March 15, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 15 MARCH 1943

(Eleventh Air Force) Six B-25s, with four P-38s flying top cover, bomb North Head on Kiska, hitting the Main Camp and gun emplacements. Six B-24s with 4 P-38s for top cover then bomb Main Camp. Revetments and the hangar area are strafed by the P-38s one of which is lost to AA. Next, 5 B-24s and 16 P-38s bomb and strafe the Main Camp area and North Head. Four P-40s then unsuccessfully search for 3 enemy fighters which had earlier attacked a weather plane. Main Camp is hit two more times by 3 B-25s and by 8 P-38s.

BURMA AND INDIA (Tenth Air Force) In Burma, 8 B-25s bomb the Gokteik Viaduct and 8 others attack Myitnge. Neither target suffers effective damage. Eight fighter-bombers damage the bridge at Kadrangyang.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) Twelve B-25s bomb the power plant and railroad yards at Luo Kay in French Indochina.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) Single B-17s hit Munda Airfield and Vila Airfield. P-38's strafe Vila Airfield.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) Major General Ennis C. Whitehead, Deputy Commander, 5th Air Force (5th AF) is promoted to the rank of Major General.

B-25s and 4 P-38s, along with Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, bomb shipping at Dobo and Wokam. B-17s on single-plane flights bomb Gasmata and Cape Gloucester.

U.S. Army: 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, 41st Division occupies positions at the mouth of the Mambare River without opposition.

USN: Central Pacific Force is redesignated Fifth Fleet (5th Fleet). USS Trigger (SS-237) attacks Japanese convoy about 150 miles northwest of the Admiralties, damaging transport Florida Maru, 00°00'N, 145°00'E, and sinking army cargo ship Momoha Maru, 00°02'S, 145°05'E. Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, French Frigate Shoals is established.

USMC: 1st Marine Raider Regiment is organized for upcoming operations in New Georgia. The 10th Defense Battalion relieves the 11th Defense Battalion in the Russell Islands.

RAAF: Crashed is Spitfire BS231 (A58-92) pilot SqnLdr Raymond Edward Thorold-Smith (KIA) eight miles from Flagstaff Hill near Darwin.

IJN: Divine Word missionaries including Bishop Loerks, six priests, 14 brothers, 18 sisters and another woman with her two children on Kairuru Island are embarked aboard Akikaze.