May 13, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 13 MAY 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Five B-24s lay mines in the Yangtze River; Ten B-25s and five fighters knock out bridges at Hankow and Hengyang but fail to hit a bridge north of Siaokan; 130+ fighter-bombers over areas of S and E China attack troops, bridges, rail traffic, town areas, and other targets of opportunity and generally disrupt Japanese movement and communications; the flight of the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF, operating from Luliang with F-5s, returns to base at Kunming.

China: Gen Wedemeyer has by this time decided that he cannot receive the Tenth Air Force in China for several months and so informs Gen Stratemeyer. Gen Chennault's Fourteenth Air Force is to move to Chungking to command air forces based in China.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 5th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Hay to Asansol, India with P-47s.

Burma: In ALFSEA area, W African 82d Div reaches Gwa without opposition, concluding operations in Arakan sector.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Ten B-24s from Guam bomb a underground hangar on Moen. Nine other B-24s strike Marcus Airfield.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 173: Phase III of Operation Starvation to blockade northwest Honshu and Kyushu, during the night of 13/14 May, 12 B-29s drop mines into Shimonoseki Strait and off Niigata.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s again pound bridges along the French Indochina coast. Bombers and fighters pound Cagayan Valley targets and continue support of ground forces on Luzon Island. B-24s hit troop concentrations and caves in the Bugnay area. In Borneo, other B-24s bomb Oelin AIrfield and Tabanio Airfield while B-25s and P-38s bomb Sandakan and support ground forces on Tarakan. Lost on a sight-seeing flight is C-47A "Gremlin Special / Guinea Gopher" 42-23952 pilot Col. Peter J. Prossen with women aboard.

U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army area, I Corps finishes clearing Balete Pass, gaining access to Cagayan Valley. In XI Corps area, 43d Div gets elements to within sight of Ipo Dam.

In the southern Philippines, U.S. Eighth Army's X Corps area, RCT 108, continuing down Sayre Highway on Mindanao, runs into strong opposition from Mangima Canyon and is delayed in the area for several days. 155th Inf, 31st Div, passes through 124th and drives N along Sayre Highway in effort to establish contact with RCT 108; on Talomo Trail, elements of 167th Inf reach Pulangi R. 21st Inf, 24th Div, makes slow progress northward along Talomo Trail; 3d Bn, 34th Inf, moves forward from Guma area to assist 21st Inf in clearing Talomo R Valley; 2d Bn, 19th Inf, progresses slowly against Hill 550. On Samal, Co K, 19th Inf, unsuccessfully attacks enemy position.

On Okinawa, In U.S. Tenth Army's III Amphib Corps area, 6th Mar Div, although supported by heavy volume of fire, continues to gain ground slowly and with heavy casualties. 3d Bn, 29th Marines, is committed in region E of 22d Marines. 1st Marines, 1st Mar Div, tries in vain to take Hill 55--part of S wall of Wana Draw. 7th Marines completes capture of Dakeshi Ridge but suffers heavy casualties while attacking through town of Dakeshi toward Wana Ridge, N wall of Wana Draw. In XXIV Corps area, 306th Inf, 77th Div, renews costly attacks for Chocolate Drop Hill; tries in vain to take Flattop. 382d Inf, 96th Div, attacks toward 2 hills of Dick hill mass, taking one of them; pressing frontal assault in E coastal sector, 383d Inf succeeds in penetrating eastern end of Shuri line by driving to NE crest of Conical Hill and holding there against determined counterattacks; some elements of 383d Inf fighting NW of Conical Hill reach slopes of Charlie Hill but are unable to take crest.

U.S. Navy: Carrier planes from fast carrier task force under Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher begin first day of strikes on airfields on Kyushu.

Off Honshu, small carrier USS Bataan (CVL-29) is damaged by friendly fire, 30°30'N, 132°30'E.

Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage destroyer Bache (DD-470), 26°01'N, 126°53'E, and destroyer escort Bright (DE-747), 26°21'N, 127°17'E.

Submarine Baya (SS-318) attacks Palembang-bound Japanese convoy, sinking tanker Yosei Maru, 06°31'S, 111°19'E; guardboat No.17 Shonan Maru carries out unsuccessful counterattack. Although Baya claims a second ship sunk, her quarry, tanker Enoshima Maru, emerges unscathed.

Submarine Cero (SS-225) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinnan Maru off Todozaki, Honshu, 39°06'N, 141°57'E.

Submarine Plaice (SS-390) attacks Japanese guardboat Nisshin Maru southwest of Uruppu Island 45°30'N, 147°04'E.

Japanese guardboat No.8 Choyo Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft, Kumun Island 34°28'N, 127°45'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Funakawa Maru is sunk by aircraft, 34°00'N, 128°00'E.

Mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Air Force) sinks Japanese tanker No.2 Takasago Maru off Wadanomisaki, 34°39'N, 135°11'E. Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Kinoto Maru and Mishima Maru (off Kobe, Japan), merchant cargo ship Magane Maru (location unspecified), and damage auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 170 (off Shodo Jima), (laid by USAAF B-24) merchant cargo ship Gyoryu Maru off Kobe, 34°40'N, 135°10'E; and merchant vessel Miyajima Maru 129 miles off Ezaki light, 34°36'N, 134°59'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakuju Maru is damaged by aircraft between Kurosaki and Shirohana.

Lost is F6F Hellcat 72525 pilot Lt. Russell E. Stephens (POW, survived).

Royal Navy: HMS Trump sinks Japanese guardboat No.15 Shosei Maru at Sapudi Strait, 07°05'S, 114°13'E.