October 1st, 1944 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The US Eighth Air Force in England flies
Mission 657: 9 B-17s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Belgium during the night.
Submarine HMS Virulent commissioned.
FRANCE: The USAAF Ninth Air Force's XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional), which is to support the U.S. Ninth Army, is detached from the IX Tactical Air Command and becomes an independent body. The US Ninth Air Force's XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) locates advance HQ at Arlon; weather prevents bomber operations; a few fighters fly armed reconnaissance over eastern France and wide areas of western Germany and patrol the battle areas; night patrols are flown over eastern France and Luxembourg.
German army and naval units defending the fortress of Calais behind Allied lines surrender to Canadian forces.
In the U.S. Seventh Army’s XV Corps area, elements of French 2d Armoured Division, in conjunction with attack of U.S. 45th Infantry Division (VI Corps), cut the Rambervillers-Baccarat road.
BELGIUM: In the Canadian First Army’s II Corps area, the Canadian 2d Division begins a drive west across the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal toward the Beveland Peninsula through the northern suburbs of Antwerp. The British 49th Div is engaging the Germans north of St Leonard.
NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army’s II Corps area, Polish armor crosses the Dutch frontier on right flank of corps. In the British Second Army area, the Germans make another strong but futile attempt to reach the Nijmegen bridges, pushing south from Arnhem.
GERMANY: Buchenwald: Seven homosexual prisoners are castrated in the name of medical research.
The U.S. First Army spends most of its time during October encircling and reducing Aachen, from which the drive on Cologne is to begin. The main offensive of the XIX Corps, the attack on West Wall between Aachen and Geilenkirchen, cannot be undertaken as planned on this date because of poor weather conditions.
In the U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, elements of 83d Infantry Division reach the outskirts of Grevenmacher, on the west bank of the Moselle River north of Remich.
During the night of 1/2 October, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 48 Mosquitos to Brunswick (46 bomb), eight each to Heilbronn (five bomb) and Krefeld (seven bomb) and six each to Hoesch synthetic oil refinery at Dortmund (six bomb) and Koblenz (five bomb). No aircraft are lost.
Himmler appoints SS General (Obgruf.) Gottlob Berger as plenipotentiary chief of all Prisoner of War affairs. (Russell Folsom)
FINLAND: The Finnish landings behind German lines begin. They are led by Major General A. Pajari, the commander of the 3rd Division. The division (at that time) consisted of 11th and 53rd Rifle Regiments, 13th Separate Bn, Art.Reg 16.
Pajari had luck in the landing operation. Finns used merchant ships with little to no armament. The key was surprise which was achieved. The landing began on 1 Oct at 7:45 A.M. at the distant "Röyttä" harbour of Tornio (some 8 km south of the town) without the Germans noticing anything. Within 10 minutes, after the first ship attached to the pier, the Jaeger company of the 11th Rifle Reg. was already moving to scout ahead.
The Germans then tried to restart the friendly co-operation (the "phony war" that had taken place not long before, where the Germans retreated and the Finns advanced according to agreed timetable). They even tried to contact the Finnish GHQ. When no answer arrived before the set time 2 Oct 20:00 hrs (it was first 12:00 hrs, but the Germans gave 8 hours extra time), the Germans felt betrayed and the razing of Lapland began. (Sami Korhonen)
Yesterday Finland received an ultimatum from the Allied Supervisory Committee, demanding offensive operations against the Germans. Worried President and Marshal of Finland Gustaf Mannerheim telephones Lieutenant Gerneral Hjalmar Siilasvuo, the general responsible for the anti-German operations, who reassures the Marshal that there will be good news tomorrow, on 1 October. As Mannerheim and Siilasvuo are having this discussion, the men of Infantry Regiment 11 (Lieutenant Colonel Wolf Halsti) are boarding three large commercial freighters at Oulu. Protected by night and rain, the regiment manages to surprise the German defenders. Despite the good beginnings, German resistance and faulty intelligence slows down the Finnish advance. The Battle for Tornio lasts until 8 October.
U.S.S.R.: Moscow: Hungarian officials arrive to negotiate a secret armistice.
ITALY: In the U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, troops of the South African 6th Armoured Division on Mont Catarelto are forced to give ground under strong German counterattacks. Task Force 45 and Regimental Combat Team 6 of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) are joined under the operational command of Major General Enrice Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian Minister of War. The U.S. II Corps begins an offensive toward Bologna at 0600 hours after artillery preparation; the Germans resist stubbornly from improvised strongpoints. Units of the 85th Infantry Division heading for Mont Bibele, take La Martina.
US Twelfth Air Force B-25s and B-26s attack bridges, fuel dumps, factory, and barracks in the central and western Po Valley, including 3 attacks on Piacenza while XII Fighter Command's A-20s hit a fuel dump and bivouacs and fighter-bombers blast guns and communications in the mountainous battle areas between Florence and Bologna.
