World War II in real time

Day 963 of World War II, April 28th 1942

Battle of the Atlantic

The US Navy's Task Force 99, consisting of the battleship USS 'Washington', heavy cruisers USS 'Tuscaloosa' and USS 'Wichita' and four destroyers, sails from the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. This is Force "Distaff," a joint RN-USN task force that will be positioned northeast of Iceland to protect convoy PQ-15 sailing for Murmansk in the Soviet Union. The RN force consists of the battleship HMS 'King George V', the aircraft carrier HMS 'Victorious', the light cruiser HMS 'Kenya' and five destroyers.

30 miles Southeast of New York, U-136 sinks Dutch SS Arundo (6 dead, 37 survivors picked up by US destroyer USS Lea).

Battle of the Mediterranean

Off Cape Bon, Tunisia, Italian submarine Corallo stops Tunisian fishing boats Dar El Salam and Tunis (at only 41 tons, one of the smallest boats sunk in WWII), and sinks them with the deck gun after taking off the crews. British tug HMS West Dean is sunk by bombing at Malta.

Photo: HMS Lance sunked by dive bombers, alongside the jetty at the harbour, Malta - 28th April 1942



Air War over Europe

Overnight, RAF targets Kriegsmarine ships at dock in Kiel and Trondheim. 88 bombers (62 Wellingtons, 15 Stirlings, 10 Hampdens, 1 Halifax) attack Kiel in bright moonlight but against strong anti-aircraft and fighter defenses (no ships hit but all 3 shipyards damaged, 15 civilians killed and 74 injured, 5 Wellingtons and 1 Hampden lost). At Trondheim, 23 Halifax and 11 Lancaster bombers attack the Tirpitz (no hits, 2 Halifaxes lost).

Baedeker Blitz - Luftwaffe again switches focus and bombs the historic city of York in Northeast England.

Photo: The Kings Cross to Edinburgh train hit as it arrived in York Station



Pacific War

BURMA

With the decision made to retreat to India, British and Indian troops begin an orderly withdrawal despite being harassed by Japanese 33rd Division. Indian 17th Division crosses West over the Irrawaddy River by ferry and boat at Sameikkon, with 38th Chinese Division and British 7th Armoured Brigade holding the East bank of the river from Sagaing to Ondaw.

NEW GUINEA

Six Kittyhawks took off at 1036K to intercept eight Japanese bombers escorted by A6M2 Zeros over Port Moresby. From this combat, S/Ldr J F Jackson piloting P-40E A29-8 and F/Lt B M Cox piloting P-40E A29-47 failed to return. S/Ldr Jackson listed as killed, F/Lt Cox listed as missing. F/O Brereton was also wounded in this action, and his aircraft severley damaged, though returned to base. Lost is A6M2 Zero 1575, piloted by Yoshimitsu Maeda who is taken POW.

Day 965 of World War II, April 30th 1942

Battle of the Atlantic

200 miles North of Murmansk, USSR, British cruiser HMS Edinburgh (escorting Allied convoy QP 11 from Murmansk and carrying Soviet gold worth 5 million pounds sterling to USA as payment for munitions and materiel) is attacked unsuccessfully by U-436 which misses with 4 torpedoes. At 4.18 PM, another U-boat U-456 hits HMS Edinburgh with 2 torpedoes, blowing the cruiser's stern off and causing extensive flooding. After failed attempts to tow by British destroyer HMS Forester, HMS Edinburgh gets going under her own steam at 3 knots. She has to cover 200 miles to reach safety at Murmansk escorted by 2 British destroyers and 2 Soviet destroyers.

Photo: USS Peto (SS-265), side launching at a 48 degree angle at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, Manitowoc, Wisconsin (USA) on 30 April 1942



Battle of the Caribbean

180 miles East of Barbados, U-162 sinks British tanker MV Athelempress with shellfire from the deck gun (3 killed, 19 survivors make land at Gros Inlet Bay, St. Lucia, 28 survivors picked up by Norwegian tanker MV Atlantic and landed at Trinidad).

18 miles South of Cape Fear, North Carolina, U-402 sinks Soviet SS Ashkhabad (all 47 hands, including 3 women, picked up by the escort British anti-submarine trawler HMS Lady Elsa).

