Air Operations, Carolines

In the largest mission against the target to date, 24 VII Bomber Command B-24s and 52 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Ponape Island.

Air Operations, CBI

• 157th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Nyaung-u and Pakokku.

• 24 14th Air Force P-40s armed with aerial rockets attack military targets at Nanchang, and warehouses and military targets in the Puchi area.
• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s down 3 Japanese fighters near Yochow during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Europe

• 331 aircraft are sent to attack the military camp at Bourg-Léopold, Belgium. In this total are 267 Halifaxes, 56 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos. 1 Oboe-aimed target indicator falls right on the target and the bombing that follows causes severe damage to the camp.
• 162 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups attack the Rothe Erde railway yards at Aachen. The railway lines at the yards, which were not seriously hit in the raid two nights previous, are now severely damaged and all throught traffic is halted. A large percentage of delayed-action bombs are dropped on this raid. The local people are impressed that the whole raid lasted only 12 minutes.
• 12 Lancasters are lost.
• 100 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos are sent to attack the railway junction and workshops at Nantes. The first 50 Lancastes bomb so accurately that the Master Bomber orders the remainder of the force to retain their bombs.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.
• 78 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group attack the airfield at Rennes in good visibility. The marking is good and the bombing very accurate. Much damage is done to the airfield installations and there is a large explosion, probably the bomb dump.
• 272 aircraft including 208 Lancasters, 49 Halifaxes and 15 Mosquitos carry out raids on 5 coastal battery positions on the French coast. All targets are bombed satisfactorily.
• 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito are lost.

• 23 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 6 to D¨sseldorf, 60 aircraft lay mines from Le Havre to the Gironde River, 10 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 28 Serrate and 10 Intruder patrols, and 7 RCM and 7 OTU sorties.
• 2 Intruder and 1 Serrate Mosquitos are lost.

After two visits in recent nights, these marshalling yards at Aachen were completely destroyed.

Aachen Marshalling Yards

Air Operations, Japan

2 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s reconnoiter and attack Ushishiru Island.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• At first light, in support of US Army landings at Bosnik on Biak Island, 12 XIII Bomber Command B-24s based in the Admiralty Islands attack beach defenses. At 0700, 25 XIII Bomber Command B-24s supplement naval gunfire when they also attack beach defenses at Bosnik. US Army ground troops begin landing at Bosnik at 0715 hours under air cover provided by 4 17th Reconnaissance Squadron B-25s.
• Between 1103 and 1150, 77 V Bomber Command B-24s attack Biak’s three airfields—Sorido, Mokmer, and Borokoe. Scheduled attacks by 348th Fighter Group P-47 fighter-bombers are suspended in the face of bad weather between Hollandia and Biak, and no USAAF fighter appears over Biak until after 1100 hours. Nevertheless, throughout the day, V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s mount scheduled strikes and provide on-call support for the ground troops, and V Fighter Command fighters are available from 1100 hours on. Throughout the day, 1 A-20 is lost to ground fire.
• Beginning at 1100 hours, small flights of Japanese fighters and bombers attack the Biak invasion fleet with negligible results. One burning twin-engine bomber inadvertently strikes a USN submarine chaser, killing two and injuring eight crewman, and starting fires that are soon quenched.
• 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in Australia attack the airfield at Babo.
• 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25s temporarily based at the Merauke airfield (on the south New Guinea coast) attack the airfields at Babo and Otawiri at minimum level.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers complete approximately 170 sorties against targets in the Wewak area.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 4 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters and 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Biak Island between 1630 and 1645 hours.

Burma-China

In the Myitkyina area 2 Chinese-American battalions are engaged in hard fighting with Japanese units south of Charpate, trying to get to Radhapur. They do not reach their objective and suffer heavy losses.

On the Salween River front Chinese troops get within 5 miles of Hongmoshu. The monsoon rains limit operations by both sides.

The Japanese advance with 2 divisions in the region east of the Hsiang River, in south China.

Italy

Artena is held by 3rd Div despite German counterattacks. Units of the 88th Div reach Roccagorga and farther north the French capture Amaseno, Castro dei Volsci and Monte Siserno.

In the 8th Army sector in the Liri Valley Canadian units attack Ceprano and the British 6th Arm Div moves toward Arce supported by the 8th Indian Div.

New Guinea

US Forces land on Biak Island in the Schoutens group, 150 miles nortwest of Wadke in the big Geelvink Bay and 900 miles from the Philippines. There is the usual preliminary bombardment, in this case by cruisers of Rear-Adm William Fechteler's squadron, before the men of 41st Inf Div under Gen Horace Fuller land near Bosnek. At first there is little resistance but this is misleading, for the Japanese garrison at 11,000 men(Col Kazume) is little weaker than the attack force. The close escort for the landing ships is provided by cruisers and destroyers led by Adm William Fechteler and as in the other landings on the north coast Adms Victor Crutchley and Russell Berkey are in support. PT-339 is sunk by US forces after being damaged running aground in western New Guinea.

In the Wadke-Sarmi area the US 158th Inf progresses very slowly, winning a few positions. The Japanese launch a series of attacks against the perimeter of the beachhead during the night. They attack at least 200 times along the whole perimeter, but are repulsed.

Images from May 27, 1944

Alert for German snipers an American infantryman aims his rifle through window of a battered Cisterna building during the mop up of Nazis remaining in town after it fell.” Cisterna, Italy. 27 May 1944

Watching for German Snipers

Mokmer Drome on Biak under Allied Air Attack, Possibly the Pre-invasion Bombardment the Morning of 27 May 1944

Unloading supplies and equipment on Biak, likely the morning of 27 May 1944. LVT(A)’s are in the foreground, two LST’s are at Old Jetty in the background.

Unloading Supplies and Equipment on Biak

The Campaign in the Dutch East Indies, April – September 1944: American infantry advance behind a Sherman tank on the island of Biak. On Biak the Americans encounted stiff opposition and the island was not taken until August 1944

Moving Up Behinda Sherman Tank

Trapped in Cisterna by advancing Fifth Army infantry these Germans raise their hands in surrender while being searched for hidden weapons. The picture was taken immediately after the Nazis came out of a ruined building from which they kept sniping until out of ammunition. In front is captive’s gear which they brought out with them. Germans will change from helmets to hats after being searched, 27 May 1944

Germans Surrendering

French Troops Enter the Town of San Giovanni, Italy, 27 May 1944

US Soldiers Capture Germans in Cisterna, Italy on 27 May 1944

Deceased US Soldier in Cisterna, Italy, 27 May 1944