October 1, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 1 OCTOBER 1943

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): During October 1943, HQ 80th Fighter Group and the 88th Fighter Squadron transfer from Karachi to Nagaghuli and Mokelbari respectively with P-40s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 21 B-24's, supported by 21 fighters, bomb a power plant, the warehouse and dock area at Haiphong. 40-65 fighters intercept, shooting down 2 US aircraft; 30 fighters are claimed destroyed in the air battle.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-24's bomb a supply and bivouac area north of Vila airfield. B-25's and P-38's join US Navy (USN) dive bombers in a strike on a barge depot at Kakasa on Choiseul. Lost is B-24D Liberator 42-72794 piot 1st Lt. Clinton S. Wicker (2 MIA)

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): A-20's and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft bomb and strafe the Finschhafen area as the Australian 9 Division pours more troops into the assault on the town. B-25's strafe a power boat near Gasmata. Force landed is P-47D "Carter's Li'l Pill" 42-8066 (survived).

USN: Admiral William F. Halsey informs General Douglas MacArthur of his decision to land on November 1, 1943 at Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville and is promised maximum aerial assistance from the South West Pacific Area (SWPA).

PT-68 ran aground off Vincke Point, Huon Peninsula at Lat 05°56'S, Long 147°18'E, is scuttled by PT-191 to prevent capture.

USS Saufley (DD-465) is damaged by near-miss from bombs from Japanese horizontal bomber at Lat 07°42'S, 160°14'E.

Tank landing ships LST-448 is damaged by horizontal bomber, Solomons, 07°45'S, 156°30'E.

Mobile degaussing barge YDG-4 sinks nine miles southeast of Bulari Passage, after running aground off New Caledonia.

USS Peto (SS-265) sinks Japanese transport Tonei Maru and Japanese army cargo ship Kinkasan Maru at Lat 4° 1'N, Long 143° 47' E.

USS Wahoo (SS-238) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Masaki Maru in Sea of Japan.