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.

Air Operations, CBI

• 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

• 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.

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.

Burma

Gen Wingate's Long Range Penetration (LRP) unit

the Chindits

crosses the Indian border into northern Burma. The 3,000-strong unit, reformed and retrained 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.

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.

The 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

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.

Marshall Islands

The occupation and mopping up of the smaller islands in the south part of Kwajalein atoll goes on. Most are found to be deserted, but some small Japanese units are found on a few, and these as usual fight to the death.

Pacific

The Japanese submarine I-21 is sunk by the destroyer Charrette (DD-581) and the destroyer escort Fair (DE-35) in the Marshall Islands area.

Images from February 5, 1944

German POWs in Cassino, Italy, 5 February 1944

US Soldiers Sweeping for Mines in Italy, 5 February 1944

US and French Anti-Aircraft Units near Sant'Elia a Pianisi, Italy, 5 February 1944

US Half-Track Crew in Cassino, Italy on 5 February 1944

5 February 1944, Lt Robert Wehrman starts his engine as he readies his P-47C Thunderbolt 'Lolapoluza' for a Paris bomber escort mission.

P-47C Thunderbolt Ready for Escort Mission

Japanese fire engine with a motorcycle type engine found on Kwajalein, Marshall islands, when American troops landed. 5 February 1944

Japanese Fire Engine on Kwajalein

A Vickers machine gun crew of the 2nd New Zealand Division in action during attacks on German positions at Monte Cassino.

Machine Gun Crew of the 2nd New Zealand Division

A New Zealand Anti-Tank Gun in Action against German Positions on Monastery Hill