World War II in real time

Day 1482 of World War II, October 4th 1943

Air War over Europe

US VIII Bomber Command Mission 108: 4 targets in Germany and a diversion were flown. 12 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 4 B-24s were lost. Escort was provided by 223 P-47 Thunderbolts and they claimed 19-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft. 104 B-17s were dispatched to the Wiesbaden industrial area. 15 aircraft hit Wiesbaden and 77 hit the industrial area at Frankfurt and claimed 19-3-15 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s were lost. 37 B-17s bombed Frankfurt and claimed 18-8-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s were lost. 115 B-17s were dispatched to the Saarlautern industrial area. 67 hit Saarlautern and 38 hit Robinson Airfield in St Dizier, France. They claimed 37-7-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s were lost. 47 B-17s bombed the Sarreguemnines and Saarbrucken marshalling yards and 38 B-24s flew a diversionlosing 4 B-24s. Among the pilots lost by the Luftwaffe was Major Erwin Clausen, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 11 who shot down his 14th 4-engined bomber - a B-24 over the North Sea - and his 132d enemy aircraft overall before losing his life.

162 Lancasters,170 Halifaxes, 70 Stirlings, 4 Mosquitoes and 3 B-17s attacked Frankfurt with 10 aircraft lost plus 1 B-17. This was the last RAF night-bombing raid in which American aircraft took part but individual B-17s occasionally carried out bombing flights in following weeks. Clear weather and good Pathfinder marking produced the first serious blow on Frankfurt so far in the war with extensive destruction being caused in the eastern half of the city and in the inland docks on the River Main; both of these areas are described in the Frankfurt report as having been a 'sea of flames'. Many city centre type buildings are also mentioned as being hit. The new Rathaus had its roof burnt out. No overall figures were given for casualties, the only mention being a tragedy at an orphanage housed in the former Jewish hospital where a bomb scoreda direct hit on the basement shelter killing 90 children, 14 nuns and other members of staff. In the following days the main railway station was packed with people trying to leave Frankfurt.

66 Lancasters carried out a diversionary raid on Ludwigshafen without loss but the marking and bombing were scattered.

12 Mosquitoes attacked Knapsack power station, 1 Mosquito went to Aachen and 5 Stirlings went minelaying in the River Gironde, all without loss. The Mosquito attacking Aachen was carrying out the first operational trial of the G-H blind bombing equipment but the trial was not successful.

US VIII Air Support Command Mission 79: 25 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to Nivilliers Airfield at Beauvais and Fauville Airfield at Evreux, France; they returned to base without bombing.

Italian Campaign

Adolf Hitler decided not to withdraw to Northern Italy, but to prepare a firm defense called Winterstellung from rivers Garigliano and Rapido in the west, and the river Sangro in the east.

100+ US XII Bomber Command B-17s bombed the Pisa marshalling yard and Bolzano bridges; B-25 Mitchells and B-26s attacked the airfield at Argos, road defiles at Terracina and Isernia, a highway overpass at Mignano, and shipping at Bastia; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force aircraft hit road and rail junctions on the main road north from Capua; XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers hit trains, roads, railroads, and vehicles near Isernia, Avezzano, Pescara, and Isolella.

'U-596' fired a spread of four torpedoes at the convoy XT-4 about 60 miles west of Derna, heard three detonations and claimed three ships probably sunk. In fact, only the 'Marit' (Master Sverre Caspersen) had been hit. The explosion destroyed one lifeboat and killed one Indian crew member working on deck. The tanker developed a heavy list to starboard when the oil in the destroyed tanks on the port side ran out into the sea. Trimming the vessel by letting out water from #1 tank on the starboard side proved to be useless and the surviving seven Norwegian officers, five British gunners and 41 Indian crew members abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The ship sank 30 minutes after the crew left. The survivors were picked up by an escort vessel and taken to Benghazi, where four injured men were brought to a hospital, but one of the gunners later died of wounds.

On Corsica the the losses among the communist guerrillas and the Fighting (Free) French regular troops were light - partly because the Germans were not seriously fighting to hold on to the island. Fighting between the German garrison, reinforced by troops from Sardinia, and communist guerrillas has been going on since the Italian surrender. Regular Free French troops under General Henri Martin arrived 20 days ago, with only a few hundred landing each night. Furnished with motor and mule transport by the Italian troops on the island, his men seized the island's spine, pushing the Germans back to their bridgehead at Bastia, from which they withdrew today. The Germans had no intention of holding Corsica; their concern was purely to secure an orderly withdrawal. Under Commander von Liebenstein, who had organized the German evacuation of Sicily, they brought out 26,000 men, 3,200 vehicles, 5,000 tons of stores and 1,200 PoWs, in a movement described by the German News Agency as "an operational and organizational masterpiece." Participating in the expulsion of the Germans are patriots, Battalion du Choc (shock battalion), Moroccan Goums, the knife-wielding irregular troops, of the 4th Moroccan Mountain Division, and a small U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) party.

Battle of the Atlantic

Operation LEADER, the only U.S. Navy carrier operation carried out in northern European waters causes "appreciable losses" to two convoys off the Norwegian coast and to shipping in the harbor of Bodo, Norway. Ranger (CV-4)'s TBFs (VT 4), SBDs (VB 4), and F4Fs (VF 4) sink Norwegian steamer Vagan and damage Norwegian steamer Topeka; sink German steamers Kaguir, LaPlata, and Rabat and transport Skramstad; and damage German tanker Schleswig and steamers Kerkplein and Ibis. German steamer Malaga is damaged by a dud bomb. Only two German planes approach the task force: both (JU 88 and HE 115) are shot down by combat air patrol F4Fs.

