GERMANY: The 'Wehrmacht High Command [OKW]' announced:

On the night of January 12, several enemy aircraft undertook reconnaissance flights over German territory. During the night an English aircraft tried to attack a North Frisian island; the bombs fells harmlessly into the sea.

U-432 is laid down.

POLAND: Warsaw: Deaths, mainly from starvation, in the Jewish ghetto are running at 70 a day.

SWEDEN:  Soviet aircraft drop bombs near Lulea, Sweden and violate Norwegian airspace. 

EUROPE: Leave is cancelled for all Dutch, Belgian and BEF troops.

GIBRALTAR: The US freighter SS Narbo, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities the previous day, is released to continue her voyage to Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece, but not before some items from her cargo are removed as contraband. 

U.S.S.R..: Norway and Sweden issue diplomatic protests over the incidents involving Soviet aircraft engaged in the war against Finland. 

JAPAN:  The Japanese Prime Minister, General ABE Nobuyki, and all his Cabinet resign and Admiral YONAI Mitsumasa is chosen to form a new government. 

U.S.A.: Eighteen members of the pro-Nazi 'Bund' organisation are arrested for conspiracy.

PANAMA:   The British Minister in Panama, Charles Dodd, transmits the response of the British government to a note sent by the President of Panama on behalf of the 21 American Republics concerning the violation of American neutrality that occurred in the Battle of the River Plate. The British "reserve their full belligerent rights in order to fight the menace presented by German action and policy and to defend that conception of law and that way of life, which they believe to be as dear to the peoples and Governments of America as they are to the peoples and Governments of the British Commonwealth of Nations." 

London:

Lord Woolton, the Minister of Food, spiked the guns of speculators when the prices of 21 foodstuffs were pegged today as the level at which they stood at the beginning of last December. Prices of many of them will fall, but retailers welcomed his action. They say that they have been forced to buy supplies at inflated prices. Chickens, which come under the order, have risen since December from 2/3 a pound to 3/3. Price controls also apply to coffee, cocoa, honey, tinned food, meat paste, rice and pasta, pickles and sauces, jellies and custard, biscuits, nuts and processed cheese.

"I am always glad to catch the speculator," said Lord Woolton. Further price controls are expected soon on jam, syrup, treacle and tinned soup.

A survey of the cost of living just completed by the Ministry of Labour shows that families earning less than GBP250 a year spend GBP 1/14/1 per week on food, out of an average family budget of GBP 4/6/3. They survey was begin in 1937 and presumable does not take into account the recent wartime price rises as goods become scarce.

Destroyer HMS Onslaught laid down.

Minesweeping trawler HMS MacBeth commissioned.

Corvette HMS Jasmine launched.

Destroyer HMS Oribi launched.

Submarine HMS Torbay commissioned.

GERMANY: Berlin: Associated Press reports that Germany and Russia have signed a series of treaties today in Moscow including a new trade agreement designed to aid Germany's war effort. This new deal involves "many billions of marks." Other agreements recognise trade deals that Germany has previously signed with the Baltic States, now absorbed by the Soviet Union. The agreement includes "the greatest grain deal in history" and could be called an "economic plan" as well as a deal.

Daily Keynote from the Reich Press Chief:

The Minister has explained that we must avoid giving air shelters the reputation of being military barracks. This is in fact what is happening due to a multitude of prohibitions and regulations that have merely caused people to feel annoyed and indignant. The Minister suggests that certain absolutely necessary rules of conduct should be displayed in the air shelters in a summarised form as the "Ten Commandments of the Air Shelter."

The government presses Romania to enter the war on the Axis side.

Berlin: The American United Press News Agency reports:

Reliable sources have just informed us that the German have begun dismantling the Maginot Line. Once the fortifications have been removed, they then plan to parcel up the land into hereditary farms.

GREECE: British General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief Middle East Command,  and Air Marshal Longmore are in Athens today and tomorrow for talks with Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas and the Greek Commander in Chief, General Aleksandros Papagos. The Greeks ask for nine divisions and a substantial air component to be sent to support their forces. The Greeks have the equivalent of 13 divisions facing the larger Italian force in Albania and four facing the Bulgarians. At this stage the Germans have 12 divisions in Romania and more in Bulgaria. To meet such a force Wavell is able to offer only a small contribution now, but more later. 

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Swordfish aircraft from HMS Eagle lost while searching for an Italian convoy.

