World War II in real time

Day 1905 of World War II, November 28th 1944

Eastern Front

Soviet forces reach the Danube River to north of the confluence of the Drava River. Mohacs, on the west bank, is captured and the Soviet advance reaches Pecs.

Western Front (1944) - Liberation of France

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, November 28th 1944



In U.S. Third Army's XII Corps area, the 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, mops up west of Canal des Houilleres de Ia Sarre; the 101st Infantry Regiment is sent to Burbach to support the 4th Armored Division east of the Saar River in a drive on Sarre-Union scheduled for 1 December. 26th Infantry Division is to extend northward to take over most of zone held by 35th Div. The 4th Armored Division, in preparation for the Sarre-Union attack, is laboriously clearing the villages east of the Drulingen-Sarre-Union highway, Combat Command B taking Berg.

In the U.S. Seventh Army's VI Corps area, the French 2d Armored Division starts south from Strasbourg in two columns, reaching the Erstein area, where the Germans are resisting strongly. Combat Command A, 14th Armored Division, also meets firm resistance in the vicinity of Erstein as well as at Barr.
Elements of the 36th Infantry Division find Liepvre, on the Ste Marie-Sélestat road, and Koenigsbourg Chateau, southeast of Liepvre, undefended.

In the French First Army area, the II and I Corps converge at Burnhaupt at 1430 hours and pocket the German forces in Alsace. The junction is made by Combat Command 4 of the 5th Armored Division, I Corps, and Combat Command 6, under command of the 2d Moroccan Division of II Corps. The Germans soon attempt to break out of the encirclement. In the Alps Sector, the U.S. 100th Battalion of Regimental Combat Team 442 relieves the Canadian-U.S. 1st Special Service Force on the Franco-Italian frontier.

Western Front (1944) - Liberation of Belgium

The first Allied convoy reaches the newly opened port of Antwerp after the channel is cleared of mines, and after capture of the island of Walcheren at the mouth; Canadians first attacked the causeway on 31 October. Despite German rocket (V weapons) attacks, the opening of this port will alter the supply problems that have plagued the western Allies.

Photo: Unloading Begins at Antwerp. 28 November 1944, Antwerp, As the Port Began To Operate Again After the Scheldt Had Been Cleared of Mines



Western Front (1944) - Siegfried Line campaign

In the U.S. Ninth Army area, XIX Corps virtually finishes clearing its zone to the Roer River. Combat Command A, 2d Armored Division, takes Barmen and reaches the river near there. In the 29th Infantry Division zone, Koslar is found free of Germans but the two strongpoints in the Juelich area must still be cleared. The 30th Infantry Division commits a battalion of the 120th Infantry Regiment in the battle for Altkirch, which is cleared, but the Germans retain a small triangle between the Inde and Roer Rivers. The offensive halts temporarily.

In the U.S. First Army's VII Corps area, the 104th Infantry Division's 413th Infantry Regiment attacks at 0430 hours and advances 2000 yards against heavy resistance. It enters the towns of Imden and Lamersdorf and captures an intact bridge over the Inde River. Frenzerburg Castle has been abandoned by the Germans.

In the 1st Infantry Division area there is little forward movement. German tank supported counterattacks launched between 0200 and 0300 hours are repulsed at Langerwehe and Jungersdorf. The 4th Infantry Division inserts the 12th Infantry Regiment between the 8th and 22d Infantry Regiments in the Huertgen Forest and the 12th Infantry takes Hill 90.
Combat Command A, 5th Armored Division and the 121st Infantry Regiment, 8th Division seize the village of Hurtgen in heavy fighting. A battalion of the 13th Infantry Regiments cuts the Kleinhau-Brandenburg Road on the far edge of the Grosshau-Kleinhau clearing, and stops a German counter-attack from Kleinhau.

In U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 95th Infantry Division gains positions roughly abreast the 90th Infantry Division to the north; the 377th Infantry Regiment pushes into Germany; the 378th is slowed by opposition from woods east of Falck but makes some progress. In XII Corps area, 317th Infantry Regiment of 80th Infantry Division fights hard for Farebersviller, elements entering and clearing part of the town. About 2000 hours, the Germans with tanks attempt unsuccessfully to drive the Americans from Farebersviller.

Air War over Europe

The USAAF Ninth Air Force's 9th Bombardment Division hits the defended villages of Birgel and Merken, a rail bridge at Sinzig, and a Billiger Forest ammunition dump. Fighters fly escort, night intruder missions, and armed reconnaissance in the Kall-Trier area, and support the U.S. 1st, 8th, and 104th Infantry Divisions as they take Langerwehe, Jungersdorf, Hurtgen, and the bridge at Inden.

During the night of 28/29 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 316 aircraft, 270 Halifaxes, 32 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos, to bomb Essen; 308 aircraft bomb the city without loss. Bomber Command documents claim further damage to industrial areas, including the Krupps works.

In a second raid, 153 Lancasters are sent to bomb Neuss; 148 attack the city without loss. Mosquitos are dispatched to attack several targets: 72 bomb Nurnburg with the loss of one, seven bomb the Hermann Goering steel plant at Hallendorf and one each bomb Duisburg, Hannover and Osnabruck.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25s hit railroad bridges at Magenta, Torre Beretti, and Casale Monferrato, and an abandoned ship in La Spezia harbor.

Italian campaign

In the U.S. Fifth Army area, the British XIII Corps takes Casola Valscnio and Mt. Taverna without opposition.

In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, the Indian 10th Division suspends operations against Casa Bettini bridge because of weather conditions.

The Canadian I Corps is concentrating in forward positions in order to attack along the Adriatic coast.

Fighters and fighter-bombers support ground forces in the battle area in the Apennines Mountains south of Bologna, hit communications targets north of the battle zone, and cut railroad lines in 40+ places in the Brenner Pass and north central Po River areas.

During the night of 28/29 November, USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20s fly armed reconnaissance over the Po Valley, dropping incendiaries at several points including bridges at Piacenza and Castel Maggiore and the airfields at Ghedi and Villafranca di Verona.

Battle of the Baltic Sea

German submarine U-80 is sunk about 14 nautical miles south of Pillau, East Prussia, Germany, in position 54.25N, 19.50E, in a diving accident; all 50 crewmen are lost.

Pacific War

CHINA

The Japanese 11th Army, acting independently and against orders, drives across the Kwangsi-Kweichow border although it has been ordered to halt at the border.

(Fourteenth Air Force): In French Indochina, 17 B-24s, escorted by 12 P-51s, bomb Gia Lam and 6 B-25s hit a railroad bridge at Phu Lang Thuong. In Burma, 3 B-25s blast 6 warehouses at Hsenwi, 3 bomb Wan Lai- Kam, 1 hits Kutkai, and 4 attack buildings in the Wanling and Chefang, China areas. 60+ P-40s, P-51s, and P-38s on armed reconnaissance over wide areas of E Burma and S China hit troops, bridges, horses, and other targets of opportunity at many locations.

BURMA

In the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) area, the Chinese 38th Division maintains pressure on the main northern defenses of Bhamo with the 114th Regiment; the 113th Regiment has the mission of entering the city but has been unable to do so.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 39 P-47s support ground forces in the Pinwe and Bhamo areas; supply and personnel concentrations and targets of opportunity at Nwegyo, Kutkai, the Meza area, Mankang, Manai, Nawnglok, Nawnglong, Loimawk, Man Myeng, Mong Wi and Kungmong are attacked by about 80 fighter-bombers; 16 hit targets of opportunity along the Maymyo- Bawgyo rail line. Transports fly 317 sorties to forward areas. HQ 4th Combat Cargo Group and the 13th Combat Cargo Squadron arrive at Sylhet, India from the US with C-46s.

