- July 3
- In North Africa, Axis forces attack the defensive line before El Alamein, but halt again by strong British fire. [277.143]
- Off Georges' Bank, Nova Scotia, Canada, British warship HMS Le Tigre sinks German submarine U-215. [556.6]
- July 4
- In North Africa, British General Claude Auchinleck counterattacks German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's forces outside El Alamein. The Axis defence holds. [277.144]
- (about 2200 hours) First Sea Lord Dudley Pound orders the British aircraft carrier Victorious, plus battleships and cruisers to abandon Arctic convoy PQ-17 of 33 ships headed for the Soviet port of Murmansk. Six remaining destroyer escorts also leave the slow-moving freighter convoy. The merchant ships are instructed to disperse and proceed to Soviet ports. This was done for fear of the German battleship Tirpitz attacking the convoy. [29.95] [81.91] [212.28] [538.22]
- July 5
- German battleship Tirpitz and accompanying ships leave Alten Fjord, in northern Norway, to attack convoy PQ-17. After a short time, it is learned that the convoy's escort ships left, so Tirpitz heads back, leaving the convoy's destruction for the submarines and the Luftwaffe. [81.92]
- During the day, 14 freighters out of 33 in convoy PQ-17 to Murmansk are sunk. Only nine ships reach Soviet ports. [81.92]
- USS Growler submarine attacks three Japanese destroyers off Kiska, Alaska, sinking one, damaging the other two. [833.10]
- July 6
- In Russia, Voronezh falls to German forces. [81.18] [166.332]
- July 7
- Operation Rutter, an amphibious assault on Dieppe, is cancelled by General Bernard Montgomery, due to bad weather. [376.143] [568.49] [764.19]
- In Canada, Bill 80 passes second reading in Parliament, giving government power to conscript soldiers for war duty overseas. [5.88,162]
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- Japanese forces invade New Guinea. [5.89]
- July 10
- The surviving seven ships (out of 33) from Convoy PQ-17 reach the Soviet port of Murmansk. Because of this disastrous convoy, the Murmansk run is temporarily suspended. [81.93] (24 sunk, 11 reach ports [538.22])
- July 11
- Montbatten calls a meeting of the main staffs involved in planning Operation Rutter, seeking support to remount the raid. His request is turned down. After the meeting, Mountbatten convinces a few to proceed with a new plan, Operation Jubilee, again on Dieppe, even without authority of the Chiefs of Staff. [376.144]
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive 43, for a continuation of operations in the Crimea, expanding into the Caucasus. [149.187]
- July 12
- Adolf Hitler removes Field Marshal Fedor von Bock from command of Army Group South, for failing to eliminate Soviet forces west of the Don River in Russia. [81.18] (July 15 [149.307])
- Convoy OS-34 departs from west of Ireland, heading to Sierra Leone. [733.15]
- The Canadian Army authorizes almost 700 officers and men to move to the United States for training as part of the First Special Service Force. [412.17]
- July
- American light cruiser Raleigh, torpedoed at Pearl Harbor, returns to active duty. [148.82]
- The United States loans Britain US$425 million. [40.13]
- British Bomber Command commits to dropping about 1000 mines per month against German shipping, ten times the level of 1941. [84.181]
- The British Royal Air Force sets Target Force G for Bomber Command, which means to have 2000 front line aircraft in place by December 1943. [84.138]
- July 19
- (0230 hours) In convoy OS-34 from Ireland to Sierra Leone, SS Empire Hawksbill is torpedoed by German submarine U564, leaving no survivors. MV Lavington Court is also torpedoed. [733.15]
- July 21
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive 44, regarding operations in Northern Finland. The northern supply route linking Soviet Russia with the Western powers is to be cut. [149.191]
- July 22
- Japanese troops land on the northeast coast of New Guinea, proceeding toward Port Moresby. [166.318]
- Germany begins deporting Warsaw Jews to concentration camps. [766.40]
- July 23
- The Russian city of Rostov falls to German forces. [166.332] [277.149]
- Adolf Hitler creates Army Group A with 17th Army and 1st Panzer Army, under Wilhelm List. [149.309] [277.150]
- Adolf Hitler creates Army Group B with 2nd and 6th Armies and 4th Panzer Army under Maximilian von Weichs. [277.150] (July 12 [81.18])
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 45, for the continuation of Operation Braunschweig. Army Group B is ordered to destroy enemy forces at Stalingrad, capturing the city. Army Group A is to move south to cross the Don River east of Rostov, to enter the Caucasus. [80.320] [166.332] [149.193] (July 25 [81.19])
- July 24
