This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Hugh Spencer]

15 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The rear-guard of the 40.Panzerkorps escaped annihilation by the Fourth Ukranian Front.

GERMANY: 6 Oboe Mosquitoes bombed Essen, Rheinhausen and the German night fighter airfield at St Trond. A map from Essen shows that bombs were dropped on the southern part of the Krupps factory. No losses.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel's forces joined the attack in Tunisia against the Americans at Kasserine as elements of 15.Panzerdivision attacked and captured Gafsa. The bulk of Rommel's forces had taken up strong positions to the east as the last forces from Libya entered the Mareth Line.

Returning from a P-39 escort mission, the US 309th FS engaged a mixed formation of 16 Bf 109s and Fw 190s attacking Thelepte. The Allied formation claimed 2 Luftwaffe planes shot down while Hptm. Erich Rudorffer of II./JG 2 shot down 7 more Allied aircraft in 20 minutes. Oblt. Kurt Buhligen of 4./JG 2 claimed 3 P-38s and Ofw. Kurt Goltzsch of 4./JG 2 claimed 2 Lightnings.

WESTERN FRONT: In an effort to disrupt the German radar chain along the French coast, the US 8th AF and RAF Bomber Command attacked the port area and shipping at Dunkirk harbour along with a raid on the night-fighter control ship 'Tojo', moving through the German Bight. 17 B-17s along with 23 B-24s and 23 Bostons flew on a straight course up the French Coast to Dunkirk. The fighters of JG 2 bounced the formations and shot down 2 B-17s with a victory going to Oblt. Erich Hohagen, Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 2. Hptm. Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland of Stab II./JG 26 claimed a Spitfire. The control ship 'Tojo' remained afloat after the attack.

12 Mosquitoes bombed railway workshops at Tours. No losses.

4 Stirlings laid mines in the River Gironde and 2 OTU Wellingtons dropped leaflets over France. No losses.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

16 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: German troops evacuated Kharkov. The decision to pull out was taken by SS General Paul 'Papa' Hauser, the battle-scarred commander of the newly-formed Waffen-SS corps composed of the crack 'Leibstandarte', 'Totenkopf' and 'Das Reich' divisions. As the Russian circle around Kharkov drew tighter and tighter, Hauser sent ever more urgent cables to Hitler, seeking permission to leave the burning city. Hitler remained adamant, but Hauser, risking execution, defied the Fuhrer and saved his Panzers from certain destruction by elements of the Soviet 40th Army and 3rd tank Army. Fighting against odds of 7 to 1, they stood no chance.

The newly arrived I./JG 26 engaged the Russians for the first time while supporting the German Army's II Corps withdrawl from the Demyansk pocket. In a dogfight against heavily-armoured Russian Il-2s, the Gruppenstab and 1./JG 26 destroyed 11 of the fighter-bombers at no loss for the Gruppe.

GERMANY: The commander of Luftwaffe-Command East, General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim was promoted to Generaloberst while the commander of Luftflotte 4, Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall.

NORTH AFRICA: In Tunisia, 5.Panzerarmee's advance past Kasserine Pass was temporarily suspended as elements of Montgomery's Eighth Army occupied Medenine on the approaches to the Mareth Line.

WESTERN FRONT: Seventy-one B-17s of the US 1st BW and 18 B-24s of the 2nd BW were dispatched against the locks and U-Boat base at St. Nazaire. The bomber formation was intercepted by head-on attacks by 65 fighters from III./JG 2, I./JG 2 and 9./JG 26. Lt. Stammberger of 9./JG 26 scored hits on a B-17 and watched as it fell to the ground but he was not given credit for the kill. He was soon hit in the cockpit and injured his hand. On returning to base his plane was written off as too badly damaged. Uffz. E. Schwartz, also of 9./JG 26, destroyed a B-17 from the 306th BG over Ploermal. 6 of the B-17s and 2 B-24s were destroyed and because of the aggressive attack, the bombers completely missed the U-Boat target. Another 2 B-24s collided over the Channel on the return flight. 30 more bombers returned badly damaged. The Luftwaffe lost only Lt. Stammberger's aircraft.

131 Lancasters, 103 Halifaxes, 99 Wellingtons and 44 Stirlings carried out the last raid in this series on Lorient. 363 aircraft dropped mainly incendiary bombs in clear visibility. 1 Lancaster was lost. Bomber Command had flown 1853 sorties in 8 area raids in response to direct instructions from the Air Ministry. 1675 aircraft claimed to have bombed Lorient during these raids, dropping nearly 4000 tons of bombs. 24 aircraft were lost. Few records were available from Lorient bit it is known that the town was now almost completely ruined and deserted.

32 aircraft were minelaying off Brest and St Nazaire. No losses.

 

[Njaco]

17 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: German troops evacuated Demyansk. I./JG 26 again engaged Russian aircraft and destroyed 3 Lend-lease P-40s. But the Gruppe also suffered its first casualties on the Eastern Front. A pilot was killed by Russian AA fire near Demyansk, another crashed into the ground trying to attack Il-2 fighters and a third was shot down by Yak fighters but survived a crash landing.

A Ju 52 belonging to KGrzbV 9 was shot down by Soviet fighters with the loss of all 4 crewmen.

NORTH AFRICA: The German offensive in Tunisia continued as the Americans took huge losses in men and material. The US 1st Armoured Division was particularliy seriously hit, losing 2/3 of its strength. Von Arnim redirected his forces against Foundouk while Rommel's forces to the south entered Feeriana. Rommel, wanting a greater victory, had hoped von Arnim would head for Sbeitla, which would have destroyed an even greater portion of the American force. This was to be only the first of many command coordination problems for the Germans in Tunisia.

WESTERN FRONT: The jabostaffel of JG 26 was redesignated 10(Jabo)./JG 54. A change-of-command ceremony was held at St. Omer-Wizernes with Oblt. hannes Trautloft, Geschwaderkommodore of the "Green Hearts" - JG 54, flying in from the Eastern Front to attend the formal procedure.

9./JG 26, led by Lt. Otto Stammberger, was ordered to rejoin its Gruppe in Belgium, ending its subordination to III./JG 2.

While flying over Aalborg, a Ju 88A-4 belonging to IV./KG 30 collided with another aircraft and was 15% damaged. The Ju 88 landed safely at Aalborg with no injuries to the crew. The other aircraft was less than 10% damaged.

12 Venturas went to Dunkirk but the target was not reached. 6 Wellingtons went on cloud-cover raids to Emden which was bombed by 3 aircraft. No losses.

2 Mosquitoes flew to Bochum and Hamborn. 12 Stirlings laid mines in southern Biscay. No losses.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

.

 

[Njaco]

18 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The once-great industrial city of Kharkov, now a ruined ghost town, its inhabitants killed or deported, fell to the triumphant Red Army. After fighting their way in through the suburbs, street by street, the Russians were astonished to find that the Germans had suddenly fled, despite Hitler's orders that it had to be held to the last man.

Moscow was delighted. Its forces had come 400 miles in barely 3 months. But the Russians were beginning to run out of steam. They had taken heavy losses against stubborn German resistance and their supply lines were over-extended. The Germans believed it was time to strike at the Russian exposed flank.

GERMANY: In the shadow of the Stalingrad disaster, Goebbels today organized a morale-boosting rally in Berlin's Sportpalast, with a well-drilled crowd roaring,

"Yes, Yes!"

as he called for total war and asked them to reaffirm their faith in Hitler.

"The British assert that the German people have lost faith in victory," he said. "Are you determined to follow the Fuhrer through thick and thin and shoulder even the heaviset burden?"

On cue came the response,

"Yes!"

