World War II in real time

Day 1172 of World War II, November 24th 1942

Eastern Front

German General Erich von Manstein, commanding 11.Armee, is ordered south to restore the situation with the German Army Group Don. He finds nonexistent resources. Other than the surrounded 6.Armee at Stalingrad and two remaining divisions of the Rumanian 3rd Army he has one division holding positions at Elista. Other commanders reluctantly hand over some reserves resulting in a slow buildup of his forces. Much of his problem is created by German Chancellor Adolf Hitler's order to hold on at Stalingrad. He issues this order after the wild claim by the commander of the Luftwaffe, Field Marshal Hermann Goering, that Stalingrad could be held by resupply by air. Goering's Luftwaffe will lose about 500 aircraft in the process of failing to resupply 6.Armee. He will evacuate 42,000 wounded and some specialists. Soviet forces of the Stalingrad Front are exploiting their breakthroughs; on central front, are attacking in vicinity of Veliki Luki and Rzhev.

Battle of the Mediterranean

The British submarine HMS/M 'Utmost' is sunk NW of Sicily by depth charges from the Italian torpedo boat 'R.N. Groppo'.

North African campaign

The presidents of the General Councils of Oran, Algiers and Constantine denounce French Admiral Jean-Francois Darlan, High Commissioner for French North Africa, for acting under the authority of Marshal Henri-Philippe Pétain, Head of the Vichy French State. The Presidents express their opinion that in doing so the Admiral has shown that he has fulfilled none of the conditions which would allow him to assume the powers of an independent and legal government.

USAAF Twelfth Air Force fighters patrol the Oran-Nouvion-Tafaraoui area, and fly sea patrol off Oran and destroy several aircraft and attack ground targets in the vicinity of Gabes, Tunisia. USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-17s, with P-38 Lightning escort, are dispatched against the harbor at Bizerte but must abort because of bad weather. USAAF Ninth Air Force P-40s patrol over the Bengasi and Derna areas.

The front is quiet generally as General Bernard Montgomery, General Officer Commanding Eighth Army, plans an assault on the El Agheila bottleneck. The British army forces must be regrouped and supplies and reinforcements amassed. The British First Army is ordered to advance on Tunis, with Tebourba and Mateur as first objectives. The main body of Combat Command B, U.S. 1st Armored Division, begins a move from Tafaraoui, Algeria, to Tunisia; forward elements (1st Battalion of 1st Armored Regiment) arrive at Bédja and are attached to Blade Force.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Buck (DD-420) off the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts (USA), 24 November 1942



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

An Eleventh Air Force B-24 flies reconnaissance over Japanese held Kiska Island but weather precludes the westward continuation of reconnaissance. A scheduled mission of eight B-24s and four B-26's to Kiska Island is called off due to icing conditions.

BURMA

Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, Commander in Chief US China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, and Commander in Chief Northern Area Combat Command (NCAC) is informed by the U.S. War Department that little more aid, aside from existing commitments, can be provided for the northern Burma offensive.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese continue to repel efforts of the Australian 25th Brigade, 7th Division, to take Gona. The 3d Battalion of the 126th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32d Infantry Division, pushes on toward Sanananda: Two Australian companies join Company L in a battle for the food dump on the right; on the left, Companies I and K reach a clearing west of Killerton trail, some 1,200 yards N of the original starting point, but are driven back into a swamp by Japanese infiltrators.

The Urbana Force launches a co-ordinated assault on the Triangle at 1428 hours after ineffective air and a brief mortar preparation. While Company F of the 126th Infantry Regiment makes a frontal assault in which Company H of the 128th Infantry Regiment joins, Company E of the 126th Infantry Regiment takes over the left flank positions along the Entrance Creek and Companies E and G of the 128th Infantry Regiment attack on the right flank.

Map: Urbana Force attacks the Triangle, 24 November 1942



The attack, although carefully planned, is a failure. The Warren Force front along coast is quiet.

In Papua New Guinea, Fifth Air Force A-20s, B-25s, B-26s, B-17s, P-40s, and P-39 and P-400s Airacobras, hit Sanananda Point, the Buna area, the Sanananda-Soputa trail south of Sanananda, and the area between Cape Killerton and Sanananda Point as Allied forces launch a ground assault on The Triangle; the attack is repelled by fierce resistance.

USAAF B-17s and B-25s and RAAF Beaufighters sink Japanese destroyer Hayashio in Huon Gulf between Lae and Finschafen and damage torpedo boats Otori and Hiyodori east of Lae.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

Search aircraft over the Buin, Bougainville Island area report a large number of destroyers and cargo vessels in the harbor. By this date elements of the Americal Division have pushed along the N coast of Guadalcanal Island to a position S of Point Cruz where they wait until a general offensive can be prepared following the arrival of reinforcements. Throughout these operations P-39 Airacobras have continually hit ground positions and troops all along the coast, flying as many as 11 strikes on some days.

AUSTRALIA

Photo: Members of the Australian Women's Army Service receiving instruction in advanced training of instrument operators. TThey are attached to anti-aircraft group, Fremantle, and are seen being instructed in the use of a range and height finder by Sergeant Raymond of 419 Australian heavy anti-aircraft gun station. Pupils are, left to right- gunners Barber, Fraser, Kinghorn and Gallimore

Day 1174 of World War II, November 26th 1942

Eastern Front

Red Army forces closed the Don River, capturing Krasnoye, Generalov and Selo. The Russians noted the increased number of Luftwaffe supply missions over Stalingrad and changed tactics in order to destroy the German air force and starve the Germans in the city. It became the primary mission of the Soviet Air Force. At most of the airfields expected to assist in the Stalingrad airlift, the Russians were starting to press attacks on the ground. At the airbase at Oblivskaya, a motley crew of defenders led by Flak officer Eduard Obergehtmann repulsed a Soviet attack. The group was supplied by anti-tank Hs 129s and even a squadron of Hs 123 biplanes belonging to SchG 1. After moving from Millerovo to Frolov and Oblivskaya, II./SchG 1 began a maximum effort around Stalingrad at the cost of at least 8 Hs 129Bs, Hs 123As and Bf 109Es lost in ground attack missions or blown up to prevent capture by the on-coming Russians. Stab./SchG 1 was forced to abandon its base at Oblivskaya and withdrew to the west. 4 (Pz)./SchG 1 was deployed along the Chir front, west of Stalingrad. The airfield was used as the HQ for VIII Fliegerkorps and in the middle of the battle, General von Richthofen landed and asked for his Chief-of-Staff, General Fiebig. When told he was manning a machine gun, von Richthofen ordered General Fiebig and his staff back to Tazinskaya. Almost no supplies were dropped on Stalingrad during the day. As General Fiebig noted in his diary;

"Weather atrocious. We are trying to fly but its impossible. Here at 'Tazi' one snowstorm succeeds another. Situation desperate."

