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

[syscom3]

Who wants to read about routine stuff like auxiliaries manning coastal batteries in British Columbia and such?

I wonder if they fired on whales thinking they were surfaced subs.

[syscom3]

1942 is usually ragarded as the darkest days in Australian history for good reason. Be assured I will post as much of that history as possible.

I disagree........ aside from being mislead by the Brits in Malaya, the conduct of the ANZAC forces in such adverse conditions in the Solomons and NG proved to be their shining hour!

[syscom3]

MALAYA: The Indian 11th Division takes command of all troops west of the Perak River, including those on Grik road, who are still heavily engaged, and begins a withdrawal behind Perak the River.

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the South China Sea, the Dutch submarine HNMS K XVII strikes a Japanese mine and sinks about 115 nautical miles N of Singapore, Malaya, in position 03.10N, 104.12E. All 36 crewmen are lost.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Three Japanese convoys from Formosa and the Pescadores, bearing the main body of the Japanese 14th Army assault force, arrive in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, during the night of 21/22 December. Meanwhile, the Filipino 11th Division makes contact with the Japanese Vigan force at Bacnotan.
Naval local defense forces in Philippine Islands (Rear Adm. F. W. Rockwell) move headquarters to Corregidor.

THAILAND: The Japanese and Thai governments sign a ten-year Treaty of Alliance at Bangkok. The Thais acknowledge their debt to the Japanese in light of the Treaty of Tokyo and the transfer of territory from French Indo-China to Thailand.

WAKE ISLAND: The PBY-5 Catalina that arrives yesterday takes off at 0700 hours; aboard is Major Walter Bayler of Marine Aircraft Group Twenty One, "the last man off Wake." Japanese concern over the potential presence of patrol planes at Wake, occasioned by the large amount of radio traffic that accompanies the sole PBYs arrival at the island, prompts advancing the date of the first carrier strikes.
At 0850 hours, 29 Japanese carrier aircraft escorted by 18 "Zero" fighters from aircraft carriers HIJMS Soryu and Hiryu, attack ground targets. At 1200 hours, 33 "Nell" bombers from Roi Airdrome in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, bomb the island.
The Wake Island relief force, Task Force Fourteen, is within 600 nautical miles of the island. The task force is composted of the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Saratoga, the heavy cruisers USS Astoria, Minneapolis and San Francisco, ten destroyers, the seaplane tender USS Tangier and the oiler USS Neches. The convoy is carrying the 4th Marine Coastal Defense Battalion, Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Twenty One equipped with F2A-1 Buffalo fighters, along with 9,000 five-inch rounds, 12,000 three-inch rounds, and 3 million 50 caliber rounds as well as a large amount of ammunition for mortars and other battalion small arms.

[pbfoot]

Originally Posted by syscom3

[quote[ Who wants to read about routine stuff like auxiliaries manning coastal batteries in British Columbia and such?

I wonder if they fired on whales thinking they were surfaced subs.

[/QUOTE]
I'm waiting for the date to mention the shelling of Vancouver Island and will work on the Aleutians

[Nonskimmer]

Originally Posted by syscom3

I wonder if they fired on whales thinking they were surfaced subs.

I wouldn't be surprised if they did, actually. Especially if visibility was hazy.

"Oh my god, a Japanese sub! Fire! Fire!

Whoops...sorry 'bout that, Shamu."

[Wildcat]

Originally Posted by syscom3

I disagree........ aside from being mislead by the Brits in Malaya, the conduct of the ANZAC forces in such adverse conditions in the Solomons and NG proved to be their shining hour!

You misunderstood me Sys. When I say the darkest hour in our history I'm referring to the fact that our country was under direct attack for the first time in its history, the majority of our fighting men were in Europe and the Middle East, The Japanese were inflicting severe defeats on the ill equipped and poorly trained militia forces that were fighting with their backs to the wall, we had no real proper air defence for the country, we lost 15000 odd men at Singapore, evacuation plans were in place and the Japanese were threatening to cut the supply lines to the rest of the world.
Yes our blokes fought bravely and did a grand job considering the odds they were up against, but early 1942 was definately a grim and uncertain time for us Australians.

