80 Years Ago, Friday, 27 October 1944

 

US NAVY

PACIFIC—TG 38.3 (Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman) and TG 38.4 (Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) attack Japanese ships and installations in the Visayas and northern Luzon area. Navy carrier-based planes sink destroyer Fujinami 80 miles north of Iloilo, Panay, 12°00'N, 122°30'E; TF 77 planes sink destroyer Shiranui 80 miles north of Iloilo, Panay,12°00'N, 122°30'E.

            Off Leyte, battleship California (BB-44) is damaged by strafing off Leyte, 16°57'N, 125°02'E; submarine chaser(rescue) PCER-848 is damaged by horizontal bomber, 11°11'N, 125°05'E; and motor torpedo boat PT‑523 is damaged by dive bomber. 11°15'N, 124°59'E.

            U.S. freighter Benjamin Ide Wheeler is damaged by kamikaze that crashes the ship, killing one merchant sailor and one of the 27-man Armed Guard (whose heavy gunfire damages the inbound suicider) and sets fire to the gasoline cargo; salvage ship Cable (ARS‑19) comes alongside and extinguishes the blaze while some of the ship's complement and passengers are transferred temporarily to nearby amphibious command ship Wasatch (AGC-9).

            Damaged heavy cruiser Canberra (CA‑70) and light cruiser Houston (CL‑81) (see 13-16 October 1944) reach Ulithi with their supporting ships, their Odyssey over.

            Submarine Bergall (SS‑320) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks oiler Nichiho Maru and fleet tanker Itsukushima Maru to the west of Balabac Strait, 07°09'N, 116°40'E.

            Submarine Cero (SS‑225) drives Japanese guardboat No.3 Kyoei Maru ashore, Luzon, 17°00'N, 119°00'E.

            Submarine Kingfish (SS‑234) sinks Japanese landing ship T.138 and army cargo vessel No.4 Tokai Maru 30 miles north-northeast of Iwo Jima, 25°22'N, 141°31'E.

            Submarine Nautilus (SS‑168) lands men and supplies on east coast off Luzon.

            U.S. motor torpedo boats sink Japanese motor sail ship Kyoei Maru off Ormoc Bay.

            USAAF P‑38s and P‑47s sink Japanese motor sink sail ship Senshin Maru off Mactan Island.

            USAAF aircraft (14th Air Force) damage Japanese ship Kashii Maru in South China Sea, 14°25'N, 110°38'E.

 

US ARMY AIR FORCE

NINTH AF—Gen Robert C Richardson reassumes command of IX Air Defense Command. Adverse weather prevents all operations except patrols by XIX Tactical Air Command and supply dropping missions (to VI Corps near Saint‑Die) by XII Tactical Air Command.

TWELFTH AF—Weather curtails operations. Fighter bombers on armed reconnaissance in Genoa‑Novi Ligure‑Turin area hit communications and transportation targets.

FIFTEENTH AF—Bad weather limits operations to 5 weather reconnaissance flights.

FOURTEENTH AF—Fighters bomb and strafe town of Mengmao and nearby hill positions, river traffic, troops, and horses from Tanchuk to Tengyun, bridges northeast of Hsinganhsien, town of Kaotienhsu, troops in Kweilin area, rail traffic west of Puchi, and airfields at Siangtan and Changsha.

FEAF—40‑plus fighter bombers, operating in 3 waves, hit shipping off Cebu and west of Mactan Island. B‑24’s attack Malili and Palopo.

SEVENTH AF—2 B‑24’s on armed reconnaissance from Saipan bomb Yap. During 27/28 Oct a B‑24 on snooper mission hits Iwo Jima.

ELEVENTH AF—7 B‑24’s weather abort an attempt to fly cover for naval TF.

 

US ARMY

WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Canadian First Army’s 2 Corps area, forward elements of Canadian 2d Division reach Beveland Canal, at west end of Beveland Isthmus, and cross during night 27–28. 52d Division expands Baarland bridgehead to Oudelande.

            In British 1 Corps area, Bergen-op–Zoom falls to Canadian 4th Armored Division, 413th Infantry of U.S. 104th Division, assisted by effective artillery preparation and attached British tanks, takes Zundert by storm.

            In British Second Army’s 8 Corps area, Germans, following heavy artillery barrage, open strong tankinfantry attack toward Asten in effort to divert Allied strength from main battle front, penetrating lightly held positions of U.S. 7th Armored Division along Canal de Deurne and Canal du Nord, west of Venlo. Germans take Meijel, near junction of the two canals, and penetrate line at Heitrak, on Meijel–Deurne highway, and near Nederweert. Combat Command A of U.S. 7th Armored Division seals off penetration pear Nederweert; Combat Command B is relieved by British 11th Armored Division in order to counterattack on 28th.

            12th Army Group: In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, 357th Infantry of 80th Division, employing 4 small teams, again attempts in vain to take Hôtel de Ville in Maizières-lès-Metz.

            6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s VI Corps area, 3d Division presses slowly in on St Dié against heavy fire. 36th Division’s isolated battalion is too weak to break out, but some progress toward it is made by Nisei troops. First efforts to drop supplies by air fail. Subsequent attempts achieve some success.

            In French 1st Army area, Gen de Lattre, at conference with Gen Devers at Vittel, presents his plan for offensive toward Belfort and gains Gen Devers’ approval. The French drive is to coincide with general Allied offensive in November and is to open on 13th.

HUNGARY—Troops of Fourth Ukrainian Front take Ungvar (Uzhorod) on northeast border. This completes Soviet conquest of Carpatho–Ukraine (Ruthenia before March 1939).

ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army’s British 13 Corps area, 26th Armored Brigade Group, following up enemy withdrawal on right flank of corps, occupies Rocca South. Casciano, on Highway 67.

            In British Eighth Army’s Polish 2 Corps area, elements of 5th Kresowa Division recapture Predappio Nuovo. In 5 Corps area, Indian 10th Division crosses additional elements over the Ronco, night 27–28. In Canadian 1 Corps area, plans to relieve Canadian 1st Division and Canadian 5th Armored Division cannot be carried out at this time because of weather conditions. Advance elements of corps across the Bevano in coastal sector are withdrawn.

BURMA—In NCAC area, U.S. 124th Cavalry arrives in training area.

CHINA—Japanese renew offensive to take U.S. air bases in east China (ICHIGO), heading toward Kweilin and Liuchow.

LEYTE—U.S. Sixth Army: In X Corps area, 1st Battalion of 34th Infantry, 24th Division, advances through 2d Battalion to Mudburon River without opposition. After night-long shelling of Pastrana, 3d Battalion of 19th Infantry enters the town and with assistance of 1st Battalion mops up. In XXIV Corps area, 382d Infantry of 96th Division again attacks Tabontabon. 1st and 3d Battalions push through northwest part of the town to positions about a mile to northwest, but 2d Battalion is held up in the town and establishes night perimeter in center of it. 383d Infantry patrols in vicinity of San Vicente and San Vicente Hill in effort to locate enemy positions. Sixth Army releases 381st Infantry from reserve to corps. 32d Infantry, 7th Division, against surprisingly light resistance, clears Buri airstrip by 1130. 17th Infantry, reinforced by platoon of engineers to repair bridges, continues drive on Dagami, reaching positions some 2,200 yards South of the town.

 

US MARINE CORPS