November 4, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

WEDNESDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 1942

ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): Bad weather at Umnak and Dutch Harbor on Unalaska and flooded Adak Airfield preclude missions; a new Adak Airfield runway permits an air alert.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force): B-26s bomb Aileu on Timor. In New Guinea, B-17s and B-25s bomb Salamaua and harbor; A-20s hit troop concentrations at Oivi, where an Australian attack meets firm resistance; transports fly most of the remainder of the 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division to Wanigela Airfield. HQ 90th Bombardment Group and the 319th, 320th, 321st and 400th Bombardment Squadrons arrive at Iron Range, from Hawaii with B-24s (first mission is 13 Nov). Lost on a ferry flight is P-38F pilot Porter (survived) and P-38F 42-12649 (survived).

Guadalcanal: U.S. Navy Task Force 65 (TF 65) conducts an amphibious landing at Aola. The force included five hundred 14th Naval Construction Battalion (14th NCB) "Seabees" tasked with building Bomber 2 plus the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion "Carlson's Riders" (less detachments) along with elements of the U.S. Army 147th Infantry Regiment and the Marine 5th Defense Battalion.