This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

13 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as German submarines sink two U.S. merchant vessels. 'U-166' sinks an unarmed freighter about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Cape Maysi, Cuba. 'U-67' sinks an armed tanker about 80 miles (130 km) from Southwest Passage, Louisiana. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler decides to make Stalingrad the major objective of Heeresgruppe B. Von Bock is dismissed from the command of Heeresgruppe B and replaced by von Weich. (Syscom)

MEDITERRANEAN: There was considerable relief for Britain on July 13, with the announcement that, in the previous six weeks, a total of 693 German and Italian aircraft had been destroyed by British aircraft based at Malta.

NORTH AFRICA: JG 27's Geschwader-Adjutant Hptm. Ernst Dullberg continued a tradition which had been started back in the campaigns of the Battle of Britain and the Balkans by claiming the Geschwaderstab's one and only kill for the entire North African campaign - a Hurricane southwest of El Alamein in the early evening. (Njaco)

UNITED KINGDOM: In an attempt to to give the Russians information that would enable them to anticipate future moves, material culled from the German's own Enigma messages were sent to Moscow. These messages included on July 13, details of the precise defensive line which the Germans intended to hold in the Voronezh region, while pushing their armoured forces forward between the Donetz and the Don. On the following day, London sent Moscow further details of the objectives that had been laid down for three of the German armies then about to go into action.

14 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The 4.Panzerarmee joined in the German drive toward Rostov, while other Axis forces continued smashing toward Stalingrad. The advance by Heeresgruppe A (List) and Heeresgruppe B (von Weichs) toward the Don bend at Kalach and Rostov continued against minimal Soviet resistance. (Njaco)

The Nazis murder 700 people in reprisal for the murder of the local Gestapo chief SS Major Helm.

NORTH AFRICA: British forces now began to turn the tide of Rommel's advance, not gaining very much ground, but inflicting heavy losses on German forces, which attacked the Ruweisat Ridge, and thereby ending once and for all Rommel's hopes of entering Cairo and Alexandria.

'My expectations for yesterdays attack were bitterly disappointed,' Rommel wrote to his wife on July 14,. 'It achieved no success whatsoever.'

Click to expand...

The battle on the Eastern Front, he added,

'is going splendidly, which gives us courage to hang on'.

Click to expand...

UNITED KINGDOM: The Free French are officially renamed the "Fighting French" today at the request of General De Gaulle.

15 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as German submarines torpedo four merchant vessels off the U.S. coast.

'U-571' sinks the armed U.S. tanker about 125 miles (201 km) west of Key West, Florida.

'U-576' attacks convoy KS 520 about 20 miles (32 km) east of Okracoke Inlet, North Carolina and torpedoes three ships. A U.S. armed freighter is torpedoed and sails into a mine field and hits two mines; she is taken under tow but later capsizes. A Panamanian freighter is also torpedoed but is towed to safety; the third ship is a Nicaraguan merchant freighter. 'U-576' is sunk by depth charges from two USN Scouting Squadron Nine (VS-9) OS2U Kingfishers and ramming by the U.S. motor vessel MS 'Unico'i; all 45-hands on the sub are lost. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army was forced to abandon Millerovo, on the Voronezh-Rostov railway, and Kamensk, where the railway line crossed the River Donetz. Units of 4.Panzerarmee (Hoth) captured Kamensk on the Donetz.

British cryptographers widened their mastery of the Eastern Front Enigma by breaking the cypher used by the German anti-aircraft units for their most secret messages; it was given the code name "Weasel" and was to continue to be broken until the end of the war. The importance of 'Weasel' Enigmas was considerable. The anti-aircraft units which used it served the dual purpose of engaging both aircraft and tanks; their 88 mm dual-purpose gun proved to be one of Germany's most powerful anti-tank guns.

NORTH AFRICA: Auchinleck's forces routed the Italian Brescia and Pavia divisions south of El Alamein. As a result, Rommel was forced to send German troops to stabilize the front and upset plans for Axis offensive actions. The German Afrika Korps regains some ground around Ruweisat Ridge, but take heavy losses from British Artillery. Because of the crisis at the El Alamein front, two gruppen of KG 77 went to Kreta and 22 planes of II./JG 53 transferred to Fuka, North Africa.

