THURSDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 1944
(Eleventh Air Force): Four B-24s bomb Suribachi on Paramushiru and Onnekotan. Four B-25s on a photo and offensive sweep bomb targets
at Torishima and Hayakegawa setting fire to 15 buildings, including a
cannery.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 100+ P-40s, P-51s, and P-38s on armed
reconnaissance over SW and SE China and N French Indochina attack targets of
opportunity in the Lungling and Mangshih, China area, knock out bridge at Dara,
Thailand and hit Nantingshun and Pinglo, China; Fighter- bombers
also damage 4 factories at Kweilin, hit tanks and troop concentrations N of
town, attack targets of opportunity near Pinglo, Tahsu and E of Yungfu, and the airfield, barracks, town area, and trains at Gia Lam. In China, the 11th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment
Group (Medium), moves from Yang Tong to Yangkai with B-25s; the detachment of
the 491st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), operating
from Liuchow with B-25s, returns to base at Yangkai.
(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 80+ P-47s hit a variety of targets; the fighter-bombers
bomb a bridge at Ho-hko, support ground forces at Myothit, bomb supply dumps
at Namdaungmawn, personnel and supply areas at Naungletgyi and Mawtaung, knock
out a bridge at Meza, hit nearby railroad cars, attack airfields at Nawnghkio
and Sinlanzu and strike boats and boxcars S of Katha; 8 B-25s knock out 2 bridges
at Tangon and Tantabin; a single B-25 bombs Indaw; transports fly 268 sorties
to forward areas; HQ Tenth AF moves from New Delhi to Myitkyina. In India,
the 6th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, based at Asansol,
with P-47s, sends a detachment to operate from Cox's Bazar; the 317th
Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, arrives at Sylhet
from the US with C-47s.
(Seventh Air Force): Eleven B-24s from Saipan bomb Chichi
Jima; three B-24s from Guam on armed reconnaissance hit Marcus.
(Twentieth Air Force): Seventeen Marianas based B-29s bomb the submarine pens
on Dublon.
[SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s over Ormoc
Bay attack a Japanese reinforcement convoy (TA Operation, Second Phase) unloading at Ormoc Bay claiming army cargo ship Noto Maru sunk at , 10°30'N, 125°00'E and
another damaged. The rest of the convoy, however, returns safely to Manila. P-38s also hit smaller shipping in Ormoc Bay, strafe vehicles from
Ormoc to Valencia, Mindanao, and bomb San Enrique; on Mindanao,
B-25s pound Matina, Libby, Davao and Likanan; the 17th Reconnaissance
Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, arrives at Tacloban from Biak with
B-25s; the 432d Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, arrives at Dulag from Biak with P-38s. During the night of 2/3 Nov B-24s bomb Makassar, concentrating on the wharf area. 17th Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), arrives
on Morotai from Guadalcanal with B-25s and F-5s
(detachments are operating from Bougainville and Sansapor).
Japanese aircraft bomb U.S. airstrip and planes on the ground at Tacloban.
USN: Patrol planes of the 7th Fleet attack Caldera Point Seaplane Base with several of the Japanese seaplanes receive direct hits, others were damaged.
Submarine Barbero (SS-317), despite presence of escort vessel, sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kuramazan Maru in Makassar Strait, 04°30'S, 118°20'E.
Submarine Pomfret (SS-391) attacks Japanese convoy between Formosa and Luzon, sinking transport Hamburg Maru damaging transport Atlas Maru in Luzon Channel, 20°20'N, 121°30'E.
SS Fort Lee is torpedoed and sunk by U-181 in the Indian Ocean at roughly Lat 27°35'S, Long 83°11'E; of the 26-man Armed Guard, at least 10 perish in the sinking.
Japanese army cargo ship No.2 Tateyama Maru is sunk by aircraft, 13°16'N, 99°46'E.
Royal Navy: British submarine HMS Tantalus attacks Japanese Singapore-to-Manila convoy SIMA-04 one day after its departure, sinking cargo ship Hachijin Maru and damaging submarine chaser Ch 1 about 225 milee east of Singapore, 00°48'N, 107°43'E.
British submarine HMS Terrapin sinks netlayer Kumano Maru in Strait of Malacca, 01°30'N, 103°00'E.
