Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, Oct 15 – 21, 1942

Oct 15, 1942: Admiral Bill Halsey, soon to be named South Pacific Area commander, begins familiarization trip of the region

Oct 16, 1942: US seaplane tender MacFarland is severely damaged by Japanese dive bombers off Guadalcanal

Oct 17, 1942: Japanese destroyer Oboro is sunk by US aircraft in Aleutians

Oct 18, 1942: Allied forces continue buildup on southern New Guinea

Oct 19, 1942: US War Department agrees to equip 30 more Chinese divisions

Oct 20, 1942: Major General Donald H. Connolly takes over Persian Gulf Service Command, making him the senior US officer in Iran and Iraq

Oct 21, 1942: World War One ace pilot Eddie Rickenbacker, on a tour of the region to inspect living conditions among air crew, is shot down over the Pacific and spends the next 24 days adrift at sea

Categories: War

Leave a Reply