October 17th, 1942 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: Allied governments are planning to set up a commission to investigate war crimes committed by the Nazis and their collaborators. A list of war criminals will be drawn up and the evidence against them collected by the governments of occupied Europe. Trials after the war are expected to last several years.
Top of the list will be Hitler and Nazi Party leaders and collaborators. Below them will be the names of German agents in occupied countries, nationals of occupied countries but of German origin who have worked with the Nazis, and nationals of the occupied countries who have set themselves up as "quisling" rulers and their henchmen.
Scotland: The Allied invasion fleet for Operation TORCH in North Africa next month starts to assemble in the Firth of Clyde.
Destroyer HMS Orwell commissioned.
FRANCE: The Schneider factory at Le Creusot is regarded as the French equivalent to Krupps and produces heavy guns, railway engines and, it is believed, tanks and armoured cars. A large workers' housing estate is situated at one end of the factory. RAF Bomber Command has been given this as the highest priority target in France for a night attack but only in the most favourable of conditions. Air Marshal Arthur Harris, Air Officer Commanding RAF Bomber Command, decides to attack by day, at low level. The task is given to Air Vice-Marshal Coryton's 5 Group and its nine Lancaster squadrons carry out a series of low-level practice flights over England. After a favourable weather report, 94 Lancasters set out on the afternoon of 17 October. The force is led by Wing Commander L. C. Slee of 49 Squadron. Eighty eight aircraft are to bomb the Schneider factory; the other six are to attack a nearby transformer station which supplies the factory with electricity. The Lancasters fly in a loose formation over the sea around Brittany, and cross the coast of France between La Rochelle and St Nazaire without any fighter escort. For 300 miles (483 kilometers) the Lancasters fly at tree-top level across France. No German fighters attack the bombers during this flight. The greatest danger is from birds; four aircraft are damaged and two men injured in bird strikes. After a fine piece of work by Wing Commander Slee's navigator, Pilot Officer A. S. Grant, the force reaches its last turning-point near Nevers and gains height for bombing. There is practically no Flak at the target and bombing takes place in clear conditions at heights of between 2,500 and 7,500 feet (762 and 2 296 meters). Nearly 140 tons (127 metric tonnes) of bombs are dropped. The Lancasters return home safely as darkness closes in. The only casualty is one aircraft of 61 Squadron which bombs the nearby transformer power station at such a low level that it crashes into a building.
One airman, describing this daylight flight without fighter cover, said: "It was like the Grand National, except that no one fell." This was not quite accurate - one of the Lancasters had failed to return.
The 5 Group crews claimed a successful attack on the Schneider factory but photographs taken later show that much of the bombing had fallen short and had struck the workers' housing estate near the factory. Some bombs had fallen into the factory area but damage there is not extensive. It has not been possible to obtain a report from France on the casualties suffered by the local people in this raid. 57 Squadron is also part of this mission.
Eleven RAF Bomber Command Douglas (A-20) Bostons sent to Le Havre have to turn back but six other Bostons carry out a sweep to create a diversion for the Le Creusot force. No Bostons are lost.
Paris: Shot-down aircrew and PoWs who managed to "escape and evade" are returning to England on regular "Underground lines" set up by members of the Resistance and trained agents dropped into France by MI9, the intelligence department in charge of escapes.
MI9 is in experienced hands; one of its leaders is Captain Airey Neave, who escaped from Colditz Castle last January disguised as a German officer and walked to Switzerland.
It is impressed on all servicemen that it is their duty to escape, and they are being provided with the equipment to do so. Unscrew a certain button on a pilot's jacket and it turns into a compass. His silk scarf is a map showing him the way home, and his flying boots convert into walking shoes with a hacksaw blade hidden in a lace and foreign currency in the heels.
All aircrew are taught how to evade capture and live off the country until they can contact the local Resistance. They are never given names and addresses of people to contact, but are told to seek out solid patriotic households and ask the occupants to put them in touch with the Resistance.
