×
Home Intro People Events Equipment Places Maps Books Photos Videos Other Reference FAQ About
     

World War II Database

19 Apr 1942
  • German submarine U-136 sank US freighter Steel Maker 200 kilometers southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, killing 1 of 45 aboard. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
  • USS Gar began her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Gar | CPC]
  • German submarine U-130 attempted to bombard oil storage tanks near Willemstad on the island of CuraƧao but was driven away by coastal defense guns before any damage was done. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
  • Slim, Wavell, and Alexander met to start discussing plans for a major retreat of Allied personnel out of Burma. ww2dbase [William Slim | CPC]
  • HMS Edinburgh arrived at Murmansk, Russia. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | CPC]
  • James Johnson shot down a German Fw 190 fighter. ww2dbase [James Johnson | CPC]
  • US and Filipino prisoners of war were loaded onto cramped freight trains from San Fernando to Camp O'Donnell at Capas, Tarlac, Philippine Islands; many died en route. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]
  • British submarine HMS Umbra sank Italian ship Assunta de Gregori off Sfax, Tunisia. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Off Palestine, German submarine U-81 sank a sailing vessel by gunfire at 1651 hours and sank sailing vessel Hefz el Rahman by ramming at 2200 hours. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • ShCh-401 pursued a German convoy with torpedoes off Tanafjord, Norway, targeting tanker Forbach; the submarine was driven off by German mineseepers M 154 and M 251 before the attack was made. ww2dbase [ShCh-401 | CPC]
Atlantic Ocean
  • At dawn, the lifeboat of the chief officer of neutral Argentinian motor tanker Victoria, which was damaged by German submarine U-201 on the previous day 200 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, was spotted by the British steam merchant Empire Dryden. Empire Dryden was just about to pick up the 21 men in it when Empire Dryden spotted American Minesweeper USS Owl (AM 2), which had already been on the scene since the previous day; USS Owl would pick up the 21 men and brought them to the Victoria. Among the 21 men was the engineer of Fairbanks Morse Company, the company that had built the diesel engines of the tanker. With his help it was finally possible to restart the engines and proceed at 1700 hours. The destroyers USS Swanson (DD 443) and USS Nicholson (DD 442) were sent from New York, United States to assist and the latter picked up the remaining survivors from the lifeboat that was under command of the master at 1600 hours, transferring them back to their ship about eight hours later. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | HM]
Burma
  • The 113th Regiment of the Chinese 38th Division under General Sun Liren captured Twingon, Burma then repulsed a Japanese counterattack that saw heavy casualties on both sides. To the east, Japanese 55th Infantry Division captured Pyinmana. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | CPC]
  • Chiang Kaishek, Song Meiling, and Joseph Stilwell met at Maymyo, Burma. ww2dbase [Chiang Kaishek | Joseph Stilwell | Song Meiling | Maymyo | CPC]
Russia
  • General Mikhail Grigoryevich Yefremov committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a pistol as his Soviet 33rd Army was on the brink of total destruction at Vyazma, Russia. ww2dbase [Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive and the Demyansk Pocket | Vyazma | CPC]
  • The 7 surviving ships of Allied convoy PQ-14 arrived at Murmansk, Russia. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Murmansk | CPC]
Taiwan
  • Less Carrier Division 5, which detached with screen to head for New Guinea for Operation MO, Akagi and the Striking Force departed Mako in high speed attempted pursuit of the carriers that had launched the Doolittle Raiders which had just struck the Tokyo Bay area on the previous day. ww2dbase [Akagi | Mako Guard District | Mako, Hoko | CPC]
  • Shokaku departed Mako, Pescadores Islands to participate in Operation MO in the Coral Sea commencing 20 Apr 1942. ww2dbase [Mako Guard District | Shokaku | Mako, Hoko | CPC]
  • Yugure departed Mako in the Taiwan Strait at 1100 hours. ww2dbase [Yugure | Mako, Hoko | CPC]
Ukraine
  • German Luftwaffe group III./KG 27 returned to Kherson, Ukraine after operating against the Soviet salient at Izium in northeastern Ukraine. ww2dbase [Kherson | CPC]
United States
  • James Doolittle was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the US Army. ww2dbase [James Doolittle | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 19 Apr 1942
Doolittle raider Robert Hite in Japanese captivity, Japan, Apr 1942Chiang Kaishek and Joseph Stilwell at Maymyo, Burma, 19 Apr 1942Chiang Kaishek, Song Meiling, and Joseph Stilwell at Maymyo, Burma, 19 Apr 1942, photo 1 of 3Chiang Kaishek, Song Meiling, and Joseph Stilwell at Maymyo, Burma, 19 Apr 1942, photo 2 of 3
See all photos dated 19 Apr 1942

19 Apr 1942 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Change View
Desktop View

Search WW2DB


Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!