World War II in real time

Day 1786 of World War II, July 31st 1944

Eastern Front

Map: 1st Baltic Front, 13th to 31st July 1944



Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +54

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, July 31st 1944



The running of operation Cobra continues, and American forces enter Brittany, painfully defended in the Pontaubault region by elements of the 91st German infantry division. Facing it, the 4th and 6th armored divisions do not weaken and continue their progression. At the southern point of the progression, the Allies have made a progression of 56 kilometers since 24 July and nearly 20,000 German soldiers have been taken prisoner throughout the Cobra operation. Fierce fighting took place east of Avranches, near the village of Brécey. However, the Americans retain the advantage and the German forces retreat south and south-east.

Map: The St. Lô breakthrough, 25–31 July 1944



On the eastern flank of US forces, British troops continued operation Bluecoat. Since the previous day, they are advancing towards the south, attacking the German soldiers who have retreated following operation Cobra. At the end of the day, the Commonwealth forces reached the villages of La Ferrière-Harang south-east of Saint-Lô, as well as La Morichèse-Les Mares and Les Loges south of Caumont, Cahagnes and Briquessard to the east while the 50th British infantry division attacked south of Saint-German-d’Ectot, defended by the 276th German infantry division.

Photo: A column of Sherman tanks of 2nd Irish Guards, Guards Armoured Division, move across country during the advance south of Caumont, 31 July 1944



Photo: Carriers pass each other in a lane south of Caumont, 31 July 1944



Photo: A Sherman Firefly passes a scout car crew during the advance towards Aunay-sur-Odon, 31 July 1944



Photo: A column of Sherman tanks of 2nd Irish Guards, Guards Armoured Division, move across country during the advance south of Caumont, 31 July 1944



South of Caumont, the 21st Panzer Division, backed by the 326th German infantry division, resisted and counter-attacked the 15th and 43rd infantry divisions. Hard fighting were taking place, but Dempsey’s 2nd Army resisted well.

Photo: An officer inspects a German dummy tank made of wood, 31 July 1944



Air War over Europe

In France, around 500 Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s attack bridges on the Seine, Loire, Mayenne, and Ruisseau la Forge Rivers and a fuel dump at Foret de la Guerche; fighters fly armed reconnaissance of activities in the Dieppe-Rouen areas, escort bombers, provide armored column cover, dive-bomb military targets in support of the US First Army and fly a few night intruder missions over enemy territory.

The Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 507: Of 705 B-17s dispatched, 567 bomb Munich, 43 hit Schleissheim Airfield, 36 hit aircraft engine plants at Munich-Allach and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 10 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 439 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 18-0-12 on the ground; a P-47 and 2 P-51s are lost. 2. 447 B-24 Liberators bomb the chemical works and city at Ludwigshafen, and the southwestern part of the city of Mannheim; 6 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 135 P-38 Lightnings.

Italian Campaign

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 360+ bombers to attack targets in Rumania; B-17s hit an oil refinery at Ploesti; B-24s bomb 2 oil refineries at Bucharest, 1 at and Doicesti, and oil storage at Targoviste. Fighters escort the bombers.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-333' (Type VIIC) is sunk in the North Atlantic west of the Scilly Isles, at position 49.39N, 07.28W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS 'Starling' and the frigate 'Loch Killin'. 45 dead (all crew lost).

U.S. freighter Exmouth is mined and sunk about 60 miles off the Scottish coast while en route from Hull, England, to Loch Ewe, Scotland, 56°33'N, 01°38'W; there are no casualties among the 43 merchant sailors and the 27-man Armed Guard.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 20 fighter-bombers hit Myitkyina, 11 attack the Kamaing-Mogaung area, 12 bomb a bridge at Mohnyin, 14 support ground forces near Myitkyina, and 11 others hit targets of opportunity at Sahmaw, Bilumyo, and Pinhe; 9 B-25s pound the Hopin troop area; the Japanese are in retreat down the Tiddim road.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-24s bomb the Wuchang railroad yards; B-25s, operating individually or in pairs, bomb Hengshan, Siangtan, and Hankow and attack Tien Ho, White Cloud, Hengyang, and Wuchang Airfields; 60+ P-40s and P-51s attack troop compounds, town areas and road and river traffic at several locations in or near Changsha, Hengyang, Kaishowkiao, Liling, Luchi, and Liuchow.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-25s and P-47s based on Saipan Island bomb and strafe Tinian Island. B-25s from Makin pound Nauru Island. B-24s from the Marshall Islands bomb Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s again strike Woleai; airfields at Lolobata and Galela is also hit by B-24s. In New Guinea, P-39s continue to hit villages on the W coast of Geelvink Bay; in NE New Guinea fighter-bombers continue pounding Japanese concentrations and targets of opportunity on the N coast, particularly between Wewak and Yakamul; A-20s support Australian ground forces in the Hansa Bay area, hitting troop positions W of the Sepik River and troop concentrations at Singarin and Kopa.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

The last organized Japanese defenses on Tinian are attacked by US Marines.

Photo: "Moving Up-A Marine column advances toward the fighting front on Tinian, passing through the remains of a small town which bears evidence of the fury of the battle, 31 July 1944"



NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

TF 77 (Rear Admiral William M. Fechteler) lands Army troops on Cape Sansapor, New Guinea, in second phase of Operation GLOBETROTTER, thus concluding the New Guinea campaign.

CEYLON

Admiral Fraser assumes command of the British Eastern Fleet from Admiral Sommerville.

HAWAII

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz approves a realignment of the number of aircraft assigned to a USN carrier air group (CVG). Currently, the standard is 36 F6F Hellcats, 36 SB2C Helldivers and 18 TBM Avengers. The new standard is 24 SB2C Helldivers, 18 TBM Avengers and as many F6F Hellcats as can be accommodated; in some aircraft carriers, this is 54 F6Fs. In addition, F6F pilots are to receive additional training in the fighter-bomber role especially in the use of air-to-ground rockets.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 98, JULY 31, 1944

Marine and Army troops on Guam swept completely across the island during July 30 (West Longitude Date) and established a line from Agana Bay on the west coast to Pago Point on the east coast. Patrols sent out to reconnoiter the southern half of the island have encountered only sporadic resistance. Through July 30 our troops have counted 6205 enemy dead and have interned 775 civilians. Close support is being given our advance troops by surface ships which are now firing from both sides of the island.

Troops of the Second and Fourth Marine Divisions continued their ad­vance on Tinian Island during July 30 (West Longitude Date) and have forced the enemy into a small pocket near Lalo Point at the southern tip of the island. Difficult terrain in this area impeded progress during the day. Our attack on the last enemy defenses began in the early morning, and was preceded by more than two hours of bombing and Naval gunfire.

July 29 Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force dropped nearly 75 tons of bombs on Japanese installations and an airfield at Truk. Several enemy fighters attempted to intercept our bombers. One enemy fighter was destroyed, another probably destroyed and two more damaged. Four of our planes were damaged but all returned.

