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1922   (TUESDAY) 

UNITED STATES: The first aircraft carrier takeoff in the USN is made by Lieutenant Virgil C. Griffin in a Vought VE-7SF from USS Langley (CV-1) at anchor in the York River, Virginia.  

1933   (TUESDAY) 

TURKEY: A treaty of nonaggression, conciliation, and arbitration is signed between Romania and Turkey.  

UNITED STATES: Albert Einstein arrives in the U.S. as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

October 17th, 1939 (TUESDAY)

A joint communiqué from the Admiralty and the War Office stated: "Approximately one dozen aircraft took part in Monday's German aerial attack. The cruiser Southampton, slightly damaged by a bomb, has three injured men, and seven men were wounded by bomb splinters aboard the cruiser Edinburgh. Another bomb fell near the destroyer Mohawk and wounded 25 men. At least four of the attacking aircraft were shot down, three of them by British fighter planes.
The assertion that the German bombers attacked and damaged not only the Royal Oak but also the Repulse, is pure invention."

Submarine HMS Tarpon launched.

Submarine HMS Tribune commissioned.

AMC HMS Wolfe commissioned.

GERMANY: The Wehrmacht High Command announced:
"Yesterday successful raids were again made on English naval forces. Two of the English warships lying in the Firth of Forth were hit by bombs of the heaviest calibre. We were able to score this success despite the most intense enemy resistance by flak fire and fighter planes."

At Wilhelmshaven, the crew of the Scharnhorst lined up on deck, welcomes U-47 (Lieutenant Günther Prien) after its successful attack in Scapa Flow. (Navy News)

FINLAND: Field Marshal Carl Mannerheim is appointed the Commander of the Defence Forces (puolustusvoimain komentaja) as the former holder of the post, Lt. Gen. Hugo Österman (who held the post since 1933 with the title of Chief of the Military Forces (sotavoimain päällikkö), has become the commanding officer of the recently formed Isthmus Army (Kannaksen Armeija). Before this, Mannerheim has been the Chairman of the Defence Council, a part-time job, since 1931.

Change of the title is not meaningless. During his tenure Österman was always under Mannerheim's shadow, and his powers steadily deteriorated to Mannerheim's favour. Now these powers remained with Mannerheim when he took the post, and Commander of the defence Forces was also officially more powerful than the Chief of the Military Forces had been.

The Commander of the Defence Forces is a serving officer who conducts the day-to-day command of the Defence Forces under the President of the Republic, who constitutionally is the Commander-in-Chief. Mannerheim's tenure in this particular post will be brief, however. He has been promised already in the early 1930s than in event of war, he will become the Commander-in-Chief. When the Soviet Union invaded on 30 Nov 1939, Mannerheim was duly given the highest military command.

Compulsory evacuations begin in Karelian Isthmus. A zone 4 to 10 kilometres (2,5 to 6 miles) wide next to the Soviet border is emptied of all civilian population.

TURKEY: Ankara: Turkey breaks off talks for a defence treaty with Russia.

U.S.A.: Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Bucky Walters is voted National League Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Johnny Mize is the runner up.

     The motion picture "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" premieres in Washington, D.C. This drama is directed by Frank Capra and stars Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Harry Carey and William Demarest; Jack Carson appears in an uncredited role. The plot has naive and idealistic Stewart appointed to the U.S. Senate on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator, presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Claude Rains however, Stewart discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process. The film is nominated for 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Stewart), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (both Carey and Rains) and Best Director; the film wins one writing award. This film is ranked Number 29 on the American Film Institute's "100 Greatest American Films of All Time."

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The prize ship HUNTSMAN, taken by the GRAF SPEE is sunk. (Navynews)

U-37 sank SS Yorkshire in Convoy HG-3.

U-46 sank SS City of Mandalay in Convoy HG-3.

U-48 sank SS Clan Chisholm in Convoy HG-3.

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October 17th, 1940 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain: 
London: Sub-Lt Jack Maynard Cholmondeley Easton (b. 1906), RNVR, and AB Bennett Southwall (b. 1913), RN, tackled a mine dangling six inches from the floor of a house. It slipped and both men ran for cover, but the huge blast killed AB Southwell and badly injured Sub-Lt Easton. (George Crosses)
Coventry: 2nd Lt Alexander Fraser Campbell (b. 1898), 9 Bomb Disposal Coy Royal Engineers, lay alongside a bomb in case it began ticking as it was taken from a factory. He defused it but died the next day along with six men of the Royal Engineers when another bomb exploded while he was trying to defuse it. (George Cross).

