World War II in real time

Day 1217 of World War II, January 8th 1943

YouTube (A Soviet Offensive Along the Entire Front?)



Eastern Front

Soviet General Konstantin Rokossovsky, Commander-in- Chief of the Don Front, issues a surrender ultimatum to the troops of German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus' Sixth Army in Stalingrad, guaranteeing;
"their lives and safety, and after the end of the war return to Germany", and promising that "...medical aid will be given to all wounded, sick and frost-bitten. .."

Since Paulus had been ordered by German Chancellor Adolf Hitler not to surrender or attempt to breakout of the city, the summons is ignored. Soviet forces seize Zimovniki, on the Stalingrad-Novorossisk railline.

Air War over Europe

During the night of 8/9 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches three Mosquitos and 38 Lancasters to attack Duisburg; 36 aircraft attack with the loss of three Lancasters.

Battle of the Atlantic

Shortly before midnight, submarine U-124 attacks 12-ship Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-bound convoy TB 1, torpedoing U.S. tanker Broad Arrow at 07°21'N, 55°43'W, and freighter Birmingham City at 07°12'N, 55°37'W. On board the former, the initial explosion kills seven of the eight-man Armed Guard, and her complement abandons the blazing ship (which is illuminating the entire convoy) without orders. Birmingham City sinks in three minutes (see 9 January).

Battle of the Mediterranean

British submarine HMS/M P 311 (P 311) is reported overdue today. The ship is lost while engaged in Operation PRINCIPLE, the Chariot attack on Italian cruisers at La Maddalena, Sardinia. HMS/M P 311 left Scotland in November 1942 with sister-boats HMS/M 'Thunderbolt' and 'Trooper' after addition of human torpedo deck-mounted watertight containers, direct for Malta. P 311 departed from Malta on 28 December 1942. She sent her last signal on 31 December when she was about 88 nautical miles west of Palermo, Sicily. After this signal she is not heard from again and she is presumed sunk by Italian mines in the approaches to La Maddalena on or around 2 January 1943. She is reported overdue today when she fails to return to base.

North African campaign

RAF B-24s, under operational control of the USAAF IX Bomber Command, attack a rail junction near Tripoli.

Eight Ninth Air Force B-24s hit Tunis after weather and engine trouble prevent a planned attack on Bizerte. Fifteen Twelfth Air Force B-17s hit the docks at Ferryville and the naval base at Bizerte. B-25s hit bridges and rail junctions at Graiba and at Kalaa Srira while P-47s hit Kairouan Airfield. The heavy and medium bombers are escorted by P-38s. A-20s, escorted by P-40s, bomb tank concentrations near Gabes. Other fighters fly numerous patrols and reconnaissance missions.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bristol (DD-453) off the New York Naval Shipyard (USA) on 8 January 1943



Colony of the Gold Coast (Ghana)

Photo: Airmen in tropical dress work on the Allison engine of a Curtiss Tomahawk aircraft in a makeshift hangar. The photograph is believed to have been taken at Takorad



Iran

Photo: American and British soldier trainmen standing about at a station on the route for supplies to Russia. An American engine is seen at the head of the train at left, somewhere in Iran



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

A B-24 flies photographic reconnaissance over Amchitka Island. Another B-24 aborts a weather run over Kiska Island because of instrument trouble.

BURMA

Six Tenth Air Force P-40s bomb and strafe Watugyi and Nsopzup and strafe other targets. Six B-25s bomb the storage area at Bhamo.

CHINA

In a message to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek turns down a proposal for an offensive in the spring of 1943.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, Companies A, C, and F of the U.S. 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, overrun Tarakena. The 163d Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, begins an offensive to clear the road to Sanananda: 1st Battalion attacks two Japanese perimeters located between Musket and Kano, making limited progress.

In Northeast New Guinea, Fifth Air Force heavy, medium and light bombers, with fighter cover, join RAAF aircraft in the continued attack of the Japanese convoy as it unloads about 4,000 reinforcements at Lae. Japanese fighter cover and Allied aircraft continue fierce aerial combat. During this action, 2d Lt. Richard I. Bong, flying a P-38F Lightning, shots down an "Oscar" fighter over the Huon Gulf, 5 miles
offshore. This is Bong's fifth victory making him an "Ace."

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

Major General J. Lawton Collins, Commanding General 25th Infantry Division, issues Field Order 1 to the division concerning the upcoming offensive. The 35th Infantry Regiment moves secretly up Mt Austen toward the line of departure.

MADAGASCAR

British General William Platt, Commander in Chief East Africa Command, turns over responsibility for the island of Madagascar, except for the Diego Suarez area, to Free French General Paul-Louis Legentilhomme, High Commissioner of the French possessions in the Indian Ocean, Governor-General of Madagascar and General Officer Commander in Chief Madagascar.

SOUTH PACIFIC

Photo: U.S. Navy Curtiss SOC Seagull scout-observation aircraft on the catapults of a Brooklyn-class light cruiser, during operations in the South Pacific, January 1943

Day 1219 of World War II, January 10th 1943

Eastern Front

After a 55-minute bombardment by thousands of guns and rocket-launchers, and employing seven armies, the Red Army begins Operation RING, the final annihilation of the tattered remnants of the German 6.Armee defending themselves desperately against all odds in the ruins of Stalingrad. The main effort is by the Soviet 65th and 21st Army to the west of Stalingrad. With the beginning of Operation 'Ring', the Germans were soon in retreat. Some progress was made in the north and south, but determined German resistance limited gains.

In a desperate gamble to increase the airlift to Stalingrad, Major Willers of the new KGzbV 200 made use of 2 Ju 290 heavy bombers. The first flight into the city was made by Hptm. Hanig who returned successfully. These large aircraft were able to bring 10 tons of supplies and took out about 80 wounded men.

Battle of the Atlantic

Photo: A German U-boat, believed to be U-507, under attack by a U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina of Patrol Squadron VP-83 off the northern coast of Brazil in the South Atlantic, 13 January 1943



Battle of the Mediterranean

Norwegian freighter Dalvanger rescues 21 men from U.S. freighter Collingsworth, torpedoed and sunk by U-124 the previous day while in convoy TB 1.

