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• » 15 Oct 1943

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Singapore. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | CPC]
• I-168 was struck from the Navy List. ww2dbase [I-68/I-168 | CPC]
• USS Tang was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Richard O'Kane in command. ww2dbase [Tang | CPC]
• Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Sama (now Sanya), Hainan, China. ww2dbase [Ryuho | CPC]
• Captain Tamekiyo Oda was made the commanding officer of Katori, relieving Hyoe Minakuchi. ww2dbase [Katori | CPC]
• USS Nicholas arrived at Tulagi, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Nicholas | DS]

• 15 D3A dive bombers of Air Group 582 escorted by 39 A6M fighters attacked Oro Bay just south of Dobodura, Australian Papua. 54 P-38 and 8 P-40 fighters rose of defend. The Japanese lost 14 D3A dive bombers and 5 A6M fighters, and caused only light damage to Allied shipping. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Oro Bay | CPC]
• 33rd Bomb Squadron and 408th Bomb Squadron (both flying B-25 aircraft) of USAAF 22nd Bomb Group were transferred from Australia to Dobodura Airfield, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Dobodura Airfield | Dobodura | CPC]

• Originally given the task of escorting US Army Air Force bombers to attack Kahili Airfield on Bougainville island, the US Marine Corps F4U fighters arrived earlier than the bombers, thus the mission became a fighter sweep of the Japanese airfield. 22 Japanese A6M fighters rose to defend. USMC pilot Bill Case claimed 2 victories, Tom Emrich 2, Burney Tucker 1, and Gregory Boyington 1. Japanese records would later reveal that only 1 fighter was destroyed on this day. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]

• Marcel Albert, flying a Yak-9 fighter, shot down a Fw 190 aircraft 7 kilometers north of Horki, Byellorussia. ww2dbase [Marcel Albert | Horki | CPC]
• Marcel Albert, flying a Yak-9 fighter, shot down a Ju 88 aircraft 10 kilometers north of Horki, Byellorussia. ww2dbase [Horki | CPC]
• Marcel Albert, flying a Yak-9 fighter, shot down a Fw 190 aircraft 7 kilometers north of Horki, Byellorussia. ww2dbase [Horki | CPC]

• Shokaku departed Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Shokaku | Truk | CPC]

• French General de Lattre de Tassigny escaped from Vichy France, eventually joining the Free French. ww2dbase [Jean de Lattre de Tassigny | TH]
• The first squadron of the German Luftwaffe Fernaufklärungsgruppe 5 special long range reconnaissance unit became operational at Mont-de-Marsan in southwestern France. ww2dbase [Mont-de-Marsan, Aquitaine | CPC]

• U-23 damaged Soviet minesweeping trawler TSC-486 Sovetskja Rossiya with a torpedo just off the Georgian coast at 2131 hours. U-23 attempted to follow the small three-ship convoy, but was driven away by gunfire. ww2dbase [U-23 | CPC]

• USS Tennessee and USS Bailey arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. ww2dbase [Bailey | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• Yugure was removed from the Japanese Navy List. ww2dbase [Yugure | DS]

• Britain-based US 55th Fighter Group became the first group to conduct operations in P-38 fighters over continental Europe. ww2dbase [P-38 Lightning | CPC]
• USS Ranger and the Home Fleet departed Scapa Flow, Scotland bound for Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland. ww2dbase [Ranger | Orkney Islands, Scotland | DS]

• The keel of future escort carrier Petrof Bay was laid down at the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Vancouver, Washington, United States. ww2dbase [Petrof Bay | Vancouver, Washington | CPC]

15 Oct 1943 Interactive Map