This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

26 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The attack at Leningrad continued to move forward as Krasnogvardeisk was captured. The Germans were showing signs of collapse on this front. Slightly to the south, the Red Army opened an offensive to clear the Moscow-Leningrad rail line. Heavy fighting flared up at Tosno and Lyuban.

German submarines continued attacks against Murmansk- bound convoy JW 56A. Ten U-boats attacked the convoy, sinking three merchant ships. 'U-716' fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes on the convoy JW-56A, heard two hits and reported one ship with 7000 tons sunk and another of 7000 tons damaged. In fact, only the 'Andrew G. Curtin' in station #61 was hit by one torpedo on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 holds. The watch below secured the engines as the ship settled by the head and listed to starboard. The deck cracked forward of the #3 hold and extended across the vessel. As the Liberty ship sank, the crack widened and the bow soon hogged about 25°. The complement of eight officers, 35 men and 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) abandoned ship in some confusion in one raft and four lifeboats aft of the crack. Two crewmembers drowned and one armed guard died in the explosion. The survivors observed the 'Andrew G. Curtin' breaking in two before sinking. In less than 30 minutes, HMS 'Inconstant' picked up the survivors and landed them later in Murmansk. The USS PTC-39 was on transfer from the USA to North Russia aboard the 'Andrew G. Curtin' and was lost. During operations against the convoy 'U-360' and 'U-601' collided, resulting in slight damage to both boats.

5(F)./122 transferred from Pskov-South to Jelgava (Mitau) in Central Latvia and remained there under FAGr.1 until July 1944.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 5th Army made headway against the Gustav Line as the Free French Corps captured Colle Belvedere and the 2nd Corps finally established a secure position across the Rapido River.

Off Anzio, mines sank Infantry landing craft LCI-32 and damaged tank landing ship LST-422. During a German air raid on shipping off the invasion beaches, U.S. freighter 'John Banyard' was damaged by near-miss of aerial bomb. While there were no casualties to those on board (including the 27-man Armed Guard), the ship would later be written off as a total loss. Off Nettuno, a German fighter plane crashed into freighter 'Hilary A. Herbert' shortly before the freighter was further damaged by the near-miss of a bomb. Beached to prevent her loss, 'Hilary A. Herbert' was later repaired and returned to service.

In Italy, A-20s attacked Cisterna di Latina, toward which the US Fifth Army's VI Corps was moving; A-36s and P-40s flew harassing attacks against roads and railroads, bombing at Belmonte in Sabina, Cisterna, Itri, Ceccano, Frosinone, Poggio Mirteto and at points around these towns; A-36s destroyed a fuel dump and several trucks and artillery caissons in the Ceprano-Priverno area.

WESTERN FRONT: 144 B-26s scheduled to bomb V-weapon sites in France were recalled because of bad weather.

 

[Njaco]

27 JANUARY 1944

EASTERN FRONT: The blockade of Leningrad was lifted. This continued for 872 days and took the lives of over a million people. The news was announced by General Govorov, the planner and commander of the onslaught which drove the Germans away from the beleaguered city. In an order of the day he announced:

"The city of Leningrad has been completely freed from the enemy blockade and the barbaric artillery shelling."

Leningrad suffered grievous damage. Many of its fine buildings were destroyed by shelling and bombing. In the occupied southern suburbs the retreating Germans looted and set fire to buildings, and left the bodies of partisans hanging from the trees. Now, as they celebrated their release, their liberators werer rushing on to the west in great strength, outnumbering Field Marshal von Kuchler's weakened Army Group North in men, arms and aircraft. The Red Army was now approaching the German defence zone codenamed "Panther", which ran south from the Gulf of Finland, along the river Narva and the banks of Lakes Peipus and Pskovskoye, to the town of Ostrov.

The Germans were beginning to collapse as Tosno and Valosovo both fell to Red Army advances. The battle around Korsun continued to rage as the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured the important road junction at Shpola. Fighting on the northern side of the bulge was heavy and 1st Ukrainian front made limited advances.

WESTERN AFRICA: The government of Liberia declared war on Germany and Japan.

WESTERN FRONT: USAAF Captain James Stewart was promoted to the rank of Major.

In France, US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s bombed airfields at Salon-de-Provence and Montpellier-Frejorgues; B-24s hit Istres-Le-Tube Airfield; P-38s flew escort.

UNITED KINGDOM: Churchill laid down two priorities for Bomber Command: first to bomb targets on the continent, and second, to drop supplies to resistance fighters.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Free French Corps was once again hit by serious German counterattacks and was pushed back.

German air opposition to the landings at Anzio began to increase; submarine chaser SC-534 was damaged by a near- miss of a bomb. Adverse weather conditions caused damage to one large infantry landing craft (LCI[L]) and eleven tank landing craft (LCT).

In Italy, B-25s attacked roads at Velletri, the railway at Colleferro and marshalling yard at Orte; B-26s bombed bridges at Ceprano and marshalling yard at Terni; A-20s gave close support to the US Fifth Army attack near Terelle; A-36s bombed railways and buildings at Poggio Mirteto, Ceccano, and Ciampino, hit rail and road traffic S of Rome, and, with P-40s, hit the town of Piedimonte; 70+ P-40s provided close support to Fifth Army forces in Cisterna di Latina and Atina, bombing gun positions; Allied fighters over the Anzio beachhead successfully met increased enemy air effort, claiming 28 aircraft downed in aerial combat.

GERMANY: 515 RAF Lancasters and 15 Mosquitos were dispatched to Berlin. The German fighters were committed to action earlier than normal, some being sent out 75 miles over the North Sea from the Dutch coast. A number of elaborate feints and diversions had some effect; Half of the German fighters were lured north by a Heligoland mining diversion and action in the main bomber stream was less intense than on recent nights. 33 Lancasters were lost, 6.4 per cent of the heavy force. The target was cloud-covered again and skymarking had to be used. Bomber Command was not able to make any assessment of the raid except to state that the bombing appeared to have been spread well up and down wind. The bombers dropped 1887 tons of ordnance, again inflicting severe losses on the city's population. Estimates were that 6000 people perished in the attack.

Extensive RAF operations were carried out in support of the Berlin raid. 80 Stirlings and Wellingtons flew to the Dutch coast and laid mines there, 21 Halifaxes did the same near Heligoland, both hoping to draw the German fighters up early. 9 aircraft flew RCM sorties and 12 Mosquitos flew Serrate patrols. 18 Mosquito-bomber aircraft dropped imitation 'fighter flares' away from the main bomber routes to and from the target. 140 aircraft were thus engaged in various operations in support of the main raid. 1 Stirling minelayer was lost.

 

[Njaco]

28 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-271' was sunk west of Limerick, by depth charges from a US Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator aircraft (VB-103/E, based in St. Eval, Cornwall under operational control of RAF No. 19 (General Reconnaissance) Group, RAF Coastal Command). The PB4Y crew caught 'U-271' on the surface and dropped six depth charges causing the sub to settle by the stern and sink. 51 dead (all hands lost).

