Thursday, 9 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Sailfish (SS-192) damages Japanese army cargo ship Aobasan Maru, 11°31'N, 109°21'E.

            Submarine Thresher (SS-200) sinks Japanese torpedo recovery vessel Shinsho Maru at entrance to Kwajalein Atoll, Marshalls, 08°43'N, 167°33'E. Thresher is damaged by bombs and depth charges and is briefly hooked by a grapnel trailed by the searching Japanese, but remains on patrol.

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. tanker Benjamin Brewster is torpedoed by German submarine U-67 approximately 60 miles west of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, 29°05'N, 90°05'W, and a good portion of the ship's cargo of 70,578 barrels of aviation gasoline and lubricating oil catches fire. In the resulting conflagration, 25 crewmen die. Survivors (10 merchant seamen and the five man Armed Guard) are rescued the following morning by fishing boat, whence they are transferred to the Coast Guard.

ATLANTIC—U.S. freighter Santa Rita is torpedoed by German submarine U-172 approximately 700 miles northeast of Puerto Rico,26°11'N, 55°40'W, and abandoned; three men are killed in the torpedoing, a fourth drowns during the abandonment. U-172 then shells the ship, makes the master a POW, and sends a boarding party to scour her victim for provisions before shelling and sinking her. Destroyers Livermore (DD-429) and Mayo (DD-422) and a crash boat rescue the 48 merchant seamen, two passengers and the 9 man Armed Guard who survive the loss of the vessel.

NORTH RUSSIA—Ordeal of dispersed USSR-bound convoy PQ 17 to German submarines and planes continues: U.S. freighter Hoosier is straddled by bombs and damaged irreparably, 69°45'N, 39°35'E. The 42 man crew and 11 man Armed Guard abandons ship and is rescued by British corvette HMS Poppy.  Free French manned British corvette HMS La Malouin takes the crippled merchantman under tow, but discontinues the operation and recovers her salvage party put on board the freighter earlier when the escort vessel sights German submarine U-255 trailing at a distance of four miles. La Malouine's attempt to scuttle the freighter fails. U-376 later finishes off Hoosier with a torpedo and the latter sinks early the following morning. This same day, survivors from U.S. freighters Fairfield City, (sunk on 5 July) and Olopana (sunk on 7 July) reach Novaya Zemlya (see 12 July). Corvette HMS La Malouine rescues 22 merchant seamen and 8 Armed Guards, survivors from U.S. freighter John Witherspoon (sunk by German submarine U-255 on6 July).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—7 P‑38’s arrive in UK via N Atlantic route, this being the first time single-seater AAF aircraft have flown this route.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—6 B‑24’s dispatched against shipping are attacked by fighters; 1 B‑24 is lost and the others return to base without bombing targets.

ELEVENTH AF—5 B‑24’s fly photo, weather, and bombing missions to Kiska but return with the bombs due to weather.

US ARMY

SOUTH WEST PACIFIC AREA—Australian 7th Brigade commander and advance elements of the brigade leave Townsville, Australia, for Milne Bay, New Guinea.

USSR—German Army Group South is divided into 2 groups. Army Group A, on S consists of 1st Pz, 17th, and 11th Armies. Army Group B comprises 2d, Hungarian 2d, 4th Pz, and 6th Armies. Group A is to seize Rostov, where major Soviet forces are believed concentrated, then continue S through the Caucasus. Group B is to drive along the Don to Stalingrad, thence along the Volga to Astrakhan.

US MARINE CORPS

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Wednesday, 8 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine S-37 (SS-142) torpedoes and sinks Japanese transport Tenzan Maru about 30 miles west of Rabaul, 04°00'S, 151°50'E. Escorting submarine chaser Ch 30 depth-charges S-37 without success.

ARCTIC—Ordeal of dispersed USSR-bound convoy PQ 17 to German submarines and planes continues: 19 survivors (16 merchant seamen and three Armed Guard sailors) of U.S. freighter John Witherspoon (sunk by German submarine U-255 on 6 July) are rescued by Panamanian freighter El Capitan. German bombers, however, attack the latter and sink her. British armed trawler HMS Lord Austin rescues the 19 John Witherspoon men and takes them to Archangel (see 9July).

