Air Operations, Europe

The American heavy bomber forces drop 57,000 tons, most of it by 8th Air Force. Among the targets are Kassel, Cologne, Hamm and Munster and in the oil offensive Buer, Sterkrade, Bohlen, Homberg and Regensburg. Synthetic manufacturing plants, refineries and stores are all hit.

RAF Bomber Command drops 50,000 tons on German targets including Duisburg, and 10,000 tons in 2 raids of Essen and Cologne. There are also heavy attacks in support of the armies and in these the RAF drops 10,000 tons mainly in the Walcheren area.

Air Operations, Carolines

11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s pass through Eniwetok to attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 36 10th Air Force P-47s attack Thetkegyin.
• 20 P-47s attack troops at Pinlon and rail lines throughout northern Burma.
• 4 P-47s attack Shwegugale.

• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 100 effective sorties against Japanese Army troops around Mangshih and Hsinganhsien, and numerous other targets across broad areas south of the Yangtze River.
• 6 10th Air Force P-47s attack Lungling and sweep the Burma Road in southwestern China.
• During the night, 18 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Tienho and White Cloud airfields at Canton and Wuchou.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack Langoan on Celebes, Taka in the Molucca Islands, and the port at Bolaang-oeki on Celebes.
• B-25s attack Lembeh and Menado on Celebes.
• B-25s and FEAF P-38s attack barges and luggers off Halmahera.
• P-38s attack Amahai and Kairatoe on Ceram and shipping off Amboina.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Hudsons are on Resistance operations, 73 Halifaxes are on fuel-carrying flights, and 2 Liberators and 1 Wellington are on signals investigation Patrols.
• There are no losses.

• 48 Mosquitos are sent to Brunswick, 8 each to Heilbronn and Krefeld, and 6 each to Dortmund and Koblenz, and there are 2 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command A-20s and V Fighter Command P-47s attack the airfields at Doeroa, Langgoer, and Faan.
• A-20s and P-38s attack Fak Fak and the airfield at Urarom.
• P-40s attack Doom Island, Idorra, MacCluer Gulf, and Windissi.

Air Operations, Philippines

1 VB-101 PB4Y makes repeated strafing runs against Wolfe Field at Zamboanga, where it destroys 3 Japanese Navy floatplanes (and damages 4 others) and sets fire to at least 3 G4M 'Betty' bombers.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

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

Diplomatic Relations

Hungarian officials secretly arrive in Moscow to conclude an armistice agreement.

Eastern Front

The Finns begin operations against German forces in northern Finland.

The Finnish Army makes an assault landing against the German garrison at Tornio in the Gulf of Bothnia.

Greece

British commando units coming from Kithira land at Poros. Greek troops land at Mitilini, Lemnos and Levita.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Saipan attack Chichi Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

As part of an ongoing all-out supply and troop-lift effort throughout the CBI, USAAF transport aircraft complete more than 260 effective sorties, a 1-day record so far in the region.

• 8 10th Air Force P-47s attack road bridges north of Lashio.
• 4 B-25s attack bridges in the Namhkai area.
• 49 P-47s attack bridges and occupied towns in the Bhamo area.
• More than 20 P-47s attack troops and rail targets in northern Burma.
• 7 P-47s attack Kutkai.

• 16 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Samshui and the Tienho and White Cloud airfields at Canton.
• 11 B-25s attack Pingnam.
• More than 70 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets south of the Yangtze River and on into northern French Indochina.
• 8 10th Air Force P-47s attack targets between Lungling and Loiwing.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack Haroekoe in the Molucca Islands.
• B-25s attack the Laha airfield on Ceram and barges and coastal villages in the Molucca Islands.
• P-38s attack the Amahai and Kairatoe airfields on Ceram, and shipping in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

Sqn-Ldr Joseph Berry, who has destroyed 60 V-1s in his Tempest fighter, is missing over Holland.

• 8 Hudsons are on Resistance operations, 71 Halifaxes are on fuel-carrying flights, and 3 Liberators and 2 Wellingtons are on signals investigation patrols.
• There are no losses.

• 34 Mosquitos are sent to Brunswick, 7 to Pforzheim and 4 each to Dortmund and Frankfurt, 1 aircraft is on a Resistance operation, and there are 39 Mosquito patrols and 3 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Fighter Command P-40s attack the airfields at Otawiri and Ransiki, and small vessels along the coast.
• A 419th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Sansapor at 0054 hours.

Burma

In accordance with the decisions of the British War Cabinet, Adm Mountbatten orders that the offensive against Mandalay should be launched as quickly as possible, while the other planned operations are postponed and reduced. Mountbatten has maintained pressure on the Japanese 15th Army after its defeat in the Imphal offensive by ordering the campaign to continue during the monsoon season. Headquarters of the northern Burma sector is to guarantee the security of air communications between India and China and to re-establish land communications between the two countries.

Eastern Front

In the area of Negotin, south of Turnu Severin, in Yugoslavia, the Russian 57th Army is engaged in a bitter battle with the German Serbia Group, part of Gen Maximilian von Weichs' Army Group F.

Elements of the Soviet 8th Army land on Dago Island.

The 3rd Panzer Army, having identified the build up of Soviet forces on the Memel axis, redeploys 2 panzer and 1 motorized division from Jelgava to Memel.

The last units of the Home Army surrender in Warsaw, bringing the bloody uprising to an end. In the fighting the Poles have lost 15,000 military and 200,000 civilian dead. The scale of atrocities committed by the SS is considerable. Calls by army generals during the fighting to curb these excesses have been largely ignored, Gen Bronislav Kaminski only being brought to book after the battle was over. The fighting cost the Ostheer 10,000 killed, 7,000 missing and 9,000 wounded.

The 57th Army isolates part of the German Serbia Group near Negotin.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Saipan attack shipping and reconnoiter Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 17 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Pingnam and road and river traffic around Canton, Samshui, and Wuchou.
• 6 B-25s mount individual attacks through the day against the Tienho and White Cloud airfields at Canton.
• 14th Air Force fighter-bombers mount more than 100 effective sorties against numerous targets over a vast area south of the Yangtze River.

Air Operations, East Indies

• 39 5th and 307th Heavy Bomb group B-24s based at or staging through the Kornasoren airfield on Noemfoor attack oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo.
• FEAF B-24s and B-25s attack the Taka airfield in the Molucca Islands, and barges and targets of opportunity along the Amboina and Ceram coasts.
• B-25s attack the Galela and Kaoe airfields on Halmahera, and Sanana (Molucca Islands).
• FEAF fighter-bombers attack the seaplane base at Halong (Celebes), the Haroekoe airfield on Ceram and the Namlea airfield on Boeroe.
• 7 B-24s are downed by Japanese fighters over Balikpapan.

Air Operations, Europe

The German bombardment of Britain with V-2 long-range heavy rockets has resumed from new launch sites dotted across Holland.

The Me-262 jet fighter becomes operational as 40 of the aircraft are based near Osnabruck.

• 252 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos begin to attack the sea walls of Walcheren island. Coastal gun batteries at Walcheren dominate the approaches to the port of Antwerp, whose facilities could handle 40,000 tons per day of much needed supplies when ships could safely use the approaches. The intention is to flood the island, most of which is reclaimed polder below sea level. The flooding will submerge some of the gun batteries and also hamper the German defence against eventual ground attack. The target for this first raid is the sea wall at Westkapelle, the most western point of Walcheren.

• The main bombing force is composed of 8 waves, each of 30 Lancasters, with marking provided by Oboe Mosquitos and Pathfinder Lancasters, with the whole operation being controlled by a Master Bomber. The attack goes well and a great mass of high-explosive bombs, mainly 1,000- and 500-pounders but with some 4,000-pounders, force a gap during the fifth wave of the attack. Later waves widen the breach until the sea is pouring in through a gap estimated to be 100 yards wide. 8 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron which were standing by are not needed and carry their valuable Tallboy bombs back to England.
• There are no losses from this successful operation.

• 5 Hudsons are on Resistance operations and there are 6 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 43 Mosquitos are sent to Kassel, 6 each to Aschaffenburg and Pforzheim, 5 to Münster and 4 to Kamen, and there are 19 Intruder patrols and 1 RCM sortie.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Fak Fak and Otawiri.

Eastern Front

In Estonia troops of the Leningrad Front land on the island of Hiiumaa, at the entrance to the Gulf of Riga, and begin the destruction of the German garrison. The 3 Baltic Fronts continue their pressure on the German Army Group North which is being slowly driven back toward Riga. German forces seize control of communications facilities in Hungary after learning of secret peace talks with Moscow.[MORE]

Germany, Strategy

Hitler approves OKW's plan for the 20th Mountain Army in Norway to withdraw to the Lyngen position: Operation NORDLICHT. The units involved are XIX, XXVI and XVIII Mountain Corps.

Air Operations, Carolines

• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.
• USMC transports begin air-evacuating casualties from the airfield on Peleliu to the Momote airfield on Los Negros.

Air Operations, CBI

• 16 10th Air Force P-47s attack Palwesho.
• 8 P-47s attack a bridge near Bhamo.
• 4 P-47s attack several occupied towns near Bhamo.

• 5 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Hsinantien and the Chefang area.
• More than 20 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack the Paoching area.
• More than 80 fighter-bombers attack many targets of opportunity while on armed reconnaissance strikes over large parts of southern China.
• A 23rd Fighter Group P-51 downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber near Wuchou during the morning.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack Bolaang-oeki and Sidate on Celebes.
• B-25s and A-20s attack the port areas on Amboina and at Halong on Celebes, and various shipping and other targets of oppportunity.
• B-25s and P-40s attack the Galela and Kaoe airfields on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

RAF BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:

• German U-boats have been forced out of the Biscay ports following the Allied liberation of France and Bergen was one of several Norwegian ports now being used as the forward operating bases for the U-boats. The pens at Bergen are being enlarged with an influx of German technicians and a large labour force. 93 Halifaxes and 47 Lancasters of Nos. 6 and 8 Groups are sent to attack Bergen. Most of the aircraft are allocated to the pens, but 14 Halifaxes and 6 Lancasters are ordered to bomb individual U-boats known to be moored in the harbor. 12 Mosquitos of No. 100 Group act as a long-range fighter escort.

• The raid appears to be successful and only 1 Lancaster is lost. 7 bombs hit the U-boat pens, causing little structural damage because of the thickness of the concrete roof, but the electrical-wiring system in the pens is completely put out of action. Nearby ship-repair yards are seriously damaged. 3 U-boats are damaged by the bombing but they did not sink. 3 other small ships are also hit. Two of them sink and the third the German auxiliary Schwabenland, has to be put in dry dock for repair.

