Heinrich Himmler delivered the first of the two Posen speeches to assembled SS officers and German administrators in the German city of Posen (now Poznań in Poland). “What happens to the Russians, what happens to the Czechs, is a matter of utter indifference to me,” he said. “Such good blood of our own kind as there may be among the nations we shall acquire for ourselves, if necessary by taking away the children and bringing them up among us. Whether the other races live in comfort or perish of hunger interests me only in so far as we need them as slaves for our culture.” He added, “We shall never be rough or heartless where it is not necessary; that is clear. We Germans, who are the only people in the world who have a decent attitude to animals, will also adopt a decent attitude to these human animals…I shall speak to you here with all frankness of a very serious subject. We shall now discuss it absolutely openly among ourselves, nevertheless we shall never speak of it in public. I mean the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race….”
“Most of you must know what it means to see a hundred corpses lying side by side, or five hundred or a thousand. To have stuck this out and – apart from a few cases of human weakness – to have kept our integrity, this is what has made us hard. In our history, this is an unwritten and never-to-be-written page of glory….
“We had the moral right, we had the duty to our people, to destroy this people which wanted to destroy us … We do not in the end want to be infected by this germ. I will not see so much as a septic spot appear or gain hold. Wherever it may form, we will cauterize it …”
The organizing of some prisoners for slave labor and the inflicting of gruesome medical experimentation on others can also be attributed to him. Consequently, it is little wonder that he could so blithely say, “Whether or not 10,000 Russian women collapse from exhaustion while digging a tank ditch interests me only in so far as the tank ditch is completed for Germany.”
In Italy, 100+ XII Bomber Command B-17s bomb the Pisa marshalling yard and Bolzano bridges; B-25 Mitchells and B-26s attack the airfield at Argos, road defiles at Terracina and Isernia, a highway overpass at Mignano, and shipping at Bastia; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force aircraft hit road and rail junctions on the main road north from Capua; XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers hit trains, roads, railroads, and vehicles near Isernia, Avezzano, Pescara, and Isolella. The Allies now have complete control of Corsica.
German 16th Panzer Division attacked the newly gained bridgehead on the Biferno River near Termoli, Italy on the eastern end of the Volturno Line.
The Germans completed their conquest of Kos capturing 1,400 British and 3,150 Italian soldiers. They then carried out Adolf Hitler’s order to execute any Italian officers who had switched allegiance from the Axis to the Allies. Colonel Felice Leggio, and 100 of his fellow officers, were shot in groups of ten, then buried.
Twenty-eight USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Tatoi Airfield in Athens without loss.
Free French forces entered Bastia and completed the occupation of the island of Corsica. Fighting between the German garrison, reinforced by troops from Sardinia, and communist guerrillas has been going on since the Italian surrender. Regular Free French troops under General Henri Martin arrived 20 days ago, with only a few hundred landing each night. Furnished with motor and mule transport by the Italian troops on the island, his men seized the island’s spine, pushing the Germans back to their bridgehead at Bastia, from which they withdrew today.
The Germans had no intention of holding Corsica; their concern was purely to secure an orderly withdrawal. Under Commander von Liebenstein, who had organized the German evacuation of Sicily, they brought out 26,000 men, 3,200 vehicles, 5,000 tons of stores and 1,200 PoWs, in a movement described by the German News Agency as “an operational and organizational masterpiece.”
Participating in the expulsion of the Germans are patriots, Battalion du Choc (shock battalion), Moroccan Goums, the knife-wielding irregular troops, of the 4th Moroccan Mountain Division, and a small U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) party.
In Sardinia, the last German troops departed for the Italian mainland.
The Battle of Drashovica ended in victory for the Albanian resistance fighters.
Admiral Pound resigns as British First Sea Lord due to ill health. Admiral Fraser refuses the position, and it is accepted by Admiral Andrew Cunningham.
In England, the Eighth Air Force’s VIII Air Support Command and VIII Bomber Command fly missions.
VIII Air Support Command Mission 79: 25 B-26B Marauders are dispatched to Nivilliers Airfield at Beauvais and Fauville Airfield at Evreux, France; they return to base without bombing.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 108: 4 targets in Germany and a diversion are flown. 12 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 4 B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 223 P-47 Thunderbolts; they claim 19-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft.
104 B-17s are dispatched to the Wiesbaden industrial area; 15 aircraft hit Wiesbaden and 77 hit the industrial area at Frankfurt at 1059-1105 hours; they claim 19-3-15 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost.
37 B-17s bomb Frankfurt at 1110-1111 hours; they claim 18-8-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost.
115 B-17s are dispatched to the Saarlautern industrial area; 67 hit Saarlautern and 38 hit Robinson Airfield in St Dizier, France at 1136-1148 hours; they claim 37-7-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s are lost.
47 B-17s bomb the Sarreguemnines and Saarbrucken marshalling yards at 1133-1139 hours.
38 B-24s fly a diversion; they claim 13-6-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-24s are lost.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 109: 4 B-17s drop 240,352 leaflets over Paris between 2257-2307 hours.
Capt. Walker M. Mahurin, 63d FS/56 FG, USAAF, achieves ace status when he downs three Bf 110s (raising his score to six e/a destroyed) near Duren, Germany between1132 and 1140 hours. Mahurin goes on to shoot down 19.75 German plane, one Japanese plane, 3.5 Mig 15s in Korea for a total of 24.75 destroyed.
