This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

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N FRANCE: In northern France, the Canadian 4th Armoured Division drives quickly to Forges and Buchy. The British 11th Armoured Division captues Amiens and seizes the bridge across the Somme River intact. The U.S. XIX Corps captures Chantilly, Creil, Pont Ste Maxence, Verberie and Compiegne. Operations against Brest are temporarily suspended by the U.S. VIII Corps while elements of the U.S. XX Corps establishes across the Meuse at Verdun.

9th AF: In the air, 99 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s bomb an ammunition dump at Foret d'Arques and gun positions at Ile de Cezembre; fighters fly armed reconnaissance in the Amiens, Saint-Quentin, Albert, and Arras areas, ground forces cover for 3 armored divisions, battleship cover, and also dive-bomb Ile de Cezembre.

8th AF: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 594: 34 bombs visually bomb the supply depot at Bricy Airfield in Orleans. During the night of 31 August/1 September, six B-17s drop leaflets in France and 37 B-24 Liberators and C-47 Skytrains fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

S FRANCE: In southern France, U.S. troops find Briancon free of Germans and the VI Corps speeds up the Rhone Valley toward Lyon.

12th AF:USAAF Twelfth Air Force fighter-bombers attack communications targets.

ITALY: The attack of the British 8th Army against the Gothic Line continues. There are some successes. West of the British Eighth Army, the U.S. VI Corps follows up on a German withdrawal along the Arno River in Italy.

12th AF: The USAAF's Twelfth Air Force dispatches B-25s and B-26s to attack railroad bridges in the Po Valley, cutting the bridge at Mira.

ROMANIA: Bucharest falls to the Russian Second Ukraine Front. The Soviets immediately begin the round-up of members of the 'Fascist' Antonescu government.

15th AF: B-17s of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy commence Operation REUNION (the evacuation of US airmen interned in Romania); 38 B-17s evacuate more than 700 of the 1,100 US airmen from Bucharest (which falls to the Soviet Army today) to Bari, Italy. This operation is the brainchild of Romanian airmen and civilians who concentrate the Americans at a Romanian Air Force Base while contacting HQ Fifteenth Air Force in Italy by flying a high-ranking USAAF POW to Italy in a Romanian Air Force Bf-109. Everyone involved realizes that the operation must be kept secret from both the Germans and the Soviets. Meanwhile 45 P-51 Mustangs strafe the airfield at Reghin.
HUNGARY: Ninety seven P-51 Mustangs of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy strafe airfields at Oradea and Kecskemet.

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67,410
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-247 is sunk about 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers) west-southwest of Plymouth, Devonshire, England, U.K., in position 49.54N, 05.49W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigates HMCS St John (K 456) and Swansea (K 32 8 ). All hands, 52-men, on the U-boat are lost.
The British corvette HMS Hurst Castle (K 416) is hit by one torpedo fired by German submarine U-482 at 0722 hours GMT and sinks off the coast of County Donegal, …ire, about 41 nautical miles (75 kilometers) northwest of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, in position 55.27N, 08.12W. The corvette is escorting tanker convoy CU-36 (Caribbean to U.K.). There are no casualties, 105 survivors are rescued by the British destroyer HMS Ambuscade (D 3 8 ).

BULGARIA: Prime Minister Dobri Bozhilov is replaced by Constantine Muraviev.

FINLAND: The Finnish government receives an ultimatum from the Soviet Union, stating that Finland has to accept the Soviet terms for starting the peace negotiations (as stated on the 29 August) by 2 September, or the hostilities will go on. Parliament, originally set to decide on the matter on 5 September, is hurriedly called to convene at 1800 hours local tomorrow.

FRANCE: The serious German collapse had caused bitter debate among senior Allied Generals. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander, Supreme Headquarter Allied Expeditionary Force, favors a broad front strategy. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Commander of the 21st Army Group, advocates a single thrust strategy. This debate will continue for several months.

N FRANCE: In northern France, the Canadian 2d Division liberates Dieppe and the port is reopened within a week. The U.S. 12th Army Group, commanded by Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, is transferred to the direct command of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) from the command of British General Bernard Montgomery. Elements of the U.S. Third Armored Division advances quickly through Vervins to La Capelle. Meanwhile, the U.S. Third Army, commanded by Lieutenant General George S. Patton, is practically immobilized by an acute shortage of fuel. An enforced lull allows the German to build up fortifications behind the West Wall. The U.S. VIII Corps continues preparations for renewing an all-out assault on Brest when ammunition is more plentiful.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the French II Corps continues toward Lyon and captures Serriers and Firminy.

9th AF: In the air over northern France, USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s attack fortifications in the Brest area which artillery fire had been unable to reduce; escorting fighters fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance in northern and eastern France, and fly cover for six divisions in the Amiens, Saint-Quentin, Cambrai, Reims, and Verdun areas and the Brussels, Belgium area.

8th AF: Twenty seven USAAF Eighth Air Force bombers visually bomb the V2 supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans.
During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 121 aircraft, 97 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitos and nine Lancasters, to bomb two V2 rocket storage sites: 56 bomb La Pourchinte, 31 bomb the North site at Lumbres and 26 hit the South site at Lumbres without loss. Both raids are successful, the Lumbres attack particularly so.
Azon-equipped USAAF Eighth Air Force B-24s hit the Ravenstein railroad bridge without loss; escort is provided by 15 P-51 Mustangs. One B-17 bombs a railroad junction at Hallach
During the night of 1/ 2 September, 34 of 35 RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos dispatched bomb the port at Bremen without loss.
BELGIUM: Three USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17s fly a Micro H mission to attack a fuel dump in the Bois del la Haussiere; escort is provided by two P-51s.

GREECE: Because of Allied successes on other fronts, German Army Group F is forced to begin withdrawing from Greece and islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. The main withdrawal route, the rail line through Skoplje and Belgrade, Yugoslavia, is so effectively hit by heavy bombers of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force during the first half of September that an aerial withdrawal of German troops is begun from airfields in the Athens area. All three airfields are made unserviceable by USAAF attacks during the latter half of the month.

GREENLAND: The US Coast Guard gunboat, USCGC Northland (WPG-49), locates the German weather ship Kehdingen off Great Kodeyey Island and gives chase. The crew of the weather ship scuttles it to avoid capture. Also in the area is the German U-boat U-703 which attempts to attack USCGC Northland but is blocked by ice.

INDIAN OCEAN: In the Arabian Sea, German submarine U-859 sinks a 7,422 ton British merchant freighter about 725 nautical miles (1 343 kilometers) south-southwest of Karachi, India, in position 14.10N, 61.04E.

ITALY: The U.S. Fifth Army begins pursuing the Germans across the Arno River. The British V and Canadian I Corps penetrate the main defenses of the Gothic Line on Mounts Gridolfo and Tomba di Pesaro, commanding the Foglia River valley.

12th AF: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25s score excellent results against road and railroad bridges north and northeast of Venice; fighter-bomber and fighters bomb and strafe roads, troop concentrations, supply dumps, and German HQ in the battle area north of Florence, and fly armed reconnaissance from Ventimiglia along the coast to La Spezia. During the night of 1/2 September A-20s hit a pontoon bridge and targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; and fighter-bombers blast roads, bridges and gun emplacements in Po Valley, docks at Savona, and shipping off shore.

ROMANIA: German submarine U-23 enters Constanta harbor and fires three torpedoes at 0230 hours local; one torpedo hits the stern of the Romanian steamer SS Oituz causing the ship to sink. The ship is later refloated and declared a total loss. U-23 left her attack position at 0400 hours and laid a mine barrage in Constanta roads near Tuzla lighthouse. No vessels are reported lost on the barrage.

SHAEF: HQ of the USAAF's IX Troop Carrier Command comes under administrative control of HQ US Strategic Air Forces in Europe and under operational control of HQ First Allied Airborne Army, to increase efficiency, especially for planning, training, and preparation of airborne operations. Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force now can deal directly with all elements of an airborne force through a single unified command instead of through various army groups and air forces, e.g., 12th and 21st Army Groups, USAAF Ninth Air Force, and RAF components.

UNITED STATES: Selective Service announces that no men over 26 years old will be drafted (conscripted) during the rest of 1944.
Project Bumblebee (as it is later known) came into being as the USN's Bureau of Ordnance reports that a group of scientists from Section T of the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) are investigating the practicability of developing a jet-propelled, guided, anti-aircraft weapon. Upon completion of the preliminary investigation, a developmental program is approved in December by the Chief of Naval Operations. In order to concentrate upon the guided missile phase of the anti-aircraft problem, the OSRD and Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, completed withdrawal, also in December, from the proximity fuze program which thus came completely under the Bureau of Ordnance.

