December 8th, 1943 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Colossus, the first programmable computer, is delivered to Bletchley Park (Station X), Buckinghamshire, England, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of London, Britain's ultra-secret cryptanalysis headquarters. Built by a team headed by Tommy Flowers at the Post Office Research Centre at Dollis Hill, north London, it incorporates 1,500 valves (vacuum tubes).
DENMARK:
D-DAY COUNTDOWN...
December 8, 1943:
Field Marshal Rommel and his staff continue to tour the Danish coast as they begin their inspection of the West Wall. Today, as the weather stays dreary, they follow the coast by train, making notes occasionally.
The train that evening finally pulls in for the night, and the staff sets up a makeshift command center, since they at this time are strictly a mobile command center. They are scheduled to get a permanent headquarters location around December 20th.
That evening, the staff dines well.
Rommel's assignment came to him on November 5th when he visited the Fuehrer at the Wolf's Lair in Bavaria. Hitler has a great idea. Citing von Rundstedt's troubling summary of October 25th, stating that the Atlantic Wall was anything but formidable, Hitler tells him of his plan: Rommel is to inspect the Western coast and a) Verify or disavow von Rundstedt's troubling report, and b) provide suggestions for improvement.
Rommel is to take his displaced army group staff (designated "Heeresgruppe Bz.b.v."-- Army Group B-For Special Purposes) and tour the coast.
The idea was originally Gen. Jodl's. Some- one had to go and check out von Rundstedt's report, and he figured it would end up being him. This way, Jodl wouldn't have to go, and Rommel would be "gainfully employed" again. Besides, who knew more about fighting the Western Allies (including the Americans) than Rommel? (Except maybe for Kesselring, but he was tied up in Italy)
So now the tireless Desert Fox is once more on the move, inspecting and formulating ideas for better defenses.
That day, he writes his wife: "Dearest Lu:
We're off again to-day up to the northernmost point. The round trip will be over in a couple of days and then paper work will begin. Hard fighting still in the east and south. I need not tell you with what feelings I look on from a distance. I hear that the call-up is going to be extended to the 14-year olds. The lads will be sent to labor service or defence according to their size and physique..."
Rommel has good reason to be worried. His own son, Manfred, is fifteen.
(Peter Margaritis)
GREECE: Three airfields in the Athens area are bombed by USAAF Fifteenth Air Force aircraft: 102 B-17 Flying Fortresses attack Eleusis Airfield with the loss of two and 46 bomb Kalamaki Airfield. Thirty six B-24 Liberators bomb Tatoi Airfield.
U.S.S.R.: The Red Army, continuing their offensive southwest of Kremenchug, cuts the Znamenka-Krivoi Rog and Znamenka-Nikolayev railroads.
ITALY: The French 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division joins the Allied line. Allied units are being moved. Rather than fighting in Italy, they are transported to Britain for use in Overlord. Canadian units begin an attack over the Moro River in Italy.
In the U.S. Fifth Army area, II Corps continues the battle for positions about St. Pietro. The Italian 1st Motorized Group begins an attack on Mt. Lungo but makes little headway against determined resistance. The 143d Infantry Regiment (--) of the 36th Infantry Division attacks toward St. Pietro and is soon pinned down by German fire; 1st Battalion of the 143d withstands a strong counterattack on Mt. Sammucro. On the eft flank of II Corps, the 1st Special Service Force finishes clearing Mt. Ia Remetanea (907). In the VI Corps area, the 2d Moroccan Division, first of the French Expeditionary Force units to arrive in Italy, begins the relief of the 34th Infantry Division.
USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb bridges, industrial targets, a marshalling yard, and the town areas of Pescara, Ancona, and Aquila; A-20 Havocs hit gun emplacements and a bivouac area near Sant' Elia Fiumerapido; other A-20 Havocs, operating with RAF and SAAF aircraft attack a troop concentration and gun positions near Miplinnico; fighter-bombers of the USAAF, RAF, RAAF, and SAAF bomb targets in support of ground troops near Orsogna; A-36 Apaches and P-40s hit communications targets (roads, railroads, bridges) at Avezzano, Frosinone, Viticuso, Gaeta, and Sant' Elia Fiumerapido.
Thirteen USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses Bomb railroad bridges near Orbetello Lake and 21 bomb the town of Porto Santo Stefano while B-26 Marauders hit the Spoleto viaduct, Orte marshalling yard, and Civitavecchia harbor; other B-26 Marauders abort the mission because of weather.
