We Remember:
1940: Destroyer HMS Delight is bombed and sunk escorting a channel convoy off Portland. Destroyer HMS Delight is set on fire by the German air strike. She manages to make it back to port, but sinks in Portland harbour the next morning.(Andy Etherington and Alex Gordon)
RAF 4 Group (Whitley). Bombs marshalling yards at Hamm and oil plant at Dusseldorf. (Andy Etherington)
"Hellfire Corner", near Dover, was attacked by the Luftwaffe again today as Stuka's protected by Bf109s attacked shipping at Dover. The concussion of bursting bombs shook buildings and broke windows all along the seafront, while waterspouts dropped tons of water onto ships in the harbour.
RAF fighters tore into enemy formations already heavily engaged by AA defences. 12 out of 80 German planes engaged were downed to three RAF machines. (Andy Etherington)
Germany annexes Eupen, Malmedy and Moresnet. (Andy Etherington)
The German navy reports that landings on the British coast cannot take place until mid-September. (Andy Etherington)
In the U.S., John Sigmund of St. Louis, Missouri completes a 292-mile (470 km) swim down the Mississippi River. It took him 89 hours, 48 minutes to swim from St. Louis to Caruthersville, Missouri. (Jack McKillop)
1941: Stalin sacks General Georgi Zhukov for advising a tactical surrender at Kiev, replacing him with Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov. (Andy Etherington)
Vichy France signs a treat
The Japanese occupy southern French Indochina with the permission of the French. (Jack McKillop)
The US Secretary of the Navy approves the installation of a Radar Plot aboard aircraft carriers as "the brain of the organization" protecting the fleet from air attack. The first installation is planned for the island structure of USS Wasp (CV-7). (Jack McKillop)
1942: The village of Kokoda is captured by the Japanese, fighting overland from Buna to Port Moresby on the Kokoda Track.
AMPLIFYING THE ABOVE:
On the ground in New Guinea the Japanese recapture Kokoda, which they temporarily lost the previous day.
In the air, USAAF A-24 Dauntlesses, with P-39 Airacobra escort, and Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, attack shipping off Gona, partially frustrating Japanese attempts to land more troops and supplies. Five A-24s and their crews are lost resulting in the withdrawal of the A-24 from combat missions. The A-24 will be replaced by the A-20 Havoc. (Jack McKillop)
A combined British and US Production & Resources Board is established in London. The goal is to control allocations of material and industrial priorities. Averill Harriman for the US and Oliver Lyttelton for the UK are to be the senior members.
Army Group A continues to attack south of the Don, making good progress and Proletarskaya falls. Hitler is not satisfied and returns the 4th Panzer Army to Army Group B. These changes by Hitler have caused much wasted time and effort moving this army from front to front. This leaves Army Group A, facing Stalingrad, with a strategically vital task and inadequate resources.
In the Aleutian Islands, 4 B-24 Liberators and 5 B-17 Flying Fortresses of the US 11th Air Force bomb vessels and installations in the Kiska Harbor area with unobserved results due to clouds. (Jack McKillop)
In the Solomons, PBY-5 Catalinas of the USN's Patrol Squadron Twenty Three (VP-23) based at Naval Operating Base Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands, bomb Japanese installations on Tulagi and Gavutu Islands. (Jack McKillop)
1943: Ernest Bevin, British Minister of Labor, announces that women up to 50 must now register for war work.
The British 78th Division arrives at the front on Sicily and attacks toward Palermo.
The III Panzer Corps counterattacks Soviet positions on the River Mius, north of Taganrog with little effect.
1943: In the Aleutian Islands, a US Eleventh Air Force B-17 scouts Kiska Island and bombs the Main Camp area. (Jack McKillop)
In England, the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command and VIII Bomber Command fly missions.
VIII Air Support Command Missions 8 and 9 target 2 airfields; 18 B-26B Marauders are dispatched against Schipol Airfield at Amsterdam, The Netherlands; the mission is aborted due to a navigational error while 19 B-26Bs attack Ft. Rouge Airfield, France at 1828 hours local.
VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 79 targets 2 locations in Germany. 91 B-17s bomb the shipyards at Kiel at 0901 hours while 48 attack targets of opportunity; 6 B-17s are lost. 54 B-17s hit the Heinkel Works at Warnemunde at 0922-0924 hours 4 B-17s are lost. (Jack McKillop)
On the ground in Sicily, the US Seventh Army almost completes the mopup of western Sicily, approaches Santo Stefano Quisquina, advances on Mistretta, and takes 3 islands off Trapani. The British Eighth Army opens an assault during the night of 29/30 July along an axis of Catenanuova-
In the air, 200+ Ninth Air Force P-40's, the largest number of fighters operating in a day during the Sicilian campaign to date, attack Messina Riposto, shipping at Catania, Santa Teresa di Riva, Taormina, Milazzo, and in the Straits of Messina. Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-26 Marauders hit Aquino Airfield while In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters and light bombers hit Regalbuto, Milazzo, shipping off Messina, and gun positions and motor transport in northeastern Sicily. (Jack McKillop)
In Italy, Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17s bomb Viterbo Airfield, Italy. (Jack McKillop)
U-614 (Type VIIC) is sunk northwest of Cape Finisterre, at position 46.42N, 11.03W, by depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft (Sqdn. 172/G) . 49 dead (all crew lost). (Alex Gordon)
1944: The Neimen River is crossed by the Third Belorussian Front.
The UX XIX Corps is advancing on Torigny and Tessy, France. The US VII Corps reaches Percy and The US VIII Corps crosses the Sienne and advance towards Granville.
Japanese resistance on Tinian is increasing now that the US Marines have occupied most of the northern half of the island.
A Japanese pocket around Ibdi, on Biak, is eliminated by US forces.
In the Kurile Islands, 3 US Eleventh Air Force B-24s from the Aleutian Islands fly bombing and reconnaissance runs over Shimushu Island and Paramushiru Island sites including Kurabu Cape installations. (Jack McKillop)
In China, 70+ US XX Bomber Command B-29 Superfortresses operating from Chengtu bomb the Showa Steel Works at Anshan and harbor at Taku; the first B-29 to be shot down on a combat mission falls to 5 fighters near Chenghsien (which the B-29 bombs after engine trouble causes an abort from the primary mission); another B-29 bombs Chinwangtao before making a forced landing at a friendly field near Ankang. (Jack McKillop)
In England, the US Eighth Air Force flies 2 missions:
Mission 503: 1,228 bombers and 755 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany and airfields in France in 3 groups; 17 bombers and 7 fighters are lost. (1) 569 B-17s hit the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg, 13 hit Gottingen, 11 hit Hildesheim marshalling yard, and 10 hit targets of opportunity; 15 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 429 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; 7 P-51s are lost. (2) 442 B-24s hit the Oslebshausen oil refinery at Bremen, 2 hit targets of opportunity and 1 hit Cuxhaven; 2 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 106 P-51s. (3) 38 B-24s hit Juvincourt Airfield and 26 hit Couvron Airfield at Laon, France. Escort is provided by 142 P-51s.
Personal Memory: My diary reads: "Mersberg, Germany, (near Leipzig.) Same target as yesterday. (Leuna Oil Works.) Saw terrific dog fights over target between our P-51s and enemy fighters. Target CAVU and FLAK was terrific. Got several holes this time. Had third new crew. Carried 20 X 250-pound general purpose bombs. Flight time, 8 hours and thirty five minutes. Over enemy territory 4 hours and twenty minutes." I was flying the "Betty Jane" again today for an assault on Germany's most heavily defended city. My new crew for today was that of Lt. P. F. Cureton, Jr. Ironically and tragically he was to be killed in action on November 21st at this very same target. The only survivor of his nine man crew would be Radio Operator, Tech Sgt. J. A. Ellis German farmers would murder most of the others. The navigator was hanged on the spot and Cureton and his copilot were stabbed to death with pitch forks. This kind of treatment was not unusual when one bailed out over Germany itse
lf, but was rare in occupied countries. On today's mission the 303rd Bomb Group supplied 13 aircraft for the 41st "C" Wing, High group. We did a plan "D" Group assembly over Harrington Buncher at 17,000 ft and flew in Combat Wing Formation while slowly climbing to 26,000 ft. At the IP (Initial Point) we took group interval for visual bombing and dropped our bombs from a magnetic heading of 95 degrees. At the target we saw about fifteen Me109s trying to attack the lead group but they were being harassed by our P-51s. Just after bombs away, four of the fifteen managed to elude the P-51s and made a single pass from 12 o'clock high (like the movie) through the lead group without shooting any down. We were probably lucky that these were Me109s and not FW190s with their new 30 MM cannon. After we dropped our bombs we made a sharp turn to the right to avoid flak, and at this time rejoined the Wing formation for our return to Molesworth. Over England we dropped down to one thousand