MARIANA AND PALAU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

In the Palau Islands, elements of the 81st Infantry Division begin to clear Kayangel Atoll, north of Kossol Passage. In the air, three USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Angaur Island bomb the radio station on Arakabesan Island.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 21 Saipan based B-24s bomb the airfield on Iwo Jima; 3 others, flying an armed reconnaissance mission, bomb Marcus. During the night of 28/29 Nov a B-24 on a snooper mission hits Iwo Jima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: The 2d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 22d BG (Heavy), moves from Leyte to Angaur Airfield Island with B-24s; the 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th FG, that has been operating from Morotai Island, joins the ground echelon at Dulag, Leyte Island with P-38s.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

Small attacks by USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers are launched against airfields, shipping, and targets of opportunity over wide areas in the Halmahera and Timor Islands area.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1944)

In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area on Leyte, the Japanese try to recover Kilay Ridge, during the night of 28/29 November, moving onto it in strength and isolating Company C, 34th Infantry Regiment, on the southwestern end. The 12th Cavalry Regiment, mopping up in the Mt Badian-Hill 2348 region, about 5 miles NE of Kananga, inches westward from this time until 9 December. In the XXIV Corps area, the 32d Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division, now greatly weakened, is to be withdrawn to reserve while the 184th and 17th Infantry Regiments continue the battle for Shoestring Ridge.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Degos and Matina Aerodromes on Mindanao Island. Small attacks by B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers are launched against airfields, shipping, and targets of opportunity over wide areas including the central Philippines.

During the night of 28/29 November, three Japanese Army transports attempt to drop 45 paratroopers on Tacloban Airfield on Leyte where their mission is to disrupt flight operations. One of the aircraft is shot down by antiaircraft fire and the other two crash near Dulag Airfield.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 1 B-24 photographs and bombs the Matsuwa Island shore area in the Kurile Islands.

PACIFIC

Destroyers Saufley (DD-465), Waller (DD-466), Pringle (DD-477), and Renshaw (DD-499) sink Japanese submarine I-46 in Leyte Gulf, 10°48'N, 124°35'E.

Submarine Guavina (SS-362) attacks Japanese convoy, 12°54'N, 109°21'E, but while she achieves no success, she eludes counterattacks by submarine chaser Ch 43.

USAAF B-24 (13th Air Force) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Atago Maru off Miri, Borneo, 04°29'N, 114°00'E.

Day 1907 of World War II, November 30th 1944

Eastern Front

Troops of the Soviet Second Ukrainian Front take Eger, northeast of Budapest, and are closing in on Miskoic.

Western Front (1944) - Liberation of France

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



In the U.S. Third Army's XII Corps area, positions are generally static except on the right, where the 4th Armored Division gets into position for an assault on Sarre-Union with the capture of heights overlooking Mackwiller.

In U.S. Seventh Army's VI Corps area, the French 2d Armored Division and Combat Command A, 14th Armored Division, continue south on the east flank of the corps; Combat Command A clears St Pierre. The 103d Infantry Division, now concentrated about Epfig, south of St Pierre, follows Combat Command A southward toward Sélestat. Elements of the 36th Infantry Division get into position for an attack on Chatenois, west of Sélestat.

Photo: Reading Citations for 1139th troops to be decorated Thionville France, 30 November 1944



Western Front (1944) - Liberation of the Netherlands

In British Second Army area, 8 and 12 Corps have reduced German bridgehead west of the Maas River to a small pocket at Blerick, across from Venlo.

Photo: The crew of a Churchill AVRE with SBG (Small Box Girder) bridge warm themselves around a fire near Venlo, 30 November 1944



Photo: A Bren gun team of 4th Welch Regiment, 53rd (Welsh) Division, keep watch on the west bank of the Maas river, 30 November 1944



Western Front (1944) - Siegfried Line campaign

In U.S. Ninth Army's XIII Corps area, the 102d Infantry Division takes over the burden of attack: while the 405th Infantry Regiment continues to fight along the Lindern- Linnich highway, the 406th drives to the edge of Linnich and the 407th clears the Germans from Welz, within a mile of the Roer River. The 335th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division, overcomes resistance within Beeck, but the Germans retains the heights to the northeast.

In U.S. First Army's VII Corps area, the 104th Infantry Division finishes clearing Lammersdorf but very heavy fighting occurs in the town of Inden and several German tanks are destroyed. 1st Infantry Division units experience heavy fighting in their attempt to relieve two companies of the 26th Infantry Regiemnt cut off in Merode. Langerwehe and Jungersdorf are held against heavy counterattacks. 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, advances along the Schevenhuette- Dueren continues costly efforts to get through the Huertgen Forest; the 12th Infantry Regiment, advancing more than 1,000 yards, reaches the edge of woods west of Gey but is too weak to attack the village; the 22d reinforced by 46th Armored Infantry Battalion, 5th Armored Division, attempts to secure Grosshau clearing and the forest between Grosshau and Gey in order to swing northeast toward Dueren; some elements reach the edge of the woods overlooking Gey, but the rest of force suffers heavily while trying to come abreast. The 8th Infantry Division's 121st Infantry Regiment along with Combat Command A, 5th Armored Division advanced east through the woods south of Hurtgen.

Photo: U.S. infantrymen of 1st Bn., 4th Infantry Div., U.S. First Army, advance through Staats Forest towards Gurzenich, Germany. 30 November, 1944



Photo: Infantrymen attached to 3rd Armored Division fire weapons in abandoned quarry before they go up to the front. 36th Infantry. 30 November, 1944



In U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 10th Armored Division attacks toward the Sarre River on the northern flank of the corps, Combat Command B on the right reaching the river opposite Merzig, where bridges are down. The 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division, occupies Fremersdorf, on the west bank of the Sarre, without opposition; the 1st Battalion, 357th Infantry Regiment, crosses the Nied River in assault boats near Niedakdorf and pushes on to Bueren, which the Germans are defending. After consolidating positions, the 95th Infantry Division continues their attack toward the Sarre, gaining the heights commanding Saarlautern: the 377th Infantry Regiment mops up Ste Barbara on the left and advances the right wing to Felsberg; the 378th takes a hill south of Felsberg. Task Force Bell, consisting of the 5th Infantry Division’s 10th Infantry Regiment (-), 5th Reconnaissance Troop, and supporting units, is formed to cover the exposed right flank of the 95th Infantry Division and attached to that division.

Photo: A mobile Bofors gun and crew, Germany, 30 November 1944



Air War over Europe

During the night of 30 November/1 December, USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s bomb five targets:18 hit the Linz/Hermann Goering benzine refinery at Linz with the loss of one aircraft, five bomb the main marshalling yard (M/Y) at Innsbruck and one each bomb the city of Gmunden and the M/Ys at Klagenfurt and Villach.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 731: 1,281 bombers and 972 fighters are dispatched to hit synthetic oil plants in southeastern Germany and marshalling yards (M/Ys); intense accurate flak downs 29 bombers and three fighters are lost: 181 bomb the M/Y at Neuenkirchen with the loss of one aircraft and 103 bomb the M/Y at Homburg. Synthetic oil refineries hit are Zeitz by 287 aircraft with the loss of nine; I.G. Farben refinery at Merseberg by 250 aircraft with the loss of 14; Lutzkendorf by 148 with the loss of two; Lutzkendorf by 148 with the loss of two; and the Braunkoble refinery at Bohlen by 67 with the loss of one. One hundred eighty nine other aircraft hit targets of opportunity.

Two hundred eighty eight USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s attack the defended villages of Vettweiss, Stockheim, Erp, and Pirmasens, an armored vehicle repair center at Gemund, a rail tunnel, a military camp at Malsbenden, and a marshalling yard at Zweibrucken; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, give area support to Eighth Air Force heavy bombers at Leipzig, fly sweeps, dive bombing missions, and reconnaissance over western Germany, and support elements of the U.S. VII Corps in the Hurtgen area (especially the 104th Infantry Division at Lammersdorf and Inden).

During the night of 30 November/1 December, four USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb the West marshalling yard at Munich.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command aircraft attack three targets: 60 Lancasters bomb the Wilheim steel plant at Bottrop; 60 Lancasters attack the Osterfeld benzol plant at Bottrop with the loss of two Lancasters; 36 Mosquitos hit the Meiderich benzol plant at Duisburg; and one Mosquito bombs Munster.
During the night of 30 November/1 December, RAF Bomber Command sends 576 aircraft, 425 Halifaxes, 126 Lancasters and 25 Mosquitos, to bomb Duisburg; 553 bomb the city with the loss of three Halifaxes. The target area is completely cloud-covered and the attack is not concentrated but much fresh damage is still caused. Mosquitos bomb three targets: 53 hit Hamburg with the loss of three aircraft, six hit the Hermann Goering steel factory at Hallendorf and one bomb the city of Hallendorf.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 732: seven B-17s and six B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

Italian campaign

In the U.S. Fifth Army's British XIII Corps area, the Germans take Casa Nuovo from the 1st Division.
In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, the Indian 10th Division renews their attack toward Casa Bettini bridge and takes Albereto, breaching the switch-line positions.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25s bomb bridges at Romano di Lombardia and Crema; fighters and fighter-bombers attack communications in the Po Valley, cutting rail lines and destroying a large number of railroad cars and motor transport; targets also include bridges, guns, and buildings.

