January 14th, 1945 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: An RAF Mosquito from No. 51 OTU, based at Cranfield in Bedfordshire.
The twin-engined aircraft had been on a routine training mission when mechanical failure forced the pilot to bring it down in a field in what was then Buckinghamshire and is now the outskirts of Milton Keynes.
It took off on its ill-fated cross country night flight at 1735hrs. Pilot Warrant Officer Gavin Harvie and navigator Sergeant Martin Sydney Card quickly discovered that some of the Mosquito's equipment was malfunctioning and radioed a distress call just minutes into the flight.
Changing course, they turned back towards RAF Cranfield while talking to the ground controllers. The radio transmission suddenly went dead and a flash was seen from the crash site. (Heath Reidy, the John Lewis Distribution Chronicle)
NORTH SEA: During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Denmark. Ten aircraft lay mines in the Kattegat, the broad arm of the North Sea between Sweden and Denmark, and nine lay mines in the Laeso Rende Strait between the Dannish mainland and the island of Laeso.
WESTERN EUROPE: The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 793: two B-17 Flying Fortressess and five B-24 Liberators drop leaflets over southeastern Belgium and Germany during the night of 14/15 January.
Over 280 USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Invaders and B-26 Marauders strike bridges and communications centers in the base area of the Ardennes salient and in other areas of western Germany. Fighters escort USAAF Eighth and Ninthe Air Force bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and patrols, attack numerous ground targets, and support the U.S. First Army in the Vielsalm, Belgium area and the U.S. Third Army around Diekirch, Luxembourg.
BELGIUM: In the U.S. First Army's VII Corps area, the 84th Infantry Division gains its final objectives, taking Nadrin, Filly, Petite Mormont, and Grande Mormont; a 4th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) patrol makes visual contact with a U.S. Third Army patrol. The 2d Armored Division seizes Wibrin, Cheveoumont, Wilogne, and Dinez. The 3d Armored Division takes Mont le Ban and Baclain. The 83d Infantry Division clears Honvelez and high ground near Bovigny. In the XVIII (Airborne) Corps' 106th Infantry Division sector, the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment clears Henumont and continues south; the 424th Infantry Regiment secures Coulee and Logbiermé. Some elements of the 30th Infantry Division attack toward Hâdomont and Thirimont, last night, and take Hâdomont before dawn; other elements clear Villers and Ligneuville and gain bridgeheads across Amblve River at these points.
In the U.S. Third Army's VIII Corps area, the 17th Airborne Division's 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment secures Bertogne, from which the Germans have fled, and the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment takes Givroulle; both regiments continue to the Ourthe River. A task force of Combat Command A, 11th Armored Division, clears the Falize woods and drives along the Longchamps-Compogne highway until stopped by heavy fire. The 101st Airborne Division continues the attack toward the Noville-Rachamps-Bourcy area. At 0415 hours, 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment holding the village of Foy is attacked by an estimated 75 German infantry and six tanks. The attack is repulsed but at 0600 hours additional German forces are committed and they are successful in forcing the 3rd Battalion out of Foy. At 0900 hours artillery fire of the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion is directed at Foy and by 0900 hours Item Company is back in the village, the German tanks having withd rawn. At 1220 hours, the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment moves past Recogne, attacks and seizes Cobru by 1800 hours. Meanwhile the 1st and 3rd Battalions move around the left flank. 1st Battalion goes forward about 1.5 miles (2,4 kilometers) through the Fazone Woods to some high ground overlooking Cobru. The 3rd Battalion follows and takes up a position to the south near a small lake in the Fazone Woods. Both battalions are in position by 1500 hours. Casualties for the day totaled 37. The Germans are cleared from Cobru. A Tank Task Force of Combat Command B, 11th Armored Division, followed by an infantry Task Force, enters Noville but withdraws under intense fire. In the III Corps area, Combat Command A, 6th Armored Division, clears the woods east of Wardin and captures Benonchamps; Combat Command B finishes clearing Mageret.FRANCE: In the U.S. Seventh Army's XXI Corps area, Regimental Combat Team 542 of the 36th Infantry Division moves to the 103d Infantry Division zone to cover the relief of that division by Task Force Herren. In the VI Corps area, the Germans continue vigorous defense of the Bitche salient. The 45th Infantry Division makes slight gains along its perimeter. The 14th Armored Division battles the Germans in Rittershoffen and Hatten.
LUXEMBOURG: In the U.S. Third Army's III Corps area, elements of the 90th Infantry Division drive toward Niederwampach. Having cleared small pockets during the night, the 26th Infantry Division moves combat patrols against the Germans south of the Wiltz River.
GERMANY: Berlin reports a new Soviet offensive in Schlossberg (Pillkallen) region of northeastern East Prussia.
