World War II 1942 Chronology

Today was the deadline for enemy aliens in San Francisco to surrender to the Western Defense Command radio transmitters, shortwave receivers and precision cameras.

Ref: 37

Jan 05

55 German tanks reach North-Africa.

Ref: 5

Jan 05

U.S. and Filipino troops complete their withdrawal to a new defensive line along the base of the Bataan peninsula.

Ref: 2

Jan 05

Yves Paringaux French chief of staff, murdered.

Ref: 5

Jan 07

Japanese attack Bataan in the Philippines. (XDG, p 4A, 1/7/2001)

Ref: 83

Jan 08

Admiral John W. Greenslade, Commandant of the Navy's Twelfth Naval District, urged that American-born and alien Japanese be excluded from areas of strategic importance.

Ref: 37

Jan 09

US Joint Chiefs of Staff created.

Ref: 5

Jan 10

Japan invades North-Celebes, Dutch East Indies.

Ref: 5

Jan 10

The Ford Motor Company signed on to make Jeeps, the new general-purpose military vehicles desperately needed by American forces.

Ref: 3

Jan 11

Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

Ref: 5

Jan 11

Japan conquers Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.

Ref: 5

Jan 12

President Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.

Ref: 5

Jan 12

British troops reconquer Sollum.

Ref: 5

Jan 12

Dutch troops on Tarakan surrender.

Ref: 5

Jan 13

Germans begin a U-boat offensive along east coast of USA.

Ref: 36

Jan 13

Interallied war trial conference publishes St James Declaration.

Ref: 5

Jan 14

President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders all aliens in the U.S. to register with the government.

Ref: 2

Jan 14

Japanese troops land at oil center Balikpapan in Borneo.

Ref: 5

Jan 16

The Japanese begin an advance into Burma.

Ref: 2

Jan 16

William Knudsen becomes first civilian appointed a General in US army.

Ref: 5

Jan 16

Carole Lombard, actress, her mother and about 20 others are killed in a plane crash near Las Vegas, during a tour to promote War Bonds

Ref: 5

Jan 17

Winston Churchill is nearly shot down by the enemy and then his own airforce. Returning from the U.S., his flying boat veered off course and came close to German anti-aircraft guns in France. After this error was noticed and corrected, his aircraft then appeared to British radar operators to be an enemy bomber. Six RAF fighters were scrambled but they failed to find him.

Jan 18

German-Japanese-Italian military agreement signed in Berlin.

Jan 18

General MacArthur repels the Japanese in Bataan.

Ref: 2

Jan 18

Japanese take North Borneo.

Jan 18

Nazis arrest journalists Frans Goedhart & Wiardi Beckman.

Ref: 5

Jan 19

Submarine U-66 torpedoes and sinks Canadian passenger freighter Lady Hawkins off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA. Of 212 passengers and 109 crew, 71 survive.

Jan 19

Titus Brandsma (Carmelite priest) arrested by German occupiers for speaking out against Nazism as a "lie" and "pagan".

Ref: 5

Jan 20

Japanese invade Burma.

Ref: 5

Jan 20

SS Leader Heydrich holds the Wannsee Conference to coordinate the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question."

Ref: 35

Jan 20

Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain.

Ref: 5

Jan 21

Secret Army intelligence report said there was an "espionage net containing Japanese aliens, first and second generation Japanese and other nationals …thoroughly organized and working underground." Gen. DeWitt, in a telephone call, told Gen. Mark Clark that he expected "a violent outburst of coordinated and controlled sabotage" among the Japanese population.

Ref: 37

Jan 21

In North Africa, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel launches a drive to push the British eastward. While the British benefited from radio-intercept-derived Ultra information, the Germans enjoyed an even speedier intelligence source.

Ref: 2

Jan 21

Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain.

Ref: 5

Jan 21

Tito's partisans occupy Foca.

Ref: 5

Jan 22

In Canada, Parliament opposition leader R.B. Hanson demands an inquiry into the Canadian loss to Japanese forces at Hong Kong. Prime Minister Mackenzie King agrees.

Jan 23

British aircraft first spot the German battleship Tirpitz near Trondheim, Norway.

Jan 23

Japanese take Rabaul on New Britain in the Solomon Islands and also invade Bougainville, the largest island.

Ref: 5

Jan 23

Tank battle at Adzjedabia, African corps vs British army.

Ref: 5

Jan 24

A special court of inquiry into America's lack of preparedness for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor places much of the blame on Rear Admiral Husband E Kimmel and Lt Gen Walter C Short, the Navy and Army commanders. (XDG, p 4A, 1/24/2004)

Ref: 83

Jan 25

Roberts Commission Report on Pearl Harbor blamed Lieutenant General Walter C. Short and Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel for not taking adequate precautions against attack. The report also said Japanese spies were on the island of Oahu who were not attached to the Japanese consular corps.

Ref: 37

Jan 26

The first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War Two went ashore in Northern Ireland.

Ref: 5

Jan 26

Italian supreme command demands dismissal of German marshal Rommel.

Ref: 5

Jan 27

The first Japanese warship is sunk by a U.S. submarine.

Jan 27

Gen. DeWitt met with Gov. Culbert L. Olson to gain his support for relocation of the Japanese. Attorney Gen. Warren and L.A. Mayor Fletcher Bowron also demanded the Japanese be moved out.

Ref: 37

Jan 28

Thomas C. Clark appointed Coordinator of the Alien Enemy Control program within the Western Defense Command. The Justice Dept. announces strategic locations that must be cleared of enemy aliens by February 24.

Ref: 37

Jan 28

“Sighted Sub, Sank Same” was the message sent by enlisted pilot Donald Francis Mason on this day. Mason believed that he had sunk a German U-boat off Argentia, Newfoundland.

Ref: 4

Jan 28

General Timoshenko's troops move into Ukraine.

Ref: 5

Jan 28

German troops occupy Benghazi Libya.

Ref: 5

Jan 29

German and Italian troops take Benghazi in North Africa.

Ref: 2

Jan 30

The British withdraw into Singapore. The siege of Singapore then begins.

Ref: 2

Jan 30

California Congressional delegation met in Washington to urge the evacuation of enemy aliens from the West Coast.

Ref: 37

Jan 30

Japanese troops land on Ambon.

Ref: 5

Jan 31

62 U boats sunk this month (327,000 ton).

Ref: 5

Feb 01

First U.S. aircraft carrier offensive of the war as YORKTOWN and ENTERPRISE conduct air raids on Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands.

Ref: 2

Feb 01

Almost two years after the German invasion of Norway, Vidkun Quisling, a notorious Nazi collaborator, becomes the occupied country’s puppet prime minister.

Ref: 3

Feb 02

The US begins observing year-round daylight saving as part of the war effort.

Feb 02

Registration of enemy aliens began. FBI also started random search-and-seizure raids at the homes and businesses of Japanese aliens. Gen. DeWitt and Thomas C. Clark met with Gov. Olson to brief him on plans to evacuate enemy aliens from the West Coast. The governor said removing the Japanese from California might mean the troublesome necessity of importing large numbers of Negro and Mexican laborers. Gov. Olson wanted ten days to study the problem and come up with an alternative plan.

Ref: 37

Feb 02

Japanese invade Java in the Dutch East Indies.

Feb 02

Los Angeles Times urges security measures against Japanese-Americans.

Ref: 5

Feb 02

US auto factories switch from commercial to war production.

Ref: 5

Feb 03

First Japanese air raid on Java.

Ref: 5

Feb 05

Japanese aircraft bomb Canadian passenger liner Empress of Asia off Singapore. The British government was using the ship as a troop carrier, taking 2253 men from Bombay India. Over 1000 men are rescued by Australian sloop Yarra.

Feb 05

Submarine U-109 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Montrolite northeast of Bermuda in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. 28 die.

Feb 08

Japanese assault troops land on Singapore and attack along an 8-mile stretch.

Ref: 2

Feb 08

Congress advises FDR that, Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up en masse so they wouldn't oppose the US war effort.

Ref: 5

Feb 09

Chiang Kai-shek meets with Sir Stafford Cripps, the British viceroy in India.

