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lordroel
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World War II in real time Jun 29, 2023 2:48:20 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jun 29, 2023 2:48:20 GMT

Day 1754 of World War II, June 29th 1944

Eastern Front

Rokossovsky's forces take Bobruysk, Slutsk and Lyuban. They also cross the Berezina. Bobruisk, the last German bastion at the southern end of the smashed "Fatherland Line" in Byelorussia, has been stormed by the Red Army. As many as half of the 10,000 German soldiers were killed. The road is now clear for a pincer movement to enfold the Byelorussian capital of Minsk. As they reach their initial objectives for Operation Bagration, Red Army forces pause briefly to resupply and regroup. These latest successes, following the crossing of the Dnieper on a 75-mile front and the wiping out of the German garrison of Vitebsk, are celebrated in an order of the day addressed to Gen Konstantin Rokossovky. Arrested before the war on Stalin's orders, Rokossovsky is C-in-C of the First Byelorussian Front and planned this campaign, Operation Bagration. He has been rewarded today by promotion to marshal.

In an attempt to stop his advance Hitler has ordered that key towns such as Vitebsk, Mogilev and Polotsk be held as Feste Platze [firm positions] and defended to the last man and the last round. The result, as in Vitebsk, has been the sacrifice of units bypassed and then destroyed by the Russians.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +23

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, June 29th 1944

The operation Epsom continues east of Caen. The Scots of the 15th Infantry Division secured the area around Gravus, but the German Panzer Lehr pitted a very strong resistance and attacked the 2nd Argyll battalion in this village. Hard fights take place and the Scots owe their salvation only to the systematic intervention of the Allied air forces who take advantage of the weather and their great superiority in the air. The German tanks were annihilated by allied planes, which constantly harassed enemy movements.

Photo: Men of 1/6th East Surrey Regiment crouch beside a hedge during fighting near Gioiella, 29 June 1944

The 11th British Armored Division, which has been retreating since the evening before, leaves the strategic position of Hill 112. Lieutenant-General Dempsey fears a massive counterattack of the Hitlerjugend and prefers to order the tanks of the 11th Armored Division to fold back on the left bank of the Odon river. Only the men of the 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry defend the position. The Germans take advantage of the opportunity to take Hill 112 point again, and hand-to-hand fights take place again. The bodies of the belligerents strew the banks of the Odon river and the battlefields in the vicinity of Hill 112. The spectacle is atrocious, the losses are terrifying. Several thousand British soldiers (more than 4,000 on the evening of 29 June) have been put out of action since the beginning of operation Epsom, which began on 25 June. Montgomery is worried about the turn of his operation and thinks then about a possible stop of Epsom in the days that follow.

Photo: Half-track and troops of 8th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade, 11th Armoured Division, during Operation 'Epsom', Normandy, 29 June 1944

On the American side, the 7th Corps of General Collins eliminates the last points of resistance in the city of Cherbourg which is now entirely in the hands of the American soldiers. Repairs to port facilities are beginning, but this may take a long time, perhaps even weeks, before the port can be used in deep water, vital to Allied troops.

Photo: A Sherman dozer tank and Crusader AA Mk III of 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry during Operation 'Epsom', 29 June 1944

Photo: Infantry of 8 Rifle Brigade (Motor), 11th Armoured Divsion, move forward cautiously near Eterville, Normandy, 29 June 1944

North of Saint-Lô, “punch” attacks in the Bois de Bretel region against German defensive positions by the 115th US Infantry Regiment continued. The Allies advance centimeters by centimeters, at the price of a great effort, through the grove and the Norman hedges, impassable fortresses.

German submarine U-984 attacks Omaha Beach-bound convoy EMC 17 about 30 miles south of the Isle of Wight, torpedoing U.S. freighters Edward M. House and H.G. Blasdel, James A. Farrell at 50°07'N, 00°47'W, and John A. Treutlen at 50°11'50'N, 00°45'35'W. Edward M. House resumes her voyage and reaches the beachhead to discharge cargo and disembark troops; she suffers only two men injured (one of whom is from the 28-man Armed Guard). H.G. Blasdel suffers the loss of 76 of her embarked troops (180 are wounded) of the 436 on board; tank landing ship LST-326 takes off the surviving troops. The ship is later towed to Southampton where she is written off as a total loss. James A. Farrell is abandoned, survivors transferring to tank landing ship LST-50; four soldiers are killed and 45 wounded from among the 421 embarked on board. There are no casualties among the 42-man merchant complement or the 31-man Armed Guard, but the ship, towed to Spithead, is written off as a total loss. John A. Treutlen is abandoned save for a skeleton crew, the merchant complement and 31-man Armed Guard being picked up by Canadian corvette HMCS Buctouche and tank landing ship LST-336. John A. Treutlen is subsequently written off as a total loss.

Continuation War

Finnish troops leave Äänislinna (Petroskoi), the largest town occupied by Finns in Eastern Karelia. Since the Soviet forces broke free from the salient east of Lake Leitimonjärvi, Col. Albert Puroma's Jäger Brigade, Col. Martti Aho's IR 50 and Lt. Col. E. Polón's IR 30 have been in danger of being isolated. Now their task is to disengage from battle and withdraw to a new line. However, the Soviet forces press on, and Finns have to conduct a fighting withdrawal. After midnight the enemy tanks reach the Portinhoikka crossroads, but once again Maj. Heikki Mikkola pushes them back with a prompt counter-attack. Soviets stage another attempt at 7 am, but are slowed down by fierce resistance by the I and II battalions of the IR 50 supported by StuG IIIg's of the Armored Division. Finally the enemy is stopped a kilometer short of the crossroads. North of Lake Leitimonjärvi the Jäger Brigade, I/IR 50 and IR 30 (minus one battalion) still man the positions they had reached after the attempts to cut the Soviet salient yesterday. The newly arrived 6th Division continues this morning its offensive from Ihantala south along the Portinhoikka-Ihantala -road. It's able to conquer some ground, but is stopped by enemy artillery and air forces. The regiment repels several attacks by enemy tanks, destroying a number with the newly arrived German at-weapons, Panzerfausts and -schrecks. East of the Soviet salient Col. Sven Björkman's forces are subjected to a furious Soviet assault early in the morning. The Border Jäger Battalion 2 repels several attacks, even after the III/IR 48 on its right flank retreats at 10am. It valiently fights on alone for ten hours, holding the enemy and destroying several tanks. But the border jägers can't hold on alone for ever, and are forced to withdraw at 8 pm.

Air War over Europe

Of 179 B-17s, 81 bomb the synthetic oil plant at Bohlen and 61 strike an aircraft components factory at Wittenberg; four B-17s are lost and 111 damaged. Of 380 B-17s, 41 hit Heiterblick Airfield and 30 hit Taucha Airfield, both at Leipzig; 19 hit Leipzig; 18 hit Wittenberg; 15 hit Limbach;14 hit Quackenbruck; and two hit targets of opportunity; two B-17s are lost, one is damaged beyond repair and 76 damaged. Of 591 B-24s, 81 hit Magdeburg, 74 hit Oschersleben, 54 hit Bernburg, 47 hit Aschersleben, 46 hit Burg Airfield, 42 hit an aviation plant and the Volkswagen factory at Fallersleben, 35 hit targets of opportunity, 26 hit Stendal Airfield, 9 hit Gardelegen Airfield, 8 hit Oebisfelde/Kaltendorf, 8 hit Zerbst Airfield, and 4 hit Leopoldshall marshalling yard; nine B-24s are lost, three damaged beyond repair and 204 damaged. The missions above are escorted by 203 P-38s, 216 P-47 and 352 P-51s of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces; they claim 34-0-9 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 16-0-8 on the ground; three P-51s are lost.

286 RAF Lancasters and 19 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups attacked 2 flying-bomb launching sites and a store. There was partial cloud cover over all the targets; some bombing was accurate but some was scattered. 5 aircraft - 3 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos - lost, including the aircraft of the Master Bomber on the raid to the Siracourt site, Flight Lieutenant SEC Clarke of No 7 Squadron, but Clarke survived. 2 Mosquitos carried out Ranger patrols and 1 shot up an E-boat while flying back to England. No aircraft lost.

Four P-38s fly a fighter-bomber mission against shipping at Ijmuiden, the Netherlands without loss.

Almost 200 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs of the USAAF's Ninth Air Force bomb gun batteries on Cap de la Hague, bridges and rail lines in the Rennes-Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcourt-Vitre areas, and rail bridge at Oissel; fighters fly armed reconnaissance and attack enemy aircraft, road and rail traffic, gun positions, bridges and other targets in wide areas throughout northwestern France.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Motor torpedo boats PT-308 and PT-309 (Lieutenant John Newell, USNR), patrolling between Cape Falcone on the Italian mainland and the island of Elba, engage two Italian motor torpedo boats, damaging MAS 562 and forcing its abandonment.

Germany

Von Rundstedt, Rommel, Sperrle and Kroncke attend a special "Fuhrer conference" at which Hitler does not allow them to tell him the true situation on the western front; instead he promises more V-weapons and jet fighters.

United Kingdom

The V-1 blitz on England continued unabated. On this day, one of the weapons hit the Strand, killing 198 people. Another of the random bombs hit a children's hospital in Kent killing 24 newborns. To date, 1,935 British civilians had been killed by the buzz bombs.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 B-24s continue the fuel lift to Kamaing; 45 B-25s haul ammunition to Imphal, India; 23 other B-25s bomb Tamu; 19 A-36s, P-51s, and P-38s hit Myitkyina and Myitnge bridge; and a B-25 bombs targets in the Mohnyin-Naba area.

Photo: Two Royal Air Force Republic Thunderbolt Mark IIs (KJ140 'RS-B' and HD265 'RS-G') of No. 30 Squadron RAF being serviced at Jumchar, India. Note the 30 Squadron's palm tree badge, which has been painted onto the white recognition stripes on the Thunderbolts´ tails. Parked behind them is a visiting Boeing B-29 Superfortress of the 40th Bombardment Group, 20th USAAF

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In the Tungting Lake area of China, 60+ B-25s and fighter-bombers hit shipping, gun positions, troop concentrations, and general targets of opportunity at several locations, including Lingvang, Liling, Hengyang, Yuhsien, Hengshan, Siangsiang, Chaling, and Yiyang. In Formosa, 3 B-24s bomb Takao docks. In French Indochina, P-40s damage a bridge and attack rail traffic at Phu Lang Thuong.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s carry out bombing and strafing missions over Saipan, Tinian, and Rota Islands. B-24s, staging, through Eniwetok pound Truk Atoll while B-25s based at Makin hit Ponape Island. Lost is B-25G "Coral Princess" 42-64977 over Nauru.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Japanese concentrations at Aitape and a variety of targets of opportunity including barges, villages and bivouacs in the Wewak area are hit by A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers. Lost is A-20G 43-21416. B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers attack airfields and AA guns at Babo, Manokwari, Waren, and Moemi, barges at Noemfoor, and villages east of Maffin Bay. On New Britain Island, AA positions S of Ralum are bombed.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

Australian forces have advanced west from Wewak 70 miles to the Sepik River.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 2 B-25s fly a negative shipping sweep.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 66, JUNE 29, 1944

Organized resistance at Nafutan Point on Saipan Island ceased on June 27 (West Longitude Date). The entire point has been occupied by our forces. Small gains were made along the western shore into Garapan Town, and in the center of the island. Our advance northward is being made against severe enemy resistance. On the night of June 27 enemy aircraft dropped bombs in the area occupied by our forces. Two of the attacking planes were shot down by antiaircraft batteries.

Carrier aircraft attacked Pagan Island on June 27. Barracks and a water reservoir were hit. Only one plane was seen on the ground, and it appeared unserviceable. Several small craft badly damaged in previous strikes were hit by rocket fire.

Truk Atoll was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on June 27, and neutralization raids were made against objectives in the Marshall and Caroline Islands on June 26 and 27.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, NAVAL AVIATORS HAVE DESTROYED MORE THAN 6,259 JAPANESE AIRPLANES

Naval Aviators have shot 5,521 Japanese warplanes out of the air since Pearl Harbor, while losing 1,260 planes in aerial combat. At least 65 per cent of the U. S. Navy airmen shot down have been rescued.

In addition to the 5,521 Jap aircraft destroyed in the air, Naval Aviators have, in 1944 alone, destroyed at least 738 Jap planes on the ground. Only 17 Navy planes were lost in this way during the same period.

This 43 to 1 ratio in ground destruction partially explains the drop in ratio of U. S. air victories In the last three months from 4.7 to 1 to 4.4 to 1, according to Rear Admiral A. W. Radford, USN, Acting Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air). He explained that the accumulation of Naval strength in the Pacific, plus increasing effectiveness of Navy aerial reconnaissance, has made it possible for carrier task forces to surprise the Japanese and destroy their aircraft before they can become airborne to fight.

"As a result," Admiral Radford said, "fewer Jap planes are available for us to shoot down. In addition, the Jap pilot is becoming less and less anxious to close with our pilots. So the air ratio of victories has dropped slightly. This is more than compensated, however, by the 43 to 1 ground ratio. We don't care where they are when we destroy them"

Compilation of statistics in ground destruction of planes for 1942 and 1943 is being completed, but that phase of the aerial war during that period was relatively unimportant.

Combining the available figures not including ground losses of 1942 and 1943, the Navy enjoys a 4.8 to 1 advantage over Japan in the air war, having shot out of the air and destroyed on the ground a total of 6,259 planes, as against 1,277 planes lost. These figures for destruction of Jap planes do not include losses inflicted by antiaircraft fire. They cover the period from December 7, 1941, through June 23, 1944. The figures for the period May 1 through June 23, 1944, are not final.

One reason for the increased air losses of Navy planes in 1944 over 1942 and 1943 is the loss of planes in the incessant Bombing raids on Jap holdings, such as the Kuriles, Truk and the Marshalls, where aerial opposition is rarely encountered any more, but where heavy antiaircraft exacts a toll‑a very small toll in relation to the frequency and intensity of the bombing raids carried out.

All of the Navy's planes have played a part in amassing the victory record. Naturally, it was the fighters‑Grumman Hellcat and Wildcat and Vought Corsair‑which scored the large majority of the victories, either while escorting the torpedo and dive bombers, or while defending American sea and land forces. The bombers‑Grumman Avenger, Douglas Dauntless and Curtiss Helldiver, Consolidated Catalinas and Liberators, Lockheed Venturas‑drove hone the heavy blows while the fighters fended off the enemy's air forces.

The Wildcat and Avenger are also built by General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division, the Corsair by Goodyear. The Helldiver is also built by Canadian Car and Fairchild of Canada, the Liberator by Ford and Douglas.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 464, JUNE 29, 1944

Aslito Airfield on Saipan Island today was renamed Isely Field in honor of Commander Robert Henry Isely, USN, Commander of Torpedo Squadron Sixteen, who was shot down June 12 by Japanese antiaircraft fire as he was leading a bombing attack on the field.

The change in name was recommended by Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, Commander, Fast Carrier Task Force, Pacific Fleet, and was made by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas. Aslito Airdrome was first attacked by carrier aircraft of Admiral Mitscher's task force in February of this year.

A Naval aviator since 1937, Commander Isely had taken part in attacks at Tarawa and other Gilbert Islands, at Kwajalein, Palau, Woleai and Truk. He flew aerial cover for General MacArthur's troops when they landed in Hollandia in New Guinea. Admiral Mitscher's recommendation was based on Commander Isely's gallant performance of duty during all of these Pacific actions. '

PACIFIC

Submarine Bang (SS-385) damages Japanese fleet tanker Miri Maru (see 15 January 1945), and merchant tanker Sarawak Maru west of Luzon, 17°13'N, 118°22'E.

Submarine Darter (SS-227) attacks Japanese convoy off northern tip of Halmahera Island, and sinks minelayer Tsugaru, 02°10'N, 128°05'E.

Submarine Flasher (SS-249) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Niho Maru and damaging oiler Notoro about 125 miles southeast of Singapore, 00°44'N, 105°45'E.

Submarine Growler (SS-215), despite presence of three escort vessels, sinks Japanese transport Katori Maru in Luzon Strait, 19°00'N, 121°42'E.

Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Toyama Maru in the Nansei Shoto, off Taira Jima, 27°47'N, 129°05'E.

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World War II in real time Jun 30, 2023 7:37:05 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jun 30, 2023 7:37:05 GMT

Day 1755 of World War II, June 30th 1944

Eastern Front

The Red Army offensive continues as the 3rd Belarusian Front establishes bridgeheads over the Berezina River north and south of Borisov. The Germans abandon the city before they could be surrounded.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +24

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, June 30th 1944

Photo: A Morris light reconnaissance car and other vehicles passing through Bretteville, 30 June 1944

General Montgomery orders the shutdown of operation Epsom. The British forces camp their positions and stop moving. They have to resist German counter-attacks, particularly in the vicinity of the village of Baron-sur-Odon, which resulted in a failure for the Panzer Lehr troops. Allied aviation neutralized the German columns still in motion and British artillery established shoot-outs in front of Scottish and English defensive positions.

Photo: British Infantry move up past a Daimler scout car during the advance of 78th Division, Italy, 30 June 1944

The after action report of the British 8th Corps indicates that the three divisions involved have more than 4,000 men killed, wounded, missing in action or taken prisoner between June 25 and June 30, 1944. German losses are also significant, but operation Epsom remains a tactical failure, as Canadian and British troops have progressed by 10 kilometers in five days. The front is still not truly pierced and the situation remains extremely fragile: positions are under control, then abandoned and under control again, like the infamous Hill 112.

Photo: The crew of a Sherman tank named 'Akilla' of 1st Nottinghamshire Yeomanry, 8th Armoured Brigade, after having destroyed five German tanks in a day, Rauray, Normandy, 30 June 1944

Photo: Sherman tanks of 1st Nottinghamshire Yeomanry, 8th Armoured Brigade in an orchard near Rauray, 30 June 1944

Photo: A Sherman tank of 24th Lancers, 8th Armoured Brigade, passing a knocked-out German PzKpfw V Panther tank near Rauray, 30 June 1944.

The American soldiers of the 7th Corps in the Cotentin control the peninsula. Cherbourg is completely under control, and the 6,000 soldiers of the German garrison of the city surrendered. The US troops now headed south of the Cotentin, and concentrated their attack in the direction of Saint-Lô, constantly bombed by the allied air force.

Photo: Sherman tanks of 11th Armoured Division, near Eterville, Normandy, 30 June 1944

Continuation War

This day is considered to be the last of the Tali-phase of the battle. Lt. Gen. Taavetti Laatikainen's IV Corps has succesfully straightened its right flank and manned the new line west from Ihantala. For once, the terrain is favourable to the defender, and the Finnish infantry is receiving large numbers of German infantry at-weapons. The Finnish artillery is reaching the top of its powers. Finnish Army has more than 20 artillery battalions concentrated near the battlefield, and the advanced fire-control system is showing what it can achieve. In the air the Finnish Air Force, reinforced by Obstlt. Kuhlmey's Stukas and Fw 190's, provides air-cover and ground-support.

Photo: The anti-tank gun and the assault vehicle it destroyed, 30 June 1944

Air War over Europe

The Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 448: 153 bombers and 539 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields; Of 75 B-17s, 39 hit Montdidier Airfield, 24 hit Le Culot Airfield and 11 hit Furnes Airfield, Coxyde, Belgium; 27 B-17s are damaged. Of 78 B-24s, 35 hit Conches Airfield and 26 hit Fauville Airfield, Evreux, France without loss. Escort is provided by 168 of 178 P-51s who afterwards strafe marshalling yards, airfields, barracks, a train, a factory, and a warehouse with good results. No enemy aircraft are encountered and no aircraft are lost. Other P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51s hit bridges, marshalling yards and other targets in France; they claim 3-3-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; one P-38 is lost.

