5 November 1939

1931 (THURSDAY)

UNITED STATES: Secretary of State Henry Stimson sends a note to Japan urging a peaceful solution of the Manchurian issue in spirit of the League of Nations Council resolutions.

1935 (TUESDAY)

UNITED STATES: Parker Brothers releases the now-famous board game Monopoly, the best-selling game in history.

1937 (FRIDAY)

GERMANY: The Hossbach Memorandum: Chancellor Adolf Hitler outlines secret plans and contingencies in the event of a future war, telling his generals that he intends to destroy Austria and Czechoslovakia. Some historians contend that this document's historical significance has been greatly exaggerated. Others, such as William Shirer, emphatically state that it was on this date that Hitler first imparted his decision to go to war to the Commanders-in-Chief of the three armed services.

POLAND: The German-Polish minorities declaration is made. This declaration states ". . . the treatment of these minorities is a matter of great importance, for the further development of friendly relations between Germany and Poland, and that in both countries the well-being of the minority is better protected when it is certain that the same principles will be observed in the other country."

1938 (SATURDAY)

EGYPT: Three RAF Vickers Wellesley Mk. I single-engine, two-seat, general-purpose bombers take off from Ismailia to attempt a non-stop flight to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. One aircraft lands at Kupang, Dutch (West) Timor Island, Netherlands East Indies, but the other two land at Darwin in just over 48 hours. This sets a new world distance record of 7,162 miles (11 526 kilometers).

November 5th, 1939 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:-
RAF Bomber Command: Reconnaissance of West Germany; one aircraft lost.

London: Nearly a million British men have been called up to join the services, and the wives and families they have left behind are experiencing financial hardship in many cases. The pay of a private soldier, naval rating or aircraftman is 2/- a day, of which married men allot half to their families. The wife of a private therefore receives 7/- a week stopped from her husband's pay, and a government allowance of 17/-, plus 5/- for the first child and 3/- for the second. The money is paid weekly at the post office. Average wages on the eve of the war were (GBP)3/9/- for men, (GBP)1/12/6 for women. Many service wives with young children have to find part-time work or home work such as sewing to make ends meet. Meanwhile the cost of living is rising by over 10 percent.

There is a wedding boom, many couples marrying before the man is called up. The number has increased by 100,000 over 1938, reaching 459,000. But despite the call-up there are still 1,270,000 unemployed. Family life for many revolves around visiting their evacuated children. For those who can afford to travel, cheap tickets at single fare are allowed once a month on Sundays. There are widespread complaints that billeting allowances are inadequate. The 8/6 a week has been increased to 10/6 for boys over 15, but the hosts say that they often have to feed boys of 11 and upwards out of their own pockets. The government has brought in compulsory contributions from parents of 6/- a week. In the absence of air raids, many evacuees are heading home.

U.S. freighter SS Black Condor is detained by British authorities at Weymouth, Dorset, England; freighter SS Scanmail is detained by the British at Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Part of her cargo is seized; and freighter SS Black Eagle, detained by the British since 26 October, is released.

FRANCE: Paris: Churchill visits the French Marine Headquarters.

BELGIUM: Brussels: King Leopold of the Belgians and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands have been alarmed by confidential messages warning them that Hitler plans to invade their countries in a matter of days. The messages came, via the Dutch military attaché in Berlin, Colonel Jacobus Sas, from a Colonel Hans Oster of German military intelligence. The two sovereigns are holding urgent talks at the Hague to decide what to do to save their countries from catastrophe.

GERMANY: Hitler sets 12 November as the date for the attack on the Low Countries and France.

Colonel Hans Oster, Chief of Staff in the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) under Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, warns Colonel Jacobus Sas, the Dutch military attaché in Berlin, that Hitler plans to invade the Netherlands and Belgium within the next few days. In fact the attack did not take place until the 10 May, 1940. Both Oster and Canaris are arrested after the July 1944 Plot against Chancellor Adolf Hitler and hanged on 9 April 1945, at the Flossenburg concentration camp.

EGYPT: U.S. steamship SS President Polk is detained by the British at Port Said, Egypt, and certain items of her cargo confiscated for inquiry. .

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Ark Royal captures the German merchant SS Uhenfels, which was attempting to reach Germany. The ship is later taken into British service as a cargo ship and renamed Empire Ability.

5 November 1940

November 5th, 1940 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:

RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group:

Stung by the attacks on Wattisham on the 1st and 3rd of November, 107 Sqn.( Blenheim) hits back at nine enemy airfields. At Ghent Sgt. Ralston receiving a signal to land, has the flare-path lit and promptly bombed it. Flt. Lt. Warren found a bomber landing at Le Culot and peppered it. Sqn. Ldr. Hull's gunner fired at another going into Amiens.

London, Foreign Office:

The Under-Secretary of State, Sir Alexander Cadogan, describes the state of French affairs in his diary:

Talk about our general attitude and future policy towards Vichy. I hope we may play down de Gaulle, who I think is a loser, and there are signs that PM's faith in Spears (his liaison officer and representative to the Free French) may be waning!

Destroyer HMS Tynedale commissioned.

Minesweeper HMS Eastbourne launched.

FRANCE: The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) is assigned the responsibility for the confiscation of "ownerless" Jewish art collections by Göring. (Peter Kilduff)

GREECE: Italian bombers raid Piraeus.

MALTA:

From Governor and C-in-C, Malta to the War Office:

The more I think of it the more troubled I am at the withdrawal of one of our three fighter squadrons from the western desert. This is a very drastic cut and unless we can improve upon present plans, cannot be replaced for some weeks.

AOC-in-C has warned me that we are too weak to give effective support to the army in battle should a major engagement develop. Nor we can we ignore the possibility that an object of Italy's attack on Greece is to induce us to weaken ourselves in the vital theatre of Egypt. In these conditions it would help us in Egypt if some four-gun Glenn Martin long-range fighters could be flown out at once via Malta.

