March 21, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 21 MARCH 1945

ZONE OF INTERIOR (Fourth Air Force): A P-63 Kingcobra from Walla Walla Army Airfield, intercepts a Japanese balloon near Redmond, Washington and after a chase that includes two refueling stops shoots it down near Reno, Nevada.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Four P-51s damage several locomotives and boxcars at Vinh Airfield, French Indochina and along the railroad to the N. Six B-24s claim one vessel damaged in South China Sea.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30 P-47s support Chinese ground forces in the Hsipaw area; 34 P-38s sweep roads S of the bomb line; 13 B-25s and 18 P-47s attack troop concentrations and vehicles at several points behind the Japanese lines; 526 air supply sorties are flown to the forward areas; in ground action in the area of Mandalay.

British Army: Organized resistance ceases in Mandalay with the 14th Army, 33 Corps and Allied forces completely capturing the city.

Seventh Air Force: 13 B-24s, based on Guam hit Susaki Airfield, which is hit again during the night of 21/22 Mar by 5 more, flying separate strikes. VII Fighter Command: 16 P-51s from Iwo Jima strafe and bomb barracks and radio and radar installations on Chichi Jima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s, A-20s, and fighters continue large-scale support missions, hitting a variety of targets including Japanese defenses at Lipa and Tarlac and the town of Naga and Camiling. In the central Philippines B-24s hit targets near Cebu City while A-20s pound other towns on Cebu. B-24s bomb Samah Airfield. B-25s on a shipping sweep attack and set afire a freighter SE of Nanao, China. HQ 42d Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 390th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) move from Morotai to Puerto Princesa with B-25s; the 67th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, ceases operating from Morotai with P-38s and returns to base at Puerto Princesa.

Patrols land on Guimaras Island across Iloilo Strait from Iloilo, Panay, and find it clear of Japanese troops

USN: Two U.S. motor torpedo boats, supported by a British destroyer, attack enemy shipping in Sarawak Harbor. Lost is SB2C Helldiver 18876 (KIA) crashed in Oregon.

Japanese convoy HI-88I comes under attack off coast of French indochina. Submarine Baya (SS-318) sinks auxiliary netlayer Kainan Maru off Cam Ranh Bay, 12°00'N, 109°17'E, and although damaged by depth charges, 11°55'N, 109°18'E, remains on patrol. USAAF B-25s (Fifth Air Force) sink submarine chaser Ch 33, cable layer Tateishi, and cargo vessels No.1 Motoyama Maru and 2 Fushimi Maru and No.6 Takasago Maru and damage submarine chaser Ch 9 off Nha Trang, 11°50'N, 109°18'E. Surviving vessels, the damaged Ch 9 and merchant tanker No.30 Nanshin Maru take refuge at Nha Trang and are assigned to convoy HI-88-J.

IJN: Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki orders the first Kikusui (Floating Chrysanthemum) kamikaze mission using the MXY7 Ohka (Baka) against U.S. Navy warships. but the attack proves unsuccessful. At 11:00, two C6N1 Myrts took off from Kanoya Airfield to locate and shadow Task Force 58 (TF 58). They find the Americans roughly 360 miles south-southeast of Kanoya. At 11:20am eighteen G4M2e Bettys including fifteen from the 1st and the 2nd flights of the K711 with MXY7 Ohka (Baka) took off from Kanoya Airfield on a mission to strike TG 58.1 aircraft carriers including USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Bennington (CV-20), USS Wasp (CV-18) and USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) escorted by USS Indiana (BB-58) and USS Massachusetts (BB-59) plus crusiers and destroyers. The Bettys are escorted by 32 A6M5 Zeros from 721 Kokutai (721 Air Group) S306 and S307 led by Lt Mutsuo Urushiyama flying close escort, but one crashed on take off and 12 abort the mission leaving only nineteen. Top cover is flown by twenty-three A6M5 Zeros from 203 Kokutai (203 Air Group) led by LtCdr Okajima Kiyokuma. When the Japanese planes are roughly 80 miles away, spotted by radar and a total of 150 F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs from VF-17 and VBF-17 flying Combat Air Patrol (CAP) are airbone. They engage the formation with all eighteen Bettys shot down plus ten Zeros shot down. Although the Japanese reached within 30 miles of the enemy aircraft carriers, no Ohka were launched. In total, the operation costs 137 bomber air crew and all 15 Ohka pilots.