3 January 1939

MANCHURIA: The Japanese occupy Chinchow and drive the ruler, Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang, forces from Manchuria. The Japanese allege the danger of bandits for their occupation.

GERMANY: Erik Jan Hanussen, Czech mentalist, occultist, and astrologer, predicts Hitler's appointment as Chancellor by the end of the month is widely ridiculed by Hitler's enemies and the German press.

SWITZERLAND: After the Italians refused to arbitrate the Ualual dispute, where Italian and Ethiopian troops clashed on the disputed Ethiopian-Italian Somaliland frontier on 5 December 1934, the Ethiopian government appeals for relief to the League of Nations under Article 11 of the Covenant of the League of Nations. Article 11 states, "Any war or threat of war, whether immediately affecting any of the Members of the League or not, is hereby declared a matter of concern to the whole League, and the League shall take any action that may be deemed wise and effectual to safeguard the peace of nations. In case any such emergency should arise the Secretary General shall on the request of any Member of the League forthwith summon a meeting of the Council." The League of Nations, however, postpones action on the Ethiopian request.

SWITZERLAND: Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie requests a League commission of inquiry "to inquire into the manner in which hostilities were being conducted by both belligerents."

U.S.A.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union message to Congress says the United States, by the arms embargo and by the discouragement of the export of war materials above peacetime level, declines to encourage the prosecution of war stating, "As a consistent part of a clear policy, the United States is following a twofold neutrality toward any and all nations which engage in wars not of immediate concern to the Americas."

In accordance with the Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the following text is approved for the military oath of the Workers-Peasants' Red Army:

I, a citizen of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, entering into the ranks of the Workers-Peasants' Red Army, take this oath and solemnly promise to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant fighter, staunchly to protect military and state secrets, and unquestioningly to obey all military regulations and orders of commanders and superiors.

I promise conscientiously to study military affairs, in every way to protect military and state property, and to my last breath to be faithful to the people, the Soviet Motherland, and the Workers-Peasants' Government.

I am always prepared on order of the Workers-Peasants' Government to rise to the defence of my Motherland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and as a fighting man of the Workers-Peasants' Red Army, I promise to defend it bravely, skilfully, with dignity and honour, sparing neither my blood nor my life itself for the achievement of total victory over our enemies.

If by evil intent I should violate this my solemn oath, then let the severe punishment of Soviet law and the total hatred and contempt of the working classes befall me.

The official procedures for the legal administering of the military oath into the RKKA (Red Army) were set out in a definitively prescribed manner legally bound and defined by two distinct articles of the Soviet [USSR] Constitution. I found the exacting protocols of these procedures interestingly detailed enough to enumerate them below:

The following statute is approved concerning the procedure for administering the military oath:

1. Upon entering into the ranks of the Workers-Peasants' Red Army, Workers-Peasants' Navy, or border troops, each service- man takes the military oath.

2. Each serviceman takes the military oath individually and authenticates it with his personal signature.

(a) young Red Army and Red Navy personnel upon completion of individual training and mastery of the regulation regarding internal service and the regulation regarding military discipline and significance of the military oath, but not later than two months from their arrival in a troop unit;

(b) officer trainees in military training schools and attendees at military academies who have not already taken the military oath, by the same time criteria.

4. Young Red Army soldiers and Red Navy sailors, as well as officer trainees and attendees at academies, take the oath under the guidance of the commander and military commissar of the regiment (brigade) and the chief and commissar of the directorate, department, or institution.

5. The time for taking the oath is published in an order by the given unit. All explanatory work associated with taking the oath, and concerning the significance of ARTICLES 132 and 133 of the Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, is conducted in units prior to the administration of the oath.

6. At the designated time the regiment (brigade) is assembled in guard uniform with unit colours and band. Those taking the oath are positioned in the front ranks. In a brief presentation, the unit commander explains to the Red Army soldiers the significance of the military oath and the honour and responsibility of the obligation that rests upon those personnel who have sworn their loyalty to the People and Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and as well the significance of ARTICLES 132 and 133 of the Constitution of the USSR.

After this explanatory speech, the regiment (brigade) commander commands the regiment (brigade) Stand at ease! and gives instruction to the unit commanders to begin administering the military oath to their young soldiers.

Company (battery) commanders assemble all those taking the oath in a specified location. Each serviceman in turn reads the military oath aloud, after which he affixes his personal signature to the special list on a line opposite his last name.

Company (battery) commanders hand all lists with personal signatures of those who took the military oath to the regiment (brigade) commander.

The regiment (brigade) is reformed during the retiring of the colours. The command and the regiment (brigade) commissar congratulate the young soldiers for their taking of the military oath and congratulate the entire regiment (brigade) on accepting these full-fledged soldiers into their ranks. The regiment (brigade) passes in review.

