7 February 1943

GERMANY: Rastenburg: Hitler says that if Germany loses the war, the German people, rather than the Nazi party will be to blame.

U.S.S.R.: Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla: Submarine "K-22" sunk supposedly due to onboard malfunction, close to cape Harbaken. (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Minesweeping trawler HMS Tervani sunk off Cape Bougaroni, Algeria in position 37.22N-06.14E by Italian submarine Acciaio.

At 0200, U-77 fired a spread of four torpedoes at Convoy KMS-8 west of Algiers and sank the ships in station #13 and #14, the Empire Webster and Empire Banner. The master Jeffrey James Bedford OBE, 46 crewmembers, 15 gunners and ten passengers (army personnel) from the Empire Banner were picked up by corvette HMCS Camrose and landed at Algiers. The master Alexander Roderick Duncan, 49 crewmembers, one gunner and eight Army personnel from the Empire Webster were picked up by Camrose and landed at Algiers. Three crewmembers and one gunner were lost.

INDIA: New Delhi: Chiang Kai-shek agrees to provide manpower to help to reconquer Burma in exchange for US aid.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Submarine USS Growler is on her fourth war patrol under Commander Gilmore. During the night a Japanese gunboat closes range and prepares to ram Growler. Cdr. Gilmore daringly manoeuvres to avoid the crash and rams the attacker, ripping into her port side at 11 knots and bursting wide her plates. In the terrific fire of the sinking gunboats heavy machineguns, Cdr. Gilmore calmly gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remains on deck while his men preceded him below. Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Cdr. Gilmore have his last order to the officer of the deck, "Take her down." The Growler dived; seriously damaged but under control, she was brought safely to port by her well trained crew inspired by the courageous fighting spirit of their dead captain. (MOH) (Joe Sauder)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The six-month Battle of Guadalcanal ends as Japanese ships evacuate the last of their troops, giving the US uncontested control of the land, sea and air campaign that was the major turning point in the war in the Pacific.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-609 (Type VIIC) is sunk in the North Atlantic, position 55.17N, 26.38W, by depth charges from the Free French corvette Lobelia. 47 dead (all hands lost).

U-624 (Type VIIC) is sunkin the North Atlantic, position 55.42N, 26.17W, by depth charges from a British B-17 Fortress aircraft (Sqdn. 220/J). 45 dead (all hands lost). (Alex Gordon)

At 2359, Convoy MKS-7 ran into a minefield laid by U-118 on 1 and 2 February west of Gibraltar and lost three ships - Baltonia, Mary Slessor and Empire Mordred. Nine crewmembers and one gunner from Baltonia were lost. The master, 42 crewmembers and nine gunners were picked up by the British merchant Kingsland, transferred to HMCS Alberni and landed at Londonderry. Twelve crewmembers and three gunners from the Empire Mordred were lost. The master, 41 crewmembers and 13 gunners were picked up by HMS Scarborough and landed at Londonderry. The Mary Slessor later sank in 35°55N/06°02W in the Strait of Gibraltar. 28 crewmembers, two gunners and two passengers (military personnel) were lost. The master, 32 crewmembers, 12 gunners and three passengers were picked up by HMS Landguard and landed at Liverpool

At 0636, SS Afrika in Convoy SC-118 was torpedoed and sunk by U-402 southeast of Cape Farewell. The master, 18 crewmembers and four gunners were lost. 29 crewmembers, six gunners and two passengers were picked up by corvettes HMS Campanula and Mignonette and landed at Liverpool.

At 0438, SS Daghild in convoy SC-118 was hit by one torpedo from U-402 (Forstner) in grid AK 6666. All 39 crewmembers abandoned ship in lifeboats and were picked up by the French corvette Lobelia. The corvette later encountered the Greek steam merchant Adamas (4144 tons) in sinking condition after she had been rammed by a destroyer in 56.35N/22.23W, while proceeding in the same convoy. The Lobelia picked up eleven men and ordered the remaining men on the ship to stay on board until daylight. But many jumped overboard and died in the cold water. The corvette could only pick up two men and revive them. Not long afterwards they encountered a wreck drifting around upside down (perhaps the Daghild) and was ordered to sink it, but after several attempts they had to stop because her engine was damaged and could only made two knots. At 0237 hours on 8 February, the wreck of the Daghild was sunk by one coup de grâce from U-608 and with her the British landing craft HMS LCT-2335. The corvette Lobelia had now over 100 people on board, a damaged engine and the U-boat danger was ever present. The next morning the Admiralty sent a destroyer to assist, which took the corvette in tow until that evening, when the destroyer had to search for a lifeboat with 15 men in it, which was sighted by an aircraft. The destroyer returned the next morning, without having found the lifeboat, but at that time Lobelia was able to do 8 knots on her own and proceed alone, because the destroyer, having about 140 shipwrecked people on board had to go to port. The corvette arrived safely at Greenock on 12 February.

At 0659, SS Henry R. Mallory in station #33 of convoy SC-118 was torpedoed by U-402 about 600 miles south-southwest of Iceland. One torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #3 hold. The explosion damaged the main steam line, destroyed the oil pump and engine room gauges and blew off the #4 hatch covers. The stern settled quickly and gradually began to list to port until it sunk 30 minutes after the hit. The ship had ten lifeboats for the nine officers, 68 crewmen, 34 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 383 passengers (136 US Army, 72 US Marine Corps, 173 US Navy and 2 civilians). Two of them were destroyed by the explosion, a third could not be launched and two more on either side capsized in the rough seas. Only three boats with 175 men cleared the ship, many others jumped into the water and tried to reach the rafts. None of the other ships in the convoy knew that the troop transport had been hit. The destroyer USS Schenck searched for survivors from Toward and saw lights in the distance. The skipper requested permission to investigate the lights, but it was denied. The survivors were found four hours after the sinking by USCGC Bibb, it was only then that it was discovered the Henry R. Mallory had been hit. The cutter rescued 205 survivors of which three later died and another US Coast Guard cutter, Ingham picked up 22 additional survivors, but two of them died later. The master, 48 crewmembers, 15 armed guards and 208 passengers were lost.

At 0735, SS Kalliopi in Convoy SC-118 was torpedoed and sunk by U-402.

U-402 sank tanker SS Robert E Hopkins and convoy rescue ship SS Toward in Convoy SC-118.

At 1708, HMS LCI (L)-162 was torpedoed by U-596 and exploded.

At 0411, U-614 fired a spread of three torpedoes at Convoy SC-118 SE of Cape Farewell and observed two detonations on the target and one on a ship beyond. However, the only ship hit was the Harmala, which sank. The master, 31 crewmembers, ten gunners and one naval signalman were lost. 11 crewmembers were picked up by the Free French corvette Lobelia and landed at Greenock.