Tuesday 17 February 1942

"Troops passing through Tobruk visit the graves of their comrades. The graves belong to Australian, Polish, South African, New Zealand, and British soldiers." 17 February 1942. © IWM (E 8448).

Battle of the Pacific: At Bataan in the Philippines, the Allies finally establish a solid and continuous front along the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) on 17 February 1942. The US Army I Corps in the western half of the line ejects the final Japanese troops from a salient they had driven into the MLR. Further south, other Allied troops chase down fleeing remnants from a lost bridgehead Salaiim Point. The success is important for Allied morale, but the Japanese intentionally have withdrawn in order to concentrate their forces for a major offensive which is not long in the offing.

In Burma, the situation is growing desperate for the British on the Bilin River. The river itself is dry, offering no protection, and Japanese troops have infiltrated the jungles in an attempt to cut the British lines of communications. The British are looking over their shoulders at the Sittang River, which offers better defensive advantages. The Indian 17th Division on the Bilin River prepares to retreat during the day and begins doing so after dark.

In Singapore, the Japanese conquerors continue reassembling the city in their own image. Already, they have renamed Singapore City "Light of the South" (Syonan-To), but the changes go much deeper than that. The British Malaya Command officially surrenders today, and while that is a settled issue, what happens with the Indian troops fighting for the Empire is not. Japanese Major Iwaichi Fujiwara is given command of the Indian troops, and he immediately transfers the command to Mohan Singh, a member of the Indian Independence Movement. Singh today declares the formation of the Indian National Army (INA) at the Farrer Park address and asks the approximately 40,000 Indian troops to join it in order to fight against the British Empire and (among other things) free India from British rule. About 30,000 of the Indian soldiers do, and some of them wind up serving as guards over their former British and Australian allies at Changi Prison.

Dutch destroyer Van Nes, sunk by Japanese bombers on 17 February 1942.

The Allies continue losing ships in the region from aggressive Japanese attacks. Japanese bombers from aircraft carrier Ryujo sink Dutch destroyer HNLMS Van Nes and the ship it is escorting, 2977-ton Dutch freighter Sloet van de Beele off Bangka Island. There are no survivors from either ship, which apparently are packed with refugees.

The USAAF Fifth Air Force sends eight P-40s to attack the new Japanese presence at Palembang, Sumatra. Due to the distances involved, the fighters must first land at Batavia Airdrome, Java. However, perhaps due to forewarning by spies on Java, the Japanese are ready and waiting for the attack. A fierce dogfight develops, with five of the P-40s jettisoning their bombs to defend themselves. Three P-40s release their bombs on the invasion barges, while the five who jettison their bombs claim to down five Japanese aircraft at no loss to themselves.

Dutch freighter Sloet van de Beele, sunk on 17 February 1942.

Giving up the fight on Sumatra, about 2,500 RAF airmen, 1,890 British troops, 700 Dutch soldiers and some 1,000 civilian refugees board evacuation vessels at Oosthaven and leave the island. At Tanjong Batoe, Japanese troops seize 1560-ton freighter Tatung.

Operating off of Japan, US Navy submarine USS Triton (SS-201), on its second patrol, torpedoes and sinks Japanese freighter Shinyo Maru Number 5 off Nagasaki.

Eastern Front: The Stavka is determined to continue its winter offensive even though it has petered out after the initial surge. Today, the Red Air Force drops 7,373 paratroopers in the Rzhev area behind the German lines - though exactly where the actual front lines are, or whether there even are any, is more a matter of interpretation than reality. The weather is foggy, and the drops put many paratroopers in places where the Germans are able to quickly capture about a quarter of them. The rest wander about aimlessly, with some joining partisan detachments and others simply fighting for their own survival.

"Palestine. 17 February 1942. Group portrait of members of the 2/6th Australian General Hospital (2/6AGH)." Australian War Memorial P00458.003.

