Air Operations, Europe

RAF targets this month include Danzig, Bremen, Hamburg and the Ruhr. There are daylight attacks on targets in France in which the USAAF participates from July 4 onward. Bomber Command drops 6,400 tons.

Allied Supply

The United States finalizes arrangements with various South American countries for the supply of raw rubber to replace the sources captured by the Japanese. These agreements are extended in October.

Battle of the Atlantic

The convoy system off the East Coast of America is extended during the month south from Florida. These convoys will be very effective in the months to come, losing only 39 ships up to December 1942. Other changes in the Allied system this month include the establishment of a CHOP (CHange of OPerational control) Line in mid-Atlantic clearly marking the boundaries of responsibility of the eastern and western routing authorities.

Air Operations, CBI

4 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s escorted by 5 3rd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s raid Hankow, the main Japanese supply base in China. No aircraft are lost, but no targets are hit.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Mosquito bombs Kiel through cloud cover and returns safely.
• 4 Lancasters lay mines in the Great Belt without a loss.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night HALPRO B-24s attack the harbor at Tobruk.

Air Operations, Middle East

Axis planes bomb Haifa, Palestine.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack Salamaua, but other New Guinea-based bombers abort due to bad weather.

Arctic

The German intelligence service, B Dienst, has intelligence of PQ-17. Early in the day PQ-17 is sighted by U-255 and U-408. 8 other U-boats join the operation.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Warrior (7551t) is torpedoed and sunk byt U-126 just north of Trinidad. 3 of the 42-man crew and 4 of the 14-man Armed Guard are lost. The survivors are rescued and taken to Trinidad.

Britain, Home Front

Wardlaw Milne moves for a vote of censure against Churchill in the Commons for mismanagement of the war effort. Churchill wins the vote on July 2, 476-25.

Diplomatic Relations

• Finland establishes diplomatic relations with the Vatican.
• The US and Poland make a Lend-Lease Agreement.

Eastern Front

Hitler's headquarters announces that Sevastopol is in German hands. Army Group Center continues its advance in the Don basin. Axis forces now arrayed on the Russian front for what is planned to be the knockout punch includes 178 German divisions, 31 Rumanian, 17 Hungarian, 10 Italian, 2 Slovak and 1 Spanish.

Left-wing units of the West Front begin to attack the 2nd Panzer Army. The fighting will rage for a week without any appreciable Soviet success.

The 21st and 40th Armies begin to abandon their positions and fall back toward the Don. Both the 4th Panzer and 6th Armies, not realizing that the Soviet forces are withdrawing, and under direct orders from the Führer, turn their attacks in to envelop the Soviet forces on the west bank of the Don.

In the Crimea, the Germans pound the Soviets around Sevastopol. Fierce Luftwaffe and artillery attacks soften the Soviet positions around the city in preparation for the infantry assault. A large part of the garrision, however, has abandoned Sevastopol and fallen back to the Khersonnes peninsula.

German 88

Gulf of Mexico

The US freighter Edward Luckenbach (7934t) enters a US minefield five miles from Smith Shoal, Florida and striked 2 mines losing 1 man in the incident. 41 of her crew and 12 of the Armed Guard are transported to Key West by patrol craft.

Air Operations, Aleutians

7 28 Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 1 B-17 reconnoiter and attack Agattu, Attu and Kiska islands. Attu appears deserted but near misses are scored on a Japanese destroyer and a transsport at Agattu.

Air Operations, CBI

• 3 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s based at Hengyang Airfield attack the dock area and warehouses at Hankow.

• During the night Japanese aircraft attack Hengyang but fail to hit the airfield.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Mosquitos are sent on a low-level raid on the U-boat construction facilities at Flensburg. They are intercepted by German fighters which shoot down the 139 Squadron commander, Wing Commander A. R. Oakeshott, who along with his navigator, Flying Officer V. F. E. Treherne, is killed. The other planes escape by increasing speed although 1 damaged by Flak over Flensburg crashes in Germany. This is the first Mosquito operation of 139 Squadron.
• 325 aircraft including 175 Wellingtons, 53 Lancasters, 35 Halifaxes, 34 Stirlings and 28 Hampdens are sent to bomb Bremen. 265 planes claim to have bombed the target, but it is probable that many of the bombs fell south of the city. Reports from Bremen indicate more than 1,000 houses suffer damage along with 4 industrial firms. There is also some damage in the port area. 5 people are killed and 4 are injured. 8 Wellingtons, 2 Hampdens, 2 Stirlings and 1 Halifax are lost on the raid.
• In support operations, 24 Blenheims are sent to attack airfields without any loss.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night HALPRO B-24s and 9th Heavy Bomb Squadron B-17s attack the harbor and German Army supply dumps at Tobruk.

Allied Planning

Instructions are issued for the occupation of the New Britian-New Ireland-New Guinea area. Starting August 1, the Allied forces are to occupy the Solomon Islands, then the northeast coast of New Guinea. Next they will seek to re-capture Rabaul in New Britain and neighboring areas in New Guinea and New Ireland. The date for beginning the operation will later be pushed back a week.

Allied Supply

The British Board of Trade announces an agreement to control the supply of wheat involving the USA, UK, Argentina, Australia and Canada.

Arctic

QP-13 and PQ-17 pass each other. Reports of the sighting of both convoys and some of the covering forces are not properly reconciled by the Germans causing some confusion in their dispositions. There are unsuccessful air and submarine attacks on PQ-17. Farther south the Tirpitz, the Hipper and 6 destroyers leave their base at Trondheim.

Britain, Politics

In the House of Commons a Conservative Member of Parliament, Sir John Wardlaw-Milne, moves a vote of censure on the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The disasters in Africa have put Churchill in a very difficult position and he returned at once from Washington upon hearing of the fall of Tobruk. Even some of his close friends, like Adm Roger Keys and Leslie Hore-Belisha, join in the attack on him, arguing that the conduct of the war ought to be in the hands of someone not directly involved in the business of government. The motion of censure is defeated by 476 votes to 25. Churchill's speech winding up the debate does much to reassure MPs. He says: 'The will of the House should be made manifest upon important occasions. It is important that not only those who speak but that those who listen, watch and judge should count as a factor in world affairs. We are still fighting for our lives and for causes dearer that life itself. . . Sober and constructive criticism has its place, but the duty of the House is to sustain the Government or change the Government. If it cannot change, it should sustain. There is no middle course in wartime.'

Eastern Front

The Luftwaffe bombs Russian warships at Novorossisk.

The Red Army retreats before the German advance, with the 4th, 17th, 24th and 40th Armies pulling back toward Voronezh. This means that the 4th Panzer and 6th Armies, as they link up at Stary Oskol, fail to trap any Red Army units.[MORE]

Indian Ocean

British forces occupy Mayotte Island, north of the Mozambique Channel, in order to establish an air base there. It will eventually be used as a seaplane base.

New Guinea

The Australian 7th Brigade is ordered to embark from its home base for Milne Bay.

Air Operations, Aleutians

7 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 2 B-17s attack Kiska and Near islands.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s based at Hengyang escorted by several 3rd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s attack the airfield and Nanchang. Several Japanese aircraft are destroyed on the ground and 2 Ki-27 'Nate' fighers are shot down to the loss of 1 P-40 whose pilot is rescued.
• During the night Japanese aircraft attack Hengyang but fail to hit the airfield.

Air Operations, East Indies

5th Air Force B-17s attack a Japanese Army barracks at Koepang, Timor.

Air Operations, Europe

6 Lancasters lay mines in the Great Belt. 2 plane are lost.

Air Operations, Libya

HALPRO B-24s attach the harbor at Tobruk.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s attack the airfield at Lae.

Arctic

The Lutzow and the Admiral Scheer leave Narvik with a destroyer escort and proceed to join Tirpitz at Altafiord. On the way, however, Lutzow and 3 destroyers run aground.

Axis Diplomacy

Anti-British leaders of the Egyptian Liberation Movement confer with Rommel at his field headquarters to prepare for the German entry into Cairo. The Axis Powers promise Egypt complete independence and national sovereignty.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Just outside New York the British anti-submarine trawler Le Tigre sinks U-215 with depth charges.

U-215

Class	Type VIID
CO	Kapitänleutnant Fritz Hoeckner
Location	Atlantic, E of Nova Scotia
Cause	Depth charge
Casualties	48
Survivors	None

• The US tanker Gulfbelle (7104t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-126 about 21 miles north of Tobago losing 2 crewmen in the explosion. The British destroyer Warwick subsequently tows the Gulfbelle to Trinidad.
• The US freighter Alexander Macomb (7191t), in convoy BA-2, is torpedoed and sunk by U-215 losing 4 of the 41-man crew and 6 of the 25-man Armed Guard in the attack. The British trawler Le Tiger and the Canadian corvette Regina rescue the survivors.
• The unarmed US freighter Norlandia (2689t), en route to Nuevitas, Cuba from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is torpedoed and sunk by U-575 losing 9 crewmen.

Eastern Front

The siege of Sevastopol ends. Voronezh is taken by the German 4th Panzer Army which then wheels southward along the Don.

