February 24th, 1942 (TUESDAY)
GERMANY: U-276 laid down.
BLACK SEA: Some 764 Romanian Jewish refugees heading for Palestine are killed when a Soviet submarine sinks their steamer Struma.
The Romanian ship 'Struma' sailed from Constansa under the command of a Bulgarian captain, G.T. Gorbatenkoin, and flying the Panamanian flag. There are 747 Romanian Jews on board, many from the town of Barland, their hope was to reach Palestine. After three days at sea, the Struma anchored off the outer harbour at Instanbul, with engine trouble. Here she awaited British permission to proceed to Palestine, permission which the British refused, one reason given was "It will encourage a flood of refugees". Turkey, for some unknown reason, likewise refused them to disembark although the local Jewish community, who were already running a camp for Displaced Persons, were quite willing to take the Struma's passengers and were in the meantime supplying them with food and water.
One of the passengers, Medeea Marcovici, suffered an embolism and was transferred to the Jewish hospital in Instanbul. She was granted a visa for Palestine and died in 1996. After two months at Instanbul with engines that were damaged beyond repair, conditions on board became appalling, many of the passengers now suffering from dysentery and malnutrition.
Eventually the Turkish police arrived to tow the Struma out into the Black Sea. The British had exerted strong pressure on Turkey to pursue this course. The enraged passengers fought them off, but a second attempt, where force was used, succeeded and the Struma was towed out and cast adrift outside Turkish territorial waters. This inhuman decision by the Turkish and British governments was to destroy the special relationship between Britain and the Zionist Jews.
On the water for 74 days since leaving Constansa, the Struma, hopelessly overcrowded, and with no country willing to accept them, was suddenly torpedoed and sunk by the Russian submarine SHCH-213 commanded by Lt. Col. Isaev, just ten miles from Instanbul. All on board, a total of 796 persons, perished except one, nineteen year old David Stoljar who today (1999) lives in Oregon USA.
The British High Commissioner in Palestine, Sir Harold MacMichael, stated: 'The fate of these people was tragic, but the fact remains that they were nationals of a country at war with Britain, proceeding direct from enemy territory. Palestine was under no obligations towards them". (Denis Peck)
U.S.S.R.: Moscow: Six German divisions cut off at Demyansk in the northern sector of the Moscow front are defying all the Red Army's efforts to crush them. The Demyansk pocket and other similarly defended localities are frustrating the Soviet offensive.
One remarkable aspect of the Demyansk operation is that the 100,000 men in the pocket are completely cut off and are being supplied with food, fuel and ammunition by air.
All types of aircraft are being used. Junkers Ju52 transports are the main workhorses, but bombers are also carrying in supplies. They are protected by every available Messerschmidt Bf109, but the Russians are having a field day, while other bombers are being shot down by a flak corridor set up by the USSR.
Supplies are also being airlifted into another fiercely defended pocket, or "hedgehog", around Kholm. It is even more dangerous here, for the airfield is in range of Russian artillery and the Germans are being forced to drop supplies by parachute or land them by glider.
The effect of the "hedgehogs" is the break up the cohesion of the Russian front. The Russians cannot maintain their offensive and the Germans cannot regroup effectively. Both sides are now showing signs of exhaustion. The Germans lose more men from frostbite than from gunshot, and the Russians are simply running out of steam.
INDIA: Major General Joseph Stilwell, Commanding
General American Army Forces, China, Burma, and India, arrives at Karachi from
the U.S.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The submarine USS Swordfish (SS-193) embarks U.S. High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands Francis B. Sayre and his party of 12, plus five sailors, off Manila Bay. Their original destination is Surabaya, Java, but because of the deteriorating situation on Java, they are taken to Fremantle, Western Australia.
NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The evacuation of Java continues with
all USAAF heavy bombers ordered to fly to Australia or other bases within range.
Japanese aircraft attack the advance depot at Bandoeng and destroy three USAAF
B-17 Flying Fortresses on the ground.
The first definite indication that the Japanese invasion of Java is
imminent is a report, received today, of a large fleet of enemy transports with
a strong escort, heading southward in the Strait of Makassar.
AUSTRALIA: U.S.
Major General Lewis Brereton and his staff depart Melbourne, Victoria, for India
aboard two heavy bombers. Brereton will command the 10th Air Force in India.
