THURSDAY, 25 MAY 1944
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A single B-24 from Shemya flies
a reconnaissance and bombing mission in the central Kuriles; another B-24 aborts
due to equipment failure.
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): Twenty-eight P-38s sweep over the Mandalay area;
12 of them hit about 10 railroad cars near Shwebo, leaving them burning; B-24s
hit targets in the Katha area, six of them bombing Indaw and 4 bombing the Naba
rail junction area.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): B-25s flying out of Engebi bomb Ponape.
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): 3
B-24s bomb Rabaul, Lakunai, and Rapopo; Eight P-38s hit Vulcan Crater barge hideout;
12 B-25s, clouded out of Vunakanau, hit the Talili Bay supply area. 15 B-25s, 32 P-39s and P-40s, and 25 USN dive bombers hit supply areas
at Porton; four P-40s hit trucks at Monoitu Mission; 16 P-39s attack several
targets of opportunity, including the Cape Lalahan radar
station.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-24s attack shipping at Halmahera
Island and in New Guinea, hit Mokmer and targets in the Wakde area; 90+ fighter-bombers,
A-20s, B-25s, and B-24s pound numerous targets in the Wewak area. Units of the
71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group moving in New Guinea: air echelon of 17th
Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment) from Finschhafen to Wakde with
B-25s; 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron based at Gusap begins operating
from Tadji with P-40s.
RAAF: Lost in an aerial collision is Vengeance A27-49 (KIA) and Vengeance A27-92 (KIA).
USN: USS Flying Fish (SS-229) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking guardboat Daito Maru and merchant cargo ship Osaka Maru north of Palau, 11°14'N, 135°12'E.
U-853 spots RMS Queen Mary and submerged to make an attack but steams away before it could fire any torpedoes. This was the only time an enemy submarine spotted or targeted the ocean liner.
