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January 12, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 12 JANUARY 1945

CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s again damage a bridge at Wan Mai-Lo, Burma. 35 fighter-bombers pound targets of opportunity around Wanting, China and Muse, Burma. Lost is B-24J "Shootin' Star" 42-73249 (MIA).

INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, sixteen fighter-bombers support ground forces in the battle sectors at Si-U and at Lawa on the Irrawaddy River; 70+ fighter-bombers hit troops, supplies, vehicles, and general enemy movement at Namsa-lap, Longmao, Hsa-ihkao, Mangpu, Pangnim, and near Lashio, Hsipaw, and Hsenwi. Transports fly 544 sorties, landing men and supplies at forward bases and dropping supplies to troops in battle sectors.

MALAYA: Two B-29 bombers were shot down, one by Kamikaze ramming. 

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 28 Guam based B-24s bomb airfields on Iwo Jima; Three B-24s, on armed reconnaissance from Saipan bomb Marcus. Iwo Jima is hit by snooper strikes during the night of 12/13 Jan, by 4 B-24s from the Mariana .

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the San Jose del Monte area and bivouac areas on N Luzon; other B-24s hit Legaspi Airfield, and Batangas Airfield and Matina Airfield while B-25s bomb Fabrica warehouses. Lost is B-24J 44-41078 (Crew KIA/POW).

IJN: Japanese submarine I-47 enters Humboldt Bay off Hollandia. At 4:15am launched four kaitens at five minute intervals piloted by Lt (jg) Kawakubo Teruo, CPO Muramatsu Minoru, PO2C Sato Katsumi and Lt (jg) Hara Atsuro. At 5:11am, one kaiten damages anchored Liberty ship USS Pontus H. Ross.

USN: Task Force 38 (TF-38) under the command of Vice Adm John S. McCain in the South China Sea carrier planes strike Japanese shipping, airfields, and other shore installations in southeastern French Indochina as far south as Saigon catching ships in the harbor and in coastal convoys with devastating results and sinks 12 tankers, 20 passenger and cargo vessels and numerous small combatant ships, totalling 149,000 tons. TF 38 planes sink training cruiser Kashii north of Qui Nhon, 13°50'N, 109°20'E; escort vessel Chiburi, Coast Defense Vessel No.17, and Coast Defense Vessel No.19 off Cape St. Jacques, 10°20'N, 107°50'E; submarine chaser Ch 31, minesweeper W.101, Patrol Boat No.103 [ex-U.S. minesweeper Finch (AM-9)], Coast Defense Vessel No.35, Coast Defense Vessel No.43, and merchant tanker Ayayuki Maru off Cape Padaran, 11°10'N, 108°55'E; submarine chaser Ch 43 near Cam Ranh Bay, 11°53'N, 109°08'E; landing ship T.140 and victualling stores ship Ikutagawa Maru at Saigon, 10°20'N, 107°50'E; Coast Defense Vessel No.23 and Coast Defense Vessel No.51 north of Qui Nhon, 14°15'N, 109°10'E; auxiliary minesweeper Otowa Maru at Cam Ranh Bay, 11°50'N, 109°00'E; oil tanker Kumagawa Maru and transports Shinsei Maru and Toyu Maru off Cape St. Jacques, 10°20'N, 107°45'E; transport Kembu Maru and army cargo ships Yushu Maru and Kyokuun Maru north of Qui Nhon; army cargo ships Kiyo Maru and No.17 Shinsei Maru, Saigon; and merchant cargo ships Kenei Maru and Taikyu Maru and tanker No.9 Horai Maru at Saigon; tanker Akashi Maru off Cape St. Jacques; cargo ship Eiman Maru and tanker No.2 Nanryu Maru, east coast (exact location unspecified) of French Indochina; tanker Shoei Maru, cargo ships Hotsusan Maru, Tatsuhato Maru, Otsusan Maru, Yujo Maru, and No.63 Banshu Maru north of Qui Nhon; and tankers Koshin Maru, Ayanami Maru, Hoei Maru, and Eiho Maru, and cargo ship Kensei Maru, southeast of Cape St. Jacques. TF 38 planes also damage escort vessels Daito and Ukuru, Coast Defense Vessel No.27, and fleet tanker San Luis Maru north of Qui Nhon; submarine chaser Ch 34 and merchant cargo ship Ryuyo Maru at Cam Ranh Bay; landing ships T.149 and T.137 and fleet tanker No.3 Kyoei Maru off Cape St. Jacques; landing ship T.131 near Saigon; guardboat No.2 Fushimi Maru at entrance to Vung Tau; army cargo ship France Maru and merchant tanker Shingi Maru, southeast of Cape St. Jacques; and merchant cargo ships Chefoo Maru and Kanju Maru at Saigon. Vichy French ships, due to their proximity to Japanese vessels, also come under attack: TF 38 planes sink light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet off Cat Lai, and sink French surveying vessel Octant.

Other Japanese casualties include Coast Defense Vessel No.2 damaged by aircraft (location unspecified); and auxiliary vessel Keishu Maru damaged by aircraft off Longhai.

Off the west coast of Luzon, kamikazes damage destroyer escorts Richard W. Suesens (DE-342) and Gilligan (DE-508), 16°20'N, 120°10'E; attack transport Zeilin (APA-3), 15°23'N, 119°25'E; and tank landing ship LST-700, 14°04'N, 119°25'E; suicide pilots target U.S. merchant ships, damaging freighters Elmira Victory (there are no casualties to either the merchant complement or the 27- man Armed Guard) 16°11'N, 120°20'E (friendly fire also accounts for damage to the ship); Otis Skinner, on board which Armed Guard sailors contribute to fire- fighting efforts, 14°42'N, 119°35'E; Edward M. Wescott off the west coast of Luzon (10 of the 25-man Armed Guards are wounded by flying debris); Kyle V. Johnson, (on board which 129 of 506 Army troops, being transported, die) at 15°12'N, 119°30'E; and David Dudley Field at Subic Bay (Armed Guard gunfire deflects the kamikaze so that it only strikes the ship a glancing blow). Friendly fire accounts for damage to high speed transport Sands (APD-13) and tank landing ships LST-710 and LST-778, 15°00'N, 119°30'E.

IJN: Operation Kongo continues; I-47 launches kaitens that damage U.S. freighter Pontus H. Ross off Hollandia at Lat 02°33'S, Long 140°06'W; there are no casualties among the merchant sailors or the 27-man Armed Guard.



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