Chronology of World War II

May 1945

Friday, May 11th

Air Operations, CBI

CHINA

6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 4 14th Air Force P-47s attack bridges at 2 locations.
2 B-25s attack motor-vehicle convoys at 3 locations.
More than 60 fighter-bombers attack numerous targets across southern and eastern China.

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Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-24s attack the Boeloedowang and Mandai airfields on Celebes and the Keningau airfield on Borneo.
42nd Medium Bombt Group B-25s attack the Brunei Bay area.

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Air Operations, Formosa

56 V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Toshien town area.
B-24s attack the airfield at Toshien and 5 cities and towns.
48 38th and 345th Medium Bomb group B-25s attack the town area at Kagi.
4 Fleet Air Wing 17 PVs attack a butanol plant at Kagi with rockets.

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Air Operations, Japan

92 XXI Bomber Command B-29s attack an aircraft plant at Kobe.
50 313th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s attack airfields at Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Nittagahara, and Oita on Kyushu, and the airfield at Saeki.
9 B-29s attack targets of opportunity.

One B-29 is lost.

The XXI Bomber Command’s campaign against Japanese airfields supporting kamikaze missions to Okinawa is concluded.

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Air Operations, Philippines

V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack various targets on Luzon.
1st Marine Aircraft Wing PBJs, SBDs, and F4Us support the US X Corps on Mindanao.

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Air Operations, Ryukyus

US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft support US 10th Army ground forces on Okinawa.
Starting at about 0800 hours, heavy kamikaze and bombing attacks are launched against the US Navy radar picket line north of Okinawa. 2 US picket destroyers are severely damaged, one by an MXY7 suicide missile, with the loss of 58 killed and 96 injured.
US carrier-based F6Fs and F4Us down 10 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters, 26 A6M Zeros, 8 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters, 2 F1M 'Pete' reconnaissance planes, 4 Ki-84 'Frank' fighters, 4 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters, 5 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters, 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber, 1 C6N 'Myrt' reconnaissance plane, 4 P1Y 'Galaxy bombers, 1 D3A 'Judy' dive bomber, 2 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bombers, and 4 E13A 'Jake' reconnaissances at sea and over the Ryukyu Islands between 0730 and 1100 hours.
US Marine Corps F4Us down 2 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance planes, 2 G4M 'Betty' bombers, 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber, 1 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber, 3 D3A 'Val' dive bombers, 7 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters, 5 A6M Zeros, and 2 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters in the Okinawa area between 0800 and 1030 hours.
The Task Force 58 flagship, USS Bunker Hill, is very nearly mortally damaged by 2 bomb-armed kamikazes. 389 crewmen and Fleet Carrier Air Group 84 airmen killed. The ship is immediately detached from Task Group 58.3, and the task force commander, Vice-Adm Marc A. Mitscher, and his staff transfer to the USS Enterprise.

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China

The Chinese armies hold up the Japanese offensive against Chihchiang, threatening the flanks of the enemy columns and putting up a firm resistance in the Paima Shan area.

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Eastern Front

Units of the 1st and 2nd Ukraine Fronts wipe out the last German resistance in Czechoslovakia and make contact with the Americans at Pilsen. In Austria too the Russians force some German units to surrender. In Croatia the German Army Group Southeast, formerly Army Group E, under Alexander Löhr, continues to hold out against Tito's forces.

CENTRAL SECTOR

Army Group enter is breaking up as its forces surrender by the thousand. The remnants of German forces in East Prussian alos surrender in large numbers.

The final campaign around Prague cost the 1st Ukrainian Front 6,000 killed and 17,000 wounded, the 2nd 2,500 killed and 11,800 wounded and the 4th Ukrain 2,300 killed and 9,200 wounded.

SOUTHERN SECTOR

Army Group Ostmark begins to lay down its arms. Army Group E fights on but is also breaking up.

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Europe

Friedrich Schörner's Army Group Center, now confined to a pocket east of Prague, surrenders to the Soviets. Some German units in Yugoslavia keep fighting for a few more days, but gradually they too give in. The war in Europe is over.

German forces on the Aegean Islands surrender.

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New Guinea

The 6th Australian Div occupies Wewak, once a big Japanese base and now manned by a meager, starving garrison.

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Okinawa

After a 30-minute artillery barrage the whole of the US 10th Army, with the III Amphibious Corps on the right and the XXIV Corps on the left, goes into the assault against the Shuri line. The 6th Marine Div advances south of the Asa River; some units reach the outskirts of Amike, taking positions that overlook the island's chief town, Naha. The 7th Marines of the 1st Div, despite intensive fire from the enemy, wins several positions on Dakeshi Ridge. But the 1st Marines cannot advance for the hail of shells falling on them from the Shuri hills, site of the enemy headquarters. The 5th Marines succeed in surrounding some enemy units in the area south of Awacha. the XXIV Corps makes hardly any progress; only the 382nd Inf, 96th Div, manages to consolidate its positions on Zebra Hill.

Kamikaze aircraft and piloted flying bombs damage the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill (CV-17) killing 392 and wounding 264 off Okinawa. Two destroyers, one being the Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) hit by an Ohka piloted bomb and the other the Evans (DD-552), are also damaged. The Americans, however, shoot down 93 enemy aircraft in reply

1 destroyer alone shoots down 19 Japanese aircraft with sustained and intense anti-aircraft fire.

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Philippines

On Luzon in the US I Corps sector, units of the 25th and 27th Divisions make contact with each other on Kapintalan Ridge, after blocking up or blowing up over 200 Japanese positions in caves and killing 1,000 enemy troops. The 25th Division advances on Santa Fe.

On Mindanao, the 108th Regimental Combat Group advances as far as some hills that overlook the airfield at Del Monte. Units of Filipino guerrillas liberate Cagayan.

A reinforced regiment of the 24th Division is ordered to mop up the area northeast of the Talomo Rover, near Mintal. Small American units landed on Samar Island try to spot the Japanese artillery sites which are still bringing fire down on Davao. Fighting continues on Negros Island, mainly in the mountainous area in the west.

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