1942 January


January 1st
In 1942, Manila falls to the Japanese.
January 2nd
In 1942, Twenty-eight nations, at war with Axis, pledge no separate peace.
In 1942, British capture bypassed fortress of Bardia, Libya.
In 1942, in World War II, the Japanese captured the Philippines capital of Manila and nearby air base at Cavite, forcing U.S. and Philippine forces under Gen. Douglas MacArthur to withdraw to the Bataan peninsula.
January 5th
In 1942, Stalin orders new offensive.
January 7th
In 1942, the World War II siege of Bataan began.
January 8th
In 1942, Navy pilot David F. Mason, noticing a surfaced Japanese sub in the South Pacific, drops his depth charges, and radios in the result: "Sighted sub, sank same."
January 11th
In 1942, Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Japanese forces began their invasion of the Dutch East Indies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.
In 1942, Rommel withdraws westward toward El Agheila.
January 12th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the National War Labor Board.
January 13th
In 1942, Russians recapture Kiev.
In 1942, Germans begin U-boat offensive along east coast of USA.
January 17th
In 1942, British reduce bypassed German garrison of Halfaya.
January 19th
In 1942, Japanese forces invade Burma.
January 20th
In 1942, Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain.
In 1942, Japanese invade Burma.
In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference in Berlin, during which they arrived at their "final solution" calling for the extermination of European Jews.
In 1942, Russians recapture Mozhaisk, 65 miles west-southwest of Moscow.
January 21st
In 1942, Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain.
In 1942, Rommel launches major counteroffensive.
January 22nd
In 1942, Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain.
January 24th
In 1942, a special court of inquiry into America's lack of preparedness for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor placed much of the blame on Rear Adm. Husband E. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, the Navy and Army commanders.
January 26th
In 1942, the American Expeditionary Force, the first U.S. troops to join the war in Europe, arrived in Northern Ireland.
= First United States troops arrive in Northern Ireland.
January 27th
In 1942, -19 degrees F (-27.4 degrees C), Netherlan d's coldest day since 1850.
January 28th
In 1942, British Eighth Army withdraws to El Gazala-Bir Hacheim Line.
In 1942, General Timoshenko's troops move into Ukraine.
In 1942, German troops occupy Benghazi Libya.
January 29th
In 1942, Ecuador and Peru sign the Rio Protocol, ending their border war.
January 30th
In 1942, Japanese troops land on Ambon.
January 31st
In 1942, 62 U boats sunk this month (327,000 ton).

1942 February


February 1st
In 1942, Soviet counteroffensive begins to bog down in German hedgehog defense system.
February 2nd
In 1942, a Los Angeles Times column urged security measures against Japanese-Americans, arguing that a Japanese-American "almost inevitably ...grows up to be a Japanese, not an American."
In 1942, the U.S. auto factories switch from commercial to war production.
February 3rd
In 1942, 1st Japanese air raid on Java.
February 4th
In 1942, Clinton Pierce becomes first US general wounded in action in WW II.
February 8th
In 1942, Congress advised President Roosevelt that, in light of the attack on Pearl Harbor two months earlier, Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up enmasse so they couldn't oppose the U.S. war effort. Within months, over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were placed in remote prison camps, and some remained behind barbed wire for three years.
February 9th
In 1942, Japanese troop land near Makassar, South-Celebes.
In 1942, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff held its first formal meeting to coordinate American military strategy during World War II.
February 10th
In 1942, the former French liner "Normandie" capsized in New York Harbor a day after it caught fire while being refitted for the U.S. Navy.
February 12th
In 1942, German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen escape from Brest and run up English Channel to German ports.
February 15th
In 1942, the British colony Singapore surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
February 19th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, giving the U.S. military the power to relocate and intern "any and all persons." The order was used to detain some 110,000 Japanese-Americans, most of them U.S.-born citizens.
In 1942, during World War II, about 150 Japanese warplanes attacked the Australian city of Darwin, Australia.
February 20th
In 1942, Lt E.H. O'Hare single-handedly shoots down 5 Japanese heavy bombers.
February 23rd
In 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. main land during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery in Ellwood, Calif (110 miles west of Los Angeles); it was the first enemy attack in almost 130 years.
February 26th
In 1942, German battle cruiser Gneisenau deactivated by bomb.
In 1942, Werner Heisenberger informs nazis about uranium project "Wunderwaffen".
In 1942, WW II Navy flier Don Mason sends message "Sighted sub sank same".
February 27th
In 1942, Opening salvos were fired in the battle of the Java Sea, in which 13 American warships were sunk by the Japan ese, who lost only two.
February 28th
In 1942, Japanese forces landed in Java, the last Allied bastion in the Dutch East Indies.

