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September 15, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology
FRIDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 1944

U.S. The Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) decide to invade central rather than S Philippines and advance target date for invasion of Leyte from 20 December to 20 October. Projected operations against Yap, Talaud, and Mindanao are canceled.

China: General Stilwell, arriving in Chungking from Kweilin, confers with Chiang Kai-shek, who proposes to withdraw the Salween forces unless Chinese troops at Myitkyina attack toward Bhamo within a week. News of this is sent by General Stilwell to General Marshall, who is attending the Octagon Conference and results in alteration of strategy.

11 Army Group: In British Fourteenth Army's 33 Corps area, Ind 5th Div, advancing down Tiddim road, establishes bridgehead across the Manipur near Tuitum. Crossing is facilitated by advance brig that has crossed earlier at Shuganu and has moved south.

BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, eight P-47s bomb Kutkai, 16 sweep the river from Bhamo to Katha and bomb Naba, Katha, and Mohnyin; several other P-47s sweep the Burma Road from Lungling, China to Muse to Bhamo and strafe a boat on the river at Myothit; 12 P-51s hit Mawhun while 8 B-25s hit fuel storage and targets of opportunity in the the Chefang, China area; 13 B-24s fly fuel to Liuchow Airfield; a detachment of the 1st Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group, based at Sylhet, India begins operaing from Yunnani with C-47s; and the 89th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group moves from Nagaghuli to Myitkyina with P-47s.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): Nineteen B-24s bomb a military storage area at Hengyang; twenty B-25s hit Chuanhsien and five pound a ferry crossing and bus station at Lingling; 90+ P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance attack river shipping, numerous buildings, troops, and general targets of opportunity from NE of Ichang to Liuchow Peninsula concentrating on the Kiyang and Changsha areas; and HQ 68th Composite Wing moves from Kweilin to Liuchow.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): P-47s from Saipan hit AA positions on Pagan with machine gun and rocket fire. A lone B-24 on a snooper mission bombs Iwo Jima; all other B-24 missions abort.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s, A-20s, and P-47s bomb Kaoe, Lolobata, and Hate Tabako. P-39s bomb Manokwari Airfield and town area; and the 675th Bombardment Squadron, 417th Bombardment Group moves from Saidor to Kornasoren with A-20s.

USN: Lost is TBM Avenger 45676 pilot Lt(jg) Francis M. Waters (MIA) on a bombing mission against Peleliu.

USN: After preparatory bombardment by Western Fire Support Group and carriers planes. Lost is TBM Avenger 45676 pilot Lt(jg) Francis M. Waters (MIA) on a bombing mission. At 8:30am lands the U.S. Marines from three divisions on southwest Peleliu. As a diversion for Peleliu landings, elements of Angaur Attack Group under the command of Rear Adm William H. P. Blandy offshore, feint landings off Babelthuap.

USMC: Around 8:30am III (Mar) Amphib Corps under the command of General Geiger begins landing 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) on the southwest of Peleliu. 1st Marines on left, 5th Marine Division (5th MARDIV) in center, and 7th Marine Division (7th MARDIV) on right. Japanese resistance is at first light but increases as the Marines move inland and is particularly heavy on flanks. 5th Marines partially surrounds airfield and drives salient to center of it, well ahead of flanking forces. By end of day beachhead perimeter measures about 2,800 yards from N to S but is only 400-700 yards deep, except for salient in center. By the end of the the day, the Marines captured the southern portion of Peleliu Airfield.

IJA: The Japanese attempted a counterattack by seventeen Type 95 Ha Go tanks from the 14th Division supported by infantry that advanced across Peleliu Airfield, but were destroyed by the defending Marines with supporting fire from M4 Sherman tanks.

USN: Task Force 77 (TF 77) under the command of Admiral Daniel E. Barbey of VII Amphib Force heads naval forces as commander of attack force (TF 77). After twp hours of preliminary naval bombardment of Morotai then begins the amphibious landing of Task Force Tradewind (TF Tradewind) under the command of General Hall, CG XI Corps, ALAMO). The landing is supported by supported by two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers and ten destroyers (TG 77.2) under the command of Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey and aircraft from six escort carriers (TG 77.1) under the command of Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague, screened by eight destroyer escorts.

U.S. Army: Ahead of the landings on Morotai, Fifth Air Force planes from land bases and naval aircraft from fast and escort carriers of Third and Seventh Fleets complete program of neutralizing enemy bases within range of target, begun by land-based planes at beginning of September, with strikes on Halmahera, Batjan Island (south of Halmahera) and Celebes.

At 8:30am, the 31st Infantry Division including the 155th Infantry Regiment and 167th Infantry Regiment lands on southwest Morotai without opposition while the 124th Infantry Regiment lands on adjacent to the south and west sides of the Gila Peninsula at the southwest of the island. Forces from both beaches push inland about 2,000 yards to D-Day objectives and capture Pitoe Drome (Japanese) and clearing Gila Peninsula. Major General John C. Persons, commander of 31st Div and the Tradewind Assault Force, establishes his command post (CP) ashore. Enemy opposition ashore is negligible, but extremely unfavorable conditions offshore hamper initial phase of landings.


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