Air Operations, CBI

• 14 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 6 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s, escorted by 14 23rd Fighter Group P-40s and 8 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s, are sent to attack the airfield at Hankow and neighboring Wuching, but 7 B-24s abort in the face of bad weather. The remaining 7 B-24s are attacked by an estimated 40 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighers over the airfield. 4 of the heavy bombers are shot down and the other 3 are severely damaged (with 2 dead and 6 wounded aboard) as they come off the target. 23rd Fighter Group P-40s down 10 A6M Zeros over and around Hankow at 1245 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 8 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 66 aircraft lay mines in the Heligoland, Frisian and Texel areas.
• There are no losses.

• Of 85 4th Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s on their way back to the UK from bases in North Africa, 58 attack the Bordeaux/Marignac Airdrome about noon. 9 of the B-17s dispatched return to North Africa due to various mechanical problems, and 1 of these is written off.
• 3 B-17s are lost, 40 damages; 32 crewmen are missing
• In a late afternoon strik against airfields in France, only 22 of 42 B-17s dispatched are able to find targets in the bad weather. About 30 tons of bombs are dropped on the Conches and Evreux/Fauville Airdromes between 1844 and 1900 hours.
• 1 B-17 is lost, 15 damaged; 1 crewman killed, 9 wounded
• 86 1st Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s attack the Villacoublay Airdrome with 257 tons of bombs at 1800 hours.
• 17 B-17s are damaged; 10 crewmen are wounded
• While escorting the afternoon bombing mission, P-47s down 6 Luftwaffe fighters over France.

NATAF fighter-bombers attack an Italian Navy cruiser off Sapri as well as various communications targets throughout southwestern Italy.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack Salamaua and Wewak and B-25s attack Larat and barges near Wotap.
• 1 P-38 from the 35th Fighter Group’s 39th Fighter Squadron downs an A6M Zero over Wewak at 1045 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 25 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Rekata Bay.
• XIII Fighter Command P-39s strafe barges.
• VMF-123 F4Us down 2 D3A 'Val' dive bombers and 7 A6M Zeros over Kolombangara between 1230 and 1240, and VMF-124 F4Us down 2 withdrawing Zeros over Vella Lavella at 1245 hours.

Allied Planning

The eight-day Quebec Conference comes to an end. Roosevelt and Churchill, with their Chiefs of Staff, have take or confirmed the following decisions: precedence in operations against Germany will be given to Operation POINTBLANK, the Anglo-American air offensive aimed at destroying Germany's industrial potential as a prelude to OVERLORD, the invasion of northwest Europe, still fixed for May 1, 1944. The plans for the invasion of the Italian mainland are approved, but the forces at present engaged must suffice.

Roosevelt Greeting Anthony Eden

At The First Quebec Conference

The big offensive against Japan will be carried out along two center-lines, one for the Central Pacific and one for the Southwest Pacific. In the Central Pacific precedence will be givien to the capture of the Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands. In the Southwest Pacific Rabaul will have to be neutralized without being captured, and New Guinea will have to be neutralized in a westward direction as far as the air base at Wewak. Manus, on the other hand, and the base at Kavieng in New Ireland, will have to be captured and used as jumping-off places for further leaps forward.

Supreme command of the Southeast Asia front will be assumed by Adm Lord Louis Mountbatten, with Gen Stilwell as his deputy; but both of these will still be under Chiang Kai-shek where the Chinese front is concerned. The offensive for the re-capture of Burma will be launched in February 1944.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Two German submarines, U-84 and U-185, are sunk by aircraft (VC-13) from the US escort carrier Core (CVE-13) in the mid-Atlantic area.

U-84 Class Type VIIB CO Oberleutnant zur See Horst Uphoff Location North Atlantic Cause Air attack Casualties 46 Survivors None

U-185 Class Type VIIC CO Kapitänleutnant August Maus Location Atlantic Cause Air attack Casualties 29(plus 14 from U-604 Survivors 36(of which 9 were from U-604

• U-134 sinks in an air attack by Wellington 'J' of No 179 Squadron.

U-134

Denmark, Resistance

Over the next two days there are several bomb incidents in Copenhagen including the blowing up of Forum Hall and many strikes in the shipyards.

Germany, Politics

Himmler is appointed Minister of the Interior. von Neurath resigns his post as Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. Wilhelm Frank replaces him.

New Georgia

The 3rd Battalion, 145th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division, captures Bairoko without a fight. The Japanese defenders evacuated the previous night to Arundel, Kolombangara, and Baanga.

New Guinea

The Australian 3rd Division is replaced by the 5th Division in the final phase of the operations against Salamaua. But the attack on Salamaua is really a feint: the true objective is Lae, and the main body of the Australian forces are approaching it from the interior of the island. While the Australian 5th Division is clearing the heights south of the Francisco River, the Americans of the 162nd Infantry, 41st Division, carry on with their operations for the capture of Dot Inlet.