Category Archives: World War II

THE BATTLE OF RENNEL ISLAND

Known as the Battle of Rennel Island during the Guadalcanal Campaign, the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy engaged between the 29th/30th January 1943. The battle was fought in the straights between Rennel Island and Guadalcanal. American intelligence viewed the Operation Ke activity in the region as a ploy to draw the Japanese navy into a battle, allowing replacement Japanese troops to land on Guadalcanal. To combat this, on the 29th January 1943, Admiral William Halsey Jr., the Allied theatre commander sent five task forces toward the Guadalcanal region. The task forces, consisting of U.S. warships who were protecting convoys of Allied transport ships carrying replacement troops for Guadalcanal. The total number of warships in the five task forces consisted of two fleet carriers, two escort carriers, three battleships, 12 cruisers and 25 destroyers. Task Group 62.8, consisting of four transport vessels and four destroyers were destined to land U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal. Ahead of Task Group 62.8 was the close support group of three heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, two escort carriers and eight destroyers. The support group was Task Force 18 (TF18) and commanded by Rear Admiral Robert Giffen who was stationed on board the heavy cruiser USS Wichita. On the 29th January 1943, failing to meet up with four destroyers who were to sweep “The Slot” north of Guadalcanal, Giffen proceeded with TF18, leaving TF18’s slower moving two escort carriers and two destroyers behind. Allied intelligence indicated Japanese submarines were likely to be in the area. Therefore Giffen, not expecting an air attack, arranged his cruisers and destroyers for anti-submarine defence. Giffen’s TF18 was being tracked by Japanese submarines who reported its location and directional movement. 32 Japanese bombers, each carrying a torpedo, took off from Rabaul airbase on East New Britain Island to attack TF18. Whilst steaming northwest at sunset several of TF18’s ships detected unidentified aircraft on radar. Giffen had ordered for radio silence therefore there was not any response to the radar activity. The air cover for TF18 had withdrawn to the carriers as it was sunset. The radar contact was the Japanese bombers, half of which launched their torpedoes at TF18. One Japanese bomber was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Giffen’s ships and all the remaining torpedoes missed their targets. Unaware further bombers were on their way to attack TF18, Giffen ordered his cruisers to sail the same course and speed as before the attack. Thinking the attack was over, the zig-zag pattern for advancing was suspended for the night. In the meantime, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft dropped flares and float lights to illuminate the cruisers. At 19:38 (7:38 pm) the second Japanese bomber formation Attacked TF18. Heavy cruiser USS Chicago was struck by two torpedoes bringing her to an instant stop. Heavy cruiser USS Wichita was also hit by a torpedo which did not explode. During the attack two bombers were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Giffen ordered his ships to slow down, reverse direction and cease firing the anti-aircraft guns. The remaining Japanese aircraft departed the area as the absence of muzzle flashes in the dark concealed the U.S. ships. Under cover of darkness heavy cruiser USS Louisville was able to tow the crippled Chicago away from the battle area.

On the 30th January 1943, in an effort to protect Chicago, Halsey notified the escort carriers to ensure there were combat air patrols (CAP) in position at first light. In addition he ordered fleet tug Navajo to release Louisville from towing Chicago which was completed by 08:00. Numerous Japanese scout aircraft observed the position of Chicago when they approached TF18 between daybreak and 14.00. Although chased away by the CAP they reported Chicago’s position to their naval commander. Leaving their airbase at Kavieng on Papua New Guinea at 12:15, eleven Japanese torpedo bombers headed to attack Chicago. The U.S. naval forces were forewarned by Australian coast watchers based in the Solomon Islands who estimated their arrival to be at 16:00. At 15:00, Halsey ordered for six destroyers to protect Chicago and Navajo while the remaining cruisers were to head for Efate in the New Hebrides. Sailing 43 miles behind crippled Chicago was fleet carrier USS Enterprise who had ten of her fighters forming a CAP for the damaged cruiser. At 15:40 four of the CAP fighters located, chased and shot down an advanced Japanese bomber. Enterprise’s radar detected the remaining incoming bombers and at 15:54 launched ten more fighters to oppose the Japanese bombers. Six CAP fighters began to engage with the bombers as it seemed Enterprise was the target. However, the Japanese bombers turned toward Chicago after six CAP fighters engaged with them. When the bombers entered the anti-aircraft fire from the destroyers protecting Chicago, eight were shot down. Two before they released their tornadoes and six after their tornadoes were dropped. Four of the torpedoes struck Chicago, which began to sink. Captain Ralph O. Davis ordered the ship to be abandoned before she sank stern first twenty minutes later. 62 members of her crew died in the attack but 1049 survivors were rescued by Navajo and the escorting destroyers. In the meantime one torpedo hit destroyer USS La Vallette killing 22 members of her crew. The remaining bombers returned to their base after failing to locate any further U.S. ships. La Vallette was towed back to Espiritu Santo by Navajo without any further incident together with the remaining ships of TF18.

Giffen was blamed for the defeat by Admiral Halsey whose comments were included on his official performance report. The resulting recriminations for the defeat did not affect Giffen’s career because he continued to lead Allied task forces in the Pacific and in 1944 was promoted to Vice-Admiral.

Technically the Japanese won the Battle of the Rennel Islands as they successfully forced the U.S. Navy to withdraw. In doing so they ensured Operation Ke, the evacuation of Japanese troops from Guadalcanal, was completed successfully. The Allies did not realise the evacuation was happening until it was all over. Of the 43 Japanese bombers involved, 12 were destroyed and 60-84 Japanese killed. The U.S. Navy lost cruiser USS Chicago sunk, La Vallette badly damaged and 85 personnel killed.

—————————————————

SECOND WORLD WAR

January 1943

(Britain)

The Battle of Berlin began in November 1943. However, a prelude to the 1943 raids was on the 30th January 1943 when propaganda raids were carried out by De Havilland Mosquito bombers. The raids coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Nazis Machtergreifung (takeover). Late November 1941, RAF Bomber Command launched a large raid on Berlin which ended in failure mainly on account of by the weather. Prior to 1941, Berlin was at the extreme range attainable by British bombers available at that time. The distance from London to Berlin is 590 miles (910 km). Not too many raids were carried out as the bombing was conducted at night and damage was slight. However, the psychological effect on German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler was greater because he ordered the Luftwaffe to concentrate on British cities. Sir Arthur Travers Harris took over as commander of RAF Bomber Command from Sir Richard Peirse in February 1942. Harris was convinced the Nazis were quite happy to bomb indiscriminately but were not to be bombed in retaliation. Harris’ view was:- “They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind”. The whirlwind was to come in the form of the newly introduced Avro Lancaster and the American B-17 Flying Fortress long rang heavy bombers.

—

(America)

On the 27th June 1943 saw the launching of the first all-American daylight air raid against Germany at the port of Wilhelmshaven. Sixty-four 8th Air Force bombers were dispatched from their bases in England which consisted of B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberator long range heavy bombers. Only 53 of the 64 aircraft participating in the raid reached their target and accurately dropped 137 tons of bombs on warehouses and factories. During the raid the 8th Air Force lost three bombers, but they shot down 22 German planes in return. U.S. military planners were encouraged to begin regular daylight bombing raids owing to the success of this first mission. With regular daylight raids on Germany the eventual result was the high casualty rate for the American crewmen involved.

—

(Eastern Front)

In all Nazi occupied Europe, the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, had more than 400,000 Jews crammed into an area of 1.34 square miles (3.4 km 2). During late summer 1942 over 265,000 Polish Jews were deported to Treblinka extermination camp. This operation was code-named “Grossaktion Warsaw” (Great Action) by the Nazis as part of their “Final Solution”. After Grossaktion Warsaw the remaining Jews began to organise themselves into the left-wing Jewish Combat Organisation (ZEB) and the Jewish Military Union (ZZW). They smuggled weapons and explosives into the Ghetto supplied by the Polish resistance. On the 18th January 1943 the Nazis faced the first instance of armed insurgency from within the ghetto when they began their second deportation of the Jews. Fighters of the ZZW and ZOB engaged the Germans in direct clashes whilst being hidden in Jewish cellars, the so-called “bunkers”. The deportations were halted within a few days when 5,000 of the expected 8,000 Jews were removed. Although lightly armed hundreds of Warsaw Ghetto Jews were ready to fight. They included Jewish children who were armed with handguns, petrol bombs and any weapons smuggled in by the Polish resistance. As a protest against the world’s silence and a battle for the honour of the Jewish people was their reason for taking up arms against the Nazis. Most of the Jewish fighters were aware that their actions were an ineffective way in which to save themselves. The uprising was finally defeated in May 1943 with the surviving Jews being deported to Majdanek and Treblinka.

In late August 1942 Georgy Zhukov took charge of the defence of Stalingrad as deputy commander-in-chief. He took advantage to plan for the Stalingrad counteroffensive. To achieve this he was promoted to Marshall of the Soviet Union on 19th January 1943, and was also awarded the first of two Order of Suvorov Ist Class on the 28th January 1943. The German 6th Army was ready to collapse after Soviet troops launched the all-out offensive attack on Stalingrad. Following the Soviet offencesives, the commander of the German 6th Army, Friedrich Paulus and his troops were cut-off and surrounded. Upon approaching German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler for permission to break-out or surrender, the Fuhrer replied the 6th Army was to continue to fight on. With Stalingrad’s emergency airstrip over-run by Soviet troops on the 25th January 1943, Paulus was offered the chance to surrender to the Soviet Union but declined. He again appealed to Hitler but the request was once again rejected out of hand. By the 30th January 1943 the 6th Army was out of food, ammunition and medical supplies and Paulus informed Hitler they were only hours away from collapse. Hitler’s response was to promote Paulus to Field Marshall on the understanding that a Field Marshall would commit suicide rather than be captured. On the morning of the 31st January 1943 Paulus surrendered to Soviet troops, the same day he was informed of his promotion. By the 2nd February 1943 the remainder of the 265,000 strong 6th Army capitulated. Upon hearing of the surrender Hitler flew into a rage and vowed never again to promote another Field Marshall.

