This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: Miniature submarine X-10 was scuttled in the North Sea after meeting up with HMS 'Stubborn' on 28 September. With no working compass, a periscope propped in the up position and the weather worsening, Flag Officer Submarines ordered that it be scuttled rather than risk the lives of the transit crew who would otherwise have to bring it back to the UK. There were no casualties.
....WAAF Photographic Interpretation Officer, F/O Babington-Smith, discovered evidence of the V1 flying-bomb. It was photographed by a Mosquito of No. 540 Squadron during a sortie over Peenemünde, Germany.

MEDITERRANEAN: During the early morning hours, British commandos land and occupy Termoli in Italy. The Germans reacted quickly by counterattacking with the 16th Panzer Division. The commands successfully held out until relief came when a linkup with the British 78th Division was made. Meanwhile, elements of the US 5th Army captured Aversa and Maddaloni. The Twelfth Air Force's XII Bomber Command dispatched B-26s, B-25s, and P-38s to bomb railroad, highway, and pontoon bridges, an overpass, and road junction at Capua, Castel Volturno, Piana, Arce, Mignano, and Isernia; P-38s also hit shipping between Corsica and Italy. XII Bomber Command fighter-bombers hit motor transport in the battle area as US Fifth Army troops took Benevento.
....U-class submarine HMS 'Usurper' was lost after leaving for a patrol off Algiers on 24 September. It was thought that she may have been sunk in minefield QB.192 in the Gulf of Genoa, or been the victim of an attack by UJ.2208 on this date. There were no survivors.
....As the British occupied more islands in the Aegean Sea, they began to pressure Turkey to enter the war. In an effort to force Turkey to remain neutral, the Germans launched Operation Polar Bear, a series of attacks in these islands. The first attack came from paratroops landing on the island of Kos. Ju 88s of Einsatzkampf Gruppe Ju 88/Gen.d.Fl.Ausb supported the operations.

GERMANY: During the RAF raid on Kassel, Hptm. Rudolf Sigmund of Stab III./NJG 3 (28 kills) was shot down and killed. Obfw. Kurt Welter of 5./JG 301 destroyed 2 bombers during his 3d mission of the night.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: US VIII Air Support Command Mission 79: 25 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to Nivilliers Airfield at Beauvais and Fauville Airfield at Evreux, France; they returned to base without bombing.
....The liberation of Corsica was complete. The losses amongst the communist guerrillas and the Fighting (Free) French regular troops were light - partly because the Germans were not seriously fighting to hold on to the island.
....Operation LEADER, the only USN carrier operation carried out in northern European waters during WW II, caused "appreciable losses" to two convoys off the Norwegian coast and to shipping in the harbour of Bodo, Norway. The task force, consisting of RN ships and the USN aircraft carrier USS 'Ranger' (CV-4), reached the launch position off Vestfjord before dawn completely undetected. At 0618 hours, Carrier Air Group Four (CVG-4) in USS 'Ranger' launched 20 SBD Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron Four (VB-4) and an escort of 8 F4F Wildcat fighters of Fighting Squadron Four (VF-4). One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter SS 'LaPlata', while the rest continued north to attack a small German convoy. They severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport and sink two of four small German merchantmen in the Bodö roadstead. A second attack group of 10 TBF Avengers of Torpedo Squadron Four (VT-4) and six Wildcats of VF-4 destroy a German freighter and a small coaster and bombed yet another troop-laden transport. Three Ranger planes were lost to antiaircraft fire. In the afternoon, USS 'Ranger' was finally located by three German aircraft, but her combat air patrol shot down a Junkers Ju 88 and a Heinkel He 111 and chased off the third. The Ju 88D-1 was from 1.(F)/22 and the entire crew went missing while a He 115B from 1./406 wa also missing, probably shot down by aircraft from VF-4.
....North of the Azores, aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC 9) in the escort carrier USS 'Card' (CVE-11) attacked three German submarines, 'U-264', 'U-422', and 'U-455', rendezvousing with a Milch cow, 'U-460'. 'U-460' and 'U-422' were sunk respectively by F4F Wildcats and TBF Avengers. All hands were lost on 'U-422' and there are 2 survivors of the 64 aboard 'U-460'. This action in the central Atlantic allowed convoy UGS 19 to pass through the vicinity unmolested by U-boats.
....Southwest of Iceland, German submarine 'U-279' was caught on the surface and sunk by depth charges from a USN PV-1 Ventura of Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty Eight (VB-12 based at NAF Reykjavik, Iceland. The sub sank with all hands. 'U-389' (Type VIIC) was sunk southwest of Iceland by depth charges from a British B-24 Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 120/X). 50 dead.
.... 'U-539' shot down a RAF Liberator aircraft (Sqn 120/V.) in the Atlantic. Lost with this aircraft was Wing Commander R M Longmore, the commanding officer of the 120 Squadron.
....RAF Hudson aircraft (Sqn 269/S) attacked 'U-731'. The commander and 5 more men were wounded and the boat was damaged. The boat did not have to abort its patrol.

