1 January 1939

1888 (SUNDAY)

CANADA: John C. Garand, firearms engineer, is born in St-Rémi, Quebec. Garand invented the M1 semiautomatic rifle, used by the U.S. infantry in World War II and the Korean War. (Tom Hickcox)

1901 (TUESDAY)

AUSTRALIA: The Federation of the six colonies is achieved after a decade of planning, consultation and voting, and the Commonwealth of Australia is born as a Dominion of the British Empire.

1934: (MONDAY)

GERMANY: The government initiates a program to develop a 4,000-aircraft Luftwaffe within two years.

All Jewish holidays are removed from official German calendars.

U.S.A.: Heavy rain which began on 30 December leads to flooding in the Los Angeles Basin area of California. Flooding claims the lives of at least 45 persons. Walls of water and debris up to 10 feet (3 meters) high are noted in some canyon areas. Rainfall totals ranged up to 16.29 inches (41,38 centimetres) at Azusa, with 8.26 inches (20,98 centimetres) are reported in Downtown Los Angeles.

1936 (WEDNESDAY)

INTERNATIONAL: International naval limitations set by the London and Washington Naval Treaties officially expire, which ends warship construction restrictions and the maintenance of the status quo in fortifications in the Pacific. There have been rumours since 1932 that the Japanese are building fortifications and submarine bases in their Pacific mandate territories. On 17 December 1920 the Council of the League of Nations confirmed a mandate for the former German Islands north of the equator to Japan, to be administered in accordance with Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations. These islands were located in the Caroline, Ladrone, Mariana, and Marshall Islands. After 1935, both Australia and New Zealand expanded their coastal defences and the U.S. government planned a series of fortifications from the Alaskan coast and Aleutian Islands to Midway Island, Guam, and Samoa.

January 1st, 1939 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force is re-designated as a fighter squadron but equipped with Hawker Hinds.

GERMANY: The Fallschirm-Infanterie Battalion (army paratroopers) are officially transferred to the Luftwaffe as the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Parachute Regiment, II/FJR 1.

Identity card laws are brought in. All Jews are required to wear badges identifying themselves as such. Jewish shopkeepers and artisans are banned from any commercial activity from today. Jews are also banned from working with non-Jewish Germans.

U.S.A.: The army officially changes to a 12 man squad from the 8 man squad. (Chuck Baisden, Gordon Rottman)

1 January 1940

January 1st, 1940 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Anti-Aircraft cruiser HMS Coventry is damaged in an air raid on the Shetland Islands.

RAF Coastal Command: Three Coastal Command aircraft encountered two German aircraft 130 miles off east coast of Scotland and shot one down.

A royal proclamation extends the liability of men for military service to the age of 27. Call-up groups are based on year of birth. Men aged 19 will register, but will not be liable for service until they are 20. First to be summoned for service (on 1 March) are those aged 23, and other groups will soon follow. All those eligible will be in uniform by the end of the year.

Fifty women resign from the Auxiliary Fire Service in protest at being told to scrub floors.

Destroyer HMS Puckeridge laid down.

NORTH SEA: At 1058, SS Lars Magnus Trozelli was torpedoed and sunk by U-58 in the North Sea. The Norwegian SS Ask picked the survivors up the same day.

NORWAY: U.S. freighter SS City of Flint, her odyssey almost at an end, is damaged in a collision with the British steamship SS Baron Blytheswood. Repairs to City of Flint will keep her at Narvik for another six days. The German armoured ship Deutschland had seized City of Flint on 9 October 1939 and she had then been sailed to Norway, the U.S.S.R. and then back to Norway where she had been seized by Norwegian authorities and returned to U.S. custody on 3 November 1939.

FRANCE: Rail links with Spain are reopened, having been closed down three and a half years ago during the Spanish Civil War.

MAP

ITALY: Rome: Russia recalls its ambassador to Italy following anti-Soviet demonstrations in Rome.

GIBRALTAR: U.S. freighter SS Exeter is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Strength of Philippine Army is only 468 officers and 3,697 enlisted men, including 300 men assigned to the single regiment of the 1^st Division.

Quezon cuts defense Program. Franking privileges for Military Advisor’s office and Philippine Army headquarters ended. Number of trainees cut in half. 61 training camps closed, ROTC ended at all but one school, all further military construction and ordnance procurement terminated.

Lt Colonel Charles Willoughby appointed G-4 of the Philippine Department. (Marc Small)

CANADA:

Commissioned for Fisherman's Reserve and returned to owners 1946 - HMCS Aristocrat, Leola Vivian and Meander.

U.S.A.: The Department of State releases a statement to the press telling of the delivery of a "vigorous protest" (dated 27 December 1939) to the British Foreign Office concerning the British removing and censoring U.S. mail from British, U.S. and neutral ships.

URUGUAY: The government interns the German freighter SS Tacoma at Montevideo as an auxiliary war vessel.

1 January 1941

January 1st, 1941 (WEDNESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The BBC broadcasts its first "Brains Trust", in which a panel of experts discuss topical questions of the day.

RAF Bomber Command: 141 RAF bombing targets tonight include Bremen, where 95 aircraft attack shipyards and, especially, the city's Focke-Wulf aircraft factory.

Light cruiser HMS Mauritius commissioned.

London: The chief of the Free French naval forces, Vice-Admiral Muselier is arrested on suspicion of treason.

