This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

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EASTERN FRONT: In Latvia, new Soviet attacks begin. In Hungary, Soviet 4th Ukrainian Front captures Uzhgorod in the northeast. 3rd Belorussian Front becomes first Soviet army group to enter Germany, crossing the border into East Prussia. Slovak insurgents evacuate Banská Bystrica.

WESTERN FRONT: In the Scheldt, forces of the Canadian 1st Army continue attacks on Beveland and inland. Bergen-op-Zoom is captured. Meanwhile, German forces counterattack the British 2nd Army to the right. Tilburg is captured by British forces.

US Eighth Air Force: Mission 690: 2 B-17s and 7 B-24s drop leaflets on 38 locations in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

US Ninth Air Force: Brigadier General William L Richardson reassumes command of the IX Air Defense Command. Adverse weather prevents all operations except patrols by XIX Tactical Air Command and supply dropping missions (to VI Corps near Saint-Die, France) by the XII Tactical Air Command. In Belgium, the 22d Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group, moves from Juvincourt, France to Le Culot with P-47s; the 412th Fighter Squadron, 373d Fighter Group, moves from Reims, France to Le Culot. In France, the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, moves from Clastres to Juvincourt with P-38s.

German submarine 'U-1060' was grounded in the North Sea south of Bronnoysund, after damages by rockets and depth charges from Firefly and 2 Barracuda aircraft of the British carrier HMS 'Implacable', 2 British Handley Page Halifax aircraft (Sqdn 502/D/T) and from 2 Czechoslovakian Liberator aircraft (Sqdn 311/H/Y). 12 dead and 43 survivors.

Student Pilot Flieger Fähnrich Werner Speckmann of 1./ JG 102 was practising touch and go landing in a Bf 109G at Fliegerhorst Aalborg Ost. After having touched down he apparently pushed the throttle forward too fast. The great torque of the Daimler Benz engine forced the aircraft to rotate around itself and it hit the ground upside down thus killing Speckmann.

MEDITERRANEAN: Field Marshal von Richthofen, the former commander of the elite close support force Fliegerkorps 8 in France, the Balkans and the Soviet Union, and cousin of the "Red Baron" is forced to retire from the command of Luftflotte 2 in Italy, following brain surgery.

The Allied advance is limited by poor winter weather.

US Twelfth Air Force: Weather curtails operations; fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance in the Genoa-Novi Ligure-Turin area hit communications and transportation targets.

GERMANY: 60 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 21 in small numbers to 6 other targets. No aircraft lost.

A new jet unit is formed using Me 262s. The III Gruppe of Ergänzungsjagdgeschwader (EJG) 2 is formed at Lechfeld with the former Kommandeur of EKdo 262, Hptm. Horst Geyer appointed as Gruppenkommandeur.

 

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EASTERN FRONT: As Major Erich Rudorffer of II./ JG 54 returns from a mission and is about to land, he spots a formation of Russian IL-2 Sturmoviks. He aborts the landing and intercepts the ground attack aircraft. In less than ten minutes he shoots down nine of the Russian planes causing the rest to flee in panic. Later during an afternoon mission he shoots down two more Soviet aircraft, his total for the day at eleven kills.

The USSR-Bulgaria armistice is signed. There are provisions for the integration of Bulgarian troops into the Soviet command system. This has already been established in practice.

German troops begin to pull out of Albania.

GERMANY: Operations resume for the Me 262s of Kommando Nowotny. Lt. Schreiber downs a USAAF P-38 and Lt. Schall claims a USAAF P-51. But Lt. Schall damages his plane when his nose wheel jams upon landing back at Hesepe. Fw. Buttner of the jet unit claims two Allied P-47s destroyed.

At Achmer, Oblt. Bley collides in his Me 262 on take off with a construction machine working on a new building just beyond the airfield perimeter and is killed. His place as Staffelkapitän is taken by Oblt. Georg-Peter Eder, who was waiting to be Staffelkapitän of the jet unit's planned 3rd Staffel.

Cologne: 733 RAF aircraft - 28 Lancasters, 286 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos. 4 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost. The bombing took place in 2 separate waves and the local report confirms that enormous damage was caused. The districts of Mülheim and Zollstock, north-east and south-west of the centre respectively, became the centre of the 2 raids and were both devastated. Much damage was caused to power-stations, railways and harbour installations on the Rhine.

277 RAF aircraft - 155 Halifaxes, 86 Lancasters, 36 Mosquitos - of 4 and 8 Groups carried out raids on gun positions at 5 places on the rim of the newly flooded island of Walcheren. Most of the bombing appeared to be successful. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost.

237 RAF Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group to attack the U-boat pens at Bergen. It is probable that No 5 Group had been waiting to attack this important target for several days; the Group had not flown any operations since 23 October. Clear conditions were forecast for the target area, although there were some doubts about this. Unfortunately the area was found to be cloud-covered. The Master Bomber tried to bring the force down below 5,000ft but cloud was still encountered and he ordered the raid to be abandoned after only 47 Lancasters had bombed. 3 Lancasters lost.

30 RAF Mosquitos to Cologne, 4 to Karlsruhe and 3 to Rheine, 8 RCM sorties, 5 Mosquito patrols, 14 Lancasters minelaying off Oslo. No aircraft lost.

US Eighth Air Force: 2 missions are flown. Mission 691: 382 bombers and 217 fighters are dispatched on PFF attacks on marshalling yards in Germany; 3 bombers and 2 fighters are lost. 1. 184 of 192 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Hamm; 1 other hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 42 damaged. Escort is provided by 93 of 105 P-51s without loss. 2. 178 of 190 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Munster; 3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 96 damaged; 12 airmen are WIA and 29 MIA. Escort is provided by 106 of 112 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). Mission 692: 3 B-17s and 6 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

US Fifteenth Air Force: Bad weather again limits operations; 10 B-17s bomb a Klagenfurt, Austria aircraft factory; 6 P-38s fly reconnaissance missions, during the early part of the night; 8 B-17s bomb Munich W, Germany marshalling yard; 1 bombs Erlsbach, Austria.

WESTERN FRONT: Allied forces attack the German paratroop forces who advanced the previous day. Troops of the British 2nd Army capture Tilburg, southwest of Arnhem.

US Ninth Air Force: HQ 9th Bombardment Division moves from Chartres to Reims, France. In Germany, 45 B-26s bomb rail bridges at Sinzig, Kempenich, and Ahrweiler, and airfield at Euskirchen; fighters escort the bombers, fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance over W Germany, attack 6 bridges and 1 tunnel, and support US XIX Corps in Belgium near the German border. In Belgium, the 23d Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group, moves from Juvincourt, France to Le Culot with P-47s. In France, HQ 367th Fighter Group and the 392d and 393d Fighter Squadrons move from Clastres to Juvincourt with P-38s.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Twelfth Air Force: In Italy, bad weather again grounds the medium bombers, and restricts the XXII Tactical Air Command; fighter-bombers and fighters, flying 65 sorties, attack vehicles and trains in the Turin-Milan-Genoa area.

Destroyer 'Gleaves' (DD-423) bombards troop concentrations, barracks, and gun emplacements; she achieves excellent results. Enemy shore battery fire is inaccurate. U.S. motor torpedo boats attack northbound convoy--four F-lighters with escorts--and sink two F-lighters.

 

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GERMANY: Despite a dwindling number of aircraft, the pilots of Kommando Nowotny continue to score against the Allies. Two Allied P-47s are claimed destroyed by the unit and a P-51D is downed by Fw. Buttner. Lt. Schreiber has an exciting day when he first downs a Reconnaissance P-38 Lightning and then has to bail out after colliding with a RAF Spitfire.

358 RAF aircraft - 194 Lancasters, 128 Halifaxes, 36 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked 11 different German ground positions on Walcheren. Visibility was good and it was believed that all the targets were hit. 1 Lancaster lost.

59 RAF Mosquitos to Cologne and 6 to Mannheim, 55 Mosquitos on Serrate and Intruder patrol. No aircraft lost.

US Ninth Air Force: About 170 B-26s and A-20s bomb rail bridges at Mayen, Konz-Karthaus, and Euskirchen, Germany and Ellern and Moerdijke, the Netherlands; fighters fly escort to bombers, sweeps, defensive patrols, armed reconnaissance over wide areas of E France, the Netherlands, and Germany, bomb rail targets and bridges, and fly cover for the US XIX Corps in Belgium.

US Fifteenth Air Force: In Germany, 35 of over 155+ B-24s dispatched with fighter escort, bomb Munich W marshalling yard; the remainder and 670 other bombers, dispatched against targets in S Germany, abort the mission due to bad weather. In Austria, 30 P-38s, after escort duty, strafe communications lines from Wels to Kienberg destroying 17 locomotives and several other road and rail transportation targets.

WESTERN FRONT: On Beveland, the Canadian 2nd Division reaches Goes in the ongoing battle for the Scheldt by Canadian 1st Army. Inland, Breda falls to the Polish 1st Armored Division.

37 RAF Lancasters - 18 from No 9 Squadron, 18 from No 617 and a film unit aircraft from No 463 Squadron - were dispatched from Lossiemouth in Scotland to attack the battleship 'Tirpitz', which was now moored near the Norwegian port of Tromso. The removal of the Lancasters' mid-upper turrets and other equipment and the installation of extra fuel tanks, giving each aircraft a total fuel capacity of 2,406 gallons, allowed the Lancasters to carry out this 2,250 mile operation. A weather reconnaissance Mosquito had reported the target area free of cloud and the Lancasters formed up at a lake near the bay in which the 'Tirpitz' was moored and commenced their attack. Unfortunately the wind had changed and a bank of cloud came in to cover the battleship 30 seconds before the first Lancaster was ready to bomb. 32 aircraft released Tallboy bombs on the estimated position of the battleship but no direct hits were scored. 1 of No 617 Squadron's Lancasters, which was damaged by flak, crash-landed in Sweden and its crew were later returned to Britain.

In Belgium, HQ 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group and the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron move from Luxembourg, Luxembourg to Le Culot with F-6s.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Twelfth Air Force: In Italy, weather again restricts operations; XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers fly 15 sorties against railroad targets in the Po Valley.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet Karelian Front stops advance and hands responsibility to the Norwegian Resistance.

End of a huge tank battle near Debrecon, three Soviet corps are badly handled.

The Slovak insurgent army is dissolved into smaller units which carry out guerilla attacks.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: Elements of Canadian 1st Army fight across south Beveland and reach the Walcheren Channel.

