Air Operations, Carolines

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

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force P-47s attack road targets near Kutkai.
• 8 P-47s attack Mawhun and targets of opportunity along the Irrawaddy River.
• 8 P-47s sweep the Irrawaddy River between Bhamo and Katha.
• A 459th Fighter Squadron P-38 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Rangoon at 1105 hours.

• 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack vessels off the Pescadore Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

The US 8th Air Force, on its return flight to Italy, bombs the great Diosgyoer steelworks in Hungary.

• 140 aircraft are sent to hit the Nordstern oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. In this total are 102 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group and 28 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group. Large explosions are seen through the smoke screen.
• 2 Halifaxes are lost.
• 98 Halifaxes and 20 Lancasters of Nos. 6 and 8 Groups attack Osnabrück. The mission is to cut railway communications in the area. The marking and bombing are accurate but there are no details on the results.
• There are no losses.

• There are 13 RCM sorties.

• 36 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 3 to Karlsruhe, and there are 41 Mosquito patrols and 29 RCM sorties.
• 2 Mosquitos are lost on the Berlin raid.

Air Operations, Japan

During the night, 3 28th Composite Group B-24s attack the airfield at Kurabu Cape and nearby shipping.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the airfield at Langgoer.
• A-20s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack two airfields on Efman Island.
• B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack the airfields at Mano-kwari and Ransiki, and anti=aircraft batteries near the airfield at Babo.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Virtually unopposed, carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 mount numerous attacks against targets throughout the central Philippines.
• 2 VF-21 F6Fs down a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber at sea at 0629 hours.
• Carrier-based F6Fs (and 2 dive-bomber crews from VB-8 and VB-2) down 1 F1M 'Pete' reconnaissance plane, 2 G4Ms 'Betty' bombers, 2 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance planes, and 80 fighters over and around Negros between 0710 and 0945 hours.
• VF-13 F6Fs down 5 fighters over Legaspi (Luzon) at 0810 hours.
• 3VF(N)-41 F6Fs down an G4M 'Betty' bomber at sea at 0812 hours.
• A VF(N)-76 F4U downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Luzon at 1415 hours.

Atlantic

4 US warships including the destroyer Warrington (DD-383) and the Coast Guard cutters Bedloe (WSC-128) and Jackson (WSC-142) and a Liberty ship, previously torpedoed by U-518 are lost in a hurricane off the East Coast.

Britain, Home Front

The death of William Heath Robinson, an eccentric cartoonist, is reported.

China

Gen Joseph Stilwell has a meeting with emissaries from the Chinese Communist army, and also inspects the Chinese positions at Kweilin.

Eastern Front

The 2nd Belorussian Front takes Lomza on the Narew west of Bialystok, a German strongpoint for the defense of East Prussia and Warsaw.

The Soviets respond to British and American pressure and begin supply drops to the Polish Home Army (AK) forces fighting in Warsaw regarded by the Poles as too little too late.

The Leningrad, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts prepare to launch a new offensive aimed at destroying the 18th and 16th Armies between Riga and Narva. While the Leningrad Front drives in from the north, the 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts will pin down the German forces south of Lake Peipus. The 1st Baltic Front will sweep around the right wing of the 16th Army to regain the Baltic coast west of Riga and repeat the isolation of the 2 armies.

The Leningrad Front's 2nd Shock, 59th and 8th Armies along the Narva have 195,000 men, the 1st Baltic Front 621,000 (in the 4th Shock, 6th Guards, 51st, 43rd, 2nd Guards and 39th Armies), the 2nd Baltic 339,000 men (in the 10th Guards, 3rd Shock and 22nd Armies) and the 3rd Baltic Front 345,000 men (in the 42nd, 67th, 1st Shock abd 54th Armies). The 3 Baltic fronts also have 17,000 arty pieces, 3,000 tanks and 2,600 aircraft. The Army Group North has around 400,000 ment with 400 panzers.

The 49th Army crosses the Narew and takes Lomza, while the 47th Army clears the Praga suburb of Warsaw but fails to link up with the Polish Home Army.

Italy

The 5th Arm Div, Canadian I Corps, and the 1st Div, British V Corps of the 8th Army have succeeded in clearing the Germans entirely from the Coriano Ridge and almost completely from the Gemmano positions. The Germans are forced to retire to the north leaving the road to Rimini open.

Moluccas

The US invasion force for Morotai is on its way.

Pacific

The Japanese submarine chaser No. 55 is sunk by US carrier-based aircraft in the Philippine Islands area.

Palau Islands

Over the next 2 days, the American forces begin their preliminary bombardment of Peleliu and Angaur. Adm Jesse B. Oldendorf leads 5 battleships, 9 cruisers and numerous destroyers in this operation. Also in support is an escort carrier force which varies in strength at different times form 7 to 11 ships. Minesweeping operations also begin to clear the approach to the islands.

Rumania

(when?) The armistice between the Allies and Rumania is signed. The terms have been dictated by the Soviets and include reparations of $300,000,000 and the cession of territory to the USSR.

Western Front

The German garrison at Brest refuses to surrender. Units of the US 3rd Army continue their offensive along the line of the Moselle from Thionville to Epinal. The US 3rd Army takes Neufchâteau. French troops of the 3rd and 7th Armies make contact at Chatillon-sur-Seine. Canadian 4th Arm Div elements cross the Leopold Canal near Bruges.

Eisenhower orders the capture of the Ruhr basin and a deep-water port, either Antwerp or Rotterdam, to facilitate the flow of supplies.

Images from September 13, 1944

Abandoned German 88mm Anti-tank Gun in Belgium, 13 September 1944

Destroyed German Jagdpanther near Geel, 13 September 1944

A Sherman tank passes an abandoned German 88mm anti-tank gun during the advance in Belgium, 13 September 1944.

Passing Abandoned German Gun

Churchill bridgelayers, Sherman flail tanks and infantry following the assault on Le Havre, 13 September 1944

Following the Assault on Le Havre

The flak hit on B-17G ‘Sky Monster’ on 13 September 1944 blew the radio operator out of the aircraft and killed the waist gunner and ball turret gunner.

Flak Hit on a B-17G

Moselle River, Location: Crevechamps (VELLE-sur-MOSELLE) 13 September 1944, Length: 372' 'A' Company, One of the first crossings of the Moselle River - 150th Engineer Combat Battalion

One of the First Crossings of the Moselle River

The crew of an upended Sherman tank of 7th Armoured Brigade enjoy a ‘brew’ beside their vehicle while waiting for a recovery team, Gothic Line, 13 September 1944. Their tank overturned after slipping off a narrow road in the dark.

Having Tea Beside Upended Tank

Royal Artillery in action against German positions on the Gothic Line 13 September 1944

Royal Artillery in Action