Aegean

British forces take the island of Leros.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack 2 ships at Chiuchiang.

• In one of only two 14 Air Force heavy-bomber missions mounted throughout the month (because of bad weather), 15 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s are sent to bomb Haiphong. About half the B-24s abort in the face of bad weather, but the remainder attack the target without opposition.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Kendari, Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

• 8 Lancasters of 617 Squadron set out with the new 12,000lb bomb (not the 12,000lb Tallboy 'earthquake' bomb developed later) to attack the banks of the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Ladbergen. While the force is over the North Sea, however, a weather reconnaissance Mosquito reports that there is fog in the target area and the Lancasters are recalled. The aircraft of Flight Lieutenant D. I. H. Maltby, one of the original members of the squadron that had attacked the Ruhr dams, crashes into the sea and the crew are all killed. Maltby's body was washed ashore and is buried at Wickhambreux, near Canterbury in Kent; the names of the other 6 crew members are on the Runnymede Memorial for the Missing.

• 8 Mosquitos make a nuisance raid on Berlin.
• 1 Mosquito is lost.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Lae and barges at Hansa Bay.
• 1 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Malahang at 1045 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• A total of 30 XIII Bomber Command B-24s mount three attacks during the day against the Kahili airfield on Bougainville.
• Small formations of B-24s and 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Vila airfield on Kolombangara in two waves.
• AirSols SBDs and fighters attack the airfield at Ballale.
• VMF-222 F4Us down 4 A6M Zeros and 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Kahili between 0845 and 0915 hours.
• 1 P-40 with the 18th Fighter Group’s 44th Fighter Squadron downs 1 A6M Zero over Kahili at 1150 hours.
• VMF-213 F4Us and a VMSB-235 radioman-gunner down 2 Zero over Ballale between 1305 and 1315 hours.
• VF-33 and VF-40 F6Fs down 11 Zeros over the airfields at Ballale and Bougainville between 1315 and 1320 hours.
• During the night, Japanese Navy aircraft organized into flights of 2 or 3 airplanes mount an unprecedented 79 separate attacks against airfields on Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Vella Lavella.

Axis Diplomacy

Mussolini reaches Rastenburg, the 'wolf's lair', Hitler's headquarters. Vittorio Mussolini, the Duce's son, describes the scene: 'Deeply moved, the two men clasped each other by the hand for a long time.'

Eastern Front

The Germans announce the evacuation of Bryansk but fighting there continues. In the south there is also heavy fighting for the Kuban town of Novorossiysk. Yeremenko drives toward Smolensk from the north.

The German 9th Army begins to evacuate Bryansk, heavy fighting raging in and around the city. West Front attacks also draw closer to Smolensk, while the Kalinin Front pushes down from the north. Dukhovschina falls to the 39th Army of the Kalinin Front.

In the Kuban the German 17th Army withdraws from the Gotenkopf line.

Hitler agrees to a withdrawal from Smolensk to reduce the pressure upon Army Group Center.

Indian Ocean

The U-boat group Monsun ('Monsoon') begins operations. 6 ships are sunk during October. All except U-533, which is lost, then go to Penang.

Italy

The Germans maintain pressure on the Salerno beachhead but Allied air support and, even more importantly, naval gunfire prevent any significant success. 8th Army is still driving forward in the south, having reached Bari in the east which is taken by units of the British 1st Airborne and beyond Belvedere in the west. The British 5th Div pushes northward on the Tyrrhenian coast and arrives south of Sapri.

Mediterranean

The Greek submarine Katsonis is sunk.

New Guinea

The Australians erect a bridge over the Busu River and send their 26th Bde over to the other side. The 25th Bde occupies Heath Plantation in its advance on Lae.

Solomons

On Vella Lavella, after an intense artillery barrage, the US and New Zealand attacks make good progress advancing in Kokolope Bay and occupy Horaniu, which the Japanese have evacuated.

On the islet of Sagekarasa, near Arundel, the Japanese put in a strong counterattack against the American battalion landed the previous day. It is necessary to reinforce the battalion on Sagekarasa while the Japanese complete the dispatch of a regiment from Kolombangara to Arundel.

Pics from September 14, 1943

The Italian submarine Menotti (foreground) entering St Paul’s Bay on September 14, 1943. The ship had been berthed at Lazzaretto Creek since September 12. In the background is the repair tender Miraglia. Moored along its starboard side is the torpedo boat Libra and the submarines Atropo, Bandiera and Jalea.

The Italian submarine Menotti

VELLA LAVELLA, Solomon Islands, September 14, 1943: Major J. Alfred Burden and Tateshi Miyasaki, MIS linguists with the 25th Infantry Division, interrogate a captured Japanese sailor. (National Archives photo)

Interrogation of Japanese Sailor

Aircrews of the RAF's No.125 Squadron stand by, ready to launch a night time Beaufighter mission from Exeteron September 14,1943.

RAF's 125 Squadron Aircrews

Signallers take cover in a ditch as an enemy mortar bomb explodes near their jeep, 14-16 September 1943.

Signallers Take Cover

Auschwitz: selected to work by Mengele, 14 September 1943. Hoess the commandant of Auschwitz tours Buna with Himmler.

Hoess and Hitler Tour Auscchwitz

Agnone, Sicily. 14 September 1943. Fitters and other mechanical specialists of No.3 (Kittyhawk) Squadron RAAF, an all-Australian squadron who will form the advance party moving into Italy, await transport to take them to Grottaglie, Italy. In the background, a line-up of C47 transport aircraft wait on the airfield. (Photo by Lawrie Le Guay)

Awaiting Transport

Grottaglie, Italy. 14 September 1943. Members of the advance party of No.3 (Kittyhawk) Squadron RAAF, gathered around for their midday meal prior to further operations in support of the Army. In the centre of the picture is Flight Lieutenant Ron Susans [with moustache] and Squadron Leader Brian Eaton [wearing cravat].

Advance Party of No 3 Squadron RAAF

Engineer Paul Johnston of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation setting up equipment to record a broadcast by CBC correspondent Matthew Halton, Catangora, Italy, 14 September 1943. (Capt. Frank Royal / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada)

Setting Up to Record a Broadcast