World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 24 Jul 1941

• US Marine Corps established a Marine Detachment under the 1st Defense Battalion at Johnston Island. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The RAF submitted a report for the week ending 24 Jul 1941. Coastal Command flew 252 patrols (364 sorties) and escorted 94 convoys (264 sorties). Fighter Command flew 704 shipping protection patrols (1,476 sorties). ww2dbase [CPC]
• HMS Edinburgh arrived at Malta. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | CPC]
• USS Astoria departed San Pedro, California, United States. ww2dbase [Astoria (New Orleans-class) | CPC]
• Free France, distrustful of British command of its troops in the Middle East, took back control effective at 1200 hours. ww2dbase [CPC]
• James Lacey engaged two German Bf 109 fighters and claimed kills on both of them after the two German aircraft collided in mid-air during the dogfight. ww2dbase [James Lacey | CPC]

• Alessandro Malaspina sighted searchlights in the Atlantic Ocean at 0145 hours. At 0155 hours, Italian commanding officer Giuliano Prini believed that his submarine had been detected, and ordered her to submerge. Between 0245 and 0248 hours, depth charges were heard. At 1350 hours, she surfaced and found no other ships in sight. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]
• Alpino Bagnolini sighted Allied convoy HG 68 in the Atlantic Ocean at 0230 hours. Shortly after, she fired four bow torpedoes at a tanker (the fourth of which misfired), claiming three hits. An approaching destroyer forced the Italian submarine to break off the attack and dive. HG 68 reported no damage on that date, thus the three hits were most likely all premature detonations. At 0542 hours, she sighted another vessel, but the Italians would lose contact with that vessel, as well as the entire convoy, shortly after. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | CPC]

• 68 Dutch officers arrived at the Oflag IV-C camp at Colditz Castle in Germany; they were the first Dutch prisoners at this prisoners of war camp. ww2dbase [Colditz Castle | Colditz, Sachsen | CPC]

• The airfield at Thurleigh in Bedfordshire, England was first opened. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]

24 Jul 1941 Interactive Map