ATLANTIC—U.S. tanker J.A. Moffett, Jr. is torpedoed by German submarine U-571 three miles south by west of Tennessee Reef, Florida Straits, 24°47'N, 80°42'W; and is run aground on Tennessee Reef to prevent the ship's loss. The ship's master is the only fatality; the survivors (36 merchant seamen and the 6 man Armed Guard) are rescued by Coast Guard auxiliary craft Mary Jane and Southbound and cutter Nike (WPC-112). Later salvaged, J.A. Moffett, Jr. is written off as a total loss.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s bomb harbor and shipping at Bengasi during 8/9 Jul, while B‑17’s hit harbor at Tobruk.

TENTH AF—A single B‑25 piloted by Col Caleb V Haynes, bombs Japanese HQ at Tengchung near Burma border. Bad weather, pilot fatigue, and maintenance halt major operations for several days.

ELEVENTH AF—404th Bomb Squadron arrives in the Alaskan Theater with B‑24’s—originally destined for N Africa. 1 B‑24 flies 2 photo missions over S shore of Kiska and over Little Kiska. Bombing mission canceled due to weather.

US ARMY

PACIFIC—General MacArthur and Admiral Ghormley recommend that offensive be postponed until SW and S Pacific forces can be strengthened. Admiral Nimitz issues his final plan of attack, ordering S Pacific Force to seize Santa Cruz Islands. and Tulagi- Guadalcanal area in the Solomons.

CHINA BURMA INDIA—General Chennault takes command of CATF.

USSR—Russians announce evacuation of St Oskol, SE of Kursk.

US MARINE CORPS

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Tuesday, 7 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Japanese merchant cargo ship Haruna Maru founders and sinks near Omaesaki, Japan.

ATLANTIC—Naval Air Facility, Reykjavik, Iceland, is established.

            USAAF A-29 sinks German submarine U-701 off North Carolina coast, 34°50'N, 74°55'W--the first submarine "kill” by a USAAF plane in World War II.

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. tanker Paul H. Harwood is torpedoed by German submarine U-67 off Southwest Pass, Louisiana, 29°26'N,88°38'W; there are no casualties among the 40 man crew or 16 man Armed Guard, and the ship puts into Burrwood, Louisiana, under her own power. She returns to service in September.

ARCTIC—Ordeal of dispersed USSR-bound convoy PQ 17 to German submarines and planes continues: U.S. freighter Olopanais is torpedoed by German submarine U-255 about 10 miles west of Novaya Zemlya, 72°10'N, 51°00'E, and abandoned; five merchant seamen and two Armed Guard sailors perish in the attack. U-255 then surfaces and shells the ship, after which time the Germans conduct a brief interrogation of some of the survivors before clearing the area (see 9 July). U.S. freighter Alcoa Ranger is torpedoed by German submarine U-255 at 71°38'N, 49°35'E, and abandoned by the 34 man crew and the 6 man Armed Guard. U-255 surfaces and conducts a brief interrogation of some of the survivors, as she had done in the case of John Witherspoon and Olopana earlier, before the U-boat shells and sinks the ship. Two of three lifeboats from Alcoa Ranger reach Novaya Zemlya later that day (see 14 July).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

SOUTH PACIFIC—General Millard F Harmon is designated COMGENSOPAC.

ELEVENTH AF—1 B‑17 and 7 B‑24’s fly weather, bombing and photo missions to Kiska, Attu, and Agattu. All bombs are returned to base due to weather. 1 seaplane is shot down.

ZONE OF THE INTERIOR—An A‑29 of 396th Bomb Squadron sinks German sub, U-701, off North Carolina 34-50N 74-55W. This is first sub sunk by AAF aircraft during World War II.

US ARMY

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA—Carrier Saratoga, followed by carrier Enterprise, each with supporting ships, sails from Pearl Harbor for S Pacific. Elements of the Enterprise support force leave main force at sea and proceed to New Caledonia to embark 1st Raider Battalion.

AUSTRALIA—Admiral Ghormley arrives in Australia and confers with General MacArthur on coming offensive.

NEW GUINEA—Company B, Australian 39th Battalion, leaves Port Moresby for Kokoda, traveling on foot along tortuous trail over Owen Stanley Range.

USSR—German 6th Army effects junction with 4th Pz Army NE of Valuiki.