'U-571' was sunk west of Ireland, by depth charges from an Australian Shorts Sunderland MKIII aircraft (RAAF-Sqdn 461/D, out of Pembroke Dock, Wales). 52 dead (all hands lost). Unlike many U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, 'U-571' did not suffer any casualties until the time of her loss.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 195: 54 B-24s in 2 groups were dispatched to the Bonnieres V-weapon site in France; 2 Gee-H equipped PFF aircraft led each group; due to technical difficulties, the second formation was ordered to follow the lead and bombed the same target as a secondary; 4 minutes before the target the leader of one section accidentally released and the following 11 aircraft did likewise; 31 hit the primary; 1 B-24 was damaged. 122 P-47s provided escort without loss. Gee-H was more accurate than H2X but was of use only against targets within the 200-mi (320 km) beacon range; later, aircraft were equipped with both devices.

During the evening, 5 B-17s dropped 1.36 million leaflets on Amiens, Rouen, Cambrai, Reims and Caen, France without loss.

EASTERN FRONT: The Korsun Pocket was formed: The spearheads of the Soviet 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts linked up as forward elements of the 6th Tank Army and 5th Guards Tank Army entered Zvenigorodka. 56,000 Germans from the 11th and 42nd Corps (8th Army) were trapped in the salient at Korsun. Hitler insisted that the now surrounded positions on the Dnepr River be held and forbid a breakout attempt. Von Manstein, commanding Heeresgruppe South, began to assemble an armored force to break into the encircled troops. Red Army attacks in the north gained momentum as the German 18.Armee was ordered to abandon positions held since the fall of 1941 and retreat to the Luga River line. Soviet forces took Lyugan.

MEDITERRANEAN: Off Anzio, motor torpedo boat PT-201 - that has Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Commanding General of the U.S. Fifth Army, on board - was damaged by friendly fire from minesweeper 'Sway' (AM-120); submarine chaser SC-534 was damaged by near-miss of a bomb.

In Italy, US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s, with fighter escorts, bombed Aviano Airfield and Verona marshalling yard; B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Ferrara. US Twelfth Air Force B-25s attacked the Orte marshalling yard; B-26s hit bridges at Orvieto and Montalto di Castro; A-20s bombed Cisterna di Latina with good results; P-40s and P-47s bombed the Popoli road junction, and A-36s hit railroad, road, and gun positions in the Cassino-Vicenza-Velletri areas, the Colleferro marshalling yard, and Atina town area; P-40s hit Terelle, Belmonte in Sabina, and Cisterna; Allied fighters over the Anzio area claimed 21 aircraft shot down.

GERMANY: 677 RAF aircraft - 432 Lancasters, 241 Halifaxes, 4 Mosquitos were again sent to Berlin. Part of the German fighter force was drawn up by early diversions and the bomber approach route over Northern Denmark proved too distant for some of the other German fighters. The German controller was, however, able to concentrate his fighters over the target and many aircraft were shot down there. 46 aircraft - 26 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters - were lost, 6.8 per cent of the force. The cloud over Berlin was broken and some ground-marking was possible but the Bomber Command claim that this was the most concentrated attack of this period is not quite fully confirmed by German records. The western and southern districts were hit but so too were 77 places outside the city.

63 RAF Stirlings and 4 Pathfinder Halifaxes carried out minelaying in Kiel Bay 5 hours before the main Berlin operation; this was the first time that Pathfinder aircraft helped a minelaying operation. 6 Mosquitos bombed Berlin 4 hours before the main attack and 18 Mosquitos bombed night-fighter airfields at Deelen, Leeuwarden and Venlo. 4 Mosquitos carried out a diversionary raid to Hannover and 6 more Mosquitos flew Serrate patrols at the same time as the main raid. 2 Stirling minelayers and 1 Serrate Mosquito were lost from these operations. 16 OTU Wellingtons carried out leaflet flights to France without loss.

During the night, 1 US Eighth Air Force B-17 on an Oboe Mk II test dropped 2 tons of bombs on Emmerich, Germany.

 

[Njaco]

29 JANUARY 1944

MEDITERRANEAN: With his entire command (69,000 troops, 240 tanks, 500 guns) now ashore, Lucas made plans to break out of the Anzio beachhead. Regrettably, the Germans massed 8 divisions (grouped under the 14.Armee) against him. To the south, the US 2nd Corps made some progress in expanding their positions across the Rapido River.

The cruiser HMS 'Spartan' was anchored in Anzio Bay to provide air defence for the amphibious landings. As night fell, approximately 35 minutes after sunset, the invasion force was subjected to a German glider bomb attack. Four enemy aircraft, flying at about 5,000 feet and a few miles inland made the attack. 'Spartan' was one of those targeted and engaged the aircraft when an Hs.293 glider bomb hit close to her aft funnel at 17.56 and started fires which could not be controlled. The bomb was engaged at close range by anti-aircraft fire and it was at first thought that the bomb would miss astern. However, the weapon altered course during the final stage of its approach and struck the ship at the after end of B funnel. A large fire broke out at the point of impact. The projectile passed through the ship and exploded on the port side, immediately flooding B boiler room. A secondary fire broke out by the port torpedo tubes. By 1900 the ship was listing 30 degrees and, shortly afterwards, the order was given to abandon ship. The list increased to 35 degrees and 'Spartan' sank at 1915, in six fathoms of water. For an hour the crew fought to save her before the order was given to abandon ship. Ten minutes later she settled on her beam in just over 30 feet of water, taking 5 officers and 41 ratings with her. There were 18 other casualties, and 523 survivors. The rescue tug ATR-1 was damaged by a near-miss of bomb. The freighter 'Alexander Martin' was damaged by strafing but there were no fatalities among the ship's complement (including the 24-man Armed Guard). Off Nettuno, freighter 'Samuel Huntington' was sunk by bombs; three merchant sailors died in the explosions, one would die of his wounds later. Her survivors were rescued by tank landing craft LCT-277. There were no casualties among the 39-man Armed Guard; the ship would later be written off as a total loss.

In Italy, B-24s bombed the Siena marshalling yard through overcast; B-17s bombed marshalling yards at Ancona, Fabriano, Rimini, and Bologna; P-47s swept over the Rome and Florence areas. B-25s bombed San Benedetto de Marsi marshalling yard; B-26s hit bridges N of Rome; P-47s bombed a munitions factory at Bussi sul Tirino; P-40s and A-36s, in support of US Fifth Army forces, bombed positions in the Anzio beachhead area and hit enemy forward road and rail communications; fighters on patrol over Anzio met little air opposition.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces cleared the important railway line between Moscow and Leningrad.

General Model replaced Field Marshal von Kuchler as commander of Germany's Heeresgruppe North. Hitler, incensed over Kuchler's orders allowing 18.Armee to retreat from the vicinity of Leningrad before it was surrounded, replaced the commander of Heeresgruppe North with General Model. Model's new command continued to collapse as the Volkhov Front took Chudovo and 2nd Baltic Front overran Novosokolniki.

WESTERN FRONT: The Allies opened a new escape route, codename "Shelburne", for downed Allied airmen. Thirteen USAAF airmen escaped from Plouha, France to Dartmouth, England on British MTBs.

An Fw 200 of 12./KG 40 was shot down by fighters near Somerville. Four of the crew perished in the crash and four survived.

80+ US Ninth Air Force B-26s bombed V-weapon sites in coastal France.

