World War II in real time

Day 1575 of World War II, January 2nd 1944

Eastern Front

The 1st Ukrainian Front captured Radovel.

Air War over Europe

383 RAF aircraft - 362 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitos, 9 Halifaxes - returned to Berlin. RAF bombers scored a direct hit on Hitler's Chancellery in Berlin, nearly destroying the building. German fighter controllers followed the bombers all the way to the target. Night fighters were sent to a radio beacon between Hannover and Bremen but these fighters missed the bomber stream and did not come into action until they were directed to Berlin. Most of the bomber casualties were in the Berlin area. 27 Lancasters were lost, 10 per cent of the force. The casualties included 10 Pathfinder aircraft; No 156 Squadron, from Warboys, lost 5 of its 14 aircraft taking part in the raid. Oblt. Paul Szameitat, a night fighter from 5./NJG 2 (29 kills) was lost over Buckeburg.

Italian Campaign

General Harold Alexander, Commander in Chief 15th Army Group, ordered the U.S. Fifth Army to mount an amphibious operation below Rome (Operation SHINGLE) between 20 and 31 January; shortly before the assault landing at Anzio. The Fifth Army was to thrust sharply toward Cassino and Frosinone while the British Eighth Army was to keep the Germans pinned down in its sector by exerting pressure and employing deceptive measures.

In Italy, B-25s bombed the Terni marshalling yard and iron works and nearby barracks; P-40's and Spitfires from the AAF, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), South African Air Force (SAAF), and Royal Air Force (RAF) blasted snowbound vehicles in the Aveziano-Popoli area, warehouses at San Benedetto de Marsi and gun positions and defended areas around Chieti; A-36s hit Civitavecchia harbor and marhalling yard to the S of town, the Anagni marshalling yard and nearby pun positions, and other targets of opportunity; B-26s bombed bridges at Riva Santo Stefano and Ventimiglia, the marshalling yard at Arma di Taggia, and bridge over the Var River.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-445' was attacked in the North Atlantic by five bombs from an RAF Halifax aircraft. One crewmember was badly wounded and the boat suffered some damage. During an attack by two Liberators (RAF Sqn 224/C/G) on 'U-625', the Commander, Kptlt. Hans Benker, and one man were lost overboard. The boat, on its return leg of the patrol, was damaged and returned to Brest on 6 Jan.

'U-539' was the first U-boat to depart on a combat patrol equipped with the Snorkel breathing device. This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus.

PB4Y (VB 107) sighted and tracked the German blockade runner 'Weserland', en route from Japan to Germany, 595 miles south-southwest of Ascension Island. Destroyer 'Somers' (DD-381) intercepted 'Weserland' and opened fire. 'Somers' was able to sink the German blockade runner and recovered 130 survivors.

Battle of the Indian Ocean

U.S. freighter Albert Gallatin is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-26 about 60 miles off the Arabian coast, 21°21'N, 59°58'E; there are no casualties among the complement (including the 28-man Armed Guard, who remain at their posts until the ship literally sinks beneath them). Norwegian tanker Britannia rescues the survivors.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 27 B-25's and 16 P-39's hit a fuel plant and work shops at Yenangyaung and set the oilfield aflame; 13 B-24's also hit the refinery, causing a large fire, and bomb a power station; 4 other B-24's bomb Akyab on the W coast; about 30 A-36's and P-51's score hits on the Loilaw bridge approaches and bomb the towns in the vicinity.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 8 P-40's bomb and strafe Japanese HQ and barracks at Hopang, China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): Seventh Air Force B-24s, staging through Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, bomb Maloelap Atoll where three B-24s are shot down by antiaircraft fire. Nine B-25s hit targets on Jaluit Atoll and P-39s strafe shipping at Mili Atoll.

USN aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue. Flying from Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, five PV-1s and a PBY-5s mine Jabor Anchorage, Jaluit Island, Jaluit Atoll.

GILBERT ISLANDS

Japanese planes bomb the advanced base on Abemama Atoll, demolishing one USN PB4Y-1 Liberator; exploding ammunition in the burning aircraft damages two additional PB4Y-1s.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 24 B-25's bomb Buka supply area on Buka . 30+ Allied fighters sweep Rabaul area claiming 11 airplanes shot down; 1 US Navy (USN) fighter is lost.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In the Cape Gloucester area on New Britain Island, Company E of the 5th Marine Regiment establishes physical contact with a Marine patrol from Green Beach at Dorf Point. The ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment, reinforced by the 3d Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment) attacks toward Borgen Bay with three battalions abreast, moving around the 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment but is halted by a Japanese strongpoint, which it partly envelops.

Photo: Allied senior officers watch the progress of invasion operations at Saidor, New Guinea, on 2 January 1944. Present are (left-right): Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey, USN, Commander Amphibious, Seventh Fleet; Brigadier General Clarence A. Martin, U.S. Army, Com. 32nd Division; and Brigadier General Ronald Nicholas Lamond Hopkins, Australian Liaison Officer. Note Rear Admiral Barbey's sheath knife



In the air over New Britain Island, over 30 USMC F4U Corsairs and USN F6Fs sweep the Rabaul area claiming 11 airplanes shot down; one F6F is lost. During the night of 2/3 January, Australian Beauforts attack Rabaul Airfields.