The German Heavy 60cm Mortar Thor at Sevastopol

Air Operations, CBI

• Japanese Army bombers attacking the airfield at Kweilin are turned back by defending AVG P-40s who shoot down 4 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters without loss.
• 5 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and several AVG P-40s based at Kweilin attack the Canton/Tienho airfield without loss.
• The AVG 'Flying Tigers' are incorporated into the USAAF as the 23rd Pursuit Group and redesignated 'China Air Task Force' with headquarters at Kunming, China. There are a few survivors of the original complement of P-40 fighters. They are supplemented by a group of B-24s and 2 squadrons of B-25s. (see March 10, 1943.)

Air Operations, Europe

12 Bostons, 6 of which are manned by US 8th Air Force crews as they fly their first missions in Europe. The planes join in an RAF attack on 4 German air bases in Holland: De Kooy, Bergen, Haamstede and Valkenburg. Only 2 US-manned planes reach their targets. 2 are shot down and 1 is damaged.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night HALPRO B-24s attack ships and port facilities at Benghazi.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

HALPRO B-24s attack an Axis convoy at sea and set a tanker on fire.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 5th Air Force B-17s, B-25s and 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack the airfields at Lae and Salamaue.
• A 35th Fighter Group P-400 downs an A6M Zero near the Port Moresby/Seven Mile Drome at 1116 hours.

Arctic

The Germans score their first successes against PQ-17. Adm Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord, orders the convoy to scatter and the close cover and escort to retire. He believes that the German heavy ships, the Tirpitz, Admiral Scheer and Lützow, will inevitably attack and, since the convoy is now confortably with the range of German aircraft, it cannot be protected by the Home Fleet. The Admiralty messages are badly worded, but the commanders on the spot, although inclined to disobey, eventually conform to the orders. Over the next week 24 ships will be sunk by bombers, torpedo planes and U-boats. 13 ships will reach ports in northern Russia by July 28. The Germans lose 5 aircraft.

The Allied convoy PQ-17 (35 merchant ships plus escort) is attacked by U-boats and aircraft, prompting the issuing of the order for the convoy to scatter. The convoy had left Iceland on June 27. Heavy ice floes were encountered by June 30, and a German aircraft sighted the ships the next day. From July 1 to July 10 a large part of the convoy was wiped out. On July 2 the Germans made several attacks.

On July 4 there are attacks in which 2 American ships, the Christopher Newport and the William Hooper, are sunk by torpedoes. About an hour and a half before midnight, the convoy receives orders to disperse. The British Admiralty receives intelligence that German capital ships, including the Tirpitz and Princ Eugen, have left Trondheim to intercept the convoy. This proves to be untrue. However, the convoy's orders leave the slow and heavily loaded merchant ships virtually defenseless.

Only 11 of the 35 merchantmen who left Iceland finally make it to the Soviet Union, either Archangel or Murmansk. 14 of the ships sunk were American. More than two-thirds had gone to the bottom, along with 210 combat planes, 430 Sherman tanks, 3,350 vehicles and nearly 100,000 tons of other cargo. More than 120 seamen were killed and countless others were crippled and maimed. To compound the disaster, the suspicious Soviets refused to believe that 24 ships from one convoy had been sunk. They openly accused their Western allies of lying about the disaster.

Eastern Front

As the siege of Sevastopol comes to an end, the Germans take 90,000 prisoners but have sustained 24,000 casualties. The Russian death toll is impossible to estimate. German forces advance along a broad front in southern Russia, securing a solid base on the Don River.

In response to the XLVIII Panzer Corps crossing the Don River west of Voronezh, the Stavka commits the 5th Tank Army to seal the gap between the Bryansk and the Southwestern Fronts. Unfortunately, its 600 tanks are committed piecemeal, thus reducing their effectiveness. Luftwaffe attacks degrade their fighting capability further. In the Crimea Sevastopol has fallen to the 11th Army. The Red Army has lost 156,880 killed and missing and 43,601 wounded around the port since October 1941. Manstein takes 90,000 prisoners, together with 460 artillery pieces, 760 mortars and 155 anti-tank guns.[MORE]

Germany, Armed Forces

Army Group South is reorganized, being divided into Army Groups A and B. Army Group B (2nd, 4th Panzer and 6th Armies and the Hungarian 2nd Army) is ordered to destroy the Soviet forces between the upper Donets and middle Don and secure a crossing of the Don near Voronezh. The 4th Panzer and 6th Armies will then race east to Stalingrad, from whence they will sweep south to support Army Group A in the Caucasus. The army group is supported by VIII Air Corps. Army Group A (1st Panzer, 17th and 11th Armies) is to destroy enemy forces on the Mius River and then drive into the Caucasus. The army group is supported by IV Air Corps.

North Africa

The Australian 9th Div moves up to El Alamein to reinforce the XXX Corps of the British 8th Army. XIII Corps continues its attacks on the southern flank of the Axis positions. Stubborn resistance by the 8th Army and ceaseless Allied air raids compel Rommel to abandon his assault on the Alamein 'Line'.

XXX Corps pushes its armor forward from the eastern end of Ruweisat Ridge pushing back the 15th Panzer before being halted by Rommel's 88s. XIII Corps makes little progress being hampered by Stuka attacks. The Allied effort does help Rommel make up his mind to not attempt any further advance.

Air Operations, Europe

14 Wellingtons lay mines off St Nazaire without a loss.

Arctic

PQ-17, a Russian-bound convoy from Iceland, comes under heavy attack by German aircraft and U-boats in the Barents Sea. The convoy is ordered to scatter when Tirpitz and other German warships are believed heading from Norwegian ports to intercept the Allied ships. Without benefit of escorts once the vessels dispersed and operate independently, they are an easy prey form about 200 planes and submarines operating in the area. Of the 22 American and 11 British merchantmen, 23 are sunk, most by aircraft and U-boats but some by mines as well.

German Ship Moving on Convoy PQ-17

The severe losses force the British Admiralty to suspend convoys for Russia 'at least till the northern ice packs melted and receded and until perpetual daylight passed.' This in turn draws the wrath of Stalin and seriously exacerbated inter-Allied relations.

13 vessels from PQ-17 are sunk. The German heavy units make an abortive sortie, returning when the successes of the Luftwaffe and the U-boats make their presence unnecessary. QP-13 in the Denmark Strait sails into a 'friendly' minefield, losing 4 ships.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, USAMEAF B-17s and B-24s attack the harbor at Benghazi and probably destroy an ammunition ship.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s and 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack Lae and Salamaua.

Baltic Sea

Russian submarine SC-320 sinks the German steamer Anna (677t) west of Memel.

Eastern Front

All organized Russian resistance in the Crimea has ceased. Hoth's 4th Panzergruppe reaches the Don near Voronezh, meeting with bitter resistance from the Russians. In the central sector the Germans move to better positions in the Smolensk area. The Germans reach the Don River near Voronezh.

West Front begins a new operation at tying down the 2nd Panzer Army near Sukhinichi.

Soviet armies fighting around Voronezh are pounded on the banks of the Don by the 4th Panzer Army and smashed by the Luftwaffe. Hoth crosses the Don and enters the outskirts of Voronezh, while the 2nd Army moves up to protect the exposed left flank.

Stalin orders the formation of a new Voronezh Front. Golikov assumes temporary command until the arrival of Vatutin. The front comprises the 40th, 3rd and 6th Armies. Chibisov takes over the Bryansk Front.

Pacific

4 Japanese destroyers are torpedoed by US submarines off the Aleutian Islands. The Arare and the Nenohi are sunk; Kasumi and Shiranuhi are damaged.

Air Operations, Aleutians

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 1 LB-30 reconnoiter and attack Kiska.

Air Operations, CBI

5 11th Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by 4 23rd Fighter Squadron P-40s, attack docks and warehouses in the Canton port area.

Air Operations, Europe

During the night the Luftwaffe makes an incendiary raid on Middlesbrough.

42 planes lay mines off Lorient and Verdon. 3 Wellingtons are lost.

Arctic

• The US freighter John Witherspoon (7191t), having emerged unscathed from the German aerial attacks the previous several days, is torpedoed and sunk by U-255 about 20 miled off Novaya Zemlya with the loss of 1 of her crew. 38 crewmen and 11 Armed Guard sailors survive.
• The freigher Pan Atlantic, hasitly painted white to camouflage her against the ice floes through which she is sailing, is bombed and sunk losing 18 of her 37-man crew and 7 of her 11 Armed Guard sailors. The British corvette rescues the survivors.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-132 attacks a convoy in the Gulf of St Lawrence and sinks 3 ships.
• Wellington 'H' of No 172 Squadron picked up u-boat contact southeast of its location. U-502 dived as the aircraft released four depth charges. The attack was successful, the first by a Wellington aircraft.

  U-502

  Class	Type IXC/40
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Jurgen von Rosenstiel
  Location	Bay of Biscay, W of La Rochelle
  Cause	Air attack
  Casualties	52
  Survivors	None

Eastern Front

The German 6th Army and Hoth's 4th Panzergruppe move towards Voronezh from the west and southwest. On their left the attacks of Gen Maximilian von Weich's 2nd Army also make some progress.