Pacific War

CHINA

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek decides to move the Chinese 22d and 38th Divisions from Burma to China for defense of Kunming. The Chinese 14th Division is eventually substituted for the 38th, so that current operations in Burma will suffer less. Major General Albert Wederneyer, Commanding General US China Theater of Operations and Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek, informs the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of the South-East Asia Theatre, of the Generalissimo' s decision. Chiang Kai-shek also agrees to provide 270,000 replacements for ALPHA (the plan to defend Kunming and Chungking) by 1 April 1945 but refuses a request to supply arms to the Chineses forces of the IX War Area.

(Fourteenth Air Force): 12 B-25s and 8 P-51s damage 2 railroad bridges and several buildings at Phu Lang Thuong and Phu Ly, French Indochina. 11 bomb 5 warehouses and several other buildings at Lashio and Wanling, Burma. 9 fighter-bombers hit shipping, rail targets, and troops at various points in Thailand. In China, 23 fighter-bombers attack targets of opportunity in the Chefang area; the 25th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, based at Yunnani with P-40s and P-51s, sends a detachment to operate from Poashan.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 B-25s knock out and damage bridges at Bawgyo, Namhkai, and Hsenwi; 16 P-47s support ground forces at Bhamo; the town of Pinwe is found to be free of enemy forces; about 70 fighter-bombers attack troops and supply areas at several locations including Molo, Naungmo, Namun, Hkumpen, Myadaung, Kutkai, Kanbalu, Kyauk, and Natpe; 13 others attack bridges at Meza and in the Bawdwin area; 8 strafe targets of opportunity along the Kyaukme-Panglong road. 321 transport sorties are flown to forward areas. In India, HQ 1st Combat Cargo Group and the 4th Combat Cargo Squadron move from Sylhet to Tulihal with C-47s; the detachment of the 5th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, operating from Fenny with P-47s, returns to base at Asansol; the detachment of the 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, operating from Tingkawk Sakan, Burma with F-5s, returns to base at Barrackpore (other detachments are at Myitkyina, Burma and Chittagong); the 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, moves from Sylhet to Bikram with C-47s.

BURMA

Photo: Led by Piper John McLean, men of "D" Company, 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers march alongside a railway to celebrate both St Andrew's Day and the ending of the Japanese occupation of Pinwe in North Burma, 30 November 1944



Photo: 36th Infantry Division 25-pdr field gun in action against Japanese positions in the Pinwe area, 30 November 1944



SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 23 B-24s from Saipan bomb the airfield on Iwo Jima. 8 Guam based B-24s, escorting photo aircraft over the Kazan and Bonins, bomb Haha Jima. 37 from Angaur hit Legaspi Airfield. During the night of 29/30 Nov, 2 B-24s from Guam and Saipan bomb the Iwo Jima airfield on snooper missions.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: The air echelons of the 36th and 80th Fighter Squadrons, 8th FG, operating from Morotai with P-38s, return to base at Dulag; the 340th Fighter Squadron, 348th FG, moves from Noemfoor Island to Tacloban with P-47s; the ground echelon of the 418th Night Fighter Squadron begins a movement from Dulag to San Jose (air echelon is on Morotai with P-61s).

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s in major strikes of the day hit Malimpoeng and Parepare Airfields on Celebes Island and four airfields on Halmahera Island. Fighter-bombers, B-24s, and B-25s fly armed reconnaissance, harassing strikes, and light raids over various areas of the Netherlands East Indies.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1944)

The projected Mindoro operation is postponed for ten days by General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief South-West Pacific Area, in order to release shipping and naval support forces for landing in the Ormoc area on Leyte. The final target dates for Mindoro and Luzon are 15 December 1944 and 9 January 1945, respectively.

In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area on Leyte, the 112th Cavalry Regiment (Special), which has been driving south to ease the pressure on the 32d Infantry Division in the Limon area, halts at a ridge east of Highway 2 about 5,000 yards SE of Limon; unable to progress farther because of strong opposition, the cavalrymen dig in and drive off Japanese patrols. In the XXIV Corps area, the battle of Shoestring Ridge ends successfully as elements of the 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, clear the bamboo thicket and establish the night perimeter on the forward slope of the ridge.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Legaspi Airfield on the southeastern tip of Luzon Island and Matina Aerodrome on Mindanao Island. B-25s strike Dumaguete Airfield on Negros Island and fighter-bombers, B-24s, and B-25s fly armed reconnaissance, harassing strikes, and light raids over various areas.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): A weather sortie is the only mission.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 193, NOVEMBER 30, 1944

Between October 20 and November 26 (West Longitude Date) 81st Army Division Units killed 1,300 Japanese and captured 142 prisoners on the Island of Peleliu in the Palaus. Main points of resistance offered by these remnants of the enemy garrison were the caves on the island. Our forces lost 92 killed, 622 wounded and 5 missing.

Bombers and fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing attacked enemy-held bases in the Palaus on November 27, setting fire to buildings on Babelthuap and sinking one barge.

Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed and strafed installations on Wake Island on November 28. One plane was damaged by antiaircraft fire but returned safely.

Installations on Haha Jima in the Bonins were hit by a Mitchell of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing on November 28.

Before dawn on November 28, a small force of Japanese bombers attacked Saipan and Tinian in the Marianas. A few bombs were dropped, causing no damage. One enemy plane was destroyed and another probably destroyed.

Fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing bombed installations on Rota in the Marianas on November 28. On the same date, Seventh Army Air Force and Marine fighters bombed and strafed the airstrip on Pagan. One Japanese plane was destroyed on the ground.

Planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing and Fleet Air Wing Two made bombing and strafing attacks on Ponape in the Carolines on November 28, encountering moderate antiaircraft fire.

Neutralizing attacks were continued on November 28 on Japanese‑held bases in the Marshalls by planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing and Fleet Air Wing Two.

PACIFIC

Submarine Pipefish (SS-388) is damaged by aerial bombs in South China Sea off Hainan, 18°07'N, 111°35'E, but remains on patrol.

Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Dairen Maru off western Korea, 38°08'N, 124°35'E.

Japanese bomber, evading a 12-plane combat air patrol, damages floating drydock ARD-17 with a near-miss, Kossol Roads, Palau.

British submarine HMS Stratagem sinks Japanese cargo vessel Kumano Maru in Malacca Straits, 01°30'N, 103°00'E.

Photo: The U.S. Navy fleet oiler USS Neches (AO-47) refueling the battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55) mid-Pacific on 30 November 1944. Neches' camouflage is Measure 32 Design 5AO, North Carolina is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 18D

Day 1909 of World War II, December 2nd 1944

YouTube (Was Hürtgen Forest Worth it?)



Eastern Front

In Hungary, to the northeast of Budapest, the 2nd Ukrainian Front attacks German defensive positions around Miskolc.

Western Front (1944) - Siegfried Line campaign

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



Elements of the US 3rd Army reach Saarlautern. To the south, the US 7th Army advances to the Rhine river after the Germans have withdrawn across it at Kehl. The three available bridges are all demolished in the retreat.

Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 734: 455 bombers and 604 fighters make GH attacks on marshalling yards and fighter bomber attacks; they claim 34-3-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 135 of 143 B-24s hit the Bingen marshalling yard; 1 others hit a target of opportunity; they claim 2-1-1 aircraft; 11 B-24s are lost and 4 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 102 MIA. Escorting are 97 of 104 P-51s; they claim 4-1-2 aircraft without loss. 2. 152 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Lutzel marshalling yard at Koblenz (9) and the Oberlahnstein marshalling yard (125); 6 others hit targets of opportunity; no losses. Escorting are 158 of 169 P-51s; they claim 6-0-0 aircraft without loss. 3. 160 B-17s are dispatched to Koblenz but abort the mission due to heavy clouds. Escorting are 153 of 156 P-51s; they claim 7-0-0 aircraft without loss. 4. 133 P-47s and P-51s fly fighter sweeps over the Cologne, Kassel, Meiningen, Mannheim and Frankfurt area; they claim 15-1-4 aircraft; 3 P-47s and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots MIA) and 2 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 5. 28 of 30 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 735: 7 B-17s and 6 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 210 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s bomb areas of Saarlautern, Ensdorf, and Fraulautern; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, fly armed reconnaissance over W Germany (targets hit include a marshalling yard and bridges), and support the US 1st Infantry Division at Luchem, 104th Infantry Division at Inden, and 8th Infantry Division in the Brandenberger Forest-Tiefenbach Creek area.