The German home radio said it would begin at 8:15pm, but two hours before that time, the Foriegn Service was broadcasting long extracts from Goebbel's speech. The exact timing of the rally was concealed to prevent an RAF raid.

127 Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes and 9 Stirlings attacked Wilhelmshaven. The Pathfinders claimed accurate marking in clear visibility but bombing photographs showed that most of the attack fell in open country west of the target. Wilhelmshaven's report said that the bombs which did fall in the town killed 5 people and injured 47 and caused damage to a variety of buildings including 'Heine's Hotel'. Four Lancasters were lost on the Wilhemshaven raid, 2 of them claimed by Fw. Schuppan of 2./NJG 3 and Uffz. Georg Kraft of 12./NJG 1.

NORTH AFRICA: German attacks continued as the routed American forces abandoned Sbeitla. Rommel, von Arnim and the Italians still couldn't decide on the direction of the combined offensive, giving the Allies time to react.

General Rommel was in the midst of his most desperate campaign. Since the battle of El Alamein, 5 months earlier, General Montgomery and the British Eighth Army had pursued Rommel and the remnants of the Afrika Korps from Egypt to Tunisia. Montgomery paused near Mareth in early February, but it was only a matter of time before the British continued the offensive.

There was an attack on Benghazi by 4 He 111s of KG 100 and 16 Ju 88s of LG 1. Two aircraft had to return early due to technical problems. The attack took place at 16:15 hours and was concentrated after a low-level approach. Surprise was achieved and much damage was caused.

NORWAY: 14(jabo)./JG 5's first recorded loss of an aircraft occurred when an Fw 190A-3 suffered a landing accident at Alta airfield in northern Norway.

WESTERN FRONT: 26 Mosquitoes went to Tours railway yards and 1 aircraft was lost. 12 Venturas sent to Dunkirk failed to reach their target.

89 aircraft carried out widespread minelaying operations from St Nazaire to the Frisians. 2 Halifaxes were lost.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

/

 

[Njaco]

19 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler, panicked over the constant retreats of his armies in Russia, flew to Zaporozhye to harrass Feldmarschall von Manstein for his failures. Von Manstein clamly laid out the plan for his counter-attack on the already over-extended Soviet spearheads. Hitler accepted the plan. He then told German troops that new, top-secret weapons were going to help them win the battle. Hearing the thunder of Russian artillery and finding out that Soviet tanks were only 60 miles away from Zaporozhye, Hitler hastily decided to cut short his visit to von Manstein's HQ and return safely to his HQ at Vinnitsa.

Intercepting large formations of Russian Il-2s in the Leningrad area, fighters from JG 54 claimed 30 Soviet aircraft shot down. Fw. Otto Kittel of 2./JG 54 scored his 39th - and JG 54's 4,000th - victory. Upon landing back at base, Geschwaderkommodore Oblt. Hannes Trautloft personally congradulated Kittel with the announcement;

"I have instructed that you're no longer to be assigned a wingman. Instead you're to be sent on freie jagd on your own whenever there's an oppourtunity."

The Gruppenkommandeur of I./StG 77, Helmut Bruck, was awarded the Eichenlaub for his victories in the Balkans and Russia.

GERMANY: 120 Wellingtons,110 Halifaxes, 56 Stirlings and 52 Lancasters attacked Wilhelmshaven again. 12 aircraft were lost. This raid was another failure with the Pathfinder marking causing the Main Force bombing to fall north of Wilhelmshaven. The local report said that only 3 people were slightly injured. After this raid it was found that the Pathfinders had been issued with out-of-date maps which did not show recent town developments. A general updating of maps then took place. Oblt. Hans-Joachim Jabs of 11./NJG 1 claimed 3 of the Stirlings from the Wilhelshaven raid and Oblt. Paul Gildner of Stab IV./NJG 1 destroyed 2 Halifaxes.

2 Mosquitoes bombed Dortmung and Essen without loss.

12 Venturas attacked German naval torpedo workshops at Den Helder without loss.

NORTH AFRICA: After days of arguing on objectives, the German offensive in Tunisia resumed. A two-pronged attack, led by 15. and 21.Panzerdivisions were to take Le Kef. However, Allied forces had occupied the mountain passes the German tankers would have to move through. The Germans had pushed US II Corps into the Western Dorsals, a low series of low mountains running from the southwest to the northeast across Tunisia. Rommel ordered Colonel Hans Georg Hildebrandt, the commander of 21.Panzerdivision, to attack through the broad pass at Sbiba and take the First Army supply and transportation center at Le Kef. The German occupation of the principal Allied logistical center and the severance of the Allied supply line would force the British First Army back, buying time to deal with Montgomery. By noon, Rommel terminated the attack. Hildebrandt encountered accurate artillery fire and because his maneuverability was restricted to the roads by the heavy rains of the past 48 hours, he took heavy tank losses. The pass was well fortified and well defended by the American 34th Infantry Division and the British 6th Armoured Division, which had been rushed to Sbiba the night before. The Sbiba approach denied to him, Rommel turned to the only other pass within a reasonable distance, the one that lay 5 miles west of the small village of Kasserine. The Desert Fox ordered the 21.Panzerdivision to hold in place. Two critical German combat elements were not yet on the battlefield: the 10.Panzerdivision was marching south from General von Arnim and the Luftwaffe was grounded due to low cloud cover and rain. The battle would begin without them, but Rommel knew the timing of their arrival could be critical. The blitzkreig operations Rommel favored featured close integration of the German armour and the German Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe was an important memeber of the blitzkreig team. But their close air support and recon over Kasserine could be especially important. The American 155mm and 105mm howitzers out-ranged the German artillery, and by February 1943, the Americans had developed techniques that made their artillery an effective tank killer. Rommel realized this and gave his artillery - the Luftwaffe - standing orders to kill as many American howitzers as they could find. The pass at Kasserine was another obstacle that had to be forced and the absence of maneuver room in the Bled Foussana meant the Luftwaffe support was again vital to success. The opposition had to be blasted away because there was no room to go around them. If only the Luftwaffe could fly. The ultimate tactical objective was to create a situation in which the Stukas could enter the target area at high altitude and attack targets from an almost perpendicular dive, delivering the 500lb bomb carried under the fuselage. By February 1943 the Germans had learned this tactic was costly. Even in a steep attack angle, the stuka reached speeds of only 200 mph, and the Americans and British Bofors guns could engage aircraft flying up to 300mph. At Thelepte, the American AA artillerymen discovered they had the ability to decimate a stuka dive-bombing attack. Furthermore, the AA was effective against the German fighters, which had to slow to a speed of 250mph to acquire and attack ground targets. The Kasserine Pass was defended by the US 19th Engineer Regiment, a battalion of the 26th Infantry, some TDs and a four gun battery of French 75mm cannon. Just behind the thousands of mines that covered the entrance to Kasserine, 2 Bofors 40mm AA guns from Battery D, 105th Coast Artillery Battalion (AW) waited for the Luftwaffe. As dawn broke on 19 February, the artillerymen of the 105th huddled against their guns and waited for the Germans. They would not be idle for long.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Army Cooperation Command planes bombed electrical transformer stations in the Loire valley.

 

[Njaco]

20 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet troops took Pavolgrad and engaged the Germans at Krasnograd. The Gruppenkommandeur of I./StG 77, Major Helmut Bruck was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of StG 77, a day after recieving the Eichenlaub. Major Werner Roell was made Gruppenkommandeur of I./StG 77. The I./StG 77 and II./StG 77 then moved its Ju 87Ds from Kotelnikowo to Dnepropetrowsk.