GERMANY: US VIII Bomber Command Mission 108: 4 targets in Germany and a diversion were flown. 12 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 4 B-24s were lost. Escort was provided by 223 P-47 Thunderbolts and they claimed 19-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft. 104 B-17s were dispatched to the Wiesbaden industrial area. 15 aircraft hit Wiesbaden and 77 hit the industrial area at Frankfurt and claimed 19-3-15 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s were lost. 37 B-17s bombed Frankfurt and claimed 18-8-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s were lost. 115 B-17s were dispatched to the Saarlautern industrial area. 67 hit Saarlautern and 38 hit Robinson Airfield in St Dizier, France. They claimed 37-7-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s were lost. 47 B-17s bombed the Sarreguemnines and Saarbrucken marshalling yards and 38 B-24s flew a diversionlosing 4 B-24s. Among the pilots lost by the Luftwaffe was Major Erwin Clausen, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 11 who shot down his 14th 4-engined bomber - a B-24 over the North Sea - and his 132d enemy aircraft overall before losing his life.
....A Bf 110G-3 of 5./ZG 76 was shot down near Lammersdorf. the pilot, Lt. Hans Metzen and his Wop, Uffz,. Gunther Barth were both killed. Lt. Metzen had an identical twin brother, also a pilot in the Luftwaffe. Sadly, Fhj-Fw. Jakob Metzen was killed in action on 14 February 1945 at Manze while serving in Gren. Regt. 1238.
....After these raids Reichsmarschall Goering became distrubed when told how the Luftwaffe had failed to prevent the raid including a protest by a local party Gauleiter who made claims that the Allied bombers filled the perfectly clear skies over his town with no German fighters in sight. The Gauleiter protested very loudly about the fact that the "terror bombers" were not intercepted. Goering finally issued the following diective to all Reich defense units:
........1. There are no meterological conditions which would prevent fighters from taking off and engaging in combat.
........2. Every fighter pilot taking off in a machine not showing any sign of combat or without having recorded a victory will be prosecuted by a court martial.
.......3. In the case where a pilot uses up his ammunition, or if his weapons are unusable, he should ram the enemy bomber.
....Goering also demanded that the efforts of all the fighter units in Jagdkorps I in Holland be directed first and foremost against the four-engined Allied bombers, all Zerstroer units were to attack unescorted bombers and that the equipping of the Wr 21cm underwing rocket mortars to fighters on the front be accelerated.
....Generalfeldmarschall Milch tried to convince Goering that this order would create a feeling of oppression among the Luftwaffe pilots, to which Goering responded; "They don't need to feel oppressed! They just need to go in to 400 meters instead of 1000 meters. And they need to shot down 80 bombers just for once, not 20! Then all the feelings of oppression will disappear and I'll gladly take my hat off to them!"
....In a letter to a friend on the Eastern Front, Obstlt. Hans 'Fips' Philipp, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1, reflected on the hardships the fighter pilots had facing the Allied bombers; "You cannot imagine how hard one has to crack the whip here. On the one hand we live very comfortably - plenty of girls, everything you could wish for. On the other, the fighting in the air is extraordinarily hard. Hard, not so much because the enemy is numerous and the Boeings so well armed, but more because one is suddenly torn from the comfort of a deep armchair and the almost relaxed atmosphere of the field. Against 20 Russians trying to shoot you down, or even 20 Spitfires, it can be exciting, even fun. But curve in towards 40 Fortresses and all your past sins flash before your eyes. And when you yourself have reached this state of mind, it bcomes that much more difficult to have to drive every pilot of the Geschwader, right down to the youngest and lowliest NCO to do the same." The orders were finally put to rest and virually forgotten about.

