Aegean

U-565 is badly damaged during a raid on Piraeus and Skaramanga by USAAF B-24 Liberators. The U-boat is scuttled on September 30.

U-565

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

18 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Saipan attack shipping and port facilities on and near various islands, especially Chichi Jima.

Air Operations, Carolines

24 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in the Marshall Islands attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 20 10th Air Force P-47s attack the Mawhun area; and 13 P-47s attack the Bhamo area.

• More than 20 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the White Cloud airfield at Canton, Kuanyang, Mangshih, and Taohsien.
• 3 B-25s attack the Changtuikuan area.
• More than 70 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack numerous targets in the Burma Road area and across east-central and southeastern China.
• A 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber near Chihkiang during the evening.
• 11 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s transport fuel from India to Liuchow.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Dara.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack Lautem, Timor.
• B-24s and B-25s attack airfields on Ceram and Boeroe, and Boela.
• 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Kendari airfield on Celebes at 1140 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 188 aircraft are sent to bomb in the Calais area. Included in the aircraft total are 101 Lancasters, 62 Halifaxes and 25 Mosquitos. The German positions are completely covered by cloud at 2,000ft and only 126 aircraft bomb. Most of these bomb Oboe-aimed skymarkers, but some aircraft come below cloud to bomb visually and 7 Lancasters and 1 Halifax are shot down by light flak, which is very accurate at such a height.
• 2 Hudsons are on Resistance operations.

• 41 8th Air Force B-24s transport fuel to France.

• Called by ground controllers to directly support a unit of the US 3rd Army, two P-47 squadrons of the 9th Air Force's 405th Fighter Group repeatedly bomb and strafe German tank columns and truck convoys through severe weather and intense ground fire. Later in the day, the group's third squadron helps quell enemy opposition to ground attacks in the same area by bombing and strafing buildings, also in the face of bad weather and intense ground fire.

• XII Fighter Command fighter-bombers provide on-call support for US Army ground forces and attack a wide range of tactical targets in the battle zone.

• In a final effort to halt or stall the German Army's evacuation of Greece by air and sea, 362 15th Air Force B-24s attack the Athens/Kalamaki and Athens/Tatoi Airdromes, the marshalling yard at Salonika, and the harbor at Skarmanga.

Air Operations, Japan

8 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s are challenged by 12 A6M Zeros while attacking the airfield on Kurabu Cape. 4 Zeros are downed and 1 of 2 damaged B-24s lands in the USSR, where it and its crew are interned.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Sorong.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack airfields at Babo, Manokwari, and Urarom.

Air Operations, Philippines

US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 mount punishing attacks in the Manila area and central Philippines. US carrier-based fighter pilots down 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane and 7 fighters over the Philippines between 0840 and 1620 hours.

Arctic

Anti-submarine nets foil an attempted U-boat attack on the Russian battleship Arkhangelsk (ex-HMS Royal Sovereign).

Battle of the Atlantic

U-871 is spotted by 2 aircraft of No 220 Squadron RAF. Fortress 'P' attacks the submarine with 3 depth charges which explode around the conning tower as the ship was just breaking surface. After the explosions oil and wreckage were seen on the surface.

U-871

Burma

In the north, the British 36th Div, advancing cautiously southward in the area of Namma, runs into considerable enemy forces and the advance is held up.

Eastern Front

After 9 days of bitter fighting, the 2nd Ukraine Front succeeds in repelling the 27 German and Hungarian divisions and brigades holding them up in the Cluj area in northern Rumania. Rumania is now almost entirely in Russian hands, and the Red Army reaches the Rumanian-Hungarian frontier in the area of Mako. Red Army forces penetrate 20 miles into Czechoslovakia from Poland. Soviet naval units begin occupying Estonian ports on the Baltic.

The 19th Panzer Division attacks the Poles in Mokotow, pushing them slowly back. German attacks from the south and west also make progress.

Army Group South Ukraine's counterattack near Cluj wears itself out after costly fighting.

Hitler redesignates his army groups in the southern sector, renaming Army Group North Ukraine, Army Group A and Army Group South Ukraine, Army Group South.

Germany, Armed Forces

Army Group North Ukraine is renamed Army Group A, while Army Group South Ukraine becomes Army Group South.

Italy

The Allies steadily continue their advance north of the 'Gothic' Line.

Mediterranean

• The British Aegean Force, which includes 7 carriers, lands troops to reoccupy the Aegean Islands and mainland Greece. This operation will continue until the end of October. Two German submarines, U-565 and U-596 are sunk by US Army aircraft off Salamis, Greece.
• U-596 is destroyed in a raid on the port of Salamis by USAAF B024 Liberators.

U-596

Pacific

• In the Visayas area raid in the Philippine Islands, carrier-based aircraft sink the following Japanese ships: the torpedo boat Hayabusa, the seaplane tender Akitsushima, the minelayer Yaeyama and the submarine chaser No. 32.
• The US motor minesweeper YMS-19 is sunk by a mine off the southeast coast of Angaur, Palaus.

Palaus

On Peleliu heavy naval and air bombardments herald new American attacks. The US 321st Inf Regt advances beyond Garekoru, on the American left flank. Infantry and Marines try to take the enemy positions on Mount Umurbrogol in the rear, but the attempt is frustrated by a powerful Japanese counterattack.

On Angaur the Americans invite the Japanese still holding out in the Lake Salome area to surrender, but only 2 men come forward. The artillery thereupon begins a murderous bombardment which lasts until the next day.

Western Front

XXX Corps advance reaches the south bank of the Rhine west of Arnhem. North of the river the paratroopers are still holding out despite many casualties from fierce attacks and shortages of food and ammunition. Other XXX Corps units enter Germany southwest of Nijmegen.

The Canadian 2nd Div establishes a bridgehead over the Antwerp-Turnhout canal.

Images from September 24, 1944

German Reinforcements Arrive

Mortar Attack on the Hartenstein Hotel

Infantry Ride on Sherman Tanks

Men of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Crossing a Canal at Someren

Preparing for an Attack

Firing from the Hartenstein Hotel

VIII Corps in Asten

German Mortar Attack on 1st Airborne Division's HQ

British Paratroopers in Arnhem go into Captivity