This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

6 JANUARY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: The RAF and USAAF announced their joint development of jet aircraft.

The master plan for an Allied invasion of north-west Europe, which has been codenamed "Overlord", was being drastically revised after examination by General Montgomery, the ground force commander under General Eisenhower. On first seeing the COSSAC plan, Montgomery said that the Germans would have no difficulty in containing such a small landing area, and severe congestion would follow when reinforcements were brought in. He took his objections to Eisenhower, who agreed with him. In three days this week at St. Paul's school - his old school in West London - his 21st Army Group HQ, Montgomery hammered out a plan for five divisions to land on a 50-mile from the river Orne to the Cherbourg peninsula. A third airborne division will join the two already assigned to flank protection. The new plan called for a greatly expanded force of landing craft, so D-Day would be delayed for a month, to the end of May.

EASTERN FRONT: Thrusting west in a great salient from Kiev, General Vatutin's First Ukrainian Front crossed the pre-war border of Poland and chased the Germans to the gates of Sarny, an important junction on the railway from Kiev to Warsaw. Vatutin was giving the Germans no chance to recover. He was pushing on in overwhelming strength, and in a special communiqué this morning the Soviet High Command said that his men have killed more than 3,000 Germans and knocked out 83 tanks and 68 field guns. Many prisoners have been taken. The Russians have advanced 400 miles since the opening of their campaign last July. If they achieve similar results this winter, then they would be in not only Poland but East Prussia, the heartland of German militarism.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-270' shot down a RAF No. 206 Sqn B-17 Fortress 206/U. The boat was damaged during the attack and returned to port.

The Gunboat 'St. Augustine' (PG-54) was sunk in a collision with the U.S. merchant tanker 'Camas Meadows', 73 miles south- southwest of Cape May, New Jersey.

Lieutenant General James H Doolittle assumed command of the US Eighth AF, replacing Lieutenant General Ira C Eaker who would go to Italy as Commanding General Mediterranean Allied Air Force (MAAF). General Carl Spaatz assumed command of USSAFE and named Major Generals Frederick L Anderson and Hugh J Knerr as Deputy Commanding Generals for operations and administration.

US Eighth AF Mission 177: During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 984,000 leaflets on Amiens, Lille, Valenciennes, Cambrai and Reims, France without loss.

During combat with a Sunderland of TAF No. 228 Sqdrn, Lt. Erich Stain of Jagdkommando 1./SAGr 128 was shot down and killed in his Fw 190G-3. However the Sunderland was then shot down about 190 km west of Brest by another Jagdkommando 1./SAGr 128 Fw 190.

MEDITERRANEAN: US freighter 'William S. Rosecrans' dragged an anchor during a storm south of Naples, Italy, and struck a mine that started a fire that doomed the ship. She sank later that afternoon but there were no casualties to either the merchant complement or the 27-man Armed Guard, who were all rescued by British naval vessels.

Control of US Fifteenth Air Force operations against targets of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) was placed under USSAFE.

In Italy, B-26s bombed Pontedera hitting the marshalling yard and Piaggio aircraft factory there, the Lucca marshalling yard, and the railway N of Follonica; P-40 and A-36 fighter-bombers attacked gun positions in the Cervaro-Monte Trocchio area and near Aquino, the town of Cervaro, the railway at Civitavecchia, trains N and E of Rome, the Velletri train station, and the town of Fondi.

After another one day stay, this time at Viterbo, I./JG 4 moved to Osa (Littorio).

GERMANY: 16 RAF Mosquitos flew to Duisburg, 2 to Bristillerie and 1 each to Dortmund and Solingen, 57 aircraft minelaying off Biscay ports, 10 OTU sorties. No losses.

7 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: Allied advisers parachuted in to France to train Resistance fighters for guerrilla warfare after the invasion of Europe. French resistance fighters bombed the electricity generating facilities at Tulle.

35 B-26s bombed the Cherbourg/Maupertus Airfield. Bad weather restricted further operations.

Whilst in the tow of submarine HMS 'Syrtis', miniature submarine X-22 was run down by her and sunk, when 'Syrtis' reversed course to search for a man washed overboard. All 3 of the crew of X-22 were lost. Location: Pentland Firth, Scotland.

River class frigate HMCS 'Waskesiu' was narrowly missed by a Zaunkönig torpedo, which carried on to strike sistership HMS 'Tweed'. River class frigate HMS 'Tweed' took a Zaunkönig hit from 'U-305' (Kapitanleutnant Rudolf Bahr) and sank within two minutes. There were 52 survivors. Both were part of Escort Group 6, which had been carrying out 'offensive ASW sweeps' in the Bay of Biscay.

'U-343' shot down RAF 36 Sqn Wellington. The boat survived a swamp operation, shooting down one of its attackers.

GERMANY: 351 of 382 B-17s and 69 of 120 B-24s hit the I G Faren Industrie plant at Ludwigshafen, Germany and claimed 30-6-17 Luftwaffe aircraft. 5 B-17s and 17 B-24s were lost, 2 B-17s and 2 B-24s were damaged beyond repair and 104 B-17s and 18 B-24s were damaged. 71 P-38s, 463 P-47s and 37 Ninth Air Force P-51s escorted and they claimed 7-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 and 5 P-47s were lost and 1 P-47 was damaged. Major James Stewart of the USAAF, better known as the star of "The Philadelphia Story", brought his Liberators back intact from the daylight mission on Ludwigshaven, despite being set upon by enemy fighters. Stewart, leading 48 bombers of 445th Group based at Tibenham in Norfolk, had completed his mission when he saw that the 389th Group, the lead group of the raid's original 420 bombers, had taken a wrong bearing home, across German fighter airfields in France. Radio contact was lost, so he decided to follow and gave fire cover. Owing to Stewart's action, only eight of the strayed Liberators were lost.

6 RAF Mosquitos flew to Krefeld and 5 to Duisburg, 1 aircraft on a Resistance operation, 28 OTU sorties. The Resistance operation aircraft - a No 138 Squadron Halifax - crashed in England soon after taking off, killing all 10 men on board, probably 7 crew and 3 passengers.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British X Corps and the US II Corps have broken through the Germans' winter defensive line. The village of San Vittore fell yesterday and, after a vicious battle, the Germans were driven off Monte Porchia. But the British 46th Division was forced back after several attempts to get its tanks across the flooded river Peccia. General Mark Clark was anxious to draw off the maximum number of German reserves before the seaborne landings at Anzio planned for January 22. The Germans have meanwhile established defensive positions at the far end of the Liri valley - in the mountains overlooking Cassino.

In Italy, B-17s, with P-38 escort, bombed an aircraft factory at Maribor and a torpedo factory at Fiume. The P-38s battled a superior number of enemy fighters over the Maribor area and 3 P-38s were lost and several were missing. 4 fighters were claimed destroyed, with 1 probably downed and 4 damaged, during the fierce half-hour fight. B-25s struck Perugia Airfield; A-20s hit defenses in close support of the US Fifth Army; B-26s hit the marshalling yards at Foligno and Arezzo and attacked a bridge at Roccasecca; A-36s hit gun positions, trucks, and trains in the Cervaro-Aquino-Cassino area, bombed the Aquino station, and hit the Velletri railway yards; P-40s gave close support in the Monte Maio, Monte La Chiaia, Monte Porchia, and Cedro Hill areas as the US Fifth Army drove toward the Rapido River.

EASTERN FRONT: The 2nd Ukrainian Front began meeting serious opposition as its spearheads began to surround Kirovograd.

