May 28, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 28 MAY 1945

Alaska: Commander, Kodiak Sector, Alaskan Sea Frontier, dispatches four PBYs including three from FAW 1 and one from NAS Kodiak via Anchorage to Fairbanks to help evacuate citizens threatened by Yukon River floodwaters.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Nineteen B-25s, along with 8 fighter-bombers, hit railroad, road, and river traffic around Vinh, Quang Tri, Dap Cau, and Song Chu, French Indochina, knock out a bridge at Hwayuan and demolish a tunnel opening near Wuchang. Sixteen P-51s cause heavy damage and casualties blasting a bridge and military installations near Wuchang; 27 P-51s hit bridges, troops, storage, trucks, trains, rivercraft, and other targets in the Yoyang area; 65 other fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity at several locations throughout S and E China; 15 photo reconnaissance aircraft continue to maintain good coverage of enemy movements; the detachment of the 25th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, operating from Poseh with P-51s, returns to base at Yunnani.

Burma: Br Twelfth Army, under command of Gen Stopford, formerly commander of 33 Corps, which is disbanded, establishes hq at Rangoon and takes control of all Allied troops in Burma, with responsibility for future operations within and from Burma. Hq, Fourteenth Army, is withdrawn to India to take command of 15 and 34 Corps for Operation ZIPPER. In addition to 4 Corps (Ind 5th, 17th, and 19th Divs), Br Twelfth Army has under its command Ind 7th Div reinf by Ind 268th Brig, Ind 20th Div, and 6th Brig of 2d Br Div. The Twelfth Army also has operational control over W African 82d Div and E African 22d Brig, as well as Burma National Army.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Fighters from Iwo Jima hit Kasumigaura Airfield with 6 planes claimed destroyed and 40+ damaged and P-47s fly heckler strikes against Kyushu during the night of 28/29 May. The Japanese wage their last strong air effort on Okinawa hitting a number of ships and sinking the destroyer USS Drexler (DD-741).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s again bomb the railroad yards east of Saigon at Phan Rang and Muong Man. In Formosa, B-25s and fighter-bombers attack industrial targets of opportunity at Shoka, Taichu, Ujitsu, Byoritsu, and other locations. B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack Pateng, the Ipo Dam area, Tuguegarao Airfield and Ugae Airfield, Anuling, the Baguio area, guns and defenses in the Balete Pass area, and support ground forces at several points. In Borneo, B-24s, B-25s, and fighters hit gun positions and other targets at Balikpapan and P-38s dive-bomb Keningau and Jesselton Airfields. Unit moves: HQ 374th Troop Carrier Group from Biak to Nielson Field; 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th Fighter Wing), based at Tacloban with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, sends a detachment to operate from Sanga Sanga (another detachment is operating from Zamboanga).

U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area, 37th Div is directed to relieve 25th Div in Santa Fe sector and drive north astride Highway 5 toward Aritao on May 31. Elements of 128th Inf, 32d Div, take Imugan and establish contact with 126th Inf, which has been attached to 25th Div. Corps is ordered to exploit breakthrough. Philippine guerrilla forces are placed under corps and ordered to capture Cervantes. In XI Corps area, 1st Bn of 149th Inf takes Wawa Dam without opposition. This is the last major objective of corps E of Manila.

In U.S. Eighth Army area in Negros Oriental, 164th Inf finishes clearing enemy from ridge positions and begins extensive mopping up operations.

In U.S. Tenth Army area, weather conditions improve briefly, permitting more extensive action. In III Amphib Corps area, marines of 22d Regt, 6th Mar Div, in Naha push forward to the Kokuba estuary with ease but evoke strong reaction when trying to reconnoiter Ona-Yama I., in Naha Harbor. Engineers bridge the canal in Naha after nightfall. 29th Marines relieves 4th Marines and advances almost to the Kokuba. 5th Marines, 1st Mar Div, takes Beehive Hill on lower end of Shuri Ridge. In XXIV Corps area, 32d Inf of 7th Div confines its activity to patrolling; 184th Inf is held up by opposition at Hill 69, N of Karadera village.

U.S. Navy: At midnight Admiral William Halsey becomes Third Fleet commander, and takes control of all naval forces attached to Fifth Fleet. The "5" in TF designations is changed to "3." with Task Force 58 (TF 58) becoming Task Force 38 (TF 38) and Vice Adm. John S. McCain succeeds Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher as its commander.

Off Okinawa, continuing air attacks in strength, Japanese planes hit a number of ships. This is the last strong enemy air effort against Okinawa. More than a hundred enemy planes, including kamikazes, are shot down. This is the last strong enemy air effort against Okinawa. Kamikazes sink USS Drexler (DD-741) at 27°06'N, 127°38'E, and damage attack transport Sandoval (APA-194), 26°15'N, 127°51'E, and large support landing craft LCS(L)-119. Kamikazes damages U.S. freighter Mary A. Livermore in Nakagusuku Bay, 26°12'N, 127°46'E; the 27 Armed Guards and 75 Construction Battalion sailors on board contribute men to firefighting efforts (four Armed Guard sailors, as well as seven merchant seamen, die in the explosion and fires). Another kamikaze damages U.S. freighter Brown Victory off Ie Shima; two of the 27 Armed Guards are killed instantly, and 18 injured (one merchant sailor and an Armed Guard sailor die of their wounds later). Another kamikaze crashes U.S. freighter Josiah Snelling off Okinawa; Armed Guard gunfire manages to deflect the Japanese plane from its suicidal course toward the amidships deckhouse and into a less vulnerable part, saving the ship from worse damage. There are no fatalities on board.

B-29-laid mines sink Japanese transport Akitsu Maru south of Kure, and damage Coast Defense Vessel No.29 off Kyushu, 33°07'N, 129°44'E, merchant cargo ships Mishimasan Maru three kilometers off Tateishikzaki and Annette Fritzen Go at 33°53'N, 130°05'E; and fishing boat No.3 Genei Maru outside Sasebo Bay.

Submarines Blueback (SS-326) and Lamprey (SS-372) battle Japanese submarine chaser Ch.1 in a surface gunnery action off Japara, N.E.I., 06°28'S, 110°37'E, and damage the enemy escort vessel.

Submarine Ray (SS-271) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Biko Maru northwest of Changshan, 38°21'N, 123°58'E.

Mines laid by B-29 sink Japanese transport Akitsu Maru south of Kure, and damage Coast Defense Vessel No.29 off Kyushu, 33°07'N, 129°44'E, merchant cargo ships Mishimasan Maru three kilometers off Tateishikzaki and Annette Fritzen Go at 33°53'N, 130°05'E; and fishing boat No.3 Genei Maru outside Sasebo Bay.

Lost is SB2C-4 Helldiver 19866 pilot E. D. Frazar (rescued) ditched into the Lower Otay Reservoir to the southeast of San Diego

RNZAF: Lost is PV-1 Ventura NZ4578 pilot F/O Keith M. Graham crashed in bad weather on Malaita.