29 November 1939

NEWFOUNDLAND: The Royal Commission issues a report and recommendations regarding Newfoundland's financial crisis. The commission finds that the dominion's huge debt is due to government incompetence and corruption. The Royal Commission recommends government reform (which includes the creation of a special commission composed of three British and three Newfoundland representatives with the governor as president), the readjustment and lowering of tariffs, and assumption by the British government of Newfoundland finances until the colony again becomes self-supporting. The Newfoundland Parliament accepts the report and approves the recommendations.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Pro-Nazi Sudeten German deputies resign en masse from the Czech parliament, precipitating a national crisis.

RAF Fighter Command: One enemy aircraft attacked off the N.E.Coast, believed destroyed.
One enemy aircraft shot down in the North Sea.
Unknown number of enemy aircraft spotted over S.E.Scotland.

FRANCE: U.S. freighter SS Nishmaha is detained by French authorities at Marseilles; her cargo (cotton, paraffin and beef casings) is held pending the decision of the Contraband Committee in London.

Berlin: Hitler has told his military commanders that England is the "leading enemy power" and "animator of the fighting spirit of the enemy." Defeat of England (as he calls Britain) is essential to final victory, he says, and in a secret directive he has ordered his navy and air force to carry the war to British industry, by mining and blocking ports, attacking shipping and bombing factories, oil tanks and food stores.

London, Liverpool and Manchester are identified as the most important ports which, Hitler says handle 95% of foreign trade. He says French ports should not be attacked unless they are used to break what he calls "the siege of England."

OKW issues Führer Directive #9. Instructions for Warfare Against the Economy of the Enemy.

(i) In the fight against the Western Powers England has shown herself to be the animator of the fighting spirit of the enemy and the leading enemy power. Defeat of England is essential for final victory. Crippling the English economy is the most effective means of achieving this.

(ii) Should the Army succeed in occupying the coast of the Continent facing England, the task of the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine in carrying the war to English industry becomes paramount. Co-operation of the Sabotage [S-] and Fifth Column [K-] organizations will be sought.

(iii) Tasks of the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine in order of importance: Attacks on principal ports, including mining of approaches and destruction of installations; Attacks on merchant shipping and protective warships; Destruction of depots, fuel and cold food storage facilities, grain stores, etc.; Interdiction of military shipments to the French mainland; Destruction of industry with decisive military significance.

(iv) The critical importance (95% of foreign trade) of the ports of London, Liverpool, and Manchester is noted, as are other ports of special importance for certain types of cargo. The need to monitor shifts in port usage and efforts to channel trade through vulnerable access points are emphasized.

(v) Preparations should be undertaken as quickly as possible, a Führer order further lifting restrictions imposed by previous directives should be expected to coincide with the opening of the great offensive. (Marc Roberts)

U.S.S.R.: Moscow: Russia breaks off diplomatic relations with Finland.
While the Soviet news agencies announce news of continuing Finnish provocations, Molotov tells the Finnish Ambassador Yrjö-Koskinen that the Soviet government withdraws its diplomatic representatives from Finland. At the same time the Finnish cabinet has finally reached a decision: Finland offers to withdraw its troops 20-25 kilometres from the border as originally demanded. However, this is obviously too little, too late; since the negotiations ended in early November the Soviet leadership has been preparing for a war.

SPAIN: Madrid: Spain ratifies its friendship treaty with Germany, adding secret clauses allowing Germany to use Spanish ports and promising co-operation on police and propaganda.

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

U.S.A.: The motion picture Destry Rides Again opens at the Rivoli Theater in New York City. Directed by George Marshall, this western comedy, based on Max Brands novel, stars James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Brian Donlevy, Una Merkel, Mischa Auer and Jack Carson.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: While on patrol in the North Sea north of Scotland in support of the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau’s attempt to break out into the Atlantic, German submarine U-35 (Commander Lott) is sunk about 80 nautical miles (149 kilometers) west northwest of Bergen, Norway, in position 60.53N, 02.47E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Kingston (F 64), HMS Icarus (D 03) and HMS Kashmir (F 12); all 43 crewmen survive.

In the South Atlantic, the German armored ship Admiral Graf Spee takes aboard all the British merchant marine officer of the six ships that the "pocket battleship" has sunk up to that point from the tanker Altmark. The officers are to be taken back to Germany; the crewmen remain imprisoned on board Altmark

Lieutenant Newgass, RNVR, was called to defuse a large parachute mine, dropped during a devastating Luftwaffe raid on Liverpool, which had penetrated the roof of a gasometer at Garston Gasworks. He was lowered into the gasometer wearing breathing apparatus six times, and despite working under the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances - in the dark, in a couple of feet of water, and surrounded by explosive gas - eventually managed to make the weapon safe. He was awarded the George Cross for his heroism.

GERMANY: Berlin: The German High Command completes its planning for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia.

ROMANIA: Bucharest: Romania is in a state of anarchy. There is shooting in the streets as the Iron Guards clash with the army and rival factions of the Guards fight among themselves.

The young King Michael is reported to have fled to Yugoslavia. Among the victims of the anarchy are the former premier, Professor Jorga, and Dr Madgearu, a former minister of finance. German involvement is suspected but so far unproven.