European Air Operations: During the day, five RAF Bostons search fruitlessly for shipping off the Dutch coast. After dark, three RAF Bomber Command Hampdens drop leaflets on Paris and one Whitley drops leaflets on Oslo, while eight bombers hit Essen and five others drop their bombs at random due to poor weather conditions. All aircraft return safely.

RAF Coastal Command aircraft operating off Skudenes, Norway torpedo and sink 248-ton German (seized from Norway) trawler Eber (NS21).

"A merchant ship in convoy RA64 sails through heavy seas in the Arctic Ocean." Sometime between 17-28 February 1942. © IWM (A 27565).

Battle of the Atlantic: Having made a dramatic impact in the Caribbean with Operation Neuland yesterday, the U-boats involved in the operation head for Martinique, a friendly Vichy French island. However, they leave behind a reminder of their presence. During the attack by U-156 on tanker Arkansas at Aruba, one of its torpedoes missed the ship and ran up on the beach. Four Dutch Marines walk over to examine it, and the torpedo suddenly explodes, killing them. This is the last Axis attack on Aruba during the war.

U-136 (Kptlt. Heinrich Zimmermann), on its first patrol out of Bergen, sinks 6914-ton British freighter Empire Comet, a straggler from Convoy HX-174, in the Atlantic about 33 miles north of Rockall. All 46 crew perish after the ship quickly sinks after a massive detonation on board.

On a voyage to Liverpool, Greek 6629-ton freighter SS Spyros runs aground off Lawrencetown, about 20 miles from Halifax, and is wrecked. Everyone survives.

With the front stable, for the time being, a British soldier takes a bath in a ruined house in Tobruk on 17 February 1942. Colorized photo, the black-and-white original version is at the Imperial War Museum collection.

Battle of the Mediterranean:  The Allies are still reeling from the loss of Singapore on 17 February 1942, and this exacerbates the need to prioritize either the European (ETO) or Pacific (PTO) Theater of Operations. This decision is complicated by the fact that many Australian troops are fighting in the Middle East while their homeland is threatened. Australian Prime Minister John Curtin today makes a none-too-subtle request that all Australian troops not already committed to battle be sent back to Australia. Recognizing both the military and political realities, the British order General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, to transfer two more divisions from Egypt to the Far East. These are the British 70th and Australian 9th Division (the 9th winds up staying in the Middle East). These troop transfers are indirect benefits to the Reich of the Japanese declaration of war, and German Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel is the right man to take advantage of these new opportunities.

Japanese war crimes are being publicized throughout the Allied world Here, the Borger (Texas) Daily Herald reports on an alleged incident in Bataan, the Philippines. These reports are contributing to the anti-Japanese feeling within the United States that drives support for the internment of people of Japanese descent.

War Crimes: Shore fire sinks 133-ton British auxiliary patrol boat HMS Tanjong Pinang in the Banka Strait. The ship is carrying 130 women and children evacuated from Pom Pong, survivors of the sinking of HMS Kuala. The Japanese murder all but three of the 164 people from the ship who make it ashore. This is known as the Tanjong Pinang Massacre.

British/Chinese Relations: Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek embarrasses the British authorities by meeting with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the All-India Muslim League. Tomorrow, Chiang meets with Mahatma Gandhi.

US/New Zealand Relations: The commander of the United States Army Air Force, General "Hap" Arnold, agrees to turn over to New Zealand six new North American O-47 observation aircraft for the defense of New Caledonia.

A ship's hangar catapult is seen under an F6F Hellcat belonging to VF-1 seen on the USS Yorktown (CV-10) main deck. The hangar catapults are ordered removed on 17 February 1942 (US Navy).

US Military: The Seabees make their first operational deployment when the 102d Infantry Regiment (minus the 3d Battalion), the 198th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft) and the Bobcat Detachment of the First Naval Construction Battalion arrive at Bora-Bora. This 5,000-man force is brought by Task Force 5614.

