FRIDAY, 5 MAY 1944
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 15 P-38s hit targets along Tiddim road;
3 B-25s bomb the Thayaung Airfield area; 80+ P-40s, P-51s, A-36s and B-25s carry
out support of ground forces, hit gun positions and supply dumps, attack troop
concentrations and blast numerous targets of opportunity throughout the Mogaung
Valley; 3 B-25s and 6 fighter-bombers hit an ammunition dump N of Mohnyin; and
12 P-38s bomb a large warehouse E of Monywa. 6 B-24s lay mines in the harbor
off Koh Si Chang Island, Thailand.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Eleven B-24s bomb docks and shipping at Haiphong. In Burma, P-40s damage bridges at Hsenwi and Wan Pa-Hsa and
hit barracks and destroy several trucks at Kentung. In China, eight B-25s and twenty-three
fighter-bombers attack the warehouse area at Chiuchiang, causing large fires;
25 CACW B-25s and P-40s thoroughly pound Sinyang marshalling yard and storage
area; and 10 P-40s sweep the road from Loyang to Juchou, claiming 40-50 vehicles
and numerous troops destroyed.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): During the night of 4/5 May B-24s
from Kwajalein stage through Eniwetok and bomb Truk. During
the day B-25s from Eniwetok strike Ponape. Ten B-25s from Makin hit Jaluit and Wotje using Majuro as a rearming
base between the attacks. Lost is B-24J Liberator 44-40332 (MIA).
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): Twenty-four
B-25s bomb gun positions at Buka and 34 P-39s hit various targets
on Bougainville including buildings at Porton, Chabai and
Kohiso, a pillbox on Pau Island and a road near Tsundawan; supply area at Chabai is bombed by 12 other P-39s; P-40s bomb buildings at Kieta and at nearby Rigu
Mission. Fighter patrols continue over the Northern Solomons and Bismarck
Archipelago.
USMC: PBJ Mitchells from VMB-413 took off from Green Island (Nissian) on a strike against Tobera Airfield. Lost is PBJ-1 Mitchell 35143 (MIA). Off Efaté force landed is F4U-1 Corsair 02270 (survived).
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s bomb Mokmer
Airfield while B-25s hit supply areas at Wakde
Island and along the coast of Maffin Bay; A-20s and fighter-bombers again pound targets around Wewak and along
the coast of Hansa Bay, hitting supply and personnel areas, warehouses and occupied
villages.
USN:
During the night, a patrol by three PT Boats including PT-247 under the command of A. W. MacLean with Lt. Jonathan S. Raymond Jr. aboard leading the section, PT-245 under the command of Lt.(jg) C. A. Hastings and PT-250 under the command of Ens. F. H. Kaul patrolled the area. As the boats passed between Rantan Island and Bougainville, they sighted three barges, close together, 600 yards east of Rantan. The boats turned southeast to make a run on them, passing within three-quarters of a mile north of Rantan Island. Then a fourth barge was seen advancing around the northwest tip of the island, and a fifth around the northeast tip. At the same time two or three other barges appeared to the north of them. By the time the boats were ready to attack, they trapped with barges on all sides of them plus guns on Rantan Island and Bougainville. As they were about to initiate their attack on the first three barges, before they could opened fire the Japanese barges engaged them with machine guns, 20mm and 37mm canons plus gunfire from Rantan Island and Bougainville. A large caliber shell fired from Bougainville hit PT-247 in the engine room, leaving it dead in the water and burning brightly and later exploded. Afterwards, PT-245 and PT-250 rescued the crew with the exception of Lt. Jonathan S. Raymond Jr. who remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Meanwhile, responded to a call for assistance, PT-374 and PT-357 under the command of Lt(jg) W. J. Mullen arrived to
searched for four and half hours for Lt. Raymond while a PBY dropped flares and bombs in the area. Returning, a seaplane bombed and attempted to strafed PT-250. Also, a shore battery fired six rounds towards PT-357. On May 6, 1944 in the early morning the surviving PT boats returned to base. On succeeding nights, PT Boats returned escorted by PGM and LCI arrived to shell the positions, but were unable to determine damage.
