This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

22 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The advance of 17.Armee (Ruoff) towards the Black Sea port of Suchum, west of the Caucasus, bogged down. A platoon of 1 Gebirgs-Division hoisted the German war flag on the top of Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in the Caucasus. Fw. Anton 'Toni' Hackl of 8./JG 51 destroyed his 60th Russian aircraft. Uffz. Durkop of I./JG 54 reportedly shot down another Pe-2 between Yalamo and Lake Ladoga.

NORTH AFRICA: B-25s hit tank and motor repair shops and storage dumps at Matruh, Egypt. A B-25 was mistakenly shot down by an RAF Beaufighter.

WESTERN FRONT: Hptm. Helmut Powolny's IV./KG 2 moved from Achmer to Melun-Villaroche. Uffz. Herbert Grumprecht of 8./JG 2 got his first kill when he claimed a Whitley V over the Bay of Biscay.

 

[Njaco]

23 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The German 6.Armee punched a hole in Soviet 62nd Army's defenses as the 14.Panzerkorps crossed the Don River at Vertyachiv and reached the Volga. An 8km wide gap was torn between Vertyachiv and Peskovatka that allowed a battle group pf 16.Panzerdivsion, 3. and 60.Infantrydivision(motorized) to rapidly advance from the Don, reaching the west bank of the Volga at Rynok, north of Stalingrad. At 04.30 hours in the morning, General von Richtohfen's Luftflotte 4 began a 48 hours long air raid on Stalingrad with a 1000 tons of bombs laid down ahead of the panzers and on the north side of the city that involved over 4000 sorties. Supporting the tanks and infantry throughout the day, the Luftwaffe assisted in wiping out a regiment of the Russian 87th Rifle Division and the right flank of the 35th Guards Rifle Division north of Rossoshka Malaya.

Stalingrad lay under a pall of smoke as the city became the focus of the massive onslaught by the whole of Luftflotte 4. In the afternoon, 200 Ju 87 dive-bombers and Ju 88 bombers escorted by 50 Bf 109s, attacked in Vee formations, with the peak of operations coming at 19.00 hours. On the approach, the German formations were attacked by Yak-3 fighters of the 102nd Air Division, tasked with the defense of Stalingrad. Fierce air battles developed. Although the Soviet fighters were unable to prevent the majority of the bombers from reaching their destinations, the fighters and heavy flak took a toll on the Luftwaffe, claiming the destruction of 90 German aircarft for the loss of 30 Soviet warplanes. The bulk of the bombs dropped were incendiary and the wooden section of the city burned. By the end of the day, nearly every wooden building was in flames or destroyed and 40,000 people were killed. Oil storage tanks were hit with the flaming contents flowing into the Volga and burning the docks and ships moored to them. The flames of the burning city made it possible to read a newspaper 40 miles away. With the coming of the night, the bombing continued as the planes heading for the center of the fires, from a height of 2500 to 5000 meters. The massive air bombardment caused a firestorm, killing thousands and turning Stalingrad into a vast landscape of rubble and burnt ruins. 80% of the living space in the city was destroyed. The Russians tried to use searchlights for their AA batteries but the smoke deflected the lights, making it near impossible to find the bombers.

Hoth's 4.Panzerarmee was held up by stiff resistance south of Stalingrad at Tinguta. The Germans made further progress on the Kuban penisula on the Black Sea. At Izbushensky, in the bend of the Don River, the Italian Savoia Cavalry, made up of 600 mounted men, counter-attacked Soviet Army units comprised of 2000 men with mortar and artillery support. One cavalry dquadron attacked head on, while the other, possesing only sabers, rode behind the enemy lines on horseback. The caught the Soviets completely by surprise and overran the Russian position. This last cavalry attack of WWII resulted in the destruction of 2 Soviet battalions, another battalion forced to withdraw and the capture of 500 POWs, 4 large artillery pieces, 10 mortars and 50 machine guns.

In the northern sector, after a year-long seige of the city, Hitler ordered the final attack on Leningrad (Operation NORDLICHT). Heeresgruppe Nord did not have sufficent forces to storm and take the well-defended Oranienbaum pocket. On reciept of Fuhrer Directive No. 41 (5 April, 1942) Heeresgruppe Nord had developed in coordination with OKH, plans for 4 operations: NORDLICHT (the taking of Leningrad), SCHLINGPFLANZE (to widen the corridor to the Demyansk pocket), MOORBRAND (elimination of the Volkhov bridgehead) and BETTELSTAB (the capture of the Oranienbaum pocket by AOK Eighteen). All of these wonderous plans fell apart during the next 2 months. The reinforcements were slow in arriving and this caused Heeresgruppe Nord to cancel MOORBRAND. This was followed by the cancellation of BETTELSTAB. But Hitler was fixated on NORDLICHT because he wanted to punish the defiant Leningraders and effect a link-up with the Finns.

A III./JG 54 detachment commanded by 7./JG 54's Oblt. "Hein" Wubke, with 3 Bf 109G-2s and 3 Bf 109F-4 jabos was shifted to Petajarvi. The Gruppenkommanduer of I./JG 52, Major Helmut Bennemann destroyed a Russian Pe-2 for the Geschwader's 600th victory since the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. JG 52's Ofw. Heinrich-Wilhelm Ahnert was killed in combat with a Pe-2 near Koptewo and later posthumously awarded the Ritterkreuz. Along with Ofw. Ahnert, several surviving pilots of JG 52 were also awarded the Ritterkreuz. Oblt. Gerhard Barkhorn, Staffelkapitaen of 4./JG 52 for 59 victories, Lt. Heinz Schmidt of II./JG 52 for 51 victories and Fw. Hans Dammers of III./JG 52 for 51 victories, were all awarded the Ritterkreuz. Other Eastern Front pilots recieving the honor were Fw. Anton 'Toni' Hafner of 8./JG 51 for reaching 60 victories the day before. He was then granted a leave. Lt. Hans Fuss of III./JG 3 recieved the award for reaching 60 victories.

NORTH AFRICA: Oblt. Hans-Joachim Marseilles returned from his vacation in Berlin to his airfield in North Africa.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Luftwaffe Ju 88 and an RAF Spitfire Mk V crashed after they shot each other down. The Spitfire, assigned to No. 315 (Polish) Sqdn, based at Ballyhalbert, County Down, Ireland, crashed at Ratoath, County Meath: the pilot, Sgt. Sawiak was taken to hospital but died from his injuries. The Ju 88 crashed at Touger, County Waterford; one of the 4 man crew was injured. The 4 Germans were interned for the rest of the war.

 

[Njaco]

24 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Stalin ordered that the city of Stalingrad was to be held at all costs and sent Marshall Zhukov to supervise its defenses. Another attack on the city began at 04.30 hours with Stuka dive-bombers supporting Group Drumpen of the 16.Panzerdivision as they attacked Spartakovka, the northern most industrial suburb of the city. But the Russians were ready this time and eventually the Germans went on the defensive and by the end of the day were pushed back about a mile. The Luftwaffe changed tactics and began dropping ammunition and food to the beleaguered 16.Panzerdivision.

The Russians launched a new offensive in the Leningrad area. The slowing German offensive in the Caucasus crept to within 85 miles of the Grozny oil complex.

Several aerial events occurred within the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front. Gustav Perl of JG 53 with 12 kills to his credit, went missing in action. Four 7./JG 54 pilots took part in combat with a Soviet formation over Lake Ladoga together with Finnish LeLv 26 Fiats. 7./JG 54's Uffz. Raimann and Uffz. Wurtz each claimed one I-180 during the escort mission for fighter-bombers against Ladoskoye. With completion of the conversion to the 'Gustav' model of the Bf 109, Stab./JG 52 moved from Mineralnyie Wody to Gonschtakowka. Hptm. Helmut Bennemann's I./JG 52 moved from Orel-Nord to Dedjurewo/Rshew.

NORTH AFRICA: A specially stripped-down Spitfire Mk Ve, operating from Alexandria in Egypt, was able to intercept and shoot down a Junkers Ju 86R, a high-altitude bomber of 2(F)./AufklGr 123, above Cairo. This was the first success against these very high flying aircraft. The combat took place at 42,000 feet, even though the British fighter pilot had no pressurized protection against operating at that extreme height.

UNITED KINGDOM: During the summer of 1942, the strength of the units involved in operations over Britain had eroded steadily as the ever strengthening British defenses took their toll, a total of 40 aircraft having been lost. There was, however, still pressure on the Luftwaffe to increase its effort as the RAF attacks on Germany had become progressively heavier, culminating in the 1000 Bomber raids on Cologne, Essen and Bremen. One of the few possibilities open to the Germans at this time was to employ their new and experimental Ju 86R high-altitude bombers over Britain, and so the trials unit, Hohenkampfkommando der Versuchsstelle fur Hohenfluge, later redesignated 14./KG 6, moved to Beauvais, France to commence operations.

