Air Operations, Aleutians

4 28th Composite Bombardment Group B-24s attack the submarine base, a rail line, communications, and buildings at Kiska, but a second attack force aborts due to bad weather.

Air Operations, CBI

• 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-25 attack Lashio.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Wellingtons and 4 Mosquitos make cloud-cover and railway attacks over a wide area; 5 of the aircraft hit various targets.
• There are no losses.

• 27 Lancasters of Group 5 make raids on 8 small German towns and 16 Stirlings and 6 Wellingtons are sent to hit the Opel factory at Fallersleben. This type of limited operation proves to be a big failure as 9 of the Lancasters are lost while only 3 bomb the approximate target areas in cloud conditions. In the other raid 6 Stirlings and 2 Wellingtons are lost.
• 50 aircraft lay mines from Denmark to the southern Biscay. There are also 5 OTU sorties to France.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-26s attack Japanese Army targets at Buna

Air Operations, Solomons

Cactus Air Force SBDs and P-39s provide direct support for an attack by US Army ground force on Guadalcanal.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• 36 XII Bomber Command B-17s attack port facilities at Tunis and Bizerte.
• A-20s attack targets north and west of Gabes Airdrome and the Axis landing ground at Sidi Tabet.
• XII Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s sent to attack Axis shipping in the Gulf of Tunis fail to locate the target area.
• XII Fighter Command P-38s escort all the bombing missions; 1st Fighter Group P-38 pilots down 1 Ju-88 and 2 Bf-109s in separate midday actions.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-211 sinks the British destroyer Firedrake, escorting Convoy ON-153, in the North Atlantic with the loss of 170 of her crew. 26 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Sunflower.

Britain, Home Front

Foreign Minister Eden tells the House of Commons that the Germans 'are now carrying into effect Hitler's oft-repeated intention to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe.' He reveals that Jews from occupied nations are being sent to eastern Europe where they are 'worked to death in labor camps' or 'deliberately slaughtered in mass executions.' It is the first public statement by any official on the campaign of genocide being waged against European Jewry.

Burma

The 14th Indian Div continues its adavance on Akyab and occupies Buthidaung unopposed.

Eastern Front

The Volga freezes over and the Soviets are able to send supplies easily to 62nd Army on the west bank in Stalingrad. This has been difficult for the past few weeks because of fast-moving blocks of ice floating down river. Faced with the fait accompli, Hitler has confirmed von Manstein's decisions for the liberation of von Paulus' 6th Army from Stalingrad. Hoth's attacks to relieve the city are still going fairly well, with his leading tank units now having reached the Aksai River.

Captain Vasily Grigorevich Zaytsev was a Soviet sniper during World War II, notable particularly for his activities between November 10 and December 17, 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad. He killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 enemy snipers.

Captain Vasily Grigorevich Zaytsev

The Russians have prepared a fortified line near the Myshkova River, a tributary of the Don. This will slow down Hoth considerably. Meanwhile von Paulus' forces, the 6th Army and part of the 4th Pzr Army, is holding out against pressure by 7 Russian armies, the 24th, the 66th, the 62nd, the 64th, the 57th, the 21st and the 65th.

Heavy arty fire renew the Soviet attack upon the Italian 8th Army. The 6th, 1st Guards and 3rd Guards Armies surge forward once again. Elements of the XVIII and XXV Tank Corps lead the 1st Guards strike, the XXIV Tank Corps moving up behind the two spearhead corps. Right flank divisions of the 6th Army strike from Samodurovka supported by the XVII Tank Corps. After heavy fighting the Soviets begin to cut open the Italian flank, Soviet forces pressing forward toward the Boguchar River. Slowly but surely the Axis positions begin to unravel.

A new Soviet attack strikes the 336th Infantry Division along the Chir, 6 miles north of Nizhne Chirskaya. The 11th Panzer Division counterattacks and drives the Soviets back to the river.

The arrival of the 17th Panzer Division to reinforce the LVII Panzer Corps adds weight to the German attacks. Leading elements of the 23rd Panzer Division reaches the Myshkova.

With the Italian 8th Army on the verge of collapse, Manstein has to remove the 6th Panzer Division and sends it north. Hoth loses his freshest and strongest unit. Due to the weakness of his remaining panzer forces Hoth group all his remaining tanks with the 17th Panzer Division.

Free French

Adm Darlan declares that French ships in Dakar and other North African ports would join the Allies side: 'French Africa, with the Allies, must make the maximum military effort for the defeat of Germany and Italy. . .'

Guadalcanal

The Mount Austen operation opens with a reconnaissance in force of the northeastern slopes by elements of the 3rd Battalion, 132nd Infantry. No Japanese are encountered. Advance elements in the form of the 35th Regimental Combat Team of the 25th Div arrive.

New Guinea

There are costly and useless attacks against the 'Triangle'. A large-scale attack against Buna Missioin is planned for the next day. Tanks are brought up to the start line, the sound of their tracks being covered by intense mortar fire.

North Africa

The British break through at El Agheila and pursue the enemy towards Sirte. Rommel leaves a rearguard to cover his main forces while they consolidate at Buerat.

The lull continues on the British 1st Army front. The 2nd Battalion, US 509th Parachute Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion, 26th Regimental Combat Team, US 1st Div, raid Maknassy, 30 miles northeast of Tébessa.

There are heavy US air attacks on Tunis and Gabes and other German air bases.

Boeing B-17Es under construction. This is the first released wartime production photograph of Flying Fortress heavy bombers at one of the Boeing plants, at Seattle, Wash. Boeing exceeded its accelerated delivery schedules by 70 percent for the month of December 1942.

Boeing B-17Es Under Construction

Pacific

The US submarine Grouper (SS-214) sinks the Japanese army passenger-cargo ship Bandoeng Maru (4003t) about 15 miles northwest of Cape Henpan, Buka Island, Solomons.