SECOND WORLD WAR

July 1942

(Britain)

The first USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses arrived in Britain on the 1^st July 1942 and were distributed to various purpose built airfields in England, Administration staff had begun arriving at High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire during May 1942 in readiness for the deployment of American units to Britain to form the 97^th Bombardment Group. With the arrival of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), alongside RAF Bomber Command the Allies were in a position to attack Germany on a regular basis. The combined bombing forces were now able to undertake both daylight and night-time raids. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the mid-1930s. The first B-17 flew in July 1935 and was introduced into service with the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) in April 1938. When the war began in 1939 the RAF did not have many heavy bombers until March 1942 when the Avro Lancaster bombers entered service. The Lancaster was developed from the twin-engine medium bomber Avro Manchester and soon became the principle heavy bomber for the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling.

The first USAAF unit selected to bomb targets in occupied Europe was the 15^th Bombardment Squadron and the raid was on the 4^th July 1942. The raid had been specifically ordered by General Henry “Hap” Arnold who believed the 4^th July American Independence Day would be the ideal day for the attack. After a few weeks of familiarisation training, six American crews from RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire joined up with six RAF crews from RAF Swanton Morley, Norfolk. Their targets were Luftwaffe airfields in the Netherlands. The attacks were made at low-level and the badly damaged aircraft of the 15^th Bombardment Squadron commander, Captain Charles Kengleman, only just managed to return. For this action Kengleman was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and a British equivalent for his bravery and valour. Of the twelve attacking bombers three did not return, two American and one British. q

A motion of censure was brought against Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the 2^ndJuly 1942. Following two weeks of reversals on the North African Front, the House of Commons proposed they had no confidence in the general direction of the war. The House payed tribute to the endurance and heroism of the Armed Forces of the Crown in the most difficult of circumstances and directed their censure against Churchill’s leadership. Before the vote was taken Churchill gave a lengthy speech where he conceded the war had not been going well. With the campaign in North Africa stalling and the war in the Pacific being a series of disasters, Churchill assured the House that things would soon improve. Once the vast amounts of American military supplies began arriving the war in Europe would take a turn for the better. When the vote was finally taken the motion of censure was heavily defeated 475 to 25.

(Germany)

Four German submarines were commissioned between the 1^st/4^thJuly 1942. Three were Type VIIC and one was a Type IXC/40. Type VIIC was the workhorse of U-boat force which had limited range before being required to be refuelled. They had five torpedo tubes, four in the bows and one at the stern. One 8.8cm (3.46 inch) naval gun was supplied for deck armament. Type IXC/40 was a large ocean-going submarine capable of sustained operations far from support facilities. They had six torpedo tubes, four in the bows and two at the stern. One 10.5cm (4.1 inch) deck gun was supplied for surface firepower.

Commissioned on the 1^st July 1942 was U-414 (Type VIIC, built in Danzig) and commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Walther Huth. She was deployed in the Battles of the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Also commissioned on the same day was U-707 (Type VIIC, built in Hamburg) and commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Oberleutnant zur See Günther Gretschell. She was deployed in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Commissioned on the 2^nd July 1942 was U-629 (Type VIIC, built in Hamburg) and commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Helmuth Bugs. She was deployed in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Commissioned on the 4^th July 1942 was U-167 (Type IXC/40, built in Hamburg) and commanded by Kapitänleutnant Kurt Neubert. She was deployed in the Battle of the Atlantic.

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Operation Outward was a British programme to attack Germany by means of free flying balloons. The balloons were surplus weather balloons and when fitted with simple timing and regulating systems were released to fly over to Germany. Nearly 100,000 balloons were released during the course of the war with half carrying incendiaries and half carrying trailing wires. The most successful 0peration 0utward raid was on the 12^th July 1942 when a balloon fitted with a trailing wire struck an 110Kv power cable which caused the Böhlen power station to be destroyed by fire. The free flying balloon attacks were successful and had an economic impact on Germany far in excess of the cost to the British government.

The first successful test flight of the Jet Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter aircraft was carried out on the 18^th July 1942 at Leipheimer near Günzburg in Germany. This version was the third variant air frame housing a jet powered engine. The engine had been developed and constructed by Hans Joachim Pabsi von Ohain in 1936. The gradual development of the aircraft entailed various flight tests ultimately leading to the first successful first jet powered flight. Frank Whittle, a 22 year old English RAF officer proposed the concept of the jet engine in 1930. When he presented the design to the RAF the idea was turned down as impractical. Whittle patented the idea in January 1930 but could not finance the patent renewal fee when it became due in 1935. Although he entered a partnership to set up Power Jets Ltd, finance was difficult to obtain for further development. The Germans were able to capitalise on Whittle’s design.

(France)

Following France’s defeat and the signing of an armistice with Germany in 1940, Pierre Laval served two prominent roles in the Vichy French regime of Phillippe Pétain. His first role was vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers and from April 1942 as head of government. Laval had won the trust of German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler and increasingly Pétain was only a figurehead in the Vichy regime. As the effective premier of Vichy France Laval collaborated with the Nazis programme of genocide and oppression. In Paris, on the 16^th July 1942 Laval encouraged the French police to carry out a massive arrest programme of Jewish families’ codenamed the “Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup”. The name of “Vel’ d’Hiv’ Roundup” was derived from Vélodrome d’Hiver (Winter Vélodrome). Aimed at eliminating the Jewish population in France, the roundup consisted of both Jews who resided in the German occupied zone in the north and the French free zone in the south. Over 14,000 Jews were arrested in Paris of which 4,000 were children. They were held at the Velodrome d’Hiver without food or water. The accommodation was crowded and with no sanitary facilities the conditions were appalling. The Jewish population of Paris were transferred to Auschwitz in rail cattle trucks where they systematically murdered.

(Eastern Front)

The Siege of Sevastopol began on the 19^th May 1942 following the Battle of the Kerch Peninsular. Sevastopol is a port in the Crimea which is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. The German/Romanian attack defeated the Soviet troops at Kerch on the 15^th May 1942. The port of Sevastopol with approximately 162,000 Soviet soldiers were left stranded and completely surrounded by German soldiers. After a month’s delay the German commander Erich von Manstein turned his attention to the capture of Sevastopol. Using of the Luftwaffe and a large number of heavy artillery guns including super heavy 600 mm (24 inch) Kari-Gerät mortars and the 800 mm (31 inch) ‘Dora’ Railway Gun the assault began on the 2^nd June 1942. The bombardment continued for another five days before the ground assault began. The troops who were victorious at the Battle of the Kerch Peninsular were the same soldiers attacking Sevastopol. Casualties were high on both sides as the month dragged on. A surprise amphibious attack was ordered by von Manstein on the 29^th June 1942 which was a success as Soviet resistance was almost non-existent. On the 1^st July 1942 the German army overran Sevastopol whilst the Soviet forces conducted a disorderly evacuation. The entire city of Sevastopol was in German hands on the 4^th July 1942 and the siege was over. For his success German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler promoted von Manstein to Field-Marshal on the 1^st July 1942.

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 they converted the Auschwitz army barracks into a prisoner-of-war camp for Polish political prisoners. Gas chambers had been added to the converted barracks in May 1940 and the first gassing of inmates began about the end of August 1941. Using concentration and extermination camps the Germans attempted to solve the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question”. As Director of the Reich Main Security Office, Gestapo Reinhard Heydrich outlined this solution at the Wannsee Conference in Berlin. The conference was held on the 20^th January 1942. Jews from all occupied Europe would be transported by freight train and delivered to Auschwitz. Selected prisoners would be separated for slave labour and the remaining prisoners would be gassed on arrival. By the 4^th July 1942 the Germans were systematically gassing Jews at Auschwitz.

In April 1942 Treblinka in Poland was built as an extermination camp and equipped with gas chambers disguised as shower rooms and located 8Okm (50 mile) northwest of Warsaw. Treblinka first opened on the 22^nd July 1942 when the systematic deportation of Jews from Warsaw Ghettos began. The camp comprised two separate units.Treblinka 1 was a forced-labour camp. Cutting wood in the forest to fuel the cremation pits was one of the tasks the prisoners were forced to undertake. When not cutting wood they worked in the gravel pits or the surrounding irrigation areas. Of the 20,000 inmates who resided in Treblinka 1 between 1942 and 1944, more than half died from starvation, disease, malnutrition or shooting. Treblinka 2, the second camp, was the extermination camp.Treblinka 2 was divided into three sections. The first was the guard’s quarters and administration compound, the second was the off-loading of incoming prisoners. The third was the location of the gas chambers.Treblinka 2 stopped gassing operations in 0ctober 1943 following a revolt by the prisoners in August 1943. The camps Treblinka I/2 were dismantled and a farmhouse built on to the site. In an attempt to hide the evidence of the gassing operations the ground was ploughed over. In the period between July 1942 and October 1943 when Treblinka 2 was operating an estimated 700,000 to 900,000 Jews were killed in the gas chambers. More Jews were killed at Treblinka Extermination Camp apart from Auschwitz-Birkenau. When the Soviet forces began approaching from the east in July 1944 the Germans had already destroyed Treblinka leaving very little evidence.

As a continuation of Operation Barbarossa of 1941 the Germans launched Fall Blau(Case Blue) on the 28^th June 1942. Case Blue was intended to knock the Soviet Union out of the war. On the 26^th June 1942 a two-pronged attack was proposed by German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, one from the Axis left flank would advance toward Rostov-on-Don and on toward Stalingrad. This move was designed to protect the advance on the Baku oilfields. On the 28^th June 1942 the Germans advanced 48km (30 miles), on the first day toward Rostov-on-Don. Their 1.37 million man army, assisted by the Luftwaffe, easily overran the 1.7 million Red Army troops. With the collapse of the Soviets the Germans captured Voronezh on the 5^th July 1942 despite becoming embroiled in the battle to seize the city. The Soviet leaders had expected a German offensive on Moscow and for which they held back troops in reserve. Slowed down by their overstretched supply lines and constant counter-attacks by the newly deployed Red Army reserves the Germans reached and crossed the River Don near Stalingrad on the 24^th July 1942. A three month battle for the control of Stalingrad began. After having the River Don crossing secured, even though his army was flagging through lack of supplies, Hitler issued the directive for the attack in the Caucasus on the 23^rd July 1942. The Axis right flanks advanced over the Caucasus Mountains in order to seize the oilfields at Baku in Azerbaijan. However, the offensive slowed as it entered the Caucasus Mountains and the Germans were obliged to embrace a defensive mode as they had not reached their 1942 objectives.

