80 Years Ago Friday 9 June 1944

Pacific

Destroyers bombard Japanese repair facilities at Fangelawa Bay, New Ireland.

Submarine Harder (SS-257) sinks Japanese destroyer Tanikaze in Sibitu Passage, 90 miles southwest of Basilan Island, 04°50'N, 119°40'E.

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) attacks Japanese convoy east of the Bonins, sinking destroyer Matsukaze 55 miles east of Chichi Jima, 27°14'N, 142°55'E.

USAAF A-20s bomb Japanese shipping off Manokwari, sinking cargo vessels No.10 Fuku Maru, No.12 Fuku Maru, Ebisu Maru, Fukuda Maru, Atarashi Maru, and Shosei Maru.

Atlantic

Off Normandy, destroyer Meredith (DD-726) is sunk by horizontal bomber and as a result of mine damage suffered off the invasion beaches on 8 June, 49°26'N, 01°04'W. German schnellbootes S 172, S 174, S 175 and S 187 attack convoy in English channel, torpedoing and sinking tank landing ship LST-314, 49°43'N, 00°52'W, and damaging tank landing ship LST-376. The latter is later scuttled by escorts, 49°43'N, 00°53'W. Infantry landing craft LCI-416 is sunk by mine; motor minesweeper YMS-305 is damaged by shore battery, 49°31'N, 00°50'W. U.S. freighter Ezra Weston is damaged by shore battery fire that kills 5 and wounds 11 of her 600 embarked troops; there are no other casualties among the ship's complement, including the 26-man Armed Guard.

AAF

Eighth AF

Bad weather prevents Heavy Bomber operations. One fighter squadron attacks shipping and another squadron flies escort for photo recon mission (not completed), losing 2 fighters.

Twelfth AF

Medium Bombers again hit enemy comm, bombing bridges with good results. Light Bombers hit targets of opportunity in Acquapendente area. Fighter Bombers and fighters continue to pound motor transport retreating up Italian peninsula, and to bomb roads and railways in path of enemy retreat, as US Fifth Army reaches Viterbo, where British Eighth Army shortly makes contact with it.

Fifteenth AF

Around 500 B-24’s and B-17’s bomb industrial targets and an airfield around Munich and attack oil storage at Porto Marghera. P-47’s, P-38’s, and P-51’s fly over 250 sorties in support of the Munich raids. Heavy Bombers and fighters claim over 30 aircraft destroyed. 13 US airplanes are lost.

Tenth AF

5 B-25’s carry out strike on Imphal-Tiddim road while 20-plus others continue to supply ammo to Imphal area. More than 40 A-36’s, P-51’s, and P-40’s hit Myitkyina, Mogaung, and Kadu.

Fourteenth AF

P-40’s, P-51’s, and B-25’s fly more than 200 sorties against numerous targets throughout the Tungting Lake area. River shipping of all description is pounded, several troop concentrations are attacked, airfields at Hankow and Wuchang are bombed, and towns of Ichang, Siangyin, Yuankiang, and Kiaotow are hit. 4 Heavy Bomber and Fighter Bomber sorties over S China Sea result in claims of 3 sea going vessels, a tug, and a barge sunk.

Fifth AF

B-24’s bomb Peleliu airfield. A-20’s bomb shipping in Manokwari harbor. B-24’s, A-20’s, B-25’s, and P- 39’s, along with RAAF planes, drop about 140 tons of bombs on various targets in Wewak area. B-24’s of Thirteenth Air TF bomb Alet airfield and targets of opportunity in Truk.

Thirteenth AF

32 B-25’s, 20 P-39’s, and 5 P-38’s pound supplies and gun positions in Ratawul-Talili Bay area. other B-25’s attack pier at New Massava Plantation and railroad to Mandres Saw Mill. P-39’s hit town of Buka, supply area to the N of the airfield, and Arigua Plantation.

Seventh AF

During 8/9 Jun B-24’s from Eniwetok bomb Truk.

