Air Operations, Europe

The US 8th and 15th Air Forces drop 73,000 tons of bombs and RAF Bomber Command adds 57,000 tons more. Among the targets are, for the Americans, Munich, Friedrichshafen, Metz and Belfort and, for the British, Stuttgart and Hamburg. The German oil industry is heavily hit by both British and Americans especially at Wesseling, Bohlen, Merseburg, Vienna and Ploesti.

English Channel

Throughout the month there are many sharp engagements, usually at night between German and Allied, mostly British, naval units. Both sides take some losses but the Allied preponderance of strength is normally decisive. The German submarine force suffers especially heavily.

Air Operations, Carolines

• Several FEAF B-24s conducting armed reconnaissance missions attack the Yap Atoll and Peleliu Island.
• During the night, VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 2 10th Air Force B-25s bomb rail facilities at Mohnyin and Naba.
• 8 10th Air Force P-40s support Allied ground troops at Myitkyina.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets in the Tungting Lake region.
• During the night, 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sow mines near Canton.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Namlea airfield on Boeroe and shipping in the same area.

Air Operations, Europe

• 307 Halifaxes of Nos. 4 and 6 Groups with 15 Mosquitos and 6 Lancasters of the Pathfinders attack 2 flying bomb sites and a stores site. All target are almost completely cloud-covered. The bombing is made on Oboe markers and results are not observed.
• 1 Halifax from No. 4 Group is lost on the raid to St Martin l'Hortier.
• 2 Mosquitos carry out uneventful Ranger patrols to airfields in northern Holland.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to the Scholven/Buer oil plant and 4 to the Homberg oil plant, 6 Lancasters lay mines off Horn's Reef and 2 Mosquitos make flying-bomb patrols.
• There are no losses.

• Of 323 2nd and 3rd Bomb Division heavy bombers dispatched against V-weapons sites, all but 9 486th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s respond to a recall order based on bad weather reports. The 9 kB-24s attack the target with fewer than 20 tons of bombs.
• 1 B-24 is lost
• Of 531 VIII Fighter Command fighters dispatched, 206 complete missions escorting the heavy bombers or attacking rail and road targets. 8 Luftwaffe fighters are downed between 1940 and 2040 hours mostly in the St.-Quentin area.
• 3 USAAF fighters are lost with their pilots

• 20 IX Fighter Comand fighter-bombers attack tactical ground targets around Vire.

• 12th Air Force B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s attack docks, fuel dumps, rail bridges, and viaducts in north-central Italy.
• P-47s attack road and rail bridges directly servicing the battle area and gun emplacements. 57th Fighter Group P-47 pilots down 6 Bf-109s near the Reggio Emilia Airdrome.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack Kurabu Cape airfield and Shimushu Island at dawn with the aid of radar.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Japanese Army positions on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V and XIII Bomber command B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers open the final pre-invasion bombardment of Noemfoor Island.
• 5th Air Force aircraft attack the airfield at Manokwari and mount numerous sorties against coastal targets in the Wewak area.

CBI

Gen Marshall asks Gen Stilwell if anything can be done to improve the situation in China. Stilwell's reply is straightforward: He requests command of all Chinese forces. It will take the president to convince Chiang Kai-shek.

Eastern Front

Berisov, a major center midway between Orsha and Minsk, is taken by troops of 3rd Belorussian Front under Gen Ivan Chernyakovsky.

With the Soviet armies fast approaching the Germans begin the evacuation of second echelon personnel from Minsk, 8,000 wounded and 12,000 ausiliaries being moved west.

Heavy fighting rages on the Berezina, the 31st and 267th Infantry Divisions attempting to hold open a line of retreat for the 4th Army. Despite the threat posed by the 11th Guards and 5th Guards Tank Armies around Borisov, the XXVII Corps gets most of its men across near Zhukovets while the XXXIX and XII Corps cross at Berezino. Soviet forces continue or push forward, trying to get behind the German army and encircle it before it can reach Minsk. Leading tanks enter Tschweren.

Italy

Troops from the 34th Division, IV Corps, 5th Army take Cecina on the west coast and inland, in the advance to Volterra, Pomerance also falls. East of Cecina, despite resistance by the Germans, the 135th Regiment succeeds in holding the bridgehead captured the previous day. On the right of the American corps, the 1st Armored Division advances on Siena.

On the right of the Allied line the British X Corps of 8th Army which has not yet made contact with the enemy, replaces the British 6th Armored Division in the front line.

Mariana Islands

On Saipan the US 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions and the 27th Infantry Division advance northward against heavy Japanese resistance pushing forward about a mile in some sectors and bringing right flank troops to within 5-1/2 miles of the northern tip of the island. On the left flank of the advance, US troops have seized the heights overlooking Tanapag harbor.

Air Operations, Carolines

VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 2 10th Air Force B-25s attack rail lines at Katha and Pinwe.
• 7 10th Air Force P-40s support Allied ground troops at Myitkyina.

• 11 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 42 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Japanese Army ground troops and shipping in the Tungting Lake region.
• B-25s and P-51s attack the airfield at Lupao and town area.

Air Operations, Europe

• 374 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups attack 3 V-weapon sites. Cloud affected all the raids, but good concentrations of bombs are believed to have been dropped on all targets.
• There are no losses.
• 4 Mosquitos make uneventful Ranger patrols.

• 282 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s use radar to attack V-weapons sites through heavy cloud cover.
• 1 B-24 is lost

• 7 9th Air Force tactical fighter groups cover over the beachhead area and attack a German Army headquarters, fuel dumps, strongpoints, and rail lines alongside the Loire River. IX TAC fighter pilots down 2 Luftwaffe over France during the afternoon.

• 12th Air Force B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s attack several fuel dumps and German Army lines of communication north of the battle area.
• XII TAC P-47s attack bridges and motor vehicles in the battle area.

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack oil-industry targets at Blechhammer.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack marshalling yards, the airdrome, and oil-refining facilities at Budapest through intense anti-aircraft fire and repeated fighter attacks.
• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the oil facilities at Almasfuzito.
• Escort fighters mount sweeps over the Budapest area. A total of 35 Bf-109s and FW-190s are downed by escort fighters of the 1st, 31st, 52nd, 82nd, 325th and 332nd Fighter Groups. 8 more Fb-109s are downed by visiting P-51 pilots of the 8th Air Force's 4th Fighter Group, which is transiting through Italy with 8th Air Force heavy bombers returning to England from a FRANTIC shuttle mission to the Soviet Union.

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack marshalling yards at Brod and Vinkovci.

Air Operations, Marianas

• A VF(N)-76 F4U downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber at sea at 0008 hours.
• 318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Japanese Army ground troops on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the Kamiri area of Noemfoor Island.
• B-25s attack the Manokwari area.
• 44 V Bomber Command B-24s mount a noon attack against the Kornasoren airfield on Noemfoor.
• Following an air and naval bombardment, including a last-minute precision target-suppression attack by 12 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, US Army ground troops invade Noemfoor Island without opposition. The Kamiri airfield is captured, and US Army and RAAF engineers immediately begin to prepare it for flight operations. Cover and air support is provided throughout the day by 4 A-20 squadrons; 17th Reconnaissance Squadron B-25s; the 8th, 348th, and 475th Fighter groups; and the 421st Night Fighter Squadron.

Allied Planning

The Combined Chiefs of Staff issues instructions for the Mediterranean theater commander in chief, Gen Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, to plan for ANVIL, the invasion of southern France in support of OVERLORD. The execution date is August 15. Three divisions will land initially, with a buildup to a total of 10 divisions. French forces are capture Toulon and Marseilles. After the cities are captured, Allied forces are to advance north up the Rhône Valley.

Atlantic

• The US motor minesweeper YMS-350 sinks in the Normandy area after an encounter with a mine.
• The US transport General W. A. Mann (AP-112), escorted by the Brazilian destroyers Marcilio Dias, Martz E Barros and Greenhalgh, sails from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the first elements of the Italy-bound Brazilian Expeditionary Force.

Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine U-543 in sunk by aircraft (VC-58) from the US escort carrier Wake Island (CVE-65) southeast of the Azores Islands.

U-543

Brazil

The first contingent of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force leaves Rio by sea to join the Allied 5th Army in Italy.

Burma-China

The Chinese divisions reinforce the north flank of the Myitkyina area, fearing a Japanese counter-offensive from the north. On the Salween front the Chinese 116th Division advances on Teng-chung in spite of the violent monsoon rain.

Eastern Front

The Russian forces cut several of the rail lines leading west from Minsk.

The 5th Panzer Division comes under heavy attack east of Minsk as the 1st and 3rd Belorussian Fronts draw closer together. Furious fighting rages at Krasnoye and Molodechno, the latter being retaken by 5th Panzer after ferocious fighting with the 3rd Belorussian Front. However, the 31st Army then slices through the German defenses and, supported by the 5th Guards Tank Army, reaches the outskirts of Minsk. Smolovichi falls.

The 3rd Army also draws up from the south, outpacing the retreating 9th Army. With the loss of Minsk imminent, Hitler agrees to the evacuation of the city. It was already too late, the bulk of the 4th Army being far to the east.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

• US carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.1 and Task Group 58.2—under overall command of Rear-Adm Joseph J. Clark—mount extremely devastating attacks against airfields and shipping at Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, and Iwo Jima. Naval gunfire is also employed against some targets.
• A VF-31 F6F and a VT-31 TBM crew down an H8K 'Emily' flying boat at sea at 1304 hours. VF-1, VF-2, and VF-50 F6Fs down 49 A6M Zeros in the Iwo Jima area between 1555 and 1635 hours.

Air Operations, Carolines

• FEAF B-24s attack Peleliu Island and the Woleai and Yap atolls.
• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 20 10th Air Force fighter-bombers support Allied ground troops at Myitkyina.

• 4 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack rail facilities at Yoyang.
• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 14th Air Force P-40s attack numerous other targets in the Tungting Lake region.
• B-25s airdrop supplies to Chinese Army ground troops near Hengyang.

• 14th Air Force P-40s attack a bridge and targets of opportunity at Phu Lang Thuong.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group attack Saumlakki in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to the Scholven/Buer oil pland and 4 to the Homberg one, 4 Stirlings lay mines off Brest, 24 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 11 Mosquitos on flying bomb patrols.