1942 March


March 1st
In 1942, the 3-day Battle of the Java Sea ends as a major U.S. naval def eat.
March 5th
In 1942, Japanese troop march into Batavia.
March 8th
In 1942, Japanese forces captured Rangoon, Burma, during World War II.
March 11th
In 1942, as Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur left Corregidor in the Philippines, bound for Australia. In departing he uttered the vow "I shall return.".
March 12th
In 1942, "I Shall Return!" said General Douglas MacArthur who fled the Philippine invasion & returned two years later (Mar 11 U.S. time).
March 13th
In 1942, Julia Flikke, Nurse Corps, becomes first woman colonel in US army.
March 17th
In 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.
March 19th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt orde red that men between the ages of 45 and 64 register for non-military duty. Even Bugs Bunny showed up when served a draft notice.
March 21st
In 1942, Heavy German assault on Malta.
March 23rd
In 1942, the U.S. government began moving native-born Americans of Japanese ancestry from their West Coast homes to imprisonment in detention centers.
March 27th
In 1942, American servicemen were granted free mailing privileges.
In 1942, British carry out successful raid against St. Nazaire, France.
In 1942, free mail privileges is granted to members of the U.S. armed forces.
March 28th
In 1942, RAF bombs Lubeck.
In 1942, during World War II, British naval forces raided the Nazi-occu pied French port of St. Nazaire.
March 29th
In 1942, British destroyer Campbeltown explodes in St-Nazaire: 400 Germans die.
In 1942, German submarine U-585 sinks.
March 30th
In 1942, Russian offensive ends, both sides are much weakened.
In 1942, a directive from Washington, D.C. decrees that men's suits be manufactured without trouser cuffs, pleats and patch pockets for the duration of the war.

1942 April


April 1st
In 1942, Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang Timor.
April 7th
In 1942, Heavy German assault on Malta.
April 9th
In 1942, during World War II, American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces; the surrender was followed by the notorious "Bataan Death March" which claimed nearly 10,000 lives.
April 16th
In 1942, Japanese occupying army on Java installs film censorship.
April 18th
In 1942, four months after Pearl Harbor, an air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle led sixteen B-25 bombers on the first air raid against the Japanese mainland in WWII and bombed Tokyo and other cities.
In 1942, the first World War II edition of The Stars and Stripes was published as a weekly newspaper for U.S. troops in Northern Ireland. (It became a daily paper the following November.).
April 20th
In 1942, German occupiers forbids Dutch access to their beach.
In 1942, Heavy German assault on Malta.
April 23rd
In 1942, 4-day allied bombing on Rostock begins.
In 1942, German air raids begin against cathedral cities in Britain.
April 25th
In 1942, Luftwaffe bombs Bath.
April 26th
Hitler say in Reichstag.
In 1942, Manchuria: explosion in Honkeiko Colliery killed 1,549.
April 27th
In 1942, Tornado destroys Pryor Oklahom a killing 100, injuring 300.
April 28th
In 1942, Coffee rationing begins in the U.S.
In 1942, pollster George Gallup said most Americans preferred to call the ongoing global conflict "World War II" or "The Second World War" (other suggestions had included "Survival War" or "War of World Freedom.).
April 30th
In 1942, the first submarine built on the Great Lakes was launched, the "Peto", from Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

