Thursday 12 March 1942

"Three Westland Lysander Mark IIIAs of No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (part of the RAF Army Cooperation Command), based at Dunino, Fife, taking part in a low-level bombing exercise on a range in Scotland." 12 March 1942. © IWM (H 17776).

Battle of the Pacific: On 12 March 1942, the Battle of Java officially ends when the senior British, Australian, and American commanders are brought to Bandoeng to sign a formal instrument of surrender. The Japanese commander, Lieutenant-General Masao Maruyama, promises them their prisoner-of-war rights of the Geneva Convention. This marks the end of the ABDA Defense of the Netherlands East Indies. Java is garrisoned from this point forward by the 16th Army (the 2nd and 48th Divisions) while the Imperial Navy guards the eastern territory (the Lesser Sunda Islands, Celebes, Ambon, and Netherlands New Guinea).

In Sumatra, the Japanese advance inland and take the airfield at Medan. The Imperial Guard Division is ordered to complete mopping-up operations on the island.

In Burma, the fighting is nearing an end. The badly mauled 17th Indian Division receives orders to evacuate to India. The British and Gurkha garrison of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal evacuates to India, depriving the Allies of the seaplane base there. The Burma Army establishes its headquarters at the resort town of Maymyo (Pyin Ol Lwin), which has a large European population. The Japanese eventually incarcerate many of them due to suspected sympathies for the Allies.

Captain America Comics No.12 - March 1942, featuring The Weird Case of the Pygmies of Terror.

While the front remains quiet on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines, all is not well on the Allied side. Malaria and dysentery are rampant due to contaminated water. About 500-700 men a day are reporting themselves sick, while others are not feeling well. The Japanese are building up for a major offensive to drive the Allies out of the Philippines but are not ready yet. Their fresh troops do not suffer the ailments facing the Allies.

General Douglas MacArthur and his party are en route from Luzon to Tagauayan Island in the Cuyo Group aboard fast motor torpedo (PT) boats. During the night, the four PT boats become separated and two of the boats develop mechanical issues. MacArthur's PT boat, however, proceeds without issue, and all four boats eventually arrive safely.

The British know that the next area of naval warfare is likely to be the Indian Ocean. Accordingly, aircraft carrier Formidable and destroyers Paladin and Panther depart today from Capetown bound for Colombo.

US freighter Olga, sunk near Cuba on 12 March 1942.

Eastern Front: Ten Soviet parachute troops land behind German lines near Birza, Lithuania. Their mission is to commit sabotage. However, the Germans spot them and eliminate them quickly.

The Soviets under General Kozlov on the Crimea are preparing for another attempt to break through the German lines to relieve Sevastopol. Kozlov is under strict orders by Stalin issued on 3 March to resume the offensive within ten days. The Germans have laid down 2000 Teller mines in front of the key defensive area and concentrated their assault guns in a defensive posture. Due to the usual spring thawing (Rasputitsa), the ground is muddy and not suitable for an attack, but Kozlov has his orders. The attack will begin as ordered at 09:00 on 13 March 1942.

"Ground crew removes a Type F.24 camera from Westland Lysander Mark IIIA, V9437 'AR-V', of No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (part of the RAF Army Cooperation Command), at Dunino, Fife, following a photo-reconnaissance sortie." 12 March 1942. © IWM (H 17778).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks Emden and Kiel. Twenty Wellingtons and 20 Whitleys are sent to Emden but only 22 of the 40 planes actually claim to reach the target (three lost). Subsequent aerial reconnaissance shows that the nearest bombs were dropped 5 miles (8 km) from the target. At Kiel, 68 Wellingtons attack the Deutsche Works U-boat shipyard, and 53 bomber crews report successful attacks. The RAF loses five Wellingtons over Kiel. Sixteen other bombers lay mines off of German ports, while one Hampden drops leaflets over France.

Norwegian freighter Ingerto, sunk with no survivors on 12 March 1942.