(The Mediterranean and Desert War)

Malta was suffering a further German air raid on the 1^st July 1942 when a flying boat approached the Grand Harbour in Valletta. Air Office Commander (AOC) Air Commodore Hugh Lloyd ordered the plane to stay clear until after the raid was over. However, the flying boat landed in the Harbour which was a flagrant disregard of an order by the AOC. Lloyd, intent on giving the pilot a dressing down, sent for him immediately. Instead of a junior pilot who entered his office, the man who walked in was Air Marshall Keith Park. In a firm but soft voice Park informed Lloyd he had arrived to take over command. Park, who went by the nickname of “Skipper” or by the Germans as “The Defender of London”, was one of The Few who had fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940. He was Wing Commander of 11 Group Fighter Command and devised tactics to combat German air attacks. Over Malta, with plenty of Spitfires available, Park changed the strategy from purely defensive to intercepting incoming bombers and their fighter escorts. The impact of his Forward Interception Plan was virtually instantaneous as all German daylight raids were abandoned by the 31^st July 1942.

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With the fall of Tobruk during the Battle of Gazala on the 15^th June 1942, the British Eighth Army, under the command of General Sir Claude Auchinleck (The Auk) retreated east into Egypt and took up a position near El Alamein. The line the British chose to defend straddled between the coast-line of the Mediterranean and the impassable Qattara Depression on the outskirts of the Sahara Desert, a distance of 35 miles (56 km). Alamein was a small hamlet with a railway station on the coast and approximately 10 miles (16 km) to the south was the stony Ruweisat Ridge which afforded excellent observation over the surrounding desert. The Ridge is a low east-west rocky outcropping and was defended by the infantry of the 18^th Indian Brigade and included support by Nepalese Gurkhas. The Eighth Army had constructed three “boxes” with open desert between them. Each box was basically a defended dug-out and the open desert was covered by minefields and barbed wire. The nearest to El Alamein was complete, the one nearest Ruweisat Ridge was only partially completed owing to the rocky terrain whilst the one nearest the Depression had very little done to make it effective. The Auk’s defensive plan was aimed at funnelling the Afrika Korps between the “boxes” and to attack them from the flanks. The First Battle of El Alamein began on the 1^st July 1942 when the Afrika Korps of General Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) had acquired sufficient supplies to open the assault against the British defences. His aim was to attack the defensive line at El Alamein with a combined Afrika Korps and Italian armoured forces. By the evening Rommel had managed to destroy and occupy the British positions on the Ridge’s western edge. The Indian Brigade controlled the eastern edge. He concentrated on the main area of El Alamein and the Ridge, as his favourite tactic of outflanking his opponent was curtailed by the impassable Qattara Depression. His supply line was unable to maintain the delivery of food, water, oil and ammunition and by the 11^th July 1942 Rommel’s forces began to experience shortages, especially fuel. Attack and counter-attack occurred along the length of the line. On the 26^th July 1942 The Auk attacked Rommel’s forces in an offensive but were driven back by the Afrika Korps. By the 30^th July 1942 German supplies were not getting through. The British had halted Rommel’s advance toward Alexandria and the Suez Canal and both sides spent time re-supplying in readiness for the 2^nd Battle of El Alamein in August 1942. The Auk had approximately 150,000 men and Rommel had approximately 96,000 men at their disposal at the beginning of the First Battle of El Alamein. At the stalemate by the end of the month the Eighth Army had suffered approximately 13,250 casualties and the Afrika Korps had suffered approximately 10,000 killed and wounded with 7,000 captured.

On the 15^th July 1942 Captain Charles Upham was commanding a company of the 20^th Battalion (Canterbury Regiment). The battalion was part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) and was originally held back as reseve. The area around El Alamein was witnessing light skirmishing from both British and German troops. An attack had been ordered against the enemy-held Ruweisat Ridge. Whilst under fire and leading his company to attack the Ridge and crossing open ground Upham was wounded. However, he managed to destroy a truck load of German soldiers with hand grenades. Despite his wounds, and after being treated, he insisted on remaining with his company to take part in the final assault. Communications with the front assault troops had been broken and Upham received an order to send an officer to go up ahead to report on the progress of the attack. Armed with a sub machine gun, he opted to go himself, after several encounters with German machine gun posts he reported back with the required information. The reserve battalion was ordered forward and had almost reached the top of the Ridge when they ran into heavy fire from tanks and machine gun posts. He led his men against two defended positions and they knocked out the machine gun posts and a tank with hand grenades. In this engagement Upham was again wounded with a bullet through his elbow which broke his arm. Some of his men had become isolated and he went out to bring them back. Before having his wounds dressed he stayed with his men until they had beaten off a counter attack and consolidated their position. With his wounds dressed he returned to his company where he remained all day under heavy artillery fire. He was wounded for a third time and with 6 of his remaining men he fell into German hands when their position was overrun. For this action Upham was awarded a bar to his previously awarded Victoria Cross for his actions in Crete in 1941. He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war eventually ending up in the infamous Colditz Castle. Upham was one of only three men to be awarded the VC and bar. Noel Chavasse and Arthur Martin-Leake were the other two.

(Pacific)

The “Flying Tigers” flew and fought their final engagement on the 3^rd July 1942 and were replaced by the China Air Task Force on the 24^th July 1942. The “Flying Tigers” was the nickname of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force. Before America entered the war President Franklin D. Roosevelt recruited Brigadier General Claire Lee Chennault to form the “Flying Tigers”. The Sino-Japanese war between Japan and China had begun in 1937. Chennault had worked in China as military aviation advisor to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek from that date. By the summer of 1940 fighter and bomber squadrons supplied by the Soviet Union to China had been withdrawn as they were required on the Eastern Front. Chiang sent Chennault to Washington as an adviser to China’s Ambassador to request for American combat aircraft and pilots. Chennault spent the winter of 1940 – 1941 in Washington following Roosevelt’s recruitment of Chennault. He supervised the purchase of 100 Curtiss P-40 fighters, the recruitment of 100 pilots and 200 ground crew and administration personnel. The “Flying Tigers” began arriving in China in April 1941. Their mission was to bomb Japan and defend the Republic of China. Many delays meant the AVG didn’t see combat until the 20^th December 1941, 12 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. The AVG was composed of pilots from the United States Air Corps (USAAC), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USAMC) who was commanded by Chennault. Their Curtiss P-40 aircraft, marked with Chinese colours, flew under American control. Chennault had observed Soviet pilots in China and devised a different attack approach. Knowing his actual combat pilots and fighters were never greater than 62 he prohibited his pilots from entering a turning dogfight with the more manoeuvrable and superior numbers of Japanese fighters. His doctrine was to attack in teams from an altitude advantage. They were to execute a ‘dive and zoom’ approach where they attacked the Japanese fighters from above and zoomed away to set up another attack. Hundreds of villages throughout China were equipped with radios and telephones to give warning of the approaching Japanese air attack force. The AVG were in the air awaiting their arrival. When the AVG was replaced they were officially credited with 297 enemy aircraft destroyed including 229 in the air. Fourteen AVG pilots were either killed in action, captured or missing on combat missions. During the time of the “Flying Tigers” existence as a combat unit force two air crew died of wounds sustained in bombing raids. A further six were killed in accidents. Many of the AVG pilots received the Chinese Air Force Medal. Each AVG ace was awarded the Five Star Wing Medal. Finally 33 AVG pilots and 3 ground crew received the Order of the Cloud and Banner Medal.

United States submarine USS Growler was on her maiden patrol under the command of Lieutenant Commander Howard W. Gilmore. Growler was built in Groton, Connecticut on the 2^nd November 1941 and commissioned on the 20^th March 1942. Growler’s first war patrol began on the 19^th June 1942 when she cleared Pearl Harbour for her assigned patrol area around Dutch Harbour in Alaska. She stopped off at Midway Island on the 24^th June 1942 and entered her patrol area on the 30^th June 1942. Whilst patrolling off Attu Island on the 4^th July 1942 Growler sighted three Japanese destroyers and she entered her first action. She was submerged when she closed in for the attack. She launched her torpedoes and surfaced. Growler’s torpedoes struck the Japanese destroyers Kasumi and Shiranui amidships and severely damaged them and putting them out of action. The third destroyer Arare was hit in the bow but before she sank she had launched two torpedoes at Growler, which passed either side of her. In the meantime Growler had dived deep but she was not subjected to attack by depth charges. Without finding any more targets Growler completed her patrol and on the 17^th July 1942 she berthed at Pearl Harbour.

As part of the strategy to isolate Australia from the United States the Japanese objective was to seize Port Moresby on the Australian Territory of Papua New Guinea. Japanese forces landed and established a beachhead at Gona and Buna, on the north coast on the 20^th July 1942. To enable the Japanese to seize Port Moresby the advance needed to be overland along the Kokoda Trail. The trail traversed the mountains and the Japanese pushed back the minimal Australian defenders and captured Kokoda and its strategically vital airfield on the 29^th July 1942. The Japanese advanced to within sight of Port Moresby but they had outrun their supply line and withdrew in September 1942.

(Other Theatres)

British forces began the invasion of Vichy-French Madagascar on the 5^th May 1942. When the Vichy defenders surrendered at Antanamitarana on the 7^th May 1942, Vichy forces still held the south of the island. To consolidate the remainder of the area the British sent an invasion force to the Vichy held island of Mayotte on the 2^nd July 1942. Mayotte is located north west of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel. The island was an ideal base for British operations in the area as it would give control of the channel. Most of the Vichy defenders were either sleeping or taken completely unaware the British had invaded and were captured. The occupation of Mayotte included the capture of radthe io station and the whole operation was carried out with no loss of life or major damage.

In America the SS Alexander Macomb was a Liberty Ship built in the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland. Construction began on the 18^th February 1942 and she was launched on the 6^th May 1942. Final completion was carried out on the 2^nd July 1942 and she sailed for New York on her maiden voyage. Leaving New York City on the 3^rd July 1942 with a cargo of tanks, aircraft and explosives she joined Convoy BX-27. The convoy was forced to sail around Cape Cod instead of the northern end of Cape Cod Canal. The grounding of a cargo vessel in the canal was the cause of the diversion. On the evening of the 3^rd July 1942 the convoy sailed into heavy fog. To avoid colliding with other ships of the convoy Alexander Macomb fell behind. Maintaining an intermittent zigzag course Alexander Macomb had hopes of re-joining the convoy in daylight. Within sight of the convoy Alexander Macomb was torpedoed by German submarine U-215. The torpedo caused her cargo of explosives to ignite and burst into flames and she sank at 1.00 pm on the 4^th July 1942. In the meantime the crew of 8 officers, 33 of the 37 crewmen and 25 armed guards were able to abandon ship. They evacuated onto a raft and three lifeboats, one of which capsized after striking the still moving ship. Canadian corvette HMCS Regina picked up 14 crewmen and 11 armed guards and British trawler HMS Le Tiger picked up 23 crewmen and 8 armed guards. The remaining 6 armed guards and 4 crewmen died in the attack. U-215 attempted to escape but was pursued by Le Tiger and HMS Veteran who succeeded in sinking her, with the loss of her crew, by depth charges.

