World War II in real time

[lordroel]

Day 2114 of World War II, June 24th 1945

Soviet Union

In Moscow, there is a victory parade at which captured Nazi banners are ceremonially dragged across Red Square. The standard of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandardt Adolf Hitler is among the two hundred banners thrown on the ground before Lenin's tomb. Stalin and senior members of the government and Communist Party watched from the top of the tomb.

YouTube (Russian Military Parade 1945, The First Victory Parade on Red Square (English T)



Marshal Georgi Zhukov leads the parade, riding a white horse, the traditional Russian mount for a conquering hero. In a speech to the massive gathering, Zhukov said that the Red Army is the most powerful in the world, but the USSR must not become "conceited or complacent."

Photo: Marshal Zhukov riding his white horse, victory Parade on Red Square June 24, 1945



Photo: infantry marching, victory Parade on Red Square June 24, 1945



Photo: SU-100s driving, victory Parade on Red Square June 24, 1945



Photo: Captured flags of fascist Wehrmacht in the Victory Parade in Moscow. The natives thanked the Soviet soldiers who smashed fascism and had defended the independence of the Soviet Union, 24 June 1945



France

The last of four German Ar234 jet bombers (collected by "Watson's Wizzers" of the USAAF) lands in Cherbourg, flying from Sola in Norway. These aircraft are to be loaded onboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Reaper, along with 34 other advanced German aircraft, for shipment to the United States.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy battle damage repair ship USS Diomedes (ARB-11) underway near Baltimore, Maryland (USA), 24 June 1945, after completion of conversion to a battle damage repair ship



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 13 B-25s and 12 fighter- bombers knock out bridges at Lohochai and S of Chenghsien and hit surrounding AA positions, attack animal-drawn transport at Hsiangcheng, attack railroad targets of opportunity in the Shihkiachwang area, and hit railroad yards at Siaokan; 40+ fighter-bombers continue harassing enemy withdrawals in S and E China where numerous communications targets, gun positions, bridges, and rail, road, and river traffic are attacked.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): At dawn 1 B-24 from Guam Island bombs buildings on Marcus Island in the N Pacific; during the afternoon 18 more bomb the airfield. HQ 494th Bombardment Group and 864th, 865th, 866th and 867th Bombardment Squadrons move from Angaur Airfield to Yontan with B-24s.

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway near Guam on 24 June 1945. Three Grumman FM-2 Wildcat fighters of Observation Fighter Squadron 1 (VOC-1) are visible on deck. Wake Island would arrive at Guam later that day, transferring all sixteen aircraft of VOC-1 to Naval Air Base Agana. Wake Island is painted in Camouflage Measure 22



SAIPAN

Photo: East Field (Kagman Airfield), Saipan, Northrop P-61 Black Widows and Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, June 24, 1945



IWO JIMA

(Twentieth Air Force): 36 P-47s from Ie Shima attack boats and a village in the Sakishima Archipelago, a wharf on Kuro Island, Ishigaki Island, and buildings, villages, targets of opportunity, and several points in the Ryukyu Islands. HQ 507th Fighter Group and 463d, 464th and 465th Fighter Squadrons arrive on Ie Shima from the US with P-47s.

THAILAND

British bombers destroy the bridge over the river Kwae, built by Allied PoWs with dreadful suffering.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

In Borneo, B-24s bomb Balikpapan town and coastal guns and fighter-bombers pound coastal guns while B-25s bomb warehouses and the nearby Manggar Airfield.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

In Luzon, Fifth AF A-20s and fighter-bombers support the US Sixth Army and Filipino troops in the Kiangan sector and N and NE of Tuguegarao, blast numerous targets throughout the Cagayan Valley, Cervantes area concentrations, and the Infanta-Antipolo resistance pockets.

[Far East Air Force]: The detachment of the 159th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], ceases operating from Negros Island with UC-64s and L-5s, and returns to base at Mangaldan.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 2 B-24s on a shipping sweep instead radar- bomb Kurabu Cape on Paramushiru Island, because of overcast and turbulence; another planned shipping strike by 6 B-25s is also cancelled due to weather.

PACIFIC

Destroyer escort Neuendorf (DE-200) is damaged in collision, P.I., 10°41'N, 122°35'E.

Motor minesweeper YMS-339 is damaged, accidentally, by U.S. aircraft off Balikpapan, Borneo, 01°19'S, 116°52'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese merchant sailing junk No.284 Antung Maru, 38°36'N, 124°40'E.

British submarine HMS Statesman damages Japanese submarine depot ship Komahashi off northern Sumatra.

British submarine HMS Torbay sinks unnamed merchant coaster [motor sailboat] in Malacca Strait.

Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Katsura Maru, 34°19'N, 133°35'E; No.8 Kenkon Maru, 2.4 kilometers off Mutsure light, and Tatsukaba Maru, at mouth of Karatsu Bay; and damage merchant cargo ships Tsurukawa Maru, 33°55'N, 131°05'E, and Unzen Maru, 35°33'N, 133°17'E.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa in a repeat of mission carried out the previous day, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters north of Iion-To and Gantai-To, and off Ninshi-To and Chi-To. The Privateers, upon completion of the mining operation, strafe targets of opportunity that include railroad facilities, airports and Japanese shipping, sinking merchant ship Pluto Go off Mokpo.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Wakamatsu Maru is damaged by aircraft, 33°47'N, 131°31'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2115 of World War II, June 25th 1945

United Kingdom

William Joyce ("Lord Haw Haw"), the British Fascist propagandist who broadcast from Berlin during the war, is to be sent to trial on the charge of high treason.

British Second Army was stood down and sent home.

Austria

Austria was divided into 4 occupied zones.

British India

The Simla Conference to discuss the future Indian government of India began in Simla, India.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS O'Brien (DD-725) underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California (USA), 25 June 1945, after receiving repairs for Kamikaze damage received on 27 March 1945. O'Brien is painted in Camouflage Measure 22



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 18 B-25s and 14 P-51s and P-47s knock out bridges N of Shihkiachwang and N of Saiping, bomb a power plant, barracks, and warehouse at Sinsiang, bomb the Nanyo-Hengyang road, and hit the railroad yard at Siaokan; 80+ fighter-bombers attack bridges, gun positions, river, road, and rail traffic, and generally harass Japanese movements throughout S and E China, particularly around Hengyang, Yoyang, Liuchow, Changsha, Lipu, and Luchai; the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF, based at Shwangliu sends a flight to operate from Ankang with F-5s.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): At dawn 3 B-24s from Guam Island attack heavy AA positions on the W coast of Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: Unit moves: HQ 403d Troop Carrier Group from Biak Island, New Guinea to Leyte Island; 157th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], from Mabalacat, Luzon to Okinawa with UC-64s and L-5s; and the detachment of the 159th Liaison Squadron, 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], ceases operating from Cebu with UC-64s and L-5s and returns to base at Mangaldan.

BURMA

South of Prome, seven villages are cleared of Japanese forces.

JAPAN

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters north of Chin-To. Upon completion of the mining operation, the Privateers strafe targets of opportunity that include lighthouses and Japanese shipping.

Twenty-six USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Tsuruga and Ohama, Japan. Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Anri Go off Mutsure, and Kozan Maru off Wakamatsu; and damage escort destroyer Kuga in Fukagawa Bay.

Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa ordered a special attack on the American anchorage at Ulithi, Caroline Islands. Operation Hikari was planned to use submarines I-13 and I-14 to bring Saiun aircraft over Ulithi for reconnaissance. Operation Arashi would then have submarines I-400 and I-401 bring Seiran aircraft to perform special attacks on American ships if the conditions were favorable. Kaiten special attack submarines were to attack at the same time as well.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED FRENCH INDOCHINA

Photo: A bridge of the Saigon-Tourane railroad, French Indo-China is damaged by a direct hit scored by Lieutenant John R. Iler, USNR, pilot of a U.S. Navy Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator attached to a patrol bombing squadron of the 7th Fleet on 25 June 1945



HAWAII

Photo: A WAVE ensign times the sights for the ship's Navigating Officer aboard the U.S. Navy transport USS General Omar Bundy (AP-152), as he shoots the sun with his sextant, 25 June 1945. The WAVE ensign was a passenger on the ship, en route to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and was making her first voyage on a naval vessel



BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

Australian forces complete the occupation of the Miri oilfield area of Sarawak.

