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• Captain and Surgeon Mamoru Nomura became the new commanding officer of hospital ship Hikawa Maru. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | CPC]
• Soviet troops began entering Kiev, Ukraine. ww2dbase [Battle of Kiev | CPC]
• USS Scorpion spotted a Japanese heavy cruiser, but failed to gain a good position to attack due to poor weather. ww2dbase [Scorpion | CPC]
• USS Pompon arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Pompon | CPC]
• USS Cero damaged two Japanese transports south of Japan, hitting them with 3 of 9 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Cero | CPC]
• USS Essex arrived at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Essex | CPC]
• USS Bunker Hill arrived at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Bunker Hill | CPC]
• USS Independence arrived at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Independence | CPC]

• USS Card received aboard 130 survivors of USS Borie transferred over from USS Barry and USS Goff. ww2dbase [Card | DS]

• US Task Force 38, with carriers USS Saratoga and USS Princeton, launched aircraft 60 miles southwest of Cape Torokina, Bougainville, Solomon Islands against Japanese Cruiser Division 4 anchored at Rabaul, New Britain; the Japanese detected the arrival of Task Force 38 but had mistakenly identified the carriers as transports, thus there was no immediate response. USS Saratoga launched 33 F6F, 16 TBF, and 22 SBD aircraft; USS Princeton launched 19 F6F and 7 TBF aircraft. Facing up to 70 Japanese fighters, the dive bombers attacked first, damaging several cruisers and two destroyers. The torpedo bombers attacked next, making only two hits, and both torpedoes were duds. The US suffered 9 aircraft lost and 14 airmen killed. In addition to the damage to Cruiser Division 4, the Japanese lost 1 D4Y1, 3 A6M, and 1 twin-engine transport aircraft. After the raid by carrier aircraft, US Army B-24 bombers conducted a follow-up attack, killing hundreds but causing minimal damage to shipping and facilities. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Rabaul, New Britain | TH, CPC]
• Naka arrived at Rabaul, New Britain; later that day, she was slightly damaged by near misses by US carrier aircraft. ww2dbase [Naka | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Chikuma was damaged by a near miss from a dive bomber piloted by Lieutenant (jg) John Lucas. ww2dbase [Chikuma | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Maya was damaged by a hit on the port side scout plane deck, resulting in a fire that would raise the total death toll to 70 when all battle damage came under control. ww2dbase [Maya | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Takao was hit on the main deck near No. 2 turret, killing 23. ww2dbase [Takao | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Atago was damaged by three near misses, killing 22, including commanding officer Captain Nobuki Nakaoka. ww2dbase [Atago | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Mogami was hit on the main deck between No. 1 and No. 2 turrets, killing 19; skilled flooding of the forward magazine prevented detonation. ww2dbase [Mogami | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Agano was damaged by a near miss, killing one. ww2dbase [Agano | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Noshiro suffered punctured hull by strafing of dive bombers and a dent in the hull by a torpedo dud hit. ww2dbase [Noshiro | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Amagiri was damaged by a near miss. ww2dbase [Amagiri | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• After aircraft of US Task Force 38 attacked Rabaul in New Britain, the Japanese launched a counterattack against the carrier fleet. The 18 B5N2 aircraft failed to find the main fleet off Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, and instead attacked a convoy of three vessels (one LCI, one LCT, and one PT boat) nearby. They made two torpedo hits, both of which were duds, killing one. One B5N2 aircraft was shot down. Japanese propaganda claimed that this attack resulted in the sinking of 1 US carrier, 2 cruisers, and 2 destroyers. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | CPC]

• The RAF mounted its first raid on the V1 launch sites (codename "Noball") when B-25 Mitchell bombers from No. 2 Group attacked a facility at Mimoyecques near Calais, France. ww2dbase [Mimoyecques, Nord-Pas-de-Calais | AC]
• SOE agents and resistance fighters sabotaged the Peugeot motor works at Sochaux (near Belfort and the Swiss border) which had been classified by the British Ministry of Economic Warfare as the third most important industrial target in France. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | Sochaux, Franche-Comté | AC]

• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against the rail yards and oil facilities at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Gelsenkirchen | DS]

• Kamoi arrived at Port Blair, Andaman Islands at 1900 hours. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Port Blair, Andaman Islands | CPC]

• US Fifth Army reached the Sangro River in Italy. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | TH]
• In Italy, Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery's British X Corps reached Monte Camino, a 3,000-foot pinnacle overlooking the River Garigliano and the entrance to the Liri valley. Here, and in the surrounding hills, the Germans had laid extensive minefields and set booby-traps as well as blasting artillery, mortar and machine gun positions out of the solid rock. After several days of savage fighting in the cold and wet, Harold Alexander called off further action in order that the front-line divisions may be rested before trying again. ww2dbase [Battle of Monte Cassino | AC]

• Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Ryuho | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Yukikaze | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]

• Patrol Boat No. 102 made rendezvous with auxiliary oiler Akebono Maru in the Celebes Sea, near the northern end of the Makassar Strait, for escort duty. ww2dbase [Stewart | Celebes Sea | CPC]

• USS Ranger arrived at Scapa Flow, Scotland. ww2dbase [Ranger | Orkney Islands, Scotland | DS]

• An unidentified aircraft dropped five bombs (only four would detonate) on Vatican City; Benito Mussolini claimed this was an attack by US aircraft, while Allied headquarters disclaimed any knowledge of the unwarranted attack. It would not be until 2010 before it was discovered that Italian Fascist politician Roberto Farinacci was behind the attack. ww2dbase [AC, CPC]

5 Nov 1943 Interactive Map