World War II in real time

Day 1453 of World War II, September 5th 1943

Eastern Front

The sectors of Bryansk and Donets find the Red Army making excellent advances against the defending Germans. Red army forces continued their attacks, liberating Artemovsk, Kuhtov and Mikhailovsky.

Air War over Europe

299 Lancasters, 195 Halifaxes and 111 Stirlings raided Mannheim/Ludwigshafen, 34 aircraft lost. The target area for this double attack was clear of cloud and the Pathfinder marking plan worked perfectly. Ground markers were placed on the eastern side of Mannheim so that the bombing of the Main Force, approaching from the west, could move back across Mannheim and then into Ludwigshaven on the western bank of the Rhine. The creepback did not become excessive and severe destruction was caused in both targets. Mannheim's normally detailed air-raid report did not give any specific details of property damage or casualties. It is probable that the raid was so severe that the normal report gathering and recording process broke down. The Mannheim records speak only of 'a catastrophe' and give general comments on the activities of the air-raid services and the behaviour of the population which are both described as 'vorbildlich' (exemplary). More detail was available from Ludwigshaven where the central and southern parts of the town were devastated. The fire department recorded 1,993 separate fires including 3 classed as 'fire areas' and 986 as large fires. 139 of the fires were in industrial areas. 1,080 houses, 6 military and 4 industrial buildings were destroyed and 8 more industrial buildings were seriously damaged including the I.G.Farben works. 127 peope were killed and 568 were injured. 10 of the dead were Flak troops. A further 1,605 people were described as suffering from eye injuries. The relatively small number of deaths may be an indication that many of the German cities were evacuating parts of their population after the recent firestorm disaster at Hamburg and other heavy raids.

4 Mosquitoes went to Dusseldorf. 25 aircraft went minelaying in the German Bight, near Texel and off Brest and Lorient, all without loss.

US VIII Air Support Command Mission 48: 3 marshalling yards were targeted. 72 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to 2 marshalling yards at Ghent, Belgium; 31 bombed one yard and 32 bombed the second yard. The 36 B-26s dispatched to the marshalling yard at Courtrai, France were recalled due to weather.

Italian Campaign

Operation Baywood Day 3: Montgomery's Eighth Army was taking its time liberating the peninsula's toe. In three days with no opposition, the British have crawled 15 miles (24 kilometres) to Bagnara on Calabria's north coast. The Allies' main Italian invasion force sailed from North African ports and headed for Salerno, 25 miles (40 kilometres) south of Naples. More than 450 ships were carrying 69,000 American and British troops commanded by General Mark Clark, Commanding General U.S. Fifth Army. The Allies would land at Salerno on 9 September, and Clark confidently expected to take Naples five days later.

In the air, 130+ USAAF XII Bomber Command B-17s bombed the airfield at Viterbo and the town of Civitavecchia; 200+ B-25 Mitchells and B-26s hit landing grounds at Grazzanise. Weather hampered operations of the fighters and medium and light bombers of the Twelfth Air Force and RAF, and only a few targets (guns, roads, railroads, and troops) were attacked during missions over the toe of Italy. In Sardinia USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers and fighters hit the Pula radar station and town of Pabillonis.

United States

The United States 101st Airborne Division troops leave New York by ship for Britain.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Cannon (DE-99) underway in Delaware Bay off Wilmington, Delaware (USA), on 5 September 1943



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Cannon (DE-99) underway in Delaware Bay off Wilmington, Delaware (USA), on 5 September 1943



Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 15 fighter-bombers pound the marshalling yard SE of Lao Kay, French Indochina; 16 others hit barracks in the city.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

(Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 82 C-47'S drop paratroops at Nadzab (first such landings in the Southwest Pacific Area) following bombardment of the drop zone by 52 medium bombers and pounding of Lae Airfield by 24 heavy bombers; a smoke screen is laid over the landing area by A-20's; Nadzab Airfield is quickly put into operational condition and will subsequently become a major Allied airbase.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea at 1022 hours local, 82 USAAF Fifth Air Force C-47s, escorted by 146 P-38 Lightnings and P-47s, drop paratroops of the U.S. 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment and 31-men of the Australian 2/4th Field Regiment equipped with "short" 25 pounder (87.6 mm) howitzers at Nadzab Airfield (first such landings in the Southwest Pacific Area) just west of Lae.

Photo: Dwarfed by and silhouetted against clouds of smoke created to provide cover, C-47s from the US Army Air Forces drop a battalion of the US 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment at Nadzab. A battalion dropped minutes earlier is landing in the foreground, 5 September 1943



The drop follows the bombardment of the drop zone by 52 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and numerous fighter-bombers, the laying of a smoke screen over the landing area by A-20 Havocs and the bombing of Lae Airfield by 24 B-24 Liberators. Nadzab Airfield is quickly overrun and by 1840 hours, the site of the dirt strip has been cleared so that an Australian infantry division can be flown in. After landing, the paratroops link up with the Australian forces in the Bulolo Valley.

This is the "left pincer" of Australian General Thomas Blamey's Operation Postern. Today we would call it a "Point of Entry" operation. The immediate object is to secure the Nadzab airstrip, potentially the largest in New Guinea. A further objective is to outflank the strategically vital town of Lae. This is the first time Australian soldiers have parachuted into action. I believe it is also the first time that any force in the world has parachuted into action with artillery. The overland force did not come from Tsili Tsili but via the Bulolo Valley.

It consisted of an engineer company and a pioneer battalion from Australian 7th Division Australian Imperial Force (AIF). They have floated their heavy equipment and plant down the Markham River on rafts the day before, then "laid up" in thick cover until the drop started. The U.S. paratroopers and Australian gunners secured the airstrip while the engineers and pioneers set about clearing and preparing it for the fly-in of the rest of Australian 7th Division.
The paratrooper drop is very well organised by the USAAF Fifth Air Force - it is no easy task to plan and execute the drop of a complete regiment plus artillery. It is supported by copious fighter cover and smoke screens dropped by bombers. Fifth Air Force also dropped dummy parachutists in other areas to confuse the Japanese. No Japanese resistance is encountered (at this stage), tribute to General Blamey's skill in convincing the Japanese that the true objective of the campaign is Salamaua, located 43 miles (68 kilometers) to the southeast. As a point of interest for those who like big guns: the "short" 25 pounder (87.6 mm) is developed at the Australian Army School of Ordnance in Victoria. Its ballistics are worse than a conventional 25 pounder (not surprising) but it packed a bigger punch than a U.S. 75 mm pack howitzer. The short 25 pounder could be broken down into sections for transport by aircraft. This is done at Buna and at Wau where the gunners assembled their guns under fire on the airstrip. Now at Nadzab, Australian gunners have shown that it could be successfully dropped by parachute as well.

