June 20, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 20 JUNE 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 8 B-25s and 6 P-51s knock out 2 bridges near Quang Tri and My Chanh and blast surrounding AA positions while 8 fighter-bombers sink at least 3 river steamers in a canal at Haiphong. In China, 37 P-51s hit rail, road, and river traffic, bridges, and general targets of opportunity around Liuchow, Kweilin, Juchai, Hankow, Siangtan, Changsha, Hengshan, Sintsiang, Kweiyi, Kueiyangshih, and Ft Bayard; a bridge at Hankow is destroyed and several others damaged. The 11th Combat Cargo Squadron, Fourteenth AF, move from Yunnani to Luliang with C-47s.

China: Gen Wedemeyer transmits to Gen Marshall his approval of Gen Arnold's recommendations of the 17th. Gen Stratemeyer is to command China Theater Air Forces. Under him, Generals Chennault and Davidson will head respectively the SAF and TAF.

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 14 P-47s from Ie Shima bomb and strafe vessels, buildings, a lighthouse, and a village in Amami Gunto and Tokuno Airfield; 38 others bomb Omura Airfield and hit Tokuno on the return trip.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: A-20s and fighter-bombers blast resistance on Luzon Island and directly support a guerilla offensive in the C Cayagan Valley. B-24s again pound AA positions in the Balikpapan area. B-24s bomb Shinchiku Airfield. The 419th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, based at Puerto Princesa with P-61s, sends a detachment to operate from Sanga Sanga (another detachment is at Zamboanga). B-24s on a shipping sweep off coast of Korea sink cargo ship Keijo Maru off Mokpo, 34°47'N, 126°23'E.

U.S. Army: In U.S. Sixth Army's I Corps area, Philippine guerrilla units seize Tuguegarao, about midway between Aparri and Ilagan. Co B of 6th Ranger Bn, part of TF Connolly, crosses Cagayan R and enters Aparri without opposition, night 20-21. Spearheaded by armor, 1st Bn of 148th Inf, 37th Div, eliminates enemy position on Highway 5 about 4,000 yards N of Ilagan.

In U.S. Eighth Army area, Operations VICTOR I (Panay-Negros Occidental), VICTOR II (Cebu-Bohol-Negros Oriental), VICTOR III (Palawan), and VICTOR IV (Zamboanga) are officially closed.

On Okinawa, U.S. Tenth Army takes almost a thousand prisoners, establishing a record. Japanese pocket in Medeera area in center of army front is still resisting strongly. In III Amphib Corps area, 29th Marines, on 6th Mar Div right, reaches S coast against light opposition, but 4th Marines is progressing more slowly in Kiyamu area. Japanese on Hill 81 continue to delay 5th Marines, 1st Mar Div. In XXIV Corps area, 96th Div takes Aragachi but cannot clear Hill 85, within the Medeera pocket. 32d Inf, 7th Div, reaches Hill 89, near Mabuni, where Japanese hq is located underground.

USN: F4U-4 Corsair 82050 built by Vought Aircraft Division of United Aircraft in Stratford, Connecticut is delivered to the United States Navy (USN). SS American Victory was delivered to the U.S. Maritime Commission, War Shipping Administration.

Task Group 12.4 (TG 12.4) under Rear Admiral Ralph E. Jennings, en route from Pearl Harbor to Leyte carrier planes from Hancock (CV-19) and Lexington (CV-16) and small carrier Cowpens (CVL-25) strike Wake Atoll bombing Japanese installations.

Tank landing ship LST-562 is damaged when accidentally rammed by tank landing craft LCT-1310, Brunei Bay, Borneo, 04°29'N, 114°01'E.

Minesweepers Device (AM-220) and Dour (AM-223) are damaged in collision off Okinawa, 26°00'N, 127°00'E.

Motor minesweeper YMS-368 is damaged by mine off Balikpapan, Borneo, 01°19'S, 116°58'E.

Tank landing ship LST-288 is damaged by operational casualty off Okinawa.

Submarine Kraken (SS-370) sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.58 Tachibana Maru in Sunda Strait, off Merak, 05°56'S, 106°00'E.

Submarine Tinosa (SS-283), on patrol off the east coast of Korea, sinks Japanese army cargo ship Taito Maru, 36°04'N, 130°26'E, and merchant cargo ship Kaisei Maru, 35°39'N, 130°29'E.

Japanese merchant tanker Nanshin Maru is sunk by mine, possibly laid by submarine Ray (SS-271) on 22 February 1944, off Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina.

Mine sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kenan Maru in north Kyushu channel, 33°59'N, 130°48'E, mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Air Force) sinks merchant tanker No.1 Nanki Maru off Aki-Nada, 33°58'N, 131°01'E, and damage merchant cargo ships Nitto Maru 5.7 kilometers off Tateishi light, and Keizan Maru seven kilometers southeast of Motoyamazaki. Cargo ship Huashan Maru is sunk by B-29-laid mine near Fukuoka, Kyushu, 33°38'N, 130°22'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Kamome Maru is sunk by aircraft between Pusan, Korea, and Yosu.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago in a repeat of the mission of the previous day, but on this occasion encounter heavy antiaircraft fire from Japanese warships in the vicinity.

RAAF: Lost is Catalina A24-206 while being refueled and armed with depth charges.