Poon Lim survived and would spend 133 days adrift on a raft in the South Atlantic. Died: Hernando Siles Reyes, 60, 37th President of Bolivia Tomitarō Horii, 52, Japanese general (drowned while attempting to canoe down the Kumusi River during the Battle of Buna–Gona); November 24, 1942 (Tuesday) Case Blue ended in strategic Axis failure. The Japanese destroyer Hayashio was heavily damaged by American planes in the Huon Gulf. The destroyer Shiratsuyu rescued the survivors and then scuttled the ship with a torpedo. German submarine U-387 was commissioned. Born: Billy Connolly, comedian, actor and musician, in Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland November 25, 1942 (Wednesday) Soviet forces launched Operation Mars, an offensive around the Rzhev salient near Moscow. The Germans began airlifting supplies to the 6th Army trapped in Stalingrad. Only 47 Ju 52 transport planes were on hand for the first day, a small fraction of what was needed. Hermann Göring ordered as many Ju 52s as possible to be requisitioned from around occupied Europe to join in the operation. The British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in co-operation with Greek Resistance fighters executed Operation Harling, destroying the heavily guarded Gorgopotamos viaduct. British submarine Utmost was sunk off Sicily by the . German submarines U-275 and U-533 were commissioned. Born: Rosa von Praunheim, Latvian-born German film director, author, painter and gay rights activist, in Riga November 26, 1942 (Thursday) Colombia broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France. Battle of Brisbane: Two nights of rioting between U.S. military personnel and Australian servicemen and civilians broke out in Brisbane, Australia. German submarine U-650 was commissioned. The romantic drama film Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid premiered at the Hollywood Theatre in New York City. Born: Khalil Kalfat, scholar, short story writer and activist, in Aswan, Nubia, Egypt (d. 2015); Blackjack Mulligan (ring name for Robert Jack Windham), professional wrestler, in Sweetwater, Texas (d. 2016) November 27, 1942 (Friday) Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon: The French fleet in Toulon was scuttled to keep it out of the hands of German forces. 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 15 destroyers, 12 submarines and 13 torpedo boats were among the ships scuttled. Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France. Born: Jimi Hendrix, rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, in Seattle, Washington (d. 1970) Manolo Blahnik, fashion designer, in Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands November 28, 1942 (Saturday) The Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire