Air Operations, AsiaDuring the month 14th Air Force attacks Haiphong, Hainan, Kwanchow and Quangyen. Air Operations, PacificThere are many Allied attacks in all areas. Rabaul is perhaps the target most heavily hit, being raided 5 times. In all operations Allied pilots claim to have shot down 780 Japanese aircraft. This is an exaggeration but gives some idea of the extent of the attacks. |
Air Operations, EuropeBomber Command drops 13,000 tons of bombs in 9 large operations. Targets include Munich, Kassel and Frankfurt. Heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force drop 4,700 tons on targets including Emden, Bremen and Anklam. The USAAF raid on Schweinfurt is very significant (see October 14). USAAF medium bombers drop 850 tons on various French airfields. RAF medium and light forces are also active against railroads and airfields. The last Wellington bombers are taken out of front-line service with RAF Bomber Command and are replaced by 4-engined heavy bombers. |
Battle of the AtlanticFrom early in the month the Allies are able to use bases in the Azores and thus cover an area of the Atlantic which their land-based aircraft have been unable to patrol previously. The efforts of the newly equipped U-boats continue, especially against convoys ONS-18 and ON-202 but have little success. The U-boat fleet is still large at 175 operational boats and 237 in training but a further 26 are lost during the month. In September and October 9 merchant ships have been lost in north Atlantic convoys and 25 U-boats have been sunk while attempting to attack.(Allied Ships Lost to U-boats this month) |
Air Operations, BismarcksV Bomber Command B-25s strafe a motor launch near Gasmata. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIFRENCH INDOCHINA
Air Operations, EuropeAllied bombers drop 187 tons of bombs on Vienna. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
AUSTRIA: XII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Bf-109 factory at Wiener-Neustadt with 187 tons of bombs. GERMANY:XII Bomber Command B-17s prevented by bad weather from bombing their primary target at Augsburg, German, attack targets of opportunity during the return flight over Austria, Italy, Corsica, and Elba. ITALY:
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Air Operations, New Guinea3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s and RAAF bombers attack Japanese Army positions in the Finschhafen area. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Eastern FrontDuring the first week of October the armies of the Central Front, Steppe Front and Southwest Front exert intensive pressure on the Army Groups Center and South along the great bend of the Dniepr, and succeed in crossing the river and establishing small bridgeheads near Kiev, Kremenchug and Dnepropetrovsk. SOUTHERN SECTORManstein moves his headquarters from Kirovograd to the former Führer headquarters at Vinnitsa. [ | ]MediterraneanThe US freighter Metapan (4736t), in Convoy UGS-15, is mined and sunk. The 50-man crew, 23-man Armed Guard and 1 passenger are rescued by the Fuel-oil barge Syncline (YO-63). [ | ]New GuineaThe Australians resume their attacks on Finschhafen, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese. [ | ] |
ItalyDuring the morning the King's Dragoon Guards, of the British X Corps, 5th Army, enter Naples without opposition. The port was heavily damaged but repairs begin at once to put it back into operation. 8th Army begins to advance its main forces once again. For the moment only 2 divisions, 78th along the coast and 1st Canadian of XIII Corps inland across the mountains, are sent forward toward the line Vinchiaturo-Termoli. V Corps is kept back in reserve for the moment. Owing to the success achieved by the delaying actions so far, Hitler orders Kesselring to hold a line south of Rome during the coming months rather than retire farther north. [ | ]Pacific
SolomonsAdm Halsey tells Gen MacArthur that he has decided to carry out a landing in Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville. MacArthur assures him that he will get the maximum air support from the Southwest Pacific Area forces. [ | ]United States, PoliticsHarriman is appointed US Ambassador in Moscow. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks
Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, East Indies380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack targets on Amboina Island. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeRAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
FRANCE: Due to poor visibility, just 6 of 72 3rd Medium Bomb Wing B-26s attack the St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdrome at 1715 hours. |
GERMANY:
ITALY: Bad weather limits air operations. Some XII Air Support Command aircraft are able to attack roads, bridges, and motor vehicles while conducting armed-recon missions. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and AirSols SBDs attack barges near Vila. [ | ]Baltic SeaGerman shipping in the area comes under increasing attack from Russian torpedo planes. [ | ]Central PacificThe US 27th Division, which was to have been getting ready for a landing on Nauru, is ordered to prepare plans for the capture of a new objective, suggested by Vice-Adm Spruance to Adm Nimitz --Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. [ | ]Eastern FrontThe great Russian Smolensk offensive grinds to a stop, midway between Smolensk and Vitebsk-Orsha. CENTRAL SECTORThe bitter, two-month long offensive around Smolensk finally dies down, having cost the Kalinin Front 28,000 killed and missing and the West Front 79,500 killed and missing and 253,600 wounded. The two fronts have also lost 863 tanks, 234 arty pieces and 303 aircraft. [ | ] |
Germany, PreparationsGerman infantry divisions are reformed to include 10,708 men each including 2,000 Russian POWs who had volunteered for non-combat duty. There are known as 'Hiwis', short for Hilfswilliger. ItalyIn the US VI Corps sector, the 3rd Division on the left of the line makes for the Volturno River while the 34th and 45th Divisions move by separate routes toward Benevento, an important road junction. At the same time the advance units of 78th Division on the east coast cross the Biferno River. During the night Royal Marine Commandos, supported by tanks, make a surprise landing near Termoli and take the harbor and the town. The commander of the German garrision, Maj Rou, is captured in bed. The Germans send 16th Panzer Division from positions on the Volturno to meet this attack. The commandos succeed in joining up with 78th Division as the battle continues. [ | ]New GuineaThe Australian 20th Brigade captures the village and harbor of Finschhafen after hard fighting and joins up with the 23rd Brigade, which has advanced in the meantime from Lae. However, the Japanese still hold two strongpoints overlooking the harbor. [ | ]PacificUS submarines begin mining the waters off the Celebes to cut traffic through the Makassar Straig. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, BismarcksV Bomber Command B-25s attack villages, barges, and small craft in the Vitu Islands. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, EuropeFrankfurt is bombed in round-the-clock attacks. Among the casualties are 529 dead. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
FRANCE:
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US 12th AIR FORCE ITALY:
Air Operations, MediterraneanCombined with bombardments undertaken by the Royal Navy, 12th Air Force B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s begin a week-long offensive against German air bases in Greece, Crete, and the Dodecanese Islands. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
ArcticIn Operation LEADER German shipping off the Norwegian coast near Bodo is attacked by aircraft from the US carrier Ranger operating with the British Home Fleet. 4 freighters are sunk and 7 badly damaged at little cost. The battleships Duke of York and Anson are in support. [ | ]Battle of the Atlantic
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Britain, CommandAdm Sir Dudley Pound resigns his post as First Sea Lord because of ill health. So determined to be a capable, 'hands-on' leader, he had taken on too great a work load and his decision-making, such as that concerning Convoy PQ-17, suffered accordingly. He dies on October 21. His position is taken by Adm Sir Andrew Cunningham after Adm Sir Bruce Fraser has refused the job. [ | ]CorsicaThe liberation of the island is completed when French Partisans, Moroccan Goums, American OSS agents and Italian forces enter Bastia. [ | ]ItalyEisenhower and Alexander forecast that Allied troops will be able to enter Rome by the end of the month. So, having decided to transfer GHQ form Algiers to Naples, Eisenhower now decides to wait so that he can establish himself in Rome. [ | ]MediterraneanGerman bombers attack Convoy UGS-18 damaging the US freighter Hiram S. Maxim (7176t) with a near-miss about 12 miles northwest of Cape Tenes, Algeria. The ship is abandoned by all but a skeleton crew of 7 and 6 Armed Guard sailors and then towed to Algiers for repairs. The freighters Leslie M. Shaw and Harry Lane rescues the remainder of those on board. [ | ]New GunieaThe Australian 7th Division and 21st Brigade advancing northwest up the Huon Peninsula manage to capture Dumpu as they extend their advance into the Ramu valley from the Markham Valley. Japanese forces are now confined along the northern coastline of the peninsula. [ | ]SolomonsThe Japanese complete the evacuation of Kolombangara. Despite the attention of American destroyers, 9,400 men of Gen Minoru Sasaki's garrison have been evacuated by Adm Matsuji Ijuin's ships. A number of small boats have been lost, along with about 1,000 men. [ | ]Wake IslandThs isolated Japanese outpost of Wake Island comes under a heavy naval and aerial bombardment from the large US Navy Task Force 14 commanded by Rear-Adm Alfred E. Montgomery. B-24 Liberator bombers drop more than 320 tons of bombs. Some 61 Japanese aircraft are destroyed, comprising 30 on the ground and 31 in aerial combat. US forces lose 13 aircraft. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEITALY:
Air Operations, New Guinea
Battle of the AtlanticU-389 is sunk by Liberator 'X' of No 120 Squadron while supporting Convoy ONS-19.
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Britain, Home FrontChurchill announces the surrender of additional Italian ships at Malta. [ | ]Central PacificOver the next two days Wake Island, the island that Adm Sadamichi Kajioka rechristened 'Island of Birds' when he officially took possession of it in the name of the Japanese Emperor on December 23, 1941, is shelled and bombed by ships and planes from Adm A. E. Montgomery's Task Force 14. There are 6 carriers, 7 cruisers and 25 destroyers in this force. The carrier aircraft fly 738 sorties. 26 aircraft are lost. The Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific, Nimitz, issues the directives for the coming offensive in the Central Pacific. Vice-Adm Spruance is to direct the landings on Makin, Tarawa and Abemama Islands in the Gilberts, protecting the landing forces by all available means and neutraling the Japanese bases on the Marshall Islands and Nauru during the operation, which is timed to start on the 19th, but later pushed back to the 20th. [ | ]CorsicaBefore the Italian Armistice was signed, about 15,000 Corsican patriots were secretly armed by the Allies. On September 8, when news of the Italian surrender was received, there was a general rising. Vichy officials were arrested in almost all towns and villages. There were clashes with Germans troops in the mountains near Sarterne and the enemy was forced to withdraw to Bastia and Boniface. Gen Giraud broadcasts a message to the German High Command in Corsica declaring that anyone wearing a white brassard on his arm embroidered with a Moor's head (part of the arms of Corsica) must be considered as a regular soldier of the French Army and not treated as an armed civilian if captured. By September 21 the western half of Corsica was in French hands. German bases on the island, including the important airfield at Bastia, were heavily bombed by the Allied air forces. The food shortage, already very serious, was further intensified when the Germans set fire to about 1,000 acres of crops and farmsteads. By October 5 the enemy was finally cleared from Corsica. The re-capture of Corsica was important not only because it might be used by the enemy as a U-boat base but it gave the Allies an important base for air and amphibious operations. [] |
Eastern FrontSOUTHERN SECTORBitter fighting rages at Dnepropetrovsk as the 8th Guards Army, recently committed to the fighting from the Steppe Front reserve, forces a crossing of the Dniepr south of the town. Farther north, attacks by the 60th and 13th Armies make progress north of Kiev. These two units are also transferred to the Voronezh Front from the Central Front. [ | ]Germany, PolicyStuka units are redesignated Schlachtgeschwadern and restritcted to low-level night ground-attack duties over the Russian Front. [ | ]Germany, PoliticsGermany annexes Trieste, Istria and the South Tyrol. [ | ]Italy5th Army takes Aversa and Maddaloni. Forward units of X Corps reach the Volturno. On the Adriatic coast, where the XIII Corps of the British 8th Army is operating, fighting continues around the Biferno bridgehead near Termoli. In the battle around Termoli, 16th Panzer comes into action and for a time pushes the British back. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine Wahoo sinks the Japanese army transport Konron Maru (7908t) in Tsushima Straits. Only 72 people, of the 616 on board, are rescued because of heavy seas. This results in the cancellation of night ferry trips across Tsushima Straits. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, BismarcksV Bomber Command B-25s sweep New Britain’s northern and western coasts. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEGREECE: XII Bomber Command P-38s strafe the Araxos Airdrome. ITALY:
Air Operations, Solomons
AtlanticThe US submarine Dorado (SS-248) departs New London, Connecticut, for the Panama Canal. She is never heard from again. [ | ] |
Black Sea3 Russian destroyers are sunk by Stukas. Stalin imposes strict curbs on subsequent operations by the Black Sea Fleet. [ | ]BurmaThe Allied Eastern Command receives a new C-in-C, Gen Sir William Slim, who alwo takes command of the newly formed 14th Army. [ | ]Eastern FrontCENTRAL SECTORThe 3rd and 4th Shock Armies of the Kalinin front launch new attacks against the junction of Army Groups Center and North. The main weight of the attack falls upon Luftwaffe field divisions of the II Luftwaffe Corps on the left wing of the 3rd Panzer Army. A rapid Soviet advance leads to the early capture of Nevel during the afternoon, severing communications between groups North and Center. SOUTHERN SECTORFighting in the Lyutezh bridgehead rages unabated as the Soviets fend off constant counterattacks by the XIII and LIX Corps. The latter units have been brought down from the Central Sector to reinforce the weak left wing of Army Group South. Only once Soviet armored units are brought up is the bridgehead strengthened significantly. [ | ]Italy5th Army takes Caserta and reaches the south bank of the Volturno about 15 miles northwest of Naples while troops of the British 10th Division capture Capua. This brings another phase of the advance up the Italian peninsula to a successful conclusion. On the east coast the British gain the upper hand in the fighting around Termoli. German troops systematically loot Rome's treasures using Herman Göring's 'shopping list'. Also thousands of former Italian soldiers are rounded up and taken to Germany as forced labor. [ | ]New BritainSmall parties of US troops land secretly around Cape Gloucester to spy out the land. [ | ] |
New GuineaElements of the Australian 7th Division take Dumpu unexpectedly easily. A landing strip for fighters is begun. [ | ]Pacific
SolomonsThe American 25th Division lands unopposed at Vila on Kolombangara. The whole island is occupied by the October 9th. During the night two Japanese destroyers of the 'Tokyo Night Express' are sent to evacuate 600 men from Vella Lavella. Six more destroyers escorting them under the command of Rear-Adm Matsuji Ijuin are engaged by three American ships. In a torpedo action each side loses 1 destroyer, the Japanese destroyer Yugumo and the US destroyer Chevalier (DD-451) and both the other American vessels are damaged. Among the damaged US ships are the destroyer O'Bannon (DD-450) in a collision with the Chevalier and the Selfridge (DD-357) from an enemy destroyer torpedo. The Japanese do succeed, however, in completing their mission. Excluding Vella Lavella, which is not yet completely occupied, the campaign has cost the Americans 1,094 dead and about 4,000 wounded; Japanese dead counted by the Americans, 2,483. The Allies now have 4 airfields, Munda, Barakoma, Segi and Ondonga, from which their aircraft can attack the next objective, Bougainville. [ | ] |
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Aegean2 British cruisers Penelope and Sirius and 2 destroyers intercept a German troop convoy bound for Kos and sink 7 transports and 1 escort. [ | ]Air Operations, Bismarcks1 V Bomber Command B-24 attacks Umboi Island. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, MediterraneanA 1st Fighter Group P-38 based at Gambut Airdrome, Libya, downs a Ju-88 near Leros, in the Dodecanese Islands, at 1600 hours. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
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Air Operations, EuropeRAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
FRANCE: 4 B-17s from the independent 422nd Heavy Bomb Squadron undertak the first 8th Air Force night leaflet drop of the war when they disperse more than 240,000 leaflets over Paris between 2257 and 2307 hours. US 12th AIR FORCEITALY: Most 12th Air Force flight operations are canceled because of bad weather, but NATAF aircraft, including A-20s and B-25s, are able to attack towns and rail and road targets around Capua, Guglionesi, and Termoli. [ | ]Battle of the AtlanticThe US freighter Yorkmar, in Convoy SC-143, is torpedoed and sunk by U-645 about 300 miles northwest of Ireland. 11 of the 39-man crew and 2 of the 28-man Armed Guard are lost in the sinking. The Canadian corvette Kamloops and the British frigate Duckworth rescue the survivors. [ | ] |
ItalyThe American 5th Army enters Capua on the Volturno River and gets ready to attack the Volturno line. The date for the operation is set for the night of October 9, but will get postponed until the night of October 12. Meanwhile the troops strengthen their positions on the south bank of the river. The Germans withdraw from contact with the 78th Division around Termoli and pull back from the Trigno. Montgomery does not feel able to follow them closely at this stage. [ | ]Eastern FrontIn a new offensive in the central the Soviets take Nevel, a railway center north of Vitebsk. At the western end of the Kuban Peninsula Taman is captured. Along the Dniepr to the south of Kiev there is something of a lull as the Soviets bring up supplies and build bridges. CENTRAL SECTORThe IX Corps, hastily transferred from the 4th Army to the 3rd Panzer Army, launches a fierce counterattack, bringing both the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies to a standstill. Repeated Soviet counterattacks fail to push the salient any farther as the Germans stabilize their positions. SOUTHERN SECTORThere is heavy fighting at Taman as the last remnants of the German 17th Army evacuates the Kuban peninsula. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine S-44 is sunk by the Japanese escort destroyer Ishigaki north-northeast of Araito Island in the Kurile Islands area. [ | ]Secret WarNiels Bohr flies to Scotland. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks1 V Bomber Command B-24 attacks the Cape Gloucester airfield on New Britain. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, Europe357 bombers of the American 8th Air Force carry out a massive raid on Bremen and Vegesack, but incur heavy losses. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