The Intelligence Service had acquired four documents, allegedly emanating from the Vichy French Consulate in London, one of which proved that Muselier had betrayed the plans of the Dakar expedition and sent them to Vichy through the intermediary of the Brazilian Embassy. Another document showed that Muselier was plotting to hand over the submarine 'Surcouf' to Vichy, and yet another showed that he had received £2000 for sabotaging the recruiting of sailors for the Free French naval forces. The evidence is brought before Churchill who reacts in characteristic fashion. Sir Alexander Cadogan notes in his diary: "PM of course wants to hang him at once. I pointed out possible effect on de G. movement... For good measure, Churchill wanted to declare war on Brazil..."

ÉIRE: The Luftwaffe bombs Dublin and four counties.

BELGIUM: Leon Degrelle, the leader of the fascist Rexist movement, calls for greater collaboration with Germany.

NETHERLANDS: The government imposes a levy (luisterbijdrage) on owners of radio receivers.

GERMANY: In a New Year's proclamation to the army Hitler declares "The year 1941 will bring consummation of the greatest victory in our history."

U-216 is laid down.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: C-in-C Med: Status report. The Luftwaffe now has around 150 bombers and fighters in Sicily compared with the RAF's 15 Hurricanes in Malta.

EGYPT: Major General Richard O' Connor's Western Desert Force is renamed 13 Corps.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: The French Indochinese navy defeats the Royal Thai Navy at Koh Chang. (Michael Alexander)

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Philippine Department G-2 recommends consolidation of all Philippine defenses under War Department. No response was received.

AUSTRALIA: Last July, the government approved the construction of tanks in the country. They now authorize an armoured division as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

CANADA: Minesweepers HMCS Medicine Hat and Red Deer laid down.

U.S.A.: Snow, which began last night, becomes a major blizzard today, burying Des Moines, Iowa, under 19.8 inches (50,3 centimetres) of snow in 24 hours, an all-time record for that location.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Together with HM ships Duncan, Foxhound, Hero and Jaguar, HMS Firedrake took part in operation ‘Ration’ - the interception of a convoy of four Vichy French merchant ships, escorted by an armed trawler, clear of Spanish territorial waters off Cape Tres Forcas. Ships of the convoy were later escorted to Gibraltar; the trawler was allowed to proceed. (Daniel Ross)

1 January 1942

January 1st, 1942 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweepers HMS TOURMALINE and HMS STRENUOUS are laid down.

GERMANY: U-901 is laid down.

AUSTRIA: Fuel rations for factories in Vienna are cut to a sixth of the required amount.

SWITZERLAND: Fresh milk is rationed. Adults receive 5 decalitres per day, children 7 decalitres. (William Jay Stone from http://www.geschichte-schweiz.ch/en/worldwar2.html)

FINLAND: Red Army starts an offensive against the Finns on the Maaselkä Isthmus between the Lake Onega and White Sea. The Soviet force includes six divisions (71st, 186th, 263rd, 289th, 313th, 367th), three Marine Brigades (61st, 65th, 66th) and a ski brigade. Objective is to recapture the town of Karhumäki (Medvezhjegorsk) and the western stretch of Murmansk railway. The defending Finnish II Corps has two divisions (4th and 8th) and one brigade (1st Jäger), the Soviet attackers seven divisions and two brigades.

The Finnish troops are still suffering from the effects of six-month long offensive, and the men are eagerly waiting to go home - a partial demobilization had been promised after the Finnish offensive ended in December. The Soviet offensive is able to penetrate the Finnish defences near the village of Krivi, and the fighting rages on for weeks. In early February, after both sides had suffered considerable losses, Finns are able to push the Red Army back.

U.S.S.R.: German forces counterattack near Kerch in the Crimea. The Red Army in turn, presses on with the counter-attack which it launched on December 28th.

LIBYA: XXX Corps, British Eighth Army, renews their assault on Bardia after nightfall.

CHINA: The Chinese request lend-lease aid for construction of a road across northern Burma to link with the Burma Road. The projected road would extend from Ledo, India, to Fort Hertz and Myitkyina, Burma, and Lung-ling, China.

MALAYA: The Japanese attack the Kampar position in western Malaya in force but are unable to break through. The Indian 11th Division is in grave danger as a Japanese amphibious force lands in the Utan Melentang area, at the mouth of the Bernam River, behind the Kampar line. The Indian 12th Brigade Group moves from Bidor to meet this threat. Japanese aircraft deliver the first severe blow against Tengah airdrome on Singapore Island.

EAST INDIES: Two Japanese infantry platoons land on the 75 square kilometre (29 square mile) Labuan Island, British North Borneo, capturing the British Resident, Hugh Humphrey who later recalled: "I was repeatedly hit by a Japanese officer with his sword (in its scabbard) and exhibited for 24 hours to the public in an improvised cage, on the grounds that, before the Japanese arrived, I had sabotaged the war effort of the Imperial Japanese Forces by destroying stocks of aviation fuel on the island."

The air echelon of the USAAF Far East Air Force's 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) transfers from Batchelor Field, Northern Territory, Australia, to Singosari, Java, with B-17 Flying Fortresses.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The South Luzon Force, upon completing their withdrawal across the Pampanga River at Calumpit by 0500 hours and destroying bridges there at 0615 hours, is disbanded. Its components continue their withdrawal toward Bataan, and Brigadier General Albert Jones rejoins the 51st Division [Philippine Army (PA)]. The Japanese move through Plaridel to Calumpit but are unable to cross the Pampanga River. The Covering force [elements of 71st and 91st Divisions (PA)] withdraws from the river line toward San Fernando. Meanwhile, the 21st and 11th Divisions (PA) continue fighting withdrawals, the 21st along the route Bamban-Angeles-Poroc and the 11th on the route Malagang-San Fernando-Guagua (north of Sexmoan), arriving on the line Porac-Guagua during the night 1/2 January.

