This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: Allied forces surrounding the German-held bulge begin counterattacking. The US 4th Armored Division, an element of US 3rd Army, aims at relieving the Americans surrounded in Bastogne. Meanwhile, German attacks are halted by American armor at Celles, about 6 km east of the Meuse River, after having advanced about 80 km since the beginning of the offensive in mid-December. US General George Patton shifts his main attack in France to the Neufchâteau-Bastogne road. US 7th Corps recaptures Celles, France.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 761: 422 bombers and 460 fighters are dispatched to hit communications centers and rail bridges W of the Rhine River; they claim 49-7-12 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 bombers and 9 fighters are lost: 1. 248 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Hallschlag (41), Prum (40), Pelm (37), Murlenbach (33), Pronsfeld (16) and Wahlen (12); targets of opportunity are communications centers at Budesheim (21), Hillesheim (12), Marmegen (11), Nettersheim (10) and Mechernich (9); they claim 3-1-3 aircraft; 4 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 92 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 40 MIA. Escorting are 144 of 156 P-51s; they claim 6-0-1 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair. 2. 174 B-17s are sent to hit railroad bridges at Ahrweiler (44) and Bad Munster (9), the Kaiserslautern railroad (38) and the Hermeskeil Simmern communications center and Marscheid railroad bridge (36); targets of opportunity are railroad bridges at Bad Kreuznach (17) and Eller (11) and other (1); they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 36 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 278 of 294 P-51s; they claim 40-6-7 aircraft; 6 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 10 of 10 P-51s fly a scouting missions without loss.

(US Ninth Air Force): Nearly 650 B-26, A-20s and A-26s hit rail and road bridges, communications centers and targets of opportunity in W Germany and the breakthrough area; fighters, including an Eighth AF group loaned to the Ninth AF, escort the 9th Bombardment Division, fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, and support the US III, VIII, and XII Corps along the S battleline of the enemy salient from Echternach, Luxembourg to NW of Neufchateau, Belgium.

MEDITERRANEAN: German radio announces a withdrawal of some 2000 yards to the northwest of Faenza after heavy battles.

In Liberated Greece Fighting between the Greek government forces and the communist forces begins to die down. British forces have actively assisted the government. British Prime Minister Churchill and Foreign Secretary Eden arrive for talks with Greek leaders, including ELAS representatives.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, clearing weather in the Po Valley permits fighter-bombers to successfully cut numerous rail lines running N to the Brenner Pass, and lines in the E Po Valley, destroying or damaging several locomotives; HQ 87th Fighter Wing moves from Caserta to Florence.

Major Johannes Wiese, Kommodore of JG 77 is shot down and wounded. Major Siegfried Freytag is appointed acting Kommodore in his place.

EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, Soviet forces continue to advance west and southwest of Budapest. To the northwest of Budapest, intensive fighting is reported with Soviet forces now less than 100 miles from Vienna.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 253 B-17s and B-24s hit the Brux, Czechoslovakia synthetic oil plant and main marshalling yard at Wels, Austria; 145 others bomb marshalling yards at Plattling and Rosswein, Germany; and in Austria, Villach, Hall, Graz, and 2 at Innsbruck and Innsbruck AA position and rail siding; 30+ fighters escort the Brux-Wels- Rosswein-Plattling raids; other P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance escort and cover Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) B-25s on a Yugoslav supply run.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: US 4th Armored Division of the US 3rd Army makes contact with the 101st Division defending Bastogne. About 25 American CG-4A gliders land near Bastogne, delivering vital ammunition and medical supplies to American troops pinned there. The US 4th Armored Division (an element of US 3rd Army) relieves the American forces in Bastogne. Meanwhile, British Bomber Command makes a daylight raid on the German held transportation hub of St. Vith. The Allies claim to have captured 13,273 German prisoners while the Germans claim over 30,000 Allied POWs and the destruction of 700 American tanks.

German submarine 'U-2342' sunk in the Baltic Sea north of Swinemünde, in position 54.01.8N, 14.15.20E, by a mine. 7 dead, unknown number of survivors..

At 14.14 hours,'U-486' fired three Gnats at the 1st Escort Group on patrol off Cherbourg and observed hits after 1 minute 39 seconds and 1 minute 41 seconds and heard a third detonation after 7 minutes. Meyer claimed two destroyers sunk and a corvette damaged. In fact, the frigates HMS 'Affleck' (K 462) (Cdr C. Gwinner, DSO and Bar, DSC, RN (retired)) and HMS 'Capel' (K 470) (Lt B.G. Heslop, DSC, RN) were hit. The latter sank and the other was towed to port, but declared a total loss. The commander, eight officers and 67 ratings from HMS 'Capel' (K 470) were lost.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 762: Poor weather inhibits operations but 151 bombers and 336 fighters are dispatched to hit rail targets behind the Bulge; they claim 11-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 fighters are lost: 1. 74 B-17s are sent to hit the railroad bridge at Neuwied (23) and the Andernach marshalling yard (9); secondary targets hit are the marshalling yard at Neuwied (12) and communications center at Sinzig (12); 1 B-17 hits a target of opportunity, the communication center at Mayen; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 30 B-17s are damaged. 2. 77 B-24s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Niederlahnstein (36) and the rail bridge at Sinzig (35) without loss. 3. The bombers are escorted by 249 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 11-0-0 aircraft without loss. 4. 70 of 73 P-51s make a sweep in the Bonn area to support the bombers; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 5. 2 of 2 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. Mission 763: 3 B-17s and 6 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): The 9th Bombardment Division attacks road junctions, rail bridges, rail head, communications and casual targets in the breakthrough area as the enemy's westward drive ends short of the Maas River; fighters fly escort, armed reconnaissance, sweeps, and support the US III and VIII Corps S of Bastogne, Belgium, as the US 4th Armored Division breaks the ring around the city.

The weather at last improved and allowed Bomber Command to intervene in the Ardennes battle. 294 RAF aircraft - 146 Lancasters, 136 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - of all the bomber groups (not No 100 Group) attacked German troop positions near St Vith. This was the first time since mid-October that aircraft from all the bomber groups had joined together in one raid. The bombing appeared to be concentrated and accurate. 2 Halifaxes lost.

MEDITERRANEAN]: In Italy The British 8th Army now hold a 17 mile frontage on the east bank of the Senio River from Alfonsine to south of Castel Bolognese.

In Athens British Prime Minister Churchill opens the mediation conference with a brief speech. All Greek political parties, including the Communists, attend in an effort to end the Greek civil war.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, good weather permits operations in force for the first time in several days; during the night of 25/26 Dec, A-20s bomb the area between the battleline and Bologna, attack lights, motor transport, and railroads in the Po Valley, and hit Vicenza Airfield; during the day medium bombers concentrate on the Brenner Pass and hit Padua, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Ponte di Piave, Dolce, the Pordenone railroad bridge, and 2 dumps in the Bologna area; fighter-bombers bomb railways, especially the Brenner line, bridges in the Po Valley, and NE Italy, support US Fifth Army forces S of Bologna and in the Serchio River Valley where the Germans begin a series of counterattacks, and hit shipping at La Spezia and Genoa.

(US Fifteenth Air Force):Around 380 B-24s and B-17s bomb Odertal, and Blechhammer S, Germany, and Auschwitz, Poland oil refineries, a railroad bridge at Ora and viaduct at Avisio, Italy, plus scattered targets of opportunity; 26 P-38s bomb railroad bridge at Latisana, Italy; P-38s and P-51s escort the bomber missions.

EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, the advancing Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front has nearly encircled Budapest. Several of the western suburbs are claimed to have been captured by the Soviets.

 

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EASTERN FRONT: Russian forces capture Gran, completing the encirclement of German and Hungarian units in Budapest. The garrison comprises the Hungarian 1st Corps and the German 11.SS Cavalry Korps, as well as elements of the 13. and the Feldherrnhalle Panzerdivisions.

NORTH ATLANTIC: In the North Atlantic, Canadian corvette 'St. Thomas' sinks German submarine 'U-877' by Squid foreward-throwing weapon. 56 survivors (no casualties).

WESTERN FRONT: Attacks by the British 30th Corps (part of US 1st Army) force the German 2.Panzerdivision (an element of 5.Panzerarmee) out of Celles. The US 3rd Army expands the corridor to Bastogne.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 764: Freezing fog at bases in the UK restrict operations but 641 bombers and 390 fighters are dispatched against rail targets in W Germany in support of the battlefront in the Bulge; they claim 29.5-1-9 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 bombers and 5 fighters are lost: 1. 227 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Fulda (118 ) and Andernach (63) and the rail bridge at Neuwied (7); 13 others hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 45 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA. The escort is 44 of 46 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 2. 182 B-24s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Neunkirchen (57), Homburg (46) and Kaiserslautern (33) and the rail bridge at Kaiserslautern (19); targets of opportunity are the marshalling yard at St Wendel (9) and the rail junction at Enkenbach (8 ); 1 B-24 is lost, 5 damaged beyond repair and 60 damaged; 18 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 6 MIA. Escorting are 88 of 96 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 232 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Euskirchen (72), the Gerolstein rail junction (58 ) and rail bridges at Bullay (34) and Altenahr (25); targets of opportunity are Hillesheim (12) and Eckfeld (1); 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 83 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 9 MIA. Escort is provided by 46 of 48 P-51s without loss. 4. 163 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep and engage about 200 Luftwaffe fighters; they claim 29.5-1-9 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 5. 15 of 15 P-51s fly a scouting missions without loss. Mission 765: A night leaflet mission is flown over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): The 9th Bombardment Division attacks rail bridges, communications centers, and targets of opportunity in Germany and Belgium; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 3d Armored and 82d Airborne Divisions in the Manhay and Trois-Ponts area of Belgium, and the III, VIII, and XII Corps in Saint-Hubert-Bastogne-Martelange area of Belgium. Units moving from Chievres, Belgium: HQ 365th Fighter Group and the 388th Fighter Squadron to Metz, France with P-47s; HQ 368th Fighter Group and 395th, 396th and 397th Fighter Squadrons to Juvincourt, France with P-47s.