95 miles East of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U-576 sinks Norwegian SS Taborfjell (17 killed, 3 survivors on a raft rescued 20 hours later by British submarine HMS P-552).

5 miles North of Gibara, Cuba, U-507 sinks American SS Federal with shellfire from the deck gun (5 killed, 28 survivors).

Air War over Europe

24 RAF Douglas DB-7 Boston bombers fly across the English Channel to make daylight raids with fighter escorts on the docks at Flushing (The Netherlands), Abbeville railway yards, Morlaix airfield and docks at Le Havre (all France). No aircraft are lost.

Pacific War

TRUK LAGOON

Japanese carriers, Shokaku, Zuikaku and Shoho sail from Truk. They are part of Operation "MO" an amphibious assualt of Port Morseby, New Guinea.

BURMA

While most Chinese troops retreat East back into China, General Sun Li Jen’s Chinese 38th Division is blocked by the Japanese and goes with the British towards India. British 7th Armoured Division crosses North over the Irrawaddy River at the Ava Bridge, Mandalay. Their Stuart tanks weigh 13 tons and cross the bridge (which is designed to carry 6 tons) in single file. At midnight, the Ava Bridge is blown up and Mandalay is given up to the Japanese.

The Japanese capture Lashio, Burma and begin a move to drive the Chinese back along the Burma Road toward China and drive US and British forces back toward India.

PHILIPINES

Heavy Japanese artillery shelling and aerial bombing of US positions on Corregidor Island continues. 2 PBY Catalina seaplanes arrive from Mindanao bringing medicine and 740 fuses for 3-inch anti-aircraft rounds, then evacuate 50 passengers including 20 American nurses.

NEW GUINEA

P-39's flying out of Port Moresby strafe airplanes and fuel dumps at Lae and Salamaua. Lost is P-39F 41-7128.

HQ 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) and ground echelon of 69th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) transfer from Ballarat to Amberley Field, Australia; air echelon of the 69th is still in the US with B-26's. 71st Bombardment Squadron, 38th BG(Medium), transfers from Ballarat to Batchelor Field, Australia with B-26's; first mission is 15 Sep.

Day 967 of World War II, May 2nd 1942

YouTube (Japan - One Battle from Victory?)



Battle of the Atlantic

40 miles North of Trinidad and Tobago, U-66 sinks Norwegian tanker MV Sandar (3 killed, 34 survivors picked up next day by American merchant Alcoa Pilot but the captain dies of burns in hospital in Port of Spain Trinidad).

At dawn, British cruiser HMS Edinburgh (badly damaged 2 days ago by torpedoes from U-456 but still carrying 5 million pounds sterling in Soviet gold) is attacked while under tow back to Murmansk, USSR by 3 German destroyers (Hermann Schoemann, Z24 and Z25). Hermann Schoemann is hit by shells from HMS Edinburgh and sinks at 8.30 AM, after Z24 takes off the crew. British destroyers HMS Foresight and HMS Forester are hit by shellfire from both Z24 and Z25 (total on both ships; 21 killed, 20 wounded). HMS Edinburgh is hit by one torpedo from Z24 (57 killed, 350 taken off by British minesweeper HMS Harrier and 450 taken off by minesweeper HMS Gossamer) and is finally scuttled by a torpedo from HMS Foresight. HMS Edinburgh and the gold go to the bottom of the Barents Sea.

Photo: A photograph clearly showing the severe damage to the stern of HMS Edinburgh caused by a German torpedo whilst travelling with convoy QP11.



200 miles Northwest of Tromsø, Norway, British destroyer HMS St. Albans and minesweeper HMS Seagull (escorting convoy PQ 15 from Iceland to Murmansk) attack an ASDIC contact with depth charges. This turns out to be Polish submarine ORP Jastrzab (5 killed) which surfaces badly damaged and is scuttled after 35 survivors are taken off. In addition, German torpedo bombers attack PQ 15 sinking freighters SS Cape Corso, SS Jutland and SS Botavon.

115 miles East of Cape Fear, North Carolina, U-402 sinks US patrol yacht USS Cythera causing primed depth charges to explode (69 killed, 2 survivors rescued from the water by U-402, taken back to Germany and held as POWs until the end of the war).

