Tobruk---Nov.-1942 — Signs the tide was about to turn.

This day in war in 1942 was hopeful for the Allies. With news from the Pacific Theater of victory in the Solomon Islands sea battle and progress with fighting in New Guinea and progress in the Guadalcanal campaign. The United States navy dealt the Japanese fleet the most disastrous defeat in modern naval warfare, it became apparent today, with disclosure that enemy losses in last week’s three-day sea battle probably reached the staggering proportions of 28 ships destroyed and 10 more damaged. Advances in North Africa with British and American troops gaining ground in Tunisia. Allied headquarters announced today that American and British troops, locked in the first heavy fighting in Tunisia, had driven back every German attempt to thrust out from their newly-formed lines around Tunis and Bizerte, while Allied French soldiers captured small Nazi forces in eastern Tunisia. An Allied spokesman said British and American troops were closing in on all landward sides of the big Axis-held naval stronghold of Bizerte and Tunis. Allied vanguards were reported within 30 miles of both cities, striking from several directions. The Russians were throwing back German troops along the Eastern front. Red army units pressed hard after fleeing Germans in the deep Caucasus today, following up a major victory that eased Nazi pressure on the great Grozny oil fields near the Caspian sea and on the military road leading south into the rich Transcaucasus. Latest front line reports bore out the earlier impression that a major Fascist force -possibly four divisions of 45,000 men–was routed in a battle of several days on the approaches to Ordzhonikidze. About 10,000 of the enemy were killed in this engagement and in another almost as important far to the north on the Volkhov front just below Leningrad, Russian communiques said. Reports from London indicate there were no German raids over England in over 2 weeks, the longest period of time since before the Blitz of 1940. Also news regarding the imprisonment by the Germans of French General Weygand. A hero of the French Army in World War 1, Weygand initially fought against the Germans during the invasion of France in 1940, but then surrendered and eventually collaborated with the Germans as part of the Vichy regime. He ran afoul of the Vichy regime late in 1941 and was arrested on this day and confined to a prison in Germany.

All that, and a lot more news of the war via NBC Blue Network‘s News Of The World and News Of The World Night Edition for November 20, 1942.

The post Latest On The War: Turning A Corner – November 20, 1942 appeared first on Past Daily: A Sound Archive of News, History And Music.