Air Operations, Europe

RAF Bomber Command drops 14,000 tons of bombs in various raids. Berlin is raided on 3 nights and is hit by more than 4,000 tons of bombs. The 'Battle of Berlin' begins on the 18th. Dusseldorf and Frankfurt are other targets. American heavy bombers drop 6,300 tons of bombs on a range of objectives in Norway and Germany. Ryukan and Knaben in Norway, and Wilhelmshaven and Munster are all attacked. The raid on Bremen on Nov 26 is the heaviest yet by the Americans. US medium bombers drop 1,300 tons over France and the Low Countries. RAF aircraft also attack communications targets in these areas.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

The Mediterranean forces attack a range of communications targets in Italy, especially later in the month to coincide with 8th Army's attacks across the Sangro River. Strategic targets include Turin, Sofia and Toulon. Aircraft from the Middle East are active against shipping in the Aegean.

Battle of the Atlantic

During the next 2 months 78 North Atlantic convoys pass across the ocean without loss. 17 U-boats are sunk. During the 6 months up to November 12, of the German U-tanker fleet, 17 boats are sunk. Shipping losses in the 2 months total 60 ships of 313,000 tons.(Allied Ships Lost to U-boats this month)

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 2 347th Fighter Group P-38s down a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Cape St. George at 0950 hours. This is the first victory by Solomons-based fighters in the Bismarck Archipelago.
• Japanese Navy carrier aircraft—40 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 45 D3A 'Val' dive bombers, 82 A6M Zeros, and six reconnaissance aircraft—arriving at Rabaul from Japan by way of Truk Atoll bolster the approximately 200 aircraft already based there.
• During the night, 2 394th Heavy Bomb Squadron SB-24s attack a convoy west of Cape St. George.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 9 P-40s attack the rail yards at Yoyang.

Air Operations, Europe

• 589 aircraft are sent to Düsseldorf. Included in this total are 344 Lancasters, 233 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos.
• The main weight of the raid falls on the center and south of the city with extensive damage done to both housing and industrial sites.
• 11 Lancasters and 7 Halifaxes are lost.
• 38 Lancaster IIs of Nos. 3 and 5 Groups make the first large-scale test of the G-H blind bombing device and attempt to bomb the Mannesmann tubelar steel works in the northern outskirts of Düsseldof while the main raid is going on. 5 planes return early, 2 are lost and the equipment in 16 other aircraft fails to function leaving only 15 to bomb the factory on G-H. The device will become a most useful blind-bombing device when it is produced in sufficient numbers for a major portion of Bomber Command to be fitted with it.
• 52 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group carry out a diversionary raid on Cologne without a loss.

• 13 Oboe Mosquitos are sent to attack the Krupps foundry at Rheinhausen, 2 Mosquitos are sent to Dortmund, 23 aircraft of No. 3 Group lay mines in the Frisians and there are 27 OTU sorties.
• 1 OTU Whitley is lost.

A further Victoria Cross is awarded for an action during the Düsseldorf raid. The Lancaster of Flight Lieutenant William Reid, No 61 Squadron, is twice attacked by night fighters before the target is reached. The aircraft suffers extensive damage, which puts most of its guns out of action; the navigator is killed and the wireless operator fatally injured. Flight Lieutenant Reid is wounded in both attacks and his flight engineer is also hurt but Reid presses on for the remaining 200 miles to the target and his bomb aimer, Sergeant L.G. Rolton, obtains an 'aiming point photograph'. The return flight is full of problems. The cockpit windscreen is shattered and the oxygen supply fails. The pilot lapses into semi-consciousness and the injured flight engineer, Sergeant J.W. Norris, has to do some of the flying. Flight Lieutenant Reid recovers to take over for the emergency landing in misty conditions which takes place at Shipdham in Norfolk, even though he can not see properly for blood running into his eyes from a head wound. One leg of the Lancaster's under-carriage collapses but the landing is otherwise successful. Flight Lieutenant Reid is awarded the Victoria Cross but the Squadron Operations Record Book does not say whether other crew members were decorated.

• On the day it becomes operational, the new 15th Air Force dispatches the B-17s of all four groups of its 5th Heavy Bomb Wing from their bases in Tunisia against the former Italian naval base at La Spezia, in northern Italy, and against a nearby rail bridge at Vessano.
• The 47th Medium Bomb Wing B-25s attack marshalling yards at Ancona and transportation and tactical targets in or near the battle area.

• NATAR aircraft attack shipping and port facilities at Split.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

A 57th Fighter Group P-40 downs 1 Do-24 rescue-and-reconnaissance flying boat at sea during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Solomons

• Covered by 3 AirSols F4U squadrons and assisted by naval gunfire, 31 Marine Corps TBFs and 8 VC-38 SBDs attack the Cape Torokina invasion beaches in Bougainville’s Empress Augusta Bay ahead of the lead waves of the US 3rd Marine Division.
• Commencing Operation RO, a plan for the defense of the northern Solomon Islands,Japanese Navy air attacks against the invasion fleet delay unloading operations, but the invasion is considered successful despite the fierce opposition of a small defense force that restricts the Marines to a shallow beachhead.
• AirSols fighters based in the central Solomons provide extensive cover for the invasion force, and AirSols land-based and US Navy carrier-based fighters and light bombers from Task Force 38, as well as US surface warships completely neutralize the now-bypassed Japanese Navy airbases in southern Bougainville and the Shortland Islands. Nevertheless, at 0735 hours, 9 Rabaul-based D3A 'Val' dive bombers, escorted by 44 A6M Zeros, attack the invasion flotilla through an AirSols covering force of 8 VF-17 F4Us and 8 RNZAF Kittyhawks. One US destroyer is lightly damaged by a near miss. A second Rabaul-based air attack in the early afternoon results in no damage, but 1 US transport runs aground while maneuvering to avoid the bombers.
• RNZAF Kittyhawks down 7 A6M Zeros and VF-17 F4Us down 5 A6M Zeros over Empress Augusta Bay between 0745 and 0800 hours. 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 7 Zeros over Empress Augusta Bay between 0810 and 0820. VF-17 F4Us down 1 Zero over Empress Augusta Bay at 1330 hours. VMF-215 F4Us down 4 Zeros and 1 B5N 'Kate' bomber over Empress Augusta Bay between 1345 and 1347 hours. 4 Allied fighters are lost during the day.
• 21 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville while AirSols B-24s, SBDs, and fighters attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville. 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack barges and docks at Faisi.
• During the night, 2 394th Heavy Bomb Squadron SB-24s locate a Japanese Navy surface task force speeding toward the Empress Augusta Bay invasion fleet. They sound the alarm and attack the Japanese flagship, a heavy cruiser. This action precipitates the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, a decisive night naval surface engagement that forces the Japanese force to retire following the loss of a light cruiser and destroyer to gunfire from USN surface warships.

Air Operations, Tunisia

The 15th Air Force is activated at Tunis under the command of Maj-Gen James H. Doolittle. Headquarters, XII Bomber Command, is redesignated Headquarters, 15th Air Force, a move that effectively disbands the XII Bomber Command. Initially, the new air force consists of the 5th Heavy Bombardment Wing, composed of 4 B-17 groups (2nd, 97th, 99th and 301st) and 2 B-24 groups (98th and 376th); the 42nd Medium Bombardment Wing, composed of 3 B-26 groups (17th, 319th, and 320th); the 47th Medium Bombardment Wing, composed of 2 B-25 groups (310th and 321st); the new 306th Fighter Wing, composed of 3 P-38 groups (1st, 14th, and 82nd) and 1 P-40 group (325th); and the veteran but newly redesignated 68th Tactical Reconnaissance Group.

Arctic

The first in a new series of Arctic convoys sails from the Kola Inlet to Loch Ewe and arrives without loss on November 14. Of the next 3 convoys only 1 is attacked and the only damage is to an attacking U-boat. These operations are completed by December 9.

Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine U-405 and the American destroyer Borie (DD-215) fight an epic duel in the eastern Atlantic. They collide and hand-to-hand fighting ensues. Both sink, the U-boat this day and the destroyer on the 2nd.

U-405

Eastern Front

The Soviets take Perekop and advance to Armyansk at the base of the peninsula, thus isolating the Crimea. Manstein's forces around Krivoy Rog begin a series of counterattacks which temporarily hold the Soviet advance. Berlin claims 'great successes'. Part of the Soviet 56th Army is landed in the Crimea east of Kerch near Enikale and also at Eltigen. During the next week 18th Army reinforcements are landed, but German light naval craft establish a blockade and sink 206 Russian craft.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• In support of the landings at Bougainville and the Treasury Islands, 78 V Bomber Command B-25s, escorted by 70 V Fighter Command P-38s and P-47s attack antiaircraft batteries and shipping in Simpson Harbor. The masthead-high bombing is highly accurate, and 3 Japanese destroyers and 8 freighters are claimed as sunk or sinking. Nevertheless, in the strongest opposition encountered by the 5th Air Force in World War II, Japanese Navy fighters and antiaircraft down 8 B-25s and 9 P-38s.
• V Fighter Command P-38s and P-47s down 31 Japanese fighters in the Rabaul area between 1315 and 1400 hours.
• During the night, RAAF Beauforts attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 12 14th Air Force P-40s attack warehouses and port facilities at Shasi.

Air Operations, Europe

• In its first Combined Bomber Offensive mission of the war, the 15th Air Force dispatches 139 B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 72 P-38s, against the Bf-109 factory at Wiener-Neustadt. Opposition from flak and about 160 Luftwaffe fighters is heavy, but the attack is considered punishing when 74 B-17s and 38 B-24s drop 327 tons of bombs with results that are reported as being 'excellent'.
• 6 B-17s and 5 B-24s are lost

• 15th Air Force B-25s attack a marshalling yard at Ancona.
• 15th Air Force B-26s attack a rail bridge at Amelia and the harbor at Civitavecchia.
• NATAF A-20s and B-25s attack an ammo dump and gun emplacements in the zone of the British 8th Army, the coastal road at Terracina, the town of Fondi, rail facilities at Aquila, and several bridges and road junctions near the battle area.
• A 31st Fighter Group Spitfire downs a Bf-109 near Rome at 1135 hours.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack lines of communication around Fortification Point. V Fighter Command P-39 fighter-bombers attack targets in the Bogadjim area.

Air Operations, Solomons

• In a continuation of the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, more than 100 Japanese Navy carrier bombers and fighters based at Rabaul attack the US Navy surface force at 0800 hours. Antiaircraft fire deflects most of the attackers, and only very light damage is sustained by a light cruiser from two direct hits.
• 20 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville. US Navy aircraft from Task Force 38 mount two punishing strikes against Buka and the Bonis airfield on Bougainville. Task Force 38 then departs the area to refuel.

• VF-33 F6Fs down 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber, 3 D3A 'Val' dive bombers, and 2 A6M Zeros over the US task force in Empress Augusta Bay at 0815 hours. 1 VF-12 F6F downs 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber at sea at 0838 hours. 1 VMF-221 F4U downs 2 'Vals' over a US Navy task force at 1830 hours. 1 Marine Corps F4U is lost.

