80 Years ago Today, Friday, 19 May 1944

 USN

James V. Forrestal of New York, Under Secretary of the Navy since 1940, becomes Secretary of the Navy.

Pacific

Aircraft from TG 58.6 (Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery) bomb Marcus Island; attacks continue on 20 May.

Japanese radio traffic intercepted by U.S. Navy intelligence allows deductions to be made as to where the new submarine cordon established to intercept American carriers (see 16 May 1944) will be; consequently, destroyer escort England (DE-635) sinks Japanese submarine I-16, on a resupply run to Buka, 140 miles northeast of Cape Alexander, Solomon Islands, 05°10'S, 158°10'E. I-16 is the first of five Japanese submarines that England will sink in a week's time as U.S. antisubmarine forces work their way down the NA line (see 22, 23, 24, 26, and 31 May 1944).

Submarine Skate (SS-305) sinks Japanese guardboat Meisho Maru off Ogasawara-Gunto, 28°56'N, 141°38'E.

USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force) on antishipping sweep of the South China Sea bomb Japanese convoy no.87, but only succeed in inflicting minor damage upon cargo ship Yamadori Maru (see 20 May 1944 et.seq.).

Mediterranean

Light cruiser Brooklyn (CL-40) shells German supply dumps at Terracina, Sperlonga, and Ganta, Italy.

Motor torpedo boat PT-204 is mistakenly torpedoed and damaged by PT-304 off Vada Rocks, Corsica.

Destroyers Niblack (DD-424) and Ludlow (DD-438) and British aircraft sink German submarine U-960, Western Mediterranean, 37°20'N, 01°35'E.

AAF

Eighth AF

493 B-17’s bomb Friedrichstrasse section of Berlin, and 49 bomb port facilities at Kiel. 273 B-24’s hit industrial area at Brunswick. 8 other HBs attack T/Os and last resort tgts in Germany. Enemy resistance is heavy, and 28 HBs and 20 escort ftrs are lost. US bmrs and ftrs claim 164 aircraft destroyed.

Ninth AF

About 290 B-26’s and A-20’s bomb coastal defenses, port area, railway battery, and NOBALL tgts in France. More than 125 others fail to bomb because of extremely thick haze. About 300 P-47’s divebomb tgts in France.

Twelfth AF

MBs hit railroad bridges in NC Italy while LBs bomb ammo dump. FBs continue spt to Allied forces advancing rapidly N and W, blasting road network in battle area, and hitting motor transport, bridges, town areas, and T/Os, in areas around San Giovanni Valdarno, Pastena, Vallecorsa, Terracina, Fondi, Pistoia and elsewhere.

Fifteenth AF

HBs hit comm tgts, ports, and oil storage in NE, C, and NW Italy. Over 500 B-17’s and B-24’s hit railroad bridges at Latisana, Tagliamento, Casarsa della Delizia, and Rimini, M/Ys at Forli, Faenza, and Bologna, oil storage at Porto Marghera, port and M/Y at La Spezia, harbor at Leghorn, and harbor and rail installations at Genoa. Ftrs fly over 250 sorties in spt. These operations are notable for absence of ftr opposition.

Tenth AF

A-31’s again hit various tgts in Arakan area. A-31’s fly over 60 sorties against villages S of Bishenpur and gun positions at Kanglatongbi. A-36’s, P-40’s, P-51’s and a few B-25’s fly 140-plus attack sorties against various tgts in the Mogaung Valley, concentrating on gun positions in Myitkyina area. 8 B-25’s damage railroad tracks in Myingatha-Saye area and 16 P-38’s hit A/F at Nawnghkio.

Fourteenth AF

31 ftrs spt ground forces in Salween area at Chiangtso, Watien, and Mamien Pass. 4 P-40’s knock out bridge at Shweli, 13 P-40’s bomb and strafe Puchi area, and 16 P-40’s and P-38’s damage bridge at Tayeh and hit military installations and other buildings at Yangsin. 11 P-51’s bomb village near Anking, causing large explosions and fires. 2 B-24’s on sea sweep seriously damage 2 freighters S of Hong Kong. 16 CACW P-40’s pound trucks, tanks, and troops in Ichang-Tangyang-Loyang area and attack river traffic at Itu on the Yangtze R.

Fifth AF

B-24’s, A-20’s and P-38’s hit A/Fs and shipping in Manokwari-Noemfoor I area. Other B-24’s pound beach defenses at Bosnik on Biak I and hit area between Bosnik and Mokmer. 270-plus A-20’s, P- 47’s, P-38’s, and B-25’s continue to blast Wewak, knocking out radar and radio stations, and attack T/Os from Wewak to Hansa Bay area.

Thirteenth AF

More than 40 P-39’s, P-38’s, and P-40’s hit Makada I. 16 B-25’s bomb gun positions and supply area at Talili Bay. 20 AAF ftrs and a few Navy airplanes bomb huts and bridges at Monoitu, Porton, Toborei, Moisuru, and Tsimba.

Seventh AF

B-25’s based at Engebi hit Ponape and B-25’s from Makin hit Nauru.

Eleventh AF

A B-24 flies armed rcn over Shimushu and Ketoi Is.

USA

NEW GUINEA—Organized resistance on Insoemoar I., rapidly disintegrates, and Japanese remnants are compressed into small pocket at NE tip. Engineers begin to repair airdrome. Prov Groupment on Isoemanai is disbanded; its components return to mainland or to Wakde. Cos E and I land on Liki and Niroemoar and find them undefended. Fifth Air Force establishes radar detachments on the islands. In Aitape sector, 32d Rcn Tr replaces Cos C and D, 127th Inf, at Nyaparake. Brig Gen Clarence A. Martin, 32d Div ADC, takes command of East Sector, replacing Col Howe.

CBI—In NCAC area, at Myitkyina, 1st Bn of Marauders turns over Pamati ferry to Chinese and takes up position on Namkwi R, S of the town. K Force, approaching from N, takes Charpate without difficulty. M Force reaches Namkwi. Japanese garrison of Myitkyina is thus partially encircled. Ch 22d Div commits 65th Regt to line. Ch 38th Div, upon receiving permission from Chiang Kaishek to push toward Kamaing, decides to send 112th Regt around E flank of enemy to block Kamaing Road S of Seton and move 114th down Kumon Range toward Mogaung. Br Fourteenth Army commander recommends that Gen Stilwell be given command of all operations to open land route to China.

ITALY—AAI: U.S. Fifth Army orders 509th Para Inf Bn dropped in Galla di M. Orso area N of M. Romano to speed advance of II Corps. In II Corps area, 338th Inf of 85th Div finds Gaeta abandoned by enemy. Elements of 339th move toward Itri to assist 88th Div while others clear hills S of Highway 7. 351st Inf, 88th Div, captures M. Grande with ease; patrol clears stragglers from Itri, where 349th Inf soon arrives. 350th Inf takes up positions E of Itri. Germans order withdrawal of troops S of the Liri and E of Pico to line Pico–Pontecorvo. In FEC area, Mtn Corps column takes Campodimele and cuts Highway 82 near M. Vele.

In Br Eighth Army area, Cdn 1 Corps and Br 13 Corps attempt unsuccessfully to breach Hitler Line before its defenses can be organized, former in Pontecorvo area and latter at Aquino.