Air Operations, Bismarcks

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Gasmata and Rabaul.

Air Operations, CBI

• 11th Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack Magwe. 1 P-40 downs a Japanese fighter over Lashio.

Air Operations, Europe

• 5 Wellingtons and 1 Stirlings lay mines in the Frisians without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Lae.
• An 8th Fighter Group P-39 shoots down an unidentified Japanese plane near Goodenough Island at 1010 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

A 347th Fighter Group P-39 downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near the airfield at Munda Point, New Georgia.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• IX Bomber Command, XII Bomber Command, and RAF heavy bombers mount four separate attacks during the day and evening against shipping and port facilities at Sousse. Claims are made for heavy damage to shore facilities and direct hits on several vessels.
• During the course of several air-to-air actions through the day, P-38 pilots of the 1st and 14th Fighter Groups down 1 Ju-88 anf 4 Bf-109s.

Allied Planning

Chiang Kai-shek sends a message to Pres Roosevelt, assuring him that the Chinese army will be ready to launch a big offensive from Yunnan in the spring, but asking as an essential condition that Allied naval forces in the Bay of Bengal be substantially reinforced.

Atomic Research

Roosevelt agrees with his advisors that US scientists should not share their atomic research with the British. Churchill is furious.

Canteen Presented to the London Home Guard

Eastern Front

Hitler orders Army Group A to withdraw from the dangerously exposed salient in the Caucasus.

Badanov's II Guards Tank Corp is under sustained attack at Tatsinskaya, suffering heavy casualties. Vatutin gives permission to launch a breakout attempt.

Kotelnikovo falls to the 2nd Guards Army. Other units of the army advance upon Zimovniki, having taken Sovetnoye. On the flanks of the LVII Panzer Corps, the VI and VII Rumanian Corps cease to exist after bitter fighting.

With the situation in the Don bend desperate, Hitler agrees to the withdrawal of Army Group A from the Caucasus but insists upon the retention of the Kuban bridgehead.

Wrecked Generating Station in Stalingrad

Guadalcanal

Patrols of the 132nd Infantry probe the Gifu line but are unable to find gaps. Since the effective strength of the assault battalions now totals only 1,541, the 132nd CO is promised the fresh 2nd Battalion.

New Guinea

The Japanese troops in Buna are ordered to retire to Giruwa, protected by units which will attack the Americans from the flank.

Urban Force's 127th Infantry gains a broad corridor from Entrance Creek to the line of the coconut trees. Company K makes a futile attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Mission side of Entrance Creek. Some elements attempt to land from boats but are turned back by enemy fire. Others begin crossing the bridge between Musita Island and the Mission, but the bridge becomes unusable before many are across. Volunteers from Company E enter the Triangle in the evening and find that the strong defenses there are deserted.

Warren Force overcomes all organized resistance at Old Strip and swings north toward the coast.

The Australian 2/12th Battalion arrives at Oro Bay from Goodenough Island during the night.

Calling for Fire Support on Buna

North Africa

De Gaulle welcomes Giraud's appointment and appeals for French unity. French Somaliland joins the Free French cause.

Advance guards of the British 8th Army reach Wadi el Kebir, not far from Buerat, without opposition.

Thrusts by elements of the British 1st Army are repulsed.

Pacific

• The US submarine Kingfish (SS-234) sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Choyo Maru (5388t) off the northwest coast of Formosa.
• The US submarine Triton (SS-201) sinks the Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Omi Maru (3393t).
• The Japanese army cargo ship No. 8 Tokiwa Maru is sunk by a mine.