Atlantic

• The British blockade-runner Master Standfast, 1 of 5 fast boats plying between Hull and Lysekil, Sweden, is captured by a German patrol boat in the Skagerrak.
• During the night German MTBs sink 3 coasters in the convoy CW-221 off Hastings. It is the first torpedo attack in the eastern English Channel since 1941.

Burma

On the Tarung River the Japanese drive off attacks by a regiment of the Chinese 38th Division which suffers heavily.

Eastern Front

The Soviets take Kakhovka on the lower Dniepr and hold the German attacks around Krivoy Rog.

The fighting around Kiev and Veliki Bukrin continues as the 1st Ukrainian Front tries to smash its way through the German defenses.

Italy

8th Army's operations across the Trigno are stepped up into a full-scale attack. In the main coastal sector the advance of 78th Division is supported by a naval bombardment. During the night the 78th Division and the 8th Indian Division make repeated attacks across the Trigno River where the area is being held by the German 16th Panzer Division. On the west coast the Allied forces continue to make ground slowly. The 7th Armored Division and the 46th Division from British X Corps reach the Garigliano.

Mediterranean

U-340 is sunk just inside the Mediterranian by the British destroyers Active and Witherington, and the sloop Fleetwood. Assisting in the demise of the U-boat are Wellingtons 'R' and 'W' of No 179 Squadron RAF.

U-340

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-24s mount light anti-shipping strikes at Cape Gloucester and Talasea, but planned attacks against Rabaul are canceled due to bad weather over the target area.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 14th Air Force P-40 fighter-bombers attack the airfield at Lashio.

• 21 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the port at Kowloon. 9 11th Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 9 P-40s attack targets around Hwajung, Owchihkow, and Shihshow.
• 74th Fighter Squadron P-40s down 3 A6M Zeros near Canton during the early afternoon.

Air Operations, Europe

• In its largest daylight mission to date, VIII Bomber Command sends a total 566 B-17s and B-24s against the Wilhelmshaven port area. Led by 11 482nd Heavy Pathfinder Bomb Group B-17s equipped for the first time with new H2X guidance radar, a total of 434 B-17s and 105 B-24s drop a record 1,448 tons of bombs on the briefed target area between 1307 and 1335 hours. The opposition is light.
• 7 B-17s are lost; 70 crew members are missing
• 333 VIII Fighter Command P-47 and 45 P-38 escorts down 14 Luftwaffe fighters over the Netherlands and the Wilhelmshaven area between 1226 and 1350 hours.
• 2 P-47s are lost, 5 damaged; 2 pilots missing

• 71 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Tricqueville Airdrome and 71 B-26s attack the St.-Andre-de-L'Eure Airdrome.
• 1 B-26 is lost

• 65 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Amersterdam/Schipol Airport.

• 12th Air Force B-25s, escorted by 15th Air Force P-38s, attack Axis aircraft on the ground at Araxos Airdrome.

• NATAF aircraft attack the Cisterna di Latina Airdrome and the landing grounds at Ancona and Pescara, plus numerous road, rail, and tactical targets in and around the battle area, especially in support of the British 8th Army.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack targets around Madang. V Fighter Command P-39s strafe Bogadjim.

Air Operations, Solomons

19 XIII Bomber Command B-24s that attack a convoy near Mussau Island claim hits on 3 ships.

Eastern Front

The Russian 2nd Ukraine Front of 40 divisions under Marshal Nicholas Vatutin launches a final assault on the outnumbered and outgunned German garrison of Kiev.

At dawn the 1st Ukrainian front unleashes a storm of artillery fire upon the XIII and VII Corps opposite the Lyutezh bridgehead, more than 2,000 artillery pieces firing upon the 4th Panzer Army. The 38th and 60th Armies lead the Soviet attack while the 2nd Air Army provides support and interdiction.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• V Bomber Command B-24s on armed-reconnaissance strikes sink a ship north of New Britain, but planned attacks against Japanese warships in Rabaul harbor are canceled due to bad weather over the target area.
• AirSols PB4Ys on patrol over the Bismarck Sea locate and attack a Japanese convoy carrying reinforcements from Rabaul to Bougainville and a Japanese Navy surface battle force. 2 transports are damaged. These finds precipitate a sally by a US Navy surface battle force and an anti-shipping attack on Rabaul by US carrier aircraft that will take place the next day.

Air Operations, CBI

• Chinese Army infantry forces pinned down at Ngajatzup in northern Burma must be resupplied by 10 Air Force cargo aircraft.

• The CACW (Chinese-American Composite Wing) makes its combat debut when 1st CACW Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack military targets at Amoy and Swatow.

Air Operations, Europe

• 24 Mosquitos attack a chemical works at Leverkusen causing fires and a large explosion. 4 Mosquitos are sent to Aachen and 36 aircraft lay mines at various places from Lorient to the Kattegat. 4 mine-laying Stirlings are lost.

• B-17s ot the 15th Air Force's 5th Heavy Bomb Wing attack the highway between Leghorn and Rome and three separate rail lines.
• 15th Air Force P-38 fighter-bombers attack a tunnel near Terni and strafe ground targets around Montalto di Castro.
• NATAF aircraft attack the Furbara and Tarquinia Airdromes, small ships off Pescara and Solta, and trains and motor vehicles between Avezzano and Sora.
• 27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36s down 1 Me-210 and 2 Bf-109s near the Guidonia Airdrome about 1100 hours.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers attack Japanese Army ground troops in the battle area.

Air Operations, Solomons

23 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfield at Buka.

Burma

The regiment of the Chinese 38th Division that was attacking the Japanese lines on the Tarung River is making no progress and retires northward, but one battalion is surrounded by the Japanese.

Eastern Front

Vatutin's forces begin to break out of their bridgeheads over the Dniepr near Kiev. They find the weak spots in the inevitably thin German defense and begin spreading out from their bridgehead and threaten to surround Kiev. In the south the Soviets are also attacking near Kherson, at the mouth of the Dniepr, and force the Germans to give ground.

During a day of heavy fighting and wet weather, the 4th Panzer is unable to hold back the torrent of Soviet attacks and begins to crumble. Gen Pavel Rybalko's 3rd Guards Tank Army strikes the breach in the German line made by the 38th Army. Panic spreads, hearlding the collapse of resistance around the bridgehead, the VII and XIII Corps disintegrating under the weight of the Soviet offensive. Soviet forces rapidly envelop the German positions, compelling the 4th Panzer Army to begin a hurried evacuation from the city. To the south the 2nd Guards Army attacks the XLIV Corps at Kherson but is unable to break through the German line.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• Starting at 1010 hours, while US Navy F6Fs based at the Barakoma airfield at Vella Lavella cover the carriers, 22 SBDs, 23 TBFs, and 52 F6Fs from Task Force 38 attack ships and facilities in Rabaul harbor. At a cost of 1 SBD, 4 TBFs, and 5 F6Fs lost (mostly to antiaircraft fire), 4 Japanese heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 2 destroyers are severely damaged (mainly by the SBDs). US Navy F6Fs (and several SBD and TBF crews) down 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber and 27 A6M Zeros and Ki-61 'Tonys;. 5 F6Fs and 5 US carriers bombers are lost with 7 pilots and 8 aircrewmen. As a result of this attack, all Japanese surface warships at Rabaul are ordered to Truk Atoll, thus ending the threat of a surface attack against the Bougainville invasion fleet. Upon completion of the day’s strike against Rabaul, Task Force 38 withdraws from range of Japanese land-based aircraft.
• As Japanese aircraft based at Rabaul search in vain for the US carriers, 90 V Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s escorted by 67 V Fighter Command P-38s pass up the deserted airfields in the Rabaul area and attack the Rabaul wharf area instead.
• 1 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs 2 A6M Zeros over Rabaul at 1215 hours.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

VD-3 PB4Ys mount their first mission to the Marshall Islands, where they photograph defenses and facilities in Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, Europe

The Vatican is bombed by Allied aircraft.

• 26 Mosquitos make small attacks on Bochum, Dortmung, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Hannover. 27 OTU Wellingtons make leaflet flights over France.
• There are no losses.

• 323 1st and 3rd Bomb Division B-17s and 5 B-17 pathfinders attack the oil refinery and marshalling yard at Gelsenkirchen with 739 tons of bombs between 1313 and 1350 hours.
• 8 B-17s are lost to flak and Luftwaffe fighters, 219 damaged; 4 crewmen killed, 31 wounded, 84 missing
• 104 2nd Bomb Division B-24s plus 4 B-17 pathfinders attack a marshalling yard at Munster with 284 tons of bombs between 1349 and 1358 hours.
• 3 B-24s are lost, 44 damaged; 7 crewmen killed, 22 wounded, 31 missing
• Escort and support for the heavy bombers is provided by 336 P-47s and 47 P-38s, which down 19 Luftwaffe fighters, mostly over the Netherlands between 1300 and 1430 hours.
• 4 P-47s and their pilots are lost

• Despite numerous aborts due to bad weather, more than 150 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack a secret military construction site at Mimoyecques.
• 1 B-26 is lost

• XII Air Support Command B-25s attack the Berat/Kocove Airdrome.

• NATAF aircraft attack roads and bridges in or near Atina, Cassino, Castrocielo, Isernia, Lucana, Rome, Pescara, and Vasto.

• NATAF aircraft attack ships off Split.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and B-26s attack Japanese Army infantry positions near Bogadjim with 23 tons of bombs dropped from very low altitude. V Bomber Command B-25s attack ground positions near Dumpu. V Fighter Command P-39 fighter-bombers attack Madang.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 5 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters and 1 A6M Zero near Wewak at 1105 hours.

Air Operations, Pacific

Corsairs from Totokina airstrip, Bougainville, escort USAAF bombers to Rabaul.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 6 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s on a sweep around Bougainville attack a bivouac at Kieta and sundry barges.
• Following the supposed sighting of Task Force 38 at 1445 hours by Rabaul-based search aircraft, 18 Rabaul-based B5N 'Kate' bombers attack a tiny convoy composed of 1 US Navy landing-craft gunboat, 1 PT-boat, and 1 landing craft. The PT-boat is damaged when a 'Kate' crashes into it, and the gunboat is damaged by a torpedo that does not explode. Despite this, the returning Japanese pilots report the sinking of 2 carriers, 3 cruisers, and 1 destroyer. 1 'Kate' crashes into the PT-boat and another is downed by ships’ fire.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Capt Frederick J. Walker's 2nd Support Group saves Convoy HX-264 and sinks 2 U-boats.
• The German submarine U-848 is sunk by US Naval land-based aircraft (VB-107) and Army aircraft in the South Atlantic area.

U-848

Eastern Front

The Soviet threat to encircle Kiev grows as they cut the Kiev-Zhitomir railroad and continue to advance at practically pursuit pace. In the south they completely overrun the area between the lower Dniepr and the Crimea.

