1 December 1943

UNITED KINGDOM: Westminster: The House of Commons today endorsed the home secretaries decision to release the former fascist leader Oswald Mosley, by a large majority. There was some criticism by Labour speakers of Herbert Morrison, and an anti-Mosley demonstration was held outside parliament. This was led away by Willie Gallagher the Communist MP, to Caxton Hall. One Labour MP compared Mosley's release to freeing Hitler by the Weimar government.

Mr Morrison in a long and emotional speech, said that Mosley had been transferred from one kind of detention to another - "house arrest" in the country. He suffered from phlebitis, and outside doctors who had examined him, including Lord Dawson of Penn, believed that imprisonment would risk permanent damage to his health.

One MP objected that his condition was shared by thousands of charwomen with varicose veins. Mr Morrison said that he had been attacked and abused, particularly by his own party and in the newspapers, and he did not like it. "I have had a very rough time. If anyone thinks I enjoyed putting my name to this order, they make a mistake. I had to make this decision and I made it, rightly or wrongly, knowing it would be unpopular. I would sooner go through all the misery I have gone through than make a decision which was dishonest."

Arthur Greenwood, the acting leader of the Labour Party, said that if Sir Oswald Mosley saw that he had provoked such strength of feeling for a whole day in Parliament, it would be his most joyful day for a long time.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 1/2 December, 11 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

FRANCE: USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb Epinoy and Niergnies Airfields at Cambrai and Yendeville Airfield at Lille while 28 P-51 Mustangs execute a sweep over north-western France, marking the first Ninth Air Force fighter operation from the U.K.

The USAAF Eighth Air Forces VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 145: The industrial area at Solingen is the target and 261 aircraft bomb with the loss of 23 aircraft. Seventeen other aircraft bomb the industrial area at Siegburg with the loss of one and three other bomb targets of opportunity. The mission is escorted by 42 P-38 Lightnings and 374 P-47 Thunderbolts; the P-47s claim 20-4-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; two P-38 Lightnings and five P-47s are lost.

ITALY: The US 5th Army is the target of additional air and ground harassment by the Germans. These attacks occur as the 5th Army is preparing to take the offensive.

In the U. S. Fifth Army area, air operations are sharply increased in preparation for the main assault against the Winter Line. The British X Corps begins a diversionary attack toward Calabritto at dusk, employing the 139th Brigade, 46th Division. Numerous obstacles and strong opposition slow the advance. In the VI Corps area, the 45th Infantry Division continues to meet firm resistance that prevents the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, from scaling La Bandita and the 2d Battalion from clearing the crest and reverse slope of Hill 769 to the south. In the 34th Infantry Division sector, the 1st Battalion of the 168th Infantry Regiment remains on the first knob of Mt. Pantano but is isolated from the main body; no further progress is made by the 133d Infantry Regiment.

In the British Eighth Army area, the Canadian 1st Division starts to take control of the bridgehead on the Sangro River will reach the Moro River by 4 December. The Eighth Army is making one last attempt to break through into the Lombardy Plain before winter.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb gun positions in the ant' Ambrogio area; fighter-bombers, including some RAF and RAAF and South African Air Force (SAAF) aircraft, hit trucks, gun positions, and other military targets east of Casoli, at Lanciano, near Guardiagrele, west of Mignano, west of Minturno, and near Chieti. Several of these missions are in support of the U.S. Fifth and British Eighth Armies.

USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-26 Marauders, with fighter escort, attack bridges and railroad facilities at Aulla, Cecina, and Sestri Levante.

One hundred fifteen USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Turin ball bearing works and marshalling yard. Escorting P-38 Lightnings battle German fighters without either losses or victories but the B-17 Flying Fortresses claim two enemy fighters shot down. B-24 Liberators and other P-38s dispatched to bomb the marshalling yard at Bolzano are recalled because of weather.

During the night of 1/2 December, 48 RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the marshalling yard at Pontessieve. Two other aircraft drop leaflets over the battlefield.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet troops cross the river Ingulets, and drive to within six miles of Znamenka.

Moscow claims that Byelorussian partisans have killed 282,000 German soldiers since war broke out.

IRAN: The Tehran Conference between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, and their staffs, concludes. The three Allies are in substantial agreement on the division of post-war Germany and the westward movement of the Polish eastern and western frontiers. The Soviets have also put forth the notion of the summary execution of 50,000 German officers, but this was rejected by the Allies. A declaration pledging economic aid to Iran during and after the war and divide occupation duties is issued. Soviet troops guard the region north of Teheran, British forces occupy southern Iran, and U.S. units patrol supply routes. Finland is discussed today; Soviet Premier Stalin says that although Finland has committed as cruel acts against the Russians as the Germans, she deserves to be taken into account, since she had fought so bravely for it's independence.

CHINA: Sixteen USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-40s sink about 30 boats in the area around Changte.

HONG KONG: Nineteen USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, 24 P-40s, and ten P-51 Mustangs attack the Kowloon shipyards and two B-25s hit nearby Taikoo Docks.

BURMA: USAAF Tenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the locomotive repair shop at Insein. The B-24s and escorting P-38 Lightnings encounter a large number of Japanese fighters over the targets and P-51 Mustangs which failed to make rendezvous with the B-24s before the attack join the formations on the return trip. USAAF losses are high: six B-24s and a P-51 are shot down and five more B-24 Liberators are seriously damaged. B-25 Mitchells hit the newly repaired bridge at Myitnge rendering it temporarily unserviceable.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: Eight USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-40s bomb Bac Ninh and vicinity.

In Northeast New Guinea, over 40 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Wewak with the loss of three aircraft.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: Four USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators, flying out of the Ellice Islands, bomb Mili Atoll.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Thirty five USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders hit Borgen Bay south of Cape Gloucester on New Ireland Island while 16 A-20 Havocs bomb the Cape Gloucester area.

GILBERT ISLANDS: The Marine 2d Tank Battalion scouts find Maiana Atoll free of the Japanese, concluding their mission.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Bougainville, 18 USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and eight P-38 Lightnings attack Malai. P-39 Airacobras strafe Tonolai and support USN SBD Dauntlesses in an attack on the Jaba River area near Empress Augusta Bay. Other USAAF and USN fighters cover SBD strikes on Kara and Ballale Island supply areas and strafe targets at Tenekow, Chabai, and Mutupina Point while six B-25 Mitchells bomb Sarime Pantation.

Frigate HMCS St Pierre launched Lauzon, Province of Quebec

Corvette HMCS Trentonian commissioned.

Corvette HMCS Forest Hill (ex-HMS Ceanothus) commissioned.

AMC HMCS Prince Henry completed conversion to landing ship.

U.S.A.:

Destroyer escorts USS Daniel A Joy and Charles J Kimmel laid down.

Aircraft carrier USS Franklin D Roosevelt laid down.

Minesweeper USS Reproof laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS Bostwick, Donaldson, Stern, Svenning commissioned.

Destroyer USS Twinning commissioned.

Minesweeper USS Lucid commissioned.

Frigate USS El Paso commissioned.

Frigate USS Orlando launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: In the Straits of Dover, the British minesweeping trawler HMS Avanturine (FY 1886) is sunk by the German motor torpedo boat S-142 off Beachy Head , Essex, England.

During the night of 1 /2 December, 12 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Kattegat, the arm of the North Sea between Sweden and Denmark. One aircraft is lost.