SATURDAY, 10 MARCH 1945
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Five B-24s radar-bomb targets at Kataoka on Shimushu,
and Suribachi and Kakumabetsu on Paramushiru with unobserved results; 1 fighter
is sighted but no attack is made; 2 other B-24s on this mission abort due to
weather and mechanical trouble. B-25 missions to the Hayakegawa River and Paramushiru are also cancelled due to weather.
Burma: In NCAC area, Br 36th Div columns converge on Mongmit and take it.
Vietnam: Japanese, fearing a U.S. amphibious operation against French Indochina in which Fr troops might participate, begin expulsion of Fr garrisons from key positions.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 32 B-24s blast the railroad yards at
Tsanghsien and Tehsien; 10 B-24s and 4 P-40s attack Siangtan and nearby targets
of opportunity; 60+ fighter-bombers hit river, road, and railroad targets,
gun positions, warehouses, airstrips, and troops around Sinyang, Yiyang, Changsha,
Kiyang, Yoyang, Hengyang, Hankow and Wuchang.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 40: During the predawn hours, 279 B-29s, of 325 airborne, blast the Tokyo urban area with incendiaries, destroying 267,171 buildings, about one-fourth in the city, killing 83,793 and wounding 40,918 people and destroying 15.8 square miles (40.9 square km); this death total is the highest of any single day's action during the war, exceeding the deaths caused by the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima; 20 other B-29s bomb alternates and targets of opportunity; 14 B-29s are lost; the participating B-29s are from the XXI Bomber Command's 73d, 313th, and 314th Bombardment Wings (Very Heavy) based on Guam Island, Tinian Island, and Saipan Island in the Mariana Islands; the raids are flown at levels ranging from 4,900 to 9,200 feet (1,494 to 2,804 m).
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 13 P-47s support forces of the British 36 Division in the Mogok area; 46 P-47s and P-38s sweep the roads S of the bomb line; 49 others hit supply areas behind the enemy lines, attack
a bivouac near Nam-yang, and bomb a truck park N of Mong Yai. 537 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 10 B-24s from Guam hit Susaki Airfield which 9 B-24s again hit during the night of 10/11 Mar on separate snooper strikes. Twenty-three B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb Calarian Airfield.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 40: During the predawn hours, 279 B-29s, of 325 airborne, bomb Tokyo urban area with incendiaries, destroying 267,171 buildings, about one-fourth in the city, killing 83,793 and wounding 40,918 people and destroying 15.8 square miles; this death total is the highest of any single day's action during the war, exceeding the deaths caused by the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima; 20 other B-29s bomb alternates and targets of opportunity; 14 B-29s are lost; the participating B-29s are from the XXI Bomber Command's 73d, 313th, and 314th Bombardment Wings (Very Heavy) the raids are flown at levels ranging from 4,900' to 9,200' (1,494 to 2,804 m).
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s and B-25s over the Zamboanga Peninsula area bomb Zamboanga Town, Calarian Airfield, Pangasahan, Port Holland, Kulibato Point, and Sibago. B-24s bomb the Ipo area and Aparri
Airfield; B-25s and A-20s support guerrillas near San
Fernando and bomb
Cabugao; fighter-bombers hit Caballo, bomb the town of Minanga,
hit enemy concentrations at Burgos, near Fort Stotsenburg, Batangag Province and at other locations and attack Teresa. B-24s bomb Kudat and Jesselton Airfields. Lost is C-46D 44-77341 (KIA). B-25s sink Japanese army tanker Seishin Maru off Tourane, French Indochina at roughly Lat 16°01'N Long 108°10'E.