CRETE: British and New Zealand troops under New Zealand Major General Bernard Freyberg, General Officer Commanding 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, occupy the Greek island of Crete in the Mediterranean.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: The Thais begin a ground offensive against French positions. They order French nationals to evacuate border provinces within 24 hours after their patrols engage French Indochinese border guards at the Cambodian border. (Michael Alexander)

U.S.A.: The motion picture The Bank Dick is released. Directed by Eddie Cline, this comedy stars W.C. Fields, Una Merkel, Franklin Pangborn and Reed Hadley.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: In the Gulf of Mexico, USN destroyers USS Simpson (DD-221) and Broome (DD-210), on Neutrality Patrol off Tampico, Mexico, trail German freighters SS Idarwald and SS Rhein as the latter ships make a bid for freedom.

GERMANY: Obergruppenfuhrer (General) Reinhard Heydrich, Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, sends out invitations to the Wannsee conference on the Jewish question. It is originally scheduled for 9 December but is postponed due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The conference takes place on 20 January 1942 in the Wannsee Villa overlooking the Wannsee lake in southwestern Berlin and will lead to the Holocaust.

U.S.S.R.: General Reinhardt's 3rd Panzer Group reach the Moscow-Volga Canal and cross into the Dmitrov area. The fierce Soviet resistance is lead by fresh Soviet Siberian units.

Depleted by continuous savage fighting and extreme weather conditions in below-freezing temperatures, German forces of Heeresgruppe Mitte (Army Group Middle) in positions less than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Moscow suspend all offensive operations.

In the village of Petrischchevo, the Nazis deal with partisans by hanging an 18-year-old Soviet girl, Zoia Kosmodemianskaya. "She set fire to houses," reads the placard round her neck, as she is led to execution. Her last words to the German executioner, however, are defiant, "You can't hang all 190 million of us."

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Two cruisers and destroyers reach MALTA and are added to the British forces there.

LIBYA: German Major General Johann von Ravenstein, commander of the 21st Panzer Division, is captured by New Zealand troops near Tobruk on his way to a staff meeting at Afrikakorps headquarters. He is the first German general captured during World War II.

CHINA: USN river gunboats USS Luzon (PR-7) and USS Oahu (PR-6) depart Shanghai for Manila, Philippine Islands. USS Oahu (PR-6) is the sistership of river gunboat USS Panay (PR-5), which had been bombed and sunk by Japanese naval aircraft near Nanking, China, on 12 December 1937.

JAPAN: A liaison conference among the Service Chiefs and Cabinet of the Japanese Government decides that the final proposal from the US is unacceptable. Their alternative is war. Their decision is prepared for an Imperial Conference, with the Emperor, which is scheduled for December.

Premier Tojo said American and British exploitation of Asiatic peoples must be purged with vengeance. "Nothing can be permitted to interfere with this sphere because this sphere was decreed by Providence." (Dave Shirlaw & Jack McKillop)

HAWAII: Communication Intelligence Summary, 29 November 1941: General.-Traffic volume above normal, The traffic to South China still very high. Automatic transmissions was attempted on the Tokyo-Takao (Formosa) circuit but was a failure and traffic sent by hand. A good share of today's traffic is made up of messages of an intelligence nature. Tokyo Intelligence sent eleven messages during the day to Major Commanders both ashore and afloat, while the radio intelligence activity at Tokyo sent four long messages to the Major Commanders. In addition to the stations normally reporting to Tokyo, radio Yokosuka sent in reports. This station had not previously been seen to submit reports. The Direction Finder Net controlled directly by Tokyo was up during the night with much activity. One message for Jaluit Radio Direction Finder Station included Commander Submarines for information. The Navy Minister originated his usual two AlNavs and the Naval General Staff addressed Commanders Se

cond Fleet Third Fleet, Combined Ail Force and the South China Units. The unit which has been addressed as the "103rd Air Group" originated one dispatch today whose address was composed entirely of enciphered calls. It is apparent that he has no Navy call list. One address was "JUITIKOUKUUKANTAI" "11th AIR *FLEET*". Since this has appeared before it is evident that the use of KANTAI is intentional making the existence of an air fleet positive. Its composition is unknown.

Combined Fleet:-The arrival of Air Squadron Seven in Takao area is confirmed. The presence of Cruiser Division Four in that area is not confirmed nor denied. The dispatches today indicate that the following units are under the immediate command of CinC. Second Fleet: CARDIV THREE, DESRON TWO, SUBRON FIVE, DESRON FOUR, SUBRON SIX, THIRD FLEET CRUDIV FIVE, FRENCH INDO CHINA FORCE, CRUDIV SEVEN

Associated with Third Fleet are two Battleships but their assignment is not yet definite. Aside from messages which were addressed to Third Fleet, China and South China Fleets, Combined Air Force and the Naval General Staff, Commander in Chief Second Fleet was mainly occupied with the units listed above. Only one message from Commander in Chief Combined Fleet was seen. This was addressed to YOKOSUKA, Combined Air Force, CRUDIV Four and BUMILAFF. The HIYEI sent one message to Chief of Staff Third Fleet.

Third Fleet.-Commander in Chief Third Fleet sent one message to Comdesron Five, Number Two Base Force, Number One Base Force, Defense Division One and Comdesron Two and Four. He held extensive communications with the Commander in Chief Second Fleet and BAKO. Two more units of Third Fleet made movement reports.

Fourth Fleet.--Relatively inactive today. Sent one message to Commander in Chief Second Fleet, Commander in Chief Third Fleet and Combined Air Force. He is still in TRUK area.

Submarines.-Traffic for Commander Submarine Force was routed through SAIPAN today. He was at CHICHIJIMA yesterday.

