This day in the war in the Pacific 65 years ago.

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1942: BORNEO: RAF planes from Malaya terminate action over Borneo with a reconnaissance flight over Kuching.

CHINA: As consideration of the U.S. role in China continues in Washington, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, decides to recommend against sending Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drumto China because of the small effort that is currently to be made there.

MALAYA: Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, issues instructions for withdrawal of the Indian 3 Corps into Johore, where a final stand before Singapore Naval Baseis to be made. The corps begins a withdrawal at once, executing a demolition program as it goes. The Indian 11th Division and line of communications troops are to delay the enemy along two lines: one covering Seremban and Port Dickson, and the other covering Tampin and Malacca; Indian 9th Division is to clear Kuala Pilah and Tampin, respectively.

PACIFIC: The submarine USS Pollack torpedoes and sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship 40 miles SSW of Inubozaki, Japan.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the Japanese open an assault at 1500 hours. From the Dinalupihan- Hermosa area, three regimental combat teams with artillery support move forward, two against the II Corps on the east and one toward the I Corps sector on west. None of the columns reaches the outpost line. The II Corps, defending the Abucay line (from Mabatang on Manila Bay to Mt Natib) with 57th Infantry Philippine Scouts on the east, 41st Division Philippine Army (PA) in the center and the 51st Division (PA) on the west, opens fire on the enemy combat team driving down the East Road and makes patrol contact with it. To the west, another Japanese column advances unmolested down the trail from Dinalupihan to the vicinity of Album.
In the I Corps area, the enemy column from Dinalupihan is slowed only by demolitions while moving west along Route 7 toward Olongapo. Disposed along I Corps' Mauban line (Mt.t Silanganan on the east to Mauban on Subic Bay) are Company K of the 1st Infantry (PA); 3lst Field Artillery Battalion of the 3lst Div (PA) organized as infantry; and
the 3d Infantry of the 1st Division (PA). Additional troops are maintaining the outpost line to the front.
Five of nine USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, based at Singosari Airdrome on Java and staging through Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies, strike shipping in Davao Bay, Mindanao. The other four aircraft turn back with mechanical problems.

THAILAND: Pilots of the 2d Fighter Squadron, American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) attack Tak Airdrome at Rahaeng and destroy four Japanese aircraft on the ground.

 

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TRUK:A specially fitted Hudson Bomber Mark IV, 6 Squadron RAAF, flown by Flight Lieutenant R. Yeowart and his crew reveals the concentration of Japanese shipping at Truk preparing for the invasion of New Britain and New Ireland which took place 12 days later. This reconnaissance flight of 1,405 miles was the longest undertaken to that time by the RAAF in a land-based aircraft. Australian War Memorial Collections Database

 

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AUSTRALIA: The landing ship HMAS Kanimbla sails from Melbourne, Victoria, escorting convoy MS.1 consisting of three ships bound for Singapore and four for the Netherlands East Indies. Meanwhile, the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra sails from Sydney, New South Wales, escorting convoy MS.2 to Singapore.
HQ USAAF Far East Air Forces authorizes the activation of the 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) . The unit is based at Brisbane, Queensland, equipped with P-40s and manned by (1) experienced pilots evacuated from the Philippines in a convoy that reached Australia on 22 December 1941 and (2) inexperienced pilots arriving from the U.S. The latter are being trained using ad hoc courses at RAAF bases.

BORNEO: While on a reconnaissance flight, a Dutch Dornier Do-24K
flying boat spots a Japanese invasion force consisting of transports escorted by two heavy cruisers and eight destroyers heading for Tarakan Island and gives the alarm. Tarakan is a 117 square mile (303 square kilometer) island in the East Celebes Sea off the northeast coast of Borneo.
The main objective of the invasion is the capture of the huge oilfields, oil refineries and airfield located on the island but the Dutch commander gives the order to set fire to all oilfields and damage or destroy the refineries.

BURMA: The commander of Indian 17th Division arrives in Burma to
take charge of Tenasserim operations.

MALAYA: The Indian 3 Corps abandons Port Swettenham and Kuala Lumpur
while falling back to cover the Port Dickson and Seremban area.
Japanese planes, which since late December have been making night
attacks on airdromes on Singapore, begin daylight raids on the
airdromes. ìWestforce,î consisting of the Australian 8th Division
(less 22nd Brigade), Indian 9th Division, Indian 45th Brigade
Group, the 2/Loyal Regiment (less one company), and supporting units is
established.
The Governor of Singapore sends out a message stating, "The
day of minute papers has gone. There must be no more passing of files
from one department to another, and from one officer in a
department to another" to which The Straits Times newspaper responds,
"This announcement is about two and a half years too late."

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander
in Chief Australian-British- Dutch-American (ABDA) Command, South West
Pacific area, flies to Java, where he confers with members of the
ABDA staff; he then establishes headquarters at the Grand Hotel in
Lembang, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Bandoeng. Wavell assumes
supreme command of all forces in the area; U.S. Lieutenant General
George H. Brett, USAAF, is deputy commander; and U.S. Admiral
Thomas C. Hart is to command the naval forces.

PACIFIC: Three Allied submarines sink Japanese ships. (1) USS
Pickerel (SS-177) torpedoes and sinks a Japanese gunboat at the
mouth of Davao Gulf, off Cape San Augustin, Philippine Islands; (2) USS
Stingray (SS-186) torpedoes and sinks a Japanese cargo ship in the
South China Sea off the south coast of Hainan Island; and (3) Dutch
submarine HNMS O-19 torpedoes and sinks a Japanese army cargo ship
and torpedoes a merchant cargo ship at the mouth of the Gulf of
Siam.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander
in Chief US Army Forces Far East, makes his only visit to the
peninsula and his failure to return causes deep bitterness among
the defenders. The Japanese make their first surrender demand, dropping
it from the air. In the II Corps area, a Japanese force driving
south along the East Road splits, most of it moving west; both forces
reach the outpost line along the Calaguiman River below Samal and exerts
strong pressure against it. A Japanese column pushing south in
central Bataan is slowed by the jungle terrain. In the I Corps
area, the Japanese Western assault force reaches Olongapo without
opposition.
Far East Air Force fighter units complete a movement (begun
24 December 1941) from various bases on Luzon to the Bataan
Peninsula.

U.S.: The USN Bureau of Ships orders that the Cleveland Class light
cruiser Amsterdam (CL-59), which is under construction in Camden, New Jersey, be completed as an aircraft carrier (CV). She will be
commissioned as USS Independence (CV-22) on 14 January 1943 and be
reclassified as a small aircraft carrier (CVL-22) on 15 July 1943.
This is the first of nine light cruisers that are completed as
small aircraft carriers.
The Ford Motor Company signs a contract to manufacture Jeeps.
The Willys-Overland Company is the prime contractor for the vehicle
but because of the demand for it, the huge manufacturing capacity
of Ford is enlisted.
Congress imposes price controls on most food and goods.

 

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JAPAN: Japan declares war on the Netherlands. They did recognize and treat the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Government as a separate entity of the Dutch government in exile. The NEI Government operated on its own apparently for the most part independent of the government in London. The NEI Government declared war on Japan on 8 Dec 41. After the fall of the NEI, the government in London formed a consultive board on the NEI on 17 June 42By Royal Decree the NEI Government in exile was established on Ceylon on September 19, 1942.

