March 4, 1942: No. 75 Squadron is formed in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Garbutt Field in Townsville equipped with P-40E Kittyhawk fighters. They will be the first squadron to defend Port Moresby and missions over New Guinea. pacificwrecks.com/un... #RAAF #75Squadron

March 2, 1942: Destroyer USS Stewart (DD-224) is scuttled at Surabaya on Java. Later repaired by the Japanese as Patrol Boat No. 102 returned to the Navy as USS DD-224 sunk 1946 as a target. The shipwreck was found in 2024 off California. pacificwrecks.com/sh... #Indonesia #USN

February 3, 1942: Lost is B-18 Bolo 36-338 pilot Lt. Col Austin A. Straubel (KIA) shot down by a pair of A6M2 Zeros from Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group) over Java. Green Bay Airport is named in honor of the pilot. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #Indonesia #Java #Bolo #Zero #Tainan

January 18, 1942: USS Tutuila (PR-4) stranded at Chungking is decommissioned and her remaining crew flown out. Later, transferred to the Nationalist Chinese and renamed Mei Yuan until scuttled in May 1949. pacificwrecks.com/sh... #USN #USNavy #Chungking

January 5, 1944: Lost is PB4Y-1P Liberator 32019 pilot Lt. Larren M. Allen on a low level photographic reconnaissance mission over Kwajalein Atoll shot down with 12 crew listed as Missing In Action (MIA). pacificwrecks.com/ai... #MIA #MissingInAction #USN #USNavy #Kwajalein

December 7th marks the 84th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Oahu. Learn more about "a date which will live in infamy" including the planes, midget subs, warship and location involved. pacificwrecks.com/da... #PearlHarbor #Hawaii #Oahu #USNavy #Japan #OTD

Today is #GIvingTuesday consider a donation to support @PacificWrecks on our 30th anniversary online. We are funded by viewers like you. Your donation helps us to sharing information, find Missing In Action and preserving the legacy of what remains.

Join @PacificWrecks live on YouTube WW2TV December 4th at 2:00PM EST for a lecture on the 345th Bomb Group "Air Apaches" that flew the B-25 Mitchell bristling with guns at low level across the Pacific during World War II. www.youtube.com/watc... #History #USAAF #345BG #BookTube

Black Friday Sale: Warpath Over The Pacific: The Illustrated History of the 345th Bombardment Group During World War II irandpcorp.com/produ... $15.00 off with coupon code “AirApaches” until 11/30!

Join us live on Veterans Day to return a World War II U.S. Army dog tag found in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to the veteran's daughter. youtube.com/live/FxJ... #VeteransDay @usarmy.bsky.social #DogTag #LostAndFound #PapuaNewGuinea #PNG

Join us live on YouTube for an interview with Dave R. Holland, author of "Guadalcanal's Longest Fight: The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front". Don't miss the livestream about the book and the battle! 📚 www.youtube.com/live/kNJkY3W... #LiveStream #Guadalcanal #Author

October 18, 1965: U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Larry Allan Thorne (Lauri Allan Törni) went missing in action as a passenger aboard a South Vietnamese H-34 helicopter. Previously, he served in the Finnish Army and the German Waffen-SS in WWII. pacificwrecks.com/pe... #MIA

Join us live on YouTube tomorrow at 11:15am ET for an interview with Wisconsin Army National Guard Captain Florian L. Waitl, co-producer of the documentary, The 32nd Infantry Division’s Nightmare: The Battle of Buna. www.youtube.com/live... #Buna #Documentary

For National POW/MIA Recognition Day, @PacificWrecks founder @JustinTaylan had the honor to meet U.S. Army Pfc (retired) Jessica Lynch, ex-Prisoner Of War (POW). Lynch served in the Iraq War and was captured on March 23, 2003, and nine days later was rescued by U.S. forces. #POW #MIA #POWMIA

Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The U.S. has 84,605 Missing In Action (MIA) from World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts since, according to ABMC. This includes 75% in the Indo-Pacific and 41,000+ lost at sea. pacificwrecks.com/mi... #POWMIA

September 16th marks the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea independence. The nation spans the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands. During World War II, the country was a pivotal battlefield on land, at sea, and in the air. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #PNG

September 2, 1945: Japan surrenders aboard USS Missouri (BB-63). General Douglas MacArthur states: "Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed!" pacificwrecks.com/da... #TokyoBay #Japan #Surrender

August 27, 1945: Japanese Submarine I-400 is spotted by Avengers and intercepted by USS Blue (DD-744) and USS Mansfield (DD-728) off northern Honshu. A prize crew is rushed to the sub by USS Proteus (AS-19). pacificwrecks.com/su... #IJN #Submarine #I400 #Japan #USNavy

