Air Operations, CBI

• 16 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and more than 50 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack transportation targets in and Japanese forces withdrawing from eastern and southern China.

Air Operations, East Indies

XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the seaplane base at Kangean Island and the Sidate airfield on Celebes and the Tanamon airfield.

Air Operations, Japan

Nearly 100 VII Fighter Command P-47s and P-51s based on Iwo Jima attack airfields and rail targets in the Tokyo area. A 506th Fighter Group P-51 downs an A6M Zero over Sagami Bay at 1417 hours.

Air Operations, Pacific

B-29s drop mines to seal off the main port effectively creating a complete blockade of Japan.

Air Operations, Philippines

XIII Bomber Command B-25s and XIII Fighter Command P-38s attack various targets on Luzon.

Burma

The last of the organized Japanese troops in Burma are either killed or captured. In the 'Battle of the Breakthrough' 10,000 Japanese under Maj-Gen T. Koba in the Pegu Yoma mountain range are mauled, with 8,300 killed.

France, Home Front

The battlecruiser Strasbourg is refloated at Toulon.

Pacific

• The US destroyer escort Earl V. Johnson (DE-702) is damaged by an explosion in the Philippine Sea.
• The US attack cargo ship Seminole (AKA-104) is damaged in a collision in the Okinawa area.

Images from August 3, 1945

Avro York C Mark Is of No. 47 Group RAF lined up at Luqa, Malta, while staging through to the Far East. In the foreground, MW123 of No. 511 Squadron RAF starts to taxy out.

No. 47 Group at Malta

RAAF Mosquito A52-605, from 87 Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (87PRS) crashed on take off from Coomalie Creek airfield, Northern Territory, 3 August 1945

Mosquito Crash on Take Off

TBM Avenger #413 of VT-83 'Cultured Vulture II' USS Essex in flight over Japan August 1945

TBM Avenger over Japan