Battle of the Atlantic: At 02:34 and 06:11, respectively, U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer) torpedoes and sinks two ships north of Cuba (about 40 miles east of Nuevitas):

7005-ton US freighter Texan (ten dead, 37 survivors)
2496-ton US freighter Olga (one dead, 32 survivors)

Both ships are unarmed. The survivors of the Olga are all taken to Guantanamo Bay. The suction from the Texan causes its lifeboats to capsize and leads to many men drowning.

U-578 (KrvKpt. Ernst-August Rehwinkel), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 3089-ton Norwegian freighter Ingerto about 370 miles southeast of Cape Race. The ship is a straggler of Convoy ON-70. Ingerto sinks quickly and takes all 32 men on board with her.

British 2291-ton passenger ship St. Briac hits a mine and sinks off Aberdeen. There are about 45 deaths of the 123 men on board. Many of the men aboard the St. Briac are Royal Naval sailors because it is classified as an air target vessel.

Two Royal Navy armed trawlers, HMS Wastwater (FY 239) and Le Tigre (Fy 243) begin patrols off the coast of New Jersey in the Third Naval District area.

"A sailor onboard HMS ALCANTARA uses a portable sewing machine to repair a signal flag during a voyage to Sierra Leone." March 1942. © IWM (CBM 1049).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Turbulent (Cdr. J.W. Linton) uses its deck gun to sink Greek caique Agia Paraskevi north of the Zea Channel. Two crewmen are wounded. The Germans are known to use such caiques for troop movements between the islands.

In Malta, the RAF has lost many planes on the ground in recent days from Luftwaffe bombing. Infantry battalions now are being used to build blast walls to shield parked planes from the explosions. The Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica continue their attacks today, dropping bombs on the Ta Qali airfield area and near St. Andrews, Kalafrana, Safi, and near St. Agata Church. These attacks slightly damage seven Hurricane fighters at Ta Qali. A bomb hits a shelter there, killing one soldier (eventually) and wounding several others.

Japanese/Australian Relations: Japanese Prime Minister General Tojo Hideki issues a surrender demand to Australia that is ignored.

"Three Westland Lysander Mark IIIAs of No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron RAF (part of the RAF Army Cooperation Command), based at Dunino, Fife, on a photographic-reconnaissance training sortie over snow-covered Scottish hills." 12 March 1942. © IWM (H 17770).

US Military: Admiral Ernest J King, Commander-in-Chief U.S. Fleet (CINCUS), is designated to replace Admiral Harold R Stark as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) effective 26 March. The title of CNO is combined with CINCUS for the duration. Admiral Stark is heading to Europe to become Commander of United States Naval Forces Europe, where he will oversee the 6 June 1944 D-Day landings. In essence, Stark has been "kicked upstairs." Stark remains under a cloud due to the Pearl Harbor attack and eventually will face a Court of Inquiry over his actions leading up to it.

Three transport ships carrying USAAF ground personnel arrive at Karachi from Australia. Many of the men no longer have aircraft to service, however, due to their loss in the sinking of USS Langley on 27 February 1942.

US Army troops under Brigadier General Alexander M. Patch land on New Caledonia Island to establish a base at Noumea. This is Task Force 6814 consisting of 17,500 men. New Caledonia is of uncertain loyalty to the Allied cause due to the strong Vichy French presence on the island.

British mothers at a Tottenham Welfare Center celebrate the arrival of scarce American lend-lease products such as orange juice and cod liver oil. 12 March 1942 (© Daily Herald Archive / National Science & Media Museum / Science & Society Picture Library 10313768).

British Government: Oliver Lyttelton takes over the Ministry of War Production, which is the old Ministry of Production.

American Homefront: The Esposito brothers, Anthony and Esposito, are executed in the electric chair in Sing Sing prison. They were convicted of the "thrill kill" murders of a police officer and a holdup victim on 14 January 1941. While their defense of insanity failed, it did accelerate a long history of such defenses in the court system.