UNITED KINGDOM: Because of the transfer of so many Luftwaffe bombers to the Med, General Peltz who was in charge of the 'Steinbock' attacks, was only able to use 35 He 177s for operations against England. This night a total of 285 bombers were dispatched against London.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 198: Led by PFF aircraft, 675 B-17s and 188 B-24s were dispatched to hit the industrial area at Frankfurt, Germany; 590 B-17s and 170 B-24s hit the primary target; 46 B-17s bombed Ludwigshafen due to a deviation from planned bomb route; they claimed 75-27-48 Luftwaffe aircraft; 24 B-17s and 5 B-24s were lost, 2 B-17s and 3 B-24s were damaged beyond repair and 116 B-17s and 19 B-24s were damaged. This was first Eighth Air Force mission in which more than 700 aircraft attacked targets. Escort was 89 P-38s, 503 P-47s and 40 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 47-6-14 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 P-38s and 10 P-47s were lost, 1 P-38 was damaged beyond repair and 3 P-38s and 1 P-47 were damaged. Raimund Koch of III./JG 3 shot down a B-17 near Kaiserlautern but his plane suffered damaged and he was forced to bail and survive. Bruno Bolowski, also from III./JG 3 was hit bt return fire from a B-17 near Scharzerden. Bolowski lost control and crashed into the Fortress, flown by Lee E. Anthony and both machines crashed to the ground. Bolowski was found 2 says later hanging dead from a tree.

 

[Njaco]

30 JANUARY 1944

WESTERN FRONT: U-Boat attacks were conducted againt the convoy JW.56B south of Bear Island, Norway. Whilst escorting the convoy, the destroyer HMS 'Hardy' was struck by a torpedo fired by 'U-278' (Kapitanleutnant Joachim Franze) and her magazine exploded. There were 40 casualties. 'U-957' had fired two Gnats at the escorts of the Convoy JW-56B and heard two detonations, which were claimed by Schaar as hits on two destroyers, but they were end-of-run detonations. At 0357, 'U-278' had fired a Gnat that struck HMS 'Hardy'. This hit was observed and claimed by 'U-957' and also by 'U-472', which had fired a Gnat at 0357 hours, but missed KNM 'Stord'. At 0420, 'U-957' fired a spread of three FAT torpedoes at two corvettes, which laid stopped (probably the destroyer HMS 'Venus' rescuing survivors from the torpedoed destroyer HMS 'Hardy') and heard one detonation after four minutes, but no destroyer had been hit at this time. 'Hardy' had been seriously damaged and had to be sunk by a coup de grâce by HMS 'Venus'. This detonation was heard by 'U-601', which thought that her Gnat, fired at 0524 had hit this destroyer. The U-boat then crossed the sinking position of 'Hardy' and sighted an oil slick and debris. 'U-314' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the Barents Sea southeast of Bear Island, Norway, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS 'Whitehall' and 'Meteor'. 49 dead (all crew lost).

UNITED KINGDOM: Air Ministry head Charles Portal replied to a letter from Bomber Command head Arthur Harris, that Bomber Command must comply with orders that his bombers be used for operation Overlord.

MEDITERRANEAN: Lucas' offensive out of the Anzio beachhead opened with a disaster. Darby's Rangers (1st, 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions) were ordered to spearhead a night attack against the key German position at Cisterna. The attack went badly as the infiltration groups (1st and 3rd battalions) broke into separate groups in the confusing terrain. Upon reaching the town, the Rangers were brought under a horrific fire. The Germans brought forward the tanks of newly reformed Herman Goring Panzerdivision. The 1st and 3rd Rangers were cut off and pushed into a small perimeter. They fought throughout the day but lacked heavy weapons, and ammunition to prolong the battle. By the evening, they surrendered or were dead. All but 6 of the 767 men from the two battalions were lost.

Heavy fighting continued along the Gustav Line as the US 34th Division held its bridgehead over the Rapido River against counterattacks while the British 50th Division (10th Corps) took Monte Natale.

In Italy, B-17s hit airfields and landing grounds at Villaorba, Maniago and Lavariano; B-24s bombed Udine Airfield and Fier radar station; P-38s escorted the B-17s on the Villaorba and Maniago missions and P-38s and some RAF Spitfires escorted the B-24s on the Udine mission; P-47s carried out a sweep over the Villaorba area; the B-24s and fighters claimed 60+ aircraft shot down and a larger number destroyed on the ground. B-25s hit road junctions at Valmontone and Genzano di Roma, and bombed the town of Monte Compatri; weather cancelled all B-26 operations and several B-25 missions. A-20s hit the town of and road junction near Cori, and XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers hit Sora; US and RAF fighters hit barges and fishing boats off Zara and Trojica, Yugoslavia; fighters on patrol over Anzio met no air opposition.

GERMANY: 534 RAF aircraft - 440 Lancasters, 82 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - returned to Berlin. There were no preliminary diversions on this night and the attempt by the German controllers to intercept the bomber stream over the sea failed. The bombers were, therefore, well on the way to Berlin before meeting any fighters but the Germans were then able to follow the bomber stream until well into the return flight. 33 aircraft - 32 Lancasters and 1 Halifax - were lost, 6.2 per cent of the force.

22 RAF Mosquitos went to Elberfeld and 5 to Brunswick, 8 RCM sorties, 7 Serrate patrols, 12 Stirlings minelaying in the River Gironde, 22 OTU sorties. No losses.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 200: 623 B-17s and 154 B-24s were dispatched to hit aviation industry plants in Brunswick, Germany but cloud cover prevented visual bombing; 597 B-17s hit the secondary target, the city of Brunswick and 2 others hit targets of opportunity; the B-24s found dense smoke and contrails over the secondary and 104 bombed Hannover and 39 hit other targets of opportunity; the bombers claimed 51-7-27 Luftwaffe aircraft; 18 B-17s and 2 B-24s were lost, 3 B-17s were damaged beyond repair and 104 B-17s and 11 B-24s were damaged. Escort included 635 P-38s, P-47s and Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 45-15-31 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-38s and 2 P-47s were lost, 2 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 2 P-51s were damaged.

On the whole, 30 January had to be chalked up as a failure for the Luftwaffe day-fighter units assigned to home defense. Five pilots from 4./JG 11 were killed, 6./JG 11 had 3 lost and Stab II./JG 11 lost one aircraft. Fw. Nowotny from 5./JG 11 was killed and Lt. Heinz Knocke and Ofw. Raddatz were shot down but both survived. II./JG 11 were transferring to Arnhem when they were bounced by Spitfires. The only success for JG 11 was Major Specht who managed to destroy a Spitfire. In total 30 aircraft were lost from III./JG 1, II./JG 26, III./JG 26, II./JG 27 and III./JG 301. But Sturmstaffel 1 was getting better against the Allied bombers. Uffz. Willi Maximowitz destroyed a bomber over Hannover and Major Erwin Bacsila downed a B-17.

Major Iro Ilk was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 300.

10./JG 301 was formed at Targsorul-Nou.

In a night Oboe Mk II test, 1 US Eighth AF B-17 dropped 2 bombs on Duren, Germany.

 

[Njaco]

31 JANUARY 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: The total number of bombers involved in Unternehmen Steinbock was fewer than the 600 claimed by Germany (an RAF assessment was 200), but the raids seemed to confirm to the Allies intelligence reports that the Germans were still building aircraft at a rate which made good their losses. Such a situation would cast doubt on the belief of Sir Arthur Harris that strategic bombing alone would end the war. This claim was also under fire after the heavy losses which the RAF has suffered (as well as inflicted) in the raids on Berlin.

SS 'Emerald' (736t) cargo ship, North-East port to Poole, was sunk by E Boats, SE of Beachy Head.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-592' was sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, by depth charges from the British sloops HMS 'Starling', 'Wild Goose' and 'Magpie'. 49 dead (all hands lost).

