March 22, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 22 MARCH 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, twenty-four fighter-bombers and a single B-25 attack railroad traffic and railroad yards in and around Shihkiachwang, at Chukiatsi, and from Sinsiang to Chenghsien.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 45: 76 of 78 B-29s, operating in 2 waves, blast storage dumps at Rangoon without loss.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 fighter-bombers support Chinese ground forces near Hsipaw; 12 B-25s and 41 fighter-bombers hit numerous targets along and immediately behind the enemy lines; troops, supplies, and communications are attacked and 2 bridges are knocked out; 547 air supply sorties are flown to forward areas; the 71st Liaison Squadron, Tenth Air Force [attached to 1st Liaison Group (Provisional)], moves from Katha to Myitkyina with L-1s, L-4s, L-5s and UC-64s.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: 13 B-24s from Guam bomb Susaki Airfield. 20 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb Cebu. During the night of 22/23 Mar, 4 B-24s from Guam make individual raids on Susaki Airfield. VII Fighter Command: 16 Iwo Jima based P-51s bomb and strafe a weather station fuel storage, and radar installations on Chichi Jima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA: B-24s and A-20s (along with U. S. Marine Corps aircraft) hit Cebu City, defenses at several locations on Cebu, and targets on Inampulugan nearby. On Luzon, B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighters continue to hit numerous objectives, chiefly Balete Pass, Tangadon, San Fernando, and the Batangas areas. On Formosa, other B-24s hit Tainan Airfield and Okayama Airfield, destroying several hangars, planes, and gun positions. The 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Tacloban to Clark Field with B-24s; the 69th and 100th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 42d Bombardment Group (Medium), cease operating from Morotai with B-25s and move to Puerto Princesa; the 75th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 42d Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Sansapor to Puerto Princesa with B-25s; and the 868th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), Thirteenth AF, moves from Noemfoor to Morotai with B-24s (the squadron uses airborne radar for low-level attacks at night and for pathfinder operations).