Monday 2 February 1942

"A British destroyer flotilla taking part in Mediterranean operations." This photo was taken on board HMS Jervis in the eastern Mediterranean, 2 February 1942 (© IWM (A 8576)).

Eastern Front: The winter has bent but not quite broken the Wehrmacht, and by 2 February 1942 it is fighting back to protect its most vital arteries. The Rollbahn, a major (for Russia) road from Yukhnov to Gzhatsk, is the lifeline to Fourth Army in the Moscow sector, and the Soviets have held it for a week. The Germans now are fighting furiously from either end of the road to open it up, with General Heinrici sending his Fourth Army troops south and General Ruoff advancing with his Fourth Panzer Army vehicles north toward him. They make good progress today, though they do not quite close the gap and reopen the road yet. There are supplies waiting behind Ruoff's forces to be sluiced through the moment the road is cleared. This is one of the most important operations of the winter because until the road is cleared, the Fourth Army must rely on air support. The Luftwaffe already is hard-pressed supplying surrounded garrisons at Kholm, Demyansk, and elsewhere, so clearing the road is a top priority.

"Major the Earl of Bradford (right) directs his company of the Home Guard during exercises with regular troops, 2 February 1942." © IWM (H 17543).

As the Germans regain their footing on the Eastern Front, their ambitions begin to expand again. General Dietl, commanding the Army of Lapland, is trying to convince the Finns to participate in an attack to cut the Soviet railway line to Murmansk at Belomorsk. Marshal Mannerheim, commanding all Finnish forces, is noncommital but indicates that he would be ready to participate in such an operation once the Germans capture Leningrad. Of course, the Germans have no hope of capturing Leningrad anytime soon due to their difficulties on the main front and pretty much everyone knows that. German General Waldemar Erfurth, who leads the German liaison team at Mannerheim's headquarters, reports back to OKW that Mannerheim has a pessimistic view of the war and is unwilling to stage any attacks that he has any chance of losing. Mannerheim prepares a letter to General Keitel today which basically expresses these views. The Germans have no alternatives in the northern sector of the front and are at Mannerheim's mercy.

Life Magazine for 2 February 1942 features a Republic P-48 Thunderbolt on the cover. The XP-47B prototype, designed by Alexander Kartveli, first flew on 6 May 1941. There are only the XP-47B and an engineering prototype in existence during February 1942, so this truly is a cutting edge photo and undoubtedly had to pass through military censors.

Battle of the Pacific: In the Philippines, the fighting along the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) on the Bataan Peninsula has died down while the Japanese reinforce their presence for a decisive attack. However, the Allies continue strenuously battling Japanese pockets and bridgeheads behind the MLR, some very close to the MLR and others many miles to the south. On the eastern half of the MLR, US II Corps eliminates a small Japanese bridgehead across the Pilar River when the last Japanese leave after dark. On the western half of the MLR, the Americans send tanks of the US 192d Tank Battalion supported by a platoon of the 1st Battalion, 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, against the "Big" Japanese pocket. However, the Japanese are dug in and hold their ground in the rough terrain. Much further south, the Americans try the same formula (tanks of the 192d and Filipino Scouts) against the Quinauan Point beachhead. However, the Japanese there have been cheered by ultimately unsuccessful Japanese attempts to resupply and reinforce them, so they also resist the Allies. Those reinforcements, which the Allies diverted to the Anyasan-Silaiim sector, also hold out against fierce attacks by the Scout battalions (2d Battalion of the 45th Infantry; 3d and 1st Battalions of the 57th Infantry. The day's events are discouraging for the Allies, but the MLR provides a growing sense of security and the hope that they can hold the Bataan Peninsula indefinitely.

A snow-covered SB2U-2 Vindicator sits on the USS Wasp flight deck, February 1942 (Naval History and Heritage Command).

In the Netherlands East Indies, Japanese troops continue occupying Ambon Island, home to an important naval base. The Japanese take Laha Airdrome from Australian troops during the morning. Later in the day, the surviving Australian troops send a surrender parley under a white flag carried by Major Newberry, the commanding officer at Laha. The Japanese promptly imprison them in the local school for the night. Offshore, Dutch mines sink Japanese minesweeper W-9 and damage minesweepers W-11 and W-12.

