December 22, 1944
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 22 DECEMBER 1944

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s damage a bridge at Song Hoa, French Indochina and two B-25s bomb Yungning. 80+ P-51s and P-40s on armed reconnaissance over wide reaches of S China, E Burma, and N French Indochina hit numerous targets of opportunity strafing Heho Airfield and Tien Ho Airfield strafed and several aircraft are destroyed in battles over Canton and Kai Tek Airfield. Rail facilities, riverand road traffic, and other targets of opportunity are hit at several locations including Wanling, Burma; Gia Lam and Chinchengehiang and the Pingsiang-Yungning area.

Burma: In NCAC area, 29th Brig of Br 36th Div, moving down the Irrawaddy, gets patrols to Tigyaing, from which Japanese have withdrawn. From Tigyaing the brig is to cross the river for drive on Mongmit while rest of div closes in on Mongmit from N.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s bomb a supply area at Magyidon; 8 P-47s knock out the Namhkai bypass bridge and damage 2 bridges at Kinu and 16 hit targets of opportunity along the Irrawaddy River from Tagaung to Thabeikkyin and along the road E and N to Mongmit; 12 P-47s bomb and strafe a personnel area at Onbauk and bridge at Na-lang. 300+ transport sorties are flown to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): During the night of 22/23 Dec, two B-24s from Guam and Saipan make harassing strikes on Iwo Jima.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 14: 78 B-29s from the Mariana Islands are dispatched to hit the Mitsubishi aircraft industrial complex in Nagoya; 48 hit the primary target and 14 hit alternate targets; total cloud cover prevents accuracy, and damage is light; they claim 9-17-15 Japanese aircraft; 3 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s, with P-47 support, bomb Clark Field while P-40s bomb and strafe Lipa Airfield. B-24s bomb Carolina Airfield while B-25s, with P-47 cover, hit Fabrica Airfield. B-24s bomb storage and personnel areas while B-25s hit the waterfront at Zamboanga. FEAF aircraft fly numerous shipping searches, armed reconnaissance, and sweeps over Mindanao and throughout the Netherland East Indies. In the Moluccas Islands, numerous fighter-bombers pound the Wasile River and Goeroea areas and Hate Tabako Airfield. US and RAAF B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers bomb Lolobata Airfield and Hate Tabako Airfield and the Goeroea area. Units moving from Letye to San Jose include 417th Bombardment Group HQ, 672d, 673d, 674th and 675th Bombardment Squadrons from Tacloban with A-20s; the 69th and 310th Fighter Squadrons, 58th Fighter Group, from San Roque with P-47s. Lost on a routine flight is B-25H 43-4146 pilot 1st Lt. Robert D. Mackoy (MIA).

U.S. Army: On Leyte, the U.S. Sixth Army: In X Corps area, 127th Inf of 32d Div reaches Lonoy. 1st Bn of 34th Inf, 24th Div, aided by mortar platoon brought forward by sea, clears Tuktuk. In XXIV Corps area, 2d and 3d Bns of 305th Inf, 77th Div, start west from Valencia toward coast at Palompon, passing through 1st Bn of 306th at Togbong R and continuing across Pagsangahan R toward Matagob. Engineers follow closely to work on bridges.