Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

VB-109 PB4Ys, now based at Isely Field on Saipan, attack Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, and Haha Jima airfields.

Air Operations, CBI

• 49 10th Air Force P-40s attack Japanese Army positions around Myitkyina.
• 38 P-47s and P-51s attack targets in the Hopin and Myitkyina areas, bridges at four locations, a supply dump, and a rice mill.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack roads around Tengchung.
• B-25s and 14th Air Force P-40s attack rail facilities at Siangsiang.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack a fighter strip near Changsha, artillery batteries at Leiyang, river traffic, and a number of occupied towns.
• 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the airfield at Paluichi at 0735 hours.
• 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40s down a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber and a transport over the airfield at Sinsiang at 1210 hours.
• 76th Fighter Squadron and 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Tanchuk during a late-afternoon engagement.

Air Operations, East Indies

• 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack barges and artillery batteries at Lautem, Timor.
• 74 3rd and 312th Light Bomb group A-20s staging through the Mokmer airfield on Biak mount extremely low-level attacks against the Boela airfield on Ceram and oil wells and fuel storage facilities at Boela.

Air Operations, Europe

• 19 Lancasters of No. 8 Group attack the flying bomb site at St Philbert Ferme through thick cloud and 4 Mosquitos fly Ranger patrols over northern Germany and Denmark.
• There are no losses.

• 242 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 5 and 8 Groups attack railway yards at Revigny and Villeneuve. The raid on Villeneuve is successful though much of the bombing falls east of the target. The raid to Revigny is not carried out because the target can not be identified.
• 7 Lancasters are lost on the Revigny raid.
• 101 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos and 4 Lancasters of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 groups attack V-weapons sites at Anderbelck and Les Landes. Anderbelck is accurately bombed in good visibility, but the Les Landes site is bombed through 10/10th cloud.

• 132 aircraft make a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 42 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 8 Stirlings lay mine off the Biscay ports, and there are 56 Mosquito patrols and 35 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito of No. 100 Group is lost.

• 359 3rd Bomb Division B-17s, conducting a special operation (Operation CADILLAC), drop 3,700 arms containers from low altitude to French Resistance fighters around Limoges, St.-Lo, and Vercorse.
• Escort is provided by 499 P-51s.
• 93 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack the Montdidier and Peronne Airdromes.
• 94 VIII Fighter Command P-38 fighter-bombers attack rail targets around Paris.
• 1 P-38 and its pilot are lost
• VIII Fighter Command and IX TAC fighter pilots down 11 Luftwaffe fighters over France between 0930 and 2050 hours.
• 5 9th Air Force fighters are lost in action with Luftwaffe fighters

• Although bad weather severely limits 9th Air Force operations, 62 B-26s and A-20s attack two rail targets.
• 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack military transport and rail targets and troop concentrations across a wide area of France.
• IX TAC ground controllers direct numerous close-air-support missions in the US 1st Army zone of action.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s continue to attack the Po River bridges (Operation MALLORY MAJOR).
• XII TAC A-20s attack supply dumps.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements and lines of communications.

• More than 430 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack four oil refineries at Budapest and Petfurdo.
• USAAF escort pilots down 5 Axis fighters.

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack a marshalling yard at Mantua.
• 15th Air Force P-38s dive-bomb the Ghedi Airdrome and strafe trains north of La Spezia.

Air Operations, Marianas

• 318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Tinian.
• A 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Saipan at 2225 hours.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack a barge terminal at Kokas.
• A-20s attack the airfield at But and Japanese Army ground troops at Sauri.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces in the Aitape area and attack Japanese Army troops near Afua.
• Night-fighters attack airfields on the Vogelkop Peninsula.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-415 was one of the last operational U-boats working from the Biscay ports. As she departed for service and cleared the U-boat pens she strikes an acoustic mine laid by the British and acrivated by her diesel engines. There are only 2 losses but many sustained injuries from the explosion.

U-415

CBI

In the NCAC area, Maj-Gen Walter Lentaigne asks for the few platoons of Chindits in Morris Force, of the Indian 3rd Division, to be withdrawn west of the Irrawaddy, but the British headquarters refuses to give the necessary authority.

