Tuesday, 16 June 1942

US NAVY

CARIBBEAN—Submarine chaser PC-460 rescues 42 survivors from U.S. steamship Sixaola, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-159 off the coast of Panama on 12 June.

           Gunboat Erie (PG-50) and destroyer Tattnall (DD-125), south of St. Andrews Island, rescue survivors of U.S. bulk carrier Lebore, which had been sunk by German submarine U-172 on 14 June. Among those rescued are the 8 Armed Guard sailors from Lebore, and the 49 survivors of the Dutch steamship Crijnssen, which Lebore had rescued on 11 June when U-504 had sunk the Netherlands-flag ship at 18°14'N, 85°11'W.

           Provision storeship Pastores (AF-16) rescues 36 survivors of U.S. freighter Arkansan, sunk by German submarine U-126 the day before.

           U.S. freighter Kahuku, torpedoed by U-126, sinks; six of her 36 man crew as well as three of her 10 man Armed Guard perish in the attack. Lost as well are nine passengers: six of the 46 survivors from U.S. freighter Scottsburg, sunk by U-161 on 15 June and three of the 17 survivors of Panamanian-flag steamer Cold Harbor, sunk by U-502 the same day. Coastal yacht Opal (PYc-8) and district patrol vessel YP-63 rescue the 91 survivors from the three ships.

MEDITERRANEAN—Operation HARPOON: of the six ships in convoy WS 12Z, only two reach Malta; two escorting destroyers are lost, while a light cruiser, three destroyers and a minesweeper suffer varying degrees of damage.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

FIFTH AF—B‑26’s, B‑25’s, and B‑17’s pound Lae and Salamaua, hitting runways and buildings and starting several fires.

US ARMY

LIBYA—General Auchinleck authorizes General Ritchie to organize the garrison of Tobruk as he wishes. 4 infantry brigades with supporting artillery and tanks are disposed within Tobruk. Rest of British Eighth Army is to act as mobile columns outside the fortress. General Klopper is authorized to withdraw the garrison if necessary. Acroma garrison holds out against enemy tank attacks. Other enemy tank columns drive on Sidi Rezegh and feint toward El Adem. El Adem garrison withdraws after nightfall.

US MARINE CORPS

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Monday, 15 June 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese gunboat Nampo Maru off Corregidor, 14°00'N, 120°00'E.

MEDITERRANEAN—Operation HARPOON: convoy WS 19Z (Force X) is attacked by Italian light cruisers Eugenio di Savoia and Raimondo Montecuccoli and five destroyers. In this surface action, British destroyer HMS Bedouin is sunk and HMS Partridge damaged, but the screen for WS 19Z proves impenetrable and the Italians retire. At the same time, however, German JU 87s dive-bomb the convoy, damaging tanker Kentucky (she is later scuttled). U.S. freighter Chant suffers two direct hits, catches fire, and is abandoned, 36°25'N, 11°40'E; Ensign Regis J. Schaefer, USNR, Armed Guard officer, remains on board to supervise the abandonment of the ship, and is among the last men over the side. British minesweeper HMS Rye rescues Chant's survivors: 49 of the 52 man merchant complement, 10 of 11 Armed Guards, and 25 British Navy and Army sailors and soldiers embarked to man the antiaircraft battery. In related operations this day, a mixed formation of seven USAAF B-24s (Halverson Detachment) and 2 RAF Liberators, together with RAF Beauforts, attack Italian fleet; one USAAF B-24 scores a hit on Italian battleship Littorio (see 16 June).

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Borie (DD-215) rescues nine survivors (including the sole Armed Guard sailor to emerge from the ordeal) from U.S. freighter Merrimack at 20°48'N, 85°30'W, that had been sunk on 9 June by U-107. Earlier that same day, merchant ship Argentina had rescued the only other man to survive Merrimack's loss.

