The following events occurred in August 1942:
August 1, 1942 (Saturday) The Germans cut the railway line linking Stalingrad to Krasnodar. 1942–1944 musicians' strike: The American Federation of Musicians went on strike against the major U.S. recording companies because of disagreements over royalty payments. Andrey Yeryomenko met with Joseph Stalin at the Kremlin and accepted command of one of Stalingrad's southern fronts. German submarines U-226 and U-448 were commissioned. Born: Jerry Garcia, singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Grateful Dead, in San Francisco, California (d. 1995); Giancarlo Giannini, actor and dubber, in La Spezia, Italy Brianda Domecq, writer and environmentalist, in New York, USA.
August 2, 1942 (Sunday) The German 4th Panzer Army captured Kotelnikovo. After spending most of the day studying maps of Stalingrad and the surrounding area, Andrey Yeryomenko had a second conference with Stalin. Yeryomenko protested that two Russian fronts in the same area meant that trying to co-ordinate Stalingrad's defence with another commander would be "utterly confusing, if not tragically impossible," and asked to command the Stalingrad Front in the north rather than the Southeastern Front. Stalin firmly said that everything would be left as it was already outlined. A man named José Gallardo Díaz was found unconscious and dying on a road near a swimming hole in Commerce, California. He was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after. 17 Mexican-American youths were soon arrested in a case that came to be known as the Sleepy Lagoon murder. Born: Isabel Allende, writer, in Lima, Peru
August 3, 1942 (Monday) The British launched Operation Pedestal, an effort to get desperately needed supplies to Malta. German submarine U-335 was torpedoed and sunk southeast of the Faroe Islands by the British submarine Saracen. American destroyer USS Tucker struck a mine off Espiritu Santo late in the day and sank early on August 4. Died: James Cruze, 58, American film actor and director; Richard Willstätter, 69, German organic chemist
August 4, 1942 (Tuesday) The German 4th Panzer Army crossed the Aksay River in its drive on Stalingrad. Yeremenko flew down to Stalingrad in a Douglas transport aircraft. Commissar Nikita Khrushchev met him at the airport with a car and they drove to the city's headquarters. The Bracero program was initiated when the United States signed the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement with Mexico. German submarine U-372 was depth charged and sunk off Haifa by a Vickers Wellington bomber. Citing documents seized in a raid on Indian National Congress headquarters in Allahabad, the British government accused Mahatma Gandhi and the majority of his party of working toward "appeasement" of Japan. The musical film Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire with music by Irving Berlin premiered in New York City. Born: David Lange, 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand, in Otahuhu, New Zealand (d. 2005)
August 5, 1942 (Wednesday) German forces took Voroshilovsk. Anthony Eden announced in the House of Commons that the Munich Agreement of 1938 would play no part in the postwar settlement of Czechoslovakia's borders, because the British government no longer considered itself bound to that agreement since the Germans destroyed it. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands visited the White House and addressed U.S. Congress. German submarines U-188, U-304 and U-415 were commissioned.
August 6, 1942 (Thursday) German forces on the Eastern Front captured Tikhoretsk and Armavir. Dzyatlava massacre: During the liquidation of the Zdzięcioł Ghetto several thousand Jews were murdered at the local Jewish cemetery. For aiding an escaped German prisoner of war, Detroit restaurant owner Max Stephan became the first American sentenced to execution for treason since the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. The British submarine HMS Thorn went missing off southern Crete, probably sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso. The Germans lost three submarines in one day. U-210 was rammed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by the Canadian destroyer Assiniboine, U-612 sank off Gotenhafen, Germany after colliding with U-444, and U-578 went missing in the Bay of Biscay. Her fate remains unknown. German submarine U-634 was commissioned. Born: Evelyn Hamann, actress, in Hamburg, Germany (d. 2007)
August 7, 1942 (Friday) The Guadalcanal Campaign and the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo began. Allied forces consisting mostly of U.S. Marines made amphibious landings in the southern Solomon Islands in the first major offensive by the Allies against Japan. The German 6th Army crossed the Don at Kalach. Winston Churchill visited the British troops at El Alamein. Alfonso López Pumarejo became the 16th President of Colombia. Born: Tobin Bell, actor, in Queens, New York City; Garrison Keillor, author and radio personality, in Anoka, Minnesota Sir Richard Sykes, British microbiologist, chair of the Vaccine Taskforce, in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England Caetano Veloso, Brazilian musician, in Santo Amaro, Bahia Died: William Gott, 44, British Army officer (plane shot down in North Africa); Janusz Korczak, 63 or 64, Polish-Jewish educator, children's author and pediatrician (killed at Treblinka)
August 8, 1942 (Saturday) U.S. Marines captured the unfinished Japanese airbase on Guadalcanal. The base was named Henderson Field after the Battle of Midway hero Lofton R. Henderson. The Battle of Savo Island, the first major naval engagement of the Guadalcanal Campaign, began. German Army Group B captured Surovikino. The American attack transport USS George F. Elliott was bombed and sunk in Ironbottom Sound by a Mitsubishi G4M. German submarine U-379 was depth charged and sunk southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland by the Royal Navy corvette Dianthus. Mahatma Gandhi made the Quit India speech. Died: Edward H. Ahrens, 22, United States Marine Raider (killed in action during the Guadalcanal campaign)
August 9, 1942 (Sunday) The Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo ended in Allied victory. The Battle of Savo Island ended in tactical Japanese victory. American cruisers Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes and the Australian cruiser Canberra were all sunk while three Japanese cruisers were damaged. American destroyer Jarvis was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Guadalcanal. German Army Group A captured Krasnodar and the Soviet oil centre of Maykop. The Leningrad première of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 occurred while the city was still under siege by German forces. Bombay police arrested Mahatma Gandhi and fifty other members of the Indian National Congress a few hours before a massive civil disobedience campaign was to begin. Five people were killed later in the day when police fired on crowds of people who were jeering and throwing stones. Ahmad Qavam became Prime Minister of Iran for the third time. The Walt Disney animated film Bambi had its world premiere in London. The New York Times Best Seller list switched from a local survey to a national one compiled from booksellers in 22 cities. The first Fiction Best Seller under the new system was And Now Tomorrow by Rachel Field. Died: Edith Stein, 50, German Jewish philosopher and Catholic saint (murdered at Auschwitz)
August 10, 1942 (Monday) The German 6th Army crossed the lower Don River and reached the outskirts of Stalingrad. Forward elements of German Army Group A reached Pyatigorsk. In the second phase of the Battle of Kokoda, Australian troops which had briefly recaptured Kokoda on the 8th are now forced to withdraw, ending the engagement. Japanese cruiser Kako was torpedoed and sunk off Simbari Island, New Ireland by the American submarine USS S-44. The Italian submarine Scirè was sunk off Haifa by the British armed trawler Islay. While on his way to Moscow, Winston Churchill stopped at Tehran and had lunch with the Shah of Iran.
