April 23, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 23 APRIL 1943

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force) Twelve B-24's from Funafuti attack Tarawa, bombing fuel storage and barracks areas. After this mission, the 371st and 372d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group cease operating from Funafuti and return to their base at Wheeler and Kahuku respectively. The 78th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group with P-40's transfers from Midway to Barking Sands.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force) Nine B-25's bomb the Mandalay warehouse area. Five P-40's damage the approaches to the bridge at Shaduzup.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) In China, P-40's strafe a 15-truck convoy southwest of Lungling.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) The 390th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 42d Bombardment Group (Medium) with B-25's transfers from Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield to Fiji. Ground looped is B-17F "Aztec's Curse" 41-24457 (crew survived).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) Single B-24's bomb the airfield and town area at Finschhafen and score a direct hit on a cargo vessel southeast of Kavieng.

USN: USS Pike (SS-173) is damaged by depth charges off central Carolines, 04°20'N, 152°02'E, and is forced to terminate her patrol.

USS Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese Patrol Boat No.39 off east central coast of Formosa, 23°45'N, 122°45'E, while the enemy warship is screening the towing of the wrecked Nisshin Maru.

YP-422 founders after grounding on Tumbo Reef, three miles southeast of entrance to North Bulari Passage off New Caledonia.

Swedish merchant ship Oscar Gorthon rescues 11 survivors from U.S. freighter John Drayton, sunk by Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci in the Indian Ocean on April 21, 1943.

Australia: The Kanga Force at Mubo area is dissolved and the 3rd Division takes over. A stalemate exists in this sector, where Australians hold broken line spanning Mubo-Komiatum-Bobdubi.