102 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group successfully attacked gun batteries on Walcheren. 1 Mosquito lost. This was the last Bomber Command raid in support of the Walcheren campaign and the opening of the River Scheldt. The attack by ground troops on Walcheren commenced on 31 October and the island fell after a week of fighting by Canadian and Scottish troops, including Commandos who sailed their landing craft through the breaches in the sea walls made earlier by Bomber Command. It required a further 3 weeks before the 40 mile river entrance to Antwerp was cleared of mine and the first convoy did not arrive in the port until 28 November.

US Ninth Air Force: B-26s are recalled from a mission (mainly against bridges) because of bad weather; fighters fly patrols and armed reconnaissance over NE France and in W Germany around Aachen and the Rhine River; XIX Tactical Air Command escorts B-26s and heavy bombers of the Eighth AF. In France, HQ 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Chateaudun to Clastres.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Caserta, the Greek government in exile bans the ELAS National Militia -- the Communist resistance movement.

The 16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy, Special), AAF, MTO, begins a movement from Foggia, Italy to the US; the squadron flew combat in the MTO and ETO with B-17s as a radar detection and countermeasures unit from Sep 43 to Sep 44.

US Twelfth Air Force: In Italy, weather again grounds the medium bombers and limits XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers and fighters to 51 sorties against scattered targets in the Po Valley. In France, the 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, XII Tactical Air Command (attached to Provisional Reconnaissance Group), moves from Dijon to Azelot with F-6s.

Destroyer 'Madison' (DD-425) bombards and destroys German motor convoy, southern France, and sinks floating mines offshore.

GERMANY: 102 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on the oil refinery at Wesseling. No results were seen because of the cloud but the bombing was believed to be accurate. No aircraft lost.

Cologne: 905 RAF aircraft - 438 Halifaxes, 435 Lancasters, 32 Mosquitos. No aircraft lost. This was an Oboe-marked raid through cloud, and Bomber Command estimated that only 'scattered and light' damage was caused in the western parts of the city. But the local report shows that enormous damage was caused in the suburbs of Braunsfeld, Lindenthal, Klettenberg and Sülz, which were 'regelrecht umgepflügt' - 'thoroughly ploughed up' - by the huge tonnage of high explosive dropped (3,431 tons of high explosive and 610 tons of incendiaries were dropped). A vast amount of property, mostly civilian housing, was destroyed but railways and public utilities were also hit. There was little industry in the area which was bombed.

62 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 3 each to Heilbronn and Oberhausen, 42 RCM sorties, 57 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitos were lost - 1 from the Berlin raid and 1 Intruder.

US Eighth Air Force: 3 missions are flown. Mission 693: 1,279 bombers and 978 fighters fly a major mission against German oil production facilities; 2 bombers and 5 fighters are lost: 1. 357 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Harburg oil refinery (72) and Rhenania oil refinery (67) at Hamburg; targets of opportunity are Hamburg (28), Cuxhaven (25), Wesermunde (21), Uetersen (9), Bremen (1) and other (1); 2 B-24s are lost and 30 damaged; 19 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 293 P-47s and P-51s; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 463 B-17s dispatched hit secondary targets, the marshalling yards at Hamm (209) and Munster (192); targets of opportunity are Osnabruck (12), Enschede (2) and other (4); 17 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 2 MIA. Escort is provided by 123 of 135 P-47s; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 459 B-17s dispatched to hit the Leuna oil refinery at Merseburg are recalled due to deteriorating weather; 2 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 482 of 508 P-51s without loss. Mission 693A: 2 of 5 B-17s make an APHRODITE attack on Heligoland Island, Germany; escort is provided by 7 of 7 P-47s. 26 of 27 B-17s, escorted by 8 of 8 P-47s, fly a cover mission to Heligoland without loss. Mission 694: 2 B-17s and 7 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

The plans for the He 162 jet fighter are ready for production.

The first versions of the Bf 109K-4 fighter is delivered to III./JG 27.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: Canadian forces begin amphibious crossings and attacks on Walcheren Island. The 9th Brigade of the Canadian 3rd Division enters Knock-sur-Mer. Allied forces take the peninsula of South Beveland, Belgium.

Gestapo Headquarters, the Shell House in Aarhus, is destroyed by a precision bombing raid by the RAF. The objective of the attack is to destroy as many records as possible, to aid resistance members.

101 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a good G-H attack on the oil plant at Bottrop. 1 Lancaster lost.

1 RAF Wellington carried out a signals patrol and 1 Hudson flew a Resistance operation.

US Eighth Air Force: Mission 695: 3 B-17s and 5 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

US Ninth Air Force: Weather forbids bomber operations and limits fighters; the XII and XIX Tactical Air Commands fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance over E France and W Germany; the XII Tactical Air Command also supports US Seventh Army elements in the Metz, France area. In Belgium, the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from Sandwieler, Luxembourg to Le Culot with F-6 and P-51s.

'U-170' reported an attack on a convoy escorted by "destroyers" and fires a T-5 torpedo but is in return depth charged and severely damaged (War diary of the boat, KTB).

EASTERN FRONT: German Army Group North is cut off in the Courland Peninsula in Lithuania.

'U-475' fired a Gnat at an escort vessel off Osmussaari in the Baltic Sea, observed a hit after 8 minutes 13 seconds and the sinking of the ship. The vessel attacked was probably the SB-2.

MEDITERRANEAN: German forces withdraw from Salonika. Remaining German island garrisons are now trapped. During recent weeks, numerous German troops on the islands in the Aegean have been removed by small vessels, despite Allied patrols.

US Fifteenth Air Force-38s fly photo and weather reconnaissance; 174 B-24s, dispatched against a target in Yugoslavia, are forced to return because of weather. The 885th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), Fifteenth Air Force (attached to Mediterranean Allied Air Forces), arrives at Brindisi, Italy from Algeria with B-17s and B-24s (the squadron transports supplies to partisans and drops leaflets in the MTO).

US Twelfth Air Force: In Italy, B-26s hit a bridge and causeway at Nervesa della Battaglia and bridges at Montebello and Piazzola sul Brenta; fighter-bombers attack guns and positions in the battle area S of Bologna in the Apennines, and communications and shipping targets in the Po Valley and on the Po River.

GERMANY: Cologne: 493 RAF aircraft - 331 Lancasters, 144 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups. 15 further Mosquitos carried out a feint attack just before the main raid. 2 Lancasters lost. This was another Oboe-marked attack through thick cloud. Most of the bombing fell in the southern districts, with Bayental and Zollstock, according to the local report, being the hardest hit, although damage was not as severe as in other recent raids.

49 RAF Mosquitos to Hamburg, 4 to Saarbrücken and 2 to Schweinfurt, 36 RCM sorties, 59 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

 

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ATLANTIC OCEAN: The British frigate HMS Whitaker (K 580, ex USN DE-571) is torpedoed by German submarine U-483 (Kapitanleutnant Hans-Joachim von Morstein) about 32 nautical miles NNW of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, in position 55.30N, 07.39W. The propellant for the 24 Hedgehogs on the launcher in front of the bridge explodes, blows off her bows and wrecks her bridge structure. She is towed into Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, laid up but not repaired.

15th AF: AUSTRIA: Over 320 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escorts, attack targets in Austria. Graz is heavily hit: 103 aircraft bomb the Main marshalling yard, 32 bomb the city, 17 attack the industrial area, 12 bomb the Wetzeldorf Ordnance Depot, and three bomb targets of opportunity. Vienna's Schonbrunn ordnance depot is hit by 54 aircraft while 25 hit the Sauerwerke tank factory; and 35 aircraft hit targets of opportunity.

FINLAND: The demobilization of the Finnish army to peacetime levels begins according to the terms of the interim peace agreement. This begins to hamper the Finnish actions against Germans.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army area, Lieutenant General George S. Patton and his commanders draw up plans for the Third Army offensive. After First Army's attack on D-Day, XII Corps will attack on D+1, XX Corps on D+2, and III Corps will eventually be responsible for mopping up the Metz pocket. Regrouping is in progress. In the XX Corps area, the 5th Infantry Division the reoccupies Arnaville bridgehead south of Metz, relieving the 95th Infantry Division.
The XII Corps, in preparation for the offensive, makes a limited attack with the 319th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division, to clear the Seille River bend in the Laetricourt-Abaucourt area and quickly takes both towns.
In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the French 2d Armored Division, after completing the capture of Baccarat, driving to the Blette River at Herbaeviller and Mignaeville, and helping 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (VI Corps) take Bertrichamps, halts to await relief.
In the VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division's 15th Infantry Regiment seizes La Bourgonce, in the valley northwest of St Die.

8th AF: GERMANY: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 696: 324 bombers and 321 fighters are dispatched to attack two synthetic oil plants near Gelsenkirchen and a bridge at Rudesheim; 1 P-51 is lost: 143 B-24s bomb the Buer synthetic oil refinery at Gelsenkirchen while113 B-17s bomb the Nordstern synthetic oil refinery. Two marshalling yards (M/Ys) are also bombed, 73 B-17s hit the Mosel M/Y at Koblenz and 23 B-17s bomb the M/Y at Hamm while 13 B-17s attack a railroad bridge at Rudesheim.
RAF: During the day, 226 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of RAF Bomber Command are sent to attack the Meerbeck oil plant at Homberg; 167 bomb the target; one Lancaster is lost.
During the night of 1/2 November RAF Bomber Command dispatches 288 aircraft, 202 Halifaxes, 74 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos to attack Oberhausen; 282 bomb the city with the loss of three Halifaxes and a Lancaster. The target area is cloud-covered and the bombing is not concentrated. Mosquitos area also active with 47 bombing Berlin, ten hit Cologne, four attack each to Karlsruhe, three hit Malheim, and one each bomb Bochum and Essen.

GREECE: With the withdrawal of the Germans from Florina and Salonika, only rear-guard forces remain south of the Yugoslav border.

ITALY: The U.S. North African Theater of Operations (NATOUSA) is redesignated the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTOUSA).
In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, the Indian 10th Division reaches the Rabbi River at Collina and Grisignano, but the 4th Division is halted short of Forli airfield by sharply increased resistance.
12th AF: USAAF Twelfth Air Force operations are again curtailed by bad weather; however, fighters and fighter-bombers successfully attack bridges, rail lines, roads, vehicles, and trains in the central Po Valley and hit scattered targets elsewhere in northern Italy.
RAF: During the night of 1/ 2 November, six RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group aircraft hit a railroad bridge at Latisana.

