FRIDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 1944
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 40+ B-25s, A-36s and P-51s attack
the town of Ye-u and nearby bridge, bivouacs N of Laban, bridges in the Pyingaing
area and along the Mu River, supply and troop concentrations at Waingmaw radio
station and a supply area near Kamaing and gun emplacements SE of Taihpa Ga;
the strikes are generally successful. 58th Fighter Squadron, 33d Fighter Group,
arrives at Karachi from Italy; they will be equipped with P-47Ds.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Four B-25s on a sweep of the Gulf of Tonkin damage two large boats north of Bakli Bay, destroy an ammunition dump at Phu Ly and knock out a nearby railroad bridge.
"Operation Hailstone" for the second day, U.S. Navy carrier aircraft attack Japanese vessels and warships in Truk Lagoon and installations on Truk. Over 400 tons of bombs and torpedo rained down on the
lightly defended base. After the attacks, forty ships and
thousands of men went to the bottom. Sunk are San Francisco Maru and Sankisan Maru.
USMC: 22nd Marine Regiment lands on Engebi and after a six hour battle secures most of the island.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-40s from Makin bomb and strafe Jaluit and Mille. US forces land on Engebi Island in Eniwetok Atoll.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s and RAAF Beaufighters
hit Koepang, P-39s strafe targets of opportunity at Madang and Cape Raoult. 499th Bombardment Squadron (Medium),
345th Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Dobodura to Nadzab with B-25s. Lost is B-25C "Hellzapopin II" 41-12464 (MIA).
USMC: At
9:10am sixteen F4Us from VMF-222 led by Major Alfred N. Gordon took off from Torokina Airfield on an close and medium cover mission for B-25 Mitchells with other fighters on a bombing mission against Vunakanau Airfield near Rabaul. Over the target, the formation is targeted by meager anti-aircraft fire with one F4U hit in the tail. Six enemy fighters were observed that made overhead diving runs on the first element of bombers. The F4Us return safely by 12:30pm.
RAAF: While landing, Dakota A65-17 was damaged while landing at Vivigani Airfield and later repaired.
USN: The Battle of Karavia Bay during the early morning hours Task Group 38.4 (TG 38.4) composed of the destroyers USS Farenholt (DD-491), USS Buchanan (DD-484), USS Lansdowne (DD-486), USS Lardner (DD-487) and USS Woodworth (DD-460) conducted a shore bombardment of targets on East New Britain near Rabaul. They fired on gun batteries at Praed Point (141 rounds) and a gun battery at Raluana (56 rounds). Heavy gunfire was observed from Simpson Harbor and Karavia Bay areas. At 1:24am torpedoes were fired through the center of the mine field across the entrance to Karavia Bay. At 1:26am to to the south into Vunapopo bivouac and supply area (244 rounds), cleared Credner Island. At 1:36am observation plane dropped a stick of bombs on Cape Gazelle shore batteries. At 1:37am ceased firing Vunapopo area, shifted to Cape Gazelle shore battery (firing 284 rounds) which had opened fire on the formation. At 1:40am opened fire on Cape Gazelle shore batteries, then passed the center of channel between Duke of York Islands and Cape Gazelle. At 2:00am aboard USS Lardner (DD-487) on the the fantail the bloomer on the No. 4 gun caught fire from the heat generated while firing and was quickly extinguished. At 2:30am an unidentified plane reported. Until 5:15am, “bogies” were reported at intervals, singly and in groups (about four) one dropped flares on starboard beam at about 3:10am. One “bogie” approached as close as as 3 miles. Due to heavy overcast and rain squalls, the Squadron Commander felt reluctant to allow the ship to return fire and reveal our presence, at 3:35am cleared St. George's Channel. During the destroyer attack, at least one A6M Zero piloted by Komachi took off from Tobera Airfield armed with two 60 kg wing bombs and made several strafing runs on a destroyer and made a bomb and strafing run on a second destroyer until all his ammunition was expended then departed.
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 34 B-25s and 18 B-24s, both forces with fighter escorts, pound Vunakanau Airfield. B-25s claimed an air kill and a fighter destroyed on the ground. B-24s claimed a Betty on the ground. Escorting Corsairs were intercepted by about fifteen Zeros and claimed seven shot down with one Corsair lost. Two B-25s and four P-38s hit Tobera with P-38s claiming five Zeros shot down. Lost is B-25H Mitchell Number 321 pilot 2nd Lt Joseph L. Durkin on an experimental strafing mission with a 75mm cannon over Buka.
RNZAF: PBY-5 Catalina NZ4013 rescues two crew and a dead body from B-25H Mitchell Number 321 from the sea off Buka.
IJN: At Rabaul,
Zeros scrambled to intercept the incoming U.S. air raid including 253 Kokutai that scrambled twice 25 and 26 Zeros and lost three with others damaged or force landed. The Japanese claimed seven shot down, with one a certain victory. During the day, Japanese planes began withdrawing from Rabaul to Truk including 14 2nd Carrier Division bombers and 11 land attack bombers.
References
Siege of Rabaul (1996) page 24
imperial Japanese Navy Aces (1998) page 33
South Pacific Air War (2024) pages 534 (February 18, 1944)