15th AF:
ITALY: Twenty six USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers visually bomb the Pisani railroad bridge at Bora without loss.
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s visually bomb five targets: (1) 52 bomb the marshalling yard at Debrecen; (2) 51 bomb the marshalling yard at Szajol; (3) 31 bomb the railroad bridge at Szolnokl (4) 25 bomb the railroad bridge at Mezotur; and 11 bomb the marshalling yard at Berettyo Ujfalu. Two B-24s are lost.
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb five targets: (1) 56 B-24s bomb the railroad bridge at Mitrovica; (2) 56 bomb the railroad bridge at Mesgrada; (3) 55 bomb the railroad bridge at Kraljevo; (4) 55 B-17s bomb the airfield at Nis; and (5) 17 bomb the marshalling yard at Novi Sad.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN: While tracking Convoy RA 59A (Kola Fjord, U.S.S.R. to Loch Ewe, Scotland) in the Norwegian Sea, German submarine U-394 was sunk about 270 nautical miles (500 kilometers) northwest of Bodr, Norway, by rockets and depth charges from a Swordfish Mk. III of the British Fleet Air Arm No. 825 Squadron in escort aircraft carrier HMS Vindex (D15) and the destroyers HMS Keppel (D 84) and Whitehall (D 94) and the sloops HMS Mermaid (U 30) and Peacock (U 96); all 50 crewmen in the U-boat were lost. This was the boats second patrol; she was not credited with any sinkings.

BELGIUM: The U.S. VII Corps and XIX Corps gets advance elements into Belgium and drive toward Tournai.

8th AF: The USAAF Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 596: 34 P-47s strafe gun positions and road and rail traffic in the Bruges-Ghent- Courtrai- Roulers area.
Thirty six USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17s in England attack a supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans. Two B-24s and two C-47 Skytrains fly CARPETBAGGER missions over France during the night of 2/3 September.
Sixty four of 67 Lancasters of the RAF Bomber Command bombed ships in Brest harbour in clear visibility. No aircraft were lost.

BLACK SEA: A Soviet Navy fleet minelayers was sailing with a Romanian minelayer when the Soviet minesweeper BTSC-410 Vzryv was struck by a torpedo at 0622 hours fired by German submarine U-19 and sinks about 31 nautical miles (57 kilometers) southeast of Constanta, Romania, in position 43.51N, 29.12E; she was the last victim of the U-boats in the Black Sea. Since Romania had only recently declared war on Germany, the Soviets accused the Romanian Navy of treachery and complicity in the sinking of this vessel, because the Romanian minelayer was not attacked. On 5 September, the Soviets sited this sinking as an excuse for the seizure of the Romanian fleet.

FINLAND: Prime Minister Antii Hackzell announces the break in diplomatic relations with Germany and demands that all German troops be withdrawn from Finland.
Yesterday evening the Finnish government received an ultimatum from the Soviet Union: Finland had to officially accept the Soviet conditions for starting the peace negotiations by the end of 2 September, or the war will go on. The Parliament, originally set to decide on the matter on 5 September, was hurriedly called to convene at 1800 hours today and 157 out of 200 Members of Parliament have been able to gather at Helsinki. Prime Minister Antti Hackzell informs the Parliament of the Soviet demands and recommends the starting of negotiations. One hundred eight vote for the negotiations, 45 against and the peace progress can go on.

FRANCE: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force, holds a commandersâ conference and outlines plans for the U.S. Third Army and V Corps of the U.S. First Army to drive to the West Wall (the Siegfried Line) after the supply situation improves.

N FRANCE: In northern France, the British XXX Corps continues northward so rapidly that the planned drop of airborne forces in the Tournai area was not necessary. The U.S. V Corps continues steadily northeast, overrunning Noyon and St. Quentin until ordered to halt. The U.S. Third Army was still immobilized for lack of fuel but the VIII Corps continues to batter the outer defenses of Brest. Elements of the U.S. 83d Infantry Division invade Ile de Cezembre, which surrenders.

9th AF: In northern France, weather grounds USAAF Ninth Air Force bombers but fighters fly armed reconnaissance and area support to ground forces in Belgium and northwestern, northeastern and eastern France.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the U.S. 36th Infantry Division halts just east and southwest of Lyon to permit the French II Corps to take the city. So far, 190,000 men; 220,000 tons of supplies; and 41,000 vehicles have been landed.

12th AF: Fighter-bombers of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force were hampered by poor weather, but hit barracks and rail lines in the Lyon area.

HUNGARY: (Master Sergeant) Frantisek Cyprich was performing a test flight of Avia B-534.217, at Tri Duby airfield, which was the base for the Combined Squadron. He later reported: "I had overtaken the Ju 52 over Radvana. I made the first attack from behind - it filled my aim cross - it was in front of me, big as a barn. I was sure that all my bullets would go into the Ju52 but I realised that I must do another type of attack. When I made the second attack, I aimed at one engine and opened fire until I saw smoke coming from the engine. Then I made the same attack against the second engine and after that I saw the Ju 52 coming down. I was very happy that I shot down the first enemy plane during SNP and I was very proud when I landed on our own airfield." He landed back on base and went to report to Colonel Singlovic. He was however surprised, when he saw instead of his smile only his strict sight. The colonel only had one question: "Why you didn't force them to land on our base?" Pilot on the Junkers that Cyprich shot down was fšhadnagy (Lieutenant) Gyšrgy G‡ch, in a Hungarian Junker Ju 52/3m from Magyar LŽgiforgalmi Rt. (MALERT). The co-pilot was Nandor Vermes. This was the first victory of the Slovak National Uprising and the last confirmed air to air kill by a biplane fighter in the Second World War (and by that probably the world's last). In 1991 after 47 years Frantisek Cyprich and the Hungarian co-pilot Nandor Vermes meet and shook hands.

ITALY: The U.S. IV Corps crosses elements over the Arno River and clears the northern part of Pisa. A partial breakthrough and advance of several miles was achieved by Canadian forces of the British Eighth Army. The advance reaches the Conca River to the west of Cattolica. San Giovanni was liberated. Polish forces have effectively liberated Pesaro. Despite the arrival of German reserve forces these actions demonstrate the destruction of the German Gothic Line.

12th AF: B-25s of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force bomb three bridges in the Po Valley.

POLAND: The Polish Home Army evacuates Warsaw's Old City; 2000 Polish fighters escape through a single manhole and 4 miles (6,4 kilometers) of sewers.

U.S.S.R.: The remnants of German forces surrounded in the Kishinev pocket surrender to the Soviet Army.

15th AF:
ITALY: During the night of 2/3 September, 66 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the marshalling yard at Ferrara with the loss of two aircraft.
YUGOSLAVIA: B-24s of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy visually bomb seven transportation targets: (1) 109 bomb the railroad bridge at Kraljevo; (2) 58 bomb the south marshalling yard at Nis; (3) 55 bomb the railroad bridge at Mitrovica; (4) 55 bomb the main marshalling yard at Nis; (5) 51 bomb the west marshalling yard at Nis; (6) 29 bomb the highway bridge at Supovac; and (7) 26 bomb the marshalling yard at Mitrovica. Only one bomber was lost. The escort fighters begin low-level attacks: 27 P-38s dive-bomb the Cuprija road bridge while 57 P-38s and 112 P-51 Mustangs strafe roads and railways in the Nis and Belgrade areas; other P-51s escort Nis and Supovac bombing missions.

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BELGIUM: British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery orders the British Second Army to drive speedily to the Rhine River and secure a crossing.
The British Guards Armoured Division drives into Brussels and blocks the exits from the city while the U.S. 3d Armored Division captures Mons.

FRANCE: German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt assumes command of the German armies in the West.
The U.S. First Army (Hodges) reaches the border of Luxembourg. The fleeing Germans are suffering huge losses. Hodges's troops surround and will soon capture 30,000 troops near Mons.
Tournai and Abbeville are liberated by the 21st Army Group and the U.S. Third Army crosses the Moselle River.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the commander of the U.S. 36th Infantry Division orders his men to halt and allow the French 1st Infantry Division to liberate Lyon, France's third-largest city. Most of the German Nineteenth Army have managed to withdraw northward.

9th AF: USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s supporting ground troops pound strongpoints and bridges in the Brest area; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, ground support, and sweeps in northern and eastern France, Belgium, and western Germany.

8th AF: In the air, 325 B-17s of the USAAF Eighth Air Force using H2X radar to bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen and one hits a target of opportunity. P-47s strafe transportation targets at Cologne.
USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 601: 391 B-17s make a visual attack on 16 gun batteries and defensive installations in the Brest area; 2 B-17s are lost; escort was provided by 15 P-51s without loss but bad weather cancels fighter-bomber mission by 50 P-38s against strongpoints in the same area. A second mission was flown by 61 aircraft against a supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans.
Eighth Air Force P-47s strafe transportation targets in Namur.

ITALY: The British 46th Division cross the River Conca River while the Canadian 5th Armoured Division clears Misano.

12th AF: In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack railroad and road bridges in the western Po Valley while fighter-bombers blast motor transport and rolling stock in the Turin area.

NETHERLANDS: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatched 675 aircraft, 348 Lancasters, 315 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos, to carry out heavy raids on six airfields: 112 aircraft hit Soesterberg, 112 bomb Venlo, 112 attack Volkel, 104 hit Gilze-Rijen, 103 bomb Eindhoven and 88 bomb Deelen. All raids are successful and only one Halifax was lost from the Venlo raid.

