January 6th, 1943 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: A House of Commons select committee today listened to the heads of the women's services and a TUC official putting the case for women to receive war injury compensation on a par with that received by men. The women said that they had heard justifications for differences in pay, but none for the gap in compensation. At present a female officer received less than a male private for total disablement.
Submarine HMS Sceptre launched.
Submarine HMS Stygian laid down.
Aircraft carrier HMS Theseus laid down.
GERMANY: Admiral Raeder resigns as Commander in Chief of the German Navy following his disastrous handling of the Battle of the Barents Sea.
U-956 commissioned.
ROMANIA: Conflicting reports are filtering out from Bucharest speaking of arrests and executions following an attempted rising by the disbanded fascists, the Iron Guard, against the pro-Nazi regime of Marshal Ion Antonescu, which took place on the second anniversary of the "civil war" of January 1941. In Budapest, the Hungarian newspapers have been reporting telephone conversations with Romanians who state that 80 have been executed; others that 56 leaders of the Iron Guard are in prison. The coup was to have coincided with the return of the head of the Iron Guard, Horia Sima, who escaped from Germany but was arrested en route by the Italian police.
GREECE: One USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the port area at Piraeus.
TUNISIA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs, in two forces, hit a military camp south of Kairouan while B-25 Mitchells hit the Kairouan railroad yards. Fighters escort bombers, carry out patrols and reconnaissance flights, and accompany C-47 Skytrains on transport missions.
LIBYA: The Free French capture the Axis base at Oum-el-Araneb.
BURMA: The Indian 14th Division, renewing their offensive on the Arakan front, finds the Japanese firmly entrenched at Donbaik and Rathedaung. Although fighting continues at these points for many weeks, positions remain about the same.
NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb the forces in the Sanananda Point area; and A-20 Havocs bomb Lae Airfield.
PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Solomons Sea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24 Liberators, B-26 Marauders and P-38 Lightnings attack a convoy heading southwest off the coast of New Britain heading for Lae, New Guinea.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: One USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bombs the airfield at Gasmata.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses with P-38 and P-40 escorts attack a transport near Shortland Island without loss.
TF67.2 joins up with the main body of TF 67 south of Guadalcanal. TF67.2 conducted a bombardment mission against the Japanese airfield and other installations on Munda, the night of January 4/5. The reunited TF is attacked by a Japanese air strike, damaging HMNZS Achilles. (Keith Allen)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force flies reconnaissance over Amchitka, the Semichis, Agattu and Attu Islands. Flotsam sighted outside of Holtz Bay on the northeast side of Attu Island confirms that the freighter bombed yesterday sank. Six B-24 Liberators, six B-25 Mitchells and 12 P-38 Lightnings take off to attack Kiska Island; the P-38s and one B-24 turn back due to weather. The B-25s find the target obscured and five Zeke fighters (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) waiting to intercept them, whereupon they turn back without attacking. The five remaining B-24s circle Kiska without contacting Japanese aircraft; one of the B-24s, exploiting a break in the cloud cover, bombs the Kiska submarine base area which the others then bomb through the clouds.
U.S.A.: Submarine USS Jack commissioned.
Destroyer escort USS J Richard Ward launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-164 sunk in the South Atlantic about 117 nautical miles (217 km) north-northwest of Pernambuco, in position 01.58S, 39.22W, by depth charges from a US Catalina aircraft (VP-83/P-2). 54 dead and 2 survivors.