• 2 Wellingtons and 1 Liberator fly RCM sorties without a loss.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to Pforzheim, and 5 to Heilbronn, 47 Lancasters and 31 Halifaxes lay mines off Oslo and in the Kattegat, 15 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 36 Mosquito patrols and 4 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Heilbronn raid and 2 Lancaster and 1 Halifax are lost laying mines.
• The Me-262 fighters see their first action but are ineffective. They will eventually shoot down 25 Allied bombers, but their cumbersome take-off and landing, and the routing restrictions necessitated by their high fuel consumption, sees 35 of them lost.

Air Operations, Japan

Despite opposition from as many as 17 Japanese Navy fighters, 4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-25s attack a barge and a freighter off Shimushu Island.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Iwo Jima and shipping west of Iwo Jima.

Burma

In the British XXXIII Corps sector the 11th East African Division captures Yazagyo, while the 5th Indian Division nears Tiddim.

Eastern Front

In the area of Negotin, Yugoslavia, the Russian 57th Army surrounds and routs the German divisions of the Serbia Group. Pancêvo on the north bank of the Danube just east of Belgrade is taken by troops of the Russian 46th Army of the 3rd Ukraine Front. The Russian forces also reach Vladimirovac and link with Partisan units near there.

Germany, Home Front

It is reported that German males born in 1928 are to be called up.

Greece

Allied forces land on the Pelopanese near Patras. There ore other landings on the Aegean islands. Patras is occupied on October 5.

Japan, Home Front

Mitsuru Toyama, former leader of the extreme right-wing terrorist organization, the 'Black Dragon Society', dies at the age of 89.

Air Operations, Carolines

• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.
• VMF-113 F4U fighter-bombers establish a new long-distance endurance record for their type [see April 22, 1944] when they mount an attack against Ponape Island from their base at the Engebi airfield on Eniwetok. The round trip is 750 miles. Such attacks soon become commonplace.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Namhkai.
• 11 10th Air Force P-47s attack Mawlu and locomotives and targets of opportunity around Naba.

• 12 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 22 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack Koyiu, Samshui, and Takhing. 8 B-25s attack targets of opportunity in the Canton and Wuchou areas.
• 3 B-25s attack stores at Mangshih.
• More than 50 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack troops and communications targets across large areas of southern China.
• 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51s down a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter and 3 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters over Sanshui during the afternoon.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack airfields in the Kendari area on Celebes.
• B-25s and P-38s attack Amboina town, the Kairatoe airfield on Ceram, and shipping and coastal targets of opportunity around Amboina and Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

• 227 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito attempt to bomb Wilhelmshaven throught thick cloud. The marking and bombing are all based on H₂S and the results appear to be scattered. 18 Lancasters do not join the main effort, but bomb a group of ships seen through a break in the clouds. A report from the ground only states that 12 people are killed.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 5 aircraft are on Resistance operations and there are 5 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 531 Lancasters and 21 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups make the first major RAF raid on Saarbrücken since September 1942. The raid is made at the request of the American 3rd Army which is advancing in this direction. The object of the raid is to cut the railways and block supply routes generally through the town. The bombing is accurate and severe damage is caused in the main town area north of the Saar River, the area through which the main railway lines run. Damage is particularly heavy in the Altstadt and Malstatt districts.
• 3 Lancasters are lost.

• 20 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 26 more to 5 other German targets, 10 Halifaxes lay mines off Heligoland, 9 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group lay mines in the Kiel Canal, and there are 47 Mosquito patrols and 36 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Japan

2 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack Kashiwabara and Kurabu Cape.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack airfields at Babo, Efman, and Samate, and Doom Island, Simora Point, and Urarom.
• A-20s attack bivouacs and supply caches around Sarmi.

Atlantic

During the night 36 Linsen boats are lost during an attempted raid off the Scheldt River.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector the armies of the 1st Baltic Front starting from the area of Siualiai, in Lithuania, open a powerful offensive toward the Baltic and East Prussia, with the aim of bottling up the German Army Group North. It is left to the 2nd and 3rd Fronts to continue the advance toward Riga.

Soviet forces land on Saaremaa Island in the Baltic. The German forces on the island make a fighting withdrawal toward the Syrve peninsula.

Almost at the other end of this enormous front, Malinovsky's 2nd Ukraine Front, starting from the area or Arad, in Romania, begins the offensive against southeast Hungary, aiming for Szeged and Budapest.

Elements of the 8th Army land no Yezel Island but encounter strong German resistance.

Using thick fog as cover, the 1st Baltic Front opens its offensive toward Memel. Over the preceding couple of weeks the front has redeployed the 51st and 5th Guards Tank Armies around Siauliai. Between Dobele and Rasianiai the 1st Baltic Front has the 3rd Shock, 42nd, 4th Shock, 6th Guards, 51st, 5th Guards Tank, 43rd and 2nd Guards Armies. Supporting the southern wing, based just south of Rasianiai, is the 39th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front. To the north, around Riga, the 1st Baltic has the 43rd and 4th Shock Armies, while the 2nd Baltic has the 22nd and 10th Guards Armies east of Riga and the 3rd Baltic Front, northeast of Riga, has the 54th 61st, 1st Shock, 67th and 2nd Shock Armies.

Air Operations, Europe

• 254 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group and 46 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos of No. 8 Group attack the synthetic oil plants at Sterkrade and Scholven/Buer. Both raids take place in clear conditions and the bombing is considered to be accurate.
• 4 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters are lost on the Scholven raid and 3 Halifaxes on the Sterkrade one.

• 4 Liberators and 3 Wellingtons fly signals investigation patrols without a loss.

• 523 aircraft of Nos. 3, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Dortmund. Included in the aircraft total are 248 Halifaxes, 247 Lancasters and 28 Mosquitos. No. 6 Groups provides 293 aircraft, the greatest effort by the Canadian group during the war. This raid opens a phase which some works refer to as 'The Second Battle of the Ruhr'. The Pathfinder marking and the bombing are both accurate and severe damage is caused, particularly to the industrial and transportation areas of the city, although residential areas also suffer badly.
• 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito are lost.
• 246 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 5 Groups carry out the last of 32 major Bomber Command raids on Bremen during the war. The raid, based on the No 5 Group marking method, is an outstanding success. Severe damage is caused to the AG Weser shipyard, the two Focke-Wulf factories, the Siemens Schuckert electrical works and other important war industries. The 'transport network' is described as being seriously disrupted. It is interesting to note the increased efficiency and hence destructive power of Bomber Command at this time. Bremen, with its shipyards and aircraft factories, had been the target for many carefully planned Bomber Command raids earlier in the war and was the target for one of the much publicized 1942 1,000-bomber raids. Now this raid by no more than a quarter of the total strength of Bomber Command, hardly mentioned in the history books, has finished off Bremen and this city need not be attacked by Bomber Command again.
• 5 Lancasters are lost.

• 22 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 11 to Ludwigshafen and 2 to Saarbrücken, 19 aircraft lay mines off Texel and Heligoland and in the Weser River, 6 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 76 Mosquito patrols and 35 RCM sorties.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid and 1 on a Serrate patrol.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Hsenwi.
• More than 20 10th Air Force P-47s attack a bridge at Seywa and Japanese Army ground troops at Bilumyo and Mawlu.

• 12 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Wuchou and targets of opportunity around Canton.
• More than 50 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity south of the Yangtze River.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s and P-38s attack Amahai on Ceram, Namlea on Boeroe, and Waai on Celebes.
• P-38s attack the Kaoe airfield on Halmahera and shipping near Djailolo Island.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command P-47s attack Kaimana.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

During the night, 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount harrassment attacks against Iwo Jima.

China

As a result of the breach between Chiang Kai-shek and Roosevelt, Gen Stilwell is relieved of the post of Chief of Staff to the Generalissimo. He is now only to command the Chinese troops in Burma and those, trained and equipped by the Americans, in the province of Yunnan. Stilwell is also relieved of his responsibility for supplies to China under the Lend-Lease Act.

Eastern Front

Units of the Leningrad Front land on Saaremaa Island, south of Hiiumaa Island, in the Gulf of Riga. Russian forces cross into Czechoslovakia over the Tisca River from Hungary.

The 3rd Panzer Army is reeling as the Soviet 4th Shock, 5th Guards Tank, 6th Guards, 39th, 43rd and 51st Armies join the offensive and the weather allows the Soviet 1st Air Army to fly ground-support missions. Hitler forbids the abandoment of Riga.

The Soviet Debrecen Offensive opens. The 2nd Ukrainian Front (Group Pliev, the 7th Guards, 6th Guards Tank, 27th, 40th, 46th and 53rd Armies) attacks between Oradea and Arad, smashing the Hungarian 3rd Army. In the northeast of the country, the Soviet 1st Guards and 18th Armies (4th Ukrainian Front) engage the 1st Panzer and Hungarian 1st Armies. Pancevo falls to the Soviet 46th Army.[MORE]

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 10th Air Force P-47s attack troops and stores at Man Hpa.

• 53 14th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets in south-central China.
• P-51s of the 23rd Fighter Group’s 74th Fighter Squadron down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Erh Tao Kow airfield at Chiuchiang.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack Amboina and Langoan, Tompaso and Tondegesang on Celebes.
• FEAF P-38s attack Kaoe on Halmahera and fuel stores at Boela on Ceram.
• A 418th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crew downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane near Morotai at 0335 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 351 aircraft of Nos. 3, 4 and 8 Groups are sent to bomb the small German town of Kleve. Included in the aircraft total are 251 Halifaxes, 90 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos. Kleve, along with Emmerich, stands on the approach routes by which German units can threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen which had been left exposed by the failure of Operation MARKET GARDEN. Visibility is clear and the center and north of the town are heavily bombed, although some crews bomb too early and their loads actually fall in Holland near Nijmegen.
• 2 Halifaxes are lost.
• 340 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups carry out an even more accurate attack on Emmerich.
• 3 Lancasters are lost.
• 121 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group continue the attack on Walcheren Island. The sea walls which are breached near Flushing.
• There are no losses.
• In another No. 617 Squadron special operation, the Kembs Dam is hit. The Kembs Dam on the Rhine, just north of Basle, holds back a vast quantity of water and it is feared that the Germans would release this to flood the Rhine valley near Mulhouse, a few miles north, should the American and French troops in that area attempt an advance. The Squadron is asked to destroy the lock gates of the dam. 13 Lancasters are dispatched. 7 aircraft are to bomb from 8,000ft and draw the flak, while the other 6 will come in below 1,000ft and attempt to place their Tallboys, with delayed fuses, alongside the gates. American Mustang fighters will attempt to suppress flak positions during the attack. The operation goes according to plan. The gates are destroyed but 2 Lancasters from the low force are shot down by flak.