PACIFIC

Coordinated submarine attack group TG 17.15 (Commander Lewis S. Parks) carries out succession of attacks on Japanese convoy near the Bashi Channel. Submarine Parche (SS-384) (flagship) sinks transport Mank_ Maru, 19°08'N, 120°51'E, and merchant tanker K_ei Maru, 19°00'N, 122°55'E, and damages merchant cargo ship No.1 Ogura Maru, 19°10'N, 120°58'E, and army cargo ship Fuso Maru, and teams with Steelhead (SS-280) to sink army cargo ship Yoshino Maru, 19°05'N, 120°50.5'E. Steelhead sinks Fus_ Maru, 19°00'N, 120°55'E, and damages army cargo ship Dakar Maru, 19°08'N, 120°51'E, which is towed to San Fernando and abandoned. For the heroism he displays in pressing home a daring surface attack, Parche's captain, Commander Lawson P. Ramage, will be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Submarine Dace (SS-247) sinks small Japanese cargo vessel Shinju Maru 20 miles west of Palimban Point, 06°15'N, 124°11'E.

Submarine Lapon (SS-260) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant tanker Tenshin Maru off the southwest tip of Palawan, 08°50'N, 116°00'E, and damages weather ship Hijun Maru, 08°51'N, 116°45'E.

Day 1788 of World War II, August 2nd 1944

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +56

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



The 3rd Army of General Patton continues its progress in Brittany and on August 2nd, 194, Mont-Saint-Michel is liberated. The Germans, who are totally submerged in the area of ​​Pontaubault, lose a very large number of soldiers, who are taken prisoner. However, to the east of Avranches, pockets of resistance slow down the American advance, especially in the region of Mortain where elements of the 84th German corps bury their positions.

Photo: REME troops with their Diamond T 969A Wrecker working on a disabled Universal Carrier in the centre of Cahagnes, 2 August 1944



Photo: Achilles 17-pdr tank destroyers passing through Cahagnes during the advance towards Aunay-sur-Odon, 2 August 1944



Photo: Bren carrier of 1st (Motor) Grenadier Guards, Guards Armoured Division, near Le Tourneur, 2 August 1944



Photo: Universal carriers of the Rifle Brigade move along a lane south of Le Beny Bocage, 2 August 1944



On the eastern flank of the American troops, the British continued operation Bluecoat against the German divisions between Villers-Bocage in the northeast and Vire in the south-east. Fierce fighting takes place in the vicinity of the Forêt du Homme and south-east of the Forêt l’Evêque, as the 21st Panzer Division, supported by the 326th German infantry division, counterattacks towards the north and east, in front of the 15th and 43rd British infantry divisions and the 11th Armored Division which bore south towards Vire. The 9th and 10th S.S. Panzer divisions fought violent fights to stop the 11th British Armored Division and the Germans were forced to retreat south despite severe losses inflicted on the Allies.

Photo: Sherman tanks advancing towards Vire, 2 August 1944



Photo: 25-pdrs and 'Quad' tractors advancing towards Vire, 2 August 1944



Photo: Gunners hitching their 6-pdr anti-tank gun to the rear of a Loyd carrier, near Vire, 2 August 1944



Air War over Europe

In France, the Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command halts bombing of bridges, fuel dumps, and similar targets in Brittany except on the request of the 12th Army Group, as the US Third Army wants the use of bridge access to all fuel they may find in their advance across France; around 300 A-20 Havocs and B-26s attack bridges at Mezieres-sur- Seine, Mainvillers, Cinq Mars-la-Pile, Nantes, and Lisle, and ammunition dumps at Caudebec-les -Elbeuf and Le Lude; fighters fly armed reconnaissance in wide areas surrounding Paris and the southwest as far as Laval, escort IX Bomber Command aircraft, and provide cover for armored columns and close support for ground forces.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 510: 319 bombers and 158 fighters in 2 forces are dispatched to attack oil and supply dumps and bridges in the Paris area (number in parenthesis indicates number of bombers attacking); the two forces above are escorted by 132 P-51 Mustangs. Two B-17s and a P-51 are lost. 1. Targets for 156 B-17 Flying Fortresses are Paris/Gennevilliers (51), Paris/Dugny (38 ), Mery-sur-Oise (37), Bernay marshalling yard (12), Courtalain rail junction (7) and targets of opportunity (4); 2 B-17s are lost. 2. Targets for 163 B-24s are bridges at Neuvy-sur-Loire (36), Nogent-sur-Seine (31), Mantereau (28 ); Sens oil depot (26); airfields at St Dizier (12) and Creton (3); and Pacy-sur-Armancon (10). Mission 511: 517 bombers and 249 fighters in 2 forces are dispatched to attack CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites and bridges in France; escort for the 2 forces is provided by 236 P-51s. Three B-17s and 5 P-51s are lost: 1. Of 195 B-17s dispatched, 77 hit V-weapon sites, and rail bridges at Jussy (31), Aulnoye (21), Beautor (21) and Crocal de St Quentin (11); 3 B-17s are lost. 2. Of 322 B-24s dispatched, 182 hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 22 hit Thennes Bridge, 12 hit Peronne Rail Bridge, 11 hit Achiet Airfield and 8 hit targets of opportunity. 49 P-38s, 183 P-47 Thunderbolts and 51 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail and road transport in the Paris-Amiens- Brussels- St Quentin area; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-47 and a P-51 are lost. 42 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy dispatches 330+ bombers to hit targets in France and Italy; B-24s attack Genoa, Italy harbor; B-17s hit targets in S France, including Le Pouzin oil storage, Portes-les-Valences torpedo factory and marshalling yard, Le Pontet oil storage, and Avignon railroad bridges; P-38s and P-51s provide escort.

German occupied Poland - Warsaw Uprising

The State Securities Printing House (PWPW) is captured in the Old Town, the Germans having been totally forced out of the district by then. In City Centre, the third assault battalion Kilinski captures the Main Post Office building, Arbeitsamt on Malachowskiego Square and a number of smaller facilities. In Wola, many barricades are raised during the night, closing the city from the west. In Mokotow, Germans murder about 500 prisoners in the prison on Rakowiecka Street and Jesuits from the seminary. A skirmish of Ochota units near Pecice. Germans murder all the hostages taken there.

Battle of the Atlantic

Destroyer escort Fiske (DE-143) is sunk by German submarine U-804, 800 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland, 47°11'N, 33°29'W.

United Kingdom

The heaviest attack of the V-1 flying bombs was launched on the city of London. During a twenty-four period, 336 bombs were fired on London from thirty-eight launching sites. Only 107 bombs reached London, including one that hit the Tower Bridge for the first time, damaging the roadway.