The US Navy orders the removal of athwartships hangar deck catapults from Wasp, Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet. Hangar catapults are designed to launch scout aircraft when the flight deck is busy. This is to be done gradually during refits, with a deck catapult added in their places, and the process takes until 1944. The hangar catapults basically work, but the determination is made that they are less necessary than an added deck catapult. In addition, scout planes are found to be increasingly unimportant with the development of radar.

USAAF Fifth Air Force continues redeploying its forces in light of current realities. It sends the B-17s of the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), from Nandi Airport, Fiji to Australia.

USAAF 11th Air Force (Alaska) receives a new commander. He is Colonel Lionel R. Dunlap.

Chief Musician Charles Brendler becomes the second Leader of the Navy Band, staying in the position until 1962. Brendler serves 49 years in the Navy, all in the Navy Band, and retires with the rank of Commander.

The US Army decides today to locate the USAAF Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Miami, Florida. This involves the requisition of dozens of hotels to house the soldiers. Among many other men, movie star Clark Gable passes through OCS in Miami. The curriculum is intended to compress the essentials of the United States Military Academy into only four months. The OCS is led by Major General Walter Reed Weaver.

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories No. 17, February 1942.

British Military: While publicly the British are emphasizing their "victory" during the Channel Dash of 12 February 1942 due to the removal of the German surface fleet threat from the Atlantic Ocean, in private they are seething. Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces a tribunal of inquiry under Mr. Justice Bucknill into how three large German ships made it through the English Channel.

US Government: The Provost Marshal General's office sends a telegraphic survey out to its corps commanders which asks:

Probable that orders for very large evacuation of enemy aliens of all nationalities predominantly Japanese from Pacific Coast will issue within 48 hours. Internment facilities will be taxed to utmost. Report at once maximum you can care for, including housing, feeding, medical care, and supply. Your breakdown should include number of men, women, and children. Very important to keep this a closely guarded secret.

A follow-up communication clarifies that 100,000 internees would be held east of the Western Defense Command and that there would be "50 percent in the Eighth Corps Area, 30 percent in the Seventh, and 10 percent each in the Fourth and Sixth." General DeWitt, head of the Western Defense Command, has been adamant that internment camps must be outside of his area.

There is a flurry of conferences today on the internment issue. President Roosevelt meets with Secretary Stimson, and Stimson later meets with Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy, Brigadier General Mark Clark, Provost Marshal Major General Allen W. Gullion, and Chief of the War Department's Alien Division Colonel Karl R. Bendetsen. Roosevelt makes clear to his top aides that evacuation is a military, not civilian, decision. Stimson is personally against a mass evacuation but finally decides that DeWitt should begin the process immediately. Attorney General Biddle then accepts a draft executive order from General Gullion authorizing the removal of both citizens and aliens from the Western Defense Command. This is the executive order that President Roosevelt ultimately signs.

An F6F Hellcat launching from a hangar catapult on USS Hornet (CV-12) (US Navy).

American Homefront: In her "My Day" column, Eleanor Roosevelt, after gossiping blandly about apartment-hunting in New York City, suddenly changes direction and reflects upon the shock and fear engendered by the loss of Singapore:

Sunday afternoon the news of Singapore's capitulation came to a great many people as a tremendous shock. I had talked with the President and he said resignedly that, of course, we had expected it, but I know a great many people did not. Perhaps it is good for us to have to face disaster, because we have been so optimistic and almost arrogant in our expectation of constant success. Now we shall have to find within us the courage to meet defeat and fight right on to victory.

At this point, the Japanese appear unstoppable. This may explain some of the decisions being made in Washington, D.C., during this period.

Pic Magazine, 17 February 1942, features Dona Drake on the cover. Drake, a film actress, appears in "Road to Morocco" in 1942. Born Eunice Westmoreland on 15 November 1914, Drake, of three-quarters black heritage but always posing as Mexican under names such as Rita Rio and Rita Shaw, passes away in 1989.