125+ USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs, using blind-bombing methods in bad weather, bomb fuel dumps and road junctions at Conde-sur-Vire, Foret de Conches, Conde-sur-Noireau, and Thury-Harcourt; around 250 others are forced to abort due to weather; 600+ fighters escort bombers, fly cover over the beach, and bomb marshalling yards at Chartres and Verneuil-sur-Avres, bridges east of Paris, and Evreux-Bueil, and Breux-sur-Avre-Trappes rail lines; the fighters fly armed reconnaissance in the Seine-Loire gap and along the Loire River, and Continent-based fighters of the IX Tactical Air Command attack communications targets in advance of the US and British positions.

266 RAF aircraft - 151 Lancasters, 105 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 4 and 8 Groups to bomb a road junction at Villers Bocage through which the tanks of two German Panzer divisions, the 2nd and 9th, would have to pass in order to carry out a planned attack on the junction of the British and American armies in Normandy that night. The raid was controlled with great care by the Master Bomber, who ordered the bombing force to come down to 4,000ft in order to be sure of seeing the markers in the smoke and dust of the exploding bombs. 1,100 tons of bombs were dropped with great accuracy and the planned German attack did not take place. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost.

Photo: The town of Villers-Bocage, photographed during the bombing raid on 30 June 1944 being attacked by 256 RAF heavy bombers dropping 1,100 tons of bombs, 30 June 1944

102 RAF Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups bombed a flying-bomb launching site at Oisemont. The attack took place through 10/10ths cloud and results were not observed. No aircraft were lost. 118 Lancasters of No 1 Group attacked railway yards at the small town of Vierzon, south of Orléans and bombed with great accuracy, a success for No 1 Group's own marking flight. 11 Lancasters were lost, nearly 12 per cent of the force. 40 Mosquitos to Homberg oil plant, 6 RCM sorties, 29 Mosquitos on fighter patrols, 6 Stirlings minelaying in the River Scheldt. 1 Mosquito lost from the Homberg raid.

Italian Campaign

The Allied advance in Italy begins to encounter a new German line of defence south of Siena and Arezzo. The advance bogs down.

Motor torpedo boat PT-306 captures Italian motor torpedo boat MAS 562 off Elba and tows it into Bastia, Corsica.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-478' (Type VIIC) is sunk northeast of the Faroes, at position 63.27N, 00.50W, by depth charges from Canadian Canso (RCAF-Sqdn. 162/A, piloted by Flight Lieutenant David Hornell VC) and British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/E). The submarine was first sighted by the Canso, which was unable to release its depth charges during its attack. The Canadian aircraft vectored in the Liberator, which dropped a six-charge pattern that lifted the boat’s bows out of the water. Although survivors were sighted in two dinghies, none of 'U-478's' 52 crewmembers were rescued. 52 dead (all crew lost).

Battle of the Mediterranean

Bad weather causes 450+ bombers and 150+ fighters of the Fifteenth Air Force to abort missions. 188 B-17s and B-24s, escorted by 138 fighters, hit an airfield at Zagreb, Yugoslavia and targets of opportunity in Hungary and Yugoslavia, including marshalling yards at Kaposvar, Osztopan and Split, a highway bridge at Brac Island, airfield at Banjaluka, and the city of Budapest, Hungary.

United Kingdom

London: A V1 lands on Bush House in the Aldwych, killing 198 people. During the month, 2452 V-1 bombs were launched by German forces against England.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA), 30 June 1944

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 47 B-25s continue the Imphal, India ammunition run while 17 B-25s haul gasoline to Kamaing; 18 B-25s bomb Tamu and 6 hit Wainggyo; and 11 P-38s attack Myitnge bridge.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s and fighter-bombers again pound numerous targets in the Tungting Lake area, concentrating on river shipping, town areas, troop concentrations, and road traffic; towns bombed include Pingkiang, Hengshan, Liling, Yuhsien, Siangyin, and Chuchou; also hit is the airfield at Hengyang and bridges at Leiyang and Liling. 15 P-40s over NE French Indochina damage bridge approaches at Phu Lang Thuong and blast 3 trains; detachment of 26th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, operating from Kweilin with P-40s, returns to base at Kunming.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s on Saipan Island continue to pound enemy forces remaining on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota Islands. Detachment of 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seventh Air Force (attached to VII Fighter Command), based at Kipapa Airfield, Territory of Hawaii, begins operating from Kwajalein with F-5s.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

US forces on Saipan advance north of Mount Tipo Pales and Mount Tapotchau. Death Valley and the Purple Heart Ridge are also captured.

Photo: Army reinforcements disembarking from LST's form a graceful curve as they proceed across coral reef toward the beach. Saipan, 30 June 1944

Photo: The U.S. Navy seaplane tender USS Chandeleur (AV-10) at anchor off Saipan on 30 June 1944. Smoke rises from a huge oil dump fire on Mutcho Point, Saipan, after a bomb hit

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Tobera and Erventa Island are also bombed. Barges, troop concentrations, and other targets of opportunity near Nyaparake and Suain are attacked; Kamiri and Namber Airfield, supply areas, and defensive positions on Noemfoor are hit; ground echelon of 17th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, begins a movement from Finschhafen to Biak Island (air echelon is operating from Biak with B-25s); and 389th Bombarment Squadron , 312th Bombardment Group, moves from Nadzab to Hollandia with A-20s.

HAWAII

Photo: The U.S. Navy submarine tender USS Fulton (AS-11) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (USA), on 30 June 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 4Ax. Note the Ford Island ferry in the background

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 67, JUNE 30, 1944

Our troops on Saipan Island have made new gains both in the center and on the right flank of our lines, pushing ahead through difficult terrain and intensified enemy resistance. High ground occupied near the town of Charan Danshii places our forces in a commanding position over the area held by the enemy. Strong points in the Tanapag area are being subjected to aircraft bombing and shelling by Naval surface vessels. Air attacks and Naval gunfire continue against enemy defenses on Tinian Island.

Our casualties in the ground fighting on Saipan Island through June 28 (West Longitude Date) are as follows: Killed in action: Marines, 1,289, Army, 185, total 1,474. Wounded in action: Marines, 6,377, Army 1,023, total 7,400. Missing in action: Marines, 827, Army, 51, total 878.

No accurate estimate of enemy casualties is possible. A great many Japanese dead and wounded have been carried back by the retreating enemy troops. However, our troops have buried 4,951 enemy dead.

Rota Island was attacked by carrier aircraft on June 28 (West Longitude Date). Fires were started, and revetments and runways were bombed and strafed. No enemy aircraft attempted to intercept our forces.

Army, Navy, and Marine aircraft continued neutralization raids against enemy objectives in the Marshall and Caroline Islands on June 28.

PACIFIC

Submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks Japanese convoy about 70 miles west of Manila, and sinks army cargo ships Tsurushima Maru and Matsukawa Maru, 14°15'N, 119°40'E.

Submarine Plaice (SS-390) (despite a debilitating epidemic of intenstinal influenza on board) sinks Japanese gunboat Hyakafuku Maru northwest of Chichi Jima, 28°20'N, 141°23'E. Auxiliary netlayer Kogi Maru's counterattack is unsuccessful.

Submarine Tang (SS-306) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Nikkin Maru in the Yellow Sea off Mokpo, Korea, 35°05'N, 125°00'E.

Japanese guardboat Aikoku Maru is sunk by shore battery off Kwajalein Atoll.

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World War II in real time Jul 1, 2023 14:11:17 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 1, 2023 14:11:17 GMT

Day 1756 of World War II, July 1st 1944

YouTube (Allies Liberate Cherbourg)

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +25

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 1st 1944

Since D-Day the Allies have landed 630,000 men, 600,000 tons of supplies and 177,000 vehicles in Normandy. Allied KIA and WIA total 62,000. The Allies have lost 7,704 dead - 4,868 Americans, 2,443 Britons and 393 Canadians. Battle fatigue has also claimed 10,000 men in American units since D-Day - one fifth of all casualties.

Operation Epsom, which ended on June 30, did not tip the balance for one of the two adversaries engaged in the battle on the Odon. But Caen still lost part of its defenses to the north, sent to fight the British forces to the east of the city.

Map: Operation Epsom, 1 July 1944

General Montgomery attempts to catch up with Epsom by launching a major offensive north of Caen. The German defenders bend under the weight of intensive bombing of the British artillery and aviation and gradually retreat, while advanced English elements approach the suburbs of the city. The Germans of the 1st SS Panzer tried in their turn an offensive directed north of Caen in the direction of Tilly-sur-Seulles and which ended in failure, due to the valiant resistance of the British troops belonging to the 2nd Army, being helped by a large artillery barrage in front of their positions.

Photo: AEC Matador artillery tractor, named 'Gazala', towing a 5.5-inch gun through a village, 1 July 1944. The vehicle tactical marking (185) indicates this vehicle and gun are from 68th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery

In the Cotentin Peninsula, the Americans attack south towards Saint-Lô, the main objective of the US troops. The “punch” attacks in the Bois de Bretel region north of Saint-Lô against German defensive positions by the 115th American infantry regiment are continuing. Violent fighting, including tanks, is taking place in this area region.

Photo: Troops examine an abandoned German 50mm gun (5 cm Kampwagenkanone 39/1 L/60) position, 1 July 1944

Continuation War

This day is the first day of the Ihantala-phase of the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. The Finnish IV Corps (Lt. Gen. Taavetti Laatikainen) has succesfully straightened its right flank and settled down into defence. Early this morning the Soviet forces, supported by tanks, ground-attack aircraft and artillery, attack the Finnish II/IR 12 which holds the Village of Ihantala. The attack is repelled with the aid of artillery and mortar fire. Another attempt is staged in mid-morning. The Soviets forces, supported by some 20 tanks and artillery, again attack the II/IR 12. However, as the Soviet attack commences, a stroke of good luck comes to help the Finns. The bridge across a stream running south from the Lake Ihantalanjärvi was left intact yesterday, when the engineers assigned with blowing up the bridge were all killed.

A Finnish artillery officer, Capt. Urho Karhula, decides to try to destroy the bridge this morning with one heavy artillery piece. He starts directing the fire, and finally a hit is scored, which also detonates the charges left in the bridge. Three enemy tanks are knocked out in the explosion, and seven are left stranded between the Finnish positions and the destroyed bridge, while the Finnish artillery and infantry fire drives the enemy infantry away. After these unsuccessful attempts the Soviets try to penetrate the Finnish defences at Vakkila, west of Ihantala.

At 1 pm the Soviet air forces bomb the 6th Division's positions, and immediately afterwards the Soviet artillery fires a furious barrage at the Finnish positions around Vakkila. But the attack is aborted soon after its start when the Finnish artillery and mortars disperse the advancing Soviet formations. Obstlt. Kurt Kuhlmey's German aircraft also bomb the advancing Soviets, destroying several tanks.

At 6 pm. the Red Army once again attacks Ihantala, supported this time by some 30 tanks, but is again repelled. An hour later the Soviet forces attack west of Ihantala in several waves, but suffer heavy losses in Finnish infantry and artillery fire.

At 9 pm. the Soviet aircraft bomb the positions of the I/IR 12 around Pyöräkangas, and are soon joined by the Soviet artillery. The Soviet ground forces start forming for an attack after 10 pm, but are dispersed by Finnish artillery, and the attack is aborted.

Air War over Europe

The US Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 449: 323 bombers (78 B-17s and 245 B-24s) and 166 P-51s are dispatched to bomb 14 V-weapon sites in northern France but are recalled because of clouds; the recall messages by mistake are not sent to 3 squadrons; 2 of these abort on a decision of the squadron leaders; the other continues on the mission and 9 B-24s bomb a V-weapon site at Mont Louis Ferme; 1 B-24 is lost and 10 are damaged; 124 P-51s, relieved of escort duty by the recall of the bombers, claim 5-0-5 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-51 is lost. 82 fighters of a force of 97 P-38s, 169 P-47s and 99 P-51s attack rail and road targets in northern France and claim 3-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1P-47 is lost and 2 damaged beyond repair. 18 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER missions in France.

Weather prevents operations by the USAAF's IX Bomber Command; 47 fighters escort troop carriers and fly sweeps in the Vire area where about 20 fighters bomb tactical targets.

307 RAF Halifaxes of Nos 4 and No 6 Groups with 15 Mosquitos and 6 Lancasters of the Pathfinders attacked 2 flying bomb launching sites and a stores site. All targets were completely or almost completely cloud-covered; bombing was on Oboe markers and no results could be seen. 1 Halifax of No 4 Group was lost from the raid on the St Martin l'Hortier site. 2 Mosquitos carried out uneventful Ranger patrols to airfields in Northern Holland. 6 Mosquitos to Scholven/Buer and 4 to Homberg - both targets were oil plants - 6 Lancasters minelaying off Horn's Reef, 2 Mosquitos on flying-bomb patrols. No aircraft lost.

Italian Campaign

The US 5th Army makes headway against the Albert Line, taking Cecina and Pomerance. British X and XIII Corps push German units back in their sector.

(Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, light and medium bombers hit fuel dumps, rail bridges, viaducts, and docks in NC Italy; fighter- bombers concentrate on road and rail bridges behind the battle area, destroy several fighters in combat over Reggio Emilia Airfield, and hit guns S of Carsoli; and a detachment of the 12th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 3d Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), begins operating from Follonica with F-5s. During Jul, the detachments of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, 63d Fighter Wing, operating from Ghisonaccia and Borgo, Corsica with Beaufighters, return to base at Alghero, Sardinia.

German occupied Denmark

The German authorities proclaim a state of emergency because of the general strike in Copenhagen.

Germany

Count Claus von Stauffenberg was promoted to colonel.

United States

Roosevelt declares that "The Manhattan Project" receives the highest priority for resources in the United States.

United Kingdom

The date for "Operation Dragon", the invasion of southern France, is set for August 15.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-40s fly ground support missions in the Myitkyina area; 2 B-25s bomb rail targets at Mohnyin and Naba. In India, the 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, moves from Sylhet to Fenny with C-47s.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s and fighter-bombers again pound targets throughout the Tungting Lake region; river shipping is attacked on a large scale at numerous locations and 250-300 trucks are strafed between Tungcheng and Pingkiang; Hengyang Airfield is bombed as are the towns of Pingkiang, Hengshan, Liling, and Yuhsien; a pontoon bridge and Japanese positions at Leiyang are also hit; B-24s lay mines in the river at Canton during the night; the detachment of the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, operating from Hsinching with F-7s, returns to base at Guskhara; and the detachment of the 71st Liaison Squadron, AAF, India-Burma Sector, operating from Kunming, China with L-4s and L-5s, returns to base at Ledo, India. During Jul, the detachment of the 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, operating from Yunnani with P-40s returns to base at Chengkung; and the 76th Fighter Squadron, 23d Fighter Group, moves from Lingling to Liuchow with P-40s.

INDIA

(Twentieth Air Force): HQ 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and 676th, 677th, 678th and 679th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy) move from Charra to Dudhkundi, India with B-29s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): In the Marianas Islands, P-47s fly bombing and strafing missions over Saipan, Tinian, and Rota Islands. B-24s, staging through Eniwetok hit Truk Atoll during the night of 1/2 Jul and follow up with another raid during the day. Makin based B-25s bomb Ponape Island, Caroline Islands.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the airfield at Namlea and hit shipping throughout the Amboina-Ceram-Boeroe, Moluccas Islands area; other B-24s, B-25s, A-20s and fighter-bombers hit airfield, AA guns, bivouacs, supplies, and Japanese defenses on Noemfoor in preparation for Allied landings on 2 Jul; the airfield at Manokwari is also bombed; bombers and fighters continue to pound the Wewak coastal area; many of the strikes are in conjunction with US Navy (USN) motor torpedo (PT) boats; and the 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Nadzab to Owi with P-38s. A few B-24s on armed reconnaissance bomb targets on Yap and Peleliu; Lost on a courier mission is B-25D 41-30182. During Jul 44, HQ V Fighter Command moves from Nadzab to Owi, Schouten Islands; and the 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, moves from Finschhafen to Hollandia with C-47s.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): At dawn in the Kurile Islands, 4 B-24s radar bomb southern Shimushu Island and Kurabu Cape Airfield, Paramushiru Island through overcast.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 68, JULY 1, 1944

Our troops are consolidating their positions on Saipan Island and have wiped out several pockets of resistance by‑passed in previous advances. Small gains were made during June 29 (West Longitude Date) in the central sector of our lines. During the night of June 29‑30 several enemy planes dropped bombs in the area occupied by our forces. One enemy plane was shot down. Aircraft bombing and Naval shelling intended to neutralize enemy gun positions on Tinian Island continues.

Buildings and runways on Rota Island were bombed by carrier aircraft on June 29. No enemy aircraft attempted to intercept our force.

Paramushiru and Shimushu in the Kurile Islands were bombed before dawn on June 29 by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four. No attempt was made to intercept our force and antiaircraft fire was meager. All of our aircraft returned.

PACIFIC

Submarine Batfish (SS-310) sinks Japanese guardboats Kamoi Maru and No.5 Isuzugawa Maru northwest of Mariana Islands, 31°26'N, 141°11'E.

Submarine Tang (SS-306) sinks Japanese fleet tanker No.1 Takatori Maru off Mokpo, Korea, 34°21'N, 123°55'E, and merchant cargo ship No.2 Taiun Maru, 34°42'N, 125°25'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Nikko Maru is sunk by mine, possibly laid by submarine Kingfish (SS-234) on 10 October 1943, off Makassar, 05°38'S, 119°28'E.

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World War II in real time Jul 2, 2023 6:24:29 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 2, 2023 6:24:29 GMT

Day 1757 of World War II, July 2nd 1944

Eastern Front

Russian forces west of Minsk cut several railway lines.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +26

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 2nd 1944

The perimeter liberated by the Scots between June 25 and June 30 east of Caen is the scene of violent fighting between the British troops and the German Panzer Lehr Division. Rommel, back in Normandy after his trip to Germany asked by Hitler, established that by cutting the allied head of the bridge into two parts, one American and the other Anglo-Canadian, the Allies would be greatly weakened by such a situation. He launched an offensive in the direction of Bayeux, which must continue north of the city to join Arromanches. But the Canadians stand firm and do not let the German forces advance. Rommel loses in this battle units that will be missing during the following days.

Photo: A shell being loaded into a 5.5-inch gun, 2 July 1944

On the American front, in the Cotentin Peninsula, US soldiers and vehicles converge towards Saint-Lô, again bombed by the Allied aviation and artillery. The fighting progressed towards the south and the Americans assembled the troops in reserve to launch in the hours that follow an offensive in direction of Saint-Lô.

The German General Staff panics and is well aware of the impossibility of winning any decisive victory, due to terrifying German losses in men and equipment. Thus, Marshal von Rundstedt asked his superiors for permission to withdraw. Hitler, who finds this request ridiculous, refuses and dismisses his marshal. He was replaced on 2 July by Marshal von Kluge.

Continuation War

Battle of Tali-Ihantala: While the Soviet artillery is active all day, the only Soviet attacks come at the right flank, around Tähtelä. One attempt is repelled early in the night, and another, more serious, commences at 3.30 pm. This time the Soviet forces, supported by tanks, are able to penetrate the Finnish positions, but are beaten back by the reserves. Finnish artillery is again crucial in repelling the Soviet attacks. But this evening the Red Air Force manages to launch a surprise attack at the Finnish airfield in Immola, where the German Stukas and Fw 190's of Obstlt. Kurt Kuhlmey's force are based. The attack, starting at 7.59 pm, destroys 9 German aircraft and damages 24. This successful Soviet operation greatly weakens the German air forces supporting Finns.

Photo: A burning German airplane on the field of Immola, 2 July 1944

Air War over Europe

The US Eighth Air Force in England dispatches 350 bombers and 171 P-51s on Mission 450 to hit 13 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; 1 B-24 is lost: Of 78 B-17s, 24 hit Fleury, 24 hit Fressin, 21 hit Blengermont and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 33 B-17s are damaged. Of 272 B-24s, 36 hit Crepy, 35 hit Fiefs, 24 hit Vignacourt, 23 hit Blanc Pignon, 22 hit Courbronne, 21 hit Renescure, 13 hit Haute Cote Island, 13 hit Mont Louis Ferme, 13 hit Santrecourt and 12 hit Belloy-sur-Somme; 1 B-24 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. Escort for the above is provided by 166 of 171 P-51s without loss. 37 B-24s CARPETBAGGER missions in France during the night.

