Air Operations, Europe

The US heavy-bomber forces concentrate on two target systems this month. Communications centers are attacked including Coblenz and Bingen. The effort on December 11 is particularly great with the targets being Giessen, Hanau and Frankfurt. The other range of targets is in the oil industry. Plants in Silesia and near Vienna are hit as are Harburg and Meiderich. On December 24 8th Air Force sends 2,000 bombers on missions. The Allied Air Forces based in Italy contribute to these attacks as well as hitting targets on their own front and harrying the German retreat in Yugoslavia with bombing and arms drops to resistance forces. RAF Bomber Command drops 48,700 tons during the month. One third of the operations are made during the days and targets are throughout Germany. Transport and oil systems are again favored targets. Hagen, Essen, Trier, Leuna and Poolitz are all hit.

Air Operations, Pacific

US Superfortress bombers continue and extend their strategic bombing campaign from their bases in China and Saipan. Tokyo is attacked on 4 occasions during the month, Nagoya 3 times and Omura, Yokohama and Yokosuka once. Outside Japan targets include Mukden, Shanghai and Nanking.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 30 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces around Bhamo.
• More than 30 P-47s attack troops, dumps, warehouses, and occupied towns at 5 locations.
• 17 P-47s atttack bridges across northern Burma.
• 8 P-47s attack a landing ground at Hsenwi.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack stores at Wanling.

• 6 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping targets of opportunity in the South China Sea.
• A small number of 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack various targets.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s and fighter-bombers attack airfields and targets of opportunity on Halmahera.
• Fighter-bombers attack various targets of opportunity elsewhere in the region.

Air Operations, Europe

• 71 Mosquitos are sent to Karlsruhe, 6 to Hallendorf and 4 to Duisburg, and there are 22 Mosquito patrols and 24 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

26 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Guam attack Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Bacolod and Fabrica airfields on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Lahug airfield on Cebu.
• B-25s attack the Cagayan airfield on Mindanao.
• fighter-bombers attack numerous targets.
• 18th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Fabrica airfield on Negros between noon and 1215 hours.

Burma-China

On the Salween front, the Chinese take Chefang.

Eastern Front

In eastern Czechoslovakia, troops of the 4th Ukraine Front force the crossing of the Ondava River near Humenné and Trebišov.

In the attacks south of Budapest most of the Russian forces are held except around Pécs where the 57th Army is operating. Northeast of Budapest the 4th Ukraine Front attack the positions of the 1st Panzer Army along the Ondava River.

The 46th Army is held up around Budapest but the 57th Army continues to make progress near Pecsx. Elements of the 4th Ukrainian Front attack the 1st Panzer Army along the Ondava River.

Italy

The British 8th Army continues its preparations for the attack fixed for December 4.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack rail and road bridges at 3 locations.
• 60 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops, tanks, defended areas, and dumps at 8 locations.
• 40 fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo area.
• 16 P-47s attack a supply train at Pangkyawng and sweep the rail lines between Hsipaw and Lashio.
• 14th Air Force B-25s attack Hsenwi.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack various targets in eastern Burma.

• A small number of 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack various targets around Chiuchiang and between Paoching and Yungfengshih.
• A 311th Fighter Group P-51 downs a twin-engine bomber near Pengpu at 1215 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s and B-25s attack the Boroboro and Kendari airfields on Celebes.
• B-25s attack the Namlea airfield on Boeroe and shipping near Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

• 93 Lancasters of No. 3 Group attack the Hansa benzol plant at Dortmund through thick cloud. The bombing is believed to have been accurate.
• There are no losses.

• 1 Hudson makes a Resistance flight.

• 504 aircraft including 394 Halifaxes, 87 Lancasters and 23 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to bomb Hagen. The town of Hagen was not too heavily bombed before this raid. The effect upon industrial production is serious. Many firms are recorded as having lost up to 3 months' production. In addition, it was found by the Allies after the war that a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries - of which large numbers are needed by the new types of U-boats - is completely destroyed in this raid.
• 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster crash in France.

• 66 Mosquitos are sent to Giessen, 10 Stirlings are on Resistance operations, and there are 62 Mosquito patrols and 44 RCM sorties.
• 1 Stirling on a Resistance flight and 1 Mosquito Intruder are lost.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Cagayan and Matina airfields on Mindanao and the Dumagueta airfield on Negros.
• 7 V Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers support US Army ground forces on Leyte.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack various targets in the central Philippines and southern Luzon.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

23 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Guam attack Iwo Jima.

Burma

In the British XXXIII Corps sector, the 11th East African Division reaches the Chindwin River at Kalewa.

China

A Japanese column advancing on Kweiyang reaches and occupies Tu-shan.

The Americans suggest to Chiang Kai-shek that he should arm 3 Communist regiments in Shen-si province, the first region to be administered by the Communists. The 3 regiments would be employed in Nationalist territory under American officers. The Generalissimo refuses.

Diplomatic Relations

De Gaulle arrives in Moscow for meetings with Stalin.

Eastern Front

In Czechoslovakia, the 4th Ukraine Front extends its bridgehead over the Ondava.

In Hungary, the 2nd Ukraine Front attacks the strong enemy fortifications in the Miskolc area, while the 3rd Ukraine Front and formations of partisans force the Germans back on a broad front between the Danube and the Drava, south of Lake Balaton.

With the threat of a Soviet breakthrough in Hungary the Germans bring the 2nd Panzer Army back into the line, deploying it south of Lake Balaton. The main objective for the army is the protection of the Hungarian oilfields at Nagykanitza.

North of the lake Army Group South deploys Gen Maximilian Fretter-Pico's 6th Army between the lake and the Hatvan with the III Panzer, LXXII and LVII Panzer Corps, while the 8th Army under Gen Otto Wohler is around Miskolc.

Air Operation, Bonin and Volcano Islands

17 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Guam attack Iwo Jima and 7 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Haha Jima and Iwo Jima while escorting photo-reconnaissance aircraft over the area.

Air Operation, CBI

• 32 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo area.
• More than 30 fighter-bombers attack troops, ammunition and fuel dumps, supplies, and heavy equipment at or near Hopaw, Indaw, Loipao, Man Kat, and Namhpai.
• 18 P-47s attack two road bridges.
• 9 P-47s sweep the rail line between Shwebo and Wuntho.
• 6 P-47s attack several rail bridges.
• 4 P-47s attack a ferry landing at Myitson with delay-fuse bombs.
• During the night, 4 10th Air Force B-25s attack a rail bridge at Tangon.

• 5 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a bridge at Pengpu with delay-fuse bombs.
• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 10 14th Air Force P-51s attack stores at Sintsiang.
• 67 fighter-bombers attack warehouses, rail targets, and shipping in southern China and eastern Burma.

Air Operation, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s mount strong attacks against Mandai and Malimpoeng, Celebes.
• B-25s attack 4 airfields on Halmahera.

Air Operation, Europe

• 183 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to bomb the small town of Heimbach in the Eifel region. This raid is probably in support of an American ground attack in this area. The Master Bomber and the Pathfinders can not identify the target and the Lancasters are ordered to abandon the raid.
• There are no losses.
• 1 Hudson is involved in a Resistance operations.

• 11 Oboe Mosquitos bomb a steelwork in Hallendorf without a loss.

Air Operation, Japan

73 of 86 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched attack an aircraft factory and targets of opportunity in Tokyo. 6 B-29s are lost to defending ighters.

Air Operation, New Guinea

V Bomber Command A-20s attack Point Noejaw.

Air Operation, Philippines

V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Palompon and airfields in the Masbate area. A 475th Fighter Group P-38 owns a D3A 'Val' dive bomber near Ormoc, Leyte, at 1707 hours.

Atlantic

The US freighter Francis Asbury is mined in the Schelde River losing 9 of her 41-man crew and 6 of her 28 Armed Guard sailors. There are also 46 injured in the 2 groups. The ship drifts aground off Ostend, Belgium, where she is sunk by gunfire as a menace to navigation.

Britain, Home Front

The volunteer defense force, the Home Guard, is 'stood down' from service since it is not now needed to watch for a German invasion.

Burma

In the British XXXIII Corps sector, the 11th East African Division establishes a bridgehead over the Chindwin near Kalewa, and the 20th Indian Division also crosses the Chindwin in the area of Mawlaik.

China

The Japanese 11th Army, short of reinforcements, breaks off its unauthorized advance towards Kweiyang, in Kweichow province, south of Chungking.

Eastern Front

In Hungary, Miskolc, northeast of Budapest and a key position in the German defensive line and an important industrial center, is taken by troops from 2nd Ukraine Front.

Miskolc falls after heavy fighting.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 60 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops, stores, and targets of opportunity at 10 locations.
• 28 P-47s attack bridges at 6 locations.
• 8 P-47s support Allied ground forces near Bhamo.
• 14th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Kutkai, Lashio, and Namhkai.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack bridges and road, river, and rail traffic at Hsiangcheng, Kweilin, Lingling, Saiping, and in several other areas.
• More than 90 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in southern China, northern Burma, and northern French Indochina.
• 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51s down 4 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Ehr Tao Kow airfield at Chiuchiang during an afternoon engagement.

Air Operations, Europe

Air raids against V-2 launch sites destroy only 2 rockets, but prompt the Germans to limit launches to the night hours.

• 160 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H raid on Oberhausen, but results are unknown because of cloud.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.
• 27 Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group carry out the first of several raids on the large reservoir dam at Urft in the Eifel. The destruction of which is required so that the Germans can not release water to flood areas through which American troops wish to advance. The series of raids did blast 13ft off the top of the dam but no large breach is ever made and the Germans are able to release large quantities of water whenever they wish to interfere with American advances being attempted further downstream.
• No aircraft are lost on this raid.

• 369 Lancasters, 154 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to attack Karlsruhe. The marking and bombing are accurate and severe damage is caused, particularly in the southern and western districts of the city. Among individual buildings destroyed are the important Durlacher machine-tool factory, the main Protestant church and the concert hall.
• 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito are lost.

