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• The United Nations War Crimes Commission was established. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Lieutenant Commander Shohei Matsumoto relieved Lieutenant Commander Shoichi Oyamada as the commanding officer of destroyer Yuzuki. ww2dbase [Yuzuki | CPC]
• Louis Mountbatten departed China for India. On the same day, Chiang Kaishek sent a message to King George VI, complimenting the new supreme commander. ww2dbase [Louis Mountbatten | CPC]
• Chuichi Nagumo stepped down as the commanding officer of Kure Naval District, Japan and was given command of the First Fleet. ww2dbase [Chuichi Nagumo | CPC]
• USS Haddock departed for her seventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Haddock | CPC]

• US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 was officially relieved from front line duty in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Patrol Boat No. 102 arrived at Balikpapan, Dutch East Indies and took on fuel and provisions. At 1225 hours, she departed to escort Genyo Maru and Azuma Maru for part of the way to Truk in the Caroline Islands; en route, she spotted a periscope and attacked with depth charges. ww2dbase [Stewart | Balikpapan, Borneo | CPC]

• Escort carrier USS Card and her task group departed Casablanca and resumed their anti-submarine patrols in the mid-Atlantic. ww2dbase [Card | Casablanca | DS]

• The keel of I-402 was laid down at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan. ww2dbase [Sasebo Naval Arsenal | I-402 | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]

• Destroyer USS Saufley was floated out of drydock USS ARD-2, refueled, and departed Nouméa, New Caledonia bound for the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Saufley | Nouméa | DS]

• Mineichi Koga ordered the commanders of Shokaku and Zuikaku to prepare for Operation RO, the reinforcement of the Rabaul and New Britain air forces with carrier air groups. ww2dbase [Zuikaku | Shokaku | Mineichi Koga | CPC]

• Nikolai Vatutin's attacked out of Velykyi Bukryn, Ukraine were rebuffed with heavy Soviet casualties. ww2dbase [Nikolai Vatutin | Velykyi Bukryn, Kyiv | TH]

• Captured German Tiger I heavy tank "131" arrived at the village of Chobham, Surrey, England, United Kingdom via a Scammell 100-ton truck. ww2dbase [PzKpfw VI Ausf. E 'Tiger I' | Chobham, England | CPC]
• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Duren, Germany but aborted half way to the target due to bad weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]

• Escort carrier USS Bogue and her task group arrived at Norfolk, Virginia. ww2dbase [Bogue | Norfolk Navy Yard | Norfolk, Virginia | DS]
• USS St. Louis arrived at San Diego, California. ww2dbase [St. Louis | San Diego, California | DS]

• USS Seahorse departed Midway Atoll for her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Seahorse | Midway Bases | Midway | CPC]

20 Oct 1943 Interactive Map