The Australian 2/15th Battalion, 20th Brigade, 9th Division, driving west along the Huon coast from Finschhafen occupy Sialum which has a sheltered beach and an all-weather anchorage making it an excellent choice for a big supply dump. The Australian 9th Division continues their pursuit of the Japanese around the Huon Peninsula and they are attacked nightly by USN PT boats and during daylight by RAAF and USAAF aircraft.

The U.S. Sixth Army's Task Force Michaelmas (Regimental Combat Team 126, 32d Infantry Division, reinforced) makes a surprise landing at Saidor, Northeast New Guinea, under cover of a smoke screen and captures the harbor and airfield.

Map: Principal Operations in the South West Pacific, January 1943 – January 1944



Photo: Aerial view of shoreline of Saidor, New Guinea, showing LSTs unloading equipment on 2 January 1944



Weather conditions prevent aircraft from joining destroyers in the preliminary bombardment, but effective air strikes are made in coordination with the landing. This landing cuts off the Japanese rearguard forces from the main Japanese base at Madang, only 55 miles away. U.S. losses in Operation DEXTERITY are 55 killed; Japanese casualties are 1,275.

The loss of Saidor, a Japanese supply depot, is a strategic disaster for the Japanese: the only escape route for the 20,000 Japanese troops, now sandwiched between Australian and U.S. forces, is a 200-mile inland retreat through dangerous, often impassable, jungle. The landings signal the long awaited drive west by Allied forces to expel the Japanese from New Guinea.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): Elements of the US 32nd Infantry Division make an amphibious landing at Saidor, following a preparatory naval bombardment; Bad weather prevents preparatory air strikes, but 80+ B-24's and A-20's pound positions in coordination with the landings; the harbor and airfield are captured. B-25's and B-26's bomb Madang. P-40's strafe Hoskins Airfield, AA positiona, barges, and supply dump at Cape Hoskins.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS

Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Pombelaa on Celebes Island and targets on Amboina Island, in the Moluccas Islands.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Bougainville, the 182d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, relieves the 21st Marine Regiment in the line.

PACIFIC

Submarine Finback (SS-230) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Isshin Maru in East China Sea about 30 miles northwest of Takara Jima, Nansei Shoto, 29°30'N, 128°50'E.

Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: flying from Tarawa, five PV-1s (VB 137) and one PBY-5 (VP 72) mine Jabor Anchorage.

Japanese planes bomb advanced base on Apamama Atoll, demolishing one PB4Y; exploding ammunition in the burning aircraft damages two additional PB4Ys.

Day 1577 of World War II, January 4th 1944

Eastern Front

On the southern front in the Ukraine, the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the old Polish-Russian border in Volhynia. Hitler refused von Manstein's plea to pull troops out of the Dnieper Bend in order to free soldiers for the northern front.

Air War over Europe

Allied aircraft started Operation Carpetbagger, regular supply missions to partisans in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Italy. RAF Bomber Command's records for this night contained their first mention of this type of operation, although Nos 138 and 161 Squadrons had been carrying out such operations for 2 years under nominal Bomber Command control. 18 Halifaxes and 1 Hudson of Nos 138 and 161 Squadrons made flights on this night and 6 Stirlings from No 214 Squadron also operated. No aircraft were lost. The Stirling flights represented a new type of work for the Stirling squadrons, which had recently been relieved from bombing raids to Germany. During the evening, 4 B-17s dropped 800,000 leaflets on Orleans, Lorient, Rouen and Tours, France with no losses. This was the first US Carpetbagger operation from Tempsford, England.

80 RAF aircraft - 57 Stirlings, 12 Mosquitos, 11 Lancasters - flew to two flying bomb sites, one in the Pas de Calais and one at Bristillerie, near Cherbourg. Both targets were attacked effectively and no aircraft were lost.

258 B-26s bombed NOBALL targets (V-weapons sites) in France. Weather made bombing difficult, and results ranged from unknown to good.

13 RAF Mosquitos flew to Berlin, 3 to Krefeld and 2 to Cologne, 4 RCM sorties, 40 aircraft conducted minelaying off Lorient and Brest, 8 OTU sorties. No aircraft were lost.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 174: 2 targets in Germany were hit; 19 bombers and 2 fighters were lost. 371 of 439 B-17s and 115 of 130 B-24s were dispatched to the port area at Kiel; 7 B-17s and 34 B-24s hit targets of opportunity and claimed 4-12-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 B-17s and 6 B-24s were lost; 2 B-17s and 3 B-24s were damaged beyond repair and 111 B-17s and 16 B-24s were damaged. 70 P-38s and 42 Ninth Air Force P-51s escorted and claimed 1-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 were lost and 1 P-38 was damaged beyond repair. Kiel was hit in the face of moderate flak and light enemy aircraft opposition. Excellent P-38 escort was afforded over the target and fires were observed in the city after the bombing.

68 of 75 B-17s hit Munster and 2 B-17s were lost, 1 was damaged beyond repair and 35 damaged. 430 P-47s escorted and claimed 7-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 was damaged.