[Wildcat]

Originally Posted by syscom3

I wonder if they fired on whales thinking they were surfaced subs.

I've read of an incident when the RAAF bombed and killed a whale thinking it was a Japanese sub

[Wildcat]

AUSTRALIA: Detailed designs begin on the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Boomerang Fighter. The aircraft will be test flown 22 weeks later! The man responsible is CAC chief engineer, Fred David who is a German jew who previously worked for heinkel in Germany and later the Japanese Aircraft Company before fleeing Japan as a refugee as it established military links with Nazi Germany. As such Fred David was considered officially as an “unfriendly” alien, and was required to report to the police every fortnight.

RABAUL: 12 Wirraways of 24 sqn RAAF, are transferred from Townsville to Rabual as part of Rabaul's air defence

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AUSTRALIA: The USN's "Pensacola" Convoy, consisting of the heavy cruiser USS Pensacola, the gunboat USS Niagara, the transports USS Chaumont and Republic, the Army transports USAT Meigs and Willard A. Holbrook, the U.S. freighters SS Admiral Halstead and Coast Farmer and the Dutch freighter MV Bloemfontein, arrive in Brisbane, Queensland. Brigadier General Julian F. Barnes' Task Force South Pacific is redesignated U.S. Forces in Australia (USFIA). This is the first U.S. troop detachment to arrive in Australia.

CHINA: At a meeting of Allied leaders in Chungking, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek offers the Chinese 5th and 6th Armies for the defense of Burma. British General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in- Chief, India accepts the Ch 6th Army's 93d Division, elements of which are approaching the border of Burma from China. A regiment of the 49th Division is to be held in reserve on the northern Burma frontier.

HONG KONG: The Japanese capture Sugar Loaf Hill at 1200 hours, but Canadians from C Company of the Royal Rifles recapture the hill; later taken out to Stanley Fort down the peninsula, for a rest; will hold out until their ammunition, food and water are exhausted.

JAPAN: The Japanese Navy postpones the shelling of U.S. cities on the west coast by nine submarine until 27 December. The original date was 25 December.

MALAYA: As the Indian 11th Division continues their withdrawal across the Perak River, the RAF begins a regular reconnaissance of the west coast to prevent Japanese landings. The Indian 9th Division completes their planned withdrawal in eastern Malaya to positions from which to defend Kuantan airdrome and protect the Indian 11th Division from an attack from the east.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Japanese submarine HIJMS I-19 surfaces and shells an unarmed 10,763-ton U.S. tanker off the coast of California about 15 nautical miles WSW of Lompoc, California. The submarine breaks off the attack when a USN aircraft arrives and drops a depth charge allowing the tanker to escape.
USN. submarine USS S-38, sailing from Manila, Philippine Islands, sinks a 5,445 ton Japanese transport in Lingayan Gulf. This is S-38's first war patrol and during the patrol she will fire torpedoes at five ships.

USN Task Force Fourteen, the relief force for Wake Island, slows down to refuel. At Pearl Harbor, Vice Admiral William S. Pye, the temporary commander of the Pacific Fleet pending the arrival of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, cannot make up his mind to risk what is left of the fleet. During the evening, a compromise is reached between Pye and Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, commander of TF 14. Tomorrow, the F2A Buffalos of Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Twenty One in aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, would be flown off at maximum range. The seaplane tender USS Tangier is carrying 300 marines of the 4th Defense Battalion, including two batteries and detachment of to other batteries, plus ground elements of VMF-221, a radar set, and 21,000 rounds of 3-inch and 5-inch ammunition and 3 million rounds of machine gun ammunition, would make a speed run to Wake while the remainder of Task Force 14 retired with Task Force 11 built around the aircraft carrier USS Lexington.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: The Japanese begin their main landings along the coast of Lingayen Gulf on Luzon before dawn. One assault force goes ashore near Bauang, another at Aringay, and a third near Agoo. They move forward at once without serious opposition from 11th and 21st Divisions (Philippine Army). The 71st Infantry Regiment, 71st Division (Philippine Army), and 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) moveout to help halt the Japanese. The Bauang assault force seizes that town, effects a junction with the Japanese Vigan force at San Fernando, La Union, and pushes inland toward Baguio, while the other forces overrun Rosario and face south toward Manila. U.S. submarines and a few aircraft attack enemy armada in Lingayen Gulf.
Nine Far East Air Forces B-17 Flying Fortresses from Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, attack shipping in Davao Bay, Mindanao Island and land at Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island. This is the first action in the Philippines by Australian-based planes.
HQ 7th BG (Heavy) and the ground echelon of it's 9th, 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) and attached 88th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) arrive at Brisbane, Australia from the US. The air echelons of the 9th and 11th are enroute from the US to Australia with B-17's; the air echelons of the 22d and 88th are operating from Hickam Field, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii until 5 January 1942 and 10 February 1942 respectively with B-17's. The 16th, 17th and 91st Bombardment Squadrons (Light), 27th Bombardment Group (Light) transfer from Ft William McKinley to Lipa Airfield, San Fernando and San Marceleno respectively without aircraft.

