SATURDAY, 6 JANUARY 1945
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Two B-24s bomb Suribachi Bay Airfield also hitting buildings and pier areas. Ten B-25s fly single air coverage sorties
for a naval task force.
Burma: In NCAC area, heavy rains begin as U.S. 475th Inf goes into bivouac in Mong Wi area and U.S. 124th Cav makes its way toward Mong Wi. Ch 38th Div gains distinction of being first CAI unit to return to Chinese soil: 112th Regt reaches Loiwing, from which it patrols across the Shweli to Namhkam.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 40 P-40s, P-51s, and P-47s
pound the Hankow-Wuchang area; 9 aircraft are claimed destroyed. 4 B-24s bomb
the Cap-Saint-Jacques, French Indochina area.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 25: 49 Chengtu based B-29s are
dispatched to bomb an aircraft factory at Omura, on Kyushu; 28 hit the
primary target, 13 bomb a secondary target at Nanking, while six attack
targets of opportunity; they claim 4-6-10 Japanese aircraft; 1 B-29 is lost.
This is 20th Bomber Command's last mission against targets in Japan.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Bad weather cancels all combat missions.
Transports manage 310 sorties, landing men and supplies at advanced bases and
dropping supplies to frontline troops. The 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, moves from Myitkyina to
Kalaikunda, India with C-47s.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 15 B-24s, based on Guam bomb Iwo Jima airfields.
During the night of 6/7 Jan, 9 B-24s on individual snooper strikes continue
to pound the airfields. HQ 508th Fighter Group and the 466th, 467th and 468th
Fighter Squadrons arrive at Kahuku, Hawaii from the US with P-47s (the group
will serve as air defense for Hawaii, train replacement pilots and ferry aircraft
to forward areas).
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the day's major
operations, B-24s bomb Clark
Field while B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers
blast bridges and targets of opportunity at Calumpit and Plaridel and in nearby
southern Luzon areas and B-24s bomb Nichols
Field and Nielson
Airfield. A-20s, with P-38 cover, bomb Carolina
Airfield on Negros. B-25s and fighter-bombers hit Mapanget Airfield. FEAF flies numerous smaller strikes against various points throughout the
Netherlands East Indies and Philippines.
USN: TG's 77.2 and 77.6 reach the Lingayen Gulf area and begin naval bombardment and mine sweeping. Damaging enemy air attacks persist in spite of strong effort against Luzon by planes of TF 38, CVE's covering TF 77.2, and FEAF. Japanese score against shipping during period 2-6 is 2 ships sunk and 30 damaged. However, enemy force of some 150 aircraft on Luzon at the beginning of the year has been reduced to about 35 planes, and air action drops off sharply after this. On Mindoro, Pinamalayan, which Japanese have recently abandoned, is reoccupied by fresh enemy troops from Luzon. Co I, 21st Inf, and guerrillas join in attack there, forcing enemy back toward Calapan.
USS Columbia (CL-55) in Lingayen Gulf was hit by a kamikaze planes, then a second kamikaze plane hit her port quarter with the plane and bomb penetrating two decks before exploding and disabled her aft turrets and causing fires. Aboard, 13 were killed and 44 wounded.
Japanese suicide plane attacks intensify against Lingayen Gulf invasion force; kamikazes damage battleships New Mexico (BB-40) (killing members of anobserving British military mission) and California (BB-44), and destroyers Newcomb (DD-586) (she is also hit by friendly fire) and USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664), 16°20'N, 120°10'E, heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28), 16°37'N, 120°17'E,2 destroyers Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) 16°40'N, 120°10'E, and O'Brien (DD-725), 16°23'N, 120°14'E. Destroyer Lowry (DD-770) is damaged by friendly fire, 16°40'N, 120°10'E.
Kamikazes attack minesweeping group, sinking high speed minesweeper Long (DMS-12), 16°12'N, 120°11'E, and damaging high speed minesweeper Southard (DMS-10), 16°11'N, 126°16'E, and high speed transport Brooks (APD-10), 16°20'N, 120°10'E. USS Walke (DD-723) covering the minesweeping operations, 16°40'N, 120°10'E, is attacked by four enemy aircraft; one crashes the ship's bridge, drenching it with burning gasoline and mortally wounding Walke's commanding officer, Commander George F. Davis who although severely wounded remains at his post, conning his ship amidst the wreckage and rallying his crew. Carried below only when assured that his ship would survive, he dies of his wounds within hours and later earns the Medal of Honor, posthumously.
As a consequence of the kamikaze attacks, Task Force 38 (TF 38) under Vice Admiral John S. McCain shifts its focus from Formosa to begin operations against Japanese airfields and shipping in Luzon area. In South China Sea off northern Luzon, Navy carrier-based planes sink army cargo ship Kyodo Maru and merchant tankers No.1 Nanko Maru and 8 Iyasaka Maru and 6 Kyoei Maru and 10 Nanshin Maru and 10 Kyoei Maru and No.3 Kyoei Maru.
Submarine Besugo (SS-321) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Nichei Maru in Gulf of Thailand 06°45'N, 102°55'E. Coast Defense Ship No.17 carries out ineffective countermeasures.
Submarine Sea Robin (SS-407) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks fleet tanker Tarakan Maru east of Hainan Island 19°45'N, 111°25'E.
USAAF aircraft sink auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 64 off Poulo Condore Island 08°55'N, 106°30'E, and merchant tanker No.3 Iyasaka Maru off Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina.
USMC: Marine airmen aboard carriers of the Third Fleet made repeated strikes on Luzon claiming over 100 Japanese aircraft destroyed over two days.