WAKE ISLAND: A USAAF Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress based on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, refuels at Midway Islands and then photographs Wake Island.

CANADA: Commissioned for Fisherman's Reserve from the seized local Japanese fishing fleet - HMCS Billow (ex Kurashio) and HMCS Comber (ex CSC II). They will be sold in 1945.

HMCS Scaterie and Valinda are chartered for wartime service. They will be returned to their owners in 1946.

U.S.A.: UN established as representatives of 26 countries meet in Washington, DC to endorse the principles of the Atlantic Charter. The United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China are among the signatories. They agree to fight the Axis and not to conclude a separate peace.

Besides the four major Allied war powers, the signatory countries included four nations of the British Empire - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa - the governments in exile of eight European countries overrun by Germany - Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Yugoslavia - and nine Latin American republics - Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

The Atlantic Charter and its eight principles are: (1) the renunciation of territorial aggression; (2) territorial changes only with consent of the peoples concerned; (3) restoration of sovereign rights and self-government; (4) access to raw materials for all nations; (5) world economic cooperation; (6) freedom from fear and want; (7) freedom of the seas; and (8) disarmament of aggressors are also endorsed by the signatories at the Arcadia Conference.

The "united nations", with four-fifths of the world's population, subscribed to the principles of the Atlantic Charter signed by President Roosevelt and Mr Churchill last summer.

The United States government order the cessation of manufacture of automobiles and trucks for civilians to save steel.

Joseph Stalin named "Time" magazine's "Man of the Year" (Gene Hanson)

The U.S. Office of Production Management prohibits the sales of new cars and trucks to civilians. All automakers dedicate their plants entirely to the war effort. By the end of the month, domestic car manufacture has stopped. Automobile plants are converted wholesale to the manufacture of bombers, jeeps, military trucks, and other equipment.

Minesweepers USS VITAL and USS USAGE are laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-333 is attacked by an Allied aircraft but is not damaged.

1 January 1943

January 1st, 1943 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Rescue tug HMS Tancred launched.

ITALY: SICILY: Five USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb targets of opportunity at Syracuse and other locations.

U.S.S.R.: Velikiye Luki in the central sector is finally recaptured by the Soviet Army.

Stalingrad: The Russians squeeze the German army into a pocket of 100 square miles.

German Army Group A begins withdrawing the 1st Panzer Army northward toward Rostov to prevent it from becoming encircled with XXXX Pz.K. units pulling out of the Mozdok area. (Jack McKillop & Jeff Chrisman)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The 7,176 ton U.S. Liberty Ship SS Arthur Middleton is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-73 about 7 nautical miles (12,9 kilometres) northwest of Oran, Algeria, in position 35.45N, 0.45W.

U-73 is damaged when the torpedoed ship Arthur Middleton explodes.

Eleven ships from UGS-3, including SS Arthur Middleton from station #21, broke away from the convoy near Casablanca to proceed for their destination port Oran and began to form a single line to enter the harbour. At 1428, before the line was formed, two torpedoes hit the Arthur Middleton from U-73 at the bow. The U-boat commander saw the target explode after 17 seconds. The torpedoes had ignited portions of the cargo and sent water, hull plates, parts of the ship and flames 1000 feet into the air. The Liberty ship disintegrated from the #5 hatch to the bow, only the after part of the ship remained afloat for less than one minute three miles off Oran. Only three armed guards survived of the eight officers, 34 men, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) and 12 passengers (one US Army security officer and 11 crewmen from USS LCT-21). These three men jumped overboard from the stern gun platform and were picked up by destroyer HMS Boreas 25 minutes later and were transferred to hospital ship HMHS Oxfordshire.

ALGERIA: Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander Allied Force, places Major General Lloyd Fredendall in command of the U.S. II Corps, which is planning for Operation SATIN, the capture of Sfax, Tunisia, to prevent the junction of Axis armies. Task Force SATIN is to consist of the 1st Armoured Division and Regimental Combat Team 26 of the 1st Infantry Division. Allied Force Headquarters (AFHQ) takes responsibility for communications lines from Bone to Constantine, relieving the British First Army.

The British light cruiser HMS Ajax (22) is severely damaged in Bone harbour by Luftwaffe Ju 87 dive bomber. The ship makes her way to the New York Navy Yard in the U.S. for repairs and is out of action until October 1943.

TUNISIA: Five USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators and 18 USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses strike the port area at Tunis hitting the turning basin, the area just southwest of it, and nearby rail junction. Twelfth Air Force B-26 Marauders hit the marshalling yard at Tunis.

JAPAN: Tokyo: The Japanese decide to evacuate Guadalcanal.

BURMA: Six USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack the railroad bridge near Myitnge, claiming several hits on the target. The nearby airfield is also bombed.

FIJI ISLANDS: The USN fleet tug USS Grebe (AT-134) grounded at Vuanta Vatoa on 6 December 1942 while attempting to float the U.S. freighter SS Thomas A. Edison. Salvage operations are broken up by a hurricane that destroyed both ships during the night of 1/2 January 1943.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Guadalcanal: The last Japanese food available in the Gifu position on Mount Austen, is distributed. It amounts to 2 crackers and a piece of candy per man.