A Briefing on the Volkhov Front

The Germans capture the greater part of Voronezh but are bogged down in bitter fighting with Soviet rearguards. The Stavka is preparing to move additional forces up to prevent the movement of German armor northeast toward Moscow.

Air Operations, Aleutians

7 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 1 B-17 are sent to reconnoiter Attu, Agattu and Kiska, but are deterred by bad weather. 1 Japanese Navy scout plane is downed in the operation.

Air Operations, Europe

In mine-laying operations, 79 Wellingtons and 23 Stirlings are sent to the Frisians. There are no losses.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

British aircraft raid Messina and Reggio Calabria in Sicily.

Arctic

Another 8 ships of PQ-17 are sunk. From July 9 onward stragglers begin to arrive in Russian ports both in singly and in groups. The ships which reach Russian deliver 896 vehicles, 164 tanks, 87 aircraft and 57,000 tons of general cargo. 24 ships are lost altogether, with 3,350 vehicles, 430 tanks, 210 aircraft and 96,000 tons of other equipment. The Germans lose 5 planes. There are no more Arctic convoys until September. PQ-17 has been a disaster.

Although Adm Pound could not know of the restrictive conditions placed by Hitler on the operation of the German heavy ships his decision to order the convoy to scatter had probably been premature. The system of control from the Admiralty has not been to blame. Pound has had all the information and the necessary authority to make such a decision because he has access to the latest intelligence.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-701 is sunk by Army aircraft off the coast of North Carolina.

U-701

Canada, Politics

The Canadian House of Commons votes 158-14 to begin sending draftees overseas.

Mediterranean

British aircraft raid targets in southern Italy including Messina and Reggio Calabria.

Eastern Front

The German 6th Army and the 4th Panzergruppe join up northeast of Valuyki and capture Voronezh. The Russians, however, hold up the Germans by a violent counterattack just east of the town. Other units of Army Group South, including 6th Army, continue to drive along the Donets Corridor. Meanwhile other units of Army Group South continue with the destruction of the Russian forces in the Don basin.

Russian Marines attempt to seize Someri Island in the Gulf of Finland, but are routed by Finnish naval and air forces on July 9.

The final pockets of resistance in Voronezh are quelled as the 4th Panzer Army completes the conquest of the city. Farther south the 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army link up near Vayluki as another encirclement is concluded. The tally of prisoners is low following the withdrawal of the Southwest Front.

Germans Posing on Abandoned Soviet Tanks

The 1st Panzer and 17th Armies begin their offensives, striking Gen Rodion Malinovsky's South Front. Soviet forces again give ground to avoid encirclement, prompting the Germans to believe the Soviets have reached the end of their resources.

Air Operations, CBI

1 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25 attacks the reputed location of a Japanese Army headquarters in Tengchung, China.

Air Operations, Europe

• 285 aircraft including 137 Wellingtons, 52 Lancasters, 38 Halifaxes, 34 Stirlings and 24 Hampdens are sent to bomb the dock area at Wilhelmshaven. Photographs show that most of the bomb loads fall in open country west of the target. There is damage to some houses and a variety of businesses in Wilhelmshaven. 25 people are killed and 170 are injured. 5 planes are lost including 3 Wellingtons, 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster.
• In minor operations, 5 Halifaxes make leaflet flights to France without a loss.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, USAMEAF B-24s attack harbor facilites and shipping at Benghazi, and 9th Heavy Bomb Squadron B-17s attack Tobruk harbor.

Allied Planning

Adm Nimitz issues his operational plans. The American South Pacific naval forces are to take Santa Cruz Islands and the islands of Tulagi and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

Arctic

The Panamanian freighter El Capitan (5255t) rescues 22 survivors from the John Witherspoon which was sunk July 6. German bombers, however, sink the El Capitan. Survivors from this attack are rescued by the British armed trawler Lord Austin.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US tanker J. A. Moffett, Jr (9788t) is torpedoed by U-571 3 miles south of Tennessee Reef, Florida Straits and is run aground on Tennessee Reef to prevent the ship's loss. Only 1 of the crew is lost; 42 survivors are rescued by the Coast Guard craft Mary Jane, Southbound and Nike (WPC-112). The ship is later salvaged, but declared a total loss.

Britain, Home Front

In a broadcast to Europe, Cardinal Hinsley, declares that in Poland alone the Nazis have massacred over 700,000 Jews.

China

Gen Chennault takes over command of American air forces in China. The bravery of his pilots earns them the nickname the 'Flying Tigers'.

Eastern Front

The evacuation of Stary Oskol, southeast of Kursk is announced by the Russians. Unable to push on beyond Voronezh, the Germans detach the 6th Army from this sector and send it south, along the right bank of the Don, to attack Stalingrad.

Air Operations, CBI

4 P-40s of the 23rd Fighter Group's 75th Fighter Squadron strafe river supply boats near Nanchang sinking 1 boat. A 2nd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40 downs a Japanese reconnaissance bomber near Hengyang, the final victory credit given to the AVG.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Mosquito is sent to bomb Wilhelmshaven though a cloud cover. There is no report of damage.
• 59 aircraft lay mines in Heligoland and the Frisians. 1 Wellington is lost.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

6 USAMEAF B-24s en route to attack shipping at sea are attacked by GAF fighters. 1 B-24 is downed with its crew; the remaining B-24s abort the mission.

Arctic

The US freighter Hoosier (5060t) is straddled by bombs and damaged irreparably. The 42-man crew and 11-man Armed Guard abandon ship and are rescued by the British corvette HMS Poppy.

Australia, Home Front

More Australian troops embark for New Guinea.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British anti-submarine trawler Manor (314t) is sunk by a German motor torpedo boat in the English Channel with the loss of 29 on board.
• The US freighter Santa Rita (8379t) is torpedoed by U-172 about 700 miles northeast of Puerto Rico and abandoned with the loss of 4 of her crew. The US destroyers Livermore (DD-429) and Mayo (DD-422) rescue the 48 crewmen, 2 passengers and 9 Armed Guard sailors.

Eastern Front

The 4th Panzer Army reaches Tikhnaya Sosna but is brought to an unexpected halt as it runs out of fuel. Hoth has still not released his full strength from Voronezh and is ordered to quit the area and move all his armor south, upon Kantemirovka, where the XL Panzer Corps, with the 6th Army, will be allocated to the 4th Panzer. Elements of Paulus' 6th Army reaches the Rossosh River.

Germans Take the City

The Germans reorganize their command system in the south. Army Group South is divided into two. Army Group A (Gen List) is composed of 1st Panzer Army, 17th Army and 11th Army. Army Group B (Gen von Bock) has 4th Panzer Army, the Hungarian 2nd Army, 2nd Army and 6th Army. This reorganization is designed to expedite the progress of the Caucasus offensive now being prepared. The plan is for Army Group A to advance from positions south of the Donets, capture Rostov, cross the Don and after overrunning the oilfields, to come to a halt on a line from Batumi on the Black Sea to Baku on the Caspian. Army Group B at this stage is ordered to advance north of the Don as far as Stalingrad and establish a protective front for Army Group A (but see July 17 and July 19 for changes to this plan). Army Group A's attacks begin immediately. Army Group B's forces are already under way and their advance now reaches Rossosh cutting the Moscow-Rostov railway.

English Channel

German MTBs sink a tanker and 4 coasters.

Gulf of Mexico

The US tanker Benjamin Brewster (5950t) is torpedoed by U-67 about 60 miles west of Southwest Pass, Louisiana. The cargo of aviation fuel catches fire taking the lives of 25 crewmen. 15 survivors are rescued the following morning by a fishing boat.

North Africa

Stubborn British resistance foils Rommel's attempt to break through the defenses at El Alamein.

Australian Artillery on the Move

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 75th Fighter Squadron P-40s are sent to strafe river boats near Nanchang and bomb Liuchwan. Ground fire, however, downs 2 of the P-40s. The other 2 abort the mission.
• A Japanese fighter is brought down by a 75th Fighter Squadron P-40 over Hankow.

Air Operations, Europe

8 Wellingtons are sent to raid Duisberg and Düsseldorf. The areas are covered in clouds and the planes are recalled. 1 plane is lost.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-160 and U-66 begin operations in the area around Trinidad. 15 ships are sunk over the next 2 months.

Eastern Front

The German 4th Panzer Army joins up with the 6th Army advancing along the Don towards Stalingrad. The 1st Panzer Army and the 17th Army continue advancing in the direction of Rostov. The Russians admit the loss of Rossosh and also admit considerable German forces on the east bank of the Don.

With the arrival of supplies, the 4th Panzer Army resumes its advance along the Don, both the 4th Panzer and 6th Armies attacking the few Soviet units left on the west bank. On the Azov coast and in the Donbas, the 1st Panzer and 17th Armies push toward Rostov and the Don, meeting only scattered resistance from the rearguards of the South Front.

