This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

GERMANY: B-17s of the US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 80 in two forces against the aviation industry at Kassel, Germany. In the first force, 94 B-17s bombed the Bettenhausen Fieseler Works and 6 B-17s were lost. In the second force 40 B-17s attacked the Waldau Fieseler Works and 6 B-17s were lost. 107 P-47 Thunderbolts with auxiliary tanks escorted these raids and they surprised the attacking Luftwaffe fighters over Bocholt, Germany as the enemy was not yet accustomed to fighter escort penetration beyond the coastal fringe. P-47 pilots claimed 25 Luftwaffe aircraft shot down; 7 P-47s were lost.
....As the bombers approached the target, fighters from I./JG 26 took off and intercepted the B-17s. One was shot down by Lt. Gohringer of Stab I./JG 26 while another went down under the guns of Fw. Ernst Christof of I./JG 26 for his 9th kill. But Fw. Christof was bounced two hours later by fighters from the Us 335th FS 4th FG over Schouwen, shot down and killed.
....On the return flight, the bombers were bounced by numerous fighters from all the Luftwaffe defensive zones. The first to attack were the Fw 190s of II./JG 26 who sent 2 of the B-17s down in flames, one credited to the Gruppenkommandeur, Major 'Wutz" Galland. The other bomber was credited to Hptm. Johannes Naumann of 6./JG 26 who destroyed his bomber southeast of Est. Another bomber was brought down by Uffz. Wiegand over Eupen and another by Flg. Hans-Walter Sander over St. Trond. Hptm. Hermichen of I./Jg 26 claimed a P-47 over the Dordrecht area.
....But the Luftwaffe suffered losses as the escort fighters from US 4th, 56th and 78th FGs joined the combat. The first "hat trick" or triple victory for the Americans in the ETO happened when Major Eugene Roberts of the 78th FG claimed 3 fighters destroyed. Capt. Charles London also of the 78th FG was given credit for 2 kills. But the 78th suffered when its CO, Lt. Col. Melvin McNickle was shot down and captured while his wingman, Lt. Byers was killed.
.>..JG 1 lost 8 Fw 190s shot down and 3 Bf 109Gs damaged in crash-landings, JG 2 lost 7 planes destroyed, JG 11 had one Bf 109G destroyed and 5 badly damaged, JG 26 had 4 planes badly damaged and JG 54 had 4 planes destroyed - a total of 8 Bf 109s and 16 Fw 190s shot down. 10 pilots of the Luftwaffe were killed, including Ofw. Hans Laun of I./JG 1 and 9 nine pilots were injured.

WESTERN FRONT: B-26B Marauders of the US VIII Air Support Command VIII flew Missions 10A and 10B against 2 airfields with the loss of 1 bomber. Because the main US bomb raid took Allied bombers over the JG 26 airfield at Woensdrecht Airfield, The Netherlands, it was bombed by 11 aircraft and 1 B-26 was lost. The planes of JG 26 taking off to engage the bombers were met by escorting RAF fighters and lost 2 fighters. In the second mission, 24 B-26Bs were dispatched to Wevelghem Airfield at Courtrai, France but the mission was recalled because the escorting fighters were fog bound on the ground.
....The German submarine 'U-230' laid mines off the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay in the US. Meanwhile the German Navy lost six submarines: 'U-43' was sunk south-west of the Azores, by a Fido homing torpedo from a US Navy F4F Wildcats and TBF Avenger of Composite Squadron Twenty Nine (VC-29) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Santee' (CVE-29). All hands on the U-boat (55 men) were lost. 'U-43' was supposed to rendezvous with 'U-403' and then go on and sow mines off Lagos, Nigeria.
....'U-461' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay north-west of Cape Ortegal, by a Royal Australian Air Force Sunderland Mk III of No. 461 Squadron based at Pembroke Dock, Wales. 15 of the 68 men on the U-boat survived. Amazing numbering coincidence. The Sunderland aircraft which sank 'U-461' had the individual code letter U and so using the style of the RAF was listed in Squadron records as U/461. Thus U/461 sank U-461. The captain (pilot in command) of Sunderland U/461 was Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Dudley Marrows. The aircraft was based at the RAF flying-boat station Pembroke Dock. The attack also involved 'U-462' and 'U-504', with other aircraft including two Liberators, two Halifaxes, and a Catalina. Both those boats were eventually sunk by surface ships on the same day. 'U-462' was sunk by a Royal Air Force Halifax Mk II of No. 502 Squadron based at Holmsley South, Hampshire, England, and gunfire from the British sloops HMS 'Wren', HMS 'Kite', HMS 'Woodpecker', HMS 'Wild Goose' and HMS 'Woodcock' in the Bay of Biscay. 'U-504' was sunk at 1543 hours in the North Atlantic north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from the British Sloops HMS 'Kite', HMS 'Woodpecker', HMS 'Wren' and HMS 'Wild Goose' .
....'U-591' was sunk in the South Atlantic near Pernambuco, Brazil, by depth charges from a US Navy PV-1 Ventura coded "B-10" of Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty Seven (VB-127) based at Natal, Brazil. 28 of the 47 man crew survive including the captain. They are picked up by the gunboat USS 'Saucy' (PG-65, ex-HMS Arabis)

