July 7, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 7 JULY 1943

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) Seven B-25's and twenty-two P-40's attack shipping at Canton. At least two interceptors are claimed shot down.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) B-25's and P-38's attack Vila Airfield and B-24's bomb Kahili Airfield. Lost are B-24D "Scrap Iron" 42-40384.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) B-24's and B-25's, along with Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airplanes, operate in direct support of Allied ground operations in the Mubo area, dropping over 100 tons of bombs on numerous targets.

Australian Army: In New Guinea, 2/6 Battalion forces capture Observation Hill, an important terrain feature west of Mubo.

U.S. Army: In New Guinea, "MacKechnie Force" begins an assault on Bitoi Ridge.

On Guadalcanal, the first echelon of 145th Inf (-3d Bn), 37th Div departs for Rendova as reinforcements. On New Georgia,, 43d Div continues futile efforts to eliminate roadblock on Munda Trail between Zanana and the Barike River.

U.S. Navy: Motor torpedo boat PT-161, operating out of Rendova, is damaged by Japanese plane off Banieta Point.

Destroyer Waller (DD-466) fires upon and depth-charges unidentified Japanese submarine, 08°00'S, 158°05'E.

Submarine Permit (SS-178) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Showa Maru off Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan, 43°14'N, 139°53'E.

Submarine Peto (SS-265) damages Japanese oiler Shinkoku Maru, 00°35'N, 148°00'E.

Submarine Plunger (SS-179) damages Japanese merchant cargo ship Anzan Maru, 37°14'N, 132°57'E.

Lost is PB4Y-1 Liberator 32005 pilot LtCdr Alfred Wilstam (KIA) on a training mission off Hawaii.

Strike Command 17 SBDs and 18 TBFs strike Enogai Inlet targeting known enemy installations with 1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs in support of the approach of the Northern Landing Group (NLG).

At night, three TBF Avengers from VT-21 took off on a night mission against Kahili on southern Bougavinville. Damaged is TBF Avenger 06063 pilot Lt(jg) Murray C. McKinney that returning ditched with two missing and one resceud.

RNZAF: Lost is Hudson NZ2033 pilot F/L Wilfred O. Rutherford on a flare dropping mission for Avengers shot down by J1N1 Irving night fighter and crashed over western Shortland Island.

USMC: The Northern Landing Group (NLG) 1st Raider Battalion (reinforced) under Col Liversedge force reach Enogai Inlet and encounters enemy resistance at Triri. The 3d Bn of 148th Inf reach the Munda-Bairoko Trail.