This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[syscom3]

21 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Ex-USA R.19 submarine now RN P.514 is rammed by mistake by Canadian minesweeper 'Georgian'. The minesweeper had not been warned of the presence of P.514, but had been notified that two German U-Boats were in the area. There were no survivors. Location off East coast of Canada at 43 33N 53 40W.

NORTH AFRICA: The British forces holding the captured Italian fortress of Tobruk surrender to Rommel.

 

[syscom3]

24 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues. A U.S. armed freighter is attacked by the German submarine 'U-404' in the Atlantic off North Carolina. The crew abandons ship and the freighter sinks tomorrow while being towed to shore.

NORTHERN FRONT: Minesweeper HMS 'Gossamer' is bombed by Ju 87 bombers operating against shipping in the Kola Inlet, and sinks within 8 minutes of being hit. There are 23 casualties. Location: Arctic 68 59N 33 03E.

 

[Njaco]

25 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as the German submarine 'U-701' torpedoes a Norwegian freighter off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The ship is beached and later salvaged. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: The Russians retreat from Kupyansk on the Oskol River east of Kharkov. (Syscom)

With the entire Crimea now firmly in German hands, excluding the fortress of Sevastopol, I./SchG 1 transferred to Kharkov for its next assignment which was to support the 6. Armee during the drive to the Don and later Stalingrad. Operations in the Stalingrad area were continuious but at a reduced level throughout the autumn. II./SchG 1's main effort shifted to the Kursk area and east towards Voronezh at the end of June and into the first half of July. The Gruppe was temporarily split up during this period with the Staffeln operating independantly from Volchansk, Kharkov, Shatalovka, Orel and Kursk on the central front. The Stab./SchG 1 later moved to Tatsinkaya in July and Tusov in August to support the advance on Stalingrad.

The bombers of I./KG 51 were given the task of destroying a seige raft in Sevenaya Bay outside Sevastopol containg 164 AA guns. Two Ju 88s, piloted by Hptm. Fuhrhop, Staffelkapitaen of 2./KG 51, and Oblt. Hinrichs were assigned the task of attacking the raft. The plan was for Oblt. Hinrichs to supress the flak while Hptm. Fuhrhop destroyed the raft. But Oblt. Hinrichs' bombs succeeded in demolishing the raft on the first pass and Hptm. Fuhrhop did not need to attack. Oblt. Hinrichs was awarded the Ritterkreuz for this action.

Axis naval action begins today on Lake Ladoga, against naval forces of the USSR. The 12th Flotilla, part of the Naval Detachment "K" under Finnish operational control, together with the German 31st Kuestminenboot Flotilla with four small KM boats (numbers 3, 4, 8, and 22) and the German Einsatzabt Fahre Ost with 7 heavy and 6 light armed motor pontoons, 8transport pontoons, and 7 small infantry transport boats. The only Finnish boat was the torpedo boat 'Sisu'. The German pontoons were supported by an air detachment of 15 fighters and 7 recon planes, and the Finnish Air Force allocated their 3rd Air Regiment (with Fokker and Fiat planes). The Italian Navy sent four torpedo boats (MAS 526 to 529) of 12th MAS Flotilla, commanded by Capitano di Corvetta (Lt-Comm) Bianchini, with four officers, 19 NCO's, and 63 other ranks. The target of the 12th Flotilla is the ramshackle Soviet flotilla on Lake Ladoga (estimated at 6 gunboats, 2 large and 5 small torpedo boats, 32 armed minesweepers, 9 armed transport ships, 17 armed tugboats and 1 submarine, plus another 25 other boats). The first day of operations, MAS 526 is rammed by the 'Sisu' and then run aground on Mokerikki islet. MAS 526 will be out of commission until October. (Syscom)

GERMANY: The RAF launched a 1,000 bomber raid on Bremen which caused heavy damage to the Focke-Wulf plant and devastated 27 acres of the inner city. During the raid Luftwaffe fighters destroyed 49 British bombers from a force of 1,006. Hptm. Georg-Hermann Greiner of 4./NJG 2 scored his first victory over the Allied bombers. Hans-Joachim Jabs of 9./NJG 3, claimed his 20th, a Stering shot down over Bremen.

MEDITTERANEAN: There is a heavy Allied bombardment of Messina, Sicily. (Syscom)

NORTH AFRICA: The Afrika Korps captures Sidi Barani, Sollum and Halfaya Pass in Lybia.

General Ritchie is removed from command of the British 8th Army by Auchinleck. He assumes control of the battle himself. (Syscom)

NORTH AMERICA: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill conclude their conference in Washington, D.C. One of the agreements is to conduct joint U.S.-British research and development of an atomic bomb. (Syscom)

UNITED KINGDOM: The agreement signed on 21 June by Lieutenant General Henry H "Hap" Arnold, USAAF; Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles F Portal, RAF; and Rear Admiral John H Towers, USN dealing with US air commitments and provisions for a strong air force for Operation BOLERO (the buildup of US armed forces in the UK for an attack on Europe) is approved by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Syscom)

General Dwight David Eisenhower arrives in the UK. He will soon command US Land Forces in Europe. (Syscom)

 

[syscom3]

26 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German government announces unrestricted submarine warfare off the U.S. east coast.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet Navy records 3 submarine losses today: S-32 Black Sea Fleet off mys Aitodor (sunk by German aircraft south of Feodosiya) D-6 Black Sea Fleet Sevastopol (destroyed by German aircraft at Sevastopol). A-1 Black Sea Fleet Sevastopol (scuttled)

GERMANY: The RAF's third 1,000-bomber raid caused widespread devastation in Bremen last night. The Focke-Wulf aircraft works were badly hit and 27 acres of the business district were destroyed. It was also the most costly of these raids so far for the RAF. A total of 48 aircraft out of 1,067 despatched failed to return. This 5% loss, combined with damage to many other machines, leads some observers to conclude that the price of saturation bombing is too high. That view is not shared by Bomber Command's freshly-knighted boss, Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris. On earlier raids (Cologne 1,047 aircraft and Essen 956) training and conversion units were needed to make up numbers, while Coastal Command was absent, thanks to naval opposition. Tonight, because Bremen is a submarine base, Coastal Command gave 102 bombers. Dense cloud over the target area hindered accurate identification after a 500-mile flight, although the "Gee" blind-bombing equipment had its first major success and lead crews started accurate guiding fires. Moonlight reflecting off the clouds offered ideal conditions for enemy fighters, however.