The Ju 86R was not particularly fast nor did it carry any armament, but for its survival, relied upon the fact that it could attack from altitudes of over 12,000 meters, out of reach of British fighters then in service. Its offensive load, however, was limited to a single 250kg bomb. Operations by Hohenkampfkommando der Versuchsstelle fur Hohenfluge started with an attack on Camberly on the morning of 24 August, followed by sorties to Southampton and Stanstead.

WESTERN FRONT: The US 8th AF flew Mission #5: 12 B-17s bombed the shipyard of Ateleirs et Chanteirs Maritime de la Seine at Le Trait, France. 3 B-17s were damaged and 5 airmen were wounded.

 

[Njaco]

25 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: 6.Armee launched attacks toward the central part of Stalingrad but were beaten back by elements of the Russian 169th Tank Brigade and 35th Guards Rifle Division. To the south, 4.Panzerarmee suspended offensive operations until 6.Armee was successful in taking the city. To the north, the Russian 63rd Army attacked along the Don and established several bridgeheads over the river. JG 77 lost several pilots when Uffz. Hans Klein of 6./JG 77 with 5 victories and Uffz. Manfred Ludicke of 4./JG 77 with 7 victories, were killed in action. With the bridges over the Volga within artillery and motar range, the Russian's problems of supply and reinforcemnet seemed insurmountable. Rather than commit the army to costly street fighting, however, the Luftwaffe had been called in to deliver the coup de grace to the beseiged city. For the last 2 nights, von Richthofen's Luftflotte 4 mounted the heaviest strikes since the first day of Barbarossa. He 111 and even Ju 52 transports were brought in to add their weight with the Stukas. Stalingrad had been blitzed, with 40,000 people killed.

Oberst Hans-Detlev Herhudt von Rohden was appointed Chef des Stabes of Luftflotte 4, headquartered at Maripol. At this time Luftflotte 4 controlled I Fliegerkorps, Luftwaffenkommando Don, IV Fliegerkorps, Kgl. Rumanischen Fliegerkorps, Fliegerfuhrer Sud, Seefliegerfuhrer Schwarzes Meer, Luftwaffen-Feld-Division 15 and Flak-Brigade VI.

MEDITERRANEAN: GenMaj. Paul Deichmann was appointed Chef des Stabes of Luftflotte 2, headquartered at Frascati (Rome). At this time Luftflotte 2 controlled Kommando General der Deutschen Luftwaffe in Italian, II Fliegerkorps, X Fliegerkorps, 19 Flak-Division and Flak-Brigade VII.

 

[Njaco]

26 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: On the Stalingrad front, elements of the Soviet 63rd Army continued to attack German positions along the Don River north of the city. The Germans moved supporting forces against the attacks and the Soviets were bloodily repulsed. Meanwhile 62nd Army launched attacks against the German spearheads probing the northern part of the city, stopping those movements.

The fighting near Rzeh that started 2 weeks ago, continued to rage. German forces grudgingly retreated about 20 miles in the area. Heavy losses were inflicted on both sides. The Russians then announced that thier offensive along the Moscow front had pushed the Germans back 20 miles in a fortnight. German successes continued in the Caucasus.

The new Soviet offensive to the east of Leningrad forced 7./JG 54 (Detachment Philipp) to return to Siverskaya. In total, 7./JG 54 performed 104 sorties from Petajarvi, including 42 fighter-bomber sorties, during which 52 250kg bombs and 40 50kg bombs were dropped.

Hptm. Georg Jakob was appointed Gruppenkommanduer of III./StG 77.

 

[syscom3]

27 August 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German ship "Sachsen" anchors in Hansa Bay, Sabine Island, Northeast Greenland, and a landing party sets up a weather station, code name "Holzauge."

EASTERN FRONT: The offensive at Leningrad expanded to an attack by the Leningrad Front in the city and the Volkov Front outside the seige. Both fronts were aimed at the German positions at Schluessleburg on Lake Ladoga. The Red Army's offensive on the Moscow Front continued. South of the perimiter the Germans crossed the River Terek and captured Prochladrii.

German Heeresegruppe B continues the battle for Stalingrad. Meanwhile, Heeresgruppe B presses closer to the oil prize of Grozny, seizing Prokhladny and raching the Terek River.

In Siberia, the German Kriegsmarine attacks the Arctic Russian town and port of Dikson, named after the Swedish Baron Oscar Dickson. The German pocket battleship 'Admiral Scheer', accompanied by two U-boats, destroys Dikson and a large icebreaker by shelling. The attack is part of Unternehmen WUNDERLAND, aiming to stop Soviet convoys sent from Asian ports to support the Soviet Northern Fleet. Dikson is a strategic link on this route. No Soviet attempts to retaliate are known but as a result of WUNDERLAND the Soviet High Command orders an initiative to reinforce the Arctic coast. Therefore the NKVD, in charge of traffic and exploitation in Siberia, starts to plan a railway along the coast to make army operations possible in the area.

Uffz. Crinius of I./JG 53 claimed his 49th victory and the Gruppe's 1000th kill over Russian aircraft. Hptm. Kurt Brandle, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3 shot down 2 LaGG-3s, bringing his score to 102 kills and earning him the Eichenlaub.

Nine Lancasters of RAF 106 Sqdn were dispatched on a dangerous long-range raid against Gdynia in occupied Poland, where the German aircraft carrier 'Graf Zeppelin' was being fitted out. The Lancasters were equipped with special "Capital Ship" bombs, designed to attack the target below the waterline. 7 of the Lancasters managed to find Gdynia after a 950 mile flight but heavy haze prevented them from locating the carrier and they were forced to bomb targets of opportunity in the dockyard. All 9 aircraft returned safely.

Major Hubertus von Bonin's II./JG 52 moved from Mineralnyie Wody to Gonschtakowka but not before Lt. Otto Decker, a 40 victory experte with 8./JG 52 was killed in action. Oblt. Dr. Ernst Kuhl took over command of KG 55 as Geschwaderkommandore from Oblt. Benno Kosch.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Army Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb a convoy, hitting a merchant ship which is reported sinking.

NORTH AMERICA: The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service is established.

The Cuban Navy and Air Force join the Allied anti-submarine campaign.

WESTERN FRONT: Oblt. Dr. Erich Mix was appointed Geschwaderkommandore of JG 1 in place of Major Erich von Selle, who was posted to the Zestorergeschwader ZG 1. Dr. Mix's place as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 1 was taken by Oblt. Paul Stolte.

The USAAF 8th Air Force in England flies Mission 6: Seven B-17s bomb the shipyards at Rotterdam at 1740 hours without loss.

5./JG 26 intercepted the Allied raid, "Circus 208", consisting of 12 Bostons escorted by Spitfires of RAF No. 350 Sqdn (Belgian) and Oblt. Wilhelm Galland shot down the Spitfire of H. Picard (POW), for his 15th kill.

 

[Njaco]

28 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The Germans broke through southwest of Stalingrad but were held to the north. Elements of 17.Armee attacked Soviet positions at Novorossiysk, a large Soviet Naval base on the Black Sea coast. Oblt. Gunther Rall returned to his unit as Staffelkapitaen of 8./JG 52, exactly 9 months after being severely injured. He began his second stint on the frontline with a total of 36 victories.

The Red Army initiated small unit actions around Leningrad. Obstlt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG 54 destroyed a Russian fighter near Leningrad. Italian Navy 12th Flotilla MAS 528 attacked 2 Soviet armed tugboats on Lake Ladoga towing a very large (over 70 meters long and 1300 tons) supply barge, escorted by another tugboat and succeeded in sinking the barge.

A detachment of Hptm. Gerhard Michalski's II./JG 53 was sent to Bir-el-Abd in North Africa.

GERMANY: The first heavy raid on Kassel by 306 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command was undertaken during the night. There was widespread damage, particulary in the southwestern part of the city. 144 buildings were destroyed and 317 seriously damaged. 28 soldiers were killed and 64 injured. 15 civilians were killed and 187 injured. Several of the RAF aircraft were lost, mainly to German night-fighters. Kassel was considered a strategic target for Arthur Harris' Bomber Command because it was home to the Henschel locomotive, engine and vehicle plants, the Fieseler aircraft plant and several other important industries. The Henschel Railway works were considered to be the largest in Europe. The city was the important transportation and communication center for Central Europe with north-south traffic (Hannover-Frankfurt) and east-west traffic (Ruhr-Thuringia-Saxony) intersecting there. 31 bombers were lost with many of the night-fighter pilots gaining double victories including Hptm. Thimming of Stab III./NJG 1, Hptm. Werner Streib of Stab I./NJG 1, Oblt. Martin Bauer of 7./NJG 1, Lt. Hermann Muller of Stab III./NJG 2 and Oblt. Becker of 6./NJG 2.

