September 30th, 1944 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: This month 190 civilians have been killed and 360 wounded in air raids.
The US Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 655: 834
bombers and 629 fighters,in 3 forces, are dispatched to make PFF attacks on
marshalling yards and airfields in western Germany; 8 bombers are lost.
(1) 257 B-17s hit Bielefeld marshalling yard; 4 B-17s are lost; escort is
provided by 240 P-47s and P-51s.
(2) B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Hamm (206); targets of opportunity are
Munster (12) and other (1); 1 B-24 is lost; escort is provided by 170 P-38s,
P-47s and P-51s.
(3) B-17s attack the marshalling yard at Munster (35) and Munster/Handorf
Airfield (14); targets of opportunity are Munster (239) and other (1); 3 B-17s
are lost; escort is provided by 177 P-47s and P-51s.
- 86 P-51s fly a sweep over northwestern Germany.
- 116 B-24s fly a TRUCKIN' mission carrying fuel to France.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS: 14 US Ninth Air Force B-26s bomb the Arnhem, the Netherlands road bridge with poor results; fighters fly sweeps over Belgium, eastern France, and western Germany and attack rail targets.
Escort carrier HMS Nabob paid off Rosyth; constructive total loss. Post war
became German merchant ship Nabob.
Minesweeper HMCS Wasaga departed Devonport
for refit Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
BELGIUM: The 1st Canadian Army continue their attacks north and west of Antwerp.
NETHERLANDS: A group of Dutch resistance fighters ambush four German soldiers near the small Dutch village of Putten The attack goes wrong and three of the soldiers escape to raise the alarm, the fourth being kept hostage. The German commander of the area, General Heinz Helmuth von Wuhlisch, orders all inhabitants arrested and the village burned down. Thirty nine are arrested immediately and lined up on the square. Hoping to save the 39 men, the resistance group release the hostage, Lieutenant Eggert. It makes no difference, all the other men in the village are rounded up and together with the 39 men on the square, forced to board a train bound for the Reich. In all, 589 men from the village are transported to Germany for forced labour. Only 49 are alive at the end of the war. Luckily, of the 600 or so houses in Putten, “only” 87 were burned down.
Fourteen USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders bomb the Arnhem road bridge with poor results.
FRANCE: Calais falls to the Canadian 3rd Division.
Calais: The prospect of a dour, bloody battle for Calais evaporated at midnight tonight with the sudden collapse of the last pockets of German resistance after two days' fighting. Yesterday opposing commanders met under a flag of truce to arrange the evacuation of 25,000 civilians. By then the big guns of Cap Griz Nez, which had shelled Dover, had been seized by the besieging Canadian 3rd Division. The Germans threatened to fight to the last man, but after some hour of shelling and air bombing they had had enough. White flags appeared, and 7,000 captives included the commander. Hitler's bunker mentality, his determination to hold the French coast, has cost 12,000 men.
Thus the month ends with the Allies in control of most of France. Huge swathes of the centre and south-west were liberated this month, but for the last three weeks there has been little progress beyond the Moselle along a line south of Aachen to Belfort. Patton's US Third Army has met strong resistance in Alsace-Lorraine, notably around Metz. Further north, limited forays have been made into Nazi territory, but there has been no breakthrough.
In the British I Corps area, the Polish 1st Armoured Division takes Merxplas, northwest of Turnhout.
In the U.S. Third Army’s XII Corps area: In a desperate attempt to recover Fort de Grémecey, the Germans make a strong attack against both flanks of the 35th Infantry Division’s perimeter, breaching lines of 134th and 137th Infantry Regiments within the forest. So grave is the situation that the corps commander, at about 1420 hours, orders the 35th Infantry Division to fall back behind the Seille River after dark, but Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Commanding General Third Army, directs a counterattack by the 6th Armored Division to restore the situation. The 35th Division committing its last reserves, manages to hang on and Germans begin a planned withdrawal.
In The U.S. Seventh Army’s XV Corps area, the 79th Infantry Division continues to meet strong opposition in Fort de Parroy area. Elements of the French 2d Armoured Division assist the U.S. 45th Infantry Division of the VI Corps in their attack on Rambervillers.
GERMANY: Until last year the German people lived off the fat of the occupied lands, leaving the populations of Poland, France, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands to starve as their food produce was diverted to the Reich. But with each new country liberated, the Nazi store cupboard becomes increasingly bare. Basic, foodstuffs such as bread, flour and fat are generally available, but people are beginning to feel the pinch of rationing. Daily consumption of fish and meat has fallen from the pre-war level of six ounces per person to just over three ounces, and of eggs from two-thirds to one-third of an ounce. People living in towns suffer most since railways are a prime target for Allied bombing.