German bombing has killed 1,567 people in the week up to today, much of the air raid damage due to new German land mines.

Limited visibility helped mask Luftwaffe attacks. In the morning, 90 Bf 109s and Bf 110s attacked Margate, Broadstairs and Stanmore. In the afternoon, large and small concentrations of Luftwaffe aircraft attacked England using clouds to maximum effect to confuse the RAF fighters. The weather is bright with some showers. During the day, German aircraft succeed in dropping a small number of bombs in London whicombs in London whicombs in London which causes little damage and few casualties. Intermittent and widespread bombing occurs in Kent and Essex but damage on the whole is slight. After dark, raids are again directed against London and railway communications seem to have been selected for particular attention. Several bombs are dropped in the Westminster district and practically all suburbs are visited resulting in a varying amount of damage. Birmingham and Liverpool are again bombed but little damage is reported although there appear to be a number of casualties. RAF Fighter Command claims 4-6-5 Luftwaffe aircraft. Three RAF fighters and the pilots are lost. Losses for the day were 15 Luftwaffe aircraft vs. 3 RAF fighters.

In London, a bomb destroyed automatic signalling equipment at Waterloo Station however, people using flags kept the trains rolling.

London: London Transport appeals to the provinces for vehicles for its badly blitzed bus fleet.

Losses: Luftwaffe, 15; RAF, 3.

RAF Bomber Command: Last night bombers attacked the German naval base at Kiel.

2 Group: A new tactic is tried with one crew from each of three squadrons (114, 139 and 218) being given a free hand attacking any target in Germany or occupied territory under cloud cover.

Corvette HMS Amaranthus launched.

Corvette USS Temptress (ex-HMS Veronica) launched.

NORTH SEA: Submarine HMS H-49 sunk by UJ116 and UJ118 off the Dutch coast.

GERMANY: Hitler makes what will be his last visit to the Kehsteinhaus or Teehaus built for him as a birthday gift by Bormann. Hitler's visits have been few due to his fear of height. (Russell Folsom)

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Trail launched North Vancouver, British Columbia.

UNITED STATES: Iron and steel scrap exports are licensed to Great Britain and Western Hemisphere only ". . . with a view to conserving the available supply to meet the rapidly expanding requirements of the defense program in this country."

ATLANTIC OCEAN: During the battle against convoy OB-228, depth charges and gunfire from a British escort damaged U-93.

U-38 sank SS Liebe Aenos in Convoy SC-7.

U-48 sank SS Languedoc and SS Scoresby in Convoy SC-7.

U-93 sank SS Dokka and SS Uskbridge in Convoy OB-228 .

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October 17th, 1941 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:

Destroyer HMS Wilton launched.

Submarine HMS P-38 commissioned.

GERMANY: U-637 laid down.

JAPAN: Lieutenant General Tojo Hideki, War Minister in the cabinet becomes Japanese Premier as the Konoye Government resigns. A memo for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff states, "Any cabinet selected by General Tojo may be expected to have Axis leanings but will be otherwise anti-foreign and highly nationalistic."

The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo sends a telegram to the embassy in Washington, DC, which includes the following: "The resignation was brought about by a split within the Cabinet. It is true that one of the main items on which opinion differed was on the matter of stationing troops or evacuating them from China. However, regardless of the make-up of the new Cabinet, negotiations with the United States shall be continued along the lines already formulated. There shall be no changes in this respect."

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Colonel H. George, A-4 (supply) under Major General Lewis H. Brereton, Commanding General Far East Air Force (USAAC), sends a request to Hugh Casey, MacArthur's engineer, to construct housing and messing for one air group at Del Monte, a natural meadow in the Del Monte pineapple plantation on Mindanao.

CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Three Rivers renamed HMCS Trois Rivieres.

U.S.A.: The USN orders all U.S. merchant ships in Asiatic waters to put into friendly ports.

In the U.S., the motion picture "Week-End in Havana" is released today. This musical comedy, directed by Walter Lang, stars Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, John Payne, Cesar Romero, Sheldon Leonard and Billy Gilbert; Hugh Beaumont (later "Ward Cleaver") appears in an uncredited bit part. The plot is typical musical fluff with Payne taking Faye to Havana for business purposes where they meet night club singer Miranda.

Washington: All US merchant ships in Asian waters are ordered to put in at friendly ports.

