August 25, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 25 AUGUST 1943

Royal Navy: Admiral Louis F. Mountbatten is appointed Supreme Allied Commander, Southeast Asia.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Eight B-25's with fighter escort bomb Kowloon Docks at Hong Kong.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): Almost 100 B-24's, B-25's, and B-17's carry out an hour-long strike against the Hansa Bay area, Nubia, and Awar, and nearby shipping; and small flights of B-24's attack Finschhafen and hit a transport off New Hanover. A-20's hit Gasmata; and B-25's bomb targets on Timor Island. HQ 433d Troop Carrier Group arrives from the US to Port Moresby. They will remain at this station until October 1944. Lost is P-39N 42-18807 suffered a landing accident at Mallett near Tsili Tsili Airfield. A B-24 damages Japanese vessel Mito Maru 60 miles west-northwest of Mussau Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): 13 B-25's, along with 40+ US Navy dive bombers and an escort of fighter aircraft, pound barge centers at Webster and Ringa Coves on New Georgia Island. Other P-40's strafe large motor vessels and a barge in the NW part of the Slot. Six B-24's, along with 24 fighters, hit Kahili Airfield. Lost is P-40F 41-19838 pilot 2nd Lt. Joseph W. Hill (POW, executed). The 371st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), based on Espiritu Santo begins operating from Guadalcanal with B-24's; they will fly their first mission tomorrow.

U.S. Army: Action on New Georgia comes to a close as U.S. Army 169th Infantry Regiment occupy Bairoko and Bairoko Harbor without opposition. The surviving Japanese ha already withdrawn to Kolombangara and Arundel. 172d Inf, 43d Div, is to secure that part of Arundel commanding Diamond Narrows.

Task Group 34.4 (TG 34.4) covered by four destroyers lays mines off Wilson Cove off western Kolombangara. Withdrawing, light minelayers USS Montgomery (DM-17) and USS Preble (DM-20) are damaged in collision at 09°01'S, 159°50'E.

USS Patterson (DD-392) sinks Japanese submarine RO-35, 170 miles southeast of San Cristobal at 12°57'S, 164°23'E.