This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Hugh Spencer]

13 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-487' was sunk in the central Atlantic by five Avenger and Wildcat aircraft of the American escort carrier USS 'Core' . 31 dead and 33 survivors. One Wildcat was shot down in the action. The milk cow was attacked by carrier aircraft (VC-13 USN) from USS 'Core' southwest of the Azores after a planned refueling was reported by ULTRA. An Avenger/Wildcat team, piloted by Lt R.P. Williams and Lt(jg) E.H. Steiger, completely surprised 'U-487' as some crewmen were seen sun-bathing on deck and no AA fire was experienced during the first attack run. Four depth charges straddled the boat, which stopped in a large oil patch. The Wildcat attempted a second strafing run, but was hit by AA fire and crashed off the port bow, killing the pilot. Two other Wildcats, piloted by LtCdr C.W. Brewer and Lt J.R. Brownstein, arrived at the scene and their strafing attacks made it possible for a second Avenger (Lt(jg) J.F. Schoby) to place four depth charges direct on target. Its explosions lifted 'U-487' out of the water, broke her back and caused it to sink within a few seconds. 33 survivors were later rescued by USS 'Barker'.

'U-607' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay NW of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from an RAF 228 Sqn Sunderland.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen 'Zitadel' Day 9: German offensive operations at Kursk come to an end as one last attempt was made to break the Soviet lines on the southern face of the bulge. It failed. The fighting continued around Prochorovka for several more days. 2nd SS 'Das Reich' continued to push slowly eastward in the area south of the town. Hitler decided to cancel Unternehmen 'Zitadel'. Manstein argued that he should be allowed to finish off the two Soviet tank armies. He had unused reserves, consisting of three experienced panzer divisions of XXIV Panzer Corps, in position for quick commitment. That corps could have been used to attack the Fifth Guards Tank Army in its flank, to break out from the Psel bridgehead or to cross the Psel east of Prochorovka. All of the available Soviet armor in the south was committed and could not be withdrawn without causing a collapse of the Soviet defenses. Manstein correctly realized that he had the opportunity to destroy the Soviet operational and strategic armor in the Prochorovka area. Hitler suspended operations and the vaunted Wehrmacht would never attempt a major strategic offensive on the Russian front again. 4.Panzerarmee reported that the 2.SS Panzerkorps had 163 operational tanks, a net loss of only 48 tanks. The new tanks had turned out a very disappointing show with most of the Mk V Panthers breaking down on the first day due to problems with the complex electrical cooling systems (from a total of 200 only forty were in running order at the end of the first day). The Elefant tanks although a formidable machine with their 88mm gun had also proved a disappointment with Russian infantry simply attacking the 73 ton monsters with satchel charges and Molotov cocktails when they were separated from the infantry with relative ease due to the absence of a hull machine gun as a secondary defenses. Although German losses were quite high, Russian losses were higher with the 6th Guards Army (which had borne the brunt of the assault) suffering very high losses and by the 11th July the battle hung in the balance. Meanwhile, the Soviet offensive opposite Orel, north of Kursk continued to make good progress against dogged German resistance.

The crews of III./JG 54 were on the move again when they left the airbase at Ugrin and settled at the airfield near Orel. But not before they lost Fw. Peter Bremer (40 victories) of 1./JG 54 who was shot down and taken prisoner by the Russians.

JG 51 lost 2 pilots during the Kursk battle. Oblt. Albert Walter (37 kills) of the Stabstaffel JG 51 was listed as missing in action southeast of Uljanowo as was Oblt. Alfred Messerschmidt (8 kills).

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 4: British forces continued to advance in Sicily capturing Autusta and Raqusa. The 'Herman Goring' Division was beginning to shift position to face the advancing British 51st Infantry Division, 23rd Armored Brigade and Canadian 1st Infantry Division (Harpoon Force) near Vizzini, while the British 8th Corps opened attacks toward Catania and Lentini. The leading troops were held up by an enemy rearguard at Lentini. To speed up the advance, landings were made to capture the bridges to the north of the town. No 3 Commando landed at Agnone and prevented the destruction of the Ponte del Malati while the 1st Parachute Brigade and 151 Brigade captured the Primasole Bridge over the Simeto giving the British forces a route to the plain of Catania. These gains were made at considerable cost because of resistance from the Hermann Goring Division. Firmly established on the slopes of Mount Etna the Germans held up the British advance. The plain with the Gerbini airfields was in dispute for almost three weeks.

Augusta, Sicily was captured by the British 5th Division.

The Allied landings on Sicily forced all the Luftwaffe units except II./JG 51 to move to make-shift airfields in northeastern Sicily. Constant Allied bombings on the remaining airfields turned them into crater-filled fields and rendered them useless for the German fighters and bombers.

In the air during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons hit Caltanissetta, Gerbini Airfield, and Enna. During the day, B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchells, B-26 Marauders, and fighters attacked Enna, Milo Airfield, Carcitella landing ground, Randazzo, and targets of opportunity while Ninth Air Force B-24s hit the airfield at Vibo Valentia. Northwest African Tactical Air Force aircraft hit truck convoys, trains, railway stations, troops, and numerous targets of opportunity over wide areas in Sicily. Ninth Air Force B-25s attacked the Leonforte road and harbor at Termini while P-40s patrol the Licata area. Because of the coastal terrain at Sicily, it was possible for enemy planes to sneak in over the surrounding hills and attack before anyone knew they were coming. In such an attack, two Stuka dive-bombers hit the Avola anchorage before the alarm could be given. The 'Will Rogers', which had just arrived, got in a few bursts of 20-millimeter fire, as did some other ships, but the planes were gone within a minute. One plane put two bombs into a hold full of ammunition on the 'Timothy Pickering', a US Liberty ship which had arrived with the 'Will Rogers' and still had most of her troops aboard. The 'Pickering' vanished in a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke and fire that towered a thousand feet into the air. Some of the burning wreckage hit a nearby tanker, which also blew up, and bits of that ship killed several men on the 'O. Henry'. Of 192 men aboard the 'Pickering', the only survivors were 23 men blown overboard in the initial explosion.

GERMANY: 374 RAF aircraft - 214 Halifaxes, 76 Wellingtons, 55 Stirlings, 18 Lancasters, 11 Mosquitos were ordered to Aachen. A strong tail wind brought the first waves of the Main Force into the target area before Zero Hour with the result that, when the first Pathfinder markers were released, an unusually large number of aircraft bombed in the first minutes of the raid. The visibility was good and large areas of Aachen appeared to burst into flame at once. In a report from Aachen, 'A Terrorangriff [Terrorattack] of the most severe scale was delivered.' 20 aircraft - 15 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters, 2 Wellingtons, 1 Stirling - were lost. 2,927 individual buildings were destroyed. These contained 16,828 flats/apartments and there was the familiar list of public and cultural buildings hit. Among those classed as severely damaged were the cathedral, the Rathaus, the town theatre, the police headquarters, the local prison, the main post office, two infantry barracks and an army food depot and 8 large industrial premises including an aero-engine factory, a rubber factory, a tyre factory and a wagon works. 294 people were killed and 745 injured and 28,500 people appear to have fled the town and were still absent when new ration cards were issued nearly 7 weeks later. The Fw 190s of 1./SAGr 128 and 8./JG 2 were scrambled from their bases near Brest and soon they came across the British bombers. This was 1./SAGr 128's most successful day, as the Fw 190 pilots shot down 5 of the bombers. Oblt. Heinz Wurm made his first claim at 06:27 hours followed 3 minutes later by 8./JG 2's Ofw. Freidrich May for his 26th victory. Minutes later, bombers were claimed by Uffz. Schuler and Gefr. Hess from 8./JG 2 and Ofw. Hans Gryz and Ofw. Freidrich Jost of 1./SAGr 128 followed by Oblt. Wurm, who downed his 3d bomber of the morning. W/Cdr J. D. Nettleton VC was flying a Lancaster I with RAF No. 44 Sqdrn on this raid. The Augsburg Raid veteran was believed to have been shot down by a night-fighter off the Brest peninsula but possibly by the Fw 190s.

2 Oboe Mosquitoes carried out a diversion for the Aachen raid by dropping target indicators over Cologne.

UNITED KINGDOM: 3 German aircraft were brought down during a night attack on Hull. A Dornier Do 217K crashed in flames into the sea after an attack by a Beaufighter of RAF No. 604 Squadron (15 miles E of Spurn Head). Two of the crew were listed as missing and two were taken prisoner. Next was a Dornier Do 217M also shot down into the sea off Spurn Head by a Beaufighter of RAF No. 604 Squadron, all of the crew were listed as missing, but the body of one of them was later, on the 26th, recovered from the sea and buried at Grimsby. The 3d was a Dornier Do 217E shot down by AA fire - it crashed at Long Riston, near Hull. The crew were all killed. A new German aircraft preceded the raid on Hull, it closely resembled the RAF's Mosquito and was called the Hornisse (Hornet) it was the Messerschmitt 410. Operating at altitudes between 10,000 and 20,000' enemy aircraft were attempting to bomb nearby nightfighter airfields but met with little success. However in the actual raid on Hull, fifty fires were started and twenty-six people were killed. F/L Bunting of RAF No. 85 Sqdrn, flying a Mosquito, shot down a Me 410 from V./KG 2. It was the first Me 410 to be destroyed over Britain.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

14 July 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen 'Zitadel' Day 10: The Soviet offensive on the Orel salient expanded as the Voronezh Front struck back at the German 4.Panzerarmee and Army Detachment Kempf south of Kursk. 2nd SS 'Das Reich' continued to push slowly eastward in the area south of Prochorovka. That advance enabled 2.SS Panzerkorps to link up with the SS divsion and encircle several Soviet rifle divisions south of Prochorovka. 3rd SS 'Totenkopf' eventually reached the Kartachevka/Prochorovka road and the division took several tactically important hills on the north edge of its perimeter as well.

GERMANY: 8 Mosquitoes carried out a nuisance raid on Berlin. 1 aircraft crashed into the sea.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 5: One of the most bizarre battles in the war was fought as German and British paratroops made several combat drops in the same area within hours of one another near the Primrose Bridge in Sicily. The Primrose Bridge crossed a 400-foot gorge 7 miles south of Catania. It was the key to Montgomery's capture of the Catania plain. The German 3rd Parachute Regiment (which had dropped July 12) was reinforced by the drop of the 1st Para-MG battalion the previous day defended the area. In the early morning hours of 14th, the British 1st Parachute Brigade landed south of the bridge and secured it. The Germans struck the disorganized British at first light. The Brits were hard pressed until fire from the cruiser HMS 'Newfoundland' delivered quick and accurate 6lb gun rounds in support. The Germans launched heavier attacks, supported by artillery in the afternoon. Communications with the 'Newfoundland' broke down leaving the Brits without support. They were forced to abandon the bridge late in the day. Meanwhile, British armor had been fighting hard to reach the paratroops. By early evening they had made contact with the British paratroops well south of the bridge. The Germans withdrew to the north bank anticipating a British night attack, but it never developed. The Germans were reinforced during the night, by yet another airborne drop (the final drop into the area came on July 17th when the German 4th Parachute Regiment was landed) and could declare victory at the Primrose Bridge. In other fighting on Sicily, American forces secured the Biscari airfield and Niscemi while British forces captured Vizzini. The American capture of Biscari was marred by two incidents. In one, Captain John T. Compton was charged with killing 36 POWs in his charge. He claimed to be following orders. Both the investigating officer and the Judge Advocate declared that Comptons's actions were unlawful but he was acquitted in a court-marshal. In the second incident, Sergeant West was charged with killing POWs under his charge. He was found guilty, stripped of rank and sentenced to life in prison. This led to charges of uneven justice for officers and NCOs. Ultimately, West was released from prison as a private. Compton was transferred to another regiment and died a year later fighting in Italy.

In the air during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons bombed Palermo and Messina, and C-47 Skytrains dropped paratroops in advance of Allied troops to secure the bridge at Primosole. During the day, RAF heavy bombers and USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators hit railroad, marshalling yard, harbor, and oil storage facilities at Messina; B-25 Mitchells hit the Enna and Palermo areas; and P-40s patrol Licata and attack the Lentini area. Northwest African Tactical Air Force aircraft hit ammo dumps, trains, rail junctions, bridges, vehicle convoys, and other targets of opportunity in the Sicilian countryside; B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-26 Marauders, B-25s, and fighters hit Naples, Italy and Messina, Enna, Marsala, and Randazzo, and numerous targets of opportunity in Sicily.

Ofw. Johann Pichler of 7./JG 77 was forced to bail out of his Bf 109G-6 "Weiss 3" after being shot down by Spitfires during strafing on Allied troops. He hit the rudder while jumping clear and laned hard on the ground. Evacuated from Sicily on a hospital ship under cover of darkness, Pichler's injuries were severe enough to keep him off operations until January 1944 when he rejoined III./JG 77 in Rumania defending the Ploesti oil refinery.

