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

MONDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 1943

(Eleventh Air Force) A weather reconnaissance is flown over Kiska, Agattu, and Attu. Five B-24s and 5 B-25s bomb the Kiska Camp area and hit a water tank and buildings. Two B-25s bomb North Head through the overcast. Four P-38s and a B-25 patrol Amchitka.

CBI (Tenth Air Force) 18 B-24s of the India Air Task Force pound the Rangoon marshalling yard, wrecking locomotive ships and destroying the railroad station. Three other B-24s bomb the runway at Mingaladon Airfield.

Burma: Ind 77th Brig "Chindits" under Brig Orde Charles Wingate begins guerrilla warfare program behind enemy lines: entering Burma through 4 Corps front, Chindits advance in 7 columns toward Mandalay-Myitkyina railway line.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) P-38s and Navy aircraft bomb Munda Airfield.

U.S. Army: On Guadalcanal, 161st Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division overcomes light delaying opposition at the Tambalego and proceeds to Doma Cove. Pushing northward from Marovovo, 2d Battalion, 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division reaches Kamimbo Bay.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) A-20s pound Japanese forces in the Mubo area; B-25s bomb Dobo Town area. A single B-24 bombs the airfield at Gasmata.

IJN: Operation KE Japanese destroyer force under the command of Rear Admiral Hashimoto Shintaro completes the evacuation of 1,796 troops from Guadalcanal. In total, roughly 11,000 Japanese were rescued.

USS Tunny (SS-282) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kusuyama Maru off southwest coast of Formosa about 55 miles west of Takao, 22°40'N, 119°12'E.

Japanese cargo ship Shotoku Maru is sunk by storm near Hinomizaki on Honshu at 35°26'N, 132°38'E.

U.S. Army: 162d Inf, U.S. 41st Division departs for New Guinea.