Friday, 13 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Naval Battle of Guadalcanal continues: TG 67.4, comprising two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and eight destroyers (Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan) encounters Japanese Bombardment Force (Rear Admiral Abe Hiroaki) that includes two battleships, steaming to bombard Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, shortly after midnight on 12 November; a savage nocturnal naval action ensues. Abe's force inflicts heavy damage on TG 67.4 before it retires northward; Rear Admirals Callaghan and Norman Scott are killed on board their respective flagships, heavy cruiser San Francisco (CA‑38) and Atlanta (CL‑51). Both Callaghan and Scott are awarded Medals of Honor(posthumously). On board San Francisco, Lieutenant Commanders Herbert E. Schonland and Bruce McCandless prove instrumental in saving their ship, and Boatswain's Mate First Class Reinhardt J. Keppler performs a succession of heroic acts in fighting fires and removing wounded during the thick of the battle. Those three men (Keppler posthumously) also earn the nation's highest award for bravery. TF 16 (Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid), formed around carrier Enterprise (CV‑6), the last operational fleet carrier in the Pacific, nears the battle area and launches air search and attacks against the enemy.

            Light cruiser Atlanta (CL‑51), irreparably damaged by Japanese naval gunfire and torpedo as well as by friendly fire from heavy cruiser San Francisco, is scuttled by demolition charges three miles off Lunga Point; light cruiser Juneau (CL‑52), damaged by gunfire, is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I‑26, 10°34'S, 161°44'E, as Juneau retires toward Espiritu Santo. Loss of life is heavy. Also sunk are destroyers Cushing (DD‑376) and Monssen (DD‑435) to gunfire, Laffey (DD‑459) to gunfire and torpedo, and Barton (DD‑599) to two torpedoes. Heavy cruiser Portland (CA‑33) suffers torpedo damage; San Francisco, light cruiser Helena (CL‑50), and destroyer Aaron Ward (DD‑483) are damaged by gunfire; friendly fire damages destroyer O'Bannon (DD‑450).

            The Japanese, however, do not emerge from the brutal nocturnal slugfest unscathed: battleship Hiei, damaged by gunfire from heavy cruisers Portland and San Francisco and destroyers Cushing, Laffey, and O'Bannon, is sunk by TBFs (VT 8) from carrier Enterprise and USMC SBDs (VMSB 142) and TBFs (VMSB 131) from Henderson Field. Destroyer Akatsuki is sunk by San Francisco and Atlanta gunfire near Savo Island, 09°17'S, 159°56'E. Destroyer Yudachi, damaged by gunfire, is sunk by Portland southeast of Savo Island, 09°14'S, 159°52'E. Japanese destroyers Murasame, Ikazuchi, and Amatsukaze are damaged by gunfire; destroyer Yukikaze is damaged by aircraft, off Guadalcanal. Destroyer Michisio is also damaged by aircraft off Shortland Island, Solomons.

            On the night of 13 November, heavy cruisers Suzuya and Maya approach Guadalcanal to shell Henderson Field, intending to render it inoperable the following morning.

ATLANTIC—Unarmed U.S. schooner Star of Scotland is shelled and sunk by German submarine U‑159 while en route from Cape Town, South Africa, to Paranagua, Brazil, 26°30'S, 00°20'W; one sailor (of the 17 man crew) drowns when the ship is abandoned (see 1 December).

INDIAN OCEAN—U.S. freighter Excello, proceeding independently from Port Said, Egypt, to Cape Town, South Africa, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑181 at 32°23'S, 30°07'E; one Armed Guard sailor and one merchant seaman perish in the attack (see 14, 15, and 20 November).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—HQ VIII AF Composite Command moves from temporary station at Long Kesh to Kirkassock House, N Ireland.

NINTH AF—98th Bomb Group arrives in Egypt from Palestine. Tobruk falls to 10 Corps, British Eighth Army.

TWELFTH AF—C‑47’s, with P‑38 escort, fly AA guns and aviation gasoline to Duzerville airfield. US Spitfires patrol Oran- Tafaraoui area.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb shipping off Tonolai-Komaleai Pt and airfield at Kahili. A B‑17 strafes a schooner in Lorengau harbor on Manus Island.

SOUTH PACIFIC—Air strength at Guadalcanal is raised by arrival of 3 B‑26’s of 69th and 70th Bomb Squadrons from New Hebrides as naval battle of Guadalcanal continues. Japanese cruisers and destroyers bombard Henderson Field during 13/14 Nov, and destroy one of the new P‑38’s.

ELEVENTH AF—Reconnaissance over Attu and Agattu reveals 5 landing barges in Chichagof harbor.

US ARMY

SOLOMON ISLANDS—Crippled Japanese BB Hiei is attacked by air near Savo throughout day and is subsequently scuttled.