Photo: A Douglas SBD Dauntless of U.S. Navy bombing squadron VB-4 during Operation Leader , on 4 October 1943, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4)



Photo: Photo showing the the German merchant ships Malaga, Cap Guir, and Rabat under attack in the Bodø Harbor, Norway, by aircraft from Carrier Air Group 4, from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), on 4 October 1943



Photo: The German freighter La Plata being strafed by a U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat piloted by Lt(jg) William W. Taylor of Fighting Squadron 4 (VF-4) off Bodø, Norway, during "Operation Leader" on 4 October 1943. A second F4F is visible in the upper part of the photo. La Plata was hit by 3 bombs during two attacks and was later beached



Photo: A U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger (4-T-1) from Torpedo Squadron 4 (VT-4) attacks the German freighter Topeka off Bodø, Norway, on 4 October 1943. The photo was taken from 4-T-1 at the instant of release of its topedo. The Topeka was beached, reloated afer the war and scrapped



Photo: Operation Leader 4 October 1943: USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) under way during Operation LEADER, an attack on German shipping in Norwegian fiords around Bodo



Planes (VC 9) from escort carrier Card (CVE-11) attack three German submarines--U 264, U-422, and U-455--rendezvousing with a milch cow, U-460, north of the Azores. U-460 and U-422 are sunk, 43°13'N, 28°58'W, and 43°18'N, 28°58'W, respectively. This action in the central Atlantic allows convoy UGS 19 to pass through the vicinity unmolested by the enemy.

PV-1 patrol bombers (VB 128) sink German submarine U-336, North Atlantic area, 60°40'N, 26°30'W, during operations to protect convoy ONS 204.

Battle of the Mediterranean

German bombers attack convoy UGS 18; a near-miss damages U.S. freighter Hiram S. Maxim about 12 miles northwest of Cape Tenes, Algeria, 36°42'N, 01°17'E; abandoned by all but a skeleton crew of 7 merchant seamen and 6 Armed Guard sailors, the ship is towed to Algiers for repairs. Freighters Leslie M. Shaw and Harry Lane rescue the remainder of the crew (33 merchant and 22 Armed Guard). There are no casualties.

The Germans completed their conquest of Kos capturing 1400 British and 3150 Italians. Even more important was the destruction of the northern most British airfield in the Aegean.

Photo: A group of English prisoners of war captured on the island of Kos in the port, 4 October 1943



United Kingdom

Admiral Pound resigns as British First Sea Lord due to ill health. Admiral Fraser refuses the position, and it is accepted by Admiral Andrew Cunningham.

Photo: Churchill III tank, 4th October 1943



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 17 Japanese bombers and 25 Zekes attack Kweilin Airfield, China. The bombs, dropped from 20,000 feet, fail to hit the target. AAF fighters fail to make effective contact with the force.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): 23 B-24's, covered by 16 P-38's and several USN F4U's, bomb Kahili Airfield; 20-30 fighters intercept, and a running battle occurs between Bougainville and Vella Lavella; US fighters and bombers claim 9 fighters downed; no American losses are suffered. 4 P-39's and 4 F4U's sink 18 barges in a strike along the W coast of Choiseul. The P-39's are especially effective because of their nose cannon.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

Fifth Air Force): B-25's bomb and strafe barges, small craft, and villages on Vitu in the Bismarck Archipelago. The 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, transfers from Port Moresby, New Guinea to Garbutt Field, Townsville, Queensland, Australia with C-47's.

In North East New Guinea, Dumpu is captured by Australian troops as they advance into the Ramu River Valley from the Markham Valley. Meanwhile, the Australian 20th Brigade continues fighting towards Sattelberg.

Day 1484 of World War II, October 6th 1943

Eastern Front

Two Russian armies take Nevel on the boundary between Army Groups North and Centre.

LD "Kharkov", DD "Vesposchadnii" and DD "Sposobnii", of the Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla were all lost to German aviation. In Kuvshinskaya Salma, the Floating Base "Mayak" of the Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla was also sunk by the Luftwaffe.

Italian Campaign

Caserta fell to the US 5th Army, which then advanced to the Volturno River. The U.S. Fifth Army reaches the south bank of the Volturno River, successfully concluding another phase of the Italian campaign. In the British X Corps area, the 56th Division takes Capua. In the British Eighth Army's XIII Corps area, the 78th Division gains firm control of Biferno bridgehead at Termoli.

Photo: Private J.E. McPhee of The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, who is armed with a sniper rifle, under German mortar fire, Foiano, Italy, October 6, 1943



US XII Bomber Command B-17s bombed the Mestre marshalling yard while B-26 Marauders hit a highway chokepoint at Isernia, the highway at Mignano, and road junction at Formia; P-38s strafed Araxos Airfield in Greece; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force planes on road-blocking missions hit targets at Teano, at Alfedena, between Cassino and Capua, and near Sessa Aurunca; US XII Air Support Command P-40s and A-36 Apaches attacked roads and vehicles north of the US Fifth Army battle zone and patroled the Naples area.

German troops, some with "shopping lists" from Hermann Göring , were systematically looting the museums and churches of Rome and carrying off priceless works of art to Germany. Manuscripts and old masters were being removed wholesale by the men who came here to "guard" the city against the Allies. And not only works of art were leaving Italy for the Reich: thousands of former Italian soldiers were being rounded up and taken to Germany as forced labourers. As Germany intensified its control over its former Axis partner, Nazi paratroopers ringed the Vatican, and one report claimed that the pope sent a sealed letter to each of his Italian cardinals to be read only in the event of his arrest.

Battle of the Atlantic

Submarine Dorado (SS-248) departs New London, Connecticut, for the Panama Canal. She is never heard from again.

Battle of the Indian Ocean

Last boatload (16 men) from U.S. freighter Cornelia P. Spencer, torpedoed by German submarine U-188 on 21 September 1943, reach safety on the coast of Somalia.