UNITED STATES: The Anglo-American conference (ARCADIA) opens in Washington, D.C. to deal with war strategy. U.S. President Franklin D Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston S Churchill, Harry Hopkins, Lord
Beaverbrook, and American and British Chief of Staffs participate. They confirm the policy from Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, in August1 1941 of attacking Germany first. They also establish the Combined Chiefs of Staff
(CCS) for the entire Allied military effort. A general strategic program is approved of a U.S. buildup in the United Kingdom and continuing the bombing offensive. The concept of further losses in the Pacific is accepted with the understanding that a stiff defense will hold these to a minimum. Roosevelt also agrees to a radical increase in the U.S. arms production program: the 12,750 operational aircraft to be ready for service by the end of 1943 became 45,000; the proposed 15,450 tanks also became 45,000; and the number of machine guns to be manufactured almost doubled, to 500,000. This conference will last through the 7 January 1942.

Richard G. Casey, Australian Minister to the U.S., reports to his government that President Roosevelt might press to have an American accepted as the commander-in- chief of a Pacific and Far East theater and that Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur, commanding the US Army Forces Far East in the Philippines, might be nominated. Casey suggests that it might be advantageous for the Australian government to suggest an American as commander-in- chief.

WAKE ISLAND: Japanese bombers and attack planes, covered by fighters, from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Hiryu and Soryu, bomb Wake Island for the second time; the last two flyable USMC F4F Wildcats intercept the raid. One F4F is shot down, the other is badly damaged. During the night of 22/23 December, Task Force 14, the relief force for Wake, is order to withdraw to Pearl Harbor. Task Force 11, built around the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), is also ordered to return to Pearl Harbor.
Japanese naval vessels destroyed:

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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

[syscom3]

AUSTRALIA: U.S. Brigadier General Henry B. Claggett takes temporary command of U.S. Forces in Australia, pending the arrival of Major General George H. Brett from Chungking, China.

BORNEO: A Japanese convoy, despite attacks by British and Dutch planes and Dutch submarines, succeeds in landing troops in the Kuching area of the British protectorate of Sarawak, early in morning. The garrison, having already destroyed Kuching airdrome, requests permission to withdraw to Dutch Borneo and is told to delay the Japanese as long as possible before retiring. Dutch aircraft withdraw from Singkawang, Borneo, to Palembang, Sumatra.

HONG KONG: The British defenders are split in two, and are short of water. Japanese troops capture 53 British and Canadian soldiers, rope them together, and shoot or bayonet them to death. In the village of Stanley, the Japanese attack doctors and wounded soldiers in St. Stephen's College Emergency Hospital, bayoneting more than 50 men in their beds.
The British destroyer HMS Thracian runs aground and is captured by the Japanese. She is salvaged by the Japanese Navy, repaired and recommissioned on 25 November 1942 as Patrol Vessel No.101, then re-rated a training ship in March 1944, being attached to the torpedo school at Yokosuka. Recaptured in 1945, she is eventually broken up at Hong Kong post-war.

