Timeline August 1942

Events in August 1942 17

• 1891 – 1942 Edith Stein (1891-1942) Died 9 August 1942, aged 50 Edith Stein was a German philosopher, a student of Edmund Husserl, who converted from Judaism to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun. She was arrested in the Netherlands and murdered at Auschwitz. Pope John Paul II canonised her in 1998 as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
• 1902 – 1942 Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942) Died 25 August 1942, aged 39 Prince George, Duke of Kent, was the fourth son of King George V and a younger brother of George VI. He was killed when an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed in Caithness, Scotland, while he was on active service. He was the first member of the British royal family in centuries to die on military duty.
• 1903 – 1942 Irène Némirovsky (1903-1942) Died 17 August 1942, aged 39 Irène Némirovsky was a Kyiv-born French novelist of Jewish origin, known for David Golder. She was arrested in occupied France and murdered at Auschwitz. Her unfinished novel Suite française was published to wide acclaim in 2004.
• 1942 US Championships 1942 Men: Ted Schroeder · Women: Pauline Betz
• 1942 – 1995 Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) Died 9 August 1995, aged 53 Jerry Garcia was the lead guitarist and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, one of the most influential bands of the American counterculture. His improvisational style and the band's extensive touring built a devoted fan following known as Deadheads. His death effectively ended the Grateful Dead as a touring band.
• 1942 Operation Pedestal Convoy fights its way through to besieged Malta The British sent a heavily escorted convoy of 14 merchant ships to resupply Malta, which was close to surrender. Axis aircraft, submarines and E-boats sank nine merchant ships and several warships. The damaged tanker Ohio reached Grand Harbour with fuel that kept the island in the fight.
• 1942 Bracero Program established US and Mexico agree on wartime farm labour The United States and Mexico signed an agreement to bring Mexican workers to American farms to cover wartime labour shortages. The program was extended many times. About 4.6 million contracts were issued before it ended in 1964.
• 1942 Holiday Inn released Film introduces Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" Paramount released Holiday Inn, a musical starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Crosby sang Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" in the film, and the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. His recording became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
• 1942 US Marines land on Guadalcanal First major Allied offensive in the Pacific begins The 1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal and nearby islands in the Solomons and captured an unfinished Japanese airfield, which became Henderson Field. Six months of heavy fighting on land, at sea and in the air followed. Japan evacuated the island in February 1943.
• 1942 Quit India Movement launched Gandhi calls for an immediate end to British rule The All-India Congress Committee passed the Quit India resolution in Bombay, and Gandhi urged Indians to "Do or Die". The British arrested Gandhi and almost the entire Congress leadership within hours. Mass protests followed and were put down harshly.
• 1942 Bambi released Disney's fifth animated feature reaches US cinemas Walt Disney Productions released Bambi, based on Felix Salten's novel about a young deer. Its box-office takings were modest during the war. It later became one of Disney's best-loved films, and the death of Bambi's mother became famous.
• 1942 Manhattan Project organised US Army takes over the atomic bomb effort The US Army Corps of Engineers set up the Manhattan Engineer District to manage the development of an atomic bomb. General Leslie Groves took command in September. The project grew to employ more than 125,000 people at sites across the United States.
• 1942 Dieppe Raid 3,600 Allied casualties in nine hours The Allied raid on Dieppe on August 19, 1942, ended in disaster with 3,623 of 6,086 men killed, wounded or captured in nine hours. The lessons learned shaped the planning of the Normandy landings two years later.
• 1942 Dieppe Raid Allied amphibious assault on occupied France fails About 6,000 mostly Canadian troops, with British commandos and US Rangers, attacked the French port of Dieppe. The raid was a disaster: more than half of the force was killed, wounded or captured within hours. Lessons from the failure shaped planning for later landings, including D-Day.
• 1942 – 2008 Isaac Hayes (1942-2008) Died 10 August 2008, aged 65 American singer, songwriter and musician whose soul soundtrack for Shaft won an Academy Award and helped define 1970s funk. He was also known to a later generation as the voice of Chef on South Park.
• 1942 Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy Largest South American nation joins the Allies After German U-boats sank several Brazilian merchant ships, Brazil declared war on Germany and Italy. It was the only South American country to send ground troops overseas during the war. The Brazilian Expeditionary Force fought in Italy in 1944 and 1945.
• 1942 – 1943 Battle of Stalingrad Turning point on the Eastern Front The Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 - February 1943) was the largest and bloodiest battle in history, with nearly 2 million casualties. The German 6th Army was encircled and destroyed, marking the turning point of the war in the East.