MALAYA: A lull develops in the ground action as the Indian 3 Corps
continues their withdrawal into Lahore, but enemy planes remain
active and begin series of strikes against Muar. The Japanese 5th
Infantry Division rumbles into Malaya's capital Kuala Lumpur at
2000hours local. They find the fuel supplies have been set ablaze, but
the quantity of supplies and equipment captured is immense.
Japanese soldiers try out rare delicacies like corned beef and Johnny Walker
Red.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese invade at 2 points. The
central assault force spotted by the Dutch yesterday, consisting of the
56th Regimental Group and the 2nd Kure Special Naval Landing Force
(SNLF) with air support from Jolo Island in the Philippines, lands at rich
oil Tarakan Island at 0000 hours. The eastern assault force from
Davao, Mindanao, consisting of the Sasebo Combined SNLF and the 1st
Yokosuka SNLF, invades Celebes Island at Menado and Kema at
approximately 0300 hours. A Japanese Naval paratroop force of 334
men is dropped on the airfield just south of Menado and suffers heavy
casualties (30 dead and 90 injured). Allied planes are unable to
halt the Japanese, and the small Dutch garrisons are quickly
overwhelmed. The Japanese soon put Tarakan and Menado into use as air bases from which to support operations to south.
Seven USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based
at Singosari Airdrome, Java, are dispatched to attack the Japanese
landing forces on Tarakan Island. Four abort due to mechanical
problems and the other three abort due to poor weather over the
target.
USN Patrol Squadron Twenty Two (VP-22), with PBY-5 Catalinas,
joins Patrol Wing Ten (PatWing-10) at Ambon Island, the first
aviation reinforcements from the Central Pacific to reach southwest
Pacific Forces opposing the Japanese advance through the
Netherlands East Indies. (PatWing-10 had been based at Cavite, Philippine
Islands on 8 December 1941.) Unfortunately, the PBY-5 aircraft they
received in Hawaii were the early models without self-sealing fuel tanks and
armor. PatWing-10 later received five newer model PBY-5 Catalinas from the Dutch in Java. All of the rest of the PatWingís original aircraft were the older PBY-4 models. Almost immediately after arrival several of the VP-22 Catalinas were caught at anchor at Ambon and destroyed.

PACIFIC: While sailing for a rendezvous with the aircraft carrier
USS Enterprise (CV-6), 500 miles (805 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii,
the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) is torpedoed by Japanese
submarine HIJMS I-6. Although six men are killed and three firerooms
are flooded, the carrier returns to Oahu under her own power.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the Japanese
advancing down the east coast of Bataan drive back the outpost line
of the 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, cross the Calaguiman River, and after nightfall begin an assault on the main line of resistance, forcing the 57th Infantry to fall back a little. Fighting continues throughout night of 11/12 January. Reserves are committed and the 57th Infantry counterattacks, regaining most of lost ground by dawn of 12th. To the west, another enemy column shifts west in the sector of 41st Division, Philippine Army (PA), and is contained by that division. Advance elements of still another column, pushing slowly south in central Bataan toward the 51st Division (PA), reach the
Orani River by morning.

SAMOA: Naval Station Pago Pago, Samoa, is shelled by a Japanese
submarine.

 

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Alaska: Amchitka Island is occupied by a small American force.
The AMULET FORCE consisted of 2,000 men under command of
Brigadier General Lloyd E. Jones. The invasion was covered by the
USN's Task Group 8.6 (TG 8.6) consisting of the heavy cruiser USS
Indianapolis (CA-35), light cruisers USS Detroit (CL-8) and USS
Raleigh (CL-7) and four destroyers, which patrolled off Amchitka
and Kiska Islands.
The transport group consisted of the transports USS Arthur Middleton (AP-55), US Army Transport Delarof, and SS Lakona; the cargo ship USS Vega (AK-17); and the destroyers USS Dewey (DD-349), USS Gillespie (DD-609), USS Kalk (DD-611) and USS Worden (DD-352).
There is no enemy opposition but a fierce storm hits and continues for two weeks. The transport USS Arthur Middleton, manned by a US Coast Guard crew, runs aground as it rescues 175 sailors from the destroyer USS Worden.
USS Worden was guarding the transport USS Arthur Middleton as
that transport put the preliminary Army security unit on the shores
of Constantine Harbor Amchitka Island. The destroyer maneuvered
into the rock-edged harbor and stayed there until the last men had
landed and then turned to the ticklish business of clearing the harbor.
A strong current, however, swept USS Worden onto a pinnacle
that tore into her hull beneath her engine room and caused a
complete loss of power. USS Dewey passed a towline to her stricken sister
and attempted to tow her free, but the cable parted, and the heavy seas
began moving USS Worden totally without power inexorably toward the
rocky shore. The destroyer then broached and began breaking up in
the surf; Commander William G. Pogue, the stricken destroyer's
commanding officer, ordered abandon ship, and, as he was directing that
effort, was swept overboard into the wintry seas by a heavy wave that broke
over the ship. Commander Pogue was among the fortunate ones, however,
because he was hauled, unconscious, out of the sea. Fourteen of his crew
drowned. USS Worden, herself, was a total loss.

US: The US Office of Price Administration said standard frankfurters
would be replaced by "victory sausages", consisting of a mixture of
meat and soy meal.

AUSTRALIA: Three USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses arrive in Australia
after flying a new southern ferry route from Hawaii.
The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-121 mines Clarence Strait, the
body of water connecting Van Diemen Gulf and the Timor Sea, off
Australia's Northern Territory, at the approaches to Darwin, the
Asiatic Fleet's main logistics base.

MALAYA: Eight RAAF Brewster Buffalo fighters intercept 27 Japanese
bombers after they had bombed Singapore. Seeing the fighters, the
bombers went into a shallow dive and outran the fighters. One RAAF
pilot put it, "Bombers outpacing fighters. You've got to bloody-
well laugh."

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the Japanese exert strong pressure
against the II Corps, particularly on the west, while taking up
positions for a concerted assault. The 51st Division, Philippine
Army (PA), is hard hit and gives ground, some of which is regained after
reserves are committed. In the center, the Japanese push back the
outpost line of the 41st Division (PA). On the east coast, the
Japanese regain positions on the south bank of the Calaguiman
River; to meet threat there, the 21st Infantry (PA) is released from
reserve to assist the 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts. In the I Corps
area, a Japanese detachment moves by boat and seizes undefended Grande
Island in Manila Bay.

U.S.: The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) approve U.S. plans to
garrison the islands along the proposed ferry route from Hawaii to
Australia. Local defense forces are to be based at American Samoa,
Bora Bora, Canton Island, Christmas Island, the Fiji Islands and
Palmyra Island. The CCS also approves the deployment of a USAAF
fighter squadron to New Caledonia Island in the New Hebrides
Islands.

 

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NEI: SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Far East Air Force): The air echelons of the 9th and 11th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrive at Singosari, Java from the US with B-17's; the air echelon of the 22d Bombardment Squadron arrives at Singosari from the Territory of Hawaii. The ground echelons are at Brisbane.

BORNEO: The Dutch commander on Tarakan Island surrenders to the Japanese and they complete mopping up the island. The Japanese assault force boards ships tomorrow for the assault on Balikpapan.

BURMA: The Joint Military Council recommends the construction of the Ledo and Imphal roads.

MALAYA: General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief Australian-British-Dutch- American (ABDA) Command, South West Pacific, again visits the front and confers with commanding officers. The withdrawal of the Indian 3 Corps into Johore State reaches its final stage;
all vehicles are being moved through Segamat.
A convoy with badly needed reinforcements reaches Singapore and unloads the first echelon of the British 18th Division (the 53d Brigade Group), antiaircraft units, and 51 crated Hawker Hurricane fighters with crews.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On the east flank of the II Corps on Bataan, the 21st Infantry, Philippine Army (PA), counterattacks at 0600 hours after an artillery preparation and reduces part of the Japanese salient on the left flank of the 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts.
The Japanese are thus prevented from launching a planned offensive in that area, but make progress to the west against the 51st Division, PA, forcing it back to the main line of resistance along the Balantay River. The Japanese column driving south in central Bataan, with the task of turning the corps' left flank, is not yet in position for an
attack.