• 2 Hudsons are on Resistance operations, and there are 2 Ranger patrols and 5 RCM sorties.

• 46 aircraft of No. 100 Group fly an operation in which various electronic devices and 'Window' are used in an attempt to lure the German night-fighter force into the air to waste its fuel. The feint is made in the direction of Bremen, using the same route as had been used in the raid carried out the previous night. Radio listening stations in England hear the German controllers plotting the supposed force 'vigorously', but few night fighters are scrambled. Mosquito Intruders and Serrate aircraft, which are part of the No. 100 Group force, then fly on towards Bremen and claim an Me-110 destroyed and a Ju-88 damaged. 1 further RCM Halifax flies a signals listening patrol.
• No aircraft are lost on this night.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-38s attack Doom Island and the airfield at Babo.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Following a dawn strafing attack against Wolfe Field at Zamboanga by 1 VB-101 PB4Y, which accounts for at least 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber and 4 floatplanes destroyed, 19 V Bomber Command B-24s attack targets near Zamboanga City on Mindanao and 39 8th Fighter Group P-38 escorts attack the San Roque airfield on Mindanao, 3 cargo ships, seaplanes, and other targets of opportunity in the area.
• This is the first mission to the Philippines on which escort fighters are dispatched. The P-38s are based at the Wama airfield on Morotai.

Eastern Front

The Russian 14th Army attacks in northern Finland.

The Soviet 14th Army (96,806 men), Karelian Front, commences the Petsamo-Kirkenes Offensive against the German XIX Mountain Corps (56,000 troops) aimed at clearing the Germans from the Murmansk sector. Soviet preparations have been thorough and Lt-Gen Vladimir Shcherbakov's 14th Army has substantial support for the operation. This includes a total of 2,100 mortars and artillery pieces plus 120 multiple rocket launchers. Air support consists of 747 bombers, ground-attack aircraft, fighters and reconnaissance types (German aircraft in this sector number 160). In the absence of suitable roads, many of the supplies needed to sustain the offensive will be transported by animals. To this end the 14th Army has 141 horses and over 500 reindeer. In addition, dogs are on hand to detect wounded soldiers left on the battlefield, who will be removed on sleds, litters and flat-bottomed boats to field stations.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Kawlin, Namhkai, and Wuntho.
• More than 20 10th Air Force P-47s attack a bridge at Seywa, rail lines in northern Burma, and targets of opportunity around Manyut and Mawhun.

• 12 14th Air Force P-40s and P-51s attack river traffic, motor vehicles, and rail lines around Pengtse and Yuncheng.
• 2 311th Fighter Group P-51s down a Ki-21 'Sally' medium bomber near Yuncheng at 0555 hours.
• A 23rd Fighter Group P-51 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter in an engagement near Wuchou at 1140 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF P-38s attack barge hideouts at Dodinga Bay in the Molucca Islands, and supply dumps and targets of opportunity around Kaoe Bay near Halmahera and Wasile Bay.
• P-47s attack Amahai and Boela on Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 Mosquitos fly Ranger patrols over Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark shooting down an Me-109 in Schleswig-Holstein, and 1 Wellington flies a signals patrol.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the airfields at Efman and Samate, Simora Point, Sorong, and Doom Island.

Britain, Home Front

The new ministries of Social Insurance and Aviation (Civil) are established.

Eastern Front

Finnish troops retake Kemi at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. This is the last port in Finland that has been held by the Germans.

As the Soviet 14th Army continues to make headway, Gen Lothar Rendulic orders the 6th Mountain Division of the XIX Mountain Corps to withdraw to positions alont the Titovka River. The 2nd Mountain Division is also to pull back to positions east of Luostari. Recognizing the peril German units face, front commander Gen Kirill Meretskov orders the 14th Army to capture Luostari by late on October 9.

Fierce battles rage in Hungary. Group Pliev (Gen Issa) has penetrated nearly 70 miles behind the German front and is closing in on Karcag. The 6th Tank Army though is held up by elements of the German 6th Army near Oradea while the 46th Army crosses the Tisza River near Szeged.

The 57th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front attacks across the Morava River to seize Velika Plana. This move severs the railway line between Belgrade and Nis. The 1st Bulgarian Army begins to attack elements of Army Group E at Nis, as did Tito's XIII Corps.

Air Operations, Carolines

25 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges and targets of opportunity in the Lashio area.
• More than 50 10th Air Force P-47s attack bridges at Manyut and Mawlu, Japanese Army positions and the town area at Mawhun and Nyaunggon, Japanese Army positions near Mawhun, and several targets around Katha.

• 3 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping along the eastern Yangtze River.
• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack targets near Mangshih.
• 29 14th Air Force P-40s and P-51s attack numerous targets in southeastern and south-central China.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack Boela and Kairatoe on Ceram, Liang on Amboina, and Namlea onBoeroe.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack Hate Tobako airfield and the Lolobata airfield on Halmaheras and nearby targets of opportunity.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 Wellingtons and 2 Liberators fly uneventful signals patrols without a loss.

• 435 aircraft are sent to Bochum. Included in the aircraft total are 375 Halifaxes, 40 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The raid is not successful. The target are is covered in cloud and the bombing is scattered.
• 4 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.

• 47 Mosquitos are sent to Wilhelmshaven, 5 to Krefeld, 4 to Saarbrücken and 3 to Düsseldorf, and there are 57 Mosquito patrols and 34 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Samate.
• A-20s and V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the airfields at Faan and Langgoer.
• P-40s attack Manokwari.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

18 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Saipan attack Iwo Jima.

Allied Planning

Adm Nimitz issues the first directives for the invasion of Iwo Jima, fixed provisionally for January 20, 1945. Adm Spruance is appointed to command the operation, together with Vice-Adm Richmond K. Turner in charge of the amphibious force and Gen Holland M. Smith, who will command the expeditionary corps. The forces will be assembled in Hawaii and the Marianas.

China

Chiang Kai-shek in a memorandum denounces Allied strategy in Southeast Asia. The blame for the loss of southeastern China, where the Japanese are making rapid progress in the area northwest of Hong Kong, which is where the American airfields are sited, is put on Gen Stilwell, but indirectly on Pres Roosevelt.

Diplomatic Relations

Churchill and Eden visit Moscow for talks with the Russians on arrangements for the political future of eastern Europe. The conference will last until October 20. For some of the discussion there are representatives of the exile London Polish government present. They achieve no real concessions from the Soviets. Similarly Stalin insists that Bulgaria and Romania are to remain a Soviet sphere of influence entirely. Greece is to come under British sway and in Hungary and in Yugoslavia influence is to be divided. The western powers do not feel able to press Stalin any harder than this because they value his promise to join the war against Japan as well as his continuing help against a still undefeated Germany. Stalin will in fact scrupulously stick to his word about keeping out of Greece. As far as concessions are concerned, the Americans are much more accommodating to the Russians and less far-seeing than the British statesman.

The Dumbarton Oaks conference ends and plans are concluded for collective security measures to be organized by the United Nations.

The 2nd Moscow Conference opens. Attended by Churchill, Stalin, Harriman and their advisors, it will concern the USSR's entry into the war against Japan; post-war division of the Balkans; and the future of Poland. The main focus of the conference is Soviet influence in a post-war Eastern Europe. Stalin debates with Churchill the influence that Britain and the USSR should have in the Balkans. Churchill writes details on a piece of paper that divides Romania, Greece, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Bulgaria between the Western Allies and the USSR. Recognizing the realities of the situation in Eastern Europe, Churchill gives Stalin 90 percent of Romania, 10 percent of Greece, 50 percent of Yugoslavia, 50 percent of Hungary and 75 percent of Bulgaria (subsequent debates between the British and the Russian foreign secretaries altered the percentages of Bulgaria and Hungary to suit the Russians). Churchill's main interest is Greece, and, with Stalin's approval, he authorizes British soldiers to be dispatched there. But Churchill's proposal of a meeting between the leader of the Polish government in London and the Soviets to determine a Polish-Soviet frontier comes to nothing.

Eastern Front

Units of the Soviet XCIX Rifle Corps begin to cross the Titovka River on log rafts and at fording sites, though German pockets are still fighting on the east bank of the river. The absence of roads is seriously affecting the Soviet advance by delaying ammunition re-supply and the movement of artillery units. This is seriously depleting artillery support for the infantry. Overhead, the weather permits the Soviets to fly over 1,000 air support sorties. The Germans respond with 200 air sorties.

Air Operations, CBI

• 28 10th Air Force P-47s attack Man Naung and Tawbon, Japanese Armytroops near Pinhe, and targets of opportunity around Momauk.

• 12 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a ferry at Kunlong.
• 38 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack numerous targets in southern and east-central China and shipping along the northern French Indochina coast.
• A 74th Fighter Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over the airfield at Amoy at 1406 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

• Preceded by 16 35th Fighter Group P-47s, 11 V Fighter Command and 49th Fighter Group P-38s, 58 22nd, 43rd, and 90th Heavy Bomb group B-24s, and 49 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 868th Heavy Bomb Squadron SB-24s mount the largest attack of the war against the airfield and oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo. The V Fighter Command and 49th Fighter Group P-38s and 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 18 Japanese Army fighters over Borneo between 1030 and 1115 hours, resulting in no oppostion against the bombers. Four B-24s and one P-38 are lost.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and FEAF P-38s attack Djailolo, the Hate Tobako airfield, the Kaoe airfield on Halmahera, and Wasile Bay while P-47s attack Liang on Amboina.

Air Operations, Europe

• 4 Hudsons and 3 Stirlings are on Resistance operations, and there are 2 Rangere patrols and 3 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 49 Mosquitos are sent to Cologne, 6 each to Aschaffenburg and Pforzheim, 5 to Duisburg and 2 to Düsseldorf, and there is 1 Liberator on an RCM sortie.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack the airfield at Urarom Airdrome.
• A-20s attack the Sarmi area.

Air Operations, Pacific

• The oil refineries at Balikpapen are devastated by a US raid by B-24 bombers. Oil is one of Japan's most threatened raw materials. Prior to the war it imported nearly 80 percent of its oil supplies, around 60 percent of that coming from the US. The Balikpapen refinery alone produces 40 percent of Japan's oil imports at this stage of the war.
• Over the next 5 days the US continues to demonstrate its air superiority in a massive air campaign against the island of Formosa. During one action on the 13th, 124 Japanese fighters are shot down in a massive aerial dogfight. More that 95 further aircraft are destroyed on the ground. US losses are 22 aircraft. The total Japanese losses in the Formosa-Ryukyus-Luzon area at the end of the 5 days are 350 aircraft destroyed on the ground and 596 shot down. In addition, more than 70 Japanese cargo, oiler and escort ships are sunk.

