December 13, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 13 DECEMBER 1944

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Four B-25s weatherabort a shipping search.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s severely damage the warehouse area at Hsenwi, Burma. 2 bomb the town of Wuming, China. 24 P-51s and P-38s hit the town of Bac Ninh and the rail yards at Phu Lang Thuong, French Indochina, and damage a bridge at Chiengmai, Thailand. HQ 341st Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Kunming to Yangkai.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s bomb the storage and personnel area at Mongmit; 7 P-47s damage the approach to the Hay-ti road bridge while 4 support US infantry forces near Tonkwa; supply areas, personnel, Japanese-held buildings, vehicles, and general targets of opportunity are hit by 60+ fighter-bombers at several places including Hosi, Longkin, Kyauktaing, Tigyaing, Kantha, Man Pwe, and Konnyaung. 260+ transport sorties carry men and supplies to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): With most of its personnel aboard the SS Sea Flasher and its equipment aboard the SS Cape Catoche, HQ Seventh AF arrives at Tanapag from Hawaii; the remainder of HQ arrives by air, 14-19 Dec. Fifteen Guam based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima; three from Saipan on an armed reconnaissance mission, bomb Marcus. During the night of 13/14 Dec, 6 B-24s make individual harassment raids against Iwo Jima from Saipan and Guam.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 12: 90 B-29s from the Marianas attack the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya; 71 hit the primary target causing considerable damage as bombing accuracy is improved; 9 others hit alternate targets; they claim 4-1-0 Japanese aircraft; 4 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Carolina Airfield and Talisay Airfield. B-25s bomb San Roque Airfield; Haroekoe Airfield; Amahai Airfield; Old Namlea Airfield and Liang Airfield on Ambon. B-25s, P-38s, and P-47s on small raids hit shore positions at Galela Bay, while covering an attempted rescue of a downed pilot by a PT boat, and bomb the Goeroea supply area in the Moluccas. Other B-25s and B-24s on reconnaissance hit targets of opportunity in the Sulu Archipelago. The 2d Photographic Charting Squadron, 311th Photographic Wing (attached to FEAF), moves from Hollandia to Morotai with F-7s.

On December 13, 1944 at 5:30am six Corsairs plus two Hellcat night fighters from Marine Fighting Squadron (Night) 541 took off from Tacloban Airfield to patrol over a U.S. convoy south of Leyte bound for Mindoro. In the predawn darkness with poor visibility and a low ceiling crashed on take off is FG-1A Corsiar 14531 pilot 1st Lt. William E. Bradley (KIA) and also lost is FG-1A Corsiar 14436 pilot Major Theodore Olsen (KIA).