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July 29th, 1943 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Ernest Bevin, British Minister of Labour, announces that women up to 50 must now register for war work later in the summer. He is stopping recruitment for the women's uniformed services in order to divert more women into aircraft production. He told the House of Commons today that there will be no further volunteers accepted for the ATS, WAAF, WRNS and the Women's Land Army, and no further age groups will be called up.

"We propose to ask those women not required for the services to go into the aircraft factories." He was considering the possibility of using more youths of 16 and 17 in the aircraft industry. Although it had expanded so greatly, the labour force was still insufficient, hence the call up of older women.

Aircraft carrier HMS Magnificent (later HMCS Magnificent) laid down Harland and Wolff Belfast.

Destroyer HMS Boreas had steamed over 250,000 miles since the war began. In 439 days, she travelled 183,244 miles with the same crew and never lost a ship in convoy.


In England, the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command and VIII Bomber Command fly missions.

- VIII Air Support Command Missions 8 and 9 target 2 airfields; 18 B-26B Marauders are dispatched against Schipol Airfield at Amsterdam, The Netherlands; the mission is aborted due to a navigational error while 19 B-26Bs attack Ft. Rouge Airfield, France at 1828 hours local.

- VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 79 targets 2 locations in Germany. 91 B-17s bomb the shipyards at Kiel at 0901 hours while 48 attack targets of opportunity; 6 B-17s are lost. 54 B-17s hit the Heinkel Works at Warnemunde at 0922-0924 hours 4 B-17s are lost.

Escort carrier HMS Pretoria Castle commissioned.

GERMANY: The press celebrates Mussolini's 60th birthday, showing Hitler's continued loyalty to the Duce.

U-866 launched.

U-991 commissioned.

ITALY: Sicily: The British 78th Division arrives at the front and attacks toward Paterno.

On the ground the US Seventh Army almost completes the mop up of western Sicily, approaches Santo Stefano Quisquina, advances on Mistretta, and takes three islands off Trapani. The British Eighth Army opens an assault during the night of 29/30 July along an axis of Catenanuova-Adrano.
    In the air, 200+ Ninth Air Force P-40's, the largest number of fighters operating in a day during the Sicilian campaign to date, attack Messina Riposto, shipping at Catania, Santa Teresa di Riva, Taormina, Milazzo, and in the Straits of Messina. 

Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-26 Marauders hit Aquino Airfield while In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters and light bombers hit Regalbuto, Milazzo, shipping off Messina, and gun positions and motor transport in northeastern Sicily.

Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17s bomb Viterbo Airfield.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Italian submarine Pietro Micca was torpedoed and sunk at the entrance to Adriatic, in the Strait of Otranto by the British submarine HMS Trooper.

U.S.S.R.: The III Panzer Corps counterattacks Soviet positions on the River Mius, north of Taganrog with little effect.

INDIAN OCEAN: At 0600, the Cornish City in Convoy DN-53 was torpedoed and sunk by U-177 SE of Madagascar. The master, 31 crewmembers and five gunners were lost. Five crewmembers and one gunner were picked up by destroyer HMAS Nizam and landed at Port Louis, Mauritius.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A US Eleventh Air Force B-17 scouts Kiska Island and bombs the Main Camp area.

CANADA: Armed yacht HMCS Beaver arrived Digby, Nova Scotia, for training DEMS gunners.

Light cruiser HMCS Ontario (ex-HMS Minotaur) launched.

Minesweeper HMCS Winnipeg commissioned.

U.S.A.:

Destroyer escorts USS Deede and Douglas L Howard commissioned.

Destroyer USS Hoel commissioned.

Submarine USS Blueback laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS O'Reilly, Riddle, Wesson laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-614 (Type VIIC) is sunk northwest of Cape Finisterre, at position 46.42N, 11.03W, by depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft (Sqdn. 172/G) . 49 dead (all crew lost). (Alex Gordon)


 

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