From Hill 11 on Guadalcanal, the 2d Battalion, 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, marches slowly south and west over precipitous terrain to the south-eastern slope of Hill 27, arriving too late in the day to open an assault as planned. Regimental Combat Team 27, 25th Infantry Division, arrives on the island.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators bomb the airfields at Gasmata and Rabaul on New Britain Island.

NEW GUINEA: The Urbana Force (two battalions of the U.S. 126th and 128th Infantry Regiments, 32d Infantry Division) attacks toward Buna Mission from the southeast and from the spit after heavy preparatory fire, but makes little progress. In the evening the Japanese are seen swimming from the Mission. Company B, U.S. 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, moves east toward Giropa Point to assist the Warren Force (based on the U.S. 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division), which encircles the Japanese between Giropa Point and Old Strip. On the left, the Australian 2/12th Battalion, 18th Brigade, 7th Division, supported by six tanks, drives to the coast at Giropa Point and turns southeast, clearing the coastal strip to Simemi Creek; the 1st Battalion, U.S. 128th Infantry Regiment, mops up bypassed pockets. On the right, the 3d Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, and Australian 2/10th Battalion, 18th Brigade, make slow progress in a two-pronged attack to clear the Japanese entrenched in dispersal bays off the north-western end of Strip.

USAAF Fifth Air Force bombers attack Lae, Northeast New Guinea.

CANADA: Destroyer HMCS Iroquois pendant number changed from I98 to G89.

U.S.A.: Ground Controlled Approach equipment (GCA) was called into emergency use for the first time when a snowstorm closed down the field at NAS Quonset Point a half hour before a flight of PBYs was due to arrive. The GCA crew located the incoming aircraft on their search radar, and using the control tower as a relay station, "talked" one of them into position for a contact landing. This recovery was made only 9 days after the first successful experimental demonstration of GCA. (Gene Hanson)

Destroyer USS Schroeder commissioned.

Destroyer escorts USS Burke and Scott laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The British cruiser HMS SCYLLA sinks the German blockade runner RHAKOTIS and the Italian transport VIMINALE 200 nautical miles north-west of Cape Finisterre, Brittany. After an eight-hour search, Australian Sunderland Mk. II or III of No. 10 Squadron, RAAF, based at Mount Batten, Devon, spots the German blockade runner SS RHAKOTIS in the Bay of Biscay on 31 December, attempting to smuggle in war cargo from Japan. The light cruiser HMS Scylla was diverted to intercept, and ran at full speed through a gale for some 20 hours, with the Sunderland guiding her towards the target by dropping flares along the course. When the cruiser opens fire, the Germans scuttle their ship about 145 nautical miles (269 kilometres) northwest of La Coruna, Comunidad Autonoma de Galicia, Spain, in position 45.01N, 10.50W.

Swedish SS Brageland was stopped by U-164 off the Brazilian coast, searched and sunk according to prize rules.

U-406 had to abort her patrol in the North Atlantic due to serious engine trouble.

U-438 was damaged by underwater explosions, forcing her to return from patrol in the North Atlantic.

Minesweeper HMCS Minas damaged in collision with trawler HMS Liscomb off Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Corvette HMCS Woodstock sank MTB 105, 250 miles NW of Azores after merchant ship carrying it had been sunk.

1 January 1944

January 1st, 1944 (SATURDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: General Sir Alan Brooke becomes a field marshal.

London: The US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSAFE) Command - covering all US Army Air Forces in Britain - comes into effect; it is headed by General Carl Spaatz, who arrives today. It is established at Bushy Park, Hertfordshire, England, to provide operational control of the two USAAF strategic air forces in Europe, the Eighth Air Force in the U.K. and the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy. The Operational Research Section, organized at Headquarters VIII Bomber Command in October 1943, is made a special staff section, accountable directly to the U.S. Chiefs of Staff (CoS). It is composed mostly of civilian specialists trained in statistical analysis and other disciplines pertinent to studying operations of a strategic bombing force. The section subsequently proves of great value in improving the effectiveness of strategic bombing.

Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan arrived Loch Ewe with Convoy RA-55A.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Fuday launched.

FRANCE: During the night of 1 /2 January, RAF Bomber Command aircraft bomb two targets: two each aircraft bomb V-1 sites at Bristillerie and La Glacerie. Eleven other aircraft drop leaflets over the country.

GERMANY: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is appointed Commander-in-Chief of Army Group B, the German forces in France north of the Loire River.

During the night of 1/2 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 421 Lancasters to Berlin; 386 bomb the target. Despite a Mosquito "spoof" raid on Hamburg, German fighters are directed on to the bomber stream at an early stage and are particularly active en-route to Berlin. Twenty eight Lancasters are lost, 6.7 per cent of the force. Mosquitoes are also active: 14 bomb Hamburg, eight hit Witten (four target the Witten/Ruhrstahl A.G. steel factory and four hit the city), five attack Duisburg (four bomb the Vereinigte Stahl steel factory) and one each bomb Cologne and Gladbeck.

FINLAND: According to the calculations of the General Headquarters, the losses (dead and wounded) from the beginning of the war to the end of 1943 has been 38,144.

ITALY: Lieutenant General George S. Patton turns over command of the U.S. Seventh Army to Lieutenant General Mark Clark. General Clark, who also retains command of the U.S. Fifth Army, is to plan for Operation ANVIL, the early plan for the invasion of southern France.

