July 6, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 6 JULY 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force) Two B-24's and two P-40's on three weather reconnaissance missions report Kiska overcast, and take photos of Segula. Six B-24's bomb Main Camp on Kiska. Eight B-25's abort a radar run over Kiska when one has engine trouble and the others fail to locate a PV Pathfinder. They sight a submarine which crash-dives immediately.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) In China, 5 B-25's and 8 P-40's hit runway and revetment area at Pailochi Airfield.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) B-17s and B-24s pound bomb Kahili Airfield, Ballale Airfield and Buka Airfield. Lost are B-24D 42-40230 pilot 1st Lt. Don F. Hathaway (MIA) and B-24D "Ready Teddy" 41-24093 pilot 1st Lt. Joseph R. Littlepage (MIA). SBDs, TBFs, and F4F and B-25's hit a beached destroyer Nagatsuki at Bambari Harbor (Jack Cove) on Kolombangara. Heavy raids on Bougainville soften it up for a future target for invasion forces.

B-24s from 307th Bombardment Group (307th BG) including 370th BS and 424th BS bomb Kahili Airfield with 500 pound bombs with half fused instantaneous and half with delay fused to explode 6, 12 and 36 hours, the first use of delayed fuse bombs in the South Pacific Theater.

Four B-25 Mitchells from the 42nd Bombardment Group (42nd BG), 69th Bombardment Squadron (69th BS) on alert were to take off at 12:55pm from Carney Field (Bomber 2) on Guadalcanal armed with 500 pound bombs to strike a damaged destroyer Nagatsuki off Kolombangara. During take off, one B-25 blew a tire and did not participate. The remaining three B-25s took off at 12:55am B-25 Mitchell pilot Captain Lloyd E. "Stone" Whitley, B-25 Mitchell pilot Lt. Mathew W. "Gloss" Glessinger and B-25 Mitchell No. 124 pilot Lt. Enders "Dick" Dickinson. The three proceeded up "The Slot" escorted by eight P-38 Lightnings and spotted the destroyer but proceeded to the Kokovi region then returned realizing they had already spotted the destroyer. Two Zeros were spotted to the west and two P-38s engaged and they turned away. The three B-25s maneuvered wide to approach over the island then attacked from tree-top height in a single formation diving at intervals to release their 500 pound bombs and strafe with their .50 caliber machine guns. The first, Captain Whitley had his bombs hang up. The second, Lt. Dickinson dropped one bomb that hit the waterline amidship. The third, B-25 pilot Lt. Glessinger dropped two bombs that were both direct hits on the deck forward of the superstructure. The three B-25s made a second pass and Captain Whitley's bombs still would not release. Lt. Dickinson dropped another bomb that landed 50' away amidship. Lt. Glessinger dropped his last bomb and claimed another hit amidship then turned for home leaving the destroyer in smoke and flames visible from 30 miles away. Afterwards, a Navy observation plane reported the destroyer exploded and a column of smoke rose to 8,000'. The three B-25 landed safely at 4:11pm.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) B-25s attack Penfoei Airfield on Timor and hit the Labu Lagoon area in New Guinea.

USN: Battle of Kula Gulf begins at 1:57am U.S. Navy (USN) Task Group 36.1 (TG 36.1) of three cruisers and four destroyers intercepted an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) force of ten destroyers in three groups. USS Helena (CL-50) is hit by three torpedoes and sunk. Damaged and run aground is Nagatsuki.

PB4Y-1 Liberator 31992 pilot Lt. Commander Bruce A. Van Voorhis on a solo reconnaissance over Kapingamarangi to report enemy movements. Over the target, the bomber came under anti-aircraft fire and aerial opposition. Van Voorhis made six ground attacks on the base, hitting the radio station and claimed one plane in the air shot down, and three destroyed in the water. Likely caught by its own bomb blast or accurate anti-aircraft fire, his bomber crashed into the lagoon only 700 meters from the area it was atacking. Everyone aboard was killed in the crash. For his actions, Van Voorhis earned the Medal of Honor, the only Navy PB4Y-1 pilot to earn the highest award.

USMC: Eighteen SBDs from VMSB-132 led by Captain J. H. McEniry plus eighteen TBF Avengers strike Enogai Inlet. One SBD aborts due to engine trouble and one did not bomb. Due to bad weather the formation split up and over the target the SBDs bombed from 5,000' in glide bombing attacks then returned to conduct strafing runs and all returned safely.

RAAF: Force landed is Spitfire A58-31 pilot F/O William Torrens Hinds (survived).

References
Consolidated Mission Report 307th Bomb Group, 13th Air Force)
The Crusaders A History of the 42nd Bombardment Group (M) (1946) page 36 (July 6, 1943), 38 (photo)