SUNDAY, 15 AUGUST 1943
CBI: Work on Ledo Road is progressing very slowly. From end of March to date, only 3 miles have been constructed.
USS Wahoo (SS-238) damages Japanese fleet tanker Terukawa Maru at 43°15'N, 140°03'E and merchant fishery mother ship Ryokai Maru at 43°12'N, 140°00'E.
Eleventh Air Force: Weather conditions prevent air support of the operation (Cottage). During final phase of preinvasion bombardment from August 10, 1943 to date, has dropped 355 tons of bombs. A P-38 bombs and strafes Sniper Hill. The 635th Bombardment Squadron (Dive), 407th Fighter-Bomber Group, based at Drew Field, but operating from Amchitka is disbanded and their A-24 Dive Bombers are transferred to other units.
U.S. Naval task force of 95 ships under Commander North Pacific Force under the command of Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid lands Allied soldiers on Kiska.
The Allied invasion force of 34,426 Allied soldiers are under the overall command of U.S. Army Major Geneneral Charles H. Corlett. The force includes U.S. Army 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division that previously fought on Attu, 4th Infantry Regiment, 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment and 1st Special Service Force. The Candian Army force includes 5,300 Canadians from the13th Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division and 159th Infantry Regiment, plus two artillery units from the 7th Infantry Division. They land without opposition and discover the Japanese evacuated their entire garrison and suffer 7 fatalities and roughly 200 casualties from accidents, friendly fire and enemy booby traps left behind. Another 130 suffer injuries from trench foot.
SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): Commander Air (COMAIR), New Georgia command post, recently established
at Munda by Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC,
conducts its first full day of operations from Munda Airfield. Fighters are sent to cover
amphibious landings at Vella
Lavella where elements of the 25th Infantry
Division, and supporting units, go ashore at Barakoma and
establish a beachhead. Allied airplanes knock down about 25 Japanese aircraft
including seven 13th Air Force fighters attacking the landings. F4Us also claim 10
Japanese shot down over Kahili. B-25's bomb Papatura Fa and Ighiti Islands in the Rekata
Bay area of Santa Isabel.
USN: Third Amphibious Force under Rear Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson lands Navy, Marine, and Army personnel at Barakoma on Vella
Lavella and bypass substantial Japanese forces at Vila on Kolombangara.
USMC: The Northern Landing Force lands at Barakoma on Vella
Lavella. The 4th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, was responsible for the installation and operation of anti-aircraft and seacoast defenses and for the organization and occupation of a sector of the beach defenses.
U.S. Army: Wilkinson's Northern Landing Force puts Gen McClure's Landing Force Regimental Combat Team 35 (RCT 35) from 25th Infantry Division and supporting units land at Barakoma on Vella
Lavella where a beachhead is established without any opposition on the ground. Japanese aircraft are very active against shipping but do little damage. Zieta on New Georgia, falls to 27th Inf, 25th Division. On Baanga, the small American beachhead is strengthened by 2d Bn of 169th Inf, 43d Div, which attacks through Co I after the latter tries in vain to reach Co L. Elements of Co L succeed in joining main body, but the co is so depleted in strength and withdrawn to Munda.
IJN: Crashed is D4Y1 Judy 330 into the sea off Batua Point on Choisel Island.
RAAF: Lost is Hudson A16-181 (MIA).
JAAF:
Seven Ki-48 Lilys from 208th Hiko Sentai (208th Flying Regiment) led by 1st Lt Imai, escorted by twenty-two Ki-43 Oscars from 59th Hiko Sentai (59th Flying Regiment) and twelve Ki-43 Oscars from 24th Hiko Sentai (24th Flying Regiment) bomb Tsili Tsili Airfield for the first time. Lost are seven Ki-48s and three Oscars. Afterwards, U.S. forces confirm six crash sites including Ki-48 Lily 1210, Ki-48 Lily 1235, Ki-48 Lily 1242, Ki-48 Lily 1249 and Ki-48 Lily 1250 at Tsili Tsili, Pesen, and Babauf.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): P-39N Airacobras over Tsili Tsili Airfield intercept the Japanese air raid and U.S. claims 14 shot down. Airacobras claims included 9 of 11 claims for Lilys. They also claimed 2 of the 3 Oscars shot down. Lost interecpting are P-39N pilot Hilbert (survived) P-39N pilot Bomar (survived) and P-39N pilot Topolcany (KIA) plus P-39N pilot Mikiska (survived). Also shot down is C-47 "Liliane" 41-18682 (KIA) and C-47 41-18668 (KIA) with the passengers were personnel of the 41st FS. Also lost are P-400 AP 347 and B-24D "Hells Angels" 41-11903 (MIA). Heavy bombers hit
the Salamaua area. Headquarters (HQ), 35th Fighter
Group moves from Port Moresby to Tsili Tsili.
References
Richard Dunn adds:
"Souces are confused on Lilys versus Sallys. On 15 Aug there really is no dispute. Captured docs clearly establish them as Type 99 Light Bombers. In addition Impact magazine (December 1943) has gun camera photos of several Lilys in the action. I also have the crash reports and s/ns from most of the losses. Escort of 22 from 59th and 12 from 24th. Strangely the Type 99 LBs shot down on the 16th were claimed as Kates! There were also 7 LBs in that raid."
