USN
PACIFIC–TF 77 (Rear Admiral William M.
Fechteler, USN) lands U.S. Army troops (the reinforced 168th Infantry) on Noemfoor
Island off Netherlands New Guinea, in Operation TABLETENNIS, in order to
secure the island's three airstrips that will support operations in New Guinea.
TF 74 (Commodore John A. Collins, RAN) and TF 75 (Rear Admiral Russell S.
Berkey), composed of heavy and light cruisers and destroyers, provide gunfire
support.
Japanese
landing ship T.150 is damaged by mine off Amoy, China.
INDIAN OCEAN–U.S. freighter Jean Nicolet is
torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-8 at 03°00'S, 74°30'E and abandoned. I-8
then shells the ship, setting it afire. Survivors (41-man merchant
complement, 28-man Armed Guard, and 30 passengers) are then taken on board the
submarine, where their captors search them, bind them, and question them. At
least one man is shot; some of the POWs are made to run a gauntlet; some are
beaten. In the meantime, the Japanese destroy the lifeboats with gunfire. I-8
retains the master, radio operator, and a civilian passenger, and then
submerges, leaving the remainder of the survivors on deck to drown. Some of the
survivors, however, return to the burning Jean Nicolet (which sinks the
following day) to launch rafts (see 4 July).
ATLANTIC–TBM (VC 58) from escort carrier Wake
Island (CVE-65) sinks German submarine U-543 southeast of
Azores,25°34'N, 21°36'W.
Transport
General W.A. Mann (AP-112), escorted by Brazilian destroyers Marcilio
Dias, Mariz e Barros and Greenhalgh, sails from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, with the first elements of the Italy-bound Brazilian Expeditionary Force.
EUROPE–Motor minesweeper YMS-350 is sunk
by mine off Cherbourg, France, 49°38'N, 01°35'W.
AAF
NINTH AF–All IX BC missions cancelled due to bad weather.
Fighters of 7 groups of IX TAC fly interception missions in Caen area and cover
over beach area, attack rail lines along the Loire, and hit a HQ and supply dumps
and strongoints near La Haye-du-Puits.
TWELFTH AF–Medium Bombers and Light Bombers continue to
pound enemy comm lines N of battle area (mainly along and N of Pisa- Florence
line) and hit several fuel dumps with good results. Fighter Bombers are active
against motor transport and bridges immediately N of battleline.
TENTH AF–7 P-40’s continue support of ground forces in
Myitkyina area. 2 B-25’s hit railroad tracks at Pinwe and Katha.
FOURTEENTH AF–11 B-25’s and 42 Fighter Bombers again
attack river shipping, compounds, and troop concentrations in Tungting Lake
region. Also town of Hengshan is bombed. B-25’s and P-51’s pound airfield and
town area at Lupao.
FEAF–B-24’s, B-25’s, and A-20’s, and Fighter Bombers,
along with naval guns, bombard Kamiri area of Noemfoor I, after which Allied
amphibious forces land with little opposition and secure beachhead. Other
B-25’s attack barges near Manokwari.
SEVENTH AF–P-47’s on Saipan bomb and strafe forces on
Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
USA
FRANCE—21 Army Group: Regroups in
preparation for renewing offensive. U.S. First Army commits VII Corps, with
4th, 9th, and 83d Divs under its command, between VIII and XIX Corps. VIII
Corps commands 8th, 79th, 82d A/B, and Both Divs. XIX Corps retains 29th and
30th Divs. V Corps has command of 1st and 2d Inf and 2d Armd Divs. 3d Armd and
101st A/B Divs are held in First Army reserve.
USSR—Third and First White Russian
forces are enveloping Minsk; latter cuts Minsk–Baranovichi RR.
ITALY—AAI: Chief of Staff, AAI, issues
“Appreciation” concerning course of action after the necessary forces for ANVIL
have withdrawn from Italy; concludes that offensive in Italy can be continued on
a limited scale but recommends that AAI be reinf if possible in order to secure
Ljubljana Gap and invade S Germany.
In
U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, 133d Inf of 34th Div closes along the Cecina
and takes Cecina Marine at its mouth, concluding bloody action on left flank of
corps. 135th consolidates and strengthens bridgehead across the Cecina then
moves W, pinching out 133d. CCA, 1st Armd Div, suffers heavy losses in tanks
and personnel during futile attempts to enter Casole d’Elsa. FEC takes
Simignano, SW of Siena, and pushes on toward Siena.
In
Br Eighth Army’s 13 Corps area, patrols reach junction of Highways 71 and 75
without opposition. S African 6th Armd Div advances through Sinalunga, from
which enemy has withdrawn. 4th Div takes Fojano without opposition. 10 Corps is
unopposed throughout day but regains contact with enemy after nightfall.
CBI—In NCAC’s Myitkyina area, Gen
Wessels withdraws the Chinese forces directed toward Sitapur in order to
strengthen N flank, toward which enemy is reported to be moving in strength.
Fighting during the past week has resulted in little change in positions,
although Ch 150th Regt and 236th Engrs have gained a few hundred yards. On
Salween front, Chinese troops begin assault on Teng-chung in violent monsoon
rainfall. 348th Inf of Ch 116th Div, 53d Army, reduces 7 pillboxes 41/2 miles
NW of the city. Previous medium-level and skip-bombing attacks on the city have
done little harm to enemy in dugouts. In E China, Japanese halt attack on
Heng-yang to await arrival of arty at front.
NEW GUINEA—At Noemfoor, after
extremely heavy and effective naval gunfire and air bombardment of assault
zone, which started 80 minutes before H Hour, TF CYCLONE (RCT 158, reinf) lands
at 0800 on N part of island in Kamiri airfield region without opposition. Gen
Patrick assumes command ashore, relieving Adm Fechteler, who directed the amphibious
phase; after inspecting Kamiri airdrome, requests that reserves—503d Para
Inf—be dropped there. Light resistance develops as assault bns of 158th Inf
move cautiously inland, mopping up as they go, but beachhead—800 yards deep and
3,000 yards wide—is secured. Arty is landed and put into use, and work is begun
on Kamiri airdrome. TF CYCLONE inflicts over 100 casualties on enemy while
suffering only 3 men killed, one of them accidentally. At Aitape, RCT 124 of
31st Div is assigned to TF PERSECUTION as reserve.
SAIPAN—On
extreme left of corps, 2d Marines, 2d Mar Div, easily seizes Garapan, which has
been leveled by bombardment. Gains of 800–1,200 yards are made in div center
and on right. In 27th Div zone, 106th Inf advances some 400 yards on left flank
and 3d Bn of 165th about 1,700 yards on right flank, but 3d Bn of 105th is held
up by enemy strongpoint in center. 1st Bn, 105th, released from reserve, bypasses
the strongpoint and makes contact with right flank units. Assault elements of
4th Mar Div advance right flank 1,500 yards against negligible resistance. After
nightfall, Japanese fall back to their final defense line on N Saipan.
USMC
2d Marines seize Garapan. Japanese
fall back to final defense line in northern Saipan.
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