USN underwater demolition teams (UDTs) begin clearing the beaches at Balikpapen, Borneo, in advance of the invasion by Australian forces.

In Borneo, oil facilities, shore defenses and the nearby Manggar Airfield in the Balikpapan, area are bombed by B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers. B-24s bomb Mandai Airfield.

A preparatory naval bombardment begins at Balikpapan by 9 cruisers and 13 destroyers under the command of Admiral Barbey.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, Tuguegarao is captured by the American forces, of the US 37th Division, in the Cagayan valley. Gattaran is retaken in the southward advance of the American paratroopers dropped at Aparri, after the Japanese had expelled the Filipino guerrillas. Penablanca is also captured. The surviving Japanese units on the island, about 50,000 troops, are now concentrated in the Sierra Madre area to the east of the Cagayan valley.

On Luzon Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers hit targets (mostly troop concentrations and resistance pockets) in the Cagayan Valley, in the Cervantes area, and in the Infanta sector.

PACIFIC

Japanese merchant cargo ship Katori Maru is sunk by aircraft, 36°02'N, 129°25'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.5 Ise Maru is sunk by aircraft, outside Sakito harbor.

[lordroel]

Day 2116 of World War II, June 26th 1945

Allied occupied Germany

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany was founded.

United States

The United Nations Conference on International Organization concluded when the United Nations Charter was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center by 50 of the 51 original member countries. As Jan Smuts affixed his signature to the United Nations Charter at San Francisco, California, United States, he became the only person to have signed the documents forming the League of Nations and the United Nations.

Photo: President Harry S. Truman addressing the United Nations Conference in San Francisco, California. From left to right: Unknown person, President Truman, Harry Vaughan, Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, and Alger Hiss. Armed Service personnel and the flags of nations are in the background, 26 June 1945



Photo: 26 June 1945: Mare Island Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, Cal. - Forward plan view of USS Wesson (DE-184) at Mare Island. She was in overhaul at the yard from 16 May to 1 July 1945. USS Blessman (APD-48) inboard of Wesson and USS Hazelwood (DD-531) is on the opposite side of the pier



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyers USS Kimberly (DD-521), left, and USS Young (DD-580) at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 26 June 1945. Note the cap of Kimberly's forward smokestack, and the antenna for her SC-2 air search radar atop the foremast. The stern of USS Ross (DD-563) is visible in the background



Photo: The U.S. Navy attack transport USS Sheridan (APA-51) in San Francisco Bay, California (USA), on 26 June 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 21 P-51s bomb or strafe road, river, and rail traffic, motor pools, gun positions, and buildings around Yoyang, Hengyang, Chenghsien, Linfen, and Tsinan, and knock out a bridge SW of Yutze. China: Chinese troops recapture Liuchow airfield.

Chinese forces capture Liuchow airfield.

JAPAN

American B-29 Superfortress bombers launch the first in a series of nighttime raids against Japanese oil refineries.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED KOREA

USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa continue mining operations off Korea.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

The USN's Task Group 31.24 lands assault troops of the Fleet Marine Force Reconnaissance Battalion and a 1st Marine Division reinforced rifle company on Kure Shima.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters north of Chin-To, and north of Iion-To and Gantai-To.

Off Okinawa, small seaplane tender Suisun (AVP-53) is damaged when accidentally rammed by tank landing craft LCT-1407, 26°10'N, 127°19'E.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 1 Guam Island-based B-24 attacks heavy AA positions on the W side of Marcus Island at dawn.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): 510 B-29s and 148 P-51s fly 9 missions against aircraft factories, light-metals industries and arsenals in S Honshu and Shikoku; 6 B-29s and 1 P-51 are lost. Mission 223: 64 B-29s hit the light metal industry at Osaka and 4 others hit alternate targets. Mission 224: 109 B-29s attack the Osaka Arsenal; 3 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost. Mission 225: 31 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Akashi and 5 others hit targets of opportunity; the 4,000-pound bombs are well- placed but the target has been almost destroyed in previous raids.
Missions 226 and 227: 58 B-29s attack the Nagoya Arsenal; 6 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
Missions 228 and 231: 85 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Kagamigahara; 23 others hit alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost; every important building is knocked out.
Mission 229: 50 B-29s attack the Aichi aircraft plant at Eitoku and 14 others attack alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost; the raid causes light damage.
Mission 230: 29 B-29s hit the light metal industry at Nagoya and 2 others hit targets of opportunity. The B-29s claim 20 Japanese fighters destroyed. The Nagoya and Osaka missions are escorted by 148 P-51s; they claim 2-0-5 Japanese aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost.
Mission 232: During the night of 26/27 Jun, 33 B-29s attack the Utsube Oil Refinery at Yokkaichi, the top-priority petroleum target; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: On Formosa during the night of 26/26 Jun, P-61s set fires at the Ensuiko sugar refinery while B-24s hit the sugar refinery at Tanshi during the day.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, the preparatory naval bombardment, at Balikpapan, continues.

In Borneo, strikes against the Balikpapan area continue by B-24s and B-25s hitting oil targets and Manggar Airfield and B-24s bomb the Trombol airstrip. Other B-24s bomb the airfield at Limboeng, Celebes Island.

Underwater demolition teams at Balikpapan continue operations to clear obstacles, covered by close support unit (an element of TG 78.2) comprising 10 landing craft [LCS(L)], 8 rocket-equipped infantry landing craft [LCI(R)] and 6 infantry landing craft (gunboats) [LCI(G)].

Off Balikpapan, Borneo, motor minesweeper YMS-39 is sunk by mine, 01°19'S, 116°49'E; motor minesweeper YMS-365, damaged by mine, 01°18'S, 116°50'E, is scuttled by U.S. forces.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the American paratroopers dropped near Aparri link up with the US 37th Division. The divisional headquarters now takes command of the parachute battalion and the regimental task force, sent north earlier, as well as the Filipino guerrillas operating in the area.

Fighter-bombers hit targets in the Infanta area and troop concentrations in the Cagayan Valley and Kiangan area; ground support strikes are flown in the Cervantes area and E of Manila.

Destroyer escort Halloran (DE-305) is strafed by Japanese aircraft in Davao Gulf, P.I.

PACIFIC

Destroyers Bearss (DD-654), John Hood (DD-655), Jarvis (DD-799), and Porter (DD-800) sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 73, Cha 206 and Cha 209, and guardboat No.2 Kusunoki Maru, and damage auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 198, south of Onekotan, Kurils, 49°40'N, 155°30'E.

Submarine Parche (SS-384), attacking Japanese convoy, sinks gunboat Kamitsu Maru and merchant cargo ship Eikan Maru seven miles off Todozaki, southern Honshu, 39°25'N, 142°04'E, but although damaged by depth charges, remains on patrol.

Japanese escort destroyer Enoki is sunk by mine, Obama Wan, Fukui, Japan, 35°28'N, 135°44'E. Destroyer Hatsuume is damaged by mine off Maizuru.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Kisei Go is sunk by aircraft, 34°43'N, 127°15'E.

Japanese submarine I 162 is damaged by marine casualty off south coast of Korea.

Japanese naval vessel Bingo Maru is damaged by aircraft, East China Sea.

Japanese cargo ship Nadamitsu Maru is damaged by aircraft off Yodoe, Tottori prefecture.

Japanese cargo ship No.11 Shinsei Maru is damaged by marine casualty east of Kamoizaki.

[lordroel]

Day 2117 of World War II, June 27th 1945

Soviet occupied Czechoslovakia

Dr. Emil Hacha, the former president of the German sponsored "Bohemia-Moravia Protectorate," dies in Prague prison hospital, at age 73, while awaiting trial.

Soviet Union

The new supreme military rank of Generalissimus of the Soviet Union was created for Joseph Stalin, but he never officially approved the rank and continued to go by the title of Marshal.

United States

In a sure sign the war is winding down, the Ford company lays off workers at its Willow Run airplane factory near Detroit. The employee force is reduced to 4,000, from a peak of 42,000 workers making B-24 bombers.

Edward Stettinius resigns as Secretary of State to take up the post of ambassador to the United Nations.