MEDITERRNEAN: The Germans completed their conquest of Kos capturing 1400 British and 3150 Italians. Even more important was the destruction of the northern most British airfield in the Aegean.
....Adolf Hitler decided not to withdraw to Northern Italy, but to prepare a firm defence called Winterstellung from rivers Garigliano and Rapido in the west, and the river Sangro in the east.
....100+ US XII Bomber Command B-17s bombed the Pisa marshalling yard and Bolzano bridges; B-25 Mitchells and B-26s attacked the airfield at Argos, road defiles at Terracina and Isernia, a highway overpass at Mignano, and shipping at Bastia; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force aircraft hit road and rail junctions on the main road north from Capua; XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers hit trains, roads, railroads, and vehicles near Isernia, Avezzano, Pescara, and Isolella.
....'U-596' fired a spread of four torpedoes at the convoy XT-4 about 60 miles west of Derna, heard three detonations and claimed three ships probably sunk. In fact, only the 'Marit' (Master Sverre Caspersen) had been hit. The explosion destroyed one lifeboat and killed one Indian crew member working on deck. The tanker developed a heavy list to starboard when the oil in the destroyed tanks on the port side ran out into the sea. Trimming the vessel by letting out water from #1 tank on the starboard side proved to be useless and the surviving seven Norwegian officers, five British gunners and 41 Indian crew members abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The ship sank 30 minutes after the crew left. The survivors were picked up by an escort vessel and taken to Benghazi, where four injured men were brought to a hospital, but one of the gunners later died of wounds.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 5th Army captured Aversa and Maddaloni. Advance units of X Corps reached the Volturno River. Heavy fighting between the British 78th Division and the 16th Panzer Division continued at Termoli, bringing the advance of the British 13th Corps (8th Army) to a halt.
....Lieutenant General James H Doolittle assumed command of the Twelfth Air Force during the absence of General Carl Spaatz. In Italy, XII Bomber Command B-17s hit the Bologna marshalling yard; B-25s and B-26 Marauders bombed the Formia road, a road loop north of Mignano, and Isernia chokepoint; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force, XII Air Support Command, and RAF Desert Air Force (DAF) aircraft bombed numerous targets in and north of the battle area, including heavy traffic in the Isernia area, gasoline dumps at Alfedena, trains at Termoli, and towns of Venafro and Isolella.
....German bombers attacked convoy UGS 18; a near-miss damaged the U.S. freighter 'Cotton Mather' about 15 miles north of Cape Tenes, Algeria. There were no casualties among the 53-man merchant complement and the 27-man Armed Guard and the ship reached Algiers under her own power.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-336' was sunk in the Straits of Denmark southwest of Iceland, by rockets fired by an RAF Hudson. (Sqdn. 269/F). 50 dead (all crew lost).
....

[Hugh Spencer]

7th October 1943
343 Lancasters attacked Stuttgart, 4 aircraft lost. The first aircraft to be equipped with A.B.C. (night fighter communications jamming) from 101 Sqdn operated on this night. The German nightfighter controller was confused by the Mosquito diversion on Munich and only a few night fighters reached Stuttgart at the end of the attack. The target area was cloud covered and the H2S Pathfinder marking developed in two areas. Many bombs fell in various parts of Stuttgart where 344 buildings, mostly dwelling houses, were destroyed and 4,586 buildings were damaged. In the city centre 4 hospitals, a museum (the Lindenmuseum) and the garrison church were hit and 36 people were drowned in an underground air raid shelter at the main railway station when a water main was damaged by a bomb and burst. Total casualties in Stuttgart were 104 killed and missing, 300 injured. The town of Boblingen, 10 miles to the south west, must have been under the second group of markers. 350 houses were hit and 60 people were killed here.
16 Lancasters carried out a diversionary raid without loss and claimed hits on the Zeppelin factory.
10 Mosquitoes went to Munich, 7 to Emden, 5 to Aachen and 79 aircraft went minelaying from Brest to Heligoland. 1 Stirling minelayer was lost.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: Caserta fell to the US 5th Army, which then advanced to the Volturno River. On the east coast British forces began to prevail around Termoli.
....US XII Bomber Command B-17s bombed the Mestre marshalling yard while B-26 Marauders hit a highway chokepoint at Isernia, the highway at Mignano, and road junction at Formia; P-38s strafed Araxos Airfield in Greece; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force planes on road-blocking missions hit targets at Teano, at Alfedena, between Cassino and Capua, and near Sessa Aurunca; US XII Air Support Command P-40s and A-36 Apaches attacked roads and vehicles north of the US Fifth Army battle zone and patroled the Naples area.
....German troops, some with "shopping lists" from Hermann Göring , were systematically looting the museums and churches of Rome and carrying off priceless works of art to Germany. Manuscripts and old masters were being removed wholesale by the men who came here to "guard" the city against the Allies. And not only works of art were leaving Italy for the Reich: thousands of former Italian soldiers were being rounded up and taken to Germany as forced labourers. As Germany intensified its control over its former Axis partner, Nazi paratroopers ringed the Vatican, and one report claimed that the pope sent a sealed letter to each of his Italian cardinals to be read only in the event of his arrest.

EASTERN FRONT: Two Russian armies take Nevel on the boundary between Army Groups North and Centre.
....LD "Kharkov", DD "Vesposchadnii" and DD "Sposobnii", of the Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla were all lost to German aviation. In Kuvshinskaya Salma, the Floating Base "Mayak" of the Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla was also sunk by the Luftwaffe.

WESTERN FRONT: A Bf 109G-2 crashed in Norway and Uffz. Richard Fleischmann of 5./JG 5 was killed.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 110. During the night, 4 B-17 Flying Fortresses dropped 240,352 leaflets over Paris.
....U.S. freighter Yorkmar, in convoy SC 143, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine 'U-645'. Of the 39-man merchant complement, 11 drown in the abandonment; 2 of the 28-man Armed Guard perish as well. Canadian corvette HMCS 'Kamloops' and British frigate HMS 'Duckworth' rescued the survivors.
....Another Bf 109G-2 crashes in Norway and this time Uffz. Fritz Hüllenhütter from 2./JG 5 was killed.