RAF Bomber Command Missions:
- During the day, 139 aircraft, 108 Halifaxes, 21 Lancasters and ten Mosquitos, attempt to attack the Holton synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade but the target is cloud-covered and only 24 aircraft attacked the main target; 103 aircraft bomb the general town area of Sterkrade. One Halifax lost.
- During the day, 136 aircraft, 101 Halifaxes, 25 Lancasters and ten Mosquitos, encounter similar conditions at Bottrop in their attempt to bomb the Welheim synthetic oil refinery. Only four aircraft attempt to bomb the oil plant; the remainder of the force bombed the estimated positions of various Ruhr cities. No aircraft lost.
- During the night of 30 September/1 October, 45 of 46 Mosquitos dispatched bomb Hamburg.
U-2336 commissioned.
POLAND: Germans recapture Zoliborz district of Warsaw.
FINLAND: The Finnish attack against their former German allies begins when Lt.Gen Hjalmar Siilasvuo gives the go ahead for an amphibious landing.
The landing site was a small town of Tornio. The landing was politically a god-sent, as the Russians gave on 30 Sept an Ultimatum, that if the Finns wouldn't start aggressive operations against the Germans, Red Army troops would come "to help".
(On 30 September, the Finnish troops in Lapland numbered some 60,000 men, in 2 Inf.divisions (3rd and 6th), the Armored division and the 15th Brigade + other smaller units). (Sami Korhonen)
Minesweeper Kuha 3 is lost in German mines off Suursaari. First troop transport to Tornio begins.
YUGOSLAVIA: Troops of the Soviet Third Ukrainian Front, having secured the Iron Gate, the Turnu-Severin-Orsova area in Romania, where the Danube River passes through the Transylvanian Alps, cross the Danube in force and push toward Belgrade.
ITALY:
In the U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, Regimental Combat Team 6 of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) advances its right flank to Fornoli, at the junction of the Serchio River and Lima Creek. In the U.S. II Corps area, the 351st Infantry Regiment of the 88th Infantry Division seizes Mont Cappello after hard fighting but other troops on Mont Battaglia are almost driven off by further German attacks. The Corps is now ready for drive on the Po Valley and Bologna, although wearied by recent fighting and hampered by heavy rains. In the British XIII Corps area, the Indian 8th Division, reaches San Adriano, on the road to Faenza.
In the British Eighth Army’s V Corps area, the Indian 4th Division clears the Germans from Tribola while the British 46th Division takes Montalbano and patrols as far as the Fiumicino River. The V Corps begins a general attack during the night of 30 September/1 October. The Indian 4th Division takes Mont Reggiano and Borghi before dawn, but the British 46th Division in the center and the 56th Division on the right are unable to force the Fiumicino River.
During the night of 30 September/1 October, 41 heavy bombers of RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the pontoon bridge at San Benedetto.
US Twelfth Air Force B-25s bomb road and railroad bridges in the Po Valley at Piacenza, Voghera, Sesto Calende, Lonate Pozzolo, Galliate, Cittadella, Borgoforte, and Tortona; B-26s hit fuel dumps at Cremona, and bridges at Padua, Turbigo, and San Nazzaro; XII Fighter Command fighters hit motor transport, rail lines, roads, bridges, and rolling stock in the Po Valley.
BURMA: Over fifty US Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts hit various targets in the Myothit and Bhamo areas, attack targets of opportunity at Khalayang, sweep the Anisakan and Nawnghkio Airfield areas, bomb Nansiaung railroad bridge, and hit targets of opportunity on or near the Burma Road between Mangshih and Lashio; 11 B-25s knock out a span of the main bridge and damage 2 bypass bridges at Hsenwi. 18 B-24s haul fuel from Burma to Liuchow, Yungning, and Kunming, China.
CHINA: 29 US Fourteenth Air Force B-24s and 12 B-25s bomb Wuchou and Tien Ho and White Cloud Airfields at Canton; 6 B-25s hit targets of opportunity S of Lungfukwan; nearly 100 P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance over wide areas of China south of the Yangtze River again hit numerous targets of opportunity, concentrating on river shipping.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The submarine USS Nautilus (SS-168) lands supplies on Panay Island and takes out 7 servicemen, 10 women, 5 civilian men and 25 children. Meanwhile, the submarine USS Stingray (SS-186) lands supplies on Mindanao.
BORNEO: 70 US Far East Air Force B-24s strike oil installations at Balikpapan; 4 B-24s are lost. On Celebes Island, Ambesia Airfield is pounded by B-24s while B-25s hit Mapanget, Langoan, and Sidate, and P-38s hit shipping in Wasile Bay. Other B-25s attack shipping in the Halmahera Island waters. P-38s hit Amahai on Ceram Island, Kairatoe and Halong seaplane base on Celebes Island, and Haroekoe Airfield on Haroekoe Island.
