June 14, 1942: British Withdraw Toward Tobruk

Sunday 14 June 1942

Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun relaxing with their dogs at the Berghof, Berchtesgaden, 114 June 1942. Hitler is taking a break from the war before the beginning of "Case Blue," the summer offensive in the Soviet Union that he thinks will end the war. (Federal Archive B 145 Bild-F051673-0059).

Eastern Front: General Erich von Manstein's 11th Army troops have scored a deep penetration into Soviet lines on the northern front of the Sevastopol perimeter on 14 June 1942. Manstein's forces have captured Fort Stalin, opening a wedge into the Soviet lines. The German 24th, 50th, and Romanian 4th Mountain Division advance through the central valley. The first objective is the Maxim Gorky fortress, defended by the greatly weakened Soviet 95th Rifle Division and 7th Naval Brigade.

The German also make some progress in the south, where the German 72nd and 170th Infantry Divisions advance along north the coast. The Romanian 18th Mountain Division attacks the Soviet 386th Rifle Division to keep pressure off their flank. The Luftwaffe is flying from fields just behind the front, averaging 780 sorties a day, many against Sevastopol itself.

At Fuhrer headquarters in East Prussia, General Franz Halder receives an updated casualty list for Operation Barbarossa through 10 June 1942. It shows total Heer (army) losses of 1,268,434 soldiers (39.58% of the army's establishment strength of 3.2 million). There have been 9,915 offices and 256,302 of other ranks killed, 27,282 officers and 915,575 of other ranks wounded, and 38,084 officers and 230,350 of other ranks missing. While things appear to be going well on the battlefield, the Wehrmacht in the USSR is shrinking fast.

Halder also has a conference with supply chief General Wagner. He writes: "On the whole quite satisfactory. Situation difficult in fuel and tank and AT [antitank] ammunition." Ammunition shortages plagued the Wehrmacht throughout Operation Barbarossa.

 USS Wakefield arrives at King's Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand, carrying U.S. troops of the 1st Marine Division, on 14 June 1942.

Battle of the Pacific: Following its devastating losses at the Battle of Midway, the remaining Japanese fleet arrives at Hashirajima. This completes the events directly related to the battle and this date is sometimes given as the end of the Battle of Midway.

Wounded sailors are immediately taken to naval hospitals, placed in isolation, and classified as "secret patients" so word of the disaster will not get out. The men on the ships are quickly transferred to other postings, many in remote locations in the South Pacific, without being able to see their families or give accounts of the battle. The flag officers retain their positions and are not disciplined, with Admiral Nabumo given command of the new carrier force, as his old one was completely sunk, and he begins implementing new policies such as refueling aircraft on the flight deck and not taking the extra time to bring them down to the hangar.

On the American side, of course, it is quite different. They cannot talk enough about the battle. Admiral Chester Nimitz begins drawing up an offensive campaign in the southern Solomon Islands to protect supply lines to Australia.

The Japanese public is kept completely in the dark about the epic loss. Emperor Hirohito is one of the few people outside of the military who receives accurate information.

In the Aleutians, the USAAF 11th Air Force sends four B-17s and three B-24 Liberators to attack Japanese shipping in Kiska Harbor. To B-17s are heavily damaged, and a scout seaplane is shot down - the attackers claim hits on Japanese cruisers that are not verified. A long USN PBY Catalina attacks shipping southwest of Kiska, but only scores a near-miss on light cruiser HIJMS Tama. Japanese bombers bomb Nazan Bay on Atka Island, and the Japanese send the light cruiser Abukuma accompanied by four destroyers to investigate Amchitka Island.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Thor shells and sinks 6307-ton Dutch tanker Olivia midway between Madagascar and Perth, Australia (far south of India). There are 41 deaths, with one crewman taken captive and four crewmen making landfall in Madagascar.

The Society Section of the 14 June 1942 LA Times is full of bathing beauties.

European Air Operations: It is a quiet day on the Channel Front with no major operations.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-172 (Kptlt. Carl Emmermann), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 8289-ton U.S. bulk carrier Lebore 200 nautical miles (370 km) north of Cristóbal, Panama. There are one death and 93 survivors, rescued by USS Erie and Tattnall.

U-504 (KrvKpt. Hans-Georg Friedrich Poske), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 3280-ton Latvian freighter Regent 200 nautical miles (370 km) southwest of the Cayman Islands. There are 11 deaths and 14 survivors.

Norwegian 1942-ton freighter Gunvor hits a mine and sinks 25 nautical miles (46 km) north of Key West Lighthouse, Florida. There are two deaths and 20 survivors.

While forming up for Convoy HX 194 at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Swedish 3386-ton freighter Kaaparen collides with Norwegian freighter Tungsha and sinks. All 36 crew survive.

The Arizona Daily Star of Tucson, Arizona, 14 June 1942. The Battle of Midway is still being celebrated. 

Battle of the Mediterranean: German General Erwin Rommel continues his breakout from "the Cauldron," sending his panzers north to the Libyan coast. The British command reacts quickly, with Auchinleck authorizing General Ritchie, 8th Army commander, to withdraw his forces from the Gazala line west of the German advance. The retreat is not easy, as the remnants of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division must break through Italian forces (27th "Brescia" and 17th "Pavia" Divisions) to the south to make their escape. Auchinleck, under pressure from London, orders Ritchie to hold a new line. The defensive position is to run to the west of Tobruk, running southeast from Acroma through El Adem to Bir El Gubi. 