• 282 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to attack Heilbronn east of Karlsruhe. This is a crushing blow on Heilbronn which stands on a main north-south railway line but is otherwise of little importance. It is the first and only major raid by Bomber Command on this target. 1,254 tons of bombs fall in a few minutes and the post-war British Bombing Survey Unit estimates that 351 acres, 82 per cent of the town's built-u6p area, are destroyed, mainly by fire. Much investigation by various people result in the reliable estimate that just over 7,000 people died. Most of these victims die in fires so intense that there was probably a genuine firestorm. For the bombers, there are numerous battles with German night fighters.
• 12 Lancasters are lost on the raid.

• 54 Mosquitos are sent to Hagen, 12 to Bielefeld and Hamm, and there are 60 Mosquito patrols and 47 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Burma

Gen William Slim, commander of the British 14th Army, begins the destruction of Japanese forces in Burma. The British IV and XXXIII Corps begin the offensive, heading for the Japanese airfields at Yeu and Shwebo. The Japanese 15th Army, commanded by Gen Shihachi Katamura, is in a weakened state following its reverses during the fighting at Kohima and Imphal. The British establish 3 bridgeheads on the Chindwin River as part of Operation EXTENDED CAPITAL. XXXIII Coprps will drive southeast toward Schewbo and Mandalay in a two-pronged attack. In the south, IV Corps will push down the Kabbaw Valley aiming toward Tilin and Pakokku, roughly 100 miles southwest of Mandalay itself. In the far north, the 19th Indian Division begins a decoy offensive out from Sittaung toward Indaw.

China

Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer requests that all B-29s be removed form their China bases because of the difficulty of supplying them by air over the hump.

Eastern Front

Fighting continues northeast and southwest of Budapest. Mitrovica falls to the Russians.

The 2nd Ukrainian Front begins an attack with its 47th Army aimed at crossing the Danube at Ercsi. Attacking just before midnight the Soviet force meets overwhelming German counter-fire and is repulsed with massive losses.

Air Operations, CBI

As part of Operation GRUBWORM, 10th Air Force transports begin airlifting a reinforced Chinese Army infantry corps from Burma to China, where it is to help stop the Japanese Army advance toward Kunming. Throughout the operation, USAAF transport aircraft will make use of 1 airfield in Assam (the Ledo airfield) and 5 airfields in Burma, including 4 that have been constructed within only the previous two months. The airfields are Myitkyina North, Myitkyina South, Nansin, Sahmaw, and Warazup.

• 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack the Mogok area.
• 31 10th Air Force P-48s support Allied ground forces near Bhamo.
• 25 P-47s attack 5 road bridges.
• More than 20 P-47s attack troops and stores at 4 locations.
• 8 P-47s attack the rail line between Shwebo and Wuntho.

• 7 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Fort Bayard and the port area at Kowloon while sweeping the South China Sea, Gulf of Tonkin, and Formosa Strait.
• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack targets of opportunity between Liuchow and Liuchenghsien.
• 61 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack lines of communication and targets of opportunity across southern China.
• 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters in a morning engagement near Chiuchiang.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack targets of opportunity on northern Borneo and the airfield at Djailolo, the Galela airfield on Halmahera, and the Hate Tobako airfield.
• B-25s attack Langoan, Celebes.
• B-25s and A-20s attack the Kaoe and Miti airfields on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

558 8th Air Force planes escorted by 800 fighters attack the Tegel tank works in Berlin and the Münster marshalling yards. 12 bombers and 9 fighters are lost. 91 German fighters are shot down over Berlin. The RAF makes day and night raids on Soest.

• 94 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H raid on Hamm through cloud. The British Bombing Survey Unit estimates that 140 acres, 39 per cent of Hamm's built-up area, are destroyed by this attack.
• There are no losses.
• 56 Lancasters of No. 3 Group attempt to bomb the Schwammenauel Dam on the River Roer (sometimes called the River Rur) to help the American Army, but the target is covered by cloud and only 2 aircraft bomb.
• There are no losses.

• 1 Hudson makes a Resistance flight.

• 497 aircraft including 385 Halifaxes, 100 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Soest. This ias a successful raid, with the local report confirming that most of the bombing ias in the northern part of the town where the railway installations are situated.
• 2 Halifaxes are lost.

• 53 Mosquitos are sent to Ludwigshafen, 32 to Nuremberg and 4 to Duisburg, 1 Stirling is on a Resistance operation, and there are 40 Mosquito patrols and 36 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Marianas

A 318th Fighter Group P-47 downs a C6N 'Myrt' reconnaissance plane near Saipan at 1030 hours.

Air Operations, Philippines

• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Japanese Army ground troops, communications targets, and barges in the central Philippines.
• A VMF(N)-541 F6F downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Leyte at 0630 hours. This is the first victory credited to a USMC fighter pilot in the Philippines Campaign.
• A VMF-115 F4U downs an A6M Zero later in the day.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 D3A 'Val' dive bombers and 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Ormoc Bay at 1115 hours.
• 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 2 D3A 'Val' dive bombers, 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter, and 1 A6M Zero over Cebu between 1710 and 1725 hours.
• 2 USMC F4Us are lost in operational accidents at the Tacloban airfield on Leyte, and one of the pilots is killed.
• During the night, Japanese bombers destroy 3 Marine Air Group 12 F4Us on the ground at the Tacloban airfield on Leyte.

Balkans

British troops intervene in fighting between Greek Royalists and Communists.

Burma

The Japanese send a big contingent, 3,000 men, to Bhamo to relieve the garrison, which has been besieged for some time. The Chinese 30th Division advances in the same area, moving south toward Namhkam, harassed by small Japanese detachments hidden in the hills.

Eastern Front

Units of the 3rd Ukraine Front operating in southwest Hungary, reach the south bank of Lake Balaton. Other units advancing along the Drava take Szigetvar. German headquarters announce that the Russians have crossed the Danube near Vukovar.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack the main bridge and a bypass bridge at Bawgyo.
• 15 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground troops around Bhamo.
• 12 P-47s attack troops, artillery positions, and supplies at Banmauk, Namhkam, and on the shore of Indawgyi Lake.
• 9 P-47s attack bridges at Mongmit and Namhkai.
• 8 P-47s strafe anti-aircraft batteries at Bawgyo.
• 8 14th Air Force P-51s attack road traffic between Hsenwi and Wanling.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Boroboro and Kendari airfields on Celebes.
• B-25s and A-20s attack the Namlea airfield on Boeroe.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack airfields on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

There is 'round-the-clock' bombing of the Leuna oil plant.

• 1 Hudson makes a Resistance flight.

• 475 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups are sent to Leuna. This is the first major attack on an oil target in Eastern Germany. Leuna, near the town of Merseburg, just west of Leipzig, is 250 miles from the German frontier and 500 miles from the bombers' bases in England. There is considerable cloud in the target area but post-raid photographs show that considerable damage had been caused to the synthetic-oil plant.
• 5 Lancasters are lost.
• 453 aircraft including 363 Halifaxes, 72 Lancasters and 18 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to hit Osnabrück. This is the first major raid on Osnabrück since August 1942. The raid is only a partial success. The railway yards are only slightly damaged, but 4 factories are hit, including the Teuto-Metallwerke munitions factory. 203 houses are also destroyed.
• 7 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.
• 255 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to bomb Giessen. There are two aiming points for this raid. 168 aircraft are allocated to the town center and 87 to the railway yards. Severe damage is caused at both places.
• 8 Lancasters are lost.

• 42 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 10 to Schwerte and 2 to Hanau, and there are 47 Mosquito patrols and 37 RCM sorties.
• 2 Mosquitos are lost, 1 from the Berlin raid and 1 Intruder which crashes in France.

Air Operations, Japan

• 4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfield at Suribachi. A B-24 weather-reconnaissance plane force-lands in the USSR after it experiences mechanical problems over the Kurile Islands.
• During the night, 3 73d Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s mount the first in a series of so-called weather strike missions. The aircraft, usually 2 or 3 at a time, gather vital weather information while dropping incendiary bombs on populated areas to lower civilian morale.

Air Operations, Pacific

A US B-29 Superfortress is destroyed and 2 others damaged during an early morning air raid on the Marianas by 10 Japanese Betty bombers. 6 of the attackers are shot down by anti-aircraft fire.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Japanese Army paratroopers are dropped over several US airfields on Leyte as part of an ambitious counter-offensive aimed at regaining control of the bases. Flying from the Angeles airfield on Luzon, the transports and paratroops are only partially successful in even landing. 2 Ki-57 'Topsy' transport planes are shot down with all aboard by anti-aircraft fire over the Tacloban airfield on Leyte. 2 Ki-57 'Topsys' crash land at the Dulag airfield on Leyte, where all of only 5 survivors are rapidly killed. A large force is dropped at the recently abandoned San Pablo airfield on Leyte. An estimated 80 paratroopers land at the recently abandoned Buri airfield on Leyte, where they are later joined by a small Japanese Army infantry force that fights its way in. A handful of paratroopers destroy a C-45 and 5 L-5s at the Bayug airfield on Leyte. US Army ground forces immediately surround and seal off the occupied bases, and begin clearing operations.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Bacolod airfield on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Cagayan and Del Monte airfields on Mindanao and the airfield at Jacgol.
• P-38s attack a convoy off southern Leyte.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Siargao Island at 0730 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 J2M 'Jack' fighters near Ponson Island at 0845 hours.
• A 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane over Negros at 0945 hours.
• A 35th Fighter Group P-47 downs a B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber over the Del Monte airfield on Mindanao at 1100 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs a J2M 'Jack' fighter over the Tanza airfield on Negros at 1355 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-48 'Lily' bombers over Negros at 1415 hours.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter over Cebu at 1630 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

On this day U-775 torpedoes and sinks the British frigate Bullen. The search for the culprit finds U-297 instead. The British frigates Loch Irish and Goodall carry out a series of attacks which bring wooden wreckage and oil to the surface. Aircraft are ordered to search the area. Later in the afternoon, Sunderland 'Y' of No 201 Squadron sight a periscope and attacks with depth charges sinking the U-boat.

