80 Years Ago, Monday 1 May 1944

USN

Pacific

Supported by carrier planes from TG 58.1, TG 58.7 (Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee), consisting of seven battleships screened by 14 destroyers, bombards wharf areas, seaplane base, and other Japanese installations on Ponape Island, Carolines.

District patrol craft YP-95 sinks after running aground in Beyer Bay, south shore of Adak, Aleutian Islands, while assisting in a minesweeping mission.

Submarine Bluegill (SS-242) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Asosan Maru [repaired after her encounter with Trigger (SS-237) on 19 April] east of Mindanao, 07°05'N, 130°00'E.

PB4Y damages Japanese cargo vessel Anshu Maru off Biak.

AAF

Eighth AF

More than 500 Heavy Bombers are dispatched on an early morning mission to attack 23 V-weapon sites in Pas de Calais area. Bad weather causes many aborts. 129 of these Heavy Bombers manage to attack V-weapon sites at Marquise/Mimoyecques, Watten, and Bois de l’Enfer and airfields at Paix, Montdidier, and Roye/Amy. In afternoon raid 328 B-17’s and B-24’s bomb marshalling yards at Troyes, Reims, Sarreguemines, Metz, Liege, and Brussels.

Ninth AF

The last of the 11 bomb groups (8 medium and 3 light) of IX BC becomes operational. 450 B-26’s and A-20’s attack numerous marshalling yards and industrial targets in France and Belgium.

Twelfth AF

Medium Bombers attack bridges at Albinia Station, NW of Chiusi, in and near Grosseto, near Monte Molino, Calafuria, and at Pontedera. Also attacked are viaduct at Monte Catellana and marshalling yards at Florence/Campo di Marte and Florence, with particularly good results at Florence. LBs hit ammo dump at Fara in Sabina. P-40’s and P-47’s hit rail tracks in Rome area, Priverno station, guns N of Anzio, dumps at Frascati, stations at Colleferro and Frosinone, tracks at Orbetello and Orvieto, bridge and tunnel N of Todi, road in Canino, dump and factory at Stimigliano, vessels E of Piombino, factory E of Cecina, bridge approaches at Grosseto and Arezzo, dump at Grosseto, and tunnel at Rignano sull ‘Arno.

Tenth AF

18 P-38’s and A-31’s hit troop positions and supply dumps. 7 P-40’s over Mogaung Valley hit Kamaing and attack positions N of Nanyaseik. 30-plus B-24’s bomb Maymyo, Mandalay marshalling yard, and oil facilities at Yenangyaung.

Fourteenth AF

32 P-40’s hit targets over wide areas of S China, Burma and Indochina. The Fighter Bombers knock out bridge at Wan Lai-Kam, pound motor pool at Wan Pa-Hsa, and strafe railroad station and airfield at Yuncheng, damage 3 bridges and hit numerous boxcars at Bac Le, Dinh Ca, and Dong Mo, and bomb carbide mines at Loc Binh. Dong Dang and Na Cham railroad yards are also strafed. 7 B-25’s and 8 P-40’s bomb Tangyang airfield and nearby cavalry post. 2 B-25’s over Amoy claim a small freighter sunk. 15 enemy airplanes bomb airstrips at Ankang and Hengyang.

Fifth AF

180-plus Medium Bombers, LBs, and fighters pound Wewak and Hansa Bay areas throughout the day. Numerous coastline targets are hit, including airfields, vehicles, comm, villages, AA positions, bivouacs, supplies, barges, and offshore islands. B-24’s of Thirteenth Air TF hit Woleai and Eauriprik Is.

Thirteenth AF

24 B-24’s over Borpop area attack coastal guns. 40-plus Fighter Bombers and more than 30 Navy dive bombers pound Vunakambi Plantation. 38 P-39’s, flying 18 different missions, hit a variety of targets on SW Bougainville, including missions at Tinputs, Koromira, and Tsimba, Hongorai R crossing, Numa Numa bridge, and huts at Aravia and Kunapaupau.

Twentieth AF

By this date all 4 Very Heavy Bomber fields in Chengtu area are open to B-29 traffic.

Seventh AF

Shore-based AF Forward Area (TF 59) is activated to control all Army, Navy, and Marine shore-based aircraft in the C Pacific forward area. The cmd is headed by Gen Hale, former CG of the Seventh. B-25’s from Makin bomb Jaluit.

Eleventh AF

A single weather sortie is flown.

USA

CAROLINE Is.—TF 58 completes 2-day action against Truk, during which some 120 Japanese aircraft are destroyed, about half of them on the ground.

NEW GUINEA—Upon returning to Kamti village, Co I of 163d Inf finds that Japanese have withdrawn. Little contact is made with enemy on W flank after this. Nyaparake Force moves back to Nyaparake by water and sets up outposts at Charov and Jalup.

BURMA—Air supply situation improves as Air Marshal Sir John Baldwin becomes responsible for co-ordination of activities of Troop Carrier Command with those of 3d TAF.

In NCAC area, SOS takes responsibility for Y-FOS.

ITALY—AAI: Final details of plans for drive on Rome are ironed out at meeting at Caserta.