200 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Rheydt. 1 Lancaster was lost and 1 Mosquito crashed behind the Allied lines in Holland.

GERMANY: (US Fifteenth Air Force): 520+ B-17s and B-24s bomb the Vosendorf oil refinery, Linz ordnance depot, marshalling yards at Wiener- Neustadt, Villach, Klagenfurt, Bruck an der Mur, and Graz, Austria; and Maribor, Yugoslavia and Feldbach, Austria railroad junction; Brenner rail line; Venzone viaduct, and Vipiteno and Bressanone railroad bridges in Italy. 44 P-38s bomb bridges at Latisana and Casarsa della Delizia, Italy. 29 P-51s strafe railroad targets between Vienna and Linz, Austria. Other fighters fly 250+ escort sorties.

Opladen: 328 RAF aircraft - 227 Halifaxes, 66 Lancasters, 35 Mosquitos. 2 Lancasters lost. 9 of the Mosquitos bombed 3½ hours before the main raid. The aiming point for the attack was the marshalling yards but results are not known.

7 RAF Mosquitos on Oboe trials to Bonn, Eisenach, Frankfurt and Kassel (probably calibrating new Oboe stations in France and Belgium), 7 Mosquitos on 'siren tours' of Hamburg, Hannover, Münster and Osnabrück, 32 RCM sorties, 37 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, on the night of 26/27 Dec, A-20s bomb pontoon bridges at Ficarolo, road bridges at Ostiglia and Castel Maggiore, San Benedetto Po crossing, Turin Airfield, and several Po Valley roads; medium bombers blast 3 Brenner area routes leading into Austria and Yugoslavia, and bomb 2 supply dumps in the Bologna area; fighter-bombers devote their main effort to support the US Fifth Army in the Serchio Valley area where counterattacks are being successfully halted; other fighter- bombers hit communications in the Po Valley and escort medium bombers and C-47s dropping supplies to Italian partisans.

 

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MEDITERRANEAN: The US 5th Army, fighting in the Serchio valley, has pulled back from the town of Barga in response to German counterattacks.

In Athens British Prime Minister Churchill agrees to recommend the establishment of a regency to the King of Greece.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers attack troop concentration at Aulla, a dump at Mirabello Monferrato, 3 rail lines from Austria and Yugoslavia into NE Italy by hitting bridges at Chiusaforte and Bodrez, Yugoslavia, and the viaduct at Borovnica; XXII Tactical Air Command planes support the US Fifth Army in the Serchio Valley, where counterattacks are repulsed, hit roads and bridges, and destroy a number of vehicles, many at a motor transport depot near Aulla which the fighters bomb and strafe; during the night of 27/28 Dec, A-20s bomb lights and motor transport at almost 50 places throughout the Po Valley and Brenner area.

WESTERN FRONT: AEF Commander in Chief General Eisenhower meets with British 21st Army Group command Field Marshal Montgomery to coordinate the counteroffensive in the Ardennes.

German submarine 'U-735' sunk by bombs in Oslo Fjord near Horten, Norway in position 59.24N, 10.28E, during a British air raid (RAF A/C). 39 dead and 1 survivor.

(US Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown. Mission 766: 1,275 bombers and 606 fighter are dispatched to hit rail and road bridges and several cities in the W German tactical area; 2 bombers are lost: 1. 361 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Kaiserslautern (123), Homburg (28 ) and Neunkirchen (18 ), the Kaiserslautern rail bridge (31) and the bridge at Bullay (20); secondary targets hit are Bierbach (32) and Zweibrucken (20); 12 other hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 22 MIA. Escorting are 147 of 161 P-51s without loss. 2. 535 B-17s are dispatched to hit the rail bridge at Irlich (109); 399 hit the secondary, the Mosel marshalling yard at Koblenz; 2 other hit a target of opportunity; 4 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA. Escort is provided by 236 of 247 P-51s without loss. 3. 379 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Koblenz/Lutzel (131), Bruhl (75), Sieburg (36), and Troisdorf (11), and the Remagen Bridge (71); 1 B-17s hit the secondary, Sinzig; and 5 hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 2 WIA. Escorts are 158 of 168 P-51s without loss. 4. 27 of 30 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 767: During the night, 7 of 16 B-24s hit de la Colibre, France without loss. Mission 768: During the night, 2 B-24s drop leaflets in Belgium without loss.

EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, Soviet forces report the capture of additional outlying areas near Budapest.

GERMANY: (US Fifteenth Air Force):480+ B-17s and B-24s attack Regensburg oil storage and freight yard in Germany; marshalling yards at Zwettl, Amstetten, Kallwang, Hieflau, and Salzburg, Austria; oil refineries at Kralupy nad Vltava, Kolin, and Pardubice and oil storage and sidings at Roudnice nad Labem and the Nymburk railroad bridge at Kammern, Czechoslovakia; the Brenner rail line; and Bressanone and Venzone railroad bridges in Italy; P-38s and P-51s fly 350+ sorties in support of the bombers.

167 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the marshalling yards at Cologne/Gremberg with accurate bombing. No aircraft lost.

Mönchengladbach: 186 RAF aircraft - 129 Lancasters, 46 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4 and 8 Groups. No aircraft lost. The railway yards were the aiming point but little damage was caused there.

Bonn: 162 RAF Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups. 1 Lancaster lost. The intention again was to bomb the railway installations. Bomber Command's report states that the main weight of the attack fell on the railway yards, causing 'considerable damage'.

67 RAF Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No 5 Group attacked a 'large naval unit' and some merchant ships in Oslo Fjord but no direct hits were claimed. No aircraft lost.

87 RAF Mosquitos to Frankfurt - 79 to the city generally and 8 to the railway yards - 35 RCM sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols, 16 Halifaxes of No 6 Group minelaying in the Skagerrak and 11 Lancasters of No 5 Group off Oslo, 12 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 minelaying Halifax was lost and 1 Mosquito from the Frankfurt raid crashed in France.

 

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EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, Soviet forces are fighting within Budapest and have effectively cut off the city from re-supply. An attempt to begin negotiations with the garrison inside Budapest results in some of the Soviet emissaries being killed because of a misunderstanding.

WESTERN FRONT: There is a lull in the fighting in the Ardennes as Allied forces buildup their forces for further counterattacks.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 769: 827 bombers and 724 fighters hit communications targets in W Germany; 4 bombers and 3 fighters are lost: 1. 219 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Frankfurt (124), and Aschaffenburg (67); 10 hit the secondary, the Frankfurt S marshalling yard; and 9 hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-17s is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 101 damaged; 5 airmen are WIA and 12 MIA. Escorting are 267 of 282 P-51s; 2 are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 304 B-17s are sent to hit the Bingen marshalling yard (144), Bullay rail bridge (74) and communication center at Wittlich (50); targets of opportunity are Grosslittgen (12) and one near Diekirch (13); 2 B-17s are lost and 132 damaged; 11 airmen are WIA and 15 MIA. Escorting are 61 of 64 P-51s; 1 is lost. 3. 262 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Schleiden (9), Zulpich (31), Stadtkyll (32) and Drum (10), the Irlich rail bridge (51), the Gerolstein marshalling yard (26) and the Remagen Bridge (30); targets of opportunity are Fensbach (19), Duppach (8 ) and 10 others; 1 B-24 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 95 damaged; 17 airmen are KIA and 5 WIA. Escort is provided by 106 of 119 P-51s without loss. 4. 38 B-17s are sent to hit the Lunebach communications center (35); 1 hits the Telm marshalling yard; 23 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 101 of 104 P-51s without loss. 5. 4 of 4 B-17s fly a screening mission. 6. 81 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep against rail transportation without loss. 7. 26 of 27 P-51s fly a scouting mission.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather causes the recall of 100+ bombers except for 7 which bomb Saint-Vith, Belgium communications center and Keuchingen, Germany road bridge; the XIX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance over Belgium and Germany and supports the US III, VIII, and XII Corps in the Neufchateau-Bastogne-Arlon areas of Belgium. In France, HQ 100th Fighter Wing moves from St-Dizier to Metz; the 386th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, moves from Chievres, Belgium to Metz with P-47s.

16 RAF Lancasters of No 617 Squadron attacked the E-boat pens at Rotterdam, scoring several hits; 1 Hudson flew a Resistance operation. No aircraft lost.

JG 54: The Blackest Day - The fighters of JG 54 'Green Hearts' suffer its blackest day of the war. Due to a ground control error, a flight of Fw 190D 'Doras' of Stab III./ JG 54 and 11./ JG 54 led by Hptm. Robert "Bazi" Weiss, are directed into a large formation of Spitfires from RAF Nos 331 and 501 Squadrons. As the battle rages over Lingren, Typhoons from RAF Nos. 168 and 438 Squadrons join in. The final result is fifteen 'Green Hearts' pilots are killed including the Gruppenkommandeur of II Gruppe, Hptm. Robert "Bazi" Weiss.

GERMANY: (US Fifteenth Air Force): Almost 450 B-17s and B-24s attack marshalling yards at Innsbruck and Salzburg, Austria; Passau, Rosenheim, and Landshut, Germany; and 2 at Verona, Italy; the Brenner rail line, and in Italy, the Castelfranco Veneto and Udine locomotive repair depots, and Bressanone railroad bridge. 14 P-38s bomb road a bridge S of Rosenheim, Germany. Around 300 other P-38s and P-51s fly escort and reconnaissance missions.