February 1942

February 1, 1942: The US Navy Strikes Back
February 2, 1942: Germans Recovering in Russia
February 3, 1942: Japanese Shell and Bomb Singapore
February 4, 1942: Battle of Makassar Strait
February 5, 1942: Empress of Asia Sunk
February 6, 1942: The Christmas Island Body
February 7, 1942: The Double-V Campaign
February 8, 1942: Japan Invades Singapore
February 9, 1942: French Liner Normandie Capsizes
February 10, 1942: US Car Production Ends
February 11, 1942: Tomforce Fails on Singapore
February 12, 1942: The Channel Dash
February 13, 1942: Japanese Paratroopers In Action
February 14, 1942: RAF Orders Terror Raids
February 15, 1942: Japan Takes Singapore
February 17, 1942: Indian Troops Defect to Japanese
February 18, 1942: Battle of Badung Strait
February 19, 1942: FDR Authorizes Internment Camps
February 20, 1942: O'Hare the Hero
February 21, 1942: Crisis in Burma
February 22, 1942: Bomber Harris Takes Over
February 23, 1942: Bombardment of Ellwood, California
February 24, 1942: US Raid on Wake Island
February 25, 1942: Battle of Los Angeles
February 26, 1942: Gneisenau Eliminated
February 27, 1942: Battle of Java Sea
February 28, 1942: Battle of Sunda Strait

2020

Monday 16 February 1942

"These pictures were taken at the extreme forward positions around Carmuset er Regem (Karmusat ar Rijam) area near Gazala, show infantry and artillery units of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifles Brigade facing German and Italian forces." 16 February 1942. © IWM (E 8413).

Battle of the Pacific: At Bataan on 16 February 1942, the Allies score a major success when they almost completely eliminate a wedge driven into their Main Line of Resistance (MLR). The I Corps, holding the western half of the MLR, has reduced the salient to about 100 yards. Further south, a Japanese bridgehead at Salaiim Point also is eliminated. The surviving Japanese attempt to reach the MLR but eventually are caught after they cover about seven miles. North of Bataan, in Manila Bay, the Allies on Carabao Island continue to hold out, but today the Japanese cut their water pipeline. The men holding Fort Frank on the island begin distilling water.

In Burma, the bitter battle at Bilin River continues. The 17th Indian Infantry Division is the only large Allied formation between the Japanese and Rangoon, and the fate of Burma hangs in the balance. The two understrength Japanese infantry divisions making the attack, the 33d and 55th, are well-trained in jungle warfare and can operate independently of motor transport. The Allied troops, on the other hand, are deficient in those areas. The Japanese maintain pressure on the British garrisons but also stealthily send units through the jungle to cut off the British lines of communication. Army Commander General Hutton comes forward to see how things are going and is dismayed. The Bilin River at that time of year is dry and little more than a sandy ditch, offering little defensive aid. The Sittang River to the rear is much more useful defensively. He gives Brigadier Sir John George Smyth, V.C., commander of the 17th, permission to withdraw.

The Japanese Times & Advertiser for 16 February 1942 is full of happy news for its English-speaking readers about the fall of Singapore. This is an occupation newspaper, as indicated by the carmine and green seals.

In Borneo, Japanese troops continue expanding their presence, taking Sintang, West Kalimantan. In Sumatra, the Japanese advance on Palembang from two directions and take it without trouble. The British now, aside from stragglers, have abandoned Sumatra. However, the evacuation has been hurried and they have left behind a lot of equipment, particularly at Oosthaven.

Japanese planes attack an Allied convoy bound for Timor. It is led by US Navy heavy cruiser USS Houston and the destroyer USS Peary. The planes score no hits, but near-misses kill two men and injure 18 others. After this incident, the convoy is rerouted to Darwin, Australian, thereby virtually abandoning any hope of holding a position on Timor.

