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.
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]Air Operations, Europe
RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
- 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.
ITALY:
- NASAF B-17s attack Villa San Giovanni.
- IX Bomber Command B-24s attack the main airfield and two satellite fields at Foggia.
| ]Air Operations, New Guinea
3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Japanese Army positions between Orodubi and Komiatum.
[ | ]Air Operations, Sicily
- NASAF medium bombers attack Vibo Valentia.
- NATAF A-20s and fighters attack Palermo and targets of opportunity around the island.
- NAAF fighters mount numerous ad hoc strafing missions wherever tactical and communications targets can be located.
- IX Bomber Command B-25s attack Randazzo.
- During the night, NATAF A-20s and B-25s attack Randazzo and nearby roads.
| ]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.
| ] Soviets Inspect an Abandoned 'Tiger' |
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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.
- U-135 attacks the freighter Twickenham in convoy OS-51. The ship is damaged but the submarine is spotted by escorts, the sloop Rochester, and the corvettes Balsam and Mignonette. A series of depth-charge attacks follow blowing the U-boat to the surface where she is rammed by Rochester.
[U-135
Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Otto Luther Location N Atlantic Cause Depth charge/ramming Casualties 5 Survivors 41 | ]
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'
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New Georgia
Gen Griswold takes command of the ground forces on New Georgia. Deputy SOPAC Commander Rear-Adm Theodore S. Wilkinson (who shows a great deal more willingness to cooperate with the army) replaces Rear-Adm Kelly Turner, who leaves to take command of the V Amphibious Corps. Griswold orders offensive operations suspended to rest, refit, and re-supply the ground units.
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Pacific
The US submarine Tinosa (SS-293) sinks the Japanese armed merchant cruiser Aikoku Maru (10,438t).
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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.
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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.
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Southwest Pacific
SWPA GHQ circulates a plan for an attack on New Britain to control the western part of the island from Gasmata to Talasea. The plan outlines an attack by three separate elements to seize Cape Gloucester, neutralize Gasmata, and capture Talasea by a series of amphibious hops along the northern coastline. The Gasmata operation will take place seven days before the main attack on Cape Gloucester.
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United States, Politics
Roosevelt creates a new office of economic warfare, headed by Leo Crowley, to replace the previous board.
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