All servicemen who for some reason did not take the military oath on this day take it individually on the following day at the regiment (brigade) headquarters under the guidance of the regiment (brigade) commander and commissar.

The lists of those who took the oath are stored at the regimental (brigade) headquarters in a special pouch that is numbered, tied with a cord, and sealed with a wax seal. The regimental (brigade) staff will mark in the identification booklet (service record) of the serviceman Took military oath [day-month-year].

7. The day on which the military oath is taken is a nonworking day for the unit and is regarded as a holiday.

8. Military-obligated personnel who are assigned to troop units and who have not taken the military oath take it not later than five days after arrival in the troop unit during training assemblies.

9. Upon the declaration of a general or partial mobilization, all military-obligated reserves who have not taken the military oath in peacetime take it upon their arrival in a troop unit.

ARTICLE 132. Universal military obligation is by law. Military service in the Workers-Peasants' Red Army is an honourable obligation of citizens of the USSR.

ARTICLE 133. The defence of the fatherland is a sacred duty of each citizen of the USSR. Violating one's military oath, crossing over to the enemy, inflicting harm to the military might of the state, and engaging in espionage are treason to the Motherland and will be punished with the full severity of the law as a most serious crime.

U.S.A.: New York: 16,000 people turn out to watch an indoor tennis match at Madison Square Garden between Donald Budge, the first man to achieve the tennis grand slam in 1938 (US, French, Australian and Wimbledon championships), making his professional debut and Ellsworth Vines. Budge wins.

Washington: A report, from the House Committee on Un-American activities reports the existence of 135 organizations that are regarded as fascist.

U.S. freighter SS Mormacsun is intercepted by British naval vessel and diverted to Kirkwall, Scotland, into the zone designated as a combat area.

GERMANY: U-143 and U-753 are laid down. (DS)

FINLAND: The government claims to have destroyed 400 Russian tanks and brought down 150 planes since the fighting began.

SPAIN: Cadiz: U-25 becomes the first Axis submarine to take advantage of Spain's offer to allow provisioning and refuelling in its ports. It ties up along the German freighter THALIA. After four hours of taking supplies off the merchant ship, U-25 returns to sea. (Russell Folsom)(206 p.118)

GIBRALTAR: U.S. freighter SS Nashaba is detained by British authorities at Gibraltar. The freighter SS Executive, detained at Gibraltar since 20 December 1939, is released to proceed on her voyage to Greece, Turkey, and Rumania.

U.S.A.: In his annual budget message, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Congress to provide US$1.8 billion (US$25.11 billion in year 2005 dollars) for national defence, new appropriations of almost US$1.2 billion (US$16.74 billion in year 2005 dollars), and the development of an annual production program of 50,000 aircraft.

War Cabinet gives conditional agreement to American relief programme of supplying medical supplies, milk and vitamin concentrates to the children of occupied France.

Cardiff: Over 100 Luftwaffe bombers make a reprisal attack for the RAF's bombing of Bremen.

ÉIRE: Dublin: Prime Minister de Valera, lodges a protest to Germany after the third air raid on Eire in 24 hours.

VICHY FRANCE: Paul Baudouin resigns as Secretary of State in the Petain government.

GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command aircraft attack Bremen.

A social worker before he became US Secretary of Commerce, Harry Hopkins loves to play poker. He is 50, and so close a friend of Mr Roosevelt that he has lived in the White House for the past year. His mission to London is evidence of the extreme importance the President attaches to maintaining close relations with Britain.

FRANCE: During the night of 3/4 January, 14 RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons and four Stirlings attack the German fleet at Brest; one Wellington is lost.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches ten Hampdens on minelaying mission in the Frisian Islands; one aircraft is lost.

MALAYA: General Wavell is appointed to command the ABDA command with orders to hold the Malay Barrier.

The Indian 11th Division completes a withdrawal to the Slim River line. Because of the threat to communications in western Malaya, the Kuantan force on the east coast, which had previously been ordered to hold the airdrome until 10 January, begins fighting a withdrawal at once. Newly formed and poorly trained the Indian 45th Brigade, reinforced, and an Indian Pioneer battalion (a labour unit) arrive at Singapore and concentrate in southern Malaya.