Like Stalingrad the city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) had been besieged by the Germans since September 1941. It had been Hitler’s intention to totally destroy Leningrad. Rather than overrun the city and relocate and feed the population the Germans allowed the siege to continue. With continued success at Stalingrad the Soviets followed up by attempting to relieve Leningrad. On the 18th January 1943, the Red Army overcame powerful German fortifications to relieve the Siege of Leningrad.  Operation Iskra was a full scale offensive to provide relief to the besieged population. The Volkhov Front’s 372nd Rifle Division linked up with the defenders 123rd Rifle Brigade of the Leningrad Front to open a land corridor along the coast of Lake Ladoga to the city. However, unlike the Siege of Stalingrad, and despite the relief, the Siege of Leningrad continued until June 1944.

—                                                                                                                                                                   

(North Africa)

The British 8th Army had defeated the Axis Powers of Germany and Italy in the desert campaign. Germany’s Desert Fox, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel lost the Battle of El Agheila on the 18th December 1942. Rommel and his German/Italian armed forces began their retreat westward towards Tripoli in Libya. Tripoli is the capital of Libya which had been under Italian occupation since 1911. The retreating Axis powers were pursued by the British 8th Army’s Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery (Monty). By Christmas Day 1942 Rommel’s Afrika Korps had dug-in at Buerat but was over-run by Monty’s forces on the 15th January 1943, thus beginning the offensive for far-off Tripoli. Rommel and his forces slipped away to the west to avoid meeting Monty’s pursuit. Rommel and his army managed to reach Tunisia and were scheduled to fight their last desert battle against the Americans in February 1943. In the meantime Monty’s pursuing 8th Army were in Tripoli’s suburbs on the 22nd January 1943.   On the 23rd January 1943, Monty watched his victorious troops enter the last city of Italy’s once great domain. The Lord Mayor of Tripoli and the Vice Governor of Libya tendered the formal surrender of the city to Monty at noon. The Italians were in full uniforms including their decorations whereas Monty was still in his battledress including his famous beret. With the skirl of the bagpipes his 8th Army entered the city and passed the Union Flag fluttering high above the City Hall. Fascist rule was ended not only in Libya but the whole of Africa with the capture of Tripoli. When the Second Battle of El Alamein ended in early November 1942, the 8th Army advanced the 1,400 miles to Tripoli in approximately 80 days.

—

(Pacific)

The Battles for New Guinea and Guadalcanal were two separate campaigns during the Pacific theatre of war.

As part of the New Guinea campaign, the Japanese had occupied the Solomon Islands from January 1942. Owing to the close proximity of the Solomon Islands to Australia the Allies were determined to retake the islands. This was necessary to prevent the Japanese from cutting off Australia and New Zealand from the United States. Following the failure to seize control of Port Moresby in New Guinea, the Japanese were preparing to leave, as their forces were only being supplied by the slow moving “Tokyo Express”. The lack of supplies to the Japanese troops were insufficient to sustain any further occupation. The Japanese troops were ordered to withdraw and secure the northern bases at Buna, Sananda and Gona. They had developed a strong network of well-concealed defences from Port Moresby through the jungles to the northern bases. On the 22nd January 1943 Australian and American troops captured Buna, Sananda and Gona beaches, despite the fact that it was the rainy season. The conditions hampered both the Japanese and the Australian/American troops with the climate and disease being the major problem. Supply constraints were also a major problem which led to questions being asked as to the suitability and performance of Allied equipment. This campaign highlighted the costly lessons of jungle warfare for both sides.

The Battle of Guadalcanal was being fought at the same time as the New Guinea Campaign. Guadalcanal, as part of the Solomon Islands, was invaded by the American forces on the 7th August 1942. They captured Henderson Field, an airbase built by the Japanese and began using the airfield for their own aircraft. Attrition and shortages of supplies caused the Japanese strength to wane which eventually forced the Japanese to go on the defensive. What supplies were getting through were by the “Tokyo Express” which also supplied New Guinea. Whilst disease played a major role on the Japanese forces, both sides suffered malaria in the insect-infested jungles. Japanese troops were not being replaced or reinforced, but Americas’ increase in supplies, and additional troops was enough to take the island of Guadalcanal.  On the 31st December 1942 the Japanese high command took the decision to evacuate Guadalcanal which became known as Operation Ke. The evacuation successfully took place between the 14th January 1943 and ended on the 9th February 1943. Further details of Operation Ke will be included in the February 1943 text.

The Battle of Rennel Island, fought between the 29th/30th January 1943 during the Guadalcanal Campaign, was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy. The battle was fought in the straights between Rennel Island and Guadalcanal. American intelligence viewed the Operation Ke activity in the region as a ploy to draw the Japanese navy into a battle, allowing replacement Japanese troops to land on Guadalcanal. To combat this, on the 29th January 1943, Admiral William Halsey Jr., the Allied theatre commander sent five task forces toward the Guadalcanal region. The task forces, consisting of U.S. warships who were protecting convoys of Allied transport ships carrying replacement troops for Guadalcanal. Allied intelligence indicated Japanese submarines were likely to be in the area. The task force was being tracked by Japanese submarines who reported its location and directional movement. 32 Japanese bombers, each carrying a torpedo, took off from Rabaul airbase on East New Britain Island to attack the task force. The Japanese attack on the U.S. task force resulted in the loss of one heavy cruiser sunk and one destroyer badly damaged. The remainder of the U.S. task force retreated from the battle area. On the 30th January 1943 this reversal of the U.S, task force allowed the Japanese to successfully complete the evacuation of her troops from Guadalcanal on the 7th February 1943. The U.S. now had control of the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal. For further details of the battle see the separate article on the Battle of Rennel Island,

USS Silversides (SS/AGSS-236) was a Gato-class submarine who began her first patrol of the Pacific Theatre when she departed from Pearl Harbour in August 1942. Her first three patrols were successful. After departing Brisbane on the 17th December 1942 Silversides began her forth patrol and proceeded to New Ireland in New Guinea. When she surfaced on the 23rd December 1942 she was immediately confronted by a Japanese destroyer. Silversides crash-dived and was subjected to a severe depth charge attack. She surfaced thinking she was safe after the depth charge attack but the Japanese destroyer was still in the vicinity. In the meantime a Japanese aircraft had arrived at the scene and dropped three bombs on Silversides. Despite her bow-planes being damaged causing them to lock on full dive, she managed to level before crush depth was reached. She surfaced to recharge her batteries and make emergency temporary repairs after avoiding the Japanese destroyer. On the 18th January 1943 Silversides was off the Truk Atoll (now known as Chuuk Lagoon). Truk Atoll is positioned NE of New Guinea and was Japan’s Naval base in the South Pacific. Silversides sank the 10,024 ton oil tanker Toei Maru, her largest vessel of the war. Undetected and running parallel with a Japanese convoy two days later, she moved ahead and lay in wait for the convoy to arrive and positioned herself to fire torpedoes at the ships sides. Three cargo ships were sunk as they moved into range. The three ships were Surabaya Maru, Somedona Maru and Meiu Maru giving Silversides one of most productive days of the war. Unfortunately, one armed torpedo was stuck in one of the firing tubes. The submarine reversed at top speed and fired the torpedo safely out of the forward tube as it could not be disarmed in position. On the 31st January 1943 Silversides returned to Pearl Harbour for a major refit after a serious oil leak had been discovered.  Silversides completed 14 patrols when hostilities with Japan ended in August 1945. All her patrols were in the Pacific Theatre and she was one of the most successful submarine in that theatre with 23 confirmed vessels sunk in total.

—

(Other Theatres)

The Casablanca Conference was a meeting to discuss and plan the European strategy by the Allies for the next phase of the war. The plan also included the future global military strategy for the western Allies. The Casablanca Conference (codename SYMBOL) began on the 14th January 1942 and ended on the 24th January 1942 and was held at the “Anfa Hotel” in Casablanca, French Morocco.  The conference took place two months after the Anglo-American landings in French North Africa. In attendance was Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States and Winston Churchill, Britain’s Prime Minister. Also attending was Sultan Muhammad V, sovereign of Morocco, and Charles de Gaulle & Henri Giraud, representing the Free French forces. As they played only a minor role in the war, the French contingent were not part of the military planning. Known as the “Casablanca Declaration”, the debate and negotiations discussed tactical procedures, allocation of resources and diplomatic policy. During the course of the conference the question of a cross-channel invasion was discussed. However, it was Churchill’s belief that the Allied forces were not ready to contemplate the invasion of mainland Europe. The most controversial statement in the Declaration was for “unconditional surrender” which in fact meant the Allies would continue the war against the Axis Powers until their final defeat. Churchill did not fully agree to the unconditional surrender but supported Roosevelt who was in favour. When an invitation to attend the conference was sent to Stalin, he declined the offer owing to the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad requiring his presence in the Soviet Union.

—————————————————————————————-

Notebook of Peter Carr Benham

Wednesday 9.12.42.

Arrived Glasgow Docks at 6.30 – dismal procedure in dark and mist to embark.  Breakfast – white bread – porridge – pork sausage and marmalade.  Sorting out generally before lunch – Sharing cabin with Ian, Roy Oddie and Charles.  Lunch at 12.30 – hot bacon, soup, cheese and biscuits – Ship is dry – no canteen open.  After lunch wrote to A and family letter – also read did X-word etc.  No tea.  Long visit to **** banks, very crowded.  Dinner – soup, fish, cold meat, pudding, coffee.  Lecture from OC Ship.  Then few more lines to A and so to bed – no news today – Ship 11,000 tons – Feeling v.d. but remember Eileen’s bargain, the sooner we get off the better.

We only part to meet again, change as ye list ye winds, my heart shall be the compass that shall ever point to thee.  365

Thursday 10.12.42

B’fast at 8 am – at 9.30 Long Boat Drill session.  Played short game of poker dice before lunch lost 8d.  Lunch at 1 pm, at 2.30 more Boat drill but Charles, Pete S, & P.R. & self not required so we played poker ‘til 4ocl.  Won 10/- – best hand full house Ks – Pulled out from dock at about 2.45 to form up off Greenock.  After tea watched docks etc passing – Rifle Inspections at 5.30.  Played poker from 6 – 7 and never had one hand on which I could call!  Best hand pair of AAs.  Dinner at 7 – soup, sole, duck, plum pudding and coffee.  Poker before dinner lost 24/6 – Bought 2 lbs tobacco & 50 cigs for 3/2 – Played poker after dinner and won 11/- best hand 4 5s.  364.

