June 11, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 11 JUNE 1945

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Eight B-24s on a shipping sweep over the Kurile Islands do not find targets because of overcast and instead radar-bomb installations on Kurabu Cape on Paramushiru and in the Kataoka areas of Shimushu.

China: Japanese regain I-shan from Chinese.

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): Four B-25s, with fighter escort, bomb railroad yards at Kuanshuishih; 29 fighters attack bridges, rail and road traffic, river-craft, and targets of opportunity in general around Fenglochen, Liuchow, Samshui, Luchai, Lipu, Leiyang, and Kweilin.

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): The 16th Combat Cargo Squadron, 4th Combat Cargo Group, moves from Chittagong to Namponmao, Burma with C-46s.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 201: During the night of 11/12 Jun, 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and Tsuruga Bay. P-51s from Iwo Jima attack Tokorozawa Airfield claiming 18 parked airplanes destroyed and 30+ damaged. Combat crews of the 509th Composite Group (509th CG) begin to arrive at North Field with B-29s specially modified as silverplate the atomic bomb missions.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Luzon, B-25s, A-20s and fighter-bombers hit Cagayan Valley targets and pound forces east of Manila in the Ipo-Infanta areas and various targets north of Baguio; ground support strikes are flown in the Marikina River sector. B-24s support ground forces on Tarakan and bomb Kota Baru, Laoet Island, and Tawau; P-38s hit Beaufort while B-25s support ground forces in the Brunei Bay sector.

U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area, 145th Inf of 37th Div battles enemy at Orioung Pass, gaining some ground; 1st Bn, 148th Inf, neutralizes strongpoint in Lantap, patrols into Santa Lucia, and drives N to Lamut River.

Okinawa: In U.S. Tenth Army's III Amphib Corps area, 6th Mar Div, in strong effort to eliminate enemy on Oroku Peninsula, compresses Japanese into area 1,000 yards square. 7th Marines, 1st Mar Div, tries vainly to cross open ground leading to Kunishi Ridge; 1st Marines takes Hill 69, W of Ozato. In XXIV Corps area, 383d Inf of 96th Div reaches town of Yuza but withdraws under heavy fire from the S; 381st gets entire 1st Bn to ledge of saddle between Yaeju-Dake and Yuza-Dake peaks, holds there against early morning counterattack, and places neutralizing fire on caves on Yaeju-Dake peak. 17th Inf, 7th Div, continues to neutralize positions and prepares for night assault on Yaeju-Dake; enemy's entire line on Yaeju-Dake Escarpment is endangered as elements of 32d Inf take Hill 95 on east flank.

U.S. Navy: Off Okinawa, Japanese air attacks continue against ships on radar picket stations; large support landing craft LCS(L)(3)-122 is damaged when kamikaze crashes near her conning tower. Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Richard M. McCool, Jr., although wounded at the outset, releases men trapped in a burning compartment, suffering further injuries in so doing. For his courageously saving the lives of his men and inspiring his crew to save their ship, in addition to his actions the previous day in rescuing survivors of kamikazed destroyer William D. Porter (DD-579), McCool is awarded the Medal of Honor.

Elsewhere off Okinawa, a kamikaze crashes alongside U.S. freighter Walter Colton; the ship receives additional damage from friendly fire of nearby ships in the anchorage. Of the combined complement of 41 merchant sailors, 29 Armed Guards and 11 Construction Battalion men, only three men suffer injuries. Dock landing ship Lindenwald (LSD-6) is also damaged by friendly fire, 26°17'N, 127°53'E.

Cruisers and destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral John H. Brown, Jr. bombard Japanese installations on Matsuwa.

Twenty-six USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Tsuruga, Japan. Japanese merchant cargo ship Hiwaka Maru is sunk by mine, 34°44'N, 125°52'E.

Okinawa-based PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) fly second aerial mining mission into the Korean archipelago, but fog, blanketing the entire objective, compels the Privateers to jettison the mines en route back to base.

Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.3 Shinyo Maru off Genzan, Korea, 39°24'N, 128°59'E.

Submarine Crevalle (SS-291) sinks Japanese gunboat No.5 Hakusan Maru off Henashi Zaki, Honshu, 40°43'N, 139°51'E.

Submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Meisei Maru near Rashin, Korea, 41°47'N, 131°44'E.

Submarine Sea Dog (SS-401) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kofuku Maru, 40°28'N, 139°47'E.

Submarine Segundo (SS-398) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Fukui Maru, in the Yellow Sea off the Shantung peninsula, 37°11'N, 123°23'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakuju Maru at Ha Jima, southern Kyushu, 42°37'N, 129°45'E.

PB4Y-2 sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 237 at entrance to Ise Bay, 34°30'N, 137°06'E; the explosion of the enemy patrol vessel, however, heavily damages the attacking Privateer.

Japanese guardboat No.5 Nichiei Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft southwest of Paramushiro, Kurils, 50°00'N, 155°00'E.

Japanese cargo ship Kimi Maru is sunk by aircraft off west coast of Aomori prefecture.

USMC: Major General Louis E. Woods assumed command of both the Tactical Air Force and the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing (2 MAW).