8 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army captured Kirovograd. Three German divisions were surrounded by Konev's 2nd Ukrainian Front at Kirovograd. They began an immediate breakout and abandoned the city to the Red Army. The Soviet 67th Tank Brigade scored a substantial victory when it overran the headquarters of the German 47.Panzerkorps.

Pilots of I. and III./JG 52 were in the air near Kirovograd against units of 5 VA, including 7 IAK, equipped with lend-lease Airacobras. A fierce battle ensued when groups of Yaks from 6 and 427 IAPs and Airacobras from 205 IADs took off and engaged a formation of He 111s possibly from KG 55, being escorted by Bf 109s from I./JG 52. During this battle, none of the Airacobras were lost. A second encounter began when Airacobras from 69 GIAP/304 IAD came on the scene. A pair of P-39s including Starshiy Leytenant Belyaev, claimed one Bf 109 near Kirovograd. Belyaev was himself attacked by a pair of Bf 109s but he escaped back to his airbase. Lt. Erich Hartmann of 9./JG 52 claimed 3 P-39s while Fhj.Fw. Herbert Bachnick, also of 9./JG 52 and Ofw. Walter Jahnke of 2./JG 52 each claimed one.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-426' was sunk west of Nantes, France, by depth charges from an Australian Sunderland aircraft (RAAF Sqdn. 10/U based at Mount Batten). 51 dead (all hands lost). This is remarkable because this was one of the first Sunderlands to have increased bow armament of four extra machine-guns to combat the 37 and 20mm guns mounted in the conning towers of U-boats. The aircraft opened fire at 1,200 yards and succeeded in knocking out all the u-boat gunners before attacking with depth charges.

'U-757' (OLtzS Friedrich Deetz, CO) was sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Iceland, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS 'Bayntun' and the Canadian corvette HMCS 'Camrose'. 49 dead (all hands lost). The escort for Liverpool Convoy OS-64 detected 'U-757' as she closed to attack. A series of 8 depth charge attacks were conducted by 'Camrose' and 'Bayntun' supported by HMCS 'Snowberry' and 'Edmunston'. The sound of a submarine blowing tanks was heard after the last attack but then the contact faded and was lost. Wreckage was found on the surface and the action ceased. The convoy arrived safely at Freetown 26 Jan 44 with all of its 38 merchantmen.

'U-343' shot down an RAF No. 179 Sqn aircraft.

Light cruiser 'Marblehead' (CL-12) rescued 72 survivors of the sunken German blockade runner 'Rio Grande'. Destroyer 'Winslow' (DD-359) rescued 35 survivors of sunken German blockade runner 'Burgenland'.

During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 2.292 million leaflets on Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium; and Rennes, Brest and Nantes, France without loss.

UNITED KINGDOM: RAF No. 269 Squadron became operational at Davidstow Moor airfield, Cornwall. They were the first squadron to be equipped with lifeboat carrying Lockheed Hudsons for the ASR role.

GERMANY: RAF Mosquito operations: 10 to Frankfurt, 8 to Solingen, 3 to Aachen, 2 to Dortmund. 2 aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 449th and and 450th Bombardment Groups (Heavy) with B-24's become operational, giving the Fifteenth AF a total of 8 heavy bomber groups.

In Italy, A-20s hit railway stations at Frosinone and in the Colleferro-Segni area; B-26s bombed marshalling yards at Grosseto and Lucca; P-40s supported the US Fifth Army in the mountains E and SE of Cassino, and, with A-36s, hit railway targets S of Rome at Aquino, Frosinone, Palestrina and Castelforte; other P-40s hit Avezzano, and A-36s blasted trains and vessels in the vicinity of Tarquinia.

B-24s bombed the airfield at Mostar, Yugoslavia. B-17s hit the Reggio Emilia aircraft factory; P-38s and P-47s flew escort. B-25s bombed the harbor, warehouses, and railway at Metkovic, Yugoslavia.

9 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: American and British bombers seconded from their attacks on German cities, today began the first full week of Operation Carpetbagger, and extensive campaign to arm the resistance movements of Europe in preparation for the forthcoming invasion. The bombers, their bomb-bays filled with canisters containing Sten guns, ammunition, explosives, mortars and wireless sets, have been parachuting their loads into dropping zones in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. It was estimated that enough weapons have been dropped to arm 20,000 fighters. Special orders were sometimes supplied by fast Mosquito bombers a few hours after the request had been placed by radio.

Two German soldiers were shot dead in Lyon, France by partisans. In retaliation, the Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie, ordered the murder of 22 French civilians.

MEDITERRANEAN: US troops launched a final assault on the German winter line, striking at Cervaro and Monte Trocchio.

Prime Minister Winston S Churchill and General Charles A De Gaulle met at Marrakesh, French Morocco. They discussed cooperation of a French expeditionary force in invasion of Europe and the degree of authority of the French inside France after the invasion.

B-17's hit the docks and shipping at Pola, Yugoslavia. 'U-81' was sunk at Pola by US bombs. Raised on 22 April 1944 and broken up. 2 dead, unknown number of survivors. U-boat pens there were hit and 4 men from 'U-407' killed and 1 wounded.

US freighter 'Daniel Webster' was damaged by a German aerial torpedo during an air attack on convoy KMS 37 while en route from Gibraltar to Augusta and Naples.

In Italy, B-25s attacked the marshalling yard and docks at Ancona; P-40s hit tanks and trucks at Palena and S of Sulmona, and positions and vehicles near Cervaro; and A-36s hit positions in the same area.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet offensive continued to roll forward as the Red Army captured Polonnoye and Aleksandrovka.

10 JANUARY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: RAF No. 605 Sq. RAF shot down their 101st enemy aircraft, a Junkers Ju 188 raiding London during the 'little blitz'.

Bernard Montgomery suggested to Dwight Eisenhower to cancel plans for Operation Anvil, the simultaneous landing on south France, to free up resources for the North-West Europe invasion.

HQ 366th Fighter Group and 390th Fighter Squadron arrived at Membury, England from the US with P-47's.

EASTERN FRONT: Vatutin's 2nd Ukrainian Front cut the Smela to Kristinovka rail link, and annihilated a German pocket north of Kirovograd.
Obstlt. Helmut Bruck, Geschwaderkommodore of StG 77, flew his 800th mission.

WESTERN FRONT: US Eighth Air Force Mission 181: During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 4.8 million leaflets on Orleans, Chateauroux, Rouen, Le Mans and Tours, France without loss.

Early in the afternoon, a Ju 88A-4 belonging to 11./KG 30 collided with another Ju 88A-4 over the northwestern dispersal area of Fliegerhorst Aalborg and crashed to the ground southeast of Biersted killing the entire crew. The other Ju 88 also was lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: B-17s bombed Sofia, Bulgaria causing considerable damage in the marshalling yards. B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Skoplje, Yugoslavia. P-38s and P-47s provided escort. Around 60 Luftwaffe fighters attacked the Sofia force and a fierce air battle ensued; 2 B-17s were lost; they claimed 28 aircraft shot down.

In Italy, B-25s hit San Benedetto de Marsi; P-40s, with RAF, SAAF, and RAAF airplanes, hit communications, gun positions, trucks, and tanks at numerous points in and NW of the battle area; other P-40s gave close support to ground forces in the Chieti area; and A-36s hit trucks, tanks, trains, and other targets of opportunity N of Rome.

GERMANY: Erprobungskommando 26, a special unit equipped with the Hs 129 anti-tank aircraft and Bf 109Gs, was formed at Udetfield out of previous SchG units. New powerful weapons were tested, mounted on aircraft including the unlikely PaK 40 anti-tank gun mounted on the Hs 129s. The unit was led by Major Eggers.