"Kepper Harbour, Singapore. 2 February 1942. Men of HMAS Hobart returning electric sewing machines in wooden crates that they had found in a godown (storage shed where incoming merchant goods were stored after unloading), just before the fall of Singapore. Approximately fifty sailors were placed under guard on the quarterdeck by the gunnery officer before Captain H. Howden returned to the ship from the dockyard and ordered the sailors to return the machines to the godown. However, some machines were brought back to the ship with a lot of other selected material. The Captain returned to the ship with a car and the dockyard crest, both of which were shipped back to Australia. (Donor M. Williams)" Australian War Memorial P02497.026.

This is the last relatively quiet day in Singapore, as the Japanese have not yet brought up artillery. The British have blown the causeway to the mainland and organized their defenses into three sectors: Northern, Southern, and Western. The largest RAF airfield is at RAF Tengah in the Western Area, but the planes have almost all been withdrawn to the Netherlands East Indies. The most vulnerable area for an invasion is recognized as the northwest part of Singapore, where there are mangrove swamps, jungles, creeks, and rivers. The British are still able to receive reinforcements and leave by sea, and there really isn't much sense of urgency in the city.

Tamagawa Maru, sunk by USS Seadragon on 2 February 1942.

USS Seadragon (SS-194), on its first patrol out of Soerabaja, Netherland East Indies, sinks 6441-ton Japanese freighter Tamagawa Maru off Cape Bolinao, Luzon. Seadragon attacks a five-ship convoy off San Fernando and sinks the fourth ship in the line. This is of great aid to the Allies in Bataan, as the ship carried reinforcements and equipment for the coming Japanese offensive.

Following the successful Marshalls-Gilbert Raids of 1 February, Admiral Halsey retires with his task force from the area in bright moonlight. The US Navy ships are shadowed by Japanese planes and a submarine but escape unscathed at 25 knots. The ships encounter a sudden storm during the morning, which they use to screen themselves from the Japanese. Halsey proudly tells that the task force that it has "made history in the Marshalls."

FV Cape Spartel, one of the ships sunk by the Luftwaffe on 2 February 1942.

European Air Operations: There is a week-long lull in strategic air operations along the western front due to winter conditions. About twenty German aircraft do mount a raid on the Humber and bomb and sink 346-ton HMT Cape Spartel and also 324-ton HMT Cloughton Wyke at Yarmouth.

Admiral Doenitz graces the cover of Time Magazine, 2 February 1942 (cover credit: Vuk Vuchinich).

Battle of the Atlantic: British escort destroyer HMS Westcott (D47) sinks U-581 (Kptlt. Werner Pfeifer) off the south exit from Horta Harbor, Azores, Portugal. U-581 was caught on the surface after an unsuccessful torpedo attack on Westcott and accompanying destroyer Croome. Due to a mechanical issue, U-581 could not submerge, and Westcott succeeds in a second attempt to ram it. Almost the entire U-581 crew, 41 men, survive after being picked up by the destroyers, while four men perish. One German sailor, Oblt. Walter Sitek, survives by swimming six km (well over three miles) to shore (he is repatriated to Germany, becomes a U-boat commander, and survives the war). U-581 ends its career having sunk one ship, HMS Rosemonde on 19 January 1942, of 364 tons.

U-103 (Kptlt. Werner Winter), on its sixth patrol out of Lorient, is operating off the east coast of the United States as part of Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat). Winter gets his first sinking of the patrol when he torpedoes and then shells 6182-ton US tanker W. L. Steed about 85 nautical miles (160 km) east of the mouth of the Delaware River. The weather is horrendous, with snow and icy temperatures, so many of the 38 men who take to the boats perish from exposure. Ultimately, there are 34 dead and four survivors.

Ernst Kals, commander of U-130.