North African campaign

The USAAF Twelfth Air Force's 308th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, with Spitfire Mk Vs, begins operating from Casablanca instead of Tafaraoui, Algeria, to provide protection for the Casablanca Conference between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

General Bernard Montgomery, General Officer Commanding Eighth Army, briefs the assault forces of the army on a projected drive through the Buerat line to Tripoli, which must be accomplished within ten days, beginning on 15 January, to avoid supply difficulties.

During the night of 10/11 January, RAF B-24s under operational control of the USAAF IX Bomber Command, Ninth Air Force, bomb a road junction at Tripoli.

The Italian Arditi Regiment, in teams of nine to ten men, parachute in various places in Algeria, Libya and Tunisia for covert warfare duties. Although not as successful as they had hoped to be, they managed to destroy or damage bridges in Algeria.

Twelve Ninth Air Force B-24s forced by an overcast to divert from the primary target of Bizerte, strike La Goulette, the seaport of the city of Tunis. One aircraft is lost. Twelfth Air Force B-26s, with P-38 escort, attack the marshaling yard and oil tanks at Gabes. B-26s, sent against Sousse, abort due to bad weather. A-20s with P-40 cover, hit the military camp at Kebili. Fighters escort C-47 missions and fly reconnaissance and patrols. One P-40, flown by Major Philip Cochran, Commanding Officer, 58th Fighter Squadron, 33d FG, bombs and demolishes the Hotel Splendida, the German headquarters in Kairouan.

Seven Luftwaffe Bf 109s bomb and strafe Thelepte Airfield.

The Luftwaffe created a new command, Fliegerfuhrer Tunisien, commanded by Generalmajor Harlinghausen. Luftwaffe units under his command consisted of 2(H)./14, II./JG 2, Stab, I. and II./JG 53, III./SKG 10 and one staffel of II./StG 3. No Kampfgruppen were committed to the area due to a shortage of airfields and the new command would be a close-support and tactical organization instead of a strategic bombing group. (Njaco)

1(F)./122 lost a Ju 88A-4 that failed to return from its mission with Hptm. Karstinat (observer) and 3 others missing. The aircraft may have been borrowed from I./KG 60, which was also based at Elmas. S/L Leonard Harold Bartlett, CO of RAF No. 253 Sqdrn, spotted a German aircraft formation near a convoy northwest of Bougie. He shot down one Ju 88 and watched as it crashed into the sea. Luftflotte 2 recorded 1(F)./122 operating from Elmas with Ju 88s and Fw 200s and had 15 on strength with 4 servicable. (Njaco)

United Kingdom

The Fairey Barracuda Mk. II enters service with No. 827 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, based at Stretton, Cheshire, England.

Photo: A Warship Which Took Part in the Action Off the North Cape on 31 December 1942. HMS Sheffield, at Greenock, 10 January 1943



Pacific War

BURMA

Six USAAF Tenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-25 Mitchells jointly attack the Myitnge bridge, knocking out a span and causing considerable damage to the entire target.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED TIMOR

The 282 troops of the Australian Lancer Force are evacuated from Portugese Timor by the destroyer HMAS Arunta along with 11 women and 20 Portugese.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, Companies A and C, U.S. 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, establishes a bridgehead across Konombi Creek in the Tarakena area. Action is then suspended temporarily. The 1st Battalion, 163d Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, finds one of the two Japanese positions between Musket and Kano evacuated. Kano is renamed Fisk.

In Northeast New Guinea, RAAF and USAAF Fifth Air Force aircraft attack supply dumps and antiaircraft positions in the Lae area.

The 13th Bombardment Squadron, 3d Bombardment Group with B-25s transfers from Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia to Port Moresby, New Guinea.

SOLOMON SEA

The USN transport submarine USS Argonaut (APS-1) is the largest submarine ever built in the U.S. up to this time. At 3,128 tons she was designed primarily as a minelayer but later, in 1942, was converted to a troop carrying submarine and based at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Today, a five ship Japanese convoy is sailing in the Solomon Sea about 88 nautical miles S of Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, in position 05.40S, 152.02E. A Japanese plane belonging to the 582nd Naval Air Group, flying antisubmarine patrols spots a submerged sub approaching the convoy. The plane drops three bombs then contacts destroyer Maikaze which peels off to pursue the contact, leaving the escort to sister ships Isokaze and Hamakaze.

Maikaze's depth charge attack evidently is succesful, since a submarine's bow breaks the surface and is taken under fire by both Maikaze and Isokaze from short range. The sub sinks as a USAAF bomber
returning from a mission over New Guinea, therefore without bombs, is passing over the area. The pilot witnesses a sub forced to surface and is sunk by gunfire. There is no doubt this is USS Argonaut which was on her third patrol. There are no survivors from the 105 officers and men aboard.

RAAF and USAAF Fifth Air Force aircraft operating over the Solomon Sea south of New Britain Island continue to attack vessels of the Japanese convoy that departed Lae, Northeast New Guinea, yesterday.

JAPAN

USS Trigger torpedoes and sinks Japanese destroyer Okikaze about 45 nautical miles SSE of Tokyo, Honshu, Japan, in position 35.02N, 140.12E.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

The 25th Infantry Division, reinforced, begins the largest and final offensive to clear Guadalcanal, the immediate objectives being Galloping Horse, Sea Horse, and the Gifu strongpoint. After a 30-minute artillery preparation, the first divisional time on target concentration of the campaign, followed by twelve 500 pound bombs and thirty six 325 pound depth charges, courtesy of the Cactus Air Force, the attack steps off at 0730 hours. The 27th Infantry Regiment drives south through the 2d Marine Division against Galloping Horse and clears more than half of the objective. The 1st Battalion, on the west, attacks from Hill 66 to the objective, the northern part of Hill 57, and establishes patrol contact with the 3d Battalion to the east. From Hill 55, the 3d Battalion advances 1,600 yards toward Hill 53, but is halted by stubborn opposition on Hill 52, the intermediate position. The 35th Infantry Regiment's 3d Battalion begins the envelopment of the southern flank of Sea Horse, omitting preparatory fire, and takes the preliminary objective, a small hill a short distance south of the Sea Horse, against scattered opposition. Combat patrols of the 2d Battalion move against the Gifu after preparatory fire but are unable to make any headway.

