lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 25, 2021 6:41:10 GMT
Day 1050 of World War II, July 25th 1942Eastern FrontCase Blue - German troops and tanks begin crossing the River Don in force at several points up to 100 miles East of Rostov, as Soviets pull back South of the Don. However, in contrast to Hitler’s notion that Stalingrad can be easily taken, 6th Army makes no progress in the face of stiffening resistance West of the “Don Bend” from Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies. Battle of the Caribbean 75 miles Southeast of Trinidad, U-160 torpedoes Dutch SS Telamon which sinks in 3 minutes (23 killed, 14 survivors picked a few hours later by British SS Canadoc). Battle of the AtlanticOvernight, Luftwaffe bombers attack Middlesbrough, Northeast England, badly damaging shops and the Leeds Hotel in the city centre 900 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-130 sinks Norwegian tanker MV Tankexpress (all 39 crew in 3 lifeboats rescued 250 miles from Freetown a week later on August 1 by British destroyer HMS Lightning). At 11.05 PM 185 miles Southwest of Freetown, U-201 sinks British minesweeping trawler HMS Laertes (19 killed). 580 miles East of St. John’s Newfoundland, U-552 attacks convoy ON-113 damaging British tanker MV British Meriton on her maiden voyage (1 killed, 32 crew in 2 lifeboats rescued by Canadian corvette HMCS Brandon) and British SS Broompark (4 crew killed, 38 crew and 7 gunners taken off by HMCS Brandon). SS Broompark is taken in tow by tug USS Cherokee, but sinks 3 days later only 40 miles from St. Johns. At 9.55 AM 75 miles South of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, U-89 sinks Canadian fishing boat MV Lucille M. with 20 incendiary and 15 high-explosive rounds from the deck gun (all 11 crew escape in a lifeboat and reach Nova Scotia). Pacific WarNEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN After 2 ambushes in 2 days, Japanese overestimate the Australian forces defending the Kokoda track, over the Owen Stanley mountains to Port Moresby. They halt their advance and reorganize to face this unexpected resistance. At 11.30 PM 74 miles Southwest of Nouméa, New Caledonia, Japanese submarine I-169 sinks Dutch passenger/cargo liner MV Tjinegara (carrying 477 horses, road grading equipment and 2000 cases of beer for US Army from Brisbane, Australia, to Nouméa). All 24 crew and 12 gunners are picked up 18 hours later by US Destroyer USS Worden but the horses all drown. CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (10th AF): CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF): 76th Fighter Squadron, 23d Fighter Group, moves from Kunming to Kweilin, China with P-40s. SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (Joint Chiefs of Staff): Daily search missions over the Solomons are begun from New Caledonia . 26th Bombardment Squadron, 11th BG (Heavy), arrives at Efate , New Hebrides from Hawaii with B-17's; first mission is 30 Jul. USMC photographers using USN cameras often fly on these missions. PALMYRA ATOLL Photo: A Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo fighter rests in the flight deck gallery walkway after suffering landing gear failure while landing on board the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Long Island (AVG-1), off Palmyra Island, 25 July 1942. This plane is from Marine Fighting Squadron 211 (VMF-211), the last U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps unit to operate the F2A in a front-line capacity
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 26, 2021 2:46:42 GMT
Day 1051 of World War II, July 26th 1942Eastern FrontCase Blue - German Army Group A fans out rapidly into the Caucasus, South of the River Don (while 1st Panzer Army attacks Southeast, 17th Army heads Southwest to secure the Black Sea coast and join up with Manstein’s 11th Army arriving from the Crimea across the Kerch peninsula). German 6th Army breaks through Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies to reach the Don just West of Stalingrad. Air War over Europe Overnight, RAF sends 403 bombers (181 Wellingtons, 77 Lancasters, 73 Halifaxes, 39 Stirlings, 33 Hampdens) to Hamburg, Germany (5000 houses damaged, 823 destroyed; 337 civilians killed, 1027 injured, 14,000 made homeless). 15 Wellingtons, 8 Halifaxes, 2 Hampdens, 2 Lancasters & 2 Stirlings are lost. Photo: Aerial photograph of Snailwell airfield, 26 July 1942. Photograph taken by No. 8 Operations Training Unit North African campaignEl Alamein - Overnight, British 8th Army launches another attack on Miteirya (Operation Manhood). Again, Auchinleck expects infantry to make surprise attacks and mark minefields in the dark to allow tanks to rush through in the morning. British, South African and New Zealand infantry take most of their objectives. Photo: Valentine and Crusader tanks and Humber armoured cars at a base depot awaiting delivery to armoured units, 26 July 1942 Battle of the Atlantic475 miles East of St. John’s, Newfoundland, U-607 and U-704 both torpedo British MV Empire Rainbow in convoy ON-113 which sinks (all 39 crew and 8 gunners picked up by British destroyer HMS Burnham and Canadian corvette HMCS Dauphin). At 8.15 AM 12 miles East of Tobago, U-66 sinks Brazilian SS Tamandaré (4 killed, 48 survivors in 2 lifeboats spotted by an aircraft and picked up by US patrol boat PC-492). Battle of the Caribbean In the Gulf of Mexico off Corpus Christi, Texas, U-171 sinks Mexican SS Oaxaca (6 killed, 39 survivors). Pacific WarNEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN Kokoda track - At 3 PM, Japanese attack 145 troops (Papuan Infantry Battalion and Australian 39th Battalion) holding the track at Oivi. Australians have a tactical advantage of an airfield at Kokoda 12 miles inland to fly in reinforcements but they manage to land only 2 transports during the day bringing in 32 additional troops (and only half of those reach Oivi). At 5 PM, Captain Templeton heads back to Kokoda to find the other reinforcements but he is captured by Japanese who have outflanked his position. Templeton will be interrogated (convincing his captors that there are 10,000 Australian troops defending Port Moresby) and then executed next day with a sword thrust in his stomach. The remaining troops at Oivi sneak out of the trap overnight, heading South into the jungle. Meanwhile, Japanese convoy arrives from Rabaul, New Britain, bringing another 1020 troops and 200 porters. FIJI ISLANDS Admiral Fletcher hosts Admirals McCain Kincaid, Turner, Crutchley and General Vandegrift aboard the USS Saratoga anchored off Koro Island in the Fiji Islands. This will be the only pre-landing conference of the major commanders prior the Operation Watchtower, the invasion of the southern Solomon Islands. Admiral Ghormley is represented by Admiral Callaghan, Chief of Staff. Photo: Enroute to Guadalcanal, RAdm Richmond Kelly Turner, commander of the Amphibious Force, and MajGen Alexander A. Vandegrift, 1st Marine Division commander, review the Operation Watchtower plan for landings in the Solomon Islands After much discussion of logistics, Admiral Fletcher asks Turner how much time unloading will take. When Turner replies "About five days." Admiral Fletcher declares that he will withdraw the carriers after two days to avoid air counterattacks. Admiral Callaghan notes Fletcher's skittishness, but he does not invoke his authority as Chief of Staff for Admiral Ghormley. During the next 4 days, the 1st Marine Division and attached units will rehearse their landing plans. The rehearsal is a disaster and Vandegrift and Turner are reminded that "a bad rehearsal foreshadows a good performance. " Photo: U.S. Marines enter a landing boat during rehearsals on 26 July 1942 in the Fiji Islands for the Guadalcanal operation that were to take place on 7 August 1942 SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): A B-25 strike against Gasmata is repulsed by fighter interception over Buna area. Two B-25 were shot down: B-25C 41-12470 and B-25C "Arora" 41-12792.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 27, 2021 2:46:36 GMT
