August 21, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 21 AUGUST 1945

Soviet-Japan: A localized cease fire ends the fighting betweem Soviet and Japanese forces in the Kurile Islands.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (Eleventh Air Force): Two B-24s are prevented by cloud cover from taking photos of the Soviet occupation of the Kurile Islands. Four others abort a photo mission to Paramushiru and Shimushu due to weather.

Tenth Air Force: The 71st Liaison Squadron, Tenth AF, moves from Kunming to Liuchow with UC-64s, L-1s and L-5s.

Fourteenth Air Force: The detachment of the 426th Night Fighter Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to 312th Fighter Wing), operating from Ankang, China with P-61s, returns to base at Shwangliu.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The 408th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 22d Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Clark Field to Okinawa with B-24s.

IJN: After midnight, G6M1-L Betty "Bataan 1" from Ie Shima Airfield ran low on fuel and ditched off Samejima with the surrender delegation forced to wade ashore and take a train back to Tokyo. At 8:00am G4M1 Betty "Bataan 2" took off from Ie Shima Airfield and returns to Japan safely.

U.S. Army: Tenth Army security patrols on Okinawa by this date captured 69 Japanese and killed 218 since the island was declared secure.

U.S. Navy: Two Chinese junks (Lieutenant Livingston Swentzel Jr., USNR) manned by 7 Americans and 20 Chinese guerrillas are attacked by Japanese junk (with a crew of 83 men) while en route from Haimen to Shanghai, China. In a 45-minute action, the Chinese craft, directed by Lieutenant Swentzel, engage the enemy with bazookas, machine guns, and grenades. Upon boarding the Japanese craft, the Allied force finds 45 dead and 35 wounded; the victory has been achieved at the cost of four Chinese killed, and one American and five Chinese wounded. For his heroism above and beyond the call of duty, Lieutenant Swentzel is awarded the Navy Cross in what probably proves to be the last surface action of World War II.

Asiatic Wing, Naval Air Transport Service, is established at Oakland California.

Japanese escort vessel Miyake is damaged by mine near Moji, Japan, 33°58'N, 131°00'E.