GERMANY: An order was issued by the Luftwaffe for the establishment of a number of night ground-attack groups within the service. Thus a number of Störkampfstaffeln (Harassing Squadrons) already operating were put on a more organised footing. The main equipment of these units were the Arado 66 and Gotha 145 two seat trainers equipped to carry 2 and 4 kg anti-personnel bombs.
....In their initial use, Bomber Command deployed its “Cigar” jammers to confuse German night-fighter communications. The technique succeeded in largely eliminating the opposition over Stuttgart, which was hit with 343 heavy Lancaster bombers. Nearly 5000 homes were destroyed, and 160 civilians killed in the raid at a cost of 4 bombers.

EASTERN FRONT: Nevel and Taman fell to Soviet forces. A lull in fighting began along the Dniepr River south of Kiev as the Soviet forces paused to bring up supplies and build bridges.
....'U-703' picked up three survivors from Hope Island in the Arctic Sea. The three people (two men and a woman) were the last survivors from the Soviet steamer 'Dekabrist', which had been sunk on 5 Nov 1942 by a JU-88 aircraft. The entire crew had escaped to this island. In May 1943 they were detected by an He-111 aircraft and on 24 July, 1943, 'U-354' picked up the ship's master, leaving the remaining survivors behind but providing food and vitamin tablets. When 'U-703' reached the island in September, three of those stranded still lived. The U-boat crew enjoyed watching these people, with the help of lots of food and care, come slowly back to human civilization after living nearly a year on such an island.

MEDITERRANEAN: Fighting between the 16.Panzerdivision and the British 78th Division at Termoli ended as the Germans pulled back behind the Trigno River. Montgomery did not follow closely.
....Bad weather cancelled many operations. Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force medium and light bombers struck roads, railway, junction, and town areas in the Capua and Guglionesi regions while RAF Desert Air Force fighter-bombers hit trucks in the Termoli-Vasto areas.
....A German convoy of 7 small ships bound for Kos in the Aegean Sea was intercepted by 2 cruisers - the 'Penelope' and the 'Sirius' - and 2 destroyers. The British Task Force sank 7 transports and one destroyer. As the British force withdrew through the Scarpanto Straits, "Penelope' was damaged by attacks from Ju 87s and Ju 88s.
....Tank landing craft LCT-215 and LCT-216 sank after breaking in half in heavy seas off coast of North Africa; LCT-196 broke in half in heavy seas off coast of North Africa; the after section was scuttled by British surface ship but the forward section was towed to Bizerte, Tunisia.

[Hugh Spencer]

8th October 1943
282 Lancasters, 188 Halifaxes, 26 Wellingtons and 8 Mosquitoes attacked Hanover, 27 aircraft lost including Lancaster DV239 of 61 Sqdn, crew - F/O H.E. Carrott, F/O E.A. Thomas, P/O M. Thompson, P/O R. Coulson, F/Sgt R. Cramp, Sgt D. Hydes and Sgt W.S. Smith. This was the last Bomber Command raid in which Wellingtons took part. 300(Polish) and 432(Canadian) Squadrons provided the 26 Wellingtons which operated on this night; they all returned safely. The German controller guessed correctly that Hanover was the target and many night fighters arrived before the attack was over. Conditions over Hanover were clear and the Pathfinders were finally able to mark the centre of the city accurately. A most concentrated attack followed with a creepback of only 2 miles, all within the built-up area. This was probably Hanover's worst attack of the war. RAF reconnaissance showed that the important Continental rubber factory and the Hanomag machine works were badly hit.
95 Stirlings, 17 Halifaxes and 7 Lancasters attacked Bremen. This was a diversionary raid on a larger scale than ever before. The bombing was scattered but this was a subsidiary aim of the operation. 3 Stirlings were lost.
10 Mosquitoes went to Castrop-Rauxel, 7 to Berlin and 1 to Duren.
17 Stirlings went minelaying in the River Gironde and off La Pallice without loss.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The US VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 80: 144 B-26B Marauders were dispatched to Vendeville Airfield at Lille and Chievres Airfields in France. The mission was abandoned due to thick haze and generally unsuitable weather.
....RCAF Sunderland patrol aircraft from RCAF 423 Sqn attacked and sank 'U-610', KptLt Walter Freiherr Von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen, CO, in the North Atlantic. Although 15 men were seen in the water after 'U-610' was sunk, no survivors were recovered and her crew of 51 men was lost.
....'U-419' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the North Atlantic by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/R). 48 dead, 1 survivor. 'U-643' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the North Atlantic by depth charges from 2 British Liberator aircraft (Sqdns. 86/Z and 120/T) . 30 dead, 18 survivors in captivity. 'U-762' was bombed by a Liberator aircraft from 120 RAF Squadron. Three crewmembers were wounded, and the boat was slightly damaged.
....Gruppenkommodore Major Erich Simon of Stab. IV./NJG 3 took of from Fliegerhorst Grove in a Ju 88C-6 in search for mine laying aircraft. A Stirling was returning after having dropped mines in the sea of Kattegat when it at 01:00 hours was attacked by a Ju 88. Major Simon was closing in from astern and below when he was observed by Rear gunner Sgt S. Etridge who instructed Pilot Wing Commander G. E. Harrison to Corkscrew. Major Simon closed further in and moved to port beam low, and W/Cdr Harrison turned port to allow both Rear gunner Sgt Etridge and Mid upper gunner Sgt C. W. Buffham a chance to open fire. They did so and both reported to have hit the Ju 88 that turned away and was seen to catch fire. It fell in flames and was seen to hit the sea where it burned for some time. Only Engineer Obergefreiter Erwin Schröder managed to get out of the falling Ju 88 and landed by parachute in the sea and entered his dinghy. Major Erich Simon and Wop Uffz. Hans Vogel went down with the Ju 88. They did not survive.

