This day in the war in the Pacific 65 years ago. (1 Viewer)

[syscom3]

AUSTRALIA: Responding to questions from the Australian government regarding the effect on the RAAF of the formation of the USAAF's Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific Area, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander Southwest Pacific Area, replies that "due to unavoidable conditions" the majority of the units assigned to the Coastal Defense Unit would be Australian although the majority of RAAF units would not be assigned to this command. He continued saying that the formation of the Fifth Air Force would not affect the full employment of the RAAF in combat operations.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, Australian units continue to patrol along Imitra Ridge on the Kodoka Track. In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe troops and installations at Sangara, Arehe, and along the Popondetta-Andemba road in the Owen Stanley Range, and RAAF Kittyhawks strafe the airfield at Kokoda, bridges on the trail near Wairopi, and troops at Myola, Efogi, and Kagi.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: 9 B-24s, 2 B-17s, and 1 LB-30, accompanied by 15 P-39s and 20 P-40s, abort a Kiska bombing mission due to weather; photo reconnaissance suggests that Chichagof Harbor, Attu is abandoned.

BURMA: The British go on the offensive with the Indian 14th Division advancing in the Arakan River, from Chittagong via Cox's Bazar down the Mayu peninsula. The intention is to seize the peninsula, then from
there to Akyab and seize Japanese airfields that the British fear may be used to bomb Calcutta and other Indian cities. The troops of General Lord Archibald Wavell, British Commander-in- Chief India, troops are not ready for jungle warfare, and he lacks the seaborne component planned for this operation. He launches it anyway, even though the Arakan "is not fit to fight in." To reach Akyab, British and Indian troops must traverse more than 160 miles of mangrove swamps, river and rice paddies.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, artillery of the Australian 14th Field Regiment sited at Ower's Corner, about 3 miles (4,6 kilometers) south of Imita Ridge, pounds the Japanese all day.
In the air, RAAF Kittyhawks bomb and strafe bridges and targets of opportunity along the Buna-Kokoda trail. The two RAAF Kittyhawk squadrons at Milne Bay, Nos 75 and 76, are relieved by the USAAF's 35th and 36th Fighter Squadrons flying P-39 Airacobras.
A-20s bomb and strafe occupied areas at Menari, Efogi, Nauro, Yodda, and Kokoda; P-40s strafe AA positions, huts, and barges at Buna and Salamaua and bomb and strafe Wairopi bridge, strafe buildings at Yodda, the airfield at Buna, and AA positions and other targets along the Buna-Kokoda trail; 1 B-25 bombs the N end of Buna Airfield and the coastal end of Sanananda track. B-17s bomb the airfield and shipping at Rabaul, New Britain

UNITED STATES: The prototype Boeing XB-29-BO Superfortress, USAAF s/n 41-002, msn 2482, makes its first flight at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force dispatches an LB-30 and nine B-24s, two B-17, accompanied by 15 P-39s and 20 P-40s, but they abort a Japanese-held Kiska Island bombing mission due to weather; photo reconnaissance suggests that Chichagof Harbor on Japanese-held Attu Island is abandoned.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the airfield and shipping at Rabaul, New Britain Island.

D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS: The Australian 2/10th Battalion lands on Normanby Island located about 10 miles from the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea, in the Solomon Sea. The 400 square miles island will be used by Allied warships during the war.

NEW GUINEA: The Australian 2/25th Battalion moves forward on the Kokoda Track and does not encounter any Japanese. However, a patrol from the 3d Battalion loses four men west of Ioribaiwa.
In the air over Papua New Guinea, Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe occupied areas at Menari, Efogi, Nauro, Yodda, and Kokoda on the Kokoda Trail; P-40s strafe antiaircraft positions, huts, and barges at Buna and Salamaua and bomb and strafe Wairopi bridge, strafe buildings at Yodda, Buna Airfield, and antiaircraft positions and other targets along the Buna-Kokoda trail; and a B-25 Mitchell bombs the northern end of Buna Airfield and the coastal end of the Sanananda track.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Weather causes a USAAF Eleventh Air Force mission to abort to Japanese-held Kiska Island; photo reconnaissance over Attu Island confirms its abandonment by the Japanese; a USN PBY Catalina escorted by two P-38 Lightnings lands off Amchitka Island with a scouting party which determines that the island is unsuited as an airfield; the P-38s also bomb a radio shack and sink a submarine at Amchitka Island.

ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS: Troops of the Australian 2/10th Battalion, 18th Brigade find only eight Japanese on Normanby Island. They are taken prisoner and the Australians board the Australian destroyer HMAS Stuart and return to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. The D'Entrecasteaux Islands are located about 10 miles across Goschen Strait from the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea, in the Solomon Sea.

EAST INDIES: In Betano Bay on the south coast of Portugese Timor, the Australian destroyer HMAS Voyager runs aground while landing the 2/4th Independent Company. Attempts to refloat the ships are unsuccessful and demolition charges are placed under her hull and set off. The ship is attacked by Japanese aircraft tomorrow and she sinks.

