51 Sqn. Three aircraft to Hamm. One bombed - direct hits. Opposition heavy.

77 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Kassel. Nine bombed. Eight fighters sighted but none attacked.

78 Sqn. Five aircraft to Hamm and Soest. Four bombed, one FTR

102 Sqn. Ten a/ to Kassel. One returned early, nine bombed. Two fighters seen but none attacked.

2 Group ( Blenheim). 107 Sqn. Bombing - Caen, Morlaix and Querqueville.

GERMANY: Hitler again brings up the attack in the East in an OKH conference. Planning for troop movements east will begin later this month.

BALTIC STATES: The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania today succumbed to Russian pressure and "unanimously" decided to become Soviet Republics and join the Soviet Union.

The newly-elected parliaments of the three countries met to announce their decision, but the Soviet influence was easy to see under the facade of democracy. Estonia’s parliamentary session was attended by Stalin’s representative, Mr Zhdanov, and the hall was decorated with Soviet flags. The Baltic peoples are bitter at losing their hard-won freedom from Russia, but there is nothing they can do in the face of Soviet might.

Minesweepers HMS Cadmus and Circe laid down.

VICHY FRANCE: The government accepts Japans' demand for military control of French Indochina.

U.S.S.R.: Minsk: SS troops rope together 45 Jews and order 30 White Russians to bury them alive in a pit; when the White Russians refuse, all 75 victims are machine-gunned to death.

During the night German bombers took off from airfields near Smolensk on a heading for Moscow, and the commander of the Moscow air defence, Maj. Gen. M.S. Gromadin, set off the first grand alert in the Soviet capital. The raid was carried out by 127 bombers flying in several waves, which dropped 104 metric tons of bombs. The Soviet high command, STAVKA, allegedly knew about the German preparations for the assault 2 days before it took place, and this explains why German air crews reported that defensive fire over Moscow was even more powerful than over London. But despite the heavy flak fire, only a few Soviet night fighters appeared to fight off the attackers.

Soviets withdraw their forces from the Dniestr.

Soviet submarine M-94 of the Baltic Fleet is sunk by U-140 near Ristna Lighthouse off Dago Island. (Mike Yared)(146 and 147)

SPAIN: U-109 refueled from the German supply ship Thalia at Cadiz.

GIBRALTAR: Convoy "Substance" leaves for Malta.

EGYPT: Cairo: de Gaulle meets with the Minister of State in Cairo, Oliver Lyttleton. Angry over the treatment of the Free French by the Syrian armistice he hands Lyttleton a memorandum:

"Free France, that is to say France, is no longer willing to entrust to the British military command the duty of exercising command over the French troops in the Middle East. General de Gaulle and the French Empire Defence Council are resuming full and entire disposal of all the French forces of the Levant as from 24 July 1941, at midday."

CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Guysborough launched North Vancouver, British Columbia.

U.S.A.: Washington: Roosevelt asks Congress for permission to extend the Selective Service Act so that troops are retained for 30 months in the armed forces after completing one year in service.

Minesweepers USS Velocity, Tumult, Token laid down.

Destroyers USS Evans and John D Henley laid down.

Submarine USS Gunnel laid down.

UNITED KINGDOM: Lieutenant General Dwight D Eisenhower, Commanding General European Theater of Operations, US Army (ETOUSA), assigns to the 8th Air Force the mission of carrying out, in collaboration with the RAF, the degree of air operations with the view of attaining air domination over western France by 1 April 1943.

Destroyer HMS Zest laid down.

GERMANY: U-846 is laid down.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Mark Horan writes of the exploits of the Malta Beauforts: After an eighteen day layoff during which fuel limitations had curtailed the activities of all Maltas strike aircraft, particularly the combined Beaufort Squadron (39 and 217), activity began to pick up. Plans were well along for what would prove to be the climactic Malta convoy, due to begin in a fortnight. In preparation, their lordships had begun reinforcing the islands air power, including the first flight of another veteran Beaufort Squadron, 86, from the UK, led by one of Pat Gibbs old 1940 squadron mates, SL James Robert Hyde, DFC, RAF.