It is a day of heavy and continuous Axis air and naval attacks against British convoys that are quite successful. Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers attack Operation Harpoon, heading east from Gibraltar (part of Operation Julius, a Malta resupply effort from both ends of the Mediterranean simultaneously). They torpedo the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Liverpool, which is part of Force W escorting convoy WS.19. The torpedo hits the starboard side at the engine room, reducing her speed to 4 knots. The Italian attacks then focus on Liverpool, and while it survives, it is further damaged by near-misses. There are 15 dead and 22 wounded

Liverpool must be towed to Gibraltar, then on to Rosyth, Scotland, for repairs and is out of service until October 945. This is despite the actual battle damage being repaired by July 1943 - there just are not enough crew available to staff her. Liverpool has had several instances of heavy battle damage, including a torpedoing on 14 October 1940 that also was done by an SM.79 and numerous bombings.

Also sunk during the SM.79 attacks is the 8169-ton Dutch freighter Tanimbar, which is part of the Gibraltar convoy, sunk south of Sardinia. In a separate action, A German motor torpedo boat (S-55) torpedoes the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Hasty off Sirte and damages her so badly that the ship must be scuttled on 15 June. Also destroyed by Luftwaffe air attacks is 6811-ton Dutch freighter Aagtekirk, which is hit after it develops engine trouble, runs aground, and burns out, with several freighters badly damaged. British 6104-ton freighter Bhutan also is sunk by the Luftwaffe. Near Malta, air attacks sink HM MTB 259 as it is being towed to Alexandria. The Italians only lose about five bombers.

The Axis attacks could have been worse, but the Luftwaffe in North Africa is grounded for most of the day by dust storms. In an illustration of the wide scope of operations, British land forces are hampered when the RAF must divert its Hawker Hurricanes and Kittyhawks to protect the convoys.

After dark, Admiral Harwood, after receiving an update from Admiral Vian sailing with the convoy, orders Operation Vigorous to be abandoned. The ships head back toward Alexandria but are harassed along the way by both Italian aircraft and the Italian surface fleet, with the battleship Littorio receiving a minor torpedo hit. Operation Harpoon, the convoy heading east from Gibraltar, continues on toward Malta, but the covering force retires to Gibraltar today, leaving the freighters on their own.

President Roosevelt, Manuel Quezon, and the Mexican Ambassador sign the United Nations Declaration. FDR Library Photograph Collection. NPx 48-22:3868(473).

Spy Stuff: German spy George John Dasch calls the New York Office of the FBI and gives details of his sabotage mission - how he and several others landed on a Long Island beach a couple of days ago and are saboteurs. He identifies himself as "Pastorius" (After the codename for his mission) and states that he will travel down to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., to turn himself in.

Allied Diplomacy: Mexico and the Philippines government in exile sign the "Declaration by United Nations," begun during the Arcadia Conference in January 1942. This binds them to employ all resources against the Axis powers and forbids a separate peace. President Quezon is particularly pleased because he interprets this as the U.S. recognizing the Philippines as a separate nation and no longer a U.S. colony.

U.S. Miltary: General Electric Corporation in Bridgeport, Connecticut, finalizes the development of the M1 bazooka anti-tank rocket launcher. This is the equivalent of the Wehrmacht Panzerschreck (but not the more famous Panzerfaust), which is apparently based on a captured bazooka in North Africa in November 1942.

The U.S. 1st Marine Division begins arriving at Wellington, New Zealand.

An M1A1 Bazooka replica at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. 

Holocaust: In Amsterdam, Anne Frank makes her first entry in the diary she received for her 13th birthday on 12 June.

Italian Homefront: Roma beats Modena 2-0 to become Scudetto champions of Italy (Serie A). Roma will not repeat the feat until 1983.

Japanese Homeland: There is a magnitude 7.0 earthquake at a depth of 15.0 km 231 km (144 miles) east southeast of Saipan. There are no reports of anyone noticing it.

American Homefront: Today is Flag Day, and President Roosevelt gives a national radio address to commemorate the occasion. He says that "The four freedoms of common humanity are as much elements of man's needs as air and sunlight, bread and salt. Deprive him of all these freedoms and he dies—deprive him of a part of them and a part of him withers."

Block Brothers Store in Kenosha, Wisconsin, southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and 58th Street, Sunday morning, 14 June 1942 (UW-Madison Libraries).

2022

April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan

Friday 3 April 1942

German General Erwin Rommel makes a surprise visit to the most advanced Afrika Korps base 89.6 km north of Tobruk on the North Africa front, 3 April 1942 (Koeth, Cord, Federal Archive Image 101I-441-1390-17).

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese of General Homma's 14th Imperial Army begins a massive preparatory bombardment of Allied forces along the Orion-Bagac Lineon defensive line on the Bataan Peninsula at 09:00 on 3 April 1942. The barrage is centered on Mount Samat, which is the center of the Allied line and the point where US Army I and II Corps meet. The Japanese 4th Division and 65th Brigade also attack in this area on the left flank of US II Corps, which is manned by two Filipino Divisions (21st and 41st). The Japanese quickly gain ground in a rough landscape and plan on capturing the entire peninsula in one week. Japanese attacks in the I Corps (western) portion of the line gain little ground. After dark, the US forces launch a counterattack that regains some ground.

Concerned about Japanese use of the French Frigate Shoals as staging areas for flying boat attacks on Hawaii (as were attempted twice in March), the US Navy mines the area. Light minelayers USS Pruitt, Preble, Sicard, and Tracy lay the mines. The US also will station a destroyer permanently there.

The Wilson (North Carolina) Daily News, 3 April 1942. The main headline is, "Grave Reverses Mark Allied Burma Defense."

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Japanese bombers attack Mandalay, Burma, with devastating results on 3 April 1942. While they have attacked the city previously, the Japanese are helped this time by weather conditions that create a firestorm (firestorms require certain meteorological factors and are not just the product of dropping a lot of bombs). Incendiary bombs destroy about 60% of the wooden structures in the city and kill about 2000 people. The effects are magnified by the "lucky" destruction of city firefighting equipment in the raid. Bodies lie in the street for days. Ironically, the fort which is a centerpiece of the city is largely untouched.