NEW GUINEA: Australian General Thomas Blamey arrives in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to take direct command of the New Guinea forces. Australian Lieutenant General Edmund F. Herring becomes commander, Advance New Guinea Force, succeeding Australian Major General Sidney F Rowell. Despite his position Blamey came into conflict with his commander, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Command South West Pacific Area, who has become Australian Prime Minister Curtin's principle military advisor.
U.S. forces are kept out of the Australian land commanders hands throughout the war in the Pacific but one historian wrote that Blamey's career is marked by "year upon year of wise decisions, stubborn determination to further the interests of Australia, and a deep concern for the well-being of his soldiers."
On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australian 14th Field Regiment, Maroubra Force, continues bombarding the Japanese. Intelligence estimates that there are 600 Japanese west of Ioribaiwa.
- The U.S. 128th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division, reaches Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, by air and is assigned to garrison force under operational control of Australian 6th Division.
- In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s, P-39 and P-400 Airacobras and B-17 Flying Fortresses hit tanks, buildings, and airfield at Buna, Wairopi bridge and targets of opportunity on the Buna-Kokoda Track, and Tau-Pota Mission near Goodenough Bay.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, the 1st Marine Division begins a limited operation to the west of the Lunga perimeter to eliminate the Japanese within striking distance of Henderson Field: the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment is directed to advance along the northern slopes of Mt Austen, cross the Matamkau River, and push west to Kokumbona; the 1st Raider Battalion is to establish a patrol base at Kokumbona at a point where the inland trails intersect the coastal road.
- Five SBD Dauntlesses of VMSB-141 arrives at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. These are the first aircraft from Marine Air Group Fourteen to serve
on the island; reinforcements will arrive in small increments until the entire squadron arrives on 6 October.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA The movement of the 72d Bombardment Squadron to the SOPAC on 18 Sep, plus subsequent movement of other squadrons of the 5th BG to the SOPAC, makes it difficult for some time to maintain the minimum force of 35 heavy bombers considered necessary for the defense of the Hawaii; this situation is relieved by 90th BG (Heavy), which stops in Hawaii while enroute to the SWPA, and by the 307th BG (Heavy), which is assigned to the Seventh Air Force for a time.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the Main Camp, storage dumps, and dock areas on Japanese-held Kiska Island, starting several fires.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb shipping at Rabaul on New Britain Island.

GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese troops land on Maiana Island, 26 nautical miles (48 kilometers) south of Tarawa Atoll.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese receive an order from headquarters on Rabaul to withdraw the troops on the Kokoda Track to the Buna-Gona area. This order results from a Japanese High Command decision to give Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands priority at the expense of the campaign in New Guinea. The Japanese 144th Regiment is chosen to perform a rearguard action at Ioribaiwa with two battalions while its other battalion and the 41st Regiment withdraws.
- USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s and A-20 Havocs hit Mubo in Northeast New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb a wrecked vessel at Gona and P-40s hit the airfield at Kokoda and targets along the Kokoda-Wairopi trail, including a bridge at Wairopi.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment is searching the west bank of the Matanikau River, for straggling remnants of the Bloody Ridge Battle. The have found several small
groups of Japanese as they move from the foothills of Mt. Austen towards the sea. The battalion suffers seven dead and 25 WIA of which 18 are stretcher cases. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment begins preparations to join them.
- Marine John Basilone becomes the first Marine awarded the medal of honor for his defense of bloody ridge, on Guadalcanal.
- 3 B-17s bomb Shortland Island Seaplane base. Lost are: B-17E 41-9206 and B-17E "Bessie The Jap Basher" 41-2420.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): The 72d Bombardment Squadron, 5th BG (Heavy), arrives at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides from Hawaii with B-17s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-17s bomb shipping at Rabaul. P-40s and A-20s hit Mubo while B-17s bomb wrecked vessel at Gona; P-40s hit the airfield at Kokoda and targets along the Kokoda-Wairopi trail, including a bridge at Wairopi.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force dispatched nine B-24 Liberators, a B-17 Flying Fortress, and a B-24 photo reconnaissance airplane, escorted by 11 P-39 Airacobras and seven P-40s, to fly the first of two missions to Japanese-held Kiska Island; 11 RCAF Kittyhawks participate in this first combined Canadian-American mission of the Eleventh Air Force; two Zeke's are shot down, one by the RCAF and the other by the USAAF.
Later two B-24s and a B-17, escorted by 15 P-39s, bomb Little Kiska and Kiska Islands; radar installations at Little Kiska are destroyed and explosions and fires are caused in the Main Camp area; other targets include shipping, stores, and tents; the P-39s also strafe two submarines; two Japanese float planes are downed; five to eight biplanes are probably destroyed on the water; a large transport vessel is hit and lists badly; and 150 personnel are believed killed.

CHINA: USAAF China Air Task bombers fly 11 missions during the remainder of September and early October to support Chinese ground forces attempting to hold the Japanese on the west bank of the Salween River.

EAST INDIES: Australian destroyer HMAS Voyager goes aground whilst landing reinforcements for the Australian garrison on Portugese Timor and is attacked by Japanese aircraft. As she cannot be refloated, she is thoroughly wrecked by her own crew and abandoned. Location: Off the south coast Timor Island at 09 11S 125 43E.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: Four B-25 Mitchells of the USAAF China Air Task, with an escort of ten P-40s, attack Hanoi; the strike force is intercepted by ten Japanese fighters but the B-25's place several bombs on the runway at Gia Lam Airfield; the P-40's claim at least six fighters shot down.

GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese troops land on Beru Island located 265 miles (426 kilometers) southeast of Tarawa.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the 25th Brigade, Australian 7th Division, opens a counteroffensive, attacking strongly towards Ioribaiwa, to drive the Japanese back along the Port Moresby-Kokoda trail. On the Kokoda Track, B Company of the Australian 2/25th Battalion attacks the Japanese north of Imita Ridge and gains some ground and captures weapons.
Australian General Thomas Blamey, Commander of the Allied Land Forces South West Pacific Area and Commander in Chief Australian Military Force, flies to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, where he informs Australian Major General Cyril Clowes, General Officer Commanding Milne Force, that the 2/10th Battalion will be airlifted to Wanigela, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) to the northwest, where it would advance towards Buna.
- In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s again bomb the bridge at Wairopi, Papua New Guinea, scoring a direct hit on the northeastern end, which is demolished.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, the 2d Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment joins the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, on the northwest slope of Mt. Austen to continue the attack against the Japanese in the Matanikau-Kokumbona area. Two companies of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine
Regiment, return to the Lunga perimeter. A patrol of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, reconnoiters Koli Point without incident.
Lieutenant General Kawaguchi Kiyotake, commanding the 35th Brigade, has ordered his troops to higher ground. He has received orders to seize the east bank of the river to prepare for the arrival of the 15 centimeter (5.9 inch) artillery. These units will be found the next day.
- In the air, four USAAF B-17s attack Japanese warships in Tonolei Harbor in the Shortland Islands while other B-17s attack shipping in Buka Passage and strafe the seaplane base at Rekata Bay on Santa
Isabel Island.

UNITED STATES: The US Maritime Commission announces that 488 cargo ships have been built in the past year.
- The War Labor Board orders equal pay to women as recognition of role in war.

 

[syscom3]

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses strike shipping and an airfield at Rabaul on New Britain Island.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australian 2/25 Battalion is holding the center with the 2/31st Battalion on the left and the 2/33rd Battalion on the right. The 2/14th and 2/16th
Battalions are relieved by the 36th Battalion and leave for Port Moresby; when these two units had started out on the Track in August, they had approximately 550 men each; now the 2/14th is down to 101 men and the 2/16th has 143 men.
- In the air over Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe Japanese forces north of Ioribaiwa and along the Efogi-Menari trail in support of the Australian counteroffensive and a B-17 Flying Fortress, along with RAAF aircraft, bomb Buna Airfield.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Bering Sea, USAAF Eleventh Air Force bombers attack a destroyer and a freighter north of Atka Island, Aleutian Islands; two near misses are scored on the freighter.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, Colonel Lewis "Chesty" Puller leads the 2d Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and elements of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, as they reach the upper Matanikau River and push north along the east bank, encountering Japanese fire from the vicinity of Matanikau village. Artillery and aircraft are employed against the Japanese position. The 1st Raider Battalion passes through 5th Regiment sector to join in attack.
- In the air, eight USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses attack shipping in Tonolei harbor in the Shortland Islands.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 1 destroyer and 1 freighter are bombed N of Atka at 53-30N 174-20E; 2 near misses are scored on the freighter.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) (Tenth Air Force): 4 B-25s devastate the village of Luchiangpa in SW China.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Shore and harbor areas of Japanese-held Kiska Island are bombed by the USAAF Eleventh Air Force: eight B-24 Liberators and a B-17 Flying Fortress, escorted by a P-38 Lightning, 13 P-39 Airacobras and four P-40s take off first, and are followed by six unescorted B-24s; weather turns back 13 of the fighters; an LB-30 Liberator flies a photo-weather reconnaissance over Attu, Buldir, the Semichi, Agattu, and Amchitka Islands.

CHINA: Four USAAF Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force B-25 Mitchells over southwestern China attack Mengshih, claiming about 30 trucks and 400 troops destroyed; The B-25s also bomb Tengchung, leaving it aflame; three flights of P-40s strafe targets of opportunity along the Burma Road, claiming 15 trucks destroyed and five barracks groups damaged.

GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese troops land on Kuria Island. This island is located about 75 nautical miles (139 kilometers) south-southeast of Tarawa.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Japanese begin their withdrawal back down the Kokoda Track as the Australians begin their attack. While Japanese positions are under artillery fire, the Australian 2/31st and 2/33rd Battalions begins attacking the Japanese flanks while the 2/25th Brigade moves forward. - USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs continue to attack forces north of Ioribaiwa in the area between Kagi and Efogi and in the Myola and Menari.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: In the combined 1st Raider Battalion, 1st Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment attack across the Matinakau River, at the One Log Bridge, on Guadalcanal, Major Kenneth Bailey is killed. Awarded the Medal for action on Bloody Ridge, he is the Executive Officer of the Raiders.
Battles at both the One Log Bridge and the mouth of the Matinakau River are fierce and the Marines make no headway. Three companies of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment are ordered to land west of the river mouth by boat. These Marines are cut off through quick reaction by Japanese Colonel Oka, commander of the 124th Infantry Regiment. Having no radio, they use their "T" shirts to spell out help. Marine Colonel Lewis "Chesty" Puller, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, takes the destroyer USS Monssen and several landing craft to evacuate them. Using the firepower of the destroyer, the Japanese are pushed back and the Marines are evacuated under heavy fire.
U.S. Coast Guard Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro uses his Higgins boat to shield the others. Munro, the only U.S. Coast Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, is killed on Guadalcanal.
The citation for his award reads in part, "For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Petty Officer in Charge of a group of 24 Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a battalion of marines trapped by Japanese forces at Point Cruz Guadalcanal, on 27 September 1942. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered Marines, Munro, under constant strafing by Japanese machine guns on the island, and at great risk of his life, daringly led five of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signaled the others to land, and then in order to draw the Japanese fire and protect the heavily loaded boats, he valiantly placed his craft with its two small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation is nearly completed, Munro is instantly killed by Japanese fire, but his crew, two of whom are wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach."
- After two-weeks of bad weather, Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft renew air attacks on Guadalcanal. Eighteen"Betty" bombers escorted by 27 "Zeke" fighters are engaged by 16 USMC and 18 USN F4F Wildcats. The Americans shoot down six "Bettys" and two "Zekes" an SBD Dauntless is destroyed on the ground and three SBDs and five TBF Avengers are damaged.
- Aviation Pilot First Class Lee P. Mankin, an F4F Wildcat pilot assigned to the USN's Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5), shoots down an A6M "Zeke" and becomes the only U.S. enlisted ace in WWII.

