July 23, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 23 JULY 1942

USAAF: Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) is B-17F Flying Fortress serial number 41-24518.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) (10th AF): 22d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrives at Karachi from the US with B-25s; first mission is 14 Dec.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, 7th AF): Three B-17s staging through Canton to fly a photo reconnaissance of Makin.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): B-17s from the 11th Bombardment Group (11th BG) based at Plaine des Gaiacs begin photographic reconnaissance of the Guadalcanal-Tulagi-Gavutu area.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th AF): B-17s, 22nd BG B-26s, A-24s and fighters pound shipping, landing barges, storage dumps, AA positions, and troop concentrations at Buna and Gona as the enemy pushes inland towards Kokoda; fighters also hit the harbor at Salamaua. Lost is P-400 pilot Cottam. 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Longreach to Mareeba with B-17s, B-24s and LB-30s.

Australian Army: At 4:00pm thirty-five soldiers from the Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) led by Australian Army officers Lt John Chalk, Lt. William Wort, Sgt Harry Bishop and WO Jack McWatters armed with .303 rifles and a single Thompson submachine gun atop Old Soroputa Hill near Awala attack the advancing Japanese Army Yokohama Advance Butai.