SATURDAY, 31 MARCH 1945
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 30 B-24s, with an escort of
9 P-51s, blast railroad yards at Shihkiachwang; 12 B-25s bomb railroad yards
at Sinyang while 4 hit the Yanglowtung yards; 6 B-25s damage a bridge and hit
gun position at Sienning while six more knock out a bridge near Ninh Binh, French
Indochina and hit storage area at Samah Bay; 26 P-51s attack Ningpo
Airfield, destroying or damaging several airplanes; 6 of the P-51s are lost;
about 125 other fighter-bombers and several B-25s (operating individually)
attack numerous targets in French Indochina and S and E China including bridges,
troops, supplies, and rail, road, and river traffic.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 12 B-25s hit troop dispersal areas
behind enemy lines in C Burma and hit 1 road bridge and 8 P-38s attack supply
dump at Namsang Airfield. The 164th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando
Group, moves from Ondaw, Burma to Asansol with UC-64s and L-5s.
Seventh Air Force: During the night of 31 Mar/1 Apr, 5 B-24s from Guam, flying
individual harassment strikes, hit Susaki Airfield. VII Fighter
Command: 15 P-51s from Iwo Jima bomb and strafe vessels, air installations,
and targets of opportunity on Chichi Jima; 16 more follow with attacks on vessels
and harbor area. Lost is P-61B Black Widow 42-39455 pilot 2nd Lt. Ashley C. Nagle (MIA).
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 50: 137 of 152 B-29s strike the Tachiarai
machine works, which is completely destroyed, and Omura Airfield on Kyushu; this is a diversionary strike preceding the invasion of Okinawa which begins at 0830 hours local on 1 Apr; the AAF claims 11-5-3 Japanese
aircraft; 1 B-29s is lost and 15 damaged.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, A-20s
attack an army camp at Saiatan, P-51s sweep from Babuyan Channel to the SW
of the island and B-24s bomb shipping at Kiirun Harbor and Yulin Harbor.
On Luzon, fighters attack targets in the Cagayan Valley and north of Laguna de
Bay, blasting bridges and gun positions over wide stretches. B-25s, A-20s,
and fighter-bombers hit Cebu targets, several of the strikes being flown in
support of ground forces. B-24s again bomb Bongao and hit Oelin and
fighters harass north Borneo airfields.
U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area, 128th Inf of 32d Div continues battle for Salacsac Pass No. 2 on Villa Verde Trail, capturing one hill, but is forced from crest of another. 3d Bn of 27th Inf, 25th Div, attacks along ridge leading to Mt Myoko. In XI Corps area, advance elements of 103d Inf, 43d Div, start S to seize Santa Maria Valley and make contact with 1st Cav Div. 1st Inf, 6th Div, regroups and patrols. In XIV Corps area, 12th Cav of 1st Cav Div seizes Calauan, from which enemy has now withdrawn. 5th Cav relieves elements of 7th Cav in San Agustin area and drives E along route N of and paralleling that of 7th Cav. In Mt Macolod sector, elements of 187th Inf, 11th A/B Div, gain positions on Bukel Hill. 188th Inf continues forward against scattered opposition.
In the southern Philippines, in U.S. Eighth Army area, 185th Inf, on western Negros, patrols toward Talisay in preparation for attack. 160th Inf moves to Bacolod and patrols from there. On Cebu, Americal Div prepares for all-out assault on hill defenses commanding Cebu City and beats off night attacks.
In the Ryukyu Islands, 420th FA Gp and attachments are landed on the four small islands of the Keise Island group to support operations on Okinawa. 77th Div, except for the small garrison on Zamami, withdraws from Kerama Islands. As against the low U.S. casualties of 31 killed and 81 wounded during operations on the Kerama Islands, 530 Japanese have died and 121 have been captured. 1,195 civilians have been taken prisoner. 77th Div captures and destroys more than 350 suicide boats in the Kerama Islands.
U.S. Navy: Off Okinawa, heavy cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24) is damaged in collision with tank landing ship USS LST-277, 26°10'N, 127°19'E; kamikazes damage light minelayer Adams (DM-27), 26°12'N, 127°08'E; attack transport Hinsdale (APA-120), 25°54'N, 127°49'E; and tank landing ships LST-724 and LST-884, 25°59'N, 127°50'E.
Small seaplane tender USS Coos Bay (AVP-25) is damaged when rammed accidentally by U.S. merchant ship Matagorda, central Pacific, 12°07'N, 156°27'E.
U.S. freighter SS John C. Fremont is damaged by mine south of Pier 7, Manila Bay; there are no casualties.
Destroyers Morrison (DD-560) and Stockton (DD-646) sink Japanese submarine I 8, 65 miles southeast of Okinawa, 25°29'N, 128°35'E.
Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 233 is sunk by aircraft, 32°19'N, 129°50'E.
USAAF B-24s attack Japanese convoy off Makassar, sinking small cargo vessels No.3 Hainan Maru, Kanho Maru, Manko Maru, and Nanho Maru and damaging Oshima Maru; attack convoy BASU-05 in Makassar Straits off Balikpapan, damaging submarine chaser Ch 5.
USAAF B-24s bomb Japanese convoy in harbor at Keelung, damaging hospital ship Baikal Maru, cargo vessels Nikko Maru and No.3 Yamato Maru, and motor sailship No.47 Suma Maru.
Mines damage Japanese destroyer Hibiki off Hime Jima and escort destroyer Inagi off Hesaki.
During March 1945 (exact dates indeterminate) carfloats YCF-23 YCF-29, YCF-36, and YCF-37 break up in heavy seas while under tow en route to Eniwetok.