HUNGARY: The Germans are driven from Kecskemet, a communications center southeast of Budapest.
15th AF: Ten USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers hit four targets including the Kotoriba railroad bridge by five aircraft and the Kormeno marshalling yard by three aircraft.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Off Zara, Croatia, Yugoslavia, in the northern Adriatic, British escort destroyers HMS Avon Vale (L 06) and Wheatland (L 122) sink German torpedo boat TA-20 (and two corvettes, all ex-Italian vessels.

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army area, Operation INFATUATE commences with the II Corps beginning an all-out assault on Waicheren Island. Continuing to attack on the causeway from southern Beveland, the Canadian 2d Division gains a few hundred yards but is forced back. From Breskens, the Canadian 4th Regiment of the 4th Special Service Brigade, under 52d Division command, followed by the 155th Brigade of the 52d Division, crosses the estuary to the south coast near Flushing and begins clearing that town.
From Ostend, the 4th Royal Marine Special Service Brigade consisting of Nos 41, 47 and 48 Commandos is carried in 180 landing craft to the west side of the island and land at a gap in the Westkapelle dyke, and seize Westkapelle; some elements turn northeast along the coast while others drive southeast toward Flushing, A reconnaissance force is sent to northern Beveland.
The planned air support is cancelled due to bad weather but the British battleship HMS Warspite (03) and the monitors HMS Erebus (I 02) and Roberts (F 40) bombard the island. The island is heavily defended by the German 70th Division and largely flooded when the battle takes place. Many landing craft are lost in the assault. The British I Corps prepares for a co-ordinated attack across the Mark River.
In the British Second Army area, XII Corps finishes clearing its sector south of the Maas River except for a small region between the Afwaterins Canal and the river. In the VIII Corps area, the 53d Division goes into the line on the right flank of the corps along the Wessem Canal southeast of Nederweert and the Belgian 1st Brigade and British 4th Separate Armourd Brigade are attached to it. The U.S., 7th Armored Division prepares for a limited offensive to secure the northwest bank of the Canal du Nord.
During the night of 1/2 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 697: three B-17s and five B-24s drop leaflets over the country.

9th AF: WESTERN EUROPE: Weather prevents USAAF Ninth Air Force bomber operations; fighters fly patrols, sweeps, armed reconnaissance over Belgium, eastern France, and large areas of western Germany and attack bridges, railroads, and various other targets.

YUGOSLAVIA: Marshal Josep Broz Tito, Commander in Chief Yugoslav Liberation Army, and Ivan Subasic, the Prime Minister of the exiled Yugoslav government, sign agreements on the future constitution of their country.
15th AF: Twenty one USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers hit the marshalling yard at Cakovec while eight aircraft bomb targets of opportunity.
RAF: Seventy one RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group aircraft fly in supplies for the partisans.

 

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15th AF: AUSTRIA: Bad weather curtails operations of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force but six aircraft bomb the Moosbierbaum synthetic oil refinery in Vienna and one bombs Klagenfurt.

BELGIUM: British Field Marshal Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group, orders extensive regrouping after Schelde Estuary and southwestern Holland are cleared in preparation for offensive by British Second Army to destroy the German bridgehead west of the Maas River as prerequisite for the Rhineland battle.

CANADA: Defence Minister J.L. Ralston resigns as Minister of National Defence over the issue of conscription (drafting) for overseas service. Lieutenant General Andrew McNaughton replaces him with a specific mandate to solve the conscription issue but he will prove unable to find a solution.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army area, Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, Commanding General 12th Army Group, while visiting Army headquarters, asks if Third Army can begin an offensive alone, since the First Army cannot attack until British release two U.S. divisions; he is told that Third Army can attack on 24-hour notice. The Third Army offensive will begin when weather conditions permit softening of enemy; in the event of poor weather conditions, XII Corps will attack on 8 November.
In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, elements of VI Corps begin relieving the French 2d Armored Division in the southeastern part of the XV Corps sector, but French retain positions along the Blette River for some days to come. Pushing northward northwest of St Die, the 15th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 3d Infantry Division takes Nompatelize without opposition, but the Germans still holds La Salle, to the south.
In the French First Army area, General Jean de Lattre commander of the First Army, is charged with conduct of Operation INDEPENDENCE, the French offensive toward Belfort.

GERMANY: In U.S. First Army's V Corps area, the 28th Infantry Division, after an hour-long artillery preparation, begins a drive on Schmidt: the 112th Infantry Regiment, with tank support, seizes Vossenack Ridge, but the main effort by rest of regiment to drive southeast from Richelskaul toward Kommerscheidt and Schmidt is stopped at once; the 109th Infantry Regiment gets elements to the woods line overlooking Huertgen on the north flank, but 110th Infantry Regiment is unable to advance on the south flank.
8th AF: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 698: 1,174 bombers and 968 fighters in five forces are dispatched to hit synthetic oil installations in central Germany and rail targets at Bielefeld; an estimated 500 Luftwaffe fighters meet the bombers at Merseburg and the USAAF claims 163-40-52 Luftwaffe aircraft; 40 bombers and 16 fighters are lost: 571 bombers hit the I. G. Farben synthetic oil refinery at Merseberg; 131 bomb the Rauxel synthetic oil refinery at Castrop; 120 attack the Schildesche railroad viaduct at Bielefeld while 31 hit the Brake railroad viaduct; 119 hit synthetic oil refinery at Sterkrade; 35 hit the industrial area at Bernburg; 23 bomb the industrial area at Halle; 20 each attack the marshalling yards at Bielefeld and Rheine; and 24 bomb targets of opportunity.
2nd Lt. Robert E. Femoyer, the severely wounded navigator aboard a badly damaged 447th BG (H) B-17, refuses relief or even a sedative so that he can remain at his post for more than two hours in order to guide the crippled airplane home. Although the bomber lands safely at its home base, Femoyer soon dies of his wounds. He is awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
VIII Fighter Command fighter pilots down a record 136 Luftwaffe fighters over Germany between 1210 and 1415 hours.
- Captain Donald S. Bryan, a 6.333 victory P-51 Mustang ace with the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, downs five and damages two Bf 109s near Merseburg between 1230 and 1250 hours.
- 1st Lt. James J. Pascoe, a P-51 pilot with the 385th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, achieves ace status when he downs two Bf 109s near Hale at 1235 hours.
- The 487th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, becomes the only Eighth Air Force squadron to be awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron downed 38 Luftwaffe aircraft in one day, the second highest squadron tally in the theater.
RAF: During the day, 183 RAF Bomber Command Lancasters carry out a G- H attack on the Meerbeck oil plant at Homberg. Large fires and a thick column of smoke are seen. Four Lancasters are lost.
During the night of 2/3 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 699: Three B-17s and five B-24s drop leaflets over Germany.
RAF: During the night of 2/3 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 992 aircraft, 561 Lancasters, 400 Halifaxes and 31 Mosquitos, to attack Düsseldorf; 946 bomb the target with the loss of 11 Halifaxes and eight Lancasters. This heavy attack falls mainly on the northern half of Düsseldorf. More than 5,000 houses are destroyed or badly damaged, seven industrial premises are destroyed and 18 are seriously damaged, including some important steel firms. This was the last major Bomber Command raid of the war on Düsseldorf. In other attacks by Mosquitos, 41 aircraft hit Osnabrück, six bomb Hallendorf, two each attack Brunswick and Duisburg, and one hits Hannover.

HUNGARY: The Soviet Army enters the southeastern suburbs of Budapest.

ITALY: The U.S. Fifth Army issues instructions, confirming verbal orders of 30 October, for future operations during the current winter lull, calling for the consolidation of the Bologna salient and limited action on its flanks.
In the British Eighth Army area, V Corps remains in place because of tenuous communication lines.
12 AF: Clouds over the Po Valley prevent USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bomber operations; XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft are also grounded due to unserviceable fields and bad weather over Italian battle areas.

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army's II Corps area, the 157th Brigade of the British 52d Division relieves Canadian 2d Division forces at the Walcheren causeway, where the Germans continues to resist tenaciously; to ease pressure, elements of 156th Brigade cross the Slooe Channel about 2 miles south of the causeway after nightfall; Flushing is cleared of the Germans. The British I Corps attacks across the Mark River late in day after a heavy artillery preparation. The 49th and U.S. 104th Infantry Divisions establish bridgeheads, the 104th in the Standdaarbuiten area and the 49th to the west. The 104th Infantry Divsion clears the village of Standdaarbuiten.
In the British Second Army's VIII Corps area, Combat Command A of the U.S. 7th Armored Division begins limited attacks to clear the Germans from Canal du Nord.

POLAND: The order issued by Heinrich Himmler, Reichsfuhrer- SS and Head of the German Police, on 26 October arrives at Auschwitz concentration camp: "I forbid any further annihilation of Jews." Upon his further orders, all but one of the crematoriums are dismantled, the burning pits covered up and planted over with grass, and the gas pipes and other equipment shipped to concentration camps in Germany. The single remaining crematorium is for the disposal of those who die of natural causes and the gassing of about 200 surviving members of the Sonderkommando. The final solution is formally over. Yet tens of thousands of Jews will continue to die of brutality and neglect.

8th AF: UNITED KINGDOM: Headquarters USAAF Eighth Air Force is ordered to increase the size of the 406th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), VIII Fighter Command, the night leaflet squadron, as the liberation of Europe and the conquest of Germany accelerate.

U.S.S.R.: Zadar is liberated by Soviet Partisians.

9th AF: WESTERN EUROPE: In Germany, 147 USAAF Ninth Air Force bombers of the 9th Bombardment Division, with fighter escort, attack rail bridges at Mayen, Euskirchen, Bullay, Konz-Karthaus, and Trier. Fighters attack bridges, fly armed reconnaissance and night patrol, and provide support for ground forces in frontline areas.

YUGOSLAVIA: Partisans seize Dalmatian port of Zara.

 

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15th AF: AUSTRIA: Forty six USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s, in an operation adapted to bad weather and flying without escort, bomb a number of targets: 17 bomb an aircraft factory at Klagenfurt; in Vienna, 15 hit the Schonbrunn ordnance depot while two bomb the Moosbierbaum benzine refinery; two attack the Main marshalling yard at Graz; and one each bombs the railroad at Feldbach and the Main marshalling yard at Innsbruck.

