October 22nd, 1944 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Corvettes HMCS Leaside and Humberstone departed Londonderry as escort for the 37-ship Southend to New York Convoy ON-261. ON-261 arrived safely in New York City on 5 Nov 44.
WESTERN EUROPE: Weather prohibits USAAF Ninth Air Force bomber operations; fighter sweeps and armed reconnaissance support US Third and Seventh Army elements in eastern France and western Germany.
NETHERLANDS: Breskens on the south bank of the Scheldt Estuary finally falls to repeated attacks of Canadian Units.
Elements of Company E, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, accompanied by two forward observer teams of the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion, crossed the Lower Rhine east of Arnhem in British small boats. They brought back 125 members of the British 1st Airborne Division, ten Dutch resistance fighters and five USAAF pilots from the German occupied north side of the river. These men had been hiding out since the night of September 26th when 2,163 survivors of the 1st Airborne had been withdrawn across the river. The Germans were unaware of the operation and not a round was fired. This was the end of the Battle of Arnhem. (Jay Stone)
In the Canadian First Army's II Corps area, Breskens falls to the Canadian 3d Division. The Breskens Pocket is now less than half its original size. In the British I Corps area, the Canadian 4th Armoured Division reaches Esschen.
In the British Second Army area, XII Corps begins a westward offensive to clear the region west of the Maas River. The 15th Division heads for Tilburg and the 7th Armoured and 53d Divisions, followed by the 51st Division, towards Hertogenbosch.
Advance Headquarters of the USAAF Ninth Air Force's XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) and HQ 84th and 303d Fighter Wings move from Arlon, Belgium to Maastricht to maintain close association with the US Ninth Army.
FRANCE: General de Gaulle's administration is recognized by the Allies as the "de jure" Provisional Government of FRANCE.
100th Infantry Battalion takes Biffontaine, suffering many
casualties attempting to hold Biffontaine. (Gene Hanson)
While fighting here, US 442nd Regimental Combat Team soldier, Barney Hajiro, and
a fellow soldier concealed themselves in an outpost security position about 50
yards to the right front of their platoon and ambushed an 18-man, heavily armed
German patrol. They killed two, wounded one and took the rest as prisoners. (MOH)
In the U.S. Third Army's XII Corps area, the 26th Infantry Division, untried in combat as a unit, makes a limited attack to gain experience and to improve positions east of Arracourt, securing ground west of Moncourt with support of troops from 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the 79th Infantry Division finishes clearing the high ground east of Forêt de Parroy. In the VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division advances steadily northeast along the Mortagne River toward St Die. The 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, completes the mop up of Brouvelieures; the 180th forces the Mortagne River east of Fremifontaine but falls back under German fire.
GERMANY: East Prussia: Soviet forces stop short of Insterburg, 45 miles from Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters.
The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 685: 1,131 bombers and 785 fighters are dispatched on PFF attacks on targets in western Germany; two bombers and a fighter are lost. Two marshalling yards (M/Ys) are hit: 353 bombers attack the M/Y at Munster and 343 bomb the M/Y at Hamm and two armored vehicle factories are hit: 171 aircraft attack the Hannomag factory at Hannover and 149 hit the NAG plant at Brunswick. Targets of opportunity are: 35 aircraft bombing the industrial area at Bielefeld, ten hit the industrial area at Recklinghausen and 13 aircraft hit miscellaneous targets.
During the day, 97 RAF Bomber Command Lancasters bomb Neuss; none lost. This G-H raid is not as concentrated as the recent Bonn raid and bombing is scattered. The local report says that 94 houses and three industrial buildings are destroyed and 545 houses, 18 industrial buildings and a public building are seriously damaged.
During the night of 22/23 October, 44 RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bomb Hamburg, four hit Wiesbaden and two each attack Düsseldorf and Cologne. Meanwhile, 38 Lancasters and Halfaxes lay mines in the Kattegat.
U-2522 launched.
U-3007 commissioned.
FINLAND: Advance units of the Russian 14th Army reach the Norwegian border in the far north.
ARCTIC SEA: U-737 is attacked by a Soviet aircraft. Three crewmembers were injured and the boat suffered slight damage.
YUGOSLAVIA: With the fall of Sombor, southwest of Subotica, Soviet forces control most of the east bank of the Danube as far north as the Hungarian town of Baja.
ITALY: Cervia falls to Canadian units of the British 8th Army.
In the U.S. Fifth Army area, the South African 6th Armoured Division continues toward the crest of Mt. Salvaro in a drenching rain. The II Corps receives verbal orders to continue their offensive on the right flank to a line Ribano Hill-Mt. Castelazzo, then to Highway 9. Accordingly, the 88th and 85th Infantry Divisions jump off, on the night of 22/23 October, and get about a mile (1,6 kilometers) beyond Mt. Grande by dawn, taking Hill 568, Mt. Castellaro, and Hill 459. The British XIII Corps is ordered to take Mt. Spadura and continue northward between Imola and Castel San Pietro roads. The 78th Division places fire on Mt. Spadura. The German withdrawal to the east permits other units of the corps to advance. The 21st Brigade, the Indian 8th Division, takes Mt. Romano without opposition.
