September 29th, 1942 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: US pilots who had been members of the 3 RAF Eagle Squadrons (Numbers 71, 121 and 133 Squadrons) are taken over by the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command and organized into the 4th Fighter Group as the 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons; the group HQ and all squadrons move from Bushey Hall to Debden with Spitfires.
Petworth, Sussex: A lone German raider dived out of the cloud this morning and dropped its bombs from near-rooftop height on a council school, which was completely demolished with 85 boys inside it. Thirty-one children are dead, with two of their teachers. Parents in this town of 2,500 inhabitants in south-east England came running to the school and began digging in the wreckage with their bare hands. Rescuers dug out 28 boys alive but injured.
Light cruiser HMS Bellona launched.
GERMANY: Berlin: Hitler orders five "flak towers" to be built in Germany to boost defences against Allied air attacks.
U-750 laid down.
During the night of 29/30 September, RAF Bomber Command Lancasters on minelaying missions in the Baltic Sea: six lay mines off Sassnitz and two lay mines off Swinemünde. One aircraft was lost.
DENMARK: During the night of 29/30 September, three RAF Bomber Command Lancasters laid mines off the Bornholm Islands.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Prague: The Germans, pursuing their blood revenge against the Czech people for the assassination of Heydrich have now condemned 252 people to death for supporting or sheltering Heydrich's assassins. All the relatives of Josef Valcik and Jan Kubis, two of the assassins, have been rounded up from all parts of Czechoslovakia and taken to Mauthausen concentration camp. All the Novak family, including the 14-year-old daughter, Jindriska, are to die; Kubis was sheltered by the Novaks after the attack on Heydrich.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24s hit harbor installations at Suda Bay, Crete. P-40s fly an offensive sweep over the battle area, and carry out an interception mission against Luftwaffe Ju 87s over the frontline near El Alamein, Egypt.
MADAGASCAR: Continuing south from Tananarive, British forces occupy Fianarantsoa. Two companies of the Pretoria Regiment and a few armoured cars from Diego Suarez land on the southwest coast at Tulear in order to secure the port, airfield, and seaplane base site for patrolling the Mozambique Channel and to supplement East African troops operating out of Tananarive..
JAPAN: Tokyo: Richard Sorge, the Soviet spy, is sentenced to death.
NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australians begin offensive patrols pushing toward Nauro.
US Fifth Air Force B-17s bomb AA positions at Buna and Salamaua Airfield; and a single A-20 Havoc bombs the Menari area.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: The troop strength of the Guadalcanal garrison is now 19,261 and 3,260 troops are on Tulagi.
During the afternoon, 26 IJN A6M "Zeke" fighters are intercepted over Guadalcanal by 14 USN F4F Wildcats; 3 A6Ms are shot down with the loss of 1 F4F.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A morning armed reconnaissance mission is flown by US Eleventh Air Force LB-30 Liberator over Semichi and Attu Islands; it strafes a ship at Attu Island; and 3 B-24 Liberators bomb and strafe sea transport, scoring no hits.
CANADA: Corvette
HMCS North Bay laid down.
Minesweeper HMCS Middlesex laid down Port
Arthur, Ontario.
U.S.A.: The Boeing XB-29 makes it first flight.
For the second time this month, an IJN Yokosuka E14Y Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane, Allied Code Name "Glen," launched from the submarine HIJMS I-25 off the west coast, drops four 76 kg (167.5 pound) incendiary bombs on a forest in the Grassy Knob area east of Port Orford, Oregon. Later today smoke is reported in the area and Forestry fire personnel in two teams are sent to investigate. The fires are mostly smouldering due to damp fog. They will be contained and put out over the next few days. Bomb fragments and scattered pieces of phosphorus are turned over to the FBI. This is the last time that the US is bombed during World War II.
Although the US Army and National Guard tried to keep a lid on this enemy activity, there were several newspaper reports about it by the Associated Press, and a Grants Pass and Seattle newspapers. (Phil Jacobsen and Jack McKillop)(223)
Minesweeper USS Sway launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
An aircraft attacked U-118 at 0925 in the North Atlantic and caused slight damage to the boat.
U-513 damaged SS Ocean Vagabond in Convoy HX-209.
U-125 sank SS Baron Ogilvy.
U-332 sank SS Registan.
U-610 sank SS Lifland in Convoy SC-101.