World war II chronology - October 1942

2 October 1942	British bombers attack Krefeld.
3 October 1942	German scientists make the first successful test launch of an A-4 (V-2) rocket, from Peenemünde. Supersonic speed is achieved for the first time by a liquid-propelled rocket. The rocket reaches a height of 60 miles, travelling 120 miles at over 3000 MPH, landing 2.5 miles wide of the target.
5 October 1942	257 British bombers attack Aachen, Germany. Due to bad weather, many bombs are dropped on nearby Lutterade, Holland.
6 October 1942	German Colonel-General Friedrich Paulus, commander of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, calls a cease to the attack on the city due to losses in men and supplies. Over 200 British bombers attack Osnabrück, Germany.
9 October 1942	In the St. Lawrence River, German submarine U-69 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Carolus. The British Royal Air Force begins an air offensive on Axis bases in North Africa.
10 October 1942	The USAAF makes its first raid of over 100 bombers, against Lille, France.
11 October 1942	In the Cabot Strait (Canada), German submarine U-106 torpedoes and sinks Newfoundland-registered merchant ship Waterton.
14 October 1942	In the Cabot Strait between Nova Scotia, Canada, and Newfoundland, German submarine U-69 torpedoes and sinks Newfoundland passenger ferry SS Caribou. 136 of 237 passengers die as the ship sinks within four minutes. The United States 101st Airborne Division begins serious training in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for deployment overseas. Norwegian fishing boat Arthur, with two "Chariot" manned torpedoes attached, is disabled by a storm, near Trondheim, Norway. It is just 10 miles from its target, German battleship Tirpitz.
16 October 1942	British bombers attack Cologne, Germany. Many bombs hit decoy fires set in open countryside.
17 October 1942	94 British Lancaster bombers fly in pairs to bomb the Schneider armament works at Le Creusot and the transformer station five miles away. Only plane is lost, which crashes into the transformer station, destroying it. Much damage is done to the armament factory.
22 October 1942	At the northern tip of Labrador, Newfoundland, crew from German submarine U-537 establishes a small metal cylinder containing an automated weather station with an antenna mast. The device is to transmit data to Germany by morse code. The cylinder is labelled "Canadian Meteor Service" to avoid suspicion. (The device is not discovered for almost forty years. This is one of 21 stations to be installed around the world.) 105 British Lancaster bombers led by eight Pathfinders attack Genoa, Italy. The eastern docks are devastated. All planes return safely.
23 October 1942	Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery begins an assault of the British 8th Army against German positions outside of El Alamein. The first phase is Operation Lightfoot, in which British Royal Engineers begin clearing paths through German minefields. Initial strengths of the two sides are British: 230,000 men, 1440 tanks, 1200 combat aircraft; German and Italian: 80,000 men, 490 tanks, 350 aircraft. German General George Stumme dies of a heart attack. British bombers set out to attack Genoa, Italy, but due to bad weather, they instead hit Savona, 30 miles away.
24 October 1942	88 British Lancaster bombers make a daylight raid on Milan, Italy. The Caproni aircraft factory and other targets are hit. Three planes are lost. 71 British bombers repeat an attack on Milan, Italy, but bad weather makes for poor results.
25 October 1942	General Erwin Rommel returns to command of German forces in North Africa. German General Eberhard von Mackensen's III Panzer Corps begins an attempt to envelop Soviet 37th Army near Nalchik. They quickly cross the Baksan, Chegem, and Urvan rivers.
26 October 1942	Two German panzer divisions cross the Terek river, surprising the Soviet 37th Army, blocking roads out of Nalchik.
29 October 1942	In the North Atlantic, German submarine U-624 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Bic Island.