Two separate forces bombed railway yards in Koblenz, one of the main centres serving the Ardennes battlefront. 192 RAF aircraft - 162 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked the Mosel yards, near the main city, and 85 Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the Lützel yards north of the city. No aircraft were lost from either operation. At least part of the bombing of each raid hit the railway areas. The Koblenz-Lützel railway bridge was out of action for the rest of the war and the cranes of the Mosel Harbour were also put out of action.

Scholven/Buer: 324 RAF Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups. 4 Lancasters lost. The raid took place in difficult conditions. There was thick cloud over the target but Oboe skymarkers were accurately placed and the oil refinery was badly hit. The local report says that 300 high-explosive bombs fell within the oil-plant area. There were two large and 10 small fires and much damage to piping and storage tanks.

197 RAF aircraft - 159 Halifaxes, 24 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups attempted to bomb the railway yards at Troisdorf but most of the attack missed the target. No other details are available. No aircraft lost.

28 RCM sorties, 28 Mosquito patrols, 16 aircraft of No 6 Group minelaying in the River Elbe, 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group minelaying off Oslo. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Liberated Greece The government announces that a regency is to be established and that Prime Minister Papendreou will resign when the regent has been chosen.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 28/29 Dec, A-20s pound motor transports, ferry crossings, road bridges, rail line, and targets of opportunity throughout NW and NC Po Valley; medium bombers during the day blast the Rovereto bridge and Lavis viaduct, attack several bridges in NE Italy destroying the center span of the bridge at Pordenone, and severely damage the bridge at Motta di Livenza; fighter-bombers concentrate on communications targets in the extreme W end of the battle area, with excellent results on bridges in the Massa Lombarda area and destroy numerous vehicles and several locomotives.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: German forces begin attacks on the Neufchâteau-Bastogne corridor. The US 8th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) launches attacks northward, against the German 5.Panzerarmee, from a line between Bastogne and St. Hubert with Houffalize as the objective. Meanwhile, elements of German 5.Panzerarmee launch another unsuccessful attempt at cutting the American corridor into Bastogne and capture the town.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 770: 1,315 bombers and 572 fighters are sent to attack rail and communications targets in W Germany; 4 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 526 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Kassel (314) and Mannheim (181); 9 other hit a targets of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost and 37 damaged; 24 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 301 of 325 P-51s; 2 are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 414 B-17s are sent to hit rail bridges at Bullay (72) and Kaiserslautern (72) and the marshalling yard at Bischoffsheim (35); secondary targets are the marshalling yards at Kaiserslautern (144) and Mainz (45); and 25 hit the city of Kassel; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 24 damaged; 12 airmen are KIA and 6 MIA. Escort is provided by 144 of 154 P-51s without loss. 3. 369 B-24s are sent to hit rail bridges at Altenahr (61), Auskirchen (91), and Irlich (58 ), the Irlich rail bridge (58 ), the Remagen Bridge (57) and the marshalling yard at Mechernich (87); 1 B-24 is damaged. The escort is 63 of 72 P-47s without loss. 4. 6 of 6 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 20 of 21 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 771: 8 B-24s and 3 B-17s drop leaflet in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather forces the recall and cancellation of the 9th Bombardment Division and IX Tactical Air Command missions; the XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) flies armed reconnaissance over the battle area and around Wallersheim, Germany and the XIX Tactical Air Command covers large areas of France, Belgium, and Germany hitting numerous ground targets and supports the US III, VIII, and XII Corps in the Saint-Hubert and Bastogne, Belgium and the Diekirch, Luxembourg areas.

13 RAF Lancasters of No 617 Squadron set out to bomb the U-boat pens at Ijmuiden but the raid was abandoned because of bad weather.

German submarine 'U-772' sunk in the North Atlantic south of Cork, in position 51.16N, 08.05W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS 'Nyasaland'. 48 dead (all hands lost)..

EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, Soviet forces of 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts are engaged in fighting in and around Budapest.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers concentrate a major effort on rail line running N to the Brenner Pass, hitting a fill at Dolce and bridges at Calliano, Ala, and Santa Margherita d'Adige, and ammunition dump at Bologna; fighter-bombers blast road bridges, support the US Fifth Army SE of La Spezia, and hit bridges in the Mantua and Modena areas; during the night of 29/30 Dec, A-20s hit targets of opportunity at numerous N Italian locations, including Ghedi Airfield, and a train S of Mantua.

GERMANY: Cologne: 470 RAF aircraft - 356 Halifaxes, 93 Lancasters, 21 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups to attack the area in which the Kalk-Nord railway yards were situated. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost. The presence of cloud caused difficulties for the Pathfinders and the outcome of the raid could not be observed. But the local report shows that the Kalk-Nord yards, as well as the 2 passenger stations near by, were severely damaged. At least 2 ammunition trains blew up. Nearby Autobahns were also badly damaged, all adding to the effect upon the German transportation system.

154 RAF Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked a German supply bottleneck in a narrow valley at Houffalize. The results of the raid are not known. 1 Lancaster crashed in France.

68 RAF Mosquitos to Hannover, 9 to Bochum and 8 to Duisburg, 32 RCM sorties, 36 Mosquito patrols, 11 Lancasters minelaying off Heligoland, 21 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: British Mosquito bombers attack the Gestapo headquarters at Oslo, Norway. 12 Mosquitos of No 627 Squadron, No 5 Group, set out to bomb the Gestapo Headquarters in Oslo. 8 aircraft actually bombed, in 2 waves, and hits were believed to have been scored. No aircraft lost. 28 Lancasters of No 5 Group attacked cruisers in Oslo Fjord but no hits were scored. 1 Lancaster lost.

149 RAF Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups to attack the railway yards at Osterfeld. The only details available are Bomber Command's estimates that the railway sidings were 35 per cent damaged and the 'facilities' 20 per cent damaged. 2 Lancasters lost.

Adolf Hitler launches Operation Nordwind, a surprise offensive at the southern flank of the Allied line in Germany and the second and final phase of the Nazi winter offensive. The British 30th Corps (part of US 1st Army) captures Rochefort on the western tip of the German-held Ardennes salient.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather grounds the bombers; fighters fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance, attacking numerous ground targets; the XIX Tactical Air Command supports the US III, VIII, and XX Corps around Bastogne, Belgium and between the Mosel and Saar Rivers, in Germany in the Merzig area. The 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group) moves from Nancy, France to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg with L-5s. The 387th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, moves from Chievres, Belgium to Metz, France with P-47s.

155 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on the railway yards at Vohwinkel, near Solingen. A strong wind carried much of the bombing south of the target.2 Lancasters lost.

ENGLAND: a German V-2 rocket lands in Crouch Hill, Islington, England, killing 15, seriously injuring 34. This is the last rocket of the year, the 382nd to hit England. 367 civilians were killed and 847 injured during December.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet backed Polish communists of the Committee of National Liberation, based in Lublin, assumes the title of Provisional Government. The Polish government in exile protests the claim of the Lublin Committe Poles to the status of Provisional Government.

MEDITERRANEAN: Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens is sworn in as regent and the Prime Minister Papandreou resigns.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 30/31 Dec, A-20s again fly intruder missions, bombing a variety of targets, including motor transport, bridges, and railroads in the Po Valley; during the day medium bombers hit the bridge at Bodrez, railroads at Piazzola Sul Brenta and near Padua, and a dump; the XXII Tactical Air Command fighter- bombers destroy 5 and damage 2 railway bridges in the Po Valley, cut rail lines at numerous places, destroy several locomotives, and destroy or damage 200+ railway cars.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 772: 1,327 bombers and 785 fighters hit both strategic and tactical targets in Germany; they encounter about 150 Luftwaffe fighters, mostly in the Hamburg area, and claim 88.5-11-21 aircraft; 27 bombers and 10 fighters are lost: 1. 526 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil industry targets at Hamburg (68 ), the Wilhemsburg refinery at Hamburg (92), the Grassbruk refinery at Hamburg (71) and the Misburg refinery (96), and the industrial area at Wenzendorf (62) and Hamburg (72); targets of opportunity are Stade (13) and Nordholz (9) Airfields, Heligoland Island (1) and other (17); they claim 26-8-16 aircraft; 27 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 288 damaged; 5 airmen are KIA, 29 WIA and 248 MIA. 316 P-47s and P-51s escort and claim 59.5-2-5 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 7 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA). 2. 418 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Neuss (109) and Krefeld- Urdingen (83), the Kordel railroad at Ehrang (69), communications targets at Buzburg (34), Prum (37), and Blumenthal (34), the Lutzweiler Bridge at Koblenz (48 ) and the Remagen Bridge (54); 22 hit the secondary target at Monchen-Gladbach; and 2 hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 29 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escorting are 162 of 171 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft without loss. 3. 371 B-24s are sent to hit bridges at Engers (60) and Irlich (56) and the Gus Rail Bridge at Koblenz (62) and the rail junction and rail bridge at Euskirchen (30); 10 hit the secondary, the Bingen marshalling yard and 36 hit a target of opportunity; they claim 0-1-0 aircraft; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 49 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escort is provided by 198 of 211 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 4. 13 of 16 P-51s escort 7 F-5s and 2 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance of the Berlin area without loss. 5. 32 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission claiming 1-0-0 aircraft. Mission 773: 8 B-24s and 2 B-17s drop leaflets in France, Germany and Belgium.

German submarine 'U-2530' sunk at Hamburg but later raised.

