Battle of the Mediterranean: The final result of British Operation Crusader occurs on 17 January 1942 when an Italian garrison at Halfaya Pass finally surrenders to British 30 Corps. Despite being heavily fortified, the Halfaya Pass position has had no sources of supply other than occasional airdrops since the Axis garrison at Sollum fell on 12 January. About 5500 Axis troops, mostly men from the 55th Savona Infantry Division under the command of General Fedele de Giorgis, go into captivity. General Erwin Rommel, who already is preparing a counterattack 500 miles to the west at El Agheila, comments that "Superb leadership was shown by the Italian General de Giorgis, who commanded this German-Italian force in its two months’ struggle." With the loss of Halfaya Pass, the Afrika has lost about a third of its troop strength that it had on hand at the start of Operation Crusader in November 1941. However, Axis convoys recently have been getting through from Naples to Tripoli again while British forces have been diverted to the Far East. In a sign of renewed Axis vigor at sea, U-133 (Oblt. Hermann Hesse), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks Royal Navy destroyer HMS Gurkha (9 casualties) off Sidi Barrani today. This is beginning to alter the balance of power in North Africa once again.
I-60, shown, is sunk on 17 January 1942 by HMS Jupiter. I-60 is a KD3A/B type submarine. The wreck is found many years later about 25 miles northwest of Krakatoa, Java.
Battle of the Pacific: On the Malay Peninsula, the British shift two battalions, one from West Force at Segamat and the other from East Force at Jemaluang, to block the new Japanese bridgehead at Muar. They, along with the remnants of the shattered 45th Indian Brigade, set up a camp at Bakri. The Allies plan an attack toward Muar on the 18th, but the Japanese are planning an attack of their own toward Bakri. The Japanese continue their daily bombing of Singapore, with 27 bombers wrecking Sembawang Airfield in the extreme north of the island. This increases pressure on the RAAF to transfer its planes from Singapore across the Malacca Strait to Sumatra.
The Daily Express, 17 January 1942, is full of news about the battles in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, the Allies on Bataan Peninsula counterattack in the eastern II Corps sector to restore their line previously held by the 51st Filipino Division. The US 31st Infantry Division moves north from its base near Abucay Hacienda to the Balantay River area and manages some progress on its left. To the west in the I Corps sector, Japanese troops advance south along the Abo-Abo River toward Orion. The Allies, having temporarily taken it on the 16th with the last cavalry charge in US military history, give up the town of Moron (Morong) on the west coast and form a new line along a ridgeline southeast of the town.
Kapitänleutnant Heinrich "Ajax" Bleichrodt.
Battle of the Atlantic: Admiral Karl Doenitz has expanded his U-boats' operations to the Atlantic coast of the United States and also the Arctic. As part of Operation Drumbeat, U-109 (Kptlt Heinrich "Ajax" Bleichrodt) arrives off Cape Sable, Nova Scotia and heads south toward the Gulf of Maine. As part of new German efforts to interrupt the Lend-Lease shipments to Stalin, Wolfpack Ulan is in place off the northern coast of Norway. The Kriegsmarine hopes to block Allied convoys to the Soviet Union, and today U-454 (Kptlt Burckhard Hackländer), on its first patrol out of Kirkenes, attacks Convoy PQ-8. Hackländer sinks two ships, 557-ton Soviet patrol boat RT-68 Enisej and 1870-ton Royal Navy destroyer HMS Matabele, and damages a third, 5395-ton British freighter Harmatris. The British destroyer remains afloat for a few hours, at which point Hackländer tires of waiting and pumps another torpedo into it, causing it to explode. There are only three survivors. This is the first successful Kriegsmarine attack on an Arctic convoy.
