Guadalcanal
SprueStack Zero Hour: WW2 day by day
24 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.
8 of 221 sourced entries for this date, chosen by the editor.
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Entries
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Italy
RAF Lancasters, after flight of some 1,400 miles from Britain, attack Milan in force. This is the first daylight attack on Italy by Br planes from home bases.
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New Guinea
Organized resistance on Goodenough I. ceases; 250 Japanese are withdrawn to Rabaul by DD after nightfall. After exhausting overland journey, head of 2d Bn, 126th Inf, U.S. 32d Div, reaches Jaure.
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US Navy Task Force 34, consisting of aircraft carriers, a variety of support ships, including troop ships and other vessels, set sail from Hampton Roads, Virginia with Patton's forces for Operation Torch, the landing in North Africa.
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Second Battle of El Alamein
Only one anti-tank gun, from 239 Battery, could be brought back.
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Second Battle of El Alamein
The 1st Armoured Division, on the Australian left, should continue to attack west and north-west; activity to the south on both corps fronts would be confined to patrolling.
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Second Battle of El Alamein
The regiments ran out of fuel again, south-west of Mersa Matruh.
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China-Burma-India Theater
THOR mission records show at least 20 Allied sorties (4 recorded unit missions) in the China-Burma-India Theater on 1942-10-24, flown by RAF. Targets included BURMA.
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.
Sources listed with each entry. Spotted an error? Tell us.
24 October in other years 19391940194119431944
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