World War II in real time

Day 1202 of World War II, December 24th 1942

Eastern Front

Von Manstein was forced to withdraw Battlegroup Hoth as new Soviet attacks from the Stalingrad Front broke through the 4th Rumanian Army, threatening the German forces from the south as well as from the north. Soviet offensives continued with new vigor on the Don Front as well with the apparent end of Operation "Wintergewitter".

As Christmas of 1942 approached, the situation of 6.Armee was becoming increasingly desperate. Von Manstein's relief column had been forced to retreat, supplies arriving by air were diminshing and starvation began to cull the ranks of the men inside the pocket. With no fodder available for the horses, the Germans had started slaughtering the animals for food shortly after the Red Army closed the ring around Stalingrad. On Christmas eve, von Paulus ordered that the last of the beasts be killed to provide a makeshift Christmas dinner for his men. But on the following day, he ordered another cut in the soldiers rations. The daily food allotment for each man was now a bowl of thin soup and 100 grams of bread per day. At Tatsinskaya airfield outside Stalingrad, Russian tanks began to bombard the field. With his Ju 52s waiting for liftoff with engines running, General Fiebig gave the order to leave the airbase. Several transports were hit and destroyed before Fiebig's order. At 05.30 hours, chaos ensued on the airfield. Flying laden with supplies for Stalingrad instead of vital ground crew and equipment, the Ju 52s took off in all directions through tank fire and ground fog that limited visibility to about 50 yards. Two Ju 52s taking off in different directions, collided at mid-field and exploded. As General Fiebig watched from the control tower - with a waiting Junkers nearby - Russian tanks entered the airfield. At 06.15 hours, the last transport took off with General Fiebig and his staff onboard and Fw. Ruppert at the controls. Only 108 Ju 52s and 16 Ju 86s managed to escape the destruction of 'Tazi'. One transport was flown to Novocherkassk airfield by Hptm. Lorenz of Signals Regiment 38, who was not a pilot and had never flown before. That night he was given an honorary pilot's badge by General von Richthofen. The loss of the airfield directly affected the outcome of 6.Armee in Stalingrad. At Morosovskaya - or 'Moro' - airfield, Colonel Ernst Kuhl recieved word that the weather would break, creating good flying conditions. He ordered the Stuka and bomber crews at Novocherkassk to return to 'Moro' and begin operations. Just after the fog lifted, the Luftwaffe attacked. Aircraft from Major Dr. Kupfer's StG 2, Oblt. Hitschold's anti-tank unit, Major Wilcke's JG 3 and bombers from KG 27, KG 55 and I./KG 100 struck the spearhead of the Russian tank attacks. The Russians, caught in the open, were decimated. Along with shortages of food and ammunition, doctors at Stalingrad were forced to cope with an increasing number of wounded men and diminishing stocks of medicine. Although the wounded were given priority for evacuation on the outbound transport planes, Wehrmacht doctors were now forced to give first choice to wounded soldiers who stood the best chance of recovering and being returned to battle. A triage was set up at the airport to sort out the hopless cases and to remove any cases of self-inflicted wounds, which were becoming more prevalent with each passing day. As the seige wore on, Army aid stations became overwhelmed with wounded soldiers who might have stood a chance of survival under normal conditions. But with the lack of supplies and the sheer weight of their numbers, many of these men died and manpower for proper disposal of the bodies was inadequate. As a result, many of these aid stations were swamped with corpses which remained in place for lack of enough able-bodied men to transfer them to graves registration units.

Air War over Europe

During the night of 24/25 December, RAF Bomber Command dispatches three Oboe Mosquitos to attack German targets. One bombs Dusseldorf and one each bomb steel factories at Essen and Meiderich. The Essen bombs fell on the northern parts of the Krupps factory.

The first P-47 Thunderbolts arrive in England for the USAAF Eighth Air Force however, because of VHF radio and engine difficulties, the P-47s are not sent into combat until April 1943.

Germany

The first Fieseler Fi 103 (V1 "Buzz Bomb") is catapulted from Peenemunde West and makes a flight of 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).

Battle of the Mediterranean

Pope Pius XII makes another of his many calls for the more humane conduct of hostilities during a lengthy Christmas message over Vatican Radio. Humanity, he says, owed the resolution of a better world to;

"the hundreds of thousands who, without personal guilt, sometimes for no other reason than their nationality or descent, were doomed to death or exposed to a progressive deterioration of their condition."

