March 9, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 9 MARCH 1944

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-24s bomb Tavoy Airfield and office area while 8 others hit the town of Mogaung; 10 B-24s, 16 P-51s, and 10 P-40s hit the town area, supply dumps and road bridge at Kamaing the bridge is knocked out; Ten B-25s score numerous hits on Indaw Airfield and Katha Airfield; and P-51s, P-40s, and A-36s hit storage at Pyindaw, and support ground forces at Walawbum and Shaduzup.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 18 Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW) B-25s and 24 Chinese P-40s pound a foundry and floating docks at Shihhweiyao, China. In French Indochina, 40+ P-40s carry out several sea sweeps off the coast and fly armed reconnaissance over the NE; the fighters damage vessels off Campha Port, strafe the airfield at Mon Cay, bomb Weichow Airfield (causing heavy damage), hit barracks at Luc Nam, damage vessels at Hongay and bomb military installations at Cao Bang.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s based on Abemama attack Taroa. B-24s from Tarawa hit Ponape and Kusaie.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s bomb the dock area along the north shore of Simpson Harbor at Rabaul; 19 B-24s follow with a strike on Rabaul town and wharf area and also hit airfields in the vicinity; and 40+ P-39s and P-40s hit the dock area east of Simpson Harbor. Two squadrons of B-25s hit Japanese installations on the hills inland from Empress Augusta Bay. Detachment of 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), begins operating from Munda Airfield with F-5s; the squadron is based on Guadalcanal.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s pound Lorengau and other targets on Manus. Numerous other Fifth Air Force aircraft carry out armed reconnaissance over wide reaches of the SWPA, attacking a variety of targets. Foce landed is C-39 38-530 (crew survived).

IJA: In the early morning, Japanese artillery shells Torokina Airfield forcing aircraft to immediately withdraw to avoid being damaged on the ground.

U.S. Army: Continuing attacks on Hill 700, Japanese drive small salient into line of 145th Inf, 37th Div, on saddle. Efforts to regain the saddle fail.

USN: Lost over Kapingamarangi (Greenwich) is PB4Y-1 "The Schooner" 32069 pilot Lt(jg) Anton E. Anderson (MIA).

USMC: Lost in a mid-air collision is F4U Corsair 02618 (KIA).

RAN: U-183 fired a torpedo that hit and partially sunk is MV British Loyalty, later repaired.