World war II chronology - January 1943

1 January 1943	Adolf Hitler decides to scrap the High Seas Fleet, to use the men, guns, and armor-plating for better uses. Admiral Erich Raeder meets with Adolf Hitler to discuss the fate of the High Seas Fleet. Raeder is unable to convince Hitler to keep the fleet, so he resigns as Commander-in-Chief
7 January 1943	The British First Lord makes a strong plea to the War Cabinet for bombing at the four main German submarine bases on the Biscay coast.
8 January 1943	The British Combined Chiefs of Staff agree to immediate use of H2S target finding in bombers over enemy territory. In Canada, National Research Council's acting head Chalmers Mackenzie is informed that the Canadian government would shortly be requested by the British to do research into ice ships, project Habbakuk.
9 January 1943	Soviet forces surrounding Stalingrad ask for the surrender of the German 6th Army. Adolf Hitler orders commander Friedrich Paulus to reject.
10 January 1943	The Soviet Red Army breaks into Stalingrad.
11 January 1943	The British War Cabinet accepts the proposed policy of area bombing German submarine bases along the Biscay coast. British Louis Mountbatten asks Canadian High Commissioner Vincent Massey to place the matter of researching Habbakuk ice ships before the Canadian government on an urgent basis.   The British Combined Chiefs of Staff approve a policy for inclusion in the upcoming Casablanca directive, naming German submarine construction yards as top priority long-term objectives, with bases on the Biscay coast as short term top targets.
13 January 1943	In the western Mediterranean, west of Algiers, Royal Canadian Navy corvette Ville de Québec in convoy TE-13 sinks German submarine U-224. Just prior to the Casablanca conference, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt agree on the unconditional surrender of Germany.
14 January 1943	The British Air Ministry directs Bomber Command to begin night attacks on German submarine bases. 122 British Bombers attack German submarine bases at Lorient. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt meet at Casablanca, Morocco, over eleven days. The decision is made to attack the island of Sicily. British Bomber Command is directed to focus on submarine bases on the Biscay coast in the short term, and submarine construction yards as long term targets.
15 January 1943	British forces in North Africa commence an attack on Erwin Rommel's forces. The American army agrees to co-fund an anthrax-producing site at Grosse Ile, Quebec, Canada. 157 British Bombers attack German submarine bases at Lorient.   A message reaches Britain that refers to test-firing of rockets at Peenemünde. Soviet Marshal Georgi Zhukov leads overwhelming forces in an attack on German defenses south of Lake Ladoga. Within hours, the siege of Leningrad is broken. Britain's Combined Operations asks Canada's National Research Council to begin studies into the feasibility of building huge 2000 foot long ice ships cut from Arctic ice.
16 January 1943	201 British Lancaster and Halifax bombers attack Berlin. (Only one plane is hit, though precise target bombing is difficult due to poor weather.)
17 January 1943	187 British Lancaster and Halifax bombers attack Berlin. 22 planes are shot down.
19 January 1943	In the western Mediterranean, Royal Canadian Navy corvette Port Arthur destroys Italian submarine Tritone.
22 January 1943	Final Japanese resistence is defeated on New Guinea. British Bomber Command makes first operational use of the Mitchell bomber, against oil targets in Belgium.
23 January 1943	A German plan for the systematic destruction of Le Panier, Marseille, France, commences. 25,000 people are ordered out, 804 Jews arrested (none survive). Over the next two weeks, the area is packed with explosives. In North Africa, British 8th Army forces capture Tripoli. The United States 8th Air Force flies its first bombing mission over Germany, against Wilhelmshaven.
24 January 1943	Both airports at Stalingrad fall to Soviet forces. The Casablanca Conference ends. The British persuaded the Americans to postpone the cross-Channel invasion. US President Franklin Roosevelt announces to the press the Allied policy of requiring the unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
26 January 1943	In Canada, the National Research Council receives a $50,000 grant to quickly study the construction of Habbakuk ice ships.
27 January 1943	55 American Fortress and Liberator bombers make a raid on the docks and submarine yards at Wilhelmshaven.
30 January 1943	British Mosquito bombers make two daylight raids on Berlin, during the Nazi Party's tenth anniversary. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill meets with Turkish President Ismet Inönü and his Cabinet and General Staff at Adana, Turkey. Over two days, the British promise Turkey modern armaments, Allied defence support, and more. In return, all Turkey is asked is to enter the war when they feel they are sufficiently armed. Adolf Hitler names Karl Dönitz as Grand Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the navy. The British-developed H2S target finding technology is used in operation for the first time, as a few H2S-equipped Halifax and Stirling bombers lead Lancasters against Hamburg, Germany. Results are poor due to the weather.
31 January 1943	German 6th Army commander Friedrich Paulus and almost 250,000 German troops surrender at Stalingrad.