WESTERN FRONT: Brendan ("Paddy") Finucane, at 21 the RAF's youngest wing-commander, was shot down over the English Channel and drowned today. He joins the other 122 fighter pilots said to be "missing" since 1 June. A quiet Dubliner, Finucane had been awarded several decorations after 32 kills. His end was freakishly unlucky. Finucane was flying just above ground level when his engine was hit by a light-calibre Wermacht machine gun set up temporarily on the dunes near Le Tuoquet. As he approached the sea he told his comrades, by radio: "This is it chaps." His Spitfire plunged underwater taking him down.

Unknown to British Intelligence, July 15 saw the despatch from Holland of the first 2,000 Dutch Jews deported to Auschwitz. Their departure was known, but not their destination, nor their fate. They had been told by the Germans that they were going for 'labour service in Germany'.

16 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: An unarmed U.S. fishing boat is sunk by gunfire or demolition charges by the German submarine 'U-166' about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Havana, Cuba. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: In the western world beset by gloom, at least one anti-nazi is winning victory after victory-but few know about it. Gathering strength every day as it fights its way into Croatia, Tito's partisan army has succeeed in capturing several major towns and hundreds of villages in this country ruled by the pro-German Ustachi under their leader Ante Pavelich. The fighting has been savage, with countless atrocities-particularly by the fanatical, long-haired, bearded Ustachi as they retreat before Tito's disciplined partisans. Captured Ustachi and their collaborators can expect no mercy from Tito's People's Courts. Mass executions are commonplace. Tito is wasting no time in turning "liberated" Croatia into a soviet state with its own newspaper, postal service, schools and health services. Volunteers are cleaning up and repairing desecrated Orthodox churches. A counter service-mostly of young girls on cycles or horseback-is plating a vital role in partisan communications.

Russian resistance to the Germans stiffens as the Germans near Rostov. (Syscom)

GERMANY: RAF bombers swooped through cloud to bomb the Rhur and other targets in north-west Europe at dusk tonight. They were relatively minor raids, using cloud cover as a new tactic to thwart the Kammhuber Line of ground-controlled interception "boxes" in which Luftwaffe fighters patrol. First introduced in 1940, the system now has fewer than 250 fighters. The RAF has been attempting to detour the boxes, but they are being extended to stretch from northern Denmark to south of Paris.

NORTH AFRICA: The British 8th Army (Montgomery) attacked the Afrika Korps' positions at El Alamein, gaining some ground near a railway station.

WESTERN FRONT: Nine thousand French police combed the city today, snatching every foreign-born Jew they could find. They have arrested nearly half or the 28,000 registered "stateless" Jews in Paris. About 6,000 have been sent to Drancy, the first stop in the long journey to Auschwitz. Three thousand children are among nearly 7,000 Jews gathered inthe huge sports stadium called the Velodrome d'Hiver, waiting for their turn to go. The weather is very hot. They have a single water tap and ten latrines between them. Some of those arrested last night have no clothes at all. The guards are brutal, the squalor unimaginable.

17 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The Battle of Stalingrad - one of the biggest struggles of the Second World War - began. It had two stages: the first - the Stalingrad strategic defensive operation - started on 17 July and lasted until 18 November, 1942. It was carried out by troops of the Stalingrad and southeastern fronts, assisted by the Volga military flotilla. In the course of the operation, additional forces were commited; units of the Southeastern Front, 5 combined arms armies, 2 tank armies, 56 divisions and 33 brigades. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted exactly 200 days and nights and marked a turning point in the war. The battle began with a change of plans by Hitler on this date. Units of Heeresgruppe A (List) captured Voroshilovgrad in the Donetz industrial region while 6.Armee (von Paulus) and 4.Panzerarmee (Hoth) continued their advance toward Kalach on the Don. Hitler, fearing that Heeresgruppe A would not be able to cross the Don River against growing Soviet opposition and wanting to capture the oil-rich Caucasus, reassigned 4.Panzerarmee to the southern drive on the oil fields instead of Stalingrad. Without 4.Panzerarmee, Heeresgrupp B's drive to Stalingrad was slowed. The city was subjected to a heavy bombing by the Luftwaffe. The spreading metropolis became a graveyard. Many died once the battle began and the city became a shell of what it once was. Still many buildings survived and Soviet patriotism shone through. Many factory workers joined in the fighting. (Njaco)