GERMANY:
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US 12th AIR FORCE GREECE:
NATAF aircraft attack a bridge at Minturno and a German army troop concentration and road junction at Termoli. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Battle of the Atlantic
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Black Sea240 German barges, Siebel Ferries and other craft used in the Kuban evacuation are safely withdrawn from the Kerch Straits to Sebastopol. [ | ]Eastern FrontCENTRAL SECTORThe Bryansk Front is disbanded as its units are handed over to the Central and West Fronts. [ | ]Greece, Home FrontPro- and anti-Communist guerillas begin a series of violent clashes in Greece, the beginning of a civil war in that country that will last for 6 years. [ | ]Italy8th Army takes Larino and Gugilonesi inland from the coast on either side of Biferno. 5th Army takes Caserta and has now come up to the Volturno line planning to attack on October 12. [ | ]Japan, PoliticsTojo assumes personal responsibility for war production taking control of the ministries of commerce and industry. [ | ]Pacific
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Air Operations, Aleutians12 Japanese Navy bombers based in the Kurile Islands attack Attu. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, East Indies380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Makassar, Celebes. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeThe 8th Air Force raids Gdynia. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
FRANCE: 2 B-17s from the 422nd Heavy Bomb Squadron drop more than 266,000 leaflets over Rennes between 0005 and 0111 hours. GERMANY:
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66 B-26s of the 3rd Medium Bomb Wing's 323rd and 387th Medium Bomb Groups attack the Woensdrecht Airdrome with 98 tons of bombs between 1516 and 1526 hours. US 12th AIR FORCEGREECE:
Air Operations, New Guinea3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s and RAAF aircraft attack Japanese Army defenses at Finschhafen and Sattelberg. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Mediterranean
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Pacific
Eastern FrontThe North Caucasus Front of Gen Ivan E. Petrov wipes out all remaining resistance by the Germans in the Taman peninsula, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Petrov's forces complete the occupation of the Kuban, but most of 17th Army is to be sent to join the right of the German line to the south of Zaporozhye and will, in fact, be too late to move out of the Crimea when the front around Melitopol is broken in the next few days. SOUTHERN SECTORThe long and bitter campaign in the Kuban ends as the 17th army withdraws to the Crimea. Hitler now detaches eight divisions from the 17th Army, distributing them to more needy sectors to the north. The fighting in the peninsula has cost the North Caucasus Front 13,900 killed and missing and 50,000 wounded. The South Front unleashes a massive artillery barrage upon the 6th Army, followed by an infantry and armored attack. Gen Karl-Adolf Hollidt's forces put up fierce resistance, bringing the initial Soviet attack to a halt. However, with numbers on their side, the South Front repeat its attacks. The German positions at Melitopol and the Nogaisk Steppe are the final defense line before the Dniepr River. If they fall, the subsequent retreat would leave the 17th Army isolated in the Crimea. Having just escaped from one pocket the 17th seems about to become hemmed into another. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, East IndiesDuring the night, V Bomber Command B-25s attack Saumlakki. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeUS 8th AIR FORCEGERMANY:
30 1st Bomb Division B-17s of the 305th and 379th Heavy Bomb Groups go off course and finally attempt to bomb the Twente/Enshede Airdrome. Most of the bombs, however, land in the adjacent town and kill 155 civilians. US 12th AIR FORCEGREECE: XII Bomber Command B-17s attack two airfields at Athens, and B-24s attack the airfields at Calato, Haraklion (Crete), and Maritsa. |
ITALY: NATAF aircraft attack numerous gun emplacements, a variety of road and rail targets, vehicles, and tactical targets throughout the US 5th Army battle area. [ | ]Air Operations, MediterraneanXII Bomber Command P-38s escorting heavy bombers to Greece attack the Antimachia Aircrome, in the Dodecanese Islands, and Axis ships at sea and in several Aegean harbors. [ | ]Air Operations, New Guinea3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s and RAAF aircraft attack defensive positions at Sattelberg. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Battle of the AtlanticThe Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal is mined by a German submarine. [ | ] |
ItalyTroops from 5th Army enter Portelandalfo, north of Benevento. [ | ]Eastern FrontThe Soviets take Dobrush, just to the east of Gomel. CENTRAL SECTORFighting erupts up on the southern wing of Army Group Center as Rokossovsky's Central Front attacks the Germans around Gomel. SOUTHERN SECTORThe Southwest Front attacks the Zaporozhe bridgehead in force, its 8th Guards, 3rd Guards and 12th Armies attackin the XL Panzer and XVII Corps. The 12th Army attacks from the north, 8th Guards in the center and 3rd Guards on the left. Fierce fighting erupts as the Germans defend with great vigor. The Spanish Blue Division, which has fought on the Eastern Front since 1941, is recalled by the Spanish Government. Gen Franco began negotiations with Hitler to withdraw his fighting men from the conflict in the spring of this year due to increased Allied pressure, as well as his own realization that Germany will lose the war on the Eastern Front. However, 3,000 Spaniards will choose to remain on the Eastern Front to carry on fighting. [ | ]Occupied Soviet UnionHitler orders the transfer of all Russian volunteers serving in the Wehrmacht to western Europe. [ | ]Pacific
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Air Operations, AsiaThe Japanese bomb Madras, India. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, East IndiesDuring the night, V Bomber Command B-25s attack the Cape Chater airfield at Timor and Lautem. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEGREECE: XII Bomber Command B-25s attack the Rhodes/Maritsa Airdrome. [ | ] |
Air Operations, MediterraneanXII Bomber Command P-38s attack ships in the harbor at Corfu. [ | ]Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, Solomons
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Eastern FrontThe armies of the Bryansk Front under Gen Markian M. Popov tighten their hold around Gomel and manage to capture one of its suburbs, Novobelitsa. CENTRAL SECTORThe Central Front makes slow progress around Gomel, Novobelitsa falling after hard fighting. SOUTHERN SECTORAs Soviet troops enter Zaporozhe, bitter street fighting erupts in the town. [ | ]ItalyMontgomery re-groups his forward troops. V Corps is deployed on the right flank while XIII Corps mans the central sector, but there will be a pause while the reorganization is completed. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine Wahoo (SS-238) is sunk by Japanese naval aircraft, submarine chasers CH-15 and CH-43 and minesweeper W-18 in La Perouse Strait. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks
Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, East IndiesV Bomber Command B-25s mount small attacks against Timor and other areas. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeNATAFITALY: NATAF aircraft attack the Aquino Airdrome, several road junctions, road and rail traffic, rail facilities, and gun emplacements in and around the battle area. [ | ] |
Air Operations, New GuineaA 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane over Wewak at 1300 hours. [ | ]Air Operations, PacificThe US 5th Air Force opens an offensive to isolate Rabaul and neutralize the Bismarck Archipelago. 350 Allied planes raid Rabaul dropping 20,500 tons of bombs inflicting heavy damage. 4 planes are lost. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons2 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s skip-bomb 2 ships in Matchin Bay. [ | ]Diplomatic RelationsPortugal agrees to permit the Allies use of the Azores as a base for the protection of convoys. [ | ]ItalyDuring the night 5th Army starts its attacks on the Volturno line on a front of 40 miles. On the left are the 3 divisions, 46th, 56th and 7th Armored, of McCreery's X Corps. Between the coast and Capua 46th and 7th Armored make some progress but are held by German counterattacks. Around Capua 56th Division can make no ground at all. The American VI Corps of Gen Lucas does rather better. All 3 divisions, 3rd, 34th and 45th, make good advances. |
