Monday, 2 November 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Fleet Air Wing 6 (Captain Douglass P. Johnson) is established at Seattle, Washington, for multi-engine aircraft training.

            Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I‑8 reconnoiters Efate Island, New Hebrides.

            Destroyer Conyngham (DD‑371) and transport Fuller (AP‑14) are damaged in collision in Sealark Channel, Guadalcanal.

            Submarine Seawolf (SS‑197) sinks Japanese water tender Gifu Maru west-southwest of Cape San Augustin, Mindoro, P.I., 06°14'N, 126°07'E.

            Submarine Tambor (SS‑198) lays mines in Hainan Strait, Tonkin Gulf.

            Submarine Tautog (SS‑199) sows mines south of Cape Padaran, French Indochina.

            USAAF B‑17s sink Japanese army cargo ship Yasukawa Maru off Buna, New Guinea, 07°16'S, 156°00'E.

ATLANTIC—Dutch motorship Zaandam is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑174 at 01°25'N, 36°22'W. Lost with the ship are men who have survived the loss of U.S. freighters: 18 (12 merchant seamen and 6 Armed Guard sailors) from Chickasaw City (sunk 7 October 1942), 15 sailors from Swiftsure (8 October 1942), 6 men from Coloradan and 15from Examelia (9 October 1942) (see 24 January 1943).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—CG VIII Air Support Command states that the effort expended and personnel lost in organizing Twelfth AF and preparing for its move from UK to N Africa has severely retarded organization of his HQ and staff.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—British Eighth Army opens assault (SUPERCHARGE) W of Tell el-Eisa, with 2d New Zealand  Division in lead. B‑25’s bomb track extending S from Rahman as British 9th Armored Brigade establishes bridgeheads across the track. Other B‑25’s attack tanks and other targets in support of the assault. P‑40’s fly escort and strafing missions in battle area. B‑17’s bomb shipping and jetties in Tobruk harbor.

FIFTH AF—B‑26’s bomb Dili. B‑17’s attack shipping NE of Buna while B‑25’s strike at convoy S of New Britain. In Owen Stanley Range, Australian ground forces seize Kokoda with its airfield after long days of fighting. This will greatly facilitate supply and reinforcement of troops in this area as they push over the mountains toward Buna-Gona area.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—5th Marines envelops enemy on coast at Pt Cruz. 3d Battalion joins 1st Battalion in coastal battle E of Pt Cruz while 2d Battalion, on left, drives N to coast W of Pt Cruz and turns E, trapping enemy. 2d Marines (- 3d Battalion) moves forward on left of 5th Marines to continue westward attack. Stores, ammunition, and 1 Army and 1 Marine Corps 155-mm gun battery arrive at Lunga Pt. The 2 batteries are the heaviest U.S. artillery to reach the island and the first capable of countering enemy fire effectively. E of Lunga perimeter, 2d Battalion of 7th Marines crosses Metapona River mouth and establishes itself near Tetere village. During night 2–3, Japanese 17th Army lands supplies and about 1,500 men E of Koli Pt to supply and reinforced Japanese already there; orders an airfield constructed.

NEW GUINEA—Australian 25th Brigade, which has reentered battle for Kokoda Trail, seizes Kokoda and its airfield, greatly facilitating supply and reinforcement of Australians in this area. Piecemeal movement by night of 128th Infantry, U.S. 32d Division, less elements still at Port Moresby, by lugger from Wanigela to Pongani and Mendaropu is completed by this time and supplies are being accumulated. General MacArthur sets 15 November as tentative date for attack to reduce Buna-Gona beachhead and agrees to proposal by General Blarney that troops be transferred by air to Pongani.

EGYPT—British Eighth Army’s 30 Corps opens breakout assault, called SUPERCHARGE, at 0100. New Zealand 2d Division, in the lead, advances W under cover of artillery barrage and secures new corridor through enemy mine fields. 9th Armored Brigade passes through corridor in mine field and establishes bridgehead across track extending S from Rahman. At daybreak, the Armored brigade meets furious opposition from enemy Aniti Tank  screen and sustains over 75% casualties, but maintains the bridgehead. 10 Corps armor begins debouching through the bridgehead, and 1st Armored Division becomes strongly engaged near Tel el Aqqaqir.

US MARINE CORPS

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Sunday, 1 November 1942

US NAVY

GENERAL—Patrol Wings are redesignated Fleet Air Wings.

PACIFIC—District patrol craft YP‑205 is lost after grounding off Saba Island, 18°30'N, 65°00'W.

            Japanese merchant cargo ship Biwa Maru is lost to unknown cause, 13°30'N, 109°21'E.