MEDITERRANEAN: British codebreaking efforts to crack Italian cipher C38M paid off when Malta-based RAF aircraft sank the Italian tanker 'Dielpi', bound for Libya with 2000 tons of aircraft fuel. The British now know the exact times of sailing, routes and cargoes of every ship bringing Rommel munitions and fuel.

NORTH AFRICA: 2 B-24 squadrons bombed docks, shipping and jetties in the Tobruk, Libya harbor.

UNITED KINGDOM: Bristol was targeted by the Hohenkampfkommando der Versuchsstelle fur Hohenfluge. The lone aircraft, a Ju 88P commanded by Lt. erich Sommer and piloted by Fw. Horst Gotz, appeared over the city at about 09.20 hours, its bomb impacting on a Ford Ten car in Bristol's Broad Weir. As a result of the subsequent explosion, one of 3 nearby buses were seriously damaged by the blast, while petrol from the car's fuel tank was sprayed in a more or less atomized state over the other 2 buses which immediately burst into flames. The death toll was horrific with 45 people being killed - many burnt to death in the blazing buses - with a further 45 injured. In terms of loss of life, this was the single most serious incident to occur in Bristol during WWII.

WESTERN FRONT: 11 B-17s bombed the Avions Potez aircraft factory at Meaulte at 13.37 hours. 3 B-17s were damaged with 1 airman killed. Fighter units from JG 1, JG 2 and JG 26 met the escorting Spitfires and claimed 7 British fighters. Oblt. Wilhelm Galland of 5./JG 26 claimed his 16th kill and Ofw. Rudolf Taschner of 11./JG 2 made his 12th kill.

 

[Njaco]

29 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: At Stalingrad, 4.Panzerarmee, after completing its regrouping outside the city, launched a vicious attack against the 126 Rifle Division (64th Army). The initial attacks by the 24.Panzerdivision succeeded in rupturing the front and by the end of the day, the right wing of the 64th Army and all of the 62nd Army was threatened with being cut off from the Volga. The Germans had intended on turning east and taking out a wing of the 64th Army but the unexpected opportunity to the north made them pause to consider this option. Thousands of Russians surrendered, but 20,000 escaped and joined Stalingrad's garrison.

The Geschwaderkommodore of JG 77 and acting Geschwaderkommodore of JG 52, Major Gordon Gollob, became the first pilot to reach 150 victories. He became the Luftwaffe's highest scoring fighter pilot at this time and was awarded and recieved the Brillanten (No. 3) from Adolf Hitler personnally. The 3 Russian planes he shot down this day would be his final victories of the war.

GERMANY: Moscow Radio reported today that Soviet aircraft bombed Berlin for the second time in 4 nights. Danzig, Konigsberg and Stettin were also hit. In its report the radio said that while over Berlin, one of the Russian pilots sent a message to Stalin, telling him,

"Our task has been carried out!"

Berlin admitted that Russian aircraft reached the city, but said that; "Only a few bombs were dropped." After the previous raid, the Germans said that,"Only single aircraft succeeded in reaching the outskirts." The Russians insisted, however, that 48 fires were started in the German capital and that there were 9 big explosions. They gave similarly detailed accounts of fires started and damage caused in the other cities. The resumption of raids on Berlin after nearly a year meant that the Russians had now succeeded in forming a long-range force, capable of flying over 2000 miles.

NORTH AFRICA: Major Erich Gerlitz's III./JG 53 moved from Haqqaq-el-Quasaba to Quotaifiya.

WESTERN FRONT: The US 97 BG attacked the Luftwaffe fighter base at Coutrai-Wevelghem in Belgium at 11.36 hours with 11 B-17s and lost no bombers to AA fire or fighters. A single B-17 hit the Steene airfield at 11.37 hours. 3 B-17s were damaged in the attack at Coutrai. The escorting British fighters were intercepted near Cap Gris Nez by JG 26. 5 Spitfires were claimed by JG 26 including 2 for Lt. Paul Galland from 8./JG 26.

 

[Njaco]

30 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: With the Punishment Battalions as rear guards, the Soviet 62nd Army and parts of 64th Army escaped encirclement by the 48.Panzerkorps and withdrew across the Chervlennaya River. At Stalingrad, with the unexpected collapse of the center of 64th Army, German commanders comtemplated and finally ordered the attack to wheel left (north) and combine with a drive south by 6.Armee. However the pressure Yeremenko's attacks on against von Paulus' forces was so great that the Germans in the north were unable to move quickly. In the meantime, Yeremenko, anticipating the move by the Germans, withdrew from the trap and placed units in strong positions within the city. Over 800 German troops were killed and 13 tanks destroyed by the 154th(Naval) Brigade under the command of Colonel A.I. Malchevskiy, on the Stalingrad front.

Lt. Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel of Stab III./JG 3 and the great-grandson of the famous Prussian statesman, Bismarck, was shot down and captured by the Russians. He had 35 victories by the time of his capture.

GERMANY: On the night of August 29, 5 Pe-8s, piloted by Major Pusep and Capt. Vladmir V. Ponomarenko of 746 BAP and Capt. Boris A. Kybyschko, Mikhail V. Rodnykh and Pavel M. Archarov of 890 BAP, took off for Berlin, while 7 other Pe-8s set off on a diversionary raid on Konigsberg. At the same time, 100 Il-4s and Yer-2s took off from various airfields near the frontlines. At 01.23 hours on the morning of August 30, the first Russian bombs fell on Berlin. It was the largest Soviet raid ever to be mounted against the German capital, but damage was minimal. The Soviet bombing raids on Berlin were never seriously expected to do more than pay the Germans back for their equally ineffective attacks on Moscow and provide a much-needed boost to moral on the home front.

NORTH AFRICA: At El Alamein, Rommel, anticipating his 2nd attempt to take El Alamein, launched diversionary attacks by Italian forces against entrenched lines of the 9th Australian, 1st South African and 5th Indian Divisions. At 2300 hours local, the Germans launch attacks along the whole El Alamein front using the German 21.Panzerdivision, the 90th Light Africa Division, the 3d Reconnaissance Unit and two Italian armored divisions. The main attack is against the British XIII Corps on the south while conducting two unsuccessful diversionary thrusts against XXX Corps. Meanwhile, Rommel's tanks and motorized troops hit the southern end of the line north of the Qattara Depression.

US Army Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb docks and jetties in Tobruk harbor.

WESTERN FRONT: An Fw 190A-2, belonging to 12./JG 5 was on a transfer flight from Fliegerplatz Vaerlose to Fliegerplatz Aalborg when it hit a windmill at Ulstrup shortly before 21.00 hours. It crashed in a field and exploded, killing pilot Lt. Heinz Edward Loffler.

Luxembourg is incorporated into the German Reich as the district of Gau Mosselleland. Gustav Simon, the German appointed civil administrator of Luxembourg, orders the call up of Luxembourgers in the classes of 1920-1924 resulting in a General Strike in Wiltz and Ettelbruck. The strike quickly spreads across the Duchy and Simon declares Martial Law. Industrial workers return to work under threat of execution, 25 leaders are executed, and high school students participating in the strike are deported to Germany for a year.

 

[Njaco]

31 August 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Although Soviet resistance along the Terek River has stiffened considerably, the German Heeresegruppe A secures a foothold across it in the Mozdok area. German units are now within 16 miles of Stalingrad.

Ofw. Wilhelm Schilling of 9./JG 54 scored his own 35th and the Staffel's 200th victory while Hptm. Johannes Steinhoff, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 52 gained his 100th victory. In the southern sector, Josef Kronschnaubel of JG 53 was shot down and captured. He had 14 total victories. A Bf 109G-2 of 3./JG 54 crashed at Petajarvi.

A change of command at JG 3. Hptm. Georg Michalek gave up his position as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 3 to Major Klaus Quaet-Faslem. Obstlt. Walter Storp was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of KG 6 in place of Obstlt. Hahn.

