THURSDAY, 22 OCTOBER 1942
AMERICAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Weather
reconnaissance aircraft reports a submarine at 52-08N 177-21 W; a US Navy (US)
aircraft later makes contact and drops depth bomb; the result is unknown.
EUROPEAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
Eighth Air Force: The 330th Bombardment
Squadron (Heavy), 93d Bombardment Group (Heavy), based at Alconbury, England
with B-24s, begins operating from Holmsley, England.
Twelfth Air Force: HQ Twelfth AF, the 307th
Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, and the 437th and 439th Bombardment
Squadrons (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), begin the move from the
UK to N Africa.
MEDITERRANEAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS [MTO, US Army, Middle East Air Force
(USAMEAF)]:
Advance US Air HQ, previously attached to the RAF Advanced Air HQ, Western
Desert, to gain field experience, becomes HQ of Desert Air Task Force (DATF),
located at Burg el Arab, Egypt, with Lieutenant General Lewis H Brereton as
Commanding General and Major General Elmer E Adler attached with advance HQ of
Air Service Command; the Chief of Staff of the DATF is Brigadier General Auby C
Strickland.
B-25s bomb dispersed aircraft. In Egypt,
P-40s escort bombers, attack tent areas and motor transport along the coastal
road near El Hammam, fly reconnaissance and fighter sweeps W of El Daba, and
bomb artillery positions; P-40s claim 2 fighters destroyed. B-17s sent to hit Candia, Crete abort because
of weather.
SOUTH
PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): Henderson Field on Guadalcanal
Island is out of operation again as result of enemy action.
FRIDAY, 22 OCTOBER 1943
CENTRAL
PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Seventh Air Force): The 819th Bombardment
Squadron (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrives at Barking Sands,
Territory of Hawaii with B-24's. The squadron, the ex-3d Antisubmarine Squadron
(Heavy), will fly sea searches and supply the 30th Group with replacement crews
and planes until May 44.
CHINA-BURMA-INDIA
THEATER OF OPERATIONS
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, a
B-25 strike against a railroad bridge on the Ye-u branch line over the Mu River
between Ywataung and Monywa fails to damage the structure. This raid marks the
final assault of the year on this bridge.
EUROPEAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): About
60 B-26's bomb Evreux/Fauville Airfield in France; 140+ others abort missions
against other airfields because of bad weather.
MEDITERRANEAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS)
approve the plan, submitted by General Henry H "Hap"
Arnold
and the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), to create a new Air Force (the
Fifteenth) in Italy from part of the Twelfth Air Force to be used in strategic
bombing against Germany as well as in support of ground operations.
In Italy, XII Bomber Command B-26's bomb
railroad bridges N and SE of Omvieto; B-25's hit a railroad bridge S of
Grosseto and Eleusis Airfield, Greece; The XII Air Support Command, along with
other elements of the NATAF, hit town areas, highways, vehicles, gun positions,
railroad communications, strongpoints, and targets of opportunity at or near
San Salvo Teano, Venafro, Cantalupo el Sannio, Isernia, Cassino, Montenero, and
Boiano. Aquino Airfield is also bombed.
The 12th Troop Carrier Squadron, 60th Troop
Carrier Group, based at Gela, Sicily, begins operating from Comiso, Sicily with
C-47's.
SOUTH
PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon Islands,
Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island and the surrounding areas are pounded by
22 B-24's, 30+ P-39's and P-40's and about 160 USN fighters and dive bombers.
18 B-24's and USN airplanes hit targets in the Choiseul Island area. Other USN
aircraft hit Kara Airfield on Bougainville Island. A single B-24 claims hits on
a carrier NW of Buka Island.
HQ 42d Bombardment Group (Medium) and it's
390th Bombardment Squadron
(Medium)
transfer from Guadalcanal Island to the Russell Islands with B-25's.
SOUTHWEST
PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea,
20+
B-25's carry out a low-level attack on the Wewak area, sinking 2
20+
small
freighters,
and strafing barges and airplanes; Madang is strafed by 4 P-39's and 2 Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boomerangs. 50+ P-40's hit Gasmata Island off New
Britain Island. 11 B-24's bomb Pombelaa nickel mines on Celebes Island.