ICELAND: Reykjavik: The battle to protect convoy SC 48 continues. SC 48 is the first U.S. Navy-escorted convoy to engage German submarines in battle, but despite the presence of the three modern U.S. destroyers and two flush-deckers--USS Decatur (DD-341) and HMCS Columbia [ex-USS Haraden (DD-183)], and four RCN corvettes, the enemy torpedoes six ships and an escort vessel in a total elapsed time of four hours and forty-seven minutes. U-432 sinks Greek steamer SS Evros, Panamanian steamer SS Bold Venture and Norwegian motor tanker MS Barfonn; U-558 sinks British tanker SS W.C. Teagle, and Norwegian steamship SS Rym; U-553 sinks Norwegian steamer SS Erviken and conducts an unsuccessful approach on destroyer USS Plunkett (DD-431). The RCN and USN escort vessels immediately began dropping depth charges and continue to barrage throughout the night.

The USS KEARNY (DD-432) is torpedoed by U-568 southwest of Iceland at 2.00am. She was one of five US destroyers which went to the aid of convoy SC-48, which had come under attack from a U-boat pack after losing half her Canadian escort in a gale.

Last night, despite the reinforcements, U-boats sank six more merchant ships. The KEARNY was illuminated by the blazing vessels and suffered a direct hit from U-568 on the starboard side, but damage control limited flooding to the forward fire room enabling the ship to leave the danger area with power from the aft fire room. 

Regaining power in the forward fire room, Kearny, escorted by USS Greer (DD-145), the damaged Kearny proceeds to Hvalfjordur, Iceland at 10 knots, arriving 19 October. There she will undergo temporary repairs alongside repair ship USS Vulcan (AR-5) and get underway on 25 December 1941 for Massachusetts for permanent repairs. Eleven of Kearny's crew are killed and 22 are injured.

Soon thereafter, U-101 torpedoes and sinks the RN destroyer HMS Broadwater [ex-USS Mason (DD-191)], at 57°01'N, 19°08'W. Lost on board the British flush-deck destroyer are two survivors from SS Ervinken and nine from SS W.C. Teagle.

In the air, PBY-5A Catalinas of the USN's Patrol Squadron Seventy Three (VP-73) based at Reykjavik, Iceland, arrive to provide air coverage for SC 48. 

Two USN destroyers screening convoy HX 154, USS Charles F. Hughes (DD-428) and USS Gleaves (DD-423), depth-charge suspicious contacts at 54°40'N, 33°59'W, and 54°40'N, 33°59'W.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

U-83 sank SS Indra.

U-97 sank SS Pass of Balmaha and SS Samos.

U-432 sank SS Barfonn and SS Evros in Convoy SC-48.

U-553 sank SS Bold Venture in Convoy SC-48.

U-558 sank SS Erviken, SS Rym, SS WC Teagle and corvette HMS Gladiolus in Convoy SC-48.

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October 17th, 1942 (SATURDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: Allied governments are planning to set up a commission to investigate war crimes committed by the Nazis and their collaborators. A list of war criminals will be drawn up and the evidence against them collected by the governments of occupied Europe. Trials after the war are expected to last several years.

Top of the list will be Hitler and Nazi Party leaders and collaborators. Below them will be the names of German agents in occupied countries, nationals of occupied countries but of German origin who have worked with the Nazis, and nationals of the occupied countries who have set themselves up as "quisling" rulers and their henchmen.

Scotland: The Allied invasion fleet for Operation TORCH in North Africa next month starts to assemble in the Firth of Clyde.

Destroyer HMS Orwell commissioned.

FRANCE: The Schneider factory at Le Creusot is regarded as the French equivalent to Krupps and produces heavy guns, railway engines and, it is believed, tanks and armoured cars. A large workers' housing estate is situated at one end of the factory. RAF Bomber Command has been given this as the highest priority target in France for a night attack but only in the most favourable of conditions. Air Marshal Arthur Harris, Air Officer Commanding RAF Bomber Command, decides to attack by day, at low level. The task is given to Air Vice-Marshal Coryton's 5 Group and its nine Lancaster squadrons carry out a series of low-level practice flights over England. After a favourable weather report, 94 Lancasters set out on the afternoon of 17 October. The force is led by Wing Commander L. C. Slee of 49 Squadron. Eighty eight aircraft are to bomb the Schneider factory; the other six are to attack a nearby transformer station which supplies the factory with electricity. The Lancasters fly in a loose formation over the sea around Brittany, and cross the coast of France between La Rochelle and St Nazaire without any fighter escort. For 300 miles (483 kilometers) the Lancasters fly at tree-top level across France. No German fighters attack the bombers during this flight. The greatest danger is from birds; four aircraft are damaged and two men injured in bird strikes. After a fine piece of work by Wing Commander Slee's navigator, Pilot Officer A. S. Grant, the force reaches its last turning-point near Nevers and gains height for bombing. There is practically no Flak at the target and bombing takes place in clear conditions at heights of between 2,500 and 7,500 feet (762 and 2 296 meters). Nearly 140 tons (127 metric tonnes) of bombs are dropped. The Lancasters return home safely as darkness closes in. The only casualty is one aircraft of 61 Squadron which bombs the nearby transformer power station at such a low level that it crashes into a building.