Day 1052 of World War II, July 27th 1942YouTube (How Hitler Created the World's Worst Traffic Jam)North African campaignFirst Battle of El Alamein, Egypt - 8th Army infantry units capture their objectives overnight, but British 2nd Armoured Brigade and 4th Light Armoured Brigade fail to support. Rommel immediately counterattacks at daybreak, overrunning British 69th Brigade at Deir el Dhib (600 casualties) and Australian 2/28th AIF battalion on Ruin Ridge (400 casualties). 50th Royal Tank Regiment gets stuck in a minefield and loses 13 tanks. With this, the piecemeal British offensives run out of steam and both sides go on the defensive for the time being. Since July 1, Allies have lost 13,250 killed, missing and wounded. German and Italian losses are about the same, with 7000 taken POW by the Allies. Photo: A Humber Mk II armoured car of the 12th Royal Lancers on patrol south of El Alamein, July 1942 Battle of the Atlantic820 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-582 sinks American SS Stella Lykes (1 killed, Captain and Chief Engineer taken prisoner, 49 survivors in a lifeboat reach Cacheu, Portuguese Guinea, 750 miles East on August 8). At 2.14 PM 450 miles Southwest of Freetown, U-752 torpedoes Norwegian SS Leikanger which sinks quickly on the cargo of 1000 tons of chrome ore (17 crew and 1 British gunner killed, 12 crew and 1 gunner float on rafts and debris for 4 days until picked up by American SS Harry Luckenbach). At 5.40 PM 670 miles West of Freetown, U-130 sinks British SS Elmwood (all 44 crew, 6 gunners and 1 RAF passenger survive). Pacific WarNEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN Kokoda track - Australian and Papuan survivors from the battle at Oivi (now commanded by Major William Watson) retreat 10 miles back to Deniki, along a creek bed to avoid Japanese troops on the Kokoda track, bypassing the Kokoda airfield. At Deniki, they meet up with Lieutenant Colonel William Owen and 39th Battalion 'B' Company. Owen decides to move forward to hold onto the Kokoda airfield, despite knowing he is greatly outnumbered. Photo: U.S. Army Air Forces crewmen service Bell P-39D Airacobra fighters of the 8th Fighter Group at Seven Mile airfield, near Port Moresby, New Guinea, in July 1942 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN The bombardment of Kiska Island by the 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers and destroyers of the USN's Task Force 8, is postponed due to limited surface visibility and the ships retire to Kodiak. While covering TF 8, four USN PBY Catalinas bomb Kiska. HAWAII The light cruiser USS Boise departs Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, via Midway Islands towards Japan. The Boise is tasked with emitting enough radio traffic to create the impression of an approaching American task force. SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (Joint Chiefs of Staff): Major General Millard F Harmon arrives at Noumea, New Caledonia , to assume command of US Army Forces in South Pacific Area (USAFISPA) with responsibility for training all army (air and ground) personnel. Air units in the theater are under operational control of Commander Aircraft South Pacific Forces (COMAIRSOPAC). SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): B-26's and A-24's hit Gona and targets along the Buna trail, suffer no losses, but cause no damage. 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, moves from Woodstock to Townsville with P-39s and P-400s. Written off after sustaining damage on the ground is B-17E "Tojo's Physic" 41-2640.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 28, 2021 2:50:32 GMT
Day 1053 of World War II, July 28th 1942Eastern FrontCase Blue - With the tanks of German Army Group A spreading rapidly South into the Caucasus and Paulus’ 6th Army making progress (slowly) towards Stalingrad, Stalin issues Order No. 227 ("Not a step back!" Russian: Ni Shagu Nazad!) instructing unit commanders to create penal battalions and "blocking detachments" to detain or shoot deserters. YouTube (Eastern Front Deployments, July 1942)Air War over Europe Overnight, 256 RAF bombers (161 Wellingtons, 71 Stirlings and 24 Whitleys) take off to raid Hamburg, Germany. 91 bombers are recalled due to bad weather and many others get separated and turn back. Only 68 bomb Hamburg (13 civilians killed, 48 injured). RAF losses are heavy (20 Wellingtons, 1 Whitley and 9 Stirlings, including at least 5 which are return without reaching the target), Battle of the Caribbean 130 miles East of Tobago, U-66 sinks British MV Weirbank (1 killed, 56 crew and 10 gunners reach Tobago next day). 200 miles further East, U-155 sinks Brazilian SS Barbacena at 7.15 AM (6 killed, 56 survivors in 4 lifeboats) and Brazilian tanker SS Piave at 10.30 PM (Captain killed, 34 survivors). Battle of the Atlantic60 miles South of Halifax, Nova Scotia, U-754 surfaces and sinks US fishing boat MV Ebb with 50 rounds from the 88mm deck gun (5 killed, 12 survivors including 7 wounded picked up after 14 hours by British destroyer HMS Witherington and taken to Boston). Photo: Convoy of 24 ships steaming south of Newfoundland on 28 July, 1942 North African campaignPhoto: Grant tanks of 22nd Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division, waiting to go into action in the Western Desert, 28 July 1942 Photo: A Crusader tank of the 22nd Armoured Brigade returning after action in the Western Desert, 28 July 1942 United StatesPhoto: Malanao (AG-44) off Mare Island Navy Yard, 28 July 1942. She is painted in measure 22 camouflage Pacific WarNEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN Kokoda track - At noon, Australian Colonel Owen takes 77 troops to hold the Kokoda airfield, leaving 40 at Deniki. 2 Douglas transport aircraft circle the airfield carrying 39th Battalion reinforcements but return to Port Moresby without landing, fearing Japanese infiltration of the airfield. AUSTRALIA Major General George C Kenney, commander-designate of Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, arrives in Australia from the U.S. PACIFIC In the Fiji Islands, the U.S. 1st Marine Division begins rehearsals for the landings in the Solomon Islands. JAPAN In Japan, Imperial General Headquarters orders the IJA and IJN to mount an all-out offensive to conquer the remaining Allied bases in New Guinea. ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN (11th AF): An air coverage survey for Army ground operations to Adak and Tanaga is flown. Weather cancels a bombing mission to Kiska . SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): 1 B-26 bombs installations at Gona, New Guinea. CORAL SEA In the Coral Sea, Japanese submarine I-175 torpedoes French SS Cagou which left Sydney, Australia, for Nouméa, New Caledonia, 5 days ago. HAWAII Photo: Pearl Harbor, Oahu, view looking northward, with the Navy Yard industrial area in the foreground and the Marine Barracks in the lower right, 28 July 1942. Ford Island is at left, with USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and USS Arizona (BB-39) under salvage nearby. USS San Diego (CL-53) is in the upper center. USS West Virginia (BB-48) is in Drydock No. 1, in the lower left, and USS California (BB-44) is alongside the wharf at the extreme right. The cruisers alongside the pier in right center are USS Northampton (CA-26), left, and USS Peansacola (CA-24). The submarines alongside 1010 Dock, just beyond Drydock No. 1, are USS Trout (SS-202), USS Pollack (SS-180), USS Dolphin (SS-169) and USS Cachalot (SS-170). Note camouflage on many of the Navy Yard's buildings Photo: A vertical aerial view of the drydock area of the U.S. Navy Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, 28 July 1942. Floating drydock YFD-2 is at left, with USS Alywin (DD-355) inside. The small drydock in center holds USS Growler (SS-215) and USS Nautilus (SS-168). USS Litchfield (DD-336) and an ARD floating drydock are in Drydock No. 2, in the right center. Drydock No. 1, at right, contains USS West Virginia (BB-48). The submarines partially visible alongside 1010 Dock, in the extreme upper right, are USS Trout (SS-202) and USS Pollack (SS-180). Note anti-torpedo nets and booms protecting this area
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 29, 2021 2:47:20 GMT
Day 1054 of World War II, July 29th 1942Eastern FrontCase Blue - German 1st Panzer Army captures Proletarsk and crosses Manych River, having advanced 68 miles South in 4 days since crossing the River Don on July 25. The flat, dry terrain between the Don and the Caucasus Mountains is ideal for rapid movement of the German tanks. Air War over Europe Overnight, 291 RAF bombers raid Saarbrücken, Germany, on the French border. Saarbrücken has little air defense and the bombers come in at low altitude (below 10,000 feet), causing severe damage to an ironworks and an engineering plant (396 buildings destroyed, 324 seriously damaged, 155 civilians killed). 3 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 2 Stirlings are lost. United States/United Kingdom relationsA combined British and US Production Resources Board is established in London. The goal is to control allocations of material and industrial priorities. Averill Harriman for the US and Oliver Lyttelton for the UK are to be the senior members. North African campaignPhoto: A 25-pdr field gun under camouflage netting in the Western Desert, 29 July 1942 United StatesPhoto: USS Fletcher (DD-445), July 1942. Port bow view at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey, July 29, 1942 Pacific WarNEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN Kokoda track - At 2.30 AM, 200 Japanese troops attack the Kokoda airfield, using machineguns and a single 70mm Type 92 Battalion Gun light howitzer. The 77 Australian defenders mount a tenacious defense (7 Australians killed, 6 wounded; 12 Japanese killed, 26 wounded) but when Colonel Owen is killed, Papuan Infantry Battalion’s Major Watson orders a retreat to Deniki. Japanese do not pursue believing they face an Australian regiment (1200 troops); instead, they pause to bring up reinforcements to Kokoda. Another Japanese convoy brings in troops to Buna on the North coast of Papua from Rabaul, New Britain. At 2.45 PM, 8 US Douglas Dauntless dive bombers from Port Moresby escorted by P-39 fighters attack the unloading convoy, hitting Japanese troopship Kōtoku Maru with 1 bomb (troops disembark but no equipment can be offloaded). (5TH AF): Eight 3rd BG A-24's that took off from 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby. Escorted by 35th FG 41st FS P-39 flying top cover, and 8th FG, 80th FS flying close escort. One A-24 aborted the mission, and seven proceeded to bomb Japanese transports 20 miles north of Gona, 1 1/4 miles form shore. The convoy was being protected by A6M2 Zeros of the Tainan Kokutai which attack the A-24 as they start their dives. The A-24s dive-bomb in two waves. The first wave: A-24 41-15797 (shot down), A-24 piloted by Hill (damaged and gunner badly wounded) and A-24 piloted by Raymond Wilkins (the only aircraft to return to 7-Mile). The second wave: A-24 41-15819, A-24 41-15766, A-24 piloted by Cassels and A-24 piloted by Parker all four were shot down. The Kotoku Maru, was hit once at the No. 5 hatch by the second wave, forcing its troops to unload and leave its cargo undelivered. The Japanese ships all return to Lae. SOLOMON ISLAND CAMPAIGN PBY-5 Catalinas of the USN's Patrol Squadron VP-23 based at Naval Operating Base Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands, bomb Japanese installations on Tulagi and Gavutu Islands. ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN (11th AF): 4 B-24's and 5 B-17's bomb vessels and installations in the Kiska Harbor area with unobserved results due to clouds. AUSTRALIA HQ 8th Fighter Group moves from Brisbane to Townsville, Australia.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 30, 2021 8:16:36 GMT
Day 1055 of World War II, July 30th 1942Eastern FrontCase Blue - German Panzers continue their charge into the Caucasus across the flat terrain South of the River Don, while Paulus’s 6th Army struggles to make progress against Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies on the West bank of the Don Bend. 130 miles West of Moscow, Soviets launch attacks to eliminate the German salient at Rzhev (North of the salient, General Konev’s Kalinin Front sends 30th Army to Rzhev and 29th Army to nearby Zubtsov). Battle of the Atlantic100 miles Southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, U-132 (leaving the Gulf of St. Lawrence) attacks convoy ON-113, sinking British MV Pacific Pioneer (all 59 crew members, 8 gunners and 4 passengers picked up by Canadian corvette HMCS Calgary and landed at Halifax). 550 miles South of the Cape Verde Islands, U-130 sinks British MV Danmark (all 38 crew and 8 gunners picked up by Norwegian MV Mosli). Battle of the Caribbean 250 miles East of Barbados, U-155 torpedoes American SS Cranford which sinks in 3 minutes on the cargo of 6600 tons of chrome ore and 1600 tons of cotton (11 killed, 36 survivors on 1 lifeboat and 2 rafts picked up next morning by Spanish tanker SS Castillo Alemenara and landed at Curaçao). 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, U-166 sinks US liner SS Robert E. Lee which is carrying survivors of torpedoed ships to the USA (10 crew and 15 passengers killed; 120 crew, 6 gunners and 253 passengers escape in 6 lifeboats, 8 rafts and 5 floats picked up by submarine chasers USS PC-566 and USS SC-519 plus tug Underwriter). USS PC 566 counterattacks with depth charges and sinks U-166 (all 52 hands lost), the only U-boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico during WWII. Battle of the Baltic Sea 1 mile off Pavilosta, Latvia, Soviet submarine SC-7 sinks German SS Kathe. Battle of the Mediterranean U-375 joins U-77 shooting up small sailing vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean. At 12.16 PM East of Cyprus, U-77 fires 3 torpedoes at a small warship escorting a convoy but sinks Egyptian sailboat Fany instead (all 10 crew survive). At the same time 110 miles South of Cyprus, U-375 stops 2 Egyptian sailboats Amina and Ikbal with shots across the bow and then sinks both with the deck gun after the crews abandon ship. During the night of 30/31 July, the US Army, Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF) dispatches B-24s to bomb a convoy in Pylos Bay, Greece, claiming hits on 2 merchant ships, and B-17s to hit the harbor at Tobruk, Libya. Pacific WarJAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES Japanese troops land on Maluku Islands, Dutch East Indies (in the Banda Sea between Timor and New Guinea) to shore up their positions North of Australia. The smaller Aru Island and Babar Island are occupied unopposed, while the 28 Dutch colonial troops (KNIL) holding Kai Island are rapidly overcome. The only serious resistance is at Tanimbar Island where Japanese troops land on the jetty at Saumlaki to march into town in formation. 13 KNIL troops open fire with 2 light machineguns at close range, sending the Japanese back to their boats (several killed). JAPAN/UNITED KINGDOM RELATIONS Repatriation of British and Japanese diplomats begins. Japanese liner Tatuta Maru leaves Yokohama, Japan, carrying British Ambassador Sir Robert Craigie and embassy staff to Lourenço Marques, Portuguese East Africa (now Maputo, Mozambique). To ensure safe passage, all exchange vessels have large white crosses and national flags painted prominently on the sides and they sail fully illuminated at night. ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN The US 11th Air Force dispatches 1 LB-30 and 3 B-24's and 9 B-17's to fly photo reconnaissance and bombing missions to Tanaga and Kiska Islands; the missions are unsuccessful due to weather. The US submarine Grunion (SS-216), commanded by Mannert L. Abele, is lost to unknown causes, off Kiska. All hands are lost. SOLOMON ISLAND CAMPAIGN In the Solomon Islands, B-17s of the 11th BG (Heavy) begin arriving at Espiritu Santo Island from Hawaii where they are to constitute a reconnaissance and strike force over the Guadalcanal- Tulagi-Gavutu area in preparation for the amphibious assault by US Marines on 7 August. CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (10th AF): CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF): The Japanese send about 120 aircraft against the base at Hengyang from which CATF is harassing the Yangtze Valley; the attacks last about 36 hours; fierce opposition by US P-40s prevents major damage to the base; 17 Japanese aircraft are shot down, 4 of them at night; 3 P-40s are lost. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): B-17s attack shipping in the Solomon Sea E of the Huon Gulf and S of New Britain. PHILIPPINES SEA 40 miles Southwest of Truk Island, US submarine USS Grenadier hits Japanese oiler San Clemente Maru with 2 torpedoes. The Mark-14 torpedoes, which are riddled with problems including faulty firing pins, cause an audible clang but fail to explode. FIJI ISLANDS Photo: The U.S. Navy high-speed transports USS Gregory (APD-3), left, and USS Little (APD-4) underway during practice landings in the Fiji Islands on 30 July 1942, shortly before the invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Note the light cruiser beyond them, possibly USS San Juan (CL-54)
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jul 31, 2021 13:59:38 GMT
Day 1056 of World War II, July 31st 1942YouTube (Not a Step Back! - Wehrmacht Closes in on Stalingrad)Eastern FrontCase Blue - With German 6th Army making little progress against Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies, West of the Don, Hitler reverses his order of July 23 (which detached 4th Panzer Army from the attack on Stalingrad). He sends 4th Panzer sent back North to assist 6th Army, causing further logistical confusion. Photo: A column of German PzKpfw III Ausf J tanks with 50 mm KwK L / 60 guns on a dirt road Air War over Europe Overnight, 630 RAF bombers (308 Wellingtons, 113 Lancasters, 70 Halifaxes, 61 Stirlings, 54 Hampdens & 24 Whitleys) drop 900 tons of bombs on Düsseldorf, Germany (67 large fires started; 453 buildings destroyed, 15,000 damaged; 279 civilians killed, 1018 injured, 12,053 made homeless). 16 Wellingtons, 5 Hampdens, 4 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 2 Whitleys are lost. From 2.15 AM to 3.25 AM, Luftwaffe bombers drop 46 tons of bombs on Hull, England, causing extensive damage to Victoria Dock and houses on Grindell Street. Battle of the Atlantic Following U-754’s sinking of US fishing boat MV Ebb 2 days ago, Squadron Leader Norville Small (commander of RCAF 113 Squadron) searches the area South of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with patrols from RCAF Station Yarmouth. 120 miles Southwest of Halifax, Squadron Leader Small spots U-754 on the surface and sinks her with depth charges from his Lockheed Hudson (all 43 hands lost). 760 miles East of St. John’s, Newfoundland, U-164, U-210, U-217, U-511, U-553 and U-588 harass convoy ON 115 but are driven off by convoy escorts. Canadian corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin and destroyer HMCS Skeena sink U-588 with depth charges (all 46 hands lost). 