Off the east coast of America, the German submarine wolf-pack system entered what was known as the “Second Happy Hour”. This period lasted from January 1942 to August 1942 where German U-boats were able to inflict massive damage for little risk. 609 Allied merchant ships, totalling 3.1 million tons, were sunk for the loss of 22 U-boats. The “Second Happy Hour” was so successful because the United States defences were weak and disorganised and merchant ships had not formed into escorted convoys. With the Royal Navy and Canadian Royal Navy as escorts the convoy system developed whereby merchant shipping losses to U-boats began to drop. On the 19^th July 1942 Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered the last of his U-boats to withdraw from the United States Atlantic coast and shifted his attention back to the North Atlantic.

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

Jul26

Date Time Location Damage

01/06/1942 Found Shenfield A portion of a German Meteorological Balloon on a

tree in Alwynne Avenue. Subsequently sent to H.Q.

16/06/1942 Found South 1 – 2″ British Trench Mortar Shell near the

Benfleet seaplane obstruction. (Removed by BDS 22.6.42).

20/06/1942 11.30 Wallasea Norman Sidney Hales of 4 Dogget’s Close

Island Rochford an employee of the Stambridge Thrashing Machine Coy. Ltd. Was working on the Island when he was tampering with a German Cannon Shell which he had found at Hockley a few days previously which exploded. Hales received the following injuries:- Tops of 3 fingers and thumb of left hand and ( Rest of entry on original missing).

22/06/1942 17.00 Hadleigh 1 – 2″ British Trench Mortar found in the creek near

the Old Jetty, opposite the Salvation Army Colony, removed to South Benfleet Police Station (removed BDS 14.7.42).

SECOND WORLD WAR

Jul26

JUNE 1942

(Britain)

The “Thousand Bomber Raid”, was a term used as propaganda for the Royal Air Force (RAF), to describe three heavy bombing attacks on German cities in the summer of 1942. The bulk of the aircraft were twin-engine medium bombers such as the Vickers Wellington (Wimpy). To reach the number of aircraft required for the attack existing operational aircrew from RAF Bomber Command were reinforced by aircrews from Operational Training Units (OTU). Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris had successfully sent the first “Thousand Bomber Raid” against Cologne on the 30^th May 1942. For the second raid on the 2^nd June 1942 the Krupp Steel Works in Essen was the prime target. 956 aircraft were dispatched but the target was obscured by industrial haze and the bombing was not very effective. For the third “Thousand Bomber Raid”, on the 25^th June 1942 Bomber Command had assembled 960 aircraft to which RAF Coastal Command had added another 102 aircraft to attack Bremen. The assembly shop of the Focke-Wulf factory was flattened and 17 buildings receiving varying degrees of damage. Shipyards, two large dockside warehouses and the Korff oil refinery were also damaged. 572 houses were completely destroyed and 6,108 damaged. A total of 85 people were killed, 497 injured and 2,308 bombed out. The RAF were using the radio navigational GEE system which afforded them limited success. But the success came at a cost. 48 Bomber Command aircraft were lost, of which 23 were from the OTU and 5 from Coastal Command. Following the third raid never again were one thousand bombers sent against a single target.

As he was about to leave for America by air on the 16^th June 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill took the unusual step of writing a letter to King George VI. Churchill advised the King that should he not arrive in Washington for his talks with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the King should make Anthony Eden Prime Minister.

On the 24^th June 1942 Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in London as Commanding General, European Theatre of Operation USA (ETOUSA). Since America’s entry into the war Eisenhower had been assigned to the General Staff in Washington. Upon arrival he took over the position from James E. Chaney and was based in London. He was provided with a house at Kingston-on-Thames.

(America)

On the 5^th June 1942 the United States of America declared war on Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. Bulgaria and Hungary had allied with Germany and Romania was under German occupation. The relationship between the U.S. and Germany was not one of mutual trust. Germany viewed America’s lease-lend policy to Britain as being a partial act of war from a neutral state. The attack on Pearl Harbour by Japan on the 7^th December 1941 brought America into the Second World War. On the 11^th December 1941 Germany declared war against the U.S. with the immediate response that America declared war against Germany on the same day. President Franklin D. Roosevelt thought it improper to engage in hostilities without a formal declaration of war against another country. On the 5th June 1942 Roosevelt signed the declaration of war against Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, being allies of Germany.

The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was created on the 13^th June 1942 when the U.S. government agency opened an office based in Washington. Communication between the various battle fronts and civilian population were established through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs and films. Large scale information and propaganda campaigns became effective when several overseas branches were incorporated into the agency.

The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking that eventually produced the first atomic bomb. When the project document was placed before Roosevelt on the 17^th June 1942 he approved it by writing “OK FDR” on the document. German chemists had discovered nuclear fusion in 1938 which made the development of an atomic bomb theoretically possible. Refugee scientist from Nazi Germany had fears that a German atomic bomb could be produced. Albert Einstein signed the Einstein-Szilard letter on the 2^nd August 1939 which warned of the potential development of extremely powerful bombs. A breakthrough investigation by British scientists of the University of Birmingham indicated the critical mass of uranium-235 could be turned into an atomic bomb. The critical mass breakthrough occurred in June 1939 and by July 1940 Britain offered the United States its scientific research. By this stage the American project was smaller and not as far advanced as the British. America and Britain exchanged nuclear information but did not initially combine their efforts. Although America was prepared to meet the development costs Britain was reluctant to agree. On the 18^th June 1942 America started the Manhattan Project which was the beginning of the scientific approach to nuclear weapons.

Having flown from Stranraer in Scotland to Baltimore, Winston Churchill arrived in Washington for talks with Roosevelt on the 18^th June 1942. This round trip was the only time Churchill had crossed the Atlantic by air during the course of the war. During the talks of 20^th/25^th June 1942 the two agreed the priority should be the opening up of the front in North Africa. They also agreed the invasion of Europe across the English Channel would be postponed. The United States began direct military assistance in North Africa on the 11^th May 1942 and troops were deployed on the 30^th June 1942.

(The Eastern Front)

In Prague, following an assassination attempt to kill Reinhard Heydrich, he was in hospital having been operated on and apparently making a recovery from his wounds. He was the chief high-ranking S.S. Officer in German occupied Czechoslovakia and was on his way to meet Fuhrer Adolf Hitler in Berlin. On the 3^rd June 1942 he fell into a coma and never regained consciousness and died aged 38 on the 4^th June 1942. Heydrich was buried in Berlin’s military cemetery on the 9^th June 1942 with Hitler in attendance. Infuriated by Heydrich’s death Hitler ordered reprisals to be carried out against the Czech people. On the 10^th June 1942 the villages of Lidice and Ležáky were burned to the ground and at least 1,300 Czechs including 200 women were killed in reprisal for Heydrich’s assassination. The assassins hid in a safe house but rather than surrender they killed themselves after they had been betrayed.

(Mediterranean)

The war in the desert had been ongoing since June 1940 with the major problem being the distance from either side’s headquarters to the front line. The Axis HQ was in Libya while the Allied HQ was in Egypt. The length of the battle front was something like 1,300 miles with supplies and communications dictating the success or failure of the actions which tended to go in fits and starts. German General Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) had set up a defensive line west of Tobruk at the end of May 1942. German supplies to the Western Desert had been reduced owing to the success of the Allied aerial bombardment and torpedo attacks, from Malta, on the Axis convoys. However, sufficient supplies had arrived to enable Rommel to prepare for an assault to capture Tobruk. He had at his disposal 90,000 men, 560 tanks of which 332 were German and 228 were Italian. He also had available 497 serviceable aircraft. Facing Rommel was the British Eighth Army under the command of General Sir Claude Auchinleck (known as The Auk) whose forces consisted mainly of Dominion, Indian and Free-French troops. The Eighth Army had at their disposal 100,000 men, 843 tanks and 604 aircraft stationed along the Gazala Line which protected Tobruk. The Gazala Line consisted of huge mine-fields from Gazala on the coast and 50 miles south into the desert at Bir Hakeim. Between the mine-fields were a series of “Keeps” which housed a large number of men and equipment. The 1^st South African Division was garrisoned on the Gazala Line near the coast with the50^th(Northumberland) Infantry Division to the south and central section. The 1^st Free French Brigadewere concentrated at the southern end of the line at Bir Hakeim and the 5^th Indian Infantry Division were held in reserve. By the end of May 1942 Rommel was ready to begin his offensive. He made a decoy attack in the north and central areas while Italian engineers cleared some of the mine-fields. His main attack force moved south in a sweeping movement around the left flank of the Gazala Line at Bir Hakeim then moved north behind it. On the 1^st June 1942 Rommel launched his attack on the British 50^th Infantry Division who were soon overcome.

By the 5^th June 1942 British forces of the 8^th Army counter-attacked Rommel. In the meantime on the 9^th June1942 Rommel renewed his attack on the 1^st Free French Brigade and by the 10^th June 1942 he had forced the Free French out of Bir Hakeim. From Rommel’s launch date to evacuation 3,700 French soldiers immobilised 40,000 Axis troops, losing 800 either killed or missing. Also on the 10^th June 1942 the 1^st Free French Brigade were ordered to withdraw and on the 14^th June 1942 The Auk authorised a British withdrawal from the Gazala Line. South African Major-General Hendrick Klopper had been appointed commander to defend Tobruk. By 17^th June 1942 Tobruk was surrounded and The Auk viewed Tobruk as being expendable but expected it could be besieged and hold out for two months, by which time he planned to return and relieve Tobruk within this period. On the 21^st June 1942, 35,000 Eighth Army troops surrendered to the Afrika Korps. The perimeter for the defence of Tobruk was approximately 35 miles plus another 20 miles of coastline. Klopper concluded any value gained by continuing the fight would not be worth the additional casualties and thought it more expedient to surrender. The fuel and equipment stored there had been allocated for an Allied advance and Churchill did not want it to fall into Rommel’s hands.

The surrender allowed the Axis Powers the ability to use British supplies, and resupply the Afrika Korps, in their pursuit of the Eighth Army into Egypt. The British Command ordered the retreating Eighth Army to prepare a decisive action at Mersa Matruh to halt the Axis advance. On the 28^th June 1942 the Afrika Korps captured Mersa Matruh, took 6,000 prisoners along with a great deal of supplies and equipment. The remainder of the Eighth Army survived to arrive at El Alamein in time for Rommel to begin the assault at the First Battle of Alamein on the 1^st July 1942.

It would appear, but not confirmed, that Churchill had informed Roosevelt that Tobruk would be held. Churchill was desperate for a victory to boost British morale as the Allies were not doing well against the Axis forces or the Japanese in the Far East. He concentrated his frustration on The Auk who he considered was not aggressive enough with his strategy. The Auk offered to resign but the offer was refused. The two men were on a collision course. On the 14^th June 1942 The Auk received a message from Churchill saying that a “retreat would be fatal” and added “comply or resign”.