Bing Crosby appears on the Kraft Music Hall and sings ten songs. These are later released as an album, including patriotic song "We're the Gang that Feeds the Army."

In Omaha, Nebraska, 11-year-old Warren Buffett buys his first shares of stock (Buffett himself gives the date as 12 March 1942, though other sources say it is 11 March 1942). They are three shares of Cities Service preferred stock. Being underage, he must use his father's brokerage account. The purchase consumes all of the money Buffett has saved since age 6. "I went all in," Buffett reminisced in February 2019. "I had become a capitalist, and it felt good."

Future History: James Sherman Wynn is born in Hamilton, Ohio. He earns the nickname "The Toy Cannon" while playing for several Major League Baseball teams primarily as a center fielder in the 1960s and 1970s. He winds up his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977.

Reflecting on the importance of the essentials during wartime, the 12 March 1942 Boston Globe reports that a man previously convicted of stealing one pound of sugar from a Cambridge, Massachusetts, store has won his appeal.

March 1942

March 1, 1942: Second Battle of Java Sea
March 2, 1942: Huge Allied Shipping Losses at Java
March 3, 1942: Japan Raids Western Australia
March 4, 1942: Second Raid On Hawaii
March 5, 1942: Japan Takes Batavia
March 6, 1942: Churchill Assaults Free Speech
March 7, 1942: British Defeat in Burma
March 8, 1942: Rangoon Falls to Japan
March 9, 1942: Japanese Conquest of Dutch East Indies
March 10, 1942:US Navy attacks Japanese Landings at Lae
March 11, 1942: Warren Buffett's First Stock Trade
March 12, 1942: Japan Takes Java
March 13, 1942: Soviets Attack In Crimea Again 
March 14, 1942: The US Leans Toward Europe
March 15, 1942: Operation Raubtier Begins
March 16, 1942: General MacArthur Gets His Ride
March 17, 1942: MacArthur Arrives in Australia
March 18, 1942: Japan Attacks In Burma
March 19, 1942: Soviets Encircled on the Volkhov
March 20, 1942: "I Shall Return," Says MacArthur
March 21, 1942: Germans Attack Toward Demyansk
March 22, 1942: Second Battle of Sirte
March 23, 1942: Hitler's Insecurity Builds
March 24, 1942: Bataan Bombarded
March 25, 1942: Chinese Under Pressure in Burma
March 26, 1942: Win Or Die, Vows MacArthur
March 27, 1942: The Battle of Suusari
March 28, 1942: The St. Nazaire Commando Raid
March 29, 1942: The Free Republic of Nias
March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island
March 31, 1942: Japanese Seize Christmas Island

2020

Thursday 29 January 1942

US Coast Guard Cutter USS Alexander Hamilton launching a boat as it sinks on 29 January 1942.

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese continue tightening their grip on the Netherlands East Indies on 29 January 1942 by landing at Badoeng Island and Mampawan on Celebes Island. After RAAF aerial reconnaissance spots a Japanese convoy near Ambon Island, the Dutch order Australian engineers to destroy infrastructure on the island at Laha.

The headline of the Brooklyn Eagle on 29 January 1942 is "M'Arthur Routs Foe Again."

In the Philippines, the Allied troops battle ferociously to hold the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) and eliminate Japanese pockets to its south. In the western I Corps sector, Allied troops of the 1st and 11th Division of the Philippine Army battle the Big and Little Pockets, which are just south of the MLR. Further south, the Japanese bridgeheads at Canaan Point and Anyasan Bay continue to hold out. However, the Allies score a major success by eliminating the Japanese holdouts at Longoskawayan Point, where the 2d Battalion of the Philippine 57th Infantry is assisted by minesweeper USS Quail (AM-15).

Japanese prisoners are taken prisoner by the Chinese at the Battle of Changsha, January 1942 (Office of War Information Photograph Lot 11614-4, National Museum of the US Navy via Flickr).

