http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/jan44/f21jan44.htm
Soviets capture Mga
Friday, January 21, 1944 www.onwar.com
On the Eastern Front... Soviet forces opposite German Army Group North continue offensive operations near Leningrad. Southeast of the city, Mga is captured.
In Italy... The US 2nd Corps (part of 5th Army) continues attacking across the Rapido River. The American 36th Division suffers heavy losses in these river crossings. Meanwhile, the Allied invasion force, heading for Anzio, sails from Naples.
de Seversky drives me nuts. He says we delayed building a strategic air force by concentrating on land and sea weapons, and that this delay allowed the Germans to build up an aerial defense of the Reich.
This guy is so wrong on so many counts. I would say that our air power was actually employed much earlier than our ground and sea power. The United States Navy is only now flexing its muscles, but of course it takes the longest time to build a navy. Our ground forces have yet to see the main action in northwest Europe. Our air raids on the Continent started over a year ago, and have been growing in power and frequency.
Also, this did not give the Germans “time to build up their defenses.” What it really did was cause the Germans to shift their air assets from tactical air cover on the Eastern Front to the aerial defense of the homeland. If you were to ask the average panzer officer on the Eastern Front the biggest difference between combat a year ago and now, the lack of protective fighters to keep the Stormoviks at bay would probably be high on the list. Luftwaffe air superiority went far to compensate the lack of numbers on the ground, but that’s now a thing of the past. Those German fighters are back home in Germany.