July 18, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 18 JULY 1945

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): 2 routine search and weather sorties are flown.

CENTRAL PACIFIC [US Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF)] HQ USASTAF is established at Guam under General Carl Spaatz.

CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 4 B-25s blast the railroad yards at Dong Anh, French Indochina. 36 P-51s and P-38s hit river traffic, rail targets, coastal shipping, enemy positions, trucks, and other targets around Viet Tri, French Indochina and other areas of French Indochina and near Yoyang, Suichwan, Lingling, Chikhom, Kukong, and Dosing, China.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: About 150 B-24s, B-25s, and A-26s, covered by 54 P-47s, hit the Shanghai area, airfields at Chiang Wan, Wusung, and Lunghua, Shanghai docks, shipping on the Whangpoo River, and airstrips on Chusan Island. Other P-47s attack various targets of opportunity on Kyushu and P-51s attack communications lines, bridges, shipping, towns, and other targets throughout Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. P-38s hit communications and transportation targets throughout the N part of Formosa while B-24s pound Matsuyama Airfield. B-24s bomb Boetoeng and Watampone on Celebes; on Borneo, B-25s hit Jesselton and P-38s attack Langkon. P-38s hit Japanese concentration along the Kibawe trail on Mindanao.

USN: Launched by Electric Launch Company Ltd. (Elco) in Bayonne, New Jersey is PT-615.

Carrier planes from Task Force 38 (TF 38) strike Yokosuka Naval Base and airfields in the Tokyo area, Japan. Primary target is Battleship Nagato, which is damaged. Carrier planes from USS Randolph (CV-15) bomb Nagato camouflaged at Yokosuka Naval Base at Yokosuka. TF 38 planes also sink training ship (ex-armored cruiser) Kasuga, escort destroyer Yaezakura (60% completed) and submarine I 372, submarine chaser Harushima, auxiliary patrol vessels Pa No.37, Pa No.110 and Pa No.122 at Yokosuka.23 TF 37 and TF 38 planes sink Japanese motor torpedo boat Gyoraitei No.28 at Yokosuka, and damage battleship Nagato, motor torpedo boat Gyoraitei No.256, landing ship T.110, target ship Yakaze, and auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 225.

TG 35.4 (Rear Admiral Carl F. Holden), composed of four light cruisers and the destroyers of DesRon 62, detached from TG 38.1, conduct anti-shipping sweep off the entrance to Sagami Nada and bombard Japanese radar installations at Cape Nojima, Honshu (see 19 July). En route to the objective, destroyers Hank (DD-702) and Wallace L. Lind (DD-703), detached to take a radar contact under fire, mistakenly shell (but do not damage) submarine Gabilan (SS-252).

Planes from carrier Wasp (CV-18) bomb Japanese installations on Wake Island.

Submarine Barb (SS-220) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.112 south of Sakhalin, Japan, 46°04'N, 142°16'E.

Submarine Cero (SS-225) is damaged by aerial bomb off Kurils, 45°14'N, 148°41'E, and is forced to terminate her patrol.

Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) is damaged by depth charges off Malaya, 04°41'N, 103°30'E, and is forced to terminate her patrol.

USN land-based planes sink Japanese merchant cargo vessels Chishima Maru off Kawajiri, 34°36'N, 125°00'E, Shintai Maru at 34°25'N, 130°40'E, and Tagami Maru off Tsushima, 34°47'N, 137°02'E.

Japanese escort carrier Kaiyo is damaged by mine, 135 miles northwest of Satamisaki

Japanese merchant cargo ship Tenyo Maru is sunk (cause unknown), north of Honshu.

Japanese fast transport T.9 is damaged by aircraft four miles east of Hatsushima.

Japanese merchant tanker No.8 Horai Maru is damaged by marine casualty, Atsuta, north of Ishikari.

Royal Navy: HMS Trenchant, attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army shuttle vessel Hayabusa Maru and damaging cargo vessels No.3 Taikyo Maru and 3 Nichiei Maru and No.2 Saiwai Maru northwest of Lombok Island 08°22'S, 116°02'E

Australian Army: Advance elements of Aus 7th Div find Sambodja oil center on Borneo undefended.