Air Operations, Bonin Islands

11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Chichi Jima and Haha Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10th Air Force B-25s attack a rail bridge at Bawgyo.
• More than 80 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces around Mawlu, and attack the airfield at Kawlin, artillery batteries at Hsipaw, the town area at Man Hpa, and troops, supplies, and communications facilities at three locations.
• 4 14th Air Force P-51s attack road-building equipment near Muse.

• 15 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 13 P-51s and P-40s attack stores, occupied villages, and targets of opportunity in the Mangshih area.
• 2 B-25s attack a rail line near Lohochai.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a rail line near Duc Tho.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack the Hate Tokako airfield, the Kaoe airfield on Halmahera, and the Langoan airfield on Celebes, and targets of opportunity on Ceram.
• P-38s attack the Kendari airfield on Celebes and a nickel mine, shipping, and targets of opportunity in the Kendari area.

Air Operations, Europe

Maj Walter Nowotny, Austrian fighter 'ace' with 258 victories, dies in an Me-262 crash over Achmer.

RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:

• 136 Lancasters of No. 3 Group attack the Meerbeck oil plant at Homberg. The raid opens well and 2 large fires are seen but smoke then conceals the target and later bombing is scattered.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 1 Wellington makes an RCM sortie.

• 59 Mosquitos are sent to Herford and 50 to Hannover, 24 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 4 RCM sorties.
• 2 Stirlings are lost on Resistance operations.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Alicante airfield on Negros.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Dulag, Leyte at 0610 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

Of 17 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched against Iwo Jima from bases in the Marianas, only 6 are able to drop their bombs through holes in the heavy cloud cover. A Japanese A6M Zero drops a phosphorous bomb on the B-29 formation, damaging 1 B-29. Also, 1 B-29 ditches on the return flight, the XXI Bomber Command’s first operational loss. Only 2 crewmen are eventually rescued.

Britain, Home Front

Goebbels having finally announced the V-2 rocket campaign on the UK, Churchill follows suit. At last the residents of southeast England have an explanation for the mysterious explosions of recent weeks.

Burma

On the British XXXIII Corps front, the 5th Indian Div completes the recapture of the area south of Tiddim, occupying Fort White, an important point on the Imphal-Kalemyo road and previously a Japanese strongpoint, without opposition. The British IV Corps is pushing directly south of Imphal downn the Kabaw Valley out on the western side of the Pondaung Range. Its objective is to reach Pakokku to the southwest of Mandalay, cutting off forces of the Japanese 15th Army as Britain's XXXIII Corps drives down on Mandalay from the north.

Eastern Front

German begins transferring 38,000 Jews from Budapest to concentration camps in Germany.

Italy

In the eastern sector of the front the Polish 3rd, Carpathian, Div of the Polish II Corps, British 8th Army enters Dovadola, while the 5th, Kresowa, Div pushes on toward Castroaro. The British V Corps makes new attacks south of Forlí.

Occupied Hungary

Deportations of Jews from Hungary resume, organized by the Germans and members of the Arrow Cross government. Some 70,000 Jews are marched from Budapest toward the Austrian border.

Pacific

• The US submarine Growler (SS-125) sinks due to unknown causes west of the Philippine Islands.
• The Japanese torpedo boat Sagi is sunk by the US submarine Gunnel (SS-253) in the Philippine Islands area.

Philippines

In the X Corps sector, not even the raging of a typhoon puts an end to the fierce fighting. More Japanese land at Ormoc, but the ships pull out before ammunition and supplies can be unloaded and are eventually sunk by US aircraft.

Western Front

The last German resistance on Walcheren is overcome by the Canadian 1st Army and the remainder of the garrison surrenders bringing the number of prisoners taken by the Allies during operations in the Scheldt estuary to 8,000.

The US XII Corps under Gen Alvan C. Gillem goes into the line on the left of the 12th Army Group. It consists of the 102nd Div except for the 406th Regt and the 84th Div.

The US 3rd Army begins an offensive around Metz and to the south. The eventual objective is the Saar. The XX Corps completes its final preparations for the attack in the Metz area with the 90th, 95th and 1st Arm Divs; the XII Corps will attack at dawn toward the Seille River with the 80th, 35th and 26th Divs. South of Metz the Seille is crossed and Nomony is taken.

Images from November 8, 1944

6-pdr anti-tank gun of the 4th Hallamshires, 49th Division, guarding the road to Willemstad, Holland, 8 November 1944

6-pdr Anti-tank Gun

The British Army in Greece 1944 Men of 2nd Parachute Brigade disembarking from landing craft at Salonika, 8 November 1944.

Disembarking at Salonika

8 Commando Buffalo Enters Serooskerke, 8 November 1944

Gun camera shot taken from 404/X during 8 Nov 1944 strike. A second Beau can be seen at the upper left. This strike seems to be a direct hit on one of the two vessels sunk this day.

A Direct Hit on a Vessel Below