North African campaign

Fighting on Longstop Hill continued in Tunisia. The British occupied the position at the end of the day's fight. The British First Army regains positions on Djebel el Ahmera hill. Four Twelfth Air Force P-40s attack a bridge north of Gabes.

French Admiral Jean Darlan, High Commissioner for North Africa, is assassinated in his Algiers office by Bonnier de la Chappelle, a Charles de Gaulle follower who was training to be a British agent. Due to his ties with the Vichy French government, Admiral Darlan was not a popular appointment with the Free French and his death avoids political controversy in the Allied camp. "Darlan's murder, however criminal, relieved the Allies of their embarrassment at working with him," admitted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The nature and background of this act will be debated over the years. de la Chapelle is tried by a secret military court and summarily executed.

A decision is made at conference between U.S. Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander Allied Force, and Lieutenant General Kenneth A. N. Anderson, General Officer Commanding British First Army, to abandon the attack on Tunis, Tunisia, until after the rainy season.

Canada

Canadian National Defence says there are now 681,615 volunteers and conscripts in the Canadian forces.

Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

In the Aleutians, the reconnaissance aircraft over Kiska finds shipping there unchanged. Weather cancel all other missions.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

On New Britain Island, Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb the harbor at Arawe on the western tip of the island while B-17s and B-24s hit shipping and the airfield at Gasmata on the southern coast. A Japanese netlayer is sunk by the B-24s and a transport is sunk by the B-17s.

HAWAII

(Seventh Air Force) The detachments of the 370th, 371st, 372d and 424th Bombardment Squadrons, 307th BG that have been operating from Midway Island with B-24s return to their bases in the Territory of Hawaii.

BURMA:

The Japanese advances in two areas of the Chin Hills are repelled by Allied troops.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

After an artillery preparation in Papua New Guinea, the Urbana Force, employing the U.S. 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, begins a drive toward the sea through Government Gardens, where Japanese defenses are organized in depth and concealed by high kunai grass. Progress is very slow.

A platoon of Company L discovers a weak spot and drives through to a line of coconut trees near the coast; is surrounded there and suffers heavy casualties before escaping by a circuitous route. As a diversion, elements move to the Mission side of creek from Musita Island and from shallows between Buna Village and Buna Mission, but withdraw because of intense opposition.

The Warren Force opens an attack on Old Strip after an artillery preparation. The Australian 2/10th Battalion, 18th Brigade, 7th Division, disposed along the northern edge of the strip, is supported by three Australian-manned U.S. M3 Stuart light tanks while making their main effort. The 1st Battalions of the U.S. 126th and 128th Infantry Regiments attack in parallel columns along the southern edge of the strip; later the 1st Battalion of the 128th Infantry Regiment follows the 1st Battalion of the 126th.

The attack gains some 450 yards, but Japanese fire prevents movement onto the strip and knocks out the three tanks.

In Papua New Guinea, Fifth Air Force A-20s strafe troops near Kel Kel and along the northern bank of the Amboga River and trail. B-24s, operating singly, bomb Lae and a schooner in Vitiaz Strait.

Submarine Silversides (SS-236) is bombed and damaged by Japanese aircraft off Rabaul, but continues on her patrol.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

On Guadalcanal, the 3d Battalion, 132d Infantry Regiment Americal Division, followed by the 1st Battalion in reserve, moves west without incident to Hill 31, west of the summit of Mt Austen; upon attacking south toward Hill 27, they are stopped short by fire from a Japanese strongpoint, called Gifu, between Hills 31 and 27. The Gifu position, with fixed defenses and interconnecting pillboxes, is held by about 500 Japanese troops.

NEW GEORGIA

Nine USMC SBDs and four F4Fs and nine USAAF P-39s and four P-38s attack the airstrip at Munda on New Georgia Island.; the Americans claim ten Zekes as they are taking off. The SBDs destroy ten Zekes on the ground. There are no US losses.

OFF THE COAST OF WAKE ISLAND

Submarine Triton (SS-201) sinks Japanese water tanker No.1 Amakusa Maru south of Wake Island, 19°16'N, 166°36'E.