The Daily Mirror of 16 February 1942 reports the loss of Singapore, announced in a radio address by Prime Minister Winston Churchill the previous night.

In Singapore, the victorious Japanese begin their lengthy occupation. They hoist their flag over the former British governor's residence in Singapore and also rename the city "Light of the South." The name change, however, is ignored by just about everyone. The Japanese also begin recruiting from the Indian troops in Singapore. Ultimately out of about 40,000 Indian personnel in Singapore, 30,000 join the Japanese-affiliated Indian National Army (INA) under the command of Rash Behari Bose. Some serve as guards over the British POWs at Changi Prison. There are still naval actions offshore, and today, the Japanese use gunfire to sink Royal Navy ship HMS Pulo Soeti in the Banka Straits (55 dead, 25 survivors).

Time Magazine, 16 February 1942, has Soviet Marshal Shaposhnikov on the cover.

Eastern Front: Reporting from the encircled garrison at Demyansk, Generalleutnant Graf Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt reports to OKH that he has 95,000 men with him in the pocket. In order to hold the pocket, Brockdorff reports that he requires 200 tons of supplies per day. While the Luftwaffe is using every available plane to supply the Demyansk pocket, he is only receiving 80-90 tons of supplies per day.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF No. 88 and 226 Squadrons send eight Boston bombers on anti-shipping operations off the Dutch coast. This is a new mission for the Boston bombers, their first regular one. This mission does not result in any ships attacked or bombers lost.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sense 37 Hampden and 12 Manchester bombers to lay mines in the Frisian Islands. One Hampden and one Manchester fail to return. Another 18 Wellingtons hit different targets in northern Germany with eight planes bombing Bremen, seven bombing Aurich, two bombing Oldenburg, and one bombing Wilhelmshaven. Two bombers hit Schipol Airfield at Amsterdam and Soesterberg Airfield near Utrecht. The British also send 11 bombers to drop leaflets over France. One British tactic at this stage is simply to spread out their attacks in order to maximize their nuisance value, as every raid requires that city's tired workers to get out of bed and troop down to shelters. Some raids force all of the Reich's workers to do so because it is unclear where the bombers will strike. In some ways, this is more useful to the British war effort than the actual effects of the bombs dropped.

U-156 (foreground) and U-507 (background) in September 1942 during the Laconia incident.

Battle of the Atlantic: German Operation Neuland begins on 16 February 1942. This is the extension of U-boat operations south from the Atlantic coast (Operation Paukenshchlag) into the Caribbean. The operation opens with several coordinated U-boat attacks. The strategic targets in this area are several oil refineries, the Venezuelan oil fields, and the Panama Canal. The most important refineries are on Dutch-owned Curaçao, processing eleven million barrels per month, which is the largest in the world; the refinery at Pointe-à-Pierre on Trinidad, the largest in the British Empire; and a large refinery on Dutch-owned Aruba. This region is the originating source of the four oil tankers of petroleum that the British Isles require on a daily basis. The entire United States oil industry also is concentrated along the Gulf of Mexico, so these are very high stakes indeed. The Germans have the advantage of being able to use the Vichy French facilities at Martinique, though such use is extremely limited as the Allies are closely watching Martinique.

In a very rare direct attack by Reich forces on land targets in the Western Hemisphere, U-156 (Kptlt. Werner Hartenstein), on its second patrol out of Lorient, attempts to shell Aruba. Hartenstein orders the crew to use the 37 mm (1.46 inch) deck gun to fire on the important oil refinery installation on the island. However, through sheer negligence, the two-man gun crew forgets to remove the water plug from the gun barrel. This causes the shell to explode within the barrel and throw shrapnel everywhere. The explosion kills the triggerman, Matrosengefreiter Heinrich Büssinger, and causes the gunnery officer standing nearby, II WO Leutnant zur See Dietrich von dem Borne, to lose his right leg. This disaster does not cause Hartenstein to abandon his attack, however. He orders the crew to saw off the shattered portion of the barrel, and they pump 16 rounds at the refinery. The shortened barrel, however, is not as accurate as it otherwise might be at long range, so only two shells are reported to hit the target. They cause a dent in an oil storage tank and a hole in a house. After this, Hartenstein sets a course for another part of the island.

