WW2 - CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE June 1-7, 1944

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 428, JUNE 1, 1944

 Shimushu Island in the Kuriles was bombed by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four before dawn on May 30 (West Longitude Date). Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.

Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, and Navy Hellcat fighters bombed and strafed enemy positions in the Marshalls on May 29. Runways, piers, and antiaircraft batteries were hit. Meager antiaircraft fire was encountered.

 CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 429, JUNE 1, 1944

Guam Island was bombed by Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force during daylight on May 28 (West Longitude Date). Approximately ten enemy fighters attempted to intercept our formation. One fighter was prob­ably shot down. Antiaircraft fire ranged from moderate to intense.

Truk Atoll was attacked by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators at night on May 30. The airstrips were hit, and a fire started which was visible one hundred fifty miles. One enemy plane was in the air over the target. Anti­aircraft fire was meager.

Wake Island was bombed on May 30 by Seventh Army Air Force Liber­ators, which obtained hits on Peacock and Wilkes Islands and Heel Point. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered.

Ponape Island was raided by Seventh Army Air Force Mite‑hells during daylight on May 30. Gun positions, runways, and defense installations were hit. Antiaircraft fire was meager and no interception was attempted.

Enemy positions in the Marshall Islands were bombed and severely strafed on May 30 by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, Daunt­less dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing and Navy Hellcat fighters. Blockhouses, barracks and coastal guns were hit. Antiaircraft fire was meager.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 430, JUNE 2, 1944

Shimushu in the Kurile Islands was bombed by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four before dawn on May 31 (West Longitude Date). Several large and small fires were started in the vicinity of the airfield. Antiaircraft fire was moderate. All of our planes returned.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 431, JUNE 3, 1944

A single search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed and strafed ship­ping and shore installations at Truk Atoll at night on June 1 (West Longi­tude Date). Four one‑thousand‑pound bombs were dropped over a medium cargo vessel, two of them scoring direct hits and two straddling the vessel, which was believed sunk. The search plane then strafed a number of small cargo vessels, the seaplane base at Dublon and the airstrips at Eten Island. Two of the small vessels were set on fire, fires were started at Dublon Island and Eten Island, and an ammunition dump exploded. In retiring the search plane was pursued by a single enemy plane which did not make an attack. Over the target antiaircraft fire was moderate.

Two Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Shimushiru Island in the Kuriles before dawn on June 1. No opposition was encountered.

Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four bombed Paramushiru and Shimushu Island before dawn on June 1. Fires were started. Antiaircraft fire was light and inaccurate.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 432, JUNE 4, 1944

Shimushu and Paramushiru Islands in the Kuriles were bombed by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four before dawn on June 2 (West Longitude Date). Two large fires were started on Shimushu. Antiaircraft fire was moderate. Matsuwa Island was bombed by Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force before dawn on June 2. No opposition was encountered. All of our planes returned.

Truk Atoll was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators before dawn on June 3. Forty‑one tons of bombs were dropped on storage areas and on runways. Several fires and explosions were observed. Antiaircraft fire was meager. Two enemy fighters attempted to attack our force but did no damage.

Nauru Island was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchell bombers and search Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Two on June 2. Antiaircraft bat­teries were hit and fires Started. Antiaircraft fire was moderate.

Ponape Island was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells on June 1. An airfield, hangars, and adjacent buildings were hit. No antiair­craft fire was encountered.

Remaining enemy objectives in the Marshalls were attacked by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, and Navy Hellcat fighters on May 31 and on June 1 and 2. In these raids antiaircraft batteries, coastal defense guns, runways and barracks were strafed and bombed. Antiaircraft fire was generally meager.

N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 522, JUNE 5, 1944

Pacific and Far East.

 1. U. S. submarines have reported the sinking of sixteen vessels in operations against the enemy in these waters, as follows:

1 large transport

1 large cargo vessel

7 medium cargo vessels

2 small cargo vessels

4 medium cargo transports

1 small cargo transport

 2. These actions have not been reported in any previous Navy Depart­ment communiqué.

N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 523, JUNE 5, 1944

Atlantic.

