| | In December the 10th again concentrated on transportation targets. On the 1st B-24s, escorted by P-38s bombed Insein. The bombers and fighters encountered a large force of Japanese fighters over the target: P-51s, which had failed to make rendezvous with the bombers before the attacked joined on the return trip. US forces suffered high losses on the mission, with 6 B-24s and one P-51 shot down, and 5 B-24s seriously damaged. Also on the 1st, B-25s hit the repaired Myitnge bridge, rendering it temporarily unserviceable. The Rangoon and Salween Rivers were mined on the night of the 4th/5th and 5th/6th. On the 12th a large force of B-24s and B-25s carried out a saturation bombing of the bridge at Myittha. On the 13th, 20 Japanese bombers, escorted by 25 fighters bombed the airfield at Dinjan before US interceptors made contact. US Fighters caught the attacking force shortly after the raid, shooting down 12 bombers and 5 fighters. The dock area at Bangkok, Thailand was bombed on the night of the 19th, with the railroad terminal at Bangkok coming under attack on the 23rd. On the 30th, B-24s hit railway facilities at Monywa.
During December the following unit movements and changes occurred:
The 436th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), transferred from Panagarh to Madhaiganj, India with B-24's on the 13th.
On the 15th, Eastern Air Command (EAC), a combined US-British Command, was formed under Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer (USAAF), with Air Vice Marshall Thomas M Williams (RAF) as Assistant Commander. HQ, at New Delhi, India, controlled all operational air units in Assam and Burma which made up the US Tenth Air Force and RAF Bengal Air Command. Major components of EAC were the Third Tactical Air Force under Air Marshall Sir John E Baldwin (RAF), Strategic Air Force under Brigadier General Howard C Davidson (USAAF), Troop Carrier Command under Brigadier General William D Old (USAAF), and Photo Reconnaissance Force under Group Captain Stewart G Wise. The Strategic Air Force and Troop Carrier Command were activated on this date, the former having HQ at Belvedere Palace, Calcutta, India and the latter at Comilla, India.
The Third Tactical Air Force was activated under Air Marshall Sir John E Baldwin (RAF) as a major component of EAC on the 18th.
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