U-87 (Kptlt. Joachim Berger) torpedoes and sinks independent Norwegian tanker Nyholt (shown) about 180 miles south of Cape Race after a wild chase. The U-boat, part of wolfpack Ziethen, hits the tanker with one torpedo at 03:59, but it continues sailing for port while pursuing a zig-zagging course. U-87 fires and misses with four more torpedoes. The tanker then tries to ram the U-boat but misses. U-87 then fires two more torpedoes, one of which hits. The tanker finally is sunk with 120 shells from the deck gun. The men take to two lifeboats, one of which disappears. There are 22 survivors out of about 40 people on board.
Eastern Front: Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau, commander of Army Group South, perishes after having suffered a stroke on the 14th. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, already chosen as his successor, boards a train to Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia to receive his command and confer with the Fuehrer. After he arrives on the 18th, Von Bock later complains to Hitler about the decrepit state of the train, a problem which is getting worse due to lack of maintenance due to the war.
The New Yorker, 17 January 1942.
In the Crimea, the German offensive at the Parpach Narrows continues. The German 32nd Infantry Division attacks the port city of Feodosia, supported by heavy Stuka attacks. The Soviets attempt to evacuate the Soviet 236th Rifle Division in the port using the Black Sea Fleet, but they are too late. The Germans take the port and 5300 prisoners. The Soviet officer in command of the division manages to escape but is later convicted of cowardice and executed.
A camouflaged Type 97 Te-Ke in the Battle of Muar, 17 January 1942.
Future History: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. is born in Louisville, Kentucky. He takes up boxing at the age of 12 after being advised to by a Louisville police officer and boxing coach, Joe. E. Martin. Clay makes his amateur boxing debut in 1954 and quickly becomes a top boxer, earning the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He goes on to win the World Heavyweight Title on 25 February 1964. After that, Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali for religious reasons and goes on to remain Heavyweight Champion off-and-on until his retirement from boxing on 27 July 1979. Muhammad Ali passes away on 3 June 2016 at age 74.
Mickey Rooney on the cover of Liberty magazine, 17 January 1942. He is riding high at the box office right now and just married Ava Gardner.
Recovery team at the site following the Carole Lombard crash on Mount Potosi of 16 January 1942.
American Homefront: Returning on 16 January 1942 from a War Bond rally in Indianapolis in which she sold $2 million bonds, Indiana, actress Carole Lombard, 33, perishes when her DC-3-382 NC1946 propliner (Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. (TWA) Flight 3) crashes near Good Springs, Nevada. The twin-engined plane flies straight into a vertical cliff (Double Up Peak) on Potosi Mountain in the Spring Mountain Range and causes a fireball seen for 40 miles. The crash occurs at 19:20 local time, just after takeoff from a refueling stop at Las Vegas (a small town at the time). Everyone on board - 15 soldiers, four passengers including Lombard and her mother and agent, and 3 crew including one female stewardess - perishes. Rescue/recovery efforts are difficult because of the location and the wintry conditions. The bodies are recovered with great effort by men hauling them up steep slopes and cliffs in bags but not all of the body parts are found. Lombard is identified through dental records, her earrings, and by visual identification of her remains by acquaintances. Legend has it that Lombard's wedding ring remains on the mountain.
The impact point on Mount Potosi of the Carole Lombard crash of 16 January 1942.
The Civil Aeronautics Board concludes:
Upon the basis of the foregoing findings and of the entire record available at this time, we find that the probable cause of the accident to aircraft NC 1946 on January 16, 1942, was the failure of the captain after departure from Las Vegas to follow the proper course by making use of the navigational facilities available to him.
In essence, the CAB finds that pilot error caused the Lombard crash. The pilot or co-pilot apparently entered a proper course heading for departures from the usual stopover point, Boulder City, instead of for Las Vegas. Inevitably, some conspiracy theories arise later about the plane being shot down by German spies, an engine caught fire, and so forth. The war has a direct influence on causing the Lombard crash, as local authorities had turned off (due to vastly overblown war concerns) safety beacons on the mountain that would have warned the crew of the danger. Ms. Lombard, whose real name is Jane Alice Peters Gable, had suggested to husband Clark Gable (his real name, though it was a shortened form of William Clark Gable) that he join the military. The tragic death of his wife Carole Lombard ultimately leads Clark Gable to enlist in the US Army Air Force. Some of the plane's remains may still be seen on the mountainside, probably because they are very difficult to reach.
