2 November 1939

1931 (MONDAY)

UNITED STATES: Two US Marine Corps aviation units, Scouting Squadron Fifteen (VS-15M) and VS-14M, embark in USS Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3) respectively, the first time Marine Corps squadrons are assigned to aircraft carriers. The squadrons are equipped with Vought SU-1 and SU-2 Corsairs.

1936 (MONDAY)

CANADA: The new Canadian Broadcasting Act comes into effect, creating the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to replace the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, with broadly the same powers as the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Although intended to provide full national coverage, a survey discovers that only 49 per cent of the Canadian population can hear CBC broadcasts.

UNITED KINGDOM: The official opening of the first regular high-definition television service from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) studios at Alexandra Palace, London occurs today. The service alternates on a weekly basis between the Baird Company's 240-line intermediate film system and Marconi-EMI's 405-line system all-electronic system. The 220 foot (67 meter) high mast in top of an 80-foot (24 meter) high east tower of the building, is over 600 feet (183 meters) above sea level to maximize radiation. Two blocks of programmes are broadcast daily, Monday to Saturday, at 1500-1600 hours and 2100-2200 hours.

1938 (WEDNESDAY)

SLOVAKIA: As a result of the failure of the Hungarian and Czecho-Slovak governments to reach an agreement on the future of Slovakia, the German and Italian governments intervene and issue a joint decision. Hungary receives a broad strip of Czecho-Slovak territory from southern Slovakia and Ruthenia, which included one million people and 5,000 square miles (12 950 square kilometers) of land. The Germans and Italians reject a Hungarian demand for a common frontier with Poland, a claim supported by the Polish government. As a result of dismemberment, Czecho-Slovakia lost a total of five million inhabitants and 16,000 square miles (41 430 square kilometers) of territory to Germany, Poland, and Hungary.

SPAIN: Although fighting continued in the Spanish Civil War, the British and Italian governments agreed to put the April 1938 treaty into effect. This treaty states that the British government recognizes Italian sovereignty over Ethiopia and agrees to use its influence to convince other countries to do the same. In return, the Italians promise to withdraw their troops from Spain at the end of the civil war and to respect Spanish territory. The Italian government also promises to desist from promoting propaganda in the Middle East. Both countries agree to recognize the status quo in the Red Sea region.

November 2nd, 1939 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:
King George decorates 5 RAF">RAF pilots, leaders of a raid on the Kiel Canal.

NORTHERN IRELAND: No. 200 Territorial Army Reserve National Defence Company is redesignated as the 6th (Home Defence) Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles.

London: Fresh news of Nazi Brutality at the Dachau concentration camp, set up near Munich in 1933, has reached the British public. A Jewish refugee from Vienna told readers of the Daily Telegraph today how he was arrested without reason last year.

Crammed into a small railway compartment for 14 hours, the transportees were forced to look upwards at the electric light for the whole journey; those who complained were shot or stabbed to death by the guards. Three were executed immediately upon arrival at the camp. The refugee writes: "I was one of 18,000 prisoners. We slept 200 in a hut built to accommodate, perhaps, 50. There was a single washbasin for every two huts." He tells how inmates who had not been able to reach the basin had buckets of ice-cold water thrown over them at 4.30am. Prisoners were made to stand in the square of the camp for up to 10 hours in all weather, including sleet and snow.

Frequent executions were part of the brutal regime. Thus the Nazis hope to keep "undesirables" like Jews, homosexuals, communists, religious fundamentalists and Gypsy's under control. Camps operate at Ravensbruck, Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald. The signs are that the system is being extended into occupied Poland.

Submarine HMS UTMOST laid down.

GERMANY: Berlin: Hitler recalls his ambassadors from Moscow and Rome for consultation.

POLAND: Western White Russia is incorporated into Byelorussia.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Quezon calls publicly for the US to negotiate “neutralization treaties” for the Philippines. (Marc Small)

U.S.A.: New York: North Beach Airport is renamed New York Municipal Airport – LaGuardia Field. (Matt Clark)

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EUROPE: The RAF flies the last in a long series of sweeps against German shipping.

Chancellor Adolf Hitler, now confident of his victory over the Soviet Union, shares with Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, Chief of German Military Intelligence, his plans to 'Germanize' Slav cities and site names.

