Thursday 22 October, 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Naval Air Facility, Otter Point, Alaska, is established.

            Destroyers Mahan (DD‑364) and Lamson (DD‑367), detached from TF 16 to "shoot up the Japanese picket boat line” west of the Gilberts, sink gunboat Hakkaisan Maru southwest of Tamana, 03°30'S, 175°15'E.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

TWELFTH AF—First echelon of HQ begins move from UK to N Africa.

US ARMY MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE—Adv US Air HQ, previously attached to RAF Advanced Air HQ, Western Desert, to gain field experience, becomes HQ of DATF, located at Burg el Arab, with General Brereton as CG and General Adler attached with advance HQ of ASC. CoS of DATF is General Strickland. B‑25’s bomb dispersed aircraft. P‑40’s escort bombers, attack tent areas and motor transport along coastal road near El Hammam, fly reconnaissance and fighter sweeps W of El Daba, and bomb artillery positions. P‑40’s claim 2 fighters destroyed. B‑17’s sent to hit Candia abort because of weather.

SOUTH PACIFIC—Henderson Field is out of operation again as result of enemy action.

ELEVENTH AF—Weather reconnaissance aircraft reports submarine at 52-08N 177-21W. Navy airplane later makes contact and drops depth bomb. Result unknown.

US ARMY

GUADALCANAL—Japanese postpone attack on Lunga perimeter until 23d, since main assault force is still short of line of departure, but continue artillery fire against Marine positions along Matanikau.

NEW GUINEA—To secure NE coast of Papua, 2/12th Battalion of Australian 18th Brigade embarks in 2 DD’s at Milne Bay and during night 22–23 lands at a points on Goodenough Island., from which submarines have withdrawn 60 of the 353 Japanese stranded there on 25 August.

INDIA—Combined planning staff conference opens to consider offensive in Burma.

ALGERIA—In preparation for TORCH, Maj General Mark W. Clark, deputy commander to General Eisenhower, and small U.S. party arrive in Algeria by submarine under cover of darkness to meet secretly with pro-Allied French party headed by Brigadier General Charles E. Mast. During the meeting General Mast assures General Clark and U.S. Consul General Robert Murphy that French will co-operate under leadership of General Henri Giraud.

EGYPT—U.S. advanced base hq becomes Desert Air Task Force Hq under command of General Brereton. British Eighth Army moves secretly into assault positions during night 22–23.

UNITED KINGDOM—TORCH cargo convoy leaves for Africa.

US MARINE CORPS

—Marines and Army troops fight off heavy ground attacks of major Japanese counteroffensive.