Admiral Nagumo, in command of the powerful Kido Butai Japanese naval force that attacked Pearl Harbor, continues sailing into the Indian Ocean in accordance with the plans for Operation C. This operation, better known as the Indian Ocean Raid, aims to draw out the British Eastern Fleet for destruction by threatening Ceylon (Sri Lanka). British Admiral Sir James Somerville knows roughly what he is facing due to naval intelligence and has divided his force into two groups, A and B, based on speed. As the inferior force, the British are avoiding combat by day and have withdrawn to a point 600 miles (970 km) southwest of Ceylon to refuel. Nagumo is sailing toward a point roughly halfway between Somerville's forces and Ceylon. Both sides are unaware of the other's position.

Japanese submarine HIJMS I-7 in 1937 (colorized by Irootoko Jr.).

Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-7 (lT. Cdr Koizumi) torpedoes and sinks 9415-ton British refrigerated freighter Glenshiel about 300 miles east of the Maldive Islands. The ship sinks slowly, so Koizumi must use a total of four torpedoes and also shells the ship with his twin 140-mm deck gun. Everyone survives and is rescued by destroyer HMS Fortune.

In Burma, British Burma I Corps continues a withdrawal northward from the Allanmyo region. In the Sittang Valley, the Chinese prepare to make a stand at Pyinmana. Chinese 22nd and 96th Divisions there are under the control of Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, Commanding General American Army Forces, China, Burma, and India, though Chinese generals have not been following his orders.

The US Army Air Force sends six 10th Air Force B-17 bombers from Asansol Aerodrome, India, to Rangoon. They bomb warehouses and docks at the cost of one bomber.

Panzerschreck in action.

Eastern Front: A temporary lull in larger operations continues all along the Eastern Front, but there is still a lot of local fighting. General Seydlitz has regrouped his forces for the relief attempt to the Demyansk Pocket and is ready to resume his attacks on 4 April. Rather than attack through the mud and trees, he will focus on a road further north. On the other side, the Soviets also have regrouped and reinforced their own forces. The Red Air Force has begun harassing attacks of German troops using old biplanes, often manned by women aviators, who cruise slowly at very low altitudes over the German camps at night and drop small bombs. The Germans take to calling these pilots the "Night Witches."

The Wehrmacht in the Demyansk area has begun using a new weapon, the Panzerschrek, on an experimental basis. This weapon is similar to a US Army bazooka and fires a hollow-point grenade that, when on target, can destroy a T-34 tank (the Panzerschreck is similar to but different than the later Panzerfaust). Today, Seydlitz reports that using the weapon requires nerve "and a generous endowment of luck" because the weapon's range is only 50 yards. Secret German hollow-charge shells (Rotkopf), meanwhile, are proving ineffective in the heavily wooded region because the shells tend to explode when they hit a branch en route to their targets.

European Air Operations: There is little activity on the Channel Front today. This lull follows a heavy bombing schedule for RAF Bomber Command over the past couple of weeks.

US freighter David H. Atwater, sunk on 3 April 1942 (Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University).

Battle of the Atlantic: At 03:40, U-552 (Kptlt. Erich Topp), on its eighth patrol out of St. Nazaire, surfaces and begins firing with its deck gun at 2438-ton US freighter David H. Atwater about ten miles east of Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia. The U-boat fires 93 shots and hits the vessel with about 50 of them. This sets the ship on fire and the crew is unable to abandon ship in an orderly fashion, instead simply leaping into the water. There are 24 deaths and only 3 survivors who manage to swim to an empty lifeboat. The use of a deck gun alone to sink a freighter is not unheard of, but it is unusual and shows that Captain Topp is trying to be efficient and conserving his torpedoes to prolong his patrol. USCGC Legare (WPC 144) and USCGC CG-218 arrive on the scene quickly and pick up the survivors. Some accounts state that this incident occurred late on 2 April 1942.

U-754 (Kptlt. Hans Oestermann), on its second patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 4839-ton US freighter Otho about 200 miles east of Cape Henry, Virginia. There are 32 dead and 21 survivors. Some of the survivors are not picked up until 25 April after drifting to within 150 miles of Bermuda, and one man dies an hour after being rescued.

U-505 (Kptlt. Axel-Olaf Loewe), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5775-ton US freighter West Irmo about 300 miles southwest of Takoradi (Sekondi-Takoradi), Ghana. There are 10 dead and 99 survivors. All of the dead are African stevedores who were sitting on a hatch that blew up when the torpedo hit. An attempt is made to tow the sinking West Irmo on 4 April, but this is unsuccessful and the ship is then intentionally sunk.

U-155 (Kptlt. Adolf Cornelius Piening), on its first patrol out of Kiel, hits 6882-ton US tanker Gulfstate with two torpedoes about 50 miles southeast of Marathon Key, Florida. The tanker immediately bursts into flame and sinks in four minutes, and the crew is unable to launch lifeboats. There are 43 dead and 18 survivors, with the survivors being picked up within hours by a Coast Guard seaplane and USS YP-351.

U-702 (Kptlt. Wolf-Rüdiger von Rabenau), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, is lost to a mine on or about this date. There are no survivors. U-702 finishes its career with no victories.

German raider Thor (HSK 4), as it would have been seen by the crew of one of its victims such as Norwegian freighter Aust on 3 April 1942.

German raider Thor, operating in the South Atlantic, uses its floatplane and deck gun to stop 5630-ton Norwegian freighter Aust. The ship is sunk with placed charges after the Germans take the entire crew as prisoners.

Luftwaffe aircraft bomb and damage/sink 6854-ton British freighter Empire Starlight at its dock in Murmansk (the date of its "sinking" is disputed). The Empire Starlight was part of Convoy PQ 13. The Soviets later raise the Empire Starlight in 1945 and rename it Murmansk.

The Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks British freighter New Westminster City from Convoy PQ-13 at Murmansk. This vessel also is later raised. In the same attack, the Luftwaffe severely damages Polish freighter Tobruk. It is later repaired and returned to service in September 1942.

British freighter Gypsum Prince sinks after colliding with fellow British freighter Voco about four miles off Lewes, Delaware. There are 20 survivors and five dead.

"George Thomas the 16-year-old anti-aircraft gunner." Onboard freighter SS Empire Airman, Liverpool, England, 3 April 1942 (© IWM A 8110).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian coaster Antonio Landi hits a mine and sinks off Punta Platamoni, near Kotor, Montenegro. There is one death.

Perpetual air raids continue all across Malta on 3 April 1942 as Luftwaffe General Kesselring attempts to subdue the island. Unexploded bombs are becoming a major problem for Malta. It is very hazardous work and many officers lose their lives doing it. 

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet destroyer Shaumian sinks of unknown causes at Rybachka-Gelendshik in the Black Sea. The vessel is later scrapped.

US Military: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz officially takes command of Pacific Ocean Areas (POA). The Southeast Pacific Area, currently a backwater used mainly as a supply route to Australia, remains under the command of Rear Admiral John F Shafroth. General Douglas MacArthur is the commander of the South West Pacific Area (SWPA).

The 21st and 22d Transport Squadrons, Air Transport Command, 5th Air Force, are activated at Archerfield (near Brisbane)) and Essendon (near Melbourne) Airdromes, Australia, respectively. The 39th Pursuit Group of 39th Pursuit Squadron transfers from Mount Gambier to Williamstown, Australia.

A "Short Snorter" dated 3 April 1942. This is a banknote signed by fellow travelers on an airplane. Each of the men signing it would have had their own bill. These were considered a good luck practice and memorialized a temporary bond (Collectors Weekly).

American Homefront: "The Jungle Book," an independent production largely created by the Korda family (Zoltan, Alexander, and Vincent) based on the book by Rudyard Kipling, is released by United Artists. Starring Sabu as Mowgli, the film earns the studio $1.3 million in rentals and becomes a big hit for UA. After the war, "The Jungle Book" is released or released in European countries such as France and the United Kingdom and becomes a hit once again. 

Future History: Carson Wayne Newton is born in Norfolk, Virginia. Carson learns to play the piano, guitar, and steel guitar at an early age and begins singing in supper clubs with his older brother, Jerry. The act begins getting bookings on local television shows and in 1958 it is spotted on one of them by a Las Vegas booking agent. The agent signs the brother act and they wind up performing six shows daily in Vegas for the next five years. This leads to television show appearances and other opportunities. In 1963, billed as Wayne Newton, Carson is signed by Capitol Records as a solo act and has a Top 40 hit with 'Danke Schoen." This leads to a spectacular career in showbusiness for the man who becomes known as "Mr. Las Vegas." As of 2020, Wayne Newton remains active in show business.

Marsha Mason is born in St. Louis, Missouri. She becomes an accomplished actress who is nominated for four Academy Awards in the 1970s and 1980s. She also is well-known for marrying playwright Neil Simon, who gives her some of her best roles and writes three of her Oscar-nominated parts. As of 2020, Marsha Mason remains active on television.

A page of apparently random news photos from the Munster, Indiana, Times, 3 April 1942.

April 1942

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA 
April 2, 1942: Doolittle Raiders Leave Port
April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan
April 4, 1942: Luftwaffe Attacks Kronstadt
April 5, 1942: Japanese Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon
April 6, 1942: Japanese Devastation In Bay of Bengal
April 7, 1942: Valletta, Malta, Destroyed
April 8, 1942: US Bataan Defenses Collapse
April 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan
April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March
April 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up
April 12, 1942: Essen Raids Conclude Dismally
April 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction
April 14, 1942: Demyansk Breakout Attempt
April 15, 1942: Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens
April 16, 1942: Oil Field Ablaze in Burma
April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid
April 18, 1942: The Doolittle Raid bombs Japan
April 19, 1942: British in Burma Escape
April 20, 1942: The Operation Calendar Disaster
April 21, 1942: Germans Relieve Demyansk

April 22, 1942: Gasoline Rationing in the US

April 23, 1942: The Mystery of Plane 8

April 24, 1942: When Will Help Arrive?

April 25, 1942: Bath Devastated in Baedeker Blitz

April 26, 1942: Hitler Expands His Powers

April 27, 1942: Luftwaffe Bombs Norwich

April 28, 1942: Brewing Clash in the Arctic

April 29, 1942: Japanese Preparing Operation Mo

April 30, 1942: U-Boats Attack!

2021

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA

Wednesday 1 April 1942

"A Fairey Albacore preparing to land on the flight deck of HMS EAGLE with HMS MALAYA in the background." This photo was taken from HMS Argus on 1 April 1942 (© IWM A 8341).

Battle of the Pacific: Japanese forces remain on the offensive in Burma on 1 April 1942, attacking at Prome (Pyay). General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief India, visits the front and agrees to a request by Burma I Corps to withdraw north of Prome to the Allanmyo area. Wavell informs Whitehall that Japanese control of the air is proving decisive.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, commander of US forces in the region, meets with Lieutenant General William J. Slim, General Officer Commanding Burma Corps. Stilwell is highly regarded by the Chinese even though the US does not have many forces in the area at this time.

Lights dimmed in NYC to save energy, 1 April 1942 (William C. Shrout).

After the meeting, Stilwell flies to Chungking to meet with Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek. The main topic is the refusal of Chinese generals to obey any orders that Stilwell gives (supposedly on behalf of Chiang) them despite his high position in the Chinese leadership as a top aide to Chiang. Stilwell confides privately that he believes that the Chinese generals actually are doing what Chiang wants because Chiang is giving them other orders behind his back. This situation is indicative of the murky politics and mutual distrust involved in Allied relations with the Chinese.