The Russians secretly begin to re-deploy their 2nd Assault Army from Leningrad to the nearby Oranienburg Salient. Numerous small craft of the Baltic Fleet transport 44,000 men, 600 guns and 200 tanks over the next 2 months.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Fighter Command P-40s attack Gasmata, but bad weather forces a planned heavy-bomber attack against Rabaul to be recalled.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

In support of the upcomng invasion of the Gilbert Islands, the 7th Air Force, VII Bomber Command, VII Fighter Command, and VII Air Force Services Command all establish advance headquarters at the airfield on Funafuti.

Air Operations, Europe

• 19 Mosquitos are sent to Bochum, Duisburg and Düsseldorf, 16 Wellingtons lay mines off Texel, Brest, Lorient and St Nazaire and there are 8 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 7 B-17s attack rail bridges at Orbetello.
• P-38 Fighter-Bombers attack bridges near Orvieto and Monte Molino, and strafe the Tarquinia Airdrome, motor vehicles, and a train.
• NATAF aircraft attack road, rail, and tactical targets.

• NATAF aircraft attack road and rail targets.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Japanese bombers mount uncontested attacks against Dumpu, Finschhafen, and Nadzab.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 9 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the harbor and airfield at Buka. 1 B-25 attacks Kieta.
• AirSols SBDs and fighters attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville, followed by 24 42nd Medium Bombardment Group B-25s hitting the Kara airfield again. 17 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Bonis airfield on Bougainville.
• ;4 VF-17 F4Us down a G4M 'Betty' bomber over Bougainville at 1040 hours. A 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-38 downs an A6M Zero near Santa Isabel at 1300 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Capt F. J. Walker's Second Support Group is carrying out an Anti-Submarine sweep southeast of Newfoundland when U-226 is spotted. The submarine is lining up to attack the escort carrier Tracker when the British sloop Kite forces her to dive. Contact is maintained until another sloop, the Woodcodk, makes a creeping attack and sinks the U-boat.

U-226 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Albrecht Gange Location N Atlantic, E of Cape Race Cause Depth charge Casualties 51 Survivors None

U-842 Class Type IXC/40 CO Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Heller Location N Atlantic Cause Depth charge Casualties 56 Survivors None

• A few hours after the sinking of U-226 Capt Walker's Group finds another U-boat. The British sloop Starling attacks U-842 unsuccessfully, but this attack is followed by a successful attack by the sloop Wild Goose.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 25 V Bomber Command B-24s and 64 V Fighter Command P-38s attack the Rapopo airfield at Rabaul.
• 8th and 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 Japanese fighters over the Rabaul area between 1220 and 1230 hours. 5 P-38s are lost.

Air Operations, CBI

• 2 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack the harbor at Amoy while 6 14th Air Force P-40s attack a bridge at Hsiangyangchiao.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to Essen, 35 aircraft lay mines off the French coast from Brest to southern Biscay and there are 7 OTU sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Stirling is lost.

• Restricted and dispersed by bad weather, 112 B-17s of the 122 that are actually dispatched attack a variety of targets in Germany: 37 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack an aircraft-industry plant at Duren with 84 tons of bombs at 1114 hours; 53 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack and aircraft-industry plant at Wesel with 125 tons of bombs at 1125 hours; and 20 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack at Randerath with 48 tons of bombs between 1114 and 1125 hours.
• 283 VIII Fighter Command P-47s escort and support the heavy bombers, but only down 1 Luftwaffe fighter.
• 1 P-47 is lost from 56th Fighter Group, 5 P-47 lost from 355th Fighter Group

• More than 200 IX Bomber Command B-26s dispatched against the Meulan/Les Mureaux and Montdidier Airdromes abort due to bad weather.
• 49 P-47s and 54 P-38s of VIII Fighter Command escorting the bombers sweep the English Channel coast from Ostend, Belgium to Calais.
• 2 P-38s are lost.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 21 AirSols B-24s attack the airfield at Buka.
• 8 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack barges and shore targets at Atsinima Bay.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 9 V Bomber Command B-25s attack Wewak, but more than 40 others abort when their escorts are intercepted over Nadzab by a large number of Japanese fighters.
• Japanese bombers mount uncontested attacks against Bena Bena and the airfield at Nadzab. 16 USAAF aircraft are destroyed on the ground.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 A6M Zeros near Alexishafen at 0720 hours. 8th Fighter Group P-47s and 35th Fighter Group P-39s down 5 Ki-21 'Sally' bombers and 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near Nadzab between 0810 and 0815 hours. 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 4 Zeros between Saidor and Lae at 0855 hours. 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Zeros over Bogadjim at 1400 hours.

Diplomatic Relations

The Russian ambassador in Mexico City states that Moscow regards Polish territory occupied in 1939 as belonging to the Soviet Union.

Eastern Front

The Soviet attacks west of Kiev reach Fastov, a railway junction 40 miles southwest of Kiev, where there is a thin German defense line.

The 2nd Shock Army begins to re-deploy from its positions along the Volkhov River to the Oranienbaum pocket west of Leningrad. This move is in preparation for the planned attack around Leningrad in January 1944 which aims to drive the German 18th Army away from the city for the last time.

Air Operations, CBI

• During the night, 5 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sow mines in the Rangoon River.

• 2 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack the airfield at Kiungshan Airdrome. 6 14th Air Force P-40s attack a bridge at Hsiangyangchiao.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 22 AirSols B-24s attack the Bonis airfield on Bougainville. 6 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Kieta. 6 B-25s attack targets of opportunity on Bougainville.
• 26 Japanese D3A 'Val' dive bombers and 71 A6M Zeros attack US Navy transports and warships in Empress Augusta Bay at noon, but they are intercepted by 28 AirSols fighters before they can do much damage. 1 transport is lightly damaged by two direct hits. 8 AirSols fighters are lost.
• A VF-17 F4U downs a transport over the Buka airfield at 0710 hours. VF-17 F4Us down 3 A6M Zeros west of Bougainville at 1100 hours. VMF-212 F4Us down 3 D3A 'Val' dive bombers and VF-33 F6Fs down 4 more 'Vals' and 4 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters over Empress Augusta Bay at noon. XIII Fighter Command P-38s and P-40s down 8 'Vals' and 7 Zeros over Cape Torokina between noon and 1230 hours.
• Between 1911 hours, November 8, and 0100 hours, November 9, 21 Rabaul-based B5N 'Kate' bombers, D3A 'Val' dive bombers, and G4M 'Betty' Bombers make unopposed attacks against a US Navu surface force off Bougainville. 10 bombers are downed by antiaircraft fire, but one light cruiser is damaged by 2 bombs and a torpedo.

Air Operations, Europe

• 7 Oboe Mosquitos bomb Cologne and Duisburg without a loss.

• NATAF aircraft mount six small missions against gun emplacements and motor vehicles along the battle line and a few trains near the battle area.
• During an afternoon mission, a 57th Fighter Group P-40 downs 1 Ju-88 off Pescara.

• 81 B-17s attack the Fiat ball-bearing plant, marshalling yards, and an aircraft-engine factory at Turin.

Battle of the Atlantic

During the night there is an abortive combined operation by U-boats and Condor aircraft west of Portugal. An RAF Fortress from the Azores sinks U-707.

Eastern Front

The 3rd and 4th Shock Armies launch new attacks against the 3rd Panzer Army, gaining more ground around Nevel as the junction of the IX and LIII Corps is put under intense pressure.

The 4th Panzer Army is reinforced with the XXIV Panzer Corps and XLVIII Panzer Corps. Limited counterattacks are launched near Fastov. Vatutin is about to be caught in the same trap Manstein had sprung on him in the spring of 1943 around Kharkov when he neglected to note the buildup of German armor on his exposed flank.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Fighter Command P-40s attack dumps at Gasmata, and patrolling V Bomber Command B-24s sink a Japanese destroyer near Kavieng, but the scheduled 5th Air Force mission to Rabaul is canceled because of bad weather over the target.

Air Operations, Europe

• 18 Oboe Mosquitos attack blast furnaces at Bochum and a steelworks at Duisburg.
• There are no losses.

• NATAF fighters strafe gun emplacements, ships, and radio stations along the Albanian coast.

• NATAF aircraft attack Formia and Itri as a diversion for a bombardment of Formia and Gaeta by Allied naval forces.
• NATAF aircraft also attack road, rail, and tactical targets.

• NATAF fighter-bombers attack shipping in Split harbor.

• B-17s attack the Genoa-Ansaldo steel works.
• 20 B-24s miss the target entirely when they attack Turin's Villaperosa ball-bearing plant at 1230 hours.
• 1 FW-190 is downed over Turin at 1220 hours by an 82ns Fighter Group P-38 escort.

Air Operations, New Guinea

More than 40 V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack the airfield at Alexishafen. V Fighter Command P-38s, P-39s, and P-40s down 15 Japanese fighters in a series of engagements over Alexishafen, Lae, and Nadzab between 1015 and 1120 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• More than 20 AirSols B-24s attack the Kahili and Kara airfields on Bougainville.
• 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Kieta and the airfield at Buka.
• AirSols light bombers and fighters attack the airfield at Ballale and the Kara airfield on Bougainville.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-707 is stalking Convoy MKS-29A when she is attacked and sun by Fortress 'J' of No 220 Squadron RAF flying from the Azores.

U-707

Diplomatic Relations

44 Allied and Associated States establish the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

Eastern Front

The Soviet forces have overcome the Germans resistance west of Kiev around Fastov, and are now advancing toward Zhitomir.

The XIII and VIII Corps break as the 3rd Guards Tank Army pushes toward Zhitomir.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul and an airfield under construction on Duke of York Island.
• B-25s and V Fighter Command P-38s attack shipping.
• During the night, RAAF Beauforts attack targets around Rabaul.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

During the night, 3 Japanese Navy bombers evade VMF-441 F4Fs (operating without radar guidance) and bomb the airfield on Nanomea. 1 US serviceman is killed, a B-24 is destroyed, and several other aircraft are damaged.

Air Operations, CBI

• 14th Air Force fighters attack river traffic.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Soerabaja, Java.

Air Operations, Europe

• 313 Lancasters of Nos. 5 and 8 Groups are sent to attack the railway yards at Modane on the main line between France and Italy. The Pathfinder marking, made in difficult conditions, is slightly beyond the target, but 200 aircraft bring back photos that show their bombs fell withing 1 mile of the target area. The railway system is seriously damaged by the raid.
• There are no losses.

• 2 Mosquitos are sent to Dortmund, 7 Stirlings lay mines in the Gironde River and off La Pallice and there are 20 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• NATAF bombers attack Durazzo.

• Approximately 60 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Chievres Airdrome.

• All the IX Bomber Command B-26s dispatched to attack the Lille/Vendeville Airdrome abort due to bad weather, as do most of the 72 B-26s dispatched against the Montdidier Airdrome.
• 6 B-26s attack the Amiens/Glisy Airdrome.
• 208 VIII Fighter Command P-47s and P-38s escort the B-26s over France and Belgium.

• NATAF bombers attack Split.