Lt-Col. Arthur Edward Cumming (1896-1971), 2d Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regt., Indian Army, led, despite wounds, two daring actions to cover a British withdrawal. The Japanese make a furious attack on the battalion near Kuantan and penetrate the position. Colonel Cumming, with a small party of men immediately leads a counter-attack and although all his men became casualties and he himself had two bayonet wounds in the stomach he manages to restore the situation sufficiently for the major portion of the battalion and its vehicles to be withdrawn. Later he drives a carrier under very heavy fire, collecting isolated detachments of his men and is again wounded. His gallant actions helped the brigade to withdraw safely. He later achieves the rank of Brigadier. (Victoria Cross)

EAST INDIES: In British Borneo, the Japanese invade Labuan Island, in Brunei Bay, without opposition. From there, a detachment moves to mainland at Mempakul, thence to Weston on foot, and from Weston to Beaufort by rail.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Luzon, the Japanese continue determined attacks on the western flank of the Porac-Guagua line, where the 21st Division (Philippine Army) succeeds in halting them below Pio; the Japanese exert strong pressure on the eastern flank in the vicinity of Guagua.

U.S.A.: Washington: U.S. President Franklin D Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston S Churchill announce the creation of a unified command in the Southwest Pacific, with British General Sir Archibald P Wavell as supreme commander of American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) forces in that area. General Wavell is directed (1) to hold the Malay Barrier (the line Malay Peninsula-Sumatra-Java-Northern Australia) and operate as far beyond the barrier as possible in order to check the Japanese advance; (2) hold Burma and Australia; (3) restore communications with the Philippine Islands through the Netherlands East Indies; and (4) maintain communications within the theatre. Above all, Wavell's forces, mostly Australians and British, are to hold Australia and Burma. In another move, Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is named Commander in Chief of Allied Forces in China. The Arcadia Conference makes Chiang Kai-shek, a Chinese leader, the leader of Allied troops stationed in and a round China. (John Nicholas)

Military planners come to the realization that it will be impossible to reinforce the Philippine Islands and the troops in those islands are doomed. When told of this, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson notes, "There are times when men must die."

UNITED KINGDOM: A new Yugoslav Government is formed in London by former Prime Minister Yovanovitch. King Peter had been handed the resignation of the former government on 29 December 1942.

FRANCE: The USAAF's VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 28: The primary target is the St Nazaire U-Boat base, the first attack on this installation since 23 November 1942 and the heaviest attack to date against U-Boat bases to date. The command dispatches 85 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 13 B-24 Liberators; 60 B-17s and eight B-24s hit the target dropping 171 tons of bombs between 1130 and 1140 hours local. Formation (instead of individual) precision bombing is used for the first time by the VIII Bomber Command, and considerable damage is done to the dock area. Seven aircraft are lost

During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 11 (A-20) Bostons to Cherbourg but they are recalled. Three each Mosquitos attack railway targets in the Amiens and Tergnier areas. No aircraft are lost.

During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 45 Wellingtons and Lancasters to lay mines off the Bay of Biscay coast: 15 off the Gironde Estuary; 7 off Lorient, six off St. Nazaire, three each off Amiens, Bayonne and Tergnier, and two each off La Pallice, Limoges and St. Jean de Luz.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 3/4 January, three RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Texel Island.

GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches three Pathfinder Mosquitos and 19 Lancasters to continue the Oboe-marking experimental raids on Essen. Three Lancasters are lost.

SICILY: British two-man "chariots" based on a modified torpedo, score their first combat success by sinking the Italian light cruiser ULPIO TRAIANO in Palermo harbour. The first such use of the device by the Royal Navy, which had copied it from the Italian Navy's Maiale that had been used to considerable effect against British shipping earlier in the war.

GREECE: CRETE: RAF Baltimores operating under the USAAF IX Bomber Command, bomb Suda Bay and Timbakion Airfield on the southern coast. A few of the aircraft also bomb Kapistri in eastern Crete.

U.S.S.R.: Exploiting the German withdrawal in the Caucasus, the Red Army occupies Mozdok and Malgobek.

TUNISIA: An Axis tank-infantry force, with artillery and air support, overruns the French 19th Corps troops at Fondouk. The British First Army's V Corps, employing the 36th Brigade of the 78th Division, begins limited attacks to improve positions on Djebel Azag and Djebel Ajred, west of Mateur. The British 6th Armoured Division conducts a reconnaissance in force on the Goubellat plain.

All USAAF XII Fighter Command units, i.e., fighters and light bombers (A-20 Havocs and DB-7 Bostons), attack Axis tanks at Fondouk el Aouareb. The fighters and light bombers attack the tanks as they move west from Fondouk; several tanks are reported destroyed or aflame and numerous other tanks and vehicles are damaged.

NEW GUINEA: Japanese supplies and reinforcements are landed at Lae under Allied air attacks. This convoy will provide the Allied Air Force planners valuable experience for future use. Over 100 sorties are delivered by the USAAF Fifth Air Force. Lieutenant General George C. Kenny, Commanding General Allied Air Force and Commanding General USAAF Fifth Air Force, had information from ULTRA as to when the convoy would leave Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, its destination and when it would arrive. Aircraft were ordered into the air as soon as they were ready. In some cases a medium or heavy bomber would attack singly, in other cases in twos or threes. Not surprisingly, with hindsight, the convoy handled them easily. One small transport is sunk by an Australian (PBY) Catalina attacking at night. After the convoy delivers its cargo, the Fifth Air Force sinks two more ships but by then the damage is done.

