NOVEMBER 1942
    El Alamein offensive underway in Egypt
    The US has no carriers in service in the Pacific. Enterprise is repairing at Noumea; Saratoga repairing at Pearl.   Lexington had been sunk at Coral Sea, Yorktown at Midway, Wasp by submarine, Hornet     at Santa Cruz.

  • Nov 1-4. Kokumbona offensive on Guadalcanal.
  • Nov 2-12. Battle with Japanese landing at Koli Point.
  • Nov 4 . US troops land at Aola Bay escorted by Callegham's cruisers.
    Nov 4 . Rommel starts withdrawal.
  • Nov 7 . Japanese mass an invasion force at Truk.
  • Nov 8 . Operation "Torch" : Allies land 110,000 men in North Africa.
    Nov 8 . Transports depart Noumea with 152nd Infantry for Guadalcanal.
  • Nov 9 . Scott's cruiser force departs Noumea to escort 3 cargo ships.
  • Nov 10. "End of the beginning" speech by Churchill.
    Nov 10. Callegham's cruiser force sails for Guadalcanal with 4 more transports.
    Nov 10. U-608 mines off New York City.
  • Nov 11. Transports begin unloading, all three damaged by bombers.
    Nov 11. Damaged Enterprise departs repair yard at Noumea with welders still aboard.
    Nov 11-12. Cruisers patrol Sealark Channel off Guadalcanal.
  • Nov 12. Marines consolidate to await big Jap landing attempt.
    Nov 12. US lands 6,000 troop convoy on Guadalcanal. San Francisco and Buchanan damaged by bombers.
  • Nov 13. Tobruk retaken by British.
  • Nov 12-13. Naval Battle of Guadalcanal begins. Japanese 2 BB, 1CL, and 9 DD attempt to bombard Henderson Field. Meet 5 US cruisers and 8 DD. Light US forces walloped: Atlanta, Juneau, 5 DD sunk. But Japanese withdraw losing 2 DD.
  • Nov 13. Hiei damaged the night before is attacked by aircraft and scuttled.
    Nov 13. Japanese convoy of 11 transports and 12 DD delayed by one day.
    Nov 13-14. Japanese cruisers bombard Henderson Field.
  • Nov 14. Enterprise and Henderson aircraft attack cruisers, Kingasa sunk. Enterprise planes land at Henderson as she withdraws.
    Nov 14. Jap troop convoy of 11 ships and 12 DD attacked by US aircraft - 7 troopships and 9 destroyer transports sunk.
    Nov 14-15. Battleship and destroyer fight ends the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Japan lost battleship Hiei and 2 DDs. US lost 3 destroyers.
    Nov 14-15. Surviving 4 Japanese transports beach themselves to unload troops.
  • Nov 15. 2,000 of 10,000 Japanese troops landed on Guadalcanal, without equipment.
  • Nov 17. Allies move in New Guinea towards Buna and Gona.
  • Nov 18-24. Marines advance to Poho, Guadalcanal.
  • Nov 20. Soviet counteroffensive, Battle of Stalingrad begins.
  • Nov 27. French scuttle their warships in Toulon Harbor
  • Nov 28. Tanker Alchiba sunk by mini-sub Ha 10 launched from I-16 off Guadalcanal.
  • Nov 30. Battle of Tassafaronga, Japanese supply destroyers sink US cruiser Northampton.
  • Nov 30. US has 39,400 troops on Guadalcanal ; Japanese have 25,000.
    "This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Churchill

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