Posted on 08/20/2012 4:13:13 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
One of the few times that the NYT was patriotic.
We do have to stop fighting the last war when all sorts of new wars against us on so many fronts are currently being engaged in.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/aug42/f20aug42.htm
American planes land at Henderson Field
Thursday, August 20, 1942 www.onwar.com
The Henderson Field air strip [photo at link]
In the Solomon Islands.. On Guadalcanal, the first aircraft, 31 fighters from the escort carrier USS Long Island are flown into Henderson Field Air Strip.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm
August 20th, 1942
UNITED KINGDOM: In England, the principle of coordinated day and night bombing receives its first formal definition in the “Joint British/American Directive on Day Bomber Operations involving Fighter Cooperation.” The emphasis is placed on achieving continuity in the bombing offensive from the UK.
The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 3; 11 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb Longeau marshalling yard at Amiens, France at 1801 hours without loss.
Combined Ops HQ: The Allied reconquest of Europe must begin with a soldier wading ashore out of the sea. The question to be answered after the Dieppe raid is: How do you get him ashore and ready for battle when the enemy is sitting up there with a battery of guns trained on him?
Lord Mountbatten, the chief of Combined Operations, believes that Dieppe shows the need for overwhelming fire support, including close support, during the initial stages of an attack. Dieppe has convinced Allied planners that the massive force needed to open a second front cannot be assembled before 1944 at the earliest.
FRANCE: USAAF bombers raid Amiens.
GERMANY: U-229, U-340, U-643 and U-644 launched. U-368 and U-748 laid down.
U-636 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla: Shipping loss: MS “TSch-405 “Vzrivatel”” - by field artillery, close to Eupatoria (later raised) (Sergey Anisimov)(69)
The German 6th Army is on the move at Stalingrad, penetrating the Russian 64th Army at Abganervor and Sarpa Lakes. (Jack McKillop)
Squadron-Leader Stephan Horthy, the vice-regent of Hungary, dies fighting with the Germans on the eastern front.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Late in the afternoon, the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Long Island (ACV-1), escorted by the light cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) and destroyers USS Aylwin (DD-355) and USS Dale (DD-353), reaches a point 190 miles (305,8 kilometres) southeast of Guadalcanal and begins launching 31 aircraft of two USMC squadrons. These were 19 F4F-4 Wildcats of Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Twenty Three (VMF-223), commanded by Captain John L. Smith, and 12 SBD-3 Dauntlesses of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron Two Hundred Thirty Two (VMSB-232), commanded by Major Richard Mangrum. The aircraft, the first U.S. aircraft to be based on the island, begin landing on Henderson Field at 1700 hours local. The task group is spotted by Japanese reconnaissance operating from the Shortland Islands but they are out or range of enemy land-based aircraft and they retire from the area without incident. (Jack McKillop)
Beginning after midnight on the night of 20/21 August, 900 Japanese troops of the Ichiki Detachment attack Marine positions along the Tenaru River, approximately 3,000 yards (2743 meters) east of Henderson Field. In what becomes known as the Tenaru River, the Japanese are slaughtered. (Jack McKillop)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: In the Aleutians, a US 11th Air Force B-24 Liberator flies photo reconnaissance over Kiska Island; a patrol is also flown over Shumagin Island.
CANADA: Trawler HMS Baffin commissioned and loaned to RCN.
Corvette HMCS Dawson arrived Kokiak for Aleutian Campaign under US control. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: HQ US Twelfth Air Force is activated at Bolling Field, Washington, DC. This unit is tasked with supporting the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942.
The USN redesignates its “Jeep” carriers from Aircraft Escort Vessel (AVG) to Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier (ACV).
The entire West Coast is ordered to dim city lights at night. Searchlights crisscrossing the sky at Hollywood movie premieres are extinguished for the duration. Limits have also been placed on movies studios relating to the amount of cloth they could use in costumes, the quantity of new construction they could devote to sets, and the amount of film stock they could purchase. Hollywood directors must learn to limit the number of “takes” when filming movies. (Jack McKillop)
Submarine USS Gunnel commissioned.
Escort carrier USS Nassau commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine U-464 is sunk southeast of ICELAND at 61.25N, 14.40W by a USN PBY-5A Catalina of Patrol Squadron Seventy Three (VP-73) based at Reykjavik, Iceland. While on convoy escort in Skerja Fjord near Reykjavik, the PBY crew surprised the surfaced submarine in rough weather and attacked with 5 depth charges which disabled the sub and prevented it from diving. Although U-464 could make 8 knots on the surface, the crew realized that the boat would be destroyed by nearby surface forces so the U-boat captain decided to scuttle the boat and got underway heading for a nearby Icelandic trawler. There are two versions of what happened next. The British and Icelandic versions are that the Icelandic trawler Skaftfellingur headed for the sinking U-boat and commenced rescue operations. The Germans seemed hesitant to leave their boat but finally after one of them had been pulled over to the trawler via line they jumped into the water. The 7-man Icelandic crew then accommodated the 52 German survivors and placed them in the bow. A machine gun on the bridge enforced the order. Later the same day 2 British destroyers arrived and captured the Germans. The German version is that the U-boat crew boarded the Icelandic boat and subdued its crew and headed for Germany and they were only interrupted by 2 British destroyers. The RN authorities believed the Icelandic version. Only 2 of the 54 crewman of the U-boat died. The Icelandic captain is interrogated by a British court in Fleetwood, Lancashire, about this.
Returning to base, the PBY pilot sent the following message: Sank Sub Open Club. This message was directed at Commander Daniel V Gallery, USN, who had closed the Officers Club because the PBY crews had not sunk any submarines. Gallery was in command of Task Group 22.3 which captured the German U-boat U-505 in the Atlantic on 4 June 1944. U-505 is currently on display in Chicago, Illinois.
Radio News from the CBC:
Remarkable narrative. Chilling and stirring at the same time.
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