Chronology of World War II

December 1943

140 V Bomber Command B-24s, B-25s, and B-26s attack Cape Gloucester.
20 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Japanese Army ground forces near Arawe.
37 V Fighter Command P-39s attack Gasmata.
In the first mission of its kind from bases in the South Pacific Area, 41 5th and 307th Heavy Bomb group B-24s, escorted by 48 AirSols P-38s and RNZAF Kittyhawks, are sent to attack Rabaul and Simpson Harbor. The B-24s are based at Guadalcanal, but they need to pass through the Munda Point airfield on New Georgia in order to reach Rabaul. Due to bad weather, only 6 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s are able to reach Rabaul. 2 F4Us are lost when an estimated 50 Japanese fighters intercept the strike force.
VMF-222 F4Us down 3 A6M Zeros near Rabaul at 1315 hours.

[

]

BURMA

During the night, 20 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack dock areas and rail yards in Rangoon.

CHINA

Japanese bombers attack Yunnani Airdrome without loss.
12 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack Ansiang and Nanhsien.
25th Fighter Squadron P-40s down 60 Ki-48 'Lily' bombers and 4 A6M Zeros in a running fight from Yunnanyi to the southeast during the late morning.

THAILAND

During the night, 20 of 21 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sent attack the Bangkok port area with 110 500-pound bombs, including 59 incendiaries.

[

]

12th AIR FORCE
ITALY:

XII Air Support Command B-25s attack the marshalling yards and airdrome at Orte and the marshalling yards at Terni.
XII Air Support Command A-20s attack Orte and Cassino.
XII Air Support Command A-36s attack the rail line and port at Civitavecchia.
XII Air Support Command P-40s attack a dump near Arce and two towns.

YUGOSLAVIA:

15th AIR FORCE
AUSTRIA:

GERMANY:

In the 15th Air Force's first attack on a target on German soil, 50 unescorted B-24s attack the Messerschmitt research and experimental facility and Bf-110 assembly plant at Augsburg with 86 tons of bombs through a near-total undercast. Bomber gunners claim 21 Luftwaffe fighters downed or probably downed.

ITALY:

15th Air Force B-26s attack rail facilities and marshalling yards at three locations.
After missing its rendezvous with heavy bombers, the 15th Air Force's 325th Fighter Group, in P-47s, strafes the Ancona Airdrome, a ship, a train, and several truck convoys.

[

]

29 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Baker Island and Nanomea attack the Maloelap and Mille atolls. 318th Fighter Group P-39s based at Starmann Field on Butaritari strafe the airfield on Mille.
A P-39 with the 318th Fighter Group’s 72d Fighter Squadron downs an A6M Zero over the Mille Atoll at 1015 hours, but 2 P-39s are downed by Japanese Navy fighters.

[

]

30 V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack the airfield at Madang.
A total of about 30 5th Air Force B-25s, A-20s, and P-39s attack barges and Japanese Army positions near Finschhafen as 348th Fighter Group P-47s sweep the northeast coast.

[

]

A VF(N)-75 F4U night-fighter downs an A6M2-N 'Rufe' fightr-bomber near Cape Torkina at 0235 hours.
25 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bivouac and a supply dump on Bougainville. Numerous AirSols aircraft attack targets of opportunity, bypassed airdromes, and other targets throughout the Bougainville and Buka areas.

[

]