US Eighth Air Force Mission 203: 74 of 74 B-24s hit a V-weapon site construction at St. Pol/Siracourt, France; 2 aircraft were damaged beyond repair; no losses. The B-24s were escorted by 114 P-47s.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 204: 70 of 75 P-47 fighter-bombers, escorted by 47 P-38s and 87 P-47s bombed Gilze-Rijen Airfield, The Netherlands; they claimed 13-1-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 P-38s were lost, 1 P-38 was damaged beyond repair and 2 P-47s damaged.

Hptm. Hermann Segatz was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 1 after Hptm. Walter Hoeckner was posted to Stab I./JG 4.

US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s with P-38 escort, hit Klagenfurt Airfield, Austria; they claimed 16 aircraft shot down.

MEDITERRANEAN: Swift German reaction to the Anzio landings was threatening to turn the tables completely on the huge Allied army which landed nine days ago. The element of surprise was gone. Instead of the dash to Rome, activity has been limited to cautious attacks with heavy Allied casualties. Field Marshal Kesselring has now pulled reserves from all over Italy to ring the beach-head. US Rangers waded four miles in darkness along a half-dry irrigation canal to attack the village of Cisterna, but were detected at the last moment and came under withering tank fire. Only six men survived. The British 24 Guards Brigade met stiff resistance on the night of 29-30 January at the small hamlet of Carroceto, where the 29th Panzergrenadier Regiment was dug in and waiting; and the Sherwood Foresters suffered huge casualties in an assault on Campoleone. The US 5th Army made some progress against the Gustav Line as 2nd Corps captured Caira and the Free French Corps captured Monte Abate.

US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s bombed airfields at Aviano and Udine, Italy; P-38s and P-47s provided escort. Obstlt. Johannes Steinhoff, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 77 and Lt. Klinker were scrambled against the 80 B-17s heading to Udine. One B-17 was shot down by Lt. Klinker but his Bf 109 was damaged and he had to bale out, unhurt.

In Italy, A-20s bombed Artena and road junction N of town; P-40s and A-36s, operating E of the Anzio battle area, hit a road junction at Sezze, the town of Fondi, and junction and town area at Priverno; P-47s bombed San Benedetto de Marsi; the XII Air Support Command flew 250+ sorties over the Anzio beachhead; air opposition was absent.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet's opened a new offensive against Nikopol. 3rd Ukrainian Front spearheaded the attack along the lower Dnepr aimed at the industrial and transportation hub. The attacks around Leningrad continued as Red Army forces reached Kingisepp.

 

[Njaco]

1 February 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: The Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff agree to postpone Operation Overlord by a month.

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army continued to attack on the eastern front. Kingisepp fell in the north and spearheads were at the Estonian border. Model attempted to launch counterattacks at Luga and Utorgosh, but they failed to make an impression.

Major Fritz Kurschera, chief of the Gestapo in Poland was assassinated by the Polish underground.

4./SG 5 was formed from 14(Jabo)./JG 5 at Petsamo.Losses for 14(Jabo)./JG 5 were slight during the winter of 1943 /44 and by the end of 1943, the unit had flown over 1,000 sorties and had sunk 39,000 tons of shipping. The new 4./SG 5 operated under Luftflotte 5 until May 1944 when it became 1./SG 5. 14 (Jabo)./JG 5 had a difficult role and its success can be attributed to the pilots and their leader, "Straks" Strakeljahn. Flying old Fw 190s, the unit suffered a number of losses, particularily to AA fire but exacted revenge by attacking shipping in the Murmansk area.

WESTERN FRONT: Jagdkommando 1./SAGr 128 was redesignated 10./ZG 1, equipped with Ju 88C-6s at this time. 1./128, operating from Brest with 7 Fw 190s, worked alongside other units under Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik. 8./JG 2 periodically flew with 1./128 as did the best known of the Bay of Biscay German formations, V./KG 40 with its Ju 88s. Another unit was the Me 410 equipped 7./ZG 1.

Colonel Clarence E Crumrine temporarily took command of the XIX Air Support Command, replacing Major General Elwood R Quesada. The latter assumed command of the IX Air Support Command which assumed control of all fighter and reconnaissance units of the IX Fighter Command.

GERMANY: 12 RAF Mosquitos were sent to Berlin, 3 to Aachen and 3 to Krefeld. 3 Serrate patrols. 1 Mosquito lost on the Berlin raid.

MEDITERRANEAN: German planes carried out torpedo attack on convoy UGS 30, and the freighter 'Richmond P. Hobson' was damaged. There were no casualties among the crew (including the Armed Guard) and the ship reached Port Said, Egypt, on 10 February. Freighter 'Edward Bates' was torpedoed 65 miles from Oran and was abandoned; one of the 46-man merchant complement was killed, but there were no casualties among the 38-man Armed Guard or the seven passengers.

US Fifteenth Air Force Operations were limited to a fighter sweep of the Orvieto-Viterbo, Italy area by P-47s and to photo and weather reconnaissance. US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bombed the Albano Laziale road junction; P-40s bombed Cori, while A-36s hit Poggio Mieteto and P-47s attacked the station at San Valentino; fighters cover the Anzio battle area.

 

[Njaco]

2 February 1944

MEDITERRANEAN: Lucas called off attacks to break out of the Anzio beachhead as it became obvious that the Germans were in great strength and preparing their own counter attack. Unknown to the Allies, the Germans had intended on launching those attacks this very day, but the Allied attacks had disrupted those plans.

In Italy, B-25s attacked the Marino road junction and A-20s bombed Norma; A-36s and P-40s bombed villages, road junctions, trucks, trains, parked aircraft, supply dump, and the Viterbo road during several fighter-bomber missions; P-40s on patrol over the battle areas attacked Cisterna di Latina and Formia.

Sailing vessel 'Yahia' rammed and sunk by 'U-453' in eastern Mediterranean.

US Fifteenth Air Force B-24s, with Spitfire escort, bombed the radar station at Durazzo, Albania.

Major General Gordon P Saville became Commanding General, XII Air Support Command.

GERMANY: 7 RAF Mosquitos flew to Rheinhausen and 6 to Elberfeld, 2 RCM sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, 50 Halifaxes minelaying in Kiel Bay. The Kiel Bay mining operation was a ploy to draw up German fighters, even though no major bombing raid was planned. No aircraft were lost from these operations.

At Flensburg/Schleswig-Holstein 9./KG 1 was redesignated 14(Eins.)./KG 3. This unit was a highly specialized train-busting Staffel. The crew were trained to fly day or night along railways and bomb or shoot up trains, railway stations and marshalling yards. They were also used against tank concentrations. The unit was equipped with the cannon-armed Ju 88P.

EASTERN FRONT: In the north, Red Army forces entered Estonia and captured Vanakula. To the South, 4th Ukrainian Front joined the offensive against Nikopol, threatening to surround the German 6.Armee defending the area.

Marshall Josef V Stalin agreed to provide 6 bases for US aircraft in the USSR.

WESTERN FRONT: US Eighth Air Force Mission 205: 95 of 110 B-24s hit V-weapon construction sites at St Pol/Siracourt and Watten, France; 2 B-24s were lost, 1 was damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged. 183 P-47s escorted the B-24s without loss. US Ninth Air Force 36 B-26s attacked Triqueville Airfield, France. Eighth Air Force escorts were 34 P-38s and 44 P-47s. No losses.

