Today in World War II History—Sept. 13, 1942

Smoke rising from ammunition ship Mary Luckenbach in Allied convoy PQ-18, 13 Sep 1942; seen from escort carrier HMS Avenger (Imperial War Museum)

75 Years Ago—Sept. 13, 1942: On Guadalcanal, Japanese try to seize Henderson Field, but fail.

In Arctic convoy PQ-18, German aircraft and U-boats sink nine Allied cargo ships.

Nazi-occupied France establishes National Work Service: men 18-50 & single women 21-35 may be conscripted for labor in Germany.