MR 203(2) Sec. 34 War Department Operational Summaries - November 1944

DECLASSIFIED dan Letter, 5-3-72 374 MR 203(2), Sec. 34 - WAR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONAL SUMMARY November, 1944 MR 203(2), Sec. 34 - WAR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONAL SUMMARY November, 1944 101 OLONE DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1087 0700 November 30 to 0700 December 1, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) (2) 101 OLONET -A OSD RECLASSIFIED COD Letter, SEA OF OKHOTSK Areito SAKHALIN Shumushu Paramushiro #Makenru . Magakie Onnekofan Harimukoton Exerume Shoaukotan *Raikoka KARAFUTO PRoshews ©Ketol Shimushiro Odemer) Chiripol Uruppu 1 Elerete " Keneshiri Shiesten Sappers o HOKKAIDO ATTN KURILE ISLANDS HONSHU 13 o so 100 ISO 800 HHH I MILES ---------------- TO 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 Okiel 54 52 PEmden FINE Bremen 98D Letter, 5-3-72 7 London& OBerlin ORotterdom ESSEN BORTMUND 52 5 NEUSS ANTWERP DUISBURG 6 oBrussels Cologne Leipzig 20 LIEGE Abbeville MALMEDY a o Frankfurt Progue 50 EUNK IRCHEN NURNBERG TENANS 48 Poris HOMBURG °Rennes o Noncy o a Laire Danube OTours o Munich 48 Vienno Budopest o 46 o Bern Bolzano 46 4 Lyon e Bordeoux 44 OMilan Trieste o o Toulouse Bologno o 44 CENTRAL EUROPE OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 24-87117-300 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WESTERN HEMISPHERE On 30 November, three B-24's attacked northern Paramushiro. EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 29 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 2,417 bomber and fighter sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Nine of our planes are missing. During the night of 28-29 November, the RAF dropped 1,261 tons of bombs on Essen and 805 tons on Neuss. Seventy-five Mosquitoes struck Nurnberg. On 29 November, a 779-ton attack was made on Dortmund and 30 Mosquitoes hit an oil plant at Duisburg. Seven bombers and one Mosquito were lost. On 30 November, 1,283 escorted heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force were airborne to attack oil plants in the Leipzig area and rail yards at Neunkirchen and Homburg. Escorting fighters shot down four enemy planes. Preliminary reports show 56 bombers and four fighters missing. During the 24 hours ending at 0600 on 30 November, nine rockets fell in England. On 28 and 29 November, 35 additional flying bombs and 15 additional rockets fell on the Continent, chiefly in the Liege, Antwerp and Malmedy areas. 2. During the 24 hours ending at noon, 30 November, British troops continued to improve their positions on the west bank of the Meuse north of Venlo. WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED FIRST CAN ARMY LEIPZIG VENLO JURICH SECOND BR ARMY BRUSSELS COLOGNE o AACHEN. DUREN TOP R. NINTH US ARMY HURTGEN FOREST FRANKFURT FIRST US ARMY o MERZIG SAARBRUCKEN PARIS METZ THIRD US ARMY STRASBOURG ERSTEIN MUNICH SEVENTH US ARMY BELFORT FIRST FRENCH ARMY o 25 50 75 log iso MILES DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 We again made local gains against heavy opposition on the Ninth and First Army fronts east of Aachen; house-to-house fighting continued in some sectors. The XIX Corps cleared the enemy from 8. three and one-half mile stretch of the west bank of the Roer River north of Julich. Units of the VII Corps advanced out of the Hurtgen Forest into open country near Duren. East of Metz, our Third Army's XX Corps advanced along a 20-mile front, reaching positions within 8. mile of the Saar River south of Merzig and within ten miles of Saarbrucken on the southern flank of the sector. Near Metz, we captured one of four forts remaining in enemy hands. The XII Corps made scattered gains in the sector south of Saarbrucken. On the Seventh Army front, the XV and VI Corps continued to gain ground steadily along broad fronts north and south of Strasbourg, respectively. In the VI Corps sector, French armored units occupied Erstein. The First French Army advanced up to four miles along a 20-mile front northeast of Belfort. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 29 November, despite adverse weather which grounded heavier planes, 540 light bombers and fighters of the Tactical Air Force attacked transportation and supply routes in northern Italy. The Coastal and Balkan Air Forces flew about 75 sorties. Two enemy planes were destroyed. - 2 - BE MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED CREMONA FERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA GENORY RAVENNA IMOLA DEIVE FONTANELICA SPEZIA FORLI MOD IGLTANA RIMINI PO VALLEY PISTO A FURENCE 10 o 10 20 30 40 PISM APPROXIMATE MILES LINE AS OF 29 NOVEMBER LINE AS OF 30 NOVEMBER 25-18874-300 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-8-72 Sex 1 Light bombers from the Middle East attacked harbor installations and an airdrome on Rhodes. On 30 November, weather grounded the 15th Air Force. 2. On 29 November, Brazilian troops on the Fifth Army front north of Pistoia lost Mount Belvedere to a heavy counterattack. The next day, they attacked in the same area but were stopped by intense mortar fire. British troops south of Bologna lost a hill position to 8. counterattack. Astride the road running northeast to Imola, British armored troops advanced a mile to Fontanelice, which was found clear of the enemy. Other Allied units made local gains near Modiglians On the Eighth Army front, British Indian units made minor gains on 8. two-mile front north of Forli against heavy opposition. The I Canadian Corps assumed command of the coastal sector south of Ravenna. ASIATIC THEATER 1. During 27 and 28 November, the Eastern Air Command flew 2,237 sorties. Of these, 987 were tactical. They included the attack near Mandalay (reported yesterday), attacks by 26 medium bombers on rail facilities farther south, and strikes against airfields in the same area. Three planes were lost. 2. On 28 November, 17 Liberators of the 14th Air Force again hit rail yards near Hanoi; 43 lighter aircraft attacked targets from west of Mangshih to Lashio; 16 attacked advancing Japanese troops in the - 3 - SEA OF JAPAN PEIRING OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED YELLOW LOYANG SEA molina NAGASAKI o SHANGHAI CHUNGKING 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA KWE IYANG HE KOYANG TUKIANG FOOCHOW KWEILIN NANTAN AMOY OF LIGHOWAS SWATOW CANTON CHINA TAKAO HONGKONG IDO o IDO 200 300 400 500 o LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONSKING SOUTH CHINA SEA THAILAND GULF HAIGAN 100 120° 130° LEDO River OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PAOSHAN Brohmaputra IRRAWADDY SALWEEN SILCHAR FRONT FRONT CHINDWIN MANGSHIH FRONT PAUNGBYIN HODA @ ВИАНО KALEWA KALEMYO 1 LASHIO Salween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT a o 25 50 75 CHOK APPROXIMATE MILES AKYAB 24-90067-200 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Nantan area, and 12 struck rail bridges in northeastern French Indo- China and northwestern Thailand. We lost one B-24 on reconnaissance over the South China Sea. 3. By 29 November, Allied troops on the Chindwin front had occupied Paungbyin without opposition, and patrols found a settlement 13 miles to the southeast clear of the enemy. East of Kalemyo, an enemy position was captured = nd the advance toward Kalewa resumed. A Chinese regiment crossed the Irrawaddy River at Moda. Chinese advancing southeast of Bhamo gained four miles without contact. 4. Japanese troops, outflanking Chinese resistance in the Nantan area, have captured Tukiang, 95 miles southeast of Kweiyang. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. Communiques of 1 December report continuing fighter attacks against Jap convoys bound for Ormoo. Reported sunk were: four large cargo ships, four medium transports, six small transports and cargo ships, and three destroyer-escorts. In addition, one large cargo ship and a destroyer were set afire. Operations reports show 13 (probably 17) Jap fighters destroyed during attacks by 76 of our aircraft against convoys on 28 and 29 November; we lost one medium bomber and one fighter. On 27 November, more than 60 Solomons-based aircraft attacked the Bougainville-New Britain-New Ireland area. During 28 and 29 November, 88 B-24's struck airdromes near Davao and on Negros. Twelve B-24's hit Celebes, and more than 110 other sorties were flown in the - 4 - OREY - BONIN IS MARCUS I o 2 Assongaong I y - o Agrihan 1. $ , Pagen L CAROLINE AND MARIANAS IS. - Alemogan I. Ouguan L. OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED -Sorigan 1. 50 o so IOO 60 200 250 Anotahen 1- N Medinille I SCALE OF MILES Seipen I. Tenion I 8 Aquijan I. . - Rate I. Guam a Units is Fais 1. Yes Geferal I Olal is Ngalu is Foreviep is. Hell Na PHILIPPINE is 0 Soral is (Mindanao) 1) West Fays 1. Pikelot L Poleu is Olimarso is Pulop is Woles " is is Truk is Lamotreir DAVAO Elete 1st is Puluwet is. eA Ngamelle is. Eneripik is. Pulusck is C A A o L - N € . 5 L À N o $ Sonsoral la Pule Anne i, Marir I. Toloud is. Tobi 1. Malen - Moretal I. DECLASSIFIED OBD Letter, 5-3-72 S 20 END 2,4 15 30 SAUNAS MINSK LINE AS OF 29 NOV LYNE A.S OF 30 NOV BERLIN WARSAW o BRESLAU KIEV PRAGUE KRAKOW OUKLA PASS MUNICH EGER VIENNA R BUDAPEST PECS o VENICE & BUCHAREST 44 o KAALJEVO SOFIA a OTIRANA PSKOV o RIGA % EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 o 50 100 THODE APPROXIMATE MILES n 24 n n 10 22 0 N N ----------- DECLASSIFIED OBD Letter, 5-3-72 STATE MASSAT 325 N ASBATE CATBALOGA BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO E EYTE R INDIA MATARINAO CLOBAN X BOGO XXIV CORPS C BL UEN NEGROS I AKE DANAO ABUYOG 0 BATO OLIDAN ARGAO 0 SURIBÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES to go SCALE IN MILES LINE AS OF 30 NOV LINE AS OF 1 DEC 1 N 08-7111-800 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Southwest Pacific area. One more Jap plane was lost and five destroyed on the ground. 2. By 29 November, our troops had crossed the Leyte River and occupied ground on both sides of the road two miles south of Limon. In the central sector of the island, we reached Lake Danao, south of Burauen and continued to consolidate positions and mop up enemy pockets throughout the sector. On 27 November, the 5th Australian Division assumed operational command of New Britain from US Forces. 3. During the period 27-29 November, more than 110 Pacific Ocean Area planes attacked enemy installations in the Palaus, Marianas and Bonins and raided Yap and Marcus. Four enemy planes were shot down. EASTERN FRONT On 30 November, Soviet troops made two to five mile advances along a 90-mile front extending from Dukla Pass to Eger. Northeast of Pecs they enlarged their Danube bridgehead to the north. Yugoslav Partisans, in collaboration with Soviet troops, entered Kraljevo. - 5 - LEWARD DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1086 0700 November 29 to 0700 November 30, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) TOD AFORET CLUIL 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 OKiel 54 52 PEmden FIAM Bremen WILL + 0 0° Berlin C&D Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED MISBURG London BIELÉFELD ORotterdom o LTENBEKEW 52 ANTWERP . 50 HAMM HASSELT 6 oBrussels- Cologne OLeipzig 20 LIEGE AACHEN Abbeville MALMEDY ST VITH AROCHE IOL o Frankfurt Progue 50 LUXEMBOURG 48 o Poris °Rennes o Noncy o 9 Laire Danube O-Tours o Munich 48 Vienna 46 Budopest o Bern o o Bolzono 46 4 Lyon e QBordeoux 44 OMilon Trieste o o Toulouse Bologno O 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 0, STATUTE MILES 2 0 2 4. 6 8 10 2 14 16 I8 24-87117-300 WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED FIRST CAN ARMY LEIPZIG o VENLO SECOND BR ARMY BRUSSELS COLOGNE o AACHEN DUREN NINTH US ARMY R. FRANKFURT FIRST US ARMY o o SAARLAUTERN PARIS METZ THIRD US ARMY STRASBOURG BARR ERSTEIN SELESTAT MUNICH o SEVENTH US ARMY MULHOUSE BELFOR F IRST FRENCH ARMY o 25 50 TS 100 (50 MILES 25-2672-200 T DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 28 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 1,526 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Six enemy aircraft were shot down; we lost 14 fighters and one transport plane. On 29 November, 1,080 escorted heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force were airborne to attack an oil refinery at Misburg, rail yards at Hamm, and rail viaducts at Altenbeken and Bielefeld. There was no fighter opposition. Preliminary reports show three bombers lost. During the 24-hour period ending at 0600 on 29 November, four rockets fell in England. On 27 and 28 November, 39 additional flying bombs fell in Liege and neighboring areas. One rocket fell near Antwerp. 