February 23, 1942
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 by Sarah Sundin
US B-17 Flying Fortress “Swamp Ghost” undergoing restoration at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (Photo: Sarah Sundin, 7 Nov 2016)
US Army Air Forces patch, WWII
80 Years Ago—Feb. 23, 1942: US Fifth Air Force B-17s based in Townsville, Australia, make first attack on Rabaul; one crash-lands in New Guinea swamp—Swamp Ghost now in Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor.
Japanese sub I-17 fires at Bankline Oil Refinery at Ellwood near Santa Barbara CA; little damage; first attack on US mainland in the war.
US Army Air Forces approves “winged star” emblem in shape of a V for victory.
“Japanese submarine attacks coast of California” by Junidhi Mikuriya, before 1945 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