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 21: Near Santo Stefano and Troina, US forces were fighting heavily. British forces captured Catenanouva, Sicily. German forces were trapped in the north-east.
....A huge brawl developed over the island of Sardinia. AAF P-40s tangled with a large concentration of Bf 109s flown by young, inexperienced pilots. The P-40s were credited with the destruction of 21 Bf 109s for the loss of only one of their own. Post war analysis seems to indicate that only 5 or 6 Bf 109s fell to the Americans.
....Thousands of workers downed tools in Italy to march through the streets demanding peace. Soldiers charged with enforcing martial law - which prohibits strikes and demonstrations - refused to open fire. Guards stood back and watched as an angry mob stormed the Cellari prison and freed hundreds of anti-Fascist prisoners. Small knots of fanatical Fascists, one of them Mussolini's nephew, Vito, have barricaded themselves in Milan's Fascist headquarters, and there were reports of lynchings from other parts of the country. Events have moved at an extraordinary pace since Mussolini was deposed five days ago. Not one of Mussolini's ministers remains in Marshal Badoglio's new cabinet. Fascist prefects were being removed from their posts. Troops were being recalled from the Adriatic to enforce martial law, and there were reports of fighting between Italian and German soldiers in Trieste and Udine.
....Adolf Hitler learned that Italy was buying time before negotiating surrender terms with the Allies in light of Mussolini's fall from power. When Mussolini was ousted from power and arrested by his own police, Hitler had gathered Göring, Goebbels,Himmler, Rommel, and the commander in chief of the German navy, Karl Doenitz, at his headquarters to reveal the plans of action he had already been formulating. Among them: (1) Operation Oak, in which Mussolini would be rescued from captivity; (2) the occupation of Rome by German forces and the reinstallation of Mussolini and his fascist government; (3) Operation Black, the German occupation of all Italy; and (4) Operation Axis, the destruction of the Italian fleet to prevent it from being commandeered for Allied use. Hitler's advisor urged caution because the Italian government had not formally surrendered. The Germans had received assurances from Mussolini's successor, General Badoglio, that Italy would continue to fight at Germany's side but, Hitler received a message from his security police chief in Zagreb that an Italian general had confided to a Croat general that Italy's assurances of loyalty to Germany were "designed merely to gain time for the conclusion of negotiations with the enemy."
....Hitler reacted swiftly, closing Alpine passes and ordering Field Marshal Rommel to assemble eight divisions to ensure that bridges and tunnels were not demolished. As Sicily was poised to fall, the next strategic move would clearly be the invasion of the Italian mainland. After Il Duce's downfall, Allied commanders would be anxious to move quickly before the Germans could establish strong defensive positions in the mountainous centre of the country.
....While patrolling to the north of Corsica, a B-26 Marauder of No. 14 Squadron RAF based in Egypt and piloted by Group Captain Dick Maydwell. encountered a German Me 323, six-engined transport aircraft flying unescorted low over the sea. He manoeuvred his B-26 to allow his gunners to open fire and three engines were set on fire. The massive aircraft, described by Maydwell's navigator as looking like "a block of flats", crash landed on the shore. The crew escaped unhurt and Maydwell held his fire.
....'U-375' was sunk in the western Mediterranean north-west of Malta, by depth charges from the US submarine chaser USS PC 624. All hands on the U-boat (46 men) were lost.