Despite the "swarming flies and mosquitoes" which so upset him, Hitler has now moved his headquarters from the 'Wolf's Lair' at Rastenburg to 'Werewolf' at Vinnista. This move is based on the eminent forthcoming victory over Russia.

GERMANY: Himmler flew to East Upper Silesia, and to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. There, the first 2,000 Dutch Jewish deportees had just arrived. Himmler was in time to watch the unloading of the Jews from the trains, the selection of 1,551 to be tattooed on the forearm and sent to the barracks at Birkenau, and the gassing of the remaining 449, mostly old people, children and and the sick. He then watched while corpses were thrown into pits, and the gas chamber cleaned, ready for the next group of deportees.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel's supply situation continued to deteriorate, but German and Italian troops were still able to halt a British advance near Miterirya Ridge. Rommel suggested a retreat to the Italian and German commanders, Cavallero and Kesselring. (Njaco)

UNITED KINGDOM: Top U.S. military officials arrived in London to press the British for a limited cross-Channel invasion in 1942.

Churchill informed Stalin the British would no longer sail convoys along the northern route to Murmansk and Archangel because of the heavy losses suffered by PQ-17. Churchill told the Soviet leader a continuation of the shipping effort "would bring no benefit to you and would only involve dead loss to the common cause." (Stalin protested the cancellation of the shipping).

18 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The advance by 6.Armee and 4.Panzerarmee toward the Don bend at Kalach continued. (Syscom)

GERMANY: The maiden flight of a fully functional Me 262 with two Jumo 004 turbojet engines was made. Messerschmitt Test pilot Flugkapitain Fritz Wendel took prototype V-3 of the twin-engined jet down the runway at Leipheim, outside of Augsburg and throttled up to 112mph. But the jet refused to lift-off. After stopping the aircraft just feet from the end of the runway, Wendel taxiied back and conferred with engineers. It was believed that because the Me 262 was designed with a tailwheel and 2 maingear, this forced the jet to nose into the air with the jet exhaust blowing off the ground and over the tail, disrupting the airflow. The jet would not fly without a smooth flow of air over the control surfaces. Wendel got an idea and climbed back into the jet for another run down the track. At the point of lift-off, Wendel tapped the brakes. The aircraft bucked and kicked the tail up, allowing a smooth airflow and taking the jet into the air. Before it lifted off, it had used the entire runway. Within seconds, Wendel was circling the airfield. He stayed aloft for 12 minutes and returned with a glowing report about the abilities of the new jet. After 6 more flights, it was decided to let the Luftwaffe know about the Me 262. Those in charge thought the technique to tap the brakes when the Me 262 gained sufficent speed was too much for the average Luftwaffe pilot to handle, so a nosewheel was added. The Me 262 was changed from a taildragger to a tricycle configuration. The new nosewheel version still needed an entire runway to take-off. The plane was powered by the new Jumo 004A-0 turbojet. The Jumo 004 would prove to be the source of the Me 262's greatest weakness. The turbojet was, at this time, still in its infancy and many technological hurdles had to be overcome. This resulted in a lengthy period of development which led to continued delays in the development and production of the Me 262. One of the problems was that the materials neccessary for proper heat proofing were extremely rare in war-torn Germany. Alternate materials had to be used which resulted in engines that were less than reliable. In some cases, a brand new engine would suffer catastrophic failure during intial run-up. Even engines that worked right had a very short operational life. Most would only last for 10 hours of operation. On many occasions, pilots were forced to land with one or both engines out.

The Generalfeldmarschall of Oberfehlshaber Sud, Albert Kesselring, was awarded the Schwerten, or Swords to his Knight's Cross, the 15th soldier to be honored with the medal.

