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• German 250th Infantry Division of Spanish volunteers began to be pulled from the front lines two days after Franco ordered their return. ww2dbase [CPC]
• An Allied convoy sailing through the planned path of USS Dorado reported no submarine contacts. ww2dbase [Dorado | CPC]
• USS Cero attacked a Japanese convoy consisted of three freighters escorted by two destroyers, damaging one freighter; nine torpedoes were expended. ww2dbase [Cero | CPC]
• At Mare Island, California, Captain Ralph Roberts relieved Captain Colin Campbell as commanding officer of cruiser USS St. Louis. ww2dbase [St. Louis | DS]

• Lt(jg) Letson “Sam” Balliett piloting a TBF Avenger flying from USS Card attacked a refueling operation between German submarines U-488 (“Milchkau”) and U-402 in the mid-Atlantic using one Mark 24 FIDO acoustic homing torpedo. Although this attack claimed one sinking, both submarines escaped with only minimal or no damage. Later, another TBF Avenger from Card flown by Lt(jg) Doty attacked and damaged U-731. ww2dbase [TBF Avenger | Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | U-402 | Card | Mark XXIV | DS]

• 8 squadrons of bombers launched from Dobodura Airfield, Australian Papua, with escorting US and Australian fighters, attacked Rapopo Airfield, Vunakanau Airfield, and Tobera Airfield at Rabaul, New Britain. The Allies lost 3 B-24, 1 B-25, and 1 Beaufighter aircraft. The Japanese suffered eight damaged ships (transport Tsukushi, oiler Naruto, destroyer Mochizuki, destroyer Minazuki, destroyer Tachikaze, submarine I-7, submarine I-80, and submarine RO-105), six transports sunk, 4 A6M aircraft destroyed, 9 A6M aicraft damaged, and some fuel dumps destroyed. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• Marcel Albert, flying a Yak-9 fighter, shot down a Fw 190 aircraft over Horki, Byellorussia. ww2dbase [Marcel Albert | Horki | CPC]

• Irako arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands at 0500 hours. ww2dbase [Irako | Truk | CPC]

• Lorraine arrived at Dakar, French West Africa. ww2dbase [Lorraine | Dakar | CPC]

• Submarine USS Spearfish arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i, ending her eighth war patrol. Spearfish moored alongside submarine tender USS Holland and began a routine overhaul. ww2dbase [Spearfish | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• US Fifth Army launched a second offensive on the Volturno River, Italy. Albert Kesselring ordered German troops on the Volturno Line to fall back to the Barbara Line. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | TH, CPC]

• Nos. 132, 184, and 602 Squadrons RAF were transferred out of RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]

• USS New Mexico arrived at San Pedro, California, United States. ww2dbase [New Mexico | San Pedro, California | CPC]

12 Oct 1943 Interactive Map