Ref: 2

Feb 09

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of any or all people from military areas "as deemed necessary or desirable." This allowed for the creation of the Japanese-American internment camps.

Ref: 3

Feb 09

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff held its first formal meeting to coordinate military strategy during World War Two.

Ref: 70

Feb 09

Daylight-saving "War Time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.

Ref: 70

Feb 09

Japanese troops land near Makassar, South Celebes.

Ref: 5

Feb 10

The former French liner "Normandie" capsized in New York Harbor a day after it caught fire while being refitted for the U-S Navy. (XDG, p 4A, 2/10/2003)

Ref: 83

Feb 10

World War II halts civilian car production.

Ref: 2

Feb 10

Submarine U-564 torpedoes and shells Canadian merchant ship Victolite northwest of Bermuda. All 47 on board die.

Feb 10

Submarine U-136 torpedoes and sinks RCN corvette Spikenard south of Iceland and west of Ireland. Spikenard was part of convoy SC-67, the first convoy of the "Newfie-Derry Run", from Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Feb 11

Sec. of War Stimson met with the President to ask for authorization to remove alien and citizen Japanese. The President gives his approval.

Ref: 37

Feb 11

The German battleships Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen begin their famed channel dash from the French port of Brest. Their journey takes them through the English Channel on their way back to Germany.

Ref: 2

Feb 12

3 German battle cruisers escape via Channel to Brest N Germany.

Ref: 5

Feb 13

Entire California congressional delegation today said, "We recommend the immediate evacuation of all persons of Japanese lineage and all others, aliens and citizens alike, whose presence shall be deemed dangerous or inimical to the defense of the United States from all strategic areas."

Ref: 37

Feb 13

Hitler's Operation Seelöwe (invasion of England) cancelled.

Ref: 5

Feb 14

The Japanese invade Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies.

Ref: 2

Feb 14

Submarine U.S.S. Wahoo launched at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

Ref: 37

Feb 14

Japanese parachutists land near oil center Palembang Sumatra.

Ref: 5

Feb 15

British Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur Percival and 130,000 Empire troops surrender Singapore to Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita. It was the largest surrender in British history.

Ref: 3

Feb 15

First exodus of enemy aliens from restricted military zones throughout Northern California. "Move out and stay out" orders will become effective on Feb. 24. Citizens were not affected by this order. Lt. Col. C.C. Harsham, coordinator for the draft, reported there was a steady stream of men at the San Francisco application centers today. The deadline for registration is 9 p.m. tomorrow.

Ref: 37

Feb 15

German U-boat shells at Antillian oil refinery.

Ref: 5

Feb 15

Japanese troops march into Palembang, South Sumatra.

Ref: 5

Feb 16

Tojo outlines Japan's war aims to the Diet, referring to "new order of coexistence" in East Asia.

Ref: 2

Feb 16

German submarines attack Aruba oil refinery.

Ref: 5

Feb 16

The industrial and Waterfront areas of San Francisco were declared a restricted zone by the military. Aliens and other foreigners were not allowed in the areas and were subject to arrest by the FBI for violations. The Dept. of Justice has rounded up 1,266 alien Japanese along the West Coast. Sec. of War Henry L. Stimson met with President Roosevelt about the need to evacuate the Japanese from the West Coast.

Ref: 37

Feb 19

About 150 Japanese warplanes attacked the Australian city of Darwin.

Ref: 5

Feb 19

Japanese troop land on Timor.

Ref: 5

Feb 19

Presidential Executive Order 9066 began placing 100,000 persons of Japanese ancestry (of which over 2/3 were American-born citizens) into ten "relocation centers" for the duration of WWII. During confinement within the armed, barbed-wire surroundings, however, prayer meetings, Bible studies and worship services were held.

Ref: 5

Feb 20

Lieutenant Edward H O'Hare, of the carrier Lexington, single-handedly shoots down 5 of 9 Japanese heavy bombers that are attacking the Lexington, in action off Rabaul, becoming the first U.S. fighter ace of the war.

Ref: 5

Feb 20

Beginning this day, 110,000 Japanese-Americans moved from West coast to concentration camps.

Ref: 10

Feb 22

Submarine U-129 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship George L. Torian off British Guyana in the Caribbean.

Feb 22

President Franklin Roosevelt orders Gen. Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines.

Ref: 2

Feb 23

Submarine U-129 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Lennox off British Guyana in the Caribbean. Two die.

Ref: 37

Feb 23

A Japanese submarine fires 13 shells at the Bankline Refinery at Goleta in Southern California shortly after 7 p.m. One oil well was damaged. The Civilian Defense control center in San Francisco's City Hall was activiated when the news arrived from Goleta of the enemy attack. Police Chief Charles W. Dullea put all officers on standby for emergency duty.

Ref: 37

Feb 24

The Voice of America (VOA) signs on for the first time. The worldwide, shortwave radio service, a department of the U.S. Government, continues to beam a variety of programming around the globe under the auspices of the United States Information Agency (USIA).

Ref: 4

Feb 24

The U.S. Government shut down deliveries of all 12-gauge shotguns for sporting use. The Feds needed to make more weapons available for war production.

Feb 24

All of northern California was declared a "strategic area" and Axis aliens were subject to a 9 p.m. curfew. In addition, enemy aliens must evacuate areas around Army posts, airfields and vital utilities. Lt. Gen. DeWitt will lay out many additional areas from which aliens, and some citizens, will be removed. The first 250 enemy aliens, mostly Japanese, left San Francisco for a camp at Bismarck, North Dakota.

Ref: 37

Feb 24

The US carrier Enterprise attacks the Japanese on Wake Island.

Feb 24

In Canada, an order-in-council, under the War Measures Act, authorizes the relocation of Japanese Canadians to internment camps.

Feb 25

Several thousand anti-aircraft rounds were fired by the Army at an unidentified target near Santa Monica. It was later determined to be a lost weather balloon. It became known as "The Battle of Los Angeles.

Ref: 37

Feb 26

The first U.S. carrier, the LANGLEY, is sunk by Japanese bombers.

Feb 26

WWII Navy flier Don Mason sends message "Sighted sub sank same".

Ref: 5

Feb 26

German battle cruiser Gneisenau deactivated by bomb.

Ref: 5

Feb 26

Radio Orange calls for March 1 day of prayer in Dutch Indies.

Ref: 5

Feb 26

Werner Heisenberger informs Nazis about uranium project "Wunderwaffen".

Ref: 5

Feb 27

The start of the 4-day Battle of the Java Sea sees a Japanese naval victory as the largest U.S. warship in the Far East, the HOUSTON, is sunk.

Ref: 5

Feb 27

Karel WFM Doorman Dutch Rear Admiral (Java Sea), KIA at 52.

Ref: 5

Feb 27

British Commandos raid a German radar station at Bruneval on the French coast.

Ref: 2

Feb 28

Japanese land in Java, last Allied bastion in Dutch East Indies.

Ref: 5

Feb 28

First weapon drop on Netherlands.

Ref: 5

Mar 01

The US Navy sinks U-656, the first German U-boat sunk by the US in World War II. (XDG, p 4A, 3/1/2001)

Ref: 83

Mar 01

3 day Battle of Java Sea ends, US suffers a major naval defeat.

Ref: 5

Mar 01

Japanese troops occupy Kalidjati airport in Java in the Pacific.

Ref: 5

Mar 01

Tito establishes 2nd Proletarit Brigade in Bosnia.

Ref: 5

Mar 02

Gen. DeWitt, commanding both the San Francisco Western Defense Command, and the Fourth Army's Wartime Civil Control Administration, issued instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry living in San Francisco to voluntarily evacuate to inland locations as ordered by President Roosevelt.

Ref: 37

Mar 02

Admiral Helfrich departs Java for Ceylon.

Ref: 5

Mar 03

The RAF raids the industrial suburbs of Paris.

Ref: 2

Mar 04

Two Japanese flying boats bomb Pearl Harbor; ENTERPRISE attacks Marcus Island, just 1000 miles from Japan.

Mar 04

In Canada, Orders-in-council authorizing relocation of Japanese Canadians on west coast goes into effect.

