Air Operations, Europe

The USAAF heavy forces drop 55,700 tons of bombs this month. Many German planes are destroyed in the air and on the ground especially on November 2 and 27. The German railroad system also comes in for heavy punishment, Hamm, Coblenz and Saarbrucken being among the centers hit. The attack on oil production also continues. Leuna, Merseburg, Misburg and Gelsenkirchen are all targets for major raids. The British Bomber Command effort includes area attacks on Berlin, Hanover, Cologne, Essen and others as well as one particularly large attack on November 16 on Julich, Düren and Heinsburg which are almost obliterated in support of the American advance on the ground. The oil offensive is also a part of the British operation with Homberg and Castrop-Rauxel being among the targets. Altogether Bomber Command drops 53,000 tons.

The lighter forces of both Allies provide copious escorts for the main bomber forces as well as performing tactical support missions and striking at V-weapon bases. Special RAF attacks breach the Dortmund-Ems and Mitteland canals which are important for the transport of industrial materials within Germany. This also hits at the continuing German efforts to build U-boats because the prefabricated sections that are now being used have been transported on these canals. RAF mining operations in the Baltic are also hindering U-boat training.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

• 12 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Guam attack Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, and Iwo Jima while escorting US Navy photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
• 8 B-24s attack shipping near Iwo Jima.
• During the night, an 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24 attacks Iwo Jima while conducting a snooper mission.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at three locations.
• More than 70 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Lagaw and Loiwing, two bridges, rail targets of opportunity on the Indaw-Naba line, and Japanese Army positions around Bhamo, Hantet, Shwegu, and Si-in.

• Nearly 70 14th Air Force fighter-bombers support Chinese Army ground forces near Lungling.
• 13 fighter-bombers attack river and rail traffic between Kunghsien and Loyang.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s and P-38s attack Namlea, Boeroe.

Air Operations, Europe

• 226 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group along with 14 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group attempt to attack the Meerbeck oil plant at Homberg. The marking is scattered and only 159 of the Lancaster crews attempt to bomb.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance operation and there are 2 RCM sorties.

• 202 Halifaxes, 74 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of Nos. 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Oberhausen. The target area is cloud-covered and the bombing is not concentrated.
• 3 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.

• 49 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 12 to Cologne and 4 each to Karlsruhe and Mülheim, 25 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 46 Mosquito patrols and 28 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack Babo.

Air Operations, Pacific

• The first of 9,000 paper balloons, carrying bombs, are released near Tokyo by army forces. A small number do reach North America, but only 6 people are killed as a result.
• The B-29 'Tokyo Rose' of the 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Sqn makes the first reconnaissance flight over Tokyo since 1942.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Two large predawn attacks by Japanese Navy bombers crater the Tacloban airfield runway on Leyte, sink a US destroyer, damage 3 cargo vessels, and destroy 1 P-38.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Cebu airfield at Cebu City and the Alicante airfield on Negros and supply dumps at Del Monte, Mindanao.
• 42 8th Fighter Group P-38s based on Morotai attack the Alicante, Bacolod and Carolina airfields on Negros.
• P-47s attack ground targets and shipping in the Sulu Archipelago.
• 4 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s are lost when they are intercepted by Japanese Army fighters over the Alicante airfield on Negros.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 D3A 'Val' dive bombers and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Tacloban, Leyte at 0940 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomer, 1 K-61 'Tony' fighter, and 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Negros at 1020 hours.
• 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 2 A6M Zeros and and 2 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bombers over Cebu at 1020 hours.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs 1 A6M Zero over Dulag, Leyte at 1100 hours.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs 1 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter near San Pablo, Leyte at 1145 hours.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 A6M Zeros and 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Leyte and and a Japanese Navy convoy in Ormoc Bay between 1700 and 1735 hours.
• Owing to increasing Japanese air activity through the day, plus the ultimately erroneous threat of an attack by Japanese Navy surface forces, Task Group 38.3, on its way to Ulithi Atoll to reprovision, is ordered to return to the Leyte area to bolster the USN and USAAF combat air units there. Also, Task Group 38.1, reprovisioning at Ulithi Atoll, is ordered to depart immediately for Leyte. Task Group 38.4, also at Ulithi Atoll, is ordered to remain owing to the damage sustained earlier by the USS Franklin and the USS Belleau Wood.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-483 torpedoes the British frigate Whitaker off Malin Head, Ireland. The explosion detonates the forward magazine blowing away everything forward of the bridge. 93 on board are lost. She is towed to Londonderry, but is declared a total loss.

Eastern Front

Kecskemet, 50 miles southeast of Budapest, is taken by troops of the 3rd Ukraine Front.

Kecskemet falls to the 46th Army as the XXIV Panzer Corps falls back. The Soviet troops then push northwest toward Budapest while the 7th Guards Army aims for Vac. German forces though are building up north of Kecskemet as the 23rd and 24th Panzer Divisions, 13th Panzer, Feldherrnhalle Panzer Grenadier Division and 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer begin to concentrate in order to secure the line of the Tisza River.

Greece

Distribution of food begins in and around Athens. Because of the war food imports to Greece have of course been drastically reduced and much damage has been done to the indigenous agriculture. Famine-relief measures are therefore highly necessary. The Germans evacuate Florina. All of their troops except isolated pockets and island garrisons which include Rhodes, western Crete and the smaller islands of Leros, Kos, Piskopi and Simi, will be gone by the middle of the month. Eventually these garrisons surrender, Rhodes on May 1, 1945 and the others on May 9, 1945.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

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

Air Operations, Carolines

17 of 20 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from the Marianas attack submarine pens at Truk.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at two locations.
• 1 B-25 attacks Indaw.
• More than 80 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces at Myothit and attack several dumps, rail targets, two bridges, and the airfields at Nawnghkio and Sinlanzu.

• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 100 effective sorties against targets of opportunity around Lungling and Mangshih and numerous other targets throughout southeastern China and northern French Indochina.

• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack a bridge at Dara.

Air Operations, East Indies

During the night, FEAF B-24s attack the port area at Makassar, Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

There is a great air battle over the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg. The 8th Air Force claims 183 fighters including 4 jets for a loss of 40 bombers and 28 fighters which includes losses due to flak. During the night the RAF sends 992 bombers to Düsseldorf and small forces to other targets. 20 planes are lost in all operations.

• 184 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H attack on the oil plant at Homberg. Large fires and a thick column of smoke are seen.
• 3 Lancasters are lost.

• 2 Wellingtons fly RCM sorties without a loss.

• 992 aircraft including 561 Lancasters, 400 Halifaxes and 31 Mosquitos are sent Düsseldorf. This heavy attack falls mainly on the northern half of Düsseldorf. More than 5,000 houses are destroyed or badly damaged. 7 industrial sites are destroyed and 18 are seriously damaged, including some important steel firms. This is the last major Bomber Command raid of the war on Düsseldorf.
• 11 Halifaxes and 8 Lancasters are lost, 4 of the losses being crashes behind Allied lines in France and Belgium.

• 42 Mosquitos are sent to Osnabrück and 9 to Hallendorf, only 1 of which reaches the target, and there are 51 Mosquito patrols and 37 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Japan

• 4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack Onnekotan and Suribachi.
• 4 B-25s attack Torishima Island and Hayakegawa.
• A Saipan-based F-13 of the 20th Air Force’s 3rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron becomes the first American airplane to fly over Tokyo since the Doolittle Raid of April 1942.

Air Operations, Pacific

Over the next 2 days the Japanese attempt to reduce enemy airpower by attacking US airstrips at Tacloban, Leyte, and at Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands. The attacks are extremely costly for the Japanese, many of the aircraft being brought down by accurate anti-aircraft fire.

Air Operations, Philippines

• In separate attacks, 24 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and and 33 49th Fighter Group P-38s attack a Japanese reinforcement convoy in Ormoc Bay, Leyte. 1 Japanese Navy transport is sunk by the B-24s.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Davao, Libby, Likanan and Matina airfields on Mindanao.
• P-38s operating over Leyte attack San Enrique and motor vehicles between Ormoc and Valencia.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 20 Japanese fighters over the Ormoc Bay area between 0825 and 0900 hours, and 5 Japanese fighters over Ormoc Bay between 1020 and 1100 hours.
• 2 VF-7 F6Fs down a J1N 'Irving' fighter at sea at at 1115 hours.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Ormoc Bay at 1205 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 Japanese fighters over Ormoc Bay and the Camotes Islands at 1215 hours.
• An 8th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Ormoc Bay at 1315 hours.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over western Leyte at 1355 hours.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters and 1 J2M 'Jack' fighter over Ormoc Bay between 1400 and 1405 hours.

Burma

In the northwest, the 5th Indian Division of the British XXXIII Corps eliminates a Japanese strongpoint known as 'Vital Corner', south of Tiddim.

Eastern Front

Tito's Partisan forces take Zadar. the 2nd Panzer Army consolidates its position along the Drina River west of Belgrade. Russian tanks reach the outskirts of Budapest, but they pull back.

On the Dalmatian coast Tito's partisans take Zadar.

