June 10, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 10 JUNE 1945

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Two B-24s fly with the US Navy's Fleet Air Wing Four bombers on a shipping attack and sink Nichiei Maru No. 5 off the southwest coast of Paramushiru.

China: Chinese forces pursuing enemy toward Liuchow take I-shan.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Fourteen P-51s damage a bridge near Singtai and attack barracks, river-craft, fuel dumps, trucks and other targets of opportunity around Taohsien, Lingling, Liuchow, and Kaifeng.

Burma: In Br Twelfth Army area, Loilem falls to Detachment 101--guerrillas led by OSS personnel. Detachment 101 has been clearing Shan Hills since end of NCAC campaign.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): HQ 4th Combat Cargo Group and the 13th, 14th and 15th Combat Cargo Squadrons move from Chittagong to Namponmao, Burma with C-46s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 6 missions are flown. Mission 195: 23 B-29s attack Kasumigaura Seaplane Base; 2 others hit alternate targets. Mission 196: 32 B-29s bomb an the Japan Aircraft Company plant at Tomioka; 1 other hits an alternate target. Mission 197: 118 B-29s are dispatched to hit the Nakajima Aircraft plant at Musashi; clouds cover the target and they hit the Hitachi engineering works at Kaigan; 2 others hit alternate targets. Mission 198: 26 B-29s attack the Hitachi plant at Chiba. Mission 199: 52 B-29s hit the Nakajima plants at Ogikubu and Omiya; 4 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost. Mission 200: 29 B-29s attack the Tachikawa Army Air Arsenal and 3 others hit alternate targets. The VII Fighter Commands sends 107 P-51s to escort the B-29s; 27-7-10 Japanese aircraft are claimed without loss. 39 Ie Shima based P-47s sweeping Kyushu strafe numerous ground targets of opportunity, and claim 17 aircraft shot down.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Luzon, fighter-bombers again pound the Cagayan Valley area and support ground forces east of Manila. Lost is P-51D piloted by Leinweber (MIA). In Borneo, B-24s bomb Labuan and Brooketon in coordination with landings of the Australian 9 Division on the shore of Brunei Bay and on Labuan and Muara Islands. Destroyed on the ground is A-20G "Old S" 43-9468 (destroyed on the ground).

U.S. Army: AFPAC and USAFFE are consolidated. On Luzon in the U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area, 37th Div is relieved of all security duties S of Aritao; 1st Bn, 148th Inf, is to take over Bagabag area so 145th Inf can continue along Highway 5; 145th Inf runs into accurate fire from heights commanding Orioung Pass and almost comes to a halt; 1st Bn, 148th Inf, drives N along Highway 4 to S edge of Lantap.

On Okinawa in the U.S. Tenth Army's III Amphib Corps area, bitter fighting continues on Oroku Peninsula, where 6th Mar Div compresses Japanese into area 1,000 yards by 2,000 yards. In local counter attacks after nightfall, 200 Japanese lose their lives. 7th Marines, 1st Mar Div, takes ridge just N of Tera and drives through Itoman; 1st Marines seizes hill W of town of Yuza but pays heavy price in casualties. XXIV Corps begins all-out assault on Japanese defense line, with tank support that is now adequate. While 383d Inf, 96th Div, is pressing toward town of Yuza, 381st gets 2 cos to intermediate ledge in saddle between Yaeju-Dake and Yuza-Dake peaks. 17th Inf, 7th Div, employs softening fire extensively against its portion of Yaeju-Dake; 32d Inf, assisted by naval gunfire as well as arty and flame-throwing tanks, secures key ridge in front of Hill 95 at coast line.

U.S. Navy: Off Okinawa, destroyer William D. Porter (DD-579) is sunk by kamikaze, 27°06'N, 127°38'E; despite the fires and exploding ammunition, Lieutenant Richard M. McCool, Jr. unhesitatingly places his ship, large support landing craft LCS(L)(3)-122 alongside the sinking warship to take off her survivors. Destroyer escort Gendreau (DE-639) is damaged by shore battery on Okinawa, 26°03'N, 127°12'E.

TG 74.3 under Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey cruiser and destroyer gunfire and strikes by USAAF and RAAF planes support landing of Australian Army at Brunei Bay on Brunei Bay.

Naval task group under Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark bombs and bombards enemy airfield and other installations on Minami Daito Jima, Ryukyus.

Submarine Crevalle (SS-291) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Daiki Maru in western approaches to Tsugaru Strait, 40°44'N, 139°48'E.

Submarine Dace (SS-247) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Hakuyo Maru in Sea of Okhotsk, about 120 miles west of Shimushu Island 47°21'N, 149°07'E.

Submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Taga Maru off Seishin, northwestern Korea, 41°42'N, 129°34'E.

Submarine Skate (SS-305) sinks Japanese submarine I 122 in Sea of Japan, six miles off Cape Rokugo lighthouse, 37°30'N, 137°24'E.

Submarine Spadefish (SS-411), attacking Japanese shipping off Hokkaido, sinks merchant cargo ship No.2 Taigen Maru off Otaru, 43°23'N, 140°39'E; transport No.8 Unkai Maru off Shakotan Mizaki, 43°55'N, 141°13'E; and cargo ship Jintsu Maru, 43°28'N, 140°28'E.

Submarine Tench (SS-417) sinks Japanese merchant tanker No.6 Shoei Maru, 41°15'N, 141°31'E.

PB4Y-2s from VPB-118, flying from Okinawa, commence mining waters of the Korean archipelago. The intent is to drive Japanese shipping, forced by the work of PB4Ys and PBMs to carry out nocturnal operations (sheltering by day in small protected anchorages) out into the open sea to facilitate mast-head attacks. The mines thus planted could sink undiverted shipping and place an additional burden on the already overtaxed Japanese minesweeping force. On this initial mission, the first aerial mining using Privateers, however, the PB4Ys encounter intense antiaircraft fire from Japanese warships in Tsushima Strait during the run-in to the objective, Pusan harbor. The PB4Ys mine the waters along the Korean coast between Shinchi-To and Seigan-To instead.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 63 is sunk in collision west of Mokpo, Korea, 34°50'N, 126°10'E.

Mines damage Japanese escort destroyer Habuto, 2.6 kilometers north of Kannonzaki, and guardboat Choei Maru off Shinminato.

PB4Ys from VB-102 sink Japanese merchant tanker Tado Maru off west coast of Korea, 36°00'N, 125°00'E.

Australian Army: 9th Division lands at Brunei Bay on mainland of Borneo, Labuan and Muara supported by Allied aircraft and U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet support the operation.

RNZAF: Lost is PV-1 Ventura NZ4609 (MIA) on a search mission when shot down by anti-aircraft fire.