11 JANUARY 1944

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 182 (Operation Pointblank). As part of the strategic bombing of the German aircraft industry, the USAAF raids 3 aviation industry targets in Germany; fierce opposition estimated at 500 Luftwaffe fighters was encountered and 60 bombers and 5 fighters were lost. 177 B-17s were dispatched to Oschersleben; 139 hit the primary and 20 hit targets of opportunity and claimed 174-32-63 Luftwaffe aircraft; 34 B-17s were lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 83 damaged. 114 B-17s were dispatched to Halberstadt; 52 hit the primary and 55 hit targets of opportunity; they claimed 35-11-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 B-17s were lost, 1 was damaged beyond repair and 42 damaged. 177 P-47s and 44 Ninth Air Force P-51s escorted; they claimed 29-11-14 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-47s were lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 4 P-47s and 1 P-51 were damaged. One of the victors for the Luftwaffe was Oblt. Zehart of the newly established Sturmstaffel 1, which was that unit's first victory.

Over Oschersleben, Major James H Howard, a P-51 pilot of the 354th Fighter Group, shot down an Me 110 and then found himself the lone escort for a B-17 group being attacked by 30 Luftwaffe aircraft. For the next 30 minutes, he kept turning into the enemy fighters and firing until only one gun was firing. Toward the end of this engagement 3 of his guns went out of action and his fuel supply was becoming dangerously low. Despite these handicaps and the almost insuperable odds against him, Col. Howard continued his aggressive action in an attempt to protect the bombers from the numerous fighters. By this time, he was credited with 2-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft and saved the B-17's. Major Howard was awarded the Medal of Honor.

234 B-17s and 138 B-24s were dispatched to Brunswick; 47 B-17s hit the primary, 114 hit Osnabruck, 25 hit Bielefeld, 22 hit Peine, 10 hit Herford and 1 hit Nienburg; no B-24s hit the primary, 58 hit Meppen, 1 hits Lingen and 7 hit other targets; they claimed 19-17-16 Luftwaffe aircraft; 16 B-17s and 2 B-24s were lost, 1 each damaged beyond repair and 47 B-17s and 7 B-24s damaged. This mission was escorted by 49 P-38s and 322 P-47s; they claimed 2-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 and 2 P-47s were lost and 1 P-47 was damaged. Among the PFF aircraft were 4 B-24s, this being the first time B-24s were used in this capacity.

MEDITERRANEAN: B-17s, with P-38 escort, bombed the harbor at Piraeus, Greece; they destroyed 8 attacking fighters; 6 B-17s were lost in midair collisions in the heavy overcast.

In Italy, B-26s attacked the iron and steel works at Piombino during the night of 10/11 Jan; during the day, B-25s bombed Falconara (hitting the railroad junction) and railroad yards at Fabriano; P-40s and A-36s blasted defenses and gun positions in Cervaro-Monte Trocchio, a gun position N of Minturno, the towns of Sora and Isola del Liri, road traffic in the Macerata-Aquila-Popoli area, and railroad facilities at San Giorgio del Sannio.

Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini's son-in-law and the former foreign minister, was led in front of a firing squad in the prison here today and shot for treason. Four other fascist ex-leaders were executed with him and 13 others were sentenced in their absence on 8 January. Ciano's "crime" was to vote with his fellow-Fascists to oust Mussolini from office last July. Ciano and his wife, Edda, were lured to Bavaria last August by a report that their children were in danger. They had been promised safe conduct to Spain - only to be handed to Italy's new puppet Fascist government. Marshal Emilio de Bono, once one of the Duce's stauncest supporters, was also shot.

Two staffeln of II./JG 77 arrived at Caselle from the south, under the command of Oblt. Hrdlicka, Staffelkapitaen of 5./JG 77.

WESTERN FRONT: The first US attack with forward-firing rockets was made against a U-boat by two TBF-1C Avengers of Composite Squadron 58 (VC-58 ) from the escort carrier USS 'Block Island' (CVE-21).

EASTERN FRONT: Oblt. Gerhard Beckh, Gruppenadjutant of IV./JG 51 was killed in a midair collision with a Fw 190 near Winniza-West.

12 JANUARY 1944

MEDITERRANEAN: After capturing Cervaro, US forces pushed forward towards Cassino.

In Italy, P-47s flew a fighter sweep in the Rome area, strafing the marshalling yard at Teramo and buildings between the Tronto and Tesino Rivers. B-25s and B-26s bombed the Giulianova railway bridge and attacked a dam and road bridge; A-20s hit San Donato; P-40s attacked a vessel in the Krka River of Yugoslavia, hit enemy defensive positions at San Biagio Saracinesa, Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, Monte Trocchio, and Atina, and bomb Vallerotonda; A-36s attacked the Avezzano railroad yards, a village near Atina, railroad facilities at Cisterna di Latina, and numerous trucks and train cars in the Rome area.

General de Gaulle flew into Morocco to meet the British prime minister at the villa where he had been convalescing for a few weeks. Mr. Churchill was in fine form, and when de Gaulle asked him if he still painted he replied:

"I am too weak for that, but I am strong enough to wage war."

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The two imperious leaders made jokes at each other's expense but managed to agree on Franco-British co-operation for victory.

EASTERN FRONT: Red Army forces captured Sarny in Poland.

Oblt. Anton Hafner of JG 51 downed 3 Russian fighters and Oblt. Sigurd Haala of 10./JG 54 claimed an IL-2. Two Bf 109s of 10./JG 54 were lost to enemy fire over Orianenbaum on the southern bank of the Gulf of Finland. Uffz. Leonard Gerkens and Uffz. Hans-Julius Nolke were listed as missing in action.

13 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: While serving as a Flak boat, 'U-621' was attacked by an RAF 59 Sqn Liberator and suffered 1 man killed and 6 wounded. Matrosengefreiter Heinz Thomas was mortally wounded and later buried at sea. The commander decided to abort the patrol. 'U-621' took ten days to limp back to Brest.

'U-231' (Type VIIC) was sunk northeast of the Azores, by depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft (Sqdn 172/L). 7 dead, 43 survivors.

82 RAF aircraft - 59 Stirlings, 13 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - attacked flying bomb sites at Ailly, Bonneton and Bristillerie without loss. 193 B-26s of the US Ninth Air Force bombed NOBALL (V-weapon)targets in France. Fighter pilots report being tracked by AA rockets. 11 RAF Mosquitos flew to Magdeburg and 6 to Berlin, 9 RCM sorties, 2 Serrale patrols, 29 aircraft minelaying off Brest and in the Frisians, 36 OTU sorties. No losses.

UNITED KINGDOM: In northern Scotland, an imaginary British Fourth Army was created, to fool the Germans into thinking an invasion of Norway was being planned. Code name was 'Fortitude North'.

EASTERN FRONT: The long awaited attacks by the Leningrad and Volkov Fronts to relieve Leningrad began. The attack was supported by a major offensive against Novgorod. The operation was intended in destroying Heeresgruppe North.

GERMANY: 496 RAF Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes were sent on the first major raid to Brunswick of the war. 38 Lancasters were lost, 7.6 per cent of the force. The German running commentary was heard following the progress of the bomber force from a position only 40 miles from the English coast and many German fighters entered the bomber stream soon after the German frontier was crossed near Bremen. The German fighters scored steadily until the Dutch coast was crossed on the return flight. 11 of the lost aircraft were Pathfinders. Brunswick was smaller than Bomber Command's usual targets and this raid was not a success. The city report describes this only as a 'light' raid, with bombs in the south of the city which had only 10 houses destroyed and 14 people killed. Most of the attack fell either in the countryside or in Wolfenbüttel and other small towns and villages well to the south of Brunswick.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-17s bombed Centocelle and Guidonia airfields and B-24s hit Perugia airfield. P-38s provided escort, and P-47s flew top cover for the B-17 missions. The heavy bombers destroyed several fighters in aerial combat. B-25s and B-26s bombed Guidonia, Centocelle, and Ciampino airfields; A-20s struck the town of Atina. AAF, RAF, SAAF, and RAAF fighter-bombers hit shipping along the Dalmatian coast at Sibenik and in the Krka River of Yugoslavia. A-36s hit the town and railway yards at Isola del Liri, a factory at Colleferro, docks at Formia, railroad yards at Valmontone, and a railway station SE of Frosinone. P-40s hit Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, San Biagio, Saracinesa, and a rail and road junction near Villa Latina.