GUADALCANAL—8 P–38’s of 339th Sq, 347th Fighter Group, arrive on fighter strip just E of Henderson Field after flight from Milne Bay.

NEW GUINEA—Australians destroy enemy rear guard at Kumusi River crossing.

LIBYA—Tobruk falls to 10 Corps, British Eighth Army.

ALGERIA—General Eisenhower flies to Algiers to conclude agreement with Admiral Darlan. Allied convoy arrives at Bône and unloads 17/21 Lancers Regimental Group (later called Blade Force), 1st Parachute Brigade (-), transport of 78th Division (-), and Advance Hq of British First Army. Main body of 36th Brigade, 78th Division, advances to Djidjelli, 40 miles E of Bougie.

US MARINE CORPS

Rear Admiral Callaghan’s task group of cruisers and destroyers engages Japanese raiding group including two battleships, in second night of Battle of Guadalcanal. U. S. force heavily damaged, but Japanese retire.

 

Thursday, 12 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Naval Battle of Guadalcanal opens: TF 67 (Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner) unloading troops in Lunga Roads, Guadalcanal, under the protection of air and surface forces, is attacked by Japanese land attack planes. Heavy cruiser San Francisco (CA‑38) is damaged when hit by a crashing bomber; destroyer Buchanan (DD‑484) is hit by friendly fire.

            Submarine Grenadier (SS‑210) damages Japanese army cargo vessel Hokkai Maru off the south coast of French Indochina, 11°18'N, 109°02'E.

            Japanese oiler Naruto is damaged by aircraft (nationality unspecified) off Shortland Island.

MEDITERRANEAN—Naval Operating Base, Casablanca, Morocco, is established.

            Transports Tasker H. Bliss (AP‑42), Hugh L. Scott (AP‑43), and Edward Rutledge (AP‑52) are torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑130 off French Morocco.

CARIBBEAN—Gunboat Erie (PG-50) is torpedoed by German submarine U‑163, Caribbean Sea, 12°03'N, 68°58'W, and is beached northwest of Willemstad, Curacao, N.W.I., to prevent sinking (see 28 November and 5 December).

            Submarine chaser SC‑330 accidentally collides with, and sinks, merchant vessel Rogist seven miles southeast of Cape Charles, Virginia, Lighthouse.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

TWELFTH AF—Fighters fly patrols over wide area around Oran and escort C‑47’s which drop US paratroops at Duzerville airfield SE of Bone. Duzerville airfield is bombed by Axis aircraft luring 12/13 Nov.

NINTH AF—USAMEAF is dissolved and replaced by Ninth AF, commanded by General Brereton. Major components are: IX Bomber Command (General Timberlake), IX Fighter Command (Col John C Kilborn), and IX ASC (General Adler). 79th Fighter group begins arriving in Egypt from US.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb shipping at Tonolai harbor. 3d Battalion of 126th Infantry, US 32d Division, is airlifted from Port Moresby to Pongani. The troops immediately start overland toward Natunga. 2d Battalion, flown in earlier, reaches Bofu.

SOUTH PACIFIC—11 transports carrying 13,500 troops and supported by a force of cruisers and 2 battleships (Kirishima and Hiei) leave Shortland Islands area and head for Guadalcanal. During the afternoon the reconnaissance value and defensive capability of the B‑17 are ably demonstrated when a single Heavy Bomber sights a carrier 350 mi off Guadalcanal and maintains contact for 2 hrs before returning to base with claims of 6 Zeros shot down. Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (12-15 Nov) opens as Japanese aircraft attack transports unloading troops in Lunga Roads. First 12 P‑38’s of 339th Fighter Squadron, as well as Marine and Navy airplanes, are moved from Tontouta and Espiritu Santo to Henderson Field to bolster defenses of Guadalcanal.

ELEVENTH AF—Bombers are on alert at Umnak and Adak to attack any reported naval targets. Intermittent fighter patrols fly over Adak.

ZONE OF THE INTERIOR—AAF School of Applied Tactics is established at Orlando AAB.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—Enemy pocket along Gavaga Creek is completely eliminated. The action has cost Japanese 450 killed, and the few who have eluded the trap are being harassed, while retiring toward Mt Austen, by Col Carlson’s 2d Raider Battalion marching W from Aola Bay. Kokumbona assault force completes withdrawal across the Matanikau. Transports and cargo ships from New Hebrides and New Caledonia arrive off Lunga Pt and begin unloading; withdraw at 1815 under DD escort after all troops, totaling about 6,000 and including RCT 182 of Americal Division, and part of the supplies are ashore, because of news that heavy Japanese naval force, including 2 BB’s, is moving S toward the island. Warships remain to engage enemy.

NAVAL BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL—During night 12–13, Japanese warships are located by radar between Savo and Cape Esperance and naval battle ensues during which 2 enemy DD’s are sunk and 4 damaged. Japanese retire northward without having accomplished mission of neutralizing Henderson Field before arrival of transport force. U.S. losses are heavy: AA cruisers Atlanta and Juneau and DD’s Barton, Cushing, Laffey, and Monssen are sunk; 5 other vessels are seriously damaged.

