Tuesday 17 February 1942

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

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 The success is important for Allied morale, but the Japanese intentionally have withdrawn in order to concentrate their forces for a major offensive which is not long in the offing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 1942

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

2020

Monday 5 January 1942

"Western Desert, Egypt. 5 January 1942. En route to a raid on Halfaya, this pilot of a Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft looks through his gunsight as the raiding aircraft sweep down on the isolated Axis positions. Ceaseless attacks are being carried out by RAF and Free French squadrons." Australian War Memorial MED0297.

Eastern Front: The Soviet leaders have been greatly surprised by the success of the counterattack around Moscow that began in early December 1941. On 5 January 1942, the political and military leaders make plans to convert the counteroffensive into a general offensive that will liberate vast sections of Soviet territory. After dark, the Politburo (political) members meet with Stavka (military) members to discuss a drive not only to relieve pressure on Moscow, but also to liberate Leningrad, the Donets Basin, and the Crimea. While the offensives in the Crimea and around Moscow already are in progress, the ones near Leningrad and in the Donets Basin are scheduled to begin on 7 January 1942 for the former and in two weeks for the latter.

Borger Daily Herald (Borger, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 38, Ed. 1 Monday, January 5, 1942. The Daily Herald headline correctly reads, "Hitler and His Generals Split as Russian Campaign Back-Fires."

Stalin presides over the meeting, as usual, and notes the reason for expanding the offensive:

The Germans are in confusion as a result of their setback at Moscow. They are badly prepared for winter. Now is the best moment to over to the general offensive.

Stalin then asks General Georgy Zhukov to speak, apparently without coordinating what Zhukov should say beforehand. Surprisingly, Zhukov disagrees with Stalin, which is extremely unusual, particularly in such an open setting. Zhukov contends that the entire effort should be made in the center of the front around Moscow and not dispersed to other areas. Another official present, member of the State Defense Committee and chief of war production Nikolai Voznesensky, then is asked to speak and basically supports Zhukov, not Stalin. Voznesensky notes that there would not be enough ammunition and weapons to sustain offensives in different places, so only one area should be chosen. It is an extraordinary display of independence among people in very vulnerable positions.

Images from a 5 January 1942 Life magazine article on life in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.

However, Stalin is not upset, but he does have the last word. He concludes by saying:

We must pound the Germans to pieces as soon as possible so they won't be able to mount an offensive in the spring.

Stalin's plan for a general offensive in multiple places is adopted. Some members present at the meeting are surprised that Zhukov took a different position than Stalin. Martial Boris Shaposhnikov pulls Zhukov aside and chastises him for disagreeing because "the supreme commander had that question settled." Zhukov notes that he spoke his mind because his opinion had been requested, and asks why was he asked to speak it if it only supposed to be the same as Stalin's? This stumps Shaposhnikov, who lamely replies, "That, my dear fellow, I do not know."

Images from a 5 January 1942 Life magazine article on life in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.

The Soviet counteroffensive already is making progress both in the Crimea and around Moscow. Soviet 51st Army finally reaches the Parpach Narrows today after a slow move west from Kerch, but it takes no offensive action. Further north, the Soviet 10th Army takes Belov (Belyov or Belev) south of Kaluga and southwest of Tula. The front is gradually drifting away from Moscow and freeing up large areas where the Soviets can begin rebuilding.

"A view of MASB 37 as seen from the bow. The Commanding Officer is seen directing the operation from his tiny bridge while the machine gunner is at the ready." MASB 37 in the Firth of Forth, 5 January 1942. © IWM (A 6958).

This photo of USS West Virginia (BB-48) taken on 5 January 1942 shows bomb and fire damage from the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.

Food is running low and resupply appears problematic in the Philippines, so rations for everyone are cut in half. The Allies form a new line running from Dinaluplhan on the west to Hermosa on the east. This protects the entrance to, or base of, the Bataan Peninsula from the north and east and is the center of communications in the northern portion of the peninsula. The withdrawal continues after dark, with the troops passing through Layac Junction and then blowing the bridge there. They continue to hold the junction itself until the 6th. The 71st and 72d Regiments, 71st Division, Philippine Army, the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Division, and the 26th Cavalry Regiment, Philippine Scouts form a switch line south of Layac along the west side of the Olongapo-Manila road.

