Wednesday, 20 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Air Force, South Pacific Area (Rear Admiral John S. McCain) is established.

ATLANTIC—District patrol craft YP-387 is sunk in collision off the coast of Delaware, 39°00'N, 75°00'W.

GULF OF MEXICO—Unarmed U.S. tanker Halo is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-506 approximately 50 miles from Southwest Pass, 28°42'N, 90°08'W; 23 survivors from a merchant complement of 42 men initially survive the loss of the ship (see 25 and 27 May).

            U.S. freighter George Calvert is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-752 near the Yucatan Channel, 22°55'N,84°26'W; three Armed Guard sailors perish in the attack. Fifty-one merchant seamen and seven surviving Armed Guard sailors abandon ship in three boats, in which they reach the coast of Cuba, going ashore the following day.

            U.S. tanker Esso Dover rescues 20 merchant sailors and two Armed Guard sailors, survivors of freighter Ogontz, sunk by German submarine U-103 the previous day.

CARIBBEAN—U.S. freighter Clare is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-103 approximately 40 miles off the south coast of Cuba, 21°35'N, 84°43'W; the 33 man merchant complement and 7 man Armed Guard (all hands) survive, abandoning ship in one boat and three rafts. Later the same day, U-103 torpedoes and sinks U.S. freighter Elizabeth at 21°36'N,84°48'W; six of the 35 merchant seamen perish, the remainder, along with the 7 man Armed Guard, reach the coast of Cuba the following day.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s attack airfield and AA guns at Koepang on Timor Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC—Adm McCain, aboard USS Tangier at Noumea, assumes command as COMAIRSOPAC.

US ARMY

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA—Reinforcements are being hastily moved to Midway and the Aleutians, since Japanese plan to invade the islands is by now known. In the Aleutians, work on secret air base on Umnak Island is being rushed to a conclusion. Rear Admiral John S. McCain takes command as COMAIRSOPAC.

BURMA—With conquest of Burma completed, Japanese (56th, 18th, 33d, and 55th Divisions of 15th Army) take up defensive positions.

INDIA—Burma I Corps is placed under command of 4 Corps as rear guard reaches India.

US MARINE CORPS

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Tuesday, 19 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Light cruiser Nashville (CL-43) sails independently from Midway, bound for the western Aleutians.

            Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-21 reconnoiters Suva Bay, Fiji.

INDIAN OCEAN—Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-30 reconnoiters Zanzibar and Dar-es-Salaam.

ATLANTIC—Armed Guard officer on board U.S. freighter Ironclad, at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, reports disturbance among the crew, occasioned by some of the merchant seamen breaking into a quantity of liquor consigned to Admiral William H. Standley, USN (Ret.), U.S. Ambassador to the USSR. Battleship Washington (BB-56) provides a guard of marines from her detachment to bring the rowdies under control. Consequently, Ironclad is withdrawn from the list of ships to comprise convoy PQ 16 so that the incident can be investigated.

            Last three survivors of unarmed U.S. fishing trawler Foam, attacked by German submarine U-432 on 17 May, are rescued by Canadian corvette HMCS Halifax.

            U.S. steamship Howard rescues the 29 survivors of U.S. tanker Mercury Sun, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 the previous day; she transfers one to a Coast Guard boat at the Tampa Sea Buoy for medical attention and transports the rest to Mobile, Alabama.

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. freighter Heredia is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-506 two miles south of the Ship Shoal Buoy, Louisiana, 27°32'N, 91°00'W; the rapidity with which the ship sinks gives the crew no time to launch boats. Of the 62men on board (48 man merchant crew, six man Armed Guard and eight passengers), 36 (30 crewmen, five Armed Guard sailors and one passenger) perish. Shrimp boats Papa Joe, Conquest, J. Edwin Treakle, and Shellwater rescue 23 survivors; a seaplane rescues three.

            U.S. freighter Ogontz is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-103 at 23°30'N, 86°37'W; 17 merchant seamen and two Armed Guard sailors perish in the attack, the majority of the casualties caused when a mast falls across a lifeboat when the ship is being abandoned. U-103 questions two survivors on board before returning them to their shipmates. The Germans provide medical assistance and cigarettes before leaving (see 20 May).