 1. The Escort Carrier USS Block Island was sunk in the Atlantic during May, 1944 as the result of enemy action.

2. The next of kin of casualties, which were light, have been notified.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 433, JUNE 5, 1944

Several  enemy patrol‑type vessels were sighted west of Truk Atoll on June 2 (West Longitude Date) and attacked by a single search plane. One was probably sunk and all were heavily strafed. On June 3 another search plane sighted the disposition and made an attack which resulted in the sink­ing of one of the auxiliaries and severe damage to another.

Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Ketoi Island in the Kuriles before dawn on June 4. No opposition was encountered. A single search plane of Fleet Air Wing Four bombed Paramushiru Island before dawn on June 4. All of our planes returned from these operations.

JUNE 6, 1944

MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESS

 The following was given to the press by Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, USN, Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, at the press conference of Secre­tary of the Navy James Forrestal today:

 "Recently on a brilliant moonlight night one of our destroyer escorts sighted a submarine, fully surfaced, silhouetted against the moon. The de­stroyer escort immediately rang up full speed and headed for the submarine, opening fire with all her guns. The submarine elected to fight it out and opened fire with her deck guns and machine guns, tracers passing high over the bridge of the destroyer escort. The submarine maneuvered at high speed and fired a torpedo. The destroyer escort closed the range rapidly, following the sub's evasive maneuvers and burying the sub under a withering fire at point blank range, machine guns and three inch forecastle guns. The range finally closed until the submarine was only 20 yards away. All fire on the submarine having ceased at this point the destroyer escort rode up on the forecastle of the submarine where she stuck. Men began swarming out of the submarine and up onto the destroyer escort's forecastle. The destroyer escort opened up on them with machine guns, tommy guns and rifle fire. Ammunition expended at this time included several general mess coffee cups which happened to be at the gun stations. Two of the enemy were hit on the head with these. Empty cartridge cases also proved effective for re­pelling the boarders. During this heated encounter the destroyer escort suffered her only casualty of the engagement, when a husky seaman bruised his fist knocking one of the enemy over the side.

"At this stage of the battle the boatswain's mate in charge forward with a 45 Colt revolver and a Chief Firecontrolman with a tommy gun accounted for a number of those attempting to board. The destroyer escort then de­cided to back off to stop any more enemy trying to board her. Again the running battle was resumed, hits falling like rain on the sub's topside. Even shallow depth charges were used against the submarine. The destroyer es­cort rammed a second time and then the submarine rolled slowly over.

Personnel on the escort's deck had a clear view into the conning tower which was ablaze. A torpedoman threw a hand grenade which dropped through the sub's conning tower before exploding. The submarine finally sank with her diesel engines still running, and the conning tower hatch open, fire blazing from It.

"The commanding officer of the destroyer escort was a young Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve, who came on active duty in 1941."

 CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 434, JUNE 6, 1944

Truk Atoll was bombed during the night of June 3‑4 (West Longitude Date) by Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force. The airfields at Moen and Param Islands were hit. Four enemy fighters were airborne but did not attack our force. Antiaircraft fire was meager and inaccurate.

Ponape Island was attacked on the night of June 3 by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators and on June 4 by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells. Installations on Langar Island and antiaircraft batteries were hit.

Lauru Island was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells during daylight on June 3, and by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two on June 5. Gun positions were the principal targets. Antiaircraft fire was intense.

Enemy positions in the Marshalls were bombed and strafed on June 3‑4

Search Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Two, Corsair fighters and Dauntless live bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, and Navy Hellcat fighters. Gun positions and runways were hit. Antiaircraft fire was meager.

CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 435, JUNE 7, 1944

Guam Island was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators and Liberator search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two during daylight on June 5 (West Longitude Date). Antiaircraft fire ranged from moderate to intense. Our force was not attacked by enemy aircraft. All of our planes returned.

Nauru Island was bombed on June 5 by Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force and Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two. The barracks area, phosphate plant, and gun positions were principal targets.

Ponape Island was attacked by Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells on June 5. Antiaircraft fire was meager.

On June 4 Mille Atoll in the Marshalls was attacked by Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing. Runways were principal targets. Light caliber antiaircraft fire was intense.

A search plane of Fleet Air Wing Two sighted a group of small enemy cargo ships proceeding northwest of Truk on June 5, and attacked and damaged one of the vessels. Another search plane shot down an enemy torpedo bomber west of Truk on June 5.