USAAF Combat Operations 1941

USAAF Worldwide Operations Chronology
                 COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES

APRIL 1945

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  A-26, Douglas Invader
  Ar 234, Arado
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  B-29, Boeing Superfortress
  Beaufighter, Bristol
  C-46, Curtiss Commando
  C-47, Douglas Skytrain
  UC-64, Noorduyn Norseman
  UC-78, Cessna Bobcat
  F-3, Douglas Havoc
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  F-6, North American Mustang
  F-7, Consolidated Liberator
  F-9, Boeing Flying Fortress
  L-1, Stinson Vigilant
  L-4, Piper Cub/Grasshopper
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  Mosquito, deHavilland
  OA-10, Consolidated Catalina
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  P-61, Northrop Black Widow
  P-70, Douglas

NOTE: A number in parenthesis after a target name indicates the number of
bombers attacking.

SUNDAY, 1 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s attack railroad targets at
Ninh Binh and Minh Koi, French Indochina. In China, 7 B-24s bomb the Ft
Bayard storage area; 6 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack river shipping and warehouses
in the Sienning-Puchi area; 5 B-25s hit warehouses and other buildings at
Hsuchang while 3 damage a bridge at Changtuikuan; single B-25s bomb targets
of opportunity around Sanshihlitun, Sichuan, Loning, and Suicheng; 23 P-51s
pound airfields in the Shanghai area; 70+ other fighter-bombers attack river,
road, and rail traffic, storage areas, troops, and general targets of
opportunity throughout wide areas of occupied S and E China; the detachments
of the 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group
(Medium), operating from Chihkiang with B-25s, return to base at Yangkai;
during Apr 45, the 426th Night Fighter Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to
312th Fighter Wing), based at Shwangliu with P-61s, sends detachments to
operate from Liangshan and Ankang. 

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 10 B-25s attack roads and
bridges behind enemy lines in C Burma; 478 transport flights are made
throughout the day; British 36 Division forces begin to push down the
railroad from Mandalay to Rangoon. Unit moves In India: 12th Combat Cargo
Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, from Moran to Tulihal with C-47s;
detachments of the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic
Reconnaissance Group, operating from Tulihal and Cox's Bazar with F-7s,
return to base at Guskhara.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 921: 12 B-24s drop
leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves: HQ 64th Fighter Wing
from Nancy, France to Edenkoben, Germany; HQ 320th Bombardment Group
(Medium), from Longvic Airfield, Dijon to Tavaux Airfield, Dole, France.
    Ninth Air Force: No bomber operations due to weather. In Germany,
fighters fly patrols, armed reconnaissance, and support the US 3d and 9th
Armored Divisions in the Paderborn-Lippstadt and Warburg areas, the XX Corps
astride and E of the Fulda River, and the XII Corps which reaches the Werra
River W of Meiningen. The 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth
Army Group), moves from Kaiserlautern to Darmstadt, Germany with L-5s. During
Apr 45, the following units move: HQ IX Fighter Command from Bruhl to Weimar,
Germany; HQ 9th Bombardment Division (Medium) from Reims, France to Namur,
Belgium; and HQ 99th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) from Beaumont, France
to Tirlemont, Belgium. 

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Almost 400 B-24s and B-17s bomb
the Maribor, Yugoslavia railroad bridge, marshalling yards at Sankt Polten,
Selzthal, Zeltweg, Graz, and Villach, Austria, the railroad bridge at
Krieglach, Austria, and gun positions on the Adriatic coast near Venice,
Italy; 82 P-38s bomb the Ybbs, Austria railroad bridge while 52 P-51s strafe
rail traffic in the Prague-Plzen, Czechoslovakia area; other P-38s and P-51s
fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 31
Mar/1 Apr, A-20s and A-26s on intruder missions over the Po Valley continue
to attack road and railroad bridges, motor transport, loading points, and
other targets; principal strikes are made at Po River bridges; fighters and
fighter-bombers during the day strike rail bridges, dumps, rail lines,
marshalling yards, trains, vehicles, gun positions, several buildings
(including an ammunition plant and truck factory), and a variety of targets
of opportunity in the Po Valley and NE Italy; medium bombers hit railroad
bridges at Calcinato, Crema, Mantua, Monselice, Colle Isarco, San Ambrogio di
Valpolicella, and Perea; HQ 87th Fighter Wing is disbanded at Florence; HQ
321st Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Solenzara, Corsica to
Falconara.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): The detachment of the 28th Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron, VI Air Service Area Command (attached to VII Fighter
Command), operating from Peleliu Island, Palau Islands with F-5s, joins the
detachment operating from Saipan Island, Mariana Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): During Apr 45, the 25th Bombardment Squadron
(Very Heavy), 40th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), the 676th, 677th and 678th
Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), and
the 768th, 769th and 770th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 462d
Bombardment Group (Heavy) move from Chakulia, Dudhkundi and Piardoba, India
respectively to West Field, Tinian Island, Mariana Islands with B-29s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s attack Giran
Airfield on Formosa while B-25s and P-47s sweep wide areas. On Luzon Island,
Philippine Islands, B-24s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit the Legaspi area
(where a US amphibious landing is taking place), targets N of Balete Pass,
the Batangas area, and support troops over parts of S and NW Luzon. In the C
Philippine Islands, B-25s and A-20s support ground forces near Cebu City on
Cebu Island and on Negros Island. B-24s hit Oelin Airfield in Borneo. The
159th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, based at Mangaldan,
Luzon with UC-64s and L-5s, sends detachments to operate from Negros and Cebu
Islands. Unit moves during Apr 45: HQ Fifth Air Force from Mindoro Island,
Philippine Islands to Clark Field, Luzon; 4th Photographic Charting Squadron,
311th Photographic Wing (Mapping and Charting) [attached to 4th Photographic
Group (Reconnaissance)], based at Hollandia, New Guinea with F-7s, sends a
detachment to operate from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands,
to map areas of the SW and W Pacific (another detachment is operating in
Australia).

MONDAY, 2 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 on weather reconnaissance returns early
due to mechanical trouble; another B-24 investigates radar jamming on Kresta
Point in the Aleutian Islands.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 28 B-25s knock
out a bridge SE of That Khe, bomb the town area of Vinh, damage the bridge
approaches at Kep, hit shipping and other targets of opportunity along the
coast of the Gulf of Tonkin, and blast the town area of Luc Nam. In China, 25
B-25s attack trucks, tanks, rivercraft, and targets of opportunity at Sichuan,
Neihsiang, Sinyang, Mingkiang, Siangtan, Kweiping, Nanning, and Hengshan; 4
B-24s bomb the Kowloon Docks in Hong Kong and hit shipping at Bakli and Samah
Bays on Hainan Island; 32 P-51s pound airfields in the Shanghai area; 140+
other fighter-bombers attack numerous targets scattered throughout S and E
China, including troops, trucks, horses, river shipping, bridges, gun
positions, airfields, rail traffic, and town areas.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels all
offensive missions; air supply missions continue with 469 sorties being flown
to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 922: 
  1. 447 B-17s, 261 B-24s and 572 P-47s and P-51s are dispatched against 6
airfields in Denmark but are recalled because of bad weather in the target
area; 1 B-17 and 1 P-47 (pilot MIA) are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged beyond
repair.
  2. 26 of 27 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss.
  3. 15 P-51s escort 7 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  Mission 923: During the night of 2/3 Apr, 9 of 10 B-24s drop leaflets in
the Netherlands, France and Germany without loss and 10 B-24s fly
CARPETBAGGER missions to Denmark without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves: HQ 358th Fighter
Group from Toul, France to Sandhofen, Germany; HQ 69th Tactical
Reconnaissance Group and 22d and 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons from
Nancy and Azelot, France respectively to Haguenau, France with F-6s; 441st,
442d, 443d and 444th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 320th Bombardment Group
(Medium), from Longvic Airfield, Dijon to Tavaux Airfield, Dole, France with
B-26s.
    Ninth Air Force: Weather prevents operations by the 9th Bombardment
Division and XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional). In Germany, the IX and
XIX Tactical Air Commands fly patrols and armed reconnaissance over wide
expanses of Germany claiming 17 airplanes downed and the IX Tactical Air
Command supports the US 9th Armored Division at the Diemel River bridgehead
near Warburg. Unit moves: 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th
Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) (attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance
Group) from Euren to Ober Olm, Germany with F-6s; 30th Photographic
Reconnaissance and 109th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons, 67th Tactical
Reconnaissance Group, from Vogelsang to Limburg, Germany with F-5s and F-6s
respectively; 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF [attached to
9th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (Provisional)] from Jarny, France to
Maastricht, the Netherlands with F-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Almost 600 B-24s and B-17s,
with fighter escorts, bomb communications targets in Austria including the
marshalling yards at Graz, Sankt Polten, and Krems, and a railroad bridge on
the Sulm River; 38 P-38s dive-bomb a railroad bridge at Wildon; 71 P-38s and
55 P-51s strafe Vienna-Munich, Germany and Wiener-Neustadt-Maribor,
Yugoslavia rail traffic; others carry out photo and weather reconnaissance
and reconnaissance escort flights.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Major General Benjamin W Chidlaw
takes command of the Twelfth AF and will shortly take over command of the
Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) also. 
  In Italy, A-20s and A-26s continue intruder missions during the night of
1/2 Apr concentrating on Po River crossings and other Po Valley
communications targets; B-25s bomb railroad bridges at Fornovo di Taro,
Drauburg, San Michele all' Adige, Matrei am Brenner, Steinach, and Colle
Isarco, and a railroad fill at Vo Sinistro; fighters and fighter-bombers
again hit communications in the Po Valley but divert sizeable effort to
attacks on methane plants in the C Po area; the P-47s are attacked by about
40 fighters during the day, 13 are claimed destroyed; HQ 340th Bombardment
Group (Medium) moves from Alesan, Corsica to Rimini.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 12 Guam Island, Mariana Islands-based B-24s
bomb Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 51: 115 of 121 B-29s bomb the Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo;
they claim 1-1-0 Japanese aircraft; 6 B-29s are lost.
  Mission 52: During the night of 1/2 Apr, 6 B-29s mine the harbor at Kure,
Honshu Island, Japan between 0000 and 0400 hours local without loss.
  Mission 53: During the night of 2/3 Apr, 9 of 10 B-29s mine the harbor at
Hiroshima, Japan without loss.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the
harbor at Hong Kong. On Luzon Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers attack the
Bamban bridges, the Balete Pass-Baguio area and Penablanca. Troops at Cebu
City on Cebu Island and on Negros Island are bombed by B-25s and fighter
bombers. B-24s bomb the Sarangani Bay area on Mindanao Island. Other B-24s
hit the Sandakan shipyards and Tawau Airfield, Borneo. Bongao Island,
Philippine Islands, is hit by B-24s.

TUESDAY, 3 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 17 B-25s bomb Pinglo, China railroad
yards and in French Indochina, the Ninh Binh railroad yards, knock out a
bridge at Thinh Duc, and damage bridges at Gian Khau and Mon Cay. In China,
60+ fighter-bombers knock out bridges at Hsitu and between Chuting and
Hengyang, destroy pontoon bridges in the Kanchou area, hit Yangtong airfield,
pound the Hai Duong, French Indochina railroad yards, and hit river traffic
and other targets of opportunity at several locations including Hongay, and
Cao Bang, French Indochina, and Tayu, Hankow, Kanchou, Yoyang, and the Ishan-
Hwaiyuanchen, areas of China.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather again causes
cancellation of most scheduled strikes; a few fighter-bombers hit a Japanese-
held wooded area near Kenglong; transports complete 383 sorties to forward
areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  AIRBORNE OPERATIONS (IX Troop Carrier Command): The 23d, 313th and 314th
Troop Carrier Squadrons, 349th Troop Carrier Group, arrive at Barkston,
England from the US with C-47s.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 924: 752 B-17s and 569 P-51s are dispatched to hit U-boat yards at
Kiel; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 bombers and 4 fighters are lost:
  1. 693 of 752 B-17s hit the Deutsche U-boat yard and 24 hit the Howardts
U-boat yard; 2 B-17s hit Flensburg Airfield a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s
are lost and 121 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 20 MIA. Escorting are 517 of
569 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged beyond
repair.
  2. 98 of 100 P-51s fly a sweep of the Kiel area; 1 is damaged beyond
repair.
  3. 4 P-51s escort 1 F-5 on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany.
  4. 17 of 18 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 2 P-51s are lost.
  Mission 925: 1 B-17 and 10 B-24s are dispatched to drop leaflets in the
Netherlands, France and Germany during the night; 1 returns to base.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves in France: 10th
Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from
Nancy to Haguenau with F-6s (first mission is 17 Apr); 34th Photographic
Reconnaissance Group, XII Tactical Air Command (attached to Provisional
Reconnaissance Group), form Azelot to Haguenau with F-5s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, about 230 B-26s, A-20s and A-26s attack
Holzminden and Hameln marshalling yards, the town of Gottingen, 2 targets of
opportunity, and fly a leaflet mission; fighters fly escort, fly patrols and
armed reconnaissance, support the US 9th Armored Division in the Warburg
area, the XX Corps E of the Werra River toward Muhlhausen and in the Kassel
area, the XII Corps in the Gotha and Suhl areas, and the 2d and 8th Armored
Divisions in the Teutoburger Forest and Neuhaus; unit moves: HQ XXIX Tactical
Air Command (Provisional) to Haltern; HQ 84th and 303d Fighter Wings from
Munchen-Gladbach to Haltern; 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command
(attached to Twelfth Army Group), from Oberstein to Berkersheim with L-5s;
15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group
(Reconnaissance), from Trier to Ober Olm with F-6s; 507th and 508th Fighter
Squadrons, 404th Fighter Group, from St Trond, Belgium to Keltz with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 95 P-38s divebomb the Tainach-
Stein railroad bridge in Austria; other P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance
and escort missions; bad weather prevents bomber operations. HQ 325th Fighter
Group and the 317th, 318th and 319th Fighter Squadrons move from Rimini to
Mondolfo, Italy with P-51s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 2/3
Apr A-20s bomb the marshalling yard at Mantua, several Po River crossings and
other communications targets in the Po Valley; weather hampers operations
during the day; medium bombers cancel most missions, but manage to bomb the
Po Valley bridges at Camposanto, Usigliano, and Modena; the XXII Tactical Air
Command [including Brazilian and South African Air Force (SAAF) units] blast
communications, fuel dumps, methane plants, trains, motor transport at
numerous points in N Italy (mainly in the Po Valley), including Parma,
Modena, Fidenza, Lodi, Bergamo, Reggio Emilia, and Piacenza. The detachment
of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, XXII Tactical Air Command, operating
from Florennes, Belgium with Beaufighters, moves to Strossfeld, Germany.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 4 missions are flown during the night and
early morning hours of 3/4 Apr.
  Mission 54: 9 B-29s mine the waters off Hiroshima, Japan without loss.
  Mission 55: In the early morning, 48 of 49 B-29s hit the aircraft plant at
Shizuoka, Japan without loss.
  Mission 56: 43 of 78 B-29s attack the Koizumi aircraft factory and 18 hit
the urban areas in Tokyo as a target of opportunity; they claim 1-0-0
Japanese aircraft.
  Mission 57: 61 of 115 B-29s strike the aircraft plant at Tachikawa and 49
hit the urban area of Kawasaki as a target of opportunity; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: The Hong Kong docks
are again bombed by B-24s. Other B-24s and B-25s hit the airfield, butanol
plant, and railroad yards at Kagi, Formosa while A-20s sweep other rail
targets. On Luzon Island fighter-bombers and A-20s hit the Balete Pass-
Baguio-Naguilian area N of the Cagayan Valley supply targets, the Laguna de
Bay area, and Infanta, also, Miri Airfield in Borneo, troops in the Cebu City
area on Cebu Island, and targets on Tarakan Island, Borneo are bombed. B-25s
attack N Hainan Island.

WEDNESDAY, 4 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ZONE OF INTERIOR (ZI): The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) designates General
of the Army Douglas MacArthur Commander-in-Chief, US Army Forces, Pacific 
(CINCUSAFPAC) and Fleet Admiral Chester W Nimitz Commander-in-Chief, Pacific
(CINCPOA).