(US Fifteenth Air Force):Around 500 B-17s and B-24s attack Blechhammer N and S and Odertal, Germany oil refineries; the Floridsdorf oil refinery at Vienna and the marshalling yard at Strasshof, Austria; Celldomolk, Hungary marshalling yard; and Medvedov, Czechoslovakia highway bridge, plus scattered targets of opportunity in C and E Europe; fighters fly escort and carry out reconnaissance missions.

93 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the Hansa benzol plant at Dortmund through thick cloud; the bombing was believed to be accurate. No aircraft lost.

Hagen: 504 RAF aircraft - 394 Halifaxes, 87 Lancasters, 23 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster crashed in France. The town of Hagen was not too heavily bombed before this raid. The effect upon industrial production was serious. Many firms are recorded as having lost up to 3 months' production. In addition, it was found by the Allies after the war that a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries - of which large numbers were needed by the new types of U-boats - was completely destroyed in this raid.

66 RAF Mosquitos to Giessen, 44 RCM sorties, 62 Mosquito patrols, 10 Stirlings on Resistance operations. 1 Stirling on Resistance work and 1 Intruder Mosquito lost.

Italian campaign

In Italy, Canadian forces begin an attack to capture Ravenna on the Adriatic sea.

Photo: A 25pdr of 266 Battery, 67th Field Regiment in use as a mortar near San Clemente, 2 December 1944



(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers hit several bridges in N and NE Italy, scoring effective hits on 2 bridges across the Piave and Brenta Rivers and 4 on the Brenner line; fighters and fighter- bombers attack communications in the Po Valley and support US Fifth Army forces in the battle area S of Bologna; on the night of 1/2 Dec, A-20s hit Ghedi Airfield and targets of opportunity in the NC Po Valley and trains on the Brenner line; HQ 350th Fighter Group and the 347th Fighter Squadron move from Tarquinia to Pisa with P-47s.

Soviet Union

Charles de Gaulle meets with Josef Stalin in Moscow, over nine days. A military alliance is signed, against Germany now, and after the war.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Claxton (DD-571), at left, the heavy cruiser USS Canberra (CA-70), center, and USS Killen (DD-593), right undergoing battle damage repairs in the floating drydock ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, 2 December 1944



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Killen (DD-593), left, the heavy cruiser USS Canberra (CA-70), right, and USS Claxton (DD-571), beyond Canberra's bow undergoing battle damage repairs in the floating drydock ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, on 2 December 1944. Note the men crowding the rails on Canberra, and her two forward 203mm/55 triple gun turrets



Photo: The U.S. Navy New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York (USA), photographed on 2 December 1944. The aircraft carriers under construction in dry docks (right center) are USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) and probably USS Reprisal (CV-35). USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) is fitting out (üpper right)



Photo: Aerial view of the U.S. Navy New York Naval Shipyard on 2 December 1944. There are five aircraft carriers in sight: USS Reprisal (CV-35) under construction in Dry Dock No. 6; USS Coral Sea, later renamed USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) under construction in Dry Dock No. 5; USS Kearsarge (CV-33) under construction; USS Oriskany (CV-34) under construction; and USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31), commissioned 26 November 1944



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s damage several buildings at Hsenwi, Burma. 39 P-51s, P-40s, and P-38s on armed reconnaissance attack troops, horses, trucks, railroad yards, shipping, storage facilities, and road machinery between Yungfengshih and Paoching, China; N of Wanling, from Wanling to Lashio and in Lashio Burma; in the Chiuchiang area, Nan Tan, and at Kichang, China.

Major General Albert Wedemeyer, Commanding General U.S. China Theater of Operations and Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, presents Chiang Kai-shek a proposal, suggested by Colonel David D. Barrett of the American Observer Group in Yenan, to form three communist regiments in Yenan, to be equipped by the U.S., for use in Nationalist territory under command of a U.S. officer. The plan is rejected. Later in December, Major General Robert McClure, Chief of Staff U.S. Forces US China Theater of Operations, drafts a plan for U.S. airborne units of technicians to go into communist China and informally presents it to the nationalists and communists for approval. A Japanese column driving on Kweiyang reaches Tu-shan

BURMA

In the British Fourteenth Army's XXXIII Corps area, the East African 11th Division reaches the Chindwin River at Kalewa.

Photo: A lorry loaded with pontoons arrives at the site of the 1,100ft floating bailey bridge over the Chindwin River, built after the capture of Kalewa, 2 December 1944



INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 40 fighter-bombers fly close support strikes in the Bhamo battle sector; supply areas, ammunition dumps, personnel and tank concentrations, and strongholds at Mayathein, Kwingyi, Nanthe, Hsai-hkao, Hsenwi, Man Hkam, Wuntho, Tedaw, and Old Lashio are hit by 60+ fighter-bombers; 16 others hit rolling stock on the rail line between Hsipaw and Lashio and strafe a supply train in Pangkyawng; 10 B-25s pound several N Burma bridges, knocking out road bridges at Tonglau and Nam Nung and 2 railroad bridges at Tangon. Transports fly 286 sorties to forward areas.

AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 23 B-24s from Guam hit Iwo Jima. During the night of 2/3 Dec 3 B-24s on snooper missions from Saipan and Guam bomb an airfield on Iwo Jima.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: Fighter-bombers in the C Philippine Islands and Mindanao Island support ground forces and hit supplies, communications, and a variety of targets of opportunity. The 19th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 22d BG (Heavy), moves from Leyte Island to Angaur Airfield with B-24s.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s and B-25 Mitchells attack Baoebaoe Airfield and Kendari on Celebes Island. B-25s bomb Namlea Airfield on Boeroe Island and attack shipping off Ceram Island.

Australian B-24s attack a small Japanese convoy in the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies. The aircraft sink a small freighter and damage a freighter and a fuel barge.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1944)

In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area on Leyte, Companies E and F, 128 Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, extend southward on Kilay Ridge against firm resistance. The 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, is ordered by the 128th Infantry Regiment commander to remain on the ridge until further notice. The 112th Cavalry Regiment (Special) continues efforts to clear the ridge southeast of Limon and sends Troop A toward Highway 2 to make contact with the 32d Infantry Division.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s hit Dumaguete Airfield on Negros Island and Matina and Cagayan Airfields on Mindanao Island. Fighter-bombers in the central Philippines and Mindanao Island support ground forces and hit supplies, communications, and a variety of targets of opportunity.
USN submarine USS Gunnel lands supplies and evacuates Allied aviators from Palawan.

SOLOMON ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Australian Lieutenant General William Bridgeford, General Officer Commanding 3rd Australian Division, informs his senior officers that the first phase of operations in the southern sector of Bougainville will be the capture of Mosigetta and Mawaraka which are about 25 miles SE of Torokina.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 195, DECEMBER 2, 1944

Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed installations on Paramushiru in the Northern Kuriles on November 29, (West Longitude Date). There was no enemy resistance.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force dropped 571/2 tons of bombs on the airstrip and other installations at Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands on November 30. Five enemy fighters offered slight resistance. Some of our planes were damaged by antiaircraft fire.

Corsairs of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing bombed the airstrip and set fire to ammunition dumps on Babelthuap in the Palau Group on Novem­ber 30.

The Second Marine Aircraft Wing bombed and strafed the airstrip on Pagan and the barracks area on Rota in the Marianas on November 30.

A Catalina of Fleet Air Wing Two scored bomb hits on defense Installa­tions on Wake Island on November 29, meeting meager antiaircraft fire.

Neutralizing raids on enemy bases in the Marshalls were continued by aircraft of Fleet Air Wing Two and the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing on November 29 and 30.

PACIFIC

Four destroyers (DesDiv 44) bombard Japanese positions at Palompon and northern Ormoc Bay, Leyte. Another group of three destroyers (DesDiv 120) (Commander John C. Zahm) enters Ormoc Bay at night and battles enemy aircraft, destroyers, and shore batteries.

Submarine Gunnel (SS-253) lands supplies and evacuates Allied aviators from Palawan, P.I.

Submarine Sea Devil (SS-400) attacks Japanese convoy MI-29 in the East China Sea, sinking merchant tanker Akigawa Maru and passenger/cargo ship Hawaii Maru about 80 miles south-southwest of Kyushu, 30°24'N, 128°17'E.