There is original footage below of Lombard and the recovery process.
Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc., Douglas DC-3-382 NC1943, the same type aircraft as NC1946. (Boeing Images).
Eastern Front: The commander of Army Group South, Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau, recently suffered a stroke and is not expected to survive. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, removed in mid-December from his command of Army Group Center for "health reasons," is planning a lengthy vacation in the Austrian Alps when he receives a telephone call on 16 January 1942 from the army personnel office (not Adolf Hitler, who sometimes makes these calls personally). The anonymous staff officer asks von Bock if he would be willing to take over command of Army Group South. Startled, von Bock instantly agrees and indicates that he will be on a train to Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia on the 17th. The incident is very odd, as Hitler does not particularly like von Bock and has many other options. Von Bock later learns informally that the true reason for his return is Hitler's concern about unfavorable publicity both within the Reich and abroad about all of the German generals who have been fired recently (and there are more to come). Regardless of the reason, von Bock quickly goes from almost certain retirement to command of the army group that is destined to decide the fate of the Third Reich over the next year.
Scene of the crash of Transcontinental and Western Flight 3 on Potosi Mountain, Nevada. The point of impact was at an elevation of 7,770 feet (2,368 meters). (Bettman Archive via Lost Flights).
Reichenau also becomes a subject of interest on the Soviet side. The Red Army has retaken Klin from the Germans, and they have found many Wehrmacht documents. One of these is von Reichenau's infamous 10 October 1941 "Severity" order. The order, issued when von Reichenau commanded the German 6th Army, authorized the indiscriminate killing or starvation of Soviet civilians and Red Army soldiers whenever it would benefit the Wehrmacht. The Soviet government publishes the order in the belief that it will stiffen Soviet resistance to the German invaders.
Transcontinental and Western Air Douglas DC-3 NC1945, sister ship of NC1946, TWA Flight 3. (TWA).
In the Crimea, the Soviets land the 226th Rifle Regiment at Sudak, which is behind the German lines. The troops are supported by powerful naval forces offshore that include the battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna, the cruiser Krasnyi Krym and four destroyers. There is only a small Romanian garrison in Sudak that offers little resistance. Back near Sevastopol, General Erich von Manstein, commander of 11th Army, regards this as a diversion and only sends a couple of Romanian infantry battalions to keep an eye on the bridgehead. The Luftwaffe gets in some practice against the Soviets, and artillery also makes the Soviets' lives very unhealthy. The Red Army troops continue to hold out, however, and area commander Lieutenant Dmitry Kozlov decides that the German failure to quickly wipe out the small force indicates weakness. So, he makes plans to reinforce them. Manstein, meanwhile, keeps his eye on the objective and continues building up his forces on the all-important line along the Parpach Narrows.
Battle of the Pacific: Before dawn, Japanese troops quietly cross the Muar River on the Malay Peninsula and capture barges moored there. They tow them downstream to the town of Muar, where Japanese troops climb aboard and then cross the river in them. The only Allied troops in Muar are members of the 45h Indian Brigade who are not expecting any trouble because they still think the Japanese are far upstream. Australian artillery nearby begins opening fire at the motley collection of packed barges and Chinese junks sailing across the mouth of the river. The Japanese crossing at Muar itself is repulsed by the artillery fire, but the Japanese quickly get an entire division across the Muar River a little further upstream. The defense is hampered when the commanders of the Rajputana Rifles and the Royal Garhwal Rifles are killed along with most of their officers in fighting near the town and a Japanese aircraft raid on its headquarters decapitates most of the leadership of the 45th Indian Brigade. By nightfall, the Indian 45h Brigade has retreated in disarray several kilometers down the coast to Parit Jawa and the Japanese are in control of Muar Town and its valuable harbor. This is a critical breach of the British defense of Johore, the final slice of the mainland before Singapore. There are still British troops inland far to the north retreating from Gemas whose retreat can easily be cut off from Muar. The Australian troops nearby prepare to launch a counterattack on the 17th to retake these critical areas.
