December 26th, 1943 (SUNDAY)
ITALY: German defenders are cleared from Monte Sammucro.
It is announced that General Ira Eaker is to command the Mediterranean Allied
Air Forces, and Doolittle is to take over the 8th Air Force. (Doug Tidy)
ARCTIC OCEAN: Scharnhorst and her escorting destroyers search for Convoy JW-55B, north of Norway. Visibility is poor throughout the morning, the seas are heavy and Scharnhorst 's radar is out of order. They find the British cruisers providing distant escort under Admiral Burnett. Admiral Bey breaks off to circle north for the convoy and detaches the destroyers into a scouting line.
At 0834 is detected by the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk from a distance of 30,000 meters (32,800 yards). Shortly afterwards the light cruisers Belfast and Sheffield of "Force I" (Vice-Admiral Burnett) also obtain contact. At 0924, the Belfast opens fire on Scharnhorst from 11,900 meters (13,000 yards), and is followed by Norfolk at 0930. Scharnhorst replies with her after turret but obtains no hits. Scharnhorst is hit by two 20.3cm projectiles from HMS Norfolk. One shell strikes the battery deck but fails to explode. The other hits the foretop and disables the radar apparatus (FuMo 27). Scharnhorst turns away southeast at 30 knots and then north again. Visibility improves somewhat near noon and action with the British cruisers resumes. Shortly after 1200, Scharnhorst runs once again into the cruisers of "Force I", this time re-inforced by four destroyers from the convoy escort, MUSKETEER, MARTCHLESS, OPPORTUNE and VIRAGO, and opens fire at about 1230 with her main and secondary batteries. In this second engagement, the HMS Norfolk is hit twice by 28cm shells. Turret "X" is put out of action after a hit in the barbette, while another shell disables the radars and kills seven men. The Sheffield is hit by splinters. At 1241, believing she is receiving fire from a battleship, Scharnhorst turns away south and ceases fire. At 1617, the battleship Duke of York of Force II (Admiral Fraser) obtains radar contact with Scharnhorst from 42,500 meters (46,480 yards), and after closing the range to 10,900 meters (11,920 yards) opens fire at 1648. Being without radar Bey is surprised. Almost immediately the Scharnhorst is hit by a 35.6cm projectile in turret "Anton" which is put out of action. Another shell from Duke of York demolishes the hangar. At 1657, Belfast and HMS Norfolk open fire. Scharnhorst is repeatedly hit but manages to increase the distance with "force II" to 19,600 meters (21,435 yards). At 1820, a 35.6cm projectile passes through Scharnhorst 's upper belt and reaches the No.1 Boiler room (section IX) that becomes a total loss. The speed drops to 22 knots. At 1850, the destroyers of "Force II" close on and obtain one torpedo hit on Scharnhorst 's starboard side and three more on the port side. Speed drops to 20 knots. Duke of York and Jamaica open fire again at 1901 from 9,600 meters (10,500 yards) obtaining numerous hits. Scharnhorst still fires back with turrets "Bruno" and "Cäsar" but obtains no hits. At 1912, the cruisers of "force I" open fire. Thereafter cruisers Jamaica and Belfast launch all their torpedoes, and destroyers Musketeer, Opportune and Virago 19 more. The Scharnhorst finally capsizes and sinks at 1945.
Only 36 of her crew of 1968 survive. (Mark Horan and Navy News)
U.S.S.R.: The Soviets capture Radomyshl and over 150 other places in the Kiev salient.
ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army's II Corps area, some elements of the 36th Infantry Division clear Morello Hill; others take responsibility for Hill 730. The Sammucro hills are now completely cleared of German troops. In the VI Corps area, the 8th Rifle Regiment of the 2d Moroccan Division attacks Mainarde ridge, north of the Atina road, unsuccessfully.
USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb marshalling yards at Prato, Empoli, and Pistoia. .