A complete reorganization of USAAF units in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO) takes place: US Army Air Forces, North African Theatre of Operations (USAAFNATO) is redesignated AAF Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (AAFMTO); XII Air Force Services Command becomes AAF Services Command Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (AAFSCMTO); III Air Services Area Command (Special) becomes XII Air Force Services Command; II Air Services Area Command becomes XV Air Force Services Command; XII Air Force Engineer Command (Provisional) becomes AAF Engineer Command, Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (Provisional); and XII Air Force Training Command is changed to XII Air Force Training and Replacement Command. The XII Bomber Command, Twelfth Air Force is reorganized as an medium bomber organization, three B-25 Mitchell groups and the three B-26 Marauder groups of the 42d Bombardment Wing (Medium). .

The 12 B-26 Marauder squadrons that were transferred to the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force by the USAAF Twelfth Air Force are reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force. The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force now becomes a strategic air force with four B-17 Flying Fortresses groups, two B-24 Liberators groups, three P-38 Lightning and one P-47 Thunderbolt groups.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: Four USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-40s bomb and strafe targets of opportunity, including barracks and rafts along the Yuan River in the Cam Duong-Lao Kay area.

BURMA: Six USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, along with 16 P-38 Lightnings, attack a bridge on the Mu River between Ywataung and Monywa; Major Robert A Erdin, piloting the lead B-25, pulls up during his bomb run to avoid a tree; he releases his bombs as he noses up, and topples two spans of the bridge into the river; subsequent tests prove this a good bridge-bombing manoeuvre; the tactic is refined and the squadron [the 490th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium)] becomes so proficient as to gain the sobriquet "Burma Bridge Busters." Further north, 11 A-36 Apaches and 15 P-5l Mustangs attack the airfield at Myitkyina.

CHINA: Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, Commander in Chief US China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations, Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, Commander in Chief Northern Area Combat Command and Deputy Commander in Chief South-East Asia Command, creates an operations staff for ZEBRA Force. ZEBRA Force will consist of 30 new Chinese divisions that will defend air bases in eastern China and eventually undertake a counteroffensive against Japanese forces in the Yangtze valley.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 20th Brigade, 9th Division, finds the Japanese have abandoned Nanda. The airlift of the Australian 18th Brigade, 7th Division, to Dumpu begins.

In Northeast New Guinea, over 120 USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs, B-24 Liberators and B-25 Mitchells bomb the Saidor area with over 200 tons (181 metric tonnes) in preparation for an Allied invasion; other B-25s bomb Madang and Alexishafen.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, Brigadier General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Assistant Division Commander 1st Marine Division, issues the first order to the ADC Group, calling for an attack southwest toward Borgen Bay tomorrow. The ADC Group, as strengthened for the attack, consists of the 7th Marine Regiment, reinforced by the 3d Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, and supporting units.

USN aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) and small aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) (USN Task Group 37.2) bomb shipping escorted by cruisers and destroyers, damaging the light cruiser HIJMS Noshiro; two F6F Hellcats and an SB2C Helldiver are lost. Task Group 37.2 consists of the two aircraft carriers, the battleship USS Washington (BB-56) and six destroyers.

On New Britain Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs continue to hit troop concentrations in the Cape Gloucester area while B-25 Mitchells hit positions at Borgen Bay and P-39 Airacobras strafe barges along the north coast of the island.

Fifteen USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators, escorted by over 70 P-38 Lightnings and USN F6F Hellcats, bomb Lakunai Airfield on New Britain Island; fighter and antiaircraft opposition is heavy, with 80-90 Japanese fighters attempting interception. U.S. aircraft claim 20 fighters shot down; one B-24 is lost and two, severely damaged, crash-land at Torokina on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Aircraft from a US carrier task force, under Admiral Sherman attack a Japanese convoy off Kavieng, New Ireland.
The carriers of Task Group 37.2 launched their aircraft and the raid on Kavieng begins at 0611 hours local. Two light cruisers and two destroyers are the targets but damage is negligible.
USN losses consist of one Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and two Grumman F6F Hellcats.
Japanese losses consist of 13 Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters, Allied Code Name "Zeke," to fighter pilots of Fighting Squadrons Eighteen and Thirty (VF-18 and VF-30). [VF-18 was serving in USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) and VF-30 was serving in USS Monterey (CVL-26); both units were equipped with F6F-3s.] One VF-18 pilot shoots down a Kawasaki Ki-61, Army Type 3 Fighter Hien (Swallow), Allied Code Name "Tony."

From Glen Boren's diary aboard the USS BUNKER HILL: It was reported that the japs moved some ships in to the area. We sent out some scouts for a look. Reports that a destroyer and a cruiser are in Kavieng Harbor. A strike group was launched for attack. At about 1030, the CAP lands aboard and one fighter made a hard landing. The tail section pulled off, just forward of the vertical stabilizer. The main portion started up the deck, the engine revs up and it went over the port side, just aft of the deck edge elevator. Pilot was not recovered. The attack group returns, all fighters and TBF's return and all but one SB2C's return. Photo plane reported missing.

Eight zeros shot down. Scramble! 12 - 15 boggies, 55 miles out. Combat Air Patrol attacks. We launch eight more fighters. Reported that one of the planes shot down was a new Tony, latest of the zero fighters.

General Quarters sounded at about 1930. 3 - 5 boggies, 27 miles out. They came to within 18 miles and left. Hope no more find us. We head for E.S.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The USAAF Thirteenth Air Force activates the 868th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) to work directly under the XIII Bomber Command. The unit, equipped with radar equipped B-24 Liberators used for night missions, becomes known as the "Snooper Squadron." They will fly their first mission on 4 January and use their airborne radar for low-level attacks at night, and for pathfinder operations.