In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s strafe troops in the waters off Buna as U.S. and Australian ground forces are mopping up in the nearby Buna Mission area. In Northeast New Guinea B-26 Marauders, along with a single B-24 Liberator, bomb Madang and A-20 Havocs hit Salamaua.

103 sorties were delivered by 5th Air Force, but uncoordinated. Kenny had information from ULTRA as to when the convoy would leave Rabaul, its destination and when it would arrive. Aircraft were ordered into the air as soon as they were ready. In some cases a medium or heavy bomber would attack singly, in other cases in twos or threes. Not surprisingly, with hindsight, the convoy handled them easily.

Only one small transport was sunk, by an RAAF Catalina attacking at night. After the convoy delivered its cargo, 5th Air Force sank two more ships but by then the damage was done.

Mounting co-ordinated air attacks is harder than it looks. It requires a great deal of preparation and trained personnel on the ground at all airfields and at co-ordinating stations. At this stage, 5th AF didn't have these.

After the debacle at Buna, the initiative lay firmly with the Japanese. Imamura had decided to withdraw his forces from the Buna enclave and at the same time reinforce Lae with fresh troops. For the moment the Hyakutake in the Solomons got nothing.

The troops landed at Lae were tasked with eliminating the last allied airhead north of the Owen Stanley ranges - Wau. No-one knows what Imamura intended. He paid lip-service to IGHQ's orders to mount another attack on Port Moresby but I suspect he intended to draw MacArthur into another costly defensive battle, probably in the trackless coastal approaches to Salamaua (south of Lae). (Michael Alexander)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The 6th US Marines land on Guadalcanal. The 1st Battalion, 132d Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, exerts pressure against the eastern part of the Gifu and establishes contact with 2d Battalion to the left.

GERMANY: Berlin: The RAF suffered heavily last night on its second 1,000-ton bombing raid in two nights on the German capital. Firemen stayed on the city's perimeter until the raid ended; in the past when they went into action during the raids, fire and falling masonry destroyed many engines.

In fact, they need hardly have worried, because last night's raid added little to existing damage, described by a soldier on leave from the eastern front in the Deutsche Allegmeine Zeitung: "In the streets rubble is piled high and vast heaps of bricks tower in front of mutilated facades."

On the other hand, Bomber Command came off badly. In last night's raid, bombs were scattered over all parts of Berlin, with only 82 dwellings destroyed and 36 Berliners killed, while the RAF lost 27 Lancasters out of 383 aircraft and 168 aircrew were killed. In the previous raid 28 out of 421 bombers were lost; 168 aircrew were killed and 79 Berliners, 21 of whom died in a panic rush for a shelter.

The RAF losses last night represented 7% of the force dispatched, a rate which cannot for long be accepted. At a briefing for last night's raid, crews "gasped with horror or disbelief", according to an observer, when they saw Berlin was again the target.

During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb the following targets: three hit Soligen, two bomb Essen (one hits the Krupps armaments works) and one attacks Cologne.

ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army area, II Corps prepares for final phase of assault on the Winter Line, to begin on 5 January. During the night of 3/4 January, the 1st Special Service Force, as a preliminary for the attack on Mt. Majo, begins clearing the ridge southeast of this feature. The French Expeditionary Corps (FEC), under General Alphonse Juin, takes command of the zone on the north flank of Fifth Army as the U.S. VI Corps withdraws from the line to participate in amphibious assault on Anzio. The 3d Algerian Division begins relief of the U.S. 45th Infantry Division.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force P-40s and A-36 Apaches bomb gun positions near Cassino, the Anagni railroad station, a village near Vicenza, the railway and trains between Ceccano and Segni, and the harbour at Civitavecchia; P-40s, with SAAF and RCAF Spitfires, hit over 100 vehicles in the Avezzano-Sulmona area; other P-40s, with USAAF, RAF, SAAF, and RAAF fighters, hit targets in the Filetto-Tollo areas in support of ground troops.

Lieutenant General Nathan F Twining becomes Commanding General, USAAF Fifteenth Air Force. In the Turin area, 60 Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses escorted by P-38 Lightnings, bomb the Lingotto marshalling yard and 53 bomb the Villarperosa ball bearing works and the Fiat motor factory. P-47 Thunderbolts fly top cover for the B-17s as far as the Italian coast, then turn and carry out an uneventful sweep over the Rome area.

