Air Operations, Carolines

• 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Woleai Atoll.
• 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Ponape Island.

Air Operations, CBI

• 25 10th Air Force B-25s and P-51s attack Indaw.
• B-25s attack Pyingaing.
• More than 100 B-25s, A-26s, P-40s, and P-51s attack dumps at Hopin, Kamaing, and Mogaung, and rail targets and targets of opportunity at Chaungwa, Manywet, and Myitkyina.
• More than 60 A-31s attack Kohima (India), Ukhrul (India), and Japanese Army troop concentrations near Ft. White.
• 38 A-31s and 8 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack Japanese Army positions near Buthidaung and Myohaung.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack 2 ships off Cape Bastion.
• 14th Air Force P-40s attack targets of opportunity around Kengtung.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Dara, Dhasan, and Kenglaung.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

During the night, VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Kwajalein stage through the Eniwetok Atoll to attack the Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands and Guam in the Mariana Islands. The B-24s land at the Momote airfield on Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

The 8th Air Force raids Friedrichshafen factories and airfields near Munich. 55 planes are lost, 14 of which land or crash in Switzerland.

• 637 aircraft are sent to Karlsruhe. In this total are 369 Lancasters, 259 Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitos.
• Clouds over the target area and a strong wind pushes the Pathfinders too far north for a successful attack. Only the northern part of Karlruhe receives serious damage as most of the bombs fall outside the city. Mannheim, 30 miles to the north, records a raid of about 100 aircraft on this night and Darmstadt, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg are also hit by aircraft which fail to find the main target.
• 11 Lancasters and 8 Halifaxes are lost.
• 234 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group and 10 Lancasters of No. 1 Group are sent to Munich.
• The marking and controlling plan work well and the city center is hit with accurate bombing. The Lancasters scatter 'Flying Meteor' methane-petrol IBs over Munich, devastating a wide area between Central Station and the Isar River. The intense flak and searchlight defenses do not prevent the low-flying Mosquito markers from carrying out their task properly as none are seriously damaged.
• 9 Lancasters are lost.
• 165 OTU aircraft carry out a diversionary sweep over the North Sea to a point 75 miles off the German coast. 23 Mosquitos bomb Düsseldorf, 6 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron drop flares and target indicators over Milan as a diversion for the Munich raid, and No. 100 Group flies 11 RCM, 21 Serrate and 8 Intruder sorties.
• 2 Wellingtons are lost in the OTU sweep.
• 4 G-H Stirlings are sent to the Chambly railway depot, 18 Halifaxes lay mines off the Channel ports and in the Frisians, and 7 aircraft are involved in Resistance operations.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Japan

1 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24 reconnoiters and attacks Matusuwa Island. In a separate mission, 1 B-24 takes weather readings over and attacks 4 islands in the Kuriles.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

An Italian 'Co-Belligerent Air Force' is now operating regularly over the Adriatic.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• More than V Bomber Command B-24s attack airfields in the Wewak area.
• 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in Australia attack airfields on Noemfoor Island.
• More than 140 B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s attack dumps and bivouacs around Hansa Bay.
• B-25s and V Fighter Command fighters and fighter-bombers attack numerous targets at or near Cape Croisilles, Karkar Island, Madang, and Uligan.
• A VF-2 F6F downs 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber at sea at 1005 hours. A VF(N)-101 F4U night-fighter downs 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber (and damages another) over the Hollandia area at 2010 hours.
• In only one day, RAAF engineers complete the construction of the Tadji West Airstrip at Hollandia, which is immediately occupied by 25 RAAF P-40s. 2 US Army aviation engineer battalions begin work on a new bomber strip near Tadji West Airstrip.

Diplomatic Relations

Finland rejects the peace offer recently put forward by the Russians, which demands: rupture with Germany and the expulsion of German troops; withdrawal to the 1940 frontier; the demobilization of the Finnish army; reparations of 600 million dollars, to be paid in goods over a period of 5 years; and the restoration of the base at Petsamo.

Eastern Front

Desperate fighting continues in the Crimea.

Hitler sacks Gen Jaenecke and appoints Gen Allmendinger as commander of the 17th Army. Allmendinger has previously commanded the V Corps.

Stavka disbands the West Front in preparation for its reorganization in the center. A 3rd Belorussian Front is created.

New Guinea

The Hollandia operation continues to go well. Near Hollandia itself Lake Sentani is reached by the US 186th Inf and there is also good progress at Aitape as the landing party occupies the village of Aitape and Rohn Point. Farther east the Australians advancing from the Huon Peninsula reach and capture Madang.

United States, Planning

The Strategy Section of the US War Department's Operations Division determines that 'the collapse of Japan can be assured only by the invasion of Japan proper.'

Images from April 24, 1944

US Soldiers Ready to Engage Snipers in Italy, 24 April 1944

US Soldier Wounded by Mortar Shell in Italy, 24 April 1944

US Patrol Searches for German Snipers in Italy, 24 April 1944

B-17G Crash and Fire (s/n 42-37789), 544th squadron, 384th Bomb Group, 24 April 1944

24 April 1944: Jungle Firefight as Chindits Ambush Japanese Making Tea at Their Jungle Bivouac

The Take-off for Munich, 24 April 1944