May 27, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY 1942

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (10th Air Force): 11th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), transfers from Karachi to Allahabad with B-17's.

India: USAFCBI SOS Base Section 1 is activated at Karachi; Base Section 2 (Calcutta) is authorized.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th Air Force): B-17s bomb Rabaul. P-39 Airacobras from the 8th Fighter Group (8th FG) intercept Japanese A6M2 Zeros over Port Moresby. Lost is P-39F 41-7153 pilot 2nd Lt. Alva G. Hawkins (MIA) and P-39F 41-7162 pilot Captain Thomas W. Hornsby (survived).

U.S. Army: 23rd Infantry Division (23rd ID) "Americal Division" is activated on New Caledonia under the command of Major General Alexander M. Patch as the only U.S. Army Division formed outside the United States or a U.S. territory and became known as the "Americal Division" meaning American, New Caledonian Division.

U.S. Navy: The transfer of Patrol Wing 4 from Seattle to the North Pacific began with the arrival of the Commander at Kodiak.

Task Force 17 (TF 17) under Admiral Fletcher including USS Yorktown arrives Pearl Harbor from the South Pacific.

Cook Third Class Doris Miller is bestowed the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz on a ceremony aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor.

IJN: First Mobile Force, Carrier Strike Force under Vice Adm Chuichi Nagumo departs Japan bound for Midway.

Predawn, Japanese submarine I-25 surfaces with her E14Y Glen piloted by W/O Fujita Nobuo on the catapult when lookouts spot a cruiser. The floatplane is ordered to launch but is unable due to an issue and the submarine is unable to dive but the warship passes without noticing the submarine. Later in the day the catapult is repaired and the E14Y Glen launches and conducts a reconnaissance of Dutch Harbor and spots 3 cruisers, 8 destroyers and 6 transports then returns, recovers the floatplane and dives when two destroyers arrive but do not detect the submarine.