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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Thursday, 2 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Plunger (SS-179), attacking Japanese convoy off the mouth of the Yangtze, sinks army cargo ship No.3 Unyo Maru, 30°44'N, 123°09'E.

           Japanese guard boats No.1 Kaiyo Maru and No.2 Kaiyo Maru are wrecked (cause unknown) off Guadalcanal.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

INTERNATIONAL—CCS approve of Arnold-Portal-Towers agreement.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑17’s and B‑24’s bomb Tobruk harbor during 2/3 Jul.

TENTH AF—CATF B‑25’s and P‑40’s hit Hankow dock area for second consecutive day. This raid, more successful than the first, causes considerable damage. The Japanese retaliate during the night by attacking Hengyang but fail to hit the airfield.

ELEVENTH AF—7 B‑24’s and 1 B‑17 fly photo and bombing missions to Attu—which appears deserted—and to Kiska and Agattu. Near misses are scored on a transport and a destroyer at Agattu.

US ARMY

UNITED STATES—Joint Chiefs of Staff issue directive prescribing occupation of New Britain-New Ireland- New Guinea area. Offensive is to be conducted in 3 phases, during which the following are to be secured and occupied: (1) lower Solomons (Santa Cruz Islands., Tulagi, and adjacent positions) (Task One); (2) rest of Solomons and NE coast of New Guinea (Task Two); (3) Rabaul, New Britain, and adjacent positions in New Guinea-New Ireland area (Task Three). Target date is set as 1 August but subsequently postponed to 7 August. Navy is to command first phase and Army the second and third. Boundary between SWPA and S Pacific is to be altered to place lower Solomons within S Pacific zone.

AUSTRALIA—Australian 7th Brigade is directed to move to Milne Bay, New Guinea.

CHINA BURMA INDIA—Chiang Kai-shek names General Stilwell CinC of Chinese Army in India, but Stilwell’s power over the troops is restricted.

MAYOTTE ISLAND—British and E African troops land on island, at N end of Mozambique Channel, and secure it for seaplane base.

EGYPT—British Eighth Army wrests initiative from Rommel as 13 Corps, on S flank, counterattacks northward in rear of enemy. With close air support, 13 Corps maintains pressure on enemy throughout month, gaining some ground and easing pressure against N and central sectors. Enemy makes repeated efforts to break through but is unable to do so; gradually extends positions S and E of 13 Corps to Qattara Depression.

US MARINE CORPS

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Wednesday, 1 July 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) sinks Japanese transport Montevideo Maru about 65 miles west of Cape Bojeador, Luzon, 18°37'N, 119°29'E. Unbeknownst to the submariners, Montevideo Maru is transporting 1,050 Allied POWs to Hainan Island. 

ATLANTIC—Convoy PQ 17 sails from Seidisfjord, Iceland, bound for North Russia. Among the ships in the close covering force that had departed Reykjavik, Iceland, the previous day are U.S. heavy cruisers Wichita (CA-45) and Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and destroyers Wainwright (DD-419) and Rowan (DD-405).

           U.S. freighter Warrior is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-126 just north of Trinidad, 10°54'N, 61°01'W; three of the 42 man crew and four of the 14 man Armed Guard are lost. Survivors are rescued and transported to Trinidad.

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. freighter Edward Luckenbach blunders into U.S. minefield five miles off Smith Shoal, Florida, light, and strikes two mines, 24°56'N, 81°53'W; one of the 42 man merchant complement perishes in the incident. The ship sinks with the superstructure above water. The 41 merchant seamen and the 12 man Armed Guard reboard the ship the next day, when they are transported to Key West by patrol craft.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—The first B‑17 (assigned to 97th Bomb Group) of the BOLERO air movement via N Atlantic route lands at Prestwick.

MIDDLE EAST—British forces check Axis advance at El Alamein.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s bomb harbor at Tobruk during 1/2 Jul.

TENTH AF—First combat mission of CATF takes place before the formal activation (4 Jul) of the unit. 4 B‑25’s from Hengyang, escorted by P‑40’s, bomb docks at Hankow. Bad weather handicaps the bombardiers, and the effects of the raid are inconsequential.

FIFTH AF—B‑26’s bomb Salamaua. Other Medium Bomber and Heavy Bomber strikes abort due to bad weather.

ELEVENTH AF—The XI Provisional Bomber Command comprising the 28th Composite Group and its assigned squadrons is activated. Col William O Eareckson in command. A B‑17 flies weather reconnaissance over Kiska and lands early due to weather.