 

[Njaco]

3 February 1944

GERMANY: 7 RAF Mosquitos flew to Krefeld, 4 to Dortmund and 3 to Cologne, 6 RCM sorties, 1 Serrate patrol, 35 aircraft minelaying off French Channel and Atlantic ports, 4 OTU .sorties. No aircraft lost.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 206: 553 of 671 B-17s hit the port area at Wilhelmshaven, Germany; another 56 hit the Emden area; and 1 hits Oldenburg; 1.8 million leaflets were dropped by B-17s; 193 B-24s were dispatched but they aborted the mission over the Zuider Zee due to clouds; 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft were claimed; 4 B-17s were lost, 1 B-24 was damaged beyond repair and 47 B-17s were damaged. Escort was provided by 74 P-38s, 508 P-47s of the Eighth and Ninth Air Force and 50 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 8-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 P-47s and 1 P-51 were lost, 3 P-47s were damaged beyond repair and 13 P-47s were damaged. The accommodation ship 'Monte Pasqual' was sunk and the minesweepers M 18 and M 19 were damaged by the attack.

MEDITERRANEAN: German forces began a counterattack at Anzio. Hitler had ordered that the Anzio beach-head "must be crushed in the blood of British soldiers". As dusk fell last night those soldiers were suffering a massive artillery barrage as the German 14.Armee prepared a full-scale counter-attack on the British salient. Every German gun was trained on the "thumb" created by the British 1st Division on 30 January in an abortive attempt to reach Campoleone. "Anzio Annie", a 14-inch railway gun, was used to devastating effect. However, the Germans' latest secret weapon - "Goliath", a radio-controlled miniature tank packed with explosive - failed under small-arms fire. German forces made probing attacks against the British 1st Division, attacking the exposed position around Campoleone. By mid-morning the "thumb" was nearly severed. Over 1,400 men had been lost. The Germans suffered similar losses, but showed no sign of letting up. To the south, the US 5th Army was reinforced by the New Zealand Corps and was deployed opposite Cassino.

In Italy, B-24s, finding the primary target obscured by bad weather, bombed targets of opportunity (railroad yards and stations) at Stimigliano and Sulmona; other B-24s returned to base without bombing; P-47s flew a fighter sweep over the Prato-Pontassieve area. US Twelfth Air Force Medium bomber missions were all aborted. In Italy, A-36s hit roads and other targets S of Rome, destroying or damaging numerous trucks and bombing the towns of Sezze and Fondi as US ground forces met strong resistance in their drive toward Cassino; P-47s hit Manopello and railroad facilities at Sulmona; and fighters patroled the Anzio area.

EASTERN FRONT: Victory salvoes were crashing out in Moscow as the Russians celebrated victories all along the front. In a special order of the day Stalin announced the trapping of ten German divisions in the Dniepr Bend in the biggest encirclement since Stalingrad. Meanwhile, in the north, General Govorov's troops crossed the Estonian border in their great Leningrad offensive.

WESTERN FRONT: The 358th Fighter Group at Raydon became operational with P-47s. This was the first of 17 fighter groups which were to be added by 9 May 44 to the Ninth Air Force, which previously had only 1 fighter group, the 354th at Boxted with P-51s.

52 US Ninth Air Force B-26s bombed V-weapon sites on the W coast of France. Weather caused 100+ other aircraft to abandon the mission.

 

[Njaco]

4 February 1944

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-453' shot down a SAAF 17 Sqn Ventura. 'U-519' shot down a RAF 172 Sqn Wellington. The U-boat was possibly lost in this attack. 'U-763' shot down two Liberators from RAF 53 Sqn. One at 0821, the second at 2211.

28 RAF aircraft were minelaying in the Bay of Biscay, 49 aircraft - 27 Stirlings, 17 Halifaxes, 3 Lysanders, 2 Hudsons - flew on Resistance operations. This was the first widespread use of the No 3 Group Stirling squadrons for Resistance operations work. No aircraft lost.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 209: 7 of 7 B-17s dropped 319 bundles of leaflets on Lorient, Tours, Nantes, Raismes, Lille and Cambrai, France and Antwerp, Belgium at 2102-2132 hours without loss.

Major General Otto P Weyland became Commanding General, XIX Air Support Command.

In France, US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s bombed Antheor viaduct and Toulon harbor; B-24s were forced by bad weather to return bombs to base; many of the B-17s returning from the Toulon raid were forced to land at various friendly fields because of unsafe flying conditions.

The Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 1, Hptm. Walter Hockner, was transferred to JG 4. Hptm. Hermann Segatz (33 kills) took over II./JG 1.

GERMANY: 9 RAF Mosquitos were sent to Frankfurt, 5 to Elberfeld and 1 to Aachen, 2 Serrate patrols.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 208: 589 B-17s and 159 B-24s were dispatched to attack industry and railroad yards at Frankfurt/Main, Germany; 346 B-17s and 27 B-24s hit the target; due to weather and navigational problems, 122 B-17s hit Giessen, 51 B-17s hit Wiesbaden, 17 B-24s hit the Trier area, 15 B-24s hit the Arloff area, 2 B-24s hit the Russelheim area, 1 B-24 hits Grafenhausen, 1 B-24 hits Darmstadt, 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 hit Koblenz and 26 B-24s and 23 B-17s hit unknown targets; they claimed 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 18 B-17s and 2 B-24s were lost, 2 B-17s and 1 B-24 were damaged beyond repair and 359 aircraft were damaged. Escort was provided by 56 P-38s, 537 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 44 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 8-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 was lost, 1 P-47 was damaged beyond repair and 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s were damaged.

MEDITERRANEAN: German forces opened up serious attacks against the British 1st Division, forcing them back. To the south, the US 34th Infantry Division captured two important peaks near Colle Sant'Angelo.

In Italy, weather prevented all medium, light and fighter-bomber missions; P-40s and Spitfires maintained patrols over the Anzio area, where a strong German counter-offensive had been launched during the night of 3/4 Feb.

EASTERN FRONT: Von Manstein massed four panzer divisions and an ad hoc heavy tank brigade under Bake and opened his counterattack to relieve their comrades at Korsun. The forces was denuded of the full strength of 24.Panzerdivision at the last minute as Hitler personally intervened and sent it south to help at Nikopol. In the end the 24.Panzerdivision would waste it's fuel and supplies slugging through mud marching to no purpose.

 

[Njaco]

5 February 1944

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-763' shot down an RAF 502 Sqn Halifax. 'U-963' shot down an RAF 53 Sqn Liberator.

29 RAF Stirlings and 17 Halifaxes flew on Resistance operations, 19 Halifaxes minelaying off Oslo and Fredrijkstad in Norway, 15 OTU sorties. 1 Stirling lost on Resistance operations work.

In view of the previous decision to concentrate most of the training activities of the Eighth Air Force in the VIII Air Force Composite Command, a decision was made to transfer HQ from Limavady, County Derry, Ireland, to Cheddington, England, to bring it closer to the combat crew training stations over which it was to be given supervision. Most of the transfer was completed between 7 and 15 Feb.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 210: Airfields in France were targetted. 103 B-17s were dispatched to Chateauroux/Martinerie and Avord Airfields with 50 hitting each target; 121 B-17s were dispatched to Chateaudun (61 bomb) and Orleans/Bricy (60 bomb) Airfields; 182 B-17s were dispatched to Romilly-sur-Seine air depot but 133 hit Villacoublay; 103 B-24s were dispatched to Meslay Airfield (90 bomb) and 8 hit Chateaudun; they claimed 5-0-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 B-24s were lost, 3 B-17s and 1 B-24 were damaged beyond repair and 39 B-17s and 31 B-24s were damaged. Escort was provided by 92 P-38s, 496 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 46 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 6-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-47s were lost, 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 were damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 were damaged.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 211: 5 of 5 B-17s dropped 300 bundles of leaflets during a CARPETBAGGER mission on Ghent, Monceau-sur-Sambre, Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium at 2026-2037 hours without loss.