North Africa

The Australian 9th Div, recently arrived at the front, attacks the positions of the Italian Sabratha Div around Tell el Eisa and Rommel is forced to send reinforcements. The Afrika Korps tries unsuccessfully to reduce the salient established by the enemy.

Making use of detailed knowledge of Rommel's troop dispositions through Ultra intercepts of German Enigma cipers, Auchinleck begins a new strategy of hitting Italian units under Rommel's command. In a series of spoiling attacks in the next few days, Auchinleck concentrates against the weak and unreliable Italians. Rommel is forced to employ his own German strike forces to plug up holes in the front causing the German armor to burn precious fuel motoring to their aid.[MORE]

Mussolini returns to Rome from North Africa, postponing for the time being his plan to make a triumphal entry into Cairo.

Air Operations, CBI

The 23rd Fighter Group's 74th Fighter Squadron makes it debut sending 6 P-40s, based at Kunming, China, on a reconnaissance mission to the China-Indochina border. In additional action, 6 P-40s from the 51st Fighter Group's 16th Fighter Squadron scramble from Kunming to intercept a Japanese reconnaissance plane, but fail to locate it.

Air Operations, Aleutians

4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s are attacke by Japanese Navy float fighters as they take off from Fort Glenn Fiele, Umnak. There are no losses and the bombers carry out their mission to reconnoiter and attack Kiska. Near misses are scored on a Japanese cruiser.

Air Operations, Europe

• In an experimental raid, 44 Lancasters are dispatched to bomb the U-boat yards in Danzig. The planes are to fly at low level and in formation over the North Sea, but then to split up and fly independently in cloud which is forecast to be present over Denmark and that part of the Baltic leading to Danzig. The target is expected to be clear of cloud and the Lancasters were to bomb from normal bombing heights just before dusk and return to England during darkness. With a round trip of 1,500 miles, it is the most distant target Bomber Command has yet attempted to reach. It is also another attempt to utilize Lancasters in a semi-daylight role. The plan goes well except that some of the Lancasters are late in identifying Danzig and bomb the general town area in the dark. 24 aircraft drop bombs at Danzig and return. 2 are shot down by Flak at the target. They are the only losses. The novel tactics and routeing prevent any German fighters from making contact. Several aircraft stray over western Sweden and Swedish fighters are scrambled.
• In minor operations, 7 Hampdens fly 'roving commissions' in the Bremen area, but only 1 drops bombs. 6 Mosquitos attack the U-boat yard at Flensburg with 1 plane being lost. Both these operations are intended to divert attention from the Lancaster raid on Danzig.
• During the night 41 Wellingtons and 8 Stirlings lay mines off Heligoland, in the Frisians and in the Langeland Belt. 2 Wellingtons are lost.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, USAFMEAF B-24s attack shipping and port facilities at Benghazi.

Air Operations, New Guinea

35th Fighter Group P-400s shoot down 4 Japanese Navy bombers and 1 A6M Zero near Port Moresby at 1215 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-136 is sunk while operating against Convoy OS-22 by depth charges from convoy escorts, the sloop Pelican, frigate Spey and French destroyer Léopard

U-136

China

Futou Island near Foochow is occupied by Chinese troops.

Eastern Front

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht announces that between June 28 and July 9 German troops have broken through the Russian lines beyond Kharkov and Kursk. Pushing on towards Rostov, Army Group A takes Lisichensk on the Donets River.

Lisichansk falls to the 1st Panzer Army while other elements reach the Aidar River at Starobelsk. Group Ruoff (Gen Richard), with the 17th Army and Rumanian forces, launches strong attacks against the rearguards of the South Front. Heavy fighting rages on the road from Taganrog as the Soviets fight on the approaches to Rostov.

Hitler, believing the Soviets defeated on the west bank of the Don, orders the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies to converge at Kamensk and Millerovo to destroy the remainder of the South and Southwest Fronts before attacking in conjunction into the Caucasus. Believing the Red Army to have been vanquished, Hitler leaves the 6th Army to advance alone toward Stalingrad and seize the city. The 1st and 4th Panzer Armies and 17th Army push toward the oil fields. This is a break from the original plan, the German forces being sent simultaneously along separate axes of advance instead of securing the Volga before their southward drive. Hitler issues Directive 43, confirming the transfer of 4th Panzer to Army Group A and also ordering the 11th Army, which has been reduced to nothing more than the XLII Corps, to cross the Kerch strait.

Air Operations, Aleutians

Bad weather forces 4 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s to abort their mission to reconnoiter and attack Kiska.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons bomb an airfield near Abbeville, but results are not know because of clouds. There are no losses.
• During the night 55 aircraft are sent to lay mines off Lorient, St Nazaire and in the Frisians. 1 Hampden and 1 Wellington are lost.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Andrew Jackson (5990t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-84 about 20 miles off Cardenas, Cuba with the loss of 3 of her crew.

Caribbean

The US freighter Tachira (2235t), en route to New Orleans, is torpedoed and sunk by U-129 with the loss of 4 crewmen and 1 of the Armed Guard sailors.

Diplomatic Relations

Vichy French officials in Indochina cede a disputed border region of Cambodia to Thailand.

Eastern Front

The Soviet High Command appoint Marshal Semyon Timoshenko to a newly constituted Stalingrad Front. Moscow sources state that the Don is 'running with blood'. The Germans reach Kanteminovka.

Expecting a German thrust in strength to the Volga, the Stavka creates a new Stalingrad Front led by Timoshenko, allocating the 62nd, 63rd and 64th Armies. In all the Stalingrad Front comprises 34 rifle divisions, 3 cavalry divisions, 3 tank and 8 rifle brigades, 14 independent tank brigades and 540,000 men. The 63rd Army is to hold the east bank of the Don, while the 21st Army regroups on the north bank between the 63rd and 62nd Armies.

Rallying For a Counter-Attack

The Southwest Front retains command of the 38th, 28th, 57th and 21st Armies. The 38th and 28th Armies will soon be taken out of the line to re-form as the 1st and 4th Tank Armies. Timoshenko is given command of the Stalingrad Front. In the fighting since June 28 the old Southwest Front has lost 161,400 killed and missing and 71,000 wounded.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons bomb the Boulogne railway yard without a loss.
• 194 aircraft including 139 Wellingtons, 33 Halifaxes, 11 Lancasters and 9 Stirlings are sent to bomb Duisberg. This is the first of a series of raids on this industrial city on the edge of the Ruhr. The crews encounter clouds and electrical storms and report the bombs are scattered. Damage reports from the ground say 11 houses are destroyed and 18 are seriously damaged. 17 people are killed. 3 Wellingtons, 2 Stirlings and 1 Lancaster are lost on the raid. 4 more crash upon their return to England.
• In minor operations, 10 Blenheims make Intruder flights and 6 aircraft make leaflet flights. 1 Blenheim is lost.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, USAFMEAF B-24s attack port facilities and shipping at Benghazi, and 9th Heavy Bomb Squadron B-17s attack Tobruk harbor. 1 B-24 is downed by flak.

Allied Planning

The operational plans for TULSA II, invasion of the Solomon Islands, are slightly modified, and the relevant troop movements begin in Australia.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-153 is damaged by the submarine chaser PC-458 and Army aircraft off the coast of Panama. It is sunk by the US destroyer Lansdowne (DD-486).

  U-153

  Class	Type IXC
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Wilfrid Reichmann
  Location	Caribbean, off Colón
  Cause	Depth charge
  Casualties	52
  Survivors	None

  SS Oneida Sunk by U-166

U-boat Sinking Ship - Life Magazine - July 13, 1942

Eastern Front

Misled by early success, Hitler alters the strategic plan for his summer offensive and designates Stalingrad as a major objective for Army Group B which previously has been given only a covering role.

The 4th Panzer Army reaches Boguchar, linking up with the XL Panzer Corps, encircling minor Soviet forces. The pocket yields just 14,000 prisoners, taking the total captured so far in the campaign to 80,000. Hitler takes this to be an indication that the Soviets are finished. The 4th Panzer Army is instructed to cross the Don at Konstantinovka and from there to head west toward Rostov to encircle the Soviet force that Hitler mistakenly believes is massed there. At the same time, the 1st Panzer Army is to move west along the Don to link up with the 4th Panzer.

Air Operations, Europe

During the night 52 aircraft are involved in minelaying operations off Lorient, St Nazaire, Verdon, in the Frisians and in the Elbe River. There are no losses. 4 other aircraft make leaflet flights over France with no losses.

U-Boat U-576

Eastern Front

Army Groups A and B are making swift progress, the first towards Rostov and the other towards Stalingrad. The 4th Panzer Army is transferred from Army Group B to Army Group A to join in the operations south of Rostov.

The Bryansk Front is pinned down by the German 2nd Army. To shorten the extremely long flank of the 6th Army, the 2nd Hungarian Army deploys south of the 2nd Army.

India, Home Front

The Congress Party Working Committee calls for the ending of British rule and a campaign of 'civil disobedience'.

Mediterranean

Beginning this day and continuing until July 19 supplies are carried to Malta by submarine and fast transport. HMS Eagle flies 31 Spitfires to the island. Italian submarines are also engaged in supply for their forces in North Africa which are critically short of supplies.