The German defense is energetically conducted throughout and in any case the river, swollen by recent rain, and the roadless hills would have been formidable obstructions. The combination of bad weather, inadequate roads and German demolitions means that, until the ground hardens in the spring, the Allied advance must hinge around the 3 or 4 major roads. Moreover the 3 German formations given the task of defending the Volturno line the 15th Panzer Div, the Hermann Göring Panzer Div and the 3rd Division, making up Gen Hans Hube's XIV Panzer Corps put up stiff resistance to Gen Clark's Allied units. In British X Corps sector, on the left of the Anglo-American front, while the 46th Division tries to break through toward Cancello, the 7th Armored Division and 56th Division, on the center and right, carry out some diversionary activities in the direction of Grazzanise and Capua. The 46th Division succeeds in establishing a bridgehead in the coastal sector, and the 7th Armored Division takes several places on the way to Grazzanise, but the 56th Division is pinned down and cannot push on beyond Capua. The US 3rd and 34th Divisions of the VI Corps succeed in crossing the Volturno on the right of the front. The first takes Mounts Majulo and Caruso and the Caiazzo plain to where the Calore River flows into the Volturno. On the extreme right the American 45th Division takes Monte Acero when units of the German 26th Panzer Division retire. Italy declares war on Germany at 3:00pm. Italy has the somewhat hybrid status among the Allies of 'co-belligerent'. [ | ]New BritainIn a surprise attack 349 planes of 5th Air Force drop 350 tons of bombs on Rabaul. Many of the defending aircraft are shot down and 3 destroyers and several merchant ships in the harbor are damaged. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Aleutians8 Japanese Navy bombers attack Massacre Bay and the airfield there. 11 343rd Fighter Group P-40s are sent to intercept the strike, but they do not locate the Japanese planes. []Air Operations, BismarcksAn RAAF Beaufort squadron is able to mount a torpedo attack against shipping in Rabaul’s Simpson Harbor, but 70 V Bomber Command B-24s and more than 100 V Fighter Command fighters sent against other Rabaul-area targets are thwarted by bad weather. Nevertheless, 54 of 108 B-25s press on to attack 3 airfields and shipping through rain clouds. 20 B-24s and 24 B-25s are able to attack targets of opportunity at Cape Gloucester, Cape Hoskins, Gasmata, and Lindenhafen. 3 B-25s and 4 P-38s are lost in operational accidents. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeRAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
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US 12th AIR FORCE ALBANIA: XII Bomber Command medium bombers attack the Tirana Airport. ITALY:
Air Operations, GilbertsVII Bomber Command B-24s obtain extensive preinvasion photographic coverage of Makin Atoll. Also taking part in photographing Makin is VD-3, in PB4Ys, which this day flies its maiden operational mission from the airfield on Canton Island. [ | ]Battle of the AtlanticThe German submarine U-402 is sunk by aircraft (VC-9) from the US escort carrier Card (CVD-11) in the North Atlantic area.
Diplomatic RelationsAfter Italy declaring war on Germany the previous day, Premier Badoglio tells Eisenhower, 'By this act all ties with the dreadful past are broken and my Government will be proud to be able to march with you on to the inevitable victory.' She is not regarded as a full Ally and is classed as 'Co-Belligerent'. [ | ] |
Eastern FrontSOUTHERN SECTORMost of Zaporozhe has fallen. The German perimeter has been penetrated, 12th Army closing upon the hydroelectric dam. Soviet artillery begins to pound the Germans around the dam, inflicting severe damage. Gen Karl-Adolf Hollidt's 6th Army is also involved in bitter stree fighting in Melitopol as the 28th Army fights its way into the town. [ | ]Germany, ResistanceClaus von Stauffenberg takes over the planning for the 1944 anti-Hitler coup. ItalyAmerican II and III Corps forces break across the Volturno River. Bridgeheads are established at several points on the north side despite sharp resistance. The Germans begin pulling back to the Winter Line, along the Garigliano and Sangro Rivers about 75 miles south of Rome. [ | ]MediterraneanThe US destroyer Bristol (DD-453) is sunk by a submarine torpedo from the German submarine U-371 while escorting a convoy to Oran, Algeria. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine Rasher (SS-269) attacks a Japanese convoy proceding from Ambon to Kendari, sinking the cargo ship Kenkoku Maru (3127t). [ | ] |
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Air Operations, BismarcksV Bomber Command B-25s and 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack Cape Gloucester. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, East Indies3 V Bomber Command B-25s mount harrassment attacks at Dili and Lautem, Timor. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeUS 8th AIR FORCEGERMANY: A force of 291 Flying Fortresses from 8th Air Force is sent to attack the German ball-bearing works at Schweinfurt. 228 planes drop 483 tons of bombs on target. They do considerable damage to the target but lose 60 planes with a further 140 damaged making the day become known as 'Black Thursday'. Most of the losses occur during the 400-mile round trip unescorted from Aachen. The 8th Air Force has lost a further 88 aircraft in the last week. These losses are intolerable and the USAAF abandons long-range, unescorted daylight attacks for the time being. They are not equipped to attack by night. The theories of the American airmen have been disproved on two counts. Bombers cannot fight their way to the target without prohibitive casualties and even carefully selected targets like Schweinfurt offer no great gains. Production in Germany is quickly switched to other areas, extra supplies are brought from Sweden and in any case an investigation ordered by Speer shows that stocks of ball bearings will last for several months. US 12th AIR FORCEITALY:
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Air Operations, New GuineaV Bomber Command B-25s and 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack Alexishafen. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Eastern FrontAfter intense and bitter fighting Malinovsky's troops, the Southwest Front, capture Zaporozhye, an important Ukrainian industrial center south of Dnepropetrovsk. Further south the troops of Tolbukhin's South Front are fighting in the suburbs of Melitopol and farther south still they cut the railroad leading to the Crimea from Melitopol. The Russian aim is to cut off the German 17th Army, just evacuated from the Taman peninsula, in the Crimea. They have cut the Melitopol-Crimea railway in 2 places. SOUTHERN SECTORAfter a bloody, 4-day battle Zaporozhe falls to the 8th and 3rd Guards and 12th Armies, while the continuing threat to the dam poses by the 12th Army compels the Germans to abandon their bridgehead. Heavy fighting at Melitopol continues as the 6th Army fights vigorously. SOVIET COMMANDThe Stavka prepares to launch a major assault aimed at breaking through the German defenses on the west bank of the river line and crushing the 8th and 1st Panzer Armies. The Southwest Front is to attack between Zaporozhe and Dnepropetrovsk to pin the 1st Panzer frontally while the Steppe Front breaks through at the junction of the two armies. For the operation the Steppe Front has the 5th Guards, 7th Guards, 57th and 5th Guards Tank Armies near Dnepropetrovsk and the 53rd, 4th Guards and 52nd Armies near Kremenchug. In defense the 1st Panzer Army deploys the XL and LVII Panzer Corps, XVII, XXX and LII Corps. [ | ] |