NORTH AFRICA: Generaloberst Erwin Rommel, commander-in-chief of the Afrika Korps, is promoted to Generalfeldmarschall.

Despite the imbalance of forces in North Africa, the Germans maintain their advance. The British have approximately 200 operational tanks compared to approximately 60 German and 40 Italian tanks.

NORTH AMERICA: The first Grumman XF6F-1 Hellcat prototype, BuNo 02981, makes its first flight at Bethpage, Long Island, New York.

UNITED KINGDOM : An independent candidate, Tom Driberg, wins the Maldon by-election following a drop in public esteem for Churchill after the fall of Tobruk.

 

[Njaco]

27 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as German submarines sink two U.S. merchant vessels in the Atlantic. U-128 sinks and unarmed freighter east of Trinidad while U-153 sinks an armed freighter east of Puerto Rico.

EASTERN FRONT: I./JG 77 was ordered to move from Russia/Krim to Sicily, together with 2 Gruppen of KG 77. Oblt. Seigfried Freytag was appointed Staffelkapitaen of 1./JG 77 and moved with the unit to the Med.

GERMANY: Marshal Mannerheim returns Hitler's visit to his 75th birthday, arriving today for a two-day visit to Germany. He meets Hitler and attends a Wehrmacht situation conference. Later Mannerheim meets his old friend Reichmarschall Goering, in whose manor he spends the night.

NORTH AFRICA: Mersa Matruh: Pte. Adam Herbert Wakenshaw (b.1914), Durham Light Infantry had an arm blown off but fired his anti-tank gun until killed by a direct hit. (Victoria Cross)

NORTH AMERICA: In the U.S, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announces the capture of eight the German saboteurs who had been put ashore from submarines. The first group of four had landed at Amagansett, Long Island, New York, on the night of 13 June; the second group of four had landed on Ponte Vedra Beach, south of Jacksonville, Florida, on 17 June. Two of the spies had turned themselves in to the FBI resulting in the roundup of the other six. They were to be charged as enemy soldiers and tried by military court martial but the US Army-appointed lawyer, Colonel Kenneth Royall, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court met on 29 July, the first special session since 1920, to decide if President Roosevelt had the authority to deny the eight German spies a civil trial; on 31 July, the court ruled against the Germans and the military tribunal resumed on 3 August. The six spies who had not reported to the FBI were found guilty and sentenced to death and they were executed in the electric chair at the District of Columbia jail on 8 August.

UNITED KINGDOM: Weston-super-Mare was attacked by the Luftwaffe resulting in the deaths of 102 people, with a further 400 injured. Although not strictly part of the "Baedecker Raid" series, it was chosen as a reprisal for the British 1,000 Bomber raid on Bremen on the night of June 25/26, because German intel understood that Churchill was to stay in the town on his return from a visit to the US. 53 aircraft of I, II and III./KG 2, II./KG 40 and KuFlGr 106 claimed to have attacked Weston with a total of 28.6 tonnes of HE bombs and 18,332 IEs while 2 Ju 88s of 1(F)./123 kept a look-out for British fighters. The raid began in brilliant weather with a full moon and the first bombs were dropped just before the siren warning at 01.22 hours. A total of 62 HE incidents involving casualties were reported from many locations, but the main concentration was in the residential and shipping centre of the town. The attack, which was of a short duration, ended at 02.00 hours, the majority of the damage having been confined to residential property. From the attacking bomber force, only 1 aircraft was lost, this having crashed in France returning to base injuring 4 crewmen.

 

[syscom3]

28 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as five U.S. merchant vessels are sunk by German submarines in the Atlantic. 'U-332' sinks an unarmed freighter off Florida; the sub crew provides medical assistance and supplies to the survivors. 'U-201' sinks a freighter east of Puerto Rico; 'U-701' sinks an armed tanker off North Carolina; 'U-505' sinks an armed freighter off Puerto Rico; and 'U-153' sinks an armed freighter 100 miles (161 km) off Cuba; the sub crew rescues one survivor and places him in a lifeboat with three shipmates. These are the only survivors of the 38 men aboard.

The British Home Fleet sails from Scapa Flow as part of the cover for PQ-17 which sailed yesterday from Iceland. HMS 'Duke of York', USS 'Washington' are accompanied by carrier 'Victorious' and an assortment of cruisers and destroyers.

EASTERN FRONT: Bock's Heeresgruppe Sud drives east from Kursk toward Voronezh as the main German Eastern Front summer offensive. The Germans have attacked on both sides of Kursk in the ideal tank country of the rolling Ukrainian plain. The assault, codenamed Fall Blau [Plan Blue], was opened by fire from artillery and Stukas, hurried north from the siege of Sevastopol, followed by a tank assault. General Hermann Hoth's 4.Panzerarmee, has already shattered the Russian 40th Army, and the Germans are heading for their first objective, the city of Voronezh which controls crossings of the Don and is a vital communications link. The plan of Fall Blau, one of Hitler's military visions, calls for an advance along the whole of the German front in south Russia, from the coast near Taganrog along the river Donets towards Kharkov and Kursk. The units around Kursk are to make the first move, taking Voronezh and then heading down the river Don towards the city of Stalingrad. The second phase is then to come into operation with an advance into the Caucasus. The next stage envisages another double drive, one to take the oilfields of Baku and the other to reach the Turkish border at Batumi; the lack of oil is a major strategic worry for the German general staff. To accomplish this grand vision of conquest, reinforcements have been poured into Field Marshal von Bock's Heeresgruppe Sud, and it now contains almost half of the Wehrmacht's strength in the east. Those troops are now driving forward. Yet it could all have ended in disaster. Nine days ago, on 19 June, a German light aircraft carrying Major Reichel, a staff officer, was forced down over the lines. He had with him detailed orders for Fall Blau. They were rushed to Stalin. But the Soviet premier brushed them aside, dismissing them as "planted evidence."