2. During the 24 hours ending at noon, 29 November, British troops improved their positions along the Meuse north of Venlo. Northeast of Aachen, the US Ninth Army continued to gain ground slowly west of the Roer River. East of Aachen, on the First Army front, heavy and sustained opposition limited the VII Corps to a maximum advance of 1,000 yards in the push toward Duren; local gains continued, however, throughout the sector and on the northern flank of the adjacent V Corps sector. Northeast of Metz, our Third Army's XX Corps advanced on a ten- mile front and at one point was within four miles of Saarlautern. There were scattered gains in the XII Corps sector to the south. - 1 - BE MILAN ERONA VENIGE PADUA OSD DECLASSIFIED Letter, 5-3-72 CREMONA FERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA GENOM SPEZIA MODIGLIANA, MOUN TURA- RIMINI PO VALLEY FLORENCE 10 o IO 20 30 40 PISA I APPROXIMATE MILES LINE AS OF 28 NOVEMBER LINE AS OF 29 NOVEMBER 26-13874-200 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Our Seventh Army continued to make advances in the XV Corps sector north of Strasbourg. The VI Corps advanced south toward Selestat in sectors extending 20 miles southwest from Erstein; Barr and numerous smaller towns were captured, but heavy fighting continued in Erstein. The First French Army advanced to straighten its line along a 15-mile front north of Belfort. One French armored column pushed to a point five miles northeast of Mulhouse. 3. By 26 November, 219 berths were cleared in Antwerp Harbor. No reports of tonnage unloaded are yet available. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 28 November, the Tactical Air Forces, with bad weather still prevailing, flew 412 sorties. These included 102 by medium bombers concentrating on Po Valley bridges. Coastal and Balkan Air Force sorties totalled 47. In all, three fighters were lost. Both that day and the next, strategic bombers were grounded by the weather. 2. In the 24 hours ending at noon, 29 November, numerous enemy raids were repulsed along the sector of the Fifth Army front extending from north of Pistoia to southeast of Bologna. British Indian troops of the Fifth Army approached Casola Valsenio which was reported clear of the enemy, and occupied Mount Tura, west of Modigliana. There was no change in the general situation on the Eighth Army front. - 2 - SEA OF JAPAN PEIPING OSD DECLASSIFIED Letter, 5-3-72 YELLOW LOYANG SEA NAGASAKI 30° 0 SHANGHAI ANKING CHUNGKING (angling Like 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA HE ROYANG UNALING FOOCHOW KWEILIN AMOY OFLIUGHOW FRENCH * SWATOW CANTON CHINA INDO-GHINA TAKAO KOWLOON HONGKONG 100 o 100 200 300 400 500 ****** LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA THAILAND BULF MATHAN 1007 NO" 130* LEDO OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED ADSHAN Brohmaputra SILCHAR CHINDWIN IRRAWADDY SALWEEN FRONT FRONT FRONT 0 TO CHEFANG NANKAN MAWLAIK MASEIN KALEWA CASHIO CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT 25 o 25 50 75 APPROXIMATE MILES AKYAB 24-90067-300 IWO JIMA - NETHERLANDS INDIES OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED SCALE OF - AltogeD u AMBOINA Scarabeje Marques Derein DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 ASIATIC THEATER 1. On 25 November, 14th Air Force fighters destroyed two river naval vessels and left a third sinking at Anking. During 26 and 27 November, 165 additional sorties were flown. During these operations 17 B-24's hit rail yards near Hanoi in French Indo-China and a B-24 sank two coastal vessels southwest of Kowloon. On 28 November, 21 Liberators of the Eastern Air Command struck marshalling yards near Mandalay. 2. On 28 November, Allied troops to the east of the Chindwin River reached Nankan, northeast of Mawlaik, and patrols to the south were ten miles southeast of Masein. Although Chinese troops along the Burma Road were near Chefang, Jap elements were active nine miles to the northeast. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. During 26-28 November, nearly 200 previously unreported sorties were flown in the Southwest Pacific area. Included were attacks by 30 B-24's on airdromes near Davao; other planes attacked airdromes on Luzon, Celebes, Halmahera, Ceram, Amboina, New Britain and western New Guinea, while still others, attacking shipping, destroyed at least 17 small vessels, including four seatrucks landing troops on northwestern Leyte. Further reports of enemy raids over Leyte on 27 November claim ten additional Japanese planes destroyed. - 3 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 S 20 11 15 30 RAUNAS MINSK LINE AS OF 28 NOV LINE AS OF 29 NOV BERLIN WARSAW o BRESLAU KIEV R PRAGUE KRAKOW MUNICH VIENNA BUDAPEST BAJA PECS VENICE APATIN 5 BUCHAREST 14 o SOFIA OTIRANA . PSKOV RIGA % EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 0 so 100 APPROXIMATE MILES n 14 n n 20 27 24 is DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 MASBAR as N ASBATE CATBALOGAN BORONGAN S.ISIDRO n MATARINAO ACLOBAN , x cdi BOGO XXIV CORPS ABUYOG PALANAS R GE BATO 2 O LIGIAN 0842 SURIGÃO AN EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES en & SCALE IN MILES LINE AS OF 29 NOV NOONAO 08-7111-800 FOR TOT OSD DECLASSIFIED Letter, 5-3-72 2. Ground troops on Leyte repulsed further counterattacks south of the Palanas River. No other significant action was reported. 3. Jap airfields on Iwo Jima were hit with 165 tons of bombs in two attacks by 7th Air Force Liberators on 27 and 28 November. 4. During the night of 29-30 November, 24 B-29's of the 21st Bomber Command dropped 66 tons of bombs on the Tokyo industrial area. Two other B-29's attacked secondary targets nearby. One bomber is missing. EASTERN FRONT South of Budapest, Soviet troops consolidated their Danube bridge- heads between Baja and Apatin and advanced 15 miles to the railroad junction of Pecs. - 4 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1085 0700 November 28 to 0700 November 29, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) (2) 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 OKiel 54 52. PEmden Paremen FIRE OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED + Londoner Berlin o ORotterdom 52 50 NEUSS NTWERP 6 oBrussels Cologne OLeipzig o 20 LIEGE AACHEN Abbeville MALMEDY a ST VITH o Frankfurt Progue 50 BI NGEN 48 o Poris ORennes o Noncy o a e OFFENBURG Laire Decube O-Tours Munich 48 FREIBURG Vienna Budopest 46 o Bern Bolzano 46 4 Lyon QBordeoux OMilon Trieste 44 o state o Toulouse Bologna 9 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 0. STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 4 6 8 10 2 14 16 IS 24-87117-300 T DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 27 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 816 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Two enemy planes were destroyed; we lost four aircraft. In the dawn attack on Munich, 27 November, the RAF dropped 761 tons of bombs. Later that day, 929 tons were dropped on Cologne rail yards. During the night of 27-28 November, 1,758 tons were dropped on Freiburg and 1,398 tons on Neuss. Seventy-eight Mosquitoes hit Berlin and other targets in Germany. In all, four heavy bombers and one Mosquito were lost. During 8th Air Force operations on 27 November against rail targets at Offenburg and Bingen, 1,372 tons of bombs were dropped. Revised reports of the aerial battle over Germany on the same date indicate that 750 enemy craft were encountered, of which 98 were shot down. Four others were destroyed on the ground. Adverse weather forced cancellation of 8th Air Force operations on 28 November. During the 24-hour period ending at 0600 on 28 November, three rockets fell in England. On 26 and 27 November, 12 additional rockets fell in the Antwerp area, and 33 additional flying bombs in areas as follows: Antwerp 5, Aachen 4, Liege 18, Malmedy 3, St. Vith 2, and Dieuze 1. 2. By noon, 28 November, our First and Ninth Armies were continuing to press the attack on the Roer River line. The XIX Corps reached the - 1 - WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED AMSTERDAM Meuse, RHINE 3 LEIPZIG FIRST CAN ARMY o a JULICH COLOGNE SECOND BR ARMY o BRUSSELS a NDEN DUREN R. NINTH US ARMY FRANKFURT o Masale FIRST US ARMY o o 100 SAARBRUCKEN PARIS METZ ST AVOLD THIRD US ARMY BUCHSWEILER TRASBOURG ERSTEIN . BARR MUNICH SELESTAT o SEVENTH US ARMY LE THILLOT. MULHOUSE BELEORT FIRST FRENCH ARMY 0 25 50 75 100 ISO MILES 05-2072-200 CLASSIFIED USD Letter, 5-3-72 river west of Julich, repulsing a counterattack to the northwest of the town. West of Duren, our VII Corps pressed forward and also repulsed an enemy counterattack. Immediately to the north a gain of two miles was made to the outskirts of Inden. East of Metz our Third Army pushing into the Saar Valley, made substantial progress on a 25-mile front; it advanced two to five miles in most sectors making one penetration to a point seven miles east of St. Avold and within ten miles of Saarbrucken. On the Seventh Army front local gains were made near Buchsweiler and in the passes through the Vosges west and northwest of Selestat. Southwest of Strasbourg, we repulsed a counterattack at Erstein but were forced to withdraw north of Barr. In the Belfort Gap, the First French Army cut off the German salient which had extended southwest of Mulhouse. East of Le Thillot, advances were made on a 12-mile front to the crests of the Vosges. There was no significant change on the British Army front. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 27 November, Balkan and Coastal Air Forces planes made minor attacks on road movements in Yugoslavia and Albania and along the French-Italian Riviera. Weather prevented other offensive operations. 2. On 27 November, seven light bombers and two fighters from the Middle East attacked harbor installations and shipping in the Rhodes area. 3. During the 24 hours ending at 1200 on 28 November, swollen rivers - 2 - SEA OF JAPAN PEIPING OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED YELLOW LOYANG SEA NAGASAKI o SHANGHAI by G WENCHOW CHANGSHA HENGYAND FOOCHOW ANG AMOY SWATOW CANTON CHINA TAKAO 1 HONGKONG IDO o IDO 200 300 400 500 o LUICHOW PENNSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA GULF & 130° LEDO S - Letter, 5-3-72 Brahmaputra PADSHAN SICCHAR IRRAWADDY SALWEEN FRONT FRONT CHINDW BHANO CHEFANG FRONT MAWLAIK LASHIO CHITTAGONG MANDAL N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT 25 o 25 50 75 CHIENGMAI APPROXIMATE MILES BANGKOK PYINMANA PENANG AKYAB 24-90007-300 DECLASSIFIED 0SD Letter, 5-3-72 and deep mud restricted operations on the Italian front. A minor counterattack was repulsed by our Fifth Army south of Bologna. ASIATIC THEATER l. During 25-26 November, 75 additional sorties were flown by the 14th Air Force against widespread targets in China, French Indo- China and Thailand. 2. During 26 November, the Eastern Air Command flew 847 sorties, of which 450 were tactical. Twenty-one B-24's hit rail bridges on the Bangkok-Chiengmai line, 24 attacked a rail junction at Pyinmana and three others laid mines off Penang Harbor. Fighters attacked targets throughout central Burma and in the Lashio-Bhamo area. 3. By 27 November, Allied troops north of Mawlaik had extended their salient southeast of the Chindwin River to a depth and front of 15 miles. The Chinese on the Salween front were one and one-half miles southeast of Chefang. 4. Sankiang, 50 miles west of Kweilin, has been occupied by the Japanese. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS On 26 and 27 November, 100 sorties were reported in the Southwest Pacific area, principally over the Philippines; these included attacks by 43 B-24's on air installations on Negros. During the two days, two - 3 - DECLASSIFIED Bab Letter, 5-3-72 MASBATE 6 N ASBATE CATBALOGAN BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO IMOM 9 MATARINAO ACLOBAN x co X XXI COR BOGO LIMBI DAGAMI HOC DULAG NEGROS o BAY PALANAS R. ABUYOG C/5 BATO D OUIDAN SURIÇÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES RD SCALE IN MILES LINE AS OF27 NOV M1 LINE AS OF20 NOV T DECLASSIFIED OD OSD Letter, 5-3-72 y / 20 1,7 25 30 BAUNAS MINSK BERLIN o WARSAW o LINE AS OF 27 NOVEMBER o INE AS OF 20 NOVEMBER BRESLAU KIEV R PRAGUE KRAKOW DUKLA/PASS UNGVAR MUNICH VIENNA NO BUDAPEST, MOHACS o VENICE & BUCHAREST River Danube RASKA SOFIA N STIRANA M PSKOV RIGA % EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 o 50 100 KHOD APPROXIMATE MILES n 2 4. 26 n 20 24 2% irman DECLASSIFIED 08D Letter, 5-3-72 enemy planes were shot down and one destroyed on the ground. In the Leyte area, eleven Japanese planes were shot down during a heavy attack on our shipping; three enemy transport planes bearing some 50 troops crash-landed on Leyte in the Dulag area. On northern Leyte, additional hill positions to the southeast of Limon were cleared. On central Leyte our attack south and southwest of Dagami continued against stubborn resistance. Patrols reached Lubi. On Ormoc Bay, south of the Palanas River, further Japanese counterattacks were repulsed. EASTERN FRONT In the Dukla Pass-Ungvar area, Soviet troops continued to advance on a broad front during 28 November, although impeded by heavy rains. They also enlarged their bridgehead on the lower Damube by capturing Mohacs. In Yugoslavia, Bulgarian troops captured Raska. GENERAL In order to avoid adverse public reaction, the War Department has warned all commands to exercise particular care in effecting the discharge of nationally prominent persons. Such cases will be referred to the War Department for final determination. - 4 - TOP GEODET DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1084 0700 November 27 to 0700 November 28, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) (2) TOD CEODET VeVhs 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 OKiel 54 52 PEmden OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED Bremen FINE with + Londona a BIELEFELD o OBerlin ORotterdam 52 TILBURG HAMM 50 ANTWERP 6 oBrussels Cologne OLeipzig o LIEGE A ACHEN ERFURT 20 Abbeville MALMEDY FULDA a ST VITH BINGEN oFrankfurt Progue 50 LUXEMBOURG 48 / o o Poris °Rennes KARLSRUHE o Noncy . o OFFENBURG Leire Decube O-Tours Munich 48 Vienna 46 Budopest Bern o o Bolzono 46 4 Lyon Bordeaux 44 OMilan o PTrieste state o Toulouse Bologno O 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 4 6 8 10 2 14 16 18 24-87117-300 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WESTERN HEMISPHERE On 26 November, a single B-24 attacked the southern end of Paramushir in the Kuriles. EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 26 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 2,892 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Eight enemy aircraft were destroyed; we lost 21. In operations against Hamm, Bielefeld and other targets on 26 November, the 8th Air Force dropped 3,189 tons of bombs. On 26 November, 75 RAF heavy bombers dropped 360 tons on the Fulda railway center. In a dawn attack the next day, 270 heavies and eight Mosquitoes were airborne to strike Munich; 13 Mosquitoes bombed Karlsruhe and Erfurt. On 27 November, some 530 escorted heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force attacked rail yards at Offenburg and a railway junction at Bingen. One bomber and three fighters are missing. On the same day, 502 fighters, airborne to sweep northwest and central Germany, were intercepted by some 200 enemy aircraft; ninety-four enemy planes were shot down and four others destroyed on the ground. We lost 11 fighters. During the 24-hour period ending at 0600 on 27 November, eight rockets fell in England. 2. North of Venlo, on 27 November, the Second British Army continued - 1 - WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM 2 LEIPZIG FIRST CAN ARMY VENLO o o JULICH SECOND BR ARMY o BRUSSELS COLOGNE AACHEN. .HURTGEN FOREST NINTH US ARMY R FRANKFURT o FIRST US ARMY o o MERZIG PARIS MEID ST AVOLD FALKENBERG BOIS DE BONNEFONTAINE FINSTINGEN, BUCHSWEILER THIRD US ARMY HAGENAU MOLSHEIM STRASBOURG MUNICH SEVENTH US ARMY MULHOUSE BELFORT F IRST FRENCH ARMY DANNEMARIE o 25 so 75 100 ISO MILES 21-2072-200 T DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 its drive to clear the west bank of the Meuse. Enemy strongpoints still held out west and north of Venlo. At noon, 27 November, our Ninth and First Armies northeast of Aachen were continuing their attack on the Roer River line with progress still measured by yards. House-to-house fighting continued in Kirchberg and Koslar, southeast of Julich. Farther south, slow progress was made in the Forest of Hurtgen in the face of an enemy counterattack. East of Metz the Third Army made some progress toward Merzig, expanded their salient north of Falkenberg to St. Avold, and cleared the east portion of the Bois de Bonnefontaine north of Finstingen. The Seventh Army continued to exploit its gains on the Alsatian Plain making local progress northwest of Buchsweiler, clearing the area to the south and advancing towards the Rhine between Hagenau and Strasbourg. The remainder of the forts around Strasbourg have been taken. In the vicinity of Molsheim, our VI Corps drove east to join hands with a French armored division which also made gains up to five miles south along the Bruche Canal. The First French Army continued to pinch out the remaining German resistance east of Belfort with additional gains to the north. The town of Dannemarie was retaken and further local advances made to the southwest of Mulhouse. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 26 November, opera- tions were again curtailed by adverse weather. The Tactical Air Force flew 323 fighter and fighter-bomber sorties to attack rail communications in the - 2 - I SEA OF JAPAN OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PEIPING YELLOW TOP LOYANG SEA NAGASAKI o SHANGHAI a ANK ING CHUNGERIES 0 TO WENCHOW CHANGSHA -HENGSHAN HENGYANG & OOCHOW AMOY SWATOW e CANTON CHINA TAKAO 6 HONGKONG IDO o IDO 200 300 400 500 o LUICHOW PENINSULA HAIPHONG SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA GULF 120° 130° COMO OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIEB BRESCIA MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN CREMONA ALESSANDRIA FERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA ENZA V.Mon SAVONA RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 26 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 27 NOVEMBER 1944 NCE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) A& A,OSS 4 NOVEMBER 1945 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 central Po Valley and targets on the central battle front. Six planes, including one each by the Coastal and Balkan Air Forces, were lost. 2. At noon on 27 November, heavy rain and poor visibility were still greatly restricting operations along the entire front. The XIII Corps of the Fifth Army made local gains in the area southwest of Faenza. On the Eighth Army front, British troops crossed the Marzeno River and advanced to the line of the Lamone River at the southern edge of Faenza. Northeast of the town, fighting continued between the Montone and Lamone Rivers where enemy resistance was still strong. An enemy position taken in this area was later recaptured by a counterattack supported by tanks. ASIATIC THEATER l. During 25 November the Eastern Air Command flew 1,231 sorties of which 529 were tactical. Fighters swept river traffic and rail lines through central Burma and hit targets in the Lashio-Bhamo region. Medium bombers attacked railways and other targets in the Mandalay area. 2. During 24 and 25 November, the 14th Air Force flew some 75 previously unreported offensive sorties, mainly over the Ishan-Kweilin- Hengshan area. In addition, fighters swept rail traffic in Thailand and river traffic in French Indo-China. Three B-24's destroyed a 200-foot submarine chaser, probably destroyed a light cruiser and damaged other shipping in the South China Sea. Other B-24's laid mines in Haiphong Harbor in French Indo-China. - 3 - LEDO River OSD Letter, 5-3-72 ADSHAN Brahmaputra SILCHAR IRRAWADDY SALWEEN FRONT FRONT BHAMO ATTO INI o MENGKA SOR KALEWA LASHIO CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT a o 25 50 75 DE APPROXIMATE MILES AKYAB 24-80007-300 MARCUS PALAU IS 3 NETHERLANDS INDIES OBD Letter, 5-3-72 SCALE WILLS MOROTAI I FOR Marques Ro DECLASSIFIED 2 79 PACIFIC N LUZON / CHINA C H N A S E 4 SEA OCEAN H MINDOSO & ORSOGAN L SAMAR o S PANAY SERI NEGROS PUERTO PRINCES PALAWAN SULU SEA MINDANAO ZAMBOANGA NORTH BORNEO PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 50 -0 - 50 100 150 Approximate Miles --- DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 ARE GMASBATE N ASBATE CATBALOGAN BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO A LIMON M OMBURGANGAN 9 MATARINAO ACLOBAN AQAMI BOGO PABLO AM BUN UEN ORMOC DANAO BAY ABUYOG GE BATO 10 2 O LICIAN SURIÇÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES to & SCALE IN MILES M1 N 06-7111-900 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 3. On 27 November, 58 B-29's of the 20th Air Force dropped 380 tons of bombs on the Bansue rail yard at Bangkok. Six enemy planes were destroyed; all of our aircraft returned. 4. On 26 November, Chinese troops on the Salween front continued to advance south of Mengka. On the Irrawaddy front Chinese patrols were active along the Shweli River south of Bhamo. On the Chindwin front the British advanced to within five and one-half miles of Kalewa on the west without contact. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. On 24 November, 86 B-24's struck airfields on Negros and Mindanao and eight others attacked the Ormoc area. Some 130 other sorties were flown over the Philippines, Celebes and Ambon; eight enemy planes were shot down and one parked bomber destroyed. On 25 November, 18 B-24's hit an airfield near Davao. Other aircraft supported ground operations on Leyte, attacked islands in Ormoc Bay and sank ten small vessels off Palawan and Cebu. On the same day, Solomons forces flew 118 sorties against targets in the Bougainville, New Britain, and New Ireland area. During 24- 26 November, 12 enemy planes were shot down over our air bases on Leyte and Morotai. 2. On northern Leyte, stubborn resistance continued east and south- east of Limon. To the southeast, lst Cavalry Division occupied Mt. Cabungangan. Scattered resistance was encountered by our 11th Airborne Division at Takin, three and one-half miles west of Burauen. The 96th - 4 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 A + RIDKYD 0 HONSHU ONAGOYA E Mº 0 o SHIMA - - NII JIMA I I ,, KOZU SHIMA 14" o MIYAKE JIMA ZENI zu as - SHINGU 0 MIKURA JIMA , INAMBA JIMA I 1 HACHIJO JIME I - - . AOGA SHIMA -at" N° . SUMISU JIMA TORI JIMA auf . SOFU GAN as BONIN IS MUKO JIMA NISHINO SHIMA 1 CHICHI JIMA 9 HAHA JIMA KITA NO JIMA NANPO SHOTO NWO JMA a APPROXIMATE MILES MINAMI NO JIMA or ROTA - 194° LASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Division met stubborn resistance in an attack south of Kabayan and southwest of Dagami. Near Ormoc, the 7th Division repulsed another attack south of the Palanas River. 