One airman, describing this daylight flight without fighter cover, said: "It was like the Grand National, except that no one fell." This was not quite accurate - one of the Lancasters had failed to return.

The 5 Group crews claimed a successful attack on the Schneider factory but photographs taken later show that much of the bombing had fallen short and had struck the workers' housing estate near the factory. Some bombs had fallen into the factory area but damage there is not extensive. It has not been possible to obtain a report from France on the casualties suffered by the local people in this raid. 57 Squadron is also part of this mission.

     Eleven RAF Bomber Command Douglas (A-20) Bostons sent to Le Havre have to turn back but six other Bostons carry out a sweep to create a diversion for the Le Creusot force. No Bostons are lost.

Paris: Shot-down aircrew and PoWs who managed to "escape and evade" are returning to England on regular "Underground lines" set up by members of the Resistance and trained agents dropped into France by MI9, the intelligence department in charge of escapes.

MI9 is in experienced hands; one of its leaders is Captain Airey Neave, who escaped from Colditz Castle last January disguised as a German officer and walked to Switzerland.

It is impressed on all servicemen that it is their duty to escape, and they are being provided with the equipment to do so. Unscrew a certain button on a pilot's jacket and it turns into a compass. His silk scarf is a map showing him the way home, and his flying boots convert into walking shoes with a hacksaw blade hidden in a lace and foreign currency in the heels.

All aircrew are taught how to evade capture and live off the country until they can contact the local Resistance. They are never given names and addresses of people to contact, but are told to seek out solid patriotic households and ask the occupants to put them in touch with the Resistance.

If all goes well the escapers are fed, dressed in local clothes, given false papers and passed along a line of "safe houses", either to the Spanish or Swiss borders or to a landing strip to be picked up by a Lysander or a Hudson of the RAF's special duty squadrons.

One of the bravest of those helping the escapers - sometimes known as "conductors" - is a 24-year-old Belgian, Andree de Jongh, who runs the "Comet" line. She specializes in the long trip from Brussels, through Paris and over the Pyrenees to Bilboa where her passengers are taken by fishing boat to Gibraltar.

GERMANY: Berlin: The enemy's dispute with Britain over the treatment of PoWs was given a new and unpleasant twist today when the German high command declared that "inhumane treatment of prisoners in any theatre of war, for instance on the Soviet front, would have to be paid for by prisoners in our hands without distinction of nationality."

The Germans made no reference to the British offer to unshackle Axis prisoners if the Germans would do the same with the PoWs taken at Dieppe.

U-291, U-477, U-989, U-990 laid down.

U-487, U-488 launched.

On the way from Gotenhafen to Kiel, U-450 collided with the German ship Peter from Hamburg.

BURMA: No. 82 Squadron RAF commences operations flying the Vultee Vengeance dive-bomber. (22)

NEW GUINEA: Japanese rearguard actions at Eora Creek holds up the Australian advance along the Kokoda Track. The point unit for the Australians is the 16th Brigade which has taken over from the 25th Brigade.
     Abel's Field at Fasari, on the upper Musa River near Mt Sapia, becomes operational; the field is named for Cecil Abel, a missionary who constructed it with assistance of native labor and equipment dropped by USAAF Fifth Air Force.

     First luggers reach Wanigela on the north coast and continue toward Pongani with men and supplies.

One regiment of the US 32nd Division is airlifted from Port Moresby.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: A force of 18 "Val" dive bombers (Aichi D3A, Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers) and 18 "Zeke" fighters (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Hiyo and HIJMS Junyo have been temporarily based at Buka Airdrome on Buka Island just north of Bougainville Island. This force is airborne this morning to attack shipping off Guadalcanal. At 0720 hours local, 8 Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Twenty One (VMF-121) F4F Wildcats intercept this force as the "Vals" attack two USN destroyers--USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) and USS Lardner (DD-487)--shelling new IJA supply dumps west of the Lunga Perimeter near Tassafaronga. The Marine Wildcats disrupt the attack and shoot down 6 "Vals" and 4 "Zekes;" one Wildcat is lost along with its pilot. The destroyers continue their bombardment and fire 1,925 5-inch (12.7 cm) at the supply dumps.