CARIBBEAN—Unarmed U.S. freighter Isabela is torpedoed, shelled and sunk by German submarine U-751 35 miles south of Navassa Island light, 17°50'N, 75°00'W; three crewmen perish. Survivors subsequently reach Cape Briton, Haiti, in two lifeboats.

            Latvian freighter Kegums rescues the 22 survivors of U.S. freighter William J. Salman, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 the previous day. She transports them to Key West, Florida.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Det, HQ Eighth AF, under General Eaker, assumes control of all AAF organizations in British Isles.

US ARMY

MIDDLE EAST—General Auchinleck issues instructions to Commander, British Tenth Army, on action to be taken should the enemy attack through Iran from the Caucasus.

UNITED KINGDOM—U.S. Eighth Air Force detachment HQ under General Eaker takes control of all U.S. Army air organizations in British Isles.

US MARINE CORPS

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Monday, 18 May 1942

US NAVY

GENERAL—Office of Naval Inspector General (Rear Admiral Charles P. Snyder) is established.

ARCTIC—U.S. freighter Deer Lodge, anchored in Kola Inlet, is bombed by German planes, and damaged by near-misses. There are no casualties among the 34 man merchant complement or among the 11 man Armed Guard sailors, and the ship is moved to another anchorage.

ATLANTIC—Brazilian steamship Commandante Lyra is torpedoed by Italian submarine Barbarigo at 02°59'S, 34°10'W; light cruisers Milwaukee (CL-5) and Cincinnati (CL-4) rescue survivors. Small seaplane tender Thrush (AVP-3) tows the damaged ship to Fortaleza, Brazil, while PBYs (VP 83) provide cover.

            Unarmed U.S. freighter Quaker City is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-156 approximately 300 miles east of Barbados, 15°47'N, 53°12'W; ten men perish (one man will subsequently die of wounds). The 30 survivors take to four lifeboats. U-156 surfaces and questions the survivors as to the name of the ship and her cargo and destination; the Germans then provide the Americans with directions to Barbados (see 22, 24 and 26 May).

            British steamship Hororata rescues raft with the last survivor from U.S. freighter Alcoa Guide, sunk by German submarine U-123 on 16 April. A total of six have perished from Alcoa Guide's 34 man complement.

            Rescue craft (not specified) recovers last survivor from torpedoed U.S. freighter Steel Maker, sunk by German submarine U-136 on 19 April. This man, the radio operator, had pooled the supplies from several rafts in his vicinity after the ship sank and "lived comfortably" until rescued.

            Lifeboat with 17 survivors of unarmed U.S. fishing trawler Foam, attacked by German submarine U-432 the previous day, reaches Sambro Light Ship, whence they are transported to Halifax by a Canadian patrol craft (see 19 May).

CARIBBEAN—Unarmed U.S. tanker Mercury Sun is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 at 20°02'N, 84°25'W, and abandoned; six merchant seamen perish in the attack (see 19 May).

            Unarmed U.S. freighter William J. Salman is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 at 20°08'N, 83°47'W, as the American ship proceeds to Antigua, B.W.I.; six men perish (see 19 May).

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. tanker Benjamin Brewster rescues 19 survivors from U.S. tanker Gulfoil, sunk by U-506 on 16 May, and transports them to Galveston, Texas.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

INTERNATIONAL—US and Panama sign agreement concerning use of Panama defense areas by US forces.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb shipping in Koepang Bay.

SEVENTH AF—Seventh AF is placed on alert in anticipation of a possible attack on Midway. For next 10 days the old B‑18’s on hand are used on search to supplement the B‑17’s. VII Bomber Command receives influx of B‑17’s during this period, and the 72d Bomb Squadron is converted from B‑18’s to B‑17’s.

US ARMY

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA—U.S. Seventh Air Force is alerted for possible enemy attack on Midway or Hawaii.

BURMA—Chiang Kai-shek orders Chinese 5th Army, which now consists largely of Chinese 22d and 96th Divisions, to take up positions between Myitkyina and Fort Hertz. Chinese 22d Division survivors reach Ledo area in July and August. Chinese 96th eventually makes its way to China via Fort Hertz.