MALAYA: The Indian 11th Division, controlling all Indian III Corps troops north of the Slim and Bernam Rivers, is organizing a defense in depth astride the main road with the main line of resistance in the Kampar area and rear positions near the Slim River. Commander Australian Imperial Force Malaya, Major General Gordon Bennett (General Office Commanding Australian 8th Division), assigns responsibility for North Johore to the Australian 27th Brigade Group, 8th Division.
British air strength in Malaya has been reduced to 38 fighters, 40 dive bombers, 34 torpedo bombers, 17 reconnaissance aircraft and 17 others.

MIDWAY ISLANDS: USN seaplane tender USS Wright disembarks Marine reinforcements (Batteries "A" and "C," 4th Defense Battalion).

PACIFIC OCEAN: Two U.S. merchant vessels are shelled by Japanese submarines off the coast of California:
- HIJMS I-17 shells a 5,695 ton unarmed freighter about 19 nautical miles (36 kilometers) north-northwest of Catalina Island which is about 14 nautical miles SW of Long Beach, California. Although the freighter is abandoned, she is later reboarded and towed to San Pedro, California.
- HIJMS I-23 shells a 2,119 ton unarmed freighter off Monterey Bay south of San Francisco. The ship escapes.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Luzon, Admiral Thomas C. Hart, commander of the Asiatic Fleet, releases the 4th Marine Regiment, stationed at Olongapo, to defend the beaches of Corregidor. The Japanese Lamon Bay invasion force, which constitutes the southern prong of pincers applied against Manila, goes ashore early in morning at three points; Mauban, near Atimonan, and Siam. The main assault force, in the center, secures Atimonan, forcing the defenders back toward Pagbilao. The Mauban force takes that town and pushes 5 miles west. From Siam the Japanese advance in two columns, one southewest toward Tayabas Bay and the other southeast along Route 1 toward the Japanese Legaspi detachment. The Japanese on northern Luzon consolidate their beachhead and debouch on the central plain to thrust sharply toward the Agno River line. San Fabian and Binalonan fall, 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) retiring from Binalonan across the Agno River to Tayug. The planned withdrawal toward Bataan is begun in the evening. U.S. Army, Far East headquarters, except for the rear echelon, and Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, and Francis B. Sayre, U.S. High Commissioner of the Philippines, sail to Corregidor from Manila.
Fort Stotsenburg is evacuated. Major General Jonathan M. Wainwright's North Luzon Force, disposed generally along the line Tayug-Urdaneta- San Carlos-Aquilar, from east to west, begins withdrawing toward the Agno River line. The South Luzon Force, command of which passes from Major General George M. Parker to Brigadier General Albert M. Jones, is to withdraw northward into Bataan. General Parker moves to Bataan to head the Bataan Defense Force, organized to prepare defensive positions.
In the Sulu Archipelago, the Japanese invade Jolo Island in the evening against light resistance from the constabulary. Jolo Island is located about half way between Borneo and Mindanao Island.

Three USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses fly from Del Monte Field, Mindanao Island during the night of 24/25 December, bomb the airfield and shipping at Davao on Mindanao Island and land at Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Two USN PBY Catalinas leave Manila, Luzon, for Darwin with personnel of HQ Far East Air Force. Army Air Forces units on Luzon, as well as ground forces, begin moving to Bataan Peninsula.

UNITED STATES: The USN commissions the light cruiser USS Atlanta at the New York, New York Naval Shipyard. The USN now has 20 light cruisers in commission.

Japanese Ships Sunk:
SAGIRI DD 30 MILE N KUCHING by SUB
UNYO MARU #2 NAVY CARGO 2827 tons OFF KUCHING by AIR

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HONG KONG: This evening the British surrender in Hong Kong.

PHILLIPINE ISLANDS: The US submarine Sealion, commanded by Richard C. Voge, is scuttled at Cavite, Manila Bay. This decision is implemented after aircraft damage on 10 Dec, 1941. There were 4 hands lost.
Eight of the original 48 P-35As are left and the 34th Pursuit Sqdn is moved to Bataan.
The US forces in northern Luzon are holding their 2nd defense line.
The 3d, 17th, 20th, 21st and 34th Pursuit Squadrons (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), transfer from Ternate, Nichols Field, Clark Field, Nichols Field and Del Carmen respectively to Bataan with P-35's and P-40's. The 17th and 20th begin operating from Lubao, Luzon with P-40's HQ 27th Bombardment Group and the ground echelon of it's 16th, 17th and 91st Bombardment Squadrons transfer from Lipa Airfield, San Fernando and San Marceleno respectively to Cabcaben, Luzon.

