Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Gasmata.
• 1 V Bomber Command B-24 sinks a patrol boat between Cape Hoskins and Rabaul.

Air Operations, CBI

• In their unit’s combat debut, 3 311th Fighter Group A-36s are lost while patrolling the Hump ferry route near Sumprabum.

Air Operations, Europe

The Luftwaffe flies many hundreds of sorties against the Dnieper bridgeheads.

• 9 Mosquitos are sent to Dortmund and there are 11 OTU sorties. There are no losses. One of the Mosquitos is carrying out a G-H trial, but its equipment fails and it has to bomb by dead reckoning.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• More than 60 V Bomber Command B-25s attack the airfield at Wewak, Alexishafen, and numerous coastal targets.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over the airfield at Boram Airdrome at 1100 hours. 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 10 A6M Zeros and 2 'Tonys' over Alexishafen and Madang at 1100 hours and 1 Zero over Wewak at 1125 hours. A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Zero over Madang at 1400 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

3 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville. 6 B-25s attack the airfield at Ballale.

China

Adm Lord Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander for Southeast Asia, arrives in Chungking, the provisional capital of Nationalist China, for a conference with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

Eastern Front

There is fierce fighting in Melitopol.

Bloody fighting continues at Veliki Bukrin as the XLVIII Panzer Corps fends off repeated Soviet attacks. The German line around Kremenchug also collapses, enabling the Steppe Front to push southwest toward Krivoi Rog.

Italy

In the 5th Army sector the Germans begin to make a fighting withdrawal to the 'Barbara' line according to the schedule that Kesselring has ordered.

New Guinea

A captured enemy document has enabled the Australian 9th Div to take the necessary step to repulse a series of fierce counterattacks launched by the Japanese from their strongpoint of Sattelberg, which overlooks Finschafen.

Occupied Yugoslavia

The sixth German offensive against Tito's Partisans commences in Bosnia. It will end inconclusively in mid-January 1944.

Pacific

The Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No. 31 is sunk by US Army aircraft off New Britain.

Persian Gulf

U-533 is sunk by patrolling aircraft from RAF 255 Squadron.

United States, Command

Gen Lewis H. Brereton takes command of the US 9th Air orce in the UK.

Scenes from October 16, 1943

B-25 strafer over Boram Airfield banks above Ki-61 Tony and boneyard. Credit: USAAF Date: October 16, 1943

B-25 Strafer over Boram Airfield

The Volturno River 12 – 16 October 1943: A 25 pounder self-propelled gun at an aerodrome near Grazzanise fires a round during the night barrage in preparation for the crossing of the Volturno by assault troops. The gun is mounted on the wreckage of a German aircraft to obtain more elevation.

A 25 Pounder Self-propelled Gun in Action

An Otter light reconnaissance car crossing a Bailey bridge over the Volturno river at Grazzanise, 14-16 October 1943.

Light Reconnaissance Car Crossing a Bailey Bridge over the Volturno River

The 8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, 167th Brigade, 56th Division, moves forward, 16 October 1943

8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, 167th Brigade, 56th Division