Two big events came out of Casablanca on this day, as reported by Sarah Sundin:
Today in World War II History—January 24, 1943: In the Casablanca Declaration, the Allies demand the unconditional surrender of the Axis. At the Casablanca Conference, Allies commit to the invasion of Sicily.
The agreement was made, but as Roosevelt and Churchill's presence in Morocco was still a secret, news of it was not yet released.
The German Völkischer Beobachter and the Börsen Zeitung reported commentary from journalist and propagandist Karl Megerle that "For the first time in this war, Germany faces reverses of a certain importance" and German radio started to play mourning music between news broadcasts. The fact that this occurred meant that the Germans regarded the news from the Eastern Front as not only disastrous, but plainly so. No doubt, the impending collapse at Stalingrad played at least a partial role in the decision to prepare the German public for the news of German reversals.
The USS Radford became the first ship to shoot down an aircraft while not seeing it. The spotting was solely by radar.
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