All USAAF IX Bomber Command missions are cancelled due to bad weather; fighters of seven groups of the IX Tactical Air Command fly interception missions in the Caen area and cover over the beach area, attack rail lines along the Loire, and hit a HQ and supply dumps and strongpoints near La Haye-du-Puits.

26 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the industrial area at Gyor, Austria.

374 RAF Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups attacked 3 V-weapons sites. Cloud affected all of the raids but good concentrations of bombs were believed to have been dropped at all targets. No aircraft lost. 4 Mosquitos on uneventful Ranger patrols.

Italian Campaign

Foiano is liberated by the British 4th Infantry Division.

The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force hits four targets: (1) 37 bombers hit the Brod marshalling yard; (2) 26 hit the Vinconvivi marshalling yard (2 lost); (3-4) two aircraft bomb two targets of opportunity. The Hungarian Air Forces admit to losses of 28 planes this day.

Battle of the Atlantic

The German Type IXC/40 submarine 'U-543' is sunk about 335 nm (621 km) west-southwest of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas Island, Canary Islands, in position 25.34N, 21.36W, by depth charges and a FIDO homing torpedo from a TBM Avenger of Escort Carrier Air Group Fifty Eight (VC-58) in the USN escort aircraft carrier USS 'Wake Island' (CVE-65). All hands (58 men) in the U-boat are lost.

Transport 'General W.A. Mann' (AP-112), escorted by Brazilian destroyers 'Marcilio Dias', 'Mariz e Barros' and 'Greenhalgh', sails from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the first elements of the Italy-bound Brazilian Expeditionary Force.

Battle of the Mediterranean

USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack nine targets: (1-3) 509 bombers attack three targets in Budapest, the marshalling yard (253 aircraft), Vecses Airfield (142 aircraft) and the Shell Oil Refinery (114 aircraft) with the loss of 14 bombers; (4-5) one each aircraft bombs the city of Paks and the city of Kiskunhalas; (6) five bombers hit the Szolnok railroad bridge with the loss of one aircraft; and (7-9) four bombers hit targets of opportunity. Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force fighters sweep over the Budapest area; bombers and fighters claim 50+ fighters shot down.

Liberators of the RAF No. 205 Group hit three targets. During the day, 44 hit the Prahova Oil Refinery at Bucharest with the loss of two aircraft. During the night, ten aircraft, in two groups of five, mine the Danube River.

Battle of the Indian Ocean

U.S. freighter Jean Nicolet is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-8 at 03°00'S, 74°30'E and abandoned. I-8 then shells the ship, setting it afire. Survivors (41-man merchant complement, 28-man Armed Guard, and 30 passengers) are then taken on board the submarine, where their captors search them, bind them, and question them. At least one man is shot; some of the POWs are made to run a gauntlet; some are beaten. In the meantime, the Japanese destroy the lifeboats with gunfire. I-8 retains the master, radio operator, and a civilian passenger, and then submerges, leaving the remainder of the survivors on deck to drown. Some of the survivors, however, return to the burning Jean Nicolet (which sinks the following day) to launch rafts.

Germany

Count von Stauffenberg called off an attempt to assassinate Hitler because a last minute change in plan canceled visits by Himmler and Goering, who the count also wanted to kill in the attack.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington (USA), 2 July 1944, following reconstruction. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 7D

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 7 P-40s continue support of ground forces in the Myitkyina area; and 2 B-25s hit railroad tracks at Pinwe and Katha.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 11 B-25s and 42 fighter-bombers again attack river shipping, compounds, and troop concentrations in the Tungting Lake region; also the town of Hengshan is bombed; and B-25s and P-51s pound the airfield and town area at Lupao.

In China, 70+ US XX Bomber Command B-29 Superfortresses operating from Chengtu bomb the Showa Steel Works at Anshan and harbor at Taku; the first B-29 to be shot down on a combat mission falls to 5 fighters near Chenghsien (which the B-29 bombs after engine trouble causes an abort from the primary mission); another B-29 bombs Chinwangtao before making a forced landing at a friendly field near Ankang.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s on Saipan bomb and strafe forces on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota Islands.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

USMC troops capture Orote Airfield on Guam, Mariana Islands. Japanese resistance on Tinian is increasing now that the US Marines have occupied most of the northern half of the island.

Photo: Marine PFC code talker Cecil G. Trosip of Oraibi, Arizona at communication system on Saipan, 2 July 1944

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

TF 77 (Rear Admiral William M. Fechteler, USN) lands U.S. Army troops (the reinforced 168th Infantry) on Noemfoor Island off Netherlands New Guinea, in Operation TABLETENNIS, in order to secure the island's three airstrips that will support operations in New Guinea. TF 74 (Commodore John A. Collins, RAN) and TF 75 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey), composed of heavy and light cruisers and destroyers, provide gunfire support.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

A Japanese pocket around Ibdi, on Biak, is eliminated by US forces.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s, and fighter-bombers, along with naval guns, bombard the Kamiri area, after which Allied amphibious forces land with little opposition and secure the beachhead; other B-25s attack barges near Manokwari; and HQ 308th Bombardment Wing and HQ 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy) move from Oro Bay and Nadzab respectively to Owi. Lost is F-4A Lightning 41-2140.

HAWAII

The US heavy cruiser USS Baltimore with President Franklin D Roosevelt aboard, departs Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, for Adak, Aleutian Islands.

ALASKA

In the Kurile Islands, 3 US Eleventh Air Force B-24s from the Aleutian Islands fly bombing and reconnaissance runs over Shimushu Island and Paramushiru Island sites including Kurabu Cape installations.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 69, JULY 2, 1944

Marine and Army troops on Saipan Island have made small gains in the central sector, and on the right side of our lines advance patrols have forged ahead distances up to a mile. To June 30 (West Longitude Date) eighty enemy tanks have been destroyed or captured. Our troops have buried 6015 enemy dead and have taken more than 200 prisoners of war.

Seventy tons of bombs were dropped on Truk Atoll by Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force on June 29. Several airborne enemy fighters made ineffective attempts to intercept our force. Meager antiaircraft fire was encountered. On the same day Army, Navy, and Marine aircraft bombed Ponape and Nauru Islands and remaining enemy objectives in the Marshall Islands.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 70, JULY 2, 1944

The Second and Fourth Marine Divisions and the Twenty‑seventh Infantry Division have made gains ranging from 500 yards to a mile along their entire front on Saipan Island. The advance was made during July 1 (West Longitude Date) with the close support of aircraft, artillery, and Naval gunfire. On the right flank our troops are within 5 1/2 miles of the northern tip of the island. On the left flank our forces have penetrated further into Garapan, and have seized the heights overlooking the town and Tanapag Harbor. In the center we have occupied the mountain village of Charan Tabute. Large quantities of enemy equipment, including food and ammunition, have fallen into our hands.

Before dawn on July 1 several enemy aircraft attempted to attack our transports and screening vessels. These attacks did no damage. Two enemy aircraft were shot down.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force attacked Truk Atoll on the night of June 30‑July 1. Moderate antiaircraft fire was encountered. Several enemy fighters made an ineffective attempt to attack our force. Army, Navy and Marine aircraft continued attacks against enemy positions in the Marshall islands on June 30. A Dauntless dive bomber of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing was forced to land in the water near Maloelap Atoll, and the pilot VMS rescued by a Catalina search plane of Group One, Fleet Air Wing Two.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 465, JULY 2, 1944

The principal components of the expeditionary troops now fighting on Saipan consist of the Second Marine Division, the Fourth Marine Division and the Twenty‑seventh Infantry Division, U.S.A.

PACIFIC

Japanese landing ship T.150 is damaged by mine off Amoy, China.

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World War II in real time Jul 3, 2023 2:50:45 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 3, 2023 2:50:45 GMT

Day 1758 of World War II, July 3rd 1944

Eastern Front

Ten days after the start of Operation Bagration, Minsk is captured by troops of the First and Third Byelorussian fronts. The German 4.Armee and other units are now cut off. The German Heeresgruppe Mitte is caught offguard by this and is beginning to cease to exist as a fighting unit. Those elements of Heeresgruppe Mitte that still have freedom of action are withdrawing in disorder. Minsk, the capital of Byelorussia, was the last major city in the Soviet Union still occupied by the Germans. The city was first encircled and then stormed by General Cherniakhovsky's Third Byelorussian Front and Marshal Rokossovky's First Byelorussian front. Not only have they taken 73,000 prisoners, including two generals - Michaelis and Konradi - they have also trapped a large force of Germans east of Minsk. The story is the same all along the line. In the north General Bagramyan's First Baltic Front has invested Polotsk and is pushing the Germans out of the city in hand-to-hand street fighting. When Polotsk falls Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, will come within striking distance. In the south, Marshal Zhukov has mounted an attack on Baranovichi, the key to the German right wing.

Colonel General Johannes Frießner succeeds Colonel General Georg Lindemann in command of the German Herresgruppe Nord.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +27

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 3rd 1944

On the British front to the east and north of Caen, the English, Canadians and Scots are progressing. Advanced elements of the 2nd British Army are still fighting in the suburbs of Caen where they fight furiously against German defenders who fight to the death. Hitler’s strategy, according to which German soldiers must defend every inch of their territory until the supreme sacrifice, will push the British to employ the big means to facilitate their progress. Thus, the bombing of aviation, naval artillery and terrestrial artillery multiplied on the capital of Normandy.

Photo: A German PzKpfw IV tank at 27th Armoured Brigade workshops, 3 July 1944. This vehicle had the turret number '612'

Photo: Sherman tanks and other vehicles under repair at a REME depot, 3 July 1944

In the south of Cotentin Peninsula, the American troops of the 1st Army launched an offensive against Saint-Lô which clashed with the German defenders, firmly entrenched behind their line of protection, and taking advantage of the natural barriers offered by the Norman hedgerow.

Photo: The crew of a Sherman ARV pose with an intact German PzKpfw IV tank which they successfully recovered and brought back to 27th Armoured Brigade workshops, 3 July 1944. This vehicle had the turret number '612'

Continuation War

Battle of Tali-Ihantala: Twelve Finnish artillery battalions fire at the Soviet positions in the early morning hours, as do the German Stukas and Jabos. This ends the Soviet activity for few hours. However, some 200 enemy aircraft start bombing the Finnish positions at 6 am, and are soon joined by artillery and assault guns. At 7 am. an enemy division attacks Ihantala, but is repelled with the aid of artillery. At 9 am. an enemy attack drives the I/IR 12 from Pyöräkangas, west of Ihantala. Capt. L. Jaale's III/IR 6 attacks from west, followed by the rest of Lt. Col. Reino Inkinen's regiment. Maj. K. Suurkari's detachment (remains of the I/IR 12, company from III/IR 12 and a jäger company) attacks from north at 12.30 pm, and Maj. J. Sammalkorpi's III/IR 35 from north-east at 2 pm. This three-pronged assault drives the enemy from Pyöräkangas by 5 pm. For the rest of the day the Soviet forces attempt attacks at different points along the 6th Division's front, but every time the enemy formations are dispersed by Finnish artillery even before they are able to attack. Only at Tähtelä, at 6th Division's left flank, the enemy reaches the Finnish positions at 8 pm, but are immediately driven back by counter-attack.

Photo: Bombing damages in the corner of the Torikatu and Pakkahuoneekatu streets in Oulu in 1944

Air War over Europe

Nearly 275 Ninth Air Force fighters strafe and bomb strongpoints, gun positions, a fuel dump, communication lines, bridges, and patrol the beach in the vicinity of Lessay and Periers, south of the US First Army's advance.

Photo: Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV flown by the CO of No. 610 Squadron RAF, Squadron Leader R A Newbury, based at Friston, Sussex, 3 July 1944

Italian Campaign

Siena, the beautiful Etruscan capital falls to Algerian troops of the French Expeditionary Corps. There was little time for celebration, however. Almost as soon as the last German had left the city, the 3rd Algerian Division was preparing to move south - to Naples and the planned invasion of the south of France. The Algerians have been replaced by the Moroccan 4th Mountain Division, which has wasted no time in heading for Florence and the Gothic Line. The US Fifth Army, which is also likely to lose much of its strength to the proposed invasion, today took the coastal town of Cecina and is close to encircling the port of Leghorn. The British 78th Division captures Cortona, and US forces reach Rosignano.

Four USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack the Szeged railroad bridge with Azon bombs.

The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force attacks nine targets: (1) 110 hit the oil storage facilities at Giurgiu; (2-4) 212 bomb three targets in Bucharest, the Malaxa locomotive factory (95 aircraft), the Mogasia oil storage facility (83 aircraft) and the Titan Oil Refinery (34 aircraft); (5) the Timosoara marshalling yard (93 aircraft); (6) the Arad railway shops (44 aircraft); (7) the Piatra railroad bridge (28 aircraft); (8 ) the Duca railroad (27); and (9) the Turnu Severin railroad (13 aircraft). Eleven aircraft are lost. Fifty five Eighth Air Force B-17s in Italy on the USSR shuttle mission join in bombing the Arad marshalling yards; 38 P-51 Mustangs of the VIII Fighter Command, also on the shuttle run, fly escort on the mission.

Battle of the Mediterranean

The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force attacks two targets: (1) Oil storage facilities in Belgrade (28 aircraft) and (2) the Cuprija railway line (1 aircraft).

German Type IXC submarine 'U-154' is sunk about 594 nm (1100 km) west of Casablanca, French Morocco, in approximate position 34.00N, 19.30W, by depth charges from the USN destroyer escorts USS 'Inch' (DE-146) and 'Frost' (DE-144). All hands (57 men) in the U-boat are lost.

Battle of the Indian Ocean

Indian Navy trawler Hoxa rescues survivors (10 of the freighter's merchant complement, ten Armed Guard sailors, and three passengers) of U.S. freighter Jean Nicolet, scourged by Japanese submarine I-8 on 2 July 1944; 18 of Jean Nicolet's 28-man Armed Guard perish in the atrocity wrought by the Japanese. Of the three Americans taken prisoner and retained on board I 8, only one, the passenger, will survive internment.

Battle of the Caribbean

U.S. tanker Kittanning is torpedoed by German submarine U-539 while returning to Cristobal, Canal Zone, at 09°50'N, 79°40'W; there are no casualties among the 49- man merchant complement or the 25-man Armed Guard, who are rescued by Coast Guard cutter Marion (WPC-145) which, along with cutter Crawford (WPC-134), arrive to provide assistance. Crawford attempts, unsuccessfully, to tow the crippled ship.

United Kingdom

A V1 lands on a Chelsea block of flats, killing 74 people and injuring 50. The British capital is being evacuated again. Under the impact of the flying-bomb attack the government has announced a new scheme to move mothers of children under five, as well as schoolchildren, to the country. Many others have made their own arrangements for evacuation. In the first two weeks of the attack over 1,700 people have been killed. The fact that V1s fall out of cloudy skies in daytime makes it harder to shelter. However, the anti-aircraft and balloon barrage now on the North Downs is bringing down more of the robot planes than before.

United States

Photo: Bow view of the USS Spot (SS-413) at her outfitting berth at Mare Island on 3 July 1944. The USS Trepang (SS-412) is in the background returning from bay trials. USN photo # 4142-44, courtesy of Darryl Baker

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS McCoy Reynolds (DE-440) at New York City (USA), on 3 July 1944. She is wearing Camouflage Measure 31, Design 2C

Pacific War

IWO JIMA

Carrier-based aircraft from the USN's Task Groups 58.1 and 58.2 attack Japanese airfields and shipping at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands. These two task groups are composed of four aircraft carriers and four light aircraft carriers.

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 20+ fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Myitkyina area, which also is covered by 10-plane combat patrol.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-24s bomb Yoyang railroad yards in the Tungting Lake area; B-25s and P-40s pound river shipping, bridges, gun sites, compounds, and villages at several locations, including Leiyang, Ssutang, Yungfengshih, and Tsungyang; B-25s drop ammunition to Chinese ground forces at Hengyang. In French Indochina, P-40s damage a bridge at Phu Lang Thuong and hit nearby targets of opportunity.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s continue to hit troops remaining on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota Islands. B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, bomb Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: P-38s and B-25s hit personnel and supply areas S of Kamiri and support invading ground forces as they push E along the N coast of Noemfoor. Efman, Manokwari, and Biak Island are attacked by B-24s, A-20s, and fighters; the Wewak coastal area continues under sustained air attack as Allied aircraft pound targets including forces at Brandi Plantation and supplies and a bridge near But; Larat is also bombed; and the 70th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Nadzab to Hollandia with C-47s. B-24s hit airstrips, AA positions, and targets of opportunity in the Yap, at Woleai and at Peleliu; Saumlakki, Tanimbar Island, Moluccas Islands is also bombed. Lost is P-39Q 42-19999.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On Noemfoor Island, Schouten Islands, the USA's 739-man 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment drops from C-47 Skytrains on Kamiri Airdrome under cover of a smoke screen laid by A-20s. High winds carry the paratroopers to bone-cracking landings in supply dumps, vehicle parks, and amidst wrecked Japanese aircraft. No paratroopers are killed but 128 are injured, including 59 serious fracture cases. The 503d also gets the job of mopping up Noemfoor.

Fifth Air Force P-38s and B-25s hit personnel and supply areas south of Kamiri Airdrome and support invading ground forces as they push east along the north coast of Noemfoor.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Photo: "Marine infantrymen move fast to take up new positions in Garapan, principal city of Saipan. Jap buildings and installations were set afire by supporting artillery barrages and the Leathernecks entered the town to engage the enemy in street fighting for the first time in the Pacific theatre"

PACIFIC

Submarine Albacore (SS-218) sinks Japanese steamer Taimei Maru, en route from Yap to Palau, 08°10'N, 136°18'E.

Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187), in attack on Japanese convoy, sinks Japanese army transport Tairin Maru north of the Nansei Shoto, 28°58'N, 129°51'E.

Submarine Tinosa (SS-283) attacks Japanese convoy in the East China Sea, and sinks merchant passenger/cargo ship Kamo Maru and tanker Konzan Maru west of Kyushu, 32°25'N, 128°46'E.

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World War II in real time Jul 4, 2023 2:48:37 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 4, 2023 2:48:37 GMT

Day 1759 of World War II, July 4th 1944

Eastern Front

The First Baltic Front attacks The German Heeresgrppe Nord. The Soviet 1st Baltic Front launches fresh attacks against the southern flank of Heeresgrppe Nord. (16th and 18th Armies), aimed at cutting to the Baltic Sea behind the German formations. Polotsk, the gateway to Latvia, quickly falls. The extended German position is held tenuously because the Soviet forces to the south have advanced quickly, exposing the flanks of these units.

Map: Map of the Minsk offensive, 29 June – 4 July

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +28

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 4th 1944

On the British front to the east and north of Caen, General Montgomery’s strategy began finally to pay: while the English clashed north of the city to the strongly entrenched German defenders, Canadians were sent to bypass Caen by the west and to seize the airport located near the locality of Carpiquet. This offensive is part of operation Windsor, set up for General Dempsey, which begins on July 4, 1944.

Photo: Sherman dozer tank, 4 July 1944

Carpiquet, located 1 kilometer west of Caen, is attacked by the 8th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regiment, the North Shore Regiment, the Queen’s Own Rifles Regiment and the Chaudière Regiment, which clash with the German defenders of the 12th SS Panzer division, largely bombed by Allied gunners and British Typhoon aircraft.

Photo: A rocket fired from a Typhoon of No 181 Squadron, Royal Air Force, on its way towards buildings at Carpiquet airfield during the battle for Normandy, 4 July 1944

At the end of the day, the Anglo-Canadians became masters of Carpiquet as well as of the northern part of the airport and repelled several German counter-attacks.