British submarine HMS Sturdy sinks Japanese Communication Ship No.142 in Makassar Strait, 04°05'S, 119°32'E.

USAAF B-24s sink Japanese gunboat Bantan Maru and damage auxiliary minesweeper Cha 105 and cargo ship Sh_ka Maru 140 miles nautical miles from Makassar, 03°30'S, 117°30'E.

USAAF P-40s attack Japanese shipping off Palompon, P.I., sinking motor sailship Kosei Maru.

Day 1911 of World War II, December 4th 1944

Western Front (1944) - Siegfried Line campaign

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



Elements of British 2nd Army clear the last pockets of German resistance west of the Maas River. To the right, the US 9th Army ceases the offensive toward the Roer River. The US 3rd Army forces of US 20th Corps concentrates forces for the capture of Saarlautern, where reconnaissance indicates there is an intact bridge over the Saar River.

Photo: British infantry in action in the streets of Geilenkirchen, Germany, 4 December 1944



Air War over Europe

27 RAF Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No 8 Group carried out the first of several raids on the large reservoir dam at Urft in the Eifel. The destruction of which was required so that the Germans could not release water to flood areas through which American troops wished to advance. The series of raids did blast 13ft off the top of the dam but no large breach was ever made and the Germans were able to release large quantities of water whenever they wished to interfere with American advances being attempted further downstream. No aircraft were lost from this raid.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 736: 1,191 bombers and 977 fighters are dispatched to make PFF attacks on rail targets in Germany; 3 bombers and 3 fighters are lost: 1. 419 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Kassel (212) and Soest (188); 2 others hit targets of opportunities; 4 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged. Escorting are 375 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 2. 315 B-24s are sent to hit the Bebra marshalling yard (199); targets of opportunity are marshalling yards at Koblenz (78) and Giessen (21) and other (1); 1 B-24 is lost and 15 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 290 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 6-0-11 aircraft on the ground. 3. 457 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Mainz (221) and Giessen (62); targets of opportunity are the Friedburg marshalling yard (119), Fulda (24), barges on the Rhine River (11) and other (6); 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 106 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 18 MIA. Escorting are 238 of 244 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 36 of 37 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 737: 10 of 11 B-17s and B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents bomber operations. In Germany, fighters fly armed reconnaissance and support the US 1st, 8th, and 104th Infantry Divisions at Luchem, Bergstein, and E of Inde River; and the XII and XX Corps in drive toward the Saar River and around Saarlautern.

160 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on Oberhausen but no results could be seen because of cloud. 1 Lancaster lost.

Karlsruhe: 535 RAF aircraft - 369 Lancasters, 154 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito lost. The marking and bombing were accurate and severe damage was caused, particularly in the southern and western districts of the city. Among individual buildings destroyed were the important Durlacher machine-tool factory, the main Protestant church and the concert hall.

Heilbronn: 282 RAF Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No 5 Group. 12 Lancasters lost. This was a crushing blow on Heilbronn which stood on a main north-south railway line but was otherwise of little importance. It was the first and only major raid by Bomber Command on this target. 1,254 tons of bombs fell in a few minutes and the post-war British Bombing Survey Unit estimated that 351 acres, 82 per cent of the town's built-up area, were destroyed, mainly by fire. Much investigation by various people resulted in the reliable estimate that just over 7,000 people died. Most of these victims would have died in fires so intense that there was probably a genuine firestorm.

54 RAF Mosquitos to Hagen and 12 to Bielefe1d and Hamm (the figure was not subdivided), 47 RCM sorties, 60 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

In Italy, Canadian forces capture Ravenna.

(US Fifteenth Air Force):26 P-38s bomb a railroad bridge at Zenica, Yugoslavia. 14 B-17s and B-24s drop supplies in N Italy; P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance and escort missions. Bad weather prevents heavy bomber operations.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s hit defenses in the Bagnaeavallo and Faenza areas and an ammunition dump at Tortona; XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft hit targets in the US Fifth Army battle area S of Bologna in the Apennines Mountains and communications to the N of the battle zone. During the night of 3/4 Dec, A-20s again bomb targets of opportunity in the Po River Valley; the 7th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Tarquinia to Brindisi with C-47s.

Greece

In Greece, the National People's Liberation Army of the National Liberation Front begins armed fighting against British troops and Greek government forces.

Pacific War

CHINA

In the course of reorganizing the government to make it more progressive and efficient, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek names T. V. Soong premier as well as foreign minister.

U.S. Major General Albert Wedemeyer, Commander in Chief US China Theater of Operations and Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek, asks that USAAF XX Bomber Command's B-29 Superfortresses, which are a strain on Hump tonnage, be moved from China. He suggests redeploying the aircraft to the Mariana Islands.

INDIA

The RAF 3rd Tactical Air Force, which is tasked with supporting the British Fourteenth Army in Burma, is dissolved and replaced by Headquarters RAF Bengal and Burma. Two groups, No. 221 Group RAF supporting the Indian IV Corps and No. 224 Group RAF supporting the Indian XV Corps, are assigned.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 24 B-25s, supported by 12 P-40s, hit bridges, buildings, and river, road, and rail traffic at several points in China, French Indochina, and Burma including Lashio, Kutkai and Namhkai, Burma; and Saiping, Hsiangcheng, Lingling, the Kweilin area, between Minkiang, and Sinantien, and between Sinyang and Saiping, China; 90+ fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance pound numerous targets of opportunity from Hsenwi, Burma to Nanning, China; Lang Son, French Indochina; and Namhkai, Burma and across S China from the Burma border to Amoy, China.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 28 P-47s attack and damage bridges at Kawnghka, Namyao, Nampawng, Namhkai, and Hsenwi and demolish the main bridge at Ho-kho; 8 P-47s support ground forces in the Bhamo area; 60+ fighter-bombers hit enemy-held positions, troop concentrations, supply areas, warehouses, and general targets of opportunity at Man Mau, Nwegyo, Mogok, Hkayanzatkon, Pangpong, Namahokgyi, Kyu-sa, Man Maw, Mongnaw, and Man Htam. Transports fly 308 sorties to forward areas. The 319th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, based at Asansol, India with C-47s begins operating from various forward bases in Burma.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 3 B-24s from Guam Island hit Marcus while 3 from Saipan Island bomb Pagan Island in the Mariana Islands. Snooper missions continue as 2 Mariana Islands-based B-24s bomb Iwo Jima Island during the night of 4/5 Dec.

MARIANA ISLANDS

Headquarters of the USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command arrives at Harmon Field, Guam, from the US.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1944)

USAAF Seventh Air Force bombers begin harassing night attacks on Luzon airfields.

On Leyte, Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, Commanding General Sixth Army, orders an attack tomorrow to destroy the Japanese in the Ormoc area, with the X Corps moving southward astride Highway 2 to support the XXIV Corps. In the X Corps area, the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, begins a withdrawal from the Kilay Ridge toward Pinamopoan. The 112th Cavalry Regiment (Special) continues futile efforts to clear the ridge southeast of Limon. The XXIV Corps prepares for an assault on Ormoc with the 7th Infantry Division by land and the 77th Infantry Division by sea. The 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, gets patrols as far north as Balogo. The 776th Amphibious Tank Battalion after dark moves to waters 1,000 yards W of Balogo.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): A weather aircraft aborts shortly after takeoff.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 196, DECEMBER 4, 1944

Seventh Army Air Force bombers struck at airstrips on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos on December 1 (West Longitude Date).

On the following day Navy search planes of Fleet Air Wing One joined with Seventh Air Force bombers to attack installations on Haha Jima and Iwo Jima. On the same date a force of Army Liberators bombed the airstrip on Iwo Jima. Light fighter opposition was encountered but we suffered no losses.

Attacking through intense antiaircraft fire, fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing hit and destroyed an ammunition dump on Babelthuap in the Palaus on December 1. One Corsair plane was destroyed but the pilot was rescued.

On December 2, bivouac and storage areas were bombed by Marine aircraft in the Palaus and buildings were destroyed on Babelthuap. The airstrip on Yap was bombed by Marine fighters on the same day.

Second Marine Aircraft Wing fighters bombed installations on Rota in the Marianas and hit the airstrip on Pagan on December 2.

Strafing and bombing attacks were made by Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Two on Wake Island on December 1. The enemy sent up moderate antiair­craft fire.