Frankfurt is bombed by Allies around the clock.
During the night of 4/5 October, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 406 aircraft, 162 Lancasters, 170 Halifaxes, 70 Stirlings, four Mosquitos and three USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses to attack Frankfurt-am-Main; 357 aircraft bomb the city. Ten RAF aircraft, five Halifaxes, three Lancasters and two Stirlings, are lost, 2.5 per cent of the force; one B-17 is also lost. This was the last RAF night-bombing raid in which American aircraft took part, but individual B-17s occasionally carry out bombing flights in following weeks Clear weather and good Pathfinder marking produces the first serious blow on Frankfurt so far in the war, with extensive destruction being caused in the eastern half of the city and in the inland docks on the River Main. Fifty-seven Lancasters carry out a diversionary raid to Ludwigshafen without loss but the marking and bombing are scattered. Other targets hit are: five Mosquitos bomb the Knapasck power station at Cologne, four Mosquitos hit Cologne and one each attack Aachen and Mannheim. The Mosquito attacking Aachen is carrying out the first operational trial of the G-H blind bombing equipment but the trial is not successful.
During the night of 4/5 October, four RAF Bomber Command Stirlings lay mines in the River Gironde.
German shipping off the Norwegian coast, near Bodo, was attacked by aircraft from the USS Ranger, operating with the British Home Fleet, in Operation LEADER. The battleships HMS Duke of York and HMS Anson provided support. Four German freighters were sunk and seven were badly damaged.
Operation LEADER, the only USN carrier operation carried out in northern European waters during WW II, causes “appreciable losses” to two convoys off the Norwegian coast and to shipping in the harbor of Bodo, Norway. The task force, consisting of RN ships and the USN aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), reach the launch position off Vestfjord before dawn completely undetected. At 0618 hours, Carrier Air Group Four (CVG-4) in USS Ranger launches 20 SBD Dauntless dive bombers of Bombing Squadron Four (VB-4) and an escort of 8 F4F Wildcat fighters of Fighting Squadron Four (VF-4). One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter SS LaPlata, while the rest continued north to attack a small German convoy.
They severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport and sink two of four small German merchantmen in the Bodö roadstead. A second attack group of 10 TBF Avengers of Torpedo Squadron Four (VT-4) and six Wildcats of VF-4 destroy a German freighter and a small coaster and bomb yet another troop-laden transport. Three Ranger planes were lost to antiaircraft fire. In the afternoon, USS Ranger is finally located by three German aircraft, but her combat air patrol shot down a Junkers Ju 88 and a Heinkel He 111 and chase off the third.
Sailing with Convoy XT.4, the Norwegian steam tanker Marit was torpedoed and sunk by the U-596, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Victor-Wilhelm Nonn, approximately 60 miles west of Derna, Libya in the central Mediterranean Sea. Of the ship’s complement, 2 died and 52 survivors were picked up by an escort vessel. The 5,542 ton Marit was carrying fuel oil and was bound for Tripoli, Libya.
The German submarines U-279, U-389, U-422 and U-460 were all depth charged and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by Allied aircraft.
North of the Azores, aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC 9) in the escort carrier USS Card (CVE-11) attack three German submarines, U-264, U-422, and U-455, rendezvousing with a Milch cow, U-460. U-460 and U-422 are sunk, in positions 43°13’N, 28°58’W, and 43°18’N, 28°58’W, respectively by F4F Wildcats and TBF Avengers. All hands are lost on U-422 and there are 2 survivors of the 64 aboard U-460. This action in the central Atlantic allows convoy UGS 19 to pass through the vicinity unmolested by U-boats.
Southwest of Iceland, German submarine U-279 is caught on the surface and sunk by depth charges from a USN PV-1 Ventura of Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty Eight (VB-128) based at NAF Reykjavik, Iceland. The sub sinks in position 60.40N, 26.30W with all hands (48 men).
U-389 (Type VIIC) is sunk southwest of Iceland, at position 60.51N, 28.26W, by depth charges from a British B-24 Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 120/X). 50 dead (all crew lost).
U-539 shot down RAF Liberator aircraft (Sqn 120/V.) Lost with this aircraft was Wing Commander R M Longmore, the commanding officer of the 120 Squadron.
RAF Hudson aircraft (Sqn 269/S) attacked U-731. The commander and 5 more men were wounded and the boat was damaged. The boat did not have to abort its patrol.
Using bases in the Azores, Allied aircraft are able to cover areas previously out of reach of their patrols.
In North East New Guinea, Dumpu is captured by Australian troops as they advance into the Ramu River Valley from the Markham Valley. Meanwhile, the Australian 20th Brigade continues fighting towards Sattelberg.
23 Thirteenth Air Force B-24s, covered by 16 P-38 Lightnings and several USMC F4U Corsairs, bomb Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island; 20-30 fighters intercept, and a running battle occurs between Bougainville and Vella Lavella Island; US fighters and bombers claim 9 IJN fighters downed; no American losses are suffered. Four P-39 Airacobras and 4 F4Us sink 18 barges in a strike along the west coast of Choiseul Island; the P-39s are especially effective because of their nose cannon.
9,400 men under General Sasaki evacuate Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands. US destroyers are foiled in their attempts to stop this movement by Admiral Ijuin’s fleet.