P-39s and USMC SBDs support ground forces in the battle area. A strongpoint and an ammunition
dump are destroyed.

NEW GEORGIA

B-26s attack Munda, New Georgia Island with the loss of one aircraft.

Day 1221 of World War II, January 12th 1943

Eastern Front

Soviet troops create a breach in the German siege of Leningrad, which has lasted for a year and a half. The Soviet forces punch a hole in the siege, which ruptures the German encirclement and allows for more supplies to come in along Lake Ladoga. After fierce battles, the Red Army units in Operation 'Spark' overcame the powerful German fortifications to the south of Lake Ladoga and restored the land communications within the encircled city of Leningrad. Soviet forces succeeded in driving a very thin land corridor to the city. Supplies were rushed into the city while wounded and non-combantants were shipped out. All of this was done under constant artillery fire against the cordon. The encirclement of Leningrad was broken as a result.

Map: Situation Near Leningrad one day after start of "Operation Iskra", 12 January 1943



The Red Army gained several more streets in the bloody battle for Stalingrad. In heavy fighting, the Don Front overran the western portion of the Stalingrad pocket. Since the start of Operation 'Ring', the front had lost 26,000 men and 126 tanks. German losses were just as heavy. The Voronezh and Bryansk Fronts opened a fresh set of offensives against the Hungarian 2nd and German 2nd Armies. The Hungarian forces were overrun quickly and Soviet spearheads headed for Kharkov. Heersegruppe A continued its withdraw from the Caucasus to the Taman penisula, abandoning a 300 mile salient and withdrew towards the Kuban bridgehead.

Air War over Europe

In the English Channel, the British antisubmarine warfare trawler HMS 'Kingston Jacinth' strikes a mine off Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, U.K., and sinks.

During the night of 12/13 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 32 aircraft to lay mines off Bay of Biscay ports: nine aircraft off Gironde, six off La Rochelle, four off St. Nazaire, two off Lorient and one each off Bayonne and St. Jean de Luz.

During the night of 12/13 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches four Pathfinder Mosquitos and 55 Lancasters in a problematical attack on Essen; 49 aircraft attack the city with the loss of one Lancaster. The Oboe equipment of the first Mosquito to arrive fails and the other three Mosquitos are all late. Because of this, many of the Lancasters bomb on dead reckoning. Some bombs do fall in Essen, where 20 houses are destroyed or seriously damaged and nine people are killed, but other bombs fall in Neviges, Remscheid, Solingen and Wuppertal, a group of towns 12-20 miles (19-32 kilometers) south of Essen. Nineteen people are killed in Remscheid.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Italian torpedo boat R.N. 'Ardente' sinks after being rammed by destoyer R.N. 'Grecale'.

Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells sent to hit shipping in the Straits of Sicily and in the Gulf of Gabes fail to find targets and return with their bombs.

Photo: a Fairey Albacore of the carrier FORMIDABLE taking off during operations in the Western Mediterranean, as seen from HMS RODNEY



Photo: Submarine TAKU arriving in Beirut after patrol



North African campaign

RAF B-24s, under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, Ninth Air Force, bomb Tripoli. Twelve Twelfth Air Force B-17s bomb the Castel Benito Airfield south of Tripoli claiming the destruction of 14 attacking Italian Mc 202 aircraft in aerial combat.

Twelfth Air Force B-26s hit the bridges at La Hencha and Chaaba, completely destroying one bridge. Fighters fly patrols, reconnaissance, C-47 escort and strafe moored seaplanes and destroy numerous trucks during a sweep over the Ben Gardane area.

Seven Luftwaffe Ju 88s and five Bf 109s attack Thelepte Airfield.

P-40s carried out 3 scramble interceptor missions claiming 2 fighters shot down. Lt. Johannes Badum, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 77 was killed in action as was Oblt. Hans Heydrich of II./JG 51. But 2 Kittyhawks were claimed by Ofw. Walter Brandt and Uffz. Ernst Gronitz of 2./JG 77.

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Winston Churchill leaves for Casablanca, French Morocco, where he and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt will plan the invasion of the European continent. Churchill believes it is essential for them to alleviate the pressure on the Soviets in 1943 with an attack on Sicily and then a cross-Channel invasion.

Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Amchitka Island is occupied by the U.S. Amulet Force, consisting of 2,000 men under command of Brigadier General Lloyd E. Jones, Commanding General Cold Bay, Alaska. The invasion is covered by the USN's Task Group 8.6 (TG 8.6) consisting of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, light cruisers USS Detroit and Raleigh and four destroyers, which patrol off Amchitka and Kiska Islands.

The transport group consists of the transports USS Arthur Middleton, US Army Transport USAT Delarof, and SS Lakona; the cargo ship USS Vega; and four destroyers. There is no enemy opposition but a fierce storm hits and continues for two weeks. The transport USS Arthur Middleton, manned by a U.S. Coast Guard crew, runs aground as it rescues 175 sailors from the destroyer USS Worden. Worden is guarding USS Arthur Middleton as that transport put the preliminary Army security unit on the shores of Constantine Harbor Amchitka Island. The destroyer maneuvered into the rock-edged harbor and stayed there until the last men had landed and then turned to the ticklish business of clearing the harbor. A strong current, however, swept Worden onto a pinnacle that tears into her hull beneath her engine room and caused a complete loss of power.

Destroyer USS Dewey (DD-349) passes a towline to Worden and attempts to tow her free, but the cable parts, and the heavy seas begin moving Worden totally without power inexorably toward the rocky shore. The destroyer then broaches and begins breaking up in the surf.