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 2 B-25s sink a
junk in the Gulf of Tonkin and 6 P-38s strafe trucks around Dien Bien Phu,
Moc Chau, and Son La.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Combat operations are restricted to
attacks on a troop concentration and rice and fuel supplies behind enemy
lines in C Burma; transports operate on steady basis throughout the day.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 926: 1,431 bombers and 866 fighters are dispatched to hit
airfields, a shipyard and a U-boat shipyard in Germany; they claim 30-4-30
Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 bombers and 4 fighters are lost.
  1. 438 B-24s are sent to hit Parchim (33) and Perleberg (29) Airfields; 97
hit Wesendorf Airfield, the secondary; attacks are visual; they claim 6-4-6
aircraft; 6 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 76 damaged; 1 airman
is KIA and 59 MIA. Escorting are 324 P-47s and P-51s; the P-47s claim 14-0-20
aircraft and the P-51s claim 9-0-3 aircraft; 1 P-47 and 3 P-51s are lost.
  2. 443 B-17s are sent to hit Fassberg Airfield (149); secondary targets hit
are Hoya (37) and Dedelsdorf (13) Airfields; targets of opportunity are
Unterluss (39) and other (24); bombing is visual; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged
beyond repair and 58 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 6 WIA and 4 MIA. The escort is
220 of 232 P-51s; 1 is lost.
  3. 505 of 526 B-17s hit the Deutsche shipyard at Kiel using H2X radar; 2
others hit Eggebeck Airfield, a target of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost and
50 damaged; 27 airmen are MIA. 208 of 223 P-51s without loss.
  4. 22 of 24 B-17s fly a DISNEY mission attacking the Finkenwarder U-boat
yard at Hamburg without loss.
  5. 19 P-51s fly a scouting mission and claim 0-0-1 aircraft.
  6. 25 P-51s escort 8 F-5s and 2 P-38s on photo and radar reconnaissance
missions over Germany, claiming 1-0-0 aircraft.
  7. 16 P-51s escort 1 OA-10 and 2 B-17s on air-sea-rescue patrols.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): The 405th Fighter Squadron, 371st
Fighter Group, moves from Metz, France to Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt,
Germany with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: HQ XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) returns to the
operational control of HQ Ninth AF (from the RAF Second Tactical AF) as the
US Ninth Army reverts to control of the Twelfth Army Group (from the Twenty
First Army Group); the British ground and air HQ have operationally
controlled the XXIX Tactical Air Command and Ninth Army since shortly after
the Ardennes breakthrough and the Battle of the Bulge.
    In Germany, 330+ B-26s, A-20s and A-26s hit the Ebrach oil depot,
Crailsheim marshalling yard and barracks area, Grossaspach supply depot, the
town of Ellswangen, Backnang rail and road junction, and 2 targets of
opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed
reconnaissance, attack special targets, and support the US 104th Infantry
Division at Scherfede and Hardehausen, the 9th Armored Division in the
Warburg area, the XX Corps in the Muhlhausen-Kassel areas, the 2d and 5th
Armored Divisions in the Hameln and Minden areas on the Weser River, and the
8th Armored Division as it assaults the Ruhr pocket in the Lippstadt area.
Units moving: the 107th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th Tactical
Reconnaissance Group, from Vogelsang to Limburg, Germany with F-6s; the 125th
Liaison Squadron, IX Fighter Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), from
Munchen-Gladen to Haltern, Germany with L-5s; the 155th Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Le Culot,
Belgium to Maastricht, the Netherlands with F-3s; the 355th Fighter Squadron,
354th Fighter Group, from Rosieres-en-Haye, France to Ober Olm, Germany with
P-51s; and the 494th, 495th and 496th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 344th
Bombardment Group (Medium), from Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France to Juzaine
Airfield, Florennes, Belgium with B-26s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  AAFMTO: HQ 90th Photographic Wing (Reconnaissance) begins a movement from
San Severo, Italy to the US.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Again bad weather prevents
bomber operations and limits efforts to reconnaissance and escort missions
and to strafing attacks by 94 P-51s on rail traffic in the Munich and
Regensburg, Germany; Plzen, Czechoslovakia; and Linz, and Gmunden, Austria
areas.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s continue to blast
communications along the Brenner rail line, ranging from the railroad bridge
at Drauburg to the Camposanto railroad bridge; the B-25s also inflict
considerable damage on the Merano methanol plant; P-47s concentrate on enemy
movement, rail lines, and ammunition and fuel dumps throughout the Po Valley.
The 489th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 340th Bombardment Group (Medium),
moves from Alesan, Corsica to Rimini, Italy with B-25s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Angaur Island, Palau Islands, hit
a building at Bunawan, Mindanao Island.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 40th and 462d Bombardment Groups (Very
Heavy) arrive at West Field, Tinian Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s
bomb Toyohara Airfield, Mako harbor, and Tokichito Island and A-20s hit
Shinchiku factories and rail yards. B-24s bomb the harbor at Hong Kong. P-38s
and P-51s pound various targets in C Luzon Island while A-20s and P-38s hit
the Calauag area. A-20s pound NW Negros Island and B-24s bomb targets on C
Mindanao Island. The 17th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st
Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from San Jose, Mindoro Island to
Lingayen, Luzon with B-25s.

THURSDAY, 5 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 27 fighter-bombers on armed
reconnaissance attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at
Son La, French Indochina and Shanhsien and Shihkiachwang, and in the Tehsien
and Loyang-Pinglo area of China.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels
scheduled strikes; transports continue large-scale operations to forward
areas. The 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves
from Ondaw to Meiktila, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 928: 1,358 bombers and 662 fighters attack marshalling yards,
ordnance depots, armament works and airfields in Germany; they claim 8-0-6
aircraft; 10 bombers and 1 P-51 are lost:
  1. 436 B-17s are dispatched to hit munitions dumps at Ingolstadt (211)
and Grafenwohr (94), and the marshalling yard at Bayreuth (73); targets of
opportunity are Weiden (30) and Nurnberg (1); the attacks are made visually;
1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 11 airmen are KIA and
2 WIA. Escorting are 182 of 201 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air
and 7-0-3 on the ground.
  2. 397 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Plauen (151) and the
munitions dump at Bayreuth (39); targets of opportunity are the munitions
dump at Grafenwohr (1) and munitions plant at Ingolstadt (1); bombing is with
H2X radar; 5 B-24s are lost and 5 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 44 MIA. 280
P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 1-0-2 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost
(pilot MIA).
  3. 521 B-17s are sent to hit the Unterschlauersbach Airfield (59), an
aircraft parts factory (13) and munitions depot (54) at Furth, and the
Nurnberg S marshalling yard (37); 271 bombers hit the Nurnberg Station
marshalling yard, the secondary; bombing is visual; 4 B-17s are lost, 2
damaged beyond repair and 112 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 39 MIA.
The escort is 91 of 104 P-51s.
  4. 4 B-17s fly scouting missions.
  5. 18 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  6. 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
  Mission 929: 12 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany
during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves: HQ 27th Fighter Group
and 522d and 524th Fighter Squadrons from Ochey, France to Biblis, Germany
with P-47s; 406th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group from Metz, France to
Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt, Germany with P-47s; 417th Night Fighter
Squadron, 64th Fighter Wing [attached to First Tactical AF (Provisional)]
from La Vallon to St Dizier, France with Beaufighters.
    Ninth Air Force: Weather prevents operations by the 9th Bombardment
Division. In Germany, fighters fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance,
and support the US 7th Armored Division's attack on the Ruhr pocket SW of
Brilon, the XX Corps' drive E in the Muhlhausen area, the XII Corps' advance
in the Meiningen area, the 2d Armored Division bridgehead astride the Weser
River S of Hameln, the 8th Armored Division (preparing for an assault on
Soest), and the 5th Armored Division near Minden. Units moving: HQ 10th
Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 31st Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron from Evren Airfield, Trier to Ober Olm, Germany with F-5s; HQ 344th
Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 497th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) from
Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France to Juzaine Airfield, Florennes, Belgium with
B-26s; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to
Twelfth Army Group) from Bad Godesberg to Marburg, Germany with L-5s; the
167th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group) from Vittel,
France to Kaiserslautern, Germany with L-5s; the 450th Bombardment Squadron
(Medium), 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), from Tille Airfield, Beauvais,
France to Le Culot, Belgium with B-26s. 

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 457 B-24s and B-17s attack a
railroad bridge at Dravograd, Yugoslavia, marshalling yards and locomotive
depots at Brescia, Alessandria, and Turin, Italy, and the airfield at Udine,
Italy; 96 P-38s dive-bomb the Radovljica, Yugoslavia railroad bridge, 27
P-51s with 13 flying top cover, strafe rail communications in the Munich,
Regensburg, and Passau, Germany, and Linz, Austria areas; 20+ P-38s fly
reconnaissance missions; around 300 fighter sorties are flown to escort
transport, reconnaissance, and bomber missions (including an RAF raid on the
Monfalconei, Italy shipyards).

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): B-25s bomb 5 bridges in N Italy
and Austria, at Steinach, Austria, and Matrei am Brenner, Modena, Salorno,
and San Michele all'Adige, and blast gun positions at La Spezia, Italy; these
attacks follow night raids by A-20s and A-26s on bridges at Lavis, Ala, San
Michele all'Adige, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Piazzola sul Brenta,
Cittadella, and Montebello, Italy and other targets; fighters and fighter
bombers devote their largest effort to close support of ground forces,
blasting occupied areas and gun positions in the Massa Lombarda area, and
also attack communications and dumps in the Po Valley.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 18 B-24s from Guam Island hit targets on Eten
and Dublon Islands in Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands. 22 B-24s from Angaur
Island pound a bivouac area at Bunawan, Mindanao Island.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 315th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy)
arrives at Northwest Field, Guam Island from the US.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Kowloon
Docks in Hong Kong and a nearby airfield, while other B-24s bomb Kiirun
harbor in Formosa. 180+ sorties in support of ground forces are flown on
Luzon Island. A-20s and patrolling P-61s support troops on Cebu and Negros
Islands. P-38s hit Tarakan Island and Tawau, Borneo. HQ 58th Fighter Group
moves from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan, Luzon.

FRIDAY, 6 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 8 B-24s attack and
photograph Kurabu on Paramushiru Island, especially the airfield, while 8
B-25s hit radar installations in an all-out attack on Hayakegawa, Kotani
Island, and Minami Cape, dropping napalm-filled incendiaries for the first
time; buildings and shipping in N part of Hayakegawa are hit especially hard;
another B-25 flies weather reconnaissance.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-24s hit targets of opportunity in
the Bakli Bay area on Hainan Island and 4 P-38s knock out a bridge in the
Dien Bien Phu area of French Indochina. In China, 8 P-51s blast railroad
targets of opportunity, troops, horses, and boat landings in the Chenghsien
area and along the Lung Hai railroad and Yellow River.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): With improving weather conditions
combat strikes in the C Burma battle area increase; 70+ fighter-bombers
attack troop concentrations, artillery positions, tanks, trucks, fuel dumps,
and general targets of opportunity along and immediately behind enemy lines;
targets are located in several areas including Paklu, Nawnghkio, Loilem,
Takaw, Mong Hko, Kongleng, Nawnghsan Pu, and Indaw; air supply sorties
continue on a steady basis throughout the day.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  AIRBORNE OPERATIONS (IX Troop Carrier Command): HQ 315th Troop Carrier
Group and the 34th, 309th and 310th Troop Carrier Squadrons move from
Stanhoe, England to Amiens, France with C-47s.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 930: 659 bombers hit rail
targets in the Leipzig, Germany area using H2X radar; 4 B-17s and 1 P-51 are
lost:
  1. 183 of 207 B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Halle; 22 others hit
Eisleben, a target of opportunity; 3 B-24s are damaged. Escorting are 201
P-47s and P-51s.
  2. 430 of 452 B-17s hit secondary targets, the main station and marshalling
yard at Leipzig (321) and hit Gera (109); 11 others hit the marshalling yard
at Halle; 4 B-17s are lost and 2 damaged beyond repair; 17 airmen are KIA, 1
WIA and 33 MIA. The escort is 392 of 410 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  3. 26 of 27 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  4. 11 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions.
  During the night, 3 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): The 523d Fighter Squadron, 27th
Fighter Group, moves form Ochey Airfield, Toul, France to Biblis, Germany
with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, 99 B-26s, A-20s and A-26s hit marshalling
yards at Gottingen and Northeim and the city area of Herzberg, and drop
leaflets over 3 city areas; fighters fly escort, alerts, sweeps, and armed
reconnaissance, and support the US VIII Corps in the Eisenach area, and the
XX Corps E of the Werra River near Muhlhausen. Unit moves: 422d Night Fighter
Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command, from Florennes, Belgium to Strassfeld,
Germany with P-61s; 451st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 322d Bombardment
Group (Medium), from Beauvais Airfield, Tille, France to Le Culot, Belgium
with B-26s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 387 B-17s and B-24s,
with fighter escort, bomb marshalling yard flak positions and an ordnance
depot at Verona and a marshalling yard and small arms plant at Brescia; 179
other bombers sent against targets in N Italy are recalled; 81 P-38s
dispatched to bomb a bridge in Austria abort due to weather; 14 manage to
attack bridges near the Austro-Italian border; 6 P-51s (of 54 airborne)
strafe railroad targets in the Straubing-Plattling, Germany area; others fly
reconnaissance missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Brigadier General Thomas C Darcy
takes command of the XXII Tactical Air Command.
  In Italy, A-20s and A-26s on night intruder missions during the night of
5/6 Apr, bomb several bridges in the Po River Valley, scoring good results on
8 of the targets, also hitting an assembly area along the Po River; XXII
Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers hit lines of
communications, mainly in the Po Valley, and support US Fifth Army forces
attacking toward Massa Lombarda; B-25s cancel missions against targets on the
Brenner line due to weather, but hit 6 bridges in the C Po Valley and gun
positions at La Spezia. The 446th and 448th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium),
321st Bombardment Group (Medium), move from Solenzara, Corsica to Falconara,
Italy with B-25s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 11 B-24s from Guam Island pound positions and
airfield on Marcus Island; 23 from Angaur Island bomb barracks and a wharf at
Bunawan, Mindanao Island. 400 Kamikaze planes make an all-out effort against
Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, shipping and beachheads; 2 destroyers, 2
ammunition ships, a mine sweeper and an LST are sunk; other vessels are
damaged; nearly 300 Japanese planes are expended. The 163d Liaison Squadron,
AAFPOA (attached to Tenth Army) begins a movement from Schofield Barracks,
Hawaii to Okinawa with L-5s.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 468th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy)
arrives at West Field, Tinian Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s bomb the town
of Hokko on Formosa. On Luzon Island, ground support sorties continue in
areas around Balete Pass, W of Ft Stotsenburg, N, NE, and S of Laguna de Bay,
and around Legaspi and fighters hit Carabao Island and Infanta. B-24s bomb a
town N of Cebu City while fighters support ground units on Cebu Island. A-20s
support ground forces on Negros Island. B-25s pound Bunawan on Mindanao
Island. B-24s bomb Jolo Island, Philippine Island defenses and ammunition
and supply dumps. At Manila US Army Forces, Pacific (AFPAC) is established
under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. The 310th Fighter Squadron, 58th
Fighter Group, moves from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan, Luzon with
P-47s.

SATURDAY, 7 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 flies a radar-ferret mission along the
coasts of Paramushiru and Harumukotan Islands in the Kurile Islands.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 B-25s hit town areas and
targets of opportunity at Sichuan, Hsihhsiassuchi, Neihsiang, Shaoyang, and
Nanchang and 24 P-51s attack river, road and rail traffic in the Yellow River
area, S of Anyi, at Yuncheng, and at Tengfeng. 4 B-24s bomb harbors and dock
areas at Bakli and Samah Bays on Hainan Island and at Haiphong, French
Indochina; and 8 P-38s hit targets of opportunity around Dien Bien Phu and
along the Nam Hon area in French Indochina. 

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 95 fighter-bombers operating over
and behind Japanese lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, trucks, and
supply areas, and sweep roads S of bomb line. The 3d Combat Cargo Squadron,
1st Combat Cargo Group, moves from Tulihal to Hathazari, India with C-47s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 931: 1,314 bombers and 898
fighters are dispatched to hit airfields, oil and munitions depots and
explosive plants in C and N Germany; all primary targets are bombed visually;
they meet 100+ conventional fighters and 50+ jets; the German fighters attack
fiercely and in the ensuing air battle down 15 heavy bombers; the AAF claims
104-13-32 aircraft including a few jets: 
  1. 529 B-17s are sent to hit airfields at Kaltenkirchen (143) and Parchim
(134), an oil depot at Buchen (36) and a munitions depot at Gustrow (104);
secondary targets hit are the marshalling yards at Neumunster (37) and
Schwerin (48); 1 other hit Salzwedel Airfield, a target of opportunity; they
claim 26-10-10 aircraft; 14 B-17s are lost and 117 damaged; 1 airman is KIA,
5 WIA and 117 MIA. Escorting are 317 of 338 P-51s; they claim 31-1-8
aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
  2. 340 B-24s are dispatched to hit explosive plants at Krummel (128) and
Duneburg (168); 26 others hit the marshalling yard at Neumunster; they claim
14-2-6 aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 44 damaged; 6
airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 25 MIA. The escort is 252 P-47s and P-51s; they
claim 30-0-7 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond
repair.
  3. 442 B-17s are sent to attack airfields at Wesendorf (107) and
Kohlenbissen (93) and an oil depot at Hitzacker (115); 92 hit Lundeburg, the
secondary; targets of opportunity are Fassberg Airfield (12) and the
marshalling yard at Uelzen (13); they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 27 B-17s are
damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 3 WIA. 209 of 222 P-51s escort without loss.
  4. 3 of 4 B-17s and 29 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  5. 23 of 25 P-51s escort 12 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over
Germany.
  The 374th and 376th Fighter Squadrons, 361st Fighter Group, move from
Chievres, Belgium to Little Walden, England with P-51s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves from France to
Germany: HQ 63d Fighter Wing from Vittel to Heidelberg; HQ 371st Fighter
Group and 404th Fighter Squadron from Metz to Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt
with P-47s; 365th Fighter Squadron, 358th Fighter Group from Toul to
Sandhofen with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, 268 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s strike
marshalling yards at Northeim and Gottingen, plus 2 town areas; fighters fly
escort, patrols, and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 7th Armored
Division at Schmallenberg, the 3d and 9th Armored Divisions along the Weser
River E of Warburg, the VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the Muhlhausen, Eisenach,
and Meiningen areas (including strong air support against a counterattack on
the XII and XX Corps at Struth), the 2d Armored Division along the Sarstedt-
Hildesheim road, and the XVI Corps between the Lippe and Ruhr Rivers in the
Essen area. The 353d Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, moves from
Rosieres-en-Haye, France to Ober Olm, Germany with P-51s; 

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 128 B-17s and B-24s attack the
Mezzocorona railroad bridge and nearby road bridge, and the Verona-Parona di
VaIpolicella railroad bridge in Italy, and marshalling yards at Innsbruck,
Sankt Veit an der Glan, and Klagenfurt, Austria; 500+ bombers return to base
without bombing because of multi-layer clouds; 82 P-38s bomb the Tainach-
Stein railroad bridge in Austria; 74 others sent against a bridge in S
Austria abort due to weather.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, during the night of 6/7
Apr, A-20s and A-26s bomb bridges at Lavis, Ala, Rovereto, and San Ambrogio
di VaIpolicella, and several Po River crossings; during the day weather
grounds the medium bombers; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter
bombers, operating on a limited scale, hit the Montechino oilfield,
ammunition dumps and communications targets N of the battle area, and gun
positions in the Monte Belvedere-Strettoia area in which US Fifth Army forces
push N. Units moving from Corsica to Italy: HQ 57th Bombardment Wing and HQ
310th Bombardment Group (Medium) with the 380th, 381st and 428th Bombardment
Squadrons (Medium) from Ghisonaccia to Fano with B-25s; the 486th, 487th and
488th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 340th Bombardment Group (Medium), from
Alesan to Rimini with B-25s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s from Angaur Island bomb the barracks area at
Bunawan on Mindanao Island.
    VII Fighter Command: Mission 1: 91 of 108 P-51s escort B-29s to Tokyo;
they claim 21-5-7 Japanese aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
    Mission 58: 101 of 107 B-29s bomb the Nakajima aircraft engine plant at
Tokyo; 2 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 80-23-50 Japanese
aircraft; 3 B-29s are lost.
    Mission 59: 153 of 194 B-29s hit the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya;
29 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 21-11-22 Japanese aircraft;
2 B-29s are lost.
    HQ 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) arrives at West Field, Tinian
Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Bad weather hampers
strikes N of the Philippines. B-24s and P-38s over Formosa hit various
targets of opportunity. On Luzon Island, fighters fly 130+ sorties in support
of ground forces at Solvec Cove, Villa Verde Trail, the Ipo and Marikina
Rivers, and NE Laguna de Bay. B-24s again bomb Bunawan on Mindanao Island.
Other B-24s and P-38s hit Jolo Island and B-24s bomb Bima Airfield on Sumbawa
Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Unit moves: 311th Fighter Squadron, 58th
Fighter Group, from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan, Luzon with P-47s;
550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th Fighter
Wing), from Morotai Island, Moluccas Islands to Tacloban, Leyte Island,
Philippine Islands with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s.