• 20 B-24s attempt to attack the Villaperosa ball-bearing plant in Turin.
• B-17s attack a marshalling yard at Bolzano.
• NATAF fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements around Rodda and troop concentrations and troop trains south of Rome.
• NATAF fighters strafe trucks and trains between Rome and La Spezia and between Piombino and Leghorn.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack the airfield at Alexishafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

• More than 20 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the airfield at Ballale and the Kara airfield on Bougainville, and shipping targets of opportunity.
• Responding to the first air-support request of the Bougainville operation (lodged the afternoon before), 18 VMTB-143 and VMTB-233 TBFs arrive on station at 0915 hours over the Piva River area of the Bougainville beachhead. At 1015, each of 12 TBFs drops 12 100-pound bombs on ground targets marked by colored smoke. Many of the bombs strike targets within 120 yards of Marine Corps ground troops and kill an estimated 40 Japanese Army soldiers. The attack—the first of its kind in the Pacific—is deemed a success and a template for future operations.

Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine U-966 is sunk by US Naval land-based aircraft (VB-103 and VB-110) and Czechoslovakian aircraft off the northwest coast of Spain.

U-966

Eastern Front

The Battle of Cherkassy begins. Russian paratroops drop near Cherkassy, south of the Dnieper River and link up with partisans. Meanwhile the 2nd Ukrainian Army closes in and ferries tanks on rafts and pontoons across the Dnieper. German land and air forces subsequently launch violent counterattacks. The battle ends December 14.

Air Operations, Algeria

417th Night-Fighter Squadron Beaufighters down 1 Ju-88 and damage another off Arzieu between 1720 and 1950 hours.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• Before dawn, 23 V Bomber Command B-24s brave bad weather to attack the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul, but follow-up strikes are recalled in the face of continuing heavy weather. This concludes the 5th Air Force offensive against Rabaul.
• During the morning, while VMF-212 and VMF-221 F4Us bolster the combat air patrol over the carriers, 239 US Navy carrier bombers and fighters attacking in two waves mount extremely strong attacks against Rabaul. In the air battle over Rabaul, Navy F6Fs (and several SBD crews) down 38 A6M Zeros between 0900 and 0930 hours. This mission marks the combat debut of the new SB2C dive bomber (from Fleet Carrier Air Group 17).
• 42 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Rabaul from high level just as the last of the carrier aircraft depart the area. Cloud cover obscures the results as two B-24 squadrons drop their bombs from 16,000 to 20,000 feet. The 5th Heavy Bomb Group’s 23rd Heavy Bomb Squadron attacks a light cruiser from 8,500 feet.
• Several Rabaul-based G4M 'Betty' bombers, 14 B5N 'Kate' dive bombers, 27 D3A 'Val' dive bombers, and 67 fighters open a counterattack against the US Navy carrier force at 1315 hours, but US Navy fighters—including a land-based F4U squadron (VF-17) and a land-based F6F squadron (VF-33) operating from the carrier decks—repel the Japanese attack and exact a very high toll of Japanese aircraft downed at sea and over the carriers between 1315 and 1415 hours. (The Navy pilots claim 111 victories, but it is estimated that 2 'Bettys', 14 'Kates', 17 'Vals', and 8 fighters are actually downed.) 3 A6M Zeros are also downed at sea during the evening by VF-18 patrolling F6Fs. 11 Navy fighters are lost and the USS Essex is slightly damaged by a near miss.
• In the evening, Task Force 38 and Task Group 50.3 are dissolved and all 5 US Navy aircraft carriers are ordered from the area to take part with the US 5th Fleet in the upcoming Operation GALVANIC, the Gilbert Islands invasion.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Burma Road targets. 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack river targets while 6 P-40s attack a gun battery, barracks, and a radio station near Yoyang.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack targets around Madang, and V Fighter Command P-39s strafe Bogadjim.
• A 35th Fighter Group P-39 downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber near Alexishafen at 0737 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 124 Halifaxes and 10 Lancasters of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to hit the marshalling yards at Cannes and railway installations on the main coastal line to Italy.
• The night is clear and Pathfinders mark the target from 5,000 feet, but there are no hits on the railway yards and the railway workshops only suffer some bomb blast damage.
• 4 Halifaxes are lost.
• No. 617 Squadron resumes operations after its period of high-level training with the new 'Stabilizing Automatic Bomb Sight'. 10 Lancasters each drop 1 12,000-lb bomb on the railway viaduct at Anthéor, but no hits are recorded.

• 29 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, Hannover and the Ruhr, 45 aircraft lay mines from Brest to the Frisian Islands and there are 6 OTU sorties.
• 1 Halifax and 1 Wellington from the mine-laying force are lost.

• The 1st Bomb Division abandons its mission to Wesel due to bad weather, but 59 3rd Bomb Division B-17s and 1 B-17 pathfinder attack their briefed primary, a marshalling yard at Munster with 122 tons of bombs at 1408 hours.
• 342 VIII Fighter Commmand P-47s and 59 P-38s escorting and supporting the heavy bomber account for 9 Luftwaffe fighters downed along the bomber routes between 1345 and 1500 hours.

• 162 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack a secret military construction site and targets of opportunity in an area of the Cherbourg Peninsula centered on Martinvast.

• 31 B-24s cause no damage when they drop 90 tons of bombs on a ball-bearing factory and viaduct at Annecy.
• 1 B-24 is lost to flak

• NATAF and RAF light bomber and fighter-bombers attack numerous tactical targets in the Palena and Rocca areas in support of the British 8th Army.
• NATAF fighters attack motor vehicles along the coast between Pescara and Sangro Rivers.
• NATAF aircraft attack Rocca, an explosives factory, the port of Civitavecchia, and German Army strongpoints at two locations.
• During a series of midmorning engagements over central Italy, 31st Fighter Group Spitfires down 2 FW-190s and damage several other Luftwaffe fighters.
• 1 FW-190 is downed during the afternoon by a 27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36.

Air Operations, Solomons

Several 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and AirSols F4Us strafe shore targets and barges in Matchin Bay.

Diplomatic Relations

Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia issue vigorous protests against French actions in Lebanon.

Eastern Front

The Soviet forces driving west of Kiev strengthen their postions taking a small bridgehead on the Teterev River and capture Radomyshl and other towns on the approach to Zhitomir. In the Fastov area, however, the Germans have again seized the initiative, the Soviets are under heavy pressure. The Russian Central Front, west of Gomel, advances northward.

Aegean

In Operation LEOPARD German forces from the 22nd Infantry Division under Gen Friedrich W. Müller land on the Dodecanese island of Leros. They complete the capture of the island by Novermber 16 and 3,500 British and 5,350 Italian troops surrender. In additon the British lose 1 destroyer offshore.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

The Japanese Navy terminates Operation RO and withdraws all of its 52 surviving carrier aircraft (of 173 committed) from Rabaul to Japan via Truk Atoll. Although still heavily defended by an infusion of land-based aircraft forwarded via the base at Truk (Caroline Islands), Rabaul’s aviation force moves predominantly to the defensive and so no longer poses a serious threat to Allied forces in the Solomon Islands or New Guinea.

Air Operations, CBI

• During the night, 2 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sow mines in the Rangoon River.

• 10 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 24 14th Air Force P-40s attack rail yards, antiaircraft batteries, and warehouses in Yoyang. 5 B-25s attack port areas at Puchi and Yangchi Kang. 1 B-25 and 15 P-40s attack targets of opportunity while on armed reconnaissance missions.

Air Operations, East Indies

380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack various targets on Amboina and Java.

Air Operations, Europe

• 7 Mosquitos attack Düsseldorf, Essen and Krefeld without a loss.

• After failing to locate their assigned targets near Athens, 12th Air Force B-25s returning from Greece attack the Berat/Kocove Airdrome and an Albanian oil refinery.

• 15th Air Force B-26s dispatched to attack rail lines and bridges around Montalto di Castro and Orbetello are dispersed by heavy cloud cover and the attack are largely ineffectual.
• NATAF aircraft attack road, rail, and tactical targets in support of the US 5th and British 8th Armies.
• 27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36s down 2 Ju-88s north of Rome during an afternoon mission.
• During the night, NATAF A-20s attack a marshalling yard at Arezzo and the Perugia Airdrome.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack Japanese-held villages between Finschhafen and Saidor.

Air Operations, Pacific

Allied planes begin daily raids on Japanese positions in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands.

Air Operations, Solomons

• At 0420 hours, 4 G4M 'Betty' bombers attempt a torpedo attack against US warships in Empress Augusta Bay. Next, at 0455 hours, 4 'Bettys' attack a US light cruiser with torpedoes and score one hit that severely damages the ship, kills 20 crewmen, and wounds 11.
• 18 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Tarlena, 6 B-25s attack Matchin Bay, and 8 XIII Fighter Command P-38s attack the Bonis airfield on Bougainville.
• 18 US Navy land-based TBFs from VC-38 and VC-40, responding to an air-support mission request lodged the previous afternoon, drop 100-pound bombs on Japanese Army defensive positions within only 100 yards of friendly troops. As a result of the attack, the Japanese force abandons its positions.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-220 lays mines off St John's, Newfoundland. 2 ships are sunk.
• US Naval land-based aircraft (VB-103) sink the German submarine U-508 in the Bay of Biscay.

U-508

Eastern Front

The Soviets capture Korostyshev, west of Kiev, and move on to enter Zhitomir, only 75 miles from the Polish frontier. Zhitomir is a vitally important rail center on the last lateral rail line available to the Germans east of the Pripet marshes.

Zhitomir and Korostychev fall to the 1st Ukrainian Front. Manstein is poised to launch his counterattack. As the Soviets push west they increase the exposure on their left wing. Manstein plans to re-take the territory that had been lost on the west bank and recapture kiev. To the southeast the 52nd Army forces a crossing of the Dniepr at Cherkassy, pushing back the XI Corps of the 8th Army.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 5th Air Force bombers and fighters open a pre-invasion bombardment campaign against Japanese Army defenses and facilities in western New Britain.
• 9 V Bomber Command B-25s and 18 RAAF Kittyhawks attack Gasmata and photograph a wide area around Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• During the night, 1 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24 sows mines in the Rangoon River.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

Japanese Navy bombers attack the airfield at Funafuti, where 2 aircraft are destroyed on the ground.

Air Operations, Europe

• 9 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 8 Oboe Mosquitos are sent to hit the blast furnaces at Bochum.
• There are no losses.