14 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army took Mozyr and Kalinkovichi, near Gomel, and renewed attacks around Novgorod to relieve Leningrad.

WESTERN FRONT: Destroyers 'Bulmer' (DD-222) and 'Parrott' (DD-218 ) damage the German submarine 'U-382', 560 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 183: 356 of 374 B-17s and 156 of 178 B-24s hit 20 of 21 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France; 19 B-24s hit targets of opportunity; they claimed 8-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 B-17s and 1 B-24 were lost, 1 B-24 was damaged beyond repair and 66 B-17s and 9 B-24s were damaged. 98 P-38s, 504 P-47s and 43 Ninth Air Force P-51s escorted; they claimed 14-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 were lost, 1 P-47 was damaged beyond repair and 9 P-47s and 1 P-51 were damaged.

During the evening, 4 B-17s dropped 840,000 leaflets on Amiens, Lille, Cambrai and St. Omer France without loss.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 185: 2 B-17s were dispatched to Wesel, Germany for a night test of Oboe Mk II; 1 aircraft aborted and 1 dropped 2 tons of high explosive bombs on the target without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: Around 200 B-24s and B-17s attacked the town area and airfield at Mostar, Yugoslavia. P-38s provided escort throughout the missions, and P-47s joined the B-17s at the target and covered the flight back to base.

In Italy, B-25s struck the Pontecorvo bridge; A-20s offered close support to US Fifth Army forces in the Monte Trocchio area; P-40s blasted Loreto tank repair shops; P-40s and A-36s hit defenses in the San Giuseppe, Sant' Elia Fiumerapido. and Monte Trocchio areas; A-36s also attacked road and buildings E of Minturno, the town of Isola del Liri, and the harbor at Anzio.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Hurricane fighter operating from Milfield airfield, in Northumberland crashed at Rosedean Farm, Wooperton, Northumberland. It was totally wrecked and the pilot was killed. The plane was flying low when the propeller hit the ground, it then hit a hedge, travelled 200 yds and crashed into some trees surrounding the farm.

15 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-377' was sunk in the North Atlantic, by one of its own circling Zaunkønig (T5) acoustic torpedos. 52 dead (all hands lost). Note that it has previously been recorded that 'U-377' was sunk in the Atlantic by rockets and depth charges from aircraft of the US escort Carrier USS 'Santee'. It has also been recorded that it was Sunk on 17 January 1944 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 49.39N, 20.10W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS "Wanderer" and the British frigate HMS "Glenarm".

Dwight Eisenhower began his command of Operation Overlord. Erwin Rommel took command of the German 15th and 17th armies.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Canadian-owned, British-registered Victory-class freighter 'Fort St Nicholas' (7,154 GRT), Captain Kenneth H. Pengelly, Master, was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-410', OLtzS. Horst-Arno Fenski, Knight's Cross, in the Gulf of Salerno. There was no loss of life from the 63 crewmembers and four passengers onboard.

The US 2nd Corps captured Monte Trocchio in Italy. Meanwhile, French troops captured Monte Santa Croce.

Lieutenant General Ira C Eaker, USAAF, assumed command of MAAF and Army Air Forces, MTO (AAFMTO), replacing Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Tedder, RAF, and General Carl Spaatz, who along with Air Vice Marshall Sir Arthur Coningham, RAF, and numerous other American and British officers departed for the UK.

In Italy, B-24s bombed the Prato marshalling yard and industrial area, and also hit roads in the area and dropped several bombs on the town of Pistoia. B-17s concentrated on railroad yards and bridges in the Florence area at Certaldo, Poggibonsi, Montalto di Castro, Arezzo, Civitavecchia, and near Porto Civitanova and Orvieto, and hit scattered targets of opportunity. Fighters escorted all the missions. B-25s attacked the Foligno railway junction; B-26s bombed bridges at Orvieto. P-40s of the 79th Fighter Group and RAF 239 Wing hit the San Valentino station in a joint attack; A-36s and other P-40s, in support of US Fifth Army forces, hit gun positions and strongpoints, especially at Picinisco and Atina; P-40s on armed reconnaissance hit the railroad W of Frosinone station and strafed the Ceccano station and railway cars.

EASTERN FRONT: A mid-winter thaw drastically slowed the Red Army operations in the Ukraine.

16 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Steam tanker 'Vaijan Kutur´e' (ex-Nikolaj Janson) was sunk by 'U-20' in the Black Sea.

Lt. Franz Schall of 3./JG 52 shot down 3 Russian fighters to reach a score of 32 kills.

WESTERN FRONT: US freighter 'Sumner I. Kimball', straggling from New York-bound convoy ON 219, was sunk by 'U-960'. There were no survivors from either the 40-man merchant complement or the 29-man Armed Guard.

TBF (VC 13) from escort carrier 'Guadalcanal' (CVE-60) sank the German submarine 'U-544' in the mid-Atlantic

UNITED KINGDOM: Czechoslovakian forces in Britain proposed to the Soviets to send Czech pilots in Soviet fighters to assist a future uprising in Slovakia. The idea was approved.

A Halifax bomber based at Topcliffe airfield near Thirsk, crashed shortly after take-off at 20.58 at Catecliffe Wood near Thirsk, killing all nine on board.

MEDITERRANEAN: British General H. Maitland Wilson became Supreme Commander, Mediterranean.

B-24s attacked the Osoppo, Italy landing ground and the town of Zara, Yugoslavia; they claimed 9 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-24 was lost.

In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bombed the marshalling yard and choke points at Terni; B-26s attacked the marshalling yard and bridge at Orte; A-20s bombed the town of Atina; P-40s attacked bridges in the San Giorgio del Sannio area and gun emplacements near Cassino; Sant' Angelo in Theodice and Picinisco; A-36s hit the railway junction at Cecina, road and railway S of Siena, and the town areas of Avezzano and Formia.

GERMANY: US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s bombed the Messerschmitt factory at Klagenfurt, Austria and the landing ground at Villaorba, Italy. Escorting P-38s claimed 9 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 P-38s were lost.

17 JANUARY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: Eisenhower appointed General Omar N. Bradley to command the US Army in the field under him. British Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder was appointed Deputy to Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force.

MEDITERRANEAN: British X Corps of the US 5th Army began Operation Panther with attacks along the river Garigliano against the German 14.Panzerkorps. The ancient town of Cassino, near the Rapido River, was a strategic point in the German Gustav Line, a defensive front across central Italy and based at the Rapido, Garigliano, and Sangro rivers. Taking Cassino would mean a breach in the German line and their inevitable retreat farther north. By evening the British X Corps had crossed the Garigliano River, forming a strong bridgehead around the town of Minturno. Canadian forces attempted an attack on German defences over the Arielli River. It was a disaster, with 185 Canadians killed or wounded.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-377' was sunk in the North Atlantic southwest of Ireland, by depth charges from destroyer HMS 'Wanderer' and frigate HMS 'Glenarm'. 52 dead (all hands lost).