Mar 04

The Stage Door Canteen opened on West 44th Street in New York City. The canteen became widely known as a service club for men in the armed forces and a much welcomed place to spend what would otherwise have been lonely hours. The USO, the United Service Organization, grew out of the ‘canteen’ operation, to provide entertainment for American troops around the world.

Ref: 4

Mar 05

Bosnia Tito establishes 3rd Proletarit Brigade in Bosnia.

Ref: 5

Mar 05

Japanese troop march into Batavia.

Ref: 5

Mar 07

The first cadets graduate from flying school at Tuskegee.

Ref: 5

Mar 07

British evacuate Rangoon in Burma.

Mar 07

Japanese invade Salamaua and Lae on New Guinea.

Ref: 5

Mar 07

15 Mk-VB Spitfires reach Malta.

Ref: 5

Mar 08

An attack on Essen, Germany, uses British "Gee" aircraft navigation equipment for the first time in active duty.

Mar 08

Japanese forces capture Rangoon, Burma, during World War II.

Ref: 70

Mar 08

KNIL, Dutch colonial army on Java, surrenders to Japanese armies.

Ref: 5

Mar 10

Navy seized an entire San Francisco neighborhood to add to the facility at the Hunters Point. About 100 families were forced to move for what the Navy called "military necessity."

Ref: 37

Mar 11

As Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War Two, General Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia, vowing: "I shall return." (He kept that promise nearly three years later.)

Ref: 5

Mar 11

Japanese troop land on North-Sumatra.

Ref: 5

Mar 12

The Canadian Chiefs of Staff Committee recommends adopting draft plans for a "scorched earth" policy, in the event of enemy invasion on either coast of Canada.

Mar 12

British troops vacate the Andamanen in Gulf of Bengal.

Ref: 5

Mar 13

Julia Flikke of the Nurse Corps becomes the first woman colonel in the U.S. Army.

Ref: 2

Mar 15

Submarine U-161 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Sarniadoc in the Caribbean. There are no survivors.

Mar 17

Several ships in Gothenburg, Sweden, loaded with special steels for Britain, are declared by the Swedish Supreme Court free to leave.

Mar 17

General Doug MacArthur arrives in Australia to become the supreme commander of the united nations forces in the Southwestern Pacific.

Ref: 5

Mar 18

The third military draft begins in the United States.

Ref: 2

Mar 18

The War Relocation Authority is established in the U.S. which eventually will round up 120,000 Japanese-Americans and transport them to barb-wired relocation centers. Despite the internment, over 17,000 Japanese-Americans sign up and fight for the U.S. in World War II in Europe, including the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in U.S. history.

Ref: 37

Mar 18

Illegal Free Netherlands announces boycott of theaters.

Ref: 5

Mar 19

Both house of Congress pass Public Law 503 which authorized the evacuation of the Japanese.

Ref: 37

Mar 19

FDR orders men between 45 & 64 to register for non military duty.

Ref: 5

Mar 20

Gen MacArthur vows, "I shall return".

Ref: 5

Mar 20

Major German assault on Malta.

Ref: 5

Mar 20

Convoy PQ13 departs Reykjavik Iceland to Russia.

Ref: 5

Mar 21

The Flying Tigers are incorporated into the U.S. Army Air Force. The Flying Tigers were a group of American volunteer pilots shipped under assumed identities to help China's defense efforts against Japan before America entered World War II. Their bases were primitive, but the fliers, who received $600 a month and $500 a kill from the Chinese government, downed 250 Japanese planes and protected China's lifeline--the Burma Road.

Ref: 3

Mar 21

Convoy QP9 departs Great Britain to Murmansk.

Ref: 5

Mar 21

Heavy German assault on Malta.

Ref: 5

Mar 21

Captain Morávec Czechoslovakian resistance fighter, commit suicide.

Ref: 5

Mar 22

Heavy German assault on Malta.

Ref: 5

Mar 23

The US government begins evacuating Japanese-Americans from their West Coast homes to detention centers.

Ref: 5

Mar 23

The Japanese invade the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Ref: 2

Mar 24

Admiral Chester Nimitz is appointed as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific theater.

Mar 25

Fearing Japanese attack, school board plans to issue I.D. tags to 100,000 school children.

Ref: 37

Mar 26

German offensive in North-Africa under Colonel-General Rommel.

Ref: 5

Mar 27

In Canada, an order-in-council is issued giving the Custodian of Enemy Alien Property the power to sell confiscated property.

Mar 27

Japan forces Java to use "Tokyo time" 1½ hour forward.

Ref: 5

Mar 27

The British raid the Nazi submarine base at St. Nazaire, France.

Ref: 2

Mar 28

FBI raids net dangerous San Francisco Japanese aliens who are members of the secret "Military Virtue Society." Three arrestees were priests of the Knokokyo and Tenrikyo churches.

Ref: 37

Mar 28

The British ship, the HMS Capbeltown, a Lend-Lease American destroyer, which was specifically rammed into a German occupied dry-dock in the occupied French port of St Nazaire, explodes, knocking the area out of action for the German battleship Tirpitz

Ref: 2

Mar 28

During World War Two, British naval forces raided the Nazi-occupied French port of St. Nazaire.

Ref: 5

Mar 28

Fritz Sauckel named Chief of Manpower to expedite recruitment of slave labor.

Ref: 35

Mar 28

234 RAF bombers attack Lübeck.

Ref: 5

Mar 29

British cruiser Trinidad torpedoes itself in the Barents Sea.

Ref: 5

Mar 29

German submarine U-585 sinks.

Ref: 5

Mar 29

British destroyer Campbeltown explodes in St-Nazaire; 400 Germans die.

Ref: 5

Mar 30

The SS murders 200 inmates of the Trawniki labor camp.

Ref: 5

Mar 30

A directive from Washington decrees that suits will be made without trouser cuffs, pleats and patch pockets until the end of the war.

Ref: 62

Mar 31

Dangerous Japanese and German aliens were moved to a new internment camp in a canyon behind the Sharp Park Golf Course. Armed Border Patrol guards surround the new facility. Gen. DeWitt says eight more enemy alien reception centers, to hold 37,000 persons, will be built in Marysville, Sacramento, Stockton, Turlock, Merced, Fresno, Pinedale, and Tulare.

Ref: 37

Mar 31

The San Francisco News reports Joe Di Maggio's elderly parents might be evacuated from San Francisco as enemy aliens.

Ref: 37

Mar 31

(2:00 AM) Operation Performance begins. Ten British-chartered Norwegian ships begin leaving Goteborg, Sweden, for Britain, loaded with special steels vital to the British war effort. Only two ships make it through the German blockade to Leith, Scotland, but bring a valuable 5,000 tons of cargo.

Apr 01

Deadline today for all Japanese U.S. citizens to turn over guns, shortwave radios and cameras to the government. Proclamation by Gen. DeWitt that no Japanese may leave areas in which they reside until evacuated by the Army.

Ref: 37

Apr 01

(day uncertain) Japanese-Americans are sent to relocation centers.

Ref: 35

Apr 01

Canadian merchant ship Robert W. Pomeroy hits a mine and sinks, off Cromer, Norfolk, in the North Sea. One man dies.

Apr 01

The U.S. Navy begins a partial convoy system in the Atlantic.

Ref: 2

Apr 01

Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang Timor.

Ref: 5

Apr 02

The U.S.S. Hornet slipped under the Golden Gate Bridge carrying Doolittle's Raiders who would drop the first American bombs on Japan. San Franciscans thought the 16 B-25s on the deck were being shipped to Hawaii because the aircraft were too big to launch from the carrier.

Ref: 37

Apr 03

The Japanese begin their all-out assault on the U.S. and Filipino troops at Bataan.

Ref: 2

Apr 04

Leonard Birchall radios a warning that the Japanese fleet is closing in on Ceylon. The warning helps Allied forces prepare for the coming attack. Birchall's plane is shot down, killing three of his crew.

Apr 04

A Japanese naval task force enters the Bay of Bengal and attacks Ceylon.

Ref: 17

Apr 06

Evacuation of San Francisco Japanese begins

Ref: 37

Apr 06

The first U.S. troops arrive in Australia.