U.S.: The Combined Chiefs of Staff attending the ARCADIA conference in Washington, D.C., agree to move USAAF units and contingents to bases in the U.K. as soon as possible.
The Ford Motor Company patents a plastic-bodied automobile which was 30 percent lighter than ordinary cars. Plastic, a relatively new material in 1942, was revolutionizing industry after industry in the United States.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes the U.S. War
Production Board, with business executive Donald M. Nelson as its chairman. The War Production Board, created to establish order out of the chaos of meeting extraordinary wartime demands and needs, replaced the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board. As chairman, Nelson oversaw the largest war production in history, often clashing with civilian factories over the most efficient means of converting to wartime use and butting heads with the armed forces over priorities. Despite early success, Nelson made a major judgement error in June 1944, on the eve of the Normandy invasion, when he allowed certain plants that had reached the end of their government/military production contracts to reconvert to civilian use. The
military knew the war was far from over and feared a sudden shortage of vital supplies. A political battle ensued, and Nelson was eased out of his office and reassigned by the President to be his personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek in China.
Nineteen West Coast shipyards adopt around-the-clock, seven-day-a-week work schedules.

 

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U.S.A.:
The Anglo-American ARCADIA Conference, held in Washington, DC starting on 20 December 1941, developed plans for the proposed Anglo- American offensive against Germany. Participants include President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and their
military staffs. Among the major decisions reached are:
(1) an agreement to establish Combined Chiefs of Staff to direct the British-American war effort;
(2) the main effort must be made first
against Germany;
(3) occupation of French North Africa (Operation GYMNAST) is of strategic importance in Atlantic area.
As discussions are begun in Washington to consider who shall go to China instead of Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, proposes Major General Joseph W. Stilwell, who is being considered for command of Operation GYMNAST.
President Roosevelt orders all aliens in the United States to register with the government. The brunt of these orders later will fall on Japanese-Americans on the West Coast.

AUSTRALIA: British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill implies to Australian Prime Minister John Curtin that Singapore could be held for some time.

BURMA: Japanese aircraft bomb Rangoon.

MALAYA: The Indian 3 Corps completes its withdrawal into Johore State and assumes responsibility for the southern part of Johore; assault elements, Australian 22nd Brigade of the Australian 8th Division, are designated East Force and disposed astride the Malacca- Segamat road. The Australian Imperial Force Malaya (less the Australian 22d Brigade), made responsible for northwestern Johore
State, is reinforced by the Indian 9th Division and the Indian 45th Brigade and is designated West Force. The Australian 27th Brigade and Indian 8th Brig Groups are astride the main road and railroad north of Segamat. The Japanese are to be kept north of the line Muar- Segamat-Mersmg, if possible. The Japanese overtake West and East Forces. Many cyclists are killed in an ambush prepared near Gemas by "B" Company of the Australian 2/30th Battalion of West Force; this is the first battle between the Japanese and the Australians. East Force patrols encounter the Japanese from Kuantan in the Endau area. On this date and on the 15th, a Dutch detachment of about 80 native troops with European officers flies from the Netherlands East Indies to Singapore and concentrates in the Labus area of North Johore, for guerilla action against enemy communications.
Japanese aircraft bomb Singapore, where a blackout is in force at last, but lamplighters have to snuff out gas lampposts in low-income districts one at a time when the Air Raid warning screams.

MARIANA ISLANDS: The Japanese force slated to invade Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, departs Guam.


PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, strong Japanese pressure against the western flank of the 41st Division, Philippine Army (PA), forces outposts to retire across the Balantay River. The 51st Division, PA, withdraws to the south bank of the river to tie in with the 41st. A Japanese enveloping column continues slowly down the center of Bataan but is still north of the main line of resistance. In the I Corps area, the Japanese start south on the west coast toward Moron in 2 columns, one by sea and the other along a trail from Olongapo. Waterborne elements land about midway between Olongapo and Moron and continue south on foot. Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright, Commanding General I Corps, sends a containing force to Moron.

 

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Many cyclists are killed in an ambush prepared near Gemas by "B" Company of the Australian 2/30th Battalion of West Force; this is the first battle between the Japanese and the Australians.

Many cyclists killed is a bit of an understatement! The Japanese lost about 700 soldiers in that ambush!

 

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ALASKA: The USAAF's Alaskan Air Force is activated at Elmendorf Field, Anchorage, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Everett S Davis.

BURMA: Troops of the Japanese 55th Division advance into Burma north of Mergui. Though not one of Japan's original war aims, Burma is invaded to eliminate a possible threat to the Japanese army in Malaya. The Japanese also want to cut the Burma Road which is feeding supplies and equipment to China and seize Burma's oil fields. Two Japanese army divisions pour into southern and eastern Burma. To oppose them, the British have two divisions: one Burmese, one Indian. Many of the Burmese hate the
British and desert. Later 5,000 join the Burmese National Army and fight alongside the Japanese.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: Six Australian PBY Catalinas are dispatched to bomb the Japanese base in Truk Atoll. Only one aircraft finds the target and drops 16 bombs. Clouds obscure the results.

EAST INDIES: The American-British- Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Supreme Command is established at the Grand Hotel, Lembang, Java, Netherlands East Indies. British General Sir Archibald Wavell assumes supreme command of all forces in the area effective 1200 hours GMT; Lieutenant General George H. Brett, USAAF, is deputy commander; Admiral Thomas C. Hart, USN, is to command naval forces.
Six new USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's and four LB-30's arrive at Singosari Airfield, Java.

INDIA: Jawaharlal Nehru succeeds Mohandas K. Gandhi as head of India's National Congress Party.

MALAYA: The Australian 2/30th Battalion, 27th Brigade, 8th Division, stops a Japanese tank-infantry attack in the Gemas area however, the troops withdraw to prevent being encircled by the Japanese. On the west coast, the Japanese reach the northern bank of the Muar River and land a small party between Muar and Batu Pahat, threatening the communications of the West Force in the Yong Peng area. The boundary between the West Force and the Indian III Corps is altered to give this region, which the Indian 45th Brigade is defending, to the III Corps.

Martial law is declared in Singapore resulting in more chaos.

Seven USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's based at Singosari Airdrome, Java, and flying out of Palembang Airdrome on Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies, attack Sungei Patani Airfield, Malaysia. Two B-17s abort due to weather but the other five bomb the target through light antiaircraft fire. One B-17 is damaged beyond repair in a bad landing at Singosari Airdrome tomorrow.


PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the Japanese, attacking vigorously at the junction of the 41st and 51st Divisions, Philippine Army (PA), gain a foothold on the bank of the Balantay River. The 51st Division commits its reserves and service troops to no avail.
Further reinforcements, the Philippine Division (less the 57th Infantry Regiment) from the U.S. Army Forces, Far East (USAFFE) reserve and the 31st Division (-) (PA) from the I Corps, are sent forward. The Japanese enveloping column in central Bataan arrives in position to turn the corps' west flank but pauses to reorganize. Regrouping is conducted to the east as the Japanese threat there diminishes. In the I Corps area, the two Japanese columns driving on Moron converge and push closer to their objective.

UNITED STATES: In Washington, Secretary of War Henry Stimson says nearly 2 million men will be inducted into the military this year. By years end it will have 3.6 million men under arms.
The State Department issues a memorandum outlining its position with respect to French sovereignty over bases the United States intends to build in French Oceania.
In baseball, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives baseball the go-ahead to play despite the war. In his famous "green light" letter, the President says, "I honestly think it would be best for the country to keep baseball going." He encourages more night baseball so that war workers may attend. Ironically, the Chicago Cubs, who had signed contracts to install lights at Wrigley Field, drop their plans because of the military need for the material. There will be no lights at Wrigley for 35 more years.
The first "blackout" Cadillacs are completed by General Motors. Due to restrictions on materials necessary for the war effort, these cars have painted trim rather than chrome. They also lack spare tires and other luxuries.