With the war in the Philippines going poorly for the Allies, the US media reverts to its practices from just after Pearl Harbor and prints accounts of nonexistent victories there. Here, the New Castle (Pennsylvania) News of 5 January 1942 gives stirring tales of fabulous American victories in the Philippines while the US forces, in fact, are retreating under pressure into the Bataan Peninsula.

The US Army Air Forces continue a hurried reorganization of their deployments in the Philippines. Brigadier General Richard J. Marshall establishes the Headquarters US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) in Bataan. The ground echelons of the 17th and 91st Bombardment Squadrons, 27th Bombardment Group transfer from Limay to Bataan. The Japanese are attacking Corregidor every day and also select targets in the Manila Bay area.

Images from a 5 January 1942 Life magazine article on life in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.

The British are building up their presence in Burma as the Japanese consolidate their hold on the southernmost sliver of land running south to the west of Thailand. The Indian 17th Division moves into new headquarters at Moulmein at the top of the sliver of land to form a block against a Japanese advance into the heart of the country. However, only one of three brigades that constitute the division, the 16th Brigade, while two remain behind in India.

Images from a 5 January 1942 Life magazine article on life in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.

At Singapore, the British begin planning for the worst. The Commander-in-Chief British Eastern Fleet, Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, moves his flag (headquarters) from Singapore to Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies. At a conference in Segamat, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, plans for a retreat into Johore.

This situation map of the battle at Layac Junction is based on materials that came from the United States Army Center of Military History.

Further north on the Malay Peninsula, the Indian 11th Division continues to hold its main defensive line anchored at Trolak just north of the Slim River. However, it is today it comes under pressure. The British have chosen to defend a narrow roadway between heavily forested areas that are just north of the Cluny Rubber estate, where the forests have been cut down and which is just north of the Slim River. During the afternoon, the Indian 5/16th Brigade on the coast pulls back through the 12th Indian Brigade positions, which is positioned on the north bank of the Slim River. The advance guard of the Japanese 42nd Regiment following close behind then launches an attack on the 12th Indian Brigade that leaves 60 Japanese soldiers dead on the battlefield. The leader of the Japanese Regiment, Colonel Ando, then decides to await reinforcements before launching further attacks. While the Allies' line holds, the situation looks grim for them because the Japanese can bring up more troops and the Allies don't have a lot of troops to spare. In addition, and unknown to the British, the Japanese have a large number of tanks quickly heading south, while the Allies have none available at all.

Life magazine prints this picture of an unidentified US Navy cruiser in its 5 January 1942 issue.

Battle of the Mediterranean: In a rare victory by one submarine over another, British submarine HMS/M 'Upholder' (N 99, Lieutenant-Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn) torpedoes and sinks 1461-ton Italian submarine Ammiraglio Saint Bon to the north of Milazzo, Sicily. There are three survivors and 59 deaths. The Ammiraglio Saint Bon was en route from Naples to Tripoli carrying 155 tons of gasoline and ammunition, which explode when the torpedo hits the starboard side. This is a demoralizing blow to the Axis because it demonstrates that not even submarine transport is safe in the Mediterranean.

"Benghazi, Cyrenaica, Libya. 5 January 1942. The scene at El Berca airfield showing the wreckage of the many Axis aircraft destroyed and a densely filled cemetery behind." Australian War Memorial MED0274.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Following the large Luftwaffe raid on Malta on 4 January, the British intelligence service in Cairo learns that the Germans have assembled powerful dive-bomber forces in Sicily for further attacks. There also are reports from an aerial reconnaissance of an Italian battleship accompanied by other ships about 200 miles to the east. The Germans conduct several raids around mid-day which drop bombs over Gozo, Msida Creek, near Tal Qroqq, near Gudja searchlight position, and in Zabbar. The British defenses are hampered by heavy rains recently, which have made the grass airfields waterlogged and sometimes impossible to use. The RAF manages no interceptions during the day, and the Luftwaffe loses no planes nor has any damaged, a rarity for days with sustained attacks.

