May 11, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 11 MAY 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Six B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out the Chungmow bridge and damage a bridge at Sincheng; Two B-25s bomb truck convoys in the Paoching, Hengyang, and Changsha areas; 60+ fighter-bombers hit troops, artillery positions, communications targets, and general targets of opportunity in S and E China, concentrating on the Yangchi and Fantung areas.

China: Gen Wedemeyer writes Gen Marshall that he (Wedemeyer) is reviewing plans for increasing air strength in China and opening a seacoast port because of reduced ATC tonnage offered on 25 April and because of drain on Hump tonnage during Japanese drive on Chihchiang. Gen Ho's ALPHA forces have halted Japanese drive on Chihchiang by outflanking maneuvers and are forcing enemy back. Ch 18th and 100th Armies have blunted enemy's N spearheads in Paima Shan area; 18th recovers Shanmen. On main axis of Japanese advance, Paoching-Chihchiang road, Japanese set fire to Kaosha village. Ch 94th Army has successfully turned enemy's S flank and is now just 8 miles S of Paoching-Chihchiang road, well E of Tungkow.

China: Gen Wedemeyer writes Gen Marshall that he is reviewing plans for increasing air strength in China and opening a seacoast port because of reduced ATC tonnage offered on April 25 and because of drain on Hump tonnage during Japanese drive on Chihchiang. Gen Ho's Alpha forces have halted Japanese drive on Chihchiang by outflanking maneuvers and are forcing enemy back. Ch 18th and 100th Armies have blunted enemy's N spearheads in Paima Shan area; 18th recovers Shanmen. On main axis of Japanese advance, Paoching-Chihchiang road, Japanese set fire to Kaosha village. Ch 94th Army has successfully turned enemy's S flank and is now just 8 miles S of Paoching-Chihchiang road, well E of Tungkow.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Unit moves in India: HQ 443d Troop Carrier Group from Ledo to Dinjan and 459th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group from Rumkha to Dudhkundi with P-38s.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: Ten B-24s from Guam hit Param Airfield, while thirteen B-24s pound Marcus Airfield. VII Fighter Command: 14 P-51s from Iwo Jima strafe and bomb the radio station at Chichi Jima.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 6 missions are flown. Missions 167 to 171: 50 B-29s attack airfields at Oita, Saeki, Nittagahara, Miyazaki and Miyakonojo on Kyushu; 8 others hit targets of opportunity. Missions against Japanese airfields terminate the air campaign, begun on 17 Apr, during which the Twentieth AF has devoted a major effort toward hitting sources of Kamikaze raids against USN and US Marine Corps (USMC) forces in the Battle of Okinawa. Mission 172: 92 B-29s bomb the Kawanishi aircraft plant at Kobe; 1 other hits a target of opportunity; they claim 9 Japanese fighters; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Toshien Airfield and the towns of Koshun, Kato, Takao, Toko, and Shajo and B-25s pound Kagi. B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to support the ground action near Paranum and in the Ipo Dam sector. On Borneo, B-24s bomb Keningau Airfield and B-25s bomb the Brunei Bay area. On Celebes Island, B-24s hit Mandai Airfield and Boeloedowang Airfields. Unit moves: 12th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, ceases operating from Puerto Princesa with P-38s and returns to base at Zamboanga; 498th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium) from San Marcelino to Clark Field with B-25s.

U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area 1st Bn of 35th Inf, 25th Div, and 3d Bn of 27th Inf establish contact on Kapintalan Ridge, where over 200 caves have been sealed and almost a thousand Japanese dead counted. 25th Div is directed to continue northward with 161st Inf advancing west of Highway 5, 35th astride it, and 27th east of it toward Santa Fe, and heights east of Santa Fe. In XI Corps area, 43d Div troops driving on Ipo reach slopes of Hill 815, about a mile below objective.