While flying from Volchansk, Kharkov, Shatalovka, Orel and Kursk on the central sector of the front, 6./SchG 1 lost 2 Hs 129B-1s to AA fire. Fifteen Bf 109Fs of Detachment Philipp (Kommando I./JG 54) transferred to the Petajarvi Base on the Karelian Isthmus. The first Ju 52s carrying the ground echelon began to arrive in the evening.

NORTH AFRICA: In Egypt, Major General Lewis H Brereton arrives at Cairo, where HQ U.S. Army Forces in the Middle East (USAFIME) issues orders placing him in command of US Army, Middle East Air Forces(USAMEAF), which is activated immediately. USAMEAF is comprised of the Halverson Detachment (HALPRO), Brereton's detachment [9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) and other personnel which Brereton brought from India], and the Air Section of US Military North African Mission.

UNITED KINGDOM: Weston-super-Mare was attacked again by the Luftwaffe. As on the previous night a similar number of bombers from the same units delivered 27 tonnes of HE and 20,096 IBs, the Weston AA guns engaging them between 01.59 and 02.24 hours. During this raid it was the main shipping centre that was chiefly affected with many shops and commercial premises being destroyed as a result of the large fires which took hold in the Regent Street, High Street, South Parade, Waterloo Station and Boulevard areas. Railway services in and out of Weston were also suspended, and at the station the waiting room and goods shed were destroyed by fire as were 12 passenger coaches. Once again German losses were small, and from the 3 aircraft which crashed in France on the return only 3 men were killed and 1 injured.

Lieutenant General Dwight D Eisenhower assumes command of European Theater of Operations U.S. Army (ETOUSA), succeeding Major General James E Chaney.

 

[syscom3]

29 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-505' sinks an armed U.S. merchant freighter in the Atlantic northeast of Puerto Rico. The sub crew provides medical attention to wounded crewmen before departing the scene.

EASTERN FRONT: Three Hs 123As from 7./SchG 1 failed to return from the Shehigry area northeast of Kursk.

Ofw. Otto Wessling of 3./JG 3 claimed his 40th victory when he shot down a IL-2 Strumovik but was then shot down by Russian ground fire neccesitating an emergency landing in his Bf 109F-4 behind enemy lines south of Belayev. Despite being wounded, Wessling succeeded evading capture, returning to German lines several days later.

NORTH AFRICA: The Afrika Korps captured Mersa Matruh in Egypt.

Mussolini arrives in Tripoli, anticipating a triumphal entry in Cairo.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first pilot fatality of the 8th Air Force in the European Theater of Operations is suffered when First Lieutenant Alfred W Giacomini of the 31st Fighter Group crashes a Spitfire while landing at Atcham, Shropshire, England.

WESTERN FRONT: Captain Charles C. Kegelman [Commanding Officer, 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light)], flying on a mission with 12 RAF Bostons against Hazebrouck marshalling yard, France, becomes the first member of the USAAF's 8th Air Force to drop bombs on enemy-occupied Europe.

 

[syscom3]

30 June 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The armed transport SS 'City of Birmingham' with a crew of 113 and carrying 263 passengers is sunk by 'U-202' about 250 miles (402 km) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

'U-158' (Type IXC) is sunk west of the Bermudas, at position 32.50N, 67.28W, by depth charges from a US Mariner aircraft (USN VP-74). 54 dead (all crew lost). This last patrol of 'U-158' was one of the most successful in the entire war with 62,536 tons sunk. This U-boat was, however, sunk the day after claiming its last victim.

The close cover escort for convoy PQ-17 sails from Iceland. The convoy sailed from Iceland on the 27th. The Home Fleet sailed from Scapa Flow to also provide cover on the 28th.

EASTERN FRONT: Evacuation of Sevastopol is ordered by the Russian High Command. The Soviet Black Sea fleet will attempt to comply with little success. The Soviet Navy records 1 submarine loss during the month that is not listed by day: D-3 Northern Fleet Tanafjord (mined off Norwegian coast). German 6. Armee (von Paulus) begins an offensive from the area of Belgorod toward the Don. Some 100,000 partisans are now operating against the Germans.

MEDITTERANEAN: Submarine depot ship HMS 'Medway' which was evacuating Alexandria is torpedoed and sunk by 'U-372' NE of Alexandria at 31 03N 30 35E. There were 30 casualties but 1105 survivors rescued by HMS 'Zulu' and 'Hero'. The U-boat commander kaptleut Hans-Joachim Neumann was not aware of the nature of his target, believing it to be a 15 000 ton freighter, and the Germans did not learn about the loss of HMS 'Medway' for some months.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel reaches El Alamein. Today Rommel writes to his wife:

"Only 100 more miles to Alexandria!"

By nightfall, such was the speed of the German advance, the distance was down to 60 miles.

Derna: Resting Afrika Korps soldiers watched with amazement today as two Italian aircraft landed on the airport here. One disgorged the immaculate, bemedalled Benito Mussolini, Il Duce himself. The other carried a white Arab charger upon which the Italian leader proposes to lead his victorious army through the streets of Cairo in the next few days. Such is the confidence of the Axis as Rommel's army nears the fleshpots of Egypt.

