July 13, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
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TUESDAY, 13 JULY 1943

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force) 16 B-25's lay mines in the Irrawaddy River, Burma.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) Four B-17's from the 43rd BG, 64th BS and one B-24, operating individually bomb Lae Airfield, Lae area and Huon Gulf; B-25s blast positions in the Salamaua area, along the road between Kela and MacDonald's Junction, and hit AA guns at Salamaua and MacDonald's Junction; and ground forces clear the Mubo area and Lababia Ridge of the enemy. Ditched is B-25D "Jelly Belly" 41-30013 (crew rescued, two KIA). HQ 375th Troop Carrier Group arrives at Brisbane from the US. Lost are P-38 Lightning piloted by Love (survived), B-25D "Jelly Belly" 41-30013 (MIA) and P-400 AP357 (survived).

USN: During the night, the Battle of Kolombangara (Second Battle of Kula Gulf) is fought in the darkness off Kolombangara as Task Group 36.1 (TG 36.1) under the command of Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth three light cruisers and ten destroyers USS Nicholas, O'Bannon, Taylor, Jenkins, Radford, Ralph Talbot, Buchanan, Maury, Woodworth, and USS Gwin (DD-433) engages a Japanese force under the command of Rear Admiral Izaki Shunji including light cruiser Jintsū and five destroyers including Yukikaze escorting troop-carrying destroyers. Japanese torpedoes damage light cruisers USS Honolulu (CL-48), 07°31'S, 157°19'E, and USS St. Louis (CL-49) at 07°37'S, 157°16'E and New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Leander (75) replacing USS Helena (CL-50) sunk in the Battle of Kula Gulf on July 6, 1943. Destroyer USS Gwin (DD-433) is damaged by torpedo then scuttled by USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) at 07°41'S, 157°27'E. Destroyers USS Woodworth (DD-460) and USS Buchanan (DD-484) are damaged by collision at 07°40'S, 157°14'E. Japanese light cruiser Jintsū is sunk by cruiser gunfire and destroyer torpedo at 07°38'S, 157°06'E and destroyer Yukikaze is damaged.

Second group of survivors of freighter Sebastian Cermeno, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U- 511 on 27 June 1943, reaches Durban, South Africa (see 14, 23 and 27 July 1943).

RAF Catalina rescues one group of survivors from U.S. freighter SS Alice F. Palmer, torpedoed, shelled and sunk by German submarine U-177 on July 10, 1943 roughly 60 miles southeast of Madagascar (see 25, 26 and 30 July 1943).