March 3, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 3 MARCH 1943

(Eleventh Air Force) Four P-40s sweep Kiska dropping demolition and fragmentation bombs. Admiral Thomas C. Kincaid, Commanding Officer of the Alaska Defense Command, tables the Kiska invasion plan and substitutes an Attu invasion plan.

U.S. Navy: Adm Kinkaid recommends limited offensive with available forces be conducted against Attu bypassing Kiska, the objective for which planning has been in progress for some time.

(Tenth Air Force) Thirteen B-24s bomb the Mahlwagon marshalling yard and the dock area at Rangoon. Nine others attack the Pazundaung railroad bridge but fail to knock it out. Six B-25s bomb the railroad sheds at Maymyo.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) The Battle of the Bismarck Sea continues with Allied planes making heavy co-ordinated attacks by U.S. and RAAF planes including heavy bombers joined by medium and light bombers and fighters that severely cripple Japanese convoy arriving in Huon Gulf. Simultaneously with RAAF Beaufighter attacks, 13 B-17's of the 43rd Bombardment Group sink a transport. Then they and their 28 escort P-38's are jumped by Zekes escorting the convoy; the B-17's claim 5 Zekes and the fighters (from the 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS) and 39th Fighter Squadron (39th) claim 15).

Damaged with five wounded B-17E "Naughty But Nice" 41-2430. Lost is B-17F "Ka Puhio Wela / Double Trouble" 41-24356 (MIA), P-38F 42-12623 pilot Captain Robert L. Faurot (MIA), P-38F 42-12633 pilot 1st Lt Hoyt A. Eason (MIA) and P-38G 42-12715 pilot 1st Lt. Fred Burnam Shifflet, Jr. (MIA). During this dogfight, 13 B-25's of the 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 12 B-25C gun-nosed aircraft of the 90th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) attack from 500 to 200 feet followed by 12 A-20's of the 89th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) and six B-25s from 13th Bombardment Squadron (Dive); these attacks sink 2 destroyers and 3 transports. In the afternoon, 16 B-17's, 23 B-25's and 5 RAAF Bostons attack; 8 B-25s from 90th Bombardment Squadron sink a destroyer and 2 transport while the Boston's sink a destroyer. That night, Seventh Fleet PT Boats sink the last transport. By the end of the day, all 8 transport have been sunk and Allied aircraft have destroyed 4 of the 8 destroyers and a large number of fighter aircraft covering the convoy. 2nd Lt Richard I. Bong claims a Ki-43 Oscar over the Huon Gulf, his 6th aerial victory claim.

RAAF: During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, two Beauforts fail to score hits with torpedoes, the main attack begins with strafing runs by zthirteen Beaufighters.

IJN: Flying cover for the convoy are A6M Zeros from 253 Kōkūtai (253 Air Group), 204 Kōkūtai (204 Air Group), and Zuiho provide air cover for the convoy and engage enemy bombers and fighters.

JAAF: Ki-43 Oscars from 11th Sentai provide air cover for the convoy bound for Lae and engage enemy bombers and fighters. The Oscars intercept B-17 Flying Fortresses from 43rd Bombardment Group (43rd BG). A pair of fighters made a single firing pass against B-17E "Naughty But Nice" 41-2430 causing damage from nose to tail and wounded five of the crew Easter who dove to evade and escapes.

U.S. Navy: After nightfall, PT boats of Seventh Fleet destroy one of the vessels previously damaged by aircraft.

U.S. freighter Harvey W. Scott, bound for Iran in convoy DN 21, is torpedoed by German submarine U-160 off the coast of South Africa, 31°54'S, 30°37'E; first boatload of survivors (there are no casualties among the 42 merchant sailors or the 19-man Armed Guard) reaches shore on March 4, 1943.