UNITED STATES: The last engagement of bandleader Glenn Miller and his Orchestra was performed at the Central Theater in Passaic, New Jersey. They did some of their most popular songs, including "In the Mood," "Moonlight Cocktail," and "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo." And when they played their "Moonlight Serenade" theme for the last time, Glenn Miller's civilian orchestra disappeared into musical history.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force flies two bombing missions to Japanese-held Kiska and Attu Islands by an LB-30 and seven B-24s and a B-17s escorted by 17 fighters. Installations on Kiska Island and a freighter nearby are bombed; one of the B-24s and the LB-30 bomb the village and Chichagof Harbor on Attu Island and on returning silence antiaircraft guns on a freighter; a "Zeke" fighter and two "Rufes" are shot down with the loss of a P-39 Airacobra.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: The Combat Intelligence Unit at Pearl Harbor issues a prediction that the Japanese would try to recapture the southern Solomon Islands and to extend their control on New Guinea. They also note that because the Allies are having good success with copying our communications methods and therefore 'we will continue to be unable to read his mail, i.e., use cryptanalysis, to any great extent."

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA The 394th Bombardment Squadron, 5th BG (Heavy), moves from Hickam Field to Bellows Field, Territory of Hawaii with B-17s.

NEW GUINEA: The main body of the U.S. 126th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, arrives at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and is assigned to the New Guinea Force to join the Australian advance on Wairopi.
USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s and P-400 Airacobras bomb and strafe Wairopi bridge, the village of Kagi, Myola Lake area, and targets of opportunity along the Buna-Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea while a B-17 bombs Lae Aerodrome, Northeast New Guinea.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, Major General Alexander Vandegrift, Commanding General 1st Marine Division, writes of the recent action on the banks of the Matanikau River: "The great lesson however is to be found embodied in the passage in the Field Service Regulations which warns against 'drifting aimlessly into action' for in last analysis it is to be observed that this battle was unpremeditated and was fought without definite purpose other than the natural one of closing with the Americans at once and upon every occasion."
The Japanese Navy dispatches 27 "Betty" bombers escorted by 42 A6M "Zeke" fighters to bomb Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. All 19 USMC and 15 USN F4Fs intercept the incoming force; four "Bettys" are shot down and three later ditch in the sea returning to base. No US aircraft are lost. US reinforcements in the form of six USN SBDs, three from Scouting VS-3 and three from VS-71, and four TBFs from Torpedo VT-8 arrive at Henderson Field.

UNITED STATES: Lieutenant General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, Commanding General U.S. Army Air Forces, gives the highest priority to the development of two exceptional aircraft, the Northrop B-35 Flying Wing and the Consolidated Vultee B-36 Peacemaker, intended for bombing runs from bases in the United States to targets in Europe.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A morning armed reconnaissance mission is flown by a USAAF Eleventh Air Force LB-30 Liberator over Semichi and Japanese- held Attu Islands where it strafes a ship and three B-24 Liberators bomb and strafe a sea transport, scoring no hits.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australians begin offensive patrols pushing toward Nauro.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-17s bomb AA positions at Buna and Salamaua Airfield; a single A-20 bombs the Menari area. HQ 22d BG (Medium) and 33d Bombardment Squadron move from Woodstock to Iron Range, Australia with B-26s.
In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb antiaircraft positions at Buna and Salamaua Airfields and a single A-20 Havoc bombs the Menari area.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The troop strength of the Guadalcanal garrison is now 19,261 and 3,260 troops are on Tulagi.
During the afternoon, 26 Japanese Navy "Zeke" fighters are intercepted over Guadalcanal by 14 USN F4F Wildcats; three "Zekes" are shot down with the loss of one F4F.

UNITED STATES: For the second time this month, a Japanese Navy "Glen" (Yokosuka E14Y, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) is launched from the submarine HIJMS I-25 off the west coast, drops four 167.5 pound incendiary bombs on a forest in southern Oregon. This is the last time that the US is bombed during World War II.

 

[syscom3]

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Of 9 B-24s off to bomb Kiska and Attu , 2 turn back; the others blast the Attu Camp area, and at Kiska Harbor score at least 1 direct hit and near misses on a ship; 8 fighters intercept over Kiska and Little Kiska but inflict no losses; the detachment of the 57th Fighter Squadron, 54th FG operating from Elmendorf Field, Anchorage moves to Kodiak with P-39s (the squadron is based at Harding Field, Louisiana).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): In New Guinea, B-17s, A-20s, and P-40s pound occupied areas at Menari, Myola Lake, Kagi, and Efogi and a bridge at Wairopi. HQ 38th BG and the 405th Bombardment Squadron moves from Breddan Field to Townsville, Australia with B-25s.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz travels from Noumea to Guadalcanal via B-17 bomber to
(1) to determine if the island can be held
(2) to award decorations.
The plane becomes lost, and Commander Ralph Ofstie navigates to Henderson Field using a map from National Geographic. Nimitz views the mud of Henderson Field, since it has been raining. He tours Edson's (Bloody) Ridge and the perimeter with General Vandegrift and leaves tomorrow.
The Japanese Navy changes their entire communications system. Many useful tools are lost, to the US, in the radio intelligence war.