'U-305' was sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS 'Wanderer' and the frigate 'Glenarm'. 51 dead (all hands lost).

EASTERN FRONT: Slugging through deep mud, Soviet forces captured Slavuta.

18 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet attacks in the Vitebsk area were met by stiff resistance and generally failed to make an impression. German forces from Heeresgruppe Mitte repelled the repeated Soviet attacks. Further to the north, Red Army forces were completing the encirclement of Novgorod, south of Leningrad.

MEDITERRANEAN: British attacks (10th Corps of US 5th Army) established a bridgehead over the Garigliano River that drew German reserves away from Anzio.

US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attacked marshalling yards, a bridge and an airfield in the Florence, Italy area; P-38s and P-47s provided close escort. US Twelfth Air Force B-26s hit the harbor, tin mills, steel works, power house, and blast furnaces at Piombino, and bombed the Montalto di Castro railroad and bridge; B-25s hit the town and railway viaduct at Terni, and A-20s blasted gun positions in the Minturno area; P-40s hit trains, wharves and vessels in the Ploca and Metkovic, Yugoslavia areas; A-36s and P-40s pounded troops, trucks, and gun positions in the Minturno area and near Pontecorvo and Atina, hit a gasoline dump at Pignataro Interamna, a warehouse at Fontana Liri, a factory at Ceprano, the rail and road junction at Avezzano, and railway at Santa Marinella.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Halifax bomber based at Topcliffe airfield near Thirsk, suffered a failure in the port outer engine, the plane subsequently overshot and crashed into some trees, _ of a mile SE of the airfield at 10.12. Of the eight man crew, two were killed and three injured. Just a few minutes later at 10.30 another Halifax from the same airfield, flying at 1,100' in fog, crashed into a hillside at Black Hambleton near Osmotherley. All six crew were killed.

19 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: German military patrols swept through the deserted streets of Copenhagen, occupied all the city's police stations and disarmed and arrested the entire police force. The move, ordered by SS Lt-Gen Gunther Pancke, followed the capture by a German patrol vessel of a boatload of refugees fleeing to Sweden. The Germans believed the Danish police had been aiding the escape of wanted Danes. Last week, the chief of the police passport department and his assistant fled to Sweden to escape arrest.

'U-641' was sunk was in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS 'Violet'. 50 dead (all hands lost).

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet troops of the 59th Army took Novgorod, and pushed on to Estonia. In a co-ordinated offensive by the garrison troops and the armies of the Volkhov front, the Russians have torn a 25-mile gap in the German siege lines. In doing so they have smashed seven enemy divisions and captured 37 of the long-range guns which have been systematically bombarding the city in an attempt to fulfill Hitler's threat to destroy it when it was first besieged in September 1941. As the Volkhov Front surrounded German forces at Novgorod, the Germans began a break out attack.

The Soviet attacks around Leningrad intensified as 42nd Army attacking out of the city linked up with 2nd Shock Army attacking toward the city. Columns of grim-faced Russian soldiers swung through its battered streets heading south to Krasnoye Selo or out across the ice of Kronstadt Bay to Oranienbaum where a pocket of Russians held out since the first days of the siege. The pocket was reinforced in great secrecy before the battle opened a week ago. Men of the 2nd Shock Army were ferried in by boat at night. They hid by day, and when they came storming out they took the Germans by surprise.

MEDITERRANEAN: British forces established bridgeheads on the north side of the Garigliano. Backed by naval gunfire, troops of the British X Corps led by General Richard McCreery crossed the lower Garigliano river in landing craft and established vital bridgeheads on the northern bank. Minturno fell to the US 5th Army, which now attempted to cross the heavily defended Rapido river. The 56th Division succeeded in the crossing; however fierce German fire stopped a crossing by the 46th Division. German commander, General von Vietinghoff, was transferring two armoured divisions to face the new threat.

In Italy, US Fifteenth Air Force B-24s and B-17s hit airfields at Perugia, Iesi, Centocelle, and Ciampino; P-38s flew close escort for all the missions while P-47s flew top cover over Ciampino and Centocelle and carried out a sweep over the Rome area. US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bombed Rieti Airfield; B-26s hit the airfield at Viterbo; A-20s attacked the marshalling yard at Colleferro; P-40s bombed and strafed 2 schooners at Makarska, Yugoslavia; A-36s hit guns, trucks, and trains N of Rome and fly 70+ sorties against rail, communications and troop positions in the US Fifth Army battle area as the Garigliano bridgehead expands; P-40s also hit defended positions in the battle area and near Scauri, Tremensuoli, and Alvito.

20 JANUARY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: The Canadian-built, British-registered cargo ship 'Fort Louisbourg' (7,130 GRT) was damaged by bombs while alongside the Surrey Commercial Docks, at London. Two of her crewmembers were lost in this incident. 'Fort Louisbourg' was a North Sands-class freighter built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., at Montreal, PQ She was completed in Apr 42. Fort Louisbourg was one of 90 North Sands-class freighters built in Canada for American order under the Hyde Park Declaration and subsequently provided to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease Agreement. The ship was managed by Wm. Thompson and Co. (The Ben Line), of Edinburgh, Scotland, for the British government. Twenty-two of these ships were sunk and another seven were damaged.

General Carl Spaatz, as Commanding General USSAFE, formally assumed administrative responsibility for all USAAF units in the UK. His HQ was located at Bushy Park, formerly Eighth Air Force HQ.

WESTERN FRONT: British coastal guns sank the German blockade-runner 'Münsterland' . 'Münsterland' (which had made his way from Japan) from Boulogne to Calais, was sunk by the radar guided heavy Dover batteries since the ship had given his cargo offboard and wasn't able to manoeuvre fast enough to avoid the hits. The ship ran into a well-prepared ambush because the British realized that the Germans waited for the flash of the guns before making a sharp alteration of course, so they fired a salvo from the smaller guns which had no chance of actually reaching the ship, but which induced the 'Munsterland' to run into the fire of the heavy guns. All in all Dover batteries fired 46 salvos.

'U-263' sank near La Rochelle whilst carrying out deep dive tests. All 51 members of the crew were lost. During an attack on two merchants on 20 Nov,1942 convoy escorts had dropped some 119 depth charges on the boat causing so much damage that Nölke had to abort his mission and return to France. During the return on the 24th a British Hudson aircraft (Sqdn 233/Q) straddled the boat with 4 depth charges causing extensive damages to the already weak boat. She was told to head for El Ferrol, Spain but managed to limp back to La Rochelle, with assistance from the returning 'U-511' and covered by Ju-88 aircraft, reaching the base on the 29th. She then spent 13 months in repair and rebuilding. Her loss occurred when she was performing tests after the repairs had been completed, but not (it would now seem) at great depth , since 'U-263' has been located lying at 27m depth near La Rochelle, France and is a dive site.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 186: during the evening, 4 of 5 B-17s dropped 960,000 leaflets on Lille, Brest, Caen and Chartres, France without loss.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet troops advancing south-west from Pulkovo and south-east from Oranienbaum joined up, encircling the Germans around Leningrad and sealing off the corridor to Finland. Novgorod fell to the Soviet 59th Army.

MEDITERRANEAN: US 2nd Corps in Italy attacked German defenses across the Rapido River south of Cassino, but the attck was a failure.