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis (CA-36) in Puget Sound, Washington (USA), following an overhaul, 27 June 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Ross (DD-563) underway off Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 27 June 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Kendrick (DD-612) on 27 June 1945. The photo was taken at an altitude of 75 m (250 ft). Kendrick was one of the Benson-class destroyers modified in 1945 to counter the kamikaze threat. Note that all torpedo tubes have been replaced by 40 mm Bofors guns



United Kingdom

Photo: The Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a speech in Uxbridge, Middlesex, during the general election campaign on 27 June 1945



Pacific War

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): HQ 308th BG and 374th, 375th and 425th Bombardment Squadrons move from Hsinching and Kwanghan, China to Rupsi, India with B-24s.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): In an early morning raid from Guam Island, 3 B-24s bomb the underground storage area and fortifications on Marcus Island in the N Pacific Ocean. At midday 18 B-24s pound Moen Airfield.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 233: During the night of 27/28 Jun, 29 B-29s mine the harbors of Hagi, Kobe, and Niigata. Very long range fighter mission 25: 148 P-51s are dispatched from Iwo Jima, against Kasumigaura, Imba, and Tsukuba Airfields in the Tokyo area but abort because of weather. 20 P-47s from Ie Shima hit shipping and a village on Kikai Island, Japan; AA from vessels downs 2 P-47s; 1 vessel is left aflame; 12 other P-47s hit shipping off Kakeroma Island, while 20 more attack vessels and targets of opportunity throughout the Sakishima Archipelago. During the night of 27/28 Jun, 5 P-61s fly intruder attacks, hitting vessels off Amami Gunto Island and Wan Airfield.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

The American carrier USS Bunker Hill is struck by a Kamikaze plane, killing 373 men.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To and northwest of Roka-To.

JAPAN

Twenty-nine USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Hagi, Niigata, Kobe, and Osaka, Japan.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, the preparatory naval bombardment, at Balikpapan, continues.

In Borneo, for the 15th consecutive day, B-24s pound Balikpapan destroying oil facilities and shore defenses, B-25s hit warehouses, other buildings, and the general waterfront area. Other B-24s bomb Mandai Airfield and Limboeng Airfields on Celebes Island.

Destroyer Caldwell (DD-605) is damaged by mine in Brunei Bay, Borneo, 05°07'N, 115°06'E.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, units of the US 37th Division, part of US 1st Corps, reach Aparri, on the north coast. With the occupation of the whole of the Cagayan valley, the campaign for the recapture of the island is now effectively complete. The remaining Japanese forces are isolated in remote parts of Luzon and lack supplies or medical care.

PACIFIC

Submarine Blueback (SS-326) sinks Japanese submarine chaser Ch 2 north of Lombok, Java Sea, 07°25'S, 116°00'E.

Japanese submarine I 165 is sunk by naval land-based aircraft (VPB 142), 450 miles east of Saipan, Marianas, 15°28'N, 153°39'E.

Japanese auxiliary minelayer Kyushu Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft east of Otsu, Japan.

Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Mifuku Maru outside Nanao harbor, 37°06'N, 137°02'E, and No.7 Kaishin Maru off Mutsure, Japan, and damage escort destroyer Sakito, 34°13'N, 126°36'E, army cargo ship Maoka Maru, .3 kilometers off Niigata light, and merchant cargo ships Yuzuki Maru off Moji, and Mifunesan Maru off Harima-Nada.

Japanese army cargo ship Hozu Maru is sunk by aircraft, near Rabaul, New Britain.

Japanese submarine chaser Ch 19 is damaged by aircraft, south of Korea; merchant cargo ship Keisei Maru is damaged by aircraft, near Mokpo, Korea.

Navy land-based aircraft damage Japanese cargo vessel Keijo Maru, 34°19'N, 126°27'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.7 Nichiyu Maru is damaged by marine casualty, 36°53'N, 129°26'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2118 of World War II, June 28th 1945

Soviet occupied Poland

The Soviet-backed Provisional Government of National Unity was formed to govern Poland. The Polish government-in-exile did not recognize it.

Netherlands

Photo: Parade in front of the Palace on Dam Square. Men of the Royal Navy, 28 June 1945



Photo: Parade along the Palace on Dam Square. Flag bearers with flags of allied flags, 28 June 1945



Photo: Parade and parade. Armored cars on the Rokin, here we see about 12 Staghounds from again the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. The front 2 are from B Squadron, the left car is car number 1 of 11th Troop and the other is car number 2 of 11th Troop. The car in between belongs to C-squadron and judging by the single digit number it belonged to the Headquarters troop. The cars carry the standard armament of a 37mm cannon and two Browning machine guns, 28 June 1945



Photo: Parade in front of the Palace on the Dam Sherman tank, 28 June 1945



Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin ordered the planning for war with Japan, adding that "ll preparations were to be carried out in the greatest secrecy" as the Soviet Union and Japan were still engaged in neutrality with each other per the 1941 pact.

United Kingdom

The British Chiefs of Staff drove to Bletchley Park, where Sir Alan Brooke addressed four hundred of its staff, thanking and congratulating them for their extraordinary contribution to the Allied war effort.

United States

The US War Department ordered 150 million incendiary bombs, amounting to some 850,000 tons, to be employed over the next twelve months against Japanese industrial targets.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Fessenden (DE-142) underway off New York (USA) on 28 June 1945. Fessenden was in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for an overhaul prior to departing for training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, enroute to her new assignment in the Pacific. The photo was taken by an aircraft from the Naval Air Station New York at Floyd Bennett Field



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer minelayer USS Adams (DM-27) off Mare Island, California (USA), on 28 June 1945. The heavy cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24) is visible in the right background



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s and 4 P-51s bomb the town of Changsha, a troop concentration and supply area, and blast truck convoys and ammunition trains in the Yoyang area; 28 P-51s hit a communications center S of Puchou, knock out bridges near Kiehsiu and Neikiuhsien, bomb gun emplacements and defensive positions SE of Hsihsiakou, and attack railroad traffic and damage a road bridge in the Suchow and Yoyang areas.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): The detachment of the 427th Night Fighter Squadron, Tenth AF, operating from Kunming, China with P-61s, returns to base at Dinjan, India.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island bomb fuel storage on Marcus Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s strike a butanol plant at Keishu, Formosa. Unit moves: HQ 35th FG from Clark Field to Okinawa; 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, from Tanauan, Leyte Island to Clark Field, Luzon with C-46s and C-47s.

JAPAN

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 487 B-29s fly 4 incendiary missions against secondary cities during the night of 28/29 Jun; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 234: 138 B-29s attack Okayama destroying 2.13 square miles, 63% of the city area; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 235: 141 B-29s hit Sasebo destroying 0.97 square miles, 48% of the city area; 2 other B-29s hit alternate targets. Mission 236: 91 B-29s attack Moji destroying 0.302 square miles, 26.9% of the city area; 3 B-29s hit alternate targets.
Mission 237: 117 B-29s hit Nobeoka destroying 0.52 square miles, 36% of the city area. 39 P-47s from Ie Shima attack shipping at Koniya, Japan with rocket and bombing and hit Tokuno Island with rockets and machinegun fire; 26 more hit targets of opportunity in the Sakishima Archipelago including vessels, docks, an airfield, floatplane, and village.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED KOREA

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago in a repeat of mission the previous day, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To and northwest of Roka-To. Although fighter opposition materializes to this mission, the Privateers "after considerable sparring" drive off the enemy without loss.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

Australian forces capture Kuala Belait.

Photo: An oilwell burning furiously in the area just taken over by members of 20 Infantry Brigade, 28 June 1945



In Borneo, B-24s pound installations in the Manggar area while B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit defenses near Balikpapan; the P-38s also skipbomb oil storage and other B-24s hit runways at Tabanio and Oelin. On Celebes Island, B-24s bomb the airfields at Limboeng and Langoan.

During the night, the bombardment flotilla for the Balikpapen, Borneo invasion is attacked by five to seven land-based Japanese torpedo bombers but they score no hits and three aircraft are shot down.

Off Balikpapan, Borneo, motor minesweeper YMS-47 is damaged by mine, 01°19'S, 116°55'E; motor minesweeper YMS-49 is damaged by shore battery, 01°00'S, 117°00'E.