On the Malay Peninsula, Commonwealth troops continue withdrawing to Singapore Island from the mainland. The pace of the retreat across the Straits of Johor is accelerating and local workers are building fortifications on the north shore of Singapore Island. US naval transports USS Wakefield and West Point, part of Convoy B.M. 11, arrive at Singapore carrying elements of the British 18th Division as reinforcements, and other ships from India bring light tanks to help in the defense. Also arriving in the convoy are ground elements of three RAF fighter squadrons. These are the only Allied tanks to participate in the campaign. In the air, USAAF FEAF B-17s are operating from Palembang, Sumatra, and attack Kuantan Airfield.

The Australian defenders on the mainland move into the "Outer Bridge Head" 2 miles outside Johore Bahru. The 2/19 Battalion hold to the right, the 2/20 is in the center, and the Gordon Highlanders are to the left. They have 2 regiments of artillery support. They will cross the Causeway to Singapore Island in phased withdrawals over the next two days.

On January 29, 1942, 210 Royal Marine survivors from Prince of Wales and Repulse, under Royal Marine Captain Bob Lang, join 250 men of Major Angus Rose’s 2nd Argylls to form "Roseforce." They carry out operations using boats to land 140 miles behind Japanese lines. Both detachments are from the Marine Plymouth Division, the composite unit, officially called the Marine Argyll Battalion. Thus, colloquially they become known as the Plymouth Argylls after the English soccer club of that name. Roseforce sets ambushes, destroys vehicles, and kills two senior Japanese staff officers in their cars.

"American sailors onboard a US destroyer sporting various beards and mustaches. Two American sailors, one with a mustache and one clean-shaven." This photograph, taken ca. 29 January 1942, is on the occasion of the arrival in Londonderry, Ulster, of the first US warships escorting a convoy all the way across the Atlantic. Previously, only Royal Navy ships served as escorts on the eastern half of the convoy. © IWM (A 9218).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Having pocketed Benghazi, the commander of Panzer Group Africa, Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel, contemplates his next move. The Axis forces have regained the initiative in North Africa for several reasons, including the British withdrawal of troops from the theater to shore up its Asian possessions against the Japanese and some recent success sending convoys across the Sicilian Strait to Tripoli. Rommel plans to strike quickly, before the end of the month, to take advance of his momentum. He plans to send one armored column along the coastal road toward Tobruk and another further inland to protect its flank. The British, meanwhile, are preparing a major defensive position at Gazala, where the Germans left behind usable fortifications. Some Axis advance elements continue chasing the Indian 4th Division from Benghazi toward Derna, but the majority is concentrated around Msus.

Treasury Class Cutter USCGC Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34), sunk by U-132 on 29 January 1942.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-132 (Oblt. Ernst Vogelsang) is on its second patrol out of Trondheim when it torpedoes and sinks 2216-ton US Coast Guard vessel Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34). The torpedo (one of four fired) hits at 13:12 around 20 miles (32 km) west of Reykjavik, Iceland. It takes some time for the ship to sink, but the weather is poor, so attempts to tow the Alexander Hamilton to port are unsuccessful and the Alexander Hamilton founders. There are 26-29 deaths, with about 20 perishing during the sinking and an additional six men dying of wounds after being picked up by an Icelandic fishing trawler. There are 101 survivors who are picked up by destroyer USS Gwin (DD-433). This is the first US Coast Guard vessel lost during World War II.

Reinhard Heydrich, 29 January 1942 (Bauer, Friedrich Franz, Federal Archive Bild 183-B20373). There already are assassins waiting for Heydrich in his new posting as Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia in Operation Anthropoid.

Eastern Front: Although Adolf Hitler wishes to use the recent relief of Sukhinichi as the springboard for further advances that can trap advanced Red Army troops, local commanders have the last say. They abandon Sukhinichi and the Soviets quickly take it.

Damage caused by the Luftwaffe raid on Rosehearty, Scotland, on 29 January 1942.

European Air Operations: A Luftwaffe bomber raids Rosehearty in Scotland at around 18:30. The plane drops five high explosive bombs, damaging the harbor wall, two small boats, and destroying several houses. There are eleven deaths, four women and seven children.