LIBYA: RAF bombers continue their frequent attacks on shipping in Benghazi harbour.

MALTA:  Malta receives 14 air raid alerts in 19 hours today. A total of 262 air raids are sounded in Malta this month. 

AUSTRALIA: British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill implies to Australian Prime Minister John Curtin that Singapore could be held for some time. 

BURMA:  Japanese aircraft bomb Rangoon. 

MALAYA: The Indian 3 Corps completes its withdrawal into Johore State and assumes responsibility for the southern part of Johore; assault elements, Australian 22nd Brigade of the Australian 8th Division, are designated East Force and disposed astride the Malacca-Segamat road. The Australian Imperial Force Malaya (less the Australian 22d Brigade), made responsible for northwestern Johore State, is reinforced by the Indian 9th Division and the Indian 45th Brigade and is designated West Force. The Australian 27th Brigade and Indian 8th Brig Groups are astride the main road and railroad north of Segamat. The Japanese are to be kept north of the line Muar-Segamat-Mersmg, if possible. The Japanese overtake West and East Forces. Many cyclists are killed in an ambush prepared near Gemas by “B” Company of the Australian 2/30th Battalion of West Force; this is the first battle between the Japanese and the Australians. East Force patrols encounter the Japanese from Kuantan in the Endau area. On this date and on the 15th, a Dutch detachment of about 80 native troops with European officers flies from the Netherlands East Indies to Singapore and concentrates in the Labus area of North Johore, for guerrilla action against enemy communications.
     Japanese aircraft bomb Singapore, where a blackout is in force at last, but lamplighters have to snuff out gas lampposts in low-income districts one at a time when the Air Raid warning screams. 

MARIANA ISLANDS: The Japanese force slated to invade Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, departs Guam. 

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: HQ of the USAAF’s Far East Air Force and HQ V Bomber Command transfer from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia to Malang, Java. Three squadrons of the 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy) equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses begin operating from Singosari, Java. 

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: In the II Corps area on Bataan, strong Japanese pressure against the western flank of the 41st Division, Philippine Army (PA), forces outposts to retire across the Balantay River. The 51st Division, PA, withdraws to the south bank of the river to tie in with the 41st. A Japanese enveloping column continues slowly down the center of Bataan but is still north of the main line of resistance. In the I Corps area, the Japanese start south on the west coast toward Moron in 2 columns, one by sea and the other along a trail from Olongapo. Waterborne elements land about midway between Olongapo and Moron and continue south on foot. Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright, Commanding General I Corps, sends a containing force to Moron. 

CANADA:

U.S.A.: New York: Banner headlines in this evening's newspapers have sent tremors all around the island of Manhattan. The news of the torpedoing of the Panamanian tanker NORNESS just 100 miles from the piers where liners berth has brought home the realities of war to New Yorkers. The SS NORNESS falls victim to U-123, 73 miles south-southwest of Nanucket Island, Massachusetts.

Only two days ago the British merchant ship CYCLOPS was sunk 300 miles off the eastern seaboard. These two attacks are the first signs of what Admiral Dönitz called the Paukenschlag - roll of drums - to mark America's entry in the war. Dönitz has sent his finest long-range U-boats into the Atlantic to prey on America's coastline. They lie on the seabed by day, and surface at night to pick off ships silhouetted against the bright lights on America's coast.

With orders to "sink as much shipping as possible in the most economical manner". U-boat commanders are relishing the prospect of a second "happy time". The first "happy time" began  in 1940 when the U-boats enjoyed a rich crop of sinkings in British home waters.

The Anglo-American ARCADIA Conference, held in Washington, DC starting on 20 December 1941, developed plans for the proposed Anglo-American offensive against Germany. Participants include President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and their military staffs. Among the major decisions reached are: (1) an agreement to establish Combined Chiefs of Staff to direct the British-American war effort; (2) the main effort must be made first against Germany; and (3) occupation of French North Africa (Operation GYMNAST) is of strategic importance in Atlantic area.      

     As discussions are begun in Washington to consider who shall go to China instead of Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, proposes Major General Joseph W. Stilwell, who is being considered for command of Operation GYMNAST.  
      President Roosevelt orders all aliens in the United States to register with the government. The brunt of these orders later will fall on Japanese-Americans on the West Coast. 