US MARINE CORPS

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Sunday, 17 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Grampus (SS-207) is damaged by gunfire of Japanese patrol craft off Truk, 08°02'N, 151°03'E.

            Submarine Silversides (SS-236) damages Japanese transport Tottori Maru and merchant cargo ship Thames Maru off Shionomisaki, southern Honshu, 33°28'N, 135°33'E.

            Submarine Skipjack (SS-184) sinks Japanese army transport Taizan Maru near the mouth of the Gulf of Siam,06°22'N, 108°36'E.

            Submarine Tautog (SS-199) torpedoes and sinks Japanese submarine I-28 north of Rabaul, 06°30'N, 152°00'E.

            Submarine Triton (SS-201) torpedoes and sinks Japanese submarine I-64 southeast of Kyushu, Japan, 29°25'N,134°06'E.

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Hambleton (DD-455) is damaged in collision with destroyer Ellyson (DD-454) while in TF 36, en route to the United States from the Gold Coast of Africa.

            U.S. freighter Challenger, en route to Trinidad for voyage repairs, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-155at 12°11'N, 61°18'W; five merchant seamen, two Armed Guard sailors, and one passenger perish. Yacht Turquoise (PY-19) rescues the 36 merchant seamen, nine Armed Guard sailors, and 11 passengers who survive the loss of the ship, and transports them to Trinidad.

            Unarmed U.S. fishing trawler Foam is shelled by German submarine U-432 approximately 85 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 43°20'N, 63°08'W; and abandoned by her 21 man crew (one of whom dies of wounds) (see 18 and 19May).

            Twenty three survivors of U.S. tanker Esso Houston, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-162 on 12 May1942 reach St. Vincent, British Windward Islands. One Armed Guard sailor perishes of wounds suffered in the attack five days previous; he is the only casualty.

CARIBBEAN—Norwegian motor vessel Somerville rescues 27 survivors (one of whom dies of his wounds after being picked up) from U.S. freighter Ruth Lykes, sunk by German submarine U-103 the previous day, and transports them to Key West, Florida.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Det, Eighth AF, with help of III Bomber Command staff, issues a directive defining its mission, which is the organization, training and supplying of units of ADVONs of Eighth AF to prepare for immediate operations upon arrival of tactical elements of the Eighth. 50 US intelligence officers arrive in UK for training by RAF Bomber Command.

US ARMY

USSR—Battle of Kharkov opens as Germans counterattack from Izyum area and in region E of Kharkov, bringing Soviet offensive to a halt.  

US MARINE CORPS

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Saturday, 16 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Tautog (SS-199) torpedoes Japanese fleet tanker Goyo Maru west of Royalist Bank, Truk, 07°00'N,152°00'E. Tautog's first "fish" circles, forcing her to go deep at once.

ATLANTIC—Last three survivors from unarmed U.S. tanker T.C. McCobb, sunk by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi on 31 March, land at Surinam. Two of the three men, however, later die of exposure.

            Destroyer Tarbell (DD-142) rescues 23 survivors from U.S. freighter Lammont Du Pont, sunk by German submarine U-125 on 23 April. There had been originally 31 men on the raft spotted by the destroyer, but eight had perished between 23 April and 16 May.

            U.S. tanker Esso Augusta rescues the 27 merchant seaman and four Armed Guard sailors who have survived the loss of freighter Nicarao, sunk by German submarine U-751 the previous day.

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. tanker Sun, en route to Beaumont, Texas, is torpedoed by German submarine U-506 at 28°41'N, 90°19'W, but escapes the U-boat to reach New Orleans, Louisiana, under her own power without further incident. Sun suffers no casualties among the 37 man merchant crew and 5 man Armed Guard. Later the same day, U-506 torpedoes and shells U.S. tanker William C. McTarnahan approximately 35 miles east of Ship Shoal Light, Louisiana, 28°52'N, 90°20'W, but retires without finishing off her quarry; 18 of the 38 man merchant crew perish in the attack. The 20 merchant seamen and all seven Armed Guard sailors survive to be rescued by shrimp boats Defender, Pioneer and Viscali (as well as a fourth unnamed craft). Coast Guard tug Tuckahoe (WYT-89), assisted by civilian tug Baranca tows the damaged tanker to Southwest Pass; she will subsequently return to service. Still later, U-506 torpedoes and sinks U.S. tanker Gulfoil approximately 75 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi, 28°08'N, 89°46'W; the tanker sinks so rapidly that the crew have no time to launch boats. Of the 36 man merchant complement and 4 man Armed Guard, only 19 merchant seamen survive to reach two life rafts that float free when the ship sinks (see 18 May).