NEW GUINEA—Gorari falls to Australian 25th Brigade. Japanese succeed in withdrawing main forces across flooded Kumusi River, night 12–13. 2d Battalion of 126th Infantry, U.S. 32d Division, moves toward Gora and Bofu, Company E, in the lead, reaching Bofu. 3d Battalion of 126th, upon reaching Pongani by air, starts toward Natunga.

CHINA BURMA INDIA—General Stilwell, in memorandum to Foreign Minister Soong, suggests that a commander be chosen at once for Y-Force; that units to participate in offensive be designated and reorganized; that available 75-mm guns be sent to Yunnan; and that incompetent commanders be removed.

MIDDLE EAST—U.S. Ninth Air Force is established by order of General Andrews, CG USAFIME. General Brereton activates Hq Sq, Ninth Air Force, and IX Air Service Command. Hq and Hq Sq of 19th Bombardment Wing arrive by sea.

MOROCCO—U.S. transports Hugh L Scott and Edward Rutledge are lost off Morocco to enemy torpedoes.

ALGERIA—British First Army takes Bône, 150 miles E of Bougie, without opposition, but enemy planes make damaging attacks later in day. 6th Cdos land by sea and secure port. U.S. transport planes drop 2 cos of 3d Parachute Battalion at Duzerville airdrome, 6 miles SE of Bône. Paratroop Task Force (60th Troop Carrier Group and 2d Battalion of U.S. 509th Parachute Infantry) is placed under operational control of British First Army at Algiers.

US MARINE CORPS

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (12–15 November) begins as Japanese aircraft attack U. S. transports off Guadalcanal.

 

Wednesday, 11 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I‑7 reconnoiters Vanikoro, Solomons; small reconnaissance seaplane from I‑21 reconnoiters Nouméa, New Caledonia; and small reconnaissance seaplane from I‑9 reconnoiters Espiritu Santo.

            Transport Zeilin (AP‑9) is damaged by dive bombers off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, 09°24'S, 160°02'E.

            Submarine Haddock (SS‑231) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Venice Maru in center of Yellow Sea, between China and Korea, 35°36'N, 123°44'E.

            Submarine Tautog (SS‑199) is damaged by depth charges in Makassar Strait, 01°22'N, 119°31'E, and is forced to terminate her patrol.

            Japanese armed merchant cruiser Hokoku Maru is sunk by Indian Navy minesweeper RINS Bengal and Dutch merchant tanker Ondina south-southwest of Cocos Islands, 20°00'S, 93°00'E.

            Japanese transport Kobe Maru is sunk in collision with army cargo ship Tenzan Maru 87 miles off the Yangtze River estuary; Tenzan Maru then founders and sinks, too.

ATLANTIC—Casablanca surrenders to U.S. forces. Allied-French armistice is signed.

            Mechanized artillery transport Lakehurst (APM‑9) is damaged when accidentally rammed by cargo ship Titania (AK‑55) in Safi harbor, French Morocco.

            German submarine U‑173 torpedoes and sinks transport Joseph Hewes (AP‑50) and torpedoes destroyer Hambleton (DD‑455) and oiler Winooski (AO-38) off Fedala Roads, North Africa.

MEDITERRANEAN—German troops occupy France, south to the Mediterranean Sea.

            Italian troops land on Corsica and move into France.

            Naval Operating Base, Oran, is established.

INDIAN OCEAN—First survivors from U.S. freighter Marcus Whitman, sunk by Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci on 9 November, reach coast of Natal, South Africa, in the merchantman's motor lifeboat; the remainder will arrive within the next few hours. All hands (41 man merchant complement and the 11 man Armed Guard) reach safety.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

Europe German troops enter part of France previously unoccupied by Axis forces.

TWELFTH AF—Fighters fly reconnaissance over Oran-Tafaraoui area and escort C‑47’s carrying paratroops from Gibraltar to Algiers. All French resistance against Allies in NW Africa ceases in the early morning.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s hit shipping N of Bengasi, claiming 4 direct hits and several near misses on 1 vessel. P‑40’s fly sweep over Gambut area, claiming 3 Stukas destroyed. British Eighth Army drives last of enemy from Egypt and crosses into Libya, taking Bardia without opposition.

TENTH AF—9 P‑40’s hit Shinghbwiyang, causing heavy damage.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s bomb and strafe targets in Wairopi area. B‑17’s attack shipping off S coast of Bougainville. HQ, 126th Infantry, US 32d Division, is flown from Port Moresby to Pongani. Col Paul B Wurtsmith becomes CO V Fighter Command.

SOUTH PACIFIC—Search aircraft from Guadalcanal report at least 61 Japanese ships in Buin-Tonolai area. Other ships are massed at Rabaul.