• Bad weather limits the day's operations. 2 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack targets of opportunity through holes in the clouds.
• 73 3rd Bomb Division B-17s, 53 2nd Bomb Division B-24s, and 3 pathfinder B-17s manage to attack the primary target, the Bremen port area, but many bombs are expended on unidentified 'tafgets of opportunity' that happen to lay beneath holes in the cloud cover.
• 3 B-17s and 13 B-24s are downed by flak and fighters, several are bombers are lost or severely damaged in a rash of operational accidents
• 345 VIII Fighter Command P-47s and 45 P-38s escort and support the heavy bombers, but their range is severely limited by strong headwinds. The fighters are credited with downing 7 Luftwaffe fighters and 2 Ju-88s.
• 7 P-38s and 3 P-47s are lost; 9 pilots are lost

• NATAF A-20s attack Atina, Palena, and the harbor at Civitavecchia.
• Other NATAR aircraft attack tactical targets in the battle area, three Axis landing grounds, and the harbor at Giulianove.
• 31st Fighter Group Spitfires down 4 Bf-109s over the port of Gaeta about 1630 hours.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• 18 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at or staging through the airfields at Funafuti and Nanomea attack Betio Island with 27.5 tons of general-purpose bombs and 126 20-pound fragmentation bombs. There is no opposition from Japanese Navy fighters, but antiaircraft coverage is intense and 1 B-24 is downed.
• During the night, US Navy Task Force 57 land-based bombers attack targets at Tarawa and Makin atolls and Nauru Island.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Nearly 120 V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Alexishafen, B-24s attack Kaukenau and Timoeka, and V Fighter Command P-40s strafe targets in and around Alexishafen.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in the Ellice Islands attack the airfield at Mille.
• VD-3 PB4Ys based at Canton Island and staging through the Ellice Islands mount their first photo-reconnaissance missions to the Wotje and Maloelap atolls.

Air Operations, Pacific

Flying Fortresses form Funafuti bomb Tarawa Atoll in the first attack in preparation for the coming landings. There is little resistance from fighters but, there is a powerful anti-aircraft barrage. These attacks are repeated daily for the next week.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 17 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Bonis airfield on Bougainville while 6 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Buka airfield at low level.
• During the night, 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-70s mount night harassing missions against the Bonis and Kahili airfields on Bougainville and targets in the Shortland Islands.
• A VMF(N)-531 PV night-fighter crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber 50 miles southwest of Cape Torokina at 0420 hours. This is the US Marine Corps’ first night victory, and the first by a PV.

Diplomatic Relations

The Allies officially recognize the 'status' of Italy as a 'co-belligerent nation'.

Eastern Front

The Soviets complete the capture of Zhitomir and begin to extend their advance north toward Korosten.

The Kiev offensive has in 10 days cost the 1st Ukrainian Front 6,500 killed and 24,000 wounded.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12th Air Force B-25s, escorted by P-38s of the 15th Air Force's 82nd Fighter Group, attack marshalling yards at Sofia. 18 Axis fighters attack the bombers over the target, but they are driven off by the P-38s, which down 3 Bf-109s and 2 FW-190s.
• 1 P-38 is lost

• Bad weather virtually shut down most NATAF operations, but fighters are able to strafe the Burbara and Tarquinia Airdromes and attack trains near Avezzano.

Air Operations, Gilberts

9 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at or staging through the airfields at Funafuti and Nonomea attack targets in Tarawa Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack a convoy and bivouac near Sio.

Air Operations, Marshalls

9 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Funafuti attack Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, Solomons

During the night, 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-70s mount night harassing missions against Faisi and targets in the Shortland Islands.

Eastern Front

Manstein orders Gen Hasso von Manteuffel's 7th Panzer Division to counterattack south of Zhitomir from around Berdichev. On the Kerch peninsula, in the Crimea, violent battles are takeing place.

Rechitsa falls to the Belorussian Front.

Limited German counterattacks at Fastov continue as a prelude to the main attack due on the 15th. As the 4th Panzer Army completes its preparations, the 2nd Ukrainian Front prepares to launch a new offensive. The aim of this attack is to drive toward Kirovograd and Krivoi Rog, destroying the German 8th and 1st Panzer Armies.

Soviet attacks in the Crimea continue but are becoming bogged down. The German 17th Army consolidates its positions as its V Corps deploys to defend the Kerch peninsula, and the XLIX Mountain Corps move to the Zivash coast and Perekop to defend against attacks from the mainland. The XLIV Corps has already been handed over to the 6th Army fighting along the lower Dniepr.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

More than 20 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Canton Island and Nonomea attack Jaluit and Mille atolls in the Marshall Islands and Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 10 Mosquitos are sent to Düsseldorf and 2 to Bonn.
• 2 Mosquitos are lost, 1 from each operation.

• XII Air Support Command B-25s attack the Athens/Kalamaki Airdrome.
• 15th Air Force B-24s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome about 1300 hours.
• P-38 escorts from the 82nd Fighter Group repel attacks by Luftwaffe fighters, damaging 6 and downing 1 FW-190 and 1 Ju-87.

• NATAF fighters attack road traffic south of Ancona.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• More than 30 V Bomber Command B-24s attack Alexishafen. 88 B-25s abort a scheduled mission against Wewak and Boram when they and their 16 P-40 escorts are engaged by many Japanese fighters.
• 49th Fighter Group P-40s down a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber and 6 fighters over Dumpu and Gusap at 1010 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-40s down 3 G3M 'Nell' bombers and 8 fighters over the Ramu Valley at 1010 hours.
• 348th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 fighters over the Wewak area between 1115 and 1130 hours. 2 49th Fighter Group P-40s are lost.

Air Operations, CBI

• 15 of 20 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sent to attack Hong Kong and Kowloon abort in the face of bad weather, but 5 B-24s are able to attack the Kowloon port area.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 20 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfield at Buka and 18 B-24s attack Kahili.
• During the night, 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-70s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Following totally abortive forays against Convoys HX-264 and SC-146, Adm Dönitz abandons U-boat operations in the western Atlantic.
• German aircraft begin shadowing the combined convoy MKS-30/SL-139 north of Gibraltar but all attempts to bring up U-boats are defeated. Eventually on November 21 He-177 aircraft attack alone and hit 2 ships with Hs-293 missiles.

Burma

On the northern Burma front the Chinese 38th Division sends reinforcements to the 112th Regiment, which is being hard pressed by the Japanese. In the Japanese 14th Army sector, Japanese troops occupy Fort White after driving out the British garrison.

Eastern Front

In the coastal sector, on the Bryansk front, Russian forces cut the important Gomel-Pinsk railway. German radio reports 'bloody battles' in the Krivoy Rog area. The German XLVIII Panzer Corps, consisting of 7 divisions, counterattack toward Kiev.

Aegean

The Germans complete the occupation of the island of Leros and defeat the British attempt to seize the Dodecanese. Poor planning and enemy air superiority have led to the failure of the operation. Britain sustains more the 4,800 casualties, and loses 20 vessels and 115 aircraft. Germany has 12 merchant ships and 20 landing craft sunk, and suffers 4,000 casualties during the short campaign.

Air Operations, CBI

• P-38s with the 10th Air Force’s 459th Fighter Squadron down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters at 1100 hours while escorting bombers against Meiktila.

• 11 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, 2 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s, and 4 14th Air Force P-40s attack the Kowloon port area. 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s mount anti-shipping attacks off the China coast. 1 B-25 and 12 P-40s attack a Japanese Army cavalry column and other targets around Shihmen.
• A 74th Fighter Squadron P-40 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Wuchow at 0945 hours.

• 6 14th Air Force P-40s strafe rail targets and barracks while on an armed reconnaissance mission.

Air Operations, Europe

B-17s and B-24s attack the Knaben molybdenum mines and the Norsk Hydro power station in Norway. B-17s also hit the heavy-water production facility at Vemork, Norway. 175 tons of bombs are dropped, but the results are disappointing leaving production untouched. In the end, though, the raid achieved a basic Allied goal. The Germans decide it would be impractical to continue production at the site, effectively blocking the GErman effort to build an atomic bomb.

• 21 Mosquitos are sent to Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Krefeld and 8 OTU Wellingtons make leaflet flights to France. There are no losses.

• 130 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack aircraft-industry targets at Knaben with 313 tons of bombs between 1138 and 1238 hours.
• 147 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack aircraft-industry targets at Rjukan with more that 355 tons of bombs at 1145 hours.
• 29 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack Rjukan with 74 tons of bombs between 1204 and 1212 hours.

• 12th Air Force B-25s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome

• 12th Air Force B-25s attack the Sibenik Airdrome.

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the Istres-le-Tube and Istres/Les Pates Airdromes.
• 15th Air Force B-26s attack the Salon-de-Provence Airdrome.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Nanomea and Funafuti begin daily intensive anti-shipping searches to help cover the approach of the Gilberts invasion fleet.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Nanomea and Nukufetau mount individual attacks against the Makin and Tarawa atolls.
• VD-3 PB4Ys reconnoiter and photograph Tarawa Atoll.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Canton Island, Nanomea, and Nukufetau attack the Jaluit, Maloelap, and Wotje atolls. B-24s mount individual attacks against Kwajalein Atoll. Several B-24s are damaged in attacks by A6M Zeros.
• VD-3 PB4Ys and VII Bomber Command B-24s reconnoiter and photograph defenses and facilities in the Jaluit Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Finschhafen and nearby targets. V Fighter Command P-39 fighter-bombers attack barges between Madang and Saidor.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 A6M Zeros over Wewak at 0950 hours, 1 Zero over Wewak at 1040 hours, and 1 Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Finschhafen at 1040 hours. 2 P-38s are lost.

Air Operations, Pacific

Since November 13, US heavy bombers have been attacking the Gilbert and Marshal Islands every day dropping 173 tons of bombs on military installations.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 4 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 20 B-25s attack the airfield at Buka. More than 20 B-25s and more than 30 XIII Fighter Command P-39s and P-40s attack targets of opportunity along the Bougainville coast.
• During the night, more than 30 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the airfield at Buka Airdrome. 8 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Bonis and Buka airfields on Bougainville at various times.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

RAAF Kittyhawk fighter-bombers attack Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack Pingkai and nearby targets of opportunity.

• 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack the airfield at Kengtung and nearby Japanese Army barracks.

• 4 14th Air Force P-40s attack the airfield at Dong Cuong.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

Japanese Navy bombers attack the airfield at Funafuti, where 2 Seabees are killed and a B-24 and C-47 are destroyed.

Air Operations, Europe

• 66 Lancasters and 17 Halifaxes raid Ludwigshafen-on-Rhine with the main target being the I.G. Farben factory.
• This raid is a purely blind-bombing raid without any target indicators being dropped. 43 crews bomb using H₂S with 2 or 3 hitting the factory. 6 more bomb within a mile. This is a good result for limited application of H₂S. Because of misleading instructions broadcast from England to the German night-fighter pilots, most of the fighter force lands early.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 21 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, Bochum, Bonn and Duisburg and there are 4 OTU sorties.

• 12th Air Force B-25s attack the Kalamaki Airdrome. 1 Bf-109 is downed over Athen by an 82nd Fighter Group P-38.

• 12th Air Force fighters attack motor vehicles north on Ancona.

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome.

Air Operations, East Indies

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack a freighter near Tanimbar Island in the Molucca Islands.
• During the night, V Bomber Command B-24s attack den Pasar, Soerabaja, and Tjepoe.

