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WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China: View pages

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22 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

 

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton, San Chau, and Hong Kong

TIME OVER TARGET: ~Noon

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One P-43 Lancer on loan to the 75th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group, China Air Task Force, 10th Air Force) from the Chinese Air Force.

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: 1st Lt. Roger C. Pryor

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: No aircraft sighted at San Chau airfield.   An estimated 45 fighter aircraft observed at White Cloud airbase in Canton.  Fifteen aircraft counted at Kai Tak.  Pilot counted 17 ships in Victoria Harbor, plus additional vessels in dry dock.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Japanese fighters did not attempt to intercept

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission report 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).
23 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong

http://www.usaaf.net/chron/42/nov42.htm says:

(Tenth Air Force):

CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF): 9 B-25s and 7 P-40s feint at Hong Kong, then fly to the Gulf of Tonkin and sink a freighter and damage 2 others near Haiphong, French Indochina.
23 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb airfield at San Chau Island

TIME OVER TARGET: ~8:15 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Ten P-40E and P-40K from 75th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group) and six B-25s from 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group).  All aircraft are from the China Air Task Force (10th Air Force).

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: P-40s: Major John R. Alison; Captain Albert J. Baumler; Captain John H. Hampshire; 1st Lt. H.M. Blackstone; 1st Lt. Edward H. Calvert; 1st Lt. Greg Carpenter; 1st Lt. William T. Gross; 1st Lt. Mack A. Mitchell; 2nd Lt. Bernard A. Dyrland.  In addition, Col. Robert L. Scott and Lt. Col. Clinton D. Vincent aborted this mission due to mechanical issues with their P-40s.

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: Unknown

RESULTS: Bombs hit aircraft hangers and runway.  One fighter aircraft is destroyed on the ground.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Japanese fighters (possibly from the 25th Sentai or 33rd Sentai) take off during the raid but are unable to intercept American aircraft.  One Ki-27 from an unknown unit is encountered by two P-40 pilots during their flight back to Kweilin.  In the subsequent dogfight the American pilots claim to damage the Ki-27.   However, it is possible the Americans actually shot the plane down, as Japanese records indicate one pilot from the 33rd Sentai was lost over Canton on this date.  The 33rd Sentai flew Ki-43s rather than Ki-27s, however, so either the Americans misidentified a Ki-43 as a Ki-27 (unlikely, as the Ki-27 had a fixed undercarriage) or the 33rd still had some Ki-27s. 

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: There are no American losses. 

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  I could not locate the relevant mission report for the B-25s in the archives, however.
  • Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45, by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores

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).
23 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb Tien Ho airfield in Canton

TIME OVER TARGET: ~2:30 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Seventeen P-40E and P-40K from 16th, 75th, and 76th Fighter Squadrons (23rd Fighter Group) and six B-25s from 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group).  All aircraft are from the China Air Task Force (10th Air Force).

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Col. Robert L. Scott; Lt. Col. Clinton D. “Casey” Vincent; Captain Edmund R. Goss; Captain C.B. Slocumb; 1st Lt. George R. Barnes; 1st Lt. Jack R. Best; 1st Lt. J.R. Carney; 1st Lt. Patrick H. Daniels; 1st Lt. Charles H. Dubois; 1st Lt. Martin W. Lubner; 1st Lt. Robert H. Mooney; 1st Lt. William W. Druwing; 1st Lt. Harold K. Stuart; 1st Lt. Heath H. Wayne; 1st Lt. J.O. Wellborn; 2nd Lt. W.S. Butler; 2nd Lt. Aaron Liepe

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: Unknown

RESULTS: Bombs hit hangers, aircraft, barracks, and oil/gasoline storage facilities. 

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Two fighter pilots assigned to the 25th Sentai, 1st Lt. Hideo Sugawara and Warrant Officer Katsuji Katayama, are killed on the ground during the bombing.  In addition, 1st Lt. Fujio Ichihashi Shigenobu from the 33rd Sentai is lost over Canton.  (Japanese records do not indicate how this pilot was killed.  See the November 23, 1942, raid on San Chau for a possible explanation of this loss.)

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: No American aircraft are lost.  Bomber crews claim 7 to 10 aircraft are destroyed on the ground.

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  I could not locate the relevant mission report for the B-25s in the archives, however.
  • Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45, by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores

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).
24 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb river shipping (B-25s) and an aircraft assembly factory (P-40s) at Canton

TIME OVER TARGET: ~Noon

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Seventeen P-40s from the 16th and 76th Fighter Squadrons (23rd Fighter Group) and six B-25s from 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group).  All aircraft are from the China Air Task Force (10th Air Force).