On the morning of the 15thJune 1942 another message from Churchill confused matters more by using the phrase “Presume there is no question in any case of giving up Tobruk”. The Auk sent a reply to say there were sufficient troops to hold Tobruk. At the time of the fall of Tobruk Churchill was a guest of Roosevelt at the White House, and it was the President who gave him the news. So close was the relationship between the two leaders, when Churchill heard of the fall of Tobruk he said “I am ashamed”, to which Roosevelt replied very quietly “What can I do to help?” His offer was to send 250 new M4 Sherman Tanks to the Eighth Army. However, for Churchill the stunning American victory at the Battle for Midway, caused him concern. Would Roosevelt give in to the popular American enthusiasm and give priority to the Pacific? Politically Roosevelt needed to get the GIs into the fighting as soon as possible and would therefore stick to the agreed “Europe First” strategy.

—

Aircraft carrier HMS Eagle undertook a total of five deliveries of Spitfires to Malta by the 8^th June 1942. 64 Spitfires had been despatched to Malta with the assistance of American carrier USS Wasp for the first two deliveries. Eagle undertook her three final deliveries of Spitfires when a further 78 were despatched. Between the two carriers 164 Spitfires were launched of which 135 successfully reached their destination. By the middle of June 1942 the Germans were forced to divert many of their aircraft from Malta to the Eastern Front to replace losses sustained during the Battles of the Kerch Peninsular and the Second Battle of Kharkov. Aircraft were required to support Rommel’s offensive in the desert campaign which took precedence over continued attacks on Malta. The pressure on the island decreased with the removal of the German aircraft. The arrival of the latest variant Spitfire, contributed to German sorties against the island being drastically reduced. Although slower than the German Messerschmitt ME-109, the Spitfire with its greater manoeuvrability and fire power was soon the master of the Malta skies. Malta was desperately short of food and fuel and a decision was taken to send two separate convoys from two separate locations to bring relief to the island. Convoy “Operation Harpoon” sailed from Gibraltar on the 11^th June 1942, consisting of five freighters and a tanker. On the same day eleven freighters forming convoy “Operation Vigorous” sailed from Alexandria in Egypt. Both freighter convoys were heavily escorted by the Royal Navy. Both convoys ran the gauntlet of German and Italian aircraft, U-boats, Italian submarines and MTB’s. In addition “Vigorous” faced the Italian fleet including the battleship Littorio while “Harpoon” faced two Italian cruisers and two Italian destroyers. Air cover for “Harpoon” was non-existent and they encountered almost constant air attacks by German and Italian aircraft. By the time the convoy reached Malta on the 16^th June 1942 only two freighters had survived. However, they arrived with 15,000 tons of desperately needed supplies. None of the freighters from “Operation Vigorous” reached Malta. The Royal Navy lost or received damage to a number of the escorting ships. Despite only two of the seventeen freighters who survived the journey reaching their objective, the tide of events were turning against the Axis powers. The arrival of the Spitfires enabled future convoys to receive vital air cover as they approached Malta.

In Nazi occupied Greece, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) called for national resistance. Various minor left-wing parties joined the KKE to form the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM). Permission had been given to a communist veteran Athanasios Klaras (later to be known as Aris Velouchiotis) in February 1942 to examine the possibility of a successful armed resistance movement. The movement was to become the Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS), led by Aris Velouchiotis, a journalist, a politician and a communist. ELAS began action against the occupation. Velouchiotis with a small group of 10 – 15 guerrillas entered the village of Domnist on the 7^th June 1942. In front of the surprised villagers Velouchiotis proclaimed the guerrillas had begun to “start the war against the forces of Axis and their local collaborators”. He also recruited local mountain bandits who helped to create a small group of experts in guerrilla fighting.

(Pacific)

The Midway Islands are located roughly equidistant between North America and Asia. The Americans first had a presence on the islands in 1903 and in the mid-1930s they had gained importance as a seaplane stop for Pan American Airways Clipper planes. By August 1941 a naval presence began to build up and the Naval Air Station Midway Island was established. The Japanese objective was to force America to evacuate the islands. This would also have the advantage of denying America a base from which they could attack Japan. Unbeknown to Japan the Americans had broken the Japanese code and were aware of the forthcoming attacks. The Aleutian Islands are part of the American Territory of Alaska and are located almost directly north of the Midway Islands. One of the reasons the Japanese attacked the Aleutian Islands was to draw American forces to that theatre, and therefore not be available for the defence of Midway Island. They also thought that they had destroyed the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, unaware she had retired to Pearl Harbour for repairs. On the 3^rd June 1942 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s Japanese North Area Fleet launched a two day air attack against the base at Dutch Harbour in the Aleutians. Hampered by fog and bad weather only seventeen Japanese torpedo bombers reached their objective. Confronted by anti-aircraft guns and the 11^th Air Force fighters, the Japanese released their bombs and returned to their carriers having inflicted little damage in the harbour. The following day, the 4^th June 1942, the second air attack on Dutch Harbour was more successful as the Japanese pilots were better prepared and organised. At the end of the raid the hospital was partly destroyed and the Dutch Harbour oil storage tanks were burning. When the American pilots located the Japanese carrier fleet, attempts to sink them failed as contact was lost due to bad weather. The Japanese carrier fleet cancelled any plans to continue the air raids on the Aleutian Islands. The Japanese invasion and occupation of the Aleutian islands of Kiska on the 6^th and Attu on the 7^th June 1942 met with very little resistance from the local population. The successful landing and occupation was mainly due to the fact that Admiral Chester Nimitz, newly promoted Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet, did not send naval reinforcements to defend the Aleutian Islands. Instead he concentrated on the defence of the Midway Islands. The American nation was shocked at the occupation of Kiska and Attu as American soil had not been invaded for over a hundred years.

When the Battle of Midway began on the 4^th June 1942 Nimitz had at his disposal 3 fleet carriers, 7 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 15 destroyers and 16 submarines. He also had 233 carrier-based aircraft and 126 land-based aircraft. The Japanese attack force comprised of 4 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 12 destroyers, 16 float planes and 248 carrier-based aircraft. In addition Yamamoto had many ships with varying functions either as reserve support vessels but they did not take part in the battle. The Japanese had a two to one advantage over the Americans but with the Japanese code broken Nimitz, with all that was left of the United States Navy after Pearl Harbour, was able to position the fleet between Midway and Hawaii. Yamamoto knew that he needed to destroy the U.S. carriers which comprised the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and repaired USS Yorktown, of which he was not aware. He was expecting to lure the American fleet into a trap and occupy Midway to extend Japanese defensive perimeters. Early on the morning of the 4^th June 1942 the Japanese launched their initial attack on Midway Island with a total of 110 dive bombers, torpedo bombers and fighter aircraft. On the Midway Atoll the U.S. garrison had a compliment of over 3,000 men, 115 aircraft and was bristling with anti-aircraft guns. At 06.20 am the Japanese bombed and damaged the U.S. base on Midway. The fighters left to defend the island suffered heavy losses and only two remained airworthy. American anti-aircraft fire was heavy and accurate, and combined with the fighters they destroyed or damaged 54 of the 110 Japanese aircraft involved in the attack. The Japanese failed to neutralise Midway as most American aircraft could still use the airbase to refuel. Nearly all the land based defences were intact. Japanese pilots reported that a second aerial attack would be necessary if troops were to go ashore on the 7^th June 1942. Yamamoto assumed Nimitz would not commit his fleet to a major sea battle until the 7^th/8^th June 1942. What he didn’t know was Nimitz knew of his battle plans and was therefore surprised to learn from submarines that the U.S. ships were already at sea. The Japanese were 240 miles off Midway when 26 U.S. fighters took off to engage them, but they lost 17 of the 26. Reports reached USS Enterprise of the attack on Midway and the aircraft on the three carriers were scrambled to attack the Japanese carrier fleet. After a two hour search the Japanese carriers, Soryu, Hiryu, Akagi and Kaga were located. The bombers launched their attack on the Japanese carriers which left three of them on fire. At about 11.00 am aircraft from carrier Hiryu attacked Yorktown, which received three direct hits on her flight deck. The aircraft which flew from Yorktown were therefore required to land on Enterprise. A second torpedo attack on Yorktown, later in the day, caused her to heavily list to port. Yorktown Had to be abandoned as it was in danger of sinking. In the meantime dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown attacked the remaining Japanese carrier Hiryu. A direct hit tore her bow apart and spread fires below deck. Yamamoto ordered his fleet to finish off Hiryu and Akagi with torpedoes. The entire Japanese carrier fleet had been lost. With his fleet widely scattered Yamamoto ordered the abandonment of the assault on Midway. His fleet’s troubles were not over as two of his cruisers collided during the night. Badly damaged Mogani was out of action until mid-1943, Cruiser Mikuma sank on the 7^th June 1942. Later the same day, the disabled Yorktown was being towed by destroyer USS Hamman to Pearl Harbour. A Japanese submarine sank both vessels with torpedoes. The Battle of Midway came to a close on the 7^th June 1942. The final toll for the Battle of Midway for the Americans was the loss of 1 carrier, I destroyer, 307 men and 147 aircraft. For the Japanese their losses were 4 carriers, 1 cruiser, 3,500 men and 352 aircraft. The battle proved the Japanese could be beaten, and gave the Allies hope they would eventually be defeated. Japanese strategy following the Battle of Midway, was one where they were generally not in a position to attack but they needed to defend their conquests.

It was during the Battle for Midway Island that the newly introduced Grumman TBF Avenger saw its first action. There were six new Avengers stationed at Midway out of a total of 126 aircraft including seventeen B-17 Flying Fortresses. Five of the sixAvengers were lost at the Battle for Midway. TheAvenger was an American torpedo bomber developed for the United States Navy and Marine Corps which first flew in August 1941. The Avenger was the heaviest single-engine aircraft in the Second World War capable of carrying a torpedo or a single 2,000 lb (900 kg) bomb or four 500 lb (207 kg) bombs. The Wright Twin Cyclone fourteen cylinder radial engine was capable of carrying its 3 man crew and fully loaded up to a range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) with a ceiling of 30,000 ft. (9,000 m).