NORTH AFRICA: On the El Alamein front, Feldmarschall Rommel opened an offensive against the Allied lines at Alam el Halfa, intending to clear the British from Egypt. Rommel's initial plan of a wide sweep around the British positions was abandoned in favor of an attack toward the Alam Halfa Ridge, the key terrain feature behind the British lines. The lack of supplies forced Rommel into switching to the offensive at Alam el Halfa when tactically he would have waited longer, and this was made possible by the British sacrifice made sending supplies to Malta. It is also important to note that Rommel was able to launch his counter-offensive at Gazala because he had recieved a significant number of tanks from supply convoys that successfully reached North Africa, because Force K at Malta had been neitralized by the Luftwaffe and also due to the extensive mining of the water surrounding Malta. The fact that Rommel's Afrika Korps contained equipment which was far more advanced and effective than the 8th Army's equivilent, meant that the campaign lasted much longer than it may have done otherwise, whilst at the same time there were not sufficent numbers of them to become a decisive factor in the campaign. British forces in Africa could do little to rectify the German's continuing superiority in quality of armour and armament before the end of the battle of Alam el halfa. The advance was made in a blinding sandstorm. The British preparations were extensive; formations were reconstituted, intelligence had been improved, minefields layed effectively. Defending strong positions behind thick minefields, the weak British screening force was able to hold the German tanks at bay long enough for other formations to start reacting. Rommel's advancing forces hit the lines of the 7th Motorized and 4th Light Armoured Brigades. However the 15.Panzerdivision failed to break through the 8th Army's lines and advance towards Alexandria, 75 miles away and sustained heavy casualties, losing about 30 tanks. At 08.00 hours, Rommel questioned calling off the attack. He was a sick man, ill with jaundice. One of his generals had been killed; his korps commander, Major-General Walther Nehring, was wounded. The Afrika Korps was also desperately short of fuel, despite the assurance of a petrol lift by Feldmarschall Kesselring. Rommel's tanks were bogged down in the soft sands to the north of the Alam Halfa Ridge, 10 miles south of El Alamein. This allowed the 8th and 22nd Armoured Brigades to pound the German forces who were also attacked from the air. The movements in the soft sand were so hard on fuel supplies that the attack was called off in the afternoon.

B-25s attacked Luftwaffe aircraft on a landing ground and B-24s raided the harbor at Tobruk. P-40s of the 66 FS, 57 FG escorted RAF bombers during a raid on Maryut, Egypt. B-25s in conjuction with RAF Bostons, attacked troop concentrations and military vehicles as the battle of Alam el halfa began. The fighters of JG 27, supporting Rommel's offensive, lost Oblt. Hermann Tangerding, Staffelkapitaen of 7./JG 27 who took a direct AA hit during a Stuka escort mission south of El Alamein.

Wearing his Schwerten, the Staffelkapitaen of 3./JG 27, Hans-Joachim Marseilles, was back in Africa and back in business. He had claimed a couple of RAF Hurricanes in the morning, likewise while escorting Stukas southeast of El Alamein, plus a single Spitfire in the early evening.

10(Jabo)./JG 27, which had carried out fighter-bomber raids, was withdrawn from III Gruppe's control altogether, to become part of the autonomous JaboGruppe Afrika. 10(Jabo)./JG 53 also joined this new unit as 1./Jabogruppe Afrika.

NORTH AMERICA: The US Secretary of Agriculture, Claude Wickard, warns of possible meat rationing in the US.

UNITED KINGDOM: The USAAF HQ XII Bomber Command arrives at Daws Hill Lodge, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, and is assigned to HQ Twelfth Air Force. This unit will support the Allied invasion of Northwestern Africa in November.

WESTERN FRONT: The Communist spy network Red Orchestra is broken up by the Germans in Brussels.

 

[syscom3]

1 September 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: While tracking Convoy SC-97 (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada to the U.K.), German submarine U-756 is sunk about 477 nautical miles SW of Reykjavik, Iceland, in position 57.41N, 31.30W, by the Canadian corvette HMCS Morden (K 170). All 43-men on the U-boat are lost.

EASTERN FRONT: By the end of August, Heeresgruppe B had finally reached the Volga to the north of Stalingrad. There is heavy fighting in Stalingrad, where German units have reached the suburbs in some areas. The Soviets could only reinforce and supply their forces in Stalingrad by perilous crossings of the Volga, under constant bombardment by German artillery and planes. Troops from the Russian 11th Army land on the Taman Peninsula from Kerch. Units of 1.Panzerarmee (General Ewald von Kleist) form a bridgehead across the Terek river at Mozdok in the Caucasus.

The Russian ship SKR "Purga" was sunk by the Luftwaffe, close to Osinovets Island, at Ladoga Lake.

Uffz. Crinius of I./JG 53 claimed his fifty-fifth enemy aircraft destroyed and was promoted to the rank of Feldwebel. Obstlt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG 54 downed two Russian aircraft.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command dispatches 231 aircraft of five types to bomb Saarbrucken. The Pathfinders illuminate and marked town which they believed to be Saarbrucken and the Main Force bombed accurately. A total of 205 aircraft claimed good bombing results. But the town bombed is Saarlouis, 13 miles (21 kilometers) to the northwest and situated in a similar bend of the River Saar. The small, non-industrial town of Saarlouis and the villages immediately surrounding are heavily damaged. The exact extent of this damage is not recorded but 52 civilians are killed. No bombs fell in Saarbrucken. Four bombers are lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators attack the harbor at Candia, scoring several direct hits on a vessel and hitting others.

NORTH AFRICA: The forces of General Erwin Rommel, commander Panzer Army Africa, suffer from a lack of supplies. One Panzer Division is out of fuel. The 15.Panzerdivision makes no progress. The British 8th Armored Division learns an expensive lesson with German anti-tank guns.

Oblt. Hans Joachim Marseille of 3./JG 27, the "Star of Africa", lived up to his name when on this date he performed a feat never achieved by any fighter pilot before. Together with his wingman, Marseille attacked the Hurricanes of 238 and 1 SAAF Sqn. He started with 1 SAAF Sqn and shot down two, at 08.26 and 08.28 hours. These were flown by Lt Bailey and Major Metelerkamp (an ace with 5 victories). Next, Marseille attacked 238 Sqn and shot down F/O Matthews (238 Sqn) at 08.35 hours. Following this, Marseille and his wingman were attacked by six Spitfires from 601 Sqn. Marseille allowed the Spitfires to approach from behind until the distance was 150 metres. Then he banked sharply to the left, which caused the Spitfires to overshoot him, and attacked from behind - shooting down the Spitfire piloted by P/O Bradley-Smith at 08.39 hours. When Marseille landed, it was established that he had used 80 cannon shells and 240 machine gun bullets for those four victories. These were Marseille's victories Numbers 105 - 108. Marseille's second mission that day ended with eight enemy fighters ("P-40s") claimed shot down between 1155 and 1205 hours. This British loss was equal to a whole squadron, shot down in only ten minutes, most of the downed aircraft being Curtiss P-40s and Spitfires. In addition to Marseille's claims, Lt Hans Remmer of 1./JG 27 claimed one P-40 on the same mission. The British fighters were shot down during an escort mission for bombers. Marseille's third mission that day found five enemy fighters claimed shot down, the last at 18.53 hours. In addition to Marseille's claims, four enemy fighters were claimed shot down by other German pilots on the same mission including two for Lt. Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt of 2./JG 27 who wrote of the battles;

"In our first combat we were up against forty Hurricane and Curtiss fighters. Then twenty Spitfires, orbiting at higher altitude, dove down on us. We were eight Messerschmitts caught up in an incredible whirling tangle of enemy fighters. I was flying for my life but despite the enemy's overwhelming superiority I didn't duck out of the fight. I couldn't. The others needed all the help they could manage. I threw my kite around in a series of steeply banked turns until there was spittle all around my mouth and I was on the verge of exhaustion. Every time one enemy fighter was evaded, there was quickly another on my tail. Three or four times I tried to get out of there by diving away but had to pull back up into the mêlée. On one occasion, having flown my Messerschmitt to it limits, I saw a Spitfire closing in for the kill. At the last moment Marseille appeared and shot him off my tail. I dove away and then pulled back up. Above me I saw a Spitfire sitting just fifty meters behind Marseille's 109. I took careful aim and squeezed the firing button. Flames erupted from the Spitfire's engine and he went down ablaze, crashing into the desert. At that instant I took hits as well and dove away. By then there was just Marseille and myself left in the battle.... In terms of aerial combat we had put on an exemplary performance. Both of us claimed three victories. Marseille had already claimed three enemy aircraft shot down that morning. We climbed down from our 109s completely exhausted. Marseille's kite had taken cannon hits, while eleven machine-gun impacts were counted on my machine. We hugged each other in silence, unable to speak. There were no words to describe what we had just done for each other. Without Marseille's timely intervention I would almost certainly have been shot down. He likewise. For both of us, it was an unforgettable moment of comradeship…."