In Italy, US Fifteenth Air Force B-24s and B-17s bombed airfields at Guidonia, Centocelle, and Ciampino; P-38s provided escort and P-47s carried out sweeps over the targets. Other P-47s escorted transport airplanes on a mission to Yugoslavia. US Twelfth Air Force B-26s bombed the Viterbo marshalling yard and attacked a bridge at Pontecorvo; B-25s attacked railroads in the Carsoli area; A-20's give close support to the US 5th Infantry Division in the Minturno area; British and US P-40s followed RAF light bombers in a raid on the Popoli station; A-36s pounded a rail and road crossing at Viterbo and P-40s hit communications at Frosinone, Palestrina, and Carsoli, where a traffic block was created; A-36s and P-40s flew nearly 200 sorties in support of the US Fifth Army ground forces as the 36th Infantry Division began an assault across the Rapido River in the Theodice area; and P-40s hit targets along the British Eighth Army front.

GERMANY: 769 RAF aircraft - 495 Lancasters, 264 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - returned to Berlin. It was the heaviest blow yet directed at Hitler's capital, with bombs falling at 80 tons a minute. One plane dropped its bombs 30 miles from the city, by chance wrecking a factory of the Todt Organisation. 35 aircraft - 22 Halifaxes, 13 Lancasters - were lost, 4.6 per cent of the force. RAF No 102 Squadron, from Pocklington, lost 5 of its 16 Halifaxes on this raid, 2 more crashed in England and the squadron would lose 4 more aircraft in the next night's raid. The bomber approach route took a wide swing to the north but, once again, the German controller managed to feed his fighters into the bomber stream early and the fighters scored steadily until the force was well on the way home. The diversions were not large enough to deceive the Germans. The Berlin area was, as so often, completely cloud-covered and what happened to the bombing is a mystery. The Pathfinder skymarking appeared to go according to plan and crews who were scanning the ground with their H2S sets believed that the attack fell on eastern districts of Berlin. No major navigational problems were experienced. No photographic reconnaissance was possible until after a further 4 raids on Berlin were carried out but the various sources from which the Berlin reports are normally drawn all show a complete blank for this night.

In 11 major attacks on the city since the "Battle of Berlin" began on 18 November, the RAF has dropped 17,000 tons of bombs. Some 1,300 acres of buildings, equal to twice the area of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens in London have been destroyed. Despite the damage the results of this sustained onslaught were not as great as the RAF expected on either German morale or production - and its own losses were becoming unacceptably high.

12 RAF Mosquitos flew to Düsseldorf. 4 to Kiel and 3 to Hannover, 6 RCM sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, 29 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians and off French ports, 20 OTU sorties. No losses.

21 JANUARY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: Eisenhower held a first meeting with his commanders to plan the Allied invasion of France. Eisenhower accepted the revised plan for Operation Overlord, with five divisions landing on fifty miles of Normandy beaches. Americans were to land on the west, aiming for Cherbourg, Brest, and ports around the Loire estuary. British and Canadian forces were to land on the east near Caen, seizing Caen on the first day. D-Day was set for June 5.

Unternehmen Steinbock: By the end of 1943, the terrible pounding that the RAF was inflicting on Germany's cities had reached intolerable levels. In late November, Goering had ordered the young bomber expert, Dietrich Peltz, to prepare for a retaliation offensive against London under the code name of 'Steinbock' or Ibex. He promised that units detailed for these attacks would receive a full compliment of crews and aircraft. The Reichsmarschall had asked Peltz whether he would accept Do 217s in the bombing force and Peltz replied that he would welcome anything that would carry a bomb. That was precisley what he got. Over December and early January, the Germans accumulated a conglomeration of 550 aircraft on the airfields of France for the offensive; Ju 88s, Ju 188s, Do 217s, Me 410s, Fw 200s and even 35 brand new He 177s. The widely differing capabilities of these aircraft and the limited navigational and flying skills of the crews ed Peltz to make the attack as simple as possible. Specially trained Pathfinders, equipped with various marking devices, would locate and mark the target; the other bombers would hopefully bomb on these markers.

Goering opened the offensive on 21 January with a typical gesture. He left Berlin to assume personal command of the operation. He might have saved himself the trouble as the offensive got off to a bad start. The Luftwaffe launched 447 bombers in 2 waves, guided by Ju 88 and Ju 188 guide aircraft dropping flares against the English capital, London. Included in the force were I./KG 40 and I./KG 100 using He 177 bombers. Using 'Duppel' - the German equivalent to 'Window' - the force returned to their bases after the bombing, reloaded and refueled and set off again. Navigation was poor, the pathfinder system broke down and out of 268 tons of bombs dropped over England, only 32 tons landed in London. The raiders lost 10% of the bomber force involved including one of the new He 177 bombers from I./KG 40 which was shot down by a RAF Mosquito night-fighter and crashed near Hasslemere in Surrey. Unlike the Night Blitz of 1940 / 41 and to a lesser egree, the Baedeker Raids of 1942, the night defenses now had the upper hand. Large numbers of radar controlled AA guns, 'Z' rocket batteries and searchlights, together with a well-equipped night-fighter force directed by an efficent Ground Controlled Interception radar system, took a very heavy toll of the attackers.

EASTERN FRONT: The key communications and supply center at Mga was captured by advancing Soviet forces in the Leningrad area.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 36th Infantry division suffered severe losses while attempting to establish a bridgehead over the Rapido River while the invasion force for Anzio steamed out of Naples.

GERMANY: 648 RAF aircraft - 421 Lancasters, 224 Halifaxes, 3 Mosquitos - flew on the first major raid to Magdeburg. The German controller again followed the progress of the bomber stream across the North Sea and many night fighters were in the stream before it crossed the German coast. The controller was very slow to identify Magdeburg as the target but this did not matter too much because most of the night fighters were able to stay in the bomber stream, a good example of the way the 'Tame Boar' tactics were developing. 57 aircraft - 35 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters - were lost, 8.8 per cent of the force; it is probable that three quarters of the losses were caused by German night fighters. The Halifax loss rate was 15.6 per cent! The heavy bomber casualties were not rewarded with a successful attack. Some of the Main Force aircraft now had H2S and winds which were stronger than forecast brought some of these into the target area before the Pathfinders' Zero Hour. The crews of 27 Main Force aircraft were anxious to bomb and did so before Zero Hour. The Pathfinders blamed the fires started by this early bombing, together with some very effective German decoy markers, for their failure to concentrate the marking.

22 RAF Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of 5 and 8 Groups carried out a diversionary raid to Berlin; 1 Lancaster lost.

During the RAF raids the Luftwaffe night-fighter force suffered a series of severe blows. Major Prince Heinrich zur Sayn-Wittgenstein, Geschwaderkommodore of NJG 2 was shot down over Schoenhausen after destroying five of the bombers. His final score was 88 kills, all at night. Obst. Gunther Radusch was named as Geschwaderkommodore of NJG 2 in the Prince's place. Near Magdeburg, Gruppenkommanduer Hptm. Manfred Meurer of I./NJG 1, flying the He 219 night-fighter was killed in a collision with an RAF bomber. His final score was 65 kills. His radioman, Uffz. Gerhard Scheibe - who was also killed - was the first radio operator of the Luftwaffe night-fighter force to be awarded the coveted Ritterkreuz. Major Paul Forster was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./NJG 1 in Hptm. Meuer's place.

WESTERN FRONT: 111 RAF aircraft - 89 Stirlings, 12 Lancasters, 10 Mosquitos - carried out raids on 6 flying bomb sites in France without loss. 8 RAF Mosquitos went to Oberhausen and 5 to Rheinhausen, 8 RCM sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, 8 Wellingtons minelaying off St Nazaire, 16 OTU sorties. No aircraft were lost. Total effort for the night including the raid on Magdeburg: 843 sorties, 58 aircraft (6.9 per cent) were lost. The number of aircraft lost was the heaviest in any night of the war so far.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 187: 36 V-weapon sites in France, 34 in the Pas de Calais area and 2 in the Cherbourg area, were targetted; 24 were attacked by 302 of 597 B-17s and 68 of 198 B-24s; 15 B-17s and 9 B-24' hit targets of opportunity (2 V-weapon sites and 3 airfields); they claimed 5-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-24s and a B-17 were lost, 3 B-24s were damaged beyond repair, and 103 B-17s and 41 B-24s were damaged. This mission was escorted by 49 P-38s, 531 P-47s and 48 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 6-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-2-0 on the ground; 1 P-47 was lost, 1 was damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged. 119 US Ninth Air Force B-26s also bombed V-weapon sites in France.