Time magazine, 5 January 1942 (cover photo credit: Ernest Hamlin Baker).

Western Front: RAF Bomber Command sends 89 Wellington bombers and 65 other aircraft (154 total) to attack the port area of Cherbourg and other German naval bases. The Kriegsmarine still has heavy cruisers Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau at Cherbourg. The Germans make smoke, which successfully destroys the bombers' aim. While the warships are not hit, there is damage to the port area and large fires. The German admirals begin thinking of a way to get the large ships out of harm's way, but options are limited. One thing is sure, the Germans don't have much time to act before the raids begin causing serious damage.

Images from a 5 January 1942 Life magazine article on life in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.

US/Japanese Relations: While Japan and the United States are at war, there are still certain diplomatic formalities to discharge. Each side is obligated to return the other's diplomats, for instance. The Japanese accept the port of Laurenzo Marques (Maputo) in Mozambique for this exchange of diplomats.

On 5 January 1942, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Yards and Docks, is given authority from the Bureau of Navigation to recruit men from the construction trades for assignment to a Naval Construction Regiment composed of three Naval Construction Battalions. The first construction units, later nicknamed Seabees for the acronym of "Construction Battalions," are formed at a newly constructed naval bast at Davisville, Rhode Island. (Postcard from the U.S. Naval Construction Training Center, Camp Endicott, Davisville, Rhode Island. Gift of Gay Meaker, The National WWII Museum Inc., 2003.103.095).

US Military: US Forces in Australia (USFIA), which controls Far East Air Force (FEAF), is activated and redesignated US Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA). It is under the overall command of Major General George H. Brett, and its headquarters is located in the MacRobertson Girls High School in Melbourne, Victoria.

All men aged 20-44 now are required to register for the draft no later than 16 February 1942. All Japanese-American selective service registrants are classified as enemy aliens (IV-C). Many Japanese-American soldiers are discharged or assigned to menial labor such as kitchen police (KP) duty.

"A squadron of Japanese raiders speck the sky above the smoke clouds rising from the dirty work they wrought below." Images from a 5 January 1942 Life magazine article on life in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.

The US Navy changes its regulations covering the display of national insignia on aircraft. The star returns to the upper right and the lower left wing surfaces, and there is a revised rudder striping that now has 13 red and white horizontal stripes.

"A repair and salvage party at work on a motor cutter which broke down and went ashore in a gale." Scapa Flow,  5 January 1942. © IWM (A 6951).

Australian Military: The War Cabinet in Canberra approves a British request for transfer of the Australian I Corps (6th and 7th Divisions) from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. The British also begin moving the British 18th and Indian 17th Divisions from the Middle East to Bombay, India; Ceylon; and Singapore, Malaya. These British initiatives are designed to allay Australian and New Zealand fears that the British will focus exclusively on the Middle East battles while allowing the Far East territories to remain in peril.

British Military: British General Claude E. Auchinleck, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, has his authority expanded to include Iraq and Iran. British forces in Iraq are designated British Tenth Army under Lieutenant General Edward P. Quinan, with Ninth Army covering British forces in Syria under General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson.

Images in the 5 January 1942 issue of Life magazine showing life aboard a US Navy cruiser.

Holocaust: The Dutch Council of Churches issues a public protest against the mistreatment of Jewish residents. All Dutch Jews already are required to register with occupation authorities, but mass exterminations have not begun.

American Homefront: All enemy aliens in San Francisco, California, are required to surrender by the end of the day all radio transmitters, shortwave receivers and precision cameras to the U.S. Army's Western Defense Command under Lieutenant General John DeWitt.

The cover story for the 5 January 1942 Life magazine is "Wanted: 50,000 Nurses."

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

Sunday 28 December 1941

Finnish T-28 crewmen in Karhumäki in -40° weather, December 1941 (SA-Kuva).