 

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AUSTRALIA: Japanese submarines continue mining the approaches to Darwin, Northern Territory: HIJMS I-122 mines Clarence Strait, HIJMS I-123 Bundas Strait, and HIJMS I-124 the waters off Darwin itself.
Seventeen P-40s of the USAAF's Far East Air Force (FEAF) 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) , depart Brisbane, Queensland, for Java via Darwin, Northern Territory.

BORNEO: Three USAAF FEAF LB-30's based at Singosari Airdrome on Java, stage through Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island to attack Tarakan Airdrome on Tarakan Island; two of the bombers are damaged by Japanese aircraft and both are further damaged when they crash land in remote places.

BURMA: The 46th Brigade, Indian 17th Division, arrives in Burma. The Japanese attack and eventually outflank Imperial forces at Myitta, threatening Tavoy.

LINE ISLANDS: Six USAAF Hawaiian Air Force B-17's fly from Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, to Palmyra Island, located 960 miles south of Oahu. This is the first deployment of
Hawaiian Air Force aircraft from Hawaii since the Pearl Harbor attack. As part of the USN's Task Force 8.9, this flight was a test to determine the efficacy of conducting land-based air operations across wide bodies of water.

MALAYA: The Japanese cross the Muar River and force the Indian 45th Brigade from Muar, on the south bank; the Japanese continue landings on west coast in the Muar-Batu Pahat area, increasing the threat to communications. The 53d Brigade of the British 18th Division is released to the Indian 3 Corps, which places it under the Indian 11th Division command; two battalions are dispatched to positions west of Yong Peng and the third is held in reserve at Ayer Hitam. The RAF, concentrated on
Singapore Island., prepares to withdraw to Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies because Singapore airdromes are still targets of daily enemy air attacks. )
Twelve RAAF Brewster Buffalos attack a heavy concentration of Japanese vehicles on the Gamas-Teampin road and severely damage the convoy. Later in the day, four Buffalos attack enemy barges, a 200-ton steamer, and several launches at Malacca, sinking four of the barges. Finally, six RAAF Hudson attack barges on the Muar River.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Two USAAF FEAF B-17's, based at Singosari Airdrome on Java, stage through Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island to attack Japanese shipping in Menado Bay on Celebes Island. One B-17 returns to Singosari Airdrome and the second lands at Kendari Airdrome where it is destroyed by a Japanese fighter. This is the last effective use of Kendari Airdrome as a staging base.

PACIFIC: During a routine search from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, a Torpedo Squadron Six TBD Devastator flown by Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon (Naval Aviation Pilot) fails to return to the ship and force-lands at sea about 740 miles NE of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, due to fuel starvation. Dixon and his two-man crew have no food and no water but they survive 34-days at sea in a raft.
Six PBY-5's of USN Patrol Squadron Twenty Three temporarily based at Canton Island began daily searches of the waters between Canton Island and the Fiji Islands to protect the advance of Task Force 8 as it prepared for its strike against the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. These were the first combat patrols by U.S. aircraft in the South Pacific.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the 51st Division, Philippine Army (PA), counterattacks to restore their positions on the corps western flank; after making limited progress on the right, the Filipinos are subjected to severe pressure and fall back in confusion, the western flank elements making a futile attempt to gain contact with I Corps on the rugged terrain of Mt. Natib. The entire line on Bataan is jeopardized by a Japanese breakthrough in this sector. The Japanese encircling force, although in position to turn the western flank of the corps, prepares instead to advance down the Abo-Abo River valley.
To the east, the 41st Division (PA) refuses its left flank in an effort to tie in with the 51st Division and, with assistance of elements of the 23d and 32d Regiments and a quickly formed provisional battalion, succeeds in halting the Japanese. The U.S. 31st Infantry moves to the vicinity of Abucay Hacienda, on the left flank of the 41st Division, and prepares to counterattack; a reserve force, the 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, also moves toward attack positions. The I Corps engages the Japanese for the first time. The Japanese cross the Batalan River and attack Moron but are forced back to the river line by the 1st Infantry and elements of 26th Cavalry. The cavalrymen are withdrawn after engagement because of heavy losses.

U.K.: The Admiralty defines its Eastern Fleet as comprising all British battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, minelayers, destroyers and submarines within the limits of the British East Indies and China Stations. This includes the ship in the Australian-British- Dutch-American (ABDA) area, regarded as a detachment of the Eastern Fleet known as the "Far Eastern Squadron."

U.S.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks the Secretaries of War, Navy and Interior to study the need for a highway from the Zone of the Interior (ZI), i.e., the continental U.S., to the Territory of Alaska.
American motion picture actress Carole Lombard dies in an airplane crash at Table Rock Mountain, Nevada, near Las Vegas, at age 33. She was returning from a tour to promote war bonds in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lombard, married to Clark Gable since 1939, was one of Hollywood's most glamorous stars of the 1930s. Best loved for her comedies, Lombard starred in screwball comedies, including "My Man Godfrey" and "To Be or Not to Be."

 

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CHINA: Pilots of the 3d Fighter Squadron, American Volunteer Group shoot down three Japanese "Ann" bombers near Mengtzu at 1017 hours local.

JAPAN: The Japanese Carrier Striking Force sails to participate in operations in the Bismarck Archipelago.

MALAYA: Additional reinforcements are moved into the Muar-Yong Peng area as the Japanese continue attacks and build up. West Force withdraws a battalion from Segamat, and East Force releases one from Jemaluang for operations in this area.
Twenty seven Japanese bombers attack Sembawang Airfield and destroy most of the buildings and the water supply.

PACIFIC: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-60 is sunk by British destroyer HMS Jupiter 25 miles NNW of Krakatoa, Java, Netherlands East Indies, in position 06.00S, 105.00E.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps counterattacks to restore the western portion of the line, formerly held by the 51st Division, Philippine Army (PA), and makes limited progress. The U.S. 31st Infantry, moving north from the Abucay Hacienda area, reaches the Balantay River on the left but is unable to make much headway on the right. Reserves move forward to plug a gap between the assault battalions. The Japanese encircling column begins an unopposed march down the Abo-Abo River toward Orion. In the I Corps area, Moron defenders fall back under enemy pressure to a ridge south and southeast of Moron.

PHOENIX ISLANDS: The six USAAF Hawaiian Air Force B-17s that landed on Palmyra Island in the Line Islands yesterday continue on to Canton Island.

U.S.: The War Department appoints Major General Lewis H. Brereton, Commanding General of the USAAF's Far East Air Force (FEAF), as commander of tactical forces in the Australian-British- Dutch-American (ABDA) area of the Southwest Pacific.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Hawaiian Air Force): Aircraft unsuccessfully attack submarines in the Hawaiian area. B-17's of Task Group 8.9 proceed from Palmyra Atoll in the Line to Canton in the Phoenix .

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Far East Air Force): On Celebes, B-17's from Malang, Java, staging through Kendari, hit Langoan Airfield and ships in Menado Bay.

 

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PALESTINE: Haifa: Burma's prime minister, U Saw, was arrested here today when his plane touched down while he was returning to Burma from talks with British representatives. He had been trying unsuccessfully to secure a British promise of Burmese independence in return for supporting the war effort. The nationalist U Maung Saw is unpopular with the British authorities, who see him as a demagogue of suspect loyalty. This suspicion now seems justified, because he contacted Japan's legation in Lisbon on his return flight. He was unaware that Britain had broken Japanese codes and knew of these overtures.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The first U.S. Army engineer troops arrive on Umnak Island to build Otter Point Airfield (renamed Cape Field in 1942). The airfield, which was part of Fort Glenn, is built in secret to protect Dutch Harbor, 70 miles to the east.

