Air Operations, Bonin Islands
As Task Force 58 passes the Bonin Islands on its way from the Honshu area to Iwo Jima, Task Force 58.4 carrier aircraft attack airfields and shipping at Chichi Jima and Haha Jima.
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]Air Operations, CBI
BURMA- 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s destroy a rail bridge near Moulmein with Azon bombs.
- 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack troops and supplies at Hai-hseng.
- More than 140 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops, tanks, pack animals, supply-distribution points, arms and ammunition dumps, and numerous other targets throughout northern Burma.
- 14 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Mongmit and Myitson.
- 30 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Linfen and Yuncheng.
- 1 B-25 attacks rail targets of opportunity near Hengyang.
- 37 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack road, rail, and river traffic across southern China.
- 27 P-40s and P-51s attack barracks, rail targets, pack animals, and the town area at Puchi.
- 16 P-47s attack the Hankow and Wuchang areas.
| ]Air Operations, Carolines
9 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s attack the Truk Atoll, as do three VII Bomber Command B-24s assigned to escort photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
[ | ]Air Operations, East Indies
XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Miri airfield on Borneo.
[ | ]Air Operations, Europe
The Italian battleship Conte di Cavour, already damaged, and the unfinished Impero are sunk in Trieste harbor by the RAF.
RAF BOMBER COMMANDDaylight Ops:
- 298 aircraft including 247 Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters and 24 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to bomb Wesel. The target area is covered in cloud and the Master Bomber orders the raid to be stopped after only 8 Halifaxes have bombed.
- There are no losses, but 3 Halifaxes crash in England.
- 6 Oboe Mosquitos attack the Deschimag shipyard in Bremen, but no results are seen because of ground fog.
- There are no losses.
GERMANY:
- More than 550 1st and 2nd Air Division B-17s and B-24s are recalled due to bad weather, but 260 3rd Air Division B-17s are able to attack their primary, a marshalling yard at Frankfurt am Main, and 71 3rd Air Division B-17s are able to attack several targets of opportunity.
GERMANY:
- 31 9th Air Division B-26s attack a rail bridge at Mayen.
ITALY:
- 12th Air Force medium bombers attack bridges at four locations.
- XXII TAC P-47s attack bridges, gun emplacements, and dumps over a wide area.
- During the night, XXII TAC A-20s and A-26s attack towns and bridges in the Po River valley aw well as the Ghedi and Villafranca di Verona Airdromes. US 15th AIR FORCE
- 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack rail targets and a synthetic-oil plant at Linz, marshalling yards at four locations, a steel plant, and two tank factories.
- 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack harbor and shipyard facilities at Fiume and Trieste.
- 15th Air Force heavy bombers drop supplies to partisans in northern Italy> YUGOSLAVIA:
- 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack port facilities at Pula.
- Due to extremely bad weather, Task Force 58 carrier aircraft are able to mount only one of many planned morning strikes against Honshu airfields, shipping in Tokyo Bay, and Tokyo-area aircraft plants. At length, weather conditions over the fleet and target areas deteriorate to the point where the attacks must be canceled altogether, and so Task Force 58 retires toward Iwo Jima during the afternoon.
- Despite the bad weather and cancellation of ground-attack missions, US Navy carrier-based F6Fs and F4Us down 75 Japanese aircraft over the Tokyo area between 0730 and 1355 hours, and USMC carrier-based F4Us down a D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber and 8 Japanese fighters during several strike missions between 0845 and 1015 hours.
- V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack San Fernando and Tuguegarao.
- A-20s support US 6th Army ground forces near Mariveles and Fort Stotsenburg.
- In two separate missions, a total of 76 317th Troop Carrier Group C-47s drop 982 supply bundles to US Army paratroopers on Corregidor.
- U-1273 sinks on a mine off Horton in the Oslo Fjord.
- On the evening of the 17th, the British frigate Bayntun makes contact with a submarine, the third time for this group operating in the Shetland-Faroes passage. Bayntun destroys U-1278 in a Hedgehog attack.
- The US freighter Michael J. Stone, in Convoy UGS-72, is torpedoed by U-300 27 miles from Gibraltar. There are no casualties on board and the damaged ship reaches her destination under her own power.
- The US tug Hidatsa (ATF-102) is damaged by a mine in the Luzon area of the Philippine Islands.
- US Army aircraft sink the Japanese transport No. 114 off Formosa.
- The Japanese coast defense vessel No. 56 is sunk by the US submarine Bowfin (SS-287) off Honshu, Japan. Bowfin and aircraft sink the guardboat No.26 Nanshin Maru southwest of Mikimoto Light.