Indian Ocean

The US tanker Fort Lee (10,198t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-181 in the middle of the Indian Ocean losing 10 of the 26-man Armed Guard. Survivors are rescued by 3 different vessels over the next 2 weeks.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

14 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping at Chichi Jima and Haha Jima.

Air Operations, Carolines

494th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Angaur mount their unit’s first attacks of the war against bypassed Japanese bases in the Yap Atoll and on Koror Island in the Palaus.

Air Operations, CBI

• 44 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s based near Calcutta, India, attack rail facilities at Malagon. Approximately 45 B-29s attack alternate targets.
• 14 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 14 RAF Liberators attack rail facilities in Rangoon.
• 12 10th Air Force B-25s and 18 P-47s attack the airfield at Nawnghkio.
• More than 90 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack bridges, Japanese Army ground forces, occupied towns, and targets of opportunity.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack a rail bridge near Lashio.

• Nearly 70 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets on the Burma Road front and across southeastern China.
• A 234d Fighter Group P-51 downs 2 A6M Zeros over Amoy harbor at 1430 hours.
• The Chinese Army’s Y Force captures Lungling on the Burma Road, thanks in large part to support from the 14th Air Force.

• 51st Fighter Group fighter-bombers attack rail lines at Hongay.

Air Operations, East Indies

During the night, FEAF aircraft mount harrassment strikes against Japanese airfields on Halmahera and northeastern Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Wellington flies an uneventful RCM sortie.

• 55 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, and 9 to Herford, only 3 of which reach the target.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Marianas

• A 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Saipan at 0135 hours.
• A 318th Fighter Group P-47 downs a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber over Pagan Island at 0545 hours.

Air Operations, Philippines

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Alicante airfield on Negros.
• V Fighter Command P-40s attack a fuel dump and Japanese Army reinforcements near Ormoc, Leyte.
• 15 49th Fighter Group strafes a motor-vehicle convoy between Ormoc and Valencia.
• 18th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Alicante and Bacoclod airfields between noon and 1245 hours.
• During the night, FEAF aircraft mount harrassment strikes against Japanese airfields in the central Philippines.

Burma-China

On the Chinese Salween front the Chinese 1st Division retakes Lung-ling after heavy fighting. The Chinese 22nd Division, in the north, reaches the Irrawaddy near Schwegu.

Eastern Front

The slow retreat of the formations of the German Army Group E in the Balkans continues. The Red Army's southern fronts continue their pressure in Hungary, and in the northern sector the German Army Group North is still cut off in northern Latvia and the island of Saaremaa, and on smaller islands in the Gulf of Riga.

The 46th Army enters the outer defenses around Budapest, having broken through the positions of the 22nd SS Cavalry Division, near Soroksar. Soviet troops are now just 4 miles from the city. Elements of the 8th SS Cavalry Divsion and 12th Hungarian Division counterattack but fail to push the Soviets back.

Italy

Lt-Gen Sir Richard McCreery replaces Lt-Gen Sir Oliver Leese as commander of the British 8th Army.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

18 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima, and two B-24s attack Haha Jima.

Air Operations, Carolines

VMTB-232 TBMs based at the Falalop airfield on Ulithi mount their first bombing attack against the airfield on Yap.

Air Operations, CBI

• 17 10th Air Force P-47s attack the airfield at Shwebo.
• 6 P-47s attack artillery and ammunition stores at Mong Yaw.
• A 2nd Air Commando Group P-47 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over Rangoon at an unspecified time.
• 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s down 1 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near Insein between 1135 hours and noon.

• 34 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack road traffic and targets of opportunity around Lungling and Mangshih.
• 4 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack a pass at Mengshu.

Air Operations, Europe

Allied bombers are now over German cities day and night. During the day over 1,100 American Fortresses and Liberators bomb targets in the areas of Hamburg, Hanover and Saarbrücken. At night the RAF bombs targets in the Ruhr with over 1,000 bombers.

• 176 Lancasters of No. 3 Group are sent to Solingen. It is not a successful raid and the bombing is badly scattered.
• 4 Lancasters are lost.

• 2 Wellingtons and 1 Halifax fly RCM sorties.

• 749 aircraft of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Bochum. In the aircraft total are 384 Halifaxes, 336 Lancasters and 29 Mosquitos. This is a particularly successful attack based upon standard Pathfinder marking techniques. Severe damage is caused to the center of Bochum. More than 4,000 buildings are destroyed or seriously damaged. Bochum's industrial areas are also severely damaged, particularly the important steelworks. This was the last major raid by Bomber Command on this target.
• 23 Halifaxes and 5 Lancasters are lost. German night fighters cause most of the casualties. No. 346 (Free French) Squadron, based at Elvington, loses 5 out of its 16 Halifaxes on the raid.

• 174 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to hit the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The Germans had partly repaired the section of the canal north of Münster after the No. 5 Group raid in September, so this further attack is required. The banks of both branches of the canal are again breached and water drains off, leaving barges stranded and the canal unusable. A report from Speer to Hitler, dated November 11, 1944, that was captured at the end of the war, describes how the bombing of the canal was preventing smelting coke from the Ruhr mines reaching 3 important steelworks, 2 near Brunswick and 1 at Osnabrück. In his post-war interrogation, Speer stated that these raids on the Dortmund-Ems Canal, together with attacks on the German railway system, produced more serious setbacks to the German war industry at this time than any other type of bombing.
• 3 Lancasters are lost.

• 43 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover and 6 to Herford, and there are 68 Mosquito patrols and 39 RCM sorties. No. 100 Group Mosquitos claim 4 Ju-88s and 2 Me-110s destroys and 2 other night fighters damages, possibly their most successful night of the war.

Air Operations, Japan

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack Kurabu and Suribachi in the Kurile Islands.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 35 Japanese aircraft mount a successful low-level attack against the Tacloban airfield on Leyte. 4 US servicemen are killed and 39 are wounded, 2 P-38s are destroyed, and 39 P-38s are damaged. Also, 2 kamikazes crash into 2o US Navy transports carrying ground personnel from the 345th Medium Bomb Group to the Tacloban airfield Leyte. 107 US servicemen are killed and 141 are injured in this incident.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Alicante airfield on Negros.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero over Leyte at 0750 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 Japanese fighters near the Alicante airfield on Negros at 1050 hours.

Britain, Command

Gen Sir John Dill, head of the British Chiefs of Staff Mission in Washington, dies at the age of 63.

Burma

In the northwest of the country, in the 14th Army's advance the 5th Indian Division of the XXXIII Corps takes Kennedy Peak, another Japanese strongpoint south of Tiddim.

Eastern Front

In Hungary, southeast of Budapest Szolnok, on the railway between Debrecen and Budapest, falls to the troops of the 2nd Ukraine front. They then push on to Cegled only 40 miles from the capital. Long range guns begin bombarding Budapest. Heavy rain and growing resistance by the Germans and Hungarians have almost halted the Russians' offensive thrust. In Dalamtia Sebenico is taken by the partisans.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping.

Air Operations, CBI

• Approximately 70 10th Air Force P-47s attack the airfield at Lashio, a marshalling yard at Kanbalu, two occupied towns, artillery batteries, and targets of opportunity along the Burma Road and the rail line between Naba and Wuntho.

• 49 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack stores and targets of opportunity in the Chefang, Kweihsien, Mangshih, and Wanling (Burma) areas.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

Task Force 50 carrier aircraft attack Wake Island.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack shipping near in the Sunda Islands.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack troop concentrations, lines of communication, and airfields on Halmahera and northeastern Celebes.
• A-20s and fighter-bombers attack Amahai, Ceram and targets of opportunity in southern Ceram.
• 7 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s unable to reach their primary target at Singapore attack a refinery on Sumatra.

Air Operations, Europe

• 173 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on Solingen. Results of the raid are not observed, because of the complete cloud cover, but German reports show that this was an outstanding success. Most of the bombing falls accurately into the medium-sized town of Solingen. 1,300 houses and 18 industrial buildings are destroyed and 1,600 more buildings are severely damaged.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• These 3 near-perfect raids in 24 hours - the area-bombing raid on Bochum marked by Pathfinders, the selective attack on the Dortmund-Ems Canal by No. 5 Group and the No. 3 Group G-H raid on Solingen - are good examples of the versatility and striking power now possessed by Bomber Command. All groups had taken part, dispatching 1,098 sorties and dropping 5,130 tons of bombs accurately on the targets.
• The loss of 28 bombers from the Bochum raid also shows, however, that the German defenses could still be effective.

• 1 Wellington safely flies an RCM sortie.

• 65 Mosquitos are sent to Stuttgart in 2 waves and 6 are sent to Aschaffenburg.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Japan

• 4 28th Composite Bomb Group attack Matusuwa and Onnekotan.
• 3 B-24s attack the Kataoka naval base.
• 4 B-25s attack Torishima Island at minimum altitude.
• B-24s down 1 Japanese Navy fighter, as do the B-25s.

