October 21, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 21 OCTOBER 1942

CBI (Tenth Air Force): INDIA AIR TASK FORCE (IATF): B-24s of the IATF stage through Chengtu, Chinato bomb Lin-hsi, China coal mines; the plan is to blast nearby power stations and pumping facilities and flood the mines; the attack fails to flood the mines but inflicts considerable damage to the target area; this marks thefirst use of heavy bombers in China and the first AAF strike N of the Yangtzeand Yellow Rivers.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s hit Luscan Harbor onthe south coast of New Britain.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA: B-17D Flying Fortress 40-3089 pilot Captain William Cherry, Jr. with passenger Captain Edward V. "Eddie" Rickenbacker ditched at sea. The entire crew survived the ditching and floated in life rafts until rescued 21-22 days later.|

IJN: G4M1 Bettys from 751 Kokutai (751 Air Group) bomb Fighter One on Guadalcanal escorted by A6M Zeros from Tainan Kokutai (Tainan Air Group), 2nd Kokutai (2nd Air Group) and 6th Kokutai (6th Air Group).

USMC: Nineteen F4F Wildcats intercept an incoming Japanese air raid by 7 Vals escorted by 20 Zeros. Lost is F4F-4 Wildcat 02085 pilot TSgt Emmett L. Anderson (MIA) and F4F-4 Wildcat 5045 pilot MGun Henry B. Hamilton (MIA).