Despite the weather 12 aircraft did take off and brought only 24 cubic meters of fuel to Pitomnik airfield. Because of this poor showing by the Ju 52 units, General von Richthofen began gathering all available He 111 units to the area to drop supplies. Colonel Ernst Kuhl was given command of the situation and he ordered 2 Gruppen from his own KG 55 along with planes from I./KG 100, KGzbV 5, KGzbV 20 and KG 27, totaling about 190 Heinkels, to assist in the supply problem. For cover of the bombers-turned-transport he was given JG 3 and a Gruppe each of Stukas and anti-tank planes.

Operation 'Mars' continued as Konev (West Front) committed his second echelon and mobile forces to the breakthrough operations. Casualties in the lead 20th and 31st Armies were devestatingly high and little headway was made against the German defenders. The Soviet follow-up forces were being jammed into a desperately small bridgehead and German artillery played havoc with their approach march. The Germans countered by releasing 9.Panzerdivision to shore up their defense. On the western face, the Soviet 1st Mechanized Corps was committed. This attack was very successful tearing a hole in the German lines 20 km wide and 30 deep. The Germans countered by committing the 1.Panzerdivision and the elite Grossedeutschland division.

In the first 3 months after returning to operational duty, Oblt. Gunther Rall, Staffelkapitaen of 8./JG 52, raised his score to over 100 victories, being awarded the Eichenlaub by Hitler.

Air War over Europe

During the night of 26/27 November, RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off two Biscay Bay ports: two each lay mines off Lorient and St. Nazaire. (Syscom)

During the night of 26/27 November, 19 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Photo: HMS Quibiron (nearest camera), HMS Aurora, and HMS Bermuda in Algiers harbour, with Algiers in the background



Photo: HMS Biceter, destroyer alongside a jetty in Bona dockyard



North African campaign

The British First Army continues to advance. Blade Force engages in its first armored battle on the plain south of Mateur.The British 78th Division re-took Medjex el bab while US tank forces raided the airfield at Djedeida. Caught by surprise, the Luftwaffe suffered many losses on the ground, yet surprisingly the raid did not badly disrupt German air operations. The offensive began in the morning with a spearhead of more than 100 tanks from the 1st Battalion, US 1st Armoured Regiment. In the afternoon, 17 M3 tanks of Co. 'C' (Major Rudolph Barlow) on a recon mission pushed through German forces at Tebourba and El Bathan and arrived at Djedeida airfield. When the Americans realized the oppourtunity that they had, they quickly moved onto the airfield and began crushing or shooting up the many Axis aircraft located there. The tank crews claimed 20 or more aircraft destroyed and shot up buildings, supplies and the defending German troops. After the attack, the tanks fell back to join the rest of Blade Force, which bivouacked near Chouigui overnight. The Luftwaffe units based at Djedeida were I. and III./JG 53 with Bf 109Gs and II./StG 3 with Ju 87Ds. Most of II./StG 3 had moved to Djedeida on the afternoon of 20 November, although some of the unit's Ju 87s were still at El Aouina airfield near Tunis. II./StG 3 flew 4 successful missions earlier in the day and 48 sorties against vehicles and tanks. I. and III./JG 53 flew scrambles, sweeps and provided escort for the Stukas. Lt. Munzert of 2./JG 53 made the only claim by Djedeida-based fighters, claiming a Spitfire west of the airfield. Shortly afterwards the tanks appeared. There was great activity as the fighter pilots ran to their aircraft to take off. Arndt-Richard Hupfeld of 1./JG 53 recalled;

"There was a mad scramble when British tanks reached out base. Messerschmitts took off in every direction. All of a sudden I saw a '109' coming straight toward me - a head-on collision would have been unavoidable had the other aircraft's cowling not flown off just as it was about to lift off, wherupon the other pilot closed the throttle and did not take off. I just cleared the other aircraft and thus avoided a catastrophe."

Some fighter pilots got into the air and began to stafe the tanks, including Ofw. Hans Kornatz of 2./JG 53. The JG 53 pilots claimed to have set 8 tanks on fire. Lt. Jurgen Harder of 7./JG 53 wrote in a letter home;

"We were at a rather exposed forward airfield, and at about 16.30 a big surprise raid by tanks hit our base. Suddenly there was shooting; 800m away there were 20 tanks rolling toward us. I just made it to my machine and took off 200m in front of the leading tank. To make a long story short, the fellows drove over the field firing wildly, setting the aircraft on fire and shooting up everything. And how! Several aircraft got airbourne and it happened that 6 were already in the air going after Spitfires that had made earlier strafing attacks. Now we set upon the tanks. Me's dove from all sides. It was a terrific scene, and machines burned on the ground below. We succeeded in setting 5 tanks on fire - 2 of them by me. Our men crouched down in their slit trenches and let the monsters roll past. Everything went according to plan; the servicable trucks fled the field overloaded and all reached Tunis by the next day. One could still call this good luck in bad - no aircraft lost and no men. Its a good thing we were in the air and were able to beat off the attack; otherwise it would have gone badly for the Gruppe. All this happened 30km from Tunis and we all figured that our encirclement would be completed during the night."

