September 27th, 1942 (MONDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
HMCS Weyburn, a Flower-class corvette,
LCdr. Thomas Maitland Wade Golby RCNR, CO, arrived with the 20-ship Sydney to
Londonderry convoy SC-100. Four ships from the convoy were lost: three to
U-boats and one to a collision.
SC-100 was escorted by the American A3 Escort Group. It consisted of the
Secretary-class USCG cutters Campbell and Spencer and the Flower-class corvettes
HMS Bittersweet, Mayflower, Nasturtium as well as
HMCS Trillium and Rosthern.
The Canadian corvettes Lunenburg and Weyburn were assigned for passage to the UK
and subsequent employment on Operation Torch, the North African landings. With
nine escorts, the 20-ship convoy should have been adequately protected. However,
the lack of group cohesion, inadequate equipment in the Canadian corvettes, and
inexperience of the Canadian ships led to a poor effort by the A3 group. In
particular, the lack of adequate tactical radios systems in the Canadian
corvettes prevented the group commander from effectively directing the action
from his well-equipped flagship.
U.S.S.R.: Units of the German 6 Armee succeed in capturing most of the strategic Mamayev Kurgan Hill at Stalingrad, and penetrating the heavily defended Red October and Barricades housing estates.
The survivors of the 92nd Naval Infantry Brigade cross to the island of Golodnyy. Here a composite battalion is formed out of the survivors. (Russell Folsom) (215 Chap. 3)
LIBYA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24s are dispatched to attack an 8,000-ton vessel at Bengasi. No bombs hit the target but several straddle a jetty in the harbor.
ALGERIA: Dewoitine D-342, msn 01, registered F-ARIZ by the French airline Air France, crashes during takeoff .from Ameur el Ain; all 25 aboard are killed.
JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan's new foreign minister, Masayuki Tani, says he will continue the policy of non-aggression towards Soviet Russia.
CHINA: 4 B-25 Mitchells of the US Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force over southwestern China blast Mengshih, claiming about 30 trucks and 400 troops destroyed; The B-25s also bomb Tengchung, leaving it aflame; 3 flights of P-40s strafe targets of opportunity along the Burma Road, claiming 15 trucks destroyed and 5 barracks groups damaged.
NEW GUINEA: The Japanese begin their withdrawal back down the Kokoda Track from Ioribaiwa, as the Australians begin their attack. While Japanese positions are under artillery fire, the Australian 2/31st and 2/33rd Battalions begins attacking the Japanese flanks while the 2/25th Brigade moves forward.
US Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs continue to pound forces north of Ioribaiwa in the area between Kagi and Efogi and in the Myola and Menari areas; the Japanese abandon Ioribaiwa Ridge and are in full retreat under heavy pressure from Australian ground forces.
MacArthur forces Blamey to relieve General Rowell. (William L. Howard)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: In the combined Raider - 1st - 7th Marines attack across the Matinakau River, at the One Log Bridge, on Guadalcanal, Major Kenneth Bailey is killed. Winner of the MOH at Bloody Ridge, he is the Executive Officer of the Raiders. Battles at both the One Log Bridge and the mouth of the River are fierce and the Marines make no headway. 3 companies of the 1-7 are ordered to land west of the river mouth by boat. These Marines are cut off through quick reaction by Col. Oka. Having no radio, they use their "T" shirts to spell out help. Col. Puller takes the destroyer Monssen and several landing craft to evacuate them. Using the firepower of the destroyer, the Japanese are pushed back and the Marines are evacuated under heavy fire.
Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the only U.S. Coast
Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, is killed on
Guadalcanal. The citation for his award reads in part, "For extraordinary
heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as
Petty Officer in Charge of a group of 24 Higgins boats, engaged in the
evacuation of a battalion of marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point
Cruz Guadalcanal, on 27 September 1942. After making preliminary plans for the
evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered marines, Munro, under constant strafing by
enemy machine guns on the island, and at great risk of his life, daringly led 5
of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signalled the
others to land, and then in order to draw the enemy's fire and protect the
heavily loaded boats, he valiantly placed his craft with its 2 small guns as a
shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of
evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was instantly killed by enemy fire, but
his crew, 2 of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and
cleared the beach."