In Singapore itself, it's already getting too hot for some to handle. The daily Japanese air raids are virtually unstoppable and getting worse all the time. The anemic Royal Australian Air Force presence is unable to both defeat the raids and also help the stumbling army units to the north. So, they have to choose one or the other priority, and neither choice exerts a decisive result. Today, a dozen RAAF Brewster Buffalos focus on ground support and successfully shoot up a Japanese convoy near the Gemas-Tampin road. In addition, four Buffalos sink four barges at Malacca, while six RAAF Hudsons join in the attempt to stop the Japanese crossing of the Muar River. This is all useful to some extent to the British army, but meanwhile, the daily Japanese bombing raids on the Buffalos' own airfields in Singapore while the Brewsters are operating further north are destroying the RAAF's ability to function at all. The situation is so bad that the RAAF is preparing to abandon Singapore entirely and transfer west to Sumatra in the Netherlands East Indies. There, they at least will be able to continue functioning but be of limited value to the retreating British army on the Malay Peninsula and the air defense of Singapore. Once the defending fighters are gone, the Japanese bombers will have virtually complete control of the skies over "Fortress Singapore." That is an extremely dangerous situation for the British no matter how bravely they intend to defend Singapore.
In the Philippines, the Japanese have made an incursion into the Allied line on the western (the II Corps) half of the line. The Filipino 51st Division counterattacks but completely fails to reestablish its line. The Japanese also have split the center of the Allied line between the I and II Corps on Mt. Naib, which provides a dangerous opening to the south. The Americans quickly shift the U.S. Philippine Division in as reinforcements to the area. They at least temporarily halt the Japanese, but it is unclear who truly has the upper hand. The Americans consider withdrawing to the Reserve Battle Line running from Casa Pilar to Bagac but hold their ground. Further west, in the I Corps sector, the Japanese cross the Batalian River and attack the coastal town of Moron (Morong). The US troops counterattack and force the Japanese back to the river but take heavy losses. The battle at Moron is notable because Lieutenant Edwin P. Ramsey of the 26th Cavalry Regiment orders his mounted troops to charge into the town when he sees the opportunity for a surprise attack. The 27 heavily outnumbered Filipino and American cavalrymen charge and succeed in scattering the Japanese forces who have entered the town. This enables the Allies to briefly retake the town. It is the last mounted charge by U.S. cavalry to date.
"Australian soldiers at a coastal fortress near Brisbane, 16 January 1942. Close-range shot of a group of four Australian soldiers, wearing helmets, kneeling around a mortar that is about to be fired. A sergeant is kneeling behind the men supervising the activity. The location is undisclosed. Caption: 'Battle Station at an important coastal fortress near Brisbane (Information was taken from The Courier-Mail Archives, 16 January 1942 - picture not published)."
The US Navy sends Task Force 8, centered around USS Enterprise, to the Marshall and Gilbert Islands to launch a strike. The Task Force is about 800 miles northeast of the Solomon Islands when one of its planes fails to return. The three men in the Torpedo Squadron Six TBD Devastator run out of fuel and take to a raft in the middle of nowhere, with nothing in sight but water. This is the beginning of a 34-day ordeal with no stored food or water that they somehow survive.
Fallschirmjäger Feldwebel Helmut Arpke, born 20 March 1917 in Graudenz; killed in action 16 January 1942 near Schaikowka, Russia. This photo was taken in May 1940 when he won his Ritterkreuz (Federal Archive Bild 146-1980-108-36A).