INDIA: 18 Japanese bombers and 50 fighters attack the airfield at Tinsukia in Assam.
CHINA: Nine USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, escorted by 16 P-40s, attack Chang-te; nine other B-25s bomb Hofuh and the 16 escorting P-40s bomb two villages to the north.
EAST INDIES: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack the Penfoei area on Dutch Timor and the Koepang area on Portugese Timor.
NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, Wareo falls to the Australian 9th Division, clearing the way for a drive on Sio.
In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders attack Japanese supply dumps on the Huon Peninsula near Finschhafen; P-39 Airacobras strafe barges from Saidor to Fortification Point.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Bougainville, USAAF Thirteenth Air Force fighter patrols and aircraft on armed reconnaissance bomb and strafe several targets of opportunity near Kieta, southeast of Cape Torokina, at Baniu Plantation, and along the northeast coast.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: US
Vice-Admiral Willis "Ching" Lee commands 5 battleships and 12 destroyers to
bombard Kwajalein. Air
cover is provided by 2 carriers. One Japanese destroyer is damaged.
The bombardment of 8 December 1943 was actually conducted against Nauru, not
Kwajalein. It was thought that Japanese aircraft might threaten U.S. forces from
Nauru, although in reality there were only a few planes there. The battleships
involved were WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, MASSACHUSETTS, INDIANA, and SOUTH
DAKOTA; this was the first shore bombardment mission of the war for the new fast
battleships. (Keith Allen)
Six USN battleships and two aircraft carriers attack Nauru Island. Nauru is a 21 square kilometer (8 square mile) island in the South Pacific about 380 nautical miles (703 kilometers) west-southwest of Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. The island is rich in phosphate deposits and was occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942. Before dawn, aircraft are launched by the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) with Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17) and small aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) with Light Carrier Air Group Thirty (CVLG-30). The bombardment force under Rear Admiral Willis "Ching" Lee, Commander, Battleships Pacific Fleet, has six battleships and 12 destroyers. The six battleships of Task Group 50.8, USS Alabama (BB-60), Indiana (BB-58), Massachusetts (BB-59), North Carolina (BB-55), South Dakota (BB-57) and Washington (BB-56) fire 135 rounds of 16-inch (40,6 centimeter) shells at the island. The destroyer USS Boyd (DD-544) is damaged, while on a rescue mission, by a Japanese shore battery with 27 sailors killed. No Japanese ships are present. (John Nicholas and Denis Peck)
Glen Boren though was there and says: The raid on Nauru started before
daylight on the 8th of Dec. 1943. Not a gun was manned when the raid started. 11
or 12 planes were destroyed on the ground and one in the air. We lost one
fighter and one dive bomber. A destroyer was sent in to pick up the crew of the
dive bomber and was shelled by the japs and 27 men were killed. They did not
find the plane crew. Sorry, I did not log which destroyer it was. The
Battleships took over and shelled the island for over an hour and caused a lot
of damage.
We left the next day for Espirito Santo ( Dec. 9th and 10th as we crossed the date line at 1000 hours that day ) That raid cost us 30 people total, that I know of. I have no knowledge of jap losses.
We had 10 days R and R on the island and left for Kavieng on the 21st.
Regards,
Glen
OS2U Kingfisher seaplanes of Observation Squadrons Six and 9 (VO-6 and VO-9) from the battleships strafe and photograph the barracks area upon completion of ships' bombardment.
Twenty two USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Nanumea Island in the Ellice Islands, bomb Jaluit Atoll, and 11 from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands hit Mili Atoll.
NEW GUINEA: The Australian advance captures Wareo and continues toward Wandokai and the Japanese stronghold of Sio.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Three USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators fly armed reconnaissance. During the night of 8/9 December, another B-24 off on a photographic mission over Kasatochi Island, about 45 nautical miles (84 kilometers) northeast of Adak, turns back because of mechanical trouble.
UNITED STATES: General Henry H "Hap" Arnold, Commanding General U.S. Army Air Forces, notifies Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General Twelfth Air Force in North Africa, that he is to command the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSAFE). USSAFE will coordinate the operations of the USAAF Eighth Air Force in the U.K. and the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy. Headquarters of USSAFE will be established in the U.K.