ItalyThe battle on the Volturno goes on. Gen Clark, Commander of the US 5th Army, shifts eastward the line between his 2 corps, The British X and American VI, so altering his plan of attack. The operation is made necessary by the failure of the British 56th Division to break through toward Capua. Clark's move enables the 56th Division to use one of the bridges built over the Volturno by the American 3rd Division and so cross the river upstream of Monte Triflisco. Meanwhile the American 3rd Division, which has secured a bridgehead nearly 4-1/2 miles deep during the morning, directs its attacks on Dragoni, together with the 34th Division. The American V Corps continues to advance, especially on their right, astride the Volturno toward the Venafro-Isernia sector, taking the upper Volturno valley. The British 56th Division crosses the river east of its previous position and also pushes forward. In the 8th Army sector 1st Canadian Division takes Campobasso. [ | ]Occupied PhilippinesThe Philippines is declared an independent republic under Japanese tutelage. []Occupied Soviet UnionThe inmates of Sobibor extermination camp revolt. Several Ukrainian guards and 11 SS men are killed and some 300 prisoners manage to escape, most of whom are killed by their pursuers. Those who had refused to join the revolt are all murdered. After the uprising the Germans abandon the idea of turning Sobibor into a concentration camp and close it down. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine Grayback (SS-208) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kozui Maru (7072t) north of Okinawa and eludes hunter-killer operations by the aviation supply ship Takasaki [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 A6M Zeros over Gasmata at 1000 hours. [ | ]Air Operations, East Indies6 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Boela, Ceram. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeUS 8th AIR FORCENETHERLANDS: The 356th and 55th Fighter Groups, in P-47s and P-38s, respectively, make their combat debuts in a pair of fighter sweeps over the Frisian Islands. US 12th AIR FORCEGREECE: XII Bomber Command B-25s attack the Megalo/Mikra and Salonika/Sedhes Airdromes. NATAFITALY: NATAF attack aircraft attack a vast array of communications and transportation targets servicing the battle area, as well as tactical targets within the battle area, especially around the Volturno River. Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, Solomons
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Battle of the AtlanticThe US freighter James Russell Lowell (7176t), in Convoy GUS-18, is torpedoed by U-371 off the coast of Algeria and abandoned. The British whaler Southern Sea rescued the 41-man crew and the 28-man Armed Guard. [ | ]Eastern FrontSOUTHERN SECTORAround Veliki Bukrin the Voronezh Front launches a new assault with the 27th, 40th and 3rd Guards Tank Armies, but meet fierce resistance from the XLVIII Panzer Corps. The German defenses are very thin but hold the Soviets solidly. Fighting is intense as the Germans try to wear down the Soviet attack on its start lines. The LVII Panzer Corps comes under sustained attack southeast of Kremenchug and breaks apart, the 5th Guards Army smashing the German forward positions. With the forward German defenses crushed, the Soviets introduce their armor, the 5th Guards Tank Army pouring into the rear of the 1st Panzer. The Soviet air armies provide crucial support, the 5th Air Army smashing German ground forces as the armies advance. [ | ]ItalyThe battle on the Volturno goes on. The American 5th Army continues to advance, especially on their right. The British 56th Division crosses the river east of its previous position and also pushes forward joining up with other 5th Army units which are trying to advance on to the ridge that divides them from the Rapido and Garigliano Rivers. North of the Volturno Gen Hans Hube's German XIV Panzer Corps has established 3 fortified defensive lines: the so-called 'Barbara' line which goes from Monte Massico to the Matese hills by way of Teano and Presenzano: the 'Bernhard' ('Reinhard') line, much longer and stronger, consisting of a broad strip of fortified strongholds, from the mouth of the Garigliano to Castel di Sangro, relying on the natural defenses of the mountains, Difensa, Maggiore and Camino in the area between Presenzano and Sant' Ambrogio, and Monte Sammucro west of Venafro; and lastly, further north, the 'Gustav' line, the most solid of the 3 defensive lines, which follows the Garigliano and Rapido Rivers and takes in the natural fortification provided by Monte Cassino, then turning north through Roccaraso and Casoli to finish on the Adriatic coast south of San Vito. Behind these lines stands Gen von Vietinghoff's 10th Army, with Gen Han Hube's XIV Pzr Corps to the south and Gen Trangott Herr's LXXI Pzr Corps to the north. After crossing the Volturno the American 3rd Division takes Cisterna. In the 8th Army sector 1st Canadian Division takes Vinchiaturo and Campobasso. [ | ] |
New GunieaThe Japanese mount an air attack on Allied positions in Oro Bay. The attacking aircraft take heavy losses. The attack is repeated on October 17 with the same results. [ | ]Pacific
Southeast Asia, CommandThe British Gen Sir Henry Pownall is appointed Chief of Staff to Adm Mountbatten at SEAC. Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer, an American, is to be his deputy Chief of Staff. |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks
Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeThe Luftwaffe flies many hundreds of sorties against the Dnieper bridgeheads. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
GREECE: 12th Air Force P-38 fighter-bombers attack ships at sea off the west coast of Greece. ITALY:
Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, Solomons3 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville. 6 B-25s attack the airfield at Ballale. [ | ] |
Battle of the Atlantic
ChinaAdm Lord Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander for Southeast Asia, arrives in Chungking, the provisional capital of Nationalist China, for a conference with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. [ | ]Eastern FrontThere is fierce fighting in Melitopol. SOUTHERN SECTORBloody fighting continues at Veliki Bukrin as the XLVIII Panzer Corps fends off repeated Soviet attacks. The German line around Kremenchug also collapses, enabling the Steppe Front to push southwest toward Krivoi Rog. [ | ]ItalyIn the 5th Army sector the Germans begin to make a fighting withdrawal to the 'Barbara' line according to the schedule that Kesselring has ordered. [ | ] |
Indian OceanU-533 is moving into the Gulf of Oman to operate against tanker traffic when she is attacked by a Bisley aircraft of No 244 Squadron RAF. The submarine is taken completely by surprise and sunk with four depth charges.
New GuineaA captured enemy document has enabled the Australian 9th Division to take the necessary step to repulse a series of fierce counterattacks launched by the Japanese from their strongpoint of Sattelberg, which overlooks Finschhafen. [ | ]Occupied YugoslaviaThe sixth German offensive against Tito's Partisans commences in Bosnia. It will end inconclusively in mid-January 1944. [ | ]PacificThe Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No. 31 is sunk by US Army aircraft off New Britain. [ | ]Persian GulfU-533 is sunk by patrolling aircraft from RAF 255 Squadron. []United States, CommandGen Lewis H. Brereton takes command of the US 9th Air Force in the UK. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, East Indies6 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Ternate Island in the Molucca Islands—a 2,200-mile round trip. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeRAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
ITALY: NATAF aircraft, especially A-20s and B-25s, attack numerous rail, road and tactical targets. [ | ]Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, Solomons
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Battle of the Atlantic
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ItalyUnits of the American 3rd Division take Liberi and Alvignano. Elements of the American 34th Division occupy Alvignano. [ | ]German RaidersThe last operational German auxiliary cruiser, Michel, is sunk by the US submarine Tarpon (SS-175) off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands. Michel has sunk 17 ships during its cruise. It is the last of the 10 armed merchantmen which the German navy employed during the war. Beginning in February 1940, when the first one put to sea, they were a scourge to Allied merchant vessels. Each was equipped with 6 to 8 powerful guns and torpedo tubes. Some even had 1 or 2 of their own reconnaissance planes. Raiders only attacked ships operating alone. With the exception of 1 raider captain, Helmuth von Ruckteschell who was later tried as a war criminial, the officers commanding these ships always operated within the rules of warfare and international law. In all, the raiders accounted for a total of 133 ships of 830,000 tons. []MediterraneanThe British submarine Trooper is presumed lost on a patrol east of Leros probably due to mining. She had departed Beirut September 26 and due back this date. The entire crew of 63 is lost. [ | ]NorwayAllied destroyers land Norwegian troops on Spitzbergen. [ | ]Pacific
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Air Operations, BismarcksNearly 80 43rd, 90th, and 380th Heavy Bomb group B-17s and B-24s are sent to hit Rabaul, but abort in the face of bad weather. 54 38th and 345th Medium Bomb group B-25s, however, proceed at lower altitude and are able to attack the Tobera and Rapopo airfields at Rabaul and shipping from very low level. An estimated 70 Japanese airplanes are destroyed on the ground, and 2 ships are claimed as sunk. 2 B-25s and 1 crew are lost. Also, 7 of the heavy bombers are able to attack Cape Gloucester, 13 are able to attack Cape Hoskins, and 6 attack Sio (New Guinea). [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeRAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
