WEDNESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 1945
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Three B-24s bomb and photograph the secondary target Suribachi Airfield on Paramushir.
China; During meeting at Gen Wedemeyer's hq, Plan BETA, to open coastal port, is presented to Chiang Kai-shek, who approves it.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, P-47s bomb Kaifeng Airfield and P-51s hit Shihkiachwang Airfield, destroying several parked aircraft;
the P-51s afterwards blast 7 locomotives between Puchou and Sinsiang; other fighters destroy seven more locomotives between Sinyang and Hsuchang, bomb the railroad yards at Lohochai, and destroy a fuel dump at Hsiangcheng.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, twelve B-25s attack vehicles along roads from Lashio to Takaw to Hopong; 7 P-47s strafe Laihka Airfield; bad weather cancels other scheduled offensive missions. Transports continue to operate despite the weather, completing 520 sorties to forward areas.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Seventeen B-24s from Guam pound defenses and radar and radio installations on Iwo
Jima at midday. During the night of 14/15 Feb, five B-24s, flying individual snooper missions bomb Iwo
Jima Airfield and AA positions while four B-24s in separate strikes hit Susaki Airfield.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 33: 6 B-29s from the Mariana again
carry out a reconnaissance mission for the U.S. Navyy covering the area northward
from the base line at 28-02N 145-55E to 28-44N 148-00E.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s continue
to bomb Corregidor, concentrating on the dock area and gun positions;
other B-24s bomb Mariveles and B-25s bomb the airfield
at Tuguegarao;
B-25s and fighters provide excellent support for ground forces, blasting
guns and troops west of Clark
Field, north of Marikina Airfield, and north of Montalban;
A-20s pound the general area of S Bataan.
B-25s bomb barges at Zamboanga and P-38s bomb Matina
Airfield. Fighters on armed reconnaissance strafe airfields on Negros and Cebu. A few B-25s bomb Kagi Airfield and nearby targets of opportunity.
HQ 54th Troop Carrier Wing moves from Biak to Leyte.
The 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to XIII
Bomber Command) moves from Hollandia to Morotai with
P-38s, P-61s and P-70s (the detachment operating from Middelburg also moves
to Morotai).
U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army area, XIV Corps continues to battle strongpoints in Manila. In I Corps area, 33d Div relieves 43d Div and patrols actively. 25th Div, less 161st Inf, is redeploying for drive on Balete Pass. 6th Div, less 1st Inf, assembles in preparation for movement S of Pampanga R. In XI Corps area, while 38th Div is concluding action against the Zigzag, where firm contact is made between 149th and 152d Regts, corps begins operations to clear Bataan Peninsula, the first of a series of operations to reopen Manila Bay. East Force (RCT 1 of 6th Div, reinf) begins drive S along E coast of the peninsula from Orani, reaching Pilar. South Force (RCT 151, 38th Div), after loading at Subic and Olongapo, sails from Subic Bay for Mariveles.
In U.S. Eighth Army area, X Corps forms provisional TF (1st Philippine Inf (less 1st and 2d Bns) and 1st Bn of 182d Inf, reinf) to clear NW coast of Samar and islands in San Bernardino Strait.
U.S. Navy: Gunfire and Covering Force (TF 54, under Rear Adm B. J. Rodgers) and Support Carrier Group of Amphibious Support Force (TF 52, commanded by Rear Adm W. H. B. Blandy) leave Saipan for Iwo Jima for pre-D-day operations.
Japanese shore batteries sink motor minesweeper YMS-48 north of Corregidor, 14°24'N, 120°33'E, and damage destroyers USS Fletcher (DD-445) and Hopewell (DD-681) as they support the sweeping of those waters, 14°25'N, 120°30'E and 14°24'N, 120°33'E, respectively. Aboard Fletcher, Watertender First Class Elmer C. Bigelow, time not permitting his donning a rescue-breathing apparatus, plunges into the acrid powder smoke to extinguish the blaze that had resulted from shell fragments penetrating the number one gun magazine and setting fire to powder cases. Bigelow succumbs to smoke inhalation the following day; for his heroism, he is awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.
Japanese shore batteries sink support landing craft LCS-26 and LCS-49 off Luzon.
Mines damage destroyers Radford (DD-446) and LaVallette (DD-448) as they support the sweeping of a channel into Mariveles harbor, 14°25'N, 120°30'E.
Destroyer Halford (DD-480) is damaged in collision with U.S. merchant vessel H.E. Stephenson.
Submarine Gato (SS-212) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.9 in Yellow Sea, 34°48'N, 125°28'E.
Submarines Haddock (SS-231), Lagarto (SS-371), and Sennet (SS-408) damage Japanese guardboat No.3 Kanno Maru south of Japan, 29°50'N, 135°31'E.
Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 4 and Cha 114 (ex-Dutch B-1 class patrol boat) in Java Sea, 08°28'S, 115°45'E.
Japanese army cargo ship No.1 Yamanami Maru is sunk by mine west of Kyushu; hospital ship Hikawa Maru is damaged by mine in Singapore Strait.
Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Tatsui Maru is damaged by aircraft, 27°35'N, 121°16'E.