• Approximately 275 9th Air Force fighter-bombers attack tactical positions and lines of communication in the US 1st Army battle area.

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack a bridge at Szeged.

• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack oil-industry targets at Giurgiu and Bucharest, repair shops at Arad, a rail bridge, and a marshalling yard.
• 31st and 325th Fighter Group P-51 escort pilots down 8 Axis fighters over Romania between 1140 and 1205 hours.

• 55 8th Air Force B-17s and 42 4th and 352nd Fighter Group P-51s transiting through Italy on return from their FRANTIC mission to Russia attack a marshalling yard at Arad and return to bases in Italy.
• 1 B-17 is lost

• 84 15th Air Force B-24s attack oil-industry targets at Belgrade.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Japanese Army troops on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• After a smoke screen has been laid by V Bomber Command A-20s and B-25s, 317th Troop Carrier Group C-47s airdrop a 739-man US Army parachute- infantry battalion at the Kamiri airfield on Noemfoor, which is already in American hands. Paratroop casualties are an extremely high - 10 percent due to accidents, drifting smoke, and, to a far lesser degree, enemy fire.
• V Bomber Command B-24s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighters and fighter-bombers attack Biak Island, Efman Island, Larat, and Manokwari.
• B-25s and P-38s attack Japanese Army troops and supply dumps near Noemfoor's Kamiri airfield.
• 5th Air Force aircraft attack coastal targets in the Wewak area.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-boats equipped with schnorkels begin operations off Normandy.
• The Germans submarine U-154 is sunk by the US destroyer escorts Frost (DE-144) and Inch (DE-145) off Madeira.

U-154

Burma-India

On the Assam front the 7th Indian Division of the XXXIII Corps captures Ukhrul. But the Japanese dig in close to this important road junction.

Eastern Front

Troops of the 1st and 3rd Belorussian Fronts complete the capture of Minsk. Many German units, particularly from 4th Army are now isolated to the east and casualties and losses of equipment have been enormous. Already after less than two weeks of the Soviet offensive, Army Group Center is in total disarray with 28 of its 40 divisions being encircled and before long it will have practically ceased to be a coherent fighting formation. The Russians claim 400,000 German dead and 158,000 taken prisoner and the capture of 2,000 enemy tanks and 10,000 guns. This overwhelming victory beings a grave threat to the Army Group North, stationed in the Baltic states, which is in danger of being cut off. The 1st Baltic Front under Gen Ivan Bagramyan is about to unleash a powerful offensive against it. The Russians have superiority in every respect and during the attack against Army Group Center could muster at least 320 guns to every mile of the front in the most vital sectors. Gen Johannes Freissner replaces Gen Georg Lindemann in command of Army Group North. Moscow calls this battle 'one of the decisive victories of the war.'

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

• US carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.1 and Task Group 58.2 attack the Japanese bases at Chichi Jima and Iwo Jima.
• VF(N)-75 F4Us on a reconnaissance/nuisance mission down 7 A6M2-N 'Rufe' floatplanes s over Chichi Jima at 0530 hours.
• VF-13, VF-14, and VF-31 F6Fs down 31 A6M Zeros and 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over the Iwo Jima area between 0600 and 0635 hours.
• A VF-2 F6F downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat at sea at 0715 hours.
• A VF-13 F6F downs a B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber near Iwo Jima at 0855 hours.
• The gunner of an observation plane from the cruiser USS Santa Fe downs an A6M Zero at sea at 1500 hours.

Air Operations, Carolines

• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Yap Atoll and airfields at Peleliu Island and the Sorol and Woleai atolls.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges and rail lines around Hopin and Naba.
• More than 30 10th Air Force P-40s support Allied ground troops near Myitkyina.
• More than 20 P-47s and P-51s sweep the Lashio area and the Mogaung Valley.

• 38 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 74 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, throughout the Tungting Lake region, and in the Canton area.
• B-25s airdrop supplies to Chinese Army ground troops at Hengyang and attack the airfield there.
• An 81st Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane at about 0912 hours. This is the group’s first victory (of four) in the theater, and the first victory by a P-47 over China.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack airfields and shipping in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command A-20s support US Army ground troops on Noemfoor Island.
• B-24s attack Efman Island.
• V Fighter Command P-47s attack targets of opportunity on Biak Island.
• Various 5th Air Force aircraft attack the Maffin Bay area, But and Dagua airfields, and barges at Wewak.
• US Army ground troops capture the Kornasoren airfield on Noemfoor without opposition.
• 317th Troop Carrier Group C-47s airdrop 400 US Army paratroopers at the Kamiri airfield on Noemfoor. When casualties from accidents and enemy fire exceed 8 percent, it is decided to fly the rest of the parachute-infantry regiment to the island as soon C-47s are able to land at the Kamiri airfield.
• During the night, V Bomber Command A-20s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack barges and dumps in the Dagua area.

Air Operations, Europe

• 328 aircraft of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups attack 3 flying bomb sites. In this total are 307 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitos ahd 6 Lancasters. Some cloudes are present but at least 2 of the raids are assessed as accurate.
• There are no losses.
• 17 Lancasters, 1 Mosquito and 1 Mustang of No. 617 Squadron attack a flying bomb store in a large cave at St Leu d'Esserent north of Paris. The site is accurately bombed without a loss.
• 4 Mosquitos make uneventful Ranger raids.

• 231 Lancasters and 15 Mosquitos, mostly of No. 5 Group with some Pathfinders, attack the underground flying bomb store in the limestone caverns St Leu d'Esserent with 1,000 pound bombs in order to cut communications to the site.
• The bombing is accurate, but 13 Lancasters are lost when German fighters engage the force.

• 282 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups attack the railway yards at Orléans and Villeneuve. Both targets are accurately bombed.
• 11 Lancasters are lost on the Villeneuve raid and 3 on the raid to Orléans.

• 13 Mosquitos are sent to the Scholven/Buer oil facility, 6 Stirlings and 5 Halifaxes lay mines off Brest and St Nazaire, 16 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 61 Mosquito patrols and 25 RCM and 30 OTU sorties.
• 1 Halifax RCM is lost.

• Of 300 1st Bomb Division B-17s dispatched against bridges and airfields in France, only 24 B-17s each attack primary targets at the Dreux and Illiers L'Eveque Airdromes, 13 attack the Conches Airdrome, and 1 attack an unknown target of opportuity. All other B-17s are thwarted by bad weather.
• 1 B-17 is lost
• 192 2nd and 3rd Bomb Division B-24s, of 258 dispatched, attack the Beaumont-le-Roger, Beaumont-sur-Oise, Conches, Creil, and Evreux Airdromes.
• There are no losses
• Escort for the various heavy-bomber formations is provided by 569 VIII Fighter Command fighters. 129 VIII Fighter Command P-47s attack several bridges and marshalling yards. While on a bomber-escort mission against the Conches Airdrome, P-47 pilots of the 56th Fighter Group down 19 Luftwaffe fighters.
• 5 fighters and 2 fighter-bombers are lost with their pilots

• Although most IX Bomber Command bombers are grounded by bad weather over France, a total of 95 B-26s and A-20s using radar guidance are able to attack defended positions near Abbeville and a rail bridge at Oissel.
• 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers mount more than 900 sorties to cover the beachhead and attack gun emplacements, troop concentrations, marshalling yards, rail lines, highways, bridges, and a German Army command post.
• IX TAC fighters down 4 Luftwaffe fighters over France during the afternoon.

• Although 12th Air Force bombers are grounded by bad weather, a small number of fighters and fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements, roads, bridges, and rail lines in the US 5th Army attack zone.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack a marshalling yard and rail bridges at Pitesti.
• B-17s attakc oil-industry targets at Brasov.
• Escort is provided by more than 350 fighters, which also conduct sweeps in the target areas. 10 Axis fighters and 3 Ju-52s are downed between 0950 and 1040 hours by 14th, 52nd, and 82nd Fighter Group escort pilots.

Air Operations, Marianas

• For the first time since June 19, carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.3, freshly arrived from Eniwetok sweep Guam.
• 318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Japanese Army troops on Aguijan, Rota, Saipan, and Tinian islands.

Allied Command

The Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff send a message to Roosevelt suggesting that he should put pressure on Chiang Kai-shek to give Gen Joseph Stilwell command of all the Chinese armed forces and the Gen Daniel I. Sultan should be put at the head of the Chinese forces in Burma in succession to Gen Stilwell. Sultan's positions as Deputy Supreme Commander in Southeast Asia, under Adm Mountbatten, should go to Gen Raymond A. Wheeler.

Caribbean

The US tanker Kittanning (10,195t) is torpedoed by U-539 while returning to Cristobal, Canal Zone. There are no casualties among the 49-man crew or the 25-man Armed Guard, who are rescued by the Coast Guard cutter Marion (WPC-145).

Eastern Front

There is a new series of attacks toward Riga by the 1st Baltic Front against the positions of Army Group North. The German armies here are in a very dangerous situation because of the Soviet advances to the south toward their right flank and rear. Polotsk, northwest of Vitebsk, is very quickly taken. Army Group North, after the Russians' huge breakthrough in the center, is now in a highly critical position.

Air Operations, Europe

233 B-24s raid Toulon. 7 U-boats are damaged.

• 542 aircraft including 321 Lancasters, 201 Halifaxes and 20 Mosquitos of Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups attack 2 flying bomb launching sites and 2 storage sites. The night is clear with a bright moon and all targets are hit.
• 5 Lancasters are lost.
• 154 Lancasters of No. 1 Group attack the main railway area at Dijon which is heavily bombed.
• There are no losses.

• 35 Mosquitos are sent to the Scholven/Buer facility and 10 to Düren, 6 Halifaxes lay mines off Brest and St Nazaire, 29 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 50 Mosquito patrols and 9 RCM and 3 OTU sorties.
• 3 Mosquitos are lost, 1 on Scholven/Buer raid, 1 on an RCM and 1 on a Serrate sortie.

• A total of 43 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack the Le Culot, Brussels/Mesbroek and Tulemont Airdromes.

• A total of 101 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack three V-weapons sites.
• 69 VIII Fighter Command P-47 fighter-bombers attack a number of bridges, towns, and communications targets in and around the Normandy battle area.
• 70 B-17s of the 8th Air Force's 3rd Bomb Division, escorted by a total of 228 VIII Fighter Command P-47s and P-51s, take part in the attack on the marshalling yard at Beziers on their way home from Russian via bases in Italy.

