Air Operations, Aleutians

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 10 B-25s, 12 34r3d Fighter Group P-38s, and 1 F-5 attack the submarine base, antiaircraft emplacements, and ground installations at Kiska.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Rangoon.
• 5 341st Medium Bombardment Group B-25s attack a bridge at Pazundaung.
• 4 B-25s attack the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 Mosquitos are sent to Essen and Mulheim, 20 Lancasters and 15 Stirlings lay mines over a wide area from Biscay to Swinemünde in the Baltic, and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• 2 mine-laying Lancasters are lost.

Air Operations, Asia

The 14th Air Force is formed under Maj-Gen Claire Chennault and incorporating his 'China Air Task Force', formerly known as the 'Flying Tigers'. This unit is to expand Allied air cover for Burmese and eastern Pacific operations.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Allied bombers make a heavy attack on Palermo.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfield at Wewak and shipping off Wewak.
• B-17s of the 43rd Heavy Bomb Grou and B-24s of the 90th Heavy Bomb Group mount individual attacks against shipping off New Guinea.

Air Operations, Solomons

347th Fighter Group P-39s down a D3A 'Val' dive bomber and 3 A6M Zeros over the Russell Islands during an early afternoon air raid.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-17s attack Tunis/El Aouina Airdrome. 3 Bf-109s are downed by 1st Fighter Group P-38 pilots in action over the target between 1515 and 1550 hours.
• Luftwaffe Ju-52 transports parked at the La Marsa Airdrome are attacked by NASAF B-17s, but results are undetermined.

Atlantic

The blockade runner Karin is scuttled when the US Navy intercepts.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-633 sinks after being rammed by the SS Scorton in convoy SC-121.

U-633

Class	Type VIIC
CO	Oberleutnant Bernhard Müller
Location	Atlantic, SW of Iceland
Cause	Ramming
Casualties	42
Survivors	None

• U-185 attacks Convoy KG-123, torpedoing the US tanker Virginia Sinclair (6151t) and the freighter James Sprunt (7177t). The submarine chaser SC-742 rescues all but 7 of Virginia Sinclair's complement, but James Sprunt, laden with general cargo and explosives, disintegrates killing all hands, 44 crewmen and 25 Armed Guard sailors.
• In attacks on Convoy HX-228, U-221 torpedoes the US freighter Andrea F. Luckenbach (6565t). An explosion of the after magazine blows off the stern killing 10 of the 28-man Armed Guard. The British oiler Appleleaf rescues 17 Armed Guard sailors and 46 of the 55-man crew. U-444 torpedoes the freighter William C. Gorgas (7197t). The British destroyer Harvester (1340t) rescues the 27-man Armed Guard and 33 of the 43-man crew, but is later torpedoed and sunk by U-432. Ultimately, only 4 Armed Guard sailors and 8 crewmen from the William C. Gorgas survive the sinking of the Harvester being rescued by the Free French-manned British corvette Aconit.
• U-255 torpedoes the US freighter Richard Bland (7191t), straggling from Convoy RA-53, breaking the ship in two. During the abandonment in rough seas, 17 of the 26-man Armed Guard and 19 of the 42-man crew perish. Survivors are rescued by the British destroyer Impulsive.

Britain, Home Front

Laurence Binyon, poet of 'To the Fallen', dies at age 73.

Burma

The Chindits are now operating in several columns and cross the Irrawaddy in 2 places, at Tagaung and Tigyaing farther north.

Eastern Front

After savage fighting von Manstein's armor recaptures Kharkov, so reversing one of the Red Army's biggest recent successes. Russian units continue to hold out in part of the town.

German forces north and south of Sumy counterattack. The refreshed and redeployed LII Corps, with 4 infantry divisions, and 3 divisions of the VII Corps, attack elements of the 40th Army, forcing it out of Lebedin. The Grossdeutschland Division, with an infantry division in support to its left, attack toward Valki after repulsing a 40th Army counterattack around Bogodukhov. To the north, 2 more infantry divisions drive to the northeast toward Kotelva nad Akhtyrka in order to establish contact with the XI Corps on their left. The XI has recently been re-formed following its destruction at Stalingrad.

German Troops Struggle with the Mud on the Eastern front

Somewhere on the Eastern Front 1943

The ‘Rasputitsa’ – the season without roads – was a feature of the Russian climate in both spring and autumn. It had confounded the German’s during their 1941 advance on Moscow. Now it continued to cause difficulties for both sides as the Eastern front went through a period of transition, with the Germans trying to straighten out their line and the Red Army tried to exploit the situation.

The SS enter the suburbs of Kharkov, Das Reich penetrating from the west while Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler pushes north and Totenkopf capture Dergachi. Late in the afternoon elements of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler enter the northeast suburbs. The XLVIII Panzer Corps continues its attack along the line of the Mzha.

Indian Ocean

U-182 torpedoes the US freighter Richard D. Spaight (7177t) in the Mozambique Channel. 2 boats of survivors, 42 of the 43-man crew and the 24-man Armed Guard, reach South Africa within 5 days.

North Africa

The Germans organize an attack with air support on the Free French outpost at Ksar Rhilane southeast of Mareth but are beaten off by Leclerc's men.

In the British 8th Army area, the French force under Gen Leclerc (L Force), screening the western flank of the 8th Army at Ksar Rhilane, repels a sharp enemy attack.

United States, Home Front

The House of Representatives votes to continue the Lend-Lease program. The Senate concurs the next day.