US XIX Air Support Command was activated at Middle Wallop England with Major General Elwood R Quesada in command; XIX will support Patton's Third Army in Europe.

Italian Campaign

Attacks by the Allied 5th Army, specifically the British 46th Div, against the Gustav line, began on a 10 mile front. P-40s hit a bridge and trains and flew patrols over the battleline in Italy.

Battle of the Atlantic

Light cruiser 'Omaha' (CL 4) and destroyer 'Jouett' (DD-396) intercepted the German blockade runner 'Rio Grande' about 55 miles northeast of the coast of Brazil. Gunfire and scuttling charges sank 'Rio Grande'.

Battle of the Mediterranean

100+ B-17s were dispatched to bomb the Dupnica area of Bulgaria; 29 bombed the target area, but heavy cloud cover caused 77 B-17s to return bombs to base; P-38s escorted the B-17's the total distance to and from targets; P-47s provided escort part way. In Yugoslavia, B-25s bombed the Brodac town area and marshalling yard, and the town of Travnik.

United States

Escort carrier Tripoli (CVE-64) is damaged by accidental gasoline fire, Naval Repair Base, San Diego, California.

Pacific War

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): 18 B-24's, staging through Tarawa Atoll bomb Emidj , Marshall . HQ 30th Bombardment Group transfers from Nanumea to Abemama.

MARSHALL ISLANDS

Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: two PV-1 Venturas of VB-137 and a PBY-5 Catalina of Patrol Squadron VP-72, flying from Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, mine southeast pass, Jaluit Atoll.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On New Britain Island, the ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment, reinforced by the 3d Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, and supporting units) continues their attack after artillery preparation,. Tanks cross an improvised ramp over Suicide Creek and support marines by destroying enemy positions at point-blank range. The assault force, now expanded to four battalions, pushes southward without opposition to the next phase line, north of Hill 150 and Aogiri Ridge.

Aircraft of USN Task Group 37.2 bomb Japanese shipping at Kavieng, New Ireland Island, damaging destroyers HIJMS Fumizuki and Satsuki in Stephen Strait. Task Group 37.2 is comprised of the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill, with CVG-17, the small aircraft carrier USS Monterey with CVLG-30, the battleship USS Washington and six destroyers.

(Fifth Air Force): B-25 Mitchells attack artillery positions in the Cape Gloucester area on New Britain Island while over 40 land-based Allied fighters from the Solomon Islands attack the Rabaul area and claim at least ten Japanese airplanes shot down.

(Fifth Air Force): 100+ heavy and medium bombers bomb Alexishafen, Madang, and Bogadjim areas and hit troops and supplies between Finschhafen and Saidor. B-25's attack artillery positions in the Cape Gloucester area. 421st Night Fighter Squadron, V Fighter Command, arrives at Milne Bay, New Guinea from the US with P-70's.

(Thirteenth Air Force): B-24's bomb Sohano, concentrating on the seaplane base and supply area. B-25's pound gun positions at Tonolai and bomb Chabai. P-39's, (RNZAF) Ventura's, and night fighters, operating individually or in small flights, hit targets on Bougainville, including barges at Mutupina Point and along the Jaba River, and areas around Buka, Buka , Bonis, Poporang , Papas, and Banin. 40+ Allied fighters attack the Rabaul area on New Britain and claim at least 10 airplanes shot down.

In Northeast New Guinea, Japanese Lieutenant General ADACHI Hatazo, commanding the Eighteenth Army, order his 20th and 51st Divisions to withdraw to Madang without any more attempts at a delaying action. Extensive patrolling of the Saidor area by the Allies is uneventful. The Australians reach Cape King William, 16 miles southeast of Sio.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells covered by RAAF Beaufighters, attack Japanese shipping in Tenau harbor, Dutch Timor, sinking a Japanese army cargo ship.

PACIFIC

Motor torpedo boat PT-145, damaged by grounding off Mindiri, 05°34'S, 146°10'E, is scuttled by motor torpedo boat PT-370. The latter suffers damage during the attempt to tow PT-145 out of the area.

Submarines Bluefish (SS-222) and Rasher (SS-269) attack Japanese convoy off coast of French Indochina. Bluefish sinks merchant tanker Hakko Maru, 07°10'N, 108°28'E; Rasher damages tanker Kiyo Maru (ex-Norwegian Vigrid), 06°44'N, 108°43'E (see 5 January 1945). Third ship in convoy, Konsan Maru, escapes unharmed. Rasher also carries out mining operation in waters off Cochin China the same day.

Submarine Cabrilla (SS-288) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.8 Tamon Maru off Cape Padaran, French Indochina, 11°05'N, 109°10'E.

Submarine Tautog (SS-199), despite presence of two escort vessels, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Usa Maru off southern Honshu, 34°09'N, 136°50'E.

Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: two PV-1s (VB 137) and one PBY-5 (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mine southeast pass, Jaluit.