The Australian 24th Brigade lands at Lae at 2300 hours local.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Arundel Island, the U.S. 172d Infantry Regiment unsuccessfully attacks Japanese positions about 600 yards (549 meters) southeast of the base of Bomboe Peninsula.

PACIFIC

Salvage vessel Yusho Maru is sunk by mine in Makassar Strait, 05°00'S, 119°00'E.

Submarine Albacore (SS-218) hits Japanese transport Hokusho Maru with two dud torpedoes, 03°50'N, 160°20'E (see 11 September 1943).

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) sinks Japanese army transport Tenkai Maru, 01°35'N, 141°45'E.

Day 1455 of World War II, September 7th 1943

Eastern Front

The German 17.Armee began the evacuation of the Kuban bridgehead across the Strait of Kerch to the Crimea. The Soviet Army captured Baturin, east of Konotop, and Zvenkov in the Kharkov sector. The Germans began evacuations at Stalino.

Hitler visited the HQ of Heeresgruppe Sud (von Manstein) were he was briefed on the disasters on that front. That afternoon, he flew back to Germany. It was the last time he would set foot on Soviet territory.

Air War over Europe

At 12.00 hours a Halifax bomber operating from Riccall airfield in Yorkshire was on a training flight when it went into a steep bank to starboard with smoke coming from the starboard outer engine, the pilot recovered at 9,000' but the plane then spun-in and exploded two miles S of the airfield. Ten were killed. At 17.05 hours at the same airfield a Halifax bomber had just landed when its undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft was a write off.

US VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 52: In France, marshalling yards at Lille and St Pol were targeted but confusion at the rendezvous point caused one group and half of another to abort the mission. St Pol was hit by 81 B-26B Marauders.

US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 92 in 3 forces: 105 B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed Evere Airfield at Brussels, Belgium, 3 B-24s bombed Alkmaar Airfield at Bergen, the Netherlands and 19 hit a convoy off Texel Island and 147 B-17s were dispatched to attack V-weapon site at Watton, France, but weather was a problem and 3 groups aborted the mission but 58 hit the target. Strikes 1 and 2 were escorted by 178 P-47 Thunderbolt that claimed 3-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-47 was lost. The attacks greatly disrupted the German plan for this new “Blitz” against England.

One Section of Spitfires from RAF No. 306 Sqdrn (Polish) took off from Friston, and sighted a boat with one person in it 10 miles off Fecamp. The position was given and a Walrus arrived on the scene and picked him up. The person turned out to be a German sailor.

Italian Campaign

Operation Baywood Day 5: The British 8th Army tried to trap the German rearguard in the toe of the Italian boot. Commandos and infantry landed at Pizzo on Calabria's northern coast, but the Germans sidestepped them. Montgomery's army has advanced only 60 miles (97 kilometres) in five days.

U.S. Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor began a spy mission to see whether a surprise parachute drop by the 82d Airborne Division could capture Rome. Posing as a downed Allied airman, Taylor -- the 82d's artillery commander -- went to Rome and found it crawling with Germans. After meeting with Italian Prime Minister Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio, Taylor realized the 82d would be cut to pieces. He sent a secret signal to cancel the drop. Taylor then escaped.

In the air, USAAF XII Bomber Command B-17s bombed 2 satellite airfields at Foggia while B-25s and B-26s hit road and rail bridges at Saptri and Trebisacce and roads at Lauria. A-20s of the Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force supported British landing on 7/8 September near Pizzo in an unsuccessful attempt to cut off enemy retreat up west coast of the Italian toe. Medium and light bombers, in an afternoon raids, bombed Crotone airfield and roadblock and gun batteries north of Catanzaro. USAAF P-40s hit the landing ground at Pabillonis and barges off Portoscuso.

HQ US Army Air Forces decided to transfer Lieutenant General Lewis H Brereton, Commanding General Ninth Air Force, and his HQ staff from Africa to the United Kingdom and to reform the Ninth Air Force as a tactical air force in the European Theater of Operations by absorbing the VIII Air Support Command.

Photo: Vickers Wellington Mark Xs of No. 205 Group RAF begin to take off at dusk from Kairouan West, Tunisia, to take part in the interdiction bombing of communications targets around Salerno. Italy



Battle of the Atlantic

'U-596' shelled the 'Hamidieh' in the Atlantic for seven minutes. The sailing vessel caught fire and the stern sank after 20 minutes, but the fore part burned for about eight hours.

'U-402' shot down RAF Wellington aircraft, Squadron 172/D. Another two Wellingtons were also involved in the attack, one of them had to crash land.

'U-669' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from a Canadian aircraft (RCAF-Sqn. 407).

Battle of the Indian Ocean

U.S. freighter Lyman Stewart, en route to Durban, South Africa, from Colombo, Ceylon, is attacked by Japanese submarine I-27 at 03°30'N, 75°00'E, and slightly damaged by a dud torpedo. I-27's gunfire attack proves equally ineffective, and Lyman Stewart proceeds on her way. There are no casualties on board the freighter.

United Kingdom

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Block Island (CVE-21) arrives in Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK), with a cargo of U.S. Army Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, on 7 September 1943. She was unloaded in a record 14 hours. The tug Emp Meadow is off her bow



United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy battlehip USS New Jersey (BB-62) and the French battleship Richelieu at anchor on 7 September 1943



Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): B-25's attack Gokteik Viaduct, Burma, causing minor damage.

SOUTH PACIFIC

(Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon, 2 B-25's bomb barge depot and supply area E of Ringa Cove on New Georgia.