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: P-40s: Lt. Col. Clinton D. “Casey” Vincent; Major George W. Hazlett; Major Bruce K. Holloway; Captain Edmund R. Goss; 1st Lt. Donald D. Bryant; 1st Lt. W.S. Butler; 1st Lt. L.H. Couch;  1st Lt. Patrick H. Daniels; 1st Lt. Charles H. Dubois; 1st Lt. Martin W. Lubner; 1st Lt. Robert A. O’Neill; 1st Lt. Harold K. Stuart; 1st Lt. J.O. Wellborn; 2nd Lt. L.E. Hay; 2nd Lt. George V. Pyles

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: The B-25s carry a mix of 100-pound and 500-pound general purpose bombs as well as 17-kg fragmentation bombs.  Four P-40s carry six 35-pound fragmentation bombs apiece for dive-bombing.  The other thirteen P-40s function as escorts armed with guns only.

RESULTS: Hits and near misses are claimed on two river steamers east of Canton.  One of these may have been the gunboat IJNS Suma (formerly HMS Moth), which a BAAG report claimed was strafed, killing the executive officer and injuring ten members of the crew.  Some hits on the aircraft factory are also claimed.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Several Ki-27s from an unknown unit are engaged, and P-40 pilots claim to shoot down at least one and possibly two.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: Lt. Patrick H. Daniels is killed when his P-40 explodes in midair while dive-bombing.  He is the first American airman to die in a mission over Canton.  A second P-40 makes a forced landing in friendly territory.

SOURCES: Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  I could not locate the relevant mission report for the B-25s in the archives, however.  Information on the IJNS Suma comes from the BAAG’s Waichow Intelligence Summary no. 15, December 30, 1942.

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).

 
25 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton and Hong Kong

TIME OVER TARGET: ~10:30 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Two P-40E1 from 16th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group, China Air Task Force, 10th Air Force)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: 1st Lt. John D. Lombard; 1st Lt. Robert H. Mooney

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: Pilots overfly White Cloud airfield in Canton, where they spot no aircraft.  They also report no sign of the two river steamers reportedly sunk, damaged or beached during the raid on November 24.  At Hong Kong the pilots count a light cruiser or destroyer, four medium-sized freighters, a tanker, and eight small merchant ships in Victoria Harbor.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Pilots spot four fighter aircraft in the air below them at Hong Kong, but they apparently fail to spot the American aircraft overhead.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission reports and other documents 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).
27 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong

http://www.usaaf.net/chron/42/nov42.htm says:

(Tenth Air Force):

CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF): 10 B-25s and 20+ P-40s, the largest CATF effort in China to date, hit shipping and harbor installations at Hong Kong, firing warehouses and claiming 2 freighters and numerous barges sunk; a large force of fighters intercept during the return trip but are driven off by the escort; the P-40s and B-25s claim several airplanes shot 
27 Nov 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Feint towards Hong Kong to throw off the Japanese and then bomb river shipping and Tien Ho airfield at Canton. 

TIME OVER TARGET: ~10:15 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: 22 P-40E and P-40K from the 16th, 75th, and 76th Fighter Squadrons (23rd Fighter Group) and ten B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group).  All aircraft are from the China Air Task Force (10th Air Force).  This raid involves more American aircraft than any other raid flown in the Pearl River Delta thus far in the war. 

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: P-40s: Col. Robert L. Scott; Lt. Col. Clinton D. “Casey” Vincent; Major John R. Alison; Major Bruce K. Holloway; Captain Burrall Barnum; Captain Edmund R. Goss; Captain John F. Hampshire; Captain Elmer W. Richardson; 1st Lt. Jack R. Best; 1st Lt. H.M. Blackstone; 1st Lt. Edward H. Calvert; 1st Lt. Dallas A. Clinger; 1st Lt. William W. Druwing; 1st Lt. Charles H. Dubois; 1st Lt. John D. Lombard; 1st Lt. Martin W. Lubner; 1st Lt. Robert A. O’Neill; 1st Lt. Harold K. Stuart; 1st Lt. Charles Tucker; 1st Lt. Heath H. Wayne; 2nd Lt. George R. Barnes; 2nd Lt. R.L. Tempest