North Africa

There are British attacks, by units of 1st Armored Div, to the south of Ruweisat Ridge. Little ground is gained and losses on both sides are severe. Rommel's dream of capturing Alexandria and Suez within a few days is rapidly fading.[MORE]

A Crusader Mk II, July 14, 1942

Air Operations, Aleutians

3 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s are forced to abort their mission to reconnoiter and attack Kiska because of bad weather.

Air Operations, Europe

200 Spitfires carry out an offensive sweep over northern France. Wing Commander 'Paddy' Finucane, a 21-year-old ace with 32 victories, is shot down and killed by machine-gun fire near Le Touquet.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, USAFMEAF B-24s attack port facilities and shipping at Benghazi.

Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine U-576 attacks Convoy KS-520 torpedoing the US bulk carrier Chilore (8310t) about 20 miles west of Okracoke Inlet, North Carolina as well as the Panamanian freigher J. A. Mowinkel (11,147t) and the Nicaraguan merchantman Bluefield (2063t). Chilore later enters a US minefield hitting 2 mines and receiving further damage.

U-576 is sunk by naval land-based aircraft (VS-9) and the US merchant vessel Unicoi off the coast of North Carolina.

U-576

Convoy Ship on Fire after Torpedo Hit

Allied Planning

Plans are prepared for Operation PROVIDENCE, the occupation of Buna by the Allies. Buna is on the north coast of New Guinea.

Argentina

Ex-President Dr Jaime Ortiz dies at the age of 55.

Brazil, Home Front

Gasoline rationing is introduced.

China

The air lift from India to China, the first supplies flown 'Over the Hump', operated by Gen Chennault's daring pilots, begins to reach Chiang Kai-shek's forces.

Flying Over the Hump

Eastern Front

Russian news bulletins admit the loss of Boguchar and Millerovo. While the German Army Group A pushes on quickly towards Rostov, the 1st Panzer Army and 4th Panzer Army reach Kamensk on the Donetz.

Kamensk and Millerovo are given up as the South Front pulls back.

Air Operations, CBI

4 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s based at Kweilin and staging through Hengyang set fire to the Hankow dock area. Later, while refueling at Hengyang, they are forced to scramble due to an incoming Japanese attack. While approaching Lingling airfield, one B-25 is mistakenly shot down by a P-40, but the crew bails out safely.

Air Operations, Europe

• In a raid using similar tactics as on the recent raid on Danzig, 21 Stirlings are sent to bomb Lübeck. Only 8 aircraft report bombing the main target. 2 planes are lost.
• In other operations, make a cloud cover raid on Essen, 2 Mosquitos to Ijmuiden, 1 Mosquito to Vegesack and 1 Mosquito to Wilhelmshaven. The only loss is the Mosquito that drops 2 bombs on the dockyard installations at Wilhelmshaven wounding 4 people.

Air Operations, New Guinea

1 5th Air Force B-17 attacks Salamaua.

Atlantic

The US freighter William F. Humphrey battles the German auxiliary cruiser Michel in the South Atlantic about 800 miles west of the mouth of the Congo River, but is sunk by gunfire and torpedoes. 2 of the 7-man Armed Guard are killed in the action. Michel recovers 26 crewmen and 3 Armed Guard sailors, but the rest manage to avoid capture.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US steamship Fairport, in the Persian Gulf convoy AS-4, is torpedoed and sunk by U-161. The US destroyer Kearney (DD-432) rescues all hands: 43-man crew, 16-man Armed Guard, and 66 passengers.

Diplomatic Relations

• The US breaks off diplomatic relations with Finland.
• Tojo says Japan has received reassurances of Russian neutrality from the Soviet Union.

North Africa

The British launch a counterattack. The salient west of El Alamein is widened by the capture of some rocky ground 3 miles from the railway station. The British XIII Corps launches more attacks on the southern flank of the Axis line.

Lt-Gen Walther Nehring delivers attacks on the 5th Indian Brigade which are repulsed but end any hopes that the brigade can make any further advance. The Aussies also begin to move south from Tell el Eisa. They compete the ruin of the wretched Sabratha Div but are then thrown back by the 382nd Infantry Regiment of the 164th Light Div which is now in strength in the north of the Axis positions.

Eastern Front

The Russians claim that in the fighting since June 15, the Germans have lost 900,000 men. Although this claim is wildly exaggerated, the Russian resistance has stiffened as the Germans near Rostov and press toward the Volga.

Fighting in Donets, July 16, 1942

Air Operations, Aleutians

3 28th Composite Bomb Group B-17s and 7 B-24s reconnoiter, photograph and attack land and shipping targets at Kiska. Japanese Navy fighters bring down 1 B-17.

Air Operations, Europe

On cloud-cover raids 9 Wellingtons are sent to Emden and 7 Wellingtons to Essen. Only 3 aircraft from the Essen force drop bombs and then machine-gun a convoy off the Dutch coast. Only near misses are achieved by the bombs, but there are no losses.

Air Operations, Libya

USAFMEAF B-24s attack Benghazi harbor, and USAFMEAF B-17s attack Tobruk.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s from the Bismarcks attack the harbor at Rabaul.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-751 is seen on the surface by Whitley 'H' of No 502 Squadron. She is attacked with depth charges and then with anti-submarine bombs as she submerges. The submarine surfaced about a mile away and is spotted by Lancaster 'F' of No 61 squadron. A repeat attack is made by depth charges and anti-submarine bombs. The U-boat is seen to sink stern first.

U-751

Eastern Front

Hitler again interferes with the German dispositions. He fears that Army Group A will not be able to force its way across the Don, and therefore switches 4th Panzer Army to join these operations. Naturally Army Group B, deprived of its spearhead, now makes much slower progress. The Russians put up a desperate resistance on the Don in the Stalingrad area to give themselves time to prepare the defenses of the city. The Germans capture Voroshilovgrad, chief town of the Donets coalfield.

Germans Reach Stalingrad

The Soviets begin a series of attacks against the nect of the Demyansk salient. Bitter fighting rages for the remainder of the month.

Allied Planning

Top US military leaders arrive in London to press the British for a limited cross-Channel invasion in 1942.

Diplomatic Relations

Churchill informs Stalin the British will no longer sail convoys along the northern route to Murmansk and Archangel because of the heavy losses suffered by PQ-17. Churchill tells the Soviet leader a continuation of the shipping effort 'would bring no benefit to you and would only involve dead loss to the common cause.' Stalin, of course, protests the cancellation of the shipping.

North Africa

Desperate counterattacks by the Italian Trieste and Pavia Divisions supported by the Afrika Korps halt a British advance around Miteirya Ridge southwest of the El Alamein perimeter. Axis losses are heavy.

British Infantry Near El Alamein

Air Operations, CBI

3 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s from Hengyang attack the Tienho airfield at Canton.

Air Operations, Aleutians

A 28th Composite Bomb Group B-17 crashes at Fort Glenn Field, Umnak, after reconnoitering Kiska.

Air Operations, Europe

10 Lancasters are sent to bomb Essen, but, using Gee through thick clouds, only 3 planes drop their bombs. Another plane attacks a ship in the East Scheldt River. There are no losses.

Air Operations, Solomons

A B-17 from the 5th Air Force's 19th Heavy Bomb Group, with 2 USMC observers aboard, reconnoiters and photographs Gavutu, Guadalcanal and Tulagi Islands, which are to be invaded by USMC ground forces in early August.

Eastern Front

Russian forces are routed along a broad front in the south. Continuing their advance southwards on a broad front, the Germans take Voroshilovgrad, a mining and industrial center in the Donetz basin. To the southeast, they reach the Don River at the Tsimlyansky height.

With yet another change of mind, Hitler orders Army Group B to resume the advance upon Stalingrad. The 6th Army, already involved in fighting the Stalingrad Front in the Don Elbow, can not comply with this directive as it lacks the resources to push into the river bend. Voroshilovgrad falls to the 1st Panzer Army after heavy fighting, while the 4th Panzer Army reaches the Don near Tsimlyansk.

Germany, Home Front

The first flight of the Me-262 V3 prototype jet fighter takes place at Leipheim, near Ulm.

First Jet Fighter

Air Operations, Bismarcks

A 19th Heavy Bomb Group B-17 sights a Japanese convoy, including transports, leaving Rabaul heading for northern New Guinea.

Air Operations, CBI

In response to a request for support for Chinese ground forces, 2 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack Linchwan, held by the Japanese Army.

Air Operations, Europe

Capt Antonio Lavat, commander of the Esquadra Azul, Blue Squadron, a Spanish volunteer fighter unit in Russia, is killed in action.

• 20 Bostons, flying in pairs at low levels in a new form of operation, hunt for targets of opportunity. 14 planes bomb various targets. 7 Wellingtons and 3 Lancasters are sent to Essen, but none drops bombs. 5 Hampdens have 'roving commissions' over Germany. 2 Bostons, 1 Wellington and 1 Hampden are lost in the day's operations.
• 40 Halifaxes, 31 Stirlings and 28 Lancasters are sent to bomb the Vulkan U-boat yard at Vegesack. The target is completely covered in clouds and all planes bomb using Gee. Later photographs show that no bombs fall in Vegesack, but Bremen, a few miles away, reports that two military storehouses are completely destroyed. 3 Halifaxes are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 19 Wellingtons lay mines off Lorient, St Nazaire and La Pallice. 1 plane is lost.

