Air Operations, Aleutians

9 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 14 B-25s attack Kiska. 1 bomber is lost when it crashes on landing.

Air Operations, Europe

• 165 Halifaxes are sent to attack the Peugeot motor factory in the Montbéliard suburb of the French town of Sochaux near the Swiss border.
• The outcome of this raid illustrates again the difficulties of hitting relatively small targets in the occupied countries and the danger to surrounding civilians. The night is clear, the target is only lightly defended and the attack altitude is 6,000 to 10,000ft, but the center of the group of markers dropped by the Pathfinder crews of 35 Squadron is 700 yards beyond the factory. The factory is classed as only 5 per cent damaged. Production level is normal immediately after the raid.
• 5 Halifaxes are lost.
• 617 Squadron carries out its first operation since the Dams Raid in May. It has been decided to keep the squadron in being and to use it for independent precision raids on small targets. It remains part of No 5 Group and most of its replacement crews come from the squadrons of that group. The targets on this night are two electrical transformer stations in Northern Italy one near Bologna and the other near Genoa. The intention is to disrupt the supply of electricity to the railways carrying German troops and supplies to the battle front in Sicily. 12 Lancasters of 617 Squadron are joined by 12 further No 5 Group Lancasters for these attacks, which are not successful. No flares or markers are carried and the targets are partially hidden by mist. After bombing, the Lancasters fly on to North Africa.
• 2 Lancasters of the supporting force are lost.

• 6 Mosquitos fly a nuisance raid to Munich, but only 2 actually reach the target.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Japanese Army positions between Orodubi and Komiatum.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 36 US Marine Corps SBDs attack Japanese ground defenses at Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia.
• 13th Air Force B-25s, P-38s, and P-40s attack landing barges off New Georgia.
• In a major air battle over the central Solomon Islands, AirSols fighters down 45 Japanese aircraft from a formation of 27 G4M 'Betty' bombers and an estimated 40 A6M Zeros. 3 US airplanes are lost. This is virtually the last Japanese Navy attempt to mount an air attack against Allied forces in the central Solomons.
• VF-21 F4Fs down 4 A6M Zeros over Rendova at 1435 hours.
• P-40s of the 18th Fighter Group’s 44th Fighter Squadron down a B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber, a G4M 'Betty' bomber, and 11 A6M Zeros over Vella Lavella and Gizo islands between 1430 and 1500 hours.
• VMF-122 and VMF-213 F4Us down a total of 15 G4M 'Bettys' and 16 A6M Zeros in running battles between Rendova and Vella Lavella between 1430 and 1530 hours.

Soviet tank crews inspect abandoned 'Tiger'. The tank belongs to the 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion, filmed July 15, 1943.

Soviets Inspect an Abandoned 'Tiger'

Battle of the Atlantic

• Naval land-based aircraft (VP-32) sink the German submarine U-159 in the Caribbean area.
• The German submarine U-509 is sunk by aircraft (VC-29) from the US escort carrier Santee (CVE-29) south of the Azores Islands.

Eastern Front

Rokossovsky's Central Front goes over to the offensive, joining the attacks toward Orel. In the south of the Kursk salient von Manstein's forces begin to pull back to their start lines followed up all the time by Soviet pressure. The Russian supreme command announces that since the start of the counteroffensive in the direction of Orel the Red Army has taken 15-30 miles of territory.[MORE]

A dead German soldier lies besides a destroyed German Heavy Assault Gun, 'Ferdinand'. July 15, 1943.

A Destroyed 'Ferdinand'

Sicily

Gen Patton forms a provisional corps to move on the west of the island while Bradley's II Corps drives north. This corps is commanded by Gen Geoffrey Keys and is made up of the 3rd Div reinforced by the 3rd Battalion of Rangers and the 82nd Airborne Div reinforced by a regiment from the 9th Div.

British troops are cheered by crowds as they enter Militello, 15 July 1943

The British Enter Militello

The Canadian 1st Div takes Caltagirone and Grammichele. In the British sector, the battle continues in the area of Lentini and at the Ponte Primasole. In Catania, Col Schmalz, fearing an attack from his eastern flank, withdraws north of the Gomalunga River ant then falls back behind the Simeto River.

During the night 2 companies of the Durham brigade of the 50th Div ford the Simeto River west of Ponte Primasole.

Solomons

The Japanese carry out a big raid on American troop and shipping concentrations in the central Solomons. 45 of the 75 aircraft taking part are shot down by American fighters. The superiority of US pilots begins to show as only 3 US aircraft are lost. After this defeat the Japanese air force limits itself to night operations.

Seeing that the situation is not going according to plan, Gen Oscar W. Griswold replaces Gen John H. Hester in charge of the operations in New Georgia. Rear-Adm Richmond K. Turner, commander of the South Pacific amphibious force and of Task Force 31, is also replaced.

United States, Politics

Roosevelt creates a new office of economic warfare, headed by Leo Crowley, to replace the previous board.