Air Operations, Aleutians

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s are sent to reconnoiter and attack Kiska, but abort due to bad weather.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Mosquitos are sent on single flights over the Ruhr and Northern Germany to bomb targets of opportunity. 3 planes bomb targets seen through gaps in the clouds. One claims to have bombed the inland docks at Duisburg. There are no losses.
• 291 aircraft including 170 Wellingtons, 39 Halifaxes, 36 Stirlings, 29 Lancasters and 17 Hampdens are sent to bomb Duisburg. 253 crews report dropping their bombs that start many fires. Photographs, however, show that the flares of the lead planes were off and many of the bombs fall in open country over the Rhine to the west. Duisburg reports a lot of damage in housing areas. 94 buildings are destroyed and 256 seriously damaged with 49 people being killed. It is also reported that the Thyssen steelworks and 2 other industries suffer damage. 10 Wellingtons, 1 Hampden and 1 Halifax are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 8 Blenheim Intruders attack the airfields at St Trond, Venlo and Vechta. 9 planes lay mines off Texel and in the Frisians and 6 planes make leaflet flights to France. 1 Intruder is lost.

Air Operations, Greece

1st Provisional Heavy Bomb Group B-24s (based in Palestine) attack Axis shipping in Suda Bay and claim hits on 2 vessels.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Despite bad weather and poor visibility, Allied land-based aircraft locate and attack a Japanese convoy near the coast. 1 5th Air Force B-17 and 5 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack the convoy off Salamaua.

Eastern Front

Gordov takes command of the Stalingrad Front as Timoshenko is relieved. Chuikov takes over at the 64th Army. On the Stalingrad axis, the concentration of forces increase as the Germans prepare their thrust toward Stalingrad and the Volga.

At this stage of the battle there are 18 German divisions on the axis, totalling 250,000 ment with 7,500 artillery pieces, 740 panzers and 1,200 aircraft of the IV Air Corps. To face this force the Soviets have 187,000 ment and 7,900 artillery pieces and 360 tanks.

Gulf of Mexico

The US freighter William Cullen Bryant (7176t), in Convoy TAW-4J, is torpedoed by U-84 in the Straits of Florida. All hands abandon ship, but later return. The salvage vessel Willett (ARS-12) and civilian tug Moran tow William Cullen Bryant to Key West, Florida.

New Guinea

Japanese troops of Gen Tomitaro Horii's 18th Army land at Gona. The Japanese also land at Buna, north of Port Moresby, which they plan to capture by advancing over the Owen Stanley Mountains. The Allies have also planned landings here but are forestalled.

North Africa

Rommel sends reports to OKW giving details of his shortages of men, equipment and supplies. He says that his front can hold, but the situation will remain critical for his troops until the whole of the 164th Div becomes available. His formations have been reduced to 40% of their strength. As for the Italians, Rommel says they have shown themselves so unreliable that they should be split up and incorporated in German formations.

The British through 'Ultra' are aware of his position and have therefore decided to mount a major attack. 8th Army has more than 300 tanks and the Germans and Italians about 50 each. As the actions during the last two or three weeks have worn out the Italians, Auchinleck decides to complete the job by attacking the Afrika Korps directly.

The British attack the center of the Axis line, sending sappers forward to make gaps in the enemy minefields to enable the tanks to get through. At first there is some progress in infantry attacks, but as happens all too often, the supporting armor fails to arrive in the right place at the right time. The Australian and New Zealand infantry especially (perhaps the best troops in 8th Army) are growing increasingly disillusioned because of these failures.

During the night hte 161st Brigade seizes Deir el Shein, only to be driven out by counterattacks and it fails to capture Point 63. The 6th New Zealand Brigade, after ferocious fighting costs 200 casualties, secures the eastern part of El Mreir, but the tanks do not move up to support them in time. At 0515 Lt-Gen Walther Nehring falls on the New Zealanders with both the 15th and 21st Panzer Divs and shatters them. Brig George Clifton is taken prisoner but manages to escape later. There are about 700 men killed, wounded or captured along with 23 guns, 13 of the new 6-pdrs, are lost.

Pacific

• The Solomons expeditionary force (Task Force 61) is ordered to rendezvous southeast of the Fiji Islands on July 26.
• Allied aircraft sight and attack a Japanese convoy headed for New Guinea. This is the contingent that left Rabaul 2 days earlier. During the night it lands at Gona and Buna, forestalling the Allies' projected Operation PROVIDENCE. Japanese naval forces stationed at Lae carry out diversionary actions, attacking Mubo and Komiatum. This operation by the Japanese brings the 'Empire of the Rising Sun' to its maximum territorial expansion.
• 3 Japanese submarines are sunk around Kiska in the Aleutians.
• The US freighter Coast Farmer is sunk by the Japanese submarine I-11 in the South Pacific. An RAAf crash boat rescues the 40 survivors including the 7-man Armed Guard.

United States, Command

Adm William D. Leahy, the US Ambassador to Vichy France, is appointed as Pres Roosevelt's personal Chief of Staff.