SATURDAY, 1 JULY 1944
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): At dawn four B-24s radar bomb
through
overcast southern Shimushu and Kurabu Cape Airfield on Paramushiru.
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, eight P-40s fly ground support missions
in the Myitkyina area; 2 B-25s bomb rail targets at Mohnyin and Naba. In India,
the 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, moves from Sylhet to
Fenny with C-47s.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s and fighter-bombers again pound
targets throughout the Tungting Lake region; river shipping is attacked on a
large scale at numerous locations and 250-300 trucks are strafed between Tungcheng
and Pingkiang; Hengyang Airfield is bombed as are the towns of Pingkiang, Hengshan,
Liling, and Yuhsien; a pontoon bridge and Japanese positions at Leiyang are
also hit; B-24s lay mines in the river at Canton during the night; the detachment
of the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group,
operating from Hsinching with F-7s, returns to base at Guskhara; and
the detachment of the 71st Liaison Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector, operating
from Kunming with L-4s and L-5s, returns to base at Ledo. During
Jul, the detachment of the 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group operating
from Yunnani with P-40s returns to base at Chengkung; and the 76th Fighter Squadron,
23d Fighter Group, moves from Lingling to Liuchow with P-40s.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 444th Bombardment Group (Very
Heavy) and 676th, 677th, 678th and 679th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy)
move from Charra to Dudhkundi with B-29s.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-47s
fly bombing and strafing missions over Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. B-24s staging through Eniwetok hit Truk during the night of 1/2 July and follow up with another raid during the day. Makin based B-25s bomb Ponape.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s
bomb Namlea Airfield and hit shipping throughout the Ambon-Ceram-Boeroe area; other B-24s, B-25s, A-20s and fighter-bombers hit airfield,
AA guns, bivouacs, supplies, and Japanese defenses on Noemfoor in preparation
for Allied landings on 2 Jul; Manokwari Airfield is also bombed; bombers
and fighters continue to pound the Wewak coastal area; many of the strikes are
in conjunction with US Navy (USN) motor torpedo (PT) boats; and the 35th Fighter
Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Nadzab to Owi with
P-38s. A few B-24s on armed reconnaissance bomb targets on Yap and Peleliu; Lost on a courier mission is B-25D 41-30182 (MIA). During July 44, HQ V Fighter Command moves from Nadzab to Owi and the 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group moves from Finschhafen to Hollandia with C-47s.
RNZAF: F4U Corsairs from 14 Squadron conduct a low level bombing mission over Erventa Island.