After 2-weeks of bad weather, IJN aircraft renew air attacks. 18 G4M "Betty" bombers escorted by 27 A6M "Zeke" fighters are engated by 16 USMC and 18USNF4F Wildcats. The Americans shoot down 6 G4Ms and 2 "Zekes;" an SBD Dauntless is destroyed on the ground and 3 SBDs and 5 TBF Avengers are damaged.
Aviation Pilot First Class Lee P. Mankin, an F4F pilot assigned to the USN's Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5), shoots down an A6M "Zeke" and becomes the only US enlisted ace in WWII.
GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese troops land on Kuria Island.This island is located about 75 nautical miles (139 kilometers) south-southeast of Tarawa.
AUSTRALIA: HMAS Warrnambool and HMAS Kalgoorlie are sent from Darwin to pick up HMAS Voyager's crew, all of whom have survived with seven minor casualties from the Japanese air raids. One crewmen who has been reunited with this brother, a member of the 2/2nd AIF, has asked to remain with Sparrow force. (William L. Howard)(188, 189, 190, 191)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIANS: Shore and harbor areas of Kiska Island are bombed by the US Eleventh Air Force: 8 B-24 Liberators and a B-17 Flying Fortress, escorted by a P-38 Lightning, 13 P-39Airacobras and 4 P-40s take off first, and are followed by 6 unescorted B-24s; weather turns back 13 of the fighters; an LB-30 Liberator flies photo-weather reconnaissance over Attu, Buldir, the Semichi, Agattu, and Amchitka Islands.
U.S.A.: The Glenn Miller Orchestra played their last concert in Passaic, New Jersey before Alton Glenn Miller went into the U.S. Army. It was a sad event for the band members and they could not finish playing the band's theme song, "Moonlight Serenade," at the end of the concert.
Destroyer USS William D Porter launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German raider HK Stier (Schiffe
23 or Raider "J"), 4 ships of 29,000 tons this cruise, attempts to attack the
Liberty ship Stephen Hopkins. The Hopkins, armed with only 1 4 inch gun fights back. This
unexpected resistance is successful, and the Stier sinks, but the Stephen Hopkins also
sinks.
The SS Stephen Hopkins, a Liberty Ship armed
with a World War I Four Inch Fifty shell gun on the stern and a 37 MM on the bow, was
sailing from Capetown, South Africa to Paramaribo, Dutch Guinea, when she was attacked by the raider STIER and her escort the blockade runner TANNENFELS.
Stier, with six 5.9-inch (15 centimeter) guns, opened fire at 0854 hours. The Master
kept the stern of the Hopkins towards the raiders hitting the Stier 15
times, including two shots that knock out her steering gear and start a fire in
the engine room at 0905 hours. The Stier ceases fire at 0918. The TANNENFELS is
also badly damaged. The Hopkins also sank, a mass of twisted metal,
and thirty-two of the 40 member merchant crew and nine of the fifteen Navy gunners were
killed. The Liberty ship expended all its four inch ammunition and all the four inch
gunners were killed and the last five rounds were fired by a Merchant Marine Engine Cadet
before he was also killed. With his own ship ablaze, the Stier's captain
gave the order to abandon ship and Stier sank at about 1140. Tannenfels returned
to La Verdon, France, with the 320 survivors of the battle. The 19 survivors of
the Stephen Hopkins gathered in one lifeboat, which had little food and water,
and began a 2,200 nautical mile (4 074 kilometer) 31-day journey to Brazil.
Fifteen men, ten crewmen and five Armed Guards, survived. The only award ever made, that I can determine, was that the
ship was declared a "Gallant Ship." (Tom Bower and
Jack McKillop)
- The German submarine U-165 is sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of Lorient, in position 47.50N, 03.22W, probably by air-laid mines. All 51 hands on the U-boat are lost.