4 November 1944

356th FG: F/O Willard W. Royer, 360 FS, KIA P-47D PI*N 42-262898 "Georgia=92s Best" Hit by an Me 262 near Enschelde.

359th FG: Lt. Edward J. Thorne, 369 FS, POW P-51C IV*F 42-103339 "Princess Pat" Hit by flak and bailed out near Quackenbruck. (Skip Guidry)

BELGIUM: British minesweepers reach Antwerp as they clear the approaches to the port. When the Allies finish clearing this port they will cut many miles off their logistics chain. Most of their supplies are coming through Normandy.
The British I Corps continues its advance to the estuary of the Maas River.

NETHERLANDS: In the Canadian First Army's II Corps area, the British 52d Division and commandos are methodically clearing Walcheren Island. A junction is made between forces at the causeway and those who have crossed the Slooe Channel. The Germans are being cleared from the northern coast. In the British I Corps area, 49th Division and the U.S. 104th Infantry Divisions continue to push north toward the Maas River in the center of the corps. The Polish 1st Armored Division, on the right flank, takes Geertruidenberg. Steenbergen, on the left flank, is encircled. The U.S. 104th Infantry Division is directed to move to Aachen, Germany, when released from current mission.

In the British Second Army's VIII Corps area, Combat Command A of the U.S. 7th Armored Division continues to clear the northwest bank of the Canal du Nord.

FRANCE: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 3d Cavalry Group takes a hill overlooking Berg but is driven off in a counterattack.

In the U.S. Seventh Army's VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division continues to clear Foret de Mortagne west of St Die and open ground to the north, where La Salle is now clear. The 36th Infantry Division is clearing Foret Domaniale de Champ and pushing toward Corcicux on the southern flank of the corps.

During the night of 4/5 November, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 701: three B-17 Flying Fortresses and six B-24 Liberators drop leaflets over the country.

In the U.S. First Army's V Corps area, the Germans counterattack vigorously toward Schmidt and Kommerscheidt, regaining the former. A few tanks that have reached Kommerscheidt help materially in turning the Germans back. The 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, withstands a determined German attack to the north; the 110th makes limited progress and takes Simonskall.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 700: 1,160 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators and 890 fighters are dispatched in six forces to Pathfinder Force (PFF) attacks on the oil industry in western Germany; five bombers and two fighters are lost: in Hamburg, 238 aircraft hit the Grass-Rhen oil refinery while 186 bomb the Rhenania oil refinery; 211 attack the Misburg oil refinery in Hannover; 139 hit the benzine refinery at Neuenkirchen; 133 bomb the Nordstern synthetic oil refinery at Gelsenkirchen; and 103 bomb the Welheim synthetic oil refinery at Bottrop. Marshalling yards (M/Ys) are also hit as targets of opportunity: 35 aircraft bomb the M/Y at Saarbrucken, 26 hit the M/Y at Hamm and 25 attack the M/Y at Neuenkirchen; 13 other aircraft hit other targets of opportunity.

Two hundred eighteen USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs hit the Trier ordnance depot, Baumholder, and Eschweiler gun positions while fighters escort the 9th Bombardment Division, attack railroads, bridges, and other targets, and support the US XIX Corps in the Aachen area.

USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators with fighter escort hit several targets with the loss of three aircraft:199 bomb the Winterhafen oil storage facility at Regensburg; in Munich, 80 aircraft bomb the Main marshalling yard while 29 bomb the city; 70 hit the marshalling yard at Augsburg and one bombs the city; and 15 others hit targets of opportunity.

During the day, 176 RAF Bomber Command Lancasters are dispatched to Solingen; 174 attack the target but the raid is not successful and the bombing is badly scattered. Four Lancasters are lost.