On Bougainville Island, Allied fighters join USN SBD Dauntlesses in support of ground forces in the Torokina area. Six B-25 Mitchells and two B-24 Liberators bomb Kahili and four B-24s hit Manob.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: Sixteen USAAF Seventh Air Force P-39 Airacobras strafe the harbour of Mili Atoll and attack shipping north of the atoll; two small vessels are heavily damaged.

NEWFOUNDLAND: Corvette HMCS Halifax arrived St John's to join EG C-1.

CANADA:

Corvette HMCS Sudbury departed Halifax for refit Esquimalt, British Columbia.

HMCS Andrew Lee chartered.

U.S.A.: U.S. Marine General Thomas Holcomb, the 17th Commandant, retires today. He is also promoted from lieutenant general to general, four star, by reason of combat citation, as provided by the Act of 23 February 1942. More... (Stu Kohn)

Submarine USS Catfish laid down.

Destroyer escort USS Eisner commissioned.

Frigate USS Orange commissioned.

Submarine USS Pintado commissioned.

1 January 1945

January 1st, 1945 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: The quarrel over the future of Poland deepened yesterday when Winston Churchill made it plain that, until a full discussion has taken place between Britain, the USSR and the United States, he will not switch his allegiance from the London-based government in exile to the Russian-sponsored Lublin Committee. With the Russians in control of the liberated areas of Poland, however, there seems little that Mr. Churchill can do.

Repair ship HMS Deer Sound commissioned.

The USAAF">USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 775: five B-24 Liberators and three B-17 Flying Fortresses drop leaflet over Belgium and Germany during the night of 1st January without loss.

WESTERN EUROPE: Luftwaffe attacks many Allied airfields in Belgium, Holland and northern France. The Allied losses are large due to the surprise achieved, in spite of the lack of training for many German pilots. Meanwhile the Allied counterattack gathers force. List Member Roland P. Harper was there!

This was the Luftwaffe's Operation BODENPLATTE intended to destroy Allied tactical fighter and bomber aircraft close to the front lines. The few remaining experienced German pilots led the flights that all too often were composed of new, partly trained airmen. This operation had been scheduled for late December but bad weather forced cancellations. The weather cleared on 1 January and 700 to 800 Luftwaffe aircraft, mostly Focke Wulf Fw 190s and Messerschmitt Bf 109s, hit RAF Second Tactical Air Force and USAAF Ninth Air Force airfields in Belgium, France and the Netherlands between 0800 and 1000 hours. In some cases, surprise was complete; in others Allied aircraft were airborne and engaged the enemy.

More often than not, the inexperience of the Luftwaffe pilots nullified the surprise of the attack.

452 Allied aircraft are destroyed or damaged beyond repair; Allied fighters shoot down 62 German aircraft and light anti-aircraft units shoot down 172 aircraft. Some of the Luftwaffe aircraft. Some of the Luftwaffe aircraft are shot down by their own anti-aircraft ground batteries who's officers are not warned of the planned assault. The USAAF's Ninth Air Force lost at least 30 aircraft on the ground while the RAF"> RAF's Second Tactical Air Forces lost 162 aircraft plus 62 damaged.

FRANCE: The Commanding General U.S. 66th Infantry Division takes over the 94th Infantry Division's mission of containing the Germans in the vicinity of Lorient and St Nazaire.

Alsace: In the 6th Army Group area, the Germans launch an offensive along a 50-mile front between Saarbrucken and Strasburg, designated Operation NORDWIND (North Wind), against the U.S. Seventh Army. The attack is carried out by General Hans von Obstfelder's First Army with the aim of exploiting weaknesses in the US 6th Army Group caused by the withdrawal of forces to the Ardennes. Strasburg, which was only liberated last November, is the city most at risk. In the XV Corps area, a two-pronged German thrust forces the 106th Cavalry Group (Mechanized), 44th Infantry Division, and 100th Infantry Division to give ground. The 44th Infantry Division bears the brunt of German's right flank drive, which penetrates positions northwest of Rimling. The 100th Infantry Division, caught between the two attack forces, withdraws its right flank, exposed by the withdrawal of Task Force Hudelson (VI Corps); German infiltrators are cleared from Rimling, on the left flank. Elements of Task Force Harris (63d Infantry Division) help check the Germans. Regimental Combat Team 145, 36th Infantry Division, moves up to plug the gap between the XV and VI Corps. In the VI Corps area, the Germans drive a salient into the left flank of the corps south of Bitche. Task Force Hudelson's thin line is pushed back on the left to the Lemberg-Mouterhouse area. The 5th Infantry Division contains the Germans along the line Philippsbourg-Neuhoffen-Obersteinbach and mops up infiltrators in Dambach. Reinforcements from Task Force Herren (70th Infantry Division) and the 79th Infantry Division are rushed to the 45th Infantry Division, whose boundary is moved west. Combat Command B, 14th Armoured Division, moves to guard the Vosges exits. The 79th Infantry Division's right flank is extended to include the Rhine sector from Schaffhouse to the Gambsheim area.

BELGIUM: A German A4 (V-2) rocket impacts in Antwerp, in Borgerhout, Groeningerplein. Forty five people are killed and 33 injured, and 21 houses destroyed.

