Sunday 8 March 1942

PBY-5A on 8 March 1942 (USAF).

Battle of the Pacific: Japanese forces of the 33rd Division enter Rangoon, Burma on 8 March 1942. They find the city empty of Allied forces, as the British Army has known the city would fall for several days. British units of the 16th and 63rd Brigades force their way through a Japanese roadblock at Taukkyan on the Rangoon-Prome road. USAAF bombers begin ferrying operations to consolidate remaining British troops in Burma at Magwe, where they are protected by the "Flying Tigers" (American Volunteer Group, or AVG).

The Japanese invasion of Salamaua–Lae begins when a convoy arrives in the Huon Gulf. Troops land at Salamaua (144th Regiment) and Lae (2nd Maizuru Special Naval Landing Force) without interference. A RAAF Hudson (No. 32 Squadron) attacks the convoy and scores a hit on a large transport that sinks or is beached. The US Navy is preparing a raid by aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Yorktown against the Japanese landing force, but it will take days to launch.

"25 pounders going into action in support of an Infantry Brigade during training in the Western Desert, 8 March 1942." © IWM (E 9134).

The Japanese roll forward in their conquest of Java. The Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces, Lieutenant General Hein Ter Poorten, broadcasts a general surrender over the radio at 09:00. In the afternoon, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies and General Ter Poorten in the Bandoeng area surrender to Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi at Kalidjati. Japanese troops are in Surabaya by 18:00. The final broadcast by Dutch radio station NIROM is made at 23:00 with the words: "We are closing now. Farewell till better times. Long live the Queen!"

There are still determined Australian troops, "Blackforce," under Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur S. Blackburn in the hills at Tjikadjang which refuse to surrender. This is a blocking position which at least theoretically allows Allied forces on the south coast to continue evacuating, though those operations, by and large, are over. Blackburn has no hope of holding out for long but remains holed up for several days despite repeated radioed orders to surrender from RAF Air Vice-Marshal Maltby and Major General Hervey Sitwell, General Officer Commanding British Troops Java. Ultimately, Blackburn makes the very tough decision to surrender for the (presumed) good of his men. What the British do not know is that a large fraction (up to 25% in some cases) of Allied prisoners taken on Java will perish in the camps.

PBY-5A, 8 March 1942 (USAF).

There are still some Allied forces left on the southern portion of the island and Hawker Hurricanes based there fly their final mission before the command surrenders. The Lesser Sunda Islands Invasion forces under Rear Admiral Hara Kenzaburos leaves Surabaya bound for Lombok Island. At Northern Sumatra, Japanese forces take Sabang Island and Koetaradja. Troops quickly secure oilfields at Langsa and Pangkalanbrandan.

The front on Bataan in the Philippine Islands is relatively quiet. General Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General U.S. Army Forces, Far East, issues a communique stating that his opponent, General Homma Masaharu, has committed suicide out of frustration. Homma is far from dead, however, and sees the report of his supposed death with surprise. MacArthur apparently is engaging in psychological warfare, because the Japanese high command is upset with Homma for the stalemate at Bataan. It is unclear if it is coincidental or not, but staff officers arrive from Tokyo and insult Homma. They tell him to stop living the high life in Manila and finish the battle. Just to make their point crystal clear, they transfer some of Homma's staff to Manchuria, not considered a particularly desirable posting. Homma quickly begins planning an offensive. He secures a promise of reinforcements from Shanghai, some crack troops of the 65th Brigade and 4th Infantry Division, to resume the advance.

Dutch minesweeper Jan van Amstel is sunk by a Japanese destroyer in the Madura Strait near Java.

Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25 sends its Yokosuka E14Y1, "Glen," to fly over Wellington, Australia. As with other reconnaissance flights, the Allies do not spot it.

Eastern Front: The Soviets under General Kozlov are preparing to resume their offensive on the Crimea. They are under strict orders from Stalin to get moving quickly, who has taken a personal interest in the situation (he likes to vacation in the south). Kozlov's plan is to break the German defensive strongpoint at Koi-Asan, hitting the Germans where they are strongest. The Germans also are reinforcing their positions on the Parpach Narrows. The Germans are bringing in anti-tank StuG units while the Red Army is building up its tank force.

"Low-level oblique aerial photograph was taken during the course of a daylight attack on the Matford automotive works at Poissy, France." 8 March 1942. © IWM (C 2282).