Further, while we are glad to have Wellingtons in Egypt, these cannot be used for day bombing and are not the equivalent of Blenheims in value for battle.

These Glenn fighters are the Martin Model 167 Maryland which was designated XA-22 by the USAAC. The aircraft had four 30 calibre (7.62 mm) machine guns in the wings and two in dorsal and ventral positions.

In November 1940, the RAF had two units equipped with Maryland Mk Is, No. 8 Squadron at Khormaksar, Aden, and No. 431 General Reconnaissance Flight at Malta. Eventually, five additional RAF squadrons and four South African Air Force squadrons flew the Marylands in North Africa.

FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA: In Gabon, the Vichy garrison at Lambarene surrenders. As a result, Free French troops under General Phillipe LeClerc and Marie Joseph Koenig depart Douala, Cameroons, bound for Libreville, Gabon.

U.S.A.: Franklin D. Roosevelt re-elected President for a third term, his new vice-president is Henry A Wallace, the publisher of a farm newspaper.

He wins a resounding victory over Wendell Wilkie receiving 27,200,000 votes to Wilkie's 22,300,000, gaining a majority in 39 of the 48 states of the Union, Churchill carefully refrained from any public comment about the election campaign. Although Wilkie spoke out in support of aid to Britain, Churchill undoubtedly preferred Roosevelt's re-election.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

Halifax/UK convoy HX84 of 37 ships and its solitary escort the AMC Jervis Bay (Capt. Edward Stephen Fogarty Fegen (b. 1891)) is attacked by the Panzerschiffe Admiral Scheer in mid-Atlantic. Jervis Bay whose armament consists of seven 6 inch guns is considerably outgunned by Scheer with her six 11 inch and eight 5,9 inch guns. As the convoy scatters Jervis Bay heads for the Scheer, guns firing. The end is in no doubt and she goes down, but her sacrifice saves all but six of the merchant ships. Capt. Edward Fegen RN is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. It is in this action that the tanker 'San Demetrio' is damaged by gunfire and abandoned. Later re-boarded, a few of her crew get her into port. Scheer now heads for the central and later South Atlantic.

Destroyer HMCS St Francis tasked to search for German armoured Admiral Scheer, KptzS Hans-Heinrich Wurmback, CO, following her attack on convoy HX-84. Convoy HX 84 departed Halifax on 28 Oct 40 with 38 ships bound for Liverpool. On 5 Nov, Admiral Scheer attacked the convoy, escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay, Capt E.S. Fogarty Fegen, CO, Although unarmoured and massively outgunned - seven elderly 6" guns against Scheer's 11" main battery - Fegen attacked the German ship head on, ordering the convoy to scatter. Jervis Bay never once brought Admiral Scheer within the range of her own guns, but fought on with her decks ablaze. 190 of her crew of 255 were lost, including Fegen. The delay allowed most of the convoy to get clear, the German raider that was dispersed as a defensive measure. In total, Admiral Scheer sank 6 ships, including 5 merchantmen. An engagement between an old, worn-out WWI DD and a modern pocket battleship would have been no contest. But, the allied commanders were desperate for information about the raider's location so that she could be tracked down, cornered, and destroyed. The loss of a destroyer to protect valuable merchant cargoes and, indeed, the entire convoy system would have been an acceptable exchange. Fortunately for St Francis, much like HMCS Rainbow off the West Coast in 1914, the Canadians never found the German surface raider. It is also interesting to note that one of the merchant ships Admiral Scheer sunk (by gun fire) in HX-84 was the Canadian Pacific steamer Beaverford (10,042 GRT), Captain Hugh Pettigrewain, Master. She was among the company's pre-war pride-and-joys, which had been taken up for wartime service. Beaverford put up a dogged fight for over four hours before being lost. The five merchant ships sunk by Scheer from HX-84 totalled 33,331 tons. The cargoes carried in the lost ships included 28,000 tons of general cargo and military transport, 8,425 tons of general food, 8129 tons of corn, 7,800 tons of steel, and 12 a/c. 208 merchant seamen lost their lives in this engagement. The sixth ship sunk was the Armed Merchant Cruiser, HMS Jervis Bay, Captain E.S. Fogarty Fegen, CO. Admiral Scheer’s cruise lasted from 27 Oct 40 to 01 Apr 41. Using here extremely good endurance and German re-supply ships to full advantage, she ranged from the North to South Atlantic, and into the Indian Ocean during which time she sank 14 ships, one RN auxiliary cruiser (Jervis Bay), and captured two other ships. Scheer was subsequently employed in the Baltic and the Arctic. She was bombed and sunk at her base in Kiel on 09 Apr 45. The object of surface raiding by large warships was to break up the convoy system, the historical method of protecting merchant ships from raids by frigates. The widespread tonnage warfare campaign by submarines forced the implementation of convoys on virtually a global scale. This imposed significant cargo-carrying inefficiencies and stretched the escort forces thinly. The concentration of large numbers of merchant ships made a 'large haul' of their valuable cargoes by powerful warships possible. The escort force they were likely to confront were one cruiser and long-range sloops or, as was the case with HX-84, an auxiliary cruiser. Captain Stephen Roskill reported that the raid by Scheer threw the Admiralty into a panic and disrupted convoy schedules for two weeks. Although the number of ships sunk was relatively small, the ripple effect was enormous. Captain Fegen was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. The tanker San Demetrio was hit, and abandoned on fire. Two days later her Second Officer's boat saw her, and San Demetrio, still on fire, was re-boarded. The fires were put out, and the engine started, she was then brought in on her own power to the Clyde. All charts and navigating equipment had been destroyed in the fire, so this was quite a feat, and is commemorated in the film "San Demetrio, London"

In separate North Atlantic operations, submarines U-104 and the Italian 'Faa di Bruno' are lost. In both cases the circumstances are uncertain, but U-104 is claimed by corvette HMS Rhododendron and the Italian by destroyer HMS Havelock. U-104 is the last German U-boat lost until March although the Italians have casualties. By the end of the month they have 26 submarines operating out of Bordeaux, but they are never as successful as their ally.