Then & Now: Phillip Bradley & Justin Taylan 2003 & 2025. The pair connected in the early days of Pacific Wrecks. Since then, the pair have explored battlefields, conducted archival research, and shared a mutual interest in military history worldwide. #ThenAndNow #PhotoThrowBack

August 21, 1945: In what was likely the last U.S. Navy surface action of World War II, Gunner's Mate Third Class James "Jim" Ralph Reid Jr. earned the Navy Cross firing a bazooka and throwing a grenade into a Japanese junk off China. pacificwrecks.com/pe... #NavyCross #USNavy

August 13, 1945: The last U.S. air raid against Wake Island is conducted by U.S. Marine planes that target the gun battery at Peacock Point. Wake was targeted hundreds of times by aircraft and shore bombardment. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #Wake #USMC #Bombing #AirRaid

August 12, 1945: Lost is P-38L Lightning 44-27142 pilot Major Robert G. Hochuli on a bombing and strafing mission against Mimitsu, Kyushu in Japan. Damaged, he crashed into the sea and remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA). pacificwrecks.com/ai... #MIA #MissingInAction

August 11, 1945: Japanese submarine I-402 moored in Kure Harbor is damaged by P-51D Mustangs that strafe and score several near misses with bombs that damage the fuel tanks and wound two of her crew. pacificwrecks.com/su... #JapaneseNavy #Kure #Sentoku #Submarine

August 10, 1945: Japanese Transport No. 21 (T.21) capsized and sank off Tsuwa Jima. The previous day, damaged by P-47N Thunderbolts that strafed the vessel. In 1948, the shipwreck was raised and broken up for scrap. pacificwrecks.com/sh... #JapaneseNavy #Japan #strafe #shipwreck

August 9th marks the 80th anniversary of B-29 "Bockscar" 44-27297 dropping a plutonium bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" over Nagasaki, Japan, killing nearly 24,000 according to Japanese reports, plus 60,000 were injured. pacificwrecks.com/lo... # Nagasaki #Japan #AtomicBomb

On August 6th, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the B-29 "Enola Gay" dropping the atomic bomb "Little Boy" over Hiroshima, Japan. Learn more about this historic event and its impact on the city at: pacificwrecks.com/lo... #Hiroshima #Japan #AtomicBomb #ABomb

We are here at @EAA AirVenture! Visit @PacificWrecks and @BongCenter booth 4017 in Building D. Don't miss the Pacific Wrecks lecture by @justintaylan on Finding Richard I. Bong’s P-38 Marge July 26th at 10:00 a.m. at EAA Museum, Hilton Theater. events.rdmobile.com/...

Watch live! Ocean Exploration Trust's @nautiluslive.org is live streaming from the shipwreck of USS De Haven (DD-469) sunk into Iron Bottom Sound off Guadalcanal and just found the ship's bell! pacificwrecks.com/sh... #Exploration #SolomonIslands #Shipwreck #Destroyer #USNavy #WWII #WW2

Who's attending @EAA AirVenture? Comment below! Don't miss the Pacific Wrecks lecture by Justin Taylan on Finding Richard I. Bong’s P-38 Marge in Papua New Guinea, July 26th at 10:00 a.m. at EAA Museum, Hilton Theater. See you in Oshkosh, Wisconsin! events.rdmobile.com/...

July 1, 1945: Operation Oboe Two, the U.S. Navy lands the Australian Army 7th Division near Balikpapan in southeast Borneo. Japanese resistance is initially light but increases as the Australians move inland. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #Borneo #AustralianArmy #Indonesia

June 30, 1945: The Luzon campaign in the Philippines officially ends. The remainder of the Japanese 14th Area Army under General Yamashita continues to defend until the official surrender of Japan. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #Philippines #Luzon #Yamashita

June 29, 1945: B-29 Superfortresses mine the western approach to the Shimonoseki Strait between Shimonoseki on southern Honshū and Kitakyushu (today Moji) on northern Kyūshū in Japan. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #B29 #Japan #Mine

June 28, 1945: Japanese submarine I-36 spots USS Antares (AKS-3) and makes an unsuccessful kaiten manned torpedo attack, then survives a depth charge attack by USS Sproston (DD-577) and survives the Pacific War. pacificwrecks.com/su... #JapaneseNavy #Kaiten #torpedo #submarine

June 27, 1945: U.S. Army 37th Division, 129th Infantry Regiment reaches Aparri, securing the Cagayan Valley of Luzon in the Philippines. Four days earlier, the 11th Airborne made a paratrooper drop and glider landings at Calamaniugan. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #Philippines #Luzon