Photo: A Bailey bridge being built by 72nd Field Company, Royal Engineers at Saint-Loup-Hors, near Bayeux, 4 July 1944

West of Carentan in the Cotentin Peninsula, the Americans pursue the siege of La-Haye-du-Puits. Numerous units are grouped north of this village which are to be launched in the battle the next day. North of St-Lô, General Collins’ 7th Corps continued its offensive the day before, and the 83rd and 90th US infantry divisions had to face German soldiers belonging to the 7th Army. The fighting is extremely violent. The soldiers of the 83rd Infantry Division reached the village of Sainteny, defended by the S.S. grenadiers of the Götz von Berlichingen division and by elements belonging to the 6th German parachutist regiment. The American losses are terrifying and reach the thousand men put out of action, for a very limited allied progression in this sector: only 200 meters.

Continuation War

Two Soviet attacks are repulsed at Tähtelä this morning, but later on the day Finnish radio intelligence captures a message stating that the Soviets were going to attack at 8 pm, supported by tanks and aircraft. Accordingly Finnish artillery and aircraft bomb the Soviet positions in the evening, and the Soviet attack is postponed. After 10 pm. the Soviet forces are observed forming for an attack, and the Finnish artillery fires on them, and the attack is again aborted. This ends the Soviet offensive activity for this day at Ihantala. At 7.28 pm. the Soviet aircraft try to repeat their success the day before yesterday by attacking again the Finnish airfield in Immola where Obstlt. Kurt Kuhlmey's German Stukas and Jabos are based. This time the defenders are ready, and only few bombs fall on the target. Losses are negligible. After heavy fighting Finnish troops are forced to leave the islands of Suonionsaari, Esisaari and Ravansaari. Islands of Teikarinsaari and Melansaari are almost lost but regained by counterattacks later in the day.

Photo: Finnish troops arriving at Ravansaari (Maly Vysotsky Island) by boat, 4 July 1944

Air War over Europe

The Eighth Air Force in England dispatches 558 bombers and 632 fighters on Mission 451 to attack 7 airfields north and west of Paris; bad weather and mechanical failures cause 350+ bombers to abort; 1 B-17 and 4 fighters are lost: Of 300 B-17s, 24 hit Dreux Airfield, 24 hit Illiers L'Eveque Airfield, 13 hit Conches Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 37 damaged. Of 258 B-24s, 56 hit Conches Airfield, 50 hit Beaumont le Roger Airfield, 49 hit Evreux Airfield, 25 hit Beaumont-sur-Oise Airfield and 12 hit Creil Airfield; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 52 damaged. 199 P-38s, 189 P-47s and 244 P-51s are dispatched to escort the bombers but 63 abort; 2 P-38s, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged. Of 144 P-38s and 176 P-47s, 29 hit Nevers marshalling yard, 25 hit Joinville Bridge, 16 hit Chartre-Chateaudun marshalling yard, 14 hit Perrigny marshalling yard, 14 hit Fresnes Bridge, 8 hit La Tours marshalling yard at Cercy, 8 hit Cambrai marshalling yard, 6 hit St Florentin, 5 hit targets of opportunity and 4 hit Rouen Bridge; they claim 17-0-10 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-38 is lost and 1 damaged. 36 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night; 1 aircraft crashes.

Bad weather curtails Ninth Air Force bomber operations, but 95 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs bomb a rail bridge at Oissel and strongly defended positions north of Anneville-sur-Mer, using the Pathfinder technique; 900+ fighters strafe and bomb numerous targets including troop concentrations, gun positions, rail lines, marshalling yards, a tunnel, a radio station, bridges, highways, and a command post; fighters also fly escort and cover the beach and assault areas; units moving from England to France.

British authorities, concerned with the effectiveness of the V-1 attacks on London, launch a precision bombing raid against a storage facility at St Leu. 17 Lancasters, 1 Mosquito and 1 Mustang of No 617 Squadron attacked a flying-bomb store in a large cave at St Leu d'Esserent, north of Paris, and bombed the site accurately and without loss. (Aircraft of No 5 Group, with some Pathfinders, attacked St Leu d'Esserent immediately after the No 617 Squadron attack but Bomber Command records show the No 617 Squadron operation as a day raid and the later operation as a night raid.) 328 aircraft - 307 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitos, 6 Lancasters - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups to 3 flying bomb launching sites. Some cloud was present but at least 2 of the attacks were assessed as accurate. No aircraft lost. 231 Lancasters and 15 Mosquitos, mostly from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, continued the attack on the underground flying-bomb store at St Leu d'Esserent with 1,000lb bombs, in order to cut all communications to the site. The bombing was accurate but 13 Lancasters were lost when German fighters engaged the force. 282 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups attacked railway yards at Orleans and Villeneuve. Both targets were accurately bombed. 14 Lancasters were lost, 11 from the Villeneuve raid and 3 from Orleans. 36 Mosquitos to Scholven/Buer oil facility, 25 RCM sorties, 61 Mosquito patrols, 6 Stirlings and 5 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest and St Nazaire, 16 aircraft on Resistance operations, 30 OTU sorties. 1 Halifax RCM aircraft lost.

Following a conference at First Army Headquarters, General Eisenhower crowded into the cockpit of a P-51 with Maj. Gen. Elwood R. "Pete" Quesada, commander of IX Tactical Air Command, and, with three other P-51s, spent over half an hour ranging over the battle area, flying as much as fifty miles beyond friendly positions. The lack of space precluded either man from wearing a parachute.

Between 1631 and 1706, 'U-539' fired torpedoes at a tanker convoy and reported four tankers with 26,000 tons torpedoed. According to the xB-Dienst one of these tankers was the American 'Hollywood' (5498 tons). However, the only ship hit was the unescorted 'Kittanning', which was torpedoed three times about 40 miles NE of Cristobal. The 'Kittanning' had left port at 1330, but soon thereafter the third assistant engineer fell and seriously injured himself and the master decided to return to Cristobal. At 1631, just after the ship changed course back at 14.5 knots, a torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #6 tank. At 1646, a second torpedo hit the #7 tank on the same side abaft the midships house and the ship swung hard right. The explosions opened a hole 65 feet long and 20 feet high and flooded five tanks, causing a 35° list to starboard. At 1700, the ten officers, 39 crewmen and 25 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5-in, one 3-in and eight 20-mm guns) abandoned ship in four lifeboats, but two boats swamped in the choppy seas and squally weather. A coup de grâce, fired at 1706, struck on the port side at the #4 tank under the midship house, causing the tanker to right herself and float on an even keel. The U-boat had reported another torpedo fired at 1849 hours, but it seems that it had missed.

Italian Campaign

USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack three targets: 148 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Photgen Oil Refinery at Brasov, 105 B-24 Liberators bomb the railroad bridge at Pitesti and one aircraft hits a target of opportunity; 350+ fighters escort the bombers and carry out sweeps in the target area; claims of enemy fighters destroyed total 17; a fighter group strafes two landing grounds and a troop train in Yugoslavia on the return trip to base.

Photo: A Sherman tank of 6th Armoured Division, camouflaged with scrim netting, moving up towards Castiglione, 4 July 1944

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy troop transport USS General M. C. Meigs (AP-116) underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA), on 4 July 1944, soon after completion. The photo was taken from an aircraft assigned to Naval Air Station Hampton Roads

Pacific War

IWO JIMA

Carrier-based aircraft from the USN's Task Groups 58.1 and 58.2 attack Japanese airfields and shipping at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands. These two task groups are composed of four aircraft carriers and four light aircraft carriers.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

Kornasoren airfield is captured on Numfoor, New Guinea. Paratroops are used and lose heavily due to inexperience.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

TG 58.3 returns from Eniwetok Atoll and commences air attacks over Guam while USAAF P-47s attack IJA troops on Aguijan, Rota, Saipan and Tinian Islands. TG 58.3 consists of two aircraft carriers and two light aircraft carriers. With the return of TG 58.3, TG 58.4 retires to Eniwetok.

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ P-40s continue support of ground forces near Myitkyina; 20+ P-47s and P-51s fly an offensive sweep over the Lashio area, patrol the Mogaung area, and bomb targets of opportunity at Taungni, Nampadaung, and Mogaung; 4 B-25s hit bridges and railroad tracks in the Hopin and Naba areas.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 38 B-25s and 74 fighter-bombers pound targets throughout the Tungting Lake-Yangtze River region and in the Yellow River and Canton areas; river shipping is hit hard, particularly along the Siang-Chiang River; troop concentrations, road traffic, and general targets of opportunity are hit at many locations; towns bombed include Shasi, Lukou, Yungfengshih, Liling, Siangtan,and Yuhsien; Hengyang Airfield is bombed and supplies are dropped to Chinese troops in the area; airfields and warehouses in the Canton area are bombed and targets of opportunity at Linfen, Wenhsi, and Puchou in the Yellow River region are strafed.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s on Saipan Island continue fighter-bomber operations against forces on Saipan, Tinian, Aguijan and Rota Islands in the Marianas Islands. B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, pound Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: A-20s continue support of Allied ground forces pushing E and SE from the Kamiri Airfield area and taking Kamiri village and Kornasoren Airfield; P-47s strafe targets of opportunity at nearby Biak Island while B-24s bomb airfield at Efman; other aircraft bomb and strafe troops E of Maffin Bay; personnel areas at But and Dagua and barges at Wewak Point are also attacked; and the 388th Bombardment Squadron, 312th Bombardment Group, moves from Nadzab to Hollandia with A-20s. B-24s hit shipping and airfields in the Amboina, Ambon-Ceram Island area. B-24s bomb Yap and hit airstrips in Woleai and Sorol Atolls and Peleliu Airfield.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62) at Tulagi harbour, Solomon Islands, on 4 July 1944. Also identifiable is USS LCI-66

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 71, JULY 4, 1944

Garapan and Tanapag Towns on Saipan Island have been captured by our forces in a general advance along the entire front. Our line now extends inland from Tanapag on the west coast of the island, skirts the mountain village of Atchugau in the center, and is anchored on the east coast at a point within four miles of Inagsa Point at the northeast tip of Saipan. During the night of July 2‑3 (West Longitude Date) a small force of Japanese attacked our lines from the rear. Twenty‑five enemy troops were killed. We suffered no losses. Our troops have buried 7,312 enemy dead.

Carrier aircraft of a fast carrier task group attacked Iwo Jima Island on July‑2 (West Longitude Date). Thirty‑nine enemy fighters which attempted to intercept our force were shot down, and 16 were probably shot down. Incomplete reports indicate 24 enemy aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground. Two small vessels were strafed, and bomb hits were obtained on a fuel dump.

Rota Island was bombed by carrier aircraft and shelled by light Naval surface units on July 2. Runways and revetments were hit. A huge explosion was caused by a hit apparently in an ammunition dump.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Truk Atoll during daylight on July 1 and at night on July 2. In the attack on July 1 seven enemy fighters intercepted our force. Four enemy aircraft and two Liberators were damaged. All our planes returned. No effective opposition was encountered on July 2. Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked enemy positions in the Marshall Islands on July 1 and 2.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 72, JULY 4, 1944

Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands and Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands were heavily attacked by carrier aircraft of a fast carrier task group on July 3 (West Longitude Date). Iwo Jima, in addition to being severely bombed and strafed, was shelled by cruisers and destroyers. Rocket fire from carrier aircraft was extensively employed at both objectives.

Preliminary reports indicate the following damage to the enemy:

Three destroyers sunk or beached.
One large cargo ship sunk.
One medium oiler sunk.
One destroyer, dead in the water and burning.
Several small cargo ships damaged.
Harbor installations and warehouses at Haha Jima were set afire by bombs, rockets, and machine gun fire.
Twenty‑five enemy planes were shot down by our aircraft, and an undetermined number damaged on‑‑the ground. We lost six planes.
There was no damage to any of our surface craft.

PACIFIC

Carrier planes sink submarine chaser Ch 16 at Chichi Jima; coastal minelayer Sarushima in the Bonins, 27°10'N, 140°10'E; landing ships T.103, 108 miles off Chichi Jima Retto, 27°05'N, 140°09'E; and T.130 off east coast of Iwo Jima, 24°47'N, 140°20'E; auxiliary netlayer Taiko Maru off Onagawa Retto; minesweeper W.25 [where°]28°35'N, 141°04'E; auxiliary minesweeper No.5 Toshi Maru off Haha Jima, 26°20'N, 141°50'E; transports Shozui Maru, Shima Maru, and Tatsuei Maru, 27°07'N, 142°12'E, and No.8 Un'yo Maru, 27°05'N, 142°09'E, in Takinoura Bay; planes damage landing ship T.153 and victualling stores ship Kaiko Maru off Ani Jima, and submarine chaser Ch 18 off Chichi Jima.

Destroyer David W. Taylor (DD-551) and destroyer escort Riddle (DE-185) sink Japanese submarine I-10, attempting an evacuation mission to Saipan, 100 miles east-northeast of her destination, 15°26'N, 147°48'E.

Submarine Guavina (SS-362), despite presence of four escort vessels, sinks Japanese transport Tama Maru 60 miles northwest of Palau, 07°44'N, 133°17'E.

Submarine Seahorse (SS-304) attacks Japanese convoy in South China Sea and sinks army cargo ship Gy_y_ Maru, cargo ship No.28 Ky_d_ Maru, and merchant cargo ship Nitt_ Maru about 140 miles south of Hong Kong, 20°18'N, 115°02'E.

Submarine Tang (SS-306), operating in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of Korea, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships Asukasan Maru at 35°22'N, 125°56'E, and Yamaoka Maru at 36°05'N, 125°48'E,

RAAF Mitchells damage Japanese cargo vessel No.1 K_sh_ Maru north of the Kai Islands, 05°05'S, 136°38'E.

Submarine S-28 (SS-133) is lost to unknown cause during training exercises off Oahu.

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World War II in real time Jul 5, 2023 2:49:42 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 5, 2023 2:49:42 GMT

Day 1760 of World War II, July 5th 1944

Eastern Front

The retreat of Luftwaffe forces around Minsk continued with the Stab of JG 51 leaving its base at Kobryn and joining the I Gruppe at Krzewica. In Bulgaria, the detached unit from II./JG 51, 5./JG 51 was moved from Gaddura to Kastelli on Crete in the Mediterranean.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +29

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 5th 1944

Operation Windsor, set up for General Dempsey, which began on July 4, continues. The 8th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regiment, the North Shore Regiment, the Queen’s Own Rifles Regiment and the Chaudière Regiment mastered the southern part of the airport which was still at the hands of the 12th SS Panzer German division the previous day.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division is struggling to dislodge the fanatic soldiers of the Hilterjugend who defend every farm, every crossroads and battle until death. Their fierce defense will prevent Canadians from making progress.

Photo: Carriers and transport of 179th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, 3rd Division, on the Cheux-Colleville road, 5 July 1944

On the American front, the troops of the 7th Corps fight painfully in the direction of Périers and La-Haye-du-Puits. The losses are terrifying: between 4 and 5 July, nearly 1,500 American soldiers are put out of combat while the 7th Corps has progressed only 200 meters. Saint-Jores is liberated by soldiers of the 90th American Infantry Division.

Photo: A jeep and a CMP truck being washed in a stream, 5 July 1944

Continuation War

After heavy fighting Finns are forced to leave the islands of Teikarinsaari and Melansaari in the Bay of Viipuri, Finland. Another quiet day at Ihantala. Finnish artillery prevents few Soviet attacks at TŠhtelŠ and Ihantala, but the enemy manages to capture a piece of terrain at PyšrŠkangas. They are driven back next night by elements of the II/IR 35.

Air War over Europe

The Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 453: 371 bombers and 445 fighters are dispatched to attack three airfields in the Netherlands and two in Belgium, a factory near Mol, and three V-weapon supply sites in France; five fighters are lost:

1. Of 79 B-17 Flying Fortresses dispatched to the Netherlands, 38 hit Gilze-Rijen Airfield, 20 hit Volkel Airfield and 19 hit Noll.
2. Of 221 B-24 Liberators, 43 hit Bois de Cassan V-weapon site, 36 hit Le Coulet Airfield, 29 hit Foret de L'Isle Adam and 29 hit Mery sur Oise V-weapon sites, 13 hit Eindhoven Airfield, five hit Melsbroek Airfield and two hit Tulemont Airfield. The two missions above are escorted by 180 P-51 Mustangs that claim 4-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; two P-51s are lost.
3. 70 B-17s hit Beziers marshalling yard; 228 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51s escort the bombers and claim 18-1-9 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; two P-47s and a P-51 are lost. Of 93 P-47s, 22 bomb Rouen, ten hit L'Arche Bridge, ten hit Seine River locks, seven hit Boissy le Bois, seven hit Pantgouin, seven hit Veulettes Bridge and six hit communication targets; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; two P-47s are lost. The P-47s are escorted by 181 P-38s Lightnings; two P-38s are lost . During the night, eight B-17s drop leaflets in France with the loss of one aircraft; and eight B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

Seventy B-17s on a shuttle mission (UK-USSR-Italy-UK) attack a marshalling yard at Beziers, France (with Fifteenth Air Force B-2s) while on the last leg from Italy to the UK; 42 P-51s return to UK with the B-17s (of the eleven P-51s remaining in Italy, ten return to the UK the following day and the last several days later).

In France, about 180 Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs bomb bridges at Caen and also sidings, tracks, and rolling stock; in the afternoon four NOBALL (V-weapon) HQ are hit; 600+ fighters escort the bombers, carry out armed reconnaissance of communication and enemy movements, attack rail lines, rolling stock, marshalling yards, bridges, supply dumps, and cover the beach area.

Battle of the Atlantic

Destroyer escorts Thomas (DE-102) and Baker (DE-190), from TG 22.5, sink German minelayer submarine U-233 off Halifax, Nova Scotia, 42°16'N, 59°49'W.

U.S. freighter Sea Porpoise, en route from Utah Beach, Normandy, to Southampton, England, is torpedoed byGerman submarine U-390 at 4937'N, 0051'W. There are no fatalities among the 90-man merchant complement, 45- man Armed Guard and 24 passengers, and the ship is ultimately repaired and returned to service.

Germany

Reichsmarschall Göring issued an order that because of the recent high rate of loss of indispensable combat leaders, all Luftwaffe leaders could no longer fly combat missions unless the following numbers of aircraft were available for support; Staffelkapitän required six aircraft, Gruppenkommandeur needed fifteen aircraft and Kommodoren needed forty-five supporting warplanes.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma 20+ P-40s and A-36s continue support in the Myitkyina sector while 12 other aircraft fly armed reconnaissance in the same area; 20+ other P-40s, P-51s, and A-36s hit targets of opportunity in the areas around Hopin, Namma, and Naungtalaw; the town area of Naungtalaw also is pounded by 11 B-25s.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 136 fighter-bombers and 64 B-25s attack targets throughout the Tungting Lake area; targets include river shipping, warehouses, troops, artillery, trucks, and other targets of opportunity at Liling, Lukou, Pingkiang, Yungfengshih, Siangyin, and Chuting; Hengyang Airfield is bombed, and supplies are dropped to Chinese forces in the vicinity; in the Salween area 40 transports drop supplies to Chinese forces on the battleline, and 4 fighter-bombers pound the town and vicinity of Tengchung; 22 B-24s bomb a supply and ammunition depot at Canton; 6 B-25s attack airfields in the area; and 5 B-24s lay mines in Shanghai harbor.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s fly fighter-bomber operations over Saipan, Rota, and Tinian Islands.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the area around Wewak, A-20s and fighter-bombers hit dumps at Dagua and attack barges during the night of 4/5 Jul; light strikes are flown in support of troops on Noemfoor and against barges, airfields, and troop concentrations on Efman and Biak Islands and at Moemi, Manokwari, and in the Wakde area. B-24s bomb airstrips and AA guns on Yap and Woleai; Sorol Atoll and Peleliu are also hit. Lost are B-24J "Miss Jones" 44-40611 and B-24D "Big Chief Cockeye" 41-40351.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 529, JULY 5, 1944

Pacific and Far East.