77 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 12 to Ludwigshafen, 33 RCM sorties, 33 Mosquito patrols, 16 Halifaxes and 10 Lancasters minelaying in the Kattegat. 1 minelaying Lancaster lost.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: The German Luftwaffe launches Unternehmen 'Bodenplatte', an attack of 700-800 aircraft against Ninth AF and Allied airfields, mainly in the Brussels, Belgium and Eindhoven, the Netherlands areas, and to a lesser degree in the Metz, France area; 127 operational Allied aircraft are destroyed; Allied fighters claim 160 air victories while AA claims 300. German anti-aircraft batteries, which were not informed of the raids, shoot down many of their own returning planes. (This is the German air force's largest single-day loss of the war.) The German Luftwaffe have assembled around 800 planes of all types for this effort by deploying every available machine and pilot. Many of the pilots have had so little training that they must fly special formations with an experienced pilot in the lead providing the navigation for the whole force. The Allies are surprised and lose many aircraft on the ground. At 0815 hours Obstlt. Josef Priller, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26, leads a flight consisting of Stab and I./JG 26, III./JG 54 and three instructor pilots from JG 104 totaling sixty-seven aircraft on an attack of the airfield of Grimbergen, north of Brussels. The warplanes follow a Ju 88 guide-plane, which leads them over German anti-aircraft positions that are not notified of the attack. The AA guns shoot down three of the fighters. Flying near the mouth of the Schelde Estuary, the formation loses two more to the Allied naval flak. By the time the flight reaches its target, Obstlt. Priller is down to about fifty planes. At the airfield Priller finds not the rows of numerous Allied aircraft but four B-17s, one P-51 and a twin engined liaison aircraft. Deciding to continue with the attack, the formation destroys the Allied aircraft along with some petrol trucks and other vehicles. Shortly after the attack, Lt. Theo Nibel of 10./JG 54 is hit by rifle fire and crash-lands at Wemmel bringing to the Allies the first intact example of the new Fw 190D 'Dora'.

JG 11 loses Horst-Günther von Fassong with 136 victories (including four four-engined bombers) when he is shot down and killed near Maastricht.

I./JG 2 loses Ofw. Werner Hohenberg when he belly-lands his Fw 190D 'Dora' after being hit by American anti-aircraft fire. He ends the war in an American POW camp.

The jet Geschwader, JG 7, also suffers. The crews of I./JG 7 lose a Me 262 when Hellmut Detjens' jet fighter suffers engine failure and he has to crash land at an army artillery testing ground near Brandenburg. Another Me 262 of 1 Staffel suffers an engine failure during a maintenance flight and crashes near Alveslohe, killing the pilot, Uffz Hans Werner.

The jets of III./JG 7 flies cover for piston-engined fighters of JG 300 and JG 301. The formation is bounced by P-51Ds of USAAF 336 FS 4th FG and Lt Heinrich Lonnecker of 9./JG 7 is shot down in his Me 262.

Major Siegfried Freytag of II./JG 77 records his 102nd and last victory of the war.

Meanwhile, the land battle in the Ardennes continues with the Allied counterattacks gathering force. The most notable gains are by the US 8th Corps. Farther south in Alsace the forces of German Army Group G begins an offensive in the Sarreguemines area (Operation Nordwind) towards Strasbourg. The US 7th Army retires before this attack on orders from Eisenhower.

(US Ninth Air Force): 190 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s hit rail bridges, communications centers, a road junction, a command post, and HQ, all in Belgium and Germany; fighters escort 9th Bombardment Division and Eighth AF bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance (claiming 39 air victories and numerous ground targets destroyed) and support the US III, VII, and XII Corps between Saint-Hubert, Belgium and the Mosel River, Germany. In France, the detachment of the 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), ceases operating from Steinbourg with L-5s and returns to base at Buhl. During Jan 45, HQ XIX Tactical Air Command moves from France to Luxembourg.

152 RAF Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 5 Group carried out an accurate attack on the Gravenhorst section of the Mittelland Canal. Half a mile of banks were pitted with bomb craters and some parts were breached. No aircraft lost.

146 RAF aircraft of No 3 Group successfully attacked the railway yards at Vohwinkel. 1 Lancaster lost.

105 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 18 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of No 8 Group attempted to bomb a benzol plant at Dortmund but the attack was scattered and the plant was not hit. No aircraft lost.

28 RAF Mosquitos to Hanau and 27 to Hannover (both 'spoof' raids), 42 RCM sorties, 59 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost. The No 100 Group Mosquitos claimed 6 German night fighters destroyed.

EASTERN FRONT: In Budapest, Soviet forces capture a railway station in the eastern part of the city in what is described as bitter hand-to-hand fighting.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 774: 845 bombers and 725 fighters are dispatched to hit oil installations and rail bridges and junctions in W Germany visually and by PFF; they claim 23-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft including a jet fighter; 8 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 451 B-17s are sent to hit an oil refinery at Magdeburg (11); secondary targets are the Henschel marshalling yard at Kassel (292) and the Gottingen marshalling yard (26); targets of opportunity are Hadamar (12), Wetzlar (12), Dillenburg (15), Koblenz (11), Wetter (12), Limburg (8 ), Kirchbunden (7) and other (22); 2 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 71 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 18 MIA. Escorting are 327 of 374 P-51s; they claim 17-1-1 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 109 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil industry targets at Dollbergen (54) and Ehmen (24); targets of opportunity are the Koblenz marshalling yard (12), Limburg (4) and other (5); 3 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 43 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA. Escort is provided by 199 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 3. 273 B-24s hit the Lutzel (56) and Guls (30) rail bridges at Koblens, the Irlich rail bridge (57) and the Remagen rail bridge (6); targets of opportunity are Andernach (26), Engers rail bridge (9), Trier (1) and others (6); 1 B-24 is lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged; 20 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 10 MIA. The escort is 66 of 70 P-51s without loss. 4. 12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening force mission; they are 8 minutes late for their escort and are attacked by Fw 190s when 50 miles (80 km) ahead of the bombers; they claim 6-0-2 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; 45 airmen are MIA. Escort is supposed to be 23 of 26 P-51s. 5. 2 of 5 B-17s fly an APHRODITE mission against Oldenburg without loss. 6. 11 of 11 P-51s escort 9 F-5s and 1 Spitfire on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany without loss. 7. 25 P-47s and P-51s escort 3 of 4 Mosquitoes on a special operations mission without loss. Mission 775: 5 B-24s and 3 B-17s drop leaflet on Belgium and Germany during the night without loss. The 1st, 2d and 3d Bombardment Divisions are redesignated 1st, 2d and 3d Air Divisions.

Obstlt. Heinz Bär is transferred from his post as Kommodore of JG 3 and takes over command of the Me 262 Training unit, III./EJG 2 from Hptm. Geyer and is posted as a Gruppenkommandeur. Major Werner Schroer takes his place as Geshwaderkommodore.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers attack bridges at Palazzuolo sull'Oglio, Parma, and Calcinato (the latter 2 targets are missed) and an ammunition dump at Parma; fighter-bombers support ground forces S of Bologna, hit communications and numerous targets of opportunity to the N and completely destroy a fuel dump at Parma; A-20s on intruder missions during the night of 31 Dec/1 Jan, achieve excellent results on a motor park near Molinella and hit a marshalling yard near Milan.

HQ 319th Bombardment Group (Medium) departs Corsica for the US where it converts to A-26 aircraft in preparation for assignment to the Pacific.

 

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EASTERN FRONT: German forces launch counterattacks northwest of Budapest which aim to break the Soviet siege of the city. The main forces involved in this offensive are those of the 4.SS Panzerkorps (Gille), 3.SS Panzerdivision 'Totenkopf' and 5.SS Panzerdivision 'Wiking,' [which have been withdrawn from the OKH reserve behind Warsaw without the consent or knowledge of Guderian, the German Army Chief of the General Staff] and 96th Infantry Division. The Soviet 31st Guards Rifle Corps, of 4th Guards Army (part of 2nd Ukrainian Front), is driven by about 20 miles.

WESTERN FRONT: In the Ardennes, US 3rd Army troops take Bonnerue, Hubertmont and Remagne. In Alsace, the German pressure and the US 7th Army withdrawals continue.

Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Naval Commander in Chief Allied Expeditionary Force, and organizer of the Dunkirk evacuation, is killed in an airplane accident while traveling from Paris to Belgium.

In the North Atlantic an American Sikorsky helicopter is used in convoy escort duties for the first time.

A V-2 components factory in Copenhagen is wrecked by the Danes.

The 314th, 315th and 316th Fighter Squadrons, 324th Fighter Group, move from Tavaux to Luneville, France with P-47s.

(US Ninth Air Force): 135 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s hit rail bridges and communications centers in Belgium and Germany; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance and support the US III and VIII Corps in the Bastogne, Belgium area and the XII Corps S of the Clerf River, Luxembourg, and W of the Sauer River in Germany.

The 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), moves from Buhl to Epinal, France with L-5s.

HQ VIII Air Force Services Command (Advanced) is established in Brussels, Belgium, along with a "Far Shore" staff division; through this HQ, the Commanding General Air Force Services Command can administer his command and closely communicate with other commands operating on the Continent; this arrangement functions until 29 Apr 45 when it is relieved by the 5th Strategic Air Depot at Merville, France.

GERMANY: Hitler turns down requests from Model and Manteuffel for withdrawals from the area west of Houffalize.

(US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 776: 1,011 bombers and 503 fighters are dispatched to attack communications and tactical targets in W Germany visually and using Gee-H; 4 bombers and 3 fighters are lost: 1. 299 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Gerolstein marshalling yard (74) and communications centers are Mayen (68 ), Prum (34), Daun (34), Kyllburg (37) and Bitburg (36); 3 others hit a target of opportunity; 70 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 128 of 130 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 2. 296 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Lutzel (65) and Guls (59) rail bridges at Koblenz plus rail bridges at Irlich (59), Remagen (56) and Engers (43); 3 others hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 26 damaged. The escort is 215 P-47s and P-51s without loss. 3. 410 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Bad Kreuznach (73) and Ehrang (66), a rail junction at Bad Kreuznach (67), a rail bridge at Kaiserslautern (34) and tank concentrations at Lebach (128 ); targets of opportunity are marshalling yards at St Wendel (11) and Trier (3) and other (3); 4 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 36 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 37 MIA. Escort is provided by 125 of 127 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 6 of 6 B-17s fly a screening force mission. 5. 23 P-51s escort 6 F-5s and a Spitfire on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. Mission 777: 2 B-17s and 6 B-24s drop leaflets in France and Germany during the night.