5 November 1941

November 5th, 1941 (WEDNESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Destroyer KNM Svenner (ex-HMS Shark) laid down.

Destroyer HMS Quentin launched.

Submarine HMS Unison launched.

Destroyer HS Pindos launched.

Submarine HMS Unbending commissioned.

FINLAND: Arndt Pekurinen, the founder and chairman of the Finnish Anti-militarist League, is executed near the front-line in Uhtua after he has for three times refused to wear a uniform and carry a rifle.

Pekurinen was a principled pacifist, and it was largely thanks to him that in 1930s there became available a non-military alternative for the conscription. Back then Pekurinen had refused to perform military service, and was sentenced for jail. His case attracted international interest, and because of this pressure a law was made to accommodate conscientious objectors. But this law applied only for peace time. When the Winter War began, Pekurinen went again to jail. In 1941 Pekurinen was ordered from jail to front, where he rather chose to die before a firing squad than carry a rifle.

Whatever one thinks of Pekurinen's ideals, one has to feel certain respect for his commitment for them. There are only very few people who are ready to die for their ideals, esp. when the ideals run counter the main stream of the times.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine V-3 launched.

The Soviet submarine SC-324 is lost after its last communication today for unknown reasons. All hands are lost.

JAPAN: Tokyo: The Japanese government sends Saburo Kurusu to Washington to help with negotiations with the Americans on a settlement to the question of Japan's role in South-east Asia.

The discussions have not been very successful. Today, the Japanese Foreign Ministry sends the following message to their embassy in Washington, D.C.: "(Of utmost secrecy). Because of various circumstances, it is absolutely necessary that all arrangements for the signing of this agreement be completed by the 25th of this month. I realize that this is a difficult order, but under the circumstances it is an unavoidable one. Please understand this thoroughly and tackle the problem of saving the Japanese-U. S relations from falling into a chaotic condition. Do so with great determination and with unstinted effort, I beg of you. This information is to be kept strictly to yourself only."

Japan's commanders today ordered the imperial Japanese navy to prepare for a surprise attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

The secret move follows the Japanese decision this autumn to carry out a simultaneous attack on Malaya and Philippines to get to the oilfields of the Dutch East Indies. Some commanders were reluctant to attack the Philippines, which are US territory, and bring the USA into the war, and a pre-emptive strike was seen as essential to hamper US defence efforts.

The idea of attacking Pearl Harbor was not new, but it took the determination of the Japanese C-in-C, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, to sell it to his colleagues. He studied English at Harvard and was a naval attache in Washington, and knows the potential power of the USA. He believes that only a surprise air attack will guarantee success. However, Japan's leaders agree that before any attack there should be one last attempt at a negotiated deal on Japan's role in Far East. If this fails, Japan and the USA will be at war before Christmas.

U.S.A.: Marshall and Stark send a six-point memorandum to FDR outlining the position taken by the Joint Board on November 3. FDR is specifically informed that there would be insufficient B-17's in the Philippines to serve as a “positive threat” to the Japanese until mid-December and that it would be February or March before air power in the Commonwealth was sufficient to be a “deciding factor in deterring Japan”. This memorandum further sets out that a Japanese attack on British or Dutch possessions or a threatening Japanese assault on Siam would lead to an American declaration of war. (This memorandum was delivered to Kimmel on November 24, 1941, though whether a copy was sent to Hart is unknown.) (Marc Small)

Detroit: The British ambassador in America, Lord Halifax, was pelted with eggs and tomatoes by women protesters last night as he completed a two-day tour of Detroit's arms production centres.

Only one well-aimed egg actually hit the envoy. One hour later he visited the Henry Ford hospital to have an eye infection treated. The women were protesting against the possible entry of America into the war, though the identity of the group is not known. The American Mothers and The Mothers of the USA both blamed each other.

Destroyer USS Conway laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The search for a German raider reported by British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RAF) oiler Olwen yesterday continues; Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic (Vice Admiral Algernon U. Willis, RN) informs British ships of the unsuccessful efforts by the five USN ships (two light cruisers and three destroyers) involved in the search the previous day.

5 November 1942

November 5th, 1942 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Submarine HMS Truncheon laid down

GERMANY: In a camp in Bavaria British officer prisoners are rehearsing the production of The Mikado. They have an orchestra of 72 performers and the cast with chorus is a pretty big one. The camp has two tennis courts and a football pitch.

These details were given to me in a letter written considerably after the reprisals order was put into effect.

Commander Beattie failed to get away after the commando raid on St. Nazaire, and for his gallant conduct was awarded the V.C.

One morning a little later a special parade of all prisoners was ordered at which the camp commandant appeared in full dress uniform. Calling out Commander Beattie the commandant read out the official citation of the award and then saluted, joining in the cheers that broke out from the other British officers on parade.

A similar urge to honour gallantry which had cost the enemy dear was displayed only a few days later, this time at another prisoner-of-war camp. Here the commander ordered a special parade at which he read out the record of the award of the V.C. to Sergeant John Hinton, a New Zealander, who had fought in Greece, handed him the ribbon of the decoration and looked on sympathetically while the Sergeant was carried shoulder high around the camp.

Yorkshire Post
[From an article by Sir Herbert Russell.]

U.S.S.R.: The German attacks begin to loose steam south of Terek in the Causasus, but nevertheless continue already nearing Ordzhonikidze.
Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla: Shipping loss.SKR-25 "Smena" (ex RT-57 "Smena") by surface ships, SW to Novaya Zemla after 22 - DD "Sokrushitelnii" - at storm, in a central part of Barentz Sea.

Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega Flotillas: Submarine "Sch-305" is rammed and sunk off Gisslan in Gulf of Finland by Finnish submarine /Vetehinen/ (kapteeniluutnantti Antti Leino). Despite being damaged, /Vetehinen/ suffered no casualties and managed to return port. (Sergey Anisimov and Mikko Härmeinen)(69)

GIBRALTAR: Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief Allied Expeditionary Force (AEF) arrives in a B-17 piloted by Major Paul Tibbetts. His HQ includes Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, Naval Commander-in-Chief, AEF; Major General James H. Doolittle, Commanding General USAAF Twelfth Air Force; Air Marshal Sir William Welsh, Air Officer Commanding British Eastern Air Command. Lieutenant General Sir Kenneth Anderson will command the British 1st Army, the main ground formation.

A senior American general nearly drowned after a clandestine meeting with French leaders in Algeria, it was revealed today. Lieutenant-General Mark Clark, the deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, was landed by canvas canoe from the British submarine HMS SERAPH (P 219) (under the temporary command of U.S. Navy Captain Jerauld Wright) on 22 October.

British commandos stood guard with Tommy guns as he held discussions with the French General Charles Mast, the deputy commander in North Africa. Mast was anxious for details of the coming invasion. Clark gave none, not even the fact that the fleet was on its way. With the local police suspicious, Clark and the Commandos prepared to shoot their way out. When they reached the beach, a heavy Atlantic swell was creating huge waves. It was then that a canoe capsized, throwing the general into the water. Clark claims someone shouted: "Never mind the general, get the paddles!"

EGYPT: General Bernard L Montgomery, General Officer Commanding British Eighth Army, announces that the British have won a complete and absolute victory in Egypt and General Erwin Rommel's armies are in full retreat. The Eighth Army regroups and continues pursuit of the Axis forces. X Corps, now consisting of the 1st and 7th Armoured Divisions and the New Zealand 2d Division, pushes rapidly west, overcoming rear guard resistance near Fuka. XXX Corps takes up positions between El Alamein and Matruh while XIII Corps is given the task of mopping up battle zone. While the Italian Infantry takes heavy losses, the main British pursuit is held up by a shortage of fuel and a minefield. The minefield is a dummy field laid out previously by the British themselves.

US Army, Middle East Air Force P-40s bomb targets on the Fuka road and patrol the Sidi Hanaish area while B-25 Mitchells also bomb motor transport.

MADAGASCAR: Troops of the British East African Command complete their occupation of the French colony island of Madagascar. Fearing that Vichy might hand over the island to the Japanese in case Ceylon fell, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered Operation IRONCLAD to proceed on 5 May when the naval base at Diego Suarez was secured. Hostilities against French Vichy forces on the island ceased at 1400 hours.

INDIA: A reconnaissance of the Ledo area, terminus of The Ledo Road to Myitkyina, Burma, and base from which operations in northern Burma, Operation RAVENOUS, are to start, is begun.

NEW GUINEA: Australian troops of the 16th Brigade, advancing on the Kokoda Trail today launched a strong attack on the retreating Japanese in a bid to capture the town of Oivi in the foothills of the Owen Stanley Mountains.

After the fall of Kokoda on 2 November, a brigade of Australians encountered strongly-manned Japanese defences some three miles long near Oivi. The Japanese have dug themselves in and are resisting fiercely. To try and break the impasse another Australian brigade is to move round the southern flank to cut Japanese communications in the rear.

If Oivi can be taken, the road will be open to Gona and Buna on the north coast, although more tough fighting is inevitable.

The Australian 25th Brigade moves against Gorari from Kokoda.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The US Army's 164th Infantry Regiment (less 1st Battalion) crosses the flooded Nalimbiu river, about 3,500 yards (3,200 metres) east of the Lunga perimeter, on Guadalcanal. They drive north along the east bank in an effort to outflank the Japanese opposite the 7th Marines.

The Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Tenryu and five Destroyers of the Otsu Detachment of the Tokyo Express lands part of the 228th Regiment at Cape Esperance. The Ko Detachment with ten Destroyers of the Tokyo Express lands Major General Ito, commander of the 38th Infantry Group, his headquarters and with the balance of the regiment is landed at Tassafaronga. Among those evacuated is Lieutenant General Kawaguchi Kiyotake, commander of the 35th Brigade,141 soldiers and 206 construction workers.

The US opposition tonight consists of PT-39 engaging destroyer Murasame. The other 3 US PT boats do not detect the Express.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells unsuccessfully attack a schooner near Arawe on the western tip of New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force flies weather reconnaissance over Japanese-held Kiska and Little Kiska Islands.

CANADA:

Minesweeper HMCS St Boniface launched Port Arthur, Ontario.

Trawler HMS Bowell renamed HMS Miscou at Montreal, Province of Quebec.

U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Jeffers commissioned.

ARCTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-408 is sunk about 121 nautical miles (223 kilometers) north of Akureyri, Iceland. The sub is caught on the surface by a USN PBY-5A Catalina of Patrol Squadron Eighty Four (VP-84) based at Fleet Air Base Reykjavik, Iceland; the aircraft dropped four depth charges which land aft of the conning tower while the sub is submerging. All 45 hands were lost.

5 November 1943

November 5th, 1943 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: An Eighth Air Force training officer arrives to assist HQ IX Fighter Command of the USAAF Ninth Air Force in setting up a comprehensive training system for fighter pilots. The training is based on the Eighth Air Force system; the Eighth Air Force and Royal Air Force (RAF) cooperate with the Ninth in instituting this program.

Frigate HMS Hotham laid down.

Frigate HMS Perim launched.

Destroyer HMS Virago commissioned.

FRANCE: The Peugeot factory at Sochaux is sabotaged by the resistance. Judged by the British Ministry of Economic Warfare as the third most important target in France, this factory makes tank turrets.

Industrial sabotage is being used with greater success than Allied bombing at the Peugeot plant which is producing war equipment on the Germans' orders. Following the RAF raid on 14 July, which proved to be as unsuccessful as it was bloody, Harry Ree, a member of Britain's clandestine Special Operations Executive, persuaded Armand Peugeot to sabotage the facilities of the plant with the help of his own engineers. The manufacturing of turrets for tanks has been interrupted indefinitely.

