August 1, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 1 AUGUST 1945

Twentieth Air Force: During the night of 1/2 Aug, 801 of 836 B-29s dispatched carry out a mining, five fire-bomb and one bombing mission on Japan; 1 B-29 is lost. This is the largest B-29 raid to date: 774 planes drop 6,632 tons of bombs on five different targets in Japan.

Mission 305: Largest mining operation 37 B-29s drop mines into Shimonoseki Strait, Nakaumi Lagoon, at Hamada, Sakai, Yonago, Najin, Chongjin and Seishin; 5 others mine alternate targets.

Mission 306: 169 B-29s attack Hachioji urban area destroying 1.12 sq mi (2.9 sq km), 80% of the city; 3 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.

Mission 307: 173 B-29s hit the Toyama urban area, a center of aluminum, ball bearing and special steel production, destroying 1.87 sq mi (4.84 sq km),  99.5% of the city; 1 other hits an alternate target.

Mission 308: 125 B-29s attack the Nagaoka urban area destroying 1.33 sq miles, 65.5% of the city; 5 others hit alternate targets.

Mission 309: 160 B-29s hit the Mito urban area destroying 1.7 sq miles, 65% of the city; 1 other hits a target of opportunity.

Mission 310: 120 B-29s bomb the Mitsubishi Oil Company at Kawasaki but could only add slightly to the damage previously inflicted; 2 other hit targets of opportunity. 30+ P-51s from Iwo Jima hit airfields and other targets in the Osaka-Nagoya area; bad weather prevents numerous other fighters from reaching targets.

Tenth Air Force: Major General Albert F. Hegenberger becomes Commanding General Tenth AF and HQ Tenth AF moves from Piardoba to Kunming (HQ at Kunming was officially opened on 23 Jul). The scheduled role of the Tenth AF in China is almost identical with its completed Burma mission: to act as the tactical AF giving direct support and providing air supply to Chinese ground forces operating S of the 27th parallel N.

Fourteenth Air Force: In China, bad weather severely curtails operations; P-61s effectively sweep rivers in the Wuchou, Canton, and Tsingyun areas, sinking several large junks and sampans. Unit moves in China: the 26th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group from Kunming to Nanning with P-51s; 322d Troop Carrier Squadron, Fourteenth AF, from Loping to Liangshan with C-47s. Unit moves in China during Aug 45: HQ 23d Fighter Group and 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons from Luliang to Liuchow with P-51s (the detachment of the 74th operating from Tushan also moves to Liuchow); 528th, 529th and 530th Fighter Squadrons, 311th Fighter Group from Shwangliu and Pungchacheng respectively to Hsian with P-51s.

Far East Air Force (FEAF): B-24s bomb shipyards at Pontianak and other B-24s hit barracks and AA guns along Makassar Strait. P-38s strafe locomotives in the Soerabaja area. On Luzon, P-38s support ground forces ENE and SE of Mankayan and, along with US Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft, pound enemy positions and concentrations in the Upian area. In French Indochina, B-24s bomb the Tourane marshalling yard while escorting P-51s strafe boxcars at Quang Nam. Other B-24s strike military stores at Takao. In Japan, about 50 B-24s bomb targets in the Nagasaki dock and harbor area; B-25s and fighter-bombers in the Nagasaki area hit docks, railroad yards, and shipping and damage motor torpedo boat Gyoraitei No.102. B-25s and fighter-bomber aircraft bomb Japanese shipping in Nagasaki harbor, damaging merchant cargo ship Kinko Maru and tanker Tada Maru. Other Fifth Air Force planes sink merchant cargo ship Hayabusa Maru near Eboshi light, 33°41'N, 129°59'E. Other B-24s bomb Koniya Airfield and hit Kakeroma Island; 80+ P-47s hit railroad bridges and other railroad targets at Sendai and P-47s fly their first combat mission from Iwo Jima, joining VII Fighter Command P-51s in a sweep over southern Honshu; and rolling stock and airfields are attacked in the Okazaki, Itami, and Nagoya areas. Unit moves during Aug 45: Headquarters (HQ) V Bomber Command and HQ V Fighter Command moves from Clark Field to Okinawa; HQ 71st Reconnaissance Group from Binmaley to Ie Shima; 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group from Finschhafen to Nielson Field with C-47s; the detachment of the 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, operating from Sanga Sanga with P-61s, returns to base at Tacloban. HQ AAF: During Aug 45, the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range, Photographic), 311th Reconnaissance Wing (attached to 6th Reconnaissance Group), based at Tacloban with F-7s, sends the detachment operating from Clark Field to operate from Okinawa (squadron is mapping areas of the SW and W Pacific).

U.S. Navy: Task Group 12.3 (TG 12.3) strike Wake Atoll. Carrier planes from USS Cabot (CVL-28) bomb installations. Battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) conducts a shore bombardment of Wake Atoll but is damaged by shore battery, 19°20'N, 166°30'E.

TG 95.2 (Rear Admiral Francis S. Low), a fast striking group consisting of large cruisers Alaska (CB-1) and Guam (CB-2), four light cruisers and nine destroyers depart Okinawa and enter the East China Sea to conduct anti-shipping sweeps off Shanghai.

TG 95.3 (Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf), consisting of three battleships, a heavy cruiser, a light cruiser, three escort carriers, six destroyers and three destroyers escorts, accompanies TG 95.2 to furnish covering support.

Japanese escort vessel Ikura is damaged by mine in Oguchi Channel.

Japanese merchant tanker Chokai Maru is damaged by marine casualty, 34°38'N, 134°56'E.

Submarine chaser PC-784 collides with Army tug LT 666 in a dense fog off entrance to Amchitka, Alaska, harbor; both vessels suffer damage but there are no injuries to either crew.

USMC: Marine Carrier Group 4 on board the escort carrier USS Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) attached to Task Group 31.2 (TG 31.2) departs Okinawa to cover minesweeping operations in the East China Sea and to launch strikes against shipping in the Saddle Islands and Parker Islands off Shanghai.

The four SBD squadrons of Marine Aircraft Group 32 (MAG-32) finish tactical operations in the Philippines and prepare to return to the United States.

Royal Navy: HMS Thorough and HMS Taciturn attack Japanese shipping in Bulelong Roads; while Taciturn engages shore batteries, Thorough sinks cargo vessels Hino Maru and Shoei Maru and shells warehouses.