U.S.S.R.: German Major General Friedrich Eberhardt, military commander of Kiev, issues an order declaring that 300 hostages will be shot for the next act of sabotage. By the end of the month, the number has been raised to 400.

YUGOSLAVIA: Rival partisan forces - Drazha Mihailovich's Chetniks and Tito's fighters clash at Uzice.

JAPAN: Japanese Foreign Minister TOGO Shigenori sends the following message to the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C.: "The Government has for a number of days since the forming of the new Cabinet been holding meetings with the Imperial headquarters. We have carefully considered a fundamental policy for improving relations between Japan and America, but we expect to reach a final decision in a meeting on the morning of the 5th and will let you know the result at once. This will be our Government's last effort to improve diplomatic relations. The situation is very grave. When we resume negotiations, the situation makes it urgent that we reach a decision at once. This is at present only for your information. When we take up these negotiations once more, we trust you will handle everything with the greatest of care."

Army Intelligence prepares the following estimate regarding the situation in the Far East:

- 1. After four years of war in China, Japan is militarily over-extended on the mainland of Asia, economically weak, and psychologically aware of the fact that her economic structure is crumbling.

- 2. For obvious reasons both Germany and China would like to embroil the United State in a large scale war with Japan. While Japan is reluctant to go to war with us, her political and economic situations demand action. She has the following alternatives:

- b. Occupy Thailand as a base from which to launch an offensive against Burma or Malaya.

- c. Contain or isolate the Philippine Islands and Hong Kong and seize the Netherlands East Indies.

- e. Make a determined effort to bring the war in China to a close by cutting China's last supply route, the Burma Road.

- f. Bide her time while disposing her forces from north to such in such a way that she will be able to seize the opportunity for successful aggression in whatever direction it presents itself.

- 3. A Japanese attack on Siberia is unlikely as long as Russian resistance in Europe continues, and as long as the Siberian forces are not materially reduced in strength. Action under b above might, and under c or d above would certainly bring Japan into armed conflict with ABD powers-a situation which Japan, at present, wishes to avoid.

- 4. A drive from Indo-China into Yunnan would probably not involve Japan with any Third Power. Although an extremely difficult operation for the Japanese, requiring elaborate preparation on their part, a successful drive into Yunnan and across the Burma Road, even if it did not cause China's early capitulation would nevertheless, be a terrific blow at her chances of holding out. It would not however, have the effect of immediately releasing any considerable Japanese force for use elsewhere, since long-drawn out mopping up operations would probably be necessary.

- 5. Because of the ruggedness of the terrain in southern Yunnan, and the almost complete lack of communications, the Chinese, if determined, could put up a very strong resistance even with the means now at their disposal. Such a defense would further deplete Japan's meager resources and immobilize her remaining reserves. (For a description of the terrain see Tab A.)

- 6. Japan's most probable line of action, therefore, will be to continue her efforts to secure a relaxation of American economic pressure while completing her plans and arranging her forces for an advance in the direction which will be most fruitful of quick results.

Corvette USS Might laid down.

Submarine USS Growler launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-208 sank SS Larpool in Convoy ON-27.

USN Task Force 14 (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt) consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), the battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40), the light cruisers USS Savannah (CL-42) and Philadelphia (CL-41), and nine destroyers reaches the Mid-Ocean Meeting Point (MOMP) and exchanges convoy "Cargo" for CT 5, eight British transports carrying 20,000 British troops earmarked for the Middle East. Convoy CT 5's first destination is Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

USN destroyers USS Dallas (DD-199), Ellis (DD-154), and Eberle (DD-430), screening convoy HX-157 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to U.K.), carry out depth charge attacks on sound contacts off St. John's, Newfoundland.

USN PBM-1 Mariners of Patrol Squadron Seventy Four (VP-74) based at Skerja Fjord, near Reykjavik, Iceland, provide air coverage for convoy ON-30 (U.K. to North America).

Brigadier General Robert C Candee, Commanding General USAAF Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command, states that the effort expended and personnel lost in organizing the Twelfth Air Force and preparing for its move from the U.K. to North Africa has severely retarded organization of his headquarters and staff.

GERMANY: Berlin: Dr. Sievers of the "Ancestral Heritage Institute" requisitions 150 dead Jewish Bolshevik commissars for dissection because they exemplify a "revolting but typical subhuman type."