Day 1579 of World War II, January 6th 1944

Eastern Front

Thrusting west in a great salient from Kiev, General Vatutin's First Ukrainian Front crossed the pre-war border of Poland and chased the Germans to the gates of Sarny, an important junction on the railway from Kiev to Warsaw. Vatutin was giving the Germans no chance to recover. He was pushing on in overwhelming strength, and in a special communiqué this morning the Soviet High Command said that his men have killed more than 3,000 Germans and knocked out 83 tanks and 68 field guns. Many prisoners have been taken. The Russians have advanced 400 miles since the opening of their campaign last July. If they achieve similar results this winter, then they would be in not only Poland but East Prussia, the heartland of German militarism.

Air War over Europe

The RAF and USAAF announced their joint development of jet aircraft.

16 RAF Mosquitos flew to Duisburg, 2 to Bristillerie and 1 each to Dortmund and Solingen, 57 aircraft minelaying off Biscay ports, 10 OTU sorties. No losses.

Lieutenant General James H Doolittle assumed command of the US Eighth AF, replacing Lieutenant General Ira C Eaker who would go to Italy as Commanding General Mediterranean Allied Air Force (MAAF). General Carl Spaatz assumed command of USSAFE and named Major Generals Frederick L Anderson and Hugh J Knerr as Deputy Commanding Generals for operations and administration.

US Eighth AF Mission 177: During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 984,000 leaflets on Amiens, Lille, Valenciennes, Cambrai and Reims, France without loss.

Italian Campaign

US freighter 'William S. Rosecrans' dragged an anchor during a storm south of Naples, Italy, and struck a mine that started a fire that doomed the ship. She sank later that afternoon but there were no casualties to either the merchant complement or the 27-man Armed Guard, who were all rescued by British naval vessels.

Control of US Fifteenth Air Force operations against targets of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) was placed under USSAFE.

In Italy, B-26s bombed Pontedera hitting the marshalling yard and Piaggio aircraft factory there, the Lucca marshalling yard, and the railway N of Follonica; P-40 and A-36 fighter-bombers attacked gun positions in the Cervaro-Monte Trocchio area and near Aquino, the town of Cervaro, the railway at Civitavecchia, trains N and E of Rome, the Velletri train station, and the town of Fondi.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-270' shot down a RAF No. 206 Sqn B-17 Fortress 206/U. The boat was damaged during the attack and returned to port.

The Gunboat 'St. Augustine' (PG-54) was sunk in a collision with the U.S. merchant tanker 'Camas Meadows', 73 miles south- southwest of Cape May, New Jersey.

Western Front (1944)

The master plan for an Allied invasion of north-west Europe, which has been codenamed "Overlord", was being drastically revised after examination by General Montgomery, the ground force commander under General Eisenhower. On first seeing the COSSAC plan, Montgomery said that the Germans would have no difficulty in containing such a small landing area, and severe congestion would follow when reinforcements were brought in. He took his objections to Eisenhower, who agreed with him. In three days this week at St. Paul's school - his old school in West London - his 21st Army Group HQ, Montgomery hammered out a plan for five divisions to land on a 50-mile from the river Orne to the Cherbourg peninsula. A third airborne division will join the two already assigned to flank protection. The new plan called for a greatly expanded force of landing craft, so D-Day would be delayed for a month, to the end of May.

Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, P-51's and A-36's carry out ground support missions at Sumprabum and Taihpa Ga and hit a cavalry bivouac and dumps at Kamaing; 12 P-40's attack a supply dump S of Sahmaw Junction and strafe Pahok.

BURMA

Since all remaining landing craft are recalled to the Mediterranean, Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Commander-in-Chief South East Asia Command (SEAC), cancels Operation PIGSTICK, the proposed operation on the southern Mayu Peninsula.

U.S. Brigadier General Gen Frank D. Merrill is assigned command of the GALAHAD force, whose designation is made "unit." The GALAHAD force is the U.S. long-range penetration groups.
The Chinese make another unsuccessful attempt to reduce the Japanese strongpoint on the Tarung River.

CHINA

Lieutenant General Daniel Sultan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief US China-Burma- Indian Theater of Operation, warns General Joseph Stilwell, Commander-in-Chief US China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek Commander-in-Chief Northern Area Combat Command and Deputy Commander-in-Chief South East Asia Command (SEAC) that SEAC planners want to bypass Burma until Germany is defeated, then mount a major offensive beginning with invasion of Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies.

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 2 B-25's bomb a troop ship on the Yangtze River, NE of Tungting Lake; the vessel is reported as sunk.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

The ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment reinforced by a battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment and supporting units) renewing their southward attack, clears Hill 150, south of Target Hill.

Brigadier General Julian Cunningham, Commanding General Task Force DIRECTOR, reports to Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, Commanding General Sixth Army, the presence of Japanese positions near the Arawe beachhead.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): 78th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group, transfers from Haleiwa Field to Stanley Field with P-40's. SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Thirteenth Air Force): P-38's sweep the Rabaul area, New Britain , claiming 9 Zekes shot down during a running battle over the Cape Gazelle area. B-25's and RNZAF Ventura's bomb and strafe targets in the Choiseul Bay area, New Georgia , including jetty areas and buildings at Tarekekori, targets on Morgusaia , and gun positions on Kondakanimboko .