           Salvage tug Relief finds tanker F.W. Abrams, mined off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on 11 June, beyond salvage. The wreck is scuttled with demolition charges.

CARIBBEAN—U.S. freighter Tillie Lykes is torpedoed (most likely) by German submarine U-502 approximately 150 miles east-southeast of Punta Herrero, Mexico, 19°00'N, 85°00'W; there are no survivors from the 29 man merchant crew and four man Armed Guard.

           Gunboat Erie (PG-50), off St. Andrews Island, rescues master and 22 survivors of U.S. bulk carrier Lebore, which had been sunk by German submarine U-172 the day before. Erie embarks the merchant sailors at 12°39'N, 81°20'W, and then sinks their lifeboat with gunfire as a menace to navigation.

           U.S. freighter Kahuku rescues 46 survivors (35 merchant seamen and the 11 man Armed Guard) from freighter Scottsburg, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-161 the day before, and 17 from Panamanian steamer Cold Harbor, torpedoed and sunk by U-502 the day before. Later that same day, however, Kahuku is torpedoed by U-126 at 11°54'N, 63°07'W (see 16 June).

           U.S. freighter West Hardaway is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-502 northwest of Trinidad,11°50'N, 62°15'W, and is abandoned by all hands without loss (see 17 June).

           U.S. tanker Robert C. Tuttle, in convoy KN 109, strikes mine laid by German submarine U-701 off Virginia Beach, Virginia, 36°51'20"N, 75°51'15"W; one merchant seaman is blown overboard and lost. Survivors (40 man merchant complement, a 6 man Armed Guard and a Navy signalman) take to lifeboats which are taken in tow by submarine chaser PC-474. U.S. tanker Esso Augusta, also in convoy KN 109, strikes mine laid by German submarine U-701, a half mile south of the Chesapeake Bay entrance lighted whistle buoy, 36°52'N,75°51'30"W; she suffers no casualties among the 44 man merchant complement or the 13 man Armed Guard. Esso Augusta ultimately returns to service.

           Unarmed U.S. freighter Arkansan is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-126 west of Grenada,12°07'N, 62°51'W; four of the ship's 40 man complement are lost (see 16 June).

           U.S. tanker Cherokee, in convoy XB 25, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-87 approximately 59 miles east of Boston, Massachusetts, 42°11'N, 69°25'W; 65 of the 103 man crew, as well as one of the 11 man Armed Guard and 20 of 46 passengers perish in the attack. Freighter Norlago rescues 44 survivors; Coast Guard cutter Escanaba (WPG-77) 39 more.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—General Spaatz, CG, arrives in UK. VIII Bomber Command takes significant step toward development of organization for control of combat operations by establishing 1st Bomb Wing, Provisional, at Brampton Grange.

HALPRO—7 B‑24’s, along with 2 RAF B‑24’s and RAF torpedo-carrying Beauforts, attack Italian fleet E of Malta. The B‑24’s bomb and damage a battleship and a cruiser, while the Beauforts sink a cruiser.

ELEVENTH AF—A bombing mission to Kiska by 3 B‑17’s and 2 B‑24’s is aborted due to weather.

US ARMY

LIBYA—29th Brigade of Indian 5th Division (30 Corps) withstands 3 tank-supported attacks on El Adem with assistance of aircraft. Maj General Klopper, CG of South African 2d Division, is named commander of Tobruk fortress and instructed to defend it at all costs.

US MARINE CORPS

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Sunday, 14 June 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—First echelon of 1st Marine Division (Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift) arrives at Wellington, New Zealand.

            Japanese cargo ship Taizan Maru is stranded and sinks off southwest coast of Korea, 35°00'N, 125°00'E.

CARIBBEAN—U.S. bulk carrier Lebore is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-172 about 200 miles north of Cristobal, Canal Zone, 12°53'N, 80°40'W (see 15-16 June).

            U.S. freighter Scottsburg is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-161 at 11°51'N, 62°56'W; five men are killed in the attack (see 15-16 June).