UNITED KINGDOM: In England, Lieutenant Ralph Spalding, USN, and a radio operator of the Special Air Unit, Fleet Air Wing Seven (FAW-7), takes off in a TORPEX laden PB4Y-1 Liberator from Fersfield, Norfolk, sets the radio controls and then parachutes to the ground. Ensign James M. Simpson, USNR, in a PV-1 Ventura, takes control and flies the PB4Y to attack German submarine pens on Helgoland Island. Unfortunately, the PV-1 crew loses sight of the Liberator in a rainstorm and it crashes into a barracks and industrial area on Dune Island. A second attempt was later made with Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., USNR, at the controls of a PB4Y-1 but the aircraft explodes before Kennedy and the radio operator can bail out and Project APHRODITE was then cancelled.

15th AF:
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb three rail targets: 58 bomb railroad bridge at Szeged while one bombs a marshalling yard in the same city and 54 bomb the railroad at Szajol.
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb four transportation targets: (1) in Belgrade, 98 bomb the Sava railroad bridge and (2) 54 bomb the Pancovo railroad bridge; (3) 54 bomb the ferry at Smederevo; and (4) one bombs the Subotica marshalling yard.

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BELGIUM: The British 11 Armoured Division drives into Antwerp and clears the city except for the northern suburbs and the dock area. Antwerp's docks are undamaged, but the Germans control part of the 70-mile (113 kilometer) waterway leading to the city.

FINLAND: The Russian-Finnish cease fire is agreed to and is effective immediately. A delegation leaves Finland for Russia to negotiate the Peace Treaty. The Finnish troops cease hostilities at 0700 hours as ordered, but the Soviet troops keep on fighting until tomorrow morning. The reason is in Prime Minister Hackzell's oversight making the Finnish agreement to Soviet conditions public. As he accidentally forgot to mention that Finland will break the relations with Germany, the Soviet view is that Finland hasn't fulfilled all the conditions. The matter is clarified, but the time this hassle takes delays the sending of Soviet orders to cease hostilities, and most of the Soviet formations receive them late.

N FRANCE: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, states the general objectives of the Allied armies. The Canadian First Army and British Second Army along with the U.S. First Army are given the task of advancing toward the Ruhr. The U.S. Third Army will drive to the Saar.
The British liberate Lille in northern France while Lieutenant General George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army refuels, storms across the Moselle River and pushes toward Nancy, capital of the French province of Lorraine.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the U.S. VI Corps and French II Corps continue their advance on Besancon and Dijon while the U.S. 45th Infantry Division captures Bourg-en-Bresse.

8th AF: In the air, weather prevents bomber activity; fighters fly armed reconnaissance over Belgium, eastern France, Luxembourg, and eastern and central Germany, and defensive night patrols over western and northwestern France. Three USAAF Eighth Air Force bombers hit a supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans.
During the night of 4/5 September, 44 USAAF Eighth Air Force aircraft fly CARPETBAGGER missions over France.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 4/5 September, nine RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb Steenwijk Airfield without loss.

GERMANY: During the night of 4/5 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 43 Mosquitos to bomb Karlsruhe; 42 attack the target without loss.

ITALY: The U.S. Fifth Army issues final orders for the attack on the Gothic Line.

12th AF: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25s and B-26s hit several road and railroad bridges and tunnel in the Po Valley while fighter-bombers strike pontoon bridges, roads, bridges, and motor transport in preparation for an Allied ground assault on the Gothic Line.

15th AF:
ITALY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s visually bomb six targets: 165 attack the U-boat base at Genoa; 59 hit the railroad bridge at Latisana; 58 attack the railroad bridge at Casarsa; 56 hit the railroad viaduct at Aviso; 53 bomb the North marshalling yard at Trento; and at Ora, 51 hit the railroad bridge and 48 bomb the marshalling yard.
During the night of 4/5 September, 65 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the marshalling yard at Ravenna.)
BULGARIA: Six USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack highways

U.S.S.R.: Brasnov and Senaia are taken by the Soviet Army.

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ARCTIC OCEAN: In the Kara Sea, German submarine U-362 (Type VIIC) is sunk about 33 nautical miles (62 kilometers) west-northwest of Lomonosovo, Russia, U.S.S.R. [1,052 nautical miles (1 948 kilometers) northeast of Murmansk, Russia, U.S.S.R.], by depth charges from the Soviet minesweeper T-116. All 51 crewmen are lost. This is the boats seventh patrol but she is not credited with sinking any ships.

BELGIUM: The British 7th Armoured Division captures Ghent but the German continue to hold the northern outskirts for several days. The U.S. 2d Armored Division and the 113th Cavalry Group push deep into the country to a general line from Brussels to Gembloux. Namur and Charleroi are liberated by the US First Army.
During the night, seven USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17s visually drop leaflets over the country.

BENELUX COUNTRIES: The Benelux Customs Union, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg, is established by the exile governments of these countries. This will eventually lead to the formation of the European Economic Community.

FINLAND: The Finnish peace delegation arrives in Moscow. Hostilities have ceased for 2 days. (Gene Hanson) The Finnish delegation won't leave until the 7th of September (more info then), and the hostilities have been suspended since the 4th/5th for the duration of negotiations.

NETHERLANDS: Six of 12 RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos dispatched to bomb Havelte Airfield at Steenwijk hit the target.

U.S.S.R.: The Soviet Union declares war on Bulgaria. Bulgaria declares war in return, their attempts to stay out of the war have been unsuccessful.

GERMANY: The Germans under Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander-in-Chief West, organize a new Western Front using remnants of Army units that escaped from Normandy reinforced with teenage and middle-age conscripts and displaced Luftwaffe ground crews and sailors. The new front runs across the southern Netherlands and northern Belgium to Germany's western border, then extends south through Luxembourg and eastern France.

FRANCE: In northern France, the U.S. Ninth Army becomes operational taking command of troops on the Brittany Peninsula.
The Canadian 3rd Division moving along the coast, bypasses Boulogne and reaches the Calais area; the Germans are prepared to defend both ports.
Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Commanding General of the U.S. Third Army, orders the XII Corps to cross the Moselle River, secure Nancy, and be prepared to continue to Mannheim and the Rhine River. The U.S. 80th Infantry Division, Third Army, attempts to bridge the Moselle River but is rebuffed by new German defenses.

9th AF: In the air over northern France, 300+ USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s bomb strongpoints in the Brest area and a coastal battery at Pointe du Grand Gouin while fighters hit gun positions and other military targets in the Brest area and fly cover for six armored and infantry divisions.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 348 aircraft, 313 Lancasters, 30 Mosquitos and five Stirlings, to carry out the first of a series of heavy raids on the German positions around Le Havre which are still holding out after being bypassed by the Allied advance; 335 aircraft bomb the target. This is an accurate raid in good visibility. A second force of 60 Lancasters and six Mosquitos is sent to bomb gun positions outside Brest, whose garrison is also still holding out; 63 aircraft bomb the target.

12th AF: In the air over southern France, USAAF Twelfth Air Force fighters fly sweeps through the Rhone Valley.

8th AF: The USAAF Eighth Air Force bombs seven targets:
(1) 237 B-17s use H2X radar to bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen and 85 bomb the lubricating oil facilities ;
(2) 203 B-17s attack Unterturkhheim aircraft engine factory at Stuttgart;
(3) 185 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Karlsruhe;
(4) four aircraft bomb targets of opportunity;
(5) individual aircraft bomb targets of opportunity at Gemersheim, Hockenheim and Ludwigshafen.
143 USAAF (USAAF) Eighth Air Force B-17s make a visual attack on enemy positions in the Brest, France area; two B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 21 P-51 Mustangs without loss. The supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans is visually bombed by 84 B-17s without loss.
During the missions, a Swiss Air Force Bf 109 is shot down by a P-51 Mustang near Dubendorf.
During the night of 5/6 September, 41 of 43 RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb the city of Hannover without loss.

ITALY: The British V Corps and Canadian I Corps continues strong attacks on Coriano and Gemmano ridges in Italy. The German forces hang on. The U.S. 1st Armored Division takes Lucca and the South African 6th Armoured Division gets forward elements to Monsummano and clears part of Mount Albano. Meanwhile the Germans pull back from positions north of Florence.

12th AF: Medium bombers of the USAAF (USAAF) Twelfth Air Force again strike, with excellent results, road and rail bridges in the Po Valley while fighter-bombers blast rail lines and rolling stock south of the river; fighters support the limited ground force advance in preparation for a major assault on the Gothic Line.

15th AF:
ITALY: Ninety nine USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb the railroad bridge at Ferrara while during the night of 5/6 September, 56 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group attack the marshalling yard at Ferrara.
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack five transportation targets: 106 B-17s visually bomb the North Railroad Bridge in Budapest while 51 attack the South Railroad Bridge; 93 B-24s bomb the Szolnok railroad bridge; 85 B-24s bomb the railroad bridge at Szob; and one aircraft bombs a target of opportunity.
During the night of 5/6 September, four RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group lay mines in the Danube River.
YUGOSLAVIA: A USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberator bombs the marshalling yard at Subotica and during the night of 5/6 September, seven RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group lay mines in the Danube River.

