World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 29 Aug 1942

• The Red Cross announced that the Japanese refused to allow safe passage for ships bearing supplies for Allied prisoners of war. ww2dbase [TH]
• USS Hornet arrived in the South Pacific, replacing damaged USS Enterprise. ww2dbase [Hornet (Yorktown-class) | CPC]
• Saufley was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Saufley | CPC]
• German submarine U-66 sank US ship Topa Topa 660 miles west of Trinidad at 0237 hours; 25 were killed, 35 survived. British ship City of Cardiff, damaged by German submarine U-566 on 28 Aug 1942, sank from her damage 390 miles west of Porto, Portugal. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
• Japanese submarine RO-33 damaged Australian troopship Marita in the Gulf of Papua south of Australian Papua at 1200 hours; Australian destroyer HMAS Arunta counterattacked and sank RO-33, killing all 42 aboard. ww2dbase [CPC]

• 8 US B-17 Flying Fortress bombers attacked the Vunakanau airfield near Rabaul, New Britain. Later on the same day, troops of the Japanese 81st Naval Garrison executed six Australians at Rabaul. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• During the day, Japanese 144th Regiment attacked Australian troops at Isurava along the Kokoda Track in Australian Papua. To the east, 769 Japanese Special Naval Landing Force troops landed at Waga Waga on the coast of Milne Bay; the Japanese cruiser and nine destroyers that covered the landing bombarded the Australian airfield at Gili Gili before returning to Rabaul, New Britain, causing little damage. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 2 | CPC]
• Australian Private Bruce Kingsbury armed with a Bren-Gun and grenades, seeing Japanese troops were preparing a fresh attack on the Kokoda Trail in Australian Papua, charged through intensive machine-gun fire to eliminate the enemy's positions, but was then killed by a hidden Japanese sniper as the rest of his patrol (having gained 100 yards of track) were setting up a holding position. For his heroism Private Kingsbury would be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. ww2dbase [AC]
• Tenryu arrived at Milne Bay, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Tenryu | CPC]

• USS Flying Fish successfully escaped Japanese destroyers that had detected her presence on the previous day in Caroline Islands area. ww2dbase [Flying Fish | CPC]

• British destroyers HMS Eridge and HMS Aldenham attacked the Axis airfield at El Daba, Egypt. ww2dbase [CPC]
• An Italian torpedo boat badly damaged British destroyer HMS Eridge 2 miles off the Egyptian coast, kiling 5. ww2dbase [CPC]

• In Germany, 100 Soviet Pe-8, Il-4, and Yer-2 bombers attacked Berlin while 7 Pe-8 bombers attacked Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia). ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]

• Nachi departed Ominato Guard District, Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. ww2dbase [Nachi | Mutsu, Aomori | CPC]

• German 4th Panzer Army broke through Soviet lines 15 miles south of Stalingrad, Russia. ww2dbase [Battle of Stalingrad | Stalingrad | CPC]
• Soviet 4th Guards Rifle Corps joined the Soviet 8th Army in the offensive near Leningrad, Russia. ww2dbase [Siege of Leningrad | Leningrad | CPC]

• Before dawn, German bombers attacked the village of Blackhall Colliery in County Durham, England, United Kingdom. On the same day, Swindon and Brighton were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
• HMS Howe was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Howe | CPC]

29 Aug 1942 Interactive Map