Short of food and ammunition, Japanese forces today abandoned Kolombangara, their last stronghold in the New Georgia group of islands in the central Solomons, according to reports from Allied coastwatchers, the undercover observers based on Japanese-held islands who have provided valuable intelligence during this campaign.
For the past 24 hours Japanese ships have struggled to evacuate the remnants of the 10,000-strong garrison which had defended Vila airfield, Japan’s last airbase in the central Solomons. During today’s fighting Allied aircraft and warships claim to have harassed enemy craft over a wide area, downing 12 Japanese planes and sinking 27 enemy craft. US losses are put at 1,094 killed and 3,874 wounded, against 2,483 Japanese dead.
A communiqué issues by Allied HQ South-west Pacific claimed that the Japanese evacuation of Kolombangara was the direct result of the Allied decision to bypass the island and let the Japanese there “wither on the vine”. A spokesman for Admiral Halsey said that the Allied occupation of Vella Lavella, to the north of Kolombangara, several weeks ago had effectively cut Japanese supply lines into Vila.
With the Allies now firmly in control of the central Solomons the way is now open for the next phase of Operation Cartwheel, an attack on Bougainville, the largest island in the Solomons.
USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb and strafe barges, small craft, and villages in the Vitu Islands.
In China, seventeen Japanese bomber aircraft and twenty-five Zero aircraft attacked the Kweilin airfield from 20,000 feet and caused little damage.
US fighter aircraft of the Fourteenth Air Force failed to engage the Japanese aircraft.
Du Pont engineers released reactor design drawings for the first Hanford, Washington plutonium production pile, B-100, allowing construction to begin.
San Francisco Fire Chief Albert J. Sullivan urged people to keep war materials safe from fire as he launched Fire Prevention Week. The chief said, “It is a patriotic duty we must observe to do everything possible to prevent such losses by cleaning up every potential fire hazard and practicing extreme caution.”
Bing Crosby records “I’ll be home for Christmas (if only in my dreams)”
Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five record “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (Ma Baby)” on Decca Records.
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UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II CHRONOLOGY, 1941–1945:
4 October
AEGEAN: Germans overrun Kos Island Loss of this island, site of only Allied air base in the Aegean, endangers Samos and Leros.
CORSICA: Allied forces gain complete control of Corsica as enemy withdraws from Bastia area. Participating in explusion of Germans were patriots, Battalion du Choc, goums of 4th Moroccan Mtn Division, and small U.S. OSS party.
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THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945:
MONDAY, 4 OCTOBER 1943
CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS
CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): 17 Japanese bombers and 25 Zekes attack Kweilin Airfield, China. The bombs, dropped from 20,000 feet (6,096 m), fail to hit the target. AAF fighters fail to make effective contact with the force.
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 108: 4 targets in Germany and a diversion are flown. 12 B-17’s and 4 B-24’s are lost. 1. 104 B-17’s are dispatched to the Wiesbaden industrial area; 15 aircraft hit Wiesbaden and 77 hit the industrial area at Frankfurt at 1059-1105 hours; they claim 19-3-15 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17’s are lost and 45 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 8 WIA and 40 MIA. 2. 37 of 51 B-17’s dispatched to Frankfurt hit the target at 1110-1111 hours; they claim 18-8-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17’s are lost and 35 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 2 WIA and 30 MIA. 3. 115 B-17’s are dispatched to the Saarlautern industrial area; 67 hit Saarlautern and 38 hit St Dizier/Robinson Airfield in France at 1136-1148 hours; they claim 37-7-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17’s are lost, 4 are damaged beyond repair and 19 damaged; casualties are 6 WIA and 29 MIA. 4. 47 of 53 B-17’s dispatched hit Sarreguemnines and Saarbrucken marshalling yards at 1133-1139 hours; 2 B-17’s are damaged; no casualties. 5. 38 B-24’s fly a diversion; they claim 13-6-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-24’s are lost and 19 damaged; casualties are 11 WIA and 43 MIA. These missions are escorted by 223 P-47’s; they claim 19-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 15 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA. VIII Air Support Command Mission 79: 25 B-26’s are dispatched to Beauvais/Nivilliers and Evreux/Fauville Airfield in France; they return to base without bombing. VIII Bomber Command Mission 109: 4 B-17’s drop 240,352 leaflets over Paris between 2257-2307 hours.
MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, 100+ XII Bomber Command B-17’s bomb the Pisa marshalling yard and Bolzano bridges; B-25’s and B-26’s attack the airfield at Argos, road defiles at Terracina and Isernia, a highway overpass at Mignano, and shipping at Bastia; NATBF aircraft hit road and rail junctions on the main road N from Capua; XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers hit trains, roads, railroads, and vehicles near Isernia, Avezzano, Pescara, and Isolella. The Allies now have complete control of Corsica. The 5th Photographic Squadron (Light), Twelfth Air Force, based at La Marsa, Tunisia begins operating from Pontecagnano, Italy with F-5’s. The 87th Fighter Squadron, 79th Fighter Group, transfers from Crotone to Salsola, Italy with P-40’s. The 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, based at Mateur, Tunisia sends a detachment to Gambut, Libya with P-38’s. The 448th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 321st Bombardment Group (Medium), transfers from Soliman, Tunisia to Grottaglie, Italy with B-25’s. “A” Flight of the 15th Photographic Squadron (Heavy), 3d Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group, based at La Marsa, Tunisia sends a detachment to Grottaglie, Italy with B-17’s and F-5’s. “B” and “C” Flights are still in the US.
SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): In the Solomon Islands, 23 B-24’s, covered by 16 P-38’s and several USN F4U’s, bomb Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island; 20-30 fighters intercept, and a running battle occurs between Bougainville and Vella Lavella Island; US fighters and bombers claim 9 fighters downed; no American losses are suffered. 4 P-39’s and 4 F4U’s sink 18 barges in a strike along the W coast of Choiseul Island. The P-39’s are especially effective because of their nose cannon.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): B-25’s bomb and strafe barges, small craft, and villages on Vitu Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. The 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, transfers from Port Moresby, New Guinea to Garbutt Field, Townsville, Queensland, Australia with C-47’s.
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THE BOMBER COMMAND WAR DIARIES:
RAF Bomber Command, Night of 4/5 October 1943
FRANKFURT
406 aircraft – 162 Lancasters, 170 Halifaxes, 70 Stirlings, 4 Mosquitoes. 3 B-17s also took part. 10 aircraft – 5 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings – lost, 2.5 percent of the force. 1 B-17 was also lost. This was the last R.A.F. night-bombing raid in which American aircraft took part, but individual B-17s occasionally carried out bombing flights in following weeks.
Clear weather and good Pathfinder marking produced the first serious blow on Frankfurt so far in the war, with extensive destruction being caused in the eastern half of the city and in the inland docks on the River Main; both of these areas are described in the Frankfurt report as having been a ‘sea of flames’. Many city-centre-type buildings are also mentioned as being hit; the new Rathaus had its roof burnt out. No overall figures are given for casualties, the only mention being a tragedy at an orphanage housed in the former Jewish hospital, where a bomb scored a direct hit on the basement shelter killing 90 children, 14 nuns and other members of the staff. In the following days, the main railway station was packed with people trying to leave Frankfurt.
LUDWIGSHAFEN
66 Lancasters of 1 and 8 Groups carried out a diversionary raid without loss but the marking and bombing were scattered.
Minor Operations: 12 Mosquitoes to Knapsack power-station, 1 Mosquito to Aachen, 5 Stirlings minelaying in the River Gironde, 8 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
The Mosquito attacking Aachen was carrying out the first operational trial of the G-H blind bombing equipment but the trial was not successful.
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THE OFFICIAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE U.S. NAVY IN WORLD WAR II:
4 October, Mon.
Atlantic
Operation LEADER, the only U.S. Navy carrier operation carried out in northern European waters during World War II, causes “appreciable losses” to two convoys off the Norwegian coast and to shipping in the harbor of Bodo, Norway. Ranger (CV-4)’s TBFs (VT 4), SBDs (VB 4), and F4Fs (VF 4) sink Norwegian steamer Vagan and damage Norwegian steamer Topeka; sink German steamers Kaguir, LaPlata, and Rabat and transport Skramstad; and damage German tanker Schleswig and steamers Kerkplein and Ibis. German steamer Malaga is damaged by a dud bomb. Only two German planes approach the task force: both (JU 88 and HE 115) are shot down by combat air patrol F4Fs.
Planes (VC 9) from escort carrier Card (CVE-11) attack three German submarines–U 264, U-422, and U-455–rendezvousing with a milch cow, U-460, north of the Azores. U-460 and U-422 are sunk, 43°13’N, 28°58’W, and 43°18’N, 28°58’W, respectively. This action in the central Atlantic allows convoy UGS 19 to pass through the vicinity unmolested by the enemy.
PV-1 patrol bombers (VB 128) sink German submarine U-336, North Atlantic area, 60°40’N, 26°30’W, during operations to protect convoy ONS 204.
Mediterranean
German bombers attack convoy UGS 18; a near-miss damages U.S. freighter Hiram S. Maxim about 12 miles northwest of Cape Tenes, Algeria, 36°42’N, 01°17’E; abandoned by all but a skeleton crew of 7 merchant seamen and 6 Armed Guard sailors, the ship is towed to Algiers for repairs. Freighters Leslie M. Shaw and Harry Lane rescue the remainder of the crew (33 merchant and 22 Armed Guard). There are no casualties.
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WORLD WAR 2 AT SEA, BRITISH AND OTHER NAVIES DAY-BY-DAY:
4 OCTOBER 1943
In Operation LEADER, aircraft from U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) attacked German shipping at Bodo, Norway.
The first attack wave included twenty Dauntless and eight Wildcat aircraft, and the second attack wave included ten Avenger and six Wildcat aircraft.
The aircraft sank Norwegian steamer Vaagan (687grt), plus German steamers Kaguir, La Plata (8056grt), Rabat (2719grt) and Norwegian steamer Skramstad (4300grt), carrying 850 German troops. (The crew managed to beach her (Skramstad) near Svinvær, where she burned out. One crewman, motorman Øivind Larsen, was lost).
The aircraft damaged Norwegian steamer Topeka (4991grt), plus German steamers Kerkplein (5085grt) (ex- Dutch), Kaguir, Ibis (1367grt) and Malaga (2146grt) and German tanker Schleswig (2369grt) (ex-Norwegian Austanger (2369grt)).
Battleships HMS Duke of York (Adm Fraser) and HMS Anson, U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37), three British cruisers, plus ten U.S. Navy and British destroyers provided escort.
USS Ranger (CV-4) launched thirty Dauntless and Avenger dive-bomber and twelve fighter aircraft for the attack.
