Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack airfields in the Rabaul area airfields. 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount single-plane attacks against Rabaul and the Gasmata airfield on New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the rail station at Rangoon. 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the bridge at Myitnge. 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack a rail line near Meza and destroy a train.

• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack targets of opportunity around Kengtung.

Air Operations, East Indies

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack port facilities and shipping at Amboina Island.

Air Operations, English Channel

• 6 4th Fighter Group Spitfires strafe and damage 2 German Navy corvettes and a merchantman.
• 1 Spitfire is lost to flak; the pilot is declared missing

Air Operations, Europe

• 19 Stirlings of No. 3 Group are sent to lay mines in the Frisians.
• 2 Stirlings are lost.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack Dobo. A-20s attack Gona, Mubo, Sappa, and Zaka. 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount single-plane attacks against shipping off the Papua coast.

Air Operations, Pacific

US bombers make a heavy incendiary raid on the Rabaul airfields.

Air Operations, Tunisia

Bad weather cancels bombing missions, but some fighter units are able to support Allied ground units.

Battle of the Atlantic

In order to protect Convoy SC-118, US destroyers Babbitt (DD-128) and Schenck (DD-159), and Coast Guard cutter Ingham (WPG-35) arrive to reinforce the harried escorts. U-413 sinks the US freighter West Portal (5376t), a straggler from SC-118, in the North Atlantic with the loss of all hands.

Eastern Front

Units of the Russian 13th Army and 3rd Tank Army take Stary Oskol on the Oskol River southeast of Voronezh and northwest of Kharkov. After a converging maneuver, Izyum, southeast of Kharkov, also falls to the Russians. In the Caucasus they make several landings successfully at Myoshako, but are driven off at Anopa.

The second Russian landing operation near Novorossisk begins. Over the next 4 days 17,000 troops will be put ashore.

Stary Oskol falls to the 38th Army as the 40th Army crosses the northern Donets and cuts the Belgorod to Kursk road. Units of the 40th Army isolated Korocha. Elements of the 69th and 3rd Tank Armies attack the SS Panzer Corps, while other units of the 3rd Tank Army attempt to cross the Donets but are held back by the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division.

Balakleya and Izyum falls to the Soviet 6th Army. The 6th continues between Balakleya and Izyum bu the Germans fight a bitter delaying action to evade encirclement. Heavy fighting rages at Lisichansk where the 1st Guards Army continues to attack. At Kramatorsk the Soviets move the III Tank Corps up to support elements of Group Popov.

In the Kuban, Soviet troops capture Yeysk on the Azov coast, severing land communications between 17th Army and Army Group Don. Soviet assault landings at Myoshako and Anapa are successfully beaten off by 17th Army but only after protracted fighting.

Guadalcanal

The Japanese ships leave carrying 4,000 more evacuees. Taking different route this time the Cactus Air Force search does not find them.

The 147th Infantry activity is limited to patrolling and reconnoitering to the Umasani River. No organized enemy forces are found east of the Umasani River. The 2nd Battalion, 132nd Infantry, patrols northward from Titi.

Italy, Politics

Mussolini dismisses Count Ciano from the Foreign Ministry and takes over responsibility for it himself. It now gives him, as Rome announced, 'the entire burden for the conduct of political and military operations in the delicate phase of the conflict.'

Mediterranean

The British naval trawler Stronsay sinks on a mine in the Western Mediterranean. There are no casualties.

North Africa

In the British 1st Army area, the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Regimental Combat Team, French XIX Corps, joins the US 1st Div, to which it reverts from attachment to the 36th Brigade, British 78th Div.