PACIFIC

Destroyer Drayton (DD-366) is damaged by horizontal bomber off Leyte, 10°00'N, 125°00'E.

Submarine Flasher (SS-249) attacks Japanese convoy about 275 miles southwest of Manila, sinking destroyer Kishinami, 12°54'N, 116°27'E, and damages merchant tanker Hakko Maru. Flasher eludes efforts of the escorting Yurijima and Coast Defense Vessel No.17; Hakko Maru is later scuttled, 13°12'N, 116°35'E, most likely by Yurijima and/or Coast Defense Vessel No.17.

Day 1913 of World War II, December 6th 1944

Eastern Front

(US Fifteenth Air Force):270+ B-17s and B-24s attack marshalling yards at Graz, Austria; Szombathely, Sopron, Nagycenk, Hegyeshalom, and the town of Zalaegerszey, Hungary; Maribor, Yugoslavia; and Bratislava, and Devinska Nova Ves, Czechoslovakia, plus scattered targets of opportunity; P-51s and P-38s escort the bombers, cover Royal Air Force (RAF) supply missions to Yugoslavia, and strafe Vienna, Austria.

Western Front (1944) - Siegfried Line campaign

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



US 3rd Army crosses the Saar River. Elements of the US 3rd Army enter Saareguemines which is defended by German forces. In Holland, the British 2nd Army is held up southwest of Arnhem by the German demolition of dikes and the consequent flooding.

Photo: American infantrymen move through Hurtgen, Germany on their way to the front lines. 6 December, 1944



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 741: 818 bombers and 830 fighters are dispatched to hit oil and rail targets in Germany; all except 9 aircraft bomb using H2X; 4 bombers and 1 fighter are lost: 1. 533 B-17s, in 2 forces, are sent to hit the Leuna oil plant at Merseburg (446); targets of opportunity are Hannover (16), Merseburg (14) and other (24); 4 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 172 damaged; 4 airmen are WIA and 37 MIA. 12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening mission. Escorting are 534 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA), 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged. 2. 112 of 119 B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Bielefeld; 1 hits a target of opportunity; 52 B-24s are damaged. Escorting are 94 of 104 P-51s without loss. 3. 140 of 154 B-24s hit Minden Aqueduct; 9 hit the Lockum rail junction; 26 B-24s are damaged. Escorting are 91 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 4. 28 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting force mission. Mission 742: 11 of the 4 B-17s and 11 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 154 A-20s and B-26s bomb the defended areas of Munstereifel, Erkelenz, Nideggen, and Daun; fighters escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and night patrol, attack bridges, gun positions, and other targets, and provide air cover for the US V, VII, and XII Corps in the areas of Sarreguemines, France and Bergstein, and Lucherberg, and along the Saar River, Germany.

Leuna: 475 RAF Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups. 5 Lancasters lost. This was the first major attack on an oil target in Eastern Germany; Leuna, near the town of Merseburg, just west of Leipzig, was 250 miles from the German frontier and 500 miles from the bombers' bases in England. There was considerable cloud in the target area but post-raid photographs showed that considerable damage had been caused to the synthetic-oil plant.

Osnabrück: 453 RAF aircraft - 363 Halifaxes, 72 Lancasters, 18 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 7 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost. This was the first major raid on Osnabrück since August 1942. The raid was only a partial success. The railway yards were only slightly damaged but 4 factories were hit, including the Teuto-Metallwerke munitions factory, and 203 houses were destroyed.

Giessen: 255 RAF Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of No 5 Group. 8 Lancasters lost. There were two aiming points for this raid. 168 aircraft were allocated to the town centre and 87 to the railway yards. Severe damage was caused at both places.

42 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 10 to Schwerte and 2 to Hanau, 37 RCM sorties, 47 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitos lost - 1 from the Berlin raid and an Intruder aircraft which crashed in France.

Italian campaign

Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott is appointed commander of the US 5th Army fighting in Italy. He replaces Lt. Gen. Mark Clark.

British 8th Army crosses the Lamone river.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, heavy cloud cover, increasing in density throughout the day, severely restricts operations; medium bombers are grounded except for 1 reconnaissance sortie; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers fly less than 100 sorties, attacking communications in the Brescia, Verona, and Mantua areas; the 87th Fighter Squadron, 79th Fighter Group, moves from Iesi to Fano with P-47s; the 97th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 47th Bombardment Group (Light), moves from Rosignano Airfield to Grossetto with A-20s.

Battle of the Atlantic

HMS 'Bullen' (K 469) (LtCdr A.H. Parish, RN) of the 19th Escort Group was sunk by a Gnat from 'U-775' off Strathy Point in the Pentland Firth. HMS 'Loch Insh' (K 433) (T/A/LtCdr E.W.C. Dempster, DSC, RNVR) and HMS 'Goodall' (K 479) (LtCdr J.V. Fulton, RNVR) of the same Escort Group hunted the U-boat for the next 14 hours but she escaped undamaged.

'U-297' was sunk in the North Atlantic, 16 miles west of Yesnaby in the Orkney Islands, by 6 depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn. 201). 50 dead (all hands lost). The wreck was discovered and identified in May 2000 by Ian Trumpness and Kevin Heath of Stromness. It had been listed on fishing charts but believed to be an unknown fishing vessel. It lies in 285 feet of water.

Greece

In Liberated Greece fighting between government forces, support by British troops, and Communist rebels continues. General Scobie claims there is evidence of a number of former German soldiers being employed by the ELAS forces.

Photo: Paras from 5th (Scots) Parachute Battalion, 2nd Parachute Brigade, take cover on a street corner in Athens during operations against members of ELAS, 6 December 1944



Soviet Union

Marshal Stalin meets with Free French President, General de Gaulle.

United States

Bomb fragments of a 33 pound Japanese anti-personnel high explosive bomb is recovered at 1800 hours local about 15 miles NW of Thermopolis, Wyoming. Thermopolis is located about 110 miles NW of Casper, Wyoming. An explosion occurred followed by the sighting of what appeared to be a parachute descending to earth. A bright red flame was also seen by observers of the explosion.

Pacific War

BURMA

In the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) area, the U.S. 475th Infantry Regiment (Long Range Penetration, Special), also known as the MARS Task Force, is ordered to relieve the Chinese 22d Division in the Mo-hlaing area, about 1 mile N of Tonk-wa. About this time, a Japanese task force starts across the Shweli River toward Tonk-wa.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-51s attack road traffic in the Hsenwi area and from there to Wanling.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 9 P-47s damage a bridge at Namhkai and knock out a bridge at Mongmit; 10 B-25s knock out the main bridge at Bawgyo and damage the bypass; 15 P-47s support ground forces in the Bhamo area, 4 bomb Hsenwi Airfield, and 8 strafe Bawgyo AA positions; 12 P-47s hit troops, artillery, and supplies at Banmauk, the W side of Indawgyi Lake, and Namhkam. Transports fly 300 sorties to forward areas.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

Photo: Sgt. Nelson T. Young, Gonzales, La., removes the nozzle from the wing tank of a B-29 Superfortress plane as Sgt. John T. Daly, Wichita, Kan. stands by. CBI Theater, 6 December, 1944



MARIANA ISLANDS

The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command in the Mariana Islands, dispatches three B-29 Superfortresses to fly a weather strike mission. These missions usually consist of two or three B-29s that gather weather information and drop incendiary bombs on cities to lower the morale of the civilian population.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: HQ 417th BG and the 672d, 673d, 674th and 675th Bombardment Squadrons move from Noemfoor to Tacloban with A-20s.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s hit airfields at Kendari and Borebore on Celebes Island. Fighter- bombers and B-25s attack Halmahera Island airfields while A-20s and B-25s bomb the Namlea area on Buru Island.

PHILIPPINES CAMPAIGN (1944)

In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area on Leyte Island, repeated efforts of the 112th Cavalry Regiment (Special) to eliminate the Japanese on a ridge southeast of Limon fail. In the XXIV Corps area, the 7th Infantry Division continues their northward drive on Ormoc, taking Balogo, Hill 918, and Kang Dagit; some elements are on the Palanas River and others are on a ridge of Hill 380. The 77th Infantry Division loads for landing in Ormoc Bay at Deposito and sails with USN destroyers and USAAF Fifth Air Force protection for the target area. About 150 Japanese attack Buri airstrip, surprising the defense force and entering the woods north of the strip.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Bacalod Airfield on Negros Island. P-38s over Bacalod and others covering a convoy off southern Leyte Island claim several aircraft downed. B-25s, with P-47 support, hit Cagayan, Jacgol, and Del Monte Airfields on Mindanao Island.