Operation Paukenschlag was never intended by the Germans to be a lengthy offensive. The original plan was to send one wave of five U-boats (U-66, U-109, U-123, U-125, and U-130) in early 1942 and then return focus to the convoy routes. However, the unexpected success of the U-boats along the east coast of the United States has led to a decision to continue the offensive with new waves of boats. The first wave of U-boats already is returning to Europe, with U-130 (Ernst Kals) exiting the area south of Cape Sable on 2 February. It heads back to Lorient, though it first has a rendezvous with U-109 (Heinrich Bleichdrodt), which also is leaving the area, in the mid-Atlantic in order to transfer some fuel.

W. L. Steed, sunk by U-103 on 2 February 1942.

The Royal Navy has been keeping a close eye on German heavy cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, which have been bottled up in Brest, France, for the better part of a year. They are within easy bombing range of the RAF, but winter conditions have not been suitable for a decisive air attack on them. Since that will soon change with the passing of seasons, the Germans have been busy readying the ships for action. The British Naval Staff, perhaps operating off of decoded German radio transmissions, begins planning to stop an expected cruise of the large German ships up the English Channel and back to Germany. This is considered extremely dangerous by both sides, as the ships would have to make much of the journey during daylight when the RAF could easily attack. However, Adolf Hitler believes that the risks are worthwhile because of Allied control of the air and sea in the Atlantic and the ships can be put to some use in northern Norway. Thus, the Germans have begun planning Operation Cerberus, also known as the Channel Dash.

Battle of the Mediterranean: German Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel's troops continue their rapid march from Benghazi. The Afrika Korps is advancing in two columns. The coastal column captures Berta but is stopped a dozen miles west of Derna. The inland column advances further, stopping south of Derna. In Cairo, General Claude Auchinleck, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, can see what is coming and tells his Eighth Army commanders that he expects them to hold Tobruk.

The Air Training Corps (ATC) Gazette Vol. II No. 2, February 1942.

US Military: VII Interceptor Command is activated at Ft Shafter in Hawaii.

Major General Joseph W. Stilwell becomes Chief of Staff to Supreme Commander, China Theater (Chiang Kai-shek). His portfolio is to:

increase the effectiveness of United States assistance to the Chinese Government for the prosecution of the war and to assist in improving the combat efficiency of the Chinese Army.

Stilwell cannot do much about the Chinese Army, but he helps to sort out the chaos of Lend-Lease shipments to China.

The Headquarters of the USAAF 49th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) arrives in Melbourne, Victoria. They are equipped with P-40s, the most plentiful USAAF fighter at this time. These are raw pilots just out of flight school and their first assignment is to help put their own planes together from the crates in which they were shipped.

Egypt: The entire British position in the Mediterranean hinges on keeping a tight grip on Egypt. However, that grip is shaken today when King Farouk, who is known to harbor Axis sympathies, forces his entire cabinet to resign.

Holocaust: The commandant at the Auschwitz camp institutes a new "reeducation" policy for some prisoners (Erziehungshäftlinge). This involves giving such prisoners a new series of numbers (beginning EH 1) that are distinct from the general series of numbers. A total of 1137 such numbers are issued. These reeducation prisoners live under the same conditions as other prisoners in the camp but are released after a limited period not to exceed eight weeks (though this time limit is not honored in actuality and many spend much longer in the camp). Ultimately, about 11,000 prisoners in this category pass through Auschwitz.

American Homefront: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is rounding up suspected Japanese spies, as evidenced by a headline in the 2 February 1942 Seattle Daily Times which reads, "FBI Ousts Nipponese in Island Raid."

Bow view of the USS Silversides (SS-236) off Mare Island, California, 2 February 1942 (U.S. Navy).

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

Sunday 11 January 1942

"Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, January 11, 1942. Japanese troops advance through the streets during the invasion of the Malayan Peninsula which culminated in the surrender of all British forces and occupation of the British naval base on Singapore Island." Australian War Memorial 127892.