POLAND: One of the most carefully organized and intensive Jewish roundups takes place in the Bialystok region when 110,000 Jews, who had been strictly confined to their villages, are now seized and eventually transported to Treblinka and Auschwitz concentration camps. (Atlas).

U.S.S.R.: In the Caucasus, the German 13.Panzer-Division of III.Panzerkorps approaches the outskirts of Ordshonikidse, the southeastern-most point ever reached by the Wehrmacht on the entire Eastern front.

EGYPT: Last night British General Montgomery's Operation Supercharge begins. The British Eighth Army's XXX Corps opens a breakout assault at 0100 hours. The New Zealand 2nd Division, in the lead, advances west under cover of an artillery barrage and secures a new corridor through the Axis mine fields. The 9th Armored Brigade passes through the corridor in the mine field and establishes a bridgehead across the track extending south from Rahrnan. At daybreak, the armoured brigade meets furious opposition from an Axis antitank screen and sustains over 75% casualties, but maintains the bridgehead. X Corps armor begins debouching through the bridgehead, and the 1st Armored Division becomes strongly engaged near Tel el Aqqaqir.

Taking heavy losses, the British can afford, they also take German tanks. By evening Rommel is down to 35 tanks and signals Hitler that he can no longer prevent a breakthrough.

U.S. Army, Middle East Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb a track extending south from Rahman as the British 9 Armoured Brigade establishes bridgeheads across the track; other B-25 Mitchells attack tanks and other targets in support of the assault; P-40s fly escort and strafing missions in the battle area.

(Note: To debouch is to march (move) from a narrow or confining area into an open area. For example, passing through a ravine onto open ground, or through a gap in barbed wire or a cleared lane through a minefield into the open. Seldom seen in US military usage, its common in British use. Americans "punch" or "thrust" through minefields.) (Gordon Rottman)

LIBYA: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb shipping and jetties in Tobruk harbor.

EAST INDIES: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb Dili on East Timor Island, Netherlands East Indies.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Australian 25th Brigade, which has re-entered the battle for the Kokoda Track, seizes Kokoda and its airfield, greatly facilitating supply and reinforcement of Australians in this area. Piecemeal movement by night of the 128th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32d Infantry Division, less elements still at Port Moresby, by lugger from Warngela to Pongani and Mendaropu is completed by this time and supplies are being accumulated. General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area, sets 15 November as the tentative date for an attack to reduce the Buna-Gona beachhead and agrees to a proposal by General Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief Allied Land Forces Southwest Pacific and Commander in Chief Australian Military Force, that troops be transferred by air to Pongani.

USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses sink a Japanese army cargo ship off Buna.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, the 3d Marine Regiment, 7th Marines, envelops the Japanese on the coast at Point Cruz. The 3d Battalion joins the 1st Battalion in the coastal battle east of Point Cruz while the 2d Battalion, on the left, drives north to the coast west of Point Cruz and turns east, trapping the Japanese. The 2d Marine Regiment (less 3d Battalion) moves forward on the left of the 5th Marine Regiment to continue a westward attack. Stores, ammunition, and one Army and one Marine Corps 155 mm (6.1 inch) gun battery arrive at Lunga Point. The two batteries are the heaviest U.S. artillery to reach the island and the first capable of countering enemy fire effectively. East of the Lunga perimeter, the 2d Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment crosses the Metapona River mouth and establishes itself near Tetere village. During the night 2/3 November, the Japanese 17th Army lands supplies and about 1,500 men east of Koli Point to supply and reinforce the Japanese already there; they are ordered to construct an airfield.

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS: A "Glen" small seaplane (Kugisho E14Y, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) is launched by a Japanese submarine and flies a reconnaissance mission over Efate Island.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Tonkin Gulf of the South China Sea, USN submarine USS Tambor (SS-198) lays mines in Hainan Strait between Hainan Island and the Chinese mainland.

In the Bismarck Sea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses attack shipping northeast of Buna, Papua New Guinea while.

In the Solomon Sea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells strike at a convoy south of New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago.

The film "The Palm Beach Story" premieres in the U.S. This romantic comedy directed by Preston Sturges stars Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee and William Demarest. The members of the American Film Institute ranked this film No. 77 on the list of the 100 Funniest American Films.