Five Hurricanes of 213 Sqd and one Hurricane of 208 Sqd that were shot down approximately at the same time probably are identical with at least some of the German claims on that mission. By the end of the day over the Battle of Alam-el-Halfa and Imaid, also known as the "Stalingrad of the Desert", Oblt. Marseille was credited with no less than seventeen RAF aircraft destroyed. In fact, one of the seventeen aircraft that he claimed as shot down landed fairly safely - the badly shot up Hurricane which was piloted by five-victory ace Major Metelerkamp. The official Allied losses in North Africa on 1 September 1942 amounted to twenty-two aircraft (nine Hurricanes, four Kittyhawks, four Tomahawks, two Spitfires, one U.S. Warhawk, and two Beaufighters). Although possibly two, and maybe even as many as four, of Marseille's opponents were not actually destroyed, the victories he did amass during his three sorties east of El Alamein on that 1 September make it without doubt the most successful day of his career. The month of September would be one of Oblt. Marseille's greatest achievements but would also end as one of the Luftwaffe's saddest.

Two U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) squadrons of the US Army, Middle East Air Force fly escort missions and sweeps with RAF. USAAF B-25 Mitchells, in conjunction with RAF light bombers, hit trucks and tanks in the battle area of Alam-el-Halfa.

WESTERN FRONT: 16./KG 6 was formed in Soesterberg from Erprobungskommando Me 210. The staffel tested the Me 210A and was renamed 11./ZG 1 in October 1942.

 

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2 September 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-222' was sunk about 23 nautical miles (42 kilometers) southwest of Pillau, East Prussia, after a collision with 'U-626'. Three of the 45 crewmen survive. The sub had never been on a combat patrol.

EASTERN FRONT: German Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) continues to press toward Novorossisk and Grozny. The Russian 11th and 17th Armies advanced near Novorossiysk. The German 1.Panzerarmee was advancing slowly toward Grozny. The threat to Novorossisk increases and German and Romanian forces from the Crimea cross the Kerch Strait and join other Axis forces in the area.

Near Leningrad a formation of Bf 109s from III./JG 54 and Ju 87s of III./StG 1 were bounced by eight Russian Hurricanes from GIAP / KBF 3. The Soviets lost five Hurricanes shot down, including that of Starshiy Leytenant Aleksey Yevgrafov who was killed. The German units lost four aircraft shot down. Ofw. Wilhelm Schilling of JG 54 claimed his fortieth victory in this action and Obstlt. Bob of 9 Staffel claimed another two of the Russian planes.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command dispatches 200 aircraft of five types to attack Karlsruhe; 177 bomb the target and eight aircraft were lost. The Pathfinders were accurate and this was a successful raid with an estimated 200 fires burning at the same time. Reconnaissance photographs showed much residential and some industrial damage. A very short report from Karlsruhe says only that 73 people were killed and that three public buildings in the city centre were hit. Five Mosquitos hit targets of opportunity in five cities.

NORTH AFRICA: By dawn, German General Erwin Rommel realizes that his drive on Alam Halfa Ridge was failing. He himself suffers stomach trouble, nausea, and blocked nasal passages, adding to his misery. As he drives to the front, he sees tanks unable to move from lack of fuel and men unwilling to leave foxholes for fear of air attack. At one point, Rommel had to dive into a foxhole and a shell splinter rips through the blade of a shovel lying on the lip of a trench, and a piece of red hot metal falls beside him. Rommel needs more supplies to advance and a 300-truck convoy was sent to him. It gets caught by the British 7 Armoured Division's light tanks, which destroy 57 vehicles. The Germans were down to one day's petrol (gasoline). Rommel returns to his HQ, to discuss things with Luftwaffe General Kesselring. The latter promises more airstrikes, but says the 500 tons of petrol (gasoline) promised per day was "consuming itself" on the way up in the tanks of vehicles bringing it up over the appalling roads and tracks. Of the 5,000 tons of petrol (gasoline) Italian Marshal Ugo Cavallero, Chief of the Supreme General Staff, had promised, 2,600 tons had been sunk, 1,500 tons was stuck in Italy, and the prospect of the remaining 1,000 tons arriving was slim. That night, Rommel scratches out a report to Berlin saying that he had decided to call off the offensive and retreat to his start line. As soon as Rommel's radiomen begin to send the message, the RAF arrives to hammer the place. The desert floors shakes from 4,000-pound (1 814 kilogram) bombs that fling lumps of stone into the air, adding to the death and destruction.

In the air, U.S. Army, Middle East Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb aircraft and a landing ground and, with the RAF, attack troops and vehicles in the battle area around Alamel-Halfa ridge; and P-40s fly escort and sweep missions over the battle area in conjunction with the RAF. U.S. Army Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators hit docks and jetties at Tobruk.

Oblt. Marseille continued his incredible score by downing five more warplanes. The five claims took Oblt. Marseille's score to 126, which won him the Diamonds. On this occasion there was to be no immediate summons to Berlin.

NORTH AMERICA: It was announced that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, at the request of the Brazilian Government, had appointed an American technical mission of industrial engineers to visit Brazil to assist in the expansion of the Brazilian industrial war machine.

UNITED KINGDOM: Flying at 24,000 feet over the Channel off Shoreham, Sussex, an 18-year-old Canadian Spitfire pilot shot a raider into the sea. Then he helped rescue the wounded German pilot.

"I saw him inflate his dinghy," said the Canadian sergeant, "but he was too badly wounded to get into it. I circled over him until he was rescued by a naval launch which my companion and I in the Spitfire guided to the spot."

WESTERN FRONT: Three RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

Six RAF Bostons attack the Terneuzen oil refinery at Ghent without loss.

An He 177A-1 belonging to 2./KG 50 was visiting the Schiesschule Værløse when it crashed into the sea of Skagerak off Melby due to pilot error killing the crew. A search for the crew was launched by Flugsicherungsschiff "Phoenix" but it did not find any crew members or wreckage.

 

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3 September 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The pincers of 6.Armee (von Paulus) and 4.Panzerarmee (Hoth) advancing from the south, finally meet up to the west of Stalingrad at Pitomnik. The Germans now attempted to break into Stalingrad from the west, but were unable to do so because of limited Red Army counter-attacks against their flanks, which diverted a significant proportion of German forces. Luftflotte 4 (von Richthofen) continued round-the-clock air attacks against Stalingrad.

Oblt. Günther Rall of III./JG 52, barely a month since returning from serious injuries suffered in November 1941, scored his sixty-fifth kill and was awarded the 'Ritterkreuz'.

The defenders of Leningrad launched an attack in a vain attempt to meet the relief forces.

GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 September, the RAF Bomber Command dispatches 11 aircraft, seven Wellingtons, three Stirlings and a Halifax, to bomb Emden. Eight could only bomb through cloud on dead-reckoning positions; two Wellingtons are lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24 Liberators attack a convoy at sea.

NORTH AFRICA: At El Alamein, Operation BERESFORD was initiated by the 2d New Zealand Division and the British 132d Brigade; the objective was German General Erwin Rommel's weakest point, Munassib. 132d Brigade runs into the determined paratroopers of the German Ramcke Brigade and the Italian Folgore Division, both eager to prove their abilities. The advance turns into a mess of confused communications, burning trucks, and disintegration when the brigade commander was wounded. The New Zealand, 21st and 28th Battalions, do better, with the force charging through their depression. The New Zealanders take 50 POWs, both take their objectives, but run into heavy German resistance. The Germans suffer another 2,450 casualties, lose 50 guns and 400 armored fighting vehicles and 10,000 tons of fuel was used up. Because of his loses, Rommel adopts the "Capisaldi" (strong points) defense Marshall Rodolfo Graziani, Commander of the Italian Forces in Libya, This defense was used in 1940 for the very same reasons, i.e., too weak to attack, no resources for a mobile defense and an order not to retreat. A final stand was set for El Alamein. As Rommel's Panzers retreat, badly savaged and harassed all the way by the British infantry and the Desert Air Force, it was the turn of the Allies to capture the booty of war. The Germans and Italians were facing a serious fuel shortage when they attacked, and now the desert was littered with abandoned Axis vehicles. British engineers were assigned the task of disabling these tanks. One engineer, Sapper Irvine Adam of Paisley, near Glasgow, told how he was ordered to blow up a slightly damaged German tank,

"I had just a minute to get away before it blew,"

he said. The RAF made a record number of sorties in North Africa as the desert battle raged. U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells hit troop concentrations, vehicles, and airfield installations in the battle area of Alam-el-Halfa, Egypt and behind enemy lines; P-40s, mostly operating with the RAF, escort bombers and engage fighters in combat, claiming at least one shot down.

Eight Hurricanes of 7 SAAF squadron, while escorting bombers of RAF 274 Sqd, were attacked by three Bf 109Fs flown by Oblt. Marseille of 3./JG 27, Lt. Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt of 3./JG 27 and Remmer of 1./JG 27. They shot down three and damaged a fourth. Oblt. Marseille scored three more kills, bringing his tally to 132 victories.

