July 14, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 14 JULY 1943

Alaska: Naval Operating Base, Adak is established.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) A-20s bomb and strafe the Orodubi area; and a single B-17 hits Lae. B-24's bomb Koepang. Lost are P-39 pilot Dannacher (survived), P-40K "Pistoff" 42-45979 (survived) and B-25C "RHIP" 42-32293 (MIA).

USN: Naval Operating Base, Adak is established.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) B-25s and P-40s strike small craft in Hunda Cove and Beagle Channel off New Georgia. Two barges and a small vessel are claimed destroyed. B-24's and B-17's bomb Ballale Airfield and Buka Airfield. B-24s from 5th BG bomb Kahili Airfield. P-39 Airacobras from 339th Fighter Squadron (339th FS) fly a cover mission bound for Rendova Island but experienced bad weather. Lost is P-39N Airacobra 42-18258 pilot 1st Lt. Morris R. Pace (MIA) and P-39N 42-18260 pilot Daniel R. Wolterding (MIA).

U.S. Army: On New Georgia, 43d Div's left flank is reinf as 3d Bn of 103d Inf, with engineers and tanks attached, lands at Laiana. The bn is not committed to action at once, however. 3d Bn, 169th Inf, holds its exposed hill position under enemy fire. On Guadalcanal, 25th Div's RCT 161 is alerted to move to New Georgia.

USN: Destroyer USS Monaghan (DD-354) bombards Japanese positions at Gertrude Cove on Kiska. She repeats the bombardment on July 15, 1943. On neither occasion do enemy guns reply.

Japanese reconnaissance planes spot seaplane tender USS Chincoteague (AVP-24) tending patrol planes in Saboe Bay off Vanikoro.

IJN: Japanese submarine I-179 sinks accidentally off Akizaki in Japan at roughly Lat 33°40'N, Long 132°40'N.

Indian Ocean: Third group of survivors of freighter Sebastian Cermeno, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-511 on 27 June 1943, is located by U.S. freighter Theodore Parker and are taken to Durban in South Africa.

U.S. freighter Robert Bacon is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-178, 35 miles off Mozambique Light, 15°25'S, 41°13'E. U-178 surfaces after sinking the ship, questions the survivors, provides them with directions to the nearest land and then retires. Two of the 44-man merchant complement perish in the attack, but the 27-man Armed Guard survives intact (see 16, 27 and 28 July, 3 and 27 August 1943).

Built by 60th Naval Construction Battalion (60th NCB) "Seabees", Narewa Airfield on Woodlark Island is declared operational.

USMC: The Marine Corps Glider Base at Edenton, North Carolina, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Zebulon C. Hopkins, was designated a Marine Corps air station.

Major General Oscar W. Griswold, USA, assumes command of the New Georgia Occupation Force from Major General John H. Hester, USA. Rear Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson, USN, relieves Rear Admiral Richmond R. Turner, USN, as Commander, III Amphibious Force.