Air Operations, Bismarcks

• When heavy cloud cover over the target thwarts a planned attack against the Tobera airfield at Rabaul, 45 of 57 V Bomber Command B-24s sent on this mission, escorted by 47 V Fighter Command P-38s, attack the Rapopo airfield at Rabaul, where they destroy an estimated 20 aircraft on the ground.
• 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 13 A6M Zeros and Ki-43 'Oscars' over the Rabaul area between 1215 and 1310 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the rail bridge at Meza and 6 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Htawgaw.
• Japanese fighters based in Burma down 3 C-46s along the Hump ferry route.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

A P-40 with the 15th Fighter Group’s 45th Fighter Squadon downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat near Baker Island at 1220 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a bridge.
• XII Bomber Command B-38s attack the Tirana Airport and an 82nd Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ju-52 over the target at 0830 hours.

• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack road and rail bridges at Marsciano and Montalto di Castro.
• NATAF aircraft attack a German Army troop concentration near Spinete and numerous road, rail, and tactical targets in or near the battle area.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 9 V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Bogadjim area.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 6 Japanese fighters near Finschhafen between 1040 and 1045 hours. An 8th Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Finschhafen at 1110 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

24 AirSols SBDs, 18 TBFs, and 60 AirSols fighters attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville and antiaircraft batteries. 11 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 16 XIII Fighter Command P-38s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville followed by 6 B-24s and 16 AirSols fighters attacking the same airfield. 24 SBDs, 18 TBFs, and 36 XIII Fighter Command fighters next attack the Kara airfield. 6 B-24s attack Kakasa. 1 aircraft is shot down and another is destroyed in an operational accident.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US destroyer Duncan (DD-485) and the British destoyer Vidette sink U-274 using 'Hedgehog' depth charge patterns.

U-274

Class	Type VIIC
CO	Oberleutnant zur Zee Günther Jordan
Location	N Atlantic, SW of Iceland
Cause	Hedgehog
Casualties	48
Survivors	None

• In an engagement in the Bay of Biscay with German torpedo boats the British cruiser Charybdis is sunk by T-23 and T-27. 59 on board are killed and about 400 are missing. 107 are rescued. In the same engagement the British destroyer Limbourne is badly damaged by T-22 with the loss of 42 of her crew. After an unsuccessful attempt at towing, the British destroyer Talybont scuttles her. 103 crewmen are rescued.

Britain, Policy

Churchill sends Adm Mountbatten clear directives about the limits and the objectives of his mandate as Supreme Allied Commander for Southeast Asia.

Diplomatic Relations

The privisional government of India of Subhas Chandra Bose declares war on Britain and the U.S.

Eastern Front

Melitopol falls to the Gen Tolbukhin's 4th Ukraine Front after 10 days of fighting. The thrust from Kremenchug toward Krivoy Rog is still making good progress but slows as the opposition stiffens. The Soviets are now within 20 miles of the town and have cut the railroad to Dnepropetrovsk.

The 6th Army loses control of Melitopol to the 28th Army. With its line broken, 6th Army retreats rapidly to the Dniepr, losing contact with the 17th Army in the Crimea, leaving Jaenecke's force isolated.

English Channel

A German squadron protecting a blockade runner sinks the British cruiser Charbydis and the destroyer Limbourne. The German torpedo boats T-23 and T-27 each put a torpedo into the cruiser sinking her. 520 men are lost.

Italy

In the 5th Army sector Sparanise is taken by the British 56th Div. The 8th Army attacks across the Trigno River northwest of Termoli.

Mediterranean

German planes raid Allied shipping off Naples, Italy hitting the US freighter James Iredell with 3 bombs setting fire the ship's gasoline cargo. The ship is abandoned with no casualties among the 44-man crew and 28-man Armed Guard.

New Britain

Rabaul is raided on both this day and the next. 1 destroyer is sunk in the harbor along with 5 merchant ships.

Pacific

The US submarine Silversides (SS-236) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Tennan Maru (5407t) and army cargo ships Johore Maru (6182t) and Kazan Maru (1893t) about 300 miles north of New Guniea.

Scenes from October 23, 1943

Canadians on the Watch for Snipers

New Zealand Soldiers Arrive at Taranto

US Medic Carries Wounded German

B-24J Makes a Forced Belly Landing