SUNDAY, 8 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 31 P-51s knock out a bridge
S of Shaoyang, destroy a section of track at Sincheng, and hit numerous road
and rail targets of opportunity in the Yellow River areas and points to the
S, from Shanhsien to Loning, at Hungtung, and S of Hei-Shih Kuan; 4 B-24s
attack shipping targets of opportunity in the S China Sea and in Bakli Bay on
Hainan Island and Yulin Bay, China and bomb Kowloon Docks in Hong Kong.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 50+ P-38s and P-47s operating in C
Burma battle areas attack troops, supplies, gun positions, and trucks at
several points along and behind enemy lines, and sweep roads S of bomb line;
transports maintain operations throughout the day. The 156th Liaison Squadron
(Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at Kalaikunda, India with UC-64s and
L-5s, sends a detachment to operate from Myitche, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 932: 1,173 bombers and 794 fighters attack various targets in
Germany; 9 bombers and 1 fighter are lost:
  1. 339 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Derben oil depot (31) and Schafstadt
Airfield (73); secondary targets hit are the Stendal marshalling yard
workshops (73) and the marshalling yard at Halberstadt (218); Derben is hit
visually and the others targets visually and with H2X radar; 4 B-17s are
lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 55 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 5 WIA and 35
MIA. Escorting are 239 of 252 P-51s.
  2. 522 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yards at Plauen (86),
Hof (101) and Eger (111) and an ordnance depot at Grafenwohr (203); the
attacks are made visually and with H2X radar; 5 B-17s are lost and 58
damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 1 WIA and 43 MIA. 235 of 246 P-51s escort.
  3. 302 B-24s are sent to hit the munitions depot at Bayreuth (51), the
Blumenthal jet aircraft factory at Furth (89) and the Unterschlauersbach (57)
and Roth (91) Airfields visually; 39 B-24s are damaged. The escort is 245
P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA).
  4. 10 B-17s fly a screening mission.
  5. 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair.
  6. 16 P-51s escort 19 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  Mission 933: 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany
during the night.
  Mission 934: 12 B-24s bomb the Travemunde port area using PFF methods
during the night.
  The 13th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Photographic Group
(Reconnaissance), moves from Mount Farm to Chalgrove, England with F-5s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): The 367th Fighter Squadron, 358th
Fighter Group, moves form Toul, France to Sandhofen, Germany with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, around 620 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s bomb the
Munchenbernsdorf oil storage depot, the Sonderhausen communications center,
Nienhagen oil refinery, Celle marshalling yard, and 8 city areas; fighters
escort the bombers, attack an airfield, fly patrols and armed reconnaissance,
and operate in conjunction with the US VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the
Thuringer Forest and Erfurt areas. Unit moves in Germany: HQ IX Tactical Air
Command from Bruhl to Lahn Airfield, Marburg; HQ 36th Fighter Group and the
22d and 23d Fighter Squadrons from Aachen to Niedermennig with P-47s; HQ
354th Fighter Group and 356th Fighter Squadron from Rosieres-en-Haye, France
to Ober Olm with P-51s; HQ 362d Fighter Group and 379th Fighter Squadron from
Rouvres, France to Frankfurt with P-47s..

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 500+ B-24s and B-17s, with
fighter escorts, attack communications in N Italy, concentrating on the
transportation system feeding into the Brenner Pass; bridges, viaducts, and
marshalling yards are hit at or near Bressanone, Campodazzo, Vipiteno,
Fortezza, Campo di Trens, Mezzocorona, Avisio, Brescia, Gorizia, Pordenone,
and Ponte Gardena; a power dam at Ponte Gardena is also hit; 168 P-38s bomb
the Rattenberg, Austria and Garmisch, Germany railroad bridges and strafe
rail traffic in the Munich, Germany and Salzburg and Linz, Austria areas.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 7/8
Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit command posts and dumps; medium bombers, despite bad
weather bomb railroad bridges at Salorno, San Michele all' Adige, Vo
Sinistro, and Bondeno, a railroad fill and canal at Salorno, and gun
positions at La Spezia; XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers concentrate
their efforts on the Brenner area communications (cutting lines in 31 places
and damaging 4 bridges), oil fields in the C Po Valley, and points further N;
the 445th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 321st Bombardment Group (Medium),
moves from Solenzara, Corsica to Falconara with B-25s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 25 B-24s from Angaur Island bomb the Bunawan area on
Mindanao Island. 
    VII Fighter Command: During the night of 8/9 Apr, 6 P-61s from Iwo
Jima Island, operating singly at 2-hour intervals, bomb Chichi Jima, Haha
Jima, Ani Jima, and Ototo Jima Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown against airfields on
Kyushu Island, Japan from which Kamikaze attacks are originating.
  Mission 60: 29 of 32 B-29s strike 2 airfields at Kanoya.
  Mission 61: 48 B-29s attack the airfield at Kokubu; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: For the second
consecutive day bad weather prevents attacks on the primary targets N of the
Philippine Islands. B-24s and B-25s hit secondary targets including Chomosui
Airfield in the Pescadores Islands, and on Formosa, Tainan town and railroad
yards, the towns of Takao, Toko, and Kaiko, and other scattered objectives.
A-20s and fighter-bombers over Luzon Island support ground forces
particularly in the areas E of Manila. B-24s join A-20s and fighter-bombers
in support of ground forces on Cebu and Negros Islands. Other B-24s bomb the
N Davao Bay area on Mindanao Island and Jolo Island. Unit moves to Luzon: 33d
Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, from Hollandia, New Guinea
to Nielson Field with C-47s; 69th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group from
San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan with P-47s.

MONDAY, 9 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 9 B-24s bomb the docks at
Canton and Kowloon in Hong Kong and attack targets of opportunity at Bakli
Bay on Hainan Island; 8 B-25s bomb Sinyang railroad yards and nearby targets
of opportunity; 13 other B-25s knock out a bridge N of Hsuchang and hit
various targets around Laohokow, Sichuan, Sinyang, Likuanchiao, Lichen, and
along the Han River; and 19 P-51s hit targets of opportunity in or near
Neihsiang, Laohokow, and Sichuan. 2 P-38s blast trucks in the Dien Bien Phu
area of French Indochina; the 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group,
based at Fungwanshan with P-47s, begins operating from Hsian.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 70+ P-38s and P-47s attack troops,
supplies, gun positions, and general targets of opportunity along and behind
the C Burma battleline around Mong Pawn, Wan Htum, Pang po, Kyawkku, Mong
Hko, Hanhwe-Mu, Laihka, and other points; transports complete 415 sorties to
forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 935: 1,252 bombers and 846 fighters are dispatched to visually
attack underground oil storage, an ammunition plant and 10 jet airfields;
they claim 85-1-60 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 5 fighters are lost:
  1. 333 B-17s are sent to hit a munitons plant at Wolfratshausen (76) and
Oberpfaffenhofen (107) and Furstenfeldbruck (139) Airfields; 2 B-17s are
damaged beyond repair and 12 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escorting are 137 of
146 P-51s; they claim 4-0-10 aircraft on the ground.
  2. 289 B-17s are sent to attack an oil depot (89) and airfield (66) at
Neuburg and Schleissheim Airfield (128); 3 B-17s are lost and 42 damaged; 2
airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 56 MIA. The escort is 193 of 203 P-51s; they claim
1-0-3 aircraft in the air and 70-0-37 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots
MIA).
  3. 228 B-17s are dispatched to hit Riem Airfield at Munich (212); 10 others
hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Ingolstadt; 3 B-17sa re lost. 149
of 151 P-51s escort; they claim 6-0-4 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost
(pilot MIA).
  4. 402 B-24s are sent to hit airfields at Lechfeld (109), Memmingen (96),
Leipheim (88) and Landsberg (62) and Landsberg E landing ground (33); 1 B-24
is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 1 WIA and 9
MIA. 193 of 205 P-51s escort claiming 4-0-5 aircraft on the ground.
  5. 58 P-47s fly a freelance mission in support of the bombers.
  6. 58 P-51s escort 32 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  7. 24 of 25 P-51s fly scouting missions; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).
  Mission 936: 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and France
during the night.
  Mission 937: 14 B-24s bomb Stade Airfield during the night using PFF
methods; 5 Mosquito's escort the bombers.
  HQ 361st Fighter Group moves from Chievres, Belgium to Little Walden,
England.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): The 366th Fighter Squadron, 358th
Fighter Group, moves from Toul, France to Sandhofen, Germany with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, 700+ A-20s, A-26s and B-26s strike
marshalling yards at Jena and Saalfeld, oil targets at Bad Berka and
Dedenhausen, ordnance depots at Naumburg and Amberg-Kummersbruck, and several
targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, attack several airfields
and a fuel storage facility, fly area patrols and armed reconnaissance, and
support the III Corps along the Lenne River, the 3d Armored Division E of the
Weser River toward Nordhausen, the VIII Corps in the Arnstadt area and the
XII and XX Corps in the Thuringer Forest and around Erfurt. Unit moves: HQ
386th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 553d and 555th Bombardment Squadrons
(Medium) from Beaumont-sur-Oise, France to St Trond, Belgium iwht B-26s;
107th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group,
from Limburg to Eschwege, Germany with F-6s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 825 B-24s and B-17s
in close coordination with the British Eighth Army, pound gun positions and
other forward military targets SE of Bologna, in the area immediately W and
SW of Lugo; 88 P-51s provide target cover. 150+ P-38s bomb and strafe
railroad bridges at Rattenberg, Seefeld, and Telfs, Austria and Rosenheim,
Germany, and to the S near the Austro-German border, and also hit rail lines
in the Munich-Rosenheim, Germany area. 90+ P-51s escort supply (to N Italy)
and transport missions and support MATAF aircraft attacking positions in the
Imola, Italy area; other airplanes continue reconnaissance operations.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20s and A-26s on
intruder missions during the night of 8/9 Apr, bomb bridges, vehicles, and
targets of opportunity in the Po River Valley and NE Italy; during the day
B-25s and XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers [in conjunction with RAF
Desert Air Force (DAF) fighter-bombers and Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air
Force (MASAF) heavy bombers] blast gun positions, troop concentrations, enemy
HQ, and strongroupoints in the Lugo-Imola area in support of a British Eighth
Army offensive; other XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers bit
communications in N Italy (including the Brenner line) and methane plant and
ammunition and fuel dumps in the W C Po Valley.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 17 Guam Island-based B-24s pound Marcus Island
airfield and defensive installations in the N Pacific. 22 B-24s from Angaur
Island hit a troop concentration at Kabacan, Mindanao Island.
    VII Fighter Command: 16 P-51s from Iwo Jima Island bomb and strafe
military installations at Chichi Jima Island during the early morning. 

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 62: During the night of 9/10 Apr, 16
B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait between Kyushu and Honshu Islands, Japan
without loss.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: A-20s and fighter
bombers support ground forces on Luzon Island in the Balete Pass, Baguio, and
Solvec Cove areas and at several points in SW Luzon Island, and attack
Japanese forces in the Legaspi area. B-24s and fighter-bombers support ground
forces in C Cebu Island and on Negros Island. Several B-24s on armed
reconnaissance missions hit China and Indochina coastal targets.

TUESDAY, 10 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In coordinated operations with US Navy (USN)
aircraft, 7 B-24s napalm-bomb Kataoka naval base on Shimushu Island, Kurile
Islands; 4 B-25s attempt to hit radar installations on Minami Cape on
Paramushiru Island, the primary air warning station in the Kurils, but fail
to release bombs due to an approach error; 3 other B-25s decklevel bomb a
Masugawa River cannery; and a B-24 investigates ice floes along the Kurile
Islands.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 23 B-24s pound Yungcheng, China
storage areas; 50+ B-25s and 180+ fighter-bombers (operating in small
flights) attack numerous targets throughout S and E China; targets hit are
mainly troops, horses, town areas, storage areas, and river, road, and rail
traffic.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): About 30 fighter-bombers attack
troop concentrations at Tonglau, at points along the Zawgyi River, and at
other locations in the C Burma battle area; 455 transport sorties are flown
to forward areas. The 82d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th Bombardment
Group (Medium), based at Fenny, India with B-25s, begins operating from
Meiktila, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 938: 1,315 bombers and 905 fighters are dispatched to attack
airfields known or suspected to be used by jet aircraft; about 60 jets and a
few conventional fighters attack the formations; 19 bombers and 8 fighters
are lost; the AAF claims 328-4-249 Luftwaffe aircraft:
  1. 442 B-17s are sent to hit the Army HQ munitions depot (278) and airfield
(139) at Oranienburg; 11 hit Rechlin Airfield, the secondary; they claim
7-1-8 aircraft; 9 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 50 damaged; 1
airman is KIA and 84 MIA. Escorting are 273 of 289 P-51s; they claim 11.5-0-8
aircraft in the air and 56-0-32 on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  2. 132 of 144 B-17s hit Neuruppin Airfield; 9 others hit the marshalling
yard at Stendal, the secondary; 1 B-17 is lost and 44 damaged. The escort is
112 of 117 P-51s claiming 128-0-94 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost
(pilot MIA).
  3. 372 B-17s are sent to hit the Briest Airfield at Brandenburg (138), and
Zerbst (75) and Burg-Bei-Magdeburg (147) Airfields; they claim 10-3-4
aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 160 damaged; total
losses for forces 2. and 3. are 1 KIA, 7 WIA and 80 MIA. 172 of 175 P-51s
escort; they claim 6-0-2 aircraft in the air and 84-0-43 on the ground; 2
P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  4. 357 B-24s hit Rechlin Airfield (159), Larz Airfield at Rechlin (103) and
Parchim Airfield (32); 9 others hit the marshalling yard at Wittenberge, a
target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost; 4 airmen are WIA and 11 MIA. The
escort is 207 of 220 P-51s; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft in the air and 20-0-21
on the ground.
  5. 59 of 62 P-47s fly a freelance mission for the bombers; they claim 2-0-2
aircraft in the air and 41-0-66 on the ground.
  6. 15 P-51s escort 20 of 21 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over
Germany.
  7. 30 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).
  Mission 939: 12 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany
during the night.
  Mission 940: 13 of 14 B-24s bomb the Dessau rail depot by PFF methods
during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 423 A-20s, A-26s, and
B-26s strike oil storage and ordnance depots, rail bridge and viaduct (all
primary targets) and several other targets including a marshalling yard and
an industrial area; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols, rail cutting
operations, and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 13th Armored
Division crossing the Sieg River near Siegburg, the 3d Armored Division
approaching Nordhausen, the 9th Armored Division in the Hain area, the XII
Corps near Coburg, the XX Corps W of Weimar and the Saale River, the 2d and
5th Armored Divisions crossing the Oker River in the Ahnsen and Schladen
areas, and the XVI Corps along the Ruhr River in the Essen area. Unit moves:
HQ 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and 30th Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron from Limburg an der Lahn to Eschwege, Germany with F-5s; HQ 367th
Fighter Group and 393d Fighter Squadron from Conflans, France to Eschborn
Airfield, Frankfurt, Germany with P-47s; 388th Fighter Squadron, 365th
Fighter Group, from Aachen to Fritzlar, Germany with P-47s; and 552d and
554th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 386th Bombardment Group (Medium), from
Beaumont-sur-Oise, France to St Trond, Belgium with B-26s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 648 B-24s and B-17s, in support
of British Eighth Army forces, blast artillery positions, machinegun nests,
and infantry defenses along the Santerno River in Italy; this effort
represents the largest number of Fifteenth AF heavy bombers attacking targets
in a single day as of this date; 88 P-51s fly target cover. 152 P-38s dive-
bomb bridges, a tunnel and marshalling yards at Seefeld and Worgl, Austria.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 9/10
Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit guns and other close support targets along the
British Eighth Army front (which stretches from W of Imola to Comacchio
Lagoon and the coast) and also hit several Po River crossings and attack the
Brenner line bridges at Lavis, Rovereto, and San Michele all'Adige; during
the day B-25s and XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers continue pounding
support targets along the battlefront; fighter-bombers also attack bridges on
the Brenner line and communications and other targets in the Po Valley.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): During the night of 10/11 Apr, 6 Iwo Jima
Island-based P-61s, flying individual strikes bomb and strafe Chichi, Muko,
Ani, and Haha Jima Islands.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the town
of Koshun, Formosa. A-20s and fighter-bombers again support ground forces in
SW Luzon Island and in the Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvec Cove areas, and
pound the Legaspi area. B-24s and fighter-bombers support ground forces on C
Cebu Island. B-24s bomb Liang Airfield on Ambon island, Moluccas Islands and
Bingkalapa Airfield on Celebes Island. HQ 35th Fighter Group and the 39th
Fighter Squadron move from Mangaldan to Lingayen, Luzon with P-51s.