South China.-CRUDIV Seven now in SAMA made a movement report but direction was not indicated. The French Indo China Force Commander addressed several messages to Second and Third Fleets as well as TOKYO. The Commander in Chief China Fleet was active in addressing the South China Naval Bases and the South China Fleets, all for information to Commander in Chief Second Fleet.

Secretary of State Cordell Hull warns the British Ambassador Lord Halifax Britain of an impending Japanese attack.

The Australian Minister to the U.S., Richard G. Casey, sends a message to the Australian government reporting that a Japanese task force of five divisions is assembled for a southward advance.

Chattanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with vocals by Tex Beneke and The Four Modernaires reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. This song, which debuted on the charts on 13 September 1941, was charted for 23 weeks, was Number 1 for 9 weeks and was ranked Number 2 for the year 1941.

- Destroyer USS Woolsey (DD-437), screening convoy HX-161 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to U.K.), despite having been hampered by propulsion problems the previous days, depth charges suspicious contact without result.

- Task Unit 4.1.2, accompanied by salvage vessel USS Redwing (ARS-4) and oiler USS Sapelo (AO-11), assumes escort for convoy HX-162.

- Task Unit 4.1.4 assumes escort duty for slow convoy ONS-39 (U.K. to North America); the convoy is not attacked by U-boats during its passage. ONS-39, however, encounters considerable stormy weather that causes varying degrees of topside damage to destroyers USS Plunkett (DD-431), Livermore (DD-429), Decatur (DD-341) and Cole (DD-155).

UNITED KINGDOM: Prime Minister Winston Churchill broadcasts to the Italian people. He says they must chose between a full-scale Allied attack and a revolt against Mussolini. He also warns the Italian government that RAF bombing of Italian cities will continue until Italy abandons the war.

ENGLISH CHANNEL: Following a raid on the Fiat works at Turin, Flt-Sgt. Rawdon Hume Middleton (b.1916), RAAF, flew his aircraft back to England then ordered his crew out of his badly-shot-up Stirling, and died when he crashed into the sea to avoid civilian casualties. (Victoria Cross)

BELGIUM: During the night of 29/30 November, six RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos seek targets of opportunity. This is the first Mosquito night operation of the war. Railway yards at five places are bombed and the Mosquitos all returned safely.

ITALY: Churchill broadcasts to the Italian people. He says they must choose between a full-scale Allied attack and a revolt against Mussolini.

Lancaster bombers demonstrated their unique lethality tonight by dropping a new 8,000-pound bomb on Italian soil for the first time. The bomber came into service early this year; the bomb was dropped for the first time in April. There have been 11 raids on Turin, the last eight days ago. As well as the new blockbuster, the RAF hit the city with 100,000 incendiaries and other high explosive. RAF Bomber Command dispatches 29 Stirlings and seven Lancasters and the Pathfinder Force to bomb the Fiat works at Turin; weather conditions are poor and only 18 aircraft, 14 Lancasters and four Stirlings, are known to have definitely crossed the Alps. Two Stirlings and a Wellington are missing. Turin reports that 16 people are killed and 15 injured.

BLACK SEA: U-24 was attacked by three rounds from Turkish shore-based guns. The boat dived. The commander stated that the boat was 7 or 8 nautical miles away from the Turkish coast.

TUNISIA: The British First Army, after taking Tebourba on 27 November, is stalled at Djedeida. In an effort to rejuvenate the drive on Tunis, elements of the British 1st Parachute Brigade are dropped at Depienne by USAAF Twelfth Air Force C-47 Skytrains, but the objective of capturing Oudna airfield and threatening Tunis, 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the north, fails because of the overwhelming German defense of the airfield. Over 300 casualties are suffered by the paratroops. Allied armoured "Blade Force" is beaten off when it tries to storm German hilltop strongholds.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force P-38 Lightnings and DB-7 Bostons attack Gabes Airfield while other U.S. fighters operate with the RAF out of Bone, Algeria, furnishing air cover for ground units in the battle area.

LIBYA: Twenty four USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Tripoli harbor at dusk, hitting docks, warehouses, two vessels, and silencing an antiaircraft battery.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: B-25 Mitchells of the USAAF Tenth Air Force’s China Air Task Force bomb Hongay and Campho on the coast.

INDIAN OCEAN: The German auxiliary cruiser HK Michel (Ship 28 also known as Raider "H") sinks the 5,880 ton U.S. freighter SS Sawokla by torpedo and gunfire about 436 nautical miles (807 kilometers) south of the French island of Reunion in the Mascarene Islands. This is the 13th ship sunk by Michel. Sawokla was en route from Colombo, Ceylon, to Cape Town, South Africa, with a cargo of jute and rough linen. Sixteen of the 41-man crew are killed in the attack, as are four of the 13 Armed Guard sailors. Michel rescues 25 crewmen, five Armed Guard sailors and the five passengers.

NEW GUINEA: Colonel YAZAWA Kiyomi and part of the Japanese force that has withdrawn along the west bank of the Kumusi River to positions north of Gona reach Giruwa from there by barge. Australian troops attack in the Gona area attack from the south and east but are halted by determined Japanese troops.

In New Papua Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, P-40s, and A-20 Havocs attack the Gona area while B-25 Mitchells and a single A-20 bomb the airfield at Lae.