150 miles East of the Azores, U-213 approaches convoy OS 35 (from Liverpool to Freetown, Sierra Leone) but is detected by the escorts. British sloops HMS Erne, HMS Rochester and HMS Sandwich sink U-213 with depth charges (all 50 hands lost). Pacific WarALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN In dense fog 10 miles North of Kiska Island in the Aleutians, US submarine USS Grunion torpedoes and damages Japanese transport ship Kashima Maru. USS Grunion is sunk by the 80mm anti-aircraft gun mounted on the freighter (all 70 hands lost). USS Grunion will be found in 2007 by the sons of the captain, Lieutenant Commander Mannert Abele. (11th AF): 1 B-24 and 1 LB-30 fly weather and photo reconnaissance; weather cancels a combat mission to Kiska. JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES Tanimbar Island in the Banda Sea - 30 Australian troops in 2 small ships (Plover Force) attempt to reinforce Dutch KNIL troops but they are seen off with Japanese shellfire and return to Australia. Japanese troops land again covered by naval gunfire causing the Dutch to retreat and escape to Australia. SOLOMON ISLAND CAMPAIGN Kokoda track - Another Japanese convoy attempting to land troops at Buna on the North coast of Papua is forced by US bombers to return to Rabaul, New Britain. US invasion of the Southern Solomon Islands (Operation Watchtower) - 75 American and Australian warships and troop transports leave Fiji for Guadalcanal, commanded by US Admiral Frank Fletcher. 16,000 Allied infantry (primarily US 1st Marine Division) are commanded by US General Alexander Vandegrift. Photo: MajGen Alexander A. Vandegrift, CG, 1st Marine Division, confers with his staff on board the transport USS McCawley (APA-4) enroute to Guadalcanal Colonel LaVerne G Saunders leads 9 B-17s of his 11th BG from Efate on a strike against Guadalcanal , bombing the landing strip and area about Lunga Point. From this date until 7 Aug, the 11th BG flies 56 strike and 22 search sorties in support of the invasion of Guadalcanal. The USN's Patrol Squadron Twenty Three (VP-23) based at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, dispatches PBY-5 Catalinas to bomb Tulagi and Gavutu but they abort the mission due to weather. MIDWAY ISLAND A 7th Air Force B-17 from Midway Island, flies photo reconnaissance over Wake Island. The B-17 is Intercepted by 6 fighters; in the ensuing fight US gunners claim 4 fighters destroyed. PACIFIC General MacArthur wires General George Marshall his opposition to the awarding of the Medal of Honor to General Johnathan Wainwright. MacArthur was angry over Wainwright's surrender of Manila and blamed him for the loss of the Philippines. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): B-17s hit Gona and a nearby transport which had been previously damaged, and bomb Kukum Beach and Lunga landing strip on the N coast of Guadalcanal as the US invasion forces leave the Fiji for the Solomon Islands. GUADALCANAL ISLAND Photo: Vertical aerial photographic mosaic of the Lunga Point area, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands, prepared for planning purposes shortly before the island was captured by U.S. Marines on 7-8 August 1942. It is labeled as having been taken by an aircraft from USS Curtiss (AV-4) on 31 July 1942. Lunga Point is in the upper left, with the Lunga River flowing through it in several branches. Kukum Landing is below the point, to the left. The airfield then being constructed by the Japanese, which after changing hands became Henderson Field, is in the right center
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Post by lordroel on Aug 1, 2021 6:52:00 GMT
Day 1057 of World War II, August 1st 1942Eastern Front At the Rzhev salient, 130 miles West of Moscow, Soviet General Konev’s Northern pincer (29th and 30th Armies) makes good progress but heavy rains delay the start of Zhukov’s Southern pincer (20th and 31st Armies). Zhukov uses the time to mount large-scale deceptive troop and tank movements 75 miles further South at Yukhnov. The Germans are fooled, launching air strikes and beginning to move forces South to face the expected attack. Case Blue - German 4th Panzer Army turns Northeast towards Kotelnikovo, 100 miles Southwest of Stalingrad. Attacking from this unexpected direction (a fortunate outcome of Hitler’s contradictory orders), 4th Panzer meets little Soviet resistance. Further South in the Caucasus, 1st Panzer Army captures Salsk, having advanced 90 miles in a week since crossing the River Don. Fuel shortages hamper the use of tanks and most of the progress is made by light motorised infantry. Battle of the Caribbean Southeast of Barbados, U-155 sinks Dutch SS Kentar carrying 1500 tons of manganese ore at 2.20 AM (17 killed, 62 survivors rescued after several days, but some die of exposure) and British SS Clan MacNaughton at 6 PM (5 killed, 77 survivors). 100 miles East of Trinidad, Italian submarine Tazzoli sinks Greek SS Kastor (4 killed, 31 rescued). Battle of the MediterraneanPhoto: Seen from the flight deck of HMS Victorious, a Fairey Albacore takes off from HMS Indomitable, while HMS Eagle brings up the rear Photo: HMS Argonaut steaming at high speed escorted by a Supermarine Spitfire
 North African campaignPhoto: The crew of a water truck take cover behind their vehicle as a bomb explodes nearby, 1 August 1942 Pacific WarJAPAN In the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, US submarine USS Narwhal sinks Japanese freighter Meiwa Maru and small tanker Koan Maru. UNITED STATES After months of denials and numerous Japanese ships not sunk by malfunctioning torpedoes, US Bureau of Ordnance finally concedes that the standard-issue Mark 14 torpedo runs deep. Other problems include magnetic triggers that explode prematurely and contact triggers that fail to detonate on contact (duds). ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN (11th Air Force): Weather and photo reconnaissance is flown by 1 B-24 and 1 LB-30 over Korovin Bay and North Cape, Aleutian. WESTERN DEFENSE COMMAND (4th Air Force): During Aug, 47th and 396th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 41st Bombardment Group (Medium), stop flying ASW patrols from Hammer Field, California and MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina respectively. SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (Joint Chiefs of Staff): During Aug, forward echelon of 26th and 431st Bombardment Squadrons, 11th BG (Heavy), begin operating from Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides with B-17s. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th Air Force): B-17s attack installations at Gona and shipping 75 miles E of Salamaua in Huon Gulf. HQ 43d Bombardment Group moves from Sydney to Torrens Creek, Australia. HAWAII Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), and the escort carrier USS Long Island (ACV-1) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (USA), 1 August 1942, protected by anti-torpedo nets. The view is looking eastward from over Pearl City, with Ford Island in the middle of the view and Diamond Head in the distant center. The capsized hull of USS Utah (AG-16), a victim of the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid, is visible astern of Long Island
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 2, 2021 2:51:25 GMT
Day 1058 of World War II, August 2nd 1942Eastern FrontCase Blue - German 4th Panzer Army captures Kotelnikovo and is in position to advance 100 miles Northeast on Stalingrad, along the South bank of the Don River. Soviets scramble to defend an attack from this unexpected direction (a fortunate outcome of Hitler’s contradictory orders). Despite fuel shortages, Army Group A continues making rapid progress South into the Caucasus. Photo: German troops attack. PzKpfw 38 (t) Ausf E / F tanks visible Battle of the AtlanticU-510’s Korvettenkapitän Karl Neitzel causes a diplomatic rift with neutral Uruguay during the first attack of his first war patrol. At 5.45 AM 250 miles Southeast of Bermuda, Neitzel misidentifies Uruguayan SS Maldonado as Greek, stops her with shots across the bow and then sinks her after all 49 hands abandon ship in 4 lifeboats. Maldonado’s captain Mario Giambruno is imprisoned by U-510, taken back to Lorient, France, and then immediately repatriated through Switzerland (returning to Uruguay in November). Neitzel will be reprimanded for his conduct but allowed to continue as U-510’s captain. 145 miles Southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland, U-254 sinks British SS Flora II carrying 358 tons of fish and 200 tons of ice (all 25 crew, 4 gunners and 1 passenger in 2 lifeboats picked up by Icelandic trawler Juni and landed at Reykjavik). Battle of the Caribbean 200 miles East of Trinidad, U-160 sinks British SS Treminnard (captain taken prisoner by the U-boat, the remaining 29 crew and 9 gunners picked up by Argentinian SS Rio San Juan). Pacific WarMALAYA 55 miles West of Penang, Malaya, Dutch submarine HNLMS O-23 spots a Japanese convoy of 5 merchant ships of 3000-5000 tons which left Singapore overnight. O-23 sets on fire Japanese Army transport ship Zenyo Maru which burns out and is abandoned (8 crew and 19 anti-aircraft gunners killed) and sinks freighter Ohio Maru. CHINA-BURMA-INDIA In China, a detachment of 11th Bombardment Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), based at Kunming with B-25s, begins operating from Nanning. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): A of a flight of B-17s searching for a convoy near Buna is attacked by 10 Zeros. Lost is B-17E 41-2435. 41st FS Airacobras escort B-26s on a mission against Cape Ward Hunt. They shoot down J1N1-C piloted by Tokunaga. 1 B-17 flies an unsuccessful strike against a cargo vessel 5 miles S of Salamaua while another bombs Gona. 64th Bombardment Squadron, 43d BG (Heavy), moves from Daly Waters to Fenton Field, Australia with B-17s; first mission is 13 Aug. Lost are P-400 AP 290 and P-400 BX 232. MIDWAY ISLAND Photo: Aerial view of Sand Island, Midway Atoll, on 2 August 1942 HAWAII Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, late July or early August 1942. Note that she has received the CXAM radar, which was installed after the Battle of Midway
