January 27, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 27 JANUARY 1944

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Six B-25's from Tarawa hit Nauru, and nine staging through Makin hit Wotje; 23 A-24s, supported by ten P-39's, pound Mille; and 7 B-24's, staging through Makin bomb Taroa in a dusk attack.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 19 B-25's, with and escort of 60+ AAF and USN fighters, pound Lakunai Airfield; 6 US fighters are lost; US aircraft claim 20+ Japanese fighters shot down. On Bougainville P-39s ranging over a wide area, strafe targets of opportunity at Motupena, Gazelle Harbor, and Buka. Two squadrons of B-24's blast concentrations at Sulphur Creek in the Rabaul area. 72d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy) at Munda ceases operating from Guadalcanal with B-24's.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Forty-one B-24s bomb Lorengau. Almost 70 B-25's, A-20's, and P-39's, along with several RAAF aircraft attack the Madang and Bogia areas. B-24s hit a freighter and the town area at Dili and shipping at Sorong and MacCluer Gulf. 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, transfers from Nadzab to Gusap with P-47's.

RAAF: Lost on a strafing mission in an aerial collision are P-40N A29-523 (MIA) and P-40N "Ishkabibble" A29-530 (KIA).

U.S. Army: Lost is L-4B Grasshopper 43-1251 pilot 2nd Lt. Charles W. Cross (MIA) on a flight bound for Kameli Airfield on Bougainville.

U.S. Navy: First day of conference between representatives of the South, Southwest, and Central Pacific Commands met at Pearl Harbor to discuss, coordinate, and integrate their planning. The conferees reviewed the following two alternative schedules for operations in the Pacific: (a) Truk, 15 June; Marianas, 1 September; Palaus, 15 November and (b) Truk, bypass; Marianas, 15 June; Palaus, 10 October.