December 28, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 28 DECEMBER 1943

Burma: Chinese 38th Division, attacking with 1st and 2d Bns of 114th Regt and 1st Bn of 112th, clears several enemy strongpoints along Tarung R.

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force): Fifteen B-24's from Funafuti and Canton, staging through Tarawa and Baker, hit Maloelap and Majuro and Mille. 18 A-24s from Makin with an escort of 20 P-39's, attack Mille; this attack is followed by another against the atoll carried out by nine B-25's from Tarawa, supported by twelve Makin based P-39's.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25's and 4 P-51's attack Yangtze River shipping at Chihchow; 1 cargo ship is claimed sunk, 2 others damaged, and an armed motor vessel set aflame. 7 P-40's bomb a building on the railroad siding at Yun-chi. USAAF B-25s and P-40s sink Japanese merchant cargo vessels Heizan Maru, Unyo Maru and Koka Maru in Yangtze River, 30°40'N, 117°30'E.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): Fourteen B-24's bomb supply areas at Bonis and Twenty-two B-25's hit the Kahili supply area. Another large fighter sweep of the Rabaul, New Britain area results in claims of 20+ airplanes shot down.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): HQ 58th Fighter Group and the 310th Fighter Squadron and 311th Fighter Squadrons transfer from Brisbane to Dobodura No. 7 with P-47's. They will fly their first mission on 24 and 2 Feb 44 respectively. Lost is P-38G "Beautiful Lass" 43-2204 pilot 2nd Lt. Ormond E. Powell (MIA) and P-47D Thunderbolt pilot 2nd Lt. Herman J. Bissonnette (KIA).

U.S. Army: On Bougainville, the Americal Division takes command of the east sector of beachhead, relieving 3d Mar Division.

USMC: The last units of the 3d Marines, manning perimeter positions, were relieved by elements of the Americal Division. Gen Krueger releases reserve 5th Marines as reinforcements to General Rupertus. 1st Marines reduces prepared enemy trail block about 1,000 yards east of Cape Gloucester Airfield.

Japanese attack on Arawe beachhead is repulsed.

USN: Amphibious Training Base, Kamaole, Maui is established.

USS Muskallunge (SS-262) unsuccessfully attacks Japanese convoy at 08°50'N, 147°20'E.

PV-1 attacks Japanese net tender Katsura Maru off Kwajalein.

U.S. freighter Robert F. Hoke, en route from Abadan, Iran, to Mombasa, Kenya, is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 at 20°05'N, 59°58'E, and abandoned by all but the 27-man Armed Guard, who remain at their guns and fire upon the I-boat's periscope to keep the enemy down. I-26 abandons any further attacks and retires while Robert F. Hoke remains afloat. The crew reboards the ship but is not able to get the ship underway and she is abandoned a second time. An RAF crash boat rescues all hands (41 merchant sailors and the Armed Guard) and the abandoned freighter is later towed to Aden by British rescue tug HMS Masterful. Robert F. Hoke is later towed to Suez but never returns to active service and is written off as a total loss.

Indian Navy minesweeper RINS Rajputana rescues the survivors of U.S. freighter Jose Navarro, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-178 the day before, and transports them to Cochin.