Five aircraft were lost: three aircraft were downed by flak, and one aircraft crashed upon landing.
The Germans lost 357 men in the attack.
After the attack, a German Ju88 and He115 aircraft arrived to shadow the force, but aircraft from USS Ranger (CV-4) downed both of them.
A German mine sank Russian submarine ShCh-403 (Capt 3rd Class Shuisky) while she patrolled in the Tanafjord, Norway.
U.S. Navy Ventura aircraft of VB-128 Squadron kept U-336 (Bruno Langenberg?) submerged while convoy ONS.204 passed through her patrol area southwest of Iceland.
U.S. Navy Ventura aircraft B of VB-128 Squadron sank U-279 (Kptlt Otto Finke) with depth charges southwest of Iceland in 60, 40N, 026, 30W.
The aircraft also damaged U-305 with depth charges in the same area.
RAF B-24 aircraft X of 120 Squadron sank U-389 (Kptlt Siegfried Heilmann) with depth charges southwest of Iceland in 60, 51N, 028, 26W.
RAF Hudson aircraft S and an unidentified aircraft of 269 Squadron damaged U-731 (Werner Techand) and U-641 (Horst Rendtel) with depth charges southwest of Iceland.
Destroyer HMS Sardonyx was detached from Operation SF and departed Skaalefjord for Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Minesweepers HMS Ardrossan and HMS Salamander arrived at Seidisfjord from her Operation SF patrol.
Convoy HX.259 departed New York, New York, escorted by Escort Group EG.B3 with frigate HMS Towy, destroyer HMS Keppel, corvettes HMS Narcissus, HMS Orchis, Lobelia (French), Renoncule (French) and Roselys (French) and destroyer escort HMS Duckworth.
Battleship HMS Malaya departed the Clyde for Plymouth, England.
Aircraft carrier HMS Furious departed Liverpool, England, for the Clyde to work up to combat readiness.
U.S. Navy Task Group TG.21.14 aircraft from U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Card (CVE-11) attacked German U-boats north of the Azores Islands.
The Avenger aircraft T7, T9 and T3 plus Wildcat aircraft F16 and F19 of VC-9 Squadron sank U-422 (ObltzS Wolfgang Poeschel) and U-boat tanker U-460 (Kptlt Ebe Schnoor) by attacking in three waves in 43, 13N, 028, 58W.
The aircraft also damaged U-264 (Hartwig Looks) and U-455 (Hans-Martin Scheibe). U-264 suffered heavy damage.
Convoy UGS.19 with fifty-eight merchant ships escorted by U.S. Navy Task Force TF.64 moved through the area north of the Azores while the aircraft of U.S. Navy Task Group TG.21.14 kept all the U-boats submerged.
U-boat tanker U-488 (ObltzS Erwin Bartke) supplied U-68 (Albert Lazemis), U-155 (Kptlt Adolf Piening) and U-103 (Kptlt Gustav-Adolf Janssen) west of the Azores.
British coastal artillery sank German steamer Livadia (3094grt) with gunfire off Calais, France.
Some sources have the location off Boulogne, France.
Destroyers HMS Grenville and HMS Ulster arrived at Plymouth after an engagement with German torpedo boats off the Island of Triagoz, France. Both ships began battle damage repairs.
Destroyers HMS Grenville and HMS Ulster plus four Hunt-class destroyers sank German prize ship Nordvard (4111grt) with gunfire before she reached Lorient, France.
Force X with destroyers HMS Limbourne (SO), HMS Wensleydale, HMS Tanatside, HMS Ulster and HMS Grenville, intercepted five German torpedo boats with T.23, T.22, T.25 and T.27 in a position 270 degrees off Triages, France, about ten miles out to sea.
In the ensuing action in which the enemy retired at high speed, HMS Grenville and HMS Ulster both obtained hits on the German ships causing fires.
HMS Grenville and HMS Ulster each sustained shell hits and a few casualties including one killed in each destroyer.
Destroyers HMS Matchless, HNoMS Stord (Norwegian), HMS Onslow (D.17), HMS Obedient, HMS Hardy, HMS Venus and HMS Mahratta arrived at Gibraltar from Britain.
A mine sank German submarine chaser UJ.1214/Rau V in the Bussesund channel, Norway.
German Do217 aircraft of KG.100 attacked convoy UGS.18 twelve miles northwest of Cape Ténès, Algeria in 36, 42N, 001, 17E.
The aircraft sank American steamer Fort Fitzgerald (7133grt).
The aircraft damaged American Liberty ship Hiram S. Maxim (7176grt) with bomb near misses. The crew abandoned the damaged ship, and it was later towed to port.
American Liberty ships Leslie M. Shaw (7176grt) and Harry Lane (7176grt) rescued the crew.
The aircraft also damaged steamer Samite (7219grt) with bomb near misses.
Convoy MKS.27 departed Alexandria with seventeen merchant ships escorted by minesweeper HMS Hythe and HMS Rye, plus South African whaler HMSAS Protea.
Minesweeper HHMS Arrow collided with tug Respond at Alexandria. HHMS Arrow required repairs.
German aircraft heavily damaged refrigerator ship Ivorea (3274grt) at Leros. She was a total loss.
RFA Cherryleaf (5934grt) departed Alexandria for Limassol, Cyprus, to establishment an advance-fuelling base.
