January 8, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force) A B-24 flies photographic reconnaissance over Amchitka. Another B-24 aborts a weather run over Kiska because of instrument trouble.

CBI (Tenth Air Force) In Burma, six P-40s bomb and strafe Watugyi and Nsopzup and strafe other targets, Six B-25s bomb the storage area at Bhamo.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Seventh Air Force) Crashed is B-24D 41-23929 (MIA / KIA).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force) Heavy, medium and light bombers, with fighter cover join Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft in continued pounding of the Japanese convoy as it unloads about 4,000 reinforcements at Lae. Enemy fighter cover and Allied aircraft continue fierce aerial combat. During the dog fight, Richard I. Bong claimed a Ki-43 Oscar, his 5th aerial victory claim making him an ace. Lost are B-17E 41-9234 (survived, two wounded), P-38F 42-12665 (MIA) and B-25C "Pistoff" 41-12830 (survived). Damaged on take off is B-26 "Sea Wolf" 40-1498 and was written off.

JAAF: Ki-43 Oscars from the 11th Sentai intercept U. S. aircraft attacking Lae.

IJN: A6M Zeros from the 582 Kōkūtai and 252 Kōkūtai intercept U. S. aircraft attacking Lae.