Friday 11.12.42

After B’fast paraded at 9.55 as Ship’s Field Officer – Rounds lasted until 11 – wrote to A and at 12 ocl attended as an unemployed, a lecture for umpires on boat station alarms etc.  Lunch at 1.  Exercise from 2.30 – 3.30.  Tea and then umpire’s conf – 4.30 – 5.  At 5 attended lecture by Colonel to 10 Bty – finished at 5.45.  Poker for hour before dinner.  Won 22/6 – After dinner fair game of poker lost 22/6 – Sykes at his worst.  Stopped with PR at 10.15 then read.  363.

Saturday 12.12.42

Set sail this am at 0500 hrs in the Cameronia – Service 8.30 PT on a slippery deck at 9.30.  Attended lectures by CO & DH at 11.45.  Ship started tossing a bit at lunch time.  BS exercise at 2.15 with umpire’s conference at 4.30.  After Umpires Conf went down to Mess Deck (Tps) and then turned my stum a bit.  Very uncomfortable 1½ hours before dinner and vv dinner!  Bed after dinner.  Reading ‘The Meer Hall Inheritance’ good yarn – feeling better – lights out at 11 pm.  Various purchases from Canteen, sweeties & choc, book (above) – Hair cream, razor blades, biscuits.  Poker for ½ before tea won 9d – after tea played again and won 3d.  Dinner and then bed early.   362.

Sunday 13.12.42

Attended HC this morning at 7.30.  Funny how more impressive a service at sea seems to be – There was a mist over the sea this morning, and I’m told a real Atlantic swell on – I spent this morning between the rail of the prom deck, lounge and cabin.  This afternoon I slept well from about 2 – 4.30 to find no ordinary gale blowing when I got up I went out onto the deck and the sea was a wonderful sight.  Great mountains of spray – capped green water and long valleys running away from us.  It’s now 6 ocl and the boat as the yokels would say ‘ain’t arf pitchin and tossin’.  After dinner retired to bed early but couldn’t sleep – read, smoked, tried to sleep until eventually I got off some time.  361

Monday 14.12.42

False alarm at 5 am – siren got jammed!  After b’fast visited Tps deck and got a spot of fresh air, news came through that 8th Army is going through El Agheila like a dose of salts – Prepared lecture on Tort which I gave at 12 ocl after purchasing 3/8 worth of goods at bar – 2 oz baccy 50 cigs 2 bars choc & 1 box matches – hear we are to be landed at Bone.  I wonder.  After lunch read for a bit, just getting used to swinging of ship.  Exercise 2.15 pm – Poker before tea won 9d – after tea won 10/3.  Good dinner – Poor old Roy today – white and blowing at the mouth – no meals yesterday & 2 (for 2 mins each) today – Very rough this afternoon.  After dinner won 10/3 poker – 2 or 3 flushes.  2 full houses.  360

Tuesday 15.12.42

Feeling slightly h.s today.  Eileen to go S this evening – thinking so much about her all day – Nothing doing this am except wrote A and listened to very dull lecture from Ian Banks after lunch, nap and walk on deck.  V rough this am no ordinary swell.  Bought book 4d & Razor Blades 1/6.  After tea played poker – won 13/- best hand full house Qs – After dinner (still rough) played poker again and was exactly all square.  Now in bed (10 pm) and about to read prior to a spot of sleep.  Roy better today – aircraft sighted, unidentified.  359

Wednesday 16.12.42

Wrote a few more lines to Eileen this morning.  Again a very bad night – Terrific roll today – have now been about 1200 miles.  We are only managing about 8.9.  Turned up at 12 for lecture but this was cancelled owing to rolling.  Lunch and then ½ hour on troop deck before tea.  After tea poker won 22/6 and again after a cold dinner won 17/6 – lent Bob £3=0=0 today – (Paid 28/12/42) canteen shut now 11 pm & read & try Xword – hope I sleep tonight.  358

Thursday 17.12.42

Finished off letter to A today – bought from canteen 1 nailbrush, 2 Valet RBs, 6 Pkts biscs – also 200 cigs and 4 bars choc, 2 box matches.  All parades etc today were cancelled.  This morning read and did a little writing – after lunch paid up Troops in new BMA currency.  Played Poker before and after dinner.  Before dinner lost 2/- after dinner lost 6/- best hand on voyage so far 4 9s but wasn’t *** so only won 2/6!  Worst hand 3 10s lost 2/-!  Had cold bath before getting into bed, had worst night so far last night, sleep (?) at about 3 ocl – News seems slightly better today.  We are now about 2 days from Gib – shan’t be sorry in many ways when we land – forecast is that we spend 2 weeks in a training camp at Bone.  357

Friday 18.12.42

Day dawned very pleasant and much warmer – calm sea as day wore on it got quite hot and I spent most of the afternoon on the Prom Deck in the sun & now about a day from Gib.  Won my 2/6 bet with Ian re number of lectures, had two this morning – After tea I wrote to Eileen and MP & E.  Played Poker after dinner and lost 5/6.  After dinner lecture on Tropical Diseases.  There would appear to be all sorts of jolly things in store for us.  Had excellent night’s sleep – 2 mile walk with Bob Cary!  356

Saturday 19.12.42

Again calm, sunny and warm.  Very near Gib now – This am had quite time spent most of it writing Standing Orders for War in my note book.  At 12 attended lecture by Ian on India.  After lunch had stroll on Prom deck and then exercise ‘til 4 pm.  After tea had very excellent bath, hot sea water then wrote more notes.  Put our watches back an hour tonight.  After dinner had some quite good poker but only held 2 decent hands in 2½ hours.  Full house Qs – lost 20/-   355

Sunday 20.12.42

Today has been a big day spoilt only by the fact that everything I saw I saw alone – At 8 ocl we went through the Straits – The Rock is certainly a wonderful sight, an historic Bastion.  This afternoon I saw the coast of Spain and the truly wonderful Sierra Nevada **to.  It was a beautifully clear and sunny afternoon – water blue as blue and the whitish blue snow on the peaks. 

After tea I did a spot of very strenuous PT and did it do me good, or did me so much good that I can hardly move now, in fact if I didn’t feel so achy and stiff I should feel really fit!  Before dinner wrote to A.  After dinner an hour’s carol service and then hours lecture from Ian on India – Spent ½ hr on deck did I remember trip back from Zoute?  354

Monday 21.12.42

Sticky night – at 2.30 the 6 little nigger boy rhyme came into operation – Strathallan on our port side was sunk – spent day with NA coast to starboard and then fetched up in Algiers harbour at about tea time – a really lovely bay – Algiers has a very large seafront with great blocks of white flats etc rising from the shore, behind it vast ranges of blue hills going back to horizon, a lovely sight.  Posted letters to A and no 5 today – rifle inspection this morning and exercises this afternoon.  Went for stroll on prom deck after dinner.  Before dinner played poker and lost 6/-.  Bought Rinso and glasses sun from Canteen.   353

Tuesday 22.12.42

Last night and this am were certainly v exciting, 2 or 3 aerial torpedoes missed us before midnight but at 630 am one hit the ship aft Boat Stations but ship reached Bougie at about 6 knots, got in about 12 ocl.  RN excellent.  Disembarked at about 2.30 and had longish march in full equipment to the transit camp.  Arabs etc an amazing crowd – dirty, wearing many patched garments of all colours.  Bougie itself dirty but very picturesque from the ship – hills to starboard rather like Cayie Banns with hutments on side, to port, like a magnificent view of the Highlands.  Our billet an unoccupied villa, tiled floors.  Valises fetched up with us in evening – good night’s sleep.  Rain in evening.  On Cameronia about 18 killed and 15 or 20 rather badly injured.   352

Wednesday 23.12.42

Spent a v comfortable night in morning mucked about in camp watching trenches being dug etc.  after lunch I went into Bougie with Roy.  Sent set piece Xmas Telegrams to A and Ox Rd – only allowed to send 2, then went along to the Hotel de L’Orient where we had a glass of Vin Rose each for 3 fr.  Rate of exchange 300 fr.  Also bought 2 sets of forks and spoons.  Walked back (2 miles) and had tea here.  Living on ‘compo’ rations – Arabs in filthy patched clothes look v incongruous with umbrellas.  Went to bed very early after my first taste of whiskey for a fortnight.  Rained most of day.   351

Thursday 24.12.42.