GERMANY: The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 111: 4 locations in Germany were targeted. On this mission the Eighth Air Forces used, for the first time, airborne transmitters (Carpet equipment) to jam German radar. The B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24s were escorted by 274 P-47 Thunderbolts from 6 different fighter groups. They claimed 12-2-4 Luftwaffe aircraft and lost 30 bombers and 3 P-47s. 105 B-17s bombed the shipyard at Breman, 53 B-17s bombed the industrial area at Breman, 43 B-24s bombed the U-boat yards at Vegesack and 156 B-17s bombed the city of Bremen and targets of opportunity. One of the Luftwaffe's over 200-kill club, Obstlt. Hans 'Fips' Philipp, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1, was killed in action against the escorting P-47s of the 78th FG over Nordhorn. The last transmission from Obstlt. Philipps was "Reinhardt, attack!". Fw. Reinhardt was Philipps' wingman on this day. Obstlt. Philipp had 178 kills on the Eastern Front and 29 on the Western Front including the Battle of Britain flying with JG 76 and JG 54. His death was claimed by Robert S. Johnson but some said it was the gunners in the B-17 he was attacking that got him. Major Hermann Graf replaced him as acting Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1. Also killed was the Staffelkapitaen of 1./ZG 1, Oblt. Rudiger Ossmann. Oblt. Hermann Horstmann was made Staffelakpitean of 1./ZG 1.
....The battle also made JG 1 aware that their brightly marked Fw 190s with checkerboard designs on the cowlings were very similar to the markings of the US 78th FG which had a checkerboard design of their own. It was because of this similarity that flak units had a hard time distinquishing friendly from enemy fighters. The markings were changed soon after.
....On the bomber escort mission, the USAAF 334th FS were bringing up the van. They saw over thirty Luftwaffe aircraft above and in the sun. The US fighters orbited to gain altitude but were continually bounced by sections of four to eight Germans. This broke up the squadron and drew it away from the bombers. No enemy aircraft attacked the bombers. During the fighting Ralph Hofer chased a Bf 109 at 400 feet above the Zuider Zee, trying to get it off another P-47. The P-47 was shot down, but Hofer shot down the Bf 109. Duane Besson shot down two Bf 109s, bringing his score to six. Maj. Roy W. Evans, CO of the 335 FS/4 FG, USAAF, achieves ace status when he downed a Bf 109 near Oldenburg at 1455 hours. He scored one more victory to end the war with six kills.
....In the RAF attack on Hanover, Bomber Command sent the Vickers Wellington bomber into action for the final time when aircraft of Nos. 300 and 432 Squadrons were used. In total Wellington's based in the United Kingdom have dropped 42,440-tons of bombs.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British 8th Army captured Larino and Guglionesi as the advance on Biferno, Italy. The US 5th Army finished its advance to the Volturno River and began planning the next attack for October 12.
....Twelfth Air Force aircraft attacked targets in Greece. XII Bomber Command B-24s bombed Tatoi and Eleusis Airfields at Athens, airfields at Kastelli and Heraklion Airfields on Crete, and Maritsa Airfield on Rhodes; B-25 Mitchells also hit Eleusis airfield; P-38s flew convoy cover, patrols, and sweeps over the Aegean Sea. In Italy, the Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force and RAF Desert Air Force aircraft hit a bridge at Minturno and a road junction and military concentration at Termoli.

ENGLAND: A Lancaster bomber operating from Linton on Ouse airfield near York, had to be abandoned over Hutton le Hole near Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, when the controls jammed. The crew jumped to safety, but a farmer was killed when the bomber crashed at Spaunton in Yorkshire and the bomb load blew up.