ELLICE ISLANDS

Engineers finish work on the 5,000 foot runway on Nonomea Island. Later, ten Imperial Japanese Navy "Betty" bombers from Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, drop 20 bombs on the airfield.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-26 Marauders bomb the Lae area and B-25 Mitchells bomb and strafe nearby targets on the road to Markham; P-38 Lightnings successfully turn back a Japanese bombing attack on Morobe; and C-47 Skytrains begin flying 544 Australians of the 2/33rd Battalion to Nadzab.

A Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberator crashes on take-off at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, hitting five trucks carrying men of the Australian 2/33rd Battalion;15 are killed instantly, 44 die of their injuries and 92 are injured but survive.

A-20's hit Gasmata area. The 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, arrives at Townsville from the US with C-47's.

RUSSELL ISLANDS

Photo: U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsairs of Marine Fighting Squadron 123 (VMF-123) on the ground ready to taxi onto the runway for launch from Russell Islands answering a call to 'scramble'. Note the variety of national insignias, September 7, 1943

Day 1457 of World War II, September 9th 1943

Eastern Front

The Russians took Bakhmach after an advance west from Konotop. The German 17.Armee began to pull out of its forward position in the Kuban. The Red Army had set out with a powerful thrust towards Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, which the Germans have turned into a major base. This followed the storming of the railway junction at Bakhmach after two days of fighting. Red Star, the army's newspaper, said "we feel the beginning of the end."

Air War over Europe

Operation 'Starkey' (a rehearsal for the invasion of France), the US Eighth Air Force in England dispatched a record number of 330 heavy bombers against various targets in France. 20 B-17s bombed the industrial area at Paris and 48 others hit the secondary target, the Beaumont Suroise Airfield. They claimed 16-2-9 Luftwaffe aircraft. 2 B-17s were lost. 59 B-17s bombed Tille Airfield at Beauvais, 37 B-17s attacked Nord Airfield at Lille, 52 B-17s bombed Vendeville Airfield at Lille, 51 B-17s hit Vitry-en-Artois Airfield, 28 B-24s bombed Ft Rouge and Longuenesse Airfields at St Omer and 35 B-24s attacked Drucat Airfield at Abbeville. All missions except the Drucat Airfield mission were escorted by 215 P-47 Thunderbolts that claimed 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 2 P-47's were lost. The US VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 55 against coastal defenses around Boulogne, France. 202 B-26Bs hit the targets and 3 B-26s were lost. Operation 'Starkey' was a disappointment as the Luftwaffe refused to commit fighter defenses on a large scale, thus preventing possible destruction of many of their aircraft, which Allied air forces hoped to accomplish.

The Lockheed Ventura made its last operation with RAF Bomber Command.

Italian Campaign

The Italian mainland is invaded in Operations 'Avalanche' and 'Slapstick'. Under protection of the USN's Task Force 80 (Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt), the Allied Fifth Army (Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, USA) landed on the assault beaches in the Gulf of Salerno in Operation 'Avalanche' . Salerno had been chosen as the site for the invasion because it was the northern-most point to which the Allies could provide air cover from bases in Sicily. On the left flank, British Commandos and U.S. Rangers landed at Vietri and Maiori respectively with orders to advance northward and capture passes through the hills. The British 46 and 56 Divisions landed south of Salerno meeting strong German resistance but managed to get ashore. The U.S. 36th Infantry Division landed north and south of Paestum and took heavy casualties because of strong German resistance. Once ashore, the Americans met less resistance. On the right flank of the British X Corps the 56th British Infantry Division met no opposition as it disembarked on empty beaches, but has come under fierce counter-attacks from tanks as it advances on Montocorvino airfield. Others from the division reached the village of Battipaglia, but - despite the aid of naval gunfire - could not dislodge the Germans. Troops from the 46th Division were driving northwards along the coast road to Salerno itself. To the south of the Sele river - which divided the two Allied beach-heads - two regiments of the US 36th "Texas" Division were wading ashore when flares lit the entire scene. The Americans - many facing their first battle - came under withering fire from unseen German defenders and threatened to panic. Weeks of careful planning and rehearsal were forgotten as soldiers dived for cover and landing craft turned back towards the transports out at sea. While the Texas Division sorted itself out - making its way eventually to its first objective, one-and-a-half miles inland - three battalions of US Rangers succeeded in taking Chiunzi Mount during the night. By dawn they had taken the twin peaks overlooking the pass and the main highway to Naples.

Photo: Salerno, 9 September 1943 (Operation Avalanche): A British mortar crew in action



Photo: Infantry pass two knocked-out German PzKpfw III tanks on the main road near Fasanara, 9 September 1943



Photo: Supermarine Spitfire Mark VCs and Mark IXs of No. 243 Squadron RAF, parked ready for take off at Tusciano landing ground, south of Salerno, while providing air cover for the beachhead



Meanwhile, the British launched Operation 'Slapstick'. The British 1 Airborne Division made an amphibious landing at Taranto and then captured the airfield at Foggia. In the hastily-improvised Operation 'Slapstick', six British warships entered port to land 3,600 British paratroopers on Italian soil. No Germans were to be seen, and the Italian garrison cheered as the British came ashore. Taranto was beyond the range of air fighter cover from Sicily, but the Allies wanted to secure a port to supply advances up Italy's eastern flank. They also wanted to ensure that Italian warships did not fall into German hands; but the Italian fleet is already under way to surrender at Malta.

Photo: In the distance British warships put a terrific supporting bombardment against well established German shore batteries and entrenchments as fighting goes on on the beaches of Salerno Bay. This bombardment continued throughout the bitter fighting since the landings



Photo: The British destroyer HMS Tartar (F43) puts up an anti-aircraft barrage with her 4.5 inch (sic.) AA guns to protect the invasion force from attack by enemy aircraft. Comment : Tartar's anti-aircraft guns at this time were twin 4-inch Mk XVI in "X" position



German troops tried to occupy Bari harbor. Major General Nicola Bellomo, commander Commander in Chief IX Territorial Defence Command, formed a group of about 100 men and counter-attacked the German position, with himself personally leading the action. After two hours of fighting, the Germans were ousted out of Bari.

