Today in World War II History—Dec. 26, 1942 POSTED: Tuesday, December 26, 2017 by Sarah Sundin US poster, WWII 75 Years Ago—Dec. 26, 1942: Fernand Bonnier de la Chapelle, who assassinated Adm. François Darlan, the French commander in North Africa, is executed. New song in Top Ten: “There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Flying Somewhere.”