Blog Archives

1 January 1945

Posted by GP

5th Air Force strafing Clark Air Field, 1945

Ringing in the new year 1945 with fireworks had a far different meaning in the Pacific and CBI Theaters than we’re used to. It began with ______

In the Philippines – bombings of Clark Field on Luzon and Sasa on the island of Mindanao. Wasile Bay enemy bivouac areas felt the bombardments from overhead B-24’s and B-25’s. Manila saw the fighter-bombers as shipyards and other airfields and ammunition dumps were blown. US Air Force planes sank the Japanese ship No. 7, Taiko Maru and No. 3, Taiwan Maru, off Masinloc, P.I.

Philippine Islands

Also in the Philippines – the USS Stingray delivered 35 tons of supplies to Filipino forces on the north coast of Tawi Tawi. HMS Staesman sank four small Japanese vessels with gunfire northeast of Sumatra.

In the Netherland East Indies – the IJN Kyyokku Maru was sunk by a mine that was previously laif by HMN Tradewind off Mergui.

From Saipan – The 7th Air Force had 19 B-24’s bomb Iwo Jima. This was followed by additional bombers during the evening hours in waves.

In China – railroads, warehouses, industry and gun positions were bombed. Suchow Airfield lost 25 aircraft. Armed ground reconnaissance units hit between Xiaolan and Hsuchang.

India-Burma – had the tenth Air Force bombing furl dumps, villages, supply areas, tanks and enemy troops at several locations. Four other targets of opportunity were found along the Irrawaddy River while large-scale transport operations proceeded as planned.

When we last spoke in the war posts, the 11th Airborne Division was on Leyte and still battling a well dug-in enemy in the uncharted mountains of the island. As the fighting for the 11th Airborne on Leyte came to a close, the battalions worked their way back to Bito Beach. The 674th and 675th Glider Field Artillery and the 457th Parachute Field Artillery remained in strategic positions to cover them.

Despite MacArthur declaring Leyte secure on Christmas Day 1944, even Gen. Robert Eichelberger said in relation to the “mopping-up” his men were left with, “The Japanese Army was still intact. I was told there were only 6,000 Japanese left on the island… Soon Japanese began streaming across the Ormoc Valley… well equipped and apparently well-fed. Between Christmas Day and the end of the campaign we killed more than 27,000 Japanese…”

Col. Austin “Shifty” Shofner, USMC, [ the only man to lead a successful escape from a Japanese POW camp (1943)], was assigned to the Army’s 37th Division as an observer and boarded the USS Mount McKinley at New Guinea and sailing for Luzon. Within a week, he would witness the onset of the Kamikaze Special Attack Force aiming their aircraft at the US Navy in Lingayen Gulf. The future Brigadier General would assist in the planning of the rescue plans of the Cabanatuan POW camp where over 500 Allied survivors of the Bataan Death March were being held.

Col. Shafer being tended to.

References used: “Pacific War” by John Davison; Pacific Wrecks; “The Pacific” by Hugh Ambrose; WW2 Timelines, World War 2 Photos and “Our Jungle Road To Tokyo” by Gen. Robert Eichelberger.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.

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