World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 8 May 1943

• German government issued the order that deaths of Eastern European workers in the concentration camps only need to be reported to labor offices. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
• Admiral Bruce Fraser replaced Admiral John Tovey as the head of the Royal Navy Home Fleet. ww2dbase [Bruce Fraser | CPC]
• USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun. ww2dbase [Gar | CPC]
• Japanese troops captured Maungdaw, Burma despite being outnumbered and being surrounded throughout most of the offensive. ww2dbase [First Battle of Arakan | CPC]

• Yamato, Chuyo, Unyo, Myoko, Haguro, Yugure, Naganami, Samidare, and Ushio departed Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Yamato | Chuyo | Unyo | Haguro | Myoko | Yugure | Truk | CPC]

• 16 B-24 bombers and 11 B-25 bombers of US 14th Air Force attacked Tianhe Airfield in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, claiming about 20 aircraft destroyed on the ground. ww2dbase [Tianhe Airfield | Guangzhou, Guangdong | CPC]

• In Operation BG 6, Italian auxiliary ship Olterra launched three manned torpedoes against Gibraltar, sinking three cargo ships. ww2dbase [CPC]

• USS Scorpion arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Scorpion | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
• Barbers Point Naval Air Station: Part of Marine Fighting Squadron 222 (VMF-222) departed. ww2dbase [Barbers Point Naval Air Station | Ewa, Oahu | DS]

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

• USS Wahoo attacked a Japanese transport off Iwate Prefecture, Japan; all 3 torpedo missed. ww2dbase [Wahoo | CPC]

• Guy Gibson, together with Harold Martin and John Hopgood, made a number of successful practice drops of "Upkeep" bombs at Reculver off southeastern England, United Kingdom. Low level training, which had now been consolidated at the Uppingham reservoir and a dam on the Colchester reservoir, was reduced from 150 feet to just 60 feet. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Reculver, England | AC]
• At 1203 hours, ten B-24 bombers of the US 44th Bomber Group took off from their base at Shipdham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom and rendezvoused with B-24s of US 329th Squadron. Their 18th mission was to target the marshalling yards in Rouen, France. This was the largest railway yard in Northern France and all rail traffic to the Channel ports had to pass through, also there was important dock facilities in the town next to the yards. The bombers with Spitfire escorts crossed the British coast at Beachy Head and then reached France at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme at 1353 hours. As they approached the target a strong FW 190 formation attacked head on bringing down two aircraft. These two B-24 bombers were taken by surprise as they thought that the fights were P-47 fighters that were expected over the target. The loss of these two lead aircraft caused the remainder ships to abandon the primary target and to bomb targets of opportunity to the north. Seven B-24s returned to base at 1510 hours after fighting all the way through the more than 40 enemy fighters, claiming several as destroyed. Gunners of the 67th Squadron claiming six. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | Shipdham, England | HM]

• USS Sable was commissioned into service with Captain Warren K. Berner in command. ww2dbase [Sable | DS]

8 May 1943 Interactive Map