AUSTRALIA: Sixteen of the 17 P-40s of the USAAF's Far East Air Force's 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) arrive in Darwin, Northern Territory, en route to Java.

BORNEO: Due to heavy monsoonal rains and wind that continued throughout the day, the Japanese ships carrying the troops invading Sandakan, British North Borneo, must anchor in Sandakan Harbour.

JAPAN: The USN submarine USS Plunger torpedoes and sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship off the mouth of Kii Suido, Honshu, in position 33.30N, 135.00E.

MALAYA: The Indian 45th Brigade, reinforced, repels further Japanese attacks in the Muar-Yong Peng area and destroys a number of tanks, but the landing of a strong Japanese force a few miles north of Batu Pahat increases the danger in this sector. In the evening, the Commander of West Force orders a withdrawal. The Entire Muar front is placed temporarily under Indian 3 Corps command.
During the night of 18/19 January, the Indian 9th Division falls back behind the Muar River, as does the Australian 27th Brigade Group behind the Segamat River. The RAF bomber group withdraws from Singapore Island. to Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps renews its efforts to restore its western flank positions. The U.S. 31st Infantry is still unable to gain the Balantay River line on the right and is under strong pressure along the river on the left. A battalion of the 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, reaches the Balantay River to the west of the 31st Infantry and is attached to 31st Infantry. Two other battalions of 45th Infantry advance toward the Balantay between the 31st Infantry and the 41st Division, Philippine Army, but are halted short of the objective. In the I Corps area, the Japanese increase pressure and force outposts to withdraw. A small Japanese force is moving eastward unopposed to outflank the eastern portion of line.

PHOENIX ISLANDS: The USAAF's Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses that are part of Task Group 8.9 begin flying antisubmarine patrols from Canton Island.

 

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MALAYA: After fierce battles to defend road-blocks in the Muar/Yong Penang area, only 850 out of 4,500 Allied troops escape.

AUSTRALIA: The ground echelons of two USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress squadrons that arrived in Australia by ship on 22 December, depart for service at Singosari Airdrome on Java, Netherlands East Indies.

BORNEO: Beginning at 0700 hours, the Japanese landing force from the ships that had anchored in Sandakan Harbour yesterday because of the weather, come ashore unopposed in Sandakan. The British Governor surrenders British North Borneo to the Japanese and they send the European residents home where they will remain until May 1942.

BURMA: The Japanese seize Tavoy and its airfield. Because of this, it is decided to withdraw the Mergui garrison by sea to Rangoon at once, although Mergui has not yet been attacked. The balance of the Chinese 93d Division, Chinese 6th Army, is ordered to move into Burma.

MALAYA: Bitter fighting continues in the Muar-Yong Peng area. The 53d Brigade of the British 18th Division, under command of the Indian 11th Division, takes responsibility for the strategic positions west of Yong Peng, a defile and a bridge, but loses them. The Muar force (Indian 45th Brigade and two Australian battalions), now isolated, is ordered to withdraw; HQ of the Indian 45th Brigade is bombed and most of the senior officers are killed and an Australian takes command of the brigade.
East Force is formed consisting of the Australian 22nd Brigade, 2/17th Dogra Battalion and the Jat Battalion.
With Japanese troops 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Singapore island, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill cables his top commander on the spot, General Archibald Lord Wavell, General Officer Commanding Australian-British- Dutch-American (ABDA) Command, South West Pacific, to ask what sort of defenses the island has. Wavell's answer, "There are neither plans nor fortifications to defend the north side of this impregnable fortress." Churchill is staggered, and orders what Wavell has been pushing for, digging entrenchments. The defenders of Singapore react by hiring local labor to dig trenches...then waste five days arguing over how much overtime pay they should get.
Churchill orders Wavell and Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, to fight to the last man, and refuse to surrender. Wavell is happy to comply, but Singapore's immense 15-inch guns face the ocean...not the north, where the Japanese armies are.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps continues their efforts to regain positions along the Balantay River on the west flank, the 45th Infantry (-), Philippine Scouts, reaching the river in the region between the U.S. 3lst Infantry and the Philippine Army (PA) 41st Division. The 31st Infantry, however, is under increasingly strong pressure.
The Japanese column driving down the Abo-Abo River valley reaches positions near Guitol and is engaged by the 31st Division and elements the 21st Division, PA. The I Corps restores the outpost line in a counterattack but is forced to abandon it a£ter nightfall. Elements of the 92d Infantry, PA, are sent to block Japanese infiltrators from Mt Silanganan, on the corpsâ eastern flank.
Nine USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's based at Singosari Airdrome on Java, are dispatched to attack shipping at Jolo Island in the Philippine Islands. Three aircraft abort due to weather but the remaining six bomb the ships and then land at Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island in the Philippines.
Motor torpedo boat PT-31 is damaged when her engines fail because of what is believed to be sabotaged gasoline and she runs aground on reef north of Mayagao Point, Bataan.

PHOENIX ISLANDS: USAAF Hawaiian Air Force B-17s of Task Group 8.9 fly antisubmarine mission from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands.

 

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1942: AUSTRALIA: Major General George H Brett, Commanding General US Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), halts ferrying of aircraft from India to the Netherlands East Indies. The USAAF has been sendingheavy bombers to Java by way of Africa and India, but the Japanese are able to inflict prohibitive losses on USAAF aircraft on the last stops of the route by interception from newly acquired airfields near Java. Brett advises the U.S. War Department that, in his capacity as the ABDA Command's deputy commander, he has taken over the supervision, but not the actual command, of all air activities in the Southwest Pacific.
USN destroyer USS Edsall and Australian minesweeper HMAS Deloraine sink Japanese submarine HIJMS I-124 off Darwin, Northern Territory.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Ninety Japanese carrier-based aircraft from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Akagi, HIJMS Kaga, HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku attack Rabaul on New Britain Island, causing serious damage.
No. 24 Squadron RAAF loses six aircraft (3 shot down, 1 wrecked after take-off and 2 damaged in crash landings) leaving two Wirraways in commission. The squadron commander sends the following message to Northeast Area HQ: "2 Wirraways useless defence. Will you now please send some fighters."
Kavieng on New Ireland Island, is also attacked by air but by a smaller force.

BURMA: The Japanese cross into Burma in force and begin an assault on north Tenasserim, attacking the 16th Brigade, Indian 17th Division, on the Myawadi-Kawkareik road, near the Thai border east of Moulmein, in conjunction with air attacks.

CELEBES SEA: A Japanese convoy is reported in Makassar Strait, bound for Balikpapan, Borneo.

MALAYA: The British 53d Brigade counterattacks west of Yong Peng but is unable to recover lost ground. The Muar force begins a difficult withdrawal toward Yong Peng and the withdrawal of Segamat forces continues.
During the night of 20/21 January, the Australian 27th Brigade Group moves from the Segamat River line to Yong Peng; the Indian 9th Division pulls back to defensive position to the east.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The six USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's that landed at Del Monte Field on Mindanao, Philippine Islands, yesterday, take off and attempt to bomb Japanese shipping at Jolo Island but abort to bad weather. The aircraft return to SingosariAirdrome on Java carrying 23 B-17 aircrew who had been left at Del Monte Field.

