October 16, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 1944

AMERICAN ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Seven B-24s fly cover sorties for a naval task force.

(CBI) BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 11 P-47s attack 2 railroad bridges in the Naba-Mawlu area, damaging approaches to both targets; 5 other P-47s hit Japanese forces in the NW part of Madangyang; 12 B-25s, supported by an escort of 8 P-47s, pound the airfield at Shwebo. Transports fly 300+ sorties in the CBI.

CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 28 B-24s, 8 B-25s, 26 P-51s, and 21 P-40s blast shipping and the Kowloon Dock area of Hong Kong; 15 cargo vessels are damaged or sunk; 3 other P-51s hit the Wuchou area; 36 P-40s, P-51s, and P-38s hit village and town areas, bridges, and troop concentrations in the Kweiping, Tanebuk, Hsinganbsien, Tingka, and Chefang areas.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Twentieth Air Force): Over 40 B-29s, out of Chengtu, bomb Okayama aircraft plant and Heito Airfield; 20+ other B-29s bomb alternate or chance targets at Takao, Taichu Airfield and Toshien Harbor on Formosa, and Swatow and Sintien harbors, Hengyang, and several airfields in China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA) AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 15 P-47s and 1 B-24 from Saipan hit Pagan. Fourteen B-24s from the Marshalls hit Truk. The 548th Night Fighter Squadron, 7th Fighter Wing, moves from Hickam Field to Kipapa Field with P-61s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: P-38s hit the harbor, shipping, Cagayan Airfield and trucks at Cagayan. B-24s blast the Makassar area. B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers again pound the Boeroe-Ceram airfields and the towns of Boela and Amboina and hit shipping in Binnen Bay in the Moluccas. Fighter-bombers hit Timoeka Airfield and Mongosah Airfield and Sagan Airfield; Langgoer Airfield is pounded by A-20s. HQ 5th Bombardment Group and the 23d and 31st Bombardment Squadrons move from Noemfoor to Morotai with B-24s.

Australian Army: Operation Rimau ends with all the Z Force commandos killed or captured including Major Ivan Lyon. Those captured all died in custody or were executed.