1942 May


May 3rd
In 1942, Japanese troop attack Tulagi, Gavutu & Tanambogo, Solomon Islands.
May 4th
In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began during World War II. It was a turning point in the war with Japan losing 39 ships and the United States, one.
May 6th
In 1942, during World War II, some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese.
May 8th
In 1942, Germans begin minor operations to prepare for summer offensive in the USSR.
= Operation BLUE begins. Germany's summer offensive to the south. Hitler's goal for this offensive is to capture the urgently needed oil fields of the Caucasus.
In 1942, the Battle of Coral Sea ends; the U.S. naval air forces inflict heavy losses on the Japanese.
May 11th
In 1942, Japanese troops conquer Kalewa.
May 12th
In 1942, a Nazi U-boat sinks an American cargo ship at t he mouth of the Mississippi River.
In 1942, Russians launch large-scale spoiling offensive against Kharkov.
May 14th
In 1942, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (the W.A.C.S.) was established.
May 17th
In 1942, Germans counterattack in Kharkov sector.
May 20th
In 1942, black recruits are allowed in the U.S. Navy for the first time.
May 22nd
In 1942, Mexico declares war on nazi-Germany & Japan.
May 26th
In 1942, Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: African corps vs British army.
May 27th
In 1942, Dorie Miller, awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor.
In 1942, Rommel launches major offensive against El Gazala-Bir Hacheim line.
May 28th
In 1942, Germans complete defeat of Soviet Kharkov offensive.
= German General Paulus' 6th Army closes a trap at Kharkov, capturing 240,000 Russians.
From here on, mass captures of this kind become rare for two reasons. First, Stalin began to allow his troops to retreat when their flanks were threatened. Second, stories of Germany's horrendous treatment of POW's filtered throughout the Russian ranks (of 5.7 million prisoners taken by Germany in the course of the war, 3.3 million died in captivity.) Russians now prefer to die in combat rather than surrender.
May 29th
In 1942, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised Molotov a Second Front "this year"
May 30th
In 1942, Royal Air Force begins major air offensive against Germany with heavy raid on Cologne.

1942 June


June 3rd
In 1942, in WWII, Battle of Midway Island begins: first major battle won by airpower, Japan's first major defeat in WW II, the turning point in war in Pacific.
June 4th
In 1942, the Battle of Midway began during World War II, resulting in America's first major victory over Japan and marking a decisive turning point for the U. S. in the Pacific thereafter.
June 5th
In 1942, USA declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary & Romania.
June 6th
In 1942, Japanese forces retreated in the World War II Battle of Midway.
June 7th
In 1942, Admiral Nimitz defeats the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway.
In 1942, Germany Armys march into Sevastopol.
In 1942, Japanese forces occupied Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. U.S. forces retook the islands one year later.
June 10th
In 1942, Rommel forces evacuation of Bir Hacheim.
In 1942, the Gestapo Nazis massacred 173 male residents of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in retaliation for the killing of a Nazi official, Heydich. The Nazis also deported the women and children to Germany.
June 11th
In 1942, German army defeated at El-Alamein North Africa.
In 1942, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a lend-lease agreement to aid the Soviet war effort in World War II.
June 12th
In 1942, Tornado kills 35 in Oklahoma City.
In 1942, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. sign the Lend-Lease agreement during WW II.
June 13th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Office of War Information, and appointed radio news commentator Elmer Davis to be its head.
In 1942, the Office of Strategic Services is created.
June 14th
In 1942, British withdraw toward Egypt.
June 17th
In 1942, The Army weekly newspaper, "Yank", coined the term "G.I. Joe" on this day, in a comic strip drawn by Dave Breger.
In 1942, The first issue of the Army-sponsored paper, Yank is published.
In 1942, the first WW II American expeditionary force landed in Africa (Gold Coast).
June 18th
In 1942, Bernard W Robinson, becomes first black ensign in US Navy.
June 20th
In 1942, German troops conquer Tobruk, North Africa.
In 1942, Rommel breaks into Tobruk, completing its capture June 21.
June 21st
In 1942, 129 degrees F (54 degrees C), Tirat Zevi, Israel (Asian record).
In 1942, Fall of Tobruk to the Afrika Corps (under Rommel since El Agheila in Feb.)
June 24th
In 1942, Rommel reaches Sidi Barrani, Egypt.
June 25th
In 1942, General Dwight Eisenhower is appointed commander of U.S. troops in Europe.
In 1942, about 1,000 British Royal Air Force bombers raided Bremen, Germany, during World War II.
June 27th
In 1942, the FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on New York's Long Island.
June 28th
In 1942, Germans launch main summer offensive in the USSR.
In 1942, the first U.S. ground assault on the Japanese in the South Pacific is executed by commandos on Salamaua, New Guinea, at night.
June 30th
In 1942, 144 U boats (700,000 ton) sunk this month.
In 1942, British are forced back on prepared positions at El Alamein.
In 1942, the U.S. bombed Celebes & Timor.