WEDNESDAY, 11 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): P-38s together with USN aircraft pick up
bombfilled paper balloons over Attu and E of Adak Islands in the Aleutian
Islands; one balloon over Attu is shot down and portions of the gondola are
recovered in Massacre Bay.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s bomb
Hsihhsiassuchi, 5 pound the Pinglo barracks and storage area, and a few
others hit the Yanglowtung railroad yards and targets of opportunity E of
Paoching; 150+ fighter-bombers attack troops, river, road and rail traffic,
and a variety of targets of opportunity scattered throughout S and E China
and N French Indochina.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 54 fighter-bombers hit
troop and supply concentrations near Mong Kung and Mong Nim, attack trucks
and targets of opportunity in other areas behind the battleline, and sweep
several roads S of bomb line; transports fly 424 sorties carrying men and
supplies to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 941: 1,303 bombers and 913 fighters are dispatched to hit a variety
of targets in Germany; 1 B-17 is lost:
  1. 445 B-17s are sent to hit the Freiham oil depot (300) and Kraiburg
munitions plant (133); secondary targets hit are the munitions depot at
Landshut (1) and the marshalling yard at Treuchtlingen (1); 1 B-17 is lost,
1 damaged beyond repair and 15 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 10 MIA. Escorting
are 273 of 294 P-51s.
  2. 509 B-17s are sent to hit the munitions depot (28) and marshalling yard
(82) at Landshut; the airfield (131) and marshalling yard (79) at Ingolstadt;
and the marshalling yards at Treuchtlingen (70) and Donauworth (108); no
losses or casualties. The escort is 281 of 294 P-51s.
  3. 346 B-24s are dispatched to hit Obertraubling Airfield (79), a munitions
depot (31) and an oil depot (80) at Regensburg, and the marshalling yards at
Neumarkt (71) and Amberg (73); 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 5
damaged; 22 airmen are KIA. 211 P-47s and P-51s escort.
  4. 3 B-17s and 28 of 29 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  5. 52 P-51s fly a freelance sweep over Regensburg.
  6. 28 P-51s escort 10 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  Mission 942: 9 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany during the night and 11 B-24s
fly CARPETBAGGER missions in Denmark.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 689 A-20s, A-26s and
B-26s strike marshalling yards at Bernburg, Oschersleben, Zwickau, and
Kothen, the Naumburg ordnance depot, Bamberg motor transport plant, and
several other targets; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols, sweeps,
a leaflet mission, and armed reconnaissance (claiming 43 aircraft shot down),
and support the US 3d and 9th Armored Divisions in the Nordhausen and
Ringleben-Sachsenburg-Rothenberga areas, the 2d Armored Division as it
reaches the Elbe River S of Magdeburg in a record drive of 57 miles (92 km),
the XVI Corps along the Ruhr River at Witten, the XX Corps as it crosses the
Saale River at Weimar and overruns the Buchenwald concentration camp and
Allied prisoner camp nearby, the XII Corps in the Coburg-Rottenbach area, and
the VIII Corps as it approaches the Saale River S of Weimar. Unit moves in
Germany: HQ 366th Fighter Group from Assche, Belgium to Handorf Airfield,
Munster; the 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to
Twelfth Army Group), from Berkersheim to Hersfeld with L-5s; and the 392d and
394th Fighter Squadrons, 367th Fighter Group, from Conflans, France to
Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 544 B-24s and B-17s hit
communications in N Italy, concentrating on the transportation system feeding
into the Brenner area, in an effort to hamper the enemy's supply and escape
routes; the bombers bomb bridges at Padua, Vipiteno, Campodazzo, Ponte
Gardena, and Campo di Trens, marshalling yards at Bronzolo and Ora, a vehicle
repair shop at Osoppo, and a fuel depot at Goito. 40 P-38s dive-bomb the
Rosenheim, Germany railroad bridge. 40 other P-38s and 29 P-51s strafe rail
traffic in the Munich and Regensburg, Germany; Plzen, Czechoslovakia; and
Linz and Salzburg, Austria areas. 250+ fighters escort the bomber missions,
reconnaissance and supply missions, and operations against N Italian targets
by MATAF aircraft.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 10/11
Apr, A-20s and A-26s bomb bridges at Lavis, Ala, Rovereto, San Michele
all'Adige, and San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and hit vehicles, Po River
crossings and targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; medium bombers
continue to support British Eighth Army forces between Imola and Comacchio
Lagoon, bomb guns SE of La Spezia in front of the US Fifth Army advance, and
bomb 4 bridges on the Brenner line; XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers
also fly support on the Eighth Army front, and hit communications (including
the Brenner line) and fuel and ammunition dumps in the N.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s from Angaur Island hit Cotabato supply
and personnel areas on Mindanao Island. 18 Guam Island-based B-24s pound
positions on Eten Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb
Cotabato on Mindanao. On Negros Island, B-24s hit Japanese defenses NW of
Guadalupe and A-20s hit a bivouac E of Negritos. On Luzon Island B-24s,
B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers bomb numerous targets including Fuga
Island, the Cagayan Valley areas, Santa Fe, bridges and other communications
in Iligan, Naguilian, Manga, and Tuguegarao, and troops and supply
concentration N of Imugan; troop support strikes are flown in the Solvec Cove
area and E of Manila; Baguio and a troop concentration in the Batangas area
and on the Bicol peninsula are bombed; at Iriga, defenses are hit with
napalm. On Formosa, B-24s bomb Okayama while B-25s hit several targets
including the Ts'eng Wen sugar refinery, Seiko, Sunbon-sha, and Shasekiryo.
P-38s attack gun positions at Tarakan, Borneo.

THURSDAY, 12 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): P-38s shoot down paper bomb-balloons over
Attu Island.

  ZONE OF INTERIOR (ZI): The Commander-In-Chief, President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, dies in Warm Springs, Georgia and Harry S Truman is sworn in as
the new President.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-24s supported by 14
P-51s, bomb the Wuchang railroad yards and airfield; 7 B-25s bomb the
Hsuchang railroad yards, 3 hit Loning, 2 attack Likuanchiao, 2 bomb
Tenghsien, and a single B-25 attack storage areas at Pingyao and Huaiching;
100+ fighter-bombers attack troops, horses, bridges, river shipping, trucks,
and railroad targets at several locations in French Indochina and at points
scattered over S and E China; the 449th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group,
based at Chengkung with P-38s, sends a detachment to operate from Posek.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 75 fighter-bombers continue to pound
targets in the C Burma battle area; troop concentrations, gun positions,
supplies, vehicles, and general targets of opportunity are attacked along the
battlefront, behind enemy lines, and along roads S of the bomb line; 369 air
supply sorties are flown throughout the day. The 20th Tactical Reconnaissance
Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, based at Myitkyina, Burma
with F-6s and P-40s, sends a flight to operate from Akyab, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 95 of 99 P-51s escort Ninth AF
B-26s in an attack on an ordnance depot.
  Mission 944: During the night of 12/13 Apr, 9 of 10 B-24s drop leaflets in
the Netherlands and Germany and 6 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in Denmark.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 167 A-20s, A-26s and
B-26s attack the Hof rail bridge, Kempten ordnance depot, and Goppingen
marshalling yard, plus a town area and a casual target of opportunity; 275+
planes abort because of weather; fighters escort the bombers, attack the town
of Kothen, fly armed reconnaissance and sweeps over wide areas and support
ground forces; fighters also support the US III, XVI, and XVIII Corps as they
continue to reduce the Ruhr pocket, the 9th Armored Division on the Saale
River near Werben and Bad Lauchstadt, the XX Corps from the Saale River N and
S of Jena E across the Weisse Elster River, the VIII Corps along the Saale
further S of Jena, the XII Corp SE of Coburg on the Hasslach River, the 2d
Armored Division across the Elbe River near Randau S of Magdeburg, the 5th
Armored Division on the W bank of the Elbe at Wittenberge, and the XVI Corps
as it continues fighting in the Duisburg and Dortmund areas. Unit moves in
Germany: HQ 404th Fighter Group and 506th Fighter Squadron from Keltz to
Fritzlar with P-47s; the 109th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th
Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Limburg to Eschwege with F-6s; the 125th
Liaison Squadron, IX Fighter Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), from
Haltern to Gutersloh with L-5s; the 386th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter
Group, from Aachen to Fritzlar with P-47s; the 425th Night Fighter Squadron,
XIX Tactical Air Command, from Etain, France to Frankfurt with P-61s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 400+ B-17s and B-24s hit
communications in N Italy and S Austria, attacking railroad bridges at Padua,
Ponte di Piave and Nervesa della Bataglia, Italy, and Sankt Veit an der Glan,
Austria, an ammunition dump at Malcontenta, and supply dump at Peschiera del
Garda, Italy; 124 P-51s provide escort. 123 P-38s bomb railroad bridges at
Unzmarkt and Arnoldstein, Austria; 128 B-24s, with P-51 escort, sent against
N Italian communications abort due to bad weather. 38 P-51s escort MATAF
B-25s on raids in N Yugoslavia.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 11/12
Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit Po River crossings; medium bombers, restricted by
low clouds, bomb approaches to the Maribor, Yugoslavia bridge, hit targets
along the Brenner rail line, and support the British Eighth Army in the
Argenta area; fighter-bombers attack NE Italian railroad lines, including
fuel dumps and communications targets in the Po Valley.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s, based on Angaur Island hit a personnel area
at Kabacan on Mindanao Island.
    VII Fighter Command: 90 P-51s are dispatched to escort B-29s on a raid
against Tokyo; they claim 15-6-3 Japanese aircraft; 4 P-51s are lost. During
the night of 12/13 Apr, 6 Iwo Jima-based fighters, operating singly at
intervals, bomb and strafe targets on Kita, Chichi, Haha, and Ani Jima
Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 4 missions are flown.
  Mission 63: 94 B-29s, escorted by 90 P-51s, strike the Nakajima aircraft
factory at Tokyo while 11 hit the secondary target, the Shizuoka engine
plant; B-29s gunners claim 16 fighters downed. 
  Mission 64: 66 B-29s hit a chemical plant at Koriyama and 9 hit targets of
opportunity.
  Mission 65: 70 B-29s hit a second chemical plant at Koriyama and 6 hit
targets of opportunity; 2 B-29s are lost.
  Mission 66: During the night of 12/13 Apr, 5 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: P-38s and A-20s
support ground troops on Cebu and Negros Islands. On Mindanao Island, B-24s
bomb Sapakan, Kabacan and the Davao Bay areas and P-38s hit Cotabato and also
Kabacan. On Luzon Island, B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers pound
targets throughout the Cagayan Valley, blast defenses at Balete Pass and in
the Baguio area, and hit troops, communications targets, and defenses at
numerous points in SW and SE Luzon Island. On Formosa, B-24s attack Tainan
and bomb Okayama Airfield. The 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop
Carrier Group, moves from Dulag to Tanauan, Leyte Island with C-46s and
C-47s.

FRIDAY, 13 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): At Attu Island, 27 P-38s and P-40s scramble
following radar reports of unidentified plots; later, they shoot down 9 of 11
Japanese paper bomb-balloons sighted over the W Aleutians.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s hit a fort at Bac Ninh,
French Indochina. In China, 11 B-25s bomb the railroad yards and warehouse
area at Kaifeng and 6 knock out a bridge at Ningming; 7 B-25s hit shipping in
the S China Sea and Bakli Bay on Hainan Island and the town areas of
Tenghsien and Liuchow; 4 others, along with 5 P-51s, knock out a bridge and
hit the town area and shipping at Puchi; 24 P-38s and P-51s knock out 3
bridges, damage another, and hit several targets of opportunity in N French
Indochina; about 140 fighter-bombers fly armed reconnaissance and strikes
throughout S and E China, hitting rail, road, and river traffic, town areas,
troops, and general targets of opportunity. Unit moves in China: the
detachment of the 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, operating from
Poseh with P-51s returns to base at Chengkung; the 490th Bombardment Squadron
(Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), from Warazup, Burma to Hanchung
with B-25s.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ P-47s and P-38s attack
troops and supplies in the Hamn gai, Loi-hseng, and Wan Yin areas and sweep
roads S of the bomb line in C Burma; air transport operations to the front
areas total 450 sorties. The 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air
Commando Group, moves from Palel to Kalaikunda, India with C-47s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 945: The AAF claims 284-0-220 Luftwaffe aircraft.
  1. 212 B-17s, escorted by 256 of 278 P-51s, attack the marshalling yard at
Neumunster visually; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged;
8 airmen are KIA, 3 WIA and 17 MIA. The escort claims 137-0-83 Luftwaffe
aircraft in the air; 6 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  2. 97 P-47s and P-51s fly a freelance mission in support of the bombers;
they claim 147-0-137 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost; both
pilots are MIA.
  3. 8 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
  4. 11 of 13 P-51s escort 10 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over
Germany.
  Mission 946: 10 of 12 B-24s bomb the Beizenburg rail junction during the
night without loss.
  Mission 947: During the night, 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France and
Germany and 1 of 4 B-24s completes a CARPETBAGGER mission to Denmark.
  The 328th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, moves from Chievres,
Belgium to Bodney, England with P-51s.
 
  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, a special mission is
flown by IX Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers against the HQ of Field
Marshall Walter Model's Army Group B at Haus Waldesruh in the Ruhr pocket;
the air attack is followed by an artillery barrage; as a result the HQ is
moved to Haan; IX Tactical Air Command pilots sight Soviet fighters in the
air for the first time; weather grounds the 9th Bombardment Division;
fighters fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, and support the US XVIII Corps
in the Huckeswagen and Hagen areas, the III Corps between the Ruhr and Honne
Rivers, the 3d Armored Division on the Saale River in the Alsleben, Nelben
and Friedeburg area, the XX Corps astride and between the Weisse Eister and
Zwickauer Mulde Rivers N of Gera, the XVI Corps NW of Hagen, the 2d Armored
Division in the Elbenau-Grunwalde area, and the 5th Armored Division along
the Elbe River in the Tangermunde area. P-47 units moving to Fritzlar
Germany: HQ 365th Fighter Group and 387th Fighter Squadron from Aachen; the
507th Fighter Squadron, 404th Fighter Group, from Keltz.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations
to reconnaissance and escort missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s are restricted by
weather to 1 mission, an attack on a road bridge at Mollinella; fighter
bombers continue to hit communications and dumps in the Po Valley and guns in
the La Spezia area; during the night of 12/13 Apr, A-20s and A-26s attack Po
River crossings at San Benedetto Po, Ostiglia, Piacenza, and Casalmaggiore,
bridges at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and motor transport and targets of
opportunity in the Milan area.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh AF): 18 Guam Island-based B-24s pound enemy positions on
Marcus Island in the N Pacific; 23 B-24s from Angaur Island bomb personnel
and storage areas at Kabacan on Mindanao Island. 2 Saipan-based P-61 night
fighters bomb and strafe Pagan Island in the Mariana Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 67: During the night of 13/14 Apr,
327 B-29s bomb the Tokyo arsenal area; 3 others hit targets of opportunity; 7
B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s hit the Hong
Kong waterfront (Taikoo Docks) and storage areas in Canton, China. On
Formosa, other B-24s hit airfields at Tainan and Okayama while B-25s attack
railroads. On Luzon Island, numerous sweeps are flown over the Cagayan Valley
and ground support missions are continued on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros Islands.
On Mindanao Island, B-24s bomb the Davao area and B-25s hit various targets
on Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago.

SATURDAY, 14 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 24 B-24s, supported by 12
P-51s, bomb Loyang and knock out a bridge over the Yellow River; 30+ B-25s
and 130+ fighter-bombers attack bridges (knocking out at least 6), river,
road, and rail traffic, troops, storage areas, town areas, and general
targets of opportunity over the vast expanse of S and E China; the 118th
Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to 23d Fighter
Group), based at Chengkung, begins operating from Laohwangping with P-40s and
P-51s.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 41 P-47s and P-38s attack
troops, supplies, and fuel dumps at Tawnghkam Nawng-hkam, Mong Kung, Loi-
makhkawn, and Nawngkaw; 8 P-38s damage bridges at Kong pau and Kyawngteng;
446 transport flights are flown to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 948: 1,167 bombers are dispatched without escort to visually attack
enemy pockets on the French Gironde estuary; 2 B-24s are lost; other Allied
AFs and French naval units attack similar targets; the air attacks precede a
ground assault by a French detachment of the Sixth Army Group on the defense
pockets which deny the Allies use of port facilities in the Bordeaux area:
  1. 480 of 490 B-17s hit 15 strongpoints and flak batteries in the Bordeaux/
Royan, Pointe Coubre and Pointe Grave areas; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair
and 1 damaged; 1 airman is WIA.
  2. 315 of 336 B-24s hit 12 strongpoints and flak batteries in the same area
as Force 1; 2 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 18
airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 12 MIA.
  3. 338 of 341 B-17s attack 4 strongpoints and flak batteries in the
Bordeaux/Royan area without loss.
  4. 31 P-47s and P-51s fly scouting missions.
  5. 9 of 11 P-51s escort 8 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over
Royan and Germany.
  Mission 949: 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany, the Netherlands and
France during the night.
  Mission 950: An experimental bombing operation is flown by a Mosquito and
B-24s against Neuruppin Airfield, Germany; the mission is unsuccessful.
  1 of 4 B-24s completes a CARPETBAGGER mission to Denmark during the night.
  HQ 352d Fighter Group and the 486th and 487th Fighter Squadrons move from
Chievres, Belgium to Bodney, England with P-51s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 18 B-26s fly a leaflet
mission in the Ruhr area; fighters fly patrols, sweeps, and armed
reconnaissance, and support the US 3d Armored Division SW of the Elbe/Mulde
River junction near Dessau, the 9th Armored Division in the Borna and
Lobstadt area, XX Corps elements which continue to arrive at the Zwickauer
Mulde River, the VIII Corps along the Weisse Elster River S of Gera, XII
Corps elements in the Bayreuth area, the 2d and 5th Armored Divisions along
the Elbe River in the Barby-Magdeburg and Tangermunde areas. Units moving in
Germany: HQ XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) to Gutersloh; HQ 84th and
HQ 303d Fighter Wings from Haltern to Gutersloh; HQ 100th Fighter Wing from
Metz, France to Konigstein; 167th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to
Sixth Army Group) from Kaiserslautern to Pfaffengrund with L-5s; the 377th
and 378th Fighter Squadrons, 362d Fighter Group from Rouvres, France to
Frankfurt with P-47s; the 389th and 390th Fighter Squadrons, 366th Fighter
Group, from Asch, Belgium to Handorf Airfield, Munster with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 318 B-17s and B-24s hit
ammunition factories at Avigliana, Spilimbergo, Malcontenta, and Palmanova,
and a motor transport depot at Osoppo, Italy and the Klagenfurt, Austria
marshalling yard as a target of opportunity; 158 fighters provide escort; 29
P-38s bomb and strafe railroad targets in the Munich and Regensburg, Germany-
Linz, Austria areas; 54 P-51s fly escort for MATAF B-25s bombing targets in N
Italy.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 13/14
Apr, A-20s and A-26s continue to hit communications in the Po Valley; bad
weather over the N part of the Brenner line prevents medium bomber attacks
but the B-25s hit alternates on the S part of line at Salorno, San Ambrogio
di Valpolicella, and Chiusaforte, bomb guns SE of La Spezia in support of the
US Fifth Army, and hit 5 defensive positions along the British Eighth Army
front in the Argenta area; fighter-bombers concentrate on supporting Fifth
Army forces SW of Bologna.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 Angaur Island-based B-24s pound supply and
personnel areas at Tigatto in the Philippine Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): B-29 units arriving at Northwest Field, Guam
Island from the US: HQ 16th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and the 16th and
17th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy); HQ 501st Bombardment Group (Very
Heavy) and the 21st and 485th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy). 