WESTERN FRONT: USAAF VIII Bomber Command flew Mission Number 73 attacking three targets in France: 111 B-17s and 5 YB-40s were dispatched against the aircraft works at Villacoublay, France; 101 hit the target at 0811-0815 hours and claimed 15-7-16 Luftwaffe aircraft; three B-17s were lost. 64 B-17s were dispatched against Glisy Airfield at Amiens; 53 hit the target at 0742 hours and claimed 9-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; a B-17 was lost. 84 B-17s were dispatched against LeBourget Airfield, Paris; 52 hit the target at 0750-0820 hours and claimed 41-27-32 Luftwaffe aircraft; four B-17s were lost. Escort was provided by the US 4th FG and 78th FG among others. Four bombers were destroyed over Le Bourget by III./JG 2 including one that was credited to the Gruppenkommandeur Obstlt. Egon Mayer. The Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 26, Major 'Wutz' Galland, claimed 3 P-47s destroyed. Another victor was Oblt. George-Peter Eder, Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 2 who reported;

"We were doing about 450kmh now and were coming down slightly, aiming for the noses of the B-17s. There were about 200 of us attacking the 200 bombers but there was also fighter escort above them. We were going for the bombers. When we made our move, the P-47s began to dive on us and it was a race to get to the bombers before being intercepted. I was already close and about 600 ft above and coming straight on; I opened fire with the 20s at 500 yards. At 300 yards I opened fire with the 30s. It was a short burst, maybe 10 shells from each cannon, but I saw the bomber explode and begin to burn. I flashed over him at about 50 ft and then did a chandelle. When I had turned around I was about 1,000 ft above and behind them and was suddenly mixed in with American fighters.
....Straight in front was a Thunderbolt...as I completed the turn and I opened fire on him immediately and hit his propwash. My fire was so heavy his left wing came off almost at once and I watched him go down....We flew south for a few seconds, preparing for another strike at the bombers and then, coming from above, I saw them. I called a warning; 'Indianer uber uns!', and as they came in behind us we banked hard left. There were 10 P-47s and 4 of us and we were all turning as hrad as we could, as in a Lufbery. I was able to turn tighter and was gaining. I pulled within 80 yards of the P-47 ahead of me and opened fire. I hit him quickly and two of the others got one each. so that in a minute and a half 3 of the P-47s went down...."

An Fw 190A-5 of 1./SAGr 128 was destroyed by bombs during the raid on Le Bourget airfield. The Luftwaffe lost Oblt. Gunther Behrendt (5 kills) from 11./JG 2.

A wounded Duxford pilot, 2nd Lt. A V DeGenaro of the US 82nd, risked drowning rather than let his plane crash into a town and earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest US award for valour. While escorting bombers which attacked an airfield at Amiens, Lt. DeGenaro destroyed two FW190s and damaged another. During combat, however, he was severely injured in both hands, his right knee and both ankles. Because of his injuries, he had to fly his Thunderbolt with his forearms. His instruments were shot out, his right aileron was gone, his right wing was badly shot up, and his tail surfaces were damaged. Although barely able to manoeuvre the plane, he found the English Channel and headed across, ducking into low clouds to evade three pursuing FW190s which followed him almost to the British coast. He had planned on making a crash landing, but after crossing the coast he discovered his safety belt was unfastened (he had unhooked it in combat) and was unable to fasten it again because of his wounds. Realizing that baling out over land would mean his aircraft would crash into a coastal town, he headed out to sea again, baling out in view of a fishing boat which then rescued him.

 

[Njaco]

15 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The SS 'Twickenham' was damaged by 'U-135'. 'U-135' was then sunk in the Atlantic, by sloop HMS 'Rochester' and corvettes HMS 'Mignonette' and 'Balsam' and a USN VP-92 Catalina.

Two German submarines were sunk by US Navy aircraft. - 'U-759' was sunk in the Caribbean Sea, south of Haiti, by depth charges from a PBM-3C Mariner of Patrol Squadron Thirty Two (VP-32) based at NAS Guantanamo, Cuba. 'U-509' was sunk in the mid-Atlantic north-west of Madeira, Portugal, by aerial (Fido) torpedoes from a TBF Avenger of Composite Squadron Twenty Nine (VC-29) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Santee' (CVE-29).
The unescorted 'Harmonic' was torpedoed by 'U-172' 620 miles east of Rio de Janeiro. The vessel was sunk by a coup de grâce at 2116. One crewmember was lost. The master, 38 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up on 22 July by the Portuguese merchantman 'Inhambane' and landed at Bahia, Brazil two days later.

The unescorted 'Empire Lake' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-181' about 240 miles east of Madagascar. The master, 24 crewmembers and six gunners were lost. Five crewmembers and two gunners landed at Farafangana, Madagascar.

EASTERN FRONT: Heavy fighting continued on the Russian front as the Soviet Central Front (General Rokossovsky) joins in the offensive toward Orel, attacking from his positions north of Kursk. To the south 4.Panzerarmee relinquished all the ground it captured during the recent offensive and returned to their start line from two weeks ago.

A pair of Soviet LaGG-5s destroyed brought 7./JG 52's Lt. Erich Hartmann's score to 36 kills.

GERMANY: 6 Mosquitoes flew on a nuisance raid to Munich, only 2 aircraft reached the target but no aircraft were lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 6: In Sicily, Patton's 7th Army, was relegated to a minor roll of protecting Montgomery's left flank. Stung by the Alexander's decision to give Bradley's 2nd Corps front to Montgomery, Patton decided to drive west to Polermo with half his army while 2nd Corps was stuck advancing north through the trackless mountains.

The Bf 109s of 8./JG 27, led by their Staffelkapitaen Oblt. Wolf Ettel, flew to Brindisi in Italy to reinforce the fighters defending Sicily.

In Sicily during the night NATAF light and medium bombers bombed Palermo, and flew armored reconnaissance, attacking roads and convoys, over extensive areas of Sicily. During the day, Ninth Air Force B-25s bombed Palermo, Cape Gallo, Salina Island, and Cape Zifferano; and P-40s patrolled over the Licata area while NASAF medium bombers bombed Vibo Valentia, and fighters flew numerous strafing and bombing missions against trains, road junctions, radar installations, truck convoys, railway stations, and targets of opportunity throughout Sicily. Northwest African Coastal Air Force airplanes flew sea patrols, reconnaissance, convoy escort, and hit shipping off the west coast of Corsica and east coast of Sardinia.

During the night, Wellingtons of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) hit airfields and docks at Naples; during the day NASAF heavy bombers hit Villa San Giovanni and USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24s struck the main airfield and two satellite fields at Foggia.

The Italian (transport) submarine 'Remo' was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Taranto by submarine HMS 'United'.

RAF No. 617 Squadron carried out its first operation since the Dams Raid in May. It had been decided to keep the squadron in being and to use it for independent precision raids on small targets. It remained in 5 Group and most of its replacement crews came from the squadrons of that group. The targets on this night were two electrical transformer stations in Northern Italy - one near Bologna and the other near Genoa. The intention was to disrupt the supply of electricity to the railways carrying German troops and supplies to the battle front in Sicily. 12 Lancasters of 617 Squadron were joined by 12 further 5 Group Lancasters for these attacks which were not successful. No flares or markers were carried and the targets were partially hidden by mist. After bombing the Lancasters flew on to North Africa. 2 Lancasters of the supporting force were lost.

NORTH AMERICA: The USN establishes new designations for aircraft carriers. The 10,000 ton class aircraft carriers built on light cruiser hulls, formerly designated aircraft carriers (CVs), are redesignated light aircraft carriers (CVLs); auxiliary aircraft carriers (ACVs), classified as auxiliary vessels, are redesignated escort aircraft carriers (CVEs) in the combatant category; and a new category, Aircraft Carriers, Large (CVB) is established for the Midway Class carriers.

UNITED KINGDOM: Another Me 410 from V./KG 2 was shot down by a Mosquito XII from RAF No. 85 Sqdrn flying a night interception patrol.

WESTERN FRONT: 165 Halifaxes went to attack the Peugeot motor factory in the Montbeliard suburb of the French town of Sochaux, near the Swiss border, 5 aircraft were lost. The outcome of this raid illustrates again the difficulties of hitting relatively small targets in the occupied countries and the danger to surrounding civilians. The night was clear, the target was only lightly defended and the attack altitude was 6,000 to 10,000 feet but the centre of the group of markers dropped by the Pathfinder crews of 35 Squadron was 700 yards beyond the factory. The local report said that approximately 30 bombs fell in the factory but 600 fell in the town. 123 civilians were killed and 336 injured. The factory was classed as 5% damaged and the production was normal immediately after the raid.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

16 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: TBF Avengers of Composite Squadron Thirteen (VC-13) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Core' (CVE-13) sank German submarine 'U-67' in the Sargasso Sea, by depth charges. Only 3 of the 51 submariners survived.

The unescorted 'Richard Caswell' was hit by one torpedo from 'U-513' about 150 miles SE of Florianopolis, Brazil. The torpedo struck on the starboard side at the after end of the engine room, destroying the engines and killing three men on watch below. Most survivors among the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4-in and nine 20-mm guns) and two passengers on board abandoned ship in three lifeboats and two rafts. The master and a small party stayed on board but ten minutes after the hit a second torpedo struck at the forward end of the engine room. The explosion blew a few men over the side and caused extensive damage to the amidships deck and the superstructure. Just as the ship broke in two and sank after about 15 minutes, the U-boat surfaced and questioned the survivors. The commander told the men that he had lived in Brooklyn for seven years and asked how the Dodgers were doing; the Germans gave them cigarettes and then left the area. In all, the master, two officers and six crewmen were lost. The 26 survivors in two of the boats were picked up on 19 July by the Argentine steam merchant 'Mexico' and landed two days later at Rio Grande, Brazil. On 22 July the 16 survivors in the third lifeboat made landfall at Barra Valha, Brazil. The 18 survivors on the rafts were picked up by seaplane tender USS 'Barnegat' on 22 July and landed three days later at Rio de Janeiro.

'U-306' shadowed Convoy SL-133 and reported two days later four ships of 27,000 tons sunk and one other ship of 5,000 tons probably sunk. The U-boat attacked two times; the first attack was carried out at 0352, firing five single torpedoes. Trotha reported one ship sunk, one probably sunk and three torpedoes missed due to great distance. In fact, only the 'Kaipara' was torpedoed and damaged at this time. At 0801, the U-boat fired two spreads of two torpedoes and two minutes later the stern torpedo. 'U-306' observed three hits and could not see the targets anymore, but none of the reported hits were confirmed by Allied reports.

EASTERN FRONT: Manstien's panzers began to give ground on the southern edge of the Kursk bulge as the Soviet Voronezh Front counter-attacks developed into general offensive. The Soviet offensive was slowed by counterattacks of German armoured units. Farther south, the Soviet Southwest Front (Malinovsky) began attacks around Voroshilovgrad.

Another pair of LaGG-5s fell under the guns of 7./JG 52's Lt. Erich Hartmann during 2 separate missions.

GERMANY: 6 Mosquitoes bombed Munich without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 7: Allied forces continued to advance in Sicily. The US 3rd Infantry Division was engaged in heavy fighting at Agrigento and Porto Empedocle. The British 50th Infantry Division established a bridgehead at the Primrose Bridge across the Simeto River and the Canadian 1st Infantry Division captured Caltagirone and moved on toward Piazza Armerina.

During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons bombed the dock, marshalling yards, and airfields at Vibo Valentia, Sicily and Crotone, Reggio di Calabria, and Villa San Giovanni, while Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) light and medium bombers carried out numerous missions against Randazzo, Sicily and roads in Sicily.

During the day, USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators attacked Bari Airfield. Axis fighters attacked persistently and three B-24s are shot down. They claim 11 fighters destroyed in combat. The newly arrived Bf 109s of 8./JG 27 joined with the fighters of II./JG 27 in attacking the B-24s in their first mission. 9 Allied bombers were claimed shot down by the Gruppe with credit for 2 aircraft each going to Oblt. Wolf Ettel and Hptm. Werner Schroer.

B-25 Mitchells bombed Randazzo and Valguarnera, Sicily while RAF heavy bombers hit Reggio di Calabria Airfield.

18 Lancasters of RAF 5 Group attempted raids on two more transformer stations in Northern Italy. 7 aircraft bombed the Cislago station accurately but the second target was not located and an alternative target was bombed instead. 1 Lancaster was lost.

Northwest of Taranto, Oblt. Franz Daspelgruber (46 kills) of V./JG 3 was listed as missing in action in his Bf 109G-6.

In a statement by Churchill and Roosevelt to the people of Italy, the two leaders said,

"The sole hope for Italy's survival lies in honorable capitulation to the overwhelming, power of the military forces of the United Nations. If you continue to tolerate the Fascist regime, which serves the evil power of the Nazis, you must suffer the consequences of your own choice . . . we are determined to destroy the false leaders and their doctrines which have brought Italy to her present position."

Major Heinz Schumann took over command of SKG 10 from acting
Geschwaderkommodore Major Helmut Viedebannt. Hptm. Gotz Baumann was promoted Gruppenkommandeur of IV./SKG 10, replacing Major Schumann.

Light cruiser HMS 'Cleopatra' was torpedoed and heavily damaged off Sicily by Italian submarine 'Dandolo'. She was patched up at Malta and left for the United States for permanent repairs in October 1943. Their repairs were completed at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in November 1944.

