United States
Tag
(524)1943
January
February
March
April
- 18
- Key eventThe death of Admiral YamamotoOn 18 April 1943 American P-38 fighters shot down Admiral Yamamoto’s aircraft over Bougainville. The ambush was made possible by breaking a Japanese code.
- The Palm Sunday massacreOn 18 April 1943 US P-40s and British Spitfires shattered a Ju 52 formation off Cape Bon. The Axis air bridge to Tunisia began to collapse.
May
June
July
August
- 15
- The landing on Vella LavellaOn 15 August 1943 the Americans bypassed strongly held Kolombangara and landed on weakly held Vella Lavella – the first deliberate “leapfrog” in the Solomons.
- The landing on an empty KiskaOn 15 August 1943 more than 34,000 Americans and Canadians landed on Kiska. The Japanese had gone, but fog, mines and booby traps still killed many men.
- 17
- The end of the fighting in SicilyOn the night of 16–17 August 1943 US patrols entered Messina, and Patton drove in that morning. After 38 days of fighting all of Sicily was in Allied hands.
- The Schweinfurt–Regensburg raidOn 17 August 1943 376 US B-17s attacked the Schweinfurt ball-bearing plants and the Messerschmitt works at Regensburg by day. Sixty bombers did not return.
September
October
November
- 16
- The raid on VemorkOn 16 November 1943 American bombers attacked the Vemork power station and heavy water plant and the works at Rjukan. More than 20 Norwegians were killed.
- The sinking of USS CorvinaOn the night of 16–17 November 1943 the Japanese submarine I-176 sank the surfaced American submarine USS Corvina south of Truk. 82 men were lost.
- 25
- The Battle of Cape St. GeorgeOn the night of 25 November 1943 Captain Arleigh Burke's destroyers sank three of five Japanese destroyers returning from Buka, without loss to themselves.
- The raid on RangoonOn 25 November 1943 the Americans and the RAF opened a joint air offensive against Rangoon. On day one cloud stopped the Liberators; only B-25s hit a target.