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS

On Espiritu Santo, Major General Hubert R. Harmon takes command of the USAAF Thirteenth Air Force.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): B-24's and B-25's bomb Alexishafen and Bogadjim areas; A-20's attack targets along the road from Bogadjim to Yaula; B-25's attack targets of opportunity on the Huon Peninsula and others hit the Borgen Bay area; and P-39's strafe barges at Borgen and Rein Bays. 389th Bombardment Squadron, 312th Bombardment Group, transfers from Port Moresby to Gusap with P-40's; first mission is 14 Jan; they transition to A-20's in Feb.

Day 1581 of World War II, January 8th 1944

Eastern Front

The Red Army captured Kirovograd. Three German divisions were surrounded by Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front at Kirovograd. They began an immediate breakout and abandoned the city to the Red Army. The Soviet 67th Tank Brigade scored a substantial victory when it overran the headquarters of the German 47.Panzerkorps.

Air War over Europe

RAF Mosquito operations: 10 to Frankfurt, 8 to Solingen, 3 to Aachen, 2 to Dortmund. 2 aircraft lost.

During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 2.292 million leaflets on Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium; and Rennes, Brest and Nantes, France without loss.

RAF No. 269 Squadron became operational at Davidstow Moor airfield, Cornwall. They were the first squadron to be equipped with lifeboat carrying Lockheed Hudsons for the ASR role.

Italian Campaign

The US 449th and and 450th Bombardment Groups (Heavy) with B-24's become operational, giving the Fifteenth AF a total of 8 heavy bomber groups.

In Italy, A-20s hit railway stations at Frosinone and in the Colleferro-Segni area; B-26s bombed marshalling yards at Grosseto and Lucca; P-40s supported the US Fifth Army in the mountains E and SE of Cassino, and, with A-36s, hit railway targets S of Rome at Aquino, Frosinone, Palestrina and Castelforte; other P-40s hit Avezzano, and A-36s blasted trains and vessels in the vicinity of Tarquinia.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-426' was sunk west of Nantes, France, by depth charges from an Australian Sunderland aircraft (RAAF Sqdn. 10/U based at Mount Batten). 51 dead (all hands lost). This is remarkable because this was one of the first Sunderlands to have increased bow armament of four extra machine-guns to combat the 37 and 20mm guns mounted in the conning towers of U-boats. The aircraft opened fire at 1,200 yards and succeeded in knocking out all the u-boat gunners before attacking with depth charges.

'U-757' (OLtzS Friedrich Deetz, CO) was sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Iceland, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS 'Bayntun' and the Canadian corvette HMCS 'Camrose'. 49 dead (all hands lost). The escort for Liverpool Convoy OS-64 detected 'U-757' as she closed to attack. A series of 8 depth charge attacks were conducted by 'Camrose' and 'Bayntun' supported by HMCS 'Snowberry' and 'Edmunston'. The sound of a submarine blowing tanks was heard after the last attack but then the contact faded and was lost. Wreckage was found on the surface and the action ceased. The convoy arrived safely at Freetown 26 Jan 44 with all of its 38 merchantmen.

'U-343' shot down an RAF No. 179 Sqn aircraft.

Light cruiser 'Marblehead' (CL-12) rescued 72 survivors of the sunken German blockade runner 'Rio Grande'. Destroyer 'Winslow' (DD-359) rescued 35 survivors of sunken German blockade runner 'Burgenland'.

Battle of the Mediterranean

B-24s bombed the airfield at Mostar, Yugoslavia. B-17s hit the Reggio Emilia aircraft factory; P-38s and P-47s flew escort. B-25s bombed the harbor, warehouses, and railway at Metkovic, Yugoslavia.

United States

War Department Operations Division planners decide that the present positions in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations (CBI) should be maintained and that airpower should be built up so that the CBI can support a main offensive against Japan to be made in the Pacific.

Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): 21 P-51's and A-36's attack the Loilaw, Burma area, severely damaging a bridge, hitting an ammunition storage building, and scoring direct hits on large barracks.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 9 fighters strafe 6 steamboats and many smaller craft on the Yangtze River at Puchi; 2 B-25's on a sea sweep bomb a 200-ft (61 m) vessel S of Swatow, reporting the ship destroyed. 8 fighter-bombers hit Sadon, Burma and in French Indochina, 4 bomb the Atson railroad yards and Lao Kay railroad station.

BURMA

In the Hukawng Valley of northern Burma, the 112th and 113th Regiments of the Chinese 38th Division are converging on Taihpa Ga, and the 114th Regiment is active in the jungle south of the Tanai River. The 3d Battalion, 114th Regiment, begins a lively action with Japanese infiltrators who have surrounded its supporting battery.

THAILAND

Seven B-24 Liberators lay mines in the Menam River estuary near Bangkok, Thailand and in the Rangoon River estuary.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's hit Buka seaplane base on Buka and the Kahili supply area on Bougainville; fighters strafe the Cape Dunganon area and along the Ramusian River W of Teop. 7 squadrons of Allied fighters cover a USN dive bomber strike on Tobera; 2 squadrons of B-24's pound Vunakanau Airfield. 6 B-25's bomb Taharai Airfield, New Ireland.

Transfers from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides to Munda, New Georgia : 23d and 72d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 5th BG (Heavy), with B-24's. 371st and 372d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 307th BG (Heavy), with B-24's.