United States

Photo: USS New Mexico 6 October 1943 Puget Sound Bremerton



Photo: The U.S. Navy troop transport USS General John Pope (AP-110) docked at B/S Pier 6, U.S. Army Port of Embarkation, Hampton Roads, Newport News, Virginia (USA), on 6 October 1943



Photo: The U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Langley (CVL-27) underway off Cape Henry, Virginia (USA), with two North American SNJ Texan training planes on her flight deck, 6 October 1943



Photo: A U.S. Navy K-class airship of Blimp Patrol Squadron ZP-14 pictured in flight over the light aircraft carrier USS Langley (CVL-27) as she steams in the waters off Cape Henry, Virginia (USA), with two North American SNJ Texan training planes on her flight deck, 6 October 1943



Photo: USS Thresher (SS-200), October 6, 1943. Following her ninth patrol, the submarine was refitted in the summer of 1943 at Mare Island in California. The submarine had been modified substantially since her launching in 1940, as had other Tambor-class submarines launched before the United States entered World War II. The configuration in the photograph has been labeled the Mod 3 version of this submarine class



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 P-40's from Suichwan intercept an attacking force of 27 bombers and 21 Zekes; 1 bomber and 1 fighter are shot down, and the attackers retire in the direction of Canton without dropping their bombs.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon, 8 P-39's and 8 USN F4U's strafe barges off the W coast of Choiseul. 24 B-25's of the 42nd BG and 14 P-38's carry out a low-level strike against Kahili Airfield at dusk dropping parafrag bombs, damaging or destroying several parked aircraft. Lost is B-25D 41-30567.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: ALAMO

(U.S. Sixth Army) Scouts land at Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, for reconnaissance.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Fifth Air Force): B-25's sweep along coastal areas of New Britain and through to the N and W, bombing and strafing targets of opportunity.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In North East New Guinea, the Australian 2/17th Battalion is fighting at Kumawa, between Finschhafen and Sattleberg. Elements of the Australian 7th Division take Dumpu with unexpected ease and it will become a staging field for fighters.

PACIFIC OCEAN

The Japanese evacuate 600 men from Vella Lavella Island during the night of 6/7 October but they are met by USN destroyers resulting in the Battle of Vella Lavella. Three USN destroyers intercept and attack six Japanese destroyers, three destroyer transports and small armed craft some 12 nautical miles off Marquana Bay; this proves to be the last surface engagement in the central Solomon Islands.

The three USN destroyers are damaged: USS O'Bannon in a collision with destroyer USS Chevalier; USS Selfridge by torpedo fired from either of Japanese destroyers Shigure or Samidare; and USS Chevalier by torpedo from Japanese destroyer Yugumo. USS Chevalier is scuttled by destroyer USS LaVallette tomorrow. Torpedoes from USS Chevalier and Selfridge sink Japanese destroyer Yugumo.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Action in the central Solomons comes to a close. Elements of the 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, make an unopposed landing on Kolombangara Island during the morning. U.S. casualties during the central Solomons campaign total 1,094 killed and 3,873 wounded. The counted Japanese dead, except on Vella Lavella Island, total 2,483. The campaign yields Allied forces four airfields (Munda, Ondonga and Segi on New Georgia Island and Barakoma on Vella Lavella Island) within range of Bougainville Island, the next objective.

In the air, eight USAAF Thirteenth Air Force P-39 Airacobras and eight USN F4Us strafe barges off the west coast of Choiseul Island while 24 B-25s and 14 P-38s carry out a low-level strike against Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island, damaging or destroying several parked aircraft.

Day 1486 of World War II, October 8th 1943

YouTube (Could the Soviets Cut Off Crimea?)



Air War over Europe

The US VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 80: 144 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to Vendeville Airfield at Lille and Chievres Airfields in France. The mission was abandoned due to thick haze and generally unsuitable weather.

The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 111: 4 locations in Germany were targeted. On this mission the Eighth Air Forces used, for the first time, airborne transmitters (Carpet equipment) to jam German radar. The B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24s were escorted by 274 P-47 Thunderbolts from 6 different fighter groups. They claimed 12-2-4 Luftwaffe aircraft and lost 30 bombers and 3 P-47s. 105 B-17s bombed the shipyard at Breman, 53 B-17s bombed the industrial area at Breman, 43 B-24s bombed the U-boat yards at Vegesack and 156 B-17s bombed the city of Bremen and targets of opportunity.

282 Lancasters, 188 Halifaxes, 26 Wellingtons and 8 Mosquitoes attacked Hanover, 27 aircraft lost including Lancaster DV239 of 61 Sqdn, crew - F/O H.E. Carrott, F/O E.A. Thomas, P/O M. Thompson, P/O R. Coulson, F/Sgt R. Cramp, Sgt D. Hydes and Sgt W.S. Smith. This was the last Bomber Command raid in which Wellingtons took part when aircraft of Nos. 300 and 432 Squadrons were used. RAF No. 300(Polish) and 432(Canadian) Squadrons provided the 26 Wellingtons which operated on this night; they all returned safely. In total Wellington's based in the United Kingdom have dropped 42,440-tons of bombs. The German controller guessed correctly that Hanover was the target and many night fighters arrived before the attack was over. Conditions over Hanover were clear and the Pathfinders were finally able to mark the centre of the city accurately. A most concentrated attack followed with a creepback of only 2 miles, all within the built-up area. This was probably Hanover's worst attack of the war. RAF reconnaissance showed that the important Continental rubber factory and the Hanomag machine works were badly hit.

95 Stirlings, 17 Halifaxes and 7 Lancasters attacked Bremen. This was a diversionary raid on a larger scale than ever before. The bombing was scattered but this was a subsidiary aim of the operation. 3 Stirlings were lost.