AUSTRALIA

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Portland (CA-33) in a drydock at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, circa in late December 1942, while under repair for torpedo damage received in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942. She arrived at Sydney on 30 November but did not enter drydock until 24 December after USS Chester (CA-27) and USS New Orleans (CA-32) were repaired. Note the arrangement of gun directors on her forward superstructure: main battery director atop the foremast, with FC fire control radar; and a secondary battery director, with FD fire control radar, on each bridge wing. Also note this ship's external degaussing cables, mounted on her hull sides

Day 1204 of World War II, December 26th 1942

Eastern Front

At the 'Moro' airfield, fog and ice storms returned, halting attacks on Russian armour. With this break, the Russians resumed their advance on the airfield. Lt. Schwientek of Jg 52 downed 2 IL-2s and a YaK near Rossosch.

The Soviets penetrated into Velikiye Luki and cut the German garrison in 2 halves - each so small that henceforth supplies to the surviving Germans could only be air-dropped. The Russians also continued their advance in the middle Don region. The spearheads were 100 miles from Rostov, threatening to surround the German forces in the Caucasus and claim 56,000 prisoners since the offensive began. German forces south of the Don River are in full retreat as the Soviet advance nears Kotelnikovo. The Soviets capture Radomyshl in the Kiev sector.

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine U-357 is sunk about 308 nautical miles WNW of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS 'Hesperus' and 'Vanessa'; six of the 42 crewmen survive.

USN submarine USS 'Barb' mistakenly torpedoes and damages the 6,276 ton neutral Spanish tanker MV 'Campomanes' off Cape Finisterre, Spain. Cape Finisterre is a rocky promontory in extreme northwestern Spain.

North African campaign

In Tunisia, B-17s with fighter escort, hit the harbour and shipping at Bizerte. Heavy flak and fighter attacks accounted for 2 B-17s and 2 P-38s shot down. The Lightnings claimed 2 Fw 190s destroyed but the Luftwaffe actually lost 3 fighters to P-38s of the US 1st FG 94th FS. Lt. Crinius of I./JG 53 downed one of the four-engined bombers near Tunis. Other B-17s with P-40 escort, bombed the harbour and shipping at Sfax; 3 German vessels were claimed sunk. P-38s on recon, attacked locomotives and motor vehicles south of Tunis and west of Sousse.

During the night of 26/27 December, C-47 Skytrains drop a detachment of U.S. paratroopers at a bridge north of El Djem.

The French Imperial Council names General Henri-Honeré Giraud as French High Commissioner for North Africa after the assassination of Admiral Jean Darlan on 24 December. The assassin, Bonnier de la Chappelle, is executed today.

Photo: A Stuart tank comes to the rescue of a truck which has become stuck in soft sand near Nufilia, 26 December 1942



Photo: Trucks pass through 'Marble Arch', a monument built by Mussolini to mark the border between Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in Libya, 26 December 1942



Photo: A Sherman tank with a Christmas greeting painted on its hull, Benghazi, 26 December 1942



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Eleventh Air Force B-24s and nine P-38s attack Holtz Bay on northeast Attu Island but do not find the eight Rufe seaplane fighters seen there yesterday. The P-38s strafe Attu installations at minimum altitude. while the B-24s bomb Sarana Bay. Antiaircraft fire downs a P-38 and damages another. Later, six B-25s and four P-38s over Kiska Island and Gertrude Cove abort due to low ceiling.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

Fifth Air Force heavy bombers carry out single-bomber attacks against Cape Gloucester Airfield on New Britain Island and attack shipping off the island.

BURMA

B-25s of the USAAF Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force bomb Lashio.

CHINA

A large force of Japanese aircraft attempt to raid Yunnani Airfield. They are intercepted by P-40s of the USAAF Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force and eight fighters and three twin-engine bombers are shot down.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On the Urbana front in Papua, New Guinea, the 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, renews an attack to open the corridor to the sea. Company C is prevented by stubborn opposition from reaching Companies A and F near the coast, but a patrol gets through. In the Buna area, Warren Force, assisted by an Australian 25-pound (87.6 millimeter) gun emplaced at the southeastern end of Old Strip, succeeds at last in forming a continuous line across the strip. Advance elements on the flanks push to the northwestern end and begin the reduction of Japanese positions there. Under cover of darkness during the night of 26/27 December, additional Allied tanks and troops are landed at Oro Bay.

In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force heavy bombers carry out single-bomber attacks against Finschhafen and Madang. Japanese aircraft from Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, attack Dobodura but are driven off by U.S. P-40s with the loss of seven Zeke fighters

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

On Guadalcanal, after artillery and air preparation, the 3d Battalion, 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, renews an attack to the south, making limited progress against strong opposition from the Gifu strongpoint. The 3d and 1st Battalions, the latter on the east, dig in for the night on a line between Hill 31 and Gifu.