The Japanese attacked Sydney Harbour in Australia with submarines on the 8^th June 1942 which was more of psychological exercise to create fear of an impending invasion. The attack was also intended as a diversion ahead of the attack on Midway Island in the North Pacific. The Allies failed to respond to several warnings of Japanese activity in the area prior to the attack. Sydney Harbour’s anti-submarine boom nets were incomplete and on the day of the attack the inner and outer loop nets were inactive. Three Japanese 2 man midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour avoiding anti-submarine boom nets on the 1^st July 1942. Two midget submarines were detected, attacked and sunk before they could engage any Allied vessels. The midget submarine crews were killed. The third submarine attempted to attack USS Chicago but instead sank the converted ferry HMAS Kuttabul killing 21 sailors. The fate of this midget submarine was unknown until 2006 when the wreck was discovered off Sydney’s northern beaches. With the failure of the midget submarine raid five Japanese fleet submarines embarked on a campaign to disrupt merchant shipping in Eastern Australian Waters. Over the next month at least eleven merchant ships were attacked and three were sunk with the loss of 50 sailors. It was during this period that on the 8^th June 1942 two submarines bombarded the ports of Sydney and Newcastle. Submarine I-24 surfaced and her commander ordered the gun crew to target Sydney Harbour Bridge. Ten shells were fired of which nine landed on the eastern suburbs and one landed in the water. Only one shell exploded which caused minimal damage. Crash-diving allowed I-24 to avoid retaliation by coastal artillery batteries. Submarine I-21 shelled Newcastle when she fired 34 shells primarily the BHP steelworks but the shells landed over a large area causing minimal damage and no fatalities. The only time an Australian land fortification fired against an enemy was when Fort Scratchly returned fire. Submarine I-21 escaped unscathed.

(Other Theatres)

On the 1^st June 1942 a Warsaw underground newspaper first reported that gas was being used to kill Jews. The newspaper, the Liberty Brigade, made public the news of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at a Nazi-operated death camp at Chelmno in Poland. The news leaked nearly seven months after the extermination of the inmates of the camp had begun. The killing of Jews was not denied by the Germans. They wrote very little down and most orders were verbal in order to maintain a state secret of the extermination. Hitler’s orders to gas the Jews was on a need-to-know basis.

Convoy PQ17 sailed from Hvalfjord, Iceland on the 27^thJune 1942 bound for the port of Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. Under British command the convoy was the first large joint Anglo-American naval operation. When the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union in June 1941 the British and American governments agreed to send unconditional aid to their Soviet allies. PQ17 consisted of 35 merchant ships and 6 auxiliary ships and their escort vessels. On the 1^st July 1942 German forces located the convoy and began shadowing it. From information received the Allies believed they would be facing the German battleship Tirpitz, but in fact Tirpitz was not amongst the German fleet. The British Admiralty ordered the escort vessels away from the convoy to intercept the German raiders. The same order told the convoy to scatter and as the escort vessels withdrew the convoy was left defenceless. The undefended merchant ships were attacked by the Luftwaffe and U-boats which created such carnage that only eleven of the 35 merchant ships reached their destination on the 4^th July 1942. Convoy PQ17 suffered the worst losses of any convoy during the Second World War. The delivery of only 70,000 short tons of cargo demonstrated how difficult it was to arrange for adequate supplies through the Arctic waters. A standard ton weighs 2,240 lbs while a short ton weighs 2,000 lb.

—————————————————————

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

Jul26

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

Date Time Location Damage

02/05/1942 Found Warley 1 – Unexploded bomb believed to have fallen on

the 8.8.40 found in Magpie Wood Warley (near refuse dump). No damage or casualties. Report Centre informed.

21/05/1942 Found Foulness 1 – Yellow Metrological Balloon about 6ft in

Island circumference with a tin can attached containing paraffin found in a tree at Ridge Marsh Farm, Foulness Island. Removed to Rochford Police Station.

25/05/1942 Barling 1 – Deflated Naval Barrage Balloon grounded at

Barling Hall 500 yards N.E. of Barling Hall Dock. Number on Balloon 6162, R.N. (Naval Authorities informed).

27/05/1942 11.40 Rayleigh 1 – Smashed Aircraft at Rayleigh at junction of

Eastwood Rise and Hillside Road. Map Ref. 275096. Machine completely smashed. British Spitfire. Occupant Pilot Officer Woodhead 81st Squadron, Hornchurch killed. Number of plane B.467 RAF Hornchurch informed.

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

Apr30

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

Date Time Location Damage

01/04/1942 13.53 Canvey Barrage Balloon broke adrift and drifting towards

Island Hadleigh. No damage.

01/04/1942 Found Great 1 – Small Yellow U.X.B. found with wire fouling

Wakering electric cables at Wick Farm. 1 slight casualty suffering shock.

01/04/1942 Found Great 2 – Small Yellow Bombs. 1 unexploded and 1

Wakering exploded whilst being interfered with causing 3 casualties, 2 serious and 1 slight 200 yards West of D.F. Wireless Station. 2 boys Burgess and Mott were conveyed Rochford Hospital where they died the same day from injuries received.

01/04/1942 Found Great 1 – Small Yellow U.X.B. exploded whilst being

Wakering examined by BDS at Halfway House Marshes causing 1 slight and 2 serious casualties to BDS personnel. Lieut. Walton died of injuries the 1.4.42 and Lanc/Sergt. Bristow died the 4.4.42 in Southend Municipal Hospital Rochford.

04/04/1942 Found Nevendon 1 – H.E unexploded in a field opposite Wickford

Drive Burnt Mills Road. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling not known. (Disposed of BDS 25.4.42).

08/04/1942 Great All Small Yellow U.X.Bs found in the Great and

Wakering Little Wakering areas between the 31.3.42 and 8.4.42 (aprox 50) have been disposed of by BDS.

Found Paglesham 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in the garden of “Milton House” Waterside. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling not known. (disposed of BDS 3.5.42). Shown in text as 8/8/42.

10/04/1942 Found Great 1 – Small Yellow U.X.B. with wire attached in a

Wakering meadow at Oxenhams Farm. No damage or casualties. (Disposed of BDS 23.4.42).

11/04/1942 Found Great 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in the front garden of

Wakering Fletcher’s Grocer, of High Street. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling not known. (Disposed of BDS 21.4.42).

11/04/1942 Found Childerditch 1 – A.A. Shell in a meadow 400 yards North of

Brickfields. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling not known. (disposed of BDS 27.4.42).

12/04/1942 Found Sutton 1 – H.E unexploded found in the garden of Sutton

Hall, 50 yards East of Sutton Church. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling believed 7.10.40. (disposed of BDS 21.4.42).

12/04/1942 Found Foulness A Metrological Balloon at Nazewick Farm.

Island Deposited at Rochford Police Station.

15/04/1942 13.00 Canvey 1 – Deflated Barrage Balloon washed ashore at the

Island point Canvey Island. Removed to Canvey Island Police Station. Markings “MK VI” (F.I) 30510 RAF Hornchurch informed. Then collected by the Royal Naval Control Southend.

24/04/1942 10.30 Billericay 1 – Smoke float fell from a British Aircraft and

landed in a garden at rear of E.C.C. Clinic, Laindon Road and burnt itself out. No damage or casualties. Remains of float removed to Billericay Police Station.

25/04/1942 Found Hutton 1 – Unexploded H.E. found near back gate of “Red

Heath” Ridgeway Hutton Mount. Date and time of falling not known. Report Centre informed (Disposed of BDS 2.5.42).

26/04/1942 Found Great 1 – U.X. Small Yellow Bomb found in a field 200

Wakering yards South of links and Mepburns Nurseries in the main Southend to Great Wakering Road. Date and time of falling 21-29 hours the 31.3.42. No damage or casualties. Report Centre informed. (Disposed of BDS 4.5.42).

28/04/1942 Found Wickford 1 – U.X.A.A. Shell found in a meadow 300 yards

S.W. goods yard (L.N.E.R.) Wickford Station. Date and time of falling not known. Report Centre informed.

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

Apr1

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

Date Time Location Damage

02/03/1942 Found Childerditch 1 – Unexploded A.A. Shell found in a field 500

yards South of The Greyhound P.H. No casualties or damage. Time of occurrence not known.

04/03/1942 08.45 Great A navy blue parachute 4 feet in circumference with

Wakering 12 white cords attached found by Wardens and claimed by the Director of Experiments, Shoeburyness Garrison.

17/03/1942 11.00 Wallasea Found under the sea wall near the old Pool. A

Island deflated Barrage Balloon No. K.B/M.K. 6 & No A.499 with letters “R.N.” & “Evelyn” thereon. Removed by Naval Authorities 18.3.42.

17/03/1942 Found Childerditch 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in a field 600 yards

South East of the Greyhound P.H. Childerditch Common. No damage or casualties. (Disposed of BDS 31.3.42).

21/03/1942 Found Dunton 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in the garden of

“Kimoiey” Lower Avenue. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling not known. (Disposed of BDS 3.4.42).

24/03/1942 Found Rayleigh 1 – H.E unexploded in a meadow at junction of

Victoria and Alexander Avenues. No damage or casualties. Date and time of falling not known.

31/03/1942 21.29 Great 2 – Small Yellow U.X.Bs exploded in High Street

Wakering and a of Small Yellow U.X.Bs fell in the area. 2 serious and one slight casualties. Damage to roofs, tiles and windows of property. Telephone wires down.

SECOND WORLD WAR (March 1942)

Mar1

SECOND WORLD WAR (March 1942)

Britain

The British government extended the conscription laws on the 5^th March 1942. For the first time unmarried women between the ages of 20 to 30 years of age were included in the new laws. Married women with children were excluded. Women were not used in combat but served in a range of non-combat activities. However, there are occasions were some women served as overseas spies or took an active role in the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The upper age limit for men was extended to 45 years and the existing laws still remained in force.

When America entered the war in December 1941, a joint meeting between the U.S. and U.K. commanders agreed that defeating Germany was the first priority. Sir Arthur Harris had been appointed Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of RAF Bomber Command in February 1942. Later during the height of the Anglo-American bombing campaign he was given the name of Bomber Harris by the press. The Krupp factory in the industrial town of Essen was a prime target for Allied strategic bombings. The Krupp factory had a near monopoly in the production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. Beginning on the 8/9^th March 1942 the RAF launched air raids with over 800 British bombers in total, attacking the town during the month of March 1942. Beginning on the 20^th March 1942 the RAF carried out Operation Outward by attacking Germany with free-flying balloons. Nearly 100,000 surplus naval weather balloons were launched during the course of the war. In an effort to damage high voltage power lines, approximately half of them carried trailing steel wires. The intention was that the trailing wires would cause a short circuit in the power lines and subsequently causing electrical power to fail. The remaining balloons carried incendiary devices intended to start fires in fields, forests and heathland. Operation Outward was successful because of the harassment created on German air defences. German fighters were having to be deployed in an effort to shoot the balloons down thereby using additional fuel and wear and tear on their aircraft. On the night of the 28/29^th March 1942 the RAF launched an attack on the medieval city of Lübeck on the Baltic coast. The city had a port and submarine yards nearby and the object was for the RAF to learn how effective an initial wave of aircraft could guide a second wave into a successful attack. The first wave dispatched 144 tons of incendiary bombs to set buildings alight and half an hour later a second wave dropped 160 tons of high explosives. At least half of the city was destroyed mainly by fire. However, the attack was costly for the RAF. Of the 234 bombers sent on the raid 13 aircraft were shot down along the route. Knowing that Adolf Hitler was outraged at the attack on Lübeck, Bomber Harris stated that the Nazis had “sowed the wind and now they are going to reap the whirlwind”. He was referring to the German bombing of British strategic targets during the period known as “The Blitz”. Like Lübeck, Coventry was a medieval town with an industrial centre, and Harris had no scruples about attacking a similar target in Germany. Althou gh outraged Hitler should not have been surprised that the Allies retaliated.

