Posted on 01/08/2014 4:45:24 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
8 January. The 2d and 3d Battalions spent this day developing the outpost line of resistance farther. At 0424, a 2d Battalion outpost near Sel was attacked by ten or fifteen Japanese who disclosed their approach by springing a hand grenade booby trap fifty yards in front of our position. The outpost opened up with machine guns and 60mm mortars and repulsed the attack. At daylight a reconnaissance patrol found five dead Japanese and one seriously wounded. The enemy troops had carried rifles with bayonets fixed, and knee mortars and grenades. All their weapons were new and in excellent condition. They had no packs or canteens. A base camp was probably nearby.
Inland patrol reports were negative.
Major General H.W. Blakeley, USA, Ret., The 32d Infantry Division in World War II
Winston S. Churchill, Closing the Ring
#1 – “Paper Doll” - Mills Brothers
#2 - “My Heart Tells Me” - Glen Gray, with Eugenie Baird
#3 - “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old” - Jimmy Dorsey, with Kitty Kallen
#4 - “Star Eyes” - Jimmy Dorsey, with Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen
#5 – “Shoo Shoo Baby” - Ella Mae Morse, with orchestra
#6 - “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” – Bing Crosby, with Trudy Erwin
#7 - “Pistol Packin’ Mama” - Al Dexter
#8 – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” - Bing Crosby
#9 - “Shoo Shoo Baby” - Andrews Sisters
#10 – “Oklahoma” cast album - Broadway cast of Oklahoma
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/jan44/f08jan44.htm
Soviets capture Kirovograd
Saturday, January 8, 1944 www.onwar.com
Soviet infantry dismount T-34 for assault [photo at link]
On the Eastern Front... The Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front (Konev) surround Kirovograd, along with three German divisions. During the night (January 8-9) the Soviet 67th Tank Brigade carrying infantry on its tanks disperses the headquarters of German 47th Panzer Corps (General von Vormann) with losses to men and equipment.
In Occupied Italy... In Verno, the Italian Socialist Republic tries members of the Fascist Grand Council who had earlier deposed Mussolini (January 8-11). Several members are convicted in their absence. Others, including Ciano and Bono, are tried, convicted and executed.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/08.htm
January 8th, 1944 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Davidstow Moor airfield, Cornwall. No. 269 Squadron RAF becomes operational. They are the first squadron to be equipped with lifeboat carrying Lockheed Hudsons for the ASR role.
London: General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson takes over as supreme Allied commander in the Mediterranean theatre.
WESTERN EUROPE: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 180: During the evening, five B-17 Flying Fortresses drop 2.292 million leaflets on Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium; and Rennes, Brest and Nantes, France without loss.
GERMANY: During the night of 8/9 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 23 Mosquito to hit four targets: two each bomb Dusseldorf, Karlsruhe and Solingen and one bombs Heidelberg.
U-1103 commissioned.
U-400 launched.
ITALY: Members of the Italian Fascist Grand Council are placed on trial by Mussolini’s Social Republic of Salo. Count Ciano is among those, who shortly will be convicted and executed. They had been captured by the Germans and turned over to the Italian fascists. (Mike Yaklich)
In the U.S. Fifth Army’s British X Corps area, the 139th Brigade, 46th Division, takes Mt. Cedro without opposition. In the U.S. II Corps area, Task Force B outflanks and captures Hill 1109. The Germans have now been forced back to Mt. Trocchio and the hills above Cervaro to defend the approaches to the Liri Valley, which leads to Rome.
USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs hit railway stations at Frosinone and in the Colleferro-Segni area; B-26 Marauders bomb marshalling yards at Grosseto and Lucca; P-40s support the U.S. Fifth Army in the mountains east and southeast of Cassino, and, with A-36 Apaches, hit railway targets south of Rome at Aquino, Frosinone, Palestrina and Castelforte; other P-40s hit Avezzano, and A-36s blast trains and vessels in the vicinity of Tarquinia.
USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses hit the Reggio Emilia aircraft factory with P-38 Lightnings and P-47 Thunderbolts flying escort.
U.S.S.R.: The Red Army captures Kirovograd, the highway and rail centre of the Dnepr river bend. The Germans are reporting an offensive in the Zhlobin area.
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb the harbour, warehouses, and railway at Metkovic.
USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the airfield at Mostar.
ALGERIA: U.S. Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower turns over command of Allied Forces in the Mediterranean to British General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson. Lieutenant General Jacob Devers takes command of North African Theatre of Operations, U.S. Army.
BURMA: Twenty USAAF Tenth Air Force P-51 Mustangs and A-36 Apaches knock out a bridge north of Hopin, destroy a warehouse and railroad tracks in the area, and destroy a locomotive and damage numerous railroad cars at Tigyaingza.
EAST INDIES: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Kendari and other targets on Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies.
NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators, medium bombers, and a few fighters, attack the Madang area, bomb Uligan Harbour, and hit Bogadjim and the Bogadjim Road.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force fighters strafe the Sag Sag sawmill in the Cape Gloucester area and B-25 Mitchells and A-20 Havocs hit positions near Arawe.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Fifteen USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators, staging through Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, bomb shipping and shore installations at several locations on Wotje, Maloelap and Jaluit Atolls; and two B-25 Mitchells from Tarawa hit shipping and gun positions on Jaluit.
Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: eight USN PB4Y-1 Liberators of Bombing Squadrons One Hundred Eight and One Hundred Nine (VB-108 and VB-109), flying from Apemama Atoll, Gilbert Islands, mine the waters off Wotje Atoll and then strafe Japanese facilities on the island and shipping offshore; seven USN PBY-5 Catalinas of Patrol Squadron Seventy Two (VP-72), flying from Tarawa Atoll, mine Wotje anchorage and Schischmarov Strait.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: US ships raid the Shortland Islands.
PACIFIC: From the diary of Glen Boren: We finally made it to Espiritu Santo on the 8th for another stay on the beach. We launched our fighters just a short ways out and then we went into the harbor and dropped anchor. We grabbed our gear and headed for the fighter strip.
The fighter pilots continued their training program which was never finished before we went into combat.
USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Kahili, Bougainville Island; and B-25 Mitchells hit concentrations on Siposai and Kondakanimboko Islands.
Task Force 38 (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth), consisting of the light cruisers USS Honolulu (CL-48) and St. Louis (CL-49) and three destroyers, bombards Japanese shore installations on Faisi, Poporang, and Shortland Islands starting large fires.
CANADA:
Tug HMCS Lawrenceville assigned to Esquimalt.
Destroyers HMCS Iroquois, Haida and Huron arrived Loch Ewe with Convoy RA-55B.
U.S.A.: War Department Operations Division planners decide that the present positions in the China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations (CBI) should be maintained and that airpower should be built up so that the CBI can support a main offensive against Japan to be made in the Pacific. .
Developed in only 143 days, the prototype Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star, USAAF serial number 44-83020, “Lulu Belle,” makes its first flight at Muroc Dry Lake (now Edwards AFB), California., with Milo Burcham at the controls. It is the first American fighter to exceed 500 miles per hour (805 kilometres per hour) in level flight.
Top songs on the Pop Music Charts are: “My Heart Tells Me” by The Glen Gray Orchestra with vocal by Eugenie Baird; “Paper Doll” by The Mills Brothers; “People Will Say We’re in Love” by Bing Crosby; and “Pistol Packin’ Mama” by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters.
Destroyer escort USS Parle laid down.
Destroyer escorts USS Raymond, Oliver Mitchell, McNulty and Leslie LB Knox launched.