WESTERN FRONT: General Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator, ousts the Cabinet members, and achieves full control of the government.

Ofw. Karl Haisch of 4./NJG 3 emergency landed a Do 217J-1 near Vilslev about 7 kilometres northwest of Ribe due to engine failure at approximately 1700 hours. The aircraft skidded along and broke through two small dikes before Engineer Obergefreiter Adam Gerhardt was thrown out of the aircraft and ended up underneath it when it came to a halt. When the aircraft was moved it was found that Gerhardt was dead. The aircraft was seriously damaged and Ofw. Haisch and wireless operator Uffz. Erwin Bormann were both lightly injured.

On the morning of 3 September the Danish salvage vessel S/S 'Sigyn' arrived to assist Flugsicherungsschiff "Phoenix" and together the two ships pulled their anchors over the sea bed to locate the wreck of the He 177A-1 belonging to 2./KG 50 that crashed the day before. At 1100 hours they both got hold of something heavy and a German diver was send down to investigate. He reported back that they had found the wreckage that was spread widely over the sea bed. At 1500 hours both ships and a German and a Danish diver started to salvage parts of the aircraft but did not find any of the crew. By 2100 hours it had become windy and the work stopped. The next day it was to windy for "Phoenix" to work and "Sigyn" set course for Helsingør for coal. As it could not get any coal in Helsingør it diverted to København where it could get coal from Marineausrüstungsstelle. Hptm Scharff of Kriegsmarinestelle called and announced that "Sigyn" would not be needed any more as "Phoenix" would be able to do the job on its own. On Saturday 12 September "Phoenix" had finished the job.

 

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4 September 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: In the Atlantic, an unidentified German U-boat comes across a lifeboat containing 19 survivors of U.S. freighter SS ''California', sunk by Italian submarine 'Reginaldo Giuliani' on 13 August and provides rations and navigational assistance before departing.

EASTERN FRONT: The Germans attack at Stalingrad, splitting Soviet 64th Army and driving to the Volga at Krasnoarmeisk. The city has been under continuous bombardment by over 1000 Luftwaffe aircraft for 24hours.

RAF 144 Squadron and RAAF 455 Squadron, equipped with 32 Hampden Mk. Is, flies from Britain to Afrikanda, Russia, to provide protection for Arctic convoys. Nine of the Hampdens are lost, either running out of fuel and being forced to crash land in Sweden, or, in one case, being accidentally shot down by Soviet aircraft as they approach the Russian coast. Even in the water, the Soviets keep firing on the crew, until their shouts of "Angliski!" over the radio are recognized. One Hampden is forced to land in Norway and the crew is captured before they can burn the plane which contains secret documents about the imminent convoy PQ 18.

In Hungary, Soviet planes bomb Budapest in the war's first air raid on the Hungarian capital.

Lt. Walter Nowotny of 1./JG 54 scored his fifty-sixth kill while Oblt. Hermann Graf of III./JG 52 became the second pilot to reach 150 kills. Another Eastern Front pilot, Obfw. Heinz Klöpper of 11./JG 51, was awarded the Ritterkreuz for achieving sixty-five kills along with Lt. Nowotny for his fifty-six kills.

MEDITERRANEAN: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24 Liberators, in conjunction with the RAF and the RN, attack a convoy at sea; two merchant ships are reported sunk and one left burning.

The Italian torpedo boat 'Polluce' is sunk off Tobruk by British bombers.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Beresford ends with the New Zealanders withdrawing, being overextended. 13 Brigade has lost 700 men while 6 Brigade, in a diversionary attack, has lost 159 men, including Brigadier George Clifton, who is taken POW. He makes nine escape attempts, succeeding the final time.

U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells and RAF Bostons, repelling counterattacks during the Alam-el-Halfa battle, hit troop concentrations and vehicles, while P-40s, operating with the RAF, escort bombers and engage in combat over the battle area, claiming 1 fighter destroyed.

WESTERN FRONT: An FW 190A-3 belonging to 9./JG 1 crashed vertically to the ground at Fliegerplatz Esbjerg at noon and exploded on impact. Pilot Uffz. Karl Dietmayer died and was laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery in Esbjerg.

 

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5 September 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Fighting was now taking place in the suburbs of Stalingrad. General Friedrich Paulus delayed his attempt to seize Stalingrad quickly in order to mop up the considerable Russian forces which he had bypassed and which he now considered a threat to the northern flank of his salient. At the same time Russia's Marshal Zhukov, newly arrived to take command, was energetically preparing an attack on the Germans. His orders were for the "troop commanders north and north-west of Stalingrad to strike the enemy quickly ... No procrastination will be tolerated. Delay now is regarded as criminal." At Stalingrad, the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies attack, but fail to gain any ground however, they take pressure off 62nd and 64th Armies, giving them time to lay barbed wire, dig trenches, plant mines, and infuse manpower. The Soviet 87th Division is down to 180 men, the 112th has 150, and the 99th Tank Brigade has 120 men and no tanks.

MEDITERRANEAN: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24 Liberators strike shipping and the dock area in Candia Bay, Crete.

NORTH AFRICA: The Germans and Italians complete their withdrawal from Alam Halfa, and dig in. British General Bernard Montgomery, General Officer Commanding Eighth Army, issues an Order of the Day, congratulating Eighth Army on its;

"devotion to duty and good fighting qualities which have resulted in such a heavy defeat of the enemy and which will have far-reaching results."

In the air, U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces P-40s escort Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers over the battle area southeast of Alam-el-Halfa Ridge near Rayil Dayr Ar Depression as the enemy offensive falters and is pushed back.

NORTH AMERICA: The US Office of Price Administration (OPA) imposes rent controls to prevent price-gouging.

SOUTH AMERICA: President Ramon S. Castillo reaffirms Argentina's intention to abide by its neutrality policy.

"We are believers in justice and right, and can solve all our controversies by arbitration without any thought of having recourse to war."

UNITED KINGDOM: The convincing protests of Major General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General USAAF (USAAF) 8th Air Force, makes Lieutenant General Dwight D Eisenhower, Commander in Chief US Forces in Europe, change his mind concerning his recent orders to suspend 8th Air Force operations from the U.K. in order to devote total air effort to support of the USAAF Twelfth Air Force and the forthcoming African campaign; General Eisenhower informs General George C Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, that he considers air operations from the U.K. and in Africa mutually complementary. The final details of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French Northwest Africa, are decided by British and American planners. The initial landings will be made by Americans because it's believed the French won't fight hard against Yanks but might against British troops. Nearly 60,000 American troops commanded by Major General George S. Patton, Commanding General Western Task Force, will sail from Norfolk, Virginia, U.S., land in Morocco and take Casablanca. Another 45,000 Americans under Major General Lloyd Fredendall, Commanding General Central Task Force, will sail from Scotland and storm Oran, Algeria. Americans will make up the first wave of a third landing near Algiers, where British troops will follow them ashore.

WESTERN FRONT: Vichy police round up the last of 9,872 Jews for loading on trains to the concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland.

The USAAF VIII Bomber Command based in the U.K. flies Mission 9: 42 bombers and 24 fighters, in two forces, attack targets without loss;
(1) 11 DB-7 Bostons, escorted by 24 Spitfires, attack the port area at Le Havre at 0932 hours.
(2) 31 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Sotteville marshalling yard at Rouen; 30 hit the Potez aircraft factory at Meaulte; 11 bomb Longuenesse Airfield at St. Omer; and two bomb Ft Rouge Airfield at St. Omer. This is largest force of 8th Air Force heavy bombers to attack to date; almost 20% of the high explosive bombs burst within the marshalling yard.

 

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6 September 1942

EASTERN FRONT: German 4.Mountain Division (Gebirgsdivision) of 17.Army captures the leading Black Sea port of Novorossisk. In Stalingrad, heavy house-to-house fighting continues in the center of the city while both sides bring up reinforcements.

Major Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, Kommodore of JG 3, brought his victory total to 100 with the destruction of a Soviet aircraft.

GERMANY: During the day, five RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos flew to Germany but only Bremerhaven is bombed. One Mosquito is lost.

During the night of 6/7 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 207 aircraft of six types to bomb Duisburg; 187 actually bomb the city. Cloud and haze are present and the bombing is not concentrated. But Duisburg reports its heaviest raid to date, with 114 buildings destroyed and 316 seriously damaged; 86 people are killed. Eight aircraft, five Wellingtons, two Halifaxes and a Stirling are lost, 3.9 per cent of the force. A mining mission is flown by three aircraft off Heligoland Bight.