• 77 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack a factory and the Gilze-Rijen and Volkel Airdromes.
• 13 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack the Eindhoven Airdrome.

• 12th Air Force B-25s attack a marshalling yard, a bridge, and several fuel dumps.
• XII TAC A-20s attack rail lines and a supply dump.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack roads, bridges, rail lines, and tactical targets in support of the US 5th Army
• During the night, XII TAC A-20s attack an ammo ship at La Spezia.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack a marshalling yard at Beziers and the docks and submarine base at Toulon.
• 15th Air Force B-17s attack a marshalling yard at Montpelier.
• 6 Bf-109s are downed over southern France between 1040 and 1115 hours by 52nd and 325th Fighter Group P-51 pilots.

Burma-China

On the Salween front the Chinese 8th Army attacks Sung Shan from east and south but such ground as they are able to take is recaptured by the Japanese in a powerful counterattack.

Eastern Front

The XXVII breaks up and attempts to break out in small pockets but many of its men are ambushed and killed. Thousands die in bloody battles in the forests of Belorussia.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Neger-type U-boats begin operations off Normandy. In 3 nights of operations they sink 4 light warships and cripple the cruiser Dragon but at a heavy cost.
• German one-man Biber (Beaver) submarines attack Allied ships off Normandy. Also with raids on the 8th, the 29-foot-long craft sink 3 minesweepers and damage the Polish cruiser Dragon. 7 of the mini-subs are sunk.
• The German submarine U-233 is sunk by the US destroyer escorts Thomas (DE-102) and Baker (DE-190) in the North Atlantic area.

• The German submarine U-586 is sunk off Toulon, France by US Army aircraft.

Italy

The battle for Rosignano continues. The Americans of the 34th Division make very slow progress against the tenacious German resistance.

The resistance of von Vietinghoff's German 10th Army stiffens in the area in which the British XIII Corps is advancing which is south of Arezzo after making rapid advances to Tuoro and Umbertide.

Air Operations, Europe

• 551 aircraft attack 5 V-weapon sites. In this total are 314 Halifaxes, 210 Lancasters, 26 Mosquitos and 1 Mustang. 4 of the targets are clear of clouds and are believed to have been bombed accurately. No results, however, are seen from the Forêt de Croc site.
• A No. 6 Group Halifax is lost on the raid on a Siracourt flying bomb store.

On his return from leading 617 Squadron's attack on the Mimoyecques site, Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire is ordered by the commander of No. 5 Group to leave the squadron and rest. Cheshire had completed 4 tours and flown 100 operations. Squadron Leaders J. C. McCarthy, K. L. Munro and D. J. Shannon, the three No. 617 Squadron flight commanders - all survivors of the Dams Raid - are also ordered to rest. 2 months later, Cheshire is awarded the Victoria Cross for his 4 tours and for his courage and skill in developing low-level marking. He does not fly on operations again.

• 33 Mosquitos are sent to the Scholven/Buer oil plant and 3 to the Mezieres railway junction, 4 Stirlings lay mines off the Belgian and Dutch coasts and there are 6 Intruder and 16 flying bomb patrols. Mosquitos shoot down 6 flying bombs, their best success of the war.
• There are no aircraft losses.

• During the morning, 689 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack 18 V-weapons sites in the Pas-de-Calais area.
• During the afternoon, 73 8th Air Force B-17s and 148 B-24s attack V-weapons sites in the Pas-de-Calais area and bridges south of Paris.
• A total of 1,027 VIII Fighter Command fighter sorties are flown throughout the day, escorting the various heavy-bomber attacks and strafing and bombing various ground targets.
• 5 fighters and 4 pilots are lost

• 229 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack shipyards at Kiel.
• 3 B-24s are lost

• During the morning, nearly 500 IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack bridges and rail lines throughout France.
• During the afternoon, IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack V-weapons sites, bridges, fuel dumps, and rail lines.
• Throughout the day, 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers escort IX Bomber Command medium and light bombers, provide beachhead cover, conduct armed-reconnaissance sweeps, and attack troop concentrations, gun emplacements, numerous rail lines, bridges, tunnels, buildings, and a supply dump.
• USAAF fighter pilots down 21 Luftwaffe aircraft over France between 0615 and 2020 hours.

• 12th Air Forde B-25s and B-26s attack lines of communications north or the battle area, warehouses, and German Army headquarters.
• XII TAC A-20s attack fuel dumps.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack rail line and bridges just north of the battle area.
• During the night, XII TAC A-20s attack the harbor at La Spezia and road targets in the La Spezia area.

• The 15th Air Force mounts a total of 711 heavy-bomber sorties against marshalling yards at Verona, a viaduct, several oil-industry targets, oil- and fuel-storage areas, rail bridges, and bht Bergamo steel works.

Air Operations, Pacific

The first purpose-built US night fighter, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow, destroys a Japanese G4M bomber over Saipan.

Allied Command

Roosevelt forwards to Chiang Kai-shek the proposals made by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caribbean

The US tanker Esso Harrisburg (9887t), en route from Cartegena, Colombia to New York, is torpedoed and sunk by U-516 losing 4 or her 44-man crew and 4 of the 28 Armed Guard sailors. Survivors are picked up two days later by the US submarine chaser SC-1299 and the Dutch escort vessel Queen Wilhelmina.

CBI

President Roosevelt contacts Generalissimo Chiang, proposing that Stilwell be promoted to full general and given command of all Chinese forces. 'I fell that the case of China is so desperate that if radical and and properly applied remedies are not immediately affected, our common cause will suffer a disastrous setback.' Chiang Kai-shek makes a surprisingly positive response, but ultimately takes no action.

Diplomatic Relations

Over the next few days De Gaulle is in Washington for talks on the status of his administration and aid for the fighting French.

Eastern Front

Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front take Kovel, 70 miles east of Lublin. The Germans have pulled back in this sector. Svir, southwest of Minsk, is also taken.

Following the destruction of the XXVII Corps, the XII Corps attacks toward Minsk but it is halted by concentrated Russian fire. Casualties are severe as the Germans rush the Soviet lines, only to be gunned down in droves. Panic begins to spread throughout the remnants of the 4th Army.

The retreating LV Corps of the 9th Army escapes destruction as it falls back to Luninets. This is the only unit left to the 9th Army.

English Channel

The British corvette Statice says she is in contact with a submerged U-boat during the evening of the 5th. Ottawa and Kootenay are detached and both ships make contact the middle of the next morning. Ottawa attacks with Hedgehog and hears an explosion. Kootenay delivers a depth-charge attack and Statice delivers a Hedgehog which produces one hit and produces some wreckage, but not enough to classify as a kill. Although the ships make several more attacks, there is not enough evidence to confirm a kill.

U-678

Air Operations, Europe

• 467 aircraft of Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups are involved in a major effort to assist the land battle. Included in the aircraft total are 283 Lancasters, 164 Halifaxes and 20 Mosquitos. The Canadian 1st and British 2nd Armies are held up by a series of fortified village strongpoints north of Caen. The first plan is for Bomber Command to bomb these villages but, because of the proximity of friendly troops and the possibility of bombing error, the bombing area is moved back nearer to Caen, covering a stretch of open ground and the northern edge of the city. The weather is clear for the raid, which takes place in the evening, and two aiming points are well marked by Oboe Mosquitos and other Pathfinder aircraft. The Master Bomber, Wing Commander S. P. (Pat) Daniels of No. 35 Squadron, then controls a very accurate raid. Dust and smoke soon obscure the markers, but the bombing always remains concentrated. 2,276 tons of bombs are dropped.
• It is afterwards judged that the bombing should have been aimed at the original targets. Few Germans are killed in the area actually bombed, although units near by are considerably shaken. The northern suburbs of Caen are ruined.
• No German fighters appear and only 1 Lancaster, of No. 166 Squadron, is shot down by flak. 2 further Lancasters and 1 Mosquito crash behind the Allied lines in France.

• 208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos from No. 5 Group with some Pathfinder aircraft attack a flying bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels at St Leu d'Esserent. The bombing is accurately directed on to the mouths of the tunnels and on to the approach roads blocking access to the bombs stored there. German night fighters intercept the force and cause heavy casualties.
• 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos are lost. No. 106 Squadron, from Metheringham, loses 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and No. 630 Squadron, from East Kirkby, loses its commanding officer, Wing Commander W. I. Deas, who was flying his 69th operation. Wing Commander Deas was killed and is buried in a small cemetery at Omerville, north-west of Versailles.
• 123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos carry out an accurate raid on the railway yards at Vaires without loss.
• 106 aircraft of Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 9 Groups carry out a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland in support of the St Leu d'Esserent raid and 7 Mosquitos drop spoof markers.

• 32 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 9 to the Scholven/Buer plant, 83 Mosquitos are on patrols and there are 48 aircraft on RCM sorties or Resistance operations.
• 2 Mosquitos are lost on the Berlin raid and 1 aircraft on a Resistance operation.

• 939 9th Air Force B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 656 VIII Fighter Command fighters, attack three synthetic-oil plants, eight aircraft-assembly plants, marshalling yards at two locations, and equipment depot, railway repair shops, a railroad stations, and two airdromes in central Germany.
• 37 heavy bombers are lost, 390 are damaged
• 166 escort fighters strafe airfields and rail targets.
• VIII Fighter Command escort pilots down 77 Luftwaffe aircraft over Germany between 0830 and 1045 hours.
• 6 escort fighters and their pilots are lost

• More than 100 IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack rail bridges near Tours and targets of opportunity around Beauzeville and Lisieux.
• More than 500 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers patrol the beachhead area and bomb and strafe a broad variety of tactical and communications targets in western France.

• IX TAC fighter pilots down 8 Luftwaffe fighters over France between 0930 and 2025 hours.
• During the night, to help alleviate the V-1 terror attacks on targets in England, 32 B-26s from the IX Bomber Command's 322nd Medium Bomb Group are dispatched to attack the V-weapons headquarters at Chateau de Ribeaucourt. Alerted by radar, Luftwaffe night-fighters, some using flares, down 9 B-26s. Bomber gunners down 1 single-engine night fighter and 1 Ju-88.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s attack rail bridges and a fuel dump.
• XII TAC A-20s attack several fuel dumps.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack the Ferrar Airdrome, a town, ammo dumps, and various tactical and communications targets.
• During the night, XII TAC A-20s attack several defended towns.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack an armaments factor at Dubnica.

• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack two synthetic-fuel plants at Blechhammer, and B-24s also attack a synthetic-fuel plant and a coke plant at Odertal.
• Escort pilots from the 52nd, 82nd and 325th Fighter Groups down 13 Axis fighters along the bomber routes between 0950 and 1240 hours.
• 18 15th Air Force aircraft are lost on the day's various missions

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack the airdrome and marshalling yards at Zagreb.

Air Operations, Asia

A second raid is carried out on the Japanese metropolitan islands by US Superfortresses. The B-29s concentrate their attack on naval installations at Sasebo, in Kyushu Island.

Burma-China

Fresh attacks by the Chinese 8th Army against Sung Shan are repulsed by the Japanese with considerable losses.

Eastern Front

North of Lake Ladoga, the Finns complete their retreat to the 'U' Line.

SOUTHERN SECTOR

The 1st Belorussian Front begins limited attacks with its 47th Army, taking Kovel after hard fighting.

France, Politics

The former Cabinet Minister and anti-collaborationist, Georges Mandel, is executed at Fontainbleu on the orders of the Vichy Police Chief, Joseph Darnand.

Italy

Units of the US 34th Division take Pignano in their advance up the Tyrrhenian coast. Rosignano is captures by the 135th Regiment of the 34th Division. The Germans rearguards have not yet yielded, however, and they take up positions just outside the town. The 4th Mountain Division of the French Expeditionary Corps takes Val d'Alsa hill.

Air Operations, Europe

• 10 Mosquitos are sent to the Scholven/Buer oil plant, 8 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings lay mines off the Biscay coast, 8 Mosquitos are on flying bomb patrols and 7 aircraft are involved on Resistance operations.
• There are no losses.

• Despite poor weather that results in more than 550 abords, 462 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack numerous tactical targets, including V-weapons sites, bridges, rail junctions, marshalling yards, and several airfields.
• 9 B-17s are lost
• Escort for the heavy bombers is provided by 588 VIII Fighter Command fighters. 86 VIII Fighter Command P-47 fighter-bombers attack the St.-Andre-de-L'Eure Airdrome. VIII Fighter Command pilots claim the destruction of 15 locomotives during the day.
• 1 fighter and its pilot are lost

• Approximately 280 IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack the V-weapons headquarters at Chateau de Ribeaucourt as well as German Army strongpoints at Caen, fuel dumps, and road and rail bridges.
• 9th Air Force escort fighters and IX TAC fighter-bombers conduct armed-reconnaissance missions over a broad area of France, but especially in the Normandy battle area, where numerous tactical targets are attacked.
• 9th Air Force fighter pilots down 3 Luftwaffe fighters over France during the morning.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s attack a rail line near Parma, and several marshalling yards.
• XII TAC A-20s attack fuel dumps.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack lines of communications north of the rather fluid US 5th Army battle area.

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack targets in the Vienna area: the Markersdorf, Munchendorf, and Zwolfaxing Airdromes; a marshalling yard; refineries at Korneuburg and Vosendorf; and the Floridsdorf oil storage facilities.
• Escort pilots of the 52nd, 82nd and 325th Fighter Groups down 29 Axis fighters near Vienna, including many twin-engine bomber destroyers.
• 14 15th Air Force aircraft are lost

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack the Veszprem Airdrome.

Air Operations, Far East

Yahata iron and steel works and several other key military industrial targets are hit by the second B-29 raid in three weeks. The US bombers are using air bases in China.

Allied Command

Chiang Kai-shek agrees in principle with Roosevelt's request that Stilwell should have operational command of the Chinese army, but he asks for a personal representative of the President to be sent to China.

Argentina, Home Front

Juan Perón is appointed Vice-President by Pres Julián Farrell. From this moment Perón rapidly becomes virtual dicator.

Battle of the Atlantic

Sunderland 'H' of No 10 Squadron RAAF sights fully surfaced U-243 at a range of 6 miles. At 2 miles the U-boat opens fire, but the accurate fire of the plane's front gunner quickly silences the gunfire. 6 depth charges are dropped with a perfect straddle around the stern. Shortly thereafter the crew is seen launching dinghies and taking to the water. The survivors of the U-boat are rescued by the Canadian destroyer escort HMCS Restigouche.

U-243

Britain, Home Front

1,750 barrage balloons are put in position south of London to combat the V-1.

Capt F. J. Walker, an 'ace' U-boat hunter, dies at the age of 50.

Burma-China

On the Salween front, the Chinese Y Force surrounds Tengchung with eight divisions.

With the commander of the Japanese Southern Army, Field Marshal Count Hisaichi Terauchi, having sanctioned the abandonment of the Imphal operation, the Japanese 15th Army is ordered to retreat across the Chindwin. It is the final acceptance of defeat by Mutaguchi in the battle of Imphal-Kohima in which the Japanese lsot 53,000 men out of the 85,000 committed.

Eastern Front

Advancing north of the Pripet Marshes, Rokossovsky's men take Baranovichi, midway between Minsk and Brest-Litovsk.

More than 60,000 men of the German 4th Army have fallen during repeated break-out attempts, the majority of its 40,000 survivors being captured by Soviet forces. The 4th Army has effectively ceased to exist.

The 1st and 3rd Belorussian Fronts continue to push west. Elements of the 65th Army, together with Group Pliev (Gen Issa) and part of the 28th Army, take Baranovichi after a furious battle with remnants of the German 9th army.

Operation BAGRATION has succeeded in destroying Army Group Center. The Stavka and Red Army have successfully broken the individual armies in small-scale encirclement operations before trapping the remnants in a larger cauldron thrown around Minsk. For the Ostheer the defeat eclipsed even Stalingrad, some 20 infantry, 1 security, 3 panzer grenadier, 1 panzer and 2 Luftwaffe field divisions being destroyed and 350,000 men being lost. The German front in the central sector simply no longer exists.

English Channel

The British frigate Trollope is bady damaged by a German motor torpedo boat off Cap d'Antifer, France with the loss of 63 of her crew.

Air Operations, Europe

• 347 aircraft of Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups bomb 6 V-weapon launching sites. Included in this total are 197 Halifaxes, 120 Lancasters and 30 Mosquitos. Most of the targets are covered in cloud and some of the bombing is scattered.
• 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster are lost.

• 8 Mosquitos are sent to Scholven/Buer, 8 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings lay mines off the Biscay ports, 19 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 9 Serrate patrols and 14 RCM and 4 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• Despite bad weather over the target area that results in no attacks on assigned targets, 140 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack several bridges and Chateaudan Airdrome during the morning.
• During the afternoon, 37 of 104 3rd Bomb Division B-24s dispatched attack V-weapons launching sites, as assigned, and 15 of 77 3rd Bomb Division B-17s dispatched against V-weapons sites attack targets of opportunity, including the St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdrome.
• During the day, 313 VIII Fighter Command fighters escort the heavy bombers, and, during the morning, 90 P-38s strafe ground targets.
• VIII Fighter Command pilots down 6 Luftwaffe aircraft over France between 0825 and 1400 hours.

• During the morning, 60 of 250 IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack various lines of communication targets, but the remainder are thwarted by bad weather.
• Throughout the day, 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers cover the beachhead area and attack numerous on-call targets and targets of opportunity.

• Bad weather cancels most of the operations of 12th Air Force, but XII TAC fighter-bombers are able to attack several rail lines, German Army tanks and motor vehicles, and several gun emplacements.

• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s, led for the first time by B-24s equipped with H2X radar, attack Ploesti's Xebia and Concordia-Vega refineries through an otherwise impenetrable smoke screen.
• Pilots of the 1st, 52nd, and 325th Fighter Groups down 13 Axis fighters along the bomber route or over Ploesti between 1000 and 1115 hours.
• 6 15th Air Force aircraft are lost

Eastern Front

Troops from the 3rd Belorussian Front take Lida, 50 miles east of Grodno. Army Group North is isolated in the Baltic states as a direct result of Hitler's reckless orders. The Russians cross the Vuoksi River in the Karelian Isthmus.

The Soviet 5th Army encircles Vilnius, cutting off nearly 15,000 Germans in the city. Other units of the 3rd Belorussian captures Lida as they rush toward the Niemen.

India, Home Front

Gandhi concedes that an independent India must be partitioned between Hindus and Moslems.

Italy

On the left flank of the American 34th Division the northward advance beyond Rosignano continues, while on the right the US 88th Division takes Volterra. The French units are advancing on Poggibonsi. The British 8th Army prepares an attack against Arezzo.

Air Operations, Europe

RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:

• 213 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups attack a flying bomb storage dump at Nucort, but the target is covered in cloud and the bombing is scattered.
• There are no losses.
• 6 Mosquitos carry out Ranger patrols without a loss. 1 Ju-88 is claimed to be destroyed near Oldenburg.

• 35 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 8 Halifaxes and 6 Lancasters lay mines in the Kattegat and in the Frisians, 13 Halifaxes and 9 Stirlings are on Resistance operations, and there are 4 OTU sorties.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid.

• On a day with most missions canceled because of bad weather, 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity and lines of communication in the battle area.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s attack bridges, viaducts, and marshalling yards in north-central Italy.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements, rail lines, roads, and the Modena Airdrome.

Burma-China-India

On the Salween front the Chinese persevere with their costly eforts to dislodge the Japanese from Sung Shan.

On the Assam front, in India, the British XXXIII Corps has succeeded in driving the Japanese out of the immediate vicinity of the road junction at Ukhrul

Eastern Front

Model, commanding Army Group Center, asks for Army Group North to be moved south behind the Dvina to bolster his front and to prevent them being cut off by the Russian drive to the Baltic. As usual, Hitler refuses to allow this sensible step. In a great Russian offensive into the Baltic States, the 2nd Belorussian Front attacks northwest of Vitebsk.

A week later the 3rd Belorussian Front will attack near Pskov and the Leningrad Front will attack at Narva 9 days after that. Army Group Center has lost almost the whole of the 9th and 4th Armies. The 3rd Belorussian Front, under Gen Ivan Chernyakhovsky, surrounds Vilna in Lithuania. In the middle of Model's sector Slonim is taken.