On New Britain Island, RAAF, USMC and USN aircraft attack Tobera Airfield at Rabaul; 16 TBF Avengers and 23 SBD Dauntlesses bomb the airfield which is closed due to the damage. About 40 Japanese fighters are engaged by Marine F4U Corsairs and Navy F6F Hellcats over Rabaul; 18 Zero fighters and Tony fighters are shot down over Tobera Airfield between 1200 and 1345 hours. A USN F6F and two RAAF (P-40) Kittyhawks are lost.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On New Britain Island, the ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment reinforced by a battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment and supporting units) secures a foothold on Aogiri Ridge, west of Hill 150, which the Japanese have been told to hold at all costs since it covers a good supply route that they have constructed.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): Fighters and bombers attack Alexishafen, Madang, Bogadjim, Uligan Harbor, and the area E of Saidor; and Cape Beechey is strafed by P-40's. Transfers in New Guinea: 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, from Nadzab to Finschhafen with P-47's. 498th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Port Moresby to Dobodura with B-25's.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Bougainville, the Americal Division continues their relief of the 3d Marine Division: the 132d Infantry Regiment enters the line.

A second airfield, Piva North (Piva Yoke), is completed on Bougainville. The strip is plagued with problems for heavy bomber operations, as the soil is too soft from the constant rain. Although Marston matting is laid, it was not an ideal forward base.

Task Force 38 (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth), consisting of the light cruisers USS Honolulu and St. Louis and three destroyers, bombards Japanese shore installations on Faisi, Poporang, and Shortland Islands starting large fires.

Day 1583 of World War II, January 10th 1944

Eastern Front

Vatutin's 2nd Ukrainian Front cut the Smela to Kristinovka rail link, and annihilated a German pocket north of Kirovograd.

Air War over Europe

RAF No. 605 Sq. RAF shot down their 101st enemy aircraft, a Junkers Ju 188 raiding London during the 'little blitz'.

HQ 366th Fighter Group and 390th Fighter Squadron arrived at Membury, England from the US with P-47's.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 181: During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 4.8 million leaflets on Orleans, Chateauroux, Rouen, Le Mans and Tours, France without loss.

Italian Campaign

In Italy, B-25s hit San Benedetto de Marsi; P-40s, with RAF, SAAF, and RAAF airplanes, hit communications, gun positions, trucks, and tanks at numerous points in and NW of the battle area; other P-40s gave close support to ground forces in the Chieti area; and A-36s hit trucks, tanks, trains, and other targets of opportunity N of Rome.

Battle of the Mediterranean

B-17s bombed Sofia, Bulgaria causing considerable damage in the marshalling yards. B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Skoplje, Yugoslavia. P-38s and P-47s provided escort. Around 60 Luftwaffe fighters attacked the Sofia force and a fierce air battle ensued; 2 B-17s were lost; they claimed 28 aircraft shot down.

U.S. freighter Daniel Webster is damaged by German aerial torpedo during air attack on convoy KMS 37 while en route from Gibraltar to Augusta and Naples, 36°04'N, 00°14'W.

United Kingdom

Bernard Montgomery suggested to Dwight Eisenhower to cancel plans for Operation Anvil, the simultaneous landing on south France, to free up resources for the North-West Europe invasion.

Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force)

21 P-51's and A-36's attack the Loilaw, Burma area, severely damaging a bridge, hitting an ammunition storage building, and scoring direct hits on large barracks.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 9 fighters strafe 6 steamboats and many smaller craft on the Yangtze River at Puchi; 2 B-25's on a sea sweep bomb a 200-ft (61 m) vessel S of Swatow, reporting the ship destroyed. 8 fighter-bombers hit Sadon, Burma and in French Indochina, 4 bomb the Atson railroad yards and Lao Kay railroad station.

BURMA

In the Hukawng Valley of northern Burma, the 112th and 113th Regiments of the Chinese 38th Division are converging on Taihpa Ga, and the 114th Regiment is active in the jungle south of the Tanai River. The 3d Battalion, 114th Regiment, begins a lively action with Japanese infiltrators who have surrounded its supporting battery.

THAILAND

During the night of 10/11 January, seven B-24 Liberators lay mines in the Menam River estuary near Bangkok, Thailand and in the Rangoon River estuary.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): B-25's hit Buka seaplane base on Buka and the Kahili supply area on Bougainville; fighters strafe the Cape Dunganon area and along the Ramusian River W of Teop. 7 squadrons of Allied fighters cover a USN dive bomber strike on Tobera; 2 squadrons of B-24's pound Vunakanau Airfield. 6 B-25's bomb Taharai Airfield, New Ireland.

Transfers from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides to Munda, New Georgia : 23d and 72d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 5th BG (Heavy), with B-24's. 371st and 372d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 307th BG (Heavy), with B-24's.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Bougainville, the Americal Division continues their relief of the 3d Marine Division: the 132d Infantry Regiment enters the line.

A second airfield, Piva North (Piva Yoke), is completed on Bougainville. The strip is plagued with problems for heavy bomber operations, as the soil is too soft from the constant rain. Although Marston matting is laid, it was not an ideal forward base.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On New Britain Island, the ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment reinforced by a battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment and supporting units) secures a foothold on Aogiri Ridge, west of Hill 150, which the Japanese have been told to hold at all costs since it covers a good supply route that they have constructed.

