Pacific Wrecks 2020 Daily Updates
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• 5-24  May 24, 1945: Japanese attack Okinawa force landing Ki-21 Sally Tail 546 at Yontan Airfield with Giretsu suicide commandos
• 5-23  May 23, 1945: During the night 520 B-29s bomb urban-industrial areas of Tokyo and the western side of Tokyo Harbor
• 5-22  May 22, 1945: Australian Army troops supported by tanks capture Boram Airfield on the north coast of New Guinea
• 5-21  May 21, 1945: Pfc Desmond T. Doss was wounded near Shuri and later earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on Okinawa.
• 5-20  May 20, 1945: Lost is B-24M Liberator A72-160 pilot F/L Francis L. Sismey crashed on take off from Truscott Airfield
• 5-19  May 19, 1945: Lost is B-25J 43-36140 pilot 2nd Lt. Raymond B. Lewis (3 POW, 3 MIA) against Shumshu
• 5-18  May 18, 1945: Advance air echelon of 509th Composite Group arrives North Field | USAAF accepts B-29 Superfortress 44-86292
• 5-17  May 17, 1945: Lost is B-25J 44-30164 pilot 2nd Lt. J. T. Lackey crashed in northwestern Formosa with sole survivor Cpl John Shott
• 5-16  May 16, 1945: U. S. Army Brigadier General James L. Dalton, II was killed by a sniper at Balete Pass (Dalton Pass) / Sunk is Haguro
• 5-15  May 15, 1945: Firing from within 50m of the enemy Private Edward Kenna earns the Victoria Cross at Mission Hill near Wewak
• 5-14  May 14, 1945: 20th Air Force B-29 Superfortress (Mission 174) bomb Nagoya with the loss of eleven B-29s.
• 5-13  May 13, 1945: Lost is C-47A "Gremlin Special/Guinea Gopher" 42-23952 in Hidden Valley / Shangri-La (Balim) in Dutch New Guinea.
• 5-12  May 12, 1945: The new B-32 "The Lady is Fresh" 42-108529 begins its ferry flight to the Philippines and will fly combat mission
• 5-11  May 11, 1945: Damaged is USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) by two kamikaze A6M Zeros that release bombs and crash into the carrier
• 5-10  May 10, 1945: Lost is B-25J 43-36149 pilot 1st Lt Leonard G. Larsen off Shumshu Island / F4U Corsair pilot Klingman ramms Ki-46
• 5-9  May 9, 1945: Four P-51s pound boxcars, locomotives, and other railroad targets from Tourane (Da Nang) to Hue
• 5-8  May 8, 1945: Lost is F6F Hellcat 72024 pilot Lt(jg) William C. Henwood ditched at Ulithi and was rescued and returns to duty
• 5-7  May 7, 1945: 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (17th PRS) transfers from Morotai to Puerto Princesa Airfield
• 5-6  May 6, 1945: B-24 Liberators bomb Kudat Airfield at the northern tip of Borneo
• 5-5  May 5, 1945: Please donate for GivingTuesdayNow / Japanese balloon bomb kills six American ages 26-11 near Bly in Oregon
• 5-4  May 4, 1945: Sunk is USS Lagarto (SS-371) in Gulf of Thailand (Gulf of Siam) / Lost is B-24M "Brief" 44-42058 hit by AA over Koror
• 5-3  May 3, 1945: Kamikazes sink USS Little (DD-803) and LSM(R)-195 other damage USS Aaron Ward (DM-34) and HMS Formidable (67)
• 5-2  May 2, 1945: British Army 26 Division (Indian) liberates Rangoon Prison in Rangoon (Yangoon) in Burma (Myanmar)
• 5-1  May 1, 1945: Operation Oboe 1 the U. S. Navy (USN) lands the Australian Army 9th Division on Tarakan Island off Borneo
• May 2020
• 4-30  April 30, 1945: Lost is P-47D 43-25481 pilot 2nd Lt Allan L. Hermann crashed five miles north of Tsili-Tsili in Papua New Guinea.