Turkey

The Turkish government breaks off diplomatic and commercial relations with Germany.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, P-51s, P-47s and A-36s support ground forces in the Taungni area; P-51s and P-47s on patrols and armed reconnaissance hit various targets of opportunity around Katha, Mainghka, Meza, Helon, Mohnyin, Bilumyo, and Namma; and P-40s attack gun positions and strongpoints at Myitkyina. In India, HQ 3d Combat Cargo Group moves from Sylhet to Dinjan; and the 315th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Sookerating to Ledo, India with C-47s.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 11 B-25s and 32 P-40s and P-38s bomb and strafe the town of Tengchung; 9 P-40s and P-38s damage a bridge at Tingka; and Yangtze River shipping and supplies are attacked at Shihlipu by 8 P-40s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the airfield at Yap; B-24s and B-25s carry out wide sweeps over the Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, hitting airfields at Maumere, Amahai, and Liang, and shipping off Ceram and Amboina Islands; on Timor Island, B-24s hit Cape Chater and Lautem while B-25s bomb a camp near Poeloeti; and fighter-bombers hit coastal vessels and shore targets at Talaud, Sunda Islands. In New Guinea, A-20s bomb Nabire Airfield while in the Wewak area bombers and fighters hit a bridge and airfield at Boram and bridges, communications lines, troop concentrations, and other targets along the coastline, especially between But and Cape Karawop; and fighter-bombers hit Mapia Island.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Guam, US forces make progress in attacks on the west side of the island but American attacks on the east side are repulse by the Japanese garrison.

HAWAII

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) underway off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 2 August 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 33 Design 4Ab



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 102, AUGUST 2, 1944

Marine and Army troops on Guam, fighting through dense underbrush and against mounting enemy resistance, advanced more than a mile to the north during August 1 (West Longitude Date). The towns of Saucio, Toto, and Timoneng and the airfield at Tyan were occupied in the advance. On the west coast our line is anchored on the southern shore of Tumon Bay, and on the east coast it is anchored approximately three miles south of Sassayan Point. Our casualties through August 1 were 1022 killed in action, 4,946 wounded in action and 305 missing in action. Our troops have counted 7,419 enemy dead.

Carrier aircraft from a fast carrier task group attacked enemy Installa­tions on Guam on August 1 with bombs and rockets. Additional bombs and strafing attacks were delivered against troop concentrations.

Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, USMC, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific, has sent the following despatch to Major Gen­eral A. D. Bruce, U.S.A., Commanding General, Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Division

"The Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Division has shown commendable ability of high order in operation against the enemy on Guam. Its complete cooperation with other fighting elements has been noted with much pleasure. It has shown marked tactical ability in moving its forces into position over unfavorable terrain and in the face of great difficulties."

Late reports indicate that during the ground action on July 27, Mount Tenjo was occupied by the Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Division.

On Tinian Island mopping up operations are in progress. Ravines and caves at the southern tip of the island were partially cleaned out during August 1. Our troops have buried 2,075 enemy dead, and have interned many civilians. Large numbers of the enemy have yet to be buried. Our casualties as of August 1 were 208 killed in action, 1,121 wounded in action and 32 missing in action.

On July 30 and 31 Seventh Army Air Force Liberators dropped 60 tons of bombs on an airfield and installations at Truk. Six to eight Japanese fighters attempted to intercept. Three of the fighters were shot down and three more damaged. Five of our Liberators were damaged but all returned to base.

Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force attacked Nauru Island on July 30 with more than 12 tons of bombs, scoring hits on the airfield and on gun positions.

On July 30 and 31 aircraft of the Central Pacific shore‑based air force harassed enemy positions in the Marshall Islands.

PACIFIC

Submarine Tautog (SS-199) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Konei Maru (ex-Italian Furiere Consolini) off Miki Saki, Honshu, 33°57'N, 136°20'E.

Day 1790 of World War II, August 4th 1944

Eastern Front

German forces launch counterattacks between Riga and Jelgava, reestablishing communications between forces in Riga and Lithuania.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +58

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



To the east of Avranches, in the Cotentin, American forces attacks are directed towards the region of Vire, last important German stronghold in the Cotentin. In order to limit the losses, the Americans bombarded the German positions in the vicinity of Vire. The morale of the defenders declined and many soldiers of the Wehrmacht as well as of the S.S. were made prisoners. General Dietrich Kraiss, commander of the German 352nd Division, was seriously wounded that same day, and died forty-eight hours later.

In Brittany, the 5th and 14th American Corps of the 1st Army advanced, and the 8th Corps belonging to the 3rd Army of General Patton advanced along two major axes, one heading towards Vannes, the other towards Nantes to the south. The Americans are facing German divisions that are overwhelmed by the Allied firepower, and the bombardments of strategic port cities such as Brest, Lorient and Saint-Malo slow down the downturns of the Wehrmacht divisions.

Photo: Sherman tanks pass a column of Churchills as they advance towards Vassy, 4 August 1944



Photo: Half-tracks on the road to Montchamp during the advance towards Vassy, 4 August 1944



Photo: Churchill and Sherman tanks pass each other during the advance towards Vassy, 4 August 1944



Operation Bluecoat continues southwest of Caen. The progression to the east of the American flank along the Vire River is made difficult by the fierce defense of the German paratroopers of the 3rd Division and the survivors of the 10th SS Panzer Division. But to the east and south of Caen, the situation finally seems to turn largely to the advantage of the British, who seize the villages of Villers-Bocage and Evrecy on August 4. Taking advantage of this decline of the German forces in Normandy, the Commonwealth forces decided to devise a new offensive that would cut off the retreat of the German forces, which were beginning to retreat behind the Seine river.

Photo: Royal Engineers search for mines near a knocked out German Panther tank, near Villers Bocage, 4 August 1944



Photo: A Churchill tank of 4th Grenadier Guards, 6th Guards Tank Brigade, moving forward near Vassy in Normandy, 4 August 1944



Photo: Clearing by the Royal Canadian Engineers of rubble in order to start an other road to the river bridges



Air War over Europe

In France, 62 USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s bomb rail bridges at Oissel, Epernon, and Saint-Remy-sur- Avre and an ammunition dump and bivouac area in Foret de Sille; fighters furnish cover over the battle area and for an armored column, fly sweeps, dive-bomb enemy positions and also fuel dumps at Angers, attack an ammunition dump at Tours, and fly armed reconnaissance in the Quimper-Nantes, Amines, and Saint-Quentin areas.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 516: In France, 154 B-17s and 36 fighters in 2 forces are dispatched to hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais and coastal defenses at Middelkerke and Gravelines without loss. Escort for the 2 forces is provided by 35 P-47s and P-51s. 1. Of 95 B-24s dispatched, 24 hit the Pas de Calais, 12 hit Achiet Airfield, 11 hit Gravelines, 11 hit Middelkerke, 6 hit Lens marshalling yard and 6 hit Montigne marshalling yard at Villy. 2. Of 59 B-17s dispatched, 13 hit targets of opportunity, 12 hit Vendeville Airfield at Lille and 11 hit a bridge at Gravelines. 67 P-47s fly a fighter-bomber mission against Plantlunne Airfield; they claim 30-0-5 aircraft on the ground; a P-47 is lost.