UNITED KINGDOM: In London, England, U.S. presidential advisor Harry Hopkins, General George C. Marshall, Admiral Ernest V. King, Prime Minister Winston S Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff begin a conference in London on the proposed invasion of North Africa (Operation TORCH). (Syscom)

19 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The final 2 U-Boats operating off the East Coast of the US are moved to other areas because of improving defenses using convoys. The German's Operation Drumbeat ends as the last two U-boats operating off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, are ordered back to the North Atlantic. This was a result of the USN finally beginning to run convoys off the U.S. east coast in May 1942. The operation began on 11 January 1942 and during the next six months, German U-boats sank 397 vessels off the U.S. east coast while losing seven submarines. The operation shifted to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean in May 1942; it took the USN until July to begin convoys in these areas and even then, it required the assistance of RN and RCN warships to implement the convoy system. The last ship was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico on 4 September 1942. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: The two-pronged German advance toward the Don bend and to Stalingrad beyond (6.Armee and 4.Panzerarmee) and toward Rostov (1.Panzerarmee) continued in the face of stiffening Soviet resistance. Oblt. Gerhard Barkhorn, Staffelkapitaen of 4./JG 52, downed 6 Soviet aircraft during the day to bring his score to 51 kills.

Five aircraft from 6./JG 5 flew an escort mission for Ju 88 bombers, the target being Rosta. About 15 km north of Murmansk, the Bf 109F-4/trop "Yellow 3" of Fw. Leopold Knier was crippled in aerial combat with multiple Soviet fighters and he bailed out. He was shot down by a Yak-1 of 20 IAP VVS SF (Lt. Nuzhin) near Lake Retinskoe, on the western side of Kola Bay. After being captured by the Soviets, he was returned to the German lines and came back to his unit on 27 July 1942.

Himmler orders the "total cleansing" of Jews from the General Government area of Poland by the end of this year. (Graeme)

MEDITTERANEAN: Over the past five days Malta has been resupplied by submarine and fast transport; the carrier HMS 'Eagle' has ferried in 31 Spitfires. (Graeme)

WESTERN FRONT: SS Chief Oberg issued "The Family Hostage Law" in occupied France. If any identified French "terrorist" did not surrender within ten days of his crime, all his adult male relatives would be executed, females would be sent to "work camps", and children under 17 would be sent to reform schools. (Syscom)

20 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The Germans launched yet another anti-partisan operation in White Russia, Operation Eagle, against Soviet partisans in the Chechivichi region. In the village of Kletsk, several hundred Jews who were about to be murdered set their ghetto on fire and ran. A few, reaching the forests, joined the partisans, where their leader Moshe Fish, was killed in a battle with the Germans six months later. On the day after the revolt in Kletsk, the Jews in nearby Nieswiez also fought back against their fate. They too were almost all shot down, though one of their leaders, Shalom Cholawski, reaching the forests, set up a 'family camp' of Jews who had managed to escape the daily slaughter, protected the camp against German manhunts, and set up a Jewish partisan unit to harass the German lines of communication.

Oblt. Gerhard Barkhorn, Staffelkapitaen of 4./JG 52, downed 4 Russian warplanes during one sortie. (Njaco)

MEDITERRANEAN: Mussolini returned to Rome from Libya after giving up his plan for a triumphal entry into Cairo.

21 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: In air battles over Voronezh, Oblt. Anton "Toni" Hackl of JG 77 shot down 6 Russian aircraft. (Njaco)

NORTH AFRICA: The British decide to mount a major attack against the Afrika Korps in North Africa. They are aware of the logistics problems detailed by Rommel to the OKW, through their reading of ULTRA.

UNITED KINGDOM: In England, Lieutenant General Dwight D Eisenhower assigns to the USAAF's 8th Air Force the mission of carrying out, in collaboration with the RAF, the degree of air operations with the view of attaining air domination over western France by 1 April 1943.