Throughout the day, numerous P-39and P-400 Airacobra fighter-bombers and 6 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the IJA supply dumps. 

In the afternoon, the IJN sends 15 "Betty" bombers (, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) and 9 "Zekes" to bomb Guadalcanal; the Japanese aircraft are unopposed.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USS Greenling (SS-213) sinks an armed transport at 37-35 N, 141-30 E USS Trigger (SS-237) sinks an cargo ship at 32-21 N, 132-04 E, east of Hososhima, Japan. (Skip Guidry)

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: Aleutians: 4 Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the Main Camp area on Kiska Island and a beached vessel in Trout Lagoon; the results are unobserved due to clouds; a B-24 flying weather reconnaissance finds no trace of 2 destroyers, confirming their sinking on 16 October.

CANADA: Trawler HMS Miscou commissioned Collingwood, Ontario.

U.S.A.: During WW II, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) produced numerous documents, most commonly known are the Intelligence Bulletins. The Military Intelligence Special Series continues with "German Motorized Infantry Regiment." (William L. Howard)

Destroyer USS Kalk commissioned.

Destroyer escorts USS Evarts and Wyfells laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-504 sank SS Empire Chaucer.

U-609 suffered great damages when the escort HMS Celandine attacked her with depth charges during the battle against convoy ON-137.

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October 17th, 1943 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Frigate HMS Bickerton commissioned.

NETHERLANDS: Twenty RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands during the night of 17/18 October.

ITALY: The Allied campaign has slowed to a crawl in the face of bad weather and fierce German rearguard actions. During the next month, Clark's Fifth Army and Montgomery's 8th Army will creep forward about a mile (1.6 km) per day, fighting mud, mines and booby-traps and Germans entrenched on the high ground. Cold and hungry front-line infantrymen build rock shelters to protect themselves from snipers and shellfire. By mid-November, the Fifth Army will be so bloodied and exhausted that Clark will order a two-week halt to rest and recuperate. The Germans are methodically withdrawing to three south-of-Rome defence lines called Barbara, Bernhard and, the toughest, Gustav.

     In U.S. Fifth Army’s VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division finds that the Germans have withdrawn from Liberi and Villa. Elements of 34th Infantry Division occupy Alvignano after patrols report it clear.

In the air, weather prevents operations by the XII Bomber Command. US and RAF units of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force operate at a reduced pace. Light and medium bombers hit the towns of Teano and Alife and motor transport at Benedello, Penna, and Pedesso; fighter-bombers bomb and strafe troops, trucks, guns, train stations, and a bridge near Vinchiaturo, Benedello, Teramo, and Sparanise; other fighters strafe locomotives south of Ancona.

     During the night of 17/18 October, RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group fly two missions: 11 aircraft bomb Casale Airfield south of Borgo Casale and two aircraft drop leaflets over Milan.

ADRIATIC SEA: Royal Navy submarine TROOPER fails to return from patrol. She set out from Beirut, Lebanon on 26th September 1943, for Dodecanese patrol and does not return today. German records claim she was sunk by a Q-ship off the isle of Kos on the 14th. (Denis Peck)

U.S.S.R.: Soviet forces break the German lines around Kremenchug and push toward Krivoi Rog. Red Army forces of the Centre Front, attempting the investment of Gomel, cross the Dniepr River south of Gomel and capture Loyev.

Soviet minesweeper SKR-14 (ex RT-86 Indiga) sunk by U-636.

BURMA: Tenth Air Force B-24s and B-25s bomb the rail yards at Naba while 7 Fourteenth Air Force B-24s bomb Htawgaw.

TERRITORY OF HAWAII: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-36 launches a small "Glen" seaplane (Kugisho E14Y, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) to determine how many aircraft carriers are in Pearl Harbor (there are none). 

The absence of the carriers coupled with the 5 and 6 October raids against Wake Island lead IJN intelligence officers to believe that an invasion of Wake is imminent. Because of this misinterpretation, IJN carrier aircraft that could have been used to oppose the upcoming invasion of Bougainville are withheld for more than a week.

PACIFIC OCEAN: 0200 hours, the German auxiliary cruiser, HK Michel (ship H), the former Polish freighter SS Biolskoi captured in Norway, is sunk by submarine USS Tarpon (SS-175) off Japan at 33-42N, 140-08E. A tremendous explosion after a torpedo struck sank the ship and she went down within 13 minutes with the loss of 263 crewmen and 19 Norwegian sailors who had been captured; 110 crewmen survived. Michel has sunk three ships on this cruise and 17 aggregate over the last two cruises, and is the last auxiliary cruiser in operation for Germany.

Aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17: "We pulled out of Pearl Harbor early for two days of maneuvers in the area.. First, we retrieved our aircraft, respotted the deck and the ship went to General Quarters. The 5-inch (12,7 centimeter) guns started firing and I started looking for what they were shooting at. By the time I found the target, the 40 mms and then the 20 mms started. I found what I took to be a "yellow peril" (biplane trainer) buzzing around with all these guns shooting at it. I was wishing I could go home then as nobody hit it. And to think I was going into combat with a bunch of gunners like this.???? Oh well, life was hell for a war hero." (Glen Boren)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: USMC SBD Dauntlesses and TBF Avengers attack Kahili Airfield on Bougainville while 6 B-25s and 21 USMC F4U Corsairs sweep Ballale Airfield. The latter strike is engaged by 40+ "Zeke" fighters; 14 "Zekes" are shot down with the loss of a Corsair.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, the Japanese continue vigorous attacks from Sattelberg after attempting to land four barge loads of troops, of which only one reaches shore.

18 Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-25 Mitchells bomb and strafe Sattelberg, and 7 B-25s hit Wewak and Boram Airfield with a low-level attack during which 15 aircraft are destroyed on the ground and 4 claimed shot down.

Four P-39s intercept 18 airplanes attacking Finschhafen, claiming 6 shot down. 40+ fighters intercept a large group of enemy aircraft attempting to attack Oro Bay; US fighters claim 24 shot down.

EAST INDIES: Six B-24s bomb Ternate Island in the Moluccas, a 2,200-mile (3,520 km) round trip.

U.S.A.: Destroyer escort USS Damon M Cummings laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS Riddle, Wesson and Witter launched.

Frigate USS Pocatello launched.

Submarines USS Bream and Shark launched.

Destroyer USS McDermut launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-540 (Type IXC/40) is sunk east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, at position 58.38N, 31.56W, by depth charges from 2 British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 59/D and 120/H). 55 dead (all crew lost).

U-631 (Type VIIC) is sunk in the North Atlantic southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, at position 58.13N, 32.29W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Sunflower. 53 dead (all crew lost).

U-841 (Type IXC/40) is sunk in the North Atlantic east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, at position 59.57N, 31.06W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Byard. 26 dead, 26 survivors.

In the evening of this day a Liberator aircraft attacked U-281 with bombs and machine guns, wounding three crewmembers.

During heavy weather one lookout on U-608 broke his arm.

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October 17th, 1944 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The Eighth Air Force flies Mission 681: 1,338 bombers and 811 fighters are dispatched on PFF attacks in the Cologne, Germany area; 4 B-17s and a P-51 are lost:

- 465 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Cologne/Eifeltor (216) and Cologne/Gremberg (34); targets of opportunity are Cologne/Kalk marshalling yard (151) and other (2); a B-17 is lost. Escort is provided by 274 P-47s and P-51s without loss.

- 453 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Cologne/Gereon (295) and Cologne/Kalk (142); 3 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 271 P-47s and P-51s; a P-51 is lost.

- 430 B-24s are dispatched to hit a chemical plant at Leverkusen but weather prevents the attack; targets of opportunity hit are the Cologne/Gereon (231) and Cologne/Kalk (179) marshalling yards. Escort is provided by 229 P-47s and P-51s.

FRANCE: The French War Ministry and the national Council for the Resistance agree on how to integrate the FFI into the regular army. Political loyalties of the various resistance groups have caused many problems with this process.

     In U.S. Seventh Army’s XV Corps area, the 44th Infantry Division, untried in combat, closes in the Lunévile area. In the VI Corps area, the 45th and 36th Infantry Divisions are slowed by strong opposition as they continue to close in on Bruyéres.

     In the French First Army’s II Corps area, the 3d Algerian Division and French 1st Armored Division make limited gains but at such high cost that General Jean de Lattre, Commanding General of the French First Army, calls a halt and the corps goes on the defensive. The Army commander decides to drive on Belfort in the I Corps zone.

WESTERN EUROPE: The Ninth Air Force clears all Rhine River rail and road bridges for attack; 2 days later Advance HQ prescribes bridges as having priority on the target list second only to rail lines. In Germany, 35 B-26s hit rail bridge at Euskirchen; fighters escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance in the Strasbourg-Colmar-Mulhouse area, attack railroads in the Allendorf an der Lahn-Gemunden area, and marshalling yard at Dielkirchen.

