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

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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 Kavieng
on 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
(CL-47) (flagship) and USS Marblehead (CL-12) 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 (SS-141), 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 Flying Fortresses 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 (6,4 kilometers) 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 (182 kilometers) northwest 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 (CV-2), 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 Far East Air Force B-17
Flying Fortresses 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 (DD-219) 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 (AVG,
aka, (The Flying Tigers) shoot down five Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97
Fighters (to be given the Allied Code Name Nate), over Rangoon at 1030
hours local, and five Kawasaki Ki-32 Army Type 98 Light Bombers (to be
given the Allied Code Name Mary) 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 (AO-5) is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine HIJMS I-72, 136 miles (219 kilometers) west-southwest 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 a withdrawal 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 (DD-21, John D. Ford (DD-22, Pope (DD-
225) and Paul Jones (DD-230) entered Balikpapan Bay where, Iying 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 (SS-193) 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 Flying Fortresses 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 ãgrimä 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 In
fantry, 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.

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BORNEO: Japanese troop occupy the towns of Ledo, Singkawang, Pemangkat, Sambas with its Naval Air Station, and Singkawang II airfield located near Ledo. All Dutch aircraft had been transferred to Sumatra prior to
the Japanese invasion.
USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based in Java bomb and damage a Japanese seaplane carrier off Balikpapan.

MALAYA: Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer
Commanding Malaya Command, having received permission from General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief ABDA Command, to retire to Singapore Island at his discretion, decides to withdraw at once through Johore Bahru and across the causeway to the island. Withdrawal is to be accomplished under cover of darkness and completed during the night 30/31
January.
East Force meets no opposition as it pulls back. While
elements of the Indian 11th Division's Batu Pahat force fall back to Benut, the rest move to the mouth of the Ponggor River, from which they are withdrawn by sea during the following nights. West Force fights local actions while retiring along the main road and railroad.
No. 36 and 100 Squadron's RAF fly their last missions with the venerable Vickers Vildebeest biplanes against Japanese landings at Endau.
Off Endau, the destroyers HMAS Vampire and HMS Thanet encounter three Japanese destroyers and a minesweeper. HMS Thanet is sunk by gunfire but HMAS Vampire escapes to Singapore. The Japanese 96th Airfield Battalion completes their landing at Endau with much-needed supplies and ammunition.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: On Java, General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief ABDA Command, tells
Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack, General Officer Commanding I Australian Corps, that he must hold Sumatra with one Australian division and central Java with another.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable brings a cargo of 48 Hawker Hurricane fighters to Java, for shipment to Singapore.

PACIFIC: Submarine USS Gudgeon (SS-211) torpedoes and sinks Japanese submarine HIJMS I-73 240 miles (386 kilometers) west of Midway Island; the Japanese submarine had shelled Midway two days earlier. This is
the first Japanese submarine sunk by a USN submarine.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the Japanese begin an assault against the main line of resistance (MLR) in the afternoon.
After a feint down the East Road, the main attack is made against Sectors C and D. Sector C is thinly manned and in the process of being reinforced by the 41st Infantry, Philippine Army (PA), from Sector D.
The Japanese force the outposts back and get a small advance group across the Pilar River. In the I Corps area, the Japanese renew efforts to break through the MLR on the west coast and is again brought to a halt by the 91st Division, PA. In the South Sector, Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright, Commanding General I Corps, sends the 3d Battalion of the 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS), to Quinauan Point and the 2d Battalion of the 57th Infantry, PS, to Longoskawayan Point to dislodge or
destroy the Japanese along the southwestern coast. Meanwhile, after preparatory fire from all available guns is conducted against Longoskawayan Pt, the infantry attacks but is unable to clear it. Scouts of 2d Battalion, 57th Infantry, relieve the naval battalion there during the
night of 27/28 January. The Japanese are contained but cannot be cleared from Quinauan Point. Water-borne reinforcements for this position land short of their objective, between the Anyasan and Silaiim Rivers,
before dawn and put beach defenders, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Philippine Constabulary, to flight. The ground echelon of the USAAFâs 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) , from reserve, and the 2d Battalion of the 2d
Philippine Constabulary, from the MLR to the north, move against the Japanese but are halted about 1,000 yards (914 meters) from the shore. The Japanese are ordered, upon reinforcing the Quinauan beachhead, to
drive to Mariveles.
Four USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based in Java stage through Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao and attack Japanese targets on Luzon. One B-17 is shot down.
Submarine USS Seawolf (SS-197) delivers ammunition to
Corregidor Island, and evacuates naval and army pilots.