NORTH AMERICA: The US Navy now has 5,612 ships and district craft and 843,096 personnel consisting of 640,570 sailors; 143,528 Marines; and 58,998 Coastguardsmen.

UNITED KINGDOM: London: The Daily Telegraph reports that the Nazis have killed over a million Jews in occupied Europe.

A campaign to save fuel in the home has been launched by the new ministry of fuel and power. It urges householders to turn off all unnecessary lights, use less water - five inches of bathwater is suggested as a maximum - and stop taps dripping. Coal supplies will be restricted, but not rationed. Housewives are urged to sift the ashes of fires for burnable lumps and share their fires with neighbours.

Lt. John Stuart Mould (1910-57), RANVR, was awarded the George Cross for his successful handling of dangerous bomb mine disposal problems from 14 November 1941 to this date.

 

[Njaco]

1 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as German submarines attack three U.S. merchant vessels in the Atlantic:
- 'U-215' sinks an armed freighter sailing in Convoy BA 2 about 202 nm (375 km) east of Boston, Massachusetts
- 'U-575' sinks an unarmed freighter 158 nm (292 km) west-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The sub surfaces and the commander gives the survivors a bottle of brandy.

EASTERN FRONT: Infantry and combat engineers of 11. Armee (von Manstein) completed the capture of the fortress of Sevastopol in the Crimea.

Around Stalingrad, the initial advance of 6. Armee was so successful that Hitler intervened and ordered the 4.Panzerarmee to join Heeresgrupe Sud. A massive traffic jam resulted when the 4.Armee and 6. Armee both required the few roads in the area. Both armies were stopped dead while they attempted to clear the resulting mess of thousands of vehicles. The delay was long and it is thought that the delay cost the advance at least one week. With the advance now slowed, Hitler changed his mind and re-assigned the 4.Panzerarmee back to the attack on Stalingrad. Meanwhile the 2nd Hungarian Army and the 4.Panzerarmee had launched an attack on Voronezh, capturing the city on 5 July.

NORTH AFRICA: Armoured units of the Afrika Korps approached the defensive lines of the British 8th Army at El Alamein on the road to Alexandria.The 15. and 21. Panzerdivisions are fighting at the west end of Ruweisat Ridge. There attacks will continue through July 4, making little progress.

Sonderkommando Dora was formed in July at Oase Hon, 500km southeast of Tripoli to assist with the guarding of the German southern flank in North Africa. In the summer of 1942, combat detachments had been placed at Oase um el Araneb, Oase el Gatrun and Oase Bir Musciuru, all in southern Libya. These three detachments were supported and supplied by Sonderkommando Dora from Oase Hon. Aircraft used by the unit were He 111s, Hs 126s, Fi 156s, Fw 58s, DFS 230s, Go 242s and Go 244s. In late December it was withdrawn to Tunis and then disbanded in January 1943.

NORTHERN FRONT: Hptm. Friedrich-Wilhelm Strakeljahn was appointed Staffelkapitaen of 12./JG 5.

Unternehmen Rosselsprung : The ferocity of German warfare reached a new high in the tragic destruction of convoy PQ-17. In no other convoy to Northern Russia were Allied losses so high. PQ-17 was the largest and most valuable convoy to date with military equipment valued at over $700 million at the time. The Germans were prompted by the Allied success with PQ-16 to reinforce their efforts to break the convoy route to Archangelsk and Murmansk and Unternehmen Rosselsprung was the assembling of naval forces to achieve this. The 35 merchant ships and escorts had assembled at Hvalfjordur, Iceland and were bound for Murmansk. The convoy left Iceland on 27 June. The close escort was the First Escort Group (EG1) under Commander Jack Broome and included 4 destroyers, 10 corvettes or armed trawlers and 2 AA auxilliaries. In a more distant covering role was the First Cruiser Squadron (CS1) under Rear Admiral Hamilton, of 4 cruisers and 4 destroyers. As further protection the convoy was to be tracked at about 200 miles by the Home Fleet battleships HMS "Duke of York" and USS "Washington", 2 cruisers, 8 destroyers and the aircraft carrier HMS "Victorious" until it was past North Cape. The route took the convoy close to Svalbard, north of Bjornoya and skirted the edge of the ice pack before turning south and following the coast of Novaya Zemlya before turning southwest across the Barents sea and entering the White Sea. Convoy PQ-17 from Iceland to Murmansk is spotted by 'U-255' and 'U-408'. This alert brings 8 other U-boats to join the operation. The convoy was sighted and tracked by 'U-456' shortly after it entered the open sea. This was augmented by Luftwaffe Bv 138s on 1 July.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first B-17 Flying Fortress, assigned to the USAAF 8th Air Force's 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy), lands at Prestwick, Scotland. This is the first aircraft of the BOLERO air movement across the North Atlantic route to reach the UK.

In July the Luftwaffe's activities were mainly directed against ports and targets of the British armaments industry, starting with an unsuccessful attempt on the harbour installations at Bristol during the night in which I, II and III./KG 2 and II./KG 40 took part. Over the target it was a moon-lit night, but there was thick haze and cloud at 1200 metres. 46 German aircrew claimed to have successfully attacked with 20 tonnes of HE, but due to the poor visibility, no bombs whatsoever fell on the docks, although widespread bombing occurred in the South and Southwest coasts in South Wales. In fact, the nearest any bombs came to Bristol that night were those reported falling at Brean Down at 02.10 hours. One raider subsequently landed back in France with 1 crewman killed and 1 injured, the result of a RAF night-fighter attack.

WESTERN FRONT: KG 50 was formed in Brandenburg-Briest from parts of 10./KG 40. The Kampfgeschwader was equipped with He 177A bombers and was charged with the evaluation of this new bomber - this taking place at Brandenburg-Briest and Vaerlose in Denmark.

 

[syscom3]

2 July 1942

MEDITTERANEAN: British forces occupy Mayotte, an island off the north-east coast of Mozambique.