WESTERN FRONT: USAAF's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission Number 1. Sixteen B-26B Marauders were dispatched against the marshalling yard at Abbeville, France; 14 hit the target at 2000 hours without loss. With this mission, the VIII Air Support Command began combat operations, having acquired the 332d, 323d, 386th and 387th Bombardment Groups (Medium).

 

[Njaco]

17 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The unescorted 'City of Canton' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-178' NE of Beira. Eight crewmembers were lost. The second officer was taken prisoner by 'U-178'. The master and 74 crewmembers were picked up by the Free French cruiser 'Suffren' and landed at Durban. 19 crewmembers were picked up by the Portuguese merchantman 'Luabo' and landed at Mozambique.

EASTERN FRONT: On the night of July 17-18, the 2.SS Panzerkorps withdrew from its positions around Prochorovka to the partly prepared Hagen line at the base of the salient. Thus, the battle for Prochorovka ended, not because of German tank losses (Hausser had over 200 operational tanks on July 17) but because Hitler lacked the will to continue the offensive. South of Kursk, the German remnants of the 4.Panzerarmee continued their fighting withdraw. The Soviet Southwest Front (commanded by General Malinovsky) joined the attacks hitting German positions around Voroshilovgrad. To the north, Central Front's attacks toward Orel were temporarily checked as German tanks counterattacked the spearheads.

GERMANY: B-17s of the VIII Bomber Command flew Mission Number 74. The two primary targets were the rail industry at Hannover, Germany and the aviation industry at Hamburg, Germany. 205 B-17s and 2 YB-40s were dispatched against Hannover and 125 B-17s were dispatched against Hamburg. Both missions were recalled due to weather but the bombers hit three targets; 33 hit targets of opportunity, 1 hit a convoy and 21 attempt to bomb the Fokker plant at Amsterdam, The Netherlands which was obscured by clouds. The target was missed and 150 civilians were killed. 2 B-17s were lost. B-26Bs of the VIII Air Support Command flew Mission Number 2, a diversion to the Cayeux, France area.

Five Bf 109T-2s of Jasta Helgoland joined JG 11 in mounting defensive sorties. Uffz. Erich Ulmschneider was one of the Jasta pilots airbourne that day;

"We already had a hunch that things were going to get unpleasant from early that morning, having heard the radio announce, 'strong enemy concentrations forming up over southern England.' At around 10:40am cockpit readiness was ordered and we were scrambled at 11:00 am. Airbourne with 5 'Tonis'; one rotte of 2 machines led by Lt. Hondt with me as katschmareck and a kette of 3 led by Fw. Erich Carius, we headed out on course 320 degrees. The 'Amis' were flying a northern route from Helgoland to Wilhelmshaven. Having reached an altitude of 6000 meters, we spotted a group of 20 - 25 B-17s and headed towards them. We drew alongside them maintaining a distance of 1500 meters and then overtook them to be able to turn back into position for a frontal attack. As we could fly no faster than 420kmh, it took us a long time to pull some 3 km ahead of the bomber formation. After sweeping around in a banked curve to port, Lt. Hondt closed on the bombers head-on at full throttle, while Fw. Carius and 2 other machines were still trying to take a convienant position for an attack. So there were only 2 of us to lead an attack against 30 Boeings. They were able to concentrate their defensive fire on us beautifully. I was overcome with a sort of 'hunting fever' as I had already eased a B-17 into my gun sight and we were still 1000 meters away from each other. Time to open fire. I fired a burst from my MGs and was about to squeeze the firing button of my 2 wing-mounted cannon when something exploded very close to me. I felt enormous air pressure pinning me back into my seat; I could no longer see a thing. While running in for the attack I had pushed up my goggles, protection against shrapnel, to get a better view. The Amis had hit my reinforced windshield and numerous splinters of glass had lashed into my face and eyes. I was expecting to collide with the 4-engined bombers, but nothing happened. I managed to see out of the corner of one eye and concluded that the tracers had zipped past me from the rear - hence almost certainly saving me from colliding with the Amis! When my tears cleared my vision a little, I glanced all around - no sign of either Boeings or my comrades. So, I turned onto a southerly course, which would bring me over the North Sea coastline. The engine was running smoothly and I was able to calm myself down a little myself. This is how my first encounter with a Boeing ended....a life or death experience."

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 8: On Sicily, American forces capture Agrigento and Porto Empedocle. On the ground in Sicily, the US 45th and 1st Infantry Divisions crossed the Salso River south and east of Caltanissetta. The British 30 Corps expanded the Simeto River bridgehead and drove toward Catania in the coastal sector while 51 Division crossed the Simeto River and reached to within 10 miles (16 km) of Paterno. While the rough terrain and determined German resistance were slowing progress by both armies, a serious rift between the two generals was causing concern in the Allied camp. The fiery Patton had agreed only reluctantly that his army should act as a "shield" to Montgomery, who had planned a fast thrust along the east coast. When the Eighth Army found itself stalled as it neared Catania, a sudden switch of plans by Montgomery - aiming to attack on the west side of Mount Etna - found his men fighting in the same area as the Americans at Vizzini. It was then that Patton blew up. He flew to protest to General Sir Harold Alexander, the commander-in-chief. The urbane "Alex" was startled at Patton's fury - and gave the American his head.

In the air during the night and the following day Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters, light and medium bombers, hit Catania, Paterno, the Riposto railroad station, and targets of opportunity (vehicles, tanks, trains, guns). Also during the day, Ninth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit Catania and the rail yards and roads at Paterno and P-40s flew escort to Gela and Comiso. The Naples marshalling yard was hit by about 80 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24s and about 200+ Northwest African Air Force B-25s, B-26s, and B-17s. The B-24s faced fierce fighter opposition and a B-24 was shot down; B-24 gunners claimed 23 fighters destroyed. RAF heavy bombers also hit Reggio di Calabria.

During a low-level attack near Catania 4 Bf 109s of 8./JG 27 were shot down including the Staffelkapitaen Oblt. Wolf Ettel (124 kills) who was hit by AA fire and killed.

A German Counterinsurgency action took place in the town of Trilofo on the outskirts of Katerini, Greece. Commandant Benjamin Locher of the GeheimFeldPolizei (Secret Field Police) has everyone gathered in the square and has captured Costas Papazoglou who was caught with papers in his home connecting him to ELAS (the resistance) the Germans break both of his arms until they hang limp at his sides, they beat him as well but he refuses to speak. They announce that he will be hung but then the mans father steps forward and volunteers to trade his life for his sons life. Locher brushes the father aside. They tie a noose and bring a chair, they stand Costas on the chair and bring his two brothers Mihalis and Yiannoulis, age 17 and 22, the latter of which has a pregnant wife present, and tells them to kick the chair from under their brother and that their lives will be spared if they do this. Both brothers start to cry and refuse to do it. Finally one of the soldiers kicks the chair and the man hangs. Then the Germans take the two brothers and a group of 11 others and line them up to be shot, the father is now begging that just one of his sons be freed and that he be shot instead. He falls to Lochers feet begging to exchange his life for just one of his two sons. At the same time the condemned were begging to know why they were being shot, begging to be interrogated instead. It was all to no avail as the 13 young men were executed in the village square of Trilofo.

NORTHERN FRONT: The Swedish government decided to stop transporting German war material to Norway, effective August 15. Transport of troops would cease on August 20.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first aircraft landed on runway cleared of fog by 'FIDO', Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation. Before the introduction of FIDO, fog had been responsible for losses of a number of aircraft returning from operations. FIDO simply burnt the fog of the airstrip to allow the aircraft to land, and whilst it did use a lot of fuel, it did allow aircraft to touch down, saving other precious resources in the production of replacement aircraft and the training of aircrew.

WESTERN FRONT: Spain's Francisco Franco decided to bring his soldiers home from fighting on the Russian front.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

18 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The unescorted 'Incomati' was torpedoed and damaged by 'U-508' about 200 miles south of Lagos. At 0818, the U-boat began shelling the ship, setting her on fire and left the wreck in sinking condition. One crewmember was lost. The master, 101 crewmembers, eight gunners and 112 passengers were picked up by HMS 'Boadicea' and 'Bridgewater' and landed at Takoradi.

The USN airship K-74 assigned to Airship Patrol Squadron Twenty One (ZP-21) at Naval Air Station Richmond, Florida, lifts off on an antisubmarine patrol at 1909 hours local. At 2340 hours, radar detects a surface contact at 8 miles (12.9 km); the contact is the German submarine 'U-134'. At 2350 hours, the airship begins an attack on the unsuspecting U-boat; the airship was at 250 feet (76.2 m) with a ground speed of 53 knots (61 mph/98.2 km/h) when the sub crew sighted the blimp and opened fire with light AA. The blimp crew returned fire with a 50-calibre (12.7 mm) machine gun which silenced the AA gun but the sub fired three rounds with a heavier calibre gun, one as the blimp approached and two as it passed over the sub. Orders were given to drop depth charges but a crewman's error prevented this. The blimp's bag had been punctured and the airship descended and hit the water at 2355 hours, the only airship shot down during the war. The airship remained afloat until 0815 hours on 19 July and the crew was rescued shortly thereafter; one man had been killed in a shark attack. 'U-134' had suffered damage to her main ballast tank and a diving tank and after being sighted by a land-based aircraft, she was ordered home for repair. While en-route, she was sunk on 24 August in the North Atlantic near Vigo, Spain by six depth charges from an RAF Wellington.

EASTERN FRONT: Uffz. Thomas Ametsbichler of 4./JG 3 was shot down by flak and crashed 12 km southeast of Prochorovka flying Bf 109G-6 "Weisse 12". He had taken off with his rottenflieger Lt. Hermann Schuster from Ugrim for a "freie Jagd an der Panterspitz."

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 9: Patton's free-wheeling armored columns continued their romp over western Sicily capturing Caltanisetta and cutting the Palermo-Enna road. Canadian forces captured Valguarnera in the interior while on the east coast, British were stopped by stubborn resistance north of the Simeto River, stopping Dempsey's 13 Corps advance on the east coast near Catania.

In the air during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons bombed airfields at Montecorvino, Sicily and Pomigliano, Italy, while Northwest African Tactical Air Force (light bombers bombed Catania, Sicily and carried out reconnaissance of extensive areas of Sicily. During the day, NATAF A-36 Apaches hit Santa Caterina, Adrano, Lercara, and Termini Imerese, Sicily.

WESTERN FRONT: 16 Wellingtons of 1 Group laid mines off Lorient and St Nazaire without loss.

 

[Njaco]

19 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: There was mutiny onboard destroyer HMCS 'Iroquois' against commanding officer Cdr William Boyd Love Holms RCN. Reported that Cdr Holms, over a period of time insisted upon peacetime routines such as Bovril and sherry on the bridge and ordered men to work in their good uniforms; he also stopped leave arbitrarily and inflicted group punishments. In the rapid expansion which saw the RCN become the fourth largest navy in the world, only about 80 per cent of 'Iroquois' wartime crew had been to sea before. Mutiny simmered for months and was delayed only by a short visit by 'Iroquois' to Halifax. Matters came to a head in July 1943. Though 'Iroquois' later rescued 628 survivors from the troopship 'Duchess of York', Holms had withheld fire while three troopships, which were being escorting 300 miles west of Vigo, were attacked by German aircraft, and two were sunk. Then on arrival in Plymouth, after a German prisoner complained that he had been robbed of a uniform badge, Holms again stopped leave. The junior rates locked themselves on their messdecks while Holms fell down to knock himself unconscious in his bathroom. The mutiny ended when Holms was stretchered ashore.

The German submarine 'U-513' was sunk in the South Atlantic south-east of Sao Francisco do Sul, Brazil, by 6 depth charges from a PBM-3C Mariner of Patrol Squadron Seventy Four (VP-74) based at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Natal, Brazil. The submarine commander had elected to remain on the surface and use his AA guns against the PBM. Only 7 of the crew of 53 survived and they were rescued by the small seaplane tender USS 'Barnegat' (AVP-10).

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviets continued to attack on both sides of the Kursk salient. The Red Army pushed forward, threatening German positions at Bolkhov, in the Orel salient.

A Russian brigade blocked the Bryansk-Orel railway at Khotinez, threatening the reinforcement route for both armies. The aircraft of 1 Fleigerdivisionen struck. With Ju 87s flying from Karachev along with bombers, fighters and anti-tank planes, the Luftwaffe was able to attack for the first time in strength. All day long, the Luftwaffe assaulted the tanks and infantry of the Russians until finally they retreated. An armoured breakthrough threatening 2 armies in the rear had, for the second time, been repulsed from the air alone. It also became the last major operation of the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front, subsequent operations being understrength because of dispersal over wide areas reducing its potency.

The Red Army entered Orel. I./ZG 1 was involved in the heavy fighting over the Bolhov area, including many ground-attack missions. The Russians suffered heavy losses because of the Bf 110's low-level attacks. But the Gruppe also had heavy losses. Hptm. Max Franzisket (5 kills) and Fw. Harri Pittack of Stab./ZG 1, went missing in their Bf 110G-2 after receiving a direct hit from flak on a combat mission. After barely a week at their new airbase at Orel, the crews of III./JG 54 again moved, this time to Iwanowka.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 10: Patton's armored columns continued to drive north and west toward Palermo. Montgomery's forces were still unable to move forward, and he shifted his spearheads inland aiming at Gerbini, Agira and Leonforte.

