August 11th, 1942 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Orders are issued for the establishment by RAF Bomber Command of a pathfinder force, to locate and illuminate targets for subsequent bombardment.
Sloop HMS Wren launched.
ENGLISH CHANNEL:
Lt. John Edward Gibbons (1905-71), RNVR, was wounded when his launch was mined
but insisted on going to the rescue of a seaman in difficulties. (Albert Medal)
FRANCE: At
Compiégne station today the first train carrying
freed prisoners crossed with a train loaded with workers en route to the factories in the
Reich. On 22 June, Laval had announced the policy of La Releve, introduced by the Germans
and aimed at obtaining manpower at all costs. Since not enough "volunteers" had
been seduced by the promise of high wages, Hitler asked the Gauleiter Fritz Saukel, who
doubles as Reich plenipotentiary for the allocation of labour, to recruit workers in the
conquered countries. Sauckel, known as the "slaver of Europe", demanded 250,000
men, of whom 150,000 had to be qualified workers.
To get the French to accept this bitter news, Laval asked Hitler to release French
prisoners in exchange for the workers. The Fuhrer was willing to agree to the deal on the
condition that each prisoner be replaced by three workers. Despite all the best efforts of
the Vichy government, French citizens did not respond: there was still a lack of
volunteers.
Hitler thought he had given the French plenty of time to organize a flow of
"volunteers". But the threat of compulsion was never far away. Even before
Laval's speech Sauckel had issued a directive on 7 May permitting the use of force in
recruiting workers in occupied countries. Factories were shut down and round-ups were
organized to get together a sufficient number of workers. Despite all this there was
little despair at Compiégne station today, as families were reunited with their soldiers
after a long absence.
The soldiers permitted to return home for what was called a "holiday from
captivity" had been chosen from among the oldest; priority was also given to doctors,
and to fathers with more than four children. Laval presided over the welcoming ceremony.
GERMANY:
U-316 laid down.
U.S.S.R.: German forces capture Soviet positions at Kalach on the west bank of the Don.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
Operation PEDESTAL, a convoy bringing supplies from the U.K. to Malta, passes through the Straits of Gibraltar during the night of 10/11 August. The convoy of 14 merchant ships is escorted by two battleships, HMS Nelson (28) and Rodney (29); four aircraft carriers, HMS Eagle (94), Furious (47), Indomitable (92) and Victorious (38); seven light cruisers, HMS Cairo (D 87), Charybdis (88), Kenya (14), Manchester (15), Nigeria (60), Phoebe (43) and Sirius (82); 33 destroyers; two tugs; four corvettes; four minesweepers; and seven motor launches from Malta. The Germans and Italians begins attack the convoy and In the late morning, the German submarine U-73 manoeuvres past four destroyers, and from a distance of 500 yards (457 meters), fires four torpedoes at HMS Eagle, which strike the carrier on the port side. The ship sinks within six minutes about 80 nautical miles (148 kilometres) north of Algiers, Algeria (38.05N, 03.02E). Two officers and 158 ratings (enlisted men) are lost but 927 crewmen survive and are picked up by two destroyers and a tug. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop)(108)
Submarine HMS Thorn lost in Mediterranean.
NEW GUINEA: Japanese attacks have pushed the Australian Papuan defenders five miles back up the
Kokoda Track. From Deniki toward Templeton's Crossing. They are
approaching the summit of the Owen Stanley Mountains in their retreat towards Port
Moresby.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Guadalcanal: 6 IJN A6M "Zekes," based on Rabaul, strafe US Marines working on Henderson Field.
NEW CALEDONIA: The US 56th Cavalry Brigade (112th and 124th Regiments) arrive complete with their horses. They are the last such US Army unit to be deployed with horses. (Gary Butler)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A B-24 Liberator of the US 11th Air Force flies photo reconnaissance over western Semichi Island and the north coast of Attu Island.
CANADA: HMC ML 100 commissioned.
Corvettes HMCS La Malbaie and Saskatoon
commence refit Halifax, Nova Scotia.
U.S.A.: Admiral King desires Nimitz to move between three and five old battleships to Tongatabu in the South Pacific, "in view Japanese concentration (of heavy ships) directed towards Rabaul." Capt. Lynde D. McCormick, Nimitz's War Plans Officer, noted in his war diary, "Cincpac will probably desire not to do that." (John B. Lundstrom)(225)
The motion picture "Wake Island" is released. This war drama depicting the Marines defence of Wake Island in December 1941, is directed by John Farrow and stars Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Macdonald Carey, Albert Dekker, Barbara Britton, William Bendix, Walter Abel and Rod Cameron; Hugh Beaumont, Hillary Brooke, Dane Clark, Alan Hale, Jr. and Richard Loo appear in uncredited roles.
The film is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (Bendix). IMDB entry.
Brian Donlevy, who played Marine Major Geoffrey Caton in the film, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, and at age 14 (he lied and said he was 16), joined the U.S. Army and served with "Black Jack" Pershing during the Mexican expedition against Pancho Villa. During World War I, he was a pilot with the Lafayette Escadrille and after the war, he spent two years at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, but gave up on a military career for the stage.
An agreement was signed between the United States and Bolivia.
It was announced that the United States and Brazil had agreed to establish a joint defence board, similar to those established with Canada and Mexico.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-109 sinks SS Vimeria at 10.03N, 28.55W.
At 1427, the unescorted RFA Mirlo was hit on the starboard side in the
foreship by one of two torpedoes fired by U-130
about 870 miles WSW of Freetown and the crew abandoned ship in three lifeboats.
The U-boat came alongside and took the master on board for questioning. He then
asked Kals if he could reboard the tanker and search for a missing man, this was
allowed and the master rowed back to his ship and found the seriously wounded
able seaman Sverre Gustavsen. After they had recovered him, Kals apologized for
having to sink his ship and fired a coup de grâce at 1529, which sank the
tanker. He then gave some first
aid items to the master and sent him back in the lifeboat, because he already
had two prisoners from Malmanger on board.
After three days in stormy weather, the lifeboats got separated. On 18 August, the 11 men in the boat of the first mate were picked up by HMS Banff and landed in Freetown the next day. On the same day, the 15 men in the boat of the second mate were located by HMS Boreas and landed in Freetown on the 23 August. The remaining lifeboat was found over 100 miles southwest of Freetown by trawler HMS Canna on 20 August and also landed in Freetown two days later, where the injured man was brought to a hospital where he was found to have a very severe skull fracture in addition to other injuries.
Mirlo had left Port of Spain in convoy with twelve other ships, after travelling 300 miles the convoy was dispersed on 3 August and the ship continued alone. At 2032 on 3 August, U-155 fired a spread of two torpedoes at the tanker in grid EE 9773, but the attack was noticed and she turned quickly to starboard. Piening heard one torpedo hit but it did not detonate, while the other passed in front of the bow. The gun crew then fired a shot from the 4-inch gun in the direction of the U-boat and the master ordered a southerly zigzagging course at high speed, shaking off the attacker.