[Hugh Spencer]

9th October 1943
6 Mosquitoes attacked Berlin without loss.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The US VIII Air Support Command flew Mission 81: 66 B-26B Marauders bombed the Woensdrecht Airfield in the Netherlands. This awas the final Eighth Air Force B-26 operation - the B-26s would be transferred to the US IX Bomber Command, Ninth Air Force on 16 October.

GERMANY: The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 113 against 2 targets in Germany and 2 in Poland; 26 B-17s and 2 B-24s were lost. One group made a feint to Woensdrecht, another to Leeuwarden, both in the Netherlands. A diversionary strike was made on Anklam, Germany, then the main attack force of 246 B-17 and B-24 bombers attacked Gdynia and Danzig in Poland, and destroyed the Focke-Wulf aircraft plant at Marienburg in East Prussia. 106 B-17s hit the industrial area in Anklam, Germany and claimed 65-19-47 Luftwaffe aircraft. 96 B-17s hit the industrial area in Marienburg, Germany claiming 9-2-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 41 B-24s hit the U-boat yards at Danzig and the port area at Gdynia, Poland claiming 7-3-4 Luftwaffe aircraft and 109 B-17s hit the port area at Gdynia, Poland claiming 41-5-10 Luftwaffe aircraft. Five fighter Geschwaders, 2 Zertorer Geschwaders and 3 Nachtjagdgeschwaders were involved in the interceptions.
....One of the most heavily involved were fighters from JG 11. One Bf 109 belonging to Stab II./JG 11 belly-landed in a field southeast of Faaborg and another from III./JG 11 landed in a field southeast of Toftlund due to a lack of fuel. Uffz. Karl-Heinz Kutzera of II./JG 11 crash-landed near Nykobing Falster after being hit by return fire from the bombers. Uffz. was wounded and taken to hospital. 13 pilots from JG 11 were confirmed for kills. But Lt. Michael Widmann of 2./JG 11 was missing after combat near Fehmarn. Lt. Harry Peltzer of 1./JG 11 attacked the bombers from the rear and was hit by defending gunfire. He crashed near Vojens and was killed.
....JG 54 was also heavily involved. Four pilots were confirmed for kills but the Geschwader lost several pilots as well. Fw. Fritz Ungar of 9./JG 54 landed his Bf 109 near Arvlund because of a lack of fuel. Another Bf 109 from 7./JG 54crash-landed at Fliegerhorst Kastrup as did Fw. Emil Hecker from 9./JG 54 who took a bullet through the cockpit and was injured. Oblt. Fritz Brock also from 9./JG 54 crash-laned near Nykobing Falster and was uninjured.
....The NJG contributed to the gain and loss columns as well. 15 Nachtjagdflieger made claims for kills including Hptm. Borchers of Stab III./NJG 5, Oblt. Muller of IV./NJG 3 and Major Rolf Jung of Stab I./NJG 2. But they, too lost aircraft and crews. Lt. Heinz Knittel of 8./NJG 2 crashed his Bf 110G-2 near Store Heddinge, killing Lt. Knittel. Another Bf 110 from I./NJG 2 ditched in 4 feet of water off shore of Storstrommen. The crew was found standing on the wing by the Danish police and taken ashore.
....From the Zerstorergeschwaders, Lt. Richard Heller of 8./ZG 26 claimed 3 B-17s while Fw. Josef Scherkenbeck of 9./ZG 26 claimed 2 Fortresses.

EASTERN FRONT: Petrov's Soviet forces completed the occupation of the Kuban. The German 17.Armee completed the evacuation of the Kuban Peninsula moving across the Strait of Kerch into the dubious safety of the Crimean Peninsula. 225,000 German and Rumanian soldiers and 27,000 civilians made the withdrawal. They were sent to reinforce the German line south of Zaporozhye.
....Hptm. Egon Albrecht, Staffelkapitaen of 1./ZG 1, succeeded Hptm. Karl-Heinrich Matern (12 kills, RK, KIA 8/10/43) as Gruppenkommandeur of II./ZG 1.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied intelligence warned General Eisenhower and top Allied commanders that the Germans have decided to defend Rome and the southern two-thirds of the Italian peninsula. Intelligence discovered that three elite German divisions have reinforced Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's 10th Army along the Volturno River, 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Naples. Intelligence also learned the Germans were using Italian labourers to prepare a stronger position -- called the Gustav Line -- 85 miles (136.8 km) south of Rome.
....While providing air cover for RN warships that bombarded German installations in the Dodecanese Islands, two P-38 pilots of the 37th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, achieved "ace" status. Major William L. Leverette, Commanding Officer of the 37th, downed seven Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers in a single pass to become an ace. This was the highest single-mission score in either the European and Mediterranean Theater of Operations in World War II. He ended the war with 11 confirmed victories. The second pilot was 2d Lieutenant who downed five JU-87s to become an "instant ace." These were his only victories of the war. II./StG 3 lost 9 Ju 87D-3/Trops when they were intercepted during the mission against Royal Navy ships in the Aegean. Seven crashed into the sea and 2 made emergency landings on Rhodes. 4 crewmen were killed and 7 listed as missing in action.
....In company with HMS 'Panther', cruiser HMS 'Carlisle' was severely damaged by the Ju 87 dive bomb attacks and had to be taken in tow by 'Rockwood'. She reached Alexandria but was considered to be beyond economic repair and declared a constructive total loss. There were 20 casualties. Destroyer HMS 'Panther' was sunk in the attacks that damaged HMS 'Carlisle' at the same position.
....At 0036 hours, destroyer USS 'Buck' (LCDR M. Klein, lost) was on patrol off Salerno, when she was hit in the bow by a Gnat fired by 'U-616', causing the forward magazine to explode and sank within four minutes. Destroyer USS 'Gleaves' and landing craft HMS LCT-170 picked up the survivors.