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS: Following the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 12-15 November, all plans to recapture that island were abandoned by the Japanese, and all their efforts were directed instead toward making its final capture by the Americans as expensive as possible. For a period of approximately three weeks, only air raids and the appearance of minor naval vessels broke the lull for U.S. forces. However, towards the end of November, Japanese shipping in the Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands, area increases as supplies are loaded upon fast transports, and it becomes apparent that a Japanese move in force to supply their the Guadalcanal garrison is imminent. In order to deny the Japanese the much needed food, ammunition and technical personnel, the USN established Task Force 67 is formed on 27 November at Espirtu Santo Island to intercept the rejuvenated "Tokyo Express" before it could effect a landing. TF 67, under the command of Rear Admiral Carleton H. Wright, is composed of the heavy cruisers USS Minneapolis (CA-36), New Orleans (CA-32, Northampton (CA-26) and Pensacola (CA-24), light cruiser USS Honolulu (CL-48), and destroyers USS Drayton (DD-366), Fletcher (DD-445), Lamson (DD-367), Larder (DD-487), Maury (DD-401) and Perkins (DD-377). At about 2300 hours, TF 67got underway to intercept the Japanese landing which was expected to take place at Tassafaronga. (See Solomon Islands below).

SOLOMON ISLANDS: US Admrial Wright adopts Kinkaid's plans and reviewed it with the captains of his TF. At midnight tonight TF 67, 5 cruisers and 6 destroyers, will leave Espiritu Santo for Guadalcanal.

At half past midnight, Japanese Destroyer Squadron Two, consisting of eight destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral TANAKA Raizo, departed Buin on the southern coast of Bougainville Island en route to Guadalcanal. The destroyers divided into two forces were: Strike Force consisted of HIJMS Naganami and Takanami; Transport Force consisted of HIJMS Kagero, Kawakaze, Kuroshio, Makinami, Oyahio and Suzukaze.

Aircraft from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal sink Japanese cargo ships SS Azusa Maru and Kiku Maru, in Wickham Anchorage, New Georgia Island.

On Guadalcanal, the 3d Battalion, 147th Infantry Regiment, elements of the 246th Field Artillery Battalion, part of the Marine 9th Defense Battalion, and additional Seabees are landed in the Koli Point area, where an airfield, Carney, is to be constructed; the Aola Bay area has been rejected as unsuitable for an airfield site.

There are on this date six New Zealand squadrons of the RNZAF in the AirSoPac theatre (one P-40 squadron, three Hudson squadrons, and one squadron each of Singapores and Vincents.)

PACIFIC OCEAN: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses intercept a force of four troop carrying destroyers proceeding through Vitiaz Strait between New Britain Island and New Guinea without air cover; the B-17 Flying Fortresses damage the Japanese destroyers HIJMS Shiratsuyu and Makigumo and cause the others to turn back, thus preventing reinforcement of Gona with fresh troops from Rabaul on New Britain Island.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberator over Holtz Bay, Attu Island, reports the vessel bombed and damaged on 26 November as still sinking; a B-26 Marauder flies an uneventful reconnaissance over the south shore of Kiska Island.

Coffee joins the list of items rationed. Despite record coffee production in Latin American countries, the growing demand for the bean from both military and civilian sources, and the demands placed on shipping, which is needed for other purposes, required the limiting of its availability.

In a major reorganization, all Bombardment Squadrons assigned to the USAAF Antisubmarine Command are redesignated Antisubmarine Squadrons.

Lieutenant Colonel Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner, America's first WWII fighter ace, is killed in a P-40 accident 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Eglin Field, Valpariso, Florida. In December 1941, Lieutenant Wagner was assigned to the 17th Pursuit Squadron in the Philippines and shot down five Japanese aircraft in four days. He was evacuated to Australia in January 1942 and then went to New Guinea in April 1942 with two P-39 Airacobra squadrons. On 30 April, he was credited with three Japanese fighters bringing his total to eight. By late summer, he had returned to the U.S. in a combat-training assignment. He is on a routine flight from Eglin Field to Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama when his aircraft crashes.

Destroyer HMS Cassandra launched.

Frigate HMS Loch Killin launched.

Submarine HMS Virtue launched.

Frigate HMS Ekins commissioned.

Submarine HMS Flounder commissioned.

FRANCE: Fifty three USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb Chievres Airfield but 71 B-26 Marauders sent to bomb Epinoy Airfield at Cambrai abort the mission due to bad weather.

During the night of 29/30 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 141: eight B-17 Flying Fortresses drop 1.6 million leaflets over Paris, Reims, Le Mans, Orleans, Chartres, Amiens and Rouen. .

GERMANY: U-679 commissioned.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies VIII Bomber Command Mission 140 and bomb four targets at 1429-1450 hours. Unfavorable cloud conditions and malfunction of blind bombing equipment cause 200+ B-17s to abort. One hundred thirty seven bomb the port area at Bremen with the loss of 13 B-17s and 17 others bomb the industrial area at Emmerich and Oldenburg and other cities. Thirteen B-17s, seven P-38 Lightnings and nine P-47 Thunderbolts are lost. VIII Bomber Command also flies Mission 142: one B-17 drops two 2,000 pound (907 kilogram) bombs and a photoflash on Emmerich at 2108 hours.

During the night of 29/30 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 21 Mosquitos to bomb cities: nine bomb Bochum with seven bombing the Vereinigte Stahl steel factory and two bombing the city; nine hit Dusseldorf with eight hitting the city and one hitting the Rheinmetall armaments factory; and four attack Cologne.

FINLAND: Finland leaves an offer for peace based on borders of 1939. The Soviet Union refuses to discuss the peace on these terms. (Gene Hanson)

BALTIC SEA: During training, U-921 had a collision with the German ship Christiane Sinding.