Nuremberg: 514 RAF Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups. 4 Lancasters were lost and 2 crashed in France. Nuremberg, scene of so many disappointments for Bomber Command, finally succumbed to this attack. The Pathfinders produced good ground-marking in conditions of clear visibility and with the help of a rising full moon. The centre of the city, particularly the eastern half, was destroyed. The castle, the Rathaus, almost all the churches and about 2,000 preserved medieval houses went up in flames. The area of destruction also extended into the more modern north-eastern and southern city areas.The industrial area in the south, containing the important MAN and Siemens factories, and the railway areas were also severely damaged. 415 separate industrial buildings were destroyed. It was a near-perfect example of area bombing.

Ludwigshafen: 389 RAF aircraft - 351 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax which crashed in France was the only loss. The aiming point for this raid was the area of the two IG Farben chemical factories. The bombing was accurate, with severe damage to the main IG Farben factory and to the same firm's factory at nearby Oppau. Estimated totals of 500 high-explosive bombs and 10,000 incendiaries fell inside the limits of the 2 factories, causing much damage. 10 large, 30 medium and 200 small fires were recorded at the main factory. Production failure at both plants was complete because of 'loss of power'. 13 other industrial firms and several railway installations were also hit; the train of a railway repair unit was destroyed.

53 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 9 to Castrop-Rauxel and 7 to Hanau, 49 RCM sorties, 41 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitos were lost, 1 each from the Berlin and Castrop-Rauxel raids.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, fighter-bombers concentrate their effort in the W Po Valley and Brenner area, claiming large number of rail lines cut and many vehicles and trains destroyed and damaged; the Milan marshalling yard is hit hard and good coverage is achieved on support targets in the US Fifth Army battle area; A-20s during the night of 1/2 Jan, continue intruder missions over the Po Valley.

The 84th and 86th Bombardment Squadrons (Light), 47th Bombardment Group (Light) move from Rosignano Airfield to Grosseto with A-20s.

 

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: In the Ardennes there are German attacks on the narrow corridor leading to Bastogne which succeed in disrupting the timetable of the planned American attacks but fail to achieve any advance. Forces of the US 3rd Army and US 1st Army are attacking toward Houffalize from the south and the north, respectively. In Alsace, the German attacks and the American retreat continue. The US 6th Corps (part of US 7th Army) is being pressed particularly hard in the area around Bitche. Farther south, there is also fighting near Strasbourg.

In France, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery launches his force's attack from the north on German forces.

NORTH AMERICA: In Canada, the first of the conscripted soldiers leave Halifax, Nova Scotia, for overseas duty.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces are engaged by German counterattacks southeast of Komarno aimed at the relief of the encircled garrison in Budapest. Several places on the southern bank of the Danube River have been occupied by the German forces.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): Mission 778: 1,168 bombers and 589 fighters are dispatched to attack rail and communications targets in W Germany; all are PFF attacks using H2X, Gee-H and Micro H; they claim 4-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 fighters are lost: 1. 417 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Fulda (141) and Aschaffenburg (124) and communications centers at Gemund (38 ) and Schleiden (36); the Mosel marshalling yard at Koblenz, a secondary target, is hit by 36 bombers; targets of opportunity are the Pforzheim marshalling yard (25) and other (3); 1 B-17 is damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 219 of 227 P-51s; they claim 4-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 4 damaged beyond repair. 2. 325 B-24s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Altstadt (31), Homburg (41), Zweibrucken (55), Neunkirchen (84), Landau (59) and the Pirmasens railhead (41); 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged. Escorting are 143 of 148 P-51s. 3. 421 B-17s are sent to hit the Hermulheim W (72) and E (36) marshalling yards, a communications center at St Vith, Belgium (98 ), and rail junctions at Mondrath (36) and Horrem (1); 100 B-24s hit the secondary target, Cologne; targets of opportunity are Rheydt (10) and other (3); 11 B-17s are damaged. The escort is 145 of 150 P-51s; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 4. 32 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 5. 32 of 32 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on a photo reconnaissance over Germany.

99 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group made G-H attacks through cloud on the Benzol plants at Dortmund and Castrop-Rauxel. Bombing appeared to be accurate at both targets. 1 Lancaster lost from the Dortmund raid.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers score direct hits on 2 railroad bridges at Lavis and fly good coverage of the Chiusaforte, Canale d'Isonzo, and Padua railroad bridges; fighter-bombers hit a large number of communications targets (mainly railroad targets) in the Po Valley which is also subjected to intruder missions during the night of 2/3 Jan, when pontoon bridges, vehicles, and Ghedi Airfield are hit.

 

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The fighting in the Ardennes continues; a German counterattack near Bastogne is repulsed by troops of US 3rd Army. There are attacks by US 8th and 3rd Corps and by the British 30th Corps. Some of the units of the 6.SS Panzerarmee (Dietrich) are withdrawn and sent to the Eastern Front. US troops capture Malempre in the Ardennes. In Alsace, the German attacks in the Bitche area continue.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 779: 1 B-17 and 2 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany during the night; 1 B-24 is lost. Mission 780: 10 of 12 B-24s dispatched to hit the Coubre Point Coastal battery near Bordeaux, France hit the target using H2X radar. The transfer of HQ VIII Fighter Command from Bushey Hall, England to Charleroi, Belgium begins; the HQ is to provide administrative and operational support for fighter groups operating with the Ninth AF on tactical support missions.

HQ 324th Fighter Group moves from Tavaux to Luneville, France.

(US Ninth Air Force): All combat operations, except a defensive patrol by 4 fighters, are cancelled because of bad weather. The 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, ceases operating from Conflans, France and returns to base at Le Culot, Belgium with F-6s.

The Royan Raid: 347 RAF Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups. 4 Lancasters were lost and 2 more collided behind Allied lines in France and crashed. This was a tragic raid with a strange - and disputed - background. Royan was a town situated at the mouth of the River Gironde in which a stubborn German garrison was still holding out, preventing the Allies from using the port of Bordeaux. The task of besieging the town had been given to 12,000 men of the French Resistance commanded by Free French officers appointed by General de Gaulle. The commander of the German garrison recognized the Resistance units as regular forces and the normal rules of warfare were observed. The French, lacking artillery, made little progress with their siege. The German commander gave the inhabitants of the town the opportunity to leave but many preferred to stay in order to look after their homes. It is believed that there were 2,000 civilians at the time of the raid.

On 10 December 1944, a meeting took place at the town of Cognac between French officers and an American officer from one of the tactical air force units in France. After a meal, at which much alcohol is supposed to have been consumed, the American officer suggested that the German garrison at Royan should be 'softened up' by bombing. He was assured by the French that the only civilians remaining in the town were collaborators - which was not correct. The suggestion that the town be bombed was passed to SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force), which decided that the task should be given to Bomber Command: 'To destroy town strongly defended by enemy and occupied by German troops only.' It is said that SHAEF ordered a last-minute cancellation because of doubts about the presence of French civilians but the order, if issued, was not received by Bomber Command in time.

The attack was carried out by 2 waves of bombers, in good visibility conditions, in the early hours of 5 January. 1,576 tons of high-explosive bombs - including 285 'blockbuster' (4,OOOlb bombs) - were dropped. Local reports show that between 85 and 90 per cent of the small town was destroyed. The number of French civilians killed is given as '500 to 700' and as '800' by different sources. Many of the casualties were suffered in the second part of the raid, which took place an hour after the first and caught many people out in the open trying to rescue the victims of the first wave of the bombing trapped in their houses. The number of Germans killed is given as 35 to 50. A local truce was arranged and, for the next 10 days, there was no fighting while the search for survivors in wrecked houses continued.

There were many recriminations. Bomber Command was immediately exonerated. The American air-force officer who passed on the original suggestion to SHAEFwas removed from his command. The bitterest disputes took place among the Free French officers and accusations and counter-accusations continued for many years after the war. A French general committed suicide. De Gaulle, in his Memoires, blamed the Americans:

'American bombers, on their own initiative, came during the night and dropped a mass of bombs.'

The German garrison did not surrender until 18 April.

MEDITERRANEAN: Canadian troops capture a bridgehead west of the Granarolo River.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, 370+ B-24s and B-17s bomb marshalling yards at Verona, Bronzolo, Vicenza, Padua, Trento, and Bolzano, and station sidings at Trento; 200+ fighters accompany the bombers; 54 P-38s attempt high-level bombing of Cismon del Grappa but fail to hit the target. 9 B-24s drop supplies in Yugoslavia. P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance and escort operations.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers hit bridges at Lavis and Calliano; fighters and fighter-bombers interdict Po Valley communications and hit an ammunition dump at San Felice del Benaco; during the night of 3/4 Jan, A-20s successfully hit a stores dump and bridge near Mestre, and destroy or damage 50+ vehicles. The 416th Night Fighter Squadron, 62d Fighter Wing, based at Pisa, Italy with Mosquitoes, sends a detachment to operate from Etain, France attached to the 425th Night Fighter Squadron.

GERMANY: 66 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin and 7 to Neuss, 2 Halifax RCM sorties. No aircraft lost. Some of the Light Night Striking Force (No 8 Group) Mosquitos which attacked Berlin on this night flew 2 sorties each. These Mosquitos took off in the early evening, bombed Berlin returned and changed crews, and then flew to Berlin again. This method of augmenting the Mosquito campaign against Berlin was used several times during the long nights of midwinter.

