Air Operations, CBI

• 6 11th Medium Bomb Group B-25s damage 3 freighters on the Pearl River near Canton.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Wellingtons and 5 Lancasters are sent on cloud-cover raids to Essen and 5 smaller German targets, but most turn back because of a lack of clouds.
• 1 Wellington bombs ships off the Dutch coast.
• 1 Lancaster and 1 Wellington are lost.

• 22 Wellingtons and Halifaxes lay mines off St Nazaire and in the Frisians without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

A V Bomber Command B-25, operating alone, scores a direct hit on a Japanese cruiser at sea, and P-38s from the 35th Fighter Group’s 39th Fighter Squadron attack the airfield at Lae. A 39th Fighter Squadron P-38 downs an A6M Zero over Lae at 1020 hours, the first P-38 victory in the SWPA.

Eastern Front

The Stalingrad Airlift begins. It will continue until Feb 2, 1943. Luftwaffe transport units, along with some bomber units from November 30, attempt to fulfil Göring's verbal promise to Hitler that the encircled 6th Army can be entirely supplied by air. The total number of planes involved rises from 320 in November to 500 in early December and 850 in late December. The deliveries promised were 500 tons per day; the actual daily average was 100 tons. The Luftwaffe loses 489 aircraft in the operation including 266 Ju-52s and 165 He-111s.

In the winter of 1941-1942 the Luftwaffe had managed to maintain supplies to the Demjansk pocket despite treacherous flying conditions. Now Goering was promising that they could do it all again – but this time for the whole of the 6th Army trapped in Stalingrad.

Göring Promises to Supply Stalingrad

Operation MARS begins as the Soviet 20th, 31st, 39th, 22nd, 41st and 3rd Shock Armies smash into German positions. The Soviets make gains at Molodi tud, Belyi and Velikiye Luki.

The Soviets have consolidated an inner ring around the German pocket at Stalingrad, consisting of the 21st, 24th, 57th, 62nd, 64th, 65th and 66th Armies

490,000 troops.

Greece, Resistance

Led by British SOE agents, resistance workers from two rival Greek organizations join forces to blow up an important viaduct on the Athens-Salonika railroad at Gorgopotamos. Many of Rommel's supplies have in the past used this route.

Guadalcanal

By this date less than 2,000 men of the 164th Infantry are fit for combat. During the last week 117 men have been killed and 208 wounded. 325 are evacuated because of wounds or illness and another 300, have been rendered ineffective by wounds or illness, are kept in rear areas. The 1st Marine Division is soon to be relieved and pending departure leaves American troop strength less than that needed to execute any flanking movements over the hills south of Hill 66. Until reinforcements arrive offensive operations will have to be suspended.

An American destroyer surprises and shells a group of 40 Japanese motorized lighters at Tassafaronga. Enemy movements are reported on the islands of New Georgia and Santa Isabel.

North Africa

TUNISIA

The 36th Bde, 78th Div of the British 1st Army, advances north of Djebel Abiod in the direction of Mateur. In the center, Blade Force penetrates the Axis positions between Mateur and Tebourba. Elements of Combat Command B, 1st Armored Div, carries out a raid on the airport at Djedeïda 5 miles east of Tebourba, destroying 30 enemy aircraft on the ground. The 11th Brigade of the British 78th Div retakes Medjez el Bab.

First Allied drive on Tunis, 25-30 November 1942.(Click map for larger image)