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YUGOSLAVIA: XII Bomber Command B-25s attack marshalling yards at Skoplje, and escorting P-38s attack locomotives and motor vehicles. [ | ]Air Operations, New GuineaV Bomber Command B-25s attack roads around Bogadjim. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Axis DiplomacyHitler confers with two Bulgarian Regents. [ | ]Battle of the AtlanticThe US freighter Delisle, in Convoy WB-65, hits a mine laid by U-220 about 15 miles out of St. John's, Newfoundland, as she is rescuing survivors of the British freighter Penolver. There are no casuaties among the 32-man crew, the 7-man Armed Guard and 3 sailors from Penolver. The British trawler Miscou rescues the survivors. [ | ]Diplomatic RelationsA conference of the Allied powers takes place in Moscow, attended by Cordell Hull representing US President Roosevelt, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov. The governments of the US, USSR, China and Britain make a number of declarations, including the early establishment of an international organization to maintain peace and security (the United Nations). Regarding German atrocities, the conference resolves: 'Those responsible... will be sent back to the countries in which their abominable deeds were done in order that they may be judged and punished according to the laws of these liberated countries.' Britain and the US assure the USSR that a second front will be created by the following spring. [ | ] |
Eastern FrontThe fighting for Melitopol continues. The Soviets have now penetrated to the center of the town. SOUTHERN SECTORIn Melitopol the 28th Army has penetrated to the city center, the 6th Army beginning to cave in under the repeated Soviet assaults. [ | ]ItalyThe US 3rd and 34th Divisions reach Dragoni. After taking Roccaromana they prepare for the decisive attack to capture Dragoni and the bridges over the Volturno beyond it. Gioia is also taken. Montgomery's 8th Army launches a fresh offensive and pushes towards the Trigno River. [ | ]Occupied ItalyThe first trainloads of Jews leave Rome for the Auschwitz concentration camp despite many citizens handing over gold to save them. [ | ]Pacific
SolomonsThere is a heavy air attack on the Japanese air base at Buin on Bougainville. They also resume their attacks on Rabaul with considerable effect. Gen Haruyoshi Hyakutake, in command of the Japanese 17th Army, deploys his forces, about 33,000 men, for the defense of Bougainville. 25,000 are concentrated south of the island, near Buin and Kahili airfields, 5,000 on the north coast, aboutn 3,000 on the east coast where the mouths of several rivers might serve as possible landing sites. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, East IndiesV Bomber Command B-25s and RAAF Hudsons attack Fuilaro, Timor. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEITALY:
Air Operations, New Guinea
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Diplomatic Relations
ItalyThe Germans pull out of Dragoni just before the attack from 34th Division goes in. [ | ]MediterraneanOver the next two days B-25s and Beaufighters attack convoys north of Crete. The German prison ship Sinfra is sunk. 566 men are rescued. [ | ] |
Eastern FrontThe Soviets attack Pyatikhatki, to the west of Dnepropetrovsk. Konev's forces are storming out of the Kremenchug bridgehead and making for Krivoy Rog. Manstein is desperately bringing up reserves to meet this attack and give the forces holding the bend of the Dniepr time to pull back. In the Kiev sector the Soviet units are busily consolidating their bridgeheads north of the city. They capture Vishgorod as well. SOUTHERN SECTORThe Soviets abandon their attacks at Veliki Bukrin. Vatutin immediately begins to move his forces surreptitiously away from this sector to Lyutezh, 100 miles to the north. Unknown to the Germans, the 3rd Guards Tank Army starts to pull out of the line and cross to the east bank of the river. In the Dniepr elbow the Southwest Front takes Pyatikhati. Vishgorod also falls after a brief battle. [ | ]PacificA US Navy communiqué reveals that since December 7, 1941, US submarines have sunk or damaged more that 400 Japanese vessels (319 confirmed sinkings). The tally would have been higher had it not have been for defective torpedoes, which often did not explode on hitting a vessel. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Gasmata. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeAttempted night raids on London and Hull fail abysmally. BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
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Air Operations, GilbertsVII Bomber Command B-24s and VD-3 PB4Ys obtain extensive preinvasion photographic coverage of Tarawa Atoll. [ | ]Air Operations, New Guinea
Battle of the AtlanticAircraft (VC-13) from the US escort carrier Core (CVE-13) sink the German submarine U-378 in the North Atlantic area.
CaribbeanU-516 sinks 6 ships in the Caribbean and escapes despite a week-long hunt by Allied forces. [ | ]Diplomatic RelationsBritain, Russian and the United States agree to establish an investigative War Crimes Commission establishing the basis for the Nürnberg war crimes trials. [ | ]Eastern Front4 Russian 'Fronts', army groups, previously known as Voronezh, Steppe, Southwest and South, are re-designated 1st to 4th Ukraine Fronts. CENTRAL SECTORArmy Group Center reports to OKH that is is in excess of 200,000 men below establishment. |
SOVIET COMMAND The Stavka re-designates its southern fronts, the final major change to the order of battle of the Soviet formations on the southern wing for the remainder of the war. The Voronezh Front is renamed the 1st Ukrainian Front, the Steppe Front becomes the 2nd Ukrainian, the Southwest Front the 3rd Ukrainian and the South Front the 4th Ukrainian Front. Rokossovsky's Central Front becomes the Belorussian Front, while Yeremenko's Kalinin Front is renamed the 1st Baltic Front and the old Baltic Front under Popov becomes the 2nd Baltic. [ | ]ItalyThe US 45th Division takes Piedimonte d'Alife while on its left 3rd and 34th Divisions advance on either side of the Volturno with the 34th taking Alife. While the US 3rd Division continues its march northward against Mignano, west of the Volturno, the 34th makes for Capriati on the Volturno, east of the river. [ | ]New GuineaThe 24th Brigade arrives at Finschafen to reinforce the Australian 9th Divison troops already there and to help clear the continuing Japanese resistance in the area. [ | ]Pacific
Soviet Union, Armed ForcesIn recognition of the Red Army's advances, the Stavka renames a number of fronts. The Voronezh Front becomes the 1st Ukrainian Front, the Steppe Front the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the Southwestern Front the 3rd Ukrainian, and the Southern Front the 4th Ukrainian. The Central Front is renamed Belorussian Front, the Kalinin Front becomes the Baltic Front and the Baltic Front is retitled 2nd Baltic. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, BismarcksV Fighter Command P-40s attack Gasmata and 2 Japanese cruisers off Kavieng. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeAn American P-40 squadron destroys a Stuka formation about to attack Yugoslav Partisans. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
ALBANIA: XII Bomber Command B-17s attack rail and road bridges. ITALY:
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Air Operations, New GuineaMore than 50 V Bomber Command B-24s and 19 B-25s attack Sattelberg from high and low altitudes, respectively. Other B-25s sweep roads around Bogadjim. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Britain, Home FrontThe First Sea Lord Adm Sir Dudley Pound dies at age 66. [ | ] |
IndiaLord Wavell is installed as viceroy of India. [ | ]MediterraneanGerman planes attack Convoy MKS-38, strafing and torpedoing the US freighter Tivives (4596t) about 15 miles off Cape Tenes, Algeria. 1 of the 48-man crew and 1 of the 25-man Armed Guard are lost in the attack. The Free French-manned British corvette Lamalouine rescues the survivors. [ | ]Mediterranean, CommandAdm Sir John Cunningham succeeds Adm Sir Andrew Cunningham in command of the RN forces in the Mediterranean. Occupied MalayaSubhas Chandra Bose forms the pro-Axis provisional government of Azad Hied ('Free India') at Singapore. His proclamation says its aim is to 'bring about the expulsion of the British and their Allies from India.' Occupied PhilippinesJapan grants 'independence' to the Philippines, but has little real value as the islands remain under Japanese jurisdiction. [] |
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AegeanOver the next 3 days 3 Allied destroyers hit mines in the Aegean. [ | ]Air Operations, BismarcksMore than 50 V Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers attack Gasmata. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, East Indies11 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack nickel mines at Pombelaa, Celebes. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeBOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
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Other Ops:
