October 13, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 1942

China: Gen Stilwell presents to Chiang Kai-shek a letter written the previous day by U.S. President Roosevelt in reply to the Generalissimo's three demands.

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): A search mission is not completed due to weather.

SOUTH PACIFIC AREA (SOPAC, Joint Chiefs of Staff): Six B-17s bomb Buka and Tonolai. During the day, Japanese aircraft from Rabaul bomb Henderson Field and hit personnel disembarking at Lunga Point; Japanese artillery begins shelling Henderson Field. Lost in an aerial collision is B-26B Maruder 41-17590 and P-39D Airacobra 41-7043.

IJN: Overnight, Japanese warships including battleships Kongō and Haruna escorted by light cruiser Isuzu and destroyers approach Guadalcanal and will arrive October 14, 1942 around midnight.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-17s bomb Vunakanau Airfield and Lakunai Airfield. A B-17 bombs Buna. A pair of B-25s unsucessfully search for Japanese warships off Goodenough and instead they hit the Japanese landing party at Waytutu Point. On the return flight, lost is B-25C Mitchell 41-12501 pilot 2nd Lt. Harold J. Heinbuch (survived). The 6th Troop Carrier Squadron, 63d Troop Carrier Group arrives in Port Moresby from the US with C-47s. The 65th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy) moves from Torrens Creek to Iron Range with B-17s.

U.S. Navy: At 5:47am transports USS McCawley (AP-4) land the U.S. Army 164th Infantry Regiment and USS Zeilin (APA-3) lands 210 personnel from 1st Mar Air Wing (MAW-1) and 85 Marine personnel plus weapons and supplies.

USMC: 1st Marine Division reorganized the perimeter into five defensive sectors with the greatest strength concentrated on the Matanikau River where a Japanese attack was expected from the west.

IJN: Two Japanese air raids further damaged Henderson Field and Fighter 1 and destroy 5,000 gallons of aviation fuel.

IJN: Japanese submarine I-7 surfaces and launches her seaplane to reconnoiters Espiritu Santo.

Lost is Japanese submarine I-30 sunk by a British sea mine roughly 3 miles east of Keppel Harbor off Singapore.