In the Solomon Islands, Japanese forces land at Buka Island off the north coast of Bougainville Island. Other troops land along the Dutch New Guinea coast from Sarong to Hollandia. Japanese troops also land at Ceram Island in the Netherlands East Indies. The Dutch there surrender without a fight. Australian RAAF Hudson Bombers of No. 2 and 13 Squadrons fly from Darwin to bomb Penfui Airfield on Dutch West Timor Island. The mission is a success, as the bombers destroy six aircraft on the field and damage six others.

US Navy submarine USS Seawolf torpedoes Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Naka 50 miles northwest of Christmas Island, which the Japanese have just occupied. Royal Navy submarine Truant sinks two Japanese freighters (6780-ton Yaeyama Maru and 4910-ton Shunsei Maru) in the Malacca Strait about 60 miles off the coast of Sumatra and 80 miles northwest of Penang, Malaysia.

While the Japanese have not begun their final offensive on the Bataan Peninsula, the Philippines, the US is making preparations. Today, the US scuttles Filipino boats Kanlaon II and Escalante R. at Assume Lingayan so that they do not fall into Japanese hands.

The Japanese Combined Fleet Headquarters begins planning an operation (AL-GO) to occupy the Aleutian Islands and then Midway Island. This is known as the Second Phase of operations. Admiral Yamamoto is in charge of planning.

An April 1942 ad in The Province newspaper for Yamato Silks at 460 Granville Street. Japanese-Canadians were forced to leave their homes and businesses and report to internment camps beginning April 1, 1942.

Eastern Front: The Battle of Suursaari continues on the frozen Gulf of Finland when the Finns send a force with orders to subdue to stubborn Soviet garrison on Bolshoy Tyuters. To their surprise, they find the island abandoned. However, the Soviets have not given up on Bolshoy Tyuters and will return soon.

At Demyansk, the spring thaw (Rasputitsa) is turning the ground into a quagmire. Soviet tanks are better suited to such conditions due to their wider tracks than German tanks. General Seydlitz is deploying his troops north to the Staraya Russa to Demyansk road, and the Soviets are bringing in reinforcements. The stage is being set for a desperate German lunge east to rescue the troops of the trapped 11 Corps of 16th Army in the Demyansk Pocket.

European Air Operations: During the day, a dozen Boston bombers attack shipping at Boulogne but wind up bombing the dock area instead because of cloud cover. One Boston fails to return.
In the evening, RAF Bomber Command decides to try a new tactic. It sends 35 Wellington and 14 Hampden bombers to attack railway installations at Hanau and Lohr. The attack turns into a disaster for the British because the Germans shoot down a dozen Wellingtons and a Hampden. This results in a 27% loss ratio, which is unsustainable.

In a separate raid on Paris and Poissy, the RAF sends 24 Whitleys and 17 Wellingtons to attack a Ford Motor factory. Damage to the factory is minimal and the British lose one Wellington.

In other operations, the British send 3 Blenheims to Holland, but they turn back due to the weather. Another 15 bombers lay mines off of Lorient and at the mouth fo the Gironde River, and five bombers drop leaflets over France. There are no losses.

"The Captain of HMS THUNDERBOLT, Lieut Cdr C B Crouch, DSO, RN, standing alongside the periscope in the control room." This photo was taken at Blyth on 1 April 1942 (© IWM A 8461).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-754 (Kptlt. Hans Oestermann), on its second patrol out of Brest, torpedoes 5992-ton US tanker SS Tiger at 06:18 just off Cape Henry, Virginia. Sunrise is a favored time of day for U-boat attacks along the East Coast of the United States because the rising sun illuminates the target while obscuring the submarine. The one torpedo badly damages the tanker and the 41 survivors (one dead) quickly abandon ship. Tiger remains afloat for another day and an attempt to tow it into the nearby Chesapeake Bay is made, but the tanker sinks on 2 April 1942.

U-160 (Oblt. Georg Lassen), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, torpedoes and sinks 4086-ton British freighter Rio Blanco about 60 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. There are 19 dead and 21 survivors.

U-202 (Kptlt. Hans-Heinz Linder), on its fifth patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 5249-ton British freighter SS Loch Don 500 miles northeast of Bermuda. There are three deaths and 44 survivors.

U-71 (Kptlt. Walter Flachsenberg), on its fifth patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 5812-ton British freighter Eastmoor about 600 miles east of Hampton Roads. There are 16 dead and 36 survivors. this concludes a very successful patrol for U-71 during which it has sunk 38,894 tons of shipping. However, in one of those oddities of war, this is the only war patrol out of ten (ending in May 1943) during which U-71 gets any victories. Today's sinking is the last of U-71's career despite the fact that it is only halfway through its wartime service.

Freighter Rio Blanco, sunk on 1 April 1942 by U-160.

Due to heavy losses along the US coast such as that today of the Tiger and Rio Blanco, which were sailing independently, the US decides it is time to change tactics (or, more accurately, to start using some wartime tactics). the US Coast Guard begins a partial convoying system that becomes known as the "Bucket Brigade." Ships are to sail in convoys during the day and anchor in harbors at night. The Bucket Brigade only applies to the East Coast and not the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico.

Soviet submarine Shch-404 torpedoes and sinks German freighter Michael off Vardø, Norway. There is one dead and 14 survivors.

Canadian 1750-ton freighter SS Robert W. Pomeroy hits a mine and sinks about 8 miles southeast of the Dudgeon Light Vessel in the Wash Approaches (between Norfolk and Lincolnshire).

German raider Thor spots 4563-ton British freighter Willesden in the South Atlantic. The crew of the Willesden opens fire with her 4" deck gun but Thor outranges it. Gasoline drums on the Willesden's deck catch fire, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Thor then sinks it with a torpedo. There are five deaths and 47 survivors are taken aboard the Thor.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler Solomon hits a mine and sinks north of Cromer, Norfolk, England. Everyone survives.

