May 20th, 1944 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweeping trawler HMS Wyoming mined and sunk off Harwich.
The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 359: 638 bombers and 657 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in France and Belgium; two bombers and four fighters are lost; the AAF claims 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground:
- 190 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to bomb Orly Airfield (90 bomb) and Villacoublay Air Depot (73 bomb) in France.
- 125 of 177 B-24 Liberators bomb Reims Airfield and marshalling yard in France.
- 271 B-17s and B-24s are dispatched to marshalling yards at Liege and Brussels, Belgium but the mission is abandoned due to heavy cloud cover; two bombers are lost.
Escort is provided by 146 P-38 Lightnings, 177 P-47 Thunderbolts and 334 P-51 Mustangs; P-38s claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; one P-38, one P-47 and two P-51s are lost.
The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches about 450 B-26 Marauders to attack airfields, coastal defenses, and V-weapon site in France; about 250 aborts are caused mainly by bad cloud conditions and failure to rendezvous with fighters.
P-47s dive-bomb targets in northwestern Europe.
Minesweeper HMS Regulus commissioned.
Submarine HMS Supreme commissioned.
Aircraft carrier HMS Pioneer launched.
GERMANY:
POLAND: A V2 rocket is test fired and lands near the River Bug about 80 miles east of Warsaw. The Polish resistance runs a herd of cows into the river to muddy the water. The Germans fail to find the rocket and give up. The Poles got it out of the river using man power, take it apart and send the guidance systems and rocket motor to British intelligence in London by Lysander and Hudson courier aircraft. (William H. Howard) See follow ups on May 23 and May 25.SOLOMON ISLANDS: Three light cruisers and eight destroyers (USN Task Group 53.18) bombard Japanese installations on Alu, Poporang and Morgusia Islands in the Shortland Islands off the south end of Bougainville Island.
NEW GUINEA: US forces break Japanese resistance on Wakde, a coral islet 220 miles east of Biak. The three day battle has resulted in 809 Japanese dead; 43 Americans died with 139 wounded.
PACIFIC OCEAN: US carriers begin a two-day assault on Japanese positions on Marcus Island. Aircraft from the carriers USS Essex (CV-9) and USS Wasp (CV-18) continue their attacks on Marcus Island in the North Pacific but bad weather halts operations. Meanwhile, aircraft from the light aircraft carrier USS Jacinto (CVL-30), which has been positioned to the northwest of Marcus as a screen, sink a Japanese guardboat.
CANADA: Tug HMCS Atwood assigned as ASW training vessel at Halifax and Pictou, Nova Scotia.
Frigate HMCS La Hulloise commissioned.
U.S.A.: "Tess's Torch Song (I Had A Man)" sung by Ella Mae Morse from the movie "Up In Arms" is released.
Submarine USS Sea Poacher launched.
Destroyer escort USS Walton launched.
Destroyer minelayer USS Shea launched.
Destroyers USS Taussig and Wren commissioned.
Escort carrier USS Bismark Sea commissioned.
Submarine USS Baya commissioned.
Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-363 was commissioned at Sturgeon Bay, WI with LT R. A. McCaffery, USCGR, as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area, including Leyte, Mindoro, Parang, etc., during the war.