3. On 25 November, Pacific Ocean Area bombers and fighters struck targets in the Marshall, Mariana, Bonin and Palau Islands, and at Marcus, Yap and Iwo Jima. On 26 November, 16 fighters hit Rota and four medium bombers attacked shipping and harbor installations at Chichi Jima. 4. During two Jap attacks upon our bases in the Marianas on 27 Nov- ember, four B-29's were destroyed and at least two others seriously damaged. Thirteen enemy planes were shot down. 5. Early reports of the B-29 raid against the Japanese mainland on 27 November state that 59 bombers dropped 147 tons on the Tokyo dock and urban area. The primary target, an engine plant in the Tokyo area, was not bombed owing to cloud conditions. Twenty-one bombers returned early and one was lost in the ocean. EASTERN FRONT There was no substantial change on the Eastern Front during 27 November - 5 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1083 0700 November 26 to 0700 November 27, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(v) (2) 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 OKiel 54 52 PEmden sim, Bremen 7 HANNOVER Londone BIELEFELD OBerlin 52 OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED ORotterdom HAMM 50 ,HAGEN ANTWERP 6 oBrussels Cologne ERFURT OLeipzig 20 IEGE AACHEN MERSEBURG Abbeville MALMEDY ST VITH o Frankfurt Progue 50 BINGEN NURNBERG 48 Paris Rennes o Noncy o STUTTGART o Laire pacube OTours o Munich 48 Vienno 46 Budopest SEREGELYES o Bern o Bolzano 46 4 Lyon (Bordeaux 44 OMilon Trieste o o Toulouse Bologno O 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 4 6 8 10 2 14 16 IB 24-87117-300 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 25 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 2,145 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Twelve enemy planes were shot down; we lost two bombers and thirteen fighters. On 26 November, some 1,100 escorted heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force attacked an oil refinery near Hannover, rail yards at Hamm, a railroad viaduct at Bielefeld and other targets in northwestern Germany. One hundred eleven (probably 114) enemy planes were shot down by our fighters and 11 destroyed on the ground. The bombers claim the destructio of 16 (probably 27) attacking aircraft. Thirty-seven bombers and 14 fighters are missing. Losses during 8th Air Force operations on 25 November (Merseburg and Bingen raids) were ten bombers and five fighters; nine enemy planes were destroyed. During the night of 25-26 November, 85 Mosquitoes attacked Nurnberg, Stuttgart, Hagen and Erfurt. In the 24-hour period ending at 0600 on 26 November, six rockets fell in England. On 24 and 25 November, five additional rockets fell in Antwerp, and 58 additional flying bombs as follows: two in Aachen, 41 in Liege, eight in Malmedy, and seven in St. Vith. 2. By 1200 of 26 November, our First and Ninth Armies continued their attack on the Roer River line which defends the approaches to Cologne. - 1 - WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM o GSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIEB RIGHT & 1 3 LEIPZIG FIRST CAN ARMY # VENLO o o Room River JULVCH SECOND BR ARMY o BRUSSELS COLOGNE 3- DUREN R. NINTH US ARMY FRANKFURT FIRST US ARMY o PARIS METO FALKENBERG THIRD US ARMY BUCHSWEILER FINSTINGEN HAGENAU TRASBOURG MOUSHEIM SEVENTH US ARMY MUNICH MULHOUSE BELFORT FIRST FRENCH ARMY o 25 50 75 100 ISO MILES 25-2072-200 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Progress under heavy mortar and artillery fire, through deep mud, was measured by yards. A local counterattack was repulsed southwest of Duren. Another enemy attack supported by tanks coming from the vicinity of Julich was contained, and artillery fire broke up a third counter- attack northwest of Julich. Our Third Army continued its drive into the Saar Basin making local gains east of Metz, north of Falkenberg, and northwest of Finstingen. Three forts on the defensive perimeter of Metz, where resistance continued, have surrendered and been occupied. Our Seventh Army was continuing to expand its gains in the Strasbourg area. Local progress was made northeast of Buchsweiler and north of Strasbourg toward Hagenau and the Rhine. A French motorized division moving west from Strasbourg along the Bruche Canal has almost effected a junction with troops of the VI Corps debouching from the Saales Pass at Molsheim. The French First Army continued to pinch out the remaining German resistance in Belfort Gap, with gains to the northeast and east of Belfort, and to the southwest of Mulhouse. All forts where resistance continued at Belfort have been taken. The Second British Army's advance toward the Meuse had gained up to three miles on a five-mile front northwest of Venlo. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 25 November, continuing - 2 - T LEDO River OBD Letter, 5-3-72 CHIMISSVION ROAD PAOSHAN Brahmaputro IRRAWADDY SALWEEN SILCHAR FRONT FRONT CHINDWIN FRONT KATHA CHEFANG KALEWA LASHIO the Solween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT 25 o 25 50 75 OR APPROXIMATE MILES RANGOON AKYAB 24-90067-300 COMO OSD Letter, 5-3-78 DECLASSIFIED BRESCIA MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN 9. CREMONA Jrul does ave ALESSANORIA SFERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA INZA SAVONA RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 25 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 26 NOVEMBER 1944 ICE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R & A,OSS 4 NOVEMBER 1945 DECLASSIFIED USD Letter, 5-3-72 adverse weather limited air operations; the Tactical Air Force flew 73 sorties and Coastal and Balkan Air Forces 111. Two planes are missing. On 25 November more than 70 heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force dropped supplies in Yugoslavia. On 26 November, 39 15th Air Force fighters attacked transportation near Seregelyes in Hungary. Nine interceptors were shot down for the loss of five of our fighters. 2. By 1200 of 26 November, the enemy had withdrawn from both sides of Faenza. Following up, the Eighth Army advanced to the Lamone River along a front extending four miles northeast from Faenza, and to the southwest, approached the river line on a seven-mile front. Near Brisighella, Polish troops have crossed the Lamone River without meeting the enemy. The enemy withdrawals extended into our Fifth Army sector where advances of several miles were made on a six-mile front. In the Adriatic sector, the British Eighth Army reached a point within a mile and a half of Ravenna. ASIATIC THEATER 1. During 24 November, the Eastern Air Command flew 1,071 sorties. Of these, 413 were tactical and included attacks on railroad bridges from Rangoon to Katha, and on rail facilities in Thailand. During 21-23 November, more than 110 additional 14th Air Force planes attacked widespread targets in China. Seven Jap aircraft were destroyed on an airfield at Anking; we lost two planes. On 24 November, - 3 - SEA OF JAPAN PEIPING OSD Letter, 5-3-72 YELLOW LOYANG SEA NAGASAKI 50° e SHANGHAI ", RANKOW CHUNGKING ANK ING copiting Late 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA HERGYANG & FOOCHOW SUICHWAN KUNMING AMOY SWATOW 6 CANTON CHINA TAKAO HONGKONG IDO o IDO 200 300 400 500 o taxxxxx LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA BULF 180° 130* DECLASSIFIED ORD Letter, 5-3-72 MASSAT B N SBATE CATBALOGAR BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO INON MATARINAO LOBAN BOGO Pujanas R. ABUYOG BATO OUTAN 1 ARGAO 0 SURIÇÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES RQ & SCALE IN MILES N 08-TILL-200 for T DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 21 B-24's struck Hankow storage areas. Of 80 other reported sorties, 60 were flown over the Burma Road from Chefang to Lashio. On 21 and 22 November, Jap planes attacked our airfield at Suichwan, destroying one B-24 and one fighter. 2. On 25 November, Allied troops on the Chindwin front had ad- vanced to points six miles north and four miles northwest of Kalewa. In China, the Japanese moved toward joining the flanks of their two columns west of Liuchow, occupying Wuming and Nanning. 3. The Air Transport Command of the India-China Division is inaugurating a weekly service with B-24 type aircraft between Kunming and Leyte. The first flight will leave Kunming on 27 November. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. During 23 and 24 November, 14 B-24's, previously unreported, hit an airfield at Davao and seven others attacked the Ormoc area; an enemy floatplane was shot down off Palawan. 2. On 24 November, the 1st Cavalry Division artillery on northern Leyte successfully counter-batteried Jap artillery positions six miles south of Limon. In the central sector of the island, our troops repulse a Jap attack in the Palanas River area about 12 miles southeast of Ormoc and were attacking a strong hill position in the same area. Communiques report decreasing enemy resistance in the Ormoc corridor up to 26 November 3. General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area closed at Hollandia - 4 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-78 and opened on Leyte on 27 November. 4. On 24 and 25 November, 32 bombers attacked airfields and other targets in the Bonins and 15 others attacked targets in the Palaus and at Marcus Island. 5. Eighty-one B-29's were airborne for an attack scheduled to hit targets on the Japanese mainland on 27 November. GENERAL 1. The War Department advised commanders outside the United States that neither incoming nor outgoing Expeditionary Force (fixed text) Christmas greeting messages will be transmitted from 6 to 25 November (²) because the load on transmission facilities would be excessive. 2. The following troop units have been ordered from their home stations to New York and Boston Ports of Embarkation for movement overseas: Hq. XXII Corps, 66th Inf. Div., 69th Inf. Div.; also infantry regiments of the 63rd, 42d, 76th and 70th Infantry Divisions. - 5 - T T OI ©LONE DECLASSIFIED USD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1082 0700 November 25 to 0700 November 26, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(v) @@@ 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 OKiel 54 52 Letter, SD 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PEmden FIRE Bremen with + o Londone Berlin o ORotterdam o 52 50 GOTTINGEN LUTZKENDORE 6 oBrussels Cologne OLeipzig MERSEBURG 20 Abbeville - o Frankfurt Progue 50 o BINGEN 48 o Poris ORennes Noncy o a Laire Munich LINE O-Tours 48 Vienno Budopest 46 INNSBRUCK o Bern KLAGENFURT o Bolzono 46 4 Lyon Bordeaux 44 OMilan o PTrieste o Toulouse Bologno RAENZA 9 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 2 14 16 IB 24-87117-300 RECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 24 November, weather limited the Tactical Air Forces to 112 sorties. During the night of 24-25 November, 57 RAF Mosquitoes bombed Berlin, six others, Gottingen. On 25 November, 1,033 escorted heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force were airborne to attack oil installations at Merseburg, Lutzkendorf and Bingen. During the 24-hour period ending at 0600 on 25 November, seven rockets fell in England. Seven flying bombs were plotted, of which two were overland, including one in the London area; antiaircraft destroyed three. On 23 and 24 November, 23 flying bombs and three rockets fell on the Continent, principally at Antwerp and Liege. 2. By 1200 hours of 25 November, the British Second Army had reached the western defenses of Venlo and made limited gains near Swolgen. Divisions of our First and Ninth Armies were heavily engaged in the area to the east of Aachen where the enemy is strongly defending the line of the Roer River between Julich and Duren. A counterattack forced a local withdrawal to the southwest of Duren in the Forest of Hurtgen. House-to-house fighting continued in Weisweiler. Tank operations were hampered by deep mud. - 1 - WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED NORTH BEVELAND SWOLGEN FIRST CAN ARMY . LEIPZIG VENLO o R9 XXXX AJUL ICH BRUSSELS COLOGNE o AACHEN WEISWEILER SECOND BR ARMY XXXX DUREN B R- NINTH US ARMY XXXX FRANKFURT o FIRST US ARMY o XXXX SAARBRUCKEN o MERZIG . PARIS METZ BUCHWEILER THIRD US ARMY FINSTINGEN HAGENAU o WEYERSHEIM XXXX SAARBURG TRASBOURG SAALES PASS 3. MARKIRCH MUNICH SEVENTH US ARMY o MULHOUSE BELFOR HABSHEIM xxxx FIRST FR ARMY o 25 50 75 100 iso MILES 25-0072-200 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 In the area southeast of Metz, the Third Army continued its advance to the Saar Basin and registered gains northwest of Finstingen and north of Falkenberg. To the east of Metz, a local advance was made toward Saarbrucken and further to the northeast advances were made in the direction of Merzig. The XV Corps of our Seventh Army had widened the penetration in the Strasborg area to include Buchweiler to the northwest, Weyersheim to the north, and Molsheim to the west. Strasbourghas been cleared, but the enemy still holds the Rhine bridges. Patrols are nearing Hagenau, 15 miles north of Strasbourg. The VI Corps has driven ahead an additional ten miles through the Saales Pass, and has almost reached open country. Other elements of the VI Corps have advanced to the vicinity of Markirch. The First French Army reports that the enemy is beginning to withdraw before Belfort, and an additional area northeast and east of the city has been cleared. East of Mulhouse an enemy counterattack forced a retirement to Habsheim. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 24 November, adverse weather limited the Tactical Air Force to 243 sorties, mainly in the Faenza area. During these and Coastal-Balkan operations two enemy planes were destroyed; we lost two fighters. On 24 November, 75 heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force dropped supplies in Yugoslavia. That night heavy bombers dropped 110 tons of bombs - 2 - OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED COMO BRESCIA MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN CREMONA D ALESSANDRIA SFERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA 5 INZA SAVONA GAG N RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 24 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 25 NOVEMBER 1944 OI NCE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R& A,085 4 NOVEMBER 1945 LEDO River dsd Letter, 5-3-72 MYITKYINA ROAD PAOSHAN Brahmaputra SILCHAR IRRAWADDY SALWEEN FRONT FRONT MANGSHIH 29 CHINDWIN 6 FRONT CHEFANG KALEWA KALEMYO Irranaday LASHIO Salween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT a o 25 50 75 DER APPROXIMATE MILES RANGOON BANGKOK AKYAB 14-90087-300 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 on marshalling yards at Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Munich, and an oil plant at Linz. We lost three bombers. 2. By 1200 hours of 25 November southwest of Bologna, Brazilian troops of the Fifth Army had thrust four miles west near Gaggio Montano and repulsed local counterattacks there and to the northeast. South of Faenza, the Eighth Army consolidated its positions and strengthened the bridgehead across the River Marzeno against resistance by infantry and tanks. East of Faenza, a considerable area was cleared between the Lamone a Montone Rivers, extending the advance two miles north. ASIATIC THEATER 1. During 20-22 November the 14th Air Force flew 150 additional sorties, sinking a 300-foot enemy vessel and probably another in the East China Sea. On 23 November, 30 aircraft attacked Lashio and supported Chinese ground forces on the Salween River front; two B-24's attacked the Kowloon docks and installations on Hainan. 2. During 23 November the Eastern Air Command flew 1,309 sorties of which 561 were tactical. Fighters and medium bombers supported ground operations on the Chindwin and Irrawaddy River fronts, bombing and strafing targets near Kalewa and in the Lashio area. B-24's bombed a railroad bridge south of Rangoon and laid mines in the Bangkok region. 3. By 24 November, Chinese troops on the Salween front moving south- west on the Burma Road from Mangshih were five miles from Chefang, and flanking columns had progressed beyond the town. - 3 - SEA OF JAPAN PEIPING OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED YELLOW LOYANG SEA NAGASAKI 0 SHANGHAI CHENGTU CHUNGKING course 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA HE NOYANG & FOOCHOW HOCHIN AMOY SWATOW 6 CANTON CHINA TAKAO NANN NO KOWLOON HONGKONG IDO o 00 200 300 400 500 LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA ILLAND OULF 1 130° DECLASSIFIED OL Ban Letter 5-3-73 8:00 MASBA B 220 N SBATE CATBALOGAT BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO & BALU TRON to DAVID MATARINAO SINAYAW CLOBAN MT PINA X d BOGO XXIV CORPS BACOLOD YAN NEGROS ABUYOG BATO QUOWN ARGAO 0842 SURIÇÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES RO go SCALE IN MILES M1 N 08-7111-000 $ BONIN IS o z Assongsong 1. y 7 e Agriben L. $ OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED Pagon 1. CAROLINE AND MARIANAS IS. . Alamogan L Guguen 1. $ Serigan L so o so 100 no 200 250 Anotaben Le Medinillo I. SCALE OF MILES 4 Solpon I. Tenion Aguijan I. # Rote 1. Guom a UIIN is Feis 1. Yes Geferat L Otel is Ngulu is Foroulas is Mail Na. PHILIPPINE 15, Seral is West Fayo I. (Mindence 0 Pikeion IL Polou is Olimareo is Pulop is BABELTHUAP Lamofreir la 4 Truk is I Walest 16. Elate 1s° Malk is Pulsent is. Ngemells is Equripik is is c A R o L I N E s L A N o 5 Sonsoral is 4 Pula Anna 1, Marir 1. Teloud is HALMAHERA Tobil I Halen - Moratei I. DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 4. Continuing their westward advance in China, the Japanese have occupied Hochih; they also have advanced southwest from Liuchow to t ake Nanning where the 14th Air Force abandoned its airfield on 19 November. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. On 23 November, 139 Solomons-based aircraft struck the Bougainville- New Britain-New Ireland area. More than 175 sorties were flown by other Southwest Pacific planes from Timor to Halmahera and over Borneo and the Philippines; among these operations, 20 B-24's bombed Bacolod airdrome on Negros, 18 medium bombers struck Cebu, and 47 fighters swept Negros. During this two-day period, 42 enemy planes were shot down over Leyte. On 23 November, the 1st Cavalry Division on northern Leyte launched an attack from Balud to clear the Pinamitinan-Mount Minoro-Sinayawan area; mopping-up south to Mt. Pina continued. Two other divisions met heavy resistance in the Limon area. On 24 November, the 96th Division in the central sector encountered strong opposition 2,000 yards southwest of Kabayan. US motor torpedo boats have landed scouts on Masbate. 2. On 23 November, 17 B-24's hit Okimura in the Bonins and lighter aircraft struck Wake, Wotje, Yap and the northern Palaus. - 4 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1081 0700 November 24 to 0700 November 25, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(v) If or OLOME II 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 OKIEL 54 52 OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PEmden BIAM Paremen + London< HANNOVER OBerlin ORotterdom o 52 GELSENKIRCHEN 50 ANTWER DUISBURG DORTMUND GOTTINGEN 6 Brussels Cologne OLeipzig L TEGE 20 EISENACH AACHEN T Abbeville o Frankfurt Progue 50 48 o Paris Rennes o Noncy a Laire Danube o Munich O-Tours 48 Vienna Budopest o 46 SZOMBATHELY o Bern o Bolzano 46 4 Lyon RBordeoux OMilon Trieste 44 o o FAENZA Toulouse Bologno O 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o OSplit 42 50 0 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 24-87117-300 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. Bad weather grounded the Tactical Air Forces for the 24-hour period ending at sunset 23 November. That day, escorted heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force dropped 316 tons of bombs on an oil plant at Gelsenkirchen and 32 tons on rail yards at Duisburg. RAF heavy bombers dropped 950 tons on an oil plant near Gelsenkirchen the same day, and that night Mosquitoes dropped 84 tons on Hannover, and smaller tonnages near Eisenach, Gottingen and Dortmund. One heavy bomber and one Mosquito are missing. On 24 November, weather forced cancellation of 8th Air Force operations. During the 24-hour period ending at 0600 on 24 November, 14 flying bombs were plotted of which six landed in Suffolk and Essex. Three rockets landed in England. Seven more rockets and 41 flying bombs fell near Antwerp, Liege and Aachen on 22 and 23 November. 2. By noon on 24 November, to the east and northeast of Aachen, our First and Ninth Armies were continuing to advance slowly against heavy fire and through extensive mine fields towards Duren and Julich. Counterattacks were repulsed without giving ground. Southeast of Metz, our Third Army pushed farther into the Saar Basin and made contact with our Seventh Army, north of Saarburg. The Seventh Army continued to expand its gains to the northeast of Saarburg, and made lesser advances to the northeast and southeast of 1 I I WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN USD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED AMSTERDAM MEUSE 2 3 LEIPZIG o VENLO R. JULICH BRUSSELS COLOGNE o DUREN AACHEN R. FRANKFURT o o PARIS METZ SAVERNE SAARBURG STRASBOURG GERARDMER SAALES PASS MUNICH MULHOUSE DELEGR DANNEMARIE o 25 50 75 IDO ISO MILES TOP DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Saverne, repulsing a counterattack to the northeast of the city. The major portion of Strasbourg has been cleared, and four bridges over the canal and one across the Rhine are intact. South of Saarburg, an armored division thrust seven miles east. Our VI Corps advanced an additional five miles through the Saales Pass and made progress to the northeast of Gerardmer. North of Belfort the II French Corps gained up to seven miles on a 12-mile front. Between Belfort and Mulhouse the French Army has retaken all ground except the town of Dannemarie (Dammerkirch) which had been lost in an enemy counterattack. On the British front west of Venlo, several local advances were made towards the Meuse. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 23 November, more than 150 previously unreported sorties were flown by the 15th Air Force. These included a night mission in which 125 tons of bombs were dropped on rail yards at Szombathely, Hungary. In all, seven bombers were lost. During the same period weather limited the Tactical Air Force to 278 sorties, mainly in the Faenza area. The Coastal and Balkan Air Forces reported 218 sorties, among which 50 Balkan aircraft struck German positions around Danilovgrad and two planes were lost. 2. During the 24 hours ending at noon on 24 November our Fifth Army repulsed minor local attacks in the west coastal area and southwest of Bologna. - 2 - OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED COMO BRESCIA MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN * CREMONA ALESSANORIA FERRARA 9 PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA ENZA SAVONA FORL RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 23 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 24 NOVEMBER 1944 CE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R & A,OSS 4 NOVEMBER 1943 SEA OF JAPAN QSD Letter, 5-3-72 PEIRING YELLOW LOYANG 5 E A NAGASAKI o SHANGHAI 4 CHUNGKING 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA HENGYANG - FOOCHOW HOCKIN AMOY LIUCHOW NYANG SWATOW 6 CANTON CHINA TAKAO NANNING HONGKONG IDO o 100 200 300 400 500 texxxx LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA THAILAND OULF 180° 130° LEDO River USD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED ROAD PAOSHAN Brahmaputra IRRAWADDY SILCHAR FRONT PINWE C BHAMO KATHA KAWLIN Salween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT £ o £ 50 75 KHOA HUAGONG APPROXIMATE MILES KRA STHMUS AKYAB 24-90057-300 DECLASSIFIED ORD Letter, 5-3-72 On the Eighth Army front, British troops driving to the northwest reached the outskirts of Faenza. The V Corps and the Polish II Corps forced the enemy from positions along the River Cosina northwest of Forli, and established a bridgehead southeast of Faenza. The Germans were holding the line of the River Marzeno, which, however, was crossed at one point south of Faenza. Between Faenza and Modiglians, Polish troops advancing towards the River Marzeno have gained some three miles on a five-mile front. Elsewhere, patrols approached the river without making contact with the enemy. Southwest of Ravenna, another advance was made toward the River Montone. ASIATIC THEATER 1. During 22 November the Eastern Air Command flew 1,283 sorties of which 442 were tactical. The outstanding action was an attack by 20 B-24's on Khoa Huagong, the western terminus of the new Kra Isthmus rail- road; the report stated several vessels were sunk. Fighters supported ground troops in the Bhamo and Pinwe areas and attacked the airfield at Kawlin on the Irrawaddy River front. 2. On 21 November, Japanese completed the capture of Pinyang, 60 miles northeast of Nanning, and reached the outskirts of Hochih, 108 miles west-northwest of Liuchow. 