Photo: V-3 site at Mimoyecques, France. Photo taken August 4, 1944 by Spitfire MK XI "Hot Toddy" (PA842) piloted by Lt. John S. Blyth of the 14th Squadron, 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group (Keen, "Eyes of the Eighth" p 357). The photo is rotated by 180° in order to show approximately the situation such as on a north-oriented map



The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies 3 missions. Mission 514: 1,307 bombers and 746 fighters in 4 forces are dispatched to strategic targets in Germany; 15 bombers are lost: 1. Of 358 B-17s dispatched, 181 hit Hamburg oil refineries, 50 hit Bremen oil refineries, 23 hit Nordhof Airfield, 22 hit Ostend, Belgium coastal defenses, 14 hit Einswarden and 7 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-4-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 234 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 38-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 9-0-1 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 425 B-17s dispatched, 221 hit Peenemunde, 110 hit Anklam Airfield and 70 hit Anklam aircraft factories; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 223 P-51s; they claim 4-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 9 P-51s are lost. 3. Of 446 B-24s dispatched, 148 hit Rostock aviation factories, 89 hit Kiel, 88 hit Schwerin aviation factories, 71 hit Wismar aviation factories, 12 hit Schlutup, 11 hit Warien and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 4 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 209 P-38s and P-51s; a P-51 is lost. 4. Of 78 B-24s dispatched, 39 hit Husum Airfield and 29 hit Heide oil refinery at Hemmingstedt without loss. Mission 515: The first APHRODITE mission is flown using 4 radio-controlled war weary B-17s as flying bombs; targets are Mimoyecques, Siracourt, Watten, and Wizernes V-weapon sites but none are hit; 1 drone B-17 crashes killing the crew. Escort is provided by 16 P-47s and 16 P-51s.

Photo: An Avro Lancaster of No. 514 Squadron RAF over the target during a Bomber Command attack on oil storage tanks at Bec d'Ambes in the Garonne estuary, 4 August 1944



Italian campaign

South African units of the British XII Corps enter Florence, Italy and areas south of the Arno River. Plans for future operations are revised by General Leese for the British 8th Army near the east coast of Italy to make the next major move.

In an attempt to comply with the first direct Soviet request for USAAF air strikes, 70+ Fifteenth Air Force P-38s and P-51s leave Italy, attack the airfield and town of Focsani, Rumania, and land at Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR.

German occupied Poland - Warsaw Uprising

First German relief units under SS-Gruppenführer Heinz Reinefarth appear in Wola and Ochota. Massacre of districts' residents starts. Home Army Main Headquarters (KG AK) gives the order to save ammunition and proceed to 'active defense', thus ending the AK offensive. The first airdrop of weapons and ammunition is made by allied aircraft stationed at a base in Brindisi, Italy. Krzysztof K. Baczynski 'Krzys', 23, poet and battalion Parasol soldier, perishes in Blank Palace. End of the uprising in Praga.

Following the start of an uprising against German forces in Warsaw by the Polish Home Army on 1 August, the Allied Chiefs of Staff dispatched a signal to Air Marshal Slessor, Air Commander in Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces and Commander in Chief RAF Mediterranean and Middle East, requesting that he comply with Polish appeals for assistance if operationally practicable. Supply dropping operations began on this night, and continued until 21-22 September. The majority of resupply operations were flown by Polish and Royal Air Force (RAF) special duties units, together with RAF and South African Air Force heavy bomber squadrons, operating from Italian bases.

Map: Polish Home Army positions, outlined in red, on the western bank of the Vistula (4 August 1944)



Finland

Marshal of Finland, Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim is elected by the Parliament as the new President of the Republic of Finland. This election is doubly exceptional. Normally the President is elected by a chamber of electors elected by popular vote, but this procedure has already been dispensed with in 1940 and 1943 because of the exceptional times. Second, constitutionally professional soldiers can't take part in politics; they can vote but can't run as candidates or be members of political parties. Among the political leadership it has long been agreed that the 77-year old Marshal is the only person who can lead the Finnish people unified to the harsh peace that is to be expected.

German occupied Netherlands

The Gestapo, acting on tip from a Dutch informer, captures 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse at Prinsengracht 263; two of the Christians who had helped shelter them are also arrested. The Franks had taken shelter there in 1942 out of fear of deportation to a concentration camp. They occupied the small space with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man, and were aided by former Christian employees of Otto Frank and other Dutch friends who brought them food and supplies. Anne spent much of her time in the "secret annex" working on her diary which survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo that discovered the hiding place. They are sent to a concentration camp in Holland, and in September Anne and most of the others are shipped to Auschwitz in Poland. In the fall of 1944, Anne and her sister Margot are moved to Bergen-Belsen in Germany; both sisters catch typhus and die in early March 1945, two months before the camp was liberated by British forces. Anne's father Otto Frank is the only one of the 10 to survive. After the war, he returns to Amsterdam via the Soviet Union, and is reunited with Miep Gies, one of his former employees who had helped shelter him. She handed him Anne's diary and in 1947, the diary is published by Otto in its original Dutch as "Diary of a Young Girl.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, B-25s bomb the town of Sahmaw in support of advancing Allied ground forces; P-51s also support ground forces in the Sahmaw-Taungni area; fighter-bombers hit various targets, including town areas, gun positions, troops, and communications lines in or near Shwegu Pinbaw, Kazu, Bhamo, Myitkyina, Bilumyo, Mawhe, Mainghka, and Onsansaing.
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 20 B-25s bomb the town of Mangshih and airfields at Lashio and Hsenwi; 32 P-40s hit the town area and targets of opportunity at Tengehung; 70 P-40s attack troops, supplies, river shipping, and trucks at several points in the Tungting Lake-Yangtze River region; and 4 P-38s knock out 2 bridges at Mongyu.

BURMA CAMPAIGN

The British 2nd Division (part of British 33rd Corps) captures Tamu.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): In the Marianas Islands, Saipan Island Island-based B-25s fly 2 strikes against Guam Island. B-25s staging from the Marshall Island, hit Ponape Island. HQ 30th BG (Heavy) and 27th, 38th and 392d Bombardment Squadrons move from Kwajalein to Saipan Island with B-24s; and the 9th Troop Carrier Squadron, Seventh Air Force, moves from Abemama Island, Gilbert Islands to Saipan Island with C-47s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the supply area on Utagal Island, the airfield at Yap and oil installations at Boela, Ceram Island. In New Guinea, B-24s attack Fann; B-25s and A-20s hit oilfields at Klamono and at Kasim Island and bomb Nabire Airfield; P-39s strafe Pegun Island; A-20s and fighter-bombers in support of Allied forces pound enemy concentrations, supplies, and barges E of the Driniumor River, at Abau, S of Torricelli Range, at Boram, and just W of Wewak; and HQ 86th Fighter Wing moves from Finschhafen to Toem.

BURMA CAMPAIGN

The British 2nd Division liberates Tamu in the Burma Theater.

IWO JIMA

Planes from TG 58.3 (Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery) bomb airfields on Iwo Jima.

Aircraft from TG 58.1 (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark), together with four light cruisers and seven destroyers detached from TG 58.1 and TG 58.3 (organized as TU 58.1.6 under Rear Admiral Laurance T. DuBose) set upon Japanese convoy 4804 about 25 miles northwest of Muko Jima, Bonins. Ship gunfire sinks escort destroyer Matsu, 27°40'N, 141°48'E, and collier Ryuko Maru, carrier planes sink transports No.7 Unkai Maru, Enju Maru, Tonegawa Maru and Shogen Maru, 27°05'N, 142°11'E, and damage Coast Defense Vessel No.4 and Coast Defense Vessel No.12; ship gunfire and carrier planes combine to sink cargo ship Hokkai Maru. Planes from small carrier Cabot (CVL- 29) damage fast transport T.4, 27°07'N, 142°12'E (see 5 August and 1-2 September 1944); planes from carriers Bunker Hill (CV-17) and Lexington (CV-16) sink landing ship T.133 off coast of Iwo Jima, 24°47'N, 141°20'E.

