Air Operations, Bismarcks

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack barges at Cape Gloucester.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack a radio station at Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack shipping at Hong Kong. 4 P-38s attack Yangtze River shipping. 4 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack barracks and a locomotive near Shihhweiyao.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s attack Lae and B-25s strafe coastal targets between Langemak Bay and Saidor.
• Australian Army ground forces occupy Salamaua and the airfield at Salamaua, which is immediately put to use by a 5th Air Force combat airplane.

Air Operations, Solomons

During the night, 394th Heavy Bomb Squadron radar-equipped SB-24s attack several ships in the northern Solomons.

Eastern Front

The Soviet attacks continue in all sectors but with renewed vigor near Bryansk. On the Donets front Stary Kermenchik is taken. The Germans begin to evacuate 17th Army from the Kuban. Altogether 239,669 troops, 16,311 wounded, 27,456 civilians, 74,657 horses, 6,255 head of cattle, and vast amounts of army supplies and vehicles are withdrawn by October 9.

Germany, Home Front

The 'Solf tea-party' resistance group, mostly German diplomats, is broken up by the Gestapo.

Italy

8th Army takes Crotone and continues its advance. At Salerno the first major German counterattacks begin late in the day. The British are driven out of Battipaglia once more and in Molina Pass the unit which has replaced the Commandos is under heavy pressure from part of the Hermann Göring Pzr Div.

Lt. Gen. Mark Clark, Commanding General, U.S. Fifth Army on board USS Ancon during the landings at Salerno, Septem­ber 12, 1943. Clark’s con­duct of opera­tions through­out the Ital­ian cam­paign is con­tro­ver­sial, but Gen. Dwight D. Eisen­hower con­sidered him a bril­liant staff officer and trainer. Clark won many awards, including the Distin­guished Ser­vice Cross for extreme bravery in war, subor­dinate only to the Medal of Honor.

Lt-Gen Mark Clark

Artillery being landed during the invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno, Septem­ber 1943. By sundown on D-Day, more than 50,000 Allies (out of a total of 189,000 on Septem­ber 16) were ashore and had pushed inland as much as eight miles. Their intention was to cross the level Salerno plain, cross over the foothills to the mountain passes and through them to Naples, where they could use its port and airfields as a base for future operations in Italy.

Artillery Being Landed in Italy

Mussolini is rescued from the Hotel Camp Imperatore in the Abruzzi Mountains in a daring action by 90 German glider-borne parachute troops led by Otto Skorzeny. The 250-man Italian force guarding Mussolini surrender within minutes. He is taken to Germany. The Germans have been trying to organize such an operation since Mussolini was arrested but he has never been kept for long in one place. The operation even now is technically very difficult and is executed with great daring. However, because of the success of the operation, the Germans begin to plan to kidnap Tito and Pétain.

Mussolini rescued by German commandos from his prison in Campo Imperatore on 12 September 1943.

Rescue of Mussolini

All the representatives of the Italian Government have already left Rome.

Mediterranean

U-boats commence operations off the Salerno bridgeheads. Only 3 ships will be sunk during numerous attacks.(period of time?)

New Guinea

The Australian 9th and 7th Divs adavance on Lae, from east and west. Salamaua, both the town and the airfield, is taken by troops from the Australian 5th Div. Farther north the Japanese at Lae are beginning to be hemmed in.