The Germans unleashed a new weapon of warfare which claimed as its first victim one of the Italian ships heading to surrender. The battleship 'Roma' was hit by a "glider bomb" in the Gulf of Asinara off Sardinia and blew up soon after firing her first and last shots in battle. The ship was en route to Malta from the Italian naval base at La Spezia. The Germans have two types of glider bomb - the Ruhrstahl SD-1400 and the Henschel HS-293 - which were released from the air to hit targets on the ground. In effect, they were unmanned missiles which could be used against targets on land as well as at sea. Amongst the 1,523 dead on the 'Roma' was Admiral Carlo Bergamini, commander of the Italian combined battle fleet (hence senior naval commander afloat in the Italian forces.)

Map: Map of the sinking of the battleship Roma September 9, 1943



One of the clauses of the armistice between the Allies and Italy specified that the ships of the Italian Navy, bearing black circular panels in sign of surrender, would sail to Malta to await their final destiny. The Italian ships sailed but did not bear the black circular panels. At 0300 hours local, three battleships, the 'Roma', the 'Vittorio Veneto' and 'Littorio', left La Spezia along with 3 cruisers and 8 destroyers. Instead of sailing for Malta, they headed for the naval port of La Maddelena on Sardinia and were sighted by Allied aircraft at dawn. At 1340 hours, the Italians learned that the port had been occupied by the Germans and they turned south and headed for Malta. German aircraft sighted the fleet and attacked but miss. At the same time, 6 Dornier Do 217K-2s of II/KG 100 took off from Istres, France, armed with Ruhrstahl/Kramer X-1 (Fritz X) remote control bombs with a 320 kilogram warhead. The first attack came while the ships were about 14 miles (22.5 kilometres) southwest of Cape Testa, Sardinia. The first Fritz X was directed toward the 'Littorio' and it fell near the battleship temporarily blocking the rudder; the crew went to auxiliary rudder and continued. At 1545 hours, a Fritz X struck 'Roma' on the starboard side, goes through the hull and explodes in the water reducing the ship's speed to 10 knots. A second Fritz X hit 'Roma' and exploded in the forward superstructure starting a fire. The ship listed to starboard and sank with 88 officers and 1,264 sailors. Other Italian ships lost were the cruiser 'Taranto', destroyers 'Maestrale', 'Corazziere', 'Nicole Zeno' and FR 21 (Former French destroyer Lion) and Torpedo Boats 'Antonio Cascino' and 'Procione', all of which were scuttled in various ports to prevent German capture. The destroyer 'Antonio Da Noli' sank off Corsica after hitting a mine.

Photo: The Italian battleship Caio Duilio surrendering at Malta on 9 September 1943



Photo: The Italian battleship Andrea Doria surrendering at Malta on 9 September 1943



Photo: The Italian light cruiser Pompeo Magno surrendering at Malta on 9 September 1943



Photo: The Italian light cruiser Luigi Cadorna surrendering at Malta on 9 September 1943



In the air, USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24s hit the satellite airfield at Foggia in support of British airborne landings. The USAAF Twelfth Air Force sent 100+ B-17s to bomb bridges at Capua and Cancello Arnone, and 240+ B-25s and B-26s to hit railroad-bridges at Potenza and landing ground at Scanzano.

German forces entered Rome, brushing aside the Italian garrison and forcing the government to flee.

Battle of the Atlantic

Midget submarine "Welman 10" which was being operated by SOE sank alongside the depot ship HMS 'Forth'. The commander (Lt B Pedersen of the Norwegian Army) made an unaided escape to the surface. There were no casualties.

Battle of the Caribbean

German submarine U-214 lays mines off Colon, Canal Zone, off the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.

Military operations, Arctic

Unternehmen Sizilien: The pride of the German fleet battered the shore installations and succeeded in putting the radio station out of action when troops of the German 349th Grenadier Regiment landed and blew up the Allied installations. The attacking force comprised two battleships, 'Tirpitz' and the 'Scharnhorst', and ten destroyers. The 'Tirpitz' was Germany's most powerful battleship, yet today's action was the first time that her heavy guns have been in action since she was built two years ago.

Iran

Iran declared war on Germany.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Sigourney (DD-643) off the Boston Naval Shipyard, Massachusetts (USA), 9 September 1943



United Kingdom

Photo: U-boat prisoners disembarking from HMS Revenge at Greenock in Scotland, 9 September 1943



Pacific War

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): At Umnak, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No 14 (Fighter) Squadron prepares to depart for British Columbia, Canada.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): B-24's again mine the Rangoon River in Burma during the night of 8/9 Sep.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 8 B-25's and 11 P-40's hit the White Cloud Airfield at Canton; 4 P-38's bomb the docks at Whampoa; 8 P-40's and P-38's hit shipping on the Yangtze River shipping near Chiuchiang, Kichun, Wusueh, Ocheng, and Changanyi, and strafe targets of opportunity in the general area. .

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

USN Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander of the South Pacific Ara and the Third Fleet, proposes that the Treasury Islands and Choiseul Bay be secured as bases from which the southern Bougainville Island-Shortland Islands area can be neutralized. The suggestion is not accepted by General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the South West Pacific Area.

Twelve USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25s and over 50 USN SBDs dive bombers attack Vila Airfield on Kolombangara Island and barges at Disappointment Cove on New Georgia Island. Eighteen B-24 Liberators, with fighter escort, bomb Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island; two nearby coastal guns are also hit.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, Major General Edward Milford, General Officer Commanding Australian 5th Division, order the American and Australian troops in the Salamaua area to advance tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Japanese XVIII Army is ordered to withdraw their troops in Salamaua to Lae. The Australian troops in the Lae-Nadzab area cross the Busu River and holds a bridgehead against counterattacks.

Four USN high-speed transports bombard Lae.

In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack the coastal area from Alexishafen to Finschhafen.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25s bomb Selaroe Aerodrome on Selaroe Island, Netherlands East Indies, located about 259 nautical miles N of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Photo: Dutch prisoners working on emplacements of 75mm anti-aircraft battery near Surabaya, Java, 9 September 1943



PACIFIC

Submarine Grayling (SS-209) is sunk, possibly rammed by Japanese transport Hokuan Maru in the South China Sea west of Luzon.

Submarine Harder (SS-257) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Koyo Maru, 35°30'N, 140°40'E.

Submarine Permit (SS-178) damages Japanese cargo vessel Tateyama Maru 09°00'N, 168°40'E.

Submarine Pompano (SS-181) damages Japanese army cargo ship Nanking Maru, 40°12'N, 141°55'E.

