 Soviet infantry counterattack against the Germans trapped in the Stalingrad pocket |
Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII
Remembering the First Fight Against Fascism |
 Soviet tanks make a night assault against German positions along the Chir River. |
The 2nd Guards Army moves into positions along the Myshkova River, backstopping the 51st Army, still retreating before the German relief attacks at Stalingrad. Zhukov and Konev abandon the attacks on the eastern side of the Rzhev salient as the 20th and 29th Armies simply burn themselves out. On the other side of the bulge, the 40,000 men of the 41st Army attempted to break out of their encirclement. The force lost all of its tanks and heavy weapons and only about half of the men escaped. Operation Mars was over, an inglorious defeat for Zhukov. The
British 8th Army sends the 2nd New Zealand Infantry division in an attempt to
outflank and surround the retreating Afrika Korps in Libya. Operation
"Little Saturn" begins as the Soviet Voronezh and Southwest Fronts attack
the Italian 8th Army and elements of the Rumanian 3rd Army. The Italians were
utterly destroyed in the initial attacks along with much of the Rumanian army.
and Tatsinskaya, the main German-held airfield for resupplying Stalingrad, was
overrun. At Stalingrad, "Operation Ring" began as a new set of attacks to
reduce the German pocket began. Fighting continues at Guadalcanal as US dive bombers attack yet another resupply effort, sinking the Japanese destroyer Kagero. British forces attack in the Arakan Valley in Burma but move to slowly to catch the Japanese defenders before they were able to retreat to more defensible positions A
joint declaration was announced in Moscow, London and Washington stating,
" the German authorities, not content with denying to persons of Jewish race
in all the territories over which their barbarous rule has been extended the
intention to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe Jews are being
transported, in conditions of appalling horror and brutality, to Easter
Europe None of these taken away are ever heard of again ". The Allied
governments concluded by condemning " in the strongest possible terms this
bestial policy of cold-blooded extermination." US
and Australian forces launch an attack against Japanese positions at Buna. Tank
troops lead many of the attacks. Admiral
Darlan announces that the French Fleets in Dakar, Alexandria, and other North
African ports would join the United Nations. The Volga River freezes allowing the Soviets to resupply the depleted 62nd Army in Stalingrad as Operation Winterstorm continues to inch closer to the trapped 6th Army in the city. Heavy fighting continues at Buna as US and Japanese forces continue to make limited headway against tenacious Japanese defenses. Stalled
for several days a mere 30 miles from the pocket, Hoth's troops attack in an
all out effort to relieve Stalingrad. They succeed in reaching reached the
Myshkova. General von Manstein, knowing the relief attack will not succeeds
orders von Paulus to breakout. However, von Paulus takes the advice of his chief
of staff General Schmidt, a sycophant of Hitlers's and stays in Stalingrad.
Meanwhile, the Soviet's capture Kontemirovka and continue to grind the Italian
8th Army to a bloody pulp. Despite
a massive effort to supply the surrounded defenders of Stalingrad from the air,
it failed. This day saw the Luftwaffe fly 250 tons to Paulus' Army, less than
half the minimum needed simply to sustain his forces. Even this inadequate level
was never met again. The
British cruiser Neptune strikes a mine off Malta and sinks. Hoth's
Battle Group was within sixteen miles of Stalingrad and completely spent. They
could not break trough the Soviet defense Von Manstein proposed that Paulus
break out and link up with Hoth. Paulus was unwilling to do anything without
Hitler's authorization. It would never come. The Germans at Stalingrad were
doomed. Meanwhile, the Caucasus Front opened it's offensive to drive the
Germans from that region and Soviets continue to probe the German defenses along
the Chir River and in the Millerovo area. Spain
and Portughal announce the creation of a neutral Iberian bloc. Dispite this,
Spain's fascist leader Franco has a 20,000 "volunteers" fighting at
Leningrad, officially known as the 250th Infantry Division, but better known as
the "Blue Division". Bomber
Command begins using the "Oboe" navigation system to assist in there efforts
to burn Germany into submission. An
8000 ton Japanese merchant ship struck a mine planted by US submarine forces off
the coast of Cape Inubo, east of Tokyo. This was the first ship sunk by US
forces in Japanese home waters The
Japanese bomb Calcutta for the first time. British troops cross the Burmese border from India and head Southeast towards Akyab. The Indian 14th
Division advances in Burma moving toward Rathedaung. The Soviet Winter
Offensive continues to roll forward as Morozovsk, Fydorovka and Kikolkoe are
taken from the Germans. Operation "Winter
Storm" was abandoned an the three exhausted Panzer Divisions which made up the
fist of the attack, were withdrawn to the startline at Kotelnikovo. Heavy rains turn the Tunisian battlefield into a sea of mud and combat action comes to an abrupt halt. Von Manstein was forced to withdraw Group Hoth as new Soviet attacks from the Stalingrad Front broke through the 4th Rumanian Army, threatening the German forces from the south as well as the north. Soviet offensives continue with new vigor on the Don Front as well with the apparent end of "Winter Storm". US
bombers hit Wake Island. Japanese forces in
northern Burma attempt to attack in the Chin Hills and are thrown back by Indian
troops. Admiral Darlan,
leader of Free French forces in North Aftrica,
is assassinated by a Gaullist fanatic. Fighting on Longstop
Hill continues in Tunisia. The British occupy the position at the end of the
day's fight. Soviet
troops around Stalingrad launch attacks against the German perimeter. The
fighting is very heavy and casualties are high on both sides. 6th Army slaughter
12,000 horses in the pocket, and distributes the horse-meat as regular rations
begin to run out. The
see-saw battle for Longstop Hill continues This time, the Germans take the
position from the British. The 123 Brigade (14 Indian Division) reaches Rathedaung, Burma, but is stopped from entering the city by Japanese reinforcements. The Russians continue their advance in the middle Don region. They spearheads are 100 miles from Rostov, threatening to surround the German forces in the Caucuses and claim 56,000 prisoners since the offensive began. Hitler
allows Army Groups A and Don to retreat to a line 150 miles west of Stalingrad. Red Army General
Vlasov forms the anti-Stalin Smolensk Soviet. The German sponsored effort was to
recruit Russians to fight communism. Vlasov's efforts would result in the creation
of the Russian Liberation Army. Japanese
forces are ordered to withdraw from Buna. Roosevelt confirms that information on research activities will not be provided to the British unless they are actively involved in the research. The policy was specifically targeted at the ultra-secret Manhattan Project, the development of the nuclear bomb. The British were particularly upset by this non-cooperation policy. 1941 Archive: 1942 Archive: Special Editions: Editor's Corner Archive: Hitler's Angle "The story of Prescott Bush and his association with the Nazis begins just before the end of World War I..." The Past Through Tomorrow "It is quite frightening to realize just how similar our nation's actions have been and appear to be heading when compared this way..." Afghanistan and Vietnam: When the "war against terrorism" began, many knowledgeable people warned that our operations in Afghanistan would turn into another Vietnam. Want to Win - Think Before You Lash Out - "If we are serious about taking the war to the enemy, it is time to look ..." The First Fight Against Fascism - We must remember the Spanish Civil War also. Arguing Victory - "... Each nation who fought against fascist tyranny in WWII brought with it part of whole needed to defeat that evil..." War, Glory, Honor and Remembrance - "War is a brutal and savage insult on human society..." 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 |