Although there are some inaccuracies in Lt. Harder's account, it gives a good idea of the chaos caused by the American tanks. I. and III./JG 53 were not seriously affected by the raid and both flew many missions during the last 5 days of November. II./StG 3 lost 24 Ju 87s. I./JG 53 flew at least 4 missions from Djedeida before transferring to Sidi Ahmed. III./JG 53 moved to El Aouina. One of these units escorted 2 Ju 87s from II./StG 3 to attack tank concentrations. II./StG 3 flew just 2 sorties then transferred to El Aouina.

Twelve USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-24 Liberators fly three missions against the port area at Tripoli, scoring direct hits on two vessels, one B-24 bombs a ship at Homs harbor while P-40s patrol over the Bengasi and Derna area.

Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

A B-24 reconnoitering Holtz Bay harbor on Japanese held Attu Island spots shipping targets which are subsequently hit by four B-26s escorted by four P-38s; one cargo ship is damaged. Reconnaissance is flown over Rat Island, Agattu and Semichi Islands and the Japanese-held Kiska Island shipping and the north coast of Attu Island; two P-38s and a B-26 sustain minor damage.

AUSTRALIA

At 0320 hours local, Japanese bombers attack the Darwin town area and the Strauss and Hughes Airfields.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO

Japanese Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi formally assumes command of the 8th Area Army at Rabaul, New Britain Island. (The 8th Area Army is responsible for the 17th Army in the Solomon Islands and the 18th Army in New Guinea.) Colonel Sugita presents a paper outlining the current situation on Guadalcanal and suggesting withdrawal but General Imamura refuses to formally accept the paper because it is defeatist. Major Hayashi arrives from Guadalcanal with the news that all rice and barley there would be entirely consumed that day.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, the stalemate continues on Gona front. Further frontal and flanking attacks of 126th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32d Infantry Division, toward Sanananda makes limited progress: The 1st Battalion (-) is pinned down on the Soputa- Sanananda track after a 100-yard advance; on the left, the 3d Battalion (-) drives east to within 700 yards of the Killerton trail; on the right, Company L and the Australians finally overrun the bitterly contested
food dump.

The Urbana Force halts frontal and right flank attacks on the Triangle and prepares to make a strong effort on left, since the Japanese are disposed in less strength west of Entrance Creek and the terrain is more favorable. The Warren Force, under personal observation of Major General Edwin Harding, Commanding General 32d Infantry Division, makes a determined effort to advance after strong air and artillery preparation.

The Japanese retire into bunkers during the bombardment and emerge afterward to meet the attack. The 3d Battalion of the 128th Infantry Regiment (-) and 1st Battalion of 126th Infantry Regiment (-)
advance abreast, the latter on the left followed by the 1st Battalion of the 128th. Little is accomplished by the attack. Company I of the 128th Infantry Regiment and the Australian 2/6th Independent Company, Maroubra Force, charged respectively with securing the west and east ends of New Strip, are unable to advance. The Japanese retain air superiority over Buna front and sink a lugger bound for Hariko with ammunition. The 127th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32d Infantry Division, reaches Port Moresby from Australia.

In Northeast New Guinea, Fifth Air Force P-40s, A-20s, and B-25s attack airfields and antiaircraft positions in the Buna area while B-26s strike the Salamaua area.

Day 1176 of World War II, November 28th 1942

Eastern Front

In the Rzhev battles along the eastern face, local German counterattacks slowed the Soviet advance. The advanced elements of Konev's forces (6th Tank and 2nd Guard Cavalry Corps) were isolated from the rest of the front.

Photo: “The defenders of Stalingrad”. Right: General Andrei Yeryomenko, Commander of the Red Army's Southeast [Stalingrad] Front. Second right: Alexei Chuyanov, First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Stalingrad Regional Committee. Third right: General Alexei Kirichenko, Member of the Military Council of Stalingrad Front in Charge of Military Logistics. Fourth right: Nikita Khrushchev, Member of Politburo of Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party, First Secretary of Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine



Air War over Europe

During the night of 28/29 November, RAF Bomber Command sends 19 aircraft minelaying off Bay of Biscay ports: six lay mines off St. Nazaire; five off Lorient; four off Brest; and one in the River Gronde Estuary. Five other aircraft drop leaflets over French cities.

East Africa

Nearly one third of the Vichy-controlled garrison of Djibouti crosses into British Somaliland and declares its adherence to the Allies.

Battle of the Mediterranean

For the third time this month, RAF Bomber Command aircraft attack Turin. During the night of 28/29 November, 228 aircraft, 117 Lancasters, 47 Stirlings, 45 Halifaxes and 19 Wellingtons are dispatched: 195 bomb the target with the loss of three aircraft, two Stirlings and a Wellington. Part of the force bombs before the Pathfinders are ready but the remainder carry out very accurate bombing, some of it around the Royal Arsenal. Turin records 67 people killed and 83 injured.

The Italian submarine R. Smg. 'Dessie' is sunk by the British destroyer HMS 'Quentin' and the Australian destroyer HMAS 'Quiberon', now part of cruiser Force Q operating out of Bone, off the Tunisian coast northwest of Bone.

North African campaign

The British First Army's 11th Brigade of the 78th Division and elements of Combat Command B (2d Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment), U.S. 1st Armored Division, reach the outskirts of Djedeida, 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Tunis. This is the point nearest Tunis to be reached until the final phase of the campaign. To the south, the Germans evacuate Pont-du-Fahs, 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Tunis. At Gafsa, elements of the U.S. 1Ist Infantry Division (3d Battalion of Regimental Combat Team 26) are attached to the 2d Battalion, U.S. 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

The British destroyer HMS 'Ithuriel' is badly damaged in bombing attacks on the port area of Bone and not repaired.

Reinforcements for II./StG 3 were brought over from Sicily and on the 28th the unit was able to fly 5 missions and 24 sorties. II./StG 3 lost 27 Ju 87D-3/Trops and 4 Ju 87D-1/Trops to enemy action in November. Records of the Fliegerfuhrer Tunis indicated 8 Ju 87s lost to enemy action, and if the 24 were added from the Djedeida tank raid, the figures match almost perfectly.

