80 Years Ago, 31 July 1944 Monday

80 Years Ago, 31 July 1944 Monday

USN

PACIFIC–TF 77 (Rear Admiral William M. Fechteler) lands Army troops on Cape Sansapor, New Guinea, in second phase of Operation GLOBETROTTER, thus concluding the New Guinea campaign.

            Coordinated submarine attack group TG 17.15 (Commander Lewis S. Parks) carries out succession of attacks on Japanese convoy near the Bashi Channel. Submarine Parche (SS-384) (flagship) sinks transport Manko Maru,19°08'N, 120°51'E, and merchant tanker Koei Maru, 19°00'N, 122°55'E, and damages merchant cargo ship No.1 Ogura Maru, 19°10'N, 120°58'E, and army cargo ship Fuso Maru, and teams with Steelhead (SS-280) to sink army cargo ship Yoshino Maru, 19°05'N, 120°50.5'E. Steelhead sinks Fuso Maru, 19°00'N, 120°55'E, and damages army cargo ship Dakar Maru, 19°08'N, 120°51'E, which is towed to San Fernando and abandoned. For the heroism he displays in pressing home a daring surface attack, Parche's captain, Commander Lawson P. Ramage, will be awarded the Medal of Honor.

            Submarine Dace (SS-247) sinks small Japanese cargo vessel Shinju Maru 20 miles west of Palimban Point, 06°15'N,124°11'E.

            Submarine Lapon (SS-260) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant tanker Tenshin Maru off the southwest tip of Palawan, 08°50'N, 116°00'E, and damages weather ship Hijun Maru, 08°51'N, 116°45'E.

EUROPE–U.S. freighter Exmouth is mined and sunk about 60 miles off the Scottish coast while en route from Hull, England, to Loch Ewe, Scotland, 56°33'N, 01°38'W; there are no casualties among the 43 merchant sailors and the 27-man Armed Guard.

 

AAF

EIGHTH AF–651 B-17’s supported by 5 P-51 groups bomb marshalling yards at Munich and aero engine plants at MunichAllach, airfield at Schleissheim, and scattered targets of opportunity. 8 P-51 groups give withdrawal support. 447 B-24’s, escorted beyond Dutch coast by 3 fighter groups, bomb chemical works and city at Ludwigshafen, and SW part of city of Mannheim. 85 B-24’s escorted by a P-47 group bomb airfields at Laon/Athies and Creil. 667 fighters complete missions in support of Heavy Bombers and in weather scouting duties. 10 B-17’s are lost at Munich and 6 B-24’s at Ludwigshafen. Fighters suffer 3 losses.

NINTH AF–Around 500 A-20’s and B-26’s attack bridges on the Seine, Loire, Mayenne, and Ruisseau la Forge Rivers and a fuel dump at Foret de la Guerche. fighters fly armed recon of activities in Dieppe-Rouen areas, escort bombers, provide armed column cover, dive-bomb military targets in support of US First Army and fly a few night intruder missions over enemy territory.

TWELFTH AF–Weather grounds Medium Bombers. Fighter Bombers hit several bridges in W Po Valley while fighters strafe airfields with good results. The Fighter Bombers also destroy around 50 railroad cars and damage numerous others.

FIFTEENTH AF–360-plus B-17’s and B-24’s, with fighter escort, bomb 2 oil refineries at Bucharest, 1 each at Ploesti and Doicesti, and oil storage at Targoviste.

TENTH AF–20 Fighter Bombers hit Myitkyina, 11 attack Kamaing-Mogaung area, 12 bomb bridge at Mohnyin, 14 support ground forces near Myitkyina, and 11 others hit targets of opportunity at Sahmaw, Bilumyo, and Pinhe. 9 B-25’s pound Hopin troop area. Japanese are in retreat down Tiddim road.

FOURTEENTH AF–12 B-24’s bomb Wuchang railroad yards. B-25’s, operating individually or in pairs, bomb Hengshan, Siangtan, and Hankow and attack Tien Ho, White Cloud, Hengyang, and Wuchang airfields. 60-plus P- 40’s and P-51’s attack troop compounds, town areas and road and river trafflc at several locations in or near Changsha, Hengyang, Kaishowkiao, Liling, Luchi, and Liuchow.