• 4-29  April 29, 1945: Lost is L-4 pilot Captain Perkins over Okinawa / Hit by kamikaze is USS Comfort (AH-6) off Okinawa
• 4-28  April 28, 1945: Damaged USS Franklin CV-13 enters New York Harbor for repairs at Brooklyn Navy Yard
• 4-27  April 27, 1945: U. S. Army and USAFFE-NL liberate Baguio / Two B5N2 Kates hit USS ABSD-2 and USS ABSD-4 in Seeadler Harbor
• 4-26  April 26, 1945: U. S. Army begin their assault against Maeda Escarpment (Hacksaw Ridge) on Okinawa
• 4-25  April 25, 1945: ANZAC Day Lest We Forget Austrlia Missing and New Zeland Missing / Sunk RO-109 off Okinawa
• 4-24  April 24, 1945: In memory: Oscar Fitzhenry passed away age 98 / 20th AF Mission 96: 101 B-29 hit Hitahi factory at Tachikawa
• 4-23  April 23, 1945: PB4Y-2 from Patrol Bombing Squadron 109 (VPB-109) release two Bat bombs against over Balikpapan Harbor
• 4-22  April 22, 1945: Lost is FM-2 Wildcat 74105 pilot LCdr Billy V. "Skipper" Gates off Okinawa and went Missing In Action (MIA)
• 4-21  April 21, 1945: Lost is F-7B "Cherokee Strip" 44-40198 crashed into the sea northwest of San Teresa on Mindoro
• 4-20  April 20, 1945: Lost is B-24J "Patches" 42-73474 pilot 2nd Lt. James F. O'Brien on a bombing mission against Saigon
• 4-19  April 19, 1945: Very Long Range (VLR) Mission 4: 104 P-51s fly a fighter sweep to Atsugi Airfield and Yokusuka Airfield in Japan
• 4-18  April 18, 1945: Killed is U. S. Correspondent Ernie Pyle covering the U. S. Army landing on Ie Shima.
• 4-17  April 17, 1945: Lost is F4U Corsair 49668 pilot 2nd Lt. William H. Holden ditched four miles off Makapu'u Point on Oahu
• 4-16  April 16, 1945: Lost is F6F Hellcat 78022 pilot LCDR Merlin Paddock on a fighter sweep and bombing mission over Kanoya Airfield
• 4-15  April 15, 1945: Mission 68: 194 B-29s bomb Kawasaki lost are twelve B-29s including B-29A Superfortress 42-93893 (MIA, one POW)
• 4-14  April 14, 1945: Lost is P-51D Mustang 44-63651 pilot 2nd Lt. Hardy J. Kirby crashed into the Huon Gulf off Lae pilot missing
• 4-13  April 13, 1945: U. S Army demolition team pumps 3,000 gallons fuel into Fort Drum "the concrete battleship" then ignites and burns
• 4-12  April 12, 1945: POTUS U. S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies and Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President
• 4-11  April 11, 1945: Australian Army Z Force “Operation Copper” commandos land at Muschu Island sole survivor Sapper Edgar Dennis
• 4-10  April 10, 1945: Four B-25 Mitchells from the 11th Air Force attempt to bomb the radar installations on Cape Minami on Shumshu Island
• 4-9  April 9, 1945: Seventeen B-24s Liberators pound Marcus Island Airfield on Marcus Island in the northwest Pacific Ocean
• 4-8  April 8, 1945: Force landed is P-40N Kittyhawk A29-446 pilot F/Sgt Keith J. Nelson at Bohle River Airfield in Queensland in Australia
• 4-7  April 7, 1945: U. S. Navy carrier aircraft sink Battleship Yamato with torpedoes and bombs during the Battle of the East China Sea.
• 4-6  April 6, 1945: Sunk is USS Bush DD-529 after hits from three Japanese kamikaze aircraft and sinks with 87 crew off Okinawa
• 4-5  April 5, 1945: The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact is renounced by the Soviet Union a clear signal hostilities on the horizon with Japan
• 4-4  April 4, 1945: Crash landed is Auster A11-3 at Vernon Airfield on southwest Bougainville and was written off
• 4-3  April 3, 1945: Lost is B-25J Mitchell 44-29760 pilot 1st Lt. Leonard E. Orcutt crashed Consolacion on Cebu Island with six killed
• 4-2  April 2, 1945: Six B-29 Superfortress release mines into Kure Harbor on Honshū to mine the waterways of Japan
• 4-1  April 1, 1945: L-Day at 8:30am U. S. Marines and U. S. Army land on the western coast of Okinawa Island
• April 2020
• 3-31  March 31, 1945: Lost is P-61B Black Widow 42-39455 pilot 2nd Lt. Ashley Nagle on patroling over North Iwo Jima (Kita Iwo Jima)
• 3-30  March 30, 1945: Lost is B-25D "Chow Hound" 41-30056 pilot 1st Lt. Robert Cavins on a fat cat flight force landed Catanduanes Island
• 3-29  March 29, 1945: U. S. Army 38th Division, 151st Infantry 2nd Battalion declares Caballo Island secure in Manila Bay.