22 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Units of 1.Panzerarmee (von Kleist) were fighting their way into the southern outskirts of Rostov-on-Don which was fiercely defended by the Red Army. (Njaco)

A Bf 109F-4/trop of Stab II./JG 5 had to undertake an emergency landing due to engine trouble, at Murowshij. This was Hptm. Horst Carganico's first crash-landing behind enemy lines with II./JG 5. He was missing overnight but on the 23 July, Hptm. Carganico was picked up and returned to his unit. (Njaco)

In Poland, the Germans begin the systematic deportation of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp.

NORTH AFRICA: British forces, including the 23rd Armored Brigade, south of Ruweisat have taken heavy losses. Robbel however, decides that the drain on his strength has been too much. Both sides pause to regroup. The British are better situated to receive reinforcements. And Malta is recovering.

NORTH AMERICA: President Roosevelt agrees with the British that "Sledgehammer" is not possible in 1942. He instructs his planners in London to find another place for US troops to fight in 1942

23 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Rostov-On-Don was captured by the 1.Panzerarmee, thus clearing the way for the advance of Heeresgruppe A toward the Caucasus and Kuban region. Again, over the Voronezh front, JG 77's Oblt. Anton "Toni" Hackl downed another 6 Russian aircraft bringing his score to 84 kills.

NORTH AFRICA: Fighting continued on the El Alamein front.

24 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-90' (Type VIIC) is sunk in the Northern Atlantic , in position 48.12N, 40.56W by the Canadian destroyer HMCS 'St. Croix'. 44 dead (all crew lost) (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet city of Rostov is captured by German troops. Large numbers of Russian troops were liquidated in and around Rostov after German troops captured the city. 83,000 Soviet soldiers were taken prisoner.

Hitler issued Directive 45 for the continuation of Unternehmen Blau. Part of the Directive ordered the 6. Armee to take and occupy Stalingrad before driving down the line of the Volga and capturing Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea. http://der-fuehrer.org/reden/english/wardirectives/45.html

NORTH AMERICA: Alabama Gov. Frank Dixon refuses to accept a US prison work defense supply contract because it bars discrimination. Dixon fulminates against Federal agencies trying to;

"break down the principle of race segregation. "

Click to expand...

Gov. Eugene Talmadge of Georgia, another fire-eater, writes that he will enforce Jim Crow laws and warns any blacks opposing segregation to;

"stay out of Georgia."

Click to expand...

(Syscom)

The British and Americans finally agree that an invasion of Europe, "Sledgehammer, " is out of the question for 1942. But they do agree to action in North Africa, in the form of an American-led invasion of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, all controlled by the pro-Axis Vichy French. The Allies believe that an American-led invasion of French North Africa could shift wavering French generals towards the Allied side, thus putting powerful Vichy French holdings, if not the country, into the war on the Allied side, and trapping Rommel's Afrika Korps in Libya in a giant vise. The U.S.,Joint Chiefs of Staff issue a statement that USAAF heavy and medium bomber groups will he shifted from Operation BOLERO assignments, the invasion of Europe, to Africa for Operation TORCH, the invasion of North Africa. BOLERO resources are further depleted by a decision to send 15 combat groups to the Pacific theater. (Syscom)

WESTERN FRONT: A Do 217E-4 belonging to II./KG 40 crashed in the North Sea on an operational flight and was a total loss. The crew of 4 - Pilot Oblt. Edgar Benscheidt, Navigator Fw. Ernst Klaus and Engineer Uffz. Georg Senft died immediately. Wireless operator Ofw. Rudolf Gruner was found washed ashore between the villiages of Lokken and Blokhus on 14 October, 1942.

25 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Heeresgruppe A broke out of its bridgeheads on the lower Don, along with 4.Panzerarmee, which held the eastern most of these. Heeresgruppe A drove south while 4.Panzerarmee attacked east and then north-east to link up with the rest of Heeresgruppe B as it advanced towards Stalingrad. The South Front under General Malinovsky was being quickly shattered and the remnants were absorbed in the North Caucasus Front, which was commanded by Marshal Budenny. Despite the lack of supplies and the intense heat, the Germans made rapid progress. Further north, the 6.Armee attempted to bounce its way across the River Don, but was initially repulsed and so waited for 4.Panzerarmee to arrive.

