July 21, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 21 JULY 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force) NIne B-24's bomb Kiska targets, including Kiska runway, North Head, and Main Camp area where fires are observed. Poor weather cancels other scheduled missions.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) A series of sorties in support of ground forces, 22 B-25's, 50+ USAAF and US Navy fighters, and 170+ US Navy dive bombers blast positions in the Bairoko area; 135 tons of bombs are dropped.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) 50+ B-25's again thoroughly pound the Madang area; other B-25's hit the junction of the Gori and Ioworo Rivers and the village of Bogadjim; and B-26's bomb barges and jetties west of Voco Point. Single B-24's bomb Finschhafen Airfield and Rabaul. Lost is P-38H 42-66517 pilot 1st Lt Paul J. Larson (survived) and P-38 pilot McCarthy (MIA). The 66th Troop Carrier Squadron arrives at Port Moresby from the US with C-47's. The squadron will begin aerial transportation in the theater on 27 July.

ATIU: A6M3 Model 32 Zero (Hybrid) pilot Captain William O. Farrior took off from Eagle Farm Airfield on a second test flight.

IJA: At Bogadjim, a Japanese Army officer described the B-25 attack: "At noon their airplanes strafed and bombed us with terrific firepower... The raid killed 114 Japanese officers and men." Reference: D-Day New Guinea by Phil Bradley.

USN: Destroyers USS Monaghan (DD-354) and USS Aylwin (DD-355) conduct an unopposed bombardment of Japanese positions at Gertrude Cove on Kiska.

USS LST-343 is damaged by Japanese bomb off Rendova; among the casualties is Captain Elphege M. Gendreau, Pacific Fleet Medical Officer.