  
• 3-28  March 28, 1945: Americal Division advanced to Lahug Airfield north of Cebu City and encounters signifigant Japanese resistance
• 3-27  March 27, 1945: Lost is C-47 "Windy City" 43-16011 pilot Captain Eldred E. Kellogg with 24 aboard missing Garbutt and Finschafen
• 3-26  March 26, 1945: The US "Western Islands Attack Group" arrives Kerama Island Group and begins the Okinawa campaign
• 3-25  March 25, 1945: National Medal of Honor Day Medal of Honor (MOH) / Beaufort A9-518 pilot F/O Parker crashed Murik Lakes
• 3-24  March 24, 1945: Lost is B-24L Liberator 44-49607 pilot 1st Lt. Nathan Margolies ditched Ganges River Delta in India
• 3-23  March 23, 1945: Lost is B-24L "Old Nick" A72-80 piloted by S/L Nathaniel H. Straus on a shipping sweep and crashed Vansittart Bay
• 3-22  March 22, 1945: B-24 Liberators bomb Tainan Airfield on Taiwan (Formosa)
• 3-21  March 21, 1945: The British Army and Allied forces completely capture Mandalay as organized resistance in the city ends.
• 3-20  March 20, 1945: B-24s bomb Talisay in Negros Occidental Province on the northwest of Negros Island.
• 3-19  March 19, 1945: Diched is A-20G Havoc 43-22155 pilot 1st Lt. Ralph Jennings Missing In Action gunner SSgt Weinberg rescued
• 3-18  March 18, 1945: Crashed is XF8F-1 Bearcat 90460 pilot Lt(jg) David Loyd Mandt killed in the crash wreck found 2010 confirmed 2017
• 3-17  March 17, 1945: 31st Bombardment Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group moves from Morotai to Guiuan Airfield with B-24 Liberators
• 3-16  March 16, 1945: Sunk during a cyclone is SS Sibigo with 72 lost and 13 rescued off Port Douglas in Queensland in Australia
• 3-15  March 15, 1945: Three survivors from the crash of B-24L Liberator 44-40979 are aided by the 128th Infantry Regiment to friendly lines
• 3-14  March 14, 1945: Ground echelon of 549th Night Fighter Squadron (549th NFS), VII Fighter Command arrives at Motoyama No. 1
• 3-13  March 13, 1945: B-29 Superfortresses fire bomb Osaka destroying 8.1 square miles, lost is B-29 42-24754 (KIA)
• 3-12  March 12, 1945: Lost is C-47A Skytrain 42-100455 pilot 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Parkhurst crashed Leyte found 1989 partially resolved
• 3-11  March 11, 1945: Kamakaze P1Y1 Francis hits USS Randolph (CV-15) at Ulithi Lagoon killing 26 and wounding 105.
• 3-10  March 10, 1945: Crashed is C-46D 44-77341 on an evacuation flight with nurses and medical evacuees aboard with a total of 37 lost
• 3-9  March 9, 1945: 42 seconds of action Fairmile Motor Launch ML825 is attacked by A6M2 Zero pilot Kawato shot down by AA fire
• 3-8  March 8, 1945: Force landed is Beaufort A9-637 pilot F/Lt Richard K. Ottaway force landed at Tadji Airfield wreckage remains today
• 3-7  March 7, 1945: Lost bombing Balete Pass in northern Luzon are B-24L 44-41481 (MIA) and B-24J 44-40979 (KIA, 5 survived)
• 3-6  March 6, 1945: A mission against the Kurile Islands is cancelled due to inclement weather.
• 3-5  March 5, 1945: Australian Army crosses the mouth of the Henry Reid River at Waitavalo under fire from Japanese mortars on the ridges
• 3-4  March 4, 1945: First emergency landing on Iwo Jima when B-29 "Dina Might" 42-65280 lands at Motoyama No. 1 Airfield (South Field)
• 3-3  March 3, 1945: RNZAF Corsairs from No. 18 Squadron attack Type 89 Chi-Ro Tank No. 1 and Type 89 Chi-Ro Tank No. 2 on Bougainville
• 3-2  March 2, 1945: U. S. Flag is raised on the flag pole on Corregidor at the ceremony with General Douglas MacArthur
• 3-1  March 1, 1945: B-24 Liberators from the Far East Air Force bomb Tarakan Airfield on Tarakan Island off the northeast coast of Borneo
• March 2020
• 2-29  February 29: There is no on this day item because 75 years ago 1945 was not a Leap Year. Enjoy PW? Help us with a donation.
