Friday, October 12, 2018

Rabaul Raid

TUE 12 OCT 1943
Pacific
USAAF B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s, and RAAF Beaufighters, raid Rabaul, pounding Japanese shipping, town, harbor, and airfields in the vicinity, sinking transports Keisho Maru and Kosei Maru, cargo lighters No.1 Wakamatsu Maru and Kurogane Maru, and guardboat Mishima Maru; and damaging destroyers Mochizuki, Minazuki and Tachikaze submarines I-177, I-180 and RO 105, special service ship Tsukushi, oiler Naruto, and auxiliary sailing vessels Tenryu Maru and Koan Maru.
Submarine Cero (SS-225) torpedoes Japanese stores ship Mamiya off Chichi Jima, 28°39'N, 137°28'E; collier Asakaze Maru tows the damaged vessel to Saeki, Japan.

Atlantic
Aircraft (VC 9) from escort carrier Card (CVE-11) break up another German U-boat refueling rendezvous when they attack U-488 about 600 miles north of Flores Island, Azores and damage U-731.