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http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/9/26.htm

October 26th, 1944 (THURSDAY)

WESTERN EUROPE: There are no USAAF bomber operations as bad weather prevails; fighters sweep areas of eastern France and western Germany from Metz, France to Cologne, Germany, attacking rail and road traffic, rail bridges, and marshalling yards.

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army’s II Corps area, the British 52d Division makes an amphibious assault on Beveland from Terneuzen landing on the south coast near Baarland and establishing a bridgehead. The Canadian 2d Division continues to push west along the Beveland Isthmus. The Canadian 3d Division is steadily reducing the Breskens Pocket. .

In the British Second Army’s XII Corps area, the 53 Division overruns Hertogenbosch.

FRANCE: Vosges Mountains: 100th/442nd RCT rescues the “Lost Battalion,” which was cut off and surrounded by the enemy. There are 800 Nisei casualties in order to save 211 lives. (Gene Hanson)

In the U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, action at Maizieres-lès-Metz centers about the strongly held Hotel de Ville. The 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Division, reaches the hotel but is driven back.

In U.S. Seventh Army’s VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division continues toward St Die under exceptionally heavy artillery fire, the 7th Infantry Regiment, in the center, overrunning Les Rouges Eaux. On the left flank of corps, the 45th Infantry Division is clearing Fort d’Housseras and working toward Raon-l’Etape. The 36th Infantry Division, on the southern flank, is relieving its isolated 141st Infantry Regiment force, which begins a drive to the west in an effort to break out.

GERMANY: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 689: 1,225 bombers and 674 fighters make PFF attacks on industrial and communications targets in western Germany; one fighter is lost. Targets are: 375 bombers bomb the Hannomag armored forces vehicle factory at Hannover, 242 bomb the Minden Aquaduct, 192 attack the marshalling yard at Munster, 191 bomb an ordnance depot at Bielefeld, 65 hit the Welheim synthetic oil refinery at Bottrop, 36 bomb the Munster area, 35 attack the gas works at Bielefeld, 23 hit the marshalling yard at Gutersloh and two bomb targets of opportunity.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 105 Lancasters to carry out a G-H raid on Leverkusen, with the chemical works as the centre of the intended bombing area; 102 aircraft bomb the target. The raid appeared to proceed well but cloud prevented any observation of the results. No aircraft lost.

During the night of 26/27 October, nine RAF Bomber Command Lancaster lay mines off the Heligoland Bight with the loss of one aircraft.

U-3028, U-3528 laid down.

AUSTRIA: Weather curtails operations of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force but four B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Main marshalling yard at Innsbruck.

POLAND: Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler issues orders to destroy the crematoriums at Auschwitz-Birkenau in an attempt to eliminate the evidence of Nazi mass murder.

HUNGARY: Soviet forces of the Fourth and Second Ukrainian Fronts link up near Mukacevo in eastern Hungary.

ROMANIA: Mukachevo in the southern Carpathian Mountains is the site of a link up between the Second and Fourth Ukraine Fronts in a pincer movement.

ITALY: Heavy rains and flooding slow operations all along the line. In the U.S. Fifth Army area, the South African 6th Division halts efforts to take Mt. Sole; elements on Hill 501 are virtually isolated. In the II Corps area, a flash flood prevents commitment of 362d Infantry Regiment across the Sillaro River as planned. The 88th and 85th Infantry Divisions are given verbal orders to break off offensive and organize defensive positions on more tenable ground. In the British XIII Corps area, the 17th Brigade of the Indian 8th Division pushes to Lutirano and Tredozio. The 61st Brigade, 6th Armourd Division, after repelling an attack against Orsara and making another futile attempt to take Mt. Taverna, confines its activities to patrolling.

In the British Eighth Army’s Polish II Corps area, the 5th Kresowa Division, having cleared the Mt. Mirabcllo-Mt. Colombo ridge, sends elements into Predappio Nuovo, on the Rabbi River, but is forced back. In the V Corps area, the Indian 10th Division consolidates bridgeheads across the Ronco River, but the 4th Division is unable to hold on without tank support and suffers heavy losses while withdrawing. Since the river is now in flood, corps operations temporarily come to a standstill. The Canadian I Corps makes little progress because of flooding.

Weather suspends all USAAF Twelfth Air Force operations.

CHINA: USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-25 Mitchells attack shipping off the east Luichow Peninsula; B-25 Mitchells also hit river shipping from Dosing to Takhing and a Yellow River bridge; fighters attack the town of Menghsu, hit targets of opportunity around Menghsu and Kweiping, and B-25 Mitchells and fighters bomb railroad yards at Hsuchang.

BURMA: In the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) area, the Chinese 22d Division, attacking in the center of the NCAC front, reaches the old Chindit airstrip, BROADWAY, 27 miles (43 kilometers) southeast of Hopin, where it remains for a few days to recover from an arduous march over the hills.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: USAAF Fourteenth Air Force make an armed reconnaissance attack on Hongay, Vietnam.

JAPAN: Of six USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators which abort a naval task force cover mission after failing to find the ships, two bomb installations on Onnekotan Island, Kurile Islands.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: US attack Japanese positions on Catmon Hill, north of Dulag, Leyte. Despite initial setbacks, the US forces gain the position in the wake a Japanese withdrawal. Japanese reinforce Leyte from Ormoc.

