This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

10 SEPTEMBER 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Red Army forces try their hand at amphibious landings hitting the Black Sea coast near Novorossiysk. The makeshift nature of the attack created a great deal of confusion among the Soviet units and unexpectedly heavy resistance and quick reaction from the Germans led to heavy losses. A similar assault in the sea of Azoz was conducted at Mariupol. It too was met by heavy resistance from Rumanian artillery units which caused heavy losses. Other Red Army forces took Barvenkovo, Volnovakha and Chaplino.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US front at Salerno was quiet and the front was pushed inland. Most of the German reserves concentrated in the British sector and local counterattacks recaptured positions lost that morning. Other German forces retreated north, intending to form a defensive line across Italy. Although now firmly established at Salerno, the Allies did not have enough room between the coast and the Germans to allow use of the ports at Salerno and Vietri. The U.S. 36th Infantry Division, set about capturing high ground from Ogliastro to Albanella. Meanwhile, the British X Corps pushed on at Battipaglia to capture Montecorvino airfield while 46 Division was to clear Salerno and the corridors through the Sorrento peninsula. However, at first light the Germans struck first, driving 56 Division out of Battipaglia but Montecorvino airfield was captured by 3 Coldstream Guards and 2/6th Queen's Regiment, 169 Brigade and Faiano fell without a fight. On X Corps' left, 46 Division troops ended the day in a stalemate with German forces at Cava di Tirreni. At the Gulf's southern end, the U.S. 45th Infantry Division went ashore virtually unmolested to supported the 36th Infantry Division - most defenders having been moved to the north against X Corps.

The British Eighth Army reached the Catanzaro 'neck' after an advance of about 100 miles (161 km). General Montgomery wished to pause here but was reluctantly persuaded to push forward to relieve pressure on the landings at Salerno. 1 Airborne Division's patrol from Taranto reached Monopoli on the Adriatic Coast and found it clear of Germans, but at Castellanata 10 Parachute Battalion had a sharp engagement in which the Divisional commander, Major-General G. F. Hopkinson, was mortally wounded. V Corps troops were now being shipped into Taranto from where they were intended eventually to come under Montgomery's command.

German reaction to the Italian surrender was predictably swift. Within hours of Eisenhower's announcement of the Italian surrender, General von Vietinghoff, the commander of the Tenth Army, moved paratroopers and a Panzer division to occupy Rome. Five Italian divisions stationed around Rome appeared ready to defend the city, but capitulated quickly as the German commanders put Unternehmen 'Achse' (Axis) into force. Ironically, the Americans had been preparing a division-strong airborne landing in the city - but cancelled the operation when Marshal Badoglio protested.

US Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bombed a satellite airfield at Foggia. US Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command medium bombers hit railroad and road junctions and road net in the Castelnuovo-Pescopagano-Cassino-Capua-Formia areas; B-17 Flying Fortresses attacked the Ariano intersection and highway bridge (and bridges and roads in the area), bridges near Botena and over the Tiber River southwest of Rome, and roads, buildings, and railroad facilities at Isernia; XII Air Support Command and RAF airplanes of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force blasted heavy road movement north from Lauria and covered beachheads in the Salerno area as the British Eighth Army increased pressure on its front in an effort to prevent the Germans from concentrating against the US Fifth Army's Salerno beachhead. During the night, B-25 Mitchells hit communications centers at Corleto, Perticara, Auletta and Saptri.

A heavy response from the Luftwaffe reached a peak at night when long-range bomber forces of the Luftwaffe flew about 100 sorties over the Allied bridgehead, the strongest reaction by the Kampfgeschwadern since the attacks on Malta in 1942. Units engaged were IV./JG 3, I., II. and III./JG 53, I./JG 77, III./JG 77, II. and III./SKG 10, II./SchG 2, II./LG 1, I. and II./KG 1, III./KG 54, I. and II./KG 76 and II./KG 77. Also involved flying from southern France were 3 Gruppen of KG 30, I. and II./KG 26 using Hs 293 glider bombs and II. and III./KG 100 using Fritz-X bombs.

Minelayer HMS 'Abdiel' which was bringing in supplies and a holding force after the announcement of the Italian armistice, was sunk in the port of Taranto by German GS type magnetic mines laid the previous evening by MFP478 and S54 and S61. There were 48 casualties amongst the crew plus 120 soldiers.

"Be pleased to inform Their Lordships that the Italian Fleet lies at anchor under the guns of the Fortress of Malta."

With these words Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, the commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, signaled to the admiralty the total surrender of the Italian navy. Flying black flags of surrender and escorted by ships of the Royal Navy, units of the Italian fleet were anchored off Valetta's Grand Harbour. More ships were heading for Gibraltar and other Allied ports, removing the naval threat in the Mediterranean.

The Allies occuppied the Dodecanese island of Castelrosso.

 

[Njaco]

11 SEPTEMBER 1943

EASTERN FRONT: German officers captured by the Red Army formed an anti-Hitler association, the "Bund deutscher Offiziere".

MEDITERRANEAN: The fighting at Salerno became more chaotic and piecemeal. Typical was the fight on the British 56 Division's front, where 167 Brigade and 201 Guards Brigade were subjected to sudden sharp attacks by infiltrating German units at the 'Tobacco Factory' between Battipaglia and Bellizzi. These attacks were beaten off, but neither British nor German troops were really sure of the situation. In 46 Division's sector, the fighting was also scrappy and disjointed. 139 Brigade was able to gradually relieve the Commando forces at Vietri sul Mare and on the left the US Rangers were reinforced and continued to hold their positions. A three-pronged push in the US VI Corps' sector by the 36th and 45th Infantry Divisions was held up in the left and center as troops of the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division filtered into the fighting on the plain.

In southern Italy, British 1 Airborne Division entered Bari and then Brindisi. General Bernard Montgomery, Commanding General Eighth Army, pushed forward units of the British 5 Division towards Castrovillari and Belvedere and the Canadian 1 Division towards Crotone. General Harold Alexander's Chief-of-Staff, Major General Alexander Richardson, arrived at Montgomery's headquarters to explain the crisis at Salerno and to offer men and equipment to threaten the South flank of the Germans facing Fifth Army.

The Italian's on Rhodes surrender to the Germans.

In the air, the USAAF Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command sent B-17s to bomb the Benevento marshalling yard and bridge and highway junction nearby; B-25s and B-26s hit highways and junctions at Castelnuovo, Ariano, Mignano, and Isernia; P-40s flew an uneventful sweep over southern Sardinia and USAAF and RAF aircraft of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force continued to provide beachhead cover in the Salerno area, hit road communications throughout the day, and attack road and rail bridges, junctions, airfield, and town areas at Saptri, Corleto, Perticara, Auletta, and Gioia del Colle.
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German E-boats attacked the USN destroyer USS 'Rowan' (DD-405) in the Gulf of Salerno. 'Rowan' pursued and fired on the enemy, then, as her quarry pulled away, ceased firing and changed course to rejoin the convoy she was escorting back to Oran, French Morocco. Within 5 minutes a new contact was made, range less than 3,000 yards (2.7 kilometres). Again she changed course, to avoid torpedoes and bring her guns into position. As the range decreased to 2,000 yards (1.8 kilometres), 'Rowan' was hit by a torpedo. She sank in less than a minute, taking 202 of her 273 officers and men with her.

Off the coast of Salerno in the morning, the USN light cruiser USS 'Savannah' (CL-42) was struck by a remote controlled Ruhrstahl/Kramer X-1 (Fritz X) glide bomb launched by a Do-217K-2 of III/KG 100. It pierced through the armored turret roof of the Number 3 Gun Turret, passing through three decks into the lower handling room where it exploded causing a gaping hole in the bottom, and tore open a seam in the ship's port side. For 30-minutes, secondary explosions in the gun room hampered firefighting efforts; 197 crewmen were killed and 15 seriously wounded. The ship arrived at Malta on 12 September and then departed for the U.S. in December.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 56 against 2 locations without loss. 19 B-26Bs bombed the shipyard at Le Trait when the primary target was obscured by clouds and 32 B-26Bs attacked Beaumont le Roger Airfield.

A Ju 88A-12 from Blindflugschule 4 collided with a Ju 86 and crashed into the water of København southern harbour near the locks about 200 metre from the shore. The crew of four all died and were all laid to rest in København Bispebjerg Cemetery. The Ju 86 was damaged less than 10% and pilot Ofw. Rudolf Rowalowsky landed it safely at Fliegerhorst Kastrup.

In the late afternoon, in bad weather, W/O Grondowski of RAF No. 315 (Polish) Sqdrn was leading a section consisting of himself and two pilots, Sgt Zygmund and Sgt Kolek, in a local formation flight. Unfortunately, he led them away from the prescribed area, and lost them in the hills beyond Belfast. All three crashed within a short time of each other, W/O Grondowski and Sgt Kolek being killed. Sgt Zygmund had a lucky escape, for he was knocked out when his aircraft crashed, soon came round and was able to climb out of the wreckage and walk to the nearest road.

 

[Njaco]

12 SEPTEMBER 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Stary Kermenchik, in the Donets basin, was liberated by Russian units.