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: Unknown

RESULTS: The merchant vessel Ryokusei Maru (1,907 GRT) is heavily damaged by the B-25s.  Damage to Tien Ho airfield is unknown.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: ~Twelve Ki-27 and Ki-43 fighters are in the air, possibly from the 25th or 33rd Sentai, and at least one Ki-45 twin-engine fighter from an unknown unit.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: American P-40 pilots claim to shoot down at least 17 Ki-43s, 3 Ki-27s, and 1 Ki-45, and to destroy a trimotor transport plane on the ground at White Cloud airfield.  Japanese records do not indicate any pilots lost on this day, but since multiple American pilots reported seeing parachutes during the dogfight, at least one Japanese fighter was shot down.  No American P-40s are lost, but two make forced landings in friendly territory.  All B-25s return safely.

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  I could not locate the relevant mission report for the B-25s in the archives, however.
  • The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War Two: A Graphic Presentation of the Japanese Naval Organization and List of Combatant and Non-Combatant Vessels Lost or Damaged in the War from the Military History Section of the General Headquarters of the US Far East Command in 1952.
  • Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45, by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores.

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).
05 Dec 1942, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton and Hong Kong

TIME OVER TARGET: ~10:30 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One F-4 (photographic reconnaissance version of P-38 Lightning) from Flight A of the 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (attached to China Air Task Force, 10th Air Force)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Major Dale L. Swartz

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: Unknown

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission report 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).
08 May 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb Tien Ho airfield in Canton.  This is the first raid on a target in the Pearl River delta by the China-based 14th Air Force, the successor unit to the China Air Task Force (a unit of the India-based 10th Air Force).  This is also the first raid on a Pearl River delta target by the 308th Heavy Bomb Group, and only the unit’s second combat mission.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~1:30 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT:

  • Ten B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group)
  • Sixteen B-24s from the 373rd, 374th, 375th and 425th Bomb Squadrons (308th Heavy Bomb Group)
  • Twenty-four P-40s from the 16th and 75th Fighter Squadrons (23rd Fighter Group)

All aircraft are from the 14th Air Force commanded by General Claire Chennault.

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW:

  • P-40s: Lt. Col. Clinton D. Vincent; Major John R. Alison; Major Harry M. Pike; 1st Lt. Lauren Barneby; 1st Lt. Joseph H. Griffin; 1st Lt. Melvin B. Kimball; 1st Lt. James W. Little; 2nd Lt. Robert L. Tempest
  • B-24s: Brigadier General Howard Davidson (traveling as an observer while on an inspection trip from Washington); Colonel Eugene H. Beebe; Captain Adler; Staff Sgt. Israel Blumenfeld; Tech Sgt. Edward J. McCon; Tech Sgt. Harold A. Mcquate
  • B-25s: Captain Douglas C. Weaver; 1st Lt. John B. Lyman; 2nd Lt. Frederick B. Lee; Staff Sgt. Eldon E. Shirley; Staff Sgt. George A. Kelly; Staff Sgt. Hubert F. Blades; Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Cave (all KIA)

 ORDNANCE EXPENDED: The B-24s drop 1,000-pound bombs and propaganda leaflets.  The B-25s drop a mix of 30-pound fragmentation bombs and 100-pound demolition bombs. 

RESULTS: The bombing ignites a substantial fire among buildings near the runway that burns for at least two days and generates considerable smoke.  American bomb-damage assessments claim 25 buildings and a large aircraft hanger are destroyed.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Ki-43-IIs from the 33rd Sentai

AIRCRAFT LOSSES:

  • One B-25 is lost with its crew over Canton, possibly due to the premature explosion of its fragmentation bombs.  The crewmembers (listed above) are all presumed killed in action.
  • One P-40 belly-lands in friendly territory due to fuel exhaustion, but the pilot walks away.
  • B-24 gunners Blumenfeld, McCon, and Mcquate (see above) claim three enemy fighters shot down and American fighter pilots claim another thirteen.  However, Japanese records suggest that only Capt. Yuto Sakashita and 1st Lt. Ichiro Sakai of the 33rd Sentai are lost over Canton on this day. 

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama
  • Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45, by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores

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).