3. On 23 November, Chinese troops on the Irrawaddy front were nine miles north of Katha. - 3 - DECLASSIFIED 72 PACIFIC N 4 LUZON 3 S OCEAN A N / H C H & FORSOBAN 4 MASSAGE SAMAR o QRMOC BAY 5 PANAY MUC COLOD PUERTO PRINCES PALAWAN NEGROS SULU SEA BRUNE I BAY MINDANAO NORTH BORNEO i) PHILIPPINE ISLANDS MAKASSAR 50 o 50 100 150 Approximate Miles TOP DECLASSIFIED 088D Letter, 5-8-72 PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. During 21 and 22 November, Southwest Pacific planes flew more than 440 additional sorties, Among these, 40 B-24's hit an airdrome near Davao, 48 others dropped 130 tons on Bacolod airdrome on Negros, and 70 fighters attacked the Ormoc area. Near Makassar, 20 fighters de- stroyed 25 enemy parked planes and sank a medium freighter. In Brunei Bay, heavy bombers scored two hits on a medium freighter, and at Ormoc Bay a coastal vessel was sunk. We lost three fighters. During the night of 22 November, nine enemy raiders destroyed 15 of our aircraft on the ground at Morotai and damaged others. One Jap plane was shot down. On 23 November, an enemy destroyer escort was be- lieved sunk in Brunei Bay. A communique reports the destruction of an entire Japanese convoy of three transports and a destroyer off the southeast coast of Masbate. The attack was made by locally based light aircraft operating at low altitude. All of the ships were reported sunk except one transport which was set afire and beached. It is estimated that 4,500 Japs were killed or drowned. 2. Troops of our X Corps crossed the Leyte River below Limon and continued advancing southward. In the Minoro area south of Capoocan, the enemy's forces have been broken up into small groups, which are resisting desperately. 3. On 20 November, Marine fighters struck Babelthuap, Yap and Rota. On 22 November, 158 Navy fighters and 17 B-24's attacked the Palaus, and - 4 - E TOKYO o = Assongsong 1. A , o Agrihan L - Pagen L CSD Letter, 5-3-72 , CAROLINE AND MARIANAS IS. Alamogen I. Guguon L. an -Sorigan L 50 0 50 100 80 200 250 Anotahon :- ------ N Medinillo I. SCALE OF MILES Seipen I. Tenion I 4 Aquijen E. - Rote I. Guem Ulimi is - 1 Fais I You Geferut 1. Olei is Foreulap is. Mell Ve # Ngviu is PHILIPPINE is Soral is West Faya Pikeiof I. [Mindance u Palov is Olimerzo is Pulop is ( Truk is BABETHUAP I Wolesi "- Lomotreir is Elete 1st Malk is Palswet is Ngamelis is. Eouripia is Pulusch is o A R o L I N E $ L A N D 5 Sonsoral is Pule Anne '. Marie 1. Teloud is Tabi 1 Helen - Moratei : DECLASSIFIED 689 Letter, 5-3-72 KAUNAS MINSK LINETAS OF 23 NOV LINE AS OF 24 NOV BERLIN WARSAW o BRESLAU KIEV PRAGUE KRAKOW o UNGVAR MUNICH MISKOLC VIENNA BUDAPEST o VENICE 5 BUCHAREST DANILOVGRAO SOFIA KOTOR OTIRANA SAARE PSKOV RIGA EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 o 50 100 APPROXIMATE MILES 25-2145-200- DECLASSIFIED 9SD Letter, 5-8-78 bomber and fighter attacks were also made upon Yap, Pagan and Truk. Four Jap planes were destroyed; we lost one fighter. On 23 November, Wotje was hit by 21 fighters and Wake by six medium bombers. 4. Preliminary reports on the 21st Bomber Command mission against Japan indicate that 91 aircraft bombed the target areas on 24 November. Four squadrons bombed Musashino engine plant at Nakajima; six squadrons bombed the Tokyo dock and urban area. One B-29 was rammed by an enemy fighter; another is missing. Ten Japanese planes were destroyed. Anti- aircraft defense was light and inaccurate. EASTERN FRONT Soviet troops with naval support cleared the enemy from his bridge- head on the island of Saare. Slight gains were made west of Ungvar and east of Miskolc. Yugoslav troops occupied the port of Kotor on the Adriatic coast. - 5 - FADET for MASSIFIED OBD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1080 0700 November 23 to 0700 November 24, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) TOD STORET WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM OSD DECLASSIFIED Letter, 5-3-72 OVERLOON z HORST 3 LEIPZIG FIRST CAN ARMY o VENLO o JULICH BRUSSELS COLOGNE a SECOND BR ARMY AACHEN DUREN BAD SECRE NINTH US ARMY R. FRANKFURT o FIRST US ARMY o o PARIS METZ FINSTINGEN THIRD US ARMY o TRASBOURG ST DIE MUNICH GERARDMER SCHLUCHT PASS SEVENTH US ARMY ENSISHEIM MULHOUSE HOMBOURG BELFOR FIRST FRENCH ARMY o 25 so 75 100 150 MILES 25-2012-200 SIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset 22 November, weather limited Tactical Air Forces to 237 sorties. One enemy plane was destroyed; we lost two fighters. On 22 November, weather prevented RAF daylight bomber operations. That night 171 heavy bombers and seven Mosquitoes were dispatched to attack Trondheim, but a smoke screen over the target forced abandonment of the mission. During the 24-hour period ending at 0600, 23 November, nine rockets fell in England. Ten flying bombs were plotted, of which two landed in Essex and two in Suffolk; four were shot down. On the Continent 38 more flying bombs fell in Brussels, Antwerp and Liege during 21 and 22 November. 2. By noon, 23 November, the XIX Corps of our Ninth Army had made minor gains northeast of Aachen, our forward elements being three miles from Julich. Our VII Corps to the south made local gains in the attack toward Duren over difficult terrain and against heavy resistance. On our Third Army front, the last organized resistance ended in Metz. To the southeast, our XII Corps continued the advance into the Saar Basin, registering gains of from two to five miles; one division penetrated to Finstingen. On the Seventh Army front, the XV Corps continued its advance to the east, mopping up pockets of resistance. The 2nd French Armored Division reported the capture of Strasbourg. The VI Corps extended - 1 - SD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED CORD BRESCIA MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN CREMONA ALESSANDRIA FERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA ENZA SAVONA EGRLI RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 22 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 23 NOVEMBER 1944 o ICE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R & A,OSS 4 NOVEMBER 1943 FOR DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 by four miles its penetration northeast of St. Die and made other gains east of the city. The French First Army made minor progress through the Schlucht Pass, but was forced out of Ensisheim and Hombourg on the Rhine by German counterattacks. On the British front, slight progress was made in the area north of Aachen against strong opposition. A powerful enemy counter- attack forced a local withdrawal. The advance toward Venlo continued. Forward elements were approaching the Meuse River southwest of Venlo and other elements were within three miles of the town. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at 1800 on 22 November, 1,185 Tactical Air Force planes supported the armies in northern Italy and attacked communications and other targets in the Po Valley and Yugoslavia. The Coastal Air Force attacked a "human torpedo" base in the northeast Adriatic. We lost three fighters. On 23 November, 102 escorted heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force attacked railroad bridges in Yugoslavia. 2. Two Eighth Army divisions attacked at night, west of Forli and in the direction of Faenza. By 0600, 23 November, they had crossed the River Cosina on & three-mile front against strong opposition. On the Fifth Army front two enemy attacks were repulsed southwest of Bologna. - 2 - LEDO River OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PAOSHAN Brehmaputra IRRAWADDY SILCHAR FRONT CHINDWIN MODA OBHAMO FRONT SHWEGU KYIGON KALEMYO Irraneday LASHIO solween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT 25 o 25 50 75 APPROXIMATE MILES MOULMEIN CHIENGMAI TAVOY BANGKOR AKYAB 24-90067-300 SEA OF JAPAN OSD Letter, 5-3-72 PEIPING YELLOW LOYANG SEA TRIUM NAGASAKI o SHANGHAI , CHENGTU HSINGCHING HANKOW CHUNDRING KFUKIANG Lets 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA HE NOYANG FOOCHOW KWEILIN AMOY SWATOW o CANTON CHINA CHINA TAKAO HONGKONG IDO o 100 200 300 400 500 taxes o LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA AILAND GULF 120° 130° OSD Letter, 5-3-72 ASIATIC THEATER 1. During 21 November, the Eastern Air Command flew 1,203 sorties, of which 387 were tactical. Among these, 16 B-24's attacked bridges on the Bangkok-Chiengmai railway and 11 others struck tin mines and warehouses in the Tavoy area and laid explosive mines at Moulmein and in the Tavoy River; one bomber was lost. Medium bombers destroyed two railroad bridges southwest of Lashio. 2. By 22 November, Allied troops on the Chindwin front had captured Kyigon northeast of Kalemyo. On the Irrawaddy front west of Bhamo, Chinese troops from Shwegu reached Moda without encountering the enemy. 3. On 20 and 21 November more than 80 unreported sorties were flown by the 14th Air Force during the course of which a 350 foot freighter was hit and probably sunk near Kiukiang and another damaged. Fighters attacked at Amoy, Ishan and north of the Yangtze River. On the latter date, Japanese planes attacked our airfields near Chengtu, damaging two medium bombers. During the two-day period, at least three enemy planes were destroyed. On 22 November, 119 sorties were flown including an attack by 19 Liberators on Hankow. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. During 20 and 21 November, 534 additional sorties were flown in the Southwest Pacific Ocean Area. These included a 107-ton attack by 37 B-24's on an airdrome near Del Monte, Mindanao. Throughout the - 3 - DEL MONTE OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED NETHERLANDS INDIES SCALE of WILES Doemaring Gerentale - WEWAK Allegat Searabeje Marqués Derwin DECLASSIFIED OED Letter, 5-3-72 KAUNAS No MINSK LINE AS OF 22 NOV o 0 L INE AS OF 23 NOV BERLIN WARSAW o BRESLAU KIEV o PRAGUE KRAKOW UNGVAR MUNICH CSAP VIENNA TOKAY BUDAPEST CSEPEL ISLAND o VENICE di BUCHAREST SOFIA OTIRAN PSKOV RIGA EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 o 50 100 APPROXIMATE MILES 25-2145-200- DECLASSIFIED 08D Letter, 5-3-72 STATE GMASBATE N ASBATE CATBALOGAN BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO 21 IMON MATARINAO ACLOBAN BOGO KABAYAN ORIGHT ABUYOG GE BATO OLIDAN ARGAO 0 SURIBÃO ANL EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES to & SCALE IN MILES M1 N 06-7111-800 TOP DECLASSIFIED 08D Letter, 5-3-72 period three enemy planes were destroyed; we lost one fighter. An enemy schooner and eight smaller vessels were sunk. Early reports of 22 November operations include 60 bomber sorties over the Celebes, Timor and Wewak area, and the sinking of a small Jap freighter off Luzon. 2. On northern Leyte, the 32nd Division advanced to a point nearly half a mile south of Limon. East of Limon, strong resistance was encountered at various points in the mountains behind our line of contact. In the central sector of Leyte strong enemy positions were encountered one and one-half miles southwest of Kabayan. 3. On 21 November, Navy planes sank a small vessel at Mille and attacked another at Jaluit. During 22 November, C arrier-based fighters flew 93 sorties over the Caroline and Marshall Islands. EASTERN FRONT Northeast of Budapest, the Soviets gained up to nine miles west of Ungvar, recapturing Csap. Rumanian troops recaptured Tokay. South of Budapest, the Soviets crossed the eastern branch of the Danube to Csepel Island. LATE REPORT One hundred six B-29 aircraft took off from Saipan late on 23 November to attack Tokyo. - 4 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1079 0700 November 22 to 0700 November 23, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) TOD OFODE 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 Kiel 54 52 OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED HAMBURG PEmden Bremen + London< OBerlin o ORotterdam o 52 CASTROP RAUXEL 50 HOMBERG AKTWERP 6 oBrussels Cologne MERSEBURG . OLeipzig o LIEGE . 