19 Feb 1943
  • Rommel launched a surprise counter-attack at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia, overwhelming the fresh but inexperienced Americans. ww2dbase [Battle of Kasserine Pass | AC]
  • German Army Group South began a counteroffensive toward Kharkov, Ukraine and Belgorod, Russia. ww2dbase [Third Battle of Kharkov | CPC]
  • USS Runner attacked a Japanese transport and an escorting destroyer in the western Pacific; she claimed the sinking of a Japanese transport, hitting her with 2 of 3 torpedoes fired; four torpedoes were fired at the destroyer without any hits. ww2dbase [Runner (Gato-class) | CPC]
  • Adolf Hitler departed the headquarters of German Army Group South. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | CPC]
  • Cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Cleveland, USS Columbia, and USS Denver along with destroyers USS Fletcher, USS O’Bannon, USS Radford, and USS Nicholas departed Efate, New Hebrides bound for the Guadalcanal-Tulagi area in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Nicholas | Columbia | Montpelier | Denver | DS]
Atlantic Ocean
  • Alpino Bagnolini detected an aircraft with her Metox radar detector in the Atlantic Ocean at 0405 hours; she submerged to avoid detection. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | CPC]
  • Comandante Cappellini sighted a ship in the Atlantic Ocean at 2040 hours; she failed to close the distance and ultimately lost contact. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | CPC]
Caroline Islands
  • Repair ship Akashi began repairing destroyer Hamakaze at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]
US Pacific Islands
  • Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. ww2dbase [Shaw | Minneapolis | Mississippi | Pago Pago, Samoa | DS]
Photo(s) dated 19 Feb 1943
Jorge Vargas, President of the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Executive Commission, speaking in public with his daughter, 19 Feb 1943American Red Cross assistant field director Herbert M. Sifford grinding coffee in a camp near Tebessa, Tunisia before heading out to meet soldiers, 19 Feb 1943British PIAT team on exercise at a firing range in Tunisia, 19 Feb 1943

19 Feb 1943 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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