EASTERN FRONT: Heeresgruppe A lost the initative in its attack to secure positions along the Muis River. Soviet forces launched limited counter-attacks against the German positions along the Mius River, thus ending the German attacks.
....In a case of coincidence, the Luftwaffe lost 2 pilots named Jung aagainst the Russians. Shot down and killed were Hptm. Harald Jung (20 kills) of 7./JG 51 and Hptm. Heinrich Jung (68 kills), Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 54. Hptm. Erich Rudorffer, forming IV./JG 54 in Konigsberg, was appointed Gruppenkommandeur in his place.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command in England flew Missions Number 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D against 4 airfields in France. 20 B-26B Marauders bombed Merville Airfield, 19 B-26Bs hit Nord Airfield at Poix 1122 hours with the loss of 1 B-26, 21 B-26Bs attacked Drucat Airfield at Abbeville and 18 B-26Bs bombed Tricqueville Airfield. Lille and Amiens, France were bombed by Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers, also fighter-escorted, in conjunction with the US raids.
,...Among the Luftwaffe pilots lost during the day was Lt. Hartwig Dohse (23 kills) of 5./JG 3 who was listed as missing in action. Newly returned from the Eastern Front, 7./JG 26 lost its Staffelkapitaen when Hptm. Gunther Kelch (13 kills) was killed in a flying accident.
....Hptm. Wolrad Gerlach was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./SKG 10, taking over from Hptm. Edmund Kraus.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 22: The US 45th Division captured Santo Stefano. Other US forces prepared to attack east along the coast and further inland press towards Troina. British and Canadian units to the south advanced on Regalbuto and Centuripe. They encountered fierce opposition at Regalbuto.
....Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-26s bombed Adrano while Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters, light and medium bombers hit Paterno, Santa Maria di Licondia and Centuripe, the general area around Paterno, and vessels in the Milazzo-Orlando area. Ninth Air Force P-40s also hit shipping in the Milazzo area.
....Ordered back to Germany for Reich defense duties, II./JG 27 and II./JG 51 left the airfields at Foggia and Sicily, leaving behind their Bf 109s to be distributed among the remaining fighters of JG 3, JG 53 and JG 77.

EASTERN FRONT: The 2nd SS 'Das Reich' and 3rd SS 'Totenkopf' Panzerdivisions, along with 3.Panzerdivision conducted a counterattack that eliminated a strong Soviet bridgehead at the Mius River.
....After several days of not gaining a victory, Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 finally brought down 2 Russian LaGG-5s during 2 seperate missions, bringing his score past 40 kills. Although in years past, a score with this number of kills would bring the Ritterkreuz to the pilot, the immense combat kills on the Eastern Front required a rather large victory score before being awarded the coveted medal. Hartmann had to wait for his Ritterkreuz.

GERMANY: Due to an undercarriage failure, the Focke-Wulf Ta 154 'Moskito' V-1 crashed at Hannover-Langenhagen airfield.

[Hugh Spencer]

31st July 1943
During the past month 1,313 aircrew of RAF Bomber Command were killed or became POW's.

[Hugh Spencer]

1st August 1943
15 Stirlings and 14 Wellingtons laid mines off French Biscay ports without loss.

[Hugh Spencer]