Battle of the Pacific: On New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, Australian National Airlines (ANA) begins evacuating dependents from the naval base at Rabaul on 28 December 1941. The Japanese already have this key naval base in their sites and are preparing Operation R for early 1942. Plan R is planned to be undertaken by the Japanese South Seas Detachment under Major General Tomitaro Horii once it secures Guam.

Muslims in the Indian Army celebrate Id-ul-Adha at Woking Mosque, 28 December 1941 (Islamic Review, September 1942, 293-294, via Woking Mission).

The Japanese Navy considers Rabaul vital for control of the nearby Caroline Islands, which includes a key Imperial Japanese naval base at Truk. It also is strategically located along Allied convoy routes from the United States to Australia and New Zealand. The Allies also consider Rabaul important as the capital of the Australian-administered Territory of New Guinea and a secure fleet anchorage, but the Australians only first garrisoned it in March 1941. As of 28 December 1941, Rabaul only has about 1400 soldiers there in "Lark Force." The Japanese place much more strategic importance on Rabaul than do the Allies. They are determined to capture New Britain to use Rabaul as a springboard for their ambitions to the west and south.

Destroyer tender USS Melville in a photo taken on 28 December 1941. It services neutrality patrol ships in the North Atlantic at Bermuda and occasionally sails to Europe.

In the Philippines, the Japanese advance in southern Luzon, crossing the Agno River and approaching Cabanatuan. The Filipino 52nd Infantry Regiment retreats to Tiaong, and the Filipino 51st Division receives orders to withdraw into the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese in the area advance along Route 1 and seize Luisiana, forcing the Filipino 1st Infantry Regiment to withdraw. The US Army Air Forces in the region continue to withdraw, with the 17th Bombardment Squadron withdrawing from Cabcaben to Limay, Luzon.

The Florence (South Carolina) Morning News for 28 December 1941 headlines "Undefended Manila Set Afire In Three-Hour Bombing."

Dutch B-10 bombers fly from Singapore to bomb the Japanese at Kuching, Borneo. The Japanese are approaching Singawang while retreating Dutch and British troops head into the jungle toward Sampit and Pangkalanbun. There is a Dutch airfield near there at Kotawaringin which the Allied troops hope to protect and at which supplies can be received.

At Midway Island, which has recently been reinforced with troops and equipment originally destined for Wake Island, the seaplane tender USS Tangier and its accompanying ships depart. They carry with them 850 civilian construction contractors.

The London Margarine Factory (the white building) at Wormerveer Noorddijk, the Netherlands (just northwest of Amsterdam), burns down on 28 December 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Off of the Egyptian coast near Mersa Matruh, U-75 (Kptlt. Helmuth Ringelmann) torpedoes and sinks 1587-ton British freighter Volo. Royal Navy destroyer HMS Kipling, guarding Convoy AT-6, chases down U-75 and sinks it with depth charges. There are 30 survivors and 14 men perish.

With Soviet troops having taken Naro-Fominsk near Moscow, Soviet engineers build a bridge near there on 28 December 1941. Photo: Soviet news agency RIAN.

Eastern Front: The German plan to combat the Red Army landings near Kerch is to eliminate the bridgeheads one at a time. This strategy is forced upon them because of their lack of troops in the Kerch Peninsula. Lieutenant General Kurt Himer, commander of the German 46th Infantry Division in Lieutenant General Hans Graf von Sponeck's 42nd Army Corps, uses troops recalled from the port of Feodosiya as part of a renewed effort to eliminate the three main Soviet bridgeheads near Kerch. The 1st and 3rd Infantry battalions of Infantry Regiment 97 attack at dawn. Supported by two 10.5 cm howitzers, six Heinkel He 111 bombers and a handful of Stukas, the German troops wipe out the Soviet bridgehead at Zyuk by noontime. The two battalions take 458 prisoners and count about 300 Red Army troops killed at a cost of only 40 casualties. Another German attack at Cape Khroni by Infantry Regiment 72 also wipes a Red Army bridgehead. These are stunningly successful operations that illustrate the fragility of a bridgehead if attacked quickly. Overall, the two operations take about 1700 prisoners. Sponeck and Himer now turn their attention to the Bulganak Bay bridgehead, where about 1000 Red Army troops are trying to consolidate. Once this is eliminated, it appears the Soviet landings would have been completely repulsed.