NEW GUINEA: The US forces attacking Buna make their first significant gains.

BURMA: The British 123rd Brigade's advance reaches Bawli Bazar, Burma in the Arakan Valley. The weather, which would normally clear during November, has not cooperated thus making the advance extremely difficult.

JAPAN: The German surface Raider "Thor" is destroyed by fire in the Yokohama, Japan Harbor. From January through October, 1942 the Thor sank 10 merchant ships for 56,000 tons.

USA: Everyone from the First Lady downwards had made it clear that the American war effort demands that women play dramatically different roles. Not only women themselves are being educated into new ways; so, too, are employers, labour leaders, store owners, men in uniform and legislators.
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, for instance, called for easing the burden of housework for those women working to win the war. She suggested that restaurants should prepare meals which working women could pick up and take home for quick service. More child care is needed, she said, as is transportation to and from schools.
Training started this month to teach women such trades as welding, armature winding and burning. Mrs. Elinore M. Herrick, the newly-appointed director of personnel for Todd Shipyards, which as 12 yards on three coasts, said training for more difficult jobs will start soon, since Selective Service has given semi-skilled males but six months' deferment. At Republic Steel, 1,000 women have been hired in its 27 plants to make and assemble aircraft parts and accessories. They are given uniforms, hairnets and pay equal to men's. But the company says that it will draw the line on women in open-hearth areas because of the 100-degree Fahrenheit heat. Asked if more women would be hired, one Republic vice-president growled: "There are too many women here now." However, he was in the midst of 25 women reporters.
Production jobs are not the only ones open to women. Columbia University has begun a course to train women to be engineering aides for Grumman Aircraft Corporation, and the Red Cross wants more nurses' aides, targeting "leisure-class" women. Women are joining up in record numbers, according to the WAACS and WAVES. The chief of the WAVES (the US equivalent of Wrens), Mildred McAfee, says that she doesn't mind at all being called "the old man".

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A Japanese reconnaissance airplane over Adak Island establishes U.S. occupation of the island. Seven USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators on a search-attack and photo reconnaissance mission over Japanese-held Kiska Island hit hangars and ramps, starting several fires; four Japanese fighters appear and are engaged; one probable victory is claimed; two other B-24s take off, after a USN PBY Catalina sights a transport, but cannot locate it.

NEW GUINEA: General Headquarters issues a plan for the encirclement and reduction of the Buna-Gona beachhead. Upon securing Kumusi River line from Wairopi southeastward, Goodenough Island, and the north coast from Mime Bay to Cape Nelson, concerted assault is to be made on the Buna-Gona area. The advance will be along three routes: Kokoda Trail, where Australians are now pursuing the Japanese; from the south coast to Jaure along either the Rigo or Abau track, both of which are being reconnoitered; and northwest along the coast from Milne Bay.
- A U.S. force is to move over the Kapa Kapa Trail to join the Australians on the Kokoda Trail to cut the Japanese retreat at the Kumusi River. In Papua New Guinea, soldiers of the Australian 25th Brigade advance northward on the Kokoda Track from Nauro toward Manari.
- In Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and P-400 Airacobras attack Japanese forces and communications in the Owen Stanley Range, hitting Menari, Kagi, Myola Lake, the Kokoda area, Wairopi bridge, and the Buna-Wairopi trail.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the South China Sea, the 7,053 ton Japanese transport vessel SS Lisbon Maru, is sailing from Hong Kong, China, to Japan carrying 1,816 British and Canadian POWs. The prisoners are contained in three holds which soon became foul with the stench of sweat, excreta and vomit. Many POWs become unconsciousness through thirst, lack of fresh air and extreme heat. Men are reduced to licking the condensation from the sides of the ships hull. A bucket of liquid is lowered by the guards and thirsty men rush to grab it, only to find it was filled with urine.
On the top deck are 778 Japanese military men on their way home to Japan. At 0700 hours, a torpedo fired by the USN submarine USS Grouper strikes severely damaging the ship but causing no casualties among the prisoners. Soon a Japanese ship, the freighter SS Toyukuni Maru comes alongside and takes off all the Japanese soldiers but none of the Allied prisoners. The SS Lisbon Maru is then taken in tow heading for Shanghai, China, but some hours later the ship, now low in the water, begins to sink by the stern. Prisoners in Number 3 hold are unfortunately below the waterline and now beyond rescue. Some
prisoners in the other two holds manage to break free but are shot down as they emerge. Lisbon Maru sinks about 107 nautical miles SE of Shanghai, China, in position 29.57N, 122.56E. Another four Japanese ships appear on the scene and some escaped prisoners, swimming in the water, manage to reach the dangling ropes and start to climb aboard only to be kicked back into the water when within a few inches from the deck. Eventually, most of the surviving prisoners are taken on board the four ships and taken to Shanghai where 35 sick and wounded are unloaded. A few however, managed to swim away from the Lisbon Maru and are rescued by Chinese fishermen and taken to a group of small islands nearby.
At Shanghai, a roll call accounted for 970 men, a total of 846 had perished, 154 were from the Middlesex regiment. Of the 970 survivors, some 244 died during their first winter in the Japanese camps.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Japanese Navy Destroyer Division 11, (HIJMS Fubuki, Shirayuki, Hatsuyuki, and Muakumo), make a Tokyo Express Run to Guadalcanal. Major General Nasu and the 4th Regiment are landed.

