March 13, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 13 MARCH 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Seven B-24s over the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea claim a cargo vessel and a large junk destroyed. 13 P-40s, P-38s, and P-51s destroy a storehouse and damage a compound at Chinchengchiang, China and knock out a bridge and hit machinegun positions and other targets of opportunity at Lang Son, French Indochina.

B-24s and B-25s on antishipping sweeps off the China coast between Foochow and Hong Kong attack Japanese convoy KAI-311, sinking cargo vessels No.12 Aikoku Maru and 37 Kokoku Maru and 18 Tarumizu Maru and No.34 Tarumizu Maru.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 P-47s support forces of the Chinese 50th Division, hitting Japanese positions along the Namtu River in the Namhsan area; 26 P-38s hit road targets S of the bomb line in central Burma; 12 B-25s attack troop concentrations, supplies, and gun positions behind enemy lines; 4 P-47s hit a wooded area in the British 36 Division battle sector; other fighter-bombers make ineffective bridge strikes. Transports complete 500+ sorties to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Six B-24s from Guam hit Woleai while 10 others bomb Susaki Airfield; during the night of 13/14 Mar, 8 B-24s, flying individual strikes pound Susaki Airfield. 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb a storage area at Saragani Bay, Mindanao.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 42: In the third of the Twentieth AF's great fire raids, 274 of 301 B-29s begin bombing Osaka, shortly after 2400 hours local on the night of 13/14 March; because of 8/10 cloud cover, bombing is by radar; the heart of the city, an area of 8.1 square miles (21.0 square km), is wiped out during 3 hours of bombing from altitudes of 5,000' to 9,600' (1,524m to 2,926m); 134,744 houses are destroyed, 1,363 houses damaged and Japanese casualties are 3,988 dead, 678 missing and 8,463 dead; 5 other B-29s bomb other targets; the B-29s claim 1-0-0 Japanese aircraft; 2 B-29s are lost including B-29 42-24754 (KIA).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: On Mindanao, B-24s hit targets in the Saragani Bay area and effectively hit Lagao Town and B-25s support ground operations in the Zamboanga area. B-25s, A-20s, and fighters support ground forces hitting forces and positions in the Cagayan Valley. B-25s hit sampans off Hainan while P-51s sweep Samah Airfield. B-24s hit installations in WC Formosa and at Mako. The 408th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 22d Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Guiuan Airfield to Clark Field with B-24s. Lost is P-51K 44-12054 (MIA).

B-24s from 5th Air Force sink Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.66 and transport Masajima Maru in South China Sea east of Swatow, 23°30'N, 117°10'E.

US Army: Army barge PSB 111 ran aground on northeast of Seguam Island in the Aleutians, but is pulled free by fleet tug USS Sarsi (ATF-111).

RAAF: Lost is Beaufort A9-650 pilot FLTLT Harry J. Fowler (KIA) over Maprik.