European Air Operations: It is a big day for the RAF. During the day, 24 Boston (Douglas A-20 Havoc) bombers raid targets in France. Twelve of them hit the Ford truck factory at Poissy, while, in diversionary raids, six each attack Abbeville railway yards and the Comines power station. The RAF loses its first Boston of the war after the raid on Poissy.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 211 bombers (211 aircraft, 115 Wellingtons, 37 Hampdens, 27 Stirlings, 22 Manchesters, and 10 Halifaxes) to attack the German manufacturing center of Essen. Despite being led by Gee navigational equipment, the bombers have difficulty finding the target, some Krupp installations, and only 168 actually claim to bomb the factories. The raid illustrates the limitations of RAF direction-finding equipment, as the Gee system can only lead bombers to a city, not a specific target. The factories escape unscathed, but bombs kill ten people with an additional 19 missing. There also are raids by single bombers on the German cities Dortmund, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, and Oberhausen. Six Blenheim bombers raid the docks of Ostend, with four claiming hits. A group of 13 Wellington and Stirling bombers attack targets in the Netherlands, two bombing Soesterberg Airfield.

Supermarine Walrus aircraft being catapulted from the cruiser HMS Shropshire between 8 and 12 March 1942 (© IWM (A 8069)).

The Luftwaffe raids the western part of Lowestoft, England, at 22:56. There is some minor damage along Essex Road from four high explosive 250kg bombs. An unexploded 1000kg "Hermann" bomb falls in a field and does no damage, but remains there until 1948. There is one death and 10 wounded, with 14 houses destroyed and 75 others damaged.

Damage in Lowestoft from the 8 March 1942 Luftwaffe raid (Bert Collyer via Lowestoft Aviation Society).

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy 541-ton anti-submarine trawler HMS Notts County hits a mine and sinks off Iceland. There are 41 deaths.

German battleship Tirpitz remains at sea on a mission to attack Arctic Convoys QP 8 and PQ 12. Unbeknownst to the Germans, Royal Navy battleship HMS King George V and aircraft carrier Victorious are in the vicinity to provide support to the convoys. The British know of the Tirpitz mission due to Enigma intercepts and are maneuvering into a position to attack. Late in the day, though, German commander Admiral Ciliax decides to return to port. The British still hope to intercept the German battleship with aircraft on the 9th.

"Bren gun carriers moving off in the Western Desert, 8 March 1942." © IWM (E 9140).

Battle of the Mediterranean: British General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, orders Eighth Army Commander Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie to prepare a diversion to distract Axis forces from an incoming convoy.

At Malta, the Axis launches virtually continuous air raids on Luqa Airfield in an attempt to put it out of action. There are 325 bombs dropped. Some time bombs must be dealt with by the bomb disposal forces. There are multiple civilian casualties. Hal Far airfield and other locations also are attacked.

Allied Relations: The British and U.S. governments extend loans of £50 million and $500 million, respectively, to the Nationalist Chinese government.

Damage to Lowestoft from the 8 March 1942 Luftwaffe raid (Bert Collyer via Lowestoft Aviation Society).

US Military: Brigadier General William O. Butler takes command of the USAAF 11th Air Force based in Ft Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The 11th Air Force is assigned to the Alaska Defense Command under Major General Simon B. Buckner, Jr. The Alaska Defense command is part of the Western Defense Command under Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt. While there is no enemy activity in Alaska at this time, the entire Western Defense command is a theater of operations.

The 10th Air Force based in Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio (near Dayton) begins transferring to India. Its mission is to assist with operations in Burma and, ultimately, perform supply operations to China over the "Hump" (mountains) in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of Operations.

The 5th Air Force in Australia begins moving the 16th and 17th Bombardment Squadrons of the 27th Bombardment Group from Batchelor Field in the Northern Territory to Brisbane. The 3rd Bomber Group leaves Brisbane for Charters Towers.

On Bora Bora, Inshore Patrol Squadron VS-2-D14 begins air operations over the Society Islands.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (with assistance from US and Canadian civilian contractors) begins construction on the Alaskan Highway (ALCAN). Two separate crews set out from each end of the highway and plan to meet somewhere in the middle. The highway is completed by November 1942 and dedicated on 20 November 1942.

Carmen Miranda is on the cover of the 8 March 1942 Cine Radio Actualidad Magazine [Uruguay].

