July 24th, 1943 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The VIII Bomber Command flies Mission Number 75 attack 3 targets in Norway. This is Eighth Air Force's first mission to Norway and its longest (1,900 miles or 3,040 km round trip) to date.
- 167 B-17s hit the nitrate works at Heroya; 1 B-17 is lost. Work at the plant is disrupted for 3.5 months, and unfinished aluminium and magnesium plants are damaged and subsequently abandoned by the Germans.
- 41 B-17s bomb the port area at Trondheim without loss. One of the casualties is the German submarine U-622 which is sunk near Trondheim, in position 63.27N, 10.23E.
- 84 B-17's are dispatched against the port area at Bergen; they find 10/10 cloud cover
and return to base with their bombs.
German submarine U-459 is scuttled after being attacked by an RAF Wellington Mk XII
'Q' of No.
172 Squadron and a Wellington Mk XI 'V' of No 547 Squadron near Cape Ortegal, Spain, at
45.53N, 10,38W. 41 of the 60 crewmen survive.
U-459 was a "Milchkuh"
operating a fuelling and replenishment service for 72 other U-boats. (Jack
McKillop and Alex Gordon)
Bomber Command launched Operation Gomorrah against Hamburg tonight with a
devastating raid in which 791 heavy bombers set fire to large areas of this
important target. 12 planes did not return. Much of the success of the air
raid was due to "Window", strips of metallic foil which so
confused the radar-controlled defences that the German nightfighters were
stumbling round the sky and the flak was being fired blind. Other attacks on
Hamburg are planned.
In tonights raid 2,300 tons of incendiaries are dropped in a few hours
equivalent to the explosive power of the five most destructive raids on
London.
More than 1,500 German civilians are killed.
U.S.S.R.: German aircraft bomb Leningrad, killing 210 people.
ITALY, Rome: The Fascist Grand Council meets for the first time since 1939. The debate and votes go against Mussolini. The future is unclear at this time.Il Duce, newly returned from a meeting with Hitler, appears to be ignoring the palace revolt. Until now, the council has existed only to rubber-stamp the dictator's decisions. The Fascist rebels are led by Dino Grandi, one of Mussolini's former close friends and admirers, Giuseppe Bottai and the Duce's son-in-law, Count Galeazzo Ciano. What the Duce does not realize is that he is the target of a far wider plot involving Crown Prince Umberto and leading generals.
Added to the low morale of Italy's constantly-defeated army and recent huge losses by the air force, recent Fascist moves by Carlo Scorza, the virtual dictator of Italy's home front, aimed at tightening the party's grip on all sections of society appear finally to have galvanized the opposition.
Vatican: As the stench of burning still hangs over the heavily-bombed suburbs of Rome, the Pope has appealed to all combatants to avoid further bombing of the Eternal City. The Vatican has denied that the Pope wrote to President Roosevelt condemning the raids - which have badly damaged one church in the city. Vatican radio said: "The Pope is impartial. He does not intend to increase the hatred between the opposing sides. However, Rome is unique and both sides should recognize this. The Pope knows that churches have been destroyed in England too."
The US Seventh Army continues to mop up the western part of Sicily. Further east, the US 45th Infantry Division takes Cefalu and Castelbuono while the US 1st Infantry Division seizes Gangi and heads toward Nicosia.
In the air, Ninth Air Force P-40s fly armored reconnaissance and fighter-bomber missions over the Adrano and Milazzo areas; the attacks are concentrated against motor transport targets. In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighter-bombers hit barges, warships, and docks in the Messina-Milazzo area and transport northeast of Mount Etna.
Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17s and B-25 Mitchells bomb the railroad yards at Bologna and B-26 Marauders hit the railroad yards at Paola.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: On New Georgia Island, U.S. destroyers bombard Bairoko Harbor and Kolombangara Island. Later in the day, 48 Thirteenth Air Force fighters join US Navy and Marine SBD Dauntlesses and TBF Avengers in support of ground forces in the Bairoko area. Later in the day gun positions at Bibolo Hill near Munda are hit, along with other targets.
PACIFIC: In the Central Pacific, 8 Seventh Air Force B-24s from Midway Island attack Wake Island, bombing oil storage, barracks, and a gun emplacement. 20-30 A6M "Zekes" attack the formation; 9 "Zekes" are claimed destroyed; 1 B-24 is lost in a collision with a falling Japanese fighter.
The submarine USS Tinosa (SS-283) fires 15 torpedoes at the Japanese oiler SS No. 3 Tonan Maru west of Truk Atoll. Thirteen torpedoes hit the ship but only two explode. This problem involving the exploder in the Mk. XIV torpedo has exasperated USN submariners in the Pacific and an investigation is launched which eventually identifies the problem. After the attack, the Japanese vessel is towed to Truk and is used as a floating oil storage tank.
BOUGAINVILLE: The submarine USS Guardfish
arrives to evacuate the Australian coastwatcher garrison under Jack Read.
the Guardfish is commanded by Lt-Cmdr N. G. Ward who had been XO of the USS
Gato. Today the submarine brings out 22 soldiers, two downed airmen, seven
Chinese civilians, 24 native police and scouts plus four of their wives and
children, one Fijian and two coastwatchers. (Michael Alexander)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: 62 Eleventh Air Force P-40s fly 9 missions to Kiska Island, 2 of them with Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots, bombing the runway and scoring many hits. An Anti-Aircraft battery takes a direct hit and explodes and Anti-Aircraft guns are strafed on North Head and Little Kiska Island. Intense Anti-Aircraft fire downs 1 P-40.
U.S.A.: Ella Mae Morse's "Get On Board, Little Chillun" with Freddie Slack's Band is released.
"You'll Never Know" by Dick Haymes reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. The song is from the motion picture "Hello Frisco, Hello" starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Lynn Bari and June Havoc. This song, which debuted on the charts on 10 July 1943, was charted for 16 weeks, was Number 1 for 4 weeks and was ranked Number 5 for the year 1943.
The radio program "Foreign Assignment" makes its debut on the Mutual Radio Network. The title role of Brian Barry is played by Jan Jostyn, who also starred in another popular radio drama, "Mr. District Attorney." The plot has foreign correspondent Barry involved with wartime espionage, especially in occupied France. The show, broadcast on Saturday nights at 2030 hours Eastern time, remain on the air until January 1944.