13 February 1943

FRANCE: The ghost town of Lorient, on the Atlantic coast of France, evacuated by all non-essential personnel last week, was hammered again by the RAF tonight, when 466 planes dropped over 1,000 tons of bombs. The reason for such intense attacks is to deny the port to packs of U-boats using it as a base for attacks on merchant shipping. Around 1,000 sorties are made on Lorient each month at present. St. Nazaire is also targeted, along with the U-boat engine works at Copenhagen, hit by low-level Mosquitoes 17 days ago.

Tonight's Lorient raid was by Lancaster, Halifax, Wellington and Stirling bombers. Seven are feared lost - three Wellingtons, two Lancasters, a Halifax and a Stirling. Privately, the boss of Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Harris, has misgivings about submarine pens as targets: "U-boats using these bases are amply protected by concrete, bomb-proof shelters."

Early intelligence reports suggest that while the port and city adjoining these shelters are being flattened, the submarines survive. Mining the approaches to their bases, convoy escort missions by aircraft, and raids on inland factories building prefabricated U-boats are all more effective.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet troops retake control of the Rostov-on-Don to Voronezh railway line with the recapture of Novosherkassk.

AUSTRALIA: Blamey ( MacArthur's Commander Allied Land Forces) sees the plans for Elkton I, Allied plan to push Japan out of New Guinea and New Britain, during a meeting with MacArthur in Brisbane. (Michael Mitchell)

Submarine USS Trigger departs Midway for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol off Palau.

Submarine USS Scamp arrives at Pearl Harbor.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Chambly completed refit Liverpool , Nova Scotia.

N/S Edna Louise Belden RCN, through the physical danger of blinding snowstorms (during which one plane was lost) Belden, accompanied from St John's Newfoundland to Toronto, Ontario, two critically burned cases, and two who were helpless, with head and hand burns. Throughout the five days of the trip, originally planned to be a few hours, she showed great nursing skills, resourcefulness in meeting the contingencies of the delays and changes in transportation, devotion to duty and exemplary cheerfulness.

U.S.A.: "I Had The Craziest Dream" by Harry James and his Orchestra with vocal by Helen Forrest reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. The song is from the motion picture "Springtime In The Rockies" starring Betty Grable, John Payne, Carmen Miranda and Cesar Romero. This song, which debuted on the charts on 5 December 1942, was charted for 18 weeks, was Number 1 for 2 weeks and was ranked Number 9 for the year 1943.

Destroyer escort USS Austin commissioned.

Destroyer USS Ordronaux commissioned.

USS SC-1063, SC-1266 and SC-752 commissioned.

USS PC-1086 laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS Ira Jeffery and Poole laid down.

Fleet tug USS Yuma laid down.

USS PCS-1378 laid down.

USS SC-1357 laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-620 sunk NW of Lisbon, Portugal, in position 39.18N, 11.17W, by 5 depth charges from an RAF 202 Sqn Catalina. 47 dead (all hands lost).

During heavy seas U-653 lost an officer overboard. [Oberleutnant zur See Werner Laudon] (Alex Gordon)

U-507 (Type IXC) is sunk n the South Atlantic north-west of Natal, in position 01.38S, 39.52W, by depth charges from a US Catalina aircraft (VP-83/P-10). 54 dead (all hands lost).

Previously, U-507 (along with U-156 and U-506 and Italian submarine Cappellini) took part in the rescue operations after the sinking of SS Laconia in September 1942 off Africa. About 1500 men were saved by these boats and French ships from Dakar (which arrived on Sept 16, 4 days after the sinking). 7 Oct, 1942 One man lost after illness at sea. [Obersteuermann Kurt Warkentin] (Alex Gordon)