Damage caused by the Luftwaffe raid on Rosehearty, Scotland, on 29 January 1942.

Ecuadorian/Peruvian Relations: The foreign ministers of Ecuador and Peru, Julio Tobar Donoso and Alfredo Solf y Muro, respectively, sign the Rio Protocol (Protocolo de Río de Janeiro). This ends the July 1941 Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, known locally as the War of '41 (Guerra del '41). Militarily, Peru was the winner, taking almost the entire Ecuadorian coastal province of El Oro in addition to some towns in the Andean province of Loja. The Rio Protocol reverses most of those gains in exchange for Ecuador ending its claims for rights to direct land access to the Marañon and Amazon rivers. This gives Peru 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi) of hitherto disputed territory in the Maynas region of the Amazonian basin. There also are some other land swaps, with Ecuador ceding 18,552 km² of previously possessed territory to Peru, and Peru ceding 5,072 km² of previously possessed territory to Ecuador.

German emigre conductor Otto Klemperer (father of actor Werner Klemperer) conducts rehearsals of the National Youth's Administration Orchestra on 29 January 1942 that are turned into an album in 2012, "Klemperer Rarities."

In the broadest sense, the Rio Protocol is beneficial to the Allied war effort by helping to unite Latin America and redirect its energies toward less disruptive pursuits. There is a hint of this coming to fruition when Ecuador today also breaks diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy, and Japan. However, there are hard feelings on both sides, especially in Ecuador. Even as Peruvian forces withdraw in accordance with the terms of the treaty, there are "incidents" in which lives are lost. The Rio Protocol is not fully accepted by the Ecuadorian government itself, which disputes its validity for decades on the grounds that it was obtained by invasion and coercion. Further wars arising from the dispute will erupt in 1981 and 1995 before a definitive (so far, at least) resolution is reached in 1998 with the Brasilia Presidential Act.

A Dr. Seuss cartoon from 29 January 1942 (Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego). "Mein Early Kampf" by Adolf Hitler, "June 20, 1889: I cut my first tooth on a Bust of Bismarck."

US Military: At Hickam Field in Hawaii, the USAAF Hawaiian Air Force activates the VII Bomber Command in place of the 18th Bombardment Wing.

The US establishes a new war zone, the ANZAC Area. It covers the triangular area between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia in the New Hebrides.

The US military successfully test-fires five-inch (12.7 cm) artillery shells containing new radio-proximity fuses. The test at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia, is considered satisfactory when 52% of the fuses fired five miles explode when the near water. The plan is to use the proximity fuses as anti-aircraft ammunition. Production begins immediately.

"Hospital base being constructed by Americans. 29 January 1942, Creevagh. Interior of a hospital ward. 3 section type." © IWM (A 9594).

Japanese Military: Japanese headquarters in Tokyo sets a new strategy in the Southwest Pacific. It orders the Navy to consolidate control of northern New Guinea at Lae and Salamaua, then to open a new campaign in the Solomon Islands by taking Tulagi, a small island north of Guadalcanal which can be used as a seaplane base. Port Moresby, a strategically important point on the southern coast of New Guinea, also is set as an objective. While Port Moresby is not very far from Salamaua as the crow flies, it is much further by ship and separated from the north shore by rugged mountains. Japanese possession of Port Moresby would make an invasion of Australia extremely likely and at the very least would serve as a defensive firewall for Japanese gains further north. The overall goal is to secure the southwest Pacific against recovery by the Allies.

Tempo Magazine, 29 January 1942. "Night war flights."

Australian Government: The Manpower Directorate comes into existence. It enacts measures to match citizens with war needs.

Iran: The Iranian government agrees to the partition of Iran between the Soviet Union and Great Britain for the duration of the conflict. It signs a treaty of alliance which establishes the Persian Corridor, a supply route from the Persian Gulf north to the Soviet Union. The Allied occupation is not entirely popular with the populace, who resent the Soviet Union buying up all of the grain and leading to food shortages. Ultimately, the United States solves the problem by shipping its own grain to Iran while Iranian grain finds its way north to feed the Red Army.

