SUNDAY, 25 JULY 1943
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force) Forty P-40's fly seven attack missions, two by Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots against Kiska, bombing and strafing North Head AA batteries, Kiska Airfield, Main Camp, and Little Kiska. HQ 343d Fighter Group transfers from Adak to Amchitka. The 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 41st Bombardment Group (Medium), based at Elmendorf Field begins operating from Adak with B-25's.
CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force) The 72d Fighter Squadron, 318th Fighter Group, transfers from Wheeler Field to Hilo Field with P-39's.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force) 9 B-25's, escorted by 17 P-40's and P-38's, bomb Hankow Airfield.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) Single B-24's attack
a large transport vessel WNW of Buka Passage and bomb Lingat and Adaoet in the Moluccas Islands and the area near Finschhafen.
SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) Lieutenant General Nathan F Twining, USAAF, becomes Commander Air Solomons (COMAIRSOLS). Fighter Command and Bomber Command, Solomons, are taken over by Brigadier General Dean C Strother USAAF, and Colonel William A Matheny, USAAF, respectively; Strother retains his position as Commanding General XIII Fighter Command. The Japanese try to hit U.S. forces on Rendova but Allied fighters shoot
down 8 Zekes and force the enemy bombers to drop their bombs
indiscriminately. The final push on the Japanese base
at Munda opens with a bombardment by 7 destroyers and the heaviest air attack
in the South Pacific (SOPAC) Theater to date; 170+ B-24's, B-25's, B-17's,
TBF's, and SBD's, covered by 70+ fighters, pound the target thoroughly, dropping
more than 145 tons of bombs in little more than a half hour;. Later in the afternoon,
10 more B-24's, with fighter cover, bomb Bibolo Hill, and SBD's and TBF's dive-bomb
gun positions; and later in the day, gun positions NE of Kindu Village are
hit. The 43d and 37th Infantry Divisions open the ground assault against the
firmly entrenched enemy. Lost is B-24D Liberator 42-40856 pilot 1st Lt. Orlin F. Wyse (MIA).
U.S. Army: General Nathan F. Twining replaces Rear Adm Marc A. Mitscher as COMAIRSOLS. Air strength of this command has increased from 235 to 539 planes since 2 April. Since the invasion of Rendova on June 30, 1943, Fighter Command alone has destroyed 316 planes for loss of 71. Enemy discontinues daylight air attacks on Rendova.
On New Georgia, XIV Corps opens final offensive for Munda Airfield. Although supported by naval gunfire and powerful air bombardment, assault troops can make only slow progress against strongly entrenched enemy. 43d Div, with 103d Inf on left and 172d on right, attacks on left (south) and gets elements to coast near Terere but withdraws the salient since it is exposed. 37th Div, with 145th, 161st, and 148th Regts in line from left to right, cannot begin general advance until opposition on ridge named Bartley Ridge in honor of 2nd Lt Martin E. Bartley in front of 161st Inf is cleared and then starts to envelop enemy there. 148th advances without serious opposition but is out of contact with 161st.
USMC: The final attack by the New Georgia Occupation Force opens with destroyer and torpedo and dive-bomber support. Marine M3 Stuart tanks from the 9th Defense Battalion, join the action on August 3, 1943 by those of the 10th Battalion and 11th Battalion, supported the infantry advance that will reach the edge of Munda Airfield on August 1, 1943 and Bairoko Harbor on August 25, 1943.
USN: Destroyers and aircraft strike enemy position at Munda.
USS Pompon (SS-267) damages Japanese transport Kinsen Maru and sinks army cargo ship Thames Maru, 02°46'N, 148°35'E.
Second group of survivors from U.S. freighter Alice F. Palmer, torpedoed, shelled and sunk by German submarine U-177 on 10 July 1943, reaches safety at Mozambique (see 26 and 30 July 1943).