MEDITERRANEAN: US 9th AF B-24s bombed Crotone, Naples, Amantea, Palmi, Nicotera and Rosarno in Italy. RAF Liberators, under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, bombed Herklion and Kastelli/Pediada airfields on Crete during the night.

A German test commision was sent to Italy to evaluate the new Italian fighters. The commission was led by Oberst Peterson and was formed by Luftwaffe officers and pilots and by technical personnel, among them Flugbaumeister Malz. The Germans brought with them several aircraft including a Fw 190A and a Bf 109G for direct comparison tests in simulated dogfights. Top of the line examples of the Bf 109 and Fw 190 were tested in apples to apples performance tests and dogfights against all three Series 5s - the Macchi Mc 205, the Reggiane Re 2005 and the Fiat G.55. The German commission was very impressed by the Italian aircraft, the G.55 in particular. In general, all the Series 5s were very good at low altitude, but the G.55 was competetive with its German opponents also in terms of speed and climb rate at high altitudes while still maintaining superior handling characteristics. The final evaluation by the German commission was "excellent" for the G.55, "good" for the Re 2005 and "average" for the Mc 205. Oberst Peterson defined the G.55 "the best fighter in the Axis" and immediately telegraphed his impressions to Goering. The G.55 was determined to have greater potential for further development than the Bf 109. The interest of the Germans, apart from the good test results, derived also from the development possibilities they were able to see in the G.55 and in the Re 2005. For the Re 2005, the German interest resulted in the provision of an original DB 605 with the new WM injection. This engine and a VDM propellor were installed on the MM495 prototype that was aquired by the Luftwaffe and tested at Rechlin. The aircraft reached 700km/h during a test with a German pilot, but the airframe was judged not strong enough for these performances. As a result of the German interest in the G.55, the Luftwaffe aquired three complete G.55 Sottoserie 0 airframes (MM91064 - 65 - 66) for evaluation and experiments, giving inexchange three DB 603 engines and the original machinery for the setup of production lines for the DB 605/RA1050 RC58 I. Two of the Luftwaffe G.55s remained in Turin, at the Aeritalia plants, where they were used by German and Italian engineers to study the planned modifications and the planned production process. Later these two were converted to Serie 1 and delivered to the ANR. The third one was transferred to Rechlin for tests and experiments. The DB 603 engines were used to build the G.56 prototypes. Further study concluded that the production of the G.55 could be reduced as low as 9,000 man hours per plane but in light of the fact that the Bf 109 could be churned out in as little as 5,000 man hours, the idea of the G.55 succeeding the Bf 109 was scraped.

NORTH AFRICA: A shaken American army came face to face with the military genius of Rommel - and tasted defeat for the first time in the Tunisian campaign. The German offensive met heavy resistance from British tank forces, including the Guards Brigade, supported by heavy artillery fire from the Americans. In a typical Rommel Blitzkreig operation, German tanks, supported by Stuka dive bombers, hit the American sector of the line, taking the village of Sidi Bou Zid and cutting off 2,000 men. In a badly planned counter-attack, tanks of the US 1st Armoured Division were annihilated when they drove directly into German artillery. With Rommel scenting victory and confusion regning in the Allied camp, General Alexander, who took command of the 18th Army Group, including all the above named forces, ordered that there should be no withdrawl. The threat from Rommel was not over. Panzers stormed into the Pass and were stopped by US anti-tank fire. But in a fresh attack, the Americans faced German Nebelwerfer rocket-launchers and a huge artillery barrage before Axis tanks advanced relentlessly. Elements of 15. and 10. Panzerdivisions broke through only to be met by the British 26th Armoured Brigade, limiting the advance to 10 miles.

A handful of Northwest African Air Force P-39s strafed trucks and half-tracks in the Kasserine area as the Germans broke through and thrust north and west toward Thala and Tebessa.

WESTERN FRONT: 20 Wellingtons laid mines in the Frisian Islands and 1 aircraft was lost.

 

[Njaco]

21 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: German forces launched a large counter-attack to regain Kharkov.

Leading the fighters of II./JG 54 on a mission, Gruppenkommandeur Major Hans 'Assi' Hahn suffered engine trouble and had to land his Bf 109G in enemy held territory. He was captured and made a POW by the Russians. He had destroyed 108 aircraft by this time. His place as Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 54 was taken by Hptm. Heinrich Jung.

GERMANY: 130 Lancasters, 7 Stirlings and 6 Halifaxes bombed Bremen through cloud. No photographs were brought back because of the cloud and no report was available from Bremen. No aircraft were lost.

NORTH AFRICA: Heavy fighting took place in Tunisia as 10.Panzerdivision battered against the British armour at Thala while the regrouped US 1st Armoured Division held Tebessa against attacks by 15.Panzerdivision. With Feldmarschall Rommel at the front, the German attacks at the Kasserine Pass reached their maximum effect and then stopped.

1(F)./122 dispatched several sorties to the Algerian coast via Cap palos and the Alboran Sea near Bone. One Ju 88D-1/trop failed to return from the Bone-Oran area with the entire crew killed. and another Ju 88D-1/trop failed to return with one crewman killed and 3 missing.

 

[Njaco]

22 February 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-606 (Type VIIC) is sunk in the North Atlantic, by depth charges from the US coastguard cutter USS 'Campbell' and the Polish destroyer 'Burza'. 36 dead and 11 survivors.

EASTERN FRONT: Von Manstein launched his "Backhanded Blow" against the overextended Soviet spearheads. The counteroffensive to recapture Kharkov began as elements of German 1. and 4.Panzerarmees struck from south to north from the area west of Krasnoarmeskoye while reinforced elements of 2.SS Panzerkorps attacked north to south from Krasnodar. A counterattack was begun by forces of Heeresgruppe Mitte (von Kluge) in the area between the Dnepr and Donets. Meanwhile, oblivious to the threat to their flanks and rear, the Soviet spearhead under Popov continued to advance west, deeper into the trap von Manstein had sprung.

4(F)./122 was transferred from Bagerovo to Sarabus in the Crimea. The 'Regiment Normandie' took to the air over Russia for the first time. This fighter unit was formed from anti-Vichy French forces in Syria in 1942.

The Bulgarian government agrees to deport the Jewish population (11,000) people from Thrace and Macedonia to Treblinka.

GERMANY: Hans and Sophie Scholl, Martyrs of the anti-Nazi movement at Munich University, are beheaded by the guillotine. They were instrumental in organizing the resistance group known as the 'White Rose'. In one of their illegally printed pamphlets, she wrote;

'Every word that comes from Hitler's mouth is a lie'.

The graves of Hans and Sophie Scholl can be seen in the Perlach Forest Cemetery, outside Munich. The Judge for this trial was Roland Freisler. It started at 1300 hours and by 1500 hours the condemned had been executed.

NORTH AFRICA: Heavy fighting continued through the night and early morning hours around Thala. Both sides took heavy losses before the Germans withdrew in the afternoon. Rommel broke off the attack on Sbiba and Thala as British reinforcements started to arrive.

A-20s of the US 47th BG (Light) and fighters, flying close support to Allied ground forces, aid in repulsing Feldmarschall Rommel's drive toward Thala and Tebessa. The 47th bombed at minimum altitude and one A-20 was lost after being hit by 3 Bf 109s. Several aircraft sustained wing damage from ripping antennae of of German tanks and trucks. At 19:15 hours, the Germans began a general withdrawl toward Kasserine. B-17s bombed the Kasserine Pass while B-25s hit the nearby bridge and escorting P-38s strafed retreating troops. Other B-25s hit the railway yards at Gafsa. P-39s of the 15th Observation Sqdrn, 68th Observation Group flew attack-recon sorties over the Kasserine area destroying 3 tanks and damaging 10 trucks while losing 1 aircraft.

