Saturday 14 March 1942

Generalfeldmarschall Keitel, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, and Generalfeldmarschall Milch waiting for Adolf Hitler in front of the Berlin armory at the 14 March 1942 Heroes Day ceremony. Note that Keitel is holding his Marshal's baton. (Federal Archive Figure 183-J00683).

Battle of the Pacific: The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has been split between focusing on Japan or Germany as it builds up its forces. On 14 March 1942, it finally decides to lean toward Europe and maintain a more defensive posture in the Pacific Theater of Operations. This decision is strongly opposed by Admiral Ernest J. King, who prefers to focus on the PTO, but he is overruled. Throughout the war, though, King remains a lone voice calling for greater efforts against the Japanese.

During the late morning, coast watchers on the southern shores of New Guinea in the village of Kerema, just west of Port Moresby, spot a large force of Japanese planes heading west. They alert the RAAF by radio. They turn out to be eight Mitsubishi G4M1 heavy bombers escorted by twelve A6M2 Zeros of the 4th Kokutai The Japanese bombers took off from both Rabaul and Lae airfields, are heading toward Australia.

The Heroes Day ceremony in Berlin, 14 March 1942. On the platform are Adolf Hitler, Grand Admiral Raeder, Generalfeldmarschall Keitel, Generalfeldmarschall Milch, Reichsführer SS Himmler, Colonel General Fromm, Reichsführer General d. Inf. Reinhardt and Reich War Victim Leader Oberlindober. The ceremony involves laying a wreath on the cenotaph dedicated to heroes. Among other things, this photo is interesting for showing how utterly concerned the Germans are about air attack at this stage of the war (Federal Archive Figure 183-J00682).

The Japanese bombers raid Horn Island, which is ten miles (16 km) north of Queensland, Australia. They destroy a Hudson bomber and a fuel dump and cause some other damage to infrastructure. The RAAF is able to get fighters in the air due to the warning and shoot down two Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters (according to the Japanese) or four Zeros and a bomber (according to the Australians). While little noticed by the public, Horn Island is in a critical location in the Torres Strait between Queensland and New Guinea and thus perfectly suited for air operations between Australia and New Guinea. The Allies realize this and are building the island up into the main tactical base for Allied air operations in the Torres Strait. This is the first of nine Japanese air raids against Horn Island.

The first US Army troops land in Australia. General MacArthur, their commander, remains stuck at Del Monte Field on Mindanao in the Philippines awaiting air transport to Darwin.

German troops during the March 1942 fighting in Crimea (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe 2-840).

Eastern Front: It is the second day of the Soviet offensive in the Parpach Narrows, and already it is floundering. The fighting is bitter, but the Germans skillfully protect their strongpoint at Koi-Asan using antitank guns, StuG III tank destroyers, and an increased Luftwaffe presence. The Soviets are launching attack after attack (at least ten in all) with three rifle divisions, but the ground is soggy due to the beginning of the Spring Thaw (Rasputitsa). This slows down the advancing tanks and supporting infantry enough for the Germans to stop them.

The Germans remain determined to begin Operation Raubtier ("Beast of Prey"), the mission to encircle a Soviet salient across the Volkhov River. It already has been delayed for one day due to poor weather. As the new day dawns, however, the temperature has fallen precipitously (-31° F (-35° C). General Küchler, commander of Army Group North, reluctantly postpones the operation for another day. This leaves the infantry, in exposed forward positions ready for the attack, to suffer through another day and night of subzero weather.

"Adelaide, SA. 14 March 1942. Troops of the 7th Australian Division, disembarking from His Majesty's Transport (HMT) Orcades on their return from the Middle East." Australian War Memorial 030126/06.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command, having conducted major operations against Cologne and scattered other targets during the night of 13/14 March, have a quiet night on the 14th. It sends six Boston bombers on an anti-shipping sweep off Le Havre. This begins a lengthy period in which Bomber Command conducts only small-scale missions as it builds up its strength and waits for good summer weather.

A soldier in a French workshop working on a telescope (Gourmet, Federal Archives Figure 101II-MW-3708-11).

Battle of the Atlantic: After dark, German E-boats attack a British convoy in the North Sea. They sink Royal Navy destroyer HMS Vortigern at a cost of five of their own boats.

"North African coast area. 14 March 1942. Five members of the aircrew having a cup of tea in the wardroom of a Sunderland flying boat while on coastal patrol off the North African coast. A Sunderland aircraft carries a normal crew of eight." Australian War Memorial MED0354.