On New Britain Island, RAAF, USMC and USN aircraft attack Tobera Airfield at Rabaul; 16 TBF Avengers and 23 SBD Dauntlesses bomb the airfield which is closed due to the damage. About 40 Japanese fighters are engaged by Marine F4U Corsairs and Navy F6F Hellcats over Rabaul; 18 Zero fighters and Tony fighters are shot down over Tobera Airfield between 1200 and 1345 hours. A USN F6F and two RAAF (P-40) Kittyhawks are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): Fighters and bombers attack Alexishafen, Madang, Bogadjim, Uligan Harbor, and the area E of Saidor; and Cape Beechey is strafed by P-40's. Transfers in New Guinea: 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, from Nadzab to Finschhafen with P-47's. 498th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Port Moresby to Dobodura with B-25's.

PACIFIC

Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) begins series of attacks on Japanese convoy about 70 miles north of Naha, Okinawa, sinking army cargo ship Asuka Maru, 27°30'N, 127°45'E, and merchant cargo ship Getsuyo Maru at 27°10'N, 127°28'E.

Submarine Steelhead (SS-280), in the midst of a "full- fledged typhoon," attacks Japanese convoy south of Honshu, sinking repair ship Yamabiko Maru, 31°28'N, 137°44'E.

Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: two PBY-5s (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mine Meichen Channel and Legediak Strait, Wotje.

Japanese planes again bomb advanced base at Apamama, but inflict neither casualties nor serious damage to installations.

Day 1585 of World War II, January 12th 1944

Eastern Front

Red Army forces captured Sarny in Poland.

Italian Campaign

After capturing Cervaro, US forces pushed forward towards Cassino.

In Italy, P-47s flew a fighter sweep in the Rome area, strafing the marshalling yard at Teramo and buildings between the Tronto and Tesino Rivers. B-25s and B-26s bombed the Giulianova railway bridge and attacked a dam and road bridge; A-20s hit San Donato; P-40s attacked a vessel in the Krka River of Yugoslavia, hit enemy defensive positions at San Biagio Saracinesa, Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, Monte Trocchio, and Atina, and bomb Vallerotonda; A-36s attacked the Avezzano railroad yards, a village near Atina, railroad facilities at Cisterna di Latina, and numerous trucks and train cars in the Rome area.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Naval Air Station, Port Lyautey, French Morocco, is established.

North Africa

General de Gaulle flew into Morocco to meet the British prime minister at the villa where he had been convalescing for a few weeks. Mr. Churchill was in fine form, and when de Gaulle asked him if he still painted he replied:

"I am too weak for that, but I am strong enough to wage war."

The two imperious leaders made jokes at each other's expense but managed to agree on Franco-British co-operation for victory.

United States

War Department planners in Washington, considering the matter of a new directive for the South East Asia Command (SEAC), reject Operation CULVERIN, the assault on Sumatra, and favor opening of a land route to China.

Photo: The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Houston (CL-81) off Norfolk, Virginia (USA), on 12 January 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 1d



Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 20+ B-25's and P-38's hit the marshalling yard at Letpadan, damaging warehouses, engine sheds, and other buildings; the fighters also strafe Myohaung, setting 3 buildings afire. 27th Troop Carrier Squadron, Tenth Air Force (attached to the Troop Carrier Command, Eastern Air Command), arrives at Sylhet, India from the US with C-47's.

THAILAND

14 14th AF B-24s bomb the Bangsue marshalling yard at Bangkok.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): HQ 69th Composite Wing transfers from Kunming to Tsuyung, China.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): 21 A-24s from Makin dive-bomb AA positions and the storage area on Mille Atoll, Marshall and 20 supporting P-39's strafe runways.

USN PB4Y-1s of VB-108 and VB-109 bomb Japanese shipping in Kwajalein lagoon, sinking a gunboat. Aerial minelaying operations continue as five PBY-5s, flying from Tarawa, mine Tokowa and Torappu channels and the south entrance to Maleolap; one Catalina goes on to bomb Jabor but is forced down by antiaircraft fire 6 miles E of Jaluit.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): 13 B-25's of the 42d Bombardment Group on their first mission against the Rabaul area, bomb Vunakanau Airfield in the early morning, and 16 B-24's hit Lakunai Airfield during the night of 12/13 Jan; 19 B-24's, with an escort of about 50 fighters, pound the airstrip and other targets at Tobera. On Bougainville , 3 flights of P-39's bomb and strafe Teop, Inus Point, Numa Numa, and Piano Mission; other aircraft on armed reconnaissance and sweeps hit several targets of opportunity throughout the Bougainville area.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

The U.S. Americal Division completes their movement to Bougainville Island.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

The Arawe beachhead, New Britain Island, is now strengthened by Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and Company F, 158th Infantry Regiment.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): B-24's and B-25's attack Alexishafen area and A-20's hit Warai. Lost is P-39Q 42-19949 on a local flight.

JAPANESE OCIPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

B-24's attack Balikpapan; Makassar, Celebes ; and Dili.