Two days after a hard drive by the Germans through Kasserine Pass, the weather cleared enough for the US 27th FS and 94th FS to strafe the Pass, encountering heavy AA fire, from both friendly and enemy forces below, level with and even above the P-38's low flight path. Of the 12 aircraft sent, 8 came back. Capt. Clarence Rimke and Lt. Thomas E. Chambers went down in the Pass and 2 more crash landed behind Allied lines north of Kasserine. Capt. Rimke was killed and Lt. Chambers became a POW. Nearly every plane was hit.

A Ju 88D-1 belonging to 2(F)./122 was sent on a recce mission to Algiers and failed to return. RAF No. 43 Sqdrn intercepted the Junkers at 27,000 feet off the Algerian Coast and shot it down. The 4 crew went missing. 2(F)./122 also reported that they lost a Me 210 flown by Fw. Walter Spitthoff in the Tripoli area.

 

[Njaco]

23 February 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-53 (TypeVIIB) is sunk in the North Sea in the mid Orkneys, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS 'Gurkha'. 42 dead (all hands lost).

U-522 (Type IXC) is sunk in the mid-Atlantic south-west of Madeira, Portugal, by depth charges from the British coastguard cutter 'Totland'. 51 dead (all hands lost).

The German Falke acoustic torpedo scores its first operational success when a U-boat sinks a tanker from convoy UC-1.

EASTERN FRONT: Von Manstein's offensive rolled forward as the German 48.Panzerkorps took Barvenkovo. Meanwhile Soviet forces captured Sumy and Lebedin northeast of Kharkov. The newly formed 16th Rifle Division went into action for the first time on the Russian front. This formation was made up almost exclusively of Lithuanian Jews.

In heavy fighting over the Orel area, fighters of I. and III./JG 54 claimed a total of 46 Russian aircraft destroyed, 5 of the enemy planes being credited to Lt. Gunther Schack of III./JG 54.

A Ju 88D-1 belonging to 5(F)./122 failed to return from a sortie to the Lake Ilmen area. The 4 crewmen were killed.

NORTH AFRICA: 1(F)./122 was at Decimo, flying 2 or 4 sorties a day in search of convoys and photo recon of Algerian harbours.

UNITED KINGDOM: From London, De Gaulle asks General Giraud to declare a Free French Republic in North Africa.

WESTERN FRONT: Uffz. Paul Gildner, a 49 victory night fighter with NJG 4, who as a member of 6./NJG 1 became the first NCO to be awarded the Ritterkruez for night-fighting, was killed in action.

 

[Njaco]

24 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Another day of intense battles around Orel found the fighters of JG 54 claiming another 43 Soviet planes destroyed including 7 credited to Lt. Josef Jennewein of I./JG 54. A Ju 88D-1 belonging to 5(F)./122 was damaged in a collision with a fighter near Lake Ilmen. One crewman was killed and another wounded.

GERMANY: 115 aircraft of RAF Nos 6 and No. 8 Groups carried out a final raid on the much bombed town of Wilhelmshaven - at least until Oct. 1944. Wilhelmshaven's report called it a 'small raid' with 'little damage in the town' and made no mention of casualties. Once again, the bomber force returned without losing any aircraft. The 115 aircraft consisted of 71 Wellingtons, 27 Halifaxes, 9 Stirlings and 8 Lancasters.

4 Mosquitoes bombed Brauweiler and Dusseldorf without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: At 13:54 hours, the US liberty ship 'Nathaniel Greene', in convoy 'MKS-8', was hit on the starborad side by two of 3 torpedoes from U-565 about 40 miles northeast of Oran. The explosions severely damaged the deck cargo, disabled the engines and flooded the forward compartments and the machinery spaces. One officer and 3 men on watch below were killed while 7 others were injured. Only a few minutes later, 7 Ju 88 bombers and 7 He 111 torpedo bombers of I./KG 26 attacked the convoy and the disabled 'Nathaniel Greene' was hit amidships by one aerial torpedo. Most of the 9 officers, 32 crewmen and 16 armed guards abandoned ship in 2 lifeboats while 26 men jumped directly onboard HMS 'Brixham', which came alongside and later picked up the remaining survivors from the boats and the water. The minesweeper took the 'Nathaniel Greene' in tow until the British salavage tug 'Restive' took and beached the vessel at Salamanda. The ship was declared a total loss, but the repair ship managed to save at least 400 tons of her cargo.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first Mk I Hawker Tempest fighter (HM 599) with wing radiators flew.

 

[Njaco]

25 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet attacks in the Caucasus continues. Stalin orders General Konstantin Rokossovsky to attack towards Gomel and Smolensk, even though only half his troops have arrived in the battle zone. (Syscom)

GERMANY: 169 RAF Lancasters, 104 Halifaxes and 64 Stirlings attacked Nuremberg, 6 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings and 1 Halifax lost. Weather conditions were poor and the Pathfinders were late with their marking. Nuremberg's report shows that the bombing fell on the northern edges of Nuremberg and on the neighbouring town of Furth and in the countryside up to 12 km further north. However, more than 300 buildings were damaged in Nuremberg, including an historic military chapel which was burnt out. 12 civilians, 1 soldier on leave and 1 pow were killed in Nuremberg; 26 people were killed in Furth and there may have been further casualties in the villages to the north. (Hugh Spencer)

6 RAF Mosquitoes went to the Ruhr where 13 people were killed in Cologne and 54 aircraft were minelaying off Brittany and in the Frisians. (Hugh Spencer)

MEDITERRANEAN: US Ninth AF B-24s bombed Naples harbor and Crotone during the night.

NORTH AFRICA: British First Army and US troops of the II Corps occupy Kasserine Pass. It was a cavalry charge, with heavy guns this time, almost in the movie tradition of the 7th Cavalry, that finally saved the day at Kasserine Pass for the Allies. Brigadier LeRoy's 9th Infantry Brigade had travelled 735 miles from western Algieria non-stop and arrived just as the British and French forces were preparing to pull back. It was a final sortie by the 2nd Lothians and Border Horse Regiment that convinced Rommel that he had no chance. British tanks took their objective, but 5 were lost in the mist and destroyed. Rommel chose to withdraw in the belief - based on this tank assault - that his army would be engulfed by the reinforced Allies. Such was the stealth of his withdrawl that the Allies found themselves attacking empty positions the next morning. The Battle of Kasserine Pass was over and now the Allies counted the cost: 10,000 men (6,500 Americans) lost compared to the Axis' 2,000. The US II Corps alone lost 183 tanks and 208 artillery pieces, 500 jeeps and trucks and huge amounts of ammunition.

The RAF began round-the-clock bombing campaign in Tunisia with 2,000 sorties in the next 48 hours. The mass formations of Allied fighters started to appear in the Tunisian skies from late February 1943 and onward. From then onward, the ruling phenomenon was this: "Die Amerikaner kamen immer in die Masse." - the Americans always came in masses. The tactic of dispatching concentrated masses of fighters to gain an overwhelming numerical superiority against the enemy had been used by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, not without success.

In Tunisia, Ninth Air Force B-25ls attack motor transport on the Arram road. (Syscom)

Twelfth Air Force B-17s bomb El Aouina Airfield. Fighters and A-20s hit troops and military traffic in the
Thala-Kasserine- Sbeitla areas and along the Gafsa-Feriana road. Other fighters carry out widespread reconnaissance and patrol missions. (Syscom)

WESTERN FRONT: Flying with Nachtjagdschule 1, where he was posted to recieve night-fighter instruction, Hptm. Georg-Hermann Greiner scored his 3rd night-fighter victory.