U-297

Burma

The Japanese contingent sent to reinforce the troops besieged at Bhamo crosses the Shweli River and advances on Tonk-wa, where part of the Chinese 22nd Division is in position and toward which the US 475th Regiment is making its way.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack a bridge at Tonbo.
• 63 10th Air Force P-47s attack Japanese Army troops and supplies at Male.
• 21 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Bhamo.
• 17 P-47s attack Nawnghkio and nearby supply dumps.
• 14 P-47s attack 4 bridges at Mansam, Mongmit, and Namyao.
• 4 P-47s attack suplies at Myauk-le.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack stores at Lashio.

• 2 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack cargo ships in the South China Sea.
• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 9 14th Air Force P-40s attack Sankiao.
• 4 B-25s mount individual attacks against motor vehicles and targets of opportunity in the Hengyang area.
• 15 P-51s attack a Japanese destroyer and other shipping at Hong Kong.
• 65 fighter-bombers attack numerous targets in southern China.
• 80 of 108 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu attack an airplane factory and arsenal at Mukden, Manchuria; 11 B-29s attack a rail yard; and several B-29s attack targets of opportunity.
• 7 B-29s are lost.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s attack the airfields at Galela, Kaoe, Lolobata, and Miti on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Hudson makes a Resistance flight.

• 53 Mosquitos are sent to Cologne and 7 to Hanau, and there are 3 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Marianas

• At 0404 hours, several G4M 'Betty' bombers based on Iwo Jima strafe airfields on Saipan.
• 13 G4M 'Betty' bombers bomb the Saipan bases at about 1435 hours. 6 of the latter bombers are downed by anti-aircraft fire, but 3 B-29s are destroyed, 3 are severely damaged, and approximately 20 are lightly damaged.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Beginning at 0600 hours, US 6th Army ground forces land against light opposition at Ormoc Bay, Leyte, to cut the Japanese Army lines of supply and retreat. A total of 45-50 Japanese aircraft mount 16 separate attacks against the Ormoc Bay invasion fleet, but 36 are downed. In the first organized suicide (kamikaze) air attacks of the war, however, 5 ships are damaged, of which 2 must be scuttled.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Legaspi airfield on Luzon, the Malogo airfield on Negros, and Masbate.
• During the morning, VMF-211 F4U fighter-bombers patrolling Ormoc Bay, Leyte, locate and attack 7 Japanese ships attempting to land reinforcements. 8 F4Us take on Japanese escort fighters and 4 F4Us attack the ships. 1 Japanese destroyer is set on fire, and it runs aground.
• 3 VMF-211 F4Us and their pilots are lost.
• During the afternoon, Marine Air Group 12 F4U fighter-bombers escorted by V Fighter Command P-38s attack the Japanese convoy at Ormoc Bay once again. 3 cargo ships, a destroyer, and a troop transport are sunk.
• In all, throughout the day, the Japanese convoy is attacked by 86 P-47s, 43 P-40s, and 24 F4Us.
• VMF(N)-541 F6Fs down a twin-engine airplane over Ormoc Bay at 0145 hours and a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber near the Camotes Islands at 0610 hours.
• A 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-40 downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber at sea at 0715 hours.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter at 0835 hours.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s and 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-21 'Sally' bombers, 1 Ki-45 'Nick' fighter, and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Ponson Island between 0940 and 0950 hours.
• V Fighter Command and 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 Ki-49 'Helen' bombers, 1 Ki-45 'Nick' fighter, and 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Cebu and Ormoc Bay at 1000 hours. 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber, and 9 fighters over Ormoc Bay and Cebu between 1115 hours and noon.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s and 475th and 49th Fighter group P-38s down 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber, 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, 1 Ki-48 'Lily' bomber, 1 Ki-49 'Helen' bomber, 1 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber, and 35 fighters over Cebu and Ormoc Bay in a steady stream of engagements between 1400 and 1810 hours.

Britain, Home Front

Beginning December 9, premises need not be blacked out when alerts are sounded.

Eastern Front

In Hungary the 3rd Ukraine Front reaches the south bank of Lake Balaton. As part of the plan to free the area between the lake and the Danube, Adony, about 25 miles south of Budapest, is occupied and also Eyning, some 20 miles from Szekesfehervar. The Russian left wing, operating between Lake Balaton and the Drava, takes Barcs. Moscow announces that the Germans are drawing reinforcements from Italy and the Western Front to defend Budapest, which has become the southern pillar of their Eastern Front.

Yugoslav troops cross the Danube at various points near Vukovar in Slovenia. The German High Command announces that German troops are evacuating Montenegro and western Serbia in accordance with prearranged plans. Actually Montenegro was evacuated some time ago.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 30 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo area.
• 28 P-47s attack supply dumps at 3 locations.
• 16 fighter-bombers attack a motor pool and radio station at Shwebo.
• 12 P-47s attack troops at Namti.
• 8 fighter-bombers attack rail targets at Nawnghkio and Sedaw.
• 7 P-47s attack a bypass bridge at Namhkai.
• 6 P-47s attack a ferry landng at Namun.
• 4 fighter-bombers attack an occupied village.

• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Japanese Army horses at Nan Tan.
• 25 14th Air Force P-51s attack Hochih and an ammunition dump, motor vehicles, troops, and warehouses in the Hochih area.
• 15 P-40s attack rail targets between Nan Tan and Liuchow.
• 14 P-51s attack aircraft on the ground at the Tai Chiao Chan airfield at Nanking.
• More than 20 fighter-bombers attack various targets of opportunity in southern China.
• P-512 from the 23rd Fighter Group’s 74th Fighter Squadron down 6 Japanese fighters over or near Nanking's Tai Chiao Chan airfield at 1330 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 205 Lancasters of No. 5 Group are sent to hit the Urft Dam. The bombing was affected by 9/10ths cloud and no results are seen.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.
• 163 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H raid through cloud on the railway yards at Duisburg. At the same time, 30 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group attack the Meiderich oil plant near Duisburg, probably using the Oboe-leader technique.
• There are no losses.

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance flight.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s and fighter-bombers, with RAAF aircraft, attack airfields and targets of opportunity on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Philippines

• More than 60 FEAF B-24s attack the La Carlota airfield on Negros, the Lahug airfield on Cebug, and the airfield at Mandurriao.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the San Isidro area on Leyte.
• VMF-313 F4Us down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near the Alicante airfield on Negros at 1610 hours.
• US Army ground forces recapture the San Pablo airfield on Leyte, where the bodies of 124 Japanese Army paratroopers are counted.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

To stop air attacks against B-29 bases at the source, US Navy surface warships join 61 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s (of 82 dispatched) and 102 VII Bomber Command B-24s in the largest bombardment to date of all 3 airfields in Iwo Jima. Escort is provided by 28 318th Fighter Group P-38s, which open the day’s attack at 0945 hours with a sweep of the island. The bombers alone drop nearly 800 tons of bombs on the island. This brutal bombardment opens a pre-invasion bombardment effort that will continue for 74 consecutive days. Most of these attacks will be undertaken by VII Bomber Command B-24s and VMB-612 PBJs based in the Mariana Islands. A 318th Fighter Group P-47 downs an A6M Zero over Iwo Jima at 1000 hours.

Burma

The Japanese contingent on its way to Bhamo takes Tonk-wa, defended by part of the Chinese 22nd Division. To the west, the British IV Corps prepares to advance to the Irrawaddy in the area of Pokokku, with the intention of crossing to the east of the great river and advancing on Meiktila and Thazi.

China

The Japanese of the 11th Army join up with units coming up from Indo-China.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops, dumps, bridges, and targers of opportunity across northern Burma.

• 12 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Hochih, Lipo, and Tuhshan.
• 65 14th Air Force P-40s and P-51s attack rail, river, and road traffic, and targets of opportunity in the Chuchou, Hengyang, Kweilin, Lingling, Liuchow, and Tuhshan areas.
• 19 P-40s and P-51s attack rail, river, and road traffic, and targets of opportunity between Kweiyi and Siangtan.
• 50 fighter-bombers attack various targets of opportunity across southern China.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack a bridge spanning the Dondang River (Borneo), oil stores at Lingkas (Borneo), oil facilities at Sanga Sanga Island ((Tawi Tawi Islands), and 3 airfields in the Molucca Islands.
• B-25s attack the Wasile Bay (Molucca Islands) area.
• P-38s attack an airfield in the Molucca Islands.
• A 418th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 downs a twin-float seaplane near the Wama airfield on Morotai at 0315 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

Stuttgart is raided by the 8th Air Force.

• 60 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 8 to Koblenz and 4 to the Meiderich oil plant at Duisburg, and there are 28 Mosquito patrols and 36 RCM sorties.

Arctic

In an effort to protect Convoy RA-62, escort ships are sent ahead to clear the waters around the Kola Inlet. The British frigate Bainborough Castle obtains a U-boat contact and destroys it with a depth-charge attack. The victim is later determined to be U-387.

U-387

Britain, Home Front

The black-out regulations are relaxed. There is as yet no question of restoring street lights but the rules for houses and other premises are not now so strict.
[ | ]

Burma

Chinese attacks continue on Bhamo, which the Japanese defend with courage and tenacity.

China

The Chinese 5th and 53rd Armies, which should have concentrated in defense of Kunming, have not yet carried out the necessary movements. Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer protests to Chiang Kai-shek.

Eastern Front

Moscow announces that the 2nd Ukraine Front has reached the bend of the Danube north of Budapest, at Vac, and has made contact south of the city with the 3rd Ukraine Front on Lake Velencei, between the Danube and Lake Balaton. On the right of these attacks Balassabyarmat on the Slovak border is taken. Budapest is thus two-thirds surrounded. The Bulgarian government announces that the Bulgarian and Yugoslav armies, with the support of the Russian air force, have completed the occupation of Serbia and Macedonia, expelling the last units of German Army Group E.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack stores at Kungmong, Meza, and Namun.
• More than 50 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops and stores at 8 locations.
• 20 P-47s support Allied ground troops in the Bhamo area.
• 8 P-47s attack a road bridge.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack Kutkai.