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GERMANY: The US VIII Bomber Command flew Mission 114: 236 B-17s hit the railroads and waterways in and around Munster, Germany plus targets of opportunity at Coesfeld, Germany and Enschede Airfield in the Netherlands, claiming 183-21-51 Luftwaffe aircraft. 30 B-17s were lost. 39 B-24s flew a diversion without loss or casualties. The B-17s were escorted by 216 P-47 Thunderbolts and claimed 19-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. A P-47 was lost.
....This was recorded as one of the most brutal battles of the war as the Allied fighter cover left the bombers 9 minutes from the IP when an estimated 200 Luftwaffe planes entered the battle. The air battle lasted about 45 minutes in which the standardized attack pattern of single-engined fighters attacked head-on while Bf 110s and Me 410s used rockets to hit the bombers from the rear. In about 25 minutes, 30 bombers were lost. It was during this battle that it was first reported that D0 217s attacked with "lateral" firing weapons.
....The Luftwaffe also lost aircraft as 26 Fw 190s from JG 1 and JG 26 were shot down. Maj. David C. Schilling, 56th FG's operations officer, USAAF, achived aces status when he downed an Fw 190 near Altenberg, Germany. Maj. Schilling ended the war with 22.5 kills. 1st Lt. Robert S. Johnson 61st FS/56th FG, USAAF, achieved ace status by downing a Bf 110 and a Fw 190 near Munster, Germany. He ended the war with 27 kills and was the second highest scoring US fighter ace in the ETO, sixth highest of all US fighter pilots. Capt. Walter C. Beckham, 351th FS/353d FG, USAAF, achieved ace status when he downed an Me 210 and two Bf 110s near Munster, Germany. Beckham ended the war with 18 e/a destroyed.

EASTERN FRONT: Dobrush, east of Gomel, was liberated by Soviet forces.
....Ofw. Karl Fuchs of 3./JG 54 (67 kills) was killed in combat.
....With the war's tide turning, the Franco government ordered the Spanish 250th 'Blue' Division home. A few thousand volunteers, however, refused to abandon the struggle against Communism and enlisted in a so-called "Blue Legion" that was attached to the German 121st Infantry Division.

MEDITERRANEAN: The U. S. 45th "Thunderbird" Infantry Division edged close to German defenses along the Volturno River by taking Pontelandolfo, a mountain town 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Benevento.
....The Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force and RAF's Desert Air Force concentrate on gun positions on both the US Fifth and British Eighth Army battlefronts; vehicles, railroads, and town areas also are hit; the attacks take place northeast of Capua, at Guglionesi, at Cassino and Mondragone, between Rome and Terracina, and around the Termoli-Isernia-Pescara areas.
....A time bomb killed 12 in a cathedral just before ranking U.S. officers arrived for Mass.
....Adolf Hitler's decision to fight for Rome doomed Churchill's plan to take the Dodecanese Islands in the eastern Mediterranean and open a supply route to Turkey and the Soviet Union. During a strategy conference, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his top commanders realized they didn't have enough men and equipment for two Mediterranean campaigns; one in Italy, the other in the Dodecanese. Ike angered British Prime Minister Winston Churchill by refusing to send part of his forces to the islands.
....P-38s escorted shipping off Rhodes, hit Antimachia Airfield in the Dodecanese Islands, and attacked vessels in the harbors of Corfu, Greece, and Kotor, Yugoslavia, and off Tivat, Yugoslavia, and hit targets of opportunity in the Aegean Sea and along its eastern coastline. Twelfth Air Force B-17s bombed 2 airfields at Athens, while B-24s hit Maritsa Airfield on Rhodes and Calato and Heraklion Airfields on Crete.
....Partisans attacked German forces in Trieste, a large port near the Italian-Yugoslav frontier. The partisans penetrated into several of the city's suburbs and ignited a fierce battle.
....Submarine HMS 'Trooper' was not heard from after leaving Beirut for a patrol west of the Dodecanese on 26 September. She may have been mined, or the victim of an accident. There were no survivors, all 60 crew becoming casualties.
....'U-73' set an agent ashore on Cape Khanis in the Mediterranean.
....Destroyer HS 'Miaoulis' rescued the crew of the destroyer HMS 'Panther'.