- In convoy ON-113 across the Atlantic ocean, Royal Canadian Navy destroyer St. Croix sinks German submarine U-90. [27.12,20] [69.69]
- Britain and the US decide to invade French North Africa, code named Operation Torch. Original code name was Gymnast. [84.142]
- July 25
- An unidentified submarine shells and sinks Canadian merchant ship Lucille M. off Cape Sable, in the Atlantic Ocean. [27.20]
- July 26
- Dutch bishops issue a public protest of the arrest and deportation of Dutch Jews. [518.1929]
- (evening) 403 British aircraft attack Hamburg, Germany, destroying or damaging 6000 houses, killing 337, and leaving 14,000 homeless. [84.133]
- July 28
- Josef Stalin orders forces at Stalingrad to not retreat. [277.151]
- The German 6th Army reaches the Don River near Kalach. [277.152]
- July 29
- The British Royal Navy's Second Support Group of five sloops commanded by Johnnie Walker defeats three German submarines in the Bay of Biscay. [127.69]
- In the Caribbean off British Guyana, German submarine U-160 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Prescodoc. [27.20]
- July 31
- In convoy ONS-115 across the Atlantic ocean, Royal Canadian Navy destroyer Skeena and corvette Wetaskiwin sink submarine U-588. [27.12,20]
- (evening) 630 British aircraft attack Düsseldorf, Germany, setting off 954 fires, and destroying or damaging over 1500 buildings. [84.134]
- July (month)
- Allied and neutral shipping losses for the month: 476,000 tons. [84.162]
- (month unknown)
- The United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command is created, to co-ordinate War Department contracts with aviation airlines. [100.28]
- The British chemical and biological warfare research team acquires Gruinard island off the coast of Scotland for testing anthrax. [51.110]
- August 1
- In the United States, the Bureau of Ordnance acknowledges that its Mark XIV torpedoes run lower than their programmed depth, confirming what operational skippers knew all year. [81.88]
- August 2
- In retaliation for the public protest of Dutch bishops against the deportation of Jews, the German Gestapo orders the arrest of former-Jewish Catholics, to be taken to Auschwitz. [518.1929]
- 14 merchant ships for Operation Pedestal (to Malta) leave Clyde, England. [798.42]
- The Operation Pedestal merchant ships are joined by escort ships: 4 cruisers and 11 destroyers as close escort, plus 2 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 3 cruisers, and 15 destroyers as covering ships, and 8 submarines near Malta. [798.42]
- August 4
- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill flies to Cairo, Egypt, removing General Claude Auchinleck as commander of the Middle East forces with General Sir Harold Alexander, and brings in General Sir Bernard Montgomery to run the 8th Army. [277.144]
- August 6
- On convoy SC-94 to Britain in the Atlantic ocean, Royal Canadian Navy destroyer Assiniboine rams and sinks German submarine U-210. [27.12,20] [170.17]
- "Moonshine" technology is first used operationally by British Bomber Command against German early-warning radar. [84.343]
- August 7
- American Marines begin landing on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. [166.318,354]
- August 10
- The Operation Pedestal convoy begins at Gibraltar, as thirteen merchant ships and one oil tanker set sail for Malta, with 59 escort warships. [212.24] [519.1943] [798.42]
- August 11
- In England, the Pathfinder Force is officially created. It is designed to be used as lead bomber squadrons specialized in finding targets and marking their locations for following bombers. [84.146]
- Operation Bellows: 38 RAF Spitfire fighter planes from aircraft carrier HMS Furious in the Mediterranean depart for Malta. [798.42]
- (1200 hours) In the Mediterranean, German submarine U-73 sinks escort carrier HMS Eagle, which sinks in eight minutes with a crew of 200. [212.24] [519.1943] [798.42]
- (2000 hours) Italian planes from Sardinia attack convoy Pedestal, but hit no ships. [212.24]
- August 12
- (0900 hours) Italian planes from Sardinia make a second attack on convoy Pedestal. [212.24]
- (1200 hours) Italian planes from Sardinia make a third attack on convoy Pedestal. Merchant ship Deucalion is hit by bombs and torpedoes, and later sinks off Cani Rocks near the Tunisian coast. [212.24] [798.42]
- In the Mediterranean, British destroyer Wolverine sinks Italian submarine Dagabur. [798.42]
- In the Mediterranean, British destroyer Ithuriel sinks Italian submarine Cobalto. [798.42]
- (evening) Italian planes from Sicily attack convoy Pedestal. Destroyer HMS Foresight is torpedoed, and carrier Indomitable is bombed and set on fire. The carrier force withdraws as planned. [212.24] [519.1943] [798.42]
- (evening) Italian and German submarines attack convoy Pedestal.
