May 29, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SATURDAY, 29 MAY 1943

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force) In the Aleutians, no missions are flown. After 18 days of combat, Attu is declared secure. Meanwhile, U.S. forces land on Shemya.

IJA: On Attu, before dawn the surviving 1,000 Japanese at Chichagof Harbor launched a suicidal Banzai charge gyokusai to kill themselves. The survivors are dispersed into small groups and go into hiding. Afterwards, this Banzai charge will be depicted in the painting Final Fighting on Attu by Tsuguharu Fujita. When exhibited in 1943, Foujita wore a military uniform and stood with the painting, bowing to visitors who donated money to the war effort.

U.S. Army: On Attu before dawn, the Americans deefend against a strong Japanese counterattack from Chichagof Harbor that pushes rapidly toward Clevesy Pass in effort to break out into Massacre Valley. Main force of attack is spent by dawn when enemy, dispersed into small groups, are forced to go into hiding.

CBI CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) 9 B-24's bomb Ichang. 4 P-40's hit targets of opportunity in Tengchung and Lungling areas.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) B-17's bomb Madang and Alexishafen. Heavy and medium bombers, operating individually or in flights of two bombers, attack the town, airfields, shipping, docks, and other targets at various places, including Babo, Nabire, Saidor, Finschhafen, and Manam; Cape Gloucester; Damar Island, Soemba, and Soembawa in the Sunda Islands; and Dili and Penfoei.

IJN: Kamikawa Maru is sunk by a torpedo fired by USS Scamp (SS-227).