Air Operations, Bismarcks
- More than 60 AirSols SBDs escorted by more than 60 AirSols fighters attack Rabaul's Lakunai airfield, which is attacked again a short time later by 13 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by more than 30 AirSols fighters.
- VF-17 F4Us and VF-38 F6Fs down 6 A6M Zeros over the Rabaul area between 1045 and 1105 hours. VMF-218 and VMF-222 F4Us down 2 A6M Zeros in the Rabaul area between 1055 and 1125 hours.
- 48 V Bomber Command B-24s thwarted by bad weather on their way to Kavieng attack the Cape Hoskins airfield on New Britain and Gasmata. B-25s attack shipping in the Bismarck Sea.
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]Air Operations, CBI
BURMA- Before dawn, 8 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfield at Heho. 6 B-24s attack the airfield at Aungban. 9 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack airfields at Heho, Myittha, and Sagaing.
- During the day, 14 10th Air Force A-36s and P-51s attack a marshalling yard at Wuntho.
- During the night, 9 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-25s attack Heho's airfield and 4 B-24s attack the airfield at Aungban.
- 2 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack shipping at sea east of Hong Kong.
- During the night, 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Nakhon Nayok and, as a target of opportunity, an airfield on the Mekong River.
- During the night, 8 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Bangkok.
| ]Air Operations, Europe
RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
- 18 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 7 to Duisburg and 1 to Hannover, there are 3 Serrate patrols, 29 Stirlings and 17 Halifaxes are on Resistance operations, 19 Halifaxes lay mines off Oslo and Fredrijkstad in Norway and there are 5 OTU sorties.
- 1 Stirling is lost on a Resistance operation.
FRANCE:
- 354 8th Air Force B-17s and 98 B-24s attack six Luftwaffe airdromes with an aggregate of 1,313 tons of bombs.
- 2 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged bombers are written off
- Escort and support for the heavy bombers is provided by 634 USAAF fighters, whose pilots down 4 Luftwaffe fighters, 1 He-111, and 1 FW-200 between 1045 and 1215 hours.
FRANCE:
- Approximately 226 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack 6 V-weapons sites around St.-Omer.
- 6 B-26s are lost to heavy flak concentrations around these sites
ITALY:
- XII Bomber Command B-25s attack marshalling yard at Terni.
- XII Air Support Command A-20s attack various targets around Lanuvio and Piedimonte.
- XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack numerous motor vehicles and road junctions in central Italy.
- The 332nd Fighter Group, the USAAF's only African-American combat unit, begins combat operations in P-39s with the 12th Air Force from its base at the Montecorvino Airdrome. The veteran, independent 99th Fighter Squadron is oprationally attached to the new group.
| ]Air Operations, Japan
6 11th Air Force B-24s and 16 P-38s, with some land-based US Navy aircraft, provide a day-long umbrella for a US Navy surface force following its bombardment of targets in the Kurile Islands. When the warships are out of range, the USAAF aircraft reconnoiter and attack Paramushiro and Shimushu islands.
[ | ]Air Operations, Marshalls
Task Group 58.4 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack targets in the Jaluit Atoll. VII Fighter Command P-39s strafe the airfield on Mille.
[ | ]Air Operations, New Guinea
V Bomber Command B-24s mount a light attack against Kaimana and more than 70 B-25s and A-20s attack Hansa Bay.
[ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
A VMF(N)-531 PV night-fighter crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber 64 miles from Bougainville's Torokina Field at 2108 hours.
[ | ]CBI
BURMAGen Wingate's Long Range Penetration (LRP) unit, the Chindits, crosses the Indian border into northern Burma. This Special Force consists of the Indian 77th and 111th Brigades and 3 independent brigades (14th, 16th, 23rd) formed from the British 70th Division. The 3,000-strong unit, re-formed and re-trained after its earlier disastrous mission, is now under Gen Stilwell's strategic command, though Wingate remains its immeadiate leader. The Chindits' mission is to support Stilwell's drive toward Myitkyina on the right flank, drawing Japanese troops away from advancing Chinese forces and cutting supply and communication links.
[ | ]Diplomatic Relations
Argentina breaks off diplomatic relations with Vichy France, Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania.
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Eastern Front
The Soviets of 1st Ukraine Front occupy Rovno and Lutsk, pushing 4th Pzr Army back once more. These attacks bring the Russians to within 50 miles of the 'Curzon Line' at Brest Litovsk from where the Germans launched their attack against the USSR. Inside the Korsun pocket Gen Wilhelm Stemmermann withdraws his forces slightly into a tighter perimeter. Air activity in this sector is very intense, with the Germans flying supplies fairly successfully to the trapped force from their airfields around Uman. The Soviets mount a considerable ground-attack effort as well as trying to cut off German supplies.
Over the next few days the Russian 3rd and 4th Ukraine Fronts drive the Germans from the Nikopol Salient then cross the Dnieper River to free Nikopol and its great manganese mines.
SOUTHERN SECTORThe 2nd Ukrainian Front moves the 2nd Tank Army around from the inner to outer defense ring to counter the threat of a German breakthrough to Group Stemmerman.
Rovno and Lutsk falls to the 60th anr 13th Armies after bitter fighting while in the Dniepr bend the 46th Army captures Apostolovo, encircling a small part of the XXX Corps near the town. The German positions before Krivoi Rog and Nikopol are completely exposed, compelling Hollidt to request the withdrawal of the 6th Army.
[ | ]Italy
In the US 5th Army area, the VI Corps receives probing jabs, particularly in front of Cisterna. The Germans continue their build-up of forces for the main counteroffensive. The airstrip at Nettuno is abandoned as a permanent base because of enemy shelling. Port operations are hampered by continuing enemy air attacks.
The II Corps continues the battle for Cassino with day and night attacks. But they bring no substantial results even though some units do succeed for a short time in digging in on the edge of the valley overlooked by the abbey. During the night, the 1st and 3rd Battalions, 168th Infantry, assemble on Point 445. The 1st Battalion, 135th Infantry, concentrated on the left flank to block enemy infiltratrion from Castle Hill. The 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, drives south from Hill 175 to Castle Hill but is force back to Hill 175 by a strong night counterattack. The 3rd Battalion repels a counterattack at the northern edge of Cassino and takes another block of houses. The 36th Division is ordered to move around the 34th Division and be prepared to capture Piedimonte from the northeast.
[ | ]Marshall Islands
KWAJALEIN ATOLLWhile mopping up is conducted on Kwajalein Island, other islands in the southern Kwajalein Atoll are being reconnoitered. The 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry, finds 3 Japanese on Beverly (South Gugegwe); the 1st Battalion clears about 200 Japanese from Berlin (North Gugegwe). Company C with tanks then proceeds to Benson, the next island to the north, and secures it. The 7th Reconnaissance Troop invades Bennett (Bigej) where it is assisted by the 3rd Battalion of the 184th Infantry with 2 tanks. 94 Japanese are killed before the island is secured. The 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry, organized into Eastern and Western Forces, continues to mop up. The Eastern Force works south from the northern end of the southeastern leg of the atoll toward Bennett, taking 5 islands without opposition. The Western Force advances northward from Carlos and takes 4 islands, 3 of them without opposition.
[ | ]New Britain
The Japanese stubbornly resist the Americans on Arawe, but report they are running short on food and ammunition.
[ | ]Pacific
- The US submarine Flasher (SS-249) sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Taishin Maru (1723t) about 60 miles west of Mindoro.
- The British submarine Stonehenge sinks the Japanese ship No. 2 Koryo Maru off Sumatra.
| ]Images from February 5, 1944
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