SUNDAY, 2 JANUARY 1944
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 27 B-25's and 16 P-39's hit a fuel
plant and work shops at Yenangyaung and set the oil field aflame; 13 B-24's also
hit the refinery, causing a large fire, and bomb a power station; 4 other B-24's
bomb Akyab on the west coast; about 30 A-36's and P-51's score hits on the Loilaw
bridge approaches and bomb the towns in the vicinity.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air
Force): Eight P-40's bomb and strafe Japanese HQ and barracks at Hopang, China.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Seven B-24's,
staging through Tarawa to bomb Maloelap; Ditched is B-24D "St. Quentin Quail" 42-41205 (KIA / POW). Nine B-25G's
hit targets on Jaluit, lost is B-25G 42-64893 (MIA) and P-39's strafe shipping at Mille.
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): Twenty-four B-25's bomb Buka supply
area on Buka. 30+ Allied fighters sweep Rabaul area
claiming 11 airplanes shot down; Lost is F4U 03828 piloted by Captain N. S. Blount of VMF-321.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Bad weather prevents preparatory air strikes but 80+ B-24's
and A-20's pound positions at Saidor in coordination with the U.S. landing. Other B-24's bomb Pombelaa, Celebes and Amboina, Moluccas. B-25's and B-26's bomb Madang. P-40's
strafe Hoskins Airfield, AA positions, barges, and supply dump at Cape Hoskins.
U.S. Army: "Operation Michaelmas" LSTs and landing craft land the U.S. Army, 6th Army, 32nd Infantry Division, 126th Regimental Combat Team (126th RCT) under the command of General Martin with the 120th Field Artillery plus elements
from the 32nd Infantry Division. The harbor and Saidor Airfield were captured.