1. U. S. submarines have reported the sinking of 17 vessels, including two combatant ships, as a result of operations against the enemy in these waters, as follows:

1 light cruiser
1 destroyer
2 medium tankers
5 medium cargo transports
3 small cargo vessels
1 large cargo transport
3 medium cargo vessels
1 small cargo transport

2. These actions have not been announced in any previous Navy Department communiqués.

HAWAII

Photo: U.S. Navy sailors inspect the damage from a Japanese 110 kg bomb which was dropped on the aft aircraft elevator of the escort carrier USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) on 17 June 1944 during the Marianas and Palau Islands campaign. This photograph was taken whilst the carrier was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for repairs, 5 July 1944. Note the size of the hole when compared to the man seen on the flight deck, and the size of the men on the hangar deck involved in inspecting the damage. Note the torpedo stowage

PACIFIC

Submarine Plaice (SS-390) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer Kogi Maru off Ototo Jima, 27°43'N, 141°02'E.

Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) sinks Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Shinmei Maru off Paramushiro, Kurils, 51°28'N, 156°28'E.

USAAF B-24 sinks Japanese cargo vessel No.1 Koshu Maru off Gorong Island, 04°54'S, 131°28'E. Japanese army cargo ship No.1 Koshu Maru is sunk by aircraft in Java Sea south of Celebes Island, 04°00'S, 121°28'E.

Last Edit: Jul 5, 2023 2:50:31 GMT by lordroel

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World War II in real time Jul 6, 2023 2:48:15 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 6, 2023 2:48:15 GMT

Day 1761 of World War II, July 6th 1944

Eastern Front

The First Belorussian Front captures Kovel which is 70 miles east of Lublin.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +30

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 6th 1944

General Montgomery’s strategy to attack Caen by the east failed and the fierce fighting between the Canadians and the 12th S.S. Panzer division did not allow any of the two belligerents to advance. In addition, Colonel Maurice, corps commander of the 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, died in the bombardment of his headquarters by the German artillerymen. The situation seems to be blocked again, as the front has not really evolved. Caen is still in the hands of the German defenders and the British who advance in the northern suburbs of the city are arrested by artillery barrage set up by their enemy.

Montgomery chose to launch an upcoming offensive in the 2 days aiming to pierce the front and finally control the city of Caen. Now the Germans are firmly on the defensive and even buried Tiger tanks, which once in this position are hardly reachable by Allied aviation. General Montgomery decides to intensify the bombing before the attacks.

Photo: General Montgomery with his puppies "Hitler" and "Rommel" at his mobile headquarters in Normandy, 6 July 1944. Behind can be seen his cage of canaries which also travelled with him

The Americans also appear to be arrested by German forces in southern Cotentin. The front remains blocked and changes very little. The attacks of the American troops were carried out on two axes, one directed towards the town of Saint-Lô, the other towards Périers. The 30th US Infantry Division is approaching the village of Saint-Fromond and its strategic bridge over the Vire-Taute canal. The artillery bombarded the outskirts of the village and the infantry took possession of the small town of Airel, located in the immediate vicinity of Saint-Fromond.

Continuation War

Soviet artillery begins a massive barrage on the Finnish positions in morning. Despite this the infantry and tank attack formations are succesfully destroyed by Finnish counter-barrage. Artllery battle goes on for the whole day, until the Soviets are able to mount another attack in evening. They break succesfully through Finnish positions and are able to capture some ground around the strategically important PyšrŠkangas, but are pushed out by counterattacks by midnight. The Soviet attack commences at 6 pm. It's main aim is again PyšrŠkangas, where the defending I/IR 35 is forced back. Col. Y. Hanste alerted his reserves, and orders I/IR 12 to attack from west, Separate Battalion 16 from east and I/IR 35 from north. The Finnish counter-attack, supported by more than 13 artillery battalions, starts at midnight, and the lost positions at PyšrŠkangas are recaptured by 3 am. on 7 July.

Air War over Europe

US 8th Air Force: Mission 455: In the morning, missions are flown to France: 800 bombers and 224 fighters are dispatched to bomb 18 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; 556 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 133 B-24s bomb; escort is provided by 141 P-38 Lightnings and 83 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 4-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-38 is lost.

Mission 456: In the late afternoon 73 B-17s and 148 B-24s strike six V-weapon sites and supply installations, three railroad bridges, a highway bridge, and an airfield in northern France. Escort is provided by 443 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; one P-47 is lost. Afterwards a squadron of P-47s dive-bombs three airfields in the Conches area. 212 P-38s and P-47s, fly fighter-bomber missions against rail and road traffic in the Paris area and claim 11-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; two P-47s are lost).

Photo: Low-level reconnaissance photograph of the Wizernes dome on July 6, 1944

Mission 457: Seven B-17s drop leaflets in Belgium and France during the night. Twenty B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions; a B-24 is lost. A C-47 Skytrain makes the first landing at a secret airstrip in the Ain, France, area.

In France during the morning, about 500 Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s bomb bridges and rail lines at eight locations; in the afternoon five targets are attacked, including bridges, fuel dumps, railroad tracks, and a V-weapon location; 15+ fighter groups escort bombers, fly armed reconnaissance of rail lines, roads, and marshalling yards, damaging or destroying tracks, trains, a tunnel, a building, and a supply dump; fighters also cover the beach and bomb and strafe troop concentrations and gun positions.

Photo: Vertical aerial photograph taken during the daylight attack on the German secret weapon (V3) site at Mimoyecques, near Marquise, France, showing a Handley Page Halifax flying over the target as exploding bombs send smoke and clouds of dust into the air

42 Liberator bombers of the RAF's No. 205 Group attack Feuresbrunn Airfield with the loss of 13 aircraft. During the night, two Liberators attack targets of opportunity.

229 B-24s bomb the dock area at Kiel, Germany and one hits a target of opportunity; three B-24s are lost; escort is provided by 168 P-51s one of which is lost.

Italian Campaign

In Italy, the British Eighth Army (Leese) along with the Polish 3rd Division captured Osimo 20 miles south of Ancona. Fw. Leo Sliwa of 5./JG 77 was killed in a flying accident. He had eight victories.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 530+ B-17s and B-24s to attack the following targets:
- 125 bomb the oil storage facilities at Porto Marghera.
- 114 bomb the oil refinery at Trieste.
- 78 attack Aviano; 45 hit oil storage facilities and 33 bomb the airfield.
- 55 bomb the railroad bridge at Latisana
- 53 bomb the marshalling yard at Verona.
- 53 bomb the steel works at Bergamo.
- 52 bomb the railroad bridge at Carsarsa.
- 49 bomb the railroad viaduct at Aviso.
- 1 bombs the airfield at Vincenza.

Battle of the Caribbean

An armed U.S. merchant tanker, en route from Cartagena, Colombia, to New York City, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-516 about 152 nm nw of the Dutch island of Aruba; eight of the 72-man crew and Armed Guard perish.

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that 2,754 flying bombs had been launched against Britain since 13 June, causing 2,752 fatalities.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) photographed from an aircraft from Naval Air Station Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA), on 6 July 1944. Note her camouflage paint scheme Measure 33 Design 1A. This was the only camouflage measure which used four different colours

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 P-40s attack a bridge near Myitkyina while 40+ others support ground forces in the area; several other P-40s attack Maingna, barracks at Sahmaw, a train at Taungni, and troops at Sakangyi; 6 B-25s bomb Maingna and 2 hit Mohnyin; and HQ 311th Fighter Group moves from Dinjan, India to Tingkawk Sakan.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s, P-40s, and P-51s continue to pound river shipping, bridges, troop concentrations, road traffic, and general targets of opportunity throughout a wide area around Tungting Lake and along the Yangtze River; hit particularly hard are the town area and supply depot at Sinshih; B-25s near the Burma border cause considerable damage at Tengehung and drop supplies to Chinese ground forces on the Salween front, and during the night of 6/7 Jul bomb Tien Ho Airfield at Canton.

INDIA

(Twentieth Air Force): Brigadier General LaVern G Saunders becomes Commanding General XX Bomber Command with HQ at Kharagpur.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s bomb and strafe forces on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian Islands. B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, pound Truk Atoll during the night of 5/6 Jul and follow with another raid during the day. B-25s, based at Makin hit Nauru Island. The 333d Fighter Squadron, 318th Fighter Group, moves from Bellow Field, Territory of Hawaii to Saipan Island with P-47s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to pound the Wewak area, concentrating on troops S of Matapau; Lost is P-39N 42-18813. B-25s and fighter-bombers sweep the N coast of the Vogelkop Peninsula and offshore islands, hitting targets of opportunity; other fighter-bombers hit the Manokwari area and buildings at Ransiki, Moari, and Oransbari; airfields, gun positions, communication targets, and supply dumps in the area around Babo are hit by B-24s, A-26s, A-20s, and P-38s. B-24s bomb the town and warehouse area of Yap and a few hit the airfield at Woleai.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In New Guinea, the 158th Infantry Regiment occupies Namber Airdrome on Noemfoor Island, Schouten Islands, in an amphibious landing after an air and artillery barrage. (Jack McKillop)

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

The US forces on Saipan continue to advance towards the north end of the island. The senior Japanese commanders, Admiral Nagumo and General Saito both commit suicide while their remaining troops plan a final attack.

Carrier-based aircraft commence daily bombings of Japanese coastal and antiaircraft guns, supply dumps, and airfield installations on Guam and Rota, Marianas.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 73, JULY 6, 1944

Reports from a fast carrier task group which attacked Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands on July 3 (West Longitude Date) and participated in the attack on Haha Jima the same day indicate the following additional damage to the enemy.

A group of several enemy ships located eighty miles northwest of Chichi Jima was attacked, resulting in the sinking of two destroyer escort type vessels and damage to a medium cargo ship. At Chichi Jima the following results were obtained:

One small oiler, one medium ammunition ship and one medium cargo ship, sunk. One minelayer, one trawler and four luggers probably sunk. One large cargo ship, three medium cargo ships, one small cargo ship, two small oilers, one minelayer and one destroyer damaged. Several were beached.

At Haha Jima two small cargo ships and nine luggers were damaged. Buildings and defense installations were bombed at both objectives. Nine enemy aircraft were shot down, and three were damaged on the ground. In these strikes we lost five pilots and four aircrewmen from seven of our aircraft which failed to return.

Pagan Island in the Marianas was attacked by carrier aircraft on July 4 (West Longitude Date). The runway at the airfield and adjacent buildings were bombed and strafed.

Barracks and supply facilities at Guam Island were bombed by carrier aircraft on July 4, starting large fires. We lost one plane from intense antiaircraft fire.

Search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two, Group One, bombed gun positions at Marpi Point on Saipan Island on July 4, strafed the airfields at Tinian Island and bombed defense installations.

Forty tons of bombs were dropped on Truk Atoll by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on July 4, hitting antiaircraft positions and objectives near the airfield. Five enemy aircraft were in the air but did not attempt to intercept our force. Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers on the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing continued to neutralize enemy positions in the Marshalls on July 4.

PACIFIC

Submarine Cobia (SS-245) sinks Japanese guardboat Takamiya Maru I-Go east of Ogasawara-gunto, 28°54'N, 150°50'E.

Submarine Paddle (SS-263) attacks Japanese convoy northwest of Halmahera, and sinks destroyer Hokaze off Sangi Island, 03°30'N, 125°25'E.

Submarine Sealion (SS-315) attacks Japanese convoy in East China Sea and sinks merchant passenger/cargo ship Setsuzan Maru off Ningpo, China, 29°55'N, 122°55'E.

Submarine Tang (SS-306) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Dori Maru in Chosen Bay, 38°50'N, 123°35'E.

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World War II in real time Jul 7, 2023 6:13:16 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 7, 2023 6:13:16 GMT

Day 1762 of World War II, July 7th 1944

Eastern Front

The First Belorussian Front captures Kovel which is 70 miles east of Lublin.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +31

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 7th 1944

General Montgomery prepares the assault of Caen, which must begin the next day. Preparations were organized and while the Allied artillery bombarded German positions around and in the city, the Highland Light Infantry belonging to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division attacked Buron, 5 kilometers north-west of Caen. Solidly entrenched in this village, elements of the 12th S.S Panzer Division opened a heavy fire on the Canadian troops who progressed with difficulty. Each house is transformed into an impregnable fortress and the crossing of an anti-tank ditch dug around Buron hinders the allied advance which is exposed to the shots of the German defenders. The fight lasted a whole day, and the losses on both sides were impressive: Canadians lost more than 260 soldiers at the end of the day, a quarter of whom were killed. The village is still not entirely under control. The British artillery took over and bombed Buron in the evening.

Photo: General Montgomery with Generals Patton (left) and Bradley (centre) at 21st Army Group HQ, Normandy, 7 July 1944

American artillery, meanwhile, ceases its bombing of the village of Saint-Fromond to allow the infantry of the 30th American division to attack. After violent fighting, the northern part of the city is under control and American soldiers already cross the Vire-Taute canal to secure access to the bridge which is of vital importance to the Allies. Indeed, it allows the Sherman tanks to join the south shore of Saint-Fromond and continue the progression towards Saint-Lô, located 7 kilometers from the village. Immediately after its securing, the bridge allows the 113th Cavalry Group to pass its tanks.

To the east of Saint-Fromond, the small village of Saint-Jean-de-Daye is freed by elements of the 30th American infantry division, which advance immediately to the south. The Germans were jostled, but they recovered a few hours later by establishing a line of defense prohibiting any progress. It will require the support of American artillery to silence these German resistance points.

Since the disembarkation on 6 June and until 7 July 1944, the Germans have recorded a total of 80,783 soldiers out of fight, whether killed, wounded, missing in action or taken prisoner.

Continuation War

This morning a Soviet attack against the I/IR 35 at PyšrŠkangas is repulsed with the aid of artillery. The enemy stages another attempt at 3 pm. (a prisoner claimed that this attack was launched by a whole division), but is also repulsed. A few more Soviet attacks are prevented in the evening by Finnish artillery. Unsuccesful Finnish counterattacks to capture back the lost ground in the Finnish bridgehead. Finnish troops in northern Karelia (north of Lake Ladoga) get new orders to withdraw to defend the U-position. This is the position where the deciding battles in northern Karelia will be fought later in the month.

Air War over Europe

In France, 100+ Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders bomb a rail bridge near Tours, and targets of opportunity in the Lisieux and Beuzeville areas; 500+ fighters fly escort and area cover, carry out armed reconnaissance of communication and troop activity, and bomb railroads, rolling stock, marshalling yards, ammunition dumps, and bridges in frontline areas and wide areas of western France.

USAAF's Eighth Air Force Mission 459: Six B-17s drop leaflets in France and Belgium during the night.

475 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers based in Italy attack five targets in France: 233 bomb the U-boat base at Toulon; 4 aircraft are lost. 146 hit the marshalling yard at Montpellier. 89 attack the marshalling yard at Beziers; 1 aircraft is lost. 6 bomb the marshalling yard at Marseilles. 1 bombs the marshalling yard at Sete.

RAF Bomber Command mounted its first attack against German troop positions in support of the Allied forces in Normandy (Operation Charnwood). A total of 467 aircraft (283 Lancasters, 164 Halifaxes and 20 Mosquitoes attacked German positions in front of the Canadian 1st and British 2nd Armies north of Caen. Intercepting the forces were elements of NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 4, NJG 5, JG 301 and NJGr. 10.

Photo: A Handley Page Halifax of No. 4 Group flies over the suburbs of Caen, France, 7 July 1944

Another RAF night-time mission as 208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos, mainly from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, attacked a flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms) at St Leu d'Esserent. The bombing was accurate on the mouths of the tunnels and on the approach roads, blocking access to the flying bombs stored there. German night fighters intercepted the force and 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos were lost. No 106 Squadron lost 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and No 630 Squadron lost its commanding officer, Wing Commander WI Deas, who was flying his 69th operation.

106 aircraft of Nos 1, 3, 5 and 9 No 3 Groups made a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland, along with 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group dropping 'spoof' markers in support of the St Leu d'Esserent raid, and 32 Mosquitos to Berlin. Two Mosquitos were lost from the Berlin raid and one aircraft was lost from a Resistance flight. During these missions, Fw. Manfred Gromoll from 3./JG 301 shot down two Lancasters in his Bf 109 G/U2.

BLITZLUFTSCHLACHT von OSCHERSLEBEN: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 458: 1,129 bombers and 756 fighters are dispatched to attack synthetic oil plants, aircraft assembly plants and engine works, airfields and an equipment depot, marshalling yards railway station and railway repair shops in Germany; 37 bombers and six fighters are lost: Of 373 B-24s, 102 hit Lutzkendorf and 64 hit Halle oil plants, 90 hit Bernburg and 73 hit Aschersleben aircraft plants and eight hit targets of opportunity; they claim 39-5-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; 28 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 224 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 46-1-16 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-38 and three P-51s are lost. Of 303 B-17s, 64 hit Bohlen and 51 hit Merseburg oil plants, 67 hit Kolleda and 32 hit Lutzkendorf Airfields, 22 hit targets of opportunity and 16 hit Gottingen marshalling yard; two B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 185 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 9-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-1 on the ground; a P-47 and a P-51 are lost. Of 453 B-17s, 114 hit Leipzig/Taucha, 79 hit Leipzig/Mockau, 35 hit Leipzig/Heiterblick and 15 hit Leipzig/Abtnaundorf oil plants, 46 hit Leipzig bearing industry, 35 hit Kolleda Airfield, 19 hit Leipzig Station and seven hit Nordhausen; seven B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 247 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 20-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground.

Italian Campaign

The US 34th Division liberate Pignano, Italy.

Photo: Sherman tank of 3rd Hussars, 9th Armoured Brigade, 7 July 1944

20 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bomber attack the industrial area at Dubnica.

97 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers based in Italy attack three targets in Yugoslavia: 53 attack the airfield at Zagreb. 43 bomb the marshalling yard at Zagreb. 1 hits the airfield at Banja Luka.

85 RAF Liberators of No. 205 Group bomb the marshalling yard at Verona, Italy.

453 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers based in Italy attack five targets in Germany; the bombers and fighter escorts claim 50+ aircraft shot down during fierce battle with 275-300 fighters mainly in the Vienna-Budapest area: 162 bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil facility at Blechhammer South; 10 aircraft are lost. 122 bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil facility at Blechhammer North; 8 aircraft are lost. 106 bomb the Deschowitz synthetic oil facility at Odertel; 8 aircraft are lost. 62 bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil facility at Blechhammer North using radar; 1 aircraft is lost. 1 hits the city of Ober Gloglau.

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine 'U-678' is sunk about 19 nm (36 km) SSW of Brighton, England, by RCN destroyers HMCS 'Ottawa' and 'Kootenay' and RN corvette HMS 'Statice'. All hands on the U-boat (52-men) are lost.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteen XX Bomber Command) B-29 Superfortresses, operating out of Chengtu, China, during the night of 7/8 July, bomb Sasebo, Omura, and Tobata, Japan (most of the planes hitting the Sasebo area); three others attack secondary and last resort targets at Laoyao and in the Hankow area of China.

(Fourteenth Air Force): In the Tungting Lake area of China, B-25s and fighter-bombers hit Yoyang, Siangtan, Liling, and Yungfengshih, strafe cavalry forces N of Yuhsien, hit river shipping, troops, and a pontoon bridge at Siangsiang, attack compounds in the Leiyang area, and bomb storage at Shihshow; 10 miles (16.1 km) E of Ichang on the Yangtze River P-40s thoroughly blast a Japanese post; and B-25s and P-51s bomb Tien Ho and White Cloud Airfields and pound the town of Tsingyun.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In New Guinea, B-24s and A-20s bomb Moemi and Nabire Airfield; supply dumps along the Wiske River are also attacked; a few fighter-bombers and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft attack barges, gun positions, and troops along the coast in the Wewak area. B-24s bomb Yap, Sorol Atoll radio station, and runway at Woleai.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

The Japanese garrison is now down to 3,000 soldiers. They mount an attack on the US lines south of Makunsha Village. The better armed US forces suffer terrific losses in holding this attack, some of which is fought at close quarters.

