Allied Missions Against Madang
December 13, 1942
A
Japanese convoy of five destroyers is detected off Madang
December 18, 1942
B-17s attack a convoy in Astrolabe Bay off Madang. Later B-24s attack the convoy off Madang
December 19, 1942
B-17s and B-24s attack warships,
transports and cargo vessels off Madang in Astrolabe Bay
December 26, 1942
Single-bomber attack on
Madang
December 30, 1942
Single-bomber attack on
Madang
January 3, 1943
B-26s, along with a single B-24 bombs Madang
January 12, 1943
A single B-24s bombs Madang
January 14, 1943
A single B-24s bombs Madang
January 17, 1943
A single B-24s bombs Madang wharf areas
January 18, 1943
A single B-24s bombs Madang
January 19, 1943
A single heavy bomber bombs Madang
January 20, 1943
A single B-24s bombs Madang
January 23, 1943
A single B-24s bombs Madang
February 14, 1943
individual B-24s attack the Madang area
February 18, 1943
Individual B-24s bomb the Madang area
March 7, 1943
Single B-24s
attack a ship NW of Madang
March 14, 1943
B-17s
and B-24s bomb Wewak, Tring, and Madang.
March 18, 1943
B-24's pound the town of Madang.
March 22, 1943
heavy bombers attack Madang
April 1, 1943
B-17's attack
the town of Madang
April 5, 1943
A single
B-17 bomb Madang
April 9, 1943
13 x B-25's
of the 90th BS and RAAF Beaufighters of 30 Squadron bomb and strafe the airfield and town and dock areas of Madang. They burn two 45th Sentai Ki-48 Lily bombers and three fighters. A refueling truck was also burned. The Japanese suffered twelve casualties. [Thanks to Richard Dunn for this reference.]
April 11, 1943
Single B-24 hit Madang
once
April 12, 1943
A single B-24 scores hits on the Madang dock area
April 16, 1943
B-24's
bomb Kaimana, Wewak, Madang
April 26, 1943
B-17's
bomb Wewak Airfield and the town of Madang. A single B-24's hit airfields at Madang
May 6, 1943
A single B-24 hits Madang
May 7, 1943
B-17's
and B-24's bomb the airfield, supply dumps, and other targets at Madang. Japanese fighters from Wewak were on patrol and intercepted seven B-17s and six B-24s over Madang. The B-17s reported interception by seven Japanese fighters including two that dropped aerial bombs that missed by a considerable distance. Four B-17s were damaged, one seriously, in conventional attacks. [Thanks to Richard Dunn for this reference.]
May 8, 1943
A 43rd BG B-17F on armed reconnaissance mission radioed its discovery of shipping between Wewak and Madang. B-17F "Fighting Swede" 41-24520 disappears, likely rammed by escorting Ki-43 fighters. B-25 strafers along with 8 x Beaufighters of the RAAF, escorted by 16 x P-38s of the 39th FS claim the destruction of 2 cargo vessels at Madang. The two Japanese sea trucks (small transports, 550 and 950 tons each) were entering Madang harbor carrying vital supplies and full of troops. Beaufighters swooped down and strafed the larger ship setting fires. A few minutes later the B-25s followed up against the ships with bombs and gunfire. Both ships were lost with all their supplies and heavy casualties. This included many of the personnel and much of the equipment of the 11th Airfield Construction Unit moving from Wewak to Madang.
Beaufighters strafed and destroyed a fighter on the strip at Madang but aborted further attacks when eight or more Type 1 fighters appeared over Madang. Some of the Japanese fighters attacked the Beaufighters, damaging one, and chased them down the coast toward Saidor. FOther Japanese fighters headed for the B-25s but the P-38s finally arrived on the scene and reported encountering three ZEKES and two HAMPS a few miles south of Madang. Three P-38s jumped these at 5,000 feet, dispersed the formation and claimed one damaged. On the return flight a single fighter identified as a HAMP was sighted at 1,000 feet. This was jumped by Capt. Thomas Lynch’s flight. In the low level combat that followed double ace Lynch claimed a HAMP destroyed but this cannot be verified. Lynch went into this action despite having difficulty dropping one of his external fuel tanks. [Thanks to Richard Dunn for this reference.]
May 9, 1943
B-24's and B-17's bomb Madang Airfield
May 20, 1943
B-25's sink several barges offshore
between Madang and Cape Cretin
May 25, 1943
Single heavy bomber hits Madang
May 26, 1943
9
B-24's and B-25's bomb Madang town area and airfield.
May 29, 1943
B-17s bomb Madang
May 31, 1943
B-17's
bomb Madang
June 7, 1943
B-17's and B-24's attack Wewak, Lae, Madang
June 17, 1943
B-25's administer a thorough pounding to the Madang
July 20, 1943
A-20's and B-25's pound Madang Airfield and area
July 21, 1943
50+ B-25's again thoroughly pound the Madang area
August 6, 1943
B-25's pound
barges near Madang
August 17, 1943
50+
B-24's and B-17's attack
Madang
September 1, 1943
B-24's and B-25's hit
Madang area
September 20, 1943
B-25's and B-17's hit
roads from Kaiapit to Madang, destroying 3 key bridges
October 22, 1943
Madang is strafed by 4 P-39's
and 2 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boomerangs
October 29, 1943
17 B-25's hit the Madang are
November 5, 1943
P-39's bomb and strafe the Madang area
November 11, 1943
B-25's hit
the Madang area.