Air Operations, Malaya

53 of 76 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from the Calcutta area attack the Singapore naval base while FEAF B-24s attack Bima. 2 B-29s are lost.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Nearly 50 V Bomber Command A-20s support Allied ground forces in the Sarmi area.

Air Operations, Pacific

53 B-29s from the 20th US Army Air Force make a round trip of 3,700 miles from Calcutta to bomb coastal installations around Singapore and the Pangkalan Brandon oil refinery on the island of Sumatra, Japan's main source of aviation fuel.

Air Operations, Philippines

• US carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.1, Task Group 38.2, and Task Group 38.3 attack Japanese airfields on Luzon and sink a previously damaged Japanese heavy cruiser. FEAF B-24s and V Fighter Command P-40s attack barges and airfields in the central Philippines.
• Throughout the day, in almost continuous action from 0625 to 1700 hours, US carrier-based fighters down 97 Japanese aircraft at sea and over Luzon, especially around Clark Field on Luzon. Also, 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 2 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Negros between 1105 and 1130 hours.
• The USS Lexington is struck by a kamikaze, which kills 182 members of her crew.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

24 of 36 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Iselyh Field on Saipan attack two of Iwo Jima’s three airfields.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Ani Jima and shipping in the Bonins.
• During the night, B-24s mount the first of 24 night missions (flown through December 24, 1944) to sow mines in several anchorages in the Bonins.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10 Air Force B-25s attack a supply dump at Mansi and a camp at Namun.
• More than 70 10th Air Force P-47s attack two bridges, a town, a marshalling yard, rail lines, Irrawaddy River traffic, five airfields, and targets of opportunity.

• 16 14th Air Force P-40s attack the Lungling and Mangshih areas.
• 15 P-40s attack targets in the Chefang, Kweihsien, and Wanling (Burma) areas.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

Task Force 50 carrier aircraft attack Wake.

Air Operations, East Indies

• A 418th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Halmahera at 0402 hours.
• FEAF B-24s attack Malili, Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

• 738 aircraft including 383 Halifaxes, 324 Lancasters and 31 Mosquitos are sent to Gelsenkirchen. This large daylight raid has, as its aiming point, the Nordstern synthetic oil plant. The attack is not well concentrated but 514 aircraft are able to bomb the approximate position of the oil plant before smoke obscures the ground. 187 aircraft then bomb the general town area of Gelsenkirchen.
• 3 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes are lost.

• 1 Wellington flies an RCM sortie.

• 235 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group attempt to cut the Mittelland Canal at its junction with the Dortmund-Ems Canal at Gravenhorst. The marking force experience great difficulty in finding the target. The crew of a low-flying Mosquito - pilot: Flight Lieutenant L. C. E. De Vigne; navigator: Australian Squadron Leader F. W. Boyle, No. 627 Squadron - find the canal and drop their marker with such accuracy that it falls into the water and is extinguished. Only 31 aircraft drop bombs, before the Master Bomber orders the raid to be abandoned.
• 10 Lancasters are lost.
• 128 Lancasters of No. 3 Group are sent to the new target of Koblenz, making a night G-H attack. This is a successful raid with most of the damage being caused by a large area of fire in the center of the town. The British Bombing Survey Unit later estimates that 303 acres, 58 per cent of the town's built-up area, are destroyed.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 48 Mosquitos are sent to Gelsenkirchen, 18 to Hannover, 11 to Rheine and 8 to Herford, 12 Lancasters lay mines off Heligoland, and there are 82 Mosquito patrols and 32 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito from the Gelsenkirchen raid, 2 Intruder Mosquitos and 1 RCM fortress are lost.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-25s attack Torishima Island. 1 B-25 is downed when the flight is intercepted by 20 Japanese Navy fighters.

Air Operations, Philippines

• US carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.1, Task Group 38.2, and Task Group 38.3 attack Japanese airfields on Luzon.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Fabrica airfield on Negros and the Lahug airfield on Cebu.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack barges in Ormoc Bay and ground targets on Leyte.
• A VF-14 F6F downs a Ki-21 'Sally' bomber over Clark Field on Luzon at 0400 hours.
• VF(N)-41 F6Fs down 2 Ki-57 'Topsy' transport planes over Clark Field at 0445 hours.
• A VF-15 F6F downs a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber over Nichols Field on Luzon at 0750 hours.
• VF-19 F6Fs down 12 fighters over the Clark Field area between 0815 and 0900 hours.
• A VF-44 F6F downs 2 A6M Zeros 25 miles from the carriers at 0830 hours.
• A VF-19 F6F downs 1 Zero 20 miles from the carriers at 0840 hours.
• 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 12 Japanese fighters over the Carolina and Fabrica airfields on Negros between 1020 and 1045 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 11 Japanese fighters and 1 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber over and near the Fabrica airfield on Negros between 1115 and 1145 hours.
• A VF-19 F6F downs a Ki-84 'Frank' fighter (perhaps the first ever seen by American pilots) near Clark Field at 1525 hours.
• Task Force 38 carrier aircraft sink a Japanese cruiser in Manila Bay.
• In two days of attacks against Japanese airfields on Luzon, Task Force 38 carrier aircraft destroy an estimated 400 Japanese aircraft—mainly on the ground—at a cost of 25 USN aircraft lost.

Burma

A regiment of the Chinese 22nd Division crosses the Irrawaddy and overcomes weak Japanese resistance at Shwegugale.

China

The Japanese besiege Kunming, capital of Yunnan province.

Eastern Front

Monastir falls to Yugoslav partisans. An attempt by the 46th Army to cross the Danube at Csepel Island fails with heavy losses.

Egypt

Lord Moyne, British Resident Minister in the Middle East, dies as a result of being shot by 'Stern Gang' (Zionist) terrorists, in Cairo.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 80 10th Air Force P-47s attack Irrawaddy River traffic between Bhamo and Katha, a fuel dump near Panghkam, rail targets of opportunity between Indaw and Shwebo; troops, gun positions, and supplies at Bhamo, Pintin, and near Myazedi; and the airfields at Kawlin, Onbauk, and Shwebo.

• The 312th Fighter Wing headquarters oversees its first operational mission in north-central China when 10 530th Fighter Squadron P-51s based at Sian escort 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s against rail yards at Yuncheng. 4 of the P-51s attack rail lines on the return flight.
• 2 B-25s and 21 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in the Chefang, Lungling, Mangshih, and Wanling (Burma) areas.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack targets in the Sunda Islands.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack the Galela, Kaoe and Miti airfields on Halmahera, the Mandai airfield on Celebes, and sweep Beoroe and Ceram.
• B-25s attack Langoan, Mapanget, and Tanamon on Celebes.
• 13 347th Fighter Group P-38s attack airfields in the Molucca Strait area. 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Ki-45 'Nick' fighters over the Mandai airfield on Celebes at 1040 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Wellington flies an uneventful RCM sortie.

Air Operations, Japan

Appoximately 100 Japanese fighters are launched against a 3rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron F-13 as it overflies Honshu, but only 2 of the fighters are able to get within 1,000 yards of the USAAF airplane, which can fly higher and faster than most Japanese fighters.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack supplies and shipping in the central Philippines and the Alicante, Bacolod and Fabrica airfields on Negros, and the Opon airfield on Mactan.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-38s attack Del Monte Field on Mindanao and targets of opportunity on Mindanao.
• 3 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s are lost over the Fabrica airfield on Negros.

• 49th Fighter Group P-38s and 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-40s down 6 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Ormoc Bay at 0715 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

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

Burma

In the north, the Chinese 22nd Division crosses the Irrawaddy River and captures Shwegu and while some of the division stays there as garrison, one regiment advances toward Man-tha. The 22nd Division is part of a major thrust by Allied units to encircle the Japanese 33rd Army in its positions between Lashio and Mogok. Although the advance has been hampered by politics (Gen Stilwell having lost his position as Chiang Kai-shek's chief of staff and Commander of the Northern Area Combat Command), it is steadily making progress.

Diplomatic Relations

Russia refuses to renew diplomatic relations with Switzerland because of the Swiss ban on the Communist party and Swiss-German trade. Part of that trade was in military equipment which the isolated Swiss had to provide under virtual duress. It is not until March of 1945 that the Swiss agree to end arms exports to Germany. By then the Allies are able to provide some consumer goods.

Eastern Front

The Soviet 57th Army crosses the Danube River near Batina and Apatin as the 4th Guards Army heads for Lakes Velencei and Balaton.

The 3rd Ukrainian Front renews its attacks in Hungary, striking the German and Hungarian forces at Mohacs and Apatin. The 57th Army forces the Danube near Batina and Apatin while the 4th Guards Army advances toward Lakes Velencei and Balaton.

Italy

In the 8th Army sector, the V Corps begins the attack against Forli after a prolonged artillery bombardment. While the 4th Division attacks the city's airport, the 46th Division, on the left, advances toward San Martino in Strada.