The Kingsport, Tennessee, Times, 1 April 1942. The image at the left is an April Fool's joke.

Battle of the Baltic: Ten Norwegian vessels interned at Gothenburg, Sweden, make a furtive break for Great Britain with the assistance of the British. Ten ships (known as the Kvarstad vessels) sail in Operation Performance. The operation turns into a disaster, as only two of the ships (MV B. P. Newton and MV Lind) actually make it through the Skagerrak out of the Baltic and to Great Britain.
The Luftwaffe helps out and sinks some of the fleeing freighters. In addition, the crews of four ships scuttle them after being approached by German coastal defense vessels, while two ships (Dicto and Lionel) return to Sweden and the Germans sink the remainder. While 124 people reach Great Britain, the vast majority of the other people on the ships (which include many civilians and seven women) wind up in prison camps.

German naval trawler UJ 1203 Heinrich Günther hits a mine and sinks off Pien, Tytursaari in the Gulf of Finland.

A customer fashionably attired in a fur coat shops at the Boylan-Pearce store in Raleigh, North Carolina, on 1 April 1942 (Barden Collection, State Archives of North Carolina).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Axis air attacks remain extremely heavy, particularly in the critical port area. A total of 148 aircraft bomb the island, hitting nine ships and killing 62 people. The planes bomb and sink two Royal Navy submarines, HMS P36 and Pandora and also 94-ton naval drifter Sunset. The British console themselves with the fact that they shoot down five Junkers Ju 87 Stukas and two Ju 88 medium bombers, along with one Bf 109, along with a roughly equal number of Luftwaffe planes damaged. The RAF claims no losses of its own.

The British "get one back" when submarine Urge sinks Italian cruiser Giovanni delle Bande Nere eleven miles off Stromboli. There are 381 deaths and 391 survivors The Italian Navy reports the discovery of the cruiser at a depth of 1400 meters on 9 March 2019.

A permit dated April 1, 1942, authorizing Łucja Frey (for whom Frey's Syndrome is named) to work as a physician in the Lwów ghetto. This document is now conserved at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC (Record Group 2002.34, Łucja Frey Gottesman collection).

Inter-Allied Relations: The Pacific War Council officially replaces ABDACOM and holds its first meeting in Washington. It includes representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom,  China, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Canada. the Philippines and India are added later. The Pacific War Council is quite active and holds over 30 meetings during World War II.

Admiral Sir A.B. Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet, resigns his command to serve on the Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee in Washington, D.C. His "resignation" may be related to heavy shipping losses suffered recently during the Second Battle of Sirte and at Malta. It is a common tactic of the Churchill government to send officers and officials who are out of favor, such as Lord Halifax and Air Marshal Hugh Dowding, to staff posts in the United States. 

US Military: The US Army Air Force redesignates its main proving ground as Proving Ground Command. It has its main headquarters at Eglin Field, Valparaiso, Florida. Eglin becomes the main site for USAAF gunnery training and airplane testing.

Desmond Doss joins the US Army and enters military service at Camp Lee, Virginia (Fort Lee). He will win the US Medal of Honor in the Pacific.

Holocaust: Łachwa (or Lakhva) Ghetto is created in Lakhva, Western Belarus. The town's approximately 2500 Jewish inhabitants are put into a tiny ghetto comprising two streets and 45 houses. As with many ghettos, the Lakhva Ghetto is surrounded by barbed wire and transit in and out is strictly regulated. A Judenrat is established and also an underground resistance organization.

Office of Emergency Management newsroom. April 1, 1942 (Roger Smith, photographer for Office of Emergency Management).

British Homefront: Upon the retirement of Cosmo Lang as Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple succeeds him. Temple is an activist prelate sympathetic to the Labour Party (Winston Churchill, of course, is the leader of the Tories). Temple advocates theories such as what would become known much later as a universal basic income. In general, he proves an irritant to the Churchill government but supports the war effort as being necessary to eliminate the great evil represented by Adolf Hitler. 

American Homefront: Lieutenant General J.L. DeWitt, Western Defense Commander, posts exclusion orders at First and Front Streets in San Francisco, California. These direct the removal of persons of Japanese ancestry from the first part of San Francisco to be affected by the evacuation. The orders are issued today, April 1, 1942, and directs evacuation from this area of the city by noon on April 7, 1942. This order follows the first successful exclusion order carried out at Bainbridge Island, Washington, at the end of March 1942.

Exclusion order posted in a neighborhood in San Francisco on 1 April 1942.

March 1942

March 1, 1942: Second Battle of Java Sea
March 2, 1942: Huge Allied Shipping Losses at Java
March 3, 1942: Japan Raids Western Australia
March 4, 1942: Second Raid On Hawaii
March 5, 1942: Japan Takes Batavia
March 6, 1942: Churchill Assaults Free Speech
March 7, 1942: British Defeat in Burma
March 8, 1942: Rangoon Falls to Japan
March 9, 1942: Japanese Conquest of Dutch East Indies
March 10, 1942:US Navy attacks Japanese Landings at Lae
March 11, 1942: Warren Buffett's First Stock Trade
March 12, 1942: Japan Takes Java
March 13, 1942: Soviets Attack In Crimea Again 
March 14, 1942: The US Leans Toward Europe
March 15, 1942: Operation Raubtier Begins
March 16, 1942: General MacArthur Gets His Ride
March 17, 1942: MacArthur Arrives in Australia
March 18, 1942: Japan Attacks In Burma
March 19, 1942: Soviets Encircled on the Volkhov
March 20, 1942: "I Shall Return," Says MacArthur
March 21, 1942: Germans Attack Toward Demyansk
March 22, 1942: Second Battle of Sirte
March 23, 1942: Hitler's Insecurity Builds
March 24, 1942: Bataan Bombarded
March 25, 1942: Chinese Under Pressure in Burma
March 26, 1942: Win Or Die, Vows MacArthur
March 27, 1942: The Battle of Suusari
March 28, 1942: The St. Nazaire Commando Raid
March 29, 1942: The Free Republic of Nias
March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island
March 31, 1942: Japanese Seize Christmas Island