November 16, 1943
P-39's, with P-40's
covering, strafe barges from Saidor to Madang.
November 26, 1943
P-40s and P-47s strafe villages and targest of opportunity around Madang.
December 7, 1943
P-40's strafe boats and barges near Madang
December 10, 1943
P-39s strafe barges in the Madang area
December 19, 1943
30 B-25's and B-26's pound Madang
December 21, 1943
B-25s bomb and cannon Madang.
December 22, 1943
B-25's and P-39's bomb airfield and barges at
December 27, 1943
B-25s bomb Madang
December 29, 1943
B-25s hit Madang
December 30, 1943
B-24's and B-25's
bomb Madang. P-47's strafe the Madang area
December 31, 1943
B-24s and medium bombers pound Magang
January 1, 1944
B-25's bomb Madang
January 2, 1944
B-25's and B-26's bomb Madang
January 4, 1944
Heavy and
medium bombers bomb Madang
January 5, 1944
B-24's and medium
bombers bomb Madang
January 7, 1944
B-24's, B-25's,
P-39's, and P-47's bomb the Alexishafen-Madang area
January 8, 1944
B-24's, medium
bombers, and a few fighters, attack the Madang area
January 9, 1944
Fighters and
bombers attack Madang
January 10, 1944
Heavy,
medium, and light bombers, and fighters attack Madang
January 15, 1944
P-40's, P-47's, and B-25's hit the Madang
January 16, 1944
Madang is hit by B-25's, A-20's, and P-40's
January 18, 1944
B-25's pound Madang
January 21, 1944
B-25's, A-20's,
and P-39's bomb the Madang area
January 24, 1944
B-25's and P-47's hit Madang and troops
in the vicinity
January 25, 1944
B-25's bomb Madang
January 26, 1944
140+ B-24's, A-20's, P-39's, and
P-40's hit the Alexishafen-Madang area
January 27, 1944
B-25's, A-20's, and P-39's, along with several RAAF aircraft attack
the Madang
February 2, 1944
50 A-20s pound installations in the Madang area
February 4, 1944
B-24s, A-20s. and
B-25s bomb Madang
February 6, 1944
B-25s and B-24s
pound Bunabun Harbor, Madang
February 8, 1944
A-20s
and B-25s hit the Madang areas
February 18, 1944
P-39s strafe targets of opportunity at Madang
February 21, 1944
A-20s
hit Madang
February 22, 1944
30+ B-25s and P-39s attack
the Madang area
February 25, 1944
B-25's pound Alexishafen-Madang area
February 26, 1944
B-25s, along with P-39s, hit the Alexishafen-Madang area
March 1, 1944
Aircraft hit enemy
installations and positions at Madang
March 2, 1944
B-24s and
P-40s hit the Alexishafen-Madang area.
March 3, 1944
20 P-39s attack Madang
March 5, 1944
P-39's pound the areas around
Madang. Australian ground forces break out of the Ramu Valley and
Japanese retreat toward Madang
March 6, 1944
P-39s and RAAF aircraft hit Japanese forces around Madang
March 11, 1944
40+ A-20s and P-39s attack targets in the Madang area
March 14, 1944
8 A-20s carry out a sweep over the Madang area
March 17, 1944
B-25s bomb the Alexishafen-Madang area
March 19, 1944
B-25s and
P-39s, along with RAAF aircraft, bomb Madang
March 21, 1944
P-39s and RAAF fighter-bombers blast Japanese
positions in the Madang area
March 26, 1944
P-39s hit the Madang area
March 27, 1944
B-24s, B-25s,
A-20s, P-47s, P-40s and P-39s attack Madang
March 29, 1944
P-39s hit the Madang area
March 30, 1944
B-25s, A-20s, P-47s, P-40s, and P-39s hit Madang.
April 2, 1944
Bombers
and fighters continue to hit targets in areas around Wewak, Hansa Bay, Madang
April 3, 1944
P-40s, P-47s, and P-39s hit
Madang
April 6, 1944
P-39s, P-40s
and P-47s hit Madang
April 7, 1944
B-25s, A-20s
and P-39s hit areas around
Madang
April 9, 1944
P-39s hit troops, barges, and bridges in the Madang area
April 10, 1944
Lt Commander Davis (PT Boat captain) serves as spotter aboard destroyer
Hutchins to pinpoint coastal targets for shore bombardment using a minimum
of shells by the destroyer group of Hutchins, Bache, Daly for bombardments of
Madang, Alexishafen, Ulingan and Hansa Bay.
April 12, 1944
B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and P-39s bomb and strafe
various targets at Wewak, Madang
April 16, 1944
P-38s
hit Madang area
April 17, 1944
Other planes, operating individually or in pairs,
attack the Madang area
April 18, 1944
The Madang area is hit by fighter-bombers.
April 19, 1944
B-25s, A-20s, and fighter aircraft strike a wide variety of targets
including Madang
April 21, 1944
B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s hit numerous
targets including the Madang area
April 22, 1944
1 to 20+ aircraft, attack areas including Madang
April 24, 1944
B-25s and fighter-bombers hit a variety
of targets along the New Guinea coast including the Madang area
April 25, 1944
Madang Town is liberated by Australian troops.
April 26, 1944
20 P-39s and P-47s attack bridges and targets of opportunity near Madang
References
"Wewak: The Early Days, by Richard Dunn, 2005