Soviet forces reach the Suvilahti and Lormada Rivers, taking Pitkjuaranta.

The German 16th Army is assaulted by the 3rd Shock and 10th Guards Armies, while to the south the 2nd Guards and 4th Shock Armies advance to link up with the 6th Guards Army at Daugavpils. Hitler forbids any retreat of Army Group North to the Dvina.

The 2nd Baltic Front attacks the southern wing of the 16th Army with its 10th Guards and 3rd Shock Armies. The 2nd Guards and 4th Shock Armies launch new attacks aimed at meeting up with the 6th Guards Army at Daugavpils. With Army Group North now also threatened, Field Marshal Model requests that Gen Johannes Friessner be allowed to withdraw behind the line of the Dvina, shortening his line and creating a reserve that can be committed to reinforce the shattered armies of Army Group Center. Hitler categorically refuses.

Utena falls to the 43rd Army and Slonim to the 65th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front.

Italy

In the Tyrrhenian sector the divisions of the American IV Corps make negligible progress northwards toward Leghorn.

New Guinea

Maj-Gen Hall orders a battalion of the 128th Infantry and a squadron of the 112th Cavalry to conduct a reconnaissance across the Driniumor River to locate Japanese forces. In the Aitape sector a series of Japanese attacks starts along the line of the Driniumor River inflicting heavy casualties on the US 128th Regiment. At the same time over 10,000 Japanese attack XI Corps positions at the river where only an infantry battalion and a cavalry squadron remain to defend the line. The enemy breaks through, isolating the reconnaissance force and other units of the 128th Infantry. Heavy artillery fire slows the Japanese.

Air Operations, Europe

• 26 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group make 2 separate raids on a flying bomb site at Gapennes. The Lancasters make the first 'heavy Oboe' attack of the war. A Lancaster of No. 582 Squadron had been fitted with Oboe equipment and Wing Commander G. F. Grant, from No. 109 Squadron, one of the Oboe Mosquito squadrons, flies in the Lancaster and directs the bombing. When Grant releases his bombs, other Lancasters flying in formation do the same. This method allows a greater tonnage of bombs to be dropped directly on the Oboe signals and it becomes one of Bomber Command's most accurate bombing methods and enables small targets like the flying bomb sites to be bombed accurately in cloudy conditions.
• No aircraft are lost on this raid.
• 2 Mosquitos fly Ranger patrols and 1 attacks a tanker with cannon fire.
• There are no losses.

• 8 Mosquitos are sent to the Homberg oil plant, 21 aircraft are on Resistance operations and there are 3 Serrate patrols.
• There are no losses.

• Guided by H2X radar, 1,047 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 699 VIII Fighter Command fighters, attack marshalling yards, industrial targets, an airdrome, and several targets of opportunity in and around Munich.
• 16 B-24s, 4 B-17s, and 4 escort fighters are lost

• IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack V-weapons sites, fuel dumps, and a rail bridge.
• 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers escort the bombers and attack rail targets, fuel dumps, gun emplacements, and various targets of opportunity around the battle area in France.

• Despite bad weather, a number of 12th Air Force medium bombers are able to mount attacks against several rail targets and bridges.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack fuel dumps, gun emplacements, rail lines, the Rimini Airdrome, and targets of opportunity in the battle area.

• When bad weather prevents missions from going to other areas, 87 15th Air Force B-24s attack the port area at Toulon.

Battle of the Atlantic

Sunderland 'P' of No 201 Squadron is flying a rectangular search pattern when the snorkel of a U-boat is spotted. As the aircraft came in U-1222 dives. 5 depth charges are released which fall a straddle around the stern. When the explosions subside, a large amount of wreckage is seen on the surface.

U-1222

China

In central east China the Japanese 11th Army renews the attack against Hengyang but is repulsed by the Chinese with effective air support.

Diplomatic Relations

Roosevelt announces that the US will recognize de Gaulle's French Provisional Government as the de facto authority for the civil administration of the liberated territory in France.

Eastern Front

2nd Baltic Front (Gen Andrei Yeremenko) starts a new program of attacks on a 90-mile front east of Idritsa. Red Army units cross into Latvia and penetrate 40 miles into Lithuania. Elsewhere the German pocket, the German 4th Army, east of Minsk has been virtually wiped out. 70,000 Germans have been killed since late June and 35,000 more taken prisoner.

The 1st Ukrainian Front is poised to open its offensive against Army Group North Ukraine. For the offensive, Gen Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front has 840,000 men with 14,000 artillery pieces and 1,600 tanks among the 3rd Guards Army north of Lutsk, 13th Army between Lutsk and Brody, 60th, 38th, 1st Guards Armies massed between Brody and Tarnopol, 5th Guards Army behind the left wing of the 1st Guards Army and 18th Army on the southern wing at Kolomya. The 1st Ukrainian Front's armored forces, held in the second echelon, consists of the 1st Guards Tank Army near Lutsk, 3rd Guards Tank Army near Brody and 4th Tank Army near Tarnopol. 2 cavalry mechainzed groups, held north and south of Dubno, also provide support. The 2nd and 8th Air Armies are also attached and have 2,800 aircraft.

Also facing the northern wing of Army Group North Ukraine is the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front. This force comprises the 70th, 47th, 8th Guards and 69th Armies concentrated north of Kovel with the 1st Polish Army and 2nd Tank Army in reserve.

Army Group North Ukraine, commanded by Gen Josef Harpe in the absence of Field Marshal Model, has the 4th Panzer, 1st Panzer and 1st Hungarian Armies. The German forces deploy 34 infantry divisions, 5 panzer divisions and 1 panzer grenadier division, a total of nearly 500,000 men with 900 panzers, 6,000 artillery pieces and 700 aircraft.

Air Operations, Europe

The RAF deploys the Gloster Meteor, the sole jet aircraft to be used by the Allies during the war.

• 222 aircraft of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups bomb a storage dump at Thiverny but the target is covered in cloud and no results are seen. Included in the aircraft total are 168 Halifaxes, 46 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos. 18 Lancasters and 5 Mosquito of No. 8 Group use Oboe to bomb the Rollez launching site.
• There are no losses.
• 153 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups attack the important railway yards at Vaires on the outskirts of Paris. The target are is completely covered in cloud and the Master Bomber orders the attack to be abandoned after 2 Mosquitos have marked and 12 Lancasters have bombed.
• No aircraft are lost.

• 378 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 5 and 8 Groups attack railway targets at Culmont, Revigny and Tours. Culmont and Tours are accurately bombed, but cloud interferes with the all-No. 1 Group raid at Revigny and only half the force bombs.
• 10 Lancasters are lost on the Revigny raid and 2 on the Culmont one.
• 196 Halifaxes, 17 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups attack 4 flying bomb launch sites. All the targets are hit with the raid on the Bremont les Hautes being particularly accurate.
• There are no losses.

• 168 aircraft from all Main Force groups and Nos. 93 and 93 Groups (OTU) make a diversionary sweep over the North Sea. 8 Mosquitos are sent to Homberg, 12 Halifaxes lay mines off Haligoland, and there are 32 Mosquito patrols and 32 RCM and 14 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 131 3rd Bomb Division B-24s and 131 RAF Spitfire escorts dispatched against 10 V-weapons sites in the Pas-de-Calais area are thwarted by bad weather.

• Unable to visually attack assigned targets in and around Munich, 1,124 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 717 VIII Fighter Command fighters, employ radar to conduct an area attack on the city of Munich.
• 27 heavy bmobers attack other targets of opportunity.
• 24 heavy bombers are lost, 297 are damaged

• During morning and afternoon missions more than 300 IX Bomber Command B-26 and A-20 sorties are flown against fuel dumps, troop concentrations, and road and rail targets.
• 9th Air force fighters and fighter-bombers attack rail lines, bridges, motor vehicles, parked airplanes, and infantry and artillery emplacements in and around the battle area.
• 9th Air Force fighter pilots down 6 Luftwaffe fighters between 0955 and 1545 hours.

• Operation MALLORY MAJOR opens with attacks by 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s against bridges spanning the Po River.
• XII TAC A-20s attack ammo dumps, and fighter-bombers attack small boats and barges on the Arno River as well as road and rail lines, gun emplacements, ammo dumps, and motor vehicles in and around the battle area.

• More than 420 15th Air Force B-24s attack marshalling yards at Miramas and Nimes, and bridges spanning the Var and Theoule Rivers.

Burma-China

The Chinese and Americans, with strong air support, launch an attack in force against Myitkyina but are repulsed. Some of the aircraft bomb their own troops through a communications error.

On the Salween front the Japanese in the Sung Shan garrison continue to repulse the attacks of 2 Chinese divisions. The Chinese offensive is suspended.

CBI

An attack against Japanese defenses at Myitkyina fails.

Eastern Front

The great Russian offensive grows in scale and intensity. Moscow announces that the 2nd Baltic Front has launched a series of attacks between Nevel and Ostrov, south of Lake Peipus, capturing Idritsa, west of Velikiye Luki along the railway line to Riga.

The 2nd Baltic Front rips a 50-mile hole in the 16th Army, the 10th Guards Army advancing 10 miles into the German rear. The 3rd Shock Army has also broken through, reaching the Velikaya River while the 4th captures Drissa. Idritsa falls to the 4th Shock Army of the 1st Baltic Front.

The Stavka strengthens the 1st Baltic Front in its push toward the Gulf of Riga, allocating the 51st and 2nd Guards Armies from the reserve.

The Soviet 5th Army enters Vilnius.

Air Operations, Carolines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Sorol and Yap atolls.
• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 44 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s support Allied ground forces in the Myitkyina area.
• 40 A-36s, P-47s, and P-51s attack several bridges and the Hopin, Indawgyi Lake, and Lashio areas.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Amahai airfield on Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

• 13 Lancasters of No. 8 Group are sent to attack a flying bomb site and 2 Mosquitos are on Ranger patrols, but thick cloud prevents all the aircraft from completing their missions.

• 4 Mosquitos are sent to the oil plants and Homberg and Scholven/Buer, 6 Stirlings lay mines off Brest, 3 Halifaxes are on Resistance operations and there are 4 Serrate patrols over Denmark.
• There are no losses.

