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

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton, Hong Kong, and Sanchau Island

RESULTS: Pilot takes a series of recon photos.  Pilot reports 15 ships in the 200 to 400-foot range in Victoria Harbor and a large 400-foot tanker in a bay on the south side of Hong Kong Island.  Engine failure prevents coverage of Sanchau Island.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~1:00 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One F-5E from Flight B, 21^st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Lt. Snyder in aircraft #305

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: Right engine fails over Hong Kong, but Lt. Snyder returns safely to base on left engine.

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).

OBJECTIVE: Fly nocturnal sea sweep mission to detect and sink Japanese ships in the South China Sea.

RESULTS: The radar-equipped B-24 fails to locate any Japanese ships.  The aircraft commander then opts to bomb the Kowloon docks (the designated secondary target) on the return flight.  Damage is unknown.

TIME OVER TARGET: Late evening

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One B-24 from the 308^th Heavy Bomb Group

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Captain Armstrong in plane #823

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 12 x 500-pound bombs

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).

OBJECTIVE: Bomb aircraft revetments at White Cloud airbase in Canton

RESULTS: Bombers claim to destroy six to seven enemy aircraft in revetments and inflict additional damage on buildings and other installations at the airbase

TIME OVER TARGET: ~2:50 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Twenty-eight B-24s from all four squadrons (373^rd, 374^th, 375^th, and 425^th) of the 308^th Heavy Bomb Group escorted by 50 fighter aircraft from the following squadrons:

• 26^th Fighter Squadron: Fourteen P-51s
• 76^th Fighter Squadron: Eight P-51s and fifteen P-40s
• 118^th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: Ten P-51s and three P-40s

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW:

• 26^th FS: Major Holman, Lt. Blankenship, Lt. Ashmore, Lt. Porter, Lt. Kramer, Lt. Spainhour, Lt. Barr, Lt. Hamilton, Lt. Machim, Lt. Gamble, Lt. Duffy, Lt. Wilson, Lt. Scearcy
• 76^th FS: Major Slocumb, 2^nd Lt. Jerome F. Eisenman, Lt. Trecartin, Lt. Eldridge, Lt. Thompson, Lt. Baker, Lt. Moore, Lt. Anderson, all in P-51s; Lt. La Tourelle, Lt. Wheeler, Lt. Rust, Lt. Kirkpatrick, Lt. Ward, Lt. Riley, Lt. Taylor, Lt. Joyner, Capt. Craig, Lt. Li, Lt. Siefer, Lt. Johnson, Lt. Krywy, Lt. Kitterman, Lt. McCarter, all in P-40s.  Though flying with the 76^th FS on this mission, the pilots belong to the 16^th FS, 75^th FS, 76^th FS of the 23^rd Fighter Group and the 5^th Fighter Group of the CACW.
• 118^th FS: Major Edward O. McComas, Lt. Crowell, Lt. Wegman, Lt. Murray, Lt. Denton, Lt. Miehe, Lt. Smith, Lt. Bushong, Lt. Pearsall, Lt. Greene, Lt. Colleps, Lt. Martinez, Lt. Griswald
• 308^th BG: Formation is led by Major James S. “Jack” Edney; pilots include 2^nd Lt. Elmer E. Haynes

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 850 x M1A1 100-pound fragmentation cluster bombs (25 of the 28 B-24s release their bombs over the target)

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: A small number of 85^th Sentai pilots flying Ki-44s and Ki-84s attempt to intercept the B-24s, but are intercepted by P-51s escorting the bombers.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES:

• Sgt. Major Hiroji Shimoda and Sgt. Tatsuji Uebo are killed when they are shot down by American fighter aircraft. 
• Warrant Office Akiyoshi Nomura in a Ki-84 bails out after getting shot up, but he is rescued by friendly Chinese and returns to his unit. 
• A P-51 flown by 2^nd Lt. Jerome F. Eisenman of the 76^th FS is shot down by Japanese pilots, though Eisenman bails out and eventually returns to his unit, also with the help of friendly Chinese.

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).

OBJECTIVE: Sink merchant vessel anchored on south side of Hong Kong Island

RESULTS: Pilots strafe a motor launch and claim four direct hits on a tanker in or near Repulse Bay.  Possibly, this is the oiler IJNS Kamoi, but if so, the ship suffers no damage during the attack.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~3:00 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Two P-51s from the 118^th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Lt. Pascoli and DeVeer (26^th Fighter Squadron)

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 4 x 500-pound bombs and 1,710 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition

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.

• Tabular Record of Movement for IJN Seaplane Tender/Oiler Kamoi at http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kamoi_t.htm

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).

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton and Hong Kong

RESULTS: Cloud cover obscures Canton and Hong Kong from view, but recon photos are taken of Samshui.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~4:00 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One F-5E (#287) from Flight B, 21^st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Lt. Campbell

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

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).

OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton and Hong Kong

RESULTS: Pre-strike photos are taken of Victoria Harbor.  Pilot reports that numerous ships are in port.  No photos are taken of the Canton airbases, which are obscured by cloud.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~9:45 to 9:55 a.m. over Hong Kong

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One F-5B (#388) from Flight B, 21^st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Lt. Neely

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: One aircraft of unknown type/unit attempts without success to intercept Lt. Neely’s aircraft.

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).

The raid was reported in the Hongkong News:

The raid was reported in the next day's Hongkong News:

It's mentioned in the 18th Jan issue too, this time talking about the bomb that hit Stanley camp:

And again in the 19th Jan issue, this time talking about Grumman fighter planes attacking Hong Kong:

and also printing a letter from F C Gimson in Stanley Camp:

Here's how it was reported in the next day's issue of Hongkong News: