April 5, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 5 APRIL 1943

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eleventh Air Force) Reconnaissance covers all islands west of Kiska with negative results. 16 B-24's and 6 B-25's bomb the Attu runway and Kiska Main Camp and runway. Four P-38's fly top cover. Later, three B-25's, 16 P-40's, and 16 P-38's bomb Kiska again.

Burma: Japanese gain control of the Mayu Peninsula as far north as Indin and overrun the headquarters of 6th Brig. By this time, Ind 26th Div has taken over the front from Ind 14th Div.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) In Burma, P-40s on armored reconnaissance strafe 15 horse-drawn wagons at Wanling.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force) Seventeen B-25's bomb railroad targets at Mandalay; two others hit Ngamya. Three B-24's bomb the Prome railroad yards; 5 hit the Mahlwagon yards and roundhouse. 12 P-40's and a B-25 support ground forces in northern Burma.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) Single B-17's attack occupied areas at several points along the coast of the Huon Gulf, hit Finschaffen bomb Madang and other points on the north coast of New Guinea and hit Cape Gloucester. Damaged landing is P-38G "Elsie" Nose 88 nose wheel strut collapsed while landing at Horanda Airfield (Dobodura No. 4).

NEIAF: Lost is B-25D N5-140 (KIA) returning from an armed reconnaissance of the north coast of Timor and crashed into the sea at Nightcliffs near Darwin killing the entire crew on impact.

USN: USS O'Bannon (DD-450) sinks Japanese submarine RO-34 near the Russell Island at roughly Lat 08°15'S, Long 158°58'E.

USS Finback (SS-230) inflicts further damage upon Japanese troopship Suwa Maru (previously damaged by USS Tunny (SS-282) on 28 March and beached) off Wake Island, 19°20'N, 166°35'E.