Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Garove Island. B-25s attack coastal targets on New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 11 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack the White Cloud airfield at Canton.
• 4 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack the dock area at Whampoa.
• 8 P-40s and P-38s attack Yangtze River traffic.
• 74th Fighter Squadron P-40s down 3 A6M Zeros over the White Cloud airfield at Canton during a noon-hour mission and a 449th Fighter Squadron P-39 downs a transport plane near Whampoa at 1530 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-25s mount light attacks against Selaroe Island in the Moluccas.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack coastal targets between Alexishafen and Finschhafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 18 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville and 2 coastal batteries.
• 12 AirSols B-25s and more than 50 SBDs attack the Vila airfield on Kolombangara and barges in the area.
• 2 Marine Corps F4Us down an A6M Zero between Vella Lavella and Choiseul at 0955 hours. A VF-33 F6F downs a Zero over Kahili at 0955 hours.

Balkans

The Germans take over direct control of Croatia, Greece and the coasts and islands of Yugoslavia.

Corsica

The Italian Cremona and Friuli Divs drive off the Germans at Bastia.

Diplomatic Relations

Iran declares war on Germany.

Eastern Front

Advancing westward beyond Konotop, the Soviets cross the Seym River and take Bakhmach after a brisk fight. Further north they reach the Desna River south of Bryansk. The German 17th Army begins to pull out of its forward position in the Kuban.

The 60th Army reaches Bachmakh, taking the town after a brief stuggle. In the Kuban the 17th Army begins its evacuation, pulling out of its forward positions to the Gotenkopf line.

Mediterranean

The battleship Roma is sunk by a glider bomb launched from a German aircraft while en route to Malta with the main body of the Italian fleet. Several other ships are damaged by similar attacks. Adm Alberto da Zara sails from Taranto with the battleships Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio as well as other vessels.

Italy

There is some fighting in the Rome area between Italian and German troops but the Italian plans have not been well-prepared and the government has to leave the city, allowing the Germans to take over. The Italian Royal Family and some representatives of the Italian government, with the Chiefs of Staff of the 3 armed forces, leave Rome for Pescara, from which they later sail aboard the cruiser Scipione to Brindisi.

In Rome the anti-Fascist parties set up the Committee of National Liberation.

At 3:30a.m. The Allies begin landing at Salerno and Taranto. In Operation SLAPSTICK the British 1st Airborne Div lands by sea at Taranto and seizes the port without opposition but the main landings at Salerno are more difficult. The landing forces are from Gen Mark Clark's 5th Army. On the left flank groups of US Rangers and British Commandos land respectively at Maiori and Vietri, with orders to advance north and capture passes throught the hills toward Naples. Both landings are successful. The British X Corps under Gen Sir Richard L. McCreery, made up of 46th and 56th Divs, lands on the beaches immediately to the south of Salerno. There are some mistakes made and German resistance is strongest here but the troops manage to get ashore fairly well. The Southern Assault Force is taken from Gen Ernest J. Dawley's VI US Corps with the 36th Div forming the first wave and landing north and south of Paestum. American losses on the approach are fairly heavy because they adhere more strictly than the British to Clark's order that there is to be no supporting bombardment. Once they land, however, the resistance is less intense.

The landings at Taranto are covered by Adm Sir Arthur Power with the battleships Howe and King George V and an Allied cruiser squadron led by Commodore Sir William G. Agnew. The Salerno landings are much more complex. Adm Andrew Cunningham commands the whole operaton and the main covering force is led by Adm Sir Algernon Willis with 4 battleships and 2 carriers. Adm Philip Vian leads a support group of 5 small carriers and Adm H. Kent Hewitt is in direct command of the landings.

In the south 8th Army continues to advance fairly slowly because of demolitions and poor roads.

A Do-217 sinks the battleship Roma with a Fritz X radio-controlled missile. 1,255 are killed including Adm Carlo Bergamini. German MTBs S-54 and S-61 lay mines in Taranto harbor which sink the HMS Abdiel on September 10. They then race to Venice sinking an Italian gunboat off Corsica and a destroyer and capture the troopship Leopardi en route and force the Italian naval commander at Venice to surrender.

New Guinea

The Australians manage to force some small units across the Busu River and establish a bridgehead on the opposite bank. Japanese counter-attacks are repulsed.

Solomons

Adm Halsey suggests occupation of the Treasury Islands and part of Choiseul, which could serve as bases to neutralize the Japanese bases in the Shortland Islands and southern part of Bougainville. MacArthur turns the suggestion down

another example of the conflict of strategy between the American army and navy.

On Arundel Island the Americans hold up the activities of their infantry, but pound the enemy positions with their guns.

Pics from September 9, 1943

Riflemen from the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, wade toward the beach at Paestum, south of Salerno, at the start of Operation AVALANCHE on 9 September 1943. The milky haze from artificial smoke was intended to blind German gunners on the high ground ringing the landing sites.

US Riflemen Wade Toward the Beach at Paestum

During Operation Avalanche, the landing at Salerno,Italy, British Universal Carriers LST disembark from a landing ship tank, September 9, 1943.

British Universal Carriers Disembark From LST

Salerno, 9 September 1943 (Operation AVALANCHE): Distant view of British warships bombarding enemy positions during the fighting on Salerno beaches. The naval bombardment broke up an attack by German tanks.

British Warships Bombarding Enemy Positions

In the distance landing ship tanks waiting to go inshore at Salerno while destroyers make smoke to cover them near the beaches. Photograph taken from the British minesweeper Circe.

Landing Ship Tanks Waiting To Go Inshore

The British destroyer HMS Tartar puts up an anti-aircraft barrage with her 4.5 inch AA guns to protect the invasion force from attack by enemy aircraft.

British Destroyer HMS Tartar

A landing craft ablaze offshore after receiving a direct hit. In the foreground on the beach are troops and casualties from the boat.

Landing Craft Ablaze after a Direct Hit

British troops and vehicles from 128 Brigade, 46th Division are unloaded from LST-383 onto the beaches.

British Troops from 46th Division

Salerno, 9 September 1943 (Operation AVALANCHE): American troops place one of their first casualties on board a landing craft.

Casualties Being Moved to Landing Craft

British soldiers man a machine gun post on the beach at Salerno, Italy, while a column of smoke rises from a transport ship in the background, 9 September 1943.

British Soldiers Man a Machine Gun Post

Allied soldiers of Lieutenant General Mark Clark's Fifth Army heading for the shore of Italy, watch anxiously as high-flying German planes drop bombs around the invasion-bound craft.

5th Army Soldiers Heading for Shore