Air Operations, Libya

USAMEAF B-24s attack Benghazi harbor, and 9th Heavy Bomb Squadron B-17s attack Tobruk harbor.

Battle of the Atlantic

The final 2 U-boats went to operate off the United States' East Coast are ordered to other areas after a period of no success because of the improved convoy operations.

China

Gen Stilwell asks Gen Chiang Kai-shek for Chinese help in the recapture of Burma as a condition for increased American aid to China.

Eastern Front

The German forces of Army Groups A and B continue to make rapid progress. In the last few days they have captured Kamensk and Voroshilovgrad and have reached the Don as far east as Tsimlyansky. The Russians concentrate their forces on the Don to defend Stalingrad. The Germans are still advancing on Rostov.

To carry out the attack in the Don Elbow the 6th Army is substantially reinforced and replenished with 1 panzer and 1 infantry corps. The objectives of the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies are again amended. Instead of advancing toward Rostov from the east, the armies will cross the Don between Tsimlyansk and Rostov and advance on a broad front directly into the Caucasus.

Germany, Strategy

Adm Dönitz recalls the last 2 U-boats from the US eastern seaboard for lack of targets and in order to concentrate on shipping in the North Atlantic.

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.

Eastern Front

Anti-tank Gun from Izhevsk Mechanical Factory

On the southern perimeter of Leningrad, Gen Alexander 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.

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

Gen Vasily Gordov takes command of the Stalingrad Front as Timoshenko is relieved. Gen Vasily 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.

Eastern Front

Gen Vasily Gordov takes command of the Stalingrad Front as Timoshenko is relieved. Gen Vasily 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.

Air Operations, Aleutians

8 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 2 B-17s are sent to reconnoiter and attack Kiska, but are hampered by bad weather. Only 7 bombs are dropped and 1 B-24 is lost on the return flight.

Air Operations, Europe

8 Bostons attacking in pairs hit various targets including the Sluiskil power station and the Langenbrugge power station. 1 Wellington is sent to Essen and 1 Mosquito to Münster, but turn back for lack of cloud. There are no losses.

Air Operations, Libya

1st Provisional Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Tobruk.

Allied Planning

Roosevelt agrees with the British that SLEDGEHAMMER (the Second Front in 1942) is not possible and instructs his negotiators in London to agree to 'another place for US troops to fight in 1942'. The plan to invade North Africa, previously mooted as GYMNAST is adopted in talks over the next few days and renamed TORCH.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 5th Air Force B-17s mount 3 attacks, B-25s and 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s mount 5 attacks, and 35th Fighter Group P-400s and P-39s mount 5 attacks on Japanese ships off Buna and Gona. 1 B-17 claims 2 hits on a transport, but all others miss targets having to fly at high altitude because of heavy anti-aircraft fire.
• 35th Fighter Group P-39s and P-400s and RAAF P-40s attack Japanese shipping and landing barges along the northern coast setting fire to 1 troop transport, but Japanese Navy ground troops land to reinforce the garrison at Buna. A 35th Fighter Group P-39 shoots down a Japanese Navy seaplane over Gona. 1 USAAF P-400 and 1 RAAF P-40 are downed by anti-aircraft fire in the action.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US freighter Honolulan (7493t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-582 off the west coast of Africa. There are no casualties among the 39-man crew and 1 stowaway.

Eastern Front

The German Army Group A opens the final offensive against Rostov-on-Don.[MORE]

India, Home Front

The ban on the Communist Party is lifted.

North Africa

The British 23rd Armored Brigade, which came to the front only a few days earlier, passes through the Axis minefields but makes very little progress and loses a great number of tanks. The Axis forces counterattack vigorously, wiping out the New Zealand 6th Brigade and one battalion of the 161st Indian Brigade.

Although the British forces attacking south Ruweisat take heavy losses, including the decimation of 23rd Armored Brigade, Rommel decides that the drain on his strength in the past 14 days has been too great to permit further attacks.

He decides for the time being to abandon his original plan of breaking through the British line and by-passing El Alamein to get to the Nile. Just now it is more urgent for him to rebuild and reorganize his units before undertaking any new operations or working out any new plans. Both sides now wish a pause to rest and regroup. The British are far better placed to receive reinforcements being so close to their base in the Nile Delta. Malta too is recovering its strength to attack Axis communications.[MORE]

Rommel Awards Knight's Cross to Corp Halm

Air Operations, Europe

• 4 Mosquitos are sent on cloud-cover raids to Germany. 1 bombs a factory in the area south of Grevenbroich. There are no losses.
• 93 Wellingtons, 45 Lancasters, 39 Stirlings and 38 Halifaxes are sent to bomb Duisburg. There are heavy clouds over the target area and flares dropped by leading aircraft are scattered. Some bombs do fall in Duisburg causing damage to some housing and killing 65 people. 3 Wellingtson, 2 Lancasters and 2 Stirlings are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 8 Blenheim Intruders make attacks and 13 aircraft are involved in mine-laying flights. 2 Intruders are lost.

Air Operations, Libya

1st Provisional Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Benghazi harbor. 1 crewman is killed when the B-24 in which he is riding crashes upon return to its base.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s, 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s, 3rd Light Bomb Group A-24s and 5th Air Force P-39s and P-40s attack ships, landing barges, dumps, anti-aircraft batteries and Japanese troop concentrations at Buna and Gona. The 5th Air Force fighters also strafe Salamaua.

Air Operations, Pacific

3 7th Air Force B-17s, staging through Canton Island, conduct a photo reconnaissance mission over Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

Air Operations, Solomons

11th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s manned by USMC photographers from VMO-251 mount their first pre-invasion photo reconnaissance missions over Gavutu, Guadalcanal and Tulagi Islands. The bombers are attacked by Gavutu-based A6M2-N float fighters (known to the Allies as 'Rufe'), but there is no damage.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The main approaches to the Mississippi River are mined by a German submarine.
• The unarmed US freighter Onondaga (2309t), bound for Havana, Cuba, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-129 5 miles north of Cayo Guillermo losing 19 of the 33-man crew along with the lone passenger. The Cuban fishing boat Laventina rescues the 14 survivors.

Eastern Front

There is heavy fighting along the Don from Rostov to Tsimlyansk, especially around Novocherkassk. The Russians still fight back desperately west of Stalingrad.

Hitler orders simultaneous operations against Stalingrad and the Caucasus, thereby compromising the chances of capturing either objective. Hoth's 4th Panzer Army is ordered to abandon its direct advance on Stalingrad, leaving 6th Army without some of its vital support, and push south to assist von Kleist's 1st Panzer Army to cross the Don River. Hitler dismisses von Bock, Commander-in-Chief of Army Group B on the Don front.

With the 42nd Army pinning down the 18th Army, Gen Vladimir Sviridov's 55th Army also attacks.

The 6th Army's attacks are causing the Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies to break apart. At Rostov the 13th Panzer and 5th SS Wiking Divs tighten their grip around the city. Buoyed by these successes, Hitler issues Directive No 45. It states: 'The next task of Army Group A is to encircle enemy forces which have escaped across the Don in the area south and southeast of Rostov, and to destroy them. Two armored formations of Army Group A (including 24th Panzer Div) will come under command of Army Group B for further operations southeastward.

'After the destruction of enemy forces south of the Don, the most important task of Army Group A will be to occupy the entire eastern coastline of the Black Sea, thereby eliminating the Black Sea ports and the enemy Black Sea Fleet. For this purpose the formations of 11th Army already designated (Romanian Mountain Corps) will be brought across the Kerch Straits as soon as the advance of the main body of Army Group A becomes effective, and will then push southeast along the Black Sea coast road.

'At the same time a force composed chiefly of fast-moving formations will give flank cover in the east and capture the Grozny area. Detachments will block the military road between Osetial and Grozny, if possible at the top of the passes. Therafter the Baku area will be occupied by a thrust along the Caspian coast. These operations by Army Group A will be known by the cover name EDELWEISS.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, 1st Provisional Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the harbor at Tobruk.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s, 3rd Light Bomb Group A-24s and 5th Air Force fighters attack Japanese troops and anti-aircraft batteries at Gona.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-90 is sunk while operating against Convoy ON-113. She is detected on the surface by the Canadian destroyer St Croix. The destroyer is joined by HMS Barham and they make two depth-charge attacks destroying the U-boat.

U-90

Eastern Front

Army Group A takes Rostov and Novocherkassk. Large Russian forces are wiped out or completely surrounded.

