FEBRUARY 1943 - draft
  • Feb 1 . Under air and PT attack, Japanese destroyer force (RAdm Shintaro) en route to evacuate Japanese troops from Guadalcanal extracts 4,935 soldiers.
  • Feb 2. Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end with the surrender of the German 6th Army.
  • Feb 4 . RAdm Shintaro' destroyers extract 3,921 more soldiers; four of his desroyers damaged by air attack from Henderson Field.
  • Feb 7 . RAdm Shintaro on the final mission to evacuate Japanese troops from Guadalcanal brings 18 ships, evacuates 1,796 troops.
  • Feb 9 . Guadalcanal declared secure.
  • Feb 9 . Shoe rationing goes into effect
  • Feb 14. Battle of the Kasserine Pass, N. Africa: major US defeat.
  • Feb 28. Work begins on Hanford, WA, plutonium plant
    Mar 2-4 . Battle of the Bismarck Sea – Japanese convoy sunk.
    Mar 8 . American forces are attacked by Japanese troops on Hill 700 in Bougainville
    Mar 26. Battle of the Komandorski Islands in the Aleutian Islands, USN intercept Japanese troops attempting to reinforce Kiska.
    Apr 14. Yamamoto shot down by P-38's.
    May 9-12.Japanese massacre of Changjiao, Hunan, China
    May 11. American troops invade Attu in the Aleutian Islands.
    May 12. The Trident Conference begins in Washington, D.C.
    May 13. Afrika Korps and Italian troops in North Africa surrender.
    May 14. Hospital Ship RAN Centaur is sunk off the coast of Queensland by a Japanese submarine.
    May 16. Dambuster Raids by RAF 617 Sqdn on German dams.
    May 16. Warsaw Ghetto uprising ends.
    Jun 21. New Georgia, Solomons
    Jun 24. Magnetic detonator disabled on submarine torpedoes (except SW Pac).
    July 5-17. Battle of Kursk – the largest tank battle in history.
    July 6. Battle of Kula Gulf off Kolombangara.
    Jul 10. Allied invasion of Sicily.
    Aug 3 . John F. Kennedy's PT-109 is rammed by a destroyer.
    Aug 6 . Battle of Vella Gulf, 6 DD attack 4 DD of Tokyo Express to Munda, New Georgia, sink 3 DD, with troops.
    Sep 5. US parachute regiment occupies Nadzab, near Lae in NE Papua New Guinea.
    Oct 6 . Battle of Vella Lavella. Three DDs attack 9 Japanese destroyers evacuating troops. Each side loses a DD.
    Nov 1 . Marines land on Bougainville.
    Nov 2 . Battle of Empress Augusta Bay off Bougainville. Japanese 2 CA, 2 CL, 9 DD intercepted by 4 CL, 8DD. Two Japanese DD sunk.
    Nov 5 . Saratoga (CV-3) and Princeton (CVL-23) with Air Force raid Rabaul and damage 4 CA, save Bougainville.
    Nov 11. Second strike on Rabaul with five carriers, damage 5th Japanese heavy cruiser.
    Nov 20. Marines land on Tawara and Makin atolls in the Gilbert Islands, take heavy losses.
    Nov 22 . Cairo Conference - FDR, WC, and Chiang Kai-Shek discuss Pacific.
    Nov 25 . Battle of Cape St. George 5 DD intercept 5 DD and sink three Japanese. End of Tokyo Express.
    Nov 28. Tehran Conference - FDR, WC, and Joseph Stalin discussion invasion of Europe.
    Dec 26. Marines land at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Solomons
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