Battle of the Atlantic: Unternehmen Paukenschlag (Operation Drumbeat, or "roll of the kettledrums"), a U-boat offensive off the coast of the United States, scores its first victory on 11 January 1942 when U-123 (Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen), on its seventh patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks a ship about 125 nautical miles (232 km, or 144 miles) southeast of Nova Scotia. The victim is 9076-ton British freighter Cyclops. Hardegen puts one torpedo into Cyclops near the funnel, but it does not sink and some of the crew even reboard it. However, U-123 lurks nearby and pumps another torpedo into Cyclops that splits it in two. It sinks within five minutes, taking 39 crew members, 48 passengers, and one gunner with it. There are 56 crew survivors (including Master Leslie Webber Kersley), six gunner survivors, and 31 passengers who survive and are picked up by HMCS Red Deer (J-255).

Map of fighting in the Pacific in the Virginia-Pilot of 11 January 1942. It shows the major conflicts in the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, and other hot spots.

The sinking of the Cyclops opens a new phase in the Battle of the Atlantic. Admiral Karl Dönitz has sent five U-boats to the far side of the Atlantic. These are:

• U-125 (Kptlt. Folkers)
• U-123 (Hardegen)
• U-66  (Zapp)
• U-130 (Kals)
• U-109 (Bleichrodt)

in that order. It has taken U-123 about two weeks to score the first of many victories of Operation Drumbeat. While the U-boat commanders are under orders to only attack significant targets like cruisers or a battleship until they reach the United States, these orders are interpreted very liberally by captains who are hungry for victories. Because of the easy pickings along the eastern coast of the United States, this is known as the beginning of the second "Happy Time" for the U-boats, the first having lasted from July 1940 to April 1941.

Japanese troops advancing into Kuala Lumpur, 11 January 1942.

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese on the Malay Peninsula continue advancing south in pursuit of the fleeing Commonwealth troops. They move quickly from Serendah, about 26 km north of Kuala Lumpur, and enter the take the capital of the Federated Malay States, a British protectorate. The Japanese take possession of a fairly intact airfield, large quantities of supplies, burning oil tanks, and brand new maps of Singapore found in a railway car. The capture of KL serves as a tonic for Japanese morale, which has been taking a beating due to the hard trek down the peninsula (many people only take into account the hardships of British troops, but the Japanese troops are under strain, too).

While the British have abandoned Kuala Lumpur, there is some scattered fighting. Some Allies are taken prisoner and subsequently tortured to death in Pudo Jail. The Japanese quickly take over all of the government and public buildings use it as their own administrative center for the region. The British and Indian troops beat a quick retreat to Johor and plan on fighting a desperate battle to protect Singapore from invasion. Japanese forces (2500 men in the Combined Sasebo SNLF) also land at Manado (also spelled Menado) on the Minahasa peninsula on the northern part of the island of Celebes (now known as Sulawesi). They quickly occupy Manado town and prepare to advance toward Kakas on the 12th. The Sasebo 2nd SNLF lands at Kema and advances toward Kakas from the opposite direction.

"Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, January 11, 1942. Japanese troops take up a position in the streets during the invasion of the Malayan Peninsula which culminated in the surrender of all British forces and occupation of the British naval base on Singapore Island." Australian War Memorial 127893.

Imperial Japan is finally ready to attack the Netherlands East Indies, so Japan declares war on the Netherlands (which already declared war on Japan) and lands troops at Tarakan Island in northeastern Borneo at midnight. The Japanese Right Wing Unit from the Sakaguchi Detachment lands on the east coast of Tarakan, while the 2nd Kure Special Naval Landing Force follows soon thereafter. Late in the day, the Dutch submarine K-X,[1] the patrol boat P-1, and the civilian motor launch Aida all manage to leave Tarakan. However, Dutch minelayer Prins van Oranje is not so lucky and is sunk by Japanese destroyer Yamakaze (Lt. Cdr Shuichi Hamanaka) and patrol boat P-38. Dutch airplanes based at airfield Samarinde II in eastern Borneo fly missions against the invading Japanese that have little impact on events.

Damage to USS Saratoga that was caused by Japanese I-6 on 11 January 1942, looking aft (Naval History and Heritage Command).