Around 180 US Ninth Air Force B-26s attacked 6 V-weapon sites in N France.

GERMANY: 18 RAF Mosquitos went to Berlin, 7 to Duisburg and 1 to Hannover, 3 Serrate patrols.

EASTERN FRONT: As the German counterattack to relieve the Korsun pocket continued, 1st Ukrainian Front continued to drive west against the greatly depleted 4.Panzerarmee, capturing Rovno and Lutsk. The German forces inside the pocket were designated Group Stemmermann (after the senior commander). The Germans began air resupply missions to their trapped forces and had limited success. Soviet attacks began to reduce the pocket. To compound difficulties for both sides, the temperature plummeted to well below zero throughout the battle area.

Hptm. Alois Lechner, Gruppenkommandeur of I./NJG 100, was awarded the Ritterkruez.

An Fw 190 from 10./JG 5 went missing near Herdla/Gossen and Robert Merkl was lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-25s bombed Terni marshalling yard, and A-20s hit the Lanuvio and Piedimonte areas. P-40s and A-36s hit road junctions at Cisterna di Latina, Vetralla, and Velletri, bombed the towns of Vetralla, Ardea, and Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi, and attacked motor transport at several points, including areas N, NE and SE of Rome.

 

[Njaco]

6 February 1944

EASTERN FRONT: 150 heavy Soviet bombers attacked Helsinki as a part of Stalin's plan to soften Finland to separate from Germany and conclude peace. Thanks to the efficient Finnish air-defences, mostly equipment purchased from Germany, the damage to the city was limited, but still 103 people were killed.

The attacks by 3rd Ukrainian Front captured Manganets and Apostolovo east and west of Nikopol, threatening to cut off the Germans there.

MEDITERRANEAN: Both on the Cassino front and on the beachhead south of Rome, Allied troops were forced to withdraw under heavy German counterattacks.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-177' was sunk in the South Atlantic west of Ascension Island, by depth charges from a USN VB-107 Sqn Privateer. 50 dead and 15 survivors.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 212: Airfields in France were targetted but weather forces 400+ bombers to abort the mission. 189 B-17s were dispatched against the Romilly-sur-Seine Air Depot and 60 hit St Andre de L'Eure Airfield and 40 hit Evreux/Fauville Airfield; 303 B-17s were dispatched to Nancy/Essay and Dijon/Longvic Airfields but only 60 hit Caen/Carpiquet Airfield; 150 B-24s were dispatched to St Pol/Siracourt V-weapon site but 37 hit Chateaudun Airfield and 9 hit the Eclimeux V-weapon site; they claimed 3-3-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s were lost, 1 B-17 and 1 B-24 were damaged beyond repair and 43 B-17s and 7 B-24s were damaged. Escorting were 85 P-38s, 506 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 47 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 11-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-7 on the ground; 3 P-38s and 1 P-47 were lost, 1 P-38 and 2 P-47s were damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 were damaged. Uffz. Artur Beese of 9./JG 26 was killed.

 

[Njaco]

7 February 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler ordered German troops trapped in the Korsun pocket to break out. Group Stemmermann, under continuous pressure from Soviet attacks, contracted its perimeter, abandoning Gorodische and Yanovka, and prepared for a breakout attack. Meanwhile, the break-in attack continued against very heavy resistance.

WESTERN FRONT: The first schnorkel equipped German U-boat entered the Atlantic.

MEDITERRANEAN: The German attacks at Anzio intensified as the British positions at Aprilla and "The Factory" were hit hard. The British 56th and US 45th Infantry Divisions were landed at Anzio and moved to the front.

At Anzio, Maj. William Philip Sidney (b.1909), Grenadier Guards, led two attacks which forced off the enemy; later, he refused to have wounds seen to until the position was secure. (Victoria Cross)

Destroyer 'Ludlow' (DD-438) was damaged by dud shell from a German shore battery off Anzio, Italy.

In Italy, B-26s bombed the bridge approach S of Manziana; B-25s hit the Viterbo marshalling yard and, in support of US Fifth army troops, bombed the town of Cisterna di Latina as the enemy counterattack began in the Anzio area; A-20s hit Piedimonte and the road junction and railway station at Campoleone; A-36s hit San Stefano al Mare and nearby railroad siding, Pontecorvo and Belmonte in Sabina, plus several targets of opportunity and targets in support of ground forces in the battle areas; P-40s attacked an observation tower at Littoria, trucks at Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi, Campoleone, a railroad gun, the Sezze railroad yards, Cisterna di Latina and gun positions in battle areas. Fighters encountered heavy aircraft activity over the Anzio battle area and claimed 16 shot down. Three Bf 109s from Stab JG 77 were scrambled and made contact with 20 P-47s in the Padova-Verona area. After combat, Uffz Wolters belly-landed north of Treviso unhurt. Fw. Eckhardt Kruger from 1./JG 77 went missing in action near Verona. No Thunderbolts were claimed by the German fighters.

GERMANY: 19 RAF Mosquitos were dispatched to Frankfurt, 8 to Elberfeld, 5 to Krefeld, 2 to Aachen and 1 to Mannheim, 4 Serrate patrols. No losses.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Halifax bomber crew from Rufforth airfield were detailed for three engined daylight exercises using the airfield at Lissett near Bridlington. After several successful landings they were again in the circuit at 600' with the starboard outer engine shut down, the undercarriage down and on the final approach, when the starboard inner engine exploded. All that, plus the obvious loss of power made the outcome dependent on the pilot's skill. The bomber hit the ground in a landing attitude, lost the undercarriage in a ditch, cut through several hedges and demolished a number of lighting poles, coming to rest 30 yards from the back door of a farmhouse at Harpham Farm, near Lissett. The following encounter is copied, almost word for word from 'Action Stations 4.' by Bruce Barrymore Halpenny. " The farmer rushed from the house and called out,

'Is anybody hurt?'

On being told the crew were shaken-up but unharmed he replied,

'What about my bloody turnips? - seven of you buggers in the last week!'

Doug Bancroft, the pilot of the crashed Halifax recalls,

'Sure enough, when I looked over his fields there were six or more aircraft scattered about, either with their tails in the air or on their bellies with broken backs'.

Doug hadn't made a friend and later, when they were posted to Lissett their sleeping quarters were just outside this farmers gateway. The farmer passed them many times on his way to the mess for the pig scraps but he always left them to walk the mile or so - rain, snow or sunshine. Not all their enemies were in Germany!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Hey NJ. I think Uffz Wolters is one of my relitives, not sure, but a possibility. Shot down and belly landed north of Treviso.