ELEVENTH AF—3 B‑26’s, 3 B‑17’s, and 3 B‑24’s are over Kiska. The B‑26’s make unsuccessful runs on ship in Gertrude Cove. The B‑17’s and B‑24’s find submarine base closed by weather. Weather aircraft fly over Attu and Amchitka.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—Westward offensive toward Kobumbona is halted because of strong indications of an all-out enemy attempt to recover Lunga area. After reaching positions a little beyond those gained on 4 November, assault force begins withdrawal across the Matanikau. E of Lunga perimeter, 2d Battalion of 164th Infantry closes gap on S flank of U.S. line about enemy along Gavaga Creek and drives N to beach while 7th Marines closes in from E and W. Naval force bringing reinforcements and supplies from New Hebrides arrives and begins unloading; when the 3 transports of the force are damaged by enemy aircraft, the group retires to join naval forces approaching from New Caledonia.

NEW GUINEA—Hq of 126th Infantry, 32d Division, is flown to Pongani.

EGYPT–LIBYA—10 Corps, British Eighth Army, drives last of enemy from Egypt and enters Libya, taking Bardia without opposition. 1st and 7th Armored Divisions continue pursuit of enemy in Libya. New Zealand 2d Division pauses at frontier to reorganize.

NW AFRICA—In response to Admiral Darlan’s order of 10th, all resistance of French forces in NW Africa ceases by 0700.

MOROCCO—Western Task Force cancels attack on Casablanca because of armistice; 3d Division enters city at 0730. CCB of 2d Armored Division receives surrender of Mazagan and establishes bridgehead at Azemmour without opposition. Enemy torpedoes and sinks U.S. transport off coast.

ALGERIA—British First Army lands elements of 36th Brigade, 78th Division, at Bougie, 110 miles E of Algiers, without opposition. Hart Force—mobile TF based on 11th Brigade of 78th Div—moves out of Algiers toward Bône, traveling overland.

FRANCE—Axis troops march into unoccupied France.

US MARINE CORPS

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Tuesday, 10 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Light cruiser Raleigh (CL‑9), patrolling along the 175th meridian, encounters no Japanese patrol activity estimated to be in those waters west of the Ellice Islands.

            High speed minesweeper Southard (DMS‑10) sinks Japanese submarine I‑15 five miles off Hada Bay, the northwest point of San Cristobal Island, Solomons, 10°13'S, 161°09'E.

            Japanese army cargo ship Chiyo Maru is sunk, agent unspecified, off Akyab, Burma.

ATLANTIC—Off French North Africa, aircraft escort vessel Chenango (ACV‑28) ferries USAAF P‑40s into Port Lyautey; French submarine Le Tonnant unsuccessfully attacks carrier Ranger (CV‑4); submarines Meduse and Antiope conduct similarly fruitless attacks against battleship Massachusetts (BB‑59) and heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA‑37).

            German submarine U‑608 lays mines off New York City, east of Ambrose Light.

            Minelayer Salem (CM‑11) is damaged when she is accidentally rammed by British landing craft HMS LCI(L) 166, South Brooklyn, New York.

            Survivors (8) of U.S. freighter West Kebar, sunk on 29 October by German submarine U‑129, reach Guadalupe.

CARIBBEAN—Naval Station, Puerto Castillo, Honduras, is established.

MEDITERRANEAN—Oran, Algeria, surrenders to U.S. forces.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

TWELFTH AF—US Spitfires escort convoy, fly reconnaissance, and attack tanks and other vehicles in Oran area. 72 P‑40’s of 33d Fighter Group, catapulted from US carrier Chenango land in Port Lyautey area. French Adm Darlan broadcasts orders for French forces in N Africa to cease resistance against Allies.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s hit Bengasi harbor. B‑17’s hit Candia harbor.

FIFTH AF—B‑26’s bomb AA positions and supply dumps along Sanananda-Soputa trail. A‑20’s hit positions at Soputa a Australian ground forces push Japanese from Oivi toward mouth of the Kumusi.

ELEVENTH AF—Reconnaissance is flown over Attu, Semichi, Segula, Alaid, and Kiska islands. 5 B‑24’s and 1 B‑17 bomb Kiska, but they cannot bomb Kiska submarine base and return with some bombs. 2 P‑38’s and 1 OA‑10 fly local air coverage.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—7th Marines (-) and 2d Battalion of 164th Infantry continue reduction of pocket astride Gavaga Creek; make unsuccessful attempt to close gap in line. Westward offensive toward Kokumbona is renewed under command of CO, 2d Marines. 1st Battalion of 164th Infantry and 2d Marines (- 3d Battalion) attack W from Pt Cruz with 8th Marines protecting left rear.

NEW GUINEA—Australian 16th Brigade forces Japanese from Oivi toward Kumusi River mouth.