• Using H2X radar in the face of heavy cloud cover, 356 1st Bomb Division B-17s and 139 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack the city of Munich.
• 100 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack aircraft-industry targets at Munich.
• 12 B-17s attack targets of opportunity.
• 298 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack a marshalling yard at Saarbrucken.
• 9 B-17s and 1 B-24 are lost
• Escort fo the various heavy-bomber formations is provided by 543 VIII Fighter Command fighters. Escort pilots down 2 Luftwaffe fighters between 1045 and 1150.
• 5 fighters and 3 pilots are lost

• A limited number of 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack road and rail traffic, warehouses, a barracks, and armored vehicles.
• IX TAC fighters also provice close support for Allied ground troops and attack gun emplacements, vehicles, and troop concentrations.

• 2 IX TAC P-47 pilots down 4 FW-190s over Luxembourg City at 1705 hours.

• 12th Air Force medium bombers continue Operation MALLORY MAJOR with attack on Po River bridges.
• XII TAC A-20s attack an ammunition plant.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers concentrate on rail facilities servicing the battle area.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attach the port at Fiume, oil storage facilities at Porto Marghera and Trieste, and marshalling yards at four locations.
• 15th Air Force B-17s attack a marshalling yard and rail bridges at three locations.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s attack a supply depot at Kokas and airfields and artillery batteries at Babo and Manokwari.
• A-20s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Japanese Army bivouacs and gun positions in the Wewak area.
• Fighter-bombers support Allied ground troops in the Aitape area.
• 5th Air Force and attached RAAF aircraft based in the Hollandia area help defeat a multi-regiment ground attack by Japanese Army ground forces along the Driniumor River. Surviving Japanese ground troops withdraw.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Tinian.

Allied Command

Before leaving for Hawaii for discussions with Nimitz and MacArthur on the Pacific war strategy, Roosevelt replies to Chiang Kai-shek's letter of July 8, agreeing to send him a personal political representative and asking him in the meanwhile to entrust the command of the Chinese army to Gen Stilwell.

Eastern Front

After several days of fierce street fighting the 3rd Belorussian Front captures Vilna, the capital of Lithuania. The German Army Group North is in still greater danger of being completely cut off. Red Army elements in Poland, after capturing Kaunas and Grodno, are now within 100 miles of the German frontier.

After a fierce battle the 5th Army takes Vilnius, more than 7,000 of the 15,000 strong garrison having fallen during the fighting. The 11th Guards Army crosses the Niemen River at Alytus. German counter-attacks are beaten off with some difficulty.

Gen Ivan Konev launches his offensive without artillery preparation. The 60th and 38th Armies attack the center and right of Gen Arthur Hauffe's XIII Corps near Brody. Simultaneously the 13th Army begins a furious attack against the left wing of the XIII Corps and break through near Radekhov. Soon after the 38th Army breaks through near Zolochev. On either flank of the assault the XLVI and XLVIII Panzer Corps counterattack but are hit by the 3rd Guards and 1st Guards Armies.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

VB-109 PB4Ys, now based at Isely Field on Saipan, attack Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, and Haha Jima airfields.

Air Operations, CBI

• 49 10th Air Force P-40s attack Japanese Army positions around Myitkyina.
• 38 P-47s and P-51s attack targets in the Hopin and Myitkyina areas, bridges at four locations, a supply dump, and a rice mill.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack roads around Tengchung.
• B-25s and 14th Air Force P-40s attack rail facilities at Siangsiang.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack a fighter strip near Changsha, artillery batteries at Leiyang, river traffic, and a number of occupied towns.
• 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the airfield at Paluichi at 0735 hours.
• 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40s down a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber and a transport over the airfield at Sinsiang at 1210 hours.
• 76th Fighter Squadron and 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Tanchuk during a late-afternoon engagement.

Air Operations, Europe

• 19 Lancasters of No. 8 Group attack the flying bomb site at St Philbert Ferme through thick cloud and 4 Mosquitos fly Ranger patrols over northern Germany and Denmark.
• There are no losses.

• 242 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 5 and 8 Groups attack railway yards at Revigny and Villeneuve. The raid on Villeneuve is successful though much of the bombing falls east of the target. The raid to Revigny is not carried out because the target can not be identified.
• 7 Lancasters are lost on the Revigny raid.
• 101 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos and 4 Lancasters of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 groups attack V-weapons sites at Anderbelck and Les Landes. Anderbelck is accurately bombed in good visibility, but the Les Landes site is bombed through 10/10th cloud.

• 132 aircraft make a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 42 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 8 Stirlings lay mine off the Biscay ports, and there are 56 Mosquito patrols and 35 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito of No. 100 Group is lost.

• 359 3rd Bomb Division B-17s, conducting a special operation (Operation CADILLAC), drop 3,700 arms containers from low altitude to French Resistance fighters around Limoges, St.-Lo, and Vercorse.
• Escort is provided by 499 P-51s.
• 93 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack the Montdidier and Peronne Airdromes.
• 94 VIII Fighter Command P-38 fighter-bombers attack rail targets around Paris.
• 1 P-38 and its pilot are lost
VIII Fighter Command and IX TAC fighter pilots down 11 Luftwaffe fighters over France between 0930 and 2050 hours.
• 5 9th Air Force fighters are lost in action with Luftwaffe fighters
US 9th AIR FORCE
FRANCE:

• Although bad weather severely limits 9th Air Force operations, 62 B-26s and A-20s attack two rail targets.
• 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack military transport and rail targets and troop concentrations across a wide area of France.
• IX TAC ground controllers direct numerous close-air-support missions in the US 1st Army zone of action.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s continue to attack the Po River bridges (Operation MALLORY MAJOR).
• XII TAC A-20s attack supply dumps.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements and lines of communications.

• More than 430 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack four oil refineries at Budapest and Petfurdo.
• USAAF escort pilots down 5 Axis fighters.

• 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack a marshalling yard at Mantua.
• 15th Air Force P-38s dive-bomb the Ghedi Airdrome and strafe trains north of La Spezia.

Air Operations, East Indies

• 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack barges and artillery batteries at Lautem, Timor.
• 74 3rd and 312th Light Bomb group A-20s staging through the Mokmer airfield on Biak mount extremely low-level attacks against the Boela airfield on Ceram and oil wells and fuel storage facilities at Boela.

Air Operations, Marianas

• 318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Tinian.
• A 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Saipan at 2225 hours.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack a barge terminal at Kokas.
• A-20s attack the airfield at But and Japanese Army ground troops at Sauri.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces in the Aitape area and attack Japanese Army troops near Afua.
• Night-fighters attack airfields on the Vogelkop Peninsula.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-415 was one of the last operational U-boats working from the Biscay ports. As she departed for service and cleared the U-boat pens she strikes an acoustic mine laid by the British and acrivated by her diesel engines. There are only 2 losses but many sustained injuries from the explosion.

U-415

Eastern Front

The central and southern fronts of the Red Army are once more on the move. Konev's 1st Ukraine goes over to the offensive in Poland, north and south of Brody, in the region east of Lvov. Further north, forces of the 1st Belorussian Front take Pinsk, east of Brest-Litovsk. Pinsk is the last major German stronghold in the Pripet Marshes. 5 Russian armies are now concentrated in the drive toward Warsaw. For the first time the Russians clearly dominate the skies, employing thousands of aircraft in support of their ground forces.

The 61st Army and elements of the 28th Army take Pinsk. The 31st Army reaches the Niemen at Grodno and crosses to threaten the East Prussian border. Grodno itself is fiercely defended by the SS Totenkopf Division.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

VB-109 PB4Ys based at Isely Field on Saipan attack Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, and Haha Jima airfields.

Air Operations, CBI

• 20 10th Air Force B-25s attack the Myitkyina area and bridges and a supply dump at Mawhun.
• More than 60 P-47s and P-51s attack bridges at three locations and sweep the Katha, Lashio, and Talawgyi areas.
• 38 P-40s support Allied ground forces around Myitkyina.

• 14th Air Force B-25s, P-51s, and P-40s complete more than 100 sorties against numerous towns and river traffic.
• 12 B-25s and P-40s attack a rail yard at Hsuchang.
• 12 B-25s attack Lungling and Mangshih.
• 26 P-40s support Chinese Army ground forces on the Salween River front.
• P-40s from the 23rd Fighter Group’s 74th Fighter Squadron down 6 Japanese fighters over the airfield at Siangtan during a mid-morning engagement.

Air Operations, Europe

• 47 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos carry out an 'Oboe leader' attack on the flying bomb supply dump at Nucort. Because of poor weather conditions, no results are seen.
• There are no losses.
Evening Ops:

• 162 Halifaxes, 58 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos carry out accurate attacks on the flying bomb launch site at Bois des Jardins and the Nucort supply dump.
• 1 Halifax is lost.
• 222 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos attack the railway yards at Chalons sur Marne and Nevers. Both raids are successful.
• 2 Lancasters from the Nevers raid and 1 Lancaster from the Chalons sur Marne raid are lost.

• 162 aircraft from 7 different groups make a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 36 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 6 Lancasters lay mines off Denmark, 11 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 45 Mosquito patrols and 25 RCM sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Lancaster is lost.

• 94 VIII Fighter Command P-38s and 84 P-47s attack German military transport in the region southeast of Paris.
• 3 fighter-bombers are lost with their pilots and 1 bombardier

• Because of bad weather, only 4 of 96 IX Bomber Command B-26s dispatched during the afternoon to attack a rail bridge at L'Aigle are able to do so; the remainder abort.
• A limited number of fighters and fighter-bombers under IX TAC control attack infantry, artillery, and rail targets during the day.

• Operation MALLORY MAJOR is deemed a success and is officially terminated, but 12th Air Force tactical bombers will continue to interdict bridge traffic attempting to cross the Po River. 12th Air Forde fighter-bombers spend the day attacking gun emplacements, roads and road bridges, and targets of opportunity as well as providing on-call support for Allied ground forces.

• More than 600 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack four oil refineries at Ploesti and the pumping station at Teleajenul.
• 15th Air Force fighter pilots down 4 Axis fighters over Romania between 0950 and 1040 hours.

Air Operations, Carolines

• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Yap Atoll.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Tinian.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfield at Efman through heavy weather.
• B-25s attack the Korrido Anchorage.
• A-20s attack gun batteries on an island near Manokwari.
• B-25s, A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Japanese Army troops and other targets throughout the Wewak area.

