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August 16th, 1942

GERMANY: German railways have been running a large-scale campaign this summer designed to restrict private travel. “Will your journey help us to victory?” ask posters pasted up at railway stations. “Must you steal carriage space from the front?” demand newspaper advertisements in which soldiers in full kit glare menacingly at their compatriots. The campaign began in June and is continuing through the holiday season. Leisure or holiday trips, however, are the prime target of the “Wheels must roll for victory” campaign.

U.S.S.R.: Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla: Shipping loss: MS “TSch-405 “Vzrivatel”” - by field artillery, close to Eupatoria (later raised) (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. envoy Averell Harriman leave Moscow after a five-day conference with Soviet Premier Josef Stalin. Despite recent retreats, Stalin says, the Soviet Union will not be defeated. He asks the British and Americans to send all the trucks they can to increase the Red Army’s mobility. (Jack McKillop)

EGYPT: US Army Air Force planes go into action for the first time, attacking German positions.

NEW GUINEA: Japanese reinforcements are landed near Buna. They will supplement the Japanese offensive towards Port Moresby through Kokoda over the Owen Stanley Mountains.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: In the Aleutians, a US 11th Air Force B-24 Liberator aborts a photo reconnaissance flight over Adak Island because of mechanical failure. The IJA 32nd Independent Field Anti-aircraft Battery arrives on Attu Island.

U.S.A.: The unmanned USN non-rigid airship L-8, assigned to Airship Patrol Squadron Thirty Two (ZP-32) based at NAS Moffett Field, California, is involved in a bizarre incident that has never been completely solved to this day. The L-8 left Treasure Island, California at 0600 hours local on a routine patrol off the coast of San Francisco with a crew of 2, Lieutenant (jg) Cody and Ensign Adams. At 0738 hours, the crew radioed that they were 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the Farallon Islands and were investigating an oil slick.
Approximately 2 hours later the airship crashed in Dale City, California. The engines were not running even though there was adequate fuel; the radio equipment was operative but there was no one on board. No trace was ever found of either man and there was no indication of what happened to them. The airship had apparently drifted with the wind toward land, exceeded her pressure height and deflated, settling to earth on power lines at Dale City. The door was locked open with the safety bar down and the only items missing from the blimp were two life-preservers. The L-8 was salvaged and completely repaired. (Jack McKillop)

The 35,000-ton South Dakota Class battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) is commissioned at the U.S. Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia. Alabama is the last of four battleships to be completed this year; the others are South Dakota (BB-57), Indiana (BB-58) and Massachusetts (BB-59). (Jack McKillop)

Destroyers USS Conway and Murray launched.
Minesweeper USS Portent launched.
Submarine USS Sibyl commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-507 sinks SS Araraquara, SS Annibal Benévolo and SS Baependy.
U-596 sinks SS Suecia in Convoy SC-95. (Dave Shirlaw)