ATLANTIC—U.S. freighter George Thatcher, bound for French Equatorial Africa, is torpedoed by German submarine U‑126,01°45'S, 07°30'E, and abandoned; five crewmen and five Armed Guard sailors, as well as eight soldier passengers, perish in the attack. Free French corvettes rescue the survivors (34 merchant seamen, 10 Armed Guard sailors and four Army passengers) and transport them to their original destination, Port Noire (see 3 November 1942).

 

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s strike airfield and dispersal areas at Maleme. P‑40’s escort bombers and hit ground targets in battle area. An air depot, 2 service groups, and 1 MP co are assigned to USAMEAF.

FIFTH AF—B‑25’s bomb airfield and dump area at Lae. B‑17’s strike shipping in Buin-Faisi-Tonolai area. Kahili AF on Bougainville is also attacked.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—1st Marine Division, with artillery, naval gunfire, and air support, launches attack toward Poha River. 5th Marines, followed by 2d Marines (less 3d Battalion) in reserve, crosses footbridges over Matanikau River and drives W about 1,000 yards in 2 columns to positions short of Pt Cruz, 1st Battalion, the right flank column, meeting considerable delaying opposition along coast. Whaling Group (3d Battalion of 7th Marines and scout-sniper detachment) crosses the river upstream and advances W on inland route to protect left flank of 5th Marines. To forestall expected enemy landings in Koli Pt area, E of Lunga perimeter, 2d Battalion of 7th Marines starts E toward Metapona River.

USSR—Close combat between Soviet garrison of Stalingrad (62d and 64th Armies) and German 6th and 4th Pz Armies of Army Group B continues, but the garrison has proved itself capable of weathering maximum effort of enemy. In the Caucasus, Red Army has frustrated every enemy effort to reach Grozny and is containing attacks toward Tuapse, but German Army Group A captures Alagir, blocking Ossetian Highway, which extends from Alagir to Kutais.

US MARINE CORPS

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Saturday 31 October, 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—While en route to from French Frigate Shoals to Midway, district patrol craft YP‑345 is lost without trace to unknown causes, about 80 miles northeast of Laysan Island.

            Submarine Grayback (SS‑208) damages Japanese army cargo ship Noto Maru off Rabaul, 04°37'S, 152°30'E.

INDIAN OCEAN—South African naval forces board the forward portion of U.S. freighter Anne Hutchinson, torpedoed and shelled by German submarine U‑504 on 26 October 1942; British tug HMS David Haigh tows the bow portion (the after part has sunk in the meantime) to Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—General Spaatz informs General Arnold that operations against sub pens may prove too costly for results obtained. Believing the pens impervious to normal high-altitude bombing, Spaatz plans to operate as low as 4,000 ft and accept higher casualty rates.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑25’s hit landing ground. The Medium Bombers claim 1 fighter shot down while P‑40’s flying escort claim 3. B‑24’s sent to bomb Maleme dispersal area fail to locate target because of overcast. 376th Bomb Group is activated at Lydda, replacing the 1st Provisional Group. CO is Col George F McGuire, who had commanded 1st Provisional Group. The 376th is intended to become part of an Anglo-American air force to be sent to the Caucasus to aid the USSR, but the plan falls through and the 376th remains in the Middle East.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s bomb and strafe Nauro and area to N. B‑25’s strafe supply trucks SE of Gona. B‑17’s bomb shipping at Rabaul and in Buin-Faisi-Tonolai area.

ELEVENTH AF—Weather and reconnaissance flight over Attu and Kiska. Over Kiska, weather airplane draws AA fire from Little Kiska. No other missions as all combat aircraft are alerted for possible navy target.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—1st Marine Division completes preparations for offensive. 5th Marines and 2d Marines (—) move into attack positions along the Matanikau. During night 31 October–1 November, Company E of 5th Marines crosses the Matanikau and outposts W bank, and 1st Engr Battalion constructs 3 footbridges.

US MARINE CORPS

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Friday 30 October, 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—TG 64.2 (Rear Admiral Norman Scott), comprising light cruiser Atlanta (CL‑51) and four destroyers, bombards Japanese positions at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal.

            Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I‑9 reconnoiters Nouméa, New Caledonia.

            Japanese land second invasion force at Attu, Aleutians.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s bomb Maleme airfield. 1 Heavy Bomber bombs main jetty in Suda Bay. B‑25’s attack landing grounds at Fuka- Bagush and El Daba. P‑40’s fly escort. British Eighth Army sends 9th Australian Division N to the sea and then E, trapping large force in pocket, as Allied aircraft provide excellent support. Enemy tanks breaking through from W, however, enable most of the surrounded force to escape.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb harbor and shipping at Buin.

ELEVENTH AF—1 B‑24 twice flies reconnaissance over Kiska and Agattu. No bombing mission as all bombers are on alert for possible navy targets.