Pacific

• The US submarine Albacore (SS-218) is sunk by mine off the northern tip of Honshu.
• The US submarine Greenling sinks the Japanese transport No.8 Kiri Maru (939t) and the merchant tanker Kotai Maru (975t) in Suruga Bay.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

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

Air Operations, CBI

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

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

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

Air Operations, East Indies

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

Air Operations, Europe

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

RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:

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

• 1 Wellington makes an RCM sortie.

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

Air Operations, Philippines

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

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

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

Britain, Home Front

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

Burma

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

Eastern Front

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

Italy

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

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Guam attack anti-aircraft batteries at Haha Jima and shipping throughout the Bonin Islands, and strafe Iwo Jima on the return flight.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 10th Air Force B-25s attack rail yards at Kanbalu.
• More than 70 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces at various locations and attack the airfield at Kawlin, a bridge at Ho-hko, troop concentrations, supply areas, and targets of opportunity.

• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Mangshih.
• 6 B-25s attack the rail yards at Kaifeng.
• 6 B-25s attack sampans and targets of opportunity around Yiyang.
• 10 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack targets of opportunity around Chefang and Mangshih.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 160 effective sorties against artillery positions, river and coastal shipping, road traffic, and targets of opportunity across vast areas of southern China and northern French Indochina.
• A 5th CACW Fighter Group P-40 downs a K-43 'Oscar' fighter in an afternoon engagement near Hengyang.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack occupied villages and airfields on Halmahera and northeastern Celebes.
• V Bomber Command A-20s attack Piroe in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

8th Air Force heavy bombers and 9th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets ahead of the advancing 3rd Army. The RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force attacks rail targets in Holland.

• 256 Lancasters and 21 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to hit the Wanne-Eickel oil refinery. Cloud over the target iss found to reach 21,000 ft and the skymarkers dropped by the Oboe Mosquitos disappear as soon as they ignite so the Master Bomber orders the force to bomb any built-up area. The town of Wanne-Eickel reports only 2 buildings destroyed, with 4 civilians and 6 foreigners killed. It may be assumed that other towns in the Ruhr are hit but no details are available.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to Gotha, 6 more to Pforzheim, 4 to Schwelm which do not reach the town, and 3 to Kassel, 3 Stirlings are on Resistance operations, 22 aircraft of No. 100 Group make a Window feint to draw up German fighters, and there are 8 Mosquito patrols.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• A Japanese convoy landing Japanese Army troops at Ormoc Bay (Leyte) is attacked by 4 345th Medium Bomb Group B-25s armed with 1,000-pound bombs and 16 V Fighter Command P-38s. Later in the day, 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-40s strafe landing barges from the transports. The Japanese Army ground troops aboard the ships are landed, but owing to heavy topside damage inflicted by USAAF attackers, heavy equipment remains aboard the ships when they depart during the night.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Carolina airfield on Negros.

Burma

The British 36th Division resumes its advance after resting in the Mawlu area.

China

Chiang Kai-shek, at Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer's request, orders the 'Yunnan Force' to attack the Japanese retreating from Lung-ling to Mang-shih, now called Luxi, in western China near the Burmese border. 3 Chinese armies move up to this aread.

Eastern Front

Elements of the 3rd Ukrainian Front cross the Danube at Kiskoszeg.

Italy

Forlí is taken by the British 4th Division, V Corps, 8th Army.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 60 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces near Bhamo, attack Naba, bridges in the Kawlin and Naba areas, rail lines near the Irrawaddy River, and Japanese Army troop concentrations across a broad area.
• 11 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack stores and the town area at Wanling.

• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 150 effective sorties against airfields, road and rail traffic, river shipping, and other targets all across southern China.
• A P-40 and a P-51 with the 23rd Fighter Group’s 75th Fighter Squadron each down a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Nanyo at 1245 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s and A-20s attack the Kairatoe airfield on Ceram and Piroe in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• There are 2 Mosquito Ranger patrols and 2 Wellington RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 59 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, and 4 each to Gotha and Erfurt which is not reached, and there are 40 Mosquito patrols and 30 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Hannover raid.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

27 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Saipan attack Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 30 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25s, many V Fighter Command fighter-bombers, and US carrier aircraft repeatedly attack the Japanese convoy withdrawing from Ormoc, Leyte. 7 B-25s are downed by ships’ fire, but 2 of 3 cargo ships are sunk, a small auxiliary vessel is beached and burned, and a Japanese destroyer loses its bows.
• 25 5th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s that arrive too late to attack the departing convoy attack newly landed Japanese Army ground troops, supplies, and port facilitties at Ormoc.
• V Fighter Command P-38s and 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-40s down 4 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Ormoc Bay between 0810 and 0815 hours.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Cebu at 0900 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 9 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters near Ponson Island between 0905 and 0925 hours.
• A 421st Night Fighter Squadron P-61 downs 2 Ki-61 'Tony' fighters near Leyte at 0920 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over western Leyte between 1400 and 1415 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' and 2 Ki-61 'Tonys' over western Leyte and Ormoc Bay between 1510 and 1600 hours.

Burma

In the Pinwe area, along the Myitkyina-Mandalay railway, the British 36th Division reaches one of the Japanese defensive lines. Further east, the Chinese 38th Division outflanks the Japanese positions along the Taping River in the area of Bhamo on the Irrawaddy, south of Myitkyina, penetrating into the Bhamo plain.

China

The Japanese expeditionary force capture Kweilin and Liuchow without difficulty, depriving the US 14th Air Force of these two bases, and prepares to march on Kweiyang, a major town and road junction south of Chunking.

Wang Ching-wei, head of the pro-Japanese Nanking government, President of the 'Central Government of China', dies at the age of 59. He is succeeded by Chen Kiung-po.

Air Operations, Carolines

8 of 9 B-29s dispatched from the 73rd Very Heavy Bomb Wing’s Saipan-based 500th Very Heavy Bomb Group make their unit’s combat debut with an attack against the Japanese submarine base at Truk.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10th Air Force P-47s mount approximately 90 effective sorties against Japanese Army ground troops at Chaungdauk, Mankang, Nawngtao, and near Indaw, and the airfield at Kawlin, rail traffic, several bridges, a radio station, and targets of opportunity along the Irrawaddy River.
• 4 14th Air Force B-25s attack Wanling.
• 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s down 2 Ki-48 'Lily' bombers off Cheduba Island at 1155 hours.

• 10 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the airfield at Kweilin Airdrome.
• 5 B-25s and 6 14th Air Force P-40s attack the airfield at Chingmen.
• More than 70 fighter-bombers attack numerous targets in southern China and northern French Indochina.
• 38 P-51s and P-40s attack the airfield at Hengyang.
• After diverting from their primary target in Japan because of bad weather, 24 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s attack Nanking, and 15 B-29s attack various targets of opportunity.
• 75th Fighter Squadron P-40s and P-51s down 8 Japanese fighters over the Hengyang airfield at 0800 hours.
• 51st Fighter Group P-51s and 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s down 5 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters over Lampang at an unspecified time.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Lai Kam, Phuc Yen, and a bridge spanning the Mekong River.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack targets along the Ninring River on Celebes.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack the Namlea airfield on Boeroe and shipping near Halmahera.
• P-38s attack the Kendari airfield on Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

• 122 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H attack on the synthetic oil refinery at Castrop-Rauxel. The bombing is believed to be accurate.
• There are no losses.

• There are 2 Wellington RCM sorties.

• 237 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to Harburg. The aiming point for this raid is the Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery, which had been attacked several times by American day bombers.
• 7 Lancasters are lost.
• 209 Lancasters and 19 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to Dortmund. The aiming point is the Hoesch Benzin synthetic oil plant in the Wambel district. A local report confirms that the plant is severely damaged. Other bombs hit nearby housing and the local airfield.
• There are no losses.
Minor Ops:

• 41 Mosquitos are sent to the Kamen oil factory, 12 to Osnabrück, 9 to Wiesbaden, 6 to Gotha and 3 to Erfurt, 26 Lancasters and 24 Halifaxes lay mines off Oslo, in the Kattegat and in the Elbe River, and there are 59 Mosquito patrols and 36 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.
[ | ]


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Air Operations, Japan

Failing to receive a recall order, 29 of 96 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu attack Omura with radar through heavy clouds. Results are negligible, and 5 B-29s are lost in the day’s operations, including 1 that lands in the Soviet Union.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Nearly 300 Task Force 38 carrier aircraft destroy a Japanese reinforcement convoy in Ormoc Bay. 4 of 5 transports are sunk and the last runs aground while withdrawing toward Manila. Also sunk are 4 Japanese destroyers and a minesweeper. The only ship to survive the massacre is a submarine chaser.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Dumaguete airfield on Negros.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack shipping near Palompon, Leyte and targets of opportunity around Valencia, Leyte.
• VF-15 F6Fs down 3 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters at sea at 0940 hours.
• 18th Fighter Group P-38s down 7 A6M Zeros in the Panay-Cebu-Negros area between 0910 and 1000 hours.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Ormoc Bay at 1015 hours.
• VF-15 F6Fs down 11 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Ormoc Bay area between 1030 and 1045 hours.
• VF-44 F6Fs down 5 fighters over the Ormoc Bay area between 1050 and 1140 hours.
• 2 VF-51 F6Fs down a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber at sea at 1125 hours.
• V Fighter Command, 475th Fighter Group, and 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 J2M 'Jack' fighters and 4 A6M Zeros over Ormoc Bay between 1235 and 1245.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters near Ponson Island at 1330 hours. Carrier-based F6Fs down 2 D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers, 1 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber, and 1 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber at sea between 1430 and 1700 hours.