Macchi M.C. 205 Veltro (Greyhound) fighters of the Iº Gruppo Caccia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Benito Mussolini's Repubblica Sociale Italiana (Italian Socialist Republic) in northern Italy, make their debut over Turin.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet forces take Olevsk, northwest of Kiev; press beyond there to achieve first crossing of pre-war frontier of Poland. Novograd Volyinsk falls, giving Russians control of another rail line from Korosten.

YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb a troop concentration area at Prijedor, and hit Split and Sibenik.

BURMA: To hasten the clearing of the Tanai River line, U.S. Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, Commanding General 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, promises the commander of the Chinese 38th Infantry Division the use of the Chinese 3d Battalion, 112th Regiment, from reserve, provided he takes Taihpa Ga in two days.

Twenty two USAAF Tenth Air Force A-36 Apaches and P-51 Mustangs hit warehouses and dump area at Sahmaw; 19 B-25 Mitchells, along with 16 P-38 Lightnings, bomb a pumping station at Yenangyaung, setting oil tanks afire; and ten B-24 Liberators follow with a strike on the same target, causing explosions and leaving the target in flames.

CHINA: Twenty eight USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators attack the railroad yards at Lampang while five fighter-bombers attack the town of Pingkai.

NEW GUINEA: The airlift of the Australian 18th Brigade, 7th Division, to Dumpu is completed and the brigade takes up positions on Shaggy Ridge.

In Northeast New Guinea, over 50 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-25 Mitchells bomb the Alexishafen area.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Top Marine ace Major Gregory Boyington, USMCR captured by the Japanese, at Rabaul, after shooting down 28 confirmed aircraft over his career. Today he shoots down three "Zeke" fighters at 0815 hours local. He is himself shot down and picked up by a Japanese submarine and dropped off at Rabaul. He spends the next 20 months in Japanese prison camps. "Pappy" Boyington, leader of island-based VMF-214, best known as the famed "Black Sheep" squadron, the second of that designation. Largely comprised of men other outfits considered misfits, this was the reason for their nickname. The first VMF-214 was formed in 1943, and known as the "Swashbucklers", reformed a year later in California, they became the Black Sheep. The third VMF-214 flew from the carrier USS Franklin over late 1944-45.

Six USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Moisuru a bivouac area near Kahili, on Bougainville Island and 15 more hit supply areas near the Buka Passage.

GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese planes again bomb Abemama Airfield on Abemama Island but inflict neither casualties nor serious damage to installations.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, aviation engineers begin work on Cape Gloucester airdrome. The Japanese attack Target Hill in the early morning and are beaten back. The attack of the ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment, reinforced by the 3d Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, and supporting units) halts at small stream, dubbed Suicide Creek, northwest of Target Hill. Efforts to bridge the creek so that tanks can cross are unsuccessful.

Over 20 USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs hit positions at Borgen Bay south of Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: Twenty four USAAF Seventh Air Force A-24 Dauntlesses from Makin Island, Gilbert Islands, dive-bomb antiaircraft positions and radar and radio facilities on Mili Atoll. Twenty supporting P-39 Airacobras strafe runways and oil storage.

Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: seven USN PB4Y-1s Liberators of Bombing Squadrons One Hundred Eight and One Hundred Nine (VB-108 and VB-109), flying from Apemama, Gilbert Islands, mine the waters northwest of Enijun Island, off west side of Taroa, and outside lagoon off Kumaru Island, and strafe shipping anchored off Taroa. Four PV-1 Venturas of VB-137, flying from Tarawa, mine the southeast pass of Jaluit Atoll.

PACIFIC: From Glen Boren's diary aboard the USS BUNKER HILL: We suddenly reverse course, heading back to Kavieng. More ships reported in the area.

We launched a predawn patrol and a search at Kavieng. Several ships were located in the general area, so we launched an attack at 0800 hrs. The strike returned about noon and reported that some hits were made on cruisers and DD's but none were believed to be sunk. The ships were out of the harbour and in open water.

It was reported that Ensign Beedle got shot down, the aircraft was repoorted on fire and had crashed in the water. Our Skipper came in to land, after three tries, he made it. The hydraulics to his flaps were shot away and he made a "fast"landing. He had taken a hit in the wing stub and severed the hydraulic line. He also got some leg injuries from the shrapnel. Trigg landed and dropped a wheel into the catwalk on the port side, messed up the plane pretty bad.

General Quarters sounded at about 1400 hrs. Radar reported boggies at 50 miles. Monterey fighters shot them down real soon. I was told it was 5 Zekes and 1 Nell.

A little later, we had the CAP and Lt. Runyon shot down a Jake. ( I have it as a 3 place seaplane w/ twin floats.) A bit later, a Betty was shot down by Mandt and Trigg. The calm finally set in. At about 1845 hrs., the submarine "USS Guardfish" surfaced in the middle of the convoy and sailed with us til dawn.