PACIFIC: A Dutch Dornier flying boat spotted a small vessel off the coast of Samboaja, heading for Balikpapan, Borneo. The flying-boat landed near the vessel, the motor boat Parsifal, and took aboard a two Dutch officer captured on Tarakan Island and three Japanese soldier-interpreter s and flew them to Balikpapan. They carried a message from the Japanese to the Balikpapan Garrison Commander, demanding that the oil refinery installations there be handed over to the Japanese Army without being
damaged; this offer was refused by the Dutch commander and the three Japanese were returned to their outfits.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the Japanese contain repeated attacks by the Philippine Division (U.S. 31st and Philippine Scout 45th Regiments) on the western flank of the II Corps while preparing for a major assault to begin on 22 January. After further fighting before Guitol, the Japanese retire northward. In the I Corps area, the Japanese maintain pressure and continue infiltration into the right flank from Mt. Silanganan.
Motor torpedo boat PT-31, damaged by grounding on reef north of Mayagao Point, Bataan, the day before, is burned by crew to prevent capture.

SAMOA ISLANDS: The U.S. Second Marine Brigade (Brigadier General Henry L. Larson, USMC) arrives at Pago Pago on Tutuila Island, America Samoa, in transports SS Lurline, SS Matsonia, and SS Monterey, along with cargo ship USS Jupiter and ammunition ship USS Lassen, to protect that portion of the important lifeline to Australia. Cover for the operation is provided by Task Force 8 formed around aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.) and TF 17 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher) formed around aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The two carrier task forces then set course for the Japanese-held Marshalls and Gilberts to carry out the initial raids on the enemy's defensive perimeter.

THAILAND: Pilots of the 2d Fighter Squadron, American Volunteer Group shoot down three "Ann" Light Bombers over Mesoht Airdrome.

U.S.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill that decrees Daylight Savings Time for the duration of the war. It goes into effect on 9 February.

South China Sea: The US submarine S-36 commanded by John R. Mcknight Jr. ran aground on Taka Bakang Reef-South end of Makassar Strait. No hands lost.

 

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AUSTRALIA: The Australian corvettes HMAS Deloraine, HMAS Katoomba and HMAS Lithgow sink Japanese submarine HIJMS I-124 off Darwin, Northern Territory.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Carrier-based Japanese aircraft from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Akagi and HIJMS Kaga again bomb Rabaul on New Britain Island while aircraft from HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku bomb Kaviengon New Ireland Island.

CELEBES SEA: In response to the movement of the Japanese convoy sighted the previous day in Makassar Strait, a USN task force (Rear Admiral William A. Glassford), consisting of the light cruisers USS Boise(flagship) and USS Marblehead and four destroyers sails from Koepang, Timor, Netherlands East Indies to engage it. En route, however, USS Boise steams across an uncharted pinnacle in Sape Strait, and suffers sufficient damage to eliminate her from the force. Turbine trouble limits USS Marblehead (the ship to which Glassford transfers his flag) to only 15 knots, so the admiral orders the destroyers (Commander Paul H. Talbot) ahead.
USN submarine USS S-36, damaged by grounding on Taka Bakang Reef in Makassar Strait yesterday, is scuttled by her crew.

CHINA: The Chinese Government accepts the proposal that U.S. Major General Joseph W. Stilwell act as chief of the Generalissimo' s Allied staff and agrees to give him executive authority over Allied Units. The Chinese 49th Division of the 6th Army, is authorized to move Into Burma.

FIJI ISLANDS: The USAAF's Hawaiian Air Force B-17's of Task Group 8.9 fly from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands to Nandi on West Viti Levu Island in the Fiji Islands.

MALAYA: The withdrawal of defense forces from the Muar and Segamat fronts continues. The Commander of West Force is placed in charge of all troops on the Yong Peng-Muar road and the Muar force is supplied by air.
East Force patrols ambush the Japanese force driving on Mersing. The Japanese 55th Regiment captures Endau on the east coast. Australian troops, trapped by a Japanese roadblock at Parit Sulong, try to break through swamp and jungle to reach British lines. Before setting off, they leave their wounded at the roadside, "lying huddled around trees, smoking calmly, unafraid." The Japanese capture the men and shoot them.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the Japanese continue preparations for an offensive, massing their assault forces on extreme western flank of the corps; the Japanese also contain the further attempts of the Philippine Division to restore the western flank positions.
In the I Corps area, a small enemy force, having circled about the eastern flank of the corps, reaches West Road in the area 4 miles east of Mauban and blocks it, cutting off the 1st Division troops along the main line of resistance from forces to the south.
Forces that can be spared from other sectors attack the Japanese block from the north and south but are unable to reduce it.
USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based on Java stage through Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island to attack Japanese targets in the Philippines. Three aircraft are badly damaged by Japanese fighters.

U.K.: Prime Minister Winston Churchill urges his Chiefs of Staff to consider writing Singapore off and sending reinforcements en route there to Burma.

U.S.: General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, advises President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the Army expects the Japanese to attack Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands, Territory of Alaska, at any time. The president orders that a plan to establish a striking force in Aleutian Islands be created and executed by the summer of 1942.

 

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BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Carrier-based aircraft from HIJMS Akagi and HIJMS Kaga attack Rabaul on New Britain Island for the third straight day. The last of the fixed defenses are destroyed.
Japanese troops land on Mussau Island, largest island in the Saint Mathias group, located 113 miles NW of Kavieng, New Ireland Island.

BURMA: The Indian 16th Brigade breaks off action in the Kawkareik area and falls back toward Moulmein.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: The USN's Task Force Eleven (TF 11) (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), formed around carrier USS Lexington, departs Oahu to raid Wake Island.

MAKASSAR STRAIT: The Japanese invasion force headed for Balikpapan, Borneo, crosses the equator at 2000 hours local.
From this date through 3 February, USAAF FEAF B-17's launch at least 15 missions out of Malang, Java, against shipping moving through Makassar Strait between Borneo and Celebes Island. Four missions abort due to bad weather, six end with negative results, and the remaining five suffer heavy losses but sink 4 ships.

MALAYA: The six-day battle on the Muar front ends in victory for the Japanese. The Indian 45th Brigade, despite close air and naval support during the operation, is destroyed as a fighting body. The Muar force destroys its vehicles and weapons and pushes toward Yong Peng by infiltration, leaving their wounded behind. The Batu Pahat defense force (a detachment of the Indian 11th Division) skirmishes with the Japanese on the Batu Pahat-Ayer Hitam road. The Indian 8th Brigade Group, 9th
Division, having withdrawn from the Segamat sector to positions astride the main road between Labis and Yong Peng, is attacked by enemy. The East Force repels the Japanese attempt to cross the river at Mersing. The partly trained Indian 44th Brigade, reinforced, and 7,000 Indian reinforcements arrive at Singapore.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Australian sloop HMAS Warrego and HMAS Koolama land reinforcements on Ambon Island.

NEW GUINEA: Carrier based aircraft from HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku attack Lae, Salamaua and Bulolo.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE), orders the withdrawal of the
entire Mauban-Abucay line southward to a final defense position, behind the Pilar-Bagac road; the withdrawal is to start after nightfall on 23 January and be completed by daylight of 26 January. In the II Corps area, the Japanese open an offensive that forces the Philippine Division back to positions east and south of Abucay Hacienda, approximately those held at beginning of counter-offensive on 16 January. In the I Corps area, elements of 91st Division, Philippine Army (PA), supported by
Philippine Scouts of the 26th Cavalry and tanks, attempt unsuccessfully to reduce the roadblock on West Road and to reach 1st Division, PA, troops still fighting along the main line of resistance to the north. The Japanese begin a series of amphibious operations during the night of 22-23 January, when a battalion embarks in barges at Moron and sails toward Caibobo Point, below Bagac.Motor Torpedo Boat 34 (PT-34) (Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley) encounters and sinks two landing barges.
Japanese reinforcements land in the Subic Bay area.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Hawaiian Air Force): HQ 14th Pursuit Wing is inactivated at Wheeler Field, Oahu. B-17's of Task Group 8.9 return from Nandi in Fiji to Canton.