Photo: USS Cythera (PY-26) in March 1942



Battle of the Mediterranean

U-573, seriously damaged yesterday by depth charges, reaches Cartagena, Spain and is interned (will be sold to Spain in August 1942, commissioned as Spanish submarine G 7 and remain in service until 1970). However, U-74 which has been sent to rescue U-573, is sunk by depth charges from British destroyers HMS Wishart and HMS Wrestler 60 miles Southeast of Cartagena (all 47 hands lost).

Pacific War

CORREGIDOR, PHILIPPINES

Heaviest Japanese artillery bombardment yet. At 4.27 PM, a 240 mm howitzer shell hits the powder magazine of US gun battery Geary, exploding 1600 62-pound bags of powder which destroy the entire 8 gun battery (56 killed). A 3-foot thick concrete slab from the roof is blown over 1000 yards and a 10-ton mortar is ripped from its mount and thrown 120 yards by the explosion. 4 men trapped in the plotting room are dug out alive 12 hours later. US river gunboat USS Mindanao is scuttled in Manila Bay to prevent capture by the Japanese.

AUSTRALIA

8th Photographic Squadron, 5th Air Force transfers from Brisbane to Townsville, Australia with F-4's; first mission is 16 Apr. After a bombing mission to Rabaul, lost is B-26 40-1426.

SOLOMON ISLAND CAMPAIGN - OPERATION MO

In preparation for an invasion, Japanese again bomb the Australian base on the tiny island of Tulagi.

Map: Guadalcanal and Tulagi (circle) as the area appeared in 1942



BURMA

1st Burma Division attack Japanese 33rd Infantry Division bridgehead at Monywa on the Chindwin River but they are repelled. The British, Indian and Chinese retreat must now proceed North along the Chindwin River harried by Japanese troops on both sides of the river.

Day 969 of World War II, May 4th 1942

Battle of the Caribbean

In the Gulf of Mexico 100 miles West of the Florida Keys, U-507 sinks American SS Norlindo (5 men in the hold drown, 23 survivors on 4 rafts picked up 2 days later by Panamanian freighter SS San Blas and landed in Panama on May 11).

3 miles off Daytona Beach, Florida, U-564 British tanker SS Eclipse in shallow waters (2 dead, 45 survivors). SS Eclipse will be salvaged, repaired at Mobile, Alabama, and return to service in December.

200 miles West of Jamaica, U-125 sinks American SS Tuscaloosa City (all 34 hands in 1 lifeboat picked up after 7 hours by American merchant Falcon and landed at Cartagena, Colombia on May 8).

U-162 operates off the coast of British Guiana sinking American SS Eastern Sword 12 miles North of Georgetown (16 killed, 13 survivors) and later on, 40 miles Northeast of Anna Regina the tiny unarmed British sailing schooner Florence M. Douglas with 21 rounds from the deck gun from 250 yards (after the crew are allowed to abandon ship in a lifeboat and reach Anna Regina). The submarine picks up a small black pig just before they are bombed by an Allied aircraft. The pig becomes their lucky mascot as they are not hit by any bombs.

Air War over Europe

Overnight, 121 RAF bombers (69 Wellingtons, 19 Hampdens, 14 Lancasters, 12 Stirlings, 7 Halifaxes) raid Stuttgart targeting the Bosch factory (making dynamos, injection pumps and magnetos). Complete cloud cover and a decoy site near Lauffen, 15 miles North, cause most bombs to miss the city and the Bosch works are not hit (13 civilians killed and 37 injured). 1 RAF Stirling bomber is lost.

United Kingdom

The North American Mustang Mk. I enters combat for the first time today flying with the RAF's No. 26 Squadron from Gatwick, Surrey, England. The Mustang has excellent low-altitude performance but unsatisfactory high altitude and the RAF has equipped the aircraft with cameras to fly low-level tactical reconnaissance missions.