Apr 08

The Soviets open a rail link to the besieged city of Leningrad.

Ref: 2

Apr 09

American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces; the surrender was followed by the notorious "Bataan Death March" which claimed nearly ten-thousand lives.

Ref: 5

Apr 10

The Bataan Death March begins as 76,000 Allied POWs including 12,000 Americans are forced to walk 60 miles under a blazing sun without food or water toward a new POW camp, resulting in over 5,000 American deaths.

Apr 10

Cigarettes & candy rationed in Holland.

Ref: 5

Apr 11

The Distinguished Service Medal for Merchant Marines authorized.

Ref: 5

Apr 11

Detachment 101 of the OSS--a guerrilla force--is activated in Burma.

Ref: 2

Apr 12

Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan.

Ref: 5

Apr 13

Henk Sneevliet leader of Dutch RSAP/Spartacus, executed at 58.

Ref: 5

Apr 14

Destroyer Roper sinks German U-85 of US east coast.

Ref: 5

Apr 15

George VI awards the George Cross to the people of Malta.

Ref: 5

Apr 16

The Island of Malta is awarded the George Cross in recognition for heroism under constant German air attack. It was the first such award given to any part of the British Commonwealth.

Ref: 2

Apr 16

Japanese occupying army on Java installs film censorship.

Ref: 5

Apr 17

Navy seizes Treasure Island from the City of San Francisco, and pays no compensation for the confiscated island. Admiral Greenslade claimed it was for "national security."

Ref: 37

Apr 17

12 Lancasters bombs MAN-factory in Augsburg.

Ref: 5

Apr 17

Operations begin to destroy Sobibor Concentration Camp.

Ref: 5

Apr 18

Gen. Doolittle raids Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Nagoya and Yokosuka. Doolittle's B-25's were launched from the carrier Hornet primarily ot boost Allied morale.

Ref: 37

Apr 18

"Stars & Stripes" paper for US armed forces starts.

Ref: 5

Apr 20

Submarine U-154 torpedoes and shells Canadian merchant ship Vineland in the Caribbean. One man dies.

Ref: 35

Apr 20

Pierre Laval, the premier of Vichy France, in a radio broadcast, establishes a policy of "true reconciliation with Germany."

Ref: 2

Apr 20

German occupiers forbid Dutch access to their beach.

Ref: 5

Apr 20

Heavy German assault on Malta.

Ref: 5

Apr 21

FBI and police launch alien raids throughout the Bay Area. A UC Berkeley art student was taken into custody as a dangerous Japanese alien. Gen. DeWitt orders Japanese out of San Francisco "generally west of the north-south line established by Junipero Serra Ave., Worchester Ave. and 19th Ave. and lying generally north of the east-west line established by California St. to the intersection of Market St. and then on Market St. to the Bay." Civil Control Station opens at 1701 Van Ness Ave. and a responsible member of each Japanese family in San Francisco is to report there for instructions.

Ref: 37

Apr 23

German air raids begin against cathedral cities in Britain.

Ref: 36

Apr 23

4-day allied bombing on Rostock begins.

Ref: 5

Apr 24

Luftwaffe bombs Exeter.

Ref: 5

Apr 25

Luftwaffe bombs Bath.

Ref: 5

Apr 26

Luftwaffe bombs Bath.

Ref: 5

Apr 27

In Canada, a national vote is taken on the subject of conscription of soldiers for overseas duty is taken. The response is 64% in favor of conscription, though in Quebec province 76% vote against. The Prime Minister decides that to keep Canada united, he would postpone conscription as long as possible.

Apr 28

"WW II" titled so, as result of Gallup Poll.

Ref: 5

Apr 28

Nightly "dim-out" begins along the East Coast.

Ref: 5

Apr 29

Japanese troops march into Lashio, cut off Burma Road.

Ref: 5

May 01

Japanese occupy Mandalay in Burma.

May 01

Submarine U-69 shells Canadian merchant ship James E. Newsom northeast of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.

May 02

Admiral Chester J. Nimitz, convinced that the Japanese will attack Midway Island, visits the island to review its readiness.

Ref: 2

May 02

Japanese troops occupy Mandalay Burma.

Ref: 5

May 03

Luftwaffe bombs Exeter.

Ref: 5

May 03

Japanese troop attack Tulagi, Gavutu & Tanambogo, Solomon Islands.

Ref: 5

May 03

Gen. DeWitt issues evacuation instructions to persons of Japanese ancestry in Los Angeles. San Francisco blackout ordered because of an unidentified target that later turned out to be friendly. The 45-minute blackout was the eighth of the war.

Ref: 37

May 03

Johan H Westerveld Lieutenant-Colonel/leader Order Service, executed.

Ref: 5

May 03

The Battle of the Coral Sea commences.

Ref: 2

May 03

The United States begins food rationing.

Ref: 2

May 03

Nazis execute 72 OD'ers in reprisial in Sachsenhausen, Netherlands.

Ref: 5

May 04

German occupiers imprison 450 prominent Dutch as hostages.

Ref: 5

May 04

The United States begins food rationing.

Ref: 2

May 04

The Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began during World War Two. Japan loses 39 ships in its first setback of the war.

Ref: 70

May 05

Submarine U-106 torpedoes and sinks Canadian passenger freighter Lady Drake north of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 272 people on board, 6 crew and 6 passengers die.

May 05

Japanese prepare to invade Midway and the Aleutian Islands.

May 05

British assault on Diego Suarez Madagascar.

Ref: 5

May 05

General Joseph Stilwell learns that the Japanese have cut his railway out of China and is forced to lead his troops into India.

Ref: 2

May 06

Japanese take Corregidor as Lt. Gen. Wainwright unconditionally surrenders all 15,000 U.S. and Filipino forces in the Philippines. (XDG, p 4A, 5/6/2000)

Ref: 83

May 06

Gen. Walter K. Wilson spoke to the defenders of Corregidor over San Francisco shortwave station KGEI just before the island fortress fell. He said, "America is proud of you as valiant soldiers. Those of us who know you personally are proud of you as friends."

Ref: 36

May 07

In the Battle of the Coral Sea, Japanese and American navies attack each other with carrier-launched warplanes. It is the first time in the history of naval warfare where two fleets fought without seeing each other. Two crucial battles in 1942 marked the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

Ref: 2

May 07

Submarine U-136 shells and sinks Canadian merchant ship Mildred Pauline in the North Atlantic. There are no survivors.

May 07

In Canada, the Prime Minister recommends to Cabinet that the National Resources Mobilization Act be amended, to allow conscription for overseas war duty.

Ref: 37

May 08

Submarine U-588 torpedoes Newfoundland-registered merchant ship Kitty's Brook off Cape Sable in the Atlantic Ocean. 9 die.

May 08

Japan suffers its first defeat of the war during the 2-day Battle of the Coral Sea off New Guinea - the first time in history that two opposing carrier forces fought only using aircraft without the opposing ships ever sighting each other.

Ref: 37

May 08

Submarine U-162 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Mont Louis off British Guyana in the Caribbean.13 die.

May 08

Submarine U-125 torpedoes, shells, and sinks Canadian merchant ship Calgarolite near Grand Caymans in the Caribbean.

May 08

German summer offensive begins in the Crimea.

Ref: 36

May 09

Practice firing of the 16-inch harbor defense guns. Shells weighed about 2100 pounds and the sound of firing was heard all over the city.

Ref: 37

May 11

Japanese troops conquer Kalewa.

Ref: 5

May 12

The Bay Area - except San Francisco - underwent a 25-minute air raid alert this morning. San Francisco got in only the last eight minutes of the alarm while Alameda, San Mateo and Marin counties received the signal immediately after 11:20 a.m. Police and Civilian Defense officials charged they did not receive the warning until 11:37 a.m., exactly 17 minutes after the 4th Interceptor Squadron at the Presidio ordered the alert for this area.

Ref: 37

May 12

Russia occupies Crackow, until August 23, 1943.

Ref: 5

May 12

Nazi U-boat sinks American cargo ship at mouth of the Mississippi River.

Ref: 5

May 12

The last U.S. troops holding out in the Philippines surrender on Mindanao.

