December 10, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 10 DECEMBER 1943

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 12 B-25's and 15 P-40's attack the marshalling yard at Hanoi, the warehouse area and railroad station suffer heavy damage. Japanese aircraft bomb Hengyang Airfield. Eight P-40's intercept 1 wave of airplanes over the field, shooting down 3 of them; 2 P-40's are lost in the combat.

10th AF: Lost is B-25D "Blackie's Gang" 41-30362 pilot Captain John L. Porter (MIA)

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's bomb the Kahili supply area and Kahili Airfield; P-39's bomb the supply area and AA positions at Tonolai and strafe 4 barges in the harbor; RNZAF Ventura's hit buildings at Arigua Plantation.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): 27 B-24's bomb targets at Cape Gloucester and the Huon Peninsula. 40 B-25's and B-26's bomb supply and bivouac areas and bridges along the Bogadjim Road; P-39's strafe barges in the Madang area. HQ 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group and it's 20th Combat Mapping Squadron transfer from Brisbane to Port Moresby with B-24's and F-7's. HQ 43d Bombardment Group and 64th Bombardment Squadron transfer from 7 Mile Drome to Dobodura with B-24's. Force landed is P-40N pilot Linder (survived). Crashed on a training mission is P-70 pilot Crum (MIA).

RAAF: Force landed is F-4 Lightning A53-3 pilot F/Lt. Philip B. Sinnott (WIA, died).

USN: USS Sigourney (DD-643) is damaged by grounding at Lat 06°21'S, Long 155°10'E in the Solomons.

USMC: Seventeen F4U Corsairs from Marine Fighting Squadron 216 (VMF-216) arrive at Torokina Airfield.