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0834, the unescorted tanker Norness was hit by one of two stern torpedoes fired by U-123 about 60 miles from Montauk Point, Long Island and began listing to port. At 0853, a coup de grâce hit the tanker underneath the bridge and the ship began settling on even keel, allowing the survivors to abandon ship in the starboard lifeboat and row away from the ship. The port lifeboat had capsized during the launch due to the heavy list and threw the occupants into the cold sea, drowning two Norwegian crewmembers. At 0929, the vessel was hit by a third torpedo in the engine room, after a second coup de grâce at 0910 proved to be a dud. Shortly thereafter, the tanker sank by the stern with the bow still visible over the surface. 30 survivors were spotted in the afternoon by a US Navy blimp, which directed USS Ellyson and USCGC Argo to them, while nine men were picked up by the American fishing boat Malvina. All survivors were landed at Newport RI.

At 0254 U-43 attacked Convoy ON-55 south of Iceland and sank SS Empire Surf. At 0304 the U-boat attacked again and heard a heavy detonation after 40 seconds, but a few minutes later was unable to see the target. The KTB has the marginal comment Apparently not a hit. The master, 37 crewmembers and nine gunners from the Empire Surf were lost. Six crewmembers were picked up by HMS Alisma and landed at Londonderry.

At 0453, U-43 attacked Convoy ON-55 a second time and sank SS Chepo.

A US Coast Guard plane, a Hall PH-3 No. V-177, dropped food to raft with 6 persons.
 

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January 14th, 1943 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: To counter a "serious increase" in U-boat operations, the RAF switches its bombing campaign from industrial targets to U-boat bases in France, attacking Cherbourg and Lorient.

GERMANY: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends six Halifaxes on a cloud-cover raid to Leer but only one aircraft bombs through a gap in the clouds.

U-965 and U-966 are launched.

U-958 is commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: The Russians take Pitomnik airfield; the German forces at Stalingrad now have only one airfield, Gumrak, connecting them by air with German forces outside the Stalingrad pocket.

FRENCH MOROCCO: The Casablanca Conference Begins.

Casablanca: The two men meeting in the heavily-guarded compound at the Hotel Anfa, are known as Admiral Q and Mr. P. In fact, they are President Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill; with their military advisers, they are planning the next moves against the Axis powers. 

The original intention had been to hold a "Big Three" conference, but Stalin said that he could not leave  the country; the fighting on the Stalingrad front, he said, demands "my constant presence near our troops". Stalin rounded off his letter to Roosevelt with a reminder that the president and Mr. Churchill had promised to open a second front in Europe by spring 1943.

But the US and Britain are keen to exploit the imminent Allied victory in North Africa by striking across the Mediterranean, probably at Sicily although some favour Sardinia, and knocking Italy out of the war. The planned assault on north-west Europe will almost certainly be delayed as the combined chiefs of staff say that there are as yet too many logistical problems. Italy, however, could be tackled this year and, the British say, would divert German forces from Russia.

On the last day of the conference they express regret that Stalin is unable to attend. (Gene Hanson)

Casablanca: Two French generals, each claiming to speak for France, have finally met in a villa in a suburb of Casablanca where the Allied leaders are now meeting. Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Fighting (Free) French in London, agreed to talk to Henri Giraud, based in Algiers, only after intense pressure from Churchill.

De Gaulle loftily rejected an invitation from Roosevelt to come to Casablanca; he considered it an insult to be invited by an American to visit French Morocco. At length he gave way, but even then it was some hours before he agreed to meet Giraud, who was staying in the next villa. Churchill told him that if he persisted in his obduracy he could find himself abandoned by the British, upon whose goodwill he is entirely dependent.

De Gaulle, who has been the symbol of French resistance since the collapse of 1940, deeply mistrusts the conservative and anti-republican Giraud. For his part, Giraud, who escaped from a German prisoner-of-war camp last year, rejects de Gaulle claim to be the sole leader of the Fighting French and refuses to co-operate in joint military operations. After a two-hour meeting the two generals agreed on one point only: to keep in touch.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: In the costal sector, the 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, is still unable to advance because of fire from a ravine west of Hills 80 and 81. The 6th Marine Regiment replaces the 2d Marine Regiment on the division's left flank. Company C, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, continues their vain efforts to advance west, but patrols discover a route around the Japanese right flank. The depleted 2d Battalion, reinforced by the antitank company, continues fruitless efforts to reduce the Gifu strongpoint. The 147th Regiment force reaches Vurai and moves forward to Tapananja, about 6 miles (9,7 kilometers) south of Sealark Channel, when patrols find the Vurai area free of the Japanese and they establish outposts on the upper Poha River. Fresh Japanese troops land on Guadalcanal from destroyers to act as a rearguard unit to cover the evacuation. These 750 soldiers are from replacement troops for the 230th Regiment and are designated the Yano Batta  lion. Another 100 soldiers accompany a mountain gun battery. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)