In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, the Indian 10th Division expands its Savio River bridgeheads westward, the 20th Brigade pushing almost to the crest of Mt. Cavallo. The 4th Division is unable to progress from its bridgehead until heavy equipment can be crossed to it. In the Canadian I Corps area, the Canadian 1st Division is handicapped by the swollen Savio River and is unable to cross supporting weapons into the bridgehead.
On the Savio River, Seaforth Highlanders Private Ernest Alva 'Smoky' Smith shows conspicuous heroism, holding the Savio River crossing against German counter-attacks and destroying at least two German tanks; awarded the Victoria Cross.
Bad weather grounds all USAAF Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Force bombers; Twelfth Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers, flying less than 20 sorties, hitting rail lines and trains in northern Italy.
CHINA: Two USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells knock out two railroad bridges at Pingnam while eight P-51 Mustangs attack the town area; 54 P-40s and P-51s on armed reconnaissance attack town areas and general targets of opportunity at Nampang, Kuanyang, Shekpo, Pingnam, Kweiping, near Menghsu, China, and Wanling, Burma.
BURMA: Over 40 USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts hit a variety of targets including bridges at Panghkam, and at two other points along the northern Burma rail corridor, the towns of Manna and Kyaungle, a bivouac in the Indaw area, and various targets of opportunity.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Leyte, In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area, the 7th Cavalry Regiment (General George Custer’s outfit) of the 2d Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, mops up Tacloban and takes the rest of the hill to the southwest. The 5th Cavalry Regiment of the1st Brigade, after laborious effort to advance over difficult terrain west of Caibaan, is ordered to halt and maintain current positions. The 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, assisted by artillery fire and naval aircraft, secures the Pawing area with the capture of a hill to west. The 19th Infantry Regiment repels counterattacks against Palo, killing 91 Japanese, and mops up. In the XXIV Corps area, after night- long shelling of Labiranan Head, the 1st Battalion of the 383d Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division, recaptures it while other elements of the regiment seize San Roque on Highway 1. The 382d Infantry Regiment takes Tigbao and Canmangui and sets up three night perimeters: one at Mati, one 800 yards (732 meters) east of Bolongtohan, and one 500 yards (457 meters) southeast of Tigbao. The 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, gets about halfway to Burauen against sporadic resistance. The 84th, assisted by aircraft of the Seventh Fleet, advances more rapidly, gaining 2,800 yards (2 560 meters) before being ordered to halt until the 32d Infantry Regiment can come abreast.
The Japanese naval forces under Vice Admirals KURITA Takeo, commander of the Second Fleet, and NISHIMURA Shoji, commander of the Southern Force, sail from Brunei, British Borneo, for Leyte Gulf. The decoy carrier unit under Vice Admiral OZAWA Tokusaburo, commander of the Northern Force, is already at sea from Japan. Between them, Kurita and Nishimura, command 7 battleships, 13 cruisers and 19 destroyers. The plan is for Ozawa to draw off Admiral William F. Halsey's Third Fleet aircraft carriers and fast battleships, so these heavy units can attack the vulnerable invasion transports. The invasion force is escorted by Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid’s Seventh Fleet; six battleships, 14 escort carriers, eight cruisers and 40 destroyers.
USAAF Far East Air Force B-25 Mitchells and P-38 Lightnings attack shipping in the Sulu Archipelago and Jolo harbor on Jolo Island and Zamboanga harbor on Mindanano Island while B-24 Liberators hit Opon and Lahug Airfields on Cebu Island; B-25s hit Ternate on Samar Island and B-24s pound Matina Airfield in the Cagayan Islands, and Likanan on Mindanao Island.
EAST INDIES: USAAF Far East Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit Piroe Bay supply dumps on Ceram Island and gun positions and fighter-bombers hit Kairatoe Airfield on Halmahara Island, Amahai Airfield on Amahai Islands south Ceram Island and targets of opportunity in Binnen Bay.
NEW GUINEA: USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs blast pillboxes and occupied areas in the Metimedan-Sawar Rivers sector of Dutch New Guinea.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Yap Island with harassment raids during the day, operating singly or in groups of two or three aircraft.
NAURU ISLAND: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Nauru 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.
PACIFIC OCEAN: In the South China Sea, USN submarine USS Darter (SS-227) detects a group of Japanese warships about 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers) north-northwest of Jesselton, British Borneo, in position 07.31N, 115.22E. This is Vice Admiral NISHIMURA Shoji's Southern Force, that sailed from Brunei, British Borneo, for Leyte Gulf earlier today. (See below.) The sub trails the Japanese reporting their position.
At 0700 hours, the USN submarine USS Sea Dog (SS-401) sinks a Japanese cargo ship about 161 nautical miles (298 kilometers) south-southwest of Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan, in position 29.19N, 129.44E. Later in the day, the sub sinks a gunboat about 144 nautical miles (267 kilometers) south-southwest of Kagoshima in position 29.18N, 129.44E. (Skip Guidry)
U.S.A.: Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-272 was commissioned at New York with LT E. Ayers, USCGR, as commanding officer. She departed New York on 15 November 1944 for the Southwest Pacific where she operated during the war at Parang, Philippines.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-985 hit a mine and was damaged so seriously that she was decommissioned some weeks later.