During the night of 4/5 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 749 aircraft, 384 Halifaxes, 336 Lancasters and 29 Mosquitos, to bomb Bochum: 705 aircraft bomb the city with the loss of 23 Halifaxes and five Lancasters. German night fighters cause most of the casualties. No 346 (Free French) Squadron, based at Elvington, Yorkshire, England, loses five out of its 16 Halifaxes on the raid. This is a particularly successful attack based upon standard Pathfinder marking techniques. Severe damage is caused to the centre of Bochum. More than 4,000 buildings are destroyed or seriously damaged. Bochum's industrial areas are also severely damaged, particularly the important steelworks. This is the last major raid by Bomber Command on this target. In another raid, 174 Lancasters and two Mosquitos are send to attack the Dortmund-Ems Canal; 170 bomb the targets with the loss of three Lancasters. The Germans had partly repaired the section of the canal north of Münster after the RAF

raid in September, so this further attack is required. The banks of both branches of the canal are again breached and water drains off, leaving barges stranded and the canal unusable. A report from Armaments Minister Albert Speer to Chancellor Adolf Hitler, dated 11 November 1944, is captured at the end of the war and describes how the bombing of the canal is preventing smelting coke from the Ruhr mines reaching three important steelworks, two near Brunswick and one at Osnabrück. In his post-war interrogation, Speer states that these raids on the Dortmund-Ems Canal, together with attacks on the German railway system, produce more serious setbacks to the German war industry at this time than any other type of bombing. Finally, Mosquitos hit three cities: 41 bomb Hannover, four attack Herford and one bombs Castrop Rauxel. The Mosquitos claim four Luftwaffe Ju 88s and two Me 110s destroyed and two other night fighters damaged, possibly their most successful night of the war.

U-2518 commissioned.

U-3515, U-3516 launched.

AUSTRIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators with fighter escort hit several targets: two targets are hit at Linz, 167 bomb the Hermann Göring benzine oil facility while 76 hit the Main marshalling yard, 23 hit the marshalling yard at Wels and 16 aircraft bomb targets of opportunity. One aircraft is lost.

HUNGARY: Szolnok, south-east of Budapest, falls to the Soviets of the Second Ukrainian Front in their advance to Cegled which is 40 miles from Budapest on the rail line to the capitol. Here they halt, held up by stiff resistance, rain and exhaustion.

ITALY: Over 200 USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders hit railway and road bridges in the Brenner Pass while 130+ B-25s strike communications in the west Po Valley, cutting at least four bridges. Fighters and fighter-bombers of the XXII Tactical Air Command concentrate on communications targets and trains in the Po Valley and defenses in the battle area south of Bologna. Some XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft hit guns on the northern Italian coast, some hit a rocket launching site and communications north of battle area, and four P-47 Thunderbolts bomb a Milan hotel where Adolf Hitler is rumored to be staying.

Two USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers bomb the marshalling yard at Porto Gruaro.

During the day, 91 RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group fly supplies to the partisans. The mission is repeated again during the night of 4/5 November.

CHINA: Thirty four USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-38 Lightnings, P-40s and P-51 Mustangs attack road traffic and other targets of opportunity in the Mangshih and Lungling areas while four P-38s bomb the pass near Menghsu, blocking the highway.

BURMA: In the British Fourteenth Army's XXXIII Corps area, the Indian 5th Division clears Kennedy Peak, another Japanese strongpoint south of Tiddim..

Seventeen USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts attack Shwebo Airfield while six others bomb stores of guns and ammunition at Mong Yaw.

JAPAN: Six USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators strike the airfield, buildings, and offshore shipping at Suribachi and Kurabu on Paramushiru Island in the Kurile Islands.

VOLCANO ISLANDS: Eighteen USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators based on Saipan bomb Iwo Jima Island airfields and two others, on a shipping reconnaissance, bomb Naha Jima.

U.S. Sixth Army X Corps' area on Leyte Island, the corps, directed to take up a defensive role against seaborne attack in the Carigara area and to patrol to locate sites for artillery within range of Ormoc, regroups. After a patrol of the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, finds that the Japanese have fallen back, advance continues through Colasian and Pinamopoan to the edge of the ridge later called Breakneck Ridge. In the XXIV Corps area, 1st Battalion of 382d Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division, continues the attack west of Dagami toward Bloody Ridge and gains about 1,000 yards (914 meters) against light opposition. The Japanese counterattacking on night of 4/5 November are turned back by artillery fire and leave 254 dead behind.