The stricken destroyer's commanding officer, orders abandon ship, and, as he is directing that effort, is swept overboard into the wintry seas by a heavy wave that breaks over the ship. The captain is among the fortunate ones, however, because he is hauled, unconscious, out of the sea; 14 of the crew drown and the ship is a total loss.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Worden (DD-352) sinking after she went aground in Constantine Harbor, during the occupation of Amchitka, Aleutian Islands, Alaska (USA), on 12 January 1943. Note the oil spreading around the ship



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Worden (DD-352) capsized and broken in two after she went aground Constantine Harbor, during the occupation of Amchitka, Aleutian Islands, Alaska (USA), on 12 January 1943



Two B-24s cover the Amulet Force landing on Amchitka Island. Two B-25s and four P-38 escorts also on the cover mission turn back due to weather. Weather reconnaissance is flown over Attu, Agatuu, Semichis Islands and, lastly, over Kiska Harbor, where four ships are observed.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

USN submarine USS Guardfish, patrolling the waters of the Bismarck Archipelago on her third patrol, fires three torpedoes during a night underwater radar attack. One torpedo finds the mark and destroys the 1,215 ton ex-Japanese destroyer Shimakaze, now re-named patrol boat P1. She sinks about 67 nautical miles WSW of Kavieng, New Britain Island, in position 2.51S, 139.43E.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

After an artillery preparation, two battalions of the Australian 18th Brigade, 7th Division, with tank support, attack Japanese positions at the junction of the Kododa Trail in Papua New Guinea. The U.S. 163d Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, supports the assault with feints from Musket and Rankin. Japanese antitank fire soon disables the tanks, but Australians continue the battle, progressing slowly at great cost. The Japanese begin withdrawing from the junction, during the night of 12/13 January. The Japanese withdrawal from the Kokoda trail enables the Allies to plan the encirclement of important Japanese positions in the Buna, Sanananda and Gona beachhead. Sanananda is the last of the three to fall to the Allies after weeks of heavy fighting.
In Northeast New Guinea, B-24s, in single-plane actions, bomb the Finschhafen and Madang areas.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

On Guadalcanal, the 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Inf. Div., continues their attack on "Galloping Horse," replacing the 3d Battalion with the 2d, and makes limited progress toward Hill 53. Company C, 35th Infantry Regiment, starts west toward the corps objective along the ridge southwest of "Sea Horse" but is soon halted by Japanese fire. The efforts of the 2d Battalion to break through the "Gifu" are frustrated by strong resistance.

NEW GEORGIA

B-26s, P-38s, P-39s and P-40s attack Munda with the loss of two B-26s. Other P-39s hit targets on Guadalcanal.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED WAKE ISLAND

After the fall of Wake in December 1941, the 1,187 US Marines, were herded into the cargo holds of the 17,163 ton Japanese luxury liner Nitta Maru, for transportation to Yokohama and then to Shanghai. By 1 January 1943, there are still 98 civilian workers on the island but one is caught stealing food and is beheaded. Tonight, the Japanese accuse the civilians of being in secret radio communication with U.S. naval forces. The 97 civilians are marched to the beach and there lined up with their backs to the ocean and machined gunned.

Day 1223 of World War II, January 14th 1943

Eastern Front

Two Ju 52s managed to lumber off the runway at Pitomnik airfield, littering the surrounding countryside with an assortment of desperate men who tried to escape by clinging to the wings of the transports. With a sense of urgency spurred on by the knowledge that each departing aircraft from Gumrak or Pitomnik might be the last, desperate soldiers overwhelmed the guards and clung to the outside of transports making their take-off run. Many still clung to the wings as the planes gained speed and became airborne, but all eventually lost their grip and fell onto the snowy steppe. Among those departing on these final flights were a number of men with self-inflicted wounds who had managed to decieve the triage doctors who were determined to bar such men from evacuation. They had managed to hide the tell-tale marks of gunpowder burns by shooting themselves through thick blankets. Rather than inflicting an obvious wound - such as shooting themselves in the hand or foot - many of them shot themselves in the chest or abdomen. Such acts were indicative of the level of desperation that drove many to try and escape the frozen hell of Stalingrad at any cost.

Air War over Europe

Eight Eighth Air Force Spitfire Mk Vs carry out three 'Rhubarbs' (a small number of aircraft attacking ground targets usually in bad weather) and engage Fw 190s west of Ostend. They claim two Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed.

During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 122 aircraft, 63 Halifaxes, 33 Wellingtons, 20 Stirlings and six Lancasters, in the first of eight area attacks on the French port of Lorient which is being used as a U-boat base; two Wellingtons are lost: 103 aircraft bomb the target with the loss of two aircraft. This was No 6 (RCAF) Group's first bombing operation, with nine Wellingtons and six Halifaxes being dispatched. One Wellington of No 426 Squadron, RCAF, is the group's first loss; Pilot Officer (USAAF 2nd Lieutenant) George Milne and his crew, five Canadians and an Englishman, all died when their aircraft is lost in the sea. The Pathfinder marking of the target was accurate but later bombing by the Main Force was described as "wild".

In other missions, 41 Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Bay of Biscay ports: 13 lay mines in the Gironde River Estuary, seven off Lorient, six off Brest, four each off La Pallice and St. Nazaire, two off Bayonne and one off St. Jean de Luz. Thirteen other bombers drop leaflets over France.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends six Halifaxes on a cloud-cover raid to Leer but only one aircraft bombs through a gap in the clouds.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Italian submarine R.Smg. 'Narvalo' is attacked by an RAF Beaufort Mk. I or II of No. 39 Squadron based at Shallufa, Egypt, and sunk by destroyers HMS 'Pakenham' and 'Hursley' southeast of Malta. The sub is returning to Italy from a supply mission to North Africa. Aboard are 11 British officer POWs; eight of them go down with the sub along with 28 Italian sailors.

