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• British Colonial Secretary Stanley announced that 5,000 Jews, 4,500 of them children, would be allowed to migrate from Bulgaria to Palestine. Additionally, 30,000 immigration certificates were made available for use by any Jewish children in southeastern Europe for Palestine. Unfortunately, most of the 35,000 allotments were not used, as the Red Cross refused to accompany children on the ships in poor condition that were made available for the transportation to Palestine. ww2dbase [CPC]
• While stalking a Japanese tanker at dawn, USS Tunny was discovered by the enemy but continued to pursue the target. Under gunfire, she fired multiple volleys of torpedoes at the tanker; one hit, but it failed to explode. After nightfall, she detected another ship at 2005 hours, fired 3 torpedoes, and claimed sinking it. ww2dbase [Tunny | CPC]
• BOAC began a high speed delivery service between Leuchars, Scotland, United Kingdom and Stockholm, Sweden using a fleet of ten Mosquito aircraft. ww2dbase [AC]
• Over lunch, Dwight Eisenhower informed George Patton that Patton had been chosen to help plan the invasion of Sicily, Italy. ww2dbase [George Patton | CPC]
• German submarine U-255 sank US freighter Greylock of Allied convoy RA-52; all 70 aboard survived. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]

• Francis Gabreski, in a Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX fighter, was attacked by German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters over the English Channel. ww2dbase [Francis Gabreski | English Channel | CPC]

• USS Grayback arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol. ww2dbase [Grayback | Brisbane, Queensland | CPC]

• Destroyer USS Shaw arrived at Suva Harbor, Fiji. ww2dbase [Shaw | Suva | DS]

• During the day, the German OKW issued an announcement to inform the German public of the defeat at Stalingrad, Russia. The message, read over the radio, was preceded by a solemn drum roll and was followed by the 2nd movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th symphony. ww2dbase [Battle of Stalingrad | CPC]

• Nachi departed Yokosuka, Japan. ww2dbase [Nachi | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]

• 12 He 111 aircraft, with supplies on board, flew over the northern pocket of Stalingrad, Russia before dawn. Of the 11 aircraft that reached the intended drop zone, only 3 dropped some of their cargo, as they found no German activity. ww2dbase [Battle of Stalingrad | Stalingrad | CPC]

• The keel of Rochester was laid down by the Bethlehem Steel Company at Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Saint Paul | Quincy, Massachusetts | CPC]
• Kimberly was launched by at the Bethlehem Mariners Harbor yard at Staten Island, New York, United States, sponsored by Elsie S. Kimberly, the daughter of Rear Admiral Lewis A. Kimberly, for whom the destroyer was named after. ww2dbase [Kimberly | Staten Island, New York | CPC]

3 Feb 1943 Interactive Map