In the South China Sea, the USN submarine USS Bluefish (SS-222) lays mines off the eastern Malayan coast.

NEWFOUNDLAND: Frigate HMCS Prince Rupert departed St John's as escort for Convoy SC-150.

Time magazine declares the US chief of staff, General George Marshall, its man of the year for 1943.

After returning from her third convoy duty, the Turner was anchored off Sandy Hook, New Jersey waiting to go to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs. The next morning, a series of unknown explosions rocked her ammunition storage areas, turning the ship into an inferno. Another explosion ripped the bottom out of the Turner and she sank by the stern taking with her 15 officers and 138 ratings. 165 survivors were taken to the hospital at Sandy Hook, their lives saved by blood plasma being flown in from New York. CDR Frank Erickson flies plasma in a Coast Guard HNS-1 helicopter from Brooklyn to a hospital in Sandy Hook, NJ in the first recorded mission of mercy conducted by a rotary wing aircraft

U-275 had to return to base because the commander was suffering from appendicitis.

U-373 was attacked by a British Wellington aircraft in the North Atlantic. The boat suffered heavy damage and was forced to return to base.

SS Empire Housman, straggling from the Convoy ON-217, was again torpedoed by U-744 and foundered two days later. One crewmember was lost. The master, 37 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by the armed trawler HMS Elm and rescue tug HMS Earner and landed at Reykjavik.

Destroyer Turner (DD-648) is sunk by internal explosion, three miles north of Ambrose Lightship, New York Harbour.

During efforts to help the injured, a Coast Guard helicopter transports needed blood plasma in the Navy's first operational use of the helicopter in treating casualties.

Destroyer Somers (DD-381) sinks German blockade runner Weserland, 14°55'S, 21°39'W, and recovers 130 survivors."

FRANCE: Philippsbourg: Private First Class George B. Turner, U.S. Army, Battery C, 499th Armoured Field Artillery Battalion, 14th Armoured Division. Cut off from his artillery unit by an enemy armoured infantry attack. Coming upon a friendly infantry company withdrawing under the vicious onslaught, he noticed 2 German tanks and approximately 75 supporting foot soldiers advancing down the main street of the village. Seizing a rocket launcher, he advanced under intense small-arms and cannon fire to meet the tanks and, standing in the middle of the road, fired at them, destroying 1 and disabling the second. From a nearby half-track he then dismounted a machinegun, placed it in the open street and fired into the enemy infantrymen, killing or wounding a great number and breaking up the attack. In the American counterattack which followed, 2 supporting tanks were disabled by an enemy antitank gun. Firing a light machinegun from the hip, Pfc. Turner held off the enemy so that the crews of the disabled vehicles could extricate themselves. He ran through a hail of fire to one of the tanks which had burst into flames and attempted to rescue a man who had been unable to escape; but an explosion of the tank's ammunition frustrated his effort and wounded him painfully. Refusing to be evacuated, he remained with the infantry until the following day, driving off an enemy patrol with serious casualties, assisting in capturing a hostile strong point, and voluntarily and fearlessly driving a truck through heavy enemy fire to deliver wounded men to the rear aid station. The great courage displayed by Pfc. Turner and his magnificently heroic initiative contributed materially to the defence of the French town and inspired the troops about him. PFC Turner was a 46 year old private. (Patrick Holscher)

In the U.S. Third Army's VIII Corps area, the 28th Infantry Division defends the Meuse River from Givet to Verdun. In the III Corps area, the 6th Armoured Division repels German thrusts west of Michamps and places heavy artillery concentrations on Arloncourt, Michamps, and Bourcy. To the south, attempts to clear the high ground near Wardin and takes the road junction south of the town.

In the U.S. Seventh Army area, XV Corps, Combat Command L, French 2d Armoured Division, pushes into Gros Rederching but is unable to clear it. Attempt by the U.S. 44th Infantry Division to relieve the French there fails. The 36th Infantry Division (less Regimental Combat Team 141) assembles near Montbronn. In the VI Corps area, the Germans expands the Bitche salient, entering Wingen and Philippsbourg. The 45th Infantry Division withstands pressure against Reipertsweiler, northwest of Wingen, and contains attacks in the Sarreinsberg-Meisenthal area. Centre and right flank elements of corps complete withdrawal to Maginot positions.

