Air Operations, Carolines 307th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.
[  |   ]
Air Operations, CBI
BURMA
- 1 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24 attacks Mandalay.
- 21 10th Air Force A-31s attack a bridge at Manipur and Japanese Army ground troops around Homalin.
- Several A-31s attack targets in the Arakan coastal region.
- B-25s and fighter-bombers mount more than 120 sorties in the Mogaung Valley.
[ | ]
Air Operations, Central Pacific US carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.6 conclude their attacks on Marcus Island.
[ | ]
Air Operations, Europe Operation CHATTANOOGA CHOO-CHOO begins, the systematic attack by Allied aircraft on trains in Germany and France.
RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Evening Ops:
- 510 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups carry out the first large raid on Duisburg in a year. The target is covered in cloud, but the Oboe skymarking is accurate and much damage is caused in the southern areas of the city.
- 70 Lancasters and 37 Halifaxes lay mines in the Frisians, Heligoland, the Kattegat and Kiel Bay.
Other Ops:
- 25 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 8 to Courtrai, and there are 28 Serrate and 7 Intruder patrols and 9 RCM sorties.
[ | ]
Air Operations, New Guinea - V Bomber Command B-24s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command P-38s, attack Biak Island and targets along the Moemi River.
- 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in Australia attack the airfields at Manokwari, Urarom, and Moemi.
- 12 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack the Kamiri airfield on Noemfoor.
- 5th Air Force B-25s, A-20s, and fighter- bombers attack numerous targets between Hansa Bay and Wewak.
[ | ]
Burma The Japanese counterattack; a battalion of American Marauders repulses enemy attacks along the Mogaung road, but is then halted by the Japanese when it tries to advance.
[ | ]
Italy An infantry battalion of the US 85th Div is sent by sea from Gaeta to Sperlonga and lands without difficulty. The American 88th Div captures Monte Calvo and Cima del Monte, while the French positions have to withstand fierce German pressure. The US forces also take Fondi and the French Campodimele. In the Liri Valley and around Pico, the German opposition is stronger, but the Allies are bringing forces forward for another blow.
Gen Clark, Commander of the US 5th Army, orders Gen Lucian Truscott, commanding the US VI Corps, dug in on the Anzio beachhead, to launch his attack against the German positions at 6:30a.m. on May 23. The British 8th Army will attack in force simultaneously from the north to breach the 'Senger' Line and penetrate into the valley of the Liri River.
[ | ]
New Guinea The beachhead at Arare is reinforced and offshore at Wadke the airfield is repaired and reopened by US engineers.
[ | ]
United States, Home Front An explosion on a landing craft in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii kills 127 and injures 380. LST-43, LST-69, LST-179, LST-353 and LST-480 are lost in the explosion.
[ | ]
Images from May 21, 1944
Accidental Ordnance Blast
|
 |
| On 21 May 1944 during preparations for the invasion of Saipan, an accidental ordnance blast on LST-353 set off cataclysmic ammunition explosions at West Loch, Pearl Harbor, killing 163 and injuring 396. Six tank landing ships (LST-39, LST-43, LST-69, LST-179, LST-353, LST-480), three tank landing craft (LCT-961, LCT-963, LCT-983), and 17 track landing vehicles (LVTs) were destroyed in the resulting explosions and fires. In this photo, some LSTs are manuevering in the foreground, leaving the vicinity of the explosions and fire, while other ships have yet to get underway. (National Archives - 80-G-276907)
|
The Burned Hulk of LST-39, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
Dummy Sherman Tank in the Anzio Bridgehead, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
Wrecked German Artillery Weapons in Esperia, Italy, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
German Coastal Gun in Gaeta, Italy, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
Debris of Gaeta, Italy harbor, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
Ships Burn at West Loch, Pearl Harbor, May 21, 1944
|
 |
|
|
Destroyed German Pill Box in Cassino, Italy, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
The explosion of ammunition and the fires continued through out the night at West Loch with 6 ships exploding and many Soldiers and Naval Crewmen losing their lives that day on May 21, 1944 (Photo – DOD Navy Archives)
Fires Continue through the Night
|
 |
|
|
Damaged German Tank in Castelforte, Italy, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
American Troops and Mules Advance to the Front in Castelforte, Italy, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
German Artillery Weapon in Castelforte, Italy, 21 May 1944
|
 |
|
|
|