September 5th, 1942 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Because of Major General Carl Spaatz's convincing protests, Lieutenant General Dwight D Eisenhower changes his mind concerning his recent orders to suspend Eighth Air Force operations from the UK in order to devote total air effort to support of the Twelfth Air Force and the forthcoming African campaign; General Eisenhower informs General George C Marshall that he considers air operations from the UK and in Africa mutually complementary.
The VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 9: 42 bombers and 24 fighters, in 2 forces, attack targets in France without loss; (1) 11 DB-7s, escorted by 24 Spitfires, attack the port area at Le Havre at 0932 hours and (2) 31 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the locomotive depot at Sotteville marshalling yard at Rouen; this is largest force of 8th Air Force heavy bombers to attack to date; almost 20% of the high explosive bombs burst within the marshalling yard.
FRANCE: Vichy police round up the last of 9,872 Jews for loading on trains to the concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland.
GERMANY:
U-475 laid down.
U-733 and
U-847 launched.
U-195 and
U-270 commissioned.
HUNGARY: Budapest: The blackout is introduced because of Soviet air raids.
U.S.S.R.: (Sergey Anisimov)(69)Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega Flotillas: Shipping loss. MMS "Piksha" - mined at Leningrad Sea Channel.
German troops lay siege to the Black Sea naval base of Novorossiisk.
Stalingrad: Fighting is now taking place in the suburbs; yesterday the Germans reached the Volga, south of the city. General Friedrich Paulus has delayed his attempt to seize Stalingrad quickly in order to mop up the considerable Russian forces which he had bypassed and which he now considers a threat to the northern flank of his salient.
At the same time Russia's Marshal Zhukov, newly arrived to take command, is energetically preparing an attack on the Germans. He is fully aware of the dangers of the situation. In a directive issued two days ago he told his officers: "Stalingrad could be seized today or tomorrow if the northern group of forces is not rendered immediate assistance." His orders are for the "troop commanders north and north-west of Stalingrad to strike the enemy quickly ... No procrastination will be tolerated. Delay now is regarded as criminal."
As he did in Leningrad and Moscow, Zhukov is conscripting the civilian population to prepare and to man last-ditch defences in front of the city. Young boys and old men are marching off to war still in their civilian clothes. There is no doubt that Zhukov intends to impose Stalin's order of "Not a step backwards". Stalingrad is ringing with the slogan: "There is no land beyond the Volga."
Today the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies attack, but fail to gain any ground however, they take pressure off 62nd and 64th Armies, giving them time to lay barbed wire, dig trenches, plant mines, and infuse manpower. The Soviet 87th Division is down to 180 men, the 112th has 150, and the 99th Tank Brigade has 120 men and no tanks.
CRETE: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24s strike shipping and dock area in Candia Bay.
EGYPT: The Germans and Italians
complete their withdrawal from Alam Halfa, and dig in. British General
Montgomery issues an Order of the Day, congratulating Eighth Army on its
"devotion to duty and good fighting qualities which have resulted in such a
heavy defeat of the enemy and which will have far-reaching results."
In the air, U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces P-40s
escort RAF bombers over the battle area southeast of Alam-el-Halfa Ridge near
Rayil Dayr Ar Depression as the enemy offensive falters and is pushed back.
NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Australians continue their fighting withdrawal from the Myola drop area on the Kokoda Track and set up defensive positions at Efogi They destroy supplies on the withdrawal. In Milne Bay, the Australian 2/9th Battalion attacks behind an artillery barrage and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-40 Kittyhawk fighters strafing. The Japanese are forced to retreat and the Australians capture the Wagga Wagga supply dump, the main Japanese supply base. During the evening, the Japanese evacuation force consisting of a light cruiser, three destroyers and two patrol boats enters Milne Bay and picks up 1,318 men. One-third of the 2,000-man Japanese force has been killed. Only 100 or these are fit for action and 311 are wounded. The ships sail just before 2400 hours leaving behind 625 dead or wounded. (William L. Howard)
After the Japanese evacuation force has been sighted near Kitava Island, Trobrriand Islands, located north of the east end of New Guinea, six Beaufort Mk. Vs of the RAAF's No. 100 Squadron arrive at Gurney Airfield (No. 1 Strip) at Milne Bay.