NORTH AMERICA: The US Government seeks the death penalty in Florida case. The German intelligence organization, the Abwehr, had recruited eight German citizens who had lived in the U.S., spoke fluent English, and had enthusiastically quit the U.S. for Germany prior to Pearl Harbor. The eight were trained at the Abwehr's spy school to attack strategic bridges, railways, factories and especially aluminum plants in the U.S. In June 1942, the eight were split into two groups of four and placed in U-boats for transport to Florida and Long Island, New York. They carried nearly US $200,000 and enough fuses and explosives to keep them busy for two years. Their saga is reminiscent of Jimmy Breslin's book 'THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT'; the book describing them could be titled THE SPIES WHO COULDN'T SPY. Herbert Haupt, Edward Kerling, Hermann Neubauer, and Werner Thiel were the four landed in Florida.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: Convoys PQ-17, eastbound, and QP-13, westbound, pass each other. Faulty reports cause the Germans some problems in finding these convoys. Aircraft and U-Boats are unsuccessful in their attacks today. The German battleship 'Tirpitz', heavy cruiser 'Admiral Hipper' and 6 German destroyers sail from Trondheim for the convoys.

UNITED KINGDOM: A motion of censure on the direction of the war is defeated 425 - 25 in the British House of Commons. Churchill speaks to the criticisms, the PM has too heavy a burden with both the conduct of government and the war being his direct responsibility. He says that Parliament should either change the government or support it, but should not meddle with its composition.

The British Board of Trade announces an agreement to control the supply of wheat involving the USA, UK, Argentina, Australia and Canada.

WESTERN FRONT: Tony Brooks, an agent of the British Special Operations Executive, parachutes down in France to set up a resistance movement among railway workers.

 

[syscom3]

3 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as German submarines attack three U.S. merchant vessels in the Atlantic:
- 'U-126' torpedoes an armed tanker about 18 nm (33.8 km) north of Tobago and then surfaces to shell her. The 8-man Armed Guard remains aboard and opens fire on the submarine which then submerges and departs the area. The tanker is towed to Trinidad for repair.
- 'U-215' sinks an armed freighter sailing in Convoy BA 2 about 202 nm (375 km) east of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
- 'U-575' sinks an unarmed freighter 158 nm (292 km) west-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The sub surfaces and the commander gives the survivors a bottle of brandy.

German Type VIID submarine 'U-215' is sunk about 200 nm (370 km) east of Boston, Massachusetts, USA at position 41.48N, 66.38W by depth charges from the British trawler 'Le Tigre'. All hands on the U-boat (48 men) are lost. The trawler was a French one seized by the Royal Navy in 1940 after the fall of France in June.

MEDITTERANEAN: Major Seigfried Freytag of I./JG 77 was awarded the Ritterkreuz for 57 victories including 12 planes destroyed on the ground.

After a ten day period of inactivity during which the Malta based Beaufort Squadrons, 39 and 217, were basically restructured into a single entity under 217's soon to be tour expired OC, WC W. A. L. Davis. Even after the partial success of the June convoy's, fuel was again becoming critical on the island, keeping both reconnaissance flights and strike missions to a minimum. During the prior evening, Malta had copied a submarine sighting of a large supply convoy departing Taranto for North Africa. Three torpedo carrying ASV equipped Wellington VIIIs had been dispatched and located the target just south of Corfu, but had been unable to score. This left the job to the Beauforts. The convoy in question was composed of three cargo ships, the German MV 'Ankara' (4,786 BRT), and the Italian MVs 'Nino Bixio' (7,137 BRT) and 'Monvisio' (5,322 BRT), with an extremely strong escort: DD 'Verrazano', DD 'Turbine', DD 'Euro', TB 'Antares', TB 'Polluce', TB 'Castore', TB 'San Martino', and DE 'Pegaso'. A full scale strike was sent off at 0645, consisting of twelve Beauforts and six Beaufighter escorts, but they returned at midday empty handed, having been unable to locate the quarry. Two of 69 Squadron's PR aircraft, a Spitfire and a Maryland, were dispatched to regain contact, locating it just south of Zante island. Even though the day's activity had greatly depleted Malta's fuel reserves, the target could not be ignored, and another strike was planned. After the morning flight only nine Beauforts were reported serviceable. Worse, as only three spare crews were available, six crews were going to have to make their second operation of the day. With SL R. P. M. Gibbs, DFC in the lead, the strike began takeoff at 1830. Almost immediately things began to fall apart. Three Beauforts were unable to get off the ground, and two more (along with one Beaufighter) were forced to return almost immediately with engine problems. This left only four Beauforts [Gibbs (39), FO W. J. Stevens (217), Sgt. R. G. Mercer (217), and Sgt. J. Hutcheson (217)] and five Beaufighters. The target was located at dusk, hugging the Greek coast with the escorts deployed in an arc to seaward. Realizing a head on assault was suicidal, Gibbs led his small band inland then turned and attacked from the darkened East with the Beaufighters in the lead, intent on performing a new role of "flak busting". Amidst a hail of flak that knocked down Mercer (AW240) and Hutcheson (L9893) [both crews were killed], and plastered Gibbs (flying DavisÕ DD993), the later managed to plunk 'Nino Bixio', forcing the convoy to put into port for repairs and reorganization. The rest of the exhausted strike force returned near midnight, Gibbs bellying in his wrecked aircraft.

NORTH AFRICA: In Egypt, due to exhaustion and lack of supplies, especially fuel for the armoured divisions, German and Italian forces suspended all offensive operations before El Alamein and began constructing defensive positions. The 2nd New Zealand Division, with artillery support, destroys the Italian Ariete Division. The Italains had attacked toward Alam Nayil when they came up against the 2nd New Zealand Divion.

