Air Operations, Bismarcks

1 V Bomber Command B-24 attacks the Cape Gloucester airfield on New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 3 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s on their way to India to pick up supplies attack a Japanese Army headquarters, barracks, and warehouses at Tengchung.

• 9 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, escorted by 20 P-40s, attack the Gia Lam airfield at Hanoi.

Air Operations, Europe

357 bombers of the American 8th Air Force carry out a massive raid on Bremen and Vegesack, but incur heavy losses.

• 504 aircraft are sent to Hannover. Included in the total are 282 Lancasters, 188 Halifaxes, 26 Wellingtons and 8 Mosquitos.
• The German controller guesses correctly that Hannover is the target and many night-fighters arrive before the attack is over. Conditions over Hannover are clear and the Pathfinders are finally able to mark the center of the city accurately. A concentrated bombing effort follows with a 'creepback' of only 2 miles, all within the built-up area. This is the last Bomber Command raid in which Wellingtons take part. The Wellingtons for this raid are provided by 300 (Polish) and 432 (Canadian) squadrons. They suffer no losses.
• 14 Lancasters and 13 Halifaxes are lost.
• 119 aircraft, including 95 Stirlings, 17 Halifaxes and 7 Lancasters of Nos. 3 and 8 Groups are sent to Bremen. This is a diversionary raid on a larger scale than ever before. The bombing is scattered but this is a subsidiary aim of the operations.
• 3 Stirlings are lost.

• 10 Mosquitos are sent to Castrop-Rauxel, 7 to Berlin, 1 to Düren, 17 Stirlings lay mines in the Gironde River and off La Pallice, and there are 2 OTU Sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and XIII Fighter Command P-40s attack barges off western Choiseul. In all since October 6, AirSols aircraft have destroyed 25 Japanese Navy barges committed to evacuating Japanese Army ground troops from Kolombangara.
• An 18th Fighter Group P-38 a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Guadalcanal at 1010 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-378 sinks the Polish destroyer Orkan, escorting Convoy SC-143, west of Ireland with the loss of 184 of her crew. 44 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Musketeer.

Black Sea

240 German barges, Siebel Ferries and other craft used in the Kuban evacuation are safely withdrawn from the Kerch Straits to Sebastopol.

Eastern Front

The Bryansk Front is disbanded as its units are handed over to the Central and West Fronts.

Greece, Home Front

Pro- and anti-Communist guerillas begin a series of violent clashes in Greece, the beginning of a civil war in that country that will last for 6 years.

Italy

8th Army takes Larino and Gugilonesi inland from the coast on either side of Biferno. 5th Army takes Caserta and has now come up to the Volturno line planning to attack on October 12.

Japan, Politics

Tojo assumes personal responsibility for war production taking control of the ministries of commerce and industry.

Scenes from October 8, 1943

100th BG on the Bomb Run over Bremen 8 October 1943

'Tinker Toy', 'jinx ship' of the 381st BG, after the October 8, 1943 mission to Bremen, Germany. Men point to holes made by 20mm cannon shells which decapitated the pilot. (SOURCE: The Mighty Eighth by Roger A. Freeman).

Cannon Damage after the Raid on Bremen

Crash landing of Maj. John B. "Jack" Kidd after the Bremen mission 8 October 1943

Crash landing of Maj John B. Kidd

'JUST-A-SNAPPIN' home from Bremen, 8 Oct 1943. The crash landing was at Ludham, England. (Jack Kidd Collection).

'JUST-A-SNAPPIN' Crash Landing