 

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet government gives formal recognition to the Polish Lublin Committee as the Provisional Government of Poland. The USA and Britain declare their continued recognition of the Polish government in exile, based in London.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In Yugoslavia, 1 B-24 bombs Zagreb railroad sidings; 69 others abort due to total cloud cover over the target; 38 P-51s fly cover over the target area; 33 P-38s bomb the N railroad bridge at Doboj; other operations are limited to reconnaissance, supply drops, and escort.

JG 52's Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn scores his 300th and 301st kills, becoming the second fighter pilot to achieve this rare victory.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Liberated Greece the fighting between the British and the Greek Communist forces comes to an end in the Athens area. Field Marshal Alexander and British political representatives arrive in Athens for talks with the Communist leaders and the Greek government.

(US Twelfth Air Force): During the night of 4/5 Jan, A-20s on a S Po Valley intruder mission bomb the Modena, Italy area. Bad weather cancels all other operations.

WESTERN FRONT: In the Ardennes, the US 3rd Army reports reduced activity on its line while US 1st Army continues its attacks. There are German attacks just north of Strasbourg. Eisenhower's decision to divide command responsibility for the Allied defenses around the bulge between Montgomery in the north and Bradley in the south is made public.

(US Ninth Air Force): The 9th Bombardment Division attacks rail bridges at Ahrweiler, Simmern, and Bullay, Germany and communications centers at Gouvy, Houffalize, and near Durler, Belgium, and Massen, Luxembourg. Fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division and VIII Bomber Command, fly armed reconnaissance, attack airfields, communications centers, traffic concentrations, and other targets, and support the US III and VIII Corps W and E of Bastogne and the 2d and 3d Armored Divisions near Manhay, Belgium.

HQ 368th Fighter Group and the 395th, 396th and 397th Fighter Squadrons move from Juvincourt to Metz, France with P-47s.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 781: 1,032 bombers and 584 fighters are dispathed to hit rail targets and airfields in C Germany; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 4-0-0 on the ground; 1 B-17 and 1 P-51 are lost. 1. 259 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Neustadt (32), Sobernheim (42), Kirm (18 ) and St Ingbert (3), the marshalling yard and rail bridge at Cochem (31) and the Pirmasens railroad (39); 51 hit the Neunkirchen marshalling yard, a secondary target; targets of opportunities hit are communications centers at Rheinkirchen (8 ), Neubrucke (7), Prum (1) and Burg (1); bombing is visual and with Gee-H; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 51 damaged; 6 airmen are KIA and 1 WIA. Escorting are 164 of 177 P-51s. 2. 370 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Hanau (57) and Frankfurt (81) and communications centers at Waxweiler (32), Wetteldorf (27) and Pronsfeld (33); 29 hit the secondary target at Kaiserslautern; targets of opportunity are Heilbronn (29) and other (11); bombing is visual and PFF; 1 B-17 is lost, 6 damaged beyond repair and 89 damaged; 13 airmen are KIA, 9 WIA and 1 MIA. Escort is provided by 194 of 213 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 4-0-0 on the ground. 3. 379 B-17s are sent to hit airfields at Niederbreisig (70) and Niedermendig (54), communications centers at Dumpelfeld (37), Kall (35) and Mechernich (1), and the the railroad at Heimbach (37); 96 hit the secondary target, the Koblenz marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are communications centers at Pronsfeld (2) and Waxweiler (1) and other (4); bombing is by Gee-H and H2X; 1 B-17s is damaged beyond repair and 20 damaged. Escort is 109 of 117 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 4. 24 of 24 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 26 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 782: 4 B-24s and 1 B-17 drop leaflets during the night over SE Belgium.

160 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the railway-yards at Ludwigshafen. 2 Lancasters lost.
Hannover: 664 aircraft - 340 Halifaxes, 310 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 23 Halifaxes and 8 Lancasters lost, 4.7 per cent of the force. This was the first large raid on Hannover since October 1943.

131 RAF Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked Houffalize, a bottleneck in the German supply system in the Ardennes. The target was bombed with great accuracy. 2 Lancasters lost.

69 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 8 to Neuss and 6 to Castrop-Rauxel, 58 RCM sorties, 55 Mosquito patrols. 4 Mosquitos lost, 2 from the Berlin raid and 2 from No 100 Group.

 

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: Some 65 German tanks were destroyed or disabled, by Soviet forces, in the attempt to relieve the garrison surrounded in Budapest. Soviet troops gain a bridgehead across the Hron river.

Churchill sends a personal note to Stalin asking whether a renewal of the Soviet offensive along the Vistula River can be expected during January because of the Allied situation on the Western Front is "very heavy" -- in Churchill's words.

WESTERN FRONT: There are various local actions all along the Ardennes front. US 1st Army, part of British 21st Army Group, makes gains of 1000-3000 yards in an attack south of Stavelot, threatening the main German east-west supply road from Laroche to St. Vith. Hitler again orders no retreat after Rundstedt, the Commander in Chief West, again requests that German forces be allowed to withdraw from the Ardennes salient because of the Allied pressure.

Destroyer "WALPOLE" was the last of the 18 old 'V' and ' W' class vessels lost or not repaired in the war. Mined off the Scheldt Estuary on North Sea patrol, she was saved but went to the breakers.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 783: 816 bombers and 622 fighters are dispatched to hit rail and communications targets in W Germany; all but a few attacks are made using Gee-H and H2X; they claim 14-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 1 B-17 and 2 P-51s are lost: 1. 258 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Worms (62) and Kaiserslautern (34); 64 hit a secondary target, the marshalling yard at Ludwigshafen; targets of opportunity are Annweiler (31), the marshalling yard at Kusel (22) and other (29); some targets are bombed visually; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 55 damaged; 5 airmen are KIA and 2 WIA. Escorting are 109 of 121 P-51s; they claim 14-0-1 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair (1 pilot KIA). 2. 422 B-17s are sent to hit the Cologne South rail bridge (71) and Cologne North highway bridge (35) and the communications center at Kempernich (72); secondary targets are the Kalk marshalling yard at Cologne (183) and the highway bridge across the Rhine River at Bonn (38 ); 3 others hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 17 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 10 MIA. Escort is provided by 219 of 229 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair (1 pilot KIA). 3. 31 of 130 B-24s hit the highway bridge across the Rhine River at Bonn; 95 hit the secondary target, the Mosel marshalling yard at Koblenz; 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 17 damaged. The escort is 172 of 181 P-51s. 4. 6 of 6 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 36 of 60 P-47s attack the marshalling yard at Siegen. 6. 23 of 23 P-51s fly a scouting mission. 7. 8 of 8 P-51s escort 4 F-5s on a photo reconnaissance mission over W Germany. Mission 784: 6 B-17s drop leaflets over Belgium and the Netherlands during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): 26 bombers of the 9th Bombardment Division strike Prum, Germany. Bad weather prevents all fighter operations.

Hanau: 482 RAF aircraft - 314 Halifaxes, 154 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 4 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters lost. The attack was aimed at that part of Hanau in which an important junction in the German railway system was situated. The local report says that many bombs did fall in this area but also states that a large proportion of the bombing was scattered in the south - into the centre of Hanau - and to the north - into an area of countryside and villages.

Neuss: 147 RAF Lancasters of Nos 1 and No 3 Groups. 1 Lancaster crashed in Belgium. As in Hanau, some of the bombing fell into the railway area but most was scattered over surrounding districts. 1,749 houses, 19 industrial premises and 20 public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged.

20 RAF Mosquitos to Kassel (a 'spoof' raid) and 6 to Castrop-Rauxel, 52 RCM sorties, 32 Mosquito patrols, 49 Lancasters minelaying off Baltic ports. 2 RCM Halifaxes and 2 Lancaster minelayers lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): Bad weather over N Italy grounds the medium bombers. In Italy, XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter- bombers hit rail lines and bridges in the Genoa-La Spezia coastline area, and bomb vessels in the harbors at Genoa and Imperia.

The air echelon of the 417th Night Fighter Squadron, Twelfth AF (attached to Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force and air echelon attached to the 422d Night Fighter Squadron), based at La Vallon, France, begins operating from Florennes, Belgium with Beaufighters.

 

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MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy there are some limited operations by British 8th Army to complete the Allied hold on the south bank of the Senio River. San Alberto is captured by British and Canadian troops. The wet weather and a lack of reinforcements and extra supplies prevents the Allied armies from launching any large scale offensives at this time.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather grounds the medium bombers and A-20s; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter- bombers make 6 cuts on the Brenner rail line, damage the W end of the rail bridge at Cittadella, and hit the marshalling yard S of Trento; most of the XXII Tactical Air Command's effort is concentrated against land and water communications in the La Spezia-Genoa area, including attacks on shipping at Savona and San Remo harbors.

WESTERN FRONT: The attacks of the US 8th Corps of US 1st Army, along the line of the Ourthe west of Houffalize, record progress around Laroche. German attacks in Alsace also continue with some success south of Strasbourg in the area around Erstein.

EASTERN FRONT: In Hungary, German forces capture Esztergom, some 25 miles northwest of Budapest in their attempt to relieve the German led garrison in the capital.

The planes and crew of 10(Pz)./SG 3 is incorporated into I./SG 9 and becomes the 2 Staffel.