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BELGIUM: British forces capture Namur, Ghent and Courtrai while the U.S. VII Corps advances on Liège.

NETHERLANDS: Three RAF Bomber Command Halifaxes lay mines off Texel Island.

N FRANCE: In northern France, the Canadian II Corps reaches the English Channel north of Calais and just south of Boulogne while the U.S. Third Army crosses the Moselle River. British forces capture Armentieres

9th AF: In northern France, USAAF (USAAF) Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s hit Brest area
strongpoints, a coastal battery at Pointe du Grand Gouin, defenses at Saint-Pierre- Quilbignon, and a Brest area bridge; fighters hit Brest area gun positions and ammunition dump and fly cover for several armored and infantry divisions.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 344 aircraft, 311 Lancasters, 30 Mosquitos and three Stirlings, to bomb bombed German fortifications and transportation targets at Le Havre ; 271 actually bomb without loss.
During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 181 aircraft, 105 Halifaxes and 76 Lancasters, to bomb Emden; 180 aircraft bomb the target. This is the first large raid to Emden since June 1942; it is also the last Bomber Command raid of the war on this target. The force is provided with an escort, first of RAF Spitfires and then of USAAF P-51s. The bombing is accurate and Emden is seen to be a mass of flames, but no local report is available other than a brief note which states that several small ships in the harbour are sunk.
During the night of 6/7 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 32 Mosquitos to Hamburg and six to Emden; 29 bomb Hamburg and six bomb Emden. Four Halifaxes lay mines in the River Ems.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the French II Corps enters Chalons-sur- Saòne while the U.S. VI Corps advances towards Besancon.

12th AF: In southern France, during the day, weather grounds the USAAF Twelfth Air Force’s XII Tactical Air Command aircraft except for a few fighters based in France which fly armed reconnaissance over the Belfort, Dijon, and Colmar areas, destroying or damaging numerous motor transport and railroad cars and several locomotives, field guns, trailers, and a tank.

8th AF: B-17s of the USAAF’s Eighth Air Force bomb the supply dump at Bricy Airfield at Orleans

ITALY: The Japanese ambassador to Italy reports back to Tokyo that partisan activity, especially around Turin and the Franco-Italian border, has widened, despite German purges. This information is intercepted by British intelligence and decoded, reassuring the British forces fighting within Italy that they are not alone in fighting the Germans. By war's end, Italian guerillas control Venice, Milan, and Genoa, but at considerable cost. All told, the resistance lost some 50,000 fighters.

15th AF:
ITALY: During the night of 6/7 September, 51 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the North marshalling yard at Bologna with the loss of one aircraft.
ROMANIA: In the air, USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb three rail targets at Oradea: 56 attack the East marshalling yard, 55 bomb the West marshalling yard, and 28 bomb the Sebes Koros River railroad bridge. Meanwhile, two bombers, with fighter escort, evacuate interned U.S. airmen from Bucharest.
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack two targets: 111 hit the marshalling yard at Nyiregyhaza and one bombs Kiskun Airfield. During the night of 6/7 September, ten RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group mine the Danube River.
YUGOSLAVIA: During the day, USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s visually bomb five targets: 77 bomb tactical targets at Leskovac; 59 bomb the East marshalling yard at Novi Sad and 57 bomb the South marshalling yard; 54 bomb the East railroad bridge in Belgrade; and 25 bomb the marshalling yard at Leskovac.
During the night of 6/7 September, seven RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group mine the Danube River while another aircraft drops leaflets.

Soviet troops capture Ostroleka only 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the border of East Prussia.

ROMANIA: The Soviet advance through Rumania reaches the border with Yugoslavia at Turnu-Severin on the Danube.

UNITED KINGDOM: Blackout and other civil defense measures in Britain are relaxed. Compulsory training and drills for the British Home Guard are ended by the war office.

UNITED STATES: The USN awards a contract to McDonnell Aircraft Corporation for the development of the Gargoyle or LBD-1, a radio controlled low-wing gliding bomb fitted with a rocket booster and designed for launching from carrier-based dive-bombers and torpedo planes against enemy ships.

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BELGIUM: The British Second Army and the U.S. First Army reach the Albert Canal and elements of the U.S. 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) cross the canal near Hasselt while elements of the U.S. VII Corps approach Liege.

BULGARIA: The government declares war on Germany.

N FRANCE: In northern France, the U.S. Third Army's second attempt to take Metz in is thwarted by hard-fighting Germans.

9th AF: Bad weather grounds the bombers of the USAAF Ninth Air Force but fighters provide air cover for the US 8th and 29th Infantry Divisions.

S FRANCE: In southern France, troops of the U.S. 3d Infantry Division enter Besancon.

12th AF: Weather cancels all USAAF Twelfth Air Force flying in France.

HUNGARY: The Hungarians declares war on Romania.

ITALY: The U.S. II Corps completes preparations for an attack, but the German withdrawal during the night of 7/8 September to the Gothic Line itself from delaying positions on the hills around Florence makes the first phase of the assault unnecessary.

12th AF: Weather cancels all flying in Italy except for weather reconnaissance by a few P-47s.

U.S.S.R.: The Finnish peace delegation leaves for Moscow. Prime Minister Antti Hackzell acts as the chairman of the delegation, the other members are Minister of Defence General of Infantry Karl Rudolf Walden, Chief of General Staff General of Infantry A. Erik Heinrichs and Lieutenant General Oscar P. Enckell (brother of Foreign Minister Carl Enckell), Special envoy of the Commander in Chief. They cross the Fenno-Soviet frontline in Juustila, and arrive at Moscow in the evening.

FINLAND: The Finnish government enquires whether the Swedish government can receive some 100 000 Finnish refugees from northern Finland. The Swedes reply in affirmative. When the Finns later in autumn initiate hostilities against the Germans in northern Finland, this Swedish help in taking care of the civilian population proves invaluable.

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BELGIUM: The Belgian government, exiled in London for the past four years, returns to Brussels.
The US VII Corps captures Liege. The Canadian First Army captures Nieuwpoort (Nieuport) and Oostende (Ostend).

LUXEMBOURG: German troops withdraw from Luxembourg to positions behind the Seigfried Line.

NETHERLANDS: The U.S. 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) drives almost to Maastricht and patrols the Albert Canal in Belgium.
RAF: During the night of 8/9 September, two of three RAF Mosquitos bomb Havelte Airfield at Steenwijk.

BULGARIA: Soviet troops cross the border into Bulgaria, ostensibly because of Bulgaria's refusal to declare war on Germany.

N FRANCE: In northern France, the Canadian 2d Division captures Dunkirk while the 4th Armoured Division reaches the outskirts of Bruges and Polish armor reaches Thielt. The U.S. 2d, 8th and 29th Infantry Divisions of the U.S. Ninth Army begin an all-out assault on Brest at 1000 hours local. The German 106th Panzer Brigade counterattacks the troops of the U.S. 90th Infantry Division but becomes disorganized and is virtually wiped out losing 30 tanks, 60 half-tracks and almost 100 other vehicles. The enemy pocket in Briey surrenders to units of the U.S. XX Corps.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the 1st Airborne Task Force captures Menton and drives to the Italian border. The French 1st Armoured Division captures Autun. The Germans are beginning to withdraw from the Baume-les-Dames area to avoid being encircled.

N FRANCE: One hundred ten USAAF’s Eighth Air B-24s fly a TRUCKIN' (supply) mission from the U.K. to Bricy Airfield at Orleans.

9th AF: In northern France, the weather prevents USAAF Ninth Air Force bomber missions. Fighters fly cover for troops in the Brest area and for the U.S. 2d, 5th, 8th, and 29th Infantry Divisions, and the XX Corps area; escort troop movements and fly defensive patrols while several hundred C-47s fly supply and evacuation missions.

12th AF: In southern France: USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20s fly supply missions to an airfield near Lyon; fighters strafe the Belfort area, hitting 10 trains with good results, and blast a horse-drawn vehicle convoy near Strasbourg.

RAF FRANCE: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 333 aircraft, 304 Lancasters, 25 Mosquitos and four Stirlings, to bomb German positions at Le Havre but the weather is bad, with a low cloud base, and only 109 aircraft bombed, with indifferent results. Two Lancasters are lost. The four Stirlings on this raid are the last Bomber Command Stirlings to carry out a bombing operation.

GERMANY: The USAAF’s Eighth Air Force flies Mission 611: 1,070 bombers and 349 fighters in three forces are dispatched to hit industrial; attacks are visual at the primary targets; ten bombers are lost: 344 B-17s, escorted by 88 P-51s, bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil refinery at Ludwigshafen with the loss of five aircraft and three others bomb the industrial area in the city; 243 B-24s, escorted by 82 P-51s, bomb the Karlsruhe marshalling yard with the loss of four B-24s and a P-51; 309 B-17s, escorted by 144 P-51s,hit the Kastelan ordinance depot at Mainz; 22 bomb the industrial area at Neuweid; 13 bomb the industrial area at Rudesheim; and nine other aircraft hit targets of opportunity.
During the night of 8/9 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches Mosquitos to two targets: 44 of 45 Mosquitos dispatched bombed Nuremberg and four of six bombed Emden.

