Air Operations, CBI
BURMA- 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack rail facilities at Naba and Sagaing.
- 27 Japanese bombers attacking the airfield at Kunming are intercepted by 24 23rd Fighter Group P-40s and 3 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s. The P-40s down 3 A6M Zeros and 16 twin-engine bombers in defensive actions over Kunming and Kunming Lake between 0850 and 0900 hours. 1 P-40 is also lost.
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]Air Operations, East Indies
V Bomber Command B-25s attack Penfoei, Timor.
[ | ]Air Operations, Europe
RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
- 8 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 20 Wellingtons lay mines off Brest, Lorient and St Nazaire, and there are 21 OTU sorties.
- There are no losses.
| ]Air Operations, New Guinea
- 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and V Bomber Command B-25s attack roads and bridges between Madang and Kaiapit. V Bomber Command B-24s attack Boram and Wewak. V Fighter Command P-39 fighter-bombers attack targets around Bogadjim.
- P-38s of the 475th Fighter Group’s 432d Fighter Squadron down 2 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters and an A6M Zero over or near Marilinan between 1130 and 1230 hours.
| ]Air Operations, Solomons
2 VMF-213 F4Us down a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Choiseul at 0620 hours.
[ | ]Battle of the Atlantic
The British frigate Lagan, escorting Convoy ON-202, is torpedoed by U-260 in the middle of the North Atlantic with the loss of 28 crewmen. Lagan is towed back to the UK by the British tug Destiny arriving on the 24th where she is declared a total loss. U-305 sinks the Canadian destroyer St Croix, also escorting Convoy ON-202, with the loss of 147 of her crew. 80 are rescued by the British frigate Itchen. The British corvette Polyanthus, ordered to join Itchen in searching for the responsible submarine and in rescuing survivors, is sunk by U-952 with the loss of 85 of her crew. 1 survivor is picked up by Itchen.
[ | ]Eastern Front
Yeremenko's troops re-take Velizh, northwest of Smolensk, and Kholm, farther north along with many other towns.
CENTRAL SECTORVelizh falls to the 4th Shock Army of the Kalinin Front.
[ | ]Indian Ocean
The Italian submarine Cagni surrenders at Durban.
[ | ]Italy
Canadian troops from 8th Army enter Potenza after being held up by a tiny German force. Gen Lucas takes over command of VI Corps from Dawley. British and US troops link up at Eboli.
[ | ]New Guinea
The Australians advancing up the Markham Valley take Kaiapit after a hard struggle.
[ | ]Solomons
The units deployed on Sagekarasa, near Arundel, discover that the Japanese have abandoned their positions in the night. New Zealand troops finally clear the island of Vella Lavella of all remaining Japanese opposition. Japanese troops on Vella Lavella numbered about 600, but the greatest threat to the Allies came from air attacl.
[ | ]United States, Home Front
In the continuing debate about the drafting of fathers of families, Gen Marshall and Adm King tell a Senate Committee that failure to do so will probably prolong the war.
[ | ]Yugoslavia, Resistance
Very heavy fighting is taking place at Split, which is held by Mihailovic's patriot army. The Germans have made repeated attacks, using waves of dive-bombers, for the last 7 days.
[ | ]Pics from September 20, 1943
US Troops Advancing from the Salerno Bridgeheads |
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Welders Working on the Liberty Ship Frederick Douglass |
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| American welders S.L. Ramsey and Benny Chen work on the Liberty Ship SS Frederick Douglass at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard. On 20 September 1943, the German submarine U-238 torpedoed the SS Frederick Douglass and the SS Theodore Dwight Weld in the North Atlantic. SS Theodore Dwight Weld sank so quickly that 20 of the 42 merchant seamen and 13 of the 28 Armed Guards perished. All hands aboard the SS Frederick Douglass, 40 merchant seamen, 29 Armed Guards, and one female stowaway, were rescued by the SS Rathlin, a British passenger cargo vessel. The SS Frederick Douglass remained afloat until finished off later the same day by the German submarine U-645. Baltimore, Maryland, USA. May 1943. Image take by Roger Smith. |
Sherman Tank of the 14th Canadian Armoured Regiment |
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