Posted on 09/12/2012 4:17:53 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Richard Tregaskis, Guadalcanal Diary
Hold-Or-Die Stand (Parker) – 2-3
War News Summarized – 3
Manning the United States Flying Fortresses Bombarding the Foe on the Continent (photos) – 5-6
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 7-8
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=2929802%2C4
Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal
Saturday, September 12, 1942 www.onwar.com
The dead on “Bloody Ridge” [photo at link]
In the Solomon Islands... On Guadalcanal, major attacks by the Japanese units, from General Kawaguchi’s 35th brigade, begin. Fighting is heavy especially around the aptly named “Bloody Ridge”. Reinforcements of aircraft are flown to the Americans from the USS Wasp.
In the Atlantic... German U-boat U-156 sinks the passenger liner Laconia, just south of the equator, off the coast of Africa. The passengers, service men’s wives and children and Italian prisoners of war are aided by the U-boat captain, Hartenstein, who surfaces and then radios in plain language to Allied authorities for help for them. Despite this conduct, an American plane attacks the U-boat.
From Berlin... In response to the attack by the American plane, Admiral Doenitz orders that no U-boat commander may again attempt the rescue of civilians survivors. He also orders rescue boats from Dakar for the rest of the survivors of the Laconia. Of note, the “Laconia Order” forms one of the indictments against Admiral Doenitz at Nuremberg after the war.
On the Eastern Front... At Stalingrad, the German encirclement of Stalingrad continues. Soviet perimeter is now only about 30 miles long.
From Moscow... Stalin appoints General Chiuikov to command of the 62nd Army which will soon be completely besieged in Stalingrad.
"Ada Levi, a Jew, of Bologna, Italy, received forced-labor notification No. 307.
It was signed by the prefect of Bologna, president of the Provincial Council, on September 14, 1942.
Although the Italian government treated Jews better than the Germans--indeed, better than the Vichy French government--Jews were nevertheless required to provide labor."
"Forced labor was a common characteristic of the German occupation of Poland.
This labor pass of September 15, 1942, was awarded to Chaim Jakub Hallsweder by the Judenrat of Bochnia, Poland.
Less than two months later, the Germans attacked the ghetto, killed dozens of Jews, and sent hundreds of others to the Belzec death camp."
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm
September 12th, 1942
UNITED KINGDOM: The US Army Air Forces activates the 4th Fighter Group at Bushey Hall, England and the three “Eagle” squadrons and their aircraft, Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vs, are transferred to the USAAF becoming the 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons respectively. The pilots who have served in these Eagle Squadrons are allowed to wear their RAF pilot wings above their right breast pocket of the blouse. (Jack McKillop)
Woodley, Berkshire: The Miles Messenger (M. 38) light liaison and communication duties aircraft makes its maiden flight. (22)
Destroyer HMS Eggesford launched.
Submarine HMS Truculent launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: Ten British Commandoes raid Port-en-Bessin in Normandy and kill seven Germans. The gunfire alerts the garrison which attacks and kills nine of the commandoes; one, Private Hayes, swims along the coast and aided by a French family, escapes to Spain. However, the Spanish police arrest Hayes and send him back to France where he is interrogated by the Gestapo. Acting under the notorious “Kugel” Order, signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, that orders execution for all captured British commandos, Hayes is executed by the Gestapo. (Jack McKillop)
POLAND: Warsaw: The gassing of 2,196 Jews at Treblinka today marks the end of a week of deportations in which about 70,000 Jews have been decanted from the ever-shrinking ghetto here. Since the Nazis started their plan to eliminate the ghetto in July, nearly 255,000 people have been deported to their deaths.
The latest Aktion, which the Jews grimly nicknamed the kesl [Yiddish for cauldron], started on 5 September when all ghetto dwellers were ordered to report to a new assembly point in Mila Street. Roped off and guarded by armed police, who report shooting 2,648 attempted escapees this week, the Jews have been shipped off to Treblinka at the rate of 10,000 a day. Only around 70,000 remain out of a population of 350,000. There are no families; those who remain are mainly single men in their twenties and thirties, temporarily exempted from death only in order to boost the war effort as labourers in the ghetto’s German-owned factories.
Life in the ghetto is worse than ever. Those with the all-important work permits sleep in their workplaces; those without them exist as scavengers on the run, sheltering in burnt-out apartment blocks. Ukrainian militiamen roam the area shooting Jews dead at random. Corpses line the street.
U.S.S.R.: The perimeter held by the Soviet Army at Stalingrad is closed to 30 miles (48 kilometres). Lieutenant General Vasily Chuikov is appointed to command the Soviet 62nd Army at Stalingrad and immediately orders close-quarter fighting to prevent the Germans from using their Ju 87 Stuka divebombers. Chuikov tells his 55,000 haggard men, “We shall hold the city or die here.”
NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track the Japanese attack Ioribaiwa. (William L. Howard)
US 5th Air Force P-400 Airacobras, B-26 Maruaders, A-20 Havocs, and B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the airfield and strafe barges at Buna. P-40s strafe Gadaibai on Goodenough Island. A B-17 strafes a vessel in Bismarck Sea south of Kavieng, New Ireland Island, Bismarck Archipelago. (Jack McKillop)
PORTUGUESE TIMOR: The Bathurst class corvette HMAS Kalgoorlie makes a trip to Timor with 14 soldiers and 15 tons of supplies; during this trip Kalgoolie’s captain made the observation that he had never before seen troops who looked so hungry, and that no sooner had the unloading begun when the soldiers broke open boxes of food and opened cans with bayonets and knifes and ate the contents there and then. (William L. Howard)(188, 189, 190, 191)
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Bundaberg commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: The IJN sends 42 G4M “Betty” bombers and an unknown number of A6M “Zeke” fighters to attack Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The Japanese are intercepted by 11 USMC and 21USNF4F Wildcats; the Americans shoot down 14 G4Ms and an A6M at the cost of 1 F4F. During the night, IJN surface ships shell Guadalcanal killing 3 Marine SBD Dauntless pilots. (Jack McKillop)
VF 5, the fighter unit from Saratoga that arrived on Guadalcanal yesterday, flew it’s first mission from Henderson Field today. Also arriving yesterday was Admiral Turner. He has discussed Admiral Ghormley’s pessimistic view of the situation. He also wants to bring the 7th Marines to Guadalcanal. He proposes sprinkling them in small groups around the island. General Vandegrift opposes this plan. Admiral Turner visits with war correspondents and is quoted: “...marines will be on the island for a long time and things will get worse before they get better.”
At 2130 hours, bombardment of the perimeter begins, IJN light cruiser Sendai, and destroyers Shikinami, Fubuki and Suzukaze are offshore. Then an attack against the ridge begins. Col Edson has a combined 840 men between his Raider Battalion and the attached Marine Parachute Battalion. General Kawaguchi has 3 battalions, with 2,506 men, attacking. But the jungle has slowed the arrival of 2 battalions, his attack is very disjointed. The also get bogged down between the ridge and the Lunga River. Finally about 1 hour before daybreak the Japanese commanders begin to gain control of their units. They regroup to attack the next night.
Japan assaults US positions around Bloody Ridge.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A US 11th Air Force weather and patrol reconnaissance aircraft finds overcast at Kiska Island but takes photos over Tanaga, Kanaga, and Attu Islands. The runway at Adak Island is completed. (Jack McKillop)
CANADA: Frigate USS Natchez launched Montreal, Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Destroyers USS Champlin and Kendrick commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Destroyer HMCS Ottawa attacked by U-92. U-92, a type VIIC U-boat built at Flender-Werke, Lubeck. laid down 4 Oct 41, commissioned 3 Mar 42, on her first war patrol at the time. U-92 went on to complete 9 patrols and compiled a record of 2 ships sunk for a total of 17,612 tons and 1 ship damaged for a further 9,348 tons. U-92 was heavily damaged 4 Oct 44 in Bergen, Norway, by bombs from RAF aircraft, of number 6 and number 8 Air groups. U-92 was paid off 12 Oct 1944 and scrapped during 1944/45. (Dave Shirlaw)
U-211 damaged SS Empire Moonbeam and SS Hektoria in Convoy ON-127.
U-404 damaged SS Daghil in Convoy ON-127.
U-512 sank SS Patrick J. Hurley.
U-515 sank SS Stanvac Melbourne and damaged SS Woensdrecht.
U-608 sank SS Empire Moonbeam and Hektoria in Convoy ON-127.
U-68 sank SS Trevilley. (Dave Shirlaw)
BRAZIL naval forces are placed under the operational control of the USN. (Jack McKillop)
ARCTIC OCEAN: The German submarine U-88 is sunk in the south of Spitzbergen, in position 75.40N, 20.32E, by the RN destroyer HMS Faulknor. All hands, 46-men, on the U-boat are lost. (Jack McKillop)
SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN: The 19,695 ton former Cunard White Star passenger liner SS Laconia is sailing to England. Aboard are 136 crewmen, 80 civilians, military material and personnel (268 men) and approximately 1,800 Italian prisoners of war with 160 Polish soldiers on guard. At 2207 hours, the ship is torpedoed by the German submarine U-156 (Kapitänleutnant Werner Hartenstein) and sinks at 2323 hours in position 05.05S, 11.38W. Shortly after the ship sank, the crew of the surfaced U-156 hears Italian voices in the sea and in the lifeboats. The captain begins a rescue operation and sends a radio message in the clear asking for assistance from any vessel in the area. Hartenstein states that “if any ship will assist the ship-wrecked ‘Laconia’-crew, I will not attack providing I am not being attacked by ship or air forces.”
During the next three days, U-156 rescues 400 survivors with 200 on the deck of the sub and 200 in lifeboats. On 15 September, U-506 arrives at 1130 hours followed by U-507 and the Italian submarine Cappellini a few hours later. The subs head for Africa towing the lifeboats behind them. The following day, 16 September, a USAAF B-24 Liberator based on Ascension Island flies over the scene and the pilot notifies his headquarters. Even though the submarines are flying the Red Cross flag, the pilot is ordered to attack them which he does at 1232 hours. The submarines cut the lines to the lifeboats and submerge leaving hundred of people who were on the decks now in the water. Shortly thereafter, French warships arrive from Dakar and pick up about 1,500 survivors.
As a result of the attack by the B-24, Admiral Dönitz orders that no U-boats are to take part in rescue operations and they are to leave any survivors in the water. (Jack McKillop)
I put the wrong link on #5. This is the correct one.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/sep42/f12sep42.htm
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