Photo: An oil dump goes up near an armored bulldozer which is clearing the street of Garapan of debris which was once the Japanese city. July 7, 1944

In the Marianas, carrier based aircraft from Task Group 53.7 (five escort aircraft carriers) and Task Force 58, begin the first of daily systematic attacks against Japanese installations on Guam.
(Seventh Air Force): P-61s carry out interceptor missions over Guam, Saipan, and Rota Islands, Marianas Islands, during the night of 6/7 Jul.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 74, JULY 7, 1944

Our ground forces on Saipan have continued advancing against strong opposition. On the eastern side of the island our line has reached a point less than two miles from Inagsa Point on the northeast tip of Saipan, and extends laterally across the island to a western anchor slightly more than four miles from Marpi Point on the northwest tip. A force of approximately 200 of the enemy attempted to evacuate from the northwest coast of Saipan in barges on the night of July 4‑5 (West Longitude Date). The formation was broken up by artillery fire. Our troops have buried 8,914 enemy dead.

Aircraft of our fast carrier task force attacked Guam and Rota on July 5 and 6 (West Longitude Date). Airstrips and other ground installations were worked over with bombs, rockets, and machine gun fire. At Rota one enemy plane was destroyed on the ground, and two were damaged. There was no enemy interception at either objective. We lost two fighters. The pilot of one was rescued.

During July 5, Seventh Army Air Force Liberators attacked Moen, in the Truk group, with 30 tons of bombs. On the same day Corsairs and Dauntless dive bombers of Group One, Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked Wotje, Jaluit, and Taroa in the Marshall Islands. We lost no planes.

PACIFIC

Submarine Bonefish (SS-223) sinks Japanese guardboat Ryuei Maru off Tarakan, Borneo, 02°40'N, 118°22'E.

Submarine Flasher (SS-249), despite presence of escort vessel, sinks Japanese transport No.2 K_t_ Maru off Cape Varella, French Indochina, 13°08'N, 109°28'E.

Submarine Mingo (SS-261) sinks Japanese destroyer Tamanami 150 miles west-southwest of Manila, 14°16'N, 119°50'E.

Submarine Skate (SS-305) attacks Japanese convoy in the southern Sea of Okhotsk, sinking destroyer Usugumo and damaging cargo vessel Kasado Maru about 160 miles north of Etorofu Jima, 47°43'N, 147°55'E.

Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) attacks Japanese fishing boats en route from Matsuwa to Uruppu, sinking No.105 Hokuyo Maru, No.5 Kannon Maru, Ebisu Maru, and Kinei Maru, 47°29'E, 152°29'E.

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World War II in real time Jul 8, 2023 14:59:54 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 8, 2023 14:59:54 GMT

Day 1763 of World War II, July 8th 1944

YouTube (The Destruction of Army Group Center)

Eastern Front

The Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front (Rokossovsky) recaptured Baranovichi northwest of Brest-Litovsk. Hptm. Diethelm von Eichel-Streiber and his III./JG 51 were the next to leave Pinsk to Russian forces and transferred to Kowno.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +32

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 8th 1944

July 8 marks the beginning of operation Charnwood planned by General Montgomery. The offensive of the 1st English Corps is preceded by a massive bombardment of Caen during the night of 7 to 8 July: 450 bombers Halifax and Lancaster take off and drop almost 6,000 tons of bombs on the northern part of the city which is reduced to ashes.

Photo: Infantry pass Sherman tanks of 33rd Armoured Brigade near Lebisey Wood, during Operation 'Charnwood', 8 July 1944

Photo: Sherman tanks of 33rd Armoured Brigade, supporting 3rd Infantry Division, moving forward near Lebisey Wood for Operation CHARNWOOD, the assault on Caen, 8 July 1944

Photo: Priest self-propelled gun passes a Humber scout car of 79th Armoured Division, during Operation 'Charnwood', the attack on Caen, 8 July 1944

Photo: A Stuart and Sherman tanks of 33rd Armoured Brigade during Operation 'Charnwood', the attack on Caen, 8 July 1944

Photo: Brigadier N W Duncan of 30th Armoured Brigade, 79th Armoured Division, watches the attack on Caen from beside his Humber scout car outside Beuville, 8 July 1944

The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division launched its offensive east of Caen in the direction of Bretteville-sur-Odon and north of the city while the 59th British infantry division attacked north and east of Caen. The 7th German Army, commanded by General Hausser, did not bend and resist the Allied attacks.

Photo: British troops herd cattle past a Morris 'Quad' artillery tractor and 25pdr field gun, Normandy, 8 July 1944

Photo: German prisoners captured by 185th Brigade, 3rd Division, in the Lebisey Wood area, 8 July 1944

The Highland Light Infantry belonging to the 3rd Canadian infantry division and still blocked near the village of Buron launches a new offensive to liberate the city, supported by armored units. Despite the heavy losses of the previous day (more than 260 soldiers put out of action), the Canadians managed to seize Buron and push back the German soldiers from the 10th St. Panzer division outside the city. South of Buron and two kilometers east of Caen, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division attacks the town of Authie. Very violent fighting took place between the Canadians and the Germans of the Hitlerjugend Division and at the end of the day, the S.S. had to withdraw, thus abandoning Authie, liberated by the Allies. The Canadian casualties are heavy: nearly 160 soldiers are put out of action and 7 Sherman tanks are destroyed.

Photo: Universal carriers and 6-pdr anti-tank guns near Lebisey Wood, 8 July 1944

The Americans, for their part, are slowly but surely progressing and their tanks cross the bridges on the Vire river. American forces east of the Cotentin Peninsula are heading south towards Lessay and Périers, while those east of Cotentin and south of Calvados head towards Saint-Lô and Torigni-sur-Vire. The 79th Infantry Division, supported by the tanks of the 749th Tank Battalion, chased the German defenders of the 352nd German infantry division from the town.

Continuation War

This morning the Soviets attack again the Finnish positions at TŠhtelŠ, west of PyšrŠkangas and Ihantala, but are repulsed. A rested and refitted Soviet 286th Division tries to attack at Vakkila and Ihantala, but its attempts are prevented by Finnish artillery.

Air War over Europe

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force attacks targets in the Vienna Austria area; 520+ B-17s and B-24s attack refineries at Vosendorf and Korneuburg, the airfield at Zwolfaxing, Markersdorf, and Munchendorf, and marshalling yard and oil storage at Vienna/Floridsdorf, and the airfield at Veszprem; fighters fly 200+ sorties in support of the bomber missions which are opposed by 100+ fighters; 14 US aircraft are lost; heavy bombers and fighters claim 50+ fighters shot down. Scrambled into the battle were II./JG 27 from Fels am Wagram and I./JG 300 from Herzogenaurah, both flying Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6s. Joining the Messerschmitts were the Hungarian JGr. 101 "Puma", whose pilots claimed one B-24 without loss, I./ZG 76 claiming one P-38 fighter, but the Zerstörer Gruppe lost thirteen men with two others wounded from a loss of nine aircraft, II./ZG 1 and by I./ JG 302.

In France, about 280 Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders bomb V-weapon HQ at Chateau-de-Ribeaucourt, numerous strongpoints in the Caen battle area, rail bridges at Mantes-La-Jolie, Saumur, Nogent-le-Roi, and Caen and (late in evening) fuel dumps in Rennes and a bridge at Nantes; fighters escort the bombers and fly armed reconnaissance throughout wide areas of France, concentrating on the frontline area; targets hit include marshalling yards, bridges, ammunition and supply dumps, troop concentrations and tanks.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions:
Mission 460: 1,029 bombers and 714 fighters, in four forces, are dispatched to hit bridges, tunnels, rail targets and NOBALL (V-weapon) sites in France; only 462 aircraft bomb due to bad weather; nine bombers and a fighter are lost: 1. Of 331 B-24s dispatched, 14 hit Schore Bridge, nine hit Welle Bridge, one hits Orsel Airfield and one hits a target of opportunity; escort is provided by 266 P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 20-0-19 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; a P-51 is lost. 2. Of 304 B-17s dispatched, 61 hit Poix Airfield, 49 hit V-1 sites, 37 hit Etaples Bridge, 13 hit a road junction, 12 hit Abbeville Airfield and 11 hit Etaples choke point; four B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 36 P-47 Thunderbolts. 3. Of 130 B-24s dispatched, 71 hit V-1 sites, 13 hit St Vallery en Caux Airfield and 11 hit Abbeville railroad junction. 4. Of 264 B-17s dispatched, 21 hit Jaigle, 20 hit Barenton and ten hit Chandai rail junctions, 11 hit Nantes/Gassicourt Bridge, 11 hit Nantes railroad bridge, nine hit railroad tracks at Yvetot, 11 hit Nogent and six hit Rouen marshalling yards, 24 hit Conches and 11 hit St Andre de l'Eure Airfields and 25 hit targets of opportunity; five B-17s are lost. Forces 3 and 4 are escorted by 286 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground. 86 P-47s bomb St Andre de l'Eure Airfield without loss.

Mission 461: Four B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night. 17 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions.

A technical malfunction in one of the Fw 190s of JG 1 at Semalle removed it from combat, reducing the number of available Focke-Wulfs. Geschwader Bongart was asked to do something quickly about the enemy airfield at Vassieux-en-Vercors, 16 km north of Die. The Geschwader Bongart flew six sorties during the day.

Battle of the Atlantic

Photo: Oblique aerial photograph taken from Short Sunderland Mark III of No. 10 Squadron RAAF, while attacking German type VIIC submarine U-243, some 170 nautical miles west of St Nazaire, France, in the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft were "H" W4030, piloted by Flying Officer W.B. Tilley, and "K", piloted by Flight Lieutenant R.E. Cargeeg. Tilley, who made the initial attack, and scored hits, was credited with the sinking and awarded the DFC. Sunk by depth charges, U243 lost 11 dead and had 38 survivors. A dinghy and food-pack were dropped by Tilley to the survivors, 8 July 1944

Photo: Oblique aerial photograph taken from Short Sunderland Mark III, W4030 'H', of No. 10 Squadron RAAF, while attacking German type VIIC submarine U-243, west of St Nazaire in the Bay of Biscay. Depth charges dropped by W4030, one of which crippled the U-boat, explode by its stern. Splashes from machine gun fire from the Sunderland's rear turret, which put both the submarine's 37-mm and port twin 20mm guns out of action, can be seen leading across the water below the DC explosion, 8 July 1944

Battle of the Caribbean

Submarine chaser SC-1299 rescues 18 survivors from U.S. tanker Esso Harrisburg, sunk by German submarine U-516 on 6 July. Dutch escort vessel Queen Wilhelmina rescues 31 Esso Harrisburg survivors that same day. Subsequently, the last group of survivors reaches the Colombian coast.

United Kingdom

Tank landing ships LST-312 and LST-384 are damaged by V-1 rocket-bomb while moored at Naval Advance Amphibious Base, Deptford, England.

Germany

Hitler ordered that production should cease of all aircraft that Germany could do without at this stage of the war. Along with the fuel shortage, this order eventually caused several Kampfgruppen to disband. Among the first bomber units ending their combat careers were KG 3 ‘Blitz’ under Major Fritz Auffhammer and Major Wilhelm Stemmler’s KG 77. Oblt. Erich von Selle’s ZG 1 and Oblt. Robert Kowalewski’s ZG 76 were also disbanded. The combat units were not the only groups to feel the pinch. Transportgeschwader 5 under Oberst Guido Neundlinger was disbanded as well.

Several single-engined fighter units were moved to help in the Defense of the Reich. The pilots and crew of I./JG 3 under Hptm. Ernst Laube moved from the airbase at Wunstorf to the airfield at Gütersloh while those of III./JG 3 led by Major Walther Dahl were transferred from Francheville to Feldflugplatz C south-east of Chartres. The Stab of JG 4 under Major Gerhard Schöpfel was transferred from Ansbach to Bad Lippspringe flying Fw 190As.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ A-36s and P-40s hit a bridge at Myitkyina and support ground forces in the area; 12 B-25s also pound Myitkyina.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-25s and fighter-bombers fly nearly 100 sorties against targets in the Tungting Lake area; river shipping is hit hard throughout the whole lake area; trucks, bridges, warehouses, supply dumps, troop concentrations, Japanese posts, and targets of opportunity are attacked at Sinshih, Sinyang, Leiyang, Liling, Chuchou, Puchi, Siangsiang, and Yuhsien; 18 B-24s bomb military area near Canton, and 37 P-40s attack Japanese-held villages and river shipping NW of Canton; 20 Japanese aircraft bomb Suichwan Airfield, rendering it temporarily unusable; enemy aircraft also damage Kanchou Airfield. In French Indochina 10 P-40s hit shipping all along the coast while 5 B-25s knock out 2 bridges at Cam Lo.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s fly fighter-bomber operations against troops on Saipan, Pagan, and Tinian. During the night of 7/8 Jul B-24s stage through Eniwetok Atoll and bomb Truk Atoll; more B-24s follow with another raid during the day.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Medium bombers and fighter-bombers hit fuel dumps, barges, villages, and various other targets at Babo, Fak Fak, Sagan, Kokas, at the mouth of the Maroe River, along Cape Kariensore, and W of Namber; B-25s, A-20s, fighter-bombers and a few B-24s attack Wewak, hitting barges, gun positions, and communication targets. Lost on a transport flight is B-17E "Queenie" 41-2464

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

The USN's Task Group 53.18 under Rear Admiral C. Turner Joy and consisting of cruisers and destroyers, begin a daily bombardment of Japanese installations on Guam.

Photo: Marines take cover behind an M4 Sherman tank while clearing Japanese forces from the northern end of the island of Saipan, 8 July 1944

Photo: Japanese Zeke fighters on Aslito Airfield, Saipan, after its capture by U.S. troops, 8 July 1944

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Copahee (CVE-12) underway. She left the Garapan anchorage off Saipan on 8 July 1944 with a load of captured Japanese planes (13 Mitsubishi A6M and one Nakajima B5N) and equipment (37 engines) to be used for intelligence and training purposes

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 75, JULY 8, 1944

Before dawn on July 6 (West Longitude Date) several thousand Japanese troops launched a desperate counterattack directed against the left flank of our line on Saipan Island. In this attack our lines along the western shore were penetrated up to 2,000 yards, and the enemy reached the outskirts of Tanapag Town. The counterattack was halted before noon, and our troops began to push the enemy back. In this assault the fighting was very severe and numerous casualties were incurred. It is estimated 1,500 Japanese troops were killed. Meantime on the right flank our forces continued their advance and are now a little more than a mile from the airfield at Marpi Point.

Small groups of enemy planes raided our positions on Saipan before dawn on July 6 and on the night of July 6‑7. Bombs were also dropped near some of our ships but did no damage. One enemy plane was shot down. Isely Field on Saipan was shelled by shore batteries on Tinian Island before dawn on July 6 but the enemy batteries were quickly silenced by destroyer and artillery fire.

Supplementing Communiqué Number 72, it has been determined that 32 enemy aircraft were destroyed and 96 damaged on the ground by our carrier aircraft in attacks on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima on July 3.

Nineteen of the aircraft destroyed and 34 of those damaged were two-engine bombers.

Some of this total may have been damaged in previous strikes by our aircraft.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force dropped 43 tons of bombs at the Dublon Island naval base in Truk Atoll on July 6. Five of approximately 12 enemy fighters which attempted to intercept our force were shot down. Three of our aircraft received minor damage.

Nauru Island was bombed by Liberator and Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force on July 6. Incendiary bombs started fires visible for 30 miles.

Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked Wotje and Maloelap Atolls on July 6, bombing and strafing remaining enemy defense installations.

PACIFIC

Submarine Bonefish (SS-223) sinks Japanese guardboat Moji Maru east of Borneo, 02°25'N, 118°14'E.

Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Matsu Maru off Honshu, 41°17'N, 141°30'E.

U.S. aircraft sink Japanese guardboats No.11 Ebisu Maru, No.3 Fukuei Maru, No.1 Hosei Maru, Kofuku Maru, No.1 Kofuku Maru, No.3 Kofuku Maru, and No.3 Sachitaka Maru off Saipan.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers No.19 Nitto Maru and No.20 Nitto Maru are sunk by aircraft off Rabaul, New Britain.

Last Edit: Jul 8, 2023 16:26:34 GMT by lordroel

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World War II in real time Jul 9, 2023 6:30:56 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 9, 2023 6:30:56 GMT

Day 1764 of World War II, July 9th 1944

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +33

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 9th 1944

Operation Charnwood is coming to an end. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division continues its advance east and southwest of Caen, and Kurt “Panzer” Meyer, at the head of the regiments of the 12th SS Panzer Division, has to retreat after the actions of Commonwealth armed forces, on the east bank of the Odon River. General Montgomery seems satisfied with his Charnwood offensive, although the allied losses are high and all the objectives originally foreseen are not met, such as the height and the bridge of the village of Bourguébus, a gateway to the city of Falaise.

The Canadians manage to penetrate the center of Caen, which northern part is entirely in the hands of the Allies. However, the Germans still control the southern and eastern parts of the city, defended by the 1st, 12th and 21st S.S. Panzer divisions.

Photo: A soldier 'keeps a sharp lookout for snipers' in the ruins of Caen, 9 July 1944

Photo: British Sherman tanks and infantry during the advance on Caen, Normandy, 9 July 1944

Photo: Sherman tanks, carriers and infantry during Operation 'Charnwood', Normandy, 9 July 1944

Photo: A Sherman Firefly of 27th Armoured Brigade advancing towards Lebisey, 9 July 1944

Photo: Men of the Lancashire Fusiliers crawl cautiously through a cornfield near St Contest, Normandy, 9 July 1944

Americans of the 79th Infantry Division keep securing the Haye-du-Puits, liberated the day before, and continue to progress towards the south in the direction of Lessay. On its left flank, the 8th and 90th US infantry divisions are on their way to Périers, while the 29th and 30th infantry divisions are heading for Saint-Lô. The front is relatively straight, indicating the good progress of the troops in a bocage where the soldiers and mainly the vehicles progress with difficulty.

Continuation War

A quiet day at Ihantala. Enemy artillery is still active today and tomorrow, but there are no more serious Soviet attempts to achieve a breakthrough. Border JŠger Battalion 2 and the 36th AT-gun Company are transferred to Vuosalmi (east of Ihantala at the sector of Lt. Gen. Hjalmar Siilasvuo's III Corps), where the Red Army is now trying to break the Finnish line after its failure at Ihantala.

This day is considered to be the last of the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. It has ended in a Finnish defensive victory. Tali-Ihantala was the most serious Soviet attempt to break the Finnish line, and the greatest battle in the Scandinavian military history. The VKT-line, the third and last Finnish line of defence, had budged but not broken. With German help, Finns were able to stop the Soviet offensive and save their independence.

After it in the early days of July became clear to the Soviet leadership that the Finnish line at Ihantala will hold, they changed their point of main effort in the Karelian Isthmus to Bay of Viipuri and Vuosalmi, where they also ultimately failed. At the same time Finns were also fighting a crucial battle in northern Karelia (north of Lake Ladoga). These battles would also merit postings as detailed as these had been, but Tali-Ihantala was the first, greatest and most important. It showed it was possible to stop the Red Army for good.

