July 2nd, 1942 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The American and British Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) approve of the Arnold-Portal-Towers agreement. This agreement, signed on 21 June 42, deals with US air commitments and provides for a strong air force for Operation BOLERO, the build-up of US forces in the UK.The British Board of Trade announces an agreement to control the supply of wheat involving the USA, UK, Argentina, Australia and Canada.
Escort carrier HMS Vindex laid down.
Submarine HMS Unseen commissioned.
FRANCE: Tony Brooks, an agent of the British Special Operations Executive, parachutes in to set up a resistance movement among railway workers.
GERMANY: U-629 is commissioned.
NORWAY: The German battleship Tirpitz, heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and six German destroyers sail from Trondheim (mid-Norway) to Altenfjord (northern Norway) where they refuel. (Alex Gordon)
ARCTIC OCEAN: Convoys PQ-17, eastbound, and QP-13, westbound, pass each other. Faulty reports cause the Germans some problems in finding these convoys and aircraft and U-Boats are unsuccessful in their attacks today.
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)Soviet destroyer Bditel'ny bombed and sunk at Novorosiysk.
EAST AFRICA: British forces
occupy Mayotte, an island off the north-east coast of Mozambique.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS:
USAAF 11th Air Force flies it first mission against Japanese-occupied Attu Island when 7 B-24s and 1
B-17 fly photo and bombing missions to Attu Island, which appears deserted, and to Kiska
and Agattu Islands; near misses are scored on a Japanese transport and a destroyer at
Agattu. This is the first USAAF mission to Attu.
U.S.A.: 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 aluminium 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. (Drew Helevy and Jack McKillop)
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff define three stages for the occupation of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. The first phase is the occupation of the eastern Solomon and Santa Cruz Islands; second, an advance through the rest of the Solomons and along the northeastern coast of New Guinea; and finally, the liberation of New Britain and New Ireland Islands and further advances in northeastern New Guinea. The first offensive will be the occupation of eastern Solomons with the code name Operation WATCHTOWER assigned to the invasion of Tulagi Island scheduled for 1 August 1942.
This also includes the directive for the Guadalcanal operation which
states that Direct command of the tactical operations of the amphibious
forces will remain with the Naval Task Force Commander [i.e., the attack
force or amphibious commander] throughout the conduct of all three
tasks"--meaning the seizure of the Santa Cruz Islands, Tulagi, and "adjacent
positions," capture of the remainder of the Solomons and northeastern New
Guinea; and seizure of Rabaul and adjacent areas.
(Jack McKillop and Keith Allen)
William T. Paull (US Marine Corps) leaves San Diego docks to go to war. (William T. Paull)
Destroyer escort USS Edsall laid down.
Minesweeeper USS Symbol launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0616, the unescorted Gundersen was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-129. 22 survivors were picked up by the SS Dea and taken to Progreso on 3 July.