American Homefront: There are practice blackouts in New England. For instance, the Draper Corporation plant in Hopedale, Massachusetts, has its first blackout.

José Raúl Capablanca passes away in New York City from complications of hypertension at the age of 53. Capablanca, ultimately buried in his native Havana, Cuba, is widely considered one of the truly great chess players and consistently either was the World Chess Champion or a serious contender for that title. Many of his books about chess are considered classics.

Richard Anthony Allen is born in Wampum, Pennsylvania. He goes on to a stellar career in professional baseball, becoming a seven-time All-Star for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox.

Actress Penny Singleton graces the cover of Sunday News magazine on 8 March 1942.

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

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Tuesday 13 January 1942

Heinkel He 280 V-1 DL+AS with engine intake fairings. The jet engines are not available on 13 January 1942, so the Germans are only conducting glider tests.

Battle of the Atlantic: Operation Drumbeat (Unternehmen Paukenschlag) officially begins on 13 January 1942. The first of vie German U-boats begin arriving along the east coast of the United States during the day, though most are still making the transatlantic crossing. While U-123 (Kptlt Reinhardt Hardegen) already has sunk British freighter Cyclops on 11 January, that was on the outbound journey about 300 miles east of Cape Cod and was not officially part of Operation Drumbeat. Following that success, Hardegan continued west and today arrives along the coast. Not sure where he is, Hardegan proceeds southwest toward Rhode Island Sound. Hardegan then spots the Montauk Point lighthouse on the eastern tip of Long Island and quickly establishes his position. The U-boat commanders and crews are astonished to find U.S. shipping to be operating in peacetime conditions. Not only are the ships illuminated, but the cities and towns along the shore have not imposed blackouts, which makes spotting even darkened ships easy. There also are few if any naval patrols and no convoys. Air patrols are spotty, with some conducted by blimps. This is a huge change from conditions everywhere else in the world.

Plattsburgh Daily Republican, January 13, 1942 (Plattsburgh, N.Y.).

Battle of the Pacific: With the Japanese having closed up on the Allied outpost line across the neck of the Bataan Peninsula, General MacArthur decides to launch some spoiling attacks. On the east flank of II Corps (eastern half of the line), the Filipino 21st Infantry Division launches an attack at 06:00. Preceded by an artillery barrage, this attack clears a small area on the left flank of the Philippine Scouts 57th Infantry Division. As hoped, this sets back Japanese plans to launch their own attack there. Further west, however, the Filipino 51st Division is forced to withdraw from the outpost line to the definitive line along the Balantay River. These are all preliminary moves, with the Japanese not yet in a position to launch a set-piece attack to break the Allied defenses.

"A long line of fire pumps pouring out thousands of gallons of water a minute from fire fighting ships during the demonstration." Gourock, on the Clyde, 13 January 1942. © IWM (A 7248).

On the Malay Peninsula, General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief Australian-British-Dutch- American (ABDA) Command, South West Pacific, visits the front. The Indian III Corps is withdrawing into Johore State, with vehicles routed through Segamat. Johore is the final tranche of land on the mainland north of Singapore. Wavell already has instructed local commander General Arthur Percival to build fortifications on Singapore Island to repel an invasion, but he has not done so. The Australian 8th Division, commanded by Major-General Gordon Bennett, replaces the 11th Indian Division on the front lines, as the 11th Division has been devastated in the battles further north.

A convoy arrives in Singapore bringing 51 Hurricane fighters but only 24 pilots. There are surplus pilots in Singapore, but they are Brewster Buffalo pilots and will have to retrain in the new planes. The planes also will take time to assemble and get ready for flight.

Coupon checks issued by the Philippines government dated 13 January 1942. Despite the battle underway in Bataan, the business of government continues.

On Tarakan Island, the Dutch are retreating toward Kembes. However, their native soldiers are deserting, and Captain W.F.J. Kroon of Compagnie Menado is forced to surrender. The Japanese soon execute all of the Europeans (about 8) except for Kroon himself. The next Japanese objective in the region is Balikpapan.

