Air Operations, Aleutians

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 9 XI Fighter Command P-38s attack Kiska, and B-24s and P-38s attack Attu, where one P-38 is lost. A second mission against Kiska by 6 B-25s and 4 B-38s aborts due to bad weather.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount single-plane attacks against shipping off New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 22nd Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack Lashio.

• When fighter-escorted Japanese bombers attack the CATF’s Yunnanyi Airdrome, 14 23Rd Fighter Group P-40S pilots down 8 fighters and 3 twin-engine bombers.

• 12 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a power plant, arsenal, railroad station, and the dock area at Bangkok.

Air Operations, Far East

US 10th Air Force bombers raid Lashio on the Burma Road and Bangkok in a night raid.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount single-plane attacks against Finschhafen and Madang.
• Rabaul-based Japanese Navy aircraft are turned back by V Fighter Command fighters as they attempt to attack Allied troops at Dobodura. 49th Fighter Group P-40s down 7 A6M Zeros near Dobodura at about 1115 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

A 347th Fighter Group P-39 downs an A6M Zero and a VMF-121 F4F downs 3 A6M2-N 'Rufe' fighter-bombers, all over the airfield at Munda Point, New Georgia during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• XII Bomber Command B-17s attack shipping and port facilities at Sfax. 3 Luftwaffe fighers are downed by a flight of P-38 pilots of 1st Fighter Group's 94th Fighter Squadron.
• Luftwaffe fighters and flak down 2 B-17s and 2 P-38s
• XII Bomber Command B-17s, escorted by P-40s, claim 3 Axis ships damaged while mounting a second attack at Sfax.
• While conducting recon patrols, XII Fighter Command P-38s strafe 3 locomotives and a number of motor vehicles.
• During the night, 3 IX Bomber Command B-24s attack port facilities at Tunis, 1 B-24 attacks Sfax, and 1 B-24 attacks Sousse.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-357 is shadowing convoy HX-219 when she is detected and attacked by HMS Hesperus, joined by HMS Vanessa. It takes 5-1/2 hours of persistend depth-charging to blow U-357 to the surface. She is then rammed by Vanessa and again by Hesperus before sinking.

U-357

Eastern Front

Von Manstein's forces are in full retreat south of the Don and the Soviet advance nears Kotelnikovo. A special Moscow communiqué announces important gains for the Red Army in the Middle Don sector. Soviet troops have advanced to within 105 miles of Rostov.

Tankers Russian XXIV Tank Corps (from 26 December 1942 — 2nd Guards) on the armor of the T-34 during the liquidation trapped in Stalingrad group of German troops.

Russian Tank Unit in Stalingrad

Badanov's XXIV Tank Corps is isolated at Tatsinskaya as the 11th and 6th Panzer Divisions take up strong positions around the town and airfield. As a sign of the corps's achievement, Stalin redesignates it the II Guards Tank Corps. Southwest Front is instructed to make every effort to prevent Badanov's destruction.

Paulus radios Hitler following the latest delivery of supplies from the Luftwaffe. Only 70 tons of supplies are flown into the pocket of the 350-ton minimum the Luftwaffe promised. Hitler merely replies that 6th Army is to fight to the last man.

The LVII Panzer Corps falls back to Kotelnikovo, closely pursued by the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies. Hoth has lost another 8,000 men during the retreat, leaving him with 15,000 effectives, half his original strength.

France, Politics

Gen Giraud is chosen as French high commissioner for French North Africa. Darlan's assassin is executed.

French Somaliland

Free French units which recently crossed over to the Allied camp enter the French colony from British Somaliland and capture two railway bridges on the line from Djibouti to Addis Ababa without opposition.

Guadalcanal

Advance elements of the 2nd Marine Air Wing, which is to relieve the 1st Marine Air Wing, arrive at Henderson Field.

After artillery and air preparation, at 1030 the 3rd Battalion renews its attack south. K Company advances on the right (west), I Company on the left (east). L Company is in reserve on Hill 31. The 1st Battalion, less C Company, covers the 3rd Battalion's left flank, while C Company covers the 1st Battalion's rear from Hills 29 and 30. The 3rd Battalion reaches the line they advanced to the previous day before heavy machine-gun fire halts them again. One machine-gun position is knocked out by men from K Company. B Company, attempting to locate the enemy's east flank, is also halted by machine-gun fire. At 1600 the troops dig in along the south edge of Hill 31. K Company is on the right, I and B Companies are the center and A Company, the left flank. The 3rd Battalion casualties for the day are 5 killed and 12 wounded. The Gifu line is still intact, but the 132nd now holds a line between the Gifu and Hill 31, from which the enemy can no longer observe the Lunga area.

New Guinea

Japanese aircraft from Rabaul raid Dobodura but are soon driven off by Allied aircraft. During the night American and Australian reinforcements and tanks are landed at Oro Bay. The Allies make very little progress in an attempt to cut in two the troops deployed by the Japanese in the Buna area.

Swamp east of the bridge over Simemi Creek between the new and old strips. (Photograph taken on 26 December 1942.)

Swamp Near Simemi Creek

A Sherman tank with a Christmas greeting painted on its hull, Benghazi, 26 December 1942.

Sherman Tank near Benghazi

A Stuart tank comes to the rescue of a truck which has become stuck in soft sand near Nufilia, 26 December 1942.

Stuart Tank Rescuing a Truck

Posed photograph of infantry ‘rushing towards enemy positions through a smoke screen’ near Nufilia, 26 December 1942.

Infantry Charging through a Smoke Screen

The grave of a Scots Greys officer lies beside his Stuart reconnaissance tank, 26 December 1942.

Officer's Grave Next to His Tank

Pacific

The Japanese merchant cargo ship Teifuku Maru (5198t) sinks on a mine laid by the US submarine Trigger (SS-237) 4 miles northeast of Inubosaki, Japan.