Over 150 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb construction works at Mimoyecques, France; poor visibility causes one group to bomb the area SW of the primary targets; bad weather causes numerous aborts.

During the night of 5/6 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force's. VIII Bomber Command Mission flies 122: five B-17 Flying Fortresses drop over one million leaflets over Paris, Amiens, Rouen and Caen at 1917-2005 hours.

During the night of 5/6 November, 27 RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons dropped leaflets over France.

GERMANY: ETO: 48 year old S/Sgt. David J. Cole was grounded following his participation as a tail gunner in the 5 Nov. mission to Gelsenkirchen. The former taxi driver and World War I veteran was a member of the 385th BG (H). (Skip Guidry)

8th AF fighter losses:

353th FG: Lt. Robert L. Newman, 350 FS, KIA P-47D LH* 42-7907 Hit by e/a and crashed into North Sea.

Capt. Orville A. Kinkade, 351 FS, POW P-47C YJ*K 41-6583 "Alyce" Hit by e/a and bailed out near Volkerak.

Lt. Benedict E. Kraft, 351 FS, POW P-47D YJ*Q 42-8428 Hit by e/a and bailed out near Mulhiem.

355th FG: Lt. Clark Collins, 357 FS, KIA P-47D OS*T 42-8406 "Eager Eve" Hit by Me-109s west of Schouwen. (Skip Guidry)

The USAAF Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 121. Four targets in are hit with the loss of eight B-17s and three B-24 Liberators: In Gelsenkirchen, 232 aircraft bomb the Main marshalling yard, 49 hit the Buer synthetic oil refinery and 47 attack Nordstern synthetic oil refinery; 106 hit the marshalling yard at Munster and two aircraft bomb targets of opportunity.

During the night of 5/6 November, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb six targets: ten hit the Vereinigte Stahl armaments factory at Bochum; five hit Hannover; four attack the Rheinmetall armaments factory at Dusseldorf; three bomb Hamburg; and one each hit the Hoesch Stahl steel plant at Dortmund and the city of Heligoland.

U.S.S.R.: The Soviet advance cuts the Kiev-Zhitomir railroad and overrun the area between the lower Dniepr River and the Crimea. This gives credence to the threat to encircle Kiev.

ITALY:

The U.S. Fifth Army begins a ten day period of grueling action against lofty hills and mountains that form the German's Winter Line. Designed as a delaying position, this line is disposed in front of the main defense belt known as the Gustav Line. Fifth Army's efforts to breach the line during the next ten days are fruitless. In addition to a tenacious enemy, Fifth Army is adversely affected by terrain, rainy weather, and lack of reserves. In the British X Corps area, the 56th Division, in conjunction with left flank elements of the U.S. VI Corps, begins a battle for the Mt. Camino-Mt. la Difensa-Mt. Maggiore hill mass, concentrating on Mt. Camino. In the U.S. VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division begins outflanking attacks against positions commanding the Mignano Gap: as 7th Infantry Regiment columns press toward the German Mt. Ia Difensa positions, which hold out for the next ten days, elements of the 15th Infantry Regiment are sent northward over Mt. Cesima to ward Cannavinelle Hill; the 30th Infantry Regiment, upon passing through the 45th Infantry Division's zone, during the night of 5/6 November, presses west toward Mt. Rotondo.

In the British Eighth Army area, V Corps pursues the Germans northward, the 78th Division, on the coast, pushing through Vasto. The Indian 8th Division takes Tufihlo.

A single bomb is dropped on the Vatican by an unknown plane. In 1930, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini installed a railroad station in the Vatican that was intended for the private use of the pope. Today, a single bomb is dropped and explodes near the station. Many believe that this was a message from German Chancellor Adolf Hitler to Pope Pius XII to provide a reminder of how the mission of the popes so often comes into conflict with the earthly ambitions of nations and politics. (Glenn Stenberg)

The Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force bombs roads east of Atina and north of Rome, and hits vehicles moving south from Pescara. USAAF XII Air Support Command and RAF Desert Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack motor transport north of Vasto, bridges and roads west of Isernia, Cassino, and Atena Lucana and the town of Castrocielo.

Three USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators on a low-level raid bomb the Marittima railroad and highway bridges at Folcanara.

With the sun just rising over Torre Aningiatria, a port southeast of Naples, German bombers descend on Allied shipping. The port is of strategic importance because the Allies can unload the massive quantities of supplies they need to drive the Germans out of Italy.

Canadian seaman, Somer James' ship offers choice prey. Loaded with ammunition, the Empire Lightning is moored to a dock piled with high-octane fuel when the bombs begin to find their targets. One strikes the fuel, setting it ablaze and threatening both the Lightning and other freighters moored fore and aft. The ship could be saved only be a careful combination of dropping some of its lines and doubling others, so it can be manoeuvred away from the fire.

The captain called for volunteers. Amidst the pandemonium, only Mr. James, who was not yet 22, stepped up. He donned a heavy jacket and lifebelt and went on deck alone. With the captain shouting instructions down at him from the bridge, with fire raging alongside and with high explosives beneath his feet, he ran the length of the ship from one mooring point to another and did his best to handle the massive hemp lines alone. The entire operation lasted about three hours, but, in the end, he managed to get the ship out of harm's way, its sides scorched by fire.

Yet, he didn't stop at that. Once the Lightening was secured, he helped move a number of barges loaded with dangerous cargo that had also caught fire.

The action later won him both the British Empire Medal and the Lloyd's Medal for Bravery, an unusual double honour. While 29 other Canadian merchant sailors won the BEM for bravery during the Second World War, and some won the Lloyd's medal, none received both awards for the same event. (Will O'Neill and Dave Shirlaw)

ALBANIA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, escorted by USAAF Fifteenth Air Force P-38 Lightnings, hit the Berat-Kucove Airfield.

CHINA: Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, commander of the U.S. China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, Commander of the Northern Area Combat Command (NCAC) in Burma and Deputy Commander in Chief of the South-East Asia Command (SEAC), submits a report to Chiang Kai-shek on SEAC planning and progress of preparations for an attack from Yunnan by the Chinese Yannan Force (Y-Force).