A photographic group is assigned to the USAAF Fifteenth AF, completing the full establishment of 21 heavy bomber groups, seven fighter groups, and a reconnaissance group, as authorized in the War Department directive of 23 October 1943. Weather permits only photo and weather reconnaissance missions.
General McCreery assumes command of the British 8th Army in ITALY from General Leese. Leese is appointed to command Allied Land Forces, South East Asia.
Brazilian troops of the US II Corps (5th Army) go on the offensive, launching an Allied drive towards Bologna.
GREECE: From Kithria Island., the British Advance Coastal Forces base and 9 Commando move by sea to Poros Bay, Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands to reconnoiter, leaving elements of the Greek Sacred Regiment on Kithira. Greek Naval Port parties land on Mytilene (Lesbos), Lemnos, and Levita Islands.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS: A photographic group is assigned to the US Fifteenth AF, completing the full establishment of 21 heavy bomber groups, 7 fighter groups, and 1 reconnaissance group, as authorized in the War Department directive of 23 Oct 43. Weather permits only photo and weather reconnaissance missions.
CHINA-BURMA-INDIA
BURMA: 34 US Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts bomb Thetkegyin while 20 others hit railroad targets throughout the north Burma railroad corridor and troop concentrations at Ponlon; 4 P-47s bomb Shwegugale while 6 others hit Lungling, China and sweep the Burma Road in the area.
CHINA: 18 US Fourteenth Air Force B-25s bomb Tien Ho and White Cloud Airfields in Canton, the town of Wuchou, and targets of opportunity in the Samshui and Canton areas; 100+ P-40s and P-51 Mustangs on armed reconnaissance throughout areas south of the Yangtze River hit a variety of targets of opportunity, concentrating on communications targets and troops in the Mangshih and Hsinganhsien areas.
VOLCANO ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators strike the airfield on Iwo Jima.
CENTRAL PACIFIC: US Seventh Air Force B-24s from Saipan, strike the airfield on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands. In the Gilbert Islands, B-25s from Makin Island bomb Nauru Island while B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, hit Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: The USN's Special Air Task Group One (STAG-1) continues operations with the Interstate TDR drone aircraft in the Solomon Islands with 2 attacks against Japanese positions on Bougainville. In the first, 4 TDRs are launched against AA positions on Ballale and Poporang Isalnds; 1 lands in the middle of an AA postion, the 2nd lands at the south end of the airfield on Ballale; and the 3rd and 4th expode on Poporang Island. The second raid, against AA positions south of Kahili Airfield on Bougainville, also involves 4 TDRs. The first two hit the lower slope of the hill where the AA batteries are located but 1 does not explode; the 3rd crashes; and the 4th cannot find the target and explodes north of the target.
EAST INDIES: On Celebes Island, US Far East Air Force B-24s bomb Langoan while B-25s hit Lembeh Island, Menado, and Bolaang-oeki port. B-24s bomb Taka in the Moluccas Islands while P-38s hit Amahai, Ceram Island; Kairatoe, Celebes Island; and shipping off Amboina, Ambon Island. B-25s and P-38s on shipping sweeps off Halmahera Island destroy several barges and luggers. In New Guinea, A-20s and P-38s attack Urarom Airfield and Fak Fak supply dumps, while P-40s hit Doom Island and targets of opportunity in Windissi, Idorra, and MacCluer Gulf; P-47s and A-20s hit Doeroa, Langgoer, and Faan Airfields in the Kai Islands.
NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs and P-38 Lightnings attack Utarom (Kaimana) Aerodrome and Fakfak supply dumps, while P-40s hit Doom Island and targets of opportunity in Windissi, Idorra, and MacCluer Gulf.
NAURU ISLAND: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb the island. Nauru Island is a 21 square kilometer (8 square mile) island in the South Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between the Gilbert and Solomon Islands. The island is rich in phosphate deposits and was occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942.
CANADA: Frigate HMCS Lasalle departed Bermuda for Halifax to join EG-27. Corvette HMCS Kenogami completed foc'sle extension refit Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
U.S.A.: USN Patrol Squadrons (VPs) and multi-engine bombing squadrons (VBs) are renamed and redesignated patrol bombing squadrons (VPBs).
In baseball, the Detroit Tigers meet the Washington Senators before 45,565 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The Tigers send Dizzy Trout (27-14 on the season), pitching on one day's rest, against the Senators knuckleballer Dutch Leonard (14-14 on the season). Leonard had lost in his last seven starts against the Tigers in 1943-1944 but the Senators win 4-1. Years later, Leonard reported that he had received a phone call offering him US$20,000 (US$196,078 in year 2000 dollars) to throw the game.
In St. Louis, the St. Louis Browns have their first sellout crowd in 20 years as 37,815 fans pack Sportsman Park to see the Browns clinch the American League pennant on the final day of the season. The Browns beat the Yankees 5-2 on a pair of 2-run home runs by utility outfielder Chet Laabs.
Submarines USS Argonaut, Capitaine and Quillback launched. Minesweeper USS Inaugural launched. Destroyer USS James C Owens launched. Destroyers USS Charles R Ware and McCaffery laid down.