• 2-28  February 28, 1945: Lost is B-24J 42-109981 pilot 2nd Lt Warren G. MacDonald crashed near Kassam in the Highlands
• 2-27  February 27, 1945: Lost due to bad weather are P-51D pilot Alexander (POW / MIA) and P-51D 44-63338 pilot 2nd Lt Bollinger (MIA)
• 2-26  February 26, 1945: Lost is C-87A Liberator Express 41-24174 with Lt. Gen Millard F. Harmon and Brig Gen James R. Andersen
• 2-25  February 25, 1945: B-24 Liberators from the Far East Air Force bomb Labuan Airfield on Labuan Island off Borneo
• 2-24  February 24, 1945: F-7 Liberators from the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron (20th CMS) move from Morotai to San Jose Airfield
• 2-23  February 23, 1945: U. S. Marines raise the first flag raising and second flag raising atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima
• 2-22  February 22, 1945: U. S. Army artillery bombards Intramuros the Spanish built 16th century fortress in Manila to create breeches
• 2-21  February 21, 1945: U. S. Army 12th Cavalry assault Manila Hotel / Sunk by two kamikazies is USS Bismarck Sea CVE-95 off Iwo Jima
• 2-20  February 20, 1945: Lost is P-47D “Nancie-A” 42-28493 pilot 1st Lt. Thomas C. Prizzia on a fighter sweep to Formosa (Taiwan)
• 2-19  February 19, 1945: U. S. Marine Corps (USMC) make an amphibious landing on Iwo Jima and suffer 2,400 casualties the first day
• 2-18  February 18, 1945: Lost is TBM Avenger 22904 pilot Ensign Robert "Bob" T. King over Chi Chi Jima two crew captured and executed
• 2-17  February 17, 1945: Mission 35: Eight of nine B-29s from Saipan bomb the submarine pens on Dublon Island in Truk Lagoon
• 2-16  February 16, 1945: U. S. Army assaults Corregidor by 503rd Parachute Regiment and 34th Infantry Regiment amphibious landing
• 2-15  February 15, 1945: U. S. Army "South Force" lands at Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula and advance to the north and east.
• 2-14  February 14, 1945: Four B-24 Liberators from the 7th Air Force bomb Susaki Airfield on Chi Chi Jima (Father Island)
• 2-13  February 13, 1945: Filipino guerrillas from the 1st Battalion of the 15th Infantry of liberate Laoag in Ilocos Norte Province on Luzon
• 2-12  February 12, 1945: A-20s, B-25s and fighters support advancing U. S. Army soldiers advancing on the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon.
• 2-11  February 11, 1945: Crash landed is B-25D "Little Joe" 42-87281 pilot 2nd Lt. Walter "Ken" Kenneth Barber at Hill Airfield on Mindoro
• 2-10  February 10, 1945: Lost is B-24L "Royal Flush" 44-41465 pilot 1st Lt Edwin E. Brashear hit by anti-aircraft fire over Haha Jima
• 2-9  February 9, 1945: Lost is A-20G "Shag On" 43-9134 pilot 2nd Lt William N. Sleeth crashed on Muschu Island
• 2-8  February 8, 1945: Force landed is PBV-1A Canso 11007 pilot F/O Ronnie J. Scholes west of Tofino Airfield on Vancouver Island
• 2-7  February 7, 1945: B-29s Superfortresses bomb Phnom Penh in Cambodia long before the strategic bombing during the Vietnam War
• 2-6  February 6, 1945: Lost is PBJ-1H "Love Bug" 35275 pilot 1st Lt. Love on Ponape Island / General MacArthur declares Manila liberated
• 2-5  February 5, 1945: Lost is UC-64A Norseman 43-5176 pilot 2nd Lt. Jimmie L. Riche crashed into Yapen Strait (Japen Strait) four missing
• 2-4  February 4, 1945: Force landed is P-51D 44-63290 pilot 2nd Lt. Keith Muir at Nadzab Airfield No. 1 after an engine failure and survived
• 2-3  February 3, 1945: Force landed is B-24L Liberator A72-88 two miles west of Fenton Airfield today parts displayed Darwin Air Museum
• 2-2  February 2, 1945: Force landed is P-38J Lightning 42-67638 pilot 1st Lt. Arthur W. Kidder, Jr. on Buldir Island salvaged August 1994
• 2-1  February 1, 1945: Lost is P-51D 44-15199 pilot 2nd Lt. Jerome B. Yates off Camiguin Island in northern Luzon
• February 2020
• 1-31  January 31, 1945: U. S. Army 11th Airbone Division liberates Nasugbu on Luzon in the Philippines
• 1-30  January 30, 1945: "The Great Raid" U. S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion "Alamo Scouts" liberates Cabanatuan POW Camp