Photo: Seria, British North Borneo. 28 June 1945. A P.T. boat patrol out from Brunei Bay on a twenty-two hour patrol during Allied invasion operations. These boats are capable of high speed. P.T. 82 was under the command of Lieutenant I. G. Matziner, OTC, 13 Squadron. P.T. 84, second boat in the patrol, was commanded by Lieutenant J. C. Nelson



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

General MacArthur announces that the operations on Luzon are complete. It has been 5 months and 19 days since the American invasion began. An estimated 11,000 Japanese troops remain isolated in the Sierra Madre mountains and another 12,000 are trapped in the Kiangan-Bontoc (or Ifugao-Bontoc) area. The US 8th Army is assigned the task of mopping up on Luzon while the US 6th Army is reorganized for the invasion of Japan (Operation Olympic). Much of the mopping-up will be left to Filipino units. On Mindanao, mopping up operations continue. The Japanese casualty figures on Luzon are 113,593 killed and U.S. loses are just 3,793.

On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit troop concentrations in the Kiangan area while supporting ground forces and attack Japanese concentrations and positions between Ipo and Infanta.

PACIFIC

Japanese submarine I 36 carries out unsuccessful kaiten attack on general issues stores ship Antares (AKS-3) southeast of the Marianas, 13°10'N, 154°57'E; destroyer Sproston (DD-577) comes to Antares's aid, sinking one kaiten and damaging I 36, 12°50'N, 154°50'E.

Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Daikokusan Maru (off Moji, Japan) and damage cable ship Osei Maru (three kilometers southeast of Jizozaki) and merchant cargo ship Yahiko Maru (34°21'N, 130°56'E).

Japanese naval vessel Toyokawa Maru is damaged by marine casualty 450 meters southeast of Hikoshima.

Photo: The U.S. Navy attack cargo ship USS Theenim (AKA-63) took two Japanese soldier-laborers prisoner on 28 June 1945, after the pair had sailed their tiny skiff 400 km from Nauru Island, where they worked in a labor battalion. Mindful of Japanese trickery, the U.S. Coast Guard "boarding party" kept the sun to its back as it approached the skiff. Once on the ship the Japanese were stripped, deloused and had their heads shaved before they were questioned by ENS. James R. Kennedy, USCG

[lordroel]

Day 2119 of World War II, June 29th 1945

YouTube (Operation Olympic - 100,000 US casualties in 60 days)



Soviet occupied Czechoslovakia

In Prague, the government of liberated Czechoslovakia cedes 4781 square miles of Ruthenia to the USSR.

United Kingdom

Winston Churchill and Alan Brooke dismissed Oliver Leese and promoted William Slim to the rank of full general to succeed Leese as Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces, South-East Asia.

United States

At Fort Dix, New Jersey, United States, 157 Soviet prisoners of war, wielding clubs and other crude weapons, threatened suicide or asked for their American guards to shoot them. They had been captured by American troops in Europe, some of whom were in German uniforms, some as prisoners of war. They were slated to be repatriated to the Soviet Union, and they knew they faced execution or imprisonment upon return. During the brief melee, 3 American guards suffered light wounds from stabbing or clubbing, several Soviets suffered gunfire wounds, and 3 Soviets committed suicide by hanging.

President Truman approves the plan, devised by the joint chiefs of staff, to invade Japan. The plan calls for 5 million troops, mostly Americans. Kyushu is to be invaded on November 1st with some 13 divisions (Operation Olympic) and Honshu is to be invaded on March 1, 1946 with some 23 divisions (Operation Coronet), including forces of the US 1st Army from Europe. The British will deploy a very long range bomber force in support of the invasion.

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 29 June 1945. Note that her foremast has been cut drastically to reduce topweight



Photo: The U.S. Navy landing craft repair ship USS Amphitrite (ARL-29) underway in Chesapeake Bay (USA), on 29 June 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 31, Design 5L



Japan/Soviet Union relations

Japan offered the Soviet Union fishing rights in various areas of waters on the Japanese-Russian maritime border in exchange for oil and continued to request the Soviet Union to renew the 1941 neutrality pact.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 15 B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out a bridge at Chungmow and damage another; 18 P-51s attack troop concentrations, gun emplacements, villages, bridges, and targets of opportunity around Hsihsiakou, Yutze, Anyang, Puchou, and Szeshuiand and knock out a bridge at Szeshui.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): The 427th Night Fighter Squadron, Tenth AF, based at Dinjan, India with P-61s, sends a detachment to operate from Chengkung, China.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s bomb the oil refinery at Shinchiku.

JAPAN

Twenty-five USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Maizuru and Sakata, Japan. Mines laid by B-29s in these and previous plants sink merchant cargo ship Kyokuto Maru off Mutsure, and damage naval vessel Soshu Maru two kilometers off Tsuruga light, 35°41'N, 136°05'E, merchant cargo ships Akizuki Maru in Tsuruga harbor and 1 Nichiyu Maru at 34°04'N, 130°52'E, and Hiyoriyama Maru outside Sakai harbor.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Gyuji-To, Jobai-To, and Toso-To.

CAROLINE ISLANDS

Photo: Peleliu Island, Caroline Islands: view looking south, 29 June 1945. In September 1944, the "white" and "orange" landing beaches were on the shoreline at right



BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, the preparatory naval bombardment, at Balikpapan, continues.

In Borneo, continuing the offensive against Balikpapan, B-24s, B-25s, and fighter- bombers bomb defensive positions and oil installations; other B-24s bomb Ft Brook and Oelin Airfields.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Kiangan area and in the Cervantes sector.

[lordroel]

Day 2120 of World War II, June 30th 1945

United States

President Truman appoints James F. Byrnes to succeed Edward Stettinius as Secretary of State.

The US Navy now has 67,952 ships and craft and 4,031,097 personnel consisting of 3,383,196 sailors; 476,709 Marines; and 171,192 Coastguardsmen.

Photo: Launch of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Albany (CA-123) at the Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts (USA), on 30 June 1945



Photo: The German submarine U-873 in drydock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, New Hampshire (USA), on 30 June 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

HQ AAF, China Theater is established by a General Order from HQ, US Forces, China Theater. Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer is appointed Commanding General; subordinate elements are the Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces, China Air Service Command, and the 8th Reconnaissance Group.

Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 2 B-25s attack a bridge at Lohochai, causing little damage; 4 fighter-bombers pound hill positions and hit an artillery emplacement SW of Hsihsiakou; 3 others bomb and strafe an enemy- held temple and a troop area at Likuanchiao.

Chinese forces capture Chungchin on the border of French Indochina (also occupied by the Japanese). The Chinese continue their advance into Indochina.

JAPAN

(Twentieth Air Force): The 509th Composite Group, scheduled to deliver the first atomic bomb attack on Japan, begins combat flight training from Tinian; for most crews, this involves 5 or 6 practice missions such as a navigation training flight to Iwo Jima bombing Rota during the return flight, 2 or more short bombing missions against Rota or Guguan. 1 long bombing mission against Truk Atoll, and 1 against Marcus Island, all run in flights of from 2 to 9 B-29s.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

On Okinawa, American forces complete mopping-up operations (June 23-30) in which 8975 Japanese are reported killed and 2902 captured.

Map: Battle of Okinawa, April-June 1945



PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off the south central coast.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 2 Guam Island-based B-24s attack the boat basin on Marcus Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

The 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th FG, moves from Clark Field, Luzon to Okinawa with P-51s.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, the preparatory naval bombardment, at Balikpapan, continues.

In Borneo, B-24s again pound Balikpapan and B-25s pound targets in NE Borneo and cause considerable damage at Tawau and Tandjoengredeb.

Off Balikpapan, Borneo, destroyer Smith (DD-378) is damaged by shore battery, 01°17'S, 116°53'E; minesweeper YMS-314 by mine, 01°18'S, 116°51'E.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Cervantes sector, N of Baguio and pound gun positions and other targets in the Kiangan area as the Luzon campaign officially ends at 2400 hours local.

PACIFIC

Submarines Baya (SS-318) and Capitaine (SS-336) attack Japanese Makassar-to-Surabaya convoy MASU-705, engaging the escorting submarine chaser Ch 5 and sinking cargo vessel Bandai Maru, 06°27'S, 117°13'E.

Japanese army cargo ship Hokushin Maru is lost to unknown cause in South China Sea, about 15°00'N, 115°00'E.18

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Ryuho Maru is sunk by aircraft, 35°01'N, 140°10'E.

