Today in World War II History—October 14, 1943
Saturday, October 14, 2023 by Sarah Sundin
80 Years Ago—Oct. 14, 1943: Schweinfurt mission: US Eighth Air Force sends 291 B-17s (plus 29 B-24s flying a diversion) to bomb the ball-bearings plant at Schweinfurt, Germany; 60 B-17s lost. Heavy losses lead to temporary suspension of daytime bombing without fighter escort.
Luftwaffe Oberleutnant Walter Nowotny becomes the first fighter pilot in the world with 250 victories.
Prisoners at Sobibor concentration camp destroy extermination facilities; 47 successfully escape and join partisans.