April 11, 1943
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 11 APRIL 1943

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eleventh Air Force) Four B-25's, twenty-two P-40's, and eight P-38's hit Kiska five times. The last mission aborts due to weather. The other four missions bomb various targets starting large fires. Some fighters strafe Little Kiska.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force) P-38's and Navy fighters strafe gun positions in the Rekata Bay area. B-17's bomb Kahili Airfield and Ballale Airfield.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force) B-17's bomb Lae and Finschhafen. Single B-24's bomb Finschhafen 3 times and hit Madang once. B-25s hit Vila Salazar and another village on East Timor. Lost is P-39 pilot Cohen(survived) bailed out in the vicinty of Port Moresby.

Operation I-Go: Japanese aircraft including 22 x D3A Vals (8 x D3A Vals from Hiyo and 14 x D3A Vals from Zuikaku, one aborted inbound to the target) armed with only 60kg wing bombs escorted by 72 A6M Zeros took off from Rabaul on a mission to attack shipping in Oro Bay. Inbound to the target, D3A Val piloted by Takahashi (C.O.) aborted landing at Gasmata Airfield. Arriving over Oro Bay, the dive bombers claim two merchant vessels destroyed. In fact, they damaged HMS Hanyang, MV Noora (S-136) and HMAS Pirie (J189).