Air Operations, Aleutians

32 11th Air Force B-24s, P-38s, and P-40s attack Kiska with a record 104 tons of bombs. 1 P-40 is shot down, but its pilot is rescued.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

8 Midway-based B-24s of the VII Bomber Command’s 11th Heavy Bomb Group attack oil- storage facilities at Wake Island. The formation is attacked by as many as 20 A6M Zeros, but there are no losses. This is the last attack against Wake Island to be staged from Midway.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s escorted by 12 23rd Fighter Group fighters attack the Japanese bomber base at Hankow. As many as 50 Japanese fighters intercept the bombers, but 23rd Fighter Group P-40s and P-38s down 4 A6M Zeros over Hankow during the morning bomber-escort mission. 1 P-40 is lost. 23rd Fighter Group P-40s down 2 Zeros over the airfield at Hengyang during the morning.

Air Operations, Europe

53 B-17s bomb the Neuhoff Power Station in Hamburg.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to Hamburg and there are 3 OTU sorties with no losses.

• Sent to attack the St.-Omer/Ft. Rouge Airdrome, 15 of 18 Medium Bomb Group B-26s are only able to find the St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdrome upon which they drop 15 tons of bombs.
• 4 B-26s are damaged

• 50 1st Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 2 YB-40s and 44 4th Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s bomb two separate rubber factories in Hannover between noon and 1245 hours with about 134 tons of bombs. There is heavy flak and Luftwaffe fighter opposition over the target area.
• 14 B-17s are lost; 4 crewmen are lost, 22 wounded, 126 missiong
• Unable to attack the briefed target in Hannover, 4th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack targets of opportunity, including Wilhelmshaven, Wesermunde, and a convoy at sea.
• 5 B-17s are lost, 1 ditched at sea, 1 damaged; 1 crewman killed, 3 wounded, 51 missing
• A separate mission by 121 1st Heavy Bomb Group B-17s is sent against the Hamburg U-boat yards, but because of bad weather, only 54 bombers drop about 126 tons of bombs.
• 2 B-17s are lost; 1 crewman killed, 3 wounded, 20 missing

• NASAF B-26s attack a marshalling yard at Paola.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• More than 40 V Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfield at Lae, Komiatum, Malolo Ridge, and Salamaua.
• P-38s of the 49th Fighter Group’s 9th Fighter Squadron and the 35th Fighter Group’s 39th Fighter Squadron bring down 11 A6M Zeros, Ki-43 'Oscars', and Ki-61 'Tonys' over the Markham Valley and Lae beteen 1350 and 1410 hours.

Air Operations, Sardinia

In an attack on the island by 325th Fighter Group P-40s aroung 0930 hours, the fighters down 4 Mc-202s and 1 Bf-109.

Air Operations, Sicily

• NATAF A-20s repeatedly attack Regalbuto through the day.
• NATAF fighters attack Axis troop and supply movements via road, rail, and shipping.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s attack Milazzo.
• IX Fighter Command p-40 fighter-bombers attack Catania and shipping at Riposta.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 37 US Marine Corps TBFs and 24 SBDs attack dual- purpose antiaircraft batteries within the beseiged Munda Point airfield complex on New Georgia. 1 SBD is downed by antiaircraft guns.
• 21 Marine Corps F4Us strafe the Kahili airfield on Bougainville ahead of 10 XIII Bomber Command B-24s that drop fragmentation cluster bombs on aircraft revetments.
• 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and AirSols fighters attack targets in southern Kolombangara.
• During the night, 6 XIII Bomber Command B-17s attack the airfield at Ballale and the Kahili airfield on Bougainville.

Aleutians

In a single raid American bombers drop 104 tons of bombs on Japanese positions on Kiska. At 6:40p.m. 3 light cruisers and 8 destroyers of the Japanese navy, making clever use of the Arctic fog that has enveloped the island take off in one hour almost all the 6,100 men in the garrison and leave without being spotted by the enemy. Some submarines also take part in the operation.

Allied Planning

The CCS, responding to the news from Italy, decides to speed up the invasion of the mainland in order to bolster the new Italian government and forestall a German reaction.

Atlantic

Over the next 2 days 4 British merchant ships are bombed northwest of Lisbon.

Battle of the Atlantic

US Naval land-based aircraft (VP-32) sink the German submarine U-759 in the Caribbean area.

U-459

Eastern Front

The 4th Tank Army attacks in conjunction with the 3rd Army once again but suffers heavy losses to dug-in German anti-tank fire. Model has begun to redeploy some of his armor from the south of the Orel salient to the northern and eastern sectors, strengthening his defenses.

Germany, Planning

The Führer wants to withdraw the SS armored divisons from the Russian front and send them to Italy to restore the Fascist regime, but von Kluge declares that he cannot spare a single man from the front. Hitler does succeed shortly after in sending the SS Leibstandarte Panzer Div to Italy, though is is sent back to the Eastern Front in October.

Mussolini has been arrested by the Italians in Italy. Hitler announced that the II SS Panzer Corps will leave for Italy immediately, and that several other divisions will follow on after. To release these troops, the Orel salient is to be evacuated as quickly as possible. Operation AUTUMN JOURNEY will be authorized on July 28). Supported by the recently arrived Grossdeutschland Div, the Germans begin to pull back to the Hagen Line (at the base of the salient).

Despite partisan raids, the Germans manage to evacuate trains full of the wounded and fresh supplied. There is little threat from the Soviets at this point. The plethora of Soviet units involved in Operation KUTUZOV has led to confusion in the command and control system, and the reorganization of their forces gives the Germans time to pull back.

Italy, Politics

Marshal Badoglio forms a new cabinet omitting all Fascist leaders and declares martial law throughtout Italy. He professes his loyalty to the Axis but in reality he is looking for a way to end the war.

New Georgia

The American attacks continue to make slow progress with heavy air and artillery support. Tanks and flame throwers are also employed. One regiment of the 43rd Div seizes the village of Ilangana and reaches the coast at Kia, but the 37th Div does not succeed in defeating the defenders of Bartley Ridge.

Conquered Town, Cefalu, Sicily, July 26, 1943. (Photo

Robert Capa)

Cefalu, Sicily

Sicily

In the US 7th Army area, the Provisional Corps releases the 39th RCT, 9th Division, 3rd Chemical Weapons Battalion, and 4th Tabor of Goums to the II Corps to strengthen it for the eastward drive. The II Corps makes limited progress astride Highways 113 and 120. On Highway 113, the 45th Division reaches the road junction north of San Mauro.[MORE]