April 1942

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA 
April 2, 1942: Doolittle Raiders Leave Port
April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan
April 4, 1942: Luftwaffe Attacks Kronstadt
April 5, 1942: Japanese Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon
April 6, 1942: Japanese Devastation In Bay of Bengal
April 7, 1942: Valletta, Malta, Destroyed
April 8, 1942: US Bataan Defenses Collapse
April 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan
April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March
April 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up
April 12, 1942: Essen Raids Conclude Dismally
April 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction
April 14, 1942: Demyansk Breakout Attempt
April 15, 1942: Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens
April 16, 1942: Oil Field Ablaze in Burma
April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid
April 18, 1942: The Doolittle Raid bombs Japan
April 19, 1942: British in Burma Escape
April 20, 1942: The Operation Calendar Disaster
April 21, 1942: Germans Relieve Demyansk

April 22, 1942: Gasoline Rationing in the US

April 23, 1942: The Mystery of Plane 8

April 24, 1942: When Will Help Arrive?

April 25, 1942: Bath Devastated in Baedeker Blitz

April 26, 1942: Hitler Expands His Powers

April 27, 1942: Luftwaffe Bombs Norwich

April 28, 1942: Brewing Clash in the Arctic

April 29, 1942: Japanese Preparing Operation Mo

April 30, 1942: U-Boats Attack!

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March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island

Monday 30 March 1942

Japanese carrier force Kido Butai on its way into the Indian Ocean on 30 March 1942. In the line are Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Hiel, Kirishima, Haruna, Kongo, and Zuikaku.

Battle of the Pacific: As 30 March 1942 begins, the Japanese 55th Division is pushing the Chinese back at Toungoo, Burma. The Chinese 200th Division abandons Toungoo by 04:00 after a bitter battle, retiring in good order to the east. Later in the morning, the Japanese attack in force all along the line, seizing the bridge across the Sittang at 07:00 and breaking into the Chinese line at 08:50. The Japanese then occupy Toungoo from the east against light resistance.

The Japanese success at Toungoo creates a gap in the Allied lines that the Chinese now must try to fill. The Chinese 22nd Division advances from the north and has some success at the Nangyun train station. This threatens the Japanese rear as they advance east from Toungoo. The two Chinese divisions then meet at Yedashe north of Toungoo on the east bank of the Sittang east of Nangyun. This helps to create a new defensive line to the east of Toungoo that slows the Japanese advance along the Sittang River Valley. 

A Japanese force sails toward Christmas Island, south of Java, with 900 troops. There are rich phosphate deposits on the island

US Navy submarine USS Sturgeon torpedoes and sinks Japanese freighter Choyo Maru in the Makassar Strait.

The Daily News, 30 March 1942, headlines attacks in Japan, but the main photo is of the blizzard in Maryland.

Eastern Front: Having pocketed Gogland Island during the Battle of Suursaari, the three Finnish battalions in the area send a patrol to investigate nearby Bolshoy Tyuters. A determined Soviet garrison on the island repels the patrol, and the Finns make plans to return in force in a couple of days. This begins a short but sharp fight for the relatively insignificant island.

General Seydlitz, in charge of the relief force heading toward the Demyansk pocket, bows to the inevitable and informs his superior, General Kuechler, that he must stop the attack and regroup. He decides to shift his main axis of advance north to the main Staraya Rusa - Demyansk road. While more resistance can be expected there, going through the woods in the midst of the spring thaw (Rasputitsa) simply is not feasible. The Soviets, meanwhile, are rushing reinforcements to the area.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 34 Halifax bombers to attack the German battleship Tirpitz in a fjord near Trondheim. The ship is well hidden and the bombers do not locate it. This is one of many unsuccessful raids on the battleship that the British launch over the course of several years. Three bombers do bomb nearby Flak positions. There is one Halifax bomber lost in this raid.

Seattle Daily Times, 30 March 1942, headlines a German destroyer sunk in the Arctic (Z26) and some labor decisions at the US Supreme Court.

Battle of the Atlantic: The after-effects of the fierce German attacks on Convoy PQ-13 continue to reverberate in the Barents Sea. The weather is terrible, adding to the misery of anyone unlucky enough to wind up in the water.

U-585 (Kptlt. Ernst-Bernward Lohse), which has been operating against Convoy PQ-13 in the Barents Sea, is presumed to have hit a German defensive from field Bantos A that drifted loose mine and sunk on or about 30 March 1942. Nobody from the submarine, 44 men, is ever found. U-585 ends its career with no victories in four patrols.

U-435 (Kptlt. Siegfried Strelow), on its second patrol out of Trondheim, finds a straggler from Convoy PQ-13 and sinks it. The ship is 6421-ton US freighter Effingham, which was abandoned because it already had been attacked by U-456 (Kptlt. Max-Martin Teichert). There are 31 survivors and a dozen dead, with many of the deceased having survived the torpedoes but passed away in the lifeboats from exposure due to brutal weather conditions.

British freighter Induna, sunk by U-376 on 30 March 1942.

U-376 (Kptlt. Friedrich-Karl Marks), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, gets its first victory when its crew spots 5087-ton British freighter Induna. The ship is a straggler from Convoy PQ-13 due to bad weather, and U-376 puts one of three torpedoes into it northeast of the Kola Inlet. Another submarine, U-209, had been chasing Induna but U-376 happened to be in its path, so both subs witness the sinking. There are 38 dead and 22 survivors. The tale of the Induna is unique because it is the ship of the convoy's vice commodore, and he had collected a total of six stragglers and formed a new mini-convoy. The Induna was carrying survivors from another sunken ship, Panamanian freighter Ballot. Eleven of the 16 men picked up from the Ballot perish in this second sinking.

