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October 12th, 1942

UNITED KINGDOM:

Frigates HMS Deveron and Teviot launched.

Destroyer HMS Grenville launched.

Submarines HMS Ultor and Simoon launched.

Frigate HMS Test commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

GERMANY: U-290 and U-680 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine “Sch-302”of the Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega Flotillas is mined and then finished by aviation North to Bolshoi Tuters Is. (Sergey Anisimov) (69)

Soviet submarine SC-308 sunk by depth charges by Finnish patrol boats VMV 13 and VMV 15 Tiiskeri. (Dave Shirlaw)

EGYPT: Bomber Command, US Army, Middle East Air Force, is organized at Cairo with Colonel Patrick W Timberlake as Commanding Officer; this step comes about as part of a move to preserve the Lieutenant General Henry H “Hap” Arnold-Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles F Portal-Admiral John H Towers, USN, agreement that US combat units in theaters of British strategic responsibility are to be organized in homogeneous “American formations” and under strategic control only” of a British Commander-in-Chief.

LIBYA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses hit shipping in Tobruk harbor. (Jack McKillop)

NEW GUINEA: Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs attack the village of Isivita and targets on the trail near Wairopi; and B-25 Mitchells bomb Buna, Wairopi bridge, and targets along the Buna-Kokoda trail. (Jack McKillop)

AUSTRALIA: Russia and Australia established diplomatic relations. (Dave Shirlaw)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Late yesterday evening a US Naval Task Force, under Admiral Scott headed north for Ironbottom Sound. Their intent is to intercept a run by the “Tokyo Express”. They will miss the reinforcement run and intercept a bombardment run.

Admiral Goto on Aoba, with Furutaka and Kinugasa and destroyers Fubuki and Hatsusuyuki has been assigned the first of the major bombardment missions in October.

Scott from cruiser San Francisco leads Boise, Salt Lake City and Helena with destroyers Ferenholt, Duncan Laffey Buchanan and McCalla.

Due to a planned reversal of course to his patrol route, Admiral Scott crosses the “T” on Admiral Goto in the naval action that has become known as The Battle of Cape Esperance. The Japanese ships, with bombardment shells handy, are not suspecting the US force. Destroyer Duncan is sunk and 3 of the four US cruisers are damaged. Cruiser Furutaka, destroyers Fubui and hatsusuyuki are sunk from direct action in the battle. Destroyer Natsugumo is sunk by the Cactus Airforce the next day.

The Battle of Cape Esperance shows the Japanese spotting the US force without the aid of radar before the radar return of the US force is believed. The complacency of the Japanese Admiral squanders this advantage. Due to the success in this battle, Scott’s single column tactics will be followed in future battles, without corresponding success.

The reinforcement convoy of seaplane carriers Nisshin and Chitose with 6 destroyers unloads supplies and 280 reinforcements on Guadalcanal. Included in the equipment unloaded are 4 150mm howitzers. These will become known to the Marines as “Pistol Pete”.

Sixteen SBD Dauntlesses escorted by 16 F4F Wildcats and 8 P-39Airacobras take off from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal at 0515 hours, in search of the Japanese ships that resupplied the island last night. SBD pilots follow oil slicks and locate four IJN destroyers north of the Russell Islands and a Scouting Squadron Seventy One (VS-71) SBD pilot scores a near miss on destroyer HIJMS Natsugumo which later sinks.

At 0800 hours, 14 USMC F4Fs plus 6 SBDs and 6 TBF Avengers of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) attack the ships. The F4Fs strafe 2 IJN destroyers, the SBDs score 3 near misses on the ship and finally, a TBF torpedoes the destroyer HIJMS Murakumo which is later scuttled by destroyer HIJMS Shirayuki.

The USN destroyers USS Gwin (DD-433), USS Nicholas (DD-450), and USS Sterett (DD-407) shell Japanese artillery positions on Guadalcanal.

The first four boats of the USN’s Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Two (MTBRon 2) arrive at Government Wharf on Tulagi Island today. PTs 38, 46, 48 and 60 had arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia on 19 September and had been towed to Espirtu Santo Island. They were then towed from Espirtu Santo to a point 300 miles (482.8 km) from Tulagi by two fast minesweepers and then sailed on their own power. The second 4-boat division of the squadron will arrive on 25 October.

The US Army 164th Regiment lands on Guadalcanal.

Five Fifth Air Force B-17s bomb Japanese installations on Buka Island. (Jack McKillop)

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: Aleutian Islands: 2 Eleventh Air Force) B-24 Liberators abort bombing of Kiska Island due to overcast and instead fly shipping search west of Attu Island. (Jack McKillop)

CANADA: Russia’s first Minister to Canada, Fyodor Guseff, arrived in Ottawa. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: Dinah Shore’s record of “Maybe” makes it to the Billboard Pop Singles chart. This is the first of her records to make the charts and it stays there for 2 weeks and rises to Number 17. (Jack McKillop)

In Washington during a radio “fireside chat,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces that 18- and 19-year-olds will be drafted into the military services.

In Washington, Attorney General Francis Biddle says 600,000 first-generation Italian-Americans, including some who have lived in the United States for decades, no longer will be classified as enemy aliens. (Jack McKillop)

Destroyers USS Braine and John Hood laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-597 is sunk southwest of Iceland, in position 56.50N, 28.05W, by depth charges from an RAF Liberator, aircraft “H” of No. 120 Squadron based at Reykjavik, Iceland. All hands on the U-boat, 49 men, are lost. (Jack McKillop)

U-514 sank SS Steel Scientist.

U-706 sank SS Stornest in Convoy ONS-136. (Dave Shirlaw)