American bombers hit Rome for the first time in the war, destroying the Basilica at San Lorenzo. Panic swept the Italian capital as Allied bombers dropped more than 500-tons of high-explosive bombs on "military targets" on the outskirts of the Eternal City. The bombing force was made up of 157 B-17s and 112 B-24s, of which only five did not return. As thousands of men, women and children fled the city in vehicles of every description, the Pope drove to the scene to comfort victims. He returned, his vestments bloodstained, to announce that Romans could take shelter within the neutral Vatican.

During the night, RAF Wellingtons dropped over 800,000 leaflets on Rome. Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) light bombers attacked Catania, Sicily. During the following day, about 150 Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed the Rome railroad yards while B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders hit nearby Ciampino Airfield. Over 100 Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators attacked the Littoria marshalling yards and nearby airfield and on the return flight, railroads at Orlando, Sicily and Anzio were bombed. US Ninth Air Force P-40s bombed rail facilities in the Alcamo, Sicily area; Northwest African Air Force B-25s hit Catania and Randazzo; P-40s escort C-47 Skytrains; and NATAF A-36 Apaches attacked trains and motor transport in western Sicily.

Mussolini and Hitler met at Feltre in northern Italy. Hitler demanded more fighting from the Italians. For five hours, Adolf Hitler harangued a haggard and listless Mussolini, desperate to rekindle the flame of fanaticism in his partner. Hitler made his surprise visit after hearing reports that the Italian army was "in a state of collapse." He insisted to the Duce, Sicily could be saved if Mussolini put backbone into his army. Hitler talked of the "voice of history", and told Mussolini that their tasks could not be left to another generation. Hitler promised reinforcements and said that his new U-boats and terror weapons would turn Britain into a "Stalingrad". His tirade was to no avail. Il Duce said little and picked at his lunch while the Führer stormed; his despair was not helped by a note telling him that Rome was being bombed. Mussolini could not admit face to face to Hitler that the end was near.

NORTH AMERICA: The US Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was authorized to develop the Gorgon, an aerial ram or air-to-air missile powered by a turbojet engine and equipped with radio controls and a homing device. The Gorgon was later expanded into a broad program embracing turbojet, ramjet, pulsejet and rocket power; straight wing, swept wing, and canard air frames; and visual, TV, heat-homing and 3 type of radar guidance for use as air-to-air, air-to-surface and surface-to-surface guided missiles and as target drones.

 

[Njaco]

20 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-558' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from an RAF Halifax Mk II of No. 58 Squadron and a USAAF B-24 Liberator of the 19th Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy); both aircraft were based at St. Eval, Cornwall, England. Only 5 of the 50-man sub crew survived.

One man was lost (Matrosenobergefreiter Arthur List) during an air attack on 'U-195' in the Bay of Biscay.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet offensive on the eastern front continued as the Bryansk Front (Popov) under heavy fire from the Luftwaffe, pushed the Germans out of Mtensk.

The STAVKA issued an order to all partisans units declaring a "rail war" against the German railway system. From now on every effort would be made to prevent supplies and reinforcements reaching the front. The Germans have been forced to use armoured trains to fight off partisan attacks and many units have suffered severe casualties on the way to the front. Now, the railways were going to become even more hazardous.

Walter Lehn of JG 51 (5 kills) went missing during combat and was presumed dead. Lt. Helmut Hanstein of 9./JG 3 (10 kills) also was listed as missing in action.

GERMANY: Oblt. Walther Dahl was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3 and moved with the Gruppe to Munster to battle the Allied bombers.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 11: On the ground in Sicily, the US Seventh Army and British Eighth Army continued to push northwest and north. The US 82d Airborne Division took Sciacca and Menfi; the US 9d Infantry Division cleared Santo Stefano Quisquina and the heights north of Mussomeli; the US 2d Armored Division, with British units, took Enna and drives on to Villapriolo. The Canadian 1 Division pushed to the Leonforte area; the British 51 Division attacked the German airfield near Sferro; 13 Corps was halted by strong opposition on the Catania Plain. Italian forces began to surrender en masse.

During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Aquino, Sicily, and Capodichino, Italy, Airfields while Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) medium and light bombers attacked vehicles, roads, and town areas around and in Randazzo, Santo Stefano di Camastra, Orlando, and Nicosia, Sicily. During the day, NASAF fighter-bombers attacked targets of opportunity in western Sicily while NASAF medium bombers struck Montecorvino Airfield. Joining the attack were USAAF Ninth Air Force B-25s which attacked Randazzo and Taormina; and RAF heavy bombers which hit Vibo Valentia Airfield.

 

[Njaco]

21 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-662' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the South Atlantic in the Amazon Estuary, by depth charges from a PBY-5A Catalina of US Navy Patrol Squadron Ninety Four (VP-94) based at NAF Belem, Brazil. Only 3 of the 47 sailors on the submarine survived; the PBY crew dropped life rafts for them and they were picked up by PC-494 after 17 days. Over a period of only few days this boat had been attacked by a USAAF B-24 Liberator while hunting convoy TF.2. Then came an attack by a B-18 aircraft and finally squadron's VP-94 Catalinas located the boat and after one unsuccessful attack another VP-94 aircraft managed to sink the persistent boat.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet offensive continued to roll forward as Russian forces capture Bolkhov.

Before leaving for the Western Front, two pilots with JG 3 - Hptm. Emil Bitsch, Staffelkapitaen of 8./JG 3 and Oblt. Werner Lucas, Staffelkapitaen of 4./JG 3 - both reached 100 kills against the Russians.

Uffz. Hans-Joachim "Kroschi" Kroschinski of 2./JG 54 was wounded when his Fw 190A-4 was shot down by a LaGG-5.

GERMANY: Hptm. Hans "Gockel" von Hahn was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of JG 103, taking over from Major Herbert Ihlefeld.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 12: US Rangers seized Castelvetrano and the airport; the US 82d Airborne Division took San Margherita and the US 3d Infantry Division tookCorleone; the US 45th Infantry Division, pushing northwest, took Valledolmo; and the US lst Infantry Division cleared Alimena. In the British 30 Corps area, the Canadian 1 Division took Leonforte and the British take Leonforte. The Allies claimed 40,000 prisoners, and that they control half the island.

During the night, Northwest African Tactical Air Force light bombers hit motor transport convoys in the Randazzo, Sicily area. This area was again hit during the day by about 20 Ninth Air Force B-25 Mitchells. Wellingtons of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) hit Crotone Airfield and the Naples marshalling yard. During the day, NASAF B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed Grosseto Airfield.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel made an inspection of German defenses in Greece.

 

[Njaco]

22 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The unescorted 'Cherry Valley' was hit by two torpedoes from 'U-66', while steering a zigzagging course at 15.5 knots. The torpedoes struck the starboard side between the #6 and #7 tanks. The explosions ripped open the #5, #6, #7 and #8 starboard and centre tanks. The engines and steering gear were not damaged and the tanker tried to escape at a reduced speed of 13 knots. 'U-66' followed the tanker and fired a spread of three torpedoes at 1130; one was seen passing ahead and one other astern. The U-boat then surfaced to stop the vessel with gunfire. The tanker was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm and fired back, forcing the U-boat to break off the attack. The list to port was adjusted by emptying the #1 starboard tank and the 'Cherry Valley' successfully escaped. She arrived at San Juan, Puerto Rico, under her own power, escorted into port by the HNLMS 'Jan van Brakel' on 24 July. There were no casualties among the eleven officers, 40 crewmen and 28 armed guards. Eventually she was repaired and returned to service.

At 1510, 'U-81' torpedoed the 'Empire Moon', which was sailing in an unidentified convoy, escorted by HMS 'Stroma'. The ship reached port safely.

EASTERN FRONT: Rudolf Gerecke of JG 54 (27 kills) was shot down and killed in combat against the Soviets.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 13: Patton's 2nd Armored Division drove into Palermo and completed the isolation of 45,000 Italian troops in western Sicily. German mobile forces were able to avoid the advance and withdraw in good order to the northeast. As advance units of Lt-Gen Patton's Seventh Army swept down from the mountains and raced along the coastal road towards this city, the Axis garrison fled in complete disorder. Patton's advance across Sicily was spectacular, with opposition weakening daily as the American strength grew. Now the race for Messina, in the east of the island, could really start.

The British Eighth Army, fighting in the shadow of Mount Etna, was facing a much more difficult task against the German paratroopers whose 88mm anti-tank guns were again proving a formidable weapon - particularly in hilly terrain. Canadians of Lord Tweedsmuir's Hastings and Prince Edwards Regiment managed to take the hill town of Assoro using a ruse employed by General Wolfe in his capture of Quebec almost 200 years ago. The town stood on a precipitous cliff face, and it was this that the Canadians scaled "in 40 sweating, tearing minutes", surprising the German defenders completely. The Canadians began to advance on the main objective, the town of Leonforte, which was cleared after street fighting which lasted all night.

In the air, Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) light bombers hit Randazzo, the railroad at Falcone, the road west of Marina, Adrano, Paterno, Troina, and Misterbianco. During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Capodichino Airfield and Salerno marshalling yard. During the day, 100+ B-17s bombed the Battipaglia marshalling yard and Foggia; B-26s hit a Salerno bridge and marshalling yard; and fighters fly a sweep over Maddalena Island, strafing factories, trucks, and small vessels.

A Rumanian Air Force pilot, disillusioned with his Luftwaffe superior officers, decided to defect and flew his Ju 88D-1/Trop photographic reconnaissance plane to Cyprus where he surrendered to the Allies. The British Royal Air Force turned over the Junkers, named 'Baksheesh' to the U.S. Army Air Forces. After Wright Field test pilots flew the aircraft extensively, the USAAF stored it in the Arizona desert after the end of WWII. Shipped to the museum in January 1960, 'Baksheesh' is painted in the Romanian Air Force markings it carried in July 1943.

UNITED KINGDOM: The results of the first phase of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) are good according to a report of the British Joint Intelligence Committee. The report maintains the CBO has caused Germany to adopt a defensive air strategy resulting in more than half its fighter strength being employed on the Western Front at the expense of the Eastern and Mediterranean Fronts as well as causing considerable damage to transportation, the synthetic rubber industry, and the fuel, iron, and coal industries of the Ruhr.

[from the diary of Forum member Hugh Spencer] As an AC2 I was posted to No 2 Radio School, Yatesbury, Wiltshire to begin an 11 month wireless operators course, eventually leading to operating over Germany with 61 Squadron, Bomber Command.

 

[Njaco]

23 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Three German U-boats were sunk. 'U-613' was sunk in the mid-Atlantic south of the Azores, by depth charges from the US destroyer USS 'George E. Badger' (DD-196). 'U-527' was sunk in the mid-Atlantic south of the Azores during support of 'U-648', by depth charges from a TBF Avenger of Composite Squadron Nine (VC-9) in USS 'Bogue' (CVE-9); 13 of the 53 crewman survived and 'U-648' escaped.

'U-598' was sunk in the South Atlantic near Natal, Brazil, by depth charges when Lieutenant (jg) Waugh, flying PB4Y-1 Liberator 107-B-6 of Bombing Squadron One Hundred Seven (VB-107) based at Natal, attacked a surfaced U-boat in conjunction with Lieutenant Ford, sinking the submarine. Waugh's aircraft apparently sustained damage during the attack, plunging into the sea after his bombing pass, all hands were lost. The submarine was 'U-598', Kapitänleutnant Gottfried Holtorf commanding. Only one of the 44-men aboard the U-boat were saved.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces advanced in the region of Orel and finished mopping up German troops from the southern sector of the Kursk salient. The Germans have been pushed back to their original positions at Kursk. Fw. Uwe Krais of 10./JG 3 (17 kills) was killed in combat.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 14: Patton's attack continued as his spearheads turned toward Messina along the northern coastal road. His forces reached Termini Imerese. Other 7th Army forces captured Trapani and Marsala and mopped up in the western part of the island. The British Eighth Army's 30 Corps met firm opposition as it moved east from Leonforte.

In the air, RAF heavy bombers hit Reggio di Calabria Airfield in Italy while Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchells, and B-26 Marauders bombed Leverano and Crotone, Italy, and Aquino Airfield, Sicily. In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force medium bombers and fighters bombed and strafed Misterbianco, transport in the Nicosia-Troina-Randazzo areas, and bridges and landing craft in the coastal area around Santo Stefano di Camastra and Orlando.

The British destroyers HMS 'Eclipse' and HMS 'Laforey' sank the Italian submarine 'Ascianghi' after she torpedoed the cruiser HMS 'Newfoundland'. 'U-407' fired a spread of two torpedoes at the Support Force East during the invasion of Sicily and heard one detonation. HMS 'Newfoundland' was hit in the stern and lost her rudder, but managed to reach Malta, steering only by propellers. After emergency repairs, she went to the Boston Navy Yard where she was repaired from August 1943 to April 1944. The ship then crossed the Atlantic to the Clyde for a long refit until November 1944.

