Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII, January 19-February 1, 1943, BartCop.com

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January 19, 1943

The Soviet winter offensive builds in strength and success as they claim capturing over 52,000 since the start of the offensive. Voronezh Front continues to advance towards Kharkov. Meanwhile in the north, 59^th Army captures Novgorod.

The British 8^th Army continues its pursuit of Rommel across Libya, capturing Homs and Tarhuna, near Tripoli.

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January 20, 1943

The Germans launched a daylight raid against London. In the attack, a school was hit killing 44 children and a teacher.

With the reduction of the Stalingrad pocket well in hand, Soviet forces begin to leave the area to reinforce that attacks further west. To the south, the Red Army captures Mevinnomyssk and Proletarskaya.

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January 21, 1943

The Soviets capture the rail communications center of Voroshilovskii in the Caucasus.

The British code breakers at Bletchley Park broke the ?Procupine? key, which allowed them to read all Luftwaffe transmissions in southern Russia for nearly a month.

The US 1^st Armored Division, ?Old Ironsides?, begins operations to clear the Germans from the Ousseltia Valley in Tunisia.

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January 22, 1943

Von Paulus radios Hitler from Stalingrad saying, ?Rations exhausted. Over 12,000 wounded unattended in the pocket.? Hitler responded by stating, ?Surrender is out of the question.? On the battle front, a massive artillery barrage, followed by heavy infantry assaults results in the capture of the airfield at Gumrak and the Soviet 21^st and 62^nd Armies linked up, cutting the pocket into two, north and south of the city.

Japanese forces are attacked and decisively defeated at Sanananda. Fighting continues at Guadalcanal as US forces have success against Japanese forces around Henderson field.

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January 23, 1943

Soviet forces recapture Armavir, securing the line of communications with the Maikop oil fields in the Caucasus. At Stalingrad, the last German airplane, an He-111 carrying 19 wounded soldiers and seven bags of mail, flies out of the pocket as the last German airfield in the pocket falls to Russian attacks.

The British 8^th Army occupies Tripoli.

Japanese resistance on Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, ends.

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January 24, 1943

The Soviet attacks continue as Starobelskii, 250 miles west of Stalingrad, is liberated by Vatutin?s Southewest Front. Hitler reissues his orders not to surrender Stalingrad forbidding even small groups of soldiers from attempting to breakout of the pocket. In the meantime, Paulus orders that food should not be distributed to the 30,000 wounded and sick at Stalingrad. The Trans-Caucasus Front attacks begin to slow as they approach the Kuban peninsula. German resistance at Novorussisk and Krasnodar is particularly successful.

The Allies declare that New Guinea is cleared of Japanese resistance. In total, the Allies suffered 3000 casualties and the Japanese lost over 7000. Of the 350 prisoners captured, the vast majority were Chinese and Korean laborers.

Rommel?s forces in North Africa leave Libya for the last time, taking up defensive positions west of Medenine in Tunisia.

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January 25, 1943

German forces withdraw from Armavir and Voronezh.

The Casablanca Conference ends with the announcement that Churchill and Roosevelt would accept only the unconditional surrender of Germany, Japan, and Italy.

American forces take Maknassy in Tunisa.

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January 26, 1943

Soviet forces occupy Voronezh.

The British 8^th Army takes Zaula in Libya. They are now only 100 miles from Tunisia.

Manpower shortages on the fighting fronts force the Germans to replace flak crews in Germany with Hitler Youth boys as young as 15.

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January 27, 1943

The first ?all-American? daylight bombing raid on Germany occurs as 64 B-17 and B-24 bombers hit warehouses at Wilhelmshaven. The Americans claimed 22 German fighter kills and lost only 3 bombers.

Soviet forces clear the direct rail line between Moscow and Leningrad and begin operation on an rail extension through the newly opened corridor, bringing badly needed supplies to the starving city.

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January 28, 1943

In a review of war plans presented to the Diet by Premier Hideki Tojo reiterated Japan?s official neutrality toward the Soviet Union, announced plans to recognize the independence of the Burmese State, to grant independence to the Philippines if their people were prepared to cooperate, and to aid India in her fight for freedom against the British Empire.

Soviet forces liberate Kasternoe on the the Kursk-Voronezh railroad.

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January 29, 1943

The British 8th Army begins to cross the Tunisian frontier from Libya.

Admiral D?nitz takes over from Admiral Raeder as Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy.

The Luftwaffe makes its last major effort to supply the surrounded forces at Stalingrad, dropping supplies from 124 planes. It would be far to little, far to late.

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January 30, 1943

British Mosquito light attack bombers hit Berlin in the first British daylight raid against Berlin. The attacks disrupted the Nazi party?s 10^th anniversary celebration taking place at the same time. After a delay of an hour due to the raid, Goering gave his speech saying ?'A thousand years hence Germans will speak of this battle with reverence and awe.? Meanwhile, Paulus radioed Hilter saying, ?'The swastika flag is still flying above Stalingrad. May our battle be an example to the present and coming generations, that they must never capitulate even in a hopeless situation, for them Germany will emerge victorious.? Hitler decided to promote von Paulus to Field Marshal. No German Field Marshal had ever been captured and Hitler hoped von Paulus would commit suicide.

While escorting reinforcements for Guadalcanal, the US Navy heavy cruiser Chicago was hit and sunk by Japanese aircraft. 21 sailors were killed, but more than a 1000 of her crew were rescued.

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January 31, 1943

The Soviet government announced that at 1945 hours, after surrounding the Univemag department store building, Chuikov?s 62^nd Army, the defenders of Stalingrad, accepted the surrender of Field Marshal von Paulus and 16 other generals. The northern pocket continued to fight on.

The British 8^th Army captures Zuara near the Tunisain border.

RAF bombers launch tonight?s raid over Germany against Hamburg. This was the first time the H2S radar system was used to assist in targeting. The attack was only marginally successful but would lead to more effective use as the terror bombing campaign wore on.

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Feburary 1, 1943

German troops evacuate the Demyansk Pocket in order to shorten their lines and free up troops to plug the gapping holes to the south.

Japanese destroyers begin to evacuate the 13,000 soldiers who are still on Guadalcanal.

Ground was broken at Oak Ridge, Tennessee for the first Uranium-235 processing plant.

Soviet forces capture Svatovo, southeast of Kharkov, cutting the rail lines from the city to the Donets Basin.

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Arguing Victory - "... Each nation who fought against fascist tyranny in WWII brought with it part of whole needed to defeat that evil..."

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The First Casualty... in time of war, those in power are even more inclined to hide the truth, since that truth is often manifest in the most gruesome and terrible acts.

Those wishing to contribute items. stories or comments should contact D.A. Friedrichs

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