 

[Njaco]

8 February 1944

WESTERN FRONT: 12 Lancasters of RAF No 617 Squadron, led by its new commanding officer Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, attacked the Gnome Rhone aero-engine factory at Limoges in France. This was a very important raid. No 617 Squadron had been experiencing difficulty in finding a useful role after the Dams Raid nearly 9 months earlier. Low-level precision raids on targets in Germany had been too costly. High-level precision bombing on small targets in France and Belgium had been unsatisfactory, despite marking by Oboe-equipped Mosquitos. For this attack, Cheshire was given official permission to attempt low-level marking of this target, which had many French civilian houses near by. The factory was undefended, except for 2 machine-guns, and Cheshire made 3 low-level runs in bright moonlight to warn the French factory workers to escape. On his 4th run, he dropped a load of 30lb incendiaries from between 50 and 100ft. Each of 11 other Lancasters then dropped a 12,000lb bomb with great accuracy; dropped for the first time, 10 bombs hit the factory and the remaining one fell in the river alongside. The factory was severely damaged and production almost completely ceased. There were few if any casualties among the French people. No Lancasters were lost. Despite the success of the low-level marking, it was never adopted by the Pathfinders, but was used on raids by No 617 Squadron and No 5 Group.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 214: 53 of 54 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Siracourt, France while 57 of 73 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Watten, France; 41 B-24s were damaged. Escort was 89 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s. 88 of 236 B-17s hit the marshalling yards at Frankfurt, Germany using blind-bombing techniques; 107 other B-17s hit targets of opportunity; they claimed 1-3-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 13 B-17s were lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 108 damaged; escort was provided by 77 P-38s, 435 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 41 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claimed 16-1-8 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-38s, 3 P-47s and 4 P-51s were lost, 1 P-47 was damaged beyond repair and 4 P-47s were damaged.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 215: 6 of 6 B-17s dropped 360 bundles of leaflets in a CARPETBAGGER operation over Caen, Rouen, Paris, Rennes and Amiens, France.

HQ US Ninth Air Force extended IX Bomber Command's choice of targets considerably, although first priority for Operation POINTBLANK missions [the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industry] and next priority for Operation CROSSBOW (code name for operations against German V-weapon sites) targets was maintained.

In a morning raid, nearly 200 B-26s attacked V-weapon sites and targets of opportunity in NW France. In an afternoon raid, 100+ B-26s bombed V-weapon sites and military instsllations in the same general area, most of the B-26s attacking Breck-sur-Mer. This was the IX Bomber Command's first 2-mission day.

EASTERN FRONT: At Korsun, the Soviets offered Group Stemmermann the opportunity to surrender. It was refused. To the south, 3rd Ukrainian Front captured Nikopol as the Germans beat a hasty retreat from the trap.

MEDITERRANEAN: The German counterattack at Anzio continued to hit the British 1st Infantry Division. The British reluctantly gave ground under the pressure but held the key positions of Aprilia and "The Factory".

In Italy, B-25s bomb Cisterna di Latina; B-26s hit the Siena marshalling yard and warehouses, and a railway bridge NE of Civita Castellana; A-20s bomb Piedimonte; A-36s attack gun positions near Ausonia, tracks between Rome and Orte, and the town of Veroli, and fly strafing and bombing sweeps in the Anzio battle area against motor transport, gun positions, road junction E of Cisterna di Latina, and the town of Pontecorvo; P-40s hit Roccasecca, Castello, Caprile. Piedimonte, Aquino and other targets, including a supply dump and gun positions; P-47s bomb Atina; Desert Air Force (DAF) fighters (US and RAF) destroy a large number of trucks near Sora. B-24s bomb airfields at Viterbo, Tarquinia, Orvieto, Piombino and Prato; B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Verona; P-38s and P-47s escort the Orvieto, Piombino, and Prato missions.

 

[Njaco]

9 February 1944

WESTERN FRONT: US Ninth Air Force: 133 B-26s bomb V-weapon sites in coastal France, marshalling yards at Tergnier, France and targets of opportunity in the area. This marks the first of the IX Bomber Command raids on marshalling yards.

The British submarine HMS 'Venturer' torpedoes and sinks German submarine 'U-864' in the North Sea, with the loss of 73 lives. This is the first time a submarine destroys another submarine while both are submerged.

A Spitfire bombing a freighter in Nice harbour was attacked by 4 Fw 190Ds - the new modified German fighter with an inline engine as opposed to the old radial engined Fw 190s. Two Spitfires were lost, Lt. Hoover bailing out. When 6 Spitfires were sent to search for Lt. Hoover, they were also attacked by the new 'Doras', which downed another Spitfire before losing one of the new machines. Ofw. Siegfried Lemke of 1./JG 2 claimed 4 Spitfires for the day.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Germans continue to launch attacks against the Anzio beachhead, once again hitting the British 1st Infantry Division hardest. In heavy fighting, Aprilia is lost to the Germans, but "The Factory" continues to be held.

Weather grounds all US Fifteenth Air Force aircraft with exception of 1 P-38 which flies a weather reconnaissance mission. In Italy, US Twelfth Air Force B-25s and B-26s, in close support to US Fifth Army forces, attack motor transport and troop concentrations in the Campoleone area while A-20s blast another troop concentration to the W; P-40s hit Cisterna di Latina and gun positions; A-36s and P-40s pound concentration points of a counterattack against the Fifth Army beachhead in the Anzio area, strike along the main Fifth Army front, and attack the villages of Piedimonte and Aquino and gun positions near Cassino and Ausonia.

GERMANY: The RAF dispatched 16 Mosquitos - 8 to Elberfeld, 7 to Krefeld and 1 to Aachen. 1 aircraft lost on the Krefeld raid.

EASTERN FRONT: The Germans redouble their efforts to fly supplies into the Korsum Pocket, delivering about half the daily requirement the trapped forces needed. Exit flights were able to evacuate some of the seriously wounded.

 

[Njaco]

10 February 1944

EASTERN FRONT: As the ring around the trapped German forces at Korsun tightens, 1st Ukrainian Front continues its offensive capturing Shepetovka.

WESTERN FRONT: 21 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 4 to Aachen, 2 Wellingtons on RCM flights, 21 aircraft minelaying off Brittany and Biscay ports, 26 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 217: In a CARPETBAGGER mission, 5 of 5 B-17s drop 260 bundles of leaflets on Rennes, Caen, Rouen and Amiens, France and Antwerp, Belgium at 2111-2145 hours without loss. 114 US Ninth Air Force B-26s attack V-weapon sites in coastal France, airfields at Poix and Beauvais/Tille, a bridge at Le Crotoy, and a coastal battery N of the Conch River.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force Mission 216: 141 of 169 B-17s hit the industrial area at Brunswick, Germany and 2 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 42-30-61 Luftwaffe aircraft; 29 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 52 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 295 MIA; escort is provided by 64 P-38s, 357 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 45 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 56-1-40 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-2 on the ground; 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s are lost, 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair and 6 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 9 MIA. The Luftwaffe sent 350 fighters to attack the force. One of the successful experten assing to their scores was Hptm. Georg-Hermann Greiner of 10./NJG 1 flying a day mission.

27 of 81 B-24s hit the Gilze-Rijen Airfield, The Netherlands; dense contrails and frost prevent most aircraft from attacking; 4 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; casualties are 26 KIA and 14 WIA; escort is provided by 91 P-47s without loss.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-17s bomb Albano Laziale, Cisterna di Latina and Cecina; B-24s strike Campoleone and Velletri; P-38s bomb and strafe the Tivoli, Vicovaro, and Monterotondo area; P-47s fly uneventful sweeps over Cisterna di Roma and Albano; numerous heavy bombers are forced to abort operations because of unsafe flying conditions. Light and medium bomber missions are aborted because of bad weather. In Italy, P-40s and A-36s support an unsuccessful attempt of the US Fifth Army's 1st Infantry Division to stem an attack in the Carroceto area; P-47s fail to locate their target (Sora) and drop bombs on targets of opportunity.