FINLAND: The Civil Guard (Suojeluskunta) volunteer defence organization is disbanded asdemanded by the Soviets. In the Soviet opinion the Suojeluskunta is one of the 'Hitlerite' organizations that Finland has to disband as per the Peace Treaty.
The German 20.Gebirgsarmee evacuates the mineral-rich Petsamoregion in northern Finland.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army area, XX and XII Corps issue orders for an offensive. XX Corps is to eliminate the Metz garrison, secure crossing of the Sarre River in the Saarburg area, and, upon order, continue an offensive toward the northeast. The XII Corps, attacking between 5 and 8 November, is to seize Faulquemont, secure a Rhine River bridgehead between Oppenheim and Mannheim, and, tentatively, push to the Darmstadtarea. In the XX Corps zone, 3d Cavalry Group moves forward at night to eliminate a small German pocket west of the Moselle River at Berg-sur-Moselle.
In the French First Army's II Corps area, the 3d Algerian Division, in a limited attack toward Gerardmer, arouses strong opposition.

GERMANY: In the U.S. First Army's V Corps area, the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division crosses the Kall River and takes Kommerscheidt and Schmidt, but the 110th and 109th Infantry Regiments make little or no progress on the flanks. Schmidt is on the main supply route of the Germans in the Lammersdorf Corridor.
9th AF: Over 140 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s hit a rail overpass at Kaiserslautern, and rail bridges at Neuwied-Irlich, Bad Munster am Stein, Morscheid and Konz-Karthaus while fighters fly armed reconnaissance, ground forces cover, attack railroads, bridge, and observation posts and escort 9th Bombardment Division aircraft.
15th AF: Eight USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers hit a marshalling yard at Munich.
RAF: During the night of 3/4 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 64 Mosquitos to hit two targets: 53 bomb Berlin and eight bomb Herford.

ITALY: Lieutenant General Sir Richard McCreery is appointed to command the British Eighth Army. In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, a local attack by 4th Division brings such sharp German reaction that it is decided to attack in strength when weather conditions improve.
Positions across the Ronco River are gradually strengthened during the next few days in preparation for renewing the offensive. Heavy clouds over most of northern Italy begin to disperse.
12th AF: USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers are still grounded but fighter-bombers manage to fly eight sorties against gun positions in the mountains south of Bologna.

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army's II Corps area, the Canadian 3d Division finishes clearing the Breskens Pocket. Some 12,500 prisoners have been taken during the operation. Substantial progress is made by the British 52d Division, reinforced by the 4th Special Service Brigade, on Walcheren Island. The assault forces from Westkapelle join with those from Flushing. Positions in eastern Walcheren are extended.
In the British I Corps area, German delaying line along the Mark River collapses as the 49th Division and the U.S. 104th Infantry Division expand bridgeheads, but many strong points remain.
The Polish 1st Armored Division establishes a bridgehead near Zevenbergen on the right flank of corps; the Canadian 4th Armoured Division, on the left flank, improves positions in Steenbergen area.
In the British Second Army's VIII Corps area, Combat Command A of the U.S. 7th Armored Division continues to clear the northwest bank of Canal du Nord, overrunning the villages of Honk and Ospel.

 

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BELGIUM: British minesweepers reach Antwerp as they clear the approaches to the port. When the Allies finish clearing this port they will cut many miles off their logistics chain. Most of their supplies are coming through Normandy.
The British I Corps continues its advance to the estuary of the Maas River.

HUNGARY: Szolnok, south-east of Budapest, falls to the Soviets in their advance to Cegled which is 40 miles from the capitol of Hungary. Here they halt, held up by stiff resistance, rain and exhaustion.

YUGOSLAVIA: In Dalmatia, Sebenico is captured by the Partisans.

U.S.A.: Field Marshal Sir John Dill, the head of the British Inter-Service Mission to Washington, dies. Dill was a Corps commander (1 Corps) in the BEF and rose to be (Chief of the Imperial General Staff). He was renowned as a brilliant staff officer, but struck down by illness from the end of 1941, hence the sideline to Washington where he died.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Submarine HMS Venturer, under command of the highly-decorated Lt Jimmy Launders, left Dundee on Operation Hangman to resupply clandestine observers reporting shipping movements along the Norwegian Coast. Chalmers was at the periscope when he saw the conning tower of a U-boat surface a few hundred yards away, and called Launders to the control room. In a snap attack lasting six minutes, Chalmers handled the boat while Launders fired four torpedoes to sink U-771. Next day Venturer resumed its mission, entering Andfjord by night in clear windless weather to land its stores by rubber dinghy. Chalmers was awarded the DSC.

EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, Soviet forces capture Szolnok and later Cegled, 40 miles southeast of Budapest. Long-range Soviet artillery bombards Budapest. In Yugoslavia, Partisan forces take Sebenico.

Western Front... Elements of British 1st Corps (part of Canadian 1st Army) continues to advance toward the Maas estuary with the capture of Geertruidenberg. The fighting on Walcheren continues. British minesweepers reach Antwerp in the ongoing effort to clear the port and approaches. Most Allied supplies continue to be landed in Normandy at this time. Meanwhile, a German counterattack recovers Schmidt from the US 1st Army.

176 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group were dispatched to Solingen but the raid was not successful and the bombing was badly scattered. 4 Lancasters lost.

Bochum: 749 RAF aircraft - 384 Halifaxes, 336 Lancasters, 29 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 23 Halifaxes and 5 Lancasters were lost; German night fighters caused most of the casualties. No 346 (Free French) Squadron, based at Elvington, lost 5 out of its 16 Halifaxes on the raid. This was a particularly successful attack based upon standard Pathfinder marking techniques. Severe damage was caused to the centre of Bochum. More than 4,000 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. Bochum's industrial areas were also severely damaged, particularly the important steelworks. This was the last major raid by Bomber Command on this target.

Dortmund-Ems Canal: 174 RAF Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No 5 Group. 3 Lancasters lost. The Germans had partly repaired the section of the canal north of Münster after the No 5 Group raid in September, so this further attack was required. The banks of both branches of the canal were again breached and water drained off, leaving barges stranded and the canal unusable. A report from Speer to Hitler, dated 11 November 1944, was captured at the end of the war and described how the bombing of the canal was preventing smelting coke from the Ruhr mines reaching 3 important steelworks - 2 near Brunswick and 1 at Osnabrück. In his post-war interrogation, Speer stated that these raids on the Dortmund-Ems Canal, together with attacks on the German railway system, produced more serious setbacks to the German war industry at this time than any other type of bombing.

43 RAF Mosquitos to Hannover and 6 to Herford, 39 RCM sorties, 68 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost. The No 100 Group Mosquitos claimed 4 Ju88s and 2 Me110s destroyed and 2 other night fighters damaged, possibly their most successful night of the war.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 700: 1,160 bombers and 890 fighters are dispatched in 6 forces to make PFF attacks on the oil industry in W Germany; 5 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 228 B-17s are dispatched to hit the oil plant at Neunkirchen (151); secondary targets hit are the marshalling yards at Saarbrucken (35) and Neunkirchen (13); 5 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 76 of 77 P-47s and 50 Ninth AF P-51s without loss. 2. 210 of 222 B-24s hit the Misburg oil plant at Hannover; 3 B-24s are lost and 93 damaged; 28 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 371 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 257 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Harburg oil plant at Hamburg (23; targets of opportunity are the aviation industry at Nordholz (9) and other (2); 9 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 124 of 139 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 4. 186 of 193 B-17s hit the Rhenania oil plant at Hamburg; 2 others hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost and 61 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 18 MIA. Escort is provided by 110 P-51s without loss. 5. 91 of 119 B-17s hit the Welhun oil plant at Bottrop; 26 others hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Hamm; 24 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 37 of 40 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost. 6. 133 of 141 B-24s hit Gelsenkirchen/Nordstern without loss. Escort is provided by 50 of 54 P-47s. Mission 701: 3 B-17s and 6 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

US Ninth Air Force: In Germany, 218 B-26s and A-20s hit the Trier ordnance depot, Baumholder, and Eschweiler gun positions; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, attack railroads, bridges, and other targets, and support the US XIX Corps in the Aachen area. In France, the 556th, 557th, 558th and 559th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 387th Bombardment Group (Medium), move from Chateaudun to Clastres with B-26s.

US Fifteenth Air Force):715 B-17s and B-24s with fighter escorts pound oil storage at Regensburg and marshalling yards at Munich and Augsburg, Germany, the main marshalling yard and a benzol plant at Linz, Austria, a troop concentration at Podgorica, Yugoslavia, as well as attacking several alternate targets and scattered targets of opportunity including marshalling yards at Wels and Kufstein, Austria, Erding Airfield, Germany, railroad targets in and near Rosenheim, Germany, and the towns of Strass and Muhldorf, Austria.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, 200o+ B-25s and B-26s of the 42d Bombardment Wing (Medium) hit railway and road bridges in the Brenner Pass; 130+ B-25s of the 57th Bombardment Wing strike communications in the W Po Valley, cutting at least 4 bridges; fighters and fighter-bombers of XXII Tactical Air Command concentrate on communications targets and trains in the Po Valley and defenses in the battle area S of Bologna; some XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft hit guns on the N Italian coast, some hit a rocket launching site and communications N of battle area, and 4 P-47s bomb a Milan hotel where Adolf Hitler is rumored to be staying.

GERMANY: Finally relenting to Generalmajor Galland's requests, Hitler decrees that all Me 262 planes shall be produced as fighters and nothing else. But it is too late to affect the course of the war. It is planned for III./EJG 2 to have an establishment of 122 Me 262s to train the future jet pilots.

 

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15th AF: AUSTRIA: Five hundred three USAAF USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s and B-17s bomb the Floridsdorf oil refinery at Vienna in the largest operation against a single target during World War II; three other heavy bombers bomb about three other targets.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 3d Cavalry Group, after heavy fire on German positions, clears Berg and a hill to the north. The XII Corps is ready to open an offensive, but awaits order from Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Commanding General Third Army. Rain falls intermittently.
A U.S. Seventh Army directive calls for the reduction of the Germans west of the Rhine River and capture of Strasbourg. The XV Corps is to attack on D Day, taking Sarrebourg and forcing the Saverne Gap. The VI Corps, not later than D plus 2, is to attack through Vosges Mountain passes to take Strasbourg. In the VI Corps area, the 45th Infantry Division, into whose Line additional elements of 100th Infantry Division are gradually being introduced, pushes in slowly toward Raon-lâe-Etape. The 3d Infantry Division continues to clear the region west of the Meurthe River from the St Die area northward. The 36th Infantry Division is still engaged in Foret Domaniale de Champ.
In the French First Army's II Corps area, the 3d Algerian Division, continuing a limited offensive toward Gerardmer, gains Rochesson, Menaurupt, and the heights near these villages.
The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 703: three B-17s and seven B-24s drop leaflets in France. .