August 11, 1942 (Tuesday) Pierre Laval reached an agreement with the Germans that 150,000 French workers would go to Germany in exchange for 50,000 French prisoners of war. The British aircraft carrier HMS Eagle was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-73 during Operation Pedestal. Sixty-one people died in riots in New Delhi. Al Milnar of the Cleveland Indians and Tommy Bridges of the Detroit Tigers had one of the most epic pitchers' duels in baseball history. With the game locked in a scoreless tie in the top of the ninth inning, Milnar lost a no-hitter with two out when Doc Cramer singled to right field. Both pitchers maintained their shutouts until the fifteenth inning when the game was finally called in a 0–0 tie. Died: Sabina Spielrein, 56, Russian physician and psychoanalyst (murdered by an SS death squad)
August 12, 1942 (Wednesday) The Second Moscow Conference began. In attendance were Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and U.S. representative W. Averell Harriman. Elements of German Army Group A reached Slavyansk. During Operation Pedestal the British cruiser Cairo and British destroyer Foresight were sunk, and the tanker Ohio was severely damaged and had to be taken under tow. Movie star Clark Gable entered a U.S. Army recruiting station in Los Angeles and enlisted as a private at the age of 41. German submarines U-468, U-526, U-527 and U-709 were commissioned. Died: Phillips Holmes, 35, American film actor (mid-air plane collision)
August 13, 1942 (Thursday) Bernard Montgomery took over command of the British Eighth Army following the death of William Gott. On the Eastern Front, German forces captured Elista. During Operation Pedestal the British cruiser Manchester was torpedoed and heavily damaged by two Italian motor torpedo boats and then scuttled. Japan passed the Enemy Airmen's Act, stating that Allied airmen participating in bombing raids against Japanese-held territory would be treated as "violators of the law of war" and subject to trial and punishment if captured. German submarine U-635 was commissioned. The play Flare Path by Terence Rattigan premiered at the Apollo Theatre in London. Born: Arthur K. Cebrowski, admiral, in Passaic, New Jersey (d. 2005)
August 14, 1942 (Friday) Dwight D. Eisenhower was named Anglo-American commander for Operation Torch. British Commandos carried out Operation Barricade, an overnight raid on an anti-aircraft gun and radar site northwest of Pointe de Saire, France. Born: Molefi Kete Asante, leading scholar of African-American Studies, in Valdosta, Georgia Died: Rafaela Ottiano, Italian-American actress (b. 1888)
August 15, 1942 (Saturday) Operation Pedestal ended in tactical disaster but strategic victory for the British. German troops captured Georgiyevsk and reached the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. 5,000 Jews were arrested in Vichy France. German submarines U-189, U-358 and U-759 were commissioned. Born: Friede Springer, publisher and spouse of Axel Springer, in Oldsum, Germany
August 16, 1942 (Sunday) The Kriegsmarine began Operation Wunderland with the objective of entering the Kara Sea and destroying as many Russian vessels as possible. The Russians evacuated Maykop. Axis positions in Egypt were bombed by American warplanes for the first time. In Bilbao, Spain, a mass was held at the Basilica of Begoña to commemorate members of the Begoña Regiment who died in the Civil War. After the service there was some shouting between the Falangist and Carlist factions, and during the ensuing scuffle a Falangist threw two hand grenades and wounded 30 people.
August 17, 1942 (Monday) U.S. Marines conducted the Makin Island raid. The Second Moscow Conference ended. 1,700 Jews were massacred in the Polish village of Łomazy by Reserve Police Battalion 101. German Army Group A established bridgeheads across the Kuban River. The USAAF made its first air raid on occupied Europe, bombing railroad marshaling yards at Sotteville-lès-Rouen. Died: Clyde A. Thomason, 28, United States Marine and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor (killed in action during the Makin Island raid)