Pacific War

SOLOMON ISLAND CAMPAIGN - OPERATION MO

100 miles South of Guadalcanal, US aircraft carrier USS Yorktown launches 12 TBD Devastator torpedo bombers and 28 SBD Dauntless dive bombers which attack Japanese warships anchored off Tulagi at 8.50 AM, damaging minelayer Okinoshima and destroyers Yuzuki  and Kikuzuki (which is beached to prevent sinking). A second wave of US bombers at 12.10 PM sinks minesweepers WA-1 & WA-2 and damages minesweeper Tama Maru which sinks 2 days later (87 killed in total).

Photo: Japanese destroyer Yuzuki flees Tulagi harbor on May 4, 1942 in an attempt to evade air attack from U.S. carrier aircraft from the USS Yorktown



All 6 Japanese seaplanes are shot down or destroyed in the harbor. Despite the attack, Japanese continue construction of the seaplane base and will be operational in 2 days. Japanese carrier force (which is 400 miles North) sets out to find the US carriers.

Photo: Yorktown SBD-3 dive bombers return to their carrier after striking Japanese shipping in Tulagi harbor



SOUTH PACIFIC

Photo: A U.S. Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator from Torpedo Squadron VT-6 approaches the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) to land on 4 May 1942. Since the aircraft is armed with a bomb, it was probably returning from an anti-submarine patrol. Note the Landing Signal Officer at left



CORREGIDOR, PHILIPPINES

In the heaviest Japanese artillery bombardment and aerial bombing yet, almost 2 million pounds of shells and bombs land on the island. US minesweeper USS Pigeon is sunk by a dive bomber while minesweeper USS Tanager is hit by shellfire from the Bataan peninsula and sinks. Shelling gradually concentrates on beaches at the East end of Corregidor, from where 15 invasion barges can be seen assembling on the nearby Bataan peninsula.

PHILIPPINE SEA

100 miles North of Truk Island, US submarine USS Greenling sinks Japanese 5,800-ton armed merchant cruiser Kinjosan Maru (all hands lost). US submarine USS Trout sinks Japanese auxiliary gunboat Kongosan Maru off the Southeast coast of Japan.

Day 971 of World War II, May 6th 1942

Battle of the Atlantic

50 miles East of Cape Fear, North Carolina, US naval auxiliary USS Semmes accidentally rams and sinks British anti-sub trawler HMS Senateur Duhamel (lent to the United States Navy in February to combat U-boats on the US East coast).

5 miles East of Palm City, Florida, U-333 damages US tanker SS Java Arrow and sinks US tanker SS Halsey and Dutch freighter SS Amazone. In the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles South of Biloxi, Mississippi, U-507 sinks American SS Alcoa Puritan. In the middle of the Caribbean off Grand Cayman, U-125 sinks US MV Green Island and British SS Empire Buffalo. 15 miles Southeast of Great Inagua Island, Bahamas, U-108 sinks Latvian SS Abgara.

Air War over Europe

Overnight, RAF unsuccessfully attacks Stuttgart for the third night running with bomber crews distracted by decoy fires 15 miles North near Lauffen.

Pacific War

INDIAN OCEAN THEATRE - BATTLE OF MADAGASCAR

Operation Ironclad - the British make no progress from the East all day. The commandos are held on the neck of land leading to Diego Suarez while 29th Independent Brigade infiltrates the Vichy lines on the approach to Antsirane but cannot dislodge them.

Map: a schematic representation of the ships involved in the invasion of Madagascar



13th Infantry Brigade Group, 5th Infantry Division, lands in support in Ambararata Bay. In a daring move to break the deadlock, British destroyer HMS Anthony runs the gauntlet of French shore batteries defending Diego Suarez Bay under cover of dark at 8 PM, landing 50 Royal Marines commanded by Captain Martin Price on the quay at Antsirane. They storm the French naval depot, capturing rifles & machineguns and releasing 50 British prisoners. HMS Anthony escapes back to sea despite heavy fire from the French coastal guns. The main Vichy forces retreat South.