US MARINE CORPS

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Monday, 6 July 1942

US NAVY

ARCTIC—Ordeal of dispersed USSR-bound convoy PQ 17 to German submarines and planes continues: U.S. freighter John Witherspoon, having emerged unscathed from the German aerial attacks the previous several days, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-255 approximately 20 miles off Novaya Zemlya, 72°05'N, 48°30'E, and abandoned with the loss of one merchant seaman. Survivors (38 merchant seamen and 11 Armed Guard sailors) gather in three lifeboats and a raft; U-255 surfaces and conducts a brief interrogation of some of the survivors before clearing the area (see 8 and 9 July 1942). Freighter Pan Atlantic, hastily painted white to camouflage her against the ice floes through which she is fleeing to Archangel, is bombed and sunk with the loss of 18 (of 37) merchant seamen and 7 (of 11) Armed Guard sailors. German submarines U-88 and U-703 salvage provisions from the freighter's flotsam; one of the enemy submarines conducts brief interrogation of survivors before departing. British corvette HMS Lotus rescues Pan Atlantic’s surviving merchant and naval complement and transports them to Archangel (see 22 September).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—RAF invites Eighth to share membership in important RAF operational committees dealing with targets, operational research, interception, and bomber operations. VIII AFSC sets up HQ at Bushy Park with General Frank as CG. 6 B‑17’s arrive in UK via N Atlantic ferry route.

TENTH AF—CATF B‑25’s bomb waterfront at Canton, marking their initial action against coastal facilities of Japanese-held Chinese ports.

ELEVENTH AF—4 B‑24’s and 1 LB-30 fly bombing and weather missions to Kiska. Results are not observed.

SIXTH AF—German sub, U-153, is damaged in attack by aircraft of 59th Bomb Squadron off Panama, 12-50N 72-21W. The sub is sunk a week later by US destroyer Landsdowne.

US ARMY

CHINA BURMA INDIA—General Stilwell issues letter of instructions setting up command structure of a theater in CBI, with “Headquarters, American Army Forces, China, Burma, and India” at Chungking and branch office at New Delhi. A few days later another branch office is established at Kunming. China Air Task Force (CATF) is activated.

USSR—Voronezh falls to German Army Group South after it has been evacuated by Red Army forces.

US MARINE CORPS

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Sunday, 5 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Growler (SS-215) sinks Japanese destroyer Arare and damages destroyers Kasumi and Shiranui off Kiska, Aleutians, 52°00'N, 177°40'E. Growler is damaged by depth charges.

            Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) damages Japanese oiler San Pedro Maru south of Palauig, Luzon, 16°07'N, 119°13'E.

ATLANTIC—Seven survivors from U.S. freighter Norlandia, sunk by German submarine U-575 on 3 July, reach Samana, Dominican Republic.

ARCTIC—German air and submarine attacks on the dispersed Archangel, USSR-bound convoy PQ 17 continue: submarine U-457 torpedoes and sinks abandoned U.S. freighter Christopher Newport, torpedoed by German plane the previous day.U-88 torpedoes and sinks U.S. freighter Carlton, 72°50'N, 24°35'E, killing two crewmen (see 9, 13 and 24 July). Freighter Peter Kerr, steaming in company with steamship Earlston Smiles, suffers three direct bomb hits, 74°30'N,35°00'E; the burning ship is abandoned by all hands (35 merchant seamen and the 11 man Armed Guard) (see 12 July). Freighter Daniel Morgan, steaming in company with four other ships for mutual protection that proves largely illusory, is bombed, and is damaged by 30 near-misses; although emerging battered from the bombing, she does not escape U-88, which torpedoes and sinks her, 75°08'N, 44°10'E. Daniel Morgan's survivors (37 of 39 merchant seamen, one of whom dies later of his injuries, and the 15 man Armed Guard) are rescued later by Russian tanker Donbass and ultimately reach Archangel in that ship. Nearby freighter Fairfield City is also bombed, 74°40'N,39°45'E; eight men die when one bomber scores a direct hit on the merchantman's bridge. Irreparably damaged, Fairfield City is abandoned by the 28 merchant seamen and the 6 man Armed Guard (see 9 and 12 July). Freighter Washington, steaming in company with Dutch Paulus Potter and British Bolton Castle, is attacked by JU-88s 175 miles east-northeast of Bear Island, 76°25'N, 33°41'E; after attacking the other two vessels, the Germans direct their efforts at Washington, and near-misses cause further damage to hull plates weakened the day before. The 36 man crew and 9 man Armed Guard abandon ship in lifeboats, and decide to take their chances in the boats instead of being taken on board freighter Olopana, which arrives in response to Washington's call for help (see 7 July). Freighter Honomu, steaming alone, is torpedoed and sunk by U-456, 75°05'N, 38°00'E; the latter takes the ship's master prisoner and provides rations for the survivors (34 crewmen, four British armed guard sailors and two Navy signalmen) before departing (see 18 and 22 July). Freighter Pan Craft, steaming alone, is bombed by German planes, 76°50'N, 38°00'E, and is abandoned; one crewman dies during the abandonment, a second dies of wounds later. British corvette HMS Lotus rescues the 34 merchant seamen and the 11 man Armed Guard, but fails in her attempt to scuttle the merchantman, which ultimately explodes and sinks between 9 and 36 hours after she is abandoned (see 22 September).

