Air Operations, CBI
BURMA- More than 50 10th Air Force P-47s and 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack numerous targets across central Burma.
- 4 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack port facilities at Kowloon and shipping in the South China Sea.
- 31 14th Air Force P-51s attack a bridge, rail lines, and road targets of opportunity along and south of the Yellow River.
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]Air Operations, Europe
RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Evening Ops:
- 440 aircraft including 263 Halifaxes, 160 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos. 4,6 and 8 Groups are sent to Hamburg. This attack is intended for the shipyard areas, but partial cloud causes the raid to become dispersed. Some damage is probably caused to the shipyards, but as an American raid on the yards had taken place a few hours earlier, damage seen in photographs can not be allocated between the two forces. This is the last major Bomber Command raid of the war on Hamburg.
- 3 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters are lost.
- 231 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group attack the Lützkendorf oil refinery, which had escaped serious damage the previous night. The refinery is rendered 'inactive'.
- 6 Lancasters are lost.
- 22 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group make a diversionary raid on Travemünde, 71 Mosquitos are sent to Dessau, 28 to Berlin where Oboe from forward ground stations are used for the first time and 8 to Munich, and there are 43 Mosquito patrols and 64 RCM sorties.
- There are no losses.
- ??RAF Bomber Command sinks 6 U-boats in Hamburg.
| ]Air Operations, Formosa
Due to bad weather over their assigned targets— the airfields at Kagi, Okayama, and Tainan—many V Bomber Command B-24s and 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Chomosui airfield in the Pescadore Islands as well as rail yards and town areas at 3 locations on Formosa.
[ | ]Air Operations, Japan
- 48 73rd and 313th Very Heavy Bomb wing B-29s attack 2 airfields in the Kanoya area with 192 tons of bombs.
- 1 B-29 is lost.
| ]Air Operations, Philippines
- FEAF B-24s support US 8th Army ground forces on Cebu and attack Jolo Island and northern Davao Bay.
- 24 494th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Bunawan.
- Despite bad weather, V Bomber Command A-20s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers are able to support US 6th Army ground forces on Luzon.
- A-20s and fighter-bombers support US 8th Army ground forces on Cebu.
| ]Air Operations, Ryukyus
- US Navy carrier aircraft support US 10th Army ground forces on Okinawa.
- Aircraft from Task Unit 52.1.3 attack airfields in the Sakishima Islands.
- 2 VC-84 FMs down a D3A 'Val' dive bomber near Kerama Retto at 0635 hours.
- A VF-84 F4U downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane at sea at 0805 hours.
- A VF-84 F4U downs an E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance plane off southern Kyushu at 1155 hours.
- A VBF-9 F6F downs a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber 15 miles from Task Force 58 at 1445 hours.
- A VF-83 F6F downs a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter over Task Force 58 at 1530 hours.
- VMF-224 F4Us down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near Okinawa at 1810 hours.
- A radar picket destroyer is severely damaged by a kamikaze hit.
| ]Burma
The British forces have regrouped following their success at Mandalay and Meiktila and are now ready for a rapid armored and motorized advance to finish the campaign in Burma. The British IV Corps is to advance down the Sittang Valley and XXXIII Corps by the Irrawaddy Valley. All units have been specially organized to make them more mobile.
[ | ]China
The Japanese test the Chinese positions west of Pao-ching with a view to an offensive against Chihchiang, southeast of Chungking, where there is a US air base.
[ | ]Eastern Front
The 3rd Belorussian Front continues the assault against Königsberg and breaks throught the German defenses from the northwest. At Breslau the Russians continue the systematic liquidation of the encircled German garrison, which holds out gallantly. The 2nd Ukraine Front advances in Czechoslovakia and establishes bridgeheads over the Morava and the Danube east and northeast of Vienna. In Vienna bitter fighting rages and Fyodor Tolbukhin's forces occupy the southern and eastern districts. Russian troops also advance beyond the city in the direction of Linz, and move south from Wiener Neustadt toward Graz.
Gen Ferdinand Schörner, Commander of the Army Group Center, defending Czechoslovakia, is promoted to Field Marshal. He has available to him the most numerous and efficient branch of the Wehrmacht, with about 1,200,000 men, but the forces opposing him are superior in number, armament and morale.
CENTRAL SECTORThe situation in Konigsberg has deteriorated greatly, Group Lasch having been isolated from the Samland Group as the 11th Guards Army crosses the Pregel and links up with the 43rd Army. Muller orders Lash to break out and rejoin but Lasch maintains that his forces are too weak.
SOUTHERN SECTORElements of the 6th Guards Tank Army penetrate into Vienna city center as they strive to link up with the 4th Guards Army. The 6th SS Panzer Army defends every step of the way.
[ | ]Occupied Denmark
A Danish Resistance group steals 21 boats and escapes to Sweden.
[ | ]Okinawa
While the III Amphibious Corps goes into action to capture the Motobu peninsula, the XXIV Corps switches its efforts against the Shuri line, attacking Kakazu Ridge without success.
US ships damaged in this day's action include the destroyers Charles J. Badger (DD-657) by a suicide boat and Gregory (DD-802) by a suicide plane, the motor minesweeper YMS-92 by a mine, the attack cargo ship Starr by a suicide boat, and the landing craft LST-939 in a collision and LST-940 by grounding.
[ | ]Philippines
On Luzon in the I Corps sector, the Americans are still deployed half way between Rosario and Baguio, not far from the blace where they landed on January 9. Gen Innis P. Swift is anxious to make a breakthrough. The battle for the Salacsac Pass continues on the Villa Verde track. In the XI Corps sector, Mount Mataba is heavily bombarded by aircraft and artillery in preparation for another attack.
The capture of Cebu and Negros goes ahead slowly. The US forces are reinforced by the landing of a second regiment in the northwest of Negros near Bacolod.
[ | ]Western Front
On the Allies' northern flank, the Canadian II Corps, 1st Army, advancing northeast toward Oldenburg, crosses the Ems River in the Meppen-Lathen area.
Units of the British XXX Corps take the defensive positions of the German 1st Parachute Army east of Lingen and push on in the direction of Bremen, and the VIII Corps reaches the Leine River southeast of Nienburg.
The 5th Arm Div, XIII Corps, US 9th Army, extends its bridgehead across the Sieg River, in the Ruhr pocket, the VII Corps establishes a strong bridgehead over the Weser and, farther south, the V Corps advances rapidly east of the river.
In the US 7th Army sector the XV Corps advances on the Hohe Rhon hills, while the XXI and VI Corps advance in the areas of Schweinfurt and Heilbronn.
The French 1st Div takes Pforzheim and goes on to reach Dietenhausen and Dietlingen. A bridghead is established over the Enz River in the neighborhood of Mühlhausen.
[ | ]Images from April 8, 1945
Churchill Tanks on the Faenza-Russi Road |
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Wunstorf Airfield Captured by British 6th Airborne |
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Going Down |
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Iwo Jima Fighters and Bombers |
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B-17s from the 398th BG |
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Men of the 16th Infantry Regiment |
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Allied POWs Cheer |
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British Soldiers in Meppen, Germany |
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