Simply poured with rain practically without a stop all day – Parade at 9.30.  Took Bty on a route march in morning – out for about 1½ hours, poured coming back – everywhere is now mud and filthy muddy water.  Troops under canvas very badly off, what a Christmas Eve!  Changed into dry things after march.  After lunch paid the Troop – at tea time received warning order to move today.  Eventually having got ready to go 3 times we left at 1.15 and what a march to the Docks, was my equipment heavy or was it!  Battery embarked on The Scotsman at 0230 hrs Xmas Day 1942.  Men terribly crowded but better than mud and rain at Bougie.  Sang carols in our temporary Mess and had a prayer from Gerald.   350

Friday  25.12.42

Xmas Day – Last night at about 0330 hrs Charles produced tin of spam and Collie, Bob, Charles & PCB had our little Xmas b’fast (?) in our cabin – my whiskey flask came in handy and we had a toast to those at home – A in particular – Just had b’fast proper – we are now about 8 miles out from Bougie going hell for leather for Bone, running some gauntlet – at 1345 hours drank alone in cabin, a special toast to A.  God bless her.  Slept until 4.15 when I saw Troops feeding then went up to the ward-room where I had a couple of quick gin + limes.  Tea and sandwiches at 8 and then back to the ward-room ‘til 11 pm.  Arr Bone at 5.15, not to disembark until tomorrow.  349

Saturday 26.12.42

Left ship at 4.30 am and had nightmare march to Civil Hospital where we have now found billets – Hospital very large, bare and a complete shambles – glass, bits of wall and roof etc everywhere.  After lunch walked into Bone with Roy, Collie, Ken and Owen, tried for cards identity, but forms run out!  Had a couple of ‘Liqueur Banane’ at Majestic Hotel, also Noilly Pratt at 3 fr a glass.  Bone itself is very deserted all shops shut bar a very few and no nice trinkets etc to buy – Came back here at 4.30 and had some tea and changed into S.D.  Probably be here for some days – CO says 4 Ian says 10 – my bet 7.  Vehicles due to arrive tomorrow.  A lot of bomb damage in Bone.  Saw air attack on Bone aerodrome – seemed one plane burnt out.   348

Sunday 27.12.42

Had super night’s sleep – went to bed at 9.30 pm and slept through 3 alerts until 8 am – parade at 9.30 after which Battery spent morning cleaning billets up.  Attended Gerald’s church parade and HC at 11 ocl.  After lunch walked down to docks where our MT ship had just come in, they had uneventful trip – Before dinner had long chat and a few gin and limes with Peter Pettit – Spent morning writing to A, must write more letters tomorrow – sent letter off to A and did a little censoring before visit to Town.  Bed at 11.30 pm after long talk with CO and Ian Banks on Polo, hockey and tennis – fell down steps and tore hole in SD pants.  347

Monday 28.12.42                                                                 Balance in hand £6-11-11

Wrote to No 5 and No 18 today both letters got off OK.  This morning I went down to the docks to see the start of the unloading but found very little doing.  RA unloaded this afternoon.  This am did comb-out of shops but nothing to buy at all, had some Vin rouge at Majestic.  After lunch party of us sat outside a café drinking brandy and watching passing wogs.  Back here for tea and spent ¾ hr drinking Gin (my Xmas present to A Troop Sergts) before dinner.  After dinner walked round Troop who were in very good heart and high spirits (gin) – early to bed (10 ocl) read Book of Quotations lights out at 11 ocl.   346

Tuesday 29.12.42                                                                         Balance in Hand £5-18-2

Breakfast 8.25 after which I walked down to the docks and watched unloading operations – Bob and I walked to Majestic for our ‘elevenses’ (coffee and liqueurs) and got back here at 12 ocl.  After lunch had short game of poker and lost 10/-.  Went for long walk with Sandy along sea front – Gerald joined us half way.  One alert this afternoon but saw no signs of any action.  After tea read and played anor game of poker, lost 17/6.  Very good dinner.  Steak and kidney pud, peas and new potatoes, duff, cheese and biscuits and oranges.  Early to bed, wrote to A but not very satis letter, hard to concentrate.  Dull day.    345

Wednesday  30.12.42                                                                     Balance in hand £4-5-0

Practically all our vehicles off today.  Spent morning on maintenance – Pay out today at 2 ocl – after censoring a few letters went round vehicle park area with Ian, then down to Docks.  Box and I walked back here via the ‘shopping centre’ consisting of about 2 shops open and a few stalls.  Purchased very second rate penknife for 15 fr.  After tea took a walk into Town with Gerald and made another purchase this time a glass nibbed fountain pen for 80 francs.  Had a Cap Goose at the Majestic with G.  After dinner wrote very long letter to A, what a genuine pleasure that really is.  Must remember lemons tomorrow.  Woken in night by bomb which though sounding close fell some distance away.   344

Thursday 31.12.42                                                                        Balance in Hand £3-17-6

After parade at 8.40 went down with vehicles to A Tp Vehicle park, after getting things sorted out there had a ‘coffee and’ at the Majestic and then went for a walk behind the Hospital.  CO up to front today.  After lunch spent pm at Vehicle park – maintenance, pulling back, sight testing, petrol etc.  Tea at 5 ocl after which read and played patience with Collie.  Dinner 8 ocl – chat with some of ‘the bosses’ – bed at 10 ocl shall sleep New Year in this Year.  Several raids here today – 4 bombs at 8.40 this am.  AA fire at 3.15 and 6.30 pm but no bombs.  Bought lemons for Eileen and also a Pamplemousse (?)   343

SECOND WORLD WAR December 1942

(Britain)

Operation Oyster consisting of 93 Royal Air Force (RAF} light bombers attacked the Philips factory at Eindhoven in the Netherlands on the 6th December 1942. Three types of twin-engine bombers were used for the raid. 47 U.S. Lockheed Ventura medium bombers, 36 U.S. Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers (service name Boston) and 10 U.K. de Havilland Mosquito bombers. As a major producer of electronics equipment in the Netherlands, the Philips Company had been taken over since the German occupation of May 1940. The British Ministry of Economic Warfare in consultation with the Air Ministry considered the Philips factory to be a priority target comparable to any targets in Germany. Night-time bombing raids by Lancaster bombers was not a viable option. Many Dutch workers were indispensable to the production process at Philips and were retained by the Nazi German occupiers as forced labour. The production procedures at Philips were carried out at two separate sites half a mile apart and would have to be attacked separately. A daylight raid was chosen to minimise the civilian casualties. To achieve this No. 2 Group RAF was selected to carry out the raid which was to be known as Operation Oyster. As part of RAF Bomber Command the function of No. 2 Group RAF was to conduct daylight bombing raids. No. 2 Group RAF took off from their various airfields at 11.15-11.30 am and formed into their attack positions. They kept below 100 feet and in radio silence. The attack was to be conducted firstly by the Boston bombers, followed a few minutes later by the Mosquito bombers. The slower flying Ventura bombers were the last to attack the factories. The plan was to hug thground to avoid radar detection, select their individual factories and then climb to 1,500 feet in order to release their bombs. The first Boston bombers delivered their bombs at approximately 12.30pm. By the time the Ventura bombers had released their incendiary bombs both factories were ablaze and thick smoke emanated from the buildings. All aircraft after the raid independently flew at low level back to England. Reconnaissance photographs obtained later show both factory complexes had their production halted owing to the significant damage caused by the bombs. Although the raid was a success it came at a cost as approximately 150 civilians were killed. Sixty-two aircrew and fifteen aircraft were lost and 57 aircraft were damaged by anti-aircraft fire from the defenders. To assist the most successful No. 2 Group RAF raid, the American Eighth Air Force launched diversionary raids as B-24 bombers attacked a German airfield at Abbeville and B-17 bombers attacked the rail yards at Lille.

—-

Operation Frankton was a Royal Marine Commando raid on German occupied France’s port of Bordeaux Harbour sixty miles inland on the Gironde River. The raid was conducted between the 7th/12th December 1942. All trade between Germany and Japan was forced to be transported to and from the Far East via South Africa after the Trans-Siberian Railway had closed. Bordeaux was the ideal port for the two sides to exchange commodities needed. Prime Minister Winston Churchill had been enthusiastic for the raid to be implemented. Major Herbert “Blondie” Hasler had proposed the audacious raid in September 1942. The raid was given approval and twelve men of the Royal Marines Commandos began to train for the ordeal. Six crews of two would paddle the 16 feet long semi-collapsible canoes and attach limpet mines to ships in Bordeaux Harbour. Three crews consisting of canoes Catfish, Crayfish and Conger formed “A” Division. “B” Division comprised Cuttlefish, Coalfish and Cachelotte.

On the 7th December 1942 the fully trained Commandos were unloaded from submarine HMS Tuna at the mouth of the Gironde estuary. However, Cachelotte was damaged whist being unloaded and therefore did not take a part in the raid.

On the 12th December 1942 only two crews reached the harbour to attach the limpet mines. They were Catfish and Crayfish. Limpet mines were attached to cargo ships Tannewfels, Dresden, Alabama and Portland. They were also attached to a German minesweeper and a fuel tanker. When the limpet mines exploded Dresden sank. The remainder were damaged but eventually repaired before being back in action for the Axis war effort. They did disrupt the flow of much needed commodities between Germany and Japan.

Each crew was to make their own escape after the successful attack and abandoning their canoes. Only Hasler and Marine Bill Sparkes from Catfish eventually reached London on the 2nd April 1943 by way of the French resistance. None of the other four crews came home. Canoe Conger was overturned by a large tidal surge on route and Cpl Sheard/Marine Moffat drowned.

 Six Commandos were captured and executed, as per German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler’s previous order that any British Commando would be executed following the U.K. Commando raid on Sark during October 1942. Those executed were Cpl Laver/Marine Mills from Crayfish, Lt. Mackinnon/Marine Conway from Cuttlefish and Sgt Wallace/Marine Ewart from Coalfish. The crew of Crayfish after they had laid the limpet mines, and the crews of Cuttlefish and Coalfish before they reached Bordeaux Harbour. Not one of the executed Commandos revealed the purpose of the mission and the Germans only found out when the first of the limpet mines exploded. As survivors of the raid and actions during the raid on Bordeaux, Hasler was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Sparkes was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM). As the action had not been conducted in the face of the enemy, the Victoria Cross was not awarded although many people thought they should have been honoured.

There were only four survivors in total, two from the raid itself plus the two non-combatants. They were Marines Elery/Fisher from Cachellotte. Operation Frankton, or the “Cockleshell Heroes” as they subsequently became famous, was a success but came as a terribly high price in British Commandos lives.