     USAAF Thirteenth Air Force P-39 Airacobras, dropping improvised gasoline bombs in the Guadalcanal battle area around Mount Austen and Kokumbona, attack forces and supplies throught the day. Other fighters hit barges and launches at Kaimana Bay and Aruligo Point. B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the airfield on Buka Island without loss.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Submarine U.S.S. Gudgeon (SS-211) lands men and equipment near Catmon Point, Negros, Philippines.

Submarine U.S.S. Pike (SS-173) is damaged by bombs and depth charges off Ichie Saki, Honshu. Pike returns to base.

Submarine U.S.S. Searaven (SS-196), on her sixth patrol moving through the waters around the Palaus, attacks a Japanese convoy between the Palaus and the Philippine island of Mindanao. Searaven fires a total of four torpedoes. All torpedoes hit targets. Two hit the sole escort, XSC Ganjitsu Maru #1(216T), and two strike A-AK Shiraha Maru (5682T) [some sources name the vessel Shirahane Maru (5693T)]. They sink in position 09°12'N, 130°38'E. (Chris Sauder)

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Norsyd laid down Quebec City, Province of Quebec.

Corvette HMCS Sackville arrived Liverpool, Nova Scotia for refit.

U.S.A.: Destroyer escort USS Atherton laid down.

Aircraft carrier USS Independence commissioned.

Minesweeper USS Swallow commissioned.

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January 14th, 1944 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: General Frederick Morgan, the officer heading the D-Day planning team writes:

FRANCE: Saboteurs derail the Pau to Toulouse express train, killing 25 people.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 183: 356 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 156 B-24 Liberators bomb 20 of 21 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area. The bombers are escorted by 98 P-38 Lightnings, 504 P-47 Thunderbolts and 43 Ninth Air Force P-51 Mustangs; they claim 14-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of three USAAF fighters. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1): Audincthun (18-0), Belmesnil (21-0), Bertreville St. Oven (21-0), Bois Rempre (21-0), Bonnieres (24-0), Croisette (18-0), Ecalles sur Buchy (24-1), Embry/Bois de Pottier (23-0), Fruges/Bois de Coupelle (21-0), Gorenflos (18-0), Grand Parc (24-0), Le Meillard (34-2), Le Petit bois Robert (17-0), Linghem (54-0), Mont Rosert (7-0), Moyenneville (25-0), Quoeux (28-0), St. Pierre des Jonquieries (29-0), Vacquerie-Le Boucq (16-0) and Yvrench Bois Carre (24-0). In addition, nine aircraft bomb Poix Airfield. .

During the night of 14/15 January, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 184: four B-17s drop 840,000 leaflets on Amiens, Lille, Cambrai and St. Omer without loss. Thirty two aircraft of RAF Bomber Command also drop leaflets over the country.

     During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command sends 82 aircraft, 59 Stirlings, 13 Halifaxes and ten Mosquitos, to attack V-weapon sites: 31 each bomb Bristillerie and La Glacerie, 30 hit Ailly-Le-Haut-Clocher and 14 attack Bonnetot-sur-Dieppe. Eight other aircraft lay mines off Brest.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 14/15 January, 15 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

GERMANY: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 185: two B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to Wesel, Germany for a night test of Oboe Mk II; one aircraft aborts and the other drops 4,000 pounds (1 814 kilograms) of high explosive bombs on the target without loss.

     During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command sends 496 Lancasters and two Halifaxes on the first major raid to Brunswick of the war; 472 bomb the city with the loss of 38 Lancasters, 7.6 per cent of the force. The German running commentary is heard following the progress of the bomber force from a position only 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the English coast and many German fighters enter the bomber stream soon after the German frontier is crossed near Bremen. The German fighters score steadily until the Dutch coast is crossed on the return flight. Eleven of the lost aircraft are Pathfinders. Brunswick is smaller than Bomber Command's usual targets and this raid is not a success. The city report describes this only as a "light" raid, with bombs in the south of the city which had only ten houses destroyed and 14 people killed. Most of the attack fell either in the countryside or in Wolfenbüttel and other small towns and villages well to the south of Brunswick. I  n other raids, Mosquitoes are dispatched to three cities: eleven bomb Magdeburg, five attack Berlin and one hits Koblenz.