Air Operations, Ryukyus

Several 14th Air Force B-25s attack Wan Island.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

29 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima. Accompanying the VII Bomber Command heavy bombers for the first time are VII Fighter Command P-38s on loan from the 21st Fighter Group and flown by pilots from the 318th Fighter Group.

Arctic

U-771 is returning from patrol when her conning tower is spotted by the British submarine Venturer. The Venturer fires 4 torpedoes sinking the U-boat.

U-771

Battle of the Atlantic

Escort Group 30, consisting of British ships Pevensey Castle, Kenilworth Castle, Porchester Castle and Launceston Castle gain an asdic contact with a U-boat. A series of attacks brings up wreckage and oil from U-1200.

U-1200

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s and more than 20 10th Air Force P-47s attack targets of opportunity along the Irrawaddy River.
• 24 P-47s attack communication targets and stores around Kawlin.
• 16 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Indaw and Pinwe.
• 11 P-47s attack Pegon.
• 9 P-47s attack Japanese Army ground troops at Indaw and Man Hkong.
• 4 14th Air Force B-25s attack Man Pwe, and 4 attack Wanling.

• 13 14th Air Force P-40s attack targets around Changsha.
• Fighter-bombers attack Hengyang, Kweilin, Lingling, and targets of opportunity across southern China and northern French Indochina.

• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack three rail bridges near Thanh Hoa.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-24s and fighter-bombers attack the airfield at Djailolo, northeastern Celebes, and shipping off Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 30 Lancasters of Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons and a No. 463 Squadron Lancaster with cameramen on board fly from Lossiemouth to attack the German battleship Tirpitz (42,900t), which is still moored near Tromsö. The weather is clear. The Tirpitz ias hit by at least 2 Tallboys and then suffers a violent internal explosion. She capsizes to remain bottom upwards - a total loss. Approximately 1,000 of the 1,900 men on board are killed or injured. German fighters which are stationed near by to protect the Tirpitz fail to take off in time and only 1 Lancaster, of No. 9 Squadron, is severely damaged, by flak. It lands safely in Sweden with its crew unhurt.

• 2 Mosquitos are on Ranger patrols and there are 2 RCM sorties.
• Allied bombers attack the Brenner Pass railway.

Air Operations, Marshalls

In an unusual mission in the ongoing campaign against bypassed Japanese bases, 3 Marine Air Group 34 F4U squadrons attack Jabor on Jaluit with napalm in order to kill pigs and chickens, thus denying the beleaguered defenders important food sources.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Alicante airfield on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Daliao and Matina airfields on Mindanao.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack shipping in Ormoc Bay and barges along Leyte’s west coast.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 1 Ki-48 'Lily' bomber and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near Dulag, Leyte at 0815 hours.
• A 347th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero over the Alicante airfield on Negros at 1240 hours.
• 475th and 18th Fighter group P-38s down 3 A6M Zeros near Tacloban, Leyte between 1330 and 1345 hours.
• A 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs an A6M Zero over San Jose, Leyte at 1440 hours.
• 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 J2M 'Jack' fighters, 1 A6M Zero, and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over northern Cebu between 1710 and 1740 hours.
• A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero over Dulag, Leyte at 1820 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

29 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima. The bombers are escorted by VII Fighter Command P-38s.

Eastern Front

In Yugoslavia, troops of the Bulgarian 1st Army capture Kumanovo, on the railway between Skopje and Nish.

Italy

The Polish II Corps, working closely with the British V Corps of 8th Army, attacks on the line Castrocarc-Converselle-Santa Lucia, south of Faenza.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

6 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Futamiko while escorting US Navy photo-reconnaissance aircraft over Iwo Jima and the Bonins.

Air Operations, CBI

More than 60 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack shipping, troops, rail targets, and targets of opportunity in southern China, Burma, and Thailand.

• 10th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 100 effective sorties against numerous targets across northern Burma.
• 4 14th Air Force B-25s attack Man Pwe.
• 3 B-25s attack warehouses at Wanling.
• A 459th Fighter Squadron P-38 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon around 1130 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command A-20s and FEAF fighter-bombers attack airfields and targets of opportunity on Ceram and Halmahera. A 418th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a twin-engine bomber near Miti, Halmahera at 0429 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Wellington flies an uneventful signals patrol.

Air Operations, New Guinea

More than 70 V Bomber Command A-20s mount pre-invasion attacks against Pegun Island.

Air Operations, Philippines

• US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 attack Japanese warships and other vessels. A light cruiser and 4 destroyers are sunk.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Fabrica airfield on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-38s attack Zamboanga City and the San Roque airfield on Mindanao.
• A small number of fighter-bombers attack the Legaspi airfield on Luzon.
• During the morning, US carrier-based fighter pilots down 1 E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance place and 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber at sea and 15 assorted aircraft over Luzon's Clark Field and the Manila area.
• During the afternoon, US carrier-based fighters down a fighter and a C6N 'Myrt' reconnaissance plane at sea, and 14 fighters over the Luzon's Clark Field area.
• VF-15 F6Fs down anothe C6N 'Myrt' and 2 P1Y 'Galaxys' within 25 miles of the carriers between 1740 and 1755 hours.

Burma

In the British XXXIII Corps sector, the 5th Indian Division and 11th East African Division make contact with each other at Kalemyo, east of Tiddim and south of Kennedy Peak.

Eastern Front

The Germans evacuate Skopje in southern Yugoslavia. The Bulgarian 1st Army is advancing in this sector.

Army Group E is attacked by the 1st Bulgarian Army and is forced out of Skopje. This cuts the railway line between Salonika and the north, but fortunately for the Germans most of their forces have left this axis and are retreating along the coastal axis through Albania.

English Channel

3 Liberty ships are torpedoed by U-978.

Greece

The Greek armed forces are put under the British High Command.

Air Operations, Carolines

22 11th and 30th Heavy Bomb group B-24s attack a fuel dump and the airfield in the Woleai Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

In their ongoing all-out effort to supply forward areas in the Burma and China regions, 10th Air Force transport aircraft complete more than 300 sorties to forward areas, a high so far for a month in which 200-plus sorties per day are commonplace.

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack supply dumps at Lashio.
• 56 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Japanese Army ground troops, supplies, and targets of opportunity at Kawlin, Kutkai, Palaung, Sandaya, Tingkai, and around Kyaukmyaung and Shwebo.
• 12 fighter-bombers support Allied ground troops near Pinwe.
• 4 fighter-bombers attack bridges spanning the Sindaw River.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack Hsenwi and Wanling.
• 15 14th Air Force P-38s and P-40s conducting armed reconnaissance missions over the Burma-China frontier area attack targets of opportunity around Wanling and Mangshih, China.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Wellington flies an uneventful signals patrol.

Air Operations, New Guinea

FEAF B-25s conduct pre-invasion attacks against Pegun Island.

Britain, Home Front

ACM Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Allied C-in-C Southeast Asia (designate), is presumed killed in an air crash. Wreckage of his plane is discovered in the French Alps on June 4, 1945.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Bacolod airfield on Negros.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack shipping on Leyte near Ormoc and buildings and motor vehicles around Linao and Valencia.

• US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 attack Japanese warships and other vessels, bringing its two-day score to 1 light cruiser, 4 destroyers, and 7 merchant vessels sunk. Also, the carrier aircraft have destroyed an estimated 75 aircraft in the air and on the ground.
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• An 8th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero near Tacloban, Leyte at 0740 hours. US carrier-based fighters down 10 Japanese fighters over Manila Bay and Manila between 0800 and 1145 hours.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters and 5 A6M Zeross over the Alicante airfield on Negros between 1215 and 1220 hours.
• 2 VF-51 F6Fs down 1 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber 45 miles from the carriers at 1351 hours.
• A VF-20 F6F downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Clark Field on Luzon at 1430 hours.
• 2 VF-20 F6Fs down a C6N 'Myrt' reconnaissance plane 45 miles from the carriers at 1515 hours.

Burma

The Chinese 22nd Division occupies Man-tha, blocks the road to Bhamo and advances toward Si-u. 2 regiments of the Chinese 38th Division converge on Bhamo; the one meets stiff resistance from the Japanese in the Momauk area, about 7 miles from Bhamo, the other crosses the Taping River and advances east toward Bhamo.

Eastern Front

The 2nd Ukrainian Front is reinforces prior to the resumption of its attack upon Budapest. The 6th Guards Tank Army is ordered to operate in conjunction with the 7th Guards Army to encircle Budapest from the north. The 46th Army makes another effort to cross the Danube south of Budapest but is again repulsed.