Operation Chariot or the Raid on St. Nazaire was a combined attack by the Royal Navy and British Commandos on the 28^th March 1942. St. Nazaire is located in Loire estuary on the French coast and was chosen because of its dry dock facility and its loss meant large German warships in need of repair would have to return to home waters. This would require the Germans to either negotiate the English Channel or the North of Scotland. Either way they would have to run the gauntlet of the Home Fleet. The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown was chosen to ram the dock gates at St. Nazaire. She was packed with well-hidden delayed-action explosives that detonated later in the day. Leaving Falmouth in Cornwall on 26^th March 1940 Campbeltown crossed the English Channel escorted by 18 smaller craft then made their way along the Atlantic coast of France to St. Nazaire. They formed into a three-lane convoy with the destroyers operating in the middle lane. They received a signal from Plymouth that five German torpedo boats were in the area, and a further signal to say that two additional destroyers had been dispatched at full speed to join the convoy. Just before midnight on the 27^th March 1942, two squadrons of RAF bombers began to attack St. Nazaire in order to divert the Germans attention away from the naval raid. In the meantime the convoy was spotted by a German submarine who sent a message to say that British warships were heading toward the docks. When the convoy reached St. Nazaire the destroyers headed for the dock entrance. Just prior to entering the dock Campbeltown raised the German naval ensign in an attempt to deceive the dock defenders she was one of their own destroyers. The port lane of the convoy headed for the Old Mole whilst the starboard lane headed for the old entrance in order to despatch their relevant contingents of Commandos. In the confusion of the air attack and the message about warships approaching, the Germans received orders for all guns to cease firing and searchlights to be extinguished. A German lookout had reported seeing some activity at sea and the searchlights were switched on illuminating the entire convoy. Immediately a German signal light demanded the identification and the convoy replied “Ship being fired on by friendly forces” following a few bursts being fired from the shore batteries. With the convoy about one mile from the dock gates the German flag was lowered on Campbeltown and the White Ensign raised. As Campbeltown increased her speed the dock searchlights were illuminated and they began to take heavy fire from the Germans. They cut through the anti-torpedo netting and rammed the dock gates with such a force that drove her thirty three feet into the gate. Two commando assault teams and five demolition teams disembarked from Campbeltown. The demolition team’s objectives were to destroy dock pumping machinery and associated dry dock installations. Campbeltown’s explosive charges detonated at noon on the 28^th March 1942 which destroyed the dry docks. On board the Campbeltown at the time of the explosion were 40 senior German officers and civilians who were killed. The explosion killed approximately 360 men in total. The raid was successful but came at a high cost. Most of the motor launches were destroyed on the run in and were burning. Of the 622 men of the Royal Navy and Commandos who took part in the raid only 228 returned to England. They were on board the attacking fleet on the return journey. Five Commandos managed to escape through Spain and Gibraltar where they took a ship to England. A total of 169 men were killed (105 were RN and 64 were Commandos). The remaining 215 men were captured and became prisoners of war. The British raid on St. Nazaire infuriated Adolf Hitler who immediately sacked the chief-of-staff Generaloberst Carl Hilpert. However, the raid refocused the German’s attention on the prevention of any repeats on the various ports of the Atlantic Wall. 15,000 bunkers were ordered to be built to defend the Atlantic coast to extend from Norway to Spain. The German battleship Tirpitz never entered the Atlantic partly due to the raid on St. Nazaire. Out of five Victoria Crosses awarded during the St. Nazaire raid, one was slightly unusual. Thomas Frank Durrant was posthumously awarded the VC partly on the recommendation of an enemy officer, who singled him out for his bravery. Durrant was a sergeant serving in the Corps of Royal Engineers attached to N^o 1 Commando and was in charge of a Lewis gun on board H.M. Motor Launch 306. The launch engaged with a German destroyer, at about 50-60 yards range and searchlights illuminated the launch exposing Durrant. He fired his gun into the bridge and although severely wounded he stayed at his post and when called upon to surrender he replied with a burst from his gun. The launch was boarded and those still alive were taken prisoner. Sgt Durrant died of his wounds the following day. Of the other four recipients of the VC, one was a Commando and the remaining three were naval. Lieutenant Colonel Augustus Newman was serving in the Essex Regiment attached to N^o 2 Commando. As overall commander of the assault force he need not have been involved in the attack but chose to lead his men from the front. He organised a defence against German reinforcements until all the demolition parties had completed their tasks. With evacuation by sea not possible they charged into the new town hoping to reach the surrounding countryside but were eventually surrounded. When their ammunition had been expended they surrendered and were taken into captivity. Newman survived the war. Lieutenant Commander Stephen Beattie was the commander of HMS Campbeltown who despite being blinded by searchlights and under heavy fire steamed his ship into the dockyard gates. Beattie survived the war and the VC was awarded not only for his bravery and his citation also mentioned the bravery of the ship’s company. Royal Naval Commander Robert Ryder was in command of the Naval Force aboard motor boat MGB314 who assisted in the evacuation of men from Campbeltown following the ramming of the dock gates. While exposed to heavy fire from the Germans he remained at station until he could no longer be of use and withdrew under heavy fire. Ryder survived the war Able Seaman William Savage served in the Royal Navy on board the Motor Gun Boat 314. He was totally exposed to enemy fire as the gun layer of the Lewis gun. He engaged with enemy positions on shore with accuracy and on the way out of the harbour he maintained the same accuracy against enemy ships until he was eventually killed at his post. Savage’s posthumous VC was awarded for his gallantry and his citation also mentioned the gallantry of his fellow comrades. The operation has been called “The Greatest Raid of all” within British circles as the dry dock facility at St. Nazaire was out of action until 1948.

Mediterranean

The island of Malta, a British colony, had been under siege by the Axis Powers since the summer of 1940. Failure of the February 1942 convoy from Alexandria to reach the island left Malta in a desperate position. Acute shortages of everything, food, ammunition, fuel, spare parts and aircraft were made worse by the constant Axis bombardment. Squadron Leader Stan Turner arrived in Malta in February 1942 after being appointed to take over 249 Squadron. He quickly realised that the existing Hurricane fighters faced unacceptable odds against German and Italian bombers and fighters. He urgently requested a squadron of Spitfire fighters be despatched and the request was approved. The Spitfires for the Malta squadron were the first to be deployed outside of Britain. The only option for the delivery of the Spitfires was that they would have to be transported from Britain by aircraft carriers. Upon reaching Algiers on the 6^th March 1942 fifteen Spitfires were flown from HMS Eagle the 650 miles to Malta. All fifteen Spitfires, accompanied by seven Blenheim aircraft, reached Malta safely and by the 1Oth March 1942 they were ready for action. Aircraft carrier HMS Argus had originally been assigned, along with HMS Eagle, to deliver the Spitfires. Unfortunately the lift from the lower deck on Argus was too small to accommodate the fixed-wing aircraft which left Eagle as the only feasible option. By the 21^st March 1942 HMS Eagle had returned to Algiers with an additional nine Spitfires and these were flown on to the island as before.

On the 22^nd March 1942 four cruisers and sixteen destroyers escorted three merchant ships plus a Navy oiler to Valletta harbour on the island. A cruiser and its covering destroyers sailed from Malta to meet them and successfully kept an Italian battleship, and its escorts away from the convoy. German bombers attacked the convoy and one merchantman and the oiler were sunk before reaching Malta. Arriving at the harbour to the cheers of the locals the remaining merchantmen were sunk in the harbour with only a fraction of their cargo unloaded.

Pacific

For the most part the Pacific War for the Japanese was highly successful. Their ambition to be masters of the Far East depended on their ability to obtain the raw materials Japan did not possess. They had been at war with China for years and were an experienced military force. The Allies did not appreciate Japan’s ability to invade so much territory so quickly and therefore were totally unprepared. This was a major reason for Japans success.

On the 4^th March 1942 the Imperial Japanese Navy launched Operation “K” on a reconnaissance mission to Pearl Harbour. Two Kawanishi HK8 “Emily” flying boats flew from the Marshall Islands. Their mission was to assess the damage and the American repairs to the dock area. The flying boats had been loaded with four 500 lb (250 kg) bombs and landed at the French Frigate Shoals to refuel. In addition to their reconnaissance mission the Japanese pilots were to bomb the “Ten-Ten” dock to disrupt salvage and repair efforts. The dock was named for its 1,010 ft. (310 m) length. American radar stations picked up and tracked the two planes but thick cloud over Pearl Harbour prevented the defenders spotting the Japanese aircraft. American Curtiss P-40 fighters and Catalina flying boats were despatched to search for the assumed Japanese aircraft carriers. The same clouds confused the Japanese pilots who lost contact in the clouds and were separated. The Japanese leading pilot, Hisao Hashizume was only able to see small patches of the island. He dropped his bombs on the slopes of the extinct volcano on Tantulus Peak assuming it to be Pearl Harbour. The second Japanese aircraft was flown by Ensign Shosuke Sasao appears to have dropped his bombs into the ocean. Both Japanese aircraft returned on the long journey back to base. There were no American casualties but the raid raised the fears of a potential Japanese invasion of Hawaii. Operation “K” was only partially successful for the Japanese as they bombed Hawaii but they did not obtain the information regarding Pearl Harbour they were seeking.

By mid-March 1942 the Japanese had attacked and occupied Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, Java and Malaya. American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) or ABDACOM was formed by the four nations involved in late December 1941. This decision was agreed at the Arcadia Conference in Washington in early December 1941. The command was led by General Sir Archibald Wavell, and was devised to maintain control of the Malaya Peninsular from Singapore to the Dutch East Indies which included the Philippine Islands. Wavell’s command was thinly spread over such a large area and Japanese supremacy soon overwhelmed the region. Although part of ABDACOM the Philippines were in reality commanded by American General Douglas MacArthur. He in turn was commander of the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). With the Japanese over-whelming the whole of the region and following the fall of Singapore ABDACOM was dissolved in February 1942. The Philippine Islands were being overwhelmed by the Japanese and MacArthur attempted to slow the Japanese advance. Fearing the Philippines would also be over-run American President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not want his commander of USAFFE captured and he ordered MacArthur and family to evacuate to Australia. On the 17^th March 1942 MacArthur had landed in Australia and arrived in Melbourne on the 21^st March 1942. From Melbourne he made his famous speech, “I came through this and I shall return”. He refused Washington’s request to amend his speech to “We shall return”.

