November 29, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 1942

USAAF: Crashed is P-40K Warhawk 42-10271 pilot Lt. Col Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner on a flight bound for Maxwell Field in Montgomery, AL but went missing and was killed in the crash.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 over Holtz Bay on Attu reports the vessel bombed and damaged on 26 Nov as still sinking. One B-26 flies an uneventful reconnaissance over the southern shore of Kiska.

(Tenth Air Force): CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF): B-25s bomb Hongay and Campho on the French Indochina coast. The 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group (attached to 23d Fighter Group), moves from Kweilin to Chenyi with P-40s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): A detachment of the 33rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, ceases operating from New Caledonia (another detachment is operating from Cairns, the squadron is enroute from the US to Australia.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-17s, P-40s, and A-20s pound the Gona area while B-25s and a single A-20 bomb Lae Airfield.

B-17s intercept a force of four troop carrying destroyers proceeding through the Vitiaz Strait without air cover; the B-17s damage 2 vessels and cause the others to turn back, thus preventing reinforcement of Gona with fresh troops from Rabaul.

A Japanese convoy of four destroyers proceeding through the Vitiaz Strait bound for the Buna area is spottend and shadowed by B-17F 41-24546 2nd Lt John E. Titus (MIA). A striking force of six B-24s from the 90th BG, 319th BS were deployed and encountered two Zeros were near Salamaua at 7:45am. Each made one pass and were engaged by gunners. One B-24 bombed Lae Airfield at 8:00am and the five attacked the convoy at 9:00. B-24s attacking convoy apparently did not encounter escorting fighters over the convoy and dropped their bombs. Shiratsuyu received one direct hit with 21 killed. Makigumo suffered a near miss. Ditched is B-25D "Bird Dog" 41-29724 (survived).

RAAF: Lost is DB-7 Boston A28-20 pilot F/Lt Herbert James Bullmore (KIA) on a bombing mission over Gona and suffered an accidental bomb explosion over the target area.