It was on this night that an RAF ground radio station in England, probably the one at Kingsdown in Kent, started its broadcasts with the intention of interrupting and confusing the German controllers' orders to their night fighters. The Bomber Command Official History describes how, at one stage, the German controller broke into vigorous swearing, whereupon the RAF voice remarked, 'The Englishman is now swearing'. To this, the German retorted, 'It is not the Englishman who is swearing, it is me'.US 12th AIR FORCE GREECE: XII Bomber Command B-25s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome, and 82nd Fighter Group P-38 escorts down 2 Bf-109s near the target about 1230 hours. ITALY:
Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, PacificThe Japanese lose 123 aircraft during another massive US air raid on air facilities around Rabaul. [ | ] |
Air Operations, Solomons
Britain, CommandGen Robert Laycock becomes the British Chief of Combined Operations, one of only 2 survivors from the 'Keyes Raid'.(see November 17, 1941) [ | ]Italy8th Army comes into action once more. Near the coast 78th Division seizes a small bridgehead over the Trigno during the night. 5th Army is still fighting hard to make any sort of advance. Units of the 34th Division begin the attack on Sant' Angelo d'Alife, but are driven back. [ | ]MediterraneanIn the British Aegean Campaign while carrying out a diversion the Greek destroyer Adrias hits a mine off the east coast of Kaymnos and is beached at Gumushuk on the Turkish coast. 21 of her crew are killed and 21 wounded. Going to aid the Adrias the British destroyer Hurworth sinks on a mine east of Kaymnos with the loss of a number of officers and men. 85 survivors are rescued and taken to Budrun, Turkey. [ | ]Pacific
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Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, Central PacificA P-40 with the 15th Fighter Group’s 45th Fighter Squadon downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat near Baker Island at 1220 hours. [ | ]Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEALBANIA:
Air Operations, New Guinea
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Air Operations, Solomons24 AirSols SBDs, 18 TBFs, and 60 AirSols fighters attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville and antiaircraft batteries. 11 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 16 XIII Fighter Command P-38s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville followed by 6 B-24s and 16 AirSols fighters attacking the same airfield. 24 SBDs, 18 TBFs, and 36 XIII Fighter Command fighters next attack the Kara airfield. 6 B-24s attack Kakasa. 1 aircraft is shot down and another is destroyed in an operational accident. [ | ]Battle of the Atlantic
Britain, PolicyChurchill sends Adm Mountbatten clear directives about the limits and the objectives of his mandate as Supreme Allied Commander for Southeast Asia. [ | ]Diplomatic RelationsThe privisional government of India of Subhas Chandra Bose declares war on Britain and the US. [ | ]Eastern FrontMelitopol falls to the Gen Tolbukhin's 4th Ukraine Front after 10 days of fighting. The thrust from Kremenchug toward Krivoy Rog is still making good progress but slows as the opposition stiffens. The Soviets are now within 20 miles of the town and have cut the railroad to Dnepropetrovsk. |
SOUTHERN SECTOR The 6th Army loses control of Melitopol to the 28th Army. With its line broken, 6th Army retreats rapidly to the Dniepr, losing contact with the 17th Army in the Crimea, leaving Jaenecke's force isolated. [ | ]English ChannelA German squadron protecting a blockade runner sinks the British cruiser Charbydis and the destroyer Limbourne. The German torpedo boats T-23 and T-27 each put a torpedo into the cruiser sinking her. 520 men are lost. [ | ]ItalyIn the 5th Army sector Sparanise is taken by the British 56th Division. The 8th Army attacks across the Trigno River northwest of Termoli. [ | ]MediterraneanGerman planes raid Allied shipping off Naples, Italy hitting the US freighter James Iredell with 3 bombs setting fire the ship's gasoline cargo. The ship is abandoned with no casualties among the 44-man crew and 28-man Armed Guard. [ | ]New BritainRabaul is raided on both this day and the next. 1 destroyer is sunk in the harbor along with 5 merchant ships. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine Silversides (SS-236) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Tennan Maru (5407t) and army cargo ships Johore Maru (6182t) and Kazan Maru (1893t) about 300 miles north of New Guniea. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeBOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
FRANCE: 200 3rd Medium Bomb Wing B-26s, escorted by 205 VIII Fighter Command P-47s and 48 P-38s, attack the Beauvais/Nivillers, Montdidier, and St.-Andre-de-L'Eure Airdromes. US 12th AIR FORCEALBANIA: XII Bomber Command medium bombers attack the Tirana Airport. AUSTRIA:
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NATAF aircraft attack road and rail targets along the Dalmatina coast. [ | ]Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, Solomons9 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 13 AirSols fighters attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville. 47 AirSols SBDs, 22 TBFs, and 28 AirSols fighters attack antiaircraft batteries in the area of the Kahili airfield. In another attack on Kahili, 36 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 39 AirSols fighters attack the runway and revetments. There are no Allied losses. [ | ]Atlantic32 German MTBs make an unsuccessful attack on a convoy off Cromer. 2 MTBs are lost. [ | ]Battle of the Atlantic
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Eastern FrontSOUTHERN SECTORThe 5th Guards Tank Army breaks through to Krivoi Rog as the 37th Army moves to support, only to be held back by the 11th Panzer Division. A German counterattack forces the 5th Guards Tank to pull back its forward units. On the Nogaisk Steppe the XLIV Corps, having been evacuated from the Taman and deployed on the extreme southern wing of the 6th Army, is struck by the 2nd Guards Army and almost overrun. However, the Germans hastily reorganize their units and counterattack, halting the Soviet advance. [ | ]ItalyThe US 34th Division takes Sant'Angelo. This is one of the few successful actions in this phase of the battle. The Germans continue to slow down the Allies' progress. [ | ]MediterraneanThe British destroyer Eclipse sinks on a mine in the Aegean Sea with the loss of 260 on board. 109 of the men on board are rescued by various ships in the area. [ | ]PacificThe Japanese destroyer Mochizuki is sunk by US naval land-based aircraft east of New Britain. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, CBIFRENCH INDOCHINA
Air Operations, EuropeBOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
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Air Operations, New GuineaV Bomber Command B-24s mount a light attack against Manokwari. 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Japanese Army ground troops near Lae. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons31 AirSols SBDs, 18 TBFs, and 30 fighters attack the runway and antiaircraft batteries at the Ballale airfield. [ | ]Eastern FrontMalinovsky launches a powerful attack across the Dniepr at Dnepropetrovsk and Dneprodzerzhinsk. Both towns are taken comparatively easily along with the Dnepropetrovsk Dam because the German forces there have been weakened to meet Konev's attacks and von Kleist's forces have not yet been brought into line from the Crimea. Berlin admits the German position in Russia to be 'extremely grave'. SOUTHERN SECTORFighting at Dnepropetrovsk leaves the XXX Corps shattered, the town falling to the 46th and 8th Guards Armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Dneprozherzinsk also falls. Elements of the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Ukrainian again reaches Krivoi Rog but heavy rain impedes the advance. [ | ]ItalyAllied forces are directd to press offensive actions and engage a maximum number of Germans who might be massing for a counteroffensive. [ | ] |
New GuineaThe Japanese have no more forces to throw into the attack and begin to withdraw to their strongpint of Sattleberg, north of Finschhafen. [ | ]North SeaThe British minesweeping trawler William Stephen is sunk by German motor torpedo boat S-74 off Cromer. In return, British motor gunboats MGB-607 and MGB-603 sink S-63 and S-88. [ | ]Occupied BurmaThe Burma-Siam Railway ('Death Railway') is completed by Allied PoWs and native coolies. The Japanese project to build a track through dense jungle forests is achieved at tremendous human cost. A fifth of the 61,000 Allied prisoners on the project die as a result of accidents, abuse, disease and starvation. This is the largest of Japan's many projects across Asia. The Japanese captors show complete indifference to the sufferings of their captives. Despite the massive construction project, the railway delivers much less capacity than originally intended. []PacificUS Vice-Adm Spruance issues his first plan for Operation GALVANIC, the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEGREECE:
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Battle of the AtlanticU-420 is sunk by Liberator 'A' of No 10 Squadron RCAF.