JG 52's Oblt. Gerhard Barkhorn was badly wounded flying Bf 109F "Weiss 5".

MEDITERRANEAN: Obfw. Kurt Goerbing of 2./JG 77 was shot down off the Sicilian coast. He did not have to take to his parachute but was able to ditch his aircraft close to the beach and waded to the shore.

26 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Heeresgruppe A launched an offensive from Rostov and the lower Don toward the Caucasus region. A Bf 109E-7 belonging to 8(Pz)./SchG 1 returned to Morosovskaya-West badly damaged after being shot-up by a Russian fighter.

NORTH AFRICA: Auchinleck suspened offensive operations at El Alamein after 3 days of heavy fighting which bagged 7,000 Axis prisoners. Exhausted by the efforts, the British 8th Army began to dig in. This concluded the First battle of El Alamein.

WESTERN FRONT: Lt. Colonel Albert P. Clark, Executive Officer of the 31 FG, was shot down while flying an RAF fighter in a sweep over France, thus becoming the first US 8th AF fighter pilot to be shot down in the ETO. He survived and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Lt. Colonel Clark was one of 7 Spitfires claimed shot down by Luftwaffe fighters. Ofw. Walter Meyer of 6./JG 26 and Oblt. Rudolf Pflanz of 1./JG 2 claimed 2 Spitfires apiece. But lost during the battles were Ofw. Erwin Leibold of 3./JG 26 who was killed and Lt. Horst-Benno Kruger of 5./JG 2 who survived.

27 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-166' completes mining operations off the Mississippi River Delta south of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: The Germans crossed the Don River at Rostov and occupied Bataysk. 6.Armee launched an attack to destroy a bridgehead west of Stalingrad at Kalach. Heeresgruppe B, including the German 6.Armee of General Paulus, meets heavy Russian resistance in their battle to clear the elbow of the Don River. (Syscom)

GERMANY: British Bomber Command launched an "all out effort", sending 403 bombers against Hamburg. Heavy damage was reported as 337 civilians were killed, and 14,000 were homeless after the bombs and fires destroyed 823 homes. British losses in the raid were heavy - 29 planes (7.2%).

MEDITERRANEAN: Siegfreid Freytag, Staffelkapitaen of 3./JG 77, was shot down by a Spitfire over Malta and ditched into the sea off Valetta. As 3 British rescue launches approached, a Do 24 flying boat landed and rescued Freytag. Another fighter of 3./JG 77 was damaged in a dog-fight with Spitfire over La Valetta and made it back to Cosimo where it crashed in an emergency landing.

WESTERN FRONT: Oblt. Rudolf Scheffel, Staffelkapitaen of 1./ZG 1, was wounded on a combat mission and removed from operations. Oblt. Eduard Tratt was appointed as Staffelkapitaen.

28 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces began withdrawing from the lower Don, as the fall of Rostov had unhinged the defensive position. The effect of the fall of Rostov spread panic and terror in the Soviet Union, prompting harsh counter-measures by the Soviet High Command.

29 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Heeresgruppe A continues to attack south of the Don, making good progress. German troops took Proletarskaya and established a bridgehead over the Manych River in the Caucasus Region. Hitler is not satisfied and returns the 4.Panzerarmy to Heeresgruppe B. These changes by Hitler have caused much wasted time and effort moving this army from front to front. This leaves Heeresgruppe A, facing Stalingrad, with a strategically vital task and inadequate resources.

UNITED KINGDOM: A combined British and US Production Resources Board is established in London. The goal is to control allocations of material and industrial priorities. Averill Harriman for the US and Oliver Lyttelton for the UK are to be the senior members. (Syscom)

30 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: After laying mines off New Orleans, Louisiana, on 27 July, the German submarine 'U-166' attacks convoy TAW 7 about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and sinks the US ship SS 'Robert E Lee'. The ship, headed for New Orleans, Louisiana, had more than 400 passengers and crew onboard. Ten crewmembers and 15 passengers were killed, with the remainder rescued by US Navy ships PC-566, SC-519 and the tugboat 'Underwriter'. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: A Soviet counter-offensive at Rzhev led to the temporary encirclement of 6 German divisions which were supplied by massive air drops of the Luftwaffe. Heeresgruppe A consolidated its bridgehead over the Manych River, while Heeresgruppe B struggled to reduce the Soviet bridgehead at Kalach west of Stalingrad. German forces capture Bataisk on the Don River.