United Kingdom

Photo: La Combattante, New Destroyer For Fighting French Navy, Built in British Shipyards. 14 January 1943, La Combattante Has Been Launched in the Presence of Rear-admiral Auboyneau, C-in-c, Fighting French Navy



Photo: HMS Thames Queen, Paddle Minesweeper. 14 January 1943, Harwich Naval Base, port bow view



North African campaign

The ten-day Casablanca Conference begins. The two men meeting in the heavily-guarded compound at the Hotel Anfa, are known as Admiral Q and Mr. P. In fact, they are British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with their military advisers. They are planning the next moves against the Axis powers. The original intention had been to hold a "Big Three" conference, but Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin said that he could not leave the country; the fighting on the Stalingrad front, he said, demands "my constant presence near our troops." Stalin rounded off his letter to Roosevelt with a reminder that the President and Mr. Churchill had promised to open a second front in Europe by spring 1943. But the US and Britain are keen to exploit the imminent Allied victory in North Africa by striking across the Mediterranean, probably at Sicily although some favour Sardinia, and knocking Italy out of the war. The planned assault on northwest Europe will almost certainly be delayed as the Combined Chiefs of Staff say that there are as yet too many logistical problems. Italy, however, could be tackled this year and, the British say, would divert German forces from Russia. On the last day of the conference they express regret that Stalin is unable to attend. Two French generals, each claiming to speak for France, have finally met in a villa in a suburb of Casablanca where the Allied leaders are now meeting. London-based Brigadier General Charles-Andre de Gaulle, Commander in Chief Free French Forces in London, agrees to talk to Algeria-based General Henri-Honer Giraud, High Commissioner of North Africa and Commander in Chief French Land and Air Forces, only after intense pressure from Churchill. De Gaulle loftily rejects an invitation from Roosevelt to come to Casablanca; he considered it an insult to be invited by an American to visit French Morocco. At length he gave way, but even then it was some hours before he agreed to meet Giraud, who is staying in the next villa. Churchill told him that if he persists in his obduracy he could find himself abandoned by the British, upon whose goodwill he is entirely dependent. De Gaulle, who has been the symbol of French resistance since the collapse of 1940, deeply mistrusts the conservative and anti-republican Giraud. For his part, Giraud, who escaped from a German POW camp last year, rejects de Gaulle's claim to be the sole leader of the Fighting French and refuses to co-operate in joint military operations. After a two-hour meeting the two generals agreed on one point only: to keep in touch.

Photo: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and their combined Chiefs of Staff at the Casablanca Conference. Standing, (left to right): General Brehon B. Somervell; General H.H. Arnold; Admiral Ernest J. King; unidentified; General George C. Marshall, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound; General Sir Alan Brooke; Sir Charles Portal; and Vice Admiral Louis Mountbatten



Photo: Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound and Sir John Dill meet, 14 January 1943



Photo: President Roosevelt touring US units in North Africa. He witnessed a display of armoured strength which will shortly be in action against the Axis, 14 January 1943



Photo: President Roosevelt, accompanied by American Staff Officers drove past miles of US Troops and tanks during his inspection of American Forces in North Africa



Photo: President Roosevelt touring US units in North Africa. He witnessed a display of armoured strength which will shortly be in action against the Axis



Franklin Roosevelt became the first president to travel on official business by airplane when he flew from Miami, Florida, to Casablanca. Crossing the Atlantic by air, Roosevelt flew in a Pan American Airways Boeing 314, msn 1992, registered NC18605 and named "Dixie Clipper." The secret and circuitous journey began on 11 January, when the plane departed Miami, Florida with a "Mr. Jones" on the manifest. Roosevelt flew on the B 314 to Gambia where he boarded a USAAF C-54 Skymaster for the flight to French Morocco. The trip was repeated in reverse at the conclusion of the conference.

YouTube (WWII: Casablanca Conference - 1943)



XXX Corps, British Eighth Army, moves forward in preparation for an assault on the Buerat line and drive on Tripoli. RAF B-24s, under the operational control of the Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command, hit Tripoli, Tagiura and the supply dump at Misurata.

USAAF Ninth Air Force B-25s strike motor transport near Gheiada, with P-40s providing cover. B-24s fail, due to weather, to locate Sousse harbor (the primary target), but four bomb in the target area and one bombs the road near Teboulba.

Twenty six Twelfth Air Force B-17s, with an escort of 17 P-38s, attack docks and shipping at Sfax; a total of two hundred fifty three 500-pound bombs are dropped from 23,400 feet. Sixteen other B-17s bomb shipping at Sousse. B-26s, with fighter escort, attack the rail junction at Kalaa Srira and the junction and warehouse at Mahares.

Major battles against the British kept the desert Jagdflieger busy throughout the day. 36 Kittyhawks from RAAF No. 3 Sqdrn, No. 250 Sqdrn, No. 260 Sqdrn and No. 450 Sqdrn were tasked to protect 18 Boston bombers on their way to bombthe frontlines at Bir Durfan. A fight of 20 Bf 109s from JG 77 came across the bomber formation and the Kittyhawks took the brunt of JG 77's attack. As the Messerschmitts attacked the bombers, escorting P-40s from RAAF No. 3 Sqdrn bounced the Germans. A ferocious dogfight found the Australians losing 6 warplanes to the Luftwaffe fighters. In all, JG 77 shot down 11 Kittyhawks without loss to themsleves. Among the victors were Hptm. Heinz Bar of Stab I./JG 77 who claimed 5 Allied aircraft to bring his score to 144 and Major Joachim Muncheburg of Stab./JG 77 who downed 3 aircraft to get to 124 kills. Getting double kills for the day were Ofw. Johann Pichler of 7./JG 77 and Major Kurt Ubben, Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 77 who achieved his 100th and 101st kill of the war.

United States

The aircraft carrier USS Independence is commissioned; the USN now has six aircraft carriers in commission. This ship was laid down as a light cruiser but was ordered converted to an aircraft carrier on 10 January 1942. She will be reclassified as a small aircraft carrier on 15 July 1943.

