70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

The diary of R. E. Jones reflects the internees' interest in and excitement at the US Air Force raids on Hong Kong. They are almost the only visible sign they have of Allied action in the war. Not much has been done since the initial attacks of late October 1942, but today is the first of three consecutive days on which the American planes take the war to Japanese Hong Kong.

Details provided by a website devoted to the Sino-Japanese air war:

July 27 Six B-25s of 14th AF, supported by 14 fighters, attack 'targets of opportunity' on Stonecutter's Island after failing to locate a reported freighter in the area.

July 28 Six B-25s of the 14th AF, with an escort of 9 P-40s, bomb Taikoo Docks.

July 29 18 B-24s of the 14th AF, with fighter escort, bomb shipping and dockyard installations. Kowloon and Taikoo and the former Naval Dockyard are hit.

Source:

http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/sino-japanese-1943.htm

Note:

I suspect this photo of an attack on Taikoo Docks was probably taken during these raids:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/acstudio/4073566918/

OBJECTIVE: Bomb a Japanese freighter reported to be at anchor near Stonecutters Island

TIME OVER TARGET: ~3:15 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Six B-25s from the 11^th Bomb Squadron (341^st Medium Bomb Group) and ten P-40s from the 74^th Fighter Squadron (23^rd Fighter Group).  Possibly pilots and aircraft from the 16^th Fighter Squadron are involved as well.  All aircraft are based at Kweilin and belong to the 14^th Air Force.

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW:  P-40s: Lt. Col. Harry M. Pike; Captain Arthur W. Cruikshank; Lt. Jarmon; Lt. Morelle

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 36 Chinese-made 230-kg demolition bombs

RESULTS: Bombs are dropped from 17,000 feet and miss the freighter.  Some bombs hit SE corner of Stonecutters Island, possibly causing damage to buildings

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: No Japanese aircraft are seen over Hong Kong, but two fighters intercept the P-40s over Canton during the return flight.  These are likely Ki-43s from the 33^rd Sentai.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: One P-40 force lands, possibly as a result of combat with enemy fighters

SOURCES: Original mission reports in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

Information compiled by Steven K. Bailey, author of Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942-1945 (Potomac Books/University of Nebraska Press, 2019).