Air Operations, Europe

• 4 Mosquitos are sent to Duisburg, 39 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and south of Texel and there are 2 OTU sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Stirling is lost.

• 71 3rd Medium Bomb Wing B-26s attack the Evreux/Fauville Airdrome at 1149 hours.
• 66 3rd Mesium Bomb Wing B-26s attack the Beauvais/Tille Airdrome at 1602 hours.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack numerous roads, road junctions, bridges and rail lines in and around the battle area.
• VIII Bomber Command B-24s on detached service with the XII Bomber Command attack marshalling yards at Pisa.
• NATAF aircraft attack numerous tactical and communications targets throughout southern Italy.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

XII Bomber Command medium bombers attack an Italian Navy destroyer between Elba and Corsica.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s mount light attacks against Manokwari and Sorong.
• 9 Japanese bombers with a fighter escort bomb and strafe the Finschhafen airstrip in Allied hands, but only 1 A6M Zero is downed, by a 475th Fighter Group P-38.

Air Operations, Solomons

The new Barakoma airfield on Vella Lavella is declared operational and used for the first time by an Allied plane.

Atlantic

In Operation PROBESTUCK (TEST PIECE) 29 German MTBs lay mines off Harwich.

Eastern Front

The Soviets capture Borispol just east of Kiev and farther north the Germans begin to evacuate Smolensk and Roslavl. Smolensk has been one of the strongest positions in the Soviet Union.

After a long battle the Germans pull out of Smolensk, the 31st Army of the Kalinin Front having virtually isolated the city from the north and the 5th and 68th Armies of the West Front from the east and south.

Borispol falls to the Voronezh Front as it draws closer to Kiev. The 3rd Guards Tank, 27th and 40th Armies consolidate their bridgehead at Bukrin.

Indian Ocean

The US freighter Elias Howe is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-10 about 75 miles southeast of Aden. British seaplanes rescue some of the survivors with the rest being picked up by the British trawler Aiglon. 2 of the crewmen are killed in the initial explosion.

New Guinea

The Australians break the Japanese defenses on the Bumi River. Finschafen airfield is captured. Offshore Japanese aircraft attempt to attack supply convoys but achieve little.

Solomons

The first Allied aircraft land on Vella Lavella airfield. The new airstrip here will give cover for the northerly Solomon Islands operations.

Pics from September 24, 1943

Vella Lavella Airstrip in the Solomons

Forward Observation Post

Sherman Tank Crew

A Bulldozer for the Airstrip

Escorted German Prisoners