10 Mosquitoes went to Castrop-Rauxel, 7 to Berlin and 1 to Duren.

RAF No. 453 Squadron (Spitfire) flying from Perranporth, Cornwall, intercepts eight Me110s over the Channel, shooting down five of them, two fall to Flt. Lt. Russell Leith.

17 Stirlings went minelaying in the River Gironde and off La Pallice without loss.

Italian Campaign

The British 8th Army captured Larino and Guglionesi as the advance on Biferno, Italy. The US 5th Army finished its advance to the Volturno River and began planning the next attack for October 12.

Photo: 45th Infantry Division moving towards Benevento, Italy. 8 October, 1943



The Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force and RAF Desert Air Force aircraft hit a bridge at Minturno and a road junction and military concentration at Termoli.

Battle of the Atlantic

An escort of Convoy SC-143 (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, to U.K.) and three German Type VIIC submarines tracking the convoy are sunk by aircraft in the North Atlantic.

The escort Polish destroyer ORP 'Orkan' (ex HMS 'Myrmidon') sunk by 'U-378'. The destroyer is struck by a torpedo and sinks about 578 nautical miles south-southwest of Rekjavik, Iceland in position 56.30N, 26.26W. There are only 23 survivors of the crew of 198.

RCAF Sunderland patrol a/c from RCAF 423 Sqn attacked and sank 'U-610', KptLt Walter Freiherr Von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen, CO, in the North Atlantic, in position 55.45N, 024.33W. Although 15 men were seen in the water after 'U-610' was sunk, no survivors were recovered and her crew of 51 men was lost.

The commander of 'U-603' became so ill that he was incapacitated, leaving the U-boat unable to act against the enemy.

'U-419' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the North Atlantic by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/R). 48 dead, 1 survivor. 'U-643' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the North Atlantic by depth charges from 2 British Liberator aircraft (Sqdns. 86/Z and 120/T) . 30 dead, 18 survivors in captivity. 'U-762' was bombed by a Liberator aircraft from 120 RAF Squadron. Three crewmembers were wounded, and the boat was slightly damaged.

Naval Air Facility, Dakar, French West Africa, is established.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Twelfth Air Force aircraft attacked targets in Greece. XII Bomber Command B-24s bombed Tatoi and Eleusis Airfields at Athens, airfields at Kastelli and Heraklion Airfields on Crete, and Maritsa Airfield on Rhodes; B-25 Mitchells also hit Eleusis airfield; P-38s flew convoy cover, patrols, and sweeps over the Aegean Sea.

German occupied Denmark

Photo: Siemens Elektricitet A/S on Blegdamsvej factory in Copenhagen on fire after the sabotage on 8 October 1943



United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy fleet oiler USS Merrimack (AO-37) underway off the east coast of the United States on 8 October 1943



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 9 B-24's, supported by 20 P-40's, bomb Gia Lam Airfield in French Indochina. While on ferry mission over the Hump, 3 B-24's bomb Tengchung, China scoring hits on warehouses, barracks, and a HQ area.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's and P-40's sink a barge off the W coast of Choiseul in the Solomon

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Fifth Air Force): A single B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs Cape Gloucester Airfield. Lost is P-38H 42-66904.

PACIFIC

Submarine Gato (SS-212) damages Japanese cargo ship Amagisan Maru with dud torpedo, 05°34'N, 152°10'E, and survives ensuing hunter-killer operations by escorting torpedo boat Hiyodori.

Submarine Guardfish (SS-217) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kashu Maru, 00°20'S, 146°17'E.

Submarine Gurnard (SS-254) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Taian Maru and transport Dainichi Maru off northern tip of Luzon, 18°48'N, 119°21'E.

USAAF B-24 damages Japanese transport Heian Maru en route to Truk, 02°37'N, 150°46'E.

Day 1488 of World War II, October 10th 1943

Eastern Front

Dobrush, east of Gomel, was liberated by Soviet forces.

Air War over Europe

The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 114: 236 B-17s hit the railroads and waterways in and around Munster, Germany plus targets of opportunity at Coesfeld, Germany and Enschede Airfield in the Netherlands, claiming 183-21-51 Luftwaffe aircraft. 30 B-17s were lost. 39 B-24s flew a diversion without loss or casualties. The B-17s were escorted by 216 P-47 Thunderbolts and claimed 19-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. A P-47 was lost. This was recorded as one of the most brutal battles of the war as the Allied fighter cover left the bombers 9 minutes from the IP when an estimated 200 Luftwaffe planes entered the battle. The air battle lasted about 45 minutes in which the standardized attack pattern of single-engined fighters attacked head-on while Bf 110s and Me 410s used rockets to hit the bombers from the rear. In about 25 minutes, 30 bombers were lost. It was during this battle that it was first reported that D0 217s attacked with "lateral" firing weapons. The Luftwaffe also lost aircraft as 26 Fw 190s from JG 1 and JG 26 were shot down. Maj. David C. Schilling, 56th FG's operations officer, USAAF, achieved aces status when he downed an Fw 190 near Altenberg, Germany. Maj. Schilling ended the war with 22.5 kills. 1st Lt. Robert S. Johnson 61st FS/56th FG, USAAF, achieved ace status by downing a Bf 110 and a Fw 190 near Munster, Germany. He ended the war with 27 kills and was the second highest scoring US fighter ace in the ETO, sixth highest of all US fighter pilots. Capt. Walter C. Beckham, 351th FS/353d FG, USAAF, achieved ace status when he downed an Me 210 and two Bf 110s near Munster, Germany. Beckham ended the war with 18 e/a destroyed.

The 360th Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group, transfers from Goxhill to Martlesham, England with P-47's. The squadron will fly it's first mission on 15 Oct.

Italian Campaign

The U. S. 45th "Thunderbird" Infantry Division edged close to German defenses along the Volturno River by taking Pontelandolfo, a mountain town 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Benevento.

The Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force and RAF's Desert Air Force concentrate on gun positions on both the US Fifth and British Eighth Army battlefronts; vehicles, railroads, and town areas also are hit; the attacks take place northeast of Capua, at Guglionesi, at Cassino and Mondragone, between Rome and Terracina, and around the Termoli-Isernia-Pescara areas.

A time bomb killed 12 in a cathedral just before ranking U.S. officers arrived for Mass.

Adolf Hitler's decision to fight for Rome doomed Churchill's plan to take the Dodecanese Islands in the eastern Mediterranean and open a supply route to Turkey and the Soviet Union. During a strategy conference, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his top commanders realized they didn't have enough men and equipment for two Mediterranean campaigns; one in Italy, the other in the Dodecanese. Ike angered British Prime Minister Winston Churchill by refusing to send part of his forces to the islands.

Partisans attacked German forces in Trieste, a large port near the Italian-Yugoslav frontier. The partisans penetrated into several of the city's suburbs and ignited a fierce battle.

Battle of the Atlantic

The Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal was mined by a German submarine.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Submarine HMS 'Trooper' was not heard from after leaving Beirut for a patrol west of the Dodecanese on 26 September. She may have been mined, or the victim of an accident. There were no survivors, all 60 crew becoming casualties.

'U-73' set an agent ashore on Cape Khanis in the Mediterranean.

Destroyer HS 'Miaoulis' rescued the crew of the destroyer HMS 'Panther'.

P-38s escorted shipping off Rhodes, hit Antimachia Airfield in the Dodecanese Islands, and attacked vessels in the harbors of Corfu, Greece, and Kotor, Yugoslavia, and off Tivat, Yugoslavia, and hit targets of opportunity in the Aegean Sea and along its eastern coastline. Twelfth Air Force B-17s bombed 2 airfields at Athens, while B-24s hit Maritsa Airfield on Rhodes and Calato and Heraklion Airfields on Crete.

Photo: The crew of HM Submarine Unison display their 'Jolly Roger' at Plymouth, having returned from a successful 16 months in the Mediterranean, 10 October 1943



Spain

With the war's tide turning, the Franco government ordered the Spanish 250th 'Blue' Division home. A few thousand volunteers, however, refused to abandon the struggle against Communism and enlisted in a so-called "Blue Legion" that was attached to the German 121st Infantry Division.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Herndon (DD-638) on 10 October 1943. Note that she was one of twelve Atlantic Fleet destroyers fitted with three "Mousetrap" rocket launchers forward



Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Barnes (CVE-20) at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), 10 October 1943



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): 7 B-24's pound the Meza railroad bridge in Burma, destroying the 3 spans on the E end and dropping the end of a central span into the river.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 20 B-24's and 18 P-40's pound docks at Haiphong, French Indochina. In China, 8 P-40's bomb a match factory and ammunition dump at Tengchung; 8 others hit a supply dump and targets of opportunity in the Lungling area.

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek takes the oath of office as president of China.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-24's, 50+ P-38's (seporated from the formation near Kolombangara) soon after rendevous. P-40's, and P-39's, and 50+ USN fighters and dive bombers participated, including eight F4Us from VMF-214 'The Black Sheep', but two aborted due to mechanical failures. The remaining aircraft hit Kahili Airfield and surrounding areas, hitting runways, a fuel dump, supply area, buildings, the Navy dive bombers hit Malabita Hill gun positions. The bombing was not accurate with about half the load falling into the water off Bougainville 'killing many small fish'. Jumped by 10-15 Zeros, and fired on by accurate anti-aircraft guns at Kahili and Ballale. Two B-24s are damaged. Lost is B-24D 42-40210. US airplanes claim 15 interceptors shot down, but Japanese records only show the loss of two Zeros from the 201th Kokutai.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, A-20's, along with RAAF airplanes, again pound the Sattelberg area. HQ 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group arrives at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from the US.

The ground echelon of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), arrives at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from the US. The squadron is attached to the 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group and will be reassigned to the 6th on 5 Dec 43. The air echelon, with B-24's and F-7's, will remain in the US until 26 Jan 44. The 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, transfers from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea with C-47's.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

During the night of 10/11 October, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25s hit Saumlaki on Yamdena Island in the Netherlands East Indies.

PACIFIC

Submarine Kingfish (SS-234) lays mines off Cape Pepe, Makassar Strait, Celebes.

Japanese planes attack three Lambu Lambu-based U.S. motor torpedo boats north of Vella Lavella, damaging PT-168 and PT-179.

Submarine Bonefish (SS-223) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Isuzugawa Maru and merchant transport Teibi Maru off Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, 14°49'N, 110°10'E.

Submarine Grayback (SS-208) attacks Japanese troopship Hakozaki Maru, 28°41'N, 138°32'E; although the submarine crew believes one of the four torpedoes fired hit the ship, in fact all four miss.

USAAF B-24 sinks Japanese army cargo ship No.5 Hino Maru 20 miles southwest of Buka passage.

Day 1490 of World War II, October 12th 1943

Air War over Europe

In the evening, 4 Ju 88S-1s of III./KG 6 took-off for a nuisance attack on London. Two aircraft attacked the city without results. The other two aircraft broke off the attack due to engine problems. One bomber had an aerial combat with RAF night fighters from RAF No. 151 Sqdrn over London. Several hits on a Ju 88 from 7./KG 6 convinced the pilot to order his crew to bail out. Two parachutes were seen. These 2 crewmen, Uffz. Kurt Emmert and Ogfr. Kurt Abramowski have been listed as missing ever since. The pilot then ascertained that the aircraft was still flyable and headed for home base.

Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic swung firmly in favour of the Allies when Dr. Salazar, the Portuguese leader, revealed that British land, sea and air forces arrived in the Azores. The islands, strategically placed in mid-Atlantic, would be used for the aerial protection of merchant shipping plying between the United States and Britain. The move came after weeks of secret talks between Britain and Portugal. Though the two countries had a treaty relationship that dated from the 14th century, Dr. Salazar, in close co-operation with Franco's Spain, remained cautiously neutral between the Allied and Axis powers. The Azores pact reflected the growing certainty among neutrals that Hitler would eventually lose the war. The US, though not a signatory to the pact, would use the islands for joint military operations with Britain. Air cover by RAF Catalina and Wellington aircraft based in Britain and Newfoundland left a gap - which would now be closed - of several hundred miles in mid-Atlantic, where the U-boats assembled to prey on Allied shipping. The German consulate in the Azores was being closed and all German citizens were being evacuated. On the Portuguese mainland diplomatic links would continue.

Aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC-9) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Card' (CVE-11) broke up another German U-boat refuelling rendezvous when they attacked 'U-488' about 600 miles (965.6 km) north of Flores Island, Azores and damaged 'U-731'. This was the second attack on submarines refuelling; the first was on 4 October. An Avenger aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier USS 'Card' attacked 'U-378' with a Fido homing torpedo but the boat managed to outmanoeuvre it.

Italian Campaign

The US 5th Army began the attack on the Volturno line. Due to weather, inadequate roads and German demolitions the Allied advance was limited to major roads until spring. The British X Corps operating along the coast made little progress, being faced by determined German counterattacks. Lucas’ US 6th Corps made more progress but poor weather and determined resistance limited advances.

Photo: A Bishop 25-pdr self-propelled gun of 142nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery firing at night from a captured airfield near Grazzanise, 12 October 1943



Photo: A Bishop 25-pdr self-propelled gun of 142nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery operating at a captured airfield among the wreckage of German Gotha Go 242 aircraft, 12 October 1943



Photo: Infantry of the 7th Queen's Regiment and a Stuart tank in Grazzanise, 12 October 1943



US XII Bomber Command operations were cancelled by weather. In Italy, the US XII Air Support Command and other Northwest African Tactical Air Force elements operated on a reduced scale, hitting road junctions at Vasto and Fossacesia, Aquino Airfield, motor transport on the Itri-Pico road and on a road north of Rome in the Bolsena and Capranica areas, roads near Tarquinia, rail facilities at Cisterna di Latina, trains between Pescara and Benedello, and guns and troops near Cercemaggiore.

United Kingdom

Photo: The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Scourge (G01) underway on 12 October 1943



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24's bomb the warehouse area and railroad yards at Myitkyina, Burma

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): 2 B-25's skip-bomb 2 small vessels in Matchin Bay on Bougainville. Lost is B-25C 42-64571.

NEW BRITAIN

USAAF B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s, and RAAF Beaufighters, raid Rabaul, pounding Japanese shipping, town, harbor, and airfields in the vicinity, sinking transports Keisho Maru and Kosei Maru, cargo lighters No.1 Wakamatsu Maru and Kurogane Maru, and guardboat Mishima Maru; and damaging destroyers Mochizuki, Minazuki and Tachikaze, submarines I-177, I-180 and RO 105, special service ship Tsukushi, oiler Naruto, and auxiliary sailing vessels Tenryu Maru and Koan Maru.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

B-25s fly small strikes against targets on Timor Island and other areas of the Netherlands East Indies.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

2 Thirteenth Air Force B-25s skip-bomb 2 small vessels in Matchin Bay on Bougainville Island.

PACIFIC

Submarine USS Halibut torpedoes and sinks the Japanese cargo ship Ehime Maru (4,500 tons), a medium freighter.

Submarine Cero (SS-225) torpedoes Japanese stores ship Mamiya off Chichi Jima, 28°39'N, 137°28'E; collier Asakaze Maru tows the damaged vessel to Saeki, Japan.

Day 1492 of World War II, October 14th 1943

Eastern Front

German forces evacuated the Zaporoshe bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Dnepr river and it fell to the Russians. The railroad from the Crimea to Melitopol was cut by the Red Army.

Air War over Europe

The 55th FG, USAAF, (P-38s) and 356th FG, USAAF, (P-47) made their combat debut in a pair of fighter sweeps over the Frisian Islands (Netherlands). The 55th was the first P-38 unit to operate from the UK since all P-38 units were committed to Operation TORCH in 1942. It was also the first 8th Fighter Command unit to actually enter combat with P-38s.

The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 115: 229 of 291 B-17s were dispatched to hit the city area and ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, Germany, in 2 groups; the first group bombed at 1439-1445 hours, the second group at 1451-1457 hours. They lost 60 aircraft shot down, 7 damaged beyond repair and 138 damaged. There was no appreciable reduction of supplies of ball-bearings to German industry. The factories had previously been attacked on August 17, resulting in a disastrous loss of aircraft. The second mission turned out no different, and has become known as Black Thursday due to the heavy loss of men and aircraft. The weather hampered the Bomber formations rendezvous, and as a result the wrong formations were in the wrong position. Much of the American formations were spread out, offering little protection for each other; an invitation for attacking fighters. The Germans had suspected a deep penetration raid because of the substantial raid traffic. Jagddivision 3 was positioned to meet the bombers as they crossed the coast. The P-47s tried to protect the scattered bomber groups and succeeded in downing 7 Bf 109s for a single loss, and the only P-47 loss of the day. Over the Netherlands JG 1 and 26 made repeated attacks. The 305th Bomb Group lost 13 of its 16 B-17s in minutes. After dropping their bombs the American bombers were almost immediately attacked by German fighters, having landed, refuelled and rearmed, struck again. JG 11 shot down 18 B-17s during this period. Finally, the B-17s reached the coastline of Europe and relative safety, some of them so heavily damaged that though they brought their crews home, they would never fly again. Out of 2,900 men in the crews, about 650 men did not return, although 65 survived as POWs. Five were killed and forty-three wounded in the damaged aircraft that made it home, and 594 were listed as Missing in Action. Only thirty-three bombers landed without damage. The 306th Bomb Group was hard hit, losing 100 men, of which 35 died on the mission, or of wounds, and 65 were captured. The 305th Bomb Group lost 130 men, with 36 killed. The 87 percent loss rate had left the group devastated. The bomber crews claimed to have shot down 288 German aircraft, postwar analysis showed the real figure to have been 27. This raid, on Schweinfurt, would be the last Allied daylight air raid deep within Germany until the arrival of the long range fighter escorts. The lesson was that the Fortresses could not live in the air over Germany without fighters for protection. A Ninth Air Force was therefore to be formed on 16 October to provide escort cover for bombing attacks and, in the longer term, a future invasion of Europe.