NEWFOUNDLAND: German submarine U-518 attacks targets off Bell Island in Conception Bay. The subâ€™s first torpedo is fired at a coal boat tied up at the Scotia Pier. It misses its original target, but strikes the pier causing heavy damage. The sub then fires three torpedoes at the 7,803 ton Canadian freighter SS Rose Castle which is fully loaded with iron ore and waiting for a convoy; the ship sinks with the loss of 28-crewmen. The next target is the 5,633 ton Free French freighter P.L.M. 27 which is struck by one torpedo and sinks with the loss of 12 crewmen.

U-172 sank SS Llandilo.

U-174 sank SS Zaandam.

Pre-war, the 10,909 ton Dutch cargo-passer liner MV Zaandam had sailed from Java, Netherlands East Indies, to New York; the vessel escaped from the Southwest Pacific in March 1942. Today, she is sailing from Capetown, South Africa, to New York when she is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-174 about 334 nautical miles (618 kilometers) north-northeast of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, in position 01.25N, 36.22W Her cargo includes 8,600 tons (7 802 metric tonnes) of chrome and copper ore. Also on board are 299 persons including 112 crew members and 18 U.S. Naval Armed Guards plus 169 passengers, most of them survivors from five Allied ships previously sunk off Capetown. Ten minutes after the first torpedo hit, another slams into the port side sinking the Zaandam in less than two minutes. A total of 134 men lose their lives, leaving 165 survivors. A U.S. tanker picks up 106 survivors from two lifeboats on 7 November. A third lifeboat, containing around 60 person s, makes landfall near the town of Barreirinhas, Brazil, some days later. Two men from this lifeboat died.

U-177 sank SS Aegeus.

U-586 sank SS Empire Gilbert.

U-522 sank SS Martima, Mount Pelion and Parethenon.

U-402 sank SS Dalcroy, Empire Antelope, Empire Leonard, and Rinos in Convoy SC-107.

SS Empire Sunrise sunk by U-84 and U-402 in Convoy SC-107.

SS Hartington sunk by U-521, U-438 and U-522 in Convoy SC-107.

SS Rose Castle (7,803 GRT) Canadian merchantman, While lying at anchor off Bell Island, Nfld, fully loaded with iron ore and waiting for a convoy, was torpedoed and sunk by U-518, Kptlt. Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann, CO. Of her crew of 46 men (reports vary on this detail), there were between seven and 11 survivors. Another merchant ship, the French ship PLM 27, was also sunk. Many of the survivors swan three-quarters of a mile to shore, including Pierre Edouard Gerard Simard, whom later who joined the Canadian Navy.

U-521 fired torpedo at corvette HMCS Moose Jaw in Convoy SC-107 but missed.

NORTH SEA: The British blockade runner to Sweden, MASTER STANDFAST, is captured by the Germans.

GERMANY: Berlin: Goebbels writes that "we are in danger of slowly bleeding to death in the East."

AUSTRIA: In its first mission, the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force joins in the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) against Germany with a damaging attack on the Bf 109 aircraft assembly factory at Wiener Neustadt by 113 heavy bombers. The Germans put up strong fighter and antiaircraft opposition and 11 bombers are lost.

ITALY: The British 8th Army steps up operations to cross the Trigno River. The 7th Armored Division from the British X Corps reaches the Garigliano, close to the Gustav Line.

US General Spaatz takes command of all US Air Forces in the Mediterranean. He commands both the US 12th and 15th Airforces.

In the U.S. Fifth Army's British X Corps area, patrols of the 7th Armoured and 46th Divisions reach the Garigliano River. The U.S. VI Corps prepares to cross two divisions, the 4th and 34th Infantry Divisions, over the Volturno River. Advance elements of the 45th Infantry Division, the 180th Infantry Regiment, cross below Sesto Campano, during the night of 2/3 November.

In the British Eighth Army area, V Corps begins their main assault across the Trigno River, during the night of 2/3 November. Firm resistance is being overcome with the help of artillery and naval gunfire.

Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force light and medium bombers hit gun positions and an ammunition dump on the British Eighth Army front, railroad facilities at Aquila, and the coast road at Terracina. USAAF Twelfth Air Force and RAF Desert Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack gun positions and ammunition dumps along the British Eighth Army front, hit gun positions south of Isernia, bomb Fondi, and attack several bridges and junctions in advance of the U.S. Fifth Army front; numerous trucks and a train also are strafed.

USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb the Ancona marshalling yard, B-26 Marauders, escorted by P-38 Lightnings, bomb the harbor at Civitavecchia and miss a railroad bridge near Amelia.

During the night of 2/3 November, 36 RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group hit the Romano Airfield at Fiano without loss.

YUGOSLAVIA: During the night of 2/3 November, Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force light bombers hit Penna Point and Zara.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U-340 sunk near Tangier, in position 35.33N, 06.37W, by depth charges from sloop HMS Fleetwood, destroyers HMS Active and Witherington and by depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft (Sqn 179/R). 1 dead and 48 survivors.

CHINA: Five USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and 12 P-40s attack the docks and warehouses at Shasi.

BURMA: Japan repels a series of Chinese attacks on the river Tarung. The Japanese along the Tarung River are withstanding the efforts of the 112th Regiment, Chinese 38th Division, to advance; the Japanese wipe out a company of the 1st Battalion.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Australian 2/13th and 2/17th Battalions begin an assault on Japanese positions at Jivevaneng. In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force P-39 Airacobras pound a road in the Bogadjim area located south of Madang while A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe communication routes near Fortification Point.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Shortly after midnight, Admiral Omori's Japanese naval Task Force is detected by radar from US naval TF 39. This night action off Bougainville, called the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, is confused and shows the advantages of US radar. Losses: Japanese 1 light cruiser (the SENDAI), 1 destroyer (the HATSUKAZE) and all ships with damage. US 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers damaged. The Japanese withdraw, and are prevented from landing reinforcements in the area. During the day, the US forces withstand air attacks and extend their holdings on land.

On Bougainville, the 3d Marine Division is slowly expanding the beachhead and organizing defenses. The 3d Marine Regiment, which has had hard fighting on the right flank, is exchanging places with 9th Marine Regiment. Puruata Island. is cleared by noon.

Beginning at 0800 hours local, over 100 Japanese aircraft based at Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, attack the USN surface forces that were engaged in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay last night. Only slight damaged is sustained by one light cruiser.

Twenty USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Kahili Airfield on southern Bougainville Island.

Aircraft of USN Task Force 38 (Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman) make two strikes attack enemy airfields in the Buka Island area north of Bougainville.

160 land-based US 5th Air Force aircraft attacks Rabaul, both sides loose 20 aircraft, but the Japanese have 3 ships sunk.

In direct support of Allied landings on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, 75 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, with an escort of 70 P-38 Lightnings, attack Rabaul airfields and harbor on New Britain Island. A stores ship is sunk and two heavy cruisers, a destroyer, a stores ship and a minesweeper are damaged. U.S. aircraft claim 12 aircraft destroyed on the ground and 68 shot down. Antiaircraft and air opposition is the strongest thus far encountered by the Fifth Air Force; 21 US airplanes are lost.

During the night of 2/3 November, Australian Beauforts attack Tobera Airfield at Rabaul.

USN submarines sink seven Japanese ships (six of the ships are from one convoy):

- After 0100 hours, USS Seahorse (SS-304) sinks an army cargo ship about 318 nautical miles (589 kilometers) southeast of Kagoshima, Kyushu Island, Japan, in position 28.20N, 135.22E.

- After 0200 hours, USS Trigger (SS-237) sinks an army transport about 317 nautical miles (587 kilometers) southeast of Kagoshima, Kyushu Island, Japan, in position 28.20N, 135.20E.

- After 0300 hours, USS Trigger (SS-237) sinks an army cargo ship about 229 nautical miles (525 kilometers) southeast of Kagoshima, Kyushu Island, Japan, in position 28.49N, 134.50E.

- After 0400 hours, USS Seahorse (SS-304) sinks an army cargo ship about 310 nautical miles (570 kilometers) east-southeast of Kagoshima, Kyushu Island, Japan, in position 28.40N, 135.25E and an armed transport about 289 nautical miles (536 kilometers) southeast of Kagoshima in position 28.31N, 134.50E.

- After 0900 hours, USS Halibut (SS-232) sinks an army cargo ship about 295 nautical miles (547 kilometers) southeast of Kagoshima in position 28.20N, 134.48E. at 28-20 N, 134-48 E.