Air Operations, Ryukyus

• Despite bad weather throughout the region, US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 mount 1,396 effective sorties against Okinawa and other islands in the Ryukyus. Japanese air strength is severely depleted and airfields are severely damaged. Full photographic coverage Okinawa’s defenses is obtained, and strike aircraft are credited with destroying 4 cargo ships, a submarine tender, 2 midget submarines, 12 torpedo boats, numerous sampans, and countless targets ashore. 21 US aircraft are lost. All but 5 pilots and 4 crewmen are rescued.
• A VF-19 F6F downs a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber 30 miles from Task Force 38 at 0625 hours.

• VF-29 F6Fs down 2 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers at sea at 0650 and 0712, respectively.
• A VF-11 F6F downs a D3A 'Val' dive bomber at sea at 0830 hours. VF-27, VF-14, VF-15, and VF-51 F6Fs, and a VT-19 TBM crew down 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomber, 2 D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers, and 11 fighters over Okinawa—mostly in the vicinity of the Yontan airfield on Okinawa between 0915 and 1005 hours.
• A VF-13 F6F downs a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Okinawa at 1300 hours.
• A VF-14 F6F downs 3 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers at 1400 hours.
• A VF-22 F6F downs 1 J1N 'Irving' fighter at sea at 1630 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

14 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Saipan attack Iwo Jima and nearby shipping.

Balkans

Corinth in Greece is taken by British and Greek forces.

Baltic Sea

U-2331 is lost in an accident during training, the exact circumstances of which are unclear. She is raised and taken to Gotenhafen, but the time submerged had irreparably damaged the boat's systems.

U-2331

Eastern Front

In the northern sector the advance of the 1st Baltic Front reaches the sea north of Memel. Other armies of the same Front on the left flank push on to the Niemen River, on the northeast frontier of East Prussia. In the south 3rd Ukraine Front continues to attack south of Belgrade reaching and cutting the railway from Nish to Belgrade at Velika Plana, a little south of Belgrade. There is a big tank battle at Debrecen in southeastern Hungary. The Germans are pushed back but then counterattack and destroy 3 Russian corps.

The position of the German XIX Mountain Corps is perilous; it faces an envelopment of its right flank by the Soviet CXXVI Light Rifle Corps, an enemy breakthrough toward Luostari and Petsamo, and an envelopment of its left flank by naval infantry. Indeed, German positions along the Srednii Isthmus are battered by a 47,000-round, 90-minute artillery barrage. Following this Soviet naval infantry attack and break through the German lines. To the south, the CXXVI Light Rifile Corps is now west of Luostari, having marched over 45 miles in 72 hours. Meanwhile, the Soviet CXXVII Light Rifle Corps crosses the Petsamo River. There is fierce fighting between the Soviet CXXXI Rifle Corps and the German 6th Mountain Division along the Russian Road.

Palanga falls to the 51st Army, isolating the 16th and 18th Armies in the Kurland Peninsula and around Riga. The 5th Guards Tank Army also reaches the Baltic coast near Memel as the 43rd Army strikes the XXVIII Corps inside the town. The 2nd Guards Army pushes toward Tilsit.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts launch concentric attacks upon the German units crammed into the Riga defenses. After costly fighting the Soviets are repulsed, enabling the 18th Army to evacuate the bulk of its units to Kurland. Attacks continue throughout the day and finally pierce the outer defenses.

The isolation of Army Group North in the Kurland Peninsula sever a large group of forces from the German line in the east. Hitler's continued insistence that every yard of ground be held condemns the half million men of this army group to a secondary role for the remainder of the war.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10th Air Force B-25s attack three bridges.
• 23 10th Air Force P-47s attack two bridges and Japanese Army troops and stores at Hkawan and Tawbon.
• 15 P-47s attack Japanese Army positions and artillery batteries near Pinhe.
• 9 P-47s attack Manwein and nearby targets of opportunity.
• 8 P-47s attack two occupied towns.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge near Mangshih.
• 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack targets of opportunity near Mangshih.
• 3 P-40s attack sampans between Tanchuk and Tengyun.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Langoan area and Koeandang on Celebes.
• A-20s and FEAF fighter-bombers attack Haroekoe, Kairatoe, and Laha on Ceram, Liang on Amboina, and Namlea on Boeroe.

Air Operations, Europe

• 160 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups attack the Fort Frederik Hendrik battery position at Breskens, on the south bank of the Scheldt, while 115 Lancasters of No. 5 Group attack guns near Flushing on the north bank. Both attacks start well but more than half of the Breskens force has to abandon the raid because their target becomes covered by smoke and dust. Two large explosions are seen at Flushing.
• 1 Lancaster is lost on the Breskens raid.
• 61 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group attempt to breach the sea walls at Veere on the northern coast of Walcheren Island but are not successful.
• There are no losses.

• 2 Hudsons are on Resistance operations and there are 3 RCM sorties and 1 Ranger patrol.
• There are no losses.

• 46 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 8 to Wiesbaden and 4 to Heilbronn.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Group B-25s attack Paramushiro and Shimushiro.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command A-20s attack Japanese Army troops at Sarmi.
• V Fighter Command P-47s attack the airfields at Babo and Langgoer.

Air Operations, Philippines

• In support of the impending invasion of the central Philippines at Leyte Island, and as Task Force 38 refuels at sea, 61 US carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.1 and and Task Group 38.4 attack the Aparri airfield on Luzon.
• 1 US carrier bomber is downed and 6 carrier aircraft are lost in operational accidents.
• Task Force 38 fighters down 3 G4M 'Betty' bombers and 1 G3M 'Nell' bomber over the Philippine Sea between 1015 and 1920 hours.
• During the night, FEAF B-24s attack Matina, Sasa and the Buayoan airfield on Mindanao.

Atlantic

The US tank landing craft LCT-293 founders and sinks in heavy weather in the English Channel.

China

Chiang Kai-shek asks Roosevelt to recall Gen Stilwell immediately.

Eastern Front

In Hungary troops from 2nd Ukraine Front, Rodion Malinovsky, cross the Tisza around Szeged which is taken. Further east they besiege Debrecen, another major strongpoint in the German-Hungarian defensive system. In a desperate battle before Cluj, the Romanians are fighting side by side with the Russians. Cluj falls after a long struggle.

Heavy fighting continues in Riga. Schorner is trying to establish a defensive perimeter from Libau, via Dobele and Tukums, to Riga. The 16th Army holds the line around Riga and to the west while the 18th Army is redeploying from Libau to the junction with the 16th Army.

Cluj is encircled as the 40th and 27th Armies link up, trapping minor elements of the 2nd Hungarian Army. After a brief struggle the town falls. The German 8th Army is now hurriedly pulling its forces back upon Debrecen. Szeged falls to the 46th Army after a protracted struggle.

The IV Guards Motorized Corp links up with elements of the XIV Yugoslav Corps which has pushed along the river from Nis.

Air Operations, Bonin Islands

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

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 10th Air Force B-25s attack a bridge near Lashio.
• 3 B-25s attack bridges at Kawlin and near Man Pwe.
• 18 10th Air Force P-47s attack rail targets between Mawlu and Naba and Japanese Army troops and stores near Natakaung.
• 12 P-47s attack the Nyaunggon and Pintha areas.

• 3 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 12 14th Air Force P-40s attack stores at Chefang and a bridge and targets of opportunity in the Mangshih area.
• 40 P-51s and P-40s attack numerous targets in southern China and western Burma.

Air Operations, Europe

V-weapons are launched against Antwerp. The Belgian city is to be the main target of the missiles after London. The Germans had promised to demolish Antwerp with waves of bombers if the port were opened to the Allies, but the V-weapons begin falling without warning. From now until the terror bombing ended in March a total of 1,214 V-1s and V-2s are used. About 3,000 people die, mostly civilians, and as many as 15,000 people are wounded as a result of the V-weapons.

• 111 Halifaxes and 26 Lancasters of Nos. 6 and 8 Groups attack the oil plant at Wanne-Eickel. A direct hit on a storage tank early in the raid produces dense cloud and smoke which hinder later bombing. A German report says that the refinery itself is not seriously damaged, but that the GAVEG chemical factory is destroyed. It is possible that the bombers are aiming at the wrong target.

• 86 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 1 and 8 Groups attack a gun battery near Breskens and destroy 2 of the 4 gun positions.
• There are no losses.

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance operation and there are 3 RCM sorties.

• 52 Mosquitos are sent to Hamburg, 6 each to Düsseldorg and Wiesbaden, 4 to Koblenz and 2 to Schweinfurt.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Hamburg raid.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the airfields on Celebes.
• B-25s, A-20s, and V Fighter Command P-47s attack the Haroekoe and Laha airfields on Ceram, the Liang airfield on Amboina, the Kairatoe airfield on Ceram, and the Namlea airfield on Boeroe.
• FEAF P-38s attack various targets of opportunity on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Formosa

In support of the impending invasion of the central Philippines at Leyte, US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 mount 1,378 effective sorties to neutralize Japanese air and naval power. Opposition is unexpectedly strong. 48 US carrier aircraft are lost. Task Force 38 F6Fs down 211 Japanese aircraft—nearly all fighters—over Formosa between 0700 at 1442 hours. US Navy fighters and several TBM crews down 8 G4M 'Betty' bombers, 1 Ki-21 'Sally' bomber, 1 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber, 1 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber, 1 twin-engine airplane, and 1 J1N 'Galaxy' bomber at sea between 1630 and 2150 hours.

Air Operations, Japan

3 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s attack an airfield and shipping in the Kurile Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command A-20s attack Japanese Army pillboxes around Sarmi.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack Manokwari and Urarom.

Eastern Front

In Hungary Oradea is taken by 2nd Ukraine Front while a little to the north the battle for Debrecen goes on. Subotica, just west of Szeged, is taken by combined attacks by Tito's Partisans and the Russian forces. Soviet troops cut the Belgrade-Budapest rail line at Subotica.

The 18th Army attempts to stand on the Riga-Tukums line but comes under fierce attack. The 67th Army crosses Lake Kis.

Oradea falls to the 7th Guards Army as the Soviets destroy the German division holding the town. There is continued heavy fighting at Debrecen where a counterattack by elements of the 6th Tank Army frees their isolated corps near the town.