SS Oranjestad, sunk by U-156 on 16 February 1942.

Before the attack on the oil refinery, Hartenstein at 01:31 torpedoes two Lago Company oilers in San Nicholas Harbor. Both ships, the SS Pedernales and Oranjestad, are loaded with oil and burst into flames. There are 8 deaths and 18 survivors on the Pedernales and 15 deaths and 7 survivors on the Oranjestad. At 03:13, Hartenstein puts one torpedo into US Texaco-owned tanker SS Arkansas at Eagle Beach (nest to the Arend/Eagle Refinery). The ship settles to the shallow harbor bottom but there are no casualties.

SS San Nicholas, sunk by U-502 on 16 February 1942.

U-boats are active elsewhere in the Caribbean, too. U-502 (Kptlt. Jürgen von Rosenstiel), on its third patrol out of Lorient, has a big day off the Venezuelan coast. During mid-morning, it sinks three ships:

• 2395-ton British freighter Tia Juana (17 dead, nine survivors)
• 2650-ton Venezuelan freighter Monagas (five dead, 26 survivors)
• 2391-ton British freighter San Nicolas (seven deaths, 19 survivors).

These U-502 attacks seriously disrupt the flow of oil from the important Venezuelan oil fields.

U-67 (Kptlt. Günther Müller-Stöckheim), on its third patrol out of Lorient, damages 3177-ton Dutch tanker Rafaela one mile north of Willemstad, Curaçao. The ship is towed to port but there it breaks in two and sinks. Rafaela later is raised, repaired, and returned to service.

SS Ramapo, sunk by U-108 on 16 February 1942.

U-108 (KrvKpt. Klaus Scholtz), on its sixth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 2968-ton Panamanian freighter Ramapo about 180 miles north of Bermuda. The Ramapo is traveling as an independent and the torpedo strikes at 15:56, breaking the ship in two after a boiler explosion. Captain Scholtz surfaces and questions the survivors in their lifeboats, but they are never found. All forty men perish.

U-564 (Kptlt. Reinhard Suhren), on its fourth patrol out of La Pallice, uses its 88 mm deck gun to damage independent British tanker Opalia about 300 miles northwest of Bermuda. U-564 fires all 83 rounds in its inventory but does not succeed in sinking the tanker, hitting it with only three rounds. The tanker makes it to port and suffers only three injured men due to shell splinters.

SS Pedernales sinking, 16 February 1942.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Governor/Commander of Malta reports to Whitehall that he needs more artillery and men to fire them. Luftwaffe air activity over the island has increased markedly. Today, there are multiple attacks. A Junkers Ju 88 drops eight bombs on Luqa aerodrome and escapes unscathed, two other Junkers 88 bombers drop bombs on Ta Qali and in the sea off Grand Harbor, a Junkers drops four bombs on St. Paul's Bay, and other bombers attack Ta Qali again. There are other bombing attacks as well and numerous fly-bys. The air situation has become nerve-wracking for the British. However, unbeknownst to the Allies, Hitler still has not authorized an invasion of Malta despite the obvious utility to the Wehrmacht of doing so.

War Crimes: While Singapore fell on 15 February 1942, echoes from that defining moment continue to reverberate throughout the region. In the final days before its capture, Singapore refugees sought any means of escape that they could find. Since the Japanese possessed the only airfield and there were no more large ships willing to make the dangerous passage, that meant overloaded small craft, basically anything that could float. One of those ships was the Sarawak royal yacht Vyner Brooke, which carried wounded soldiers and 65 members of the Australian Army Nursing Service from the 2/13th Australian General Hospital. Also on board the  1670-ton vessel were many civilians and assorted other refugees. This results in the Bangka Island Massacre.