NEW GUINEA: 64 B-24's 5th and 307th Bombardment Groups of the US 13th AF and ? B-24's 90th Bombardment Group - of the US 5th AF raid the Balikpapan refineries and oil storage Lutong (North Borneo) [small refineries + large oil storage facility] Details: 190 - 1000 lb bombs; Pendesari refinery - direct hits on a large tanker set on fire; at dock Large fires. (Robert McFall)
In Dutch New Guinea, A-20 Havocs and fighter-bombers hit Babo and Utarom (Kaimana) Airfields and Fak Fak; A-20s and B-25 Mitchells bomb Faan Airfield in the Kai Islands.
MARIANA ISLANDS: Saipan-based P-47s of the US Seventh Air Force blast the airfield area on Pagan Island; later in the day a B-24 hits the same target.
WAKE ISLAND: During the night of 30 September/1 October a Kwajalein Atoll-based B-24 bombs Wake Island.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: Rear Admiral George H. Fort, Commander of the Western Attack Force, declares Peleliu, Angaur, Ngesebus, and Kongarur Islands in the Palau Islands occupied. On Peleliu, the 1st Battalion of the Army’s 321st Infantry Regiment relieves the 5th Marine Regiment on Amiangal Mountain, which is not yet completely clear of organized resistance although marines report over 1,170 Japanese killed or captured there, far more than the 500 recently estimated to be on the mountain. The 7th Marine Regiment begins attacks to reduce the Umurbrogol Pocket; progress during the next few days is very slow.
AUSTRALIA: At their final meeting, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander South West Pacific Area, tells Australian Prime Minister John Curtin that the future operations of Australian forces would consist of “firstly, the garrisoning role for the neutralization of Japanese pockets on the various islands and, secondly, the operational activities of the two Australian Imperial Force divisions which were to accompany the U.S. forces in the advance against the Japanese.” MacArthur suggested that the Australian garrison forces should not attempt to liquidate the Japanese pockets and the commanders may wish to take some active actions. Expanding on future plans, MacArthur tells Curtin that the two Australian divisions would take part in the capture of Borneo and then in an attack on Java. Curtin makes no comment thereby giving tacit approval to this plan.
CANADA: Minesweeper
HMCS Rockcliffe commissioned.
Frigate HMCS Ettrci arrived Bermuda for
workups.
Corvette HMCS Fredericton departed
Londonderry escort for convoy ON-256
Corvette HMCS Whitby arrived St. John's to
join EG C-4.
Frigate HMCS Cap De La Madeleine commissioned.
U.S.A.: Red Foley's record of "Smoke On The Water" makes it to the Billboard Pop Singles chart. This is his first single to make the charts and it stays there for 11 weeks reaching Number 7.
The auxiliary aircraft carrier Barnes (AVG-7, ex ACV-7, ex SS Steel Artisan) is transferred to the British under Lend-Lease and renamed HMS Attacker (D 02). She is th fifth ACV transferred to the Royal Navy and is returned on 5 January 1946.
Destroyer minelayers USS Gwin and Shea commissioned.
Escort carrier USS Saidor laid down.
Minesweeper USS Strength commissioned.
Destroyers USS Douglas H Fox and John W Thomason launched.
Patrol Escort Vessel USS CASPER sails from Seattle on weather patrol.
Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-347 was commissioned at Kewaunee WI with LT F. N. Blake, USCG, as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area during the war.
Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-201 was commissioned at New Orleans with LT R. P. Champney, Jr., USCGR, as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area. (Henry Sirotin)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: This month 19 U-boats have been sunk.
The German “Milch Cow” submarine U-1062 left Bergen, Norway, on 3 January 1944 with 39 torpedoes to supply the Monsun boats in the Far East. The boat made it to Penang, Malaysia, on 19 April. U-1062 unloaded the torpedoes and left Penang for Europe on 6 July but is intercepted by a USN escort carrier group, consisting of the escort aircraft carrier USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) and destroyer escorts, in the central Atlantic today. TBM-3 Avengers of Composite Squadron Thirty Six (VC-36) in USS Mission Bay drop sonobuoys and destroyer escort USS Fessenden (DE-142) homes in on sonobuoy indications and sinks her with depth charges about 685 nautical miles (1 268 kilometers) west-southwest of the Portugese Capre Verde Islands in position 11.36N 34.44W. All 55 hands on the U-boat are lost. The U-boat was on her third patrol.
U-1026 intercepted by an
escort carrier group in the central Atlantic where the destroyer escort USS
Fessenden sank her with depth charges. 55 dead (all hands lost).
In the North Atlantic a Catalina aircraft attacked
U-245. The gunners on the
U-boat managed to keep it at bay.