USA

FRANCE—21 Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VII Corps area, 4th Div makes significant progress at some points as it continues drive on Cherbourg: on right flank, 22d Inf forces German garrison of Azeville fortifications to surrender and organizes TF Barber to drive on Quinéville through Azeville gap; 12th Inf thrusts quickly northward from Edmondeville, reducing strongroupoint at Joganville; during hard and costly fighting, 8th Inf overruns enemy positions at Magneville and drives to Ecausseville, from which enemy withdraws after nightfall. 505th Para Inf, 82d A/B Div, reinf by bn of 327th Gli Inf, makes limited progress W of Magneville; 82d A/B Div makes main effort at La Fière, where 2 bns of 325th Gli Inf, followed by 1st Bn of 508th Para Inf, cross the Merderet and secure bridgehead of sufficient depth to include all units that had been isolated W of the Merderet. 101st A/B Div prepares for 2-pronged attack on Carentan via causeway and Brévands, but its jump-off is delayed awaiting bridge repairs. V Corps attacks S toward Fôret de Cerisy on 3-div front, committing 2d Div in narrow zone between 29th and 1st. From Isigny, main body of 175th Inf, 29th Div, thrusts S to its objectives, reaching La Fotelaie, while Co K, reinf by Rcn Tr and tanks, forces crossing of the Vire R at Auville-sur-le Vey; 115th Inf crosses the Aure S of Canchy and fans out to Bricqueville, La Folie, and Le Carrefour. In center of V Corps, 2d Div’s 38th Inf pushes into Trévières and begins clearing it while 9th, to E, thrusts to Rubercy. 1st Div, attacking with 18th Inf on right and 26th on left, reaches its left flank objectives, Agy and Dodigny. 2d Armd Div begins landing.

Br Second Army is pushing forward toward Tillysur- Seulles in 30 Corps zone and Caen in 1 Corps zone against strong opposition.

ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army’s VI Corps area, 133d Inf of 34th Div overruns Tarquinia. 361st Inf of 91st Div enters line, taking over coastal sector under command of 36th Div. Viterbo falls without a fight to CCA, 1st Armd Div, early in day. II Corps is being relieved by FEC.

Br Eighth Army establishes new boundary between 13 and 10 Corps along Tiber R. Elements of 13 Corps E of the river (Br 6th Armd and 4th Inf Divs) pass to command of 10 Corps. In 13 Corps area, S African 6th Armd Div makes contact with U.S. Fifth Army at Viterbo and pushes on toward Orvieto. In 10 Corps area, Br 6th Armd Div continues toward Terni. Ind 8th Div reaches Arsoli.

USSR-FINLAND—As prelude to main summer offensive, Soviet troops of Leningrad Front launch attacks to eliminate Finnish threat on Karelian Isthmus, between Lake Ladoga and Gulf of Finland, striking at Finnish Mannerheim Line after 3-hour preparatory bombardment.

CBI—Adm Mountbatten directs Gen Giffard, CG 11 Army Group, to clear Dimapur–Kohima– Imphal road not later than mid-July; to clear Dimapur–Kohima–Imphal Plain–Yuwa–Tamanthi region; to prepare to attack across the Chindwin in Yuwa–Tamanthi area after the monsoon.

On Salween front, Ch 71st Army begins attack on 2 of 3 hills in Lung-ling. 9th Div of Ch 2d Army blocks Burma Road 4 miles S of Mang-shih; because of disagreement between army and group army commanders, 9th Div later withdraws the block and confines its activities to patrolling.

NEW GUINEA—Engr aviation bns begin building strip on Owi. On Biak, main body of 162d Inf, TF HURRICANE continues W along coast toward Mokmer airfield against heavy fire from East Caves; makes contact with 2d Bn, which reverts to regt. Efforts are being made to discover limits of the East Caves position. In Hollandia–Aitape area, 1st and 2d Bns of 158th Inf, TF TORNADO, continue to Tirfoam R, overrunning enemy defenses en route. Forward movement from there is halted since 158th Inf is to be prepared to attack Noemfoor I. at short notice. A second RCT of 6th Div is to relieve 158th Inf. In sector of TF PERSECUTION, Japanese are found to have withdrawn from Afua–Palauru trail. Sq of RAAF Beaufighters of Wing 71 arrives at Tadji, where only 110th Rcn Sq of U.S. Fifth Air Force has been stationed from 25 May to date.