In Burma, the Joint Military Council notes the rapid advance of the Japanese into the country. The generals propose building a new supply road to the Nationalist Chinese through northern Burma which they have a better chance of holding against the Japanese invasion. This road, north of the current Burma Road, will run through Myitkyina and connect to the current Burma Road at Wandingzhen, Yunnan. This eventually is called the "Ledo Road." Its construction is a massive project through very rough terrain and depends on holding northern Burma, which is by no means certain. The Japanese are invading Burma, in fact, in large part to cut off such roads which enable Chiang Kai-shek to hold out in Chungking. The only alternative to a road from India to China is air supply, which requires a dangerous flight over the Himalayas (known as "the Hump"). However, the Allies at this time do not have aircraft for sustained use of this route.

The cover story in the 13 January 1942 Look magazine is "Our War With Japan."

Eastern Front: Generalmajor Maximilian Fretter-Pico now has four Axis Divisions in position for an attack on the new front in the Crimea at the Parpach Narrows. The objective will be the recapture of the port of Feodosia on the south coast and destruction of the Soviet 44th Army. The Luftwaffe has brought powerful units east from refittings in the Reich and the local command is led by General Robert Ritter von Greim. General Erich von Manstein's 11th Army still maintains a siege around Sevastopol in the west, but offensive operations there are unlikely while the Soviets maintain a presence centered on Kerch.

"Teleprinters in training concentrating on the job." Leonard House, Rosyth Command, 13 January 1942. © IWM (A 7041).

The situation west of Moscow continues to deteriorate for the Wehrmacht. During the morning, Soviet I Guards Cavalry Corps crosses the Rollbahn, the main road between Vyazma and Rzhev. Fourth Army is forced to evacuate Medyn, a key position just to the south. The critical railway that supplies several German armies lies just to the west, and the Germans manage to get one last train of supplies through before the Red Army cuts the line to Rzhev. At Sychevka just to the north, the Ninth Army headquarters comes under Soviet attack. General Strauss, the army's commander, stays in Sychevka but orders his staff south to Vyazma. At around dusk, he leaves also. The Germans have a plan to close the gap, but the loss of Medyn - one of the "corner posts" for the operation - renders that virtually unachievable. One thing is clear, however, and that is that the Germans have to reopen the railway line north to Rzhev or the position there is unsustainable. The prospect of losing entire armies is now becoming close to reality for the Germans.

Damage caused by "the Waller's raid" on 13 January 1942 in Lowestoft. This view is from London Road north facing east.

Western Front: Just before dusk, a lone Dornier bomber bombs Lowestoft, England, during a heavy snowfall. Four bombs land in the main shopping area at tea time and kill 70 people, including 50 sailors. Many of the casualties are in Waller's restaurant, hence this is often called "the Waller's raid." The town's largest cinema, the Odeon, is hit, and a complete block of shops is destroyed. The dead include the wife of the Superintendent of Police, Mrs. Mills. Waller's orders thirty wreaths for the graves.

'Officers of UPHOLDER. Left to right: Lieut F Ruck-Keene; Lieut Cdr Wanklyn, VC, DSO, RN; Lieut J R Drummond, RN; Sub Lieut J H Norman, RNVR." They are assembled at a submarine base in Lazzaretto, Mandel Island, Malta, on 13 January 1942 for Wanklyn to receive the Victoria Cross (© IWM (A 7295)).

Allied Relations: In London, Representatives of nine German-occupied nations sign a declaration, approved by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, that vows punishment against those who order war crimes and those who participate in them. The document provides for:

the punishment, through the channels of organized justice, of those guilty of, or responsible for, these crimes, whether they have ordered them, perpetrated them, or participated in them.

Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski and French General Charles de Gaulle are among the signatories.

At the Arcadia Conference in Washington, which is in its final days, the Combined Chiefs of Staff agree to begin moving some United States Air Force units to the United Kingdom as soon as possible. The US Army V Corps already has a presence there.

The prototype Heinkel He 280 V1, DL+AS, with engine intakes and exhausts faired over, that was lost 13 January 1942 when Helmut Schenk successfully ejected from it.

German Military: The Luftwaffe secretly has been developing ejection seats, and on 13 January 1942, they get their first successful use in a real-life crisis. While piloting the Heinkel He 280 prototype jet-engined fighter, which is equipped with an ejection seat that has never been used, test pilot Helmut Schenk finds that the plane's control surfaces have iced up and become inoperative. Schenk pulls the lever at 2400 meters (7875 feet) after severing his tow line to a pair of Bf 110C tugs (the plane's jet engines are not ready yet). Ernst Heinkel is developing the He 280 without official Luftwaffe support and it never goes into operation, but this successful use of an ejection seat is a world-first for any plane. The Luftwaffe also is putting ejection seats into other fighters it is developing such as the Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Owl) night fighter. The Allies, however, have no ejection seats in development and no plans to do so.

