January 13th, 1944 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Frigate HMS Inman commissioned.
Submarine HMS Vigorous commissioned.
FRANCE: One hundred ninety three USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb NOBALL (V-weapon) targets. Fighter pilots report being tracked by antiaircraft rockets.
GERMANY: While serving as a Flak boat, U-621 was attacked by an RAF 59 Sqn Liberator and suffered 1 man killed and 6 wounded. Matrosengefreiter Heinz Thomas was mortally wounded and later buried at sea. The commander decided to abort the patrol. U-621 took ten days to limp back to Brest.
ITALY: In U.S. Fifth Army's II Corps area, the 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, finishes clearing the heights overlooking Le Pastinelle and the Rapido Plain. Task Force B (1st Special Services Force and the 133d Infantry Regiment) is dissolved, having completed its mission; Regimental Combat Team 133 remains in position. The 2d Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, reduces a troublesome strongpoint (Point 189) south of Cervaro. The II Corps is now in position for an assault on the last hill barring access to the Rapido River, Mt. Trocchio.
USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders bomb Guidonia, Centocelle, and Ciampino Airfields; A-20 Havocs strike the town of Atina. RAAF, RAF, SAAF and USAAF fighter-bombers hit shipping along the Dalmatian coast at Sibenik and in the Krka River, Yugoslavia. A-36 Apaches hit the town and railway yards at Isola del Liri, a factory at Colleferro, docks at Formia, railroad yards at Valmontone, and a railway station SE of Frosinone. P-40s hit Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, San Biagio, Saracinesa, and a rail and road junction near Villa Latina..
Sixty two USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb Centocelle Airfield and 37 attack Guidonia Airfield while 39 B-24 Liberators hit Perugia Airfield. P-38 Lightnings provide escort, and P-47 Thunderbolts fly top cover for the B-17 missions. The heavy bombers destroy several fighters in aerial combat.
INDIA: Major General Kenneth B Wolfe, Commanding General of the USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XX Bomber Command, arrives at New Delhi with the advanced echelon staff. This is the first important movement of personnel for Operation MATTERHORN, the plan which will be approved in April 1944 for the bombing of Japan by B-29 Supergortresses based in the Calcutta area and staging through advanced fields in the Chengtu, China, area.
CHINA: Two USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells on a sweep from Hong Kong to Hainan Island attack four large boats, several warehouses, a radio station, and a car at Fort Bayard,; one of the vessels explodes. Six P-40s on armed reconnaissance strafe four pack trains of about 15 animals each between Lungling and Tengchung.
BURMA: In the Hukawng Valley, the Chinese 38th Division gains firm control of the Tarung River line as the 114th Regiment reduces the last strongpoint in the Yupbang Ga area. The 112th Regiment, to the north, has cleared the region between the Tarung and Sanip Rivers. The 1st Battalion, 113th Regiment, upon crossing the Tarung River at Yupbang Ga, patrols north to Tabawng Ga.
Six USAAF Tenth Air Force P-51 Mustangs hit troop concentrations at Lalawng Ga and bomb Maran Ga and Shaduzup; 27 P-40s attack a communication center and dumps along the Kamaing-Mogaung road; and four P-51 Mustangs and a B-25 Mitchell attack the airfield and supply area at Myitkyina.
NEW GUINEA: Over 130 USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators, B-25 Mitchells and P-40s attack Alexishafen, Northeast New Guinea while other B-24s and B-25s strike Kaukenau and Timoeka, Dutch New Guinea. RAAF (P-40) Kittyhawks bomb Japanese supply dumps south of Madang.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Nine USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells from Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands attack harbor shipping at Wotje Atoll and 21 A-24 Dauntlesses from Makin Island, Gilbert Islands dive-bomb dock, barracks, and storage area on Mille Atoll. Some of the 16 escorting P-39 Airacobras strafe ground targets, and ten other P-39s carry out strafing mission over Mille Atoll.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, the ADC Group (7th Marine Regiment reinforced by a battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment and supporting units) continues their attack toward Hill 660 with the 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, but is pinned down short of their objective. Artillery and aerial bombardment precede the attack.
USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Gasmata on New Britain Island.
During predawn hours 11 USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Tobera, Rapopo, the Wide Bay area, and coast south of Rapopo, New Britain Island. During the night of 13/14 January, 15 USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Vunakanau and Lakunai Airfields, Rabaul, Rapopo and Malaguna
SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Bougainville, artillery units of the Army's Americal Division begins relieving those of the 3d Marine Division.
Headquarters USAAF Thirteenth Air Force moves from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands to Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
PACIFIC: From Glen Boren's diary: If you recall, the comic strip Lil' Abner had this charactor that walked around under a cloud all the time and something bad was always happening to him ? Well, we had our own in that one of our pilots was always pulling something and he busted up a lot of aircraft. Maybe just blowing a tailwheel on landing but it seemed that something happened everytime he went up. His first two initials were D.D. and we (the enlisted men started calling him "Dangerous Dan")
Well, Dangerous Dan had been out flying on Jan 13th. and he came in for a landing on the fighter strip. He flaired out and was making for a beautiful 3 point landing, just one problem tho' he was still 40 feet in the air. The plane stalled and it hit with such force that it drove the main landing gear up through the wings and really made a mess of it.
That was the biggest excitment of this stay on the beach except for our little escapade with the local hooch dealer. After his second call at our hut, when he came in to make a sale, some of us went out the back door, found his jeep and did some midnight smallstores shopping. A good time was had by all. I always wondered where they got the bottles, they were wine type and they seemed to have a good supply.
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: Campaign Plan GRANITE outlines tentative operations to be conducted and a timetable: (1) carrier raid on Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands, about 24 March in support of invasion of the Admiralty Islands and Kavieng, on New Ireland Island, Bismarck Archipelago; (2) capture of Eniwetok and Ujelang Atolls, Marshall Islands, (Operation CATCHPOLE), on 1 May; (3) capture of Mortlock and Truk, Caroline Islands, on 1 August; (4) invasion of the Mariana Islands (Operation FORAGER), on 1 November. If the Truk attack can be bypassed, it is proposed that the Palau Islands be invaded on 1 August. The Army's 27th Infantry Division is alerted to prepare to seize Eniwetok.
U.S.A.:
The number 1 song in the U.S.A. on this date, according to Billboard magazine, is "Paper Doll" by The Mills Brothers.
Light cruiser USS Duluth launched.
Destroyer escort USS Hissem commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-231 (Type VIIC) is sunk about 439 nautical miles (813 kilometres) northeast of Lagens Field, Azores, in position 44.15N, 20.38W, by depth charges from a British Wellington Mk. XIV aircraft (Sqdn 172/L). The aircraft is equipped with a Leigh light. 7 dead, 43 survivors. (Alex Gordon)