AUSTRALIA: The Advisory War Council agrees that the future of Australia is bound up with the talks taking place during the Arcadia Conference in Washington, D.C., and Prime Minister John Curtin cables U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealing for more reinforcements for Singapore, Malaya. At the same time, Curtin tells Roosevelt that if the U.S. government wants, Australia would gladly accept an American commander in the Pacific.
The USAAF Far East Air Force (FEAF) comes under control of the newly created US Forces in Australia (USFIA). Major General Lewis H Brereton, Commanding General FEAF, receives orders establishing HQ FEAF at Darwin, Northern Territory.
BORNEO: The Japanese invasion convoy which left Miri in the British protectorate of Sarawak yesterday, is being escorted by the five heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, six destroyers, two minesweepers and an aircraft depot ship. Part of the escort force is sighted this morning when it is about 150 miles off Kuching, capital of Sarawak.
At 1140 hours, 24 Japanese aircraft bomb Singkawang II Airfield in Dutch Borneo, so damaging the runways that a Dutch striking force which has been ordered to attack the convoy is unable to take off with a bomb load. Despite the critical situation the Dutch authorities urge the transfer of their aircraft to Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. Air Headquarters, Far East, agrees and tomorrow afternoon, the aircraft were flown to Palembang. The Japanese convoy does not escape unscathed. This evening, it is attacked by Dutch submarine HNMS K-XIV which sinks two transports and damages a transport and a tanker.
During the night of 23/24 December, submarine Dutch HNMS K-XVI torpedoes and sinks the Japanese destroyer HIJMS Sagiri. Fires rage on the destroyer igniting the
torpedoes and the ship blows up killing 121 of the 241 crewmen.
During the evening, five RAF Blenheim Mk. IVs of No. 34 Squadron based at Tengah Airfield, Singapore, Malaya, operating at extreme range, bomb the ships at anchor in Kuching harbor but do little damage.
BURMA: Rangoon feels the first of the Japanese air strikes. There are three Allied fighter squadrons available: RAF No. 60 Squadron with Blenheim Mk. I light bombers and (USN F2A) Buffalo Mk. Is and No. 67 Squadron with Buffalo Mk. Is, and the 3d Squadron, American Volunteer Group (AVG or "Flying Tigers") with P-40Bs. These fighters are only able to offer token resistance to the Japanese. An exodus of civilian laborers hampers port operations in Rangoon. Chuck Baisden, who was an armorer with the 3d Squadron, AVG, writes this first hand report: at our base at Mingaladon Airdrome just outside of Rangoon as one of the armorers in the 3d Squadron AVG (Hell's Angels), we had completed our morning preflight and a number of us crew chiefs, armorers and radio men were standing around on a small knoll just outside our barracks and perhaps a hundred odd feet from our flightline dispersal area when the air raid siren went off with our pilots racing to their planes, starting engines and immediately taxiing to the active runway and taking off. It was a miracle there were no mid air collisions as some 14 P-40B fighters were taking off from one direction sandwiched between a number of RAF Buffaloes (I believe they were New Zealand pilots) taking off from another dispersal area in almost opposite directions. It was right hairy for a spell. Things got quiet and then from a distance we saw a rather large formation approaching our field, flying in a tight three ship V of V formation with fighter escorts swarming like a bunch of bees. Turned out there were 54 Japanese "Betty" bombers (Mitsubishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) and some 40 fighters. One of our guys started counting and when he hit 27 yelled "Hell they are not ours, we don't have that many." There was an immediate mad dash for some slit trenches a few feet from where we had been standing.
One group of the bombers targeted our field and laid their pattern precisely down the runway and through our dispersal area. I remember those black dots getting larger and larger accompanied by a "whoose- whoose" sound and thought they were all aimed directly at me. It was nothing compared to the shock of the bombs as they walked up the field with the noise getting louder and louder. The concussion bounced us around in the trench and from the smell someone had voided in his trousers. I know one 21-year-old that grew up in a hurry. Saw a parachute coming down with a Japanese "Nate" fighter (Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighter) making a pass at the helpless guy in a parachute. Luckily one of the RAF pilots saw what the Japanese pilot was up to and forced him to break off. Neil Martin, my pilot at Langley Field, Virginia, and Mitchel Field, New York, USA, when we were pulling tow targets in an old Martin B- 10 bombers, made a pass at the bomber formation and never pulled out of his dive, evidently killed by a bomber gunner. Henry Gilbert was also shot down and killed. My comrade-in arms R.T.Smith (Tadpole) shot down two or three and landed with his fuselage full of holes, a present from a Japanese bomber gunner. I had the privilege to fly as his gunner in B-25 Mitchells with the Air Commando Group two years later. Score for this day was 15 Japanese aircraft and we lost three P-40s and two pilots.