Submarines Segundo (SS-398), Trepang (SS-412), and Razorback (SS-394) attack Japanese convoy of ten cargo vessels and four escorts west of Dalupiri Island, P.I., en route from Takao to Manila; Trepang damages army cargo ship Fukuyo Maru and merchant cargo ships Jinyo Maru and Yamakuni Maru, 18°59'N, 121°05'E; Segundo damages merchant cargo ships Kanjo Maru, Yasukuni Maru, and Shinfuku Maru, 18°57'N, 120°58'E.

Fleet tug Quapaw (ATF-110) arrives to assist freighter Antoine Saugraine, damaged the previous day by Japanese aerial torpedo off Leyte; she stands ready to tow the freighter if necessary.

BOUGAINVILLE ISLAND

Photo: Ships in Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island, as seen from the transport HMAS Westralia (F95), 6 December 1944



ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 4 B-24s bomb Suribachi Airfield on Paramushiru Island, scoring hits on the runway, and blast batteries; on the return flight, 1 is hit by AA fire. 1 B-25 flies a negative shipping search. A B-24 weather airplane force-lands in the USSR.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 197, DECEMBER 6, 1944

Fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing destroyed a building on Babelthuap in the Palaus on December 4 (West Longitude Date).

Gun positions on Rota in the Marianas were bombed by Marine fighters on December 3. On the following day, Marine fighters and bombers struck at defense installations and at the airstrip on Rota.

Supply areas on Pagan in the Marianas were attacked by Seventh Army Air Force fighters and the airstrip was bombed by Marine fighters on Decem­ber 4.

An enemy bomber was shot down by fighters over Saipan on December 4. No bombs were dropped.

On December 3, a single Army Liberator bombed one of the airstrips on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos.

Seventh Army Air Force bombers attacked installations on Marcus Island airstrip on the same date.

Bombers and fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed defenses on Ponape Island in the Carolines on December 3. One of our fighters was lost but the pilot was rescued.

Neutralization of enemy‑held bases in the Marshalls was continued by aircraft of Fleet Air Wing Two and the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing on December 3 and 4.

PACIFIC

Submarine Haddo (SS-255) damages Japanese tanker No.3 Kyoei Maru, 14°43'N, 119°39'E.

Aircraft sink Japanese army cargo ship Shinto Maru in South China Sea off Luzon, 18°52'N, 120°57'E;

British submarine HMS Shalimar damages Japanese merchant tanker Shinbun Maru in Strait of Malacca.

Day 1915 of World War II, December 8th 1944

Eastern Front

In Hungary, Soviet forces of 3rd Ukrainian Front launch attacks near Szekesfehervar about 20 miles southwest of Budapest.

Western Front (1944) - Liberation of France

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



In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, after receiving the surrender of Fort Driant, the 2d Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, turns over the Metz sector, where Fort Jeanne d’Arc is still holding out, to the 87th Infantry Division of the III Corps. In the XII Corps area, the 35th Infantry Division attacks across the Sarre River, the 134th Infantry Regiment crossing by a bridge south of Sarreguemines and the 320th Infantry Regiment by boats in the region to the east; the 134th clears Sarreinsming and pushes northeast under heavy fire from Sarreguemines; the 320th, whose 3d Battalion is unable to cross until the night of 8/9 December, establishes a bridgehead and with the aid of artillery and fighter-bombers halts a counterattack as it is forming.

The 26th Infantry Division attacks the Maginot Line within its sector after artillery and air preparation: the 328th Infantry Regiment begins an assault on Fort Wittring and Grand Bois, fighting through the night of 8/9 December; the 104th Infantry Regiment, to the right, easily takes
four mutually supporting forts in the Achen area.

In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the 44th Infantry Division pushes into Encherberg and the 100th Infantry Division into Lemberg, but the Germans are defending both towns. The VI Corps is conducting a deception program to lead the Germans to expect a Rhine River crossing in the Strasbourg area or an attack in the vicinity of Bischwiller.

The 45th Infantry Division begins an attack on Niederbronn.

In the 79th Infantry Division zone, the 94th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron clears Gambsheim.
In the French First Army area, the French II Corps is still undergoing lively counterattacks. The U.S. 36th Infantry Division troops are driving on Kayserberg. I Corps gains a foothold in Thann.

Western Front (1944) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Photo: 3-inch mortar of 7th Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 53rd Division, 8 December 1944



Western Front (1944) - Siegfried Line campaign

In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 357th Infantry Regiment is again subjected to major counterattacks in the 90th Infantry Division's Dillingen bridgehead, but forces the Germans back in hand-to-hand fighting; local German counterattacks keep the 358th Infantry Regiment largely on the defensive, although elements push across the railroad tracks to take Dillingen station; the reserve regiment, the 359th Infantry Regiment, crosses into the bridgehead, during the night of 8/9 December.

In the U.S. Ninth Army's XIX Corps area, the 29th Infantry Division’s 115th Infantry Regiment reduces Hasenfeld Gut and sportplatz strongpoints in the Juelich area with help of assault guns and smoke.

In the U.S. First Army area, the VII Corps is ordered to attack on 10 December to clear the region between the Inde and Roer Rivers and the approaches to Dueren, the corps' objective. In the V Corps area, a battalion of the 13th Infantry Regiment relieves the 2d Ranger Battalion on Castle Hill. In their 2-day stay there, the Rangers have lost more than 25-percent of their original strength.

The 95th Infantry Division is very slowly expanding its Saarlautern bridgehead, fighting from house to house and from pillbox to pillbox; the 2d Battalion, 378th Infantry Regiment, joins the parent regiment in Ensdorf after crossing the river in assault boats. The 6th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) takes over the sector on the southern flank of the corps from elements of the 5th Infantry Division.

Air War over Europe

Twenty nine USAAF Ninth Air Force A-26 Invaders hit the Sinzig rail bridge. Fighters escort the RAF, bomb gun positions, bridges, and city areas, fly armed reconnaissance, and support the U.S. V and VII Corps W of Schmidt and Duren, and XX Corps and XII Corps in the Dillingen and Sarreguemines, France areas.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command attacks three targets:
- 205 Lancasters are dispatched to attack the Urft Dam at Heimbach; 129 bomb the target with the loss of one aircraft. Bombing is affected by 9/10ths cloud and no results are seen.
- 163 Lancasters are dispatched to bomb the marshalling yards at Duisburg; 159 bomb the target.
- 30 Mosquitos are sent to attack the Meiderich benzene refinery near Duisburg; 28 bomb the target.

Again hitting communications targets in a predawn attack, 27 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s bomb eight targets: seven aircraft hit the marshalling yard (M/Y) at Klagenfurt, six attack the Main M/Y at Graz; five each bomb the Moosbierbaum benzine refinery at Vienna and the M/Y at Villach; and one each targets of opportunity at Gleisdorf and Volkermarkt and the cities of Ybbs and St. Polten. Later in the day P-38s fly photo and weather reconnaissance missions. P-51s escort the photo reconnaissance flights over the Vienna area.

Italian campaign

In the U.S. Fifth Army's British XIII Corps area, the Germans abandon the rest of Mt. Penzola.

In the British Eighth Army's area, British troops cross the Lamone River.

Weather again greatly curtails operations.

Four USAAF Twelfth Air Force P-47s on weather reconnaissance of the western Po River Valley attack trains, claiming the destruction of four locomotives and damage of almost 100 train cars.

Battle of the Atlantic

Frigate Huron (PF-19) is accidentally rammed and damaged by U.S. freighter James Fenimore Cooper about 870 miles northeast of Bermuda.

Submarines Paddle (SS-263) and Hammerhead (SS-364), attacking from opposite sides of the Japanese Singapore-to-Manila convoy, sink merchant tanker Shoei Maru, 03°50'N, 111°30'E. Paddle escapes the post-attack attention of Coast Defense Vessel No.43.

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Churchill defines the British government position on the crisis in Greece to be aiming at "clearing Athens of all who are rebels to the authority of the constitutional government." The House of Commons supports the position in a vote 279 to 30.

