Air Operations, Carolines

During the night, 868th Heavy Bomb Squadron SB-24s attack Japanese airfields and defenses in the Palau Islands.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack Kangon.
• 10th Air Force P-47s support British Army ground troops near Pinbaw.
• 4 P-47s attack Nankan.
• 4 P-51s attack road traffic along the Shweli River and bomb stores near Hopin.

• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 25 14th Air Force P-40s attack road traffic, rail traffic, and town areas at or near Chuchou, Hengyang, Siangtan, and Yangtien.
• 19 P-40s attack targets along the Yangtze River and at or near Anjen, Mangshih, and Yungcheng.

Air Operations, East Indies

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Lolobat airfield on Halmahera.
• 36 345th Medium Bomb Group B-25s staging through Noemfoor attack shipping in the Bangka and Lembeh straits and a bomb-storage site at Lembeh, Celebes. After this attack, bad weather prevents follow-on attacks until early September.

Air Operations, Europe

German aircraft raid Bucharest as a reprisal for Rumania's defection.

• 53 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group attack shipping in the harbor at Brest. 22 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito bomb the U-boat pens at Ijmuiden. Both raids are successful with no losses.

• 6 Halifaxes lay mines off La Pallice without a loss.
• RAF Coastal Command attacks German evacuation ships off Le Havre.

• 139 8th Air Force B-17s attack oil refineries at Brux.

• 1,074 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack three aircraft factories, an armaments factory, an airdrome, five oil-industry targets, and various targets of opportunity, including five airdromes.
• 26 heavy bombers are lost
• Escort for the heavy bombers is provided by 626 VIII Fighter Command fighters. Four escort groups strafe two airdromes and two marshalling yards. The escort pilots down 10 Bf-109s over Germany between 1112 and 1400 hours.
• 4 fighters are lost with 3 pilots.

• 9th Air Force fighter support US Army ground forces and attack bridges spanning the Seine River.
• In daylong action, 474th Fighter Group P-38s conduct especially aggressive bombing attacks against German Army road columns attempting to reach and cross the Seine River--with the result that vast amounts of military stores are abandoned by the fleeing Germans.
• IX Troop Carrier Command transports mount more than 275 supply and evacuation sorties.

• 12th Air Force medium bombers attack three bridges in southern France and gun emplacements near Marseille.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack tactical targets, bridges, and motor vehicles.
• During the night, XII TAC A-20s attack targets of opportunity in the Rhone River valley.

• 12th Air Force medium bombers attack two bridges.

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the airdrome at Pardubice.
• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack three oil refineries at Kolin and Pardubice.
• 15th Air Force escort pilots down 10 Axis fighters.

• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack oil refineries in southern Germany.

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack Szeged and a marshalling yard at Vinkovci.

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack a rail bridge.

Battle of the Atlantic

The British frigate Louis is on patrol in a new area of the Bay of Biscay when an asdic contact is detected. Two depth charge and Hedgehog attacks proved to be lethal for U-445 as a large amount of oil came to the surface.

U-445

CBI

On the Salween front the Japanese send reinforcements to Lung-ling from Mangshih.

Eastern Front

The Russian forces in the south advance at great speed. In Rumania Johannes Freissner's Army Group South Ukraine, hotly pursued by the 2nd and 3rd Ukraine Fronts, withdraws speedily over the Danube. The Russians, after surrounding the German-Rumanian 6th Army, now overrun the Rumanian 3rd Army, many of whose units lay down their arms. The 2 armies formed part of the Dumitrescu Army Group. Kishinev is taken by the Russians.

The German 18th Army is pushed back into Tartu, while Group Narva is still fending off the 2nd Shock, 8th and 59th Armies.

