March 17th, 1942 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Rationing of coal, gas and electricity for home heating and lighting was announced in parliament today. Sir William Beveridge, who helped to devise rationing plans in the last war, is now working out details of this new scheme.
Hugh Dalton, the president of the board of trade, told MPs that the situation is now so serious that domestic fuel rationing must be imposed as soon as possible. A cut of at least 25% is likely.
When the scheme starts, everyone will have to watch gas and electricity meters in the knowledge that persistent over-consumption will lead to prosecution and the cutting off of the supply. Meanwhile, in the next three weeks, coal deliveries to households will be limited six hundredweight at a time.
Cuts in the civilian clothing ration also announced today will release 50,000 more textile workers for war service, and to save petrol all pleasure motor boating is top stop this summer. That includes round-the-bay trips at the seaside.
United States Naval Forces Europe is established to plan joint operations with the British; Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley is in command.
Submarines HMS Upstart and Vandal laid down.
Destroyer HMS Penylan launched.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Skye launched.
GERMANY: An RAF Bomber Command Wellington on a cloud-cover raid to Essen drops its bombs somewhere in the Ruhr.
U-850 laid down.
U-521 launched.
U.S.S.R.: Colonel Vladimir Solovev's 88th Rifle Division is today awarded the status of 23rd Guards Rifle Division for its resistance to the Fenno-German offensive of winter 1941.
ITALY: Off SICILY: The British submarine HMS UNBEATEN sinks the Italian submarine GUGLIELMOTTI.
INDIA: Air Vice Marshal Donald F. Stevenson, commanding Allied air forces, moves HQ from Burma to Calcutta. India.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The submarine USS Permit (SS-178), which was originally scheduled to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur and party from Corregidor, is damaged by depth charges off Tayabas Bay, Luzon, but remains on patrol.
NEW GUINEA: The ground staff of 75 Squadron RAAF arrive at Port Moresby. (Daniel Ross)
AUSTRALIA: Darwin: Three squadrons of US Kittyhawk fighters start operations in the Pacific.
The USAAF 9th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) arrives at
Darwin, Northern Territory, with P-40Es to provide air defence for the port.
Shortly after 0001 hours at Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island, Philippine
Islands, the two B-17 Flying Fortresses that picked up General Douglas
MacArthur">
MacArthur and his party, take off for
the 1,500 miles (2414 kilometer) flight to Darwin, Northern Territory. The
General sits in the radio operator's seat, his chief of staff, Major General
Richard K. Sutherland, squeezed into
the bomb bay. Lieutenant Bostrom's overloaded B-17 staggers into the air with
one engine spluttering. It is
MacArthur's son's first airplane flight, and he is
excited until turbulence renders him airsick. When the plane reaches Darwin, the
city is under Japanese attack, and the aircraft are diverted to the emergency
strip, Batchelor Field, 50 miles (80 kilometres) away. They deplane at 0900
hours, barely able to stand.
MacArthur spots an American officer and asks him
about the buildup to reconquer the Philippines. The officer says, "So far as I
know, sir, there are very few troops here." Startled,
MacArthur turns to
Sutherland, and says, "Surely he is wrong."
MacArthur and his party breakfast on
canned peaches and baked beans. The General demands a motorcade to the nearest
train station in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 1,000 miles (1609 kilometres)
away because his wife is exhausted from air travel. But
MacArthur's son, also
exhausted is now on intravenous feeding. The doctors cannot guarantee "little
Arthur will make it over a long desert drive without shelter or food."
MacArthur
and his party board two DC-3s borrowed from a local airline, Guinea Airways, and take off as a
Japanese air raid is starting. They reach Alice Springs, which resembles an Old
West town replete with saloon, wooden boardwalks, and flies, without further
incident.
MacArthur watches a double feature at the local movie theatre, his
first film since leaving Manila, and the party sleeps on cots on the hotel's
verandah.
Guinea Airways was later bought by Reg Ansett and became the Airlines of South Australia.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Submarine USS Grayback (SS-208) sinks a Japanese collier 6 miles (10 kilometres) west of Port Lloyd, Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands.
CANADA: SS Claire Lilley, British
merchantman, after being loaded with small arms and munitions in New York City,
foundered on rocks off Portuguese Cove, , Nova Scotia while waiting for a pilot
in stormy weather. Five of her crewmembers were lost in this incident. The last
of the ammunition was not removed and disposed of until the summer of 1999.