20 Abbeville a o Frankfurt Progue 50 . ASCHAFFENBURG 48 o o Poris °Rennes o Noncy o Leire Decube O-Tours Munich 48 Vienna SALZBURG 46 Budapest o o Bern LIENZ VILLACH Bolzono 46 4 Lyon e Bordeaux 44 OMilon Trieste o & o Toulouse Bologno FAENZA 2 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 9, STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 4 6 8 10 2 14 16 18 24-87117-300 WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG o BERLIN OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED AMSTERDAM o Meuser. HEUSDEN One 's HERTOGENBOSCH 1 LEIPZIG o FIRST CAN ARMY₀ VENLO 1111 SECOND BR ARMY o BRUSSELS COLOGNE ESCHWEILER TOT **** NINTH US ARMY R. **** FRANKFURT o FIRST US ARMY o o XXXX PARIS METZ o THIRD US ARMY BISPING SAVERME XXXX SAARBURG STRASBOURG SEVENTH US ARMY ST DIE SCHLUCHT PASS MUNICH GERARDMER COLMAR ENSISHEIM MULHOUSE XXXX BELFOR FRENCH FIRST ARMY o 25 50 75 100 150 MILES 25-0972-200 for DECLASSIFIED QSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset, 21 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 2,055 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Fourteen enemy planes were destroyed; our losses were 16 fighters and one bomber. During the 8th Air Force operations of 21 November in the Merseburg and Hamburg areas, 2,978 tons of bombs were dropped. Seventy- two enemy planes were shot down and six others destroyed on the ground. A final count reveals that we lost 36 bombers and 16 fighters. Weather prevented 8th Air Force operations on 22 November. In the 24-hour period ending at 0600, 22 November, seven rockets fell in England. On 21 November, 152 escorted heavy bombers of the RAF returned to complete the destruction of the Homberg synthetic oil plant. That night 1,020 RAF bombers dropped more than 4,800 tons of bombs on oil and communications targets at Aschaffenburg, Castrop Rauxel and other points in western Germany. Eighty-nine Mosquitoes made follow-up attacks. Fifteen heavy bombers were lost. During 20 and 21 November, 13 flying bombs landed in Liege and three rockets in Antwerp. 2. On the British front west of Venlo during 22 November their VIII and XII Corps made advances up to six miles on a ten-mile front. Progress was hampered by mines and by artillery fire from the east - 1 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 bank of the Meuse. Canadian patrols crossed the Meuse at Heusden, northwest of s'Hertogenbosch, but made no contact with the enemy. Our First Army cleared Eschweiler and advanced five miles northeast. To the east of Dieuze our Third Army made a local gain of five miles; forward elements were beyond Bisping. On our Seventh Army front, XV Corps troops fanned out to the east, northeast, and north from Saarburg, advancing up to 10 miles on a 15-mile front and capturing Saverne. One division of our VI Corps made a five mile penetration northeast of St. Die, while other troops occupied the city and made general advances of up to two miles along the Corps front. The French II Corps gained five miles to the east of Gerardmer, approaching the Schlucht pass leading to Colmar. Their I Corps, exploiting its drive through Belfort Gap, cleared most of the city of Belfort and captured Mulhouse. General advances were made between these points. Patrols north of Mulhouse were in the vicinity of Ensisheim. We hold the west bank of the Rhine from Mulhouse to the Swiss border. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. On 21 November, more than 1,100 medium bombers and fighters flew ground support missions in Italy; ten fighters failed to return. Weather limited operations of the Coastal and Balkan Air Forces to 119 sorties over the Adriatic, western Italy and Yugoslavia. One Coastal plane was lost. - 2 - SD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED CORD BRESCIA MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN I CREMONA ALESSANDRIA FERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA ENZA SAVONA FORLI RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 21 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 22 NOVEMBER 1944 NCE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R & A,OSS 4 NOVEMBER 1943 SEA OF JAPAN OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PEIPING YELLOW LOYANG SEA NAGASAKI 30° o SHANGHAI a CHUNGKING o WENCHOW CHANGSHA HE.HGYANG & OOCHOW KWELIN AMOY LIUGHOW SWATOW CANTON CHINA TAKAO & KOWLOON = HONGKONG 100 o IDO 200 300 400 500 FORT BAYARD taxxxx LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA AILAND BULF 120° (30° LEDO River OSD Letter, 5-3-72 ROAD PAOSHAN Brohmaputra IRRAWADDY SALWEEN SILCHAR FRONT FRONT MANGSHIH CHINDWIN HPATE FRONT C MOMAUK BHAMO SIU KALEWA KALEMYO Irranaday LASHIO Salween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT IN o as 50 75 DIDE APPROXIMATE MILES BASSEIN RANGOON AKYAB 24-90067-300 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 On 22 November, escorted heavy bombers dropped 809 tons of bombs on rail yards at Munich, Lienz, Salzburg and Villach, and on other targets. Twelve bombers and one fighter are missing. 2. During the 24 hours ending at noon 22 November, British and Polish troops of the Eighth Army made local advances toward Faenza in the area west of Forli. There were no other changes on the Italian battle line. ASIATIC THEATER 1. On 20 November the 14th Air Force raided Fort Bayard and the Kowloon dooks in Hongkong. Twenty-eight other aircraft attacked along the Burma Road. On 19 November, American personnel evacuated Nanning after demolishing the airdrome facilities. 2. The Eastern Air Command flew 374 tactical and 621 supply sorties during 20 November. Fighters and fighter bombers hit ground support targets in the Kalemyo-Kalewa area; other fighters swept the Bassein and Rangoon airfields, and medium bombers attacked in the Lashio area. 3. By 21 November, Chinese units on the Irrawaddy front had advanced ten miles, reaching Siu, 40 miles south of Bhamo. East of Bhamo they had cleared the Jap pocket in Momauk. - 3 - o c N BRUNE 1-8A NETHERLANDS INDIES OSD Letter, 5-3-72 RALE of WILES Doemoring o WEWAK BANDA SEA Merouse DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 TO MASBAR B as N SBATE CATBALOGA BORONGAN $. ISIDRO 9 INON PAYABLE law MATARINAO 9 CLOBAN BOGO NARONA BINCAY TARRAGONA ABUYOG BATO QUOWN ARGAO 0 SURIÇÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES RD & SCALE IN MILES 1 N 08-7111-200 DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. On 20 November, more than 100 bombers and fighters struck shipping and land targets in the Banda Sea area and five B-24's sank a medium freighter and caused explosions on a transport in Brunei Bay. On 21 November, action on Leyte continued to be concentrated in the Ormoc corridor. The 32nd Division attacked south toward Limon, while the 24th Division drove west from Pinamitinan. Casualty reports for our first month's action on Leyte show a total of 1,176 killed, 4,729 wounded and 131 missing. 2. On 20 November, 34 Pacific Ocean Area planes struck Wotje and Mille. - 4 - II OT OLORET DECLASSIFIED JBD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1078 0700 November 21 to 0700 November 22, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) TOP SCORET 6 4 2 o 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 Kiel 54 52 HAMBURG PEmden sime Bremen WITH OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED 2 London< HANNOVER OBerlin ORotterdom MUNSTER 52 50 GELSENK YRCHEN ANTWERP HOMBERG 6 Brussels Cologne . LIEGE MERSEBURG OLeipzig o 20 AACHEN Abbeville KOBLENZ o Frankfurt Progue 50 48 Paris °Rennes Noncy a Leire Danube O-Tours o Munich O 48 Vienno 46 Budopest o o Bern o Bolzono 46 ZAGREB 4 Lyon e Bordeaux 44 OMilon PTrieste o BROD o Toulouse Bologno PAENZA 2 SARAJEVO 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 24-87117-300 WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED a or LEIPZIG 0 VENDO o GEILENKIRCHEN BRUSSELS COLOGNE o AACHEN R. FRANKFURT o o THIONVILLE, PARIS METZ DIEUZE SAVERNE o . SAARBURG STRASBOURG ST DIE MUNICH GERAROMER MULHOUSE BELFOR o 25 50 75 100 iso MILES 25-2072-200 DECLASSIFIED OBD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. On 21 November, nearly 1,300 8th Air Force bombers escorted by 937 fighters, which attacked oil targets in the Merseburg and Hamburg areas, were attacked by approximately 350 enemy aircraft; 40 of our bombers and 15 fighters are missing. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset 20 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 607 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. One enemy aircraft was shot down; we lost four planes. On 20 November, 146 RAF heavy bombers dropped more than 830 tons of bombs on an oil plant at Homberg. That night 243 tons were dropped on Koblenz and 70 tons on Hannover. Small formations of Mosquito bombers followed up by other attacks on Homberg refineries. During the 24 hours ending at 0600, 21 November, six rockets landed in England. On 19 and 20 November an additional 12 flying bombs and two rockets fell near Aachen, Antwerp and Liege. 2. In the 24 hours ending at noon 21 November, the British Second Army again gained ground west of Venlo. In the British XXX Corps sector, American troops made small advances east of Geilenkirchen and, after contacting armored forces of our Ninth Army to the south, continued to attack to the east against strong opposition. East of Aachen, our Ninth and First Armies continued to gain slowly against heavy resistance. - 1 - DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 Our Third Army made a small advance near the German border east of Thionville. To the south, our infantry cleared Metz of organized resistance and were mopping up isolated pockets of resistance and numerous forts. Along the fronts of five divisions extending for 30 miles southeast and south to Dieuze we penetrated up to four miles. Our Seventh Army occupied Saarburg while French armored columns drove more than 12 miles northeast and southeast of the city, reaching a point seven miles from Saverne. Other Seventh Army troops advanced north of St. Die and up to three miles along a 10-mile front in the Gerardmer area. The French armored column which reached the Rhine the previous day drove north to within a mile of Mulhouse, south and east of the city. Other French troops were reducing resistance in Belfort. MEDITERRANEAN THEATER 1. During the night of 19-20 November, 50 aircraft attacked motor transport and river crossings in the Po Valley and in the Zagreb-Brod areas of Yugoslavia. Although bad weather restricted operations on 20 November, 375 fighter-bombers and fighters supported ground operations, principally in the Faenza area, and attacked communications in northern Italy and Yugoslavia. One medium bomber and three fighters are missing. On 21 November, despite continuing adverse weather, escorted heavy bombers dropped 137 tons of bombs on motor transport and troop concentrations on the roads between Novi Pazar and Sarajevo. Four fighters are missing. - 2 - TOT LEDO River DSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED ROAD PAOSHAN Brahmaputra IRRAWADDY SALWEEN SILCHAR FRONT FRONT MANGSHIH CHINDWIN 625 FRONT BHAMO MENGKA WALEMYO Salween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT a o 2 50 75 - APPROXIMATE MILES ANGOON MOKPALIN AKYAB 24-90067-300 SEA OF JAPAN OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED PEIPING YELLOW LOYANG SEA OMUR NAGASAKI NANKING SHANGHAI a HS INGCH ING. realize CHUNGKING ungling Leve 6 WENCHOW CHANGSHA , HENGYANG FOOCHOW - AMOY SWATOW 6 CANTON CHINA TAKAO HONGKONG IDO o 100 200 300 400 500 o LUICHOW PENINSULA SCALE OF MILES TONGKING SOUTH CHINA SEA OLAND GULF 1081 130° CORD OSD Letter, 5-3-72 BRESCIA MILAN VERONA of VENICE PADUA TURIN CREMONA ALESSANDRIA FERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA SAVONA FORL FORTING RIMINI SPEZIA PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 20 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 21 NOVEMBER 1944 NCE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R& A,085 4 NOVEMBER 1943 DECLASSIFIED USD Letter, 5-3-72 2. General Eaker reports that the Strategic Air Force launched a total of 4,755 planes in four days of intensive operations ending 19 November. 