ITALY: The British 8th Army continues its attacks across the Sangro River. Mozzogrogna and Fossacesia fall.
Privates Mikio Hasemoto and Shizuya Hayashi of the US 100th Infantry Battalion display conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity beyond the call of duty at Cerasuolo. (Medal of Honor, Posthumous for Hasemoto)

In the U.S. Fifth Army area, the VI Corps begins limited operations on the right flank of the army to divert the Germans from the coming main assault against Mt. Camino. The 45th Infantry Division begins clearing the region north of the Filignano-St Elia road in an effort to open the road: The 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, leads off against La Bandita (Hill 855) but cannot take it; the 157th Infantry Regiment, making diversionary thrusts, secures Hill 460. The 34th Infantry Division, to the right of the 45th Infantry Division, begins operations to clear the heights overlooking the Colli-Atina road: The 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, moves against Mt. Pantano, taking the first of four knobs; the 133d Infantry Regiment moves against the hills between Castelnuovo and Cerasuolo.

In the British Eighth Army area, V Corps breaches the Winter Line in its sector. Driving through Mozzagrogna, the 4th Armoured Brigade, with excellent air support, begins to clear the Sangro ridge.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb road and rail bridges at Giulianova. USAAF, South African Air Force (SAAF), and RAF light bombers hit enemy strongpoints at San Vito Chietino and the Castelfrentano-Lanciano-Fossacesia areas and Allied fighter-bombers bomb enemy forward positions around Fossacesia and Lanciano.

Seventy USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb the airfield and marshalling yards at Grosseto while 19 B-24 Liberators, with P-38 Lightning escort, bomb the Casale depot at Rome. Many other medium and heavy bombers are prevented from bombing targets by bad weather.

During the night of 29/30 November, two RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group drop leaflets over the German lines.

CHINA: Two USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit the airfield, town area, and warehouse section at Swatow, two bomb the power station and nearby targets of opportunity at Amoy, and two attack barges in nearby coastal areas. Twenty four P-40s drop food and ammunition to Chinese troops at Changte, strafe a camp in the Hsutu Lake area, damage a vessel in Tien-hsin Lake and attack numerous small craft in channels between Hsutu and Tungting Lakes and between Tsowshih and Hofuh.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Task Group 74.2, the Australian destroyers HMAS Arunta (I 30) and Warramunga (I 44) and the USN destroyers USS Helm (DD-388) and Ralph Talbot (DD-390), shell Japanese positions at Gasmata on New Britain Island.

Thirty five USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders bomb Cape Gloucester on New Britain Island.

NEW GUINEA: As the Australians advance from Finschhafen they capture Gusika and Bonga. Farther north Allied warships shell Sio.

Destroyer USS Perkins sunk collision with troopship HMAS Duntroon off Cape Vogel, New Guinea. 9 crew were lost.

In Dutch New Guinea, six USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb a barracks at Manokwari.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The 1st Marine Parachute Battalion is landed before dawn about 6 miles (10 kilometers) east of Cape Torokina from LCVPs and LCMs, covered by two LCI(G) and a motor torpedo boat; heavy Japanese opposition at daybreak, however, compels the evacuation of the marines. Destroyer USS Fullam (DD-474) aided by F4U Corsairs, silences enemy artillery, mortar and sniper fire, and thus allows the successful extraction of the beleaguered marines.

On Bougainville Island, 18 USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, with fighter cover, attack Tinputs Harbor and targets of opportunity in the area from Numa Numa to Kieta; 21 B-24 Liberators pound Kieta; P-39 Airacobras join USN dive bombers in a strike on the Mosigetta warehouse area; and a fighter patrol attacks Gazelle Harbor and gun positions S of Torokina Plantation.

On Bougainville, work is begun on an airstrip, called Piva Uncle, near the Piva River.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Solomon Sea, the USN destroyer USS Perkins (DD-377) is sunk shortly before 0200 hours by the Australian troopship HMAT Duntroon which rams Perkins on the portside, amidships. Splitting in two, Perkins goes down 1.7 nautical miles (3,2 kilometers) off the coast of Papua New Guinea about 171 nautical miles (317 kilometers) east of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Four crewmen are lost.

USN submarine USS Bonefish (SS-223) sinks the 4,625 ton Surabaya-bound Japanese army cargo ship SS Suez Maru in the Java Sea off Kangean Island, north of Bali, about 177 nautical miles (327 kilometers) east of Surabaya, Java, Netherlands East Indies, in position 6.57S, 115.42E. There are 916 men aboard the ship: in two holds, 422 sick British (including 221 RAF servicemen) and 127 sick Dutch prisoners, including up to 20 stretcher cases, are accommodated; 205 Japanese patients fill the other two holds. After being hit by the torpedo, the ship starts to list as water pours into the holds drowning hundreds. Hundreds more, Allied and Japanese, manage to escape the holds and are struggling in the water. The Japanese escort mine sweeper W-12, starts to pick up Japanese survivors leaving the Allied captives behind. Between 200 and 250 men are floating in the sea. The minesweeper then makes several slow circles around the survivors and minutes later machine-gun and rifle fire are directed towards the defenseless swimmers. Empty rafts and lifeboats are then rammed and sunk. The minesweeper then picks up speed and speeds off towards Batavia. They had rescued 93 Japanese soldiers and crewmen and 205 Japanese sick patients; 69 Japanese had died during the attack. Back at the site of the sinking only floating wreckage and an oil spill was all that was left of the Suez Maru. Of the 546 British and Dutch prisoners, there is only one survivor, a British soldier who is picked up 24-hours later by the Australian minesweeper HMAS Ballarat (J 184).