GREECE: Soviet troops are now 26 miles (41,8 km) inside the country.

ITALY: Units of the U.S. Fifth Army cross the Serchio River and enter Vecchiano without opposition. The flooded Arno River prevents the South African 6th Armoured Division from crossing reinforcements.
The British Eighth Army continues its attacks on Gemmano and Coriano ridges in Italy. Two days of rain have seriously interrupted operations. These attacks are heavily fought and the positions remain in German possession.

RAF: ITALY: During the night of 8/9 September, 71 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the canal at Ravenna.

15th AF:
ITALY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force P-51s escort RAF Beaufighters to Trieste, Italy
YUGOSLAVIA: Three hundred fifty four USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s escorted by P-38s bomb transportation targets: 103 bomb the Sava River railroad bridge in Belgrade; in Nis, 56 bombers attack the West marshalling yard and 48 hit the North marshalling yard; in Sarjaevo, 54 bomb the West marshalling yard and 15 hit the main marshalling yard; 41 bomb the Sava River railroad bridge at Brod;

ROMANIA: Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force C-47 Skytrains fly evacuation missions to Bucharest, Romania, and return to Italy carrying Allied POWs.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first German A4 (Vergeltungwaffe 2 or V-2) rocket lands on Staveley Road, a quiet suburban road in Chiswick, West London, at 1843 hours, killing three people, seriously injuring 17, destroying six homes and leaving a massive crater. This is one of Hitler's vaunted "vengeance weapons." It is fired, minutes before by Mobile Artillery Section 485 from a mobile launcher from the Koekoeslaan (Cuckoo's Lane) a suburban road of The Hague, in the Netherlands, The explosion, and a second, just 16 seconds later (which lands in open countryside in Epping (north-east of London), but causes no casualties) are heard over much of London. Each sounded like a double thunder-clap followed by the rush of an express train. It has been aimed at the Fire Station in Southwark Bridge Road but missed by 8 miles (13 kilometers). To avoid panic, and against the advice of scientists, no announcement of the new weapon is made. There are rumours that exploding gas mains are responsible.
This morning, another rocket landed on the outskirts of Paris, France. By coincidence today Britons are told by Duncan Sandys, a junior minister, that the attack by V1 flying bombs is virtually over "except possibly for a few last shots." The launching sites near Calais, France, have been captured, but a small number of V-1s are still being air-launched by Heinkel bombers over the North Sea. In the 80 days since they began, 2,300 V-1s got through to London, killing 5,475 people, injuring 16,000 and destroying 25,000 houses.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN: While tracking fast Convoy ONF-252 (U.K. to North America), German submarine U-484 is sunk about 156 nautical miles (288 kilometers) west-northwest of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Porchester Castle (K 362) and the frigate HMS Helmsdale (K 253); all 52 crewmen are lost. This is the boats first patrol.
German submarine U-865, missing since leaving Trondheim, Norway, is reported lost; all 59 men aboard are lost. This is the boats first patrol.

LUXEMBOURG: Prince Felix and Crown Prince Jean enter Luxembourg with U.S. troops.

NETHERLANDS: The U.S. 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) enters the Dutch panhandle near Maastricht.
During the night of 9/10 September, four RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb Havelte Airfield at Steenwijk.

BELGIUM: Troops of the Canadian 2 Corps moving along the coast enter Ostend and Nieuport.

S FRANCE: In southern France, Beaune, Le Creusot and Autun fall to French forces in the south of France.

FRANCE: Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle forms a provisional French government that includes Communists. Geogres Bidault is now the Foreign Minister. The Provisional Government of France issued a proclamation abolishing all laws promulgated by the Vichy government.

8th AF FRANCE: The USAAF Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions. Mission 613: 68 B-17s fly Operation GRASSY to drop 180 containers of supplies to French Resistance fighters 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Besancon without loss. Escort is provided by 30 of 32 P-51s without loss.

9th AF: The USAAF Ninth Air Force flies tactical missions in northern France. Fighters fly escort, furnish ground force cover for the US VIII Corps in the Brest area, the 2d, 5th, and 8th Infantry Divisions of the US Third Army's XX Corps area west of Metz, and fly armed reconnaissance in areas around Nancy, and Aachen, Cologne, Koblenz, Bonn, and Saarbrucken, Germany; fighters also hit bridges at Custines and Pompey; 700+ C-47 Skytrains fly missions. B-26 Marauders fly a leaflet mission to coastal France and Belgium.

12th AF: The USAAF Twelfth Air Force flies tactical missions in southern France. Motor transport and rolling stock are bombed and strafed in eastern France, with particular success in the Belfort-Mulhouse- Freiburg, France areas.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 272 aircraft, 230 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos, to Le Havre but, because of poor visibility, the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be abandoned and only 16 aircraft bombed. No aircraft lost.

GERMANY: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 614: 1,140 bombers and 435 fighters, in three forces, are dispatched to hit targets in western Germany; the primaries are attacked by both visual and PFF means; 14 bombers and 1 fighter are lost.
(1) 284 B-17s bomb the marshalling yard at Mannheim using H2X radar;
(2) 248 B-17s bomb the Borsig armament factory at Dusseldorf;
(3) 212 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Mainz using H2X radar;
(4) 24 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Worms; and various other targets of opportunity.
During the night of 9/10 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 113 Lancasters and 24 Mosquitos to carry out a devastating raid on the center of Mönchengladbach; 128 aircraft bomb the city without loss. One aircraft bombs Emden. Also, 39 Mosquitos bombBrunswick.

12th AF: The USAAF Twelfth Air Force flies tactical missions in southern Italy. B-26s achieve excellent results against rail bridges in the eastern Po Valley while B-25s bomb troop concentrations and supply points south of Bologna; fighter-bombers and fighters attack railways and roads in the Po Valley and from Genoa to Turin and motor transport and rolling stock are bombed and strafed in northern Italy.

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67,537
BELGIUM: Conferring with his commanders in Brussels, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander-in- Chief Supreme Headquarter Allied Expeditionary Force, decides to defer operations to open the port of Antwerp until after Operation MARKET-GARDEN to secure a Rhine bridgehead.
In the British XXX Corps area, the Germans disposed along the Albert Canal continue to offer stiff opposition to Allied forces holding bridgeheads across it.
The U.S. 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) crosses the Meuse River at Liege and drives north. Meanwhile the 28th Infantry Division overruns Bastogne, Longvilly, Wiltz, Selange and Arlon.

LUXEMBOURG: Combat Command A of the U.S. 5th Armored Division, takes the city of Luxembourg with ease and probes eastward toward German; Combat Command R drives to within 8 miles (13 kilometers) of the German border.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 10/11 September, one of two RAF Bomber Command Lancasters lays mines off Texel Island.

N FRANCE: In northern France, the British I Corps, after a very strong aerial bombardment during which almost 5,000 tons (4 636 tonnes) of bombs are dropped, and after naval softening of defenses by the British battleship HMS Warspite (03) and the monitor HMS Erebus (I 02), launches an all-out assault on Le Havre at 1745 hours with two divisions penetrating the German defenses.
U.S. Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, Commanding General 12th Army Group, orders the U.S. First Army to break through the West Wall and secure crossings over the Rhine River in the vicinity of Koblenz, Bonn and Cologne; U.S. Third Army is to secure crossings of the Rhine at Mannheim. This offensive is scheduled to open on 14 September.
In northern France, the U.S. VIII Corps closes up to Brest proper and finishes clearing the Le Conquest Peninsula. The XIX Corps advancing northeastward with little difficulty, finds Fort Eben Emael undefended. The U.S. 90th Infantry Division takes Aumetz, Hayange and Algrange. The 5th Infantry Division begins crossing the Moselle River between Noveant and Arnaville about 0200 hours under a smoke screen taking the Germans by surprise.
The XV Corps makes contact with the French II Corps that landed in southern France.

9th AF: Advance HQ, USAAF Ninth Air Force, assigns rail lines approaching the Rhine River from the west, north of Karlsruhe, to be attacked by IX and XIX Tactical Air Command fighters in the first of a series of orders setting up rail interdiction programs to cut lines west and east of the Rhine River in September and early October; changes and additions to targets appear on 12 and 14 September when a list of all lines to be cut is published.
In northern France, about 340 B-26s and A-20s hit strongpoints and ammunition stores at Foret de Haye, Custines rail bridge, and a road bridge over the Mosel River; escorting fighters provide general air cover in the Metz-Nancy area, and support US Third Army ground forces in stemming a counterattack there; 800+ C-47 Skytrains complete supply and evacuation missions; the southern invading forces and those of the Normandy invasion meet.

S FRANCE: In southern France, the French II Corps reaches Dijon.

12th AF: In the air in southern France, 54 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack Bron supply depot at Lyon. Fighters and fighter-bombers of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force’s XII Tactical Air Command attack communications in the Belfort and Dijon areas, cutting railroads and hitting several trains.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 992 aircraft, 521 Lancasters, 426 Halifaxes and 45 Mosquitos to attack eight different German strong points around Le Havre; 961 aircraft bomb targets. Each target is separately marked by the Pathfinders and then accurately bombed. No aircraft lost.

