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April 14th, 1943 (WEDNESDAY)
GERMANY: Stalin’s son Jacob dies in a PoW camp.
Stuka pilot Hans Ulrich Rudel is awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
U.S.S.R.: Leningrad: The Soviet High Command reports today that the Red Army has repulsed a heavy German tank and infantry attack south-east of Leningrad. The attack, says the Stavka, was of an “offensive-defensive” nature, and adds laconically that it resulted in “no material damage.”
It would seem from these reports that, although the Russian corridor to the besieged city is only some 12 miles wide in this area, the attack was not a serious attempt to cut the road and railway which the Russians have built to carry supplies to the city’s long-suffering people. It is far more likely to have been an attempt to seize a local advantage of terrain before the ground hardens and the Russians renew their attempts to drive the Germans and their allies away from Leningrad for ever.
Following their success in opening a route to the city on 18 January, the Soviets have twice tried to lift the siege completely. In their first attack, on 10 February, they were foiled by the Spanish Azul division, and then on 19 March they were driven off again. The situation now is like two boxers sparring, seeking advantage, before unleashing their big punches.
SARDINIA: Northwest African Air Force B-17s bomb the Elmas and Monserrato Airfields. (Jack McKillop)
Axis forces in North Africa, now occupy their final defence positions in a ring from Cape Serat to Bizerta to Tunis to Enfidaville.
TUNISIA: Ninth Air Force P-40s fly convoy escort, and carry out fighter sweeps over the battle area as the British Eighth Army’s 10 Corps continues to make quick jabs at positions at Enfidaville. These attempts to force an enemy retreat are unsuccessful.
During the night of 13/14 April, Northwest African Air Force Hurricanes and Blenheims bomb La Sebala Airfield and attack transport on the Tunis-Pont-du-Fahs road, and Western Desert Air Force light and medium bombers hit the Airfields at Sainte-Marie du Zit and Korba. During the day, B-17s bomb El Aouina Airfield. P-38s escort the heavy bombers and fly a bombing and strafing mission against a beached vessel southeast of Cape Zebib. A-20 Havocs bomb Bordj Toum. Fighter-bombers hit a motor convoy near Grich el Oued and trucks northeast of Dechret Ben Saidane and a battery east of Djedeida. Fighters fly reconnaissance and sweeps throughout the Tunisian battle area. Patrol planes maintain sea reconnaissance and patrols.
BURMA: Tenth Air Force P-40s dropping 1,000 pound (454 kg) bombs, hit airfields at Myitkyina and Manywet, rendering the runways at both unusable.
CHINA: Fourteenth Air Force P-40s strafe pack horses south of Tengchung, barracks and warehouses in Lungling, and cattle and trucks north of Lungling.
NEW GUINEA: Fifth Air Force B-17s, B-24s and B-25s carry out widespread attacks on individual enemy vessels. During these raids, B-17s bombing Hansa Bay sink an army cargo ship.
An estimated 144 Japanese bombers and fighters carry out a heavy attack on the Milne Bay area, severely damaging 1 vessel, beaching 1 vessel, and hitting 2 others, but doing very little damage to USAAF facilities in the area. AA defences and the 40+ P-40s and P-38s that intercept the enemy strike shoot down 7 aircraft with the loss of three US fighters.
Captain Richard I “Dick” Bong becomes a Double Ace when he gets his 10th kill, one of the Mitsubishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers (Allied Code Name “Betty”) attacking the Milne Bay area.
HMAS Wagga, a minesweeper, with HMAS ships Kapunda and Whyalla, took part in the defence of Milne Bay during a heavy Japanese air attack. The British vessel “Gorgan” was damaged and the Netherlands troopship “Van Heemskerk” was hit by bombs and set on fire. Minutes before the fire reached drums of petrol, which blew up, the Wagga took the survivors off the ship and saved a lot of lives in doing so. The ship was beached, but became a total loss. The Wagga sustained superficial damage. (Denis Peck)
PACIFIC OCEAN: The Japanese navy completes Operation I, a series of air attacks on New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, with a raid on Milne Bay.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The Eleventh Air Force dispatches 30 P-40s, 17 P-38 Lightnings, 9 B-24 Liberators and 6 B-25 Mitchells to fly 10 missions to Kiska Island, bombing and strafing the runway, North Head area, installations, parked seaplanes, and facilities on Little Kiska. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: John Grist Brainerd, director of research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School, submits a proposal for an electronic computer to colleagues at the U.S. Army’s Ballistics Research Laboratory. The proposal was written by the Moore School’s John Mauchly. In May 1943, the Army contracted the Moore School to build ENIAC, the first American electronic computer.
The USAAF activates the Weather Wing at Asheville, North Carolina to provide scientific weather information for the USAAF and the rest of the Army. This new wing assumes responsibility from HQ USAAF for the supervision of the Army Air Forces Weather Service which was established in 1937.
This movie was made during WWII and told the story of a fictional invasion of a British village by German soldiers pretending to be UK soldiers. It is very hard to find, but is a real gem. I won't give a spoiler, but if you can find it, watch it for sure.