The U.S. Third Army continues the Ardennes counteroffensive with the VIII and III Corps. In the VIII Corps area, the 87th Infantry Division takes Moircy and Jenneville. The 11th Armoured Division attacks with Combat Command A toward Hubermont, stopping east of Rechrival, and with Combat Command B, clears Chenogne and the woods to the north. Combat Command A, 9th Armoured Division, drives toward Senonchamps. The 101st Airborne Division, in the Bastogne area, gives fire support to the 11th Armoured Division on its left and the 6th Armoured Division (III Corps) on its right. The 4th Armoured Division holds a corridor into Bastogne and supports the 35th Infantry Division with fire. The 35th Infantry Division partially clears Lutrebois and reaches the crossroads southeast of Marvie, but makes no headway in the vicinity of Villers-la-Bonne-Eau and Harlange, Luxembourg. In the region east of Bastogne, the 6th Armoured Division takes Neffe, Bizery, and Mageret, but then loses Mageret.

LUXEMBOURG: In the U.S. Third Army's III Corps area, the 17th Airborne Division relieves the 28th Infantry Division in the Neufchateau area. III Corps contains the German salient southeast of Bastogne.

GERMANY: Flt-Sgt George Thompson (b.1920), RAFVR, was severely burnt helping two gunners in their blazing Lancaster. He died of his injuries on 23 January. (Victoria Cross)

During the night of 1/2 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 152 Lancasters and five Mosquitos to carry out an accurate attack on the Gravenhorst section of the Mittelland Canal; 152 aircraft bomb the target. Half a mile (805 meters) of banks are pitted with bomb craters and some parts are breached. No aircraft are lost. In a second raid, 141 of 146 aircraft successfully attack the marshalling yard at Vohwinkel with the loss of one Lancaster. In a third raid, 105 Halifaxes, 18 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos attempt to bomb the Minister Stein benzol plant at Dortmund; 117 bomb the target but the attack is scattered and the plant is not hit. No aircraft are lost. Mosquitos are also active: two "spoof" missions are flown with 26 aircraft bombing Hannover and 24 hitting Hanau; twelve attack 14 rail targets in western Germany with the loss of one aircraft and one each hit Bochum and Duisburg.

Stuka pilot Hans Ulrich Rudel is awarded the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak leaves, Swords and Diamonds to the Iron Cross. This is the highest single grade of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was awarded only once during WWII. It was awarded to Hans Ulrich Rudel (Jan 1, 1945) in honour of his unrivalled heroism as a Luftwaffe Stuka pilot. Rudel was responsible for the destruction of 530 Soviet tanks, enough tanks for five complete Soviet Tank Corps! He also destroyed 150 anti-aircraft and anti-tank positions, 800 motor vehicles, the Soviet Battleship Marat, a Soviet Cruiser, a Soviet Destroyer, 70 Soviet landing craft, and numerous bridges and bunkers. He also heavily damaged another Soviet Battleship, the October Revolution. Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions, claimed 11 air victories in his Stuka, and was shot down 32 times. During the War, Stalin placed a 100,000 Rouble bounty on him for his capture payable dead or alive.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 774: 845 bombers and 725 fighters are dispatched to hit oil installations and rail bridges and junctions in western Germany visually and by PFF; they claim 23-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft including a jet fighter; eight bombers and two fighters are lost. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1):

- Bridge: Andernach (25-0).

- Marshalling yards: Rothenditmold at Kassel (309-2); Gottengen (30-0); Dillenburg (15-0); Hadamar, Limburg, Mosel at Koblenz and Wetzlar (12-0).

- Oil refineries: Dollbergen (54-0) and Rothensee at Magdeburg (11-5).

- Oil storage: Ehmen (24-0).

- Rail bridges: Lutzel at Koblenz (57-0); Neuweid (55-0); Guls at Koblenz (30-1); Kronprinz Wilhelm at Engers (9-0) and Ludendorff at Remagen (6-0).

Fifty four other aircraft bomb targets of opportunity.

The USAAF Ninth Air Force dispatches 190 A-20 Havocs, A-26 Invaders and B-26 Marauders to hit rail bridges, communications centres, a road junction, a command post, and headquarters, all in Belgium and Germany. Fighters escort 9th Bombardment Division and Eighth Air Force bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance (claiming 39 air victories and numerous ground targets destroyed) and support the U.S. III, VII, and XII Corps between Saint-Hubert, Belgium and the Mosel River, Germany.

U-1199 sailed on her second and final patrol.

EASTERN FRONT: Some of the last school and training boats left the bases in the eastern Baltic Sea, such as Pillau and Königsberg, due to the approaching Red Army.

U-310 suffered damage when she struck the seabed in the Arctic Sea.

NETHERLANDS: Eighteen Kriegsmarine Seehund midget submarines leave the naval base at Ijmuiden, west of Amsterdam. It is their first sortie. One is blown up by a mine and later only two will return. High winds and rough seas are thought to account for most of those lost. The crews had not been trained for bad weather. (William L. Howard)

HUNGARY: Fighting continues within and around Budapest, where the Soviets are slowly eliminating the besieged German garrison.

POLAND: The Soviets set up a Soviet-dominated government (the Lublin Committee) meeting with little effective resistance.

ITALY: USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack bridges at Palazzuolo sull'Oglio, Parma, and Calcinato (the latter two targets are missed) and an ammunition dump at Parma. Fighter-bombers support ground forces south of Bologna, hit communications and numerous targets of opportunity to the north and completely destroy a fuel dump at Parma. During the night of 1/2 January, A-20 Havocs continue intruder missions over the Po Valley.

JAPAN: The New Year is beginning with US air attacks bringing the war ever closer to the Japanese homeland. As the outer ramparts of Japan's Asiatic empire crumble in the face of the Allied advances, Japan is losing all control of the air and sea. Desperate for a reprieve from the slide to defeat, the Japanese are now resorting to bizarre methods of warfare, including kamikaze air attacks and suicide submarines.

