Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 25 V Bomber Command A-20s attack Japanese Army ground troops around Gasmata and barges between Borgen Bay and Rein Bay. 18 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by more than 70 AirSols fighters, attack the Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul, antiaircraft batteries, and fuel dumps.
• VMF-211, VMF-215, and VMF-321 F4Us down 15 A6M Zeros in the Rabaul area between 1325 and 1330 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 16 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack rail lines, a rail bridge, and a pipeline in the Nattalin area. More than 40 10th Air Force A-36s and P-51s attack supply dumps along the rail line through the Mogaung area as well as warehouses at Mohnyin.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a tanker and a freighter while conducting a sweep between Hong Kong and Swatow.

Air Operations, Europe

• 769 aircraft are sent to Berlin. Included in this total are 495 Lancasters, 264 Halifaxes and 10 Mosquitos.
• The bomber approach route takes a wide swing to the north, but the German controller manages to feed his fighters into the bomber stream early and the fighters score steadily until the force is well on its way home. There are divesions but not large enough to deceive the Germans. The Berlin area is completely cloud-covered and results of the attack are unknown. The Pathfinder skymarking appears to have gone according to plan and crews who were scanning the ground with their H₂S sets believe that the attack falls on the eastern districts of Berlin. No major navigational problems are experienced. No photographic reconnaissance is possible until after a further 4 raids on Berlin are carried out but the various sources from which the Berlin reports are normally drawn all show a complete blank for this night. Over 2,300 tons of bombs are dropped.
• 22 Halifaxes and 13 Lancasters are lost. No 102 Squadron, from Pocklington, loses 5 of its 16 Halifaxes on this raid, 2 more crash in England and the squadron would lose 4 more aircraft in the next night's raid.
• 12 Mosquitos are sent to Düsseldorf, 4 to Kiel, 3 to Hannover, there are 6 RCM sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, 29 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and off French ports, and there are 20 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 8 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Rakaaru Island, but other B-25s sent to attack shipping in the Ailinglaplap Atoll abort in the face of bad weather. Also, 9 45th Fighter Squadron P-40s strafe a Japanese Navy corvette at Jaluit. 4 P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll.
• During the night, 16 VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kwajalein Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

37 V Bomber Command B-25s and 1 B-24 attack the Hansa Bay area. More than 60 B-25s support Australian Army ground forces clearing Shaggy Ridge. V Fighter Command P-39s attack Japanese Army ground troops at Weber Point.

Eastern Front

The Soviet 59th Army takes Novgorod in a brutal storming attack. The German 18th Army is forced to retire to avoid being surrounded. Meanwhile the 2nd Baltic Front under Popov also goes into action, vigorously engaging the German 16th Army to prevent it from sending reinforcements towards Novgorod and Leningrad.

Novgorod falls to the 59th Army as the German break out. The 2nd Baltic Front launches its diversionary attack against the 16th Army.

English Channel

British cross-Channel guns sink the blockade-runner Münsterland off Cap Gris Nez. German guns bombard Dover, Deal, Folkestoner and Ramsgate.

Italy

The US II Corps begins attacks across the Rapido toward the Liri valley and Monte Cassino. The US 36th Div occupies the south bank of the Rapido without much difficulty, but when it tries to cross the river at Sant'Angelo in Theodice, it is beaten off by the Germans with little difficulty. Meanwhile the 34th Div carries out diversionary actions toward Cassino. Farther south the attacks of the British X Corps are still making progress and capture Tufo.

United States, Command

Gen Carl Spaatz takes over supreme command of the American air forces in the European theater of war.

Images from January 20, 1944

Dead German soldiers and their equipment at a collection point in San Vittore. US Army medical corps personnel can be seen in background. San Vittore, Italy. 20 January 1944

Dead German Soldiers in San Vittore

Convoy En Route to Anzio, 20 January 1944. (US NARA)

A Sherman Tank Drives onto a Raft which will Transport it across the River Garigliano, 20 January 1944

A Sherman Tank Being Rafted across the River Garigliano, 20 January 1944