February 8, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 1944

U.S.: At the White House, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt bestows 1st Lt. Kenneth A. Walsh with the the Medal of Honor.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, seven B-25s bomb bridges at Budalin and Songon, displacing a section of the former and destroying an approach to the latter; 7 others hit the stronghold at Badana; 16 A-36s and P-51s and 1 B-25 hit a camp at Mogaung; Four P-51s strafe railroad cars northwest of Myitkyina while one B-25 bombs a camp at Kumnyen.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-24s from Makin and Abemama hit Maloelap and Mille.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, nearly 50 A-20s and B-25s hit the Alexishafen and Madang areas. Force landed is A-20G "Dunk's Junk" 43-9435 piloted by Robert Dunkel (survived). P-39s strafe targets of opportunity during sweeps over wide areas of northeast New Guinea and New Britain; during the night of 8/9 Feb, B-25s bomb Toeal.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): P-39s over Bougainville bomb and strafe Tiaraka huts and bivouac area.

References
South Pacific Air War (2024) pages 532 (February 8, 1944)
"Before dawn on the eighth, six Avengers bombed shipping . Five others dropped 100 lb . bombs on Lakunai . There were no daytime attacks . The only air combat involved a Ventura shooting down a Betty searcher far from Rabaul . The ninth brought a triple attack of strike aircraft, B-25s and B-24s . Liberator gunners claimed three Zekes over Tobera, and P-38s added five in combats over Tobera and Gazelle Cape . Corsairs claimed twelve fighters over Vunakanau, including an Oscar and Tojo . Forty-eight Japanese fighters claimed thirty-four victories for three losses."