World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 20 Jan 1943

• German Inspector of Concentration Camps advised camp commandants to reduce rate of death for camp prisoners; however, camp doctors were given orders to kill the sick and the debilitated. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
• USS Silversides attacked a Japanese convoy 286 miles from Truk, Caroline Islands en route to the Solomon Islands, sinking transport Meiu Maru and damaging Surabaya Maru. The latter would later be scuttled by destroyer Asagumo. ww2dbase [Silversides | CPC]
• Remy Van Lierde scored his first kill, a German Bf 109G fighter, over the southern coast of England, United Kingdom while flying a Typhoon Ib fighter. ww2dbase [Remy Van Lierde | CPC]
• The US Army 25th Division began an offensive toward Kokumbona, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | CPC]
• Chile broke off relationships with Germany, Italy and Japan. ww2dbase [AC]
• USS S-28 set a course for the Aleutian Islands. ww2dbase [S-28 | CPC]

• A US B-24 bomber on a routine reconnaissance mission over Wewak on the island of New Guinea surprisingly found a large concentration of Japanese shipping and a newly arrived contingent of Zero fighters. Six of the fighters arose and shot down the bomber, killing 2; 6 of the crew survived. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 2 | Wewak | CPC]

• US 44th Fighter Squadron arrived at Fighter 2 airfield at Kukum, Guadalcanal; this squadron would later become the most successful P-40 squadron to operate on this island. ww2dbase [Kukum, Guadalcanal | CPC]

• Transports of Jews from Theresienstadt Ghetto in occupied Czechoslovakia departed for Auschwitz Concentration Camp in occupied Poland; several more transports departed from Theresienstadt in the following 6 days. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Theresienstadt Concentration Camp | Terezín, Cechy | CPC]

• Captured French submarine Requin departed Bizerte, Tunisia with an Italian crew. ww2dbase [Bizerte | CPC]
• Captured French submarine Espadon departed Bizerte, Tunisia with an Italian crew. ww2dbase [Bizerte | CPC]

• German fighter-bombers made a surprise daylight attack on London, England, United Kingdom during which bombs were dropped on a school in Lewisham killing 39 children and five teachers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
• The German Luftwaffe was forced to abandon any further hit-and-run fighter-bomber raids on London, England, United Kingdom after five Fw 190 aircraft were lost within half an hour to the RAF Manston based Typhoon fighters of Wing Commander Roland Beamont's No. 609 Squadron. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]

• USS Brennan was commissioned into service at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States. ww2dbase [Mare Island Navy Yard | Vallejo, California | CPC]

20 Jan 1943 Interactive Map