NETHERLANDS: Venray falls to units of the British Second Army's VIII Corps, Third Division, during their advance to Venlo.

GERMANY: The US 7th Army continues a battle against stiffening resistance around Lunëville and Breyres.

Ulm: Rommel is given a state funeral, and von Rundstedt gives the oration in Hitler's name, calling him "a tireless fighter in the cause of the Fuhrer ... imbued with the National Socialist spirit."

U-3525 laid down.

U-2514 commissioned.

     One hundred fifteen USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack the I.G. Farben South synthetic oil refinery at Blechhammer with the loss of five aircraft; two other aircraft hit targets of opportunity.

AUSTRIA: The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force attacks targets in the Vienna area: 62 bomb the industrial area, 26 bomb the Saurerwerke armament factory, 22 bomb the marshalling yard and 16 bomb the city. Other targets hit are: 25 bomb the railroad at Furstenfeld, six bomb the marshalling yard at Strauss, and individual aircraft bomb four targets. Twelve bombers are lost.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Seven USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombs hit two targets of opportunity with six bombing Ostrava Moravaska.

ITALY: General Mark Clark's Fifth Army is making a last effort to take Bologna and northern Italy but the offensive is crippled by torrential rains and manpower and ammunition shortages.

     In the U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, a patrol of Task Force 92 reaches the crest of Mt. Cauala, during the night of 17/18 October. In II Corps area, a coordinated attack by Combat Command A, 1st Armored Division, and the 135th Infantry Regiment against the Monterumici hill mass makes little progress. The 91st Infantry Division takes Lucca and improves positions to the east. Particularly heavy German fire is directed against the Livergnano area. The 34th Infantry Division is clearing the slopes of Mt. Belmonte and takes the crest of Mt. della Vigna. In the British XIII Corps area, the 21st Brigade of the Indian 8th Division begins an assault on Mt. Pianoreno. The 1st Division's 66th Brigade attacks in the Mt. Ceco area.

     In the British Eighth Army area, the Polish II Corps opens an offensive toward Forli in the evening, although all its forces have not yet assembled. The 5th Kresowa Division leads off, pushing toward Galeata from St. Piero in the Bagno area, its right flank protected by the British 1st Armoured Division. V Corps is meeting strong opposition at Acquarola and Celincordia.

Tactical operations by the Twelfth Air Force: Weather cancels all medium bomber operations and limits fighter-bombers to limited sorties in the battle area south of Bologna, hitting roads, rail lines and bridges; A-20s during the night of 16/17 October on armed reconnaissance over the Po Valley bomb targets of opportunity and cause explosions on northern edge of Ravenna.

GREECE: Rival partisans begin to fight each other and a bomb explodes during a victory parade.

     The British Military Liaison Headquarters, Greece begins arriving in Athens to distribute relief supplies.

     USAAF Fifteenth Air Force P-51 Mustangs escort several C-47s transporting personnel to Araxos Airfield south of Araxos.

HUNGARY: German forces successfully repulse heavy Soviet attacks near Debrecen.

     The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force attack targets in Hungary: 15 bombers hit the marshalling yard at Nagykanizsa, six bomb the marshalling yard at Szombathely, and 14 aircraft hit targets of opportunity.

ROMANIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force P-51 Mustangs escort a B-17 Flying Fortress carrying a photo crew to Romania to photograph Ploesti.

YUGOSLAVIA: The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombs four targets: 17 aircraft bomb the Southwest Marshalling Yard at Maribor and 17 hit the railroad bridge in the same city; two other aircraft hit targets of opportunity. Additionally, P-51 Mustangs escort a C-47 Skytrain picking up personnel at Valjevo Airfield.

     During the night of 17/18 October, 74 RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the marshalling yard at Vinkovci.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet patrol craft BMO-527 sunk by.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Destroyer HMS Arrow destroyed by an accident at Taranto.

INDIAN OCEAN: British Task Force 63, including 2 carriers and 1 battlecruiser, strike the Nicobar Islands as a diversion for the coming US attack on Leyte. 
These islands with be shelled today and tomorrow with additional air strikes on the 19th. Despite the damage this action as a diversion fails.

BURMA: 15 Tenth Air Force P-47s bomb a supply area near Naba, hit Japanese HQ and a supply area near Mawhun, and bomb a supply base and permanent camp at Myazedi; 8 B-25s bomb Nawnghkio airfield and 3 attack bridges near Kawlin and Thityabin; an approach to the latter bridge is damaged. Transports fly almost 300 sorties to various points in the CBI.

