80 Years Ago, Sunday, 25 June 1944

USN

Pacific

Submarine Bashaw (SS-241) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks army cargo ship Yamamiya Maru between Taland Island and Halmahera, 03°28'N, 127°06'E.

Submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks merchant tanker San Pedro Maru off northwest coast ofLuzon, 16°17'N, 119°40'E.

Japanese minelayer Nichiyu Maru (see 3 March 1943 and 12 June 1944) is further damaged by naval gunfire in Apra Harbor, Guam.

Europe

Battleship, cruiser, and destroyer force (Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo) duels with German shore batteries and coastal defenses at Cherbourg, France; battleship Texas (BB-35) and destroyers Barton (DD-722), Laffey (DD- 724), and O'Brien (DD-725) are all damaged by the enemy gunfire.

AAF

Eighth AF

During the morning 236 B-17’s bomb Toulouse/Francazal and Toulouse/Blagnac airfield’s and oil dumps at Montbartier. 10 B-17’s bomb scattered targets of opportunity. 107 B-24’s bomb Avord and Bourges airfields. 176 B-17’s drop supplies to French interior forces. A total of 8 Heavy Bombers are lost. VIII FC flies 639 sorties in supporting operations. In addition 5 fighter groups carry out strafing activities, claiming numerous ground targets including 6 airplanes on a landing ground and the airfield at Bourges. 19 enemy fighters are claimed destroyed in aerial combat. During midday 153 B-24’s bomb 17 power and transformer stations in effort to disrupt flow of electric power to V-weapon stations. 64 B-24’s, hampered by cloud over primary aiming points, bomb miscellaneous last resort targets, including airfields at Peronne and Nuncq. Fighter support is provided by 3 groups. All airplanes return safely. In night mission 300 B-17’s and B-24’s bomb 7 railway bridges and 2 airfields in Paris area. 69 Heavy Bombers attack alternate targets, including airfields of Orly, Romilly-sur-Seine, and Etampes/Mondesir. Fighters fly 346 sorties in escort and target area support. A P-38 group strafes ground targets in Angers, Le Mans-Laval area, and a P-47 group bombs and strafes an alternate landing ground near Evreux/Fauville airfield. Heavy Bomber losses total 7. Fighters claim 6 airplanes destroyed against no losses. In USSR, Eighth AF Heavy Bombers and fighters are flown, at daybreak, from dispersal bases to Poltava and Mirgorod and loaded and fueled with intentions of bombing oil refinery at Drohobycz and proceeding to base in Italy. Bad weather cancels the mission until the following day. The aircraft return to dispersal bases for the night as precaution against air attacks.

Ninth AF

400-plus B-26’s and A-20’s hit fuel dumps at Foret d’Andaine, Foret d’Ecouves, and Senonches, and rail bridges at Cherisy, Chartres, Oiseme and Epernon. 14 fighter groups send airplanes on escort, and on armed recon and dive bombing missions over Chartres, Dreux, Argentan, Tours, and Orleans areas. Transports fly supply and evacuation missions to France.

Twelfth AF

Bad weather again prevents operations by Medium Bombers. Light Bombers hit enemy ammo supply. Fighter Bombers bomb towns of San Quirico di Moriano and Castelfiorentino and several rail lines and bridges in battle area near Gothic Line. Piombino falls to US Fifth Army during the day, and the enemy withdraws from Chiusi during 25/ 26 Jun after several days of resisting British Eighth Army forces attacking the town.

Fifteenth AF

650-plus B-17’s and B-24’s attack marshalling yard and oil installations at Sete and Balaruc-le-Vieux, telephone exchange at Le Pontet, railroad bridges at Tarascon and Arles, marshalling yards and bridges at Avignon, and harbor facilities along S coast of France. Fighters fly almost 200 sorties in support. 1 fighter group strafes targets along Fiume-Senje road and at other points on Istrian peninsula.

Tenth AF

More than 50 B-25’s make ammo run to Imphal. 60-plus A-36’s, P-51’s, and P-40’s pound Myitkyina and Mogaung. 2 B-25’s bomb Mohnyin-Mawhun railroad.

Fourteenth AF

31 B-25’s, P-40’s, and P-51’s hit towns of Siangtan and Ichang, attack sampans at Wukou, destroy about 50 trucks and strafe concentrations of troops and horses in Tangyang-Pingkiang and Siangtan- Yungfengshih areas, and pound river dock and sampans at Siangsiang. 7 CACW B-25’s bomb Shayang storage area. 23 B-25’s and P-40’s bomb storage area and damage bridge at Chenghsien.