Brigadier General Francis P Mulcahy, USMC, arrives on Guadalcanal with the Second Marine Aircraft Wing and assumes operational control of all aircraft on the island, including those of the USAAF and USN.
USMC SBD Dauntlesses and F4Fs and USAAF P-38s from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, attack Japanese transports at Wickham Anchorage, New Georgia Island, sinking two merchant cargo ships. In the afternoon, a USAAF P-39 and a USMC F4F pilot shoot down a Zeke fighter and three Rufe seaplane fighters over Munda Airfield on New Georgia Island.

THAILAND

Twelve B-24s of the USAAF Tenth Air Force's India Air Task Force bomb the railroad station, dock area, arsenal, and power plant at Bangkok.

Day 1206 of World War II, December 28th 1942

Eastern Front

In the face of the continuing Soviet offensive toward Rostov-on-Don that threatens to cut it off, German Heeresgruppe A is ordered to withdraw its forces from the Caucasus.

Air War over Europe

During the night of 28/29 December, RAF Bomber Command sends five Wellingtons and a Stirling to lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

Vichy French Somaliland

General Dupont, the Vichy French Governor of French Somaliland, surrenders the colony to the Free French.

Battle of the Mediterranean

The British rescue tug HMS 'St. Issey' is torpedoed and sunk about 31 nautical miles NNE of Benghazi, Libya, by German submarine U-617.

North African campaign

British Eighth Army patrols reach positions overlooking Wadi el Chebir without German opposition.

Twenty two USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24s, including RAF Liberators under USAAF IX Bomber Command operational control, bomb the harbor at Sousse, hitting vessels and dock installations.

Twelfth Air Force B-17s bomb the dock and harbor installations at Sousse. while P-38s fly escort; P-38s and P-40s on patrol and reconnaissance missions claim four Axis aircraft downed in combat and several vehicles destroyed at various points. F-4 Lightnings fly reconnaissance over the Tunis, Sousse and Sfax areas.

United States

Concerned about sharing the secrets of atomic research, President Franklin D. Roosevelt confirms the policy of noncooperation with the British that his advisers have been recommending. He orders that no information should be given to the British unless it happens to be in an area in which British scientists are directly involved.

Vichy France

In a worldwide radio broadcast from France, Marshal Henri-Philippe Petain, Head of the Vichy French State, accuses the Free French leaders of having betrayed French Africa to the British and Americans.

Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

In the Aleutians, icing conditions and low visibility prevent all flying.

The USN high speed minesweeper USS Wasmuth is escorting a convoy through a heavy Alaskan storm when two depth charges are wrenched from their tracks by the pounding sea, fall over the side, and explode beneath the ship's stern. The blasts carry away part of the stern and she begins to founder. In the gale, the pumps cannot make headway against the inexorably rising water below.

Despite the heavy sea, the oiler USS Ramapo (AO-12) comes alongside the crippled and foundering Wasmuth and for 3.5 hours, the oiler remains with the sinking ship, transferring the latter's officers and men (134) and two passengers. After completing the rescue, Ramapo pulls away; Wasmuth sinks tomorrow about 35 nautical miles off Scotch Cap on the southwest coast of Unimak Island.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

On New Britain Island, B-24s bomb Rabaul and Gasmata.

CHINA

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek radios U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt that although the Chinese army in Yunnan will be ready for an offensive by spring of 1943 as planned, the offensive cannot be undertaken unless there are additional naval forces for the Bay of Bengal.

The USAAF Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force B-25s, with fighter support, hit Magwe.

JAPAN

General Sugiyama Hajime, Chief of the Army General Staff, and Admiral NAGANO Osami, Chief of the Navy General Staff, tell Emperor Hirohito of the intent by Imperial General Headquarters to order a withdrawal from Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese garrison of Buna is ordered to withdraw to Giruwa, assisted by a detachment at Giruwa, which is to attack through the U.S. left flank. The Urbana Force's U.S. 127th Infantry Regiment gains a broad corridor from the Entrance Creek to the line of coconut trees. Company K makes a futile attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Mission side of Entrance Creek; some elements attempting to land from boats are turned back by fire; others begin crossing the bridge between Musita Island. and the Mission, but the bridge becomes unusable before many are across.

Photo: An infantryman receives grenades from the crew of a tank during an attack at Buna



Volunteers from Company E enter the Triangle in the evening and find strong defenses there deserted.

