, which was taken by the Japanese earlier in the day; 11 more B-25's and 24 P-40's follow with 2 more attacks on Changte; other P-40's drop ammunition to Chinese troops on Tehshan Mountain.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): 21 B-24's attack Chabai; 17 B-25's follow with a strike on the same target. Lost is B-24D 42-40636 (MIA).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): Nearly 50 bombers hit Cape Gloucester Airfield and attack shore targets from Rottock Bay to Rein Bay. 12 A-20's hit villages and supply dumps in the Finshaffen area. 30+P-40's sink an oil laden lugger and 2 barges off Bogia and bomb bridge near Bogadjim. Lost in a training flight is P-38H "Japanese Sandman II" 42-66905 (survived). Lost on a strafing mission is P-40N pilot Croft (survived).

RAAF: Six Beauforts took off on a torpedo strike against shipping in the St George's Channel to Blanche Bay. Lost is Beaufort A9-262 (POW / MIA).

IJN: US Navy aircraft damage Choko Maru which sinks the following day in Kwajalein Southern Atoll.

USN: Task Force 50 (TF 50) under the command of Rear Admiral Charles A. Pownall strikes Japanese installations at Kwajalein Atoll and Wotje Atoll. Carrier planes from USS Lexington (CV-16) and small carrier USS Independence (CVL 22) sink collier Asakaze Maru, cargo ship Tateyama Maru, auxiliary submarine chaser No.7 Takunan Maru, and guardboat No.5 Mikuni Maru and damage light cruisers Nagara and Isuzu, stores ship Kinezaki, auxiliary vessel Fujikawa Maru, and transports Eiko Maru, Kenbu Maru, and No.18 Mikage Maru.

During Japanese retaliatory air strikes, three U.S. ships suffer damage: carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) by aerial torpedo at Lat 13°30'N, Long 171°25'E; light cruiser USS Mobile (CL-63) when one of her 5" mounts accidentally fires into one of her own 40mm mounts at Lat 12°47'N, Long 170°57'E; and destroyer USS Taylor (DD-468) by friendly fire from light cruiser USS Oakland (CL-95) at 10°00'N, 170°00'E.

USS Apogon (SS-308) sinks Japanese gunboat Daido Maru northeast of Ponape, 08°22'N, 159°02'E.

USS Gunnel (SS-253) sinks Japanese transport Hiyoshi Maru northeast of Haha Jima, 29°436'N, 145°54'E, and eludes counterattacks by destroyer Inazuma.

USS Sailfish (SS-192) torpedoes and sinks Yokosuka-bound Japanese escort carrier Chūyō southeast of Honshu, 32°27'N, 143°49'E. Unbeknown to Sailfish, Chuyo is carrying survivors from sistership Sculpin (SS-191).

Japanese seaplane carrier Sanuki Maru is damaged by mine, Pomelaa, as she sails for Singapore.