July 14th, 1942 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: The Free French are officially renamed the "Fighting French" today at General de Gaulle's request.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Flint launched.
Mooring vessel HMS Moorfly launched.
NORTH SEA: The civilian survivors of the U.S. freighter SS
Carlton that was sunk on 5 July when it was part of convoy PQ 17 are found by the German
submarine U-376. The Germans offer medical assistance, which is declined, and give the
Americans rations, blankets and cigarettes. The survivors reach North Cape, Norway on 24
July and are interned.
YUGOSLAVIA: Zagreb: The Nazis murder 700 people in reprisal for the murder of the local Gestapo chief, SS Major Helm.
U.S.S.R.: Hoth's forces continue fighting in the southern sector at Kursk despite formal orders to abandon the battle. The Soviets are making rapid advances toward Orel.
NORTH AFRICA: British 1st Armoured Division attacks south of Ruweisat Ridge. Heavy casualties on both sides with no gain.PACIFIC OCEAN: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-7 torpedoes and sinks the unarmed US freighter SS Arcata east of Dutch Harbor, Territory of Alaska, while enroute from Bethel, Alaska to Seattle, Washington. On board the freighter are a crew of 29-men and four passengers. The Japanese machine gun the life rafts but 25 of those on board the Arcata survive and are rescued.
U.S.A.: President Roosevelt directs the Joint Chiefs of Staff to abandon plans for offensive operations in the Pacific and to concentrate on GYMNAST (later renamed TORCH). (Stoler pp.84 - 87)(Marc James Small)
The motion picture "The Pride of the Yankees" is released in the U.S. This biography of New York Yankees' baseball superstar Lou Gehrig is directed by Sam Wood and stars Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth, Walter Brennan and Dan Duryea. Also appearing are New York Yankees' players Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel and Mark Koenig along with sportscaster Bill Stern; future movie star Dane Clark appears in a bit role. Cooper plays the role of Gehrig with Wright as his wife. The film is nominated for eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper) and Best Actress (Wright); it wins one technical award.
Singers Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly sing their last duet together when they recorded the famous song "Brazil" with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
Destroyer USS Bearss laid down.
Destroyer escort USS Pope laid down.
BRAZIL declares war on Italy and German. This action is taken after the sinking of several Brazilian ships during the past week.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Italian submarine Pietro Calvi sunk south of the Azores by sloop HMS Lulworth. Lulworth forced the submarine to the surface by depth charging and then shelled the Pietro Calvi rending it incapable to dive. In the end the Italians abandoned ship and scuttled the submarine.
U-562 fired a
spread of four torpedoes from 2800 meters at a small convoy but missed. At 0046
the next day, U-562 fired two
torpedoes at the same convoy and he thought both had hit and claimed a tanker of
7000 grt sunk. In fact the Adinda was hit by one torpedo, but the engine was not
damaged and she could proceed to Haifa three hours later, where she arrived at
1400.