GERMANY: In the U.S. First Army's V Corps area, the 28th Infantry Division withstands infantry counterattacks against Kommerscheidt, but the Germans infiltrate the main supply route and gain control of the Kall bridge. Steady German fire on Vossenack is weakening U.S. defenders there. To help 112th Infantry Regiment in their drive on Schmidt on tomorrow, Task Force R (Colonel Ripple, commander of the 707th Tank Battalion) is formed, containing a battalion of the 110th Infantry Regiment, tanks, and tank destroyers. In the VII Corps area, poor weather conditions prevent the opening of an offensive.
8th AF: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 702: 1,272 bombers and 666 fighters in three forces attack marshalling yards (M/Ys) in western Germany; H2X radar is used by all forces; 12 bombers and six fighters are lost; 397 bombers hit Frankfurt-am-Main M/Y; 332 attack the Karlsruhe M/Y; at Ludwigshafen, 218 bomb the M/Y and 176 hit the I.G. Farben synthetic oil refinery; 36 bomb the Hanau M/Y; 33 attack the Kaiserslautern M/Y; and 19 aircraft hit targets of opportunity.
9th AF: One hundred sixty USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s strike ammunition, ordnance, and supply depots at Hamburg; fighters escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance, attack railroads and bridges, and cover ground forces of the V and XIX Corps while the IX Tactical Air Command aids the US 28th Infantry Division in withstanding a counterattack near Kommerscheidt, Germany.
RAF: During the day, 170 RAF Bomber Command Lancasters carry out a G-H raid on Solingen; one Lancaster is lost. Results of the raid are not observed, because of the complete cloud cover, but German reports show that this is an outstanding success. Most of the bombing fell accurately into the medium-sized town of Solingen. 1,300 houses and 18 industrial buildings are destroyed and 1,600 more buildings are severely damaged.
RAF: During the night of 5/6 November, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb three targets: 64 hit Stuttgart in two waves and at Aschaffenburg, five attack the marshalling yard and one bombs the city.

ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army's IV Corps area, the 1st Division of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) takes command of Combat Command B, U.S. 1st Armored Division, in place. The Corps zone, from west to east, is now manned by the U.S. 107th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, the Brazilian 1st Division, and the South African 6th Armoured Division.
In the British Eighth Army area, improving weather conditions permit Allied aircraft to begin softening up strikes in preparation for attack by the V Corps on Forli.
12th AF: USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers, flying 300+ sorties, bomb bridges in the Brenner Pass and in the northeast Po Valley to interdict the Germans' two main supply routes from the north; fighters and fighter-bombers hit defenses and forces in the battle areas in the northern Apennines mountains south of Bologna and attack communications targets to the north as well as in battle zone.

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army area, II Corps continues to make rapid
progress on Walcheren Island. The British I Corps gets forward elements to the Maas River. The U.S. 104th Infantry Division, less elements of the 414th Infantry Regiment that are to help the Polish 1st Armored Division take Moerdijk, prepares to move to Aachen, Germany.
In the British Second Army's XII Corps area, the 51st Division finishes clearing the Germans from the south bank of the Maas River. In the VIII Corps area, the U.S. 7th Armored Division approaches the Meijel area from the south, and the British 15th Division begins a drive on Meijel from the north.

YUGOSLAVIA:
15th AF: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers attack six targets: 28 bomb tactical targets at Podgorica, 14 hit tactical targets at Mitrovica, and four hit targets of opportunity.
RAF: During the day, 14 RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the West marshalling yard at Sarajevo while 85 fly supplies to the partisans. During the night of 5/6 November, 81 other aircraft deliver supplies to the partisans.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: In France, the 92d and 94th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 439th Troop Carrier Group, move from Lonray to Chateaudun with C-47s; the 306th Troop Carrier Squadron, 442d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Peray to St-Andre-de-L'Eure with C-47s.

Attacks by forces of the Canadian 2nd Corps (part of Canadian 1st Army), on Walcheren, result in the capture of Middleburg.

GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force: Mission 704: 1,131 bombers and 802 fighters in 6 forces make PFF attacks on the oil industry in W Germany; 5 bombers and 5 fighters are lost: 1. 291 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Harburg (142) and Rhenania (138) oil refineries at Hamburg; 3 others hit the Lubeck oil refinery at Hamburg; 4 B-17s are lost and 103 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 36 MIA. Escort is 238 of 258 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 262 B-17s are dispatched to hit the aviation industry at Neumunster (23); 231 hit the secondary, the Neumunster marshalling yard; 3 others hit targets of opportunity; 10 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA. Escort is 93 of 102 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 215 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Mittelland Canal at Minden; 2 others hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 31 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. 43 of 44 P-47s escort without loss. 4. 101 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Bottrop oil refinery; 12 others hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Hamm; 39 B-17s are damaged. 257 of 271 P-51s escort without loss. 5. 143 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Sterkrade oil refinery (134); 1 other hit Vreden; 27 B-24s are damaged. 40 of 43 P-51s escort claiming 0-0-1 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 6. 119 B-17s are dispatched to hit the benzol oil plant at Duisburg (65); 43 hit a target of opportunity, the marshalling yard at Rheydt; 18 B-17s are damaged. 51 of 54 P-47s escort without loss. 30 P-51s of the Scouting Forces patrol the area without loss.

US Ninth Air Force: Weather grounds the 9th Bombardment Division; fighters, during armed reconnaissance, attack railroads and bridges; the IX Tactical Air Command also supports ground forces in the Schmidt, Germany area.

Gelsenkirchen: 738 RAF aircraft - 383 Halifaxes, 324 Lancasters, 31 Mosquitos. 3 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes lost. This large daylight raid had, as its aiming point, the Nordstern synthetic-oil plant. The attack was not well concentrated but 514 aircraft were able to bomb the approximate position of the oil plant before smoke obscured the ground; 187 aircraft then bombed the general town area of Gelsenkirchen.

235 RAF Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attempted to cut the Mittelland Canal at its junction with the Dortmund-Ems Canal at Gravenhorst. The marking force experienced great difficulty in finding the target. The crew of a low-flying Mosquito - pilot: Flight Lieutenant LCE De Vigne; navigator: Australian Squadron Leader FW Boyle, No 627 Squadron - found the canal and dropped their marker with such accuracy that it fell into the water and was extinguished. Only 31 aircraft bombed, before the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be abandoned. 10 Lancasters were lost.

128 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group to the new target of Koblenz, making a night G-H attack. 2 Lancasters lost. This was a successful raid with most of the damage being caused by a large area of fire in the centre of the town. The British Bombing Survey Unit later estimated that 303 acres, 58 per cent of the town's built-up area, were destroyed.

48 RAF Mosquitos to Gelsenkirchen, 18 to Hannover, 11 to Rheine and 8 to Herford, 32 RCM sorties, 82 Mosquito patrols, 12 Lancasters minelaying off Heligoland. 4 aircraft lost - 1 Mosquito from the Gelsenkirchen raid, 2 Mosquito Intruders and 1 RCM Fortress.

The first two special-built 'Mosquito destroyers', Ju 88G-7 high performance night-fighters are delivered to the Luftwaffe.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Fifteenth Air Force: In Austria, 580+ fighter- escorted B-17s and B-24s bomb the Moosbierbaum oil refinery and Vienna S ordnance depot, alternate targets of Maribor, Yugoslavia marshalling yard, the Kapfenberg steel works and the Deutsch Wagram and Graz marshalling yards, and the railroad power sub station at Bolzano, Italy.

US Twelfth Air Force: In Italy, medium bombers strike electric transformers and converters, railway bridges and railway fills on the rail line through the Brenner Pass; fighter-bombers and fighters again hit troops and gun positions in the battlelines S of Bologna and communications targets N of the battle area.

In Cairo, Lord Moyne, British Resident Minister in the Middle East, dies after being shot by Zionits terrorists. The assassins, Eliahou Bet-Zouri and Eliahou Al Hakim, both in their early twenties, are members of the Stern Gang then under the control of Yitzhak Shamir.

Destroyer 'Plunkett' (DD-431) shells German troop concentrations and pillboxes. She carries out shore bombardment against gun emplacement south of Ventimiglia.

EASTERN FRONT: In Yugoslavia, Partisan forces enter Monastir. The partisans, under the leadership of Tito, now control most the Greek-Yugoslavian border area.

Joseph Stalin renounces the neutrality pact between the Soviet Union and Japan.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: In the Hürtgen Forest, a casual truce in German-American fighting allows extraction of wounded.

USA: Roosevelt is elected to an unprecedented fourth term as president, winning over Republican candidate Dewey with 36 states and 53 percent of the vote. The elections for the House of Representative result in 243 Democrats, 190 Republicans and 2 others.

MEDITERRANEAN: 8th Army attacks towards Forli.

(US Fifteenth Air Force):550+ B-17s and B-24s attack Maribor and Alipasin Most, Yugoslavia and Brunico, Italy marshalling yards; the Floridsdorf oil refinery at Vienna, Austria; the Brenner Pass railroad route; railroad bridges at Pinzano al Tagliamento, Casarsa della Delizia, Mezzocorona, Ora, and Albes, Italy; and troop concentrations at Novi Pazar, Sjenica, Prijepolje, and Mitrovica, Yugoslavia; fighters escort all operations except the attacks on troop concentrations; in Yugoslavia, 124 P-38s strafe troop concentrations at Podgorica and roads and railroads near Raska, between Visegrad-Prijepolje-Sjenica and from Sjenica to Novi Pazar.

(US Twelfth Air Force): The Adjutant General officially orders the de facto action of 19 Oct redesignating HQ XII Fighter Command to HQ XXII Tactical Air Command. In Italy, medium bombers of the 42d Bombardment Wing (Medium) aid the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Desert Air Force (DAF) in supporting the British Eighth Army's attack on Forli; the 57th Bombardment Wing continues an interdiction campaign against railway supply lines in NE Italy; fighter-bombers closely support US Fifth Army forces astride the Idice River in the mountains S of Bologna and bomb communications N of the Apennines, scoring many hits on bridges between Piacenza and Bologna.

GERMANY: (US Ninth Air Force): No bomber operations because of unfavorable weather; fighters fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, attacking railroads, gun positions and other targets; the IX Tactical Air Command supports the US V Corps as fierce counterattacks force the US 28th Infantry Division to retreat from the village of Kommerscheidt, Germany; the V Corps decides to withdraw the Kall River bridgehead.