In Tunisia, 35 B-17s of the US 97th BG (Heavy) and the newly-arrived 301st BG (Heavy) bombed Bizerte airfield and dock area and killed Lt. Theodore Eichler of II./JG 2 and his aircraft, an FW 190A-4, was damaged. Because of mud, no P-38 escort was provided. Two B-17s were lost to fighter attacks. B-26s of the newly-arrived 319th BG (Medium) bombed oil tanks, warehouses and rail yards at Sfax, marking the debut of US 12th AF medium bombers in North Africa.

United States

The first production Ford-built B-24 Liberator rolls off the assembly line at Ford's massive Willow Run plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In February 1942, the last Ford automobile rolled off the assembly line for the duration of the war, and soon afterward the Willow Run plant was completed. Built specifically for Ford's war production, Willow Run is the largest factory in the world. Using the type of assembly line production that has made Ford an industrial giant, Ford hopes to produce 500 B-24s a month. After a gradual start, that figure is reached in time for the Allied invasion of Western Europe, and by July 1944, the Willow Plant is producing one B-24 every hour. By the end of the war, the 43,000 men and women who work at Ford's Willow Run plant have produced over 8,500 bombers, which unquestionably has a significant impact on the course of the war.

Photo: B-24E (Liberator) bombers at Willow Run. Looking up one of the assembly lines at Ford's big Willow Run plant, where B-24E (Liberator) bombers are being made in great numbers. The Liberator is capable of operation at high altitudes and over great ranges on precision bombing missions. It has proved itself an excellent performer



The Air Forces Proving Ground Command at Eglin Field, Valpariso, Florida, is redesignated Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command.

Vichy France - Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon

The Vichy admiralty issues a statement on the scuttling of the fleet at Toulon. The action was taken;

"...in accordance with the standing instruction dating from the time of the Franco-German armistice, which had ordered the fleet to scuttle rather than be taken over by a foreign power. When the Vichy Ministers for the Navy, Army, and Air Force were informed of the German Government's decision to occupy Toulon, Admiral Jean-Charles Abrial, Minister of Marine and Minister of Industrial Production in the Pierre Laval government, tried immediately to get in touch with the local authorities at Toulon, but could not do so."

Photo: The scuttled French fleet at Toulon: aerial pictures. On 28 November 1942, the day after the scuttling and firing of the ships of the French fleet in Toulon harbour, photographs were taken by the Royal Air Force. Many of the vessels were still burning so that smoke and shadows obscure part of the scene. But the photographs show, besides the burning cruisers, ship after ship of the contre-torpilleurs and destroyer classes lying capsized or sunk, testifying to the thoroughness with which the French seamen carried out their bitter task. While the vast damage done is shown in these photographs, no exact list of the state of the ships can be drawn up, since the ships themselves cannot be seen in an aerial photograph. Thus the upper deck of the battle cruiser Strasbourg is not submerged, but here are signs that the vessel has settled and is grounded. The key plan C.3296 shows the whereabouts of the majority of the ships and their condition as far as it can be seen from the photographs. Picture shows: damaged and sunk light cruisers and destroyers visible through the shadow and the smoke caused by the burning cruisers



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

A B-24 photographs a beached freighter at Holtz Bay, Attu Island and draws no antiaircraft fire during ten runs over the bay, and flies reconnaissance over Kiska Island.

THEATER OF OPERATIONS - CHINA AIR TASK FORCE (CATF)

(Tenth Air Force): In China, the detachment of the 11th Bombardment Squadron, 341st BG (Medium), operating from Nanning with B-25's, returns to base at Kunming (another detachment is operating from Karachi, India).

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-26s bomb the airfields at Lae and Buna; elements of the 126th Infantry Regiment, US 32d Infantry Division arrive on the Sanananda front from Wairopi.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

The 14,125 ton USN cargo ship USS Alchiba is damaged by Japanese midget submarine Ha.10 (from submarine I-16 ) while she is anchored 3,000 yards northeast of Lunga Point, Guadalcanal. Her hold is loaded with drums of gasoline and ammunition, and the resulting explosion shoots flames 150 feet in the air. The commanding officer orders the ship to get underway to run her up on the beach and this action undoubtedly saves the ship. Hungry flames raged in the ship for over five days before weary fire fighting parties finally bring them under control. This leaves only four undamaged cargo ships in the South Pacific Force.

Photo: The U.S. Navy cargo ship USS Alchiba (AK-23) afire off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, circa late November 1942



Photo: Alchiba aground and afire off Lunga Point in November 1942



THAILAND

In the first USAAF air raid on Thailand, nine Tenth Air Force B-24s fly 2,760 miles from Gaya, India, to bomb Bangkok.

INDIAN OCEAN

The 6,796 ton troop transport HMT 'Nova Scotia' en route from Aden to Durban, South Africa, is torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-177 about 132 nautical miles (244 kilometers) northeast of Durban, South Africa. The ship is carrying 780 Italian POWs and 130 South African troops acting as guards plus 127 crewmen. Of the 1,037 aboard, 863 are lost.

Free French destroyer FFL 'Leopard' enters the harbor at St. Denis, Reunion Island. A battery on the Galets peninsula opens fire but is quickly silenced and Vichy Governor Pierre Emile Aubert agrees to yield without further resistance. This 969 square mile (2 510 square kilometer) island is located about 425 miles (684 kilometers) east of Madagascar and about 110 miles (177 kilometers) west-southwest of Mauritius.

Photo: Free French destroyer Léopard somewhere in 1942

Day 1178 of World War II, November 30th 1942

Eastern Front

Soviet forces began to probe German positions along the lower Chir River. Von Manstein managed to form up a scratch defense that was able to hold against the limited attacks.

The moment for withdrawing 6.Armee had passed. Vatutin, Rokkosovsky and Yeremenko had pushed well past the rear areas of von Paulus' forces, bringing 'Uranus' and 'Saturn' to a halt at the banks of the Don and Chir rivers. The 6.Armee was now over 40 miles from the front lines. Hitler felt that a fighting withdraw through the consolidated Russian positions without adequate armour or transport could only have a "Napoleonic ending". Unable to do anything meaningful about relieving the predictament of 6.Armee, Hitler resorted to propaganda. Now that the besiegers had been turned into the besieged, Hitler proclaimed von Paulus' forces as 'Fortress Stalingrad'.

