Real time Discusion thread

North African campaign

US Army, Middle East Air Force P-40s fly escort and strafe a landing ground west of El Daba and emplacements in the battle area west of El Alamein. During the latter mission, First Lieutenant William J. Mount, a P-40 pilot with the 57th Fighter Group, scores the first USAAF aerial victory in North Africa against a Luftwaffe Bf 109 fighter in the vicinity of El Alamein. (Syscom)

B-24s hit shipping and harbor facilities at Bengazi, Libya. P-40s flew escort and strafed a landing ground west of El daba, Egypt and emplacements in the battle area west of El Alamein. major air battles erupted over the front all day. During the the latter Allied mission, 1st Lt. William J. Mount, a P-40 pilot with the 57 FG, scored the first USAAF aerial victory in North Africa against a German Bf 109 in the vicinity of El Alamein. Over El Daba in the morning, elements of JG 27 engaged the Allied fighters and bombers. Oblt. Gustav Rodel of Stab II./JG 27, brought down 3 Airacobras while Lt. Werner Schroer of 8./JG 27 claimed a Boston, a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Double scores were awarded to Fw. Heinrich Steis of 4./JG 27, Ofw. Fritz Luer of 5./JG 27 and Lt. Erich Schofbock of 7./JG 27. In the afternoon it was JG 53's turn to defend against the Allied warplanes. Lt. Jurgen Harder from 7./JG 53 brought down 4 P-40s while Lt. Klippgen of 9./JG 53 claimed 2 Kittyhawks.

The Northwest Staging route began operation. The route was established to ferry aircraft to Russia and allowed movement of aircraft to Alaska to meet a possible Japanese threat . In 1943 up to 450 aircraft a month were heading up the route to Russia, mostly P39s. This route was not an easy route to fly with up to hundreds of miles between small settlements and very harsh weather. One of the airports in Snag Yukon still holds the record for the coldest recorded N American temp at -81f or -63 c. (pbfoot)

During the night of 15/16 October, RAF Bomber Command sends 289 aircraft, 109 Wellingtons, 74 Halifaxes, 62 Lancasters and 44 Stirlings, to bomb Cologne; 258 aircraft bomb the city. Eighteen aircraft, six Wellingtons, five Halifaxes, five Lancasters and two Stirlings, are lost, 6.2 per cent of the force. This is not a successful raid. Winds are different from those forecast and the Pathfinders have difficulty in establishing their position and marking the target sufficiently to attract the Main Force away from a large decoy fire site which received most of the bombs. Cologne reports one "Luftmine" out of seventy one 4,000 pound (1 814 kilogram) bombs carried by the bombing force), three other high-explosive bombs (out of 231) and 210 incendiary bombs (out of 68,590). Two hundred twenty sixes are damaged but only two of these receive what is classed as "serious damage;" four people are injured.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

On the Kododa Track in Papua New Guinea, the Japanese abandon Templeton's Crossing but the Australians locate them a little