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 3, 2021 2:47:57 GMT
Day 1059 of World War II, August 3rd 1942Eastern Front Case Blue - German 4th Panzer Army advances from Kotelnikovo towards Stalingrad, now only 100 miles away. 1st Panzer Army (Army Group A) captures Stavropol, having advanced 100 miles South from Salsk in 2 days. Air War over Europe A lone Luftwaffe Dornier 217 bombs Middlesbrough, Northeast England, badly damaging the railway station which is busy on the Bank Holiday (8 civilians killed, 56 wounded). Battle of the Atlantic In the North Sea 200 miles East of the Faroe Islands, British submarine HMS Saracen is running at periscope depth and spots U-335 on the surface at 9.30 PM (both submarines are on their maiden voyage). HMS Saracen fires 6 torpedoes and U-335 sinks within 4 minutes (43 killed but Matrosengefreiter Rudolf Jahnke who is on watch on the coning tower is rescued by HMS Saracen). 190 miles Southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland, U-605 sinks British trawler SS Bombay (all 13 crew lost). After losing contact with convoy ON 115, U-552 locates the convoy 330 miles East of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and vectors in U-71, U-217, U-597, U-553 and U-704. The convoy commodore changes course to escape the attack, but a column which does not follow and is isolated becomes the target of the U-boats. Between 3 and 4 AM, U-552 sinks British MV Lochkatrine (9 killed, 81 survivors picked up by Canadian destroyer HMCS Hamilton and corvette HMCS Agassiz) and British tanker MV G.S. Walden (1 killed) and U-553 damages Belgian SS Belgian Soldier. Black Sea campaign In the Black Sea, Soviet cruiser Molotov (returning from shelling German positions at Feodosiya on the Crimean peninsula) is attacked by German Heinkel He 111 torpedo bombers and Italian MAS torpedo boats, losing 60 feet of her stern and reducing speed to 10 knots. Molotov reaches Poti under her own steam for repairs lasting 1 year, using parts cannibalized from other ships. Battle of the MediterraneanPhoto: A Royal Air Force Lockheed Hudson III of No. 233 Squadron RAF leaves its dispersal at Gibraltar for a reconnaissance sortie Pacific WarTRUK ISLANDS 80 miles West of Truk Island in the Pacific, US submarine USS Gudgeon sinks Japanese passenger/cargo ship Naniwa Maru (27 crew and 4 passengers killed). AUSTRALIA 20 miles off Moruya, New South Wales, Australia, Japanese submarine I-175 surfaces to attack Australian trawler SS Dureenbee with machinegun fire and shells from the deck gun (3 killed, 9 survivors). SS Dureenbee is set on fire but, remarkably, does not sink. ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN (11th AF): In the Aleutian , 3 B-17s, 2 B-24s and 1 LB-30 fly a bombing and photo reconnaissance mission to Tanaga and Kanaga and also bomb Kiska ; 4 of the aircraft have mechanical trouble but all return. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): P-400's strafe Oivi and Kokoda, New Guinea. 63d Bombardment Squadron, 43d BG (Heavy), moves from Charleveill to Torrens Creek, Australia with B-17s; first mission is 14 Aug. ESPIRITU SANTO In the South Pacific, US destroyer USS Tucker is escorting ammunition ship SS Nira Luckenbach from Fiji to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. At 9.45 PM approaching Espiritu Santo, USS Tucker hits a mine in an American minefield laid yesterday (6 killed; 152 survivors, including 21 wounded, rescued by SS Nira Luchenbach). USS Tucker sinks the following morning despite attempts to tow her. Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Tucker (DD-374). She was being towed by a motor launch from the Naval Air Station, Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, in a final attempt to beach her before she sank when she jackknifed amidships about 3 1/2 hours later and sank off the northwest corner of Malo Island. The destroyer minelayer USS Breese (DM-18) is standing by, in the foreground Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Tucker (DD-374) sunk at Bruat channel between Aore and Malo Island, south of Espiritu Santo NEW CALEDONIA Photo: The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS San Juan (CL-54) probably at Nouméa, New Caledonia, as seen from USS Wasp (CV-7) on the eve of the Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39) at Noumea, New Caledonia, on the eve of the invasion of Guadalcanal, 3 August 1942. She was sunk six days later, during the Battle of Savo Island. Note Quincy's signal flags and Measure 12 (Modified) camouflage scheme
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 4, 2021 2:46:15 GMT
Day 1060 of World War II, August 4th 1942Eastern Front At the Rzhev salient, 130 miles West of Moscow, Soviet General Zhukov sends 20th and 31st Armies to attack Rzhev from the south, complimenting the attack of Konev 29th and 30th Armies from the North. Operation PastoriusIn the Department of Justice Building, Washington, a special military commission (7 US Army officers appointed by President Roosevelt) convicts 8 German saboteurs of sabotage and sentences them to death in the electric chair, including the informant George Dasch who had turned the operation in to the FBI. Battle of the AtlanticThe attack continues on convoy ON 115, 330 miles East of St. John’s, Newfoundland. At 2.29 AM, U-607 sinks Belgian SS Belgian Soldier damaged by U-553 yesterday (21 dead, 39 survivors). At 3.58 PM 1100 miles southeast of Newfoundland, U-176 sinks British MV Richmond Castle carrying 5250 tons of frozen meat from Argentina to Britain (14 dead, 50 survivors). Battle of the Caribbean 200 miles East of Trinidad, U-160 sinks Norwegian tanker MV Havsten (2 killed, Captain and a British radio officer taken prisoner by U-160, 29 survivors in lifeboats reached land on August 14). At 4.15 PM 600 miles East of Trinidad, U-155 sinks British MV Empire Arnold carrying 10,000 tons of supplies, trucks, tanks and aircraft from New York to British 8th Army in Egypt (9 dead, Captain taken prisoner by U-155; 37 crew, 8 gunners and 2 American military personnel in 2 lifeboats rescued on August 11 having sailed 480 miles in 7 days). Battle of the Mediterranean 50 miles Southwest of Haifa, Palestine, an RAF Wellington bomber (221 Squadron) detects U-372 with radar and vectors in British destroyers HMS Sikh, HMS Zulu, HMS Croome and HMS Tetcott (which hunting for the U-boat that sank submarine depot ship HMS Medway on June 30). Depth charges from the Wellington and the destroyers force U-372 to surface, where she is scuttled (all 48 crew picked up by the British destroyers). Pacific WarALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN (11th AF): 1 LB-30 flies a photo mission and 2 B-17s and 3 B-24s covered by 8 P-38's escort US Navy (USN) tenders to Nazan Bay, Atka , Aleutian ; two 4-engine seaplane bombers ("Mavis" flying boats) and a possible third are downed near Atka by 2 of the P-38's, in their first aerial combat in any theater; weather cancels bombing mission to Kiska . CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CATF): P-40's sweep Japanese HQ at Linchwan and bomb HQ buildings and barracks and strafe transports. (5th AF) Lost due to mechanical is P-39D 41-7165 JAPAN A U.S. submarine sinks a Japanese freighter off northern Honshu Island. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA In Australia, Major General George C. Kenney assumes command of the Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area at Brisbane. His command consists of 62 heavy bombers, 70 medium bombers, 53 light bombers, 235 fighters and 36 transports. KUKUM AREA,GUADALCANAL Photo: Annotated aerial photograph showing development of the Kukum area, Guadalcanal, by the Japanese, prepared for intelligence purposes prior to the invasion of Guadalcanal. The original print came from the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) photo lab, dated 4 August 1942, but was undoubtedly taken somewhat earlier by a long-range aircraft from an Allied South Pacific base NOUMEA,NEW CALEDONIA Photo: The U.S. Navy troop transport USS President Adams (AP-38) probably at Nouméa, New Caledonia, as seen from the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) on the eve of the Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion, 4 August 1942. Note the red lead primer showing through the boot topping along her waterline and the large crowd of men on her decks NUKUALOFA HARBOUR, TONGATABU Photo: The U.S. Navy fleet oiler USS Kanawha (AO-1) in Nukualofa Harbour, Tongatabu, seen from USS Wasp (CV-7). Other ships present include, at right, USS San Juan (CL-54), USS Barker (DD-213) in center, and in the distance a heavy cruiser (left) and a transport (right) and a Benson/Gleaves-class destroyer (far left INDIAN OCEAN THEATRE Photo: Ships of the Eastern Fleet. August 1942, on Board HMS Mauritius, left to right: Dutch cruiser Heemskerk, aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, and the battleship HMS Warspite Photo: HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck part of the Eastern Fleet