Photo: Snipers in camouflage cloaks entering a destroyed house



The first of Colonel Ernst Kuhl's combination transports and bombers was flown when 40 He 111 bombers flew with the few Ju 52s left available airlifting supplies to Stalingrad. After trying for almost an hour, the bombers finally landed at Pitomnik airfield, bringing - for the first time - 100 tons of supplies.

As the attacks by the 20th and 31st Armies against the Rzhev salient faltered, Zhukov reinforced failure by committing the 29th Army and 5th Tank Corps to the area.

Air War over Europe

In a meeting between RAF and USAAF officers at the Air Ministry, a joint decision is made on the allocation of responsibility, with the RAF to provide aerial defense of sectors in which U.S. airfields are located while the USAAF Eighth Air Forces VIII Fighter Command operates principally as escort for bomber strikes against the Continent. (Syscom)

Luftflotte 2 listed 89 Ju 87s on strength with 50 of them servicable. 3./JG 1 was renamed 6./JG 51. A new 3./JG 1 was formed at Wangerooge on the same date.

During the night of 30 November/1 December, six RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons lay mines off La Pallice without loss.

North African campaign

As the 11th Brigade, British 78th Division, continues a losing battle at Djedeida, the British First Army prepares for an attack on Tunis by Blade Force and Combat Command B of the U.S. 1st Armored Division on 2 December. Combat Command B is concentrated in the Medjez el Bab area and Blade Force in the vicinity of Chouigui. By this time, Axis forces have about 15,500 fighting troops in Tunisia. (Syscom)

In Tunisia, B-17s bombed the north quay at Bizerte. B-26s hit the airfield and railroad at Gabes and DB-7s attacked a bridge and railway station at Djedeida. P-38s escorted all 3 missions. Other P-38s strafed Gabes airfield and shot down a Bf 109 in an aerial battle near Tunis. Lt. Horst Wunderlich of 6./JG 51 went missing after combat. Fw. Anton Hafner of 4./JG 51 claimed a P-38 southwest of Tunis. Elements of the British 1st Army remained hard pressed at Djedeida.

5./SchG 1 at Tunis - El Aouina flew its first combat mission against British tanks and vehicle columns near Tebourba.

Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

(Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 flies reconnaissance over Semichi and Attu ; other flights are prevented by weather.

Photo: View of the U.S. Navy base on Kodiak, Alaska (USA), in November 30th 1942. Note the Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina in the center of the photograph



ANDAMAN ISLANDS

B-24 Liberators of the USAAF Tenth Air Forces India Air Task Force attack shipping at Port Blair, claiming damage to one vessel by near misses; this strike begins a series of raids on this water approach to Burma. The Andaman Islands are located in the eastern part of the Bay of Bengal; Port Blair is located about 472 nautical miles (874 kilometers) west-southwest of Bangkok, Thailand.

BURMA

The British 123rd Brigade's advance reaches Bawli Bazar in the Arakan Valley. The weather, which is normally clear during November, has not cooperated thus making the advance extremely difficult.

INDIA

The 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Tenth AF, moves from Karachi to Chakulia, India with F-4s (a flight is operating from Kunming, China).

JAPAN

The German tanker SS Uckermark, the former supply ship SS Altmark that had replenished the German armored ship Admiral Graf Spee, is at anchor at Yokohama when a huge explosions rips the vessel apart while the crew is having lunch. The cause of the explosion is thought to be a spark from tools used by a repair gang working near the fuel tanks. Forty-three crewmen from the Uckermark die. Anchored nearby and also sunk by the explosion is the Australian freighter SS Nankin and the German auxiliary cruiser HK Thor (Ship 10 also known as Raider E by the British) which had captured the Nankin on 5 October while she en route from Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia, to Colombo, Ceylon. During her two cruises, HK Thor had sunk or captured 20 ships totaling 152,125 tons.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

U.S. Lieutenant General Eichelberger, Commanding General I Corps, flies from Australia to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The Australian 21st Brigade, Maroubra Force, having rested and reorganized after action in the Owen Stanley Range, takes over the attack on the Gona front, relieving the Australian 25th Brigade. In the Sanananda sector, the left flank elements of the 126th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32d Infantry Division, establish a block behind the Japanese on the Soputa-Sanananda trail, but a frontal attacks along the trail in the center and flanking attacks on the right make little headway. The Urbana and Warren Forces each make concerted attacks but gain little ground. The Urbana Force fails in three attempts to take Buna Village; elements protecting the flank and rear seize a crossing over Siwori Creek and the outpost region between there and Buna Creek, but are unable to clear Coconut Grove or advance beyond the Triangle. Warren Force, attacking toward Cape Endaiadere on the right and the northeastern edge of New Strip on the left, encounters the Japanese main line of resistance in Duropa Plantation and is unable to breach it. Bren gun carriers that are to have spearheaded assault in this sector fail to arrive.

In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25s and B- 26s attack the airfield, AA positions, and defenses in the Buna area.

PACIFIC OCEAN

In the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea, Australian Beaufighters drive off 14 Japanese aircraft that were attack the Australian minesweepers HMAS Armidale and Castlemaine.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

During the night of 30 November/1 December, the Battle of Tassafaronga is fought. In an attempt to resupply the Japanese troops on Guadalcanal, the Japanese Navy has devised a scheme of loading gasoline and oil drums with food, medicine and whatever else would be needed, chaining the drums together and dump them overboard. The chain would be brought ashore by ships boat and the drums would be dragged ashore by the Army.

