October 9th, 1942 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: The US Eighth Army Air Force has recently adopted big daylight bombing operations of a kind virtually abandoned by the RAF in favour of night attacks.
To emphasize the difference in style, the US commander, Brigadier-General Ira Eaker, personally led his men on a precision raid against Rouen's marshalling yards on 17 August. The US approach is to fly heavily-armed bombers in close mass-formations by day to destroy the enemy's means of making war, rather than in area attacks by night to undermine the enemy's will.
Today, in the biggest daylight raid from Britain, more than 100 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators protected by 300 Allied fighters struck at factories in Lille, in northern France. Four bombers were shot down and one crew retrieved. In dogfights, the Poles claim three "kills" and the RAF two. It is not known how many were shot down by the American bombers.
The US Eighth Air Force flies Mission 14: 108 bombers are dispatched to Lille, France, to bomb the steel and engineering works of the Compagnie de Fives and the locomotive and freight car works of Ateliers d'Hellemmes; 59 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 10 B-24s hit the primary targets; 2 B-17s hit the secondary target, Courtrai Airfield; other targets hit are Longuenesse Airfield (6) and Roubaix (2); the bombers claim 25-38-44 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 bombers are lost.
The ten B-24s are from the 94th Bombardment Group (Heavy), the first B-24 unit to enter combat with the Eighth Air Force.
The first mission-related midair collision sustained by Eighth Air Force heavy bombers occurs during the flight to France when a pair of 92d Bombardment Group (Heavy) B-17s collide. Both are able to return to base.
A B-17 of the 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) that has been damaged by enemy fire over the target becomes the first Eighth Air Force bomber ever to ditch at sea when 1st Lieutenant Donald Swenson lands the plane in 15-20 foot (4.6-6.1 meter) high seas. All crewmen survived. (Skip Guidry and Jack McKillop)
Escort carrier HMS Speaker laid down.
BELGIUM: During USAAF Eighth Air Force Mission 14 (see France below), two B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the secondary target, Wevelghem Airfield at Courtrai.
NETHERLANDS: Fourteen RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons lay mines in the Frisian Islands without loss.
FRANCE: The 94d BG (H) becomes the first B-24 unit to enter combat with the 8th AF. (Skip Guidry)
The first mission-related midair collision sustained by 8th AF heavy bombers occurs during the flight to France when a pair of 92d BG (H) B-17s collide. Both are able to return to base. (Skip Guidry)
U-171 (Type IXC) is sunk at 1300hrs in the Bay of Biscay near Lorient, France, at position 47.30N, 03.30W, by mines. 22 dead, 29 survivors. (Alex Gordon)
GERMANY: Five RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos are dispatched to hit scattered targets; one bombs Koblenz.
DENMARK: Copenhagen: The Nazis have at last forced King Christian to appoint the pro-Nazi Erik Scavenius as prime minister. In September, when the king celebrated his 72nd birthday, Hitler sent him fulsome congratulations. The king, who has no liking for Hitler and his Nazis, responded with a cool acknowledgement of receipt. Hitler, enraged by the "insult", insisted on having a more obedient government installed.
Scavenius, who also retains his post of foreign minister, is disliked heartily by the Danes; he has made Denmark a member of the anti-Comintern pact and encouraged Danes to fight against Russia.
U.S.S.R.: Stalin removes command authority from the Commissars in the Red Army. They remain in charge of morale and propaganda. Responsibility for military decisions is now entirely in the hands of the commanding officers.
EGYPT: In the Mediterranean, US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators strike shipping and harbor facilities at Bengasi, Libya; and P-40s fly escort and strafe a landing ground west of El Daba, Egypt and emplacements in the battle area west of El Alamein, Egypt. During the latter mission, 1st Lieutenant William J. Mount, a P-40 pilot with the 57th Fighter Group, scores the first USAAF aerial victory in North Africa against a Luftwaffe Bf 109 fighter in the vicinity of El Alamein. (Skip Guidry and Jack McKillop)
LIBYA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators strike shipping and harbor facilities at Bengasi.
MADAGASCAR: British forces move south from Tananarive to link up with the troops that landed in the south the end of September.