The NY Times for 16 February 1942 is full of very accurate news about the deteriorating situation for the Allies in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

Like many other ships leaving in the final days, the Vyner Brooke did not make it far. Japanese aircraft bombed and sank it, and whoever could swim or get in a lifeboat made it to nearby Bangka Island. An officer went to Muntok and brought back Japanese soldiers, who quickly marched the wounded Australian soldiers out of sight and bayoneted and shot them. The Japanese soldiers then returned, told the 22 surviving nurses to walk into the surf. After their matron, Irene Drummond, calls out, "Chin up, girls, I'm proud of you and I love you," the Japanese machine-gun them. The Japanese then bayoneted anyone else who they could find. Incredibly, one of the 22 nurses, Sister Lt. Vivian Bullwinkel, survives in the water despite having been shot in the gut. She manages to elude the Japanese and meet up with a British soldier, Private Patrick Kingsley, who had been bayoneted but also survived. Kingsley soon passes away from his wounds, but Bullwinkel survives three years in a POW camp and gives testimony at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal in 1947.

British Military: The British form the 10th Army under Lieutenant-General E.P. Quinan. Its responsibilities are Iran and Iraq. Quinan has been the commander of Iraqforce and is famous for his attention to detail (a "spit and polish" officer), something that is extremely prized in a peacetime army but not so much in chaotic war conditions.

Dignitaries and sailors attending the launch of USS Alabama, 16 February 1942 (US Navy).

US Military: The battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) is launched at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. It is the fourth and final member of the South Dakota class. As of the date of this writing, USS Alabama is a National Historic Landmark based at Mobile, Alabama and is part of a museum.

The USAAF Fifth Air Force continues organizing its forces. HQ 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) and 7th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) transfer from Melbourne to Bankstown, Australia with P-40s. The 8th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) transfers from Melbourne to Canberra, also with P-40. The air echelon of the 16th Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group, transfers from Brisbane to Batchelor with A-24s. The ground echelon remains trapped on Bataan.

Australian Military: Following the tragic losses suffered by their troops in Singapore, the Australian Chiefs of Staff recommend that "if possible, all Australian forces now under order to transfer to the Far East from the Middle East should be diverted to Australia." This indirectly is hurting the Allied situation in the Middle East, where Australian and New Zealand troops have carried much of the burden against General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. However, the Australians rightly fear the seemingly unstoppable Japanese advance southward towards them.

A Dr. Seuss political cartoon published on 16 September 1942 shows Hitler and Tojo as thieves leading stolen cattle out of barns marked "Pearl Harbor," "Singapore," and "Maginot Line." Tojo says to Hitler, "Funny... Some people never learn to keep their barn doors locked." PM Magazine, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.

Japanese Government: Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo makes a speech before the National Diet in which he makes as a war aim a "new order of coexistence and co-prosperity on ethical principles in Greater East Asia." He thus basically adopts a phrase, the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," proposed by philosopher Kiyoshi Miki. This expands on the "New Order" proposed by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 22 December 1938. While Konoe only foresaw Japanese dominion over areas directly adjacent to Japan, Tojo now sees a much larger swathe of territory down to the Netherlands East Indies as being rightfully Japanese. Somewhat ironically, Miki is actually a Marxist who is opposed to Japanese militaristic expansion.

Hungarian Government: Regent Admiral Horthy's party pushes a bill through the legislature which establishes a vice-regency. The bill gives Horthy the right to nominate his own candidate. In practical effect, this bill seeks to establish a de facto dynasty for the Horthy family, though there remains widespread disagreement within the government of automatic succession. In due course, Horthy nominates his son, Istvan Horthy, as vice-regent. This is considered by many, including leaders of the fascist Arrow-Cross Party, as an affront to the Reich, as Istvan is known to be "no friend" of the Third Reich and Hitler does not think very highly of him. However, at this point, the Germans do not want to "rock the boat" far behind the front lines and wish enthusiastic Hungarian participation in the coming summer offensive which they believe will be decisive. So the fascists, at least for the time being, accept this development.