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 5, 2021 2:47:53 GMT
Day 1061 of World War II, August 5th 1942Eastern Front1.Panzerarmee captured Voroshilovsk over 200 miles to the southeast of Rostov, threatening the oil fields at Maikop. Soviet forces deployed newly raised formations of the 57th and 64th Armies west of Stalingrad in an attempt to stem the advance of 4.Panzerarmee. The German spearhead, moving northeast, ran straight into the new Soviet armies. Heavy fighting resulted in serious losses to the green Russian formations and the important road center of Kotelnikovo, 100 miles northeast of Stalingrad, was captured by the Germans. German occupied FranceIn a rare display of Axis cooperation, Japanese submarine I-30 arrives at German submarine pens in Lorient, France, carrying 3300 pounds of mica and 1452 pounds of shellac (for use in electronics) and blueprints of the highly successful Japanese Type 91 aerial torpedo. I-30 is greeted by German Admirals Raeder and Dönitz. I-30’s crew will visit Berlin, where the captain Commander Endo meets Hitler, and Paris. Battle of the AtlanticThe attack on convoy ON-115 concludes when U-458 sinks a straggler, British SS Arletta, at 4.13 PM 170 miles South of Newfoundland (36 dead, 5 survivors rescued after 15 days by US Coast Guard USS Menemsha). However, U-593 finds convoy SC 94 500 miles East of Newfoundland and sinks Dutch SS Spar at 6.48 PM (3 dead, 36 survivors picked up by convoy escorts British corvette HMS Nasturtium and Canadian corvette HMCS Orillia). Battle of the Baltic Sea 10 miles off Pavilosta, Latvia, Soviet submarine SC-7 sinks Finnish freighter SS Pojanlahti with the deck gun. Some crewmen escape in a lifeboat including the captain who is carrying a suitcase, which is confiscated by the Soviet submarine and found to contain maps of German and Finnish minefields in the Baltic. Battle of the Caribbean 325 miles East of Barbados, U-155 stops tiny Dutch freighter MV Draco with the deck gun and then sinks her after all 16 crew abandon ship (1 lifeboat reaches Suriname 300 miles South and 1 lifeboat is picked up by British tanker MV Athelbrae). North African campaignChurchill, who arrived in Cairo, Egypt, by air yesterday, visits the El Alamein front with British General Auchinleck. In Egypt, Major General Lewis H. Brereton, Commanding General U.S. Army Middle East Air Force, in his first strategic estimate of the Middle Eastern war, indicates that the 3 major objectives for the Allied Air Forces are to assist in the destruction of General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps by support to ground troops, secure sea and air communications on and over the Mediterranean, and carry out a sustained air offensive against Italy and against oil installations at Ploesti, Rumania and in the Caucasus, if the latter should fall under Axis control. Pacific WarCHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CATF): Japanese aircraft again attack US airfield at Kweilin; notified well in advance by the Chinese warning net (previously set up under Brigadier General Claire L Chennault while he was head of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), P-40s meet the Japanese over the target, shooting down 2, and another is downed by ground fire. SOLOMON ISLAND CAMPAIGN USN attack beached Japanese transports and supply dumps on Guadalcanal; destroyed a concentration of seaplanes at Rekata Bay. PHILIPPINES SEA In the middle of the Philippines Sea, 450 miles Southwest of Guam, American submarine USS Greenling sinks Japanese troopship MV Brasil Maru, converted liner carrying 400 troops and 200 other passengers to reinforce Guadalcanal (at least 200 drown), and freighter Palau Maru. JAPAN Yamato-class battleships Musashi is commissioned at Nagasaki and assigned to the 1st Battleship Division together with Yamato, Nagato, and Mutsu. Photo: Japanese Battleship Musashi taken from the bow (August 1942)
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2021 7:24:02 GMT
Day 1062 of World War II, August 6th 1942Eastern Front 30 miles West of Moscow, Soviet 20th, 31st, 29th and 30th Armies compress the Rzhev salient. General Zhukov’s 20th and 31st Armies, attacking from the South, advance 25 miles towards Rzhev. In the Caucasus (Case Blue), German 17th Army captures Tikhoretsk, having advanced 100 miles in 12 days since crossing the River Don on July 25. Air War over Europe Overnight, 216 RAF bombers attack Duisburg, Germany, just over the Dutch border, but most miss the target (18 buildings destroyed and 24 civilians killed). 2 Halifaxes, 2 Stirlings and 1 Wellington are lost. Battle of the Atlantic Overnight 520 miles Southeast of the tip of Greenland, U-71, U-210, U-379, U-454, U-595, U-597, U-607 and U-704 converge on convoy SC 94, following U-593’s radio signals. U-454 and U-595 are severely damaged by convoy escorts and return to base. Canadian destroyer HMCS Assiniboine brings U-210 to the surface with depth charges, after radar contact by British corvette HMS Dianthus, and then sinks U-210 with 4.7 inch gunfire and ramming (6 killed, 37 survivors). At 5.19 PM 180 miles East of Tobago, U-66 sinks tiny Polish freighter MV Rozewie (3 dead, captain taken prisoner by U-66, 15 survivors picked up on August 10 by Norwegian SS Sørvangen). At 7.08 PM 525 miles Southeast of Nova Scotia, U-86 sinks American 3-masted schooner Wawaloam with the deck gun after wasting 3 torpedoes (all 7 hands picked up on August 11 by Irish SS Irish Rose). Battle of the Baltic Sea U-612 sinks after a collision with U-444 as the U-boats maneuver in the Baltic Sea near Gotenhafen, Germany (2 dead, 43 survivors). U-612 is quickly raised and will return to service in May 1943 as a training boat. U-578 departs from St. Nazaire, France, but then disappears in the Bay of Biscay (all 49 hands lost). Battle of the Mediterranean 85 miles East of Cape Greco, Cyprus, U-77 sinks Egyptian sailboat Ezzet and damages Egyptian sailboat Adnan. North African campaignChurchill makes changes to Middle East Command (including removing Iraq and Persia into a separate Command) after consulting General Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Field Marshal Jan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa. British General Auchinleck is replaced as commander of 8th Army by his subordinate General William “Strafer” Gott and as C-in-C Middle East by General Sir Harold Alexander. Auchinleck is offered the Persia-Iraq Command but, to Churchill’s disappointment, he refuses. Persia-Iraq Command instead goes to General Henry Maitland Wilson. Photo: Winston Churchill with Field Marshal Smuts and behind, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder (left) and Sir Alan Brooke, at the British Embassy in Cairo Pacific WarALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN (11th AF): 3 B-24s, 2 B-17s and 10 P-38s provide air coverage for USN tenders to Nazan Bay, Atka ; photo reconnaissance is flown over Attu. CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CATF): B-25s bomb Tien Ho Airfield, Canton, China, causing heavy damage to the runways and destroying several parked aircraft. Detachment of 11th Bombardment Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), operating from Nanning, China with B-25s returns to base at Kunming. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): B-25s and 22nd BG B-26s pound airfields at Lae and Salamaua. GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN - BATTLE OF TULAGI AND GAVUTU-TANAMBOGO Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Astoria (CA-34) joins Task Force 16 as it approaches Tulagi, about 6 August 1942
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 7, 2021 14:03:34 GMT