—

Warships of the British Royal Navy and the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) engaged in an action at the Battle of Barents Sea on the 31st December 1942. Two German heavy cruisers and six destroyers attempted to stop Convoy JW51B from reaching the Kola inlet in the U.S.S.R. The convoy was protected by the Royal Navy and consisted of two light cruisers, six destroyers, two corvettes, one minesweeper and two trawlers. Convoy JW51B, consisting of fourteen merchant vessels carrying war materials to the Red Army. Convoy JW51B sailed from Loch Ewe in Scotland on the 22nd December 1942 where they were met by the escort vessels on the 25th Dec 1942. By the 28th/29th December 1942, the convoy and escorts encountered heavy gales causing them to lose station. Five merchantmen and two escorts were found to be missing and one escort vessel was dispatched to search for them when the weather moderated. Two merchantmen independently proceeded to the Kola inlet and the other three merchantmen re-joined the convoy on the 30th December 1942. The convoy had been spotted by German reconnaissance aircraft on the 24th December 1942. Based at Altafjord in northern Norway, German Vice-Admiral Oskar Kummetz was ordered to engage with the convoy. On the 31st December 1942 Kummetz sailed and immediately split his forces into two divisions. The engagement began at 08.00, but owing to the long polar night of the region, both British and German forces were scattered and unsure of the positions of their own forces. Despite the confusion of the battle and despite all German efforts the fourteen merchantmen reached their destination at the Kola inlet undamaged. The convoy delivered 202 tanks, 2,046 vehicles, 87 fighters and 33 bombers. Also delivered was 11,500 tons of fuel, 12,000 tons of aviation fuel and 54,000 tons of other supplies. Britain had one destroyer and one minesweeper sunk one destroyer damaged with the loss of 250 men. The Germans had one destroyer sunk and one heavy cruiser damaged for the loss of 330 men. Captain Robert Sherbrooke of HMS Onslow was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the battle.

—

(America)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt imposed a nationwide petrol rationing scheme across the U.S. on the 1st December 1942. Shortage of fuel was not the problem as America had plenty of fuel. The problem was the shortage of rubber, because many of the traditional sources were in Japanese hands. Fuel rationing on the eastern coast of America had begun in May 1942. Voluntary rationing had been unsuccessful in persuading the U.S. citizens not to use their private vehicles. Despite many complaints from American citizens Roosevelt considered rubber was more important to the military and consequently U.S. fuel rationing was continued until the end of the war.

America officially entered the Second World War in 1941. On the 7th December 1942, at the 1st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, America had transformed from supplying military equipment and food to the Allies. They were committed to the war in Europe and heavily involved in the war against Japan in the Pacific theatre of war.  

On the 7th December 1942, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour, USS New Jersey was launched. She was ordered as an Iowa-class “fast battleship” on the 1st July 1939. She was built in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and her keel was laid down on the 16th September 1942. When commissioned in in May 1943 she was armed with nine 16” guns, twenty 5” guns, eighty 40mm anti-aircraft guns and forty nine 20mm anti-aircraft guns. She was the most decorated battleship in the U.S. Navy’s history. She served during the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Lebanese Civil War. In 1991 USS New Jersey was decommissioned. She is now a museum ship, named Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, and is moored at Camden waterfront in New Jersey.       

—

(Eastern Front)

During the Battle of Stalingrad the 290,000 German and Romanian soldiers were completely surrounded by the Soviet Army following Operation Uranus on the 19th November 1942. Nazi German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler was aware that if Stalingrad was lost it would never be retaken. As a result, on the 20th November 1942 he ordered a new Army Group Don to be formed under the command of Field-Marshall Erich von Manstein. The task of Army Group Don was to mount a relief operation code named Operation Winter Storm. On the 12th December 1942 Manstein’s Army Group Don attempted to open a passage to the entrapped German army in Stalingrad. At first Operation Winter Storm made rapid progress catching the Soviet army by surprise as they had not expected a German offensive so soon. Army Group Don was assisted by the Forth Panzer Army who had overran their supply line in the attempt to take the oil fields of the Caucasus. However, the Soviets allocated as many resources possible to isolate the entrapped German army. In the meantime, on the 13th December1942 the Luftwaffe attempted to supply the German forces by air. Many of the fleet of 500 transport aircraft were hardly serviceable and more cargo planes were destroyed by accident than by Soviet aircraft. Consequently the entrapped army received less than 20% of the daily rations of 680 tons of supplies. Despite Army Group Don’s efforts to relieve the entrapped German army, Manstein was forced to retreat. On the 24th December 1942, Operation Winter Storm collapsed and Army Group Don was forced onto the defensive.     

—

(North Africa) 

Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, Germany’s Desert Fox began the retreat from El Alemein on the 3rd November 1942. In doing so, he defied Hitler’s order to “Stand to the Last”, and thus saved the remainder of his force. Rommel’s retreat from El Alamein was via Tobruk and Benghazi. Regretfully Rommel ordered the destruction of the Benghazi port facilities as Benghazi was crucial for supplies for the German army in North Africa. They were pursued by the British Eighth Army, commanded by Lt General Bernard Montgomery, and by the 11th December 1942 Rommel had reached El Agheila. The pursuing British had difficulty supplying the Eighth Army but eventually caught up with the axis powers at El Agheila on the 11th December 1942. A British reconnaissance force engaged the Germans/Italians behind the lines at Merduma, 60 miles (97 km) west of El Agheila. Rommel decided he needed to withdraw and by the evening of the 12th December 1942 the withdrawal had begun. Isolated engagements occurred between the two combatants and by the 17th December 1942 the bulk of the Axis army had withdrawn from El Agheila. Fierce fighting took place in a short-lived engagement at Nofaliya 100 miles (160 km) west of El Agheila on the 18th December 1942 which brought the Battle of El Agheila to an end.

Admiral Francois Darlan, a Vichy-French government official who signed an agreement with the Allies on the 10th November 1942, was also Commander-in-Chief of the French Armed Forces. All the Vichy-French forces in North Africa and French West Africa obeyed Darlan’s order. However, he was unpopular with the Allies who considered him pompous and arrogant. He was also unpopular with the Free French. Whilst at his headquarters in Algiers in French Algeria, Darlan was shot by Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle on the 24th December 1942. Later that day Darlan died of his wounds. Bonnier de La Chapelle was a 20 year old anti-Vichy monarchist who wished to see Royalty restored to the throne of France. For the assassination of Darlan, Bonnier de La Chapelle was arrested on the 24th December 1942. He was executed by firing squad on the 26th December 1942 following his trial and conviction the previous day. On the 21st December 1945 Bonnier de La Chapelle was posthumously pardoned by the Court of Appeal in Algeria. Its ruling was the assassination had been “in the interest of the Liberation of France”.

—

(Pacific) three

During the Guadalcanal Campaign a night-time naval battle took place just before midnight on the 30th November 1942 just off Guadalcanal. Five U.S. cruisers and four destroyers intercepted eight Japanese destroyers attempting to deliver food to their troops on Guadalcanal. Immediately three of the American destroyers fired torpedoes at the Japanese in a surprise attack and all the Americans ships opened fire. It took about seven minutes for the unsuspecting Japanese to respond. When they did respond two American cruisers were hit by torpedoes within a minute and a further cruiser hit ten minutes later. All three damaged cruisers retired from the action. Cruisers USS Northampton and USS Honolulu continued the action alongside the four destroyers. In the early hours of the 1st December 1942 Northampton was struck by two Japanese torpedoes. She began to list after taking in water from a gaping hole in her port side which damaged her decks and bulkheads. She began to sink stern first three hours later and she had to be abandoned. The loss of life was light as the abandonment was orderly with most of the survivors being picked up within an hour by the American destroyers. About 40 crew members spent the night in two life rafts and were rescued by torpedo boat PT 109. Technically the Japanese had scored a victory after they retired from the action. They had lost one destroyer Takanami sunk in exchange for the loss of USS Northampton and damaging three cruisers. However, the engagement did deny the Japanese troops on Guadalcanal from receiving any major reinforcements.

The United States and Imperial Japanese forces engaged in a series of battles known as the Battle of the Gifu during the Guadalcanal Campaign, in the jungle area of the hills near the Matanikau River. The Gifu was the most strongly fortified position on Guadalcanal and consisted of a series of camouflaged pill boxes sited to provide mutual support to the others. The battles were for Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse and the Sea Horse and were ridges near the river which were fought over between the 15th December 1942 and 23rd January 1943. The 1,514 foot ridge known as Mount Austen was heavily defended by the Japanese, whose artillery threatened the American air base of Henderson Field. On the 15th December 1942 American marines began their assault on Mount Austen and the surrounding fortified positions. The marines were pinned down by Japanese rifle and machine gun fire at the base of the ridge. When reinforcements arrived they were too exhausted to attack the Japanese owing to the rugged dense jungle they had to negotiate.  The reinforcements were only able to take limited quantities of ammunition and supplies which had to be hand carried through the dense jungle. They were also forced to leave their support weapons such as heavy mortars and machine guns behind. Camouflaged Japanese defences again halted the marines the following day and even American fighter-bomber attacks had little effect. By the end of December 1942 the Japanese defenders prevented the Americans from making any headway in their attempt to overrun the Gifu positions. The battle continued until the Japanese began to withdraw from Guadalcanal on the 23rd January 1943.  

—

(Other Theatres)

The Port of Naples in Italy was a principle trading centre for routes to Africa. As such it was subjected to various sporadic bombardments by the Allies from 1941. America’s initial bombing of Naples on the 4th December 1942 was carried out by B-24 Liberator bombers whereby three Italian cruisers, the Muzio Attendola, the Eugenio di Savio and the Raimondo Monteguccoli were hit and damaged. Also damaged were homes, churches hospitals and offices. On the 7th December 1942 all schools were closed and the city’s underground tunnels began to provide shelter for the citizens. American bombing continued until the allied invasion of Italy in September 1943.

—

As the year draws to a close, things look much brighter for the Allies than they did a few months previously. Rommel is trapped in Tunisia, the Germans are encircled south of Stalingrad, and the Japanese appear ready to abandon Guadalcanal.

——————————————-

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service November 1942.

Date                Time   Location         Damage

06/11/1942    19.28  Bowers           A British Wellington Bomber No. BJ894 believed to

Gifford            belong to “P” Squadron, crashed on the marshes near South Staine Farm, caught fire and was completely destroyed.  The crew of 6 were killed.  Wireless Air Gunner (No. R.55836) J.S.C. Crottan.  Sergt. (No C.A.N.R. 66697) J.Tritt, Sergt Pilot (No R.105801) A. Ash, Sergt (No. R.96120) J. Laplamme, Officer (No. J. 11807) W.G. Lautue, Sergt. (No. 79238) J.A. Patry all of whom belonged to the 425th R.C.A. Squadron.  RAF were informed and an RAF guard mounted.  All official documents and personal effects taken possession of by RAF Intelligence Officer from Rochford Aerodrome.  There were no civilian casualties or damage to property.

