July 24th, 1945 (TUESDAY)
FRANCE: Paris: Paul Reynaud and Edouard Daladier, both former premiers, and the former president, Albert Lebrun testify against Marshal Petain.
GERMANY: The Potsdam Declaration is agreed to by Churchill, Truman and Stalin; after Stalin is informed of the existence of the Atomic Bomb. Truman decides that it will be used, if the Japanese do not come to terms. The Potsdam agreement will be released on the 26th.JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan says that it is open to peace negotiations but not to threats.
15 US carriers
and 4 British carriers begin a series of raids against the Japanese Home Islands.
(See) Tonight
the BBs will bombard Kushimoto and Shionomisaki.
Amplifying the above, American and British carrier-based aircraft from Task Force 38 and
Task Group 37.2 and begin attacks on targets in the Inland Sea, especially looking for
warships hidden in coves at the Kobe and Kure naval bases. During this first day of
operations, 1,747 sorties are flown and the Americans sink the battleship-carrier HIJMS
Hyuga, the heavy cruiser HIJMS Tone, a training ship, a target ship and a guardboat; they
also damage the aircraft carrier HIJMS Ryuho, the battleship-carrier HIJMS Ise, battleship
HIJMS Haruna, heavy cruiser HIJMS Aoba, light cruiser HIJMS Oyodo, and 11 other ships.
British aircraft damage the escort aircraft carrier HIJMS Kaiyo.
801 RN Sqn, Seafire a/c, S/Lt (A)
Glenford "Glen" Emerson "Bid" Beddoe RNVR (Canadian) from HMS Implacable hit by
flak and spun into sea during attack on Awa Shima, southern Honshu Island.
The Twentieth Air Force dispatches 625 B-29 Superfortresses in 7 missions against targets
in the Nagoya and Osaka, Japan areas; 1 B-29 is lost.
- Mission 284: 82 B-29s attack the Sumitomo Light Metals Industries propeller factory at Osaka; most of the machine tools had been removed but the facility is completely wrecked; 4 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.
- Mission 285: 81 B-29s hit the Kawanishi Aircraft Plant at Takarazuka destroying 77% of the plant; 3 others hit alternate targets.
- Mission 286: 153 B-29s hit the Osaka Arsenal and Kuwana; the arsenal sustains additional damage amounting to 10% of the original roof area; 9 others hit alternate targets;
- Mission 287: 66 B-29s attack the Aichi aircraft plant at Eitoku; the plant sustains its heaviest damage of the war; 5 others hit alternate targets.
- Missions 288 and 289: 113 B-29s hit the urban are of the city of Tsu; 2 others hit alternate targets.
- Mission 290: 77 B-29s attack the Nakajima plant at Handa destroying the principal assembly buildings; 1 B-29 hit an alternate target.
- 91 P-51s, operating out of Iwo Jima, hit airfields and other tactical targets at Hamamatsu, Suruga Bay, and other points in the Nagoya, Japan area.
509BG perform another Pumpkin Raid.
| Ops. | Miss. | Date | Aircraft | Cdr. | Crew | Bombing | Target | Lat | Long | Result |
| 24 | 7 | 24/07/45 | 44-27296 | Price | B-7 | Primary | Radar | Ogaki urban | Unobserved | ||
| 24 | 5 | 24/07/45 | 44-27297 | Bock | C-13 | Primary | Visual | Sumitomo Aluminum, Niihama | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 5 | 24/07/45 | 44-27298 | Taylor | A-1 | Primary | Visual | Sumitomo Copper Ref. Niihama | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 5 | 24/07/45 | 44-27299 | Devore | A-3 | Secondary | Visual | Sumitomo Rayon, Niihama | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 6 | 24/07/45 | 44-27300 | Westover | A-4 | Primary | Visual | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 7 | 24/07/45 | 44-27301 | Eatherly | C-11 | Secondary | Visual | Toyo Rayon Factory, Otsu | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 7 | 24/07/45 | 44-27302 | McKnight | B-8 | Secondary | Visual | Heavy Industry, Yokkaichi Harbour | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 6 | 24/07/45 | 44-27353 | Albury | C-15 | Primary | Visual | RR Yards, Kobe | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 6 | 24/07/45 | 44-86291 | Ray | C-14 | Primary | Visual | Kawasaki Factory, Kobe | Excellent | ||
| 24 | 6 | 24/07/45 | 44-86292 | Lewis | B-9 | Primary | Visual | Steel Works, Kobe | Unobserved |
(David Hebditch)
Task Group 35.3 consisting of 4 light cruisers and 6 destroyers conducts a high-speed
antishipping sweep off Japan.
CHINA: 100+ Fifth Air Force B-24s fly their first strike from
Okinawa, bombing the Chiang Wan Airfield north of Shanghai; Seventh Air Force B-25s from
Okinawa hit Wusung and Lunghua Airfields in the Shanghai area while A-26 Invaders and
B-25s attack the Tachang and Tinghai Airfields; and fighter-bombers hit shipping and
targets of opportunity throughout the general area attacked by the bombers.
BOUGAINVILLE: Private Frank John Partridge (1924-64) of the 8th Battalion of the Australian Military Forces, was awarded the VC for action on 24 July 1945, Frank was the first Militia man to be awarded the VC . He seized a bunker and rushed another before wounds forced him to halt.
MALAYA: Whilst engaged in preparatory clearing operations for the forthcoming landings in Malaya (Operation Zipper) minesweeper HMS Squirrel is mined and has to be scuttled by gunfire. There are 7 casualties. Location: off Phuket Island in the Gulf of Thailand. (Alex Gordon)(108)
CANADA: Corvettes HMCS The Pas and Rimouski paid off Sorel, Province of Quebec.
U.S.A.: "If we enter into this treaty, we take the power away from the Congress, and the President can send troops all over the world to fight battles everywhere. If you say that is the policy of this country, I say the American people will never support any senator or representative who advocates that policy, and do not make any mistake about it."
-- Senator Burton Wheeler during Senate debate over U.S. entry into the United Nations (Mark Logsden)
President Truman approves the plans for the invasion of Kyushu.
Various items salvaged from the French passenger liner Normandie will be auctioned this week. The liner was undergoing converstion to a troop transport when a welders torch started a fire on February 9, 1942.
Monsignor Mansour Stephen of Brooklyn's Roman
Catholic church of Our Lady of Lebanon will acquire some items for their new
church. The Bronze Doors ($1,025), ten bronze plaques ($975), a bronze railing
($155), a cloisonn
enamel bas-relief of a Norman knight ($380), and a bronze statue ($690)
entitled "La Paix" (Peace). Slightly remodeled, "La Paix" will be enshrined in
the church's square tower. (John Nicholas and Will Rinaman)
1947: U-190 is sunk in "Operation Scuttle". This Type IXC/40 U-boat, launched 3 June 1942 had surrendered on 8 May 1945 and been commissioned into the RCN. U-190 was finally paid off 24 July 1947 when it was sunk by rocket fire from RCN Firefly aircraft off Halifax on the site where U-190 sank HMCS Esquimalt in April 1945. (Alex Gordon and Dave Shirlaw)