8th AF: The USAAF’s Eighth Air Force flies Mission 619:
(1) 1,144 bombers and 570 fighters, in three forces, attack targets in the Stuttgart area:
(2) 247 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Ulm using H2X radar;
(3) 70 B-17s hit the M.A.N. tank factory at Nurnburg using H2X radar;
(4) 140 B-17s hit the Diamler-Benz motor vehicle factory at Gaggenau;
(5) 112 B-17s bomb Giebelstadt Airfield; 99 B-24s hit the marshalling yard at Heilbronn;
(6) 73 bomb the Diamler-Benz engine factory at Sindelfingen;
(7) 69 B-17s bomb the Zuffenhausen Me 262 engine factory at Stuttgart;
(8 ) 62 B-17s bomb the Me 262 assembly factory at Furth;
(9) 13 B-17s bomb the industrial area at Darmstadt;
(10) 12 aircraft each bomb the Zuffenhausen marshalling yard at Stuttgart, and targets of opportunity; and individual aircraft bomb six targets of opportunity.
Mission 620: A B-17 flies a mission to trial the GB-4 radio/visual control bomb against a railroad bridge at Duren.
During the night of 10/11 September, 25 USAAF Eighth Air Force B-24s and C-47 Skytrainss fly CARPETBAGGER missions.
During the night of 10/11 September, 41 of 47 RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb Berlin without loss; one Mosquito bombs Lubeck.

ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army area, the 6th Armored Infantry Battalion takes Villa Basilica and the II Corps opens a drive toward the Gothic Line at 0530 hours with two divisions abreast. The British XIII Corps attacks toward the Gothic Line with three divisions with their main effort on the left in support of the U.S. II Corps.

12th AF: B-25s and B-26s of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force continue the campaign against railroad bridges in the Po Valley and execute four attacks against supply and ammunition dumps; fighter-bombers hit dumps and communications as the ground assault on the Gothic Line commences during the early morning.

15th AF:
ITALY: The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 80 B-24s to bomb the port area at Trieste.
AUSTRIA: The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 344 B-17s and B-24s to bomb four targets in the Vienna area: 134 bomb the industrial area; 82 hit an oil refinery; 79 bomb the Schwechat synthetic oil refinery; and 50 attack the Ostmark Ordnance Depot. Seventeen aircraft are lost.

TURKEY: Three German submarines, U-19, U-20 and U-23, are scuttled by their crews in the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey in position 41.16N, 31.26E.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN: In the North Sea, the German submarine U-855, is listed as missing in the area west of Bergen, Norway with all 56 crewmen. The cause is unknown. She is on her first patrol.

BELGIUM: The U.S. First Army units takes Malmedy.

CANADA: The Octagon Conference at Quebec City, Quebec begins. British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with their staffs, meet to discuss overall strategy of the war. The plans for continued attacks in Italy and Northern Europe are not changed. British attacks in Burma are approved. British Fleet participation in the Pacific is approved for the final campaigns against the Japanese. This conference will last through 6 September.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Thirty nine USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17s bomb a synthetic oil refinery at Brux using H2X radar. This is part of Operation FRANTIC that along with 64 P-51s, continues on and lands in the U.S.S.R.

LUXEMBOURG: The U.S. First Army under Major General Courtney Hodges enters Luxembourg City and the liberation of the Grand Duchy from German occupation is completed. Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Jett is placed in charge of maintaining order and restoration of public services.

NETHERLANDS: RAF Bomber Command dispatched seven Mosquitos to bomb Havelte Airfield at Steenwijk; three aircraft bomb the target.

FINLAND: The Finns and the Germans start secret negotiations about the German withdrawal from northern Finland at Rovaniemi. The Soviet-imposed deadline for the German withdrawal is only four days away, and it is evident the Germans are unable to leave Finland in time. However, both armies are willing to avoid bloodshed, and agreement is reached. Germans would retreat according to a prearranged plan, destroying roads and bridges, while Finns would advance slowly to areas already abandoned by Germans. The slow rate of Finnish advance could be excused by the German policy of scorched earth. While the negotiations are going on, the Swedish government has already agreed to receive the Finnish civilian population wishing to leave the German occupied areas.

FRANCE: In northern France, the British I Corps attacks Le Havre after an RAF raid.

9th AF: In northern France, the USAAF Ninth Air Force continues tactical support of ground forces: 358 B-26s and A-20s, escorted by fighters, in support of the US Third Army, hit gun positions and strongpoints in the Metz area;, and support Third Army ground forces in the Metz area; fighters also support ground forces in the Brest area.
USAAF Ninth Air Force fighters fly armed reconnaissance over the Lissendorf and Duren areas.

15th AF: In southern France, the US AAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy limits operations to supply mission by 54 B-24s to Lyons due to bad weather.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 218 aircraft, 105 Halifaxes, 103 Lancasters and ten Mosquitos, to attack German positions outside Le Havre; 171 aircraft bombed the target. The bombing is carried out accurately in conditions of good visibility but the Master Bomber ordered the final wave to cease bombing because of smoke and dust. None are lost.

GERMANY: Armored reconnaissance elements of the U.S. Third Army cross into Germany, the first Allied unit to do so.

8th AF: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 623: 1,131 bombers and 440 fighters, in 3 forces, are dispatched to hit synthetic oil plants and refineries in Germany; they encounter an estimated 525 Luftwaffe fighters; 40 bombers and 17 fighters are lost; the USAAF claim 115-7-23 aircraft in the air and 42-0-43 on the ground.
B-17 targets are (number in parenthesis indicates number of aircraft bombing): I. G. Farben synthetic oil refineries at Merseburg (111) and Lutzkendorf (85); Braunkohle synthetic oil refinery at Bohlen (75), Chemnitz (74) and Schwartzhelde synthetic oil refinery at Ruhland (22); targets of opportunity are a tire plant at an aircraft engine factory at Eisenach (81); Fulda (64), a marshalling yard at Fulda (42), Labejum (12), Rossla (6) and 41 others.
B-24 targets are Misburg oil refinery at Hannover (87) and a tank factory at Hannover (84), the Friedrichstadt ordinance depot at Magdeburg (60); targets of opportunity hit are the industrial area at Magdeburg (70), Stendal Airfield (45), Diepholz Airfield (9) and three others.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 379 aircraft, 205 Halifaxes, 154 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos, to attack three synthetic oil plants; 121 bomb the Klocknerwerke plant at Castrop Rauxel; 116 hit the Chemischewerke plant at Kamen; and 114 attack the Nordstern plant at Gelsenkirchen. The first two targets are clearly visible and are accurately bombed but the Nordstem plant is partially protected by a smoke-screen which hindered bombing and prevented observation of the results. The three forces are escorted by 26 squadrons of fighters, 20 squadrons of Spitfires and three each of Mustangs and Tempests. No German fighters are encountered. Five Halifaxes and two Pathfinder Lancasters are lost from the Nordstem raid and a Lancaster is lost from each of the other raids. These loss are caused by flak or by 'friendly' bombs.
During the night of 11/12 September, RAF Bomber Command sends 226 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos to bomb Darmstadt; 234 aircraft bombed the city with the loss of 12 Lancasters, 5.3 per cent of the Lancaster force. A previous attack in August had failed to harm Darmstadt but, in clear weather conditions, the group's marking methods produced an outstandingly accurate and concentrated raid on this almost intact city of 120,000 people. A fierce fire area is created in the centre and in the districts immediately south and east of the centre. Property damage in this area is almost complete. Casualties are very heavy. The Darmstadt raid, with its extensive fire destruction and its heavy casualties, is held by the Germans to be an extreme example of RAF “terror bombing” and is still a sensitive subject because of the absence of any major industries in the city. Bomber Command defended the raid by pointing out the railway communications passing through Darmstadt; the directive f
or the offensive against German communications had not yet been issued to Bomber Command, although advance notice of the directive may have been received. Darmstadt is simply one of Germany's medium-sized cities of lesser importance which succumbed to Bomber Command's improving area-attack techniques in the last months of the war when many of the larger cities are no longer worth bombing. A second target during the night is Berlin which is hit by 42 Mosquitos. Seventy six Halifaxes and Lancasters are dispatched on mine laying missions during the night: 17 laid mines in the Kiel area, 16 off Swinemunde, nine off Kattegat and seven in the Fehmarn Channel. Two Lancasters are lost off Swinemunde.

ITALY: The U.S. Fifth Army continues to advance in Italy. Pistoia is liberated by South African units of the British XIII Corps.

12th AF: In the air, the US Twelfth Air Force continues tactical operations. B-26s hit defensive positions as US Fifth Army elements push through northern Italian mountain passes toward Gothic Line defenses; B-25s bomb railroad bridges at Vigevano and Canneto sull'Oglio and supply areas; fighter-bombers and fighters attack roads, railroads, guns, supply areas, bridges, and other targets at Vernio, and in the Alessandria, Turin, Piacenza, and Milan areas.