MEDITERRANEAN: Hand-picked paratroopers crash-landed by glider on an Italian mountainside and snatched Mussolini to freedom. In a brilliant operation involving a hair-raising take-off down a rocky slope in a tiny aircraft, Il Duce was delivered safely to an airfield at Pratica di Mare. Hitler's order for the rescue of the former dictator was given to SS-SturmbannFührer Otto Skorzeny. He first had to locate Mussolini, whom the Italians had moved about since his arrest and fall of the 25th of July, to avoid a rescue attempt. Mussolini had been held under guard in a seaside boarding house and later in a villa on a Sardinian island. News of Italy's surrender, including the condition that he would be handed over to the Allies, was kept from him. Two weeks ago il Duce was moved to the Albergo di Campo Imperatore hotel, 7,000 feet up the Gran Sasso mountain in the Apennines, where he was guarded by carabinieri. The hotel is about 93 miles east-northeast of Rome at an altitude of 6,652 feet. The Italian Military Intelligence (SIM) attempting to hide the former leader from the German Intelligence agents. The only access was by cable car. An intercepted radio message gave Skorzeny the answer to his quest. But how was he to reach the hotel, normally only accessible by cable car? During a reconnaissance flight, Skorzeny saw a small lawn just behind the hotel and this was the spot on which he decided to land. A paratroop drop was out because of the altitude leaving only gliders to get the German troops into the hotel. At Practica di Mare Aerodrome Skorzeny, his Luftwaffe paratroopers from Fallsirmjager-Lehr-Battalion under the command of Major Mors and fifty SS men belonging to Skorzeny's unit, prepared for the operation which included occupying the railway terminal to prevent reinforcement by Italian troops. The raiding force were equipped with amongst other things explosives, laughing gas and forged British bank notes. The twelve DFS 230C-1 gliders, capable of carrying eight fully equipped soldiers, begin lifting off at 1230 hours local and shortly after, four of the twelve dropped out on the way for various reasons with the lead two disappearing. The "small lawn" Skorzeny had seen on his flight was in fact a small piece of very steep ground with a sheer drop at the end meaning that the gliders would have to crash land near the hotel. All gliders landed but one crash landed and injured all on board; Skorzeny's glider stopped short only a few yards from the hotel doors. He raced up to the hotel doors and kicked them in and preceded to put an Italian radio operator and his radio out of action. He made contact with Mussolini and declared "Duce, I have come to rescue you!" In four minutes the Italian dictator was outside the hotel and boarding a Fiesler Fi 156 Storch light aircraft ready to fly back to the aerodrome. Although the Fi 156 had only two seats, Skorzeny insisted that he wanted to fly back to base with Mussolini. This made the plane overloaded and 12 men held the plane on his place as the pilot ran up the engine. Finally he raised his arm and the men let go of the plane, the plane sped ahead, almost hitting a large rock, and finally disappeared over the edge. The plane landed in Rome and Mussolini and Skorzeny were flown to Vienna. The propaganda value of this mission was immense and Skorzeny and his SS men were featured in most of the media broadcasts. The truth is that the entire Gran Sasso mission was planned by Luftwaffe General Student and the Fallschirmjäger Lehr Battalion under the command of Major Mors. Only two gliders contained Skorzeny and his men from the Jagdverbande with the rest from the Fallschirmjäger Lehr Battalion. Skorzeny was responsible for Mussolini's safety and his delivery to Hitler but the mission itself was in overall command of the paratroops. Not surprisingly, they were somewhat annoyed when Skorzeny and the SS received all the kudos. Gen. Student even had the Luftwaffe make a film showing the paratroops version of events.

British Eighth Army forces on the toe of Italy captured Crotone and pushed north, and on the Taranto front occuppied territory up to north of Castelaneta. Fighting at Salerno was marked by the effective use of the Hermann Göring Panzer Division. In the Salerno beachhead, the Germans began their first major counterattack late in the day and the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and 16th Panzer Division drove the British out of Battipaglia once more. The British unit in the Molina Pass was under heavy pressure from the Hermann Goering Panzer Division.

The US Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command sent B-17s to bomb the Mignano road defiles, the Benevento road bridge, and the Frosinone airfield; medium bombers hit Ariano (and trucks and road nearby), Isernia, and Castelnuovo and Formia road junctions; US and RAF aircraft of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force attacked motor transport movement, roads, and bridges in the Potenza-Auletta areas.

The German submarine 'U-617' ran aground under British aerial attack by RAF Hudsons of No 48 and No 233 Squadrons and FAA Swordfish Mk IIs of No 833 and No. 886 Squadrons, all four based at Gibraltar, in the Mediterranean near Melilla. The wreck was destroyed by gunfire from the RN corvette HMS 'Hyacinth' and the RAN minesweeper HMAS 'Woollongong'. All 49 crewmen on the U-boat were able to evacuate the stricken sub and subsequently interned by the Spanish authorities. They were later repatriated to Germany.

WESTERN FRONT: A Ju 88 belonging to IV./NJG 3 was on a training flight when it hit the ground at Tværmose about two kilometres west of Fliegerhorst Grove. The Ju 88 disintegrated upon impact, a fire erupted and the wreckage was engulfed in flames. The aircraft was a 100% loss and the crew of three died.

 

[Njaco]

13 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Hptm. Gunther Rall, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 52 was awarded the Schwerter.

GERMANY: 5 Oboe Mosquitoes went to Cologne and 5 to Duisburg without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: At Salerno the Germans rapidly reinforced the battle area, and the Allied situation continued to deteriorate. German General Heinrich von Vietinghoff launched a major counter-attack against the Allied beachhead, albeit with divisions which were not yet fully reconstituted after the fighting in Sicily. The Hermann Goering and 15th Panzer Grenadier Divisions attacked the British X Corps, while elements of the 26th and 29th Panzer Grenadier and the 16th Panzer Divisions drove against the U.S. VI Corps and the lightly defended area along the Sele River. The Germans penetrated the American lines during the afternoon, overrunning a battalion of the 36th Infantry Division and threatening the rear of the Allied position. For a time, the situation was so precarious that Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Commanding General U.S. Fifth Army, directed his staff to begin planning to evacuate one of the two beachheads and land its forces on the other. American resistance stiffened along the Calore River as artillery, tank, and tank destroyer units held their ground, pouring shot after shot directly into the attacking Germans. By nightfall the German attacks faltered, and the Allies began to regroup. Seaborne reinforcements from Sicily could not arrive in time, and British Eighth Army advances were being slowed by heavily damaged roads and logistic problems. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander in Chief Allied Expeditionary Force Mediterranean, had earlier made the 82d Airborne Division available to Fifth Army, and Clark requested its use. The airborne unit represented the only force that could move to the area rapidly enough to make a difference. During the night of 13-14 September, 80+ USAAF Twelfth Air Force C-47 Skytrains dropped 1,300 soldiers of the 504th PIR into the beachhead ; these troops immediately moved into defensive positions bolstering the 36th Infantry Division. In southern Italy, the British Eighth Army continued to advance and took Cosenza.

In the air, RAF heavy bombers, under the operational control of the USAAF Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command, hit Potenza. B-17s of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command bombed roads in the Torre del Greco area, a highway at Sala Consilina, and a road junction, railway and bridge at Atena Lucana; B-25s attacked a viaduct, rail and road junctions, and rail lines in the Pompeii-Castellammare di Stabia-Torre Annuziata areas; XII Air Support Command A-36 Apaches destroyed 25 to 30 vehicles near Potenza, and fighters maintained convoy patrol. USAAF and RAF light and medium bombers of the Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force hit town areas, road junctions, and vehicles in the Auletta-Pompeii-Sala Consilina-San Severino Rota areas.

In Greece, fighting was reported between the Italian Acqui division and German units at Cephalonia. 1646 Italians would be killed in the fighting before they would surrender a week later.

A German Fritz X guided aerial bomb crippled British carrier HMS 'Uganda' off Salerno, Italy. The Fritz X passed through seven decks and straight through her keel, exploding underwater just under the keel. The concussive shock of the Fritz X's underwater detonation close to Uganda's hull extinguished all her boiler fires, and resulted in sixteen men being killed, with Uganda taking on 1,300 tons of water. Damage control under Lieutenant Leslie Reed managed to get the ship moving with one engine. She was towed to Malta by USS Narragansett, where temporary repairs were made.

UNITED KINGDOM: The US Eighth Air Force activated the 1st, 2d, and 3d Bombardment Divisions at Brampton Grange, Horsham St Faith and Camp Blainey respectively. They were formed from complements of VIII Bomber Command's 4 bombardment wings which were redesignated Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) effective this date; each bombardment division was organized into combat bombardment wings. Commanding Officers of the Bombardment Divisions were Major General Robert B Williams (1st), Brigadier General James P Hodges (2d), and Major General Curtis E LeMay (3d).

WESTERN FRONT: General Josef Kammhuber was appointed commander of all the Luftwaffe night-fighting units. But he was on shaky ground. Goering felt slighted by Kammhuber when he disagreed with the "Einsitzer" nachtjagd concept then taking root and also by not attending a crisis meeting held by Goering following the Hamburg raids.

20 year old Uffz. Herbert Schopel of 1./SAGr 128 was killed at Brest-Sud when his Fw 190A-5 suffered engine failure.

While flying over the sea the right hand engine of a Ju 88C-6 from 10./NJG 3 caught fire and Pilot Lt. Helmut Alberti turned back towards land. Engineer Gefreiter Otto Kramm however bailed out before the Ju 88 reached the coast and landed in the sea and died. The Ju 88 crashed at Vester Hjulskov in a field belonging to Farmer A. Thøgersen. Lt. Alberti had bailed out too late at too low an altitude as his body was found near the wreckage.

 

[Njaco]

14 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler ordered his armies to withdraw to the Panther Line, between Kiev and Vitebsk. The Germans announced they were evacuating Bryansk. The Russians were still up against a heavy rearguard action. Novorossiysk, in the Kuban, was also heavily contested.

Lt. Wilmans, wingman to the Geschwaderkommodore of JG 52, flying a Bf 109, failed to return after combat near Turkenovka.

Oblt. Walter Nowotny of I./JG 54, scored his 204th victory, becoming the highest scoring Experte at this time. Also at JG 54, the Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 54, Hptm. Erich Rudorffer shot down 5 Russian planes.

GERMANY: 8 Lanasters of RAF No.617 Sqdn set out with a new 12,000 lb bomb (not the 12,000 lb Tallboy 'earthquake' bomb developed later) to attack the banks of the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Ladbergen. While the force was over the North Sea, however, a weather reconnaissance Mosquito reported that there was fog in the target area and the Lancasters were recalled. The aircraft of Flight Lieutenant D.J.H. Maltby, one of the original members of the squadron that had attacked the Ruhr dams, crashed into the sea and the crew were all killed. Maltby's body was washed ashore and is buried at Wickhambreux near Canterbury in Kent. The names of the other 6 crew members are on the Runnymede Memorial for the Missing.