May 12

The Soviet Army launches its first major offensive of the war, taking Kharkov in the eastern Ukraine.

Ref: 2

May 14

The British Army, in retreat from Burma, reaches India.

Ref: 2

May 14

US Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is founded.

Ref: 5

May 15

Gasoline rationing went into effect in 17 states, limiting sales to three gallons a week for non-essential vehicles.

Ref: 4

May 15

Nazi occupiers in Netherlands arrest 2,000 Dutch officers.

Ref: 5

May 16

First transport of British/Dutch prisoners to South Burma.

Ref: 5

May 17

Dutch SS vows loyalty to Hitler.

Ref: 5

May 20

The last Japanese are evacuated from San Francisco. Six Greyhound buses carried the last 274 Japanese from the collection point at Raphael Weill School, and took them to the Tanforan assembly center. Only six seriously ill Japanese remained in local hospitals.

Ref: 37

May 20

Japanese complete the capture of Burma and reaches India.

Ref: 2

May 20

US Navy first permitted black recruits to serve.

Ref: 5

May 21

Submarine U-69 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Torondoc off Martinique in the Caribbean. 21 die. Submarine U-558 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Troisdoc off Jamaica in the Caribbean.

May 21

Great-Britain convoy PQ16 departs to Russia.

Ref: 5

May 22

México declares war on Nazi-Germany & Japan.

Ref: 5

May 22

Submarine U-158 shells and sinks Canadian merchant ship Frank B. Baird southeast of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.

May 23

Police Chief Dullea ordered police, fire units and ambulances not to use sirens because of possible confusion with the air raid signals.

Ref: 37

May 26

Rommel begins an offensive against the Gazala Line.

Ref: 36

May 26

Anglo-Soviet Treaty signed in London.

Ref: 5

May 26

Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: African corps vs British army.

Ref: 5

May 27

West Coast shore defenses are put on alert after Army code breakers learned the Japanese would attack with hit-and-run raids in reprisal for the Doolittle bombing of Japan.

Ref: 37

May 27

SS leader Heydrich is mortally wounded by Czech Underground agents.

Ref: 35

May 27

German General Rommel begins a major offensive in Libya with his Afrika Korps.

Ref: 2

May 27

Dorie Miller, awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor.

Ref: 5

May 27

Hitler orders 10,000 Czechoslovakians murdered.

Ref: 5

May 27

Italian army begin siege of French western Fort Bir Hachim.

Ref: 5

May 28

1,800 Czechoslovakians murdered by Nazis during attack on Heydrich.

Ref: 5

May 29

San Francisco Civil Defense officials began distribution of gas masks to Air Raid Wardens. Only 7000 arrived in the first shipment; not enough to equip all block wardens.

Ref: 37

May 29

The German Army completes its encirclement of the Kharkov region of the Soviet Union.

Ref: 2

May 30

The first thousand bomber British air raid is against Cologne.

Ref: 36

May 30

US aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor.

Ref: 5

May 30

Reichsführer Himmler arrives in Prague.

Ref: 5

May 31

German warplanes bombed Canterbury, England, causing severe damage to the Canterbury Cathedral (seat of Anglicanism), in retaliation for Britain's assault on Cologne, Germany.

Ref: 37

May 31

The battleships Colorado and Maryland sail out of the Golden Gate to form a line of defense against the expected Japanese attack on San Francisco.

Ref: 37

May 31

Submarine U-432 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Liverpool Packet off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Two die.

May 31

Reinhard Heydrich German protector of Bohemia & Moravia, assassinated.

Ref: 5

Jun 01

America begins sending Lend-Lease materials to the Soviet Union.

Ref: 2

Jun 02

The American aircraft carriers Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown move into their battle positions for the Battle of Midway.

Ref: 2

Jun 02

The Western Defense Command warned the public to be on the lookout for Japanese wearing U.S. Army uniforms. The Command said, "All Japanese who are members of the Army of the United States have been removed from the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army, except three on the post at Fort Ord who are on a special assignment." Nine-minute air raid alert in San Francisco. All radio stations from Mexico to Canada were ordered off the air at 9:22 p.m.

Ref: 37

Jun 03

The House votes 357-0, 360-0 and 361-0 in favor of war against Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, respectively. (USA Today, p 5A, 10/08/2002)

Ref: 13

Jun 03

Minesweeper Bunting collided with Navy patrol craft PC-569 about 2000 yards west of the Golden Gate Bridge. 14 crew members were rescued. The Office of Price Administration - OPA - said if gas rationing is introduced drivers will be limited to just less than four gallons per week. President Roosevelt and the cabinet will decide on rationing at a Friday meeting.

Ref: 37

Jun 04

The Senate votes 73-0 in favor of war against Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. (USA Today, p 5A, 10/08/2002)

Ref: 13

Jun 04

8500 civilian defense helmets were distributed to San Francisco air raid wardens. An additional 5150 have been shipped from the East.

Ref: 37

Jun 04

Battle of Midway begins; Japan's first major defeat in WW II.

Ref: 5

Jun 04

SS Leader Heydrich dies of wounds received the previous week.

Ref: 35

Jun 05

SS report 97,000 persons have been "processed" in mobile gas vans.

Ref: 35

Jun 05

The turning point in the war occurs with a decisive victory for the U.S. against Japan in the Battle of Midway as squadrons of U.S. torpedo planes and dive bombers from ENTERPRISE, HORNET, and YORKTOWN attack and destroy four Japanese carriers, a cruiser, and damage another cruiser and two destroyers. U.S. loses the aircraft carrier Yorktown.

Jun 05

Germans besiege Sevastopol.

Ref: 36

Jun 05

Elwood Ordnance Plant near Joliet Illinois kills 54.

Ref: 5

Jun 06

The Battle of Midway begins.

Ref: 37

Jun 06

Nazis burn the village of Lidice Bohemia, as reprisal for the killing of Reihardt Heydrich.

Ref: 5

Jun 07

The USS Yorktown sinks near Midway Island.

Ref: 5

Jun 07

As part of their training, Air Raid Wardens saw British film "UXB" about unexploded bombs (duds and delayed action fuses) at the Fox Theatre.

Ref: 37

Jun 08

The Battle of Midway ends the Japanese naval threat to San Francisco and the mainland. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk. The United States lost the carrier Yorktown. The invasion alert for San Francisco canceled by the Western Defense Command.

Ref: 37

Jun 09

The Japanese high command announces that "The Midway Occupation operations have been temporarily postponed."

Ref: 2

Jun 10

The Gestapo massacres 173 male residents of Lidice (LIH'-dyiht-zeh), Czechoslovakia, in reprisal for Heydrich's assassination.

Ref: 35

Jun 11

The United States signs a lend-lease agreement with the Soviet Union to aid the Soviet war effort. (XDG, p 4A, 6/11/2000)

Ref: 83

Jun 12

American bombers strike the oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania for the first time.

Ref: 2

Jun 12

In Canada, the Chemical Warfare Inter-Service Board develops a set of rules governing use of troops in war gas experiments.

Jun 12

Four German saboteurs led by George John Dasch landed from a U-boat on the beach near Amagansett, Long Island, New York. Five days later, a second team of 4 German saboteurs, led by Edward Kerling, landed at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida. Dasch turned himself in at the New York Field Office two days after landing. Within two weeks, the FBI captured all 8 saboteurs.

Ref: 14

Jun 13

President Roosevelt created the Office of War Information, and appointed radio news commentator Elmer Davis to be its head. (XDG, p 4A, 6/13/2003)

Ref: 83

Jun 13

First V-2 rocket launch, Peenemonde, Germany; reached 1.3 km.

Ref: 5

Jun 14

General Electric Co of Bridgeport, Conn produces the first bazooka rocket gun.

Ref: 4

Jun 17

The Army weekly newspaper, Yank, coined the term “G.I. Joe” in a comic strip drawn by Dave Breger.

Ref: 4

Jun 17

First WW II American expeditionary force lands in Africa (Gold Coast).

Ref: 5

Jun 19

Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Washington D.C. to discuss the invasion of North Africa with President Roosevelt.

Ref: 2

Jun 19

Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoes and damages Canadian freighter Fort Camosun off Canada's west coast. 13 die.