Landing ship tank vessel HMS LST-238 arrived at Port Said with convoy UGS.17.
U-596, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Victor-Wilhelm Nonn, sank Norwegian tanker Marit (5542grt) (Master Sverre Caspersen) with torpedoes while attacking convoy XT.4 about sixty miles west of Derna, Libya in 32, 57N, 021, 11E. At 1347 hours on 4 October 1943, U-596 fired a spread of four torpedoes at four ships in convoy XT.4 about 75 miles west of Derna and claimed three ships probably sunk after hearing three detonations and sinking noises. In fact, only the Marit (Master Sverre Caspersen) in station #32 had been simultaneously hit on the port side by two torpedoes in #2 and #3 tanks. The explosions blew away side plates of the hull and buckled the deck, damaging the superstructure amidships and the port side of the bridge. One lifeboat on the port side was destroyed and one Indian crew member working on deck was killed, while the master and three other crew members were injured. Miraculously the cargo did not catch fire, but the tanker developed a heavy list to starboard when the oil ran out into the sea from the destroyed tanks. Trimming the vessel by letting out water from #1 tank on the starboard side proved to be useless and the master, 47 crew members and five British gunners (the ship was armed with one 12-pdr, two 20-mm and four machine guns) abandoned ship in the remaining three lifeboats until 1630 hours. The ship sank by the bow about 30 minutes after the crew had left. The survivors were picked up by the British motor launch HMS ML-350 and taken to Benghazi, where the four injured men were brought to a hospital, but one of them later died of wounds. The 5,542 ton Marit was carrying fuel oil and was bound for Tripoli, Libya.
Corvette HMS Gloxinia took over the antisubmarine search after Australian minesweeper HMAS Gawler gained a firm contact in 32, 35.5N, 020, 24E.
Destroyers HMS Faulknor (D.8), HMS Eclipse and HMS Fury took over the hunt.
Escort aircraft carrier HMS Battler arrived at Aden from Suez, Egypt.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-10 detected multiple propeller noises and soon thereafter sighted a nine-ship convoy escorted by two destroyers (convoy AP-47 en route from Aden to Abadan).
I-10 began a chase, surfacing after nightfall to recharge batteries and reach full speed.
Steamer British Loyalty (6993grt) escorted by tug Empire Fairy (277grt) and rescue tug HMS Masterful and Indian escort vessel HMIS Sobkra arrived at the Seychelles from Diego Suarez, Madagascar, after being unable to make Addu Atoll.
Corvette HMS Nigella departed Kilindini, Kenya, for Aden.
Light cruiser HMS Danae, plus destroyers HMS Racehorse and HMS Redoubt arrived at Kilindini from Aden.
Whaler HMS Okapi arrived Trincomalee, Ceylon, from Colombo, Ceylon, with convoy JC.24.
Indian patrol boat HMIS St Anthony arrived at Cochin, India, from Colombo.
Indian escort vessels HMIS Pansy and HMIS Netravati departed Madras, India, for Vizagapatam, India, escorting convoy MA.11.
Indian minesweeper HMIS Carnatic departed Vizagapatam for Colombo.
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Rajputana arrived at Colombo with survivors from sunken steamer HMS BanffSHIRE (6479grt).
Heavy cruiser HMS Frobisher arrived at Colombo from Bombay, India.
Australian minesweeper HMS Launceston and Indian escort vessel HMIS Patna arrived at Vizagapatam.
Imperial Japanese Army oiler Kaisoku Maru (1126grt) arrived at Pulau Sambu (Poeloe Samboe) near Singapore.
She later departed and arrived at Singapore the same day.
Imperial Japanese Army tanker Bukun Maru (3029grt) (ex-Dutch Anastasia (3029grt)) departed Singapore.
Imperial Japanese Navy minelayer Hatsutaka departed Sabang, Sumatra.
Imperial Japanese Navy escort vessel Etorofu arrived at Singapore escorting convoy HI-11 with Japanese tanker Kyuei Maru (10,171grt) (aka Kyei Maru (10,171grt)), Imperial Japanese Army oiler Itsukushima Maru (10,018grt)2 and Imperial Japanese Navy transport Kaga Maru (8417grt).
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser Ch-7 and Imperial Japanese Navy auxiliary gunboat Eiko Maru departed Penang, Malaya.
Imperial Japanese Navy transport Hokkai Maru (5105grt) departed Mako, Pescadores, for Osaka, Japan, possibly in Convoy No. 209 (which departed Mako on 5 October) with Imperial Japanese Navy oiler Tonan Maru (9866grt), Imperial Japanese Army cargo ship Ryuko Maru (2962grt), and seven unidentified ships escorted by Imperial Japanese Navy auxiliary gunboat Chohakusan Maru (2131grt) (aka Chojusan Maru (2131grt)).
Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat Nanyo (aka Nanyo Maru, ex-UK Lyemun) departed Nanao Tao, China, for Chuan Shih Tao, China.
Nanyo arrived at Chuan Shih Tao.
Imperial Japanese Navy passenger/cargo ship Koto Maru No. 2 Go (3557grt) arrived at Basuo, China.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Fuyo arrived at Mako, Pescadores, from Takao, Formosa.
Imperial Japanese Navy auxiliary transport Seian Maru (3712grt) arrived at the Barido River estuary, Borneo.
Imperial Japanese Navy oiler Tsurumi (6500grt) arrived at Balikpapan, Borneo.