Although the details of exactly how desperate the situation was on Malta have never been fully revealed, clearly things were critical. Stocks of food, fuel, and ordnance were on there last legs. In fact, the situation was so bad, that the August convoy would, for all intents, be the final throw of the die for the British efforts to hold the island, as there was less than a months supply of food for the islands populace, civilian and military. Recognizing that the carefully hoarded fuel reserve for the strike planes could all be for naught, the new AOC Malta, Air Vice-Marshall Keith Park, RAF (hero of the Battle of Britain) intended to utilize his strike aircraft aggressively, retaining only the fuel needed to defend the convoy when it came.

Ultra reports indicated a new convoy had departed Brindisi enroute for Bengasi. So informed, a PR Spitfire from 69 Squadron was dispatched and soon located the target, the brand new 16-knot motor ship Rosolino Pilo (8,326 BRT) with a strong escort of four warships, DD Pigafetta, DD Premuda, TB Circe, and Clio.

Gibbs led off the striking force at 0955, consisting of nine Beauforts (two 39, four 86, three 217) from and five Beaufighter (one other aborted). They found the target just before noon off Cape Geroghambo, and executed a textbook attack from both bows. Sweeping in at low altitude they apparently caught the Italians by surprise, the light flak damaging only one Beaufort. Unfortunately, despite reports of three hits being obtained, Rosolino Pilo escaped with only light casualties from the Beauforts strafing as they swept past her, arriving in Bengasi on 23 July.
 

NORTH AFRICA: El Alamein: General Claude Auchinleck, launches 8th Army in Operation Splendour, a major attack against the Afrika Korps in the vicinity of Ruweisat Ridge south of El Alamein. They are aware of the logistics problems detailed by Rommel to the OKW, through their reading of ULTRA.

The operation is designed to deliver a knockout blow to the weakened German Panzer Army.

The main attack is south of the ridge while, to the north, the Australian 9th Infantry Division is to create a diversion. Eighth Army is unable to coordinate attacks in which infantry, mainly Commonwealth units and armoured and tank units mainly British take part. It is held on Ruweisat Ridge. (Jay Stone)(139)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Admiral Mikawa, CO of the IJN 8th Fleet at Rabaul, requests additional destroyers from Tokyo. He will again make this request on the 23rd adding a prediction that the Americans will land on Guadalcanal before the airfield becomes operational.


ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Four 11th Air Force B-24 Liberators fly search and bomb missions over Kiska Island but make no contact because of weather. Task Force 8, (2 heavy and 3 light cruisers plus destroyers) enroute to bombard Kiska, refuels from the oiler USS Guadalupe (AO-32) while being cover by PBY Catalinas.

 

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Matapedia completed refit Pictou, Nova Scotia.

U.S.A.: President Franklin D Roosevelt calls on Admiral William D Leahy, Ambassador to France and former Chief of Naval Operations, to serve as Chief of Staff to the Commanders-in-Chief of the US Army and Navy. 

The Vega Division of Lockheed Aircraft has prepared a report calling for the creation of a heavily-armed and armoured version of the B-17 to give formations additional protection.

Submarine USS Cod laid down.

CARIBBEAN SEA: At 1029, the unescorted Donovania was torpedoed and sunk by U-160 off Grand Matelot Point, Trinidad. Three crewmembers and two gunners were lost. The master, 42 crewmembers and two gunners were picked up by British MTBs and destroyer USS Livermore and landed at Port of Spain, Trinidad.

CUBA: The government prohibits the shipment of all foodstuffs to Spain.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: US Liberty ship William Cullen Bryant damaged by U-84 in Convoy TAW-4J.

Civil Air Patrol pilot Henry Cross crashes into the Atlantic 20 miles off Rehoboth Beach, Delaware at 1650 hours. The plane sinks, Cross is hurt and his observer/radio operator Charles Shelfus, is missing.