            Colombian schooners Envoy and Zamora rescue the 53 survivors from U.S. freighter Solon Thurman, sunk by German submarine U-159 on 13 June. One crewman, however, drowns when he falls overboard from schooner Envoy.

MEDITERRANEAN—Operation HARPOON continues as Force X is attacked by Italian planes; Dutch motor vessel Tanimbar is torpedoed by an SM 79 and sunk, but not before the Armed Guard gunners display "great courage and skill” and splash one of the attackers; British light cruiser HMS Liverpool is also torpedoed by another SM 79, and is towed to Gibraltar (see 15 June).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

ARMY AIR FORCES—Aircraft program for AAF in UK is revised downward from 3,649 to 3,266, and date of anticipated final strength is advanced 1 month to 1 Apr 43.

ELEVENTH AF—4 B‑17’s and 3 B‑24’s bomb shipping in Kiska Harbor from an altitude of 700 ft, lowest altitude yet. 2 cruisers are hit and one scout seaplane is downed. 2 B‑17’s are heavily damaged but return to base. Japanese bomb Nazan Bay, Atka.

US ARMY

NEW ZEALAND—First echelon of U.S. 1st Marine Division (5th Marines) arrives.

LIBYA—General Ritchie orders withdrawal of forward divisions (South African 1st and British 50th) of 13 Corps, since tank losses in El Adem area have left them precariously situated. South African 1st Division withdraws safely to Egyptian frontier, using coastal route. 50th Division retires SE through enemy territory. Enemy turns his attention to Acroma but can make little headway against firm opposition, although favored by superior tank strength.

US MARINE CORPS

First echelon of 1st Marine Division arrives at Wellington, New Zealand,

 

Saturday, 13 June 1942

US NAVY

ARCTIC—U.S. freighter Yaka is damaged by near-misses when German aircraft bomb Allied shipping at Murmansk, USSR. There are no casualties among the 38 merchant seamen or 11 man Armed Guard.

MEDITERRANEAN—Operation HARPOON: convoy WS 19Z (Force X) stands toward Malta, detected by Axis reconnaissance aircraft. Italian torpedo bombers flying from Sardinia fail to make contact, however, and Italian fleet units that sortie from Cagliari put into Palermo, Sicily, when their presence is reported by British submarines (see 14June).

ATLANTIC—German submarine U-584 puts four agents ashore at Amagansett, Long Island, New York. Coast Guard beach patrolman, however, detects the landing and FBI men capture the agents.

            Coast Guard cutter Thetis (WPC-115) sinks German submarine U-157 north of Cuba, 24°13'N, 82°03'W.

CARIBBEAN—U.S. freighter Solon Thurman is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-159 off the Panama Canal Zone,10°45'N, 80°24'W. The 44 merchant seamen and 9 Armed Guards all abandon ship; U-159's officers query the survivors and offer them aid before departing (see 14 June).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s hit airfield at Rabaul.

ELEVENTH AF—An Light Bomber-30 flies weather mission and for the third straight day Kiska Harbor shipping is bombed by 5 B‑ 17’s and 3 B‑24’s. 2 Heavy Bombers turn back. The others bomb partially cloud-obscured targets. No effect observed.

US ARMY

UNITED STATES—General Marshall orders establishment of a U.S. Middle East organization, U.S. Army Forces in the Middle East (USAFIME), in order to unify Middle East missions. Iraq and Iran are to come within its geographical sphere. German submarine lands 4 enemy agents on beach at Amagansett, Long Island.

LIBYA—Axis armor decisively defeats armor of British Eighth Army, forcing British from escarpment between El Adem and Knightsbridge. British tank strength is dangerously depleted, and 13 Corps supply line is consequently in danger. Knightsbridge garrison (201st Guards Brigade) is ordered to withdraw to Acroma.