 

 
07 Jul 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb shipping at Whampoa docks in Canton.  This is the first raid in a sustained anti-shipping campaign by the 14th Air Force that begins in July 1943.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~1:15 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Seven B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group) and twenty-two P-40s from the 23rd Fighter Group

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: P-40s: Lt. Col. Clinton D. Vincent; Lt. Col. Samuel “Tex” Knowles

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: Forty-two 500-pound demolition bombs (B-25s)

RESULTS: Bombs dropped on three large vessels estimated at 6,000 to 10,000 tons each.  Results unknown, but postwar records show no Japanese ships are lost at Canton on this date.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: Ki-43-IIs from the 33rd Sentai

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: American pilots claim to shoot down at least two Ki-43s.  Japanese records show fighter pilot Sgt. Tamotsu Watanabe of the 33rd sentai is lost over Canton on this date.

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama
  • Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45, by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores

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).
12 Jul 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton

TIME OVER TARGET: ~9:30 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Two P-40K from 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Major Norval C. Bonawitz; Lt. Anderson

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: Due to clouds and rain, pilots are unable to see the ground in the Canton area

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission report 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).

 
27 Jul 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

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 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group) and ten P-40s from the 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group).  Possibly pilots and aircraft from the 16th Fighter Squadron are involved as well.  All aircraft are based at Kweilin and belong to the 14th 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 33rd 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).
28 Jul 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb HK & Whampoa dockyard

TIME OVER TARGET: ~7:15 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Six B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group) escorted by nine P-40K and P-40Ms from the 74th FS (23rd Fighter Group).  All aircraft belong to the 14th Air Force.

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW:

  • P-40s: Captain Arthur W. Cruikshank; Lt. Anderson; Lt. Dueseler; 1st Lt. Harlyn Vidovich; Lt. Meyer; Lt. Mao; Lt. Martin; Lt. Mauritson; Lt. Laepe; Lt. McKinnon; Lt. Elling; Lt. Sorenson
  • B-25 #41: Captain Lloyd J. Murphy; 2nd Lt. James W. Funk; 1st Lt. William M. Rose; 2nd Lt. William H.C. White; Tech Sgt. Charles H. Patton; Sgt. James M. Ayers; Staff Sgt. George A. Atack
  • B-25 #36: 2nd Lt. Edgar N. Gentry; Flight Officer Richard M. Gramling; 2nd Lt. Ralph Kamhi; Sgt. William H. Johnson; Staff Sgt. Robert D. Shaak
  • B-25 #39: 2nd Lt. Herbert F. Hempe; 2nd Lt. Dow J. Richter; 2nd Lt. Robert D. Guma; Staff Sgt. Loren Morris; Sgt. Golden U. Gallup; Corporal Anthony C. DeLucenay
  • B-25 #68: 1st Lt. Don H. Milam; Flight Officer William R. Monroe; 2nd Lt. C.A. Lutton; Sgt. Rafael C. Arellano; Staff Sgt. William W. Johnson; Sgt. James T. Borgia
  • B-25 #61: 1st Lt. Cleve L. Bingham; 2nd Lt. Richard C. Battle; 2nd Lt. Raymond J. Mazanowski; 2nd Lt. Robert B. Fischborn; Tech Sgt. George W. Gouldthrite; Staff Sgt. Louie L. Lucas; Staff Sgt. R.P. Betts
  • B-25 #55: 2nd Lt. Robert A. Nice; 2nd Lt. William F. Angell; 2nd Lt. Clyde H. Wells; Staff Sgt. Henry M. Ellis; Staff Sgt. Walter J. Schenayder

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 36 250-kilogram demolition bombs

RESULTS: B-25s bomb HK & Whampoa dockyard with undetermined results

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission reports and other documents 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).
29 Jul 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb shipping and dockyards in Hong Kong

TIME OVER TARGET: ~2:45 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Eighteen B-24s from all four squadrons of the 308th Heavy Bomb Group.  Fighter escorts include twelve P-40s from the 74th Fighter Squadron and three P-38s from the newly arrived 449th Fighter Squadron.  Both fighter squadrons are part of the 23rd Fighter Group.   

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: 

  • P-38s: 2nd Lt. Earl E. Helms
  • P-40s: Colonel Bruce K. Holloway; Captain Arthur W. Cruikshank; Captain Richardson; 1st Lt. Lawrence W. Smith; 2nd Lt. James E. Spurgin; 1st Lt. George W. Lee; Lt. Slay; Lt. Sinclair; 1st Lt. Fennard Herring; Lt. Hawkins; Lt. Hendrikson; Lt. Chen; Lt. Calvert; Lt. Barrett
  • B-24s: Capt. William Chenowith, Major Edward G. Schultz, Lt. Chow (all KIA)

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 104 500-pound general purpose bombs

RESULTS: Three separate waves of B-24s bomb the HK & Whampoa dockyard, the Tai Koo dockyard, and the Royal Navy dockyard.  The minesweeper W-101 suffers minor damage.  Civilian casualties are reported in the dockyards and in Victoria City (present-day Central).