CARIBBEAN—Unarmed U.S. freighter Ruth Lykes is attacked by German submarine U-103 at 16°37'N, 82°27'W; after the U-boat scores a hit with a dud torpedo she surfaces to shell her quarry, killing five sailors. U-103 rescues one sailor and transfers him into a lifeboat; after which action Kapitanleutnant Werner Winter, the submarine's commanding officer, apologizes: "You can thank Mr. Roosevelt for this. I am sorry." The U-boat also gives the Americans bandages and cigarettes before departing (see 17 May).

            Dutch schooners India and Mississippi sight lifeboats of U.S. freighter Norlantic, sunk by German submarine U-69 on13 May. The latter tows the boats into Bonaire the following day (see 24 May).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

TENTH AF—HQ completes its move from US to New Delhi. Heavy Bombers again strike airfield at Myitkyina, pounding runways and buildings. Subsequent reconnaissance indicates that the runways are unusable.

FIFTH AF—B‑25’s, B‑26’s and B‑17’s hit airfield and storehouses at Lae and seaplane base at Deboyne Island.

US ARMY

INDIA—First detachment of SOS troops—393d QM Battalion (Port) and 159th Station Hospital—arrives at Karachi.

US MARINE CORPS

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Friday, 15 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Tuna (SS-203) sinks Japanese transport Toyoharu Maru 65 miles off Sohuksando, Korea, 33°34'N,125°09'E.

ARCTIC—German planes bomb Allied shipping at Murmansk; U.S. freighter Yaka suffers a direct hit that causes extensive damage but no casualties to the 38 man merchant crew or the 11 man Armed Guard. The ship is beached to prevent loss.

ATLANTIC—U.S. freighter Nicarao is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-751 north of San Salvador, Bahamas, 25°20'N,74°19'W; eight of the 35 man merchant crew perish as they abandon ship. The four man Armed Guard survives intact (see 16 May).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

ARMY AIR FORCES—Interceptor and pursuit organizations of AAF are redesignated ‘fighter’.

US ARMY

NEW GUINEA—Australian 14th Brigade Group and 700 attached Australian AA troops start to Port Moresby to bolster positions there.

INDIA—General Alexander moves HQ from Burma to Imphal area of India. General Stilwell arrives in India.

LIBYA—British Eighth Army has completed most of its preparations for offensive, but Rommel’s forces are showing signs of forestalling it.

USSR—Germans announce capture of town and harbor of Kerch, in the Crimea. Red Army continues offensive toward Kharkov.

US MARINE CORPS

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Thursday, 14 May 1942

US NAVY

ATLANTIC—German submarine U-213 mines the waters off St. John's, Newfoundland.

            Norwegian freighter Havprins rescues 18 survivors of U.S. tanker Esso Houston, sunk by German submarine U-162 on 12 May; Havprins will transfer these men to Latvian freighter Everagra for transportation to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (see 17 May).

GULF OF MEXICO—Norwegian merchantman Norsol rescues two survivors from U.S. freighter David McKelvy, sunk the day before by German submarine U-506.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—General Eaker designated commander of Det HQ Eighth AF in addition to his duties as CG VIII Bomber Command. General Hunter assumes command of VIII Interceptor Command.

TENTH AF—Heavy Bombers pound Myitkyina for second time, scoring direct hits on runways and several buildings.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s, B‑26’s, and B‑25’s attack Rabaul and Lae.

US ARMY

UNITED STATES—Legislation establishing Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is enacted.

AUSTRALIA—U.S. 32d Division arrives.

BURMA—British Imperial forces withdrawing from Burma reach Tamu, Assam.

US MARINE CORPS

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