Gen Aleksandr Vasilevsky proposes a counterattack to defeat the Germans in the Don Elbow. Gen Kirill Moskalenko's 1st Tank Army, with 2 tank corps, 1 tank brigade and 1 rifle division, is to attack from Kalach toward Verkhne Buzinovka from where it will strike at Kletskaya. The 4th Tank Army, under Gen Vasily Kryuchenkin, is to cross the Don at Kachalinskaya with its 2 tank corps, tank brigade and a rifle division during July 28, push west of Verkhne Golubaya and then link up with the 1st Tank Army. Gen Yuri Danilov's 21st Army will also attack from Serfimovich and Kletskaya at 0300 hours on July 27 to break into the rear of the German forces facing the 62nd Army. The 1st and 4th Tank Armies assemble 550 tanks for the attack, many being new T-23 and KV models, but neither army is up to full strength.

Fighting in Rostoiv intensifies as the NKVD tries to hold on to the Taganrog road bridge. The sheer weight and ferocity of the German attacks force the Soviets to give ground.

The fighting since the start of the German offensive at the end of June has been costly to the Soviets. Bryansk Front's 13th, 40th and 5th Tank Armies have lost 37,000 killed and missing and 29,000 wounded, while the South front has lost 128,000 killed and missing and 65,000 wounded. The new Voronezh Front suffers 43,000 killed and missing and 32,000 wounded in the short period form July 9. The 3 units also have lost 2,400 tanks, 13,700 artillery pieces and 780 aircraft.

Germany, Home Front

Adm Dönitz, broadcasting from Berlin, describes the ever-increasing threat to his submarine operations from British and American warships and aircraft, which are 'always on the heels of our U-boats'.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons are sent out in low-level pairs, but only two bomb the Sluiskil power station. Later in the day 12 Bostons are sent to bomb an open air 'Quisling meeting' at Lunteren, Holland, but turn back due to lack of cloud cover. 2 Mosquitos are sent to bomb Frankfurt and Mannheim, one to each, which they do. There are no losse.
• 313 aircraft are sent to bomb Duisburg. The total includes 177 Wellingtons, 48 Stirlings, 41 Halifaxes, 33 Lancasters and 14 Hampdens. Thick cloud covers the target area. Reports from the ground indicate damage but not as great as the two previous raids. 6 people are killed. 7 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 1 Stirling are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 21 Blenheims make Intruder flights, 8 aircraft lay mines off St Nazaire and Verdon, and 7 Halifaxes make leaflet flights. 3 Intruders and 1 mine-laying Lancaster are lost.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, USAMEAF B-17s and B-24s attadck Tobruk harbor. 1 Axis ship is damaged.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-25s and P-39s landing barges and Japanese troops at Gona and Japanese Army infantry columns along the Kokoda Trail toward Port Moresby.

Air Operations, Solomons

11th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s, based in the New Hebrides Islands, begin their first daily recon and photo-recon mission over Gavutu, Guadalcanal and Tulagi Islands.

Allied Planning

British and American Chiefs of Staff decide to carry out Operation TORCH, formerly called SUPER-GYMNAST, the seaborne invasion of Vichy French North Africa led by Gen Eisenhower. This decision will open a 'Second Front' in Africa. (see November 8, 1942.)

Battle of the Atlantic

U-201 sinks the British anti-submarine trawler Laertes (545t) off Freetown, Sierra Leone with the loss of 19 of her crew.

Eastern Front

Army Group A consolidates its positions at Rostov and Novocherkassk. Further south there is a growing threat to Stalingrad, but the Russians still hold several bridgeheads west of the Don. Von Kleist's Panzers begin crossing the Don.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

5th Air Force B-25s, on their way to attack the Japanese base at Gasmata, New Britain, are turned back by Japanese Navy fighters.

Air Operations, CBI

A 75th Fighter Squadron P-40 shoots down a Ki-27 'Nate' fighter near the airfield at Nanchang, China.

Air Operations, Europe

• There is a large-scale raid on Hamburg involving 403 aircraft including 181 Wellingtons, 77 Lancasters, 73 Halifaxes, 39 Stirlings and 33 Hampdens. Crews run into a mixture of clouds and icing along the way but clear weather over the target area. Good bombing results are reported as 175,000 incendiaries are dropped. Reports from Hamburg say there is severe and widespread damage, mostly in residential and semi-commercial areas instead of in the docks and industrial areas. Over 800 fires are reported with 523 being classified as large. 823 houses are destroyed and more than 5,000 others being damaged. 337 people are killed, 1,027 injured and more than 14,000 bombed out. 28 aircraft are lost including 15 Wellingtons, 8 Halifaxes, 2 Hampdens and 2 Lancasters.
• In minor operations, 12 Bostons and 10 Blenheims carry out Intruder flights against airfields. 1 Boston of 226 Squadron is lost while attacking Jever, the first Boston Intruder casualty.
• The Russian 8th Air Army and 4-engined Pe-8s of the ADD, the 'Long-range Bombing Force', carry out round-the-clock operations in support of the hard-pressed 62nd Army, southwest of Stalingrad.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack a Japanese destroyer off Gona, but fail to score any hits. Australian Army ground troops, flown to Kokoda by the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron fail to stop Japanese Army ground troops advancing toward Port Moresby. Kokoda is evacuated.

Britain, Home Front

Chocolates and confectionary are added to the ration list.

Eastern Front

Gen Vasily Chuikov's 64th Army continues to fight on around the confluence of the Don and the Chir. Desperate fighting rages as the men at the front try to halt the German attacks, while the men in the rear make every effort to escape. With the front crumbling, the 64th is ordered to fall back over the Don. As they withdraw, the bridge at Nizhne Chirskaya is prematurely destroyed, trapping substantial elements of the army on the west bank.

Fighting to the south intensifies as the 1st Panzer smashes the 12th and 37th Armies aside and thrust south. Inside Rostov the Soviets withdraw under heavy attack and by nightfall have given up the city.

Air Operations, Europe

30 German raiders, operating singly in cloudy weather over many parts of England, bomb 2 airfields, 4 factories and 4 railway junctions. 50 people are killed. There is a night raid on Birmingham.

8 Wellingtons are sent on cloud-cover raids to Northern Germany. They bomb blindly through the clouds in the Bremen and Emden areas.

Focke-Wulf Factory Damage

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s and 3rd Light Bomb Group A-24s attack Gona and Japanese ground forces near Buna.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Stella Lykes is torpedoed and shelled by U-582 off the west coast of Africa and abandoned with no casualties. The submarined takes 2 PoWs before scuttling the ship with demolition charges.

Eastern Front

The Germans capture Bataysk. Army Group B, and especially von Paulus' 6th Army, battles to clear the Don elbow of Russian troops. The Soviet bridgehead at Kalach, west of Stalingrad, is attacked.

Leading elements of the 4th Tank Army cross the Don but come under intense aerial attack. The 1st Tank Army is similarly hard pressed as it attempts to move into action. While the Soviets attempt to coordinate their counterattack, the Germans break through south of the Don, punching a 40-mile hole in the Soviet line. In the Caucasus, Bataisk falls to the 17th Army.

Heavy flak Guns Dealing with Soviet Tanks, July 1942

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Mosquitos make cloud-cover raids to widely separated targets. 5 planes bomb, but 1 is lost.
• Hamburg is the target as 256 aircraft are dispatched. A larger force is called for, but bad weather over many of the bases of 1, 4 and 5 Groups prevent their particpation. The total includes 161 Wellingtons, 71 Stirlings and 24 Whitleys. The weather worsens and all of the 165 OTU aircraft are recalled although 3 go on and bomb Hamburg. The remaining bombing force becomes very scattered. More aircraft turn back but 68 bomb the target area. 13 people are killed and 48 injured. 56 fires are started with 15 of those being classified as large. 16 Wellingtons and 9 Stirlings are lost from 3 Group. From the OTU 4 Wellingtons are lost and 1 Whitley crashes at sea.
• In minor operations, 30 Bostons and 13 Blenheims make Intruder flights. 2 Bostons and 1 Blenheim are lost.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, 1st Provisional Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Tobruk harbor.

Air Operations, New Guinea

1 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26 attacks Gona.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US fishing trawler Ebb (260t) is shelled and sunk by U-754 45 miles east of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia losing 5 of the 17-man crew. The 12 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Witherington.

Britain, Home Front

Sir Matthew Flinders Petrie, an archaeologist, dies at the age of 89.

China

The Japanese offensive in the province of Chekiang, apparently launched in retaliation for the raids on Tokyo and other towns by Doolittle's aircraft, comes to an end.

Eastern Front

Following the fall of Rostov and Novocherkassk, now officially admitted by the Russians, Stalin begins to implement measures to bolster the resistance of the Red Army with increasingly harsh discipline and by granting officers higher status and authority. Political commissars are subordinated to army officers. Among other things gold stripes are restored to their uniforms, and new decorations are created for officers only, inspired by patriotism, not politics. A few months later the role of political commissars will be reduced even further.

Now the ordinary Russian citizen realizes that the Germans are poised to invade the Kuban and the Caucasus. The Germans have attacked Rostov not from the west, as in 1941, but from the north and northeast, the least strongly defended area. The Russians are seized by panic; whole units have been disbanded, men and officers of all ranks have been shot for desertion. The announcement of the fall of Rostov spreads terror in the Soviet Union. Three days later Stalin declares: 'Not one more backward step!' In fact there will be further withdrawals, but people know that there is little room for them. If the Germans are not stopped at Stalingrad and the foothills of the Caucasus, the war is lost.

