War Winding Down

JULY

SUN 1 JUL 1945
Pacific
TG 78.2 (Rear Admiral Albert G. Noble) lands Australian troops [Seventh Australian Division (Reinforced) less one brigade] at Balikpapan, Borneo; landing is covered by Allied naval gunfire and aircraft. This, the final major amphibious assault of the Borneo campaign, is unopposed.

Over 530 USAAF B-29s firebomb Ube, Kure, Shimonoseki, and Kumamoto, Japan; auxiliary minelayer Himetaka Maru is damaged at Kure.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, conclude aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To. VPB 118 wraps up its mining operations this date having sown 195 mines. The aircrew notice an absence of shipping in the areas mined, leading to the conclusion that the effort "has effectively stopped the movement of enemy ships in the inner channels around the southwest coast of Korea."

Twenty-four USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Nanao and Fushiki, Japan. Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Tenyu Maru at entrance of Niigata harbor, and Naoshima Maru three miles north of Shodo Jima, and damage merchant cargo ships Yamaji Maru at 34°28'N, 135°08'E, and Eijun Maru off Moji, Japan.

Submarine Haddo (SS-255) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.72 and merchant cargo ships Konri Maru and 1 Taiun Maru and No.2 Taiun Maru in Yellow Sea off west coast of Korea, 38°08'N, 124°38'E.

Japanese minesweeper depot ship Chohei Maru and merchant cargo ship Koa Maru are damaged by U.S. aircraft, Woosung, China.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Mitakesan Maru is damaged by aircraft, 34°20'N, 129°24'E.

USAAF planes (5th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinneisho Maru at mouth of Yangtze River, 31°21'N, 121°38'E.