CHINA: The Fourteenth Air Force dispatches 15 B-25s, 12 P-40s, and 10 P-51s to attack a supply depot at Tien Ho Airfield at Canton; 2 B-24s bomb a supply depot at Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong; 44 P-51s and P-40s on armed reconnaissance attack rivercraft, troop concentrations, villages, and other targets of opportunity around Kweiping, Tengyun, Mangshih, Tajungchiang, Wuchou, and Dosing; a runway at Tanchuk Airfield suffers considerable damage. 

FORMOSA: The XX Bomber Command flies Mission 12 with B-29 Superfortresses operating from Chengtu. Ten B-29s bomb Einansho air depot on Formosa while 14 others bomb alternate targets. A B-29 is lost.

Submarine USS Escolar sunk by mine in the Yellow Sea.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The USN's Task Group 38.4 (Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) attacks Japanese installations at Legaspi and Clark Field on Luzon. Scheduled air strikes by escort aircraft carriers are postponed because of typhoon weather in the vicinity of the ships.

A USN force (Rear Admiral Arthur D. Struble) lands 500 army troops of the 6th Ranger Battalion on Suluan and Dinagat Islands at the entrance to Leyte Gulf to destroy Japanese installations that could provide early warning of U.S. forces entering the gulf. Unfortunately, the Suluan Island unit transmits a warning, prompting Admiral Toyoda Soemu, Commander in Chief Combined Fleet, to order operation SHO-1 for defending the Philippines against American invasion and bringing about a decisive battle. 

The USN submarine USS Narwhal (SS-167) lands supplies on northwest coast of Tawi Tawi Island.

In the principal strike of the day almost 60 B-24s hit oil installations, barracks, and shore targets on Ilang and northern Davao Bay areas of Mindanano Island.

The IJN commander, Admiral Soemu Toyodo, orders 76 warships, including four carriers and nine battleships, to sail from Japan and Malaya for an all-out attack on the invasion force.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Java Sea, Dutch submarine HNMS Zwaardvisch torpedoes and sinks two Japanese ships, a minelayer and an auxiliary minelayer, about 126 nautical miles (233 kilometers) north-northeast of Surabaya, Java, Netherlands East Indies.

BONIN AND VOLCANO ISLANDS: 11 Seventh Air Force B-24s from Saipan attack shipping off Haha Jima Island, and the town of Okimura in the Bonin Islands; later, during the night of 17/18 October, a B-24 bombs an airfield on Iwo Jima.

NAURU ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25s from the Gilbert Islands hit Nauru Island.

EAST INDIES: Far East Air Forces fighter-bombers and B-25s hit airfields, shipping and scattered targets of opportunity in the Halmahera Island area. In the Ceram Island-Ambon Island-Boeroe Island area A-20s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers continue to pound airfields and oil facilities.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: The USN's Special Air Task Force (STAG 1) (Commander Robert F. Jones), based on Stirling Island in the Treasury Islands, continues operations as Interstate TDR-1 target drones are launched against Japanese installations near East Rabaul on New Britain Island. One of the four hits the objective; a second hits a target of opportunity; a third is lost due to the failure of a vacuum tube in the drone receiver; a fourth may have been shot down (light and inaccurate antiaircraft fire is noted).

CANADA: Armed yacht HMCS Beaver paid off.

U.S.A.:

Frigate USS Covington commissioned.

Submarines USS Conger and Runner launched.

Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-203 was commissioned at New Orleans with LTJG F. S. Shine, USCG, as first commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area including Hollandia. She was decommissioned 31 October 1945.

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October 17th, 1945 (WEDNESDAY)

GERMANY: The beginning of the trial against Kptlt Eck his other officers from U-852 for their involvement in the Peleus sinking.

PACIFIC OCEAN: While returning to the United States, the damaged battleship USS PENNSYLVANIA has to stop after the number 3 shaft is suddenly carried away inside the stern tube and the shaft slips aft. It is necessary to send divers down to cut through the shaft, letting the shaft and propeller drop into the sea. The battleship continues on her way to Puget Sound shipping water and with only one screw turning. (Randall Steigner)

CANADA:  Minesweeper HMCS Reo II declared surplus.

U.S.A.: The USAAF 492nd BG is deactivated.

Dr. Robert Oppenheimer and Dr. Fermi meet with Secretary of State Patterson and General Groves to discuss their disaffection with the Johnson-May bill, which would stop any non-military research into nuclear power.

ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires: Millions of workers mass in the Plaza de Mayo to demand the release of Juan Peron, who had been arrested by the Argentine Navy.

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