8 Mosquitoes made a nuisance raid on Berlin, 1 aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: At Salerno, the Germans attacked the entire Allied front throughout the daylight hours, searching for weaknesses. Their efforts were unsuccessful. The British 7 Armoured Division began landing in the British X Corps sector, and the U.S. 180th Infantry Regiment, the remaining regiment of the 45th Infantry Division, landed behind VI Corps to become the Fifth Army reserve. During the night, C-47 Skytrains dropped the 2,105 men of the 505th Regimental Combat Team (505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 456th Parachute Field Artillery and Company A, 307th Engineers) south of the Sele River to strengthen the beachhead. By the evening, with more supplies ashore and reinforcements arriving, the crisis had passed. Although the two night airborne drops into the Salerno beachhead had been executed flawlessly, another airborne operation was less successful. The 640 men of the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped some 20 miles (32 kilometres) north of the British X Corps at Avellino during the evening to disrupt German resupply and communications lines. The paratroopers had been ordered to harass the Germans for about five days and then either to infiltrate to the beachhead or to link up with advancing forces. Of the 40 planes involved in the operation, only 15 dropped their cargo within 4 miles (6 kilometres) of the drop zone; 23 planes scattered paratroopers between 8 and 25 miles (13 and 40 kilometres) from the intended target, and the drop site of the remaining two planes was unknown. Of the 640 men who jumped, 400 made it safely back to Allied hands several days later after launching small raids in the German rear.

In the air, Allied heavy bombers, diverted from attacks on strategic targets in Germany, interdicted German units and supplies flowing toward the beachhead and struck German units in assembly areas and attacked positions. USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24s hit a marshalling yard at Pescara while RAF heavy bombers, under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, hit Potenza. The USAAF Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command sent B-17s, B-25 Mitchells, and B-26s to attack highways, road junctions and defiles, bridges, town areas, railroads, marshalling yard, barracks, and numerous targets of opportunity, including several gun positions, in or near Avellino, Pompeii, Torre Annunziata, Auletta, Baronissi, San Severino Rota, Battipaglia, and Eboli; USAAF and RAF fighter-bombers and light and medium bombers of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force flew well over 500 sorties, mainly against bridges, and towns in the battle area or around Battipaglia, Eboli, Potenza Torre Annunziata, Benevento, Auletta, and Avellino.
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In southern Italy, elements of the British Eighth Army entered Bari in the east and Belvedere in the west.

Free French commandos were landed on Corsica to form resistance groups to harass the Germans occupying the island.

The elite British Boat Service, a watery cousin to the SAS, landed on the Aegean island of Kos.

German Lieutenant General Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin received orders from Adolf Hitler to execute some 200 captured Italian officers. He refused.

Off Salerno, U.S. freighter SS 'Bushrod Washington' was set afire by a Hs-293 rocket propelled glidebomb hit and was abandoned. Tug 'Hopi' (AT-71) assisted boats with the latter's survivors. One Armed Guard sailor, four merchant seamen and ten stevedores perished in the explosion and fires. Fire-fighting efforts, however, ultimately proved unavailing for 'Bushrod Washington' sank off Salerno, Italy.

NORTHERN FRONT: In Norway, Ofw. Erich Beulich of 7./JG 5 (10 kills) went missing in action. Fw. Franz Dorr was appointed Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 5.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command in England flew Mission 57: 108 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to the Woenisdrecht Airfield in the Netherlands and Nord Airfield at Lille, France; they were recalled due to weather.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

15 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Nezhin fell to Rokossovsky's troops. Dyatkovo was evacuated by the Germans.

GERMANY: An RAF Lancaster of No. 617 Squadron dropped the first 12,000-lb bomb on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. 8 Lancasters of RAF No. 617 Sqdn took off to carry out the postponed raid on the banks of the Dortmund-Ems Canal but the area was misty and 5 aircraft were lost including those of Pilot Officer L.G. Knight, another of the Dams Raid survivors, and the new squadron commander, Sqdn Ldr G. Holden. These heavy losses, and the losses of the Dams Raid, confirmed that low level attacks on German targets, even when away from major defended areas, were not viable with heavy bombers and this type of operation was not repeated. 617 Sqdn now started retraining as a specialist high-altitude-bombing unit.

MEDITERRANEAN: At Salerno the counterattack by the Germans was halted for them to regroup. HMS 'Valiant' and 'Warspite' joined the warships offshore in their bombardment of German positions. The British 8th Army continued its advance. British Eighth Army forces reached Saptri, threatening the enemy with entrapment between US and British forces.
Procida in Naples Bay was captured by the Allies.

Alexander replaced General Dawley of the British VI Corps.

US Ninth Air Force B-24s hit a marshalling yard at Potenza and attacked railroads and warehouses in the areas around Potenza, Altamura, Gravina di Puglia, and Matera. US Twelfth Air Force B-17s bombed highways and a railroad at Torre del Greco while B-25 Mitchells and B-26s hit highways and road junctions at or near Torre Annunziata, Battipaglia, Eboli, Serre, Auletta, and Polla. The US XII Air Support Command and other Northwest African Tactical Air Force elements attacked buildings, railroads, highways and motor transport in support of US Fifth Army as German counterattacks astride Sele River subsided.

Much to the disapproval of their American allies, British troops have landed on Kos, a Dodecanese island only a mile from the Turkish coast. The 5,000-strong Italian garrison was fighting with them. Such was the low priority given to this operation that General Eisenhower refused the use of landing craft, and Britain's Special Boat Squadron was forced to requisition Greek fishing caiques to land in Kos. The SBS was joined by 120 men of the 11th Parachute Battalion dropped from Dakotas, before the main body of troops, the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry, flew in. The British and their Italian allies were under continual attack from the Luftwaffe, and troops from a Dakota were interned in Turkey after the aircraft was forced down on the sea by a Messerschmitt. Hitler diverted aircraft from all parts of the Mediterranean to the Dodecanese. Eisenhower, on the other hand, ruled that the Aegean "campaign" as no more than a British side-show.

Mussolini returned to power in Italy (at least the northern half). It was a political move and had little real impact.

German planes bombed Allied shipping off Salerno. U.S. freighter SS 'James W. Marshall' was damaged by a glide bomb. Two tank landing craft (LCT) alongside caught fire, and the resultant blaze compelled the abandonment of the freighter. Thirteen of the ship's merchant complement perished as do 50 Army stevedores working cargo. Amphibious command ship 'Biscayne' (AVP-11) provided aid for many survivors. Liberty ship 'William Bradford' was strafed by German planes. There were no casualties among the freighter's merchant or Armed Guard complements. LCT-241 was sunk by an aerial bomb. LCT-209 was destroyed when the freighter 'Bushrod Washington' exploded when the uncontrolled fires (started the previous day when the ship suffered a direct bomb hit) reached the 500-pound bombs stowed forward. LCT-19 was sunk by a rocket bomb.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Halifax bomber flying from Croft airfield, County Durham, was abandoned by the crew at 12.45 after the pilots escape hatch blew off, causing loss of control. Six of the crew baled out, one stayed with the plane and was killed when it crashed at Stillington near York.

United States 101st Airborne Division troops arrived in England.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flew 2 missions with the loss of 6 bombers. Mission 95, in 3 forces, was flown against aviation facilities in France. 87 B-17s attacked the Romilly-sur-Seine air depot and 139 B-17s attacked three targets. 40 hit the Caudron-Renault industrial area in Paris, 21 hit the Billancourt-Renault works and 78 hit the Hispano-Suiza aircraft engine works in Paris. They claimed 12-2-4 Luftwaffe aircraft and 5 B-17s were lost, mostly by JG 2 and JG 26. 47 B-24s hit Chartres Airfield and claimed 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 1 B-24 was lost.

The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 58 against 2 airfields in France without loss. 72 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to Nord Airfield at Lille but the mission was aborted due to weather. 68 B-26Bs hit Merville Airfield at 1745 and 1748 hours.

209 Halifaxes, 120 Stirlings, 40 Lancasters and 5 American B-17s attacked Montlucon, 3 aircraft lost. This was a moonlit raid on the Dunlop rubber factory at Montlucon in central France. The Pathfinders marked the target accurately and the Master Bomber, Wing Commander D.F.E.C. Deane, brought the Main Force in well to carry out some accurate bombing. Every building in the factory was hit and a large fire was started. This appears to be the last occasion on which the Pathfinders used the Master Bomber technique until the spring of 1944. No report of the raid was available from France.

The Hamburg disaster in August and the increased US Eighth Air Force activity over Germany created a strong need for a more flexible command structure. A sweeping re-organization and complete restructuring of the system was called for and orders were issued. Jagdfliegerfuhrer Bretagne was reformed at St. Pol-Brias in northeast France (ex-Stab./Jagdfliegerfuhrer 2) under 4.jagddivision and later under II Jagdkorps. The Stab remained at St.Pol-Brias and from there controlled fighter defenses over northeast FRance and Belgium. Oberst Karl Viek was named as Jagdfliegerfuhrer. But re-organizing the Stab and communications system required time and the new organization became effective later. As a result of these changes, General der Nachtjagd Josef Kammhuber was fired by Goering and this led to an intense focus on the entire Nachtjagd static defense system.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

16 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Miniature submarine X-9 was lost while on tow behind HMS 'Syrtis' in the Norwegian Sea. She was believed to have foundered due to a broken 600-foot towrope which would have caused her to plunge to the bottom. There were no survivors from the 3-man crew. X-9 was one of 6 X-craft being towed to the north of Norway to conduct attacks against 'Scharnorst', 'Lützow' and 'Tirpitz'.

EASTERN FRONT: Novgorod Seversky and Romny, near Konotop, were liberated by Soviet forces during their advance on Kiev. After a week of very heavy fighting, Soviet ground forces met up with the beachhead at Novorossysk, capturing the town.

Alfred Kutenberger of JG 52 (23 kills) was killed in action.

