21 Jan 1943
![Submarine Oberon underway off Spithead, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, 21 Jan 1943](/images/imagemagick/tmb_ship_oberon2.jpg)
![German Army 7.5 cm GebirgsgeschĂĽtz 36 mountain gun operating at 3,000-meter altitude in the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia, 21 Jan 1943](/images/imagemagick/tmb_weapon_75cmgebg36_2.jpg)
![Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, left, touring Guadalcanal with Adm Nimitz, Adm Halsey, and Army Gen J Lawton Collins, Jan 21, 1943. Apparently no one thought to tell Knox his helmet was on backwards.](/images/imagemagick/tmb_54e447cd3c7fd.jpg)
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Rabaul and departed later on the same day. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | CPC]
- Soviet troops captured Voroshilovsky and Stavropol in the Caucasus region of southern Russia, claiming 500,000 German dead and 200,000 Germans captured in the last two months of fighting. ww2dbase [Caucasus Campaign | TH]
- Allied leadership issued the directive to RAF and USAAF commanders "[y]our primary objective will be the progressive destruction and dislocation of the German military, industrial and economic system, and the undermining of the morale of the German people to a point where their capacity for armed resistance is fatally wounded." ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
- USS Gato attacked a Japanese convoy east of Kieta, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, damaging one transport. ww2dbase [Gato | CPC]
- USS Pollack attacked a Japanese cargo ship off Honshu, Japan with two torpedoes; both torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Pollack | CPC]
- Destroyers USS Nicholas, USS O’Bannon, USS DeHaven, and USS Radford arrived at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Nicholas | DS]
- Allied aircraft attacked Rabaul, New Britain, sinking small freighter Tetsusan Maru. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
- Repair ship Akashi began repairing destroyers Uzuki and Suzukaze at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]
- Angelo Amendolia was named the commanding officer of Alpino Bagnolini at Bordeaux, France; he replaced Ferdinando Corsi. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]
- Adolf Hitler told Ambassador Hiroshi Oshima that he would welcome Japanese assistance in defeating Russia. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | AC]
- Crew of Gato-class submarine USS Silversides discovered a torpedo protruding out the front of the No. 6 torpedo tube, explaining why the outer tube door was stuck open and what happened to the sixth torpedo fired the day before. In a dangerous maneuver, Silversides backed full while firing tube 6 again and successfully launched the torpedo. With one torpedo hang-fired, an air leak and another fuel leak they could not control, an explosion in their main generator, and Cream of Wheat breakfast cereal in their main induction gears, Captain Burlingame made the decision to depart his patrol area two days ahead of schedule and withdraw for repairs. ww2dbase [Silversides | DS]
- The United States Marine Corps established the Marine Fleet Air, West Coast at San Diego, California, United States to oversee all Fleet Marine Force aviation operations and to supply personnel and materiel to Marine Aircraft Wings, Pacific. ww2dbase [San Diego, California | CPC]
- Yorktown (Essex-class) launched at Newport News, Virginia, United States sponsored by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. ww2dbase [Yorktown (Essex-class) | Norfolk, Virginia | DS]
![Submarine Oberon underway off Spithead, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, 21 Jan 1943](/images/imagemagick/tmb_ship_oberon2.jpg)
![German Army 7.5 cm GebirgsgeschĂĽtz 36 mountain gun operating at 3,000-meter altitude in the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia, 21 Jan 1943](/images/imagemagick/tmb_weapon_75cmgebg36_2.jpg)
![Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, left, touring Guadalcanal with Adm Nimitz, Adm Halsey, and Army Gen J Lawton Collins, Jan 21, 1943. Apparently no one thought to tell Knox his helmet was on backwards.](/images/imagemagick/tmb_54e447cd3c7fd.jpg)
![Destroyed Red October factory in Stalingrad, Russia, 21 Jan 1943](/images/imagemagick/tmb_battle_stalingrad98.jpg)
21 Jan 1943 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » WW2DB's 19th Anniversary (29 Dec 2023)
- » Looted Painting "Madonna with Child" Returned to Poland (2 Jun 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Mannert L. Abele Found (29 May 2023)
- » Wreck of Montevideo Maru Found (25 Apr 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,150 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 43,556 timeline entries
- » 1,240 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 259 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,430 photos
- » 432 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"George Patton, 31 May 1944