18 Jul 1942

- German submarine U-384 was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [CPC]
- American destroyer Kalk was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
- The keel of American destroyer escort Pillsbury was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
- The keel of British escort carrier Ameer was laid down. ww2dbase [Ameer | CPC]
- A B-17 Flying Fortress bomber of USAAF 11th Air Force crashed on Umnak, Aleutian Islands during a weather and photo reconnaissance mission in the Kiska Island region. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Australian rescue tug Reserve was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
- A USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, with two US Marine Corps observers aboard, flew a reconnaissance mission over Gavutu, Guadalcanal, and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | CPC]
- American destroyer Hall was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
- American destroyer Conner was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-666 was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British escort carrier Pursuer was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British vessel Barfoil was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Prince Alexander of Belgium was born in Brussels, Belgium. ww2dbase [AC]
- Rudolf Höss was promoted to the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer. ww2dbase [Rudolf Höss | CPC]
- USS S-28 conducted a reconnaissance mission on the island of Semisopochnoi, Aleutian Islands. ww2dbase [S-28 | CPC]
- Frank Fletcher was promoted to the rank of vice admiral. He broke his flag aboard USS Saratoga. ww2dbase [Saratoga | CPC]
- US Navy Rear Admiral Richmond Turner took command of the Amphibious Forces South Pacific at Wellington, New Zealand. ww2dbase [Richmond Turner | CPC]
- German submarine U-575 damaged British tanker San Gaspar (12 were killed, 40 survived) 50 miles east of Trinidad at 0625 hours; several hours later, 100 miles further east, U-575 struck again, sinking sailing vessels Glacier and Comrade with her deck gun. German submarine U-160 attacked Panamanian transport Carmona with multiple torpedoes southeast of Trinidad between 1633 and about 1715 hours, sinking her; 4 were killed, 31 survived). ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
- USS Skipjack departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol. ww2dbase [Skipjack | Fremantle, Western Australia | CPC]
- USS S-43 arrived at New Ireland. ww2dbase [S-43 | New Ireland | CPC]
- USS Wasp arrived at Tongatapu, Tonga. ww2dbase [Wasp (Wasp-class) | Tongatabu, Tonga | CPC, DS]
- Three B-25 bombers of US 10th Air Force based in Guilin Airfield, Guangxi Province, China attacked Tianhe Airfield in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. ww2dbase [Tianhe Airfield | Guangzhou, Guangdong | CPC]
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Balikpapan, Dutch Borneo. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Balikpapan, Borneo | CPC]
- Prototype jet fighter Me 262 V3 Schwalbe took its maiden flight with Fritz Wendel in the cockpit over Leipheim, Germany. ww2dbase [Me 262 Schwalbe | Leipheim | CPC]
- British submarine HMS Unbroken departed Gibraltar for Malta. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Wolfgang Falck departed Venice, Italy after advising the Italians on nightfighting tactics. In a subsequent report he filed for Erhard Milch, Falck noted that the Italian nightfighting organization was extremely poor. ww2dbase [Wolfgang Falck | Venezia, Veneto | CPC]
- German supply ship Regensburg arrived at Yokohama, Japan, disembarking prisoners captured by German merchant raiders that Regensburg supported. When inspecting captured mail that was also given to the Japanese, it was discovered that the Americans had broken the current Japanese Navy code, leading to a change in codes. ww2dbase [Yokohama, Kanagawa | CPC]
- Petre Dumitrescu was promoted to the rank of general. ww2dbase [Petre Dumitrescu | CPC]
- Soviet Pacific Fleet submarine Shch-138 suffered an accidental detonation of her own torpedoes at Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai, far eastern Russia and was lost with 17 men. Shch-118 was also damaged in this incident. ww2dbase [Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai | CPC]
- German troops captured Voroshilovgrad (now Luhansk) in eastern Ukraine. ww2dbase [Caucasus Campaign | Voroshilovgrad | CPC]
- Destroyer USS Shaw returned to San Francisco, California after a brief shakedown to San Diego and back. ww2dbase [Shaw | San Francisco, California | DS]


18 Jul 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: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB & Partner Sites
News
- » Joseph Eskenazi honored at US National World War II Museum (16 Jan 2023)
- » Beethoven Original Manuscript to be Returned to Heirs of its Pre-WW2 Owner (13 Jan 2023)
- » WW2DB's 18th Anniversary (29 Dec 2022)
- » Two WW2-era Aircraft Crashed During Dallas Air Show (14 Nov 2022)
- » Wreck of Samuel B. Roberts Found (27 Jun 2022)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,125 biographies
- » 334 events
- » 40,949 timeline entries
- » 1,201 ships
- » 346 aircraft models
- » 205 vehicle models
- » 368 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 248 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,781 photos
- » 399 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"George Patton, 31 May 1944