Day 1459 of World War II, September 11th 1943

Eastern Front

German officers captured by the Red Army formed an anti-Hitler association, the "Bund deutscher Offiziere".

Air War over Europe

The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 56 against 2 locations without loss. 19 B-26Bs bombed the shipyard at Le Trait when the primary target was obscured by clouds and 32 B-26Bs attacked Beaumont le Roger Airfield.

Italian Campaign

The fighting at Salerno became more chaotic and piecemeal. Typical was the fight on the British 56 Division's front, where 167 Brigade and 201 Guards Brigade were subjected to sudden sharp attacks by infiltrating German units at the 'Tobacco Factory' between Battipaglia and Bellizzi. These attacks were beaten off, but neither British nor German troops were really sure of the situation. In 46 Division's sector, the fighting was also scrappy and disjointed. 139 Brigade was able to gradually relieve the Commando forces at Vietri sul Mare and on the left the US Rangers were reinforced and continued to hold their positions. A three-pronged push in the US VI Corps' sector by the 36th and 45th Infantry Divisions was held up in the left and center as troops of the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division filtered into the fighting on the plain.

Map: Map of Salerno Bridghead at the end of 11 September 1943



In southern Italy, British 1 Airborne Division entered Bari and then Brindisi. General Bernard Montgomery, Commanding General Eighth Army, pushed forward units of the British 5 Division towards Castrovillari and Belvedere and the Canadian 1 Division towards Crotone. General Harold Alexander's Chief-of-Staff, Major General Alexander Richardson, arrived at Montgomery's headquarters to explain the crisis at Salerno and to offer men and equipment to threaten the South flank of the Germans facing Fifth Army.

Photo: A Sherman tank passes through Nicastro, 11 September 1943



In the air, the USAAF Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command sent B-17s to bomb the Benevento marshalling yard and bridge and highway junction nearby; B-25s and B-26s hit highways and junctions at Castelnuovo, Ariano, Mignano, and Isernia; P-40s flew an uneventful sweep over southern Sardinia and USAAF and RAF aircraft of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force continued to provide beachhead cover in the Salerno area, hit road communications throughout the day, and attack road and rail bridges, junctions, airfield, and town areas at Saptri, Corleto, Perticara, Auletta, and Gioia del Colle.

German E-boats attacked the USN destroyer USS 'Rowan' (DD-405) in the Gulf of Salerno. 'Rowan' pursued and fired on the enemy, then, as her quarry pulled away, ceased firing and changed course to rejoin the convoy she was escorting back to Oran, French Morocco. Within 5 minutes a new contact was made, range less than 3,000 yards (2.7 kilometres). Again she changed course, to avoid torpedoes and bring her guns into position. As the range decreased to 2,000 yards (1.8 kilometres), 'Rowan' was hit by a torpedo. She sank in less than a minute, taking 202 of her 273 officers and men with her.

Off the coast of Salerno in the morning, the USN light cruiser USS 'Savannah' (CL-42) was struck by a remote controlled Ruhrstahl/Kramer X-1 (Fritz X) glide bomb launched by a Do-217K-2 of III/KG 100. It pierced through the armored turret roof of the Number 3 Gun Turret, passing through three decks into the lower handling room where it exploded causing a gaping hole in the bottom, and tore open a seam in the ship's port side. For 30-minutes, secondary explosions in the gun room hampered firefighting efforts; 197 crewmen were killed and 15 seriously wounded. The ship arrived at Malta on 12 September and then departed for the U.S. in December.

Photo: USS Savannah (CL-42) is hit by a German radio-controlled en:glide bomb, while supporting Allied forces ashore during the Salerno operation, 11 September 1943. The bomb hit the top of the ship's number three 6"/47 gun turret and penetrated deep into her hull before exploding. The photograph shows the explosion venting through the top of the turret and also through Savannah's hull below the waterline. A motor torpedo boat (PT) is passing by in the foreground



Photo: USS Savannah (CL 42), September 11, 1943. Struck by a German bomb, men take care of the casualties and make hasty repairs to continues to bombard shore installations of Salerno, Italy. While wounded men were given treatment, a crewman aims a stream of water down the smoking hole made by the bomb



Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine U-107 lays mines off Charleston, South Carolina.

Battle of the Mediterranean

The Italian’s on Rhodes surrender to the Germans.

Off Salerno, Italy, destroyer Rowan (DD-405) is sunk by German motor torpedo boats (3d Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla), 40°07'N, 14°18'E; light cruisers Philadelphia (CL-41) and Savannah (CL-42) are damaged by radio-controlled bombs, 40°24'N, 14°51'E, and 40°21'N, 14°55'E, respectively.

United States

Photo: Launching of the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Jenks (DE-665) at the Dravo Corporation, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA), on 11 September 1943



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

12 B-25's and 8 B-24's attack Paramushiru in the Kurile for the third and last time this year. 6 B-24's bomb the Kashiwabara staging area; shipping is bombed and strafed in Kashiwabara harbor and Paramushiru Straits; 1 freighter and 1 large transport are sunk while 1 transport and 2 cargo ships are damaged; 2 other cargo vessels sustain possible hits; targets hit on land include 2 buildings and an AA battery on Shimushu. Of 40 fighters giving battle, 13 are shot down and 3 more are probables. 2 B-24's force-land in the USSR, one with mechanical defect, the other after being hit; 1 B-24 is downed by AA fire; losses are 7 B-25's and 2 B-24's in this most disastrous day for the Eleventh Air Force. It will be another 5 months before it is able to strike at the Kurils again. The 77th Bombardment Squadron, 28th Composite Group, transfers from Adak to Amchitka with B-25's.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 10 B-25's and 11 P-40's attack the Hankow docks and Wuchang cotton mills; and 3 P-38's bomb ammunition and fuel depots at Tayeh and strafe warehouses and barracks at Yangsin.

SOUTH PACIFIC

(Thirteenth Air Force): Eighteen USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack the area west of Vila airfield on Kolombangara Island and west of Disappointment Cove on New Georgia Island. The airfield is hit again in the evening by three B-24 Liberators. Twenty five B-24s, with fighter escort, bomb Kahili airfield on Bougainville Island; B-24s and fighters claim seven Japanese aircraft shot down. P-40s and P-39 Airacobras support SBD Dauntlesses in striking gun positions at Hamberi on New Georgia Island.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

A regiment of the U.S. 25th Infantry Division lands on the western end of Bomboe Peninsula on Arundel Island and starts moving east. Artillery and, for the first time in the South Pacific, 4.2 inch mortars support the attack.