Photo: Some of the 50 Royal Marines who were landed in the destroyer HMS Anthony at French Bay Harbour



Photo: Infantry going ashore in the landing craft, after the inital landing which took place during darkness



Photo: A Fairey Fulmar of 803 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm landing on the deck of HMS Formidable during operations off Madagascar



CORREGIDOR, PHILIPPINES

Overnight, initial Japanese landings end in slaughter due to accurate US machinegun fire and shelling from 37mm and 75 mm guns, plus a 50-foot down slope which the Americans rain grenades (1200 killed, 800 get ashore). However, subsequent waves gain a foothold allowing the landing of tanks at 9.30 AM. By 10.30 the tanks approach the Malinta tunnel, with the US headquarters and hospitals holding 1,000 wounded, and General Wainwright (Allied commander in the Philippines) broadcasts his surrender which will come into effect at noon. Before then, US troops destroy all munitions especially artillery. US river gunboats USS Luzon and USS Oahu are scuttled to prevent capture by the Japanese (USS Luzon River will be raised by the Japanese, repaired and renamed Karatsu). At midnight, General Wainwright surrenders Corregidor and the rest of the Philippines to the local Japanese commander Colonel Sato (General Homma on Bataan refuses to accept the surrender from Wainwright).

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN - BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

American and Japanese carriers groups search for each other all day with air reconnaissance. At 8PM, Japanese fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku & US carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown are only 80 miles apart, unaware of each other’s presence.

FRENCH INDOCHINA

50 miles Northeast of Cam Rahn Bay, French Indochina, US submarine USS Skipjack sinks Japanese freighter Kanan Maru. US submarine USS Triton attacks an escorted convoy off the East coast of China, sinking freighters Taiei Maru and Taigen Maru.

Day 973 of World War II, May 8th 1942

Eastern Front

Rested and refitted, the Gruppen of SchG 1 arrived at Itshki-Grammatikovo in the Crimea for duty with IV Fliegerkorps of Luftflotte 4 for support of 11 Armee's reconquest of the Kerch penisula (Operation Trappenjagd). Outfitted with Bf 109E-7s, I./SchG 1 arrived and was immediately put into action as was the II Gruppe with 5. and 6. staffeln equipped with Hs 129B-1s and 7./SchG 1 with Hs 123As. After arrival operations started almost immediately with ground attack missions in the eastern Crimea until 15 May and then switching to the Izyum salient southeast of Kharkov at the end of the month. Attacks were carried out against Soviet positions along the front and on troop and supply columns immediately behind the front with such a concentrated effect that the German infrantry assault units were able to break through the forward defenses on the first day of the attack. Over the next several days, 4./SchG 1 attacked various ground targets, shot down an I-16 fighter and destroyed an estimated forty other aircraft during a low-level strafing attack on an enemy airfield in eastern Crimea. Major Siegfried Freytag of Stab II./JG 77 scored his 40th victory.

Battle of the Mediterranean

British minelayer HMS Welshman sails from Gibraltar, disguised as a French destroyer, carrying RAF personnel and 240 tons of stores to Malta. British submarine HMS Olympus leaves Malta ferrying crews from sunken submarines HMS Pandora, HMS P36 and HMS P39 to Gibraltar. HMS Olympus soon hits a mine and sinks (89 killed, 9 survivors swim 7 miles back to Malta). The wreck of HMS Olympus will be discovered in 2011.

Battle of the Caribbean

Off the East coast of Florida, U-564 sinks American SS Ohioan. U-507 sinks Norwegian SS Torny in the Gulf of Mexico. Off Nova Scotia, U-136 sinks tiny Canadian sailing ship Mildred Pauline with 102 rounds from the deck gun.

Air War over Europe

Overnight, 193 RAF bombers (98 Wellingtons, 27 Stirlings, 21 Lancasters, 19 Halifaxes, 19 Hampdens, 9 Manchesters) raid Warnemünde and the nearby Heinkel aircraft factory, deep in Germany near the Baltic port of Rostock. 8 Wellingtons, 4 Lancasters, 3 Hampdens, 2 Halifaxes, 1 Manchester and 1 Stirling are lost. Baedeker Blitz; Luftwaffe bombs Norwich on the East coast again.

Pacific War

INDIAN OCEAN THEATRE - BATTLE OF MADAGASCAR

Despite the French surrender yesterday, Vichy submarine Monge attacks British aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, which avoids the torpedoes, at 7.56 AM off Diego Saurez, Madagascar. British destroyers HMS Active and HMS Panther counterattacks and sink Monge.

