Finland: Day 40 of 105 of the Russo-Finnish War. In central Finland, Finnish troops capture 1,000 Russian soldiers near Suomussalmi bringing that battle to an end.
CBI - China: Day 916 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 55 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1941 — , January 8
USA: US budget includes a $17,500,000,000 defense appropriation.
ETO - UK: Day 125 of 258 of the Blitz. 96,000 people are now sleeping in the Underground and Tube stations; 40,000 less than in October.
MTO - North Africa: Day 31 of 63 of the UK's Operation COMPASS, their campaign in North Africa against the Italians in Egypt and Libya.
East Africa: Day 213 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,282 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
CBI - Thailand: Day 100 of 221 of the Franco-Thai War (Vichy France vs Thailand).
1942 — , January 8
ETO - UK: Major General James E Chaney is designated Commanding General US Army Forces in the British Isles.
Russian Front - North: Day 123 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 1 of 103 of the Battle of Vyazma, Russia. A diversion pulls German troops even further away from Moscow.
Russian Front - Center: Day 1 of 103 of the Battle of Sychevsk, Russia. Another diversion pulls German troops even further away from Moscow.
Russian Front - South: Day 71 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula. All further German attacks against the Crimean fortress of Sevastopol are stopped for the winter.
CBI - Burma: Day 26 of 164 of Japan's Invasion of Burma.
CBI - China: Day 1,647 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 16 of 99 of the 3rd Battle of Changsha.
CBI - Malaya: Day 32 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya.
PTO - Borneo: Day 24 of 107 of the Battle of Borneo.
PTO - Philippines: Day 32 of 152 of the 1st Battle of the Philippines.
1943 — , January 8
ETO - UK: US 8th Air Force: Defensive patrols are flown using borrowed British Spitfires.
Russian Front - North: Day 488 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 51 of 59 of the Battle of Velikiye Luki, near Leningrad. This stalemate does help ease the siege a little, but mostly it keeps German troops from being sent to other fronts.
Russian Front - North: Day 249 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket, USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - South: Day 140 of 165 of the Battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest battle in human history.
Russian Front - South: Day 28 of 69 of the USSR's Operation LITTLE SATURN. A successful drive into the Northern Caucasus and the Donets Basin pushing the Axis troops out. Soviet General Rokossovsky issues a surrender ultimatum to the German 6th Army, which is rejected.
MTO - Libya: RAF Liberators attack a rail junction near Tripoli.
MTO - Tunisia: Day 53 of 178 of the Battle of Tunisia. RAF and US Air Forces provide Allied air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 19 of 104 of the 1st Battle of Arakan. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,012 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 216 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Malaya: Day 324 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island, a long guerrilla war ending in Japanese victory.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 51 of 66 of the Battle of Buna-Gona. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: The US 5th Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force continue attacking a Japanese convoy now anchored at Lae.
PTO: US 5th Air Force: Richard Bong shoots down his 5th Japanese plane, making him an Ace.
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Dick Bong related dates...
09 Jan 42: Receives wings, commissioned 2nd Lieutenant
12 Jun 42: Reprimanded, grounded for reckless flying
10 Sep 42: Assigned to 9th Fighter Squadron, Australia
27 Dec 42: Shoots down his first two Japanese planes
07 Jan 43: Shoots down his 3rd and 4th Japanese planes
08 Jan 43: Gets 5th Japanese plane, becoming an Ace
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 155 of 187 of the Battle of Guadalcanal. US B-17s bomb Bougainville Island while B-26s attack Rekata Bay on Santa Isabel Island.
1944 — , January 8
USA: Ration tokens are introduced to allow retailers to give back change for food bought with ration stamps.
Spotlight...
Panel from a comic book style explanation of just how "easy" it will be for a business owner to anticipate his token needs.
Practically everything was rationed during the war, which meant you were only allowed to buy a small amount even if you could afford more. Ordinary citizens quickly felt the impact of the war as the economy shifted to war production and consumer goods took a back seat to military production. Everything from meat, sugar, coffee, gasoline and even chicken wire fencing was eventually rationed.
8,000 rationing boards were created across America to administer the program, which consisted of issuing booklets of stamps dictating how much each person or family was allowed to buy per day, week, month or sometimes per year. Ration coins or tokens finally allowed retailers to give back ration change for purchases made with ration stamps, which took on the form of a second American currency.
The whole page explaining the new token program to retailers.
USA: First flight of the Lockheed XP-80 jet plane, America's first successful turbojet-powered combat aircraft, at Muroc Army Air Base (Edwards AFB today). It will see very limited service in Italy just before the war in Europe comes to an end.
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This spotlight is under construction. Be patient.
The original XP-80 prototype Lulu-Belle
Lockheed XP-80 Lulu-Belle on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
ETO - Germany: Day 52 of 135 of the Battle of Berlin (RAF bombing campaign). Small raids are made on Frankfurt, Solingen, Aachen and Dortmund by 23 Mosquitos. Two aircraft are lost.
Russian Front - North: Day 853 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 614 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket. USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - South: Day 16 of 113 of the USSR's Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive in southwestern Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: Day 16 of 22 of the Battle of Zhitomir, Russia. This will create a 70 mile gap in the German line.
Russian Front - South: Day 4 of 12 of the Battle of Kirograd, Ukraine. Kirovograd falls to Soviets.
MTO - Yugoslavia: US 15th Air Force B-24s bomb at Mostar while US 12th Air Force B-25s bomb at Metkovic.
MTO - Italy: In Verona in the area of northern Italy still under German occupation, the trial of Mussolini's son-in-law and former Foreign Minister of Fascist Italy from 1936-43, Count Galeazzo Ciano, and 18 other Fascists deemed responsible for Mussolini's downfall opens at Castel Vecchio.
MTO - Italy: US 5th Army is in the mountains east and southeast of Cassino. RAF and US Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground troops.
CBI - Burma: Day 10 of 99 of the 2nd Battle of Arakan.
CBI - Burma: US 10th Air Force attacks various targets throughout Burma.
CBI - China: Day 2,377 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Marshall Islands: US 7th Air Force B-24s bomb several islands in the Marshalls.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 112 of 219 of the Battle of Shaggy Ridge. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 109 of 162 of the Battle of the Huon Peninsula. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 25 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 69 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands.
1945 — , January 8
ETO - France: Day 161 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - France: Day 116 of 236 of the Siege of Dunkirk.
ETO - Belgium: Day 24 of 41 of the Battle of the Bulge. US 9th Air Force provides air support.
ETO - Belgium: Day 9 of 26 of Operation NORDWIND, the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front.
ETO - Germany: Day 112 of 145 of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
ETO - Germany: US 8th Air Force heavy bombers hit about a dozen target areas.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 116 of 223 of the Lapland War. Finland and Russia have joined forces to kick the Germans out of Finland's most northern province.
Russian Front - Center: Day 86 of 206 of the Battle of the Courland Pocket in Latvia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 79 of 99 of the Siege of Memel, a border town of Lithuania and East Prussia.
Russian Front - South: Day 72 of 108 of the Battle of Budapest, Hungary.
MTO - Austria: US 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s bomb five different cities.
MTO - Italy: US and Royal Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground units.
CBI - Burma: Day 283 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 10th and 14th Air Forces provide air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,743 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Japan: US 7th Air Force B-24s bomb the airfields on Iwo Jima.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 378 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 262 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea.
PTO - Philippines: Day 81 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 25 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon.
PTO - Philippines: Day 3 of 4 of the Allied Invasion landing at Lingayen Gulf. 5th Air Force provides air support.
Day-By-Day listings for January 8 were last modified on Friday, March 9, 2018
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