December 12, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 12 DECEMBER 1943

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force): 25 B-24's flying from Ellice bases bomb Emidj.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 28 B-25's and 13 B-24's carry out a saturation bombing strike against bridge at Myittha, over which a large volume of Japanese goods is flowing to the north. Despite this large air effort only the approach spans suffer effective damage.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Forty-one Japanese bombers and fighters bomb the west side of Hengyang Airfield, causing considerable damage; 31 P-40's and 6 P-38's intercept the enemy force, claiming 20 airplanes shot down; 2 P-40's are lost. Nine B-24's bomb Hankow Airfield.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): Six B-25's strafe Arigua Plantation; Nine B-25s with fighter support, bomb the supply area at Bonis; the fighters afterwards strafe Japanese forces between Kieta and the Aropa River; other fighter aircraft strafe Tonolai Harbor and cover USN dive bomber strikes against targets in the Ratsua-Porton-Chabai-Soraken areas and the Kieta Harbor-Tobera Bay area; and 20+ B-24's bomb the Kahili area and Poporang.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): P-40's dive-bomb Bogadjim Road. B-24's make light raids on Ceram in the Moluccas and in the far W part of Netherlands New Guinea.

USN: USS Tuna (SS-203) sinks Japanese naval transport Tosei Maru north of Halmahera, 02°44'N, 126°14'E.

USMC: CinCPOA and ComCenPac evolved a plan to assault Kwajalein Atoll and Majuro Atoll.

RAAF: Damaged is Spitfire Mark Vc A58-213 piloted by F/Sgt Dudley A. Gringlington while landing, the flaps failed to operate and the brakes failed and the palne crashed into a truck then came to rest in a coral pit, injuring the pilot..