Year 1943

WW2 War Diary for Monday, June 14, 1943: Sea War Atlantic: RAF Coastal Command (and attached Allied squadrons) begins systematic daily patrols to counter new U-boat tactics in Bay of […]

WW2 War Diary for Sunday, June 13, 1943: Air War Britain: Night raid on Grimsby; many ‘Butterfly’ anti-personnel bombs and incendiaries dropped; 74 killed, 130 injured.

WW2 War Diary for Saturday, June 12, 1943: Air War Germany: Devastating RAF night raid on Bochum in the Ruhr. Britain: Heavy night raid on Plymouth (repeated August 11 and

WW2 War Diary for Friday, June 11, 1943: Air War Germany: 200 B-17 Fortress (8 lost) raid Wilhelmshaven. RAF night raid on Duesseldorf (2,000 t by 693 bombers) and Munster.

WW2 War Diary for Thursday, June 10, 1943: Air War Eastern Front: 700 Russian night bombers (19 lost) raid airfields west of Kursk.

WW2 War Diary for Wednesday, June 9, 1943: Air War Mediterranean: Since Pantellaria garrison still refuses to surrender, Allied Strategic and Tactical AFs redouble their bombardment. Occupied Territories Yugoslavia: Tito

WW2 War Diary for Tuesday, June 8, 1943: Sea War Pacific: Battleship Mutsu destroyed by magazine explosion in Hiroshima Bay. Air War Mediterranean: Leaflets dropped on Pantellaria, calling for unconditional

WW2 War Diary for Monday, June 7, 1943: Sea War Atlantic: 8 U-boats simulate much larger ‘wolf-pack’ by transmitting frequent radio messages. U-334 and U-388 are sunk.

WW2 War Diary for Sunday, June 6, 1943: Neutrals Spain: Government proposes the establishment of ‘non-bombing zones’.

WW2 War Diary for Saturday, June 5, 1943: Home Fronts Japan: State funeral for Amiral Yamamoto in Tokyo. Sea War Atlantic: U-boat U-513 sinks 4 ships of Brazil.

WW2 War Diary for Friday, June 4, 1943: Air War Eastern Front – First of series of Luftwaffe raids on industrial centres in Russia: Night raid on Gorki (Nsihni Novgorod)

WW2 War Diary for Thursday, June 3, 1943: Occupied Territories France: De Gaulle and Giraud reorganize French Committee of National Liberation under their joint presidency: other members inc. Generals Catroux

WW2 War Diary for Wednesday, June 2, 1943: Air War Eastern Front: Big air battle over Kursk; Russians claim 162 ‘kills’ for loss of 30. Sea War Mediterranean: Convoy of

WW2 War Diary for Tuesday, June 1, 1943: Secret War Western Europe: Ju 88C long-range fighters shoot down Dutch airliner over Bay of Biscay, following false report from agents in

WW2 War Diary for Monday, May 31, 1943: Sea War Merchant shipping losses in May 1943: 41 Allied ships with 205,598 tons in Atlantic, 17 Allied ships with 93,830 tons

WW2 War Diary for Sunday, May 30, 1943: Sea War Pacific: End of organized Japanese resistance on Attu. 2,622 Japanese and 549 Americans killed. Air War Britain: FW 190 fighter-bombers

WW2 War Diary for Saturday, May 29, 1943: Far East China: Chinese troops recapture Yuyangkwan, east of Ichang. Air War Germany – Wuppertal Raid: 719 RAF bombers (33 lost) despatched;

WW2 War Diary for Friday, May 28, 1943: Air War Mediterranean: 100 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers attack oil refinery and shipping at Leghorn (Livorno). P-40 Warhawk fighter-bombers and B-26 Marauder

WW2 War Diary for Thursday, May 27, 1943: Air War Germany: Mosquito bombers attack Carl Zeiss works at Jena, at roof-top height, despite balloon barrage and anti-aircraft guns. Occupied Territories

WW2 War Diary for Wednesday, May 26, 1943: Occupied Territories Yugoslavia: Fifth Axis offensive against Tito’s Partisans. 120,000 Germans, Italians, Bulgarians and Chetniks (turncoat partisans) trap 16,000 Partisans in Montenegro,