Generalmajor Galland and Generaloberst Alfred Keller visit Kommando Nowotny at Achmer.

 

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GERMANY: At Achmer, Major Walter Nowotny, Kommandoführer of his own experimental Me 262 Gruppe – Kommando Nowotny – tries to take off on his first sortie in the new jet against Allied bombers and their escorts. His engines fail before he can lift off and he taxies back to the hanger, unable to participate in the morning operation. Due to mechanical problems among the available Me 262s, only two jet fighters are able to become airborne. Oblt. Günther Wegmenn and Lt. Schall, flying the two airborne jets, engage the Allied bombers and shoot down a P-47 and a P-51. But Lt. Schall is attacked by more escorting P-51s and is himself shot down, successfully baling out of the jet. By the time the Oblt. Wegmenn returns, the engines of the Kommandoführer's jet are fixed and Major Nowotny takes off in the afternoon with his wingman to attack the Allied bomber stream at 30,000 feet, disappearing into low cloud. The last that anyone sees of Major Nowotny is when his Me 262 is seen to break through the lower clouds and smash into the ground at Epe, east of Hesepe. He is killed. His final tally is 258 victories including a B-17 and a P-51 he is credited with downing just before he crashed. Generalmajor Galland, who witnesses Nowotny's death along with Oblt. Georg-Peter Eder, immediately appoints Oblt Eder as Kommodore but Nowotny's experimental Gruppe does not last long after his death.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 705: 690 bombers and 890 fighters are dispatched to make a PFF attack on Merseburg oil plants and Rheine marshalling yard; bad weather causes the recall of 350+ bombers; 3 bombers and 11 fighters are lost: 1. 267 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Leuna oil plant at Merseburg (193); 2 others hit a target of opportunity; 9 of 12 B-17s fly as a screening force; 3 B-17s are lost and 85 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 27 MIA. Escorting are 752 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 2-0-1 aircraft in the air and 0-0-1 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 9 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 2 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 2. 145 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Rheine marshalling yard (77); targets of opportunity are Enschede (8), Nordhorn Canal (8) and other (1); 15 B-24s are damaged. Escorting are 36 of 37 P-47s without loss. 3. 266 B-17s dispatched to hit the Leuna oil plant at Merseburg are recalled due to weather. 11 of 14 P-51s fly a scouting missions without loss. Mission 706: 5 B-17s and 12 B-24s (2 abort) drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels operations against military depots and troop concentrations in Germany, and fortified positions in France; a mission against rail bridges in Germany is recalled due to weather; fighters fly escort, attack railroads, bridges, factories, supply dumps, and command posts; the IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands support the US 28th Infantry Division in the Schmidt, Germany area (V Corps begins withdrawing the Kall River bridgehead) and Third Army elements start an assault on enemy fortifications in the Metz, France area.

WESTERN FRONT: German resistance on Walcharen ceases and the garrison survivors surrender to the forces of the Canadian 1st Army. The US 3rd Army begins a new offensive around Metz and to the south. US 3rd Army launches an offensive towards the Sarre river. During the day, the Seille River is crossed, and Nomony captured.

136 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the Meerbeck oil plant at Homberg. 1 Lancaster lost. The raid opened well and 2 large fires were seen but smoke then concealed the target and later bombing was scattered.

59 RAF Mosquitos to Herford and 50 to Hannover, 4 RCM sorties, 24 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Stirlings on Resistance work were lost.

(US Eighth Air Force): The transfer of training functions from VIII Air Force Composite Command to combat groups is completed; the VIII AF Composite Command ceases to function as personnel are attached to the Air Disarmament Command (Provisional) by the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF). The airfield at Denain/Prouvy, France is assigned to HQ Eighth AF; this is the first step in establishing an VIII Air Force Services Command Service Center on the European continent so that Eighth AF can service and administer its own aircraft and personnel in the area.

MEDITERRANEAN: British 8th Corps (part of British 8th Army) launches new attacks south of Forli.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers strike the rail line in the Brenner Pass and other lines running into Italy from the NE and bomb bridges in the C and W Po Valley, damaging several and destroying the bridge at Mantua; fighters and fighter-bombers hit communications in the Bologna area, but concentrate most of their operations against bridges and rail lines in the Parma area in an effort to disrupt battle area supply lines.

ENGLAND: After the German propagandist Joseph Goebbels publicly announces the V2 rocket campaign on Britain, Prime Minister Churchill admits that the mysterious explosions in southeast England, in recent weeks, are in fact the result of the missile strikes.

EASTERN FRONT: (US Fifteenth Air Force):In Yugoslavia, 34 B-24s bomb troop concentrations at Mitrovica, Prijepolje, and Sjenica. Heavy cloud over the targets forces 70+ others to abort.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: Elements of US 3rd Army cross the Moselle River around Metz. Further south, US 12th Corps continues advancing beyond the Seille River, capturing Chateau Salins.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 707: 1,309 bombers and 738 fighters are dispatched to hit front line strongpoints and tactical targets in the Metz and Thionville, France areas; 4 bombers and 5 fighters are lost: 1. 460 B-17s are dispatched to hit transportation targets at Thionville (47); 276 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Saarbrucken; targets of opportunity are Saarlautern (34) and other (3); 4 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 96 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 27 MIA. Escort is provided by 187 of 192 P-51s without loss. 2. 437 B-17s are dispatched to hit transportation targets at Metz (345); 41 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Saarbrucken; 28 hit Koblenz; 3 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 13 damaged; 19 airment are KIA. Escort is provided by 176 of 184 P-51s without loss. 3. 402 B-24s are dispatched to hit transportation targets at Metz (385); 15 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Saarbrucken; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged. Escort is provided by 113 of 119 P-51s; 3 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 4. 10 of 10 B-17s fly a screening force mission. 5. 139 P-47s and P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions in the Frankfurt- Lannheim area of Germany; 1 P-47 and 4 P-51s are lost; 4 pilots are MIA. 6. 30 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting forces mission. Mission 708: 5 B-17s and 12 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night. The 27th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) (attached to VIII Air Force Service Command), moves from Mount Farm, England to Denain/Prouvy, France with F-5s.

(US Ninth Air Force): 74 planes of the 9th Bombardment Division attack road junctions, barracks, ordnance arsenals, artillery camps, military storage depot, and other targets in the Dieuze and Faulquemont, France and Landau and Sankt Wendel, Germany areas; the IX Tactical Air Command flies sweeps over W Germany and attacks marshalling yard at Duren, Germany, while the XXIX Tactical Air Command escort attacks Rahling, Germany and an airfield and supports US Third Army elements (2 infantry and 2 armored divisions) as an allout assault on Metz, France is pushed. In France, HQ 358th Fighter Group moves from Mourmelon to Toul; the 379th Fighter Squadron, 362d Fighter Group, moves from Prosnes to Rouvres with P-47s; the 425th Night Fighter Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command, moves from Prosnes to Etain with P-61s.

MEDITERRANEAN: British 4th Division (an element of British 8th Army) captures Forli.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, bad weather hampers medium bombers operations in the Po Valley as 7 of 9 missions abort; in the 2 others, bridges in the Valley are hit; fighters and fighter-bombers fly less than 100 sorties, but successfully strike road and railroad bridges in the Bologna-Modena areas.

EASTERN FRONT: 3nd Ukrainian Front captures a bridgehead over the Danube.

GERMANY: 256 RAF Lancasters and 21 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups to attack the Wanne-Eickel oil refinery. Cloud over the target was found to reach 21,000 ft and the skymarkers dropped by the Oboe Mosquitos disappeared as soon as they ignited so the Master Bomber ordered the force to bomb any built-up area. The town of Wanne-Eickel reports only 2 buildings destroyed, with 4 civilians and 6 foreigners killed. It must be assumed that other towns in the Ruhr were hit but no details are available. 2 Lancasters lost.

6 RAF Mosquitos each to Gotha and Pforzheim, 4 to Schwelm (which was not reached) and 3 to Kassel, 22 aircraft of 100 Group on a Window feint to draw up German fighters, 8 Mosquito patrols, 3 Stirlings on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

 

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GERMANY: US Eighth Air Force: 2 missions are flown. Mission 709: 752 bombers and 808 fighters in 3 forces are dispatched to make PFF attack on airfields in W Germany; 4 bombers are lost. 1. 302 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Langendiebach Airfield at Hanau (229); 61 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Hanau; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 46 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 9 MIA. Escort is provided by 261 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 4-0-0 aircraft without loss. 2. 235 B-17s are dispatched to hit Wiesbaden Airfield (105); 73 hit the secondary, Wiesbaden/Halle; 4 others hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 90 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 20 MIA. Escort is provided by 142 of 154 P-51s without loss. 3. 203 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Butzweilerhof (96) and Ostheim (97) Airfields at Cologne; 1 B-17s is lost and 95 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 5 WIA and 9 MIA. Escort is provided by 182 of 191 P-51s; they claim 2-0-0 aircraft without loss. 4. 12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 79 of 87 P-47s hit communications targets in N and C Germany; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft on the ground. 6. 35 P-51s fly a scouting force mission. 7. 58 of 60 P-51s make strafing runs in Germany. Mission 711: 6 B_17s and 9 B-24s (1 abort) drop leaflets on the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

59 TAF Mosquitos to Hannover and 4 each to Gotha and Erfurt (Erfurt was not reached), 30 RCM sorties, 40 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito from the Hannover raid was lost.

WESTERN FRONT: Forces of US 3rd Army continue to advance beyond the Moselle River to the south of Thionville and farther south beyond Metz. US 3rd Army holds off a German counterattack.

(US Ninth Air Force): 150+ bombers dispatched against an ordnance arsenal and camp area are recalled due to weather; 7 others drop leaflets; the XXIX Tactical Air Command attacks railroads while the XIX Tactical Air Command escorts bombers and supports the 80th and 5th Infantry Divisions in the US Third Army assault in the Metz, France area.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): HQ and HQ Squadron, XII Tactical Air Command; HQ and HQ Squadron, 64th Fighter Wing; 324th Fighter Group; 415th Night Fighter Squadron; 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron; and several signal, fighter control, and service units are relieved from duty with the Twelfth AF and assigned to the European Theater of Operations, US Army (ETOUSA) and the First Tactical Air Force (Provisional). In Italy, medium bombers continue the interdiction campaign against railways in NE Italy, principally the Brenner Pass, Brenta River and Po River bridges, rail ferry at Ostiglia, and several dumps; fighter-bombers hit rail targets and guns at several points in Po Valley.