- Italian submarine Axum torpedoes cruiser HMS Nigeria, jamming its rudder.
- Italian submarine Alagi torpedoes cruiser HMS Kenya, damaging its bow.
- Two torpedoes hit cruiser HMS Cairo, sinking it.
- Tanker Ohio is hit, set on fire, but the fire is quickly put out.
- Cargo ship Empire Hope is bombed and sunk.
- Cargo ship Clan Ferguson is torpedoed and blows up.
- Cargo ship Brisbane Star is torpedoed, and heads to Tunisia.
[212.24]
- August 13
- (early) E-boats from Pantelleria attack convoy Pedestal. They sink four merchant ships: Santa Elisa, Wairangi, Almeria Lykes, and Glenarchy. The cruiser HMS Manchester is damaged, and later sinks. Cargo ship Rochester Castle is torpedoed, but continues to sail for Malta. [212.24] [798.43]
- (morning) Italian planes from Sicily attack convoy Pedestal. They bomb merchant ship Waimarama and damage tanker Ohio. [212.24] [798.43]
- August 14
- In Operation Pedestal convoy in the Mediterranean, merchant ship Waimarama is bombed and explodes and sinks. Merchant ships Rochester Castle and Melbourne Star are hit, but continue sailing. [798.43]
- Italian planes from Sicily attack convoy Pedestal. They hit the Dorset ship, which later sinks. [798.43] (August 13 [212.24])
- Merchant ships Port Chalmers, Rochester Castle, Melbourne Star, Brisbane Star of Mediterranean convoy Pedestal reach Valletta harbor at Malta. [212.24] [506.8] [798.43]
- August 15
- (0800 hours) Tanker Ohio, final merchant ship of Mediterranean convoy Pedestal reaches Valletta harbor at Malta. This ends Operation Pedestal, and lifts the siege of Malta. A total of 323 men died on Royal Navy ships, and 123 on merchant ships. [212.24] [506.8] [798.43]
- The United States 101st Airborne Division is officially activated, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. [25.6]
- August
- Quote by Adolf Hitler: "... St. Petersburg must therefore disappear utterly from the earth's surface. Moscow too.". [415.36]
- Swedish destroyers escort German troop ships disguised as merchant ships through Swedish territorial waters. [29.65]
- Winston Churchill visits Josef Stalin in Moscow, telling him there will be no cross-Channel invasion of Europe in 1942, but there will be an invasion of North Africa soon. Stalin is not happy, but accepts the position, so long as the European invasion takes place in 1943. [382.12]
- Royal Canadian Navy corvette Oakville rams and sinks German submarine U-94 in the Atlantic ocean. [27.12]
- August 17
- In the Mediterranean Sea, north-west of Egypt, German submarine U-83 torpedoes and sinks passenger liner Princess Marguerite. Most of the 1,000 on board are rescued by the Royal Navy destroyer Hero. [27.20]
- The US 8th Air Force makes its first bombing raid over Europe, with 18 B-17 bombers attacking Rouen, France. All planes return safely. [93.19] [84.141,343]
- (evening) 31 British Pathfinder Force bombers make their first operational flight. They lead over 100 bombers to attack the submarine construction center at Flensburg, south of the Danish border. No bombs hit the target, as they all strike several miles north. [84.149]
- August 18
- General Bernard Montgomery takes command of the British 8th Army in Egypt. [382.21] [748.4]
- Britain's Security Intelligence Service radios Berlin, Germany, telling of a commando raid on Dieppe for dawn on the 19th. The message is sent via a captured German radio, and the raid is scheduled for the 18th. (Unfortunately, the raid was postponed for one day because Louis Mountbatten did not show at the appointed time.) [51.141]
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive 45, dealing with elimination of partisans in Russia. [149.197]
- (evening) The Dieppe raid force of 4963 in LCTanks departs from England across the English Channel. [81.96] [376.154]
- August 19
