November 21st, 1943 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire: William Jay Stone leaves the Cadre 10th Replacement Depot. (William Jay Stone)
Frigate HMS Zanzibar launched. FRANCE: The He-177A-5 is used in
numbers for the first time when twenty aircraft of II./KG 40, based at Merignac
Airfield, Bordeaux, attack a convoy in the Atlantic with Henschel Hs 293A-1
radio-controlled missiles but the mission was a failure due to bad weather.
ITALY: Luftwaffe
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring is appointed commander-in-chief of all
German forces in Italy. USAAF Twelfth Air Force
B-25 Mitchells bomb gun
emplacements at Gaeta. USAAF and
RAF Desert Air Force fighter-bombers
hit strongpoints in the Santa Maria Imbaro and Poggiofiorito areas and
fighters carry out patrols and reconnaissance along the battleline along the
Corigliano and Sangro Rivers. USAAF Fifteenth Air Force
B-26 Marauders bomb the harbor at
Civitavecchia, a bridge at Fano, and marshalling yard at Chiusi.
P-38 Lightnings provide escort
to the latter target.
U.S.S.R.: The Germans advance through Zhitomir and now attack toward Korosten.
CHINA: Twenty nine USAAF Fourteenth Air Force 29 P-40s strafe over 100 sampans and small boats on Tungting Lake in the Li-Chou-Changte-Ansiang area; 12 P-40s attack five vessels, 20 houses, and 100 men at Shihmen and between Shihmen and Li-Chou; eight other P-40s hit troops and small river boats near Tsowshih. Twelve P-40s and four B-25 Mitchells bomb the town of Tzeli while four other B-25s on shipping sweeps over the South China Sea damage a freighter and blast buildings at Taiping-hsu Airfield.
NEW GUINEA: The Australian units attacking near Sattelberg, New Guinea gradually gain ground.The Japanese surprise raid at Scarlet Beach, near Lae, Papua New Guinea, is narrowly held by American and Australian defenders.
In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs again hit the Finschhafen area while B-25 Mitchells and B-24 Liberators hit shipping and other targets on Aroe Island and off Manokwari sinking a transport.
PACIFIC OCEAN: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and RAAF Beaufighters sink a Japanese fishing vessel off Maluku Island, Netherlands East Indies and RAAF Bostons sink a small Japanese cargo vessel off south coast of New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Fresh Marine units are landed on Betio in the Gilberts. Initially taking heavy casualties, by noon they begin to gain ground. Further landings are made on nearby Bairiki. The soldiers on Butaritari Island, Makin advance against fierce Japanese resistance.
From Glen Boren's diary: 21,22, and 23 November 1943. Just cruised the area with a flight once in a while for a special strike and Combat Air Patrol.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Gasmata on New Britain Island.
GILBERT and ELLICE ISLANDS, TARAWA: The US marines make little progress against fierce opposition.
On Makin Atoll, Boat Landing Team (BLT) 2, 165th Infantry Regiment, attacks on Butaritari Island., after air and artillery preparation, and overruns the fortified area between West and East Tank Barriers as it pushes eastward to Stone Pier. BLT 1 mops up in the western part of the island and eliminates a pocket near the West Tank Barrier. A reconnaissance detail lands on Kuma Island early in the day, reconnoitres, and withdraws.
On Tarawa Atoll, Marines on Betio Island continue to meet grim opposition but strengthen their hold on the island with assistance of aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire. Further reinforcements are landed, bringing the total battalions ashore to seven. Regimental Combat Team (RCT) 6 is released from V Amphibious Corps reserve to 2d Marine Division and its 1st Battalion lands on Green Beach, on the western end of the island. The rest of the 8th Marine Regiment lands on Beach Red 2. The 3d Battalion of RCT 2 secures the entire western end of Betio (Green Beach), while the 1st and 2d Battalions of RCT 2, from Red 2 and 3, push across the airfield to the south coast, splitting the Japanese forces. The 2d Battalion of RCT 8, on Red 3, makes little progress during the day. Meanwhile, artillery and naval gunfire are directed against the eastern end of Betio to prevent the Japanese from escaping to next island (Bairiki), and the 2d Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment lands on Bairi ki after preliminary bombardment that kills the few Japanese there. While fighting is in progress on Betio, Company D of the 2d Tank Battalion starts reconnoitring other islands of Tarawa Atoll.
On Apamama Atoll, the V Amphibious Corps' Reconnaissance Company lands from the USN submarine USS Nautilus (SS-168) and begins reconnoitring the atoll under naval gunfire cover.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Following yesterdays amphibious landings on Tarawa Atoll and Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands, the USAAF Seventh Air Force resumes operations against the Marshall Islands, in support of the base-development phase of Operation GALVANIC (the assault on the Gilbert Islands) and in preparation for invasion of the Marshall Islands [Operation FLINTLOCK (operations against Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls) and Operation CATCHPOLE (operations against Eniwetok and Ujelang Atolls)].
NAURU ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from the Ellice Islands bomb Nauru Island. Nauru Island is a 21 square kilometer (8 square mile) island in the South Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between the Gilbert and Solomon Islands. The island is rich in phosphate deposits and was occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: A few USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells on a shipping search strafe Kieta on the west coast of Bougainville Island.
CANADA: HMCS Waskesiu, a River-class frigate, departed Halifax for duty based out of Londonderry with Escort Group 6.
Corvette HMCS Riviere Du Loup commissioned.
U.S.A.: Captain-class frigate HMS Foley and sloop HMS Crane sank U-538 with depth charges in the North Atlantic, south-west of Ireland, in position 45.40N, 019.35W. There were no survivors from her crew of 55 men. Both Foley and Crane were members of Support Group 7. This was the second U-boat to be sunk by US-built DE's operated by the RN. U-538 was a long-range Type IXC U-boat built by Deutsche Werft AG, at Hamburg. Commissioned on 10 Feb 43. U-538 conducted one operational patrol and had not sunk any ships. This event demonstrated the combined effect of emerging new technology and inexperience on the part of the U-boat commanders. New commanders, particularly when charged with the larger and less manoeuvrable Type IX boats, were at a definite disadvantage when attacked by well-equipped ships from a proficient ASW group. The USN's DE's were widely regarded as the best ASW escorts of the war. Their high endurance, speed and sea kindliness, combined with the best weapons and sensors of their type, made them highly effective. RN sloops and the River-class frigates also had good endurance and sea characteristics but were slower and had numerous technological limitations. The Type IX U-boats were most effective when employed in remote areas of operation where organized convoy systems were not in effect. These submarines were used with outstanding success in the first phase of Operation 'Paukenschlag' (Drumbeat) off the US eastern seaboard, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the South Atlantic and in the Indian Ocean. Many Type IX's served as replenishment boats for the smaller, medium-range Type VII U-boats.
Destroyer USS John W Thomason laid down.
Destroyer USS Laffey launched.
Destroyer escort USS Willmarth launched.
Minesweeper USS Logic commissioned.
Escort carrier USS Solomons commissioned.
The USN now has 32 escort aircraft carriers in commission.
Destroyer escort USS Thomas commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-155 was badly
damaged in an attack by enemy aircraft.
German submarine U-538
is sunk about 532 nautical miles (985 kilometers) northeast of Lagens
Field, Azores Islands, in position 45.40N, 19.35W, by depth charges from
the British frigate HMS Foley (K 474) and the sloop HMS Crane (U 23);
all 55 crewmen are lost.