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BELGIUM: The Polish 1st Armoured Division pushes forward to Lokeren and St Nicholas while the 4th Armoured Division clears the Bruges area and reaches the Leopold Canal. The U.S. 2d Armored Division reconnaissance battalion clears the bridge site along the north bank of the Albert Canal and the bridge is completed there at midnight. Combat Command A of the 2d Armored Division begins crossing the bridge immediately.

FRANCE: In northern France, the German garrison of 12,000 surrenders at Le Harve to the British I Corps. Units of the U.S. Third Army eliminates all resistance west of the Moselle River in the Thionville area and clears Thionville west of the river except for an approach to the main bridge there. The Germans destroy the bridge. At 1200 hours engineers finish bridging the Moselle, thus permitting tanks and tank destroyers of the U.S. 7th Armored Division to cross into the bridgehead. A regiment of the 80th Infantry Division attacks across the Moselle in the Dieulouard area early in the morning and finds the east bank lightly held; another regiment follows just before noon and weapons and vehicles start across later in the day.
In southern France, elements of the French 2d Corps reach the outskirts of Langres.

9th AF:
FRANCE: In northern France, 400+ C-47 Skytrains of the First Allied Airborne Army's IX Troop Carrier Command complete supply and evacuation missions. The USAAF Ninth Air Force flies tactical missions attacking fortifications around Nancy while fighters continue ground support in the French/German border area.
GERMANY: The USAAF Ninth Air Force flies tactical missions with B-26s and A-20s hitting Westwall fortifications and the Sankt Wendel station, where an armored division and important technicians are to entrain.

GERMANY: Noor Inayat Khan, also known as the SOE agent Madelaine is executed at Dachau concentration camp.
The U.S. 1st Infantry Division thrusts at Aachen Municipal Forest, south of Aachen, where it repels a counterattack. One U.S. 3d Army Division column, driving northeast from Eupen, stops for the night on the edge of Eynattener Wald, within about 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the West Wall; another column probes east from Eupen, some elements reaching the West Wall at Schmidthof and others reaching Roetgen, just short of the West Wall. Major General J. Lawton Collins, Commanding General VII Corps, decides to bypass Aachen, isolating it in conjunction with the XIX Corps, and drive toward the Stolberg corridor. The V Corps begins limited attacks against the West Wall.

8th AF:
GERMANY: The USAAF Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 626: For the second day, 888 bombers and 662 fighters, in three forces, are dispatched on a major assault on the German oil industry; they are intercepted by 400-450 Luftwaffe fighters; USAAF claims 81-16-20 aircraft in the air; 35 bombers and 12 fighters are lost. (1) B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb oil refineries at Ruhland (59); targets of opportunity are Lauta (48 ), Plauen (30), Etterwinden (12),, Kitzingen (11) and others (20); PFF methods are used for all targets; they claim 14-9-7 aircraft; 19 B-17 Flying Fortresses are lost; escort is provided by 238 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 29-2-4 aircraft in the air and 21-0-16 on the ground; 10 P-51s are lost. (2) B-17s bombing visually attack Magdeburg/Rothensee (144), Magdeburg/Friedrich stadt (73) and Bohlen (35); targets of opportunity are Fulda (46), Molbis (11) and other (8 ); they claim 13-5-5 aircraft; 12 B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 236 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 25-0-4 aircraft in the air and 5-0-15 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost. (3) B-24s hit Hemmingstedt (66), Kiel (58 ) and Misburg (34); targets of opportunity are Laharte (38 ), marshalling yard at Northeim (12), Hannover (11), Hemmingstedt (3) and other (3); PFF is used for bombing; 4 B-24s are lost; escort is provided by 105 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s without loss. Thirty six B-24 Liberators and C-47 Skytrains are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

15th AF:
GERMANY: The USAAF Fifteenth Air Force sends nearly 330 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24s supported by P-38s and P-51s to bomb three targets: 263 B-17s bomb Lechfeld Airfield at Munich; 91 B-24s bomb the Allach engine works producing engines for the FW 190 at Munich; and 78 B-24s bomb the Wasserburg jet aircraft factory.
FRANCE: In southern France, the 54 B-24 Liberators of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy fly a supply mission.

RAF:
GERMANY: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatched 412 aircraft, 315 Halifaxes, 75 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos, to attack three synthetic oil plants:141 hit the Buer plant at Gelsenkirchen, 120 hit the Krupp Treibstoff plant at Wanne-Eikel, and 110 hit the Hoesch plant at Dortmund. The Dortmund raid is particularly successful, but smoke-screens prevented observation of results at the other targets. Seven aircraft are lost. In a second raid, 119 Halifaxes and five Pathfinder Lancasters carried out the first raid by RAF heavies on Münster since June 1943; 121 aircraft bombed the target. Two Halifaxes are lost. Many fires are seen but smoke prevented an accurate assessment of the bombing results. A brief report from Münster describes a “sea of fire” in the southern part of the town which could not be entered for several hours and tells of water mains destroyed by high-explosive bombs so that “the firemen could only stand helpless in front of the flames.” The railway st
ation in the heart of the city is one of the targets.
During the night of 12/13 September, RAF Bomber Command sends 378 Lancasters and nine Mosquitos on the last major RAF raid of the war against Frankfurt-am- Main; 366 bomb the city. Seventeen Lancasters are lost, 4.5 per cent of the Lancaster force. The local report says that the raid occurred when many of the city's firemen and rescue workers are away working in Darmstadt. The bombing caused severe destruction in the western districts of the city, which contained many industrial premises. Property damage is extensive. A troop train is hit at the West Station. A second target is Stuttgart with 204 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos dispatched; 211 bomb the target with the loss of four Lancasters. The attack is a success and local reports state that a firestorm occurred. A third target is Berlin with 29 Mosquitos bombing.

GREECE: German troops evacuate Rhodes and other Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean.

HUNGARY: The Germans and Hungarians begin a counter-offensive toward Arad and Temesvar.

ITALY: The exiled Greek government moves from Cairo, Egypt to Caerta.
The South African 6th Armoured Division continues to gain ground as the Germans fall back to prepared positions of the Gothic Line.

12th AF: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-26s hit defended positions in the central battle sector of the Gothic Line; B-25s pound Po River railroad bridges and attack guns and strongpoints in the battle zone as the Germans fall back to prepared Gothic Line defenses and the rapid Allied advance halts; and fighter-bombers strike at guns, troop concentrations, strongpoints, and flak positions in the Genoa and Milan areas.

RAF:
ITALY: During the night of 12/13 September, 84 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb East marshalling yard at Bologna.
NETHERLANDS: Five RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos attack Havelte Airfield at Steenwijk.
NORWAY: Twelve RAF Bomber Command Halifaxes are dispatched to mine Oslo harbor; only one aircraft lays mines and it is lost; the other eleven are recalled.

ROMANIA: The government signs an armistice, drawn up in Moscow, with the United Kingdom, United States and Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. The agreement commits Romania to co-operate in the war against Hungary and Germany and to pay reparations. The boundary between the U.S.S.R. and Romania is to be that established by the Soviet-Romanian agreement of 28 June 1940. The Soviets promise to return Transylvania to Romania.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN: The destroyer USS Warrington (DD-383) and the stores ship USS Hyades (AF-28 ) are caught in the center of a hurricane off the Florida coast in the U.S. In the evening of the 12 September, the storm forces the destroyer to heave to while Hyades continues on her way alone. Keeping wind and sea on her port bow, Warrington rode relatively well through most of the night. Wind and seas, however, continued to build during the early morning hours today and Warrington begins to lose headway and, as a result, starts to ship water through the vents to her engineering spaces. The water rushing into her vents causes a loss of electrical power which sets off a chain reaction. Her main engines lose power, and her steering engine and mechanism go out. She wallows there in the trough of the swells continuing to ship water. She regains headway briefly and turns upwind, while her radiomen desperately, but fruitlessly, tries to raise Hyades. Finally, she resorted to a plain-language distress call to any ship or shore station. By noon today, it is apparent that Warrington's crewmen could not win the struggle to save their ship, and the order went out to prepare to abandon ship. By 1250 hours, her crew has left Warrington; and she went down almost immediately. A prolonged search by USS Hyades, the destroyer escorts USS Frost (DE-144), USS Nuse (DE-145), USS Inch (DE-146), USS Snowden (DE-246), USS Swasey (DE248 ), USS Woodson (DE-359), USS Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360), ATR-9, and ATR-62 rescue only five officers and 68 men of the destroyer's 20 officers and 301 men.

FRANCE: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander-in- Chief Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, directs the capture of two objectives: the Ruhr and a deepwater port, either Antwerp or Rotterdam.
In northern France, the German garrison at Brest refuses a request to surrender although the garrison is being steadily compressed on all sides. In the U.S. XII Corps area, the Germans have decided to abandon Nancy in order to mass forces with which to overwhelm the Dieulouard bridgehead. A regiment of the 79th Infantry Division takes Neufchateau.
In southern France, the French 1st Armoured Division takes Langres. In the VI Corps area, the Germans surrender Vesoul and the 45th Infantry Division overruns Villersexel. VI Corps takes more than 1,300 POWs during the day.
First Allied Airborne Army's IX Troop Carrier Command C-47 Skytrainss fly numerous supply and evacuation missions.