U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's XIV Corps area, 1st Inf of 6th Div gains about 300 yards, taking small ridge N of Bench Mark B. Intense air and arty bombardment of Shimbu line on 10 and 11 March takes heavy toll of Japanese forces forming for major effort against 6th Div. Advance elements of 1st Cav Div reach crest of Bench Mark 9. 11th A/B Div is directed to clear Batangas and drive to second phase line. 3d Bn, 158th Inf, gets into position to attack toward Calumpan Peninsula. Assisted by air strike, 1st Bn of 187th Inf clears most of Hill 660. 511th Inf columns start S along Route 1 for Santa Anastasia and E along S shore of Laguna de Bay virtually unopposed. In I Corps area, 25th Div columns converge in Putlan sector of Highway 5. 27th Inf relieves 1st Bn of 35th at bridge site N of Putlan with 3d Bn and joins with 161st Inf forces S of Putlan to clear opposition from there S to Digdig. 35th Inf turns its full attention to reconnoitering up Old Spanish Trail. In XI Corps area, 43d Div turns over its sector to 38th Div and releases RCT 169 to that div. By this time, 43d Div has penetrated final enemy positions.
In the southern Philippines, in U.S. Eighth Army area, Romblon and Simara attack forces sail from Mindoro. On Mindanao, following air and naval gunfire preparation, 41st Div (-RCT 186) lands on Zamboanga Peninsula virtually unopposed; secures Wolfe airfield and village of San Roque and advances on Mindanao City. Gen Doe takes command ashore and Gen Eichelberger lands to inspect beachhead. Guerrillas, helped by the 2 Cos of 21st Inf, 24th Div, gain firm control of Dipolog and Dipolog Airfield.
U.S. Navy: TG 78.1 (Rear Admiral Forrest B. Royal) lands Army troops (41st Infantry [Reinforced] less 186th RCT) near Zamboanga, Mindanao; landing is supported by naval gunfire and USAAF planes. Japanese shore batteries, however, sink tank landing ships LST-591 and LST-626, and infantry landing craft LCI-710 and LCI-779. Attacking troops encounter only light mortar and artillery file.
Submarine Kete (SS-369) attacks Japanese Kagoshima-to-Naha convoy north of Okinawa, sinking transport Keizan Maru and army cargo ships Sanka Maru and Dokan Maru about 100 miles northwest of Amami O Shima, 29°48'N, 128°02'E; Coast Defense Vessel No.44 and auxiliary minesweeper No.2 Shinto Maru carry out ineffective countermeasures.
USS Rock (SS-274) rescues the last 15 survivors from SS Peter Silvester.
USMC: On right flank of V AC, 4th Mar Div continues SE toward coast against decreasing resistance, RCT 23 on left and RCT 25 on right, each bolstered by a bn from RCT 24. RCT 23, pushing through Higashi, gets forward elements to within 400 yards of beach and patrols to coastline at Tachiiwi Pt. RCT 25 eliminates enemy re-entrant on div right but is unable to keep pace with RCT 23. 3d Mar Div's RCT 21 clears right half of its sector; RCT 9 makes little headway against troublesome pocket on extreme right of div zone. 5th Mar Div is practically halted on left flank of corps by rugged and well defended terrain, but RCT 28, on left flank, inches forward to S rim of rocky gorge about 200 yards wide and 700 yards long.
The 3d Marine Division zone of action, up the center of the island, was cleared with the exception of a Japanese pocket in the 9th Marines' area and scattered resistance in the cliffs overlooking the beach. The Amphitheater-Turkey Knob salient in the center of the 4th Marine Division zone was eliminated.
Elements of the U.S. Eighth Army, augmented by ground echelons of Marine Aircraft Groups 12 and 32 plus Air Warning Squadron 4, assault near near Zamboanga on Mindanao. Marine Aircraft Group 12 furnished air support for the landing.
VMF-112, VMF-123, VMF-124, VMF-212, VMF-213, VMF-216, VMF-217, and VMF-451 were detached from Task Force 58 (TF 58) and return to the U.S. Marine ground crews remain to service Navy F4Us.
Lost is F4U Corsair 57807 pilot 2nd Lt. James R. Misley (KIA).
