World War Two, Pacific

JULY 1945     Okinawa is already in use by medium and fighter bombers to ravage Kyushu in preparation for invasion. B-29's from Mariana's and B-24's from Iwo Jima are destroying all industrial cities. Japan is blockaded at sea; even coastal traffic is coming to a halt from air and mines. The U.S. fleet is refitting in the Philippines. British are retaking SE asia, Australians in Borneo. Japanese army is in fighting retreat in China. Official Japanese policy : "the nation will fight to the bitter end."
• July 1 . Australian troops land at Brunei, Balikpapan, Borneo.
  530 plus B-29's carry out incendiary attacks on cities in Japan.
  PB4Y Privateers flying from Okinawa conclude aerial mining of Korean waters.
  USAAF B-29's continue to mine Shimonoseki Straits causing multiple daily sinkings.
  Third Fleet sorties from a brief rest and refit at Leyte : 9 CV, 6 CVL.
  Germany is divided between Allies for occupation.
• July 2 . Okinawa declared secure.
  Barb (SS-220) employs rockets on Japanese shore installations in the first use by a U.S. submarine.
• July 3 . Australian troops take oil fields at Balikpapan, Borneo.
• July 4 . FEAF attacks Kyushu with B-29's from Philippines.
• July 5 . MacArther declares Philippines campaign completed.
  B-24's from Okinawa bomb Omura-Nagasaki area.
  100+ fighters from Iwo Jima strike eastern Honshu.
• July 6 . 517 B-29's from Marianas drop incendiaries on Japan
  100 P-51 & P-38's disrupt Indochina withdraw.
• July 7 . Dutch troops enter fighting in Borneo.
• July 8 . Three Task Groups, each with 3 CV, 2 CL plus BB screen, refuel E of Iwo Jima.
  100-plus fighters from Iwo Jima pound eastern Honshu. Becomes daily activity.
  Chennault forced to resign after six years of China fighter command
• July 9 . Fleet arrives in Japanese waters, will stay till the end of the war.
• July 10. 1,000 carrier planes attack Tokyo plain from 14 carriers.
• July 11. 3rd Fleet refuels, rearms, heads north.
• July 12. Japanese inquire of Russia about surrender terms. Not forwarded to Allies.
  500+ B-29's drop incendiaries on smaller Japanese cities.
  B-25's from Okinawa attack Kyushu air fields.
• July 13. Alaska (CB-1) and Guam (CB-2), four CL, 9 DD sorties from Leyte for anti-shipping sweeps in the East China Sea.
• July 14. Planes from TF 38 attack northern Honshu and Hokkaido ; 1,391 sorties.
  3 BB, 2 CA, 9 DD bombard iron works in coastal city of Kamaishi, Honshu ; first naval gunfire on the Japanese homeland.
• July 15. Repeat carrier air attack on northern Honshu and Hokkaido ; destroy half of rail and coal ferries.
  Surface bombardment of iron and coke factories at Mororan on Hokkaido.
• July 16. HQ Eighth AF (England) is ordered to Okinawa.
  First atomic bomb test Alamagordo, NM.
  466 B-29's drop incendiary bombs on Japanese cities.
  British Pacific Fleet rejoins as task group with USN until hostilities end.
  Surface bombardment of coastal facilities continues.
  Submarine I-13 sunk with her two aircraft.
• July 17. Potsdam Conference begins.
  Air attacks on Tokyo airfields and surface attacks on Honshu industry by 15 carriers.
  200+ AAF bombers attack Kiangwan, Shanghai airdrome, largest concentration of Japanese aircraft in China.
• July 18. Carrier attacks on naval shipping at Yokosuka.
  214 aircraft hit Shanghai.
• July 19. Naval bombardment of 6 industrial plants at Hitachi, 80 miles NE of Tokyo, with 1,238 16" shells.
  P-38's attack suicide boat station on N. tip of Borneo.
  553 B-29's attack cities of Japan.
• July 20. Cruiser force including Alaska (CB-1) and Guam (CB-2) sweep E.China and Yellow Sea.
  AAF begins small, high altitude B-29 raids to familiarize Japanese to A-bomb formations.
• July 21. Allies radios Japan : "Surrender or be destroyed."
  Out of new targets, B-29's begin repeat attacks.
• July 22. First U.S. troops from Europe arrive Philippines.
  Mines, subs, aircraft continue sinking Japanese shipping.
  23 B-29's, staging through Iwo Jima, mine Korea coast.
• July 23. Barrage balloon sighted at 12,000 feet over Hitachi, Japan.
  Large practice bomb dropped by "special" B-29 air group on Kobe railyard.
  Landing party from Barb (SS-220) blows up train near Karafuto.
• July 24. 570 plus B-29's bomb aircraft plants in Japan.
  Carrier attacks on Inland Sea shipping in the Kure area and airfields on northern Kyushu.
  Underhill (DE-682) scuttled following "kaiten" attack off Luzon.
  100+ B-24's from Okinawa bomb Shanghai airfields.
• July 25. Carrier attacks on Inland Sea to the Osaka area and to Nagoya.
• July 26. Potsdam Ultimatum to Japan : surrender unconditionally or face ' utter destruction.'
  Churchill relieved. Replaced by Attlee.
• July 27. Japanese cities "bombed" with leaflets telling to surrender or be destroyed.
• July 28. UN charter ratified by U.S. Senate.
  B-25 crashes into Empire State Building.
  Japan rejects Potsdam Declaration by silence.
  137 Ie Shima-based P-47's attack Kyushu.
  471 B-29's drop incendiary bombs on smaller Japanese cities.
  Carrier attacks on Inland Sea to Osaka and Nagoya.
• July 29. Warships shell naval and air bases on Honshu.
  Last U.S. warship to be sunk by kamikaze off Okinawa, Callaghan (DD-792), by a biplane trainer.
  Sink 7 Japanese ships and damage 7.
• July 30. Indianapolis (CA-35) sunk by I-58, 883 men lost ; largest Navy loss at sea.
  Carrier attacks on Inland Sea to Osaka and Nagoya.
  British minisubs damage Japanese heavy cruiser Takao at Singapore.
  Surface force bombards aircraft factory at Hamamatsuk, Honshu.
  404 mines destroyed in East China Sea without casualty.
  Army-Navy leadership told to prepare plans for surrender.
• July 31 PB4Ys from Okinawa destroy bridge severing main N-S rail line in Korea.
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  Japan is comprised of 4 main islands.
  Kyushu is the south-most Japanese island, invasion planned 1Nov45, contains Nagasaki.
  Shikoku is the smallest Japanese island, mountainous, 180 mile long. Nearby, not scheduled for invasion.
  Honshu is the main Japanese island, invasion planned 1Mar46, contains Tokyo.
      Southern Honshu is almost an island, contains Hiroshima. To be neutralized by air.
  Hokkaido is the northern Japanese island, isolated.
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