Thursday, September 17, 1942. Compounding Tragedy.

The same USAAF B-24, dispatched from Ascension Island, that bombed the U-boats with the Laconia survivors on September 16 returned and bombed them again.  Vichy French cruisers arrived and took on the remaining survivors, over 1,000, although 98 crewmen, 133 passengers, 33 Polish guards and 3,394 Italian POWs were lost during the entire event. The number lost due to American bombing is not known.

Occupied Norway reintroduced the death penalty.

Wednesday, September 16, 1942. Unintended consequences.

The U-156 and U-507 picking up the survivors from the Laconia.

A United States Army Air Force B-24 attacked the U-156 while survivors of the Laconia were on the foredeck.  The U-156 dove, leaving the survivors abandoned at sea, although later German U-boats surface and try to recover the survivors.  Karl Donitz thereafter issued the following order:

1. All efforts to save survivors of sunken ships, such as the fishing out of swimming men and putting them on board lifeboats, the righting of overturned lifeboats, or the handing over of food and water, must stop. Rescue contradicts the most basic demands of the war: the destruction of hostile ships and their crews.
2. The orders concerning the bringing-in of captains and chief engineers stay in effect.
3. Survivors are to be saved only if their statements are important for the boat.
4. Be harsh. Remember that the enemy has no regard for women and children when bombing German cities!

On the same day, the Germans penetrated the northwest suburbs of Stalingrad.

The Communist Albanian National Liberation Movement was founded.

Sunday, September 13, 1942. Japanese attacks on Edson's Ridge, Commonwealth raids on Tobruk, the Laconia Tragedy, Assaults at Stalingrad.

Marine Corps artillery and aircraft, from nearby Henderson Field, cause the Japanese to retreat from Edson's Ridge.  The Japanese, under the command of Gen. Kiyotaki Kawanguchi, tried again that night and broke through the line, but the were stopped by machinegun fire from Hill 123 as well as artillery.

General Kawanguchi was an unusual character who had previously objected to Japanese revenge killings of Philippine government and military officials following the fall of the Philippines.  He stated the killing of prisoners was a violation of Bushido.  Following his service at Guadalcanal, he was put on the reserve list, where he would remain until 1945.  He died in 1961.

The U-156 picked up survivors from the Laconia.  The U Boat commander sought additional help, and even broadcast in English for assistance.

The Germans commenced a large-scale offensive at Stalingrad resulting in house to house fighting, the commencement of that type of combat in the city. It made little progress.

Commonwealth forces commenced Operation Agreement near Tobruk, a series of amphibious and ground raids. They'd take large scale losses to little effect.

Saturday, September 12, 1922. The Battle of Edson's Ridge and the Laconia incident commence.

Japanese forces, believing that the Marines have only 2,000 men on Guadalcanal, when in fact there are 12,000, attack Edson's Ridge.  The fighting, which commences at night, is intense and confused, but the Japanese make little progress.

Edson's Ridge after battle.

The U-156 sinks the British troopship Laconia in the South Atlantic, which is carrying a mixed group of Italian POWs, civilians and military personnel.  The submarine surfaced to pick up survivors, and was surprised to find that many were Italian.