At Tali-Ihantala several factors favoured Finns. Soviet formations, while still receiving substantial reinforcements, were operating at the end of long lines of supply. On the other hand the Finnish lines of supply were relatively short, and the worst deficiencies in the equipment were being remedied. Germans had supplied Finns with amounts of the new infantry AT-weapons, Panzerfausts and Panzerschrecks, and Finns soon found out that these weapons were ideal for the Finnish terrain. (The first delivery of these weapons was received already in April 1944, but in one of those moments of utter stupidity some staff officer decided that secrecy was the prime consideration and these weapons were stored. Only very few men received training in these AT weapons before the Soviet offensive.) The relatively short range of these weapons was not a major drawback, because in the rugged Finnish terrain (especially so at Ihantala) the infantry could fight the tanks at very short ranges. Also the Finnish AA defences had been strengthened.

A major factor in the Finnish victory was the artillery. At the closing stages of the battle the Finnish Army had more than 20 artillery battalions present, and they were used to a devastating effect. Often the artillery alone was enough to disperse the enemy troops formed for an attack. Thanks to the pioneer work of General of Artillery Vilho Nenonen the Finnish artillery had one of the most efficient artillery fire-control systems of the day. It made possible for one forward observer to rapidly call the fire of several artillery battalions.

But the Soviet commanders were in a hurry. Viipuri had been captured on 20 June as planned, but after that the Soviet offensives had been repulsed. The main effort was made at Tali-Ihantala, but it soon became clear that the going was a lot tougher than expected. The commanders were lagging behind the timetable, and they were aware that if they aren't able to break the Finnish line, the point of main effort would be switched elsewhere. Consequently the Soviet attacks in the latter stages of the battle were hastily planned and ill-executed.

Finnish losses at Tali-Ihantala between 25 June and 9 July were 1101 KIA, 6264 WIA and 1096 MIA. Soviet losses in the same period are estimated at 5000 KIA and 14 000 WIA. Finns and Germans claimed almost 300 aircraft shot down during the battle.

Air War over Europe

In France, of 250+ Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20 Havocs dispatched, bad weather prevails and about 60 bomb targets including a rail bridge, crossing, overpass and a highway bridge at Ablis, Orleans, Vendome, and Montfort-sur-Risle; fighters escort IX Bomber Command bombers, provide area cover over the battle area, and bomb and strafe gun positions, vehicles, rail cars, bridges, and tanks.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions:
Mission 462: during a morning mission 150 B-17s are dispatched to bomb bridges and airfields in France but cloud cover causes the bombers to hit targets of opportunity; 68 hit Chalonnes Bridge, 36 hit Chateaudun Airfield, 12 hit Bouchemaine Bridge, 12 hit Chalonnes highway bridge and 12 hit Le Creusot Bridge; one B-17 is lost. Escort is provided by 55 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; a P-47 and a P-51 are lost.

Mission 463: 104 B-24s and 77 B-17s are dispatched to hit CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in France but encounters poor weather; Only 37 B-24s bomb V-weapon sites; 12 B-17s hit St Omber Longuenesse Airfield and three hit targets of opportunity; a B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 158 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 5-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft. 90 P-38 Lightnings strafe the Moulin-Nevers-Tours area claiming 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-38 is lost .

Mission 464: During the night, five B-17s drop leaflets in France. 37 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

Italian Campaign

The US 88th Division liberates Volterra, Italy. French units advance on Paggibonsi, Italy.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy flies its first Pathfinder-led mission to Rumania; 222 B-17s and B-24s bomb Xenia and Concordia Vega oil refineries at Ploesti. P-38s and P-51s fly escort while other P-51s sweep the Ploesti area during the attacks. But the depletion of fighter units from the area to Germany left only I./JG 53, 10./JG 301 and II./JG 51 and the night-fighting unit IV./NJG 6 to defend the oil fields along with a few Rumanian fighter units, a total of about fifty Bf 109s. The bombers and fighters claim destruction of 14 of the 40-50 opposing fighters; six USAAF aircraft are shot down.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Minesweeper Swerve (AM-121) is sunk by mine about 16 miles southwest of Nettuno, Italy, 41°31'N, 12°285'E.

Battle of the Atlantic

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge (DD-246) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 9 July 1944

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 60+ A-36s, P-51s, P-47s, and P-40s support ground forces and hit a bridge in the Myitkyina area, strafe gun positions at Shwebo and targets along the Irrawaddy River in the Katha area, and attack targets of opportunity in areas around Loilaw, Hopin, Mohnyin, Maingna, Anisakan, and Onbauk; 19 B-25s hit storage sheds at Waingmaw and railroads and bridges at Mohnyin, Naba, and Hopin. In India, HQ 443d Troop Carrier Group moves from Sookerating to Dinjan.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 40 P-40s and 8 B-25s hit the town area, trucks, and supply sampans at Shayang and damage tunnel entrances and a highway bridge at Sinyang. 5 B-25s bomb a power plant and building area at Tinh Soc, French Indochina.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s hit the remnants of Japanese forces on Saipan and Tinian Islands, as organized resistance on Saipan ends; Saipan will become a base from which B-29s will bomb Japan. Makin based B-25s bomb Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: A-20s and fighter-bombers pound shipping, airfields, troops, and other targets at Babo, Manokwari, Efman, Biak and various points along the coastline of Geelvink Bay; B-25s and fighter-bombers sink a 3,000-ton vessel and several barges around Halmahera Island, Moluccas Islands; dumps at Marubian, Kairiru, and Niap and a bridge at But are bombed by B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers; B-24s bomb Namlea Airfield and attack Yap and Woleai. Lost on an transport flight is C-47 "Shakes All Over" 42-23705. Lost is A-20G 43-9499.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Final Japanese organized resistance on Saipan ceases as the US forces reach Point Marpi.

Map: Map showing the progress of the Battle of Saipan, 15 June to 9 July 1944

US casualty list of 3400 KIA and 13,000 WIA; Japanese estimated 27,000 KIA and 1,780 prisoners.

Photo: Marines held up by sniper fire near the north end of Saipan, 9 July, 1944

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 76, JULY 9, 1944

Our forces have completed the conquest of Saipan. Organized resistance ended on the afternoon of July 8 (West Longitude Date) and the elimination of scattered, disorganized remnants of the enemy force is proceeding rapidly.

Aircraft of our fast carrier task force attacked Guam and Rota on July 7‑8 (West Longitude Date). Runways, antiaircraft batteries, coastal defense guns and barracks were subjected to rocket fire and bombing. On July 7 nine enemy fighters apparently attempting to fly from Guam to Yap Island were shot down by our combat air patrol. Six twin‑engine enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground and two were probably destroyed near Agana Town at Guam. We lost one fighter and one torpedo bomber in these raids.

Twenty‑two tons of bombs were dropped on Truk Atoll on the night of July 7‑8 by Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force. There was no Interception, and all of our planes returned safely.

During July 7 Mille, Jaluit, Taroa, and Wotje were harassed by Dauntless dive bombers and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, and a search Catalina of Group One, Fleet Air Wing Two, attacked Taroa before dawn on July 7. We lost no planes.

PACIFIC

Submarine Dace (SS-247) carries out unsuccessful attack on Japanese cargo vessel Gokoku Maru 06°22'N, 126°18'E

Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) lands men and supplies on Pandan Island off west coast of Mindoro, P.I.

Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) attacks Japanese convoy in the Kurils, sinking army cargo ship Taihei Maru north of Araito Island, 51°19'N, 155°43'E.

Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese fishing boat Yawata Maru southwest of Kushiro, 43°06'N, 144°08'E.

USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) sink Japanese cargo vessel Oyashima Maru near Halmahera Island, 00°34'N, 128°30'E.

Aircraft damage auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 9, Rabaul.

Photo: Two U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1A Corsair aircraft from Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-113 in flight near Eniwetok. Plane No. 51 is known as "GET EM BLUEDOG" and No. 56 as "SUN SETTER", 9 July 1944

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World War II in real time Jul 10, 2023 2:48:01 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 10, 2023 2:48:01 GMT

Day 1765 of World War II, July 10th 1944

Eastern Front

Hitler refuses Model's (Heeresgruppe Nord) request to position Heeresgruppe Mitte behind the Dvina. The Red Army began three major offensives into the Baltic States: the 2nd Byelorussian Front moved northwest from Vitebsk, the 3rd Byelorussian Front attacked west from Psovsk, and the Leningrad Front drove southwest toward Narva.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +34

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 10th 1944

On July 10, the northern part of the city of Caen was finally liberated, more than a month after D-Day, while the whole city had to be under control in the evening of June 6th. This 34-day delay is proof of the stalemate in which Commonwealth forces find themselves. Once the northern sector of Caen, almost completely destroyed by the bombardment, captured, the British military forces decided to focus their efforts on the key position of Hill 112, located 3 kilometers southwest of the capital of Calvados. This offensive is part of operation Jupiter, which aims to pierce the front in the Odon valley southwest of Caen and cross the Orne River in this area.

Photo: A Canadian soldier fires on the enemy in a house in Caen, July 10, 1944

The 8th British Corps launched its offensive on July 10th, and in particular towards Hill 112, and if its progression is supported by the allied fighter-bombers and artillery, the German resistance remained very strong and limited the British advance in this sector. Hill 112 is defended by the soldiers of the 2nd SS Armored Corps, who are aware of the tactical importance of this position. Indeed, it defends the accesses of the southern region of Caen, held by the Panzergroupwest of Eberbach.

Photo: British Sherman tanks and a 6-pdr anti-tank gun in the centre of Caen, Normandy, 10 July 1944

Photo: French civilians pass a Sherman tank in the ruins of Caen, 10 July 1944

Photo: Troops of 130th Brigade, 43rd (Wessex) Division take cover from mortar fire, 10 July 1944

The 43rd British Wessex Infantry Division is heading towards the village of Maltot 6 kilometers south-west of Caen and as it manages to enter the city, German defenders of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer divisions repel the assailants and using a heavy fire, they isolated a handful of British soldiers in the village: the allied losses were very heavy and they were obliged to retreat a few kilometers further north of Maltot.

YouTube (The Fall Of Caen - 1944)

The Americans are making difficult progress north of Périers and Saint-Lô, despite the intensive bombing of allied aviation and artillery. American soldiers are delivering very bloody fighting in this area, known as “hedgerow warfare”. They left the marshy area to the south of Carentan with difficulty, and progressed unremittingly, albeit very slowly.

Air War over Europe

In France, USAAF Ninth Air Force fighters bomb and strafe gun positions, bridges, a rail overpass, infantry concentrations, and highway junctions, and cover the battle area.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 465: Six B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Netherlands during the night while 12 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

France

Command designated U.S. Ports and Bases, France (Rear Admiral John Wilkes) is established with headquarters at Cherbourg.

United States

Photo: USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) underway on 10 July 1944, ten days after she was placed in commission. Her camouflage is Measure 33, Design 24D

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 24 P-40s and P-51s support ground forces at Myitkyina; 20+ A-36s P-51s, P-47s, and P-40s hit Mogaung, buildings and boxcars at Mohnyin, trucks at Sahmaw, a factory at Loiwing, and Punga pagoda; the railroad supply area at Mohnyin is bombed by 6 B-25s; a
detachment of the 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, begins operating from Myitkyina with P-40s (the squadron is based at Kisselbari, India).

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 70 P-40s and 6 B-25s hit river shipping between Siangtan and Siangsiang, between Changsha and Chuchou, and N of Hengyang; strafe and bomb posts and trucks in the Pingkiang, Tungcheng, and Tsungyang areas and in the Changsha-Kweilin area; and bomb airfields at Hankow and Wuchang; the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, based at Guskhara, sends a detachment to operate from Liuchow with F-7s; and the detachment of the 491st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), operating from Kweilin and Liuchow with B-25s return to base at Yangkai.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s hit troops and gun positions on Tinian Island. B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, pound Truk Atoll during the night of 9/10 Jul and again during the day.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In New Guinea, B-24s attack Laha, Namlea, and targets of opportunity in the Boeroe Island, Sunda Islands-Ceram Island-Ambon area; A-20s, fighter-bombers, and a B-25 hit troops, villages, and barges in the Wewak area; the 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Nadzab to Owi, Schouten Islands with B-24s; and the 67th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group, and 387th Bombardment Squadron, 312th Bombardment Group, move from Nadzab to Hollandia with C-47s and A-20s respectively. B-24s bomb airfields and town areas at Yap, Gagil-Tomil Island, Yap Islands and Sorol Atoll. Operations also include small- scale strikes in the Wakde area and snooper and armed reconnaissance missions over the Caroline Islands. The 529th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), (Heavy), moves from Long Strip to Darwin, Australia with B-24s.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Photo: Flag raising ceremony on Saipan. Second from left, MGen Harry Schmidt, in center; Admiral Raymond Spruance; and General Holland Smith, right, with gun hoister, 10 July 1944

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 77, JULY 10, 1944

Guam Island was shelled by light surface units of the Pacific Fleet on July 8 (West Longitude Date). Defense positions And buildings were damaged, and several small craft along the beaches were hit.

Carrier aircraft of a fast carrier task group attacked Guam and Rota island on July 9. At Guam military objectives at Piti Town were hit, and antiaircraft batteries and coastal guns bombed. Antiaircraft fire ranged from moderate to intense. One of our aircraft made a water landing and a destroyer rescued the crew. At Rota Island rockets and bombs were used against objectives in Rota Town and the airstrip, and gun emplacements were strafed.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Truk Atoll on July 8. Several enemy aircraft were in the air but did not press home an attack. One Liberator received minor damage from moderate antiaircraft fire. Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked Jaluit, Maloelap and Wotje in the Marshalls on July 9.

PACIFIC

Submarine Tinosa (SS-283) sinks Japanese merchant fishing boat No.5 Shosei Maru 30 miles west of Danjo Island, 32°12'N, 127°00'E.

British submarine HMS Tally Ho damages Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.3 Choun Maru off Bernam River, Malaya.

RNZAF Corsairs, in strike on Japanese shipping in Keravia Bay, Rabaul, sink auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 23, 04°13'S, 152°11'E.

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World War II in real time Jul 11, 2023 2:50:09 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 11, 2023 2:50:09 GMT

Day 1766 of World War II, July 11th 1944

Eastern Front

The Red Army captured the remnants of the encircled 4.Armee (35.000 men).

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +35

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 11th 1944

The Germans, who have just lost the city of Caen the day before, launch an offensive in the Cotentin Peninsula, aware that the Americans are trampling in the bocage rather favorable to defense and that they are not really in a position of strength. They have a clear advantage: they are the master of the air. The Germans decided to carry their attack in the direction of Saint-Jean-de-la-Daye, in the center of the American front and directly north of Saint-Lô. They precede their assault with a bombardment of their artillery which continues northward at the time of the attack, given in the first part of the night.

Photo: Sherman tank of 29th Armoured Brigade, 11th Armoured Division, in Normandy, 11 July 1944

Photo: Infantry and carriers of 59th Division advancing during fighting around Caen, 11 July 1944

Photo: Vickers machine guns of 2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment supporting an attack by 50th (Northumbrian) Division against the village of Hottot-les-Bagues, south-west of Tilly-sur-Seulles, 11 July 1944

Photo: A British 4.2-inch mortar of the 2nd Cheshires supporting an attack by units of 231st Brigade, 50th Division, on the village of Hottot, south-west of Tilly-sur-Seulles, 11 July 1944

At the same time, the Americans of the 9th and 39th infantry divisions were opposed to the German forces of the Panzer Lehr by a courageous resistance, and they did not bend against the enemy’s device, and heavy tank fighting took place in the Normandy hedgerow. At the end of the morning, they even regain the advantage by launching a counter-offensive directed towards Saint-Lô, and then they progress like the previous days, meters after meter, at the price of heavy losses.

Photo: General Montgomery stops his car to chat to troops during a tour of 1st Corps area near Caen, 11 July 1944

The British do not take the time to savor their victory north of Caen and already the 2nd Army of General Dempsey continues its offensive towards Hill 112, still defended by the Panzergruppe West commanded by Eberbach.

Photo: Gunner A J Bull of the Royal Artillery, manning a Bren gun, writes a few lines of poetry, 11 July 1944

Continuation War

Finnish counter-attacks at Vuosalmi, fail to destroy the Soviet bridgehead on the northern shore of the River Vuoksi. Finns retreat slightly and regroup for defence. From this day on there are attack and counter-attacks, but the Soviet forces are unable to widen their bridgehead. Fighting goes on until the middle of July, and then stagnates into positional warfare.

Photo: The team leader has come to the front positions for his inspection tour. Sergeant Lohela with his men in front of the Ihantala road junction. Ihantala, area of JR 12, July 11 1944

Stavka orders the Leningrad Front to cease offensive operations on Karelian Isthmus. The strategic aims of the operation (ultimately the occupation of South Finland and forcing an unconditional surrender) has not been reached, and the drive to Berlin has much greater priority. First hints of this are given by Finnish radio-intelligence, and is later confirmed by patrols operating behind the enemy lines who observe trains loaded with tanks and other equipment, going back to east.

Air War over Europe

he USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 466: 1,176 bombers and 795 fighters in three groups attack targets in Germany; 20 bombers and four fighters are lost: 1. 371 B-17s hit the Munich marshalling yard, Passing electrical station and a tire factory and three hit targets of opportunity; a B-17 is lost. Escort is provide by 209 P-38s, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs without loss. 2. Of 340 B-17s, 183 hit the BMW factory at Munich and 106 hit the Munich marshalling yard; three B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 166 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; a P-51 is lost. 3. Of 435 B-24s, 291 hit Munich, 55 hit Munich/Riem Airfield, 29 hit Augsburg, eight hit Eppingen and one hits a bridge on the Autobahn; 16 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 324 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; they claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; a P-47 and two P-51s are lost.

Mission 467: During the night, six B-17s drop leaflets on France. Twenty nine B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

In France, Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders strike fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine, Chateau-de-Tertu, Flers, and Foret d'Ecouves; NOBALL (V-weapon) sites at Chateau d'Helicourt and Chateau d'Ansenne; and a rail bridge at Bourth; fighters escort the bombers, patrol the battle area, and attack trains, gun positions, ammunition dumps, and other targets in the areas around Lessay, Periers, Saint-Lo, Lonrai, Tours and Folligny.

Italian Campaign

Bad weather curtails the bomber effort by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy; the only target attacked is the harbor at Toulon, France, where 87 B-24s hit jetties, oil stores, a nearby telegraph cable factory, barracks, repair shops, an adjoining marshalling yard, and submarines in drydock.

United States

Photo: A U.S. Navy Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (BuNo 59351) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (USA), 11 July 1944

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 70+ fighter-bombers pound barracks at Myitkyina, bridges at Namkwin and Mohnyin, the airfield at Lashio, and targets of opportunity at several other locations, including Nanyinbya, Indaw, Katha, Bhamo, and the Anisakan-Shwebo area; and 11 B-25s hit bridges at Hsenwi.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 28 B-24s bomb a storage base at Sinshih; 24 P-40s hit river traffic at Hengyang and E of Siangsiang; 22 other P-40s attack the town of Hengyang, hitting Japanese-occupied buildings and a bridge; 33 more P-40s attack villages, road traffic, and targets of opportunity at Leiyang and from Chuchou to Hengyang to Yungfengshih; 3 B-25s bomb Liling and Yuhsien; 14 P-51s bomb the town of Pakmoi Hu and hit gun positions at Lupao; 8 B-25s pound railroad yards at Sinyang; 12 B-25s and 14 fighter-bombers bomb Mangshih on the Burma Road and support Chinese ground forces between Tengchung and Lungling; and the 93d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, moves from Karachi, India to Kwanghan with P-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s pound forces on Tinian and Pagan. The 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seventh Air Force (attached to VII Fighter Command), based at Kipapa Airfield, Territory of Hawaii, sends a detachment to operate on Saipan Island with F-5s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In New Guinea, B-24s pound airfield at Babo while A-20s hit supply dumps at Kokas; B-25s bomb airfields at Manokwari, Waren, and Moemi during the night; A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers support ground forces in the Sarmi-Sawar area and bomb airfields, shipping, and various occupied areas and installations on Halmahera Island, in the Schouten Islands, on Boeroe Island, and the Palau and in Woleai; and the 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d BG (Heavy), moves from Nadzab to Owi, Schouten Islands with B-24s.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 78, JULY 11, 1944

Mopping up operations continued on Saipan on July 9 (West Longitude Date). Small segments of enemy troops continued to make futile attacks against our forces and were killed or driven into temporary refuge to be hunted down later. Many of the enemy survivors who had been driven into the sea on the night of July 8 were found in the hulks of ships wrecked offshore and killed or captured. A number of the enemy found swimming in the sea were made prisoners.