US Military: President Roosevelt asks his cabinet to consider the need and feasibility of a military roadway through Canada to Alaska. This idea of an Alaskan Highway (ALCAN Highway) has been kicking around since Thomas MacDonald, director of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, proposed an international highway spanning the United States and Canada in the 1920s. Roosevelt has made several unsuccessful attempts in the intervening years to convince the Canadians of its usefulness, but it has never been built. World War II has made such a highway more interesting to both countries. Among the issues to be considered is the actual route, on which there is no agreement, and whether Army leadership and the US Army Corps of Engineers feel the highway is feasible and worth the immense effort required to build it. The construction season in the region is short and would require diversion of many construction units from other priorities.
A Boeing 314A flying boat of the type that took Winston Churchill across the Atlantic on 16 January 1942.
British Government: Having concluded his visit to Washington, D.C., for the Arcadia Conference, Prime Minister Winston Churchill returns to England. He does this in a novel way, by airplane. This is the first time that any head of state crosses the Atlantic by air. Churchill is no stranger to flying, even across large bodies of water such as the English Channel, but crossing the Atlantic is full of danger. Churchill uses a Berwick, a Boeing 314A flying boat. It is painted in olive drab camouflage with large Union Flags under the cockpit windows and piloted by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) pilot Captain John Kelly Rogers under military orders. The original plan had been for Churchill to simply fly to Bermuda and then take a ship home, but he enjoyed the flight there so much that he decided to complete the journey in the flying boat, too. It is luxuriously appointed with comfortable bunks, and Churchill is so taken with this quick mode of transportation that he prefers flying for his future transatlantic journeys, too. One major special accommodation is made for Churchill, the addition of a special oxygen mask created by the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough which he wears even while sleeping.
Battle of the Pacific: In the Philippines, the Japanese make their main landings on the east coast of Lingayen Gulf during the morning of 22 December 1941. The Japanese have 43,110 troops of the 48th Division and a regiment of the 16th Division, supported by about 90 light tanks and artillery. US commander General Wainwright sends the 11th and 71st Filipino Divisions in a futile counterattack. The Japanese win a brief battle at the coastal town of Rosario against the 26th Cavalry Division of the Filipino Army, which withdraws south toward Manila. Offshore, US submarine USS S-38, sailing out of Manila, torpedoes 5445-ton Japanese transport Hayo Maru. The transport quickly sinks in the Lingayen Gulf. This is S-38's first war patrol and the first US submarine success of the war.
Life Magazine's 22 December 1941 issue provides a guide to telling Japanese and Chinese citizens apart.
A US Navy relief operation to Wake Island was organized by Admiral Husband Kimmel before his dismissal. On 22 December 1941 Task Force 14 (Admiral Wilson Brown), supported by Task Force 14 (Admiral Frank Fletcher) is approaching the beleaguered US Marines there. However, at 21:00, the acting commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral William S. Pye, recalls Task Force 11. He bases this on reconnaissance that reveals the presence of two Japanese aircraft carriers and two battleships around the island. While there aren't any battleships, there definitely are two modern aircraft carriers, but the real opponent at this stage of the war is simply the unknown. The Americans don't know where all the Japanese carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor went, and the remaining US carriers are too precious to risk with naval forces so vastly reduced by the attack on Pearl Harbor. Pye instead plans on sending F2A Brewster Buffaloes from USS Saratoga at extreme range to land on the island on the 23rd, supported by a quick run to the island by seaplane tender USS Tangier. However, it is unclear how long the island can hold out against vastly superior Japanese forces.
On Wake Island itself, the US Marines suffer from two Japanese raids launched from carriers Hiryu and Soryu. There are only two operational USMC F4F Wildcats left on the island, and one is shot down and the other badly damaged.
"Japan's Aggressor, Admiral Yamamoto" is the cover story for the 22 December 1941 Time Magazine. The cover portrait by Arthur Szyk shows Yamamoto as vaguely human but definitely menacing.