US ARMY

PACIFIC—TULSA II, a modified version of TULSA I, is drawn up as planning for offensive continues. 2d Marines, reinforced, 2d Marine Division, sails from California in 5 ships escorted by carrier Wasp.

MADAGASCAR—Lt General Sir William Platt, CinC East African Command, takes responsibility for occupied portion of Madagascar.

EGYPT—Enemy forces make their deepest penetration into Egypt with capture of fortified position of Deir el Shein, S of the El ‘Alamein fortress. Indian 18th Brigade Group, which has recently arrived from Iraq, is overrun in this action.

USSR—German Army Group South completes reduction of Sevastopol fortress in the Crimea and, to the N, continues toward the Don.

US MARINE CORPS

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Tuesday, 30 June 1942

US NAVY

           Naval vessels on hand (all types of ships and craft)--5,612. Personnel: Navy--640,570; Marine Corps--143,528; Coast Guard--58,998. Total personnel--843,096.

PACIFIC—XPBS-1 transporting Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, and his staff to San Francisco crashes upon landing off Alameda, California. Nimitz suffers scratches and abrasions in the mishap but remains topside on the wreckage to direct rescue operations, refusing to leave that post until the wrecked flying boat has been searched for survivors.

           Coastal minesweeper Hornbill (AMc-13) is sunk in collision with U.S. lumber schooner Esther Johnson in San Francisco Bay, California.

           District patrol craft YP-270 sinks after running aground at Boca Santo Domingo, while en route from San Diego, California, to the Panama Canal Zone, 25°30'N, 112°06'W.

           District patrol craft YP-128 sinks after running aground in heavy weather three miles northeast of Monterey, California.

           Submarine Plunger (SS-179) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.5 Unkai Maru off the China coast near approaches to Shanghai, 30°04'N, 122°54'E.

INDIAN OCEAN—U.S. freighter Express, en route from Bombay, India, to Cape Town, South Africa, is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-10 at 23°30'S, 37°30'E; one lifeboat is swamped when the ship is abandoned, and two Armed Guard sailors and 11 merchant seamen are lost (see 6 July).

ATLANTIC—PBM (VP 74) sinks German submarine U-158 in western Atlantic, 32°50'N, 67°28'W.

           U.S. steamship City of Birmingham, en route to Bermuda, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-202 about 250 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 35°04'N, 61°01'W; six of the 113 man crew and two of 263 passengers are lost in the sinking. Escorting high speed minesweeper Stansbury (DMS-8), after depth-charging U-202, rescues 107 merchant seamen (one of whom dies of his injuries), 261 passengers and the 5 man Armed Guard.

           Coastal minesweeper Courier (AMc-72) rescues 30 merchant seamen (four wounded men have perished in the lifeboats) and the nine man Armed Guard from U.S. freighter Sam Houston, sunk by German submarine U-203 on 28 June. One crewman dies of wounds subsequently. Courier transports the survivors to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

           Gunboat Surprise (PG-63) rescues survivors from U.S. freighter Sea Thrush, sunk by German submarine U-505 on 28 June. A second group of survivors reaches St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on 3 July.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Joint Anglo-American control of Burtonwood air depot begins with view toward subsequent exclusive control by AAF. VIII AF Service Command is designated US agent at Burtonwood.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—B‑24’s bomb Tobruk harbor during 29/30 Jun; first US combat casualties in ME are recorded as 1 B‑ 24 is lost. General Brereton moves his det from Egypt to Palestine, as Rommel advances toward the Suez Canal.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s attack Dili, Koepang and Kendari; B‑25’s and B‑26’s hit Lae in New Guinea.

ELEVENTH AF—A B‑17 flies weather reconnaissance over Kiska.

US ARMY

UNITED STATES—Hq Company of U.S. Army Forces in the South Pacific Area (USAFISPA) is organized at Fort Ord, California.

NEW GUINEA—Australian Kanga Force, guarding Bulolo Valley, conducts its first offensive action, a raid on Salamaua. This is followed a few days later by a raid on Lae.

EGYPT—Upon completing withdrawal to prepared positions at El ‘Alamein, British 30 Corps takes responsibility for N flank and 13 Corps for S flank. 10 Corps staff is withdrawn to command Delta Force, which is to defend Alexandria and the Nile Delta.

USSR—Germans broaden offensive toward the Don in Army Group South sector. While 2d Army and 4th Pz Army continue toward the river at Voronezh, 6th Army begins drive to E in region SE of Belgorod. In the Crimea, battle for Sevastopol is in its final stage. On N front, German Army Group North eliminates last of Soviet pocket W of Volkhov.

US MARINE CORPS

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