BELGIUM: The U.S. First Army starts a counteroffensive to reduce the German's Ardennes salient from the north. VII Corps attacks southeast toward Houffalize with the 2d Armoured Division followed by the 84th Infantry Division on the right, and 3d Armoured Division followed by 83d Infantry Division on the left. 2d Armoured Division gains Trinal, Magoster, positions in the Bois de Tave, Freineux, Le Batty, and positions near Belle Haie. The 3d Armoured Division takes Malempré and Floret and from the latter continues southeast on the Lierneux road to Groumont Creek. The 75th Infantry Division, after an attack passes through its line, continues mopping up south of Sadzot. In the XVIII Corps (Airborne) area, the 82d Airborne Division, in conjunction with the VII Corps' attack, thrusts southeast, improving positions. As a diversion, the 30th Infantry Division pushes small forces south of Malmedy and then withdraws them as planned.

In the U.S. Third Army's VIII Corps area, elements of the 87th Infantry Division are temporarily surrounded in the woods east of Saint-Hubert. The 17th Airborne Division attacks north late in the day in the region about 5 miles (8 kilometres) northwest of Bastogne. Northeast of Bastogne, the 101st Airborne Division and the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment are clearing Bois Jacques. Task Force Higgins (elements of the 101st Airborne Division and Combat Command A, 10th Armoured Division) is organized to block German attacks toward Bastogne. Combat Command A, 4th Armoured Division, continues to defend the corridor into Bastogne. In the VIII Corps area, the 35th Infantry Division gains about two thirds of Lutrebois and cross roads west of Vilers-la-Bonne-Eau but is unable to take Harlange, Luxembourg.

LUXEMBOURG: In the U.S. Third Army's VIII Corps area, the 26th Infantry Division continues their attack in the region north of Mecher-Dunkrodt and Kaundorf.

In the U.S. Seventh Army area, XV Corps withstands further pressure and on the left slightly improves positions. The Germans deepen their penetration at boundary of the 44th and 100th Infantry Divisions, entering Aachen, from which they are ousted in a counterattack.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 778: 1,168 bombers and 589 fighters are dispatched to attack rail and communications targets in western Germany; all are PFF attacks using H2X, Gee-H and Micro H radars; they claim 4-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; four fighters are lost. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing):

- Marshalling yards (M/Ys): Fulda (141), Aschaffenburg (123), Neuenkirchen (82), West M/Y at Hermulheim (72), Landau (59), Zweibrucken (56), Homburg (42), East M/Y at Hermulheim (36), Pirmasens (40), Lutzel M/Y at Koblenz (35), Alstadt (30), Pforzheim (25) and Mannheim (1).

During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 99 Lancasters to make G-H attacks through cloud on the Benzol plants at Dortmund and Castrop-Rauxel; 49 bomb the Hansa plant at Dortmund and 44 hit the Tar plant at Castrop Rauxel. Bombing appears to be accurate at both targets. One Lancaster is lost from the Dortmund raid.

During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command sends six Mosquitos to hit the marshalling yards at Ludwigshafen and Neuss; three bomb Ludwigshafen and two hit Neuss.

Trouble with the diesels forced U-315 to return to base.

U-2361, U-4703 launched.

U-4712 laid down.

ITALY: In the British Eighth Army's Canadian I Corps area, the 5th Armoured Division reaches Canale di Bonifica Destra del Reno as it continues northward. The 1st Division begins attack to clear the German pocket between it and the British V Corps in the Cotignola area, crossing the Naviglio Canal and taking Granarolo in conjunction with an attack by the British V Corps from the south. In the British V Corps area, elements of the 56th Division and of the 7th Armoured Brigade as well as a squadron of Kangaroos (armoured infantry carriers) push northward from the Felisio area, clearing the Senio River bank as far north as St. Severo.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers score direct hits on two 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.

During the night of 3/4 January, USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs successfully hit a stores dump and bridge near Mestre, and destroy or damage over 50 vehicles.

During the night of 3/4 January, 49 bombers of RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the railroad bridge at Salcano.

YUGOSLAVIA: During the day, 16 bombers of RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group fly supplies to the partisans.

INDIAN OCEAN: The British submarine HMS/M Shakespeare (P 221) surfaces to engage a merchant ship and is damaged by gunfire and later aircraft in the Nankauri Strait, Andaman Islands. She reaches Ceylon and is written off as a constructive total loss.

JAPAN: USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells from the Aleutian Islands fly coverage for a naval force over the Kurile Islands.

The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command flies Mission 17: 97 Mariana Island-based B-29 Superfortresses are sent to bomb docks and urban areas of Nagoya; 57 hit the primary target and 21 others bomb alternates and targets of opportunity; Japanese fighters fly over 300 attacks on the B-29s and five are lost; B-29 gunners claim 14-14-20 Japanese aircraft.

CHINA: On the Saiween front, the Chinese 9th Division, 2d Army, breaks into Wanting, at the Sino-Burmese border, but is driven out in night counterattack.