Day 1063 of World War II, August 7th 1942YouTube (Guadalcanal - Allies Take the Initiative)Eastern FrontCase Blue - In the Don Bend, Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies resist German attacks by Paulus’ 6th Army West of the Don and by 4th Panzer Army South of the Don. German 17th Army’s advance into the Caucasus threatens Soviet Black Sea Fleet at Novorossisk, on the Black Sea coast. Soviet cruiser Krasny Krym and destroyer Nezamozhnik evacuate troops from Novorossisk further South to Batum. Continuation warPhoto: Finnish trenches near a distant base at Rukajärvi (Rugozero) Battle of the Atlantic U-108 sinks Norwegian MV Breñas (1 killed, captain taken prisoner by U-108 and held in a POW camp until July 1943, 32 survivors rescued and taken to Trinidad). At 2.25 AM 800 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-572 sinks Dutch SS Delfshaven (1 killed, 38 survivors in 2 lifeboats reach French Guinea and interned by the Vichy French until December 1942). At 9.47 PM 1400 miles West of Freetown, U-109 sinks Norwegian tanker SS Arthur W. Sewall (all 36 crew picked up 3 days later by Greek SS Athina Livanos). Battle of the Mediterranean 85 miles East of Cape Greco, Cyprus, U-77 sinks an unidentified sailing vessel. In the Aegean Sea 100 miles South of Athens, British submarine HMS Proteus (which has been shooting up Greek sailboats with the deck gun) torpedoes 8467-ton German freighter Wachtfels. At 12.55 PM 50 miles Southwest of Crete, British submarine HMS Thorn attacks an Italian convoy from Benghazi, Libya, to Piraeus, Greece. HMS Thorn is detected and machinegunned by a Ju-88 bomber and then sunk at 1.45 PM by depth charges from Italian torpedo boat Pegaso (all 61 hands lost). North African campaignEgypt - A Bristol Bombay (RAF 216 Squadron), flying British General William “Strafer” Gott from Borg el-Arab to Cairo to take command of 8th Army, is shot down by Messerschmitt Bf-109s and crash lands. The flight crew survives but 17 passengers, including Gott, are trapped in the fuselage and burn to death. Churchill gives command of 8th Army to General Bernard Montgomery, later commenting on "the part that the hand of God had taken in removing Gott at the critical moment". United Kingdom
Photo: Covenanter tanks pass through the village of Stockton in Wiltshire, 7 August 1942
 Pacific WarALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN The USN's Task Group 8.6 (Rear Admiral William W. Smith) consisting of the heavy cruisers USS Indianapolis and USS Louisville; the light cruisers USS Honolulu, USS Nashville and USS St. Louis; and six destroyers bombards Kiska Island between 1955 and 2021 hours local. The ships fire 631 rounds of 8-inch, 3,534 rounds of 6-inch and 2,620 rounds of 5-inch ammunition destroying barracks, landing barges, a moored "Mavis" flying boat (Kawanishi H6K Navy Type 97 Flying Boat) and the merchant ship SS Kano Maru; they also damage 2 "Mavis" flying boats. Photo: The US cruiser St. Louis fires a salvo at Kiska during the bombardment of 7 August 1942 Photo: The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Nashville (CL-43) bombarding Kiska Island, Aleutians (USA), on 7 August 1942. Note the unusual placement of her hull number on the stern The bombardment serves as a diversion for the Allied landings in the Solomon Islands. (11th AF): 3 B-24s dispatched to bomb Kiska return with their bombs due to solid overcast; 4 more B-24s also depart for Kiska; 1 turns back with mechanical trouble, the others abort the mission over the target due to undercast; 1 B-24, 4 P-38s and an LB-30 fly 2 air coverage missions at Nazan Bay, Atka for USN tenders. GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN - BATTLE OF TULAGI AND GAVUTU-TANAMBOGO The US 1st Marine Division (reinforced) lands on Tulagi, Gavatu Tanambogo, and Guadalcanal islands in the southern Solomon Islands. This first offensive action in the Pacific war comes 8 months to the day after Pearl Harbor. The Marines commanded by General Vandegrift, USMC have close support from TF 62 under Admiral RK Turner, USN. Admiral Fletcher, USN with TF 61 provides air cover from carriers Enterprise, Saratoga and Wasp. The landings on Guadalcanal are not contested. The islands of Tulagi, Gavatu Tanambogo are heavily contested. Map: Routes of Allied amphibious forces for landings on Florida, Tulagi, and Gavutu–Tanambogo, 7 August 1942 Amplification of the Above: The Australian Cruiser Squadron, consisting of: HMAS Canberra; Captain Frank E. Getting, RAN HMAS Australia; Captain H. B. Farncomb, RAN HMAS Hobart; Captain H. A. Showers, RAN The squadron was commanded by a Rear-Admiral of the Royal Navy, usually Australian-born. For example, Rear-Adm Jack Crace (who commanded the squadron at the Coral Sea) was born in Australia but joined the Royal Navy. The Australian naval college only started taking students in 1913, consequently it was difficult to find flag officers of the Royal Australian Navy with the requisite experience. Admiral Victor Crutchley, RN was one of the few officers to hold this command who was not born in Australia. Admiral Crutchley is in command of the Australian Cruiser Squadron at this time and has been placed in command of the transport screening forces by Admiral Turner. Photo: HMAS Canberra (center left) protects three Allied transport ships (background and center right) unloading troops and supplies at Tulagi Photo: The U.S. Navy high speed transport USS McKean (APD-5) photographed from the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38) on 7 August 1942, the first day of landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi. McKean was part of the Tulagi landing group At 1315 hours local, 27 Rabaul-based IJN "Betty" bombers escorted by 17 "Zeke" fighters attack the invasion fleet. They are met by 18 F4F-4 Wildcats of Fighting Squadrons Five and Six (VF-5 and VF-6) in the aircraft carriers USS Saratoga (CV-3) and USS Enterprise (CV-6) respectively. The Wildcat pilots shoot down 8 "Betty" bombers and a "Zeke" fighter while losing 8 Wildcats and an SBD Dauntless. A second attack consisting of 9 Rabaul-based "Val" dive bombers arrive at about 1430 hours local and 5 are shot down by VF-6 pilots and the remaining 4 ditch in the ocean during their return flight to Rabaul. Photo: A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Scouting Squadron Five (VS-5) roars off the deck of USS Enterprise (CV-6) for an early morning attack against Tulagi/Guadalcanal as part of Operation Watchtower. Manning the aircraft were Lt. Turner F. Caldwell, the squadron commander, and ACRM(AA) Willard E. Glidewell The 2nd Marine Reg. 2nd Marine Div. landed against the heavily defended Japanese positions of Gavutu and Tulagi in the British Solomon Islands, while at the same time the 1st Marine Division was landing unopposed at Guadalcanal, My Weapons Company platoon first landed on Gavutu and then, by way of causeway, crossed over to Tulagi where we took many casualties. Photo: United States Marines wade ashore on Tulagi Island on 7 August 1942 Photo: U.S. Brigadier General Rupertus (center) supervises the assaults on Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo from his command ship on 7 or 8 August. In the background are landing craft and a U.S. destroyer Photo: A U.S. Marine Corps M2A4 Stuart light tank is hoisted from the U.S. Navy cargo ship USS Alchiba (AK-23) into a LCM(2) landing craft, off the Guadalcanal invasion beaches on the first day of landings there, 7 August 1942. The other landing craft visible were from USS Alhena (AK-26) Photo: Fires burn near the Tulagi Cricket Grounds, after bombing by U.S. carrier aircraft on 7 August 1942, the day U.S. Marines landed to capture the island. Photographed from a U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless, this view looks about northwest. The small islands in the foreground are (from the bottom of the view, running toward Tulagi, as identified on the original print): Songonangona, Kokomtabu and Mbangai Photo: Fires burning among Japanese facilities and seaplanes on Tanambogo Island, east of Tulagi, on the invasion's first day, 7 August 1942. This view looks about SSW, with Gavutu Island to the left, connected to Tanambogo by a causeway Photo: Smoke rises from Tulagi after bombing by U.S. carrier aircraft on 7 August 1942. The U.S. Navy destroyer at left is either USS Ellet (DD-398) or USS Wilson (DD-408) NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN The Burns Phillip ship "Mamutu" (300 tons) with a crew of 32, set out, yesterday, from Port Moresby headed for Daru on the western shores of the Gulf of Papua. On board were 82 passengers which included 28 children, who were escaping the more than 70 Japanese bombing raids on Port Moresby. "Mamutu" was about half way across the gulf when just after 11am on 7 August 1942 the ships crew spotted a Japanese submarine several miles astern. It was Japanese submarine RO-33, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Shigeshi Kuriyama. RO-33 had left Rabaul in April 1942 to reconnoitre Port Moresby. RO-33 and RO-34 were both later ordered to blockade Port Moresby and guide Japanese shipping into the area. The Wireless Operator on "Mamutu", Mr. R.J. Furbank sent a morse code message to Port Moresby to advise of the submarine's presence. RO-33 closed in at about 19 knots and caught up with "Mamutu". RO-33 opened fire with its 3.25" (80mm) gun. The first shot hit the radio room and killed Mr Furbank. The second shot wiped out the bridge killing Captain J. McEachern. Others shells hit the hull. Many people were killed or injured in the accurate barrage from RO-33. Kuriyama then ordered his gunners to fire their 13 mm machine guns upon the survivors in the water. They killed as many as they could which included many women and children. RO-33 then left the scene of destruction. There were only 28 survivors from the total complement of 120 persons. One man, a European Engineer, Bill Griffin, escaped death at the hands of the ruthless machine gunners by pretending to be dead. A B-17 Flying Fortress search aircraft dropped life rafts to the struggling survivors who eventually made it to shore. The Army signal ship "MV Reliance" which was used by the Coast Watchers, was sent from Murray Island to try to pick up the survivors. They were unable to locate the survivors. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): 13 B-17s of the 19th BG led by Lieutenant Colonel Richard H Carmichael hit Vunakanau Airfield. Lost is B-17E 41-2617, B-17E "Why Don't We Do This More Often" 41-2429. 22nd BG B-26s attack Lae and a B-17 and a B-25 each attack a submarine in the Gulf of Papua. HQ 38th BG(Medium) and 405th Bombardment Squadron move from Eagle Farms and Ballarat respectively to Breddan Field, Australia with B-25s; first mission is 17 Sep. On a ferry flight to Port Moresby B-26 "Dixie" 40-1496 force lands and is destroyed by her crew.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 8, 2021 6:29:11 GMT