EGYPT—British Eighth Army clears Halfaya Pass.

ALGERIA—Admiral François Darlan broadcasts from Algiers order for French forces in North Africa to cease resistance. Troops of 1st Division and of CCB, 1st Armored Division, converge on Oran; RCT 16 has leading elements within the city by 0830; CCB columns enter Oran from S before French CG surrenders at 1230.

MOROCCO—French resistance in Port-Lyautey area ends. By noon, Twelfth Air Force fighters are landing on airfield from USS Chenango. U.S. forces from Fedala close in on Casablanca and prepare for concerted assault at dawn on 11th. CCB, 2d Armored Division, breaks off drive toward Marrakech from Safi area and marches toward Mazagan in order to conserve strength for attack on Casablanca.

US MARINE CORPS

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Monday, 9 November 1942

US NAVY

MEDITERRANEAN—Transport Leedstown (AP‑73), bombed and torpedoed by German planes, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarineU‑173 near Algiers.

INDIAN OCEAN—U.S. freighter Marcus Whitman, proceeding independently to Dutch Guiana from Cape Town, South Africa, is torpedoed by Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci at 05°45'S, 32°40'W, and abandoned without loss. Leonardo da Vinci then finishes off the merchantman with gunfire (see 11 November).

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Biddle (DD‑151) rescues survivors (3 of 10 Armed Guard sailors, 10 of the 40 man merchant crew and 1 of the 2 passengers) from U.S. freighter Nathanael Hawthorne, sunk by German submarine U‑508 on 7 November.

PACIFIC—Destroyer Russell (DD‑414) rescues that portion of the crew of U.S. freighter Edgar Allen Poe who abandoned ship after she was torpedoed by I‑21 the night before.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—General Spaatz, in memo to General Eisenhower, agrees that any increase in air commitments to N Africa must necessarily be made at expense of US forces in UK as US forces in other theaters are considered irreducible. VIII Bomber Command attacks U-boat base at Saint-Nazaire from reduced altitude. 12 B‑24’s at 17,500 to 18,300 ft suffer little AA damage, but 31 B‑17’s at 7,500 to 10,000 ft lose 3 of their number and have 22 damaged by AA fire. This ends experiment with low-level attacks of Heavy Bombers against submarine bases.

TWELFTH AF—Spitfires of 31st Fighter Group attack and halt an armored column moving N toward Tafaraoui, and also attack artillery and AA batteries SE of Tafaraoui and along coastal road. At 1605, General Doolittle arrive in Algeria from Gibraltar by B‑17, escorted by 12 Spitfires from 52d Fighter Group.

TENTH AF—IATF Heavy Bombers raid Rangoon.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s hit troops at Oivi in support of Australian offensive in Owen Stanley Range. B‑26’s bomb Buna while B‑25’s score hit on merchant vessel off S tip of New Ireland and attack schooner off Salamaua. Airlift of elements of 126th Infantry, US 32d Division, from Port Moresby to forward areas begins. First elements are flown to Abel’s Field and moved overland to Pongani.

ELEVENTH AF—2 B‑26’s and 4 P‑38’s bomb a cargo ship in Gertrude Cove. No hits. 2 P‑38’s then strafe Kiska Harbor area. 1 B‑17 and 4 P‑38’s attack Holtz Bay and Attu airfield, destroying 8 float Zeros. 1 B‑17 flies weather reconnaissance over Attu, Kiska, and Segula.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—7th Marines, committing 2d Battalion of 164th Infantry to its S, completes encirclement of enemy along Gavaga Creek except for small gap on S at creek line; repels spirited attempts of enemy to break out. In preparation for renewing attack on Kokumbona, 164th Infantry units (Hq, Anti Tank Company, and 3d Battalion) and Company B of 8th Marines are withdrawn from Koli Pt area to Lunga perimeter.

NEW GUINEA—Advance elements of 2d Battalion, 126th Infantry, U.S. 32d Division, arrive at Natunga. Airlift of 126th Infantry, less 2d Battalion, from Port Moresby to forward area begins. Leading elements of 1st Battalion, under Lt Col Edmund J. Carrier, are flown to Abel’s field, since Pongani Field is temporarily unserviceable, and start toward Pongani on foot. Rest of 1st Battalion (Companies D and C, less 2 platoons), under Maj Richard D. Boerem, is flown to Pongani and starts march toward Natunga.

EGYPT—British Eighth Army resumes pursuit of enemy as weather improves. New Zealand 2d Division reduces opposition at Sidi Barrani and continues W.

TUNISIA—Germans invade Tunisia without opposition from French, initial elements landing on El Aouïna airport, Tunis.

