Air Operations, Bismarcks

1 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17 attacks Rabaul before dawn.

Air Operations, Europe

• 19 Bostons attempt to attack railway targets over a wide area. 8 aircraft bomb various locations.
• 1 Boston is lost.

• 177 aircraft are sent to Wilhelmshaven including 129 Lancasters, 40 Halifaxes and 8 Stirlings.
• The Pathfinders find the target area completely covered by cloud and use their least reliable method of marking, skymarking by parachute flares using H₂S. The marking turns out to be very accurate and the main bombing force concentration is very effective. Some of the bombs hit a naval ammunition depot at Mariensel south of Wilhelmshaven. The resulting explosions devastates an area of about 120 acres and causes widespread damage in the naval dockyard and in the town. This raid represents the first blind-bombing success for the H2S radar device.
• 3 Lancasters are lost.

• 2 Mosquitos are sent to Bochum and Hamborn, 36 aircraft lay mines from La Pallice to the Frisians and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

Mariensiel Ammunition Depot, Wilhelmshaven

Mariensiel Ammunition Depot, Wilhelmshaven

A Closer View of the Devastation at Mariensiel

Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Bomber Command B-26s and XIII Fighter Command P-38s and P-39s attack the Munda Point airfield on New Gergia and the Vila airfield on Kolombangara.

Damage at Newbury, Berkshire

Air Operations, Tunisia

Fighter-escorted 12th Air Force A-20s attack ground targets around Station de Sened.

Eastern Front

Lozovaya, a major railway junction south of Kharkov, falls to Vatutin's troops from the Southwest Front.

Fighting at Kharkov intensifies as 69th Army pushes deeper into the city. Hausser's II Panzer Corps puts up fierce resistance to the attacks but slowly falls back toward the city center. The SS Panzer Corps counterattacks and throws the 3rd Tank Army out of Novaya Vadolaga. A renewed 3rd Tank Army attack at Rogan stalls in the face of fierce German resistance. Lozovaya falls to 1st Guards Army. Elements of the army push on to take Grishino and Krasnoarmieskoye, Group Popov taking advantage of this to attack the left wing of XL Panzer Corps. In order to counter this threat the Germans move units west from Artemovsk to retake Krasnoarmieskoye.

Tiger '231' of Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503

North Africa

In the British 1st Army area, the 135th Regimental Combat Team, US 34th Div, French XIX Corps, begins the relief of the French in the Pichon-Maison des Eaux region. In the Djebel Rihana area, the 2nd Battalion of the 26th Regimental Combat Team is relieved by the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Regimental Combat Team and becomes the reserve for the US 1st Div. Gen Fredendall, commander of the US II Corps, issues a directive for the defense of the Faïd position.

Pacific

The Japanese submarine RO-102 is sunk by naval aircraft from the light cruiser Helena (CL-50) and the destroyer Fletcher (DD-445) in the Coral Sea.

Using War Ration Book