Mines damage Japanese escort destroyer Nara, six miles west-southwest of Shimonoseki, Japan, 33°54'N, 130°49'E, Coast Defense Vessel No.154, 2.8 kilometers off Hesaki light, and merchant cargo ships Chikuma Maru, 15 kilometers off Himejima, Taruyasu Maru, 37°07'N, 137°04'E, and Taisei Maru, 35°00'N, 133°00'E.

Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.215 is damaged 2.8 kilometers off Iwasaki.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Taiyu Maru is damaged by aircraft, Moji harbor.

[lordroel]

Day 2121 of World War II, July 1st 1945

Soviet occupied Germany

The Inner German Border was established as the boundary between the Western and Soviet occupation zones of Germany.

British troops withdrew from Magdeburg, now part of the Soviet occupation zone.

The U.S. 2nd Armoured Division from Halle enter Berlin in accordance with the four-power agreement over the division of Germany into zones.

United States

The civilian Monsanto company took over the operation of the Clinton Laboratories at Site X of the Manhattan Project in Tennessee, United States.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Wesson (DE-184) anchored off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 1 July 1945. Note that her 40mm battery has been increased to three twin mounts, at the expense of her torpedo tubes



Pacific War

Map of the Pacific as of 1 July 1945



CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, a few B-25s bomb a bridge and ferry terminal at Chungmow and near Kaifeng and 4 escorting P-47s strafe Kaifeng Airfield and locomotives in the area; 4 other P-47s bomb the railroad yards at Yuhsiang and 4 P-51s knock out a bridge E of Kiehsiu; on this date Chinese forces capture Liuchow.

Chinese forces liberate Liuchow.

JAPAN

For the first time since the Doolittle Raid in April 1942, B-25s attack the Japanese home islands; 33 B-25s, operating in two flights from Okinawa, and escorted by USMC F4U Corsairs, bomb Chiran Airfield on Kyushu Island: two others hit Yaku-shima Island in the Osumi Islands.

(Twentieth Air Force): During the night of 1/2 Jul, 1 mining and 4 incendiary missions are flown:
Mission 240: 152 B-29s attack the Kure urban area destroying 1.3 square miles, 40% of the city; 2 other B-29s hit alternate targets.
Mission 241: 154 B-29s hit the Kumamato urban area destroying 1.0 square mile, 20% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 242: 100 B-29s bomb the Ube urban area destroying 0.42 square miles, 23% of the city. Mission 243: 126 B-29s attack the Shimonoseki urban area destroying 0.51 square miles, 36% of the city; 5 other B-29s hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.

Mission 244: 24 USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Nanao and Fushiki, Japan. Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Tenyu Maru at entrance of Niigata harbor, and Naoshima Maru three miles north of Shodo Jima, and damage merchant cargo ships Yamaji Maru at 34°28'N, 135°08'E, and Eijun Maru off Moji, Japan.

IWO JIMA

148 Iwo Jima based P-51s are dispatched to hit airfields in the Nagoya area (Kasumigaura, Itami, Hamamatsu, and Nagano); they claim 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-7 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, conclude aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To. VPB 118 wraps up its mining operations this date having sown 195 mines. The aircrew notice an absence of shipping in the areas mined, leading to the conclusion that the effort "has effectively stopped the movement of enemy ships in theinner channels around the southwest coast of Korea."

JAPANESE OCCUPIED KOREA

USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa conclude their mining operations off the Korean Archipelago.

AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): 2 B-24s from Guam Island, Mariana Islands, bomb the building concentration on Marcus Island in the N Pacific. 33 B-25s, operating in two flights from Okinawa bomb Chiran Airfield. 2 others hit Yaku-shima Island in the Osumi Islands. During Jul, HQ VII Bomber Command moves from Saipan Island, Mariana Island to Okinawa. The 9th Troop Carrier Squadron, Seventh AF, moves from Saipan Island to Guam Island with C-47s.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Fighter-bombers hit troops and gun positions in the Kayan-Tadian area on Luzon, Philippine Islands.

The USN's Task Force 38 sorties from Leyte, Philippine Islands, for the attacks on the Japanese home islands. The eight aircraft carriers and six light aircraft carriers of TF 38 are:

Task Group 38.1
USS Belleau Wood with Light Carrier Air Group Thirty One (CVLG-31)
USS Bennington with Carrier Air Group One (CVG-1)
USS Hancock with CVG-6
USS Lexington with CVG-94
USS San Jacinto with CVLG-49
Task Group 38.3
USS Bataan with CVLG-47)
USS Essex with CVG-83
USS Monterey with CVLG-34
USS Randolph with CVG-16
Task Group 38.4
USS Bon Homme Richard Night Carrier Air Group Ninety One. CAG was Cdr. HM Avery, VF(N)-91 commanded by Lt Cdr A Minvielle. and VT(N)-91 under Lt Cdr RH Smith. USS Cowpens with CVLG-50
USS Independence with CVLG-27
USS Shangri-La with CVG-85
USS Yorktown with CVG-88

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, the reinforced Australian 7th Division (General Milford) land at Balikpapan with 33,000 troops. Three escort carriers provide naval air support to the landing for the first three days ashore. The Balikpapan region is one of the richest oil-producing areas in Asia.

Photo: Royal Australian Air Force North American B-25 Mitchell bombers attack the landing beaches at Balikpapan, Borneo, 1 July 1945



Photo: Last dash to shore, aboard American manned Alligators, during the landing of Australian troops at Balikpapan, Borneo. Smoke from the ruins of enemy positions and burning oil wells is visible in the background. Shore installations were subjected to an intensive naval bombardment before the landing operation, 1 July 1945



Photo: Australian troops landing at Balikpapan, 1 July 1945



Photo: Members of the Australian 2/12th Infantry Battalion, advancing past oil fires at Balikpapan, 1 July 1945



Photo: Gunners from 8 Battery, D Troop, 2/4th Field Regiment fire a Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short at Japanese positions at Balikpapan, Borneo, 1 July 1945



In Borneo, B-24s pound defenses at Balikpapan as Australian forces make amphibious landings; and B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit airfields at Oelin, Tabanio, and Trombol, and bomb the Tawau area. B-24s hit Limboeng Airfield and Mandai Airfield.

PACIFIC

Submarine Haddo (SS-255) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.72 and merchant cargo ships Konri Maru and 1 Taiun Maru and No.2 Taiun Maru in Yellow Sea off west coast of Korea, 38°08'N, 124°38'E.

Japanese minesweeper depot ship Chohei Maru and merchant cargo ship Koa Maru are damaged by U.S. aircraft, Woosung, China.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Mitakesan Maru is damaged by aircraft, 34°20'N, 129°24'E.

USAAF planes (5th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinneisho Maru at mouth of Yangtze River, 31°21'N, 121°38'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2122 of World War II, July 2nd 1945

United Kingdom

Mountbatten is ordered to launch Operation Zipper, the liberation of Malaya, in August.

British Somaliland

The 1945 Sheikh Bashir Rebellion broke out in Burao and Erigavo in British Somaliland, led by Sheikh Bashir, a Somali religious leader.

Pacific War

CHINA

(AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 28 P-51s hit rail, river, and road traffic, bridge, and buildings around Hengyang, Hankow, and Yoyang, attack a bivouac area and HQ E of Changsha, and bomb a troop concentration and buildings at Yangan. The fighter-bombers pound HQ, buildings, a fortified compound, barracks, general targets of opportunity around Tartin, and a troop concentration near Sichuan.

JAPAN

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 245: During the night of 2/3 Jul, 39 B-29s bomb an oil refinery at Minoshima; 1 other hits alternate targets.

Submarine Barb (SS-220) employs rockets in bombardment of Japanese shore installations at Kaihyo Island off the east coast of Karafuto; this is the first successful use of these weapons against shore positions by a U.S. submarine.

FORMOSA

B-24s pound Toyohara Airfield on Formosa.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

American military operations are officially concluded.

Japanese planes attack fleet units patrolling off Okinawa; high speed transport Scribner (APD-122) is narrowly missed by aerial torpedo.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island attack a radar installation on Marcus Island. Unit moves to Okinawa: HQ 11th BG and 26th, 98th and 431st Bombardment Squadrons from Guam with B-24s; HQ 319th BG and 437th, 439th and 440th Bombardment Squadrons to Kadena from the US with A-26s.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

Australian forces seize the oil facilities at Balikpapan.