Jagdgeschwader 102 was formed in Zerbst from Stab/Jagdfliergerschule 2 (JFS 2). Obstlt. Jurgen Roth was appointed Geschwaderkommodore and Hptm. Leo Eggers was put in command of I./JG 102. 3./JG 102 was based at Magdeburg-Ost but joined the rest of I./JG 102 at Aalborg-Ost in July of 1944. Among the numerous aircraft used by the unit were the Ar 68, Bf 108, Bf 109, Bu 131, Fw 56, Fw 190, He 51 and Si 204. In addition to JG 102, Jagdgeschwader 105 was formed at Villacoublay-Nord from Stab/Jagdfliegerschule 5 (JFS 5). Major Richard Leppla was made Geschwaderkommodore and Hptm. Otto Bertram was put in command of I./JG 105. While the majority of the Geschwader was at Villacoublay-Nord, 2./JG 105 was based at Paris-Orly.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

26 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Uffz. Gerhard 'Gerd' Thyben of 6./JG 3, claimed his first victory, a Boston at 09:15 hours.

GERMANY: 76 B-17s of the US 1st BW and 17 B-24s of the US 2nd BW were dispatched against Bremen. The primary target was overcast so 59 B-17s and 6 B-24s attacked the docks and surrounding areas of Wilhelmshaven.

The Staffelkapitaen of 12./NJG 1, Hptm. Ludwig Becker, was informed he was to be awarded the Eichenlaub for achieving 44 night victories. But the award had to wait. At 10:22 hours, German radar scrambled all defending fighters to intercept the American bombers heading to Germany. At 10:30 hours, the bomber formations were bounced by a single Fw 190 flown by Lt. Eberhard Burath if IV./JG 1. Lt. Burath described his action:

"During the usual - mostly successful - search for enemy formations I had, flying right out on the starboard wing and while continually scanning the sky, missed my formation's turn to port and had continued flying straight ahead far out over the North Sea. I noticed it too late and now looked for my own lot. They appeared back there and I went after them at full power. Then they grew ever larger, much too large for fighters. Can that be possible? There they were, the Viermots, 60 to 70 of them in close formation. What now? fear comes only with experience and that I did not have. Without thinking, I turned into the formation and attacked from ahead. Firing with all my guns I flashed right through them. Turn in, pass parallel to them ahead. In doing so I was nearly hit as a projectile, aimed with just the right deflection, came towards me like a red tomato. Nice that the fellows then still used tracer, enabling me to jink away just in time. I zoomed once more through the formation, then it was time to return to the coast which was still 100 kilometers away. What might the Yanks have thought about this 'massed attack' by German fighters? At least they had provided me with an alibi by a hit in the engine, but the 801 continued to run smoothly even on 13 cylinders."

After Lt. Burath's lone attack, the bomber formations were bounced by Fw 190s from JG 1. Night-fighter experten Hptm. Ludwig Becker and Hptm. Hans-Joachim Jabs took off from Leeuwarden with 3 flights from the night-fighting Geschwader NJG 1 to attack the B-24 formation. This was Hptm. Becker's first daylight flight and as his formation attacked the American bombers, Hptm. Becker disappeared, never to be seen again. All available aircraft searched the area for the night-fighting experte but he was not found. Hptm. Becker had 44 enemy planes destroyed to his credit. This action, combined with the losses of 4 Feb. 1943, forced the Luftwaffe to reconsider using Nachtjagdger for daylight Reichsverteidigung duties. The air battle continued with more Fw 190s from JG 1 and NJG 1 joining in the attack as the bombers crossed the German border and on the return flight. Claims went to Ofw. Bach of 12./JG 1, Uffz. Heinz Hanke of 9./JG 1, Uffz. Wenneckers of 2./JG 1 and Lt. Heinz Knoke of 2./JG 1. The American bombers claimed that the Luftwaffe attempted air-to-air bombing by fighter aircraft and the use of parachute bombs fired by flak. 5 B-17s and 2 B-24s were lost plus 1 B-24 was damaged beyond repair.

145 RAF Lancasters, 126 Wellingtons, 106 Halifaxes, 46 Stirlings and 4 Mosquitoes attacked Cologne. 10 aircraft were lost. Most of the bombs from this large raid fell to the south-west of Cologne. Figures from Cologne itself suggest that only a quarter of the force hit the city. An increasingly familiar list of destroyed and damaged buildings was provided - much housing, minor industry, churches, historic buildings, public utilities and offices. The worst incident was when 40 to 50 people were trapped in several blocks of flats hit by a 4000lb bomb in the Einhardstrasse. The wreckage began to burn before the rescue workers could free the trapped people and most of them died. The total casualty list in Cologne was 109 people dead, more than 150 injured and 6322 bombed out.

NORTH AFRICA: Von Arnim launched a 5 day counter-attack in northern Tunisia, gaining some ground. Units of the 10. and 21.Panzerdivisions attacked British postions at Medjez el Bab. No progress was made. This prevented Rommel from concentrating quickly for an attack on the British Eighth Army before the Mareth Line. Montgomery issued the plan 'Operation Pugilist' which was to smash the Mareth defensive line in southern Tunisia.

JG 77 saw extensive action against the Desert Air Force fighter-bombers and claimed 18 Kittyhawks. Total Allied air superiority led to the various JG 77 bases in Tunisia coming under constant air attack and large numbers of Bf 109s being written off on the ground. Ofw. Robert Helmer of 8./JG 77 was killed in combat. He had destroyed 35 enemy aircraft during his wartime career, all with JG 77.

UNITED KINGDOM: Hugh Spencer: I reported to RAF Cardington, Bedforshire, to be attested into the Royal Air Force to start my service as aircrew. I had to wait another 2 months to be called.

WESTERN FRONT: At Fliegerhorst Grove, a Ju 88A-14 belonging to 1./KG 6 on a training flight, dropped its concrete training bomb in the designated area and turned south. It started to circle the lookout tower when the left wing touched the ground and the aircraft crashed with the loss of all onboard.

Fw. Ferdinand Nicklaus of 11./KG 30 and his crew were on a night navigation training flight from Fliegerhorst Aalborg west to Kalundborg when their Ju 88 crashed into the sea of the Kattegat, killing the entire crew.

2 RAF Mosquitoes went to Aachen and 21 aircraft laid mines in the Frisians without loss.

60 RAF Venturas set out for Dunkirk but only 33 bombed, without loss.

 

[Njaco]

27 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: German troops regained Lozovaya. Von Manstein's southern pincer continued to gain ground, occupying a line from Lozovaya to Kramatorsk.

WESTERN FRONT: 63 B-17s of the US 1st BW and 15 B-24s of the US 2nd BW were dispatched against the U-Boat pens, port and naval facilities at Brest. 46 B-17s and 14 B-24s dropped 155 tons of bombs on the target. Heavy AA fire was encountered but German fighters were not seen. Two B-24s were damaged but there were no casualties.

The fighters of II./JG 26 took off from Vitry to intercept a formation of Spitfires over the French-Belgium coast. As the Focke-Wulfs reached the Spitfires, 5./JG 26 was bounced by 4 Spitfires and lost 2 Fw 190s. Turning into the attack, the remaining Fw 190s assaulted the Spitfires. Uffz. Crump downed one Spitfire.

A Ju 88 of 3(F)./122 crash landed at Schipol. Observer Oblt. Augsut Hogl, pilot Lt. Riemer, flight engineer Fw. Herbert Uhlmann and gunner Uffz. Herbert Banz survived the crash.