Map: US Navy chart of the Battle of Tassafaronga based on accounts by both Japanese and US participants



Photo: Ships of the U.S. Navy Task Force 67 (TF 67) underway off Guadalcanal just before the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942. The destroyer USS Fletcher (DD-445) is in the foreground, followed by USS Perkins (DD-377), USS Maury (DD-401) and USS Drayton (DD-366) and, in the distance, cruisers



Today, eight destroyers under Rear Admiral Tanaka Raizo, six of them carrying 440 drums, set sail from the Shortland Islands. The eight destroyers are Kagero, Kawakaze, Kuroshio, Makinami, Naganami, Oyashio, Suzukaze and Takanami. The USN has been warned by an Australian coastwatcher on Bougainville and sends Task Group 67.2 under Rear Admiral Carleton H. Wright to intercept and sink the Japanese force.

TG 67.2 consists of the heavy cruisers USS Minneapolis, New Orleans, Northampton and Pensacola; the light cruiser USS Honolulu; and the destroyers USS Drayton, Flethcer, Lamson, Lardner, Maury and Perkins. The USN ships surprise the Japanese off Tassafaronga Point, Guadalcanal.

The Japanese press on to jettison the drums to sustain the troops while Long Lance torpedoes launched from destroyers Kagero, Kawakaze, Kuroshio, Naganami and Oyashio wreak havoc on the USN's heavy cruisers: USS Minneapolis is hit by two torpedoes, one on the port bow, the other in her number two fireroom, causing loss of power and severe damage: her bow is gone back to the chain pipes, her port side badly ruptured, and two firerooms open to the sea; USS New Orleans next astern of USS Minneapolis, is forced to sheer away to avoid collision, and runs into the track of a torpedo which rips off her bow.

Photo: New Orleans near Tulagi the morning after the battle, showing everything missing forward of turret two



Photo: November 30, 1942. USS Pensacola (CA 24) in Espiritu Santo Harbor, New Hebrides, showing damaged stern and portside caused by a torpedo from a Japanese destroyer. Seven officers and 118 men died from this attack



Bumping down the ship's port side, the severed bow punches several holes in the hull. A fifth of her length gone, the ship slows to 2 knots; the next ship in line, USS Pensacola, turns left to prevent
collision with the two damaged ships ahead of her and silhouetted by the burning American cruisers, she came in the Japanese line of fire. A torpedo hits her below the mainmast on the portside. Her engine room floods, three gun turrets go out of commission, and her oil tanks rupture to make a soaked torch of her mast.

The next ship in line is USS Honolulu but she escapes the trap but the last ship in the column, USS Northampton, takes two torpedoes that tore a huge hole in her port side, ripping away decks and bulkheads. Flaming diesel oil sprays over the ship, she takes on water rapidly and begins to list and the abandon ship order is given three hours later and the ship sinks about 35 nautical miles NNW of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.

With the sinking of Northampton, the USN has only 13 heavy cruisers in commission. The only Japanese casualty is the destroyer Takanami which is sunk by gunfire about 28 nautical miles NNW of Henderson Field. There are only 33 survivors of the 212 men aboard the ship.

Day 1180 of World War II, December 2nd 1942

Eastern Front

The Stalingrad and Don Fronts launched massive attacks against the Germans encircled in Stalingrad. Fighting was very heavy and losses were high on both sides although little progress was made in reducing the perimeter. Further north, at Rzhev, the German 41.Panzerkorps began a counter-attack on the west face of the salient. That attack succeeded in destroying the Soviet 47th Mechanized Brigade.

Heavy snows and ice prevented the Luftwaffe from flying many missions over Stalingrad. It took hours to thaw out the airplanes and machines because there was no cover for repairs and aircraft were serviced in the open. Consequently the availablity rate fell to 25%.

Air War over Europe

A Canadian bomber crew gets key data on German airborne radar in a prelude to a big bomber offensive. They return badly shot up. During the night of 2/3 December, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 112 aircraft, 48 Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters, 22 Stirlings and 15 Wellingtons to bomb Frankfurt;84 bomb the target and six aircraft, three Halifaxes and one each of the other types, are lost, 5.4 per cent of the force. There is thick haze and the Pathfinders are unable to establish the location of Frankfurt. Most of the bombing falls in country areas southwest of the city; it is possible that a decoy fire site is operating. Two aircraft bomb Mainz and one attacks Hochst.

During the night of 2/3 December, three RAF Bomber Command aircraft drop leaflets.

United Kingdom

Photo: An ATS spotter with binoculars at the anti-aircraft command post. A 3.7 inch anti-aircraft gun can be seen in the background