ALASKA

Heavy cruiser Baltimore (CA-68), with President Roosevelt embarked, departs Adak, Aleutians, bound for Kodiak, Alaska.

(Eleventh Air Force): 4 P-38s accompanied by 1 B-25 fly top cover for a naval force near Massacre Bay, Attu Island, Aleutian Islands; 4 B-25s fly an uneventful shipping sweep.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 104, AUGUST 4, 1944

Our forces on Guam made slight gains on the right flank and in the center during August 3 (West Longitude Date). On the east coast our line is anchored about one mile south of Sassayan Point. There was no ap­preciable advance along the west coast and our anchor there remains on the shore of Tumon Bay. All road junctions in the vicinity of Finegayan were brought under our control.

Enemy resistance on Mount Barrigada has been eliminated and we now control the 674‑foot height.

In close support of ground troops, aircraft from a fast carrier task group on August 3 dropped bombs, fire rockets and strafed Japanese‑held posi­tions, roads, storehouses and troop areas on Guam.

Mopping up operations on Tinian Island continued during August 3, and additional numbers of civilians were interned. Scattered Japanese troops are still being hunted down on Saipan Island, and an average of 50 a day are being eliminated or taken prisoner.

Ventura search planes of Group One, Fleet Air Wing Two, attacked Nauru Island on August 2. Antiaircraft fire was moderate. Catalina patrol bombers of the same air wing bombed Japanese positions in the Marshall Islands on the night of August 1‑2.

PACIFIC

Submarine Raton (SS-270) attacks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Ogura Maru off coast of Luzon, 16°31'N, 119°44'E, forcing her to take refuge at Santa Cruz.

Submarine Ray (SS-271) attacks Makassar-bound Japanese convoy in Celebes Sea, sinking army cargo ship Koshu Maru, 04°05'S, 117°40'E; auxiliary submarine chaser Chga 112 conducts fruitless counterattack.

Submarine Sterlet (SS-392) sinks Japanese guardboats Miyagi Maru and Zensho Maru northwest of Chichi Jima, 28°11'N, 141°43'E.

PB4Y attacks Japanese submarine chaser Ch 12 150 miles west of Palau, 07°20'N, 131°34'E.

Day 1792 of World War II, August 6th 1944

Easter Front

In an Operation FRANTIC mission, 75 USAAF's Eighth Air Force B-17s hit the Rahmel aircraft factories at Gdynia, Poland and proceed to bases in the USSR; they claim 0-2-2 aircraft. Escort is provided by 154 P-51s; they claim 7-2-3 aircraft; 4 P-51s are lost. Sixty USAAF Fifteenth Air Force fighters take off from Operation FRANTIC bases in the USSR, attack Craiova marshalling yard and other railroad targets in the Bucharest-Ploesti, Rumania area, and land at Italian bases.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +60

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



Northeast of Avranches, the town of Vire is finally under allied control and most of the forces of the 1st German Army goes towards the town of Mortain, resisting fiercely to the bombardments and the skirmishes of the American troops. The 3rd Army of General Patton, divided since the previous day into two parts, continues to progress: in Brittany, where the American soldiers of the 8th corps reaches lightning fast at the gates of Brest and Nantes, then in the south of Normandy where the men of the 15th and 20th corps accelerate in the direction of Laval and Le Mans. Dietrich Kraiss, commander of the German 352nd Division and seriously wounded on 4 August, died that day.

The British front has practically ceased to evolve in the southern region of Caen for almost a week and the 1st Canadian Army suffers from the defenders of the 1st SS Panzer, while to the east of the city the 2nd British Army is moving slowly towards Thury-Harcourt and Condé, opposite the 74th German Corps, after having captured Mont-Pinçon, a height dominating the region.

Hitler absolutely wishes to counter-attack in the Cotentin, and General von Kluge, commander of the German forces in Normandy, is convinced of the uselessness of attacking under such conditions, and that a withdrawal behind the Seine river is absolutely necessary. However, von Kluge does not contradict his Führer, who does not want to hear anything, and decides to launch a vast operation in the night of 6 to 7 August. The Germans then assemble a maximum of units in the region of Mortain and in particular planes, taken from the Russian front and prepare the attack.

Air War over Europe

In France, USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26s hit bridges, fuel and ammunition dumps, and a locomotive depot at Beauvais, Beaumont-sur- Sarthe, Courtalain, Foret de Perseigne, and Blois; fighters escort IX Bomber Command and furnish cover to ground troops in the Vire, Rennes, and Redon areas.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions; 24 of 91 B-24s dispatched hit 2 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais, France, area. Escort is provided by 24 P-47s. Mission 526: 7 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night. 36 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France; a B-24 is lost.

Close to 700 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s, operating against targets in southeastern France, attack oil storage at Le Pouziii, Le Pontet, and Lyon, railroad bridges at Le Pouzin, Avignon, Tarascon, Rambert, and Givors, marshalling yards at Portes-les-Valences and Miramas, and submarine pens at Toulon where they sink the German submarines 'U-471', 'U-952' and 'U-969'; 43 P-38s dive-bomb airfields at Orange/Plan de Dieu, and Valence; P-38s and P-51s fly about 200 sorties in support of bombing missions.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 524: 1,186 bombers and 740 fighters are dispatched to attack oil refineries, aircraft, ordnance and other factories in Germany and V-weapon sites in France; 24 bombers and 8 fighters are lost: 1. Of 414 B-17s dispatched, 126 hit Brandenburg assembly plants, 74 hit Genshagen, 69 hit Brandenburg munitions industry, 12 hit Stendal Airfield and 8 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 168 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 19-0-2 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost. 2. Of 154 B-17s dispatched, 83 hit Berlin aircraft engine factories, 45 hit Berlin diesel factories, 7 hit targets of opportunity and 4 hit Nordholz Airfield; they claim 0-2-3 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 107 P-51s; they claim 4-0-0 aircraft in the air and 2-0-4 on the ground; a P-51 is lost. 3. Of 445 B-24s dispatched, 72 hit Hamburg/Schulau oil refinery, 62 hit Hamburg/Rhenania- Ossag oil refinery, 61 hit Hamburg/Rhenania oil refinery, 58 hit Kiel naval installation, 54 hit Hamburg/Deutsche oil refinery, 33 hit Hamburg/Eband oil refinery, 32 hit Hamburg/Schlieman oil refinery, 23 hit Hemmingstedt and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 8 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 196 P-38 Lightnings and P-47 Thunderbolts; they claim 1-0-2 aircraft; a P-47 is lost.

Motor torpedo boats PT-510, PT-512, and PT-514 engage E-boats of the German 15th Patrol Boat Flotilla and turn them back to Le Havre. Battle concludes early the next morning.

U.S. freighter William L. Marcy is torpedoed (possibly by a schnellboote from the 2d or 6th Flotillas) off Juno Beach, at 49°23'42"N, 00°26'36"W; although the sole passenger is killed, there are no casualties among the 28-man Armed Guard, or among the 47-man merchant complement. The ship is later towed to Falmouth, England (17 August) and Swansea, Wales (21 August) where she is written off as a total loss.