US ARMY

EGYPT—British Eighth Army renews assault on N flank of 30 Corps during night 30–31. Australian 9th Division drives N to the sea, then pushes E, trapping large enemy force. Allied planes provide excellent tactical support, attacking accurately in small area to neutralize Thompson’s Post. Most of the pocketed enemy force subsequently succeeds in escaping when tanks from W break through to assist.

US MARINE CORPS

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Thursday 29 October, 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Grenadier (SS‑210) lays mines in Tonkin Gulf off Haiphong, French Indochina.

            PBY (VP 11) sinks Japanese submarine I‑172 west of San Cristobal Island, Solomons, 13°01'S, 162°45'E.

ATLANTIC—German submarine attacks on British Isles-bound convoy HX 212 continue: U.S. tanker Pan New York is torpedoed by U‑624 about 550 miles west of Northern Ireland, 54°58'N, 23°56'W and her cargo of aviation gasoline catches fire, virtually incinerating the ship. Of the 56 souls on board (39 merchant seamen and a 17 man Armed Guard), only 14 (13 crewmen and one Armed Guard sailor) are rescued by Canadian corvettes: HMCS Rosthern picks up 13 (one of whom dies after being rescued); HMCS Summerside two. Escort vessels shell and depth charge the doomed ship. U‑224 torpedoes Canadian tanker Bic Island as it straggles from the convoy at 55°05'N, 23°27'E, and sinks her with all hands (including the 44 men rescued from U.S. tanker Gurney E. Newlin on 27 October 1942).

            U.S. freighter West Kebar is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑129 14°57'N, 53°37'E, while en route from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; three merchant seamen are killed. The survivors take to two lifeboats and one raft (see 8, 10 and 18 November 1942).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

UNITED STATES—A 1943 production objective of 107,000 airplanes is given top priority by Roosevelt in his instructions to Donald M Nelson, Chairman of War Production Board.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s and B‑17’s strike Maleme airfield. B‑25’s bomb landing grounds, motor transports, and tanks. P‑ 40’s fly escort, then bomb and strafe road E of El Daba, and attack troop concentration and vehicles. In view of strong German reinforcements on his N flank near coast, General Montgomery alters breakout plan. Instead of pushing W along coast, he decides to shift point of advance S in order to attack against Italian troops.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s hit Isurava-Deniki and Abuari-Kaile trails. B‑17’s attack shipping in Bougainville Strait between Buin and Faisi.

ELEVENTH AF—Japanese reoccupy Attu. Special reconnaissance flown with General Buckner, covers Tanaga, Amchitka and Kiska.

US ARMY

WESTERN HEMISPHERE—Alaska Military Highway opens to traffic.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS—Japanese reoccupy Attu.

GUADALCANAL—Japanese, having suffered heavy casualties in recent battles, begin general withdrawal about this time toward Koli Pt and Kokumbona. 1st Marine Division prepares for offensive to drive enemy westward beyond Poha River. 2d Marines (— 3d Battalion) is ordered to Guadalcanal from Tulagi to assist in the offensive; 3d Battalion, which has been operating as mobile reserve in Lunga area, is to return to Tulagi for garrison duty. Attack is to begin on 1 November after outposts have been established W of the Matanikau and bridges have been constructed across the river.

NEW GUINEA—Japanese commit fresh forces from beachhead to hold heights at Oivi in order to cover withdrawal across Kumusi River.

EGYPT—Australians withstand determined enemy attacks against their wedge in N sector of 30 Corps and British Eighth Army front. General Montgomery, learning of the presence of strong German reinforcements on N coast, alters breakout plan. Instead of pushing W along coast, he decides to shift axis of advance S in order to drive against Italians.

US MARINE CORPS

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Wednesday 28 October, 1942

US NAVY

INDIAN OCEAN—Thirty-seven survivors from U.S. freighter Anne Hutchinson, torpedoed and shelled by German submarine U‑504 on 26 October 1942, are rescued by civilian fishing trawler and taken to Port Alfred, South Africa. Aircraft sight the drifting freighter, now broken into two pieces, at 34°13'S, 26°55'E (see 31 October 1942).

ATLANTIC—German submarines continue to stalk British Isles-bound convoy HX 212: U.S. tanker Gurney E. Newlin, abandoned after being torpedoed the previous day by German submarine U‑436, is given the coup de grace by U‑606 and sinks (see 29 October 1942).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑17’s, dispatched to attack convoy at sea, fail to locate target but attack cruisers in Pylos Bay. B‑25’s attack tanks, motor transports, and landing grounds. P‑40’s fly Medium Bomber and Light Bomber escort, bomb and strafe landing grounds and other targets, and engage aircraft in combat, mostly in area between El Alamein and El Daba. Fighters claim 3 Me-109’s destroyed. Attacks by US and RAF aircraft cause enemy to abandon plan for counterattack on Kidney Ridge.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s pound shipping in harbor at Rabaul, while B‑25’s bomb Gasmata airfield.