Map: Urbana Front, 18–28 December



Warren Force overcomes all organized resistance at Old Strip and swings north toward the coast. The Australian 2/10th Battalion, 18th Brigade, 7th Division, continues to cleanup Japanese positions around Old Strip while the Australian 2/12th Battalion, 18th Brigade, arrives at Oro Bay from Goodenough Island, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, during the night of 28/29 December.

Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Lae, Northeast New Guinea. HQ, 33d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group with C-47s, moves from Australia to Port Moresby.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

On Guadalcanal, patrols of the 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, probe the Gifu line but are unable to find gaps. Since effective strength of the assault battalions now totals only 1,541, the 132rd Infantry Regiment commanding officer is promised a fresh 2d Battalion.

Day 1208 of World War II, December 30th 1942

Eastern Front

Remontnoe, 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Elista falls to the Red Army.

With clear skies, the Soviet Air Forces' 3 VA and 6 VA (operating immediately to the north and mainly responsible for air operations against Demyansk) made a combined all-out effort against German airfields and troop positions between Lake Ilmen and Vitebsk. This time JG 54 took the brunt of the air fighting on the German side. On this date, I./JG 54's 9-victory experte Fw. Heinrich Bruhn and his wingman, Uffz. Paul Grothoff were bounced by 5 Airacobras from 28 GIAP, south of Lake Ilmen. Kapitan Anatoliy Kislyakov, leading the Soviet formation, shot down the two Bf 109s in quick succession. Both pilots survived and were captured by the Russians. Meanwhile, 7./JG 54's Lt. Friedich Rupp attained his 48th through 50th victories.

Oblt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob's 9./JG 54 chalked up 6 victories - including 2 each by Oblt. Bob and Oblt. Franz Eisenach and the Staffel's 300th victory through Lt. Rudolf Klemm. But all of this was superceded by the Geschwader's I. and II. Gruppen, which fought against 6 VA formations. Hptm. Hans Philipp, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54 and the units leading ace, claimed 8 victories while II./JG 54's Lt. Max Stotz almost placed himself alongside Hptm. Philipp by shooting down 10 Russian aircraft, reaching a victory tally of 129. Major Hans 'Assi' Hahn, Lt. Stotz' Gruppenkommandeur, contributed with another 5 kills to JG 54's total score for the day of 45 victories. The Luftwaffe's own losses in the area between Lake Ilmen and Vitebsk were at least 10 planes.

Air War over Europe

During Mission 27, 77 US bombers were dispatched to the submarine base at Lorient, France. 40 aircraft attacked with the loss of 3 of the B-17s and a further 22 damaged. In an example of overclaiming, 10 B-17s were claimed destroyed by fighters from III./JG 2.

The submarine base was beginning to show the cumulative effect of repeated bombardment. A US 8th Bomber Command study of air attacks on submarine pens indicated that available US bombs were incapable of penetrating the roofs of the pens from any bombing level low enough to maintain accuracy.

North African campaign

Regimental Combat Team 18, U.S. 1st Infantry Division, moves to Medjez el Bab.

In Tunisia, B-17s with P-38 escort, attacked docks and the marshalling yard at Sfax. B-25s escorted by P-38s followed with an attack on the same marshaling yard. DB-7s hit a troop concentration near Gabes, this attack being followed by an A-20 raid on the airfield. A-20s hit a fuel dump at El Aouina; on the return flight, escorting P-38s strafed near El Guettar.

Six B-26s of the newly arrived US 17th MBG, with P-38 and P-40 escort, again attacked the airfield at Gabes in the afternoon. Defending Bf 109s destroyed 5 of the medium bombers but lost a Messerschmitt to an escort P-38. One of the P-38s shot down over Gabes was the aircraft of First Lt. Virgil Smith who had achieved ace status on 11 December 1942.

Eleven Fw 200s of KG 40 raided Casablanca.

United Kingdom

Photo: HMS Skate - Destroyer That Brought Surrendered U-boats Into Harwich in World War I - Still Fights With the Navy. 30 December 1942, Liverpool, HMS Skate, Last Remaining Ship of the Old "admiralty R" Class and Oldest Ship in the British Navy, Is a Veteran of World War I. She Is the Only Three Funnelled Destroyer in the Navy and Was Built in 1917, Serving With the Harwich Flotilla



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

B-25s and 14 P-38s approach Japanese-held Kiska Harbor at minimum altitude for a bombing and strafing attack. Two ships and three submarines, newly arrived, are covered by Zeros. Four of the Zeros engage the approaching P-38s in a dogfight; two P-38s are shot down and four Zeros are listed as probables.

