Thursday, 28 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Japanese First Fleet, Main Body (Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku in battleship Yamato) allocated to the Midway operation sorties from home waters. The Second Fleet, Escort Force (Rear Admiral Tanaka Raizo), whose composition includes15 transports, sails from Saipan; Second Fleet, Occupation Support force (Rear Admiral Kurita Takeo) sorties from Guam.

            U.S. troops (500 men drawn from the garrison at Efate) arrive at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.

            TF 16 (Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance), formed around carriers Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8), departs Pearl Harbor to take up position northeast of Midway.

            Submarine Salmon (SS-182) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Ganges Maru in the South China Sea about 250miles south-southeast of Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, 09°00'N, 111°00'E.

            Submarine Seal (SS-183) damages Japanese army cargo ship Tatsufuku Maru at western entrance to Balabac Strait,07°27'N, 116°17'E.

NORTH RUSSIA—In the aftermath of German air attacks on convoy PQ 16, U.S. freighter City of Joliet, damaged by near-misses the previous day, is abandoned in Barents Sea, 73°41'N, 21°58'E. All hands (including the 11 man Armed Guard detachment) reach safety on board British tug HMS St. Elstan and Free French corvette Roselys.

CARIBBEAN—U.S. tanker New Jersey is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-103 about 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman Island, 18°32'N, 82°28'W. There are no casualties among the 36 merchant seamen and five Armed Guard sailors, and all hands abandon ship in two lifeboats (see 29 May and 1 June).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

FIFTH AF—B‑26’s attack airfield at Lae.

ELEVENTH AF—A B‑17 flies the first armed reconnaissance mission from the secretly constructed airfield at Umnak over the Aleutian Chain, but finds no sign of the enemy. XI Fighter Command elements are now deployed at Umnak (P‑40’s, P‑38’s), Cold Bay (P‑40’s), Kodiak (P‑39’s), and Ft Richardson (P‑38’s, RCAF Kittyhawks).

ZONE OF THE INTERIOR—2 fighter squadrons (58th and 59th) of 33d Fighter Group begin deployment from E coast for defense of W coast. Some Heavy Bomber units in W are redeployed for better defense against Japanese Navy.

US ARMY

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA—Main body of Japanese naval force under command of Admiral Isoroko Yamamoto leaves Japan for Midway. From Pearl Harbor, Admiral Spruance’s naval force also heads for Midway. U.S. troop detachment (500 from the Efate garrison) arrives at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, where bomber strip is to be built to support invasion of the Solomons.

CHINA—Chinese withdraw from Kinhwa, Chekiang Province, under pressure.

BURMA—Japanese seize Kengtung.

LIBYA—British Eighth Army defeats enemy efforts to break out to coast in rear of Gazala positions in order to gain supply line to forces NE of Bir Hacheim.

USSR—Battle of Kharkov ends as Germans complete reduction of Red Army salient W of the Donets in Kharkov area.

US MARINE CORPS

U. S. forces arrive at Espiritu Sante, New Hebrides.