August 13, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 13 AUGUST 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Seven B-25's from Adak bomb targets at Main Camp and North Head on Kiska and Little Kiska. A B-24 flies a special reconnaissance mission. From Amchitka B-24's, B-25's, A-24s, and P-38's fly 8 more bombing missions against Kiska pounding the Camp area, gun emplacements, buildings, shipping, and Kiska Airfield revetments. The 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 41st Bombardment Group (Medium), ceases operating from Adak with B-25's and returns to it's base at Elmendorf Field. During the latter part of August 1943, the 515th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and 516th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 407th Fighter-Bomber Group, cease operating from Amchitka with A-24s and return to their base at Drew Field, Tampa, Florida.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 P-40's bomb and strafe enemy installations at Lungling, China.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): Four P-40s from the 44th Fighter Squadron become the first Allied aircraft to land on the reconstructed Munda Airfield; after refueling, they are sent on a sweep over Kolombangara. Nine B-17s, with fighter cover, bomb a Kape Harbor depot; and 2 others on armored reconnaissance bomb Vila. 12 B-25's bomb supply areas in the Rekata Bay area; two B-24's on armed reconnaissance hit Suavanau Point. Eight B-24 bomb Ballale Airfield. 25 B-24s escorted by 8 US P-40s and 22 F4Us bomb Kahili Airfield, they loose one P-40 and one F4U. Lost are F4U 02409, F4U 02679.

IJN: B5N Kates attack and sink USS John Penn (APA-23) off Guadalcanal.

USN: At 9:20pm USS John Penn (APA-23) is targeted by B5N Kates and was hit by a crashing plane and a torpedo and sank off Guadalcanal.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): 59 B-24's, B-17's, and B-26's drop 175 tons of bombs in the Salamaua area in the heaviest single day strike by the Fifth Air Force to date. Taking off from airfields south of Darwin, eleven B-24's of the 380th Bomber Group took off on a mission to bomb the oil center at Balikpapan during a late night raid. Two B-24s aboard the mission due to bad weather during the outbound leg of the mission. The mission covers 1,200 miles and bombers return the next day.