WESTERN FRONT: Oblt. Heinz Wurm of 1./SAGr 128 received a well-deserved Deutsches Kreuz in Gold.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

24 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-459' was scuttled after being attacked by an RAF Wellington Mk XII 'Q' of No. 172 Squadron and a Wellington Mk XI 'V' of No 547 Squadron near Cape Ortegal, Spain. 41 of the 60 crewmen survived. 'U-459' was a "Milchkuh" operating a fueling and replenishment service for 72 other U-boats.

EASTERN FRONT: German aircraft bombed Leningrad, killing 210 people.

GERMANY: Operation "Gomorrah" / The Hamburg Raids / Blitz Week: RAF Bomber Command continued its bombing campaign against German cities, hitting Hamburg with 780 bombers carrying 2300 tons of bombs, equivalent to the explosive power of the 5 most destructive raids on London. 347 Lancasters, 246 Halifaxes, 125 Stirlings and 73 Wellingtons attacked Hamburg, 12 aircraft lost. The aircraft dropped 2,284 tons of bombs in 50 minutes. Conditions over Hamburg were clear with only a gentle wind. The marking, a mixture of H2S and visual, was a little scattered but most of the target indicators fell near enough to the centre of Hamburg for a concentrated raid to develop quickly. The bombers attacked on a narrow front, known as a 'stream' instead of spread out. Wave after wave of British bombers broke through the German night defenses and left the Luftwaffe helpless to stop it. The bombs produced a firestorm, the first in history, in which the flames were visible for 200 miles. Temperatures in the centre reached 1400 degrees F and as the inferno sucked in more oxygen, winds reached an incredible 150 mph. The firestorms that engulfed Hamburg were the worst in its 750 year history. Bombing photographs showed that less than half of the force bombed within 3 miles of the centre of Hamburg and a creepback 6 miles long developed. But, because Hamburg was such a large city, severe damage was caused in the central and north western districts, particularly in Altona, Eimsbuttel and Hoheluft. The Rathaus, the Nikolaikirche, the main police station, the main telephone exchange and the Hagenbeck Zoo (where 140 animals died) were among the well-known Hamburg landmarks to be hit. Approximately 1,500 people were killed. This was the greatest number of people killed so far in a raid outside the area in which Oboe could be used. The RAF used a new tactic, causing the Luftwaffe its largest defeat of the night-fighter war to date. The lead RAF aircraft used the Laminetta method of disrupting German defenses by dropping thousands of tinfoil cut to the wavelength of German radar. The tinfoil or 'Window' ('Duppel') created massive echoes on the German receivers and chaos in German ground stations. Without the controllers, the night-fighters could only fumble about in the dark. Goring ordered Major Hermann and his experimental unit to take-off from Bonn-Hangelar airfield and attack the bombers. All 12 fighters took off to defend the city and they were able to destroy 12 of the bombers. Goring soon ordered all night-fighters to adopt the "Wilde Sau" tactics until German technical experts could defeat the effects of "Window".

13 Mosquitoes carried out diversionary and nuisance raids to Bremen, Kiel, Lubeck and Duisburg.

6 Wellingtons laid mines in the River Elbe while the Hamburg raid was in progress. No losses.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 15: In Sicily, the drive of the 45th Infantry Division on the northern coast continues as Cefalu was captured while the US 1st Infantry Division seized Gangi and headed toward Nicosia.

In the air, Ninth Air Force P-40s flew armored reconnaissance and fighter-bomber missions over the Adrano and Milazzo area. The attacks were concentrated against motor transport targets. In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighter-bombers hit barges, warships, and docks in the Messina-Milazzo area and transport northeast of Mount Etna. Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17s and B-25 Mitchells bombed the railroad yards at Bologna and B-26 Marauders hit the railroad yards at Paola.

33 Lancasters of RAF 5 Group returning from North Africa bombed Leghorn docks but the target was covered by haze and bombing was scattered. No losses.

The Italian Fascist Grand Council met for the first time since December 1939. The topic of debate was the continued leadership of Mussolini. In the end, the council voted 19-7 to remove el Duce from command of all Italian forces. The Fascist rebels were led by Dino Grandi, one of Mussolini's former close friends and admirers, Giuseppe Bottai and the Duce's son-in-law, Count Galeazzo Ciano. What the Duce did not realize was that he was the target of a far wider plot involving Crown Prince Umberto and leading generals.

As the stench of burning still hung over the heavily-bombed suburbs of Rome, the Pope appealed to all combatants to avoid further bombing of the Eternal City. The Vatican denied that the Pope wrote to President Roosevelt condemning the raids - which badly damaged one church in the city. Vatican radio said:

"The Pope is impartial. He does not intend to increase the hatred between the opposing sides. However, Rome is unique and both sides should recognize this. The Pope knows that churches have been destroyed in England too."

NORTHERN FRONT: The VIII Bomber Command flew Mission Number 75 to attack 3 targets in Norway. This was the Eighth Air Force's first mission to Norway and its longest (1,900 miles or 3,040 km round trip) to date. 167 B-17s hit the nitrate works at Heroya; 1 B-17 was lost. Work at the plant was disrupted for 3.5 months, and unfinished aluminum and magnesium plants were damaged and subsequently abandoned by the Germans. 41 B-17s bombed the port area at Trondheim without loss. One of the casualties was the German submarine 'U-622' which was sunk near Trondheim. 84 B-17s were dispatched against the port area at Bergen but found heavy cloud cover and returned to base with their bombs. A number of Fw 190s belonging to 1./JG 11 attacked the formation of B-17s as they returned to England after having bombed the Trondheim harbour and Porsgrun. The Focke-Wulfs did not claim any bombers but lost 2 aircraft over the North sea south of Lister. One was piloted by Staffelkapitaen Hptm. Erwin Linkiewicz who was found washed ashore on the beach east of Skiveren on 12 August. Another fighter belly landed in a field south of Lild Strand. The landing was watched by a local boy, and when he came to the landing site he found the pilot sitting on the tail smoking a cigarette. The one lost battle-damaged USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress crash-landed in Sweden. Its ten-man crew became the first of nearly 1,000 American and other Allied airmen to be granted refuge in neutral Sweden during World War 2.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

25 July 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The Eastern Front night-fighters lost Lt. Erberhard Gardiewski of 6./NJG 2 (5 kills) when he was shot down and captured by the Russians.

GERMANY: Operation "Gomorrah" Day 2: VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 76: Three locations in Germany were targeted. The three targets were:123 B-17s dispatched against the diesel engine works at Hamburg but due to cloud cover, 100 hit the shipyard. They claimed 38-6-27 Luftwaffe aircraft and 15 B-17s were lost. 59 B-17s were dispatched against the Kiel Shipyard but returned because of cloud cover. 141 B-17s were dispatched against the aviation industry at Warnemunde. 118 hit the Kiel Shipyard and claimed 6-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 4 B-17s were lost. A total of 19 heavy bombers were lost, mostly to effective formation attacks by German fighters. The raid on Hamburg was part of six Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) missions against that port city and followed a raid of the previous night during which nearly 750 Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers did tremendous damage to the target.

The Hamburg formation was intercepted by III./JG 26. 3 bombers were shot down including one for Oblt. Mietusch of III./JG 26, who downed his first B-17. On the return flight, fighters from JG 11 bounced the formations and over the North Sea fighters from II. and III./JG 1 attacked the stragglers. Both Gruppen from JG 1 accounted for 3 more bombers but at a cost. The Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 1, Major Karl-Heinz Lessmann died crashing into the sea after an attack on the bombers. He dies with a final total of 37 kills. Numerous B-17s fell into the North Sea. A B 17F of the 94 BG, 410 BS, named "Happy Daze" had crossed the Danish coast line on the return flight and was attacked by three FW 190 who damaged the B 17F. It ditch it in the sea and came apart just behind the radio cabin and sank in 15 seconds. The whole crew apart from Right Waist Gunner Sgt Thomas M. Brown managed to get out of the aircraft. He went down with the aircraft. For the next 19 hours they drifted around. During the night they could watch as well as hear the sounds of an attack on Hamburg. They sent up a balloon and radio signals were sent to England. They were found by two Lancasters that dropped a Lindholme dinghy. One hour later they received one more and at 18:00 another one which they then tied together. When the Lancasters disappeared a JU 88 showed up and circled the dinghies and then left without further action. On 27 July at 07:30 the Danish fishing boat FN 41 "Betty" rescued the crewmen.

A B 17F of the 100 BG, 350 BS from the Kiel raid named "Duration Plus Six" was hit. They ditched about 75 miles southwest of Esbjerg. Skipper Svend L. Petersen of fishing vessel E 475 of Esbjerg had only just set his trawl when he saw the aircraft ditch. He left the trawl and set course for the plane. Upon reaching the place where the B 17F had ditched they could take the four survivors onboard. Carey and Styles were unharmed while Lepper and Parson were badly injured, one of whom had broken both legs and both wrists. The fishermen dressed the wounds to the best of their ability, picked up the trawl and set course for Esbjerg where they arrived on 26 July.

A second night of RAF attacks against the Ruhr. 294 Lancasters, 221 Halifaxes, 104 Stirlings, 67 Wellingtons and 19 Mosquitoes attacked Essen, 26 aircraft lost. The commander of the American VIII Bomber Command, Brigadier General Fred Anderson, observed this raid as a passenger in an RAF No. 83 Squadron Lancaster. This was an attempt to achieve a good raid on this major target while the effects of Window were still fresh. The raid was successful, with particular damage being recorded in Essen's industrial areas in the eastern half of the city. The Krupps works suffered what was probably its most damaging raid of the war. The next morning, Doktor Gustav Krupp had a stroke from which he never recovered. This saved him from being charged with war crimes after the war. 51 other industrial buildings were destroyed and 83 seriously damaged. 2,852 houses were destroyed, 500 people were killed, 12 were missing and 1,208 were injured. The 500 dead were recorded as follows: 165 civilian men, 118 women, 22 children, 22 servicemen, 131 foreign workers and 42 prisoners of war.

6 Mosquitoes went to Hamburg, 3 each to Cologne and Gelsenkirchen and 17 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians, no losses.

At a situation conference, Hitler unleashed his fury on his Luftwaffe adjutant, Major Christian with the words; "Terror can only be broken by terror! Everything else is nonsense. The British will only be halted when their own cities are destroyed. I can only win the war by dealing out more destruction to the enemy than he does to us....In all epochs that has been the case, and it is just the same in the air. Otherwise our people will turn mad, and in the course of time lose all confidence in the Luftwaffe. Even now it is not fully doing its job..." He then ordered mass production of rockets for attacks on London to avenge Hamburg's bombing.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 16: Patton's headlong advance came to a screeching halt as the forces driving along the northern coast met stiff resistance. The US 9th Divison and the British 78th Division were landed to reinforce Sicily. The US Seventh Army made slow progress along the northern coastal road, while the British Eighth Army's 30 Corps took part in hard fighting in the Agira area. In an attempt to break the deadlock on his front, Montgomery launched a set piece attack by British and Canadian forces on Agira.

In the air, Ninth Air Force B-25s bombed docks and shipping at Milazzo and almost 100 P-40s strafed and bombed Milazzo, Taormina, and Catania harbor. Meanwhile, Northwest African Tactical Air Force medium and light bombers, and fighters during night and day raids, attacked shipping and docks at Milazzo and in the Santo Stefano di Camastra-Orlando area, and hit roads and motor transport, bridges and armor concentration in the Orlando-Adrano-Troina-Nicosia areas.

A formation of Ju 52s were sent to the battle front to resupply German troops on Sicily. They attempted to land reinforcements on a coastal airstrip at Milazzo in the north of the island. In an effort to protect the Junkers, the Bf 109s of JG 27 and JG 77 engaged RAF Spitfires attacking the slow transports. But they couldn't prevent destruction. 21 Ju 52s and 4 Bf 109s were shot down. Among the losses was Ritterkreuztrager Lt. Heinz-Edgar Berres of I./JG 77 (53 kills) who was killed. Also killed was Ofw. Fritz Meikstat of 5./JG 27 after combat with a Spitfire near Reggio.

Benito Mussolini, the Fascist who led his country into a disastrous war, was stripped of his office by King Vittorio Emmanuel III after being outvoted by his former supporters on the Fascist Grand Council, following a two-day meeting. The king took command of the armed forces and appointed an anti-Fascist, Marshal Pietro Badoglio, as prime minister. The heavy-jowled Mussolini arrived back from his meeting with Hitler to find Rome bombed and rebellion in the air. He did not expect to be placed under armed guard after making a courtesy visit to the palace. The king was part of a far larger conspiracy to depose the dictator. Mussolini was content to ignore his rubber-stamp council; but he dared not ignore the king. Before the palace guard took him away in an ambulance, the king told him:

"My dear Duce ... my soldiers don't want to fight anymore ... at this moment, you are the most hated man in Italy."