Jun 20

Japanese submarine I-26 is sighted off Estevan, British Columbia, Canada. Japanese submarine I-25 shells the lighthouse at Estevan Point on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. This may be the only place in Canada shelled during the war.

Jun 21

German General Erwin Rommel captures the port city of Tobruk in North Africa.

Ref: 2

Jun 21

Japanese submarine I-25 shells the harbor defenses of the Columbia River in Washington state.

Ref: 37

Jun 21

The Examiner patriotic song "Knit One, Purl Two" was recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. Words to the song appeared in the American Weekly section of today's newspaper.

Ref: 37

Jun 22

A Japanese submarine shells a military depot at Fort Stevens, Oregon. It was the first attack by a foreign power on a continental U.S. military installation since the War of 1812.

Ref: 37

Jun 22

V-Mail, or Victory-Mail, was sent for the first time. V-Mail used a special paper for letter writing during WWII. It was designed to reduce cargo space taken up by mail sent to and from members of the armed services. The letters written on this special paper were opened at the post office, censored and reduced in size by photography. One roll of film contained 1600 letters.

Ref: 4

Jun 25

Eisenhower arrives in London.

Ref: 36

Jun 25

Some one-thousand British Royal Air Force bombers raided Bremen, Germany, during World War Two.

Ref: 5

Jun 27

The FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on NY's Long Island.

Ref: 5

Jun 27

The Allied convoy PQ-17 leaves Iceland for Murmansk and Archangel.

Ref: 2

Jun 28

German troops launch an offensive to seize Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus and the city of Stalingrad.

Ref: 2

Jun 29

Navy airship reported that the Japanese had laid mines west of the Main Channel. Bay maritime traffic was halted for five hours, but mine sweepers found nothing.

Ref: 37

Jun 30

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz barely escapes death when his plane crashed into the Alameda Estuary near the San Francisco County line.

Ref: 37

Jun 30

Rommel reaches El Alamein near Cairo, Egypt.

Ref: 36

Jul 01

The start of the First Battle of El Alamein.

Ref: 36

Jul 01

German troops capture Sevestapol, Crimea, in the Soviet Union.

Ref: 2

Jul 03

Germans take Sevastopol.

Ref: 36

Jul 04

British Admiralty orders cruisers escorting Convoy P.Q. 17 (from Seidisfjord, Iceland, to the Soviet Union) to abandon the convoy, and for the merchant ships to disperse and proceed to Soviet ports. This was done for fear of the German battleship Tirpitz attacking the convoy.

Jul 04

First American bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe (WW II).

Ref: 5

Jul 05

Soviet resistance in the Crimea ends.

Ref: 36

Jul 07

Himmler grants permission for sterilization experiments at Auschwitz.

Ref: 35

Jul 09

Germans begin a drive toward Stalingrad in the USSR.

Ref: 36

Jul 10

General Carl Spaatz becomes the head of the US Air Force in Europe.

Ref: 2

Jul 11

In the longest bombing raid of World War II, 1,750 British Lancaster bombers attack the Polish port of Danzig.

Ref: 2

Jul 12

Institute on Labor in the War sponsored by the University of California Extension, and Pacific Coast Labor School.

Ref: 37

Jul 15

The first supply flight from India to China over the 'Hump' is flown. Successor to the Flying Tigers

Ref: 2

Jul 17

(and 18th) Himmler visits Auschwitz-Birkenau for two days, inspecting all ongoing construction and expansion, then observes the extermination process from start to finish as two trainloads of Jews arrive from Holland. Kommandant Höss is then promoted. Construction includes four large gas chamber/crematories.

Ref: 35

Jul 18

The German Me-262, the first jet-propelled aircraft to fly in combat, makes its first flight.

Ref: 2

Jul 19

German U-boats are withdrawn from positions off the US Atlantic coast due to effective American anti-submarine measures.

Ref: 35

Jul 19

Japanese forces invade New Guinea.

Jul 19

In Canada, Bill 80 passes second reading in Parliament, giving government power to conscript soldiers for war duty overseas.

Jul 20

The first members of the WAACS, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps began training at Fort Des Moines, IA. In 1943, the name was changed to WACS (Women’s Army Corps) and the organization became a part of the US Army. All WAACS were given the choice of joining the new WACS (and joining the army) or returning to civilian life (75% stayed on).

Ref: 4

Jul 20

Legion of Merit Medal authorized by congress.

Ref: 5

Jul 21

Japanese land troops near Gona on New Guinea.

Jul 22

Gasoline rationing involving the use of coupons began along the Atlantic seaboard.

Ref: 70

Jul 24

The Soviet city of Rostov is captured by German troops.

Ref: 2

Jul 24

In convoy ON-113 across the Atlantic ocean, RCN destroyer St. Croix sinks German submarine U-90.

Jul 30

The end of the First Battle of El Alamein.

Ref: 36

Jul 30

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.

Ref: 70

Jul 31

In convoy ONS-115 across the Atlantic ocean, RCN destroyer Skeena and corvette Wetaskiwin sink submarine U-588.

Aug 01

Ensign Henry C. White, while flying a J4F Widgeon plane, sinks U-166 as it approaches the Mississippi River, the first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Ref: 2

Aug 04

The British government charges that Mohandas Gandhi and his All-Indian Congress Party favor "appeasement" with Japan.

Ref: 2

Aug 06

The Soviet city of Voronezh falls to the German army.

Ref: 2

Aug 06

In the Atlantic ocean, RCN destroyer Assiniboine rams and sinks submarine U-210.

Aug 07

The US first Marine Division under General A. A. Vandegrift lands on the islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon islands. This is the first American amphibious landing of the war.

Ref: 2

Aug 07

British General Bernard Montgomery takes command of Eighth Army in North Africa.

Ref: 36

Aug 08

Six convicted Nazi saboteurs who had landed in the US were executed in Washington DC; two others receive life imprisonment. (XDG p 4A, 8/8/2000)

Ref: 83

Aug 08

U.S. Marines take the unfinished airfield on Guadalcanal and name it Henderson Field after Maj. Lofton Henderson, a hero of Midway.

Ref: 2

Aug 09

A major U.S. naval disaster off Savo Island, north of Guadalcanal, as eight Japanese warships wage a night attack and sink three U.S. heavy cruisers, an Australian cruiser, and one U.S. destroyer, all in less than an hour. Another U.S. cruiser and two destroyers are damaged. Over 1,500 Allied crewmen are lost.

Aug 11

The War Production Board orders the entire crop of California wine grapes diverted to the production of raisins for the Armed Forces.

Ref: 37

Aug 11

The German submarine U-73 attacks a Malta bound British convoy and sinks HMS Eagle, one of the world's first aircraft carriers.

Ref: 2

Aug 11

Vichy government official Pierre Laval publicly declared "the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war." (XDG, p 4A, 8/11/2000)

Ref: 83

Aug 12

Stalin and Churchill meet in Moscow.

Ref: 36

Aug 14

Dwight D. Eisenhower is named the Anglo-American commander for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa.

Ref: 2

Aug 15

The United States 101st Airborne Division is officially activated, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana.

Aug 15

The Japanese submarine I-25 departs Japan with a floatplane in its hold which will be assembled upon arriving off the West Coast of the United States, and used to bomb U.S. forests.

Ref: 2

Aug 16

Airship L-8 of the Navy Airship Squadron, lifted off from Treasure Island at 6:03 a.m. to patrol near the Farallones. At 11:15 a.m., bathers near the Olympic Club golf course saw the ship drift to shore then briefly touch down on the beach near Ft. Funston where a depth charge aboard the ship exploded on impact. L-8 finally crashed on Bellvue Ave. in Daly City. The crew of the airship was not aboard and no trace of them was found.

Ref: 37

Aug 17

US bombers stage their first independent raid on Europe when they attack Rouen, France.

Ref: 36

Aug 17

122 U.S. Marine raiders, transported by submarine, attack Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

Ref: 5

Aug 18

Britain's Security Intelligence Service radios Berlin, Germany, telling of a commando raid on Dieppe for dawn on the 19th. The message is sent via a captured German radio, and the raid is scheduled for the 18th. Unfortunately, the raid was postponed for one day because Mountbatten did not show at the appointed time.