UNITED STATES: Fuel oil is now rationed in most areas of the country.
- The first American turbojet aircraft, the Bell Model 27 XP-59A-BE Airacomet, msn 27-1, USAAF s/n 42-108784, makes its first flight at Muroc Army Air Base, Muroc, California. The flight was made with the landing gear in the down position and at 25 feet off the ground. Three more flights were made today in this aircraft. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ends two-week trip to war plants across U.S.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC In New Guinea, B-17s andP-400s pound forces and communications in the Owen Stanley Range, hitting Menari, Kagi, Myola Lake, the Kokoda area, Wairopi bridge, and the Buna-Wairopi trail; and the 71st Bombardment Squadron, 38th BG (Medium), moves from Bredden Field, Australia to Port Moresby with B-25s.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Eleven USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators and 6 P-39s bomb two Japanese cargo ships in Japanese held Kiska harbor; no hits observed, drop demolition charges throughout the Main Camp area, and hit a hangar south of the seaplane ramp; four floatplanes and a biplane are shot down. Japanese aircraft bomb the U.S. held Adak Island airfield without inflicting damage.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17s bomb shipping and airfield at Rabaul on New Britain Island, damaging Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Tenryu.

ELLICE ISLANDS: The U.S. Marine Corps 5th Defense Battalion from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands, occupies Funafuti Atoll in the Ellice Islands. Funafuti is located about 699 nautical miles SSE of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

NEW GUINEA: Australian troop continue moving north on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. At Nauro, the bodies of two Australians are found; one is bound to a tree and the second is decapitated.
In the Owen Stanley Range of Papua New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe Japanese campsites around Myola and hit several trails in the area, while P-400 Airacobras strafe bridges at Sirorata and Wairopi and a village northeast of Wairopi.

UNITED STATES: President Roosevelt is granted power to control wages, salaries and agricultural prices as of 1 November by the Stabilization of the Cost of Living Act which becomes law today.
The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, by amendment to a USN design study contract, is authorized to construct two 19A axial flow turbojet powerplants. Thereby, fabrication is initiated of the first jet engine of wholly American design.

 

[syscom3]

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 6 B-24s, 4 P-38s, and 8 P-39s bomb and strafe7 vessels in and around Kiska Harbor hitting a beached cargo vesseland the camp; the fighters down 6 float fighters attempting interception; the enemy bombs Adak Airfield but inflicts no damage. The 77th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 28th Composite Group, moves from Elmendorf Field to Adak (the squadron continues to operate from Umnak Island with B-25s and B-26s until Dec 42).
The U.S. Navy announced that Army and Navy forces have occupied the Andreanof Islands, only 125 miles (201 kilometers) east of Japanese-held Kiska Island.

INDIA AIR TASK FORCE (IATF): The IATF is activated at Dinjan, India to support Chinese resistance along the Salween River by hitting supply lines inC and S Burma; the new task force, commanded by Colonel Caleb V Haynes,includes all AAF combat units in India, all based at Karachi-the 7th BG (Heavy), the 51st FG, and the 341st BG.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): HQ 347th Fighter Group and the 339th Fighter Squadron are activated on New Caledonia with P-38s, P-39s, and P-400s (a detachment of the 339th begins operating from Guadalcanal); the 67th, 68th and 70th Fighter Squadrons are transferred to the 347th FG; the 67th is based on New Caledonia with P-39s and P-400s but is operating from Guadalcanal; the 68th is based on Tongatabu, Tonga with P-39s and P-40s; and the 70th is based in the Fiji with P-39s.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, Australian troops begin clearing an area for aerial drops at Nauro while other troops began to move forward from Ower's Corner. USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe Efogi and Myola Lake, P-40s strafe the Efogi-Buna trail, B-25 Mitchells hit a bridge at Wairopi, and a lone B-17 Flying Fortress bombs a camp on the Kumusi River.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Major General Maruyama Masao, commander of the Sendai Division of the Japanese Army, lands on Guadalcanal to lead the next offensive against the Marines. He learns that of 9,000 men already landed, 2,000 are dead and 5000 are too weak to fight and many units have no equipment.
SBD Dauntlesses of Scouting Squadrons VS-3 and VS-71 and Marine Scout Bombing Squadrons VMSB-141 and VMSB-231 plus TBF Avengers of Torpedo Squadron Eight VT-8 from Henderson Field attack a Japanese a supply convoy en route to Guadalcanal, damaging seaplane carrier HIJMS Nisshin.

UNITED STATES: The Office of Economic Stabilization is established and authorized to establish controls on farm prices, rents, wages and salaries.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Three B-24s abort weather, bombing and photomissions over Kiska due to weather and instead attack a cargo vessel;the ship's rudder is probably damaged; 1 B-24 is damaged.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, Australian forces continue to advance along the Kokoda Trail capturing Efogi; natives report that the Japanese have retreated to Kokoda. Australian troops complete the drop zone at Nauro located 7.6 miles S of Efogi. In the air,USAAF Fifth Air Force P-40s strafe forces and occupied areas at Myola Lake, Kokoda, Wairopi, Yodda, and Buna. A U.S. reconnaissance party from the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division reaches Jauri,
completing a reconnaissance of the Kapa Kapa-Jauri trail, which is found to be difficult but practicable for use as a route in a contemplated offensive against the Buna-Gona area.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The U.S. tanker SS Camden is sunk by Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25 about 34 nautical miles WNW of North Bend, Oregon, at position 43.42N, 124.52W.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): The 72d Bombardment Squadron, 5th BG (Heavy), based on Espiritu SantoIsland, New Hebridess with B-17s, begins operating from Guadalcanal.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Six USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24s, three P-38s and three P-39s abort a bombing, weather, and photographic mission over Kiska Island due to weather.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17s bomb airfields at Rabaul on New Britain Island.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, on the Kokoda Track, the main body of the 3rd Battalion, "Maroubra Force" reaches Menari. In the air, the USAAF Fifth Air Force airlifts the Australian 2/10th Battalion to Wanigela and is formed as "Hart Force" B-25s attack a convoy off Buna; A-20s hit antiaircraft positions at Sananda Point and bomb the village of Sananda; and B-17s bomb airfields at Buna.