The B-25s meanwhile attack the ships with unobserved results; one B-25 is shot down off Little Kiska Island. A USN PBY Catalina picks up survivors, but fails to return to base. Kiska Harbor is then attacked once more by five B-24s, four B-25s and four B-26s. They claim hits on both vessels observing explosions on the smaller ship. A B-24 photographs Amchitka while a weather reconnaissance of Near Island is cancelled due to weather. Aerial reconnaissance observes for the first time Japanese use of a smoke screen at Kiska Harbor.

AUSTRALIA

Prime Minister John Curtin complains to the press about "buggers in Australia who won't work. Coal mines are idle, and everyone is thinking about holidays just at a time when a few extra tons in our war effort would have a crucial effect. We are like people who have just got contagion out of the house, and just over the back fence. Apparently we are not worrying about how dirty the yard is."

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17s bomb shipping at Rabaul on New Britain Island and sink a merchant cargo ship.

NEW GUINEA

In Papua New Guinea, the Urbana Force maintains pressure against Buna Mission from the southeast and prepares to envelop it by attacking eastward from Buna Village and Musita Island.

Warren Force regroups. Advance elements of the 163rd Infantry Regiment (1st Battalion and headquarters) , U.S. 41st Infantry Division, are flown to Dobodura and Popondetta from Port Moresby.

In Papua New Guinea, Fifth Air Force A-20s strafe forces in the Duvira Creek area while B-24s carry out single-bomber attacks on the airfield at Lae, Madang Village, and troops and vehicles at Wewak. A B-17s strafes a schooner in Jacquinot Bay.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

In preparation for renewing their attack on Hill 27 on Guadalcanal, the 2rd Battalion, 132rd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, begins a movement to forward positions. The 1st and 3d Battalions continue to patrol.

OFF THE COAST OFF MANUS, ADMIRALTIES

Submarine Greenling (SS-213) attacks Japanese convoy about 180 miles northeast of Manus, Admiralties, sinking army cargo ship Hiteru Maru and damaging cargo ship Ryufuku Maru, 00°41'N, 148°52'E.

OFF THE COAST OFF BORNEO

Submarine Thresher (SS-200) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Hachian Maru (ex-British Kinshan) about 120 miles west of Mata Siri Island, off southeast tip of Borneo, 04°45'N, 113°54'E.

Day 1210 of World War II, January 1st 1943

YouTube (And Now It's 1943)



Eastern Front

The New Year opened badly for the Germans at Stalingrad. The encircled German 6.Armee on the Stalingrad front, now compressed into an area some 25 by 40 miles remains under attack from all sides. Efforts to supply it by air meet with little success and are costly in aircraft. Soviet troops of the Kalinin Front capture Velikie Luki, an important rail center, which has been under attack for some time. Elista, south of Stalingrad in the Kalmyk steppes, falls to other Red Army forces. Deteriorating weather conditions hampered German flight activities with Gefechtsverband Wilke lossing 7 He 111s - including 6 from KG 53 - during missions to Velikiye Luki on New Year's Day. Out of 45 air-dropped supply containers, only 7 reached the surrounded German garrison. By that time, these troops were;

"...so weak from losses that they could no longer be described as a unified combat formation",

in the words of historian Werner Haupt. German LIX Army Corps' "Gruppe Wohler" prepared a new relief operation. The airfields at 'Moro' and 'Tazi' were finally decided to be given up by the Luftwaffe to the approaching Russians. But airlift aircraft from Novocherkassk were able to again deliver over 200 tons of supplies to Stalingrad.

German troops of 1.Panzerarmee (von Kliest) in the Caucasus began withdrawing from the Terek front to avoid being cut-off by Soviet forces attacking from the northeast toward Rostov-On-Don.

Battle of the Atlantic

After an 8-hour search, an Australian Sunderland of No. 10 Squadron, RAAF, based in England, sights the 6,753 ton German blockade runner SS 'Rhakotis'. The aircraft crew guides the British light cruiser HMS 'Scylla' to the ship but when the cruiser opens fire, the Germans scuttle their ship NW of La Coruna, Comunidad Autonoma de Galicia, Spain.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Luftwaffenkommado Sudost was formed in Greece from parts of X. Fliegerkorps and placed under the control of GenFeldm. Albert kesselring's Luftflotte 2. General Otto Hoffmann von Waldau was appointed Befehlshaber of Luftwaffenkommando Sudost and GenLt. Alexander Holle was appointed Kommandierender General of X. Fliegerkorps. One of the units controlled by X. Fliegerkorps was 'Fliegerfuhrer Kreta'.