1942 July


July 1st
In 1942, Germans complete capture of Sevastopol.
July 2nd
In 1942, British Eighth Army begins limited counterattacks against Axis forces in Egypt.
July 3rd
In 1942, Germany troop march into Sebastopol.
July 4th
In 1942, in World War II, the first American bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe; U.S. air offensive against nazi-Germany begins.
In 1942, American crews participate in Royal Air Force raid on airfields in the Netherlands, in the first United States air operation in Europe.
July 5th
In 1942, Soviet resistance in the Crimea ends.
July 6th
In 1942, Anne Frank, age 13, and her family go into hiding with four others from the Nazis in the "Secret Annex" at 263 Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal), Amsterdam.
In 1942, Germans capture Voronezh, near Don River.
July 7th
In 1942, Paulus took the "hinge of Voronezh".
July 9th
In 1942, Germans begin drive towards Stalingrad in the USSR.
In 1942, German offensive in the USSR divides, one army group advancing through Rostov into the Caucasus oilfields and the other toward Stalingrad.
In 1942, Thirteen-year-old ANNE FRANK went into hiding with her family and four other Jews in an annex over her father's business in Amsterdam. She died of typhus nearly three years later at Germany's Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
July 17th
In 1942, 3' of rain falls on Pennsylvania, flooding kills 15.
In 1942, Estimated 34.5" (87.5 cm) of rainfall, Smethport, Pa (state record).
July 20th
In 1942, Legion of Merit Medal authorized by congress.
In 1942, the first detachment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps - later known as WACs - began basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
In 1942, Time puts Russian composer Dmitri Sjostakovitsj on its cover.
July 21st
In 1942, 8 die as coal waste heap slides in river valley near Oakwood, Va.
July 22nd
In 1942, fourth Russian Pantser army forms with 80 tanks.
July 23rd
In 1942, Germans capture Rostov.
In 1942, Hitlers Directive #45: order to occupy Stalingrad.
July 26th
In 1942, RAF bombs Hamburg.
July 30th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill creating a women's auxiliary agency in the Navy known as "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service," or WAVES for short.
July 31st
In 1942, 96 U boats sinks this month (476,000 ton).
In 1942, Paulus' 6th Army crosses the Don River and races for Stalingrad. Russian General Chuikov reinforces as fast as his railways allow.

1942 August


August 6th
In 1942, Churchill fires Gen Auchinlek as Middle-East commandant.
In 1942, Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning queen to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people's motto remained, "No surrender."
August 7th
In 1942, U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, mark ing the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. After months of fierce fighting, the Americans succeeded in seizing control of Guadalcanal from the Japanese.
August 8th
In 1942, six convicted Nazi saboteurs who had landed in the United States were executed in Washington, D.C.; two others received life imprisonment because of their cooperation.
August 9th
In 1942, Germans penetrate northern foothills of the Caucasus.
August 10th
In 1942, Gen B Montgomery becomes commandant British eighth leader in N Africa.
August 11th
In 1942, British aircraft carrier Eagle torpedoed & sinks.
In 1942, Lt-gen Montgomery makes landing on Gibraltar.
In 1942, during Worl d War II, Vichy government official Pierre Laval publicly declared that "the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war."
August 12th
In 1942, Churchill flew to Moscow to meet with Stalin
August 17th
In 1942, during World War II, U.S. Eighth Air Force bombers attacked Rouen, France.
= 1st bombing raid of German forces at Rouen in France by American 8th Air Force.
August 19th
In 1942, The first American pilot to shoot down a German fighter plane is S. F . Junkin.
In 1942, about 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a disastrous raid against the Germans at the port city of Dieppe, France, suffering about 50 percent casualties.
In 1942, British and Canadians, accompanied by small detachment of United States Rangers, make amphibious raid on Dieppe, France.
In 1942, first American offensive in Pacific in WW2 , Guadalcanal, Solomon Is.
August 22nd
In 1942, Brazil declar es war on Germany, Japan & Italy.
August 23rd
In 1942, Battle of Stalingrad begins: 600 Luftwaffer bombers strikes Stalingra d (40,000 die).
In 1942, first US flights to land on Guadalcanal.
August 25th
In 1942, Zhukov, Russia's only undefeated general, is now put in charge of the defenses of Stalingrad.
August 26th
In 1942, Japanse troops lands on New-Guinea, Milne Bay.
In 1942, Russian anti offensive begins in Moscow.
August 27th
In 1942, Cuba declares war on Germany, Japan & Italy.
August 30th
In 1942, Nazi-Germany annexes Luxembourg.
August 31st
In 1942, Axis forces attack El Alamein position (Battle of Alamel Halfa).
In 1942, U boats sunk this month 108 ships (544,000 ton).

