May 12, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 12 MAY 1942

AVG: P-40s from the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons flew south deep into Indo-China on this date, to attack Gialam airfield at Hanoi at 17:35. Flight Leaders Tom Jones, Lewis Bishop and Frank Schiel of the 2nd, together with Link Laughlin and John Donovan of the 3rd, each claimed three aircraft destroyed on the ground. 14 of these were fighters, the other - claimed by Laughlin - being identified as a transport. However, Donovan's aircraft was hit by AA fire and crashed, killing the pilot. Chen Lokun, flight commander of the 24th PS (P-43A Lancer), was killed during a training flight when he crashed into a tree during landing at Kunming.

Philippines: The last U.S. presonnel surrender on Mindanao.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (10th Air Force): B-17's fly their first mission in direct defense of the air cargo route to China. Four B-17's from Dum Dum Airfield bomb Myitkyina Airfield and damage the runways and set fire to several parked aircraft.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th Air Force): B-17's and B-26's hit shipping in Simpson Harbor and the Lakunai Airfield. 30th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy), transfers from Cloncurry to Longreach with B-17's. Lost is P-39D Airacobra 41-6802 pilot 2nd Lt. Robert M. Wilde (KIA).

IJN: At 7:43am eleven A6M2 Zeros strafe 12 Mile Drome (Bomana) and machine gun positions in area. They cause no damage or casualties. They are intercepted by thirteen P-39 Airacobras that claim two Zeros shot down.

At 9:57am repair ship Shoei Maru dispatched with a trawler to assist Okinoshima was hit by two torpedo fired by USS S-44 (SS-155) and sinks at 2:40pm at roughly Lat 4° 51S, Long 152°  54E.

U.S. Navy: Submarine S-44 (SS-155) fires a spread of four torpedoes with two hitting repair ship Shoei Maru dispatched with a trawler to assist Okinoshima and sinks at 2:40pm roughly 15 miles southwest of Cape St. George at Lat 4° 51S, Long 152°  54E. In response, the trawler conducts depth charge attack and drops sixteen depth charges but the submarine withdraws safely.