SATURDAY, 23 DECEMBER 1944
ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): The weather mission finds squall conditions
and is aborted.
CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 8 B-25s pound points along the Burma Road. 13 B-25s hit town areas, trains, and other targets of opportunity at Vinh, French Indochina, from Dap Cau, French Indochina to Lungchow, China, and from Lang Son, French Indochina to Yungning, China. Three B-25s and five P-40s damage about 50 railroad cars in the area S of the Yellow River; Sixteen P-51s over Wuchang and Hankow damage two ferry ramps and blast three oil dumps. Twelve P-51s and P-38s damage two hangars at Heho Airfield and in China, twelve P-51s pound railroad shops at Chenghsien and bomb Houmachen with napalm.
INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 15 P-47s knock out and damage bridges at Mong Long, Pa-mao, and Man Pwe; 12 B-25s destroy bridges at Tonbo, Saye, Ketka, and Nampawng, and damage several others; 40+ fighter-bombers attack storage areas, bivouacs, and enemy-held points at Namhkam, Nyaunggyin, Hseing-hkai, Mongyin, and Kutkai. Transport sorties to forward bases and frontline areas total 353.
AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Twelve B-24s from Saipan and 14 B-24 from Guam hit Iwo Jima; 3 others from Guam, flying armed reconnaissance
bomb Woleai. During the night, two B-24s from Guam and Saipan fly
harassing strikes against Iwo Jima.
HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): HQ 313th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) and
HQ 504th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and the 398th Bombardment
Squadron (Very Heavy) and 421st Bombardment
Squadron (Very Heavy) arrive at North Field from the U.S. with
B-29s.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the Philippine
Islands, B-24s bomb Fabrica Airfield and Silay Airfield; P-38s and
P-47s provide cover. B-24s bomb Grace
Park Airfield in the northern suburbs of Manila;
B-25s pound San
Roque Airfield and the Davao and Zamboanga areas. On Halmahera Island, B-25s and fighter-bombers blast Lolobata, Hate
Tabako, and the Goeroea
area. Again numerous FEAF aircraft fly various small strikes, armed reconnaissance,
and sweeps over the Philippine Islands and the Netherland East Indies; fighter-bombers
are especially active against targets in the C Philippine Islands and Halmahera
Island. The air echelon
of the 17th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Tactical Reconnaissance
Group, moves to San
Jose with B-25s (the squadron
is based at Tacloban). Lost is B-25H 43-4178 (MIA).
