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.

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

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: During the night of 13/14 May, 12 B-29s drop mines in Shimonoseki Strait, Japan.

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.

USN: Lost is F6F Hellcat 72525.