 Henderson Field on Guadalcanal |
Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII
Remembering the First Fight Against Fascism |
 Soviet infantry advancing through the devastated streets of Stalingrad |
Henderson Field on Guadalcanal |
Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII
Remembering the First Fight Against Fascism |
Soviet infantry advancing through the devastated streets of Stalingrad |
September 22, 1942 The Germans take “The Grain
Elevator” with heavy losses and consolidate their hold on the southern part of
Stalingrad. September 23, 1942 US Marines on Guadalcanal begin attacks to clear the area around Henderson Field of Japanese infantry. Marines from the newly arrived 7th Marines make a landing behind Japanese positions along the Matanikau River. The Marines drove inland only to be cut off. Direct fire from the destroyer Ballard blasted a path through the Japanese so the Marines could withdraw. Soviet launch a series of
counterattacks at Stalingrad. Nearr the southern landing areas, attacks along
the Volga fail to dislodge the Germans in the area. Attacks in the northwest
suburbs also grind both sides to a halt. Fighting is serious with heavy losses
on both sides. Leslie Groves is promoted to
Brigadier-General and recruits J.
Robert Oppenheimer as Scientific Director of the Manhattan Project. Exhausted by months of command in the
harsh North African desert, Field Marshal Rommel takes a medical leave. Command
of Panzer Army Afrika is give to General von Thoma. September 24 1942 Olga Yamschchikova, a fighter pilot in
the Red Air Force, shot down a German Ju-88 twin-engine bomber over Stalingrad,
becoming the first female to score an aerial victory. Hitler
relieves his Chief of Staff, General Halder. And replaces him with General
Zeitzler. Army
Group A launches a fresh series of attacks along the Black Sea coast, targeting
the port of Tuapse. British
bombers hit Bengazi in North Africa. September 25, 1942 Australian troops launch their
counteroffensive against the Japanese along the Kokoda Trail. September 26, 1942 After spending several days regrouping, the German 6th Army launches its latest “final attack on Stalingrad”. September 27, 1942 German forces attacking in the center
of Stalingrad succeed in taking most of the strategically important hill mass at
Mamayev Kurgan. To the north, other attacks work their way through the
worker’s housing for the Red October factory complex. Fighting is brutally
savage and casualties are extremely heavy. September 28, 1942 The main body of the US 32nd Infantry Division reach Port Moresby and are immediately ordered into the attack on Wairopi. Soviet forces north of Moscow open a
massive offensive in the Rhzev area. The Germans retreat and the Soviets
liberate 25 villages. American pilots, many who had been
flying with the RAF since the opening of the war, and who defended the skies of
England during the Battle of Britain against Germany, are officially transferred
to USAAF commands. Chinese forces inflict heavy losses on
the Japanese in action round Kinhwa. British cartographers break the
“Osprey” key to the Enigma code. From this point until the end of the war,
the British were able to read the most secret messages of the Todt
Organizations, the group responsible for engineering projects in the Reich. The Japanese ship Lisbon Maru
was torpedoed. 1816 British prisoners were on board as the ship began to sink.
They attempted to flee the holds but the Japanese crew locked down the hatches.
As the hold filled, several hundred attempted to break out. The Japanese opened
fire on them. Some escaped into the water and when attempting to climb ropes to
other Japanese ships standing by, they were beaten and thrown back into the
water. Some of the soldiers were rescued by sympathetic Chinese vessels, but
were then turned over to the Japanese. While making a 28-knot zig-zag course in clear weather off the coast of Ireland, the luxury liner, and now troop transport Queen Mary, bringing 10,000 Americans to Britain, rams her escort, the cruiser Curacao. The cruiser is literally cut in two and by the time the Queen Mary clears the wreck, the two halves are 100 yards apart. The captain of the Queen Mary, fearing the presence of German submarines, doesn’t even bother to slow down to determine the damage to here escort, let alone pick up survivors. 101 sailors were saved, and 338 lost their lives. After the war, a court of inquiry, incredibly, determined that the cruiser was at fault for not staying out of the way. The latest German offensive at
Stalingrad begins to bog down as German forces have reached the Volga at several
points. Resistance by the 62nd Army remains strong as several
bridgeheads in the south and central sectors continue to hold out. Casualties on
both sides are very heavy. German forces attacking in the Caucasus
capture Elkhotovo on the road to Drag Kokh. The German forces in the northern
sector of Stalingrad, primarily the 14th Panzer Korp, launch fresh
attacks against the factory complexes. The massive Tractor Factory is their
objective. US aircraft based in the Aleutians bomb Japanese installations on Kiska Island. |