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s sweep the
Canton-Hong Kong, China waterways, hitting shipping and other targets and
B-24s bomb four airfields on Formosa. In the Philippine Islands, B-24s,
B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers fly numerous strikes in support of ground
forces and against airfields, gun positions, defenses, and troop
concentrations throughout Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao Islands.

SUNDAY, 15 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 flies a weather reconnaissance mission.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s knock out the Pa-
Ching pontoon bridge, 7 pound a storage depot at Fang-cheng, 4 bomb
Tunganhsien, and 3 hit Paoching; 1 B-24 bombs the Canton docks; almost 200
fighter-bombers ranging over all of S China and up into the N China plain hit
numerous targets including bridges, river shipping, town areas, trucks,
railroad traffic, gun positions, storage areas, and general targets of
opportunity; the Paoching, Hengyang, Yungfengshih, and Hsihhsiassuchi areas
are especially hard hit.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 62 P-38s and P-47s attack
troop concentrations and supply areas at Loi-Mwe, Lawksawk, Thongdan, and
near Laihka; 312 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 951: 1,348 unescorted bombers are dispatched to visually attack
strongpoints on the French Atlantic coast; the first two forces below make
the sole operational employment of napalm bomb by the Eighth AF against
German ground installations (pillboxes, gunpits, tank trenches, and heavy gun
emplacements); the results are negligible and HQ recommends its
discontinuance against this type of target: 
  1. 492 of 529 B-17s hit four strongpoints and flak batteries in the Royan
area; 5 B-17s are damaged.
  2. 341 of 359 B-24s hit six strongpoints and flak batteries in the Royan
area; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA.
  3. 442 of 457 B-17s hit 9 strongpoints and flak batteries in the Bordeaux/
Royan, Pointe Grave and Pointe Courbre area without loss.
  4. 3 B-17s and 20 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  5. 107 of 109 P-51s support Ninth AF B-26s; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).
  6. 6 of 7 P-51s escort 6 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Royan
and Germany.
  Mission 952: 1 Mosquito and 9 B-24s abort a mission to Lechfeld Airfield
during the night.
  Mission 953: 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and
Germany during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 258 B-26s and A-26s bomb
marshalling yards at Gunzburg and Ulm (primary targets) and several other
targets including 3 marshalling yards; fighters escort the bombers, fly
patrols and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 3d Armored Division near
Dessau and across the Mulde River near Torten, the 9th Armored Division along
the Mulde NW of Borna, the VIII Corps along Weisse Elster River between Gera
and Plauen, the XX Corps astride the Mulde NE of Chemnitz (where the 6th
Armored Division awaits Red Army forces), and the 2d Armored Division on the
Elbe River near Magdeburg. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 363d Tactical
Reconnaissance Group from Venlo, the Netherlands to Gutersloh; HQ 368th
Fighter Group and 395th and 396th Fighter Squadrons from Metz, France to
Frankfurt-am-Main with P-47s; HQ 406th Fighter Group and 512th, 513th and
514th Fighter Squadrons from Assche, Belgium to Handorf with P-47s; 72d
Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group) from Darmstadt to
Kitzingen with L-5s; 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached
to Twelfth Army Group) from Marburg to Bad Wildungen with L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 830 B-17s and B-24s,
in support of the US Fifth Army, blast gun positions, supply dumps, troop
concentrations, maintenance installations, and German HQ along highways
leading from Bologna; 145 P-38s furnish escort; another force of 312 B-17s
and B-24s bomb rail diversion bridges at Nervesa della Battaglia, Ponte di
Piave, and Casarsa della Delizia, and an ammunition factory and stores at
Ghedi; 191 P-51s provide escort. 36 P-38s and 36 P-51s strafe rail
communications in the area bounded by Munich, Germany, Salzburg and Linz,
Austria, Plzen, Czechoslovakia, and Regensburg, Germany; 12 of the P-38s
skipbomb rail targets in the Salzburg-Linz, Austria area, including
the Vocklabruck marshalling yard; 8 P-38s furnish top cover for the strafing
missions. 128 P-51s provide uneventful escort for MATAF bombers on 3 missions
to N Italy. Other P-38s and P-51s carry out reconnaissance and reconnaissance
escort operations. Today's effort is the largest of World War II by the
Fifteenth AF (most fighters and bombers dispatched and attacking, and the
largest bomb tonnage dropped) during a 24-hour period; 1,142 heavy bombers
bomb targets.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 14/15
Apr, A-20s and A-26s concentrate on communications targets in the Po Valley,
particularly the Po River crossings; during the day medium bombers and
fighter-bombers concentrate on direct support of the US Fifth and British
Eighth Army drives, hitting troop concentrations, guns, strongpoints, and
a variety of targets in areas S of Bologna, around Medicina and Sasso Marconi
and at other points in battle areas.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown during the night of
15/16 Apr.
  Mission 68: 194 B-29s bomb the Kawasaki urban area; 8 others hit targets of
opportunity; 12 B-29s are lost. 
  Mission 69: 109 B-29s hit the urban area of Tokyo; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa B-24s
bomb Toyohara, Shinchiku, and Shinshoshi Airfields and B-25s hit the Shoka
rail yards. On Luzon Island, B-24s and fighter-bombers bomb island
fortifications in Manila Bay, fighter-bombers hit bivouacs and other targets
in N Luzon and support ground forces E of Manila and on Carabao Island.
Fighter bombers and B-24s fly support missions for ground forces on Negros
and Cebu Islands. On Mindanao Island, B-24s bomb the Davao area and B-25s
join US Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft in hitting highways and vehicles. The
4th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, moves from Mangaldan
to Laoag, Luzon with P-51s.

MONDAY, 16 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, B-25s abort a mission
to bomb Hayakegawa because of weather front; 6 B-24s radarbomb the Kataoka
naval base on Shimushu Island; another B-24 flies a radar-ferret sortie.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 18 B-24s pound a storage
area at Linfen; 3 bomb targets of opportunity in the Bakli Bay, Hainan Island
and Canton areas; 10 B-25s bomb Yungfengshih, Kweilin, and Shanhsien,
knocking out 1 bridge and hitting buildings, river shipping, and rail
traffic. About 120 fighter-bombers over S and E China hit river, road, and
rail traffic, town areas, troops, and general targets of opportunity at many
scattered locations; the 490th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st
Bombardment Group (Medium), based at Hanchung sends a detachment to operate
from Hsian with B-25s.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 22 fighter-bombers pound
troop concentrations in the Ke-hsi Mansam vicinity; 19 others attack road
bridges behind enemy lines, claiming 1 bridge destroyed; air transport
operations to forward areas continue on steady basis.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 954: In the afternoon, 1,252 bombers and 913 fighters are
dispatched to attack rail targets in Germany; they claim 727-0-373 Luftwaffe
aircraft; 1 B-24 and 31 fighters are lost.
  1. 273 of 306 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Landshut; 1 B-24 is lost,
2 damaged beyond repair and 8 damaged; 7 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 299
P-47s and P-51s; they claim 228-0-109 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-47 and 16
P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  2. 454 B-17s are sent to hit the marshallling yard (148), East rail bridge
(72) and West rail bridge (74) at Regensburg, the Platting marshalling yard
(77) and rail bridge at Straubing (76); 2 B-17s are damaged. The escort is
240 of 262 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and 86-0-66 on the
ground; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  3. 286 of 298 P-51s fly a freelance mission in support of the bombers
attacking 40+ landing grounds in Germany and Czechoslovakia; they claim 1-0-1
aircraft in the air and 410-0-198 on the ground; 9 P-51s are lost (pilots
MIA).
  4. 19 of 22 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
  5. 16 P-51s escort 10 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany; 2
P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  Mission 955: During the morning, 485 of 489 B-17s bomb the tank ditch
defense line at Pointe de Grave on the S side of the Gironde estuary in the
Bordeaux area in support of the ground assault in that area; 14 B-17s are
damaged.
  Mission 956: During the night, 11 of 12 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the
Netherlands and Germany.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): The 526th Fighter Squadron, 86th
Fighter Group, moves from Tantonville, France to Braunschardt, Germany with
P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, about 450 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s bomb the
Zerbst communications center, Gunzenhausen marshalling yard, Kempten ordnance
depot, and Wittenberg marshalling yard and gun positions; the IX Tactical Air
Command's fighters claim 25 air victories during the day as they escort the
bombers, fly patrols, area cover, and armed reconnaissance, attack airfields
and other targets, and support the US 3rd Armored Division SW of Dessau, the
9th Armored Division in the Bennewitz-Colditz area along the Mulde River, the
XX Corps which remains at the Zwickauer Mulde River bridgehead NE of
Chemnitz, the VIII Corps crossing the Weisse Elster River between Gera and
Plauen, the 2d Armored Division on the Elbe River near Magdeburg, the XIX
Corps E of Barby, and the V Corps near Leipzig; the 354th Fighter Group (the
pioneer P-51 group of the Ninth AF) claims its 900th air victory. Unit moves:
HQ 391st Bombardment Group (Medium) and 572d Bombardment Squadron (Medium)
from Amy Airfield, Roye, France to Assche, Belgium with B-26s; 33d
Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group,
from Venlo, the Netherlands to Gutersloh, Germany with F-5s; the 160th and
161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group,
from Venlo, the Netherlands to Gutersloh, Germany with F-6s; the 397th
Fighter Squadron, 368th Fighter Group, form Metz, France to Frankfurt-am-
Main, Germany with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 98 B-24s, escorted by 102
P-51s, bomb positions SW of Bologna, Italy; almost 700 B-24s and B-17s abort
due to bad weather. 36 P-51s sweep areas S of Munich, Germany, Plzen,
Czechoslovakia, and Linz, Austria and 4 strafe an airfield E of Munich,
Germany.  Other P-51s and P-38s fly escort and reconnaissance missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 15/16
Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit Po River crossings, the towns of Vignola, Zoeca, and
Sassuolo, and several targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; during the day
medium bombers bomb bridges on the Reno River near Bologna, blast troop
reserve areas SE of Portomaggiore on the British Eighth Army front, and
attack troop concentrations S of Portomaggiore; fighters and fighter-bombers
concentrate most of their effort on close support targets in the US Fifth
Army battle area S and SW of Bologna.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 18 Guam Island-based B-24s pound Marcus Island in the
N Pacific. 2 P-61s from Saipan Island bomb and strafe Pagan Island.
    VII Fighter Command: Mission 3: In the first very long range fighter
operation from Iwo Jima Island, P-51s with Twentieth AF B-29 navigational
escort, strafe and bomb targets at Kanoya Airfield on Kyushu Island, Japan; 4
P-51s are lost; B-25s continue to furnish navigational escort in all
subsequent VII Fighter Command strikes (through 14 Aug) on Japan from Iwo
Jima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-25s
hit Taien Airfield, while B-24s and P-51s bomb Giran and Matsuyama Airfields
and nearby areas. Fighter bombers hit N Luzon Island bivouacs and other
targets and support strikes and sweeps are flown over Cebu, Negros, and
Mindanao Islands with B-25s hitting highways on Mindanao Island and B-24s hit
defenses on Carabao Island. P-38s pound Lingkas Tank Farm and other targets
at Tarakan, Borneo. During the night of 15/16 Apr B-24s bomb Taihoku,
Formosa. The 387th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 312th Bombardment Group
(Light) moves from Mangaldan to Floridablanca, Luzon with A-20s.

TUESDAY, 17 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25s and 4 P-51s blast
river shipping S of Yiyang; 6 B-25s bomb the area around Kwangsi University
at Liang-feng; 2 B-24s bomb the Bakli Bay dock area on Hainan Island; 70+
P-51s and P-40s hit troops, town areas, road traffic, river shipping, and
general targets of opportunity at several locations in S and E China
including Changsha, Sinning, Sinhwa, Yiyang, Tungting Lake, Paoching,
Yungfengshih, Shanhsien, Lingling, Pingsiang, Tsinkong, and Hochih.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 18 fighter-bombers hit
troops and supplies near Mong Kung and Wan Hpun; 12 others attack vehicles
and other targets of opportunity along roads S of the bomb line; 489
transport sorties are completed to forward areas throughout the day.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 957: 1,054 bombers and 816 fighters are dispatched to hit rail
targets in E Germany and W Czechoslovakia; 50 Luftwaffe fighters are
encountered, mostly jets and the AAF claims a total of 300-0-119 aircraft
destroyed on the ground and in the air (including 4 jets); 8 bombers and 17
fighters are lost.
  1. 450 B-17s are dispatched to hit the rail center (152) and marshalling
yard (276) at Dresden; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft; 6 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged
beyond repair and 130 damaged; 6 airmen are WIA and 50 MIA. Escorting are 230
of 257 P-51s; they claim 2-0-3 aircraft in the air and 91-0-37 on the ground;
2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  2. 410 B-17s are sent to the Dresden area (76), rail junction and station
at Aussig (86), and oil depot and marshalling yard at Roundnice (115); 86 hit
the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Dresden; 2 B-17s are lost and
47 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 18 MIA. 265 of 276 P-51s escort claiming
11-0-2 aircraft in the air and 142-0-47 on the ground; 14 P-51s are lost; 2
pilots are WIA and 14 MIA.
  3. 194 B-24s are sent to hit the rail center and junction at Fischern (55),
the rail junction and industry at Kladno (36), rail junction and bridge at
Falkenau (37) and railroad, rail industry and marshalling yard at Beroun
(61) without loss. The escort is 228 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 53-0-29
aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  4. 24 of 25 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  5. 9 P-51s escort 10 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  Mission 958: During the night of 17/18 Apr, 10 B-24s drop leaflets in
France, the Netherlands and Germany and 19 of 20 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER
missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): Unit moves in Germany: the 415th
Night Fighter Squadron, 64th Fighter Wing, from St Dizier, France to
Braunstadt with Beaufighters; the 527th Fighter Squadron, 86th Fighter Group,
from Tantonville, France to Braunschardt with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, the 9th Bombardment Division attacks the
defended city of Magdeburg (including numerous gun positions in the area),
marshalling yard and ordnance depot at Aalen, marshalling yard and ordnance
depot at Tubingen, and ordnance depot at Ravensburg; fighters fly escort to
the bombers, fly patrols, area cover, and armed reconnaissance, hit airfields
at Marianske Lazne and Michalovy Hory, and support the US 3d Armored Division
mopping up S of the Elbe River and W of the Mulde River near Dessau, the 9th
Armored Division along the Mulde E of Leipzig, the VIII Corps in the Greiz-
Zwickau area, the XX Corps SW of Chemnitz, the 5th Armored Division at the
Knesebeck Forest, S of Wittingen, and the 2d Armored Division opening an
assault on Magdeburg. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 48th Fighter Group and 493d
and 494th Fighter Squadrons from Kelz to Kassel with P-47s; the 15th Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Ober Olm to
Erfurt with F-6s; the 158th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Twelfth
Army Group), from Celles, Belgium to Ahrweiler with L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 751 B-24s and B-17s,
in support of the US Fifth Army, hit troop concentrations, supply dumps, gun
positions, and HQ immediately S and SW of Bologna; 143 P-51s provide escort.
147 P-38s divebomb railroad bridges at Seefeld and Mariahof, Austria. 14
P-51s, with 10 flying top cover, strafe targets of opportunity in the Munich,
Germany, Plzen, Czechoslovakia, and Linz, Austria areas. 61 P-51s escort
MATAF supply missions to N Italy and bombing raids on bridges in W Austria.
Other P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 16/17
Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit Po River crossings and several towns W and SW of
Bologna; during the day B-25s of the 57th Bombardment Wing successfully
attack 4 Reno River bridges near Bologna and close support targets on the
British Eighth Army front to the SW, and extensively damage 4 bridges in N
Italy and Austria on the Brenner rail line; XXII Tactical Air Command
fighters and fighter-bombers concentrate on close support of the US Fifth
Army S and W of Bologna.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): 18 P-51s flying two strikes from Iwo Jima
Island, attack vessels in Futamiko in the Bonin Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 70 to 75: 118 B-29s bomb airfields
at Tachiarai, Kokubu, Izumi, Nittagahara, and 2 at Kanoya, Japan; 5 others
attack targets of opportunity; beginning on this date and continuing through
11 May, XXI Bomber Command devotes about 75 per cent of its combat effort to
support of the Okinawa campaign; during this period the B-29s fly more than
2,100 sorties against 17 airfields on Kyushu and Shikoku Islands which are
dispatching air attacks (including Kamikaze raids) against USN and USMC
forces.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s
bomb Taichu, Shinshoshi, Toyohara, and Okayama Airfields and B-25s hit the
airfield at Taito. Numerous sweeps and sorties are flown in support of ground
forces over Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao Islands and the Sulu
Archipelago. B-24s over Mindanao bomb Cotabato and Kabacan. The 69th and
311th Fighter Squadrons, 58th Fighter Group, move from Mangaldan to Porac,
Luzon with P-47s.

