November 24, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 1942

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): One B-24 flies reconnaissance over Kiska; weather precludes the westward continuation of reconnaissance; a scheduled mission of 8 B-24s and 4 B-26s to Kiska is called off due to icing conditions.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): Search aircraft over Buin (Kahili) report a large number of destroyers and cargo vessels in Erventa Harbor (Buin Harbor). By this date elements of the Americal Division have pushed along the N coast of Guadalcanal to a position S of Point Cruz where they wait until a general offensive can be prepared following the arrival of reinforcements. Throughout these operations P-39s have continually hit ground positions and troops all along the coast, flying as many as 11 strikes on some days.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): A-20s, B-25s, B-26s, B-17s, P-40s, P-39s, and P-400s hit Sanananda Point, and the Buna area, the Sanananda-Soputa Trail south of Sanananda, and the area between Cape Killerton and Sanananda Point as Allied forces launch a ground assault on The Triangle; the attack is repelled by fierce resistance; B-17s bomb destroyers and a light cruiser between Lae and Finschhafen. Bombed is Hayashio that was later scuttled. Force landed is P-40E Warhawk pilot Martin (survived).

RAAF: Crashed is Ford 5-AT-C A45-1 when it slipped on muddy ground and flipped upside down at Myola Airfield. Ditched is Beaufort A9-2 crew rescued.

IJN: G4M1 Betty 5414 (KIA) is shot down by P-40E Kittyhawk A29-113 pilot S/Ldr Richard "Dick" Cresswell east of Darwin.

IJN: Destroyer Hayashio in Huon Gulf hit in the stern by a low level "skip bombing" run by B-17F "Black Jack / The Joker's Wild" 41-24521 and scuttled.