THURSDAY, 3 MAY 1945
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Nine B-25s and six fighter-bombers
attack truck convoys in the Hsiang River Valley and near Paoching, Changsha,
and Hengyang, and pound railroad targets of opportunity and bridges in the Taiku,
Singtai, and Linfen areas; 90+ fighter-bombers attack troops, town areas, ammunition
dumps, river shipping and other targets of opportunity over wide areas of S
and E China.
Burma: In ALFSEA's 15 Corps area, 36th Brig of Ind 26th Div enters Rangoon while 71st Brig moves into Syriam, across the river from Rangoon. 23d Para Bn defends W bank of Rangoon R from Thakutpin to Elephant Pt.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): With the fall of Rangoon on this
date (Indian 26 Division elements occupy the city), the war against the Japanese
in Burma is successfully concluded; pockets of resistance remain west of the Irrawaddy
River and between that river and the Mandalay-Pegu, Thailand railway however,
during May AAF operations are reduced drastically due to the lack of suitable
air targets and because of the onset of bad weather preceding the monsoon. The
Tenth AF is withdrawn from combat and moved back to India (see 15 May 45); 1
squadron of P-38s remains in Burma to patrol the roads leading into China. Unit
moves: 88th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, from Myitkyina to Moran,
India with P-47s; the detachment of the 156th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 2d
Air Commando Group, operating from Myitche with UC-64s and L-5s, to Magwe, Burma;
the 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at
Kalaikunda, India with C-47s, sends a detachment to operate from Comilla, India.
AAFPOA: The 163d Liaison Squadron, AAFPOA (attached to Tenth Army), arrives
on Okinawa from Saipan with UC-64s and L-5s.
Seventh Air Force: Ten B-24s from Guam bomb airfields and targets of
opportunity on several islands of Truk. During the night of 3/4 May, 8
B-24s separately strike airfields on Param Airfield, Eten Airfield, and Moen Airfield.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 127 to 132: 59
B-29s bomb airfields at Tachiarai, Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Kokubu and two runways at Kanoya;
5 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 10 Japanese fighters; 1 B-29
is lost. Mission 133: 88 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the Inland Sea off Kobe, Osaka and Suo Nada during
the night of 3/4 May; 3 others mine other waters as part of Phase II of Operation Starvation commences: in the first of two operations aimed at blockading Japan's industrial centers.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Saigon is bombed by B-24s, which greatly damage a boatyard and oil storage areas. B-24s and P-51s pound the Ipo area while A-20s and fighters support
ground forces. In Borneo, B-25s continue support of ground forces on Tarakan and, with B-24s, carry out small raids against numerous targets on Borneo
and Celebes, Manggar Airfield is heavily hit by B-24s and P-38s and USN airplanes
hit warehouses in the Brunei Bay area. The 63d Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Biak to Dulag with C-47s. Lost is P-51K 44-12075 pilot 2nd Lt. Grant W. Wahlquist (MIA).
U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area, 3d Bn of 161st Inf, 25th Div, prepares to attack Mt Haruna, commanding feature W of Balete Pass. In XI Corps area, 6th Div relieves final elements of 38th Div in Kembu sector. 38th Div regroups for coordinated attack with 145th Inf toward Wawa Dam. 152d Inf temporarily suspends action against Woodpecker Ridge while patrolling and consolidating. Fifth Air Force begins series of strikes on Ipo area as 43d Div is moving secretly into position for ground attack. Baldy Force is dissolved, RCT 169 reverting to 43d Div. In XIV Corps area, 8th Cav and Tr F of 7th Cav revert to parent div from attachment to 11th A/B Div. RCT 158 probes in Mt Isarog area to locate and destroy enemy remnants in the Bicols.
In U.S. Eighth Army's X Corps area, 3d Bn of 19th Inf, 24th Div, clears Davao, Mindanao, which is in ruins, and patrols to Santa Ana. Forward elements of 124th Inf, 31st Div, overrun Kibawe and its airstrip and secure junction of Sayre Highway with Talomo Trail; elements then advance SE along Talomo Trail. On Negros, 1st Bn of 164th Inf, Americal Div, tries in vain to reopen supply line in Negros Oriental.
On Okinawa, in U.S. Tenth Army's XXIV Corps area, 1st Mar Div continues to receive heavy, accurate enemy fire and makes little headway on W flank of corps. Elements of 307th Inf, 77th Div, reach top of Maeda Escarpment, where they come under heavy fire from reverse slope. Coordinated attack on Kochi Ridge by 1st and 3d Bns of 17th Inf, 7th Div, fails. Japanese begin their only major counteroffensive of the Ryukyus Campaign on night 3-4, sharply stepping up air attacks and arty fire and attempting landings behind American lines on W and E coasts. The amphibious operations are costly failures: 500-800 Japanese are killed, and most of their landing craft are destroyed. The enemy forces that succeed in landing are soon rounded up and wiped out.
RAAF: Crashed are Spitfire A58-528 crashed at Clark Field. and C-47 A65-39 pilot F/Lt Stanley C. Akers (KIA).
IJN: Operation Kikusui V (Kikusui Sakusen V): A total of 449 Japanese aircraft (including 160 kamikaze planes) attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. The attackers sink two destroyers, damaging an escort aircraft carrier and damage HMS Formidable (67) plus others.
U.S. Navy: TG 78.2 (Rear Admiral Albert G. Noble) lands Army troops at Santa Cruz on Davao Gulf.
Off Okinawa, four kamikazes sink USS Little (DD-803) 26°24'N, 126°15'E. A kamikaze plane hit and sunk LSM(R)-195. and damage destroyer Bache (DD-470) and high speed minesweeper Macomb (DMS-23), 26°01'N, 126°53'E. Heavily damaged by four planes is USS Aaron Ward (DM-34) 26°24'N, 126°15'E. A kamikaze grazes LCS(L)-25 knocking off her mast. Cargo ship Carina (AK-74) is damaged by assault demolition boat, 26°13'N, 127°50'E; infantry landing craft LCI-768 by operational casualty. Battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) a 40mm gun accidentally fires on and damages U.S. freighter Sea Flasher, injuring 47 men and killing seven troops aboard.
USMC: The Japanese launched an all-out ground and air attack on Okinawa and U.S. shipping off shore. Marine aircraft and anti-aircraft gunners as well as units of the 1st Marine Division assist in repulsing the assault.
Australian Army:
By 1:00pm the Australian Army 19th Infantry Brigade advanced from the Hawain River to Cape Pus and captured it with little opposition.