US MARINE CORPS

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Friday, 12 June 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—USAAF B-17s and B-24s raid Kiska, damaging Japanese destroyer Hibiki.

            Submarine Plunger (SS-179) is damaged when emergency identification flare explodes as she makes signal to friendly aircraft; she suffers no serious injuries and remains on patrol.

            Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Burma Maru northwest of Pulo Wai, in the Gulf of Siam, 10°08'N, 102°34'E.

ATLANTIC—German submarine U-701 mines the waters off Cape Henry, Virginia.

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. tanker Cities Service Toledo, bound for Portland, Maine, with a cargo of 84,000 barrels of crude oil, is torpedoed by German submarine U-158, 20 miles east of Trinity Shoals Gas Buoy, 29°02'N, 91°59'W, and explodes; 11 of the 36 man merchant complement perish in the inferno, as do four of the nine man Armed Guard. Norwegian tanker Belinda, U.S. tanker Gulf King, and steamship San Antonio rescue the 30 survivors from among the merchant seamen and bluejackets.

CARIBBEAN—U.S. steamship Sixaola is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-159 off the coast of Panama, 09°54'N,81°25'W. Of the 87 man crew, 29 perish in the attack. The 58 surviving crewmen, together with the 6 man Armed Guard and the 108 passengers, take to five boats and six rafts. U.S. steamship Carolinian rescues 32 survivors and transfers them to motor torpedo boat tender Niagara (PG-52); Niagara herself rescues 75 more. Army tug Shasta picks up 23 (see 16 June).

            Gunboat Erie (PG-50), at 10°12'N, 80°14'30"W, rescues master and 45 other survivors of British steamship Fort Good Hope, which had been sunk by German submarine U-159 at 10°19'N, 80°16'W. After salvaging the lifeboats, Erie joins with a patrol plane in prosecuting a submarine contact, ultimately dropping six charges with no result. Later, Erie transfers Fort Good Hope's survivors and their boats to submarine chaser PC-209.

MEDITERRANEAN—Operation HARPOON: convoy WS 19Z (Force X) transits the Straits of Gibraltar. The ships are soon detected by German reconnaissance aircraft. Escort (Acting Captain Cecil C. Hardy, RN) for the five freighters (two of the five, U.S. motorship Chant and Dutch Tanimbar have Navy Armed Guard crews on board) and one tanker is provided by antiaircraft cruiser HMS Cairo (flag), nine destroyers (eight British and one Polish), four minesweepers and six motor gunboats; a covering force (Force W), formed around British battleship HMS Malaya, aircraft carriers HMS Argus and HMS Eagle, light cruisers HMS Kenya (flagship for Vice Admiral Alban T.B. Curteis, RN), HMS Charbydis and HMS Liverpool, and eight British destroyers. A second convoy MW 11 (Operation VIGOROUS) sets out from Alexandria and Port Said, Egypt, and Haifa (see 13 June).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Another contingent of personnel for HQ and subordinate commands arrive in UK.

HALPRO—13 B‑24’s of det under command of Col Harry A Halverson en route from US to China take off during 11/12 Jun from Fayid to bomb oilfields at Ploesti. Only 12 attack at dawn. 4 of the 13 land at base in Iraq which was designated for recovery of the flight, 3 land at other Iraq fields, 2 land in Syria, and 4 are interned in Turkey. Though damage to target is negligible, the raid is significant because it is the first AAF—combat mission in EAME Theater in World War II, and the first strike at a target which later will be famous.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb building area and Vunakanau and Lakunai airfields at Rabaul.

ELEVENTH AF—6 B‑17’s and 1 B‑24 bomb shipping in Kiska Harbor. A cruiser is heavily damaged and one destroyer is seen burning.

US ARMY

SOUTH WEST PACIFIC AREA—GHQ authorizes construction of air bases at head of Milne Bay, New Guinea.