On the Malay Peninsula, fierce air battles develop over Kuala Lumpur. Sergeant Malcolm Neville Read of RAAF No. 453 Squadron rams his Brewster Buffalo fighter into a Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" fighter of 64th Sentai and perishes. The Indian 11th Division continues its retreat behind the Perak River, while the Indian 9th Division establishes a strong position around Kuantan airfield that also protects the east flank of the 11th Division.
The situation in Burma is deteriorating rapidly, with Japanese forces making good progress in the extreme south. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek realizes that his best supply route runs through Burma, so he gives General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, ground forces. He sends the Chinese 6th Army's 93rd Division and a regiment of the 49th Division, with the promise of more to come. The American Volunteer Group (AVG, aka "Flying Tigers") are operating east of Rangoon, but there is a serious lack of Allied ground troops in the country which Chiang can remedy faster than the British.
USAT Willard H. Holbrook arrives in Brisbane, Australia, 22 December 1941. It is part of the United States Navy's "Pensacola" Convoy that includes heavy cruiser USS Pensacola, gunboat Niagara, naval transports Chaumont and Republic, Army transports Holbrook and Meigs, and three freighters. They carry the first US troop units to arrive in Australia from the United States.
A Japanese convoy leaves Miri, Borneo for Kuching. A Dutch flying boat X-35 radios a warning to HNLMS K XIV (Lt. Cdr. Carel A.J. van Groeneveld), which heads to intercept it on the 23rd.
Newsweek, 22 December 1941, features Navy dive bombers.
About 15 nautical miles off the coast of California southwest of Lompoc, Japanese submarine I-19 uses its deck gun against 10,763-ton American tanker H.M. Storey. The recent spate of Japanese submarine attacks off the coast has attracted a great deal of attention, and a US Navy aircraft swiftly arrives and drops a depth charge. This provides enough of a distraction for the tanker to escape.
Battle of the Mediterranean: In North Africa, the British Commonwealth forces continue pressing against the Afrika Corps, which has retreated to Beda Fomm and now is evacuating from Benghazi. The Germans have received some reinforcements from Tripoli and manage to stop the British by deploying 30 panzers. General Erwin Rommel, commander of Panzer Group Africa, sends a battle report to German General Headquarters in Rome for translation to Mussolini which notes "the extraordinarily strong enemy air superiority."
Eastern Front: Having taken a somewhat leisurely drive from his former headquarters in Smolensk to East Prussia, Field Marshal Fedor von Bock arrives at the Fuhrer Headquarters in Rastenburg. After a brief visit with Hitler, during which the Fuehrer assures him that he understands the dire situation at the front, von Bock continues on to Berlin. It is an odd interlude because von Bock is not actually sick, but Hitler tells him to report back when he is "recovered."
Four Polikarpov I-15 biplanes ("Chaika," or seagull) under repair in Moscow, 22 Dec 1941.
At the front around Moscow, things are not quite so pleasant. In a driving snowstorm, Soviet 49th Army attacks at Tarusa and scores a quick breakthrough against the German Fourth Army. This separates the German 43rd Corps from the rest of the army and sets up a possible encirclement. The Army Group commander, Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge, follows standing orders and tells the corps to stand fast. However, von Kluge warns Fuehrer Headquarters of the danger. At Chekalin, Soviet sled troops surprise a German construction unit, which cannot be reinforced because of the snow and push it back. General Guderian spends the day at the front south of Moscow and is dismayed. He finds that the Soviets have broken through 296th Infantry Division at several points. He also warns Fuehrer Headquarters that he will lose the division entirely if it is required to hold its position.
President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in Washington, D.C., 22 December 1941.