Norway

The Norwegian government in exile announces that Norwegian troops under the command of Col Arne Dahl have landed in Norway. They will operate against the Germans on the Arctic front, in conjunction with Russian troops of the Karelia Front. Since October 29, the German 20th Mountain Army has been dug in on a line west of Kirkenes and west of Lake Inari.

Pacific

• The Japanese auxiliary ship Kurasaki is damaged by the US submarine Raton (SS-270) in the South China Sea.
• The Japanese coast defense vessel No. 7 is sunk by the US submarine Ray (SS-271) also in the South China Sea.
• The US submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks a Japanese convoy sinking the merchant cargo ship Hinaga Maru and damaging the merchant tanker No.2 Yuzan Maru off French Indochina.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping near Chichi Jima and at Haha Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack the airfield at Kawlin.
• 42 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops, supplies, motor vehicles, and targets of opportunity.
• 20 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Pinwe.
• 16 P-47s attack bypass bridges at Kawnghka and Namhkai.
• 12 P-47s attack targets of opportunity along the Burma Road in northern Burma.
• 8 P-47s attack the airfield at Anisakan.
• 8 P-47s attack rail facilities at Kyaikthin.
• 14th Air Force B-25s and fighter-bombers attack Man Pwe and Wanling.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 14th Air Force figther-bombers attack Mangshih and Tingka.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 51st Fighter Group fighter-bombers attack Nam Dinh, Quang Yen, and Thanh Hoa.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack Tanamon, Celebes.
• B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity on Celebes and Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 177 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out a G-H attack on the oil plant at Dortmund. The raid, through thick cloud, is believed to have been accurate.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• There are 2 Ranger patrols in the Copenhagen area and there are 5 RCM sorties.

• 36 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 6 each to Gotha and Wanne-Eickel, 5 to Karlsruhe and 4 to Scholven/Buer, and there are 30 Mosquito patrols and 29 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid.

Air Operations, New Guinea

FEAF B-25s and fighter-bombers support Allied amphibious landings in the Mapia Islands 150 miles north of Noemfoor Island. Opposition is very light.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack three airfields on Mindanao.
• B-24s and V Fighter Command P-38s attack the La Carlota airfield on Negros.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Lahug airfield on Cebu.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack shipping off western Leyte and targets of opportunity on Cebu.
• FEAF P-38s attack targets of opportunity on Cebu.
• 8th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Negros between 1215 and 1220 hours.

Burma

The Chinese 38th Division blocks all access roads to Bhamo. The Chinese 22nd Division, its manpower increased by the attachment of the US 475th Infantry, advances on Si-u.

In the western sector, where the british XXXIII Corps is operating, the 5th Indian Division occupies Kalemyo, evacuated by the Japanese.

Eastern Front

Jasberény, 30 miles east of Budapest, is taken by the Russians.

The 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts penetrate into Army Group South's defenses, Jaszbereny falling to the 6th Guards Tank Army. South of Budapest, another attempt to cross the Danube fails.

Italy

Patrols from the 8th Indian Division, XIII Corps, 5th Army, enter Modigliana, where they make contact with units of the Polish II Corps, British 8th Army.

A general strike paralyzes the city of Turin, taking the German occupying forces by surprise.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

12 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping off Chichi Jima; and 2 B-24s attack barges off Haha Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 30 10th Air Force P-47s attack Japanese Army troops and supplies at Lashio, Naungmo, and Nawngmoloi.
• 16 P-47s sweep the rail line between Kanbalu and Sagaing.
• 16 P-47s strafe the airfields at Hsumhsai and Nawnghkio.
• 11 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Pinwe.
• 4 P-47s attack rail facilities at Meza.

• 23 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Changsha.
• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Lohochai and the Wanling, Burma area.
• More than 70 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets in southeastern China and in the China-Burma frontier area.
• A 51st Fighter Group P-51 downs a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter near Suchow during the noon hour.

• 16 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack four towns.

Air Operations, East Indies

• XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Japanese warships in Brunei Bay, Borneo.
• FEAF B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers attack the Kendari airfield on Celebes, the Namlea airfield on Boeroe, and various targets on Halmahera and in northeastern Celebes.
• 3 B-24s are lost over Brunei Bay.
• V Bomber Command B-25s support Allied ground forces in the Mapia Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

In the heaviest aerial attack of the war in support of a ground operation, 10,000 tons of bombs from 1,200 8th Air Force planes and 1,100 Lancasters and Halifaxes obliterate the fortified towns of Düren, Julich and Heinsberg and the defense line west of Düren and east of Aachen. The bombing is a prelude to an offensive by the US 1st and 9th Armies to drive to the Rur River.

• Bomber Command is asked to bomb 3 towns near the German lines which are about to be attacked by the American 1st and 9 Armies in the area between Aachen and the Rhine. 1,188 Bomber Command aircraft attack Düren, Jülich and Heinsburg in order to cut communications behind the German lines. Düren is attacked by 485 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 5 and 8 Groups, Jülich by 413 Halifaxes, 78 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups and Heinsberg by 182 Lancasters of No. 3 Group. 1,239 American heavy bombers also make raids on targets in the same area, without suffering any losses. More than 9,400 tons of high-explosive bombs are dropped by the combined bomber forces. The American advance is not a success. Wet ground prevent the use of tanks and the American artillery units are short of ammunition because of supply difficulties. The infantry advance is slow and costly.
• For Bomber Command, 3 Lancasters are lost on the Düren raid and 1 Lancaster on the Heinsberg raid.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack airfields, harbors, shipping, amd targets of opportunity in the central Philippines and on Mindanao.
• A 421st Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs an A6M Zero near Ormoc Bay at 0920 hours.
• 3 other P-61 crews damage 3 other A6M Zeross at the same time in the same area.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 7 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter in the Leyte area at 1730 hours.

Burma

The British 36th Division is still held up by the firm resistance of the Japanese in the Pinwe area.

Belgium, Politics

Over the next few days there are political quarrels between the Belgian government and representatives of the resistance movement. On November 16 three ministers resign because of these problems. On the 17th there are meetings between Allied representatives and the ministers in which it is agreed to try to have the resistance surrender their arms. On the 18th the resistance agree to this and it is announced on the 20th.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

15 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack port facilities and the town area at Okimura, and shipping throughout the Bonins.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack several bridges at Lashio.
• 33 P-47s attack troops, motor vehicles, and supplies at four locations.
• 16 P-47s strafe airfields at Anisakan, Nawnghkio, and Onbauk.
• 16 P-47s sweep the rail line between Hsipaw and Sedaw.
• 10 P-47s support Allied ground forces near Meza.

• 3 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the port area at Kowloon.
• 15 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s organized into flights of 2 or 3 aircraft attack a bridge at Tingka and towns on both sides of the China-Burma frontier.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 100 effective sorties against numerous targets in southeastern and southwestern China, especially around Changsha and Mangshih.
• 311th Fighter Group P-51s down 3 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters near Chengting at 1155 hours.
• Japanese Army ground forces strike in the vicinity of Kweilin and Liuchow and advance toward Kweiyang, from which they will be able to pose a serious threat to the Hump ferry terminals at Kunming and Chungking.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s and B-25s conduct heckling missions against various targets in northeastern Celebes.
• V Bomber Command B-25s support Allied ground forces in the Mapia Islands.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack the Suribachi airfield. 1 B-24s is forced to land in the USSR.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s, including the VII Bomber Command’s 494th Heavy Bomb Group, attack the Legaspi airfield on Luzon, the Likanan airfield on Mindanao, and the Sasa airfield on Mindanao.
• B-25s and V Bomber Command B-25s conduct heckling missions against various targets in the central Philippines.

China

The Japanese begin to advance from the area of Kweilin and Liuchow toward Kweiyang. If they can conquer Kweiyang, the road will be open to Kunming, the Chinese 'terminus' of the Burma Road, and to the Nationalist capital, Chungking.

Eastern Front

German resistance ends in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

Pacific

• The Japanese escort carrier Shinyo is sunk by the US submarine Spadefish (SS-411) in the Yellow Sea. The first torpedo out of 4 hit the stern, instantly disabling the turbo-electric motors and stopping the carrier. The impact detonated the poorly protected fuel tanks and caused a tremendous explosion and fire. Other hits follow, and Jinyo becomes a blazing inferno, begins to list rapidly to starboard and settle aft. More than 700 of her crew of 900 are killed.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

• 11th and 30th Heavy Bomb group B-24s attack Chichi Jima and Haha Jima.
• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 318th Fighter Group P-38s escort US Navy photo-reconnaissance aircraft to Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack rail yards at Man Pwe.
• 27 10th Air Force fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces near Bhamo and Pinwe.
• 20 P-47s attack targets of opportunity along the rail lines between Kanbalu and Wuntho and at two other locations.
• 16 P-47s attack troops and supplies at two locations.
• 7 P-47s attack a ferry terminal at Meza.

