February 12, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SATURDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-40s hit the town of Ransa and motor convoys south of Sumprabum; 40 P-51s and A-36s attack bivouacs at Walawbum, bivouac and motor pool at Padaw, storage area at the road junction near Chishidu and the town of Chishidu; 30+ P-51s and B-25s hit camps between Tsumhpawng Ga and Walawbum, storage area and motor pool south of Kamaing, motor convoy on the Myitkyina-Sumprabum road, the town of Namting and bridges at Meza and Kanni. 59th Fighter Squadron, 33d Fighter Group, arrives at Karachi from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Nine P-40s pound the warehouse area at Wanling, Burma. In French Indochina, 6 P-40s bomb the barracks at Vinh and strafe Dong Cuong Airfield, railroad yards at Cam Duong, and sampans at Phu Tho; Five B-25s on a sea sweep in the Gulf of Tonkin claim 2 trawlers sunk and hit shore targets of opportunity SW of Haiphong; a single B-25 damages a bridge at Ha Trung. 24 P-38s, P-51s, and P-40s intercept 25 Japanese fighters near Suichwan, China, claiming 7 shot down; 2 US fighters are lost.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Tarawa and Abemama hit Wotje and Maloelap; A-24s and P-39s from Makin bomb and strafe Mille.

USMC: Company B, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division lands on Umboi Island (Rooke) but find it unoccupied as the Japanese withdrew months early December 1943. Lost is SBD Dauntless 35954 (MIA).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): Brigadier General Carl W. Connell resumes command of the V Air Force Services Command. About 50 A-20s blast occupied areas southeast of Wewak. Lost on a flight is C-47A "Ghost of Billie L" 42-23713 (survived).

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-25s, with US Navy fighters escorting bomb Tobera Airfield; 21 B-24s, escorted by P-39s and USN fighters, bomb Vunakanau Airfield. Lost is B-24D "The Wicked Wench" 42-72818 (MIA). P-40s join USN fighters in covering a USN dive-bomber strike on Lakunai. Also lost is a SBD and Corsair. The Allied fighters claim seven Zeros shot down.

IJN: Over Rabaul, Zeros intercept the U.S. air raid and claim nineteen shot down for the loss of two Zeros and two badly damaged and two others suffered minor damage. One Zero was destroyed on the ground.

References
South Pacific Air War (2024) pages 532 (February 12, 1944)