Light surface units of the Pacific Fleet shelled Guam Island on July 9.

Our shore‑based fighters attacked Pagan Island in the Marianas on July 7. Antiaircraft fire was intense. The enemy made no attempt to intercept our force.

Paramushiru and Shimushu Islands in the Kuriles were bombed by Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four before dawn on July 10. Several fires were started. Antiaircraft fire was light, and all of our planes returned without damage.

Truk Atoll was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators before dawn on July 10. Antiaircraft positions on Moen Island were bombed. Antiaircraft fire was meager and no interception was attempted. Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force, Dauntless dive bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, conducted further neutralization raids against enemy positions in the Marshall Islands on July 9.

PACIFIC

Submarine attack group TG 17.16 (Captain William V. O'Regan), as it patrols the South China Sea near Formosa, locates the first of five convoys it will engage in the next two weeks; Thresher (SS-200) makes the initial contact with a seven-ship Japanese convoy bound from Keelung to the Philippines (see 12 July 1944).

Submarine Sealion (SS-315), in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of Korea, near Shosei Jima, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships No.2 Taiun Maru 37°30'N, 124°34'E, and No.2 Tsukushi Maru, 37°24'N, 124°31'E.

U.S. motor torpedo boats sink small Japanese cargo vessel Yawata Maru off Babo.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Senyo Maru is sunk by aircraft, Yangtze River, China.

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World War II in real time Jul 12, 2023 2:49:56 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 12, 2023 2:49:56 GMT

Day 1767 of World War II, July 12th 1944

Eastern Front

Idritsa falls to Yeremenko's troops on the Eastern Front.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +36

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 12th 1944

The German offensive, launched the day before on the American front in the direction of Saint-Jean-de-Daye, failed. The Americans regained the upper hand and continued southwards towards Périers and Saint-Lô, but although severely rejected on July 11 and severely weakened, the Germans maintained a fierce resistance and prevented the American forces from advancing rapidly. The German soldiers of the 17th S.S. Panzergrenadier division, launched a new counter-attack in the direction of Carentan.

Photo: Flash spotters of 10th Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery, on a 66ft high platform erected north of Cheux, 12 July 1944

Hard fights took place around Hill 147, stormed, lost and then stormed again at intervals of several hours by the two opposing camps. But on July 12, the 116th American infantry regiment seized the height which offers a good position for the Allied artillerymen who continue the bombing of Saint-Lô.
In the village of Méautis, General Theodore Roosevelt, the nephew of President Roosevelt (between 1901 and 1908) and second in command of the American 4th Infantry Division, died of a heart attack under an apple tree during a siesta. He is buried in the temporary cemetery at Omaha Beach.

Photo: A Humber scout car passes a sign warning of the dangers of raising dust, 12 July 1944

Meanwhile, the British continued their advance towards Hill 112, defended by the S.S. troops belonging to the western Panzergruppe commanded by Eberbach. Anglo-Canadians attack along a line parallel to the road linking Caen to Villers-Bocage. No less than 6 infantry divisions, supported by battalions of tanks, evolve towards the southwest of Caen following the river Odon. East of Caen, the 51st British Infantry Division is also advancing towards the south-west to free this part of the city, still in the hands of the enemy forces. The fighting is still very violent and the German divisions of mechanized infantry are retreating, although they oppose a fierce resistance.

Photo: Water-carrying trucks of 12 Corps filling up at a water point, 12 July 1944

Photo: Three of the Horsa gliders that brought the 'coup de main' force in on the night of D-Day to capture the bridge over the Caen Canal at Benouville, which subsequently became known as 'Pegasus Bridge', 12 July 1944

Photo: A view of 'Pegasus Bridge' over the Caen Canal at Benouville, 12 July 1944. Two of the Horsa gliders that brought the 'coup de main' force in on the night of D-Day can be seen in the background

Continuation War

The Soviet Union informs the Swedes that it is willing to discuss peace with Finland.

Air War over Europe

In France, 300+ USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders fly morning and afternoon missions against fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine and Foret d'Ecouves, military concentrations at Foret de Cinglais, rail bridges at Merey, Cinq Mars-la-Pile, Saumur, Nantes, and Nogent-le-Roi, and other rail and road targets; fighters furnish escort, cover the battle area, and fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas, attacking rail lines south and west of Rambouillet, bridges and fuel dump in the Nantes vicinity, trains and military transport at Vitry-le-Francois, and grounded aircraft south of Chateaubriant, bridges at Craon, Le Mans, Pontorson, Mayenne, south of Rennes, north of Angers, and Tours, rail traffic south of Fougeres, and infantry and artillery positions near Periers.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions.
Mission 468: 131 B-24s, escorted by 144 Royal Air Force Spitfires, are dispatched to bomb ten CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in the Rouen, France, area but abort because of a thick blanket of low cloud over the target area.

Mission 469: 1,271 bombers and 803 fighters are dispatched to bomb Munich, Germany; 1,124 bombers bomb the city of Munich, 16 hit Enstingen and ten hit targets of opportunity; 24 bombers are lost. Escort is provided by 717 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs.

Mission 470: During the night, six B-17s drop leaflets in France.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 420+ B-24s to attack targets in southeastern France, scoring numerous hits on Nimes and Miramas marshalling yards and cutting rail lines at the Theoule-sur- Mer bridge and Var River bridge in Provence; around 50 enemy fighters oppose the missions; the bombers and escorting fighters claim 14 shot down; seven USAAF aircraft are lost.

Italian Campaign

Operation MALLORY MAJOR is conducted by Twelfth Air Force North American B-25 Mitchells and Martin B-26 Marauders against bridges spanning the Po River in Italy. The bridges were attacked on 12, 13, 14 and 15 July and was deemed a success and terminated on the 15th.

Battle of the Atlantic

Convoy UGS 46 is attacked at dawn by 30 German aircraft off Cape Ivi, but no bombs are dropped and only two torpedoes are sighted; U.S. forces suffer no damage. U.S. freighter Toltec is hit by friendly fire; destroyer escort Leslie L. B. Knox (DE-580) provides medical assistance for the six Armed Guard sailors wounded by shell fragments.

United Kingdom

In the U.K.: Two Gloster Meteor Mk. I jet fighters are delivered to the RAF's No. 616 Squadron at Culmhead, Somersetshire, England. By the end of August, the squadron has transitioned from Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIIs to Meteors becoming the first operational Allied jet fighters squadron.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy submarine USS Trepang (SS-412) underway off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 12 July 1944

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 44 P-40s support ground forces in the Myitkyina area; 28 P-51s and P-47s hit bridge and other targets in Hopin, bomb a Maingna pagoda, and hit the Alanbo and Tagwin areas; and 13 B-25s bomb bridges at Mongyin and hit targets of opportunity in the Myitkyina area. In India, the 9th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, moves from Sylhet to Moran with C-47s.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 60+ P-40s hit the towns of Liling and Yuhsien, river shipping at Hengyang, troop concentrations at Leiyang and near Yuhsien, the airfield at Siangtan, and fuel dumps NW of Changsha; 34 P-51s bomb Tsingyun and pound Japanese concentrations at Lienchiangkou; 11 P-40s bomb railroad yards at Yuncheng and hit a radio station N of Tungkuan with rocket fire; 12 B-25s bomb Tengchung and 15 P-40s bomb and strafe storage areas, villages, troop areas, and general targets of opportunity in the Lungling and Mangshih areas.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): During the night of 11/12 Jul B-24s stage through Eniwetok Atoll to bomb Truk Atoll; during the day B-24s hit Truk Atoll again. P-47s on Saipan Island continue to hit Tinian Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s hit Manokwari Airfield; weather curtails further operations in the Geelvink Bay area; A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers again hit troop concentrations and barges in the Wewak area; the 386th Bombardment Squadron, 312th Bombardment Group, moves from Nadzab to Hollandia with A-20s; and the 432d Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, moves from Hollandia to Biak Island with P 38s. Smaller strikes by B-24s and B-25s are flown against the airfield at Laha on Amboina Island, Celebes Islands; Dili; and on Koer Island, New Guinea. B-24s pound Yap.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 79, JULY 12, 1944

Mopping up operations and elimination of snipers continued on Saipan Island during July 10 and 11 (West Longitude Dates). One Marine regiment killed 711 enemy troops on July 10. Our forces have now captured more than 1,000 enemy troops who have been made prisoners of war, and have interned more than 8,000 civilians.

Guam and Rota Islands were attacked by carrier aircraft of a fast car‑rier task group on July 10. Military installations at Agana, Umatac, and Agat Towns on the western shore of Guam Island were bombed and subjected to rocket fire. Buildings near Orote Point were also hit. At Rota Island runways and defense installations were bombed. One twin‑engine enemy bomber was shot down. There was no attempt at fighter interception. Antiaircraft fire was moderate.

Fifty tons of bombs were dropped by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators on July 10 at the Dublon Island Naval Base in Truk Atoll. No interception was attempted and antiaircraft fire was meager. Neutralization raids against enemy positions In the Marshalls were carried out by the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing and Fleet Air Wing Two on July 10.

PACIFIC

TG 17.16 (Captain William V. O'Regan) engages the enemy off north coast of Luzon; submarine Apogon (SS-308) attacks what is most likely army cargo ship Nichiran Maru but is damaged when she is rammed by what is probably cargo ship Mayasan Maru, 19°51'N, 123°04'E; Apogon is forced to terminate her patrol. Submarine Guardfish (SS-217) makes no attacks. Later, however, Piranha (SS-389) sinks Nichiran Maru, 18°50'N, 122°40'E.

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World War II in real time Jul 13, 2023 2:47:24 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Jul 13, 2023 2:47:24 GMT

Day 1768 of World War II, July 13th 1944

Eastern Front

In the East, the Red Army recaptured Vilna in Lithuania, and continued its advance into eastern Galicia. The retreat before the Russian advance continued for Luftwaffe units when II./JG 11 was forced to give up its new airfields at Karmelawa and moved to airfields at Zamocz-Mokre and eventually to Deblin-Irena and finally by the end of the month settled at Radom. Although the Gruppe was moving across the battlefront, two Staffeln, the 10./JG 11 and 11./JG 11 were redesignated as part of the Geschwader known as Kommando Skagerrak. The Focke-Wulfs of 10./JG 11 were led by Hptm. Erich Viebahn and were based at Lonrai for the month of July. The 11./JG 11 under Oblt. Herbert Christmann was based at Lister flying Bf 109Ts with a detachment stationed at Kjevik. The unit was recently disbanded from flying night-fighter duties under Staffelkapitän Oblt. Rolf Jacobs and based at Aalborg in the north. Both Staffeln became subordinated to 5 Jagddivision.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +37

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 13th 1944

The Americans tramped south of Cotentin, despite a slight advance in the Martinville region. They are stuck in the Normandy bocage by an enemy who takes advantage of the terrain conducive to defense. American Sherman tanks are very vulnerable because contacts are very close in the hedge warfare, and German soldiers armed with Panzerfaust can easily adjust their targets. The Americans lose many tanks while the Germans are camouflaged wonderfully in the hedges which present themselves as true fortresses on their own, practically insurmountable by the infantry in certain places. American engineers are developing a Sherman tank with metal blades that cut the vegetation in front of the vehicle, allowing both rapid progress in the grove and being camouflaged by the branches that remain hanging between the blades. This tank is called Rhinoceros. Nevertheless, the American forces are no longer able to advance, despite very violent fighting that weakens the German troops. The situation worries General Bradley, who is beginning to work on a possible large-scale offensive allowing the front to be pierced.

Photo: Churchill tank crews of 31st Tank Brigade with their extensively camouflaged vehicles, 13 July 1944

The fighting is also continuing in the south-west and east of Caen, for the total liberation of the city, the seizure of the village of Odon and of Hill 112. The fights, which often take place hand-to-hand, are extremely violent in this region and the human and material losses are very high.

Photo: A knocked-out German PzKpfw IV tank in a hull-down position, 13 July 1944

Air War over Europe

In France, bad weather prevents Ninth Air Force bomber operations and restricts the fighters; fighters fly armed reconnaissance in the Sens-Montargis area, hitting rail and highway traffic, warehouses, barracks, and armored cars and tanks; rail lines and bridges are hit in the Saint-Florentin- Dreux-Evreux- Chartres- Mamers-Gassicour t areas; IX Tactical Air Command fighters furnish area cover, bomb troop concentrations, vehicles, and gun positions in the Lessay-Coutances area, and attack rail traffic west of Angers, a landing field west of Alencon, a marshalling yard at Vendome, and a bridge at Tours.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 471: 1,043 bombers and 609 fighters in three forces are dispatched to bomb targets in Germany; ten bombers and five fighters are lost: 1. Of 399 B-17s, 356 bomb Munich, six bomb the railroad at Munich and three hit targets of opportunity; four B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 292 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 2-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-38 and a P-47 are lost. 2. Of 278 B-17s, 139 bomb Munich, 100 hit an aircraft engine plant at Munich and three hit targets of opportunity; they claim 11-4-8 Luftwaffe aircraft; five B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 170 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; a P-51 is lost. 3. Of 366 B-24s, 298 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yards and three hit targets of opportunity; a B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 81 P-51s; a P-51 is lost.

Twenty eight B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

Italian Campaign

The French Corps is attacking 20 miles south of Florence, Italy.

Photo: The crew of a Staghound armoured car of 1st King's Dragoon Guards shelter from the sun beneath a parasol fitted to the turret of their vehicle, 13 July 1944

Photo: USS LST-907 and USS LST-988 moored at Civitavecchia, Italy while loading the US Army Air Force's 523rd Fighter Squadron's ground crew and equipment for sea lift to Corcisa, circa 13 July 1944

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 581 bombers to attack targets in northeastern Italy; B-17s hit marshalling yards at Mestre and railroad bridges at Latisana, Pinzano al Tagliamento and Venzone; B-24s bomb marshalling yards at Brescia, Mantova and Verona, and oil storage at Porto Marghera and Trieste; P-38s and P-51s fly escort; other P-51s carry out a sweep over the Po River Valley.

United Kingdom

Early in the morning, ten V-1 flying bombs were launched on London but six of the bombs suffered failures that caused them to fall harmlessly into the sea short of the English coast.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy submarine tender USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 13 July 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 4Ax

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Waldron (DD-699) underway on 13 July 1944, during her shakedown period. Note the dense white smoke issuing from her after stack. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 9D

United States Navy Department Communiques, n.d. COMMUNIQUE No. 530, July 13, 1944

European Theater.

1. In Allied operations for Europe's Liberation the following U. S. Naval ships were lost due to enemy action:

USS Tide (minesweeper)
USS Partridge (fleet tug)
USS Susan B. Anthony (transport)
USS Meredith (destroyer)
USS Glennon (destroyer)
USS Corry (destroyer)
USS Rich (destroyer escort)

2. Notification has been made to next of kin of all casualties.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 44 P-40s and P-51s support ground forces in the Myitkyina area; 40 more A-36s, P-51s, and P-47s hit bridges at Nyaunggon, Mohnyin, Myothit, Mawlu, and Henu, and attack the Hopin, Lashio, and Indawgyi Lake areas; and the 315th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier Group, based at Moran, India, sends a detachment to operate from Shingbwiyang with C-47s.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 16 B-25s bomb Pailochi Airfield, causing large fires and considerable damage; 45 P-40s attack trucks, compounds, river shipping, and troop concentrations between Hengyang and Siangtan, pound the town of Liling and Siangtan Airfield, and strafe shipping from Changsha S along the Siang Chiang River; 8 B-25s bomb Chenghsfen railroad yards and storage area; and 12 B-25s bomb Tengchung and Mangshih.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): P-47s continue to hit Tinian Island. Kwajalein-based B-24s bomb Truk Atoll. B-25s from Makin pound Nauru Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s again bomb Yap and Sorol Atoll. In New Guinea, B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s bomb gun positions and the airfield at Babo and in the Manokwari area and hit a supply depot at Kokas; fighter-bombers support Allied ground forces in the Aitape area while A-20s and fighter-bombers pound occupied areas and gun positions in the Wewak area and on Mushu Island. Lost is Beafighter A9-120.

The 498th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 345th Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Nadzab to Biak Island with B-25s. B-24s also hit Amahai Airfield. Force landed is P-38H 42-66738, pilot rescued. Lost is P-47D 42-27993.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

In the Marianas, the USN's Task Groups 58.3 and 58.4 arrive from Eniwetok and commence attacks on Guam. Task Force 58 now consists of seven aircraft carriers and four light aircraft carriers.

Photo: "Marines found the body of Lieutenant General Yoshige Saito, in a cave above Tanapag on Saipan, and gave him a funeral with full military honors in accordance with the Geneva Convention code. Here Leathernecks prepare to lower the flag-draped coffin into its resting place, 13 July 1944"

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 80, JULY 13, 1944

Guam Island was shelled by cruisers and destroyers of the Pacific Fleet on July 10 and 11 (West Longitude Dates). Gun emplacements, blockhouses, and warehouses were hit. Five barges were sunk. There was no damage to our surface ships.

Guam and Rota Islands were attacked by carrier aircraft of a fast carrier task group on July 11 and 12. Rockets and bombs were employed against defense installations and runways at Rota Island on July 11. Many fires were started. At Guam military objectives near Piti were hit, and gun emplacements were strafed. Antiaircraft fire was moderate. We lost one plane.

Truk Atoll was bombed by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators at night on July 11. Antiaircraft positions were principal targets. Several enemy planes were in the air but did not attempt to intercept our force.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 81, JULY 13, 1944

Elements of the Second Marine Division landed on Maniagassa Island approximately two miles north of Mutcho Point on Saipan Island on July 12 (West Longitude Date). Light resistance encountered was quickly overcome. Elimination of the remnants of Japanese resistance continues on Saipan island, and additional prisoners have been taken. Enemy dead which have been buried, by our troops now number nearly 16,000 with a good many yet to be buried. Artillery bombardment and Naval gunfire intended to neutralize enemy defenses is being directed against Tinian Island.

It was learned on Saipan that July 7 (West Longitude Date) Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, Commander in Chief of the Central Pacific Area for the Imperial Japanese Navy, was among those who met their deaths on Saipan Island. On the same day one Rear Admiral Yano lost his life. Vice Admiral Nagumo was in command of the Japanese forces which attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; and was in command of the Japanese carrier task force that was destroyed in the Battle of Midway. Prior to his present duty he was commandant of the Sasebo naval base.

It is now clear that Saipan Island was built up by the Japanese as the principal fortress guarding the southern approaches to Japan and as a major supply base for Japan's temporary holdings in the South Seas area. Saipan was long the seat of the Japanese government for the mandated Marianas, and Garapan Town was the headquarters of the Commander in Chief, Central Pacific Area. The topography of the island lent itself well to defense, and elaborate fortifications manned by picked Japanese troops testify to the importance which the enemy attached to the island. The seizure of Saipan constitutes a major breach in the Japanese line of inner defenses, and it is our intention to capitalize upon this breach with all means available.

PACIFIC

Submarine Cobia (SS-245) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking cargo ship Taishi Maru about 190 miles northwest of Chichi Jima, Bonins, 27°25'N, 140°30'E. Among cargo lost on board Taishi Maru are 28 tanks (26th Tank Regiment).

USAAF B-25s attack Japanese cargo ships off Halmahera, sinking T_kai Maru, 01°25'N, 128°42'E, and damaging Taimei Maru, 01°00'N, 128°00'E.

British submarine HMS Stoic sinks Japanese fishing boat No.55 Nanyo Maru 18 miles from Muka Cape, 05°28'N, 100°11'E.

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