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• During a raid on Turin, Italy, Flight Sergeant Arthur Aaron's Stirling bomber was accidentally machine gunned by another 218 Squadron aircraft. Although badly wounded, with half of his face shot away rendering him unable to speak, Aaron instructed his crew on how to fly the badly damaged aircraft by writing notes. Taking control he eventually made a successful forced landing in Tunisia. His crew survived but Aaron would die shortly after from his wounds. Aaron was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his selfless actions. ww2dbase [AC]
• German forces evacuated Sicily, Italy. ww2dbase [Invasion of Sicily and Italy's Surrender | TH]
• Milan, Italy received 1,000 tons of explosives from the RAF. ww2dbase [TH]
• USS Bailey departed San Francisco bound for San Diego, California. ww2dbase [Bailey | DS]

• 24 B-24 bombers attacked Buin, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, destroying 13 A6M fighters, 10 D3A dive bombers, and 1 reconnaissance aircraft on the ground. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
• Destroyer USS Saufley arrived at Purvis Bay, Florida Island, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Saufley | Purvis Bay, Solomon Islands | DS]

• Georg von Küchler was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht daily radio report. ww2dbase [Georg von Küchler | CPC]
• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against the synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen, Germany in the Ruhr Valley but diverted to an unspecified target of opportunity due to extremely heavy fighter resistance over the target. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Gelsenkirchen | DS]

• Submarine USS Saury ended her seventh war patrol at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i. ww2dbase [Saury | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• Aquila VI made rendezvous with U-178 in the Indian Ocean and received diesel fuel. The two ships then sailed eastward together. ww2dbase [Luigi Torelli | CPC]

• Adolf Hitler ordered the southern portion of the defensive Panther Line to be set up along the Dneiper River in Ukraine, and that the city of Kharkov in Ukraine was to be held at all costs. ww2dbase [Fourth Battle of Kharkov | Kharkov | TH, CPC]

• The keel of submarine Boarfish was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, United States. ww2dbase [Boarfish | Electric Boat Company | Groton, Connecticut | CPC]

12 Aug 1943 Interactive Map