Air Operations, CBI

• Japanese bombers based at Canton and Hankow mount heavy attacks against 14th Air Force bases in eastern China. P-40 pilots of the 23rd Fighter Group’s 74th and 76th Fighter squadrons down 5 A6M Zeros and 2 bombers in a running fight from Lingling to the southeast between 0630 and 0710 hours.
• P-40s from the 23rd Fighter Group and 76th Fighter Squadron down 3 A6M Zeros and 5 bombers over Hengyang at 0945 hours. P-40s from the 74th and 76th Fighter squadrons down 3 Zeros southeast of Lingling at 1500 hours for a total of 18 victories for the day’s action.

Air Operations, Europe

• 7 OTU Wellingtons make leaflet flights over France without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s attack numerous targets in northeastern New Guinea, including supply dumps at Madang.
• P-38s of the 35th Fighter Group’s 39th Fighter Squadron and the 49th Fighter Group’s 9th Fighter Squadron down 7 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Lae and Salamaua between 0950 and 1000 hours.
• P-38s of the 8th Fighter Group’s 80th Fighter Squadron down 6 A6M Zeros and 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Bogadjim between 1045 and 1050 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

AirSols B-25s, SBDs, and P-40s attack Rekata Bay.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Aircraft (VC-9) from the US escort carrier Bogue (CVE-9) sink the German submarine U-527.
• The US destroyer Badger (DD-126) sinks the German submarine U-613 south of the Azores Islands.
• US Naval land-based aircraft (VB-107) sink the German submarine U-598 off Brazil.

Eastern Front

In the south of the Kursk salient the Germans are now back in their original positions as well as the ground taken in the Orel area.

SOUTHERN SECTOR

The 4th Panzer Army is back to its start line of July 4. Three weeks of heavy fighting has seen the loss of all the territory gained during Operation CITADEL and even more importantly, the loss of many valuable men and machines. The 4th Panzer Army has by this time deployed 120,000 ment and 150 operational tanks between the XLVIII Panzer Corps and LII Corps. The VII Corps of the 2nd Army holds the junction with the LII Corps south of Sumy with its 3 infantry divisions.

A Russian Antitank Gun Crew Advances towards the German Positions under Cover of a Smoke Screen, Somewhere in Russia, on July 23, 1943

Army Detachment Kempf covers the line from Belgorod to Zmiyev, protecting the right wing of the 4th Panzer. It deploys 80,000 ment in the XI Corp east of Belgorod (4 infantry divisions) and XLII Corps along the Donets (3 infantry divisions).

The fighting in and around the Kursk pocket has cost the Voronezh Front 27,500 killed and missing and 46,000 wounded. The Steppe Front has lost 27,000 killed and missing and 42,600 wounded. The Voronezh Front cotinues to deploy 693,000 men, over 1,800 tanks and 110 Su's, 8,728 arty pieces and 700 Katyusha while the Steppe Front has 287,000 men, 450 tanks, 4,800 arty pieces and 60 Katyusha.

Mediterranean

The cruiser Newfoundland is torpedoed by U-407.

Sicily

The American Provisional Corps occupies the ports of Trapani and Marsala and on the north coast units of the 45th Div reach Termini Imerese. The whole of western Sicily is now under Allied control, and Gen Patton can now turn east towards the final target, Messina. He sends his II Corps with all available artillery along 2 roads, the northern coast road and highway 120, from Petralian to Randazzo.