USN - The first naval aircraft to operate in the Samoans, OS2Us of VS-1-D14, arrived with Marine Corps reinforcements from San Diego.

 

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AUSTRALIA: Australian Prime Minister John Curtin cables British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stating, After all the assurances we have been given, the evacuation of Singapore would be regarded here and elsewhere as an inexcusable betrayal.
USN destroyer USS Edsall is damaged by an explosion of its own depth charges during an attack on a submarine contact in Howard Channel, Clarence Strait, one of the approaches to Darwin, Northern Territory.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: The Japanese 55th Regimental Group, numbering about 5300 troops, lands at Rabaul on New Britain Island while the Maizuru Special Naval Landing Force lands at Kavieng on New Ireland Island.
The small Australian garrison at Rabaul numbers 76 officers and 1314 other ranks. Two officers and 26 men are killed today, about 130 men of the 2/22nd Battalion are massacred at Tol, south of Rabaul, in February 1942, about 400 escape to Australia and New Guinea and the remaining 800 become POWs. At Kavieg, six men of the 1st Independent Company are killed and the rest are captured.
Five RAAF Catalinas attempt to attack a Japanese convoy off Wantom Island which lies a few kilometers north of Rabaul. The mission is aborted due to darkness and poor visibility.

BURMA: Japanese aircraft begin a period of intensified attacks on the Rangoon area in effort to destroy Allied aircraft in Burma. Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons, American Volunteer Group shoot down five "Nate" fighters, over Rangoon at 1030 hours local, and five "Mary" Light Bombers and seven Ki-27 fighters over Rangoon at 1230 hours.

MALAYA: Rear guards from the Segamat and Muar fronts complete a withdrawal through Yong Peng at midnight, 23/24 January; West Force then comes under command of the Indian 3 Corps, which is to defend central Johore State and thereby protect Singapore naval base until reinforcements arrive. The Japanese are to be kept north of the line Batu Pahat-Ayer Hitam-Kluang- Jemaluang, if possible. Fighting continues in the Batu Pahat area, and the road from there to Ayer Hitam is closed. The Japanese
intensify air attacks.
Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, orders the implementation of the plan for the withdrawal of British and Commonwealth troops to Singapore Island.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Japanese Invasion forces move south in two convoys, one through Makassar Strait to Balikpapan on Borneo and the other through Molucca Passage to Kendari on Celebes Island. Unopposed landings are made at both places, but the convoy off Balikpapan is attacked by Dutch planes. On Sumatra, RAF reinforcements from the Middle East begin arriving at Palembang, where one of the two airdromes is attacked for the first time by enemy planes.
During the night of 23/24 January soldiers and officers of the Japanese Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force went ashore north of Kendari, Celebes Island. Several hours later, they reached their main objective-the Kendari Airdrome which they captured.

PACIFIC: The oiler USS Neches is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine HIJMS I-72, 136 miles WSW of Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, in position, 21.01N, 160.06W. The loss of the oiler supporting Task Force Eleven (TF 11) (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.) forces cancellation of the projected raid on Wake Island.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the Philippine Division, on the II Corps western flank, withstands increasingly heavy pressure. After nightfall, the II Corps begins awithdrawal to the final defense line. In the I Corps area, the Japanese maintain heavy pressure against the Mauban main line of resistance and frustrate further attempts to reduce the roadblock on West Road. In the Service Command Area, a Japanese amphibious force heading for Cobweb Point, having lost its way during the night, arrives at two points on the southwestern coast, both well south of the objective. About a third land at Longoskawayan Point; the rest land at Quinauan Point. Brigadier General A.C. McBride, responsible for defense of the southern tip of Bataan except for the naval reservation near Mariveles, sends Philippine Constabulary elements to Quinauan Point, but they make little headway. Commander Francis J. Bridget, commanding the naval reservation, dispatches sailors and marines to Longoskawayan Point; these, reinforced by personnel of U.S. 301st Chemical Company and a howitzer from the Constabulary, clear Pucot Hill, but the Japanese return after nightfall.

PHOENIX ISLANDS: The USAAF's Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses of Task Group 8.9 return from Nandi in the Fiji Islands to Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Elements of the Japanese Fourth Fleet invade Kieta on Bougainville Island without opposition.

U.S.: The Roberts Commission, whose work had begun on 18 December 1941, concludes its investigation to "ascertain and report the facts relating to the attack made by the Japanese armed forces upon the Territory of Hawaii on December 7, 1941..." The exhibits gathered amount to 2,173 printed pages.
Major General Joseph W. Stilwell, in Washington, accepts the China assignment and takes over part of the staff previously selected by Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum.
The USAAF's Flying Training Command is established under the Chief of Air Corps and given jurisdiction over the Southeast Gulf Coast and West Coast Flying Training Centers which had been established on 8 July 40.
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) begins to televise a series of training programs for air raid wardens in the New York City area, the start of educational television broadcasting in the U.S.
Task Force 6814 departs New York for New Zealand and then to New Caledonia. This unit with other additions will become the Americal Division. New Caledonia was a Free French French colony. With the Japanese war machine rolling, the French asked on 12-15-41 for military assistance on (protection) .
Troops from the British Empire (NZ and Aust.) were committed in North Africa. DeGaulle had been discussing the possibility of allowing Allied airfield construction prior to Pearl Harbor.
TF 6814 was built around 2 regiments, the 132nd (Illinois) and the 182nd. These had been declared surplus when the federalized NG 33rd and 26th Divisions had been reorganized into triangular divisions.The 164th Regiment (North Dakota) was later added and thus the units were in place for the creation of the Americal Division. Ameri
(cans in New) Cal(edonia) gives you the name.

USN destroyers Parrott, John D. Ford, Pope and Paul Jones entered Balikpapan Bay where, lying at anchor, were 16 Japanese transports and three 750 ton torpedo boats, guarded by a Japanese Destroyer Squadron. The foursome fired several patterns of torpedoes and had the satisfaction of seeing four enemy transports and one torpedo boat sink as the Japanese destroyers searched aimlessly in the strait for non-existent submarines.

 

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BORNEO: US destroyers sink 5 Japanese transports off Balikpapan. The first US surface action of the war.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Hawaiian Air Force): B-17's of Task Group 8.9 fly from Canton to Nandi on Fiji.

MALAYA: The outline of the plan for withdrawal to Singapore Island is issued. Hard fighting continues at Batu Pahat. The Japanese are approaching Kluang, in the Indian 9th Division sector. The 942 men of the Australian 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion and 1907 other Australian reinforcements arrive in Singapore. The reinforcements are woefully undertrained; some had only seven days training as soldiers and many had never fired a rifle.
The remainder of the Japanese 18th Division lands at Singora.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese Eastern Invasion Force lands at Kendari on Celebes Island. A USN seaplane tender (destroyer), USS Childs (AVD-1, ex DD-241), is leaving Kendari harbor and spots the Japanese. A rain squall obscures the seaplane tender for a while, allowing her to avoid two Japanese destroyers. Than she is attacked by six Japanese aircraft at 0800 hours local but escapes to the south. By the evening, Kendari is fully occupied by the Japanese. Most of the Dutch troops are captured by Japanese; some fight a guerilla war for a short period, while others try to escape to safer parts of archipelago. Kendari Airdrome is considered the best in the Netherlands East Indies and was immediately put into operation by the Japanese 21st Air Flotilla.
USN submarine USS Swordfish sinks a Japanese gunboat north of Kema, Celebes Island.
Carrier-based aircraft from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Soryu and HIJMS Hiryu bomb Ambon Island.
The first of a small group of USAAF Far East Air Force P-40s reaches Blimbing Airdrome, Java from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps begins disengaging and withdrawing combat troops. The Japanese maintain intense pressure on the Philippine Division and attack the covering force, but the bulk of the troops withdraw successfully. The situation in the I Corps area deteriorates rapidly. The 1st Division, Philippine Army, exhausted by prolonged fighting along the main line of resistance and critically in need of supplies and ammunition, remains under pressure. Additional strength is applied against the Japanese roadblock on the West Road without avail.
In the Service Command Area of southern Bataan, the Japanese cannot be ousted from Quinauan and Longoskawayan Points. Sailors and marines succeed, however, in regaining Pucot Hill and driving the Japanese back to Longoskawayan and Lapiay Points; they are supported by the last four P-40s on Luzon.
Eight USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's based on Java, stage through Del Monte Field on Mindanao, to attack Japanese targets. Two aircraft are lost in crash landings.

