Chronology of World War II

December 1944

Friday, December 29

Air Operations, CBI

BURMA

9 10th Air Force B-25s attack troops and supplies at Panma.
15 P-47s attack troops at Wetwun and supplies at Twinnge.
14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity near Man Pong and Mongyu.

CHINA

14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in the Hei-Shih Kuan, Shanhsien, and Tsingsinghsien areas.

FRENCH INDOCHINA

4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack targets of opportunity between Dong Hoa and Lang Son.
51st Fighter Group P-40s and P-51s attack the Gia Lam airfield at Hanoi.

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Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-24s attack Limboeng, Celebes.
B-25s and fighter-bombers attack Namlea, Boeroe.
Fighter-bombers attack airfields in northeastern Celebes.
FEAF aircraft mount light attacks against various targets in northern Borneo.

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Air Operations, Europe

RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:

Two separate forces bomb railway yards in Koblenz, one of the main centere serving the Ardennes battlefront. 192 aircraft including 162 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of Nos. 4 and 8 Groups attack the Mosel yards, near the main city, and 85 Lancasters of No. 3 Group attack the Lützel yards north of the city. At least part of the bombing of each raid hits the railway areas. The Koblenz-Lützel railway bridge is put out of action for the rest of the war and the cranes of the Mosel Harbor are also put out of action.

No aircraft are lost from either operation.

Minor Ops:

16 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron attack the E-boat pens at Rotterdam, scoring several hits and 1 Hudson flies a Resistance operation.

There are no losses.

Evening Ops:

324 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Scholven/Buer. The raid takes place in difficult conditions. There is thick cloud over the target but Oboe skymarkers are accurately placed and the oil refinery is badly hit. The local report says that 300 high-explosive bombs fall within the oil plant area. There are 2 large and 10 small fires and much damage to piping and storage tanks.

4 Lancasters are lost.

197 aircraft including 159 Halifaxes, 24 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos. 6 and 8 Groups attempt to bomb the railway yards at Troisdorf, but most of the attack misses the target. No other details are available.

No aircraft are lost.

Minor Ops:

16 aircraft of No. 6 Group lay mines in the Elbe River, 8 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group lay mines off Oslo, and there are 28 Mosquito patrols and 28 RCM sorties.

There are no losses.

US 8th AIR FORCE
GERMANY:

293 1st Bomb Division B-17s, 241 2nd Bomb Division B-24s, and 36 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack bridges, marshalling yards, and communications cneters en western Germany and eastern Belgium.

4 heavy bombers and 3 of 587 VIII Fighter Command escorts are lost.

US 9th AIR FORCE
BELGIUM:

Only 7 of more than 100 9th Bomb Division bombers complete a mission against targets in the Bulge due to bad weather.

ETO:

Despite deteriorating weather conditions, 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers complete several hundred sorties in support of US Army ground forces in the Bulge.

US 12th AIR FORCE
ITALY:

12th Air Force medium bombers attack bridges and viaducts.
XXII TAC P-47s attack bridges, communications targets, motor vehicles, and trains.
During the night, XXII TAC A-20s attack the Ghedi Airdrome and targets of opportunity.

US 15th AIR FORCE
AUSTRIA:

15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack marshalling yards throughout Austria.

GERMANY:

15th Air Force B-24s attack various marshalling yards throughout southern Germany.
14 15th Air Force P-38s attack a road bridge near Rosenheim>

ITALY:

15th Air Force B-24s attack lines of communication around Brenner Pass.
15th Air Force B-17s attack the locomotive repair facilites at Castelfranco and Udine.

Air Operations, Japan

1 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24 attacks Kataoka while 2 of 3 B-25s dispatched on a fighter-decoy mission fail to return to base when the mission is aborted due to bad weather.

Air Operations, Philippines

The Mindoro-bound convoy that was under attack throughout December 28 is covered continuously through December 29 by V Fighter Command fighters and Marine Air Group 12 F4Us, which help fend off numerous small Japanese air attacks. However, a cargo ship is sunk as it unloads steel airfield matting and other aviation supplies desperately needed at the Mindoro airfields.
494th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Clark Field on Luzon.
FEAF B-24s attack the Sasa airfield on Mindanao.
V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack targets across the central Philippines and southern Luzon.
A VMF-218 F4U downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Negros at 0720 hours.
An 8th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near the Hammer airfield on Mindoro at 0900 hours.
110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-40s down 3 A6M Zeros at sea at 1615 hours.
VMF-218 F4Us down 2 D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers over the Sulu Sea at 1705 hours.
P-47s and P-38s from various groups down 1 Ki-45 'Nick' fighter over Celebes at 1715 hours, 2 A6Ms Zeros, 1 Ki-49 'Helen' bomber, and 2 Ki-51 'Sonia' bombers over a friendly convoy near Mindoro between 1715 and 1730 hours.
A 418th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs 2 J1N 'Irving' fighters over a friendly convoy near Mindoro between 1900 and 1923 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

26 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Guam attack Iwo Jima.

Eastern Front

There is bitter street fighting in Budapest where the Germans have prepared a large number of fortified positions. The Russians attempt to start negotiations with the garrison but there is a misunderstanding and some of the Russian emissaries are killed in the course of their mission, probably by mistake, in front of the German trenches.

HUNGARY

The battle for Budapest is raging as the Soviets batter the Pest and Buda districts of the city. The Soviets off surrender terms to Axis troops in both districts, an offer that results in the Pest emissary being shot by the Germans and the Buda emissary being killed by Red Army artillery fire while making his way back to friendly lines.

English Channel

U-772 attacks Convoy TBC-21 in the English Channel and torpedoes the US freighter Arthur Sewall (7176t) which loses 1 of her crew in the explosion. She is towed to Weymouth, England where she is written off as a total loss. The US freigher Black Hawk (7191t) is also a victim of U-772. There are 4 crewmen wounded in the blast, but the ship is abandoned with survivors being taken up by the British corvette Dahlia. The abandoned ship is towed to Warboro Bay, England and is also written off a a total loss.

Greece

It is announced that a regency is to be established and that Prime Minister Papendreou will resign when a regent has been chosen. On Dec 31 Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens is sworn in and Papandreou resigns.