Marshal Badoglio, a national war hero from the First World War, was declared Prime Minister and his first acts were to declare martial law, outlaw the Fascist Party, and incorporate the Fascist militias into the regular armed forces thus removing Mussolini's muscle from the political equation. Hitler, knowing this was in the works, ordered his pre-positioned forces into southern Italy to disarm the renegade Italians and secure the situation for his ends.

UNITED KINGDOM: German aircraft penetrated the York/Catterick/Church Fenton areas. Bombing was scattered and there were no casualties.

WESTERN FRONT: A Ju 88D-5 from 5(F)./122 was shot down by an Allied fighter. Oblt. Edwin Burgmeier and 3 others were all killed..

 

[Hugh Spencer]

26 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-359' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the Caribbean south of Santo Domingo, by depth charges from a PBM-3C Mariner of Patrol Squadron Thirty Two (VP-32) based at NAS Coco Solo, Canal Zone. All 47 crewman of the U-boat perished.

EASTERN FRONT: The Germans were pulling out of the great bastion at Orel. Having failed at great cost to cut off the Russian salient at Kursk, the Wehrmacht was having to withdraw from its own salient, 200 miles south of Moscow, in the face of a massive Soviet counter-offensive. Hitler reluctantly gave permission for Field Marshal von Kluge to withdraw his armies from the salient two days ago after it became apparent that they were in danger of suffering another defeat on the scale of Stalingrad. The Red Army has broken through the German's fortified lines east of Orel on a front 20 miles long and has defeated five German divisions. Both sides are also weighing the lessons, as well as counting the cost, of the great tank battle at Kursk. Each deployed tank-busting aircraft fitted with large-calibre cannon. On the German side, the Stuka, fitted with two 37mm flak cannon, and the Henschel Hs-129 with its 30mm cannon performed with great effect. The Russians replied with Sturmovik Il-2s fitted with deadly 37mm cannon which on one occasion reduced 70 tanks of the 9th Panzer Division to burning wrecks within 20 minutes.

Hitler ordered a number of Waffen-SS divisions sent from Russia to Italy, but only the 1st SS 'Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler' (Adolf Hitler's bodyguard), Panzerdivision was actually transferred. 2nd SS 'Das Reich' and 3rd SS 'Totenkopf' remained in the East. Those two divisions and the 3. Panzerdivision, which replaced Leibstandarte, were transferred to the 6. Armee area, where they conducted a counterattack from July 31 to August 2 that eliminated a strong Soviet bridgehead at the Mius River.

GERMANY: Operation "Gomorrah" Day 3: During US VIII Bomber Command's Mission Number 77, two targets in Germany and a convoy were hit. 24 B-17s were lost mostly to Luftwaffe fighters. In the first raid, 96 B-17s bombed rubber factories at Hannover losing 16 B-17s. 54 of 121 B-17s dispatched against Hannover bombed the U-boat yards at Hamburg. 119 B-17 and 2 YB-40 Flying Fortresses were dispatched against rubber factories at Hannover and 49 of 61 B-17s dispatched against Hannover hit a convoy and other targets of opportunity losing 6 aircraft. The fighters of JG 1 and JG 11 again intercepted the formations and shot down several bombers with II./JG 1 claiming 7 shot down by the Gruppe's pilots for the loss of 2 fighters. Shortly after mid-day, a group of B-17s heading for home came under attack from the fighters of II./JG 11 and Jasta Helgoland. The Germans managed to shoot down 5 bombers. The 5th Fortress was added to the victory tally of Uffz. Doelling of Jasta Helgoland. Jasta Helgoland's Uffz. Erich Ulmschneider recalled;

"Suddenly we heard the droning of engines coming from the northeast and then, plowing through the sky at an altitude of 4,000 meters we spotted a silhouette of an aircraft. It was a lone B-17 on iys way back to England. The bomber has probably been damaged and forced from its formation. It was unlucky enough to find itself flying right past our base on Helgoland. Technicians lept up onto the wing of my kite and cranked the inertia starter for all they were worth while I had never climbed into my cockpit so quickly - the last 'Toni' left the airfield at full throttle. I was coaxing and cursing my kite in the same breath. 'You lame duck, you beauty, you good 109, faster, faster!' As I closed to within 1,000 meters and prepared for an attack, I realized that the enemy had yet to make any defensive maneuvers, far less open with defensive fire. Something was up with that bomber, perhaps there were wounded crew aboard, since they would have surely noticed me by now. I got even closer to the Boeing. 400 - 500 meters more and I unleashed a burst of machine gun fire, stopped firing briefly and then let him have it from all barrels. Cease firing! Whats happening now! I could see very clearly black spots tumbling away from the Boeing and first parachutes popped open. The Boeing's captain must have realized the futility of this unequal fight and given the order to leave the plane. I sighed with relief, as I was ready for a fierce fight. Having counted 8 chutes and observed the Boeing plunge into the sea, I dove away back to Helgoland with an unbelievable feeling of relief and joy in my heart; 'You will not have them on your conscience!"

6 Mosquitoes went to Hamburg, no losses.

After a heavy raid on the Krupp armaments works last night, Dr. Gustav Krupp von Bohlen suffered a stroke when he saw the burning ruins.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 17: Heavy fighting was reported in Sicily as attacks at Agira and Nicosia occurred. The German theater commander, General Kesselring, ordered preparations to begin for the evacuation of the island.

In Sicily during the night, Northwest African Tactical Air Force medium bombers attacked Milazzo, Adrano, and Paterno; throughout the day light bombers hit Regalbuto at intervals, and fighter-bombers harassed shipping, rail, and road movements. Ninth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bombed Milazzo, Paterno, and Adrano while P-40s strafed and bombed Catania and shipping at Riposto harbor. Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-26s bombed the Marina di Paola marshalling yard.

Marshal Badoglio was appointed head of Italy by the Italian King after the arrest of Benito Mussolini. The Marshal immediately excludes all Fascists from his new cabinet and dissolves the Fascist Party.

Hitler ordered defensive preparations in Greece, which he assumed would be the Allies' next landing site.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

27 July 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The Polish government in exile received word of a new wave of mass murder in eastern Poland, as German forces cleared the area to set up new lines of defense. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the Germans were expelling and murdering Poles from a belt 60 miles wide, settling ethnic Germans there in order to boost defenses. Lublin, Cracow and Radom were understood to be the centre of the killings, in which the Germans were accused of massacring the entire population, mainly peasants. Whole towns and villages have been emptied in the terror, and up to 100,000 people have fled to the forests for sanctuary, abandoning their farms and livestock. It was said that the SS were rounding up Polish civilians by cordoning off areas and using artillery and tanks to flush them out.

Joseph Stalin, the premier and dictator, issued Order Number 227 to motivate both the military and civilians in and around Leningrad; the order becomes known as the "Not one step backward" order. The order states that "panic makers and cowards must be liquidated on the spot. Not one step backward without orders from higher headquarters! Commanders…who abandon a position without an order from higher headquarters are traitors to the Fatherland."

GERMANY: 353 Lancasters, 244 Halifaxes, 116 Stirlings and 74 Wellingtons attacked Hamburg, 17 aircraft lost. The American commander, Brigadier-General Anderson, again flew in a Lancaster and watched this raid.The centre of the Pathfinder marking, all carried out by H2S on this night, was about 2 miles east of the planned aiming point in the centre of the city but the marking was particularly concentrated and the Main Force bombing 'crept back' only slightly. 729 aircraft dropped 2,326 tons of bombs. This was the night of the firestorm which started through an unexpected chain of events. The temperature was particularly high (30 centigrade at 6 o'clock in the evening) and the humidity was only 30%, compared with an average of 40-50% for this time of the year. There had been no rain for some time and everything was very dry. The concentrated bombing cause a large number of fires in the densely built up working class districts of Hammerbrook, Hamm and Borgfeld. Most of Hamburg's firs vehicles had been in the western parts of the city, damping down the fires still smoldering there from the raid of 3 nights earlier and only a few units were able to pass through roads which were blocked by the rubble of buildings destroyed by high explosive bombs early in this raid. About half way through the raid the fires in Hammerbrook started joining together and competing with each other for the oxygen in the surrounding air. Suddenly the whole area became one big fire with air being drawn into it with the force of a storm. The bombing continued for another half hour, spreading the firestorm area gradually eastwards. It is estimated that 550-600 bomb loads fell into an area measuring only 2 miles by 1 mile. The firestorm raged for about 3 hours and only subsided when all burnable material was consumed. The burnt-out area was almost entirely residential. Approximately 16,000 multi-storied apartment buildings were destroyed. There were few survivors from the firestorm area and approximately 40,000 people died, most of them by carbon monoxide poisoning when all the air was drawn out of their basement shelters. In the period immediately following this raid, approximately 1,200,000 people - two thirds of Hamburg's population- fled the city in fear of further raids.

3 Mosquitoes went to Duisburg and 6 Wellingtons were minelaying in the River Elbe. 1 Mosquito was lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 18: On the ground in Sicily, the US Seventh Army reached Tusa and San Mauro and pushed toward Nicosia. The fighting at Agira and Nicosia is heavy and inconclusive. In the air, USAAF Ninth Air Force P-40s attacked tactical targets in battle area in northeastern Sicily, and others hit shipping at Catania. Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders bombed the landing ground at Scalea while Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters and light bombers continued bombing and strafing of ports, shipping, bridges, landing grounds, and motor transport. In Italy, Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses hit the airfield at Capua and the railroad at Lioni. British PM Churchill stated that if Italy does not surrender, it will be "scarred and blackened from one end to the other."

Hitler ordered Mussolini's liberation and his restoration as puppet leader in a German-occupied Italy. Mussolini was moved from Rome to Ponza under heavy guard.

NORTH AMERICA: It all started as a barroom dare, when two Army Air Corps pilots challenged each other to fly through a tropical storm. So, Maj. Joe Duckworth flew a propeller-driven, single-engine North American AT-6 "Texan" trainer into the eye of a tropical storm. Duckworth flew into the eye of that storm twice that day, once with a navigator and again with a weather officer. These were generally considered to be the first airborne attempts to obtain data for use in plotting the position of a tropical cyclone as it approached land. Duckworth's pioneering efforts paved the way for further flights into tropical cyclones.

WESTERN FRONT: The US VIII Air Support Command flew Mission Number 5; 17 B-26Bs bombed Tricqueville Airfield, France.

A Halifax II belonging to RAF No. 138 Sqn. Bomber Command, was tasked to drop supplies and two agents in Denmark. Near Madum Lake 13 kilometres north west of Hadsund and 13 kilometres south south east of Volsted there would be resistance people from Aalborg waiting to receive four containers and a parcel plus two SOE agents Jens Peter Petersen (Code named Tripe) and Aage Møller Christensen (Code named Margarine). The Halifax dropped its load at 01:16 according to plan except that the first agent to go (Petersen) jumped 3 seconds prematurely. The containers were received all right but the parcel which contained a radio ended up in the middle of the lake. Also Christensen landed in the lake 60 feet from the shore.

At 01:23 Lt. Hermann Stock of 12./NJG 3 and his crew took off from Fliegerhorst Grove flying JU 88C-6 coded D5+FX. Flying at 3000 metres Stock spotted the Halifax in the light of the full moon but when it suddenly turned, he lost sight of it. He caught sight of it again at 300 metres about 800 metres away. The Halifax was still flying defensive but this time Stock kept it in sight. The Halifax, flown by W/C Richard Douglas (Dickie) Speares, flew very low and Stock who tried to get even lower noticed that his altimeter indicated that he was flying below zero due to being adjusted to Fliegerhorst Grove which was at 50 metres. The Halifax was still twisting and turning and since Stock was not able to get below it. Suddenly Stock heard a loud bang and thought that he had collided with the Halifax. The JU 88 was shaking violently and the engines were fluctuating between 800 and 2600 rpm while still flying at zero metres altitude. They were approximately 90 kilometres out to sea and were not very happy with the possibility of having to bail out. When they reached the coastline the funker tried to make radio contact with Grove but without success. They managed to find Grove and landed at 03:56 hours. When the crew got out of the JU 88 they saw the reason for their problems. The tips of the propeller blades were missing. After the combat W/Cdr "Dickie" Speare continued towards England and landed at Tempsford at 05:22 hours.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

28 July 1943

GERMANY: US VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 78: The aviation industry in Germany was targeted but bad weather hampered the raids. The targets were: 58 of 182 B-17 Flying Fortresses dispatched bombed the Fieseler Works at Kassel, Germany. They claimed 27-15-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s were lost. 37 of 120 B-17s dispatched bombed the Fw 190 plant at Oschersleben, Germany. They claimed 56-19-41 Luftwaffe aircraft; 15 B-17s were lost. This was the deepest US bomber penetration into Germany to date. The raid achieved good results however, 22 B-17s were lost as fighters scored first effective results with rockets. 105 P-47 Thunderbolts, equipped with jettissonable belly tanks for the first time on a mission, escorted the B-17s into Germany. Other P-47s, going more than 30 miles (48 km) deeper into Germany than they have ever penetrated before, met the returning bombers. They surprised about 60 German fighters and destroyed 9 of them; 1 P-47 was lost. Bf 109s from II./JG 11 and I./JG 1 intercepted the bombers. But 11 Messerschmitts of 5./JG 11, led by Hptm. Heinz Knocke, hung back away from the attack. Each of these fighters was carrying a 55lb bomb underneath the fuselage with timed fuses. The fighter-bombers set themselves at 3,000 ft above the bombers and after setting direction and range, released the bombs. One bomb exploded in the middle of a formation and 3 B-17s crashed together, destroyed. Free of the bombs, the fighters attacked. The fighters of II./JG 11, under Gunther Sprecht, scored 11 kills while JG 1 pilots claimed 8 bomber kills. The remaining B-17s were then attacked by I./Jg 26 who claimed 2 more bombers. The escorting P-47s of the US 4th FG then entered the melee over Holland, attacking about 45 Luftwaffe fighters. One P-47 was shot down by Hptm. Hermichen of I./JG 26 but fighter losses for the Germans was heavy. JG 1 and JG 11 lost 20 Fw 190s and Bf 109s shot down with 3 pilots killed while the fighters of I./JG 26 lost 3 Fw 190s.