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: A small number of Japanese fighters attempt to intercept, possibly from the 33rd Sentai. 

AIRCRAFT LOSSES:

American pilots claim to shoot down one enemy fighter, most likely a Ki-43-II.

Three American aircraft are lost:

  • One B-24 crashes when it runs out of fuel just short of the airstrip at Kunming.  Captain Chenowith, Major Schultz, and a Chinese copilot identified in US military records only as Lt. Chow are all killed.  The rest of the crew safely bails out before the plane goes down.  This is the first aircraft lost by the 308th Heavy Bomb Group during a combat mission.
  • One P-40 pilot is declared missing in action (Lt. Sinclair).
  • One P-38 pilot (2nd Lt. Helms) makes a forced landing at a friendly airstrip, possibly due to battle damage.

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War Two: A Graphic Presentation of the Japanese Naval Organization and List of Combatant and Non-Combatant Vessels Lost or Damaged in the War from the Military History Section of the General Headquarters of the US Far East Command in 1952.

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).
05 Aug 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance of Canton area

TIME OVER TARGET: ~Noon

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Two P-40 fighters from the 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Captain Arthur W. Cruikshank; Lt. Jarmon

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: Pilots report there are no aircraft visible at the Canton airfields and that there is very little river traffic.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission report 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).

 
20 Aug 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb Tien Ho airfield at Canton

TIME OVER TARGET: ~2:37 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Six B-25 medium bombers from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group) and ten P-40s from the 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: 

  • P-40s: Colonel Bruce K. Holloway; Major Norval C. Bonawitz; Captain Arthur W. Cruikshank; 1st Lt. George W. Lee; 1st Lt. Samuel P.M. Kinsey; 1st Lt. Fennard Herring; Lt. Hendrickson; Lt. Lawrence W. Smith; Lt. Bennett; Lt. Sinclair
  • B-25s: Tech Sgt. George W. Gouldthrite

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 48 120-pound M-3 fragmentation clusters and 24 100-pound general purpose bombs

RESULTS: Results unobserved due to interception by Japanese fighters

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: American pilots report up to 20 intercepting Japanese fighters.  These were likely Ki-44-IIs from the 85th Sentai.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES:

  • Japanese fighter aircraft inflict minor damage on three B-25s.
  • American fighter pilots and B-25 gunner Sgt. Gouldthrite claim to shoot down up to seven Japanese fighters, though this is likely an inflated total.

SOURCES:

  • Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • Japanese Army Fighter Aces, 1931-45, by Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores.

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).
22 Aug 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton area

TIME OVER TARGET: ~6:00 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Two P-40s from 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Captain Morrison; 1st Lt. Harlyn Vidovich

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: No activity noted at Canton and much of area obscured by clouds

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission report 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).
25 Aug 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb Tai Koo dockyard

TIME OVER TARGET: ~4:12 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Seven B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group).  All of the B-25s and many of the pilots and aircrew are on their second run of the day to Hong Kong.  Escorting fighters include six P-40s from the 74th Fighter Squadron and seven P-40s from the 76th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group).  All aircraft are from the 14th Air Force.

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: 