Photo: The U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CV-22) photographed soon after completion, circa early 1943, while she still carried a 127 mm/38 gun at the bow



Pacific War

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Gasmata on New Britain Island.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, Major General George Vasey's Australian 7th Division, launches an offensive to intercept the Japanese withdrawal from the trail junction. While the U.S. 163d Infantry
Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, pushes south to block escape routes, the Australian 18th Brigade quickly clears Japanese remnants from the Junction and joins forces with the U.S. 163d Infantry Regiment on the Sanananda and Killerton trails.

Final mop up is left to the Australian 2/7th Cavalry Regiment and 39th and 49th Battalions. The 2/6th Battalion, 17th Brigade, "Kanga Force" begins an air movement from Port Moresby to Wau.
In Papua New Guinea, Fifth Air Force A-20s strafe the Labu area and small boats in Sachsen Bay. B-25s bomb the fuel dump and other supplies along the beach in the vicinity of Voco Point near Lae. In Northeast New Guinea, B-24s carry out single-plane attacks on Madang and Finschhafen.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

In the first submarine resupply mission, submarine USS Gudgeon lands six men and 2,000 pounds of equipment and supplies near Catmon Point, Negros, Philippines.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

In the costal sector, the 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, is still unable to advance because of fire from a ravine west of Hills 80 and 81. The 6th Marine Regiment replaces the 2d
Marine Regiment on the division's left flank. Company C, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, continues their vain efforts to advance west, but patrols discover a route around the Japanese right flank. The depleted 2d Battalion, reinforced by the antitank company, continues fruitless efforts to reduce the Gifu strongpoint. The 147th Regiment force reaches Vurai and moves forward to Tapananja, about 6 miles south of Sealark Channel, when patrols find the Vurai area free of the Japanese and they establish outposts on the upper Poha River.

Fresh Japanese troops land on Guadalcanal from destroyers to act as a rearguard unit to cover the evacuation. These 750 soldiers are from replacement troops for the 230th Regiment and are designated the Yano Battalion. Another 100 soldiers accompany a mountain gun battery.

Thirteenth Air Force P-39s, dropping improvised gasoline bombs in the Guadalcanal battle area around Mount Austen and Kokumbona, attack forces and supplies throught the day. Other fighters hit barges and launches at Kaimana Bay and Aruligo Point.

BOUGAINVILLE

B-17s bomb the airfield on Buka Island without loss.

PACIFIC

Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) hits Japanese Toa Maru with dud torpedo off Bougainville, 05°13'S, 155°09'E.

Submarine Pike (SS-173) is damaged by bombs and depth charges off Ichie Saki, southern Honshu; she is forced to terminate her patrol.

Submarine Searaven (SS-196) attacks Japanese convoy northwest of the Palaus, sinking the sole escort, auxiliary submarine chaser No.1 Ganjitsu Maru, and army cargo ship Shiraha Maru, 09°12'N, 130°38'E.

Motor torpedo boat PT-28, previously damaged, is abandoned, Dora Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutians.

Japanese naval auxiliary Shoan Maru is damaged by aircraft off Saipan.

SOCs (VCS Detachment RINGBOLT) locate and illuminate Japanese destroyers for PT-boats; the planes also bomb and strafe the enemy ships.

Day 1225 of World War II, January 16th 1943

Eastern Front

General Rokossovsky was carrying out his threat to annihilate the Germans trapped in the Stalingrad pocket. Attacking from the west, he was hammering the exhausted, starving 6. Armee. The Germans were still fighting stubbornly, but they had little left to fight with and the hoplessness of their situation was only too clear to them. One soldier, in a letter home, wrote:

"We're quite alone, with no help from the outside. Hitler has left us in the lurch. When Stalingrad falls you will hear about it. Then you will know I shall not return."

The main German airfield at Pitomnik was captured by the Soviets. The Luftwaffe had abandoned the airfield as the Russian offensive advanced. Along with a handful of wounded and a few key staff officers, the last transport away carried the War Diary of 6. Armee, von Paulus' Last Will and a few personal keepsakes for his family. One Ju 52 from KGzbV 9 was shot down near the airfield. A short time after the last planes left, a Soviet T-34 tank broke through the outer defense of the airfield and started shooting up the control tower and the makeshift airport facilities. Supported by more tanks and a horde of Russian infantry, Pitomnik was now in the hands of the Red Army.

The German forces at Stalingrad now had only one airfield, Gumrak, connecting them by air with German forces outside the pocket. Six Ju 87s and six Bf 109s - volunteers from JG 3 acting as airfield defense - were able to take off as Pitomnik was attacked by the Soviet infantry. The fighters, led by Hptm. Germeroth and Hptm. Kurt Ebener, were ordered to the airfield at Gumrak. But Gumrak was not ready for use and as they landed, disaster struck. The first Bf 109 overturned in a snow drift. Four more of the fighters hit bomb craters as they landed, leaving only one still flyable Bf 109, flown by Oblt. Lukas. Lukas decided that the airfield was too dangerous and he flew off to the west. Also transferring out of the area were the Hs 129Bs of Panzerjagdstaffel./JG 51 who finally arrived at Vitebsk. Gumrak was also supposed to be the airfield for the numerous transports bringing supplies. But the wreck-strewn airbase forced the Ju 52 Gruppen, led by Oberst Morzik, to land in a maize field near Sverevo. A bombing attack on the field later by the Russians destroyed 52 of the transports. Night landings in the city were no longer possible and supplies now had to be parachuted in. The daily deliveries were down to 60 tons, 20% of 6. Armme's minimal needs. Back at Pitomnik, the Russians used abandoned German direction finding equipment to mislead the German aircrews. Several pilots were decieved into landing at the airfield and were taken prisoner. At Taganrog, Generalfeldmarschal Erhard Milch arrived with special orders from Hitler to take over and re-organize the airlift. Hitler had dispatched him to the Stalingrad Front to try and revive the flagging airlift. Milch was a former Lufhansa executive with a reputation for working wonders with air transport, but not even he was capable of providing the miracle which the Fuhrer had ordered him to conjure up. Milch arrived at the forward airfields, brimming with enthusiasm, but was soon jolted into reality and appalled by what he found there. In spite of the fact that Goring and Jeschonnek had sucked replacment aircraft from every theatre of operations, von Ricthofen's total fleet was now down to 100 machines of all types. In addition, Soviet bombers were now cratering the runways and hammering the supply depots at the forward airfields from which the airlift operated.