Ten USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-51 Mustangs hit the airfield at Tsinan, claiming 13 aircraft destroyed. Six P-51s claim several river steamers sunk in the Hankow-Chiuchiang area while six others damage bridges at Chinchengchiang. Over 20 other P-40s, P-51s, and P-47 Thunderbolts on armed reconnaissance attack various targets of opportunity in the Wuchang-Hankow and Shwangliu areas.

BURMA: British forces landings on Akyab Island in the area of Arakan. This includes the deployment of a Royal Navy bombardment force. In the event, the Japanese proved to have withdrawn, and Akyab was liberated single-handed by a Royal Artillery officer. . From landing craft in the Naaf River, the British 3d Commando Brigade lands and is followed by a brigade of the Indian 25th Division from Foul Point. Inland, troops of the British 2d Division, XXX Corps, Fourteenth Army, occupy Ye-u.

Ten USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, supported by 12 P-47 Thunderbolts, attack the airfield at Aungban. Troop concentrations and supply and ammunition dumps are attacked at several locations, including Man Kun, Loi Hkam, Ngawnga, Chakau, Mulaw, and Man Pwe.

USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-40s, P-51 Mustangs, and P-47 Thunderbolts on armed reconnaissance attack various targets of opportunity west of Wanling.

FORMOSA: USN Task Force 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) begins operations against Japanese airfields and shipping in the Formosa area. Principally along the west coast of Formosa, TF 38 planes sink a landing ship, five cargo ships and damage five army cargo ships. TF 38 consists of five battleships, 11 aircraft carriers, five small aircraft carriers, three heavy cruisers, 14 light cruisers and 56 destroyers.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-24 Liberators attack the Djailolo supply area on Halmahera Island, while B-25 Mitchells bomb Namlea Airfield on Boeroe (Buroe) Island, Moluccas Islands. Numerous other FEAF aircraft on armed reconnaissance, harassing raids, and light strikes attack a vast variety of targets throughout the Netherlands East Indies.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, a strong Japanese position at Permembil is attacked by a company of the Australian 2/5th Battalion, 17th Brigade, 6th Division, and the Japanese are driven out.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Mindoro Island, a guerrilla force of about 70 unsuccessfully attacks the Japanese at Pinamalayan. From Mindoro, Company K, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, moves to Marinduque Island to help guerrillas destroy Japanese remnants concentrated at Boac in the northeastern part of island.

USAAF Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-24 Liberators bomb Clark Field and the Mabalacat areas on Luzon. B-25 Mitchells attack five airfields in the central Philippine Islands while B-24 Liberators bomb two on Mindanao. Numerous other FEAF aircraft on armed reconnaissance, harassing raids, and light strikes attack a vast variety of targets throughout the Philippine Islands.

PACIFIC: Third Fleet carriers begin a 2 day attack against Formosa destroying 100 aircraft with loss of only 22 aircraft.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: Occupation of Fais Island by elements of the 321st Infantry Regiment, U.S. 81st Infantry Division continues. They destroy a Japanese radio station found there. Interrogation of natives and Japanese prisoners reveals that Fais, located southeast of Ulithi Atoll, had never been used to base ships.

MARCUS ISLAND: Three USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Guam, on armed reconnaissance, bomb the island. The island is located in the North Pacific about 768 nautical miles (1 422 kilometres) west-northwest of Wake Island and is used as a refuelling point for Japanese aircraft en route to the Central Pacific.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Cap de la Madeleine detached convoy HX-328 and assigned Convoy ONS-39 westbound.

U.S.A.: In preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and mainland Japan, Gen. Douglas MacArthur is placed in command of all US ground forces and Adm. Chester Nimitz is placed in command of all US naval forces. This effectively ended the concept of unified commands, in which one man oversaw more than one service from more than one country in a distinct region.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1803, SS Henry Miller in station #51 of convoy GUS-63 was torpedoed by U-870 22 miles SW of Cape Spartel. One torpedo struck at the bulkhead between #2 and #3 holds. The engines were secured as a fire started at the #3 hold, but the holds were soon filled by water and it extinguished the flames. The ship, now down by the head and listing to port, lost way and drifted aft of the convoy, but the complement of eight officers, 36 crewmen, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) remained on board. The master decided to restart the engines and make it to Gibraltar 50 miles away. 40 minutes after the attack the master ordered 25 crewmembers, 24 armed guards and the passenger to leave the ship in two lifeboats in case a bulkhead failed. They were picked up 15 minutes later by frigate USS Brunswick and landed at Gibraltar the next day. At 0300 on 4 January, the skeleton crew brought the Henry Miller under her own power into Gibraltar, where she was declared a total loss. After the war the wreck was towed to Spain and scrapped.