Only 29 of 60 B-24s were able to form up in poor weather. They abandoned their planned mission and fly a diversion towards Emden, Germany.

Photo: (Schweinfurt, Germany)— Despite the VIII’s fiercest, largest, and most sustained air battle, our bomb runs destroyed approximately 75% ball-bearing production, severely damaged other industrial, railroad, and city areas,October 14, 1943



Photo: Schweinfurt in flames while a B-17 heads for home, 14 October 1943



Photo: Bombs falling on Schweinfurt during the 14 October 1943



Map: USAAF map of the raid on Schweinfurt, 14 October 1943



Italian Campaign

The battle along the Volturno River continued. The Fifth Army expanded its bridgeheads across the Volturno River. The US 3d, 34th and 45th Infantry Divisions pushed 4 miles (6.4 km) beyond the river.

US XII Bomber Command B-25s hit Argos Airfield and B-17s bombed the Terni marshalling yard. Other B-17s and B-24s attacked a bridge at Giulianova, the town area of Piano-Vomano and railroad and highway bridges north of Pescara and along the eastern coast of Italy. Weather hindered tactical aircraft operations, but the US XII Air Support Command and RAF Desert Air Force hit trains and vehicles and flew patrols from north of the Volturno River to Formia and north of Pescara.

Battle of the Atlantic

Naval Air Facility, Igarape Assu, Brazil, is established.

'U-455' ollides with 'U-631' and suffers heavy damage.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Submarine HMS 'Trooper' was sunk by a German Q-ship off the island of Kos in the Greek Aegean.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Canberra (CA-70) underway off Boston, Massachusetts (USA), on 14 October 1943



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25's attack shipping in the Amoy area, damaging 2 freighters, and also bomb Amoy Airfield.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): A single B-24 on armed reconnaissance bombs 4 barges W of Taiof, leaving 1 sinking. The 371st Bombardment Squadron, 307th BG, ceases operating from Guadalcanal and returns to it's base on Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides with B-24's.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Fifth Air Force): 60+ medium bombers pound Cape Gloucester on New Britain and Alexishafen. 3 others fly harassing strikes against Dili and Lautem on Timor.

HAWAII

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24) on 14 October 1943. She is accompanied by two tugs, one small harbour type and the other (at right) an old Navy fleet tug. Pensacola was repaired at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, following her torpedo damage during the Battle of Tassafaronga in November 1942



PACIFIC

Submarine Grayback (SS-208) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Kozui Maru, 27°35'N, 127°30'E, and eludes hunter-killer operations carried out by aviation supply ship Takasaki.

Japanese planes attack six Lambu Lambu-based U.S. motor torpedo boats off Choiseul Bay, damaging PT-183.

Day 1494 of World War II, October 16th 1943

Eastern Front

Vatutin’s forces launched attacks out of the Bukrin bridgehead south of Kiev. The attacks were met by several German panzer divisions. Fighting was severe and the Germans defeated the Russian tanks and infantry. In the southern Ukraine, a group of Red armies led by General Ivan Konev crossed the Dnieper, bursting through German defenses and pushing toward Krivoi Rog, a steelmaking center.

Air War over Europe

9 Mosquitoes went to Dortmund, without loss. One of the aircraft was carrying out a G-H trial but its equipment failed and it had to bomb by dead reckoning.

Headquarters, 9th USAAF, was formally reactivated at Sunninghill Park, England, following its transfer from Egypt. Lt. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton resumed his duties as commanding general. US IX Bomber Command was reactivated under the command of Maj. Gen. Samuel E. Anderson. US IX Fighter command was reactivated under the temporary command of Lt. Col. Ray J. Stecker. US IX Air Support Command was reactivated under the command of Maj. Gen. Henry J. Miller. A new US IX Troop Carrier command was activated under the command of Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Giles. All four B-26 groups were transferred to the 9th AF from the 3d Medium Bombardment Wing when it was disbanded. US IX Troop Command assumed control of all 8th AF troop carrier units. The US IX Troop Carrier Command was activated at Cottesmore with Brigadier General Benjamin F Giles as Commanding General; the 315th Troop Carrier Group (34th and 43d Troop Carrier Squadrons with C-47s) were transferred from the Eighth Air Force; and the 434th Troop Carrier Group and its 71st, 72d, 73d and 74th Troop Carrier Squadrons that arrived on 9 Oct were also assigned.

During the night of 16/17 October, eight RAF Bomber Command aircraft drop leaflets over northern France without loss.

Italian Campaign

German forces, in Italy, facing the US 5th Army finished their fighting retreat to the Barbara Line as scheduled by Kesselring.