2nd August 1943
329 Lancasters, 235 Halifaxes, 105 Stirlings, 66 Wellingtons and 5 Mosquitoes attacked Hamburg, 30 aircraft lost, among them Lancaster JA873 of 61 Sqdn. The crew lost were:- F/Lt B Laing, F/O C.C. Godley, F/O B. Fox, P/O T.A. Holman, Sgt R.H. Burn, Sgt W.F. Ardron, Sgt W.M. Grant and Sgt S.H. Mortimer.
The bombing force encountered a large thunderstorm area over Germany and the raid was a failure. Many crews turned back early or bombed alternative targets. At least 4 aircraft, probably more, were lost because of icing, turbulence or were struck by lightning. No Pathfinder marking was possible at Hamburg and only scattered bombing took place there. Many other towns in a 100 mile area of northern Germany received a few bombs. A sizeable raid developed on the small town of Elmshorn, 12 miles from Hamburg. It is believed that a flash of lightning set a house on fire here and bomber crews saw this through a gap in the storm clouds and started to bomb the fire. 254 houses were destroyed in Elmshorn and 57 people were killed, some of them refugees from recent raids on Hamburg.
5 Mosquitoes went to Duisburg and 6 Wellingtons minelaying in the River Elbe. 1 minelayer lost.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 23: On the ground in Sicily, U.S. ground forces advanced east along the coast, approached Troina further inland, and began a movement to flank defenses. The British, to the south, penetrated into Regalbuto. The fighting was heavy around Troina.
....In the air, 230+ P-40s, the largest Ninth Air Force total to date, attacked Adrano, the area near Randazzo, Messina, Milazzo, Taormina, and shipping in the Straits of Messina. During the night of 31 July/1 August, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons bombed Randazzo and Adrano and the next day, B-25 Mitchells hit Milazzo. Northwest African Tactical Air Force light and medium bombers hit Paterno, Randazzo, Adrano, Bronte, Santa Maria di Licondia, and motor transport in the Orlandoarea area. Northwest African Coastal Air Force Beaufighters scored hits on shipping between Sardinia and Italy. During the night of 31 July/1 August, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons dropped leaflets on Rome and Naples. During the following day, B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed Capodichino Airfield.
Operation "Tidalwave": 177 B-24s, of the US IX Bomber Command, including B-24s on loan from the US Eighth Air Force in England, were dispatched in a low-level attack on the oil refineries at Ploesti and nearby Campina. Flying from bases at Benghazi, Liberators from the US 44th, 93d and 389th BGs of the US Eighth Air Force and from the 98th and 376th of the US Ninth Air Force were combined to create the mission force. Enroute to the target, the formations lost the lead navigator when the bomber he was in suddenly dove into the sea. A second B-24 - with the only other trained navigator on board - began circling the area and dropped from the formation, soon returning home and leaving the attack to continue with no trained navigators to guide the bombers. As a result only one bomber flight actually made all the navigation points and bombed the target while the rest of the B-24s made Ploesti in bits and pieces.
....Decimated by heavy AA fire surrounding the oil fields and on trains, the remaining bomber force was intercepted by fighters from I./JG 4 led by Hptm. Hans Hahn and IV./JG 27 led by Hptm. Alfred Burk, along with Rumaninan fighters and a few Bf 110s from Hptm. Lutje's IV./NJG 6 and mauled. 48 of the bomber force was shot from the skies and another 58 severly damaged. 10 aircraft were shot down by Rumanian Bf 109s or IAR 80 fighters, 7 by Luftwaffe aircraft and the rest by flak. Only 35 of the survivors returned to base without any battle damage. One plane came back with 365 holes in the plane. Another returned with corn stalks in its engine cowling. Four “Congressional Medal of Honors” were won by participants in this heroic, but ultimately fruitless raid. While an estimated 42% of Ploesti's refinery capacty had been destroyed, the attack was not considered decisve. The Germans quickly repaired the damage and brought idle units at the refinery on-line.

GERMANY: Berliners at Sunday breakfast were shocked to hear a radio broadcast by Josef Goebbels calling on all citizens not vital to the war industry to evacuate the city. Up to now propaganda sources insisted that a major raid in Berlin was very unlikely, and this sudden announcement fuelled rumours that the capital has been surrendered and this was the beginning of the end. Free travel permits were being issued to women, children, pensioners and the sick, together with ration cards and blankets.
....Based upon a recommendation by a commission comprising Generalluftzugmeister Milch, Generaloberst Weise, General der Nachtjagd Kammhuber, General der Jagdflieger Galland and the Gruppenkommandeur of NJG 1, Major Streib, to explore the defensive options of Germany's fighters against the Allied bombings, Goering issued an official order with the words; "The provision of day and night fighter defense will take priority over all other tasks." Two solutions to this problem were proposed. Col. Viktor von Lossberg, a former bomber pilot, proposed tactics that would soon to known as 'Zahme Sau' or Tame Boar. Night-fighters were meant to keep to their assigned control sector, but when it was found that a narrow bomber stream could saturate the relativelt thin 'Kammhuber Line' of defensive sectors, a more free-ranging technique was introduced. The night-fighters would be released from the confines of their 'Himmelbett' radar zones and instead mix freely with the bomber streams. Once in the bulk of the enemy bombers they could choose thier targets. The long-range Ju 88C-6b and Ju 88R-1 using FuG 227 Flensburg which homed in on Allied bomber 'Monica' tail-warning radars, were particularly suited to this role and began to equip many units.
....The second solution was to increase the fighters of Obstlt. Herrmann's special unit - soon designated JG 300 - with their mission to patrol directly over threatened cities. Goering phoned Obstlt. Herrmann and said that, "Germany was in his hands..." It was too late and not even the successful systems of the 'Zahme Sau' or 'Wilde Sau' could change the destiny of major German cities.
....1./JG 11 and 10./JG 11 changed designations. 10./JG 11 then moved its Fw 190As from Husum to Aalborg-West and Lister. Oblt. Gunther Witt was appointed Staffelkapitaen of 10./JG 11.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet submarine S-12 of the Baltic Fleet was sunk in the Gulf of Finland by German and Finnish craft off Keri.
....The Germans withdrew from the Orel area.
.... Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 destroyed 5 Russian aircraft - 2 LaGG-5s and 3 Yak-7s - during air battles in the afternoon. His score was now at 46 kills. Lt. Hartmann's fellow pilot at III./JG 52, Gunther Schack got his 60th victory. Lt. Franz Schall of 3./JG 52 recorded his 10th victory when he shot down a Russian Il-2. Fw. Hans-Jorg Merkle of 1./Jg 52 went missing in action after combat with a pair of Yak-1s from 31 GIAP near Dmitrievka.
....8 Yak pilots engaged in an attack on a formation of Ju 87 Stukas, escorted by 6 Fw 190s. As the Russians made their attack, they were ambushed by 10 Bf 109s and 2 of the Yaks were shot down. One was flown by Guards Colonel Golyshev, while the other, carrying a white lilly painted on its nose, was Lydia Litvak's aircraft. She crashed near Dmitrievka in the Donets Basin. In her career, she was credited with 12 kills, 4 assists and 168 combat missions. Her combat career lasted less than a year and she was wounded twice in that time. She was 21 years old. The authorities suspected that she might have been captured, so they decided not to award her the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Only in 1979 was it determined that her aircraft had come down near Dmitrovka, a village in Shakhterski district and that she had been killed in action.

