On the Eastern Front… German forces of Army Group South, facing another large encirclement, withdraw from Krivoi Rog, the iron mining center in the Donbas. Forces of the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front occupy the city during the day.

From Moscow… Stalin issues two Orders of the Day: the first concerns the capture of Krivoi Rog and the second announces that three-quarters of Soviet territory has now been liberated with the Red Army having advanced as much as 1000 miles.

In the Mariana Islands… Japanese bombers and torpedo planes attack the ships of US Task Force 58.

Over Holland… In dense cloud and freezing conditions, a B-24 group bombs Nijmegen by mistake, killing 200 civilians.

In Occupied Greece… A German troop train is derailed in the Tempe Valley by British-led guerrillas. An estimated 400 soldiers are killed. The Athens-Salonika railroad is blocked for four days.

In the Marshall Islands… US forces land on Parry Island, in the Eniwetok Atoll. There is heavy Japanese resistance.