January 4th, 1944 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: USAAF Eighth Air Force aircraft begin flying supplies, under code name Operation CARPETBAGGER, from the U.K. to underground patriot forces in Western Europe. Full-scale supply missions will come to an end in September 1944.
The USAAF Ninth Air Force activates the XIX Air Support Command at Middle Wallop, Hampshire, England with Major General Elwood R Quesada in command; the XIX will support Lieutenant General George Patton's Third Army in Europe.
FRANCE: The USAAF Ninth Air Force sends 258 B-26 Marauders to bomb NOBALL targets (V-weapons sites). Weather makes bombing difficult, and results range from unknown to good.
During the night of 4/5 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 80 aircraft, 57 Stirlings, 12 Mosquitos and 11 Lancasters, to five V-1 sites; 32 aircraft bomb the site at Aily-Le-Haut-Clocher, 31 bomb Bois des Huit Rues, 11 hit Fieval, three attack Bristillene and two bomb LaGalcerie. No aircraft are lost. In other missions, 32 bombers drop mines off Bay of Biscay ports: ten each lay mines off Gironde and La Pallice, six each lay mines off Bayonne and Brest, and three each lay mines off Lorient and St. Nazaire.
The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 175: four B-17 Flying Fortresses drop 800,000 leaflets on Orleans, Lorient, Rouen and Tours, France at 2005-2021 hours without loss.
NETHERLANDS: During the night of 4/5 January, one of the RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos dispatched to bomb Germany attacks Texel.
ITALY: Attacks by the Allied 5th Army, specifically the British 46th Div, against the Gustav line, begin on a 10 mile front. In the U.S. Fifth Army's British X Corps area, in preparation for an attack on Cedro Hill, the 138th Brigade, 46th Division establishes a bridgehead across the Peccia River, during the night of 4/5 January, against strong opposition. In the U.S. II Corps area, the 1st Special Service Force gains positions on the ridge southeast of Mt. Majo, overrunning Hill 775 and Mt. Arcalone. Other elements of II Corps move forward to the line of departure for the main offensive, overcoming some opposition en route.
GERMANY: Rastenburg: Hitler refuses von Manstein's plea to pull troops out of the Dnieper Bend in order to free soldiers for the northern front.
The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 174: 514 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 130 B-24 Liberators are dispatched to bomb two targets; 13 B-17s and six B-24s are lost. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1):
- Industrial area at Munster (70-2)
- U-boat yards at Kiel (451-17)
- Targets of opportunity (30-0)
During the night of 4/5 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 18 Mosquitos to bomb three targets: eight bomb Berlin, two attack Cologne and one hits Krefeld.
U.S.S.R.: Belaya Tserkov, another German strong point southwest of Kiev, falls to the Red Army. The advance continues toward Uman. Black Sea Fleet: (Sergey Anisimov)(69)Submarine loss. "M-36" - mined while on trials, at Poti area.
BULGARIA: Over 100 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to bomb the marshalling yard at Dupnica; 27 bomb the target area, but heavy cloud cover causes 77 B-17 Flying Fortresses to return bombs to base; P-38 Lightnings escort the B-17 Flying Fortresses the total distance to and from targets; P-47 Thunderbolts provide escort part way.
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb the Brodac town area and marshalling yard, and the town of Travnik.
EUROPE: Allied aircraft start Operation Carpetbagger, regular supply missions to partisans in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Italy.
NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, Japanese Lieutenant General ADACHI Hatazo, commanding the Eighteenth Army, order his 20th and 51st Divisions to withdraw to Madang without any more attempts at a delaying action. Extensive patrolling of the Saidor area by the Allies is uneventful. The Australians reach Cape King William, 16 miles (26 kilometres) southeast of Sio.
In Northeast New Guinea, over 100 USAAF Fifth Air Force heavy and medium bombers bomb the Alexishafen, Madang, and Bogadjim areas and hit troops and supplies between Finschhafen and Saidor.
Gilbert Islands: 45th Fighter Squadron with P-40N's moved from Nanumea to Abemama but operated from Makin until 24 Mar 44.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Sohano Island, concentrating on the seaplane base and supply area. B-25 Mitchells hit gun positions at Tonolai and bomb Chabai on Bougainville Island. P-39 Airacobras, New Zealand (PV-1) Ventura's, and night fighters, operating individually or in small flights, hit targets on Bougainville, including barges at Mutupina Point and along the Jaba River, and areas around Buka, Buka Island, Bonis, Poporang Island, Papas, and Banin.
Rabaul: Major Gregory Boyington, USMCR was captured by the Japanese, after scoring 28 confirmed aircraft shotdown.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, the ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment, reinforced by the 3d Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, and supporting units) continues their attack after artillery preparation,. Tanks cross an improvised ramp over Suicide Creek and support marines by destroying enemy positions at point-blank range. The assault force, now expanded to four battalions, pushes southward without opposition to the next phase line, north of Hill 150 and Aogiri Ridge.
Aircraft of USN Task Group 37.2 bomb Japanese shipping at Kavieng, New Ireland Island, damaging destroyers HIJMS Fumizuki and Satsuki in Stephen Strait. Task Group 37.2 is comprised of the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), with Carrier Air Group 17 (CVG-17), the small aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) with Light Carrier Air Group 30 (CVLG-30), the battleship USS Washington (BB-56) and six destroyers.
USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack artillery positions in the Cape Gloucester area on New Britain Island while over 40 land-based Allied fighters from the Solomon Islands attack the Rabaul area and claim at least ten Japanese airplanes shot down.
PACIFIC: From Glen Boren's diary aboard the USS BUNKER HILL: Launched a predawn patrol and a search at Kavieng Harbour. Located several ships about so we launched an attack at 800. Aircraft returned about noon.
Several hits were made on cruisers and destroyers, but none were thought to have sunk. They were out of the harbour in open water.
Ensign Beedle got shot down by a hap after driving him off a bomber. He caught fire and crashed in the water. NOTE: Ensign Beedle was the brother of movie star, William Holden. I didn't know that at the time, just found that out recently.
Our skipper got the hydraulics shot away and after three tries, made a very hot landing, and a purple heart. Shrapnel penetrated the cockpit and got him in the leg. Another pilot landed and dropped a wheel in the catwalk. Heavy damage to the aircraft.
General Quarters sounded at 1400. Boggies at 50 miles out. 5 zekes and a nell. Monterey fighters shot them down. Later a jake and a betty were shot down, 28 and 15 miles out.
Just before dark, the ship's captain came on the squawkbox and told the gunners that a sub would be coming up in the middle of the task force and not to shoot it as it would be ours. At 1845, the Guardfish surfaced on our port side. Quite a sight. She stayed with us all night and submerged at dawn.
We headed back for E. S.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: USN light cruiser USS Omaha (CL-4) and destroyer USS Jouett (DD-396) intercept German blockade runner SS Rio Grande carrying a load of crude rubber in the South Atlantic. Gunfire and scuttling charges sink Rio Grande about 559 nautical miles (1 036 kilometres) east of Recife, Brazil, in position 06.41S, 25.36W, in a depth of 18,904 feet (5 762 meters).