WESTERN FRONT: The Atlantic entrance to the PANAMA Canal was mined by a German submarine.
....Oberst Walter Oesau of JG 2 was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1, relieving Major Hermann Graf who had taken over the Geschwader after the death of Obstlt. 'Fips' Philipp on 8 October.

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EASTERN FRONT: Novobelitsa on the outskirts of Gomel was liberated by the Soviets.
....Hptm. Erich Rudorffer of II./JG 54 shot down 7 Russian aircraft in only 7 minutes to bring his total past 100 victories.
....Lt. Gunther Kurz of Stab II./JG 52 (33 kills) was killed in combat.
....Lt. Rudolf Wagner in a Bf 109G-6 collided in aerial combat with Uffz. Helmut Neu in a Bf 109G-6 near Yarzevo. Lt. Wagner survived with injuries while Uffz. Neu was listed as missing in action. Both pilots were serving with 10./JG 51 at the time.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British V and XIII Corps were now in the line of the 8th Army. They paused while Montgomery finished his reorganization plans.
....US XII Bomber Command B-25 Mitchells bombed Garitsa Airfield, Greece and P-38s hit a vessel in the Corfu harbor on Corfu Island. In Italy, US XII Air Support Command and Northwest Tactical Bomber Force operations were cancelled or aborted due to weather, but RAF Desert Air Force fighters hit trains, trucks, and gun positions near Montesilvano and Vasto.
....Partisans battled to within 23 miles (37.0 km) of Belgrade and raided Zagreb, Croatia's capital.
.... HMS 'Hythe' (J 194) (LtCdr Leslie B. Miller, RN) was hit by a Gnat from 'U-371' and sank off Bougie, Algeria.

ENGLAND: Advanced Amphibious Training Base, Falmouth, Cornwall, England, was established.

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WESTERN FRONT: The BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC swung firmly in favour of the Allies when Dr. Salazar, the Portuguese leader, revealed that British land, sea and air forces arrived in the Azores. The islands, strategically placed in mid-Atlantic, would be used for the aerial protection of merchant shipping plying between the United States and Britain. The move came after weeks of secret talks between Britain and Portugal. Though the two countries had a treaty relationship that dated from the 14th century, Dr. Salazar, in close co-operation with Franco's Spain, remained cautiously neutral between the Allied and Axis powers. The Azores pact reflected the growing certainty among neutrals that Hitler would eventually lose the war. The US, though not a signatory to the pact, would use the islands for joint military operations with Britain. Air cover by RAF Catalina and Wellington aircraft based in Britain and Newfoundland left a gap - which would now be closed - of several hundred miles in mid-Atlantic, where the U-boats assembled to prey on Allied shipping. The German consulate in the Azores was being closed and all German citizens were being evacuated. On the Portuguese mainland diplomatic links would continue.
....Aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC-9) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Card' (CVE-11) broke up another German U-boat refuelling rendezvous when they attacked 'U-488' about 600 miles (965.6 km) north of Flores Island, Azores and damaged 'U-731'. This was the second attack on submarines refuelling; the first was on 4 October. An Avenger aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier USS 'Card' attacked 'U-378' with a Fido homing torpedo but the boat managed to outmanoeuvre it.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 5th Army began the attack on the Volturno line. Due to weather, inadequate roads and German demolitions the Allied advance was limited to major roads until spring. The British X Corps operating along the coast made little progress, being faced by determined German counterattacks. Lucas’ US 6th Corps made more progress but poor weather and determined resistance limited advances.
....US XII Bomber Command operations were cancelled by weather. In Italy, the US XII Air Support Command and other Northwest African Tactical Air Force elements operated on a reduced scale, hitting road junctions at Vasto and Fossacesia, Aquino Airfield, motor transport on the Itri-Pico road and on a road north of Rome in the Bolsena and Capranica areas, roads near Tarquinia, rail facilities at Cisterna di Latina, trains between Pescara and Benedello, and guns and troops near Cercemaggiore.

ENGLAND: In the evening, 4 Ju 88S-1s of III./KG 6 took-off for a nuisance attack on London. Two aircraft attacked the city without results. The other two aircraft broke off the attack due to engine problems. One bomber had an aerial combat with RAF night fighters from RAF No. 151 Sqdrn over London. Several hits on a Ju 88 from 7./KG 6 convinced the pilot to order his crew to bail out. Two parachutes were seen. These 2 crewmen, Uffz. Kurt Emmert and Ogfr. Kurt Abramowski have been listed as missing ever since. The pilot then ascertained that the aircraft was still flyable and headed for home base.