Photo: Troops from the 2nd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment landing on Arundel



JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In the Southwest Pacific, US Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Makassar on Celebes Island and in New Guinea, Australian forces cross the Francisco River to Salamaua airfield as Japanese forces draw toward Lae.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian attack against the Japanese at Salamaua takes the airfield without opposition. At 1500 hours local, the Australians enter the town itself as the Japanese pull out.

PACIFIC

Japanese minesweeper W.16 is sunk by Allied aircraft south of Makassar, Celebes, 06°08'S, 119°20'E.

Submarine Harder (SS-257) sinks Japanese transport Yoko Maru south of Mikura Island, 33°48'N, 139°37'E.

Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) sinks Japanese transport Hokusho Maru (hit earlier by dud torpedoes) five miles northwest of Nauru Island, 00°30'S, 166°50'E.

Submarine Spearfish (SS-190) damages Japanese army transport Tsuyama Maru, 30°56'N, 132°47'E.

Day 1461 of World War II, September 13th 1943

Air War over Europe

5 Oboe Mosquitoes went to Cologne and 5 to Duisburg without loss.

The US Eighth Air Force activated the 1st, 2d, and 3d Bombardment Divisions at Brampton Grange, Horsham St Faith and Camp Blainey respectively. They were formed from complements of VIII Bomber Command's 4 bombardment wings which were redesignated Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) effective this date; each bombardment division was organized into combat bombardment wings. Commanding Officers of the Bombardment Divisions were Major General Robert B Williams (1st), Brigadier General James P Hodges (2d), and Major General Curtis E LeMay (3d).

General Josef Kammhuber was appointed commander of all the Luftwaffe night-fighting units. But he was on shaky ground. Goering felt slighted by Kammhuber when he disagreed with the "Einsitzer" nachtjagd concept then taking root and also by not attending a crisis meeting held by Goering following the Hamburg raids.

Italian Campaign

At Salerno the Germans rapidly reinforced the battle area, and the Allied situation continued to deteriorate. German General Heinrich von Vietinghoff launched a major counter-attack against the Allied beachhead, albeit with divisions which were not yet fully reconstituted after the fighting in Sicily. The Hermann Goering and 15th Panzer Grenadier Divisions attacked the British X Corps, while elements of the 26th and 29th Panzer Grenadier and the 16th Panzer Divisions drove against the U.S. VI Corps and the lightly defended area along the Sele River. The Germans penetrated the American lines during the afternoon, overrunning a battalion of the 36th Infantry Division and threatening the rear of the Allied position. For a time, the situation was so precarious that Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Commanding General U.S. Fifth Army, directed his staff to begin planning to evacuate one of the two beachheads and land its forces on the other. American resistance stiffened along the Calore River as artillery, tank, and tank destroyer units held their ground, pouring shot after shot directly into the attacking Germans. By nightfall the German attacks faltered, and the Allies began to regroup. Seaborne reinforcements from Sicily could not arrive in time, and British Eighth Army advances were being slowed by heavily damaged roads and logistic problems. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander in Chief Allied Expeditionary Force Mediterranean, had earlier made the 82d Airborne Division available to Fifth Army, and Clark requested its use. The airborne unit represented the only force that could move to the area rapidly enough to make a difference. During the night of 13-14 September, 80+ USAAF Twelfth Air Force C-47 Skytrains dropped 1,300 soldiers of the 504th PIR into the beachhead ; these troops immediately moved into defensive positions bolstering the 36th Infantry Division. In southern Italy, the British Eighth Army continued to advance and took Cosenza.

Photo: HM LST-425 loading trucks and troops of the 45th Division, 13 September 1943, at Palermo, Sicily for the Salerno landings



In the air, RAF heavy bombers, under the operational control of the USAAF Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command, hit Potenza. B-17s of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command bombed roads in the Torre del Greco area, a highway at Sala Consilina, and a road junction, railway and bridge at Atena Lucana; B-25s attacked a viaduct, rail and road junctions, and rail lines in the Pompeii-Castellammare di Stabia-Torre Annuziata areas; XII Air Support Command A-36 Apaches destroyed 25 to 30 vehicles near Potenza, and fighters maintained convoy patrol. USAAF and RAF light and medium bombers of the Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force hit town areas, road junctions, and vehicles in the Auletta-Pompeii-Sala Consilina-San Severino Rota areas.

Battle of the Mediterranean

In Greece, fighting was reported between the Italian Acqui division and German units at Cephalonia. 1646 Italians would be killed in the fighting before they would surrender a week later.

A German Fritz X guided aerial bomb crippled British light cruiser HMS 'Uganda' off Salerno, Italy. The Fritz X passed through seven decks and straight through her keel, exploding underwater just under the keel. The concussive shock of the Fritz X's underwater detonation close to Uganda's hull extinguished all her boiler fires, and resulted in sixteen men being killed, with Uganda taking on 1,300 tons of water. Damage control under Lieutenant Leslie Reed managed to get the ship moving with one engine. She was towed to Malta by USS Narragansett, where temporary repairs were made.

German planes bomb Allied shipping off Salerno. U.S. freighter James W. Marshall is damaged by bomb and resultant fire. There are, however, no casualties among the crew.

United Kingdom

Photo: A maintenance crew at work on a Supermarine Seafire at RNAS Lee-on Solent, 13 September 1943



Photo: A loaded Fairey Barracuda torpedo bomber taxi-ing past an aircraft shed on the way to the runway



United States

Photo: Loading of a Mark XIII torpedo into the bomb bay of a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger of Torpedo Squadron 16 (VT-16), on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16), 12 September 1943. Note the torpedo cart at the bottom of the image, and the portable winch (marked TBF) at left center



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Brownson (DD-518) off Kodiak, Alaska (USA), on 13 September 1943



SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER

(Fifth Air Force): B-24's escorted by P-38's, bomb airfields and ammunition dumps in the Wewak area; and B-25's hit Lae. Lost are P-40N "Mr. Five by Five / Pumkins" 42-104977, P-38H 42-66837.

