Friday, 28 August 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—USMC and Navy SBDs (VMSB 232, VS 5) bomb and sink Japanese destroyer Asagiri off Santa Isabel, Solomons, and damage destroyers Shirakumo, Yugiri, and Amagiri, preventing reinforcements (elements of the Kawaguchi Detachment) from landing on Guadalcanal.

           Light minelayer Gamble (DM-15) sinks Japanese submarine I-123 near Guadalcanal, 09°21'S, 160°43'E.

ATLANTIC—U.S. freighter Topa Topa, bound for the Gold Coast, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-66 at 10°16'N,51°30'W; 18 of the 42 man crew perish, as do seven of the 15 man Armed Guard. All three passengers survive. British merchantman Clan MacInnes rescues the 35 survivors and transports them to Trinidad.

           Freighter Harjurand rescues some of the survivors from U.S. freighter Arlyn, torpedoed by U-165 the day before; the rest row to shore. A total of 22 merchant sailors, the 14 man Armed Guard, and the sole passenger survive Arlyn’s loss. U-517 finishes off the abandoned Arlyn with a torpedo at 51°53'N, 55°48'W.

CARIBBEAN—PBY (VP 92) and Canadian corvette HMCS Oakville sink German submarine U-94 at 17°54'N, 74°36'W. Destroyer Lea (DD-118) and Oakville pick up survivors.

           U.S. tanker Esso Aruba, in convoy TAW 15, is torpedoed by German submarine U-511 approximately 120 miles south-southeast of Guantanamo Bay, 17°54'N, 74°47'W; U-511 also torpedoes British tanker San Fabian and Dutch tanker Rotterdam, both of which sink. Esso Aruba, however, suffers no casualties (convoy commodore and his five man staff, 41 man merchant complement and 13 man Armed Guard), remains in convoy and reaches her destination the same day without further incident.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—11 B‑17’s bomb airplane factory of Avions Potez at Meaulte, an important repair depot for German fighters.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—2 B‑24 squadrons bomb docks, shipping, and jetties in Tobruk harbor.

TENTH AF—8 B‑25’s hit barracks and ammo dumps at Hoang Su Phi and a fuel dump at Phu Lo. This is the largest force of Medium Bombers used by CATF to date, and the first Medium Bomber mission flown without escort.

FIFTH AF—B‑26’s pound forces at Milne Bay.

ELEVENTH AF—Of 3 B‑17’s bombing Kiska, 1 fails to return. All available B‑24’s and 2 flts of P‑38’s fly naval cover at Nazan Bay. An attack mission to Attu is canceled due to weather.

ZONE OF THE INTERIOR—Lt Col Harold L Neely takes command of Twelfth AF.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—1st Battalion of 5th Marines, in flanking movement without enemy contact, returns with Company I of 3d Battalion to Kukum area.

NEW GUINEA—Milne Force withstands determined frontal assaults against No. 3 airstrip. Australian 7th Brigade, reinforced by Americans of 709th Airborne AA Battery and of 43d Engineers, staunchly defends the strip. Other Australians continue fighting withdrawal across Owen Stanley Range.

USSR—German Army Group A begins assault on Novorossisk, on Black Sea.

US MARINE CORPS

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