Air Operations, Aleutians

28th Composite Bomb Group B-25s and 343rd Fighter Group P-38s dispatched against Kiska abort in the face of bad weather, but 4 of 6 B-24s dispatched attack the submarine base after circling overhead for two hours to await a break in the cloud cover. 3 B-24s are damaged by antiaircraft fire.

Air Operations, CBI

• The 11th Medium Bomb Squadron and the 23rd Fighter Group open up a 3-day offensive against storage facilities at Bhamo, motor vehicles on the Burma Road, and barge traffic on the Irrawaddy River.

• 23d Fighter Group P-40s attack a fuel dump at Mangshih.

Air Operations, Europe

• 3 Pathfinder Mosquitos and 19 Lancasters of 5 Group make an ineffective raid on Essen.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

The US 9th Air Force bombs Palermo harbor. There are 308 civilian casualties.

A Show for a Naval Audience

Phyllis Stanley is playing to a naval audience during a show on the packed deck of HMS Nelson, 7 January 1943. Note the sailors sitting on one of the 16-inch guns in the foreground.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 5th Air Force and RAAF bombers and fighters mount an all-out effort against the Japanese convoy bound across the Solomon Sea from Rabaul to Lae. The convoy arrives at its destination, but one transport must be beached.
• V Fighter Command fighters attack the airfield at Lae Airdrome.
•    P-38s of the 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters nearly 75 miles off Cape Ward Hunt at 1320 hours and 5 more 'Oscars' over Huon Gulf at 1530 hours.
• P-40s of the 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group, down 12 A6M Zeros and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Markham Bay between 1700 and 1715 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

AirSoPac B-17s attack targets on Bougainville; and B-26s, escorted by P-39s, attack Rekata Bay. 2 bomber are lost.

Eastern Front

Savage bayonet fighting has now been going on in Stalingrad for many days. Every square yard of the ruins is contested. The German defensive perimeter shrinks every day, but it still encloses 2 runways where the aircraft land with such supplies as can be brought in. The Hoth Pzr Group defends the Rostov corridor against the attacks of the 51st, 2nd and 20th Russian Armies. A Russian vanguard assembles 25 miles from Rostov and just fails to capture von Manstein's headquarters.

Gen Kovacs, chief of staff of the Hungarian 2nd Army, reports to Budapest that a Soviet offensive against the Hungarian 2nd is very unlikely, an opinion reinforce by the 2nd Army.

Guadalcanal

In preparation for the offensive scheduled to begin on the 10th, the 35th Infantry, 25th Div, leaves the Lunga perimeter for Mount Austen. The 147th Infantry Task Force, under Capt Charles E. Beach, embarks at Kukum in 2 LCTs for Beaufort Bay to block the trail leading north toward Kokumbona. There are now about 50,000 Allied air, ground and naval forces in the Guadalcanal area.

Madagascar

Gen Louis Legentilhomme begins duties as High Commissioner for Madagascar.

Mediterranean

U-371 sinks the British anti-submarine trawler Jura 35 miles east-northeast of Algiers with the loss of 17 crewmen. 20 survivors are picked up by the British minesweeping trawler Stronsay. The British anti-submarine trawler Horatio is also lost. It is sunk by German motor torpedo boat S-58 off the Algerian coast.

New Guinea

While Australians and Americans concentrate in the Sanananda sector the Japanese convoy attacked the previous day lands supplies and reinforcements at Lae.

Australians Attack near Buna

7 January 1943. Australian forces attack Japanese positions near Buna. Members of the 2/12th Infantry Battalion advance as Stuart tanks from the 2/6th Armoured Regiment attack Japanese pillboxes. An upward-firing machine gun on the tank sprays treetops to clear them of snipers. (Photographer: George Silk).