U.S.A.: 412th Fighter Group is activated at Muroc Army Air Base, California. It is to operate the Bell P-59 Airacomet jet to (1) conduct tests and engage in experimental work with the two American jets and (2) as an operational training unit (OTU) to train pilots and other personnel for duty with jet aircraft.

Escort carrier USS Gilbert Islands laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS Jack Miller and Stafford laid down.

Destroyer escort USS William C Cole launched.

Destroyer escort USS Haverfield commissioned.

Aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) commissioned.

HMCS Mayflower, a Flower-class corvette, commenced a refit at Norfolk, Virginia. Many Canadian and British warships were repaired and refitted in the US, and at Norfolk in particular. British and Canadian shipyards were overloaded with repair work, to the detriment of many new construction programs. Chronic shortages of new technology items in Canada also dictated that much upgrading work had to be done in the US or in the U.K. At a time when the US was producing modern destroyer-escorts at the rate of one every 20 days and with manning shortages for newly constructed Canadian warships reaching crisis proportions, putting such effort into refitting a ship of marginal value was, to say the least, questionable.

WESTERN EUROPE: During the night of 29/20 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 730: six B-17 Flying Fortresses and seven B-24 Liberators drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area around Metz, Fort St Privat falls to the 5th Infantry Division. In the XII Corps area, the Germans recovers all of Farebersviller from 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division, although tanks and tank destroyers have moved forward to assist infantrymen. A task force of Combat Command A, 4th Armored Division, takes Durstel.

In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the 114th Infantry Regiment of the 44th Infantry Division takes Tidfenbach. The 45th Infantry Division improves its positions along the north bank of the Moder River in the Rothbach-Mertzwiller region. In a limited objective attack, the 79th Infantry Division's 314th Infantry Regiment clears Niederschaeffolsheim, near Haguenau. In the VI Corps area, Erstein falls to the French 2d Armored Division. The 411th Infantry Regiment, 103d Infantry Division, seizes Barr and Andlau. Combat Command A, 14th Armored Division, pushes south through Barr along the eastern edge of the Vosges Mountains. The 36th Infantry Division mops up near Liepvre and to the finds Le Bonhomme free of the Germans.

GERMANY: Although the front lines, of the US 1st, 3rd and 9th Armies, have many small actions, there is no major change in positions.

On the US 1st Army, VII Corps front: The 104th Division repulsed German counterattacks during the night in the towns of Lamersdorf and Imden, but the Germans recaptured the bridge site over the Inde. In the 1st Division area, a battalion of the 16th Infantry cut the highway east of Langerwehe, while the 26th Infantry advanced into Merode. A squadron of the 4th Cavalry Group screened the gap developing between the 26th and 8th Infantry Regiments. The 4th Division's 8th Infantry advanced 1000 yards along the Schevenhtte-Dren road and the 22d seized Grosshau and cut the Grosshau-Gey road. CCA and elements of the 121st Infantry seize Kleinhau and report Hill 401 captured. East of Hürtgen, the Germans are driven back almost 1000 yards. (Robert Rush)

In the U.S. Ninth Army area, XIII Corps begins a drive toward the Roer River before dawn, omitting artillery preparation. The 84th Infantry Division, on the left flank of the corps, makes the main effort toward Lindern and the high ground northeast of Beeck with the 335th Infantry Regiment: about 100 men of the 3d Battalion reach Lindern at daybreak and hold there until reinforcements, including tanks, arrive much later in the day; German efforts to regain the village are repulsed; the 2d Battalion begins an assault on the heights northeast of Beeck against strong opposition. The 333d Infantry Regiment provides fire support for the 335th; in conjunction with the 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) conducts demonstration against Beeck. The 102d Infantry Division makes a secondary effort on the southern flank of the corps, the 405th Infantry Regiment advancing along the Lindern-Linnich highway to the right of the 84th Infantry Division and elements to the right gaining limited their objective in preparation for the next assault.

In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 90th and 95th Infantry Divisions launch a co-ordinated attack to reach the Sarre River. The 90th Infantry Division, with little difficulty, gets a patrol to the river. The 95th is strongly opposed on the Saar heights in front of Saarlautern and undergoes ten counterattacks, but gains the general line Kerprich-Hemmersdorf-St Barbara-Merten.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 729: 1,077 bombers and 946 fighters are dispatched to make PFF attacks on railroad viaducts and marshalling yards (M/Ys) and oil refineries; one bomber is lost: 404 hit the oil refinery at Misburg; 281 bomb the M/Y at Hamm; 151 attack the Schildesche railroad viaduct at Bielefeld; 144 bomb the railroad viaduct at Altenbeken; 32 bomb the M/Y at Osnabruck; and seven bomb targets of opportunity.

Three hundred one USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs hit defended areas, barracks, and military depots at Wittlich, Mariaweiler, Pier, Eisdorf, Limburg, Rastatt, and Landau; fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division and Eighth Air Force, fly armed reconnaissance over western Germany, and support the 104th Infantry Division in a holding action against counterattacks at Inden and Lammersdorf, the 8th Infantry Division at Hurtgen, and the 7th Armored Division in the XIII Corps drive toward the Roer River.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 294 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos to bomb Dortmund; 291 bomb the target with the loss of six Lancasters. Bad weather causes the marking and resultant bombing to be scattered but fresh damage is caused in Dortmund. Thirty Mosquitos attempt to bomb a tar and benzol plant in the Meiderich district of Duisburg, using the Oboe-leader method for the first time on a German target, but two of the three formations of Mosquitos failed to link up with their Oboe leaders and 29 bomb on timed runs from the docks south of Duisburg. Most of the bombs are believed to have fallen beyond the target.