Photo: Australian Vickers machine gunners from the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion at Balikpapan, Borneo, 2 July 1945



In Borneo, B-24s bomb defenses in the Balikpapan area, P-38s support Australian forces as they complete the capture of Balikpapan and its oil installations and B-25s hit the Bintula personnel area.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit resistance pockets near Kiangan and supply areas in the Cervantes sector.

PACIFIC

Submarine Apogon (SS-308) damages Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 58 and Cha 65, 49°28'N, 154°19'E.

Submarines Haddo (SS-255) and Paddle (SS-263) attack Japanese shipping, sinking one unnamed cargo vessel and leaving another drifting, 37°55'N, 124°58'E.

Mines sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 188 in Sea of Japan, 1.5 kilometers off Mutsure light, 33°59'N, 130°52'E, and damage army motor sailer Nanko Maru, by mine, .5 kilometers off Kammon light.

Japanese merchant tanker No.5 Nanki Maru is sunk by marine casualty, 34°18'N, 141°25'E. Marine casualties (most likely groundings or storms) account for damage to cargo ship Awa Maru between Hakodate and Yokohama, and cargo vessel Annette Fritzen at entrance to Pusan harbor, Korea.

USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping and installations at Kure, sinking cargo vessel Himetaka Maru, 34°11'N, 132°31'E.

USN land-based planes sink Japanese sailing vessel Nishima Maru off Gunzan, west coast of Korea, 35°50'N, 126°30'E, and cargo ship No.12 Shima Maru at 35°43'N, 126°32'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2123 of World War II, July 3rd 1945

Allied occupied Germany

Captured maps of German minefields are distributed to all Allied governments, in Europe, by SHAEF. These maps are from the collection of approximately 4 tons of such maps captured by US 7th Army in Bavaria.

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Germany, (Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley) establishes headquarters at Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Soviet occupied Germany

Photo: Sergeant R S Baker of the Army Film & Photographic Unit (AFPU) looks at a fallen Nazi eagle and swastika amidst the ruins of Hitler's Reich Chancellery in Berlin, 3 July 1945



Photo: German women doing their washing at a water hydrant in a Berlin street, near the wreck of a German light armoured car, 3 July 1945



Soviet Union

Moscow radio announced that the body of Joseph Goebbels had been discovered in the courtyard of the Chancellery in Berlin.

Syria

French forces leave Damascus, escorted by British troops.

United States

James Byrnes stepped down as the Director of the Office of War Mobilization and was made the US Secretary of State, succeeding Edward Stettinius, Jr.

The first civilian passenger car made in the United States in three years rolled off the assembly line of the Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24) at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 3 July 1945, at the end of her final overhaul. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship. Note her main battery of twin and triple eight-inch gun turrets. USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and the lighter YF-390 are at left



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Howorth (DD-592) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 3 July 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(AAF, China Theater) Fourteenth Air Force: 3 B-25s knock out a bridge near Suicheng while 2 P-47 escorts hit nearby AA positions; 70+ P-51s and P-47s continue to disrupt the Japanese withdrawal, attacking transport, supply, and communications targets, troops, bridges and Japanese-held points; the targets are near Hengyang, Paoching, Kueiyangshih, Changsha, Kweilin, Lingling, Kukong, Hankow, Siangtan, Isuho, Chiuchiang, Fahsien, Tanchuk, Lohochai, and the Luichow Peninsula. The fighter bombers also hit shipping, a cement plant, an airfield, and barracks area near Haiphong, French Indochina.

WESTERN PACIFIC

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Fifth AF fighters fly their first mission over Japan, P-51s destroying floatplanes in the Fukuoka harbor area on Kyushu. The 868th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), Thirteenth AF, moves from Morotai Island to Leyte Island with B-24s (the squadron specializes in low-level night attacks and pathfinder missions).

RYUKYU ISLANDS

On Okinawa, Japanese forces are isolated in the Oroku and Chinen peninsula.

(Twentieth Air Force): The air echelon of the XX Bomber Command, including Brigadier General Joseph Smith, Commanding General, sets sails from India for Okinawa; the rest of the command sails in 2 lots, on 12 Jul and 4 Aug, leaving only a few small detachments in the India-Burma area. [The 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) earlier sailed to the Marianas on 27 Feb].

JAPAN

(Twentieth Air Force): 509 B-29s participate in 1 mining and 4 incendiary missions during the night of 3/4 Jul; 3 B-29s are lost:
Mission 246: 26 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and waters at Funakawa and Maizuru during the predawn hours of the 4th; 2 other B-29s mine alternate targets.
Mission 247: 116 B-29s attack the Takamatsu urban area destroying 1.4 sq mi, 78% of the city; 3 other hit alternate targets; 2 B-29s are lost.
Mission 248: 125 B-29s hit the Kochi urban area destroying 0.92 sq mi, 48% of the city; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 249: 106 B-29s attack Himeji urban area destroying 1.216 sq mi, 63.3% of the city.
Mission 250: 129 B-29s hit the Tokushima urban area destroying 1.7 sq mi, 74% of the city; 2 B-29s attack alternate targets.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 2 B-24s from Guam Island attack water storage buildings on Marcus. 36 B-25s from Okinawa, attacking in two flights, hit Chiran Airfield. The 438th Bombardment Squadron, 319th BG, arrives at Kadena, Okinawa from the US with A-26s.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

Sepinggan airfield on Borneo falls to the 7th Australian Division. On Celebes Island, B-24s bomb runways at Mandai Airifled and Limboeng airfields. In Borneo, B-24s pound Batu Kawa airstrip SE of Kuching and defensive positions near Balikpapan in support of the Australian drive inland.

Photo: Australian troops from the 2/10th Infantry Battalion advance alongside Matilda tanks of the 1st Armoured Regiment during fighting around Balikpapan, 3 July 1945



Photo: Members of A Company, 2/10th Australian Infantry Battalion, behind a Matilda 'frog' flamethrower tank from 2/1 Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment of 4th Australian Armoured Brigade Group, moving from the Tank Plateau feature towards the town area during Operation Oboe 2, 3 July 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the US 37th Division overcomes weak Japanese resistance to advance about 6 miles north of Santa Fe.

On Luzon, fighter-bombers hit resistance areas in the Mankayan and Kiangan sectors.

PACIFIC

Over 560 USAAF Air Force B-29s firebomb Kochi, Himeji, Takamatsu, and Tokushima, concluding the raid early the following morning.

Final mine plant of Phase IV of Operation STARVATION: 31 USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Maizuru and Funakawa, Japan.

Japanese merchant tanker No.5 Nanko Maru is sunk by marine casualty, Seto, Inland Sea.

Japanese army cargo ship Hoei Maru is sunk by aircraft, 34°22'N, 126°25'E.

USAAF B-24s bomb Japanese shipping at Bandjermasin, sinking cargo vessel No.3 Misaki Maru.

[lordroel]

Day 2124 of World War II, July 4th 1945

Soviet occupied Germany

In Berlin, rumors that Hitler is still alive start to spread. Meanwhile, several thousand civilians in the city watch the arrival of the British occupation force. The British 11th Hussars, the Armoured Car Regiment of the the British 7th Armoured Division (General L. O. Lyne) -- the "Desert Rats" -- arrived after a 14-hour, 120 mile (almost 200 km) march from the British occupation zone. They were held up for three hours at Magdeburg waiting for the Red Army forces to give them permission to enter the Soviet zone.

General Omar Bradley took control of the American sector of Berlin, Germany from the Soviets.

United Kingdom

Canadian troops rioted in Aldershot, England, United Kingdom in protest against the delay in shipping them home after service in Europe. Around 500 troops were involved although little damage was caused and no one was seriously injured.

United States

The Auxiliary Flight Research Station (AFRS) on Wallops Island, Virginia, launched its first test vehicle, a small two-stage, solid-fuel rocket to check out the installation's instrumentation.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer minesweeper USS Thompson (DMS-38) off the Charleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina (USA), on 4 July 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(AAF, China Theater) A group of officers arrives at Chungking Airfield to organize HQ, AAF China Theater.

JAPAN

[Far East Air Force]: P-51s fly a massive sweep along the W coast of Kyushu Island, Japan.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

(Eleventh Air Force): To celebrate the 4th of July, 8 B-24s radar-bomb the Kataoka naval base on Shimushu with napalm.

