September 9, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 1943

RCAF: Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No 14 (Fighter) Squadron prepares to depart Umnak bound for British Columbia, Canada.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): B-24's again mine the Rangoon River during the night of 8/9 Sep.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Eight B-25's and eleven P-40's hit the White Cloud Airfield; Four P-38's bomb the docks at Whampoa; Eight P-40's and P-38's hit shipping on the Yangtze River shipping near Chiuchiang, Kichun, Wusueh, Ocheng, and Changanyi, and strafe targets of opportunity in the general area.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Thirteenth Air Force): 12 B-25's and 50+ USN dive bombers pound Vila Airfield and barges at Disappointment Cove on New Georgia. 18 B-24's, with fighter escort, bomb Kahili Airfield. 2 nearby coastal guns are also hit.

USMC: Corsairs escort USAAF and USN bombers on a mission over Vila Airfield. Lost is F4U 02552 (MIA)

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Fifth Air Force): B-25's bomb and strafe coastal area from Alexishafen to Finschhafen and hit points on coast of New Britain. Lost is B-25D "Jelly Belly 2nd" 41-30516 pilot Captain Alden W. Thompson, Jr. (MIA). Heavy bombers attack Garove Island. Selaroe is hit by a light medium bombers strike. Lost on a training flight is B-24D "Joltin' Janie" 42-40065 pilot 2nd Lt. Ralph Poulsen (survived).

USN: USS Grayling (SS-209) is sunk, possibly rammed by Japanese transport Hokuan Maru in the South China Sea west of Luzon.

USS Harder (SS-257) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Koyo Maru, 35°30'N, 140°40'E.

USS Permit (SS-178) damages Japanese cargo vessel Tateyama Maru 09°00'N, 168°40'E.

USS Pompano (SS-181) damages Japanese army cargo ship Nanking Maru, 40°12'N, 141°55'E.

German submarine U-214 lays mines off Colon, Canal Zone, off the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.