Damage to USS Saratoga caused by Japanese I-6 on 11 January 1942, looking forward (Naval History and Heritage Command).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Early in the day, the South African 2d Division of 30 Corps, British Eighth Army, attacks Sollum. There is a sharp but brief battle that results in the capture of the Axis fortress early on the 12th. This is one of several Axis outposts along the Egyptian border that have been isolated by Operation Crusader. Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps troops are still being chased to the west at El Agheila and thus the Sollum troops have had no hope of relief. The fall of Sollum also isolates the heavily fortified Halfaya position, which now has no access to the sea. The Italian troops there are determined to hold out despite being very short of food and water. However, their eventual capitulation also is inevitable unless Rommel pulls off a miracle.

"Officers and men of 832 Squadron descending in the lift after having the Squadron photograph taken." This photo was taken on board HMS Victorious on 11 January 1942. © IWM (A 7075).

Eastern Front: In the Crimea, Soviet 51st Army prepares to deploy its two rifle divisions at the front on the Parpach Narrows. The Germans, meanwhile, have the 46th Infantry Division, the 170th and 132nd Infantry divisions, two battalions of the 72nd Infantry Division, the Romanian 18th Infantry Division, and around five StuG III assault guns in position along the line. They are preparing for an attack on the Soviet forces as soon as possible.

SS City of Pittsburgh, a 7377-ton British freighter, runs aground at Great Pass, Alexandria Harbor on 11 January 1942 and breaks its back. The ship is a total loss. The ship was on a routine cargo mission from Montreal to Alexandria with a cargo of food and munitions. There are no casualties.

Around Moscow, operations are still paralyzed by a brutal blizzard that began late on the 9th. One of the Red Army objectives is to cut the railroad line that runs parallel to the front between Vyazma and Rzhev, and they are approaching Sychevka, a small town in the middle of the railway line, throughout the day. Sychevka also happens to be the headquarters of the German Ninth Army, where General Adolf Strauss knows he has very little chance of holding out. There is no possibility of the large German base at Rzhev holding out for long if it is deprived of supplies that arrive by train through Sychevka, so, at this moment, Sychevka is the most critical spot on the entire Eastern Front.

Paratrooper Sgt. Brian Quinn, 11 January 1942.

Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge also is very worried. He arrives at Adolf Hitler's Fuehrer Headquarters in Rautenberg by plane and quickly secures an audience with Hitler. He pleads for permission for further withdrawals, but Hitler has taken heart from the cessation in operations due to the weather. He refuses to talk about withdrawals and instead urges von Kluge to resist "every day, every hour" because "all the acclaim" would accrue to Kluge if he managed to hold the front.

USAT Liberty (6119 tons), shown, is sunk on 11 January 1942 by Japanese submarine I-66 off Lombok. It is carrying a cargo of railway parts and rubber. US destroyer USS Paul Jones (DD-230) and Dutch destroyer HNLMS Van Ghent try to tow Liberty to Singaraja, but they finally give up and beach Liberty on the eastern shore of Bali at Tulamben. The cargo was later salvaged, but the ship remains in that approximated location to this day (pushed slightly offshore in shallow water by lava from a volcano). It is a favorite spot for divers who can make it to Liberty's remote location.

Partisans: The Battle of Dražgoše that began on 9 January 1942 ends after the partisans in the village disappear into the countryside. The victorious Germans execute 35 male civilians, some of whom may be partisans but many of whom likely are not. The Germans also loot houses and then set the entire village on fire. All survivors of the village are sent to concentration camps. The partisans have established a new base at the Mošnje Pasture (Mošenjska planina), and the Germans prepare to attack them in a couple of days. The Battle of Dražgoše remains a controversial incident because there are conspiracy theories that contend that the partisans actually wished to punish the inhabitants of the village and not the Germans by launching an attack from there. Everyone in the region knows the brutal methods used by the occupying forces against areas that rebel and the Germans have acted true to form with their destructive and deadly reprisals.

"Captain H W Kirby and his fiancee Sally Reyne, with a group of well-wishers on the flight deck of HMS VICTORIOUS." Reyne is the daughter of Rear Admiral (Ret'd) C.W. Reyne, while Kirby commands the Royal Marines on board Victorious. 11 January 1942. © IWM (A 7086).

1942

January 1942

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

2020