Timeline: 1943

1943

25^th January Janina Bauman escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto and started a life in hiding in the Aryan sector.

February: 1^st Chindit operation in Burma behind Japanese lines.

26^th Feb - '11 JU88s attack convoy. Several near misses on us, no hits. Subs following at night'. From the diary of Colin Craston.

April: Warsaw Ghetto uprising in occupied Poland. Resistance is finally crushed a month later after fierce fighting.

May: The Dambusters Raid is undertaken by 617 Squadron against dams on the rivers Mohne and Eder. Led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the 19 Lancasters carried revolving bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Gibson is awarded the VC.

July: Allied landings take place in Sicily in Operation Husky - occupation is completed a month later.

16^th July 'a great explosion shot me out of my bunk - a torpedo had hit the engine room' Chris Tulitt on the sinking of the City of Canton.

31^st August A letter from Lt Frank Davies reassures Len Wright's mother that despite being posted missing, there are good grounds to assume that Len is safe and well.

September: The Allies land in Salerno while German forces occupy Rome. A month later Allied troops enter Naples but the Italian campaign proves to be both lengthy and costly.

October: The Thai-Burma Railway is completed. Constructed by Asian labourers and Allied POWs, conditions were harsh and thousands died.

19^th November Denis Forman leads an attack on a German-held gully near the Sangro river.

23^rd November Ron Fairburn of 467 Sqn and his crew go on another raid to Berlin.

25^th December Eric Such enjoys Christmas festivities at a restaurant at Cape Cod with his American hosts; an emotional occasion.