Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-17s attack Japanese Navy cargo ships near Umboi Island.

Air Operations, Europe

30 Finnish bombers are dispatched to Lavansaari Island in the Gulf of Finland. Many aircraft lose their way in the thick fog and crash land.

• 6 Mosquitos attempt first daylight bombing raid on Berlin; 2 turn back with mechanical trouble, 2 bomb Hamburg and 1 bombs Berlin area through thick cloud.
• 1 Mosquito lost probably to a German fighter.

• 118 aircraft to Saarbrücken - 72 Wellingtons, 41 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings.
• Pathfinders report difficulty marking the target due to groung haze; bombing is scattered to the west of the target; Saarbrücken reports 13 houses destroyed and 27 seriously damaged, 1 person is killed.
• 3 Wellingtons and 2 Halifaxes are lost.
• 68 Lancaster and 21 Stirlings attack Munich.
• About 40% drop their loads within 3 miles of the city center; most fall on the western, eastern and southern suburbs of the city; no reports on the damage.
• 3 Lancasters and 3 Stirlings are lost.

Air Operations, Greece

During the night, USAMEAF B-24s attack Pylos Bay, Pylos Island and Khalones.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

British air raids on Sicily begin again as Catania and Licata are hit.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s and 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s bomb and strafe the airfield at Lae. V Fighter Command P-40s strafe a ship near Goodenough Island.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Wichita (6174t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-516 about 300 miles northeast of Barbados. There are no survivors from either the 40-man crew of the 10-man Armed Guard unit.

Eastern Front

Chuikov counterattacks with the 112th Rifle Division from the Mamayev Kurgan to the northeast, but is halted by fierce German fire. The attacks by the 1st Guards, 66th and 24th Armies are equally unsuccessful. Inside Stalingrad, the battle continues.

Picture shows Luftwaffe troops securing areas recently overran by Soviet troops at Stalingrad, September 1942. Jason D. Mark's excellent book "Angriff: The Attack on Stalingrad in Photos" identifies the officer as Oberleutnant der Reserve Helmut Wilhelm Schnatz, Chef of 3.Batterie/Flak-Regiment 25 (mot). Date is September 19,1942 and the location is suburb of Minina.

Luftwaffe Troops Securing Areas in Stalingrad

Guadalcanal

Gen Alexander A. Vandegrift has divided his bridgehead into ten partially independent sectors, and has established a continuous defensive line.

Pacific

The US submarine Amberjack (SS-219) sinks the Japanese transport Shirogane Maru (3130t) at the northern entrance of Bougainville Strait.