Tuesday, October 12, 1943. Expanded use of the Azores.

Portugal expanded the use of naval and air facilities in the Azores under the treaty of 1373, even though, as recently noted, Portugal was neutral.

It was, of course, increasingly obvious which way the war was going, and that by this time the risk to Portugal was less than it was previously.

The U.S. 5th Army began its assault on the German Volturno line in Italy.

The U.S. attacked Rabaul by air, damaging three Japanese vessels.

The Battle of John's Knoll-Trevor's Ridge began on New Guinea.

The Battle of Levin began on the Eastern Front

The American Broadcasting Company's purchase of the NBC Blue Network was approved by the FCC, ending an antitrust suit against NBC.

Friday, October 8, 1943. Caserta Palace.

The British troops landed on Terceira Island, one of the Azores, in a little noted operation.

The Azores belong to Portugal and the population of the Azores are Portuguese.  The Allies had made plans to land there by force, much like they had in Iceland, but it proved unnecessary as the Portuguese agreed to lease air bases to the allies.

Portugal and the UK had been allies since the Napoleonic Wars, although Portugal had not entered the war.  They remained on friendly terms in spite of Portugal having a long sitting authoritarian government which would make one presume, in accurately, that it would have been sympathetic to the Germans.  In fact, at the start of the Second World War, Portugal announced that its 500-year-old plus treat with the UK remained in effect.  The UK, wisely, simply chose not to invoke it.  The British did begin, however, to occupy islands in the Azores starting in 1942 under lease from Portugal.

The Azores were known to Europeans prior to the 1370s.  Settlement by Portugal commenced in the 1439.

Today in World War II History—October 8, 1943: 80 Years Ago—Oct. 8, 1943: In Italy, US occupies Caserta Palace, future Headquarters of the US Fifth Army.

Sarah Sundin.

The British 8th Army took Lairon and Guglionesi. 

The last Jewish residents of the Liepaja Ghetto in Latvia were sent to the Kaiserwald concentration camp.