Air Operations, CBI

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the viaduct at Gokteik.
• During the night, 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sow mines in the Rangoon River.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

Only one week after work is begun, the airfield on Baker Island is capable to supporting fighter operations. Work continues to improve the new base for bomber operations. The first-stage completion of the airfield on Baker Island to 5 the number of runways from which the projected Gilbert Islands invasion can be supported: the airfields on Baker Island, Canton Island, Funafuti, Nanomea and Nukufetau.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command heavy and medium bombers mount light attacks against targets in the region.

Air Operations, Europe

•   257 aircraft are sent to hit the Boulogne gun positions. In the total are 119 Wellingtons, 112 Stirlings, 16 Mosquitos and 10 Halifaxes. OTU aircraft form part of this force along with 5 B-17s, the first American night bombing sorties of the war with Bomber Command.
• The target is the site of a German long-range gun battery and the marking is mainly provided by Oboe Mosquitos, some experimenting with a new technique. The raid is not successful as the marking as well as the bombing are not accurate.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s attack Lae. 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Salamaua. V Bomber Command heavy and medium bombers mount light attacks against targets in western New Guinea.

Air Operations, Solomons

12 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Vila airfield on Kolombangara and other targets in the area.

Central Pacific

A landing strip suitable for use by fighters is ready on Baker Island.

Corsica

An armed civilian uprising begins with attacks on the 115,000 German and Italian garrison troops on the island.

Eastern Front

The Soviets take Baturin, east of Konotop, and Zvenkov in the Kharkov sector. The Germans begin to evacuate Stalino. Berlin admits the evacuation of Stalino as 'shortening of the front'. Stalin's Order of the Day congratulates the army on the re-capture of the entire Donetz Basin.

The Soviets move in to occupy Stalino and also take Yasinovataya nearby and Krasnoarmeisk.

The Soviet 5th Shock Army occupies Stalino as the 3rd Guards Army takes possession of Krasnoarmyansk.

Stalino falls as Fretter Pico's XXX Corps completes its evacuation. The 5th Shock Army moves into the ruined city. Krasnoarmyansk also falls to the 3rd Guards.

Manstein and Kleist again meet with Hitler at Zaporoshe. Manstein asks permission to pull back to the Dniepr but Hitler refuses. However, he does confirm his decision to abandon the Kuban but this is of little help to Army Group South as the men of the 17th Army would go into the Crimea, not the main line.

The Germans began Operation ACHSE to disarm the Italian Army after the September 8, 1943 Armistice. The Italians in this photo are being disarmed by the German 2nd Parachute Division.

Italians Being Disarmed

Italian Officers Captured by Germans just after the 8 September 1943 Armistice.

Italy

Italy surrenders. At 5:30p.m., with Operation AVALANCHE in full swing and the Allied convoys already in sight of Salerno, Gen Eisenhower announces the unconditional surrender of Italy: 'The Italian government has surrendered its forces unconditionally. . . Hostilities between the armed forces of the United Nations and those of Italy terminate at once. All Italians who now act to help eject the German aggressor from Italian soil will have the assistance and support of the United Nations.' The head of the Italian government, Marshal Badoglio, makes a similar announcement on Italian radio at 7:45p.m.

The 13 points of the Armistice Terms include the immediate cessation of hostilities, Italy to deny all facilities to Germany; all PoWs to be handed over and none at any time sent to Germany; immediate transfer of all warships and aircraft to designated points; merchant shipping to be requisitioned by the Allies; Allies to establish bases wherever they wish on Italian territory and Italian forces to protect bases until the arrival of Allied forces; Italy to surrender Corsica.

The main body of the Italian Fleet sails from La Spezia and Genoa with 3 battleships, 6 cruisers and 9 destroyers. They are to be surrendered to the Allies.

Berlin reports the Italian surrender as a treacherous and cowardly act. One official says 'Mussolini is too great a person for a nation like that.'

In Operation ACHSE (AXIS) German forces seize all strategic points in Italy and forcibly disarm Italian forces. The Germans continue to concentrate their forces from the south of the peninsula in the Salerno sector.

The 8th Army takes Locri and Bova Marina and land at Pizzo.

Mediterranean

The Italian Acqui Div in the Ionian Islands disarm the German contingents. A call is made for Allied assistance and when none comes the Germans send in reinforcments and imprison the Italians.

New Guinea

The units of the Australian 9th Div advancing toward Lae from the east win an engagement at Saingaua but are held up by the Busu River. The Japanese headquarters orders the troops left at Salamaua to withdraw to Lae.

Meanwhile the Australian 5th Div, advancing on Salamaua, reaches the Francisco River, near the Japanese airfield at Salamaua.

Lae is shelled by 4 US destroyers.

Norway

The German 'invasion' of Spitzbergen begins as a Grenadier battalion lands from destroyers covered by the Scharnhorst in order to destroy colliery installations. The Tirpitz shells Barentsburg. The small Norwegian garrison offers stout resistance.

Solomons

The American 172nd Inf Regt is reinforced by a battalion of the 169th Regt to speed up the elimination of the Japanese from Arundel Island. The Japanese also transfer a battalion from Kolombangara to Arundel, with a view to staging a possible counter-attack against New Georgia.