PHOENIX ISLAND: The USAAF's Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses of Task Group 8.9 return to Canton Island.

U.K.: Prime Minister Winston Churchill opens a major House of Commons debate with the report on Allied Cooperation. He details the Combined Chiefs of Staff, the Pacific Councils and the plans for the arrival of American land forces in Britain, and that an Australian representative is to join the war cabinet. The vote of confidence is opposed by one member of the House.

U.S.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces that the Office of Price Administration (OPA) will ration all retail goods and commodities until the end of the war.

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PACIFIC: The British carrier HMS INDOMITABLE delivers 48
Hurricane fighters, destined for Singapore to Java.

AUSTRALIA: The USAAF activates the first U.S. air transport unit in Australia. None of its original complement of 14 officers and 19 enlisted men had been trained for transport operations; they just happened to be available. The aircraft assigned to the unit are two old Douglas B-
18 Bolo bombers, one Douglas C-39 (Model DC-2-243) transport which had been flown down from the Philippines and five new Douglas C-53 (Model DC-3A-405) transports recently arrived from the U.S. None of these aircraft
has a cargo door, i.e., one wide enough to load and unload cargo other than humans.

BRAZIL: The Third Conference of Foreign Ministers of the (21) American Republics at Rio de Janeiro is concluded. Despite the efforts of Argentina and Chile, Pan-American unity is preserved; within days, all Latin American nations that had not already done so (except Argentina and
Chile) sever ties with Germany, Italy, and Japan. Today, Brazil and Paraguay break diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy and Japan.

BURMA: Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons, "The Flying Tigers�" shoot down six Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters (later given the Allied Code Name �"NATE") over
and near Mingaladon Airdrome, Rangoon, between 1150 and 1210 hours local.

LOUISADE ARCHIPELAGO: The Japanese land on Rossel Island, the easternmost island of this archipelago. The island is located about 490 miles (789 kilometers) east-southeast of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and 420
miles (676 kilometers) west-southwest of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, an ideal position to block shipping from either point. The Japanese immediately begin building an airfield.

MALAYA: East Force continues their unopposed withdrawal toward Singapore Island. The Japanese reach Benut and continue southward behind the Indian 11th Division. A gap develops between the two brigades of the Indian 9th Division withdrawing along the railroad and the 22d
Brigade becomes isolated from the main body. In Singapore, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, summons
his commanders and finds he has no reserves and only one of the island�'s 15-inch (38,1 cm) guns points northward.
Four USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses from Java stage through Palembang Airdrome on Sumatra and attack Kuala Lumpur.

Only 21 of the 51 Hawker Hurricane fighters that arrived in
Singapore on 13 January are still serviceable.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based at Singosari Airdrome, Java, attack Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island.
The RAAF begins evacuating the two flights of No. 13 Squadron, with its few remaining Lockheed Hudson bombers, from Laha Airdrome on Ambon Island.

