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SprueStack Zero Hour: WW2 day by day

21 October 1942

What happened on this day in the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945, with a source for every entry.

About this page

Each day we list events from the Second World War that happened on that date, from 1939 to 1945. Every entry names its source and links to it, so you can read further. Entries are sourced and machine-screened before they go up, a subset is human-reviewed, and we add more over time.

7 of 8 sourced entries for this date, chosen by the editor.

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Entries

  1. New Guinea

    From Jaure, 50-man patrol of Cannon CO, U.S. Sad Div, sets out for Kumusi R Valley, where it subsequently establishes defense line and is joined by Medendorp’s main group, the entire force being called Wairopi Patrol.

    Source US Army CMH chronology (opens external site)

  4. Operation Torch

    Major General Mark W. Clark, one of Eisenhower's senior commanders, was secretly dispatched to Cherchell in Algeria aboard the British submarine and met with these Vichy French officers on 21 October 1942.

    Source Wikipedia (opens external site)

  5. China-Burma-India Theater

    THOR mission records show at least 20 Allied sorties (2 recorded unit missions) in the China-Burma-India Theater on 1942-10-21, flown by USAAF 10th Air Force, RAF. Targets included CHINA, BURMA.

    Source US Air Force THOR (opens external site)

    THOR is a secondary compilation with known gaps, not a complete record.

  6. Madagascar Theater

    THOR mission records show at least 2 Allied sorties (1 recorded unit missions) in the Madagascar Theater on 1942-10-21, flown by RAF. Targets included MADAGASCAR.

    Source US Air Force THOR (opens external site)

    THOR is a secondary compilation with known gaps, not a complete record.

  7. Mediterranean Theater

    THOR mission records show at least 26 Allied sorties (3 recorded unit missions) in the Mediterranean Theater on 1942-10-21, flown by USAAF 9th Air Force, RAF. Targets included EGYPT, CRETE, LIBYA.

    Source US Air Force THOR (opens external site)

    THOR is a secondary compilation with known gaps, not a complete record.

The full list for this date is being cleaned and will return soon.

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21 October in other years 19391940194119431944

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