• 25 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Hankow.
• 3 B-24s attack port facilities at Samah Bay, Hainan.
• 118 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets in southern China.
• After 8 months of offensive effort, Japanese Army ground forces succeed in opening a continuous land route from Peking to Hanoi in French Indochina. 14th Air Force bases in eastern China are completely cut off, and bases at Chungking, Kunming, and Kweiyang are threatened.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack oil stores at Lingkas and Pamoesian, Borneo, an oil refinery at Lutong, Borneo, and port facilities at Labuan Island, Borneo.
• B-25s attack the Sidate airfield on Celebes, the Namlea airfield on Boeroe, and airfields on Amboina.

Air Operations, Europe

The Americans bomb rail targets at Coblenz and Bingen.

• 1 Hudson flies a Resistance operation.

Air Operations, Philippines

• V Fighter Command P-38s attack the port area at Misamis.
• Fighter-bombers attack stores and targets of opportunity in the central Philippines.

• A Japanese Army ground attack on Leyte forces 5th Air Force personnel at the Burauen airfield on Leyte to abandon the bases, but the situation is restored by a US Army counterattack, and the airbase is reoccupied.
• Marine Air Group 12 F4U fighter-bombers mount their first ground-support missions of the Philippines Campaign when they attack Japanese Army ground troops and facilities at Ormoc Bay and San Isidro, Leyte.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, 4 Ki-21 'Sally' bombers, and 5 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters in several enagements over the central Philippines between 0820 and 1700 hours.
• 2 VMF-115 F4Us down 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Leyte at 1640 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Dan Beard is torpedoed and sun by U-1202 off the coast of Wales losing 17 of her 40-man crew and 12 of the 22 Armed Guard sailors in the attack.

Burma

British 36th Division patrols advance into Indaw and Katha in Burma.

China

Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer asks Chiang Kai-shek to order the Yunnan Force to capture Wanting, northeast of the Shweli valley, where the new Burma Road coming from Ledo is to link up with the route of the old Burma Road.

The ICHI-GO offensive brings the Japanese victories not experienced elsewhere in the Far East. Throughout November, Japanese forces have occupied southern China up to the borders of French Indochina. When Japanese forces in China link up with their garrisons in Indo-China, Japan reaches the highest point of its expansion into the continent of Asia. It also provides a new supply route for the offensive through the Indochina to China rail link, which stretches across the entire length of China up into Mongolia.

Diplomatic Relations

Following the recent visit of Gen de Gaulle, Georges Bidault, the Foreign Minister and Gen Alphonse Juin to Moscow, a 20-year treaty of alliance is signed by French and Soviet representatives.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack stores at Hpaklon.
• 21 P-47s attack bridges at 4 locations.
• 16 P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo area.
• 7 P-47s attack a ferry at Hsipaw.
• 12 14th Air Force B-25s attack Kutkai.
• Fighter-bombers attak Lashio and Wan Lai-Kam.

• A small number of 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Kengtung and the Tienho airfield at Canton.

• 6 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s, and 51st Fighter Group P-51s attack the Hai Duong area. For the 341st Medium Bomb Group, this attack opens a three-month campaign aimed specifically at destroying bridges, especially rail bridges, in northern French Indochina.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack Goeroea (Molucca Islands) in force and mount small attacks against oil targets and shipping in and around northern Borneo.

Air Operations, Europe

Some 1,600(2,000?) US Fortresses and Liberators, the biggest American force yet sent over Germany, bomb rail targets in Frankfurt, Hanau and Giessen and oil plant and ordnance depots near Vienna.

• 233 Lancasters of No. 5 Group and 5 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group are sent to hit the Urft Dam. Hits are scored, but no breach is made.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.
• 150 Lancasters of No. 3 Group are sent on G-H raids through cloud to the railway yards (98 aircraft) and to the benzol plant (52 aircraft) at Osterfeld. The bombing appears to have been accurate.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.
• 80 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group are on Oboe-leader raids to a coking plant (48 aircraft) and to the Meiderich benzol plant at Duisburg. Most of the bombing on the benzol plant and approximately half on the coking plant appear to be accurate.
• There are no losses.

• 38 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 28 to Hamburg, 9 to Schwerte, 8 to Bielefeld and 6 to Duisburg.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Hamburg raid.

Atlantic

The US submarine chaser SC-1059 sinks after running aground near the Bahamas.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-365 and torpedo planes attack Convoy RA-62. The destroyer Cassandra is damaged and a U-boat is sunk.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Mandurriao airfield.
• V Bomber Command B-25s an V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Padada airfield on Mindanao.
• During the morning, 27 Marine Air Group 12 F4U fighter-bombers attack a Japanese reinforcement convoy off northeastern Panay with 1,000-pound bombs. 4 of the 10 ships encountered are sunk. When engaged by Japanese fighters during their attack on the ships, many VMF-211 and VMF-218 F4Us become embroiled in a dogfight. 9 Japanese fighters are downed and 1 is probably downed over the Visayan Sea between 1100 and 1130 hours.
• During the afternoon, 30 Marine Air Group 12 F4U fighter-bombers, escorted by V Fighter Command P-40s, return to attack the Japanese convoy near Panay at masthead height. 2 troop transports, 3 destroyers, and 1 cargo vessel are sunk, 2 freighters and 2 destroyers are set on fire, and 2 cargo vessels and 1 troop transport are severely damaged. 5 F4Us are downed by intense anti-aircraft fire.
• A VMF-218 F4U downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber over Ormoc Bay at 0745 hours.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 fighters over Panay at 0900 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near Bantayan Island between 0900 and 0920 hours.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero near Leyte at 1110 hours.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s and 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 11 Japanese fighters over the central Philippines throughout the afternoon.
• A VMF-218 F4U downs an A6M Zero over the Visayan Sea at 1530 hours.
• At 1716 hours, 4 VMF-313 F4Us patrolling over a US Navy convoy in Surigao Strait encounter 16 bomb-carrying A6M Zeros. The F4Us down 5 Zeros and drive away 9 others, but 2 Zeros intentionally crash into a US destroyer, which sinks. Many of the F4Us are damaged by friendly anti-aircraft fire.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10th Air Force B-25s attack stores near Lashio.
• More than 40 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack a Japanese Army headquarters, troops, motor vehicles, town areas, and supplies at 7 locations.
• More than 20 P-47s attack bridges at 6 locations.
• 6 14th Air Force B-25s attack Kutkai.
• Fighter-bombers attack Wan Pa-Hsa.

• Several 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack the Yangtong airfield with napalm.
• Several dozen fighter-bombers attack various targets at Changsha, Hengyang, Hochih, Kweilin, and several other locations.

• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Chiengmai.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Kendari airfield on Celebes.
• B-25s attack 3 airfields in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 140 Lancasters of No. 3 Group are sent on a G-H raid to the Ruhrstahl steelworks at Witten. It is the town's first major raid of the war. The steelworks are not hit and bombs fall all over the town, destroying 126 houses and 5 industrial premises.
• German fighters intercept the force in the target area and 8 Lancasters are lost.

• 349 Lancasters, 163 Halifaxes and 28 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 4 and 8 Groups are sent to Essen. This is the last heavy night raid by Bomber Command on Essen. During the post-war interrogations of Albert Speer, Hitler's Armaments Minister, he was asked which forms of attack were most effective in weakening the German war effort. After referring to the effectiveness of daylight raids and to some of the Oboe Mosquito attacks, Speer paid a compliment to the accuracy of this raid on Essen: "The last night attack upon the Krupp works, which was carried out by a large number of 4-engined bombers, caused surprise on account of the accuracy of the bomb pattern. We assumed that this attack was the first large-scale operation based on Oboe or some other new navigational system."
• 6 Lancasters are lost.

• 49 Mosquitos are sent to Osnabrück, and there are 43 Mosquito patrols and 43 RCM sorties.
• A V-2 hits the Rex Cinema in Antwerp killing 492 people and seriously injuring about 500 others.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command A-20s attack the airfield at Efman.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Bacolod airfield on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the San Roque airfield on Mindanao.
• VMF(N)-541 F6F night-fighters intercept 33 Japanese aircraft attempting to attack a US Navy convoy in Ormoc Bay at 0720 hours. The Marine pilots down 11 Japanese aircraft without loss to themselves, and the remaining Japanese aircraft are unable to hit any of the American ships.
• Marine Air Group 12 F4Us and USAAF P-40s continue to attack a Japanese reinforcement convoy off northeastern Panay. 1 destroyer is sunk and 1 ship is set on fire.
• 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 3 G4M 'Betty' bombers and 2 A6M Zeros in the Leyte area between 1400 and 1710 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

24 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.

Baltic Sea

• Following mine damage in April 1943, U-416 was in service as a training submarine. She sinks on this day after colliding with German minesweeper M-203.

U-416 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Eberhard Reiger Location Baltic, off Pillau Cause Collision Casualties 36 Survivors 5

U-479 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Friedrich Sons Location Baltic, Gulf of Finland Cause Mine Casualties 51 Survivors None

• U-479 sinks after striking a mine in the Gulf of Finland.

Burma

A British offensive begins in the Arakan. The attacking unit is XV Corps attempting to free the coastal sector of the Arakan, where bases will be set up for the recapture of Burma. The 25th Indian Division advances in the Mayu peninsula toward Akyab, the 82nd West African Division penetrates into the Kalapanzin valley near Buthidaung, the 81st attacks near Kyauktaw.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack troops and stores at Mongmit.
• More than 60 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack various targets at 7 locations.
• 7 P-47s attack a bridge.
• 4 P-47s support US Army ground troops near Tonkwa.
• 6 14th Air Force B-25s attack warehouses at Hsenwi.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack an occupied town.

• 51st Fighter Group P-38s and P-51s attack Bac Ninh and rail targets at Phu Lang Thuong.

• 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a bridge near Kanchanaburi.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack a bridge at Chiengmai.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack the Amahai and Haroekoe airfields on Ceram, the Liang airfield on Amboina, and the Namlea airfield on Boeroe.
• B-25s, P-47s, and P-38s attack supplies at Goeroea (Molucca Islands) and targets of opportunity while covering a downed pilot off Galela, Halmahahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 52 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to attack the German cruiser Koln berthed in Oslo Fjord but, when the bombers reach Oslo Fjord, the Koln had moved to another location. Other ships are bombed instead, but the results are not observed.
• There are no losses.

• 10 Lancasters and 9 Halifaxes lay mines in the Kattegat without a loss.