FEAF–B-24’s again strike Woleai. airfields at Lolobata and Galela also are hit by B-24’s. P-39’s continue to hit villages on W coast of Geelvink Bay. In NE New Guinea Fighter Bombers continue pounding Japanese concentrations and targets of opportunity on N coast, particularly between Wewak and Yakamul. A-20’s support Australian ground forces in Hansa Bay area, hitting troop positions W of Sepik R and troop concentrations at Singarin and Kopa.

SEVENTH AF–B-25’s and P-47’s based on Saipan bomb and strafe Tinian. B-25’s from Makin pound Nauru. B-24’s from the Marshalls bomb Truk.

 

USA

FRANCE—21 Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VIII Corps area, 6th Armd Div’s CCR, attacking in coastal sector, overruns Granville and entire div moves SE to Avranches area. At 2100 6th Armd is ordered to relieve 4th Armd Div at Avranches and secure bridges in that area. 4th Armd Div probes southward from Avranches and secures crossing of the Selune near Pontaubault. In VII Corps area, 1st Inf Div and CCA of 3d Armd Div drive rapidly to Brécey on right flank of corps and secure crossing of See R. 4th Div and CCB, 3d Armd Div, drive forward beyond Villedieu-lès-Poëles. XIX Corps continues attacks toward Tessy against heavy resistance. 30th Div overruns Troisgots, N of Tessy. V Corps drives S toward the Vire, 35th Div taking Torigny-sur-Vire. In Br Second Army area, 8th Corps gets forward elements across the Soulevre R near Le Bény-Bocage. Gds Armd Div reaches Le Tourneur. 30 Corps takes Cahagnes and is approaching Jurques. Cdn First Army takes command of Cdn 2 Corps.

EASTERN EUROPE—In Latvia, troops of First Baltic Front seize Jelgava, near Gulf of Riga, threatening to isolate German Army Group North. Third White Russian forces press forward toward East Prussia, elements entering Kaunas (Kovno), former capital of Lithuania, where street fighting is in progress. Troops of Second White Russian Front also continue toward East Prussia. Closing in on Warsaw (Poland), First White Russian Front takes Siedlce.

ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, TF Ramey, consisting of elements of 1st Armd Div with tanks and TD’s, relieves 91st Div on right flank of corps. 91st Div is transferred to II Corps to relieve 88th Div in place. II Corps now has command of 3 of the army’s 4 infantry divs—88th, 91st, and 85th.

BURMA—11 Army Group: In Br Fourteenth Army area, 4 Corps hq is withdrawn to India and its components on Tiddim road are transferred to command of Hq, 33 Corps, which now has full responsibility for forcing enemy back across the Chindwin. Japanese are in full retreat down Tiddim road. 15 Corps, on Arakan front, has engaged in patrolling throughout June and July despite heavy monsoon rainfall.

NEW GUINEA—In Vogelkop area, 3d Bn of 1st Inf, 6th Div, moves by sea to Cape Sansapor and makes unopposed landing at 0844. Sansapor Plantation and Village are quickly secured and defensive positions established. Cape Sansapor is found to be unsuitable for PT base but is to become site of radar Warning installation. In Aitape area, 124th Inf, reinf by 2d Bn of 169th and dubbed TED Force, begins counterattack in North Force sector at 0800 under direction of Col Edward M. Starr. The 4 bns cross the Driniumor and advance in separate columns toward Niumen Creek, which 3 of the 4 reach, the other being halted 800 yards short by enemy rear guards. 128th Inf protects sector previously held by North Force. In sector of South Force, Co G of 127th Inf breaks out of encirclement near Afua and returns to main body. From 13 July to date, South Force has suffered almost 1,000 casualties; 260 of them within 112th Cav; over 700 Japanese are estimated to have been killed by South Force.

TINIAN—Marines continue S over rugged terrain against moderate resistance. Unusually heavy bombardment by naval vessels, aircraft, and arty precedes attack.

GUAM—3d Mar and 77th Inf Divs begin pursuit of enemy northward, 3d Mar on left, and reach first phase line, extending generally from Agana on W to Yona on E, without trouble except for skirmish at Yona, where 77th Div meets some enemy troops.

HAWAII—81st Div begins preliminary rehearsals for Palaus operation.

 

USMC