PACIFIC: The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) becomes the first heavy ship to refuel at sea by night, doing so in the central Pacific at 2000 hours local from the oiler USS Platte (AO-24), under blackout conditions. The successful evolution takes five hours.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the 41st Infantry, Philippine Army (PA), completes its movement into the Sector C line, taking up positions between 31st and 51st Divisions, PA, elements.
The Japanese renew their attack against the corps in the evening: some Japanese troops cross the Tiawir River in front of Sector D, where they are halted; others attempt to move forward in Sector C without success.
From the west coast, in the I Corps area, the Japanese move eastward along the corps' main line of resistance to the 1st Division, PA, sector, where defense preparations are not yet completed; during the night of the 28/29th, the Japanese breach the main line of resistance (MLR) there
and pour southward through the gap. As the enemy force becomes divided in dense jungle, two pockets, called the Little Pocket and the Big Pocket, are formed, Little Pocket about 400 yards (366 meters) below the MLR and Big Pocket nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) behind the MLR. In
the South Sector, Scouts of 2d Battalion, 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS), attack Longoskawayan Point and advance two thirds of its length before artillery support is obstructed by Pucot Hill. The 3d Battalion of the 45th Infantry, PS, attacks the enemy beachhead at Quinauan
Point, but jungle terrain and the enemy make progress slow and costly.
At night the 3d Battalion is reinforced by Company B of the 57th Infantry, PS. In the Anyasan-Silaiim sector, the ground echelon of the USAAF�'s 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) and Philippine Constabulary elements push almost to the coast of Anyasan Bay, but the Constabulary troops, fearing a counterattack, withdraws in confusion after dark.

[syscom3]

AUSTRALIA: The government establishes the Manpower
Directorate to ensure the organization of all citizens, in the best possible
way to meet all defence requirements and the essential needs of a
community who overriding purpose, for the duration, of the war.

BORNEO: The Japanese occupy Pontianak, on the west coast of Dutch
Borneo site of a Dutch Naval Air Station.

BURMA: Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons, American
Volunteer shoot down 12 Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters "Nates" over Rangoon during the afternoon.

ECUADOR: The government breaks diplomatic relations with Germany,
Italy and Japan.

FIJI ISLANDS: The USAAF 70th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) arrives
at Suva on Viti Levu Island from the U.S. with 25 crated P-39s
Airacobras.

HAWAII: At Hickam Field, the USAAF Hawaiian Air Force inactivates
the 18th Bombardment Wing and activates the VII Bomber Command; the new command will control all bomber units.

JAPAN: Imperial General Headquarters orders the Navy to secure Lae
and Salamaua, New Guinea and then Tulagi, Solomon Islands. The Army and
Navy are ordered to combine their efforts and seize Port Moresby,
New Guinea.

MALAYA: The withdrawal towards Singapore Island continues. West
Force is ordered to accelerate its withdrawal by one day. Major Angus Rose of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders tries to set up a
strongpoint on a golf course; the club secretary says, "Nothing can be done until we've called a meeting of the committee." Additional elements of the British 18th Division arrive at Singapore; two of the ships that
transported the troops are the USN transports, USS Wakefield (AP-21,
ex-SS Manhattan) and USS West Point (AP-23, ex-SS America); also, a squad of obsolete light tanks arrives from India, the only tanks to reach
Malaya.
Four USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, striking out
of Palembang, Sumatra, attack Kuantan Airfield scoring numerous hits
on runways and hangars.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese land at Badoeng Island and
Mampawan on Celebes Island.
An estimated five Japanese warships and seventeen transports,
with five unidentified vessels, are reported to be approaching Ambon
Island by RAAF airmen. On Dutch orders Australian engineers destroy naval
oil reserves, bomb dumps, hangers and other equipment at Laha, and attempt to make the airfield unusable. Ships are sighted before dusk off the coast of Laitimor Peninsula.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps withstands further
efforts of the Japanese to breach the main line of resistance.
In the I Corps area, troops of 1st and 11th Divisions, Philippine Army (PA),
operate against the Little and Big Pockets, respectively, in an effort to
determine their strength and disposition, and evoke sharp opposition. Scouts of 1st Battalion, 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS), prepare to
assist the 11th Division in an attack on Big Pocket. In the South Sector, after a half-hour artillery preparation augmented by fire of theminesweeper USS Quail (AM-15), the 2d Battalion of the 57th Infantry, PS, attacks and clears Longoskawayan Point; enemy remnants are being mopped up. The 3d Battalion of 45th Infantry, PS, continues to make slow and costly progress at Canaan Point. In the Anniston-Psyllium sector, scouts of 2d Battalion, 45th Infantry, PS, prepare for an attack and are reinforced by 1st Battalion of the Philippine Constabulary and 1st Battalion of the 12th Infantry, PA, both of these having been relieved at Canaan Point. Company A of the 57th Infantry, PS, is to guard West Road.

