Air Operations, Bismarcks
V Fighter Command P-40s attack barges off New Britain, but bombing missions against Rabaul are canceled because of bad weather over the target.
[
| 
]Air Operations, CBI
BURMA- 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a rail bridge at Meza.
- 10th Air Force P-40s armed with 1,000-pound bombs mount 4 separate bombing and strafing attacks against facilties and antiaircraft batteries at the Myitkyina airfield.
| ]Air Operations, Europe
BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
- 11 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr and 6 to Emden. All targets are bombed but 1 Mosquito on the Ruhr sorties is lost.
ALBANIA:
- 82nd Fighter Group P-38s down 1 Fi-156 and 3 Bf-109s between 1500 and 1520 hours during a bombing and strafing attack on Tirana Airport.
- 11 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr and 6 to Emden. All targets are bombed but 1 Mosquito on the Ruhr sorties is lost.
- XII Bomber Command B-17s attack a viaduct at Antheor.
- XII Bomber Command B-25s attack Anzio.
- XII Bomber Command B-26s attack port facilities and shipping at Civitavecchia.
| ]Air Operations, Solomons
- 19 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville. The Kara airfield is next hit by 34 AirSols SBDs, 24 TBFs, and 54 fighters attacking runways and antiaircraft batteries. The last attack of the day on Kara is delivered by 23 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 16 fighters.
- A VF(N)-75 F4U night-fighter downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Vella Lavella at 2300 hours.
| ]Battle of the Atlantic
- U-306 is shadowing Convoys SL-138 and KMS-28 when she is spotted by the British destroyer Shitehall and corvette Geranium, depth-charged and sunk
- Aircraft (VC-9) from the US escort carrier Card (CVE-11) sink the German submarine U-584 in the North Atlantic area.
- U-732 is sighted by the trawler Imperialist and is attacked with a ten-charge pattern. The U-boat surfaces and is attacked with the trawler's deck guns and is sunk but not destroyed. U-732 surfaces some time later in the vicinity of the destroyer Douglas who completes the destruction.
[U-732
Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See K. P. Carlsen Location Atlantic, W of Strait of Gibraltar Cause Depth charge Casualties 31 Survivors 19 | ]
CBI
The 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), known as Galahad, arrive in theater. Galahad is the result of a blind call for volunteers for a hazardous mission. The collection of individuals ranges from highly experienced combat soldiers to misfits and dropouts. They are to be trained to become a deep penetration force along the model of the British Chindits. Stilwell is glad to see American combat troops, regardless of their reputation, and is eager to employ them in the upcoming offensive. Galahad becomes known by the last name of its new commander, Brig-Gen Frank D. Merrill, a close associate of Stilwell's. Soon afterward the press is calling the unit Merrill's Marauders. The unit will be trained by British insructors of the South East Asia Command (SEAC).
In Burma, 10th Air Force P-40s, carrying 1,000-pound bombs, attack the Japanese airfield at Myitkyina with bomb runs and strafing attacks on anti-aircraft positions. B-25 Mitchells attack the Meza railroad bridge. Air transports are delivering an average of over 8,000 tons of supplies in October. Chennault is getting at least half of this. As a result, Stilwell's pland to train and equip Chinese divisions in the Y Force for an offensive in Burma is far behind schedule. Another 30 Chinese divisions, called Zebra force, is promised by Chiang, and Stilwell provides 2,200 Americans at Kweilin to serve as the cadre. Not enough supplies are provided by the airlift to do more than rudimentary support and training.
[ | ]
Eastern Front
The Soviets capture Chaplinka and have now, therefore, cut all the railroad lines leading out of the Crimea, cutting off German supplies.
ASSESSMENT
In the year since November 1942 the Ostheer has suffered 1,886,000 casualties. Some 250,000 had been lost at Stalingrad and of the remainder, 240,000 had been killed, 993,000 wounded and 106,000 captured, plus many more missing in actino. However, only 1,260,000 men had been replaced. In the four months since Operation CITADEL the Germans had lost 911,000 men. Equipment levels had also fallen, German armored strength standing at 700 operational vehicles. There were in fact 2,300 tanks and assault guns available, but a lack of spare parts prevent many being put back into the line. The Red Army had 6,500 tanks and Su's.
THE OSTHEER
Despite its falling strength, the Ostheer had committed another 3 panzer, 2 infantry and 1 security divisions to the fighting but 4 infantry divisions left the line. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd SS Panzer-Grenadier divisions had also been redesignated panzer divisions. German strength stood at 22 panzer, 9 panzer grenadier and 150 infantry divisions.
[ | ]
Italy
In the British X Corps sector Teano is taken by the 56th Div in the course of attacks toward Monte Santa Croce by the 7th Arm Div and the 46th Div. To the left attacks also go in against Monte Massico. In the east, where the British 8th Army is operating, the 5th Div captures Cantalupo.
The Italian 1st Motorized Group is incorporated into the U.S. 5th Army, the first Italian unit to enter the war as an Allied co-belligerent.
[ | ]
Pacific
The US submarine Rasher (SS-269) sinks the Japanese oiler Koryu Maru (589t) off Pambero, Indonesia.
[ | ]
Solomons
Task Force 31 sails for Bougainville, having taken on board in the Central Solomons the 20,000-odd men of the 1 Amphibious Corps of the US Marines, made up of the 37th Inf Div and 3rd Marine Div, under the command of Gen Alexander Vandegrift. The Americans are well aware that they are outnumbered, but rely on support from their powerful navy and air force, which in the course of the last weeks has put every enemy airfield in the south of Bougainville out of action.
[ | ]
United States, Home Front
Max Reinhardt, a German-Jewish theatrical producer, dies at age 70.
[ | ]
Scenes from October 31, 1943
US Cruisers at Pearl Harbor
The Perils of a Night Landing!
German 'Tiger' Moving through a Burning Village
Constructing a Bridge over the Dnieper
|
|