Air Operations, Asia

The Japanese bomb Madras, India.

Air Operations, CBI

• 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Myitkyina and Sadon.

• 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Tengchung.

Air Operations, East Indies

During the night, V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Cape Chater airfield at Timor and Lautem.

Air Operations, Europe

XII Bomber Command B-25s attack the Rhodes/Maritsa Airdrome.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

XII Bomber Command P-38s attack ships in the harbor at Corfu.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack Bira, Fak Fak, and Manokwari.
• On a reconnaissance mission over the airfield at Boram, 4 348th Fighter Group P-47s encounter a Japanese bomber formation escorted by more than 30 fighters. The 4 P-47s down 9 of the Japanese fighters.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 22 AirSols TBFs and 30 SBDs attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville and vicinity. Marine Corps F4Us down 7 A6M Zeros in the Shortland Islands area around 0945 hours. 1 18th Fighter Group P-40 downs a two-seat airplane near Kahili at 0945 hours.
• Japanese planes attack US shipping off Koli Point, Guadalcanal, torpedoing freighters George H. Himes (7176t) and John H. Couch (7176t). The tug Menominee (AT-73) beaches George H. Himes to save the ship's cargo. There are no casualties on this ship. 3 men perish on the John H. Couch on which her cargo of gasoline and diesel oil catches fire at the initial explosion. The ship is abandoned by her 42 crewmen, 25 Armed Guard sailors, 28 troop passengers and 99 stevedores.

Eastern Front

The armies of the Bryansk Front under Gen Markian M. Popov tighten their hold around Gomel and manage to capture one of its suburbs, Novobelitsa.

The Central Front makes slow progress around Gomel, Novobelitsa falling after hard fighting.

As Soviet troops enter Zaporozhe, bitter street fighting erupts in the town.

Italy

In the British 8th Army area, a gap is develping between the 78th Division on the Adriatic coast and the Canadian 1st Division. Montgomery re-groups his forward troops: V Corps, with the 78th Division and the Indian 8th Division under command, is given responsibility for the right flank; XIII Corps is to advance on a 2-division front, employing the Canadian 1st and the British 5th Divisions; the New Zealand 2nd Division, which is to concentrate in the Taranto area by mid-November, is to held in army reserve.

Pacific

The US submarine Wahoo (SS-238) is sunk by Japanese naval aircraft, submarine chasers CH-15 and CH-43 and minesweeper W-18 in La Perouse Strait.

Scenes from October 11, 1943

B-24s To Bomb Kahili Airfield

View of Salerno Harbor

Soviet Armored Forces

Clearing Debris in Hannover