Battle of the Mediterranean: U-133 (Kptlt. Eberhard Mohr), on its third patrol but first under new captain Mohr, strikes a mine and sinks two hours south of Salamis. The Salamis wandered off course into a German defensive minefield. All 45 men on board perish. During its career, U-133 sank one ship of 1,920 tons. There is a myth about U-133 that it was on a secret mission to sail up the Colorado River and destroy the Hoover Dam, but that is all it is - a myth.

HMS Ultimatum (P 34, Lt. P.R.H. Harrison, DSC, RN) torpedoes Italian submarine Ammiraglio Millo in the Ionian Sea off Punta (Cape) Stilo, Calabria, Italy. Two out of four torpedoes hit. Commander Harrison takes aboard 14 survivors (57 dead) and then proceeds to Malta.

The German state radio pays the anti-aircraft efforts on Malta a rare compliment, saying:

Malta’s Anti-Aircraft artillery must be counted among Tommy’s very best, and plays the greatest part in the defense of the Island.

The Luftwaffe continues its attacks on Malta's airfields with raids on Hal Far. The Luftwaffe suffers an unfortunate accident when two Bf 109s collide over the island, killing Heinrich Blum, III/JG3. The other pilot, Leutnant Walter Seiz, manages to return to base (14 victories, POW 23 August 1944).

Partisans: Soviet partisans are becoming a problem for the Germans. They begin to plan operations using military forces to root them out. Today, in anticipation of the first such operation ("Operation Munich") set to begin on 19 March 1942, the Germans set up a special anti-partisan air detachment at Bobruisk.

Stalin's secret bunker in Kuibyshev. The portrait is of Alexander Suvorov (ShinePhantom).

German/Italian Relations: The two Axis partners sign a new trade agreement.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: The new British Minister to the USSR, Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, arrives in Kuibyshev (Kuybyshev, or Samara). This is the Soviets' alternative capital should Moscow fall and has become a center of the Soviet bureaucracy. Among other things, the Soviets are busy at this time building a secret bunker for Stalin located 37 meters below the CPSU oblast Committee building (later the Samara State University of Culture). Stalin and the military high command (Stavka), however, remain in Moscow and there is no evidence that Stalin ever visits his potential command post in Kuibyshev.

Japanese Military: Now that resistance on Java is over, Japanese Imperial General Headquarters issues orders for "Operation X" (the invasion and occupation of Christmas Island). Rear Admiral Shōji Nishimura is assigned to command the Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet's Occupation Force. The British only have 32 men on Christmas Island. A group of Punjabi troops there recently mutinied and killed five British soldiers, including the British commander, Captain L.W.T. Williams. The invasion is planned for 31 March 1942.

"Adelaide, Australia. 14 March 1942. Troops of the 7th Australian Division, waiting to entrain at Adelaide after having disembarked from His Majesty's Transport (HMT) Orcades on their return from the Middle East." Australian War Memorial 030127/01.

US Military: US Army Air Force units of the 51st Pursuit Group, 10th Air Force, arrive in Karachi, India, from the United States. The 9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), flying B-17s, also arrives from Australia.  These B-17s fly their first mission on 2 April 1942.

Units of the USAAF 5th Air Force transfer from Melbourne to Laverton, Australia. These include the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 43d BG (Heavy), later redesignated as the 403rd Bomber Squadron. There are other transfers of units to and from Melbourne as General Brett rebalances his forces, and the air echelon of 88th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 7th BG (Heavy), ceases operating from Townsville, Australia with B-17's and begins moving to Karachi, India.

The New Yorker, 14 March 1942.

British Military: The British realize that Ceylon is a likely target of the Japanese and are beefing up their presence there. Today, they appoint General Sir Henry Pownall to lead the Ceylon Command.

The head of the British Military Mission to Chungking, Major-General Dennys, perishes in a plane accident near Kunming. Relations between Chiang Kai-Shek are not strained at the moment due to the lingering aftereffects of the Tulsa Incident.

US Government: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a proposal to all 48 state governors (Hawaii and Alaska are still territories) that speed limits throughout the nation be reduced to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) to conserve tired due to the short supplies of rubber.

The War Production Board orders gasoline deliveries be cut 20 percent in 17 eastern states and the District of Columbia. This is due to the great loss of tankers in the past two months, particularly along the Eastern seaboard. Gasoline is already rationed.

"Adelaide, SA. 14 March 1942. Troops, hands extended, of the 7th Australian Division, receive a welcome from the people of the suburbs of Adelaide as they pass through a station on their way to Adelaide from the docks after having disembarked from His Majesty's Transport (HMT) Orcades on their return from the Middle East." Australian War Memorial 030127/02.

