The following events occurred in November 1942:
November 1, 1942 (Sunday) U.S. forces began the Matanikau Offensive on Guadalcanal. German Army Group A captured Alagir. Escape from Fort Stanton: Four German sailors escaped from an internment camp at Fort Stanton, New Mexico. The Embassy of the Soviet Union posted a bulletin announcing that the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet had formed a committee for the investigation of war crimes committed by the Germans and their associates to the people and property of the USSR. Strikes broke out in Haute-Savoie in protest of the Vichy government's forced recruitment of labour for Germany. Legislative elections were held in Portugal. Since the country was a one-party state, the National Union claimed 100% of the vote. Born: Larry Flynt, adult magazine publisher, in Lakeville, Kentucky (d. 2021) Ralph Klein, politician, in Calgary, Alberta (d. 2013) Marcia Wallace, actress, in Creston, Iowa (d. 2013) Died: Hugo Distler, 34, German organist and composer
November 2, 1942 (Monday) Australian troops captured the village of Kokoda and the accompanying airfield. Operation Supercharge, the second phase of the Second Battle of El Alamein, begins before dawn. Allied troops attack from the salient captured earlier in the battle, intending to finally break through Axis lines. Stars and Stripes became a daily publication, the first in U.S. Army history. The BBC began French-language broadcasts to Canada. German submarine U-306 was commissioned. Born: Shere Hite, American-born German sex educator and feminist, in St. Joseph, Missouri (d. 2020) Stefanie Powers, actress, in Hollywood, California Ron Reed, baseball player, in La Porte, Indiana Died: John Eldridge Jr., 39, United States Naval Aviator, killed in action in the Solomon Islands
November 3, 1942 (Tuesday) Erwin Rommel received an order from Adolf Hitler to "stand and die", but disregarded it as plans for a withdrawal were already in place. The Koli Point action began on Guadalcanal. The United States midterm elections were held. The Republican Party gained seats but the Democrats retained control of both chambers. The fugitives in the Escape from Fort Stanton were recaptured. One of the escapees was wounded in a shootout with authorities. German submarine U-198 was commissioned. Died: Ernest Gibbins, 41, British entomologist (speared to death by Ugandan tribesmen)
November 4, 1942 (Wednesday) The Matanikau Offensive ended in American victory. The Axis retreat from El Alamein begins in earnest as Allied troops break through their lines. The main combat phase of the battle is now over, to be followed by the pursuit phase. German submarine U-132 was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by the explosion of the British cargo ship Hatimura, which had just been torpedoed by U-442. German submarines U-169 and U-416 were commissioned.
November 5, 1942 (Thursday) Fighting in and around Stalingrad forced the city's power plant to shut down. German submarine U-408 was depth charged and sunk north of Iceland by an American Catalina. German submarines U-647, U-658 and U-712 were commissioned. Born: Pierangelo Bertoli, singer-songwriter and poet, in Sassuolo, Italy (d. 2002) Died: George M. Cohan, 64, American songwriter and entertainer
November 6, 1942 (Friday) The Battle of Madagascar ended in Allied victory. Carlson's Patrol begins, an operation by the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion during the Guadalcanal Campaign. It was named after the battalion's commander Evans Carlson. The British passenger ship City of Cairo was torpedoed and sunk south of Saint Helena by German submarine U-68 with the loss of 104 of the 311 people on board. Born: Ken Patera, U.S. Olympic weightlifter, professional wrestler and strongman; in Portland, Oregon Jean Shrimpton, model and actress, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England
November 7, 1942 (Saturday) Joseph Stalin issued an Order of the Day on the 25th anniversary of the October Revolution promising that the enemy "will yet feel the weight of the Red Army's smashing blows." The Australian 24th Brigade advanced to Leaney's Corner and flanked the Japanese defenders on the Kokoda Track. French general Henri Giraud was secretly spirited out of Vichy France by the British submarine Seraph. German submarine U-274 was commissioned. Born: Tom Peters, writer, in Baltimore, Maryland; Johnny Rivers, rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, in New York City
November 8, 1942 (Sunday) British and American forces began Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. François Darlan was in Algiers visiting his ill son when the Allied invasion began. He convinced the local Vichy authorities not to oppose the landings. Operation Brushwood was executed as part of Torch. Forces captured Fedhala and then marched to nearby Casablanca. The Battle of Port Lyautey began for the city of Port Lyautey in French Morocco. The Naval Battle of Casablanca began. On the first day the Vichy French Navy lost the destroyers Albatros, Brestois, Boulonnais, Fougueux, Frondeur, Milan, Tornade and Tramontane as well as the cruiser Primauguet to beachings or sinkings. Vichy France broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. Hitler made his annual speech in Munich on the 19th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler claimed that Stalingrad was in German hands with only "a few small pockets" of resistance left. Born: Angel Cordero, Jr., horse racing jockey, in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico Fernando Sorrentino, writer, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
November 9, 1942 (Monday) German forces invaded Tunisia without opposition from nearby French troops. Canada, Cuba and Mexico broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France. The American troopship Leedstown, immobilised in the Mediterranean Sea the previous day by an attack from the Luftwaffe, was finished off by a torpedo from German submarine U-331. Died: Eddie Leonski, 24, American soldier and serial killer (executed at Pentridge Prison) Edna May Oliver, 59, American actress
