80 Years Ago Today, Saturday, 13 May 1944

 Eighth AF continues to strike strategic targets as Allied forces prepare for Overlord

13 May, Sat. --

 

USN

 

Pacific

 

F4Us, F6Fs, and SBDs, and USAAF B-24s and B-25s bomb Japanese installations at Jaluit; attacks will continue on14 May.

 

Submarine Pogy (SS-266) sinks Japanese cargo ship Anb_ Maru off Suruga Bay, Honshu, 34°31'N, 138°33'E.

 

Japanese landing ships T.128 and T.150 are damaged by mines, Palau.

 

Atlantic

 

Destroyer escort Francis M. Robinson (DE-220) sinks Japanese submarine RO-501 (ex-German U-1224), en route toJapan on her maiden voyage, 400 miles south- southwest of the Azores, 18°08'N, 33°13'W.

 

AAF

 

Eighth AF

689 B-17’s and B-24’s bomb A/Fs, M/Ys, aircraft assembly plant, and T/Os at Tutow, Osnabruck, Barth, Sylt I, Stettin, and Stralsund. 12 HBs are lost.

 

Ninth AF

More than 300 B-26’s and A-20’s bomb A/Fs, coastal defenses, railway battery, and V-weapon sites in France and Belgium. P-47’s carry out dive-bombing raids on various tgts.

 

Twelfth AF

MBs, LBs, and FBs continue to attack lines of comm but devote main effort to spt of Allied ground forces push against Gustav Line (French Expeditionary Force with US Fifth Army gains spectacular breakthrough by fierce assault). A-20’s hit cmd post; B-26’s damage Cortona, Certaldo, Signa, and Montepescali bridges; B-25’s blast towns in rear of battleline with good results at Pastena, Pico, Vallecorsa and Itri; and FBs carry out armed rcn and scheduled attacks against comm, road and rail traffic, and gun positions along immediate battleline and in areas around Esperia, Pico, Sant’ Oliva, Pignataro Interamna, Arce, Fondi, Perugia, Todi, Spoleto, Terni, Orvieto, Chiusi, Rieti, and N of Rome.

 

Fifteenth AF

HBs continue interdiction in spt of ground forces. 670-plus B-17’s and B-24’s, mostly with ftr escort, attack M/Ys at Trento, Bronzola, Fidenza, Piacenza, Faenza, Imola, Cesena, Modena, Parma, San Rufillo, Borgo San Lorenzo, Castel Maggiore and Bologna, and hit railroad bridges at Bolzano and Avisio. Ftrs sweep Bologna-Modena area.

 

Tenth AF

Nearly 100 P-40’s and P-51’s over Mogaung Valley hit gun positions, bridges, spt ground forces (near Nanyaseik), and hit numerous T/Os throughout the whole valley. 12 A-36’s hit positions near Maungdaw. 19 B-25’s and 46 A-31’s pound several points along road and bomb troop concentrations at Bishenpur. 30-plus B-24’s, B-25’s, A-36’s, and P-51’s hit Indaw, Taungbaw, and Mohnyin. 11 B-25’s bomb Monywa.

 

Fourteenth AF

19 B-25’s hit storage and warehouse areas at Mangshik and Lungling, bridge at Hsenwi, truck and tank concentrations SW of Loyang, and town area of Lungling. 39 P-40’s hit military installations at Mengta and Tating, village N of Kaitou bridge at Tingka, and truck concentration at Yingyangchen.

 

Fifth AF

B-24’s hit dispersal areas on Japen I, supply areas and AA guns at Bosnik, and A/Fs at Sorido, Namber, and near Moemi R. B-24’s and B-25’s hit A/Fs in the Wakde-Maffin-Sawar-Arare area. More than 200 FBs, A-20’s, and B-25’s thoroughly pound A/Fs, bridges, fuel dumps, vehicles, villages, AA guns, and supply areas in WewakHansa area.

 

Thirteenth AF

50-plus P-39’s and P-40’s attack piers at Ratsua, Porton, Chabai, and Tarlena. 30-plus other FBs hit various tgts, including supply area SE of Bonis, town of Chabai, village near Ibu, and huts and villages along Numa Numa trail. 3 B-25’s hit coastal guns at Hahela Mission. 21 B-25’s and more than 40 P- 39’s, P-40’s, and P-38’s pound supply areas at Talili Bay. Ftr sweeps over N New Britain and New Ireland continue. Many T/Os are strafed.

 

Seventh AF

B-24’s, staging through Eniwetok from Kwajalein, bomb Truk during the early morning hours. Other HBs from Kwajalein bomb Maloelap and Jaluit. B-25’s from Engebi hit Ponape.

 

Eleventh AF

1 B-25 flies a shipping strike and strafes 2 fishing vessels.

 

USA

 

NEW GUINEA—Gen Gill decides to abandon Marubian area.

 

CBI—In NCAC area of Burma, when frontal and flanking attacks on Tingkrukawng by K Force  fail, the village is bypassed. On Salween front, Japanese almost wipe out a Ch bn in Mamien Pass but situation is restored after reinforcements arrive. Japanese resistance in this region ends. Regt of 53d Army crosses the Salween and attacks Japanese flank, regaining positions in Tatangtzu Pass.

 

ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army area, Germans, after offering stiff resistance throughout day, begin withdrawal to next delaying position night 13–14. In II Corps area, efforts of Co F of 339th Inf, 85th Div, to break through enemy encirclement fail. 2d Bn, 338th, clears Cave d’Argilla and Hill 60, in region N of S. Martino Hill, while 1st Bn pushes from Solacciano toward Hill 126, on S Ridge. 351st Inf, 88th Div, continues toward S. Maria Infante. Renewing attack on right flank of II Corps, 350th Inf’s 1st Bn seizes M. Rotondo. FEC smashes through Gustav Line in spectacular push. 2d Moroccan Div overruns M. Girofano, M. Feuci, and M. Maio in center of corps zone. Exploiting this success, 1st Mtzd Div speeds forward on right flank to S. Apollinare while 4th Moroccan Mtn Div, on left flank, clears opposition about M. Ceschito, N of road to Coreno, in skillful enveloping attack. Over 1,000 prisoners are taken. Mtn Corps, upon moving forward from Castelforte to positions N of M. Rotondo, halts until opposition can be cleared from Ceschito. Mtn Corps is organized into 3 groups. One pushes northward toward Ausonia and the other 2 drive W toward Spigno, night 13–14. In Br Eighth Army area, 13 Corps expands Rapido bridgehead. Bridge is completed in sector of 4th Div.