Saturday, August 19, 2017

Stalking Continues

by M. Bouffant at 19:42

WED 19 AUG 1942
Pacific
USAAF B-17s, flying from Espiritu Santo, bomb Japanese destroyers Kagero, Hagikaze and Maikaze off Guadalcanal, damaging Hagikaze off Tulagi.

Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-29 reconnoiters the Seychelles.

Caribbean
German submarine U-162 continues stalking convoy TAW (S) attacked the previous day, and again torpedoes unarmed U.S. freighter West Celina, which is abandoned by the 39-man crew and the convoy commodore's staff of four men; the convoy commodore, however, is lost (see 21 and 22 August). German submarine U-564 attacks the convoy as well, torpedoing and sinking two British ships: tanker British Consul and freighter Empire Cloud. Escorting ships will, however, frustrate further attacks by the U-boats.

The Dieppe raid didn't make the Navy's chronology.

During World War II, an Allied force of 7,000 men carry out a large daytime raid against German positions at the French seaport of Dieppe. Aided by tanks and aircraft, the commando force–made up of approximately 5,000 Canadians, 2,000 British soldiers, and a handful of American and Free French troops–gained a foothold on the beach in the face of a furious German defense. During nine hours of fighting, the Allies failed to destroy more than a handful of their targets and suffered the death of 3,600 men. More than 100 aircraft, a destroyer, 33 landing craft, and 30 tanks were also lost. Despite its high costs, the Dieppe raid provided valuable logistical information later used in planning the successful 1944 Allied landing at Normandy.

Well. Not a total loss, then.