Chronology of World War II

August 1943

Tuesday, August 24

Air Operations, CBI

CHINA
  • 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.
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Air Operations, Europe

RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Evening Ops:
  • 8 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 66 aircraft lay mines in the Heligoland, Frisian and Texel areas.
    • There are no losses.
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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.
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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.
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Allied Planning

The eight-day Quebec Conference comes to an end.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Greeting Anthony Eden at the First Quebec Conference


Roosevelt greeting Anthony Eden

Mackenzie King, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the First Quebec Conference


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 larr2larr | rarrrarr2]

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.

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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.

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Germany, Politics

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New Guinea

The Australian 3rd Div is replaced by the 5th Div 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. The Americans carry on with their operations for the capture of Dot Inlet.

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[August 23rd - August 25th]