Australian Government: Prime Minister John Curtin makes a speech to the public:

We are, then, committed, heart and soul, to total warfare. How far, you may ask me, have we progressed along that road? I may answer you this way. Out of every ten men in Australia four are wholly engaged in war as members of the fighting forces or making the munition and equipment to fight with. The other six, besides feeding and clothing the whole ten and their families, have to produce the food and wool and metals which Britain needs for her very existence.

Curtin is trying to bring as many Australian troops home from other theaters as possible to defend the homeland.

Norwegian Homefront: Seven Bishops of the Norwegian Lutheran Church resign their offices rather than co-operate with the Quisling government. They are Bishop Andreas Fleischer (Bergen), Bishop Wollert Krohn-Hansen (Tromso), Bishop Gabriel Skagestad (Stavanger), Bishop Hille (Hamar), Bishop Johan Storen (Nidaros, Trondheim), Bishop Berggrav (Oslo - Primate of the Norwegian Church), and Bishop Maroni (Agder Diocese).

Future History: Rita Tushingham is born in Liverpool, England. She becomes an actress after working as an assistant stage manager at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her film debut is in "A Taste of Honey" (1961), in which she participates with Paul Danquah in what is reputed to be the first interracial kiss in film history. Other prominent film roles include supporting roles in "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Being Julia" (2004), and "The Leather Boys" (1964). Rita has won a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award. Rita Tushingham remains a working actress as of this writing in 2020.

Early ''Li'l Abner'' Comic Strip From 14 March 1942 Featuring J. Sweetlips Garks aka Jeb S. Scragg -- Drawn & Signed by Al Capp.

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

Friday 6 February 1942

RAF reconnaissance photo showing Graf Zeppelin at Gotenhafen (Gdynia), 6 February 1942 (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command NH 78306).

Battle of the Pacific: A Carley float is spotted near Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island and recovered on 6 February 1942. This island is run by employees of the Christmas Island Phosphate Company, Lt. The float contains a body clothed in a white boiler suit which is buried but not identified, as the staff is preparing to evacuate (which is done by 23 February 1942). This random occurrence begins a mystery that continues into the 21st Century, as some people believe that the float and body came from lost Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney, sunk on 19 November 1941. Since there were no survivors of that ship's encounter with German raider Kormoran and no bodies were ever recovered, this would be the only remains ever found from the doomed ship. The body is exhumed and examined in 2006 with inconclusive results. This remains under review by the Australian government and a great deal of effort, time, and thought has been expended on the human remains. They also have been the foundation of various conspiracy theories, such as that the German machine-gunned any survivors of the Sydney (there is no proof of this aside from interpretations about the state of the remains). This is one of the longest-lasting investigations stemming from World War II.

On 6 February 2021, the Australian government announced that DNA testing has proven that the body was, in fact, a deceased crewman from HMAS Sydney. His name was Able Seaman (AB) Thomas Welsby Clark, a native of Brisbane.

"HMS UTMOST alongside the depot ship HMS FORTH." 6 February 1942 (© IWM (A 7726)).

General Tomoyuki Yamashita, General Office Commanding 25th Army, is safely ensconced in the royal palace directly across the strait from Singapore. The British know he is there, but do not shell the palace out of respect for the feelings of the local people. Yamashita's presence there serves multiple purposes, including suggesting to the British that the major Japanese invasion of Singapore will come in the eastern portion of the strait near the destroyed causeway. Yamashita summons his officers at 11:00 and gives them the plan of attack. He plans a feint in the northeast on the night of 7 February, when he will have the ceremonial Imperial Guards Division take Palau Ubin Island opposite Chang in the northeast of Singapore. On the 8th, the 5th and 18th Divisions will mount the main invasion in northwest Singapore. The more perceptive British strategists in Singapore, such as British chief engineer Brigadier Ivan Simson, divine this plan and warn Lieutenant General Ernest Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, that the danger lies in the northwest. Percival, however, is convinced that the attack will occur in the east, which provides a more direct route to the heart of Singapore, and continues reinforcing that area.

After dark, the Australian 22nd Brigade sends three small patrols across the strait to Johor. The Japanese spot one of them, sinking its ship and kill the commander. The other patrols manage to gather intelligence about Japanese troop concentrations. The Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, supported by Australian troops, sink and kill a Japanese patrol that was attempting to cross the Strait for similar purposes.