IWO JIMA

(Twentieth Air Force): 159 Iwo Jima based P-51s attack the Yokosuka naval base, and airfields in the Tokyo area (Imba, Tsukuba, and Kasumigaura); they claim 9-25 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost.

Photo: Takamatsu burns under B-29 firebomb assault, 4 July 1945



AAF PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island attack AA installations on the SW corner of Marcus.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, B-24s again pound defenses near Balikpapan and B-25s bomb Sibuti. On Celebes Island, B-24s pound the Donggala seaplane base and runways at Boeloedowang and Limboeng Airfields.

Photo: Anti-Tank Gun Inspection, 4 July 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

General MacArthur announces that the Philippines have been completely liberated.

On Mindanao, the US 24th Division organizes an amphibious expeditionary force to liberate Sarangani Bay, in the south of the island, south of Davao. Filipino guerrilla forces assist in clearing out the Japanese pockets of resistance.

Photo: Scene showing a reinforcing patrol of A Co., 1st Bn. of the 63rd Regt. on road at the frontlines just prior to moving ahead. 4 July, 1945



Photo: Men of "A" Co., 1st Bn., of the 63rd Regt., climbing up the side of a steep hill to relieve an outpost at the top of the hill. 4 July, 1945



On Luzon, fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Cagayan Valley and others attack Batan Island.

PACIFIC

TF 32 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf), consisting of 3 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 4 escort carriers, 11 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts, departs Buckner Bay to provide cover for the minesweeping operation slated to begin the following day.

Destroyer Murray (DD-576) intercepts Japanese hospital ship Takasago Maru as she evacuates sick and wounded members of Wake Island garrison. Murray reports subsequently that the many months of isolation and bombardment have reduced life on the atoll to a mere struggle for survival.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese guardboats Koshe Maru and Mashuye Maru in the Yellow Sea, east of Tsingtao, China, 37°15'N, 123°19'E.

Japanese auxiliary patrol vessel Pa No.177 is destroyed by fire, following raid by USAAF B-29s on Tokushima, Japan.

Mines damage Japanese transport Tsukushi Maru southeast of Shimonoseki, 33°50'N, 131°19'E, and damage army cargo ship Taiko Maru off Bakuchizaki, and merchant cargo ship Sagami Maru off Osaka.

Marine casualties account for damage to Japanese merchant cargo ships Hiyoriyama Maru outside Sakai harbor, and Unzen Maru three miles south of Taki harbor.

[lordroel]

Day 2125 of World War II, July 5th 1945

Soviet occupied Germany

Photo: British and Russian soldiers on the balcony of the ruined Chancellery in Berlin, 5 July 1945



Poland

The Polish Provisional Government of National Unity was recognized by Britain and the United States.

United Kingdom

The British general election is held. The results are not available until July 26th because of the time taken to bring home and count votes of the soldiers serving abroad.

United States

It is announced that General Spaatz will lead the US Strategic Air Force in the campaign against Japan.

Photo: The U.S. Navy high-speed transport USS Francovich (APD-116) fitting out at the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts (USA), on 5 July 1945. Note 127mm/38 Mount 51 at high elevation, the gunhouse not yet being fitted, and a sister ship in the upper left background, painted in Camouflage Measure 31, Design 5L



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Merrill (DE-392) underway off New York City (USA), 5 July 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

Fourteenth Air Force: 8 B-25s sink several sampans and junks at Haiphong, French Indochina and damage several larger vessels. 2 B-25s and 2 P-47s knock out a bridge S of Chumatien, China. 37 P-51s over French Indochina and S and E China blast shipping in the Hongay and Haiphong, French Indochina area, and in China, pound docks and small vessels at Chikhom, knock out a bridge at Chumatien, blast a barracks area at Anyang, and hit river and rail traffic around Tanchuk and Chenghsien.

AUSTRALIA

The Prime Minister, John Curtin, dies at the age of 60. He has headed the government since 1941. F.M. Forde is appointed as the interim prime minister.

RYUKYU ISLANDS

(Seventh Air Force): 46 B-24s and 24 B-25s all from Okinawa bomb Omura Airfield and 2 towns in the Omura-Nagasaki area, Japan.

IWO JIMA

(Twentieth Air Force): 100 P-51s, based on Iwo Jima, strike airfields in the Tokyo area (Ibaraki, Yatabe, Yawatasaki Cape, and Maruta); they claim 5-11 aircraft on the ground.

FORMOSA

A US aircraft conducted a reconnaissance flight over Taichu West Airfield ("Toyohara") in central Taiwan. It was concluded that the airfield was nearing completion.

WESTERN PACIFIC

[Far East Air Force]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Toshien, Takao, Toyohara and the nearby Kamioka supply area, and Taihoku Airfield. P-51s sweeping Kyushu Island, Japan strafe targets of opportunity and down several aircraft.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, reinforcements for troops of the Australian 7th Division are landed near Penadjim Point in Balikpapan Bay. Australian forces have cleared most of the oil producing area in the immediate vicinity.

Photo: Patrols of 29 Bn., 18th Brigade move cautiously into the village area of Penadjam, Balikpapen, Borneo, under sniper fire. 5 July, 1945



Map: Map of Australian operations around Balikpapan 1-5 July 1945, depicting the movement of the 7th Division's infantry battalions



In Borneo, B-24s bomb Manggar and Riko and Australian troops cross Balikpapan Bay and land on the W shore.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Fighter-bombers fly nearly 100 sorties in support of ground forces in the Kiangan area on Luzon.

PACIFIC

TF 39 (Rear Admiral Alexander Sharp) composed of 7 light minelayers (DM), 52 minesweepers (AM), 6 high speed minesweepers (DMS), 49 motor minesweepers (YMS) and 7 netlayers, begins minesweeping operations in the East China Sea.

Destroyer Smith (DD-378) is accidentally damaged by depth charge off Balikpapan, Borneo, 01°00'S, 117°00'E.

Submarine Barb (SS-220) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.11 Sapporo Maru outside Odomari harbor, southwest of Sakhalin, 46°04'N, 142°14'E.

Submarines Lizardfish (SS-373) and Puffer (SS-268) bombard Japanese port facilities and shipping at Chelukan Buwang, on north coast of Bali; Lizardfish sinks auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 37 and No.153 Shuttle Vessel, in addition to barges and landing craft, 08°10'S, 114°50'E. Fires started by the shelling destroys small cargo vessel Hino Maru. Puffer destroys cargo vessels Heiyo Maru and Nihon Maru in Bulelong Roads, 08°04'S, 115°05'E.

Mines sink Japanese transport Toyokawa Maru near Mutsure Jima, 33°56'N, 130°53'E, and merchant tanker No.1 Tosei Maru, 1.7 kilometers off Niigata harbor, and damage merchant cargo ships Miurasan Maru at 34°47'N, 128°49'E, Enho Maru at 33°29'N, 130°15'E, and Take Maru near Moji, Japan.

Japanese landing ship T.147 is damaged by aircraft off Hachijo Jima.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Awa Maru is damaged by aircraft, 20 miles off Katsuura light.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Hirano Maru is damaged by aircraft, 41°11'N, 140°04'E.

USAAF planes sink Japanese cargo vessel Tone Maru at 03°20'S, 114°35'E.

Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.95 is damaged by marine casualty, Tsurumi harbor.

[lordroel]

Day 2126 of World War II, July 6th 1945

YouTube (Aussies Land on Borneo)



Norway

Norway declared war on Japan. On this date, there were over 800 Norwegians being held in Japanese prisoner of war camps.

Romania

Michael I of Romania was awarded the Order of Victory, the Soviet Union's highest and rarest military decoration.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua becomes the first state to ratify the United Nations Charter.

United States

The American chiefs of staff authorize a special operation, known as Overcast, which is intended to exploit "chosen, rare minds whose continuing intellectual productivity we wish to use" from among German scientists.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Halsey Powell (DD-686) underway off San Pedro, California (USA), on 6 July 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(AAF, China Theater) Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer officially assumes command as Commanding General AAF China Theater; he will arrive in China several days later.

(Fourteenth Air Force): 98 P-51s and P-38s over French Indochina and S and E China continue to disrupt the Japanese retreat and hit transport and supply targets; rail, road, and river traffic, coastal shipping, bridges, troops, Japanese-held areas, and general targets of opportunity are blasted at many locations chiefly around Kweilin, Kukong, and Yangso, China, and Haiphong, and Hanoi, French Indochina.