• 10 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack town areas at Ishan and Liuchow, and stores at Hengshan.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 130 effective sorties against numerous targets across the breadth of southern China.
• A 23rd Fighter Group P-51 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter in an engagement of over the Chiuchiang airfield at 1000 hours.
• 311th Fighter Group P-51s down 2 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters, 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter, and 1 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over the Shihchiachuang airfield at 1120 hours.
• 1 311th Fighter Group P-51 is lost with its pilot.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s with strong fighter support attack oil installations at Tarakan Island, Borneo.
• B-24s and B-25s attack shipping near Tarakan Island and in Brunei Bay.
• B-24s attack shipyards at Polewali, Celebes.
• B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack airfields and targets of opportunity in northeastern Celebes.
• B-24s attack airfields on Amboina and Ceram.
• P-38s strafe shipping in the Molucca Islands.
• V Bomber Command B-25s support Allied ground forces in the Mapia Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 479 aircraft including 367 Halifaxes, 94 Lancasters and 18 Mosquitos of Nos. 4, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Münster. The raid is not concentrated and bombs fall in all parts of Münster.
• 1 Halifax crashes in Holland.

• 3 Halifaxes fly RCM sorties.

• 285 Lancasters and 24 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to Wanne-Eickel. The target of the raid is the local oil plant. Large explosions seem to erupt in the plant and post-raid reconnaissance shows that some further damage is caused to it. The local report does not mention the oil plant but states that the Hannibal coal mine was destroyed.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 31 Mosquitos are sent to Wiesbaden on a 'spoof' raid, 21 more to Hannover and 6 to Erfurt, and there are 44 Mosquito patrols and 29 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.
• ??The first in a series of 16 more raids is conducted by the RAF against Berlin. In this initial attack 402 British bombers inflict extensive destruction. German defenses are unable to cope with the waves of attacking aircraft.
• Only 9 bombers are downed.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack shore batteries around Suribachi in the Kurile Islands.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack airfields and various other targets on Mindanao.
• B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack shipping, port facilities, barges, airfields, bivouacs, and other targets in the central Philippines.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s and 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 7 Japanese fighters over Leyte and Cebu between 0715 and 0745 hours.
• A US destroyer and aircraft from VC-82 (USS Anzio) team up to sink a Japanese fleet submarine about 300 miles east of Samar.

Eastern Front

The Leningrad Front resumes the offensive against the German forces tenaciously defending the southern point of Saaremaa Island in the north of the Gulf of Riga. The possession of this tongue of land is important to the Wehrmacht, which has to consider the evacuation of the Army Group North, trapped in northern Latvia, east of Riga.

The third attempt by the Soviet 46th Army to establish a bridgehead on the west bank of the Danube River fails.

Italy

Headquarters of the British 8th Army fixes 8:00pm as H-hour for the joint attack by the British V Corps and Polish II Corps against Faenza.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

15 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping off Chichi Jima and Haha Jima while 5 B-24s attack Iwo Jima while conducting an armed reconnaissance.

Air Operations, CBI

• 36 10th Air Force P-47s attack Japanese Army ground forces at Manlu, Man Mao, and Sekang.
• 15 P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo and Pinwe areas.

• 3 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack port facilities at Samah Bay, Hainan.
• 10 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack buildings near Chefang and bridges at Tingka and Wan Lai-Kam (Burma).
• 27 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in the Mangshih area.
• 19 fighter-bombers attack rail, river, and road traffic around Hankow.
• 8 fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity near Chefang and Tingka.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Borobor, Mapanget and Sidate airfields on Celebes.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack airfields and shipping in the Molucca Islands, and various targets in the Asia Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance flight.

Asia Islands

Units of the US 8th Army land in the Asia Islands, east of the Mapias north of New Guinea.

Occupied Albania

Hodja's Partisans liberate Tirana.

Air Operations, Philippines

• US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 attack Japanese airfields on Luzon, where they destroy an estimated 75 aircraft on the ground.
• FEAF B-24s attack the Libby and Sasa airfields on Mindanao, Alicante, Negros, and Palompon, Leyte.
• 1 494th Heavy Bomb Group B-24 based at Angaur in the Palau Islands attacks the Legaspi airfield on Luzon.
• V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Ormoc and Valencia areas of Leyte.
• A VF(N)-41 F6F downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat at sea at 0205 hours.
• 2 VF(N)-41 F6Fs down 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter and 2 Ki-57 'Topsy' transport planes near the Clark and Lipa airfields on Luzon at 0545 hours.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s and 49th and 475th Fighter group P-38s down 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomber and 4 Japanese fighters over the Camotes Sea area between 0715 and 0745 hours.
• A VF-22 F6F downs an F1M 'Pete' reconnaissance plane over Luzon at 0800 hours.
• VF-7 and VF-18 F6Fs down 7 fighters over the Manila Bay area between 0830 and 0840 hours.
• 2 VF-22 F6Fs down a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance over Task Group 38.1 at 0915 hours.
• A VF-11 F6F downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane over the Luzon coast at 0930 hours.
• A VF-18 F6F downs an A6M Zero over Manila Bay at 1400 hours.
• VF-29 F6Fs down 2 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bombers at sea at 1455 hours.
• VF-51 F6Fs down 3 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers at sea at 1707 hours.
• A VF-20 F6F downs an A6M Zero near Clark Field, Luzon at 1715 hours.
• VF-20 and VF(N)-41 F6Fs down 5 G4M 'Betty' bombers at sea near the carriers between 1800 and 1830 hours.
• A VF-11 F6F downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near eastern Luzon at 1915 hours.

Burma

The 19th Indian Division, British IV Corps, begins to cross the Chindwin at Sittaung as part of Mountbatten's and Slim's offensive strategy of pursuing the Japanese through the monsoon and retaking central Burma.

The British 14th Army under Gen William Slim begins a major operation to capitalize on the Japanese defeat at Imphal and Kohima, and hopefully clear the Japanese from Burma. Operation EXTENDED CAPITAL involves the British IV Corps around Sittaung and XXXIII Corps at Mawlaik making the push across the Chindwin River, recapturing Mandalay, Rangoon and Meiktila, and destroying Gen Shihachi Katamura's Japanese 15th Army in the process. Initial objectives include the Japanese airfields at Yeu and Shwebo, the capture of which will help efficient re-supply by air. To the north of British operations, Chinese and US troops formerly under the command of Gen Stilwell are pushing down toward Indaw.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7 10th Air Force B-25s attack a bridge at Hsipaw.
• 4 B-25s attack a bridge at Bawgyo.
• 20 10th Air Force P-47s attack ground positions, a bomb dump, horse-drawn transport, a Japanese Army headquarters, a Japanese Army troop concentration, and various targets of opportunity.
• 12 P-47s support Allied ground forces near Pinwe.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack a barracks at Lashio.

• More than 60 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack shipping, rail facilities, radio stations, and targets of opportunity across southern China and northern French Indochina.
• A 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter in an engagement near the airfield at Erh Tao Kow, Chiuchiang at 0850 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack the Haroekoe and Laha airfields on Ceram.
• 347th Fighter Group P-38s attack targets of opportunity around Makassar and Sidate on Celebes.
• A 347th Fighter Group P-38 downs an F1M 'Pete' reconnaissance plane over Makassar at 1325 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 183 Lancasters of No. 3 Group make a G-H attack on the oil plant at Homberg, but the weather is stormy and many aircraft are not able to maintain formation with the G-H aircraft on the bombing run. The bombing, through cloud, is believed to have been scattered.
• 5 Lancasters are lost.

• 3 Hudsons are on Resistance operations, and there are 2 Mosquito Ranger patrols and 3 RCM sorties.

• 43 Lancasters of No. 8 Group make an unusual Pathfinder solo raid on Koblenz without loss. The purpose of the raid is not recorded. It is possible that either the large road and rail bridges over the Rhine and Mosel or the local railway yards were the targets. Only high-explosive bombs are carried. Koblenz is completely covered by cloud and all bombing was by H₂S from 15,000 ft. The local report states that some bombs fell in the town, blocking several roads and railways and scoring hits on a road and a rail bridge, although these remain usable.

• 63 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 14 each to the Homberg and Castrop-Rauxel oil plants and 9 to Eisenach, and there are 17 Mosquito patrols and 17 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Albania

The Germans evacuate Tirana.

Burma-China

On the Salween front, troops of the Chinese 11th Army Group take Manshih, where the airfield is immediately reactivated.

Chiang Kai-shek appoints a new Minister of War in an attempt to mollify popular disenchantment with his régime.

Greece

The British Gen Ronald Scobie is placed in charge of measures for disbanding the guerrilla armies in Greece.

Indian Ocean

2 carriers from the British Eastern Fleet send 2 waves of attacks against airfields at Sabang and oil installatons at Belawan Deli on Sumatra.

Italy

The 46th Division of the V Corps, British 8th Army, takes Castiglione.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

30th Heavy Bombt Group B-24s attack shipping and naval base facilities at Chichi Jima and Haha Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Bawgyo and Hsipaw.
• 37 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops, defensive positions, and supplies at five locations.
• 28 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Bhamo and Pinwe.
• 15 P-47s attack targets of opportunity while sweeping the road between Kyaukme and Namyao.