WESTERN FRONT: The German Navy lost two submarines: 'U-383' was sunk west of Brest, France, by depth charges from a Sunderland of RAF No. 228 Squadron based at Pembroke Dock, Wales. 'U-454' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from a Sunderland of the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 10 Squadron based at Mount Batten, Devonshire.
....SS 'Bage' was sunk by 'U-185' off the Rio Real Estuary, Sergipe, Brazil. The ship had been sailing with convoy TJ-2 until she was ordered out of the convoy by the Brazilian cruiser 'Rio Grande do Sul' because the ship was making too much smoke.
....'U-198' fired its last torpedo at Convoy BC-2 and hit the 'Mangkalihat' . An earlier attack with two bow torpedoes had been unsuccessful. The crew abandoned ship because the engine room, boiler room and #3 hold were flooded. Ten crewmembers and eight passengers were lost. HMS 'Freesia' took the ship in tow the next morning, while a skeleton crew reboarded the vessel. On 3 August, HMS 'Prudent' came to assist and used her pumps to keep the ship afloat. In the early morning of 4 August, the tug took over the tow, but the 'Mangkalihat' foundered during the day.
....Major Hans-Ehhehard Bob was promoted from III./JG 54 to the Eastern Front as Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 51.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command scheduled 4 missions against airfields without loss. 31 B-26B Marauders bombed Merville Airfield, France, 18 B-26Bs bombed Ft Rouge Airfield at St Omer and an attack on Woensdrecht Airfield, The Netherlands was cancelled. Mission 13B was a diversion.
....A Canadian 'Hampden' patrol aircraft from RCAF 415 Squadron attacked and damaged 'U-706', Kptlt. Alexander Von Zitzewitz, CO, in the Bay of Biscay north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain. An immediate subsequent attack by an American 'Liberator' patrol aircraft from USAAF 479 Squadron sank the submarine. There were 15 survivors from her crew of 57 men, including the commanding officer.
....The German submarine 'U-106' was sunk north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 46.35N, 11.55W, by depth charges from a Sunderland of the Royal Air Force's No. 228 Squadron and a Sunderland Mk III of the Royal Australian Air Force's No 461 Squadron. Both squadrons were based at Pembroke Dock, Wales. 36 of the 58 crewmen on the U-boat survived.
....Six men on 'U-218' were wounded during an attack from an RAF 547 Sqn Wellington. The boat was damaged and had to abort its mine-laying mission and arrived in Brest 6 August.

EASTERN FRONT: German forces repelled massive Soviet attacks at Isjum and the Mius River line. Znamenskaya was liberated by the Soviet Army. The Russian 3rd Mountain Division, respectively 6th Mountain Battalion, took part in the defensive battles, the last positions being situated on the Black Sea shore, east of Anapa, near the city of Taman. German General der Infanterie H. Zorn XXXXVI Pz.Korps was killed at Krassnaja.
....Ofw. Georg Schwienteck of 2./JG 52 was injured during combat with 2 Russian IL-2s The Russian aircraft were destroyed, bringing the Lieutenant's score to 30. He later returned to base safely.
....Lt. Heinrich Ehrler, Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 5 in the northern part of the Eastern Front, was awarded the Ritterkreuz for destroying 112 enemy aircraft.
....Ofw. Gerhard Gorster of 3./JG 51 (25 kills) was killed in action. But another member of JG 51, Obfw. Franz-Josef Beerenbrock of IV./JG 51 destroyed 9 Soviet aircraft during the day to bring his score to 102 kills and the first pilot within the Geschwader to surpass Werner Moelders' 100 victory mark.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 24: On the ground in Sicily, US ground forces pushed slowly west while British troops gained control of Regalbuto and fought indecisively in the streets of Centuripe.
....In the air, Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters, and light and medium bombers hit trucks, a dump and road junction in northeastern Sicily, docks and shipping at Milazzo, Messina and in the Reggio di Calabria, Italy area, and targets of opportunity (mainly motor transport) from Barcellona south to Adrano. Ninth Air Force P-40s attacked shipping in the Straits of Messina and off Milazzo.
....U.S. General George S. Patton, Commanding General Seventh Army, slapped U.S. Army Private C.H. Kuhl in a hospital on Sicily.