            Convoy QP 13, groping its way through poor visibility conditions, blunders into a British minefield in Denmark Strait. U.S. freighter Richard Henry Lee is damaged but suffers no casualties among her 34 man crew and 9 man Armed Guard. Freighter Massmar fouls two mines and sinks; 17 of the ship's 36 man crew, and 5 of her 9 man Armed Guard, perish, as do 26 (22 merchant seamen and four Armed Guard sailors) of the 45 passengers she is carrying--survivors of the freighter Alamar (sunk in convoy PQ 16). Free French corvette Roselys rescues survivors. Freighter Hybert fouls a mine and is abandoned; as all hands (39 man crew, 11 man Armed Guard, and 26 passengers from the sunken Syros) abandon ship, the merchantman drifts into a second mine. British armed trawler HMS Lady Madeleine and Roselys rescue the survivors. Freighter John Randolph fouls two mines and breaks in two; 5 of the 38 man crew perish in the incident, but none of the 12 passengers or the 12 man Armed Guard are lost. Other ships in QP 13 rescue the survivors. The ship's bow section is recovered and salvaged, the stern section sinks. Freighter Heffron fouls two mines and is abandoned; one crewman dies in the abandonment. Roselys rescues the 36 crewmen, two Navy signalmen and 23 passengers. Heffron sinks very early the next morning.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s bomb harbor and ships at Bengasi during 4/5 Jul.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s and B‑26’s attack Lae and Salamaua.

ELEVENTH AF—A B‑17 flies a weather mission.

US ARMY

USSR—Organized Soviet resistance in the Crimea ends. To N, German 4th Pz Army has reached the Don at Voronezh, where Red Army is resisting strongly. Army Group Center is improving positions N of Smolensk in local actions.

US MARINE CORPS

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Saturday, 4 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Triton (SS-201) torpedoes Japanese destroyer Nenohi off Cape Sabak, off southeast tip of Agattu, Aleutians, 52°15'N, 173°51'E.

ARCTIC—North Russia-bound convoy PQ 17 is ordered to scatter as fears of German surface ship sortie from Norwegian waters prompts the detachment of major escort vessels to deal with the threat that does not materialize. German torpedo-carrying HE 111s attack PQ 17, 200 miles northeast of Bear Island: U.S. freighter William Hooper is torpedoed (75°57'N, 27°14'E) and abandoned; three crewmen lose their lives. The survivors (36 merchant seamen and the 15 man Armed Guard) are picked up by British rescue ships Rathlin and Zamalek. Attempted scuttling by British escort vessel fails; German submarine U-334 torpedoes and sinks William Hooper later the same day. As the convoy disperses, freighter Christopher Newport is torpedoed by HE 115 (75°49'N, 22°15'E); three crewmen are killed. Christopher Newport is abandoned, with the 36 merchant seamen and 11 man Armed Guard picked up by rescue ship Zamalek. British escort vessel's attempt to scuttle the damaged freighter fails (see 5 July). Freighter Washington is damaged by near-misses, but there are no casualties among her crew or Armed Guard.

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Corry (DD-463) rescues four survivors of U.S. freighter Ruth, sunk by German submarine U-153 on 28 June.

           Twenty-nine survivors from U.S. freighter Thomas McKean, sunk by German submarine U-505 on 29 June, reach St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (see 12 and 14 July).

           Fourteen survivors from U.S. freighter Norlandia, sunk by German submarine U-575 the previous day, reaches Samana, Dominican Republic (see 5 July).

