Marine 1st Lt. James E. Swett, flying a Grumman F4F-4 ,shoots down eight Aichi D3A (Allied code name “Val”) dive bombers near Guadalcanal, setting the Marine Corps record for aerial victories in a single flight. He later receives the Medal of Honor.
All 12 American bombers deployed in Britain rapidly returned to the U.S. on Oct. 4 following security concerns about a potential Iranian threat to their base in the U.K.