Air Operations, CBI

• 11 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Akyab and marshalling yards at Sagaing and Ywataung.
• Nearly 70 10th Air Force B-25s and fighter-bombers attack the Hopin and Myitkyina areas.
• A-31s attack the Buthidaung area.

• 8 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack warehouses and a motor pool at Mangshih.
• 3rd CACW Fighter Group P-40s down 2 D3A 'Val' dive bombers and 3 Japanese fighters near Loyang during morning and afternoon missions.

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

Air Operations, Central Pacific

VII Bomber Command B-24s attack Wake Island.

Air Operations, Europe

• 29 Mosquitos attack Berlin without a loss.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s attack rail bridges and a tunnel in central Italy.
• XII TAC A-20s attack gun emplacements.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers sweep vehicles and roads to the immeadiate rear of the Allied battle lines, thus isolating the German Army ground forces from reinforcement and supply.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V and XIII Bomber command B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers and fighters attack numerous targets on Biak Island, Maffin Bay, and Sawar.
• 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, escorted by 475th Fighter Group P-38s, attack the Kamiri airfield on Noemfoor.
• 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25s bomb the waters directly off Arara in order to detonate any mines that might impede amphibious landings set to begin the next morning.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Noemfoor Island at 1415 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

• In operations over the next 2 weeks Coastal Command planes sink 5 U-boats off Norway. 3 others are seriously damaged.
• Sunderland 'V' of No 300 Squadron RAF sights U-240 and attacks. The depth charges hang up and the aircraft is damaged by flak. In a second attack 4 depth charges are released, 3 of which explode along the port side of the submarine. The bows are seen to rise up at an acute angle before the U-boat sinks stern first.

U-240

Bougainville

Skirmishing between the rearguards of the retiring Japanese and American advance units. What remains of the Japanese 18th Army, under Gen Yakutake(?), drag themselves back across the jungle in the hope of finding refuge on Buka Island, north of Bougainville.

CBI

The Chinese-American force, H Force, operating in upper Burma crosses the Namkwi River. All the inhabitants of the village of the same name have been temporarily sent to an internment camp to insure the maximum possible security.

On the Salween River front the 593rd Regiment, Chinese 190th Division, reaches the Shweli valley near Laokai after crossing a ridge of mountains. The rest of the division is still held up by Japanese strongpoints on the Mamien Pass. Further south, in a sector which the Japanese have left undefended in order to reinforce their garrisons in the Shweli valley, units of the Chinese 76th and 88th Divisions approach Pingka after occupying 13 places to the northeast of it.

In the British 14th Army area, Kachin guerillas occupy Washang for a time, a town about 30 miles easy of Myitkyina.

Diplomatic Relations

The Allies sign agreements with Belgium, Netherlands and Norway concerning their administration during the post-liberation phase.

Italy

Of the 5 attacking Allied Corps only the Poles are still meeting really stubborn defense at Cassino. In the southern sector of the Gustav Line the American 88th and 85th Divisions of the US II Corps pursue the units of the German 94th Division, retiring northwest. The regiments of the 85th Division advance along the coast in the direction of Formia, along Highway 7, while units of the 88th Division move toward Itri.

On the right of the II Corps sector, the French Moroccan units under Gen Augustin Guillaume occupy in rapid succession Monte Revole in the Aurunci mountains. South of Cassino Gen Eedson Burns' Canadian I Corps, brought up out of reserve, attacks towards Pontecorvo on the Senger line. A little further north, the British 78th Division of the XIII Corps advances in the direction of Piumarola. The Polish II Corps renews its attacks toward Monte Cassino after re-grouping and reinforcement.[MORE]

New Guinea

Task Force Tornado sails from Hollandia toward Wadke Island. The consolidation of the beachheads goes on. The Hollandia operation has been a notable success. The local Japanese garrison has been quickly and cheaply neutralized and many more Japanese have been cut off to the east. The new leap forward has cost the Allies 1,060 dead and 4,000 wounded. 9,000 Japanese have been killed and at least 650 taken prisoner. There is hard fighting to come, however.

Pacific

The US destroyers Franks (DD-554) and Haggard (DD-555) sink the Japanese submarine I-176 north of the Solomon Islands.

Images from May 16, 1944

American Medic attends to Wounded Italian Girl

French Algerian Troops in Castelnuovo

Italian Refugees and American Troops

French Troops on Lookout for Germans

Damaged Buildings in Castelnuovo

Soldier Inspects German Mines

American Soldier Prepares to Plunge Forward

Relieving an Indian Unit

Walking through the Streets of Santa Maria Infante

Deceased German Soldier in Castellonorato

Italian Refugees and American Troops in Castellonorato

Italian Refugees Following American Troops