"The Commanding Officer of the Royal Naval Air Station Hatston, Captain Fancourt, RN, talking to Sub Lieut (A) Mewton, RNVR, on the flight deck of HMS VICTORIOUS." This photo was taken sometime between 28 and 31 December 1941. © IWM (A 6987).

Around Moscow, German troop strength is declining fast both due to combat casualties and frostbite. The low temperatures and heavy snow are making aerial reconnaissance impossible, which, as Second Army commander General Rudolf Schmidt reports, leaves his troops "blind." General Ludwig Kuebler at Fourth Army - Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Hans Guenther von Kluge's former command - warns that even his own headquarters now is almost in the front lines. Soviet cavalry is across the Sukhinichi/Kaluga railroad and roaming far to the rear, virtually unimpeded no matter how far west they choose to go.

Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, landing in the Protectorate in the night between 28 and 29 December 1941, carried out the successful assassination of the Deputy/Acting Reich-Protector Reinhard Heydrich.

Special Operations: After extensive training funded by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík parachute into Czechoslovakia (the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia) from a Handley Page Halifax on 28 December 1941. This is the start of Operation Anthropoid. There, the two men find a local priest, František Samek, who helps them to go into hiding for several months. Their mission is to assassinate the province's Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich, the ruthless SS-Gruppenführer who is a key figure behind the "Final Solution" and who ruthlessly suppresses all dissent. December 28 is remembered every year in the village of Nahvizdy in central Bohemia for the arrival nearby of the two agents.

"Fairey Fulmars of 809 Squadron ranged on the flight deck for a squadron exercise." This photo was taken between 28 and 31 December 1941 apparently aboard HMS Victorious (© IWM (A 6968)).

Australian/US Relations: The first of several Allied conferences takes place at RAAF Base Amberley Field southwest of Brisbane. This is a follow-up to Prime Minister John Curtin's New Year's Message released on 27 December 1941 in which he characterized the United States as his country's chief protector. The Australian and the United States militaries reach some formal agreements for the conduct of the war. These include building bases on a line between Brisbane and Darwin which contain refueling depots at Charleville, Cloncurry, Daly Waters, and Darwin. This is to provide for servicing of routine air traffic. In addition, Royal Australian Air Force pilots will train new US Army Air Force pilots for B-24 crews at Archerfield and for P-40 pilots at Amberley. The prescribed course will teach night flying, dive-bombing, and aerial gunnery. These Amberley Field conferences build a close working relationship between the Royal Australian Air Force and the USAAF throughout the war.

A US military Diamond-T 969A 4 ton Wrecker, built to military specifications. This photo was taken on 28 December 1941.

US Military: Rather than use vulnerable civilian construction workers who now are being captured all across the Pacific Theater, the US Navy decides that it would be best to form a separate construction service. US Navy Chief of Bureau of Yards and Docks Vice Admiral Ben Moreell places a formal request with the Bureau of Navigation for such units. This is the birth of the Naval Construction Battalion, more colloquially known as the Seabees for the acronym of its name.

New Zealand Military: The tiny New Zealand military has its 2nd Division fighting in Libya with great distinction. However, it now finds that it has few troops on hand to defend against a potential Japanese attack. There is little war industry in New Zealand and a complete lack of tanks, artillery, and other instruments of modern warfare. However, the time has come to start worrying about the homeland. The military begins raising three battalions and the New Zealand Navy recently has sent minesweeper HMNZS Gale to Fiji. More minesweepers are to be sent to Fiji to form a minesweeping flotilla. These can serve as troop-convoy escorts.

A group photo of No. 2 Platoon, D Company at Burnham Camp in New Zealand. This is the largest military base in New Zealand's South Island.

British Homefront: William Joyce, aka Lord Haw-Haw, delivers his typical English-language propaganda broadcast on behalf of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment from Hamburg, Germany. This broadcast is recorded and preserved. Joyce urges listeners to "Tell Roosevelt to keep his hands off the Royal Navy."


December 1941

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

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