Air Operations, Japan

71 of 90 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from the Marianas attack an aircraft-engine factory at Nagoya. 4 B-29s are lost with 44 crewmen.

Air Operations, Pacific

B-29s seriously damage the Mitsubishi works at Nagoya.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Carolina and Talisay airfields on Negros.
• B-24s and B-25s attack targets of opportunity while reconnoitering the Sulu Archipelago.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the San Roque airfield on Mindanao.
• Aircraft from US 7th Fleet escort carriers mount pre-invasion attacks against Mindoro while flights of 12 escort-based FMs and 35 Marine Air Group 12 F4Us cover the invasion fleet in rotations throughout the day.
• Japanese kamikazes based in the Visayan Islands attack the invasion fleet beginning at about 1500 hours. and a D3A 'Val' dive bomber damages the invasion convoy flagship, USS Nashville, on which several senior air, ground, and naval officers are among the 129 US personnel killed. Among those lost is Col John T. Murtha, commanding officer of the 5th Air Force’s 310th Bomb Wing.
• FMs down the bulk of Japanese aircraft involved in a second kamikaze attack that begins at about 1745 hours, but a US destroyer is severely damaged. A somewhat later—and final—kamikaze attack against a slow supply convoy is beaten down by anti-aircraft fire from escorting destroyers.
• US escort-carrier fighters down 5 bombers and 13 fighters over the central Philippines between 1445 and 1820 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 1 J2M 'Jack' fighter and 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber over Negros between 1710 and 1745 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

15 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.

Arctic

U-365 is sunk during operations in support of Convoy RA-62, homeward-bound from the Kola Inlet. She is caught on the surface by Swordfish 'L' and 'Q' of No 813 NAS from the British escort carrier Campania.

U-365

Burma

While the 114th Regiment of the Chinese 38th Division finally succeeds in breaking the northern defenses of Bhamo, in the Tonk-wa area the US 475th Infantry repels an attack by the Japanese contingent sent to the help of the forces besieged in Bhamo.

Air Operations, CBI

BURMA

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack troops and supplies at Mongmit.
• 48 10th Air Force P-47s attack numerous targets at 7 locations.
• 4 P-47s attack a rail bridge.
• 4 P-47s support US Army round troops near Tonkwa.
• 6 14th Air Force B-25s attack Loi Mwe.
• 10 P-38s and P-51s attack Kentung.

• 33 of 48 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Calcutta attack a rail bridge in Bangkok.
• 14 B-29s attack various alternate targets and targets of opportunity. 4 B-29s are lost when a full load of bombs detonates aboard one of the airplanes.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack the Old Namlea airfield on Boeroe.
• Fighter-bombers attack various targets on Halmahera and northern Borneo.

Air Operations, Europe

• 30 Lancasters and 9 Halifaxes lay mines in the Kattegat.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• To interdict kamikaze attacks at their sources, TBMs and FM fighter-bombers from the Task Unit 77.12.7 escort carriers sweep the San Jose airfield on Panay and the Dos Hermanos airfield on Negros. Task Force 38 carrier aircraft open continuous day and night attacks against Japanese airfields on Luzon. FEAF B-24s attack airfields on Negros. V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Zettlefield airfield on Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago. V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack numerous targets in the central Philippines, Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, and the Sulu Archipelago. 10 Marine Air Group 12 F4U fighter-bombers attack the Masbate airfield. 12 Marine Air Group 12 F4U fighter-bombers attack the Naga airfield on Luzon.

• Task Force 38’s campaign against Luzon airfields introduces a new concept to carrier-based warfare. With enough fighters on hand to accomplish the mission, around-the-clock fighter patrols are instituted over every Luzon airfield—a tactic known as the Big Blue Blanket. The objective is to keep the main source of Japanese air power down during the approach of the Mindoro invasion flotilla on its objective. Whenever the carrier fighters are changing over, carrier bombers directly attack the airfields.
• Despite all manner of US Navy and USAAF air interdiction over Japanese airfields in range of the Mindoro invasion force, 29 Japanese Army aircraft and 40 Japanese Navy aircraft (including 16 and 33 kamikazes, respectively) are able to take off from Clark Field on Luzon at 0715 hours. This force is intercepted by fighters from Task Force 38, which down two-thirds of them. The balance of the strike force aborts and makes for the airfields at Cebu City and Davao on Mindanao.
• During the afternoon, several Japanese aircraft are downed as they attack US battleships and cruisers, and another effort against the Mindoro troop convoys, this time mounted from airfields in the Visayan Group, fails.
• A VF(N)-41 F6F downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat at sea at 0415 hours.
• Task Force 38 fighters down 40 Japanese fighters and bombers over the Luzon area throughout the day.
• Escort-carrier FMs down 17 aircraft over the central Philippines and the Mindoro invasion flotilla throughout the day.
• During the afternoon, Japanese aircraft, including kamikazes, attack Task Unit 77.12.7 escort carriers and surface warships conducting the preinvasion bombardment of Mindoro, but no hits are scored.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 2 Ki-21 'Emily' flying boats at 0705 hours.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over Negros at 0925 hours.
• 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 13 Ki-49 'Helen' bombers, 1 Ki-21 'Emily' flying boat, and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Soledad, Negros, at 0940 hours.
• 18th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 fighters over the Binalbagan airfield at 0945 hours.
• 35th and 348th Fighter group P-47s down 4 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters over Negros between 1030 and 1115 hours.
• During the night, VPB-54 Black Cat PBYs based at Leyte patrol 20 to 30 miles ahead of the Mindoro invasion flotilla as it makes its final approach on the Mindoro invasion beaches. One PBY finds and attacks a small inter-island steamer, which is set on fire and later sunk by US destroyers.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

24 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Hsipaw and Namhkai.
• 13 10th Air Force P-47s attack the airfield at Lashio.
• 7 P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo area.
• 4 P-47s attack 2 bridges at Ho-hko.
• Fighter-bombers attack troops, supplies, and town areas at 6 locations.
• 4 14th Air Force P-38s attack a bridge at Hawng Luk.

• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack stores at Kunlong.

• 5 14th Air Force P-51s attack a bridge and buildings near Huizan.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack airfields in the Molucca Islands.
• Various FEAF aircraft mount light attacks against airfields on Boeroe and Halmahera, and shipping throughout the region.

Air Operations, Europe

• 138 Lancasters of No. 3 Group set out on a raid to Siegen, but are recalled because bad weather prevents their fighter escorts from taking off.
• 17 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron attack the E-boat pens at Ijmuiden with 12,000-lb Tallboys, but a smoke-screen hinders the bombing and no results are seen.
• There are no losses.

• 327 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Ludwigshafen. The target area for this raid is the northern part of Ludwigshafen and the small town of Oppau in which two important I. G. Farben chemical factories are located. Severe damage is caused and fierce fires are started. The Oppau factory ceases production completely. 5 other industrial firms are also badly hit. Some damage is also caused to housing areas around the various factories, but this is not serious. Damage is also caused to installations and ships at the nearby Rhine quays.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 62 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 11 to Osnabrück and 3 to Duisburg, 15 Lancasters and 8 Halifaxes lay mines off northeastern Denmark, and there are 38 Mosquito patrols and 31 RCM sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Lancaster is lost.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Covered by 5th Air Force bombers and fighter-bombers, Task Group 77.12 TBMs and FMs, and Marine Air Group 12 F4Us, elements of the US 6th Army land near San Jose, Mindoro, without opposition. An airstrip at San Jose (renamed Hill Field) is captured. Airfield construction is begun at once at San Jose and at a new site (Elmore Field) by two USAAF engineer aviation battalions and an RAAF airfield construction squadron.
• Task Group 77.12 TBMs and FM fighter-bombers attack airfields in the central Philippines and provide support for US 6th Army ground forces on Mindoro.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Puerto Princesa airfield on Palawan.
• B-24s and V Bomber Command B-25s attack the San Roque and Sasa airfields on Mindanao.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack a fuel dump at San Fernando, Luzon.
• Japanese aircraft based on Luzon and Mindanao mount several attacks against the Mindoro invasion fleet, beginning at 0812 hours. Despite the best efforts of escort-carrier FM pilots and V Fighter command pilots, 2 LSTs are mortally damaged and several other vessels are damaged, including the escort carrier USS Marcus Island. The 2 LSTs, which sink during the day, are carrying the equipment of the 8th Fighter Group and 418th Night Fighter Squadron to Mindoro.
• A VF(N)-41 F6F downs a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter over Luzon at 0615 hours.
• A VC-21 FM downs an A6M Zero within 10 miles of a friendly convoy at 0710 hours.
• The V Fighter Command’s Maj Richard I. Bong downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' figther over Panubulon Island at 0811 hours.
• VMF(N)-541 F6Fs down 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomber, 2 D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers, and 1 A6M Zero near Negros between 0805 and 0840 hours.
• VMF-211 F4Us down 4 A6M Zeros over San Jose, Mindoro, at 0900 hours.
• Escort-carrier FMs down 3 fighters over friendly ships between 0900 and 0915 hours.
• 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 8 A6M Zeros in several engagements over Mindoro and Panay between 0850 and 1015 hours.
• Fighters from Task Force 38 carriers down 1 E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance plane, 3 A6M Zeros, 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter, and 1 D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber over Luzon between 0800 and 1045 hours.
• A VC-21 FM downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber over the Silay airfield on Negros at 1310 hours.
• When bad weather fouls airfields and prevents the planned relief of Task Group 77.12 by 5th Air Force aircraft based on Leyte, the escort carriers are ordered to remain on station off Mindoro for an extra day.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

13 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops, rail facilities, and occupied towns.
• 4 P-47s support US Army ground troops near Tonkwa.

• 14th Air Force transports airlift Chinese Army ground troops to Kunming to help defend the key city against an ongoing Japanese Army ground offensive.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack airfields and shipping in the Molucca Islands and targets of opportunity in northern Borneo.
• 18th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-48 'Lily' bombers and a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter near the Jesselton airfield on North Borneo at 1100 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

The main weight of the V-weapon offensive is switched from London to Antwerp. A V-2 kills 271(? - when?) in the Rex Cinema.

