December 21, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 21 DECEMBER 1943

CBI: General Stilwell arrives in Ledo to personally take charge of the northern Burma campaign.

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force): 8 B-24's from Nanumea escort 4 USN PB4Y's on a photo mission over Kwajalein Atoll. B-24's bomb shipping and aircraft landing grounds and other facilities at Roi, Ennuebing, and Kwajalein. A-24s with USN and US Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft, hit shipping and airfields at Emidj. 16 P-39's strafe fuel dumps, shipping, and AA at Mille Atoll.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 29 B-24's pound the railroad yards at Chiengmai; the warehouse area along the west side of the yards suffers very heavy damage; 14 B-25's, with fighter escort, attack Hwajung.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): Six B-25's attack Monoitu Mission; during the night of 21/22 Dec, snoopers bomb various bivouac areas on Bougainville.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): Pre-invasion air strikes continue against Cape Gloucester as 100+ B-24's, B-25's, and A-20's pound the area; P-39s strafe targets along Borgen Bay and Rein Bay; P-40's and A-20's hit Hoskins Airfield; and P-47's claim 17 fighters shot down in the Arawe area. A-20's hit camps north of Finschhafen; B-25's bomb and cannon Madang; and P-40's hit Kaukenau. B-24's bomb Amahai Airfield. The 110th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter), 71st Reconnaissance Group, transfers from Brisbane to Port Moresby with P-39Qs. Their first missoin will be January 21, 1944. B-25s sink small Japanese cargo vessel Matsushima Maru at Wewak Harbor.

IJA/IJN: 15th Wewak Resuppy Convoy (Wewak No. 15 Convoy) including Yamagiku Maru, Kayo Maru, Samarang Maru and Umegawa Maru escorted by minelayer Shirataka, subchaser CH-32 and auxiliary subchaser CHa-3 continues to unload at Wewak Harbor.

JAAF: Ki-61 Tonys fom 68th Hiko Sentai escort Ki-48 Lilys over Arawe and engage in air combat with P-47D Thunderbolts. Returning, lost is Ki-61 pilot Captain Takeuchi (KIA) that crashed landing at Nubia Airfield.

USMC: Task Force Backhander under the command of Major General William H. Rupertus, USMC conducts final rehearsals off Cape Sudest for the upcoming invasion of Cape Gloucester. On Bougainville, relief of 3d Mar Div on the line defending the beachhead begins. During the night of December 21-22, two parties of Marine scouted the beaches near Tauali before the landing at Cape Gloucester.

USN: PBYs from Attu bomb Shimushu.

Photographic Squadron One (VD-1) New Guinea detachment rejoins the rest of the squadron at Carney Field on Guadalcanal.

Coastal transport APc-2 is damaged by D3A Val dive bomber off New Britain, 06°12'S, 149°03'E

USS Grayback (SS-208) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer Kashiwa Maru and merchant passenger/cargo ship Konan Maru south-southwest of Kagoshima, Japan, 30°26'N, 129°58'E.

USS Sailfish (SS-192) sinks Japanese transport Uyo Maru off Miyazaki at roughly Lat 32°38'N, Long 132°04'E.

USS Skate (SS-305) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Terukawa Maru northwest of Truk, Carolines, 09°45'N, 151°56'E.