June 20, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SATURDAY, 20 JUNE 1942

ALASKA (11th Air Force): A single LB-30, one B-17 and seven B-24s take off on a search and bombing mission over Kiska. Three aircraft abort the mission due to weather while three bomb through an overcast with unobserved results, and three others search in vain for the B-24 lost yesterday. 56th Fighter Squadron and 57th Fighter Squadron, 54th Fighter Group, based at Harding Field, Baton Rouge, Louisiana begin operating from Nome and Elmendorf respectively with P-39s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, 7th Air Force): Major General Willis H. Hale becomes Commanding General 7th Air Force, and Colonel Albert Hegenberger becomes temporary commanding officer of the VII Bomber Command.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): B-17s bomb the runway at Lae Airfield.

IJN: Japanese submarine I-26 shells Estevan Point Lighthouse on Vancouver Island. Afterwards, torpedoed and shells SS Fort Camosun off Cape Flattery, Washington State. The freighter did not sink and she was towed to safety in Neah Bay.

USN: Launched is Elco 80' Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 that will become famous assigned to Lt(jg) John F. Kennedy in the South Pacific.