GERMANY: One of the more successful night-fighters, Hptm. Manfred Meuer of 3./NJG 1 was awarded the Eichenlaub. Major Helmut Lent, Gruppenkommanduer of IV./NJG 1 added the Schwerten (No. 32) to his Ritterkreuz for 65 night victories and 8 day victories. Lent was then appointed Geschwaderkommodore of NJG 3 based at Stade.

[Hugh Spencer]

3rd August 1943
12 Wellingtons of 6 Group laid mines off Lorient and St Nazaire without loss.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 25: On the ground in Sicily, US forces continued east along the north coast toward the Furiano River. At Troina, further inland, the enemy continued firm resistance.
....In the air, USAAF Ninth Air Force B-25s bombed Adrano and its highway approaches; and 300+ P-40s, the largest Ninth Air Force total to date, attacked harbors and shipping at Milazzo and Messina, and gave direct support to British ground forces in the Catania-Bronte area. Northwest African Tactical Air Force light bombers hit tactical targets; and fighters, light and medium bombers hit shipping in the Straits of Messina and at Milazzo and attacked Adrano and Biancavilla and gun emplacements and bridges in the area.
....The evacuation of Sicily by Italian forces began.
....General Alexander, the Allied commander in the Med, told his air and naval commanders; "Indications suggest that the Germans are making preparations for withdrawl to the mainland...We must be in a position to take immediate advantage of such a situation by using the full weight of the Naval and Air Power. You have no doubt coordinated plans to meet this contingency." In fact, they had not made plans to prevent the German evacuation, nor did they after this 'suggestion'. The Axis armies would successfully evacuate Sicily. The difficult terrain around Messina allowed small numbers of soldiers to hold the advance of Allied armies during the evacuation and the Navy had legitimate concerns about mines and shore batteries while operating in the Straits of Messina.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet Voronezh and Steppe Fronts launched a fresh set of offensives on the Belgorod-Poltava axis aimed at the liberation of Kharkov. In heavy fighting, the Soviets broke the German lines to the west and forced the 4.Panzerarmee to withdraw. The weak German defenses between Belgorod and Tomarowka were virtually smashed as the German command was taken completely by surprise. While a German front to the east of Kharkov was intact, there was no front at all to the north and northwest. Small Kampfgruppen of exhausted 6., 19. and 11.Panzerdivisons fought desperatley, slowing down the Russian advance. As was to be expected, the defenders of the eastern and northeastern approaches to Kharkov were soon driven back when the Russians struck through the Donets River.
....Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 added to his score by downing a LaGG-5 and two Yak-7s during a morning mission and another LaGG-5 in the afternoon, bringing his score to 50 victories. But another Eastern front Geschwader lost its Gruppenkommandeur when Oblt. Gerhard Homuth of I./JG 54 (63 kills) was shot down by Russian fighters.
....Oblt. Theodo Weissenberger of 7./JG 5 was awarded the Eichenlaub as was Ofw. Franz-Josef Beerenbrock of IV./JG 51.

WESTERN FRONT: Two German submarines were sunk by US aircraft: 'U-572' was sunk northeast of Trinidad, by depth charges from a USN PBM-3 Mariner of Patrol Squadron Two Hundred Five (VP-205) based at NAS Guantanamo, Cuba. The submarine was on the surface and the U-boat crew shot the aircraft down during the bombing run; all hands on the aircraft and all hands on the submarine, 47 men, are killed.
....'U-706' was sunk at 0630 hours local in the Bay of Biscay northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from a USAAF B-24 of the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) based at St Eval, Cornwall, England. There were 15 survivors of the U-boats 57 man crew. This submarine was earlier attacked by a Canadian Hampden patrol aircraft from RCAF 415 Squadron.
....'U-66' was caught by Avenger and Wildcat aircraft from the escort carrier USS 'Card' and 3 men were killed and 8 more wounded, including the commander. [Oberleutnant zur See der Reserve Kurt Schütze, Matrosengefreiter Erich Lorenz and Mechanikergefreiter (T) Heinz Nitsch].