The Japanese have strengthened the homeland by withdrawing aircraft and anti-aircraft weapons from outlying regions. Whole Japanese armies in the South-west Pacific have been abandoned by Japan after Allied forces bypassed them and left them to "wither on the vine" under Allied air attack and naval blockade.

In South-east Asia air mastery over the Japanese has long been established, and the Allied air forces maintain relentless pressure on the retreating enemy in Burma. The US Fourteenth Army Air Force is active in China, Indochina and Burma. In the East China Sea, fast carriers of the US Third Fleet are currently hammering enemy airfields on Formosa, the Pescadores, the Ryukus and Luzon to frustrate the kamikaze planes waiting to pounce on MacArthur's invasion force approaching Lingayen Gulf.

The government in Tokyo was deeply shocked when the Americans invaded the Marianas last June, thus threatening a B-29 bombing campaign from only 1,500 miles away. That threat became reality when the Americans based two wings of B-29s there. On 24 November, 111 B-29s took off to subject Tokyo to its first mass air raid. More will follow.

VOLCANO ISLANDS: Nineteen USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Saipan bomb Iwo Jima; nine more, during snooper missions on the night of 1/2 January, hit the island at varying intervals.

CHINA: Three USAAF"> USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Ft Bayard and 40 P-51 Mustangs and P-40s attack railroad targets, warehouses, industrial works, and gun positions from Yoyang to Puchi. Eight P-51s hit Suchow Airfield, claiming 25 aircraft destroyed while 47 other P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance hit troops, horses, town areas, and rail and road traffic at several locations especially at Liuchenghsien and between Siaokan and Hsuchang.

BURMA: Seventy one USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts and P-38 Lightnings attack villages, general supply areas, fuel dumps, tanks and other vehicles, and troop concentrations at several locations including Man Hio, Bahe, Mongmit, Hatka, Namhpakka, Loi-hseng, Mong Yaw and in the Hsenwi area, four others hit targets of opportunity along the Irrawaddy River from Tanaung to Kyungyi. Four B-25 Mitchells harass communications lines during the night of 1/2 January.

EAST INDIES: On Halmahera Island, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators along with B-25 Mitchells hit the Djailolo, Wasile Bay bivouac areas, and Miti ammunition dump. B-25s also bomb airfields on Ceram Island. Airfields, shipyards, and other targets in the Borneo, Celebes and Lesser Sunda Islands also sustain light raids, by fighters and bombers, which also fly armed reconnaissance. Twelve RAAF (P-40) Kittyhawks bomb Galela No. 2 Airstrip on the west side of the Wasile Bay.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Operations to deceive the Japanese about Allied intentions against Luzon begin with limited action on Mindoro to clear the north-eastern part of the island. Subsequent deceptive measures conducted on southern Luzon are on a much smaller scale than anticipated and have little effect on the main operation.

On Mindoro Island, control of the Western Visayan Task Force passes from the U.S. Sixth to the U.S. Eighth Army. Company I, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, moving by water from San Jose, lands on the east coast at Bongabong without incident and marches northward toward Pinamalayan.

On Leyte Island, the U.S. Eighth Army mops up, a tedious business that lasts until 8 May 1945. The 77th Infantry Division of the XXIV Corps is ordered to relieve the 1st Cavalry and 32d and 24th Infantry Divisions of X Corps.

USAAF">USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells and fighter-bombers make low level attacks on Negros Island airfields; B-24 Liberators, with P-38 Lightning cover, bomb Clark Field on Luzon and others bomb the Sasa area on Mindanao Island. B-25 Mitchells bomb barracks at Laoag on Luzon. Fighter-bombers are active against targets in the Manila area on Luzon and also hit Silay on Negros.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: Elements of the 321st Infantry Regiment, U.S. 81st Infantry Division, land on Fais Island., southeast of Ulithi Atoll, and begin a search of the island.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: A Japanese Fu Go paper, including envelope, rigging, apparatus and two sand bags, is recovered 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of Marshall. It is believed that the balloon landed on 23 December 1944. Marshall is located about 210 miles (338 kilometres) southeast of Nome.

CANADA: Several fragments of a Japanese Fu Go balloon are recovered near Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan. Stony Rapids is located about 490 miles (789 kilometres) north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is unknown when this balloon landed.

U.S.A.:

The French government officially joins in full partnership in the United Nations, three years after the French Committee on National Liberation agreed to participate in the international organization.

Top songs on the pop music charts are: "Don't Fence Me In" by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters; "There Goes that Song Again" by Russ Morgan; "I'm Making Believe" by Ella Fitzgerald and The Ink Spots; and "I'm Wastin' My Tears on You" by Tex Ritter.

Destroyer USS Leary launched.

Submarines USS Requin and Stickleback launched.

1946 (TUESDAY)

JAPAN: Japanese Emperor Hirohito disclaims his divinity in a New Year's message to the Japanese people. This represented a significant break with Japan's traditional past and reflected the impact of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's reform efforts.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Corregidor Island, a lone American soldier on detail for the American Graves Registration is busy recording the makeshift graves of American soldiers. He is interrupted when approximately 20 Japanese soldiers approach him-literally waving a white flag. They had been living in an underground tunnel built during the war and learned that their country had already surrendered when one of them ventured out in search of water and found a newspaper announcing Japan's defeat.

U.S.A.: The U.S. Coast Guard, which had operated as a service under the U.S. Navy since 1 November 1941, was returned to the U .S. Treasury Department, pursuant to Executive Order 9666, dated 28 December 1945.

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