The German 6th Army runs out of fuel and grinds to a halt, allowing the Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies to fall back east. In the Caucasus the Southern front is in a complete shambles (it has lost 15,000 killed and wounded in three days), prompting the Stavka to disband it and allocate its units to the North Caucasus Front. The latter has two main formations: Don Group (12th, 37th and 51st Armies) is to halt the 1st Panzer Army; and Coastal Group (18th, 47th and 56th Armies and XVII Cossack Cavalry Corps) is to stop the German 17th Army and protect the Kuban and approaches to Krasnodar.[MORE]

Air Operations, Aleutians

Despite heavy cloud cover, 5 28th Composite Bomb Group B-17s and 4 B-24s attack shipping and port facilities at Kiska.

Air Operations, Europe

• 3 Mosquitos to Düsseldorf, Münster and village of Oberlahnstein in the Westerwald which contains a railway traffic center. All aircraft bomb approximate areas through clouds.
• No losses
Evening Ops:

• 291 aircraft of 5 types to Saarbrücken; first large-scale attack here; defenses not expected to be strong; bombers encouraged to bomb at altitudes lower than normal
• 248 aircraft report accurate bombing; Command claims damage to two industrial targets, an iron works and an engineering works; reports from the ground indicate severe damage and casualties in the center and northwestern districts; 396 buildings destroyed, 324 heavily damaged, 155 people killed.
• 3 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 2 Stirlings lost

Air Operations, New Guinea

7 A-24s of the 3rd Light Bomb Group's 8th Light Bomb Squadron and several RAAF bombers attack 2 Japanese ships unloading troops and supplies at Gona. 1 ship returns to Rabaul without unloading, the other is severely damaged. 5 A-24s are lost in the action resulting in removing the A-24 from combat operations.

Allied Production

A combined British and American Production and Resources Board is established in London to control allocations of material and industrial priorities. W. Averell Harriman, the US Lend-Lease Representative in the UK, and Oliver Lyttleton, the UK Minister of Production, are to be the senior members.

Canada, Home Front

The National Resources Mobilization Act is amended by Parliament to permit the introduction of conscription for overseas service, despite strong opposition from French-Canadian Liberals.

China

Chinese units regain areas along the Hangchow-Nancheng rail line.

Eastern Front

The attacks of Army Group A south of the Don continue to make good progress with Proletarskaya being captured. A bridgehead over the Manych River in the Caucasus is established. Hitler is not satisfied with the progress of 6th Army in the Don elbow and again alters his dispositions, returning 4th Panzer Army to Army Group B. The series of alterations to the strategic plan which Hitler deemed necessary are generally held to have crippled the German chances of decisive success in this campaign. 4th Panzer Army has wasted much effort moving from front to front and Stalingrad has gradually assumed an ever more dominant position in the German plan, leaving Army Group A with a massive, strategically vital, task and inadequate resources. Hoth's Panzers capture Tsimlyanskaya on the Don River, southwest of Stalingrad.

Broken Soviet Artillery

Air Operations, Aleutians

3 28th Composite Bomb Group B-17s, 3 B-24s and 1 LB-30 are sent to reconnoiter and attack targets at Tanaga and Kiska Islands. Results are negligible because of bad weather over the target area.

Air Operations, CBI

American P-40s repulse a series of Japanese raids on Hengyang air base in southwestern China. 4 Japanese Army bombers and 3 fighters are shot down during the morning.

Air Operations, Australia

49th Fighter Group P-40s down 3 Japanese Navy bombers and 6 A6M Zeros over Darwin around 1400 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

A new type of incendiary bomb is used in a night raid on the western Midlands. Damage is reported in Wolverhampton.

BOMBER COMMAND
Daylight Ops:

• 6 Bostons to Abbeville, but have to turn back
• 4 Mosquitos on cloud-cover raids to Frankfort, Hamborn, Hannover & Lübeck
• No losses
Evening Ops:

• 6 Blenheims on Intruder flights but recalled; 1 misses signal, bombs Rheine airfield
• No losses

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, 1st Provisional Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Tobruk harbor.

Air Operations, Pacific

5th Air Force B-17s attack Japanese ships in the Solomon Sea east of Huon Gulf and south of New Britain.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Cranford (6096t) is sunk by U-155 about 250 miles east-southeast of Barbados. Cranford's survivors are picked up by the Spanish tanker Castillo Alemenara.

Canada, Politics

Parliament passes a bill introducing full conscription.

China

The Chinese capture Tsingtien.

Eastern Front

German troops advancing from Rostov take Bataisk on the south side of the Don. The Germans also concentrate on reducing the Russian bridgehead at Kalach, in the Don estuary west of Stalingrad. In the central sector the Russians attack in the Rzhev area. In the southern sector Army Group A consolidates its bridgehead over the Manych River.

Stalin's order that prohibits all Russian units from 'another step back' is sent to all units. No further retreats will be tolerated.

The Kalinin Front with the 29th, 30th and 3rd Air Armies, and the Western Front with its 20th, 31st and 1st Air Armies, launch the Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation with an initial force of 345,100 men.

The Stalingrad Front begins its counterattack in the Don Elbow. The 4th Tank Army finally attacks, striking the northern flank of the 6th Army, while the 1st Tank Army also begins its attack. Both forces are struck by the Luftwaffe and suffer heavy casualties. Despite this, the 4th Tank hits the XIV Panzer Corps, resulting in a furious tank battle. The 62nd Army is pressed back while the 64th Army is pounded at Kalach. In direct response to the beating the 64th Army is receiving, Gen Vasily Gordov begins to move the 57th Army up to the Don.

Gulf of Mexico

U-166 attacks Convoy TAW-7 about 25 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and sinks the US passenger ship Robert E. Lee (5184t). Submarine chasers PC-566 and SC-519 and the civilian tug Underwriter rescues the survivors.

North Africa

Gen Auchinleck decides to remain on the defensive until reinforcements arrive. Since May 26, when the Axis opened their offensive, they have taken 60,000 prisoners, British, South African, Indian, French and New Zealanders and destroyed over 2,000 tanks and motor vehicles.

Captured German Gun Being Inspected

Air Operations, CBI

At the end of the Japanese air assault on the airfield at Hengyang, 3 P-40s have been lost while preventing much damage from being inflicted on the base. 7 Japanese Army fighters and 1 bomber are shot down during the morning by P-40s from the 23rd Fighter Group.

Air Operations, Europe

• 24 Bostons to Abbeville airfield and St Malo harbor. All bomb accurately
• 1 Mosquito bombs dock area of Duisburg
• No losses
Evening Ops:

• 630 aircraft to Düsseldorf
• 308 Wellingtons, 113 Lancasters, 70 Halifaxes, 61 Stirlings, 54 Hampdens and 24 Whitleys
• 484 claim successful bombing although photos show some bomb loads in open country; more than 900 tons dropped
• 453 buildings destroyed in Düsseldorf and Neuss, 15,000 damaged; 954 fires started, 67 classified as large; 279 people killed, 245 in Düsseldorf and 34 in Neuss, 1,018 injured, 12,053 bombed out
• 29 aircraft lost: 16 Wellingtons, 5 Hampdens, 4 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 2 Whitleys
Minor Ops:

• 6 Blenheims on Intruder flights
• 1 Blenheim lost

Air Operations, Greece

USAMEAF B-24s attack an Axis convoy in Pylos Bay and claim hits on 2 merhcant ships.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s attack Gona and the transport damaged in the raid on the 29th.

Air Operations, Solomons

9 11th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s, based in New Hebrides, attack the uncompleted Japanese Navy bomber strip at Lunga and beach defenses at nearby Kukum on Guadalcanal Island.

Eastern Front

The German 4th Panzer Army launches an offensive directed toward the Don River. On the central front near Rzhev, Red Army troops launch offensive actions. The Germans cross the Don River on a wide front.

The Soviet 1st and 4th Tank Armies are stopped in their tracks, both have suffered massive losses. The 4th Panzer Army fractures the Soviet 51st Army and throws it back to Kotelnikovo. During July the Germans have lost 38,000 killed on the Eastern Front, insignificant compared to Red Army losses.[MORE]

German Artillery Column Crossing the Don

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-754 is sunk by an RCAF plane off Nova Scotia.

  U-754

  Class	Type VIIC
  CO	Johannes Ostermann
  Location	Atlantic, S of Nova Scotia
  Cause	Air attack
  Casualties	44
  Survivors	None

• A German submarine lays mines off Charleston, South Carolina.
• U-213 is sunk by HM Ships Erne, Sandwich and Rochester during operations in support of Convoy OS-35. A good deal of wreckage is found after several depth charge attacks.

  U-213

  Class	Type VIID
  CO	Oberleutnant zur See Hans von Varendorf
  Location	Atlantic, S of Azores
  Cause	Depth charge
  Casualties	50
  Survivors	None