Bing Crosby and others (including Mary Martin) perform on The Kraft Music Hall (NBC) on 29 January 1942. The broadcast is recorded and turned into an album in 1977. Among the songs performed are "The Caissons Go Rolling Along," "Pledge to the Flag," and "Home on the Range" (one of Crosby's signature songs). The show is broadcast by short-wave radio to US troops in the Philippines "by special request of General MacArthur on the Bataan Peninsula."

1942

January 1942

January 1, 1942: Declaration By United Nations
January 2, 1941: Manila Falls to Japan
January 3, 1942: ABDA Command Announced
January 4, 1942: MacArthur on His Own in the Philippines
January 5, 1942: Soviets Plan General Offensive
January 6, 1942: US Army in Europe
January 7, 1942: Soviet General Offensive Opens
January 8, 1942: Hitler Sacks Hoepner
January 9, 1942: Battle of Dražgoše
January 10, 1942: Building the Jeep
January 11, 1942: Japan Takes Kuala Lumpur
January 12, 1941: Rommel Plans Counterattack
January 13, 1942: First Ejection Seat Use
January 14, 1942: Operation Drumbeat First Sinking
January 15, 1942: U-Boat Off NYC
January 16, 1942: Carole Lombard Crash
January 17, 1942: British Take Halfaya Pass
January 18, 1942: Soviet Paratroopers in Action
January 19, 1942: FDR Approves Atomic Bomb
January 20, 1942: The Wannsee Conference
January 21, 1942: Parit Sulong Bridge Battle
January 22, 1942: Parit Sulong Massacre
January 23, 1942: Japan Takes Rabaul
January 24, 1942: Battle of Makassar Strait
January 25, 1942: Kholm Surrounded
January 26, 1942: GIs Land in Europe
January 27, 1942: Battle of Endau
January 28, 1942: Rommel Takes Benghazi
January 29, 1942: First US Coast Guard Ship Sunk
January 30, 1942: Singapore Isolated
January 31, 1942: Army Group South Averts Disaster

2020

Thursday 25 December 1941

The British surrender Hong Kong, 25 December 1941.

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese enter St. Stephen's College very early on the morning of 25 December 1941 and commit heinous atrocities. The college is on the front lines and is being used as a field hospital. Seeing the Japanese approach, two doctors go out to meet them. The Japanese escort them away (their mutilated bodies are found much later) and then enter the hospital. There, the Japanese bayonet British, Canadian, and Indian patients and then imprison the survivors in an upstairs room. Later, another group of Japanese soldiers enter after the front line has moved further south and commit further atrocities. They take some or all of the female nurses away, rape them, and then murder them.

Japanese soldiers entering Hong Kong, 25 December 1941.

The Japanese soldiers also take two Canadian soldiers outside and mutilate and murder them. The Japanese later burn all of the bodies apparently in order to hide the evidence, so the exact number of victims is unknown. However, later in the war, parts of 13 bodies are found and buried. It is estimated that the total number of victims at St. Stephen's College may exceed 100.

Japanese troops march into Hong Kong, 25 December 1941.

The battle goes poorly for the Commonwealth troops throughout the day, nearing the port facilities. The Japanese bombers focus on British shipping in Hong Kong Harbor, and Royal Navy destroyer HMS Thracian runs aground and is scuttled. The British have no water, as the Japanese control the water reservoirs. The Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Aitchison Young, sees a humanitarian crisis developing and personally goes to the Japanese Headquarters on the third floor of the Peninsula Hong Kong Hotel and surrenders in the afternoon of 25 December 1941. This is the first surrender of a British Crown Colony (but not the last). The events of 25 December 1941 make it known in Hong Kong as "Black Christmas."

Damage to Cavite Navy Yard caused by Japanese bombing, late December 1941.