The Germans intiated Unternehmen 'Klabautermann' - the Siebelfahren operations against Soviet supply shipping on Lake Lagoda. Intitially led by Hptm. Hans Philipp, the 15 Bf 109s of 1. and 2. Staffeln of JG 54 (known as Detachment Philipp or Kommando I./JG 54) were assigned with the task of providing these Siebel ferries with fighter cover and were shifted to Petajarvi.

MEDITTERANEAN: During the night of 30/31 July, the US Army, Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF) dispatches B-24s to bomb a convoy in Pylos Bay, Greece, claiming hits on 2 merchant ships, and B-17s to hit the harbor at Tobruk, Libya. (Syscom)

NORTH AFRICA: General Auchinleck suspended offensive operations against Rommel's forces at El Alamein. Although Churchill was displeased with the halt, Auchinleck did manage to save Egypt and the North African campaign by stopping Rommel during the combat actions of the last month.

NORTH AMERICA: The US Navy establishes the Women's Naval Reserve or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). (Syscom)

UNITED KINGDOM: England was attacked by the Luftwaffe during the night. The target was Birmingham and a total of 76 bombers flew the mission. However the majority of the 58 1/2 tons of HE and IBs dropped fell on Wolverhampton, northwest of Birmingham, the heaviest damage being made on Samuel Parker Co. Ltd. Three Do 217E-4s of KG 2 were lost. Of the 3, Do 217E-4 "U5+ET" came down at Glatton near Peterborough. It was brought down by AA fire at 02.00 hours. Of the other 2 Dorniers, "U5+FP" was shot down by AA fire at 03.08 hours and crashed at Cheveley near Newmarket. The crew bailed out and were taken prisoner. "U5+IR" was shot down into the sea near Lowenstoft by RAF No. 68 Sqdn Beaufighter (3 killed and 1 missing). All 3 of the aircraft were from 6./KG 2 based in Eindhoven. III./KG 26 lost 4 aircraft out of 16 bombers that took off from Rennes, including one crashing in Belgium, a Ju 88A-4 of 7./KG 26 that crashed near Peterborough and another from 9./KG 26 that came down off Hemsby. A Ju 88A-4 of 7./KG 26 flew into power cables and as the pilot tried to regain control, he was hit by Bren gunfire from an Army NCO of a searchlight unit. The Junkers then crashed at Thorney, 6 miles northeast of Peterborough at 02.08 hours with the crew all killed. 5./KG 54 also lost 1 aircraft in this attack, with the aircraft crashing over Malmedy with 3 dead and 1 missing. A Ju 88 of 12./KG 77 crashed at Oakington and an He 111 of IV./KG 55 was shot down near Weymouth with 2 POWS and 3 killed. One Ju 88 was lost from 12./KG 40 and one from 7./KG 53 along with a Ju 88 of KuFlGr/106 shot down at Malvern (crew POW) and another Junkers of the same unit shot down off St. Albans Head with 2 missing and 2 bodies recovered.

31 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-588' (Type VIIC) is sunk in the North Atlantic, at position 49.59N, 36.36W, by depth charges from the Canadian corvette HMCS 'Wetaskiwin' and the destroyer 'Skeena'. 46 dead (all crew lost). (Syscom)

'U-754' (Type VIIC) is sunk in North Atlantic north of Boston, USA at position 43.02N, 64.52W, by a Royal Canadian Air Force Hudson Mk. III, s/n BW625, piloted by Squadron Leader N.E. Small of No. 113 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron based at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. All hands, 43-men, on the U-boat are lost. This was the first submarine sunk by the RCAF's Eastern Air Command. 43 dead. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces of the West Front launches a major attack against Heeresgruppe Mitt in the Rzhev area. The German advance into the northern Caucasus continued. 4.Panzerarmee launched attacks aimed at breaking the Russian hold on the middle Don River.

