Today in World War II History—November 2, 1942

Sherman tanks of the Eighth Army speed across the desert as Axis forces retreat from El Alamein, November 1942 (Imperial War Museum: E 18971)
80 Years Ago—Nov. 2, 1942: In Operation Supercharge at El Alamein, Montgomery’s British Eighth Army breaks German lines.
In New Guinea, Australians reoccupy Kokoda and its airfield on the way from Port Moresby to Buna.
Future US Supreme Court justice Earl Warren is elected governor of California.
At Bell Island, Newfoundland, torpedo from German U-boat U-518 hits dock, the only direct German attack on North American land in the war; two ships are sunk.