The New York Times of 6 February 1942 provides on page 2 a helpful map of Singapore. The caption to the map begins, "In heavy shelling of Japanese position at Johore Bahru, Singapore's guns silenced some enemy batteries," which tells you straight off that we are dealing with fantasy.

Local Singapore workers do not want their home to become a battleground and have been causing labor issues to hamper the British. This has included demanding pay increases and a distinct lack of enthusiasm for any work directly related to the war. They take this passive-aggressive protest further today when local stevedores refuse to unload 16 tanks and 2000 tons of ammunition from freighter Empire Star. The ship's crew has to do the work themselves. Suspiciously, the lines holding the ship to the dock keep getting cast off without orders during Japanese air raids, causing it to drift off and delaying the unloading. Meanwhile, other ships depart as quickly as they can be unloaded and then embark on refugees. HMS Danae, Sutlej, and HMAS Yarra having escorted in Convoy BM-12 recently, quickly turn around and escort departing Convoy EMU to India. This includes ships Devonshire and Felix Roussel heading for India and the City of Canterbury heading for Batavia. At the end of the day, around midnight, HMAS Woolongong sails under cover of darkness. It is the last Allied ship to leave Singapore for years.

In the Philippines, the Japanese attack the US Army I Corps sector in the western half of the Bataan Peninsula. Their aim is to relieve two dwindling Japanese pockets just south of the Allied Main Line of Resistance (MLR). The Japanese attack gets within 800 years (meters) of the main pocket but then are stopped by elements of the 11th Division, Philippine Army. This Japanese wedge in the MLR becomes known as the "Upper Pocket," though this is a misnomer because it is not technically a pocket (though it is isolated by the river at its back). Further north, in Manila Bay, the US continues to hold isolated islands where Fort Drum and Fort Frank are located. The Japanese begin shelling these islands today from artillery positioned along the south shore of the Bay in the vicinity of Ternate.

The New York Times publishes on page 8 what it describes as the "First Pictures of Japanese Entering Manila."

The Allies continue to believe that the Bataan Peninsula can be held indefinitely. There is little sense of urgency, though everyone understands the seriousness of the battles underway. Thus, staff officers worry more about supplies and reinforcements there rather than an evacuation. Today, the Engineer, United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), submits to G-4 (logistics), USAFFE, a detailed list of requested supplies for Bataan to be shipped "to whatever supply point may be most advantageous." This includes, among other things, camouflage nets, truck radiators, barbed wire, chemicals, paper, mapping and aerial reconnaissance supplies, construction supplies such as acetylene bottles, paintbrushes, and explosives for demolition work. The Engineer recommends that the supplies be sent on three ships so that some get through despite losses. There is nothing wrong with the list and it certainly comports with the army's basic requirements. However, its underlying premise is that the US presence on Bataan is stable and likely to last for a long time since, even if approved, these items would take months to procure and ship.

USS Downes (DD-375). "Being floated out of Pearl Harbor Navy Yard's Drydock # 1, while under salvage on 6 February 1942. Light-colored patches cover areas of severe damage to her hull. She had been bombed and burned out during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph." NH 54557.

Fierce air battles continue over Burma. At about 10:00, the American Volunteer Group (AVG) destroys four Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters near Rangoon. Japanese forces are infiltrating across the Salween River but are not yet in a position to mount a major attack to dislodge the Indian defenders there.

The gradual Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies continues as a detachment lands at Gorontalo on Minahassa Peninsula, west of Menado, on Celebes Island. Japanese bombers attack Palembang P1 Airfield on Sumatra at 1100 hours. During the attack, they shoot down two Blenheim bombers and four Hawker Hurricanes and destroy two Buffaloes on the ground. The Dutch receive reconnaissance reports of Japanese naval forces concentrating near the Anambas Islands. Agents in French Indochina report the presence of a Japanese airborne division which is prepared for action.

Reich Organization Leader Robert Ley speaks at a rally at the Berlin Sports Palace to employees of the Siemens company on 6 February 1942. Behind him is a propaganda poster that reads, "He fights harder! We increase our performance." The Winter Relief is in full swing, a little late but better late than never (Hoffmann, Federal Archive Fig. 183-J00340).