US Military: Some sources place the first flight of the Igor Sikorsky USAAF R-4 helicopter on 13 January 1942. However, better records suggest that it takes place on 14 January, so we discuss it there.

The prototype He 280 V1 DL+AS being towed by a Heinkel He 111 bomber on a previous flight.

British Homefront: A puzzle is printed in the 13 January 1942 edition of The Daily Telegraph. It had been created by W.A.J. Gavin, chairman of the Eccentric Club. It is very difficult because he thought the crossword puzzles in the publication were not hard enough. A small group of ordinary citizens is invited to the newsroom to try to solve the puzzle within a 12-minute deadline (five people manage to do this). Someone from the War Office takes down the names of some of the people and invites them to interview with Colonel Nichols of the General Staff. Several of the puzzle-solvers wind up working at Bletchley Park helping to decipher German military codes from the Enigma machine in the top-secret Ultra program. It turns out that many of the codebreakers, not just the Daily Telegraph people, are crossword fans.

Japanese-Canadians are barred from fishing, 13 January 1942.

Canada Homefront: War hysteria is reaching a crescendo all along the west coast of the United States and Canada. There are numerous reports of "suspicious activities" being printed in newspapers. Among other things, the Canadian government in Ottawa today prohibits fishing by Japanese-Canadians.

Henry Ford, right, with his famous "plastic" soybean car.

American Homefront: The Ford Motor Company patents its idea of a body for cars made of plastic. Ford previously has built a car made of soybean, which is demonstrated on 13 August 1941, and some material derived from soybeans apparently is what is meant by "plastic." The "plastic" actually is a mixture of soybean fibers with resin and other binding agents (there is some doubt as to the exact formula). According to some accounts, hemp is included in the formula, but that is unproven. The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, lists the reasons for building such cars:

• promote agriculture
• improved safety of these cars
• replace metals, which incidentally would aid the war effort.

The car is also a thousand pounds lighter than similar cars and thus much more fuel-efficient, but that apparently is not one of the reasons for building it. The idea is decades ahead of its time. Filing the patent helps somewhat to dilute the heavy skepticism among some that the whole idea of non-metal cars is just a publicity stunt. To Henry Ford, though, this is a real goal, and he spends millions of dollars developing the idea. In any event, the production of passenger cars, metal or otherwise, is about to be banned by the US government due to the war. However, Ford's research money does not go to complete waste, as it leads to the development of non-dairy whip toppings (first called "Delsoy") and other soybean-based products at Ford's Carver Laboratory during World War II. Rather than the dawn of a new era, however, the patent is a last gasp of the old one, as from this point forward the Ford Motor Company puts aside the idea of building such cars and focuses on the war effort.

Leningrad, 13 January 1942. Finding potable water, which is used to make soup for dinner. Someone has brought their sled, left, to make the daily ritual a bit easier.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt forms the U.S. War Production Board. Its chairman is Donald M. Nelson. The WPB replaces the Supply Priorities and Allocation Board. Nelson's main job is helping or forcing civilian factories (such as the major automobile factories in Detroit) to convert to war production.

Nineteen shipyards on the west coast go to continuous, around-the-clock, seven-day-a-week production schedules. The U.S. Maritime Commission faces a manpower crisis in the shipyards, many of which are newly built in areas without experienced workers. This leads to more employment by women and Africa-Americans. Major production yards are located at Oakland and San Francisco, California, Tacoma, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Henry J. Kaiser is a major driving force behind ship construction on the west coast, and he has several yards for his Kaiser Permanente organization at Richmond, California.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York, the new exhibition is Latin-American Art. Among the artists featured are Diego Rivera, famous for his murals such as one in the lobby of Rockefeller Center, and Wifredo Lams. The United States is doing everything it can think of to tighten ties with Latin America during the early days of the war.

"A Chief Petty Officer Wren in charge of Teleprinting Trainees checks results with a Wren Trainee Teleprinter operator." St. Leonard House, Rosyth Command, 13 January 1942 (© IWM (A 7043)).

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

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