GERMANY: 5 Mosquitoes went to Berlin without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: Another German attack, under Vietinghoff, between Salerno and Battipaglia was driven off. Forward units of the US 5th and British 8th Armies linked up. The main bodies of these armies were still well behind. As advance units of the British Eighth Army linked up with the beleaguered US Fifth Army near the Salerno beach-head , the German commander of the Tenth Army, General Heinrich von Vietinghoff, ordered his Panzers to withdraw northwards. The beach-head was secure, but it was touch-and-go until the very end. Artillery and infantry of the British 201 Guards Brigade defeated German attacks against Bellizzi and Fosso, whilst attacks on the 23 Armored Brigade's positions were defeated by counter-attacks in the early afternoon. At one point, the US Fifth Army commander, General Mark Clark, had to order cooks, clerks, drivers and bandsmen to grab the nearest rifles and form a defensive line as German troops threatened to drive the Americans off the beach-head. When German reinforcements arrived from the south, Clark even contemplated withdrawing his armies from Salerno, but, instead, pulled back two miles while reinforcements were rushed in. There was every indication that the Germans had used up their energy and their units were battle weary. General Clark gave orders for the Allies to prepare for immediate pursuit if the enemy began to withdraw.

On the British Eighth Army's front, 5 Division reached Sapri and 1 Canadian Division near Spezzano. Units from these two divisions met at Castrovillari, whilst Canadian and 1 Airborne Division troops made contact 40 miles (64.4 km) south-west of Taranto. The Allied armies were at last in touch across the Italian peninsula from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Adriatic.

US Ninth Air Force B-24s hit road junctions and a supply dump at Potenza, following a RAF raid of the previous night. US Twelfth Air Force B-17s hit bridges, rail line, marshalling yard, trains, and a railroad-highway intersection in the Benevento area, and roads and railway facilities in the Caserta area; medium bombers hit roads, railroads, junctions, and bridges at Isernia, Formia, Mignano, and Capua; XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers maintained continuous sweeps over the Salerno beachhead and surrounding battle zone while other US and RAF elements of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (fighters, light and medium bombers) blasted enemy aircraft, motor transport, troop concentrations and communications targets in the Contursi and Eboli areas.

HMS 'Warspite', providing gunnery support, was struck by two German glider bombs and sustained serious damage. She was hit three times, one of them striking near her funnel, ripping through her decks and causing immense damage, making a large hole in the bottom of her hull, and crippling much of 'Warspite' as it did so. Casualties were minor; 9 killed and 14 wounded. Her appearance had dramatically changed in just a few moments, from an imposing battleship to one shattered and war scarred. She was soon on the journey to Malta, being towed by United States Navy (USN) tugs. The tow proved extremely difficult, and at one point she was drifting sideways through the straits of Messina having broken all the tow lines. She eventually reached Malta on 19 September and undertook emergency repairs there before being towed to Gibraltar.

British forces occupied the islands of Leros and Samos in the Aegean Sea.

German planes bombed Allied shipping off Bizerte, Tunisia. U.S. freighter 'Edward P. Costigan' was damaged by a near-miss of a bomb. There were no casualties to either merchant or Armed Guard complements.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Lockheed Hudson V crashed while on a fuel consumption test at Kinnagh, Ballycullane. All 3 crewmen died.

WESTERN FRONT: US VIII Air Support Command Mission 59: 67 B-26B Marauders hit Beaumont le Roger Airfield and Tricoueville Airfield without loss. 224 B-17s of the US VIII Bomber Command in 2 forces hit 5 targets with the loss of 11 aircraft. 131 B-17s bombed 2 targets in Nantes; 79 hit Nantes harbor installations and 52 hit Chateau-Bougon Airfield. They claimed 22-2-5 Luftwaffe aircraft while 7 B-17s were lost. Escort was provided by 79 P-47 Thunderbolts which claimed 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft. 93 B-17s hit La Pallice harbor installations, Larochelle/Laleau Airfield and Cognac/Chateaubernard Airfield. They claimed 22-3-8 Luftwaffe aircraft and 4 B-17s were lost. JG 2, Jagdgruppe Ost, II./ZG 1 and 1./SAGr 128 were all scrambled to intercept the bombers. During combat with the bombers near Brest, Oblt Heinz Wurm of 1./SAGr 128 was shot down and killed in his Fw 190A-5 by rear gunners in the B-17s. During his time in command of 5./BFGr 196 and 1./SAGr 128, Oblt. Wurm accounted for over half of his units aerial victories.

170 Halifaxes, 127 Stirlings and 43 Lancasters attacked the important railway yards at Modane on the main railway route from France to Italy. 5 American B-17s also took part. The markings of the target, situated in a steep valley, was not successful and the bombing was not accurate. No report was available from France. 3 aircraft were lost.

12 Lancasters, 8 from 617 Sqdn and 4 from 619, attempted to bomb the railway viaduct near Cannes on the coastal railway line leading to Italy but no direct hits were scored. 1 Lancaster of 619 Sqdn was lost. It came down in the sea off Portugal, possibly while trying to reach Gibraltar.

After having crossed the peninsula of Jylland on a outbound track, a Halifax from RAF No. 138 Sqdn was hit by fire from a German JU 88 night fighter piloted by Oblt. Hindelmeir of II/NJG 3. The port inner engine of the Halifax caught fire as did the belly fuel tank. Pilot F/S Lloyd A. Trotter RAAF feathered the engine and tried to climb to give the crew a chance to bail out. The Halifax would not climb and Trotter had to ditch the burning Halifax in the sea off Norsminde. Trotter, Flt. Engr. Sgt Sam Francis, F/S G T. Jones and Mug F/S Don "Shorty" R. Quinlivan RAAF and one more crewmember all managed to get out and inflated their Mae West. The last mentioned however drifted away from the others. The fire had been observed from Norsminde and a fishing vessel set to sea. Just before reaching the burning wreckage they saw a flashlight flashing SOS and found four flyers in the sea. They were helped onboard and sailed to Norsminde. Two of the flyers suffered from burns and were treated by a doctor. The German Wehrmacht arrived and the flyers were taken to the local hospital to have their burns treated.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

17 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet Army captued Bryansk, Trubchevsk and Bezhitsa along the Desna River in their advance. Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov also fell. The Red Army liberated Bryansk, sweeping aside six German infantry divisions before entering the city. They found it devastated. Von Manstein's men blew up virtually every factory before pulling out. The recapture of Bryansk, was, nevertheless, a major strategic victory, for it was the last German stronghold in Russia from which Moscow could be threatened. With six railway lines spreading from it, the city became the junction for the German occupation, feeding men and guns to the battlefields. Now the Russians would use the same tracks to push towards Smolensk, Gomel and Kiev. The Germans were now falling back towards the Dnieper, the next obvious defence line to counter the Russian advance.

GERMANY: 6 Mosquitoes went to Berlin and 8 Wellingtons went minelaying off Brest without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: On the ground in Italy, US Fifth Army forces advancing on Altavila were pinned down. However, the enemy retired to the north, completing a withdrawal from the battleline during the night. The British Eighth Army began a general advance north toward Potenza and Auletta. Germany began to withdraw from the west coast, attacking Altavilla and Battipaglia to cover its tracks.

US Ninth Air Force B-24s attacked a marshalling yard, road junction, and rail junction at Pescara on the east coast while RAF heavy bombers again hit Potenza. US Twelfth Air Force B-17s and B-26 Marauders bombed airfields at Ciampino and Pratica di Mare; B-25 Mitchells attacked small craft and barges off the mouth of the Tiber River; P-38 Lightnings flew 27 dive-bombing missions against roads, junctions, railways, bridges, and targets of opportunity in the battle area and towns of Vallo della Lucania, Acerno, Nocera, Avellino, Gragnano Serre, Lioni, Fisciano, Monteforte Irpino, Cava de' Tirreni and Auletta; XII Air Support Command, Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force, and other elements of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force escorted naval vessels, and bombed rail and road junctions, motor transport, a marshalling yard, town areas, and various targets of opportunity in the Pompeii, Torre Annunziata, Salerno, Campagna, Sarno, Solofra, Montella, and Acerno areas.

The Allies attacked the III./JG 53 airbase at Ciampino. The Gruppe had no warning of the attack and many aircraft were destroyed and 10 pilots injured. One of those wounded was Hptm. Werner Gerth who commented,

"....the English four-engined bombers destroyed the entire Gruppe. It was terrible. Lying on the ground with no cover as bombs rained down on us...."

NORTHERN FRONT: Miniature submarine X-8 was scuttled in the Norwegian Sea after it had been found necessary to jettison both her explosive side cargoes. There were no casualties. The X-craft were being towed from Shetland to Northern Norway to undertake attacks on 'Scharnhorst', 'Lützow' and 'Tirpitz'.

WESTERN FRONT: Lt. Rickard Burdyna had arrived at Fliegerhorst Grove in July 1943 from the Night fighter school to serve with 11./NJG 3. In September he was due for leave, but pursued Lt. Hermann Stock to swap leave period with him as Stock already held the Iron Cross II class and Burdyna much wanted a chance to earn one for himself. Stock agreed to swap and left on leave. Lt. Burdyna attacked and claimed a Halifax of RAF No. 138 Sqdn over the island of Sjælland. His Ju 88 was however hit by return fire from the Halifax and it crashed in the Bjernede Skov forest seven kilometres east of Sorø. Lt. Burdyna died in the crash while his crewmen, Obgefr. Merten and Obgefr. Klotz, were severely wounded and taken to the hospital in Ringsted where they died later on the same day. The Halifax was damaged and pilot F/S T. Miecznik PAF tried to crash land the aircraft but hit a house which started a fierce fire. Sgt Wladyslaw Barzdo PAF, Pilot F/Lt Wizenty Wasilewski PAF, Wop F/S Julian Michalski PAF and Air Gnr.Sgt Wladyslaw Patlewicz PAF all died in the crash and were buried in Slaglille cemetery. Eleven persons were sleeping in the house which the Halifax hit. Three adults and 2 children died in the fire. F/S Tadeusz Miecznik PAF survived and was brought to Ringsted hospital suffering from a broken arm and leg. The Germans moved him to Germany but on 7 November, Marius Petersen and Jørgen Wibolt helped him escape thru the window of his room. He was taken to København and after two days he sailed to Sweden by Erling Kiær. The rear gunner Sgt Roman Puchala got out of the aircraft unharmed and was made a POW.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

18 SEPTEMBER 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: US freighter 'William Pepperell' was attacked by German submarine 'U-260', but the torpedo detonated in the ship's torpedo streamer, causing only minor damage to the freighter herself. There were no casualties to either the 42-man merchant complement or the 26-man Armed Guard.