Italian campaign

Allied forces in Florence, Italy cross the Arno River into the northern part of the city.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-736' (Type VIIC) is sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of St. Nazaire, at position 47.19N, 04.16W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS 'Loch Killin'. 28 dead, 20 survivors were taken into captivity.

Whilst escorting convoy EBC.66, corvette HMCS 'Regina' is attacked and sunk by 'U-667' (Oberleutnant zur See Karl-Heinz Lange). Location: English Channel off Trevose Head, Cornwall at 50 42N 05 03W.

Battle of the Mediterranean

USAAF B-17s and B-24s bomb targets in southeastern France, including submarine pens at Toulon, where they sink German submarines U-471, U-952,and U-969.

German occupied Poland - Warsaw Uprising

In Pruszkow, Germans set up a transitional camp, through which about 600,000 capital residents have passed since the Uprising's outbreak. Of this number 60,000 are transported to concentration camps. From dawn, heavy fighting in Wola is reported. Germans, sustaining considerable losses, break through in the direction of City Centre and seize the Karola i Marii Hospital, murdering over 100 patients.

Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 6 B-25s bomb the town area of Mohnyin while 2 others destroy a bridge at Hsenwi; 21 P-51s hit 4 railroad bridges in the Naba-Pinbaw area, destroying 2 of them; P-51s and P-47s hit numerous targets of opportunity at Mohnyin, Hopin, Bhamo, Myothit, Katha, Indaw, and other points in N Burma; a few P-40s strafe targets of opportunity in the Myitkyina area.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 28 P-40s again pound Tengchung; 47 P-40s and P-51s hit trucks, troop compounds, and gun positions in the Hengyang area; 19 P-40s attack sampans and trucks around Changsha; 20 others hit supplies, trucks, barracks, and targets of opportunity at Chefang and Mangshih, between Changsha and Hengyang, and between Siangyin and Siangtan.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-25s from Saipan Island strike Guam Island twice; B-25s flying out of the Marshall Islands hit Ponape Island, and others from the Gilbert Islands hit Nauru Island, Gilbert Islands; and B-24s from Kwajalein bomb Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Yap supply area is bombed by B-24s; heavy frontal weather activities over the Vogelkop Peninsula and the Moluccas Islands cancels strikes in that area. In New Guinea, B-25s and fighters, though restricted by the weather, support ground operations near Sarmi, hit gun positions at Dagua, and strafe fuel dumps and targets of opportunity at Cape Djeruen; the 100th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), Thirteenth Air Force [attached to 42d Bombardment Group (Medium)] based on Stirling with B-25s, begins operating from Hollandia.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Guam, a regiment of US 77th Division suffers heavy casualties during a Japanese counterattack.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Photo: A U.S. Army Air Forces Consolidated B-24 Liberator at the parking area of Carney Field (Bomber 2), Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in August 1944



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 106, AUGUST 6, 1944

Air and surface units of a fast carrier task force on August 3 and 4 (West Longitude Dates) virtually wiped out a Japanese convoy and raided airfields, towns, and ground installations in the Bonin and Volcano Islands groups. On August 3 our planes sank four cargo ships of approximately 4,000 tons each, three escorting destroyers or destroyer escorts, and four barges. One cargo vessel and the balance of the escorting warships were damaged. On the same day our surface vessels sank one large destroyer, one cargo ship, one small oiler and several barges. One damaged escort vessel escaped. On August 4 our forces continued the sweep. Carrier‑based planes sank one escort vessel and two other small craft. Damage was inflicted on five barges, two of which were carry troops, one landing craft and three smaller vessels. One light cruiser and five smaller vessels were possibly sunk. All six of these ships were left burning. Also damaged were one destroyer escort and 10 small craft. Two landing ships were grounded and a large cargo vessel damaged in the preceding attack was hit again. In the attack on ground installations our surface craft shelled shipping and shore facilities at Chichi lima. Omura Town on Chichi Jima was destroyed. Ground installations on Muko Jima, Ant Jima, Haha Jima and Iwo Jima were hit. At Iwo Jima six airborne enemy planes were shot down and six others were destroyed and five damaged on the ground. One plane was destroyed on the ground at Chichi Jima. We lost from enemy antiaircraft fire 16 planes and 19 flight personnel.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 107, AUGUST 6, 1944

Further gains were made during August 5 (West Longitude Date) by U. S. troops driving northward on Guam Island. On the left flank our troops moved ahead more than two miles almost to Haputo Point. There was no substantial change in our line on the right flank and our positions there re­main near Lumuna Point. In the day's gains the towns of Ukudu and Liguan were occupied. Strong defensive positions along roads paralleling the western shore were wiped out by our advancing ground forces, and nine field guns and two tanks were destroyed. Artillery destroyed several trucks laden with enemy troops.

Fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing are now operating from the airfield on Orote Peninsula.

Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the Fourth Marine Air­craft Wing and Catalina search planes of Group One, Fleet Air Wing Two, bombed remaining enemy positions in the Marshall Islands on August 4. Mitchells of the Seventh Army Air Force hit Ponape and a Navy Liberator attacked Wake Island on the same day. In these attacks moderate antiair­craft fire was encountered but all of our aircraft returned.

PACIFIC

Submarine Pintado (SS-387) attacks Japanese convoy off southwest coast of Kyushu, sinking army cargo ship Sh_nan Maru 30°53'N, 129°45'E, and damaging escort vessel Etorofu east of Kusagaki Jima, 30°51'N, 129°26'E.

Submarine Rasher (SS-269) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Shiroganesan Maru west of Luzon, 14°10'N, 117°12'E.

Dutch Mitchells sink Japanese army cargo ship No.15 Uwajima Maru in Banda Sea, 04°31'S, 129°53'E.

Day 1794 of World War II, August 8th 1944

Eastern Front

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England continues to fly shuttle missions as 78 B-17s with 55 P-51 Mustang escorts, leave bases in the USSR to hit airfields in Rumania; 38 hit Bizau and 35 hit Zlistea; no Luftwaffe fighters are encountered during the mission and the force flies to Italy.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +62

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



The Germans, who have lost about half of the 145 tanks involved in operation Lüttich, are continuing their extensive counter-attack. But the effect of surprise has passed and the Americans now have seven divisions, two armored, attached to the 7th Corps of General Collins, to face the troops of the 7th German Army of General Hausser.

Meanwhile, operation Totalize is in full swing. The 1st Polish Armored Division participates in the offensive and attacks eastwards against the German 85th Infantry Division, while the bombers attack the Bretteville-sur-Laize, Haut-Mesnil, Cauvicourt and Saint-Sylvain sectors at South-east of Caen. The 2nd and 53rd Anglo-Canadian divisions attack east through the Cinglais forest, and the 4th Canadian Armored Division carries out a strong advance along the Caen-Falaise road.