• The great German offensive in the Ardennes started on this day, with the object of capturing Brussels and the port of Antwerp and splitting the Allied armies into two parts. The attack was launched under cover of poor weather conditions, with low cloud and mist, and it would be several days before the RAF and American bomber forces could intervene in the battle.
• 108 Lancasters of No. 3 Group are on a G-H raid to the railway yards at Siegen. The bombing is accurate enough to hit Siegen and the neighbouring town of Weidenau, but not to destroy the railway yards which are hit by only a few bombs. Many public buildings and houses are destroyed in Siegen, which has not been bombed seriously before.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 1 Hudson makes a Resistance flight.

• 1 Mosquito attempts to bomb Wiesbaden, but does not reach the target, and 2 Wellingtons make RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

FEAF aircraft attack targets of opportunity in bypassed areas of the Vogelkop Peninsula.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Task Force 38 carrier aircraft mount intense attacks against airfields and other military targets on Luzon and continue around-the-clock patrols over all the island’s airfields; Task Group 77.12 TBMs and FM fighter-bombers sweep Japanese airfields on Mindanao, Negros, Palawan, and Panay, cover the Mindoro invasion flotilla, and provide support for US Army ground forces on Mindoro. FEAF B-24s attack the Padada airfield on Mindanao and the Puerto Princess airfield on Palawan. Various 4th Air Force aircraft attack targets in the central Philippines.
• In 3 days of continuous patrols over Luzon airfields, Task Force 38 carrier aircraft have destroyed an estimated 208 Japanese aircraft on the ground and 72 in the air. The Big Blue Blanket is withdrawn from over the Luzon airfields when it is determined that no flyable Japanese aircraft remain to use them. In all during the 3-day operation, carrier fighters have undertaken 1,427 sorties and carrier bombers have mounted 244 sorties and dropped 336 tons of bombs. Task Force 38 losses are 27 aircraft in combat and 38 in operational accidents. Carrier aircraft are also credited with sinking as many as 4 freighters and a large Japanese Navy landing ship in Manila Bay.
• A VF(N)-41 F6F downs an E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance plane and a fighter over Cavite Point, Luzon, at 0145 and 0150 hours, respectively.
• A VF(N)-41 F6F downs a Ki-57 'Topsy' transport plane over Luzon at 0450 hours.
• A VC-81 FM downs a J1N 'Irving' fighter over Mindoro at 0715 hours. VF-7, VF-11, and VF-20 F6Fs down 5 A6M Zeross, 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter, 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter, 1 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter, 2 P1Ys 'Galaxy' bomber, and 3 G4M 'Betty' bombers near Baler Light, Luzon, between 0735 and 0745 hours.
• 2 VC-75 FMs down an E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance plane 20 miles from a US convoy at 0804 hours.
• 2 VC-27 FMs down an E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance plane at sea at 1010 hours.
• A VF-11 F6F downs a Ki-21 'Sally' bomber near San Fernando, Luzon, at 1500 hours.
• A VC-81 FM downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber over a friendly convoy off Negros at 1715 hours.
• A VC-80 FM downs an A6M Zero over the Mindanao Sea at 1745 hours.
• Task Group 77.12 escort carriers retire to the Palau Islands to replenish. In four days off Mindoro, the escort-carriers have mounted 94 TBM sorties and 770 FM sorties. 8 aircraft have been lost in operational accidents and 1 FM and its pilot have been lost in combat.
• In the evening, Task Force 38 interrupts its pre-invasion attacks against Luzon in order to sail eastward to refuel.

Burma

In the British IV Corps sector, the 19th Indian Division occupies Pinlebu and Banmauk. Some units reach Indaw, making contact with the British 36th Division coming from the north.

China

The Chinese 57th Division has not yet been transferred to the Kunming area. Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer protests to Chiang Kai-shek, who agrees that a part of the army may be air-lifted.

The protracted and difficult negotiations between Chinese Nationalists and Communists, represented by Chou En-lai, over increased co-operation in the struggle against the Japanese are finally concluded.

Battle of the Bulge

The Germans begin a major offensive in the Ardennes. The Ardennes battle is often popularly styled the Battle of the Bulge. The attack begins with a short, sharp artillery barrage along the chosen front between Monshau and Trier. Almost complete surprise is achieved. Allied intelligence has received some indications of the attack despite elaborate security on the German side but these signs have not been interpreted properly. Partly because of the enforced shortening of their front the Germans have been able to assemble a considerable reserve of armored divisions. They have chosen to strike here with the immediate aim of retaking Antwerp and splitting the British and American armies in two. In the longer term Hitler hopes to discourage and divide the British and Americans politically so that forces can be switched to the Eastern Front, perhaps even with help from anti-communist leaders who may emerge in Britain and America. Altogether the Germans have assembled 24 divisions, including 10 armored. These forces are distributed largely between Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army and Hasso von Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army. On the flanks of the attack are 15th and 7th Armies.

All these forces are part of Walter Model's Army Group B. Gerd von Rundstedt has been brought back to have overall charge of the operation. To oppose the German forces are about 6 American divisions from V and VIII Corps consisting partly of inexperienced troops and partly of resting veterans. The terrain here in the same Ardennes area, as was chosen for the start of the attack in 1940, is fairly rugged with many defiles and much heavily wooded country. Most of whatever movement is attempted must take place on the few major roads so, as will emerge, it is vital to seize the various junctions. The Germans hope to spread confusion in the American rear areas by infiltrating small groups of specially trained English-speaking troops with captured uniforms and equipment to perform sabotage and intelligence missions. This move is very successful at least in causing an atmosphere of suspicion and uncertainty. Many roadblocks and checkpoints are set in the American rear areas and they do something to hinder the movement of reserves.

The Germans are relying on bad weather to keep the Allied air forces grounded and for the moment this hope is fulfilled.

Air Operations, CBI

• 50 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops, stores, motor vehicles, and targets of opportunity at 7 locations.
• 12 fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity along the rail line between Kyaukme and Nampyao.
• 8 P-47s support Allied ground force near Namhkam.
• 8 P-47s attack rail targets of opportunity along the Irrawaddy River.
• 4 P-47s attack river traffic near Tagaung.
• 5 14th Air Force B-25s attack road traffic at Wan Pa-Hsa.
• 12 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack a rail bridge at Wan Pa-Hsa.

• 9 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Camranh Bay area.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s and fighter-bombers attack the Jesselton airfield on Borneo and the Laha airfield on Ceram.
• 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Tarakan airfield on Borneo at 1220 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 523 aircraft including 418 Halifaxes, 81 Lancasters and 24 Mosquitos of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Duisburg. The city suffers major damage agains.
• 8 Halifaxes are lost.
• 317 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to bomb Ulm. This is Bomber Command's first and only raid on Ulm, an old city but also the home of 2 large truck factories - Magirius-Deutz and Kässbohrer - several other important industries and some military barracks and depots. 1,449 tons of bombs are dropped during the 25-minute raid, starting in the center and then creeping back to the west, across the industrial and railway areas and out into the country. The Gallwitz Barracks and several military hospitals are among 14 Wehrmacht establishments destroyed.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 280 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5. Group are sent to bomb Munich. Bomber Command claims 'severe and widespread damage' in the old center of Munich and at railway targets.
• 4 Lancasters are lost.

• 44 Mosquitos are sent to Hamm on a 'spoof' raid, 26 to Münster and 5 to Hallendorf, and there are 50 Mosquito patrols and 44 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Bacolod airfield on Negros.
• B-24s and V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Zettlefield airfield on Jolo.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Silay airfield on Negros and the Likanan airfield on Mindanao.
• V Fighter Command P-40s and USMC F4Us attack the Cananga area.
• 15 V Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers directly support US Army ground troops with an attack against Japanese Army defensive positions near Valencia.
• A VC-75 FM downs a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber near Bohol at 0715 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

24 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 26 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-400 is sunk in a depth-charge attack by the British frigate Nyasaland of EG18.

U-400

Eastern Front

In Hungary, Rodion Malinovsky's troops are only 5 miles from Budapest.

The 2nd Ukrainian Front comes within 5 miles of Budapest.

Air Operations, Asia

77 B-29 Superfortress bombers and 200 other aircraft of the US 14th Air Force carry out a heavy raid on Hankow, an industrial town and Japanese supply base.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack a rail bridge at Saye and 2 rail bridges at Wetlet.
• 17 10th Air Force P-47s attack bypass bridges at Hinlong (China) and Wingkang.
• 17 P-47s attack troops and supplies at Hseing-hkai and Man Ton.
• 23 P-47s attack airfields at Anisakan, Hsumhsai, and Nawnghkio.
• 9 fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces at Namhkam.

• 84of 94 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu attack the Hankow port area with 511 tons of incendiary bombs (the first B-29 fire raid of the war).
• 33 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack barracks and headquarters buildings at Hankow.
• 23 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Wuchang.
• 7 B-25s attack the airfield at Siaokan and a nearby bridge.
• 6 B-25s, followed by 20 napalm-armed P-38s and P-51s, attack stores at Kunlong.
• 28 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack various targets of opportunity in Burma, southwestern China, northern French Indochina.
• 14th Air Force fighters mount a total of 149 bomber-escort sorties to Hankow, Siaokan, and Wuchang.
• P-40s and P-51s of the 5th CACW, 23rd, and 311th Fighter groups, and the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron down 24 Japanese fighters and 1 Ki-48 'Lily' bomber in a melee over the Hankow area lasting from 1215 to 1330 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF fighter-bombers attack the Tarakan airfield on Borneo and nearby targets of opportunity, the Haroekoe airfield on Ceram, and a seaplane base at Sanga Sanga Island in the Tawi Tawi Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 236 Lancasters of No. 5 Group attack the distant port of Gdynia (Gotenhafen) on the Baltic coast and cause damage to shipping, installations and housing in the port area. The bombers sink the Schleswig-Holstein and 8 other ships at Gdynia.
• 4 Lancasters are lost.

• 40 Mosquitos are sent to Nuremberg and 16 to Münster, 14 Lancasters of No. 5 Group lay mines in Danzig Bay and there are 11 Mosquito patrols and 34 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito Intruder is lost.

