Air Operations, CBI

• The 10th Air Force 7th Heavy Bomb Group moves from Karachi to the airfield at Pandaveswar.

Air Operations, Europe

• 15 Wellingtons of 1 and 3 Groups lay mines in the Frisians without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfields at Lae and Salamaua.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack landing barges off Sanananda.

Air Operations, Solomons

7 AirSoPac B-17s mount the first of daily heavy-bomber attacks against the airfield at Munda Point, New Georgia, and during the afternoon, 9 VMSB-142 SBDs attack the runway, gun emplacements and a fuel dump at the airfield. A VMSB-142 SBD downs an A6M2-N 'Rufe' fighter-bomber over New Georgia.

Atlantic

The British destroyers Whitshed, Worcester, Eskdale, Brocklesby, Albrighton and Vesper attack a German convoy 9 miles north-northeast of Dieppe, France. The German steamer Gauss (1236t) is sunk by the Worcester. The German steamer Sperrbrecher 144 (387t) is sunk by Eskdale and Albrighton. All 6 British destroyers receive some damage in the action.

Eastern Front

Hitler refuses to permit a withdrawal of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, saying such a move will destroy 'the whole meaning of the campaign.'

Although the Germans have a bridgehead over the Don at Nizhne Chirskaya, only 25 miles from the nearest of the forces trapped in the Stalingrad pocket, von Manstein has decided to begin his relieving attack farther south, around Kotelnikovo. The code name for the operation is WINTERGEWITTER (or WINTERSTURM), 'WINTER STORM'. Gen Hoth is in tactical charge of the attack which gets under way in the area of Kotelnikovo. Hoth's armored group consisting of 17th, 6th and 23rd Pzr Divs supported by the Rumanian 4th Army and part of the 3rd Army, breaks through the lines of the Russian 51st Army south of the Don. The line held by the 51st Army is comparatively weak because the next major Russian moves are planned both farther north and farther south. The rest of von Manstein's forces, the Hollidt operational group, attacks north of the river. The Germans make rapid progress for the first two days, but the Russians bring up reinforcements, namely the 2nd Guards Army which was to have participated in the next attack to the north, and their resistance stiffens. This reinforcement for the Soviet rear cannot arrive for a few days, and 51st Army is left to delay the German advance.

Formation of the Panzer Group Hoth for Operation WINTERSTURM) (WINTER STORM).

MPanzer Group Hoth

The 11th Panzer Div continues its fire-fighting role along the Chir, destroying a Soviet bridgehad at Lissinski and containing another at Nizhne Kalinovski. Meanwhile, Manstein's attempt to relieve the 6th Army, codenamed WINTER STORM, gets under way. The LVII Panzer Corps (23rd Panzer Div, 6th Panzer Div and the Romanian VI and VII Corps)

30,000 troops and 190 tanks and 40 self-propelled guns

smashes through the Soviet 51st Army at Kotelnikovo. The weather results in an advance of only 12 miles, and Eremenko deploys the Soviet XIII Tank Corps and IV Mechanized Corps to reinforce the 51st Army.[MORE]

Guadalcanal

The 2nd Marine Division begins the relief of the Americal Division west of the Matanikau. An enemy party raids Fighter Strip 2 under cover of darkness damaging one of the runways reserved for fighters. The 2nd Marine Division Signal Company and the 18th Naval Construction arrive.

Tanaka returns to Buin where he learns that Yamamoto has decided the cost of resupply is too expensive so the operation is suspended. Tanaka is ordered to Rabaul to begin taking supplies and troops to build a base on New Georgia. This now has high importance since the 17th Army failed to mount an expected offensive at New Guinea and to retake Guadalcanal. Tanaka did not know it but his recommendations regarding Guadalcanal were the basis for the decision by Yamamoto and Imperial General Staff to evacuate Guadalcanal.

Japan, Strategy

The Japanese navy recommends that Guadalcanal be evacuated because of heavy shipping losses incurred in bringing in reinforcements and supplies.

Mediterranean

• (11th?)4 ships are disabled by Italian 'human torpedoes' and frogmen at Algiers.
• The British submarine P-222 is sunk by the Italian destroyer Fortunale east of Capri with the loss of the crew of 47.
• The British submarine Umbria sinks the German steamer Macedonia 5 miles north of Sousa, Tunisia.

New Guinea

The light tanks landed at Oro Bay are moved in the utmost secrecy to Hariko. Some corvettes with Australian units on board begin landing operations opposite Plantation Soena, but break off and take refuge in Prolock Harbor when news arrives that a Japanese naval formation is approaching from Buna.

North Africa

Montgomery throws in the New Zealand 2nd Div moving from Agedabia against Mersa Brega, a few miles from the German defensive line at El Agheila.

Blade Force, British 1st Army, is dissolved with its component elements reverting to their parent units. There is more heavy fighting between the German and British armor east and southeast of Medjez el Bab.

Occupied France

British Commandos raid Bordeaux harbor and sink a tanker, 4 merchang ships and a Naval auxiliary with limpet mines.