U-68 (KrvKpt. Karl-Friedrich Merten), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5853-ton British freighter Muncaster Castle. The submarine hits the freighter, which is part of Convoy ST-18, with two torpedoes at 22:43 south of Monrovia. The ship is carrying 268 passengers, and they take to more than ten lifeboats. There are 329 survivors (passengers and crew) and only 24 deaths. 

German raider Thor shells and sinks 4649-ton British freighter Wellpark about 500 miles southwest of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. There are seven deaths.

Japanese-Americans being removed from Bainbridge Island, Washington, on 30 March 1942. This is an assembly point where internees are to be taken to the Puyallup Assembly Center pursuant to Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1. The 227 residents subject to the order have had six days' notice. The 49 residents not on the island on 30 March 1942 are not allowed to return. The internees ultimately wind up at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry).

Battle of the Mediterranean: King George VI sends Malta an official message:

I have been watching with admiration the stout-hearted resistance of all in Malta – Service personnel and civilians alike – to the fierce and constant air attacks of the enemy in recent. Weeks.

In active defense of the Island the Royal Air Force has been ably supported by R.M.A. [Royal Malta Artillery], and it, therefore, gives me special pleasure, in recognition of their skill and resolution, to assume Colonel in Chief of Regiment.  Please convey my best wishes to all ranks of my new regiment, and assure them of the added pride with which I shall follow future activities.

This is a great honor for the Royal Malta Artillery.

Inter-American Relations: Today is the first meeting of the Inter-American Defense Board in Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to study plans for the defense of the hemisphere.

Inter-Allied Relations: The Pacific War Council is established in Washington, D.C. At this time, it includes representatives of the U.S. (technically President Roosevelt, but Harry Hopkins handles this for him), the U.K., China, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Canada. Representatives of India and the Philippines are added later.

The Baltimore, Maryland, Sun for 30 March 1942 headlines the Palm Sunday Blizzard.

US Military: Having gained complete control of the Pacific Theater of Operations from the British on 24 March 1942, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff organize it into three sectors: the Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and the Southeast Pacific Area. The POA contains the smaller islands and atolls on the direct route from the United States to Japan, while the SWPA is centered at Australia and covers the Philippines, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomons, and most of the Netherlands East Indies.

While not formally decided at this point, General Douglas MacArthur will have control of the SWPA and Admiral Chester Nimitz will lead the POA, the two most important areas in terms of combat. The Southeast Pacific Area technically has been in existence since the Pearl Harbor attack and currently is under the command of Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth Jr.

Life Magazine, 30 March 1942. Featured on the cover is actress Shirley Temple.

Australian Military: Five Kittyhawk Mk. Ia fighters (P-40Es) arrive at Seven Mile Aerodrome at Port Moresby. These reinforce the RAAF No. 75 Squadron and suggest that the Allies are going to fight hard to keep Port Moresby.

Spain: A Swordfish of RAF No. 801 Squadron lands in Spanish Morocco due to mechanical issues. Defying the common stereotype that Spain is solidly in the Axis camp, it interns the crew accordingly to international law and eventually returns them to the British at Gibraltar - which it is under no obligation to do.

American Homefront: Today is the date mandated for all residents of Japanese ancestry to be off Bainbridge Island, Washington. This is the first such exclusion order that is fully realized. Many Filipino farmers/laborers on the island are not subject to the exclusion order and stay to work the fields previously worked by the Japanese-Americans. This leads to the creation of the Indo-Pino (or Indipino) community there due to intermarriage between residents of Filipino extraction and members of the First Nations tribes of British Columbia.

Many items such as new private automobiles already have ceased production due to government orders. Today, small electric appliances such as electric razors (still new in 1942) and toasters are prohibited from production. Retailers can still sell stocks on hand.

Army medical corps members assist a Bainbridge Island woman to the ferry during the mandatory evacuation of 227 people of Japanese ancestry living on Bainbridge Island on March 30, 1942. (The Seattle Times).

March 1942

March 1, 1942: Second Battle of Java Sea
March 2, 1942: Huge Allied Shipping Losses at Java
March 3, 1942: Japan Raids Western Australia
March 4, 1942: Second Raid On Hawaii
March 5, 1942: Japan Takes Batavia
March 6, 1942: Churchill Assaults Free Speech
March 7, 1942: British Defeat in Burma
March 8, 1942: Rangoon Falls to Japan
March 9, 1942: Japanese Conquest of Dutch East Indies
March 10, 1942:US Navy attacks Japanese Landings at Lae
March 11, 1942: Warren Buffett's First Stock Trade
March 12, 1942: Japan Takes Java
March 13, 1942: Soviets Attack In Crimea Again 
March 14, 1942: The US Leans Toward Europe
March 15, 1942: Operation Raubtier Begins
March 16, 1942: General MacArthur Gets His Ride
March 17, 1942: MacArthur Arrives in Australia
March 18, 1942: Japan Attacks In Burma
March 19, 1942: Soviets Encircled on the Volkhov
March 20, 1942: "I Shall Return," Says MacArthur
March 21, 1942: Germans Attack Toward Demyansk
March 22, 1942: Second Battle of Sirte
March 23, 1942: Hitler's Insecurity Builds
March 24, 1942: Bataan Bombarded
March 25, 1942: Chinese Under Pressure in Burma
March 26, 1942: Win Or Die, Vows MacArthur
March 27, 1942: The Battle of Suusari
March 28, 1942: The St. Nazaire Commando Raid
March 29, 1942: The Free Republic of Nias
March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island
March 31, 1942: Japanese Seize Christmas Island

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