October 19th, 1942 (MONDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: 542 Squadron (Photo Reconnaissance) is formed at RAF Benson. (Bob Hart)(137)
Submarine HMS Terrapin laid down.
GERMANY: U-347 laid down.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: British submarine HMS/M Unbending (P 37) torpedoes and sinks the Italian destroyer Giovanni da Verazzano and a 4,459 ton merchant vessel south of Pantelleria Island.
The air offensive preliminary to the British Eighth Army ground attack west of El Alamein, Egypt begins as RAF aircraft and US Army, Middle East Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit a landing ground and B-24s claim a direct hit on vessel at Tobruk, Libya.
MADAGASCAR: East African troops press southward from Tananarive to clear the southern part of the island and in a two-pronged attack overcome opposition at Andriamanaline; the King's African Rifles capture 800 Vichy troops near Ivato.
INDIA: Delhi: General Stilwell presents Chiang Kai-shek with new plans for Chinese forces in Burma, including the arming of 30 more divisions.
NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, U.S. Colonel Leif Sverdrup's reconnaissance party completes march along Kapa Kapa trail, which is so poor that it is rejected as a possible route of advance, to upper Musa River, where Abel's Field is already in use. Sverdrup is the deputy to the Southwest Pacific Area's Engineer officer and he is charged with locating and developing landing fields. He began his march on 17 September.
PACIFIC OCEAN: The USN destroyer USS O'Brien (DD-415), damaged by submarine torpedo on 15 September 1942, breaks in two and sinks en route to United States for repairs, 53 miles north-northeast of Tutuila, Samoa.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: The last elements of the IJA 2nd "Sendai" Division (Lieutenant General Masao Maruyama) step of along a primitive 20-mile road (the "Maruyama Road") through Guadalcanal's jungles and struggling toward attack positions south of the American-held airfields.
The "road" is a 24-inch (61 cm) wide trail hacked through the jungle for 20-miles (32.2 km). The initial march started on 16 October 16. Each member of the elite 2nd "Emperor's Own" Infantry Division lugs his rifle, pack and a 30-pound (13.6 kg) artillery shell over ridges and gorges. General Maruyama is confident his division will massacre Henderson Field's defenders with a surprise attack and his staff is already planning the surrender ceremony. Another 3,000 Japanese infantry supported by artillery and tanks are readying a diversionary attack west of the airfields. As yet, the Americans have not detected the moves.
During the day, a USN minesweeper arrives off Lunga Point with 175 55-U.S.-gallon (208.2 liter) drums of aviation fuel and a fuel barge is towed from the New Hebrides to Tulagi by a fleet tug. Cactus Air Force F4F Wildcats fly a constant CAP over the fuel.
SBDs Dauntless dive bombers of the USN's Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6) and Scouting Squadron Seventy One (VS 71) and Marine Scout Bombing Squadron One Hundred Forty One (VMSB-141) from Henderson Field attack three Japanese destroyers north of Guadalcanal, damaging HIJMS Uranami. IJA artillery fire closes Henderson Field for part of the day.
The USN submarine USS Grampus (SS-207) lands Australian coastwatchers on Choiseul Island.
NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS: The USN submarine USS Amberjack (SS-219) arrives at Espiritu Santo, assigned temporarily to Commander, Aircraft, South Pacific, for duty. Over the next three days, two of the submarine's fuel tanks will be cleaned and converted to carry aviation gasoline. She will also take on board 100-pound (45 kilogram) bombs and embark USAAF enlisted ground crew for transportation to Guadalcanal.
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: The U.S. 25th Infantry Division is alerted for movement to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
NEW CALEDONIA: The IJN submarine HIJMS I-19 launches a "Glen" reconnaissance aircraft (Kugisho E14Y, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) to reconnoiter Nouméa.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: Aleutians: An Eleventh Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress flies weather reconnaissance and bomb runs over Attu, Semichi, Kiska, and Amchitka Islands; 6 B-24 Liberators dispatched to bomb Kiska Island abort the mission due to weather.
CANADA:
Corvette HMCS Sorel commenced refit Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
Corvette HMCS Summerside departed Halifax for UK and Operation Torch duties.
U.S.A.: Destroyer escorts USS Levy and McConnell laid down.
The War Department agrees to equip 30 more Chinese divisions.
The initial installation and deployment of the AN/ASB-3 airborne search radar is reported. This radar, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory for carrier based aircraft, has been installed in five TBF-1 Avengers by NAS New York, New York, and five SBD-3 Dauntlesses by NAS San Pedro, California. One aircraft of each type is assigned to Carrier Air Group Eleven (CVG-11) in USS Saratoga (CV-2) and the others shipped to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The remaining sets on the initial contract for 25 are to be used for spare parts and training.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The U.S. freighter SS Steel Navigator, straggling from convoy ON 137, is attacked by German submarine U-610; Steel Navigator briefly drives off the shadower with 5-inch (12.7 cm) gunfire, but the U-boat returns and torpedoes and sinks the freighter in position 49°20'N, 32°00'W. Hastily launched motor boat swamps in heavy seas; no.3 lifeboat swamps as the ship plunges and spills its 35 occupants into the sea. U-610 surfaces and approaches the survivors' boats and rafts; when questions shouted by the submarine's commander fail to get answers, the enemy threatens to cut a raft in two. After answers are given in the brief interrogation, the Germans refuse to provide a course to the nearest land and depart. Subsequently, survivors right no.3 boat and redistribute themselves; the boats becomes separated.
U-116 (Type XB) is listed missing in the North Atlantic, details and position not known. 55 dead (all hands lost). The last radiogram was sent on 6 October from approximate position 45.00N, 31.30W. (Alex Gordon)
U-332 sank SS Rothley.