INDIA AIR TASK FORCE (IATF): The 9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 7th BG (Heavy), returns to Karachi, India from Lydda, Palestine.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-25s attack a convoy off Buna; A-20s hit AA positions at Sanananda Point and bomb the village of Sanananda; B-17s bomb airfields at Buna and also hit airfields at Rabaul. Lost is B-17E 41-9196.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA: B-17F "Aztec's Curse" 41-24457 bombs Gizo.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: An American offensive raid against the Japanese bases and shipping at Shortland Island in the northern Solomons is launched by Vice Admiral Rober L. Ghormley, Commander, South Pacific Area and Commander, South Pacific Force. The aircraft carrier USS Hornet is moved west of the base and the aircraft are launched early. The clouds and weather of the approaching cold front impede the attack. The formation unravels in the low cloud and rain. Hornet crews claim eight planes and two more during their withdrawal. The simultaneous raids by USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses against Buka and the Cactus Air Force against Rekata Bay are also derailed by the weather. In a second raid, SBDs of Scouting Squadrons VS-3 and VS-71 and Marine Scout Bombing Squadron VMSB-141 from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, attack a Japanese convoy, damaging destroyers HIJMS Minegumo and HIJMS Murasame 150 miles from Guadalcanal.

USN - Two F4F Wildcats from TF-17 CV Hornet, piloted by Lt. Cdr. H. G. Sanchez and Lt. (jg) W. V. Roberts Jr were escorting SBD's TBD's bombing Tonlei Harbor, flew 20 miles south to Faisi (Korovou) in the Shortlands. They straffed 2 lines of Type 97 (Mavis) flying boats moored in the channel. Sanchez estimated there were 10 aircraft and they probably destroyed 4. He noted they didn't burn so hadn't been refuelled. The main strike of Avengers arrived less than an hour later and destroyed or damaged a number of ships in the harbour. This later strike was attacked by up to 11 Type 2 floatplanes (Rufe) but either due to very bad weather (squalls) or good fortune very few of these seaplane fighters were able to engage the carrier bombers so no losses were reported by US forces. Japanese reports put JNAF losses at 3 Type 97 (Mavis) flying boats badly damaged and 1 Type 0 (Jake) floatplane destroyed.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force dispatches eight B-24s, a B-17s, ten P-39s, and eight P-38s to fly bombing and weather missions over Japanese-held Kiska Island; a large transport is bombed in the harbor which is left sinking; hits are scored on a corvette and on a large freighter at Gertrude Cove and on a hangar in Main Camp; the radio station is damaged; and a float fighter is strafed and set afire and 6 Zekes are hit on the water

CANADA: The last group of Japanese internees detained at Hastings Park internment camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, leave for camps in the British Columbia interior.

NEW CALEDONIA: Major General Millard F. Harmon, Commander U.S. Army Forces in the South Pacific Area (USAFISPA), recommends to Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Commander South Pacific Area and Commander of the South Pacific Force, that the projected invasion of Ndeni Island in the Santa Cruz Islands, scheduled to follow the capture of Tulagi and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, be postponed and that Guadalcanal be reinforced; that naval operations in the Solomons be increased; and that adequate airdrome construction personnel and equipment be sent to Guadalcanal. Admiral Ghormley decides to proceed with the plan to occupy Ndeni as a landing field site and agrees to reinforce Guadalcanal with an Army regiment and to improve airdrome facilities. The 164th Infantry Regiment of the Americal Division is chosen to reinforce Guadalcanal and the 147th Infantry Regiment (less 2 battalions) to occupy Ndeni.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australian 2/25th Battalion is advancing towards Efogi while the 2/1st Battalion advances northward from Ower's Corner. Meanwhile, units of the U.S. 32nd Infantry Division begin to advance over the Kapa Kapa Trail, 25 miles southwest of the Kokoda Track. This route over the Owen Stanley Mountains is through even worse terrain than that of the Kokoda Track.
In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force aircraft complete the movement of the reinforced Australian 18th Brigade to Wanigela on the peninsula between Dyke Acland and Collingwood Bays on the east coast of Papua; this is part of the move aimed at capture of the Buna-Gona area. The channel from Mime Bay to Cape Nelson has now been charted in order to permit shipment of supplies by water.

UNITED STATES: The Second Protocol for U.S. aid to the U.S.S.R., covering the period to 1 July 1943, is signed in Washington, D.C. A total of 4.4 million tons are to be sent to the Soviet Union, 3.3 million tons by the northern Soviet ports and 1.1 million tons by the Persian Gulf route.
- A second U.S. merchant ship is sunk off the west coast by the Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25 in three days. The ship is the 7,038 ton armed tanker SS Larry Dohney which sinks about 69 nautical miles NW of Eureka, California, at position 41.30N,
125.22W.
- Chester Floyd Carlson obtains a patent on the xerography process for making electrostatic copies. Carlson worked in the patent department of an electronics firm and is frustrated at the difficulty of making copies of patent drawings. He investigated various processes and developed xerography after four years of experimenting. He made the first Xerox copy on 22 October 1938. Although he received a patent in 1942, he failed to interest companies in producing copy machines until 1947, when the Haloid Company of Rochester, New York, licensed the process. The company, which later changes its name to Xerox, introduces its first copy machine in 1958.

