Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command bombers attack the Gasmata airfield, New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 11th Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the airfield at Monywa.
• 75th Fighter Squadron P-40s strafe transportation targets along the Burma Road near Loiwing.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons and 1 Mosquito are ordered to attack a whaling factory ship at Cherbourg but are recalled.

• 42 Lancasters and Wellingtons lay mines off the Biscay ports.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

• During this month Stukas, FW-190 fighter-bombers and He-111 torpedo planes make frequent sorties against Allies shipping in and around Bône, Bougie and Algiers. 4 ships are sunk; the cruiser Ajax, 1 destroyer and an AA ship are damaged.
• The Allies make their first daylight raid on Crete.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command bombers attack the airfield at Lae and targets of opportunity.

Air Operations, Solomons

• AirSoPac B-17s, escorted by 339th Fighter Squadron P-38s, attack Japanese destroyer near the Shortland Islands.
• A VMF-121 F4F shoots down 2 A6M Zeros over the Munda Point airfield, New Georgia and a VMSB-233 radioman-gunner downs an A6M Zero near Rendova Island.

Eastern Front

Von Kleist realizes that if the Russians break through the German lines on the Stalingrad front they will be well placed to press on towards Rostov at the mouth of the Don, so cutting off Army Group A in the Caucasus from the rest of the Wehrmacht. In view also of the offensive launched against that Army Group by the Russian Trans-Caucasus Front armies, the 44th, the 58th, the 9th and the 37th, on the Terek River line, von Kleist orders his 1st Panzer Army to withdraw slowly northwards, so that they can attack the left flank of the Russian armies should they advance towards Rostov, and so prevent the complete isolation of Army Group A in the Caucasus.

The 3rd Guards Army captures Morozovsk airfield. The Luftwaffe air supply missions now have to fly from Salsk and Novocherkessk.

Kleist's 1st Panzer Army gives up its last outposts on the Terek. Maslennikov's Northern Group operates along the Terek with its 44th, 58th, 9th and 37th Armies, IV Kuban and V Don Cavalry Corps.

Guadalcanal

Gen Harmon activates the XIV Corps, consisting of the Americal and the 25th Divs, the former reinforced by the 147th Infantry. The 2nd Marine Div and other Marine ground forces are attached to the corps. Gen Patch is placed in command of the corps, and Gen Sebree succeeds him as commander of the Americal Div. After heavy artillery preparation, the 132nd Infantry, Americal Div, continues the offensive against the Gifu strongpoint. The 2nd Battalion, taking the enemy by surprise, advances quickly to the crest of Hill 27, south of the Gifu strongpoint, and digs in. The battalion holds firm under a number of enemy counterattacks. The 3rd and 1st Battalions establish lines along the north and east sides of the Gifu, respectively, but gaps remain between the 3 assault battalions.[MORE]

New Guinea

At last, with a final combined attack, Australian and American troops from Eichelberger's I Corps succeed in seizing Buna Mission, and all organized Japanese resistance ceases there in the afternoon. The Japanese colonel commanding the garrison and some others of his officers commit harakiri rather than bear the disgrace of surrender. The Allies move on towards Giropa Point, east of which the enemy has been mopped up. The Japanese despatch units from Giruwa to help their comrades escaping from Buna. On this bridgehead alone the Japanese have lost at least 2,800(?) dead since the fighting began; Australian and American casualties amount to 2,800 dead, wounded and missing. The artillery employed at Buna is gradually transferred to the Sanananda front, where fighting continues and operations are getting bogged down. It should be remembered that during this period both the Allies and the Japanese have concentrated the greater part of their forces and the majority of their air and naval forces in the southern Pacific sector at Guadalcanal.

Slain Japanese soldiers

U.S. forces inflict heavy casualties on Jap[ane]s[e soldiers] in capture of Buna, New Guinea. On the beach of Buna Mission, last point of Japanese resistance in the Papuan section of New Guinea, the bodies of slain Japanese soldiers lie a few steps from their shattered landing boat. The Japanese suffered heavy losses in this engagement and eventually were completely routed by American and Australian forces.

Pacific

The US submarine Grayback (SS-208) sinks the Japanese submarine I-18 in the Solomon Islands area.