- After 2100 hours USS Haddock (SS-231) sinks a merchant cargo ship about 405 nautical miles (749 kilometers) southeast of Guam, Mariana Islands, in position 09.18N, 150.09E. (Skip Guidry)

U.S.A.: Washington: Powerful US forces have been built up in the Pacific despite Washington's commitment to the "Hitler first" grand strategy. The Americans have decided on a double-pronged thrust. One, under Admiral Nimitz, will advance across the central Pacific and the other, under General MacArthur, from New Guinea to the Philippines. To avoid costly campaigns, large Japanese forces in South Pacific islands are not to be challenged in battle but isolated by air power.

German submarine U-340 is sunk at 0430 hours about 42 nautical miles (78 kilometers) west-southwest of the Tangier Zone by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Fleetwood (L 47), the destroyers HMS Active (H 14) and Witherington (D 76) and by depth charges from an RAF Wellington Mk. XIV, aircraft of No. 179 Squadron based at Gibraltar; 48 of the 49 crewmen survive. (Alex Gordon)

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

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

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army's II Corps area, the 157th Brigade of the British 52d Division relieves Canadian 2d Division forces at the Walcheren causeway, where the Germans continues to resist tenaciously; to ease pressure, elements of 156th Brigade cross the Slooe Channel about 2 miles (3,2 kilometers) south of the causeway after nightfall; Flushing is cleared of the Germans. The British I Corps attacks across the Mark River late in day after a heavy artillery preparation. The 49th and U.S. 104th Infantry Divisions establish bridgeheads, the 104th in the Standdaarbuiten area and the 49th to the west. The 104th Infantry Divsion clears the village of Standdaarbuiten.

In the British Second Army's VIII Corps area, Combat Command A of the U.S. 7th Armored Division begins limited attacks to clear the Germans from Canal du Nord.

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

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army area, Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, Commanding General 12th Army Group, while visiting Army headquarters, asks if Third Army can begin an offensive alone, since the First Army cannot attack until British release two U.S. divisions; he is told that Third Army can attack on 24-hour notice. The Third Army offensive will begin when weather conditions permit softening of enemy; in the event of poor weather conditions, XII Corps will attack on 8 November.

In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, elements of VI Corps begin relieving the French 2d Armored Division in the southeastern part of the XV Corps sector, but French retain positions along the Blette River for some days to come. Pushing northward northwest of St Die, the 15th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 3d Infantry Division takes Nompatelize without opposition, but the Germans still holds La Salle, to the south.

In the French First Army area, General Jean de Lattre commander of the First Army, is charged with conduct of Operation INDEPENDENCE, the French offensive toward Belfort.

GERMANY: In U.S. First Army's V Corps area, the 28th Infantry Division, after an hour-long artillery preparation, begins a drive on Schmidt: the 112th Infantry Regiment, with tank support, seizes Vossenack Ridge, but the main effort by rest of regiment to drive southeast from Richelskaul toward Kommerscheidt and Schmidt is stopped at once; the 109th Infantry Regiment gets elements to the woods line overlooking Huertgen on the north flank, but 110th Infantry Regiment is unable to advance on the south flank.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 698: 1,174 bombers and 968 fighters in five forces are dispatched to hit synthetic oil installations in central Germany and rail targets at Bielefeld; an estimated 500 Luftwaffe fighters meet the bombers at Merseburg and the USAAF claims 163-40-52 Luftwaffe aircraft; 40 bombers and 16 fighters are lost: 571 bombers hit the I. G. Farben synthetic oil refinery at Merseberg; 131 bomb the Rauxel synthetic oil refinery at Castrop; 120 attack the Schildesche railroad viaduct at Bielefeld while 31 hit the Brake railroad viaduct; 119 hit synthetic oil refinery at Sterkrade; 35 hit the industrial area at Bernburg; 23 bomb the industrial area at Halle; 20 each attack the marshalling yards at Bielefeld and Rheine; and 24 bomb targets of opportunity.

Over GERMANY: 2nd Lt. Robert E. Femoyer, the severely wounded navigator aboard a badly damaged 447th BG (H) B-17, refuses relief or even a sedative so that he can remain at his post for more than two hours in order to guide the crippled airplane home. Although the bomber lands safely at its home base, Femoyer soon dies of his wounds. He is awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

VIII Fighter Command fighter pilots down a record 136 GAF fighters over Germany between 1210 and 1415 hours.