NORTH AFRICA: The British XIII Corps continues on the offensive making slow progress southward against firm German opposition. The supply position of the British Eighth Army makes the difference in this battle. Rommel was back to the positions held on the 31 August, having lost 51 tanks (out of 515), 70 guns, 400 trucks and 2,865 men. The 8th Army losses were 1,640 men and 68 tanks.

British Eighth Army commander General Bernard Montgomery tells visiting U. S. envoy Wendell Wilkie that 300 U. S.-built M4 Sherman tanks have arrived in Port Said and will be in the forefront of his attack on Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. Montgomery says the climactic battle near El Alamein will begin next month.

In the air, U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces P-40s fly an offensive sweep over the battle area near the Rayil Dayr Ar Depression, claiming three Ju 87 Stukas shot down; P-40s also escort RAF bombers and fly two interceptor missions.

1./JG 27's Fw. Günther Steinhausen's total was standing at forty when he crashed to his death during a dogfight south-east of El Alamein. Promotion to Leutnant and award of the Ritterkreuz were both posthumous. Coincidentally, one other Ritterkreuz had been awarded on 6 September. It went to 2./JG 27's Leutnant Friedrich Körner, a 36-victory Experte who had also been shot down in combat near El Alamein two months earlier on 4 July, but who had survived to become a PoW.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Messerschmitt Me 210 was first used over Britain. Erpr Kdo 210 was re-designated 16./KG 6 and continued to carry out experimental sorties against Britain with an attack on Middlesbrough. Two were shot down by Hawker Typhoons over the North Yorkshire coast. An Me 210A-1 from 16./KG 6 was shot down by a Typhoon Mk 1B of RAF No 1 Squadron and crashed at Fell Briggs Farm, New Marske, near Redcar, Yorkshire at 11.43 hours. Fw H. Mösgen and Obergefr E. Czerny baled out but both killed when their parachutes failed. Another 16./KG 6 Messerschmitt was shot down by a Typhoon Mk 1B of No 1 Squadron and crashed at Sunnyside Farm, Fylingthorpe, Yorkshire at 11.50 hours. Oberlt W. Maurer, the Staffelkapitän of 16./KG 6 and Fw R. Jansen baled out and were taken prisoner.

Six civilians at Middlesbrough and one at Haverton Hill during the attack which damaged houses and utilities. Anti-aircraft rockets caused damage to houses at East Boldon and Heworth.

WESTERN FRONT: B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) 8th Air Force's VIII Bomber Command fly Mission 10 bombing three targets:Twenty-two B-17s from the 97th BG raided the Potez aircraft factory at Meaulte at 1740-1748 hours and the 301st BG flew a diversion raid on the St. Omer airfield; eleven bombers hit St Omer/Longuenesse Airfield and two bombers attacked St Omer/Ft Rouge Airfield without loss. For the first time, fourteen B-17s from the 92nd BG and twelve DB-7 Bostons attacked the Abbeville/Drucat Airfield at 1702 hours, escorted by four squadrons of RAF Spitfires, who were flying too high and away from the formation to effectively intercept the attacking fighters from JG 26. The bomber formation was continuously attacked from the coast to the target by forty-five to fifty Focke-Wulfs and a few Bf 109s from above and behind. The B-17s and suffered its first heavy bomber losses in combat. At 1855 hours a B-17 from the 340 BS 97th BG flown by 2/Lt Clarence C. Lipsky went down near Amiens, shot down by the Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26, Hptm. "Conny" Meyers who became the first Luftwaffe pilot to fully destroy an American four-engined bomber (this was the VIII Bomber Command's first loss of aircraft in combat). 2/Lt. Lipsky and five of his crew successfully baled out and became prisoners of war. Ten minutes later another B-17 "Baby Doll" from the 327 BS 92nd BG was attacked by six Fw 190s from 4./JG 26 and crashed into the sea near Le Treport, the claim being given to Obfw. Willi Roth of 4./JG 26. Over Cayeaux a Fortress from the 92nd BG was attacked by six Fw 190s. When the escorting Spitfires of RAF No 133 'Eagle' Squadron were able to catch up to the battle, they were bounced by Fw 190s from JG 26. Three Spitfires were shot down and an additional seven bombers damaged.

During the day, ten of 12 RAF Bomber Command Bostons bombed ships in Boulogne harbour but scored no hits.

Six RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Frisian Islands.

 

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7 September 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine U-517 torpedoes and sinks three merchant vessels, two Greek and one Canadian totalling over 10,500 tons, sailing in convoy QS-33 at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River near Cap Chat, Quebec, Canada, in position 48.50N, 63.46W.

EASTERN FRONT: The 6.Armee began a four-mile advance through Stalingrad to the Volga.

MEDITERRANEAN: B-24s bomb convoys at sea, hit other shipping, and in Crete, attack Maleme Airfield and Suda Bay.

NORTH AFRICA: The British Eighth Army stabilized its line at Alam el Haifa, after Montgomery suspended the battle. Hptm. Marseille continued to increase his score of downed enemy aircraft by destroying two more British planes during the day.

Twenty-four hours after Fw. Steinhausen was posted missing, Lt. Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt, Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 27, would be lost in similar circumstances, when he crashed to his death during a dogfight south-east of El Alamein. He, too, would be honored posthumously, being awarded the Eichenlaub for his final total of fifty-nine desert victories.

NORTH AMERICA: The Navy and the Maritime Commission celebrate Labor Day by launching 174 ships at 60 shipyards.

WESTERN FRONT: USAAF (8th Air Force) Bomber Command flies Mission 11: 9 of 29 bombers dispatched attack targets in the Netherlands:
(1) 4 of 15 B-17s ineffectively raid the Wilton shipyards at Rotterdam in bad weather and claim 8-4-7 Luftwaffe aircraft.
(2) 5 of 14 B-17s seek targets of opportunity in the vicinity of Utrecht and claim 4-6-5 Luftwaffe aircraft.

Fighters from JG 1 and JG 26 intercepted the bombers and lost two Fw 190s – one to a Spitfire and another to return fire from the B-17s. Only seven bombers were able to drop their load on the target. Five out of fourteen B-17s looked for targets of opportunity in the vicinity of Utrecht and two of the bombers hit the Utrecht railway station. Uffz. Niese of 9./JG 26 claimed his first Spitfire near Dunkirk.

 

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8 September 1942

GERMANY: During the night of 8/9 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 249 aircraft of five types to bomb Frankfurt-am- Main; 200 aircraft crews claimed to have "bombed" the target with the loss of ten aircraft. The truth is that the Pathfinders are unable to locate Frankfurt accurately and most of the bombs fell southwest of the city and in the town of Rüsselsheim, 15 miles (24 kilometers) away. Frankfurt reports only a few bombs, approximately six aircraft loads. with minor damage, one person dead and 30 injured. Bomber Command documents state that the Opel tank factory and the Michelin tire factory are damaged and that five aircraft bombed Mainz; two bombed Darmstadt; and individual aircraft bombed Duisburg, Hochst, Russelheim and Wiesbaden.

RAF Bomber Command bombed Dusseldorf in the Ruhr, dropping 4,000 pound (1814 kilogram) bombs. Bomber crews called these bombs "Cookies" while the press called them "Blockbusters."

The prototype of a new fighter, the Me 209 V-1 was badly damaged in a crash-landing.

MEDITERRANEAN: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24 Liberators attack shipping and the harbor at Suda Bay, Crete.

NORTH AMERICA: The State Department announces that the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Vichy has been instructed to inform the Vichy Government that bombs have only been dropped in France on military plants in the employ of Germany, and that the Americans have no desire to see the French suffer any more than could be avoided. The Government is to be informed, further, that military plants in France, useful to the Germans, would be;

"bombed at every opportunity. "

The Third War Loan drive begins.

Domestically, all gold mines in the U.S. are shut down and the industry's workers are sent to war production jobs.

UNITED KINGDOM: The "Joint British American Directive on Day Bomber Operations Involving Fighter Cooperation" is issued; worked out between Major General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General USAAF, and the RAF, it consigns night bombing to the RAF and day bombing to the 8th Air Force. The purpose is to achieve continuity in the bombing offensive and secure RAF fighter support for US bombers. General Spaatz orders all tactical operations to give way to activity in support of Operation TORCH (plan for Allied landings in North and Northwestern Africa in November 1942); processing of units of the newly created USAAF Twelfth Air Force destined for North Africa takes priority over combat operations for the present.

Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill announces that the British heavy cruiser HMS 'Shropshire' will be transferred to the Royal Australian Navy as a replacement for the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS 'Canberra' lost in the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942.

WESTERN FRONT: General de St. Vincent, military governor of Lyons, is dismissed by the Vichy government for failure to arrest Jews in his area.

During the day, 12 RAF Bomber Command Bostons bomb Cherbourg and Le Havre docks without loss.

