May 8, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 8 MAY 1945

European Theater of Operations: Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) Nazi Germany officially surrendered to the Allies.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 13 B-25s knock out a bridge at Do Cam and damage others at Do Len, over the Song Chu River in French Indochina, and N of Kaifeng, China. In China, a single B-24 damages bridges at Huto; 20 P-51s pound rail and road traffic along the French Indochina coast while 12 P-51s and P-38s hit targets of opportunity in several cities; about 100 fighter-bombers over wide areas of S and E China continue to hit numerous targets of opportunity, concentrating on shipping and the dock area at Taku.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: Twelve B-24s from Guam bomb Marcus Airfield. 12 others from Guam pound Param Airfield. The 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seventh AF, arrives on Okinawa from Kualoa Airfield with F-5Es. VII Fighter Command: 94 of 104 P-51s from Iwo Jima abort a strike to Nagoya due to weather and attack Kisarazu Airfield. Ditched is B-24J "Temptation" 44-40617 (2 rescued, 9 MIA).

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 155 to 158: 40 B-29s hit airfields at Kanoya, Miyakonojo, Oita Airfield, and Matsuyama on Kyushu and Shikoku; 1 other hits a target of opportunity.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In Borneo, P-38s hit Jesselton, Sengkawang, and Kudat Airfield while B-25s bomb the Kuching Airfield and Labuan Airfield areas. B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers continue to pound Cagayan Valley on Luzon Island. On Mindanao, B-24s hit Davao while P-38s hit the Labugan Airfield area. Other B-24s bomb Mandai Airfield. B-25s bomb railway installations between Phan Rang and Binh Dinh, French Indochina.

USN: Lost is F6F Hellcat 72024 (rescued).