US/British Relations: The Arcadia Conference ("Arcadia" being the official code name for it), also known as the First Washington Conference, begins in Washington, D.C. on 22 December 1941. This is a meeting of top British and United States political and military leaders. Winston Churchill makes the hazardous ten-day journey across the Atlantic in battleship HMS Duke of York. This is the first of many military conferences between the two powers while both are at war. The conference lasts until 14 January 1942 and establishes the defeat of Germany as the top priority of the alliance. This comports with the established US military Rainbow 5 plan which already is in effect. Other agreements reached at the Arcadia Conference include establishing a Combined Chiefs of Staff, based in Washington, limiting resources to be sent to the Pacific Theater, and a "Declaration by United Nations" which establishes the principle of no separate peace with the Axis. The Arcadia Conference projects the first combined offensive action by the two powers as an invasion of North Africa, creates a unified American/British/Dutch/Australian Command (ABDA) in the Far East and establishes that military resources will be combined for the common benefit in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).
"Western Desert, Libya. 22 December 1941. The fierce attacks upon enemy aerodromes by the Allied Air Forces destroyed many aircraft which never had a chance of taking the air." Australian War Memorial MED0221.
Mechanics repair the tread on a panzer in North Africa on 19 December 1941 (Gemini, Ernst A., Federal Archive Picture 101I-438-1191-24).
Eastern Front: The pace of command changes in the Wehrmacht accelerates on 19 December 1941 as more senior officers head home from the Eastern Front to Germany. Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch has been ignored by virtually everyone for days despite holding the senior post in the entire German Army, especially Hitler. This finally has broken Brauchitsch's spirit, and, having submitted his resignation as a form of protest, Hitler perhaps unexpectedly accepts it. In addition, Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group Center, also turns his command over to one of his army commanders, Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge. Both leave ostensibly on medical grounds, and Brauchitsch has been recovering from a heart attack for some time. However, there is little doubt in anyone's mind that Hitler has dismissed them simply because they have become redundant as his confidence in his own powers of command has grown.
With Brauchitsch no longer around to attend Hitler's daily Fuhrer conferences and agree with everything that he said, that role falls to the next in line. That was OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder. To date, Halder has been only an occasional presence in Hitler's conference room, appearing only on average twice a month. The two men now actually get to know each other, which eventually turns out to be bad news for Halder.
The German film "Menschen Im Sturm," set in Yugoslavia in March 1941, is released on 19 December 1941. It portrays ethnic Germans in pre-war Yugoslavia being persecuted, a common theme for wartime films of the Third Reich. The fascist NDH government in Croatia led by Ante Pavelic supports the lavish production and even visits the film set in Croatia. Quite popular throughout Occupied Europe, Yugoslavia understandably bans the film after the war.
To announce the change of command, Hitler later releases a proclamation:
Soldiers of the Army and the Waffen SS! Our struggle for national liberation is approaching its climax! Decisions of world importance are about to be made! The Army bears the primary responsibility for battle! I have therefore as of this day myself taken command of the Army! As a soldier who fought in many World War battles, I am closely tied to you in the will to victory.
The order contains the usual shaky grasp of reality that emanates from Hitler's speeches, as the "decisions of world importance" already have been made and now the Wehrmacht soldiers trudging through icy weather are bearing the brunt of them. However, Hitler assuming personal command of the German Army removes the last vestige of independence that it enjoyed, though (as events will prove) individual generals still feel the right to override direct orders when they see fit.
Sergeant-Major John Robert Osborn, VC, KIA 19 December 1941.
Battle of the Pacific: On Hong Kong Island, the invading Japanese forces expand their beachhead. They surround the West Brigade headquarters and kill its commander Canadian Brigadier John Lawson when he attempts a breakout. The British attempt a counterattack at the Wong Nai Chung Gap that fails. This leaves the Japanese in possession of an easy route toward the southern part of the island. Canadian Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn of the 1st Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers, is part of an attempt to recapture Mount Butler when a grenade lands near him. Osborn leaps on the grenade to save other men. John Robert Osborn receives the Victoria Cross posthumously.
On the Malay Peninsula, the RAAF pulls its last bombers back to Singapore and reequips No. 62 Squadron with Hudsons. The advancing Japanese close up on the new Commonwealth line at the Krian River and the Grik Road and repel a counterattack by the Indian III Corps. On the eastern end of the British line, the Indian 9th Division abandons the Kuala Krai railway station and withdraws back toward Singapore.