Eastern Front: The Germans have avoided disaster by reopening supply lines to the Fourth Army and other large formations that were isolated by the Soviet counteroffensive around Moscow in December and January 1942. However, large forces remain surrounded at Kholm and Demyansk and there are no plans to relieve them anytime soon. Instead, the Germans have decided to supply them by air in the first sustained airlift in military history. Hitler is solidly behind this idea, though his underlings sometimes advise him that the planes could be better used elsewhere and the pockets are unsustainable. The airlift is hampered by the absence of airfields, so many of the supply efforts must be made by airdrops. These drops are not always accurate, and fierce battles develop as both sides attempt to recover the crates in the contested fringe areas. Overall, though, the airlift idea works, though life inside the pockets is grim and the defenses barely hold. The Red Army also has troops behind German lines, most notably south of Rzhev, and they, too, survive only with airlifts. There Germans are astonished to see the Red Air Force transports landing within view and in all kinds of weather.

European Air Operations: The RAF resumes operations after a mid-winter break. During the day, it sends 33 Hampden and 13 Manchester bombers to lay mines in the Frisian Islands. The British lose one Hampden.

RAF Bomber Command also sends 57 Wellington and 3 Stirling bombers to attack the German naval base at Brest. The cloudy weather prevents precision bombing and only 21 bombers report dropping their bombs on the target. If the raid has any significance, it is to stimulate German plans for Operation Cerberus, the Channel Dash scheduled for four days before the new moon on 11 February 1942.

"Officers and members UTMOST's crew at their action stations in the interior of the submarine. The Commanding Officer, Lieut Cdr R D Cayley, is at the periscope." Taken upon HMS Utmost's arrival at Holy Loch on 6 February 1942 after a year of service in the Mediterranean. © IWM (A 7721).

Battle of the Atlantic: Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat) continues off the east coast of the United States with the arrival of the second wave of U-boats. The first wave of the operation sank 25 Allied ships in 25 days. The most successful U-boat was U-123, which sank nine ships. This next wave of the attack will, when it is completed, replace the original six U-boats with 15 submarines. The US Navy is overstretched and has not yet established a convoy system along the coast. The U-boats throughout the war enjoy their greatest success against "independents" and thus find great success with unescorted freighters and tankers which often are illuminated by cities behind them along the shore which are brightly lit.

U-82, sunk in the North Atlantic on 6 February 1942.

U-82 (Kptlt. Siegfried Rollmann), on its third patrol out of La Pallice, France, has sunk three ships of 19,307 tons on this patrol in the western Atlantic and is returning to France when it runs out of luck. After spotting Convoy OS-18 northeast of the Azore Islands (Rollmann informs his superiors of this and he is ordered to shadow the convoy), Rollmann is spotted by Royal Navy escorts sloop Rochester (L50) and corvette Tamarisk. They combine to sink U-82, and there are no survivors of the crew of 34 to add further details. With a total of 51,859 tons of cargo shipping sunk and one warship of 1190 tons sunk, along with damaging a 1999-ton freighter, U-82 is one of the more successful U-boats of World War II.

SS Major Wheeler, sunk on 6 February 1942.

U-107 (Kptlt. Harald Gelhaus), on its fifth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 3431-ton US freighter Major Wheeler in the Atlantic while en route from Fajardo, Puerto Rico to Philadelphia carrying 4,611 pounds of sugar. The ship sinks by the stern within two minutes. All 35 men aboard perished.

10,107-ton cargo liner MV Opawa, sunk on 6 February 1942.

U-106 torpedoes, shells, and sinks 10,107-ton refrigerated cargo liner Opawa MV about 400 miles northeast of Bermuda. There are 56 deaths and 15 survivors, including master Captain W.G. Evans.

In an incident that is sometimes reported as happening on either 5 or 6 February 1942, U-109 (Kptlt Bleichrodt) torpedoes and sinks 3530-ton Panamian freighter SS Halcyon. Search and rescue take place on 6 February 1942. A search plane finds the wreckage and directs British tanker British Prestige to the area. It spends the day hunting down and rescuing 27 survivors, one 73 years old.

British tanker British Prestige (courtesy of Eric Wiberg).

Battle of the Mediterranean: On land, the two sides settle down to garrison duties, the British on the Gazala Line and the Axis forces around Mechili.The Afrika Korps under Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel advance of 350 miles past Benghazi has been a bonanza for the Wehrmacht, as the British have not only abandoned their own supplies but also previously abandoned German supplies such as ammunition that the British did not have time to remove.

On Malta, planes of RAF No. 21 Squadron (Blenheim IV) is flying off the island of Filfla when some Bf 109s of JG 53 appear and shoot down three Blenheims. Lt. Hans, Oblt. Wittmeyer, Lt. Herbert Soukup, and Oblt. Helmut Belser all claim victories.

"The crew of a Crusader tank cleaning the barrel of the 2-pdr gun, 6 February 1942." © IWM (E 8078).