In northern Yugoslavia the 46th Army and Yugoslav partisans take Subotica. Farther south the 57th Army and IV Guards Motorized Corps move toward Belgrade from the south, launching a fierce attack upon the city. Elements of the I and XIV Yugoslav Corps support the attack. Army Group F still has considerable forces in the city area, 22,000 troops being inside the city, 20,000 to the south and 15,000 facing the advancing 57th Army to the southeast.

Air Operations, Carolines

• 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Yap Atoll.
• 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 38 10th Air Force P-47s attack Japanese Army troops around Myothit and three occupied towns.
• 12 P-47s attack a bridge at Wanling.
• 8 P-47s support Allied ground troops near Mohnyin.
• 4 P-47s attack targets of opportunity near Wanling.

• 71 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack targets in the Kweiping area.
• 67 fighter-bombers attack numerous targets across southern China and into western Burma.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s attack Menado on Celebes and nearby targets.
• A-20s and fighter-bombers attack oil facilities at Boela and Amahai, the Kairatoe airfield on Ceram, and the Namlea airfield on Boeroe.
• P-38s attack anti-aircraft batteries and Japanese Army troops on Halmahera and northeastern Celebes.
• During the night, FEAF SB-24s mount nuisance raids against the Balikpapan area on Borneo.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 Wellingtons and 1 Liberator carry out uneventful signals patrols.

• 57 Mosquitos are sent to Cologne and 4 to Stuttgart. A report from Cologne says the bombing is scattered across the city, but only minor damage is reported.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Formosa

• US carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 continue to attack air and naval targets. Opposition is very light as 947 effective sorties sweep the island from dusk until noon.
• At twilight, as she is recovering aircraft, the USS Franklin is damaged when she is struck by 1 of 4 low-flying G4M 'Betty' bombers that deliver an unsuccessful torpedo attack. 1 of the 'Bettys' is downed by a VF-13 F6F, 1 crashes into the Franklin, and the others are downed by ships’ fire. In another attack, the heavy cruiser USS Canberra is damaged by a torpedo.
• 2 VF(N)-41 F6Fs down 3 H8K 'Emily' flying boats over Takao at 0500 hours.
• Carrier-based fighters and a VT-8 TBM crew down 2 E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance planes, 1 E16A 'Paul' reconnaissance plane, 5 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters, 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber, and 1 Ki-57 'Topsy' transport plane over Formosa during the morning.
• Carrier-based fighters down 12 G4M 'Betty' bombers, 1 Ki-57 'Topsy' transport plane, 2 D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers, 3 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers, and 2 fighters at sea between 1600 and 1830 hours.

Air Operations, Japan

• 4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s photograph and attack Kashiwabara.
• 4 B-25s attack the Kurabu Cape airfield and buildings on Tomari Cape.

China

Gen Patrick Hurley, Roosevelt's personal representative with Chiang Kai-shek, recommends to the President that Gen Stilwell should be recalled.

Eastern Front

Troops from the 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts break the German defense ring around Riga and reach nearly to the outskirts of the city. German forces in northern Latvia are threatened with encirclement.

The German 163rd Infantry Division launches a counterattack to the north and west of Luostari (which is now in Soviet hands) as the 2nd Mountain Division digs in between Luostari and Petsamo along Arctic Ocean Highway.

Air Operations, CBI

• 32 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack troops and towns in areas of southern China.

Air Operations, East Indies

• 49 V Bomber Command B-24s and 49 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo.
• FEAF B-24s sow mines at Pombelaa, Celebes.
• B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack the Haroekoe and Laha airfields on Ceram.
• 2 V Bomber Command B-24s are lost over Balikpapan.
• 49th, 347th, and 475th Fighter group P-38s and 35th Fighter Group P-47s down 38 Japanese fighters over Borneo's Manggar airfield and Balikpapan between 1030 and 1055 hours.
• 5 V Fighter Command fighters are lost over Balikpapan. but several pilots are rescued by PBYs.

Air Operations, Europe

During the day 1,063 bombers escorted by 300 fighters drop 5,000 tons of bombs on Duisburg. During the night 1,005 bombers drop 4,500 tons of bombs in 2 night attacks. 20 planes are lost in the raids. 2,450 people are killed. Diversionary operations include a destructive attack on Brunswick where 561 people are killed. The 8th Air Force sends 1,000 bombers, escorted by P-47s and P-51s, to attack Cologne.

• 519 Lancasters, 474 Halifaxes and 20 Mosquitos are sent to Duisburg with RAF fighters providing an escort. 957 bombers drop 3,574 tons of high explosive and 820 tons of incendiaries on Duisburg. This raid is part of a special operation which has received little mention in the history books. On the previous day, Sir Arthur Harris received the directive for Operation HURRICANE: 'In order to demonstrate to the enemy in Germany generally the overwhelming superiority of the Allied Air Forces in this theatre ... the intention is to apply within the shortest practical period the maximum effort of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command and the VIIIth United States Bomber Command against objectives in the densely populated Ruhr.' Bomber Command had probably been forewarned of the directive because it is able to mount the first part of the operation soon after first light on this day.
• 13 Lancasters and 1 Halifax are lost. It is probable that the Lancasters provided the early waves of the raid and drew the attention of the German flak before the flak positions were overwhelmed by the bombing.
• For their part in Operation HURRICANE, the American 8th Air Force sends 1,251 heavy bombers escorted by 749 fighters. More than 1,000 of the American heavies bomb targets in the Cologne area. No Luftwaffe aircraft are seen.
• American losses are 5 heavy bombers and 1 fighter.

• 2 aircraft are on Resistance operations and there are 2 RCM sorties.

• Bomber Command continues Operation HURRICANE by sending 1,005 aircraft including 498 Lancasters, 468 Halifaxes and 39 Mosquitos to attack Duisburg again in 2 forces 2 hours apart. 941 aircraft drop 4,040 tons of high explosive and 500 tons of incendiaries during the night.
• 5 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes are lost.
• Nearly 9,000 tons of bombs have fallen on Duisburg in less than 48 hours. Local reports are difficult to obtain. The Duisburg Stadtarchiv does not have the important Endbericht

  the final report. Small comments are available: 'Heavy casualties must be expected.' 'Very serious property damage. A large number of people buried.' 'Thyssen Mines III and IV: About 8 days loss of production.' 'Duisburg-Hamborn: All mines and coke ovens lay silent.'

• Not only could Bomber Command send more than 2,000 sorties to Duisburg in less than 24 hours, but there is still effort to spare for No. 5 Group to attack Brunswick with 233 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos. The various diversions and fighter support operations laid on by Bomber Command are so successful that only 1 Lancaster is lost from this raid. Bomber Command had attempted to destroy Brunswick 4 times so far in 1944 and No. 5 Group finally achieves that aim on this night, using their own marking methods. It is Brunswick's worst raid of the war and the old center is completely destroyed. A local report says 'the whole town, even the smaller districts, was particularly hard hit'. It is estimated by the local officials that 1,000 bombers had carried out the raid.

• 20 Mosquitos are sent to Hamburg, 16 to Berlin, 8 to Mannheim and 2 to Düsseldorf, 141 training aircraft make a diversionary sweep to Heligoland, 100 aircraft of No. 100 Group make RCM, Serrate and Intruder flights, and 8 aircraft are on Resistance operations.
• 1 Halifax is lost on the diversionary sweep and 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid.

Air Operations, Formosa

• Japanese aircraft based on Formosa (including hundreds of Japanese Navy reinforcements drawn from the carrier fleet) mount 419 offensive sorties through the day in an all-out effort to cripple Task Force 38. 1 heavy cruiser is damaged. In response, and to help cover the slow withdrawal of crippled US warships, Task Force 38 aircraft undertake a day of airfield strikes not envisaged in the original plan.
• Task Force 38 fighters down 10 fighters, 1 D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber, and 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber over Okinawa between 0710 and 0930 hours; 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber, 3 D4Ys 'Judy' dive bombers, and 2 fighters at sea between 1030 and 1250 hours; 13 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers within 15 miles of the carriers at 1500 hours; 20 D4Y 'Judys' and 1 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber over the carriers at 1515 hours; 1 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance plane, three D4Y 'Judys', and 2 A6M Zeros just outside the task force screen between 1530 and 1545 hours; 3 D4Y 'Judys', 1 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bomber, and 12 fighters 50 miles off Formosa between 1600 and 1610 hours; 2 twin-engine aircraft 25 miles from the carriers at 1615 hours; 4 D4Y 'Judys' within 40 miles of the carriers at 1630 hours; 1 A6M Zero at sea at 1650 hours; 1 P1Y 'Galaxy', 1 B5N 'Kate', 2 B6N 'Jills', 1 D3A 'Val' dive bomber, 1 Ki-45 'Nick' fighter, and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' at sea at 1700 hours; and 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' 21 miles from the carriers at 1800 hours.
• 91 of 130 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu, China attack an aircraft factory at Okayama with 650 tons of bombs and 12 B-29s attack several targets of last resort. This is the largest B-29 mission to date.
• 2 B-29s are lost.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Group B-25s attack Otomoe Bay in the Kurile Islands.

Eastern Front

The Russian armies and Tito's partisans converge on Belgrade, captial of Yugoslavia, which is almost completely surrounded. Further south the Germans are forced to evacuate Nish to avoid being cut off from the main body of Maximilian von Weichs' forces. Riga, the Latvian capital on the Baltic, is captured by Soviet troops, trapping a large German force in western Latvia.

Army Group F struggles to hold off the attacks of Tito's I Corps, the IV Guards Motorized Corps and 57th Army as they all converge on Belgrade. Despite ferocious fighting the Soviet and Yugoslav troops isolate the city, the XII Yugoslav Corps cutting all of the roads south of the Sava River. The bulk of the German units in the area are cut off, barely 12,000 managing to escape to the north. Heavy fighting erupts inside the city as the Soviet and Yugoslav forces press into the urban area.

Germany, Command

Suspected of complicity in the 20th July plot against Hitler, Rommel is visited at home in Herrlingen by two of Hitler's staff, Gens Wilhelm Burgdord and Ernst Maisel, and given the choice of a humiliating public trial or a suicide by poison with a state funeral and a guarantee of immunity from persecution for his wife and family. In fact, Rommel had agreed to the plot of July 20 in principle but had never taken any practical part in it. Rommel decides to commit suicide and takes the phial of cyanide which the 2 generals themselves give him. A few hours later, the Reich's most glorious and best-loved soldier is dead. It is announced in Germany that he has died of wounds. At Hitler's wish Rommel is given a state funeral to avoid ugly rumors which would have a demoralizing effect on the people.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s attack Indaw, Onbauk, and targets in the Thabeikkyin area.
• Nearly 40 10th Air Force P-47s attack supply dumps at Kyungyi, ammunition stores at Manwing, Japanese Army positions near Man Naung and Mohnyin, and buildings near Muse.