The San Bernardino County California Sun Newspaper, February 16, 1942, gives instructions for building your very own Luftwaffe fighter.

US Government: The major topic in Washington, D.C., is not military operations but how to handle people along the west coast of the United States who are ethnically or legally related to Japan. President Roosevelt sends a letter to Secretary Stimson asking him to tell Congress what the plan is. Since there is no plan yet, this is a very difficult request. The Department of Justice reports that as of 16 February 1942, the number of alien Japanese apprehended has increased to 1,266, and a Treasury agent reports to Army authorities that "an estimated 20,000 Japanese in the San Francisco metropolitan area were ready for organized action." Regardless of the accuracy of such reports, there is an urgent need for a resolution to this issue. Congress, the authorities on the West Coast, the military, and the federal bureaucracy are all groping frantically for a firm answer.

Holocaust: Heinrich Himmler issues a decree regarding German objectives behind the lines in the East. He directs that "Polonized Germans" - ethnic Germans in Poland who are resistant to Germanization - be resettled in "Old Reich territory" to complete their "re-Germanization." Anyone who resists is to be sent to a concentration camp. Meanwhile, "German farmers, laborers, civil servants, merchants, and artisans" are to be resettled in former Poland in order to create "a living and deep-rooted bastion of German people." The ultimate aim is to replace the native population of Poland with a reliably "German" one and force the native population to become truly German. Ruthless measures are approved for this process, including the confiscation of property, land, and assets.

Newsweek magazine for 16 February 1942 highlights the growing use of female labor in wartime factories.

American Homefront: While World War II is well underway, the Supreme Court of the United States is still deciding cases arising out of World War I. Some of them have obvious applicability to World War II situations. In UNITED STATES v. BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION (315 U.S. 289, 291), the Court declines to force a steel plant to disgorge "unconscionable" profits from wartime ship construction under the Emergency Shipping Fund Act. The Court finds that corporations are entitled to their profits from war contracts even if some people consider them excessive and that any issue of war profiteering must be addressed by Congress. There may be an element of calculation in at least the timing of this decision, as the federal government desperately needs private businesses to step forward and fill military needs. Reassuring them that they can keep their promised profits aids the current war effort.

Life magazine, 16 February 1942, highlights soldier-civilian relations.

February 1942

February 1, 1942: The US Navy Strikes Back
February 2, 1942: Germans Recovering in Russia
February 3, 1942: Japanese Shell and Bomb Singapore
February 4, 1942: Battle of Makassar Strait
February 5, 1942: Empress of Asia Sunk
February 6, 1942: The Christmas Island Body
February 7, 1942: The Double-V Campaign
February 8, 1942: Japan Invades Singapore
February 9, 1942: French Liner Normandie Capsizes
February 10, 1942: US Car Production Ends
February 11, 1942: Tomforce Fails on Singapore
February 12, 1942: The Channel Dash
February 13, 1942: Japanese Paratroopers In Action
February 14, 1942: RAF Orders Terror Raids
February 15, 1942: Japan Takes Singapore
February 17, 1942: Indian Troops Defect to Japanese
February 18, 1942: Battle of Badung Strait
February 19, 1942: FDR Authorizes Internment Camps
February 20, 1942: O'Hare the Hero
February 21, 1942: Crisis in Burma
February 22, 1942: Bomber Harris Takes Over
February 23, 1942: Bombardment of Ellwood, California
February 24, 1942: US Raid on Wake Island
February 25, 1942: Battle of Los Angeles
February 26, 1942: Gneisenau Eliminated
February 27, 1942: Battle of Java Sea
February 28, 1942: Battle of Sunda Strait

2020