Yesterday Tomorrow

June 15th, 1942 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Westminster: Churchill abandons his plan to have the RAF wipe out German villages in retaliation for the massacre of civilians in Lidice. The prime minister abandoned his plan only because of opposition from Cabinet colleagues. He said: "My instinct is strongly the other way ... I submit (unwillingly) to the view of Cabinet against." (William Ritchart)

Major General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General of the USAAF's 8th Air Force, arrives in the UK. The VIII Bomber Command takes a significant step toward development of the organization for control of combat operations by establishing the 1st Bombardment Wing (Provisional) at Brampton Grange, England.

Destroyer HMS Petard commissioned.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Staffa launched.

GERMANY:

U.S.S.R.: Submarine "M-95"of the Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega Flotillas is - mined and then finished by aviation, East of Hogland Is. (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

Tribal class destroyer HMS Bedouin is damaged by surface gunfire and an aircraft launched torpedo, which hits the engine room and blows the ship in two. There are 28 casualties, but 213 survivors who are rescued by an Italian hospital ship become POW’s. Location SW of Pantellaria 36 12N 11 38E.

Whilst escorting convoy Vigorous, HMS Hasty is attacked by a force of S-Boats from CRETE: and takes a (torpedo?) hit from S-55 which damages her so seriously that she had to be sunk. Location SE of Crete at 34 10N 22 00E.

While escorting a convoy from Alexandria to Malta HMS Newcastle was hit by a torpedo from the German motor torpedo boat S-56. The torpedo hit on the starboard side forward and did considerable damage. The ship went to Bombay, India to be patched up. She arrived at the New York Navy Yard on 10 October 1942 for permanent repairs. HMS Newcastle returned to service in March 1943.

Whilst escorting convoy Vigorous, HMS Airedale is completely disabled by Ju.87 attacks, and has to be sunk by gunfire from HMS Hurworth and a torpedo fired from HMS Aldenham S of Crete at 33 50N 23 50E. (Alex Gordon)(108)

NORTH AFRICA: The 15th Panzer Division blocks the road east of Tobruk, but are too late to catch the South African Division. The 21st Panzer reaches Sidi Rezegh by evening.

Lt-Col Henry Robert Bowreman Foote (b.1904), Royal Tank Regt, set a fine example of courage and leadership in battle from 27 May - 15 June. (Victoria Cross)

At 0844, U-431 attacked with her deck gun a landing craft off Tobruk, which floated away after being hit. The attacked vessel was probably HMS LCT-119, which was captured by the Germans on 21 June at Tobruk.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: US Army Air Force planes (three B-17s and two B-24s of the USAAF's 11th Air Force) try to attack Japanese positions, but the mission is aborted due to weather.

CANADA: Harbour craft ordered for RCN: HC 178, HC 179, HC 192, HC 211, HC 212, HC 213.

U.S.A.: Minesweepers USS Concise, Control and Counsel laid down.

Destroyer USS Nields laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The US tanker ROBERT C. TUTTLE sinks after hitting a German mine off Virginia.

German submarines sink three more U.S. merchant vessels in the Atlantic and Caribbean. U-502 sinks two ships, an unarmed freighter northwest of Trinidad and an armed freighter 150 miles (241.4 km) east-southeast of Punta Herrero, Mexico; and at 0058 U-126 sinks an unarmed freighter, the Dutch Princess, west of Grenada.

On 24 May 1942, the Cold Harbor had left New York in convoy and then spent several days anchored in Chesapeake Bay awaiting another convoy to Trinidad. While the convoy was located between Yucatan and the Panama Canal she was ordered to proceed to Port of Spain, Trinidad alone. At 0410, the Cold Harbor was hit by one torpedo from U-502 about 100 miles NW of Trinidad. The torpedo struck on the starboard side just forward of the bridge. The explosion caused the ammo in #2 hold to blow up and the ship took a heavy list to starboard. About 30 minutes later, a second torpedo struck in the port side between #4 and #5 hatches, causing the ship to sink port side up after 15 minutes. The crew of 10 armed guards and 41 men of many nationalities including four Americans were ordered to abandon ship 10 minutes after the first hit. They left the ship in three lifeboats and two rafts because the #1 boat had been destroyed. The master, chief engineer and the radio operator remained on board until the second hit and left in another raft. The eight survivors on this raft were picked up at 0900 by the patrol yacht USS Opal and were first taken to the American Naval Base and then to Port of Spain. 19 survivors in two boats were picked up by the American steam merchant Exmouth about 24 hours after the attack and were also taken to Port of Spain. The Kahuku picked up the 14 crewmembers and three armed guards in the third boat, which was herself sunk by U-126 at 0320. One crewmember and one armed guard died, USS Opal also picked up the remaining survivors.