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-26 Marauders and P-39 Airacobras hit Bogadjim Road while B-25 Mitchells attack positions northwest of Dumpu, and P-39s bomb and strafe the Madang area. P-47 Thunderbolts over Wewak encounter a force of fighters and claim about 20 shot down.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Admiral Sherman leads US naval TF 38 in an attack on Admiral Kirita's Japanese force at Rabaul. The US strikes with 107 aircraft damaging 6 cruisers and 2 destoryers for a loss of 10 planes. A second assault by B-24s also adds damage.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Torokina: Amid fierce but sporadic fighting, US marines have established a beach-head which is 6,000 yards long and three miles deep at Cape Torokina five days after seven battalions made an amphibious assault on the uninhabited western coast of Bougainville, the largest island in the Solomons. Engineers have now begun work on an airstrip intended for bombing Rabaul, in New Britain, Japan's HQ for the South-west Pacific. The US landings - Operation Cherryblossom - were co-ordinated with diversionary Allied attacks elsewhere in the Solomons. These took the Japanese commander, General Harukichi Hayakutake, by surprise. Most of his 40,000-strong Seventeenth Army is on Bouganville's south coast.

In the zone of the 9th Marine Regiment on Bougainville Island, the Marine 3d Raider Battalion repels an attack by the Japanese 23rd Regiment against a block on a local trail, called Mission Trail. Later the Rangers and the 3d Battalion of the 9th Marine Regiment drive up Mission Trail toward its junction with the Numa Numa Trail. The Numa Numa and East-West Trails are the two main trails on Cape Torokina. There is not much of a Japanese movement on land to counter these landings because of the difficult terrain and because the Japanese feel these landings are a feint.

The first strategic Japanese response came 24 hours after the invasion as Admiral Omori's Eighth Fleet attempted to harass the US armada in Empress Augusta Bay. Omori quickly lost the light cruiser SENDAI and the destroyer HATSUKAZE, with three other warships damaged - a miscalculation that cost the admiral his command.

The 14 Antiaircraft Artillery Group move to Florida Island. (Jean Beach)

Six USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit a bivouac area at Kieta on the west coast of Bougainville Island and sink at least six barges between Kieta and Banin Harbor.

NEW BRITAIN: The Japanese 23rd Regiment on Bougainville counterattacks the Marines. There is not much of a Japanese movement on land to counter these landings because of the difficult terrain and because the Japanese feel these landings are a feint.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO:

For the first time since June last year US carriers have gone into action against a powerful Japanese base. Read-Admiral Frederick C. Sherman's task force TF38, with the carriers USS Saratoga and USS PRINCETON, was ordered to make a surprise attack on Rabaul today by Admiral Halsey. News had come through that a Japanese fleet of seven heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and four destroyers was on its way to Rabaul, preparatory to a major assault on US forces at Empress Augusta Bay. Halsey had to act quickly if he was to make any impression - and luck was with him today.

The carriers, shrouded in heavy cloud, were misidentified as cruisers by Japanese scout planes, and over Rabaul harbour itself the skies were clear for the US attack. Airborne Japanese fighters waited in vain for the tight formation to break up under anti-aircraft fire, and missed their chance to knock out leading bombers. The cruisers ATAGO, MAYA and MOGAMI and three destroyers were damaged. All but ten US planes returned and the carriers withdrew unscathed.

USN F6F Hellcats from Barakoma Field on Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands, cover Task Force 38 which launches 22 SBD Dauntlesses, 23 TBF Avengers and 52 F6Fs from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and small aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23) to attack the ten Japanese cruisers and ten destroyers in the harbor at Rabaul, New Britain Island. The carrier-based aircraft severely damage four heavy cruisers, HIJMS Atago, Takao, Maya, Chikuma, and Mogami, two light cruisers, HIJMS Noshiro and Agano, and two destroyers, HIJMS Fujinami and Amagiri, at a loss of one SBD, four TBFs and five F6Fs. The Japanese lose one "Sally" bomber (Mitsubishi Ki-21, Army Type 97 Heavy Bomber) and 27 "Zeke" (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) and "Tony" (Kawasaki Ki-61, Army Type 3 Fighter Hien) fighters. As Japanese aircraft fly off to search for the aircraft carriers, over 90 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators and fighters attack the wharf areas at Rabaul. Because of this attack, the Japanese Navy orders all surface warships at Rabaul to sail to Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands.

Captain Richard I. Bong shoots down two "Zeke" fighters (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) over Rabaul, New Britain Island. These two bring his total victories to 21.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Cap de la Madeleine laid down Quebec City, Province of Quebec.

U.S.A.: On 21 September, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Fulbright Resolution. Representative J.W. Fulbright (Democrat-Arkansas) called for the creation of an international organization with the power to establish and maintain a just and lasting peace. The resolution also included U.S. participation in this organization through the constitutional process. Senator Tom Connally (Democrat-Texas) introduced a similar resolution in the Senate, which passes today, with the stipulation that any treaty drafted to achieve these goals would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate.

Destroyer escorts USS Ahrens, Alexander J Luke and Robert I Paine laid down.

Destroyer USS Norman Scott commissioned.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-848 is sunk about 253 nautical miles (469 kilometers) west-southwest of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic in position 10.09S, 18.00W, by depth charges from two USAAF B-25 Mitchells of the 1st Composite Squadron and three USN PB4Y-1 Liberators of a detachment of USN Patrol Squadron One Hundred Seven (VB-107), both units based on Ascension Island; all 63 crewmen are lost.

5 November 1944

November 5th, 1944 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Frigate HMCS Swansea departed Londonderry for refit Liverpool , Nova Scotia.

NETHERLANDS: Heusden: Retreating Germans herd 200 citizens into the Town Hall, and then blow it up.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 3d Cavalry Group, after heavy fire on German positions, clears Berg and a hill to the north. The XII Corps is ready to open an offensive, but awaits order from Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Commanding General Third Army. Rain falls intermittently.