U.S.: The Combined Chiefs of Staff establish the ANZAC Area, covering ocean expanses between Australia, New Zealand, and the French territory of New Caledonia in the New Hebrides Islands. This area is to be under U.S. naval command.
Five-inch (12.7 cm) projectiles containing radio-proximity fuzes are test fired at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia, and 52 percent of the fuzes functioned satisfactorily by proximity to water at the end of a 5-mile (8 kilometer) trajectory. This performance, obtained with samples selected to simulate a production lot, confirmed that the radio proximity fuze would greatly increase the effectiveness of anti-aircraft batteries and led to immediate small scale production of the fuze.

[syscom3]

BURMA: The Japanese open a strong attack on Moulmein and seize the
airdrome.

HAWAII: USAAF Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses of Task
Group 8.9 return to Hawaii, having completed a mission (began on 16
January 42) which afforded a pioneer look at the problem of air operations
over vast Pacific areas, especially the problems of navigation and the
servicing of aircraft.

MALAYA: The British withdrawal to Singapore Island reaches its final
stage. East Force is the first unit to cross the causeway and is
followed by the Indian 11th Division and West Force. West Force delays
withdrawal as long as possible in a futile effort to recover the 22d
Brigade of the Indian 9th Division. Remnants of this brigade are eventually
ferried across the Strait of Singapore. It is decided to withdraw
the Malaya Air Force to the Netherlands East Indies except for a single
squadron. )
At 1100 hours local, 27 Japanese naval land attack planes bomb
Allied shipping at Keppel Harbor; the transport USS Wakefield (AP-
21, ex-SS Manhattan), waiting to embark 400 British women and children
being evacuated to Ceylon, is damaged by a bomb which kills 5 crewmen;
three British transports are also hit. The transport USS West Point (AP-
23, ex-SS America) is straddled and showered with fragments, but suffers
no damage and provides medical assistance to the crew of USS Wakefield.
Both U.S. transports subsequently embark passengers that include dockyard
workers from Singapore and their families, in addition to Royal Navy
officers and enlisted men and a small RAF contingent. The ships will
then proceed to Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies for additional
evacuees, and thence on to Colombo, Ceylon, arriving there on 6
February.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese invade 314 square mile (813
square kilometers) Ambon Island which has the second largest naval
base in the East Indies. The defenders include Dutch troop and the
Australian 2/21 Battalion plus supporting troops. During the night of 30
January two Japanese landings are launched; the 1st Kure Special Landing Force lands at Hitu-Iama and the 228th Infantry lands on the southern
coast of Laitimor. The defenders are at a disadvantage to contest the
landings, only a few Dutch detachments were in the area. At Hitu-Iama on the north coast the defending infantry and machine-gun crews are quickly
overwhelmed and bridges on the road leading to the town of Paso are
left intact allowing the Japanese to speedily advance south across the Hitu
Peninsula. Other landings occurred around Hutumori; the Japanese
split westward to the town, and northward to Paso using captured Ambonese
compelled to act as guides.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In Sector C of II Corps on Bataan, efforts to
dislodge the enemy from the Pilar River bridgehead fail and indecisive
fighting continues along the main line of resistance (MLR). The I
Corps makes slow progress against enemy pockets behind the MLR. While the
1st Division, Philippine Army (PA), attempts to reduce Little Pocket,
elements of the 11th Infantry, PA, and 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS),
attack Big Pocket from the north and south, respectively. In the South
Sector, the 3d Battalion of the 45th Infantry, PS, reinforced, continues
to attack the Quinauan Point beachhead. The 2d Battalion of the same
regiment, reinforced, supported by the 88th Field Artillery battery, PS,
pushes slowly toward the mouth of the Silaiim River.
General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief US Army Forces Far
East (USAFFE), takes control of all naval forces in the Philippines.