U.S.A.: AL CAPONE WI, Nova Scotia CASE IN TRIAL OVER REAL ESTATE
Clearwater- Following an all day trial, a Circuit Court Jury yesterday handed down a verdict for the defendant in the $250,000 damage suit of W.Ellison Whormald vrs. John Torrio, Al Capone and others. SPECIAL RUSSIAN FILM TO BE SHOWN "One Day in Soviet Russia", a remarkable documentary film, with commentary by Quentin Reynolds, comes to the Roxy Theater for a special two days' engagement tomorrow and Thursday. The film was photographed in one day by 97 Soviet cameramen. Included with the film are the latest Soviet war news with actual shots of the Red Army in Action. Associate Attractions on the two days bill is "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", with Spencer Tracy , Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner.
(Bill Howard)
The United States, in agreement with Allied governments, assumes responsibility for the strategic defence of entire Pacific Ocean.
Destroyers USS Eaton, McCord and Trathen laid down.
Corvette USS Fury commissioned.
Destroyers USS Doyle and Frazier launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Three unarmed merchant ships are attacked by German submarines off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, U.S.A..: (1) U-124 torpedoes and damages a U.S. tanker about 20 miles southeast of the cape and later torpedoes and sinks a Greek freighter in the same area; and (2) U-124 torpedoes and sinks a Honduran freighter about 116 miles east northeast of the cape.
Honduran Banana boat Ceiba sunk by U-124 at 35.43N, 73.49W, about 116 miles east northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, U.S.A. Six men on a raft were picked up two days later by destroyer USS Hambleton. Among the dead were wives and children of some crewmembers.
At 2352, the unescorted and unarmed Acme was hit in the stern directly aft of the stack by a torpedo from U-124 about one mile west of the Diamond Shoals Light Buoy, 20 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The explosion destroyed the engine room, killing the three men on watch and blew away the rudder and propeller, however the bulkheads forward of the engine room held. In all one officer and ten men died in the explosion and four men were wounded. When she was hit, the Acme had proceeded completely blacked out and on a nonevasive course, because many other ships were in the vicinity. Two tankers and two freighters lay ahead and the Greek steam merchant Kassandra Louloudis and two other tankers astern. Destroyer USS Dickerson and USCGC Dione were two and four miles distant, respectively. The remaining crew of six officers and 14 men abandoned ship in two lifeboats at 0120 on 18 March, but before they left they searched the ship and found the 2nd Engineer and a fireman with both legs broken. They were helped into the boats and Dione picked up all ten minutes later and landed them at Norfolk. Acme settled by the stern and came on ground in the shallow water. The tanker was later towed to Lynnhaven Roads, Virginia by Navy and Coast Guard vessels, where she was anchored. The ballast was shifted until they were able to negotiate the channel into Hampton Roads and was towed to Newport News where she was repaired and returned to service. 3 Nov 1943 requisitioned by US Navy, renamed and classified Abarenda (IX 131) and converted to a floating storage tanker. 26 Feb 1944 purchased by the Navy and commissioned on 18 Apr 1944 under LCDR Benjamin F. Langland, USCGR. Assigned to Service Squadron 10 and served at Manus, Admiralty Islands until 20 Feb 1945. 13 Mar 1945 stationed at Leyte until VJ and dispensed fuel to the warships of the 3rd and 5th Fleet. Then fueled the ships supporting the occupation forces in the Far East until decommission on 26 Feb 1946. Returned to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) reserve fleet at Subic Bay as Acme. 3 Mar1948 sold for scrapping to the Asia Development Corporation.
At 1508, U-373 sank an unescorted ship with two torpedoes. This vessel must have been Mount Lycabettus, which was reported missing after 14 March.
Motor tanker San Demetrio sunk by U-404 at 37.03N, 73.50W. The U-boat inspected the lifeboats but did not communicate with the survivors and soon submerged again. The survivors drifted for 2 days before being rescued.
At 2153, the unescorted Allende was torpedoed and sunk by U-68 20 miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia. Six crewmembers were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and two gunners landed at Taba, French Ivory Coast and were interned by the Vichy French authorities at Bobo Dinlassu.
At 0635, the unescorted Ile de Batz was torpedoed and damaged by U-68 28 miles SW of Cape Palmas. The ship was sunk after 0751 with 33 high explosive rounds of 10.5cm gunfire. Four crewmembers were lost. The master, 34 crewmembers and four gunners landed at Cape Palmas and were brought to Freetown by corvette HMCS Weyburn.
MS Scottish Prince sunk by U-68 at 04.10N, 08W.
At 1858, the unescorted Ranja was hit near the bridge by two torpedoes from U-71 about 450 miles ESE of Philadelphia. The tanker caught fire in the foreship and developed a port list. A coup de grāce at 1954 hit under the forward mast and stopped the vessel that was now on fire from stem to stern. The U-boat left the area at 2000 when it became clear that the ship would sink. The master, 31 crewmembers and two gunners were lost.
Motor tanker Crista damaged by
U-83 at 32.21N, 25E.