Japanese cargo ship Rio de Janeiro Maru (5261grt) arrived at Batavia, Java.
Imperial Japanese Navy tanker Nichinan Maru (1945grt) (aka Nichisai Maru (1945grt)) arrived at Palembang, Sumatra, from Singapore.
Imperial Japanese Army cargo ship Kenzan Maru (4705grt) (ex-American Shooters Island (4705grt)) waited for an escort at Batavia, Java.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser Ch-1 arrived at the Banka Straits.
Ch-1 departed on an escort mission.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Sanae arrived at Balikpapan, Borneo, escorting Convoy No. 918.
Imperial Japanese Navy minesweeper W-11 departed Surabaya, Java, on an antisubmarine patrol.
Imperial Japanese Navy oiler Ogura Maru No. 3 (7350grt) arrived at Tarakan, Borneo.
Japanese cargo ship Yamadori Maru (2904grt) departed Wakamatsu, Japan, with a cargo of coal.
Imperial Japanese Army landing craft depot ship Akitsu Maru (9186grt) departed Takao, Formosa.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Hirota Maru (2922grt) arrived at the Takao Naval Base, Formosa.
Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat Daigen Maru No. 7 (1289grt) went alongside Japanese cargo ship Taisei Maru (1948grt) and loaded fresh food at the Taichow Islands.
Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat Shinko Maru No. 1 Go (934grt) arrived at Shihpu, China.
Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat Shosei Maru (998grt) departed Ssu Chiao Shan, China, on a patrol.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Kuri departed Shanghai, China, on a patrol.
Japanese cargo ship Choi Maru (1074grt) arrived at Seito (Tsingtao), now Qingdao, China.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Fuyo departed Takao, Formosa, for Mako, Pescadores.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Kuretake departed Kirun, Formosa.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Tsuga departed Woosung, China, for Mako, Pescadores, escorting an unidentified convoy with Imperial Japanese Army passenger/cargo ship Rozan Maru (6638grt), Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Shozan Maru (5859grt), Japanese cargo ship Yulin Maru (6022grt), Imperial Japanese Army passenger/cargo ship Chefoo Maru (3218grt), Japanese cargo ship Tsukuba Maru (3171grt), and Japanese cargo ship Setsuzan Maru (1922grt) (ex-Norwegian Helios (1922grt)).
Imperial Japanese Navy patrol boat PB-103 (ex-U.S. Navy USS Finch (AM-9)) arrived at Manila, Luzon.
Imperial Japanese Navy minelayer Takashima departed northern Kyushu for Shanghai, China, escorting convoy Shi-405 with three unidentified merchant ships.
Imperial Japanese Navy stores ship Choko Maru (3535grt) departed Sasebo, Kyushu, for Seito (Tsingtao, now Qingdao), China.
Imperial Japanese Army oiler Koryu Maru (880grt) departed Sasebo, Kyushu.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Nissho Maru No. 2 (1386grt) arrived at Sasebo, Kyushu.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser Ch-36 arrived at Odomari, Sakhalin Island.
Imperial Japanese Navy oiler San Luis Maru (7268grt) arrived at Imari Bay, Kyushu.
Imperial Japanese Navy second-class destroyer Kurukaya arrived at Moji, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Army cargo ship Bengal Maru (5396grt) and Imperial Japanese Army cargo ship Maya Maru (3145grt) arrived at Palau in convoy Wewak No. 10 escorted by Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chasers Ch-26 and Ch-32.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-177 arrived at Sio, New Guinea, from Rabaul, New Britain, and unloaded her cargo of supplies.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Goshu Maru (2211grt) arrived at Rabaul, New Britain.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Kunikawa Maru (6863grt) arrived at Rabaul, New Britain.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser Ch-28 arrived at Rabaul, New Britain.
Imperial Japanese Navy passenger/cargo ship Yamafuku Maru (4928grt) began to unload 194 tons of weapons and disembarked seventy- eight passengers.
German steamer Rio Grande (6062grt) departed Yokohama, Japan, for Bordeaux, France.
German steamer Alsterufer (2729grt) departed Kobe, Japan, for Bordeaux, France.
Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Chuyo departed Yokosuka, Japan, for Truk escorted by Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers Sazanami and Shimakaze.
Imperial Japanese Navy armed merchant cruiser Ukishima Maru departed Yokosuka, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy auxiliary gunboat Nachi Maru arrived at Yuranai, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Koto Maru (1053grt) arrived at Suribachi Wan, Paramushiro Island.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Tokyo Maru (6486grt) departed Yokosuka, Japan, in Convoy No. 3004 with Imperial Japanese Navy stores ship Irako (6500grt) escorted by Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Shiratsuyu. The convoy sailed at twelve knots.
Imperial Japanese Navy escort vessel Hachijo arrived at the Paramushiro Straits.
Imperial Japanese Navy light cruiser Abukuma arrived at Paramushiro Island and departed later the same day.
Imperial Japanese Navy light cruiser Kiso arrived at Kure, Japan.
Captain Sawa Isamu assumed command and Captain Kawai was reassigned to the Naval General Staff, Personnel.
