World Events in 1942
Battle of Midway
In June, the US Navy decisively defeated the Japanese fleet near Midway Atoll in the Pacific. The battle destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and is considered the turning point of the Pacific War.
Battle of Stalingrad Begins
In August, German forces began their assault on Stalingrad in southern Russia. The brutal urban fighting would continue until February 1943 and become one of the deadliest battles in human history.
Fall of Singapore
On 15 February, the British garrison at Singapore surrendered to Japan. Around 80,000 troops became prisoners of war in what Churchill called the 'worst disaster' in British military history.
Battle of El Alamein
In October and November, British and Commonwealth forces under Montgomery defeated Rommel's Afrika Korps in Egypt. Churchill later said, 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.'
Wannsee Conference
In January, senior Nazi officials met in a Berlin suburb to coordinate the 'Final Solution to the Jewish Question'. The conference formalised plans for the systematic genocide of European Jews.
Internment of Japanese Americans
In February, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorising the forced relocation of around 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps. It remains one of the most controversial civil liberties violations in US history.
Music in 1942
"We'll Meet Again"
Vera Lynn
Remained hugely popular and was played constantly on the BBC Forces Programme, cementing Vera Lynn's status as 'The Forces' Sweetheart'.
"White Christmas"
Bing Crosby
Debuted in the film Holiday Inn and became the best-selling single of all time, resonating deeply with troops stationed overseas.
#1 Film of 1942
Mrs. Miniver
Box Office: $11 million
This wartime drama starring Greer Garson portrayed a British family's courage during the Blitz, winning six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Born in 1942
Muhammad Ali
Heavyweight boxing champion and civil rights icon
Paul McCartney
Co-founder of The Beatles, singer-songwriter and bassist
Jimi Hendrix
Revolutionary electric guitarist and rock icon
Barbra Streisand
Singer, actress, and filmmaker with record-breaking career
Stephen Hawking
Theoretical physicist who wrote A Brief History of Time
Lost in 1942
Duke of Kent
Younger brother of King George VI, killed in RAF flying boat crash
Age 39
John Barrymore
Legendary American stage and film actor of the Barrymore dynasty
Age 60
Carole Lombard
Hollywood actress and comedienne, killed in a plane crash during a war bond tour
Age 33
Grant Wood
American artist best known for the painting American Gothic
Age 50
Technology in 1942
Wartime innovation accelerated rapidly. The first V-2 rocket was successfully launched in Germany. Magnetic tape recording was refined for military communications. Napalm was developed at Harvard, and the first nuclear chain reaction was achieved in Chicago.
- ● First controlled nuclear chain reaction achieved by Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago
- ● V-2 rocket successfully launched at Peenemünde, Germany
- ● Napalm developed at Harvard University for military use
- ● First electronic digital computer, Colossus, development begun at Bletchley Park
Cost of Living in 1942
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £550 | $3,600 |
| Average salary | £240 | $1,900 |
| Pint of milk | 2½d | $0.14 |
| Loaf of bread | 4½d | $0.09 |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 8d | $0.44 |
| Pint of beer | 7d | $0.16 |
| Cinema ticket | 10d | $0.27 |
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The Zeitgeist of 1942
This was arguably the bleakest year of the war for the Allies. Singapore fell, U-boats devastated Atlantic convoys, and the Holocaust accelerated in occupied Europe. Yet the battles of Midway, El Alamein, and Stalingrad marked crucial turning points. Rationing intensified in both Britain and America, and women flooded into factories.
In the News in 1942
The Voice of America began broadcasting overseas. T-shirts became standard issue for the US Navy. Bing Crosby recorded 'White Christmas', which would become the best-selling single of all time. Oxfam was founded in Oxford to help famine victims in Greece.