1942 September


September 1st
In 1942, Fierce fighting erupts around Stalingrad.
In 1942, "Wake Island" was Hollywood's first major WWII film and starring Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, and Robert Preston premiered at the Rivoli.
September 7th
In 1942, Lt. Gen. Bernard Law Montgomery halts British counterattack at Alamel Halfa; begins elaborate preparations for major counteroffensive.
September 9th
In 1942, First bombing of the continental US: at Mount Emily Oregon by a Japanese plane launched from a submarine in WWII.
September 10th
In 1942, British troops lands on Madagascar.
In 1942, RAF drops 100,000 bombs on Dusseldorf.
September 12th
In 1942, Free-Poland & Belgium asks Pope to sentence nazi-war criminals.
September 13th
In 1942, Germany's "final offensive" to capture Stalingrad begins.
At Stalingrad, the Wehrmarcht had met its match. The soldiers had an uneasy feeling they were fighting men of nearly superhuman strength and resilience. The wounded Russian rarely cried out. Hoffman, a German officer, confided to his diary that Russian's displayed an "insane stubbornness." He said they are, "fanatics...wild beasts...not men, but some kind of cast iron creatures; they never get tired and are not afraid of fire."
September 16th
In 1942, Germans penetrate Stalingrad suburbs.
September 25th
In 1942, the Maritime Commission announces 488 ships were built in the past year.
September 29th
In 1942, the lowest temperature ever experienced in Cleveland in the month of September, and the earliest it has ever reached freezing, is recorded (32 degrees).
September 30th
In 1942, 98 U-boats sunk this month (485,000 tons).

1942 October


October 2nd
In 1942, Queen Mary: rammed and sank a British cruiser; 338 aboard the cruiser died.
October 11th
In 1942, the World War II Battle of Cape Esperance began in the Solomons, resulting in an American victory ov er the Japanese.
October 12th
In 1942, U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle announced that Italian nationals in the United States would no longer be considered enemy aliens.
In 1942, US navy defeats Japanese in WW II Battle of Cape Esperance.
In 1942, in one of his so-called fireside chats, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommended the drafting of 18- and 19-year-old men.
October 14th
In 1942, Hitler orders the second "final offensive" in Stalingrad. Heavy house to house fighting fails to capture the city.
= Bloodiest day at Stalingrad. Germans advanced to the Tractor Factory on the Volga.
October 16th
In 1942, Cyclone in Bay of Bengal kills some 40,000 south of Calcutta India.
October 23rd
In 1942, during World War II , Britain launched a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein in Egypt which eventually swept the Germans out of North Africa.
= British Eighth Army opens El Alamein offensive.
October 26th
In 1942, during the Battle of Santa Cruz, the "U.S.S. South Dakota," the Navy's most decorated ship of World War II, shoots down a record 32 enemy planes (ship took a hit from a 500-pound bomb ).
In 1942, the U.S. ship Hornet was sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands during World War II.
October 30th
In 1942, US aircraft carrier Enterprise reaches Noumea.
October 31st
In 1942, 94 U boats sunk this month (619,000 ton).

