AUGUST 1942
  • Aug 1 . Battleships of TF-1 (7 BB, 10 DD) sails to guard Hawaii during Guadalcanal operation.
  • Aug 1 . British make requested faint in Bay of Bengal.
  • Aug 1 . US fleet submarines transferred south from North Pacific
  • Aug 2 . Long Island departs Pearl to ferry planes to Solomons.
  • Aug 3 . With arrival of Pearl convoy, the invasion fleet is 82 ships.
  • Aug 4 . Task Force consists of Saratoga, Enterprise, Wasp , North Carolina (BB-52) , 5 CA and 16 DD.
  • Aug 4 . DD and troop transport sunk in US minefield off Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.
  • Aug 5 . Convoy screen consists of 6 cruisers and 9 destroyers.
  • Aug 6 . Fleet and Convoy arrive Solomons unseen under weather protection.
  • Aug 6 . Three Japanese transports sunk by US submarines in North Pacific.
  • Aug 7 . Marines land at Tulagi and Guadalcanal. Japanese surprised.
  • Aug 7 . 7,000 Marines landing on Tulagi are resisted.
  • Aug 7 . 11,000 marines land Guadalcanal almost unopposed. Construction workers flee.
  • Aug 7 . Japanese respond from the air with bombers from Rabaul, fighters from New Britain. Mugford (DD-389) and a transport were damaged.
  • Aug 7 . Japanese cruiser force sails from Rabaul for Solomons.
  • Aug 7 . US cruisers bombard Kiska, Alaska.
  • Aug 8 . Marines take Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo islands across from Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 8 . Flagship of Japanese reinforcement convoy sunk by S-38 ; convoy recalled. (A key event of the war.)
  • Aug 8 . Air attack sets fire to US cargo ship, beached, and hits destroyer Jarvis (DD-383) and transport.
  • Aug 8 . U-98 mines waters off Jacksonville, Florida.
  • Aug 9 . Battle of Savo Island. Allied screening force wiped out.
  • Aug 9 . Hornet (CV-8) makes sweep around Hawaii.
  • Aug 9 . Navy retreats from air attacks at Guadalcanal -- before all material landed.
  • Aug 10. Artillery and defensive positions established by Marines.
  • Aug 11. Marines, using captured bulldozer, continue work on airfield.
  • Aug 12. Catalina PBY makes trial landing on Henderson field.
  • Aug 12. Marine party, expecting Japanese to surrender on Guadalcanal, are ambushed, wiped out.
  • Aug 12. The new proximity fuse, 5" antiaircraft shell tested by Cleveland (CL-55) in Chesapeake Bay.
  • Aug 13. Japanese Army starts over mountains to Port Moresby, N.Guinea.
  • Aug 14. VJ Day is three years in the future.
  • Aug 15. First US resupply convoy to Guadalcanal by 4 destroyer transports.
  • Aug 16. Henderson Field named after Marine hero at Midway.
  • Aug 17. Carlson's Marine Raiders land from 2 submarines to raid Makin Island.
  • Aug 17. Hornet departs Pearl for Coral Sea.
  • Aug 18. Two battleships ordered from East Coast to Pacific.
  • Aug 18. Six Japanese destroyers land 916 troops on Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 19. Marines attack Japanese construction battalion on Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 19. British raid on Dieppe - disaster teaches lessons for D-Day in 2-years.
  • Aug 20. Second resupply as US destroyer transports return to Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 20. Long Island (ACV-1) flies off 31 Marine fighters and bombers to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 20. R4D (C-47,DC3) air supply/hospital evacuation begins between Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 21. "Tenaru River: : first Marine-Japanese battle on Guadalcanal, enemy force wiped out.
  • Aug 21. Major Japanese fleet gathers to attack & reinforce Solomons.
  • Aug 21. US submarines start to damage or sink almost a ship a day somewhere in Pacific.
  • Aug 22. AAF ground attack planes arrive at "Cactus", Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 22. Night resupply destroyers from each side meet, Blue torpedoed.
  • Aug 23. Long Island (ACV-1) arrives Efate, New Hebrides.
  • Aug 24. Marine fighters destroy 21 enemy planes with loss of 3 Wildcats.
  • Aug 24. Battle of the Eastern Solomons - US outnumbered 2:1, Fletcher attacks :  Jap fleet withdraws.
    Major Jap strike and invasion fleets turned back with massive loss of aircraft on both sides. Planes from Saratoga sink light carrier Ryujo. Enterprise damaged, returns to Pearl, her dive bombers augment Henderson.
  • Aug 24. Santee (ACV-29) commissions, first of 4 converted oilers. All used N. Africa in Nov.
  • Aug 25. B-17s sink DD Mutsuki; SBDs damage CL Jintsu and DD Uzuki off Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 25. Japanese occupy Ocean & Nauru (Phosphate Islands) - thru end of war.
  • Aug 25. Japanese occupy 3 islands, off SE New Guinea.
  • Aug 26. Japanese land at Milne Bay, New Guinea. Attacked on beaches.
  • Aug 27. Many aircraft arrive Henderson Field from now on ; attrition high.
  • Aug 28. Japanese fleets returns to Truk.
  • Aug 28. SBDs sink DD Asagiri and damage 3 more, preventing reinforcements from landing on Guadalcanal.
  • Aug 28. Japs start Tokyo Express (destroyer transports at night) to reinforce Guadalcanal; fight until Feb 7, 1943.
  • Aug 29. Tokyo Express lands troops.
  • Aug 29. Hornet CV-8 reaches South Pacific. Replaces damaged Enterprise.
      USN never has more than three carriers together. It will be Oct'43 before that happens.
  • Aug 30. US Army lands on Adak, Aleutians, to construct Navy seaplane base 250 miles from occupied Kiska.
  • Aug 30. Tokyo Express lands troops.
  • Aug 30. High speed transport Colhoun (APD-2) is bombed and sunk by Japanese planes
  • Aug 31. Saratoga torpedoed by I-26 ; out of action for the next three months.
  • Aug 31. Eight Japanese destroyers put ashore 1,000 troops on Guadalcanal.
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