In the Philippines, the Japanese land forces in Jolo, the capital of the former Sultanate of Sulu. The 300 Filipino policemen there surrender quickly. This concludes the campaign in Davao, a useful launching pad for attacks on Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. At Cavite Navy Yard, Manila Bay, Commander Richard C. Voge scuttles his submarine, USS Sealion, due to bombing damage.

North Point POW Camp, the "final" destination for many Commonwealth soldiers. It has no plumbing, is badly damaged, and there are unburied bodies of Chinese at the east end of the camp (Mansell.com).

The Japanese assault on Manila continues to make good progress. The Allied forces north of Manila retreat to their second defensive line. Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur continues evacuating people and supplies from Manila south into Bataan, hoping to hold out there indefinitely. The local US Army Air Force units move most aircraft from Ternate, Nichols Field, Clark Field, Nichols Field, and Del Carmen south to Bataan. The 17th and 20th Pursuit Squadrons begin operating from Lubao, Luzon. Other air units transfer to Cabcaben, Luzon.

"Sembawang, Singapore, Malaya. 25 December 1941. Australian built Beaufort bomber aircraft refueling on arrival in Malaya, some hands in the crowd holding up the hose from the tanker. These aircraft are fast and highly maneuverable but were unarmed. Of the six that were flown to Malaya, five returned to Australia with one being kept for reconnaissance purposes." Australian War Memorial MED0225.

In Borneo, the Japanese at Kuching finally find the Dutch airfield nearby. They capture the airfield against light resistance by 16:40. The Punjab regiment nearby continues pulling back to the Sinkgkawang region. Offshore, Japanese submarine I-66 torpedoes and sinks Dutch submarine K XVI near Kuching, a rare instance of one submarine torpedoing another (an alternate theory is that it hit a Japanese mine while exiting the Gulf of Siam). All 36 men aboard the K XVI perish.

Dutch submarine K XVI, sunk on 25 December 1941. Its wreckage is discovered in 1978. There are various conspiracy theories surrounding this submarine and how its crew supposedly spotted the Japanese main carrier strike force, Kido Butai, as it was heading toward Hawaii in early December 1941

In Burma, the Japanese bomb Rangoon again. This time, they send 27 Sally bombers escorted by about 30 fighters. The American Volunteer Group (AVG, or "Flying Tigers") intervene. While suffering no losses, the Americans take a heavy toll on the Japanese aircraft. Altogether, the Japanse lose 10 fighters and 25 bombers, while two AVG pilots are forced to make crash landings. Duke Hedman claims his fifth victory to become an Ace.

"HMS KINGSTON turning at speed during an antisubmarine patrol." This photo was taken aboard Dutch destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers in the Eastern Mediterranean on 25 December 1941.  © IWM (A 8052).

Eastern Front: The drama surrounding General Guderian, the commander of German Second Panzer Army who is directing a difficult withdrawal south of Moscow, reaches a fever pitch on 25 December 1941. The surface issue is how far and how fast Guderian may withdraw his troops, but the underlying issue is his growing feud with Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge. Hitler has ordered the troops to stop where they are and fight regardless of the conditions, but Guderian has allowed large-scale withdrawals. While some army group commanders might pass this off as necessary line readjustments, von Kluge is not one of them - at least as far as Guderian is concerned.

On December 25, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill attended a church service on Christmas morning. They have a lot to pray for. Note the cane that President Roosevelt is carrying and the burly man next to him to prevent any falls.

Guderian's withdrawals aren't the only issue. When OKH operations chief General Franz Halder asks Guderian to use the 3d and 4th Panzer Divisions, which are in reserve near Orel, to move forward and defend Chekalin and Belev, Guderian does not comply. Instead, he claims that the divisions are necessary to cover the withdraw of adjacent Second Army. Hitler intervenes and shifts the two divisions to XXIV Panzer Corps, which is in the area where Halder wants them shifted. It is a clear slap at Guderian. If there is one thing that Hitler cannot abide, it is military challenges to his authority, and that is exactly what Guderian appears to be doing.

