May 31, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 31 MAY 1942

ALASKA (11th Air Force): 54th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group (attached to XI Fighter Command) arrives at Elmendorf Field with P-40's.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (7th Air Force): Ten B-17s led by Col Walter C. Sweeney, Jr. took off from Hickam Field with an extra bomb bay fuel tank on a flight to Midway Airfield on Eastern Island in advance of the Battle of Midway. The ten bombers included B-17E "Old Maid" 41-2409, pilot Col Sweeney, B-17E 41-2404 pilot Captain Tokarz, B-17E "Yankee Doodle" 41-2463 pilot Captain Payne, B-17E 41-2523 pilot 1st Lt. Steedman.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th Air Force): B-17's attack Lae and Salamaua.

U.S. Navy: Submarine Pollack (SS-180) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.5 Shunsei Maru off Murotosan, 31°38'N, 133°45'E.

IJN: Three Japanese Type A Midget Submarines: HA-21 (M22), HA-24 (M24), HA-14 (M27) are launched against Sydney Harbor. At 10:35pm HA-14 (M27) was scuttled after tangled in a anti-torpedo boom net. The other two Midget Submarines proceed with the mission overnight into the early morning of June 1, 1942.

Japanese submarine I-10 surfaces and launched her E14Y1 Glen floatplane piloted by Lt(jg) Shunshi Araki on a second reconnaissance flight over Diego-Suarez Bay (Antsiranana Bay).