USAAF Far East Air Forces B-24 Liberators again bomb Alicante Airfield on the northeast coast of Negros Island.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Australian troops of the 6th Brigade land at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain. Jacquinot Bay became an important base for Australian operations against the Japanese on New Britain.

MARCUS ISLAND: Two USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators on armed reconnaissance from Guam bomb Marcus Island. The island is located in the North Pacific about 768 nautical miles (1 422 kilometers) west-northwest of Wake Island and is used as a refueling point for Japanese aircraft en route to the Central Pacific.

2200: USS Seawolf (SS-197) sinks a civilian cargo ship at 21-00 N, 113-05 E. (Skip Guidry)

1600: USS SAILFISH (SS-192) sinks the destroyer HIJMS HARUKAZE about 109 nautical miles (202 kilometers) north of Aparri, Luzon, Philippine Islands, in position 20.10N, 121.43E. .

1900: USS RAY (SS-271) sinks an armed transport at 15-55 N, 119-44 E. (Skip Guidry)

A rubberized Japanese Fu-Go balloon is recovered about 69 nautical miles (128 kilometers) southwest of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., in position 33.20N, 119.20W at 1555 hours local. The envelope, rigging and some apparatus are recovered. These balloons measured 32 feet (9,8 meters) in diameter and are filled with hydrogen gas. This balloon is rubber but future Fu-Go balloons are crafted from laminated mulberry parchment paper and held together with a persimmon glue. They are designed to rise to a height between 32,000 and 38,000 feet (9 754 and 11 582 meters) and stay aloft for about 65 to 70 hours. At this height, they would be carried by the jet stream (which was unknown to the rest of the world at the time) at a speed of 100 to 200 miles per hour (161 to 322 kilometers per hours) to North America. The design is actually quite ingenious. Each balloon carries five or six incendiary bombs and one conventional bomb. They are equipped with up to 30 six pound (2, 7 kilogram) sandbags for ballast. These sandbags are released one at a time by an aneroid barometer trigger each time the balloon dips below 30,000 feet (9 144 meters). Once the last sandbag is released, the designers figure that the balloon would be over the North America and an onboard battery lit a series of fuses to release the bombs. Finally, a demolition charge is set off to destroy any evidence of the balloons existence. This is the first balloon recovered.

U.S.A.: British Field Marshal Sir John Dill, the head of the British Inter-Service Mission to Washington, dies and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, the only foreigner to be so honored. Dill was a Corps commander (1 Corps) in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and rose to be Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS). He was renowned as a brilliant staff officer, but struck down by illness from the end of 1941, hence the sideline to Washington. It was there that Dill developed a close personal friendship with General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, which resulted in a closer U.S.-British alliance. On Dill's death, it is Marshall who intervenes to have Dill buried at Arlington National Cemetery, normally reserved only for Americans who had served their nation during wartime. Dill's plot is also marked by only one of two equestrian statues in the cemetery.

Douglas DC-3-277C, msn 2251, registered NC28310 by Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA), crashes at about 1715 hours local at Hanford, California. This is TWA Flight 8 from San Francisco, California to New York City. All 21 passengers and three crew are killed. The cause of the accident is the separation of the wing from the aircraft after it enters a thunderstorm and encounters severe turbulence. The failure of the airplane's structure as a result of severe turbulence, an important contributing cause, is the fact that the airplane is undoubtedly in an abnormal attitude of flight, i.e., inverted, at the instant of structural failure. The cause of the airplane becoming inverted is not determined.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Submarine HMS Venturer, under command of the highly-decorated Lt Jimmy Launders, left Dundee on Operation Hangman to resupply clandestine observers reporting shipping movements along the Norwegian Coast. Chalmers was at the periscope when he saw the conning tower of a U-boat surface a few hundred yards away, and called Launders to the control room. In a snap attack lasting six minutes, Chalmers handled the boat while Launders fired four torpedoes to sink U-771. Next day Venturer resumed its mission, entering Andfjord by night in clear windless weather to land its stores by rubber dinghy. Chalmers was awarded the DSC.