1 Dec 1943 | World War II Database

1 Dec 1943

B-24 bombers of the 7th Bombardment Group (H) attacked Rangoon harbour and railway yards in Burma. During the course of the raid the bombers had to fight off countless Japanese fighter attacks for 70 minutes (a theatre record). Six American bombers failed to return. ww2dbase [AC]
German government reported dated this month noted that there were now 1,160,000 Western European, 1,800,000 Eastern European, and 600,000 Italian forced laborers in Germany. ww2dbase [CPC]
Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was named the commanding officer of the 2nd Group of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2. ww2dbase [Heinrich | CPC]
USS Ray attacked a Japanese ship with her deck gun north of New Guinea, causing no damage. ww2dbase [Ray | CPC]
Nobutake Kondo was named the commanding officer of the Japanese China Area Fleet. ww2dbase [Nobutake Kondo | CPC]
USS Seahorse damaged a Japanese transport south of Japan, hitting her with two of four torpedoes fired. She ran out of torpedoes and set sail for Hawaii Islands. ww2dbase [Seahorse | CPC]
US IX Fighter Command aircraft began operations from the United Kingdom when 28 P-51B fighters flew a sweep over north-western France. The mission also marked the debut of the Merlin-powered Mustang fighter in USAAF service. ww2dbase [P-51 Mustang | AC]
Minoru Ota was made the commanding officer of 14th Auxiliary Base Force. ww2dbase [Minoru Ota | CPC]

Australian Papua

319th, 320th, 321st, and 400th Bomb Squadrons (all flying B-24 aircraft) of USAAF 90th Bomb Group were transferred from Port Moresby to Dobodura Airfield, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Dobodura Airfield | Dobodura | CPC]

Caroline Islands

Germany

Rudolf Höss was assigned to the SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt based at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Oranienburg, Germany. ww2dbase [Rudolf Höss | Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp | Oranienburg, Mark Brandenburg | CPC]
The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Leverkusen, Germany in the Ruhr Valley but an equipment malfunction in the pathfinder aircraft prompted a diversion to the secondary target at nearby Solingen, Germany. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Solingen | DS]

Gilbert and Ellice Islands

USS Hoel struck an uncharted shoal off Betio Point, Tarawa Atoll. Hoel was hard aground with her bow lifted fully above the surface. Hoel was freed the following day after 18 hours of being fully exposed to enemy attack. Hoel’s propeller blades were bent and her underwater sound gear had been carried away. ww2dbase [Hoel | Gilbert Islands Campaign | Tawara | DS]

Hawaii

Barbers Point Naval Air Station: More of ACORN-20, ARGUS-18, ACORN-21, CASU-30, ACORN-22, CASU-34, ARGUS-21, ARGUS-22, and 4 officers and 99 men of GROPAC-4; plus 1 officer of GROPAC-2 arrived on board. More of ACORN-20, CASU-20, CASU-30, GROPAC-2, and 2 officers and 38 men of GROPAC-5 arrived on board, plus 1 officer and 17 men of Task Group 19.18. ww2dbase [Barbers Point Naval Air Station | Ewa, Oahu | DS]

Italy

US Fifth Army launched an offensive on the Garigliano River in Italy, led by British X Corps. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | TH]

Japan

The keel of landing ship No. 101 was laid down by Osaka Zosen. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]

Marshall Islands

Naka arrived at Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands, disembaked troops, and departed. ww2dbase [Naka | Mili | CPC]
Submarine USS Spearfish returned to Jaluit and continued her reconnaissance survey. ww2dbase [Spearfish | Jaluit | DS]

Poland

Arthur Liebehenschel became the second commandant of Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Oswiecim | CPC]

Russia

German troops in the Crimea in Russia were completely isolated, as Soviet troops completed their control of the northern end of the Dneiper River bend. ww2dbase [Krym | TH]

Photo(s) dated 1 Dec 1943