EASTERN FRONT: Priluki, Lubny and Romodan were retaken by the Soviets during their advance towards Kiev. In the south they took Pavlograd, Krasnograd, Pologi and Nogaysk.

GERMANY: 5 Mosquitoes went to Cologne and 49 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians and off Biscay ports without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Seventh Army forces took Altavilla, Persano, and Battipaglia without opposition. To aid in the impending breakout from the Salerno beachhead by British and American forces, it became increasingly important to take Potenza, a city which served as a road hub and thus provided a direct communications link between Taranto and Salerno. A force consisting of the West Nova Scotia Regiment with Calgary tanks, RCHA, engineers, machine gun and anti-tank detachments and commanded by Lt-Col Bogert (Boforce) was given the task of liberating this city.

Boforce left from Villapiani on September 17 then headed inland from Nova Siri, arriving at Sant Archangelo by dusk. There was no enemy opposition. Continuing the northward advance, Boforce moved into Corleto but rubble and blown bridges resulting from Allied bombing caused severe delays. The advance was stopped at Laurenzana by yet another recently destroyed bridge. This bridge was destroyed by retreating enemy.

US Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators hit the marshalling yard at Pescara, Italy. US Twelfth Air Force B-17s bombed Viterbo Airfield and the Salerno-Avellino road, while B-25s and B-26s bombed the airfields at Ciampino and Pratica di Mare; B-25s fired 75mm shells at small vessels and a lighthouse near Capraia and between Pianosa and Corsica; P-38 Lightnings on detached service with the Northwest African Tactical Air Force strafed 4 satellite airfields at Foggia and bombed roads, railroads, bridges, and towns in the battle area.

Sardinia surrendered to the Allies.

British forces occupied the islands of Simi, Stampalia and Icaria in the Aegean Sea. German aircraft hit the British airfield on Kos.

UNITED KINGDOM: The second prototype Hawker Tempest II fighter made its maiden flight.

The Political Warfare Executive took over Mussolini's National Fascist Radio frequency to broadcast a false message from an imitation "Mussolini".

A Halifax bomber operating from Riccall airfield in Yorkshire was brought in for a heavy landing and a tail wheel sheared off. Another Halifax bomber from the same airfield force landed in a field near Lissett, after the starboard inner engine caught fire. Six of the crew were injured. Two more Halifax bombers from the same airfield crashed, the first near Finningley after both starboard engines caught fire at 17,000'. The pilot and two of the crew were killed and two others injured. The second crashed into a row of houses at Chapel Hill, Darrington, Yorkshire. The MOD gave the number of killed as six crew and four civilians, however an eye-witness, who owned one of the houses on which the bomber crashed, stated that eight airmen were killed. The same eye-witness was, with her very young baby, staying with her mother 50 yards away, when the plane crashed, unfortunately her baby suffered the effects of all the fumes from the wreckage and died later aged five months.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Missions 61 and 62 against 3 installations. (1) 25 B-26B Marauders hit Tille Airfield at Beauvais. (2) 18 B-26Bs dispatched to the Rouen marshalling yard and 72 B-26Bs dispatched to the Beaumont le Roger Airfield were recalled because of failure to rendezvous with fighter escort and bad weather, respectively.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

19 SEPTEMBER 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-341' was sunk southwest of Iceland, by depth charges from an RCAF Liberator Mk III, s/n 586, aircraft "A" of No 10 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron based at Gander, Newfoundland, flown by Flight Lieutenant R.F. Fisher and crew. All hands, 50-men, on the U-boat were lost. The aircraft was returning to Gander from Iceland after escorting Prime Minister Winston Churchill in HMS 'Renown' from the Quebec Conference.

EASTERN FRONT: Yartsevo and Dukovachina NE of Smolensk fell to the Soviets.

MEDITERRANEAN: Auletta and Potenza fell to the British 8th Army. The US Fifth Army gained firm control of the Salerno plain. The advance northwards by Boforce resumed in the morning. Progress was considerably slower than on the previous day; slowed by Teller mines along the route and small rearguard actions conducted by the retreating Germans. Potenza was reached in the evening and the West Novas mounted a night assault across the river (Basento)against a spirited defense. The Calgarys advanced as far as they could until stopped by demolished buildings and mined roadways. Once the obstructions had been removed under cover of darkness, the advance continued into the town on the morning of the 20th. The Germans hastily retreated. The capture of Potenza permitted a link up with elements of the British forces in Auletta 30km west of the Canadian positions. Simultaneous to the approach by Boforce on Potenza, two squadrons from 4 Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, assisting 1 Infantry Brigade made a dash for the sea along the line of the main route between Potenza and Taranto. This detachment made contact with and inflicted heavy casualties on an enemy force at Miglionico which lies approximately halfway between Potenza and Taranto.

US Twelfth Air Force fighter-bombers and planes of other Northwest African Tactical Air Force elements [US and RAF] concentrated on attacking roads and vehicles in the Benevento-Montesarchio-Contursi-Potenza-Avellino areas, and a railway station at Castelnuovo.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Missions 63 and 64 against 2 airfields. 18 B-26Bs hit Nord Airfield at Lille but clouds prevented the 2nd group from bombing. 72 B-26s dispatched to Merville airfield were recalled due to weather.

 

[Njaco]

20 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine 'U-338' was listed as missing in the North Atlantic in approximate position 57N, 30W. All 51 hands on the U-boat were lost.

German submarine 'U-238' attacked New York-bound convoy ON 202, torpedoing U.S. freighters 'Frederick Douglass' and 'Theodore Dwight Weld'. British rescue ship
'Rathlin' rescued all hands (40-men merchant complement, 29-man Armed Guard, and one female stowaway) from 'Frederick Douglass', which remained afloat until finished off later the same day by 'U-645'. 'Theodore Dwight Weld ' sank so quickly that 20 of the 42-man merchant complement and 13 of the 28-man Armed Guard perished. 'Rathlin' rescued the survivors. Whilst escorting convoy ON 202, destroyer HMS 'Logan' had her stern blown off by a Zaunkoenig fired by 'U-270'. She was towed back to the UK by the tug 'Destiny', but was not repaired. Destroyer 'St Croix' was torpedoed by 'U-305' and brought to a stop. Another torpedo fired by the same U-boat sank her a few hours later. 80 survivors were taken aboard HMS 'Itchen'. Flower class corvette HMS 'Polyanthus' was sunk by 'U-952' using a Zaunkoenig. There were 84 casualties.

U.S. freighter 'William Pepperell' was again attacked by German submarine 'U-260', but with the same result as two days before. Again, there were no casualties and the ship ultimately reached port under her own power.

EASTERN FRONT: General Yeremenko's forces liberated Velizh, northwest of Smolensk. After weeks of bitter fighting, Kholm fell to Red Army forces. Heeresgruppe Sud began its withdrawl to the Melitopol-Zaporoshe line.

Lt. Erich Hartmann, Staffelkapitaen of 9./JG 52, claimed his 100th victory. German observers noted a LaGG-3 plunging earthwards while on the Russian side the loss of a Yak-7 of 288th Fighter Division of the 17th Army was reported. At least 11 victories were claimed over the sector where Hartmann was operating that day.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allies launched an assault on Naples as British and US units link up at Eboli and formed a solid line from Salerno to Bari. Canadian units of the British 8th Army entered Potenza. General Lucas took command of US VI Corps from General Dawley. The US Seventh Army started into the mountains north of Salerno.

The US Ninth Air Force flew its last mission to Italy. B-24s of 98th and 376th Bombardment Groups (Heavy) were dispatched to the Castelfranco Veneto marshalling yard. Clouds obscured the target, but the 98th Group dropped bombs on the estimated time of arrival. The 376th bombed a marshalling yard and airfield at Pescara during the return trip.

US Twelfth Air Force B-17s and B-26s bombed the Castelnuovo road junction, the town of Formia, the Torre Annunziata area roads, and roads and railroad southwest of Sarno; XII Air Support Command A-36 Apaches attacked and dispersed enemy tank and troop concentrations forming near Nocera for a counterattack. Other USAAF and RAF aircraft of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force hit enemy movement in the Avellino-Naples-Potenza-Benevento-Calabritto-Pomigliano-Pescopagano areas.

NORTHERN FRONT: British commandos launched an attack on the German battleship 'Tirpitz' at its anchorage in Alta Fjord. The six midget (4-man crew) submarines were sent against the anchorage. Three were lost before reaching the target, but the survivors succeeded in damaging the ship, knocking it out of action for six months.

WESTERN FRONT: 8 Mosquitoes went to Berlin and 20 Wellingtons went minelaying off Brest, Lorient and St Nazaire without loss.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

21 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: A Soviet Army spearhead reached the Dnieper River 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Kiev, and another force took Chernigov-on-the-Desna, a provincial capital northeast of Kiev. Since the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet Army has liberated half the Soviet territory overrun by the Germans.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, in the British 15th Army Group area, General Sir Harold Alexander outlined plans for future operations in four phases: (1) consolidation of current positions on a line Salerno-Bari; (2) capture of Naples and Foggia; (3) seizure of Rome and neighboring airfields as well as the communications center of Terni; and (4) eventual capture of Leghorn, Florence, and Arezzo.

In the U.S. Fifth Army's VI Corps area, the 3d and 45th Infantry Divisions continued north over the mountains from Salerno toward the east-west Highway 7, meeting delaying opposition just south of Acerno and west of Oliveto, respectively. The 34th Infantry Division, whose 133dd Infantry Regiment was to reinforce VI Corps for the drive on Avellino, began landing at Paestum.

In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-17s hit a bridge and the town area at Benevento; B-25s and B-26s hit landing craft and a ferry near Elba Island and bridges at Cancello Arnone and Capua; B-24s on detached service from the Eighth Air Force in England, bombed Leghorn and Bastia; medium bombers and fighter-bombers hit town areas, troop concentrations, trucks and tanks, and targets of opportunity in the Solofra-Avellino-Benevento areas.