There are a number of casualties among support personnel in the RAF at our field and some 1,000 civilians were killed or wounded in Rangoon.
CHINA: The Japanese begin a drive on Changsha in Hunan Province.
HONG KONG: The Canadian Royal Rifles of Canada withdraw to Hong Kong's Stanley Peninsula.
LINE ISLANDS: The U.S. Palmyra Island is shelled by Japanese submarines HIJMS I-71 and I-72. Palmyra Island is located about 957 nautical miles SSW of Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii.
MALAYA: The Indian III Corps completes a withdrawal of all west coast forces behind the Perak River during the night of 23/24 December. Japanese planes, which so far have concentrated on airfields, begin intensive action against forward areas.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Two Japanese submarines attack U.S. merchant ships off the coast of California, U.S.A.:
(1) HIJMS I-21 attacks two ships; (1) she fires a torpedo at a 6,418 ton unarmed U.S. tanker about 17 nautical miles WSW of Pismo Beach, California but the tanker escapes and she later torpedoes and sinks an 8,272 ton unarmed U.S. tanker about 19 nautical miles WNW of Morro Bay, California;
(2) HIJMS I-17 surfaces and shells an unarmed U.S. tanker located about 62 nautical miles SW of Eureka, California, but the tanker escapes.
Uncertainty over the positions of and number of Japanese carriers and reports that indicate Japanese troops have landed on Wake Atoll compel Vice Admiral William S. Pye, Acting Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, to recall Task Force 14 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher) while it is 425 nautical miles from its objective.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Luzon, Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General US Army Forces Far East, decides to evacuate Manila and withdraw to Bataan Peninsula to make a delaying stand. During the night of 23/24 December, a Japanese invasion force of 7,000 men arrives in Lamon Bay from the Ryukyu Islands. Another Japanese invasion force sails from Mindanao Island for Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago.
After 0000 hours, four of the Far East Air Force's B-17 Flying Fortresses take off from Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island and bomb shipping in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. They damage a destroyer and a minesweeper.
After the attack, one aircraft lands at Del Monte Field and the other three land on Ambon Island in the Netherlands East Indies. After refueling, all four proceed to Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Twelve P-40s and six P-35s, the only USAAF fighter aircraft in the Philippines, strafe Japanese forces landing in San Miguel Bay on Luzon.
Using a P-26A Peashooter, of the Philippine 6th Pursuit Squadron, Lieutenant Jose Kare shoots down a Japanese "Zero" fighter .
UNITED STATES: California Governor Culbert Olson, at the request of Lieutenant General John. DeWitt, Commanding General Fourth Army and Commanding General Western Defense Command, bans the sale of liquor to persons in uniform, except between 1800 and 2200 hours.
WAKE ISLAND: At 0300 hours, 1,500 Japanese troops land on the island and after an 11-hour fight, the garrison surrenders. The garrison consists of marines, sailors, volunteer civilians (Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases) and a USAAF radio detachment. Forty-nine Marines, three sailors, and about 70 civilians (there were many civilian
construction workers on Wake) are killed during the battle. Japanese Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33 (old destroyers converted to high speed transports) intentionally run ashore to facilitate the landing of troops, are destroyed by marine shore batteries (1st Defense Battalion).
Planes from aircraft carriers HIJMS Hiryu and Soryu, as well as seaplane carrier Kiyokawa Maru provide close air support for the invasion. Open cargo lighter YCK 1 is lost to Japanese occupation of the atoll, as are civilian tugs Pioneer and Justine Foss, and dredge Columbia. In October 1943, 98 of the civilians, still on the island, are executed. Duane Schultz indicates in his book, though, that 376 of the 400 captured Marines survive the war, which if correct is a surprisingly good rate considering the normal conditions of Japanese POW camps.
Japanese Ships Sunk:
KATORI MARU ARMY CARGO 9849 tons 5 MILE OFF KUCHING by MINE
SORYU MARU ARMY CARGO 856 tons OFF BADOC, PI by MINE