ENGLAND: Major General William E. Kepner became Commanding General, US VIII Fighter Command.
....A Halifax bomber operating from Melbourne airfield in Yorkshire was approaching its target area when an attack by a Junkers Ju 88 damaged the fuselage, both elevators were shot away and the rudders were shot to ribbons. Despite this the rear-gunner shot the Ju 88 out of the sky and the pilot got the Halifax back to its base, where he was awarded the DFC and the rear-gunner the DFM.
....A Stirling belonging to RAF No. 75 Sqn Bomber Command was attacked by a German night fighter piloted by Hans Joachim Jabs of IV./NJG 1 and crashed at 03:51 hours into the North Sea 25 kilometres North West of Terschelling killing all onboard.

[Hugh Spencer]

4th August 1943
5 Mosquitoes bombed the estimated positions of Cologne and Duisburg through cloud without loss.

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces captured Orel. Fresh attacks were launched by the Steppe and Voronezh Fronts south of Kursk targeted at the 4.Panzerarmee and 8.Armee. The lines of the 52nd Corps were broken in the initial attacks.
....Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 had another '5 in One Day' when he destroyed 4 LaGG-5s and a Yak-7 during combat over Varaovka. But Eastern Front Geschwaders lost another Experte. As he attacked a formation of Soviet IL-2s near Karatchev, Oblt. Hans Gotz of I./JG 54 (84 kills) was seen crashing his Bf 109 upside down into a wooded area and killed.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 26: In Sicily, British forces were fighting in the Catania area. The British crossed the Salso River with 2 divisions, while other forces prepared to drive on Catania and others continued toward Misterbianco. Other American forces were halted by fierce opposition at the Furiano River and Troina.
....In the air, Ninth Air Force P-40s attacked shipping at Messina and supported ground forces at the north end of Mount Etna. Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) medium and light bombers, and fighters attacked communications targets, gun positions, and storage areas in the Milazzo-Adrano-Biancavilla and Bronte-Riposto-Fiumefreddo areas. A number of NATAF aircraft hit rail sidings on the toe of Italy and attacked shipping off Messina, Sicily.
....In Italy, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) B-17s bombed the submarine base at Naples in what Rome called "the most barbarous and merciless" raid so far: 150 people were killed. B-26s and B-25s hit the railroad bridge at Cantanzaro and rail-road at Paola.
....The Canadian-built, British-registered cargo ship 'Fort La Montee' (7,130 GRT) sank after a fire and explosion while in Algiers. 'Fort La Montee' was loaded with a cargo of phosphorous. As soon as the fire was discovered, the ship was moved out of the harbor due to her hazardous cargo. The Acasta-class fleet destroyer HMS 'Arrow' was standing by to render assistance when an enormous explosion destroyed the forward end of 'Fort La Montee'. Over 100 lives were lost in 'Fort La Montee' and 'Arrow'. A British submarine was eventually able to sink the after end of the freighter with gunfire. 'Arrow' was declared a Constructive Total Loss.

WESTERN FRONT: The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 14. 33 B-26B Marauders bombed shipyards at Le Trait, France at 19:26 hours local without loss.
....The German submarine 'U-489' was sunk southeast of Iceland by an RCAF Sunderland Mk III, s/n DD859, of No 423 Squadron based at Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland. 53 of the 54 crewman on the U-boat survive. This supply U-boat had set out on its first patrol on 22 July, barely a fortnight before its sinking, and did not, consequently provide replenishment to any other U-boat.
....Lt. Karl Tauscher of 10./JG 11 was practising high altitude air combat north of Fliegerhorst Aalborg West with another aircraft at 20-21:00 hours when his aircraft entered a shallow dive that suddenly changed to a steep dive. FW 190A-6 crashed at Egestedvej road in the Øster Halne parish killing Tauscher. The FW 190 was a 100% loss. The other aircraft returned to Fliegerhorst Aalborg West.

[Hugh Spencer]

5th August 1943
5 Mosquitoes, out of 8 despatched, bombed Duisburg and Dusseldorf without loss.