The First Canadian Army forces the Germans across the Rhine River opposite Wesel, ending a month-long campaign west of the Rhine. The Canadians lost 5,304 dead in Rhine campaign.
In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 94th Infantry Division opens a series of small-scale attacks to improve defensive positions in the Saar-Moselle triangle south of Wasserbillig, Luxembourg, a strongly fortified switch position of the West Wall. The 376th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, takes Tettingen and Butzdorf. The 95th Infantry Division moves two battalions to objectives in the Saarlautern bridgehead area and then withdraws them as planned.
The USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 791: 911 bombers and 860 fighters are dispatched to attack oil refineries and plants in central Germany and highway bridges at Cologne; clear skies allow all bombers to bomb visually. About 250 Luftwaffe fighters attack and the USAAF claims 158-0-30 aircraft; seven bombers and 11 fighters are lost. The targets are (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of aircraft bombing and number lost, e.g., 97-1):
- Bridges at Cologne: Deutz (70-1) and Rodenkirchen (36-0) highway bridges; and Hohenzollern (67-0) railroad bridge.
- Miscellaneous: Cities of Berg (1-0) and Cologne (1) and Osnabruck marshalling yard (9-0).
- Oil targets: Derben oil storage facility (184-12); Ehmen oil storage facility (89-0); Heide oil refinery at Hemmingstedt (89-0); Rothensee synthetic oil refinery at Magdeburg (91-4).
- Steel factory: Hallendorf/Hermann Göring at Hallendorf (180-0).
- Targets of opportunity: 26 aircraft bombed.
During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 134 Lancasters to attack the marshalling yards at Saarbrücken in clear visibility; 121 bomb the target without loss.
During the night of 14/15 January, RAF Bomber Command attack six targets:
- 573 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos carry out two attacks, 3 hours apart, on the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg; 561 aircraft bomb with the loss of eight Lancasters. The attacks cause severe damage throughout the plant. Albert Speer, in his post-war interrogations, stated that this was one of a group of most damaging raids on the synthetic-oil industry carried out during this period.
- 151 aircraft, 136 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos and three Lancasters, attack the marshalling yards at Grevenbroich; 142 bomb the target without loss. The raid is successful..
- 115 aircraft, 100 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos and three Lancasters, attempt to bomb a Luftwaffe fuel-storage depot at Dölmen, near Münster; 104 bomb the target with the loss of one Halifax. Most of the bombs fall in open country south and southeast of the target and only slight damage is caused to the fuel dump.
- Mosquitos attack three targets without loss: 75 bomb Berlin, nine hit Mannheim and one attacks Cologne.
U-3521 is commissioned.
POLAND: Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front began attacks, against German Army Group "A", from both the Magnuszew and Pulawy bridgheads north of Baranow. This is two days after Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front has attacked and broken through at Baranow.
The Soviet attacks at Magnuszew and Pulawy were even more devastating, and the progress from those bridgeheads was even greater than from the Sandomierz-Baranow bridgehead. Soon this whole front, from Warsaw south along the Vistula shattered into incohesive fragments in front of the Soviet's eyes. (Russ Fulsom)
ITALY: During the night of 14/15 January, USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs hit targets in the Po Valley, including Po River crossings at Borgoforte, Piacenza, and San Benedetto Po.
YUGOSLAVIA: The Germans are steadily withdrawing forces from the country.
GREECE: A cease fire between the British and the Communist ELAS is agreed to.
NORWAY: During the night of 14/15 January, 11 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off Oslo.
U-1208 sailed from Norway on her first and only patrol.
CHINA: Twenty seven USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators, supported by 45 P-40s and P-51 Mustangs attack Hankow; eight Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed. Seven B-25 Mitchells hit targets at and west of Kengtung while 42 P-40s, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs attack airfields at Wuchang and Hankow; 17 Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed. Twenty one P-40s and P-51 Mustangs hit targets of opportunity in the Wanting area; five P-51 Mustangs hit trucks and buildings at Shanhsien; and eight others attack shipping on the Yangtze River near Anking sinking a cargo ship.
BURMA: In the British Fourteenth Army's Indian XXXIII Corps area, the Indian 19th Division secures a bridgehead across the Irrawaddy River at Thabeikkyin, evoking speedy and violent reaction from the Japanese. The Japanese mistakes the division for the Indian IV Corps as hoped and, to avert a threat to Mandalay, rushes reserves forward thus weakening other sectors. For the next month, the Indian 19th Division withstands repeated and determined counterattacks.
Twelve USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit troops, stores area, and knock out three bridges near Nampawng and Hay-ti; 26 fighter- bombers support ground forces at Si-U and at Mabein; and over 60 fighter-bombers attack supply areas, troop concentrations, and general targets of opportunity at or near Hsenwi, Se-u, Kongnyaung, Kutkai, Mongmit, Manai, and Kawnghka.
JAPAN: The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command flies Mission 19: 73 B-29 Superfortresses from the Mariana Islands are dispatched to bomb the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya; 40 hit the primary target and 23 hit alternates and targets of opportunity; they claim 16-7-26 Japanese aircraft; five B-29s are lost.
FORMOSA: The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XX Bomber Command flies Mission 28: 82 B-29 Superfortressess out of Chengtu, China, are dispatched to bomb air installations at Kagi; 55 hit the primary target while one bombs Heito; 22 others hit alternates and targets of opportunity at several points, among them Taichu Airfield, Formosa.
VOLCANO ISLANDS: Twelve USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Guam bomb an airfield on Iwo Jima; two B-24 Liberators from the Mariana Islands fly snooper strikes against Iwo Jima airfields during the night of 14/15 January.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: In the U.S. Sixth Army's XIV Corps area on Luzon, the 40th Infantry Division's Reconnaissance Troop reaches Alaminos; the 160th Infantry Regiment drives south along Route 13 from Aguilar to Mangatarem. Pushing south across the Agno River, the 129th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division, takes Bautista; the 37th Infantry Division's Reconnaissance Troop finds Camiling undefended. In the I Corps area, the 6th Infantry Division continues a holding action and patrols actively. In the 43d Infantry Division zone, the 158th Infantry Regiment attacks toward Rosario but meets such heavy fire in a defile near Amlang that it pulls back approximately to its starting line; the 63d Infantry Regiment seizes Hill 363. After taking Hill 351, which has been bypassed, and mopping up on Hill 80, the 172d Infantry Regiment secures Hills 585 and 565 and pushes on toward Hill 665; upon spotting Japanese moving down Route 3, they are ordered to attack tomorrow for the junc tion of Routes 3 and 11. The 169th Infantry Regiment mops up on Hill 318 and prepares to attack Hill 355. The 103d Infantry Regiment establishes an outpost about 1.5 miles (2,4 kilometers) southeast of Pozorrubio.
In the U.S. Eighth Army's XXIV Corps area on Leyte, the 96th Infantry Division relieves the 11th Airborne Division of tactical responsibility on Leyte and sends two battalions to Samar Island. to relieve the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, of garrison duty at Catbalogan. During the night of 14/15 January, the 7th Infantry Division sends a task force, composed of the 3d Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, the 776th Tank Battalion, and elements of the 718th and 536th Amtrac Battalions, on an amphibious mission to secure Camotes Island located between Leyte and Cebu Islands.
USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells attack Aparri Airfield while supporting P-51 Mustangs destroy several parked aircraft; and A-20 Havocs bomb Clark Field destroying numerous parked aircraft, while B-24 Liberators hit troop concentrations at Cabanatuan. B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers over wide areas of Luzon hit tanks, trucks, and other vehicles near Norzagaray, Masbate, Tartaro, Bulac, Banglos, and San Felipe; bomb a bridge north of Bocaue; hit airfields at Tuguegarao and Batangas on Luzon, Malabang on Mindanao Island, and Silay on Negros Island; bomb the Cotabato supply area on Mindanao; and attack numerous other targets.
EAST INDIES: USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells bomb the Goeroea area, Halmahara Island. Moluccas Islands.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: Twenty two USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators from Saipan Island and 21 from Guam Island bomb airfields on Moen Island, Truk Atoll; nine P-38 Lightnings escort the Saipan B-24 Liberators.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Submarine U.S.S. Cobia (SS-245), making her third patrol, fires a salvo of five torpedoes in a daytime periscope attack against HIJMS Yurijima off the east coast of Malaya southeast of Kota Bharu. One torpedo explodes and sinks the coastal minelayer in position 05°51'N, 103°16'E. (Chris Sauder)
CANADA: HMC ML081 begins a refit.
U.S.A.: Submarine USS Chivo launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Corvette HMCS Trillium, while escorting the 47-ship Southend to New York City Convoy ON-278, suffered a collision with coaster, which sank. No record of either name of the vessel or loss of life, in this incident.
At 1035, U-1232 attacked Convoy BX-141 east of Halifax, sank SS British Freedom and badly damaged SS Martin Van Buren six minutes later. The U-boat then sank SS Athelviking and missed HMCS Ettrick. Later in the action, HMCS Ettrick, while conducting an attack, ran over the conning tower of U-1232, which was forced to depart for home badly damaged. Dobratz reported sinking four ships totalling 30.400 tons. The master and three crewmembers from SS Athelviking were lost. 39 crewmembers and eight gunners were picked up by HMC ML-102 and landed at Halifax.