U.S.: The last pre-war automobiles produced by General Motors'
Chevrolet Division and Chrysler's DeSoto Division roll off the
assembly lines today.
An unarmed U.S. tanker is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by
German submarine U-106 about 150 miles (241 kilometers) east-northeast of
Norfolk, Virginia.
The Secretary of the Navy authorizes a glider program for the
Marine Corps consisting of small and large type gliders in sufficient
numbers for the training and transportation of two battalions of 900
men each.
California Governor Culbert Olson revokes the professional and
business licenses of 5,000 Japanese, German and Italian aliens in
California. The revocations mostly affect Japanese-Americans.
The Congress passes the Emergency Price Control Act which allows the Office of Price Administration (OPA) to place ceilings on prices
and rents.

[syscom3]

BORNEO: The Japanese continue their conquest of Borneo; they occupy the town of Ngabang, and a battalion size unit with ca. 400 men lands in Adang Bay (Teluk Adang) without opposition before daybreak.

BURMA: The Moulmein garrison withdraws across the Salween River to Martaban. The 48th Brigade of the Indian 19th Division arrives in Rangoon and is held in reserve. Another brief lull ensues in ground action as the Japanese prepare for further attacks, infiltrating across the Salween and bombing and shelling Martaban.

HAWAII: Task Force Eleven (TF 11) (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), formed around the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), departs Pearl Harbor to cover the retirement of TF 8 (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey,
Jr.) and TF 17 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher) from the Marshall and Gilbert Islands.

MALAYA: Allied defense forces complete their withdrawal to Singapore Island at 0800 hours and blows the causeway. There are 85,000 men from 38 battalions, 13 British, six Australian, 17 Indian, and two Malay, on the island; The Japanese are attacking with less than 40,000 men.
For defense purposes, Singapore is divided into three sectors. The Indian 3 Corps, under command of Lieutenant General Sir Lewis Macclesfield Heath, consisting of the Indian 11th and British 18th Divisions and corps troops, is responsible for the North Area. The South Area, which includes Singapore town, is the responsibility of Major General F. Keith Simmons, commander of Singapore Fortress troops, who has under his command in addition to fixed defenses, the 1st and 2d Malayan Brigades and Strait Settlements Volunteer Force. The West Area, under command of Lieutenant General Henry Bennett, General Officer Commanding Australian Imperial Force Malaya, is manned by Australians and the Indian 44th Brigade, with attachments. Activity from this time until the Japanese invasion is confined to artillery exchanges, air attacks, and patrolling. The chief targets for Japanese aircraft are the docks and Kalang Airdrome.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: On Ambon Island, the Japanese attack Laha late in the afternoon; they are repulsed by an outnumbered platoon of Australians on the northeast of the airfield.

NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand continues to dig in for war by introducing air-raid shelter regulations, and inviting women to join the Emergency Precaution Service as fire-watchers. All men must register for the Emergency Defence Corps.

PACIFIC: The destroyer USS Helm (DD-38 evacuates civilian radio operators and weather observers from Howland and Baker Islands; she is bombed by a Japanese reconnaissance flying boat off Baker, but is not damaged.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the Japanese begin an attack on II Corps in the evening after air and artillery preparation but are halted by corps fire. A Japanese regiment concealed in the bridgehead across the Pilar River begins withdrawing under cover of darkness. The I Corps continues the battle against enemy pockets in sectors of 1st and 11th Divisions, Philippine Army; the pockets are now cut off from supply. In the South Sector, operations against the enemy beachhead at Quinauan Point continue with little change in positions. Japanese reinforcements are ordered to the area. The U.S. 192d Tank Battalion (less one company) is sent to the west coast to help reduce the Quinauan Point beachhead.

U.S.: Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, in a memo to General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, estimates his needs for China assignment and requests that his staff and any forces that may join it be called a task force. The War Department subsequently approves
designation of Stilwell's forces as U.S. Task Force in China.
The last pre-war automobiles produced by Chrysler, Plymouth, and Studebaker roll off the assembly lines today.

[renrich]

You do good work syscom 3. Do you ever get writer's cramp.