24 RAF Venturas attacked ships at Dunirk without loss. (Hugh Spencer)

91 RAF aircraft went minelaying to the Frisian Islands and Texel. 1 Halifax was lost. (Hugh Spencer)

 

[Njaco]

28 February 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet attacks in the Caucasus continued.

The bravery and effectiveness of the partisans fighting behind the German lines is now fully recognized by the Soviet government. 14 partisans have been made Heroes of the Soviet Union, and a new medal struck to be awarded "To a Partisan of the War for the Fatherland." The exploits of the partisans make stirring reading, and Stalin has issued a special order urging that the "flame of partisan warfare shall be kindled and spread". Some of the partisan brigades are over 1,000 strong and are supplied from the air with weapons, explosives, radios and even printing presses to spread the word of resistance. The effect of their activities may be judged from the diary of a German officer killed by partisans in Byelorussia.

"We entered a gloomy wilderness in our tanks. There wasn't a single man anywhere. Everywhere the forests and marshes are haunted by the ghosts of the avengers. They would attack us unexpectedly, as if rising from under the earth. They cut us up to disappear like devils into the nether regions. Night is setting in and I feel them stealthily approaching from out of the darkness, they are the ghosts and I am frozen with fear."

Journeys through forested areas are extremely hazardous for the Germans. Bridges are blown, mines laid and ambushes set. Some units heading for the front have to fight their way through. These activities have brought a violent reaction from the Germans who mount full-scale operations against the partisans and kill anyone whom they capture. Zoya, a famous 18-year-old girl partisan who was captured near Moscow in 1941, was hanged and mutilated as an example. Not everyone approves of the partisans. They live off the country and expect the peasants to feed, clothe and shelter them, and the Germans need little excuse to execute those suspected of helping the partisans. The partisans are just as ruthless as the Germans and will kill anyone suspected of collaboration with the enemy. (Syscom)

In the yard of Block 25 at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp there is a pile of bodies stacked up like firewood. Occasionally the pile stirs as the dying struggle to free themselves from those already dead. Enormous rats scuttle around gnawing the corpses. At Treblinka, inmates are made to dig up the buried dead for burning. The stench of rotting flesh fills the air. Female corpses are used as kindling because they burn more quickly; the pregnant women burst open to reveal blackened foetuses. At Sobibor, the SS guards compete to throw Jewish children the furthest. One of them, Hubert Gomerski, enjoys beating people to death with an iron watering can. 10,000 Hungarian Jews have been deported to a Yugoslav copper mine for hard labour that will certainly kill many of them. 4,000 Jews from Marseilles, have been rounded up for deportation, and Bulgaria has agreed to deport 11,000 to Treblinka. The Nazis are liquidating the Polish ghettoes. The last 5,000 Jews of Bialystock have been dispersed to Treblinka, Majdanek and Auschwitz. All but 300 went straight to the gas chamber. (Syscom)

The 'GRUZ', a Russian Minesweeper is torpedoed by S(E)-Boats off Cape Myshako. (Syscom)

GERMANY: Women drivers are needed in Germany. An appeal was issued today by the German Women's Association, which plans special courses both to teach women to driver and to help them maintain their vehicles. The courses will be free and the aim, as with other recent measures such as labour mobilization, is to release more men for work at the front; everything is now secondary to war production. Another sign of this came earlier this month with the decree of 4 February shutting "luxury" businesses - from jewellers to sweet manufacturers - which are not considered essential for the war effort. (Syscom)

MEDITERRANEAN: Karl Kolb of JG 53 was killed in action. He had a final score of 7 enemy aircraft destroyed.

NORWAY: Operation Gunnerside - On the night of 27 / 28 February, one of the most daring undercover operations of WW II took place when Norwegian commandos launched attacks against the Norsk Hydro Electrsk factory at Vermork, Norway. The destruction of the heavy water plant was given highest priority at HQ of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The first attempt (Operation Freshman) ended in failure when 2 Hailfax bombers, both towing gliders with 34 commandos on board, crashed in bad weather over Norway. 45 men lost their lives, some in the crash, the others were shot after capture by German forces. Another attempt (Operation Gunnerside) was made by SOE, this time by parachuting a commando force of volunteers, trained in Scotland, onto the frozen surface of one of the lakes on the 3,500 square mile Hardanger Plateau. A 14 man Norwegian Army Commando group eventually reached Vermork and forced entry into the 7 story factory building through windows on the first floor and placed explosives near the 18 electroysis cells in the basement. Mission accomplished, the commandos retreated back the way they had come. At 1:15 am, the explosion did not destroy the building but about a ton of heavy water was released to pour down the drains. Two months production was lost. Although German nuclear physicists had been early leaders in research, Nazi Germany made no real progress towards the creation of an atomic bomb. Heavy water is used in certain types of nuclear reactors where it acts as a neutron moderator to slow down neutrons so that they can react with the uranium in the reactor.

Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla: Submarine loss. "M-108" by surface ships, at Sulten-fjord area. (Syscom)

The Allied convoy JW-57 - 42 merchant ships and a tanker - arrives safely, in Murmansk, having sunk two U-boats but lost the destroyer HMS 'Mahratta'. (Syscom)

UNITED KINGDOM: In February 1943 681 RAF Bomber Command aircrew were lost, either killed or POW. (Hugh Spencer)

WESTERN FRONT: Having destroyed Lorient, Bomber Command was now ready to start on the second target on the list of French U-boat base ports, St Nazaire, which the directive of 14th January had ordered to be destroyed. 152 Lancasters, 119 Wellingtons, 100 Halifaxes, 62 Stirlings and 4 Mosquitoes were despatched. 5 aircraft were lost. This initial raid caused widespread destruction. Local reports say that many bombs fell into the port area and that 60% of the town was destroyed. 29 people were killed and 12 injured. It is presumed that most of the local population had left the town. (Hugh Spencer)

10 RAF Mosquitoes went to targets in Holland without loss. 3 Mosquitoes went to the Ruhr and 5 Wellingtons were minelaying off St Nazaire. (Hugh Spencer)

 

[Njaco]

1 March 1943

EASTERN FRONT: On the central front in the East, German troops began the evacuation of the Rzhev area. Russian troops resumed the offensive north of Moscow. Soviet troops recaptured Demyansk, Zaluchie and Lychkovo.

During a tank battle around Belgorod in March, Hans-Ulrich Rudel knocked out his first tank with his new tank busting Stuka;

"...my rear gunner said that the tank exploded like a bomb and he had seen bits of it crashing down behind us."

Later on, more Ju 87D-3s were converted to tank-busters and were designated Ju 87G-1 (often nicknamed Panzerknacker or Kanonenvogel) and started arriving on the Eastern Front in October 1943.

GERMANY: Luftwaffe service units began to recieve the first He 219 'Uhu' night-fighter during March.

156 Lancasters, 86 Halifaxes and 60 Stirlings attacked Berlin, 17 aircraft were lost. The Pathfinders experienced difficulty in producing concentrated marking because individual parts of the extensive built-up city area of Berlin could not be distinguished on the H2S screens. Bombing photographs showed that the attack was spread over more than 100 square miles with the main emphasis in the south west of the city. However, because larger numbers of aircraft were now being used and because those aircraft were now carrying a greater average bomb load, the proportion of the force which did hit Berlin caused more damage than any previous raid to this target. This type of result - with significant damage still being caused by only partially successful attacks - was becoming a regular feature of Bomber Command raids. Much damage was caused in the south and west of Berlin. 22 acres of workshops were burnt out at the railway repair works at Tempelhof and 20 factories were badly damaged and 875 buildings, mostly houses, were destroyed. 191 people were killed. Some bombs hit the Telefunken works at which the H2S set taken from the Stirling shot down near Rotterdam was being reassembled. The set was completely destroyed in the bombing but a Halifax of 35 Squadron with an almost intact set crashed in Holland on this night and the Germans were able to resume their research into H2S immediately.