07/11/1942    5.35    Billericay        A Meteorgraph Instrument with Parachute and

Balloon attached came down in a field adjoining “Western Lodge” Harty Corner and found by Mrs E Horton of “Western Lodge”.  Instruments and attachments being forwarded to HQ.

23/11/1942    Found  Laindon       A suspected U.X.A.A. Shell found on waste ground

60 yards S.W. of bungalow known as “St Elmo”, Rayleigh Drive, Laindon.  Date and time of falling unknown.  Report Centre informed.  (Disposed of BDS 19.12.42).

SECOND WORLD WAR

The Battle of Brisbane

In Australia, reports were suppressed of hostilities between Australian servicemen/civilians and United States military personnel. Queensland is the territory located on the north-east coast of Australia nearest to the Philippine Islands. Serious brawling occurred in Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city, on the 26th/27th November 1942.

The Battle of Brisbane, as it became known, began on the 26th November 1942 following a number of fatal events. There is some uncertainty about what happened but it would appear that intoxicated American Private James R. Stein left a hotel at 6.50pm where he had been drinking when it closed. Along the way he stopped to talk with three Australians and was approached by Private Anthony E. O’Sullivan, U.S. Military Police (MP) asking Stein for his leave pass.  Becoming impatient the MP arrested Stein. The Australians remonstrated with the MP and when the MP raised his baton as if to strike one of the Australians, they attacked him. Several nearby American MPs and Australian servicemen rushed to help their fellow countrymen. Outnumbered, the American MPs, including O’Sullivan and Stein retreated to the U.S. Post Exchange (PX). A crowd of up to 100 Australian servicemen and civilians began to besiege the PX. As the crowd continued to grow, they also besieged the American Red Cross Club across the street from the PX. The local Police were unable to control the crowd and the Fire Brigade was reluctant to turn on water hoses. In the meantime the MPs inside the PX were armed with shotguns to protect the building. This demonstration of force was not viewed very kindly by the Australians and in one scuffle a shotgun was discharged. Australian Gunner Edward S. Webster was shot dead and seven other Australians received injuries during the scuffle. By 10.00 pm the crowd had dispersed leaving the ground floor of the PX destroyed.

On the second night, the 27th November 1942 a crowd of approximately 500 Australian servicemen gathered outside the Red Cross building. The building had heavily armed American MPs located on the first floor as protection. These heavily armed MPs also provided the protection for the PX. In an attempt to defuse the gathering, Australian NCOs went through the crowd and confiscated several hand grenades. In a separate incident a group of Australian soldiers, armed with MP batons, confronted 20 American MPs who immediately formed a line and drew their weapons. An Australian officer intervened and persuaded the American commander of the MPs to move away from the area. The crowd moved on to General MacArthur’s headquarters and began shouting abuse at the building. Things finally settled down and eventually the crowd dispersed.

Although the two nations were fighting the Japanese as a common enemy, problems developed owing to the different circumstances of the two nations involved. Australia entered the Second World War in September 1939, following the governments’ acceptance of the United Kingdom’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany. America, on the other hand, did not enter the war until December 1941 when the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbour. Although not physically involved in 1939 it is doubtful if the Allies could have continued had it not been for the supplies from America.

During the Pacific War approximately one million U.S. military personnel were stationed at various locations in Eastern Australia from 1942 until 1945. Brisbane was the location for the headquarters of American General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, South-west Pacific Area. United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt had ordered MacArthur to relocate from the Philippines to Australia in March 1942. Many American personnel were stationed in and around Brisbane to allow combat troops to either prepare for battle, to rest or to convalesce.

Prior to America’s entry into the Pacific War, Brisbane’s population was approximately 330,000. Increasing the population with approximately 80,000 American forces, Brisbane was finding it difficult to cope.  For the Australian civilian population rationing caused problems for the lack of amenities in the city, and the shortage of food was responsible for a poor diet. The Americans, on the other hand, were paid considerably more than the Australian military, coupled with the U.S. Army rations they could afford to be generous. Tensions began to appear when shops and hotels regularly gave preferential treatment to the Americans.

Military thinking was different also. Australians tended to look down on the fighting qualities of the Americans as being inferior but full of “gung-ho” and brashness. Although the Australians were bearing the brunt of land war in New Guinea the Americans would report back to the U.S. about “American victories”. But Australian victories were reported as “American and Allied victories”. The American view was that Australia lacked a “get up and go” attitude which also helped to sour relationships.

In conclusion, following the Battle of Brisbane every unit involved in the riot was located away from Brisbane. American MPs were increased to ensure further riots were avoided. The PX was relocated and Australian canteens were closed down. American Private Norbert Grant was court-marshalled for the manslaughter of Webster as he was carrier of the discharged shotgun. He was acquitted on the on the grounds of self-defence. Brisbane’s Chief Censor ordered that reports of the riot were not to be published. However, similar riots did follow; Melbourne in December 1942, Bondi in February 1943, Perth in January 1944 and Freemantle in April 1944.

——————————————–

SECOND WORLD WAR

Operation Harling – ‘42

Operation Harling was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) mission in cooperation with the Greek resistance groups ELAS and EDES. 0n the 25th November 1942 they destroyed the heavily defended Gorgopotamos viaduct in Central Greece. This sabotage act was one of the first to be conducted against Axis occupied Europe. This success brought about the beginning of the permanent British involvement with the Greek Resistance.

Greece had been totally occupied by the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Bulgaria since June 1941. Supplies were being transported through Greece and across the Mediterranean to support the German Afrika Korps participation at the Battle of El Alamein. In an effort to stem these supplies Operation Harling was conceived in the late summer of 1942. British Special Operation Executive (SOE) based in Cairo decided to send a sabotage team to cut the Athens to Thessalonica railway line. The team selected came from the Royal Engineers and were led by Lieutenant Colonel E.C.W. “Eddie” Myers with Major Chris Woodhouse as his Second-in-Command.

In the summer of 1941 the first group of armed resistance fighters were suppressed by the Axis Powers. By the spring/summer of 1942 the Greeks had established two separate resistance groups. The first was the Communist led Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS) founded by Aris Velouchiotis. The second group was the National Republican Greek League (EDES) led by Colonel Napoleon Zervas. The SOE plan was to leave a team of saboteur’s behind to liaise with the Greek resistance groups after the raid was completed, one of whom was Woodhouse. The proposal was for 13 men to be formed into three groups, each with a leader, sapper, interpreter and radio operative. In the planning stage British officers in Cairo were unaware of the ground difficulties in Greece.

On the 30th September 1942, three B-24 Liberator aircraft dropped the group of saboteurs into Greece. The first and main group, commanded by Myers, made for the hills and located ELAS. The local Greek population kept the group hidden whilst they were constantly on the move. The second group led by Woodhouse set out to Amifissa in an effort to establish contact with Cairo. On the 2nd November 1942 with contact established Woodhouse set out to meet up EDES. The third and final group were hidden by local Greek civilians as they made for the hills and made contact with the resistance group ELAS on the 14th November 1942. In the meantime, on the 30th September 1942, after having made contact with ELAS, Myers and an interpreter set out on a reconnaissance mission for the most suitable target to sabotage. Of the three possible targets, Gorgopotamos Railway Bridge was the one considered to be the most effective by Myers. It offered good access, cover and a line of retreat and the garrison of 80 Axis troops was small enough.

The individual groups had made contact and collectively assembled at the sabotage site by the 25th November 1942. A total of 150 men were available for the operation. 86 ELAS and 52 EDES resistance fighters were to provide cover whilst a twelve man British team, led by Myers, would form the demolition party. The operation began 23.00 hrs on the 25th November 1942. Two teams of eight guerrillas cut the railway and telephone lines in both directions, but overran the allotted time, then provided cover for the approaches to the bridge. In the meantime the remainder of the guerrillas neutralised the garrison of mostly Italian troops. Because of the delay Myers decided to send in the demolition team whilst the fight at garrison was still under way. The demolition party divided into three teams of four men each. Owing to the different shape of the girders they had expected the laying of the charges were also delayed. They were forced to modify plastic explosives to suit and finally the charges were set and lit. When the explosion occurred at 01.30 the central pier was badly damaged but the spans either side had collapsed. The demolition teams attached new explosives to the second pier and the remaining span and a second explosion occurred at 02.21. In the meantime a train carrying Italian reinforcements was engaged and halted by the guerrillas providing cover to the approaches of the bridge. With only four wounded the entire attacking force had successfully disengaged and retreated to their assembly area by 04.30.

SOE’s original plan for the destruction of the bridge was the disruption of the Afrika Korps supply line. The mission had been rendered obsolete by the Allied victory at El Alamein. Being the largest operation carried out by SOE to date, the mission was a major success. Despite the success, Woodhouse’s team of saboteurs were left behind to liaise with the resistance groups, but clashes between ELAS and EDES occurred which eventually led to civil war from 1946 to 1949.

The bridge was repaired and operations resumed in 19 days by the Italian Railway Engineers.

————————————-

Operation Torch

November 1942

When German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) was retreating from El Alamein the Allies launched Operation Torch against the Vichy-French territory of North Africa on the 8th November 1942.

American General Mark Clarke had met with Vichy-French officers in Algeria the previous month who stated they were willing to support the Allies. Operation Torch was a planned three-prong attack along the north coast of Africa. The three attacks being Casablanca (Western) in Morocco, Oran (Centre) and Algiers in Algeria.

For propaganda purposes, a U.S. landing force supported by British warships and aircraft was proposed. The thinking was it would be more acceptable to the French public, who were of mixed opinions, than an Anglo/American invasion. Before entry into the war the Americans had officially accepted the Vichy government whereas the British had not.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean duly ordered the attack to begin before daybreak on the 8th November 1942. They had hoped the French would not resist, therefore there was no preliminary bombardment. An attempted coup d’état against the Vichy-French command in Morocco was thwarted and enabled the French to strengthen their coastal defences.