NEW HEBRIDES

Photo: The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Cleveland (CL-55) in floating drydock ABSD-1, at Aessi Island, off Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, on 12 January 1944



PACIFIC

PB4Ys (VB 108 and VB 109) bomb Japanese shipping in Kwajalein lagoon, sinking gunboat Ikuta Maru, 08°42'N, 167°44'E. Aerial minelaying operations continue in the Marshalls as five PBY-5s, flying from Tarawa, mine Tokowa and Torappu channels and the south entrance to Maleolap; one Catalina goes on to bomb Jabor but is forced down by antiaircraft fire six miles east of Jaluit.

Submarine Albacore (SS-218) sinks Japanese gunboat No.2 Choko Maru about 350 miles southwest of Truk, 03°30'N, 147°27'E; she also damages motor gunboat Hayabusa-Tei No.4, under tow of No.12 Choko Maru, so badly that the smaller craft has to be scuttled, 03°37'N, 147°27'E.

Submarine Hake (SS-256) sinks Japanese aircraft transport Nigitsu Maru about 300 miles southeast of Okinawa, 23°15'N, 133°49'E.

Japanese army cargo vessel Kanjo Maru is sunk by USAAF mine in Takao harbor, Formosa, 22°37'N, 120°15'E.

Day 1587 of World War II, January 14th 1944

YouTube (Time to Liberate Leningrad!)



Eastern Front

The Red Army took Mozyr and Kalinkovichi, near Gomel, and renewed attacks around Novgorod to relieve Leningrad.

Air War over Europe

US Eighth Air Force Mission 183: 356 of 374 B-17s and 156 of 178 B-24s hit 20 of 21 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France; 19 B-24s hit targets of opportunity; they claimed 8-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 B-17s and 1 B-24 were lost, 1 B-24 was damaged beyond repair and 66 B-17s and 9 B-24s were damaged. 98 P-38s, 504 P-47s and 43 Ninth Air Force P-51s escorted; they claimed 14-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 were lost, 1 P-47 was damaged beyond repair and 9 P-47s and 1 P-51 were damaged.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 185: 2 B-17s were dispatched to Wesel, Germany for a night test of Oboe Mk II; 1 aircraft aborted and 1 dropped 2 tons of high explosive bombs on the target without loss.

During the evening, 4 B-17s dropped 840,000 leaflets on Amiens, Lille, Cambrai and St. Omer France without loss.

Italian Campaign

Around 200 B-24s and B-17s attacked the town area and airfield at Mostar, Yugoslavia. P-38s provided escort throughout the missions, and P-47s joined the B-17s at the target and covered the flight back to base.

In Italy, B-25s struck the Pontecorvo bridge; A-20s offered close support to US Fifth Army forces in the Monte Trocchio area; P-40s blasted Loreto tank repair shops; P-40s and A-36s hit defenses in the San Giuseppe, Sant' Elia Fiumerapido. and Monte Trocchio areas; A-36s also attacked road and buildings E of Minturno, the town of Isola del Liri, and the harbor at Anzio.

Battle of the Atlantic

Destroyers 'Bulmer' (DD-222) and 'Parrott' (DD-218 ) damage the German submarine 'U-382', 560 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain.

Pacific War

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations to fighter patrols in the Sumprabum, Burma area.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25's on a coastal sweep from Pakhoi to Haiphong, French Indochina bomb a group of buildings on Weichow ; 2 B-24's damage 2 vessels near Saint John.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): 12 B-24's, staging through Tarawa Atoll bomb Kwajalein Atoll; 3 B-25's from Makin fly a mission against shipping at Wotje Atoll; 2 of the B-25's attack 2 small vessels, sinking 1 and damaging the other; the other B-25 bombs a runway and building on the S part of Wotje.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA

(Thirteenth Air Force): During the night of 14/15 Jan, 15 B-24's take off to bomb Vunakanau and Lakunai, Rabaul, Rapopo and Malaguna; just before dawn. Some meet bad weather and bomb alternate targets on New Ireland and Buka. Lost is B-25D 41-30566. Twelve B-25's hit Au and Cape Gazelle and Buka. P-39's join USN SBD's in bombing Wakunai, Bougainville. 70+ Allied fighters support a strike by 50+ USN USMC dive bombers against shipping in Simpson Harbor; the fighters claim 27 aircraft shot down. Lost are SBD-5 35971, F4U 17722 and F4U 17807.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On New Britain Island, the 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, drives to the top of Hill 660, the final objective of the ADC Group.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

(Fifth Air Force): 50+ B-24's, B-25's, and P-40's hit the Alexishafen and Erima area. On New Britain, B-24's bomb Cape Busching; B-25's attack targets of opportunity along the N coast, and A-20's strike villages along the S coast.

PACIFIC

In the South China Sea on the night of 14/15 January, USN submarine USS Crevalle, on her second patrol, lays mines off Kega Point, about 84 nautical miles E of Saigon, French Indochina, in position 10.33N, 108.01E.

The submarine USS Albacore, on her eighth patrol, sinks the 2,090 ton Japanese destroyer Sazanami about 178 nautical miles SW of Woleai Atoll, Caroline Islands, in position 5.30N, 141.34E.