Chronology of World War II

April 1943

Saturday, April 3


Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and individual 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Kavieng airfield on New Ireland.

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Air Operations, CBI

BURMA

17 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Myitnge in 2 waves.

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Air Operations, Europe

FW-190 fighter-bombers raid Eastbourne and strafe streets crowded with shoppers.

BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:
  • 12 Venturas bomb shipping at Brest and 8 Mosquitos attack railway targets in Belgium and France.
    • 1 Mosquito is lost.
Evening Ops:
  • 348 aircraft are sent to Essen. In this total are 225 Lancasters, 113 Halifaxes and 10 Mosquitos.
  • The weather forcast was not favorable and the Pathfinders prepare a plan for both skymarking and ground-marking the target area. The Main Force crews are a little confused to find two kinds of marking taking place. The bombing, however, is accurate and there is a lot of good photographs of the results. Reports from the ground indicate widespread damage in the city center and in the western half of Essen.
    • 12 Halifaxes and 9 Lancasters are lost with 2 more Halifaxes crashing upon return to England.
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Air Operations, New Guinea

  • 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Korindini.
  • 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Kitchen Creek.
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Air Operations, North Africa

Spitfires, flown by American pilots destroy a Stuka squadron over Tunisia.

Death of a Stuka


Death of a <i>Stuka</i>
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Air Operations, Tunisia

  • NATAF (Northwest African Tactical Air Force) aircraft attack Axis military vehicles in eastern Tunisia.
  • NATBF B-25s attack Ste.-Marie du Zit Airdrome.
  • IX Bomber Command B-25s attack Sfax/El Maou Airdrome.
  • WDAF A-20s attack Axis motor vehicles and gun emplacements.
  • In a lopsided attack near El Guettar about 1730 hours, Spitfire pilots of the 52nd Fighter Group's 2nd Fighter Squadron down 13 Ju-87s in a matter of minutes.
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Battle of the Atlantic

  • U-124 is sunk by the British ships, corvette Stonecrop and sloop Black Swan, who were in support of convoy OS-45.
  • U-124

    ClassType IXB
    CO Korvettenkapitän Johann Mohr
    Location Atlantic, W of Oporto
    Cause Depth charge
    Casualties 53
    Survivors None
  • U-155 torpedoes and sinks the US tanker Gulfstate (6883t) off Key West, Florida. A USCG planes rescues 3 survivors; 34 crewmen and 9 Armed Guard sailors are lost in the attack.
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Eastern Front

Heavy fighting and major air battles are taking place on the Leningrad front.

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New Guinea

Units of MacKechnie Force land near Morobe harbor and begin to prepare defensive positions.

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North Africa

TUNISIA

The Germans continue to hold off the attacks by Patton's troops around El Guettar. Axis forces begin to withdraw northward on the so-called Enfidaville line.

Gen Alexander alerts Gen Patton to be prepared to move the US II Corps to the northern flank of the British 1st Army upon the collapse of the enemy's Wadi Akarit position. The 9th Div is to move first. Hard fighting continues in the area for positions dominating both the Gumtree and Gabès roads. The 1st Div takes the village of Sakket, but the 9th is still checked by the enemy on Hill 772.

In the British 1st Army's V Corps area, a French naval party, made up of a detachment of goumiers and elements of the Corps Franc d'Afrique, occupies Cap Serrat. The French XIX Corps repels limited enemy thrusts westward from Pichon.

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Pacific

  • The Japanese submarine chaser No. 13 (440t) is sunk by the US submarine Pickerel (SS-177) off Japan. The Pickerel is afterwards sunk by the minelayer Shirakami and auxiliary submarine chaser Bunzan Maru off northern Honshu.
  • The US submarine Haddock (SS-177) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Arima Maru (7389t) north of Palau.
US submarine Pickerel (SS-177) was lost along with her 74-man crew while on her 7th war patrol off Honshu. The exact cause of her loss has never been determined, but her OP area contained numerous minefields.

US Submarine Pickerel (SS-177)


US submarine <i>Pickerel</i>
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[April 2nd - April 4th]