Submarine USS Spadefish launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-426 Sunk west of Nantes, France, in position 46.47N, 10.42W, by depth charges from an Australian Sunderland aircraft (RAAF Sqdn. 10/U based at Mount Batten). 51 dead (all hands lost). This is remarkable because this was one of the first Sunderlands to have increased bow armament of four extra machine-guns to combat the 37 and 20mm guns mounted in the conning towers of U-boats. The aircraft opened fire at 1,200 yards and succeeded in knocking out all the u-boat gunners before attacking with depth charges. (22)
U-757 (OLtzS Friedrich Deetz, CO) Sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Iceland, in position 50.33N, 18.03W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Bayntun and the Canadian corvette HMCS Camrose. 49 dead (all hands lost). The escort for Liverpool Convoy OS-64 detected U-757 as she closed to attack. A series of 8 depth charge attacks were conducted by Camrose and Bayntun supported by HMCS Snowberry and Edmunston. The sound of a submarine blowing tanks was heard after the last attack but then the contact faded and was lost. Wreckage was found on the surface and the action ceased. The convoy arrived safely at Freetown 26 Jan 44 with all of its 38 merchantmen. (Alex Gordon)
U-343 shot down RAF 179 Sqn aircraft.
XP-80
Love this daily thread on WWII.
I know up to June 6, 1944 the Soviet Union engaged in the largest land battles in Europe but on the other hand we and the British were heavily involved in Italy/ Africa/ Sicily with massive bombing raids into Europe involving heavy casualties to the Allies. Not to mention our efforts against Japan. The US NEWSPAPER NY Times report on this but rarely it seems to get the front page headlines. Interesting to note that maybe this is the Times love for all things Socialist especially regarding the Soviet Union. (ex: Walter Duranty). Things haven’t changed much with the NY Slimes in 70 years.
Not sure what you mean by that. Since 2 Sept. 1939 the day's biggest war story is the N.Y. Times lead front page story almost every day. Even more so since 7 Dec. 1941.
Let me clarify. I know the daily headlines are on the war but it’s just an impression of mine from reading your posting of the Times daily papers that the lead headline is usually the “RED ARMY.....” this or the “RED ARMY....” that followed by the US & British war fighting gains.
Maybe most US newspapers focused stongly on the Red Army land war in Europe. Just an impression, I could be wrong.
Many thanks for doing this daily thread.
It sure can seem that way, but consider this. From June of 1941 to December there really wasn’t another story. The African front was not moving the way the Nazi push into Germany was. After the U. S. entered the war it wasn’t until April before we did anything of note, again eastern front is the most active front and therefore the biggest story. You have items on the African front, but its just not daily. The eastern front is active every single day.
Even now. We have the island hopping in the Pacific, but not much is coming out of there because there are issues with getting the word out logistically, and there is stricter censorship in that theater. The Italian campaign is hardly moving at all; you can see how close we are to Rome, but as you and I know they wont get there until June. Not much to report there.
But on the eastern front, there is a lot of movement. Big front, big movement, more story lines. I’m not saying that you are entirely wrong, but I’m just looking at the overall picture and that is my general impression.
Now I get it.
During certain periods it does look like the war in the east gets more coverage than theaters where the western Allies are in action. I have a spreadsheet that shows the headlines stacked up in chronological order from 1939 to the present. My impression from looking at that confirms CougarGA7's explanation that the headlines follow the hot spots fairly closely. During flare-ups or new operations in the Pacific or Europe - such as the Tarawa landings or [ahem] hypothetical landings behind German lines in Italy - the focus will quickly shift to the scene of the new action. But there is always something happening in the east.
The only thing I have spotted that would qualify as biased reporting on the part of the Times is that occasionally they will paint a rosier picture than is justified by the facts. The strategic bombing campaign in Europe is an example. The more heavy bombers lost on a given mission, the more likely we are to see General Arnold give a press conference to explain just how effective the bombing is and how light the losses really are, if you look at the big picture. That is really on the Army Air Force, rather than the Times, since they are just reporting what they are told.
My personal favorite was during the Battle of Britain in 1940. If you go just by the New York Times report you would think that Britain won the air war over London decisively and the the Luftwaffe was all but destroyed. You certainly wouldn’t get the impression that it was as near a thing as it really was.
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