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• » 3 Jan 1943

• USS S-28 crossed the International Date Line. ww2dbase [S-28 | CPC]
• I-168 arrived at Shortland Islands in the Soloman Islands. ww2dbase [I-68/I-168 | CPC]
• Soviet troops captured Mozdok, Russia. ww2dbase [Caucasus Campaign | CPC]

• The Japanese leadership in Rabaul, New Britain received the text of the Army-Navy Central Agreement on South Pacific Area Operations, which called for the strengthening of Solomon Islands and New Guinea footholds upon the completion of the evacuation of Guadalcanal. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• For the second day in a row, destroyer USS Saufley shelled positions at the Tassafaronga and Kokumbona areas of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands under direction of the U.S. Army liaison officer. Saufley then departed the Guadalcanal area bound for Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Saufley | Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands | DS]

• Repair ship Akashi completed refitting light cruiser Sendai at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]

• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against the German submarine facilities at Saint Nazaire, France. The Bomb Group had a change of command, and therefore the air base at Thurleigh, with Colonel Frank Armstrong relieving Colonel Charles Overacker. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | RAF Thurleigh | Saint Nazaire | DS]

• USS Whale departed the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Whale | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

• Lieutenant R. T. G. Greenland RNVR and Leading Signalman A. Ferrier penetrated Palermo harbour in Sicily, Italy on a Chariot human torpedo and sink the Italian light cruiser Ulpio Traiano. ww2dbase [Chariot-class | Palermo, Sicilia | AC]

• USS Grayback sank Japanese submarine I-18 in the Coral Sea, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes; she also fired six torpedoes at other Japanese warships four hours later, all of which missed. ww2dbase [Grayback | Coral Sea | CPC]

• Lin Hsiung-cheng's son Lin Mingcheng was born in Itabashi (now Banqiao), Kaizan Gun, Taihoku Prefecture (now Taipei), Taiwan. ww2dbase [Lin Hsiung-cheng | Itabashi, Taihoku | CPC]

• President Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz of the Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom urged Pope Pius XII to denounce German atrocities against the Jews. ww2dbase [Pius XII | London, England | CPC]

3 Jan 1943 Interactive Map