• 28 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, 33 51st Fighter Group P-51s, and 18 14th Air Force P-40s attack the White Cloud airfield at Canton and shipping near Hong Kong.
• 2 B-24s attack Amoy.
• 6 fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in the Mangshih area.
• 51st Fighter Group P-51s down 4 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters in an afternoon engagement over Canton.

Air Operations, East Indies

• V Bomber Command A-20s attack oil stores and airfields on Ceram.
• FEAF P-38s attack the Amahai airfield on Ceram, shipping around Flores Island in the Sunda Islands, and the Kaoe airfield on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 18 Lancasters of No. 9 Squadron are sent to attack the dam at the Sorpe reservoir, the second most important supply of water for the Ruhr and one of the targets for the original Dams Raid by No. 617 Squadron in 1943. 16 aircraft drop Tallboys or other bombs from 15,000ft and hits are seen on the face of the earth dam but no breach is made.
• There are no losses.

• 4 Hudsons are on Resistance operations and there are 3 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• ;257 Halifaxes, 241 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos from all groups except No. 5 Group are sent on the last of 14 major Bomber Command raids on Wilhelmshaven that began in early 1941. Bomber Command claims 'severe damage' to the business and residential areas.

• 44 Mosquitos are sent to Hamburg, 6 to Saarbrücken, and 2 each to Düsseldorf and Kassel, 22 Halifaxes and 15 Lancasters lay mines off Denmark, 2 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 42 Mosquito patrols and 33 RCM sorties.
• 2 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters are lost laying mines.
• There is a daylight raid on the Sorpe Dam. Lancasters score direct hits on the vast earthwork-concrete structure with 12,000-lb Delayed Action bombs.

Air Operations, Formosa

• US carrier pilots from Task Group 38.1, Task Group 38.2, and Task Group 38.3 continue to attack airfields on Formosa and battle Japanese aircraft over Formosa and between Formosa and Luzon. The Japanese mount 199 combat sorties from Formosa bases during the day.
• In all during the Formosa strikes, US carrier aircraft losses are 76, of which only 13 are operational losses. 64 pilots and crewmen are also lost.

• A VF(N)-41 F6F downs 1 H8K 'Emily' flying boat over the Philippine Sea at 0250 hours.
• A VF-13 F6F downs 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber at sea at 0745 hours.
• 2 VF-51 F6Fsdown 1 A6M Zero near Task Group 38.4 at 0830 hours.
• VF-14 F6Fs down 2 G4M 'Betty' bombers, 4 Ki-49 'Helen' bombers, 2 D4Y 'Judy' dive bombers, and 20 A6M Zeros between 50 and 20 miles from the carriers between 0830 and 0930 hours.

• 2 VF-51 F6Fs down 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' at sea at 0900 hours.
• VF-28 F6Fs down 2 P1Y 'Galaxys', 1 G4M 'Betty', 1 D4Y 'Judy', and 3 A6M Zeros 25 miles from the carriers at 0914 hours.
• A VF-11 F6F and VF-51 F6Fs down 1 P1Y 'Galaxy', 1 A6M Zero, and 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters at sea at 0915 hours.
• A VF-29 F6F downs 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' at sea at 0945 hours.
• A VF-28 F6F downs 1 G4M 'Betty' 35 miles from the carriers at 1008 hours.
• 4 VF-28 F6Fsdown 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' 40 miles from the carriers at 1030 hours.
• Between 1115 and 1710 hours, Task Force 38 F6Fs down 18 bombers and 22 fighters between the Luzon coast and Task Force 38.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command P-47s attack the airfield at Sagan.

Air Operations, Pacific

The Japanese attempt to break the US build-up against the Philippines. A large air strike is launched against a carrier task force in Manila Bay, but does insignificant damage while losing 30 aircraft to US fighters and anti-aircraft fire.

Air Operations, Philippines

In support of the impending invasion of the central Philippines at Leyte and to cover the withdrawal of crippled US warships from off Formosa, Task Group 38.4 closes on Luzon from the direction of Formosa and launches aircraft to neutralize Japanese air power in the region. Between 1015 and 1100 hours, Task Group 38.4 F6Fs and several carrier-based bomber crews down 47 Japanese fighters over Manila.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

27 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Saipan attack Iwo Jima.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-777 is sunk during an RAF bombing raid on Wilhelmshaven.

U-777

Burma

British and Chinese-American forces go over to the offensive to free the north of the country and re-establish land communications between India and China. The Chinese and Americans move down from south of Myitkyina as far as the line Katha-Shwegu-Bhamo meeting little or no resistance. The British 36th Division advances in the area or Namma along the Myitkyina-Mandalay railway, supported by the Chinese 50th Division. The Chinese 22nd Div moves southeast of Kamaing toward the area between the railway and the Myitkyina-Bhamo road, with the intention of establishing a bridgehead ad Shwegu, across the Irrawaddy. The Allied command in north Burma can now call on the Chinese 1st and 6th Armies, newly formed, and 2 American regiments.

Air Operations, Carolines

14 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based in the Marshall Islands attack the Truk Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force B-25s and 8 10th Air Force P-47s attack the airfield at Shwebo.
• 11 P-47s attack rail bridges between Naba and Mawlu.
• 5 P-47s attack Japanese Army ground forces near Madangyang.

• 28 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, escorted by 21 14th Air Force P-40s and 29 P-51s, attack the Kowloon dock area from high altitude with 73.5 tons of bombs.
• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by 8 P-40s, attack Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor from low altitude. The B-25 crews claim 3 freighters and 2 tankers sunk, and 5 other ships damaged.
• 3 P-51s attack the Wuchou area.
• 36 fighter-bombers attack Japanese Armytroops, towns, and bridges across a broad area of southern China.
• A 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter near Hong Kong during the afternoon.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack the Makassar area on Celebes.
• B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers attack airfields on Boeroe and Ceram, shipping in Binnen Bay in the Molucca Islands, and town areas at Amboina Town and Boela on Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

• 5 Mosquitos of No. 100 Group are on Ranger patrols and 4 more are on anti-minesweeping operations off Denmark in the same area mines were dropped the previous night. 2 coastal vessels are attacke with cannon fire.
• There are no losses.

• 39 Mosquitos are sent to Colgone without a loss.

Air Operations, Formosa

• 43 of 72 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dispatched from Chengtu, China attack the Heito airfield on Formosa and an aircraft factory at Okayama.Cologne
• More than 20 other B-29s unable to reach their primary targets on Formosa attack targets of opportunity on Formosa or in mainland China, including the airfield at Taichu, Hengyang, and port areas at Sintien, Swatow, Takao, and Toshien.Cologne

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command A-20s attack the airfield at Langgoer.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the airfields at Mongosah, Sagan, and Timoeka.

Air Operations, Philippines

• In support of the impending invasion of the central Philippines at Leyte and to cover the withdrawal of crippled US warships from the Formosa area, Task Group 38.4 closes on Luzon from the direction of Formosa and launches aircraft to neutralize Japanese air power in the region.

• 15 8th Fighter Group P-38s strafe the Cagayan airfield on Luzon, 3 ships in the harbor at Cagayan, a Japanese Army cavalry troop, and motor vehicles on the Cagayan-Valencia highway.

Air Operations, Western Pacific

• Beginning with 2 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers downed by VF-8 F6Fs at sea at 0730 and 0810 hours, respectively, Japanese aircraft locate, attempt to locate, attack, or attempt to attack the crippled Task Group 30.3 in the Luzon Strait. A morning strike by 99 Kyushu-based Japanese Navy fighters and bombers is canceled, but when a reconnaissance plane locates the cripples at 0920 hours, 107 Japanese Navy aircraft are launched from Formosa bases at about 1000 hours. Thus, between 1315 and 1500 hours, US carrier-based fighters in range of the cripples are able to down an estimated 58 aircraft of all types. Nevertheless, a crippled US heavy cruiser is damaged again by an aerial torpedo.
• Following the afternoon air action, Task Group 38.3 is positioned between Task Group 30.3 and Japanese airfields on Formosa—an effort to use the cripples as bait for more opportunities to chip away at Japanese air strength in the region. This effort comes to nothing.

Battle of the Atlantic

There are a couple of escort groups involved in an operation to prevent U-boats from getting to the Atlantic from their Norway bases. One contact is made by the British frigate Annan which is initially believed to be a whale. Further investigation into the area has U-1006 firing a T5 at the frigate which explodes off the ship's quarter. Annan illuminates the U-boat with rockets and opens fire. U-1006 returns fire and would 8 of the Annan's crew, but is eventually sunk when 2 depth charges explode under the submarine.

U-1006

Eastern Front

With the remnants of the German Army Group North cut off in northern Latvia, on the Gulf of Riga, the Soviet High Command sends the 3rd Belorussian Front to attack East Prussia. The Germans prepare to defend the soil of their fatherland.

In Yugoslavia the Russians take Nish recently evacuated by the Germans. In the sector Russian, Bulgarian and Yugoslav forces are all working together.

The Soviet 6th Guards Army assaults Skrunda and the 51st Army at Libau as the Red Army attempts to reduce the Kurland Pocket. The attacks make few gains.

The 3rd Panzer Army is attacked by the Soviet 2nd Guards, 5th and 11th Guards Armies as the Soviets attempt to reach the Niemen River. The 3rd Panzer's southern flank is pushed back 6 miles.

House-to-house fighting rages in Belgrade as Soviet and Yugoslav forces advance.[MORE]

Germany, Home Front

Bread ration is cut by 7 oz per week.

Greece

British forces land on Lemnos.

Air Operations, Bonin and Volcano Islands

11 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Saipan attack Haha Jima and nearby shipping, and 1 B-24 attacks Iwo Jima.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 10th Air Force B-25s attack the airfield at Nawnghkio.
• 3 B-25s attack bridges near Kawlin and Thityabin.
• 15 10th Air Force P-47s attack a Japanese Army headquarters and supplies at Mawhun, a military camp and supply base at Myazedi, and supplies at Naba.

• 2 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a supply depot in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor.
• 15 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 22 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack a supply depot at Tienho.
• 44 P-51s and P-40s attack the airfield at Tanchuk and occupied villages and river traffic in east-central China.
• A 76th Fighter Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter in an afternoon engagement over the Tienho airfield at Canton.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack airfields and oil facilities on Amboina, Boeroe, and Ceram.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack airfields and shipping in and around Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 47 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group attack the sea wall at Westkapelle on Walcheren. The Bombing appears to be accurate but no major result are observed.
• There are no losses.