SOLOMON ISLANDS: The 1st Marine Division, under General Rupertus, begins landings near Cape Gloucester on New Britain. Naval support is provided by Admiral Barbey's US naval TF 76. The landing, over difficult terrain, succeeds and the Marines defeat a few small Japanese attacks during the first night.
On Bougainville, seven USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, with 34 fighters, attack the Cape Saint George area and 25 B-25s attack the bivouac and supply area at Kahili. New Zealand (PV-1) Venturas on reconnaissance bomb Chivaroi and Faisi Islands.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: After preparatory naval gunfire and aerial bombardment, during which Japanese observation from Target Hill, commanding the landing beach, is masked by smoke, Task Force BACKHANDER, commanded by Major General William H. Rupertus, Commanding General 1st Marine Division, and consisting of the 1st Marine Division (--), reinforced, begins the main invasion of New Britain at Cape Gloucester at 0746 hours. The Marines are landed by the Seventh Amphibious Force under Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey. Forested, swampy terrain is more formidable than the surprised Japanese, who offer only light opposition. The 7th Marine Regiment establishes a beachhead, clearing. Target Hill, and is passed through by the 1st Marine Regiment. General Rupertus establishes his command post ashore. Successful secondary landings are made by the reinforced 2d Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, at Tauali, southwest of the airdrome, and by elements of the 2d Engineer Special Brigade on Long Is land. A Japanese force reaches positions northwest of the Arawe main line of resistance.
During retaliatory Japanese air strikes on Cape Gloucester, USN destroyers USS Lamson (DD-367), Shaw (DD-373), and Mugford (DD-389) are damaged by dive bombers; and tank landing ships USS LST-66 is damaged by a horizontal bomber. USN destroyer USS Brownson (DD-518) is escorting landing craft during the landings at Cape Gloucester. At about 1442 hours local, Brownson is hit by two bombs from a Japanese "Val" dive bomber (Aichi D3A, Navy Type 99 Carrier Bomber). The bombs strike to starboard of the centerline, near number two stack. A tremendous explosion follows and the entire structure above the main deck as well as the deck plating, is gone. The ship lists 10 to 15 degrees to starboard and settles rapidly amidships with the bow and stern canted upward. The wounded are placed in rafts and at 1450 hours the order to abandon ship is given. The amidships section is entirely underwater at that time. There is a single ripple like a depth charge explosion and the ship sinks at
1459 hours about 6.5 nautical miles (12 kilometers) north of Cape Gloucester in position 05.20S, -148.25E. One hundred eight of her crew are lost.
Supporting the landings, over 270 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells. B-24 Liberators, and A-20 Havocs attack the area between the Cape and Borgen Bay from 0714 to l614 hours. P-38 Lightnings, P-40s, and P-47 Thunderbolts claim over 60 Japanese aircraft shot down over the invasion area. Captain Thomas B. McGuire, Jr., flying a P-38H, shoots down three "Val" dive bombers (Aichi D3A, Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers) over the invasion beaches. He cuts cards with a second pilot for the credit for shooting down a fourth "Val" and loses. McGuire now has 16 victories.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Sixteen USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators, staging through the Gilbert Islands, bomb Wotje Atoll while P-39 Airacobras fly reconnaissance and strafing missions over Mili Atoll.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0725, the unescorted SS Chapultepec was spotted in hazy weather by U-530 about 90 miles NE of Cristobal. The tanker’s acoustic torpedo detector noticed the torpedo fired but seconds later struck just abaft the stem. The explosion destroyed the forepeak tank and damaged nearby compartments. The ship immediately began a series of short zigzags at full speed and then returned to normal pattern after ten minutes. The tanker settled by the head, but the cargo was shifted until the vessel was on even keel. On the afternoon of the 26 December, the tanker arrived at Cristobal and discharged her cargo the next day. Two men of the ten officers, 43 men and 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) on board reported injuries. The Chapultepec later steamed to Galveston for dry-docking and repairs.