ELEVENTH AF—6 B‑24’s turn back from an attempted attack on Kiska sub base because of adverse weather. A B‑17 bombs Attu with unobserved results and flies weather reconnaissance over Kiska, Amchitka, and Tanaga.

US ARMY

NEW GUINEA—2d Battalion of 126th Infantry, U.S- 32d Division, and portable hospital begin difficult march from Jaure toward Natunga and Bofu, preceded by Companies E and F, which are to secure dropping grounds.

EGYPT—After probing British positions in Kidney Ridge area, enemy begins forming for attack but is forced by Allied aircraft to abandon it. During night 28–29, Australian 9th Division of 30 Corps, British Eighth Army, begins northward attack toward the sea in effort to eliminate enemy’s coastal salient and secure coastal road and Railroad. Narrow wedge is driven almost to the road despite stubborn opposition from Thompson’s Post, key point in enemy’s coastal positions.

US MARINE CORPS

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Tuesday 27 October, 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Abandoned carrier Hornet (CV‑8), damaged by bombs and torpedoes and attempted scuttling the previous day, is sunk by Japanese destroyers Akigumo and Makigumo, 08°38'S, 166°43'E.

            Battleship South Dakota (BB‑57) and destroyer Mahan (DD‑364) are damaged in collision while retiring from the Battle of Santa Cruz.

            PBY (VP 91) bombs and damages Japanese destroyer Terutsuki.

ATLANTIC—German submarines attack convoy HX 212 as it heads toward the British Isles: U.S. tanker Gurney E. Newlin, is torpedoed by U‑436; three crewmen are killed. The rest of the 37 man crew, and the 19 man Armed Guard, abandon ship into three boats and two rafts. Canadian corvette HMCS Alberni rescues six merchant seamen and six Armed Guard sailors; Canadian tanker Bic Island picks up 31 merchant seamen and 13 Armed Guard sailors (see 28-29 October 1942).

            U.S. freighter Stephen Hopkins's survivors reach Itabopoano, Brazil; 32 of 40 merchant sailors, as well as 9 of the 15 man Armed Guard, have perished either in battle or from exposure during the month-long ordeal in the lifeboat.

            Survivors (ten merchant seamen and six Armed Guard sailors) from U.S. freighter Steel Navigator, sunk by German submarine U‑610 on 19 October 1942, are rescued by British destroyer HMS Decoy. The other lifeboat containing the other 17 survivors is never found.

INDIAN OCEAN—Ten survivors from U.S. freighter Anne Hutchinson, torpedoed and shelled by German submarine U‑504 on 26 October 1942, are rescued by U.S, freighter Steel Mariner (see 28 and 31 October 1942).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Last 2 squadrons of 14th Fighter Group leave UK for Twelfth AF in N Africa. This completes transfer of VIII Fighter Command’s fighting units to XII Fighter Command and leaves VIII Fighter Command with only 1 fighter group (4th) operational.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑25’s, with fighter escorts, bomb Matruh and attack motor transports, tanks, and other ground targets. Enemy reinforcements brought up from the S, counterattack Kidney Ridge and are repulsed. British Eighth Army continues regrouping for assault.

TENTH AF—B‑25’s of CATF bomb airfield at Lashio.

FIFTH AF—A‑20’s hit trails in SE Papua around Alola, Isurava, and Abuari. P‑39’s escort RAAF Hudsons in strike against small craft at Ferguson Island in D’Entrecasteaux group.

ELEVENTH AF—6 B‑24’s flying attack on Kiska submarine base turn back due to weather. Weather airplane flies reconnaissance over Gareloi, Segula, Kiska, and Attu.

US ARMY

CHINA BURMA INDIA—Generals Wavell and Stilwell agree that Stilwell shall conduct offensive in Hukawng Valley of N Burma and occupy area Myitkyina-Bhamo; make contact with Chinese forces from Yunnan. Americans are to be responsible for construction of Ledo Road to Myitkyina; the road is eventually to link with Burma Road.

EGYPT—Enemy counterattacks strongly against Kidney Ridge, committing reinforcements that have moved up from the S, and is repulsed with heavy losses. British Eighth Army continues regrouping for breakout assault. 7th Armored Division, reinforced by brigade of 44th Division, brigade of 50th Division, and Greek Brigade, is transferred from 13 to 30 Corps. 1st Armored Division of 10 Corps is withdrawn into reserve.

US MARINE CORPS

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