The US Navy sends Vice Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, Jr. and his Task Force 8 from Pearl Harbor toward Johnston Island south of Midway. Aboard USS Enterprise, Halsey is to cover an attempt by Task Force 11 under Admiral Frank Fletcher and Task Force 14 to relieve Wake Island. Seas are heavy and destroyer Craven is damaged and forced to return to Pearl Harbor.
A 1940 view from the ramparts of Fort Macon, North Carolina. Fort Macon is a national park in 1941 due to its use during the Civil War but on 19 December 1941, the U.S. Army activates the installation for coastal defense use (Thomas T. Waterman/Library of Congres).
In the Philippines, the Japanese force advancing from Legaspi toward Manila reaches Sipoco and continues on toward Daet. The Japanese now have fighters operating in the Philippines and send a dozen of them to attack Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao. They destroy three US Army Air Force B-18 Bolos bombers which had just arrived from Luzon en route to Australia. The Japanese send transports carrying about 5000 troops from Palau, Caroline Islands, with plans to landing at Davao early on the 20th.
In Burma, Japanese forces advancing from Thailand reach Bokpyin, a village about 100 miles north of Victoria Point. In Rangoon, a US official demands that the Government of Burma impound Lend-Lease material before it is captured by the Japanese. The government complies and loads a great deal of equipment on the USS Tulsa. This becomes known as the "Tulsa Incident" and takes a great deal of time and effort to sort out. Meanwhile, General Claire L. Chennault sets up new headquarters for his American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers" about 150 miles (241 km) east of Rangoon and begin operations that last until 4 July 1942.
An Italian "Torpedo to run slow," initial SLC, also known as "pig." The pig is a midget submarine that runs like a torpedo. It has been adapted to carry two frogmen wearing SCUBA gear whose goal is to secretly apply explosive charges to enemy warships that are moored in a harbor.
Battle of the Mediterranean: In the early hours of 19 December, a Royal Navy force composed of three cruisers and four destroyers runs into a minefield about 20 miles (32 km) off Tripoli. The British have been searching for the Axis convoy that led to the First Battle of Sirte. Cruiser HMS Neptune hits four mines and sinks quickly. Destroyer Kandahar, coming to Neptune's aid, also hits a mine and is scuttled later in the day. Two other cruisers, Aurora and Penelope, also hit mines but manage to limp back to Malta (illustrating yet another advantage of retaining that island). The British incur 830 deaths from this disaster, which causes greater losses than most battles.
The Louisville Courier-Journal of 19 December 1941 highlights the agreement with the Vichy French authorities in Martinique that neutralizes the French fleet there.
Meanwhile, Italian submarine Sciré has had several aborted missions to transport Luigi Durand De La Penne (Italian frogmen) of the Xª Flottiglia MAS of the Royal Italian Navy to Royal Navy bases for purposes of destroying Royal Navy ships. Today, just as several British ships hit mines off Tripoli, the Italian frogmen penetrate Alexandria Harbor, the main Royal Navy base in the eastern Mediterranean. Attaching mines that explode just after 06:00 on 19 December 1941, the frogmen damage battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and Valiant, destroyer Jervis, and 7554-ton Norwegian freighter Sagona. The six Italian frogmen disappear and presumably perish. HMS Queen Elizabeth is taken to Virginia for repairs that last until June 1943, while Valiant is taken to Durban for repairs which also last until 1943. It is a devastating night for the Royal Navy which drastically impairs its ability to undertake large-scale operations in the Mediterranean. However, because the Valiant does not actually sink, the Royal Navy is able to maintain the impression that suffered no damage, thereby preventing any Italian naval adventurism for the time being.
US Military: Congress extends the draft ages to all men aged 20-44.
In Berlin, celebrity conductor Paul Lincke signs autographs for his devoted female fans (Hoffmann, Federal Archive Picture 183-B06424).