NORTH AMERICA: In the first successful firing of an American rocket from a plane in flight, Lieutenant Commander J. H. Hean, USN, Gunnery Officer of Transition Training Squadron, Pacific Fleet, fired a retro-rocket from a PBY-5A in flight at Goldstone Lake, Calif. The rocket, designed to be fired aft with a velocity equal to the forward velocity of the airplane, and thus to fall vertically, was designed at the California Institute of Technology. Following successful tests, the retro-rocket became a weapon complementary to the magnetic airborne detector with Patrol Squadron Sixty Three (VP-63), at NAS Alemeda, California, receiving the first service installation in February 1943.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: The weather worsened over the convoy PQ-17 although German aircraft were over the ships and at least one bomb was dropped. Several He 115s from I./KuFlGr 406 began the first air attacks with torpedo runs. The Gruppe lost its Staffelkapitaen Oblt. Herbert Vater when his plane was shot down but he and his crew were rescued when another He 115 landed on the water amid gunfire and plucked the crewmen from the sea. The Luftwaffe then lost contact with the convoy. 'Lutzow' and 'Admiral Scheer' leave Narvik with a destoryer escort heading for 'Tirpitz'. 'Lutzow' and 3 of the destroyers run aground.

 

[Njaco]

4 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The German 11. Armee (von Manstein) completed the occupation of the Crimea, taking 97,000 Soviet prisoners against losses of 24,000 in the siege of Sevastopol. The Russian death toll is impossible to estimate. I./SchG 1 lost 2 Bf 109E-7s - one shot down over Voronezh and the other along the Don south of the city. The rapid advance of the German forces resulted in the Gruppe being transferred to Tatinskaya then to Frolov-West, a small airstrip a few kilometers from Oblivskaya, near the end of the month.

MEDITERRANEAN: Following the success of the Afrika Korps in capturing the British stronghold of Tobruk on 21 June, the Luftwaffe resumed its assault on Malta. During July, Axis air units flew 2,851 sorties against the island, during which they dropped 695 tonnes of bombs and 2,300 IBs. Luftwaffe attacks were concentrated on Malta's airfields in an attempt to destroy its air defense fighters on the ground and wrest air superiority from the RAF. During the attacks, 37 Luftwaffe aircraft and 36 Spitfires of the RAF were shot down. Attacks slacked off around 14 July but resumed their former intensity during 23-27 July.

NORTH AFRICA: 2./JG 27's Lt. Friedrich Koerner, a 36 victory Experte, was shot down in combat near El Alamein. He became a POW and was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 6 September.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: Around 05.00 hours, He 115s of I./KuFlGr 906, led by Oberst Eberhard Peukert, finally located PQ-17 and attacked. The American Liberty ship "Christopher Newport" was hit and sunk, becoming the first casualty of the convoy. Patrick Hugh Wright, an Armed Guard on the ship, fired his .30 cal machine gun at the approaching torpedo until it struck the ship. At 19.30 hours, Ju 88s of KG 30, based at Banak, attacked the convoy but no hits were scored. At 20.30 hours, 25 He 111s of I./KG 26, led by Oberst Bernot Eicke and carrying torpedoes, attacked the convoy. Lt. Konrad Hennemann was able to score a hit on the freighter "Navarino" but he in turn was hit by defending AA fire and crashed. The Heinkel of Lt. Georg Kanmayr was then hit and crashed but all 4 crewmen were rescued by a British ship. Oberst Eicke torpedoed the freighter "William Hopper" and the British ship was soon abandoned. Another 2 ships were sunk by the time KG 26 left the convoy. Two U.S. freighters in Convoy PQ-17 are sunk by German submarines about 115 nm (209 km) southeast of Spitsbergen Island; the first is sunk by 'U-457' in the morning, after it had been damaged by a Luftwaffe He 115, and the second by 'U-334' is sunk before midnight after if had been damaged by Luftwaffe He 111s. British Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord, orders the convoy to scatter believing the German capital ships will attack sooner or later. He believes that the Home Fleet cannot protect it since it is in range of land based German aircraft. The truth is that ALL Russian convoys are going to be within range of land based German aircraft at some point. The significant feature of PQ-17 being ordered to scatter, and its RN escort ordered away, was that Admiral Pound believed that the German battleship 'Tirpitz', in company with the heavy cruiser 'Admiral Hipper', might have put to sea, and that they would been able to destroy the entire naval escort and the merchant convoy before the Home Fleet could reach the scene. It was only on the evening of the 4th July that Bletchley Park cracked the German Naval messages for the 24 hour period ending at midday, and knew that 'Tirpitz' and 'Admiral Hipper' had been due to enter Altenfjord, Norway, located about 400 nm (740 km) south southeast of Spitsbergen Island, that same morning, and their accompanying destroyers ordered to refuel immediately. Admiral Pound calculated that if the German fleet sailed out within a few hours of their arrival, and made 28 knots, they would be able to reach the convoy within six hours, that is by 0200 hours on 5 July. However, the issue depended on whether 'Tirpitz' and her support had sailed or not. British Naval Intelligence maintained that 'Tirpitz' had not sailed because of absence of any messages or reports to the contrary. The merchant ships fanned outwards to scatter, whilst the RN escort withdrew at high speed to the west, under the impression that the 'Tirpitz' was about to appear over the horizon, although in fact, the German fleet was impatiently awaiting the order to sail. 'Tirpitz' had won a victory, without firing a shot. (Syscom)

UNITED KINGDOM: The second 8th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress arrives in the UK via the North Atlantic ferry route. (Syscom)

WESTERN FRONT: US air operations over Europe began when the 15th (Light) Bombardment Sqdn, flying 4 American-built A-20 havocs belonging to RAF No. 226 Sqdn, were sent to attack airfields in Holland in coordination with other British raids. The aircraft attacked De Koog, Bergen/Alkamaar, Haanstede and Valkenberg airfields. They went in low and unescorted to surprise the Germans. Three of the four aircraft were shot down, 2 by flak and 1 by an Fw 190 over the Channel. One of the planes hit by flak went down over the airfield it was attacking and the other as it was lining up on the bomb run. Uffz. Johannes Rathenow of 10./JG 1 claimed a "Boston" over Den Helder for his first victory. The aircraft flown by Captain Charles C Kegelman, Squadron Commander, is severely damaged, but Kegelman succeeds in bringing it back to base at Swanton Morley, Norfolk. (Syscom)


__________________

 

[Njaco]

5 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Westbound Convoy QP-13 sails into an Allied minefield in the Denmark Strait and loses 4 ships. These two convoys had passed on July 2. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: Armoured units of 4. Panzerarmee (Hoth) reached the Don at Voronezh.