- The US destroyer Haynesworth (DD-700) sinks the Japanese guardboat No.36 Nanshin Maru southwest of Mikimoto Light and the auxiliary submarine chaser Wafu Maru off Omaezaki Light.
- The British submarine Statesman attacks a Japanese convoy off Ujong Tamiang and sinks the motor sailships No.3 Matsujima Maru, No.19 Nippon Maru, No.17 Nanyo Maru and No.14 Nippon Maru.
AUSTRIA:
| ]Air Operations, Formosa
Due to bad weather over the airfield at Heito, 22nd and 90th Heavy Bomb group B-24s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the Takao airfield and rail facilities and an aluminum plant at Takao.
[ | ]Air Operations, Japan
| ]Air Operations, Philippines
| ]Air Operations, Volcano Islands
As the weather clears, Task Group 52.2 TBMs and FMs mount 226 effective combat sorties against Iwo Jima’s airfield defenses on a day in which the island is also subjected to intense naval bombardment. Also, 42 VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the island from 5,000 feet at 1330 hours.
[ | ]Arctic
As escort ships are clearing Kola Inlet priot to the arrival of Convoy RA-64, The British frigates Alnwick Castle and Lark detect U-425 and destroy her with depth charges.
| Class | Type VIIC |
| CO | Kapitänleutnant Heinz Bentzien |
| Location | Arctic, off the Kola Inlet |
| Cause | Depth charge |
| Casualties | 48 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| ]Battle of the Atlantic
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| ]Burma
In the northern sector the Japanese launch violent counterattacks against the bridgehead established by the British 36th Div across the Shweli River especially near Myitson. The British units are cut off and have to be supplied by air.
The British operations in the Arakan continue with successful landings at Ru-Ya, 40 miles southeast of Myebon.
[ | ]China
Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer warns Chiang Kai-shek against the danger of an imminent attack by the Japanese to capture the airfields at Hsian, Laohokow and Chihchiang. Changting is now the only base left to the American strategic air force in eastern China.
[ | ]Eastern Front
NORTHERN SECTORArmy Group North order the Samland and Konigsberg groups to counterattack and regain contact. Gen Lasch, commanding the Konigsberg garrision, is to push west with the 5th Panzer 1st Infantry and 561st Volksgrenadier Divisions.
CENTRAL SECTORWith its 2nd Army holding an overextended front in Pomerania, Army Group Vistula request permission to pull the army back west to link up with the 11th SS Panzer Army. Hitler refuses. The 11th SS Panzer Army continues its attack at Stargard. Progress slows as casualties mount. During one of his trips from Berlin to report direct to Hitler, Wenck is wounded. Gen Krebs has to take over co-ordination of the attack.
Renewed attacks along the Bobr by the Grossdeutschland and XXIV Panzer Corps embroil the 4th Tank Army in bitter fighting. The 3rd Guards Tank and 52nd Armies move to support the left and right flanks of the 4th. Against this strengthened force the Germans throw 6 worn-out armored divisions.
SOUTHERN SECTORThe 6th SS Panzer Army begins to deploy with Army Group South. The 1st SS Panzer Corps deploys against the Hron bridgehead and immediately attacks the 7th Guards Army, taking the Soviet force by surprise and pushing them back toward the river. A Soviet counterattack fails to halt the German thrust, the 1st SS striving to destroy the bridgehead and restore the strong front along the Hron.
[ | ]Iwo Jima
Air and naval bombardment continues in preparation for the landing. Japanese coast defense guns and a small number of aircraft manage to damage, more or less severely, the battleship Tennessee (BB-43), the heavy cruiser Pensacola (CA-24) and 3 destroyers, Leutze (DD-481), Dortch (DD-481) and Waldron (DD-699). In a disastrous attempt to clear beach defenses, 170 US Navy frogmen are killed.
[ | ]Japan
American bombing of the Tokyo area by naval planes continues.
[ | ]Pacific
| ]Western Front
The British XXX Corps, Canadian 1st Army, approaches Goch in the course of Operation VERITABLE. In the US 3rd Army sector, the XII and XX Corps extend and strengthen their bridgeheads, the one at the confluence of the Saar and the Our, the other at Saarlautern.
The XV Corps of the US 7th Army continues its limited offensive to eliminate the German salients at Gros Rederchin and Wilferding; the 70th Div is now sent in the left flank of the corps, attacking hills to the southwest of Saarbrücken.
[ | ]World Affairs
The World Trades Union Conference is held in London.
[ | ]Images from February 17, 1945
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