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: Belgorod fell to General Konev's troops. The German 2.Panzerarmee suffered such severe losses that it was incorporated into the 9.Armee. Russia was celebrating the recapture of Orel, which had been in German hands since 1941. In Moscow a 120-gun salute was given at Midnight. The Russians, who fought hard all the way to the approaches to the city, expected a bloody street battle, but when their patrols moved cautiously in they found the suburbs deserted. The Germans, fearing being cut off, had fled. The fall of this German bastion removed the last threat to Moscow and opened the way for the next stage in the Russian advance. The tide of battle was now rolling towards Bryansk.
....The German submarine 'U-34' sinks at 2155 hours local at Memel after a collision with the German U-boat submarine tender 'Lech'. 39 of the 43 crewmen survived. MV 'Majakovski' (approx. 80 tons) was sunk by a mine laid on 31 July by 'U-212' SE of Koglujew in the Kara.
....The Germans started the final deportation of Jews from the Vilna ghetto with a transport to the Vaivara labour camp in Estonia.
....Another 5 victories for 7./JG 52's Lt. Erich Hartmann, downing 3 LaGG-5s and 2 Yak-7s brought his score to 60 kills. Gunther Schack, also of III./JG 52, added 5 more planes destroyed to his credit during 3 sorties.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 27: The race for Messina and victory in Sicily was reaching the final stage. The British have fought their way around Mount Etna on both sides with the Highlanders fighting hard for Biancavilla as the XIII Corps advanced to take Catania, Misterbianco and Paterno, and XXX Corps advances towards Adrano. The Germans were leaving strong rearguards as they retreated northwards to Messina. The British were aided by forward landings by airborne forces fighting to save bridges from demolition.
....The American Seventh Army used seaborne landings to bypass the Axis defenders along the north coast of the island. They opened an assault on the San Fratello ridge, and further inland gained positions overlooking Troina. The enemy withdrew from the town during the night.
....In the air, USAAF Ninth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bombed the town, roads, and road junctions of Francavilla and shipping in the Straits of Messina. Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters and light and medium bombers attack troops, roads, and gun positions at Adrano and Troina and surrounding areas in support of Allied ground forces, hit motor transport behind enemy lines in Sicily and on the toe of Italy, and sank or damaged over 20 small vessels and barges at Milazzo and in the Straits of Messina; and Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, operating in 2 forces, hit the docks and railroad yards at Messina. B-25s bombed a switching station at Guspini, Sardinia.

WESTERN FRONT: At 2137, USS 'Plymouth' was hit by one torpedo from 'U-566' about 120 miles SE of Cape Henry, Virginia. The gunboat had made a underwater sound contact while escorting a coastal convoy, just as the ship swung left to bear on the target she was struck just abaft the bridge. The ship rolled first to starboard, then took a heavy list to port with the entire port side forward of amidships in flames and sank within two minutes. The survivors were picked up by the US Coast Guard cutter USS 'Calypso' in heavy seas and arrived in Norfolk on 6 August.
....At 17.45 hours, the unescorted 'Efthalia Mari' was hit by two torpedoes from 'U-177' and sank after 8 minutes east of Madagascar. The ship had been spotted in the morning by using the Bachstelze autogyro. The Germans questioned survivors in a lifeboat before leaving the area.
....In a move which betrayed Germany's weakened position, the Swedish government announced that it would no longer allow the Swedish railways to be used to transport German troops and war material to Norway. The Swedes were forced to concede transit rights to the Germans in 1940 when the Nazi armies were sweeping to victory over most of Europe. Stockholm newspapers said that the government acted because a virtual state of war exists in Norway, with British commandos mounting raids and uniformed Allied guerrillas active.
.... A He 59D from 5. Seenotstaffel was sunk during a rescue of RAF pilots off Norway.
.... An Fw 200C-4 from I./KG 40 was reported missing near Nordkysten av Island, Norway and was probably shot down.

IRELAND: A Fairey Barracuda II of RAF No. 810 Squadron flying from HMS 'Illustrious', landed on the beach at Falcarragh, County Donegal. Due to bad weather the aircraft did not fly out until August 8th. RAF No.810 Squadron were at this time sailing to the Mediterranean on HMS 'Illustrious'. Irish Army reports mentioned the aircraft being a Beaufort bomber but this was not operated by the RN at this time.

GERMANY: Oblt. Alfred Grislawski (109 kills) arrived at Jagdgruppe Sud's airfield at Erbenheim and was given command of Major Graf's special unit, 1./JGr Sud, serving as Staffelkapitaen.
....Hptm. Manfred Meuer, Staffelkapitaen of 3./NJG 1 was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./NJG 5.

[Hugh Spencer]

6th August 1943
8 Mosquitoes went to Cologne and Duisburg. 20 Stirlings and 14 Wellingtons went minelaying south of Texel and off Brest and the Biscay ports, 2 Stirlings lost.