14 Aug 1942 | World War II Database

14 Aug 1942

Light carrier Hosho was assigned to the Mobile Force Stand By Force. ww2dbase [Main Article | Tabular Record of Movement | CPC]
Tatsuta Maru arrived at Singapore and departed later on the same day; she now carried almost 1,000 interned Allied personnel. ww2dbase [Main Article | Tabular Record of Movement | CPC]
USS S-39 ran aground and became stuck off Rossel Island of the Louisiade Archipelago 200 kilometers southeast of Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
USS Seawolf sank Japanese passenger-cargo ship Hachigen Maru in the Sibitu Passage between Borneo and Sulu, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
The first P-38 Lightning kill in the European Theatre occurred when the 33rd Fighter Squadron flying from Iceland destroyed a marauding Fw 200 maritime patrol bomber. ww2dbase [Main Article | AC]
The Japanese Navy changed its radio code. It was suspected, but not proven, that the code was changed in response to suspicions that the Americans had broken the previous code scheme. ww2dbase [CPC]
German submarine U-598 attacked Allied convoy TAW-12 50 miles northeast of Pueto Padre, Cuba at 1155 hours, sinking British freighter Michael Jebsen (7 were killed, 40 survived), sinking British tanker Empire Corporal (6 were killed, 49 survived), and damaging British tanker Standella (6 were killed, 52 survived). At 1930 hours, Italian submarine Reginaldo Giuliani sank British ship Sylvia de Larrinaga 700 miles southwest of Cape Verde Islands; 3 were killed. South of Saint Helena island, German armed merchant cruiser Michel sank British freighter Arabistan with gunfire; 66 were killed. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Japanese radio broadcast announced that Japanese air attacks had thus far sunk 29 Allied warships, 11 transports in the Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands area at a mere cost of 21 aircraft; in actuality, the Allied had only lost 6 ships. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Atlantic Ocean

After three days in stormy weather, survivors of sunken steam tanker Mirlo, in three lifeboats, got separated in the Atlantic Ocean. ww2dbase [HM]

Australia

Edmund Herring was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant general and was given command of Australian II Corps at Esk, Queensland, Australia. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Australian Papua

The B-17E Flying Fortress aircraft "Chief Seattle from the Pacific North West" was launched from Port Moresby, Australian Papua for a reconnaissance mission over Rabaul, New Britain, but the aircraft became missing shortly after launch and was never found. This aircraft was paid for by donations from civilians of the state of Washington in northwestern United States. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Australian 39th Battalion fell back 4 miles from Deniki to Isurava in Australian Papua after learning Japanese troops had infiltrated its rear, which turned out to be faulty intelligence. To the north, 3,000 Japanese troops of the 14th Naval Construction Unit and 15th Naval Construction Unit arrived at Buna, tasked with building major naval facilities. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

France

7,000 "stateless" Jews were arrested in France by German authorities. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Hawaii

USS New Mexico arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Mediterranean Sea

British destroyer HMS Penn, destroyer HMS Bramham, destroyer HMS Ledbury, and minesweeper HMS Rye began towing the previously abandoned tanker Ohio of Allied convoy Pedestal, still carrying her cargo of fuel. Later on the same day, heavily damaged British freighter Brisbane Star reached Malta at 1615 hours. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Poland

Faye Lazebnik's parents, sisters, and younger brother were rounded up and killed; they shared the fate of about 1,850 other Jews from the Lenin Ghetto in Poland (now Belarus). ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Russia

In the Caucasus region of southern Russia, German troops crossed the Kuban River near Krasnodar. ww2dbase [Main Article | TH, CPC]
Troops of German 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army set fire to wooded areas west of the Don River in southern Russia in an attempt to drive out the remnants of the surrounded Soviet 62nd Army. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Photo(s) dated 14 Aug 1942

Crew of HMS Dianthus loading a Mk VII depth charge into a Mk IV depth charge thrower, 14 Aug 1942

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

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