- (0345-0348 hours) A convoy of British 3 Commando in Operation Jubilee crossing the English Channel encounters a German convoy along the French coast. The out-gunned Germans are driven off, but the surprise operation is now compromised. Some British ships are sunk, reducing the landing force east of Dieppe. The sea fight alerts coastal defences at Berneval and Puys, France. [1.13] [376.154] [412.63] [764.18]
- The Allies launch a major raid on the French port of Dieppe. 5000 of the 6000 troops are part of the Canadian 2nd Division. Original code name of the operation is Rutter, but was changed to a different plan code-named Jubilee. Primary objectives are to see if it is possible to seize and hold a major continental port, obtain intelligence from prisoners, documents, and equipment (German code and cipher books and an Enigma coding machine), and to see the German reaction to a major attack on the French coast. Secondary objectives are to draw the Luftwaffe into battle, show the USSR that Britain is seriously trying to help distract the Germans, and to give Canadian forces in Britain something to do. [1.13] [116.77] [376] [442.14] [811.6]
- (0450 hours) British 4 Commando lands at Vesterival, France, with objective to destroy the guns in the Hess battery near Varengeville. [1.14] [81.96] [376.155] [764.18]
- (0506 hours) The Royal Regiment of Canada lands on the beach at Puys, France, near Dieppe, to fully-alerted German soldiers' machine-gun fire. (Of the 522 landing, 225 are killed, 264 are taken prisoner, and only 33 return to England as wounded.) [1.14] [376.155] [764.19]
- (0510 hours) British 3 Commando climbs the cliff at Belleville, left flank of the Dieppe assault, and soon knock out the Goebbels artillery battery inland at Berneval. [376.155] [764.18]
- (0520 hours) South Saskatchewan Regiment and Cameron Highlanders of Canada land at Pourville, France. One group meets heavy resistance as it crosses the River Scie, and is stopped short of Dieppe. The main force of Camerons advance about two miles toward an airfield before they are stopped. [1.14] [81.96] [412.56] [568.50] [764.20]
- (0535 hours) The 27 of 29 Churchill tanks of the 14th Canadian Tank (Calgary) Regiment land on the main beach at Dieppe. Twelve are stopped by enemy gunfire, shingle banks, and the sea wall. The fifteen that get past the sea wall are blocked by concrete obstacles in the narrow streets. [1.16] [376.156] [764.20]
- (1/2 hour after dawn) The Essex Scottish Regiment lands on the eastern section of the beach at Dieppe. Despite intense enemy machine-gun fire, one small group makes its way into town, and signals the headquarters ship. [1.16] [376.156]
- (1/2 hour after dawn) The Canadian Royal Hamilton Light Infantry lands at the west section of the beach at Dieppe. They clear a large strongly-held casino and several pillboxes. Some men make it into town, and engage in intense fighting. [1.16] [376.156]
- (0640 hours) British 4 Commando destroys the guns in the Hess battery near Varengeville. [1.14] [81.96] [376.155] [412.65]
- (about 0700 hours) Canadian 2nd Division commander General Roberts orders reserves of Fusiliers Mont-Royal and British 40 Commando Royal Marines to land in center beaches at Dieppe. [1.16] [376.157] [764.21]
- (0740 hours) The Royal Regiment of Canada, just east of Dieppe, makes a second attack to break out of their beach position, making a small penetration into the town. [412.65]
- (after dawn) Three platoons of reinforcements from the BlackWatch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada join the Royal Regiment of Canada on the beach at Puys, but are also pinned on the beach, and later forced to surrender. [1.14]
- (0817 hours) Canadian 2nd Division commander General Roberts orders British 40 Commando Royal Marines land on the western edge of Dieppe. [376.158]
- (0830 hours) The Royal Regiment of Canada surrenders, after losing about 500 Canadians killed or captured. [764.19]