Major Heinz Bar with 179 victories was assigned to 6./JG 1 after falling out of favor with Goering. He reported to the Staffel as an ordinary pilot. He was joined there by Lt. Ludwig-Wilhelm Burckhardt who was appointed Staffelkapitaen of the Fw 190 equipped 6./JG 1. As Burckhardt was used to flying the Bf 109, he had difficulties in coming to terms with the heavier Fw 190.

22 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: Convoy JW-56B sailed for Murmansk. Destroyer HMCS 'Huron' departed Loch Ewe as part of the close escort for a 15-ship convoy to the Kola Inlet. In the summer of 1942, all subsequent Arctic convoys to Russian sailed in the winter months, taking advantage of foul weather and reduced daylight to conceal their movements from German aerial reconnaissance. This was very successful and subsequent losses were negligible.

US General Dwight Eisenhower ordered George Patton to take command of the US 3rd Army in Britain.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allied landings began at Anzio. The US VI Corps (US 5th Army) landed a two-division force consisting of the US 3rd and British 1st Infantry Divisions behind the German Gustav lines at Anzio, 30 miles south of Rome.

In the inky blackness, British and American troops of VI Corps, taking part in Operation SHINGLE, boarded landing craft from a convoy of 243 ships that arrived off this small port on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Heavy opposition was expected when the landing craft hit the beaches. Yet there was no slaughter when the Allied army came ashore. Anzio was deserted, a ghost town; the inhabitants evacuated; there were no defenders. As evening fell on Anzio, nearly 50,000 men and 3,000 vehicles landed with the loss of 13 men, mostly from mines. The road to Rome, 32 miles to the north, was open. Intelligence reported that there were few, if any, German defenders on the route. The German reaction by General Kesselring was quick, but a scarcity of troops forced desperate improvisation to contain the Allied force.

But with the memory of the near-debacle at Salerno still fresh in his mind, US commander, Major-General John Lucas was determined to build up his beach-head defences before venturing forth. He had calculated on a rugged defence, and ordered his army to dig in to fight off counter-attacks. Lucas's commander, General Mark Clark, arrived with General Alexander. The British commander was all for pushing forward with strong mobile forces. Clark advised Lucas not to "stick his neck out". Winston Churchill, ever an enthusiast for this invasion, cabled Alexander to say:

"Am very glad you are pegging out claims rather than digging in."

Click to expand...

Lucas established his headquarters in an underground wine cellar and showed no sign of pegging out claims.

In Italy, maximum aerial support was given to the Allied landings at Anzio; fighter-bombers, light and medium bombers directed efforts toward isolating the landing area by cutting roads, bridges, and railroads and obstructing towns in the surrounding region, at Valetri, Valmontone, Colleferro, Ceprano, and Fondi and hitting traffic and communications throughout the area; fighters maintained a patrol over shipping and beachhead and successfully intercept several enemy fighter-bomber missions directed against the landings. Unescorted B-17s and B-24s bombed the Terni and Arezzo marshalling yards, Pontedera marshalling yard and airfield, a road and rail junction NW of Frascati, Terracina road defile and Pontecorvo bridge and town area; P-38s strafed targets in the Arce-Frosinone area, including several vehicles and train cars; P-47s on a sweep over the Rome area encountered several fighters, and claimed 5 shot down; 2 P-47s were lost.

Hptm. Wilhelm Steinmann replaced Hptm. Franz Hahn as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 4. He then moved with the unit when it transferred from Osa (Littorio) to Fabrica di Toma.

23 JANUARY 1944

MEDITERRANEAN: 50,000 men were now ashore at Anzio. Lucas continued to cautiously expand the beachhead against feeble resistance. Kesselring decided that his strong positions at Cassino could be maintained so long as reinforcements promised from OKW reserves arrived as scheduled. In all, eight divisions from France, northern Italy and the Balkans were on the move to Anzio. The Luftwaffe was able to hit the beachhead and landing zone with several air raids.

The initial German response to the major threat posed the landing was to strike against shipping and hinder the Allied build-up. 135 long-range bombers were rapidly moved to Italy from northwest Germany, France and Greece including 45 aircraft that came from I. and III./LG 1 in Greece, 55 aircraft combined from II., III./KG 30 and I./KG 76 from the Western front, 5 aircraft of II./KG 100 out of southern France and 30 aircraft from the reofitting I./KG 30 and II./KG 76. Included were aircraft that had recently participated in Unternehmen Steinbock. Simultaneously, the anti-shipping force in southern France was reinforced by 50+ Do 217s and He 177s, operating from as far away as Bordeaux, using the Hs 293 bomb. The German bombers went into action and the intial anti-shipping effort was not very successful as a number of bombers were lost. A He 177 from 4./KG 40 was shot down by Beaufighters off Cape Corso. A formation of 40 to 50 German bombers was intercepted enroute to Rome by a flight of 4 Spitfires. In the battle that ensued, 6 bombers were shot down with no loss to themselves. The bomber formation turned around and never reached their target.

Supporting the landing with gunfire, HMS 'Jervis' and her sister ship, 'Janus', were attacked by enemy aircraft using Henschel Hs 293 glider bombs. Both were hit; 'Janus'' forward magazine exploded, sinking her with the loss of nearly 160 of her crew; 'Jervis'' bow was blown off, leaving her to be towed stern-first to safety. Astonishingly, not one of her crew were harmed in this incident, and she was able to rescue over 80 of 'Janus'' crew. The loss of the destroyer 'Janus'' was a sad blow. She and 'Jervis' had fired over 500 rounds of 4.7", of the first two days of Anzio, a figure typical of many destroyers which indicated the enormous amount of help given by these ships during those critical days in Italy.

In Italy, B-17s bombed road bridges at Pontecorvo and Ceprano, railroad line and bridge at Falconara, Marittima, and marshalling yards at Poggibonsi and Siena; P-47s escorted the B-17s to the latter 2 targets; B-24s bombed Rieti Airfield, Porto Civitanova marshalling yard, and targets of opportunity, including a bridge near Cagli, marshalling yard N of Perugia, and landing strip S of Iesi; P-47s and P-38s carried out sweeps in wide areas around Rome and Florence, reaching out to Viterbo, Rieti, Orte, and Terni. B-26s bombed the area S of Avezzano while B-25s hit the town of Avezzano and road junction at Monte Cornacchia; A-20s bombed Vallecorsa with good results; A-36s attacked Vallecorsa, road junctions at Fondi and in the Priverno area, the town of Ceccano, and railroad at Sezze; P-47s bombed the bridge at Skradin, Yugoslavia; RAF Desert Air Force (DAF) fighters strafed tanks and trucks on the British Eighth Army front, and XII Air Support Command fighters covered the US Fifth Army's Anzio beachhead during the day.

Pte George Allen Mitchell (b.1911), London Scottish, took two gun posts alone and led two further assaults before being killed - by a soldier who had surrendered. (Victoria Cross)

WESTERN FRONT: Nearly 200 B-26s bombed V-weapon sites in the French coastal area. 37 RAF Mosquitos were dispatched to 6 different targets, 3 RCM sorties, 9 aircraft minelaying off Cherbourg, Brest and Le Havre. No aircraft were lost.