In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force P-400 Airacobras strafe Kokoda, Kaile, Isurava, Alola, Buna, Sanananda, and Buna-Kokoda trail; and the airfield at Buna is strafed and bombed by P-400s and A-20 Havocs.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Guadalcanal: Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, are again reinforced last night. Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Sendai and 11 destroyers bring 1000 men of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment and remaining troops from Colonel Ichiki's 28th Regiment to Taivu Point. The destroyers HIJMS Yadachi, Hatsuyuki and Murakumo are detailed to bombard Henderson Field but they sight USN high speed transports, USS Gregory (APD-3) and Little (APD-4), and sink them about 5 nautical miles (10 kilometers) north-northwest of Henderson Field in position 09.20S, 160.01E. The two APDs are spotted due to light from flares dropped by a PBY Catalina crew attempting to assist Marine gunners on Guadalcanal. Both USS Little and Gregory attempt gunnery, but with three 4 inch (10,16 centimeter) guns apiece they are no match for the more modern Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers. Both sink within minutes.
A separate barge convoy in scheduled to arrive on Guadalcanal at 5:00 am bearing another 1000 troops under Col. Oka. Only 150 reach Guadalcanal today after interception by P-400s from the USAAF 67th Fighter Sqdn. Another 4-500 will be found in various places during the next several weeks. But those late comers will not be available for the next Japanese offensive.
PACIFIC OCEAN: The USN submarine USS Seal (SS-183) sinks a Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship southeast of Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: Aleutians: Three B-24 Liberators of the USAAF 11th Air Force abort the bombing of Kiska Island due to an overcast.
NEWFOUNDLAND:
U-513 sinks SS Lord
Strathcona and SS Saganaga.
U-506 sinks SS Myrmidon.
SS Lord Strathcona (7,335 GRT) Canadian bulk ore carrier was torpedoed and sunk
while at anchor in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, in position 47.35N, 052.59W, by
U-513, KKpt. Rolf RÜGGEBERG,
CO. U-513 had just sunk the
British ore carrier SAGANAGA, with the loss of 28 lives, when the Third Mate
gave the order to abandon Lord Strathcona. The crew got away just as the ship
was hit. The Canadian ore carrier ROSE CASTLE was alongside the loading pier and
was the target of U-513's
third attack. But, the torpedoes went wide and hit the pier, badly damaging it.
U-513 was a long-range Type
IXC U-boat built by Deutsche Werft AG, at Hamburg. She was commissioned on
10 Jan 42.
U-513 conducted four patrols
and compiled a record of six ships sunk for a total of 29,940 tons and damaged
two ships for a further 13,177 tons. She was sunk on
19 Jul 43, while under the command of KptLt.
Friedrich GUGGENBERGER, Knights Cross, Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, in the
South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil, in position 27.17S, 047.32W, by depth
charges from a USN 'Mariner' patrol
aircraft from VP-74 Sqn. KptLt Guggenberger, who was renowned for sinking the
British aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL, was among the 7 survivors, although he
was seriously wounded. 46 crewmembers were lost. Rolf Rüggeberg was born in
Barcelona, Spain, in 1907. He joined the navy in 1926 and was on exchange duties
at the Spanish Naval Academy in Cadiz when the war began. In Jul 40 he was
appointed as the Assistant to the Naval Attaché in Madrid and in Nov 40 was made
the Acting Naval Attaché in Lisbon. Rüggeberg entered the U-boat force in Apr
41. After conversion training, due to his seniority, he entered directly in a
U-boat commander's at-sea training programme in the long-range Type IXB boat
U-107, commanded by the 'ace'
KKpt. Günter Hessler, Knight's Cross. He was appointed to command
U-513 on
10 Jan 42, and completed his tour of duty on
14 May 43, after three successful patrols. He
was appointed as the Commander of the 13th U-boat Flotilla in Jun 43 and
remained in that position until the end of the war. He was promoted to FKpt on
01 Nov 44. Rolf Rüggeberg was detained after
the war and was freed in Oct 45. Rüggeberg, like many other U-boat commanders,
demonstrated great ability as a wartime commander, despite his lack of
experience in U-boats or, indeed, his lack of operational experience of any
kind. His attack at Conception Bay was especially daring considering the size of
the long-range Type IX boat and the confines of the harbor.
U.S.A.: The Office of Price
Administration (OPA) imposes rent controls to prevent price-gouging.
The final details of Operation Torch, the allied
invasion of French North Africa, are decided by British and American planners.
The initial landings will be made by Americans because it's believed the French
won't fight hard against Yanks but might against British troops. Nearly 60,000
American troops commanded by Major General George S. Patton, Commanding General
Western Task Force, will sail from Norfolk, Virginia, land in Morocco and take
Casablanca. Another 45,000 Americans under Major General Lloyd Fredendall,
Commanding General Central Task Force, will sail from Scotland and storm Oran,
Algeria. Americans will make up the first wave of a third landing near Algiers,
where British troops will follow them ashore.
ARGENTINA: President Castillo reaffirmed Argentina's intention to abide by its neutrality policy. "We are believers in justice and right, and can solve all our controversies by arbitration without any thought of having recourse to war."