On Leyte, the U.S. Sixth Army;s X Corps area, the 24th Infantry Division, having cleared the northern approaches to Leyte Valley, attacks inland. The 34th Infantry Regiment, drives steadily along Highway 2 to Santa Fe. From Castilla, the 19th Infantry Regiment continues to the outskirts of Pastrana, where the entrance into the town is barred by a strong fortress. In the XXIV Corps area, 382d Infantry Regiment of 96th Infantry Division attempts to take Tabontabon, a Japanese supply center, but after reaching the edge of the barrio, they are forced back to the Guinarona River. Division artillery shells the barrio through the night of 26/27 October. The 383d Infantry Regiment conducts a reconnaissance in force against San Vicente Hill, the northern tip of Catmon Hill, but is forced to withdraw. The Japanese withdraw the main body of troops from Catmon Hill. The 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, continue the battle for Buri Airfield through fortifications to positions around edge of the field. The 17th Infantry Regiment attacks with 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions toward Dagami, reaching positions about 600 yards (549 meters) south of Guinarona.

On Mindanao Island, USAAF Far East Air Forces P-38 Lightnings hit vehicles in the Davao area and B-25 Mitchells bomb Iligan.

Japanese Admiral Nishamura’s Southern Force and Admiral Shima’s force are attacked by PT Boats and then destroyers during their transit of Surigao Strait. PTs sink 1 cruiser, the destroyers sind battleship Fuso and 3 destroyers. US Admiral Oldendorff’s 6 battleships and 8 cruisers sink battleship Yamashiro and almost wreck Mogami.

Admiral Kurita’s Northern Force, 4 BBs, 8 CA, 11 DDs, transit San Bernardino Strait and find US TG 77.4.3 (6 CVE, 8 DD) off Samar. Between 7:00 am and 9:00 am the Japanese gradually close despite repeated air strikes from the escort carriers and determined torpedo attacks from the escorting destroyers. After loosing 3 cruisers and facing the determined defence of the carriers, Admiral Kurita begins to retire. Some tactical errors of ship handling contribute to his situation. He misses his chance at the invasion ships off Leyte and believes he has sunk several fleet carriers, in fact 3 destroyers and 1 escort carrier are sunk, others damaged.

A Japanese air strike against the 3 escort carrier groups sinking 4 escort carriers and damaging 3. These are the first significant, premeditated suicide attacks that will become known as Kamikaze attacks.

US Admiral Halsey has TF 38, fast fleet carriers, and TF 34, fast battleships, north to intercept Japanese Admiral Ozawa’s decoy force of carriers. Hearing the news of the Battle off Samar, Halsey returns, too late to assist. He leaves 2 carrier groups to strike the Japanese carriers, sinking Zuiho and Zuikaku with 2 destroyers and a cruiser. 3 other cruisers of various retiring Japanese forces are sunk by air strikes during the day.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf is over, including the Battle off Samar and the Battle of Cape Engano.

The US ships sunk on 25 October during the Battle of Leyte Gulf are:
ESCORT AIRCRAFT CARRIERS (CVE)
USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)

USS St Lo (CVE-63)

DESTROYERS (DD)

USS Hoel (DD-533)

USS Johnston (DD-557)

DESTROYER ESCORTS (DE)

USS Eversole (DE-404)

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413)

The light aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23) was sunk off Luzon on 24 October.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Eighteen Australian Beauforsts attack Rabaul on New Britain Island. The targets are supply dumps near Tobera Airfield and antiaircraft positions.

NEW GUINEA: USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-25 Mitchells bomb Utarom (Kaimana) Aerodrome in Dutch New Guinea.

EAST INDIES: On Halmahera Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s attack targets of opportunity in the Dodinga-Kaoe Bay area, Djailolo (Djailolo No. 1, No. 2) Aerodrome, a supply area south of Galela, and guns south of Doro.

NAURU ISLAND: Fifteen USAAF Seventh Air Force Mitchells based in the Gilbert Islands, bomb the airfield area on Nauru Island. Nauru Island is a 21 square kilometer (8 square mile) island in the South Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between the Gilbert and Solomon Islands. The island is rich in phosphate deposits and was occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: At Stirling Airfield (Coronus Strip) on Stirling Island in the Treasury Islands, In the Russell Islands, the last attack in a month long demonstration of the Interstate TDR-1 assault drone is made by Special Task Air Group (STAG-1), thereby concluding the first use of the guided missile in the Pacific. During the demonstration a total of 46 drones are expended, of which 29 reach the target areas: two attack a lighthouse on Cape St. George, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, making one hit which demolishes the structure; nine attack anti-aircraft emplacements on beached ships achieving six direct hits and two near misses; and 18 attacked other targets in the Shortland Islands and Rabaul areas making 11 hits.

PACIFIC OCEAN:

0200 hours: USS Sea Fox (SS-402) sinks a cargo ship at 29-05 N, 127-40 E.

0400 hours: USS Drum (SS-228) sinks a passenger-cargo ship and a cargo ship at 19-30 N, 120-44 E and 19-97 N, 120-42 E.

0700 hours: USS Drum (SS-228) sinks an armed transport at 19-07 N, 120-42 E.

0700 hours: USS Icefish (SS-367) sinks a cargo ship at 19-07 N, 120-42 E. (Skip Guidry)

Special Task Air Group One makes last attack in month long demonstration of TDR drone missile against Japanese shipping and islands in the Pacific. Of 46 missiles fired, 29 reached their target areas.

CANADA:

Corvette HMCS La Malbaie departed Londonderry for refit at Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Corvette HMCS Lachute commissioned.

U.S.A.: Submarine USS Brill commissioned.

A secret OSS report originating in Stockholm stated that a U-boat carrying a V-1 was about to sail on a mission to attack New York.