Air Operations, Bismarcks

P-38 pilots of the 49th Fighter Group’s 9th Fighter Squadron down 5 Ki-45 'Nick' fighters over Cape Gloucester at 1100 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 5 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack port facilities in the Hong Kong area.

Air Operations, Europe

American air attacks throughout Calabria continue in preparation for the Allied invasion. Every airport in southern Italy except that at Foggia is now neutralized.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• Escorted by approximately 40 V Fighter Command P-38s, V Bomber Command B-25 strafers carrying 1,000-pound bombs mount low-level attacks against shipping at Wewak, where they encounter the first barrage balloons known to be employed by the Japanese in the Pacific war zone. Two freighters are sunk with bombs.
• 8th, 35th, and 475th Fighter group P-38 pilots down 1 Ki-45 'Nick' fighter, 2 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance aircrafts, and 6 A6M Zeros over Wewak and Madang between 1000 and 1045 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 24 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and more than 60 AirSols light bombers attack Vila.
• 18 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, more than 20 XIII Fighter Command fighters, and more than 60 AirSols light bombers and fighter-bombers attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville, shore installations, and a bridge.
• Marine Corps F4Us down 5 A6M Zeros over Kahili and Ballale during the afternoon and a VMF-124 F4U shoots down 1 'Betty' bomber off Rennell Island during the afternoon.

Diplomatic Relations

Gen Giuseppe Castellano returns from Rome to Termini Imerese and goes on from there to Casibile.

Albert Speer is Appointed to Direct War Production (German Federal Archive)

Eastern Front

The Soviets announce a number of important gains in the Donets sector. Lisichansk, Kommunarsk and other important centers are taken. Stalino is now being threatened by the Russians. They also reach the Bryansk-Konotop railway, and the important Ukrainian town of Sumy which lies between Konotop and Kharkov. There are also significant advances on the Bryansk Front with Glushkovo and Sumy being captured.

Sumy falls to the 38th Army of Vatutin's Voronezh Front.

Russian Partisan Prepares the Blow Up of a Railroad, 2 September 1943

Lisichansk falls to 3rd Guards Army of the Southwest Front and Kommunarsk to the 51st Army of the South Front.

Mediterranean

The British battleships Valiant and Warspite, after being refitted following damage sustained in 1941, shell the Italian mainland defenses around Reggio di Calabria.