12 Dec 1942
  • Spanish General Muñoz Grandes passed the command of the German 250th Infantry Division of Spanish volunteers to General Esteban-Infantes; Muñoz Grandes was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves upon his departure. ww2dbase [Emilio Esteban Infantes | CPC]
  • Axis rear guards engaged the attacking Allied forces near Marsa Brega and El Agheila in Libya as the main Axis force evacuated to the west. ww2dbase [Second Battle of El Alamein | CPC]
  • Light carrier Ryuho was attacked by US submarine USS Drum 160 mlies east of Hachijojima, Japan at 0910 hours, suffering one torpedo hit on the starboard side, which forced her to return to Japan for repairs. ww2dbase [Ryuho | CPC]
  • Raizo Tanaka personally led a night time fast destroyer supply run and suffered injuries when his destroyer was torpedoed by a US Navy PT boat. ww2dbase [Raizo Tanaka | CPC]
  • S-36 suffered a problem with its electrical steering. ww2dbase [S-36 | CPC]
  • USS Nicholas arrived at NoumĂ©a, New Caledonia where she underwent two days of tender upkeep alongside USS Dixie. ww2dbase [Nicholas | DS]
Algeria
  • USAAF 33rd Fighter Group achieved its first aerial victory as 1st Lieutenant Charles Poillon of 58th Fighter Squadron, flying a P-40 fighter, shot down a German Ju 88 aircraft near Youks-les-Bains Airfield near TĂ©bessa, Algeria. ww2dbase [TĂ©bessa | CPC]
British Western Pacific Territories France Greenland Hawaii Japan Pacific Ocean
  • USS Sunfish fired two torpedoes at a Japanese warship in the Pacific Ocean; both torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Sunfish (Gato-class) | CPC]
Russia
  • Operation Winter Tempest was launched towards Stalingrad, Russia with German 3 Panzer Divisions and 10 other divisions. ww2dbase [Battle of Stalingrad | TH]
United States
  • M3 submachine gun entered US military service. ww2dbase [M3 'Grease Gun' | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 12 Dec 1942
Light cruiser Montpelier underway near Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, United States, probably in the Delaware River or Delaware Bay, 12 Dec 1942Destroyer USS Bailey underway in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 12 Dec 1942. Note the ship’s early modified Measure 12 paint scheme.Bruce McCandless receiving the Medal of Honor from Ernest King aboard USS San Francisco, 12 Dec 1942 in San Francisco, California, United States. The medal was for night actions off Savo Island, Solomons, 12 Nov 1942.

12 Dec 1942 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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