GERMANY: The new Daimler-Benz built Do 217N night-fighter flew for the first time. These warplanes had the bomb bays removed and the FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC radar installed. Only 364 aircraft of the type were delivered and by mid-1944 had been replaced or removed from the Nachtjagdgeschwader.

For the first time over 100 Lancaster bombers from a force of 600 RAF bombers attacked Dusseldorf. 453 homes were destroyed, 1500 damaged and 279 civilians were killed. The British losses were heavy at 29 aircraft (nearly 5%).

NORTHERN FRONT: The Soviet Navy lists submarine Shch-317 Baltic Fleet Gulf of Finland (mined off Suuraari Island) (Syscom)

UNITED KINGDOM: In a Luftwaffe night raid on Hull, 25 people were killed. A 500kg HE and a 1800kg HE fell on the Grindell and Victoria Dock areas. There was extensive domestic damage and some railway damage.

Franciscus Winter, claiming Belgian refugee status, arrived at Gourock on board a ship from Gibraltar. He was interrogated at RVPS, found to have a large amount of money on him, and eventually confessed to being a spy. Found guilty of treachery at the Old Bailey on 4 December 1942, he was hanged at Wandsworth on 26 January 1943. (Syscom)

1 August 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-166' (Type IXC) was sunk on 30 July, 1942 in the Gulf of Mexico, in position 28.5N, 89W, by depth charges from the USN submarine chaser, USS PC-566. All 52 crewman on the U-boat were lost. This boat was finally discovered and documented in late May 2001 after years and years of unsuccessful research and wreck-hunting. The wreck was located some 45 miles (72.4 km) south of the mouth of Mississippi River, by C C Technologies with their AUV during oil-survey work for BP Amoco and Shell. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: Heeresgruppe A in the south continued to fan out into the Caucasus region, while 1.Panzerarmee reached the Kuban River. Heeresgruppe A advancef through Salsk and reached the Kuban River near Kropotkin. Heeresgruppe B continued to fight to cut off the Soviet defenders near Kalach in the Don bend near Stalingrad. German forces captured Salsk, severing an important Stalingrad-Novorossisk rail-line. (Syscom)

Uffz. Crinius of I./JG 53 claimed his 50th victory in the southern sector while Gerhard Krause, also from JG 53, went missing in action. He had 12 victories. The I Gruppe of JG 53 also recieved a new commander when Hptm. Walter Spies, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 53 was appointed to the position left empty when Major Herbert Kaminski left on 24 July. Hptm. Gerhard Michalski took over duties as Gruppenkommander of II./JG 53.

Ofw. Franz-Josef Beerenbrock of III./JG 51 claimed 9 Russian fighters in one day. Lt. Wolfgang Gendelmeyer of Stab I./JG 3 with 10 victories was killed in a flying accident. Hptm. Gunther Hoffmann-Loerzer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of IV./KG 1.

Major Ernst Kupfer's II./StG 2 moved from Tazinskaya to Obliwskaya while Major Gustav Pressler's II./StG 2 transferred to Wjasma. The Stab./SchG 1, I./SchG 1 and II./SchG 1 moved to Tusov in August to support the advance on Stalingrad. Toward the end of the month, 5./SchG 1 was sent back to Orel and temporarily attached to JG 51.

III./ZG 2 withdrew from Russia to Pandorf near Vienna to re-equip with the latest version of the new Fw 190 Jabo version, giving up their Bf 109Es.

GERMANY: Hptm. Herbert Bonsch, a night-fighter with Erg./NJG 2 with 11 victories, was killed in action.

NORTH AFRICA: The Germans, unable to make headway on the ground in Egypt, launched a major air raid against Cairo.

NORTHERN FRONT: Fresh from their success over PQ-17, the Luftwaffe was ready for PQ-18. Today began the first of several false alarms of large convoys from Iceland for Luftflotte 5. Every recon squadron was flown sorties for the following 2 weeks, searching for the next Allied convoy. 10./JG 5 transferred from Aalborg to Oerlandet.