CHINA

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is elected President of the Republic of China by the Central Executive Committee. He succeeds President Lin Sen, who died on 7 August and will serve a three-year term. The committee permits President Chiang to keep his post as Commander-in- Chief of the Chinese army.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, units of the Australian 15th Brigade, 7th Division, capture Salamaua. Pressure at Lae continues as the Japanese perimeter contracts. The contracting forces are rear-guards only. The main Japanese force has already abandoned Lae and is trying to escape over the Saruwaged Range. On 8 September, Lieutenant General Nakano Hidemitsu, commander of the 51st Division, have issued orders for the withdrawal. On or about 10 September, the main body of about 7,000 left in four groups carrying half rations for a 14-day journey.

They have intended to withdraw along a preprepared withdrawal route across the Huon Peninsula to Sio; food dumps are spaced along the route. However, at the Busu River the Japanese found that Australian commandos are already in possession of the bridge across the swollen Busu River. These commandos are the flank guard of the advancing Australian 9th Division. The Japanese lose three days while they built a new bridge across the Busu further up. Then they have to follow a different route without any food. Many died of starvation or disease in the ensuing weeks.

In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Force B-24 Liberators escorted by P-38 Lightnings, bomb airfields and ammunition dumps in the Wewak area, while B-25 Mitchells hit Lae.

PACIFIC

Submarine Permit (SS-178) damages Japanese fleet tanker Shiretoko, 08°33'N, 164°40'E.

Submarine Snook (SS-279) sinks Japanese army transport Yamato Maru, 30°08'N, 123°32'E, and although escorting destroyer Shiokaze claims her destruction, Snook emerges from the encounter to fight again.

Day 1463 of World War II, September 15th 1943

Eastern Front

Nezhin fell to Rokossovsky's troops. Dyatkovo was evacuated by the Germans.

Air War over Europe

An RAF Lancaster of No. 617 Squadron dropped the first 12,000-lb bomb on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. 8 Lancasters of RAF No. 617 Sqdn took off to carry out the postponed raid on the banks of the Dortmund-Ems Canal but the area was misty and 5 aircraft were lost including those of Pilot Officer L.G. Knight, another of the Dams Raid survivors, and the new squadron commander, Sqdn Ldr G. Holden. These heavy losses, and the losses of the Dams Raid, confirmed that low level attacks on German targets, even when away from major defended areas, were not viable with heavy bombers and this type of operation was not repeated. 617 Sqdn now started retraining as a specialist high-altitude-bombing unit.

A Halifax bomber flying from Croft airfield, County Durham, was abandoned by the crew at 12.45 after the pilots escape hatch blew off, causing loss of control. Six of the crew baled out, one stayed with the plane and was killed when it crashed at Stillington near York.

The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flew 2 missions with the loss of 6 bombers. Mission 95, in 3 forces, was flown against aviation facilities in France. 87 B-17s attacked the Romilly-sur-Seine air depot and 139 B-17s attacked three targets. 40 hit the Caudron-Renault industrial area in Paris, 21 hit the Billancourt-Renault works and 78 hit the Hispano-Suiza aircraft engine works in Paris. They claimed 12-2-4 Luftwaffe aircraft and 5 B-17s were lost, mostly by JG 2 and JG 26. 47 B-24s hit Chartres Airfield and claimed 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 1 B-24 was lost.

The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 58 against 2 airfields in France without loss. 72 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to Nord Airfield at Lille but the mission was aborted due to weather. 68 B-26Bs hit Merville Airfield at 1745 and 1748 hours.

209 Halifaxes, 120 Stirlings, 40 Lancasters and 5 American B-17s attacked Montlucon, 3 aircraft lost. This was a moonlit raid on the Dunlop rubber factory at Montlucon in central France. The Pathfinders marked the target accurately and the Master Bomber, Wing Commander D.F.E.C. Deane, brought the Main Force in well to carry out some accurate bombing. Every building in the factory was hit and a large fire was started. This appears to be the last occasion on which the Pathfinders used the Master Bomber technique until the spring of 1944. No report of the raid was available from France.

The Hamburg disaster in August and the increased US Eighth Air Force activity over Germany created a strong need for a more flexible command structure. A sweeping re-organization and complete restructuring of the system was called for and orders were issued. Jagdfliegerfuhrer Bretagne was reformed at St. Pol-Brias in northeast France (ex-Stab./Jagdfliegerfuhrer 2) under 4.jagddivision and later under II Jagdkorps. The Stab remained at St.Pol-Brias and from there controlled fighter defenses over northeast FRance and Belgium. Oberst Karl Viek was named as Jagdfliegerfuhrer. But re-organizing the Stab and communications system required time and the new organization became effective later. As a result of these changes, General der Nachtjagd Josef Kammhuber was fired by Goering and this led to an intense focus on the entire Nachtjagd static defense system.

Photo: The crew of the first Canadian-built Lancaster X to arrive in Britain, KB700, christened the 'Ruhr Express', photographed with their mascot at Northolt, Middlesex, on 15 September 1943. They are, left to right: Squadron Leader Reg Lane DSO, DFC (pilot), Pilot Officer Johnny Carrere (navigator), Sergeant Ross Webb (WOP/AG), Flight Sergeant Reg Burgar (mid-upper gunner) with 'Bambi', Pilot Officer Steve Boczar (second pilot), Flight Sergeant R Wright DFM (bomb aimer) and Sergeant Mike Baczinski (flight engineer)



Italian Campaign

At Salerno the counterattack by the Germans was halted for them to regroup. HMS 'Valiant' and 'Warspite' joined the warships offshore in their bombardment of German positions. The British 8th Army continued its advance. British Eighth Army forces reached Saptri, threatening the enemy with entrapment between US and British forces.
Procida in Naples Bay was captured by the Allies.

Photo: A 3-inch mortar of the 5th Hampshire Regiment in action at Salerno, 15 September 1943



Alexander replaced General Dawley of the British VI Corps.