 

[syscom3]

SOLOMON ISLANDS: The 3rd Battalion 5th Marines advance west from the Lunga Perimeter on Guadalcanal. They meet the Japanese defenders on the east bank of the Matanikau River. Marine reinforcements arrive during the day and push the Japanese back against the river bank. Japanese commanders remain unaware, all day, of the actual situation and issue orders which are unrealistic.

U.S.A.: The British and US governments announce a United Nations Commission to investigate Axis war crimes. It will be a condition of any armistice that accused war criminals will be handed over for prosecution.
Roosevelt says that a commission will be set up after the war to judge those guilty of atrocities and mass murder.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: 3 Eleventh Air Force B-24s taking off to bomb Kiska Island and patrol Near Island abort mission due to mechanical failure and instead fly reconnaissance over Agattu, Attu, and Semichi Islands with negative results.

 

[syscom3]

GUADALCANAL: Torrential rains slow the plans of the Marines on Guadalcanal. Company H of the 2nd Btn, 5th Marines finds itself between the 9th Comp. of the 4th IJA regiment and the balance of the regiment. Effective company level leadership allows Company H to recover. The main attack by the Marines is postponed one day as night approaches.

ALASKA: The Eleventh Air Force sends 9 B-24 Liberators, 3 B-17 Flying Fortresses, and 12 P-38 Lightnings to attack Kiska Island Harbor installations (starting fires in Main Camp), and strafe AA positions, hangars, a corvette (silencing her guns), and a freighter.

NEW GUINEA, B-25s bomb the Buna area while A-20 Havocs bomb the Buna- Kokoda trail; the Japanese withdrawal northeast across the Owen Stanley Range slows as they prepare to make a stand at Templeton Crossing north of Myola. The Australian 25th Brigade, 7th Division, makes contact with the Japanese rear-guard at Templeton Crossing.

CHINA: Brigadier General Claire Chennault, Commanding General China Air
Task Force of the USAAF Fourteenth Air Force, delivers a letter to Wendell L. Willkie for U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking for increased authority and air power in order to destroy the Japanese Air Force in China, then attack Japanese Empire. President Roosevelt had asked Wilkie to make an airplane flight around the world as his special envoy to show the world that although America is engaged in a vigorous political debate at home, she is united in her desire to combat fascism throughout the world.

 

[syscom3]

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The USAAF Eleventh Air Force dispatches seven B-17 Flying Fortresses and ten B-24 Liberators, escorted by six P-38 Lightnings and four P-39 Airacobras to bomb the harbor on Japanese held Kiska Island, installations, and shipping: targets include shipping in Gertrude Cove, small cargo vessels in Kiska Harbor, installations at North Head, a hangar, Main Camp area (hit several times), and various shore facilities.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): 30 B-17s pound numerous targets at Rabaul. 14 B-25s hit the airfield at Lae.

CHINA: The British and U.S. governments formally relinquish extra-territorial rights and special privileges in China. This policy change reflects an effort to bolster the Nationalist Chinese government as a
strategic partner in the war against the Japanese.

NEW CALEDONIA: U.S. reinforcements for Guadalcanal in the form of the U.S. Army's 164th Infantry Regiment are on the way as a troop convoy consisting of the transports USS McCawley (AP-10) and Zeilin (AP-9) and eight high speed transports. The ships sail from Noumea.

NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australian 2/25th Battalion is ordered to swing left to Kagi while the 2/31st Battalion keeps moving forward to Efogi North however, the patrol from 2/25th Battalion is still being held up by the Japanese rearguard on the Track.
In North East New Guinea, the USAAF Fifth Air Force completes the airlift of the Australian 2/7th Independent Company to Wau. Their orders are to harass the Japanese in the Mubo-Lae-Salamaua area. Meanwhile fourteen USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Lae Aerodrome.
HQ 49th Fighter Group moves from Darwin, Australia to Port Moresby.

NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-7 launches a "Glen" reconnaissance aircraft to reconnoiter Espiritu Santo Island.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, the 7th Marine Regiment successfully completes its three-day offensive west of Henderson Field. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Marine Regiment, move out for Point Cruz and Matanikau Village where they met the Japanese 4th Infantry Regiment. About 690 Japanese are killed during the Battle of the Matanikau while the Marine Regiment have suffered fewer than 200 casualties.
Three USAAF P-39 pilots shoot down three Imperial Japanese Navy float biplanes over New Georgia Sound about 150 miles from Henderson Field at 0700 hours local.
In the afternoon, 20 F4F Wildcats of Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-121 are launched from the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Copahee (ACV-12) and land at Fighter-1 Airfield. During the night, Japanese seaplane carrier HIJMS Nisshin delivers six antiaircraft guns, two 10 centimeters (3.9 inch) howitzers, equipment and 180 men on Guadalcanal while four destroyers unload mortars and 560 men of the 4th Maizuru Special Naval Landing Force.

UNITED STATES: The USN opens the first three schools for enlisted WAVES (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) at Stillwater, Oklahoma, (Yeoman), Bloomington, Indiana, (Storekeepers) , and Madison, Wisconsin (Radiomen).