Air Operations, Bismarcks

3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Meza.
• Japanese fighters based in Burma down a C-46 along the Hump ferry route.

Air Operations, Europe

Attempted night raids on London and Hull fail abysmally.

• 358 Lancasters of Nos. 1, 5, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Leipzig.
• This is the first serious attack on this distant German city. The weather conditions are bad and the bombing is widely scattered.
• 16 Lancasters are lost.

• 28 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, Cologne, Brauweiler and Emden, 15 Stirlings lay mines in the Frisians and there are 26 OTU sorties.
• 2 Mosquitos are lost.

• 212 VIII Bomber Command B-17s are dispatched to attack aircraft-industry targets at Duren, but only 86 from the 3rd Bomb Division are able to complete the attack, releasing 209 tons of bombs over the city about 1415 hours. Due to the failure of the new Oboe pathfinding equipment aboard the lead 1st Bomb Division B-17, the entire formation aborts, except for the 379th Heavy Bomb Group's 17 B-17s, which attack Woensdrecht Airdrome in the Netherlands, with about 42 tons of bombs at 1430 hours. Also, 11 B-17s of the 3rd Bomb Division's 385th Heavy Bomb Group attack Aachen when they are unable to locate Duren.
• 9 B-17s are lost, 10 damaged; 1 crewman killed, 85 missing
• 321 VIII Fighter Command P-47s and 39 P-38s escort and support the heavy bombers. In sporadic action, 4 Luftwaffe fighters are downed over the Netherlands and Belgium between 1400 and 1435 hours.

• XII Bomber Command B-17s, B-25s, B-26s, and P-38s attack the Cervetri and Macigliana Airdromes, the Rome/Casale Airdrome, and rail bridges in and near Grosseto, Montalto di Castro, and Orvieto.
• NATAF aircraft attack numerous gun emplacements, motor vehicles, and rail and road targets.

• XII Bomber Command bombers attack a marshalling yard at Nis.
• NATAF fighter-bombers sink 2 ships off the Dalmatian.

Air Operations, Gilberts

VII Bomber Command B-24s and VD-3 PB4Ys obtain extensive preinvasion photographic coverage of Tarawa Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack ground targets and 2 freighters at Manokwari. B-25s attack the Bogadjim area.
• 30 Japanese fighters mount an unopposed attack against Finschhafen, but damage is minimal.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 6 USN PVs and 7 AirSols SBDs mount 3 attacks against Kakasa.
• 24 F4Us and 24 P-40s, escorted by Navy F6Fs, attack Kahili.
• VF-33 and VF-40 F6Fs down 4 fighters over or near the Kahili airfield on Bougainville between 1135 and 1150 hours.
• 2 F6Fs are lost.

Battle of the Atlantic

Aircraft (VC-13) from the US escort carrier Core (CVE-13) sink the German submarine U-378 in the North Atlantic area.

U-378

Caribbean

U-516 sinks 6 ships in the Caribbean and escapes despite a week-long hunt by Allied forces.

Diplomatic Relations

Britain, Russian and the United States agree to establish an investigative War Crimes Commission establishing the basis for the Nürnberg war crimes trials.

Eastern Front

4 Russian 'Fronts', army groups, previously known as Voronezh, Steppe, Southwest and South, are redesignated 1st to 4th Ukraine Fronts.

Army Group Center reports to OKH that is is in excess of 200,000 men below establishment.

The Stavka redesignates its southern fronts, the final major change to the order of battle of the Soviet formations on the southern wing for the remainder of the war. The Voronezh Front is renamed the 1st Ukrainian Front, the Steppe Front becomes the 2nd Ukrainian, the Southwest Front the 3rd Ukrainian and the South Front the 4th Ukrainian Front. Rokossovsky's Central Front becomes the Belorussian Front, while Eremenko's Kalinin Front is renamed the 1st Baltic Front and the old Baltic Front under Popov becomes the 2nd Baltic.

Italy

The US 45th Div takes Piedimonte d'Alife while on its left 3rd and 34th Divs advance on either side of the Volturno with the 34th taking Alife. While the US 3rd Div continues its march northward against Mignano, west of the Volturno, the 34th makes for Capriati on the Volturno, east of the river.

New Guinea

The 24th Bde arrives at Finschafen to reinforce the Australian 9th Div troops already there and to help clear the continuing Japanese resistance in the area.

Pacific

• In Operation RO the aircraft from the Japanese carriers in Truk are transferred to Rabaul. The ships concerned are Zuikaku, Shokaku, Zuiho, Junyo, Hiyo and Ryuho. Although the aircraft are withdrawn from Rabaul in November they take heavy losses in the meantime, further signalling the decline of the Japanese naval air force as the number of experienced pilots dwindles. Adm Mineichi Koga, successor to Yamamoto, decides to send naval forces to the Solomons and New Britain.
• In the American camp Adm Halsey has agreed with Gen MacArthur's view that it would be impossible to 'skip' Bougainville as was done on Kolombangara, and in fact the Americans are preparing to invade the big island, from which it will be much easier to capture or neutralize New Britain.
• The US submarine Gato (SS-212) sinks the Japanese transport Tsunushima Maru (6712t) between Truk and Kavieng.
• The US submarine Kingish (SS-234) sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Sana Maru (3365t) off Banbon Bay, French Indochina.

Soviet Union, Armed Forces

In recognition of the Red Army's advances, the Stavka renames a number of fronts. The Voronezh Front becomes the 1st Ukrainian Front, the Steppe Front the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the Southwestern Front the 3rd Ukrainian, and the Southern Front the 4th Ukrainian. The Central Front is renamed Belorussian Front, the Kalinin Front becomes the Baltic Front and the Baltic Front is retitled 2nd Baltic.

United States, Planning

Gen MacArthur responds to the CCS offensive plan in the Pacific with the alternative schedule that proposes Rabaul be neutralized by February 1 by the capture of Hansa Bay, New Guinea, capture of the Admiralties, and the capture of Kavieng, New Ireland. By October, the Vogelkop Peninsula will be captured. By February SWPA forces will be ready for an invasion of Mindanao in the Philippines.

Scenes from October 20, 1943

U-boat Under Attack

Another View of the U-boat Under Attack

Crewman Scrambles to Help Hellcat Pilot

Engine Work on a B-17F near Port Moresby

Mystery Bombardment on Nis, Serbia

Wooden Mockup of the Jagdtiger