AUSTRALIA: Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Caldwell sets up HQ Far East Air Force at Darwin Airfield. HQ V Bomber Command is also established at Darwin. The air echelons are operating from Brisbane, Australia; the ground echelons will fight as infantry on Luzon.

BURMA: Some 3 waves of 27 Sally Bombers with around 30 fighter escorts hit Rangoon and Mingaladon Airfield. There were no 3rd Squadron AVG losses, but the Japanese lost a confirmed 25 bombers and 10 fighters. Two of our 40s made belly landings after their engines had been hit.
Duke Hedman made ACE on this air combat.

PTO: USN - Two-plane detachments from squadrons at Pearl and Kaneohe began patrols from Palmyra, a principal staging base to the South Pacific.

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CHINA: The Tulsa Incident occurred in Burma on 19 December when a U.S. officer asked the Government of Burma to impound lend-lease material at Rangoon, much of which was in the freighter SS Tulsa in the harbor, pending a decision on its use. This incident ends today with a conciliatory meeting between Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Brigadier General John Magruder, head of the American Military Mission to China (AMMISCA), during which it is agreed to send an AMMISCA officer to Rangoon.

MALAYA: Ipoh is evacuated by Indian 11th Division troops, but the Indian 12th Brigade Group fights a rear-guard action at Chemor, to the north.

MIDWAY ISLANDS: USN seaplane tender USS Tangier, diverted from the attempt to relieve Wake Island, disembarks Battery B, 4th Marine Defense Battalion and the ground echelon of Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Twenty One at Midway to augment that garrison's defenses.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Manila, is declared an open city but Japanese bombing continues unabated. USN defense forces under Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell, Commander of the Sixteenth Naval District and the Philippine Naval Coastal Frontier, move to Corregidor Island. The North Luzon Force, except for the 194th Tank Battalion, falls back from the Agno River to the line Santa Ignacia-Guimba- -San Jose. The South Luzon Force continues to withdraw in two columns and organizes their first line of defense west of Sariaya.
Japanese "Nell" and "Betty" bombers based on Formosa bomb shipping in Manila Bay; the USN destroyer USS Peary is damaged by near-misses. Motor torpedo boat PT-33, damaged by grounding on 24 December about 53 nautical miles SSW of Manila in position 13.46N, 120.40E, is burned to prevent capture.
MacArthur declares Manila to be an "open city" in the hopes of sparing it from attack. MacArthur's tactic fails as the Japanese bomb the city the next day.

UNITED STATES: Lieutenant General John DeWitt, Commanding General Fourth Army and Commanding General Western Defense Command, telephones the Provost General in Washington, D.C. to say that the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce is demanding the internment of all Japanese, citizens or not, in the Southern California area. DeWitt feels such a move would likely alienate loyal Japanese.

Japanese Ships Sunk:
W6 AM near KUCHING by AIR

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AUSTRALIA: Prime Minister John Curtin's New Year's message includes the following: "Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom."

BURMA: Lieutenant General Thomas J. Hutton, Chief General Staff, India, replaces Lieutenant General D.K. MacLeod as General Officer Commanding Burma.

JAPAN: Most of the I-boat submarines off the U.S. west coast have depleted their fuel reserves. The Naval General Staff decides that the shelling of densely populated areas, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, will result in civilian losses and retaliation by the Americans. Vice Admiral Shimizu Mitsumi, commander of the Advance Expeditionary Force (Sixth Fleet), cancels the shellings.