Photo: Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft take off on a combat mission near Stalingrad



Milch returned to Germany and amazingly managed to scrape together an assortment of some 300 aircraft, including Lufthansa mail planes and anything still left in Germany's civil air transport inventory. But not even Milch could figure out how to staunch the bleeding caused by the worsening winter weather and the dominance of Soviet fighters who now controlled the air around Stalingrad.

Photo: Waffen SS-Soldier in foxholes at Toropets, Russia, 16 January 1943



Air War over Europe

RAF Bomber Command, after 4 months of bombing other cities, returned to Berlin during the night for the first time since 7 November 1941. 190 Lancasters and 11 Halifaxes from the Pathfinders and Nos. 1, 4 and 5 Gropus were dispatched to Berlin and marked the first use of an all four-engined bombing force.

The city was hit by 8,000 lb bombs and thousands of IBs but the attack was a disapointment. Berlin was well beyond the range of 'Gee' and 'Oboe' and H2S radar was not yet ready. Thick cloud which was encountered on the way to the target, hindered navigation and Berlin was found to be covered by haze although the AA barrage was surprisingly light. The Germans were relying on camouflage and dummy fires to mislead the bombers, but pilots were told to expect these. Bombing was scattered, mostly in the southern areas, with the greatest concentration in the Tempelhof District. The German air-raid system failed to report the approach of the large bomber force, instead reporting only a few single aircraft. The Lancasters and Halifaxes thus arrived over Berlin in the evening when a lot of people were away from their homes. The first bombs coincided with the sounding of sirens and there were many scenes of panic until the police could control the crowds. Because of the warning failure, an unusually high number of people were killed, considering the weakness of the bombing. Another event was that about half of the personnel of the Berlin flak units were away from the city, taking part in a course and this resulted in a very much lighter barrage than normal. 10,000 people attending a fair at the Deutschlandhalle had a remarkable escape.

The air-raid police and the fire brigade managed to supervise the evacuation of every person and all the circus animals to open ground in parks around the hall. 21 people were slightly injured in the crush as the crowds left the building. Just after the last person had left, a large number of IBs fell on the hall. None of the 10,000 people in the open nearby were hurt. The empty hall was quickly consumed by fire. The RAF bomber casualties were also light. Only one Lancaster, from No. 5 Group, was lost. No Luftwaffe nightfighter claims were even made.

2 Mosquitoes attacked Duisburg and Essen without loss.

North African campaign

P-40s flew patrol and fighter-bomber missions as the British Eighth Army, having passed through the German's main defenses at Beurat, pushed toward Tripoli. The Eighth Army was now just 300 miles from the Tunisian frontier. US 9th AF B-24s hit Tripoli harbor and the town area. RAF Liberator Mk IIs of No. 178 Sqdrn bombed the road junction and Benito Gate at Tripoli.

United Kingdom

Photo: A kite balloon tethered to the balloon barge NORMAN WADE on the River Humber, ready to be taken ashore for inspection and maintenance at No. 17 Balloon Centre, Sutton-on-Hull, Yorkshire



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

six B-24s off to hit Kiska return due to weather. A B-24 flies negative reconnaissance over Buldir, the Semichis, Attu and Agattu.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force) In China, China Air Task Force P-40s intercept Japanese aircraft that attempt a strike on Yunnani and claim seven Zekes shot down in the air battle. Anticipating that the Japanese planes will land at Lashio Airfield, six B-25s and eleven fighters are sent to that field in the hope of catching the enemy on the ground; finding no aircraft there, the B-25s and fighters attack the town of Lashio. This is the last raid by the China Air Task Force before a fuel shortage grounds the fighters for the remainder of January and the B-25s for 33 days. In Burma, India Air Task Force B-25s hit Mandalay-Lashio and Sagaing-Ye-u branch railroad lines with three strikes on 16 and 17 Jan, knocking out two important rail hubs. Ten B-25s bomb the railroad yards at Maymyo.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

US loudspeaker appeals to the Japanese defenders in the "Gifu" on Guadalcanal yield 5 soldiers surrendering. They reveal that the defenders had voted to stay with the position because 80% of the defenders are too ill to walk and would there for be abandoned.

Despite being hampered by disease, US forces finally manage to subdue the Japanese resistance in Papua. Over 60% of the US forces was incapacitated by various illnesses, mainly malaria and dysentery.

B-26s from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides join P-38s and P-39s in the Guadalcanal campaign, pounding the Japanese at Tassafaronga. The 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Photographic Reconnaissance Group with P-38s and F-5s transfers from Noumea to Guadalcanal. The air echelon of C and D Flights remain in the US. The squadron will fly its first combat mission on 5 Feb 43 and will be redesgnated 17th Photographic Squadron on 6 Feb 43.

NEW GEORGIA/BOUGAINVILLE

Munda is also bombed. B-17s bomb the Buin-Faisi area, concentrating on Kahili Airfield and Ballale Airfield.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

A-20s pound the Soputa-Sanananda trail, the Kurenada area, and the area south of the Kumusi River, after which US and Australian ground forces open an assault on Sanananda which falls tomorrow. B-25s again bomb supplies at Lae. B-24s carry out single-plane attacks on airfields at Gasmata the town of Finschhafen, and a cruiser ESE of Cape Orford. Lost is B-17E "Tugboat Annie" 41-2599 between Lae and Buna.

SW PACIFIC OCEAN

Submarine U.S.S. Greenling, embarked upon her fourth patrol, comes upon XAP Kimposan Maru west of Kavieng, New Ireland. In a twilight periscope attack, Greenling unleashes three torpedoes, scoring two hits. The transport sinks in position 02° 47'S, 149°10'E. Submarine chaser Ch 17 rescues Kimposan Maru's survivors having unsuccessfully depth-charged Greenling in a counterattack.