WEDNESDAY, 18 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s hit trucks and
other targets of opportunity E of Siangtan; 52 P-51s and P-40s attack river
shipping, town areas, rail and road traffic, tanks, and bridges at several S
and E China locations including Sinhwa, Hengyang, Changsha, Luchai, Paoching,
Kweiyang, Yenkou, Sinning, and Siangtan.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 21 P-38s attack troop
concentration, tanks, artillery positions, and a bivouac area near Man Li and
Kongsam; 5 P-61s hit a supply area W of Laihka; transports land or drop 806
tons of supplies at forward bases and frontline areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  AIRBORNE OPERATIONS (IX Troop Carrier Command): HQ 349th Troop Carrier
Group and the 23d, 312th, 313th and 314th Troop Carrier Squadrons move from
Barkston, England to Amy Airfield, Roye, France with C-47s.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 959: 767 bombers and 705 fighters are dispatched to hit rail
targets in Czechoslovakia and SE Bavaria; they claim 16-0-14 Luftwaffe
aircraft; 2 B-17s and 2 P-51s are lost:
  1. 174 B-17s hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Straubing
without loss. 99 P-51s escort.
  2. 121 B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Kollin (97); 21
others hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Pilsen; 1 B-17 is damaged
beyond repair and 17 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. The escort is 157 of 160
P-51s; they claim 3-0-4 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  3. 196 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yard (166) and rail bridge and
rail industry (28) at Passau without loss. Escorting are 240 P-47s and P-51s;
they claim 12-0-8 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  4. 276 B-17s are sent to hit electrical transformers (9) and marshalling
yard (56) at Traunstein and marshalling yard and electrical transformers at
Rosenheim (148); 61 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Freising; no
losses or casualties. 139 of 150 P-51s escort.
  5. 101 of 103 P-51s escort Ninth AF B-26s claiming 1-0-2 aircraft in the
air.
  6. 27 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  7. 15 of 17 P-51s escort 11 of 13 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions
over Germany.
  Mission 960: During the night of 18/19 Apr, 11 B-24s drop leaflets in
France, the Netherlands and Germany and 17 of 18 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER
missions to Denmark and Norway.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): HQ 86th Fighter Group and 525th
Fighter Squadron move from Tantonville, France to Braunschardt, Germany with
P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, about 590 B-26s, A-26s, and A-20s attack oil
storage at Neuburg an der Donau, marshalling yards at Juterbog and
Nordlingen, and rail junctions at Falkenburg and Juterbog; fighters escort
the bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance, attack assigned
targets, and support ground forces including the US V Corps assaulting
Leipzig, the VII Corps in the Dessau-Halle areas, the 5th Armored Division
near Steimke, and the 2d Armored Division at Magdeburg and other XIX Corps
elements astride the Elbe River S of Barby; organized German resistance in
the Ruhr pocket ceases. The 492d Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group, moves
from Kelz to Kassel, Germany with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 473 B-24s and B-17s,
with an escort of 89 P-51s, support the US Fifth Army offensive in the
Bologna area, blasting defensive positions and communications in areas around
the city; 78 P-38s dive-bomb railroad a bridge at Malborghetta Valbruna,
while 87 others dive-bomb 2 railroad bridges at and SE of Kolbnitz, Austria.
P-51s sweep the Augsburg, Germany, Plzen, Czechoslovakia, and Linz, Austria
areas, escort reconnaissance missions flown by P-38s, and escort MATAF B-25s
and C-47s on bombing and supply operations.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 17/18
Apr, A-20s and A-26s pound communications in the S Po Valley and towns of
Vignola, Bazzano, and Sassuolo in the US Fifth Army battle area; medium
bombers hit 2 railroad fills and a bridge on the S Brenner line and troop
concentrations on the US Fifth and British Eighth Army fronts, SW of Bologna
and in the Dugnano Paderno area; fighter-bombers of the XXII Tactical Air
Command also concentrate on support targets in the Fifth Army battle area.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): During the night of 18/19 Apr, 3 Iwo Jima
Island-based P-61s flying individual strikes, bomb and strafe Futamiko and
the radio station on Chichi Jima Island.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 76 to 81: 112 B-29s hit Japanese
airfields at Tachiarai, Izumi, Kokubu, Nittagahara, and 2 at Kanoya, the same
targets attacked yesterday; 13 other B-29s hit targets of opportunity; 2
B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa B-25s
bomb Karenko Airfield, B-24s bit Tainan, Giran, Toyohara, Hobi, and Soton
Airfields, and P-38s on sweeps hit rail and road transportation. Fighter
bombers and A-20s hit the Balete Pass area and support ground forces on
Luzon, Negros, and Cebu Islands. B-24s bomb Piso Point on Mindanao Island. On
Borneo, B-25s and P-38s hit Tarakan and Sandakan. HQ 58th Fighter Group and
310th Fighter Squadron move from Mangaldan to Porac, Luzon with P-47s.

THURSDAY, 19 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 8 B-25s off to bomb Kurile Island targets
abort due to weather.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-24s bomb railway
repair shops at Taiyuan; 3 others attack targets of opportunity in Bakli Bay
on Hainan Island, 8 B-25s attack bridges and rail and road traffic N and NE
of Anyang and NE of Taiku, damaging or destroying several locomotives and
numerous boxcars; 100+ P-40s, P-51s, and P-47s attack town areas, troops,
river, road, and rail traffic, and general targets of opportunity all over S
and E China and hit a few targets of opportunity in N French Indochina.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 14 P-38s hit supplies near
Paklu, a fuel dump at Hainang, and bridges near Kunna; 1 bridge is knocked
out; 6 other P-38s attack targets of opportunity along roads behind enemy
lines; air supply operations continue as 800 tons of supplies are landed or
dropped in forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 961: 605 B-17s and 584 P-51s are dispatched to make visual attacks
on rail targets in SE Germany and NW Czechoslovakia; they claim 18-1-5
Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s and 2 P-51s are lost:
  1. 284 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yards at Elsterwerda (135) and
Falkenberg (143); 27 are damaged. Escorting are 191 of 204 P-51s; they claim
5-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  2. 321 B-17s are dispatched to hit the railroad industry and rail bridge at
Pirna (115) and Karlsbad (87) and the marshalling yard at Aussig (109); they
claim 6-1-2 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost and 13 damaged; 46 airmen are MIA. The
escort is 197 of 206 P-51s; they claim 7-0-3 aircraft.
  3. 138 of 154 P-51s fly a freelance mission in support of the B-17s.
  4. 14 P-51s fly weather reconnaissance missions.
  5. 6 P-51s escort 7 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany; 1
P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  During the night of 19/20 Apr, 11 of 16 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to
Norway; 2 B-24s are lost.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, the 9th Bombardment
Division hits marshalling yards at Ulm, Neu Ulm, and Gunzburg (primary
targets), the city of Donauworth and a target of opportunity at Schelklingen;
weather prevents 70+ of the 450+ dispatched aircraft from bombing targets;
fighters fly escort to the bombers, carry out patrols and armed
reconnaissance, bomb a radio station, and cooperate with the US VII Corps in
the Halle-Dessau area, the XII Corps attacking SE from S of Bayreuth, the XX
Corps in the Bamberg-Nurnberg area, preparing to drive toward Austria, and
the XIX Corps along the Elbe River in the Magdeburg area. The 31st Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF [attached to 9th Tactical Reconnaissance
Group (Provisional)], moves from Maastricht, the Netherlands to Wiesbaden,
Germany with F-6s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 619 B-17s and B-24s attack rail
communications in S Germany, Austria, and N Italy, bombing the Rattenberg,
Austria railroad bridge and marshalling yards at Lienz, Klagenfurt and Linz,
Austria; Bischofshofen and Rosenheim, Germany; and in Italy, the Avisio
viaduct, Vipiteno railroad bridge, AA batteries near Grisolera and Santo
Stino di Livenza, and several minor targets of opportunity. 78 P-38s divebomb
the marshalling yard at Weilheim, Germany.  Other P-38s and P-51s fly
reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort, and escort MATAF B-25s and C-47s.
B-24 units moving from Italy to the US: HQ 98th and 343d, 344th, 345th and
415th Bombardment Squadrons from Lecce; HQ 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
and 512th, 513th, 514th and 515th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) from San
Pancrazio.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 18/19
Apr, A-20s and A-26s bomb roads, vehicles, and lights in the Bologna, Turin,
Milan, and Mantua areas, and continuing to pound Po River crossings, hit 8
bridges; medium bombers bomb bridges in the Brenner Pass and support ground
forces at several points including Budrio, Vignola, and San Martino in the
Soverzano areas; fighter-bombers hit dumps, communications, and close support
targets in the US Fifth Army battle areas S and W of Bologna.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 17 B-24s from Guam Island hit Dublon, Fefan and Eten
Islands in Truk Atoll. 25 B-24s, based in the Palau islands, bomb nearby
Arakabesan and Koror Islands.
    VII Fighter Command: 8 P-51s from Iwo Jima Island bomb and strafe
Futamiko in the Bonin Islands. During the night of 19/20 Apr, 6 P-61s from
Iwo Jima, operating singly and at intervals, bomb and strafe Chichi, Haha,
and Muko Jima Islands. Very Long Range Mission 4: 104 P-51s fly a fighter
sweep to Atsugi and Yokusuka Airfields in Japan; they claim 23-0-7 aircraft
in the air and 14-0-23 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s over Formosa
bomb Tainan Airfield and Shinchiku town. Numerous missions are flown in
support of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros Islands. On Mindanao
Island, other B-24s bomb personnel areas at Kabacan, Cagayan, and along the
Davao River. Tarakan, Borneo is hit by a light B-25 strike while B-24s
returning from a French Indochina coastal sweep bomb Sandakan. B-25s, with
P-51 cover, hit Haimi. Unit moves on Luzon: HQ 3d Air Commando Group and the
3d Fighter Squadron (Commando) from Mangaldan to Laoag with P-51s; HQ 35th
Fighter Group from Lingayen to Clark Field; HQ 312th Bombardment Group
(Light) from Mangaldan to Floridablanca; the 431st, 432d and 433d Fighter
Squadrons, 475th Fighter Group, from Clark Field to Lingayen with P-38s. The
25th Liaison Squadron, Thirteenth AF, moves from Dulag, Leyte to Malabang,
Mindanao with UC-78s and L-5s.

FRIDAY, 20 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s hit the town of
Neihsiang and attack railroad targets of opportunity from Saiping to
Lohochai and from Linying, Burma to Hsuchang; 9 B-25s bomb Loyang and Luchou;
100+ P-51s, P-40s, and P-47s concentrate attacks against town areas
throughout S and E China, also hitting troops, gun positions, river traffic,
and other targets of opportunity.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): 32 P-38s knock out 3 bridges and
damage 5 others in C Burma behind the enemy lines; 12 P-47s hit a troop
concentration and ration dump at Tonglau, 18 attack a troop concentration
around a monastery at Kengkawmanhaung, and 12 attack troops along a stream
near Wan Nahpeit; 497 transport sorties land or drop 784 tons of supplies in
forward areas. Unit moves: 1st Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier
Group, from Sookerating, India to Warazup, Burma with C-47s; 20th Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, from
Myitkyina, Burma to Nagaghuli, India with F-6s and P-40s (a flight is
operating from Akyab, Burma); 164th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air
Commando Group, from Asansol, India to Sinthe, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 962: 837 bombers and 890
fighters are dispatched to hit rail targets NNW to SSW of Berlin, Bavaria and
Czechoslovakia; they claim 7-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-17 is lost:
  1. 319 B-17s are sent to hit the rail industry at Nauen (82) and
marshalling yards at Wustermark (77), Neuruppin (57) and Oranienburg (82); 1
hits Neuruppin Airfield, a target of opportunity; 15 B-17s are damaged and 1
airman WIA. Escorting are 258 of 271 P-51s; 1 is lost.
  2. 289 B-17s are dispatched to attack marshalling yards at Brandenburg
(137), Seddin (66) and Treuenbrietzen (82); 1 B-17 is lost and 10 damaged; 10
airmen are MIA. The escort is 227 of 241 P-51s.
  3. 223 B-24s are sent to hit a rail bridge and junction at Zwiesel (56);
marshalling yard and rail junction at Muhldorf (53) and the railroad and rail
junction at Irrenlohe (55) and Klatovy (54); 1 hits the secondary target, the
marshalling yard at Straubing; no losses, damage or casualties. 228 P-47s and
P-51s escort.
  4. 100 of 108 P-51s fly a freelance fighter sweep for Forces 2 and 3 above;
they claim 7-0-4 aircraft in the air.
  5. 6 B-17s fly a screening mission.
  6. 22 of 25 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
  7. 11 P-51s escort 11 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany.
  During the night of 20/21 Apr, 12 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to
Norway; 2 B-24s are lost.
  
  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): HQ 50th Fighter Group and the
10th, 81st and 313th Fighter Squadrons move from Ochey Airfield, Toul, France
to Giebelstadt, Germany with P-47s.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, 564 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s strike oil
storage at Deggendorf and Annaburg, marshalling yards at Memmingen and
Wittenberg, ordnance depots at Nordlingen and Straubing, and other targets
including flak positions; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols, sweeps,
and armed reconnaissance, attack special targets, and cooperate with US
ground forces including the VII Corps W of Dessau, the VIII Corps between
Plauen and Chemnitz, the XII Corps in the Grafenwohr area, the XX Corps
attacking toward the Danube River and Regensburg, and the XIX Corps in the
Magdeburg-Barby area. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 370th Fighter Group and 401st
Fighter Squadron from Zwartberg, Belgium to Gutershoh with P-51s; HQ 373d
Fighter Group and 410th Fighter Squadron from Venlo, the Netherlands to
Lippstadt with P-47s; 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Ninth AF
[attached to 9th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (Provisional)], from
Maastricht, the Netherlands to Wiesbaden, Germany with F-5s; 573d and 575th
Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 391st Bombardment Group (Medium), from Amy
Airfield, Roye, France to Assche, Belgium with B-26s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bombers again pound railway
systems and road bridges in an effort to hinder the supply or withdrawal of
enemy forces in N Italy; 700+ B-24s and B-17s hit railroad bridges at
Campodazzo, Ponte Gardena, and Campo di Trens, a viaduct at Avisio,
marshalling yards at Vipiteno, Fortezza, and Brennero, and road bridges at
Lusia, la Carrare, and Boara Pisani, and in Austria, the Mariahof viaduct and
Innsbruck marshalling yard. 115 P-38s divebomb the Innsbruck, Austria-
Rattenberg, Austria-Rosenheim, Germany railroad line, hitting marshalling
yards at Hall, Schwaz, Jenbach, Kundl, and Worgl, Austria and Kiefersfelden,
Germany, 4 rail bridges, and several box cars, and cut rail lines at 42
places between Innsbruck and Rosenheim. Other P-38s and P-51s escort heavy
bombers, MATAF supply runs to N Italy, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and MATAF
B-25 raids in N Italy, and fly reconnaissance.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 19/20
Apr, A-20s and A-26s on night intruder missions continue to pound Po River
crossings and vehicle movement throughout the Valley; medium bombers
considerably damage 4 of 6 railroad bridges and fills attached on the Brenner
line, and also hit HQ in the battle area and 2 Reno River bridges N of
Bologna; fighter-bombers again support US Fifth Army elements S and W of
Bologna as they begin to emerge from the Apennines onto the Po plain.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): 11 P-51s from Iwo Jima Island bomb Haha Jima
Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s
bomb Tainan Airfield while P-51s attack Koshun Airfield. Large-scale FEAF
support of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros Islands continues. On
Borneo, B-24s bomb Sepinggang and Labuan Island Airfields and P-38s and B-25s
hit Tarakan Island. Unit moves on Luzon: HQ 475th Fighter Group from Clark
Field to Lingayen; 386th, 388th and 389th Bombardment Squadrons (Light),
312th Bombardment Group (Light) from Mangaldan to Floridablanca with A-20s.