WAKE ISLAND: Beginning at 0710 hours, the USN’s Task Force Sixteen (TF
16) (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.) raids Wake Island to destroy Japanese
installations there. SBD Dauntlesses and TBD Devastators of Bombing Squadron Six
(VB 6), Scouting Squadron Six (VS 6) and Torpedo Squadron Six (VT 6) from the
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) and SOC-1 Seagulls of Cruiser Scouting
Squadron Five (VCS 5) from heavy cruisers USS Northampton (CA-26) and USS Salt
Lake City (CA-25) bomb installations in the atoll. The bombardment unit
consisting of USS Northampton and USS Salt Lake City and destroyers USS Balch
(DD-363) and USS Maury (DD-401) (Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance) shells the
atoll. Combined efforts of USS Enterprise's planes (bombing and strafing) and
ships' gunfire sink two guardboats and two Kawanishi H6K4, Navy Type 97 Flying
Boats (later assigned the Allied Code Name “Mavis”) on the water; F4F Wildcat
pilots of Fighting Squadron Six (VF-6) later shoot down a third H6K4 near Wake
at about 0830 hours. Fortunately, the bombing and shelling of Wake harms none of
the American marines, sailors and construction workers too badly wounded to have
been evacuated in the initial increment of POWs, and the civilian workmen
retained on the island to continue work on defenses. One SBD of VS 6 is lost,
however, and its crew taken prisoner.
TERRITORY OF HAWAII: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-9 launches a Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane (later assigned the Allied Code Name “Glen”), to reconnoiter Pearl Harbor.
CANADA: All male Japanese Canadian citizens
between the ages of 18 and 45 ordered to be removed from 100-mile (161 kilometre)
wide zone along the coast of British Columbia.
U.S.A.: The Voice of America shortwave radio station
broadcasts for the first time with the words, "The Voice of America speaks. ...
we shall speak to you about America and the war. The news may be good or bad,
but we shall tell you the truth." Its first programs are in German.
The USN’s Bureau of Aeronautics issues a contract for television equipment,
including camera, transmitter, and receiver, that is capable of airborne
operation. Such equipment promises to be useful both in transmitting instrument
readings obtained from radio-controlled structural flight tests, and in
providing target and guidance information necessary should radio-controlled
aircraft be converted to offensive weapons.
The US gun manufacturers stopped production of 12 gauge shotguns for civilian consumption as they converted to war production. (Mike Ballard)
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
At 0145, SS Empire Hail, dispersed from Convoy ON-66,
was torpedoed and sunk by U-94
east of St John's. The master, 41 crewmembers and seven gunners were lost.
At 0855, U-158 attacked Convoy ONS-67 about 420 miles SSE of St John's and observed two hits on SS Empire Celt with columns of fire and of water, although the sinking was not seen. At 0950, U-558 attacked ONS-67 in grid BC 8932 (43°51N, 43°15W) and fired three torpedoes in one minute intervals. U-158 observed three hits and that two ships stopped, a third continued on. The first and third torpedo struck the Anadara, which was later finished off by U-587. The second torpedo may have been aimed at the Empire Celt, which continued on her way after she had been hit by U-158, but the torpedo struck the already damaged Eidanger. Empire Celt later broke in two; the stern part remained afloat and was last seen in 46°45N/51°27W on 4 March. Four crewmembers and two gunners were lost. The master and 22 survivors were picked up by Canadian rescue ship Citadelle and 24 survivors by armed trawler HMS St Zeno and landed at St John's on 27 Feb.
SS White Crest sunk by U-162 at 47.45N, 38.15W.
At 0950, U-558 fired three torpedoes at Convoy ONS-67 east of Halifax in 43°45N/43°15W (grid BC 8932) and observed three hits. Two ships stopped, the third continued on. The description of the target and the extremely large hole in the tanker’s side make it certain that not only the first torpedo but the third one too hit the Anadara. The second torpedo may have been aimed at the Empire Celt, which continued on her way, but the ship, which was sighted with engines stopped, was, according to the position given, the Eidanger. In the morning, U-587 attempted to finish off a tanker behind the convoy with a torpedo and gunfire, leaving it in sinking condition. The description of the target confirms that it was the Anadara. The master, 53 crewmembers and eight gunners from the Anadara were lost.
At 0651, U-558 attacked Convoy ONS-67, heard two explosions and saw one cloud of smoke rising near the bow of the Eidanger, which had been hit by one torpedo on the starboard side, causing extensive damage to the bridge and forward. The tanker stopped, shifted the ballast to the aft tanks to press the propeller under water and with the bow partially awash tried to reach the convoy, which had geared 80 degrees to starboard to shake off the U-boats. At 0950 hours, U-558 attacked again in grid BC 8932 (43.51N, 43.15W) and fired three torpedoes in one minute intervals. U-158 observed three hits and that two ships stopped, a third continued on. The first and third torpedo struck the Anadara, which was later finished off by U-587. The second torpedo may have been aimed at the Empire Celt, which continued on her way after she had been hit by U-158 at 0855 (she foundered later), but the torpedo struck the damaged Eidanger on the starboard side right in front of the mast. The U-boat later sighted her with engines stopped and fore section now submerged. All 39 crewmembers abandoned the Eidanger and were picked up by the British rescue ship Toward, which had observed the attack. At 1540 hours, U-558 found a drifting tanker in grid BC 8689 (43.51N/43.35W), which was identified as Eidanger and sank her with a coup de grāce.