RUMANIA—U.S. air combat from Africa begins with attack on Ploesti oil fields at dawn. Heavy bomber TF (coded HALPRO), under Col Harry A. Halverson and temporarily based in Egypt, makes the attack. On return trip, several of the B–24’s are forced to land in Turkey and crews are interned.

LIBYA—Indecisive tank battles occur in vicinity of El Adem and Knightsbridge.

US MARINE CORPS

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Thursday, 11 June 1942

US NAVY

ATLANTIC—German submarine U-87 mines the waters off Boston; U-373 the waters off Delaware Bay (see 24 June).

            Unarmed U.S. tanker F.W. Abrams, en route to New York from Aruba, blunders into minefield off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and fouls two mines, at 34°55'N, 75°50'W. Her 36 man crew abandons ship and reaches shore near Morehead City, North Carolina. Salvage tug Relief attempts salvage (see 15 June).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

ELEVENTH AF—The Eleventh strikes at Kiska for the first time. 5 B‑24’s and 5 B‑17’s from Cold Bay load bombs at Umnak and hit Kiska harbor installations and shipping targets. Low-altitude runs score near misses on 2 cruisers and a destroyer. AA downs a B‑24. The other B‑24’s are pursued by 4 fighters back to Umnak where US fighters drive them off. Navy airplanes discover Japanese landing at Attu.

ZONE OF THE INTERIOR—Aircraft and crews of 97th Bomb Group, deployed temporarily to W coast, are ordered back to New England for movement to UK.

US ARMY

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS—U.S. and Great Britain make simultaneous announcements of mutual-aid agreement with Soviet Union. The agreement permits USSR to repay lend-lease debts in kind rather than in cash.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS—Upon discovering enemy on Kiska, Allied aircraft begin series of long-range, small-scale attacks on the island, striking as often as the difficult weather conditions permit, in an effort to weaken enemy by attrition. Attu is beyond range of aircraft.

CHINA—Advance Section 3, under SOS, is activated in China.

LIBYA—Exploiting capture of Bir Hacheim, Axis forces surge northward toward El Adem, which protects south approach to Tobruk.

US MARINE CORPS

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Wednesday, 10 June 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Carrier Saratoga (CV-3) in TF 11 (Rear Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch) makes rendezvous with TF 16 and transfers planes to bring carriers Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8) up to strength.

ATLANTIC—U.S. tanker Hagan, en route to Havana, Cuba, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-157 at 22°00'N,77°30'W. Six of the 35 man merchant complement perish in the attack, but all nine Armed Guard sailors survive. The survivors reach the Cuban coast by lifeboat the following day.

CARIBBEAN—Unarmed U.S. freighter American, en route to New Orleans, Louisiana, is torpedoed by German submarine U-157 at 17°58'N, 84°28'W. Three of the 41 man crew perish in the initial explosion. Steamship Kent rescues the 38 survivors, one of whom dies of his wounds, and transports them to Cristobal, C.Z.

            British motor vessel Ardenvour is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-68; among the souls on board are the13 merchant seamen and four Armed Guard sailors who have already survived the loss of their ship, U.S. freighter Velma Lykes on 4 June. They survive the loss of a second ship less than a week after the first.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Main part of ground echelon, including ground echelons of 97th Bomb, 1st and 31st Fighter, 60th Transport, and 5th Air Depot Groups, and service units arrive in UK aboard Queen Elizabeth.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb aircraft and buildings at Rabaul.

ELEVENTH AF—Local patrol is flown at Umnak.

US ARMY

CHINA—Chinese withdraw from Chuhsien, Chekiang Province, after 4 days of hard fighting.

LIBYA—General Ritchie orders evacuation of the isolated Bir Hacheim position and Free French 1st Brigade, assisted by 7th Armored Division, withdraws during night 10–11.

USSR—German Army Group South continues assault on Sevastopol in the Crimea, making slow progress against Red Army strongpoints; opens limited offensive NE of Kharkov to improve positions.

US MARINE CORPS

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