SATURDAY, 21 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s bomb Loyang; a
single B-24 hits targets of opportunity in Bakli Bay on Hainan Island; 30
P-51s and P-47s attack railroad and road targets, barracks area, buildings,
and bridges at or near Paoching, Chihsien, Taiku, Hsihhsiassuchi, Shaho,
Linfen, Luan, Yutze, and Shanhsien.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Bad weather over C Burma causes
canceling or aborting of all combat missions however, transports complete
464 sorties, landing or dropping 682 tons of supplies to forward areas. The
81st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th Bombardment Group (Medium), based at
Fenny, India with B-25s, sends a detachment to operate from Meiktila, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 963: 532 bombers and 444 fighters attack jet fighter airfields and
rail targets in SE Germany; 2 bombers and 2 fighters are lost:
  1. 111 of 113 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Munich, a target of last
resort, with H2X radar; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged.
Escorting are 90 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair.
  2. 186 B-24s are sent to hit the Salzburg marshalling yard and rail bridge
but abort the mission due to 10/10 cloud cover; 1 B-24 is lost and 4 damaged;
1 airman is WIA and 12 MIA. The escort is 99 of 109 P-51s.
  3. 6 of 232 B-17s hit the secondary target, the Amlech Airfield at
Landsberg; 212 hit a target of last resort, the town of Ingolstadt; 1 B-17 is
lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA and 7 MIA. 144
of 160 P-51s escort; 2 are lost (pilots MIA).
  4. 1 B-17 and 23 P-51s fly scouting missions.
  5. 48 of 57 P-47s fly a fighter sweep in the Salzburg area.
  6. 4 of 5 P-51s escort 3 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over
Germany.
  Mission 964: During the night of 21/22 Apr, 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in
France, the Netherlands and Germany.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Brigadier General Ralph F Stearley
takes over as Commanding General, IX Fighter Command, and also takes command
of the IX Tactical Air Command. In Germany, 121 bombers hit the Attnang-
Puchheim marshalling yard; fighters fly escort, patrols, armed reconnaissance
and cooperate with the US VIII Corps as elements of the 6th Cavalry Group
cross the Czechoslovakian border to reach Hranice and Trojmezi, the XII Corps
in the Grafenwohr-Weiden area, and the XX Corps E of Nurnberg. Unit moves in
Germany: HQ 36th Fighter Group and 22d and 23d Fighter Squadrons from
Niedermennig to Rothwesen Airfield, Kassel with P-47s; 162d Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command [attached to 9th
Reconnaissance Group (Provisional)] from Haguenau, France to Wiesbaden with
F-6s; 391st Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, from Asch, Belgium to
Handorf Airfield, Munster with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 240 B-17s and B-24s, with P-51
escort, bomb marshalling yards at Rosenheim, Germany and Attnang-Puchheim,
Spittal an der Drau, and Vocklabruck, Austria; 400+ B-24s and their fighter
escorts, sent to attack communications in N Italy, abort due to bad weather;
138 P-38s bomb railroad lines and facilities in the Munich and Rosenheim,
Germany-Rattenberg, Austria areas; other P-38s fly reconnaissance while P-51s
escort reconnaissance flights, MATAF medium bomber operations to Austria, and
US and RAF supply and transport missions to Yugoslavia. HQ 52d Fighter Group
moves from Madna Airfield to Piagiolino Airfield, Italy.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 20/21
Apr, A-20s and A-26s bomb Po River crossings with good results; weather
curtails daytime operations but medium bombers score hits on the Matrei am
Brenner bridge on the Brenner rail line in Austria and in the late afternoon
hit Po River crossings; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter
bombers, grounded most of the day, fly close support to the US Fifth Army
which drives into Bologna (a longstanding objective) and begins to push
rapidly across the plain toward the Po River. 

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 18 Guam Island-based B-24s bomb Marcus Island
in the N Pacific.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 82 to 90: The XXI Bomber Command
continues to hit airfields in Japan; 217 B-29s blast airfields at Oita, 2 at
Kanoya, Usa, Kokubu, Kushira, Tachiarai, Izumi, and Nittagahara; 21 other
B-29s hit targets of opportunity including the city of Kagoshima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: FEAF continues
largescale support of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Jolo Islands.
On Borneo, B-24s bomb Miri, Kudat, Manggar, and Sepinggang Airfields and
P-38s hit Tarakan Island and Sandakan, Miri Airfield, oil storage near
Lutong, and, with B-24s, attack targets of opportunity along the SW Celebes
coast. The 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, moves from Lingayen to
Clark Field, Luzon with P-47s.

SUNDAY, 22 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2 B-24s bomb targets of
opportunity at Canton and in Bakli Bay on Hainan Island; 5 B-25s bomb
Hsuchang and hit the area to the NW; 19 P-51s and P-47s attack trains,
trucks, troops, horses, and town areas at or near Linfen, Luan, Sincheng,
Fentingtukou, Taiku, Chenghsien, Sinsiang, and Kaifeng.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather again cancels
scheduled air strikes; 464 transport sorties fly 664 tons of supplies to
forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 965: During the night of
22/23 Apr, 10 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany. 4
of 12 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to Norway. The 27th Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), moves from
Prouvy Airfield, Denain, France to Chalgrove, England with F-5s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents combat operations
by the 9th Bombardment Division and IX Tactical Air Command. The XIX Tactical
Air Command flies armed reconnaissance over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia,
flies area cover over the Wurzburg-Bayreuth areas, patrols the Third Army
front (the Bayreuth-Nurnberg areas), and the XII Corps in the German-Czech
border area near Weiden. Unit moves in Germany: HQ XIX Tactical Air Command
from Luxembourg; operational HQ of the XXIX Tactical Air Command
(Provisional) to Brunswick; HQ 84th and HQ 303d Fighter Wings from Haltern to
Gutersloh; HQ 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group from Gutersloh to Brunswick;
HQ 474th Fighter Group and 428th, 429th and 430th Fighter Squadrons from
Strassfeld to Langensalza with P-38s; 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air
Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group) from Hersfeld to Erlangen with L-5s;
402d and 485th Fighter Squadrons, 370th Fighter Group, from Zwartberg,
Belgium to Gutersloh with P-51s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather cancels all bomber
operations. 258 P-51s and P-38s fly armed reconnaissance over NE Italy,
bombing marshalling yards, bridges, railroads, highways, and several
buildings and strafing an airfield, rail and road traffic, and numerous other
targets of opportunity; other P-38s fly reconnaissance while P-51s escort
reconnaissance and supply missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): The entire night and day effort is
concentrated against German forces retreating N across the Po River in face
of allied forces which send advance elements racing to the S bank; medium
bombers fly 16 missions against ferries and pontoon bridge sites on the Po
between Casalmaggiore and Polesella; XXII Tactical Air Command A-20s and
A-26s, fighter-bombers, and fighters maintain night and day attacks on Po
crossings and enemy movement; the command claims 900+ motor and horse-drawn
vehicles destroyed.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): 99 effective sorties are flown during fighter
attack from Iwo Jima Island against Akenogahara and Suzuko Airfields in
Japan; they claim 10 aircraft downed and 15 destroyed on the ground.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 91 to 95: Strikes against airfields
continue; 87 B-29s bomb airfields at Izumi, Kushira, Miyazaki, Tomitaka, and
Kanoya and 6 others hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Numerous missions
in support of ground forces on Luzon, Cebu, and Negros Islands continue. In
Borneo, B-24s bomb Manggar and Jesselton airfields and P-38s hit Kuching.
B-24s hit shipping and harbor installations at Saigon, French Indochina.

MONDAY, 23 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s blast the Hsuchang
railroad yards, completely demolishing a locomotive repair shop; 2 B-24s
attack targets of opportunity in the S China Sea; 39 P-47s and P-51s attack
troops, horses, trains, and rivercraft at or near Nanyang, Burma and Taiku,
Shanhsien, Hsihhsiassuchi, Loning, Sinyang, Chenghsien, Sichuan, Lushan, and
along the Pinghan railroad, and render a railroad tunnel near Sinyang
unusable.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 P-61s attack with
napalm, rockets, and cannon several targets during sweeps from Laihka to
Loilem to Hopong to Wan Yin; Laihka Airfields, a bridge S of Wan Yin, trucks,
and other targets are successfully pounded; 40+ fighter-bombers attack troop
concentrations along and behind the lines at several points including Loilem,
Nawng Leng, Mong Pawn, and Naungtaw; a bridge at Namhkok is temporarily out
due to bomb damage to approaches; 570 transport sorties are flown to forward
areas throughout the day.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 966: During the night of
23/24 Apr, 1 B-17 and 12 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and
Germany and 14 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to Denmark.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): HQ 71st Fighter Wing moves from
Vittel, France to Heidelberg, Germany.
    Ninth Air Force: Weather cancels combat operations by the 9th Bombardment
Division. In Germany, fighters patrol the Magdeburg area and the US Third
Army front (E of the Bayreuth-Nurnberg area), fly armed reconnaissance over E
Germany and W Czechoslovakia, and operate in conjunction with the XII Corps
as it presses forward N of Regensburg between the Danube River and Czech
Border. P-47 unit moves in Germany: 411th and 412th Fighter Squadrons, 373d
Fighter Group, from Venlo, the Netherlands to Lippstadt; 509th, 510th and
511th Fighter Squadrons, 405th Fighter Group, from Ophoven, Belgium to
Kitzingen.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 719 B-24s and B-17s
attack bridges over the Brenta and Adige Rivers (at Bonavigo, Zevio, Albaredo
d'Adige, 2 at Legnano, Badia, 3 at Padua, and Cavarzere) and hit a supply
dump at Peschiera del Garda; 165 P-38s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance of
NE Italy bomb and strafe rail and road bridges, highways, trains and
vehicles, and other targets of opportunity; other P-38s fly reconnaissance;
and other P-51s escort reconnaissance flights and MATAF B-25 missions against
targets in N Italy.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 22/23
Apr, A-20s and A-26s and night fighters hit Po River crossings, a marshalling
yard, airfields, vehicles, trains, and targets of opportunity in general in
the N and W Po Valley; during the day medium bombers pound Po River
crossings, road bridges over the Brenta River, and hit the Brenner rail line
at 4 points; fighters and fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance in the N
and W Po Valley attack motor transport, road bridges, and numerous targets in
support of the US Fifth Army, elements of which cross the Po River. The
detachment of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, 62d Fighter Wing, operating
from Strossfeld, Germany with Beaufighters, returns to base at Pontedera,
Italy.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 13 B-24s from Guam Island pound positions on
Marcus Island. The 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seventh AF,
based on Kualoa Airfield, Hawaii with F-5Es, sends a detachment to operate
from Okinawa, the first Seventh AF unit to arrive (another detachment is
operating from Saipan Island).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-25s
hit the Shinei railroad yards, P-51s hit Karenko Airfield and P-38s attack
various targets of opportunity. Fighter bombers continue to support ground
forces in the N and S parts of Luzon Island pounding numerous artillery
positions, supply areas, and general targets of opportunity. In China, B-24s
bomb a military depot at Shanghai and shipping in Yulin harbor on Hainan
Island. B-24s bomb the naval base at Saigon, French Indochina. In Borneo,
other B-24s bomb airfields at Sepinggang and Jesselton and P-38s drop napalm
on Tarakan Island targets. Other B-24s fly a shipping sweep over the Makassar
Strait and damage several small vessels.

TUESDAY, 24 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ZONE OF INTERIOR (Second Air Force): The air echelon of the 19th
Photographic Charting Squadron, 311th Photographic Wing (Mapping and
Charting), based at Buckley Field, Colorado, moves from Accra, Gold Coast to
Watton, England with F-9s (the squadron begins photo mapping of Europe in Jun
45).

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-24s bomb Hongay, French Indochina
railroad yards and attack targets of opportunity in S China Sea. In China, 2
B-24s damage a vessel at Bakli Bay on Hainan Island; 4 B-25s hit railroad
targets of opportunity from Siaokan to Sinyang while 2 damage a bridge at
Kuanshuishih; 50+ P-51s, P-61s, and P-40s attack rivercraft, railroad
targets, trucks, bridges, troops, horses, and other targets of opportunity at
numerous S and E China locations as pressure by allied air and ground forces
mounts against enemy movement and supply routes.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, about 40 P-47s and P-38s
attack troop concentrations, storage areas, vehicles, and targets of
opportunity in the Mong Nawng vicinity, W of Mong Kung-Laihka road, S of
Loilem, and at Wan Hsan; transports land or drop 747 tons of supplies at
advance bases and in frontline areas. The 71st and 115th Liaison Squadrons,
Tenth AF [attached to 1st Liaison Group (Provisional)], move from Myityina,
Burma to Dinjan, India (air echelons remain at Myitkyina with UC-64s, L-1s,
L-4s and L-5s until May).

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 967: During the night of
24/24 Apr, 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS 
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): 417th Night Fighter Squadron,
64th Fighter Wing [attached to First Tactical AF (P)], moves from St Dizier,
France to Giebelstadt, Germany with Beaufighters.
    Ninth Air Force: In Germany, the 9th Bombardment Division hits the
airfield at Landau an der Isar and an oil depot at Schrobenhausen; fighters
fly airfield cover, escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance, and operate
in conjunction with the XII Corps as it continues SE between the Danube River
and the Czech border, and with the XX Corps as it reaches the Danube SW and E
of Regensburg. Unit moves in Germany: 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron,
10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), from Erfurt to Furth with F-6s;
125th Liaison Squadron, IX Fighter Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group),
from Gutersloh to Brunswick with L-5s; 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air
Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), from Bad Wildungen to Weimar with
L-5s; 422d Night Fighter Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command, from Strassfeld to
Langensalza with P-61s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): About 700 B-24s and B-17s
attack railroad bridges at Malborghetto Kolbnitz, Drauburg and Arnoldstein,
Austria and in Italy, railroad bridges at Valbruna, Fermata di Brondolo,
Casarsa della Delizia, and Latisana, road bridges at Spilinibergo, Bassano
del Grappa, and Friola, a motor transport depot at Osoppo, marshalling yards
at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella and Rovereto, and a supply dump at Peschiera
del Garda. 79 P-38s and 90 P-51s fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas of
N Italy, many strafing tactical targets N of the advancing US Fifth and
British Eighth Armies; the P-38s carry out several dive-bombing missions,
claiming 1 bridge destroyed and 5 damaged. Other P-51s and P-38s fly 186
sorties in escort of the bombers, reconnaissance missions, and MATAF
operations. 22 P-38s complete reconnaissance flights. The 2d, 4th and 5th
Fighter Squadrons, 52d Fighter Group, move from Madna Airfield to Piagiolino
Airfield, Italy with P-51s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 23/24
Apr, A-20s and A-26s bomb airfields at Villafranca di Verona, Ghedi, and
Bergamo, marshalling yards at Trento, Piacenza. and Fidenza, and vehicles and
other targets of opportunity throughout the Po Valley and elsewhere in N
Italy; medium bombers hit 6 Po River crossings and (as ground forces reach
and cross the Po at several points, relieving necessity for many attacks
along the river) then carry out 6 attacks between Verona and Trento on the
Brenner rail line; fighters and fighter-bombers blast vehicles on the Po
Valley roads N of the river and up to the Brenner rail line, and also hit
roads and vehicles between La Spezia and Parma.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (VII Fighter Command): HQ 506th Fighter Group and the 457th, 458th
and 462d Fighter Squadrons arrive at North Field, Iwo Jima Island from the US
with P-51s.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 96: 101 B-29s strike the Hitahi
aircraft plant at Tachikawa; 21 others hit alternates and targets of
opportunity; they claim 16 Japanese aircraft; 5 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: A-20s and fighter
bombers continue to strike in support of ground forces on Luzon Island. On
Formosa, A-20s hit sugar refineries at Mizukami and Shinei while B-24s bomb
Tainan and Hokko. Other B-24s bomb Tabanio and Miri in Borneo.

WEDNESDAY, 25 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-24s bomb the railroad yards at
Hongay, French Indochina. In China, 4 B-25s and 4 P-47s damage a bridge and
knock out an AA position N of Anyang; 50+ P-47s and P-51s hit river, road,
and rail targets, troops, horses, and buildings in areas around Loning,
Hsihhsiassuchi, Linfen, Kuanshuishih, Saiping, Yungcheng, Sichuan, and
Tsingsinghsien.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 P-38s attack truck
parks, fuel dumps, and supply areas at Hopong and Hotang; 20 other P-38s hit
troops at Wan Kinglong and at other points in the C Burma battle area;
transports complete 445 sorties to forward areas, landing or dropping 624
tons of supplies. The 165th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando
Group, moves from Sinthe, Burma to Asansol, India with UC-64s and L-5s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 968: 589 bombers and 486 fighters fly the final heavy bomber
mission against an industrial target, airfields and rail targets in SE
Germany and Czechoslovakia; they claim 1-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft (including
an Ar 234 jet); 6 bombers and 1 fighter are lost:
  1. 307 B-17s are sent to hit the airfield (78) and Skokda armament works
at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia; 6 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and
180 damaged; 8 airmen are WIA and 42 MIA. Escorting are 188 of 206 P-51s.
  2. 282 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Salzburg (109), Bad
Reichenhall (56) and Hallein (57) and electrical transformers at Traunstein
(56); 20 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA. The escort is 203 of 216
P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air.
  3. 17 of 19 P-51s fly a sweep of the Prague-Linz area claiming 0-1-0
aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost.
  4. 17 of 19 P-51s fly a screening mission.
  5. 4 P-51s escort 2 OA-10s on an air-sea-rescue mission.
  6. 22 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany
and Czechoslovakia.
  7. 88 of 98 P-51s escort RAF bombers.
  Mission 969: During the night of 25/26 Apr, 11 B-24s drop leaflets in
France, the Netherlands and Germany. 12 B-24s and 1 A-26 are dispatched on
CARPETBAGGER missions to Norway; 7 aircraft complete the mission.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 296 A-20s, A-26s and
B-26s strike Erding Airfield and Freilassing ordnance depot; fighters fly
airfield cover and escort missions, and operate in conjunction with the US
XII Corps as it pushes along the N bank of the Danube River SE of Passau and
support the XX Corps on the Danube at Regensburg and surrounding areas; US
and Soviet forces establish contact near Torgau. Unit moves: HQ 97th Combat
Bombardment Wing (Light) from Marchais to Arrancy, France; HQ 397th
Bombardment Group (Medium) and 597th, 598th and 599th Bombardment Squadrons
from Peronne, France to Venlo, the Netherlands with B-26s; 33d Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Gutersloh
to Brunswick, Germany with F-5s; 492d Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group,
from Kassel to Illesheim, Germany with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 467 B-17s and B-24s
bomb the main marshalling yard station, and sidings, N and S main marshalling
yards and freight yard at Linz, the major Austrian traffic center along the
railline running N to Prague, Czechoslovakia, plus the Wels marshalling yard
(an alternate) and several targets of opportunity. 119 P-38s and P-51s fly
armed reconnaissance over N Italy, a few strafing road traffic. The P-38s
dive-bomb road and rail bridges and raillines. P-38s and P-51s fly almost 300
sorties in escort of the heavy bombers, P-38 reconnaissance flights, and
MATAF B-26 raids.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, all combat operations
are aimed at plugging retreat routes and disrupting transport in the N Po
Valley and points to the N; medium bombers hit the Adige River crossing at
Cavarzere and marshalling yard at Gorizia, and attack 5 bridges and fills on
the Brenner line in Austria and N Italy, damaging 2 of the targets; fighters
and fighter-bombers harass the retreating forces in the N Po Valley; during
the night of 24/25 Apr, A-20s and A-26s and night fighters attack the
crossings of the Adige and Po Rivers and the Canale Bianco, and strike
airfields at Villafranca di Verona, Udine, and Bergamo, and marshalling yards
at Brescia and Verona.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Brigadier General Joseph Smith assumes
command of HQ XX Bomber Command.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the
harbor at Saigon, French Indochina, Balete Pass bridges on Luzon Island, and
the airfields at Boeloedowang on Celebes Island and Basco on Batan Island.
On Luzon, B-25s, A-20s, and fighters concentrate on Cagayan Valley bridges
and support ground forces around Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvee Cove; other
FEAF support missions continue on S Luzon from Ipo Dam to New Bosoboso, E of
Santa Maria, NE of Siniloan, Anuling, Monte Banahao, near Legaspi, and S of
Camalig, and in the Monte Mandalagan-Monte Silay area.