Greece

In Liberated Greece... Communist rebels in Athens continue to fight. British casualties are claimed to be very light but the Greek police are estimated to have suffered 600 killed, wounded and missing.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fullam (DD-474) off San Francisco, California (USA), on 8 December 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 22



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Anthony (DD-515) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 8 December 1944



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Terry (DD-513) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 8 December 1944



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Foss (DE-59) underway off Brooklyn, New York (USA) on 8 December 1944. Foss arrived at the New York Naval Shipyard on 2 December 1944 for some work involving an experimental sonar being carried out by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 4 B-25s hit the Nan Tan area, killing many horses; 14 P-51s hit the airfield and other targets at Nanking, claiming 24 airplanes, a freighter, and 2 locomotives destroyed; 15 P-40s blast railroad targets and buildings from Nan Tan area to Liuchow; 25 P-51s hit Hochih and troops, warehouses, trucks and ammunition dump in the area; 20+ other fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance hit various targets of opportunity around the Lipo, Shihhweiyao, Tuhshan, Santon, Paoching, Hengyang, Taiyuan, and Linfen areas.

BURMA

In the Northern Combat Area Command area, the Japanese take Tonkwa from the outnumbered Chinese.

In the British Fourteenth Army area, IV Corps headquarters moves from Imphal, India, to Tamu and is placed under Lieutenant General Frank Messervy, who succeeds Lieutenant General Sir Geoffrey Scoones. The corps is to move secretly southward down the Gangaw Valley to the
southern flank of the army, where it will seize a bridgehead over the Irrawaddy River in the Pakokku area and thrust toward Meiktila and Thazi.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30+ P-47s support ground forces in the Bhamo area; 28 hit supply areas at Kyingyi, Loi-lun, and Hke-hkun; 12 bomb troop concentrations at Namti and 4 hit village on the Nawnghkem River; 16 fighter-bombers attack a Shwebo motor pool and radio station while 6 others hit the Namun ferry landing; 7 aircraft knock out a bypass bridge at Namhkai and 8 fighter-bombers hit railroad targets of opportunity between Sedaw and Nawnghkio. Large-scale transport operations continue.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 89 B-24s from Guam and Saipan join B-29s and naval vessels in bombarding Iwo Jima airfields; 28 P-38s escort the B-29s; the strikes are aimed at reducing the raids against US bases in the Marianas.

MARIANA ISLANDS

(Twentieth Air Force): Mission 11: 82 B-29s from the Mariana join Seventh AF P-38s, B-24s and Navy cruisers in a strike against airfields on Iwo Jima from which Japanese strikes against US airfields in the Mariana Islands are being launched; 61 B-29s bomb the airfields and 4 bomb other targets without loss; [Japanese aircraft strike the Mariana airfields on 2, 7, and 27 Nov, 7 and 25 Dec (the largest attack 25 aircraft), and from 25 Dec 44 to 2 Jan 45 in very minor degrees; altogether about 80 Japanese aircraft attack, and nearly 40 are downed; 11 B-29s are destroyed and 43 damaged on the ground in these attacks].

CAROLINE ISLANDS

Photo: U.S. Third Fleet aircraft carriers at anchor in Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944, during a break from operations in the Philippines area. The carriers are (from front to back): USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). Wasp, Yorktown and Ticonderoga are all painted in camouflage Measure 33, Design 10a. The other Essex-class carrier painted in sea blue Measure 21 is USS Lexington (CV-16)



Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) at Ulithi on 8 December 1944. An Independence-class carrier wearing Camouflage Measure 33, Design 7A is visible in the distance, either USS Cowpens (CVL-25) or USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)



Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) at anchor in Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944, during a break from operations in the Philippines area. Wasp is painted in Camouflage Measure 33, Design 10A



JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In the Netherlands East Indies, over 60 USAAF Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-25s and fighter-bombers, along with Australian aircraft, hit airfield and various other targets on Halmahera Island.

FEAF aircraft fly armed reconnaissance and light raids over northern Borneo, northern Celebes, Flores Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands, and the Wewak, New Guinea area.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1944)

In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area on Leyte, the 1st Squadron of the 112th Cavalry Regiment (Special) begins an action to locate and sever the Japanese supply line to the ridge southeast of Limon. In the XXIV Corps area, the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division (reinforced by the 2d Battalion, 306th Infantry Regiment and supported by artillery, Company A of the 776th Amphibious Tank Battalion and Company A of the 88th Chemical Weapons Battalion) drives north astride Highway 2 from Ipil toward Camp Downes, less than 1 mile from Ormoc. A platoon of Company A, 776th Amphibious Tank Battalion, moving by sea, reconnoiters the Camp Downes area, meeting Japanese fire. The 305th Infantry Regiment protects the southern flank of the division, holding the perimeter from Ipil area south to the Baod River. The Americans consolidate their positions in Buri airfield area.

Over 60 USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24s bomb Mandurriao, Lahug and La Carlota Airfields on Cebu and Negros Island while fighter-bombers hit the San Isidro area.

VOLCANO ISLANDS

The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command flies Mission 11: 82 B-29s from the Mariana Islands join USAAF Seventh Air Force P-38s, 89 B-24s and Navy cruisers in a strike against airfields on Iwo Jima Island from which Japanese strikes against U.S. airfields in the Mariana Islands are being launched; 61 B-29s bomb the airfields and four bomb other targets without loss.

The USN bombardment force is Task Group 94.9 (Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith) consisting of the heavy cruisers USS Chester, Pensacola and Salt Lake City and eight destroyers.

Japanese aircraft strike the Mariana Island airfields on 2, 7, and 27 November, 7 and 25 December (the largest attack-25 aircraft), and from 25 December 1944 to 2 January 1945 in very minor degrees; altogether about 80 Japanese aircraft attack, and nearly 40 are downed. Because of these strikes, 11 B-29s are destroyed and 43 damaged on the ground.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 200, DECEMBER 8, 1944

The air attack on Iwo Jima, reported by communiqué No. 199, was con­ducted by a large force of aircraft, including a sizeable force of B‑29s, 108 Liberators, and 30 Lightnings. The B‑29s encountered no antiaircraft or fighter opposition and none were lost. The Lightnings encountered six Zeros, destroyed five and damaged one.

All the aircraft concerned were under the command of Lieutenant General Millard F. Harmon, who has recently been assigned to command the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas. His force will include the shore‑based aircraft of the Pacific Ocean Areas normally employed in the offensive operations. He is also Deputy Commander of the Twentieth Air Force.

The Naval surface units which bombarded Iwo Jima on December 7, were under the command of Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith, U. S. Navy.

Bombers of the Eleventh Army Air Force scored hits on installations at Suribachi in Paramushiru in the Kuriles on December 6 (West Longitude Date).

Fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing strafed installations on Babelthuap in the Palaus on December 5 and 6.

Marine aircraft on the same dates bombed the airstrip on Pagan in the Marianas.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPAC PRESS RELEASE NO. 663, DECEMBER 8, 1944

Behind the brilliant story of the victory of Vice‑Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's carrier task force over the Japanese fleet in the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea lies another story no less dramatic in its implications-that of the workmanlike job performed by oilers of the Service Force of the Pacific, under the command of Vice‑Admiral William L. Calhoun, in feeding the fighting ships and planes their lifeblood: gasoline and fuel oil.

Today Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander, Third Fleet, announced that during September and October these oilers had supplied the carrier task force considerably more than one hundred million gallons of fuel. This fuel was for the carriers and the planes in Mitscher's forces. It was enough gasoline, based on present rations, to keep all the "A" card auto owners of a major United States city supplied with gasoline for an entire year; and the fuel oil supplied Admiral Mitscher's fleet would keep the oil burning furnaces in 76,000 average American homes under normal conditions, going the year 'round.

Nor was this merely a story of a routine fueling job, performed in a quiet harbor under ideal conditions. After the oiler has made its long trip to an advance base, through waters where the danger of air and submarine attack is always present, its most dangerous job may still lie ahead. Once the battle is joined, much of the fueling of the fighting ships must of neces­sity be done at sea, and fueling at sea is one of the most difficult and danger­ous jobs. In rough weather, it requires the utmost skill in seamanship to accomplish the job at all. Fuel and mooring lines may snap; men may be killed or maimed for life; the two ships may even collide with damage to both.

So difficult, so intricate and important is this task that Admiral Halsey has already commended the oilers for their "magnificent job" in supplying the fleet with gasoline and oil prior to and during the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Not many an oiler will ever be able to paint a Jap flag, for planes downed or ships sunk, upon her bridge‑but every man in the task force is aware of, the importance of the contribution of these service ships.