U.S.S.R.: The Red Army takes Mozyr and Kalinkovichi, near Gomel, and renews attacks around Novgorod to relieve Leningrad.

BULGARIA: Sofia is to be evacuated after two heavy Allied air raids.

ITALY: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells strike the Pontecorvo bridge and A-20 Havocs offer close support to U.S. Fifth Army forces in the Monte Trocchio area. P-40s attack the Loreto tank repair shops; P-40s and A-36 Apaches hit defenses in the San Giuseppe, Sant' Elia Fiumerapido. and Monte Trocchio areas; and A-36 Apaches also attack road and buildings east of Minturno, the town of Isola del Liri, and the harbor at Anzio.

YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses attack Mostar; 139 bomb the airfield and 49 bomb the city. Three aircraft are lost from the group bombing the city. P-38 Lightnings provide escort throughout the missions, and P-47 Thunderbolts join the B-17 Flying Fortresses at the target and cover the flight back to base.

CHINA: Four USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells on a coastal sweep from Pakhoi to Haiphong, French Indochina, bomb a group of buildings on Weichow Island while two B-24 Liberators sink a cargo ship and damage another ship near Saint John Island.

NEW GUINEA: Over 50 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators, B-25 Mitchells, and P-40s hit the Alexishafen and Erima area in Northeast New Guinea.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, the 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, drives to the top of Hill 660, the final objective of the ADC Group.

     On New Britain Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Cape Busching, B-25 Mitchells attack targets of opportunity along the north coast, and A-20 Havocs strike villages along the south coast. Thirty six USN SBD Dauntlesses and TBF Avengers escorted by more than 70 Allied fighters support a strike against shipping in Simpson Harbor at Rabaul. Nine merchant ships and two destroyers are hit. Eight Allied fighters and an SBD and a TBF are lost. The Japanese lose 29 "Zekes" (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) to USMC F4U Corsair and USN F6F Hellcat pilots; SBD and TBF crews shoot down four "Zekes."

MARSHALL ISLANDS: Twelve USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators, staging through Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, bomb three islands in Kwajalein Atoll. Three B-25 Mitchells from Makin Island, Gilbert Islands fly a mission against shipping at Wotje Atoll; two of the B-25s attack two small vessels, sinking a guardboat and damaging the other; the other B-25 bombs a runway and building on the southern part of Wotje Atoll.

PACIFIC: Submarine U.S.S. Crevalle (SS-291), on her second patrol, lays mines off Kega Point, east of Saigon, French Indochina on the night of 14-15 January. The field is laid in position 10°33'N, 108°01'E.

Submarine U.S.S. Scamp (SS-277), embarked on her sixth patrol, attacks a convoy several hundred miles south of Woleai Atoll. In a daytime periscope attack, Scamp fires 6 torpedoes with two hits sinking XAO Nippon Maru (9974T) in position 05°02'N, 140°50'E.

Several hours later, U.S.S. Guardfish (SS-217), on her seventh patrol, sets upon the same convoy and sinks XAO Kenyo Maru (10,024T) in position 05°22'N, 141°27'E after a twilight periscope attack. Five of six torpedoes obliterate the naval tanker.

U.S.S. Albacore (SS-218), nearby, on her eighth patrol, sinks DD Sazanami (2090T) in position 05°15'N, 141°15'E, near Woleai Atoll. 

Submarine Seawolf (SS-197), on her twelfth patrol, attacks a Japanese convoy approximately 300 miles northeast of Okinawa in a night surface radar attack. Two of three torpedoes hit home, sinking XAO Yamazuru Maru (3651T) in position 28°30'N, 133°40'E.

Submarine U.S.S. Swordfish (SS-193), on her tenth patrol, attacks a Japanese convoy in the waters south of Honshu. In a night periscope attack, Swordfish fires four fish, of which, two hit and sink XAP Yamakuni Maru (6925T) near Hachijo Jima in position 33°16'N, 139°30'E. (Chris Sauder)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Just before dawn, 12 USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit Au and Cape Gazelle and Buka Island. P-39 Airacobras join USN SBD Dauntlesses in bombing Wakunai, Bougainville Island.

CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS New Liskeard launched Port Arthur, Ontario.

Frigate HMCS (ex-HMS) Loch Alvie launched.

U.S.A.: Nisei (people born in the U.S. of parents who emigrated from Japan) eligibility for the draft is restored. The reaction to this announcement in the camps would be mixed.

     President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a message to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek sent today, asks that the Yunnan forces be committed in Burma in conjunction with operations from India; and he hints that if they are not, lend-lease to China may be curtailed.

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January 14th, 1945 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: An RAF Mosquito from No. 51 OTU, based at Cranfield in Bedfordshire.

The twin-engined aircraft had been on a routine training mission when mechanical failure forced the pilot to bring it down in a field in what was then Buckinghamshire and is now the outskirts of Milton Keynes.

It took off on its ill-fated cross country night flight at 1735hrs. Pilot Warrant Officer Gavin Harvie and navigator Sergeant Martin Sydney Card quickly discovered that some of the Mosquito's equipment was malfunctioning and radioed a distress call just minutes into the flight.

Changing course, they turned back towards RAF Cranfield while talking to the ground controllers. The radio transmission suddenly went dead and a flash was seen from the crash site.  (Heath Reidy, the John Lewis Distribution Chronicle)

NORTH SEA: During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Denmark. Ten aircraft lay mines in the Kattegat, the broad arm of the North Sea between Sweden and Denmark, and nine lay mines in the Laeso Rende Strait between the Dannish mainland and the island of Laeso.

WESTERN EUROPE: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 793: two B-17 Flying Fortressess and five B-24 Liberators drop leaflets over southeastern Belgium and Germany during the night of 14/15 January.

     Over 280 USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Invaders and B-26 Marauders strike bridges and communications centers in the base area of the Ardennes salient and in other areas of western Germany. Fighters escort USAAF Eighth and Ninthe Air Force bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, attack numerous ground targets, and support the U.S. First Army in the Vielsalm, Belgium area and the U.S. Third Army around Diekirch, Luxembourg.

BELGIUM: In the U.S. First Army's VII Corps area, the 84th Infantry Division gains its final objectives, taking Nadrin, Filly, Petite Mormont, and Grande Mormont; a 4th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) patrol makes visual contact with a U.S. Third Army patrol. The 2d Armored Division seizes Wibrin, Cheveoumont, Wilogne, and Dinez. The 3d Armored Division takes Mont le Ban and Baclain. The 83d Infantry Division clears Honvelez and high ground near Bovigny. In the XVIII (Airborne) Corps' 106th Infantry Division sector, the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment clears Henumont and continues south; the 424th Infantry Regiment secures Coulee and Logbiermé. Some elements of the 30th Infantry Division attack toward Hâdomont and Thirimont, last night, and take Hâdomont before dawn; other elements clear Villers and Ligneuville and gain bridgeheads across Amblve River at these points.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Seventh Army's XXI Corps area, Regimental Combat Team 542 of the 36th Infantry Division moves to the 103d Infantry Division zone to cover the relief of that division by Task Force Herren. In the VI Corps area, the Germans continue vigorous defense of the Bitche salient. The 45th Infantry Division makes slight gains along its perimeter. The 14th Armored Division battles the Germans in Rittershoffen and Hatten.

LUXEMBOURG: In the U.S. Third Army's III Corps area, elements of the 90th Infantry Division drive toward Niederwampach. Having cleared small pockets during the night, the 26th Infantry Division moves combat patrols against the Germans south of the Wiltz River.

GERMANY: Berlin reports a new Soviet offensive in Schlossberg (Pillkallen) region of northeastern East Prussia.

The First Canadian Army forces the Germans across the Rhine River opposite Wesel, ending a month-long campaign west of the Rhine. The Canadians lost 5,304 dead in Rhine campaign.

     In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 94th Infantry Division opens a series of small-scale attacks to improve defensive positions in the Saar-Moselle triangle south of Wasserbillig, Luxembourg, a strongly fortified switch position of the West Wall. The 376th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, takes Tettingen and Butzdorf. The 95th Infantry Division moves two battalions to objectives in the Saarlautern bridgehead area and then withdraws them as planned.