After an hour, Hugh Sharp, commander of the Civil Air Patrol base at Rehoboth arrives in a Sikorsky seaplane with Edmond Edwards as his observer. He lands in the rough water, eight to ten foot swells toss the Sikorsky and damage its left pontoon. The plane starts to fill with water. Edwards loas Cross onboard in spite of the heavy swells, and after searching in vain for Shelfus, the aircraft turns towards shore at 1820.

They cannot take off because the sea is too rough, so they taxi all the way to the shore. Shortly after they set out on their westerly course, the left pontoon sinks. While Sharp pilots the plane, Edwards crawls out onto the right pontoon and hangs onto the bomb rack to help balance the plane. He is completely immersed several times during the sail home.

A Coast Guard picket boats meets the Skiorsky at 2050 and tows it and its passengers to Chincoteague, Virginia. They arrive at 2345. (Drew Ames)

 

U-779 laid down.

U-1225 launched.

GREECE: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is on an inspection of German defenses in Greece. (Glenn Steinberg)


SOLOMON ISLANDS: In a series of sorties in support of ground forces on New Georgia Island, 22 B-25's, 50+ USAAF and US Navy fighters, and 170+ US Navy dive bombers blast positions in the Bairoko area; 135 tons of bombs are dropped. About 60+ IJN aircraft targets in the Rendova area minutes after the last Allied aircraft leaves the area.

ELLICE ISLANDS: Japanese G3M "Nells" again attack the U.S. airfield on Funafuti Island, Ellice Islands.

CANADA: Trawler HMS Anticosti completed refit Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.
Corvette HMCS The Pas collided with SS Medina while escorting ON 192 with two killed.

Trawler HMS Anticosti completed refit Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: - Nine Eleventh Air Force B-24s bomb Kiska Island targets, including the runway, North Head, and Main Camp area where fires are observed. Poor weather cancels other scheduled missions.

Two USN destroyers bombard Japanese positions in the Gertrude Cove area of Kiska Island.

- A Japanese task force consisting of 3 light cruisers, 10 destroyers, 1 escort ship and a tanker, depart Paramushiru Island in the Kurile Island enroute to Kiska Island to evacuate the Japanese garrison. This must be the last attempt due to a shortage of fuel for the ships.
 

U.S.A.:

Destroyer escort USS Herbert C Jones commissioned.

Minesweeper USS Revenge commissioned.

Destroyer escorts USS Currier and McClelland laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-662 (Type VIIC) is sunk in the South Atlantic in the Amazon Estuary, in position 03.56N, 48.46W, by depth charges from a PBY-5A Catalina of US Navy Patrol Squadron Ninety Four (VP-94) based at NAF Belem, Brazil. Only 3 of the 47 sailors on the submarine survive; the PBY crew drops life rafts for them and they are picked up by PC-494 after 17 days. 

Over a period of only few days this boat had been attacked by a USAAF B-24 Liberator while hunting convoy TF.2. Then came an attack by a B-18 aircraft and finally squadron's VP-94 Catalinas located the boat and after one unsuccessful attack another VP-94 aircraft managed to sink the persistent boat. (Jack McKillop and Alex Gordon))

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions:

- In Mission 486, 1,110 bombers and 795 fighters are dispatched in 4 forces to bomb targets in Germany, among them 4 aircraft plants and 2 ball bearing plants; 31 bombers and 8 fighters are lost.

- Mission 487: 8 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

U-212 (Type VIIC) is sunk in the English Channel south of Brighton, at position 50.27N, 00.13W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Curzon and Ekins. 49 dead (all crew lost). (Alex Gordon)

FRANCE: Weather prevents all USAAF Ninth Air Force combat operations except for one fighter group which is dispatched on armed reconnaissance but is recalled before reaching the Continent; Less than 15 reconnaissance and evacuation sorties are flown.

Minesweeper HMS Chamois is mined in Seine Bay and is towed back to Portsmouth but not repaired. (Alex Gordon)(108)

GERMANY:

U-3009 laid down

U-1110 launched.