Arab/Axis Relations: Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, travels from Germany to Italy and confers with Benito Mussolini in Rome. Husseini, who previously has conferred with Hitler and other top German leaders, feels that they have a common enemy in the British, who he sees as protecting the Jewish people in the Middle East. It is a very fine point and perhaps a point without much of a distinction, but while Hitler and his cronies want to exterminate the Jewish people, Husseini only wants to destroy Zionism and expel all Jewish people from what he considers to be Arab lands. The Axis powers hope that Husseini can raise troops against the Allies and rise up in a giant Jihad against them throughout the Middle East. Husseini is willing to do this, but he has virtually no military power, only somewhat shaky moral authority and popular influence.

Allied Relations: The first meeting of the military leaders of the United Kingdom and the United States, the Combined Chief of Staff, takes place in Washington, D.C.

On page 4 of the 6 February 1942 New York Times, the headline screams, "Surabaya, Unawed, Awaits Japanese Invasion Attempt." The piece begins, "Eastern Java, of which the big naval base of Surabaya is the political and industrial center, is set to meet a Japanese attack." Well, how "set" they actually are remains to be seen, and very shortly. They could stand to be a bit awed.

US Military: The U.S. Navy designates certain areas as Naval Coastal Frontiers. This includes the Eastern, Gulf, Caribbean, Panama, Hawaiian, Northwest, Western, and Philippine Sea Frontiers.

A USAAF P-40 Kittyhawk piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Oscar W. A. Handy (0-425080) of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) crashes at Darwin, Northern Territory. Handy survives.

The 178th Signal Company is constituted at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. It will serve with distinction in the Rhineland in 1944 and Vietnam in the 1960s.

British Military: In a typical wartime accident, a Bristol Blenheim on a training mission crashes into a tree after taking off from Hinton-in-the-Hedges. The only man aboard, Sgt William Everard-Smith of 13 OTU RAF, is buried at Chorley (St. Gregory) Roman Catholic Churchyard nearby. These crashes happen through pilot error, strained maintenance servicing, poor visibility, and other factors that are not as pronounced during peacetime.

The New York Times, 6 February 1942. When the going gets tough, the media gets positive even when there isn't really anything positive to report. The main headline reads, "Singapore Silences Foe's Guns in Duel; U.S. Fighters over Java Bag 2 Planes; Japanese Span the Salween in Burma," almost all of which is nonsense.

German Military: Adolf Hitler orders Minister of Armaments Fritz Todt to chair a committee that will organize the chaotic armaments situation. German industry had cut back on munitions production during 1941 when it appeared that the Soviet Union would be quickly conquered, but the fierce winter fighting was not expected and supplies which were thought would be restocked during this period instead continue to be drawn down. There also are many different fiefdoms within the government which control different aspects of the war effect, such as Hermann Goering's position as plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan, which destroy attempts at coordination toward efficiency. While Goering continues in this position and is allowed to continue building his personal empire primarily centered in Austria and the Balkans, Todt is given sweeping new powers over the wartime economy. This is a tacit recognition by Hitler that final victory is going to take more time than originally thought and the Reich has to prepare for a long and arduous war.

The crew of HMS Utmost hoists the Jolly Roger showing their victories while on patrol after arriving in port at Holy Loch, Scotland, 6 February 1942.

Egypt: Under intense pressure from the British (British ambassador Sir Miles Lampson has surrounded the royal palace with tanks in the "Abdeen Palace incident"), King Farouk organizes a new Wafd (nationalist) government. He appoints Mostafa El-Nahas to the position of Prime Minister. Nahas has a reputation for being corrupt (as just one example, he is accused of forcing landowners to sell him prime property), but he is acceptable to the British because his pecuniary motivations outweigh any pro-Axis sympathies that he may or may not have. He also was one of the signers of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, which indicates some willingness to work with the British, though (long after the war) he later denounces that treaty during a low-point in Egyptian-British relations.

Korvettenkapitän (later Fregattenkapitän) Klaus Scholtz, commander of U-108, ends a period of fruitless hunting off the New England coast on 6 February 1942 and heads south, where he will find plentiful targets.

Australian Homefront: The Minister for the Army, Frank Forde, writes to Prime Minister John Curtin:

The attitude of those with near relatives in our Garrison at Rabaul is becoming bitter and hostile at the lack of any news of their sons, brothers and husbands, and of the feeling that is being created that although something could be done to assist them, nothing is being attempted. [NAA A2684/3 Item 749]

There indeed are many survivors of the invasion of Rabaul, but little is known about their fate and the vast majority simply disappear without a trace. It is worthwhile to note that Japanese soldiers in some other places at this time of the war (perhaps most notoriously at Hong Kong) have been proven to be torturing and killing prisoners and then burning the bodies to hide their crimes.

