Wednesday, September 11, 2024

80 Years Ago, Saturday, 9 September 1944

US NAVY

PACIFIC—TF 38 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) begins strikes against Japanese shipping, facilities, and airfields on Mindanao; carrier-based planes sink transport Kuniyama Maru in Sulu Sea, 06°30'N, 121°50'E, and transports Kurenai Maru and Mihara Maru, and cargo ship Taiyu Maru in Mindanao Sea, 09°45'N, 125°30'E. Light cruisers Birmingham (CL-62) and Santa Fe (CL-60) and four destroyers detached from TG 58.3 (Rear Admiral Laurance T. DuBose), covered by planes from light carrier Langley (CVL-27) demolish coastal convoy consisting of predominantly small ships and craft proceeding down the west coast of Mindanao.

            Submarine Bang (SS-385) sinks Japanese transport Tokiwasan Maru south of Japan, 28°53'N, 137°42'E, and merchant cargo ship Shoryu Maru, 28°58'N, 137°45'E.

            Submarine Queenfish (SS-393) sinks Japanese transport Toyoka Maru and merchant passenger/cargo ship Manshu Maru and damages torpedo boat Manazuru northwest of Babuyan, Luzon, 19°45'N, 120°56'E.

            Submarine Seal (SS-183) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Shonan Maru in Sea of Okhotsk, north of Etorofu, Kurils,47°57'N, 148°15'E.

            Mines laid on 6-8 July by British submarine HMS Porpoise sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 8 and Cha 9 off Sumatra.

            Mine sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Tsinan Maru off Woosung, China.

 

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—350-plus B-17’s bomb marshalling yards at Mannheim and Mainz, armament plant at Dusseldorf and 10 targets of opportunity. 8 B17’ s are lost, mostly to AA fire. 8 P-51 groups and a squadron give escort, 1 group later strafing rail traffic S of Wurzburg. 1 P-47 group sweeps Lingen-Munster-Haltern area to spot flak positions and troop concentrations, and strafe an airfield. 5 fighter bomber groups bomb and strafe shipping between German mainland and Schouwen, Overflakee, and Walcheren Is, installations on the islands, and rail and road trafflc NW and NE of Frankfurt/Main. 9 fighter bombers are lost. Fighters claim 13 aircraft destroyed. Training functions are removed from VIII AF Comp Cmd control and distributed within the combat groups in anticipation that combat groups will have to train their own replacements upon deployment from ETO to other theaters.

NINTH AF—Bombers fly leaflet mission to coastal France and Belgium. Fighters fly escort, furnish ground force cover for US VIII Corps in the Brest area, 2d, 5th, and 8th Infantry Divisions of US Third Army’s XX Corps area W of Metz, and fly armed reconnaissance in areas around Aachen, Cologne, Koblenz, Bonn, Saarbrucken, and Nancy. Fighters also hit bridges at Custines and Pompey. Over 700 transports fly missions.

TWELFTH AF—B-26’s achieve excellent results against rail bridges in the E Po Valley while B-25’s bomb troop concentrations and supply points S of Bologna. Fighter bombers and fighters attack railways and roads in Po Valley and from Genoa to Turin. Motor transport and rolling stock are bombed and strafed in N Italy and E France, with particular success in Belfort-Mulhouse-Freiburg areas.

TENTH AF—9 B-25’s bomb Japanese HQ and other buildings at Manwing. 17 B-24’s run fuel to Kunming. Numerous other transport sorties are flown to several points in CBI.

FOURTEENTH AF—24 B-25’s hit river traffic and troop compounds in areas around Kiyang, Lingling, and Lingkwantien, bomb towns of Lingling and Samshui, and knock out W end of bridge at Lingling. About 50 P-40’s and P-51’s hit numerous targets of opportunity throughout inland SE China including rivercraft and troop areas around Lingling, Lupao, Tsingyun, Kiyang, Leiyang, and Yungfengshih, and a railroad bridge at Tunganhsien. 5 B-24’s over S China Sea claim 4 freighters sunk or heavily damaged.

FEAF—B-24’s bomb Mapanget airfield. More than 100 fighter bombers and A-20’s pound airfields at Liang, Haroekoe, Boela, and Namlea. Fighter bombers hit Moemi, Manokwari, and Ransiki airstrips while B-25’s hit Babo airfield. B-24’s hit Galela airfield.

SEVENTH AF—A B-24 on snooper mission from Saipan bombs Iwo Jima during 9/10 September. B-25’s based in the Gilberts bomb Nauru.

ELEVENTH AF—6 B-25’s hunt shipping off Paramushiru. 4 return to Attu with bombs, finding no targets. One hits mast of a vessel and ditches in water. The other lands on one engine in Petropavlovsk. 3 B-24’s make an uneventful raid during 9/10 September on Kashiwabara. Later 2 photo planes escorting 2 bombers over Kurils on a mapping project are attacked by fighters which inflict no damage.

 

US ARMY

WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Canadian First Army’s 2 Corps area, Allied patrols moving along coast enter Ostend and Nieuport. 4th Armored Division troops cross Ghent–Bruges Canal SE of Bruges against strong opposition.

            In British Second Army’s 30 Corps area, Guards Armored Division, reinforced by Royal Netherlands group, extends bridgehead at Beeringen against sharp opposition. 50th Division is slowly expanding Gheel bridgehead. 11th Armored Division moves forward on right flank of corps.

            12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s XIX Corps area, 113th Cavalry Group enters Holland panhandle near Maastricht. Rest of corps is getting into position for offensive, 30th Division assembling near Tongres. In VII Corps area, 1st Division crosses the Meuse at Liége and pushes E on N flank of corps. 3d Armored Division ( — ) heads for Verviers; Combat Command B and attached elements of 9th Division thrust to Limbourg.

            In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, forward elements of 80th Division drive NE to vicinity of Fontoy and Neufchef, the latter being within 8 miles of Thionville. 2d Infantry of 5th Division, assisted by TF from Combat Command A, 7th Armored Division, continues to attack W of Metz without making appreciable headway. 5th Division maintains its small Dornot bridgehead against repeated counterattacks but is unable to expand or reinforce it. In XII Corps area, corps commander orders attack on S flank to begin on 11th. Germans continue to counterattack 80th Division positions.

S FRANCE—In U.S. Seventh Army area, French 2d Corps continues toward Dijon, elements reaching positions about halfway between Beaune and Dijon. In VI Corps area, 45th Division overcomes opposition at Baume and drives on toward Villersexel road junction. 3d and 36th Divisions cross Ognon I. In French 1st Corps area, Séez falls to FFI forces. This is an important communications center just SW of Little St Bernard Pass.

USSR—Accepts Bulgaria’s request for an armistice and breaks off hostilities.

ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army area, Gen Clark orders II and British 13 Corps to attack on 10th to breach Gothic Line. Boundary between the two corps is altered to give Highway 6521 to 13 Corps. Troops move northward, following up enemy withdrawal. In II Corps area, 34th Division, with 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron under command, takes up positions W of Highway 65 and 91st assembles E of the highway. 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron patrols as far N as M. Maggiore without incident. In British 13 Corps area, 1st Division, having accomplished its mission of screening for II Corps, shifts eastward.

            British Eighth Army issues instructions for major effort by 5 Corps and Canadian 1 Corps to take S. Savino–Coriano ridge. Greek 3d Mountain Brigade is committed along coast under command of Canadian 1st Division, Canadian 1 Corps.

NEW GUINEA—Work on Kamiri airfield, Noemfoor, is completed.

 

US MARINE CORPS

 

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