If all goes well the escapers are fed, dressed in local clothes, given false papers and passed along a line of "safe houses", either to the Spanish or Swiss borders or to a landing strip to be picked up by a Lysander or a Hudson of the RAF's special duty squadrons.
One of the bravest of those helping the escapers - sometimes known as "conductors" - is a 24-year-old Belgian, Andree de Jongh, who runs the "Comet" line. She specializes in the long trip from Brussels, through Paris and over the Pyrenees to Bilboa where her passengers are taken by fishing boat to Gibraltar.
GERMANY: Berlin: The enemy's dispute with Britain over the treatment of PoWs was given a new and unpleasant twist today when the German high command declared that "inhumane treatment of prisoners in any theatre of war, for instance on the Soviet front, would have to be paid for by prisoners in our hands without distinction of nationality."
The Germans made no reference to the British offer to unshackle Axis prisoners if the Germans would do the same with the PoWs taken at Dieppe.
U-291, U-477, U-989, U-990 laid down.
On the way from Gotenhafen to Kiel, U-450 collided with the German ship Peter from Hamburg.
BURMA: No. 82 Squadron RAF commences operations flying the Vultee Vengeance dive-bomber. (22)
NEW GUINEA: Japanese rearguard actions at Eora Creek holds up the
Australian advance along the Kokoda Track.
The point unit for the Australians is the 16th Brigade which has taken over from
the 25th Brigade.
Abel's Field at Fasari, on the upper Musa River near Mt Sapia, becomes
operational; the field is named for Cecil Abel, a missionary who constructed it
with assistance of native labor and equipment dropped by USAAF Fifth Air Force.
First luggers reach Wanigela on the north coast and continue toward Pongani with men and supplies.
One regiment of the US 32nd Division is airlifted from Port Moresby.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: A force of 18 "Val" dive bombers (Aichi D3A, Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers) and 18 "Zeke" fighters (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Hiyo and HIJMS Junyo have been temporarily based at Buka Airdrome on Buka Island just north of Bougainville Island. This force is airborne this morning to attack shipping off Guadalcanal. At 0720 hours local, 8 Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Twenty One (VMF-121) F4F Wildcats intercept this force as the "Vals" attack two USN destroyers--USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) and USS Lardner (DD-487)--shelling new IJA supply dumps west of the Lunga Perimeter near Tassafaronga. The Marine Wildcats disrupt the attack and shoot down 6 "Vals" and 4 "Zekes;" one Wildcat is lost along with its pilot. The destroyers continue their bombardment and fire 1,925 5-inch (12.7 cm) at the supply dumps.
Throughout the day, numerous P-39and P-400 Airacobra fighter-bombers and 6 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the IJA supply dumps.
In the afternoon, the IJN sends 15 "Betty" bombers (, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) and 9 "Zekes" to bomb Guadalcanal; the Japanese aircraft are unopposed.
PACIFIC OCEAN: USS Greenling (SS-213) sinks an armed transport at 37-35 N, 141-30 E USS Trigger (SS-237) sinks an cargo ship at 32-21 N, 132-04 E, east of Hososhima, Japan. (Skip Guidry)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: Aleutians: 4 Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the Main Camp area on Kiska Island and a beached vessel in Trout Lagoon; the results are unobserved due to clouds; a B-24 flying weather reconnaissance finds no trace of 2 destroyers, confirming their sinking on 16 October.
CANADA: Trawler HMS Miscou commissioned Collingwood, Ontario.
U.S.A.: During WW II, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) produced numerous documents, most commonly known are the Intelligence Bulletins. The Military Intelligence Special Series continues with "German Motorized Infantry Regiment." (William L. Howard)
Destroyer USS Kalk commissioned.
Destroyer escorts USS Evarts and Wyfells laid down.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-504 sank SS Empire Chaucer.
U-609 suffered great damages when the escort HMS Celandine attacked her with depth charges during the battle against convoy ON-137.