November 10, 1942 (Tuesday) Admiral Darlan agreed to a ceasefire in French North Africa. Oran, Algeria surrendered to the Allies. The Battle of Port Lyautey ended when U.S. troops captured the city's fortress and local airfield. The incomplete French battleship Jean Bart was heavily damaged in harbour at Casablanca by U.S. aircraft. After Darlan agreed to the ceasefire in North Africa, German forces launched Case Anton, the occupation of Vichy France. Darlan declared that the German occupation of Vichy released him from affiliation with the Vichy government. He pledged total co-operation with the Allies with the only condition that he be appointed high commissioner for French North Africa. General Eisenhower agreed. Winston Churchill took to the podium at the Lord Mayor's Luncheon in London with news of the Allied victory at El Alamein. "Now this is not the end," Churchill said. "It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Haiti broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France. British destroyer HMS Martin was sunk off Algiers by German submarine U-431. Japanese submarine I-15 was sunk off San Cristóbal in the Solomons by the American destroyer minesweeper USS Southard. The Philip Barry play Without Love premiered at the St. James Theatre on Broadway. It would be adapted into a film in 1945. The comedy film Road to Morocco starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour was released. Born: Robert F. Engle, economist, in Syracuse, New York; Hans-Rudolf Merz, politician, in Herisau, Switzerland
November 11, 1942 (Wednesday) The Second Battle of El Alamein ended in a decisive Allied victory. The Dominican Republic severed diplomatic relations with Vichy France. German submarine U-532 was commissioned. British Commandos conducted Operation Fahrenheit, an overnight raid on a signals station at Point de Plouézec, France. The Italian Army invades and occupies Monaco, forming the fascist puppet state "State of Monaco" with Louis II remaining as the Prince of Monaco due to the support of his old army colleague, Marshal Philippe Pétain. The Turkish parliament passes the Varlık Vergisi,"After preliminary propaganda, the Turkish Parliament passed Law No. 4305, which introduced the Varlık Vergisi, on November 11, 1942." a capital tax mostly levied on non-Muslim citizens with the **de jure** aim to collect money for WW2, but with the **de facto** aim to end their prominence in the country's economy."However, the underlying reason was the elimination of minorities from the economy, and the replacement of the non-Muslim bourgeoisie by its Turkish counterpart.""The aim was to destroy the economic and cultural base of these minorities, loot their properties and means of livelihood, and, at the same time "turkify" the economy of Turkey.""... We will use it to eliminate the foreigners who control the market and hand the Turkish market over the Turks." "The foreigners to be eliminated" referred primarily to the non-Muslims citizens of Turkey." The USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50) was torpedoed and sunk by U-173, 100 seamen and Captain Smith were killed.
November 12, 1942 (Thursday) The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal began. The Koli Point action ended in American victory. U.S. Congress approved the drafting of men 18 and 19 years old. Eddie Rickenbacker and five others were rescued in the Pacific Ocean after being lost adrift at sea for three weeks. The men had stayed alive on a diet of a few oranges retrieved from their plane when it went down, some fish they'd managed to catch and a seagull that Rickenbacker had grabbed with his bare hands. Guatemala broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France. German submarine U-272 sank off Hela after colliding with U-634. German submarine U-660 was depth charged and damaged north of Oran by British warships and had to be scuttled. German submarines U-360 and U-648 were commissioned. The USS Hugh L. Scott, the USS Edward Rutledge, and the SS President Cleveland (1920) (USS Tasker H. Bliss) were sunk by U-130, 59 crew members died on board the Hugh L. Scott, 15 men died on the Edward Rutledge, and 31 died on the Tasker H. Bliss. Died: Laura Hope Crews, 62, American actress
November 13, 1942 (Friday) Montgomery captured Tobruk, squeezing Rommel between two large advancing Allied forces. The American light cruiser Juneau was sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. 687 men were killed in action, including the five Sullivan brothers. The Americans also lost the cruiser Atlanta and the destroyers Barton, Cushing, Laffey and Monssen, while the Japanese lost the battleship Hiei and destroyers Akatsuki and Yūdachi. German submarine U-411 was depth charged and sunk west of Gibraltar by a Lockheed Hudson of No. 500 Squadron RAF. Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France. Died: Daniel J. Callaghan, 52, United States Navy officer (killed in action during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal) Norman Scott, 53, United States Navy Rear Admiral (killed in action during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal)
November 14, 1942 (Saturday) Japanese heavy cruiser Kinugasa was sunk by aircraft during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. British submarine HMS Sahib sinks Italian cargo liner Scillin, unaware that Scillin is transporting over 800 Allied prisoners of war from North Africa to Italy. Almost all of the prisoners drown. Britain kept the cause of the sinking a secret until 1996. German submarines U-595 and U-605 were depth charged and sunk in the Mediterranean by British aircraft. German submarines U-231 and U-733 were commissioned.
November 15, 1942 (Sunday) The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended in a strategic American victory. On the battle's final day the Japanese battleship Kirishima and destroyer Ayanami were sunk by the American battleship USS Washington, while the Americans lost the destroyers Benham, Preston and Walke.