Bad weather disrupted the landings at the long beach at Fedala port, east of Casablanca,. Despite the weather and heavy resistance by the French defenders, the beachhead was secured later in the day. The port of Casablanca was surrounded by the 10th November 1942 and an hour before the Americans were to make a final assault the city surrendered.

At the time Casablanca was the principle Vichy-French Atlantic naval base. The Americans landed 35,000 assault troops from 102 ships. The Naval Battle of Casablanca resulted in a series of sorties with French cruisers, destroyers and submarines opposing the landings. However, the Allied invasion fleet either drove back the French warships or they were sunk. 

The second of the three-pronged attack was at Oran in Algeria (Centre) which were split between three beaches. Two of which were west of Oran and one to the east. Allied minesweepers, clearing a path, were delayed at the westernmost beach when a French convoy appeared. As there had not been any reconnaissance undertaken prior to the invasion, landing ships were damaged. The confusion and delays were mainly caused by unexpected shallows and sandbars leading to the beach. The landing east of Oran was successful and shore batteries were quickly captured. In order to prevent the destruction of Oran’s port facilities and the scuttling of French ships, an attempt was made to land assault troops directly at the harbour. The attempt failed when two Allied ships were destroyed by French vessels who had left the harbour to attack the Allied invasion fleet.

Operation Reservist was an attack on Oran harbour by two Allied ships packed with assault troops. The troops comprised of British Commandos, U.S. Armoured infantry and U.S. Marines. Commanded by Canadian born Captain Frederick Thornton Peters of the Royal Navy the two ships sailed through the boom toward the harbour jetty in the face of point-blank fire from the shore. Peters ship managed to reach the harbour jetty ablaze and disabled but managed to secure her sufficiently to allow the assault troops to land. Twenty-four officers and ratings survived but were captured when the ship sank. Peters did not survive his fatal injuries and was posthumously awarded the British Victoria Cross and the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross. The second ship failed to locate the harbour entrance and struck the southern jetty, where she lost most of her gun crew and troops crouching below decks. The survivors were also captured. French shore batteries and the invasion fleet exchanged fire, with French troops stubbornly defending Oran and surrounding areas. Following a heavy bombardment by British battleships Oran surrendered on the 9th November 1942.

The third invasion was at the port of Algiers with landings on three beaches, two west and one east of the port. Lack of French opposition was caused by French resistance groups neutralising all coastal batteries allowing the Allies to advance inland. The only fighting took place in the port of Algiers when two British destroyers attempted to land troops on the dockside. Heavy French artillery firing prevented one destroyer from landing, but the other disembarked 250 troops before it too was driven back to sea. The city of Algiers surrendered to the Allies at 18.00 after all the invasion troops had congregated on the city on the 8th November 1942.

Commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces, Admiral Francois Darlan was in Algiers visiting his hospitalised son when Operation Torch began. Darlan was also a political figure in the Vichy-French government. Eisenhower recognised Darlan as High Commissioner of France in Africa. On the 10th November 1942 Darlan signed an agreement with the Allies and ordered all French forces to join the Allies. Not only was that order obeyed in French North Africa but also the Vichy forces in French West Africa. Apart from various mopping-up skirmishes from the 10th, officially Operation Torch ended on the 16th November 1942.

A total of 107,000 Allied troops were involved in the Battle of Operation Torch who were opposed by the Vichy-French army of 60,000 combatants. Of these the losses to both sides were, for the Allies nearly 500 were killed and 720 wounded. For the Axis powers nearly 1,000 were killed with almost 2,000 wounded. For the Allies it was the largest amphibious operation conducted in warfare and the first big success of the war.

———————————————-

SECOND WORLD WAR

November 1942

(Britain)

At the Lord Mayor of London’s luncheon in Mansion House on the 10th November 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was finally able to report that we had finally won a victory. After three years of war, which included defeats from Dunkirk to Singapore, the British Eighth Army had defeated the German forces during the Second Battle of El Alamein on the 3rd October 1942. His speech at the Mansion house was as follows:- “Now this is not the end. It is not the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning”. He later went on to say that El Alamein was a glorious chapter in British military history, and the turning point where the fortunes of war turned against the Axis Powers. Later, this prompted him to write, “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat”.

—

(France)

The German/Vichy-French alliance of 1940 was violated with the occupation of Corsica and Vichy-France on the 10th November 1942. An alliance had been agreed between Germany and the Vichy government whereby the French people would abide by German military rules. For Führer Adolf Hitler, the German dictator, the main reason for permitting an independent France to exist was to deny the French colonies to the Allies. The Allies launched Operation Torch against French North Africa on the 8th November 1942. Hitler knew he couldn’t risk an exposed flank in the French Mediterranean. Hitler’s ambition was to capture the demobilised French fleet intact at Toulon. Vichy-French naval commanders were unwilling to allow the fleet to fall into the hands of the Axis Powers. On the 10th November 1942 they had signed on armistice with the Allies in North Africa following Operation Torch. By negotiation they managed to delay the seizure and on the 27th November 1942 they had scuttled their ships and submarines. The scuttled fleet consisted of three battleships, seven cruisers, 28 destroyers and 20 submarines. The destruction of the fleet also denied any possible access by the Free French Navy.  The French declined another option – to join Allied fleets in North African waters. The Vichy regime were allowed to exercise civil authority over the population but was little more than a puppet government. This arrangement continued until the Allied invasion and liberation of France in 1944.

For further details on Operation Torch Refer to section (Mediterranean and Desert War)

—

(Eastern Front)

With Stalingrad surrounded by the Axis Powers from September 1942, General Georgy Zhukov was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief to take charge of the defence of Stalingrad. He began preparing defences for the city and by the 12th November 1942 Zhukov was ready to attempt to relieve Stalingrad. He had observed that German troops were ill-prepared for a winter offensive operation. Therefore he decided to conduct a series of offensive operations. On the 19th November 1942 the Soviet Union launched Operation Uranus. An eighty minute artillery bombardment was directed primarily at the non-German Axis units protecting the German flanks of the 6th Army commanded by Lieutenant General Friedrich Paulus. Many Romanian soldiers, who formed most of the non-German Axis units, began to flee to the rear. Their forward observation posts had been devastated, communication lines breached and ammunition dumps destroyed. The collapse of the Romanian defenders allowed the Soviet attackers to outflank the German defences. Late in the day, the 19th November 1942, another attack developed on the southern flank of the German 6th Army’s flank. The Red Army continued to apply pressure on the German Army during the 20th/ 21st November 1942. By the 22nd November 1942 the encirclement south of Stalingrad was complete. On the same day Paulus sent a telegram to Hitler to say the 6th Army was completely surrounded by strong Soviet forces. 290,000 Axis were trapped in what was to become the cauldron (Der Kessel). Where once the Germans trapped the Soviet soldiers in the Kessel they were now experiencing the reverse at Stalingrad. Hitler ordered to Paulus not to retreat at any cost as the 6th Army would be fully supplied by air. By the 25th November 1942 what supplies did arrive they were grossly inadequate and remained so until the end of January 1943 when Paulus surrendered at Stalingrad.

—

(Mediterranean and Desert War)

The German Desert Fox, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel had returned from his sickbed to resume command of the Afrika Korps on the 25th October 1942. On arrival, he was forced into a more defensive role due to lack of fuel and much needed reinforcements.

By the 23rd October1942 British commander of the Eighth Army Lt General Bernard Montgomery had assembled a massive Allied force and launched Operation Lightfoot which began the Second Battle of El Alamein. By the 1st November 1942, Montgomery was ready to launch his breakthrough, Second Battle of El Alamein. Rommel was expecting an attack near the coast and sent some reinforcements even though he knew he only had 90 tanks remaining to face 800 British tanks.

Montgomery was aware of the German depleted defensive line 25th and promptly ordered Australian infantry divisions to attack Rommel’s southern flank.  On the 23rd October 1942 Montgomery reshuffled his forces and moved the 7th Armoured Division to the south. By the 2nd November 1942 Rommel had received a report saying he would have only 35 tanks, and one third of the artillery and anti-tank weapons available to face the Allied forces in the south.

The battle entered the next phase codenamed “Operation Supercharge” on the 2nd November 1942 with the object to destroy enemy armour and force them to fight in the open. At 01.00 a seven hour aerial bombardment began followed by four and a half barrage of 360 guns firing along the whole front. Rommel signalled Hitler that the Afrika Korps was not capable of any opposition to the next British breakout attempt, Hitler replied on the 3rd November 1942 that they were to stand and fight. When Montgomery ordered his reserve infantry brigade to advance, Rommel again requested permission to retreat. Having not received a reply from Hitler, Rommel gave orders for the Afrika Korps to retreat on the 3rd November 1942 ending the Second Battle of El Alamein.

When Britain’s King George VI knighted Montgomery on the 10th November 1942 his efforts at El Alamein were formally recognised. Montgomery allowed his forces to recuperate and gather their strength and by the 10th November 1942 he was ready to chase Rommel’s Afrika Korps the 2,000 miles across the desert as far as Tunisia. On the same day Montgomery began a major British offensive on Libya/Egyptian border. By the 13th November 1942 the Eighth Army had recaptured Tobruk. Continuing west they recaptured Derna on the 15th November 1942. With the Afrika Korps retreating westward the Eighth Army took Benghazi in Libya on the 20th November 1942. The Allied offensive met with minimum success when they arrived in Tunisia on the 29th November 1942 and the offensive continued into the following month.

