WEDNESDAY, 14 MARCH 1945
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Of the twelve B-25s taking off to cover a naval task force on its way to Matsuwa, six abort due to weather and failure to locate the Navy task force; the others fly coverage sorties throughout the day.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Three B-24s claim one cargo vessel sunk in the South China Sea; 1 B-25 and 4 fighter-bombers damage 12 track sections near Tungyangchen; and 4 P-51s hit railroad targets of opportunity near Chihsien. 19 P-51s and P-38s blast the barracks area at Vinh Yen, French Indochina.
Burma: In NCAC area, the air movement of MARS, the U.S. 5332d Brig (Prov) from Burma to China is begun. In Br Fourteenth Army's 33 Corps area, Ind 19th Div clears city area of Mandalay but enemy retains Fort Dufferin, target for heavy air attacks and close-range arty fire for next few days.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 20 P-47s fly close support for elements of the Chinese 50th Division in the Mansam area; 3 B-25s knock out a bridge at Laihka while 11 others bomb troop and a vehicle concentration nearby; 39 P-47s hit troop concentrations, supplies and vehicles at Laihka and Namlan while 29 others sweep roads S of the bomb line. 614 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas. The 165th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Asansol to Sinthe, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s and the 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando) moves from Sinthe to Asansol with the same aircraft.
Seventh Air Force: Eleven B-24s from Guam bomb Susaki Airfield while twenty-three from Angaur Airfield hit a Saragani Bay supply area on Mindanao.
During the night of 14/15 Mar, 5 more B-24s flying individually hit Susaki
Airfield. VII Fighter Command: Sixteen Iwo Jima based P-51s strafe and dive-bomb Susaki Airfield, the town of Okimura and several gun positions
on Chichi Jima. The ground echelon of the 549th Night Fighter Squadron, VII Fighter Command, arrives at Motoyama No. 1 from Hawaii (air echelon is operating
from Saipan with P-61s).
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Mindanao,
B-24s bomb the Konel area while B-25s and B-24s hit the village and AA positions
near Zamboanga and dock area at Isabela. A-20s and numerous fighter-bombers
(including some US Marine aircraft) hit installations and defensive positions
throughout Luzon. A-20s over Palawan hit Pandanan. B-24s bomb the Mako, Formosa
naval base. B-25s on an armed reconnaissance and shipping sweep along the China
coast bomb the secondary targets when no ships are sighted. The 2d Bombardment
Squadron (Heavy), 22d Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Guiuan Airfield to Clark
Field with B-24s.
U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's XIV Corps area, 6th Div continues to repel small counterattacks. All enemy efforts to mount a concerted counterattack have proved unsuccessful and costly. 20th Inf gains positions on approaches to Mount Mataba. 1st Inf runs into well-organized enemy positions. 43d Div, less 169th Inf, begins full-scale attack against the Shimbu line, employing 172d Inf on left and 103d on right; initial objective is heights E and N of Morong River valley. Jumping off from positions north of Antipolo, 172d comes up against outer defenses of strong enemy position on Sugar Loaf Mountain. 103d moves additional elements to Bench Mark 7 area. Co B TF continues rapidly up Morong River valley against scattered resistance.
In the southern Philippines, in the Eighth Army area, 162d Inf begins converging drive on Mount Capisan on Mindanao, with 1st and 2d Bns while 3d Bn works on the village strongpoint northeast of San Roque; clears San Roque and gains trail junction 500 yards NW of Masilay. 163d Inf, with air support, seizes Pasananca road junction.
U.S. Navy: Task Force 58 (TF 58) staged their final raids on Okinawa before to the landings.
Destroyer Cotten (DD-669) and Dortch (DD-670) sink Japanese guardboats Futa Maru and No.17 Kaiko Maru off the Bonins, 30°58'N, 144°54'E.
PVs (VPB 151) begin operating from Iwo Jim's Motoyama Airfield No.1, thus bringing Japanese guardboats operating off the home islands within range of rocket-firing planes.
USS Bream (SS-243) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Keihin Maru, 05°41'S, 114°03'E.
USS Rock (SS-274) lands supplies on Lombok Island.
USS Trepang (SS-412) sinks Japanese guardboat Kaiko Maru off Inubosaki, 35°40'N, 141°00'E.
USAAF B-24 on antishipping sweep off south China coast sinks Japanese army ship No.3 Taisei Maru, 03°35'N, 112°10'E.
USAAF B-24s damage Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 235 off Mako, Pescadores.
Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Yatsushiro Maru is damaged by aircraft, south of Wenchow, China.
Attacks against Japanese convoy KAI-311 continue, and USAAF B-24s and B-25s sink small cargo vessel No.15 Gokoku Maru off south China coast.
USAAF B-24 sinks small Japanese cargo vessel No.3 Taisei Maru off Hong Kong.
Navy aircraft sink small Japanese cargo vessel No.1 Taiki Maru and damage guardboat No.1 Shinya Maru, 27°10', 132°09'E.
Coastal yacht Amethyst (AMc-3) is damaged in collision with U.S. merchantman Platte Park 150 miles northwest of San Francisco.
USMC: At 9:30am, VAC raises the American flag on Iwo Jima and declares the island secure. 4th and 3d Mar Divs continue to mop up and considerably reduce pockets in their respective sectors. 4th Mar Div begins re-embarkation. 5th Mar Div, committing RCT 26 between RCT's 28 on left and 27 on right, renews assault on N Iwo Jima and gains up to 600 yards on right, although left flank remains in about the same position. Air support of the operation ends with P-51 strike in behalf of 5th Mar Div. The first phase of operations against "Cushman's Pocket" opened with an attack by the 1st and 2d Battalions, 9th Marines (rein).
The official flag raising ceremony, at the V Amphibious Corps headquarters, marked the proclamation of U.S. Navy Military Government in the Volcano Islands. Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, Commander, Expeditionary Troops, departs for Guam.
Royal Navy: British submarine HMS Spirit sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel Ryuho Maru off Massalambo Island 05°34'S, 114°26'E.