- (0930 hours) Allied commanders order a general withdrawal from Dieppe. [764.21]
- As the British 40 Commando Royal Marine troops approach the Dieppe beach, Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Phillips signals for following boats to turn back. He is shot down. [1.16] [376.158]
- (1050 hours) British Major General J.H. Roberts orders the immediate evacuation of troops from Dieppe. [81.97] [376.159]
- German submarine U564 sinks merchant ships Empire Cloud and British Consul in convoy TAW(S). [733.16]
- (about 1310 hours) The last Allied troops are evacuated from Dieppe. At the end of the attack, 4384 Allied officer and soldiers are dead, wounded, or taken prisoner, of which 3379 are Canadian. 108 British aircraft were shot down; 46 German aircraft were lost. The British navy lost one destroyer and 13 major landing craft. (The 60% casualty rate is the heaviest of any Allied attack of the war. Lessons learned and results of the raid: landing soldiers must be trained with live ammunition overhead so they do not lie down when shot at; capture of a port may not be possible, so the design and development of the Mulberry artificial harbor is accelerated; Germans now expect an attack on a major port for the allied invasion, so they distribute their forces accordingly; every army commander needs to have his own headquarters ship; the constituents of landing beaches must be known for tank movement; a proper pre-landing bombardment policy is required.) [116.77] [376.133,159] [412.68] [442.14] [484.11] [503.119] [699.37] [764.21]
- During the day, the fighter plane battle over Dieppe involved 730 Allied aircraft, flying 2955 sorties. (This is the largest single-day fighter battle of the war.) [458.23]
- US 8th Air Force B-17 bombers attack the German Luftwaffe fighter base at Abbeville. [93.19]
- August 21
- The German flag is planted on the highest mountain of the Caucasus. [80.320]
- August 22
- Brazil declares war on Germany. [521.6]
- August 23
- The German 6th Army crosses the Don River near Kalach. [277.152]
- German forces make an air raid on Stalingrad. [166.333] [168.viii]
- August 24
- (1830 hours) 16th Panzer Division of the German 6th Army reaches the Volga river near Rynok, ten miles north of Stalingrad. [277.152] (August 23 [80.320])
- August 25
- Japanese forces launch amphibious operation with about 1200 men on Milne Bay, New Guinea. [792.23]
- August
- Canadian escorted convoy SC-107 in the Atlantic is attacked by 16 submarines, losing 15 of 42 merchant ships. [5.98]
- August 27
- Soviet long-range bombers make an air raid on Berlin, from bases 1000 miles away. [143.51]
- Josef Stalin appoints General Georgy Zhukov as deputy supreme commander of the Red Army, sending him to direct the defense of Stalingrad. [277.152]
- (evening) A British Pathfinder bombing force leads about 300 bombers against Frankfurt, Germany. Severe damage to the targets is done. 31 planes are shot down. [84.149]
- (evening) Nine British Lancaster bombers attack the new German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin at Gdynia. The ship is not hit, but no planes are shot down. [84.149]
- August 28
- In the Caribbean Sea, Royal Canadian Navy corvette Oakville sinks German submarine U-94. [27.20]
- (evening) A British Pathfinder bombing force leads about 192 bombers in an attack on Nuremberg, Germany. The town is heavily damaged. 25 planes are shot down. [84.149]
- August 30
- German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel launches another offensive against El Alamein, but has to withdraw. [277.144] (August 31 [166.340])
- German submarine U564 sinks Norwegian merchant ship Vardaas. [733.16]
- August 31
- American carrier Saratoga is torpedoed, putting it out of action for three months. [212.48]
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