Sunday, July 19, 2026

Monday, 20 July 1942

US NAVY

GENERAL—Admiral William D. Leahy reports to President Roosevelt as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy.

PACIFIC—Naval Operating Base and Naval Air Facility, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, are established.

ATLANTIC—German submarine U-66 mines the waters off Castries, St. Lucia.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—Hal Bomb Squadron and 9th Bomb Squadron (19 B‑24’s and 9 B‑17’s) are organized as 1st Provisional Group under Col Harry A Halverson’s command at Lydda.

TENTH AF—3 B‑25’s bomb docks and warehouses at Chinkiang on the Yangtze River. 4 escorting P‑40’s strafe junks on the river. This is last CATF bombing raid of Jul.

ELEVENTH AF—General Butler moves adv HQ to Umnak. 3 B‑17’s bomb Kiska (especially barracks) with incendiaries and demolition charges. 4 P‑38’s try to intercept 4 fighters reported by Navy aircraft. No contact made.

US ARMY

PACIFIC—USAFIA, largely a supply organization, is discontinued, and U.S. Army Services of Supply, Southwest Pacific Area (USASOS SWPA) is established under command of General Richard Marshall. GHQ SWPA moves forward in Australia from Melbourne to Brisbane to be nearer scene of offensive. Maj General Alexander A. Vandegrift, CG 1st Marine Division, issues tactical orders for invasion of Solomons.

CHINA BURMA INDIA—Dr. Lauchlin Currie arrives in China to discuss U.S.-Chinese relations with Stilwell and the Chinese.

US MARINE CORPS

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