October 14, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 14 OCTOBER 1942

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 9 B-24s, 6 B-26s, 1 B-17 and 12 P-38s bomb and strafe Kiska installations and shipping; fire bombs are dropped on hangars and the Main Camp area where a large fire is started; two torpedo attacks on shipping in Gertrude Cove score no hits; the P-38s destroy 3 floatplanes on the water; 1 P-38 is shot down.

Australian Army: Japanese offer fierce resistance to Australians pushing northeast in the vicinity of Templeton's Crossing.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s attack Lae, a bridge 40 miles north of Port Moresby and the area of the Wairopi bridge on the Kokoda Trail. C-47s begin flying Australians and Americans forces from 14 Mile Drome to Wanigela. Ditched is P-38F pilot Shifflet (rescued).

IJN: Around midnight, Japanese high speed convoy including Sado Maru, Azumasan Maru, Kyusyu Maru, Nankai Maru, Sakito Maru and Sasako Maru, escorted by destroyers Shigure and Akizuki reach western Guadalcanal and begin unloading as quickly as possible in the darkness . On October 15, 1942 at dawn, U.S. American planes attacked in waves during the day. Beached and destroyed is Sasako Maru and Kyusyu Maru. Heavily damaged is Azumasan Maru.

At 1:33am floatplanes release flares to mark Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. At 1:37am battleships Kongō and Haruna commenced a shore bombardment of Henderson Field firing a total of 918 shells including High Explosive (HE) and San Shiki (Sanshikidan) then switched to less effective Armor Piercing (AP). During the bombardment, Isuzu and destroyers provides cover firing on shore gun batteries. The force steams eastward passing Lunga Point firing to starboard, then made a 180 degree turn and fires to port while departing. On the ground, the shelling damaged the two runways, burned fuel and destroyed 48 parked planes and resulted in 41 Killed In Action (KIA). Although PT Boats attempt to intercept, they are driven away by screening destroyer Naganami. At 2:30am the force retires northward up "The Slot" at 29 knots.

USN: First PT-Boat combat in the Solomons: PT-60, PT-38, PT-46 and PT-48 attack Japanese warships in Iron Bottom Sound. The confused combat resulted in the boats claiming an enemy cruiser damaged and a probable (both claims were unconfirmed). Returning, PT-60 grounded on a coral reef.