3. During the 24 hours ending at noon, 21 November, the British Eighth Army made a local two-mile advance in the area south of Ravenna. In heavy fighting west and northwest of Forli, a German counterattack forced a slight withdrawal in the sector north of the highway to Faenza. To the southwest, British and Polish troops advanced a mile along a four-mile front, capturing Monte Fortino. British Indian troops of our Fifth Army made 8. local two-mile advance near Modigliana. ASIATIC THEATER 1. On 21 October, November 80 B-29's of the 20th Bomber Command dropped more than 250 tons of bombs on Japanese targets at Omura, Shanghai and Nanking. The main weight of the attack was on Omura. Twenty enemy planes were shot down; seven B-29's are missing out of a force of 109. That night, Japanese planes attacked our bases in the Hsingching area inflicting major damage on three B-29's; one enemy plane was shot down. 2. The Eastern Air Command reported 362 tactical and 783 supply sorties for 19 November. During these operations 46 escorted heavy bombers hit rail yards at Mokpalin, northeast of Rangoon; medium bombers attacked similar targets near Mandalay. Two fighters are missing. The 14th Air Force flew 41 fighter sorties on 19 November. A B-24 sank a large tanker in the South China Sea. DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 - - - ОТОКУЙ 0 CYOKOHAMA HONSHU ©NAGOYA 1 MPI e o SHIMA WITNER - NO JIMA -- - , MOZU SHIMA 14" o MIYAKE JIMA ZENI zu . % - - e, SHINGU 0 MIKURA JIMA . INAMBA JIMA - JUMA JIMA - HACHIJO JIMA - - 144° - . AOGA SHIMA -as" 5 . SUMISU JIMA TORI JIMA N° w . SOFU GAN a a² MUKO JIMA - NISHINO SHIMA BONIN IS 1 $ CHICHI JIMA 9 HAHA JIMA N° - KITA NO JIMA NANPO SHOTO . NO JIMA APPROXIMATE MILES . MINAM NO JIMA of se - PALAU IS NGEREGONG C A N BRUNE ! NETHERLANDS INDIES OSD Letter, 5-3-72 CHIMISSVIDED MALE of - I NAURU Soeraboja Marquise Derwin DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter 5-3-72 PACIFIC N LUZON H A S E 4 OCEAN C / N MANILA BAY ₹ MINDORO & CORBOSAN L SAMAR 0 5 PANAY ALICANTE LEYSE CERTIFY PUERTO PRINCER PALAWAN NEGROS SULU SEA ZAMEDANDA, MINDANAO NORTH BORNEO PHILIPPINE ISLANDS i) 50 o 50 100 150 - Approximate Miles T USD DECLASSIFIED Letter, 5-3-72 STATE MASBAR N ASBATE CATBALOGAN BORONGAN S. ISIDRO LIMON 3 MATARINAO ACLOBAN BOGO ABUYOG GE BATO 2 OLIDIAN SURIDÃO AN EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES to & SCALE IN MILES 06-7111-200 DECLASSIFIED OBD Letter, 5-3-72 3. By 20 November, British East African troops astride the Chindwin River northeast of Kalemyo, had advanced five miles south. Enemy resistance continued within Bhamo on the Irrawaddy front. On the Salween front, Chinese troops occupied Mangshih and reoccupied Mengka. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. On 19 November Southwest Pacific aircraft flew 249 previously unreported sorties chiefly against targets on Bougainville, New Britain and New Ireland. They also attacked targets in the area from north- western New Guinea to Borneo and as far north as southern Mindoro. Included was a strike at Brunei Bay where three B-24's scored three hits on a light cruiser and damaged another warship. Over the Philippines, 35 other sorties included an attack by 22 B-24's on Alicante airdrome on Negros. Six enemy aircraft were destroyed over Leyte and two elsewhere. 2. During 20 November, on northern Leyte enemy resistance continued in the Limon area. No significant change was reported. 3. On 15 November, Ngeregong Island of the Palau Group was reoccupied without resistance. On the night of 8-9 November we had withdrawn our patrol from this island after about 200 Japanese had landed in a storm. During 19 November, 20 B-24's bombed the Bonins and 18 fighters hit Nauru. - 4 - DECLASSIFIED 03D Letter, 5-3-72 KAUNAS MINSK LINE AS OF 20 NOV LINE AS OF 21 NOV BERLIN o WARSAW o BRESLAU KIEV) o PRAGUE Of KRAKOW o MUNICH MISKOLC VIENNA BUDAPEST VENICE 5 BUCHAREST o NOVI PAZAR, MITROVICA SOFIA PRIST FMA OTIRANA & SWORE PEN PSKOV RIGA EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 o 50 100 APPROXIMATE MILES 25-2145-200- DECLASSITFIED OSBDIbetter, 5-3-72 EASTERN FRONT On the southern tip of the Sworbe Peninsula the Soviets narrowed the German bridgehead to 16 square miles. In Hungary, the Red Army advanced 4 miles southwest of Miskolc. Bulgarian and Partisan forces continued to advance west and northwest of Pristina, occupying Mitrovica. - 5 - TOD OFODET DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 WAR DEPARTMENT DAILY OPERATIONAL SUMMARY No. 1077 0700 November 20 to 0700 November 21, 1944 COPY FOR THE WHITE HOUSE 203(2) 203 I tor 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 IO 12 14 16 18 20 JOKiel 54 52. PEmden BIAM Bremen with OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED + Londoner OBerlin ORotterdom MUNSTER 52 50 ANTWERP GELSENKIRCHEN 6 Brussels Cologne OLeipzig AACHEN 20 Abbeville ST VITH BLECHHAMMER o Frankfurt Progue 50 o 48 o Poris ORennes Noncy o Leire Danube OTours Munich 48 Vienna 46 Budapest o Bern o o Bolzono 46 4 Lyon Bordeaux o Milan Trieste 44 o Toulouse Bologno 9 44 CENTRAL EUROPE o OSplit 42 50 o 50 100 150 200 STATUTE MILES 2 o 2 4 6 8 10 2 14 16 18 24-87117-300 WESTERN FRONT HAMBURG BERLIN AMSTERDAM OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED a E LEIPZIG VENICO o o Worm Riger GEILENKIRCHEN BRUSSELS COLOGNE o AACHEN- ESCNWEILER 4 R. Biver FRANKFURT o Motelle o THIONVILLE PARIS NETZ DIEUZE - SAARBURG o STRASBOURG BACCARAT ST D YE MUNICH o BELFORT BASEL o 25 50 75 100 ISO MILES DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 EUROPEAN THEATER 1. During the 24-hour period ending at sunset 19 November, the Tactical Air Forces flew 4,259 sorties in support of ground operations on the Continent. Eighteen enemy aircraft were shot down; we lost 46 planes. On 20 November, 161 8th Air Force bombers attacked an oil plant at Gelsenkirchen and a rail junction at Munster. At the same time 324 fighters strafed communications and other targets from the Ruhr to Munich; 22 fighters are missing. Adverse weather severely restricted operations. During the 24 hours ending at 0600 of 20 November seven rockets landed in England. Twelve flying bombs were plotted of which three made landfall but none reached the London area. 2. In the 24 hours ending at noon 20 November, the British Second Army gained steadily in its VIII and XII Corps sectors west of Venlo. In the British XXX Corps sector, American attached units completed the capture of Geilenkirchen and, with British forces, advanced toward the Wurm Valley. Northeast of Aachen, the Ninth Army made local gains while the VII Corps on the First Army front advanced rapidly to Eschweiler and was fighting in the outskirts of the city. Farther to the southeast, the VII Corps gained some ground but continued to meet strong resistance and extensive defensive installations. North of Metz, Third Army armor crossed the German border and made other gains in the area east of Thionville. Our forces have entered Metz from three sides; resistance is centered in the northern part of the city. Our enveloping columns - 1 - COMO BRESCIA OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED MILAN VERONA VENICE PADUA TURIN CREMONA To ALESSANDRIA OFERRARA PARMA BOLOGNA BRAVENNA GENOA SAVONA FORLI RIMINI SPEZIA & PESARO IMPERIA LINE AS OF 19 NOVEMBER 1944 LINE AS OF 20 NOVEMBER 1944 NCE PO VALLEY LEGHORN 10 o 20 40 60 APPROXIMATE MILES BASE MAP NO. 2804 (FREE) R & A,OSS 4 NOVEMBER 1945 DECLASSIFIED 08D Letter, 5-3-72 have joined six miles east of Metz. Dieuze has been freed and in the area north of that city the XII Corps made an average gain of two miles along a 12-mile front. The Seventh Army made general advances through- out its front. The largest gain was made northeast of Baccarat where French armored units drove more than five miles east of Saarburg and were followed by units of two US infantry divisions which advanced to within eight miles of the city. Units in the sector south of St. Die made gains up to three miles. French troops entered Belfort and an armored column reached the Rhine east of the city where they held a line running approximately eight miles northwest from the outskirts of Basel. Small gains were made in other French sectors north of Belfort. 3. On 19 November unloading over US beaches was discontinued and all shipping diverted to operating ports. MEDITERRANEAN 1. During 19 November, 71 heavy bombers dropped some 260 tons of bombs on bridges, troop concentrations and motor transport in the Visegrad area of Yugoslavia. One hundred eighty-one medium bombers attacked bridges in northern Italy in generally bad target weather and 649 fighters supported ground operations and attacked communications in the Po Valley and in Yugoslavia. Four fighters and one medium bomber were lost. Thirty-four sorties were flown by the Coastal Air Force largely against shipping in the northern Adriatic. The Balkan Air Force flew one hundred and sixty sorties, bombing bridges and roads in Yugoslavia and Albania, and acting as cover for strategic bombers. - 2 - LEDO River OSD Lotter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED ROAD PAOSHAN Brohmaputra IRRAWADDY SALWEEN SILCHAR FRONT FRONT CHINDWIN MANGSHIH MOMAUK FRONT PINWE BHAMO CHEFANG KATHA MENGKA MAWLAIK PALUZAWA KALEMYO Irranaday LASHIO Salween CHITTAGONG MANDALAY N. BURMA ARAKAN FRONT APPROXIMATE LINE OF CONTACT 25 o 25 50 75 APPROXIMATE MILES RANGOON MARTAGAN AKYAB 24-90087-300 DECLASSIFIEB OSD Letter, 5-3-72 On 20 November, the 15th Air Force dispatched 618 escorted heavy bombers against an oil refinery at Blechhammer, a factory and three rail yards in central Czechoslovakia and railway bridges and rail yards in Yugoslavia. Seventeen bombers and five fighters are missing. 2. In the 24 hours ending at noon 20 November, Eighth Army tanks engaged enemy positions along the Montone River and one mile south of Ravenna. Indian infantry advanced to the river along a nine-mile front north of Forli and other gains were made along the Bologna highway north- west of Forli. Patrols were active all along the Fifth Army front but there were no significant changes. ASIATIC THEATER 1. The Eastern Air Command reported 341 tactical and 517 supply sorties for 18 November. This included support for ground operations on the Irrawaddy, Chindwin, and Arakan fronts, and attacks by heavy and medium bombers on railroad installations in the Martaban and Lashio areas. 2. On the Chindwin front by 19 November the British were advancing northeastward from Kalemyo and other units were continuing to push south down the Chindwin River after clearing Paluzawa, 12 miles south of Mawlaik. On the Irrawaddy front northwest of Katha, the British advanced in the Pinwe area. The Chinese have captured positions southwest of Bhamo and were mopping up the Momauk area. On the Salween front, Chinese forces commenced attacks on - 3 - NETHERLANDS INDIES TARAKAN I OSD Letter, 5-3-72 DECLASSIFIED Doemoring FANILDO I BRAS I MAPIA IS ASIA IS. Mr WEWAK Alleged DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 MASBAE B N SBAT CATBALOGA! BORONGAN 5. ISIDRO 31 PINAMO a LIMON S MATARINAO KANAJ CLOBAN x BOGO XXIV CORPS RMOC BAY ABUYOG C BATO QUITAN ARGAO o SURIÇÃO EAST CENTRAL PHILIPPINES to go SCALE IN MILES LINE AS OF 20 NOV 44 N 06-7111-200 a DECLASSIFIED OSD Letter, 5-3-72 10 1,4 M 20 1.2 28 30 BAUNAS MINSK LINE AS OF 19 NOV BERLIN LINE AS OF 20 NOV o WARSAW o o BRESLAU KIEV PRAGUE KRAKOW o 17 MUNICH MISKOLC VIENNA % BUDAPEST VENICE 5 VISEGRAD BUCHAREST o SOFIA 42 PODGOR N n OTIRANA PSKOV RIGA % EASTERN FRONT KAUNAS 50 0 50 100 APPROXIMATE MILES n 14 I's a 10 0 14 IN DECLASSIFIES 08D Lotter, 5-3-72 Chefang and Mangshih; stiff resistance was encountered. Other Chinese were moving west toward Mengka. PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATERS 1. On 19 November, 34 sorties were flown by Southwest Pacific planes against scattered targets from Wewak to Timor and eleven sorties were made against installations in the Ormoc Bay area. The same day ten enemy planes were shot down during raids on shipping and our shore positions on Leyte. 2. On 19 November the X Corps in northern Leyte was still meeting heavy resistance near Limon. The road block immediately south of the town has been held despite enemy efforts to break through. Our cavalry division has established another road block on the Pinamopoan-Ormoc highway, seven miles south of Limon. The XXIV Corps completed the occupation of the Mapia Islands and have landed on the Asia Islands without opposition. EASTERN FRONT Northeast of Budapest Soviet troops penetrated to the outskirts of Miskolc. In Finland, Finnish troops advanced 15 miles north from Inari and made general advances along a 120-mile front to the west. - 4- PUBLICATION AND MICROFILM COPYING RESTRICTIONS Reel duplication of the whole or of any part of this film is prohibited. In lieu of transcripts, however, enlarged photocopies of selected items contained on these reels may be made in order to facilitate research.