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September 27th, 1942

UNITED KINGDOM: HMCS Weyburn, a Flower-class corvette, LCdr. Thomas Maitland Wade Golby RCNR, CO, arrived with the 20-ship Sydney to Londonderry convoy SC-100. Four ships from the convoy were lost: three to U-boats and one to a collision.
SC-100 was escorted by the American A3 Escort Group. It consisted of the Secretary-class USCG cutters Campbell and Spencer and the Flower-class corvettes HMS Bittersweet, Mayflower, Nasturtium as well as HMCS Trillium and Rosthern.
The Canadian corvettes Lunenburg and Weyburn were assigned for passage to the UK and subsequent employment on Operation Torch, the North African landings. With nine escorts, the 20-ship convoy should have been adequately protected. However, the lack of group cohesion, inadequate equipment in the Canadian corvettes, and inexperience of the Canadian ships led to a poor effort by the A3 group. In particular, the lack of adequate tactical radios systems in the Canadian corvettes prevented the group commander from effectively directing the action from his well-equipped flagship. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.S.R.: Units of the German 6 Armee succeed in capturing most of the strategic Mamayev Kurgan Hill at Stalingrad, and penetrating the heavily defended Red October and Barricades housing estates. (Jack McKillop)

The survivors of the 92nd Naval Infantry Brigade cross to the island of Golodnyy. Here a composite battalion is formed out of the survivors. (Russell Folsom) (215 Chap. 3)

LIBYA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24s are dispatched to attack an 8,000-ton vessel at Bengasi. No bombs hit the target but several straddle a jetty in the harbor.

JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan’s new foreign minister, Masayuki Tani, says he will continue the policy of non-aggression towards Soviet Russia.

CHINA: 4 B-25 Mitchells of the US Tenth Air Force’s China Air Task Force over southwestern China blast Mengshih, claiming about 30 trucks and 400 troops destroyed; The B-25s also bomb Tengchung, leaving it aflame; 3 flights of P-40s strafe targets of opportunity along the Burma Road, claiming 15 trucks destroyed and 5 barracks groups damaged. (Jack McKillop)

NEW GUINEA: The Japanese begin their withdrawal back down the Kokoda Track from Ioribaiwa, as the Australians begin their attack.

US Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs continue to pound forces north of Ioribaiwa in the area between Kagi and Efogi and in the Myola and Menari areas; the Japanese abandon Ioribaiwa Ridge and are in full retreat under heavy pressure from Australian ground forces. (Jack McKillop)

MacArthur forces Blamey to relieve General Rowell. (William L. Howard)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: In the combined Raider - 1st - 7th Marines attack across the Matinakau River, at the One Log Bridge, on Guadalcanal, Major Kenneth Bailey is killed. Winner of the MOH at Bloody Ridge, he is the Executive Officer of the Raiders. Battles at both the One Log Bridge and the mouth of the River are fierce and the Marines make no headway. 3 companies of the 1-7 are ordered to land west of the river mouth by boat. These Marines are cut off through quick reaction by Col. Oka. Having no radio, they use their “T” shirts to spell out help. Col. Puller takes the destroyer Monssen and several landing craft to evacuate them. Using the firepower of the destroyer, the Japanese are pushed back and the Marines are evacuated under heavy fire.

Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the only U.S. Coast Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, is killed on Guadalcanal. The citation for his award reads in part, “For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Petty Officer in Charge of a group of 24 Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a battalion of marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz Guadalcanal, on 27 September 1942. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered marines, Munro, under constant strafing by enemy machine guns on the island, and at great risk of his life, daringly led 5 of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signalled the others to land, and then in order to draw the enemy’s fire and protect the heavily loaded boats, he valiantly placed his craft with its 2 small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was instantly killed by enemy fire, but his crew, 2 of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach.” (Jack McKillop)

After 2-weeks of bad weather, IJN aircraft renew air attacks. 18 G4M “Betty” bombers escorted by 27 A6M “Zeke” fighters are engated by 16 USMC and 18USNF4F Wildcats. The Americans shoot down 6 G4Ms and 2 “Zekes;” an SBD Dauntless is destroyed on the ground and 3 SBDs and 5 TBF Avengers are damaged.

Aviation Pilot First Class Lee P. Mankin, an F4F pilot assigned to the USN’s Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5), shoots down an A6M “Zeke” and becomes the only US enlisted ace in WWII. (Jack McKillop)

GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese troops land on Kuria Island. (Jack McKillop)

AUSTRALIA: HMAS Warrnambool and HMAS Kalgoorlie are sent from Darwin to pick up HMAS Voyager’s crew, all of whom have survived with seven minor casualties from the Japanese air raids. One crewmen who has been reunited with this brother, a member of the 2/2nd AIF, has asked to remain with Sparrow force. (William L. Howard)(188, 189, 190, 191)

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIANS: Shore and harbor areas of Kiska Island are bombed by the US Eleventh Air Force: 8 B-24 Liberators and a B-17 Flying Fortress, escorted by a P-38 Lightning, 13 P-39Airacobras and 4 P-40s take off first, and are followed by 6 unescorted B-24s; weather turns back 13 of the fighters; an LB-30 Liberator flies photo-weather reconnaissance over Attu, Buldir, the Semichi, Agattu, and Amchitka Islands. (Jack McKillop)

U.S.A.: The Glenn Miller Orchestra played their last concert in Passaic, New Jersey before Alton Glenn Miller went into the U.S. Army. It was a sad event for the band members and they could not finish playing the band’s theme song, “Moonlight Serenade,” at the end of the concert. (Jack McKillop)

Destroyer USS William D Porter launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German raider Stier, 4 ships of 29,000 tons this cruise, attempts to attack the Liberty ship Stephen Hopkins. The Hopkins, armed with only 1 4 inch gun fights back. This unexpected resistance is successful, and the Stier sinks, but the Stephen Hopkins also sinks.
The SS Stephen Hopkins, a Liberty Ship armed with a World War I Four Inch Fifty shell gun on the stern and a 37 MM on the bow, was sailing from Capetown, South Africa to Paramaribo, Dutch Guinea, when she was attacked by the raider STIER and her escort the blockade runner TANNENFELS. The Master kept the stern of the Hopkins towards the raiders and eventually the Liberty Ship sank the STIER and badly damaged the TANNENFELS. The Hopkins also sank, a mass of twisted metal, and thirty-two of the 40 member merchant crew and nine of the fifteen Navy gunners were killed. The Liberty ship expended all its four inch ammunition and all the four inch gunners were killed and the last five rounds were fired by a Merchant Marine Engine Cadet before he was also killed. The only award ever made, that I can determine, was that the ship was declared a “Gallant Ship.” (Tom Bower and Jack McKillop)

- The German submarine U-165 is sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of Lorient, in position 47.50N, 03.22W, probably by air-laid mines. All 51 hands on the U-boat are lost. (Jack McKillop)