15 January 1943

FRANCE: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends ten (A-20) Bostons to attack a whaling factory ship at Cherbourg but score no hits.

- 157 aircraft, 65 Wellingtons, 48 Halifaxes, 40 Stirlings and four Lancasters, are dispatched to attack the city and U-boat pens at Lorient; 133 bomb the targets with the loss of a Stirling and a Wellington. Bombing is more accurate than on the previous night. At least 800 buildings are destroyed and 12 civilians killed. Most of the inhabitants had fled the town during the previous day.

- Nine Wellingtons lay mines off Bay of Biscay ports: five lay mines off Lorient and four lay mines off St. Nazaire.

GERMANY: Rastenburg: Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to fly in 300 tons of supplies a day to the besieged Sixth Army at Stalingrad, an impossible target at this stage.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends six Wellingtons on a cloud-cover raid to Norden but only one aircraft bombs.

During the night of 15/16 January, two RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb Aachen.

YUGOSLAVIA: Bihac: Hitler's fury with Yugoslav partisans boiled over today when 40,000 Germans, Italians and Ustachi (Croatian fascists) began the biggest offensive yet against Tito's "ghost army". Tito has already been forced out of his headquarters here on the Croatian border, and his partisans are moving south towards their stronghold on the slopes of Mount Durmitor, in Montenegro.

Organized retreat - with short, sharp counter-attacks, ambushes and demolition before disappearing into the rough terrain - is a technique used by Tito with increasing effect. The frustrated Axis troops can only reply with savagery meted out on any suspected of collaboration with the partisans. Mass executions are a daily event, with the Ustachi at the forefront in bestiality. Their leader, Ante Pavelich, the Nazis' client ruler of Croatia, has just returned from meeting Hitler in the Ukraine.

Yugoslav partisans are pinning down thousands of Axis troops, but although Stalin is airlifting supplies to Soviet partisans, Tito's pleas for aid have been turned down.

On the Northern front in Russia, the Soviet Army captures Velikije Luki in the Valdai Hills.

Stalin signed the regulations known as 'Prikaz 25' of the National Defence Commissariat, which detailed, in 64 pages, the new uniforms of the Red Army. This document marked an astonishing about-face, in that it revived significant traditional uniform features which had been suppressed since the Revolution. While most noticeable in the case of officer's uniforms, these 'folk-lore' items (high collar, shoulder boards, etc.) extended to all ranks. At a time of low morale, after suffering repeated defeats and millions of casualties, the Soviet regime consciously summoned up the ancient patriotic spirit of the Motherland; any reminders of even Tsarist glory were pressed into service. The revived prestige of the soldier's uniform had a positive effect on the morale of the 'Frontovik'. (Russell Folsom)(143)(p.30)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders fly three counter-shipping missions north and northeast of Tunisia, claiming one vessel left in flames.

NORTH AFRICA: Montgomery begins his advance on Tripoli again and the Germans evacuate Buerat.

LIBYA: The British Eighth Army opens a drive on Tripoli, moving forward in three columns, those on right and in center under personal command of General Bernard L. Montgomery, General Officer Commanding Eighth Army; the outflanking force on the left is under XXX Corps command. The 7th Armoured Division and New Zealand 2nd Division, the enveloping force, drive the Axis back to Wadi Zem Zem. The coastal advance by the 51st Division begins at 2230 hours and meets little opposition. The 22nd Armoured Brigade moves forward in the center prepared to assist wherever needed.

Twenty USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the port area at Tripoli, scoring hits on vessels and on the shore areas near the harbor. P-40s fly sweep and fighter-bomber operations as the British Eighth Army begins an assault on the Buerat line and a drive on Tripoli. RAF (B-24) Liberators, under operational control of the USAAF Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command, hit a road junction at Tripoli.

TUNISIA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-26 Marauders attack the railroad and highway bridge across Oued el Akarit, north-northwest of Gabes. Escorting P-38 Lightnings fight a long battle with Axis fighters; two B-26 Marauders and two P-38 Lightnings are lost. Fighters fly several reconnaissance and patrol operations, intercept Axis aircraft attacking airfields in the Labasse area, and escort transport aircraft. Nine Luftwaffe Ju 88s, escorted by four Italian Mc 202s, attack Thelepte Airfield; eight Ju 88s are shot down by P-40s and antiaircraft gets the ninth Ju 88.

INDIAN OCEAN: In the Andaman Sea, six USAAF Tenth Air Force B-24 Liberators hit shipping in a convoy in the Rangoon area. One ship, the Japanese Army cargo ship SS Nichimei Maru, is carrying Allied POWs. She is sunk about 211 nautical miles (390 kilometers) south-southeast of Rangoon, Burma, in position 13.30N, 97.30E. About 500 POWs are lost. Another ship, SS Moji Maru. is damaged.