With Rommel in retreat from El Alamein the Allies launched Operation Torch against the Vichy-French territory of North Africa on the 8th November 1942.  American General Mark Clarke had met with Vichy-French officers in Algeria the previous month who stated they were willing to support the Allies. Operation Torch was a planned three-prong attack along the north coast of Africa. The three attacks being Casablanca (Western) in Morocco, Oran (Centre) and Algiers in Algeria. For propaganda purposes, a U.S. landing force supported by British warships and aircraft was proposed. The thinking was that would be more acceptable to the French public, who were of mixed opinions, than an Anglo/American invasion. Before entry into the war the Americans had officially accepted the Vichy government whereas the British had not. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean duly ordered the attack to begin before daybreak on the 8th November 1942. The hostilities having on the 10th November 1942 when Vichy-French Admiral Francois Darlan signed an agreement with the Allies, officially Operation Torch ended on the 16th November 1942. For further details of Operation Torch see separate article.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

There is no definite date for the end of the Siege of Malta but it was thought to be around the 11th November 1942. The previous month, German General Field Marshall Albert Kesselring had called off the Luftwaffe offensive against Malta. Following successful resupplying of the island the defenders were too strong. Also Kesselring, as General Commander in the Mediterranean theatre was forced to support the German retreat from El Alamein. The Siege of Malta had begun in June 1940 and the islanders had suffered terribly during the siege. The privations of the island were recognised when King George VI presented the island with the George Cross, the British highest civilian bravery award.

——

(Pacific)

On the island of Guadalcanal the Japanese occupied the north of the island and west of the Matanikau River. On the 1st November 1942 U.S. Marine engineers constructed three footbridges across the Matanikau. At approximately 06.30, U.S. Army artillery and three U.S. warships opened fire on the Japanese on the west bank of the Matanikau. Bombs were dropped at the same time on the same area by nineteen B-17 heavy bombers. Three Battalions of the 5th Marine Regiment, under General Alexander Vandegrift, crossed the river. The 1st Battalion (1/5) crossed at the mouth, the 2nd Battalion (2/5) and the Whaling Group crossed the river further inland. The Whaling Group were specially selected marines trained in scouting, stalking and ambush tactics under the command of Acting Colonel William J. Whaling. South of Point Cruz the 2/5 and the Whaling Group encountered very little resistance and occupied several ridges by early afternoon. However, after crossing the river the 1/5 suffered heavy casualties. They were driven back to the river by Japanese defenders of Point Cruz. The retreat was halted by the determined effort of further drafted-in troops of the 1/5. Staff of Vandegrift made the decision to attempt to encircle the Japanese at Point Cruz. On the 2nd November 1942 the encirclement was complete and U.S. artillery bombarded the Japanese positions throughout the day. By noon of the 3rd November 1942 the Japanese at Point Cruz were all killed and the Americans emerged victorious.

The Japanese needed reinforcements and as part of the Tokyo Express run the Japanese dispatched five destroyers, each to land 300 fresh troops plus their equipment at Koli Point on the night of the 2nd November 1942. American radio intelligence had intercepted the Japanese communication and were determined to intercept the landings. Only the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (2/7), under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Herman H. Henneken was available. Having marched from the early hours of the 2nd November 1942 they reached Koli Point after dark the same day. The 2/7 awaited the arrival of the Tokyo Express by deploying their troops along a 2,000 yd. (1,800 m) line in the wood facing the beach. The five Japanese destroyers arrived at Koli Point in the early hours of the 3rd November 1942 and began unloading their troops and equipment. The 2/7 remained concealed and attempted to radio headquarters to report the landings but were unsuccessful. At dawn the 2/7 were discovered by a Japanese patrol and an immediate attack began on the Americans. After having suffered significant losses, running short of ammunition and still unable to contact headquarters for assistance the 2/7 decided to retreat. At 14.45 the 2/7 finally made contact with headquarters and U.S. reinforcements began the march towards Koli Point on the 4th November 1942. Naval artillery fire bombarded the Japanese whilst the American troops were heading towards Koli Point. Eventually, on the 12th November 1942, the U.S. Marines overran the Japanese who had not retreated and victory was secured by the Americans at Koli Point.

Lieutenant Colonel Evan Carlson, as commander of the Second Marine Raiders Brigade began a series of engagements known as Carson’s Patrol. The 2nd Raiders began their patrol on the 6th November 1942 and ended 29 days later on the 4th December 1942. Travelling northward from their starting point at Aola on Guadalcanal they marched through the jungle and arrived southeast of Koli Point on the 8th November 1942. 2,000/3,000 Japanese troops had escaped the Koli Point encirclement and Carson’s Patrol killed Japanese soldiers whenever they were located. Of the Japanese troops who escaped from the Koli Pint encirclement only700/800 reached the main Japanese army west of the Matanikau River. Carson’s Patrol had hiked approximately 150 miles (240 km) which covered a straight line distance of 40 miles (64 km) on their 29 day patrol. They claimed 488 Japanese killed or captured and destroyed large amounts of Japanese equipment. The raiders suffered 16 killed and 17 wounded with 225 non-battle casualties from some form of tropical ailment when they arrived back at their headquarters on the 4th December 1942.

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was primarily between American and Japanese naval forces which took place between the12th/15th November 1942. A series of air and sea engagements were related to Japanese efforts to reinforce the land forces on the island of Guadalcanal.  On the 12th/13th November 1942 Japanese battleships Hiel and Kitishima escorted transport ships to reinforce Japanese troops on Guadalcanal. They successfully reinforced their troops the following day and returned for another delivery. The Americans sent a task force to Guadalcanal following an Intelligence report the Japanese were planning an attack on Henderson Field. On a separate engagement Kirishima and Hiel were attacked by the U.S. fleet. Hiel suffered serious damage and Kirishima attempted to tow her to safety, but eventually Hiel was scuttled. Kirishima withdrew but then engaged with USS Washington and USS South Dakota on the 15th November 1942. In the engagement South Dakota was damaged and withdrew but Washington sank Kirishima thus ending the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on the 15th November 1942. For further information see the article “The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal”.

USS Juneau was a light cruiser escorting reinforcements to Guadalcanal. Arriving at their destination on the 12th November 1942 the transport ships began unloading. Juneau along with the other warships set up a protective screen around them. At 14.05 on the 12th November 1942 the unloading convoy was attacked by 30 Japanese aircraft. The dockside and warships were waiting for the arrival of the attackers as they had been pre-warned the attack was coming. Shore based ante-aircraft fire was effective as only one bomber escaped. Juneau had accounted for six aircraft and U.S. fighters shot down the remainder. Upon receiving another report that two Japanese battleships, one light cruiser and nine destroyers were headed for the island, the U.S. support warships engaged the Japanese at 01.48 on the 13th November 1942. The engagement occurred in near pitch darkness and at almost point-blank range, because bad weather and poor communications has allowed the two sides to intermingle. A Japanese torpedo was launched and Juneau was struck on her port side which caused her to list severely. Juneau along with two other damaged cruisers were heading for repairs when at 11.00 Juneau was struck by another Japanese torpedo fired from a submarine. Following a massive explosion she broke in two and immediately sank. Fearing another attack by the submarine the two cruisers departed, assuming there were not any survivors from Juneau. More than 100 sailors did survive the sinking of Juneau including three of the five Sullivan brothers. The brothers had all wanted to serve together on the one warship. Two apparently were lost when Juneau went down. The other three brothers survived the sinking only to die in the water. The remaining survivors were left to fend for themselves in the open ocean. All but ten survivors died from the elements or shark attacks. They were finally rescued on the 20th November1942 by either USS Balllard or PBM seaplane. At the time of the attack on Juneau, a patrolling U.S. B-17 bomber was signalled to notify Allied headquarters to send ships or aircraft to search for survivors. For various reasons the order for the rescue operation was delayed.

During the Guadalcanal Campaign a night-time naval engagement was conducted on the 30th November 1942. The Naval Battle of Tassafaronga was where five U.S. cruisers and four destroyers intercepted eight Japanese destroyers. The Tassafaronga area is in the channel between Guadalcanal Island and Florida Island. The Japanese destroyers were attempting to deliver food to what was left of their army who were stationed in the north-west of the island. Following radar contact U.S. commander Rear Admiral Carlton H. Wright waited 4 minutes for permission to launch torpedoes from his destroyers. When permission was granted he was in the wrong place and all torpedoes missed their targets. The U.S. cruisers opened fire on the Japanese destroyers and sank one. However, the muzzle flashes exposed the cruiser positions. The Japanese commander Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka ordered the launching of their Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedoes and sank one of the U.S. cruisers and badly damaging three others. The remaining seven Japanese destroyers escaped undamaged but did not deliver any supplies. Technically the naval battle was a Japanese victory with the loss of one destroyer and approximately 200 personnel killed. The U.S. force lost one heavy cruiser and three severely damaged cruisers with the loss 395 men. The aftermath brought about the standing orders to all U.S. ships that “destroyers are to attack the enemy on first contact without waiting orders from the task force commander”.

—–

 (Other Theatres)

Operation Harling was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) mission in cooperation with the Greek resistance groups ELAS and EDES. The Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Bulgaria had occupied Greece since June 1941. 0n the 25th November 1942 SOE destroyed the heavily defended Gorgopotamos viaduct in Central Greece.  However, Italian Railway Engineers repaired the bridge and operations were resumed in 19 days. This sabotage act was one of the first to be conducted in Axis occupied Europe. This success brought about the beginning of the permanent British involvement with the Greek Resistance

For more details see the separate article “Operation Harling – Nov ‘42”.                                                                                             

—-

In Australia, overseas reports were suppressed of hostilities between Australian servicemen/civilians and United States military personnel. The hostilities occurred in Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city, on the 26th/27th November 1942. Queensland is the territory located on the north-east coast of Australia nearest to the Philippine Islands.  The Battle of Brisbane, as it became known, began on the 26th November 1942.  It would appear that an intoxicated American private left a hotel at 6.50pm where he had been drinking when it closed. Along the way he stopped to talk with three Australians and was approached by a U.S. Military Police (MP) asking for his leave pass. The MP became impatient and arrested the private. The Australians remonstrated with the MP who raised his baton as if to strike one of the Australians.  A brawl developed between the Americans and Australians and one Australian soldier was killed and several injured. By 10.00 pm the crowd had dispersed after tempers had calmed down. On the second night, the 27th November 1942 a crowd of approximately 500 Australian servicemen, ready for another confrontation, gathered outside the U.S Post Exchange, attended by heavily armed American MPs.  An Australian officer intervened and things finally settled down and eventually the crowd dispersed. In conclusion, Brisbane’s Chief Censor ordered that reports of the riot were not to be published.

See the separate article the “Battle of Brisbane” for further details.

——————————————–