6 Mosquitoes went to the Ruhr and 49 Wellingtons and Halifaxes were minelaying off the French and German coasts. 2 Wellingtons were lost.

A new night-fighter unit was formed, Nachtjagdgeschwader 101 with Major Harry von Bulow-Bothkamp appointed as Geschwaderkommodore. Oblt. Werner Klumper was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of KG 26 in place of Oberst Karl Stockmann who became Geschwaderkommodore of KG 102 in February.The postion of Geschwaderkommodore of KG 102 was given to Oberst Horst Beyling.

Major Walter Engel's IV./KG 27 moved from Winniza to Braunschweig-Waggum.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-24s raided the harbour at Naples. One bombed Soverato while 2 others hit Naples and Palmi. In Sardinia, B-17s bombed docks and shipping, also hitting railroad yards and the town area at cagliari. The Italian destroyers RM 'Geniere' was sunk in dry dock at Palermo by the air raids and RM 'Monsone' was sunk in Naples Harbour.

NORTH AFRICA: In Tunisia, B-25s and B-26s of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force attacked bridges and AA positions in the La Hencha area. Fighters escorted bombers and hit ground forces in the battle areas around Sidi Nsir and Bedja. B-25s of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force bombed the Mateur area. B-26s attacked a frieghter northeast of Bizerte.

During March Allied units in Tunisia increased their combat power. Two fresh British divisions arrived and the British 6th Armoured refitted with American Sherman tanks. The French XIX Corps turned in its prewar equipment for the latest American weapons. The US II Corps recieved the rest of the 1st, 9th and 34th Infantry Divisions from Algeria and replaced lost tanks and equipment as fast as ships, trains and trucks could bring them to the front. Engineer and other support specialists improved and expanded ports, rail lines and roads. Best of all for the troops on the ground, Allied air support soon improved.

WESTERN FRONT: The Atlantic Convoy Conference, which opened today, was deciding the strategy of the increased U-Boats menace in the North Atlantic. Losses mounted because of the increased number of U-Boats, the deployment of 'milch cow' submarines and the shortage of very-long range aircraft. Beginning 1 April the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy were to share the escort of convoys on the North Atlantic route with a dividing line at 47 degrees west, while the US Navy would cover the South Atlantic and Caribbean.

8./KG 40 began conversion to the He 177 at Fassberg while 7./KG 40 was based at Cognac and 9./KG 40 was at Bordeaux-Merignac. 9./KG 40 had operated in the Mediterranean, flying supplies to Africa, first between Crete and Tobruk and later between Lecce and Tunisia. Apparently 7./KG 40 also flew some of these missions.

 

[Njaco]

2 March 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Mussolini withdrew his troops from the Eastern front.

Oblt. Walter Krupinski or 'Graf Pinski' as he was known to other pilots, became Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 52. He selected as his wingman during operations the promising Lt. Erich Hartmann who had only 4 kills at this time.

But JG 52 lost another of its Experten against the Russians. Fw. Karl Hammerl of 1./JG 52, with 65 planes destroyed to his credit, was listed as missing in action during the day.

GERMANY: In the heaviest raid against Berlin so far of the war, RAF bombers dropped 8,000lb HE and thousands of IBs in a night attack on the city centre.

302 aircraft - 156 Lancasters, 86 Halifaxes and 60 Stirlings were dispatched but the Pathfinders experienced difficulty in producing concentrated marking because individual parts of the extensive built-up city area of Berlin could not be distinquished on the H2S screens. Bombing photographs showed that the attack wa spread over more than 100 square miles with the main emphasis in the southwest of the city. However because large numbers of aircraft were now being used and because those aircraft were now carrying a greater average bomb load, the proportion of the force which did hit Berlin caused more damage than any previous raid to this target. This type of result - with significant damage still being caused by only partially successful attacks - was becoming a regular feature of Bomber Command raids. Some bombs hit the Telefunken Works at which the H2S set taken from the Stirling shot down near Rotterdam was being reassembled. The set was completely destroyed in the bombing but a Halifax of RAF No. 35 Sqdrn with an almost intact set crashed in Holland on this night and the Germans were able to resume their research into H2S almost immediately.

Much damage was concentrated around the 'Unter den Linden', the Opera and the cathedral of St. Hedwig. One pilot said later;

"It was a fearsome sight, but no regrets....remember what the Nazis did to London."

The Germans later said that 191 people were killed and 268 injured. A total of 17 aircraft did not come back - 7 Lancasters, 6 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings. Berlin threatened reprisal raids against New York and Washington, without suggesting how these might be achieved.

60 aircraft went minelaying between Texel and the River Gironde. 2 Wellingtons and 1 Lancaster were lost.

6 Mosquitoes went to the Ruhr without loss. The aircraft which bombed Essen scored direct hits in the middle of the main Krupps factory.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Sicily, Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17s bombed shipping and the harbour area at Palermo.

NORTH AFRICA: US forces in Tunisia followed the retreating Germans, occupying Sbeitla and advancing toward Feriana. Fighting continued in the north as von Arnim continued to probe at the British defenses.

In Tunisia, B-26s attacked bridges and flak positions at La Hencha. Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters hit troops, tanks and motor transport south of Mateur and northeast of Bedja as the Germans renewed an attack along the Mateur-Taberka road.

 

[Njaco]

3 March 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Red Army forces occupied Rzhev as the Germans withdrew from the exposed position. Soviet attacks north of Kharkov continued to gain ground as Lgov, west of Kursk, was captured. The situation south of Kharkov was not going well as Papov finally realized his mistake and began to withdraw. 9,000 prisoners were taken in the first of many surrenders to come in the next few weeks. In air battles over the front, Lt. Gunther Schack of III./JG 51 destroyed a Russian aircraft to bring his score to 46 kills.

The SS announced that an SS Division was to be formed in Latvia to fight the Russians and around 32,000 latvians volunteered. They formed the 'Waffen Grenadier Division der SS (No. 1 )'. During the winter offensive they fought bravely against the Soviets. Pulled out of the battle zone to avoid encirclement, they were sent back into Prussia. Gradually pushed westward by the advancing Red Army, they eventually surrendered to the British.

The idea that British POWs be recruited to form an infantry SS unit was put forward by the self-styled facist, John Emery, son of a minister in Churchill's war cabinet. In 1943 the SS expressed interest in the idea and the 'Legion of St. George' or British Free Corps was created to fight only against communists on the German-Finnish front. Despite promises of an easy life of luxury, only about 30 prisoners responded. Lt. William Shearer was the only officer to volunteer but was soon diagnosed as a schizophrenic and repatriated to England on medical grounds. The unit included 3 Canadians, 3 South Africans, 3 Australians and 1 New Zealander. Many changed their minds and were returned to their POW camps. By March 1943, only 6 remained as part of the 11.SS Panzergrenadier Division 'Nordland'. After the war, John Emery was tried for treason and recieved the death penalty. He was hanged on 19 December 1945. The remaining members recieved periods of imprisonment.

GERMANY: In its largest daylight mission to date, the US Eighth AF dispatched a total of 566 B-17s and B-24s against the Wilhelmshaven port area. A total of 434 B-17s and 105 B-24s dropped a record 1,488 tons of bombs on the briefed area at about 1300 hours. Seven B-17s were lost with 70 crewmaen. This was also the first time that a Bomb Group went out in double strength. The US 90th BG dispatched 50 B-17s.