Air Operations, Gilberts

VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Canton Island and Funafuti attack Tarawa.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Canton Island and Funafuti attack the Taroa and Mille airfields on Maloelap.
• VD-3 PB4Ys reconnoiter and photograph the Wotje Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 58 V Bomber Command B-24s are sent against Sattelberg in support of Australian Army ground forces, but only 3 B-24s and 12 RAAF bombers reach the target through bad weather.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s strafe shipping between Finschhafen and Saidor.

Air Operations, Solomons

• At 0350 hours, Japanese Navy D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers mount an unopposed attack against a US Navy reinforcement convoy near Bougainville. One troop-laden destroyer-transport is sunk, the only ship sunk by Japanese aircraft during the Bougainville operation. 64 crewmen and 52 Marines are lost. 5 'Judys' are downed by antiaircraft fire.

Air Operations, Europe

• Some consider this night the beginning of the 'Battle of Berlin', the third of Air Marshal Harris' well publicized campaigns. The campaign will include 16 major attacks on the German capital as well as others against different targets. In the attacks against Berlin itself about 9,100 sorties are flown and 600 aircraft lost. The battle ends on March 24 after 25,000 tons of bombs are dropped in 32 attacks. 9 square miles of the city are destroyed. 6,166 people are killed, 18,431 are badly injured and 1,500,000 are homeless.
• 440 Lancaster are sent to Berlin with 4 Mosquitoes dropping dummy flares to decoy the night fighters. 26 bombers abort. The time over the target is 20:56-21:12. About 1,575 tons of bombs are dropped 792 tons of high explosives and 783 tons of incendiaries. 411 aircraft reach Berlin. 18 of the 26 Blind Markers fail to drop their markers either because their H₂S sets failed or the could not locate Brandenburg, the beginning point to make their timed run to the Aiming Point. There is also thick clouds over the area as the weather worsened. Bombs end up being dropped all over the city. 169 homes are destroyed with 131 people being killed and 14 missing. Flak is heavy, but only 3 aircraft are lost to Flak but 100 suffer damage from it. Because of the bad weather there were not many night fighters up.
• 9 Lancasters are lost.
• 395 aircraft are sent on a diversionary raid to Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. In this total are 248 Halifaxes, 114 Stirlings and 33 Lancasters.
• Clouds are present over the target area and much of the bombing is scattered. 21 people are killed, 154 are injured and 7,500 are bombed out. Many bombs fall outside the city and local reports indicate much damage and loss to farms in the area. German fighters are out in force and engage many of the bombers.
• 12 Halifaxes, 9 Stirlings and 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 10 Mosquitos are sent to Essen, 6 to Aachen, 6 to Frankfurt, 16 Wellingtons lay mines from Texel to St Nazaire and there are 7 OTU sorties.

• 82 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack the Oslo/Kjeller Airdrome with more than 209 tons of bombs.
• 9 B-24s are lost, 3 land in Sweden and their crews interned

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome.
• NATAF A-20s, B-25s, and RAF aircraft attack the Larissa Airdrome.

• NATAF aircraft attack several roads and towns, German Army troop billets, and tactical targets along the front lines.

• NATAF fighter-bombers attack a marshalling yard at Knin, boat traffic on the Krka River, several trains, the landing ground at Sinj, and port facilities and ships at Sibenik.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 14th Air Force P-40s attack the ferry at Tahsai in support of Chinese Army ground forces.

• 12 14th Air Force P-40s attack Japanese Army ground troops and a troop-filled barge at Shihmen.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• Due to bad weather over assigned targets in the Marshall Islands, 9 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Nanomea attack the Tarawa and Makin atolls, and Nauru Island. US carrier aircraft from Task Group 50.4 attack Nauru and carrier aircraft from Task Group 50.3 attack Tarawa with 115 tons of bombs.
• A VF-9 F6F downs 1 F1M 'Pete' reconnaissance float plane over Tarawa Atoll at 1130 hours, and a VF-18 F6F downs 1 E8N 'Dave' reconnaissance seaplane at sea at 1606 hours.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Due to bad weather over the Wotje Atoll, VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Nanomea attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Fak Fak. More than 30 V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack Japanese Army ground positions around Sattelberg. V Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers attack Iworep.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-25s attack Kentengi Anchorage.

Air Operations, CBI

• 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack port facilities and warehouses and Swatow, and mount anti-shipping strikes in the South China Sea.

Air Operations, Europe

• 266 aircraft are sent to Leverkusen. Included in this total are 170 Halifaxes, 86 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups.
• Failures of equipment prevents most of the Oboe marking to be carried out and other Pathfinder are unable to mark the target accurately because of bad weather conditions. As a result, the bombs are scattered over a wide area mostly north of Leverkusen. 27 towns record bomb hits, Leverkusen reports only 1 bomb hit in the town.
• 4 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling are lost.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to Duisburg, 2 to Rheinhausen, 25 aircraft lay mines off the Biscay ports and there are 11 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.
• Many of the aircraft returning from operations encounter fog conditions on reaching England and 2 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling crash, but 4 Halifaxes of No. 35 Squadron lands safely at Graveley when the first operational use is made of the oil-burning fog dispersal equipment called FIDO (Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation), which had been installed at Graveley airfield. Several other airfields will soon be fitted with this useful device.

• Although briefed to attack Gelsenkirchen, bad weather and the failure of the Oboe equipment aboard 6 pathfinder B-17s oblige 130 of 157 3rd Bomb Division B-17s to scatter 281 tons of bombs on many targets of opportunity on both sides of the German-Netherlands frontier. Failure of the Oboe equipment on this mission puts its use to an end as primary guidance on high-altitude bombing missions. Its use is transferred to the 9th Air Force, whose medium-altitude work does not interfere with the Oboe guidance technique. 8th Air Force falls back on H2S and H2X airborne ground-radar equipment, which provides much better results for high-altitude work.
• 288 VIII Fighter Command P-47s provide escort and support for the B-17s.

• NATAF A-36s and P-40s attack bridges near Cassino and Pontecorvo, trucks and trains near Rieti, and German Army strongpoints around Barrea.

• NATAF aircraft attack trains and trucks around Metkovic.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• 30 VII Bomber Command B-24s join US warships in the bombardment of Japanese positions in Tarawa and Makin atolls, and on Nauru Island. Task Group 50.4 carrier aircraft attack Nauru, Task Group 50.3 carrier aircraft attack Tarawa Atoll with 69 tons of bombs, and Task Group 50.2 carrier aircraft attack Makin Atoll.
• A VF-9 F6F downs 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber near Tarawa Atoll at 0550 hours. 4 VF-2 F6Fs down 1 E8N 'Dave' reconnaissance seaplane near Makin Atoll at 0830 hours. 4 VF-22 F6Fs 1 'Betty' at sea at 0830 hours. 1 VF-60 F6F downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat at sea at 0945 hours. 1 VF-18 F6F downs 1 'Betty' near Tarawa Atoll at 1040 hours. 2 VF-9 F6Fs down 1 'Betty' at sea at 1455 hours. VF-23 F6Fs down 2 A6M Zeros over Nauru at 1555 hours.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft attack the Mille airfield and flying boats and floatplane fighters moored in the Jaluit Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Approximately 30 V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack Japanese Army ground positions around Sattelberg. 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Finschhafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

10 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Ballale airfield and Matchin Bay.

Battle of the Atlantic

• 2 3,000-ton freighters, the British Penolver and the American De Lisle, sink within 17 minutes of each other after striking mines off St John's, Newfoundland. 14 crewmen of the British ship are picked up by the US vessel and then rescued again, establishing a dubious record of having survived 2 ship sinkings within half an hour.
• U-211 is sunk by Wellington 'F' of No 179 Squadron RAF. A radar contack is reported and the aircraft, flying ahead of combined Convoyes SL-139/MKS-30, investigates. Four depth charges are dropped on either side of the submarine destroying it.

U-211

Aegean

The British evacuate Samos. The Germans move in on the 23rd and disarm 2,500 troops on the island. This is the end of the brief campaigns in the Dodecanese which has been too quickly improvised by the British with insufficient forces and as a result the British have taken a beating.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 50 V Bomber Command B-24s attack Gasmata.
• During the night, VP-101 Black Cat PBYs sink a cargo ship in Rabaul harbor.

Air Operations, CBI

• Despite bad weather that grounds other missions, 2 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s are able to attack barracks and warehouses on Nampang Island.

Air Operations, Europe

• Bad weather grounds most 12th and 15th Air Force aircraft, but some NATAF aircraft are able to attack a rail junction and several towns in the German Army zone.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• US forces launch Operation GALVANIC, the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Following intense air and naval-surface bombardments, the US 2nd Marine Division lands at Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll, and elements of the US 27th Infantry Division land at Butaritari Island in the Makin Atoll.
• At 0611 hours, US carrier aircraft from Task Group 50.2 (the Northern Carrier Force) mount a 20-minute attack against beach defenses at Butaritari and thereafter stand by to cover the US surface bombardment force and provide ground support as needed. As US Army ground troops begin landing at 0832 hours, carrier aircraft bomb preselected inland targets.
• At 0615 hours, US carrier aircraft from Task Group 50.3 (the Southern Carrier Group) mount a firece 7-minute attack against shore defenses on Betio and thereafter stand by to cover the US surface bombardment force and provide ground support as needed. Owing to delays in landing the first waves, the carrier aircraft attack shore defenses again at 0855 hours. Thereafter, F6Fs provide continuous on-call support for the Marine Corps ground forces.
• A VF-16 F6F downs 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber at sea at 0930 hours.
• Beginning at about 1755 hours, 16 Marshalls-based G4M 'Betty' night torpedo bombers attack Task Group 50.3 while US Navy aircraft are landing. VF-18 F6Fs down 5 'Betty' and ships’ gunners down 4, but 1 'Betty' scores a single torpedo hit on the USS Independence (Light Carrier Air Group 22), which is forced to retire to Funafuti, the nearest friendly base.
• During the night, a Marine Corps reconnaissance company lands at Abemama Atoll from a US submarine and swiftly occupies the atoll against negligible opposition. Abemama is a planned site of a new airfield.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

50 V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack Japanese Army ground positions around Sattelberg and luggers in Hansa Bay. 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack targets around Lae.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 13th Air Force B-25s, and P-38s, and US Navy PVs attack the Bonis airfield on Bougainville, and several B-25s attack coastal targets around Empress Augusta Bay.
• A VMF-222 F4U downs 1 Ki-49 'Helen' bomber near Bougainville at 0830 hours.

Baltic Sea

U-768 is sunk in a collision with U-745, the exact circumstances of which are unknown.

U-768

Battle of the Atlantic

U-536 is sunk following a series of attacks by ships of a Canadian Navy Support Group EG5 shadowing combined Convoys SL-139/MKS-30. The ships involved are the Nene, Snowberry and Calgary.

U-536

Eastern Front

In a new attack the Soviets cross the Dniepr near Cherkassy.

Gilbert Islands

The American landing operations in the Gilbert Islands begin. There are US landings on Tarawa Atoll. Gen J. C. Smith leads 18,600 men from the 2nd Marine Division, escorted by Adm Harry W. Hill's Task Force 53 with a bombardment group of 3 battleships and 4 cruisers and air support from 4 escort carriers. The Japanese garrison comprises 4,800 men led by Rear-Adm Keichi Shibasaki. They have 50 artillery weapons and 7 light tanks.