Stalin, in response to Churchill, indicates that the Soviet timetable for a new offensive will be no later than the second half of January.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 785: 1,073 bombers and 700 fighters attack communications centers, rail targets, bridges and an oil storage depot in W Germany using PFF methods; 3 bombers and 1 fighter are lost. 1. 265 B-17s are dispatched but hit secondary targets, the marshalling yard at Hamm (109), Paderborn (74) and Bielefeld (74); 2 hit a target of opportunity; all attacks made using H2X radar; 5 B-17s are damaged. Escorting are 197 of 204 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 2. 351 B-17s are dispatched to hit communications centers at Blankenheim (39), Kall (39), Bitburg (110) and Euskirchen (75); 35 hit the Lutzel Bridge at Cologne; all attacks made using Gee-H and H2X; 3 B-17s are damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 159 of 160 P-51s. 3. 147 B-17s are dispatched to hit the bridge at Hohenzollern (14) and the highway bridge at Rodenkirchen (22); 80 hit the secondary target, the Kalk marshalling yard at Cologne; targets of opportunity are Limburg (11), Koblenz (11) and other (1); all attacks are made using Micro H and H2X; 2 B-17s are lost and 10 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 19 MIA. The escort is 91 of 95 P-51s. 4. 304 B-24s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yards at Landau (54), Zweibrucken (64) and Rastatt (99), the rail and communications center at Achern (31) and the railway at Kaiserslautern (26); all attacks made using Gee-H; targets of opportunity hit visually are Durrmenz (8 ) and Karlsuhe (1); 1 B-24 is lost and 10 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 9 MIA. Escorting are 94 of 102 P-51s. 5. 6 of 6 B-17s fly a screening mission. 6. 88 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep without loss. 7. 12 of 12 P-51s escort 2 F-5s and 2 Mosquitoes on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. 8. 33 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 786: 2 B-17s and 5 B-24s drop leaflets during the night in SE Belgium and France.

(US Ninth Air Force): XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) fighters escort VIII Bomber Command bombers. All other commands and the 9th Bombardment Division cancel operations as the weather is bad.
645 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8 Groups to Munich. 11 Lancasters lost and 4 more crashed in France. Bomber Command claimed a successful area raid, with the central and some industrial areas being severely damaged. This was the last major raid on Munich.

54 RAF Mosquitos to Hannover, 18 to Nuremberg and 12 to Hanau, 39 RCM sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitos lost - 1 from the Hannover raid and a No 100 Group aircraft.

The last Bomber Command Wellington operation was flown on this night by Flying Officer BH Stevens and his crew of No 192 Squadron. The Wellington was on an RCM flight over the North Sea 'to investigate enemy beam signals connected with the launching of flying bombs and believed to emanate from marker buoys'. Bad weather over the North Sea caused the flight to be curtailed but the Wellington landed safely, the last of more than 47,000 sorties carried out by this type of aircraft in Bomber Command.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: Allied forces eliminate German positions on the west bank of the Maas River. In the Ardennes, American forces now control 9 miles of the Laroche-St. Vith road. US 3rd Army captures Flamierge, 9 km northwest of Bastogne, on the southern flank of the German held salient. Meanwhile, in Alsace, the battles north and south of Strasbourg continue. The US 7th Army is under considerable pressure near Rimling and Gambsheim. Adolf Hitler orders panzers to withdraw from the farthest reach of the bulge in France.

EASTERN FRONT: Northwest of Budapest, Soviets forces engage German armor and infantry forces. Street fighting in Budapest continues. Soviet forces are approaching the town of Komarno on the Danube River.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: 2 missions are flown. Mission 787: 736 bombers and 269 fighters are dispatched to make PFF attacks on communications centers, rail targets and bridges in Germany; 2 bombers are lost. 1. 151 B-17s are sent to hit the Wissembourg communications center (36) and highway and rail bridge at Alzey (36); 65 hit a secondary target, the marshalling yard at Speyer; 4 hit a target of opportunity; all attacks are made using Gee-H and H2X; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair. 2. 117 B-17s are dispatched to hit communications centers at Kyllburg (37), Schweich (24) and Speicher (37); 12 hit a secondary target, the marshalling yard at Koblenz; all attacks use Gee-H and H2X; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 24 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 9 MIA. 3. 24 of 30 B-24s hit the Stadtkyll communications center and 2 hit a target of opportunity using Gee-H without loss. 4. 204 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Wittlich (14), Oudler (29), Clerf (18), Burghreuland (31) and Dasburg (30); 2 others hit a target of opportunity; all use Gee-H; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; 1 airman is WIA. 5. 225 B-17s are sent to hit communications centers at Waxweiller (33) and Lunebach (29); 131 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Frankfurt; 1 hits a target of opportunity; attackers use Micro H and H2X; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 47 damaged. 6. 219 of 229 P-51s fly a freelance escort mission of all the bombers above without loss. 7. 9 of 9 B-17s fly a screening mission. 8. 29 of 32 P-51 fly a scouting mission. 9. 8 of 8 P-51s escort 2 Mosquitoes on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. Mission 788: 1 B-17s and 2 of 4 B-24s drop leaflets over St Hubert, Belgium.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 300+ B-17s and B-24s bomb the main station yard and N main marshalling yard at Linz plus marshalling yards at Graz, Villach, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg, escorted by 200+ P-38s and P-51s; 30+ other P-38s fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort.

Reichsmarschall Göring, incensed at Generalmajor Galland and his fighter pilots, specifically Major Steinhoff, Kommodore of JG 7 and Major Erich Hohagen, Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 7, who had discussed new tactics of the jet fighter with Göring, relieves Major Steinhoff and Major Hohagen of their commands. In their places are posted Major Theodor Weissenberger as Kommodore of JG 7 and Major Rudolf Sinner as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 7. Major Erich Rudorffer of II./JG 54 is named as Gruppenkommandeur of Major Weissenberger's I./JG 7 based at Kaltenkirchen. Although an operational Gruppe on paper, the reality is that I./JG 7 is grossly under equipped and has a serious lack of machines for missions. The leaders of the Staffeln are Oblt. Hans-Peter Waldmann of 1 Staffel, Oblt Hans 'Specker' Grünberg of 2 Staffel and Oblt. Fritz Stehle of 3 Staffel. Major Rudorffer is replaced as Gruppenkommandeur at II./JG 54 with Hptm. Herbert Findeisen.

MEDITERRANEAN: HQ 1st Fighter Group moves from Salsola Airfield to Vincenzo Airfield, Italy.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, XXII Tactical Air Command A-20s fly 33 effective sorties in the Po Valley during the night of 7/8 Jan; bad weather sharply reduces daytime operations; of 3 medium bomber missions dispatched, only 1 reaches the target (the Chivasso railway bridge) where only 6 medium bombers bomb through the overcast; less than 20 XXII Tactical Air Command fighters hit scattered targets in the Po Valley;

HQ 51st Troop Carrier Wing moves from Lido di Roma to Siena; and HQ 62d Troop Carrier Group moves from Malignano Airfield to Tarquinia. The 437th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), begins a movement from Serragia, Corsica to the US (the squadron will convert to A-26s and transfer to the Pacific in Jul 45).

 

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WESTERN FRONT: The US 3rd Army renews its attacks northeast and southeast of Bastogne.

At 18.15 hours the 'Jonas Lie' (Master Carl Lionel Von Schoen) in station #35 of convoy ON-277 was torpedoed by 'U-1055' at the entrance to the Bristol Channel. One torpedo struck on the starboard side in the #3 deep tank and ripped open the bulkhead between the engine room and the #4 hold, killing two men on watch below. The explosion created a hole 20 feet long at the waterline and broke steam and electrical connections. As the ship lost way she listed 10° to port and 25 minutes after the attack the majority off the 41 crew members, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The current swept the boats away from the freighter and these men were picked up by HMS 'Huddersfield Town' (FY 197). The skeleton crew (master, chief officer, bosun and one seaman) left the ship three hours after the attack by order from the British Admiralty officials and were landed at Milford Haven the same evening. One survivor, which had been blown overboard by the explosion, was picked up by the Norwegian motor merchant 'Fosna' and landed in New York on 23 January.

EASTERN FRONT: German submarine 'U-679' sunk with all hands in the Baltic by depth charges from the USSR anti-submarine vessel MO 124. 51 dead (all hands lost).

GERMANY: (US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 15 B-26s bomb the Rinnthal rail bridge with the aim of isolating 3 enemy armored divisions in the Landau area; XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) fighters escort the B-26s. Weather prevents other operations.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, based at Salsola Airfield, sends a detachment to operate from Vincenzo Airfield with P-38s.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers attack bridges at Palazzuolo sull'Oglio, Pontetidone, Romano di Lombardia, and an assembly area at Crespellano; fighters and fighter-bombers in an excellent day against communications in the W and C Po Valley and other points in N Italy make numerous rail cuts, destroy or damage many vehicles and trains and effectively hit ammunition and fuel dumps, guns, and strongpoints along the US Fifth Army front in the N Apennines;

The 4th and 8th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 62d Troop Carrier Group, move from Malignano Airfield to Tarquinia with C-47s; the 18th and 35th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 64th Troop Carrier Group, move from Ciampino to Rosignano Airfield with C-47s. The 438th, 439th and 440th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), begin a movement from Serragio, Corsica to the US (they will convert to A-26s and move to Okinawa in Jul 45).

 

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WESTERN FRONT: In the Ardennes, American forces are engaged near Laroche. The British 30th Corps is advancing on the town from the west, capturing Bure and Samree. German forces are withdrawing, in good order, from the western tip of the salient. St. Hubert, 15 miles west of Bastogne, has been evacuated by the Germans under pressure from Allied forces.