Day 1064 of World War II, August 8th 1942Operation PastoriusThe 6 convicted German saboteurs are executed in the electric chair. President Roosevelt spares the informants George Dasch (given 30 years) and Ernst Burger (life sentence) whose actions had foiled the operation. Battle of the Atlantic U-174, U-176, U-256, U-438, U-660 and U-705 reinforce the wolfpack attacking convoy SC 94, 485 miles Southeast of the tip of Greenland. Convoy escorts hold off all approaches until midday when U-176 and U-379 attack simultaneously and sink 5 ships. Crews of 3 freighters panic and abandon ship without reason. U-379 is sunk by ramming and depth charges from the British corvette HMS Dianthus (40 killed, 5 survivors). Battle of the Mediterranean British submarine HMS Turbulent destroys the hulk of Italian destroyer Strale which ran aground off Cape Bon, Tunisia on June 21 after an attack by British FAA Swordfish torpedo bombers. In the Aegean Sea, South of Naxos, British submarine HMS Proteus sinks Greek sailboat Firesia. Pacific WarALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN In the Aleutian Islands, the USAAF's 11th Air Force dispatches 1 LB-30 and 3 B-24 Liberators, and 8 P-38 Lightnings on photo and bombing missions over Kiska Island cannot attack due to fog but 6 USN PBY-5A Catalinas of Patrol Squadron Forty One (VP-41)and VP-51, both based at NAF Dutch Harbor, also operating over and off Kiska Island, hit freighters and a transport, claiming 1 transport sinking, and score many hits on North Head and Main Camp. GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN - BATTLE OF TULAGI AND GAVUTU-TANAMBOGO Solomon Islands. On Guadalcanal - by 4 PM, US Marines capture Lunga Point airfield unopposed (named Henderson Field after Marine Major Lofton Henderson, who was killed in the Battle of Midway). Photo: U.S. Marine Corps LVT(1) amphibian tractors move toward the beach on Guadalcanal Island. This view was probably taken during the 7-9 August 1942 initial landings on Guadalcanal. The troopship USS President Hayes (AP-39) is in the background Photo: A U.S. Marine Corps LVT(1) amphibian tractor moves up the beach on Guadalcanal Island. This view was probably taken during the 7-9 August 1942 initial landings on Guadalcanal Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) escorting the Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion convoy, circa 7-8 August 1942. The heavy cruiser HMAS Australia (D84) is dimly visible in the far right distance, beyond the three destroyers maneuvering there On Tulagi, after hand-to-hand fighting overnight, US Marines advance on Hill 281 in the morning under a mortar barrage and wipe out Japanese troops in caves using dynamite. 307 Japanese are killed, in a fight to the death that will become familiar to US Marines, and only 3 are taken prisoner (45 US Marines killed). Photo: "Wrecked facilities and aircraft at the Japanese seaplane base on Tanambogo Island, east of Tulagi. Photo is dated 8 August 1942 and was probably taken shortly before U.S. Marines captured the island. This view looks about west, with a burned-out pier in the foreground, fuel drums piled to the left and the wreckage of a seaplane among the trees in the center. The buildings are probably left over from the island's days as a Royal Australian Air Force facility  At Gavutu-Tanambogo, US dive bombers and warships pound Tanambogo before Marines land at 4.30 PM and overrun the defenders (476 Japanese killed and 20, mostly Korean labourers, taken prisoner; 70 Americans killed). Japanese aircraft from Rabaul, New Britain, attack US warships throughout the day. Troop transport USS George F. Elliot is set ablaze by a crashing dive bomber and destroyer USS Jarvis is badly damaged by a torpedo bomber (14 crew killed). Photo: Japanese Navy Type 1 land attack planes (Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty") fly low through anti-aircraft gunfire during a torpedo attack on U.S. Navy ships maneuvering between Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the morning of 8 August 1942. Several G4M1 bombers are visible, flying low through anti-aircraft shell bursts near the destroyer in the center Photo: Japanese Navy Type 1 land attack planes (Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty") fly low through anti-aircraft gunfire during a torpedo attack on U.S. Navy ships maneuvering between Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the morning of 8 August 1942. Note that these planes are being flown without bomb-bay doors as they were carrying torpedoes Photo: A Japanese Mitsubushi G4M "Betty" aircraft burns on the water after it was shot down by anti-aircraft fire during an attack on U.S. transports between Guadalcanal and Tulagi, 7-8 August 1942. Guadalcanal is in the background, with the heights above Cape Esperance at the right. Note the G4M in flight above and to the left of the transport Photo: The U.S. Navy Heywood-class transport USS George F. Elliott (AP-13) burning after a Japanese air attack off Guadalcanal on 8 August 1942. She had been hit by a crashing enemy aircraft. The other two smoke plumes mark the locations of planes that crashed into the water Photo: The U.S. Navy troop transport USS George F. Elliott (AP-13) burning between Guadalcanal and Tulagi, after she was hit by a crashing Japanese aircraft during an air attack on 8 August 1942 Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer-minesweeper USS Hopkins (DMS-13) steams past the transport area between Guadalcanal and Tulagi, 8 August 1942. The ship burning in the left center distance is USS George F. Elliott (AP-13), which had been hit by a Japanese air attack earlier in the day However, the Japanese naval response is swift. In the morning, 7 cruisers and a destroyer depart base at Kavieng and Rabaul under Admiral Gunichi Mikawa. All day they steam down New Georgia Sound (known as "The Slot") through the Solomon Islands, evading detection. Overnight, the Japanese execute a night attack, catching the Allied warships napping at anchor off Guadalcanal and sinking 3 American cruisers USS Vincennes, USS Astoria, USS Quincy and Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra (1,077 killed). Map: the disposition of the Imperial Japanese and U.S. forces at the beginning of the Battle of Savo Island, circa 0100-0120 hrs on 8 August 1942 Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39) photographed from a Japanese cruiser during the Battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal. Quincy, seen here burning and illuminated by Japanese searchlights, was sunk in this action. The flames at the far left of the picture are probably from the USS Vincennes (CA-44), also on fire from gunfire and torpedo damage
Photo: View from the Japanese cruiser Chokai of the battle with the Allied "southern" force as aerial flares illuminate the Allied cruisers HMAS Canberra (D33) and USS Chicago (CA-29) on 9 August 1942 YouTube (Battle of Savo Island 1942: America's Worst Naval Defeat)NEW BRITAIN At 8 PM 14 miles West of Cape St. George, New Britain, US submarine USS S-38 sinks Japanese troop transport Meiyo Maru, killing 31 crew and 342 troops who are being brought to Rabaul to reinforce Guadalcanal. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (5th AF): P-400s dive-bomb Kokoda and Yodda; B-17s, B-25s and B-26s bomb runways and targets of opportunity at Lae and Salamaua. NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN Kokoda Track, Papua - Between 6.30 and 8 AM, 3 Companies of Australian 39th Battalion leave Deniki separately to retake Kokoda. Company A reoccupies the airfield, which is lightly defended, but the other Companies run into large Japanese forces and are repelled. JAPAN US submarine USS Narwhal sinks Japanese crab fishing boat Bifuku Maru 5 miles off the Northeast tip of Honshu, Japan. At the Southern end of Honshu, US submarine USS Silversides sinks Japanese freighter Nikkei Maru. CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CATF): In China, B-25s hit the Canton area, bombing Tien Ho Airfield and other targets in the vicinity and claiming 2 interceptors shot down.
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