Today in World War II History—August 17, 1942
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 by Sarah Sundin

Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, USMC, Carlson’s Raiders, after the Makin Island Raid, August 1942 (US Naval History and Heritage Command: 80-G-11727)
80 Years Ago—Aug. 17, 1942: US Eighth Air Force flies its first official bombing mission: 12 B-17s of the 97th Bomb Group hit marshalling yards in Rouen, France.
“Carlson’s Raiders”: 221 US Marines conduct two-day raid on Makin Island in Gilberts to destroy a radio station; the first US amphibious landing from submarines.
Future president Richard Nixon enlists in the US Navy.