ENGLAND: British Prime Minster Winston Churchill first publicly admits to the V-2 rocket threat in England.

ATLANTIC: The 'Shirvan' (Master Edward F. Pattenden) from the storm scattered convoy UR-142 was hit by a LUT torpedo from 'U-300' off Skagi, Iceland and caught fire. The U-boat had fired five minutes earlier a first LUT torpedo that was a tube runner and detonated near the ship after being ejected. At 14.17 hours, a coup de grâce was fired that was first also a tube runner but then hit the tanker after a coup de grâce at 13.36 hours malfunctioned after launching. The 'Godafoss' from the same convoy stopped against orders to pick up survivors from the tanker, but was also torpedoed by the U-boat at 14.59 hours. The 'Godafoss' was hit by one LUT torpedo from U-300 off Reykjanes and sank within seven minutes. 14 crew members and ten passengers, among them a family of five (two young doctors returning from Harvard and their 3 children) were lost. The 'Shirvan' master, 15 crew members and two gunners were lost. 20 crew members and seven gunners were picked up by HMS 'Reward' (W 164) and the Norwegian armed trawler HMNoS 'Honningsvaag' (4.277) and landed at Reykjavik. The abandoned wreck of 'Shirvan' was still afloat in the evening and the British tug 'Empire Wold' left Reykjavik to assist the ship, but was reported missing presumed lost by enemy action. No U-boat attack correspond with the loss of the vessel and she probably fell victim to the stormy sea. The tanker foundered the next day.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces cross the Danube in force.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: In Paris Churchill and Eden attend Armistice Day (Remembrance Day) ceremonies.

122 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack on the synthetic-oil refinery at Castrop-Rauxel. The bombing was believed to be accurate and no aircraft were lost.

U.S. freighter 'Lee S. Overman' is mined off Le Havre, France; outside of one merchant sailor injured, there are no casualties among the 39-man civilian complement and the 27-man Armed Guard. The ship is later written off as a total loss.

The 305th Troop Carrier Squadron, 442d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Peray to St-Andre-de-L'Eure with C-47s.

US First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): HQ 320th Bombardment Group and the 441st, 442d, 443d and 444th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) move from Corsica to Longvic Airfield at Dijon, France with B-26s. The XIX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance and supports the US XII and XX Corps in the Thionville-Metz, France area. In France, the 405th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group, based at Tavaux Airfield at Dole begins operating from Dijon with P-47s.

ATLANTIC: German submarine 'U-771' sunk in the Arctic in the Andfjord near Harstad, Norway, in position 69.17N, 16.28E, by torpedoes from the British submarine HMS 'Venturer'. 51 dead (all hands lost).

German submarine 'U-1200' sunk south of Ireland, in position 50.24N, 09.10W, by depth charges from the British corvettes British corvettes HMS 'Pevensey Castle', HMS 'Launceston Castle', HMS 'Portchester Castle' and HMS 'Kenilworth Castle'. 53 dead (all hands lost).

Once again a hunter-killer group found and attacked 'U-1227' with depth charges. Yet again she escaped but was further damaged and when the snort broke down (was repaired at sea though) had to abort to Norway.

GERMANY: Harburg: 237 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group. 7 Lancasters lost. The aiming point for this raid was the Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery, which had been attacked several times by American day bombers.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 712: 482 bombers and 367 fighters make PFF attacks on oil refineries and marshalling yards in W Germany; 1 bomber and 1 fighter are lost: 1. 197 B-17s are sent to hit the Oberlahnstein marshalling yard (146); 24 hit the secondary, the Koblenz marshalling yard; 2 hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-17s is damaged beyond repair and 31 damaged; 1 airman is KIA. Escorting are 170 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 2. 129 B-17s are sent to hit the Buer oil refinery at Gelsenkirchen (100); 23 hit the secondary, the Rheine marshalling yard; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 7 airmen are KIA. Escorting are 52 P-51s; 1 is lost. 3. 143 B-24s are sent to hit the Bottrop oil refinery (124); 1 hit Recklinghausen, a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 39 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 98 P-47s and P-51s. 12 of 13 B-17s fly a screening mission. 31 P-51s fly a scouting mission.

Dortmund: 209 RAF Lancasters and 19 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups. No aircraft lost. The aiming point was the Hoesch Benzin synthetic-oil plant in the Wambel district. A local report confirms that the plant was severely damaged. Other bombs hit nearby housing and the local airfield.

41 RAF Mosquitos to the Kamen oil refinery, 12 to Osnabrück, 9 to Wiesbaden, 6 to Gotha and 3 to Erfurt, 36 RCM sorties, 59 Mosquito patrols, 26 Lancasters and 24 Halifaxes minelaying off Oslo, in the Kattegat and in the River Elbe. No aircraft lost.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 220+ heavy bombers attack marshalling yards in Rosenheim, Germany; Salzburg, Villach, Linz, and Lienz, the railroad at Zell am See and highway bridge at Sillian, and Wurzen Pass, Austria; railroad bridges at Pinzano al Tagliamento, Latisana, and Casarsa della Delizia, and Aviano Airfield, Italy. Fighters escort all missions except the bridge attacks. Bad weather grounds 100+ other heavy bombers, and another 320+ are recalled before reaching their target areas.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 190 B-26s and A-20s hit strongpoints at Putzlohn and rail bridges at Sinzig, Euskirchen, Ahrweiler, and Mayen; the IX Tactical Air Command hits railroads and other targets, escorts the bombers, and supports the US 28th Infantry Division in the Schmidt area. The XXIX Tactical Air Command hits targets in W Germany.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers strike at railroad bridges in NC and NE Italy, damaging a bridge at Piazzola sul Brenta and knocking out 2 spans of a bridge at Latisana; fighter-bombers continue support of ground forces S of Bologna, attack vehicles, trains, and communications in the Genoa-Alessandria area, bomb Villafranca di Verona Airfield and set most of the area aflame; during the night of 10/11 Nov A-20s bomb Ghedi Airfield and targets of opportunity in the Po Valley. The 17th and 18th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 64th Troop Carrier Group, cease operating from Istres, France and return to base at Ciampino, Italy with C-47s.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: (US Eighth Air Force): The operational tour of duty for fighter pilots is set at 270 hours.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents operations by the 9th Bombardment Division; fighter operations are limited but IX and XIX Tactical Air Command's fly patrols and armed reconnaissance in W Germany and along the French-German border. In France, the 404th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group, based at Tavaux Airfield, Dole begins operating from Dijon with P-47s.

Royal Navy sinks ten ships in a German convoy. Operation COUNTERBLAST's object was the destruction of shipping off the south west coast of Norway. Forces taking part were: 'Kent' (Rear Admiral Commanding, 1st Cruiser Squadron), 'Bellona', 'Myngs' (Captain (D) 26th Destroyer Flotilla), 'Zambesi', 'Verulam', and 'Algonquin'. Fighter cover was provided by Operation STEAK.

30 RAF Lancasters of Nos 9 and 617 Squadrons and a No 463 Squadron Lancaster with cameramen on board flew from Lossiemouth to attack the 'Tirpitz', which was still moored near Tromso. The weather was clear. 'Tirpitz' was hit by at least 2 Tallboys and then suffered a violent internal explosion. She capsized to remain bottom upwards - a total loss. Approximately 1,000 of the 1,900 men on board were killed or injured. German fighters which were stationed near by to protect the 'Tirpitz' failed to take off in time and only 1 Lancaster, of No 9 Squadron, was severely damaged, by flak; it landed safely in Sweden with its crew unhurt. During the British attack, III./JG 5 led by Gruppenkommandeur Major Heinrich Ehrler and based at nearby Bardufoss, failed to respond to radio distress calls from the ship. This led to Major Ehrler being court-martialed and sentenced to death for dereliction of duty and failing to provide aerial defense of the battleship although Major Ehrler was in Oslo at the time. But Major Ehrler was spared because of his combat record (201 kills and an Eichenlaub) and the need for experienced men to fly the Me 262. He was instead soon posted to the Me 262 unit, JG 7.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force):In Italy, 107 fighter-escorted B-24s strike at bridges at Ora, Albes, and Mezzocorona, a viaduct at Avisio, plus the alternate target of Casarsa della Delizia railroad bridges and targets of opportunity in NE Italy including the Latisana railroad bridge and an airfield to the N.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, bad weather grounds medium bombers; fighter-bombers support ground forces in the N Apennines and hit railway targets in the Po Valley, cut rail lines in 18 places and destroy or seriously damage 8 bridges; during the night of 11/12 Nov A-20s hit motor transport, Bergamo Airfield, and the Po River crossing at San Benedetto Po.

GERMANY: Himmler reads out Hitler's speech at the "Beer-hall putsch" celebrations in Munich.

Obst. Günther Radusch is appointed Geschwaderkommodore of NJG 3 in place of Helmut Lent who was killed in October.

 

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FRANCE: The US 3rd Army has crossed the Moselle River north of Thionville. To the south they advance toward Falquemont and Morhange.
German units withdraw from St. Dies in the face of pressure from the US 7th Army. US forces penetrate the heavy defences of Metz, but they meet strong resistance as they press on to the Saar.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 713: 4 B-17s and 8 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

FINLAND: Last Finnish naval units leave the Kemi-Tornio area. The German-Finnish sea war has ended. (Dave Shirlaw)

YUGOSLAVIA: The Germans evacuate Skopie, hitherto their headquarters in Macedonia.

U.S.S.R.: Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla: MS "T-899" (ex-RT-412 "Kolguevets") - due to collision, in Murmansk port inner harbour (later raised and went into service) (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-1052 collided with the vessel "Saude" (352 tons) south of Bergen, Norway. The ship sank when the U-boat suddenly reversed and removed the bow from the vessel and left a huge hole in its hull causing the vessel to take on water and sink.

GERMANY: US Fifteenth Air Force: During the night of 12/13 Nov 14 B-17s and B-24s hit the oil refinery at Blechhammer, Germany; 5 others hit alternate targets and targets of opportunity at scattered locations including Gleiwitz, Germany, Karvina, Poland and Ruzomberok and Vac, Czechoslovakia. Day operations are limited to reconnaissance missions.