Eastern Front

2nd Baltic Front take Opochka, 30 miles north of Idritsa. Other Russian formations cross the Niemen in several places west and southwest of Vilna.

The Finns manage to halt the Soviet advance on the Karelian Isthmus.

Opochka falls to the 10th Guards Army.

The Germans counterattack at Alytus, hitting the 11th Guards Army. After heavy fighting the Germans are repulsed and the Guards secure their bridgehead.

The XLII Corps of the 4th Panzer Army break, Gen Arthur Hauffe's XIII Corps losing contact with its neighbor. As the 60th and 38th Armies struggle to break through the German defenses before Lvov, Gen Ivan Konev commits his 3rd Guards Tank Army against the XIII Corps' northern flank ant the 4th Tank Army against its southern wing. Counterattacks by the XLVI Panzer Corps hit the 3rd Guards Tank anc by the XLVIII Panzer Corps strike the 4th Tank Army. In intense fighting the XLVIII suffers heavy losses, being slaughtered by squadrons of Ilyushin ground attack aircraft. However, eventually the German attack halts the 38th Army.

Burma

The commander of the Japanese forces in Myitkyina considers the possibility of breaking out through the surrounding forces and withdrawing. The garrison has already had 800 dead and 1,180 wounded, and the Japanese positions have been gradually eroded by the limited but incessant attacks of the past weeks.

Air Operations, Carolines

FEAF B-24s attack the Yap Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack Maingna and bridges at Mohnyin.
• 27 10th Air Force P-40s support Allied ground troops at Myitkyina.
• More than 20 P-47s and P-51s attack targets of opportunity near Hopin and rail bridges at three locations.

• 23 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Changsha.
• 40 P-40s and P-51s attack Ikiawan, river traffic near Changsha, and targets of opportunity near Hengyang.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Atamboea airfield on Timor.

Air Operations, Europe

• 30 Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group attack the flying bomb launch site at St Philbert Ferme through thick cloud.
• There are no losses.

• 38 Mosquitos attack the synthetic oil plant at Homberg without a loss.

• 4 Stirlings lay mines off Brest, 8 Mosquitos make flying bomb patrols and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• VIII Fighter Command fighters, on return from escort duty with heavy bombers bound for Germany, strafe the Bruges Airdrome and rail targets of opportunity.

• Despite heavy high-altitude cloud cover, 213 1st Division B-17s attack and aircraft-engine factory in Munich and the Munich/Riem Airdrome.
• 52 1st Bomb Division B-17s and 206 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack the city of Stuttgart.
• 54 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack the city of Augsburg.
• 52 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack several targets of opportunity.
• 407 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack a marshalling yard at Saarbrucken.
• 3 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost
• Escort for the heavy bombers is provided by 623 VIII Fighter Command fighters.
• 3 fighters are lost with 2 pilots

• In separate morning and evening missions, a total of nearly 375 IX Bomber Command B-26 and A-20 sorties are mounted against ground targets in the St-Lo area, bridges in the battle area, and bridges and a fuel dump at Rennes.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s attack several Po River bridges.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack rail lines and road and rail bridges just north of the US 5th Army battlefront, which is near the Arno River.

• Nearly 300 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack an aircraft-engine factory, oil storage facilities, an airdrome, and a marshalling yard in and around Vienna.
• Between 1000 and 1040 hours, pilots of the 1st, 52nd, 82nd, 325th, and 332nd Fighter Groups down 23 Axis fighters, mostly over or near Vienna.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Tinian.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack anti-aircraft batteries at Manokwari.
• B-25s, A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the Wewak area.
• Fighter-bombers attack dumps near Moemi and shipping around Babo and Kokas.

Allied Planning

Gen Marshall, the army chief of staff, instructs Gen Jacob L. Devers to form an army group command for ANVIL. Devers wll be subordinate to Gen Sir Henry Maitland Wilson until Gen Eisenhower is ready to take operational control. Devers will have the US 7th Army under Lt-Gen Alexander M. Patch and the 1st French Army as his major forces.

CBI

The Myitkyina Task Force, let by American combat engineers fighting as infantry, assaults Japanese positions.

Diplomatic Relations

The London Polish government publish a paper claiming territory in East Prussia, Danzig and the Polish Corridor for postwar Poland.

Eastern Front

Armored columns from the 3rd Belorussian Front and the 1st Belorussian Front converge from north and south to capture Grodno, southwest of Vilna and northeast of Bialystok. The Germans launch a fruitless counterattack against the 3rd Belorussian Front's bridgeheads over the Niemen River. The Russian southern fronts in southern Poland and Galicia clash with the German North Ukraine Army Group, commanded now by Gen Josef Harpe in place of Walter Model, who has left this very day to take over command of the Army Group Center.

The 3rd Guards Tank and 4th Tank Armies smash aside the German panzer divisions trying to hold them and break into the rear of the XIII Corps.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 60 10th Air Force P-51s, P-47s, and P-40s attack Tagwin, a marshalling yard at Mohnyin, and Japanese Army ground forces around Myitkyina.

• 22 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Changsha.
• 7 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 21 14th Air Force P-40s attack rail facilities at Kaifeng.
• 6 B-25s and 12 P-40s attack Tengchung.
• The 14th Air Force’s intense effort to support Chinese Army ground forces holding out in Hengyang is thwarted by the onset of what will be a week of bad weather that prevents any air support whatsoever over the city.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-25s attack Fuiloro, Timor.

Air Operations, Europe

Napalm is used for the first time by USAAF P-38s in a raid on a fuel depot at Coutances, Normandy.

• 132 aircraft attack 3 V-weapons sites without a loss. In this total are 72 Halifaxes, 28 Stirlings, 20 Lancasters, 11 Mosquitos and 1 Mustang.

• 23 Stirlings and 11 Halifaxes from Heavy Conversion units of Nos. 1 and 5 Groups make a diversionary flight over the North Sea without a loss.

• 31 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 8 Halifaxes lay mines off Heligoland and in the Frisians, 16 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 38 Mosquito patrols and 24 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 620 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 433 VIII Fighter Command fighters, attack numerous bridges spanning the Vire and Seine Rivers, rail junctions, and other tactical targets, including many targets of opportunity.
• After completingh their escort assignments, fighters from four groups strafe rail and road targets claiming the destruction of 23 locomotives, 55 rail cars, and 18 motor vehicles.
• 1 B-17 and 1 P-47 are lost
• 106 8th Air Force B-24s and 34 B-17s, escorted by 206 VIII Fighter Command fighters, attack 12 V-weapons sites in the Pas-de-Calais area.
• VIII Fighter Command and IX TAC fighter pilots down 11 Luftwaffe fighters over France between 1000 and 2020 hours.

• Despite bad weather, 69 IX Bomber Command B-26s are able to attack fuel dumps around Rennes.
• 37 A-20s attack a marshalling yard and a fuel dump.
• 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers provide direct support for the US 1st Army units near Coutances and St.-Lo, and attack a marshalling yard at Nevers, the Angers Airdrome, and a fuel dump.
• For the first time in the war, IX TAC fighter-bombers attack ground targets with aerial rockets, which 12 P-47s (armed with four rockets apiece) employ with great success against a marshalling yard at Nevers. Also placed in use for the first time is napalm, which 14 370th Fighter Group P-38s employ against ground targets near Coutances.

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s continue to attack the Po River bridges as well as bridges and viaducts servicing the battle area.
• XII TAC fighter-bombers attack rail targets and bridges north of the battle area.
• During the night, XII TAC A-20s attack several road junctions and the La Spezia area.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attac a marshalling yard at Avignon and rail bridges at Arles and Tarscon.
• 332nt Fighter Group P-51 pilots down 3 Bf-109s near Toulon.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Japanese Army positions on Tinian.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfield at Moemi and Manokwari.
• B-25s, A-20s, and V Fighter Command P-39s attack the Boram airfield and Japanese Army ground troop between Aitape and Wewak.

Arctic

• The British cruisers Formidable, Indefatigable and Furious escorted by the battleship Duke of York send attacks against the Tirpitz in the anchorage at Kaafiord (Kaa Fjord?). The attacks are detected on the way and the Germans successfully conceal the target with smoke.

• U-347 is seen by Catalina 'Y' of No 210 Squadron RAF north of the Lofoten Islands. On the first pass the depth charges refused to release as the aircraft took damage and casualties from the U-boat's flak. The aircraft pressed home the attack and dropped the depth charges in a perfect straddle sinking the U-boat.

U-347

Britain, Home Front

Over the next three days, in a bold move to protect London from V-1 bombardment, 1,596 anti-aircraft guns are moved to the south coast. These guns start using proximity-fused shells which explode when a nearby target is sensed. This new projectile reduces the effort and ammunition needed to bring down the V-1s.

Unemployment is reported at 61,905 people, the lowest wartime figure to date.

Eastern Front

The 1st Belorussian Front reaches the 'Curzon Line'. The 1st Guards Tank Army crosses the Bug River. German army units in the Baltic states are ordered not to yield.

The 3rd Baltic Front joins the offensive now rolling along the line from Lake Peipus to Chernovitsy. Heavy fighting erupts south of the lake as the 1st Shock and 54th Armies hit the dug-in German forces. The 3rd Shock Army captures Sebezh and the 22nd Army Osveya.

Rokossovsky unleashes the full forces of his left wing, hitting the center and north of the 4th Panzer Army.

Gen Ivan Konev commits Gen Mikhail Katukov's 1st Guards Tank Army near Sokal, forcing a crossing of the Bug. The XIII Corps fights its way back to the Prinz Sugen line, meeting fierce resistance as it withdraws. Gen Dmitry Lelyushenko's 4th Tank Army is embroiled in bitter fighting on the road to Lvov, being bogged down with the 38th Army.

Italy

The units of the American 34th Division make only slight progress toward Leghorn. Units of the 91st Division take Prusacco and head for Pondedera.

In the British 8th Army sector the XIII Corps pursues the Germans as they withdraw toward Florence. The Polish II Corps begins its attack on Ancona with air support.

Gen Oliver Leese, Commander of the British 8th Army, decides to attack the 'Gothic' Line with two corps on two center lines, Florence-Fiorenzuola and Florence-Bologna.