SUNDAY, 22 OCTOBER 1944
CHINA-BURMA-INDIA
(CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 40+
P-47s hit a variety of targets including bridges at Panghkam, and at 2 other
points along the N Burma rail corridor, the towns of Manna and Kyaungle, a
bivouac in the Indaw area, and various targets of opportunity.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2
B-25s knock out 2 railroad bridges at Pingnam while 8 P-51s pound the town
area; 54 P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance attack town areas and general
targets of opportunity at Nampang, Kuanyang, Shekpo, Pingnam, Kweiping, near
Menghsu and Wanling, Burma.
EUROPEAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): HQ
492d Bombardment Group (Heavy) and the 856th, 857th, 858th and 859th
Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), i.e., the CARPETBAGGER group assigned to HQ VIII
Fighter Command, is transferred to the 1st Bombardment Division to operate as a
night bombing group; only the 856th Squadron remains on CARPETBAGGER operations
over the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark under operational control of HQ Eighth
AF; this reduction of supply dropping forces results from the recapture of
major portions of France. The 859th Squadron is sent to Italy in Dec 44 and did
not return; the 857th and 858th started night bombing sorties on a limited
scale in Dec 44.
Mission 685: 1,131 bombers and 785 fighters
are dispatched on PFF attacks on targets in W Germany; 2 bombers and 1 fighter
are lost:
1. 379 B-17s are dispatched to hit military
vehicle plants at Hannover/ Hanomag (171) and Brunswick/Bussing (148); targets
of opportunity are Bielefeld (35) and other (6); 2 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged
beyond repair and
15
damaged; 20 airmen are KIA, 3 WIA and 16 MIA. Escort is provided by 379 P-47s
and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
2. 353 of 373 B-24s hit the Hamm marshalling
yard; 29 B-24s are damaged.
Escort
is provided by 196 of 212 P-51s; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair.
3. 352 of 379 B-17s hit the Munster
marshalling yard; 8 others hit targets of opportunity; 13 B-17s are damaged. Escort
is provided by 147 of 157 P-51s.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force):
Advance HQ XXIX Tactical Air Command
(Provisional)
and HQ 84th and 303d Fighter Wings move from Arlon, Belgium to Maastricht, the
Netherlands to maintain close association with the US Ninth Army. Weather
forbids bomber operations; fighter sweeps and armed reconnaissance support US
Third and Seventh Army elements in E France and W Germany. In Belgium, HQ 373d
Fighter Group moves from Reims, France to Le Culot.
MEDITERRANEAN
THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force):
Bad weather limits operations to reconnaissance flights.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In
Italy, bad weather grounds all medium bombers and A-20s; fighters and
fighter-bombers, flying less than 20 sorties, hit rail lines and trains in N
Italy; the 7th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group, moves from
Galera Airfield to Brindisi with C-47s.
PACIFIC
OCEAN AREA (POA)
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Guam Island-based
B-24s hit Yap Island with harassment raids during the day, operating singly or
in groups of 2 or 3.
Makin
Island-based B-25s bomb Nauru Island.
SOUTHWEST
PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the Philippine Islands,
B-25s and P-38s attack shipping in the Sulu Archipelago and Jolo harbor on Jolo
Island and Zamboanga harbor on Mindanano Island while B-24s hit Opon and Lahug
Airfields on Cebu Island; B-25s hit Ternate on Samar Island and B-24s pound
Matina Airfield in the Cagayan Islands, and Likanan on Mindanao Island; and HQ
308th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) moves from Hollandia, New Guinea to Leyte
Island. B-25s hit Piroe Bay supply dumps in the Moluccas Islands and gun
positions and fighter-bombers hit Kairatoe Airfield on Celebes Island and Amahai
Airfield on Ceram Island and targets of opportunity in Binnen Bay. A-20s blast
pillboxes and occupied areas in the Metimedan-Sawar Rivers sector of New
Guinea.
Any questions or comments, please e-mail me: jaxvacconnection@gmail.com
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