Battle of the Mediterranean

At 17.05 hours on 1 December HMS 'Quentin' left Bone harbor with four other units of Force 'Q', - the British light cruisers HMS 'Aurora' (Capt. W. G. Agnew, flying the flag of Vice Admiral C. H. J. Harcourt), HMS 'Argonaut', HMS 'Sirius' and "Quentin's" sistership, the Australian destroyer HMAS 'Quiberon'. The purpose of the sortie was intercepting an Italian / German convoy in the Sicilian Narrows carrying tanks and 2,000 troops to North Africa. This convoy, designated 'H', sailing from Palermo and heading towards Bizerte, consisted of the Italian freighters "Aventin', 'Puccini', 'Aspromonte' and the German 'KT 1' and was escorted by Italian destroyers 'Nicoloso da Recco', 'Camicia Nera', 'Folgore' and the Italian torpedo boats 'Procione' and 'Clio'. Force 'Q', proceeding at high speed, attacked the convoy on the night of 2 December, destroying it completely. The British naval squadron was guided to its target by RAF aircraft dropping flares. All 4 freighters and the 'Folgore' were sunk, while 'Nicoloso da Recco' and 'Procione' sustained severe damage. Nearly 2,000 Italian soldiers and important supply goods for the German units in Tunisia were lost. The British suffered no damage, demonstrating once more their mastery of night attacks. As soon as the attack on the convoy became known, II Fliegerkorps received orders to intercept. The following morning, while returning to Bone, the ships of Force 'Q' were 50 nautical miles from Cap de Guarde (Algeria) when they came under air attack, first from German torpedo bombers of KG 26 then by a formation of 13 Ju 88s. At 03.15 hours, 12 He 111 torpedo bombers of I./KG 26 and 4 Ju 88 torpedo bombers of III./KG 26 took off from Sardinian airfields. These were followed shortly by aircraft from Sicily, who could put in the air 13 Ju 88 bombers of KG 54 in 3 groups of 3, 4 and 6 planes respectively. The first to attack the British ships were the torpedo bombers but due to poor weather, they reported attacking a convoy off La Galite island. The majority of the aircraft failed to find Force 'Q'. At 06.36 hours, in the uncertain predawn light, HMS 'Quentin' was then attacked by 3 Ju 88s of I./KG 54 and the crews reported one 500 kg bomb hit in the side of the destroyer, leaving her dead in the water. The 2nd wave, of 4 more Ju 88s, dropped their bombs on 'Quentin' while the 3rd wave - 6 Ju 88s of III./KG 54 - bombed 'Quiberon', which was seen to stop and started trailing a large oil slick. The bombers then proceeded to Bone to attack harbor targets. 'Quentin's' condition appeared to be desperate and the crew was removed by HMAS 'Quiberon' while under attack. 'Quentin' sank within 4 minutes, at 06.40 hours with 20 dead. At 08.55 hours - well over 2 hours after HMS 'Quentin' had been hit - 8 S.79 torpedo bombers took off from Elmas airfield to search for and attack what remained of Force 'Q'. Five planes belonged to the 238th Squadriglia (Major Franco Melley) and 3 to the 280th Squadriligia (Capt. Guiseppe Cimicchi). Once in the air, Major Melley's plane had engine trouble and aborted the mission, while the remaining 7 planes carried on in single formation. Approaching the British ships, they were attacked by Spitfires. North of Bizerte, P/Os Hamblin and Lindsay, of RAF No. 242 Sqdrn, attacked first followed by Wing Cmdr Hugo, CO of RAF 322 Wing. Between them they shot down 4 of the torpedo bombers. The remaining 3 dropped their loads and reported overly optimistically to have hit a cruiser and a freighter. P/O Hamblin was shot down by defensive fire from the bombers and bailed out, never to be seen again.

North African campaign

The Allies continued attacks on German airfields with raids on the Tunis/El Aouina, Bizerte/Sidi Ahmed and Gabes airfields along with the harbor at Bizerte. Allied troops beat off an attack on Tebourba but lost 40 tanks. U.S. forces (2d Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment with the 3d Battalion of Regimental Combat Team 26, U.S.1st Infantry Division) in conjunction with French troops attack Faid Pass, 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Gafsa. B-17s hit the Bizerte/Sidi Ahmed area and B-25s attacked AA guns near the Gabes airfield. OB Sud reported bringing 174 aircraft into action this day: 53 bombers, 55 fighters, 13 fighter-bombers and 28 recon aircraft. The Luftwaffe lost 9 fighters shot down by the Allies during the day.

United States

At the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, the first manmade, self-sustaining atomic chain reaction is achieved. In a squash court under the university (American) football stadium a group of scientists led by the Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi, allows the "pile" of uranium, insulated by graphite rods, to run for 4.5 minutes, which produces just one half-watt of power, but proves man can control atomic power. Scientists wait in awe as the neutron counter clicked faster. Then Fermi raises his hand.

"The pile has gone critical,"

he said. Someone telephoned Dr. James Conant, the head of defense science in Washington.

"Jim," he said, "the Italian navigator has just landed in the new world."

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Wilson (DD-408) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California (USA), on 2 December 1942



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

A B-24 finds Semichi and Attu Islands unchanged during a reconnaissance run; a B-26 on reconnaissance finds Kiska Island closed by fog.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Army Forces in South Pacific Area) Headquarters 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Photographic Group with the air echelon of A and B flights arrives Noumea, New Caledonia Is. The air echelons of C and D flights will remain in the US until Jan 44.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

American bombers based at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal begin almost daily attacks on Munda Point, New Georgia to prevent the Japanese from constructing an airfield there.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese try to reinforce their bridgehead. Four destroyers, with about 800 men embarked, reach Basabua early in the morning, but are forced by Allied aircraft to move on and land troops near the Kumusi River mouth, about 12 miles north of Gona. The Japanese maintain pressure on the roadblock on the Soputa- Sanananda trail, which the supply party reaches, and whittle down its perimeter. Efforts to reach the block frontally and from the right flank are again unsuccessful.
The Urbana Force (two battalions of the U.S. 126th and 128th Infantry Regiments, 32d Infantry Division) attacks again toward Buna Village, in greater strength and after increased preparatory fire, but is halted short of the objective.

Since simultaneous attacks against Cape Endaiadere and the New Strip have proved unfeasible, Warren Force (based on U.S. 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division) concentrates on New Strip, leaving a holding force (Company B, 128th Infantry Regiment) on the coastal track, where it fails to deceive the Japanese with a feint toward Cape Endaiadere. Warren Force attacks after air and ground bombardment, which does little damage to the Japanese, but results are negligible.

Lieutenant General Robert Eichelberger, Commanding General I Corps, visits the Urbana front while his staff officers inspect the Warren front. Afterwards, Eichelberger relieves Major General Edwin F. Harding of command of the U.S. 32d Infantry Division and designates Brigadier General Albert W. Waldron as his successor.

USAAF A-20s, B-17s, B-25s and P-400s attack four destroyers off Buna and Gona, and the airfield and positions in the in the Buna area and between Watutu Point and Cape Killerton. As a result of this attack, the destroyers, originally bound for Gona with 800 reinforcements, lands the troops near the mouth of the Kumment River 12 miles to the north.