ALGERIA—General Giraud arrives on front. General K. A. N. Anderson takes command of British First Army at Algiers and prepares to move light forces as rapidly as possible to Tunis and Bizerte in order to forestall enemy seizure of these important objectives. Enemy sinks U.S. transport Leedstown off Algiers. Flanking attack on Oran continues to meet resistance as it reaches outskirts of city, but La Senia airport is captured and French resistance at St Cloud is bypassed and contained.

MOROCCO—Western Task Force establishes hq at Fedala, where Admiral Hewitt, USN, transfers to Maj General George S. Patton, Jr., USA, command of troops ashore. French continue to resist strongly at approaches to Port-Lyautey and airport. 3d Division delays advance on Casablanca to await unloading of heavy equipment and artillery. RCT 47, 9th Division, organizes Safi beachhead.

US MARINE CORPS

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Sunday, 8 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Motor torpedo boats PT-61, PT-39, and PT-37 engage two Japanese destroyers south of Savo Island, Guadalcanal; PT-61 and PT-39 and Mochizuki are damaged in the encounter.

            Submarine Seawolf sinks Japanese gunboat Keiko Maru off Cape San Augustin, Mindanao, P.I., 06°22'N, 126°03'E.

            U.S. freighter Edgar Allen Poe is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I‑21 in a spirited fight 56 miles southeast of Amadee Light, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 22°14'S, 166°30'E, during which two crewmen are killed. A part of the crew (including the 14 man Armed Guard) remains on board while New Zealand minesweeper HMNZS Matai and corvette HMNZS Kiwi tow the vessel to Nouméa, where she will be declared a total loss (see 9 November 1942).

ATLANTIC/MEDITERRANEAN—French North Africa is invaded in Operation TORCH. Allied Expeditionary Force under the supreme command of

            Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, USA, lands at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. Allied Naval Force(Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham, RN) is composed of three principal parts: Western Naval Task Force (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt) lands troops (Major General George S. Patton, USA) near Casablanca; Center Naval Task Force (Commodore Thomas H. Troubridge, RN) lands troops (Major General Lloyd R. Fredendall, USA) at Oran; and Eastern Naval Task Force (Rear Admiral Sir Harold M. Burrough, RN) put troops (Major General Charles W. Ryder, USA) ashore at Algiers.

            U.S. naval vessels and carrier aircraft engage French naval forces at Casablanca, Morocco. On the morning of 8 November, French force (Rear Admiral Gervais de Lafonde in destroyer leader Milan) makes a valiant attempt to disrupt the landings off Casablanca, but is overwhelmed by gunfire from covering American ships. U.S. ships damaged at Casablanca are battleship Massachusetts (BB‑59), heavy cruiser Wichita (CA‑45), light cruiser Brooklyn (CL‑40), destroyers Ludlow (DD‑438) and Murphy (DD‑603), and high-speed minesweeper Palmer (DMS‑5) by French shore batteries off North Africa; high speed minesweeper Stansbury (DMS‑8) by mine; and transport Leedstown (AP‑73) by German aerial torpedo.

            French ships sunk at Casablanca are merchant passenger liner Savoie Marseille and cargo ship Ile de Edienruder by Massachusetts; destroyer Fougeux by Massachusetts and heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA‑37); destroyer Boulonnais by light cruiser Brooklyn (CL‑40) at 33°40'N, 07°34'W; destroyers Brestois and Frondeur by U.S. ships; submarines Oréade, Amphitrite, and Psyché by U.S. Navy carrier-based planes; submarine Sidi-Ferruch by planes (VGS‑27) from aircraft escort vessel Suwannee (AVG-27); and merchant passenger liner Porthos, tanker Ouessant, and cargo ship Lipari. French ships damaged are battleship Jean Bart by battleship Massachusetts; submarine Le Tonnant by U.S. Navy ships; submarine Meduse by aircraft (VGS 29) from aircraft escort vessel Santee (ACV‑29); and light cruiser Primaguet, destroyer leader Milan, and destroyers Albatros and Alcyon by naval aircraft.

            French sloops Grandiere, Commandant Delage, and Gracieuse sortie on the afternoon of 8 November and pick up survivors from the French warships sunk in battle that morning. The latter two sloops will repeat the operation on 10 November.

            French submarine Amazone makes unsuccessful attack upon light cruiser Brooklyn (CL‑40).

            Submarine Herring (SS‑233) damages French cargo ship Ville du Havre off French Morocco, 33°34'N, 07°52'W.

            German planes bomb Allied shipping off Algiers. U.S. freighter Exceller is damaged by near-misses; there are no casualties to the 32 merchant seamen and the 19 man Armed Guard.

ATLANTIC—British patrol boat rescues 34 survivors of U.S. freighter West Kebar, sunk on 29 October by German submarine U‑129, and transports them to Barbados, British West Indies (see 10 and 18 November).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—41 Heavy Bombers bomb the Abbeville/Drucat airfield and the Atelier d’Hellemmes locomotive works at Lille.

