October 25, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 25 OCTOBER 1942

Alaska: The Alaska Canada Highway (Alcan Highway) meeting of bulldozers at Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory when the road's northern segment built by the 97th Engineers (Colored) linked up with the road's southern segment built by the 18th Engineers.

CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF): 12 B-25s and 7 P-40s, led by Colonel Merian Cooper, hit Kowloon Docks at Hong Kong; 21 aircraft intercept; 1 B-25 and 1P-40 are shot down; this marks the first loss of a CATF B-25 in combat; the Japanese interceptors are virtually annihilated; during the night of 25/26 October six B-25s, on the first CATF night strike, continue pounding Hong Kong, bombing the North Point power plant which provides electricity for the shipyards; Three other B-25s bomb the secondary target, the Canton warehouse area, causing several large explosions and fires.

INDIA AIR TASK FORCE (IATF): In India, Japanese aircraft attack airfields connected with the the India-China air transport route, heavily bombing Dinjan and Chabua and scoring hits also at Mohanbari and Sookerating; 10 US aircraft are destroyed and 17 badly damaged; 9 Japanese aircraft are downed. The 492d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrives at Karchi from the US with B-24s; and the 493d Bombardment Squadron is activated at Karachi and assigned to the 7th Bombardment Group (the 492d and 493d will fly their first mission on 24 and 26Jan 43 respectively).

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): On Guadalcanal, Japanese ground assaults on the defensive lines around Henderson Field are again thrown back; USMC and AAF fighters continue to inflict telling losses on Japanese Navy aircraft. During the afternoon, a B-17 on sea-search mission sights a powerful Japanese Task Force northwest of the Santa Cruz Islands. A detachment of the 33d Troop Carrier Squadron, 315th Troop Carrier Group, which is enroute from the US to Australia, begins operating from New Caledonia.

IJN: Japanese cruiser Yura is sunk by SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Scouting Squadron 71 (VS-71) at the northern entrance of the Indispensable Strait.

USMC: Lost is F4F Wildcat 02055 (rescued).

IJN: 1st Attack Unit destroyers Akatsuki, Ikazuchi, and Shiratsuyu provide naval gunfire support during the day to Japanese Army operation with the objective of capturing Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.

USN: Battle of Santa Cruz Islands (Battle of the South Pacific) begins with U.S. Navy Admiral Halsey's task forces meet the numerically superior Japanese forces commanded by Admiral Yamamoto. The battle is fought entirely by aircraft with the surface vessels never coming into range. The U.S. Navy suffers USS Hornet (CV-8) sunk and USS Enterprise (CV-6) damaged and forced to withdraw.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): After midnight, thirteen B-17s bomb shipping in Simpson Harbor off Rabaul. A-20s bomb and strafe the Isurava-Kokoda Trail, the west bank of the Kumusi River, and the area north of Asisi as Australian ground forces push toward Kokoda and HQ 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 405th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) move from Townsville to Port Moresby with B-25s. The 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy), begins a movement from Mareeba back to the US.