Photo: the Surrender Treaty conference at BHQ Antsirane. Left to right, seated facing the camera: Brigadier Lush; Rear Admiral Syfret; Major General Sturgess; Brigadier Festin. The French Military, Naval and Air representatives are seen in the foreground facing the British Officers. Colonel Claerbout, French Officer Commanding Defence of Diego Suarez is in centre



NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN - BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

At 8.20 AM, American and Japanese carriers are 240 miles apart when both are spotted by enemy search planes. They steam towards each other to shorten the distance the return flight for their aircraft. At 9.15 AM, Japanese carriers launch 18 fighters, 33 dive bombers, and 18 torpedo bombers while US carriers launch 15 fighters, 39 dive bombers, and 21 torpedo bombers.

At 10.57 AM, Japanese carrier Shōkaku is badly damaged by three 1,000 lb bombs (223 killed or wounded).

Photo: Shoho is torpedoed, during attacks by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft in the late morning of 7 May 1942. Photographed from a USS Lexington (CV-2) plane



Photo: Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku attacked by USS Yorktown (CV-5) planes, during the morning of 8 May 1942. Flames from a bomb hit on her forecastle are visible, as are smoke and splashes from dive bombers' near misses off her starboard side. Photographed from a Torpedo Squadron Five TBD-1. What appear to be erratic torpedo tracks are visible in the lower left



At 11.20 AM, US carrier USS Lexington is hit with 2 torpedoes and 2 bombs (191 killed) and USS Yorktown is hit by a 550 lb armor-piercing bomb which penetrates 4 decks and explodes, causing severe damage (66 killed or wounded). At 12.47 PM, gasoline leaking from torpedo damage to USS Lexington explodes starting a large fire (25 killed), followed by more explosions and fires.

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) under air attack on 8 May 1942, as photographed from a Japanese plane. Heavy black smoke from her stack and white smoke from her bow indicate that the view was taken just after those areas were hit by bombs. The destroyer in the lower left appears to be USS Phelps (DD-360)



Photo: View on the flight deck of USS Lexington (CV-2), at about 1500 hrs. on 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The ship's air group is spotted aft, with Grumman F4F-3 fighters nearest the camera. SBD scout bombers and TBD-1 torpedo planes are parked further aft. Smoke is rising around the after aircraft elevator from fires burning in the hangar. Note fire hose, wheels, propellers, servicing stands and other gear scattered on the flight deck



At 5.07 PM, 2735 men abandon ship and USS Lexington is sunk by 5 torpedoes from destroyer USS Phelps at 7.15 PM. Both sides withdraw low on fuel, with damage to their carriers and with many of their strike aircraft and fighters lost. The Japanese invasion of Port Moresby is cancelled.

Photo: Destroyers alongside USS Lexington (CV-2) to assist in the carrier's abandonment, after she had been mortally damaged by fires and explosions during the afternoon of 8 May 1942. Photographed from a cruiser (probably USS Minneapolis). Note SOC scouting plane, with a damaged wingtip, on the cruiser's port catapult



Photo: Crewmen abandon ship on board the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) after the carrier was hit by Japanese torpedoes and bombs, on 8 May 1942. Note the destroyer alongside taking on survivors



Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), burning and sinking after her crew abandoned ship, 8 May 1942. Note the planes parked aft, where the fires have not yet reached



Photo: View of an explosion amidships on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), while she was being abandoned during the afternoon of 8 May 1942. This may be the explosion reported to have taken place at 1727 hrs, note the whaleboat underway in the foreground.



Photo: A mushroom cloud rises after a heavy explosion on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), 8 May 1942. This is probably the great explosion from the detonation of torpedo warheads stowed in the starboard side of the hangar, aft, that followed an explosion amidships at 1727 hrs. Note USS Yorktown (CV-5) on the horizon in the left center, and destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412) at the extreme left



JAPAN

140 miles southwest of Japan, US submarine USS Grenadier sinks Japanese freighter Taiyō Maru transporting 700 geologists and oil technicians to the East Indies to exploit oil production. This loss will hamper Japan’s war effort later in the war. 140 miles East of Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, US submarine USS Skipjack attacks a merchant convoy escorted by a destroyer, sinking Bujun Maru and severely damaging Taiyu Maru.