SATURDAY, 9 JUNE 1945
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In coordination with US Navy surface and air forces
attacking in the Kurile Islands, six B-24s and eight B-25s fly extensive armed weather
reconnaissance and anti-shipping sweeps over Kurabu Cape and Otomari Cape, Ichinowatashi,
and Asahigawa on Paramushiru; the B-24s score no results, half of them
jettisoning their bombs; the B-25s then fly a diversionary bombing mission over Araido where they are attacked by eight Japanese fighters; to evade them,
the B-25s fly over Kamchatka where Soviet AA fire shoots down one, killing its
crew; another is damaged and crash-lands in Petropavlovsk. This is the first time
Soviet AA fire hits a US aircraft. Lost is B-25J 43-36160 (crew interned, returned postwar).
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-25s and 60+ P-47s, P-51s, and P-40s
damage 4 bridges, hit river shipping, pound town areas and villages, and attack
various targets of opportunity around Nanyang, Burma and Hwayuan, Changte, Suchow,
Sinyang, Hankow, Laohokow, Tatung, Tashihkiao, Pinyang, Luchai, Kiehsiu, Linfen,
Tsinan, and Shihkiachwang, China.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 83d Bombardment Squadron (Medium),
12th Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Fenny to Pandaveswar with
B-25s.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Five missions are flown. Mission 191: 44 B-29s
attack the Kawanishi Aircraft Company's plant at Narao; 1 other hits a target
of opportunity. Mission 192: 24 B-29s hit the Kawasaki plant at Akashi; there
is 9/10 cloud cover and bombing is by radar; the village of Akashi rather than
the factory is hit; 2 others bomb targets of opportunity. Mission 193: 42 B-29s
hit Aichi's Atsuta factory; only 4 bombs hit the target area but 1 causes a
devastating fire; 1 other hits a target of opportunity. Mission 194: During the night of 8/9 Jun, 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki
Strait; 1 other mines an alternate target. 20 P-47s from Ie Shirna strafe various
targets of opportunity on Kyushu. 57 P-51s from Iwo Jima pound Kagamigahara Airfield and the surrounding area in Nagoya; 20+
parked airplanes are claimed destroyed or damaged; 3 P-51s are lost.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Labuan is bombed by B-24s and other B-24s drop napalm on Brooketon. On Luzon
Island, fighter-bombers hit Cagayan Valley targets and support ground forces
in the Cervantes areas. Ground forces penetrate the last defensive position
on Mindanao Island. Bad weather cancels operations N of the Philippine Islands.
The 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, based at Tacloban with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, sends a detachment to operate from Puerto
Princesa (other detachments are at Zamboanga and Sanga
Sanga).
RNZAF: Lost is on a mission dropping propaganda leaflettes is PV-1 Ventura NZ4613 (MIA).