Air Operations, Japan

63 of 89 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from the Marianas attack a cloud-obscured aircraft factory in Nagoya with the aid of radar. 10 of B-29s attack various targets of opportunity and last resort. 4 B-29s are lost.

Air Operations, Pacific

B-29s bomb the Misubishi aircraft assembly works at Nagoya.

Air Operations, Philippines

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the San Roque airfield on Mindanao.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack a bridge on Leyte, the airfield at Calatagan, and the airfield and port area at Tanao.
• A VMF-115 F4U downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over San Jose, Mindoro, at 0920 hours.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47ss down 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber, 1 D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber, and an A6M Zero in the Mindoro area between 1115 and 1230 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 Japanese fighters over Mindoro between 1310 and 1315 hours.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Mindoro at 1450 hours.

Atlantic

The US freighter Steel Traveller (7056t) is mined and sunk in the Schelde River. There are no casualties among the 45-man crew or the 26-man Armed Guard. Survivors are rescued by the French destroyer La Combattante.

China

Hangkow, China, a Japanese major supply base, is attacked by US 14th Air Force planes, including 77 B-29s. Previously Superfortresses were directed against targets in Japan, but the deteriorating ground situation in China demanded an interruption of the Japanese logistical lines.

Eastern Front

North of Miskolc, in Hungary, the Red Army reaches the Czechoslovakian frontier on a front of more than 60 miles.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack a bridge at Hsenwi, a railroad station at Kyaukme, and road junctions at Mongmit and near Kyaukme.
• 42 10th Air Force P-47s attack a truck park and troops and supplies at 4 locations.
• 11 P-47s attack rail targets of opportunity.
• 7 P-47s attack a bridge at Tonbo.
• 4 14th Air Force P-38s attack road traffic between Wanling and Mongyu.

• 16 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by 24 14th Air Force P-40s, attack Pengpu.
• 4 14th Air Force P-51s attack 2 freighters off Hong Kong.
• 2 P-40s attack 2 locomotives at Siyang.
• 13 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s unable to attack their primary target in Japan attack Shanghai (a secondary target), and 2 B-29s attack other alternate targets in China.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack the Kairatoe area on Ceram and targets of opportunity elsewhere in the region.

Air Operations, Europe

• 32 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H raid on the railway yards in Trier behind the front on which the Germans are attacking in the Ardennes.
• There are no losses.

• 12 Lancasters of No. 3 Group minelaying in the Kadet Channel off Denmark.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Japan

Due to bad weather, only 17 of 36 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu, China, are able to attack their primary target, an aircraft factory at Omura. 2 B-29s are lost in accidents.

Air Operations, Philippines

• The planned renewal of Task Force 38’s pre-invasion bombardment of Luzon is thwarted by bad weather, but FEAF B-24s attack the Legaspi on Luzon.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Fabrica airfield on Negros.
• V Fighter Command P-38s attack the Batangas airfield on Luzon.
• Fighter-bombers attack the Alicante, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Fabrica, and Silay airfields on Negros, the town area at Palompon, and targets of opportunity throughout the central Philippines.
• 2 VMF-218 F4Us down an A6M Zero over the Silay airfield on Negros at 1725 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

• 27 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 25 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.
• 14 318th Fighter Group P-38s guided by 3 XXI Bomber Command B-29s strafe Iwo Jima airfields.
• 2 318th Fighter Group P-38s down an A6M Zero over Iwo Jima at 1110 hours.
• During the night, 4 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s mount snooper raids against Iwo Jima. These are the first such missions by VII Bomber Command B-25s, but B-24s have been conducting such harrassment attacks almost every night of the month.

East China Sea

The American submarine Redfish (SS-395) sinks the Japanese carrier Unryu.

Eastern Front

The III Panzer Corps is ordered to leave its panzers south of Budapest and march its infantry to Hatvan to reinforce this threatened sector.

Italy

During the night the V Corps, British 8th Army, resumes its offensive, liberating the Faenza sector.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack 6 road bridges and several bypass bridges.
• 3 B-25s attack a ferry.
• 13 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces around Namhkam.
• 12 P-47s attack 2 bridges.
• 12 P-47s sweep a long stretch of the Irrawaddy River.
• Fighter-bombers attack troops, supplies, and various targets of opportunity.

• 118 14th Air Force P-40s and P-51s attack numerous targets across southern China and eastern Burma.
• A 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over the Kaitak airfield at Hong Kong at 0515 hours.
• A 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over the Tienho airfield at Canton at 1100 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Malang airfield on Java.
• B-25s attack Haroekoe, Ceram.
• Fighter-bombers attack many targets of opportinity.
• In their first operational mission of the war under the control of the US Pacific Fleet, 27 Royal Navy Avenger light bombers, escorted by 28 Royal Navy Hellcats and Corsairs, dispatched from the British Pacific Fleet carriers HMS Indomitable and HMS Illustrious, (RAdm Sir Philip L. Vian, RN, Commander, 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron) are forced by bad weather to divert from a refinery in northwestern Sumatra against port facilities at Belawan Deli. The British carrier fighters also strafe port facilities at Kota Raja and the Sabang airfield on Sumatra. Following their attack, the British carriers retire to Ceylon.

Air Operations, Japan

Several 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack targets in the Kurile Islands.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack 3 airfields on Mindanao and 10 airfields across the central Philippines.
• Fighter-bombers attack many targets of opportunity.
• 35th and 348th Fighter group P-47s down a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane and 17 fighters over the Mindoro area between 1115 and 1155 hours.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 A6M Zeros over Mindoro between noon and 1210 hours.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero near Samar at 1825 hours.
• 3 P-47s are lost over Mindoro.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

23 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Saipan attack Iwo Jima.

Battle of the Atlantic

In the eastern Atlantic the US landing ship LST-359 is sunk by torpedo and the US destroyer escort Fogg (DE-57) is damaged by one, both from U-870.

Burma

In the British IV Corps sector, the 19th Indian Division takes Kawlin.

Eastern Front

The 6th Guards Tank Army smashes its way through to the Hron Rover while the 7th Guards Army reaches the Ipel valley and begins to push upon Esztergom. German counterattacks halt the Russian advance. Heavy fighting rages on these positions for nearly a week.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack troops and supplies at Magyidon.
• More than 20 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops and other targets near the Shweli River.
• 13 P-47s attack bridges at 3 locations.
• 12 P-47s attack rail targets of opportunity between Hsipaw and Hsumhsai.
• 12 P-47s attack the Lashio area.

• 19 of 49 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu attack an aircraft factory and arsenal at Mukden, Manchuria, 8 B-29s attack several alternates and targets of opportunity around Mukden.
• 9 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Kunlong and Minkiang.
• 145 14th Air Force P-40s and P-51s attack numerous targets across southern China, northern French Indochina, and eastern Burma.
• 2 530th Fighter Squadron P-51s down a total of 5 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters over or near the airfield at Tsinan Airdrome at noon.
• A 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter and a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over Hong Kong's Kaitak airfield at 1525 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s attack Anggai and Goeroea in the Molucca Islands, and Lolobata on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 113 Lancasters of No. 3 Group again attempt to bomb the railway yards at Trier in 2 waves. The bomber crews are unable to observe results because of the cloud, although a large column of smoke eventually appears.
• There are no losses.

• 1 Hudson flies a Resistance operation.

• 207 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No. 5 Group attack the synthetic oil refinery at Politz, near Stettin. Post-raid reconnaissance shows that the power station chimneys have collapsed and that other parts of the plant are damaged.
• 3 Lancasters are lost and 5 more crash in England.
• 136 aircraft including 67 Lancasters, 54 Halifaxes and 15 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups attack the important Cologne/Nippes marshalling yards which are being used to serve the German offensive in the Ardennes. The target is cloud-covered and only a few bombs hit the railway yards but these cause the destruction of 40 wagons, a repair workshop and several railway lines.
• There are no losses.

• 97 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups attempt to attack railway areas in Bonn but thick cloud cover prevents an accurate raid and later reconnaissance shows that the railway target was not hit. No other details are available.
• There are no losses.

• 4 Lancasters of No. 5 Group are sent to Schneidmühl as a diversion for the Politz raid, 30 Lancasters and 23 Halifaxes lay mines in the Kattegat, and there are 12 Mosquito patrols and 15 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• At dawn, Japanese aircraft attacking a US Navy re-supply convoy bound for Mindoro mortally damage 2 LSTs and damage other vessels. 107 soldiers and sailors are killed aboard the 2.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Likanan airfield on Mindanao.
• B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack 10 airfields in the central Philippines, mainly on Negros.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers based on Leyte complete more than 100 sorties against various targets.
• V Fighter Command and Marine Air Group 12 fighters cover the Mindoro invasion flotilla and re-supply convoys bound for Mindoro.
• 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters off Panay at 0905 hours.
• An 8th Fighter Group P-38 downs a J2M 'Jack' fighter over San Jose, Mindoro, at 1630 hours.
• An 8th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero over Marcano Island at 1730 hours.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 fighters over Hill Field on Mindoro at 1730 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

23 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima.

Atlantic

A German convoy runs into a minefield laid off Norway by the Free French submarine Rubis bringing her total number of sinkings to 23.

Burma

The British advance in the Arakan is so fast that Adm Mountbatten calls the senior commanders in Calcutta to discuss the best way of exploiting this unexpected success.

Eastern Front

While the Germans proceed with the evacuation of the Balkans, violent fighting rages between the German Army Group South and the 3rd Ukraine Front southwest of Budapest, between the Danube and Lake Balaton.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack Magyidon.
• 16 10th Air Force P-47s attack targets along the Irrawaddy River.
• 12 P-47s attack troops at Onbauk and a bridge at Na-lang.
• 8 P-47s attack 2 bridges at Kinu and a bypass bridge at Namhkai.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Wanling.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Yungning.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets across southern China.

• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Song Hoa.
• 51st Fighter Group fighter-bombers attack the Gia Lam airfield at Hanoi.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s and B-25s, and FEAF and RAAF fighter-bombers attack the Goeroea area in the Molucca Islands and Hate Tobako airfield and the Lolobata airfield on Halmahera.
• Fighter-bombers attack Wasile Bay in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 166 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos, mostly from No. 1 Group but with some Pathfinders are sent to Koblenz. The aiming point is the Mosel railway yards. There is some cloud in the target area and the local report says that the main weight of the attack falls in farming areas between 2 and 4 kilometres to the west where the villages of Güls and Rübenach are badly hit. The fringes of the bombing, however, do fall on the railway yards, several main lines and 2 important road bridges.
• There are no losses.
• 106 aircraft including 90 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group and 14 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group are sent to Bingen. The railway yards are again the objective of the raid. The attack is extremely accurate and all the bombs fall into the yards or into the nearby Rhine, where 2 barges are sunk. All movement of supplies by rail through Bingen to the Ardennes battle front stops.
• 2 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.
• 44 aircraft of No. 100 Group fly Mosquito patrols and RCM sorties without a loss.

Air Operations, Japan

48 of 78 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from the Marianas attack an aircraft factory at Nagoya through heavy clouds with incendiary bombs while 14 B-29s attack other targets. 3 B-29s are lost.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 23 22nd Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at the Angaur airfield and escorted by V Fighter Command P-47s Clark Field on Luzon.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Carolina airfield on Negros and troops and stores on Mindanao.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Fabrica airfield on Negros.
• B-25s attack port facilities at Zamboanga, Mindanao.
• P-40s attack the Lipa airfield on Luzon.
• Fighter-bombers sweep large areas of Mindanao.
• Numerous Japanese aircraft mount continuous attacks against a re-supply convoy bound for Mindoro. Despite a spirited defense 2 LSTs are sunk.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 10 fighters over Mindoro between 0830 and 0920 hours.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 9 fighters over Clark Field on Luzon between 1025 and 1100 hours.

Burma

The British 36th Division, advancing from the north along the valley of the Irrawaddy, reaches Tigyaing, which the Japanese have evacuated, and prepares to attack Mongmit.

Eastern Front

Under intense pressure the German line between Erd and Lake Velencze begins to crack, enabling the 3rd Ukrainian Front to push its units forward. Elements of the 4th Guards Army strikes Szekesfehervar and becomes involved in bitter fighting.

Hungary

A Provisional Hungarian Government is established in Soviet-held territory.

Indochina

The Vietnamese Liberation Army under Vo Nguyen Giap is formed.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at 4 locations.
• More than 40 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack defended areas, troops, and stores at 5 locations.
• 15 P-47s attack bridges at 3 locations.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack targets along the Burma Road.
• 12 P-51s and P-38s attack the airfield at Heho.

• 3 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 5 14th Air Force P-40s attack rail cars near the Yellow Sea.
• 12 P-51s attack Houmachen with napalm and bomb rail shops at Chenghsien.
• 16 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51s based at the airfield at Suichwan mount a skip-bombing attack against the Wuchang–Hankow ferry terminal.
• 118th Tactical Reconnaisaance Squadron P-51s down 8 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Ehr Tao Kow airfield at Chiuchiang and the Wuchow satellite field at 1222 hours.
• 23rd Fighter Fighter Group P-51s down 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter and 1 E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance plane over Hong Kong at 0800 hours.
• A 311th Fighter Group P-51 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Chenhsien at 1130 hours.

• 13 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack rail lines, towns, and targets of opportunity at Vinh and on both sides of the China–Indochina frontier.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF fighter-bombers attack targets on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• The Allied Tactical Air Forces fly 900 sorties against German armor and motor transport in the 'Bulge'.
• 26 V-2s explode in Antwerp.

• 153 Lancasters of No. 3 Group attempt to attack the Trier railway yards through cloud. The bombing appears to be accurate and concentrated but Trier can only report that it is the town's worst raid of the war.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 27 Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group are sent to attack the Gremberg railway yards in Cologne. The raid goes very badly. The force is split into 3 formations, each led by an Oboe-equipped Lancaster with an Oboe Mosquito as reserve leader. During the outward flight, 2 Lancasters of No 35 Squadron collide over the French coast and their crews are all killed. On approaching the target, it is found that the cloud which had been forecast has cleared and it is decided to allow the bombers to break formation and bomb visually.
  

  This move is made because the formations would have been very vulnerable to Cologne's flak defences during the long, straight Oboe approach. Unfortunately the order to abandon the Oboe run does not reach the leading Lancaster, a No 582 Squadron aircraft piloted by Squadron Leader R. A. M. Palmer, DFC (on loan from No 109 Squadron), who continues on with his designated role, even though his aircraft is already damaged by flak. German fighters, which are being directed to intercept an American bomber force, also appear and attack. The bombs from Squadron Leader Palmer's aircraft are eventually released and hit the target, but his plane goes down out of control and only the tail gunner escapes by parachute.

  Squadron Leader Palmer, on his 110th operation, is awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the only Oboe VC of the war. The formation suffers further losses when another Lancaster and a Mosquito are shot down by flak and fighters and a further Lancaster has to be abandoned by its crew over Belgium.

• Total losses for the raid are 6 aircraft out of the 30 sent.

• 52 Mosquitos are sent to the Limburg railway yards, 40 to Siegburg, and 7 on 'training flights' to Bremen, Hannover, Münster and Osnabrück, 6 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and 62 aircraft of No. 100 Group make Mosquito patrols and RCM sorties. Each of the Mosquitos shown as being on 'training flights' visits all 4 targets and drops 1 bomb on each. These operations later become known as 'siren-sounding tours'.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 494th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at the airfield at Angaur attack Grace Park Field on Luzon.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Fabrica and Silay airfields on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Davao and Zamboanga areas, and the San Roque airfield on Mindanao.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack numerous targets across the central Philippines.
• 12 P-40s directly support a US Army ground force on Leyte.
• 14 P-40s and 5 P-47s mount pre-invasion strikes against ground targets at Palompon, Leyte. The attacks at Palompon mark the first use of napalm by V Fighter Command aircraft.
• A VMF-115 F4U and a VMF-211 F4U share in the downing of an A6M Zero over Golo Island at 1110 hours.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

23 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Chichi Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 38 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops and supplies at 5 locations.
• 12 P-47s attack targets of opportunity along the rail line between Nawghkio and Sinlum.
• 8 P-47s attack the airfield at Lashio.
• 6 P-47s support Allied ground troops near Si-U.

• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the ferry at Kunlong.
• 3 B-25s attack a tanker in the South China Sea.
• More than 100 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops, buildings, and lines of supply and communication across southern China.
• A 118th Tactical Fighter Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near the Kaitak airfield on Hong Kong at 1125 hours.
• A 311th Fighter Group P-51 downs a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber over the Tsinan airfield at noon.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Kudat airfield on Borneo.
• FEAF fighter-bombers attack the Goeroea area in the Molucca Islands and targets of opportunity throughout the region.

Air Operations, Europe

• The Allied Tactical Air Forces fly 600 sorties over the Ardennes. 260 planes drop supplies on Bastogne.
• 50 He-111s, modified to carry and launch V-1s in flight, attack the Manchester area. 1 missile is on target. 17 fall near. 37 are killed and 67 injured. Steps are immediately take to strengthen AA defenses, but there are no more attacks.
• The first jet bomber operation takes place when twin-engined German Arado 234B bombers raid a factory and marshaling yards. The raid is led by Capt Dieter Lukesch.

• 338 aircraft including 248 Halifaxes, 79 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups attack the airfields at Lohausen and Mülheim (now Düsseldorf and Essen civil airports). The purpose of the raids is not recorded. It is possible that they are to hinder the movement of supplies by transport aircraft from the Ruhr to the Ardennes battle area. Both attacks take place in conditions of good visibility and the bombing is accurate.
• 6 aircraft are lost - 2 Lancasters and 1 Halifax from the Lohausen raid and 3 Halifaxes from the Mülheim raid.

• 104 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out an accurate attack on Hangelar airfield near Bonn. The results are unknown.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 97 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to Cologne/Nippes. The Oboe marking and the resultant bombing are extremely accurate. The railway tracks are severely damaged and an ammunition train is blown up. The nearby Butzweilerhof airfield is also damaged.
• 5 Lancasters are lost and 2 more crash in England.

• 2 Mosquitos are sent to Münster, 12 Halifaxes of No. 6 Group lay mines off Oslo, 8 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 42 Mosquito patrols and 42 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 22 22nd Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Clark Field on Luzon.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Puerto Princesa airfield on Palawan.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the Silay airfield on Negros, barracks at San Roque, shipping in Davao Bay, port facilities at Zamboanga, and various targets of opportunity throughout the Philippines.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 33 Japanese fighters near the Floridablanca airfield on Luzon and over Clark Field, Luzon between 1015 and 1150 hours. 4 P-47s are lost.
• A VMF(N)-541 F6F downs 2 J2M 'Jack' fighters over the Bulen airfield on Luzon at 1915 hours.
• During the day, Japanese aircraft sink 2 US tankers bound for Mindoro with aviation gasoline, and during the night, a Japanese Navy bomber destroys a 100,000-gallon aviation-gasoline storage tank at Hill Field on Mindoro. These losses will restrict flight operations from the Mindoro air bases for several weeks.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

US Navy surface forces, 23 XXI Bomber Command B-29s, 50 VII Bomber Command B-24s, and 17 318th Fighter Group P-38 fighter-bombers attack airfields on Iwo Jima.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-806 sinks the Canadian minesweeper Clayoquot, escorting Convoy XB-139, near Halifax with the loss of 8 of her crew. 73 survivors are rescued.

Britain, Home Front

Maj Glenn Miller, Director of the USAAF band, is reported missing over the Channel in a light plane which took off on December 15. He was 35.

Burma

In the British XXXIII Corps sector, the British 2nd Division and the 20th Indian Division overcome the dogged Japanese resistance in the Pyingaing area.

Eastern Front

The Soviet Supreme Command announces that in the course of the past 3 days the 3rd Ukraine Front, after breaking through the German lines southwest of Budapest in the area between Lake Velencei and the Danube, has advanced 25 miles and taken 160 towns and villages, including the important strongholds of Szekesfehervar and Bicske. The Germans' escape route from Budapest is now no more than 18 miles wide.