During the night of 29/30 November, RAF Bomber Command sends 71 Mosquitos to hit two targets; 66 bomb Hannover and one each bomb Dusseldorf, Hagen and Munster.

SWEDEN: Focke-Wulf Fw 200A-0 Condor, msn 2994, registered D-ARHW and named "Friesland" by the German airline Lufthansa, is shot down by a German patrol boat near Malmö. All six passengers and four crew are killed.

HUNGARY: Budapest: Marshal Tolbukhins Third Ukrainian Front, foiled by bad weather and ferocious German and Hungarian resistance in his attempt to take Budapest by storm, has swung west of the Second Ukrainian troops, forcing a crossing of the Danube in conjunction with Yugoslav partisans and threatening to encircle the Hungarian capital.

The Russians made their crossing north of the Danube's junction with the Dravia and are now swinging up towards Lake Balaton. They have already advanced 25 miles, capturing the provincial capital of Pecs and the Danube port of Mohacs. Berlin admitted last night that the German armies in southern Hungary face "a crisis" with the Red Army crossing the Danube "in considerable strength."

ALBANIA: The Germans evacuate Scutari ahead of the advancing Russian and partisan forces, and start to retreat to the Drina river.

U.S.S.R.: Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla: MS "T-109" (ex-MMS.203) - at storm, in Sengeiskii Is. area (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army area, the British XIII Corps takes Fontanelice without a fight. The Germans recapture Mt. Castellaro from the 1st Division.

During the day weather grounds the USAAF Twelfth Air Force's medium bombers however, fighters and fighter-bombers can operate, and attack enemy communications on the Brenner line and in the north central Po Valley, cutting rail lines in numerous places and destroying a large number of vehicles and railroad cars.

CHINA: Eight USAAF B-25 Mitchells bomb Lashio while 20 P-40s, P-38 Lightnings, and P-51 Mustangs hit targets of opportunity in the Chefang area. P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs attack bridges, horses, shipping, and rail traffic around Hochih and Nanning.

BURMA: Over 50 USAAF Tenth Air Force fighter-bombers fly close support strikes in the battle areas around Bhamo and Pinwe; bridges at Tonbo, Pauktaw, Man Loi, Meza, Bon Chaung. Two unnamed points in northern Burma are pounded by 60+ fighter-bombers while eight others bomb supplies, personnel and ammunition stores at Tigyaing.

Eight USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25s bomb Lashio and three attack Hsenwi. P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs attack bridges, horses, shipping, and rail traffic around Hsenwi, Kawnghka, and Namhkai.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: Six USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Ninh Binh while P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs attack bridges, horses, shipping, and rail traffic around Quang Yen.

JAPAN: The USS Archerfish (submarine) torpedos the carrier IJN Shimano off Honshu in Empire waters. Shimano was originally designed as a battleship, a sister ship to Yamato and Musashi.

USN submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311) torpedoes and sinks the 68,059 ton Japanese aircraft carrier HIJMS Shinano about 190 nautical miles (352 kilometers) south of Nagoya, Japan, in position 32.00N, 137.00E. This was the carrier’s maiden voyage and there were 2515 sailors, 300 shipyard workers and 40 civilian employees aboard. She had sailed from Yokosuka yesterday with three destroyers en route to Kure for fitting out. Unfortunately for those aboard, her watertight compartmentation not yet being installed Archerfish fired six torpedoes and four hit on the starboard side and Shinano becomes the largest warship ever lost in combat when she sank at 1055 hours. The ship had been at see for a total of 17 hours. Of the 2,515 men aboard, 1,435 are lost and 1,080 are rescued.

USN submarine USS Scabbardfish (SS-397) sinks the Japanese submarine HIJMS I-365 with one torpedo about 84 nautical miles (156 kilometers) southeast of Tokyo, Japan, in position 34.44N, 141.01E. Scabbardfish rescues one survivor.

Three USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Kashiwabara on Paramushiru Island, Kurile Islands. B-25 Mitchells call off a shipping sweep due to weather.

During the night of 29/30 November, the USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command flies Mission 9: 29 B-29 Superfortresses based in the Mariana Islands are dispatched to bomb the Tokyo dock and industrial areas; 23 hit the target and two bomb the last resort targets of Yokohama and Numazu. One B-29 is lost.

VOLCANO ISLANDS: Eighteen USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Guam bomb Iwo Jima. During the night of 29/30 November, two B-24 Liberators from Guam and Saipan, bomb the Iwo Jima airfield during snooper missions.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The fighting in Leyte is marked by continued Japanese attacks on US positions on Kilay Ridge. US counterattacks force the Japanese back. Offshore the battleship USS Maryland and two US destroyers sustain serious damage in Kamikaze attacks. American admirals and sailors alike are greatly concerned about the Kamikaze Corps. One in four kamikaze missions is finding a target and one in 33 is sinking a ship.

In the U.S. Sixth Army’s X Corps area on Leyte, the Japanese continue attacks on Kilay Ridge, but the 1st Battalion of the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, succeeds in relieving Company C. An urgent request for reinforcements, 2d Battalion of 528th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, moves forward, Company G, the first to arrive, immediately reinforcing Company C. In the XXIV Corps area, elements of the 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, recover some ground at the bamboo thicket but are unable to clear the Japanese from the thicket and they repel three heavy Japanese counterattacks.

