Air Operations, Carolines

307th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack bivouacs and supply dumps in the Woleai Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Kalewa, Mandalay, and Myitkyina.
• 19 10th Air Force B-25s attack targets of opprtunity along the Tiddim road.
• More than 20 B-25s and fighter-bombers attack the airfield at Myitkyina and artillery positions at Hopin.
• More than 20 A-31s attack artillery batteries near Buthidaung.
• 17 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack the airfield at Heho and the Kangaung at Meiktila.
• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s based in China attack targets near Wan Pa-Hsa.
• 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s down 8 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Kangaung airfield at Meiktila at 1345 hours.

• 14th Air Force P-40s attack Japanese Army troops in Mamien Pass and near Mengta (Burma) and Pingkai.

• 36 10th Air Force A-31s attack Moirang.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Kenglaung.

Air Operations, Europe

• 30 Mosquitos are sent to Ludwigshafen, 10 to Carpiquet airfield near Caen and 3 to Leverkusen, 43 aircraft lay mines from Kiel to Biscay, 6 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 2 Serrate patrols and 1 RCM and 24 OTU sorties.

• 38 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack V-weapons sites at Marquise/Mimoyecques.
• 90 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack V-weapons sites at Siracourt.

• More than 300 IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s abort due to heavy clouds, but small groups amounting to 45 medium and light bombers attack a marshalling yard at Somain and the Creil and Evreux/Fauville Airdromes.

• The 9th Air Force's 10th Photo Recon Group, in F-5s, opens an intensive final preinvasion effort to photographically monitor all Luftwaffe airfields within range of the OVERLORD invasion beaches; produce photo mosaics of all airborne-invasion landing areas and drop zones; cover all the main roads in the invasion area; cover all the Seine River bridges between Paris ant the sea, and all Loire River bridges between Orleans and Nantes; and produce photo mosaics for a study by the IX Bomber Command of the flak defenses around Liege, Belgium.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s, and XII TAC A-20s, attack road and rail targets north and northwest of the battle area, and port facilities and vesses along both coasts.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers provide close and direct support for Allied ground forces battling through the Gustav Line.

• 3 mine-laying Lancaster and 1 OTU Wellington are lost.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Biak Island, the Wakde Islands, Maffin Bay, Sarmi, and Sawar.
• B-24s, A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack numerous targets between Hansa Bay and Wewak.
• 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in Australia search for shipping in Geelvink Bay.
• An estimated 16 Japanese fighters attack a 5 Air Force F-7 over Biak Island, but 49th Fighter Group P-40s down 7 of the Japanese fighters between 1125 and 1135 hours.

Allied Planning

The final plans for NEPTUNE are briefed to senior commanders at Gen Montgomery's 21st Army Group Headquarters in London. Montgomery is the commander for all Allied ground forces for the operations. Prime Minister Churchill attends the briefings.

The 21st Army Group's NEPTUNE plan calls for the British 2nd Army and US First Army to make the initial landings. On D-day, the US will land 2-2/3 divisions and 6,800 vehicles on two beaches. The British and Canadians collectively will land 3 divisions and 8,900 vehicles on three beaches. The airborne forces will be moved by 1,300 transports and 2,000 gliders to their drop zones. The landings will be covered by 800 medium bombers and 2,500 fighter aircraft.

Burma

The Chinese and Americans reach the upper reaches of the river Namkwi, 15 miles from Myitkyina.

France, Politics

The Consultative Assembly asks the French National Liberation Committee to become the government of the Republic.

Italy

The German position on the Gustav line is beginning to collapse and they start withdrawing to the 'Adolf Hitler' ('Dora') Line which is immediately south of Rome. The French push on once more to take San Giorgio on the Liri. Farther north in the Liri Valley the British 78th Div reaches the Cassino-Pinaturo road. The Canadian Corps is put in to the line to try to exploit this advance.

Marshalls

US naval air bases are established at Ebeye and Roi-namur, Kwajalein Atoll. The air bases are used for the next few weeks to hit remaining Japanese installations in the Marshalls.

Mediterranean

The German submarine U-731 is sunk by US naval land-based aircraft (VP-63) and British surface craft in the western Mediterranean.

U-731

Occupied Europe

German measures against Jews reach a crescendo. During the next 12 days, 62 railway cars, laden with Jewish children, are sent from Hungary to death-camps in Poland. Atrocities against Jews take place in every German-held territory throughout Europe.

Pacific

• During amphibious training exercises in the Hawaiian Operating Area, heavy seas result in the loss of landing craft LCT-988 and LCT-984.
• The US submarine Aspro (SS-309) attacks a Japanese convoy about 175 miles northwest of Palau sinking the transport Jokuja Maru (6440t).
• The Japanese destroyer Shiratsuyu is sunk in a collision with Seiyo Maru west of Mindanao.

Soviet Union, Home Front

Patriarch Sergei, Head of the Government-approved Russian Orthodox Church dies at age 77.

Images from May 15, 1944

Sherman Tanks Assemble for an Attack

Sherman Tanks Advance

Knocked Out German Anti-aircraft Weapon

Inspecting Troops in Britain

Inspecting Troops in Britain

Civilians Taking Refuge near Air Raid Shelter

Garrison Hill Battlefield

Knocked Out German Tank

US 5th Army M10 Tank Destroyer

P-51Bs with Wing Tanks