American Homefront: Monogram Pictures releases "Law of the Jungle" (1942), a wartime thriller directed by Jean Yarbrough about German spies in British Rhodesia, Africa.

"Doc Savage," Volume 18, No. 6, February 1942.

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

Saturday 27 December 1941

Commandos in action during the Operation Archery raid on Vaagso, 27 December 1941. © IWM (N 530).

Battle of the Pacific: While the Japanese have vague plans to use their submarines operating off of the west coast of the United States to shell cities, on 27 December 1941, they cancel those plans. Vice Admiral Shimizu Mitsumi, commander of the Advance Expeditionary Force (Sixth Fleet), decides that any gain would be minimal and simply invite retaliation. The submarines have been successful in generating widespread fear in California without loss, so some of the submarines are allowed to return to base to refuel and rearm. Today, I-25 spots 8684-ton US tanker Connecticut about ten nautical miles west of the mouth of the Columbia River (the boundary between the states of Oregon and Washington).

New Royal Navy fire-fighting equipment being demonstrated at Rosyth, 27 December 1941. Effective fire control was one of the secret reasons that the Allies saved so many ships during battles. © IWM (A 6660).

In the Philippines, the Japanese continue to consolidate their troops at the Agno River as it prepares an offensive to take Manila. With Manila declared an open city, US Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur works on preparing a redoubt in the Bataan Peninsula south of the city. The North Luzon Force, engaged in a delaying action, retreats to a line between Tarlac and Cabanatuan. In southern Luzon, the Japanese take Candelaria, brushing aside the Filipino 53rd Infantry Regiment. The US Navy sends half a dozen PBY Catalina flying boats (Squadron 101) to attack Japanese shipping off Jolo Island and the Pasig River, but achieve little. Japanese Nell and Betty bombers based on Formosa also are in operation, attacking Allied shipping in the Pasig River and Manila Bay. They hit some small Filipino customs cutters and motorboats and sink US freighters Ethel Edwards (395 tons) and Canlaon (667 tons in Manila Bay.

"A wounded British officer being helped through the snow to a dressing station during the Vaagso Raid, Norway, 27 December 1941." © IWM (N 495).

In Singapore, the British shake up their command, replacing Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Command Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham with Lieutenant General Henry Pownall. Brooke-Popham, the first RAF commander-in-chief of a joint command during a world conflict, returns to London for further assignments. The position of the commander-in-chief is largely symbolic, as Royal Navy units and civil servants report through different chains of command. However, Operation Matador, the current defensive strategy on the Malay Peninsula, is Brooke-Popham's brainchild. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth troops dig in along the Pasig River, where some Americans scuttle their 1251-ton freighter Taurus.

With the Japanese now in possession of Hong Kong, US submarine Perch operates nearby and gets a little revenge. It torpedoes and sinks 7190-ton Japanese ammunition ship Nojima Maru southwest of the city.

British stretcher-bearers carry wounded during the raid on Vaagso on 27 December 1941. © IWM (N 456).

In Burma, the Japanese continue to occupy the southernmost portion of the country while the Allies squabble in Rangoon over the "Tulsa Incident." US General John Magruder is technically in charge of Lend-Lease shipments in Rangoon but has been outranked by naive newcomer Major General George Brett (Magruder, incidentally, later becomes a founder of the civilian Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after the war). Magruder sends a detailed message to the War Department in D.C. explaining British attempts to divert Lend-Lease supplies intended for the Chinese that were brought to Burma by USS Tulsa (hence the name "Tulsa Incident"). This memo ultimately comes to Secretary of State Cordell Hull's attention. He personally sorts matters out by affirming that the supplies belong to the Chinese and not the British. Based on these assurances, Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek backs off from his threats to withdraw all Chinese troops from Burma and good relations are restored between the United States and China. However, Chiang remains furious with the British throughout the remainder of the war. The Tulsa Incident provides a huge opening wedge for United States influence in the region.

"An Indian soldier reading an inscription on a stone amongst ruins at Cyrene in the Western Desert, 27 December 1941" © IWM (E 7346).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Afrika Korps counterattacks on the Gazala Line. In a brilliant flanking maneuver, German panzers surprise the British 22nd Armored Brigade at El Haseia and destroy its tank force. This protects Ajdabiya and stabilizes the German position. However, Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel does not follow this success up with further attacks. Instead, he authorizes a retreat to a defensive line anchored at El Agheila while he awaits supplies and reinforces from Tripoli.