In Leyte Gulf, Japanese kamikazes crash the battleship USS Maryland (BB-46) between turrets Nos. 1 and 2 killing 31 sailors but the ships remained on station. Also hit are the destroyers USS Saufley (DD-465) killing one sailor and Aulick killing 31 (DD-569).

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators bomb Matina Aerodrome on Mindanao Island while A-20 Havocs and P-47 Thunderbolts hit the airfield at Pangsagan. B-24s, with fighter cover, bomb Puerto Princesa Airfield on Palawan Island. B-25 Mitchells and P-47 Thunderbolts attack Japanese shipping near Ormoc Bay sinking a submarine chaser. P-40s and P-47s sink an army cargo ship off Camotes Island, and a cargo ship Shinsho Maru off Ormoc. B-25 Mitchells, and fighter-bombers fly several light raids against targets of opportunity in the Philippine Islands.

EAST INDIES: In the Netherlands East Indies, USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators bomb Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island. B-24 Liberators, B-25 Mitchells, and fighter-bombers fly several light raids against Halmahera Island airfields and against shipping and other targets of opportunity in the Ceram Island area, northern Celebes Island, and northern Borneo.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Bougainville, Australian troops of the 9th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 3rd Division, attack Japanese positions on Little George Hill about 9 miles (14 kilometers) north-northeast of the Torokina perimeter and takes the hill in less than 30 minutes. The Japanese counter-attack in the evening but are driven off.

HAWAII: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Area, recommends that invasion of Mindoro and Luzon in the Philippines Islands be postponed until air strength on Leyte can be built up.

U.S.A.: The German submarine U-1230, lands two German Abwehr agents, William C. Colepaugh and Erich Gimpel, at Hancock Point, Frenchman's Bay, Maine. The men walk cross country through snow to a nearby road where they are seen by a high school student who alerts his father, the local deputy sheriff. The FBI, who had been alerted by Enigma decrypts that U-1230 was on a "special mission," is notified and they begin a manhunt.

The two spies evade the authorities and make it to New York City with US$60,000 in cash (US$588,000 in year 2000 dollars) and small diamonds. Colepaugh, who was born and raised in New England, begins to have second thoughts and reveals his mission to a childhood friend. Finally, he turns himself into the FBI on 26 December and aids the authorities in tracking down Gimpel who is also in New York City; Gimpel is finally apprehended on 30 December. Both men are tried and sentenced to death but their sentences are commuted by President Harry S. Truman after the war.

The Office of War Information (OWI) reveals that the Germans had sunk over 22 million tons of Allied and neutral merchant shipping between September 1939 and 1 January 1944. Despite this staggering loss, the U.S. has replaced this tonnage, launching 4,308 ships with a deadweight tonnage of over 44 million during the same period. By 1944, the Allies had achieved naval superiority in the Battle of the Atlantic, destroying over 500 U-boats.

The changing character of the war was reflected in a revision of the aircraft complement of USN Essex Class Carrier Air Groups to 73 fighter, 15 scout bombers and 15 torpedo aircraft. The fighter complement is to be filled by two squadrons of 36 planes each plus one for the Carrier Air Group Commander and to include four night fighters, two photographic fighters. The change to the new figures was gradual, beginning with the assignment of Marine fighter squadrons in December and continued with the establishment of bombing fighting squadrons (VBF) squadrons in January.

Top songs on the pop music charts are: "The Trolley Song" by The Pied Pipers; "Dance with the Dolly" by The Russ Morgan Orchestra with vocal by Al Jennings; "I'll Walk Alone" by Dinah Shore; and "Smoke on the Water" by Red Foley.

Destroyer escort USS Albert T Harris commissioned.

Minesweeper USS Facility commissioned.

Coast Guard-manned Army FS-549 was commissioned at Los Angeles, CA with LTJG A. B. Freedy, USCGR, as first commanding officer. He was succeeded by LT Thomas D. Miller, USCGR, who in turn was succeeded by LT Israel Trestman, USCGR, on 16 November 1945. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific areas. On 2 July 1945, the FS-549 fouled a line in her propeller in Taloma Bay, Mindanao while assisting the FS-550 that had grounded and was unable to pull herself clear. She was pulled off by the LT-636, Coast Guard-manned. No serious damage resulted. On 24 November 1945, Master Manuel de Sequera assumed command as her Coast Guard crew was removed.

NORWAY: Oslo: The trial begins of Obersturmbannfuehrer Hans Wilhelm Blomberg, Obersturmbannfuehrer Hans Keller, Obersturmfuehrer Georg Ludwig Werner Oppel, Untersturmfuehrer Alfred Kreutz, Obersturmfuehrer Erwin Lang, Rudolf Hermann Theodor Kapp, Willi Friedrick Reinhold Tiege, Oberscharfuehrer George Eberl, Hauptscharfuehrer Friedrich Wilhelm Eisenacher, Obersturmfuehrer George Muller, and Ober-scharfuehrer Schmidt accused of the execution of the crew of British Torpedo Boat No. 345 in July, 1943.

YUGOSLAVIA: Belgrade: The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia is declared. The Yugoslav monarchy is abolished.

UNITED STATES: In Long Island Sound near Fairfield, Connecticut, two men stranded on an oil barge and in peril of being washed overboard are airlifted to safety by a hoist on a Sikorsky (Model S-51) R-5 Dragonfly helicopter. The helicopter is flown by the Sikorsky chief pilot, assisted by a USAAF pilot. This is the first air-sea rescue by helicopter.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Former Kriegsmarine U-boats U-298, U-312 and U-968 are sunk by the Royal Navy.