A U.S. Seventh Army directive calls for the reduction of the Germans west of the Rhine River and capture of Strasbourg. The XV Corps is to attack on D Day, taking Sarrebourg and forcing the Saverne Gap. The VI Corps, not later than D plus 2, is to attack through Vosges Mountain passes to take Strasbourg. In the VI Corps area, the 45th Infantry Division, into whose Line additional elements of 100th Infantry Division are gradually being introduced, pushes in slowly toward Raon-l'Étape. The 3d Infantry Division continues to clear the region west of the Meurthe River from the St Die area northward. The 36th Infantry Division is still engaged in Foret Domaniale de Champ.

In the French First Army's II Corps area, the 3d Algerian Division, continuing a limited offensive toward Gerardmer, gains Rochesson, Menaurupt, and the heights near these villages.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 703: three B-17 Flying Fortresses and seven B-24 Liberators drop leaflets in France. .

EUROPE: In spite of Hitler's continued promises to the German people that the so-called miracle weapons will transform their fortunes it must be plain to them that nothing but defeat stares them in the face. Why then does the German soldier continue to resist so fiercely? It is certainly not because of faith in the counteroffensive which Hitler is now planning to launch against the western Allied armies. The secrecy surrounding it is so great that only the most senior commanders are privy to the plan, and have little confidence in it.

The Waffen-SS, as the military arm of National Socialism is known, is politically indoctrinated and does include fanatics in its ranks. Indeed, this trait was clearly displayed by the 12th SS Hitler Jugend Panzer Division in Normandy. The same is not true for the bulk of the fighting forces, the Wehrmacht. The vast majority, from the C-in-C West, Field Marshal von Rundstedt, downwards, have little love for Hitler and want nothing more than for the war to end. What stops them, then, from wholesale surrender? The reasons are varied. There is, for instance, the traditional loyalty to the "Fatherland" which transcends what they might think of Hitler and his henchmen. The Allied demand for nothing but unconditional surrender is also a major factor. The German people interpret this as the wholesale destruction of the fabric of their country and hence consider that there is nothing to be gained by not continuing to fight.

Since the July bomb plot the regime has become doubly ruthless in eradicating all opposition, and fear of the consequences of disobeying orders plays its part. Above all, perhaps is the fear of the enemy in the east. Many Germans sincerely believe that Stalin and his Communists are the true threat to Europe.

GERMANY: In the U.S. First Army's V Corps area, the 28th Infantry Division withstands infantry counterattacks against Kommerscheidt, but the Germans infiltrate the main supply route and gain control of the Kall bridge. Steady German fire on Vossenack is weakening U.S. defenders there. To help 112th Infantry Regiment in their drive on Schmidt on tomorrow, Task Force R (Colonel Ripple, commander of the 707th Tank Battalion) is formed, containing a battalion of the 110th Infantry Regiment, tanks, and tank destroyers. In the VII Corps area, poor weather conditions prevent the opening of an offensive.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 702: 1,272 bombers and 666 fighters in three forces attack marshalling yards (M/Ys) in western Germany; H2X radar is used by all forces; 12 bombers and six fighters are lost; 397 bombers hit Frankfurt-am-Main M/Y; 332 attack the Karlsruhe M/Y; at Ludwigshafen, 218 bomb the M/Y and 176 hit the I.G. Farben synthetic oil refinery; 36 bomb the Hanau M/Y; 33 attack the Kaiserslautern M/Y; and 19 aircraft hit targets of opportunity.

One hundred sixty USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs strike ammunition, ordnance, and supply depots at Hamburg; fighters escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance, attack railroads and bridges, and cover ground forces of the V and XIX Corps while the IX Tactical Air Command aids the US 28th Infantry Division in withstanding a counterattack near Kommerscheidt, Germany.

During the day, 170 RAF Bomber Command Lancasters carry out a G-H raid on Solingen; one Lancaster is lost. Results of the raid are not observed, because of the complete cloud cover, but German reports show that this is an outstanding success. Most of the bombing fell accurately into the medium-sized town of Solingen. 1,300 houses and 18 industrial buildings are destroyed and 1,600 more buildings are severely damaged.

During the night of 5/6 November, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb three targets: 64 hit Stuttgart in two waves and at Aschaffenburg, five attack the marshalling yard and one bombs the city.

ETO: 8th AF fighter losses:

4th FG: Lt. Russell J. Anderson, 335 FS, POW P-51D WD*U 44-14339 Hit by flak near Baden Baden.

55th FG: Lt. Gus D. Leslie, 343 FS, MIA P-51D CY*A 44-13363 "Bama blitz" Hit by flak near Eberbach.

56th FG: Lt. Robert F. Healey, 63 FS, KIA P-47D UN*R 42-76530 Ran out of fuel and bailed out over the English Channel.

Lt. Albert L. Henry, 63 FS, KIA P-47D UN*X 42-76471 Hit by flak near Neuhuetten.

359th FG: Lt. Maurice N. Haines, 369 FS, POW P-51D IV* 44-14857 "Brooklyn Devil" Hit by flak and bailed out southwest of Darmstadt. (Skip Guidry)

AUSTRIA: Five hundred three USAAF USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Floridsdorf oil refinery at Vienna in the largest operation against a single target during World War II; three other heavy bombers bomb about three other targets.

EASTERN FRONT: German forces recapture Goldap on the borders of East Prussia. (Russ Folsom)

ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army's IV Corps area, the 1st Division of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) takes command of Combat Command B, U.S. 1st Armored Division, in place. The Corps zone, from west to east, is now manned by the U.S. 107th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, the Brazilian 1st Division, and the South African 6th Armoured Division.