The link-up between the Soviet 37th and 52nd Armies between Husi and Leov signals the encirclement of the German 6th Army. Kishinev falls to the 5th Shock Army as the 4th Guards, 5th Shock, 37th and 57th Armies begin the reduction of the German pocket. Meanwhile, the 6th Tank, 27th, 46th and 52nd Armies continue to power west. Group Meith (formally IV Corps) attempts to escape encirclement at Husi. Bucharest rises against German authority, prompting Hitler to order the 5th Flak Div (which had been defending the Ploesti oil fields) to suppress the revolt. When it comes under heavy fire and calls in Luftwaffe support, the revolt spreads rapidly to other parts of the country.[MORE]

Germany, Home Front

New mobilization measures are issued by Goebbels to put Germany on a 'total war' footing. Laborers are ordered to go on a 60-hour workweek. All theaters, music halls and cabarets are to be closed from September 1. All holidays are suspended and students are mobilized. All compassionate leaves are stopped for the armed forces. Within the military, headquarters staffs are purged of what Hitler termed 'rear area swine', who are assigned to combat units.

Indian Ocean

Adm Moody leads the carriers Victorious and Indomitable in an attack on Padang in the southwest of Sumatra. The battleship Howe is one of the escorting ships. On August 23 Adm Sir Bruce Fraser has taken over command or the British Eastern Fleet from Adm James Somerville. In addition to the forces sent against Padang there are 3 battleships and 2 fleet carriers.

Italy

In the US 5th Army's British XIII Corps area, the 1st Division and the Indian 8th Division begin fording the Arno River east of Florence to secure positions on the northern bank before the main 5th Army attack begins. There is no opposition.

The British 8th Army completes preparations for an attack on the Gothic Line on a 3-corps front. Screened by the Polish II Corps on the army right flank, the Canadian I Corps, employing the Canadian 1st Division in line, takes over the narrow front just west of the Polish II Corps. The V Corps, with the 46th Division and the Indian 4th Division in line, moves to the west of the Canadian I Corps on a front of about 20 miles. The X Corps, consisting of the Indian 10th Division and a mixed brigade group, continues to hold the left flank of the army. The Italian Corps of Liberation, upon relief by the V Corps, is held in army reserve.

Northern France

The fighting in Paris flares up again as the Germans make a final effort. Gen Philippe Leclerc leads the French 2nd Arm Div to the southwestern suburbs, running into heavy opposition. On Gen Bradley's personal orders as Commander-in-Chief of the 12th Army Group, the US 4th Div prepares to attack Paris from the south.

In the south, the XX Corps establishes 2 bridgeheads over the Seine at Melun and Montereau. Units of the US XII Corps advance eastwards toward Troyes, St Florentin and Courtenay.[NF]

Pacific

• In retaliation for the previous day's loss, the USS Harder (SS-257) is sunk off the coast of Luzon by Japanese depth charges from the Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.22.
• The US submarine Ronquil (SS-396) attacks a Japanese convoy sinking the army cargo ship No.3 Yoshida Maru (4646t) off Keelung, Formosa, and merchant cargo ship Fukurei Maru (5969t) off Sankaku Island.
• The US submarine Sailfish (SS-192) attacks a Japanese convoy in the Luzon Strait and sinks the transport Toan Maru (2110t).
• A British carrier force stikes Padang, Sumatra, sinking the Japanese merchant cargo ship Shiretoko Maru (14,500t) and damaging Senko Maru and Chisho Maru.

Southern France

Paratroopers of the US 1st Airborne Task Force enter Cannes without opposition and head for Antibes. Inland, in the drive north, Grenoble is taken in the main advance west Arles is taken, on the Rhòne south of Avignon, by the US 3rd Div.

Images from August 24, 1944

De Gaulle Addressing Crowds in Chartres

Watching the Seine During Battle for Paris

Inside Police Headquarters

Knocked-out German Tank, Carro Armato M13/41

Torpedo Boat T-24 Under Attack

Searching for German Soldier in Hyeres

Adm Mountbatten Meets Adm Fraser

Churchill with Gen Freyberg