70 Years Ago Today: Monday, July 26, 1943 Washington, D.C.: The Combined Chiefs of Staff request General Eisenhower to plan at once for Operation Avalanche, invasion of Italy at Salerno, in order to gain Naples and nearby airfields. Berlin: Adolf Hitler issues Directive 48, directing defense measures in the event of an Allied landings in Crete and Greece. Rome: Pietro Badoglio, appointed by King Victor Emmanuel III to head the Italian government following the deposition of Mussolini, abolishes the Fascist political party. Alaska Theater: 11th Air Force sends 32 B-24s, 38 P-40s, and 24 P-38s on 13 attack raids on numerous Kiska Island and Little Kiska Island targets, including North Head, Main Camp, the runway, Gertrude Cove, anti-aircraft batteries and a suspected submarine in Kiska Island harbor. Meanwhile, three bombers and five fighters fly armored reconnaissance missions over Kiska Island, as a B-25 and 15 P-38s fly air cover missions to Kiska Island for the Navy, sighting a submarine near Rat Island. For the day, one P-40 is lost. European Theater: 8th Air Force Mission 77 – 119 B-17s and two YB-40s are dispatched against rubber factories at Hannover, while 61 B-17s hit a convoy and other targets of opportunity in the Hanover area. Elsewhere, 121 B-17s attack the U-boat yards at Hamburg. Mission results are good but costly, losing 24 aircraft with 203 men listed as killed or missing. Meanwhile, the VIII Air Support Command flies its fourth mission to the Saint-Omer/Longuenesse Airfield in France. The 41st Bomb Wing (Heavy) arrives at Brampton Grange, England, and the 390th Bomb Group (Heavy), with four squadrons of B-17s, arrives at Framlingham, England. During the night, six RAF Mosquitos attack Hamburg, and three other aircraft fly training missions. Russian Front: German commander General Walther Model orders troops to withdraw from the Orel salient north of Kursk. Eastern Mediterranean: Desert Air Task Force B-25s, from the 9th Air Force, bomb Milazzo, Paterno, and Adrano in Sicily, which were bombed the night before. Meanwhile P-40s strafe and bomb Catania and shipping at Riposto harbor. Western Mediterranean: Northwest African Air Force light bombers attack Regalbuto at intervals, while fighterbombers harrass shipping, rail and road movements. B-26s, from the 12th Air Force, bomb the Marina di Paola marshalling yard in Italy. China – Burma – India Theater (China): 14th Air Force sends five B-25s, escorted by 12 fighters, to attack Hankow Airfield. An estimated 30-50 enemy fighters intercept the force, shooting down one P-40. Pacific Ocean Area: 7th Air Force flies its last mission to Wake Island sending eight B-24s to bomb targets including oil storage area. The force is intercepted by about 20 enemy fighters, including one aircraft identified as a possible Fw 190. South Pacific Area: 13th Air Force B-24s, P-38s, P-40s and Navy aircraft hit a bivouac area and the runway at Kahili on Bougainville Island, while B-25s, P-40s and Navy fighters hit the east shore of Webster Cove and bivouac area and buildings on Simbo Island. Admiral Halsey proposes to General MacArthur that plans for invasion of southern Bougainville mainland, scheduled for July 23-26, be dropped and that the Shortlands and Ballale, in Bougainville Strait, be secured as planned, in order to provide airfields and anchorages to support future operations. General MacArthur later approves. Southwest Pacific Theater: 5th Air Force sends over 40 B-24s and B-17s to bomb Salamaua, Malolo Mission, Komiatum, Komiatum Ridge and Lae Airfield in New Guinea. The 65th Troop Carrier Group, flying C-47s, arrives at Port Moresby, New Guinea, from the US.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:10:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015