CHINA: The British and U.S. governments formally relinquish extra-territorial rights and special privileges in China. This policy change reflects an effort to bolster the Nationalist Chinese government as a strategic partner in the war against the Japanese.
NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australian 2/25th Battalion is ordered to swing left to Kagi while the 2/31st Battalion keeps moving forward to Efogi North however, the patrol from 2/25th Battalion is still being held up by the Japanese rearguard on the Track.
In North East New Guinea, the USAAF Fifth Air Force completes the airlift of the Australian 2/7th Independent Company to Wau. Their orders are to harass the Japanese in the Mubo-Lae-Salamaua area. Meanwhile fourteen USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Lae Aerodrome.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: During the night, Japanese seaplane carrier
HIJMS Nisshin delivers 6
antiaircraft guns, two 10 cm howitzers, equipment and 180 men on Guadalcanal.
4 destroyers unload mortars and 560 men of the 4th Maizuru Special Naval Landing
Force.
The 1st Marine Division successfully completes its three-day offensive west of
Henderson Field. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Marine Regiment, moved out for
Point Cruz and Matanikau Village where they met the IJA 4th Infantry Regiment.
About 690 Japanese have been killed during the Battle of the Matanikau while the
Marines have suffered fewer than 200 casualties.
Three USAAF P-39Airacobra pilots shoot down three IJN float biplanes over New Georgia Sound about 150 miles (241.4 km) from Henderson Field at 0700 hours local.
In the afternoon, 20 F4F Wildcats of Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Twenty One (VMF-121) are launched from the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Copahee (ACV-12) and land at Fighter-1.
NEW CALEDONIA: U.S. reinforcements in the form of the U.S. Army's 164th Infantry Regiment are on the way as a troop convoy, consisting of the transports USS McCawley (AP-10) and USS Zeilin (AP-9) and 8 high speed transport (Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner) sail from Nouméa, New Caledonia. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
NEW HEBRIDES: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-7 launches a "Glen" reconnaissance aircraft (Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) to reconnoiter Espiritu Santo Island.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: 30 Fifth Air Force B-17s bomb numerous targets at Rabaul, New Britain Island. In New Guinea, 14 B-25 Mitchells hit the airfield at Lae.
PACIFIC OCEAN: The U.S. submarine USS Drum (SS-228) sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: The Eleventh Air Force dispatches 7 B-17s and 10 B-24s, escorted by 6 P-38 Lightnings and 4 P-39s bomb the harbor at Kiska Island, installations, and shipping 6 times; targets include shipping in Gertrude Cove, small cargo vessels in Kiska Harbor, installations at North Head, a hangar, Main Camp area (hit several times), and various shore facilities.
CANADA: Trawler HMS Magdalen arrived Sydney, Nova Scotia and proceeded to Picton to workup.
U.S.A.: The USN opens the first three schools for enlisted WAVES (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) at Stillwater, Oklahoma, (Yeoman), Bloomington, Indiana, (Storekeepers), and Madison, Wisconsin (Radiomen).
Destroyer USS Conway commissioned.
Submarine USS Haddo commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
Help for the heavily damaged U-333 came in the form of a meeting in the mid-Atlantic. A doctor from the milk cow U-459 came on board U-333 to aid the badly wounded commander Ali Cremer. On the same day Kapitänleutnant Lorenz Kasch transferred from U-107 and took over command of U-333.
During very bad weather in the North Atlantic a lookout on U-443 broke his arm.
U-171 sunk at 1300 hrs in the Bay of Biscay near Lorient, France, in position 47.39N, 03.34W, by mines. 22 dead and 30 survivors.
U-159 sank SS Coloradan.
U-201 sank SS Flensburg.
U-254 sank SS Pennington Court.
U-68 sank SS Belgian Fighter and SS Examelia.
The Canadian Government merchant ship Carolus, an ex-Finnish registered freighter (2,375 GRT), was sunk by a torpedo from U-69, Kptlt. Jost Metzler, Knight's Cross, CO, off Matane, Quebec, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Carolus had been a member of convoy NL-9. HMC ships Arrowhead and Hepatica rescued 19 of her 30 crewmembers.