MALAYA: British Lieutenant General Henry Pownall takes over from RAF Air Chief Marshal (U.S. General) Sir Robert Brooke-Popham as Commander in Chief, Far East Command with headquarters in Singapore. In 1942, Pownall became Chief of Staff of the American-British- Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command.
Indian 11th Division rear guards (12th and 28th Brigades) begin a withdrawal to defense positions near Kampar. In eastern Malaya, a Japanese threat to Kuantan is increasing. Japanese forces near the Trengganu-Pahang border are placed under artillery fire.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Japanese submarine I-25 shells an 8,684 ton tanker about 10 nautical miles W of the mouth of the Columbia River which is the boundary between the states of Washington and Oregon.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: The Luzon front is quiet as the Japanese consolidate along the Agno River. The North Luzon Force withdraws toward the next delaying line, Tarlac-Cabanatuan, where it is to make maximum delaying effort. In southern Luzon, the Japanese continue to pursue U.S. columns along Routes 23 and 1; on the latter, the Japanese break through the main positions of the 53d Infantry Regiment (Philippine Army) and seize Candelaria.
Six USN PBY Catalinas of Patrol Squadron One Hundred One bomb Japanese shipping at Jolo Island in Suva Province, against heavy fighter opposition; four Catalinas are lost.
Japanese "Nell" and "Betty" bombers based on Formosa bomb shipping in Manila Bay and the Pasig River. Two Philippine customs cutters and a motorboat are set afire, while a lighthouse tender is destroyed by a direct hit. A steamship is scuttled in the Pasig River.

UNITED STATES: Rubber rationing is instituted by the U.S. government, due to shortages caused by World War II. Tires are the first items to be restricted by law.

Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.

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AUSTRALIA: At a meeting between Australians and U.S. officials, the Australians agree
(1) to prepare several bases and refueling sites in the interior to permit flying from Brisbane, Queensland, and Darwin, Northern Territory; and
(2) to provide Royal Australian Air Force pilots to assist in training raw USAAF pilots.
Convoy ZK.5 consisting of British transport SS Aquitania, the Norwegian freighter MS Herstein and British freighter SS Sarpedon carrying 4,250 Australian troops of the 39th and 53rd (Militia) Battalions and 10,000 tons of equipment departs Sydney, New South Wales, for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, escorted by the Australian heavy cruisers HMAS Australia and Canberra , light cruiser HMAS Perth and New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Achilles.
This is the first substantial build up of Allied forces in New Guinea.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Australian National Airlines (ANA) aircraft begins the evacuation of civilians from Rabaul on New Britain Island.

MALAYA: The Japanese are attacking British forces as they withdraw from Ipoh toward Kampar and the River Slim.

MIDWAY ISLANDS: Over 850 civilian construction workers are evacuated by two USN ships.

NEW ZEALAND: The government scrapes the bottom of the manpower barrel and comes up with three battalions to defend the country. There are no tanks, very few guns, and almost no vehicles. However, the New Zealand 2nd Division is regrouping in Egypt to continue battling the Axis forces.

PACIFIC OCEAN: USN destroyer USS Peary is damaged when mistakenly bombed and strafed by three Australian Hudsons of No. 32 Squadron off Kina, Celebes, Netherlands East Indies (NEI). The destroyer's steering gear is damaged and she has to put into Ternate in the Halmahera Islands, NEI, for repairs.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: The Japanese begin a drive from the Agno River toward Cabanatuan. In southern Luzon, the Japanese force the 52d Infantry Regiment [Philippine Army (PA)], 51st Division (PA), back to Tiaong. Brigadier General Albert Jones, Commanding General 51st Division (PA), receives orders to withdraw speedily to Bataan. The 53d Infantry Regiment (PA) moves to Bataan for rest and reorganization. The Japanese seize Luisiana, on Route 1, and the 1st Infantry Regiment (PA), 1st Division (PA) withdraws westward. Philippines -(Far East Air Force): The ground echelon of the 17th Bombardment Squadron, 27th BG transfers from Cabcaben to Limay, Luzon. The air echelon is operating from Brisbane, Australia.

UNITED STATES: The USN Chief of Bureau of Yards and Docks, Vice Admiral Ben Moreell, requests authority from the Bureau of Navigation to create a contingent of construction units able to build everything from airfields to roads under battlefield conditions. These units will beknown as the "Seabees" for the first letters of Construction Battalion.