May 23, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 23 MAY 1945

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Seven B-24s radar-bomb the Kataoka naval base area on Shimushu while another flies a radar-ferret mission in the same area.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack a bridge and gun positions N and S of Hwayuan, knock out a bridge and hit boxcars at Chungmow, damage a bridge N of Lohochai, damage a bridge and nearby gun positions at Kuanshuishih, and pound truck convoys around Paoching, Hengyang, and Changsha; 30+ fighter-bombers hit various targets of opportunity around Liping, Yoyang, Changsha, Hengyang, Luntangpu, Chingmen, Shasi and Ichang.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 5th and 6th Fighter Squadrons (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, move from Asansol to Kalaikunda, India with P-47s.

AAFPOA Seventh Air Force: The 27th and 392d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group (Heavy), move from Kahuku and Kipapa respectively to Wheeler with B-24s. VII Fighter Command: thirty-two P-47s from Saipan strafe targets at Truk including Moen Airfields boats off Tol, buildings on Tarik and Dublon Seaplane Base, buildings, and small boats at Dublon.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 181: During the night of 23/24 May, 520 out of 562 B-29s sent against Tokyo bomb an urban-industrial area south of the Imperial Palace along the west side of Tokyo Harbor; 5 others hit targets of opportunity; 17 B-29s are lost; this is the largest number of B-29s participating in a single mission during WWII. Lost is B-29 "Dina Might" 42-65280 (crew survived).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Luzon, A-20s and B-25s hit Cagayan Valley and Balete Pass targets, P-51s support ground forces in the Baguio area and P-38s hit the Ipo-Antipolo areas. On Borneo, Tawau, Bintula, Samarinda, and Miri are hit by B-24s, Ft Brook and Weston by B-25s, and Tarakan is hit by fighter-bombers.