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