U.S.: The Special Court of Inquiry on Pearl Harbor, headed by Supreme Court Justice Owen J Roberts, places the main responsibility for the 7 December 1941 disaster on Admiral Husband E Kimmel and Lieutenant General Walter C Short, accusing them of neglecting to heed attack warnings, failing to confer with each other, and taking only minimum precautions.

 

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AUSTRALIA: The government orders full mobilization. The War Cabinet orders that "all able-bodied white male British subjects" between 18- and 45-years-old should be called up immediately for service. The central government also assumes control of all state budgets.
By this date, the USAAF has received 112 P-40s from the U.S. with another 160 due by 4 February.
The USAAF Far East Air Force's 20th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional), which is preparing to depart Brisbane, Queensland for Port Moresby, New Guinea, is ordered to fly to Darwin, Northern Territory, as quickly as possible for duty in Java.

BORNEO: By dawn, the Japanese Assault Unit that landed near Balikpapan have occupied the airfield. Their advance southward, however, is slow as the bridges on the coastal road have been destroyed and the unit did not reach the northern outskirts of Balikpapan City until the night of the 25th. The Dutch garrison troops had been withdrawn and the unit entered the city without a fight. Guided by the lights placed by two traitorous native policemen, who had proceeded them, the Japanese
Surprise Attack Unit lands just south of the reservoir at 0430 hours and sails up the river in camouflaged boats. No Dutch troops are encountered and while part of the unit occupies the area around the reservoir, the main body proceeds to the village of Banoeabaroe, arriving there at 1440 hours, thus cutting off the Dutch line of retreat. While the main body of the unit was advancing along the road to Balikpapan City, it ran into a Dutch military column attempting to escape from Balikpapan. After defeating this Dutch column, the Surprise Attack Unit proceeded to Balikpapan City. The city was completely occupied during the night of the 25th.

BURMA: General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief Australian-British- Dutch-American (ABDA) Command, South West Pacific, visiting Rangoon, orders Moulmein held. The 16th Brigade, Indian 17th Division, is disposed west of the Salween River, opposite Moulmein. The Indian 46th Brigade is ordered to the Bilin area. A lull ensues as the Japanese bring up reinforcements to the vicinity of Paan and Moulmein, on the Salween River.

MALAYA: Since Batu Pahat must be abandoned at once, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, orders the entire line in central Johore State withdrawn. The Indian 3 Corps is responsible for the withdrawal operation, which begins after nightfall. Meanwhile, the Batu Pahat defense force fights a losing battle for that town throughout the day. The Indian 11th Division commander sends the British 53d Brigade Group to the relief of the Batu Pahat defense force, but most of the column is unable to get through. To the east, Japanese attacks in the Ayer Hitam-Kluang area are beaten off.

MIDWAY ISLAND: The island is shelled by Japanese submarine HIJMS-73.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The advance flight echelon of the USAAF Far East Air Force 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) arrives at Soerabaja, Java with 13 P-40s. They will undergo five days of theater training by RNAF pilots.
Twenty five Japanese fighter aircraft land on Kendari Airdrome that was captured two days ago.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the responsibility for the defense of beach area of southern Bataan passes from the Service Command Area to commanders of the I and II Corps. II Corps continues their withdrawal under air attack and with the Japanese in full pursuit. I Corps abandons the Mauban main line of resistance. The withdrawal of the 1st Division, Philippine Army, southward begins during the morning and continues through the night of 25/26 January. Diverting the enemy's attention, other elements of I Corps press in on the roadblock on West Road from the west. In the South Sector, operations against Japanese at Quinauan and Longoskawayan Points remain indecisive.

THAILAND: The government declares war on the U.S. and the U.K. The government of Great Britain, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa respond in kind.

CENTRAL PACIFIC (Hawaiian Air Force): B-17's of Task Group 8.9 fly from Canton to Nandi on Fiji.

 

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BORNEO: After occupying Balikpapan yesterday, the Japanese mop up the surrounding area today and then the troops begin repairing the airfield.

BURMA: Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons, American Volunteer Group (AVG, aka, The Flying Tigers) shoot down three Japanese Army fighters over Rangoon at 1100 hours local.

MALAYA: A Japanese convoy carrying reinforcements approaches Endau. They are attacked by nine RAAF Hudson and 12 Vildebeestes; no ships are hit and 5 of the Vildebeestes are shot down. In the evening, the old destroyers HMAS Vampire and HMS Thanet sail to attack the Japanese convoy.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack, General Officer Commanding I Australian Corps, arrives in Java as the advance party of Australian troops preparing to leave the Middle East. Lavarack is soon convinced that the situation is "grim" and believes that the Japanese might size southern Sumatra before the main body of his command arrives.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the Philippine II and I Corps complete their withdrawal to the final defense line on Bataan in the morning, closely followed by the Japanese. The new line, which is to be continuous for the first time, extends from Orion on the east to Bagac on the west and is generally behind the Pilar-Bagac road. Gaps develop in each corps sector when HQ U.S. Army Forces, Far East (USAFFE) withdraws the Philippine Division as its reserve. Units are hastily shifted to replace the U.S. 31st and Philippine Scouts (PS) 57th Regiments in the II Corps line and the PS 45th Infantry in the I Corps line. The II Corps, responsible for eastern Bataan from the coast to the Pantingan River, organizes its line into four sectors, from east to west: Sector A, 31st Infantry of 31st Division, Philippine Army (PA); Sector B, Provisional Air Corps Regiment; Sector C, elements of the 31st and remnants of the 51st Divisions, PA; Sector D, the 41st and 21st Divisions, PA, and 33d Infantry, less the 1st Battalion, of the 31st Division, PA.
In addition, the beach defense forces are organized as Sector E. 1st Battalion of the 33d Infantry, 31st Division, PA, and a regiment of the PA combat engineers constitute corps reserve. The Japanese patrol along the eastern slopes of Mt Samat almost to the main line of resistance but do not discover a gap in the line, which exists for several hours. The I Corps line, extending from the Pantingan River to the west coast, is divided into Right and Left Sectors: the Right Sector is manned by the Philippine Constabulary' s 2d Regiment (less one battalion) on the east and the 11th Division, PA, on the west; disposed in the Left Sector are elements of the 1st Division, PA, on the east and 91st Infantry, PA, on the west. Beach defense forces make up the South Sector. The 26th Cavalry, Philippine Scouts (PS), is held in corps reserve.
The Japanese open an offensive, driving south along West Road toward the Binuangan River. The 91st Division, PA, contains these attacks. In the South Sector, the Japanese maintain beachheads at Quinauan and Longoskawayan Points and move reinforcements toward the former. USAFFE sends the 88th Field Artillery, PS, from the west coast from II Corps sector, one of its gun batteries to Quinauan Point and another to Longoskawayan Point.
During the night, the few remaining P-40s on Bataan bomb and strafe Nichols and Nielson Fields on Luzon.

US: The US Board of Inquiry which has been investigating the Pearl Harbor Attack releases its findings.