24 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The 1st and 2nd Ukraine Fronts began a major offensive. The Red Army attacks in the north gathered momentum as Pushkin and Pashovsk were captured and the important rail line between Narva and Krasnogvardeisk was cut. The Soviets, having regrouped and replenished supplies opened with a fresh set of attacks south of Kiev. 1st Ukrainian Front launched a major attack on the left wing of the German 1st Panzer Army positions near Korsun. Later in the day, similar attacks began by the 2nd Ukrainian Front to the south. Zhukov was coordinating the two offensives in the hope that the Germans would be trapped in their desperate and seemingly meaningless desire to hold some part of the Dnepr River.

German submarines attacked the Murmansk-bound convoy JW 56A. U.S. freighter SS 'Penelope Barker' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-278' about 115 miles (185 kilometres) from North Cape, Norway. 10 merchant sailors and 5 Armed Guard men (of the 43-man merchant complement and the 28-man Armed Guard, respectively) perished in the explosions. British destroyer HMS 'Savage' rescued the survivors

MEDITERRANEAN: The Battle of Cassino began. The US 100th Infantry Battalion fought in the first two assaults. The rest of the US 5th Army battered itself against the Gustav line with the Free French Corps attacking Monte Santa Croce, north of Casino, and the US 2nd Corps striking across the Rapido River near Caira. Adolf Hitler ordered the Gustav Line in Italy to be held at all costs.

Allied troops paused at Anzio, giving Germany time to bring up reinforcements. The beachhead was slowly expanded (now 24 miles wide and 7 miles deep) against little resistance.

Luftwaffe aircraft attacked and sank the British hospital ship 'St. David' and also damaged the destroyer USS 'Plunkett' (DD-431) and minesweeper USS 'Prevail' (AM-107); an aerial torpedo damaged the destroyer USS 'Mayo' (DD-422). Capt. Jenkin Robert Oswald Thompson (b.1911), RAMC, after four years of gallant service on hospital ships, went down with the 'St. David' while trying to save a trapped patient. (George Cross).

During another Luftwaffe air raid on Allied shipping at Naples, U.S. freighter SS 'F.A.C. Muhlenberg' was damaged by a bomb and by a near-miss of a bomb; the ship's crew and port firefighting crews extinguished the fires. Seven crewmen were killed.

Weather canceled all US Twelfth Air Force medium and light bomber operations. In Italy, fighters maintained cover over the Anzio beachhead (Anzio and Nettuno were captured during the day) and encountered increased air attacks. 3 fighters were claimed destroyed in aerial combat, while 1 Allied fighter was lost. A formation of He 111s and Ju 88s were attacked by 4 British fighters and lost 2 He 111s and a Ju 88. P-40 fighter-bombers hit the road at Penne, while A-36s bombed Velletri and the road junction E of town, and hit other communications targets.

US Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bombed the airfield and town area at Skoplje, Yugoslavia. In Bulgaria, B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Vrattsa and the Dolno Tserovene area, both targets of opportunity. P-38s escorted the B-24's while P-47s accompany the B-17s.

Luftwaffe transfers to the Italian front continued. II./JG 77 transferred to Siena with 31 Bf 109s and came under the operation of Fliegerfuhrer Luftflotte 2. III./JG 53 stopped in Lagnasco with 26 Bf 109s. 2 of the Bf 109s ran into one another and another damaged its undercarriage. 9 Bf 109s then took off to join II./JG 77 at Siena.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 191: 857 B-17s and B-24s were put into the air with intentions of bombing transportation and industrial targets at Frankfurt-Heddernheim, Frankfurt/Main and Russelsheim. Most bombers had trouble forming up in bad weather and only 563 of the 857 airborne were dispatched; all of the B-24s were recalled. Because of worsening weather all groups were recalled at 1020 hours but 58 B-17s bombed the Zukunft Power Station near Eschweiler; they claimed 1-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 B-17s were lost. Escorting were 101 P-38s, 535 P-47s and 42 Ninth Air Force P-51s; the fighters were assigned area patrol, protecting all bombers as they passed through their designated area but this was abandoned when the bombers were recalled; they claimed 19-4-9 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 2P-51s were lost and 6 P-47s were damaged.

WESTERN FRONT: The RAF and USAAF in the United Kingdom, agreed to place most of the available P-51s in the US Eighth Air Force for long range escort of heavy bomber's. Eventually the Eighth was to be equipped almost exclusively with P-51s, with the P-38s and P-47s to be transferred to the US Ninth Air Force.

175+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s attacked V-weapon sites in the coastal area of France.

25 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: SS 'Fort Bellingham', a Canadian-owned, British-registered merchantman, was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-360', Kptlt Klaus Becker, CO, and 'U-957', OLtzS Gerhard Schaar, (Knights Cross), CO. Thirty-nine members of her crew were lost. 'Fort Bellingham' was proceeding to the Kola Inlet, Russia, as part of the 20-ship Convoy JW-56A. She and 2 other ships were sunk from this convoy. The destroyer HMS 'Obdurate' was damaged by a Gnat from 'U-360' while escorting the convoy JW-56A to North Russia. The U-boat missed the damaged destroyer with a coup de grâce. Convoy JW-56A arrived on 28 Jan 44. In total - including the U.S. freighter SS 'Penelope Barker' sunk the day before - the 3 ships' cargoes amounted to 21,650 tons of military stores.

The attacks by Soviet forces around Korsun met serious resistance. The 1st Ukrainian Front met heavy resistance but continued to move toward Zvenigorodka. The 4th Guards and 5th Guards Tank Armies (2nd Ukrainian Front) were met with very serious resistance and suffered heavy casualties from concentrated German artillery support. The Red Army captured the railway junction at Krasnogvardeisk, south-west of Leningrad.

MEDITERRANEAN: German forces in the Casino area launched counterattacks against the Free French Corps, wiping out their gains from the previous day.

Off Anzio, the motor minesweeper YMS-30 was sunk by a mine and the submarine chaser PC-676 was damaged by near-miss of a bomb.

In Italy, B-17s bombed targets of opportunity (highways and railroad bridges) at Pedaso, SE of Pedaso, at Stazione di Monte Silvano and on the Vomano River NW of Pescara; other B-17s returned bombs to base after finding targets obscured by bad weather. B-25s bombed Valmontone; B-26s hit the Sezze marshalling yard, the Sezze-Bassiano road, Amelia, and Rieti marshalling yard; A-20s attacked Terelle; A-36s hit Civita Castellana, Itri, Velletri, and railroad rolling stock in the area; P-40s hit Velletri and Belmonte in Sabina and strafe trucks E of Fondi; P-40s and P-47s hit shipping in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, and nearby road and rail traffic. British fighters of the RAF DAF hit bridge approaches at Popoli, near the British Eighth Army front.

WESTERN FRONT: 76 RAF aircraft - 56 Stirlings, 12 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - attacked flying bomb sites in the Pas de Calais and near Cherbourg without loss. Nearly 150 US Ninth Air Force B-26s, airborne to bomb V-weapon sites in France, were forced to abandon the missions because of heavy clouds. During the evening, 5 US Eighth Air Force B-17s dropped 1.2 million leaflets on Caen, Reims, Chartres, Chateauroux and Brest, France without loss.

GERMANY: In an Oboe Mk II test, the Oboe equipment failed 3 minutes before the target (Aachen, Germany) and the B-17 dropped on the ETA; the B-17 was damaged by flak. 14 RAF Mosquitos also flew to Aachen, 18 OTU sorties. 1 OTU Wellington was lost.