Sixty Years Ago ...
January - February 1943
by
Jennifer King and Timothy Rollins
May 13, 2003
Reflections on World War II
First of Two Parts
A
Special Note to Our Readers: Our
last WWII piece was about legendary Marine aviator Joe Foss, who passed away
earlier this year. Since it is already May, we decided that, rather than do
an in-depth article covering a particular battle, we would do an overview of
the events that transpired during the first five months of 1943. Due to the
length of this article, we are covering it in two parts - January and February
1943 and March and April 1943. Enjoy your overview of WWII! - Jennifer
and Tim
January 1943
27 January 1943 - This date was the first time that U.S. bombing raids were launched over Germany proper. Daytime bombing raids were particularly dangerous, and the British had abandoned them for precisely this reason. The U.S. 8th Air Force were flying B-17s and B-24s. While these bombers had the range to hit almost any target in Germany, the fighter escort planes did not. The fierce resistance put up by the Luftwaffe and the anti-aircraft fire on the ground took a heavy toll on the 8th. During the spring, summer and fall, the Eighth's losses of aircraft and men sometimes reached 12%. At Regensburg on 17 August and at Schweinfurt on 14 October, sixty B-17s, each with a 10 man crew, were shot down over enemy territory.
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29
- 30 January 1943 - The Battle of Rennell Island near Guadalcanal. Unfortunately
for those brave Marines still ensconced on "that damn island", reinforcements
were slowly trickling in. The brass did not realize that the Japanese, beaten
two months previously at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, had finally decided
to give up the ghost and were amassing ships for evacuation. Stung before by
repeated Japanese offences, the officers were taking no chances. Admiral Halsey
(left) decided to send a heavy escort to accompany his four relief troop transports.
Proceeding along, the fleet was soon hit by Japanese torpedo bombers. As night
fell, the wily enemy opened up a brand new bag of tricks. On either side of
the American ships, flickering white flares suddenly appeared, making a lighted
lane, which indicated the ship's course. Dim yellow-white flares hung from descending
parachutes, lighting up the ships' decks. Red and green float lights appeared
mysteriously floating on the surface. Several crewmen immediately grasped the
intent, which was to light the ships for more effective night bombing.
Japanese bombing was effective in crippling the heavy cruiser Chicago. The crippled cruiser was being towed to safety as the night passed, but in the morning Japanese reconnaissance planes appeared above. At 1554, the Japanese torpedo bomber "Bettys" showed up. They were gunning for the aircraft carrier Enterprise, but soon changed their mind when they saw how heavily she was protected. The Japanese commander, spotting the damaged cruiser, turned his aircraft towards her. During the ensuing fight, the Japanese lost seven of their nine remaining planes, but that was enough to launch four torpedoes into Chicago, which was mortally wounded and sank shortly thereafter. The only upside to the action was that the four transports were able to land unmolested at Lunga Point, as was a second convoy of five transports which arrived 4 February.
31 January 1943 - The exhausted troops of the German Sixth Army under
newly promoted Field Marshal von Paulus surrender to the Soviets.
February 1943
2 February 1943 - The final remnants of the German Sixth Army, under General Strecker surrender to the Russians. 110,000 prisoners of war were captured, along with 24 Generals. 400,000 German soldiers had died during this ill-fated and ill-conceived campaign. The Battle of Stalingrad is generally considered to be the turning point in the war against Hitler. It proved that Hitler's army was not invincible, and it started the Soviets on the march that would end in Berlin.
1-9 February 1943 - Japanese Operation KE, the evacuation of Japanese combat personnel from Guadalcanal. The early part of February was an uneasy time for the Americans. In the early part of February, several Japanese destroyers were spotted coming down the Slot. It was thought that this could be another reinforcement action, similar to the one staged in November. Captain R.P. Briscoe didn't have too many options, but he launched his PT Boat fleet into the fray, where they scored several hits but lost three boats and several men. During the next few days, the Japanese evacuated 11,706 men in near secrecy, while the American forces tried to figure out what was going on and staged sporadic battles against the few ships that they spotted. On 9 February, troops from the 2nd Battalion, 132nd Infantry and the 2nd Battalion of the 161st Infantry met in a village on the Tenamba River - having spotted nothing but empty Japanese camps and discarded material. General Patch radioed to Admiral Halsey, "Total and complete defeat of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal effected 1625 today. The Tokyo Express no longer has terminus on Guadalcanal."
The Battle of Guadalcanal was finally over. Of the 60,000 deployed Army and Marine Corps troops, 1592 were KIA. Navy losses (including Marine aviators) were 5041. Japanese casualties were estimated at approximately 20,800, a stunning two-thirds of all Japanese forces stationed on Guadalcanal. The loss was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese forces, and it sent yet another signal that the tide of war was turning in the American's favor.
14
February 1943 - Battle of the Kasserine Pass. General Erwin Rommel (right)
and his Afrika Korps were pouring into Tunisia in order to try and join up with
General Von Arnim's Northern Tunisia Armee. The Germans kept trying to break
through the Allied lines in order to accomplish this. By 13 February, free French
and American forces were thinly spread out. The U.S. II Corps was entrenched
between two key terrain features, Djebel Lessouda and Djebel Ksaira. A sudden
radio transmission came in from Commander McQuillen announcing that the Germans
had broken through the line at Faid Pass. The Germans had followed up a shelling
offense with a tank attack by the incredibly effective heavy Tiger tank mounted
with an 88mm gun.
19 February 1943 - General Rommel, contemptuous of the green American troops and confident in the superiority of his armor, himself led the Korps as they smashed the American lines. The American M3 Lee and Grant tanks, with a 75mm fixed gun were vastly inferior to the versatile Tigers and Mark Ivs. The M3 also had the unfortunate distinction of being constructed with rivets - which would shoot around the crew compartment when it was hit. During the battle, the Americans suffered heavy losses - 1,000 dead, hundreds taken prisoner and the destruction of most of their heavy armor.
23 February 1943 - Massive air bombing drove Rommel back through the
Kasserine Pass, but Rommel prevailed and reached the Mareth Line on 25 February.
Repeatedclashes with General Montgomery's Eighth Army weakened the Korps progressively
over the next month. Rommel clashed with General von Arnim over tactics and
logistics. Allied forces on Malta had cut his supply lines and he was running
out of food, ammunition and fuel. ***
© 2003 Jennifer King and Timothy Rollins
COPYRIGHT
© 2003 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN.
All writers retain
rights to their work.
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