9th AF: The USAAF Ninth Air Force's HQ XIX Tactical Air Command accompanies HQ US Third Army HQ to ChaIons-sur- Marne; B-26s fly a leaflet mission to coastal northern France and Belgium; fighters support ground forces in the Brest and Nancy-Metz areas (air-ground coordination being especially effective between XIX Tactical Air Command and French 2d Armored Division in defeating the German move on Vittel.
The USAAF Ninth Air Force flies armed reconnaissance over the Cologne, Aachen, Koblenz, Linz/Rhine, and Wahn areas; the XIX Tactical Air Command inaugurates a rail cutting campaign.

GERMANY:
The U.S. VII Corps penetrates the West Wall at two points.

8th AF: The USAAF Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions. Numbers in parenthesis indicate the number of aircraft bombing the target.
- Mission 628: 1,015 bombers and 477 fighters, in three forces, attack oil and industrial targets in southern Germany by visual means; 15 bombers and 8 fighters are lost. (1) B-17s bomb Sindelfingen oil refineries at Stuttgart (109) and Ludwigshafen (74); secondary targets hit are Darmstadt (95) and Wiesbaden (8 ); targets of opportunity hit are Mainz (22), a marshalling yard near Wiesbaden (12) and others (3); four B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 73 P-47s, they claim 6-0-2 aircraft on the ground. (2) B-24s attack Schwabish Hall Airfield (65), a munitions dump at Ulm (65) and Weissenhorn (45); a target of opportunity hit is Reichelsheim (1); four B-24s are lost; escort is provided by 99 P-38s and P-51s; they claim 14-0-5 aircraft on the ground; two P-51s are lost; and (3) B-17s hit oil refineries at Merseburg (141) and Lutzkendorf (77); targets of opportunity hit are Giessen (17), Eisenach (12), Altenburg (7),
Gera (7) and other (19); they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; seven B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 233 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 33-0-4 aircraft in the air; 6 P-51s are lost.
- Mission 629: B-24s are dispatched on an Azon mission to the oil refinery at Hemminstedt (6);five hit the secondary target, ammunition dumps at Kropp. Escort is provided by 15 P-51s without loss.

RAF: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 140 aircraft, 102 Halifaxes, 28 Lancasters and ten Mosquitos to attack the Nordstern synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen; 100 bombed the target and 14 bombed the city. Large explosions are seen through the smoke-screen. 2 Halifaxes lost. In a second raid, 98 Halifaxes and 20 Lancasters are dispatched to attack Osnabrück; 80 aircraft bomb the marshalling yard and 37 bomb the city. The marking and bombing are accurate but no details are available. No aircraft lost.
During the night of 13/14 September, 36 Mosquitos of RAF Bomber Command are sent to Berlin and three to Karlsruhe. All aircraft bomb their targets with the loss of two aircraft bombing Berlin.

ITALY: The British 8th Army has cleared the Coriano Ridge of German positions in Italy. U.S. forces continue attacking the Gothic line but make little progress against stiff resistance.

12th AF: US Twelfth Air Force B-25s destroy a bridge at Peschiera del Garda, cutting the Milan-Verona line; B-25s and B-26s bomb guns and defensive positions north of Florence; fighter-bombers attack railroads, rolling stock, and bridges in northern Italy, although a heavy overcast hampers operations in the northwest.

POLAND: The 2nd Belorussian Front takes Lomza on the Narew River. Belated Russian supply drops to the Polish Home Army in Warsaw begin

15th AF: B-24s of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombs two targets:
POLAND: 96 B-24s bomb the I.G. Farben oil refinery at Oswiecim and 25 bomb the marshalling yard at Wadowice. The Auschwitz concentration camp is located near Oswiecim and some of the bombs land inside the main camp destroying a barracks, killing 15 SS men and injuring 28. A cluster of bombs is also mistakenly dropped farther west at Birkenau, damaging the railroad but missing the crematoria.
One hundred sixteen B-17s bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil refinery at Blechhammer while 112 B-24s bomb the Deschowitz synthetic oil refinery at Odertal.
ITALY: B-24s bomb three targets: 50 bomb the railroad viaduct at Aviso, 28 bomb the railroad bridge at Ora and 27 bomb the railroad bridge at Mezza Corona.
HUNGARY: Three USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24s bomb the railroad at Berzence, Papa Airfield and an industrial area.
FRANCE: Fifty four B-24s fly supplies to southern France.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Seven USAAF B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Vrutky.

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8th AF:
GERMANY: The US Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 632: 2 B-17 control aircraft and 2 B-17 CASTOR drones fly an APHRODITE mission to the oil refinery at Hemmingstedt, Germany; the target is missed.

9th AF: C-47s of the First Allied Airborne Army's US IX Troop Carrier Command continue large-scale supply and evacuation missions in France. The US Ninth Air Force activates HQ XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) at Vermand, in anticipation of operating with the US Ninth Army, shortly to join the Twelfth Army Group; Brigadier General Richard E Nugent is Commanding General; about 140 B-26s and A-20s bomb gun emplacements and strongpoints in the Brest area. In southern France, bad weather limits US Twelfth Air Force fighters to a few sweeps.

GERMANY: U-2513 and U-3008 launched. U-2346 laid down.

NORWAY: Bergen: One of Britain's most successful secret weapons - a midget submarine able to penetrate the best defended waterways - has struck again. This time the target was a big floating dock, blown up in Bergen harbour. Lt. H. P. Westmacott skippered the four-man craft, X24, as it slipped through 30 miles of islands offshore and a minefield and into a fjord to sail at periscope depth to the harbour. After diving to 35 feet to avoid collision with a merchant ship, Westmacott attached delayed-action charges to the target and escaped. It is the second such raid on Bergen by Westmacott in X24.

POLAND: Units of the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front enter the Warsaw suburb of Praga.

U.S.S.R.: The Finnish peace delegation has waited for a week at Moscow for the negotiations to begin. Delay is caused by disagreements between the Soviets and British over the terms of the interim Peace Treaty (the final treaty will be the one concluded with the Soviet Union, UK and the Dominions at Paris in 1947). Today the two allies finally reach an agreement, and the Fenno-Soviet negotiations are to begin in evening. However, Prime Minister Antti Hackzell, who is the chairman of the Finnish delegation, suffers brain haemorrhage just hours before the first session is to start and is paralysed. Minister of Defence Gen. Rudolf Walden acts as the head of the delegation in the first session. Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Enckell arrives two days later to replace Hackzell.
By this date all German troops have left Southern Finland.
The Soviets attack Army Group North with 130 Divisions. General Schorner asks Hitler to let Estonia to go. This time Hitler allows a retreat.

ITALY: The British 8th Army begins its continued advance, toward the Marano River, after capturing the Gemmano Ridge.

12th AF: US Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack defensive positions in the east and central parts of the Gothic Line as the enemy fiercely resists, especially at Il Giogo Pass and on Monte Altuzzo; fighter-bombers continue strikes against communications and movement in the Po Valley.

Med Naval Action: The sailing yacht EROS is torpedoed and sunk by US PT boats off Genoa. She is ex-mercantile, originally built as a yacht for the Rothschild family. 1,019 tons built 1926 in England with some guns. She was seized by the Germans at Toulon in 1942 and redesignated Kriegsmarine Uj.2216 in 1943.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Waskesiu departed departed Londonderry with Convoy ONF-253.
Frigate HMCS Stettler attacked by U-802 Kptlt Helmut Schmoeckel CO. U-802 was a type IXC/40, U-boat, built by Deutsche Schiff und Machinen Bau AG Seebeck Yard Bremen, commissioned 12 Jun 43, in service 23 months, with a record of sinking 1 ship on 14 Sep 44. Stettler together with other frigates were on a routine patrol of Gaspe Passage when they fell within torpedo range of U-802. Assuming a convoy following astern of the sweep, U-802 tried to slip through the screen. Asdic sounds surrounded it as the formation zigzagged around its base course in full view of Schmoeckel's periscope, "Suddenly a destroyer turns bows on at full speed, making black smoke". Incorrect though his assumption was, Schmoeckel could only conclude in that split second that HMCS Stettler had gained asdic contact and was commencing her attack. Pressed by the apparently threatening frigate slicing through an "absolutely smooth, leaden sea (at approximately) 20 knots" Schmoeckel hastily fired a T-5 acoustic Gnat at a range of 500 m. An "explosion," in the words of the Canadian report, "believed to be a torpedo, occurred 40 yards astern of HMCS Stettler in the ship's wake." The crew of U-802 heard their torpedo explode, followed by "the sounds of sinking," and credited themselves with a kill. Lying under protective layers at a depth of 170 m eight minutes after their attack, they listened in safety to the counter-attacks as "destroyers" crossed overhead. U-802 rounded Cap de la Madeleine by late afternoon on 15 Sep, and let itself drift eastward with the prevailing set of the Gaspe stream.