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Eastern FrontSOUTHERN SECTORKleist orders the 17th Army to evacuate the Crimea to prevent its isolation in the peninsula. However, Hitler immediately countermands the order, instructing the 17th to stand fast. [ | ]India, Home FrontWavell visits famine-stricken areas in Bengal. Relief camps are to be established. [ | ]New GuineaThe Japanese outposts around Finschhafen begin to withdraw toward Sattelberg. [ | ]PacificThe Treasury Islands assault group, part of Rear-Adm Theodore S. Wilkinson's Task Force 31, sails for its objective. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack a supply dump and port facilities at Gasmata. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeBOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
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Air Operations, New GuineaJapanese bombers on their way to drop supplies to Japanese Army ground troops at Sattelberg are intercepted by V Fighter Command fighters. 35th Fighter Group P-39s and 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 Japanese bombers and 7 fighters in the Finschhafen area between 1735 and 1745 hours. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Britain, Home FrontMiss Radclyffe Hall, notorious author of 'Well of Loneliness' published in 1928 dealing with lesbianism, dies at age 63. [ | ]Eastern FrontGerman Army Group A counterattacks in the Melitopol area to establish positions in front of Nikopol and Krivoy Rog and allow the German and Rumanian 17th Army to escape from the Crimea. The evacuation is to begin on November 1. SOUTHERN SECTORThe XL Panzer Corps launches a fierce counterattack near Krivoi Rog. It strikes the 5th Guards Tank Army in an effort to prevent the capture of the town. A week of bitter fighting ensues, which succeeds in halting the Soviet drive. The German 6th Army begins to recross the Dniepr at Nikopol. However, the XLIV Corps has the farthest to go, having to cross at Kherson to prevent the Soviets from crossing near the mouth of the river. The units of the XLIV are severely reduced, its 73rd Infantry Division have just 170 combat infantry and the 111th only 200. The 6th Army also only has 25 operational tanks and assault guns. [ | ] |
Italy8th Army captures Montefalcone. Nearer the coast a night attack expands 78th Division's bridgehead across the Trigno but the main German defenses still hold out. [ | ]Japan, PoliticsEmperor Hirohito acknowledges that the war in the Pacific is entering a crucial phase, with the Allies poised to reclaim much of the south Pacific from the Japanese. As early as 1942, Hirohito attempted to persuade the Japanese Government to negotiate a settlement with the Allies, correctly believing that Japan could not sustain a long-term campaign against the US. [ | ]PacificGen Robert Row's 8th Brigade of the New Zealand 3rd Division lands on Stirling and Mono Islands of the Treasury Islands. The first is entirely undefended, the second is manned by a few Japanese who put up no resistance. The operation is supported by aircraft based in New Georgia. Treasury Island is subsequently used as a build-up point for the Bougainville invasion forces. During the night the 2nd Parachute Battalion of the US Marines lands on Choiseul in the Solomons and during the next few days carries out a number of demonstrations with the idea of appearing far more numerous than they are. The Japanese are not deceived for more than a day or two; actually Radio Tokyo at first announces that 20,000 Americans have landed on Choiseul, but the surprise action very soon turns into a war of attrition. In Operation BLISSFUL the 2nd Marine Parachute Bn is landed by sea at Voza on Choiseul. That is intended to be a diversion from the attack on Bougainville. After a series of sharp actions they are withdrawn from the operation. The US submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks the Japanese transport Nanman Maru (6550t) north of Palau. The US submarines Shad (SS-235) and Grayback (SS-208) sink the Japanese merchant cargo ship Fuji Maru (9138t) and damage the cargo vessel Kamo Maru. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks
Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEITALY:
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Air Operations, New Guinea348th Fighter Group P-47s strafe coastal tagets around Sio. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons19 AirSols TBFs, 38 SBDs, and 46 fighters attack the Kara airfield on Bougainville followed by 19 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attacking the same target. 21 TBFs, 38 SBDs, and 32 fighters attack the airfield at Ballale. [ | ]Battle of the AtlanticThe German submarine U-220 is sunk by aircraft (VC-1) from the US escort carrier Block Island (CVE-21) in the North Atlantic area.
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Eastern FrontAs Russian advances continue, Berlin radio admits 'the main German defenses have been broken'. SOUTHERN SECTORThe IV Corps of the 6th Army launches a counterattack from Nikopol against the flank of 4th Ukrainian Front. [ | ]New Zealand, Home FrontButter is rationed. []PacificThe US submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks the Japanese fleet oiler Koryu Maru (589t) north of Palau. [ | ]United States, Home Front530,000 coal miners go on strike. On November 1 Roosevelt commandeers the mine. The strike ends two days later. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, Bismarcks
Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, East Indies
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Air Operations, EuropeUS 12th AIR FORCEITALY:
Air Operations, New GuineaV Bomber Command B-24s attack the Waroe Bay area, and 17 B-25s attack the Madang area. [ | ]Air Operations, Solomons
Battle of the AtlanticU-282, near Convoy ON-208, is destroyed after a long hunt by a Hedgehog explosion delivered by the British corvette Sunflower.
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Eastern FrontArmy Group Center, now commanded by Field-Marshal Ernst Busch in succession to Gunther von Kluge, fights with great vigor to hold up the enemy near the Orsha River with 4th Army and in front of Vitebsk with the 3rd Panzer Army. The German forces between Orsha and Vitebsk come under renewed pressure from the Soviet armies. The brunt of the attacks is borne by Gen Gotthard Heinrici's 4th Army but he expertly organizes the defense to repel them. His performance in these and later battles earns him the reputation as probably the best defensive tactician in the German army. CENTRAL SECTORGen Busch is appointed commander of Army Group Center. Kluge had been injured in a crash and was invalided until the middle of 1944. As if to give Busch his baptism of fire, the West Front renews its attacks around Orsha and the 1st Baltic Front around Vitebsk. [ | ]ItalyCanatlupo is taken by troops from XIII Corps of 8th Army. The port of Mondragone is captured by 5th Army. [ | ]Pacific
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Air Operations, BismarcksV Bomber Command B-25s attack barges in Rein Bay, but bad weather over the target causes a bombing mission against Rabaul to be canceled. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, EuropeUS 9th AIR FORCEFRANCE:
ITALY:
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Air Operations, Solomons
Diplomatic RelationsThe Moscow Conference between the Foreign Ministers of the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the United States ends. The principle of 'unconditional surrender' for Germany is confirmed, as is the wish to found an international organization for the preservation of peace. It is also decided to set up in London a consultative European commission to study the problems that will arise on the continent when the war ends. [ | ] |
Eastern FrontIn their advance across the Noraysk Steppe, the Soviet forces reach Genichesk cutting one exit from the Crimea for the Axis forces. The Russians now control several bridgeheads on the right bank of the Lower Dnieper, together with the entire left bank, except for the Nikopol Salient. SOUTHERN SECTORSoviet tanks reach Perekop and cut the main land route out of the Crimea. Genichesk, the last railway route out of the peninsula, is also captured as 17th Army is isolated once again. At this point Hitler relieves Gen Eberhard von Mackensen from command of the 1st Panzer Army, Gen Hans Hube being appointed in his place. [ | ]ItalyOn the west coast 5th Army takes Mondragone, having penetrated the 'Barbara' line there. Inland the other units of the army continue their advance over the difficult hilly terrain against tenacious defense. The Germans counterattack the 8th Army bridgehead over the Trigno. [ | ] |
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Air Operations, BismarcksV Fighter Command P-40s attack barges off New Britain, but bombing missions against Rabaul are canceled because of bad weather over the target. [ | ]Air Operations, CBIBURMA
Air Operations, EuropeBOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
ALBANIA:
Air Operations, Solomons
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Battle of the Atlantic
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THE OSTHEER Despite its falling strength, the Ostheer had committed another 3 panzer, 2 infantry and 1 security divisions to the fighting but 4 infantry divisions left the line. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd SS Panzer-Grenadier divisions had also been redesignated panzer divisions. German strength stood at 22 panzer, 9 panzer grenadier and 150 infantry divisions. [ | ]ItalyIn the British X Corps sector Teano is taken by the 56th Division in the course of attacks toward Monte Santa Croce by the 7th Armored Division and the 46th Division. To the left attacks also go in against Monte Massico. In the east, where the British 8th Army is operating, the 5th Division captures Cantalupo. The Italian 1st Motorized Group is incorporated into the US 5th Army, the first Italian unit to enter the war as an Allied co-belligerent. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine Rasher (SS-269) sinks the Japanese oiler Koryu Maru (589t) off Pambero, Indonesia. [ | ]SolomonsTask Force 31 sails for Bougainville, having taken on board in the Central Solomons the 20,000-odd men of the 1 Amphibious Corps of the US Marines, made up of the 37th Inf Division and 3rd Marine Division, under the command of Gen Alexander Vandegrift. The Americans are well aware that they are outnumbered, but rely on support from their powerful navy and air force, which in the course of the last weeks has put every enemy airfield in the south of Bougainville out of action. [ | ]United States, Home FrontMax Reinhardt, a German-Jewish theatrical producer, dies at age 70. [ | ] |
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[ September 1943 - November 1943] |