Canadian Pilot Officer R. Locke of Vernon, BC, delivers plates during Airmen’s Christmas Dinner on 25 December 1941, at an RCAF Bomber Sqn "Somewhere in England." Royal Canadian Air Force.

However, the main flashpoint of the controversy is Guderian's withdrawals. After dark, von Kluge reviews the day's situation reports and finds that Guderian has retreated even further than he had feared, to the line Oka-Zusha. Kluge calls Guderian and demands an explanation, to which Guderian replies:

In these unusual circumstances, I lead my army in a manner I can justify to my conscience.

Kluge then immediately calls Halder and relays Guderian's reply, commenting:

I have the greatest respect for General Guderian. He is a fantastic commander. But he does not obey, and I can only transmit and execute the Fuehrer's orders if I can rely on my army commanders.

However, Kluge is very careful to shade his account so that it does not appear as if he is personally attacking Guderian, saying:

I am basically entirely on Guderian's side, one cannot simply let himself be slaughtered. But, he must obey and keep me informed.

Halder immediately calls Hitler, who almost as quickly calls Kluge and says that he will:

do what is necessary to Generaloberst Guderian.

Hitler, who is about to start his midnight war conference, then has Field Marshal Keitel draft an order directing Guderian to relinquish his command and return to Berlin to await any further orders. This is delivered early on the 26th, along with an order forbidding Guderian from issuing any farewell statements to his troops. General Rudolf Schmidt replaces Guderian.

Visiting WRENS and sailors have a singalong aboard HMS Wellesley in Granton on 25 December 1941. © IWM (A 6701).

In Leningrad, people are starving to death in ever-increasing numbers. On Christmas day alone, about 3700 perish. Caloric intake is below subsistence levels, and those who do not or cannot work get even less than the workers and the fighters.

Lieutenant-General Takashi Sakai, Governor of Hong Kong from 25 December to 20 February 1942. He will be tried for war crimes, found guilty, and hanged in 1946.

American Homefront: Bing Crosby debuts Irving Berlin's new seasonal composition, "White Christmas," on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall. It is an immediate sensation, receiving many requests for it at radio stations, but Crosby does not think much of the song and hasn't even recorded it as a single yet. He ultimately does record it - in 18 minutes - on 29 May 1942 with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra. "White Christmas" will not be released as a single until 30 July 1942. It goes on to become the best-selling single of all time - a record it still holds.

December 1941

December 1, 1941: Hitler Fires von Rundstedt
December 2, 1941: Climb Mount Niitaka
December 3, 1941: Hints of Trouble in the Pacific
December 4, 1941: Soviets Plan Counteroffensive
December 5, 1941: Soviets Counterattack at Kalinin
December 6, 1941: Soviet Counterattack at Moscow Broadens
December 7, 1941: Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
December 8, 1941: US Enters World War II
December 9, 1941: German Retreat At Moscow
December 10, 1941: HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk
December 11, 1941: Hitler Declares War on US
December 12, 1941: Japanese in Burma
December 13, 1941: Battle of Cape Bon
December 14, 1941: Hitler Forbids Withdrawals
December 15, 1941: The Liepaja Massacre
December 16, 1941: Japan Invades Borneo
December 17, 1941: US Military Shakeup
December 18, 1941: Hitler Lays Down the Law
December 19, 1941: Brauchitsch Goes Home
December 20, 1941: Flying Tigers in Action
December 21, 1941: The Bogdanovka Massacre
December 22, 1941: Major Japanese Landings North of Manila
December 23, 1941: Wake Island Falls to Japan
December 24, 1941: Atrocities in Hong Kong
December 25, 1941: Japan Takes Hong Kong
December 26, 1941: Soviets Land in the Crimea
December 27, 1941: Commandos Raid Norway
December 28, 1941: Operation Anthropoid Begins
December 29, 1941: Soviet Landings at Feodosia
December 30, 1941: Race for Bataan
December 31, 1941: Nimitz in Charge

2020