 

[Njaco]

11 February 1944

WESTERN FRONT: US Eighth Air Force Mission 218: 94 of 201 B-24s bomb the Siracourt V-weapon site in France with PFF equipment; the remaining aircraft were assigned individual targets without PFF and were unable to locate their targets; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 17 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 10 MIA; escort is provided by 85 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47's and 41 P-51s without loss.

Most of the 139 B-26s dispatched to attack NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in N France are recalled because of bad weather; 35 manage to bomb the marshalling yard at Amiens.

GERMANY: The primary target for 223 B-17s is the marshalling yard at Frankfurt, Germany; 157 hit the primary, 32 hit Ludwigshafen, 19 hit Saarbrucken and 4 hit other targets of opportunity; they claim 3-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 124 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 26 WIA and 51 MIA; escort is provided by 82 P-38s, 486 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47's and 38 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 30-2-28 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-1-4 on the ground; 8 P-38s, 4 P-47's and 2 P-51s are lost, 2 P-47's and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair and 2 P-38s and 4 P-47's are damaged; casualties are 14 MIA. The mission was costly for the 20th FG, as 8 of their 48 pilots sent out were lost. All the pilots in the 79th FS 'White Flight' did not return as well as 2 other 79th pilots and an addistional 2 pilots from the 77th FS' 'White Flight'. Hptm. Eduard Tratt of Stab II./ZG 26 claimed 3 of the P-38s.

11 RAF Mosquitos to Brunswick, 8 to Elberfeld, 4 to Aachen and 4 to Duisburg, 2 RCM sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, 52 aircraft minelaying off French Channel and Atlantic ports, 27 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.

German Admiral Wilhelm Canaris is relieved of his Abwer command.

EASTERN FRONT: Having finally assembled an effective force, 3rd Panzerkorps begins its attacks to relieve the German forces trapped at Korsun.

MEDITERRANEAN: Heavy fighting continues at Anzio as the Germans continue their attacks. The Allied troops give ground, loosing "The Factory". For the first time, talk turns to plans to evacuate the beachhead. Further to the south, The US 34th Division makes one last attempt to take the monetary at Cassino. It fails. The exhausted American forces are replaced by Indian and New Zealand troops at Casino.

 

[Njaco]

12 February 1944

EASTERN FRONT: Red Army forces capture the important communications center of Luga, 100 miles southwest of Leningrad as their offensive continues to drive Heeresgruppe North west. In the south, The German relief force heading toward Korsun meets ever stiffening resistance.

MEDITERRANEAN: Fighting at Casino pauses as the entire US 2nd Corps is replaced by the New Zealand Corps. At Anzio, the British 1st Infantry Division is also withdrawn due to exhaustion. Lucas orders the construction of a last ditch defensive perimeter. Since January 20, Allied casualties number 14,375, with German casualties at 6,444.

In Italy, B-17s and B-24s strike troop concentrations and highways in the Cecina area and near Lake Nemi. Bad weather causes all other missions to abort. US Twelfth Air Force B-25s attack gun positions at Campoleone and the surrounding area; B-26s hit Cecina; A-36s hit aircraft and trucks on the landing ground and in the area near Fahrica di Rorila, attack troops in the area, bomb gun positions SW of Roccasecca, and hit the towns of Fondi and Lanuvio; P-40s attack Gisterna di Roma, Sezze station and road junction, Cori and gun positions NW of Atina.

During the night JG 77 Geschwaderstab's dispersals and the technicians billets in Belvedre were simultaneously attacked and set on fire by gangs of partisans. On the airfield, the sentries had to save the Bf 109s from the fires. Bottles of petrol were thrown at the aircraft. A dispersal hut, 2 Storches and a Saiman could not besaved as was a Fw 58. One Uffz. was able to pull the cabin and engines away from the flames.

WESTERN FRONT: 10 Lancasters of RAF No 617 Squadron attempted to bomb the Anthéor Viaduct, an important railway link between France and Italy but, as on two earlier raids, were not successful despite low-level runs by Wing Commander Cheshire and Squadron Leader Martin. The sides of the valley were very steep and the target was defended by guns which damaged both of the low-level aircraft. Flight Lieutenant RC Hay, the bomb aimer in Martin's aircraft and the Squadron Bombing Leader since No 617's formation, was killed.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 220: 97 of 99 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at St Pol/Siracourt, France; 29 B-24s are damaged; no losses or casualties; escort is provided by 84 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47's and 41 P-51s; no claims, losses or casualties.

Lt. Herbert Jarmer was shot down and killed by friendly AA fire north of Cap du Raz and became 10./ZG 1's first combat loss.

GERMANY: 8 Mosquitos to Elberfeld and 4 to Duisburg, 3 Serrate patrols, 25 Halifaxes and Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians and off Cherbourg. 1 Halifax minelayer lost.

Major Friedrich-Karl Muller was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of Sturmgruppe IV./JG 3.

 

[Njaco]

13 February 1944

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces, mistakenly assuming that the Germans occupy the monastery at Cassino warn the Italian monks that the dominant feature will be bombed.

In Italy, B-26s bomb the Bucine viaduct; B-25s and A-20s support Fifth Army forces N and E of the Anzio beachhead, blasting an ammunition dump and troop and vehicle concentrations; P-40 and A-36 fighter-bombers give support in the same areas, hitting troop concentrations, a railway tunnel, buildings, vehicles, a supply dump, and gun positions.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces continue their offensive out of the Leningrad area capturing Polna and Lyady. To the south, the trapped Germans at Korsun contract their perimeter and concentrate forces for a breakout attempt. The break-in force meets heavy resistance and makes little headway.

1./JG 302 transferred to Finland and formed Einsatzkommando Helsinki (Jafu Ostland). Its home airfield for 3 months was Helsinki-Malmi. Leaders of this unit were Hptm. Richard Lewens, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 302 and later Hptm. Karl-Heinz Dietsche. The primary duty of this unit was to protect the capital city of Finland against the air raids of Soviet bombers and also to train and share their nightfighting experiences to Finnish pilots.

JG 52's Oblt. Gerhard Barkhorn became the third pilot to reach 250 kills.

WESTERN FRONT: The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) accepts revision of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) Plan. The targets are reduced to a number that can be decisively attacked and target lists are revised to keep up with the effort of the Germans to relocate vital industrial plants. Disruption of communication lines and reduction of the Luftwaffe are high priority aims included in the CCS directive on this date.

Reichsmarschall Goering was at Rheine to watch He 177 bombers of 2. and 3./KG 100 set off to bomb England as part of 'Unternehmen Steinbock'. Of the 14 bombers that taxi out, 13 were able to take off, 8 soon returned with overheated or burning engines, 4 reached London but only 3 came back.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 221: V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France are hit; 266 of 277 B-17s hit 12 sites and 138 of 192 B-24s hit 5 sites; 12 B-24s hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s are lost, 2 B-17s and 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair, and 74 B-17s and 57 B-24s are damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 23 WIA and 24 MIA. Escort is provided by 189 P-47s and 43 P-51s; they claim 6-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-4 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost and 4 P-47s damaged; no casualties.

182 US Ninth Air Force B-26s attack V-weapon sites in the coastal area of France; 16 others bomb secondary targets in the area.