ITALY: The French Expeditionary Corps is taken out of the line in Italy. They begin to prepare for the Anvil/Dragoon operation.
The Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 362 B-17s and B-24s against targets in Czechoslovakia; B-17s and B-24s bomb the Brux synthetic oil refinery; B-24s also hit the marshalling yard at Mestre; 100+ other bombers are forced to abort due to bad weather; P-38s and P-51s provide escort.

Rome: It was regrettable, but inevitable. The decision had been taken at the highest level, with Roosevelt and Stalin outvoting Churchill. The Allied command in Italy has lost 100,000 of its best troops to the forthcoming invasion of the South of France.

The whole of the US VI Corps and the French Expeditionary Corps are assembling in Naples - leaving fewer than 153,000 men, mostly British, Commonwealth and Polish, to face Germany's formidable Gothic Line. Churchill and his generals would have preferred to fight a Balkans campaign - cutting off German troops in Greece.

EASTERN FRONT: The Russian Third Baltic Front takes Ostrov.
German General Zeitzler resigns as Chief of Staff at OKH and is replaced by Guderian.

Moscow: The simmering row between the Soviet Union and the London-based Polish government in exile flared into fury today with the announcement that the Russias intended to set up a committee of national liberation in those areas of Poland freed by the Red Army. The London Poles consider this committee to be a puppet organization controlled by the Russians and have denounced its members as a "band of usurpers."

 

GUAM: US Marines of General Geiger's III Amphibious Corps land on Guam during Operation STEVEDORE. Admiral Connolly commands the naval forces which include TF 53 directly and 3 groups of TF 58 in support. Attacking both sides of the Orote Peninsula, the 3rd Marine Division lands on the north beach near the town of Agana, while the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade lands on the south beach near Agat. The defending Japanese are the 29th Division under General Takashima. General Obata CO of the 31st Army is on the island. 

Opposition was surprisingly heavy after weeks of preparatory fire, and 22 amtracs were sunk. By nightfall, the Marines had pushed 1 mile (1.6 km) inland at both points. In the afternoon, the Army's 77th Infantry Division landed but even before they hit the beach, they had to contend with a problem that the Marines did not face. Because the 77th was in corps reserve, the division had no amtracs allotted; when landing craft reached the reef line, troops had to debark and wade several hundred yards to the beach. Tanks and trucks had to be towed by bulldozers, and some were lost in the surf. Most of the 305th Infantry Regiment were ashore by 2130 hours, in time to help turn back the expected enemy counterattack which cost the Japanese 268 killed.

Intense naval gunfire and attacks by carrier-based aircraft precede the landings. Supporting the invasion of Guam, Seventh Air Force P-47s based on Saipan attack enemy forces on Tinian Island. 28 B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, pound Truk Atoll. US Marines and Army troops land on Guam Island. Far East Air Force (FEAF) B-24s again pound Yap Island, concentrating on the airfield; fighters, many dropping phosphorus bombs on the bomber formation, attack fiercely but ineffectively; the B-24s claim 7 fighters shot down.

CANADA: Tug HMCS Glenlivit commissioned.
Frigate HMCS Levis commissioned.
Frigate HMCS Stone Town commissioned.

U.S.A.: The heavy cruiser USS Baltimore (CA-68) and the destroyer USS Fanning (DD-385) depart San Diego, California for Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands with President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard.

The delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, nominate Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri to be their vice president candidate. Truman replaces Henry Wallace, the current vice president. In Room 708 of the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, President Roosevelt told Truman at the convention that he wanted him on the ticket.

Destroyer escort USS Dufilho commissioned.

Destroyer USS John W Weeks commissioned.

Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-185 is commissioned at New Orleans; her first commanding officer being LT JG L.C. Rickert, USCGR. He was succeeded on 20 September 1945, by LTJG L. W. Cotro, USCGR. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area including Tacloban. 

Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-156 was commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana. Her first commanding officer was LT F. D. Obrian, USCGR. He was succeeded by LTJG G. N. Paul, USCGR, who in turn was succeeded by LTJG Ernest H. Thompson, Jr. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area including Biak.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Brazilian corvette Camaquã shipwrecked while escorting Convoy JT-18 with the loss of 33 crewmembers.