On this date Major General Claire L Chennault, Commanding General Fourteenth AF, requests permission to retire, which is soon granted.

BURMA

Japanese forces strike at British forward positions in the Sittang river bend east of Pegu but fail to make significant gains. Heavy casualties are reportedly inflicted on the Japanese. A Japanese attack on the Mawchi road, 24 miles east of Toungoo is defeated.

AUSTRALIA

Frank Forde became 15th Prime Minister of Australia one day after John Curtin's death in office.

JAPAN

(Twentieth Air Force): Taking off during the late evening hours of 6 Jul, 517 B-29s make four incendiary and 1 HE attacks between 0700 and 0800 hours local on 7 Jul; 1 B-29 is lost: Mission 251: 124 B-29s attack the Chiba urban area destroying 0.86 sq miles, 43.4% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 252: 123 B-29s hit the Akashi urban area destroying 0.81 sq miles, 57.0% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 253: 133 B-29s attack the Shimizu urban area destroying 0.71 sq miles, 50% of the city; 1 B-29 is lost.
Mission 254: 131 B-29s hit the Kofu urban area destroying 1.3 sq miles, 65% of the city; 1 other B-29 hits an alternate target.
Mission 255: 59 B-29s drop 500-pound bombs on the Maruzen Oil Refinery at Wakayama; 1 other hits an alternate target. 110 Iwo Jima-based P-51s attack airfields in the Tokyo area (Kumagaya, Yamagata, and Chiba); they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 6-25 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost.

WESTERN PACIFIC

[Far East Air Force]: In Formosa, B-24s bomb Heito, Ryutan, and Taien Airfields and A-26s pound the Taito railroad yards. Okinawa-based P-51s hit transportation targets in the Kagoshima Bay area of Japan.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

B-24s over Borneo bomb Bandjermasin warehouses, Tandjoengredeb buildings, Samarinda shipyards, and the Balikpapan and Manggar areas.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, fighter-bombers continue to support ground forces N of Kiangan and bomb the town of Mankayan.

PACIFIC

Mines sink Japanese merchant cable ship Toyo Maru, 73 miles northeast of Tobigasuhana, merchant cargo ship Shori Maru off Ogushi, and merchant cargo ships No.5 Tokai Maru off Mutsure Light, 33°59'N, 130°52'E, and Shinei Maru near Shimonoseki, 33°54'N, 131°01'E; and damage auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 153 off Niigata harbor; army cargo ships Ujina Maru, 120 meters north of Niigata light, and Nissho Maru, at mouth of Senzaki Bay, and merchant cargo ship Sakaki Maru, 3.1 kilometers south of Motoyama light.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Mitsuminesan Maru is damaged by marine casualty near Chinhae, Korea.

[lordroel]

Day 2127 of World War II, July 7th 1945

United States

U.S. President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of State James F. Byrnes and Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy depart the U.S. in the heavy cruiser USS Augusta for Antwerp, Belgium. This is the first leg of their journey to the Potsdam Conference with British and Russian leaders.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 80+ P-51s and P-38s over French Indochina and S and E China continue to disrupt the Japanese withdrawal, pounding numerous communications and transport targets and general targets of opportunity particularly in the Yangso, Kweilin, and Fenstun areas.

BURMA

Japanese soldiers in Burma carried out the Kalagong massacre, killing an estimated 600 villagers after they failed to provide any information under questioning about guerrillas in the area.

IWO JIMA

(Twentieth Air Force): 100+ P-51s dispatched from Iwo Jima to hit airfields in the Tokyo area abort due to bad weather. HQ XX Bomber Command arrives at Sakugawa, Okinawa from India; HQ 414th Fighter Group and 413th, 437th, and 456th Fighter Squadrons arrive at North Field, from the US with P-47s (first mission is 13 Jul).

JAPAN

The Mitsubishi J8M, a Japanese rocket-powered aircraft copied from the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet interceptor, made its first flight

WESTERN PACIFIC

[Far East Air Force]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Matsuyama and Taihoku Airfields in force.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, Troops of the Australian 7th Division continue to advance inland. On the eastern shore of Balikpapan Bay, Dutch and native Dutch East Indian troops (reported to be in action for the first time) are assisting the Australians. The Allied forces are closing in on the last remaining Japanese-held oil refineries, particularly the Pandarasi refinery. Fighting on the coast, east of Balikpapan continue to encounter heavy Japanese opposition. It is reported that about 3000 Japanese dead have been counted in southeastern Borneo and 274 Japanese have been taken prisoner. Australian casualties are listed as 214 killed, 22 missing and 430 wounded.

B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s support Australian ground forces in the area near Balikpapan, Borneo.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers strike at remnants of the Japanese army in the Laguna de Bay and Marikina areas and fighter-bombers also hit areas of resistance near Kiangan, Penablanca, and Mankayan.

On Luzon, P-38s and P-51s supporting ground operations hit supply and personnel areas near Kiangan and Penablanca.

PACIFIC

Submarine Trepang (SS-412) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Koun Maru, 42°21'N, 141°28'E.

Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Meizan Maru at mouth of Mokpo harbor, and Nachizan Maru in KammonStrait, and damage merchant tanker No.10 Kinyu Maru, Osaka harbor, and cargo ships Tairi Maru off Hime Jima, and Taiju Maru and No.5 Tokai Maru (location unspecified).

[lordroel]

Day 2130 of World War II, July 8th 1945

United States

At Camp Salina, Utah, an American guard (Clarence V. Bertucci) opens fire on German prisoners of war. During the night, the 23-year-old army private climbed the guard tower with a .30 caliber machine gun. He looked across the tent city where the 250 Germans slept. Then, for the next 15 seconds, he riddled the 43 tents from left to right. The shooting stopped only when the gun ran out of ammunition. Eight Germans were killed and twenty more were wounded. The victims were laid to rest at Fort Douglas and given a proper military funeral. Bertucci showed no remorse for what he done. He said he hated Germans, and wanted to kill them. This is considered the worst massacre at a POW camp in the history of the USA.

Photo: Launch of the U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Saipan (CVL-48) at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey (USA), on 8 July 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s and 4 P-47s severely damage a bridge N of Sinsiang and hit nearby trains. 60+ P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s pound river shipping, rail traffic, supplies, and troops at Haiphong, Do Son, and Tourane, French Indochina and at numerous locations in S and E China.

BURMA

British Sergeant Simon Eden (aged 20), of the Royal Air Force, and son of the British Foreign Secretary, is listed as missing in action.

IWO JIMA

(Twentieth Air Force): 2 fighter groups (100+) P-51s from Iwo Jima pound airfields and other targets at Hyakuri, Chofu, Tokorozawa, and Yachimata, Japan; 5 aircraft are claimed downed and at least 25 destroyed on the ground; 8 P-51s are lost.

WESTERN PACIFIC

[Far East Air Force]: On Formosa, B-24s bomb Shinchiku Airfield, B-25s start fires at the Getsubi alcohol plant and on Koto Island, and P-38s attack oil production area at Gyuni Kuki. The 69th and 311th Fighter Squadrons, 58th FG, move from Porac to Okinawa with P-47s.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

Photo: Australian Army Service Corps Trucks being unload by landing craft in New Guinea), 8 July 1945



BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, Australian troops land at Penajam.

On Borneo, B-24s and B-25s, supporting Australian forces, hit the Balikpapan area defensive positions, Samarinda shipyards, various targets along the Samarinda road, and warehouses at Tandjung. B-24s [including some of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)] bomb warehouses at Donggala on Celebes Island.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Mindanao, fighting continues in the Sarangani Bay area. Filipino guerrillas under American leadership engage the Japanese.

PACIFIC

Submarine Sea Robin (SS-407) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 85 off Quelpart Island 33°50'N, 126°42'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Saitsu Maru near Dairen, Korea, 38°48'N, 121°25'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Mikunisan Maru is sunk by aircraft at mouth of Mokpo harbor, Korea.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Sumera Maru is damaged by aircraft near Sakitozaki.

Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.95 is damaged by mine inside Yokosuka harbor.

Japanese army cargo ship Tensho Maru and merchant cargo ship Koshin Maru are damaged by collision at 40°14'N, 131°42'E.