• 4 Hudsons are on Resistance operations, there are 4 Ranger patrols 2 Denmark and there are 5 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 12 Mosquitos of No. 100 Group fly anti-flying-bomb patrols. The Germans are now releasing flying bombs from aircraft over the North Sea. No interceptions are made.
• (?)The RAF makes raids on the German garrisons trapped at Boulogne and Calais.

Air Operations, Formosa

• 10 of 30 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing B-29s dipatched from Chengtu, China attack the Einansho air depot while 14 B-29s attack several alternate targets.
• 1 B-29 is lost.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 59 FEAF B-24s attack barracks, oil facilities, and other targets on Ilang Island and the Davao area of Mindanao.
• 15 8th Fighter Group P-38s attack a ship and floatplanes near Zamboanga, Mindanao.
• 1 P-38 is lost.
• n support of the impending invasion of the central Philippines at Leyte Island, US carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.4 continue to mount attacks on Luzon to neutralize Japanese air power, but scheduled strikes by aircraft from escort carriers arriving in the area are postponed because of typhoon weather in the vicinity of the US escort carrier forces.
• Japanese losses for the day:
  
• 4 VF-51 F6Fs down 1 P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber at sea at 0800 hours.
• VF-20 F6Fs down 7 fighters over the Mabalacat airfield on Luzon between 0825 and 0840 hours.
• VF-13 F6Fs down 13 fighters over Manila and Clark Field between 0900 and 0945 hours.
• F6Fs and a VT-27 TBM crew down 3 P1Y 'Galaxy' bombers, 1 B6N 'Jill' torpedo bomber, and 1 D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber at sea between 1020 and 1539 hours.

Eastern Front

The 31st Army attacks the 2nd Army near Suwalki, while the 39th Army attacks near Tilsit to support the 2nd Guards on its right and 5th Army to its left. Elements of the 11th Guards cross the East Prussian border and pushes close to Goldap.

France, Politics

The French War Ministry and the National Council for the Resistance reach agreement on the process for the integration of the resistance forces, FFI, into the regular army. This negotiation has not been easy because of the various political loyalties of the resistance groups.

Greece

The last Germans leave the island of Lemnos.

Indian Ocean

In Operation MILLET over the next 3 days TF 63 from the British Eastern Fleet sends 2 carriers, 1 battlecruiser and lighter forces to attack the Nicobar Islands as a diversion for the US attack on Leyte. The carrier aircraft attack on October 17 and 19 and the islands are shelled on October 17 and 18. Although considerable damage is done, as a diversion the operation fails.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 10th Air Force B-25s attack bridges at Meza and Namhkai.
• 6 B-25s attack two bridges at Wuntho.
• 21 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces around Mohnyin.
• 13 P-47s attack the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon.
• 8 P-47s attack two bridges at Wanling.
• 6 P-47s attack Japanese Army troops near Hwemun.
• P-47s from the 33rd Fighter Group and 2nd Air Commando Group down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters in an engagement over Rangoon and the Mingaladon airfield there between 1015 and 1055 hours.

• 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s mount more than 100 effective sorties against numerous targets in broad areas south of the Yangtze River.

Air Operations, East Indies

Due to bad weather, only 8 of more than 120 FEAF B-24s dispatched, escorted by 8 P-38s of 75 XIII Fighter Command fighters dispatched, are able to attack oil facilities at Balikpapan, Borneo without loss. Also FEAF B-25s and fighter-bombers attack Amboina Town, Liang on Amboina, Namlea on Boeroe, and targets of opportunity on Djailolo Island and around Wasile Bay.

Air Operations, Europe

• This is the first major operation by No. 3 Group in the new independent role which its commander, Air Vice-Marshal R Harrison, has been granted. Approximately one third of the group's Lancasters are now fitted with the G-H blind-bombing device and No. 3 Group are to operate on days when the ground is concealed by cloud but when the cloud tops do not exceed 18,000ft. Aircraft with G-H have their tail fins painted with a prominent design. Aircraft without G-H find a G-H 'leader' to follow into the target area and bomb when that aircraft bombs. G-H is a relatively accurate, easy-to-operate and very useful device and No. 3 Group are to make good use of it in the remaining months of the war. The device has been used before, but not by a large force. Air Vice-Marshal Harrison requested that the almost unbombed and unimportant town of Bonn should be the target for this first operation, possibly so that post raid reconnaissance photographs can show the results of the first G-H raid without the effects of other bombing confusing the interpretation of the photographs. 128 Lancasters are sent. The raid appears to go well and only 1 aircraft is lost. The attack was a complete success. The heart of old Bonn is destroyed, with its university, many cultural and public buildings and a large residential area being burned out. The local report says that the home in which Beethoven lived is saved 'by the courageous actions of its caretakers'. 700 buildings are destroyed and 1,000 more seriously damaged.

• 1 Hudson is on a Resistance operation and there are 4 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 19 Mosquitos are sent to Hannover, 18 to Mannheim, 8 to Düsseldorf, 5 to Pforzheim and 4 to Wiesbaden.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Pforzheim raid.

Air Operations, Japan

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-25s attack Suribachi and the Kurabu Cape airfield in the Kurile Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfields at Babo and Sagan.
• B-25s and fighter-bombers attack other targets on and around the Vogelkop Peninsula.

Air Operations, Philippines

• V Fighter Command P-38s attack road traffic, barges, and small vessels along Mindanao’s west coast.
• Aircraft from Task Group 77.4 escort carriers open the final preinvasion bombardment of the Leyte area with attacks against airfields in the Visayan Islands, Leyte, and northern Mindanao; aircraft from Task Group 38.1, Task Group 38.2, and Task Group 38.4 mount powerful attacks to neutralize Japanese air strength based on Luzon. Also, US 3rd Fleet units, including some air units, assume covering stations in the San Bernadino and Surigao straits.
• Task Force 38 F6Fs down 68 Japanese fighters over Clark Field and the Mabalacat airfield on Luzon, and the Manila area, and 4 search planes at sea, between 0613 and 1710 hours.

Burma

On the British XXXIII Corps front, the 5th Indian Division enter Tiddim.

China

Roosevelt recalls Lt-Gen 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, Deputy Allied Supreme Commander, Southeast Asia, to Washington and tells Chiang Kai-shek that, while the Americans do not actually insist on taking over command of the Chinese army, Gen Albert C. Wedemeyer would be available to act as Chief of Staff. The proposal is accepted.

Diplomatic Relations

Franco sends a letter to Churchill proposing a Spanish-British alliance to combat what he calls 'the insidious power of Bolshevism.' Churchill dismisses the notion immediately.

Eastern Front

The offensive by the 3rd Belorussian Front against East Prussia continues against bitter German resistance.

Belgrade is on the point of falling into the hands of the Russians and the partisans, while the German Army Group F under Maximilian von Weichs hastens the pace of its retreat from the Balkans.

Moscow announces that Red Army units from Ivan Petrov's 4th Ukraine Front have entered Czechoslovakia after crossing the Carpathian passes from Poland. They meet opposition from the German 1st Panzer Army.

The second phase of the Soviet Petsamo-Kirkenes Offensive begins with attacks by the CXIX and CXXXI Rifle Corps toward the Norwegian border. The 24th Rifle Division crosses the border and penetrates 3.1 miles into German positions.

Kremeny falls to the 1st Shock Army as it drives west from Riga. However, the 16th Army has established strong defenses around Tukums and halts the Soviet drive.

The 3rd Belorussian Front continues its attacks into East Prussia but meets fierce German resistance.

Air Operations, CBI

• 15 10th Air Force P-47s support Allied ground forces around Mohnyin.
• 10 P-47s attack two bridges near Mawlu.

• 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s mount more than 100 effective sorties against numerous targets, especially river traffic and Japanese Army camps, in the Tungting Lake area.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack Djailolo Island, Hate Tobako, Miti on Halmahera, and Parepare on Celebes.
• Fighter-bombers attack Amboina and the Boela airfield on Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 Hudsons are on Resistance operations and 4 Wellingtons and 1 Liberator are on signals patrols.
• 1 plane is lost.

• 565 Lancasters and 18 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Stuttgart in 2 groups 4-1/2 hours apart. The bombing is not concentrated, but serious damage is done to the central and eastern districts of the city and in some of the suburban towns. Among the damaged buildings is the important Bosch factory.
• 6 Lancasters are lost.
• 263 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group are sent to Nuremburg. This is only a partial success for the No. 5 Group method and the knock-out blow on Nuremberg, which has eluded Bomber Command for so long, is still not achieved. The target area is found to be almost completely cloud-covered. The aiming point is believed to have been the center of the city, but the local report says that the bombing fell almost entirely in the southern districts, the industrial area of Nuremberg.
• 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 48 Mosquitos are sent to Wiesbaden and 6 to Düsseldorf, and there are 82 Mosquito patrols and 49 RCM sorties. 1 Mosquito Intruder is lost but other Mosquitos claim 2 Ju-88s, 1 Ju-188 and 1 Me-110 destroyed and 3 other night fighters damaged, a better-than-average night's success.

Air Operations, Philippines

• The pre-invasion bombardment of Leyte and the neutralization of Japanese air strength on Luzon continues as the Leyte invasion fleet closes on the target.
• FEAF B-24s mount their deepest penetration to date in the Philippines with an attack against the airfield at Cebu City and against shipping around Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago.
• 12 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25s unable to find worthy targets on Bohol Island attack the Malabang airfield at Mindanao.

• Task Force 38 aircraft attack airfields and shipping in the Manila area.
• 24 Task Force 77.4 TBMs and 48 FMs attack targets on Negros.
• 15 Task Group 77.4 TBMs and 28 FMs attack targets on Panay.
• Throughout the day, a rotating force of 14 Task Group 77.4 TBMs and 28 fighters patrol over the Dulag-Tacloban area of Leyte to mount attacks against ground targets as required by shipborne target coordinators. In all during October 18 and 19, Task Group 77.4 aircraft complete 471 effective sorties against targets on Leyte and the Visayan Islands.
• VF-13 F6Fs down 7 fighters near Manila at 0845 hours.
• A VF-20 F6F downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber 40 miles from the carriers at 0845 hours.
• A VF-35 F6F downs a Ki-21 'Sally' bomber over the Fabrica airfield on Negros at 0900 hours.
• 2 VF-60 F6Fs down a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter over Cebu at 1640 hours.
• On Luzon, the Japanese Navy’s First Air Fleet activates a Kamikaze Corps to undertake suicide strikes against the US invasion convoy off Leyte.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-957 is badly damaged in a collision with a merchant ship. She is surveyed and found to be beyond repair and written off October 21.