Capt. Donald S. Bryan, a 6.333 victory P-51 ace with the 328th FS/352nd FG, downs dive and damages two Bf 109s near Merseburg between 1230 and 1250 hours.

20th FG: Capt. Jerome C. Serros, 55 FS, KIA P-51D KI*G 44-13838 "Okie Blokie" Suffered mechanical failure and bailed out east of the Zuider Zee.

Lt. Jack W. Kennedy, 77 FS, KIA P-51D LC*M 44-13746 "Little Sister" Suffered mechanical failure and bailed out off Ostend.

Lt. Richard L. Van Woert, 77 FS, KIA P-51D LC*U 44-13840 "Van's Can" Hit by e/a near Merseburg.

55th FG: Lt. Fred L. Sturgess, 38 FS, POW P-51D CG*I 44-13747 "Six-Gun Pete" Hit by e/a near Leipzig.

352nd FG: Lt. Glenn R. Clark, 328 FS, POW P-51D PE*D 44-11153 "Mom and Dad" Hit by e/a near Halberstadt.

Capt. Henry J. Miklajcyk, 486 FS, KIA P-51D PZ*K 44-13690 "The Syracusan 3rd" Hit by enemy fighters near Halle.

353rd FG: Lt. Lester M. Grainger, 350 FS, ASR P-51D LH*G Ran out of fuel and bailed out over the English Channel.

355th FG: Lt. Albert A. Zimmerman, 354 FS, KIA P-51D WR*M 44-13630 Suffered mechanical failure and bellied in near Voorthoszen.

Capt. Joseph C. Englebreit, 357 FS, POW P-51D OS*C 44-14203 "Spook III" Hit by flak while strafing near Wernigerode.

357th FG: Maj. Lawrence P. Giarizzo, 362 FS, KIA P-51D G4*H 44-13745 Lost a wing while chasing e/a near Naumberg.

361st FG: Lt. Charles E. Moore, 375 FS, KIA P-51B E2* 42-106900 Hit by e/a near Roedgen.

364th FG: Lt. William T. Housholder, 385 FS, KIA P-51D 5E*H 44-14006 Hit by an Me-109 near Merseburg. (Skip Guidry)

1st Lt. James J. Pascoe, a P-51 pilot with the 385th FS/354th FG, achieves ace status when he downs two Bf 109s near Hale at 1235 hours.

The 487nd FS/352nd FG becomes the only 8th AF squadron to be awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron downed 38 GAF aircraft in one day, the second highest squadron tally in the theater. (Skip Guidry)

During the day, 183 RAF Bomber Command Lancasters carry out a G-H attack on the Meerbeck oil plant at Homberg. Large fires and a thick column of smoke are seen. Four Lancasters are lost.

During the night of 2/3 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 699: Three B-17 Flying Fortresses and five B-24 Liberators drop leaflets over Germany.

During the night of 2/3 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 992 aircraft, 561 Lancasters, 400 Halifaxes and 31 Mosquitos, to attack Düsseldorf; 946 bomb the target with the loss of 11 Halifaxes and eight Lancasters. This heavy attack falls mainly on the northern half of Düsseldorf. More than 5,000 houses are destroyed or badly damaged, seven industrial premises are destroyed and 18 are seriously damaged, including some important steel firms. This was the last major Bomber Command raid of the war on Düsseldorf. In other attacks by Mosquitos, 41 aircraft hit Osnabrück, six bomb Hallendorf , two each attack Brunswick and Duisburg, and one hits Hannover.

U-3508 commissioned.

U-3016 launched.

U-3030 and U-3529 launched.

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

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

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

The U.S. Fifth Army issues instructions, confirming verbal orders of 30 October, for future operations during the current winter lull, calling for the consolidation of the Bologna salient and limited action on its flanks. .

In the British Eighth Army area, V Corps remains in place because of tenuous communication lines.

Clouds over the Po Valley prevent USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bomber operations; XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft are also grounded due to unserviceable fields and bad weather over Italian battle areas.

