December 7, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 7 DECEMBER 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Nine bombers fly two negative shipping searches.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Eight B-25s hit a storage area at Lashio. In China, four B-25s and eight P-40s attack and considerably damage Sankiao; Four B-25s operating individually, attack truck convoys and other targets of opportunity in the Hengyang area and in Siang-Chiang Valley; two B-24s claim one cargo vessel sunk in the South China Sea while fifteen P-51s hit shipping at Hong Kong, claiming a destroyer and freighter sunk; 65 P-51s, P-40s, and P-38s on armed reconnaissance over wide areas of China attack storage areas, troops, bridges, railroad targets, and gun positions around Paoching, Anking, Hengyang, Tuhshan, Nan Tan, Kengtung, and Luchai and between Kweilin and Liuchow.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 B-25s knock out the E span of the road bridge at Tonbo; 21 P-47s support ground forces in the Bhamo area; 63 blast concentrations of enemy troops and supplies at Male while 4 others hit supplies at Myauk-le; 14 P-47s knock out a bridge at Mansam and damage 3 bridges at Mongmit and Namyao; 17 others hit Nawnghkio and bomb supply areas at Na-kawnkongnyauiig. Transports fly 267 sorties to forward areas. The 16th Combat Cargo Squadron, 4th Combat Cargo Group, arrives at Sylhet, India from the US with C-46s.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 19: 108 B-29s, operating from Chengtu, are dispatched to bomb the Manchuria Airplane Manufacturing Company and Mukden Arsenal at Mukden; 80 hit primary target and 10 other B-29s bomb a rail yard short of the primary target, and several other bombers strike alternate targets; the B-29s claim 10-10-30 fighters; seven B-29s are lost including B-29 "Vixen" 42-6359 (MIA).

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Immediately following an enemy bombing raid on Saipan, Four P-47s fly reconnaissance over Pagan searching for aircraft but observe none.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s pound Malogo Airfield, the town of Masbate and Legaspi Airfield. B-25s hit Miti, Kaoe, Galela Airfield, and Lolobata Airfield. Other FEAF aircraft fly armed reconnaissance and harassing missions over Mindanao, N Borneo, and Makassar attacking various targets of opportunity. Lost is B-24D "Who's Next?" 42-41049 (MIA).

U.S. Army: During the Battle of Ormoc Bay in the morning, high speed transport APDs with LCVP landing craft land the 77th Division lands at White 1 and White 2 on Ormoc Bay and find no opposition and capture E16A Paul T-301 then occupy Ormoc.

USN: During the Battle of Ormoc Bay in Ormoc Bay destroyer high speed transport APDs with LCVP landing craft land the U.S. Army 77th Division at Ormoc Bay. At 9:30am kamikaze aircraft hit USS Ward APD-16 causing a fire and is later scuttled and USS Mahan DD-364 was hit by three kamikaze aircraft and scuttled. At 11:30am USS Liddle APD-60 was hit by a kamikaze aircraft in the bridge killing thirty-eight but manages to withdraw with the destroyer force back to Leyte Gulf.