     The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 791: 911 bombers and 860 fighters are dispatched to attack oil refineries and plants in central Germany and highway bridges at Cologne; clear skies allow all bombers to bomb visually. About 250 Luftwaffe fighters attack and the USAAF claims 158-0-30 aircraft; seven bombers and 11 fighters are lost. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1):

- Bridges at Cologne: Deutz (70-1) and Rodenkirchen (36-0) highway bridges; and Hohenzollern (67-0) railroad bridge.

     - Miscellaneous: Cities of Berg (1-0) and Cologne (1) and Osnabruck marshalling yard (9-0).

     - Oil targets: Derben oil storage facility (184-12); Ehmen oil storage facility (89-0); Heide oil refinery at Hemmingstedt (89-0); Rothensee synthetic oil refinery at Magdeburg (91-4).

     - Steel factory: Hallendorf/Hermann Göring at Hallendorf (180-0).

     - Targets of opportunity: 26 aircraft bombed.

     During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 134 Lancasters to attack the marshalling yards at Saarbrücken in clear visibility; 121 bomb the target without loss.

     During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command attack six targets:

     - 573 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos carry out two attacks, 3 hours apart, on the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg; 561 aircraft bomb with the loss of eight Lancasters. The attacks cause severe damage throughout the plant. Albert Speer, in his post-war interrogations, stated that this was one of a group of most damaging raids on the synthetic-oil industry carried out during this period.

     - 151 aircraft, 136 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos and three Lancasters, attack the marshalling yards at Grevenbroich; 142 bomb the target without loss. The raid is successful..

     - 115 aircraft, 100 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos and three Lancasters, attempt to bomb a Luftwaffe fuel-storage depot at Dölmen, near Münster; 104 bomb the target with the loss of one Halifax. Most of the bombs fall in open country south and southeast of the target and only slight damage is caused to the fuel dump.

     - Mosquitos attack three targets without loss: 75 bomb Berlin, nine hit Mannheim and one attacks Cologne.

U-3521 is commissioned.

POLAND: Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front began attacks, against German Army Group "A", from both the Magnuszew and Pulawy bridgheads north of Baranow. This is two days after Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front has attacked and broken through at Baranow. 

The Soviet attacks at Magnuszew and Pulawy were even more devastating, and the progress from those bridgeheads was even greater than from the Sandomierz-Baranow bridgehead. Soon this whole front, from Warsaw south along the Vistula shattered into incohesive fragments in front of the Soviet's eyes. (Russ Fulsom)

ITALY: During the night of 14/15 January, USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs hit targets in the Po Valley, including Po River crossings at Borgoforte, Piacenza, and San Benedetto Po.

YUGOSLAVIA: The Germans are steadily withdrawing forces from the country.

GREECE: A cease fire between the British and the Communist ELAS is agreed to.

NORWAY: During the night of 14/15 January, 11 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Oslo.

U-1208 sailed from Norway on her first and only patrol.

CHINA: Twenty seven USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators, supported by 45 P-40s and P-51 Mustangs attack Hankow; eight Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed. Seven B-25 Mitchells hit targets at and west of Kengtung while 42 P-40s, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs attack airfields at Wuchang and Hankow; 17 Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed. Twenty one P-40s and P-51 Mustangs hit targets of opportunity in the Wanting area; five P-51 Mustangs hit trucks and buildings at Shanhsien; and eight others attack shipping on the Yangtze River near Anking sinking a cargo ship.

BURMA: In the British Fourteenth Army's Indian XXXIII Corps area, the Indian 19th Division secures a bridgehead across the Irrawaddy River at Thabeikkyin, evoking speedy and violent reaction from the Japanese. The Japanese mistakes the division for the Indian IV Corps as hoped and, to avert a threat to Mandalay, rushes reserves forward thus weakening other sectors. For the next month, the Indian 19th Division withstands repeated and determined counterattacks.

     Twelve USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit troops, stores area, and knock out three bridges near Nampawng and Hay-ti; 26 fighter- bombers support ground forces at Si-U and at Mabein; and over 60 fighter-bombers attack supply areas, troop concentrations, and general targets of opportunity at or near Hsenwi, Se-u, Kongnyaung, Kutkai, Mongmit, Manai, and Kawnghka.

JAPAN: The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command flies Mission 19: 73 B-29 Superfortresses from the Mariana Islands are dispatched to bomb the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya; 40 hit the primary target and 23 hit alternates and targets of opportunity; they claim 16-7-26 Japanese aircraft; five B-29s are lost.