Submarine U.S.S. Growler, moving through the waters around the Bismarcks during her fourth patrol, attacks a Japanese convoy by launching a daylight periscope attack. Growler downs A-APK Chifuku
Maru with both torpedoes fired in position 04°00'S, 151 55'E. Growler survives the escorts' counterattacks.

AUSTRALIA

Photo: The Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Warramunga (I44) underway at speed, circa in January 194

Day 1227 of World War II, January 18th 1943

Eastern Front

The Staff officers at OKW had to admit to themselves that 6.Armee was lost in Stalingrad and they tried to salvage what they could of technicians and specialists while abandoning the ordinary Landsers to their fate. They stepped up evacuation of officers with rare skills and ability, giving them priority on flights out of the pocket even in front of the wounded. General Hans Hube, the one-armed commander of the 16th Armoured division who had first reached the Volga at Rynok was one such officer. Ordered to abandon his command and fly out, Hube refused. He was flown out after a squad of Gestapo men was sent to the city with orders to remove him forcibly. Lt. Hans Gilbert, flying one of the remaining Fw 200 'Condors', landed at snowbound Gumrak airfield. Although he broke his tail skid on landing, he ws able to take off with General Hube. Later a He 111 landed at Gumrak with Major Thiel, Gruppenkommandeur of III./KG 27.

In the Caucasus, The Russian advance continued. Cherkessk was captured and the Red Army was now less than 250 miles south east of Rostov.

The 16 month seige of Leningrad began to crack when Capt. Sabatkin of the Leningrad army exchanged the password with Capt. Demidov of the relieving force on a corpse-littered field near Schlusselburg on the shore of Lake Ladoga. The formalities over, the 2 men embraced in a celebration of their victory. The seige of Leningrad had been raised. Despite this the rations in the city were still limited and German artillery could still reach any part of the city. It had taken 5 days of fierce fighting for the Russians to break the German ring around the city, for the Germans had spent the last year building their seige fortiifications with minefields and a network of concrete pillboxes. The victory was yet another triumph for the meticulous planning of General Zhukov, who was made a Marshal of the Soviet Union, the first Russian field commander to be so honored. Attempts to widen the corridor (only 6 miles wide) failed, at a heavy cost in men and material. The gap that had been opened in the lines around the city remained narrow and any traffic through it would have to run the gauntlet of the German guns.

Map: Situation Near Leningrad, seven days after start of "Operation Iskra", 18 January 1943



Air War over Europe

21 Venturas and 14 Bostons set out for Caen and Cherbourg but were recalled due to bad weather.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Photo: The Royal Navy at Mers-el-kebir, 18 January 1943



Photo: The Royal Navy at Mers-el-kebir, 18 January 1943




Battle of the Atlantic

Photo: HMS Illustrious in Heavy meets some heavy weather while steaming around the Cape. In the foreground is the wind shield, 18 January 1943



North African campaign

The Germans counter-attacked in Tunisia. They gained ground against the Free French but were repulsed by British forces. British and American tankers at Bou Arada were confronted by the Tiger tank. The heavily armoured tank was equipped with the 88mm gun and had no equal in the Allied inventory. General Montgomery ordered accelerated day and night pursuit toward Tripoli as contact with Rommel's forces was temporarily lost due to terrain and obstacles. In Libya, US 12th AF B-17s with fighter escort bombed Castel Benito airfield. US 9th AF B-24s struck Tripoli harbor as P-40s flew top cover. JG 2's Lt. Rudorffer shot down a P-38 from the US 48th FS / 14th FG and a Spitfire V from RAF No. 232 Sqdrn. In the Med, B-26s attacked 2 vessels in the Gulf of Hammamet.

Photo: A Daimler armoured car opens fire in the gloom of early morning at the start of the battle for Tripoli, 18 January 1943



Photo: Colonel David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service, with an SAS jeep patrol in North Africa, 18 January 1943



Photo: A Valentine tank towing a trailer leads a column of lorries on the El Aroussa-Bou Arada road, 18 January 194



United Kingdom

Photo: Rear Admiral Cedric Swinton Holland with Commander D Joel, RN, during a visit of inspection to a signal station in Scotland, 18 January 1943



Photo: Rear Admiral C S Holland talking to Wireless Telegraphists during a visit of inspection to a signal station in Scotland, 18 January 1943



Photo: Rear Admiral C S Holland watching WRNS teleprint operators at work during a visit of inspection to a signal station in Scotland, 18 January 1943



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

A B-24 on reconnaissance reports two vessels in Kiska Harbor. Thereupon four B-24s, four B-26s, one B-25 and six P-38s fly out of Adak. Mechanical trouble forces two B-26s to return. The bomb run is negative. Meanwhile bad weather closes in on Kiska and Adak. Six aircraft are lost; one B-24 lands in a 20 mph downwind and crashes into two P-38s while three other B-24s are missing on the return flight, lost is B-24D 41-23908.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

(Tenth Air Force) In Burma, eight P-40s and a B-25 of the India Air Task Force attack Kamaing.

SOUTH PACIFIC

(Thirteenth Air Force) B-17s, P-38s and P-40s attack shipping at Shortland, bomb Ballale and attack a schooner south of Santa Isabel . Hits are scored on two vessels. The fighter escort shoots down two Rufes with the loss of one US fighter.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

(Fifth Air Force) In New Guinea, B-25s bomb a motor pool and supply dumps at Lae. B-24s, operating individually, bomb Madang and Lahang Airfields and attack a cargo ship southeast of Rambutyo. Lost on an administrative flight is B-25C "Algernon IV" 41-12485.

BURMA

Indian troops attack Japanese positions at Donbaik

AUSTRALIA

MacDonald, Northern Territory: No. 18 Squadron RAAF (B-25 Mitchell) flies its first mission, a reconnaissance mission.