TWELFTH AF—Invasion of N Africa (TORCH) begins. C‑47’s of 60th Troop Carrier Group attempting to land troops at La Senia airfield find the French unexpectedly hostile and have several aircraft shot down by fighters and AA; several other C‑47’s are damaged when trying to land on a dry lakebed of Sebkra d’Oran. Spitfires of 31st Fighter Group, flying from Gibraltar into Tafaraoui airfield during afternoon of D-Day claim 3 hostile French fighters destroyed.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s hit forces in Oivi area in Owen Stanley Range as Australian ground forces push over mts toward Gona-Buna area. Fifth AF transports fly final elements of 128th Infantry, 32d Division, from Port Moresby to Wanigela. B‑25’s bomb radio station and airfield at Gasmata.

ELEVENTH AF—Intermittent air alert. Weather airplane returns due to icing.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—7th Marines (-) and 2d Battalion of 164th Infantry, latter being attached to 7th Marines as reserve, move E along coast to surround enemy now disposed astride Gavaga Creek, W of Tetere. 1st and 2d Battalions of 7th Marines take up positions on W and E banks, respectively, of the creek. “Tokyo Express” has been landing reinforcements along coast from Kokumbona to Cape Esperance during the period 28 October to date.

NEW GUINEA—Final elements of TF Warren (1st Battalion of 128th Infantry, U.S. 32d Div) are flown from Port Moresby to Wanigela; from there are moved forward by boat.

EGYPT—British Eighth Army, although still delayed by rainfall, clears opposition in Mersa Matruh area.

NW AFRICA—Allied troops invade French NW Africa, landing on Algerian and Moroccan coasts. Warships and carrier planes provide close support.

ALGERIA—Eastern Naval Task Force lands Eastern Assault Force (RCT 39, U.S. 9th Div; RCT 168, U.S. 34th Div; 11th and 36th Brigs, British 78th Div; British 1st and 6th Commando Battalions), under command of Maj General Charles W. Ryder, USA, E and W of Algiers, beginning at 0100; 11th Brigade and RCT 168 go ashore W of Algiers near Castiglione and Sidi Ferruch, and RCT 39 lands E of Algiers near Cap Matifou. As troops move forward toward Algiers against little or no resistance, 2 British DD’s, with 3d Battalion of RCT 135, U.S. 34th Division, embarked, make frontal attack on Algiers Harbor in effort to take it intact; one DD is forced to withdraw; the other enters harbor and lands troops about 0530, but is forced to retire under heavy fire, leaving troops ashore. Eastern Assault Force takes Blida and Maison Blanche airfields; pushes to edge of Algiers, which capitulates at 1900. Center Naval Task Force lands Center Assault Force (U.S. II Corps assault force, consisting of 1st Division, 1st Ranger Battalion, and CCB of 1st Armored Div), under Maj General Lloyd R. Fredendall, USA, E and W of Oran, beginning at 0130, a half hour behind schedule. Rangers and RCT’s 16 and 18 of 1st Division land E of Oran in Arzew area; take Arzew, where harbor is secured by U.S.-British naval landing party without opposition; thrust SW toward Oran to St Cloud, which enemy retains, and Fleurus; elements drive SE along coast to La Macta. Passing through beachhead, TF Red of CCB seizes Tafaraoui airport, 15 miles S of Oran, enabling 31st Fighter Group planes to support operations from there. W of Oran, RCT 26 of 1st Division lands at Les Andalouses; takes Bou Sfer and Aïn et Turk but is halted short of Oran. TF Green of GCB, 1st Armored Division, debarks at Mersa Bou Zedjar, 16 miles W of Les Andalouses, and heads for La Senia airport, clearing Lourmel and reaching Sebkra d’Oran. 2d Battalion of 509th Parachute Infantry (trained as 2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry) is dropped to assist in capture of La Senia and Tafaraoui airports, but drops are scattered and paratroopers arrive too late to help. Meanwhile, HMS Walney and Hartland, carrying detachments of 3d Battalion, 6th Armored Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, and British naval landing party, are sunk by enemy fire while attempting to take Oran Harbor intact.

MOROCCO—Western Naval Task Force, scheduled to land troops at 0400, is delayed at least an hour in landing Casablanca assault forces; engages French fleet at Casablanca. Northern Attack Group TF (60th Infantry of 9th Division and 1st Battalion of 66th Armored Regiment, 2d Armored Div) under Maj General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., USA, lands on beaches N and S of Sebou River at Mehdia; attempts to reach Port-Lyautey and airfield 2 miles N but meets considerable opposition and cannot reach objective. TF of Center Attack Group (3d Division and 1st Battalion of 67th Armored Regiment, 2d Armored Div) under Maj General Jonathan W. Anderson, USA, lands NE of Fedala, sustaining serious loss of landing craft (242, 64 percent), and takes D-Day objectives. Surprised Fedala garrison surrenders and advance is continued toward Casablanca. Southern Attack Group’s landing force (47th Infantry of 9th Div; 2d and 3d Battalions of 67th Armored Regiment, 2d Armored Div; and special units) under Maj General Ernest N. Harmon, USA, secures 5,000-yard beachhead in Safi area and takes Safi. 2 U.S. DD’s, with Companies K and L of 47th Infantry, 9th Division, and naval contingent aboard, enter Safi Harbor ahead of landings; after silencing batteries with gunfire, land assault force, which takes harbor facilities without opposition.

