November 15th, 1942 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Church bells across Britain, silent since June 1940, pealed out this Sunday morning to celebrate victory at El Alamein. The bells of Westminster Abbey were broadcast by the BBC to occupied Europe and Germany. The bells of Coventry Cathedral's only surviving bell-tower were heard with the 9am news on the second anniversary of the city's great Luftwaffe raid. Many bellringers had to be "lent" from the services.
FRANCE: During the night of 15/16 November, RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons lay mines off thee French ports in the Bay of Biscay: seven aircraft lay mines off La Pallice, three of Lorient and two off St. Nazaire. One aircraft is lost.
GERMANY: The prototype Heinkel He 219 V1 Uhu (Owl) makes it first flight. The Uhu was the only piston-engined night fighters capable of meeting the British de Havilland Mosquito on equal terms.
ITALY: During the night of 15/16 November, RAF Bomber Command sends 78 aircraft, 40 Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters and 11 Stirlings, to continue the raids on Genoa with further accurate bombing; 68 bomb the target without loss.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U-259 sunk in the Mediterranean north of Algiers, in position 37.20N, 03.05E, by depth charges from British Hudson aircraft (Sqn 500/S). 48 dead (all hands lost). The aircraft's depth charges exploded on contact crippling the aircraft forcing the crew to bail out.
Minesweeper HMS Algerine torpedoed and sunk off Bougie, Algeria by the Italian submarine Ascianghi.
TUNISIA: Tabarka, on the coast road to Bizerta, Tunisia falls to the British First Army's, 36th Brigade, 78th Division, as they cross the Tunisian border. US paratroops of the 509th PIB take the airfield at Youks les Bains near Tebessa. (Mike Yared)The Germans have rapidly built up their forces in Tunisia and now count over 10000 troops and over 100 combat aircraft based on French fields.
The Allied aircraft are flying from temporary fields which are not as close to the front.
ALGERIA: French Admiral Jean-Francois Darlan assumes the position of High Commissioner of France for North and West Africa, appointing General Henri-Honeré Giraud as commander in chief of French armed forces in North Africa.
USAAF Twelfth Air Force C-47 Skytrains transport the 2d Battalion, U.S. 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment to Youk-les-Bains, near Tebessa and 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Bone.
LIBYA: USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators from two groups are sent to bomb Tripoli, but unfavorable weather prevents them from reaching the target. However, one group bombs a motor convoy, as well as an airfield and crowded roads in the Bengasi area. P-40s fly sweeps and fighter-bomber missions against the retreating enemy west of Martuba. The British Eighth Army's X Corps captures Martuba Airfield which is soon occupied by the USAAF 57th Fighter Group.
NEW GUINEA: In Papua New Guinea, the Australians complete bridges on the Kumusi River and the Australian 25th Brigade its crossing of the river and heads for Gona, continuing their advance to Wairopi and Ilimow.
The 16th Brigade begins crossing the river but only headquarters and one battalion gets across by the end of the day. USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs strafe targets near Gona while B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders hit antiaircraft positions at Buna and Soputa as U.S. and Australian ground forces prepare to move against the Buna-Gona beachhead.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses attack shipping in Rabaul Harbor on New Britain Island.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Admiral Tanaka heads his destroyers north from Guadalcanal, at 0430 after beaching the four remaining transports from his convoy. Between 0600 and 0845 the Cactus AF and aircraft from Enterprise attack these ships and the supplies unloaded on shore. They are joined by 155mm Arty from the 244th Coast Artillery and 2 of the 5" coast defence cannon of the Marines.
Destroyer USS Meade, which escorted the cargo ship Okpara to Guadalcanal, joins in. She ignites blazes on the 3 transports not already on fire from the aircraft strikes. Later in the day the Cactus AF strikes at some of the transports abandoned previously in the slot.
The air and sea battle which has raged around Guadalcanal has been fought to enable each side to resupply their forces on the island. The Japanese have landed 2000 troops with few supplies and losing all transports committed. The US lands 5500+ men (2 Btns of the 182nd Infantry) and full supplies, losing no transports.
Destroyer USS Benham is sunk by Japanese warships off Guadalcanal.
NEW BRITAIN: General Hitoshi Imamura sets up his HQ at Rabaul.
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Kentville arrived Halifax from builder Port Arthur, Ontario.
U.S.A.: The 100th Infantry Division is activated at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, under the command of Major General Withers A. Burress (VMI, Class of 1914). (William L. Howard)
Destroyers USS Thorn, Turner and Van Valkenburgh laid down.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-98 sunk in North Atlantic west of Gibraltar in position 36.09N, 07.42W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Wrestler (D 35), which is escorting convoy MKF-1. 46 dead (all hands lost).
The commander of U-603 fell ill, forcing the boat to return to base.
At 0305, British Long Island-class escort carrier HMS Avenger (D 14, ex USN BAVG-2) was torpedoed by U-155 (KptLt Adolf Piening, Knight's Cross, CO) 47 nautical miles (87 kilometres) south of Faro, Portugal, in position 36.15N, 07.45W. The ship had participated in the Operation TORCH landings of North Africa and departed Gibraltar with convoy MKF-1 (Mediterranean to U.K.) yesterday. Early in the morning, U-155 fired a spread of four torpedoes at the convoy and one of the torpedoes hit the port side amidships, which in turn ignited her bomb room, blowing out the centre section of the ship. Her bow and stern sections rose in the air and sunk within two minutes, leaving only 12 survivors of the 526 crewmen aboard.
U-178 damaged SS Adviser.
U-67 sank SS King Arthur.
ICELAND: The Regent of Iceland, at the opening session of the newly elected Althing, speaks of Iceland's excellent relations with Britain and America. (The British troops had, now left Iceland, and have been replaced by Americans. The British had come against the will of the Icelanders but quickly gained their respect and sympathy; the Americans came at their request and according to their free agreement, and Iceland's respect and sympathy for the United States had increased on closer acquaintance.)