2 Aug 1943 | World War II Database

2 Aug 1943

In spite of Hitler's "stand fast" order, Manstein implemented a flexible defense, which allowed the Germans to repel heavy Soviet attacks near Izyum and along the Mius River in Ukraine. ww2dbase [TH]
Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was awarded Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. ww2dbase [Egmont | CPC]

British Western Pacific Territories

US Navy torpedo boat PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant (jg) John F. Kennedy, was rammed by a Japanese destroyer Amagiri in the Blackett Strait between Kolombangara and Arundel in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | John Kennedy | Amagiri | Blackett Strait, Solomon Islands | CPC]
US Marine Corps squadron VMSB-132, equipped with SBD dive bombers, was transferred out of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Henderson Field | Lunga Point, Guadalcanal | CPC]

Germany

Overnight, Hamburg, Germany suffered its ninth and final raid in eight days as 740 RAF bombers attacked; 30 of the bombers were shot down. By this time Hamburg had lost as many civilians as Britain had in the entire air war. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Hamburg | TH]

Hawaii

USS Wahoo departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Wahoo | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

Italy

The P.119 prototype fighter was damaged in a landing accident. ww2dbase [P.119 | CPC]

Pacific Ocean

Gato-class submarine USS Silversides fired four torpedoes at a Japanese ship southwest of Truk but the first two torpedoes exploded prematurely, allowing the ship to maneuver out of the path of the other two. The ship then disappeared into a rain squall, thwarting the attack. ww2dbase [Silversides | DS]

Poland

Auschwitz Concentration Camp's special camp for Roma people was liquidated; 2,897 prisoners were gassed. ww2dbase [Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Oswiecim | CPC]
200 Jews revolted in Treblinka concentration camp in Poland, burning down several buildings, and attempted to escape; camp guards found and killed most of them. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Treblinka Concentration Camp | Treblinka, Masovian | CPC]

United States

USS Gunnel began a period of overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States. ww2dbase [Gunnel | Mare Island Navy Yard | Vallejo, California | CPC]
Construction for Naval Ammunition Depot Earle began in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. ww2dbase [Earle Naval Ammunition Depot | Colts Neck, New Jersey | CPC]