feet and eventually had to fly at three hundred feet because of low clouds. We probably scared a lot of live stock and a few people, including us. At the target there were no photographs of the actual bomb bursts as they were concealed in smoke and shadows in the target area. The Germans always tried to conceal their important targets with smoke screens, but with limited success. The lead Group's bombs fell a little short of the MPI (Main Point of Impact.) They had approached the target at 103 degrees magnetic. The Low Group's bombs appeared to fall right on target. They flew to the target at 102 degrees magnetic. Our heading of 95 degrees gave us a good separation from the prop wash of the other groups and our bombs were right on target. The lead group of the "D" Wing following us headed to the target at 98 degrees but their lead bombardier didn't quite kill the drift and their bombs fell a couple hundred yards to the left of the MPI. Of the 51 (!) B-17 aircraft furnished
by our group for this mission, 32 sustained battle damage but none were shot down thanks largely to the efforts of our P-51s over the target. Several of our B-17s had major damage from flak and many had a few flak holes, including my poor old "Betty Jane." Many times the ground crews repaired the holes so well that I couldn't find them. I even made mental notes on some occasions and still could not find them. These guys were good! Of course this was much more difficult on unpainted airplanes. Most of the B-17s built after 1943 were left unpainted except for identifying markings. It was impossible to hide from the German Radar or their optical devices. Being new crews, we generally were assigned whatever plane was ready to go. This meant that we flew twelve different B-17s in combat, and they all flew about the same. Of course most of the Brass flew in their favorite planes most of the time. I will note here that the Brass never shirked the tough missions, going on some of th
e most dangerous missions of the war. When we flew to Berlin of Hamburg there was always a squadron Commander or equal rank in the lead plane. And the lead plane was the prime target for flak gunners as well as fighter aircraft. Score: Milk Runs 13 others 14 (Dick Johnson)
Mission 504: 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
44 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions; 12 abort. (Jack McKillop)
During Mission 504 (above) U-872 (Type IX D2) is badly damaged at Bremen with 1 dead. Taken out of service 10 Aug, 1944 and later broken up. (Alex Gordon)
Weather cancels all bombing operations by the US Fifteenth Air Force in
Italy. 14 P-38s, taking off from bases in the USSR , sweep the Kecskemet,
Hungary area. (Jack McKillop)
In support of the operations in the Mariana Islands, US Far East Air Force
B-24s bomb supply areas in Woleai Atoll; the nearby islands of Mariaon and
Tagaulap are also hit. US Seventh Air Force P-47s continue to hit Tinian
Island while B-24s hit Truk Atoll and B-25s attack Ponape Island.
USMC troops capture Orote Airfield on Guam, Mariana Islands. (Jack McKillop)
In the US, the first successful test of the Pelican guided missile is conducted 44 miles (70.8 km) offshore from NAS New York, New York; 2 of the 4 missiles hit the target ship. (Jack McKillop)
The US heavy cruiser USS Baltimore (CA-68) with President Franklin D Roosevelt aboard, departs Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, for Adak, Aleutian Islands. (Jack McKillop)
Betty Hutton's record of "It Had To Be You" makes it to the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The song is from the motion picture "Show Business" starring Eddie Cantor, Joan Davis, George Murphy and Nancy Kelly. This is her first single to make the charts and it stays there for 12 weeks reaching Number 5. (Jack McKillop)
1945: In Japan:
During the day, US Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: P-47s from Ie Shima and B-24s, B-25s, and A-26 Invaders from Okinawa pound targets in the Japanese Home Islands; 70+ B-24s pound shipping at Kure, 41 B-24s hit a factory and storage area northwest of Aburatsu, shipping and engine works in Nagasaki and vicinity, and the towns of Nobeoka, Kyushu and Oita; B-25s hit Kagoshima, Kyushu, Kibana, a bridge, barracks and other buildings at Miyazaki, warehouses, a lighthouse, and navigation light at Tozaki-hana, and bomb Tokuno Shima; A-26s pound the naval base and engine works at Nagasaki; numerous P-47s hit the harbor at Kure, shipping and seaplane station at Ibusuki, railroad station, docks, and town area of Makurazaki, Chiran and Izumi Airfields, and shipping at Kagoshima Bay. P-51s hit numerous targets of opportunity on the southern coast of Korea and on the southern part of Kyushu, where shipping, railroads, and Omura, Kyushu and Sashiki factories are also attacked.
Also during the day, American and British carrier-based aircraft attack airfields and naval targets in the Inland Sea sinking a destroyer and 12 merchant vessels. USN Task Group 34.8.1 consisting of 3 battleships, 4 heavy cruisers and 10 destroyers bombards facilities on Honshu. The British battleship HMS King George V and 3 destroyers join in the bombardment.
During the night of 29/30 July, the US Twentieth Air Force flies Mission 304; 24 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the waters at Fukuoka, Karatsu, and Najin; 2 others mine alternate targets. (Jack McKillop)
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