Day 1182 of World War II, December 4th 1942

YouTube (Axis Armies Facing Starvation)



Eastern Front

Russians attack Heeresgruppe Don along the Chir, tying up the German troops needed to open a relief corridor to 6.Armee. A new formation; Army Detachment Hollidt, is attached to 3rd Romanian Army. This theoretically consists of the ubiquitous 48.Panzerkorps, now made up of the 11. and 22.Panzerdivisions, the 3rd Mountain, and 7th and 8th Luftwaffe Field Divisions. Most of the 3rd Mountain never arrives; elements are shifted here and there to meet local demands from Heeresgruppe Mitte and Heeresgruppe A, and 22.Panzerdivision is in serious need of a refit. The Luftwaffe Field divisions are incapable of conducting offensive action, and the 15th such division, due to join the 57.Panzerkorps hasn’t even been formed yet. With all this working against him, Von Manstein’s troops are subjected to a blistering attack by 5th Tank Army, all along the Chir river. Army Detachment Hollidt, instead of launching a secondary thrust north towards the pocket, is forced to spread its forces thin and confront the new Russian offensive. The Russians are attacking from the north and northwest against the 44th Division. The 14.Panzerdivision is rushing in from reserve to help stop the attack. One German regiment lost 500 men. Suddenly the Russians are gone. Again it seems the attack is nothing serious. The Russians are following Zhukov's orders, more or less.

Air War over Europe

During the night of 4/5 December, one RAF Bomber Command aircraft lays mines off Gdynia.

During the night of 4/5 December, two RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines off the Danish island of Bornholm off the southeastern tip of Sweden.

During the night of 4/5 December, 22 RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

Battle of the Mediterranean

In the first raid on Italy's mainland, 20 B-24s of the 98th and 376th BG (Heavy) of the US 9th AF, attacked the Italian fleet and docks at Naples, sinking the light cruiser "Muzio Attendolo". The cruiser "Montecuccoli" was badly damaged and the cruiser "Eugenio di Savoia" and 4 destroyers were less seriously damaged. Some 159 people died and 358 were injured. Hits were also scored on numerous harbor installations and a railroad yard. The raid by long-range Liberators changed the Mediterranean scene. Naples had been free of raids since Rommel took Allied coastal airfields in North Africa 6 months ago. Now it was back in range of Allied bombers.

Malta

Photo: HMS Welshman at Malta. 4 December 1942, Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta



North African campaign

RAF Nos. 18 and 614 Sqdrns lost a whole flight of eleven Bisley (Blenheim V) bombers by some 50 to 60 German fighters from JG 53 and II./JG 2 during an attack on Sidi Ahmed. Lt. Karch of II./JG 2 claimed 1 of the bombers and Oblt. Meimberg of Stab II./JG 53 was credited with 3 of the bombers destroyed. Acting Wing-Cdr Hugh Gordon Malcolm was shot down and killed while leading the bombers of RAF No. 18 Sqdrn. He led his bomber squadron with great daring in previous weeks and was awarded the Victoria Cross.

B-17s bombed shipping and docks at Bizerte while B-26s, with fighter escort, attacked the same target a half hour later. During the attack, the Luftwaffe lost 5 Bf 109s and one Bf 110 while escorting Ju 88 bombers to fighters of the US 1st, 14th and 52nd FG. The 52nd lFG ost Lt. Walter A. Kari who became the 52nd's first combat casuality, shot down over Tunisia. Lt. Stephen Freel was shot up by an attacking Bf 109 over Terbourba, but managed to make it back to Bone, only to die when his aircraft crashed on landing. Multiple kills were claimed by several Luftwaffe fighters including Ofw. Otto Schultz of 4./JG 51 (2 Spitfires), Fw. Erich Paczia from 6./JG 53 (3 bombers and 1 fighter), Lt. Fritz Dinger of 4./JG 53 (2 bombers and 1 fighter) and Oblt. Julius Meimberg of Stab II./JG 53 (3 bombers).

Photo: The French destroyer Milan beached off Casablanca, Morocco, on 4 December 1942. Badly damaged during the Battle of Casablanca on 8 November 1942, her forward superstructure is largely burned out. In the left distance is a French commercial freighter. U.S. Navy ships are in the center and right distance, among them a Brooklyn-class light cruiser and a Raven-Auk-class minesweeper. Note the railroad line in the foreground



Photo: The French destroyer Albatros beached off Casablanca, Morocco on 4 December 1942. Beyond her stern is the French light cruiser Primauguet. Both ships were badly damaged during the Battle of Casablanca, 8 November 1942. Albatros' third smokestack has been destroyed and Primaguet is largely burned out forward. Note the railroad line and signal in the foreground and shipping in the right distance, including at least two French commercial freighters and, partially visible at far right, what appears to be the U.S. Navy cargo ship USS Electra (AK-21) lying very low in the water. She had been torpedoed by the German submarine U-173 on 15 November



Pacific War

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Seven B-24s and nine B-26s escorted by 16 P-38s takeoff based on a Navy PBY Catalina report of a surface force southeast of Amchitka Island. At the interception point, the area is searched without results. The PBY pilot later reports he saw "clouds." Reconnaissance is flown over Attu, Agattu, Semichi, Kiska and Amchitka Islands.

NEW GUINEA CAMPAIGN

In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese maintain pressure against the block on the Soputa-Sanananda trail. Advance elements of the 127th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32d Infantry Division, reach Dobodura. Lines on Urbana Force (two battalions of the U.S. 126th and 128th Infantry Regiments, 32d Infantry Division) and Warren Force (based on U.S. 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division) fronts are rearranged to permit units operating under battalions other than their own to return to parent battalions.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

(Fifth Air Force) A-20s, B-25s and P-400s bomb and strafe Sanananda Point and the Buna areas and attack a small torpedo boat in Dyke Acland Bay. During the night of 3/4 Dec, B-17s bomb airfields at Lae and Salamaua. Lost is B-17F "Dumbo" 41-24429. On the ground, the US roadblock on the Soputa-Sanananda trail remains precarious as the Japanese maintain attacks from all sides and hold off US reinforcements. In the Bismarck Archipelago, a lone B-17s attacks a submarine 75 miles southeast of Rabaul. Lost on a training flight is P-38F "Synchronized Sal" 42-12646.

SOLOMON CAMPAIGN

On Guadalcanal, Carlson's raiders (2d Marine Raider Battalion) reach the Lunga perimeter, having marched west from Aola Bay.

During the month-long journey, more than 400 Japanese dead have been counted for the loss of 17 raiders.