What Happened in 1942

Adolf Hitler Orders the Construction of the Atlantic Wall Following the St. Nazaire Raid

On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40 called for the official creation of the Atlantic Wall. After the St. Nazaire Raid, on April 13, 1942... Read more

Ronald Reagan is Ordered for Active Duty

Reagan was ordered to active duty for the first time on April 18, 1942. Due to his nearsightedness, he was classified for limited service only,... Read more

Toronto Maple Leafs win Stanley Cup

The 1942 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. After losing the first three... Read more

Ronald Reagan Appears as Drake McHugh in "King's Row"

Kings Row is a 1942 drama film, directed by Sam Wood, that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the... Read more

Doolittle Raid

The Doolittle Raid, 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike a Japanese home island (Honshū) during World War II. It... Read more

Gerald Ford Reports for Active Duty for the US Navy

Ford received a commission as ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on April 13, 1942. On April 20, he reported for active duty to the V-5 instructor... Read more

German Luftwaffe Bombs Exeter as Part of the Baedeker Blitz

The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe ("retaliatory raids") by the German air force on English cities in... Read more

German Luftwaffe Bombs English City of Bath as Part of the Baedeker Blitz

The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe ("retaliatory raids") by the German air force on English cities in... Read more

German Luftwaffe Bombs Norwich as Part of the Baedeker Blitz

The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe ("retaliatory raids") by the German air force on English cities in... Read more

Pryor Tornado

This war boom town today dug out of the ruins of an angry tornado that ripped down Main street, leaving $2,000,000 in property damage, 70 known... Read more

German Luftwaffe Bombs York as Part of the Baedeker Blitz

The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe ("retaliatory raids") by the German air force on English cities in... Read more

Mass Gassing Operations Begin at Sobibor Nazi Extermination Camp

Sobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp set up in the Lublin region of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name... Read more

Agatha Christie publishes Five Little Pigs

Five Little Pigs is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in May 1942 under the... Read more

Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign

As the raiders landed in China, most were aided by local Chinese forces or civilians. One raider, Corporal Leland D. Faktor, died while bailing... Read more

Battle of the Coral Sea

The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought during May 4–8, 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial... Read more

Battle of Kerch Peninsula

Battle of the Kerch Peninsula (German: Unternehmen Trappenjagd) was a World War II offensive by German and Romanian armies against the Soviet... Read more

'Go Down, Moses' is Published

Although originally published in 1942 as Go Down, Moses and Other Stories (apparently against the desires of the author) Go Down, Moses may be... Read more

The Second Battle of Kharkov

The Kharkov area was a pivotal area on the Eastern Front, sitting astride two important strategic axes towards Kursk and the Donbas. The Russian... Read more

Ronald Reagan is Assigned to the Army Air Force (AAF) Public Relations

Upon the approval of the Army Air Force (AAF), he applied for a transfer from the Cavalry to the AAF on May 15, 1942, and was assigned to AAF... Read more

"Mrs. Miniver" Is Released

Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson in the title role. It was produced as a propaganda film aimed... Read more

The Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway, fought over and near the tiny U.S. mid-Pacific base at Midway atoll, represents the strategic high water mark of Japan's... Read more

Germans Begin Assault on Secondary Defense Line at Sevastopol

After expelling the Soviets from the Crimea, the German attention turned once again to Sevastopol. To help with the siege von Manstein had at his... Read more

George H.W. Bush Graduates from Phillips Academy

Bush began his formal education at the Greenwich Country Day School in Greenwich. Beginning in 1936, he attended Phillips Academy in Andover,... Read more

George H.W. Bush Enlists in the U.S. Navy Reserve

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Bush decided to join the US Navy, so after graduating from Phillips Academy earlier in 1942,... Read more

Office Of War Information Created

On June 13, 1942, some six months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Office of War Information (OWI) was created. In October of that year, the... Read more