On June 26, 1945, the Chinese liberated Liuchow Airfield in southeastern China, previously held by the Japanese since November 1944. Today, it operates as Liuzhou Airport (Liuzhou Bailian). Learn more about its history: pacificwrecks.com/ai... #China #Liuchow #Liuzhou #Airfield

June 19, 1945: U. S. Army Brigadier General Claudius M. Easley, the assistant commander of 96th Infantry Division, was killed at Itoman on southern Okinawa. Yesterday, Lt. General Buckner died at virtually the same spot. pacificwrecks.com/pe... #Okinawa #USArmy #OTD #WWII #WW2

June 18, 1945: U.S. Army Lt. General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. is killed by a Japanese shell while visiting a forward observation post at Itoman on southern Okinawa. He was the highest-ranking General killed in combat during World War II. pacificwrecks.com/pe... #Okinawa #USArmy

June 1, 1945: Lost is PB4Y-2 Privateer 59563 pilot Commander Howard F. Mears on a reconnaissance mission over Singapore. Targeted by anti-aircraft fire and fighters, the damaged Privateer crashed into Singapore Strait with 12 missing. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #USN #Singapore #MIA

May 30, 1945: Lost is U.S. Marine Corps PBJ Mitchell 35243 pilot 1st Lt. Doit L. Fish on a strike against the Kibawe Trail area near Davao on Mindanao. In 1956, the crash site was found and the remains of the crew were recovered. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #USMC #Mindanao #MIA

May 27, 1945: 25th Infantry Division, 27th Infantry Regiment reaches Santa Fe on northern Luzon in the Philippines. The town was the U.S. Army objective during Battle of the Villa Verde Trail and concludes months of combat in the mountains. pacificwrecks.com/lo... #Philippines

May 26, 1945: Lost is B-25J “Jaunty Jo” 43-36192 pilot 2nd Lt. Robert J. Knauf hit by anti-aircraft fire over Byoritsu oil refinery on Formosa (Taiwan). A tragic photograph captures the bomber on fire moments before it crashed. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #MIA #Formosa #Taiwan

May 25, 1945: During the night 464 B-29's fire bomb Tokyo destroying financial, commercial, and governmental districts as well as factories and homes including the Tokyo Military Prison where Allied Prisoners Of War are detained. pacificwrecks.com/po... #Japan #Tokyo #Bombing

May 24, 1945: Giretsu Kuteitai (Heroic Paratroopers) commandos aboard a Type 97 Heavy Bomber / Ki-21 Sally bomber crash land at Yontan Airfield on Okinawa. Eight commandos destroy parked planes and set fire to fuel until eliminated. www.pacificwrecks.co... #Giretsu #Okinawa

May 23, 1945: U.S. Army SSgt John C. Sjogren earns the Medal of Honor for assaulting Hill 3155 (Suicide Knob) on Negros in the Philippines. He was credited with destroying 9 pillboxes and killing 43 Japanese soldiers. pacificwrecks.com/pe... #USArmy #Philippines #MedalOfHonor

May 13, 1945: Crashed is C-47A “Gremlin Special/Guinea Gopher” 42-23952 on a sightseeing trip with 19 passengers including 8 women over the Hidden Valley (Shangri-La, Balim) with three survivors later rescued. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #NewGuinea #HiddenValley

On May 12, 1945, U.S. Army 108th RCT liberated Del Monte Airfield in Mindanao. Prewar Del Monte Corporation land where a secret airfield was built in late 1941 that played an important role in the early Pacific War. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #USArmy #Philippines #DelMonte

May 11, 1945: Off Okinawa, Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill CV-17 is hit by two A6M Zeros that release a bomb and then crash into the flight deck causing fires and explosions with 346 killed, 43 missing and 264 wounded. pacificwrecks.com/sh... #USN #Kamikaze #Okinawa

May 10, 1945: F4U Corsair pilot 1st Lt Robert R. Klingman climbs to 38,000’ to intercept a Japanese plane. When his guns froze, he intentionally rammed it. With a damaged propeller, he managed to land at Kadena Airfield. pacificwrecks.com/ai... #USMC #FlyingLeatherneck #Okinawa

May 9, 1945: Buckley-class Destroyer Escort USS England (DE-635) was damaged by a kamikaze dive bomber off Okinawa with 37 killed, 25 wounded and afterward towed to Kerama Retto for emergency repairs. pacificwrecks.com/sh... #USN #USNavy #Destroyer #Kamikaze #Okinawa

May 8, 1945: Kriegsmarine Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen is surrendered at Copenhagen. In 1946, anchored at Bikini Atoll and survived atomic bomb tests Able and Baker. Afterward, towed to Kwajalein Atoll where it capsized and sank. pacificwrecks.com/sh... #VEDay #Bikini #Kriegsmarine