1942 November


November 1st
In 1942, Heavy fighting continues in Stalingrad and the Caucasus; Russians are gradually wearing down German offensive.
In 1942, Vice-admiral Cunningham becomes British commander-in-chief.
November 4th
In 1942, during World War II, Axis forces retreated from El Alamein in North Africa in a major victory for British forces commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
November 5th
In 1942, Axis troops withdraw from El Alamein area.
November 8th
In 1942, British and Americans land in Morocco and Algeria.
In 1942, Hitler proclaims fall of Stalingrad from Munich beer hall.
In 1942, Vi chy-France drops diplomatic relations with the US.
In 1942, Operation Torch began during World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.
November 9th
In 1942, German troops begin occupying Tunisia.
November 10th
In 1942, Adm. Jean Francois Darlan orders French forces in North Africa to cease resistance to Allied invasion.
November 11th
In 1942, Eighth Army's pursuit crosses Egyptian frontier into Libya, taking Bardia; Axis troops move into unoccupied France.
In 1942, Germany completed its occupation of France during World War II.
In 1942, Jews in Free Zone of France ordered to wear yellow star of David.
November 12th
In 1942, the World War II naval battle of Guadalcanal began. Although both sides suffered heavy losses, the Americans won a major victory over the Japanese, whose forces on Guadalcanal were left virtually isolated.
November 13th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure lowering the minimum draft age from 21 to 18.
November 15th
In 1942, during the Battle of Savo Island, the "U.S.S. South Dakota," the Navy's most decorated ship of World War II, sinks three Japanese cruisers and damages several others (the ship was hit with 42 shells during the battle).
November 16th
In 1942, Assault of US B-17 Flying Fortresses on airport at Sidi Ahmed.
November 17th
In 1942, The Red Army counter-attacks at the flanks of Paulus' 6th Army in Stalingrad.
November 19th
In 1942, during World War II, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front.
In 1942, Russians begin offensive in Stalingrad area.
= Russians begin his counterattack URANUS from Stalingrad.
November 20th
In 1942, British eighth army recaptures Banghazi, Libya.
November 22nd
In 1942, Converging Soviet attacks cut off German Sixth Army around Stalingrad.
November 23rd
In 1942, Col-gen Von Paul asks Hitler to surrender.
In 1942, The 6th Army is encircled by the Russians.
November 26th
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning December 1.
November 27th
In 1942, during World War II, the French navy at Toulon scuttled its ships and submarines to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Nazis.
In 1942, French warships in Toulon harbor are scuttled to prevent seizure by Germans.
November 28th
In 1942, 491 people died in a fire that destroyed the Coconut Grove in Boston. The cause of the fire was never officially de termined, though many blamed a busboy who had survived the blaze.
In 1942, German General Manstein assumes command of the under strength Army Group Don, and is assigned the task of rescuing Paulus (Operation WINTER STORM.)
November 30th
In 1942, 109 U boats sunk this month (729,000 ton).
In 1942, Determined German resistance halts Allied invasion of Tunisia.
In 1942, German scout ship Altmark explode & sinks off Yokohama.

1942 December


December 1st
In 1942, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.
December 4th
In 1942, U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time in World War II.
December 12th
In 1942, Germans counterattack to relieve Sixth Army at Stalingrad.
December 16th
In 1942, Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia & Balkan.
In 1942, Soviet offensive against Italian Eighth Army on middle Don River forces abandonment of effort to relieve Stalingrad.
December 17th
In 1942, Allies in London sentence German war criminals.
December 19th
In 1942, Manstein advances to within 30 miles of Stalingrad, asks Paulus to attempt to breakout in his direction. Paulus, fearful of the Fuhrer's wrath, refuses to budge.
At the end of 1942, it is Germany that seems on the edge of collapse. The Wehrmarcht has by now lost half its strength. It is greatly outnumbered and, for the first time, faces soldiers as effective as its own. At this critical point, two men step forward to hold the Army together. Guderian is appointed by Hitler to the new post of Inspector General. He has wide ranging powers over manufacture and deployment of all Panzer forces. He doubles production and oversees development of the new Tiger and Panther tanks. In the field, Manstein manages to hold the Wehrmarcht together by taking desperate gambles and through sheer force of will.
December 20th
In 1942, first Japanese bombing of Calcutta.
December 23rd
In 1942, Allies air attack on Den Helder.
December 24th
In 1942, Lt. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, commanding Allied forces in North Africa, decides to postpone Tunisian offensive until end of rainy season.
In 1942, the first surface-to-surface guidede missle was launched by German rocket engineer Werhner von Braun.
December 31st
In 1942, 60 U boats sunk this month (330,000 ton).


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