U-957

Burma

A brigade of the British 26th Division occupies Mohnyin, where the Japanese have abandoned big ammunition and supply dumps.

Eastern Front

Hitler orders Warsaw destroyed. Belgrade is evacuated by the Germans.

The Soviet 14th Army launches an attack from Petsamo against the German XIX Mountain Corps.

The Soviet 5th, 11th Guards, 31st and 39th Armies break through the lines of the 3rd Panzer Army, forcing it to withdraw.

The Soviet 6th Tank Army breaks into Debrecen.

An attempt to relieve Belgrade by Army Group F is defeated with heavy German losses. Inside the city the defenders are nearing annihilation.[MORE]

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 10th Air Force P-47s attack stores and a military camp at Naba.
• 5 P-47s attack a supply dump and bridge near Wanling.
• 4 P-47s attack Japanese Army troops and supplies near Nansiaung.
• A 2nd Air Commando Group P-47 and a 459th Fighter Squadron P-38 each down a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Rangoon between 1425 and 1515 hours.

• 18 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack port facilities and storage areas at Samshui and the town area at Kweiping.
• 28 14th Air Force P-51s and P-40s attack Samshui.
• 77 P-51s and P-40s attack numerous targets in east-central and southeastern China and northern French Indochina.
• A 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter during an afternoon engagement over Canton.

Air Operations, East Indies

FEAF B-25s attack the town area at Amboina Town.

Air Operations, Philippines

• The US 6th Army begins the liberation of the Philippines at Leyte with landings between Tacloban and Dulag, on the island’s east coast. Task Group 77.4 escort-carrier aircraft provide 305 direct-support sorties throughout the day for 3 US 6th Army landing forces. Carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.1 and Task Group 38.4 support US 6th Army ground forces and sweep airfields on Cebu, Leyte, northern Mindanao, Negros, and Panay. Aircraft from Task Group 38.2 and Task Group 38.3 cover the US invasion fleet. Throughout the daylight hours, escort carrier aircraft maintain a rotating on-call strike force of 16 fighters and 6 TBMs, plus an additional 8 fighters and 6 TBMs for an hour before and after H hour.
• 46 V Bomber Command B-24s attack a Japanese Army headquarters in Davao, Mindanao.
• 12 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Dumaguete airfield on Negros.
• 12 8th Fighter Group P-38s strafe trucks and barges in southern Mindanao.
• 16 35th Fighter Group P-47s strafe the Bacolod and Fabrica airfields on Negros.
• Several US suface warships are damaged in air attacks during the day. The USS Sangamon is slightly damaged by a bomb in a surprise attack by 3 A6M Zeros beginning at 0820 hours.
• 2 VC-80 FMs down a D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber over the Biliran Strait at 0745 hours.
• 2 VF-35 F6Fs down an A6M Zero over Task Unit 77.4.1 at 0830 hours.
• 2 VF-51 F6s down a D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber at sea at 0840 hours.

Britain, Planning

Churchill arrives in Cairo to discuss strategy in Southeast Asia with Adm Lord Mountbatten

Eastern Front

In Hungary, the 2nd Ukraine Front, supported by Romanian and Bulgarian troops, drive the Germans out of Debrecen. In Yugoslavia, the 46th and 57th Armies of the 3rd Ukraine Front with Tito's Partisans complete the liberation of Belgrade. The Partisans also take Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast while in Hungary Debrecen is taken by the Russians.

Debrecen falls to the Soviet 6th Tank Army and Group Pliev.

The Belgrade garrison is wiped out: 15,000 are dead and 9,000 made prisoner. Soviet losses are 4,400 killed and 14,500 wounded. Yugoslav losses are unknown.[MORE]

Italy

The 4th and 46th Division, British V Corps, enter Cesena. In the central sector, south of Bologna, the South African 6th Armored Division, serving with 5th Army, repulses a German counterattack by units of the XIV Panzer Corps against the Allied positions on Monte Salvaro, and reaches the slopes of Monte Alcino. On the right flank of the US II Corps the 88th Division advances as far as Farneto. There is a lull in the other sectors.

In the eastern sector of the line the 4th Div reaches and fords the Cesano River beside the bridge, which the Germans have blown up. On the Adriatic coast the Allies occupy Cesenatico after the withdrawal of the units of the German LXXVI Panzer Corps.

Occupied Yugoslavia

Belgrade is captured by Tito's Partisans and Russian forces.

Pacific

The US submarine Hammerhead (SS-364) sinks the Japanese transport Oyo Maru (5458t) and army cargo ship Ugo Maru (3684t) off Borneo.

Philippines

At 10:05am there are US landings on the east coast of Leyte. All the escort and fleet carriers involved in the preparatory attacks and 5th Air Force provide air support. The landing ships and the bombardment and escort groups are from Vice-Adm T. C. Kinkaid's 7th Fleet and the troops landed are from Walter Krueger's 6th Army. A deadly naval fire begins at 6:00am and is broken off at 8:50am while US aircraft drop hundreds of tons of bombs in the area of Dulag; then the landings take place on a front of 16 miles on two separate beaches. 4 divisions from 2 corps are landed. Franklin C. Sibert's X Corps, 1st Cavalry and 24th Infantry Divs, land slightly to the south of Tacloban and John R. Hodge's XXIV Corps, 96th and 7th Divisions, around Dulag. Each corps has fire support from destroyers. The cruiser Honolulu (CL-48) is badly damaged by aerial torpedo in these operations. Damaged by coastal batteries are the destroyer Bennion (DD-662) and LST-452. There is little fighting on the beaches as the defending Japanese 16th Division soon retires to prepared positions inland to await reinforcements. The Americans are, therefore, able to take Tacloban Airfield but cannot link the beachheads of the 2 corps which are still 10 miles apart. By nightfall 132,000 men are ashore.

Air Operations, Carolines

In the first offensive mission launched from Guam, 2 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Yap Atoll.

Air Operations, CBI

• 15 10th Air Force P-47s attack three rail bridges in northern Burma.
• 15 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Mohnyin.
• 12 P-47s attack Japanese Army positions around Bhamo and Muse.
• 6 P-47s attack a bridge spanning the Paungni River.
• 4 P-47s attack Mawhun.

• 3 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 14th Air Force P-40s and P-51s mount more than 130 effective sorties against bridges, shipping, occupied towns, artillery batteries, road traffic, and other targets across southern China.

Air Operations, East Indies

• FEAF B-24s attack Parepare, Celebes.
• FEAF fighter-bombers attack the town area at Amboina, the Boela airfield on Ceram, and supplies at Kaoe Bay, Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

• 75 Lancasters of No. 3 Group carry out an accurate attack on a coastal battery at Flushing.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 2 Wellingtons fly signals patrols.

• 242 Halifaxes of Nos. 4 and 6 Groups and 21 Pathfinder Lancasters are sent to Hannover. The planes are recalled, however, because of deteriorating weather in England. All planes return safely.

• 4 Mosquitos are sent to Pforzheim and 2 each to Cologne and Düsseldorf, and 7 aircraft lay mines in an unrecorded area.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack the Mongosah and Sagan airfields.

Air Operations, Philippines

• Carrier aircraft from Task Group 38.2 and Task Group 38.3 attack airfields in the Visayan Islands.
• Task Group 77.4 escort-carrier TBMs and fighter-bombers mount 360 effective sorties in direct support of US 6th Army ground forces.
• FEAF B-24s attack targets in the Cagayan River valley on Luzon.
• FEAF B-25s and fighter-bombers attack a town and a truck convoy on Mindanao.
• After a Royal Australian cruiser is damaged in the morning by a kamikaze, Task Unit 77.4.1 aircraft begin sweeping airfields on Cebu, Negros, Panay, and northern Mindanao in the hope of cutting off anti-shipping attacks at the source. 31 Japanese aircraft (possibly including dummies) are destroyed on the ground at the Lahug airfield on Cebu by VF-26 F6Fs. Such sweeps will become routine. US carrier fighters down 3 Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance planes, 2 Ki-21 'Sally' bombers, 2 B5N 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 3 G4M 'Betty' bombers, 1 Ki-49 'Helen' bomber, and 4 fighters over the central Philippines between 0730 and 0955 hours. A VF-18 F6F downs a P1Y 'Galaxy' bomber 25 miles from the carriers at 1115 hours.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

• 28 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based at Saipan attack Iwo Jima.
• A 318th Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter near Iwo Jima at noon.

Eastern Front

The leading units of Rodion Malinovsky's 2nd Ukraine Front push on west of Szeged, reaching the Danube at Baja east of Pécs in southern Hungary. In Yugoslavia the German Army Groups F under Maximilian von Weichs and E under Alexander Löhr abandon one position after another, menaced all the time by the Bulgarian 1st Army on the eastern flank and elsewhere by Yugoslav and Albanian partisans. The Russians, after their thrust against Belgrade, now concentrate on Hungary. In Finland the Karelia Front under Kiril Meretskov advances from Petsamo with the 14th Army toward the Norwegian border, driving back the German 20th Mountain Army under Lothar Rendulic.

The Soviert XCIX Rifle Corps attempts to reach the Norwegian border between Rova and Salmiiarvi but is held up by strong German resistance. It reaches the border by the evening of the 22nd. Meanwhile, the CXXVI Light Rifle Corps reaches the main road leading north from Akhmalakhti to Kirkenes but is then forced to halt due to ammunition and food shortages.

The Soviet XXXI and CXXVII Rifle Corps are closing in on Nikel. However, an assault by German troops allows 1,000 of their comrades in the Nikel area to withdraw and escape the Soviet trap. In fact, the Germans are pulling back from Nikel, Akhmalakhti and Salmiiarvi.[MORE]

Air Operations, Carolines

Pairs and trios of 30th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s based on Guam attack the Yap Atoll throughout the day.

Air Operations, CBI

• After transporting fuel to China via the Hump ferry route since June, the 7th Heavy Bomb Group returns to combat with an attack against a rail jetty at Moulmein.
• More than 40 10th Air Force P-47s attack rail targets and bridges across northern Burma as well as two bivouacs in the Indaw area and several targets of opportunity.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack two rail bridges at Pingnam.
• 8 14th Air Force P-51s attack the town area at Pingnam.
• 54 P-51s and P-40s attack numerous targets in east-central and southern China.

Air Operations, Europe

Allied air forces bomb Hamm, Neuss, Hamburg and numerous targets across the Reich by day and night. Allied losses are negligible.