GERMANY: Hptm. Heinz-Gunther Amelung of 5./StG 77 was awarded the Ritterkreuz for victories in Poland, France The Balkans and Russia.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: Fifteen merchant ships of convoy PQ-17 (Iceland to Murmansk, USSR), eight American, five British, one Dutch and one Panamanian, are sunk by German submarines 'U-88' (1 ship), 'U-251' (1 ship) 'U-255' (4 ships), 'U-334' (1 ship), 'U-355' (1 ship), 'U-376' (1 ship), 'U-456' (1 ship), 'U-457' (2 ships) and 'U-703' (3 ships). Seven of the ships had been previously damaged by Luftwaffe He 111s and Ju 88s. All are sunk between 144 nm (267 km) southeast of Spitsbergen Island and 161 nm (298 km)east of Murmansk. (Syscom) The German Naval force was ordered to sea, but following reports of the successes of the Luftwaffe and U-Boats, it was soon ordered back to port. Meanwhile, with the majority of the escorts ordered to return to Scapa Flow, leaving only the AA auxillary and a few armed trawlers, the scattered merchant ships became easy prey for both U-Boat and aircraft. With no fighter cover for the stricken ships, the attacks on PQ-17 became a free-for-all. All 3 Gruppen of KG 30 under the command of Konrad Kahl, Erich Stoffregen and Hajo Hermann attacked the convoy all day. First to sink was the freighter SS "Peter Kerr" with bombs from a Ju 88 flown by Lt. Clausener. By the end of the day five more ships were sunk and many others damaged. 12 vessels were lost - 6 sunk by the Luftwaffe, including SS "Fairfeild City" and SS "David Morgan" and 4 different U-boats sunk the remaining six. Five German planes bombed the SS "David Morgan". Her Armed Guard shot down 2 planes, but the ship was so damaged by bombs that she sunk. Among the losses that day were US merchant ships SS"Pan Kraft", SS"Washington", SS"Carlton" and SS"Honomu". The men of the "Washington" spent almost 10 days before being rescued. After 7 days in the bitter cold weather, they went ashore at Novya Zemlya and made seagull soup. The U-334 had sunk the SS"Earlston" and had taken its captain aboard. As it moved away on the surface it was attacked by a Ju 88 from III./KG 30. 2 bombs came close the submarine damaging the steering and making it impossible to submerge. It was then escorted back to Neidenfjord by U-456 arriving on 7 July. U-334 was later sunk with all hands on 14 June 1943 by HMS "Pelican" and HMS "Jed" off Iceland.

 

[Njaco]

6 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: An Hs 129 belonging to 4.(Pz)./SchG 1 was reported lost in the Koblya-Sterya area.

NORTH AFRICA: The Afrika Korps was holding on to its positions before El Alamein against continuous attacks by the British 8th Army.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: Two more ships were sunk from convoy PQ-17; SS"Pan Atlantic" by the Luftwaffe with the loss of 25 men, and SS"John Witherspoon" by U-255. Part of the Armed Guard and "John Witherspoon's" crew were in a boat for 53 hours before being rescued by the "El Capitain". The remainder were in an open lifeboat even longer before a British warship picked them up.

 

[Njaco]

7 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Units of 4.Panzerarmee (Hoth) captured Voronezh on the Don.

NORTH AFRICA: The "Gladiator" claimed by 2./JG 27's Lt. Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt near El Daba on 7 July appears more likely to have been an Italian CR 42.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: Five more ships were sunk from convoy PQ-17 - two by U-255 - including SS"Olapana" and SS"Alcoa Ranger". The SS"Bellingham" took a torpedo, but this failed to explode and she was able to reach Archangel by 10 July. The remaining escort vessels withdrew into the Artic Ocean but the merchant ships suffered no more that day.

UNITED KINGDOM: A series of small Luftwaffe raids took place at Billingham, Middleborough, West Hartlepool, Gateshead and Seaton Carew, in addition bombs also fell near Scarborough. Oil storage tanks at Billingham Reach Wharf were hit by HE bombs and set on fire. 49 houses were destroyed or demolished and 45 were seriously damaged. A Do 217E-4 from 9./KG 2 was shot down by a Beaufighter from RAF No. 406 Sqdn and crashed in the sea off Middleborough. Oblt. G. Lanz, Fw. E. Loers, Uffz. A. Engler and Fw. J. Klatt were all missing. A Do 217 from 4./KG 2 crashed off the Dutch coast on its return from the raid.

 

[Njaco]

8 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: 4.Panzerarmee (Hoth) at Voronezh began an offensive southeast along the west bank of the Don to meet up with 6.Armee (von Paulus) advancing east toward the Don from Kharkov with the objective of establishing bridgeheads across the river in the Kalach area and continuing on to capture Stalingrad on the Volga. Uffz. Crinius of I./JG 53 shot down 2 Russian Boston twin-engined bombers attacking a bridge west of Voronezh. But he was hit by AA fire and crash-landed his Bf 109F between the frontlines where a German patrol eventually found him. Another Hs 129 belonging to 4.(Pz)./SchG 1 was shot down by Russian fighters at Voronezh.

