The following events occurred in October 1942: October 1, 1942 (Thursday) The Battle of Rzhev, Summer 1942 ended in Soviet operational failure. Australian commandos executed the Raid on Mubo in New Guinea, killing up to 50 Japanese. The Japanese transport ship Lisbon Maru was sunk by the American submarine USS Grouper. It was later learned that Lisbon Maru was carrying 1,800 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong; 800 died in the sinking. The Bell P-59 Airacomet had its first flight. German submarine U-642 was commissioned. The monopoly trade company DEGRIGES was founded by Nazi Germany in Greece, to control the resources of the country. The British Army - formed the new unit, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). The first Little Golden Books, a popular series of children's books, were published in the United States. Born: Günter Wallraff, writer and undercover journalist, in Burscheid, Germany Died: Ants Piip, 58, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (died in a Soviet prison camp) October 2, 1942 (Friday) The British light cruiser Curacoa sank north of Ireland after an accidental collision with the troop transport Queen Mary. It was one of the Royal Navy's worst accidental losses of the war. British forces captured Antsirabe in Madagascar. The Stabilization Act was enacted in the United States. Former French Prime Minister Édouard Herriot was arrested for allegedly plotting against the Vichy government. German submarine U-512 was bombed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Cayenne by an American Douglas B-18 Bolo bomber. Born: Asha Parekh, actress, director and producer, in Bombay, British India October 3, 1942 (Saturday) German Army Group A captured Elkhotovo in Kirovsky District. The V2 rocket (number V4) becomes the first man-made object to be launched into space. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a freeze on wages, rents and farm prices. A small British force carried out Operation Basalt, a raid on the German-occupied Channel Island of Sark. The U.S. Office for Emergency Management created the Office of Economic Stabilization with James F. Byrnes as Director. The Hollywood Canteen opened in Hollywood, California. The club was operated and staffed completely by volunteers from the entertainment industry and everything in it was free of charge for Allied servicemen and women in uniform. German submarines U-229 and U-731 were commissioned. Born: Earl Hindman, actor, in Bisbee, Arizona (d. 2003) Died: Milan Kalabić, 55 or 56, Serbian military officer (executed by the Gestapo for