EUROPE—First USAAF raid on Western Europe: USAAF aircrew flying American-built Bostons participate in low-level RAF raid on German airfields in the Netherlands.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—First AAF air operation over W Europe. 15th Bomb Squadron, flying 6 American-built Bostons belonging to RAF, join RAF low-level attack on 4 airfields in the Netherlands. Aircraft flown by Capt Charles C Kegelman, squadron CO, is severely damaged, but Kegelman succeeds in bringing it back to base at Swanton Morley. VIII AF Composite Command is activated in US. Second B‑17 arrives in UK via N Atlantic ferry route.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s attack convoy in Mediterranean during 4/5 Jul, setting 1 tanker aflame.

TENTH AF—CATF is activated under command of General Chennault. This new command is successor to Chennault’s AVG, which had attained 300 confirmed victories over Japanese airplanes at a cost of less than 50 aircraft and only 9 pilots. Only 5 pilots and a few ground personnel of AVG choose to join the AAF, although 20 other pilots agree to stay until replacements arrive in Kunming. Combat elements of CATF are 23d Fighter Group, 16th Fighter Squadron, and 11th Bomb Squadron. Col Robert L Scott is to command the fighters and Col Caleb V Haynes the bombers. In air action in China, 5 B‑25’s, with fighter escort, heavily damage buildings, runways, and parked aircraft at Tien Ho airfield. P‑40’s over Kweilin intercept a formation of Fighter Bombers, claiming 13 destroyed. The Japanese fail to bomb target.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s, B‑26’s, and B‑25’s bomb airfields at Lae and Salamaua.

ZONE OF THE INTERIOR—Air Transport Command, which was established on 30 Apr 42, is redesignated I Troop Carrier Command and made responsible for training and preparing units and personnel for Troop Carrier (airborne) operations. Ferrying Command, which was established on 29 May 41, is redesignated Air Transport Command and made responsible for air transport and ferrying operations.

US ARMY

CHINA BURMA INDIA—AVG is inducted into Tenth Air Force as its contract with China terminates.

EGYPT—30 Corps, British Eighth Army, is strengthened by arrival of Australian 9th Division, which is concentrating in vicinity of El ‘Alamein fortress. 13 Corps continues to attack on S flank, making slow progress.

WESTERN EUROPE—U.S. air operations against Europe are initiated. 6 U.S. aircraft manned by U.S. crews participate in RAF attack on airdromes in Holland.

US MARINE CORPS

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Friday, 3 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—USAAF B-24s bomb and damage Japanese seaplane carriers Kamikawa Maru and Kimikawa Maru, and transport Fujisan Maru off Agattu Island.

           British submarine HMS Truant sinks Japanese army cargo ship No.1 Tamon Maru in Strait of Malacca, 3°14'N,99°48'E.

ATLANTIC—U.S. tanker Gulfbelle is torpedoed by German submarine U-126 about 21 miles north of Tobago, 11°43'N, 60°35'W; and is abandoned. Two crewmen perish on board in the explosion. The U-boat surfaces after torpedoing her quarry, but after the Armed Guard (all eight men of which have remained on board) lobs one shell over U-126, the enemy boat submerges and departs. British destroyer HMS Warwick subsequently tows the damaged Gulfbelle to Trinidad.

           U.S. freighter Alexander Macomb, in convoy BA 2, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-215 at 41°40'N,66°52'W; four of the ship's 41 man crew and six of the 25 man Armed Guard are killed in the attack. British trawler HMS Le Tiger rescues 31 survivors; Canadian corvette HMCS Regina 25.

           Unarmed U.S. freighter Norlandia, steaming from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Nuevitas, Cuba, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-575 at 19°33'N, 68°39'W; nine crewmen lose their lives. U-575's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, apparently genuinely solicitous of the needs of those whose ship he has just torpedoed, gives them a bottle of brandy before the boat departs (see 4 and 5 July).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s attack Tobruk harbor during daylight hours and B‑17’s bomb supplies at Tobruk during 3/4 Jul.

TENTH AF—CATF airplanes bomb and strafe airfield at Nanchang, the probable base of the preceding night’s raiders on Hengyang. Several parked aircraft are destroyed. During the night Japanese airplanes again strike at Hengyang and once more fail to hit airfield.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s attack barracks area at Koepang and AF at Lae. 1 A‑24 bombs Tulagi.

ELEVENTH AF—7 B‑24’s and 2 B‑17’s bomb Kiska and Near Islands, encountering neither fighter opposition nor AA. Results not observed.

US ARMY

UNITED STATES—General Marshall authorizes creation of a mobile air force for SWPA and another for POA. Preparations for offensive in the Pacific continue at a rapid pace.

US MARINE CORPS

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