GERMANY—Hitler reaffirms his intention of taking Stalingrad, despite very heavy losses in men and equipment, lack of reserves, and overextended supply lines.

FRANCE—Vichy France breaks off diplomatic relations with U.S.

US MARINE CORPS

Allied Expeditionary Force invades North Africa.

Saturday, 7 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—SBDs (VMSB 132), TBFs (VT 8), Marine F4Fs, and USAAF P‑39s from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, attack Japanese convoy, damaging destroyers Naganami and Takanami.

            Off Guadalcanal, miscellaneous auxiliary Majaba (AG-43) is torpedoed by Japanese midget submarine Ha.11(launched from submarine I‑20) off Lunga Point. Destroyers Lansdowne (DD‑486) and Lardner (DD‑487) depth charge I‑20, but the submarine escapes destruction. Ha.11, her mission completed, is scuttled.

MEDITERRANEAN—Transport Thomas Stone (AP‑59) is torpedoed by German submarine U‑205, western Mediterranean, 37°32'N,00°01'E.

            Italian submarine Antonio Sciesa is sunk by USAAF aircraft off coast of Libya, 32°05'N, 23°59'E.

ATLANTIC—U.S. freighter La Salle is torpedoed and sunk with all hands (including 13 Armed Guard) by German submarine U‑159 about 350 miles southeast of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, 40°00'S, 21°30'E. When the merchantman, which is carrying ammunition, explodes, the cataclysmic blast rains debris on her assailant's decks nearby, wounding three German submariners.

            U.S. freighter West Humhaw, en route from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Takoradi, Gold Coast, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑161 at 04°21'N, 02°42'W. There are no casualties among the 39 man merchant crew, the 16 man Armed Guard, and the five passengers. British ML 281 rescues all hands and transports them to Takoradi.

            U.S. freighter Nathaniel Hawthorne, enroute to New York in convoy TAG 19, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑508 at 11°34'N, 63°26'W; the merchantman sinks with a rapidity that does not allow lifeboats to be launched. For his bravery as he directs his men to safety, Lieutenant Kenneth Muir, the Armed Guard commander, is awarded the Navy Cross (posthumously) (see 9 November).

            British trawlers rescue two boatloads of survivors from U.S. freighter William Clark, sunk by German submarine U‑354 on 4 November; HMS St. Elstan rescues 26; HMS Cape Palliser 15. The third boat, with 23 men, is never seen again; 18 of 41 merchant seamen are lost, as are 13 of the 30 man Armed Guard.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—34 Heavy Bombers attack U-boat pens at Brest.

TWELFTH AF—Air movement of Twelfth AF from UK to N Africa begins. Other elements of Twelfth moving from UK and US are aboard Allied ships approaching Algerian and Moroccan coasts.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—376th Bomb Group begins move from Palestine to Egypt.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s bomb and strafe forces at Kakandeta in Owen Stanley Range. B‑25’s attack shipping at Maklo Island and seaplanes at Lasonga Island.

ELEVENTH AF—6 B‑24’s and 2 B‑26’s attack submarine base in Kiska Harbor, lightly damaging float fighters and a seaplane beached by storm. A B‑17 flies reconnaissance over airfield W of Holtz Bay, and bombs submarine base and a previously-damaged freighter in Gertrude Cove.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL— 164th Infantry enveloping force completes northward movement along E bank of the Nalimbiu to Koli Pt and joins 7th Marines. Combined force then moves E along coast without opposition to within a mile of Metapona River.

CHINA BURMA INDIA—General Stilwell, with approval of Foreign Minister T. V. Soong, sends for General Wheeler to survey Chinese supply situation in preparation for projected campaign in spring of 1943.

EGYPT—British pursuit of enemy is delayed in Matruh area as heavy rainfall immobilizes supporting vehicles. Enemy seizes opportunity to withdraw some forces. By this time, 4 German and 8 Italian divisions are ineffective as fighting units. British have taken 30,000 prisoners, among them 9 generals.

NW AFRICA—General Giraud arrives at Gibraltar for conference with General Eisenhower, having traveled from France by submarine and plane. TORCH invasion armada from U.S. and U.K. closes in along North African coast. U.S. transport Thomas Stone is torpedoed off SE Spain and disabled; troops aboard are transferred to landing boats but do not reach Algiers until after its surrender.

US MARINE CORPS

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