Hptm. Eder, the new Kommodore of Kommando Nowotny, downs an Allied P-38 Lightning near Schleissheim by accident. Attempting to close in on the high-flying reconnaissance Lightning, he misjudges the distance and the two planes collide. Hptm. Eder survives with a few dents to his plane but the American Lightning is destroyed.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 12/13 Nov A-20s bomb ammunition dumps, pontoon bridge, and targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; a thick overcast covering N Italy the following morning vastly curtails medium bombers which attack only a railway bridge at Padua; fighter-bombers continue to hit communications N of the battle area and also the oil pipeline across the Po River at Ostiglia.

 

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CZECHOSLOVAKIA: In Prague, General Andrei Vlasov, a Russian officer captured by the Germans in 1942, defects. Vlasov argues that Germany should set up a Russian provisional government and recruit a Russian army of liberation under his command. Vlasov writes an anti-Bolshevik leaflet which aircraft drop by the millions on Soviet forces, and as a direct consequence thousands of Soviets desert. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler authorizes him to set up the Russian Liberation Committee and the Russian Liberation Army, known as ROA (from Russkaya Osvoboditel' naya Armiya), to fight the Soviets.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, Oudrenne falls to the 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division; the 358th cuts the Inglange-Distroff road and clears Distroff. The 90th Reconnaissance Troop links the bridgeheads of the 90oth and 95th Infantry Divisions, providing the 10th Armored Division a protected route of advance. A Bailey bridge is completed at Thionville during morning, and Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division starts across it in afternoon. Combat Command A of the 10th Armored Division and the 3d Cavalry Group (Mechanized) cross at Mailing, latter to screen in the Sarre-Moselle triangle. The 95th Infantry Division, which has been engaged largely in containing the German bridgehead west of Metz, begins attacks west of the river with the 379th Infantry Regiment after artillery preparation: while the 2d Battalion works around to the rear of Fort Jeanne d'Arc and holds off counterattacks, the 1st Battalion begins the reduction of fortifications known as the Seven Dwarfs, taking the three northern works and attempting in vain to gain the next, Fort Bois Ia Dame. The regiment is isolated in these advanced positions, though, and must be supplied by air. East of the Moselle River, the 2d Battalion of the 378th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division, takes Haute Yutz and opens an assault on Fort d'IlLange; the 1st Battalion, 377th Infantry Regiment, is heavily engaged at Bertrange and Imeldange. The 10th and 11th Infantry Regiments, 5th Infantry Division, drive northward abreast toward Metz while the 3d Battalion, 2d Infantry Regiment, moves to the Sorbey area; the 11th clears the woods southwest of Fort Verdun and takes Prayelle Farm; the 10th cleans out the southern half of Bois de l'Hôpital. In the XII Corps area, Lieutenant General Manton Eddy, Commanding General XII Corps, limits the 80th Infantry Division's mission to clearing the high ground south of Faulquemont. Combat Command A of the 6th Armored Division attacks toward Côte de Suisse, a ridge extending from Landroff to Thicourt, taking Brulange, Suisse, and Landroff. The Germans begin a series of determined attempts to recover Landroff at dusk, pushing into the village. Combat Command B, 4th Armored Division, and the 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, close in on Morhange, seizing Destry and Baronville in bitter fighting. The 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, moves forward to the right. Combat Command A, 4th Armored Division, sweeps through Bois de Kerperche, extending northeast from Koecking ridge, and gets elements to Guebling. The 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, continues to clear Koecking forest, from which the Germans begin withdrawing, during the night of 14/15 November.
In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the 44th Infantry Division continues to battle the Germans near Leintrey. The 79th Infantry Division overcomes opposition at Ste Pole and Ancerviller.
In the French First Army area, I Corps opens an offensive toward the Belfort Gap, attacking astride the Doubs River at noon with the 2d Moroccan Division assisted by the 5th Armored Division on the left and the 9th Colonial Division on the right. Tactical surprise is achieved and gains are made all along front.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory and his wife Doris die today when the Avro York transport carrying them to Ceylon crashes in atrocious weather on the Cheminee du Diable in the French Alps. Sir Trafford is on his way to take up his new appointment as Air Commander-in- Chief South East Asia Command (SEAC). It would have been the culmination of a brilliant, if sometimes controversial, career. He opposed Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding, Air Officer Commander-In- Chief Fighter Command, over his tactics in the Battle of Britain. Dowding won the battle, but lost the quarrel, and was bypassed while Leigh-Mallory was named Commander-in- Chief, Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), the unit that had operational control over all RAF and USAAF tactical units, for the invasion of Europe. Buried in snow, the wreck is not found until June, 1945. Air Marshal Sir Guy Garrod, Deputy Allied Air Commander in Chief, Air Command - South East Asia Command, is later appointed to
this position.

ITALY: In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, the 4th Division reaches the Montone River in the region north of Highway 9. Advancing along the highway, the 167th Brigade of the 56th Division crosses the Montone River. South of Highway 9, the 6th Division continues toward the Samoggia River.
Bad weather restricts USAAF Twelfth Air Force operations to fighter-bomber attacks by 17 P-47 Thunderbolts on rail lines and a road north of the battleline.

NETHERLANDS: In the British Second Army area, XII Corps opens an offensive to reduce the German bridgehead west of the Maas River in the Roermond-Venlo area, attacking across Nord and Wesscm Canals with the 53d and 51st Divisions while the 7th Armoured Division takes the locks at Panheel.

NORWAY: The Norwegian government-in- exile announces that Norwegian troops under Colonel Arne Dahi have landed in Norway to operate with the Soviet Karelian forces against the Germans on the Arctic front.

YUGOSLAVIA: The Yugoslavs announce the fall of Skoplje, which has been a main staging point for the Germans withdrawing from Greece.

EASTERN FRONT: JG 52's Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn gains his 275th victory.

 

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AUSTRIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bomber attack nine targets: 50 bomb the Hermann Goering benzol plant at Linz while 17 hit the Main marshalling yard at Innsbruck. Individual aircraft bomb Two aircraft bomb Heiflau and individual aircraft bomb Heiflau Klagenfurt, Schwaz, Traunstein and Wolfberg.

BALTIC SEA: In the Gulf of Finland, German submarine U-479 is listed as missing with the loss of all 51 crewmen; no explanation exists for its loss.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 358th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division is hit hard by counterattack that reaches Distroff, but forces the Germans to retire and the 357th attacks toward a ridge between Budling and Buding until stopped by fire from Hackenberg works. Combat Command A, 10th Armored Division takes Lemestroff. 95th Infantry Division troops east of the Moselle River are formed into Task Bacon to drive south on Metz. A battalion of the 378th Infantry Regiment captures the Illange forts, ending organized resistance in the northern part of the division zone. The 378th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division, takes Fort de Fêves, at the northern end of Canrobert works, and the heights southwest of Bois de Woippy; the 377th Infantry, making their main effort, drives south of Maiziêres-lês- Metz to La Maxe and Woippy, seizing La Maxe and beginning an assault on Woippy. The 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, takes Augny and reaches the edge of Frescaty Airport; the 10th Infantry finishes clearing Bois de l'Hopital and enters Marly, where bitter fighting ensues; the 2d Infantry repels German drives toward Sanry bridge from the Sorbey area and clears Mécleuves. In the XII Corps area, the 6th Armored Division, assisted by elements of the 8oth Infantry Division, drives the Germans from Landroff; an armored task force takes Cote de Suisse. Combat Command B, 4th Armored Division, reaches the Metz-Sarrebourg railroad but is ordered to halt since its flank is exposed and since its movement is confined to roads. The 35th Infantry Division advances through Morhange, which the Germans have abandoned, to the Metz-Sarrebourg railroad.
In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the 44th Infantry Division continues toward Avricourt. The 79th Infantry presses northward toward the Vezouse River, clearing Halloville, northeast of Ancerviller. In the VI Corps area, the 100th Infantry Division penetrates German positions north of Raonl'Etape.
In the French First Army area, the II Corps, with the 3d Algerian Division on the north and the 1st Division on the south, moves forward to keep pace with friendly forces on their flanks. The 3d Algerian Division reaches Le Tholy. I Corps makes excellent progress except on the extreme right along the Swiss frontier. The 2d Moroccan Division, assisted by 5th Armored Division, drives beyond Arcey, on the road to Hericourt. The 9th Colonial Division, with the capture of Colombier-Fontame, Ecot, and Ecurcey, opensthe route to Herimoncourt.
The USAAF Ninth Air Force transfers HQ XII Tactical Air Command, along with the 71st Fighter Wing, 50th, 358th, and 371st Fighter Groups, 86th Air Depot Group, and 83d and 312th Service Groups, to the First Tactical Air Force (Provisional) . The First Tactical Air Force is tasked with providing tactical air support to the Sixth Army Group. At the end of the war, the First Tactical Air Force will be disbanded and all of its units will revert to the Ninth Air Force.

GERMANY: In the U.S. First Army's VII Corps area, the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, breaks through to the encircled companies on a plateau southwest of Huertgen and withdraws them, but by now the Regiment holds only the southern edge of the plateau.
One each USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bomber hits Passau and the Main marshalling yard at Salzburg.
During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 177 Lancasters to carry out a G-H attack on the Hoesch synthetic oil plant at Dortmund; 174 hit the target. The raid, through thick cloud, is believed to have been accurate. Two Lancasters are lost.
During the night of 15/16 November, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos hit six targets: 34 bomb Berlin, six bomb the Krupp Treibstoff synthetic oil refinery at Wanne-Eikel, five bobm Gotha, four each hit the Karlsruhe and the Buer synthetic oil refinery at Gelsenkirchen and one attacks Osnabruck. One aircraft is lost.

The prototype of the night-fighter version of the Dornier Do 335 'Pfeil' is made available to the Luftwaffe.

HUNGARY: Jasberény, 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Budapest falls to the Soviets.

ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army's British XIII Corps area, 8th Indian Division troops push into Modigliana, where contact is made with the Polish II Corps.
Bad weather cancels all USAAF Twelfth Air Force operations except for reconnaissance by four P-47 Thunderbolts and attack by two on a railroad bridge and rolling stock in the Po Valley.

WESTERN EUROPE: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 714: six B-17s and six B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.
Weather prevents USAAF Ninth Air Force bomber operations and limits fighters; the XIX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance in the Merzig-Trier- Saarbrucken, Germany area and supports the XX Corps in same area.

YUGOSLAVIA: Four USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb troop concentrations in the Novi Pazar area.

MEDITERRANEAN: Destroyer escort 'Frament' (DE-677) collides with Italian submarine 'Luigi Settembrini' 685 miles west of Gibraltar; 'Frament' is damaged, but 'Luigi Settembrini' sinks.