At 0100, the unescorted Scottsburg was hit by two torpedoes from U-502 about 90 miles west of Grenada while steaming on a nonevasive course at 7 knots. The first torpedo struck on the port side in the engine room and killed two crewmen on watch below and the second hit at the after end of the #2 hatch, destroyed steam pipes and both port lifeboats and blew cargo all over the deck. The most of the ten officers, 30 crewmen and eleven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, four 20mm and two .30cal guns) on board abandoned ship in the two starboard lifeboats and one raft. The master and radio operator stayed behind as they tried to send distress signals and went down with the ship. A total of three officers and two crewmen were lost. After 18 hours, Kahuku picked up the survivors, but six of them died when the ship was sunk by U-126 (Bauer) on 16 June. Some men were picked up by the U-boat and placed on rafts, but Able Seaman Archie Gibbs, a survivor from Scottsburg stayed aboard for four days, until he was placed on board the small Venezuelan vessel Minataora about 45 miles off Curaçao and landed there.

SS Hardaway sunk by U-502 at 11.50N, 62.15W.

At 0433, U-552 fired three torpedoes at the convoy HG-84 west of Cape Finisterre, observed hits after 45 seconds and 1 minute 32 seconds and heard a detonation after 1 minute and 55 seconds. Two ships, the City of Oxford and the Thurso were hit and sunk. The master Alfred Norbury, 36 crewmembers and six gunners from the City of Oxford were picked up by the British rescue ship Copeland, transferred to corvette HMS Marigold, transferred to sloop HMS Stork and landed at Liverpool. One crewmember was lost.

At 0058 and 0059 hours on 15 Jun 1942, U-552 attacked the convoy HG-84 west of Corunna and sank three ships, Etrib, Pelayo and Slemdal. The master, 34 crewmembers, four gunners and two passengers (DBS) from the Etrib were picked up by the British corvette HMS Marigold, transferred to the British rescue ship Copeland and landed at Gourock on 20 June. Two crewmembers and two gunners were lost.

At 0058 and 0059, U-552 attacked the convoy HG-84 about 400 miles WNW of Corunna and sank three ships, Etrib, Pelayo and Slemdal. The Pelayo was the ship of the convoy commodore H.T. Hudson RNR RD. The commodore, eleven crewmembers, three gunners and two naval staff members were lost. The master, 24 crewmembers, two gunners and three naval staff members were picked up by the British rescue ship Copeland and landed at Gourock on 20 June. Slemdal was torpedoed in the foreship on the starboard side and sank about 90 minutes later. 20 survivors were picked up by HMS Marigold and 17 survivors by the British rescue ship Copeland and landed at Gourock on 20 June.

SS Thurso sunk by U-552 at 43.41N, 18.02W.

The Frimaire was a Vichy French tanker operating under Portuguese charter sunk by U-68.

Convoy KN-109 came into a minefield laid on 11 June by U-701 off Virginia Beach. HMS Kingston Ceylonite sank and the tankers Robert C. Tuttle and Esso Augusta, along with the destroyer USS Bainbridge were damaged. The Esso Augusta traveled in the two-column convoy in the lead station of the port column. At 2304, the Robert C. Tuttle struck a mine and thinking a U-boat had torpedoed the ship, the helmsman put the wheel hard right and the master ordered full speed ahead on a zigzag course toward the safety in Chesapeake Bay. During the large circle to the right, an explosion occurred about ten feet off the port quarter less than one-half mile due south of Chesapeake Bay Entrance Lighted Whistle Buoy. The blast disabled the main engines and the steering gear of the ship, blew of the rudder and stern post, burst steam and fuel lines and broke auxiliary foundations. None of the crew of eight officers, 36 men and 13 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in, four .50cal and two .30cal guns) reported serious injuries and they did not abandon ship. A tug was requested and three hours later the Keshena arrived and took the tanker in tow. Later the tug Coyote and another tug arrived and together they towed the tanker to Norfolk, Virginia, arriving at the Esso dock the next day. Permanent repairs were made at Baltimore, Maryland and she returned to service on 7 Nov 1942.

Two armed U.S. tankers in convoy KN-109 strike mines laid by U-701. One ship strikes a mine off Virginia Beach, Virginia, while the second strikes a mine in the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.

At 2000, the Bennestvet was hit by a torpedo from U-172 and sank within one minute. Eleven Norwegians and one foreigner died, the first engineer was the only surviving officer. The U-boat surfaced, questioned the survivors and gave them two loaves of bread. A few days later the survivors were located by an aircraft, were picked up by a patrol vessel and taken to Cristobal.

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