Aug 18

Japan sends a crack army to Guadalcanal to repulse the U.S. Marines fighting there. In the end, they were not successful.

Ref: 2

Aug 19

The Allies launch a major raid on the French port of Dieppe. 5000 of the 6000 troops are Canadians. The mission is a major Allied defeat with 1000 casualties.

Ref: 83

Aug 19

The first American pilot to shoot down a German fighter plane is S. F. Junkin.

Aug 19

First American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is.

Ref: 5

Aug 20

Dimout regulations took effect in San Francisco.

Ref: 37

Aug 21

US Marines turn back the first major Japanese ground attack on Guadalcanal in the Battle of Tenaru.

Ref: 2

Aug 22

Brazil declares war on the Axis powers. She is the only South American country to send combat troops into Europe.

Ref: 2

Aug 23

German forces begin an assault on the major Soviet industrial city of Stalingrad.

Ref: 35

Aug 23

Last cavalry charge in history; 2,000 Russians flee from 600 mounted men of Italian Cavalry.

Ref: 10

Aug 24

In the battle of the Eastern Solomons, the third carrier-versus-carrier battle of the war, U.S. naval forces defeat a Japanese force attempting to screen reinforcements for the Guadalcanal fighting.

Ref: 2

Aug 29

The American Red Cross announces that Japan has refused to allow safe conduct for the passage of ships with supplies for American prisoners of war.

Ref: 2

Aug 31

The British army under General Bernard Law Montgomery defeats Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps in the Battle of Alam Halfa in Egypt.

Ref: 2

Sep 01

A federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., upholds the wartime detention of Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals. (XDG, p 3A, 9/1/2000)

Ref: 83

Sep 02

Rommel is driven back by Montgomery in the Battle of Alam Halfa.

Ref: 36

Sep 04

Soviet planes bomb Budapest in the war's first air raid on the Hungarian capital. Soviet bombers raided the capital of Germany in mid-1941 but caused little damage--and left little warning of the terrible retribution to come later.

Ref: 2

Sep 07

In the St. Lawrence River, submarine U-165 torpedoes and sinks armed yacht Raccoon, while escorting Convoy QS-33.

Ref: 2

Sep 07

The Red Army pushes back the German line northwest of Stalingrad.

Ref: 2

Sep 08

Germany's siege of Leningrad begins. It will last 900 days.

Sep 08

Third War Loan drive began.

Ref: 37

Sep 09

War jitters sweep San Francisco after a Japanese warplane, launched from the submarine I-25, bombed Mt. Emily, Oregon, and ignited a forest fire. Incendiary bombs were also dropped near Brookings, Oregon. The attack was in reprisal for Doolittle's raid on Japan.

Ref: 37

Sep 09

Open pit burning of bodies begins at Auschwitz in place of burial. The decision is made to dig up and burn those already buried, 107,000 corpses, to prevent fouling of ground water.

Ref: 35

Sep 10

President Franklin D. Roosevelt mandates gasoline rationing in the U.S. as part of the country’s wartime efforts.

Sep 10

Russian-American goodwill concert featuring Maria Kurenko, known as the "Russian Nightingale" at the Opera House.

Ref: 37

Sep 11

In the St. Lawrence River, near Cap Chat, Quebec, Canada, submarine U-517 torpedoes and sinks RCN corvette Charlottetown. 10 die.

Sep 12

The start of the 3-day Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal.

Sep 12

San Francisco War Show at Union Square to dedicate the new underground garage. USO dances, radio broadcasts, etc. Sponsored by the Civilian Defense Council and the Win-the-War Committee. Showing of pastels and drawings by Richard Stephens closed at the USO, 989 Market Street. "Paintings On and Off the Post" by Army privates David Hammer and W.H. Yeisley closed at the de Young Museum.

Ref: 37

Sep 13

In the Atlantic ocean, submarine U-91 torpedoes and sinks RCN destroyer Ottawa.

Sep 13

The Battle of Stalingrad begins.

Ref: 36

Sep 15

A Japanese submarine torpedo attack near the Solomon Islands results in the sinking of the Carrier WASP, Destroyer O'BRIEN and damage to the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA.

Sep 17

Brigadier General Leslie R Groves of the Army Corps of Engineers is placed in charge of the Manhattan Project.

Ref: 22

Sep 17

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill meets with Soviet Premier Josef Stalin in Moscow as the German Army rams into Stalingrad.The Krummer Lauf allowed German infantry and motorized artillery units to actually fire around corners.

Ref: 2

Sep 21

British forces attack the Japanese in Burma.

Ref: 2

Sep 21

Lecture at the Community Playhouse by Estela Romualdez Sulet, who speaks about "The Philippines in the Present Crisis."

Ref: 37

Sep 25

The War Labor Board orders equal pay for women in the United States.

Ref: 2

Sep 27

Australian forces defeat the Japanese on New Guinea in the South Pacific.

Ref: 2

Sep 28

Scrap metal drive began in San Francisco.

Ref: 37

Sep 28

Lillian Hellman's anti-Nazi drama, Watch on the Rhine, starring Paul Lucas, opens at the Curran Theatre.

Ref: 37

Sep 29

Japanese plane again bombed Mt. Emily, Oregon. San Francisco Civil Defense intensified preparedness. The I-25 submarine, which launched the plane, then sank two tankers off the coast.

Ref: 37

Oct 01

The German Army grinds to a complete halt within the city of Stalingrad.

Ref: 2

Oct 03

Germany conducts the first successful test flight of a V-2 missile, which flies perfectly over a 118-mile course.

Ref: 2

Oct 04

Second scrap metal drive.

Ref: 37

Oct 05

A German eyewitness observes SS mass murder.

Ref: 35

Oct 11

During WW II Germany completes their occupation of France.

Ref: 5

Oct 11

The World War II Battle of Cape Esperance began in the Solomon Islands, resulting in an American victory over the Japanese.

Ref: 70

Oct 12

During World War Two, President Roosevelt delivered one of his so-called "fireside chats" in which he recommended the drafting of 18- and 19-year-old men.

Ref: 6

Oct 12

US navy defeats Japanese in WW II Battle of Cape Esperance.

Ref: 5

Oct 12

Attorney General Francis Biddle announced that Italian nationals in the United States would no longer be considered enemy aliens.

Ref: 70

Oct 13

The first U.S. Army troops, the 164th Infantry Regiment, land on Guadalcanal.

Oct 13

In the first of four attacks, two Japanese battleships sail down the slot and shell Henderson field on Guadalcanal, in an unsuccessful effort to destroy the American Cactus Air Force.

Ref: 2

Oct 14

A U-boat torpedoes and sinks Newfoundland passenger ferry SS Caribou, between Sydney, Nova Scotia, and Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. 136 die.

Oct 18

Vice Admiral William F. Halsey named as the new commander of the South Pacific Area, in charge of the Solomons-New Guinea campaign.

Oct 18

Hitler orders the execution of all captured British commandos.

Ref: 36

Oct 19

The Japanese submarine I-36 launches a floatplane for a reconnaissance flight over Pearl Harbor. The pilot and crew report on the ships in the harbor, after which the aircraft is lost at sea.

Ref: 2

Oct 21

Eight American and British officers land from a submarine on an Algerian beach to take measure of Vichy French to the Operation Torch landings.Sub-Task Force Goalpost in the crucible of Operation Torch.

Ref: 2

Oct 23

Lieut. General Bernard Montgomery begins an assault of the 8th British Army against German positions outside of El Alamein.

Ref: 5

Oct 23

The Western Task Force, destined for North Africa, departs from Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Ref: 2

Oct 26

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Hornet is sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz Island, in the South Pacific in action against the Japanese.

Ref: 4

Oct 28

The first transport from Theresienstadt arrives at Auschwitz.

Ref: 35

Oct 31

One of the great wartime radio shows premiered. CBS debuted Thanks to the Yanks, starring Bob Hawk. It became one of the most popular of the wartime programs.

Ref: 4

Nov 01

Operation Supercharge (Allies break Axis lines at El Alamein).

