February 24, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 1942

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): Heavy bomber units begin evacuating Java.

IJN: G4M1 Bettys escorted by A6M2 Zeros from 4th Kōkūtai (4th Air Group) bomb 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby. Destroyed on the ground is Hudson A16-167 and a Gannet transport.

RAAF: Three flyingboats: Catalina A24-2, Catalinas A24-17 and Catalinas A24-13 took off from Port Moresby Flying Boat Base on a bombing mission against Rabaul. Lost is Catalina A24-13 (MIA).

U.S. Navy: First Wake Island Raid by Task Force 16 (TF 16) under Vice Admiral W. F. Halsey strikes Wake. SBDs and TBDs (VB 6, VS 6, VT 6) from USS Enterprise (CV-6) and SOC Seagulls from VCS-5 from heavy cruisers USS Northampton (CA-26) and USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) bomb installations on Wake. The bombardment unit under Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance consists of Northampton and Salt Lake City and destroyers USS Balch (DD-363) and USS Maury (DD-401) shells Wake. Combined efforts of carrier planes bombing and strafing plus shore bombardment gunfire sink guardboats No.5 Fukyu Maru and No.1 Miho Maru. Fortunately, the bombing and shelling of Wake harms none of the American POWs including marines, sailors and construction workers too badly wounded to have been evacuated in the initial increment of POWs, and the civilians from Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases that were retained to continue work on defenses. Lost is SBD-2 Dauntless 2174 pilot Ensign Percy W. Wendell (POW) from VS-6 is lost with both crew Prisoners Of War (POW).

Panamanian motor freighter Snark is damaged by a sea mine while attempting to enter Nouméa, New Caledonia, without a pilot. Destroyer Worden (DD-352) tows the crippled ship out of the channel but has to abandon further salvage when the damaged vessel drifts and grounds hard and fast onto a reef.

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) embarks U.S. High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands Francis B. Sayre and his party off Manila Bay (see 9 March). Their original destination is Surabaya, Java.

Submarines Pike (SS-172) and Pickerel (SS-177) are sent to assist stranded submarine Tarpon (SS-175) in Boling Strait, NEI. In the event that they cannot free the grounded boat, they are to destroy her. Fortunately, Tarpon manages to work herself free by removing anchors, torpedoes, oil and ammunition.

In the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), lost is PBY Catalina 28-5MNE (MIA) over Makassar Strait.