FORMOSA: The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XX Bomber Command flies Mission 28: 82 B-29 Superfortressess out of Chengtu, China, are dispatched to bomb air installations at Kagi; 55 hit the primary target while one bombs Heito; 22 others hit alternates and targets of opportunity at several points, among them Taichu Airfield, Formosa.

VOLCANO ISLANDS: Twelve USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Guam bomb an airfield on Iwo Jima; two B-24 Liberators from the Mariana Islands fly snooper strikes against Iwo Jima airfields during the night of 14/15 January.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: In the U.S. Sixth Army's XIV Corps area on Luzon, the 40th Infantry Division's Reconnaissance Troop reaches Alaminos; the 160th Infantry Regiment drives south along Route 13 from Aguilar to Mangatarem. Pushing south across the Agno River, the 129th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division, takes Bautista; the 37th Infantry Division's Reconnaissance Troop finds Camiling undefended. In the I Corps area, the 6th Infantry Division continues a holding action and patrols actively. In the 43d Infantry Division zone, the 158th Infantry Regiment attacks toward Rosario but meets such heavy fire in a defile near Amlang that it pulls back approximately to its starting line; the 63d Infantry Regiment seizes Hill 363. After taking Hill 351, which has been bypassed, and mopping up on Hill 80, the 172d Infantry Regiment secures Hills 585 and 565 and pushes on toward Hill 665; upon spotting Japanese moving down Route 3, they are ordered to attack tomorrow for the junc  tion of Routes 3 and 11. The 169th Infantry Regiment mops up on Hill 318 and prepares to attack Hill 355. The 103d Infantry Regiment establishes an outpost about 1.5 miles (2,4 kilometers) southeast of Pozorrubio.

     In the U.S. Eighth Army's XXIV Corps area on Leyte, the 96th Infantry Division relieves the 11th Airborne Division of tactical responsibility on Leyte and sends two battalions to Samar Island. to relieve the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, of garrison duty at Catbalogan. During the night of 14/15 January, the 7th Infantry Division sends a task force, composed of the 3d Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, the 776th Tank Battalion, and elements of the 718th and 536th Amtrac Battalions, on an amphibious mission to secure Camotes Island located between Leyte and Cebu Islands.

     USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells attack Aparri Airfield while supporting P-51 Mustangs destroy several parked aircraft; and A-20 Havocs bomb Clark Field destroying numerous parked aircraft, while B-24 Liberators hit troop concentrations at Cabanatuan. B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers over wide areas of Luzon hit tanks, trucks, and other vehicles near Norzagaray, Masbate, Tartaro, Bulac, Banglos, and San Felipe; bomb a bridge north of Bocaue; hit airfields at Tuguegarao and Batangas on Luzon, Malabang on Mindanao Island, and Silay on Negros Island; bomb the Cotabato supply area on Mindanao; and attack numerous other targets.

EAST INDIES: USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells bomb the Goeroea area, Halmahara Island. Moluccas Islands.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: Twenty two USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Saipan Island and 21 from Guam Island bomb airfields on Moen Island, Truk Atoll; nine P-38 Lightnings escort the Saipan B-24 Liberators.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Submarine U.S.S. Cobia (SS-245), making her third patrol, fires a salvo of five torpedoes in a daytime periscope attack against HIJMS Yurijima off the east coast of Malaya southeast of Kota Bharu. One torpedo explodes and sinks the coastal minelayer in position 05°51'N, 103°16'E. (Chris Sauder)

CANADA: HMC ML081 begins a refit.

U.S.A.: Submarine USS Chivo launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Corvette HMCS Trillium, while escorting the 47-ship Southend to New York City Convoy ON-278, suffered a collision with coaster, which sank. No record of either name of the vessel or loss of life, in this incident.

At 1035, U-1232 attacked Convoy BX-141 east of Halifax, sank SS British Freedom and badly damaged SS Martin Van Buren six minutes later. The U-boat then sank SS Athelviking and missed HMCS Ettrick. Later in the action, HMCS Ettrick, while conducting an attack, ran over the conning tower of U-1232, which was forced to depart for home badly damaged. Dobratz reported sinking four ships totalling 30.400 tons. The master and three crewmembers from SS Athelviking were lost. 39 crewmembers and eight gunners were picked up by HMC ML-102 and landed at Halifax.

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