4 Mosquitoes attacked Hamburg and 3 Dusseldorf. 17 aircraft laid mines in the Frisian Islands. No losses.

Goring gave orders to Milch that the aircraft industry would forthwith concentrate of defensive production. Milch then ordered the electronics industry to accelerate the production of radar units impervious to 'Window'. The objective was to be: "To inflict losses on enemy night bombers in the shortest time amounting to at least 20 to 25%."

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 19: On the ground in Sicily, the US Seventh Army took Nicosia and pushed toward Santo Stefano di Camastra and the Canadians took Agira. Allied cargo vessels began arriving at Palermo, and Lieutenant General Harold R Alexander, 15 Army Group Commanding General, moved his HQ to Sicily. Allied surrender terms were broadcast to the Italians by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In the air, Northwest African Tactical Air Force light bombers hit Regalbuto, Milazzo, and Centuripe; A-36 Apaches and P-40s hit heavy traffic on the Troina-Randazzo road, bridges and roads north and west of Cesaro, the landing ground at Falcone, and buildings near Randazzo. Almost 100 Ninth Air Force P-40s hit shipping at Catania and Santa Teresa di Riva, fly patrol over the Straits of Messina, and bomb encampments.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Hurricane fighter operating from Milfield airfield, near Wooler, crashed at East Fenton, also near Wooler at 10.40. The plane took fire whilst in the air. The pilot baled out and was uninjured.

WESTERN FRONT: US VIII Air Support Command Mission Numbers 6 and 7: The primary targets were in Belgium and France. 18 B-26B Marauders were dispatched against the coke ovens at Zeebrugge, Belgium and 18 B-26Bs were dispatched against Tricqueville Airfield, France but the mission was recalled when the accompanying fighters did not join up.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

29 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Ofw. Hans Gryz of 1./SAGr 128 claimed a Liberator in the late afternoon. The big 4 engined aircraft was shot down into the sea from a height of only 10 meters. Ofw. Gryz' vistim was probably from RAF No. 224 Sqdrn.

EASTERN FRONT: In an attempt to relieve the pressure on German units between Kharkov and Orel, the Germans open an offensive by the 3.Panzerkorps (Heeresgruppe A ) along the Mius River north of Taganrog. The attack fails to make any impression on the Red Army forces in the area.

GERMANY: Operation "Gomorrah": 340 Lancasters, 244 Halifaxes, 119 Stirlings, 70 Wellingtons and 4 Mosquitoes attacked Hamburg, 28 aircraft lost. The marking for this raid was again all by H2S. The intention was to approach Hamburg from almost due north and bomb those northern and north-eastern districts which had so far not been bombed. The pathfinders actually came in more than 2 miles too far to the east and marked an area just south of the devastated firestorm area. The Main Force bombing crept back about 4 miles, through the devastated area, but then produced very heavy bombing in the Wandsbek and Barmbek districts and parts of the Uhlenhorst and Winterhude districts. These were all residential areas. 707 aircraft dropped 2,318 tons of bombs. There was a widespread fire area - though no firestorm - which the exhausted Hamburg fire units could do little to check. The worst incident was in the shelter of a large department store in Wandsbek. The building collapsed and blocked the exits from the shelter which was in the basement of the store. 370 people died, poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from a burning coke store nearby. On the 3d night attack on Hamburg in a week, the Luftwaffe night-fighters, including Obstlt. Herrmann's special unit, again attacked the raiding bombers. 28 bombers were shot down with 10 victories going to the pilots of Nachtjagdversuchskommando Herrmann. Creditted with victories were Obstlt. Herrmann himself, Ofw. Lonnecker, Lt. F. Rubsam, Fw. W. Rullkotter, Uffz. H. Lovenich, Major von Buchwald and Uffz. Brinkmann - all from JG Herrmann. But the special unit also lost pilots. Hptm. Friedrich Angermann was killed in his Fw 190 by return fire from a RAF No. 467 Sqdrn Lancaster over Hamburg. Uffz. Helmut Fritz was killed when his Bf 109G-6 crashed near Oldenburg. With Hamburg in utter ruin, the evacuation of the city of 1,000,000 is ordered.

US VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 79 targeted 2 locations in Germany. 91 B-17s bombed the shipyards at Kiel at 0901 hours while 48 attacked targets of opportunity; 6 B-17s were lost. 54 B-17s hit the Heinkel Works at Warnemunde at 0922-0924 hours. 4 B-17s were lost.

4 Mosquitoes went to Dusseldorf, 6 Wellingtons minelaying in the River Elbe and 9 Lancasters of 617 Sqdn dropped leaflets over Italian cities, no losses.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 20: On the ground the US Seventh Army almost completes the mop up of western Sicily, approaches Santo Stefano Quisquina, advances on Mistretta, and takes three islands off Trapani. The British Eighth Army opens an assault during the night of 29/30 July along an axis of Catenanuova-Adrano. The British 78th Division arrives at the front and attacks toward Paterno.

In the air, 200+ Ninth Air Force P-40's, the largest number of fighters operating in a day during the Sicilian campaign to date, attack Messina Riposto, shipping at Catania, Santa Teresa di Riva, Taormina, Milazzo, and in the Straits of Messina. Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-26 Marauders hit Aquino Airfield while In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters and light bombers hit Regalbuto, Milazzo, shipping off Messina, and gun positions and motor transport in northeastern Sicily. Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17s bomb Viterbo Airfield.

A Me 410 of 2(F)./122 failed to return from a sortie to the western Sicilian harbours. The crew, of Lt Martin Schwarz (F)and Uffz. Franz Prandstötter (Bf) were recorded as missing.

UNITED KINGDOM: A third Me 410 from V./KG 2 fell to the guns of a Mosquito from RAF No. 256 Sqdrn.

WESTERN FRONT: US VIII Air Support Command Missions 8 and 9 targeted 2 airfields; 18 B-26B Marauders were dispatched against Schipol Airfield at Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The mission was aborted due to a navigational error while 19 B-26Bs attacked Ft. Rouge Airfield, France.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

30 July 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine 'U-230' laid mines off the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay in the US. Meanwhile the German Navy lost six submarines: 'U-43' was sunk south-west of the Azores, by a Fido homing torpedo from a US Navy F4F Wildcats and TBF Avenger of Composite Squadron Twenty Nine (VC-29) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Santee' (CVE-29). All hands on the U-boat (55 men) were lost. 'U-43' was supposed to rendezvous with 'U-403' and then go on and sow mines off Lagos, Nigeria.

'U-461' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay north-west of Cape Ortegal, by a Royal Australian Air Force Sunderland Mk III of No. 461 Squadron based at Pembroke Dock, Wales. 15 of the 68 men on the U-boat survived. Amazing numbering coincidence. The Sunderland aircraft which sank 'U-461' had the individual code letter U and so using the style of the RAF was listed in Squadron records as U/461. Thus U/461 sank U-461. The captain (pilot in command) of Sunderland U/461 was Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Dudley Marrows. The aircraft was based at the RAF flying-boat station Pembroke Dock. The attack also involved 'U-462' and 'U-504', with other aircraft including two Liberators, two Halifaxes, and a Catalina. Both those boats were eventually sunk by surface ships on the same day. 'U-462' was sunk by a Royal Air Force Halifax Mk II of No. 502 Squadron based at Holmsley South, Hampshire, England, and gunfire from the British sloops HMS 'Wren', HMS 'Kite', HMS 'Woodpecker', HMS 'Wild Goose' and HMS 'Woodcock' in the Bay of Biscay. 'U-504' was sunk at 1543 hours in the North Atlantic north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from the British Sloops HMS 'Kite', HMS 'Woodpecker', HMS 'Wren' and HMS 'Wild Goose' .

'U-591' was sunk in the South Atlantic near Pernambuco, Brazil, by depth charges from a US Navy PV-1 Ventura coded "B-10" of Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty Seven (VB-127) based at Natal, Brazil. 28 of the 47 man crew survive including the captain. They are picked up by the gunboat USS 'Saucy' (PG-65, ex-HMS Arabis).

EASTERN FRONT: Heeresgruppe A lost the initative in its attack to secure positions along the Muis River. Soviet forces launched limited counter-attacks against the German positions along the Mius River, thus ending the German attacks.

In a strange case of coincidence, the Luftwaffe lost 2 pilots named Jung against the Russians. Shot down and killed were Hptm. Harald Jung (20 kills) of 7./JG 51 and Hptm. Heinrich Jung (68 kills), Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 54. Hptm. Erich Rudorffer, forming IV./JG 54 in Konigsberg, was appointed Gruppenkommandeur in his place.

GERMANY: B-17s of the US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 80 in two forces against the aviation industry at Kassel, Germany. In the first force, 94 B-17s bombed the Bettenhausen Fieseler Works and 6 B-17s were lost. In the second force 40 B-17s attacked the Waldau Fieseler Works and 6 B-17s were lost. 107 P-47 Thunderbolts with auxiliary tanks escorted these raids and they surprised the attacking Luftwaffe fighters over Bocholt, Germany as the enemy was not yet accustomed to fighter escort penetration beyond the coastal fringe. P-47 pilots claimed 25 Luftwaffe aircraft shot down; 7 P-47s were lost. As the bombers approached the target, fighters from I./JG 26 took off and intercepted the B-17s. One was shot down by Lt. Gohringer of Stab I./JG 26 while another went down under the guns of Fw. Ernst Christof of I./JG 26 for his 9th kill. But Fw. Christof was bounced two hours later by fighters from the Us 335th FS 4th FG over Schouwen, shot down and killed. On the return flight, the bombers were bounced by numerous fighters from all the Luftwaffe defensive zones. The first to attack were the Fw 190s of II./JG 26 who sent 2 of the B-17s down in flames, one credited to the Gruppenkommandeur, Major 'Wutz" Galland. The other bomber was credited to Hptm. Johannes Naumann of 6./JG 26 who destroyed his bomber southeast of Est. Another bomber was brought down by Uffz. Wiegand over Eupen and another by Flg. Hans-Walter Sander over St. Trond. Hptm. Hermichen of I./Jg 26 claimed a P-47 over the Dordrecht area. But the Luftwaffe suffered losses as the escort fighters from US 4th, 56th and 78th FGs joined the combat. The first "hat trick" or triple victory for the Americans in the ETO happened when Major Eugene Roberts of the 78th FG claimed 3 fighters destroyed. Capt. Charles London also of the 78th FG was given credit for 2 kills. But the 78th suffered when its CO, Lt. Col. Melvin McNickle was shot down and captured while his wingman, Lt. Byers was killed. JG 1 lost 8 Fw 190s shot down and 3 Bf 109Gs damaged in crash-landings, JG 2 lost 7 planes destroyed, JG 11 had one Bf 109G destroyed and 5 badly damaged, JG 26 had 4 planes badly damaged and JG 54 had 4 planes destroyed - a total of 8 Bf 109s and 16 Fw 190s shot down. 10 pilots of the Luftwaffe were killed, including Ofw. Hans Laun of I./JG 1 and 9 nine pilots were injured.

95 Halifaxes, 87 Stirlings, 82 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitoes were dispatched to Remscheid, a previously unbombed town on the southern edge of the Ruhr. Only 26 people had been killed in Remscheid, by stray bombs, in the past 3 years. This raid marked the true end of the Battle of the Ruhr. 15 aircraft were lost. The Oboe ground marking and the bombing of the comparatively small Main Force were exceptionally accurate and this was a most successful raid. Only 871 tons of bombs were dropped but the post-war British Bombing Survey estimated that 83% of the town was devastated. 107 industrial buildings were destroyed; the town's industry, generally, lost 3 months' production and never fully regained previous levels. 3,115 houses were destroyed, 1,120 people were killed and 6,700 were injured.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 21: Near Santo Stefano and Troina, US forces were fighting heavily. British forces captured Catenanouva, Sicily. German forces were trapped in the north-east.

A huge brawl developed over the island of Sardinia. AAF P-40s tangled with a large concentration of Bf 109s flown by young, inexperienced pilots. The P-40s were credited with the destruction of 21 Bf 109s for the loss of only one of their own. Post war analysis seems to indicate that only 5 or 6 Bf 109s fell to the Americans.