BURMA: Six USAAF Tenth Air Force P-40s bomb barges at Bhamo; six others bomb Nsopzup; three more hit footbridges and targets of opportunity at Taihpa Ga, Yupbang Ga, and other points in northern Burma.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, preparations are made for an all-out offensive to clear the Sanananda area The Urbana Force (two battalions of the U.S. 126th and 128th Infantry Regiments, 32d Infantry Division) is to renew the drive west along the coast. The Australian 18th Brigade, 7th Division, moves north along the Killerton trail, passing through Rankin, in preparation for a drive to the coast. The Rankin Force (U.S. 2d Battalion, 163d Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division) then follows the Australians northward and takes over the trail junction east of a coconut plantation about 1.5 miles (2,4 kilometers) north of the Rankin perimeter. In the Wau-Mubo area, the Australian 2/7th Independent Company, Kanga Force, withdraws to prevent being surrounded by the Japanese. On the Soputa-Sanananda road, the 1st Battalion, 163d Infantry Regiment, envelops a Japanese pocket remaining between Musket and Fisk, elements infiltrating to attack from inside the perimeter.

In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs strafe the Sanananda Point area as U.S. troops envelop Japanese pockets along the Soputa-Sanananda road. In Northeast New Guinea, B-25 Mitchells bomb supply dumps at Lae and B-24 Liberators carry out single-plane attacks on bridge construction at Wewak.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators hit the airfield at Gasmata and carry out single-plane attacks on the runway at Cape Gloucester.

On Guadalcanal, the 2d Marine Division continues to make slow progress in the coastal sector, despite use of tanks and a flame thrower. Company B, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, reinforced by platoon of Company D, takes over the westward attack from Company C. After a 30-minute artillery concentration followed by machine gun and mortar fire, Company B outflanks the Japanese position barring the advance and finds it to be a bivouac area held by a single platoon. Japanese positions in the Gifu remain practically intact. The task of reducing the positions has been given to the 2nd Battalion 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Peters. His regimental commander, Colonel McClure and the division commander, Major General J. Lawton Collins, have decided that envelopment is not possible. He is directed to capture this position with a frontal assault. Since 10 January, they have been attempting to follo w these orders. He is given incomplete maps (it was all they had) and an estimate of 100 Japanese and two "known" machineguns. After his first couple of patrols, he increases this estimate to 400 troops and 20 machineguns. Peters mounts a general attack today. After a 15-minute mortar barrage the attack begins and manages to gain an average of 50 yards (46 meters). A second attack at 1400 hours also fails. Colonel McClure will replace Colonel Peters with Major Stanley Larsen tomorrow. A surrender request is broadcast to the Japanese in the Gifu. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)

USN SBD Dauntlesses with F4F Wildcat and USAAF Thirteenth Air Force P-39 Airacobra escort attack nine destroyers of the Tokyo Express and damage four of them. They are met by 12 "Oscars" (Nakajima Ki-43, Army Type 1 Fighter Hayabusa); eight are shot down with the loss of one SBD and five US fighters. USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, P-38 Lightnings, P-39 Airacobras and P-40s attack five destroyers near Faisi Island; they are met by float biplanes and 13 are shot down with no loss of USAAF aircraft. SBDs with F4F and P-39 escort bomb a cargo ship off Munda, New Georgia Island; they are met by 12 "Zekes" (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters); seven are shot down with the loss of one US fighter. B-17 Flying Fortresses and USN PBY Catalinas bomb Kahili, Bougainville Island.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Eight USAAF Eleventh Air Force P-38 Lightnings, three B-25 Mitchells and a B-24 Liberator patrol Constantine Harbor on the northeast coast, of Amchitka Island, fly reconnaissance over Kiska Island, where one ship is sighted, and fly negative armoured reconnaissance runs over Attu, the Semichis and Buldir Islands.

Washington: The Pentagon building is completed. On the Virginia side of the Potomac River outside Washington, DC, a new Headquarters building for the Armed Forces of the US is completed. Due to the 5 sided architectural design, it will become known as "The Pentagon". The size of this building will allow the US Army, US Navy and US Army Airforces to move their command functions into one place. These have been located all over the greater Washington, DC area. Many of them are housed in temporary buildings, "on the mall", between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. These temporary buildings were erected during WWI and were not expected to be in use much longer than the duration of that conflict. (Ray Cresswell)

Submarine USS TANG (SS-306) is laid down at Vallejo, California, by the Mare Island Navy Yard. (John Nicholas)

Submarine USS Manta laid down.

Aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La laid down.

Destroyer USS Nields commissioned.

Submarine USS Tinosa commissioned.

The unescorted Ocean Courage was torpedoed and sunk by U-182 about 200 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands. The master, 41 crewmembers, two gunners and two stowaways were lost. Six crewmembers and one gunner were picked up by the British merchant Silverwalnut and landed at Norfolk, Virginia.

At 1031, U-617 fired four torpedoes at a small convoy, consisting of two merchantmen, the Annitsa and Harboe Jensen, escorted by armed trawler HMS Southern Isles. Brandi observed two hits on each merchantman that had a great effect. Both merchantmen were sunk in the attack. One crewmember from the Annitsa was lost. The trawler rescued 31 survivors and a lifeboat picked up two survivors from the Harboe Jensen. The trawler later also picked up the survivors in the lifeboat. Harboe Jensen (Master Sverre Aanonsen) was hit by two torpedoes on the port side and sank immediately. The master and 17 crewmembers were lost. Five Norwegians and one British jumped overboard and found an upturned lifeboat, which they righted. They picked up two survivors from the Greek ship, before the trawler rescued them. Gunner Falkensten, who had also jumped overboard kept himself afloat on a plank and was rescued after about an hour.