24 Aug 1944
Out of the blue Allied shipping has appeared in the Visayas, protected only by a light LRCAP. We attacked it out of our pristine airfields on Luzon. The Grace goes into action for the first time and is very effective.
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Iloilo at 79,84
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 37
A6M5c Zero x 25
B6N2 Jill x 36
Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 4
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 10
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M5c Zero: 2 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 3 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Spitfire VIII: 1 destroyed
P-47D25 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed
Allied Ships
CA Canberra
CA Australia, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
APD Bull
AK Chicot
LST-240, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
APD Loy
Allied ground losses:
216 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 51 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 32 (32 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Aircraft Attacking:
36 x B6N2 Jill launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo
10 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
21 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
18 x A6M5c Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
CAP engaged:
No.457 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(14 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 18000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 4 minutes
51st FG/449th FS with P-47D25 Thunderbolt (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(10 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 7 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 35000
Raid is overhead
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Iloilo at 79,84
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 25
B7A2 Grace x 36
Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 2
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 5
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed
B7A2 Grace: 4 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
LST-277, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
APD Reeves, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Aaron Ward, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
LST-241, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
LST-273, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Shaula
CA Canberra
APD Bull
LST-271, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
199 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 35 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Aircraft Attacking:
7 x B7A2 Grace releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
25 x B7A2 Grace releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
4 x B7A2 Grace releasing from 1000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
CAP engaged:
No.457 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 18000 , scrambling fighters to 20000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 78 minutes
51st FG/449th FS with P-47D25 Thunderbolt (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
5 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 35000 , scrambling fighters between 15000 and 21000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring LST-277
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring LST-241
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring LST-271
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Masbate at 80,83
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 82 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 12
Ki-48-IIa Lily x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 3 destroyed
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-48-IIa Lily: 7 destroyed
Ki-48-IIa Lily: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
DD Franks, Kamikaze hits 1
CL Phoenix, Kamikaze hits 1
DD Clarence Bronson
DD Harrison
LST-217, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
LSV Ozark, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 20 (14 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Ki-48-IIa Lily flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
11 x Ki-48-Ib Lily flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Iloilo at 79,84
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 93 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 48
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 24
Allied aircraft
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 3
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 13 destroyed
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Kamikaze hits 1
CA Australia, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
LST-269, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
70 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Ki-48-Ib Lily flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
12 x Ki-48-Ib Lily flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
9 x Ki-44-IIb Tojo sweeping at 15000 feet *
5 x Ki-44-IIb Tojo sweeping at 15000 feet *
CAP engaged:
51st FG/449th FS with P-47D25 Thunderbolt (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 35000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 4 minutes
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Iloilo at 79,84
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 93 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 46
A6M5c Zero x 20
B6N2 Jill x 34
Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 4
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M5c Zero: 1 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 6 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied aircraft losses
Spitfire VIII: 1 destroyed
P-47D25 Thunderbolt: 2 destroyed
Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
LST-227
Aircraft Attacking:
33 x B6N2 Jill launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo
21 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
15 x A6M5c Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
18 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
CAP engaged:
No.457 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(12 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 18000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 9 minutes
51st FG/449th FS with P-47D25 Thunderbolt (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(7 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 7 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 35000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 7 minutes
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Iloilo at 79,84
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 63 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 22
B7A2 Grace x 33
Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 2
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed
B7A2 Grace: 1 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
DD Aaron Ward, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Australia, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Buchanan, Bomb hits 1
DD Monssen, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
LST-269, on fire, heavy damage
LST-277, heavy fires, heavy damage
APD Reeves, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk
Allied ground losses:
288 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Aircraft Attacking:
15 x B7A2 Grace releasing from 1000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
21 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
13 x B7A2 Grace releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
5 x B7A2 Grace releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
CAP engaged:
No.457 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 18000 , scrambling fighters to 19000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 93 minutes
51st FG/449th FS with P-47D25 Thunderbolt (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 35000 , scrambling fighters to 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 66 minutes
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring DD Monssen
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring LST-277
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring APD Reeves
