July 11, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 11 JULY 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force) Five B-24's take off to attack Paramushiru and fly a shipping search but are turned back by bad weather. A shipping search by five B-25's finds nothing. Six B-25's and six B-24's in three missions (one by radar) attack North Head and Main Camp on Kiska sighting new excavations near Sredni Point, strafe a tent near Haycock Rock, and also fly over Segula.

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force) Three B-24s from Funafuti fly a photo reconnaissance mission to Makin with two bombing Makin.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force) B-24's hit the port of Haiphong.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) Three B-24's bomb the Haiphong Harbor area, 3 bomb shipping in the Campha Port area, and 8 pound positions and barracks area at Kunlong, China; and P-40's strafe traffic between Lao Kay and Cha Pa, and hit oil storage area SW of Lao Kay. B-24s damage Vichy French customs vessel Albert Sarraut and Japanese cargo vessel No. 3 Kiri Maru 45 miles east of Haiphong.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) B-24's and B-17's attack Kahili Airfield hitting revetments east and west of the runway.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) A-20s and B-25s blast positions in the battle zone from Nassau Bay inland to the Mubo area, hitting the trail between Logui and Kennedy's Crossing, the Bobdubi and Bobdubi Ridge areas, Salamaua, Kela Point and villages scattered through the area. Other B-25's bomb Penfoei.

Crashed after take off is B-24D "Double Trouble" 42-40671 pilot 1st Lt Walter C. Hammond (KIA). Damaged on take off is B-24D "The Champ" 42-40060 Captain William R. Gowdy (crew bailed out, survived).

B-17's and B-24's bomb airfields in the Rabaul area. Returning caught in a violent storm, B-17F "Black Jack / The Joker's Wild" 41-24521 pilot 1st Lt Ralph K. De Loach ditched (crew survived) near Boga Boga. Lost are P-38G pilot Neater (KIA) and C-47 "Junior" pilot 2nd Lt. Harry D. Dingman (KIA).

The 19th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 22d Bombardment Group (Medium) transfers with B-26's from Woodstock to Dobodura. The 19th, which has been in combat in the SWPA since April 1942, was pulled out of combat in January 1943 for R&R. The squadron will fly their first combat mission of this tour on July 27, 1943.

USN: Destroyer USS Monaghan (DD-354) bombards Japanese positions at Gertrude Cove on Kiska Island.

USS Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks Japanese guardboat No.8 Takatori Maru between Okino Daito Jima and Kazan Retto, 24°00'N, 135°25'E.

USS Gurnard (SS-254) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Taiko Maru about 375 miles northeast of Palau, 13°08'N, 132°00'E.

PBYs attack Japanese guardboats off Kamchatka, sinking Seiun Maru and damaging Koshin Maru.