The 7,176 ton U.S. Liberty Ship SS 'Arthur Middleton' is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-73 NW of Oran, Algeria. The subsequent explosion sends steel plates, flame and smoke soaring 1,000 feet into the air and breaks the ship in two. Her sinking takes less than two minutes. Her complement consisted of 44 crew members, 27 Naval Armed Guards and 12 U.S. Army personnel. Three members of the Naval Armed Guards are the only survivors.

North African campaign

In Tunisia, 15 B-24s of the 98th HBG struck the harbor at Tunis hitting the turning basin, the area just southwest of the basin and a nearby railroad junction. A few of the aircraft bombed the south of Sicily. B-17s hit the harbor at Tunis while B-26s hit the marshaling yard. B-25s on a mission against shipping near La Goulette aborted due to weather. Fighters escorted the bomber missions and C-47 transport carried out routine patrols.

Lt.General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander Allied Force, places Major General Lloyd Fredendall in command of the U.S. II Corps, which is planning for Operation SATIN, the capture of Sfax, Tunisia, to prevent the junction of Axis armies. Task Force SATIN is to consist of the 1st Armored Division and Regimental Combat Team 26 of the 1st Infantry Division.

Photo: A Crusader Mk III tank, 1 January 1943



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Rescuer (ARS-18) sinks after running aground off Scotch Cape, Aleutians.

Photo: Aerial reconnaissance photo of the Japanese-held Aleutian Island of Kiska, taken in 1943



SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) evacuates 29 civilians from Teop Island, Solomons.

From Hill 11, 2d Bn of 132d Inf marches slowly S and W over precipitous terrain to SE slope of Hill 27, arriving too late in day to open assault as planned. RCT 27, 25th Div, arrives on island.

JAPAN

Submarine Porpoise (SS-172), in attack on Japanese convoy, sinks merchant cargo ship Renzan Maru off northeastern coast of Honshu, 39°11'N, 142°02'E.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

Japanese army cargo ship Osaka Maru is damaged by mine, 16 miles off Ambon, N.E.I.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24’s and B-17’s bomb A/Fs at Rabaul, Gasmata, and Lae, and attack shipping at Rabaul.

BURMA

USAAF Tenth Air Force 6 B-25’s attack railroad bridge near Myitnge, claiming several hits on the tgt. The nearby A/F is also bombed.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

Urbana Force attacks toward Buna Mission from SE and from the spit after heavy preparatory fire, but makes little progress. In evening Japanese are seen swimming from the Mission. Co B, 127th Inf, moves E toward Giropa Pt to assist Warren Force, which encircles enemy between Giropa Pt and Old Strip. On left, Aus 2/12th Bn, supported by 6 tanks, drives to coast at Giropa Pt and turns SE, clearing coastal strip to Simemi Creek; 1st Bn, U.S. 128th Inf, mops up bypassed pockets. On right, 3d Bn of 128th Inf and Aus 2/10th Bn make slow progress in 2-pronged attack to clear enemy entrenched in dispersal bays off NW end of Strip.

Day 1212 of World War II, January 3rd 1943

Eastern Front

Exploiting the German withdrawal in the Caucasus, the Red Army occupies Mozdok and Malgobek. Soviet forces from the 44th and 58th Armies captured Malgobek in the Caucasus as Heeresgruppe A began a general withdrawl from the region.

Air War over Europe

During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches three Pathfinder Mosquitos and 19 Lancasters to continue the Oboe-marking experimental raids on Essen. Three Lancasters are lost.

A Dornier Do 217E was hit by heavy AA fire and brought down to a safe forced landing at Skeffling near Hull at 21.30 hours. The aircraft was set on fire by its crew and destroyed before they were taken prisoner.