Photo: Column of Cromwell tanks of the 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment (1st Polish Armoured Division) moving towards enemy positions during the Battle of Falaise Pocket



Photo: Sherman tanks of 1st Polish Armoured Division assembled for Operation 'Totalise', Normandy, 8 August 1944



Photo: Smoke rises in the distance after a raid on German positions at the start of Operation 'Totalise', 8 August 1944



General Bradley notices this effect of encirclement of the German army and proposes to Eisenhower to carry out this maneuver and to tighten the blades at Falaise level. For the Allies, it is a unique opportunity to precipitate the end of the German army in western France.

Meanwhile, the Belgian group of Colonel Jean Piron arrives at Arromanches. The Belgian soldiers must attack in a few days the Germans defending the littoral north-east of Caen, in the direction of Deauville.

Photo: A REME sergeant welding damaged armour on a Cromwell tank of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, at 29th Armoured Brigade workshops, 11th Armoured Division, 8 August 1944



Air War over Europe

In France, the USAAF's Ninth Air Force dispatches 406 B-26s and A-20 Havocs to bomb a rail embankment and bridges at 8 locations in northern and western France, attack radar installations between Argentan and Alencon, and give tactical support to ground forces near Saint-Malo; fighters escort IX Bomber Command aircraft, give defensive air cover, and fly armed reconnaissance east of Paris and in the battle area.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 530: 414 B-24s and 265 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields and V-weapon sites in France; 115 hit V-weapons sites in the Pas de Calais; 91 hit Clastres Airfield, 53 hit Romilly air depot, 50 hit La Perthe Airfield, 12 hit Athies Airfield at Laon, 14 hit railroad bridges, 13 hit targets of opportunity and 11 hit Bretigny Airfield; 1 B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 265 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost. Mission 531: 681 B-17s and 100 P-51s are dispatched to bomb enemy troop concentrations and strongpoints south of Caen; 25 Canadian soldiers are killed and 131 wounded by short bombing; 231 hit Cauvincourt, 99 hit Bretteville-sur-Laise strongpoint, 99 hit St Sylvain strong point, 67 hit targets of opportunity and 1 hits Gouvix strongpoint; ; 7 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 91 P-51s; 3 are lost. 41 P-51s escort RAF Coastal Command Beaufighters on a convoy strike in Norway; 3 P-51s are lost. 175 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter-bomber mission against the railroad north and west of Dijon, France; 2 P-47s and 2 P-51s are lost. Mission 532: 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

Battle of the Atlantic

U.S. freighter Ezra Weston, in convoy EBC 66, is torpedoed by German submarine U-667 while en route to Falmouth, England, from Avonmouth, at 50°42'N, 05°02'W, and abandoned. British HMS LCT 24 and French trawler Jacques Morgand embark survivors. Canadian corvette HMCS Regina stands by the doomed freighter but U-667 finishes off Ezra Weston with another torpedo. There are no casualties among the merchant or Armed Guard complements, nor among the passengers.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Breeman (DE-104) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 8 August 1944. The photo was taken from the escort carrier USS Card (CVE-11)



German occupied Poland - Warsaw Uprising

A failed sortie by insurgents on the railroad line in order to destroy a German armored train takes place, with heavy artillery fire destroying Polish posts in Wola, Old Town and Zoliborz. Germans attack the Old Town from many directions, setting fire to historic houses. The radio station Błyskawica begins broadcasting; it continues through the end of the Uprising.

SS General Erich Bach-Zelewski is appointed to command German forces assigned to defeating the Warsaw uprising. The units available are drawn from the SS, police and punishment battalions.

Germany

Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben and seven other German officers, convicted and sentenced to death by the "People's Court" for their part in the July Plot against Hitler are executed by strangulation with piano wire at Plotzensee Prison in Berlin. The executions are filmed.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy large cruiser USS Alaska (CB-1) at sea on 8 August 1944



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, B-25s are weathered out of their primary target, the town of Shwekyina; the B-25s hit alternates, destroying the Meza bridge and damaging 3 others, and bombing railroad tracks at several points between Naba and Meza; weather severely curtails fighter-bomber missions; and the detachment of the 315th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier Group, operating from Shingbwiyang with C-47s returns to base at Ledo, India.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 6 B-25s and 7 P-40s bomb a storage area in Hengshan and destroy several trucks in the area; 29 P-40s hit gun positions and targets of opportunity in the Hengyang vicinity; 14 P-51s and P-40s hit bridge, trucks, and river craft at Siangtan while 8 blast trucks, barges, and a compound between Siangtan and Hengyang; 12 P-40s attack river shipping from Sinti to Hankow; 15 P-40s bomb storage areas and radio stations at Amoy and Swatow.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): Saipan Island-based B-25s bomb Guam Island where effective resistance ends. B-25s from the Marshall Islands hit Ponape Island while B-24s bomb Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb Yap and Gagil-Tomil Island, concentrating on airstrips, and airfields at Galela and Lolobata on Halmahera Island. B-24s hit Babo Airfield and the towns of Urarom and Manokwari; A-20s bomb a radio station near Hollandia and hit troop concentrations in the Musu area; fighter-bombers bomb bridges and buildings at Boram, troops at But, and guns at Dagua; and HQ 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group moves from Nadzab to Biak.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Guam, American troops overrun Mount Santa Rosa. The remaining Japanese garrison is compelled to withdraw to the north end of the island.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 109, AUGUST 8, 1944

Rapid advances during August 7 (West Longitude Date) drove Japanese forces on Guam Island into the northeast corner of the island. On the west coast our troops advanced nearly six and one half miles to Ritidian Point at the northern tip of the island. On the east coast we advanced more than three miles almost to Anao Point. The center of our line running in a gen­erally southeasterly direction from Ritidian Point to Anao Point curves sharply inward and is less than a mile from the shoreline at the point of deepest penetration. The Japanese defenders are thus threatened with being cut into two groups. Mount Santa Rosa, the highest elevation in Northern Guam, was occupied by our forces in the day's advances. Our troops have counted more than 10,000 enemy dead.

Navy carrier aircraft of a fast carrier task group on August 7 supported ground operations on Guam by bombing, strafing and firing rockets into enemy troop concentrations and installations.

Central Pacific land‑based aircraft on August 5, 6, and 7 attacked enemy fields and installations from Nauru Island to Wake Island.

On August 5 Navy Liberators of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed Wake Island, scoring bits on the runways. Several small craft were strafed and one left sinking.

On the same day and also on August 6 Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells and Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two attacked Nauru Island, bombing airfields and the phosphate plant.

Seventh Army Air Force Mitchells and Navy Liberators of Fleet Air Wing Two hit Ponape on August 6, encountering medium antiaircraft fire.

Remaining Japanese positions in the Marshall Islands were attacked on August 6 and 7 by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators, Catalinas of Fleet Air Wing Two, and by Corsair fighters and Dauntless dive bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing.

All our planes returned from these missions.

Ventura search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four attacked enemy objectives in the Northern Kuriles during daylight of August 4 (West Longitude Date). Airfields and adjacent installations were bombed. Antiaircraft fire was mod­erate. Small craft near Paramushiru were bombed and strafed. Several of our aircraft were damaged by antiaircraft fire from the vessels but all re­turned safely.

