THURSDAY, 5 APRIL 1945
Japan: The cabinet of General Koiso resigns and is succeeded by a new cabinet under Admiral Kantaro Suzuki.
USSR:
The Soviet Union renounced the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact (Japanese–Soviet Non-Aggression Pact) origianlly signed by the two nations on April 13, 1941.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 27 fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance
attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at Son La, French Indochina
and Shanhsien and Shihkiachwang, and in the Tehsien and Loyang-Pinglo area of
China.
Burma: Br Fourteenth Army releases Ind 19th Div to 4 Corps.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels scheduled
strikes; transports continue large-scale operations to forward areas. The 166th
Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Ondaw to Meiktila with UC-64s and L-5s.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Eighteen B-24s from Guam hit targets on Eten and Dublon at Truk. Twenty-two B-24s from Angaur Airfield pound a bivouac area at Bunawan on Mindanao.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 315th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) arrives
at Northwest Field from the US.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Kowloon
Docks and Kaitak Airfield on Hong Kong and shipping damaging Coast Defense Vessel No.52 and Coast Defense Vessel No.1, submarine chasers Ch 9 and Ch 20, 22°45'N, 116°10'E, and fleet oiler Kamoi. Other B-24s bomb Kiirun Harbor. 180+ sorties in support of ground forces are flown on Luzon.
A-20s and patrolling P-61s support troops on Cebu and Negros. P-38s
hit Tarakan and Tawau, Borneo. Headquarters, 58th Fighter Group moves from San Jose to Mangaldan.
U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's XI Corps area, 63d Inf of 6th Div is ordered to attack Mt Mataba. While main body of 103d Inf, 43d Div, patrols, 3d Bn, motorized, moves S along Laguna de Bay coast to Lumban and seizes bridge over Pagsanjan R. On Caballo I., 2d Bn, 151st Inf, is trying to reduce enemy positions with ignited diesel oil. In XIV Corps area, resistance to 1st Cav Div eases. 5th Cav makes contact with 43d Div (XI Corps) in Lumban area, on E shore of Laguna de Bay. 12th Cav completes clearing Imoc Hill area near Calauan. 7th Cav, pushing toward Mt Malepunyo from N, gets forces on Mapait Hills. 187th Inf, 11th A/B Div, takes Talisay and probes in west foothills of Mt Malepunyo while 188th mops up S and SE of Mt Malepunyo.
In the southern Philippines, U.S. Eighth Army announces completion of Visayan Passage mission, although mopping up is still in progress. Romblon I. is turned over to guerrillas. 139 Japanese and 17 Americans have been killed there. On Negros, 160th Inf is pushing toward Hill 3155, later called Dolan Hill, which commands approaches to Patog. On Cebu, Americal Div forces strengthen positions and patrol while awaiting RCT 164 to assist in enveloping assault.
On Okinawa, U.S. Tenth Army begins rcn of Eastern Islands, off Okinawa, employing FMF Amphib Rcn Bn. In III Amphib Corps area, 22d Marines of 6th Mar Div, spearheading northward drive up Ishikawa Isthmus, reaches Atsutabaru-Kin line. 1st Mar Div mops up and patrols to S; reconnoiters Yabuchi Shima, off Katchin Peninsula, with negative results. XXIV Corps CP closes on board USS Teton and opens ashore. 96th Div encounters well-organized enemy positions near Uchitomari and Ginowan that limit its progress. 383d Inf, on W, makes unsuccessful attack on Cactus Ridge, 600 yards SE of Mashiki. 382d gains 400-900 yards. 7th Div moves S to positions almost abreast 96th Div.
U.S. Navy: Off Okinawa, battleship Nevada (BB-36) is damaged by shore battery, 26°13'N, 127°40'E; a dud aerial torpedo damages light minelayer Harry F . Bauer (DM-26), 26°30'N, 127°30'E. Collisions account for damage to seaplane tender (destroyer) Thornton (AVD-11) and oiler Escalante (AO-70), 24°24'N, 128°58'E; landing craft repair ship Agenor (ARL-3) and tank landing ship LST-646, 24°46'N, 141°19'E; tank landing ships LST-273 and LST-810, 26°25'N, 127°42'E; tank landing ship LST-923 (with tank landing ship LST-20); tank landing ship LST-940 [with attack cargo ship Diphda (AKA-59)], 26°21'N, 127°43'E; and tank landing ship LST-1000 (with tank landing ship LST-20), 26°21'N, 127°44'E; tank landing ship LST-698 is damaged by grounding, 26°24'N, 127°45'E.
Naval Advanced Air Base, Iwo Jima, is established.
USS Besugo (SS-321) twice attacks Japanese light cruiser Isuzu in the Flores Sea (see 6-7 April).
USS Bluegill (SS-242) sends a boarding party that completes the destruction of beached and abandoned fleet tanker Honan Maru (see 28 March) with demolition charges and incendiaries, near Nha Trang, French Indochina.
U.S. shore battery sinks Japanese auxiliary minelayer No.2 Shinto Maru and damages auxiliary minelayer Taian Maru in Naha Harbor, Okinawa, 26°30'N, 128°00'E.
Destroyer Hudson (DD-475) sinks Japanese submarine RO 41 west of Okinawa, near Kerama Retto, 26°22'N, 126°30'E.
Submarine Hardhead (SS-365) attacks unescorted Japanese convoy SASI-45, damaging cargo ship Araosan Maru in the Gulf of Siam, 09°37'N, 102°48'E (see 6 April).
PBMs attack Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship No.2 Tokai Maru in Pinghai Wan, 22°45'N, 116°10'E; USAAF B-24s, B-26s, and P-38s (5th Air Force) attack same convoy, sinking cargo ship Kine Maru, 22°24'N, 115°28'E.
Mine laid by USAAF B-29 sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.13 Nichinan Maru two miles southeast of Hesaki Light, 33°58'N, 131°02'E,. Cargo ship Iki Maru is damaged by mine, 33°54'N, 130°53'E.
Japanese cargo ship Jozan Maru is damaged by mine, 01°23'N, 104°01'E.
USMC: The Fleet Marine Force Reconnaissance Battalion landed on the northern coast of Tsugen Shima, Eastern Islands, the only one of the six islands guarding the en-trances to Okinawa's eastern beaches that was defended in strength.
