October 31, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 31 OCTOBER 1943

POA: Northern Attack Force (TF 52) under the command of Admiral Turner begins rehearsals for Operation Galvanic the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. TF 31 units rendezvous west of Guadalcanal then depart for Bougainville. Enemy airfields on southern Bougainville are now unserviceable.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In an attempt to knock out the Japanese base from which fighters are attacking ferrying operations, P-40's carrying 1000-pound bombs fly four strikes against Myitkyina Airfield; following the bomb runs, the fighters strafe AA positions; the attacks cause considerable damage to the base; B-25's attack the Meza railroad bridge, scoring hits on the approaches but missing the structure; the bridge remains unusable due to damage caused by the 10 Oct strike.

USN: At night, F4U-2 Corsair piloted by Lieutenant H. D. O'Neil of VF(N)-75 based at Munda Airfield intercepts and shoots down G4M1 Betty off Vella Lavella, the first kill by a radar-equipped night fighter of the Pacific Fleet. Major T. E. Hicks and Tech Sergeant Gleason from VMF(N)-531 provided ground-based fighter direction.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): Kara Airfield is bombed by nineteen B-24D Liberators that drop a total of 152 x 1,000 pounds on the runway area. Their raid was followed by thirty SBD Dauntless dive bombers, twenty-four TBF Avengers and two squadrons of B-25D Mitchells from 42nd Bombardment Group (42nd BG).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): P-40's sink a barge off the New Britain coast. The 65th Troop Carrier Squadron, 54th Troop Carrier Wing, ceases operating from Tsili Tsili and returns to it's base at Nadzab, New Guinea with C-47s. Lost is P-38H 42-66595 pilot Captain Frederick A. Harris (MIA) on a test flight.

RAAF: Graham and Boanas were executed by Lt. Hara and their remains were buried in a mass grave at Benting on Ambon.

IJN: Damaged is Minesweeper W-26 from a near miss that causes slight hull damage and wounds four aboard.

USN: USS Rasher (SS-269) sinks Japanese oiler Koryu Maru, 00°25'N, 119°45'E.