French troops, shipped across the Mediterranean from North Africa in the past nine nights, were advancing into the interior of Corsica. So far over 3,000 have come ashore. More were landing from the Free (Fighting) French cruisers 'Jeanne d'Arc' and 'Montcalm' and the destroyers 'Le Fantasque' and 'Le Terrible' every night. The Free French commandos were supporting 20,000 mostly communist resistance fighters, who rose up after the Italian surrender, took to the Maquis (the Corsican interior, a traditional hiding place for outlaws), and were now fighting a garrison reinforced to 26,000 men after the German evacuation of Sardinia. This was the first wholly Free French operation on French home territory.

'U-593' fired two spreads of two torpedoes at the convoy NSS-3 about 45 miles south of Salerno, heard one detonation from the first and observed one hit from the second spread and reported one freighter probably sunk and another damaged. However, only the 'William W. Gerhard' (Master Olof J. Anderson) in station #13 was hit by one torpedo on the port side in the middle of the #1 hold. The explosion lifted the bow up, broke steam and water lines and buckled the deck. As the ship settled by the bow, a large crack appeared on both sides and caused the flooding of #3 hold. The eight officers, 38 crewmen, 30 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 191 passengers (US and British Army personnel) abandoned ship in four lifeboats, four rafts and 15 floats. The crew was ordered by the escort commander to reboard the vessel and to stand by for a tow. The remaining survivors were picked up by the escort vessels and taken to Salerno on 22 September. One armed guard was killed by the explosion and another died of wounds aboard the British hospital ship HMHS 'Vita' on 23 September. Three crew members and six armed guards were injured and hospitalized.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Halifax bomber operating from Riccall airfield in Yorkshire, burst a tyre on take-off, the aircraft swung on landing and the undercarriage collapsed.

A Dornier Do 217K was held in a searchlight's beam and hit the ground at Out Newton near Withernsea, Yorkshire at 01.05, the crew were all killed.

WESTERN FRONT: 26 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians and off Brest without loss.

The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 65: 44 B-26B Marauders hit the Tille Airfield at Beauvais at 0937-0938 hours; bad weather caused 20+ to abort; they claimed 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-26 was lost.

Fw. Hans Dirksen of 8./JG 26 (5 kills) was killed in action.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

22 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-229' was sunk in the North Atlantic southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, by depth charges from the RN destroyer HMS 'Keppel'. All hands on the U-boat, 50-men, were lost.

Whilst escorting convoy (sic) OB.202 frigate HMS 'Itchen' was torpedoed by 'U-666' which caused her forward magazine to explode and the ship sank almost immediately. At the time she was carrying 80 survivors from 'St Croix' as well as her own ship's company. There were 147 casualties, and only 3 survivors.

EASTERN FRONT: There was fierce fighting at Poltava as the Germans began to pull out. Anapa in the Kuban and Novomoskovosk, north of Dnepropetrovsk, fell to the Soviet Army.

Oblt. Walter Nowotny was awarded the Schwerter (#37) and promoted to Hauptmann.

GERMANY: 322 Lancasters, 226 Halifaxes, 137 Stirlings and 26 Wellingtons attacked Hannover, its first major raid for 2 years. This was the first of a series of 4 heavy raids on this target with the loss of 26 aircraft. 5 American B-17s also took part, their first night raid on Germany. Visibility in the target area was good but stronger winds than forecast caused the marking and the bombing to be concentrated between 2 and 5 miles south south east of the city centre. It was not possible to obtain a German report but it is unlikely that serious damage was caused. 21 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes of 8 Group carried out a diversionary raid, dropping much Window and many flares and target indicators to simulate the arrival of a larger force. The losses on the Hannover raid, lower than the recent average, may have indicated that this tactic was partially successful. No aircraft were lost on this diversionary raid. 12 Mosquitoes went on a further diversion to Emden and 4 Stirlings went minelaying in the Frisians.

On his first "Wilde Sau" night mission with 5./JG 301, Obfw. Kurt Welter shot down 2 RAF bombers. Hptm. Martin 'Tino' Becker of 2./NJG 6 scored his first night victory.

MEDITERRANEAN: U.S. Fifth Army directed the British X Corps to seize Naples and U.S. VI Corps to secure the line Avellino-Teora. The VI Corps was to be prepared to continue to Benevento. In VI Corps area, the 3d and 45th Infantry Divisions overcame opposition barring their advance. The 3d occupied Acerno and the 45th Oliveto. In the British Eighth Army area, the Indian 8th Division arrived from Africa. In 5 Corps area, a special force (elements of the 78th Division and of the 4th Armoured Brigade), under 78th Division command, landed at Bari, during the night of 22/23 September, to drive to Foggia.

In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25s and B-26s bombed roads, railroad, and bridges at or near San Martino Sannita, Grottaminarda, Amorosi, and Mignano; B-25s attacked small vessels near Elba Island with 75mm cannon fire; tactical aircraft hit troop concentrations and gun positions near Serino and Santa Lucia di Serino, a road block at Nocera, town and roads at Fisciano, the town of Pagani, tanks and trucks between Acerno and Montella and in the Foggia area, vessels and docks at Manfredonia, the town of Camarella, and the landing ground at Capua.

The US Ninth Air Force flew its final mission from North Africa. B-24s bombed Maritsa Airfield on Rhodes and Eleusis Airfield in Greece. The bomb groups of IX Bomber Command subsequently were transferred to the US Twelfth Air Force.

After two weeks of heavy fighting, the Italian "Acqui" Division surrendered to the Germans. 1500 Italians died in the fighting. Of the survivors of the fighting on Cephalonia 5000 were murdered and the rest sent to labor camps.

NORTHERN FRONT: The 'Tirpitz', in Altenfiord, was attacked by British midget submarines. These two man subs had been towed behind conventional fleet submarines from Loch Cairnbawn in Scotland to a point 150 miles from Altenfjord. They were code named "X-craft" and were powered by engines from London buses. Their only weapons were two detachable charges with clockwork detonators, dropped below the target. They had a crew of four. Six set out: two (X-8 and X-9) were lost in transit and one had to be scuttled, but three got through the mines and approached the target. Attacks on 'Tirpitz' had been allocated to X-5, X-6 and X-7, with X-8 to make an attack on 'Lützow', and X-9 and X-10 to attack 'Scharnhorst'. Since X-8 and X-9 were lost before reaching the Norwegian coast, the attacks intended to be made against 'Scharnhorst' and 'Lützow' were abandoned, and X-10 reallocated to make an attack on 'Tirpitz'. Lt. Cameron in X-6 lost his periscope and attacked blind. He was sighted, but was too close to the 'Tirpitz' to be engaged by other than small-arms, and laid his charges before scuttling his boat. Lt. Place in X-7 was caught in nets, escaped, laid his charges under the ship, was caught in nets again, and then was blown free by the explosion, but X-7 was damaged and had to be abandoned. All of the X-6 crew were captured and brought aboard the 'Tirpitz', only the commander and one of the crew of X-7 were able to abandon their craft (the other two men lacking sufficient oxygen for their (DSEA) escape equipment) and taken prisoner, where they had the rather unusual experience of being able to witness their success at first hand. At 0812 hours, the 46,000-ton battleship was blown up. The blast lifted the ship several feet out of the water, disabling her three main engines and leaving her with a 15 degree list. Repair would disable 'Tirpitz' until March, 1944. Submarine X-10, commanded by an Australian, Lt. Hudspethm attacked after X-6 but was sunk with all hands. X-10 had suffered from a number of faults which made her close to unnavigable underwater. When the crew heard the others' charges explode, on the morning of 22 Sept., they decided to abandon their part in the operation and made a successful rendezvous six days later with towing submarine HMS 'Stubborn'. However, it was then decided to scuttle X-10, rather than risk the lives of a passage crew to bring the craft back to the UK under tow. The third midget submarine X-5 was last seen in close proximity to the 'Tirpitz' but its precise fate was not known, but recent underwater discoveries at Kaafjord (at the head of the Altenfjord) now suggest that it, too, may have been successful in reaching its target. The 6 survivors of the operation remained POW's until the end of the war; both commanders were awarded the Victoria Cross.

UNITED KINGDOM: A brand new Halifax bomber and operating from Melbourne airfield in Yorkshire started on the bombing mission to Hanover. On its run up to the target, it was attacked by a Messerschmitt Me 110, the crew were uninjured and there was no fire, but the damage to the aircraft became apparent as the flight progressed. The pilot ordered the instant release of all the bombs, as they were still in the target area, but the bomb doors would not open. A further check revealed that the radar set was out of action, a hole 5' by 3' was found in the fuselage and a cannon shell was found embedded in the bullet proof panel behind the pilot's head. The next problem was how to get rid of the 4,000 lb bomb and despite many attempts to get rid of it, it remained stuck. Arriving back over the airfield the CO ordered the crew to bale out. The pilot turned the aircraft towards Hull, over Patrington it circled while the crew baled out, he then set the automatic pilot, turned the plane towards the sea and baled out himself. Local army units were alerted, the crew collected and taken back to base to be debriefed. After the rear-gunner (the airman awarded the DFM on 3rd August) baled out, he landed close to the edge of a cliff, and as it was dark , he instinctively moved away from the sea, and as he struggled through three barbed wire fences he found himself on a country road, near to what he took to be a direction sign. Only when he read it did he realized he had just stumbled through a minefield. It read, 'DANGER - MINED LAND - KEEP OUT'.

WESTERN FRONT: USAAF Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 66 against 2 airfields. 72 B-26s were dispatched to Tille Airfield at Beauvais but aborted due to bad weather, and 70 of 72 B-26s hit Fauville Airfield at Evreux.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

23 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German minesweeper M-343 collided with 'U-962' in Danish waters causing some damage to the U-boat.