In the British 14th Army area, the XXXIII Corps completes the encirclement along with the elimination of enemy forces along the Ukhrul-Imphal road completely clearing the Ukhrul area. The IV Corps, whose advance down the Tiddim road, has been stubbornly opposed to this point, but the Japanese are beginning to weaken under attacks by the Indian 5th and 17th Divisions and air strikes.

Eastern Front

The central and southern fronts of the Red Army are once more on the move. Konev's 1st Ukraine goes over to the offensive in Poland, north and south of Brody, in the region east of Lvov. Further north, forces of the 1st Belorussian Front take Pinsk, east of Brest-Litovsk. Pinsk is the last major German stronghold in the Pripet Marshes. 5 Russian armies are now concentrated in the drive toward Warsaw. For the first time the Russians clearly dominate the skies, employing thousands of aircraft in support of their ground forces.

The 61st Army and elements of the 28th Army take Pinsk. The 31st Army reaches the Niemen at Grodno and crosses to threaten the East Prussian border. Grodno itself is fiercely defended by the SS Totenkopf Division.

The 1st Ukrainian Front develops its offensive, the 2nd and 8th Air Armies clearing the 4th Air Fleet from the skies. Joining the offensive, the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front hits the northern wing of the 4th Panzer Army.

The 3rd Guards and 13th Armies resume their attacks against the junction of the 2 German panzer armies, the XIII Corps being crushed as the 13th and 38th Armies advance more thatn 10 miles into its rear. The 60th and 38th Armies develop their attacks toward Lvov but are embroiled in a strong German defensive position. The XLVIII Panzer Corps tries to launch a counterattack but suffer heavy casualties to constant Soviet air attacks.

Italy

The 34th Div continues its advance toward Leghorn, while the 442nd Regt taking San Pieve di Luce and the 133rd approaching Usigliano. Units of the American 89th(?) Div seize Chianni, meeting with no resistance. The Germans have also abandoned Terricciola. Units of the French Expeditionary Corps capture Poggibonsi and push on toward Certaldo.

New Guinea

Gen MacArthur orders TF CYCLONE to have the Kornasoren airfield ready to receive 50 P-38s by 25 July in preparation for the invasion of the Vogelkop Peninsula. A reconnaissance party moves by PT boat from Noemfoor to Cape Opmarai, on the north coast of the Vogelkop, where it stays for 3 days gathering information upon which the final plans for the operation are made.

In the Aitape area, the South Force narrows the gap between it and the North Force along the Driniumor by moving the 3rd Battalion of the 127th Infantry northward, but the 2 forces are still out of contact with each other. Japanese counterattacks on the Driniumor are driven off.The 3rd Battalion of the 124th Infantry, North Force, kills about 135 in the gap during the night of the 14th.

Over the next 2 weeks the Japanese positions near Aitape between Yakamul and But are bombarded on many occasions by the ships of Commodore John Collins' TF 74. There are 2 cruisers and 6 destroyers involved in these operations, mostly Australian ships.

In the Wadke-Sarmi area, he 31st Division (less the 124th RCT) begins unloading at Maffin Bay to relieve the 6th Division.

Occupied France

Vichy announces the death of Georges Mandel, former Minister of the Interior. He was murdered by the Milice, the Vichy Secret Police.

Pacific

• The Japanese submarine I-6 is sunk by the US destroyer escort William C. Miller (DE-259) in the Marianas Islands area.
• The US submarine Sand Lance (SS-381) attacks a Japanese convoy in the Banda Sea sinking the gunboat Taiko Maru (2984t) east of Salajar.

Western Front

The 4 corps of the US 1st Army still advance south, meeting firm resistance all the time from the German 7th Army. In particular, units of the 30th Div of XIX Corps capture Pont-Hébert after a bitter struggle, while the 35th Div reaches the road joining Pont-Hébert and St Lô.

Images from July 14, 1944

B-17 of US 94th Bomb Group Drops Supplies

3rd Armored Division Soldiers

Bastille Day Parade

Bombardment of Guam

Allies Crossing an Orchard between Hedgerows

Aid Station and Rest Point

Knocked-out a German Panzer

US Destroyer Escort Vance