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• Axis forces slowly fell back to the west toward Fuka, Egypt, but the rear guard continued to cause heavy casualties against the pursuing Allied troops. Seeing victory was now impossible, Rommel disobeyed Hitler's orders and gave the orders for a general withdraw toward the Egyptian-Libyan border. ww2dbase [Second Battle of El Alamein | CPC]
• The Americans divided the areas of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands under their control into two sectors, with US Marine Corps Brigadier General William Rupertus overseeing the East Sector and US Army Brigadier General Edmund Sebree overseeing the West Sector. On the same day, US Army 164th Infantry Regiment and US Marine 2nd Raider Battalion marched toward Koli Point to reinforce the 7th Marine Regiment. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | CPC]
• All German offensive operations in the Caucasus region of southern Russia was suspended. ww2dbase [Caucasus Campaign | CPC]
• German submarine U-354 damaged US Liberty ship William Clark of Operation FB off Jan Mayen island, Norway at 1333 hours; at 1400 hours, U-354 struck again and sank William Clark (31 were killed, 61 survived). Russian freighter Dekabrist, also of Operation FB, was attacked by German Ju 88 aircraft, suffering fatal damage (she would sink shortly after east of Spitzbergen, Norway). During the day, British freighter Briarwood departed Iceland in Operation FB. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]
• USS Nashville and USS Bailey arrived at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. ww2dbase [Nashville | Bailey | DS]

• U-132 spotted Allied convoy SC-107 in the North Atlantic Ocean and attacked together with members of her wolfpack. She sank British ship Empire Lynx and Dutch ship Hobbema, and damaged British ammunition ship Hatimura. As Hatimura exploded, falling pieces of debris fatally damaged U-132, leading to her loss with all 47 aboard lost, including her commanding officer Ernst Vogelsang. ww2dbase [U-132 | CPC]
• Ernst Vogelsang was killed during the sinking of U-18 in the North Atlantic Ocean. ww2dbase [Ernst Vogelsang | CPC]
• Leonardo da Vinci sighted smoke at the horizon in the Atlantic Ocean at 1730 hours, which turned out to be Greek freighter Andreas, en route from Trinidad to Alexandria, Egypt with 8,500 tons of military supplies on board. At 2208 hours, the Italian submarine fired a stern torpedo, which missed. At 2210 hours, the Greeks sent a distress signal. At 2304 hours, she fired two bow torpedoes, both of which missed. At 2330 hours, the Greeks sent another distress signal. At 2340 hours, the Italians fired a torpedo, scoring a hit. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | CPC]
• Alpino Bagnolini sighted a freighter in the Atlantic Ocean at 0944 hours. She identified the target as a Spanish ship and thus did not pursue. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | CPC]

• USS S-44 departed Brisbane, Australia. ww2dbase [S-44 | Brisbane, Queensland | CPC]
• USS S-43 departed Brisbane, Australia. ww2dbase [S-43 | Brisbane, Queensland | CPC]

• Japanese troops executed Australian aviator Allan Norman and his crew by decapitation at the Tavurvur crater near Rabaul, New Britain. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• Tenryu departed Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands with supplies for troops fighting on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Shortland Island | CPC]

• In Egypt, the British 7th Armoured Division caught and encircled the Italian Ariete Division which, against tremendous odds, fought to the last tank in a desperate running battle. ww2dbase [Second Battle of El Alamein | AC]
• General Wilhelm von Thoma, Commanding General of the Deutsche Afrika Korps, was taken prisoner in Egypt by British troops. ww2dbase [Second Battle of El Alamein | AC]

• Workers at Dock No. 4 at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, US Territory of Hawaii began cutting piles using an underwater circular saw. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

• USS Grayback damaged a Japanese transport in the Solomon Sea, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes. ww2dbase [Grayback | Solomon Sea | CPC]

• A transport of 954 Jewish men, women, and children from Westerbork Concentration Camp in occupied Netherlands arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. 50 women were registered in the camp and 904 people were killed in the gas chambers. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Oswiecim | CPC]

• The United States Marine Corps established the Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California, United States under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Millard. ww2dbase [El Toro, California | CPC]
• The United States Congress officially approved the award of a Medal of Honor to aviator Harl Pease. ww2dbase [Washington | CPC]

4 Nov 1942 Interactive Map