Several ships were lost during Convoy ON-202. 'U-238' sank SS 'Fort Jemseg', 'Oregon Express' and 'Skjelbred' in the convoy and 'U-952' damaged SS 'James Gordon Bennett' and sank SS 'Steel Voyager' . Although reboarded when Canadian corvette HMCS 'Morden' and Free French corvette 'Renoncule' arrived to provide assistance, 'Steel Voyager' was abandoned a second time when it became obvious that the ship could not be gotten underway. All hands (39-man merchant complement and 27-man Armed Guard) were taken on board the two corvettes.Corvette HMCS 'Morden' was then attacked by 'U-666' . 'U-666' fired a Gnat, which detonated after 8 minutes 21 seconds in the wake of 'HMCS 'Morden'. At 02.01 hours, the U-boat fired another Gnat, which hit HMS 'Itchen' (K 227) after 1 minute 10 seconds. The frigate blew up after the hit. Debris from the vessel was later found on the conning tower of the U-boat and on HMCS 'Morden' .

'U-422' was attacked by a Liberator aircraft from 10 RAF Squadron. A few crewmembers were wounded and the boat was damaged. The boat was depth charged and gunned by the allied aircraft (reported by the boat as "Halifax"). Asking for medical assistance the boat finally met the tanker 'U-460' on the 29th of September.

GERMANY: 312 Lancasters, 193 Halifaxes, 115 Stirlings, 8 Mosquitoes and 5 B-17s attacked Mannheim, 32 aircraft lost. The USAAF Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 102: 4 B-17s of the 422d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), bombed Mannheim with the RAF in a night attack. This raid was intended to destroy the northern part of Mannheim which had not been so severely hit in the successful raid earlier in the month. The Pathfinder plan worked well and concentrated bombing fell on the intended area, although later stages of the raid crept back across the northern edge of Ludwigshafen and out into the open country. The following buildings were destroyed in Mannheim: 927 houses, 20 industrial premises, 11 schools, 6 public buildings and a church. A large number of other buildings were damaged and approximately 25,000 people were bombed out of their homes. 102 people were killed and 418 were injured. There were more than 2,000 fires. Local records, provided on this night by Herr Erwin Folz and not from the local authorities, show that the later stages of the bombing crept back across the Rhine to the northern part of Ludwigshafen, where the I.G. Farben factory was severely damaged, and the to the smaller outlying towns of Oppau and Frankenthal. Ludwigshafen suffered 47 people killed and 260 injured. A firther 8,000 people were bombed out of whom 4,289 were foreign workers. The centre of the small town of Frankenthal was completely burnt out and 38 people were killed there.

21 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes of 8 Group carried out a diversionary raid on Darmstadt without loss. The diversionary purpose of this raid was not achieved because Darmstadt was too close to Mannheim and the German nightfighters could see the main attack only 20 miles away quite clearly. But the small force of bombers caused much damage in this university town which had little industry and which had not been seriously bombed before. 273 buildings were damaged and 147 people were killed. 6 Mosquitoes went to Aachen.

MEDITERRANEAN: The U.S. Fifth Army began a general advance. The British X Corps, making the main effort, attacked toward the Nocera-Pagani Pass on the left with the 46th Division. The 56th Division drove northward on the Salerno-San Severino road but firm enemy opposition made progress slow. In the U.S. VI Corps area, the 3d and 45th Infantry Divisions continued northward, hampered more by extensive demolitions than by the enemy. Engineers were playing an important role in keeping routes of advance open. The British Eighth Army drove the enemy from Altamura.

In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-26s bombed bridges at Cancello Arnone and 3 miles (4,8 km) northeast of Capua; light bombers and fighter-bombers attacked motor transport, roads, railroads, town areas, gun positions, and targets of opportunity in the areas of San Severino Rota, Avellino, Sarno, Torre Annunziata, Aversa, Nocera, Resina, Serino, Pompeii, and Camarella.

Free French forces occuppied Bonifaccio, Corsica. They now controlled more than half of the island.

Three British sergeants were sentenced to death by firing squad, and 189 corporals and other ranks were given long prison sentences, for mutiny after the Salerno landings. The men, from the 51st Highland Division and the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, all of whom were wounded in North Africa, had been rushed to the beach-head without proper orders. In the past their divisional commanders had said that they could insist on their right to rejoin their old battalions, so they refused to join the English country regiments. The sentences were suspended when the men agreed to fight with the new units.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 100 against three targets: 46 B-17s bombed the Nantes port area and claimed 22-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft. 55 B-17s hit Meucon Airfield at Vannes and 53 63 B-17s hit Bastard Airfield at Kerlin claiming 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 1 B-17 was lost.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

24 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Heavy fighting was in progress in the vicinity of Smolensk and Roslavl. The Soviet Army captured Borispol, east of Kiev while Army Group Center prepared to abandon Smolensk and Roslavl.

'U-711' used its deck gun to attack the Soviet radio station Blagopolucya on the island of Nova Zemlja in the Barents Sea.

MEDITERRANEAN: In the British Eighth Army's 5 Corps area, 78th Division patrols reached the Ofanto River. In the air, the USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25s and B-26s hit roads, railways, bridges, and junctions at Grottaminarda, Maddaloni, Benevento, Avellino, Capua, Cancello Arnone, Amorosi, Ponte, and Mignano, and attacked a destroyer between Corsica and Elba Island; B-24s on detached service from the Eighth Air Force bombed the marshalling yard at Pisa; US and RAF planes attacked vehicles, roads, troop concentrations, and gun positions around Santa Lucia di Serino, Serino, Caserta, Benevento, Camarella, Baronissi, Nocera, Montemarano, and San Severo.

NORTHERN FRONT: 'U-387' put a weather reporting unit ashore on Spitsbergen in the Arctic Sea.

16 Mosquitoes of the RAF Banff Wing attacked and sank the 'Biber' and 'Storfsund' off of Hjeltefjord. Accurate flak was encountered with one Mosquito landing at Banff minus a large chunk of leading edge.

UNITED KINGDOM: HQ 20th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) transfers from Horsham St Faith to Hethel, England. HQ 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) and it's 552d, 553d, 554th and 555th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) transfer from Boxted to Great Dunmow, England with B-26's.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Missions 69 and 70 against 2 airfields without loss. 71 B-26B Marauders hit Fauville Airfield at Evreux and claimed 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft while 66 B-26Bs hit Tille Airfield at Beauvais.

4 Mosquitoes went to Duisburg and 39 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians and south of Texel, 1 Stirling lost.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

25 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At the end of the Battle of Convoys ONS-18 and ON-202, 20 U-boats have sunk 36,422 tons of merchant shipping and three escorts; British ships sank three U-boats and damaged a further three.

EASTERN FRONT: Smolensk and Roslavl fell to the Soviets of General Popov's Bryansk Front. This was perhaps the most important success of the Russian Army since the end of the Battle of Kursk. The general German retreat from here south had been forced by the Russians. It was been ordered to stop at the Dniepr River. The retreat, long urged by Manstein, was too late to be of great value to the Germans. Describing the action which liberated Smolensk after several days of heavy fighting, Moscow reported that Popov's men broke into the northern suburbs and drove the Germans back street by street until the city was cleared. The Germans admitted that Smolensk had fallen, but claimed that it was evacuated by their rearguard in the face of advancing Russian forces "after completing the most important and necessary measures and demolition of important military installations."

Berlin Radio reported that bad weather prevented the Luftwaffe from intervening in the battle and that "the German formations were faced with the extremely difficult task of holding their positions against the numerically superior enemy."

Roslavl, 37 miles south-east of Smolensk, also fell to the Red Army, and fighting was now raging along a 300-mile front on the eastern approaches to the Dnieper. Stalin promised to award Russia's highest decoration, the Hero of the Soviet Union, to any soldiers who force crossings of the Dnieper, and there were reports that small bridgeheads had been established in the Rzhintsev/Kanev region, south of Kiev. It was likely that these bridgeheads were made by Cossack horsemen who specialized in river crossings, swimming their horses across at night, above and below German strongpoints, and then attacking from the rear. The Russians pointed out that the Germans had not yet been able to hold a river line, and did not expect them to hold the Dnieper. But the Russians also have their problems. A paratroop drop on the western bank met with disaster.

In the Orel area, Hptm. Walter Nowotny, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54 and at that time, the highest scoring ace in the Luftwaffe, shot down his 235th enemy aircraft.

GERMANY: 8 Mosquitoes went to Cologne and Dusseldorf and 10 Stirlings went minelaying in the Frisians without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: Gen Bernard Montgomery began regrouping the British Eighth Army to strengthen the eastern flank. V Corps, which was to include the 5th, 1st Airbourne, and the Indian 8th Divisions, was initially to remain in the Taranto area while XIII Corps, with the 78th Division on the right and the Canadian 1st Division on the left, continued an advance. V Corps was later to move forward behind XIII Corps and secure its left flank.

In the air, the USAAF Twelfth Air Force dispatched about 90 B-17s to bomb the Bologna marshalling yard; 14 others attacked the Bolzano railroad bridge; B-25s and B-26s bombed airfields at Pisa, Lucca, and Bastia/Borgo, a highway at Mignano, a road junction at Maddaloni, and railroad and road bridges at Cancello Amone, Caiazzo, and Ponte; USAAF and RAF fighters attacked Serino (causing a roadblock), troop concentrations at Sarno, gun positions, troops, and vehicles near Nocera, Aquino airfield, a storage dump north of Foggia and a dredger at Termoli.

CSM Peter Harold Wright (1916-1990), Coldstream Guards, took charge of an assault on a hill after losing most officers. He silenced three gun posts in securing the position. (Victoria Cross).

'U-667' shot down RAF Wellington, Squadron 179/F in the Gibraltar Straits. Minesweeper USS 'Skill'was sunk after being torpedoed by 'U-593' south of Capri, Italy.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 71: 68 B-26B Marauders hit Longuenesse Airfield at St Omer without loss.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

26 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet troops penetrated the suburbs of Kiev. A decision was made to withdraw the Spanish Blue Division from the Eastern front.

Ofw. Josef Kociok, a 33 victory night-fighter, collided with the Russian DB-3 he had just shot down over Kertsch. When he and his crewman, Fw. Wegerhoff jumped out of their Bf 110G-2, Kociok's parachute did not open and he fell to his death. Ofw. Kociok of 10(N)./NJG 1 formerly flew with ZG 76 and the old II./SKG 210, achieving 21 night kills, 15 of them in 12 days. Posthumously he was promoted to Leutnant.