(US Ninth Air Force): 30+ B-26s sent against communications center and road bridge abort due to weather; the XIX Tactical Air Command escorts the B-26s, flies patrols, attacks bridges and other targets and supports the US III, VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the Saint-Hubert, Belgium-Bastogne, Belgium-Wiltz, Luxembourg area, in the Diekirch and Echternach area of Luxembourg and points to the SE.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces continue to be engaged in street fighting in Budapest. The island of Obuda is captured. The Soviet advance along the north bank of the Danube River, in southern Slovakia, reaches the Nitra River -- 80 miles from Vienna and less than 50 miles form Bratislava.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force): Mission 789: 1,119 bombers and 362 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields, rail targets and bridges in Germany; most attacks are made using PFF methods; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 429 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Rodenkirchen (31) and Deutz (10) highway bridges at Cologne, the South (34) and Hohenzollern (52) rail bridges at Cologne and the marshalling yard at Karlsruhe (105); 20 hit the secondary target, the Gereon marshalling yard at Cologne; targets of opportunity are bridges at Duisburg (11) and Oberkassel (21), Dusseldorf (28 ) and other (33); some targets hit visually but most by PFF methods; 5 B-17s are lost, 5 damaged beyond repair and 199 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 48 MIA. 2. 233 B-24s are dispatched to hit highway bridges at Steinbruck (23), Schonberg (70), Weweler (60) and Dasburg (20); 1 hits Prum, a target of opportunity; targets are hit using Gee-H; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 7 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA. 3. 458 B-17s are sent to hit the Hangelar Airfield at Bonn (63); Odendorf Airfield at Euskirchen (98 ), Osteheim Airfield at Cologne (83) and Gymnich Airfield (52); 43 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Cologne; targets of opportunity are the marshalling yards at Euskirchen (8 ), Belecke (8 ) and Duren (12) and other (26); Gee-H is used in bombing with some visual sightings; 5 B-17s are lost, 11 damaged beyond repair and 140 damaged; 5 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 52 MIA. 4. The bombers are escorted by 137 of 152 P-51s; 6 P-51s are lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. 5. 123 P-47s and P-51s make a freelance sweep to cover the bombers; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 is lost (1 pilot MIA); 4 P-51s are damaged beyond repair. 6. 13 of 15 P-51s dive bomb the marshalling yard at Neustadt without loss. 7. 6 of 8 P-51s escort 2 Mosquitoes on a photo reconnaissance of the Brux, Czechoslovakia area. 8. 28 of 32 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
50 Mosquitos to Hannover and 3 each to Cologne, Koblenz, Mannheim and Wiesbaden. No aircraft lost.

The special V-1 launching Gruppen of KG 53 reports that it has seventy-nine available He 111s on strength for bomb launching duties. The total strength of the night-fighting Gruppe I./NJG 1 equipped with the new He 219 'Uhu' is sixty-four aircraft available for operations.

MEDITERRANEAN: The 27th and 71st Fighter Squadrons, 1st Fighter Group, based at Salsola Airfield with P-38s, send a detachment to operate from Vincenzo Airfield, Italy.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather restricts operations but fighter-bombers effectively attack communications and supply dumps in the C and N Po Valley; the strikes are concentrated in the N and around Piacenza, and score nearly 50 rail cuts, along with destruction of 80 motor transports and several trains; fuel and ammunition dumps in the Milan area are bombed and a 400-foot (122 m) naval vessel at Venice is destroyed; HQ 64th Troop Carrier Group and the 16th and 17th Troop Carrier Squadrons move from Ciampino to Rosignano Airfield with C-47s.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: Units of the US 3rd Army and the British 30th Corps join up near St. Hubert as the German salient in the Ardennes is further reduced. To the south, the fighting in the US 7th Army around Bitche is also continuing but German attacks are being held.

In the Norwegian Sea a British squadron inflicts heavy damage on a German coastal convoy of southern Norway. Half of the estimated 7 or 8 vessels are sunk.

(US Eighth Air Force):: Mission 790: 2 B-17s and 4 of 6 B-24s drop leaflets in Belgium during the night.

GERMANY: (US Ninth Air Force): About 120 A-20s, A-26s, and B-26s attack communications centers and rail bridges in Belgium and Germany; fighters escort the bombers, hit an ammunition dump at Mayen, Germany, and patrol areas around Malmedy, Belgium and NE of Trier, Germany.

152 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on the railway yard in the Uerdingen suburb of Krefeld. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 10/11 Jan, A-20s attack targets of opportunity in the W Po Valley; clearing weather during the day enables an increase of fighter and fighter-bomber attacks in the Po Valley and in the US Fifth Army battle area in the N Apennines; many ammunition and fuel dumps, rail lines, trains, and vehicles are pounded, and an alcohol refinery at Piacenza is severely damaged.

 

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces begin an assault toward Berlin, 300 miles away. The final Soviet winter offensive begins with attacks by 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) from the Sandomierz bridgehead on the west bank of the Vistula River with 7 armies in the front line. The 3rd Guards and 4th Tank Armies advance up to 20km. The defending German forces are mostly from Heeresgruppe Mitte and Heeresgruppe A with 4.Panzerarmee defending the breakthrough area. The German troops are outnumbered by at least four or five to one in all classes of equipment and prove incapable of resisting the Soviet advance.

WESTERN FRONT: There are new attacks on the north flank of the Ardennes salient by US 7th and 18th Corps of the US 1st Army.

MEDITERRANEAN: (US Fifteenth Air Force): For the fourth consecutive day, all bombing operations are cancelled by bad weather. P-38s fly photo and weather reconnaissance and escort missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather severely curtails operations, but fighters and fighter-bombers of the XXII Tactical Air Command score successfully against communications targets in W and C Po Valley, claiming 50+ rail cuts and destruction or damage of 100+ vehicles.

GERMANY: 32 RAF Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of Nos 9 and 617 Squadrons attacked U-boat pens and shipping in Bergen harbour. 3 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron and 1 from No 9 Squadron were lost; the Germans told the local people that 11 bombers had been shot down. A local report says that 3 Tallboys penetrated the 3½-metre-thick roof of the pens and caused severe damage to workshops, offices and stores inside.

2 RAF Mosquito fighters of No 100 Group flew long-range escort for an air-sea rescue operation and 2 Stirlings flew RCM sorties, all without loss.

11 RAF Mosquitos to Bochum and 9 to Recklinghausen, both forces to bomb synthetic-benzol plants, and 32 Halifaxes minelaying off Flensburg and Kiel. 4 Halifaxes lost.

 

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WESTERN FRONT: British Royal Marine Commando unit launches a third assault on Kapelsche Veer, Holland, at night. Germans, safely underground, fire mortar shells on their own positions, inflicting heavy casualties on the British attackers.

In the Ardennes units of US 1st Army from the north and the British 30th Corps from the west, reach Ourthe between Laroche and Houffalize. British 2nd Army reaches the Ourthe River. US 3rd Army forces are also moving toward Houffalize from the south.

The IX Tactical Air Command supports the US VII Corps near Houffalize, Belgium, the XIX Tactical Air Command supports the US III, VIII, XII, and XX Corps elements in the Saint- Hubert, Belgium-Bastogne, Belgium-Wiltz, Luxembourg areas and points E and S near the Clerf River, Luxembourg and the Mosel River, Germany.

EASTERN FRONT: In East Prussia, the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front (Chernyakhovsky) strikes the German 3.Panzerarmee, part of Heeresgruppe Nord (Reinhardt). The attack begins in the early morning hours but progresses very slowly in spite of intensive supporting fire. Schlossberg and Kattenau change hands several times during the fighting. Meanwhile, in southern Poland, the 1st Ukrainian Front achieves an advance of 40 km along a 64 km frontage.

GERMANY: (US Eighth Air Force):: Mission 791: 958 bombers and 469 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards and Rhine rail bridges mostly by PFF methods; they claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 367 B-17s are sent to hit the Mainz rail bridge (31), the Gustavsburg rail bridge at Mainz (95) and the Bischofsheim marshalling yard (119); 74 hit the secondary target, the Mainz marshalling yard; targets of opportunity are Euskirchen (13) and other (7); most attacks are made using Micro H but some formations bomb visually; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 126 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 4 WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 79 of 80 P-51s; 3 are damaged beyond repair. 2. 276 B-24s are dispatched to hit rail bridges at Worms (86) and Rudesheim (89) and the Kaiserslautern marshalling yard (87); 1 hits a target of opportunity; most attacks are made using Gee-H but some formations bomb visually; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 39 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 10 MIA. The escort is 114 of 118 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. 3. 315 B-17s are sent to hit rail bridges at Germersheim (71, using Gee-H) and Maximiliansau (159) and rail and highway bridges at Mannheim (76) visually; 1 hits a target of opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 9 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 42 MIA. Escorting are 77 of 82 P-51s; 2 are damaged beyond repair. 4. 102 P-47s and P-51s fly a freelance fighter sweep supporting the bombers; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft in the air and 3-0-1 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair. 5. 45 of 45 P-51s fly a fighter-bomber mission against Mannheim, Trier, etc without loss. 6. 20 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss. 7. 4 of 4 P-51s escort an F-5 on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 95 9th Bombardment Division bombers strike road and rail bridges at Dasburg, Steinebruck, and Simmern to disrupt enemy movements; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, Eighth AF, and RAF bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, and bomb and strafe numerous ground targets.

158 RAF Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the railway yards at Saarbrücken during the day. The bombing appeared to be accurate, though with some overshooting. 1 Lancaster crashed in France.

Saarbrücken: 274 RAF aircraft - 242 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax crashed in France. Bomber Command assessed this raid, on the railway yards, as being extremely accurate and effective.

Politz: 218 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked this oil plant, near Stettin. 2 Lancasters lost. This raid had been planned as a blind-bombing attack but, because the weather conditions were better than forecast, low-level marking was carried out and very accurate bombing followed. Bomber Command, on the basis of photographic reconnaissance, states that the oil plant was 'reduced to a shambles'.

19 RCM sorties, 22 Mosquito patrols, 10 Lancasters minelaying off Swinemünde. 1 Mosquito of l00 Group lost.