70 Years Ago Today: Thursday, June 17, 1943 London: In an effort to reduce the number of collateral air-war casualties, the BBC warns civilians living near Axis factories to evacuate to safer ground. European Theater: During the night, seven RAF Mosquitos, are sent to Berlin, Cologne and the Ruhr. Eastern Mediterranean: Desert Air Task Force B-24s, from the 9th Air Force, attack airfields at Biscariy and Comiso, Sicily. China – Burma – India Theater (China): 14th Air Force P-40s strafe a warehouse and train south of Chiuchiang and a train north of Nanchang and road traffic east of Hanoi, French Indochina. Meanwhile, General Stilwell presents the Operation Trident proposals to Chiang Kai-shek. Pacific Ocean Area: 7th Air Force sends four B-24s on a night time mission to bomb Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. Taking off in two intervals, one aborts and another fails to find the target. The two remaining aircraft bomb hit runways, silence an anti-aircraft battery and blow up an ammunition dump. The raid is a diversion in support of the first night photo-reconnaissance mission by the VII Bomber Command, where three other B-24s photograph Mille Atoll in the Caroline Islands and nearby waters in the Marshall Islands. Southwest Pacific Theater: 5th Air Force B-25s attack the Madang and Salamaua, New Guinea Areas, while B-24s bomb Sorong, New Guinea and Boela in the Moluccas Islands. In other activity, a single B-24 bombs the airfield at Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island and, during the night, a B-25 attacks power launches nearby, sinking one and badly damaging two more.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:35:58 +0000
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