SUNDAY, 16 JANUARY 1944
(CBI) CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force):
8 P-40's attack the town of Pingkai, China and strafe targets of opportunity
in the surrounding valley area.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): 25 A-24s, 16 P-39's, and 8 P-40's
from Makin strike Mille Atoll;
A-24s bomb and strafe AA positions and storage areas, the P-40's bomb and strafe
barracks and AA emplacements and the P-39's strafe runways; 2 P-39's are lost including P-39Q Airacobra 42-19469 (MIA);
P-39's sent up on interceptor missions claim three Japanese airplanes destroyed
over Mille and Makin. Transfers: 28th Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron, Seventh Air Force from the US to Kipapa Field with F-5's. 431st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 11th Bombardment Group (Heavy) from Funafuti to Tarawa with B-24's.
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): Bad weather results in no missions flown against Rabaul.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Madang, Erima, and Bogadjim areas are hit by B-25's, A-20's, and P-40's; P-39's strafe
the area from Sio to Bogadjim; and B-25's bomb the area north from Cape Croisilles. Lost are B-25G 42-64827 (MIA), B-25D "Exotic Express" 41-30179 (MIA), B-24D 42-72804 (MIA) and P-38H 42-66739 (MIA).
B-24's carry out a light raid on the harbor of Amboina. B-24's and B-25 345th BG attack positions near Arawe. Three B-25s from 499th BS on an armed reconnaissance mission over the southern coast of New Britain and attack supplies on a jetty at Palmalmal Plantation (Pal Mal Mal) and began a bombing and strafing attack against the jetty and set it on fire. While going around for a second attack, lost is B-25D "The Snatch" 41-30042 pilot Captain Jack W. Snyder (MIA) hit by heavy machine gun fire from shore in the right engine and made a slow roll to the right and crashed upside down into Jacquinot Bay.
Over Saidor, P-40N Warhawks from 35th Fighter Squadron (35th FS) intercept a formation of Japanese fighters including Ki-43 Oscars and Ki-61 Tony (incorrectly identified as Hamps, Oscars and Tonys). They claim 19 confirmed kills and 3 probables including three victory claims by 1st Lt. Lynn Elwood Witt, Jr. This combat set the wartime record for 5th Fighter Command for victories claimed by a single squadron during a single engagement.
JAAF: Ki-43 Oscars from 59th Sentai, 63rd Sentai and 248th Sentai plus Ki-61 Tony from 68th Sentai conduct a sweep over Nadzab Airfield. Lost were ten Japanese fighters including Ki-61 pilot Noguchi (POW).
References
South Pacific Air War (2024) by Richard Dunn pages 522 (January 16, 1944)
"Weather on the sixteenth greatly restricted Allied air operations, and no missions were run to Rabaul. January 16 was not only the middle of the month but, as things transpired, was almost exactly the midpoint of the campaign."