• 42 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack fuel dumps and the town area at Ishan, and road and rail traffic and targets of opportunity around Chiuchiang, Foochow, Wanling (Burma), and several other locales.
• 13 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s unable to attack their primary target in Japan attack Shanghai and other alternates or targets of opportunity.
• A 426th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a twin-engine bomber near the airfield at Chengtu at 2000 hours.
• Another P-61 crew probably downs another twin-engine bomber an hour later in the same area.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Ambesia airfield and the Kendari areea on Celebes.
• B-25s attack the Langoan and Mapanget airfields on Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

• 160 Lancasters of No. 3 Group are sent to hit the Homberg oil refinery. The bombing is scattered at first but then becomes very concentrated, culminating, according to the Bomber Command report, in 'a vast sheet of yellow flame followed by black smoke rising to a great height'. This is a very satisfactory raid after several previous attempts by Bomber Command to destroy this oil refinery.
• 3 Lancasters are lost.

• 2 Wellingtons make RCM sorties.

• 274 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups are sent to Aschaffenburg. The object of this raid is to destroy the local railway yards and lines. The local report says that 50 bombs fell in the railway area, causing much damage to the marshalling yards and railway workshops but the main through lines were not cut. Many other bombs fall in the center and north of the town. About 500 houses are destroyed and 1,500 seriously damaged. Many old buildings are hit, including the local castle, the Johannisburg, which is hit by 5 high-explosive bombs and has a 4,000lb 'blockbuster' burst near by. The roof and upper stories of the castle are burned out.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 176 Halifaxes, 79 Lancasters and 18 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to hit the oil refinery at Castoop-Rauxel. The local report says that 216 high-explosive bombs, 78 duds and many incendiaries hit the oil plant and caused such a large fire that the fire-fighters could do little more than allow it to burn itself out. It is believe that the refinery produced no more oil after this raid. Bombs fall in many other places, including some important industrial and coal-mining premises.
• 4 Halifaxes are lost.
• 270 aircraft including 232 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos and 18 Lancasters of Nos. 4 and 8 Groups are sent to bomb Sterkrade. The target is again the synthetic oil refinery. Bomber Command's report says that the plant was not damaged, though some labor barracks near by were hit.
• 2 Halifaxes are lost.
• 138 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to hit the Mittelland Canal. The canal banks are successfully breached near Gravenhorst. Later photographs showed that water drained off over a 30 mile stretch and that 59 barges were stranded on one short section alone.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to attack the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The canal is hit near Ladbergen with some of the Lancasters coming down to 4,000ft to get beneath the cloud. A breach is made in the only branch of the aqueduct here which had been repaired since the last raid and the water once again drains out of the canal.
• There are no losses.

• 29 Mosquitos are sent to Stuttgart, 26 to Hannover, 19 to Worms and 4 to Wesel, 24 Halifaxes and 18 Lancasters lay mines off Oslo, 9 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 80 Mosquito patrols and 38 RCM sorties.
• 2 Mosquitos and 1 Halifax of No. 100 Group are lost along with 1 mine-laying Lancaster.

Air Operations, Japan

• 61 of 109 58th Very Heavy Bombt Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu, China attack an aircraft factory at Omura with 199 tons of bombs. 6 B-29s are lost in the day’s operation, including one that lands in the Soviet Union. This mission turns out to be the XX Bomber Command’s largest of the war.
• A Saipan-based F-13 of the 20th Air Force’s 3rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron is downed while photographing targets in the Nagoya area.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Lumbia airfield and the Matina airfield on Mindanao.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack supply dumps and barges around Ormoc and targets of opportunity across the central Philippines.
• 35th Fighter Group P-47s down a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, a D4Y 'Judy' dive bomer, and an A6M Zero over Negros at 1115 hours.

China

Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer suggests to Chiang Kai-shek that he should concentrate the Chinese forces in the southwest of the area of Kunming, capital of Yunnan, to confront the Japanese threat to the Generalissimo's capital.

China Sea

The US submarine Sealion (SS-315) sinks the Japanese battleship Kongo as well as the destroyer Urakaze in waters to the northeast of Formosa. The Kongo was actually built in England as a battlecruiser, and delivered to the Japanese in 1913. The ship was modernized in 1936-37 to gain battleship status.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 40 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops and supplies at six locations.
• 37 P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Pinwe area.
• 15 P-47s support Allied ground forces in the Bhamo area.
• 12 P-47s attack the airfield at Kawlin.
• 8 14th Air Force B-25s attack stores at Kutkai and Wanling.

• 22 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Hankow.
• 11 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack targets around Liuchenghsien and Ichang.
• 95 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets across southern China.

Air Operations, Carolines

• After Truk-based Japanese Navy aircraft attack a US convoy twice in a four-hour period on November 20, 24 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, escorted by 25 318th Fighter Group P-38s, attack airfields in the Truk Atoll. 4 of 8 A6M Zeros that attack the B-24s are downed by P-38s.
• US carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.4 attack the Yap Atoll with napalm bombs, the first use of the weapon by carrier aircraft.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack small ships in Brunei Bay and a nickel mine and targets of opportunity near Kendari.
• 23 347th Fighter Group P-38s attack airfields in northeastern Celebes and targets of opportunity in the Makassar area.
• 3 P-38s are lost.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance operation and 1 Wellington makes an RCM sortie.
• There are no losses.

• 171 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to attack the U-boat pens at Trondheim, but the target is covered by a smoke-screen and the Master Bomber orders the raid to be abandoned after the illuminating and marking force are unable to find the target.
• 2 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito are lost.

• 17 Lancasters lay mines off Heligoland and in the mouth of the Elbe River.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

FEAF B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the Bacolod airfield on Negros and the Sasa airfield on Mindanao, and barges, bridges, and targets of opportunity around Ipil and Ormoc. A 475th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero over Leyte at 1730 hours.

Eastern Front

In the extreme north, Finnish troops, now in accordance with the terms of the armistice, fighting the Germans, pursue the enemy and reach the Norwegian border.

In Hungary the Germans take over full power in Budapest. The Russians have already reached the Danube south of the city.

Pacific

• The Japanese transport No. 151 is sunk by the US submarine Besugo (SS-321) in the South China Sea.
• The British submarine Strategem is sunk by Japanese surface craft near Malacca. 45 of the crew are lost. 8 survivors are rescued and made prisoners of war.
• The US submarine Guavina (SS-362) sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Dowa Maru (1916t) near Tizard's Bank, northfwest of Borneo.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

17 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the town area at Okimura and shipping off Chichi Jima and Haha Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Tangon, Tantabin, and Thegyaung.
• More than 50 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces around Bhamo and Pinwe.
• 21 P-51s attack rail facilities at Kanbalu and sweep roads around Ye-U.
• 16 P-47s attack the airfields at Anisakan and Nawnghkio and targets of opportunity.
• 3 P-47s attack an ammunition dump at Man Naung.
• 12 14th Air Force B-25s attack stores near Lashio.
• 8 B-25s attack Kutkai and Wanling.

• 2 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the port area at Kowloon.
• 32 14th Air Force fighter-bombers support Chinese Army ground forces near Chefang.
• Fighter-bombers mount more than 120 effective sorties against targets of opportunity in southeastern and southwestern China.

Air Operations, Europe

• 168 Lancasters of No 3. Group carry out a G-H raid through cloud on the Nordstern oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. The bombing appears to be accurate.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance operation and 4 Mosquitos are on Ranger patrols in the Heligoland area.
• There are no losses.

• 61 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 9 to Eisenach, and 6 each to Gottingen and Hagen, and 43 aircraft of No. 100 Group are on Mosquito patrols and RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Hannover raid.

Air Operations, Philippines

• FEAF B-24s attack the Matina airfield on Mindanao.
• A 35th Fighter Group P-47 downs an A6M Zero over Negros at noon.
• An 18th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance over Negros at 1300 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter William D. Burnham is torpedoed by U-978 about 5 miles off Barfleur, France with the loss of 10 of the 26-man Armed Guard and 8 of the 41-man crew. The British escort drifter Fidget rescues survivors transferring most to the motor torpedo boat PT-461 and the wounded to the British destroyer Vesper. The salvage tug ATR-3 tows the freighter fo Cherbourg where she is beached and ultimately declared a total loss.

Canada, Home Front

Canada's Parliament, in special session, approve sending 15,000 draftees overseas to fill the depleted ranks of the Canadian army. Until now, only volunteers are abroad, and the French Canadians particularly oppose being drafted for combat service.

Eastern Front

In Hungary the railway center of Csap is finally captured by the Russians after several weeks of exceptionally bitter fighting. In the northern sector, the forces of the Leningrad Front crush the last German resistance on Saaremaa Island, so gaining control of the access to the Gulf of Riga. Macedonia in Greece is evacuated by the Germans.

The Soviet attacks around and toward Budapest are becoming bogged down as forward units outrun their supplies. North of the city there is heavy fighting in the Matra hills.