The French New Caledonia lay east of Australia. The island was also a stop-over for the supply route from America. The Japanese had possible intentions to occupy the island because it had a harbour and an airfield, easy access to Australia and also the French and Australian defences were minimal. On the 12^th March 1942 the American Task Force 6814 arrived at the harbour of Noumea. As the harbour did not have deep water facilities the Task Force was transferred to the island on a flotilla of small vessels. The Task Force dispersed inland with the 132^nd Infantry Regiment assigned to defend the northern portion of the island. The 182^nd Infantry Regiment was assigned to defend the southern section including Noumea.

Following the closing down of ABDACOM in February 1942, Wavell returned to India. He was Commander-in-Chief India and had been C-in-C ABDACOM as well. Field Marshal William (Bill) Slim was promoted to command the Fourteenth Army the 1^st Burma Corps in March 1942. He inherited a disastrous situation. Morale was low within the British conscripts, the Burmese auxiliaries and the Indian troops. Slim turned the morale round by visiting each of his units and re-assuring them he valued them. His speeches created a pride in the units and he managed to rebuild the fighting spirit which he brought about by his military skill and his own personal charisma. Heavily outnumbered he was forced to withdraw to India. By leading a controlled military withdrawal he made sure the 900 mile (1,400 km) retreat did not turn into a rout. The Japanese rapid advance overstretched their ability to supply their army giving Slim the opportunity to organise his forces. Burma’s unforgiving terrain forced Slim into changing his transportation methods where he used mules instead of vehicles and his army was supplied by air transport. The Japanese began to pay a heavy price for their advance as the encounters were better organised by the Allies.

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

Feb28

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

Date Time Location Damage

15/02/1942 Found Rayleigh A piece of balloon fabric with cords attached

believed to be part of an experimental balloon found in the garden of 6 Station Crescent. Removed to Rayleigh Police Station.

16/02/1942 08.40 Foulness A British Hurricane ‘plane crashed 300 yards East

of Haven Gore Bridge. Plane completely wrecked. Pilot from RAF Harwich sustained slight injuries to head and chest. (Removed to Shoeburyness Hospital, Number unobtainable due to damage) RAF informed. Military guard mounted.

SECOND WORLD WAR January 1942

Jan1

SECOND WORLD WAR January 1942

Desert War and Mediterranean

Malta was beginning to experience more severe problems on top of being besieged since June 1940. When a number of ships of the British Mediterranean “Force K” Fleet was sunk in December 1941 the navy withdrew the remaining ships from central Mediterranean on the 7^th December 1941. With the loss of the British warships, together with around 20 RAF bombers and reconnaissance aircraft having been shot down the success against the Axis convoys soon died up. German convoys were beginning to get through to Tripoli in Libya. The withdrawal of “Force K” coincided with the Italian bombing campaign which was proving to be successful. German Messerschmitt 110 and JU88 night fighters were flown into Sicily to assist in the bombing campaign. The RAF defensive arm was under pressure when Germany attacked airfields and civilian areas on the 1^st January 1942. Eight Hurricane fighters were shot down during the battle and a further fifty destroyed on the ground. British naval and air commanders argued for more aircraft especially Spitfires to be sent to Malta. It was pointed out that the inferiority of the Hurricane against the Messerschmitt was affecting morale and Spitfires began arriving in March 1942.

Following the Allied capture of Benghazi in Libya (See Desert War Dec 1941) the Allies advanced and reached El Aghelia on the 6^th January 1942. When Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel, commander of the Afrika Korps, retreated from El Aghelia on the 15^th December 1941 he moved closer to his supply line in Tripoli, Libya. He had also received reinforcements which had started to arrive at Tripoli on the 5^th January 1942. Rommel’s 120 mile counter-offensive began on the 21^st January 1942 and the Afrika Korp captured Agedabia and began the push to Beda Fomm. On the 29^th January 1942 Rommel’s Afrika Korp had recaptured Benghazi. He established his new front line east of Benghazi from Tmimi to Mechili. The two sides were able to rest and rearm until Rommel was finally ready to attack the Gazala Line in the spring of 1942.

Eastern Front

The Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin transferred General Georgi Zhukov from Leningrad to Moscow in October 1941. Zhukov was a master tactician and a respected leader of men, and recognised the German Operation Barbarossa had failed. By the 7^th January 1941 the German Army was suffering from the lack of proper winter clothing and equipment owing to the onslaught of the Soviet winter. Combined with the lack of proper winter shelter the morale of the German Wehrmacht was badly affected. The Germans, at what was their worst hour, began to suffer an appalling loss of experienced commanders. This was mainly because of the commander’s inability to agree with Adolf Hitler who then assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Army thus relieving many of the generals of their command. By the 31^st January 1942 the German Army was in retreat following the Soviet offensive. The effect Zhukov had on the defender offensives of Moscow was boosted. The Soviet Army had regrouped with artillery, armour and reserve manpower and the Soviet offensive began on the 5^th January 1942. The Russian Bear had awakened.

Stalin had ordered a thousand mile offensive against the Germans of which Medya was the furthest city east of Moscow. Following the German retreat from Moscow and the beginning of Zhukov’s Offensive the Soviet Army took the cities of Kirov and Medya on the13^th January 1942. From intelligence received, Hitler believed the Soviet Army was ready to collapse. He ordered the remainder of the German Army in the Soviet Union to the Eastern Front. The exception being the troops at the Siege of Leningrad. His ultimate aim was the capture of the mineral resources of southern Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, in Poland, German authorities began to deport Jews from the Lodz Ghetto on the 15^th January 1942.This Ghetto was established by the Germans for the internment of Polish and Roma (gypsies) following the invasion of Poland. The gates of the ghetto, which housed nearly 164,000 residents, were closed in April 1940. Lodz was the second largest ghetto in all German occupied Europe with Warsaw being the largest. The ghetto was designed to starve the people and over 20% of the population died from hard work, overcrowding and starvation. The deportation of the inmates to the Chelmno extermination camp from Lodz began with a special S.S. detachment carrying out the operation. During the course of January 1942 approximately 10,000 Jews and Roma were deported to Chelmno.

The Vilna Ghetto in Lithuania was established by the Nazis in August 1941. Abba Kovner, an inmate of the ghetto was a Jewish poet and writer who raised a Jewish resistance fighting force, in order that an organisation for a revolt needed to be assembled. On the 21^st January 1942 Kovner released a manifesto titled “Let us not go like lambs to the slaughter” and was the first to target the German plan to murder all Jews. Kovner had heard rumours of the killings and mass graves in nearby Ponary and his manifesto pleaded with all Jews of Vilna to join an uprising saying it “Was better to fall as free fighters” rather than be slaughtered by the Nazis.

The Pacific War

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941 the invasion of the islands of the Far East was the next on their agenda. These invasions would ensure the continuation of much needed supplies of raw materials. America and the Allies were unaware that the Japanese were in a position to mount a simultaneous invasion of Southeast Asia.

Occupation of the Philippines was planned by the Japanese as of their plan for a “Greater East Asia War”. The main aim was to seize the sources of raw materials of Malaya and the Dutch East Indies while the navy neutralised the United States Pacific Fleet. On the 2^nd January 1942 Japanese troops captured the city of Manila, capital of the Philippine Islands. On the same day the Japanese occupied the Naval Station Sangley Point which was a U.S. communications and hospital facility and the Cavite Naval Yard. The facility was the headquarters of the U.S. Navy Asiatic Fleet. America had officially occupied Sangley as a coaling station when they defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. Approximately eight miles southwest of Manila the Cavite City peninsula is surrounded by the Manila Bay. Cavite Naval Yard was used by the Japanese for the same purpose after the occupation.

On the 2^nd January 1942 the Japanese controlled nearly all of Southeast Asia. Opposing the invasion was American General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-Chief of all U.S. and Filipino troops. MacArthur had consolidated all his forces into the units based at Luzon in the Bataan Peninsula. As they were the only remaining Allied stronghold in the region of the Bataan Peninsula and the island of Corregidor the American and Filipino troops were besieged on the 7^th December 1942. Despite the lack of supplies the defenders managed to fight the Japanese for three months before their surrender at Bataan.

Japan gradually occupied Malaya from the 8^th December 1941 until the Allied surrender at Singapore on the 16^th February 1942. By the 8^th January 1942 the Japanese had defeated the British 11^th Indian Infantry Division at the Battle of Slim River thus penetrating the defences and affording easy access to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaya. Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, decided to withdraw all British and Commonwealth troops from Malaya and the Japanese captured Kuala Lumpur on the 11^th January 1942. Fighting continued until the 18^th January 1942, by which time the Japanese had taken many prisoners, when the remaining Allied troops had to retreat to the Johor Causeway as the defensive line had collapsed. By the 31^st January 1942 the last organised Allied forces left Malaya, heading for Singapore, thus ending the 54 day battle. The whole of Malaya had fallen into Japanese hands.

With the occupation of Malaya, the island of Singapore was next on the Japanese invasion agenda. Singapore was part of the British Empire and was considered to be the “Gibraltar” of the Far East, which was and remains, the gateway to the rest of Asia. By controlling Singapore a huge portion of the gateway to the Far East was controlled. Singapore was considered to be impregnable as its fortress was designed to be formidable. When the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbour on the 8^th December 1941 they simultaneously bombed the Royal Air Force (RAF) bases to the north of Singapore. With the air base destroyed the RAF were unable to protect the British army and the civilian population on the island or to retaliate against an invasion. The Japanese sinking of the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser HMS Repulse on the10^th December 1941 together with the air cover destroyed, Singapore was defenceless to an assault from the air and the sea. The British Army and Commonwealth troops stationed at Singapore were their only hope of defence. The expected invasion against the island was considered to be a naval attack in which the island defences would result in a victory for the British defenders. However, Singapore’s naval guns were positioned to aim out to sea and could not be turned inland. Complacency and an underestimation of the enemy by the British High Command was their downfall. With the loss of Malaya, on the 18^th December 1941, Percival’s army retreated to Singapore on the 31^st January 1942. By blowing bridges across the Johor Causeway the British High Command assumed the Japanese would not easily be able to negotiate a jungle attack. Adequate preparations for the defence of an assault through the jungle was thought not to be necessary, as the jungle was considered to be sufficient.

The Netherlands, together with America, Britain and New Zealand declared war on Japan on the 8^thDecember 1941. The Netherland government in the Dutch East Indies began immediately to prepare for war against Japan. Upon receipt of the declaration the Japanese government decided to halt any hostilities in the Dutch East Indies in the hope that the Dutch would not destroy their oil installation before Japan was ready to invade. By the 11^th January 1942 Japan was ready and declared war on the Netherland. The Dutch East Indies amalgamated all the American-British-Dutch East Indies troops in the region under the command of British Field Marshall Archibald Wavell. The Japanese when they did attack on the 17^th January 1942 adopted the strategy whereby they always had air cover. Their aim was conquer and control of the Dutch East Indies. The advance was designed so that the Allied forces could not consolidate into a defensive position before having to retreat. Owing to the greater number of Japanese troops the combined Allied defenders were unable to halt the Japanese advance and on the 9^th March 1942 the Dutch East Indies surrendered.