FEAF

Wewak area continues under attack of Fifth AF and RAAF aircraft. Personnel areas at But, Dagua, and Suain and barges at Mushu and Kairiru Is are hit. P-40’s and B-24’s strike Kamiri airfield while A- 20’s, P-47’s, and B-25’s hit villages along Tor R and P-47’s hit tanks along Wiske R. B-24’s pound Yap and Sorol. Medium Bombers and fighters, along with other Allied airplanes, hit AA positions near Wunapope and blast plantations along Wide Bay.

Seventh AF

P-47’s based on Saipan carry out recon and strafing missions over Saipan and Tinian. B-24’s based on Kwajalein hit Truk and Wotje.

Eleventh AF

Two B-24’s bomb the airfield at Kurabu Cape.

USA

FRANCE—21 Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VII Corps area, naval gunfire supplements aerial and ground bombardment as battle for Cherbourg nears its end. 9th Div’s 47th Inf drives into W suburbs of Cherbourg, overrunning fort at Equeurdreville, Hameau de Tot, and Redoute des Fourches; elements reach coast but are withdrawn. 39th Inf attacks Octeville, where enemy continues to hold out. 79th Div’s 314th Inf gains upper defenses of Fort du Roule against stubborn resistance; 313th gets advance elements into outskirts of Cherbourg. In 4th Div zone, 12th Inf gains its objective with drive to coast E of Cherbourg; when orders are changed to permit div to participate in capture of Cherbourg, 12th Inf enters the city and clears assigned portion in E part; 22d Inf is ordered to take Maupertus airfield.

Br Second Army opens offensive in 30 Corps zone for commanding ground in Rauray area. 49th Div, reinf by 8th Armd Brig, attacks S in region E of Tilly-sur-Seulles and makes limited progress against strong resistance. Some elements reach Fontenay; others thrust to Tessel–Bretteville area.

USSR—Soviet forces envelop Vitebsk, trapping 5 enemy divs, and cut Smolensk–Minsk highway.

ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, port of Piombino falls without opposition to 39th Engineers. This is last day of action in Italy for 36th Div. FEC begins crossing the Orcia in strength as enemy opposition diminishes.

In Br Eighth Army’s 13 Corps area, 78th Div expands its Pescia bridgehead slowly. 4th Div forces enemy rear guards from Vaiano. Enemy retains Chiusi throughout day but withdraws after nightfall, blocking exits.

CBI—On Salween front, Chinese reluctantly admit to U.S. liaison personnel with 71st Army that Japanese have routed 261st Regt, 87th Div, and that the 87th Div commander has attempted suicide. Although 8th Army is moving forward from Indochina border to reinforce troops in Lung-ling area, the battle has already been lost to small enemy force of 1,500. Ch effectives in this region have totaled 10,000. Failure at Lung-ling brings orders from Chiang Kai-shek to take Teng-chung and Sung Shan at all costs in preparation for renewing attack on Lung-ling.

NEW GUINEA—On Biak, 1st Bn of 162d Inf makes limited penetration into underground positions of West Caves. Co L, 186th Inf, seizes the enemy guns that have been firing from positions NW of perimeter. Elements of 2d and 1st Bns, 186th Inf, overrun the Teardrop, which has been largely evacuated by enemy, killing 38 Japanese. In Wakde-Sarmi area, under combined attacks of 2d and 3d Bns, 20th Inf, and 3d Bn of 1st, Japanese begin withdrawing from Lone Tree Hill, having received and inflicted heavy casualties there. 3d Bns of 63d and 1st Regts are to mop up on N while 1st Bns of 20th and 1st Regts conduct holding and mopping up operations to S.

SAIPAN—6th Marines, 2d Mar Div, is still held up by strongpoint N of Mt. Tipo Pale. To right, 8th Marines and attached elements of 29th Marines gain crest of Mt. Tapotchau, whose 1,554-foot height commands the island. Some elements of 27th Div’s 106th Inf begin wide outflanking movement eastward while others continue northward pressure on enemy in Death Valley, but progress is slow. 165th Inf makes futile efforts to scale Purple Heart Ridge. On right flank of corps, 4th Mar Div easily secures all of Kagman Peninsula, sharply reducing corps front; elements are now on 0–6 line. Turning point in Nafutan battle on S Saipan comes as 2d Bn, 105th Inf, succeeds in crushing Japanese MLR on Ridge 300, which controls Nafutan Pt. Enemy’s position on Saipan is by now hopeless, but fanatic resistance continues.

 USMC