A Ju 88A-5 belonging to 12./KG 30 was training on night landings at Fliegerhorst Aalborg West when it attempted an emergency landing in a field near Nørholm west of Aalborg shortly after 2200 hours. It touched down east of a country road and crossed it before finally exploding, killing the crew of four. Pilot Uffz Franz Puspischil, Navigator Ogfr. Kurt Schlummer, wireless operator Uffz. Helmut Pfeffer and Air gunner Ogfr. Otto Nittmann were all laid to rest in Friedrichshaven cemetery.

 

[syscom3]

9 September 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The last radio message from the U.S. Coast Guard weather ship USCGC 'Muskeget' is received. It is believed that she is sunk by the German submarine U-755 somewhere in the North Atlantic while en route from Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A., to Weather Station Number 2 located about 509 nautical miles NE of Saint John's, Newfoundland. All 121 men aboard are lost.

In the North Atlantic, Convoy ON 127 (U.K. to North America) is sighted by German submarine U-584. The convoy consists of 32 merchant ships escorted by two Canadian destroyers, HMCS 'Ottawa' and 'St. Croix' [I-81, ex USS 'McCook' (DD-252)], three Canadian corvettes, HMCS 'Amherst', 'Arvida' and 'Sherbrooke', and the British corvette HMS 'Celandine'. U-584 loses contact during the night.

EASTERN FRONT: Chancellor Adolf Hitler takes over direct command of Heeresgruppe A on the Eastern Front, which having been foiled by the Red Army in the western Caucasus, was meeting increased resistance in its drive towards Astrakhan and Baku. General List is sacked.

Lt. Müller of I./JG 53 downed six Russian IL-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft.

Lt. Otto Leicher of 4./JG 52 attained his 15th and last aerial victory against a LaGG-3 at 1405 hours, south of the Terek River in the Caucasus. 862 IAP's Batalyonnyy Komissar Aleksey Shapovalov shot down a Messerschmitt 109 in the Voznesenskaya area. The German pilot was captured, and proved to be an ace. A few minutes later, Shapovalov's LaGG-3 was shot down by another Messerschmitt 109 and Shapovalov bailed out with injuries in the Mozdok area. At 1408 hours, Lt. Gustav Denk of Stab II./JG 52 claimed a LaGG-3, but that was at an altitude of only 200 meters, which hardly would allow the pilot to bail out. Thus, it is plausible to assume that Shapovalov was shot down by Uffz. Hans Waldmann (Stab II./JG 52), who claimed a LaGG-3 in 1,400 meters altitude at 1409 hours. It was recorded as Waldmann's second victory.

GERMANY: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches six Mosquitos to attack three cities without loss: three bomb Osnabruck and one each bomb Bielefeld and Munster.

During the night of 9/10 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches aircraft to lay mines: five each mine Gironde Estuary, Heligoland Bight and Kattegat. One Lancaster is lost.

INDIAN OCEAN: British troops renew their offensive in order to ensure the safety of military objectives and gain air and sea control of the Mozambique Channel. The 29th Brigade makes a surprise landing on the west coast in the vicinity of Majunga during the night of 9/10 September and seizes the town virtually unopposed.

MIDDLE EAST: The Iranian government declares war on Germany.

NORTH AFRICA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24's attack Tobruk harbor and shipping.

NORTH AMERICA: Lieutenant General Henry H "Hap" Arnold, Commanding General USAAF, submits to the Chief of Staff a plan (AWPD-42) estimating the size of the air force necessary to attain air ascendancy over the enemy and outlining suggestions for the use of these forces in the several theaters; this plan, which by 17 November 1942 has been approved by the War Department and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, includes the buildup of the depleted 8th Air Force in the U.K. and contains the seeds of the Combined Bomber Offensive.

The War Canadian Cabinet closes the St. Lawrence River to all Allied shipping except coasters due to the German U-Boat submarine danger.

UNITED KINGDOM: The bodies of two German airmen whose machines were shot down were picked up near Marske, one in a field and the other in a reservoir, and were this day buried at Thornaby, Yorkshire with military honours.

The last of twelve high altitude bombing missions over Britain was flown by Ju 86s of 2(F)./ AufklGr 123.

WESTERN FRONT: During the night of 9/10 September, RAF Bomber Command dispatches aircraft to lay mines in two areas: seven lay mines in the Frisian Islands and three lay mines off Texel Island.

Hptm. Fritz Hobein was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./ZG 1 in place of Major Roland Bohrt.

 

[syscom3]

10 September 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Convoy ON-127 (U.K. to North America), consisting of 32 merchant ships escorted by the Canadian destroyers HMCS 'St. Croix' and 'Ottawa', three Canadian corvettes, HMCS 'Amherst', 'Arvida' and 'Sherbrooke' and the British corvette HMS 'Celandine', are tracked by the 12 U-boats of wolfpack Vorwarts and the Germans begin their attacks.

At 1435 hours GMT, a 4,241 ton Belgian freighter and a 6,313 ton Norwegian tanker are struck by torpedoes fired by U-96 and sink. At about 2300 hours GMT, a 8,029 ton British tanker is hit by torpedoes fired by U-584 and sinks.

The 7,240 ton U.S. freighter SS 'American Leader' is sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser 'Michel' about 815 nautical miles (1509 kilometers) west of Cape Town, South Africa, in position 34.26S, 02.00E. Forty seven of the 58 crewmen aboard survive and are taken aboard the German vessel and are later turned over to the Japanese in Singapore; 14 of the men die in Japanese prison camps.

The German submarine U-69 lays mines at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in the U.S.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet forces attacking from besieged Leningrad failed to break the German lines.

GERMANY: During the night of 10/11 September RAF Bomber Command dispatches 479 aircraft, 242 Wellingtons, 89 Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes, 47 Stirlings, 28 Hampdens and 14 Whitleys, to bomb Dusseldorf; 365 bomb the target with the loss of 33 aircraft, 20 Wellingtons, five Lancasters, four Stirlings, three Halifaxes and a Hampden, 7.1 per cent of the force. The Pathfinders successfully marked the target, using 'Pink Pansies' in converted 4,000 pound (1 814 kilogram) bomb casings for the first time. All parts of Dusseldorf except the north of the city are hit as well as the neighbouring town of Neuss. Thirty nine industrial firms in Dusseldorf and 13 in Neuss are damaged so much that all production ceased for various periods. Eight public buildings are destroyed and 67 damaged. 911 houses are destroyed and 1,506 seriously and 8,340 lightly damaged. One hundred thirty two people are killed, 120 in Dusseldorf and 12 in Neuss; 116 further people are still classed as missing two days later and 19,427 people are bombed out. Individual aircraft bomb Gladbeck and Krefeld as targets if opportunity.

INDIAN OCEAN: The British end negotiations with Vichy Governor General Annet after five months of talks fail to win guarantees of noncooperation with the Japanese. The British 29th Brigade lands at Majunga and begins a campaign to occupy the entire island. The Free French are promised that the administration of the colony will be turned over to them once operation is completed.

The Australian destroyer HMAS 'Napier' (G 97) enters the port of Morandava on the west coast and lands 50 commandoes. The Vichy French defenders fire a few rounds and then surrender.

NORTH AMERICA: The Baruch Commission, tasked with investigating the availability of rubber, warns of military and civilian collapse due to a shortage of rubber in the U.S. As a result, the government mandates gasoline rationing in the U.S. to limit the amount of driving thus saving rubber required for tires.

WESTERN FRONT: Individual RAF Bomber Command aircraft bomb Haamstede and Venlo Airfields.

A Do 217J belonging to 7./ NJG 2 was hit by return fire at 0409 hours when it claimed a Lancaster over the North Sea 10 kilometres southwest of Thyborön. Pilot Uffz. Fritz Hobusch set course towards Fliegerhorst Grove but only managed to keep the Do 217 flying for another 12 minutes. Just when it had crossed Venø Bay it was necessary for the crew to leave by parachute. The aircraft crashed in a field near Vinderup and was a total loss. One flyer landed near Hasselholt and borrowed a telephone. He called the local police and asked to be picked up as he had hurt his back upon landing. Constable Karlov picked him up in a car and took him to Doctor Helms in Vinderup who ordered the flyer taken to the hospital. The flyer however wanted to be taken to the crash site, and taken from there by German ambulance to Grove. Soon after, Doctor Helms received a call from Farmer Christian Mortensen of Hasselholt who asked the doctor to treat a German flyer that had landed nearby and had damaged a leg during landing. The doctor picked the flyer up and took him to the crash site after examining the leg. The third flyer landed near the farm of Farmer Johannes Nielsen of Hasselholt. He was unhurt and was taken by horse carriage to the police station by the farmer's son.