Thousands of workers threw down tools in Italy to march through the streets demanding peace. Soldiers charged with enforcing martial law - which prohibits strikes and demonstrations - refused to open fire. Guards stood back and watched as an angry mob stormed the Cellari prison and freed hundreds of anti-Fascist prisoners. Small knots of fanatical Fascists, one of them Mussolini's nephew, Vito, have barricaded themselves in Milan's Fascist headquarters, and there were reports of lynchings from other parts of the country. Events have moved at an extraordinary pace since Mussolini was deposed five days ago. Not one of Mussolini's ministers remains in Marshal Badoglio's new cabinet. Fascist prefects were being removed from their posts. Troops were being recalled from the Adriatic to enforce martial law, and there were reports of fighting between Italian and German soldiers in Trieste and Udine.

Adolf Hitler learned that Italy was buying time before negotiating surrender terms with the Allies in light of Mussolini's fall from power. When Mussolini was ousted from power and arrested by his own police, Hitler had gathered Göring, Goebbels,Himmler, Rommel, and the commander in chief of the German navy, Karl Doenitz, at his headquarters to reveal the plans of action he had already been formulating. Among them: (1) Operation Oak, in which Mussolini would be rescued from captivity; (2) the occupation of Rome by German forces and the reinstallation of Mussolini and his fascist government; (3) Operation Black, the German occupation of all Italy; and (4) Operation Axis, the destruction of the Italian fleet to prevent it from being commandeered for Allied use. Hitler's advisor urged caution because the Italian government had not formally surrendered. The Germans had received assurances from Mussolini's successor, General Badoglio, that Italy would continue to fight at Germany's side but, Hitler received a message from his security police chief in Zagreb that an Italian general had confided to a Croat general that Italy's assurances of loyalty to Germany were "designed merely to gain time for the conclusion of negotiations with the enemy." Hitler reacted swiftly, closing Alpine passes and ordering Field Marshal Rommel to assemble eight divisions to ensure that bridges and tunnels were not demolished. As Sicily was poised to fall, the next strategic move would clearly be the invasion of the Italian mainland. After Il Duce's downfall, Allied commanders would be anxious to move quickly before the Germans could establish strong defensive positions in the mountainous centre of the country.

While patrolling to the north of Corsica, a B-26 Marauder of No. 14 Squadron RAF based in Egypt and piloted by Group Captain Dick Maydwell. encountered a German Me 323, six-engined transport aircraft flying unescorted low over the sea. He maneuvered his B-26 to allow his gunners to open fire and three engines were set on fire. The massive aircraft, described by Maydwell's navigator as looking like "a block of flats", crash landed on the shore. The crew escaped unhurt and Maydwell held his fire.

'U-375' was sunk in the western Mediterranean north-west of Malta, by depth charges from the US submarine chaser USS PC 624. All hands on the U-boat (46 men) were lost.

WESTERN FRONT: B-26B Marauders of the US VIII Air Support Command VIII flew Missions 10A and 10B against 2 airfields with the loss of 1 bomber. Because the main US bomb raid took Allied bombers over the JG 26 airfield at Woensdrecht Airfield, The Netherlands, it was bombed by 11 aircraft and 1 B-26 was lost. The planes of JG 26 taking off to engage the bombers were met by escorting RAF fighters and lost 2 fighters. In the second mission, 24 B-26Bs were dispatched to Wevelghem Airfield at Courtrai, France but the mission was recalled because the escorting fighters were fog bound on the ground.

8 aircraft laid mines in the Frisian Islands without loss.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

31 July 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The 2nd SS 'Das Reich' and 3rd SS 'Totenkopf' Panzerdivisions, along with 3.Panzerdivision conducted a counterattack that eliminated a strong Soviet bridgehead at the Mius River.

After several days of not gaining a victory, Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 finally brought down 2 Russian LaGG-5s during 2 separate missions, bringing his score past 40 kills. Although in years past, a score with this number of kills would bring the Ritterkreuz to the pilot, the immense combat kills on the Eastern Front required a rather large victory score before being awarded the coveted medal. Hartmann had to wait for his Ritterkreuz.

GERMANY: Due to an undercarriage failure, the Focke-Wulf Ta 154 'Moskito' V-1 crashed at Hannover-Langenhagen airfield.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 22: The US 45th Division captured Santo Stefano. Other US forces prepared to attack east along the coast and further inland press towards Troina. British and Canadian units to the south advanced on Regalbuto and Centuripe. They encountered fierce opposition at Regalbuto.

Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-26s bombed Adrano while Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters, light and medium bombers hit Paterno, Santa Maria di Licondia and Centuripe, the general area around Paterno, and vessels in the Milazzo-Orlando area. Ninth Air Force P-40s also hit shipping in the Milazzo area.

Ordered back to Germany for Reich defense duties, II./JG 27 and II./JG 51 left the airfields at Foggia and Sicily, leaving behind their Bf 109s to be distributed among the remaining fighters of JG 3, JG 53 and JG 77.

UNITED KINGDOM: During the past month 1,313 aircrew of RAF Bomber Command were killed or became POW's.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command in England flew Missions Number 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D against 4 airfields in France. 20 B-26B Marauders bombed Merville Airfield, 19 B-26Bs hit Nord Airfield at Poix 1122 hours with the loss of 1 B-26, 21 B-26Bs attacked Drucat Airfield at Abbeville and 18 B-26Bs bombed Tricqueville Airfield. Lille and Amiens, France were bombed by Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers, also fighter-escorted, in conjunction with the US raids.

Among the Luftwaffe pilots lost during the day was Lt. Hartwig Dohse (23 kills) of 5./JG 3 who was listed as missing in action. Newly returned from the Eastern Front, 7./JG 26 lost its Staffelkapitaen when Hptm. Gunther Kelch (13 kills) was killed in a flying accident.

Hptm. Wolrad Gerlach was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./SKG 10, taking over from Hptm. Edmund Kraus.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

1 August 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German Navy lost two submarines: 'U-383' was sunk west of Brest, France, by depth charges from a Sunderland of RAF No. 228 Squadron based at Pembroke Dock, Wales. 'U-454' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from a Sunderland of the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 10 Squadron based at Mount Batten, Devonshire.

SS 'Bage' was sunk by 'U-185' off the Rio Real Estuary, Sergipe, Brazil. The ship had been sailing with convoy TJ-2 until she was ordered out of the convoy by the Brazilian cruiser 'Rio Grande do Sul' because the ship was making too much smoke.

'U-198' fired its last torpedo at Convoy BC-2 and hit the 'Mangkalihat' . An earlier attack with two bow torpedoes had been unsuccessful. The crew abandoned ship because the engine room, boiler room and #3 hold were flooded. Ten crewmembers and eight passengers were lost. HMS 'Freesia' took the ship in tow the next morning, while a skeleton crew reboarded the vessel. On 3 August, HMS 'Prudent' came to assist and used her pumps to keep the ship afloat. In the early morning of 4 August, the tug took over the tow, but the 'Mangkalihat' foundered during the day.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet submarine S-12 of the Baltic Fleet was sunk in the Gulf of Finland by German and Finnish craft off Keri.

The Germans withdrew from the Orel area.

Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 destroyed 5 Russian aircraft - 2 LaGG-5s and 3 Yak-7s - during air battles in the afternoon. His score was now at 46 kills. Lt. Hartmann's fellow pilot at III./JG 52, Gunther Schack got his 60th victory. Lt. Franz Schall of 3./JG 52 recorded his 10th victory when he shot down a Russian Il-2. Fw. Hans-Jorg Merkle of 1./Jg 52 went missing in action after combat with a pair of Yak-1s from 31 GIAP near Dmitrievka.

8 Yak pilots engaged in an attack on a formation of Ju 87 Stukas, escorted by 6 Fw 190s. As the Russians made their attack, they were ambushed by 10 Bf 109s and 2 of the Yaks were shot down. One was flown by Guards Colonel Golyshev, while the other, carrying a white lilly painted on its nose, was Lydia Litvak's aircraft. She crashed near Dmitrievka in the Donets Basin. In her career, she was credited with 12 kills, 4 assists and 168 combat missions. Her combat career lasted less than a year and she was wounded twice in that time. She was 21 years old. The authorities suspected that she might have been captured, so they decided not to award her the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Only in 1979 was it determined that her aircraft had come down near Dmitrovka, a village in Shakhterski district and that she had been killed in action.

GERMANY: Berliners at Sunday breakfast were shocked to hear a radio broadcast by Josef Goebbels calling on all citizens not vital to the war industry to evacuate the city. Up to now propaganda sources insisted that a major raid in Berlin was very unlikely, and this sudden announcement fueled rumors that the capital has been surrendered and this was the beginning of the end. Free travel permits were being issued to women, children, pensioners and the sick, together with ration cards and blankets.

Based upon a recommendation by a commission comprising Generalluftzugmeister Milch, Generaloberst Weise, General der Nachtjagd Kammhuber, General der Jagdflieger Galland and the Gruppenkommandeur of NJG 1, Major Streib, to explore the defensive options of Germany's fighters against the Allied bombings, Goering issued an official order with the words; "The provision of day and night fighter defense will take priority over all other tasks." Two solutions to this problem were proposed. Col. Viktor von Lossberg, a former bomber pilot, proposed tactics that would soon to known as 'Zahme Sau' or Tame Boar. Night-fighters were meant to keep to their assigned control sector, but when it was found that a narrow bomber stream could saturate the relatively thin 'Kammhuber Line' of defensive sectors, a more free-ranging technique was introduced. The night-fighters would be released from the confines of their 'Himmelbett' radar zones and instead mix freely with the bomber streams. Once in the bulk of the enemy bombers they could choose their targets. The long-range Ju 88C-6b and Ju 88R-1 using FuG 227 Flensburg which homed in on Allied bomber 'Monica' tail-warning radars, were particularly suited to this role and began to equip many units. The second solution was to increase the fighters of Obstlt. Herrmann's special unit - soon designated JG 300 - with their mission to patrol directly over threatened cities. Goering phoned Obstlt. Herrmann and said that, "Germany was in his hands..." It was too late and not even the successful systems of the 'Zahme Sau' or 'Wilde Sau' could change the destiny of major German cities.

1./JG 11 and 10./JG 11 changed designations. 10./JG 11 then moved its Fw 190As from Husum to Aalborg-West and Lister. Oblt. Gunther Witt was appointed Staffelkapitaen of 10./JG 11.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 23: On the ground in Sicily, U.S. ground forces advanced east along the coast, approached Troina further inland, and began a movement to flank defenses. The British, to the south, penetrated into Regalbuto. The fighting was heavy around Troina.

In the air, 230+ P-40s, the largest Ninth Air Force total to date, attacked Adrano, the area near Randazzo, Messina, Milazzo, Taormina, and shipping in the Straits of Messina. During the night of 31 July/1 August, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons bombed Randazzo and Adrano and the next day, B-25 Mitchells hit Milazzo. Northwest African Tactical Air Force light and medium bombers hit Paterno, Randazzo, Adrano, Bronte, Santa Maria di Licondia, and motor transport in the Orlandoarea area. Northwest African Coastal Air Force Beaufighters scored hits on shipping between Sardinia and Italy. During the night of 31 July/1 August, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons dropped leaflets on Rome and Naples. During the following day, B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed Capodichino Airfield.

Operation "Tidalwave": 177 B-24s, of the US IX Bomber Command, including B-24s on loan from the US Eighth Air Force in England, were dispatched in a low-level attack on the oil refineries at Ploesti and nearby Campina. Flying from bases at Benghazi, Liberators from the US 44th, 93d and 389th BGs of the US Eighth Air Force and from the 98th and 376th of the US Ninth Air Force were combined to create the mission force. Enroute to the target, the formations lost the lead navigator when the bomber he was in suddenly dove into the sea. A second B-24 - with the only other trained navigator on board - began circling the area and dropped from the formation, soon returning home and leaving the attack to continue with no trained navigators to guide the bombers. As a result only one bomber flight actually made all the navigation points and bombed the target while the rest of the B-24s made Ploesti in bits and pieces. Decimated by heavy AA fire surrounding the oil fields and on trains, the remaining bomber force was intercepted by fighters from I./JG 4 led by Hptm. Hans Hahn and IV./JG 27 led by Hptm. Alfred Burk, along with Romanian fighters and a few Bf 110s from Hptm. Lutje's IV./NJG 6 and mauled. 48 of the bomber force was shot from the skies and another 58 severely damaged. 10 aircraft were shot down by Romanian Bf 109s or IAR 80 fighters, 7 by Luftwaffe aircraft and the rest by flak. Only 35 of the survivors returned to base without any battle damage. One plane came back with 365 holes in the plane. Another returned with corn stalks in its engine cowling. Four "Congressional Medal of Honors" were won by participants in this heroic, but ultimately fruitless raid. While an estimated 42% of Ploesti's refinery capacity had been destroyed, the attack was not considered decisive. The Germans quickly repaired the damage and brought idle units at the refinery on-line.

WESTERN FRONT: Major Hans-Ehhehard Bob was promoted from III./JG 54 to the Eastern Front as Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 51.

15 Stirlings and 14 Wellingtons laid mines off French Biscay ports without loss.