Air Operations, Europe

• There is a night raid on Helsinki by 60 Russian bombers.
• US B-17s bomb the harbor facilites at Rotterdam.

• 12 Bostons bomb Abbeville airfield; 4 Mosquitos to Holland and Germany
• Bremen reports Mosquito dropping 3 bombs scoring a direct on the Vulkan shipyard foundry stopping production for several days
• 1 Boston and 1 Mosquito lost

• 306 aircraft of 5 types to Kassel
• With little cloud cover, Pathfinders light up the area well; there is widespread damage especially in the southwest part of the city; reports from the ground: 144 buildings destroyed, 317 with serious damage, several military installagions are hit along with 3 factories of the Henschel aircraft company, 43 people killed and 251 injured
• 21 Wellingtons, 5 Stirlings, 3 Lancasters, 1 Halifax and 1 Hampded are lost

• 9 Lancasters on special operation go Gdynia
• Each aircraft is equipped with a 'Capital Ship' bomb, developed to sink a large warship if a direct hit could occur; target is new aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin; 7 planes reach Gdynia but cannot locate target because of haze and bomb harbor area instead
• No planes lost

• 4 aircraft on leaflet flights to France
• No losses

Air Operations, Mediterranean

USAMEAF B-24s attack an Axis convoy at sea and leave 1 ship sinking.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s and 5th Air Force P-400s attack the airfield at Buna. In another operation, 5th Air Force P-40s strafe the Japanese Army beachhead and fuel dumps at Milne Bay.

Aleutians

Units of the Japanese force on Attu begin to be evacuated to Kiska.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-165 attacks Convoy SG-6 off Belle Isle Strait torpedoing the US oiler Laramie (AO-16) (7251t) killing 4 of the crew. The German submarine also torpedoes the US freigher Arlyn (3304t) killing 12 of her crew.
• The Convoy SF-6F is attacked by U-517 also off Belle Isle Strait. The US Army transport Chatham (5649t) is torpedoed by U-517 losing 7 of her 106-man crew and well as 7 of her 428 passengers. Most of the survivor make it shore in a dozen life boats. Those who embarked in rafts are rescued by the US destroyer Bernadou (DD-153), the Coast Guard cutter Mojave (WPG-47) and the Canadian corvette HMCS Trail.

Eastern Front

With heavy fighting continuing around Stalingrad the Soviet perimeter is gradually drawing in. In the far south the Germans of Army Group A approach Grozny, cross the Terek River and establish a bridgehead and capture Prochladrii.

The Soviet Volkhov Front begins an offensive designed to relieve Leningrad, the 2nd Shock Army hitting the German 18th Army hard near Gaitolovo. Fortunately for the Germans, units of the 11th Army arrive on the scene to prevent the siege of the city being lifted.

The Red Army continues to put up fierce resistance on the approaches to Stalingrad, so much so that the 16th Panzer Div is in danger of being destroyed. The 6th Army continues to grind its way forward, but the Stavka is concentrating the 1st Guards, 24th and 66th Armies to threaten the XIV Panzer Corps.[MORE]

Guadalcanal

The 1st Battalion of the 5th Marines lands about 1,000 yards west of Kokumbona and starts east along the shore while I Company of the 3rd Battalion pushes west from Kukum by an overland trail to intercept the enemy withdrawal inland. The 1st Battalion is halted by enemy fire about 1,500 yards east of Kokumbona.

The Rabaul air base launches attacks but 2 bombing raids do not get through because of bad weathers. A B-17 and 14(9?) Army Air Force P-400s of the 67th Fighter Squadron land to augment the Cactus Air Force.

India, Home Front

Rioting and sabotage continues all over India in the campaign to win independence from the British.

New Guinea

The Japanese advance both along the coast and along the path that links Port Moresby with the south coast. An Australian brigade is sent to reinforce the troops inland.

27 August 1942 Kokoda track. Eora village during the action at Isurava. The Australians evacuated Eora four days later. (Photo: Damien Parer)

Action at Isurava

Occupied France

Hitler orders the release of 800 French PoWs as reward for 'exemplary conduct' of the civilian population during the Allied raid on Dieppe.

Soviet Union, Command

Marshal Zhukov is appointed to oversee the defense of Stalingrad.