  • P-40s: Major Norval C. Bonawitz; Major Robert Costello; Captain Morrison; Captain Lubner; Lt. Bell; Lt. Mauritson; Lt. Lundy; 1st Lt. Lawrence W. Smith; Lt. Burbank; Lt. Williams; Lt. P.N. Bell; Lt. Lui; Lt. Gilmore
  • B-25 #55: Lt. Col. Morris F. Taber; Captain Robert E. Davis; 2nd Lt. Richard C. Battle; 1st Lt. Abe Schestopol; Tech Sgt. George W. Gouldthrite; Staff Sgt. Michael Barnick; Staff Sgt. George J. Atack
  • B-25 #61: 1st Lt. Daniel Manley; 2nd Lt. William F. Angell; 2nd Lt. Raymond J. Mazanowski; 2nd Lt. Robert A. Fischborn; Sgt. Charles M. Cox; Sgt. Jack L. Gould
  • B-25 #56: 2nd Lt. Carl J. LaValle; 2nd Lt. Richard L. Edwards; 2nd Lt. Robert D. Guma; Sgt. Alvin A. Stainker; Staff Sgt. Lambert B. Bebstock
  • B-25 #41: 1st Lt. Charles F. Whiffen; 2nd Lt. Jack E. Booth; 1st Lt. Charles J. Bethea; 1st Lt. Guy P. Baird, Jr.; Tech Sgt. Joe Edmonson; Sgt. Kenneth C. Prothe; Staff Sgt. R.P. Betts
  • B-25 #68: 2nd Lt. William A. Brenner; 2nd Lt. Edward J. Palowski; 2nd Lt. Howard V. Seaborn; Sgt. James T. Borgia; Staff Sgt. Louis L. Lucas
  • B-25 #36: 2nd Lt. George T. Grottle; 2nd Lt. Dow J. Richter; 2nd Lt. Paul J. Diekmann; Staff Sgt. Loren Morris; Sgt. Golden U. Gallup
  • B-25 #65: 1st Lt. James C. Routt; 2nd Lt. Richard R. Rouse; 2nd Lt. Wayne J. Aberle; Staff Sgt. William V. Vickery; Sgt. F.C. DeWitt

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 42 500-pound general purpose bombs

RESULTS: All bombs miss target and fall into the harbor

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission reports and other documents 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).
25 Aug 1943, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

OBJECTIVE: Bomb HK & Whampoa dockyard

TIME OVER TARGET: ~7:45 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Eight B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group) and seven P-40s from the 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group).  All aircraft are from the 14th Air Force.

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW:

  • P-40s: Colonel Bruce K. Holloway; Captain Arthur W. Cruikshank; Lt. Anderson; 1st Lt. Harlyn Vidovich; Lt. Hendrickson; Lt. Meyer; Lt. Robert M. Cage
  • B-25 #55: Lt. Col. Morris F. Taber; Captain Robert E. Davis; 1st Lt. Daniel Manley; 1st Lt. Abe Schestopol; Tech Sgt. George W. Gouldthrite; Staff Sgt. Louis L. Lucas; Staff Sgt. George J. Atack
  • B-25 #61: 1st Lt. Charles F. Whiffen; 2nd Lt. Jack E. Booth; 2nd Lt. Raymond J. Mazanowski; 2nd Lt. Robert D. Guma; Tech Sgt. Karl H. May; Tech Sgt. Alvin P. Schmolt
  • B-25 #56: 2nd Lt. Edward J. Palowski; 2nd Lt. Dow J. Richter; 2nd Lt. George E. Dykstra; Staff Sgt. Robert C. Appleby; Staff Sgt. Louis L. Steiner
  • B-25 #41: Captain Don H. Milam; 2nd Lt. LeRoy J. Fontaine; 1st Lt. Joseph F. Dockwiller; 1st Lt. Guy P. Baird, Jr.; Tech Sgt. Joe Edmonson; Sgt. Kenneth C. Prothe; Sgt. Kenneth C. Passarino
  • B-25 #68: 2nd Lt. Clifford T. Schapansky; Flight Officer Leroy J. Goode; 2nd Lt. Wayne J. Aberle; Staff Sgt. W. Bernert; Staff Sgt. Hadsell D. Barnhouse
  • B-25 #09: Flight Officer William C. Arnold; Flight Officer Richard M. Gramling; Sgt. Rafael C. Arellano; Corporal Everett F. Hamilton; Staff Sgt. Michael Barnick
  • B-25 #36: 2nd Lt. William M. Henry; 2nd Lt. William A. Brenner; 2nd Lt. Seaborn V. Howard; Staff Sgt. Ray T. Hamilton; Sgt. James T. Borgia
  • B-25 #65: 2nd Lt. James J. Harnett; 2nd Lt. Richard C. Battle; 2nd Lt. Robert E. Fischborn; Staff Sgt. Marino R. Galluzzo; Staff Sgt. Arthur B. Smith

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 45 500-pound general-purpose bombs

RESULTS: Numerous bomb hits on HK & Whampoa dockyard.  Bomber crews report direct hits on one ship in dry dock and another tied up at a pier.

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: No Japanese fighters intercept, but at least two transport planes are spotted by American pilots

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: No American aircraft are lost.  B-25 gunner Staff Sgt. Arthur B. Smith is credited with shooting down a twin-engine transport plane over Hong Kong with a burst of .50-caliber machine-gun slugs fired at extreme range.

SOURCES: Original mission reports and other documents 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).

 

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