PACIFIC

Destroyers Gansevoort (DD-608) and Bancroft (DD-598) and land-based marine aircraft (MAG 13) from Majuro, Marshalls, bombard and bomb Japanese positions on Taroa, Maloelap Atoll.

Submarine Sterlet (SS-392) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.6 Tama Maru west of Chichi Jima, 28°11'N, 141°06'E.

Day 1796 of World War II, August 10th 1944

Eastern Front

South of Lake Peipus a new offensive begins by the Soviet 3rd Baltic Front.

Western Front (1944) - Battle of Normandy - D-Day +64

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



On August 10, 1944, the Americans of the 15th Corps, who had just liberated the city of Le Mans the previous day, advanced north towards Alençon, to close the pocket which gradually tightened over the German troops. However, the progression, very rapid, remains difficult because of the fierce defense of the troops of the 9th Panzerdivision. Among the divisions attached to the 15th Corps, the 2nd French Armored Division participates actively in the reconquest. The 20th Corps of the 3rd US Army attacks in the direction of the Loire and is approaching Angers. In Brittany, the headquarters of the city of Brest by the 8th Corps of the 3rd Army continues, while the fighting around Saint-Malo multiplies.

Fighting continues in the region of Mortain, but operation Lüttich is definitely stopped and the Americans counterattack to take control of this city. The German soldiers of the S.S. Panzer divisions retreated, but the ferocity of the fighting did not diminish.

General Crerar’s 1st Canadian Army continued operation Totalize, and gradually approached the town of Falaise, about ten kilometers from the front at the end of the day. To the north-east of Caen, the Belgian group under the command of Colonel Jean Piron left for his first reconnaissance in the sector of Ranville.

Italian campaign

The Polish II Corps reaches the Cesano River in Italy.

The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy sends 450+ B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escort, to bomb 6 oil refineries in the Ploesti, Rumania area. 45 Eighth Air Force P-51s in Italy during an Operation FRANTIC mission are dispatched with Fifteenth Air Force aircraft to escort a troop carrier evacuation mission.

German occupied Poland - Warsaw Uprising

Insurgents capture the Water Works and Sewage System building on Starynkiewicza Square and Haberbusch's brewery on Grzybowska Street. Brigade SS-RONA continues killing residents of Ochota. In City Centre, Germans try to clear the East-West artery, meeting with effective resistance.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) underway on 10 August 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 4A



Photo: The U.S. Navy seaplane tender USS Albemarle (AV-5) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 10 August 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 5Ax. The photo was taken by a blimp of squadron ZP-11



Pacific War

BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 B-25s bomb the town of Shwekyina; a few P-51s support ground forces by hitting a railroad station at Mingon.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 9 P-40s strafe Taiyuan Airfield claiming 20+ aircraft destroyed; 16 P-40s destroy 4 trucks and damage about 50 others at Siangtan and in the Changsha area; 2 P-40s strafe numerous junks along the S China coast.

CHINA

(Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown during the night of 10/11 Aug; in one, 24 B-29s, out of Chengtu, China, bomb the urban area of Nagasaki and 3 others hit targets of opportunity; the B-29s claim 1 fighter shot down, the first such claim (except probables) by the B-29s.

CEYLON

The first staged through China Bay, Ceylon, 31 B-29s bomb oil refineries at Palembang, 8 mine the Moesi River nearby, and 3 hit targets of opportunity and a secondary target; the first attack, from Ceylon to Sumatra, is the longest single-stage combat flight (about 3,900 miles or 6,276 km) by B-29s during the war.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA

(Seventh Air Force): B-24s flying their first mission from Saipan pound Iwo Jima, beginning the AAF's neutralization campaign of that island. Saipan-based P-47s hit Tinian and Pagan. All organized resistance on Guam Island ends. B-24s from Kwajalein hit Wotje.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s attack Yap, concentrating on AA positions, airfields and the town of Yap; others hit Galela Airfield and Lolobata and Namlea, Buru Island. In New Guinea, B-25s bomb Langgoer Airfield; fighter-bombers attack Sorong, Manokwari, and villages along the W coast of Geelvink Bay; fighter-bombers continue to pound forces between Aitape and Wewak; large-scale troop carrier missions are flown to forward bases, especially on Schouten Islands; HQ Fifth Air Force moves from Nadzab to Owi; HQ 91st Photographic Wing (Reconnaissance) moves from Nadzab to Biak Island; HQ 308th Bombardment Wing moves from Owi to Hollandia; and HQ 90th Bombardment Group and 319th and 320th Bombardment Squadrons move from Nadzab to Biak Island with B-24s.

MARIANA ISLANDS AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Guam, American forces have secured the island. Insignificant groups of Japanese continue their resistance. American casualties amount to 7000, including 1300 killed.

Not only do the infantry landing craft employed on this task carry out gunfire support duties but actively pursue measures to induce Japanese to surrender. LCI(G)-466, LCI(G)-469, LCI(G)-471, and LCI(G)-473 induce 157 Japanese to surrender out of a garrison estimated at over 10,000 men.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-25s on a shipping sweep spot 2 patrol boats 75 miles ESE of Shimushu Island, Kurile Islands; one is sunk, the other is damaged.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 111, AUGUST 10, 1944

Organized Japanese resistance on Guam Island ceased during the after­noon of August 9 (West Longitude Date). The First Provisional Marine Brigade, Third Marine Division, and Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Division are engaged in mopping up operations.

Nearly 60 tons of bombs were dropped on Truk Atoll during daylight on August 8 by Seventh Army Air Force Liberators. Approximately 10 enemy fighters intercepted our force, damaging two Liberators. One enemy fighter was shot down and two damaged. Antiaircraft fire was meager. Ventura search planes of Group One, Fleet Air Wing Two, attacked Nauru Island be­fore dawn on August 8, striking at gun emplacements. Nauru was also hit by Venturas during daylight on August 8. Mitchell bombers of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Ponape Island on the same day, and neutralization raids against Maloelap Atoll were carried out by Liberator and Catalina search planes of Fleet Air Wing Two. All of our planes returned from these operations.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 112, AUGUST 10, 1944

Casualties suffered by American forces on Guam Island through August 9 (West Longitude Date), the day on which organized Japanese resistance ended, were 1,214 killed in action, 5,704 wounded in action, and 329 missing in action. Our troops have counted 10,971 enemy dead. Elimination of scat­tered remnants of the enemy continues.

Final figures covering our casualties on Tinian Island indicate 190 killed in action, 1,515 wounded in action, and 24 missing in action. On Tinian our troops have buried 5,544 enemy dead to date, and have taken more than 400 prisoners of war.

PACIFIC

Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Seiyo Maru off Minami Daito Shima, 25°50'N, 131°12'E.

Submarine Cod (SS-224) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Toseki Maru south of the Celebes, 05°15'S, 121°14'E.

Submarine Guitarro (SS-363) attacks Japanese convoy off northwest coast of Luzon, sinking merchant tanker Shinei Maru, 16°15'N, 119°45'E.

Japanese guardboat Sakae Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft at Rabaul, 04°12'S, 152°15'E.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Hoel (DD-533) photographed from the escort carrier USS Kwajalein (CVE-98), during operations in the South Pacific, 10 August 1944. Hoel's is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 1D