Air Operations, Bismarcks

• During the morning, after being thwarted by bad weather over the Cape Hoskins airfield on New Britain, more than 100 V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Lindenhafen with 1,000-pound bombs.
• During the afternoon, 26 V Bomber Command B-24s and 24 B-25s attack Ring Ring Plantation near Gasmata.
• V Fighter Command P-38s down 2 A6M Zeros near Gasmata between 1110 and 1150 hours.
• During the night, RAAF Beauforts resume regular night-harrassment missions against Rabaul.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfield at Heho.

• 12 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack Kungan and Li-Chou, 8 B-25s attack Wuchang, and 16 14th Air Force P-40s attack targets of opportunity between Changte and Li-Chou.

• 20 Japanese twin-engine bombers, escorted by 25 fighters, attack the airfield at Dinjan without opposition. While the Japanese force is withdrawing, however, 311th Fighter Group P-51s and 80th Fighter Group P-40s arriving in two separate waves down 3 Ki-21 'Sally' bombers and 6 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Dinjan airfield and Chabua between 1150 and 1215 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

710 radar-directed bombers of the US 8th Air Force with P-51 fighter escorts attack Kiel.

Air Operations, Marshalls

10 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Canton Island pass through the Baker Island airfield to attack the Wotje Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack occupied villages along the Bogadjim road.
• V Fighter Command P-39s strafe barges along the Huon Peninsula coast.

Air Operations, Pacific

The US 5th Air Force drops 433 tons of bombs on Arawe, New Britain.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 24 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Bonis.
• 17 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Porton, and their escort fighters strafe a bivouac at Tenekow. 6 B-25s mount low-level attacks against Japanese Army ground troops at Numa Numa.
• 3 Marine Corps SBDs and 3 TBFs that happen to be at the Torokina airfield on Bougainville are called upon to support US Marine ground troops against 300 entrenched Japanese Army ground troops. Unfortunately, one aircraft misdrops its bomb, which kills 6 Marines and wounds 2.

Mediterranean

• (12th?) The British destroyer Holcombe is sunk by U-593 off Bougie, Algeria.
• The German submarine U-593 is sunk by the US destroyer Wainwright (DD-419) and British surface craft in the Mediterranean area.

Pacific

The Task Force detailed for the invasion of Arawe peninsula, New Britain, sails from Goodenough Island for Buna, New Guinea, from which they will go on to their objective.

Images from December 13, 1943

A Universal Carrier and mortar team of the Indian 6th Royal Frontier Force in Italy, 13 December 1943.

Indian Mortar Team in Italy

German troops taking a break after mass killing 667 Greek citizens of Kalavryta area, on 13 December 1943. Behind them, the town is on fire.

Massacre of Kalavryta

US and Brazilian joint commission in Saint Eugene, Algiers, Algeria on 13 December 1943

US and Brazilian Joint Commission

A-24B-5-DT Banshee aircraft of US 531st Fighter Squadron following a Jeep down the runway on Makin Island, Gilbert Islands, 13 December 1943

US Banshee Aircraft on Makin Island

A B-17 Flying Fortress (IN-L, serial number 42-31090) nicknamed "Nasty Habit" of the 613th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group returns to base after a raid over Kiel, 13 December 1943.

B-17 'Nasty Habit' Returning to Base

Captain Ray Sandford's ship, B-26 'Hell's Fury' 131625 YA-R, going down on a mission to Amsterdam Schiphol Airdrome in Holland. Right side of photo shows the left engine and nacelle on fire after blowing off the left wing. Seconds later the entire ship blew up. This photo taken by Tech. Sergeant Willaim Lynch while flying with Flight Officer Barney Wasowicz.

US B-26 Blowing Up Over Amsterdam

U-593 settling by the stern - Wainwright's motor boat alongside - HMS Calpe in the background

U-593 Settling by the Stern