Posted on 07/15/2012 6:14:53 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/jul42/f15jul42.htm
Allies supply Chinese by air
Wednesday, July 15, 1942 www.onwar.com
American transport flying “Over the Hump” [photo at link]
From India... The first supplies flown into China “Over the Hump” are sent to Chiang Kai-shek’s forces. The loss of the Burma Road to the Japanese prevents supplying the troops by land.
In North Africa... Fighting continues around the Ruwesiat Ridge, with the German forces regaining some ground. Losses to British artillery fire are high.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm
July 15th, 1942
UNITED KINGDOM: Brendan (”Paddy”) Finucane, at 21 the RAF’s youngest wing-commander, was shot down over the English Channel and drowned today. He joins another 122 fighter pilots said to be “missing” since 1 June. A quiet Dubliner, Finucane had been awarded several decorations after 32 kills.
He end was freakishly unlucky. Finucane was flying just above ground level when his engine was hit by a light-calibre Wehrmacht machine-gun set up temporarily on dunes near Le Touguet. As he approached the sea he told his comrades, by radio: “This is it, chaps.” His Spitfire plunged underwater taking him down.
Destroyer HMS Relentless launched.
Frigate HMS Musk laid down.
(Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: Paris: Jews are forbidden to enter any public building such as restaurants, cinemas or libraries.
NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam: 2,000 Jews are deported to Auschwitz, told they are going to labour camps in Germany.
GERMANY: U-529 is launched.
U-746 and U-861 are laid down.
U-467 is commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
FINLAND: Ruotsinsalmi and Patrol Boat VMV 16 sink Soviet submarine Shtsh 317 at Kallbådagrund by depth charges. (Dave Shirlaw)
NORTH AFRICA: The German Afrika Korps regains some ground around Ruweisat Ridge, but take heavy losses from British Artillery. The Allies hit two Italian divisions, forcing Rommel to postpone his offensive.
Ruweisat, Egypt: Sgt. Keith Elliott (1916-89), New Zealand Expeditionary Force, was wounded but led his men to capture four machine-gun posts, an anti-tank gun and 130 PoWs. (Victoria Cross)
Ruweisat, Egypt: Capt. Charles Hazlitt Upham (b.1908) was badly wounded,, but stayed with his men until so badly wounded that he was unable to move. (Victoria Cross, only VC and bar of the war)
In North Africa, US Army, Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF): B-24s strike the harbour and ships at Benghazi, Libya during the night of 15/16 July. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: The first supplies from India reach China by flying over the “HUMP”.
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Wallaroo commissioned.
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Three 11th Air Force B-24 Liberators on a bombing mission to Kiska Island turn back due to weather. In Washington, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have their first discussion regarding the retaking of Attu and Kiska Islands from the Japanese. On Akutan Island, a salvage crew arrives with a medum sized bulldozer fitted with a winch, a second and heavier prefabricated sled and considerable equipment and lumber arrives to salvage the Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Model 21, Allied Code Name “Zeke,” that was first observed lying on its back by a crew of a PBY Catalina on 10 July.
NEWFOUNDLAND: Tug HMCS Lakeville assigned to St. John’s. (Dave Shirlaw)
CANADA: First photographic interpretation unit set up in the Pacific.
HM S/M P554 arrived Argentia for ASW training.
Frigate HMCS Swansea laid down Esquimalt, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)
USA: Glen Miller and his Orchestra record the classic song, “Jukebox Saturday Night”, for Victor Records. The vocal on the record are by Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke and The Modernaires. (Jack McKillop)
Submarine USS Sunfish commissioned.
Destroyer escorts USS Stewart, Sturtevant laid down.
Corvette USS Might launched.
Destroyer USS Thompson launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0146, the unescorted British Yeoman was torpedoed by U-201 SW of the Canary Islands. The tanker caught fire and was later sunk by gunfire. The master, 35 crewmembers and seven gunners were lost. Ten crewmembers were picked up by the Spanish tanker Castillo Almenara and landed at St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands. (Dave Shirlaw)
At 0749, the unescorted Pennsylvania Sun was hit by one torpedo from U-571 about 125 miles west of Key West, while steaming on a zigzag course at 14 knots. The torpedo struck amidships on the port side between the #5 and #6 tanks and blew away the port wing of the bridge, killed the quartermaster and a seaman and ignited the cargo. The master steered for five minutes southeast at full speed and then ordered the engines stopped, while a distress signal was sent and confirmed. The survivors among the nine officers, 33 crewmen and 17 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in, four 20mm and two .30cal guns) on board abandoned ship in three lifeboats, rowed away and put out sea anchors to wait for a rescue vessel. They were picked up by USS Dahlgren after three and one-half hours and taken to Key West the same day. The next evening, the master, three officers and the crew of salvage tug USS Willet returned to the Pennsylvania Sun, when a patrol aircraft reported that the fire had abated. They extinguished the flames and towed her to Key West, where temporary repairs were made. The tanker steamed under own power with her crew to Chester, Pennsylvania and returned to service after the permanent repairs were completed.
Between 2020 and 2025, U-576 fired four torpedoes at Convoy KS-520, the first damaged the Chilore, the second damaged the JA Mowinckel, the third sank the Bluefields and the fourth missed the second ship. U-576 sunk near Cape Hatteras, USA, in position 34.51N, 75.22W, by depth charges from two Scouting Squadron Nine (VS-9) OS2U Kingfishers and ramming by US bulk carrier MV Unicoi. 45 dead (all hands lost). The both damaged ships later run into a US defensive minefield. The Chilore sank and the JA Mowinckel was further damaged, but later repaired. (Jack McKillop and Dave Shirlaw)
At 0330, the Empire Attendant, dispersed from Convoy OS-33, was torpedoed and sunk by U-582 south of the Canary Islands. The master, 49 crewmembers and nine gunners were lost. U-582 reported her victim under the former name Domala. (Dave Shirlaw)
OK, GREAT!! After a rocky start it looks as if we are getting our act together and can really win this thing!!
Yea for the good guys!! :-)
"As his comrades look on, a German soldier offers food to a barefoot and hungry Croatian child.
Axis military victory led to the division of Yugoslavia.
Croatia became a Nazi puppet state, led by the Ustasa.
The Ustasa persecuted any who opposed them, including Serbs, leaving those fortunate enough to survive hungry and homeless.''
Not if the Germans bomb Pearl Harbor again.
1. The Yorktown was put out of action, the communique stated, but this report put to rest the general belief that a carrier, already announced as hit, had been sunk.
The Yorktown was indeed sunk at Midway.
--
2. The heavy cruiser Mogami and Mikuma were sunk, and three other damaged.
The Mogami was damaged, but not sunk. (The Mogami was later lost after the Battle of the Surigao Strait in 1944.)
--
3. Three unnamed [Japanese] battleships were damaged, one severely.
I'm not aware of any Japanese battleships that were damaged at Midway.
Weren't they all with Yamamoto's group a couple hundred miles away from the action? U.S. forces never saw them.
Of special imterest is the pg 4 story of Marine Maj Lofton Henderson, who dove his damaged plane into a Jap carier. Henderson Field, on Guadalcanal, was named in his honor.
Not knowing if a carrier was sunk this far after the battle isn’t the fog of war, it’s propaganda. Note the lies about the American battleships damaged. The heavy cruiser would have to be the USS Houston,not sure what they are counting for damaged cruisers.
There were at least two fast battleships [one was HARUNA]with the KIDO BUTAI. There were always two battleships assigned to it from Pearl Harbor on.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.