Air Operations, Aleutians

• 3 28th Composite Bomb Group B-17s attack barracks and other targets on Kiska.
• 3 H6K Japanese Navy flying boats attack the US seaplane tender Gillis at Adak Island, but cause no damage. This is the last Japanes offensive air strike of the Aleutian campaign.

Air Operations, CBI

3 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack a cotton yarn factory at Chiuchiang on the Yangtze River. 4 escorting P-40s strafe river junks.

Air Operations, Europe

The Russians bomb airfields in northern Norway. 200 Spitfires strafe 'targets of opportunity' over northern France. 1 aircraft collides with a tree.

12 Wellingtons are sent on a cloud-covered raid to Bremen. 3 planes drop bombs in scattered locations. 4 Bostons bomb targets in Lille. There are no losses. 1 Stirling makes a leaflet flight over France.

Air Operations, New Guinea

26 G4M 'Betty' bombers, escorted by 16 A6M Zeros, attack Port Moresby.

Allied Planning

Technical directions are issued for the Allied invasion of the Solomon Islands, a part of Operation TULSA II.

Eastern Front

On the southern perimeter of Leningrad, Nikolayev's 42nd Army attacks the 18th Army in an effort to wear down and disperse the strong forces near the city. Bitter fighting will continue until August 26.

The 6th Army launches strong envelopment attacks against the northern and southern flanks of the Don Elbow. Both the 62nd and 64th Armies are heavily attacked and suffer severe casualties. The 63rd and 64th Armies combine number 160,000 men, 400 tanks and 2,200 artillery pieces.

On July 20, 1942, Izhevsk Mechanical Factory Is Founded

On July 20, 1942, Izhevsk Mechanical Factory was founded. The first products to be produced were the anti-tank guns designed by the Soviet gunsmiths V. A. Degtyarev and S. G. Simonov and the TT semiautomatic pistol designed by F. V. Tokarev. During the war, more than 130,000 anti-tank guns, 1.3 million pistols and revolvers, and 250,000 flare pistols and other types of military equipment were produced.

The Stavka disbands the Southwest Front and allocates its forces to the Stalingrad Front. The 38th Army, with 10 divisions and the 28th Army with 6 divisions begin their transformation into the 4th and 1st Tank Armies. The 21st Army with another 6 divisions also join the Stalingrad Front.

North Africa

Mussolini returns to Rome from Libya after giving up his plan for a triumphal entry into Cairo.