The landings are to be made on Betio Island which is little more that two miles long and is nowhere more than half a mile wide. The highest ground is only nine feet above sea level but the Japanese have added a formidable complex of well-camouflaged bunkers, beach obstacles and gun emplacements. The preliminary bombardment is massive, the supporting warships fire more the 3,000 tons of shells and, in addition, there are air attacks. There are, however, some difficulties with the timing and coordination of the shelling and air attacks and the bombardment is lifted a little too early. The sandy ground absorbs much of the blast of the explosions and many of the Japanese bunkers remain intact. The reef around the island is also shallower is places than has been expected and many of the landing craft ground, leaving the marines to run through a vicious crossfire to the beach. In many of the Pacific operations a lack of precise topographical information is a problem.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack the airfield at Taiping-hu and mount anti-shipping strikes in the South China Sea. 4 B-25s and 12 14th Air Force P-40s attack Tzeli. 29 P-40s attack small craft on Tungting Lake. 12 P-40s attack 5 vessels and other targets in the Shihmen area. 8 P-40s attack river boats and Japanese Army ground troops near Tsowshih.

Air Operations, Europe

• NATAF B-25s attack gun emplacements around Gaeta.
• NATAF fighter-bombers attack several German Army strongpoints along the battle lines.
• 15th Air Force B-26s attack a marshalling yard at Chiusi, the harbor at Civitavecchia, and a bridge at Fano.
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Air Operations, Gilberts

• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Funafuti and Nonomea attack Nauru Island.
• VD-3 PB4Ys escorted by 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, photograph the island.
• Fighting continues at Tarawa and Makin atolls. US carrier aircraft continue to provide continuous on-call support of the landing forces.
• VF-2 and VF-6 F6Fs down 2 G4M 'Betty' bombers at sea at about 0610 hours.
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Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft attack the Mille Atoll.

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Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack shipping targets.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack targets in the Finschhafen area.
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Air Operations, Solomons

• A small number of 42d Medium Bomb Group B-25s strafe Kieta while conducting antishipping patrols.
• VF-17 F4Us down 6 A6M Zero strafers over Empress Augusta Bay at 0535 hours.
• A 67th Fighter Squadron P-39 downs a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Cape Torokina at 0630 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-538 is sunk by the British frigate Foley and the British sloop Crane during operations in support of Convoy SL-139/MKS-30.

U-538

Eastern Front

Having taken Zhitomir the Germans now extend their attacks toward Korosten.

Germany, Command

Kesselring is made the German Command-in-Chief in Italy. Rommel leaves his command. (see December 12).

Air Operations, Bismarcks

More than 100 V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Cape Gloucester and Gasmata while other B-24s attack ships off Kavieng.

Air Operations, CBI

• 16 14th Air Force P-40s attack troop-laden boats on Tungting Lake as other P-40s attack Yangtze River traffic.

Air Operations, Europe

• 764 planes are sent to Berlin which include 469 Lancasters, 234 Halifaxes, 50 Stirlings and 11 Mosquitoes. 68 aircraft abort their missions.
• The time over the target is 19:58-20:20. 2,501 tons of bombs are dropped

  1,153 tons of high explosives and 1,348 tons of incendiaries. The target area is again covered with clouds. The main force, however, does will bombing on the Pathfinder markers. This raid is the first real success in the Battle of Berlin by the RAF. It is an all out effort by Harris in sending every possible aircraft by the shortest possible route with maximum bomb loads. The bad weather keeps most of the German fighters on the ground and the bombers are able to take a 'straight in, straight out' route to the target.

• The bombing is concentrated into a 4-mile swath covering the districts of Mitte, Tiergarten and the eastern part of Charlottenburg or basically the center and west-central part of the city. Many public buildings and a mass of streets containing 4-6 story apartment buildings are destroyed. Interesting entries among the lists of buildings destroyed or severely damaged are: the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which is now, half ruined, half restored, a major attraction in West Berlin), the Charlottenburg Castle, the Berlin Zoo, much of the Unter den Linden, the British, French, Italian and Japanese embassies, the Ministry of Weapons and Munitions, the Waffen SS Administrative College, the barracks of the Imperial Guard at Spandau and, among many industrial premises, 5 factories of the Siemens electrical group and the Alkett tank works which had recently moved from the Ruhr. A total of 2,791 individual buildings are listed as destroyed, 2,835 as seriously damaged and a about 23,000 more slightly damaged. 1,737 people are killed, 6,923 are injured and about 180,000 have been left homeless. Because of the dry weather conditions, several 'firestorm' areas are reported and a German plane next day measures the height of the smoke cloud as nearly 19,000 ft.
• 26 bombers are missing - 11 Lancasters, 10 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings. 6 more are lost in crashes and accidents returning to England. Aircrew casualties include 167 killed and 25 POWs.

• 12 Mosquitos are sent to Leverkusen, 14 Wellingtons lay mines in the Frisians and off Texel and there are 12 OTU sorties.

• 15th Air Force B-26s attack a rail center at Foligno and a bridge at Cicerna.
• More thant 100 NATAF fighters and bombers attack gun emplacements and strongpoints in the Fossacesia region of the battle area.
• A-36s attack the harbor, a chemical plant, and rail yards at Civitavecchia.
• A-36s and P-40s attack roads, rail lines, and villages in and around the battle area.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 11 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Canton Island attack the Mille Atoll.
• Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft also attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Stukas attack Tigani on Samos.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22 V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack Japanese Army ground troops around Sattelberg.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 5 US Navy PB4Ys, 8 AirSols P-38s, and 8 AirSols F4Us attack the airfield at Buka.
• XIII Fighter Command P-38s attack barges and shore targets at Chabai.

Allied Planning

The first Cairo Conference opens attended by Roosevelt, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek. The discussions center on plans for Burma and China but no major decisions are reached. It is also agreed that B-29s would be based in the CBI theater for strikes against Japan proper. Churchill and the British are again turned down in their arguments to launch a large-scale military operation in the Balkans. Equally there is no attempt, as the British want, to prepare a joint approach for the coming Teheran talks with Stalin.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US tanker Elizabeth Kellogg (5189t), bound form Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, is torpedoed by U-516 150 miles north of Cristobal, Panama, and abandoned.

Eastern Front

The Soviet Belorussian Front opens a fresh offensive against the German 9th Army at Propaisk.

The Belorussian Front begins another attack aimed at the German 9th Army around Propaisk. Fighting is bitter as the Soviets attempt to break free of the Pripet Marshes and gain a foothold to the north.

Italy

The British forces have now won a fairly substantial bridgehead north of the Sangro about 5 miles wide and nearly 2000 yards deep. 5 battalions of the British 78th Division are now in the bridgehead. It is very difficult to bridge or cross the river in its present state and supplies and other help to the north bank are tenuous indeed.

Air Operations, CBI

• 13 11th Medium Bombt Squadron B-25s escorted by 24 14th Air Force P-40s and 7 A-36s, attack rail yards and warehouses and Yoyang.
• 8 P-40s attack Japanese Army cavalry and river traffic near Hanshow.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s attack a convoy near Halmahera Island.

Air Operations, Europe

• 383 aircraft raid Berlin

  365 Lancasters, 10 Halifaxes and 8 Mosquitoes.

• The time over the target is 19:58-20:15. 1,377 tons of bombes are dropped

  734 of high explosives and 643 of incendiaries.

• The plan for the raid was almost as the previous night's. The route and Zero Hour are about the same, but with a smaller number of aircraft. The Luftwaffe mounts a major effort for defense in spite of the low cloud cover over many of the night fighter bases. As a result at least 10 bombers are lost on the outward route. There are clouds over the target but fires from the previous night's effort can still be seen. The Pathfinders arrive on time and mark accurately. The raid is classified as successful but no photos can confirm this because of the cloud cover.
• The target is again cloud-covered and the Pathfinders carry out skymarking, but many of the Main Force crews aim their bombs through the cloud at the glow of 11 major fires still burning from the previous night. Much further destruction is caused in Berlin. The bombing results are reported as 1,989 buildings destroyed, 2,442 as seriously damaged and about 20,000 slightly damaged. Approximately the same areas are hit as on the previous night. The casualties are reported as 1,315 people killed, 6,383 injured and another 180,000 having to leave their homes.
• 20 Lancasters are lost with 6 more being destroyed in crashes and accidents on return to England. Aircrew casualties include 127 killed and 24 POWs.

• 6 Oboe Mosquitos attack the Knapsack power station near Cologne without a loss.

• 83 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Berck-sur-Mer and St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdromes.

Air Operations, Gilberts

VF-16 F6Fs down 17 A6M Zeros near Makin Atoll at appromimately 1005 hours.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 6 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Nukufetau attack the Jaluit Atoll.
• Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack occupied villages around Finschhafen.
• P-40s with the 35th Fighter Group’s 40th Fighter Squadron down an A6M Zero and a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Saidor at 0955 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 19 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Bonis and Buka airfields on Bougainville.
• 23 42d Medium Bomb Group B-25s, 6 Navy PVs, and 24 AirSols F4Us, attack Chabai.
• 4 B-25s attack coastal villages on Bougainville while conducting anti-shipping patrols.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-648 is sunk by the British frigate Blackwood during operations in support of Conovys KMS-30/OG-5.

U-648

Bougainville

The 3rd Marine Division still faces determined resistance by the Japanese in the Piva River area. The 1st Parachute Battalion of the Marines reaches the island.

Burma

The Japanese overrun the Chinese 112th Regiment and capture their headquarters.

Eastern Front

Gomel in Byelorussia is virtually encircled by the Russians. The Russians also launch a counterattack near Kiev.

The Belorussian Front forces apart the 2nd and 9th Armies, compelling the Germans to pull back.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

More than 20 V Bomber Command B-24s attack Gasmata. This concludes a 5-day bombing offensive amounting to 133 B-24 sorties and 63 B-25 sorties.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 16 14th Air Force P-40s attack Hanshow while 2 B-25s attack Amoy.

Air Operations, Europe

US bombers sink 4 ex-French warships at Toulon.

• 6 Mosquitos bomb Berlin through a cloud cover and 9 OTU Wellingtons make leaflet flights to France.
• 1 Mosquito is lost.

• IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Berck-sur-Mer and St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdromes.

• 15th Air Force B-24s, escorted by P-38s, attack a marshalling yard at Sofia. However, due to poor weather, only 17 B-24s are able to drop their bombs. An estimated dozen Axis fighters attack the bombers, and 82ns Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Bf-109s.
• 2 B-24s are lost along with 1 P-38

• 103 15th Air Force B-17s attack the Vichy French fleet and the Toulon submarine pens and drydocks with 315 tons of bombs. Several vessels including a cruiser are claimed as sunk. 15 B-17s that are unable to locate Toulon attack the viaduct at Antheor. Luftwaffe fighter mount sustained attacks on the bombers for about 30 minutes, but no B-17s are lost or seriously damaged. 1 Luftwaffe fighter is claimed.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• A Japanese submarine sinks the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay off Makin Atoll at 0513 hours. 644r men are killed, including many airmen from VC-39 and Rear-Adm Henry M. Mullinnix, the Carrier Division 24 commander.