Imperial Japanese Navy oiler Eiho Maru (5068grt) arrived at Tokuyama, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy oiler Goyo Maru (8469grt) departed Kobe, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy oiler Teiyo Maru (9849grt) entered the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries dry dock at Yokohama, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser Ch-43 departed Ominato, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy passenger/cargo ship Kimikawa Maru (6863grt) (ex-seaplane tender) arrived at Paramushiro Island.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Hakutetsu Maru No. 7 (1018grt) arrived at Yokkaichi, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy patrol boat PB-101 (ex-UK HMS Thracian) departed Sumoto, Japan, for Yokosuka, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy minelayer Ukishima departed Nagaura, Japan.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Unkai Maru No. 10 (851grt) transferred from Yokohama, Japan, to Yokosuka, Japan.
She then departed Yokosuka bound for Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands, escorted by Imperial Japanese Navy auxiliary minesweeper WA-12.
En route she briefly stopped at Hachijo Jima, Ogasawara Gunto (Bonins).
Imperial Japanese Navy passenger/cargo ship Asaka Maru (7359grt) embarked men of the 24th AA unit and others totalling 303 passengers.
Asaka Maru (7359grt) departed Yokosuka, Japan, at 15.9 knots.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Shokei Maru (2557grt) arrived at Ebisu Wan.
Imperial Japanese Navy minesweeper W-27 departed Kobe, Japan, escorting Convoy No. 8004 consisting of Imperial Japanese Navy collier/oiler Asakaze Maru (6517grt), Japanese cargo ship Shinri Maru (3111grt) (aka Shinri Go (3111grt), ex-Chinese Hsin Lee (3111grt)), Japanese cargo ship Mishima Maru (1934grt), Japanese cargo ship Kiyotada Maru (3079grt) (aka Seichu Maru (3079grt)), Japanese cargo ship Michi Maru, and Japanese tanker Mitsu Maru (5682grt).
Imperial Japanese Navy minelayer Sarushima departed Nagaura, Japan, for Uraga, Japan.
Sarushima arrived at Uraga.
Imperial Japanese Navy minesweeper W-33 arrived at Uraga, Japan.
W-33 departed Uraga for Yokosuka, Japan.
W-33 arrived at Yokosuka.
PB-101 arrived at Yokosuka.
Imperial Japanese Navy passenger/cargo ship Sansei Maru (3266grt) (aka Sansai Maru (3266grt)) arrived at Chichi Jima in Convoy No. 3928 escorted by Imperial Japanese Navy patrol boat PB-46.
Imperial Japanese Army passenger/cargo ship Hiyoshi Maru (4943grt) arrived at Satawan, Mortlock Island, in the Eastern Caroline Islands.
Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship Ogashima Maru (1397grt) arrived at Jaluit Atoll.
Imperial Japanese Navy repair ship Hakkai Maru (5114grt) began repairs on damaged Imperial Japanese Navy transport Okitsu Maru (6666grt) at Truk.
Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser Ch-30 departed Truk on an antisubmarine sweep.
Imperial Japanese Navy water tanker Goryu Maru (1912grt) arrived at Tarawa Atoll.
Imperial Japanese Navy water tanker Tateyama Maru (3787grt) departed Maloelap Island for Kwajalein Atoll.
U.S. Navy submarine USS Flying Fish (SS-229) (Lt Cdr Donaho) departed Pearl Harbor, Oahu, on her seventh war patrol off Palau.
U.S. Navy submarine USS Saury (SS-189) departed Pearl Harbor, Oahu, on her eighth war patrol.
U.S. Navy submarine USS Seal (SS-183) arrived at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, after her eighth war patrol.
U.S. Navy submarine USS Trout (SS-202) arrived at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, after her tenth war patrol.
She was ordered to the Mare Island Navy Yard for an overhaul.
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NAVAL CONSTRUCTION:
The U.S. Navy Admirable-class minesweepers USS Strategy (AM-308) and USS Strength (AM-309) are laid down by Associated Shipbuilders (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy LST-1-class landing ship, tank USS LST-521 is laid down by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. (Seneca, Illinois, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy LST-1-class landing ship, tank USS LST-524 is laid down by the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co. (Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A.)
The U.S. Navy LST-1-class landing ship, tank USS LST-534 is laid down by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co. (Evansville, Indiana, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy John C. Butler-class destroyer escort USS O’Flaherty (DE-340) is laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd. (Orange, Texas, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy LST-1-class landing ship, tank USS LST-493 is launched by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co. (Evansville, Indiana, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy PC-461-class (173-foot steel hull) submarine chaser USS PC-1144 is launched by the Defoe Shipbuilding Co. (Bay City, Michigan, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Janssen (DE-396) is launched by the Brown Shipbuilding Co. (Houston, Texas, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy 80-foot Elco patrol motor torpedo boat USS PT-547 is commissioned.
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type VIIC/41 U-boat U-294 is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Schütt.
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type VIIC U-boat U-923 is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Leutnant zur See Heinz Frömmer.
The Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Swansea (K 328) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is T/Lieutenant Commander Clarence A. King, RCNR.
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Goodall (K 479) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Lieutenant Commander James V. Fulton, RNVR.
Photograph: A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless of U.S. Navy bombing squadron VB-4 during Operation Leader , on 4 October 1943, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). The objective of the force was the Norwegian port of Bodø. The task force reached launch position off Vestfjord before dawn 4 October completely undetected. At 0618, Ranger launched 20 Dauntless dive bombers and an escort of eight Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of VF-4. One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter LaPlata, while the rest continued north to attack a small German convoy. They severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport. They also sank two of four small German merchantmen in the Bodø roadstead.
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