BURMA: The Hurricane IICs of No. 11 Squadron RAF are the first Allied aircraft to operate from Burma since 1942. (22)

In the British Fourteenth Army's XXXIII Corps area, the Indian 5th Division reduces the Japanese strongpoint, known as Vital Corner, below Tiddim, with assistance of air and artillery bombardment.

Over 80 USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts hit a variety of targets; the fighter-bombers bomb a bridge at Ho-hko, support ground forces at Myothit, bomb supply dumps at Namdaungmawn, personnel and supply areas at Naungletgyi and Mawtaung, knock out a bridge at Meza, hit nearby railroad cars, attack airfields at Nawnghkio and Sinlanzu and strike boats and boxcars south of Katha. Eight B-25 Mitchells knock out two bridges at Tangon and Tantabin while a single B-25 bombs Indaw.

JAPAN: A USAAF Twentieth Air Force XXI Bomber Command F-13 Superfortress (photographic reconnaissance version of the B-29) is the first U.S. aircraft to fly over the Japanese home islands since the Doolittle Raid of April 1942.

In the Kurile Islands, four USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Suribachi on Paramushiru Island and Onnekotan Island while four B-25 Mitchells on a photo and offensive sweep bomb targets at Torishima Island and Hayakegawa setting fire to 15 buildings, including a cannery.

SOUTHEAST ASIA: Over 100 USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-40s, P-51 Mustangs, and P-38 Lightnings on armed reconnaissance over southwest and southeast China and northern French Indochina attack targets of opportunity in the Lungling and Mangshih, China, area, knock out bridge at Dara, Thailand, and hit Nantingshun and Pinglo, China. The fighter-bombers also damage four factories at Kweilin China, hit tanks and troop concentrations north of town, attack targets of opportunity near Pinglo, Tahsu and east of Yungfu, and the airfield, barracks, town area, and trains at Gia Lam, French Indochina.

EAST INDIES: During the night of 2/3 November, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators bomb Makassar on Celebes Island, concentrating on the wharf area.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: With the clearance of the entire Leyte Valle, the U.S. Sixth Army completes the second phase of the battle for Leyte Island. In the X Corps area, the 1st Cavalry and 24th Infantry Divisions forces converge on undefended Cangara, near the northern entrance to Ormoc Valley, and make contact. In the XXIV Corps area, the 382d Infantry Regiment of the 96th Infantry Division relieves the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, in the vicinity of Dagami and engages the Japanese west of Dagami. The 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, reaches Baybay, on the coast, at 2200 hours.

USAAF Far East Air Force B-24 Liberators over Ormoc Bay, Leyte Island, attack a Japanese convoy, sinking an army cargo ships; P-38 Lightnings hit smaller shipping in Ormoc Bay, strafe vehicles from Ormoc to Valencia on Mindanao Island, and bomb San Enrique; on Mindanao Island. B-25 Mitchells attack Matina, Libby, Davao and Likanan Airfields.

BONIN ISLANDS: Eleven USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators based on Saipan bomb Chichi Jima.

PALAU ISLANDS: US forces renew their efforts to crush Japanese positions on Mount Umurbrogol, but meet strong resistance.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: As weather conditions improve in the Palau Islands, the 323d Infantry Regiment of the 81st Infantry Division opens an attack to complete the reduction of the Umurbrogol Pocket on Peleliu Island but makes little headway.

Seventeen B-29 Superfortresses of the USAAF Twentieth Air Forceâ€™s XXI Bomber Command in the Mariana Islands, bomb the submarine pens on Dublon Island, Truk Atoll.

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

1100: USS BARBERO (SS-317) sinks an army cargo ship at 04-30 S, 118-20E in Makassar Strait. (Skip Guidry)

Nine Japanese twin-engine aircraft swoop down for a low-level attack on Isley and Kohler Fields on Saipan. The intruders do little damage and three are destroyed.

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

Minesweeper HMCS LARCH LAKE is completed and assigned to the Soviet Navy as either T-198 or T-193.

U.S.A.: The US Army inactivates the 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) at Camp Myles Standish, Mass. This outfit was formed with personnel of Norwegian ancestry and earned campaign streamers for Ardennes-Alsace, Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland. It was assigned to the 474th Inf. Regt. 25 Jan 45. The 99th Inf. Bn. was in Drammen, Norway in August 1945 when the war ended. (Nick Minecci)