• 1-29  January 29, 1945: Ditched is B-25J "30,000 North American Airplane" 44-29544 with the crew rescued within an hour
• 1-28  January 28, 1945: "Pick's First Convoy" crosses the border into China on the Ledo Road (Stillwell Road) from India via Burma
• 1-27  January 27, 1945: Lost is B-29 "Rover Boys Express" 42-24769 / Japanese suicide attack destroys M7 Priest at San Manuel
• 1-26  January 26, 1945: 20th Air Force 25 B-29 release drop mines off Saigon and into Camranh Bay and Phan Rang Bay in Indochina
• 1-25  January 25, 1945: Force landed is B-25D "Hawg-mouth" 41-30222 in the Tanami desert today displayed at Darwin Aviation Museum
• 1-24  January 24, 1945: U. S. Army 25th Division, 161st Infantry Regiment supported by M4 Sherman near San Manuel on Luzon
• 1-23  January 23, 1945: Lost is B-29 "Homing De-Vice" 42-24785 pilot Major Frank A. Roberts MIA bombing Nagoya spun into sea
• 1-22  January 22, 1945: 39th Fighter Squadron moves to Mangaldan Airfield on Luzon in the Philippines
• 1-21  January 21, 1945: USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) carrier aircraft attack Toshien Harbor (Takao) damaged is SB2C-3 Helldiver 18632
• 1-20  January 20, 1945: Lost is A-20G Havoc 43-21622 over Wewak / Crashed is Beaufort A9-557 at Tadji Airfield today at AWM
• 1-19  January 19, 1945: A single B-24 flies a radar ferret mission while two others bomb volcanic Onnekotan Island in the Kurile Islands
• 1-18  January 18, 1945: Ditched is A6M2 Zero 31870 off Cape Lambert salvaged 1972 and today displayed at the Tokyo Science Museum
• 1-17  January 17, 1945: Crashed is B-24J "Milady" 42-73134 pilot 2nd Lt. Robert T. Neal on the Cox Peninsula near Darwin
• 1-16  January 16, 1945: Lost is TBM Avenger 73343 pilot Lt(jg) Richard Lee Hunt, Jr. crashed Hong Kong
• 1-15  January 15, 1945: A Black Day for the Kiwis: Lost are eight Corsairs due to enemy action and bad weather including F4U NZ5283
• 1-14  January 14, 1945: Lost is B-24J "Lady Jane" 42-100271 pilot 2nd Lt. William F. Plunkett on a night mission and went missing
• 1-13  January 13, 1945: Lost is Spitfire A58-419 pilot F/Sgt Edmond M. Stevenson ditched off Termate Island and became a POW
• 1-12  January 12, 1945: Lost is B-24D "Shootin' Star" 42-73249 pilot 1st Lt. Robert E. Churgin shot down by F4U Corsairs from VMF-12
• 1-11  January 11, 1945: Over Luzon, F-6D "Snooks the 5th" 44-14841 pilot Captain William A. Shomo claims 7 earns the Medal of Honor
• 1-10  January 10, 1945: Lost is P-61B Black Widow 42-39445 pilot 2nd Lt. Logan Southfield crashed into the Cyclops Mountains
• 1-9  January 9, 1945: The U. S. Army 6th Army under General Douglas MacArthur begins the amphibius landing at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon
• 1-8  January 8, 1945: Damaged is F4U Corsair NZ5527 pilot FSgt T. Simpson and was written off and converted into instructional airframe
• 1-7  January 7, 1945: Lost is P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 pilot Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. America's 2nd highest scoring ace of WWII
• 1-6  January 6, 1945: A-20s and fighter bombers blast bridges and targets of opportunity at Calumpit in Bulacan Province on Luzon
• 1-5  January 5, 1945: Operation Grubworm is completed with Chinese and US troops and supplies flown to Chanyi Airfield and other airfields
• 1-4  January 4, 1945: A kamikaze hits USS Ommaney Bay CVE-79 and is scuttled / Crashed is F6F Hellcat 71441 at Kobi on Formosa
• 1-3  January 3, 1945: Lost is P-38L 44-25217 pilot Lt. Col Grattan "Grant" Mahony with more combat hours than any fighter pilot in USAAF
• 1-2  January 2, 1945: Lost is P-38L "Putt Putt Maru III" 44-24843 pilot Captain Henry L. Condon, II over Clark Field and was rescued
• 1-1  January 1, 1945: Force landed is P-38G Lightning 42-13400 on Attu Island recovered 1999 and displayed Elmendorf AFB
• January 2020
  

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