FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 1944
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force):
Bad weather limits operations to fighter patrols in the Sumprabum, Burma area.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Four B-25's on a coastal sweep from Pakhoi
to Haiphong, bomb a group of buildings on Weichow; 2
B-24's damage two vessels near Saint John Island.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 12 B-24's, staging
through Tarawa bomb Kwajalein; 3 B-25's from Makin fly a mission against shipping off Wotje; 2 of the B-25's attack 2 small vessels, sinking 1 and damaging the other;
the other B-25 bombs Wotje Airfield and building on the southern part of Wotje.
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): During
the night of January 13-14 Jan, fifteen B-24s take off to bomb Vunakanau and Lakunai, Rabaul, Rapopo and Malaguna before dawn. Some meet bad weather and bomb alternate targets on New Ireland and Buka. Lost is B-25D 41-30566 pilot 1st Lt Ross B. Lemmon Jr. (MIA). Twelve B-25's hit Au and Cape Gazelle and Buka. P-39's join USN SBD's in bombing Wakunai,
Bougainville.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 50+ B-24's,
B-25's, and P-40's hit the Alexishafen and Erima area. On New Britain,
B-24's bomb Cape Busching; B-25's attack targets of opportunity along the north
coast, and A-20's strike villages along the south coast.
RAAF: Beaufort A9-141 ground looped at Tocumwal Airfield.
USMC: First full scale attack by land based light bombers against Rabaul. The formation includes 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers from VMSB-236, VMSB-341 and VC-40 plus 18 TBF Avengers from VMTB-232 and VC-40 on a dive bombing mission led by Major McDaniel against Lakunai Airfield near Rabaul. This was the first full scale strike against Rabaul by land based light bombers.
The bombers were escorted by 76 fighters including sixteen F4U Corsairs from VMF-215 flying high cover, sixteen F4Us medium cover and sixteen F4Us plus 8 F6F Hellcats from VF-40 flying low cover plus twenty RNZAF P-40 Kittyhawks from No. 15 Squadron covering the dive bombers and No. 17 Squadron covering the Avengers. Inbound, three fighters aborted leaving 73 fighters escorting.
Over New Ireland, approximately 60-70
Zeros intercept and harassed the formation inbound to the target and as they withdraw but were kept away by the escorts with only a few Zeros able to make passes on the Avengers. During the air combat, escorting fighters claimed 29 Zeros shot down including 22 by Corsair pilots including five claimed by 1st Lt. Robert M. Hanson and four claimed by Captain Arthur Warner. Avenger gunners claimed two kills. RNZAF Kittyhawks were praised for their excellent protection of the bombers and No. 15 Squadron claimed two Zeros shot down.
At 12:45pm the dive bombers began their pushover at 10,000' and released their bombs at 1,500' with pull out at 800'-1,000'. The strike was credited with 9 direct hits on 7 transports and a direct hit on a possible light cruiser and possible destroyer. Also, 20 near misses that likely caused damage. It was estimated that 5 of the 7 transports were sunk. In fact, only two large ships were damaged Naruto that was damaged, disabled and run aground. Matsukaze was lightly damaged.
Combat losses to Zeros included six Corsairs including F4U Corsair 17722 pilot 2nd Lt. John James Knight Jr. (MIA), F4U Corsair 17807 pilot 1st Lt. N. R. Landon, Jr. (MIA), F4U Corsiar 17907 pilot 1st Lt. M. R. Tutton (rescued), F4U Corsair 17896 pilot 2nd G. Kross (rescued), F4U 17897 pilot 1st Lt E. N. Moore (MIA), F4U 17899 pilot Captain G. S. Stidger (KIA), F6F Hellcat 25880 pilot Lt(jg) T. J. Burton (rescued), F6F Hellcat 08855 pilot Lt(jg) A. J. Baranouski (rescued), TBF Avenger 24487, SBD-5 Dauntless 35971 pilot 1st Lt. Billy Ray Ramsey (MIA) gunner Sgt Charlie J. Sciara (POW, died in captivity), SBD-5 Dauntless 36230 pilot 1st Lt. Harold R. Tuck (MIA) gunner Pfc Paul F. Mc Cleaf (POW, executed), and TBF-1C Avenger 24492 pilot 1st Lt. Lester V. Swenson (rescued).
IJN: Lost on a night mission is G4M1 Betty 6107 ditched south of Tetepare Island (Tutipari). In the morning at Rabaul, the Japanese received ample warning of an incoming raid and scramble 84 A6M Zeros from the Rabaul area. They intercept the formation over New Ireland inbound to the target and as they withdraw but were kept away by the escorts with only a few Zeros able to make passes on the Avengers. The main body of Zeros attacked the high cover from 14,000' as the bombers began their attacks on shipping. The Zeros claim 47 shot down and 18 probables for the loss of 3 Zeros.
The Japanese formation include
44 Zeros from 253 Kokutai (253 Air Group) scrabmled from Tobera Airfield at 9:30am with some armed with aerial bombs. During the combat, they lost 2 Zeros missing and one force landing plus four damaged with the rest returning to land at 10:20am. They intercept 23 F4U and claim 7, 9 F6F and claim 2 and 5 TBF. Also scrabmled were 40 Zeros from 204 Kokutai (204 Air Group) from Lakunai Airfield that took off at 9:25am with no losses and 3 damaged and returned to land at 10:25am. They intercpet 50 TBF, 12 B-26 [sic], 10 F4U, F8F and P-39 [sic].
At Rabaul, seventeen Allied Prisoners Of War (POW) detained at Keibitai Headquarters at Rabaul are executed on Matupi Island and buried in a mass grave. The seventeen executed included F/O Ross B. O'Loghlen navigator Beaufort A9-262 whose remains were recovered and identified postwar.
USN:
USS Albacore (SS-218) torpedoes and sinks Sazanami roughly 300 miles southeast of Yap.
References
New York Times "Japanese radio English language communique: January 14, 1944 AM approximately 100 aircraft [scrambled] shot down 47 and 18 probable. Three own aircraft failed to return."
Japanese Monograph No. 142 "100 fighters, 50 attack aircraft, 12 bombers [strike] Rabaul, 84 [Japanese] fighters intercept 47(13) fighters, 17(5) attack aircraft, 1 bomber shat down. 3 attack planes failed to return."
Richard Dunn research notes, January 4, 1944
South Pacific Air War (2024) by Richard Dunn pages 521-522 (January 14, 1944)
Thanks to Richard Dunn and Edward Rogers additional information
