FRIDAY, 18 AUGUST 1944
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 P-47s and P-51s knock out a road
bridge, attack town areas, and hit general targets of opportunity in the Bhamo
area; 4 P-47s knock out both approaches to a bridge in Hsenwi; a troop concentration
in Moda is pounded by 15 P-47s and P-51s and an A-36; 39 P-47s, P-40s and P-51s closely support ground forces in various Pinbaw area sectors;
Eight P-47s sweep Lashio Airfield, strafing several targets of opportunity.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-25s bomb storage areas at Mangshih;
6 pound a storage area at Changsha; 60+ P-40s, P-51s, and P-38s on armed reconnaissance
attack troops, town areas, bridges, and other targets of opportunity in E Burma; Lashio; the Tengchung, Lungling, and Mangshih areas; and in the Tungting
Lake-C Yangtze River area at points including Yoyang, Chaling, Yuhsien, Hengshan,
Chuchou, and Hsuchang.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-47s from Saipan bomb
and strafe Pagan.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Armed reconnaissance
missions continue over wide stretches of the SWPA including Ambon-Ceram,
Palau Islands, and Halmahera Islands; several targets of opportunity are attacked.
In New Guinea, fighter-bombers and A-20s pound troops and a storage area at Suain and hit defensive lines near Sarmi. The detachment of the 419th Night
Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, operating from Los Negros with
P-61s, returns to base on Guadalcanal. Lost is F-5 44-23227 (pilot 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Eastman MIA).
U.S. Navy: Submarine USS Hardhead (SS-365) sinks Japanese light cruiser Natori about 200 miles east of Samar, P.I., 12°29'N, 128°49'E; accompanying fast transport T.3 continues on for Palau. Destroyers Uranami and Kiyoshimo rescue most of Natori's survivors (See 31 August and 12 September 1944).
U.S. submarines USS Rasher (SS-269) and USS Redfish (SS-395) encounter Japanese convoy HI 71 off west coast of Luzon. Rasher sinks escort carrier Taiyo, transport Teia Maru, cargo ship Eishin Maru at 18°16'N, 120°21'E, and oiler Teiyo Maru southwest of Cape Bojeador, 18°09'N, 120°13'E, and damages transport Noshiro Maru southwest of Cape Bojeador, 18°09'N, 119°56'E; Redfish damages merchant tanker Eiyo Maru west of Luzon Strait, 20°28'N, 121°04'E.
Submarine Ray (SS-271) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Nansei Maru off southern tip of Palawan, 08°48'N, 117°02'E.
During the night, USS Burrfish (SS-312) surfaced off eastern Yap and five U.S. Navy (USN) frogmen "swimmers" led by CGM Howard “Red” L. Roeder with Chief John Ball, Emmet Carpenter, Robert Black, and John MacMahon deployed a rubber boat and paddle towards eastern Yap. The frogmen paddle within a quarter mile of shore and found a fringing reef just below the surface and anchored leaving Chief John Ball aboard while the other four swam ashore Fifteen minutes later, Black brought Carpenter back to the boat due to fatigue then rejoined MacMahon and Roeder. The three frogmen were never seen again. This was the only mission where frogmen were lost and their remains never recovered. In fact, while hiding ashore all three were captured by the Japanese on August 20, 1944 and became Prisoners Of War (POW) and were taken to Palau and executed.
Japanese destroyer Samidare is damaged when she runs aground on Velasco Reef, north of Palau.
Royal Netherlands Navy: Zwaardvisch uses her deck gun to sink Japanese junk Kim Hup Soen in Strait of Malacca, 04°00'N, 99°32'E.