The Japanese invasion of Borneo was planned on the 16^th December 1941. By the 23^rd December 1941 the Sarawak region of the island was occupied by the Japanese whose aim was to gain access to the oilfields. The government and oil officials destroyed the oilfields and refineries before evacuating the island on the 17^th December 1941. In order to attack the Sandakan seat of British North Borneo, the Japanese landed in small fishing boats on the 18^th January 1942. The 650 men of the North Borneo Army Constabulary were not able to provide sufficient resistance to halt the Japanese advance. Governor Charles Robert Smith surrendered British North Borneo on the 23^rd January 1942 and he and rest of the staff were interned until the end of the war. The remaining British and Dutch troops retreated into the jungle from where they finally surrendered on the 1^st April 1942. In the meantime the Japanese forces had fully occupied Borneo on the 29^th January 1942.

The Battle of Rabaul was fought in the Australian Territory of New Guinea on the island of New Britain. Rabaul was significant to the Japanese owing to its proximity to the Caroline Islands, the site of the Imperial Japanese Naval base at Truk. Following the capture of Guam on the 10^th December 1941, Japanese Major-General Tomitaru Horii was given the task of capturing Rabaul. Japanese carrier-based aircraft began attacking Rabaul on the 4^th January 1942.The Australians had despatched a small garrison to Rabaul, as tensions had increased with the Japanese, in March 1941. This garrison was formed into the Lark Force with a total maximum number of 1,400 men and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Scanlon. The force included personnel from a local militia group, a coastal defence battery, an anti-tank battery and a detachment of the Field Ambulance Service. The garrison’s main task was the protection of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airbase near Rabaul. Nearby Simpson Harbour was the RAAF anchorage for Catalina flying boats which acted as an important part of the surveillance observing Japanese movements in the region. The RAAF air defence consisted of ten lightly armed CAC Wirraway training aircraft and four Lockheed Hudson light bombers plus the flying boats. Wing Commander John Lerew had very little offensive capability. When the Japanese first attacked on the 4^th January 1942 he realised the odds were stacked against him. He sent a signal to RAAF HQ in Melbourne with the phrase used by gladiators in ancient Rome quoting the Latin motto “Nos Morituri Te Salutamus” (“we who are about to die salute you”). Part of the Japanese naval task force embarked from Truk on the 14^th January 1942 heading toward Rabaul. Over one hundred Japanese aircraft attacked Rabaul on the 20^th January 1942 and eight Wirraway planes engaged the oncoming Japanese assault. During the course of the battle one Japanese bomber was shot down by artillery fire, but three RAAF aircraft were shot down, two crash-landed and one was damaged. As a result six Australian airmen were killed in action with a further five wounded. The air attack destroyed the Australian coastal artillery and the Australian infantry withdrew from Rabaul. The following day the Japanese invasion fleet, commanded by Vice-Admiral Shigeyushi Inoue, was located off Kavieng on the island of New Ireland by a Catalina flying boat. Before being shot down the crew of the Catalina managed to send off a signal informing RAAF HQ of the approaching invasion fleet. The Australian troops took up positions where they prepared to confront the expected landings. The remaining two Wirraway and one Hudson aircraft were withdrawn from the area taking some of the wounded with them. Rabaul airfield was destroyed by the Australians once the RAAF had departed. Rabaul was still being bombed on the 22^nd January 1942 and early morning of the same day the Japanese landed on New Ireland and took Kavieng without too much opposition. The same night the invasion fleet approached Rabaul and entered Simpson Harbour in the early hours of the 23^rd January 1942. Approximately 5,000 Japanese troops began to land and the Australians attempted to halt the attack. Sensing the situation was hopeless Scanlon ordered his soldiers and civilians to retreat through the jungle. The cost to the Australians on the 23rd January 1942 was the loss of two officers and twenty six other ranks killed in action. Early on the morning of the 24^th January 1942 Japanese troops began a mopping up operation in the jungle area where the Australian troops remained at large for many weeks. With the Australian soldier’s line of retreat severed, lacking guerrilla warfare tactics, over 1,000 Australian troops were captured or surrendered on the 9^th February 1942.

The Japanese launched a five hour attack on Thailand in mid-December 1941. This led to an armistice and a military alliance treaty between Thailand and the Japanese Empire. In order to allow the Japanese troops to invade British-held Malaya and Burma, the Japanese Empire put pressure on the Thai government into agreeing to the engagement. Thailand, now allied to Japan, declared war on the United Kingdom and the United States of America on the 25^th January 1942.

Other Theatres

From December 1941 to January 1942 the Arcadia Conference was held in America’s capital city of Washington. The top British and American military leaders were brought together for the conference. As leaders of their respective countries Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt endorsed a series of major decisions that shaped the war effort. On New Year’s Day, the 1^st January 1942 the “Allied Big Four” (America, Britain, the Soviet Union and China) signed a short document and it was called the “Declaration by United Nations”. On the following day, the 2^nd January 1942, representatives of 22 other countries added their signature to the document which eventually became the United Nations.

The final Luftwaffe raid on Liverpool was on the 10^th January 1942. A lone German bomber pilot was being harassed by British fighter aircraft. In order to escape he dropped his bomb load on Liverpool’s Stanhope Street and Upper Stanhope Street which received a direct hit. The street had an undamaged air raid shelter but the 13 people who died were sheltering in the houses. The bombing campaign on Liverpool ended, life was still hard, but at least the threat from the skies was over. After visiting Liverpool and its surrounding area in May 1942 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated, “I see the damage done by the enemy attacks but I also see the spirit of an unconquered people”. The fate of the German bomber is not known.

Along the Eastern Seaboard of America, a German U-boat offensive officially began against merchant ships on 13^th January 1942. Operation Drumbeat (Paukensclag) was the code name given for the attacks. The German High Command had received a message that Japan had invaded Pearl Harbour and on the 11^th December 1941 Nazi Germany declared war on the United States. Five U-boats capable of attacking America 3,000 nautical miles away were already in the vicinity. The U-boats dominated the waters of the Eastern Coast of America and were within sight of the shoreline. This enabled them to sink fuel tankers and cargo ships with impunity. British Intelligence had warned the U.S. Navy that a group of U-boats were heading for America. The U.S. Navy’s attention was searching for enemy aircraft attacks. As a consequence very few New Englanders were aware of the carnage being carried out in home waters as the details of the U-boat attacks were being withheld from the public. The navy did not wish to admit to the military incompetence by not heeding the British Intelligence and hid this information from the public.

The Wannsee Conference was held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee in Germany on the 20^th January 1942. Director Reinhardt Heydrich of the S.S. Reich Main Security office called for the conference which was for the implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question”. The conference was to ensure the cooperation of administration leaders of all government departments for European Jews to be rounded up and sent to extermination camps in Poland. Heydrich emphasised the S.S. would ensure the fate of the Jews would be an internal affair once the process was completed. A secondary aim of the conference was to arrive at the definition of what makes a Jew. One copy of the conference minutes survived the war and it was found and seized among files at the German Foreign Office. During the subsequent Nuremburg Trials of November 1945 to October 1946, the conference minutes were used as evidence against the perpetrators. A memorial now stands on the conference site in Wannsee.

American troops began arriving in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on the 26th January 1942 as the first contingent to fight in the European theatre of war. During the Arcadia Conference in Washington, American and British heads of state agreed that Europe should be the priority despite the gravity of the situation in the Pacific. When they started to arrive in large numbers the Americas were stationed from Scotland to Cornwall. Sent in advance of the planned invasion of Europe the American troops were anxious to join the fight against Hitler. The British on the most part were glad to see the American servicemen but resentment soon began to spoil the relationship. When the Americans arrived they had full stomachs and full pockets of money, whereas the British had been at war for two years and were used to fighting alone and going without. In order to defeat Hitler the U.S. War Department sent all service a pamphlet called “Instruction for American Servicemen in Britain”. As most American servicemen had not been abroad the pamphlet was designed to familiarise then with British history, culture and the local slang of the various regions. Eventually the British civilians began to portray the American servicemen as being “Over paid, Over sexed, Over here”.

Brazil agreed the U.S.A. could set up air bases in the northeast of her territory on the 28^th January 1942. They also agreed to break off relations with the Axis powers. For this privilege the Americans agreed for the investment in Brazil’s iron industry. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 Brazil declared herself neutral in the event of war. That neutrality was broken when German submarines torpedoed Brazilian vessels off Brazil’s shores. Brazil was to finally declare war on the Axis Powers of Germany and Italy in August 1942.

In Germany on the 30^th December 1941, Dictator Adolf Hitler made a speech at the Berlin Sportpalast and threatened all Jews of the world with total annihilation. The Berlin Sportpalast was a multi-purpose indoor arena on the outskirts of the city. It was well known for the speeches and rallies the Third Reich took advantage of. On the same day Hitler, as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, blamed the failure of Operation Barbarossa on the weather. The Axis powers had failed to prepare for a longer campaign. This inevitably should have included winter clothing and winter lubrication for their mechanical equipment. During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union had ground to a halt with both cities of Leningrad in the north and Sevastopol in the north ending up by being besieged. By which time Hitler’s attention was them directed at Moscow but dogged Soviet defences and heavy rain halted the German advance on the city. Hitler’s original belief that the Germans only had to “kick open the door” to defeat the Soviet Union proved to be totally wrong

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Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service December 1941.

Jan1

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service December 1941.

Date Time Location Damage

02/12/1941 08.10 Canewdon 2 – Landmines exploded in minefield bordering

Creaksea Road (near entrance to Lion Wharf). No casualties. Overhead telephone wires damaged. (Thought to have been due to a fox running across the field).

13/12/1941 Found Ingrave 1 – H.E. unexploded in a wood 600 yards to rear of

Hatch Farm, Thorndon Park. No damage or casualties. (date and time of falling not known). (Discredited by BDS 6.1.42).

15/12/1941 15.00 North A linen target kite about 100 yards of cord

Benfleet attached found at Bonville Farm, Arterial Road. RAF informed.

20/12/1941 17.50 Great 1 – Para mine exploded on War Department land

Wakering near Cupid’s Corner. No casualties. Slight damage to 12 houses.

20/12/1941 17.55 Foulness 1 – H.E exploded 450 yards West of Hyde Corner.

No damage or casualties.

The Bay Museum & Research Facility

Category Archives: World War II

SECOND WORLD WAR

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

SECOND WORLD WAR

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

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

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

SECOND WORLD WAR (March 1942)

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

SECOND WORLD WAR January 1942

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service December 1941.