April 1944 (1)

Task Force-58, carrier crews cheers as enemy aircraft goes down.

1 April – US carrier aircraft groups under Adm. Spruance launched a series of massive strikes throughout the western Caroline Islands.  Despite the US loss of 20 planes during these raids, the Japanese suffered 150 aircraft destroyed and over 100,000 tons of merchant shipping sunk.

CINCPAC reported that the 7th Air Force Liberators bombed Dublon in Truk Atoll.  Mitchell bombers of the 7th, plus Corsair fighters of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing bombed Ponape, starting fires at the enemy base.  All aircraft returned safely.

USS ‘Guarvina, April 1944, sank a trawler & cargo ships, “Tetsuyo Maru” & “Noshiro Maru”

4 April – a Navy Dept. communiqué, No. 516, reported US submarines suck 14 vessels in the Pacific and Far East: 2 medium tankers, 11 medical cargo vessels, and 1 small cargo vessel.  The CINCPAC report stated a Liberator search plane of Fleet Air Wing-2 bombed a tanker near Moen Island.

16 April – in the SW Pacific area, the 5th Air Force would refer to this date as “Black Sunday.”  While over 200 aircraft bombed Hollandia, serious weather moved in and blocked the bombers from returning to base.  Over 30 were lost or crashed and 32 men perished.  For a detailed account – click here.

19 April – in order to divert enemy attention from the US operations on the Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, the US Task Force-58, under Adm. Mitscher, bombarded enemy positions at Sarmi, Sewar, Wadke Island and Hollandia.  At Aitape and Hollandia, the enemy was caught by surprise and about half of the men were non-combat troops.  MacArthur said, “No withering fire met us at the beach.  Instead, there was only disorder, rice still boiling in pots, weapons and personal equipment of every kind abandoned.  No more than token resistance…”

Gen. Jo Iimura, Japanese Army

[In post-war interrogations, Jo Iimura, a Japanese defender in the region at the time, said, “The Allied invasion of Hollandia and Aitape was a complete surprise to us.  After considering the past operational tactics of the enemy, we believed they would attempt to acquire an important position somewhere east of Aitape… Because we misjudged, we were neither able to reinforce nor send was supplies to the defending units.”]

22 April – by this date, the Marshall Islands were now under complete control of the US.  This would enable the Allied forces in the central Pacific to swing north through the Mariana Islands.

29-30 April – the Japanese base at Truk was bombed by the aircraft from 12 carriers.  They destroyed enemy ships, oil stores, ammunition dumps and 93 enemy aircraft.

Click on images to enlarge.

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U.S. Coast Guard Birthday – established: 4 August 1790

 

Last year’s post for the Coast Guard was a fun one to do – Take a look!!

 

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Coast Guard Humor – 

 

 

 

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Farewell Salutes – 

Carl ‘Bill’ Amos Jr. – Portland, OR; US Coast Guard, WWII

Jeremiah Bowen – Bergenfield, NJ; US Coast Guard, WWII, ETO, USS Leopold, Purple Heart

Land-Sea-Air Tribute

Gordon Cameron – Fort William, CAN; RC Army, WWII, ETO

Arthur Kitagawa – San Francisco, CA/Topaz Utah Internment Camp; WWII, ETO, 442nd RCT

Theodore Lusink – Netherlands/Australia; WWII escaped POW/2nd AIF, 7th Division/RAAF

Russell Miller III – Philadelphia, PA; US Coast Guard, WWII

Leicester Orange – Burnside, NZ; RNZ Army # 442065, WWII, PTO, Sgt.

Clifford Roberts –  Miami, FL; US Coast Guard, WWII

Harmon Shoda – Loon Lake, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Sgt., Honor Guard at surrender

Ronald Wehner – Toledo, OH; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Sage/US Coast Guard, Korea, Vietnam, (Ret. 21 years)

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