In the southern Philippines, In U.S. Eighth Army's X Corps area on Mindanao, RCT 108, pushing steadily down Sayre Highway, reaches positions commanding Del Monte Airfield. Filipino guerrillas seize Cagayan. 21st Inf, 24th Div, reinf by 1st Bn of 34th, is directed to clear region northeast of Talomo River in vicinity of Mintal. 2d Bn, 19th Inf, makes little headway against enemy on Hill 550 despite ground fire and air support. On Samal, Co K, 19th Inf, searches for enemy guns that continue to fire on Davao. On Negros, 185th Inf, reinf by 3d Bn of 503d Para Inf, opens southward drive along Terukini Ridge and Kasagi Ridge toward Hill 4055 in Negros Occidental, progressing very slowly during rest of month. Bombardment of Dolan Hill by arty and aircraft is intensified for next few days as 160th Inf prepares to renew ground assault.

On Okinawa, U.S. Tenth Army, opened an all-out attack to reduce the inner Shuri defenses after 30-minute arty preparation to neutralize enemy guns and strongpoints, launches co-ordinated attack with III Amphib Corps on right and XXIV Corps on left. On III Amphib Corp's W flank, 22d Marines of 6th Mar Div expands positions S of the Asa, some elements on coast reaching positions at N outskirts of Amike, which command the capital city of Naha, and others taking hill 800 yards S of Asa. 7th Marines, 1st Mar Div, gains foothold on Dakeshi Ridge despite intense fire from Wana Ridge to S, but 1st Marines is still virtually halted by fire from Shuri Heights. 5th Marines encircles enemy forces in region S of Awacha. In XXIV Corps area, columns of 306th Inf, 77th Div, begin attacks toward Chocolate Drop Hill (Hill 130), NE of Ishimmi, and Flattop Hill to SE, which dominates Dick hill mass in 96th Div zone, but meet intense fire and make little headway. 382d Inf, 96th Div, consolidates on Zebra and tries unsuccessfully to push forward to Dick hill mass; 383d begins attack for Conical Hill, gaining positions on hills at NW approaches.

U.S. Navy: Off Okinawa, Japanese aircraft attack U.S. ships off Okinawa; two A6M Zero release a bomb then crash into USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), 25°44'N, 129°28'E. The first bomb went through the carrier and exploded in the sea as the Zero crashed into the flight deck and fell overboard. Thirty seconds later, a second A6M Zero released a bomb penetrated the flight deck and exploded causing gasoline fires and triggered several explosions. Aboard, the carrier suffered the loss of 346 killed, 43 missing, and 264 wounded. A total of seventy-eight aircraft were destroyed and the carrier badly damaged. Kamikazes also crash destroyer Evans (DD-552), 26°58'N, 127°32'E, and large support landing craft LCS-88; destroyer USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) is damaged by MXY7 Ohka (Baka), 26°59'N, 127°32'E.

On Okinawa, Pharmacist's Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton, Jr., USNR, advances into an open field under fire to treat a casualty. Hit by a bullet while tending to the wounded marine, Halyburton unhesitatingly shields the man with his own body to protec him from further injury. In so doing, the corpsman is mortally wounded. For his heroically saving another man's life at the cost of his own, Halyburton is awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.

Japanese guardboat No.8 Sagami Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft off Hong Kong, 21°52'N, 113°08'E.

USAAF B-24s (11th Air Force) sink Japanese army cargo ship Aitoku Maru and damage escort destroyer Hachijo in Kataoka harbor, Kurils, 50°42'N, 156°13'E.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) operating against Japanese shipping off coast of Korea, sink merchant cargo ships Seiri Maru, 34°17'N, 126°50'E, and Shinzan Maru, 34°15'N, 127°10'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Kamiyama Maru is sunk by aircraft off Mokpo, Korea

Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Kitsurin Maru off Wadanomisaki, 34°39'N, 135°11'E; and damage auxiliary minelayer Koei Maru seven miles off Umezaki and damage two tugboats off Wadanomisaki.

USMC: The 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, eliminated the last organized resistance in the Awacha Pocket.

Australian Army: 6th Division captures Wewak.