Twelfth Air Force P-38s bombed a vessel in Leukas Channel off the west coast of Greece. In Italy, US XII Bomber Command B-25s bombed the marshalling yard and rail lines, railroad tunnel, highway underpass, warehouses, industrial buildings, and gas works in or near Bologna; US XII Air Support Command and other Northwest African Tactical Air Force elements provided close support to the US Fifth and British Eighth Armies; fighters and light and medium bombers hit communications centers of Venafro, Vairano, Sparanise, Latina, Alife, and the town of Pietravairano; roads, railroads, and junctions in the areas southeast of Rome to the bomb line, between Vasto and Pescara, and at Mondragone; gun positions, trucks, and military concentrations near Vinchiaturo, Boiano, and Termoli; landing ground of Cisterna di Latina; and several other targets in the area between Rome and Ancona.

Photo: A raft loaded with Universal carriers being hauled across the Volturno river, 16 October 1943



Photo: An Otter light reconnaissance car crossing a Bailey bridge over the Volturno river at Grazzanise, Italy 16 October 1943



Monks at Monte Cassino in Italy began removing the archive and library, following a German warning that it would soon be in the line of fire.

Battle of the Atlantic

U.S.-built destroyer escorts transferred under Lend-Lease to Great Britain (HMS 'Byard', HMS 'Bentinck', HMS 'Berry', HMS 'Drury', and HMS 'Bazely') entered combat for the first time as escorts for convoy O, Nova Scotia. 20. The British classify the ships as "frigates."

German U-boats had a bad day when they attacked two Allied convoys in the North Atlantic. Eight U-boats were sunk or damaged by RAF patrol planes and RN warships while the Germans sank only one merchant ship. The three boats sunk were: 'U-470' sunk southwest of Iceland by depth charges from an RAF Liberator Mk. V, aircraft "C" of No. 59 Squadron based at Ballykelly, Ireland, and Liberator and Liberator Mk. III, aircraft "E" of No. 120 Squadron based at Reykjavik, Iceland. Two of the 48 crewmen on the U-boat survived. 'U-844' was sunk southwest of Iceland by depth charges from an RAF Liberator Mk. V, aircraft "S" of No. 59 Squadron and a Liberator, aircraft "L" of No. 86 Squadron; both squadrons were based at based at Ballykelly, Ireland. All 53 hands on the submarine were lost. 'U-844' had shot down an RAF Liberator aircraft, Squadron 59/S near Convoy O, Nova Scotia.-20. The aircraft was damaged and had to ditch near HMS 'Pink'. 'U-964' was sunk southwest of Iceland by depth charges from an RAF Liberator, aircraft "Y" of No. 86 Squadron based at Ballykelly, Ireland. Three of the 50 U-boat crewmen survived. 'U-231' pulled from the water five men from the just-sunk 'U-964'. One of them, the commander ObltzS Hummerjohann, was already dead, and a second survivor died some minutes after his rescue, so only three men of 'U-964' survived.

'U-448' shot down RCAF Sunderland aircraft, Squadron 422/S near Convoy O, Nova Scotia.-20. 'U-448' and 'U-281' were both involved in the attack and the former was so damaged she had to abort her patrol. One man was killed and two wounded.

U.S. freighter James Russell Lowell, torpedoed by German submarine U-371 the day before, is beached off Colla, Algeria, by British tug. The ship breaks in twain and sinks two weeks later, a total loss.

United kingdom

Photo: Sherman of 79th Armoured Division fitted with AMRCR (anti-mine reconnaissance castor roller), 16 October 1943



United States

Photo: USS St Louis (CL-49) departing Mare Island on 16 October 1943



Pacific War

CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Seventh Air Force): HQ 41st BG (Medium) arrives at Hickam Field, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii from the US.

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): Fighter patrols are increased from 4 to 8 aircraft with little effect on enemy marauders over the Hump. 3 A-36's fail to return from a mission over Sumprabum, Burma.

CHINA

British Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command (SEAC), arrives in Chungking.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Thirteenth Air Force): B-24's bomb Kara Airfield. 6 B-25's hit the airfield on Ballale.

N. SOLOMONS (USMC) Five Black Sheep divisions (20 planes) took off in the morning, three to escort some SBD's on a strike against Kara Airfield, the other two on a fighter sweep. Bolt flew with the fighter sweep, which Boyington was leading. As they flew over Kahili at Tonolei Harbor, they saw that it was filled with Japanese barges. "Nobody shoot" ordered the normally aggressive Boyington, who led the eight Corsairs on a long, erratic route. While Boyington proceeded back to Munda, Bolt and the rest could only make Vella Lavella. At Vella, Bolt decided to fly back to Tonolei Harbor himself, to shoot up those barges. "The skipper will be pissed," a pilot warned. Bolt went anyway, and at Tonolei, he blasted one barge full of troops, an empty barge, a tug, and another small cargo vessel. Most of the vessels, he left burning and sinking. Back at Munda, Boyington was indeed "pissed", and the incident became know as 'Bolts War'. But Admiral Halsey was more supportive writing a cable: "That one man war... conducted by Lieut. Bolt against Jap stuff in Tonolei Harbor, Warm Heart (Stop) Halsey"

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, 60+ B-25's attack the Alexishafen area, hit coastal targets between Reiss Point and Sio, and bomb the airfield at Wewak. A-20's bomb and strafe Gasmata. A lone B-24 destroys a patrol craft between Hoskins and Rabaul. Lost on a search and rescue mission is OA-10 Catalina 43-3262.
All four squadrons of the 345th BG B-25 participated in a morning strike on Boram Airfield, anti-aircraft defenses and Wewak Airfield, protected by three squadrons of P-38 escort fighters. About 20 Japanese Ki-43 and Ki-61 fighters took off to intercept with only a few minutes warning. They dropped 100 lbs 'daisy cutter' bombs and straffed the area. Many parked aircraft were destroyed or damaged. Lost was B-25D 41-30561.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 9th Division uses captured documents to repel the first of a series of sharp counterattacks from Sattelberg.

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS

The U.S. 3d Marine Division, having trained at Guadalcanal for operations against Bougainville, conducts rehearsals in the New Hebrides, concluding them on 20 October.