The USAAF's VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 28: The primary target is the St Nazaire U-Boat base, the first attack on this installation since 23 November 1942 and the heaviest attack to date against U-Boat bases to date. The command dispatches 85 B-17s and 13 B-24s; 60 B-17s and eight B-24s hit the target dropping 171 tons of bombs between 1130 and 1140 hours local. Formation (instead of individual) precision bombing is used for the first time by the VIII Bomber Command, and considerable damage is done to the dock area. The mission to the St Nazaire U-Boat base was intercepted by fighters from III./JG 2 and 7 bombers were shot and another 47 badly damaged making for the highest losses for the American bomb groups in Europe thus far. The Allies claimed 14 Luftwaffe aircraft shot down, 18 probables and 4 damaged. 17 Bombers were claimed by pilots of JG 2 including 2 bombers for Oblt. Egon Mayer from Stab III./JG 2. Other notable pilots claiming kills were Lt. Georg-Peter Eder and Oblt. Erich Hohagen from 7./JG 2 and Oblt. Siegfreid Schnell of 9./JG 2.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 11 Bostons to Cherbourg but they are recalled. Three each Mosquitos attack railway targets in the Amiens and Tergnier areas. No aircraft are lost.

During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 45 Wellingtons and Lancasters to lay mines off the Bay of Biscay coast: 15 off the Gironde Estuary; 7 off Lorient, six off St. Nazaire, three each off Amiens, Bayonne and Tergnier, and two each off La Pallice, Limoges and St. Jean de Luz.

During the night of 3/4 January, three RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Texel Island. First Bomber Command 6 Group ops as (RCAF)427 Squadron Wellingtons laid mines in the Frisians. The various RCAF squadrons were almalgamated into their own group.

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine U-337 (Type VIIC), with 47 crewmen, is listed as missing in the North Atlantic; there is no explanation for its loss. U-337 reported for the last time today when the boat was about 150 nautical miles WNW of the Faeroe Islands (63.00N, 12.00W).

Battle of the Mediterranean

RAF Baltimores operating under the USAAF IX Bomber Command, bomb Suda Bay and Timbakion Airfield on the southern coast of Cete. A few of the aircraft also bomb Kapistri in eastern Crete.

North African campaign

An Axis tank-infantry force, with artillery and air support, overruns the French 19th Corps troops at Fondouk. The British First Army's V Corps, employing the 36th Brigade of the 78th Division,begins limited attacks to improve positions on Djebel Azag and Djebel Ajred, west of Mateur. The British 6th Armoured Division conducts a reconnaissance in force on the Goubellat plain.
All USAAF XII Fighter Command units, i.e., fighters and light bombers (A-20s and DB-7s), attack Axis tanks at Fondouk el Aouareb. The fighters and light bombers attack the tanks as they move west from Fondouk; several tanks are reported destroyed or aflame and numerous other tanks and vehicles are damaged.

United Kingdom

A new Yugoslav Government is formed in London by former Prime Minister Yovanovitch. King Peter had been handed the resignation of the former government on 29 December 1942.

Pacific War

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

A lone USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 strafes the airfield at Gasmata on New Britain Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force) The 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Tenth Air Force with F-4s, moves from Chakulia to Pandaveswar, India. One flight is operating from Kweilin, China.

SOUTH PACIFIC

(Army Forces in South Pacific Area) The 394th Bombardment Squadron, 5th BG (Heavy)with B-17s, based on Fiji, begins operating from Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal.

NEW GUINEA

In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s strafe troops in the waters off Buna as U.S. and Australian ground forces are mopping up in the nearby Buna Mission area. Allied forces report that they have retaken most of the lower areas of New Guinea, and the remaining Japanese resistance on the island is trapped in "hopeless" positions.

In Northeast New Guinea B-26s, along with a single B-24, bomb Madang and A-20s hit Salamaua.

Japanese supplies and reinforcements are landed at Lae, Papua New Guinea, under Allied air attacks. This convoy will provide the Allied Air Force planners valuable experience for future use. Over 100 sorties are delivered by the USAAF Fifth Air Force. Lieutenant General George C. Kenny, Commanding General Allied Air Force and Commanding General USAAF Fifth Air Force, had information from ULTRA as to when the convoy would leave Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, its destination and when it would arrive. Aircraft were ordered into the air as soon as they were ready. In some cases a medium or heavy bomber would attack singly, in other cases in twos or threes. Not surprisingly, with hindsight, the convoy handled them easily. One small transport is sunk by an Australian (PBY) Catalina attacking at night. After the convoy delivers its cargo, the Fifth Air Force sinks two more ships but by then the damage is done.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

Guadalcanal - The 1st Battalion, 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, exerts pressure against the eastern part of the Gifu and establishes contact with 2d Battalion to the left.

Map: Attacks at Buna – Warren Force 18–28 December