Japanese bombing sets fire to Manila's Walled City, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. Visible is San Juan de Dios Hospital (domed building). Santo Domingo Church is burned in this raid, leaving a roofless ruin (International News via Flickr).

Eastern Front: The weather remains bitterly cold on the Moscow Front, with temperatures hitting -15 °F during the daytime and -25 °F overnight. The snow also is a major problem, as indicated in the 27 December 1941 daily report from the Army Group Center journal:

All movement burdened by the enormous snowdrifts. Rail transport is stalled for the same reason, and the loss of locomotives due to freezing increases the problem. The shifting of the few, available reserves is stopped by the snow. For the above reasons, all time schedules are rendered meaningless. The Russians must contend with the same difficulties, but their mobile, well-equipped cavalry, ski, and sled units (the latter used to bring rations and fodder to the cavalry and to transport infantry) give them tactical advantages that, together with larger manpower reserves, they are now trying to exploit operationally.

It is often claimed that the weather is only said to have affected the Germans and not the Soviet troops. Contemporaneous accounts such as the above show that the Germans fully understand that the Red Army is laboring under the same constraints - they are just handling them better.

German patrol boat V-5102, sunk by Royal Navy destroyers Offa and Chiddingfold as part of Operation Archery off Norway on 27 December 1941. Some sources place this sinking on 24 December.

The weather is not quite as extreme in the Crimea, but the Germans are under even greater pressure there. At 13:00, Lieutenant General Hans Graf von Sponeck's 42nd Army Corps mounts a counterattack against the Soviet landings made on 26 December near Kerch. The Red Army soldiers spot the Germans coming (the area is flat, treeless, and offers no cover) and deploy their three T-26 tanks and several infantry companies. The Germans knock out the tanks using an overworked 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun which fires an epic 42 rounds, but the spirited Red Army response enables the Soviet troops to survive the night after they retreat into their bridgehead. The Germans hoped to eliminate the invading group today, but plan to attack again early on the 28th.

German prisoners (including Quislings) carry wounded on the island of Vaagso during the Command raid (Operation Archery) of 27 December 1941. © IWM (N 490).

Special Forces: British No. 3 Commando conducts Operation Archery, a raid on the island of Vågsøy (Vaagso), Norway. Following a shattering naval bombardment, 570 Commandos come ashore with plans to destroy the island's businesses. Unknown to the British, an experienced Gebirgsjäger (mountain rangers) unit is on leave on the island, and a bitter fight breaks out. The Commandos achieve their main objective, the destruction of four factories and military installations, but they suffer 17 killed and 53 wounded. In addition, the Germans shoot down eight RAF aircraft. As the British withdraw, they take with them over 70 partisans and also some captured Quislings. Operation Archery is conducted in conjunction with Operation Anklet in the Lofoten Islands, which began on 26 December and concludes today. Operation Anklet proceeds virtually with no opposition, as opposed to the fierce fighting involved today in Operation Archery.

On 27 December 1941, British troops embark onto HMS Prince Leopold after the raid on Vaagso.

The British withdraw all of their surviving forces from both Commando operations without incident and lose no ships, but it is a much sharper engagement than they were expecting. On the German side, Operations Anklet and Archery scare Adolf Hitler into committing heavy forces to Norway in the mistaken belief that the British intend to invade the country and not just conduct raids on it. This is considered a great German strategic error, as Norway remains over-garrisoned for the remainder of the war. There are many surviving fortifications in the remote areas of the Norwegian coast to this day due to the effects of these raids.

Prime Minister John Curtin redefines his country's strategic orientation on 27 December 1941 (History Teachers’ Association of Victoria 2011 Conference) (note there is a typo in their quote).

Australian/US Relations: Australian Prime Minister John Curtin releases his New Year's message (a little early) on 27 December 1941. Unlike one of his recent predecessors (and also eventual successors), Robert Menzies, who followed a distinctly Anglocentric policy, Curtin takes a different view. Curtin has a distinctly pragmatic (as opposed to a historical) view of where Australia's strategic future lies:

Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom.

The United States already is organizing its defense of the southwest Pacific in Australia, and it remains very unclear if the Japanese will actually invade Australia.

American Homefront: US citizens begin to feel the first pinches of deprivation. Rubber is needed for the war effort, so private automobile tire sales are restricted.

Members of the Hearns Volunteer National Defense Corps spell the slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” at a rally held on 14th St. between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in New York City, 27 December 1941. (AP Photo).

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 the 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