GERMANY: 5 Mosquitoes went to Aachen and 4 each to Cologne and Hamborn without loss. The 5 Mosquitoes attacking Aachen were carrying out the first trials of Mark 11 Oboe but the equipment failed and bombs were released visually or on dead reckoning.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British X Corps met no resistance due to German withdrawals. The demolitions and booby traps proved to be plenty of resistance. Advance units from the US XIII Corps 8th Army entered Canosa on the Ofanto River. The U.S. Fifth Army's British X Corps continued its efforts to break out into the Neapolitan plain; enemy positions were beginning to weaken under its blows. To reinforce the west flank, the U.S. 82d Airborne Division was transferred to Maiori by sea and, under X Corps control, took command of the Rangers. VI Corps was handicapped by autumn rains as well as demolitions, but the 45th Infantry Division took Teora and the junction of Highways 7 and 91. In the British Eighth Army area, XIII Corps patrols reached Canosa. The 15th Army Group was directed by General Dwight Eisenhower to secure air bases in Rome area. The 1,432 men of the US 100th battalion entered combat.

In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force fighters, and light and medium bombers patrolled the battle zone, escorted convoys, carried out bombing and strafing sweeps against motor transport in the Benevento-Melfi area and north of Foggia, bombed the Pomigliano landing ground, and hit the town of Sarno and military concentrations to the north. Bad weather prevented heavy bomber missions.

The island of Corfu surrendered to a German force that has recently landed there.

German Ju-88 bombers sank destroyers HMS 'Intrepid' and HS 'Vasilissa Olga' in Leros, Dodecanese.

UNITED KINGDOM: At 10.45 hours, a Halifax bomber on a training flight from Riccall airfield in Yorkshire, crash landed, ½ a mile N of Riccall, after a three engine overshoot.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 103 against targets in France with the loss of 1 B-17. 40 B-17s hit Champagne Airfield at Reims and 55 B-17s were dispatched to the Paris area but abandoned the mission after crossing the enemy coast. 63 B-17s dispatched to Meulon Les Mureaux and Citroen in the Paris area were prevented from bombing by the weather. 72 B-26B Marauders of the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command were dispatched to Conches Airfield during Mission 72 but were recalled due to weather.

Major Herrmann stepped down as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 300 and was replaced by Oblt. Kurt Kettner.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

27 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two German submarines were sunk. 'U-161' was sunk in the South Atlantic near Bahia, Brazil, by depth charges from a USN PBM-3 Mariner of Patrol Squadron Seventy Four (VP-74) based at Natal, Brazil. All 53 hands on the U-boat were lost; 2 crewmen in the PBM were wounded by AA fire from the U-boat. 'U-221' shot down an RAF Handley Page Halifax aircraft (Sqdn. 58/B) but was sunk southwest of Ireland by depth charges from the same aircraft, an RAF Halifax Mk II of No 58 Squadron based at Holmsley South, Hampshire, England. All 50 hands on the U-boat were lost.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviets reached the suburbs of Dnepropetrovsk. In the Kuban, the Russians captured Temryuk, their last port. There was a general withdrawl of all German forces in the Ukraine to positions on the west bank of the Dnepr.

GERMANY: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flew 2 missions. Mission 104: The port of Emden, Germany was the target. In the first pathfinder (PFF) mission, 2 of 3 H2S equipped pathfinder B-17s lead the mission. 246 B-17s hit the Emden industrial area and targets of opportunity and claimed 32-7-24 Luftwaffe aircraft. 7 B-17s were lost while escort was provided by 262 P-47 Thunderbolts which claimed 21-2-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 was lost.

312 Lancasters, 231 Halifaxes, 111 Stirlings, 24 Wellingtons and 5 B-17s attacked Hannover with the loss of 38 RAF aircraft and 1 B-17. The use by the Pathfinders of faulty forecast winds again saved the centre of Hannover. The bombing was very concentrated but fell on an area 5 miles north of the city centre. No details were available from Germany but RAF photographic evidence showed that most of the bombs fell in open country or villages north of the city. One of the lost Lancasters was ED314 QR-Y from 61 Sqdn but only one aircrew is recorded, Sgt E. Fraser.

21 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitoes of 8 Group carried out a diversionary raid on Brunswick which was successful in drawing off some night fighters. 218 people were killed in Brunswick - 51 Germans and 167 foreigners. 1 Lancaster was lost.

9 Mosquitoes went on another diversion to Emden, 5 Mosquitoes on Oboe tests to Aachen (3 were successful) and 19 aircraft minelaying in the Kattegat and the Frisians without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: Foggia greeted the advance units of the British 8th Army. The airfields were now in Allied hands. The capture of Foggia brought with it the massive airbase, allowing the Allies to stage future raids throughout the Balkans and southern Germany and Poland. The main body of the 8th Army was still not ready. Canadian units captured Melfi, Italy. The people in Naples began an insurrection against Germans, which would last through to the end of the month.

Weather almost halted US Twelfth Air Force operations; XII Air Support Command fighters strafed Viterbo Airfield and Bracciano seaplane base, bombed a road junction at San Servero, and strafed a locomotive and the train station; other Northwestern Tactical Air Force aircraft hit trucks in the Benevento area.

The Germans took full control of the island of Corfu having wiped out the Italian garrison.

Destroyer HMS 'Intrepid' was damaged by two air raids on the port of Leros and abandoned. Considered to be beyond repair, she capsized. There were 15 casualties.

NORTHERN FRONT: JG 5 lost no less than 5 Bf 109G-2s from I./JG 5, II./JG 5 and IV./JG 5 during take-off accidents at Herdla, Norway. Luckily, only Fw. Hans Fiebrandt was injured.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Missions 73 and 74 against 2 airfields in France. 65 72 B-26B Marauders hit Tille Airfield at Beauvais and claimed 4-6-4 Luftwaffe aircraft. 68 of 72 B-26's hit Conches Airfield and 1 B-26 was lost.

The Gruppenkommandeur of I./NJG 1, Hptm. Hans-Dieter Frank - a Ritterkreuz holder with 55 kills - was killed in action during the night.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

28 September 1943

EASTERN FRONT: A Bf 109F-4 from 9./JG 5 was shot down and Uffz. Hans Link was made a POW.

GERMANY: A prototype high-speed U-boat, 'U-792', was launched; this was the first of four experimental submarines of this type. These boats were powered by a Walter gas turbine using hydrogen peroxide in a stabilized form called Perhydrol. The boats were used for training and reached a speed of 25 knots submerged. The Walter boats were extremely complex to build and maintain; also, they relied on an uncertain supply of Perhydrol, a fuel that was highly flammable. Perhydrol is stabilized [they hope] 95% hydrogen peroxide. It broke down into steam, which ran the turbine, and oxygen, which was used with additional fuel.

Adolf Hitler issued Directive 50: preparations for the movement of 20th Mountain Army to Northern Finland and Northern Norway in case Finland withdraws from the war, or collapses like Italy.

8 Mosquitoes attacked Cologne and Gelsenkirchen without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British X Corps arrived on the plain of Naples at Nocera and continued their advance. The US VI Corps advanced near Avellino and captured Teora, Italy. The US Fifth Army was ready for an assault on Naples and Avellino while Caistellamare di Stabia, Nocera, and Sala Consilina were taken.

Weather prevented completion of US Twelfth Air Force B-17 missions against the Bologna marshalling yard and the Bolzano railroad bridge, except for a B-17 which bombed Bolzano. Tactical aircraft operations were also severely curtailed by weather but fighter-bombers bombed and strafed motor transport in the Benevento-Caserta area.

A Bf 110 of 2(F)./122 was lost east of Corsica – possibly shot down by a Cptn Gauthier of GC II/7. Crew status unknown.

UNITED KINGDOM: At 2000 hours, a Halifax bomber operating from Riccall airfield in Yorkshire collided with a tree after take-off. The bomber landed safely.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

29 September 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-532' sank SS 'Banffshire'.

EASTERN FRONT: Kremenchug and Rudnya fell to the Soviets. The Red Army took control of the Smolensk to Vitebsk railway, in the north-west, and occupied Kremenchug in the south, the last German strong point on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, and continue to close in on Kiev to the northwest.

GERMANY: 213 Lancasters, 130 Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitoes attacked Bochum, 9 aircraft lost. The Oboe-assisted Pathfinder plan worked perfectly and led to accurate and concentrated bombing. In the Bochum air-raid area, which included 3 small towns near by, 527 houses were destroyed and 742 were seriously damaged. The Altstadt is mentioned as having been particularly hard hit. 161 people were killed, including 33 foreign workers and prisoners of war, and 337 people were injured.

11 Mosquitoes went to Gelsenkirchen and 14 Lancasters went minelaying off Danzig, Gdynia and Pillau in the Baltic without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: The attack against Avellino by the US Fifth Army, 3rd Div began during the night. The US X Corps advance passed Pompeii. US Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders bombed bridges at or near Piana, Castelvenere, Amorosi, and Cancello Amone; P-38 Lightnings bombed Ausonia defile and a bridge near San Apollinare; US and RAF tactical aircraft hit the town of San Giorgio del Sannio and roads in the area S of Benevento.

General Eisenhower and Marshal Badoglio sign the full armistice agreement on HMS 'Nelson' at Malta. But why HMS 'Nelson'? In the words of A.B. Cunningham:

"The British and American Governments were anxious that the full terms of surrender should be signed by Badoglio with some ceremony. I suggested that one of the battleships of Force "H" at Malta should be the scene of the signing, and Eisenhower asked me to make the arrangements. My first inclination was to hoist my flag in my old ship, the RODNEY; but on second thoughts I decided that the NELSON, Admiral Willis's flagship should be the place of meeting".

NORTHERN FRONT: During the night of 29/30 September, three RAF Bomber Command Lancasters laid mines in the Baltic Sea off Gdynia.

WESTERN FRONT: Another Luftwaffe night-fighter was lost. Hptm. August Geiger of 7./NJG 1 (54 kills) was killed in action.