MEDITERRANEAN: Axis bombers carried out more raids on harbour facilities at Malta.

NORTH AFRICA: Lt. Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt of 2./JG 27 brought down a trio of Hurricanes, taking his score to 30.

 

[Njaco]

9 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Ofw. Heinrich-Wilhelm Ahnert of 3./JG 52 scored his 50th enemy aircraft destroyed.

NORTH AFRICA: Renewed attacks by the Afrika Korps against British defenses at El Alamein were bogged down in the face of stubborn British resistance. One of the 6 US aircraft sent to attack an Axis convoy, B-24D "Eager Beaver", went down into the sea in flames. The bomber was victory number 34 for Fw. Gunther Steinhausen of 1./JG 27, who was credited with JG 27's second Liberator.

 

[Njaco]

10 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Armoured units of 4.Panzerarmee (Hoth) and 6.Armee (von Paulus) of Heersgruppe B (von Weichs) joined up north of Kalach, while 17.Armee (Ruoff) and 1.Panzerarmee (von Kleist) of Heersgruppe A (List) continued their advance towards Rostov.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: What was left of convoy PQ-17 reached the entrance to the White Sea where the remaining ships were continuously attacked by 5. and 6./ KG 30. The Luftwaffe attacks sank 2 more Allied ships, the last losses being SS"Hoosier" and SS"El Capitain". Two surviving ships made port at Archangel. Another 9 arrived there or at Murmansk over the following week. The Luftwaffe had flown 202 sorties against the convoy. PQ-17 lost 13 ships (of 35 that began the journey) sunk from air attack (the Luftwaffe lost 6 aircraft in the exchange) and a further 10 sunk by U-Boats. Thus for a loss of 3% of its force, the Luftwaffe claimed fully 37% of PQ-17 with U-Boats claiming another 29% of the convoy for no loss of their own crews. The sunken ships carried, among other cargo, 430 tanks, 210 aircraft and 3,350 vehicles and 93,316 tonnes of other cargo. Two of the surviving ships were sunk on the return journey, SS"Silver Sword" and SS"Bellingham". One of them became the 5th victim of U-255. Without firing a gun, without even getting within 480km (300 miles) of the convoy, "Tirpitz" had achieved one of the outstanding naval successes of the war. The convoy was virtually wiped out.

 

[Njaco]

11 July 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Fw. Anton "Toni" Hafner of 8./JG 51 shot down his 50th enemy aircraft.

The longest range daylight raid to date was carried out by aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, when they attacked the shipyards at Danzig in Poland. 44 Lancasters were dispatched on another experimental raid. The plan called for the Lancasters to fly at low level and in formation over the North Sea, but then to split up and fly independently in cloud which was forecast to be present over Denmark and that part of the Baltic leading to Danzig (now Gdansk). The target was expected to be clear of cloud and the Lancasters were to bomb U-boat yards from normal bombing heights just before dusk and return to England during darkness. With a round trip of 1,500 miles, it was the most distant target Bomber Command had yet attempted to reach. It was also another attempt to utilize Lancasters in a semi-daylight role. The plan worked well except that some of the Lancasters were late in identifying Danzig and had to bomb the general town area in the dark. 24 aircraft bombed at Danzig and returned; 2 more were shot down by Flak at the target. They were the only losses; the novel tactics and routeing prevented any German fighters making contact.

NORTH AFRICA: In a fierce engagement, fighters of I and II./JG 27 reported meeting a total of 40 to 45 British fighters. They were actually engaged by 12 Kittyhawks of 2 SAAF Sqdn and 12 Tomahawks of 5 SAAF Sqdn. Uffz. Josef Vavra of 5./JG 27 claimed a Spitfire at 16.03 hours east of El Alamein. Fw. Heinrich Stein of 4./JG 27 claimed a Hurricane south of El Alamein at 16.05 hours. At the same time, Lt. Werner Schroer of 8./JG 27 claimed one Spitfire 10km south-east of El Alamein. Oblt. Ernst Borngen of 5./JG 27 claimed a Spitfire south-west of El Alamein and 4 P-40s were claimed at 16.10 hours by Lt. Werner Schroer, Uffz. Walter Timmermann, Lt. Hans -Arnold Stahlschmidt, and Fw. Heinrich Stein. In total they claimed to have shot down 3 Spitfires, a Hurricane and 4 P-40s. British losses that day amounted to 2 Tomahawks of 5 SAAF Sqdn and 1 Kittyhawk destroyed with 2 more Kittyhawks being damaged.

 

[Njaco]

12 July 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Operation Drumbeat continues as German submarines sink two armed U.S. merchant vessels. 'U-84' sinks a freighter 20 miles (32.2 km) off Cardenas, Cuba and 'U-129' sinks a tanker in the Caribbean. In the latter sinking, the survivors are interrogated and then provided medical assistance and directions to the nearest land. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet Stavka (Red Army High Command) established a Stalingrad Front under Marschal Timoshenko. On the Leningrad front, troops of Heeresgruppe Nord completed the reduction of the Volchov pocket, taking 30,000 prisoners, including General Vlasov, commanding officer of the Second Guards Army and later to become Commander-in-Chief of the anti-Bolshevik Russian Liberation Army.

NORTHERN FRONT: Unternehmen Rosselsprung: Colonel-General Stumpf, Commander-in-Chief of Luftflotte 5, reported to Reichsmarschall Goering the;

"...annihilation of the major convoy PQ-17. On 10 July, reconnaissance of the White Sea, the western channel of the Kola coast and the sea area to the north, found no further merchant vessels left afloat....I claim for Luftflotte 5 the sinking of 22 merchant vessels, together comprising 142,216 tonnes..."

WESTERN FRONT: Six Bostons of the US 15th Bombardment Sqdn, borrowed from the RAF, hit Abbeville/Drucat airfield in France. 2 aircraft were damaged.