Ref: 36

Nov 01

Effective today, Civilian Defense wardens are to report enemy attacks to the underground control room at City Hall by calling Ordway 8987 or Yukon 1323.

Ref: 37

Nov 02

Lt. General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrives in Gibraltar to set up an American command post for the invasion of North Africa.

Ref: 2

Nov 02

British 8th Army under Gen. Bernard Montgomery defeats Germans at El Alamein.

Ref: 5

Nov 04

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.

Ref: 70

Nov 05

Pro-British Clandestine Radio Diego Suarez's final transmission.

Ref: 5

Nov 08

Operation Torch begins (U.S. and British invasion of North Africa).

Ref: 2

Nov 10

Admiral Jean Darlan orders French forces in North Africa to cease resistance to the Anglo-American forces.

Ref: 2

Nov 10

Winston Churchill delivers a speech in London in which he said, "I have not become the King's First Minister to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." (XDG, p 4A, 11/10/2003)

Ref: 83

Nov 11

Germans and Italians invade unoccupied Vichy France.

Ref: 36

Nov 11

Spain mobilizes its army along the French border.

Nov 11

Henry J. Kaiser readied the launch of a Liberty ship in San Francisco Bay. Ship's keel laid in Richmond at midnight November 7 and completed in 4 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes.

Ref: 37

Nov 11

Germany completes their occupation of France.

Ref: 5

Nov 12

The World War II naval Battle of Guadalcanal began. The Americans ended up winning a major victory over the Japanese.

Ref: 70

Nov 13

The U.S.S. San Francisco engages in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. The ship and crew fought heroically but 98 men, including Rear Admiral Daniel Judson Callaghan and Captain Cassin Young were killed. The severely-damaged ship managed to return to San Francisco and a hero's welcome.

Ref: 37

Nov 13

Lt Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower flies to Algeria to conclude an agreement with French Admiral Jean Darlan. The Admiral would be assassinated soon after.

Ref: 2

Nov 13

The minimum draft age is lowered from 21 to 18. (XDG, p 4A, 11/13/2003)

Ref: 83

Nov 14

U.S. and Japanese warships clash again off Guadalcanal resulting in the sinking of the U.S. Cruiser JUNEAU and the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers.

Nov 15

An American fleet defeats a Japanese naval force in a clash off Guadalcanal. The five Sullivan brothers, onboard USS Juneau, all are killed in the action.

Ref: 2

Nov 19

During World War Two, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front, taking the offensive at Stalingrad.

Ref: 5

Nov 21

The Dies Committee found that the Japanese internment camp at Rivers Camp, Arizona was not well run, and the Japanese there are in control. Land for the internment camp had been leased to the Government by the Pima Indian tribe. Undercover investigators found bootleggers selling liquor there at $6 per pint, and that Caucasian employees were chummy with the Japanese.

Ref: 37

Nov 22

Soviet troops complete the encirclement of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad.

Ref: 2

Nov 23

Japanese air raid on Darwin, Australia.

Nov 23

Steward Poon Lim set adrift for 133 days after his boat was torpedoed.

Ref: 5

Nov 26

President Franklin Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning Dec. 1.

Ref: 70

Nov 27

During World War II, the French navy at Toulon scuttled its ships and submarines to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.

Ref: 70

Nov 28

A preliminary air raid alert and radio silence was ordered by the San Francisco Air Defense Wing. The 25th alert of the war lasted 45 minutes.

Ref: 37

Nov 28

Coffee rationing began in the United States, lasting through the end of World War II.

Ref: 4

Nov 29

Chronicle "Voc-a-News" broadcast on KGO. Maps printed in the morning paper allowed listeners to follow the analysis of the war.

Ref: 37

Nov 30

Battle of Tasafaronga off Guadalcanal.

Dec 01

Wartime gasoline rationing goes into effect on a national scale in the U.S.

Ref: 2

Dec 02

The Allies repel a strong Axis attack in Tunisia, North Africa.

Ref: 2

Dec 04

U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time in World War II at Naples.

Ref: 70

Dec 05

Seyss-Inquart orders students in Nazi-Germany to go work.

Ref: 5

Dec 05

West Indies chocolate/coffee drop above Netherlands.

Ref: 5

Dec 06

RAF bombs Philips factory (150 die).

Ref: 5

Dec 07

The U.S. Navy launches the USS New Jersey, the largest battleship ever built.

Ref: 2

Dec 07

"One Year after Pearl Harbor" parade from the Ferry Building to Civic Center. 70,000 marched to commemorate Pearl Harbor, Manila, Bataan, Corregidor, Midway, Wake, and other battles of the Pacific. Parade opened a ten-day observance of the American war effort, with special activities planned for each day. Sponsored by the San Francisco Win-The-War Committee.

Ref: 37

Dec 08

The Canadian germ warfare group formally proposes producing anthrax for Britain. The proposal estimates that a new facility at Grosse Ile, Quebec, should be able to make enough for 1500 30-pound bombs per week.

Dec 09

Lecture at the San Francisco Museum of Art by Douglas Macagy (1913-1973) who speaks of "Art, Nationalism and the War."

Ref: 37

Dec 10

Hitler names Mussert "leader of Netherlands people".

Ref: 2

Dec 10

North Africa: 5th German panzer army forms under Colonel-General von Arnim.

Ref: 5

Dec 11

Australian/Dutch guerrilla troops evacuated to Timor near Australia.

Ref: 5

Dec 12

German offensive in South Western Stalingrad.

Ref: 5

Dec 13

Seyss-Inquart allows Dutch Nazi Anton Mussert to call himself Leader.

Ref: 5

Dec 13

Rommel withdraws from El Agheila.

Ref: 36

Dec 16

Soviets defeat Italian troops on the River Don in the USSR.

Ref: 36

Dec 16

Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia & Balkans.

Ref: 5

Dec 17

British Foreign Secretary Eden tells the British House of Commons the Nazis are "now carrying into effect Hitler's oft repeated intention to exterminate the Jewish people of Europe." U.S. declares those crimes will be avenged.

Ref: 35

Dec 17

Allies in London sentence German war criminals.

Ref: 5

Dec 18

Adolf Hitler meets with Benito Mussolini and Pierre Laval.

Ref: 2

Dec 19

The British advance 40 miles into Burma in a drive to oust the Japanese from the colony.Detachment 101 in Burma.

Ref: 2

Dec 20

Japanese begin four days of air raids on Calcutta, India.

Ref: 5

Dec 22

The Soviets drive German troops back 15 miles at the Don River.

Ref: 2

Dec 23

Allies air attack on Den Helder.

Ref: 5

Dec 23

Bob Hope agrees to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska. It was the first of his many famous Christmas shows for American armed forces around the world. The tradition continued for more than three decades.

Ref: 4

Dec 24

First powered flight of V-1 buzz bomb, Peenemünde, Germany.

Ref: 5

Dec 24

Red army occupies German airports at Tasjinskaja & Morozowsk.

Ref: 5

Dec 25

Admiral Dalans, murderer of Bosinier de la Chapelle, sentenced to death.

Ref: 5

Dec 25

Russian artillery/tank battle on German armies at Stalingrad.

Ref: 5

Dec 25

British Colonel S W Bailey reaches Mihailovics headquarters.

Ref: 5

Dec 27

First Japanese women camp (Ambarawa) goes into use.

Ref: 5

Dec 28

First Japanese women camp (Ambarawa) goes into use.

Ref: 5

Dec 28

Oberkommando Wehrmacht orders strategist flight out of Kaukasus.

Ref: 5

Dec 28

Sterilization experiments on women at Birkenau begin.

Ref: 35

Dec 31

Midnight curfew put the damper on New Years' Eve celebrations. The usual revelers were missing from the traditional gathering spot at Market and Powell sts. Curfew regulations drove most of the revelry into hotels equipped with blackout curtains.

Ref: 27

Dec 31

Battle of the Barents Sea between German and British ships.

Ref: 36

Dec 31

Emperor Hirohito of Japan gives permission to his troops to withdraw from Guadalcanal after five months of bloody fighting against U.S. forces.

Ref: 2

Dec 31

60 U boats sunk this month (330,000 ton).

Ref: 5

1943