149 Lancasters, 123 Wellingtons, 83 Halifaxes, 62 Stirlings attacked Hamburg. 10 aircraft were missing. Visibility was clear over the target but the Pathfinders made a mistake, possibly thinking that the H2S indications of mudbanks in the Elbe which had been uncovered by the low tides were sections of the Hamburg docks. Most of the Main Force bombing thus fell 13 miles downstream from the centre of Hamburg, around the small town of Wedel. Even so, a proportion of the bombing force did hit Hamburg which suffered 27 people killed and 95 injured and whose fire brigade had to put out 100 fires before devoting all its energies to helping the town of Wedel, which suffered so heavily. The damage at Wedel included a large naval clothing store burnt out as well as several important industrial concerns destroyed in Wedel's harbour area and this illustrated another Bomber Command view; that bombing could usually be useful even if the wrong target was hit.

5 Mosquitoes went to the Ruhr with more direct hits on Krupps. 14 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians, 1 Stirling lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-24s dispatched against Naples, failed to reach the primary target. Several bombed the secondary, Messina, while 3 aircraft bombed the bridges at Bianco and Siderno Marina.

NORTH AFRICA: In Tunisia, P-40s flew fighter-bomber missions along the Mareth Line as a probing attack against the British 51st Division was driven back. The Germans issued a plan for a counterattack fom the Mareth Lines to its commanders. US B-17s bombed docks and shipping at Tunis and shipping and a power plant at La Goulette harbor. Fighters and medium bombers of the Northwest African Tactical AF hit ground forces in the areas around Bedja, Bou Arada and Mateur. Fighting around Bedja subsided but German forces took Sedjanane.

While on an escort mission to El Aouina, Lt. Harry Dowd, US 27th FS was killed in action. Lt. William Martin US 27th, was also listed as missing inaction. Capt. E.G. Johnson of the US 31st FG damaged a Fw 190. Oblt. Wolfgang Tonne of 3./JG 53 and Lt. Gerhard Opel of 2./JG 53 each claimed a P-38.

NORTHERN FRONT: 10 Mosquitoes of RAF No. 139 Sqdn carried out a long range raid on the important molybdenum mine at Knaben in Norway. The target was successfully bombed but 1 Mosquito was shot down by Fw 190s, claimed by Uffz. Schmid of 7./JG 1 for his first kill.

Oblt. Gerd Senoner, Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 5 crashed his Bf 109F due to engine trouble. Fw. Josef Gruber of 1./JG 5 went missing in action.

UNITED KINGDOM: An air raid warning was sounded in London but it was a false alarm. Near Bethnal Green underground station in London, an army defense unit was using a new type of rocket launcher. The whining noise the rockets made sounded like falling bombs. Hearing this, many families in the area rushed to the underground tube shelter for safety. Regrettably, 173 civilians were killed in a panicked crush attempting to enter the shelters at Bethnal Green. A middle-aged woman carrying a baby tripped near the bottom of the first flight of 20 steps. Her fall brought down the man behind her, and others hurrying down to the shelter fell in their turn. Within minutes, dozens of bodies were crushed on top of each other. Unaware, others pressed in from the street, building up a wall of death. The woman lived. Her baby died.

 

[Njaco]

4 March 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Canadian ships were escorting the 57 ship convoy 'KMS-10' from the UK to Algieria. The convoy had been under air attack by German Fw 200 long-range aircraft for 2 days and U-Boat wolf packs began to intercept the ships. U-87 was sunk west of Leixoes, by depth charges from the corvette HMCS 'Sheliac' and the destroyer HMCS 'St. Croix'. 'Sheliac' had obtained a sonar contact, which the 2 escorts attacked repeatedly before it vanished without giving any indication of the success of the attack. There were no survivors from the U-Boat's crew of 49 men.

EASTERN FRONT: North of Kharkov, Red Army forces continued to make advances against the Germans, capturring Olenino and Chertolino to the west of Rzhev, and Sevsk and Sudzha west of Kursk. However, von Manstein redirected his attacks at Kharkov, sending the SS Panzerkorps west from Poltava and elements of 4.Panzerarmee to attack northwards from positions along the Berestovaya River, west of Izyum.

GERMANY: The US Eighth AF undertook raiding the railroad yards at Hamm in the Ruhr, the first US Eight AF attack on a Ruhr industrial target. To divert the enemy, 14 B-24s of the US 2nd BW flew a diversion without loss. In an effort to confuse the German radar, the main force of 71 B-17s of the US 1st BW headed over the North Sea coast as if heading to Wilhelmshaven or Bremen. Halfway across they banked hard to the right and headed for Hamm. Near the city bad weather interferred and forced the entire bomber formation to seek other targets while one group, 14 B-17s of the 91st BG, continued to Hamm. The remainder attacked targets in Holland, notably the port of Rotterdam. The 14 Fortresses of the 91st BG were attacked by German fighters shortly after dropping their loads on Hamm. Four B-17s were shot down from the US group and all of the remaining 11 B-17s were badly damaged but were able to return to base in England. 28 B-17s from the original formations hit the shipyards at Rotterdam dropping 70 tons at around 10:20 hours. After dropping their loads on the city, the formation was intercepted on the return flight by 50 single and twin-engined fighters, mostly by all four Gruppen of JG 1, supported by JG 26, and Bf 110s from IV./NJG 1 and III./NJG 1. Four Bf 110s destroyed a B-17 over Den Helder and Lt. Koster of NJG 1 destroyed another bomber. The night-fighters lost one Bf 110 from each Gruppe during the battle. The Fw 190s of JG 1 and JG 26 suffered 5 losses. This was the first time that the Luftwaffe recorded 2 seperations of 'Herausschuss' and a final destruction or 'endgultige Vernichtung' among the claims, relating to the point system of promotions and awards for fighter pilots. Recognizing how difficult it was to attack tight bomber formations, more points were awarded for sepearting a four-engined bomber from a formation than shooting down a single engined fighter. A 'endgultige Vernichtung' of a bomber gained the pilot 1 point (presumably because it was considered much easier to shoot down an already crippled bomber or straggler), compared to 1 point for destruction of a single-engined enemy fighter. In addition, 2 points were awarded for a 'Herausschuss' while 3 points were awarded for downing a four-engined bomber along with the pilot being awarded the Iron Cross, First Class.

12 Mosquitoes attacked railway targets at Arnage and Aulnoye without loss.

6 Mosquitoes went to the Ruhr. 27 aircraft were minelaying in areas as far south as Bayonne and as far north as Gydnia. 1 Lancaster was lost.

NORTH AFRICA: In Tunisia, P-40s flew top cover missions as the British Eighth Army completed the concentration of troops and weapons in forward areas and awaited an attack which seemed imminent because of German troop movements in the mountains west of Medenine. Montgomery was reinforcing his already strong defenses around Medenine as elements of 10. and 21.Panzerdivisions headed south. JG 53 recorded its first loss of a new Bf 109G-6.

UNITED KINGDOM: Unsuccessful night sortie by German MTBs off Great Yarmouth. 'S-70' was mined and sank. 'S-75' was sunk by Spitfires and Typhoons.

WESTERN FRONT: At Aalborg West a Ju 88A-14 belonging to III./KG 6 was parked on the airfiled and was hit by another Ju 88A-4 piloted by Fw. Willi Rabe of 11./KG 30 while the latter was taking off. The KG 6 Junkers was heavily damaged. Fw. Rabe and navigator Obgefr. Henning both lost their lives and were laid to rest in Fredrickshaven cemetary on 9 March. The remaining 2 crewmen were injured.