June 21, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

SUNDAY, 21 JUNE 1942

USA: Arnold-Portal-Towers agreement, stemming from London conference of 26 May and subsequent discussions in Washington, is signed. This agreement, which concerns U.S. air commitments and provides strong air force for Operation Bolero, is approved by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff on 25 June and by Combined Chiefs of Staff on July 2, 1942.

ALASKA (11th Air Force): The War Department authorizes the XI Air Force Services Command, hitherto the Provisional Service Command, is activated at Elmendorf Field. It is charged with maintaining and supplying all of the 11th Air Force (11th AF) bases. Weather cancels all missions except an armed weather sortie over Kiska. Fighters fly local patrols.

IJN: In the evening, Japanese submarine I-25 uses a screen of fishing boats to avoid a minefield off the Columbia River and after dark surfaces and fires seventeen shells Fort Stevens in northwest Oregon. The shelling is the first foreign attack on a continental military installation since the War of 1812 and the only attack during World War II. Afterwards, departs to the west then proceeds northward.

US Army: Fort Stevens in northwest Oregon is shelled with the garrison manning their guns and searchlights. Although lookouts could see the submarine firing it was plotted incorrectly to be out of range and the coastal guns never received permission to fire. The Japanese shells impacted harmlessly into the sand and scrub around Battery Russell, damaging a baseball diamond backstop and a power line. The only injury was a soldier who cut their head rushing to his battle station. At about midnight, the firing ceased and the submarine departed.

U.S. Navy: PBY (VP 24) recovers two-man crew from Enterprise (CV-6) TBD (VT 6) 360 miles north of Midway. Their plane had to land in the water on 4 June; these are the last survivors of the Battle of Midway to be recovered.

Submarine S-44 (SS-155) sinks Japanese gunboat Keijo Maru 12 miles west of Gavutu at roughly Lat 09°00'S Long 160°00'E.