• VF-16 F6Fs down 2 G4M 'Betty' bombers and 10 A6M Zeros near Makin Atoll at 1230 hours.
• Work is begun to rehabilitate and improve the former Japanese Navy airfields on Betio and Butaritari islands, both of which will be needed to support the projected advance to the Marshall Islands.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 20 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Nanomea attack land targets and shipping in the Maloelap Atoll.
• Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft continue their attack on the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

More than 30 V Bomber Command B-25s, B-26s, and A-20s attack Kalasa as 15 B-25s and A-20s attack Finschhafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 25 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Buka and Chabai.
• 20 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville. 6 B-25s attack a possible radio station at Mutupina Point.

Bougainville

In the Piva River sector the Marines drive off a Japanese attack. Work on the construction of a runway is almost finished, and an aircraft manages to make an emergency landing there.

Caribbean

The US freighter Melville E. Stone is torpedoed and sunk by U-516 about 100 miles northwest of Cristobal, Panama, losing 12 of her 42-man crew, 2 of the 23 Armed Guard sailors and 1 of the 23 passengers in the attack. Submarine chasers SC-662 and SC-1023 rescue the survivors.

Eastern Front

The German attacks around Korosten now have increased strength and the Soviets are forced back.

Air Operations, CBI

• A joint coordinated USAAF–RAF bomber offensive begins against Rangoon-area strategic targets.
• Despite bad weather throughout the region, 11 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and an unknown number of RAF bombers attack Japanese installations in the Rangoon area, including the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon. Escort for the B-25s is provided by the 530th Fighter Squadron.
• 60 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s on loan to the 10th Air Force fail to locate the airfield at Zyatkwin or the locomotive repair shops at Insein due to heavy clouds over both targets, but several B-24s attack the airfield at Akyab on the return flight to India. 2 B-24s crash on takeoff, killing all aboard, and 1 B-24 that is fatally damaged by ground fire over the target crashes with all aboard.
• P-51s of the 311th Fighter Group’s 530th Fighter Squadron down 4 Ki-45 'Nick' fighters over Rangoon and Mingaladon at 1300 hours. 2 of the P-51s are lost. This is the 311th Fighter Group’s combat debut, and the first appearance of P-51 fighters in combat anywhere in the world.

• Planes from 14th Air Force attack Formosa for the first time by hitting the airport at Shinchiku, destroying 42 aircraft on the ground at Shinchiku airfield.

• On the basis of recent aerial intelligence reports, the 14th Air Force mounts its first attack against the Shinchiku airfield at Formosa. Led by the 23d Fighter Group commanding officer, Col David L. Hill, 14 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s, 8 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s, and 8 newly committed 311th Fighter Group P-51A fighter-bombers fly from their temporary base at Suichwan across the Formosa Strait at low altitude to attack the crowded Shinchiku airfield. The P-51As and P-38s down 14 fighters, bombers, and transports over the base at 1700 hours, and then the B-25s and P-51As destroy 42 Japanese aircraft on the ground. There are no USAAF losses.
• 16 14th Air Force P-40s attack boats in the Changte–Hanshow area.

Air Operations, Europe

US planes attack 2 airfields near St Omer.

• 262 aircraft including 236 Halifaxes and 26 Lancasters of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Frankfurt.
• As on the previous night, there are no major diversions and the bomber force take a relatively direct route to the target. The German controller is unsure which is the target, Mannheim or Frankfurt. He eventually chooses Frankfurt where the flak limit is 15,000 feet. In the bombing, Goethe's house is badly damaged.
• 11 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.

• 3 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 48 aircraft lay mines off Brest and Texel and in the Frisians and there are 28 OTU sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Stirling is lost.

• The 56th and 353rd Fighter Groups conduct their first dive-bombing attack by P-47s in the theater against the St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdrome.
• 1 P-47 and its pilot are lost

• 12th Air Force B-25s attack Sarajevo and Travnik.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack the Kagenfurt Airdrome.

• NATAF aircraft attack German Army gun emplacements and defensive points around Ancona and in several contested sectors of the battle area.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• VF-1, in F6Fs, arrives at Tarawa aboard 2 escort carriers. As soon as Betio’s airfield (renamed Hawkins Field) is rehabilitated, VF-1 will begin a land-based combat tour.
• Just after sunset, 13 Marshalls-based G4M 'Betty' bombers, aided by parachute flares, attack the US invasion fleet off Makin with torpedoes. No hits are scored. In a second attack against the northern US carriers, USN F6Fs guided by a VT-6 radar-equipped TBF down 3 'Bettys' at sea between 1725 and 1928 hours. Lost in this action, however, is Lt-Cdr Edward H. (“Butch”) O’Hare—the VF-6 commanding officer, the U.S. Navy’s first World War II fighter ace, and a Medal of Honor recipient. It is possible that O’Hare’s F6F is the victim of the TBF, which also claims an aerial victory this night.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft continues the ongoing attack on the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack targets on the Bogadjim road.
• A 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Wewak at 1010 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-600 is sunk in a depth-charge attack by the British frigates Blackwood and Bazely during operations in support of Convoys KMS-30/OG-5.

U-600 Class Type VIIC CO Kapitänleutnant Bernhard Zurmuhlin Location Atlantic, NE of the Azores Cause Depth charge Casualties 54 Survivors None

U-849 Class Type IXD2 CO Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Otto Schultze Location S Atlantic, W of the Congo estuary Cause Air attack Casualties 63 Survivors None

• The German submarine U-849 is sunk by US Naval land-based aircraft (VB-107) in the South Atlantic area.

Burma

Allied aircraft begin a series of co-ordinated attacks against Japanese installations in the Rangoon area.

Air Operations, Algeria

P-39s of the 350th Fighter Group's 347th Fighter Squadron, and Beaufighters of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron team up with British and French airmen to repel an attack by 30 Luftwaffe night bombers against Allied shipping in Bougie harbor. At least 5 FW-200s, 4 He-177s, and 2 Do-217s are downed by the Allied fighters, and several others are damaged or probably downed, but not before a glider bomb released byne of the Luftwaffe bombers sinks a troop transport.

Air Operations, Europe

Using the greatest number of planes to this point, 663(633?) bombers of the US 8th Air Force attack Bremen. The weather is adverse, however, and the results are modest.

• 443 Lancasters are sent to Berlin with 7 Mosquitoes in supporting roles. 28 planes abort.
• In an effort to divert attention from the planned Berlin raid, a diversionary raid is made on Stuttgart by 157 Halifaxes and 21 Lancasters. During the first part of the outward trip it is quiet because of cloud cover. The clouds clear near Frankfurt and the night fighters attack. 5 bombers are lost in this area. The bomber stream divides 30 miles past Frankfurt with the Stuttgart force turning due south and the Berlin to the northeast. Near Berlin one of the Pathfinders drops markers nearly 9 miles northwest of the Aiming Point, but the following Blind Markers retrieve the situation by droppiing markers along a line leading to the center of the city. The main force reponds well. The time over the target is 21:13-21:27. About 1,624 tons of bombs are dropped

  889 of high explosives and 735 of incendiaries.

• The results, however, report that most of the bombs do not fall on the intended target area in the southwest and central parts of the city but in an area 3-5 miles to the north. The districts of Reinickendorf and Borsigwalde are the ones hit.
• The residential areas here make poor bombing targets as the streets are wider and there are more open spaces. But, by chance, important war industry facilities are located here. The Alkett tank factory, the Rheinmetall-Borsig works, the Mauser weapons factory are all hit among others. 981 buildings are listed as destroyed, 6,347 as seriously damaged and 55,000 as slightly damaged. 470 people are killed, 2,091 are injured and about 25,000 are bombed out of their homes.
• On the return flight to England, fog and mist appear over all the bases south of Yorkshire. About 350 planes are sent to land at Yorkshire bases or more distant ones or attempt to land in the fog short of fuel. 20-30 planes crash or crash land with 15 being badly damaged and written off.
• In the Stuttgart raid, the bombing is very scattered and causes little damage but part of the night-fighter force is drawn off from the Berlin operation.
• 28 Lancasters are lost with 15 more being destroyed in crashes and accidents upon returning to England. Aircrew casualties include 196 killed and 35 POWs. 6 Halifaxes are lost in the Stuttgart raid.

• 19 Wellingtons and 14 Stirlings lay mines off Texel and in the Frisians and there are 5 OTU sorties.

• 350 VIII Bomber Command B-17s, 77 B-24s, and 13 pathfinder B-17s attack the city of Bremen with 1,205 tons of bombs between 1145 and 1228 hours.
• 33 B-17s and 3 B-24s are lost; 10 crewmen killed, 215 missing
• VIII Fighter Command dispatched 353 P-47s and 28 P-38s to escort and support the bombers. 34 Luftwaffe aircraft are downed over Germany, the Netherlands, and France between 1030 and 1400 hours.

• During the morning, IX Bomber Command's 323rd Medium Bomb Group attacks the Cambrai/Epinoy Airdrome, and the 322nd and 386th Medium Bomb Groups mistakenly attack the Roye/Amy Airdrome instead of the Rosieres-en-Santerre landing ground.
• During the afternoon, secret military construction sites at Audinghen are attacked by B-26s from the 323rd, 386th, and 387th Medium Bomb Groups.

• 376th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack rail bridges at four locations.
• 2nd and 99th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack a viaduct.
• 301st Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack a marshalling yard and a bridge at Rimini.
• 17th Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack Cassino.
• NATAF aircraft attack a marshalling yard and the harbor at Ancona, troop concentrations at two locations, and several strongpoints in the battle area.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Gasmata and a Japanese cruiser at Ubili.

Air Operations, CBI

• Although the day’s heavy-bomber mission against Rangoon is scrubbed because of heavy weather, 13 RAF Wellingtons attack marshalling yards in the city during the night.

• 5 11th Mediums Bomb Squadron B-25s and 16 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack the airfield at Kiangling, 2 B-25s attack a freighter on Honghai Bay, and 12 P-40s attack boats in the Changte-Tehshan area.

• 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack rail facilities at Cam Duong.

Allied Planning

The first part of the Cairo Conference comes to an end without any definite decisions having been reached about Operation OVERLORD, the invasion of northern France. In the spring of 1944, with the help of Chiang Kai-shek's forces, communications are to be re-established between India and China by recapturing northern Burma. Roosevelt and Churchill leave for Teheran, where they are to meet Stalin.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• Following up on a de facto occupation by US Marine scouts, a large occupation force is landed at Abemama Atoll, where a new airfield is to be constructed. A new airfield is also to be constructed in Makin Atoll.
• The first American airplane to land at Hawkins Field, Betio is a VMJ-353 R4D.