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

SATURDAY, 14 AUGUST 1943

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Two B-24's fly a special radar ferret and reconnaissance mission. Next, a single B-25, eight B-24s, and 10 P-38s fly two attack missions over Kiska bombing with unobserved results.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): Nine B-17's bomb the Rekata Bay area.

U.S. Army: Brig Gen Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC, COMAIR New Georgia, opens command post at Munda Airfield. Two squadrons of Marine Corps F4U Corsairs arrive to begin operations. 3d Bn of 169th Inf, 43d Div, establishes beachhead on southeast Baanga with 3 cos. Co L tries to rescue the force stranded there earlier but is encircled by enemy and suffers heavy casualties.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): Returning from the Balikpapan mission is B-24D "Shady Lady" 42-40369. 50+ B-24's, B-17's, and B-25's pound the Salamaua area battle zone; with  close air and artillery support, US forces push to the crest of Roosevelt Ridge; the enemy retains several ridges along Dot Inlet; and A-20's strafe  barges near Finschhafen. On New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago,  B-25s hit barges at Talasea and Rein Bay, and other B-25's bomb Koepang. 475th Fighter Group, Headquarters Squadron, 431st Fighter Squadron, 432nd Fighter Squadron and 433nd Fighter Squadron transfer from Amberley Field to Dobodura with P-38's. The 431st Fighter Squadron and 432nd Fighter Squadron are operating from Port Moresby, the 431st FS until October 1943 and the 432d until September 1943; the 433d Fighter Squadron will fly it's first mission August 15, 1943.