THURSDAY, 26 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  CARIBBEAN (Sixth Air Force): The 29th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), VI
Bomber Command, moves from Rio Hato, Panama to the Galapagos Islands with
B-24s.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-24s bomb docks at Hongay, French
Indochina. In China, 10 B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out bridges near Wuchang and
N of Taiku and damage a bridge near Kaifeng; 80+ fighter-bombers blast
troops, horses, road and rail transport, tanks, gun positions, and targets of
opportunity at numerous places in S and E China as the campaign against the
occupying Japanese intensifies.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30 P-38s and P-47s attack
troop concentrations E of Wan Sing, at Naungtaw, and in the vicinity of
Loilem; transports land or drop 553 tons of supplies at forward bases and
frontline areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 970: During the night of
26/27 Apr, 6 of 8 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and
Germany; 1 B-24 crashes on takeoff. 2 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 125 bombers hit
Plattling Airfield; fighters escort the bombers, fly airfield cover, carry
out armed reconnaissance in Germany and Czechoslovakia, drop leaflets, and
cooperate with the US XII Corps as its forces cross into Austria SE of
Passau, and the XX Corps as it begins a full-scale assault across the Danube
River at Regensburg; fighters claim 19 combat victories. Unit moves in
Germany: HQ IX Tactical Air Command from Lahn Airfield, Marburg to Weimar;
160th and 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons, 363d Tactical
Reconnaissance Group, from Gutersloh to Brunswick with F-6s; 162d Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), from
Wiesbaden to Furth with F-6s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 107 B-24s bomb a motor
transport depot at Tarvisio, Italy, and marshalling yards at Sachsenburg,
Lienz, Spittal an der Drau, and Klagenfurt, Austria (all targets of
opportunity); 117 B-17s and 196 B-24s, also dispatched against targets in N
Italy, abort due to bad weather; 155 fighters provide escort; 75 P-38s and
102 P-51s fly armed reconnaissance over N Italy; of these, 12 P-38s and 48
P-51s strafe targets of opportunity; all of the P-38s dive-bomb rail lines
and road bridges; 16 other P-38s dive-bomb the NW part of Alesso, Italy;
reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort and supply escort missions by P-38s
and P-51s continue as usual.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of
25/26 Apr, XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft hit marshalling yards,
airfields, motor transport, and other communications targets, mainly in the
N Po Valley; medium bombers complete 1 of 4 missions dispatched (clouds
obscures 3 targets), hitting the Chioggia bridge and knocking out a span;
XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers attack enemy movement
throughout the afternoon, destroying 150+ motor transport.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 13 B-24s from Guam Island bomb Eten Island in Truk
Atoll.
    VII Fighter Command: Mission 6: An unknown number of P-51s escort B-29s
to Japan.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 97 to 107: 195 B-29s (some escorted
by fighters of the VII Fighter Command) bomb airfields at Usa, Oita, Saeki,
Tomitaka, Imabari, Nittagahara, Miyazaki, Kanoya, Kokubu, and Miyakonojo,
Japan; 41 other B-29s hit targets of opportunity.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb
Shanghai, China. On Formosa, B-25s hit the Heito sugar refinery and nearby
targets of opportunitys and P-38s on a sweep also hit several targets of
opportunity. B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to fly numerous
sorties in support of ground forces on N and S Luzon Island. B-24s join USMC
aircraft in pounding Cebu Island targets. On Borneo, B-24s hit Miri Airfield
and B-25s and fighters hit targets on Tarakan Island. Unit moves: 12th
Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, based at San Jose, Mindoro Island with
P-38s, begins operating from Palawan Island; 421st Night Fighter Squadron,
V Fighter Command, from San Marcelino to Clark Field, Luzon with P-38s and
P-61s.

FRIDAY, 27 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): On Shimushu Island, 6 B-24s drop fragmentation
bombs on the Kataoka naval base, 1 B-24 hits Minami Cape, and another flies a
radar-ferret mission.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s and 70+ fighter
bombers attack bridges, positions, villages and town areas, gun emplacements,
and river, road, and rail traffic at many points in S and E China chiefly
around Fantung.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 37 P-38s and P-47s hit
troop concentrations in the Wan Pong and Nawng Leng areas; 12 other fighter
bombers sweep roads S of the bomb line; transports complete 408 sorties
throughout the day, landing or dropping 618 tons of supplies at forward bases
and frontline areas; the 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando
Group, moves from Meiktila to Toungoo with UC-64s and L-5s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): By this date the flow of P-51,
B-17, and B-24 replacement aircraft has stopped and the authorization of 68
planes per bomb group and 96 per fighter group is reduced to the original 48
and 75, respectively.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather grounds the 9th Bombardment
Division. In Germany, fighters fly sweeps, airfield cover, and armed
reconnaissance, and attack airfields; other fighters fly air cover for the US
XII Corps as the 11th Armored Division reaches the Czech border N of
Bischofsreuth and other elements move further into Austria toward Linz, and
support the XX Corps as it receives the surrender of Regensburg and expands
its Danube River bridgehead; the 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to
Sixth Army Group), moves from Kitzingen to Gmund with L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather cancels bomber
operations and hampers fighter missions; 8 P-51s and 2 P-38s complete weather
reconnaissance missions; other fighters sent on reconnaissance escort and
armed reconnaissance flights abort.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Bad weather throughout N Italy
holds operations to a minimum; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and
fighter-bombers operate during the latter part of the afternoon, closely
supporting ground forces in the battle area N of the Po River, hitting guns,
vehicles, railroads, train cars, and Bergamo Airfield as the US 1st Armored
Division spearheads the drive to the NW.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 11 Guam Island-based B-24s bomb Woleai Atoll in
the Caroline Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 108 to 113: 109 B-29s strike
airfields at Izumi, Miyazaki, Kokubu, Miyakonojo, Kanoya, and Kushira on
Kyushu Island, Japan; 3 B-29s hit targets of opportunity; 2 bombers are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Luzon Island,
B-25s attack Japanese installations at Cabatuan, La-lo, and Garit Norte;
A-20s hit towns throughout the area; in S Luzon, fighter-bombers and A-20s
hit targets E of Manila, in the Legaspi area, and at other scattered points.
In Borneo, B-24s hit Jesselton Airfield and B-25s bomb Tarakan Island. B-24s
bomb Mandai Airfield on Celebes Island and other B-24s hit Soerabaja, Java.
The 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th
Fighter Wing), based at Tacloban, Leyte Island with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s,
sends a detachment to operate from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island.

SATURDAY, 28 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 10 B-25s bomb Paoching
Airfield and the Shaho railroad yards, knock out a bridge near Kaifeng, and
damage a bridge W of Showyang; about 80 fighter-bombers attack troops,
airfields, storage facilities, railroad targets, rivercraft, trucks, and
enemy positions in S and E China, again concentrating on the Fantung area; a
B-24 claims a freighter sunk in the S China Sea.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-38s attack a cavalry
regiment and supplies in the Namhok area; 6 others hit a bivouac area near
Pawngleng; 22 P-47s are detailed to strike at troops, artillery positions,
trucks, elephants, and carts along and behind the enemy lines in C Burma;
despite bad weather most of the fighter-bombers complete their missions;
transports make 441 flights to forward areas, landing or dropping 610 tons of
supplies. The 82d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th Bombardment Group
(Medium), ceases operating from Meiktila, Burma and returns to base at Fenny,
India with B-25s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents all Ninth AF combat
operations. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 10th Photographic Group
(Reconnaissance) and 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron from Ober Olm to
Furth with F-6s; 493d Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group, from Kassel to
Illesheim with P-47s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Continued bad weather cancels
heavy bomber operations and limits fighters to escort and weather
reconnaissance missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Weather severely curtails
operations. In Italy, XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers,
flying 100+ sorties, hit enemy movement in the battle area at several points
from S of Piacenza to NW of Milan; medium bombers are grounded.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    Seventh Air Force: 12 B-24s from Guam Island hit Param Island, Truk Atoll
during the early morning hours; 12 more attack Param during the afternoon.
    VII Fighter Command: 20 P-47s from Saipan Island sweep Truk, strafing
small vessels and airfields on Param and Moen Islands.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 114 to 119: 119 B-29s hit airfields
at Kushira, Kanoya, Miyakonojo, Kokubu, Miyazaki, and Izumi on Kyushu Island,
Japan; 4 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim a total of 14 Japanese
fighters; 5 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On N Luzon Island,
B-25s hit targets in the Itogon area; A-20s attack Itogon mines and start
fires among huts at Fabrica; fighter-bombers attack Balete Pass, Cagayan
Valley, Tuguegarao, Trinidad, and Cervantes; on S Luzon A-20s and fighter-
bombers support ground forces at various points including the Batangas sector
and hit targets around Norzagaray, Ipo Dam, Montalban, New Bosoboso, and
along the San Andres trail. B-24s bomb Toshien, Formosa and several secondary
targets. In Borneo, B-24s hit Kuching while B-25s and P-38s hit Tarakan
Island and targets of opportunity along the Sarawak coast. B-24s over the
Celebes bomb Masamba, Malimpoeng, and Mandai Airfields. B-25s sink about
20,000 tons of merchant shipping in Saigon, French Indochina harbor. The 36th
Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group,
moves from Biak Island, New Guinea to Clark Field, Luzon with F-5s.

SUNDAY, 29 APRIL 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS 

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 12 B-25s attempting to bomb targets in the
Kurile Islands abort due to a weather front. 6 B-24s radar-bomb Kataoka
naval base on Shimushu Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s and 4 P-47s blast
targets at the Taiyuan railroad yards; about 50 fighter-bombers, operating in
forces of 1 to 4 aircraft, blast numerous targets of opportunity in S and E
China, hitting especially the Fantung area.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 5 P-47s attack Laihka
Airfield; 6 others strafe troops and horses at Tadamo; transports fly 427
sorties to forward areas, landing or dropping 537 tons of supplies. Unit
moves: 81st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th Bombardment Group (Medium),
ceases operating from Meiktila, Burma with B-25s and returns to base at
Fenny, India; 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando
Group, based at Kalaikunda, India with C-47s, sends a detachment to operate
from Akyab, Burma.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 971: 8 B-17s drop
leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): HQ 64th Fighter Wing moves from
Edenkoben to Schwabisch-Hall, Germany
    Ninth Air Force: Weather cancels operations by the 9th Bombardment
Division. Fighters fly patrols and airfield cover, hit special targets, fly
armed reconnaissance over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia, and cooperate with
the XII Corps moving SE between the Danube River and the Czech border N of
Linz, Austria, and with the XX Corps as some of its units establish
bridgeheads and begin crossing the Isar River in the Plattling-Landau an der
Isar-Landshut-Passau, Germany areas. Unit moves: HQ 48th Fighter Group and
494th Fighter Squadron from Kassel to Illesheim, Germany with P-47s; HQ 387th
Bombardment Group (Medium) from Clastres, France to Beek, the Netherlands.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather again prevents
bomber operations. 8 P-51s and P-38s complete weather and photo
reconnaissance missions. 39 P-51s fly armed reconnaissance over NE Italy; 5
of the fighters bomb and 4 strafe various targets of opportunity, claiming 4
motor transports destroyed and a reconnaissance car and 2 parked aircraft
damaged.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather again restricts
operations; the medium bombers are grounded; fighters and fighter-bombers
attack retreating forces and communications throughout NE Italy including
Thiene Airfield and claim 350+ motor transport destroyed; enemy forces in
Italy, commanded by General Heinrich von Vietinghoff surrender
unconditionally at Caserta, effective 2 May; HQ 57th Fighter Group and 64th,
65th and 66th Fighter Squadrons move from Grosseto to Villafranca di Verona,
with P-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA 
    VII Fighter Command: 20 Saipan Island-based P-47s sweep Truk Atoll,
strafing airfields, defenses, and gun positions on Moen and Param Islands and
hit Param and Falas Islands with rockets. 
    Seventh Air Force: 24 Guam Island-based B-24s subsequently attack the
same airfields as the fighters above. 20 B-24s, operating in 2 forces, pound
air installations on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Missions 120 to 125: 111 B-29s strike
airfields on Kyushu Island, Japan, i.e., Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Kokubu, 2 at
Kanoya, and Kushira Airfields; they claim nearly 30 Japanese aircraft shot
down; 2 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In support of
ground forces on Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit troop concentrations,
supply areas, pillboxes, gun positions, vehicles, and other targets mainly in
the Balete Pass, Baguio, and Echague areas and A-20s hit the New Bosoboso
area, where fighters also support ground forces concentrating in the Ipo Dam
area. In Borneo, B-24s pound Kuching Airfield while B-25s bomb Tarakan
Island. Other B-24s hit Langoan, Mandai, and Mapanget airfields on Celebes
Island. P-38s sweep French Indochina and strafe Thu Dau Mot Airfield. The
318th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, moves from
Mangaldan to Laoag, Luzon with C-47s.

MONDAY, 30 APRIL 1945

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 6 B-25s and 9 P-47s hit
railroad yards at Taiyuan; 50+ P-47s, P-51s, and P-40s attack troops,
defensive positions, bridges, rail targets, and scattered targets of
opportunity in S and E China, concentrating around Laohokow, Hsihhsiassuchi,
and Loning.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels
scheduled combat strikes; air supply operations to forward areas continue on
a steady basis.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 972: 6 of 7 B-17s drop
leaflets in the Netherlands and France.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels 9th Bombardment
Division and XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) operations. In Germany,
the IX Tactical Air Command flies airfield cover, sweeps, and armed
reconnaissance; the XIX Tactical Air Command flies patrols and armed
reconnaissance, and cooperates with the XII Corps moving SE between the Danube
River and the Czech border N of Linz, Austria and with the XX Corps crossing
the Isar River at several points in the Landau an der Isar-Landshut area.
Unit moves in Germany: HQ 354th Fighter Group and 356th Fighter Squadron from
Ober Olm to Ansbach with P-47s; HQ 362d Fighter Group and 379th Fighter
Squadron from Frankfurt to Furth with P-47s; HQ 405th Fighter Group from
Ophoven, Belgium to Kitzingen; 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron,
10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) from Ober Olm to Furth with F-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): For the fourth consecutive day
bad weather cancels bomber operations; P-38s fly reconnaissance, escorted by
P-51s. Other P-51s and P-38s escort supply-dropping missions to N Italy and
Yugoslavia.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 29/30
Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit motor transport near Lake Como and roads in the
Trento, San Michele all'Adige, and Bolzano areas; bad weather grounds the
medium bombers; fighter-bombers fly armed reconnaissance over N Italy,
blasting guns, vehicles, and other targets of opportunity; the 12th
Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 3d Photographic Group (Reconnaissance)
moves from Peretola Airfield, Florence to Villafranca with F-5s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA
    VII Fighter Command: In a thorough strafing and rocket strike on several
islands of Truk Atoll, 20 P-47s from Saipan Island attack the seaplane base,
several small vessels, the airfield, barracks, radio station, and numerous
other targets. Long range mission 7: 104 P-51s escort B-29s to hit the
Tachikawa air depot claiming 0-1-0 Japanese aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost. HQ
318th Fighter Group and the 19th, 73d and 333d Fighter Squadrons move from
Saipan Island to Ie Shima Island, Ryukyu Islands with P-38s.
    Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s from Guam Island pound the airfields on Moen
and Param Island in Truk Atoll. 22 B-24s, operating in 2 waves about 3 hours
apart, bomb air installations on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Seven missions are flown.
  Mission 126: 69 B-29s hit the Tachikawa air depot; 25 others hit targets of
opportunity. The escort is 104 P-51s.
  Missions 127 to 132: 56 B-29s hit airfields at Kokubu, Oita, Tomitaka,
Saeki, and 2 at Kanoya on Kyushu Island and the city of Hamamatsu; 2 other
B-29s hit targets of opportunity; the B-29s claim 10 aircraft downed.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s
hit the Toshien fuel storage and bomb Tainan, Takao, and Okayama Airfields
while B-25s hit Taito; escorting P-38s attack numerous targets of
opportunity; and P-51s bomb Okayama Airfield. Numerous missions are flown
over Luzon and Negros Islands by B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers in support
of the ground forces. B-24s attack the Davao area on Mindanao Island. In
Borneo, P-38s hit Tarakan Island and B-24s bomb Manggar Airfield. Other B-24s
bomb Malimpoeng Airfield on Celebes Island. The 157th and 160th Liaison
Squadrons (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, move from Calasio to Mabalacat,
Luzon with UC-64s and L-5s (the 160th has a detachment operating from Mindoro
Island).

SOURCES: 
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
  Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
  History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
  Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
THE MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY by Roger A. Freeman, ISBN 1-85409-071-2
WORLD WAR II IN THE NORTH PACIFIC by Kevin D. Hutchinson, 1994,
  ISBN-0-313-29130-6

Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59

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|  Jack McKillop         |  Those who have long enjoyed such      |
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• With grateful thanks for the scholarship of Kit Carter, Robert Mueller and Jack McKillop •
• Thanks also to Charles McGrew •
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Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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