In the British Eighth Army area, improving weather conditions permit Allied aircraft to begin softening up strikes in preparation for attack by the V Corps on Forli.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers, flying 300+ sorties, bomb bridges in the Brenner Pass and in the northeast Po Valley to interdict the Germans' two main supply routes from the north; fighters and fighter-bombers hit defenses and forces in the battle areas in the northern Apennines mountains south of Bologna and attack communications targets to the north as well as in battle zone.

GREECE: British forces land at Salonika.

YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers attack six targets: 28 bomb tactical targets at Podgorica, 14 hit tactical targets at Mitrovica, and four hit targets of opportunity.

During the day, 14 RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the West marshalling yard at Sarajevo while 85 fly supplies to the partisans. During the night of 5/6 November, 81 other aircraft deliver supplies to the partisans.

EGYPT: Lord Moyne is assassinated in Cairo. Two members of the Zionist Stern Gang are suspected of killing the British Resident Minister in the Middle East.

CHINA: Forty nine USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-40s, P-38 Lightnings, and P-51 Mustangs attack storage facilities and other targets of opportunity around Wanling, Burma and Mangshih, Chefang, and Kweihsien.

BURMA: About 70 USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts attack Lashio Airfield, hit gun positions on Kyundaw Island, bomb the Kanbalu marshalling yard, hit targets of opportunity along the Naba-Wuntho railroad and on the Burma Road and bomb the town of Namhpakka and the Lasai area; 28 other P-47s maintain patrols south of Myitkyina.

SINGAPORE: In the longest daylight mission ever, 53 B-29s of the US Twentieth Army Air Force based at Calcutta have bombed Singapore's dockyards and Sumatra's Pangkalan Brandon oil refinery, Japan's primary source of aviation fuel - a round trip of 3,700 miles. Shonan [Light of the South], as the Japanese call Singapore, is south-east Asia's biggest naval base. The main target was the former King George VI Graving Dock - the world's biggest dry dock.

JAPAN: In the Kurile Islands, four USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells abort an offensive sweep off Suribachi on Paramushiru Island due to intense shore fire; four more B-25s fly armed reconnaissance over Shimushu Island and at decklevel bomb Torishima Island targets; of four fighters intercepting the B-25 Mitchells, one is downed. Four B-24 Liberators bomb Onnekotan and Matsuwa Islands; three more B-24 Liberators bomb Katalka naval base on Shimushu Island, starting fires; seven fighters intercept and the B-24s down one.

MARCUS ISLAND: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Guamon an armed reconnaissance mission, bomb the 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.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: USN Task Force 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) begins two days of carrier strikes on Luzon, targeting Japanese aircraft, airfields, and shipping. Task Group (TG) 38.3 attacks warships and auxiliaries in Manila Bay, where planes from the aircraft carriers USS Lexington (CV-16) and Essex (CV-9), and small aircraft carrier USS Langley (CVL-27) sink heavy cruiser HIJMS Nachi 5 nautical miles (9,3 kilometers) west of Corregidor Island. F6F Hellcats from TG 38.3 sink Patrol Boat No.107 [ex-U.S. tug USS Genessee (AT-55)] off Lubang Island. Navy carrier-based planes (TG 38.3 hitting targets in Manila Bay, TG 38.1 targets off Santa Cruz) damage destroyer HIJMS Akebono and escort destroyer HIJMS Okinawa, landing ship HIJMS T.111, a motor sailship and two cargo ships. During Japanese retaliatory air strikes on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) located about 202 nautical miles (375 kilometers) east-northeast of Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands, a flaming Japanese plane cr ashes near her island, destroying most of the island structure and spraying fire in all directions. Within 20 minutes major blazes are under control, and she is able to continue normal flight actions. Between 0625 and 1700 hours, carrier-based fighters shoot down 97 Japanese aircraft at sea and over Luzon, especially near Clark Field.

In the X Corps area on Leyte Island, the 1st Cavalry Division begins a prolonged program of patrolling in the central mountains. In the XXIV Corps area, the 382d Infantry Regiment of the 96th Infantry Division continues an attack on Bloody Ridge after artillery preparation and, with assistance of a company of tanks, is reducing the Japanese positions there.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators and P-40s attack airfields and barges in the central Philippine Islands.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators hit the town of Bima and Waingapoe Bay shipping on Soembawa Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands. B-25 Mitchells and fighter-bombers strike airfields, troop concentrations, and communications targets throughout the Halmahera Island area and northeastern peninsula of Celebes Island. Fighter-bombers and A-20 Havocs hit Amahai and targets of opportunity on a small island, south of Ceram.

Seven Calcutta, India-based B-29 Superfortresses of the USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XX Bomber Command bomb the Pangkalanbrandan refinery on Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies while four more hit other target.

NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, almost 50 Far East Air Forces A-20 Havocs, supporting ground forces, blast installations in Sarmi, New Guinea area.

BONIN ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Guam hit shipping in the islands.

VOLCANO ISLANDS: Iwo Jima: Twenty four B-29s of the USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command attack the two airfields on a training mission, starting the tactical operations against the island in preparation for the U.S. invasion in February 1945.

PACIFIC OCEAN: A U.S. Navy patrol boat spots a Japanese Fugo balloon bomb floating on the water 66 nautical miles (122 kilometers) southwest of San Pedro, California. The Navy recovers some apparatus, envelope, and rigging.

U.S.A.: Top songs on the pop record charts are: "I'll Walk Alone" by Dinah Shore, "Dance with the Dolly" by The Russ Morgan Orchestra with vocal by Al Jennings, "How Many Hearts Have You Broken" by The Three Suns, and "Smoke on the Water" by Red Foley.

Submarine USS Cutlass launched.

5 November 1945

November 5th, 1945 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Dockers' strike ends.

RCN 803 Sqn Seafire a/c #SW849 crashed South of Belfast.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Kirkland Lake completed tropicalization refit Quebec City, Province of Quebec.

Minesweeper HMCS Courtenay paid off

Frigates HMCS Outremont and New Glasgow paid off.

U.S.A.: Ensign Jake C. West (VF-41) makes first jet landing on a US carrier, USS Wake Island.

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