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January 7, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 7 JANUARY 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): FIve B-24s bomb Fort Bayard, China and attack shipping in Samah Bay, claiming one vessel sunk. B-24s strike a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sink stores ship Shinsei Maru in Formosa Strait, 22°40'N, 118°45'E

Burma: In Br Fourteenth Army's 33 Corps area, Ind 19th and Br 2d Divs are converging on Shwebo, Ind 19th pushing into eastern outskirts.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Bad weather cancels all combat missions. Transports complete 383 sorties to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Eleven B-24s, flying out of Saipan bomb an airfield on Iwo Jima. During the night of 7/8 Jan, 10 more B-24s again pound airfields, striking in single-bomber snooper missions over a 7-hour period.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Large numbers of B-25s and A-20s, supported by P-38s, hit the network of airstrips from Clark Field to Angeles Airfield. Lost is A-20G "Sleepy Time Gal" 43-21302 (MIA). B-24s bomb Nielson and Grace Park Airfields and Nichols Field and B-25s and fighter-bombers pound bridges in the Plaridel and Calumpit areas. B-24s raid Padada Airfield and Daliao Airfield. B-25s and fighter-bombers hit Lembeh Strait and the Langoan areas. Other FEAF aircraft on small-scale armed reconnaissance missions strike targets of opportunity throughout the Philippines. The 17th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from Tacloban to San Jose with B-25s.

Four P-38s of "Daddy Flight" from 431st Fighter Squadron (431st FS) "Hades" took off from Dulag Airfield on Leyte on a fighter sweep led by P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 pilot Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr., no. 2 P-38J 43-28836 pilot Major Jack B. Rittmayer, no. 3 P-38L "Doots" 44-24876 pilot Captain Edwin R. Weaver and no. 4 P-38J "Miss Gee Gee" 43-28525 pilot 2nd Lt. Douglas S. Thropp, Jr. bound for Mindoro in hopes of finding Japanese aircraft to shoot down to increase America's second highest scoring ace Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. aerial victory credits. Over Negros, McGuire the flight spotted a Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto and McGuire ordered them to "hold your tanks" (not release their drop tanks) in anticipation of flying further to engage in more combat. During the dogfight, Ki-43 Oscar attacked and was joined by Ki-84 Frank pilot Sgt Fukuda. Lost is P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 pilot Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. (KIA) and P-38J 43-28836 (KIA) pilot Major Jack B. Rittmayer.

JAAF: Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto and Ki-84 Frank pilot Sgt Fukuda took off on a morning reconnaissance mission each armed with a bomb and returning joined formation. The pair spotted a flight of four P-38 Lightnings. During the air combat, two P-38s were lost. Damaged, Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto crash landed and was killed by guerrillas. While landing, Ki-84 Frank pilot Sgt Fukuda suffered a landing gear failure and crash landed at Carolina Airfield (Manapla).

U.S. Army: . On Mindoro, Japanese planes for the first time are conspicuously absent over the San Jose area.

USN: Underwater demolition teams begin search for underwater obstacles in Lingayen Gulf as preinvasion aerial and naval bombardment of Luzon continues. Bombardment and fire support group, TG 77.2 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf) and planes from escort carrier group, TG 77.4 (Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin), begin pounding Japanese defenses of Lingayen Gulf. Enemy air attacks in the area, however, continue with USS Hovey (DMS-11) is sunk by aerial torpedo; high speed minesweeper USS Palmer (DMS-5) by bombs, 16°20'N, 120°10'E. Kamikazes damage attack transport Callaway (APA-35), 17°00'N, 120°00'E, and USS LST-912, 16°20'N, 120°10'E.

Destroyers Charles Ausburne (DD-570), Braine (DD-630), Russell (DD-414), and Shaw (DD-373) sink Japanese destroyer Hinoki, 50 miles west-southwest of Manila Bay, 14°30'N, 119°30'E.

Submarine Picuda (SS-382) damages Japanese army tanker Munakata Maru 28 miles northwest of Fukikaku, Formosa, 25°42'N, 121°08'E. Munakata Maru puts in to Keelung for repairs (see 21 January).

Submarine Spot (SS-413) sinks Japanese guardboat No.2 Nichiei Maru in the Inland Sea, 31°20'N, 123°40'E.

USMC: Marine airmen from carriers of the Third Fleet made repeated strikes on Luzon claiming over 100 Japanese aircraft destroyed yesterday and today.



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