Air Operations, Carolines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Yap Atoll and Sorol Island.
• 25 VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack Myitkyina and Naungtalaw.
• 16 10th Air Force P-51s support Allied ground troops at Pyindaw.
• 25 P-40s attack targets in the Myitkyina area.
• 8 P-47s attack Theinin.

• More than 30 14th Air Force P-40s attack shipping between Chaling and Hengyang.
• 13 P-40s attack a fuel dump on the rail line through Kangtsun-i.
• 16 P-51s and P-40s attack river traffic between Lienchiangkou and Sainam.
• 3rd CACW Fighter Group P-40s down a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter and a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter in an engagement in the Yellow River area at 1220 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 942 aircraft are sent to bomb 5 fortified villages in the area east of Caen through which British 2nd Army troops are about to make an armored attack, Operation GOOD WOOD. Included in the aircraft total are 667 Lancasters, 260 Halifaxes and 15 Mosquitos. The raids take place at dawn in clear weather. 4 of the targets are satisfactorily marked by Oboe, and at the target where Oboe fails, the Master Bomber Squadron Leader E. K. Creswell, and other Pathfinder crews use visual methods. More than 5,000 tons of bombs are dropped on the targets. Elements of two German divisions, the 16th Luftwaffe Field Division and the 21st Panzer Division, are badly affected by the bombing, the Luftwaffe Division particularly so. Operation GOODWOOD makes a good start. This raid was either the most useful or one of the most useful of the operations carried out by Bomber Command in direct support of the Allied armies. The aircraft bomb from medium heights, 5,000-9,000ft, but army artillery and naval gunfire subdue many of the flak batteries. No German fighters appear. Allied air superiority over the battlefield by day is complete.
• Only 6 aircraft - 5 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster - are shot down.
• 99 Halifaxes, 6 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups attack the railway yards at Vaires, but no bombing results are filed.
• 2 Halifaxes are lost.

• 111 Halifaxes, 77 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups attack the synthetic oil pland at Wessling. A useful German report from Wesseling shows that this was a very successful raid and a credit to the Pathfinder marking. Approximately 1,000 high-explosive bombs fall inside the area of the plant in 20 minutes. 20 per cent of the installations are destroyed but, because some important buildings are particularly hard-hit, the loss of production is greater than this figure. 600 workmen are present on the night shift but they have good air-raid shelters and only 3 are killed. The nearby town is also hit and 151 houses are destroyed, many of them being in the estate for the oil plant workers. The people here must also have been provided with good shelters because only 8 German people are killed. The local report stresses that no children of school age are among the casualties. The local school had been evacuated to Silesia a few weeks earlier. Foreign workers and prisoners of war in a nearby camp probably had poorer air-raid shelters; 22 foreign workers and 9 prisoners of war die there.
• 157 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups attack the oil plant at Scholven/Buer. This is also a successful raid. The local report says 550 bombs fall in the plant area, although 233 of them do not explode. Production comes to 'a complete standstill for a long period'.
• 4 Lancasters are lost.
• 253 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups attack railway junctions at Aulnoye and Revigny. Both targets are hit and the railway lines to the battle front are cut.
• 2 Lancasters are lost on the Aulnoye raid, but German fighters hit the No. 5 Group on the Revigny raid and 24 Lancasters are shot down. No. 619 Squadron from Dunholme loses 5 of its 13 Lancasters taking part in the raid.
• 51 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitos and 2 Lancasters of Nos. 4 and 8 Groups attack the flying bomb launch site at Acquet, but photographs reveal no new damage is caused.
• 2 Halifaxes are lost.
• Support and 115 aircraft including 86 Wellingtons, 19 Stirlings and 10 Halifaxes from Heavy Conversion and Operational Training Units make a diversionary sweep over the North Sea.

• 22 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 6 to Cologne, 8 Halifaxes lay mines in the Frisians, 36 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 76 Mosquito patrols and 20 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito from the Berlin raid and 2 Halifaxes from Resistance operations are lost.

• During the morning, 570 2nd and 3rd Bomb Division B-24s attack several defended towns in the Caen area of Normandy in direct support of Allied ground forces.
• 1 B-24 is lost

• Using radar, a total of 216 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack an oil refinery at Hemmingstedt, the city of Kiel, and the city of Cuxhaven (target of opportunity).
• 414 1st Bomb Division B-17s visually attack the Luftwaffe experimental facilities and Peenemunde and Zinnowitz.
• 20 B-17s that fail to locate their primary target attack a marshalling yard at Straslund.
• 3 B-17s are lost
• A total of 419 VIII Fighter Command fighters provide escort for the B-17s formations over Germany. The escort pilots down 10 Ju-88s and 7 Luftwaffe fighters over Germany between 0900 and 0920, in the Rostock, Warnemunde, and Wismar areas.
• 3 P-51s and 2 pilots are lost

• Acting in conjunction with the 8th Air Force heavy bombers, IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s also attack German-held towns in the Caen area.
• During the afternoon, IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack rail and road bridges servicing the battle area.
• Throughout the day, 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers strafe, bomb, and rocket gun emplacements and other military targets in the battle area and throughout northern and western France.
• USAAF fighter pilots down 35 Luftwaffe fighters over France between 0915 and 1025 hours.

• 12th Air Force medium bombers are grounded by bad weather, but a limited number of XII TAC fighter-bombers are able to attack communications targets, gun emplacements, rail lines, and several bridges in or near the battle area.

• More than 500 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack a jet-aircraft factory at Manzell and the airdrome at Memmingen. In this attack, the 5th Heavy Bomb Wing's 483rd Heavy Bomb Group loses 14 B-17s during massed attacks against its formations by an estimated 200 Luftwaffe fighters.
• Between 0950 and 1105 hours, pilots of the 1st, 31st, 52nd and 332nd Fighter Groups down 39 Bf-109s and FW-190s between Udine, Italy, and southern Germany.

• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack a rail bridge.

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Pagan and Tinian.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack numerous targets between Aitape and Wewak.

Eastern Front

Troops of the 1st Ukraine Front capture Brody, east of Lvov, in Poland. In the sector immediately to the north, armored columns from the 1st Belorussian Front advance from Kovel toward Lublin. The 3rd Baltic Front, on the offensive south of Lake Peipus, threatens Ostrov and Pskov, advanced strongpoints which until now the Germans have maintained at a high cost.

West of Grodno the Russians have already nearly reached the East Prussian border, but they are halted by a violent counterattack by Model's armies near Augustow.

The 31st Army crosses the East Prussian border and reaches Augustow, but ferocious German counterattacks halt the Soviets. The fighting has reached German soil. As the Russian advance slows, Model constructs a thin defense line from Kaunas to Bialystok.

The 8th Guards and 1st Polish Armies attack north of Kovel and break through the German line. To the south, leading units of the 1st Guards Army, pushing down from the north, are just 20 miles from Stanislav. The 4th Tank Army takes Olshantsa during heavy fighting on the road to Lvov. Meanwhile, elements of the 38th Army link up woth the 13th Army to isolate 65,000 men of the XIII Corps west of Brody.

English Channel

U-672 is attacked by the British frigate HMS Balfour but manages to escape. The submarine is so badly damaged that she is abandoned and the crew takes to dinghies.

U-672

Air Operations, Carolines

FEAF B-24s attack the Yap Atoll in two waves.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack Myitkyina.
• More than 30 10th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack targets in the Myitkyina area and support Allied ground forces near Kaimang.

• More than 80 14th Air Force P-40s attack shipping on Tungting Lake, shipping at Changsha, the airfield at Siangtan, and Japanese Army ground troops, supply dumps, and other targets around Hengyang.
• 31 P-51s and P-40s attack port facilities and the town area at Sanshui, and Japanese Army ground troops near Lienchiangkou.
• 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40s down 6 Japanese fighters near Sinshih at 0800 hours.
• A 76th Fighter Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter in a late-morning engagement over Sanshui.

• 4 14th Air Force P-40s strafe many junks along the northeastern coast.

Air Operations, Europe

• 132 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of Nos. 5 and 8 Groups attack 2 flying bomb launch sites and a supply dump. All targets are partially covered in cloud, but it is believed that all are hit.
• There are no losses.

• 36 Mosquitos are sent to Bremen, 6 Halifaxes lay mines off Heligoland, there are 29 Mosquito patrols and 9 RCM and 8 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 1,082 8th Air Force heavy bombers attack a broad array of industrial targets, a river dam, marshalling yards at six locations, and four airdromes throughout western and southwestern Germany, and even into Austria.
• 14 B-17s and 3 B-24s are lost, 3 B-17s are interned in Switzerland
• Escort for the various bomber formations is provided by a total of 670 VIII Fighter Command fighters. Many fighters strafe ground targets following their release from escort duty. VIII Fighter Command pilots down 15 Luftwaffe fighters over Germany between 0945 and 1020 hours.
• 7 fighters are lost with their pilots

• IX TAC fighter-bombers attack transportation targets in western Belgium, the farthest-ranging tactical strikes since D-day.

• During the afternoon, a total of 262 IX Bomber Command B-26s and A-20s attack bridges spanning the Loire and Seine Rivers, and a fuel dump.
• Although hampered by bad weather, 9th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack tactical targets, rail lines, and troop concentratins and positions.

• 12th Air Force bomber operations are restricted by bad weather, but B-26s are able to mount a late-afternoon attack against bridges at two locations, and B-25s attack a third bridge.
• Fighter-bombers manage several attacks on rail targets.

• Following by 90 minutes the 8th Air Force heavy-bombers attacks in the same area, more that 400 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack a aircraft factory, a motor factory, and an ordnance depot in and around Munich.
• 16 aircraft are downed by heavy flak and weak fighter opposition
• 14th Fighter Group P-38 escort pilots down 7 Bf-109s in the Munich area

Air Operations, Marianas

318th Fighter Group P-47s attack Tinian.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces in the Sarmi area and attack numerous targets of opportunity elsewhere.

Eastern Front

In their advance to Lvov 1st Ukraine Front surround 5 German divisions west of Brody. Farther north, just east of Dvinsk, Russian units enter Latvia.

The XIII Corps is hit by a series of concentric attacks, Soviet troops capturing Koltow during the fighting. As the advance upon Lvov develops, the 4th Tank Army launches flanking attacks in an effort to encircle the Germans inside the city. However, the 1st Panzer Army puts up strong resistance and deflects the Russian attacks.