Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s support US Marine ground troops at Cape Gloucester.
• 10 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, escorted by 25 AirSols fighters, attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul. 11 B-24s attack shipping at Rabaul. 1 B-24 is lost with its entire crew, including the 5th Heavy Bomb Group commanding officer, Col Marion D. Unruh.
• VF-33 F6Fs down 3 A6M Zeros over Rabaul at 1140 hours.
• The Cape Gloucester airfield on New Britain is declared secure.

Air Operations, CBI

• 20 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack rail facilities and other targets at Monywa.

• 8 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters strafe Suichwan airfield at 0645 hours while 8 others provide top cover. 2 USAAF fighters are destroyed on the ground, but P-40s from the 23rd Fighter Group’s 76th Fighter Squadron down 4 of the 'Oscars'.

Air Operations, Marshalls

17 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Tarawa attack the Kwajalein Atoll. 9 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Jabor in the Jaluit Atoll. 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s, escorted by 24 318th Fighter Group P-39s, attack artillery batteries in the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Alexishafen, Madang, Sio, and targets of opportunity in the Huon Peninsula. V Fighter Command P-47s strafe targets around Madang and Sio and P-39s strafe barges along the Huon Peninsula coast.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 16 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 35 B-25s attack Kahili and vicinity. 6 B-25s attack the Korovo area.
• Construction work on the Piva Uncle airfield on Bougainville is completed.

Atlantic

The Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, Renown, Illustrious and Unicorn leave Scapa Flow and the Clyde for Ceylon.

Eastern Front

In the Kiev sector the Soviets take Kazatin near Berdichev southwest of Kiev and south of Zhitomir.

The XLVIII Panzer Corps loses Kazatin to the 1st Tank Army. A drop in the temperature causes the ground to freeze which returns some mobility to the Germans. While this is an advantage is also allows the Red Army to press ever deeper into the German rear.

New Britain

The US Marines complete the capture of the Japanese airfield at Cape Gloucester. It has been a surprisingly easy operation so far.

New Guinea

The operation against Saidor is now set for January 2.

Images from December 30, 1943

9 Commando After Night Raid, 30 December 1943

Unloading of the first load of airmail for Canadian soldiers in Italy from a Boeing B-17 aircraft of No.168(HT) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, Foggia, Italy, 30 December 1943

Unloading Airmail for Canadian Soldiers

'SUNNY II' 43-30796 EP-J Plane crash landed in England on 30 December 1943 mission to Ludwigshaven

Crash Landing in England

A captured Marder III operated by men of the 1st Royal Fusiliers, Italy, 30 December 1943

Pharmacist's Mate Second Class Gregor bandages the wrist of Corporal McIntyre at Vella Lavella in December 1943

The 401st Bomb Group over Germany, 30 December 1943