Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Borgen Bay area.

Air Operations, CBI

• Approximately 30 Japanese bombers and fighters attack the airfield at Suichwan, but intercepting 23rd Fighter Group P-40s down 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomber and 6 Japanese fighters over Nanchang at 1500 hours.
• 3 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfield at Hankow Airdrome. 14 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 10 14th Air Force P-40s attack Ansiang and Shihshow.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Balikpapan (Borneo) and Makassar (Celebes).

Air Operations, Europe

There is a heavy raid by the 8th Air Force on the Emden U-boat yards. 20 planes are lost. The Americans claim 138 German fighters are shot down.

• 437 VIII Bomber Command B-17s and 86 B-24s attack aircraft-industry targets at Emden with 1,407 tons of bombs.
• 15 B-17 and 2 B-24s are lost
• Bomber escort and support is provided by 313 P-47s, 31 P-38s, and 44 P-51s, which down 2 Ju-88 attack aircraft and 19 Luftwaffe fighters over the Netherlands and northern Germany between 1205 and 1305 hours.

• The entire 15th Air Force and XII Air Support Command B-25s are grounded by bad weather, but numerous fighter and fighter-bomber missions are mounted in support of Allied ground forces. 31st Fighter Group Spitfires dwon 1 and damage 2 Bf-109s over central Italy at 0935 hours.

Air Operations, Far East

40 USAAF and Chinese aircraft are destroyed in a surprise night attack against Allied airfields in Hunan Province, China. The Japanese are hoping to sever the highly efficient air supply services relied on by Chinese Nationalist troops assaulting the city of Kung-an.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack bivouacs in the Fortification Point and Finschhafen areas.

Air Operations, Solomons

• More than 20 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and several 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Arigua Plantation, Bougainville. 16 B-25s attack Kahili in two waves. 8 XIII Fighter Command P-39s fighter-bombers attack Tonolei. Other AirSols aircraft attack targets of opportunity.
• A VF(N)-75 F4U night-fighter downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Cape Torkina at 2300 hours.
• During the night, AirSols night fighters attack the Bonis and Buka airfields on Bougainville, and a Japanese Army bivouac on Bougainville.

Allied Command

Lord Louis Mountbatten decides to integrate the US 10th Air Force and the RAF 'Bengal Command' in a single Eastern Air Command. All Allied air forces in the sector are put under the command of Air Chief-Marshal Sir Richard Peirse.

Allied Planning

Gen Arnold, GC USAAF, declares that the Allies are almost ready to launch a '24-hour 360-degree' bombing assault on Germany from north, south, east and west. 'We are going to hit them every day and the RAF every night.'

Italy

The fighting in 5th Army's sector has continued now for several days. There are in yet no decisive gains for either side and the Allied momentum is being worn down.

Images from December 11, 1943

Corsair Landing Aboard the Illustrious

US Navy Seabee in Diving Gear

US 45th Infantry Division Camp

Moroccan Infantry Troops in Italy