US Ninth Air Force B-24s hit a marshalling yard at Potenza and attacked railroads and warehouses in the areas around Potenza, Altamura, Gravina di Puglia, and Matera. US Twelfth Air Force B-17s bombed highways and a railroad at Torre del Greco while B-25 Mitchells and B-26s hit highways and road junctions at or near Torre Annunziata, Battipaglia, Eboli, Serre, Auletta, and Polla. The US XII Air Support Command and other Northwest African Tactical Air Force elements attacked buildings, railroads, highways and motor transport in support of US Fifth Army as German counterattacks astride Sele River subsided.

Much to the disapproval of their American allies, British troops have landed on Kos, a Dodecanese island only a mile from the Turkish coast. The 5,000-strong Italian garrison was fighting with them. Such was the low priority given to this operation that General Eisenhower refused the use of landing craft, and Britain's Special Boat Squadron was forced to requisition Greek fishing caiques to land in Kos. The SBS was joined by 120 men of the 11th Parachute Battalion dropped from Dakotas, before the main body of troops, the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry, flew in. The British and their Italian allies were under continual attack from the Luftwaffe, and troops from a Dakota were interned in Turkey after the aircraft was forced down on the sea by a Messerschmitt. Hitler diverted aircraft from all parts of the Mediterranean to the Dodecanese. Eisenhower, on the other hand, ruled that the Aegean "campaign" as no more than a British side-show.

Mussolini returned to power in Italy (at least the northern half). It was a political move and had little real impact.

German planes bombed Allied shipping off Salerno. U.S. freighter SS 'James W. Marshall' was damaged by a glide bomb. Two tank landing craft (LCT) alongside caught fire, and the resultant blaze compelled the abandonment of the freighter. Thirteen of the ship's merchant complement perished as do 50 Army stevedores working cargo. Amphibious command ship 'Biscayne' (AVP-11) provided aid for many survivors. Liberty ship 'William Bradford' was strafed by German planes. There were no casualties among the freighter's merchant or Armed Guard complements. LCT-241 was sunk by an aerial bomb. LCT-209 was destroyed when the freighter 'Bushrod Washington' exploded when the uncontrolled fires (started the previous day when the ship suffered a direct bomb hit) reached the 500-pound bombs stowed forward. LCT-19 was sunk by a rocket bomb.

United Kingdom

United States 101st Airborne Division troops arrived in England.

United States

T.V. Soong, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., presents a plan to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the reorganization of the China theater in such a way as to eliminate American Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, Commander of the U.S. China-Burma- India (CBI) Theater of Operations, Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-Shek and Commander of the Northern Area Combat Command in Burma. Stilwell had asked Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek to join the Communists against the Japanese, and Chiang complains that Stilwell does not understand the realities of China.

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Chester (CA-27) off Mare Island, California (USA), on 15 September 1943. Note the tugs alongside and the Vought OS2U Kingfisher dangling from the aircraft handling crane amidships



Pacific War

ALASKA 

Photo: The U.S. Navy transport USS President Monroe (AP-104) moored pierside at Kodiak, Alaska (USA), on 15 September 1943



CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24's attack a cement plant at Haiphong, French Indochina; 50+ Japanese fighters attack the B-24's, shooting down 4 of them; the 1 returning B-24 claims 10 fighters downed. 6 B-25's and 14 P-40's attack a cotton mill in the Wuchang, China area.

AUSTRALIA

General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in- Chief South West Pacific Area, orders the New Guinea Force (all Allied ground forces in New Guinea) to capture Kaiapit and Dumpu in Northeast New Guinea with assistance from RAAF and USAAF aircraft.

Fleet Air Wing 17 (Commodore Thomas S. Combs) is established in Brisbane, Australia, for operations in southwestern Pacific area.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, troops of the Australian 7th and 9th Divisions continue their assault on Lae. By dusk, the 7th Division, advancing from the west, is 5 miles from Lae and the 9th Division is a little over one mile east of Lae Aerodrome, the airfield Amelia Earhart took off from in 1937 en route to Howland Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC

(Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's bomb Vila Airfield, Kahili and Kara Airfield. B-24's, with fighter escort, later pound the Kahili runway area; others hit Parapatu Point on New Georgia. During the night, B-25's hit Kahili Airfield twice and heavy bombers bomb Buka Airfield and Ballale Airfield. Ballale Airfield is also hit by USN dive bombers, supported by AAF, USN and US Marine Corps (USMC) fighters; a bivouac area, revetments, supply dumps and gun positions are hit; the runway appears badly damaged by the strikes. Lost are F6F Hellcat 25883 (MIA), F6F Hellcat 26009 (survived) and PV-1 Ventura 33214 (rescued).

HQ 403d Troop Carrier Group arrives on Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides , from the US. A detachment of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group, that has been operating from Guadalcanal with P-70's since 28 Feb 43, departs for it's base at Kipapa, Territory of Hawaii. The 372d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy), that has been operating from Guadalcanal with B-24's since 5 Aug, returns to it's base on Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides for R&R.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

(Fifth Air Force): B-24's, with P-38 escort, bomb airfields in the Wewak area, destroying 10 enemy aircraft on the ground; 14 more are claimed destroyed in air combat. B-17's bomb the Lae area lost is B-17F "Listen Here Tojo" 41-24552 and B-25's sink about 15 barges between Alexishafen and Finschhafen, blast an ammunition and supply dump near Bogadjim, and attack AA positions at Bostrem Bay.

GILBERT ISLANDS

Aircraft of USN Task Force 15 attack Tarawa, Makin, and Abemama to decrease Japanese pressure on the Ellice Islands and provide operational training. During the attack on Tarawa, TBF Avengerss, SBD's, and F6F Hellcats from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, and small aircraft carriers USS Princeton and Belleau Wood sink Japanese motor torpedo boats Gyoraitei and Gyoraitei No. 3.

PACIFIC

A USN PBY-5 Catalina of Patrol Squadron VP-23, based in the Florida Islands, spots Japanese submarine HIJMS RO-101 about 123 nautical miles ESE of San Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands. The destroyer USS Saufley assists in sinking the submarine; all 50 submariners are lost.

Destroyer Saufley (DD-465) and PBY (VP 23) sinks Japanese submarine RO 101 100 miles east of San Cristobal, Solomons, 10°57'S, 163°56'E.

Submarine Haddock (SS-231) sinks Japanese collier Sansei Maru north of Truk, 09°32'N, 150°38'E.