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

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BURMA: Pilots of the American Volunteer Group (AVG, a.k.a., "The Flying Tigers") shoot down 16 more Japanese planes.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The ABDA"Combined Striking Force" is established with Rear Admiral Karel Doorman, Royal Netherlands Navy, in command. The force consists of two heavy cruisers, nine light cruisers and 24destroyers. In reality, five of the light cruisers and 14 of the destroyers are obsolete and not fit for modern naval warfare.
On Ambon Island, the Japanese capture 10 Australian soldiers and
bayonet them to death. The Japanese commander says the POWs would
be "a drag" on his advance.

PACIFIC: USN Task Force Eight (TF (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.), formed around the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), raids the Marshall Islands concentrating on Kwajalein and Wotje, with the heavy cruiser USS Chester (CA-27) bombarding Maleolap Atoll. At Kwajalein, SBD Dauntlesses of Bombing Squadron Six (VB 6) and Scouting Squadron Six (VS 6) and TBD Devastators of Torpedo Squadron Six (VT 6) from USS Enterprise sink a transport and damage the light cruiser HIJMS Katori, submarine HIJMS I-23, a minelayer, an auxiliary netlayer, an auxiliary submarine chaser, a submarine depot ship, an oiler, a tanker, and an army cargo ship; in the bombing of shore installations, Rear Admiral SUKEYOSHI Yatsushiro (Commander Sixth Base Force) becomes the first Imperial Navy flag officer to die in combat when an SBD scores a direct hit on his headquarters. Off Wotje, gunfire from heavy cruisers USS Northampton (CA-26) and USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) sink a gunboat while the destroyer USS Dunlap (DD-384) shells and sinks an auxiliary submarine chaser. Japanese retaliatory air attacks by six Mitsubishi G3M, Navy Type 96 Attack Bombers (later assigned the Allied CodeName "Nell") of the Chitose Kokutai (Chitose Naval Air Corps) on TF-8 results in damage
to USS Enterprise (near-miss of a crashing land attack plane) and heavy
cruiser USS Chester (by bomb dropped by carrier fighter). Three SBDs
are shot down over Roi Island by Mitsuibishi A5M, Navy Type 96 Carrier
Fighters (later given the Allied Code Name "Claude") and one "Claude" is
shot down by a VS-5 SBD gunner.
USN TF-17 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher), formed around aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), raids the Gilbert Islands targeting enemy installations on Jaluit, Makin, and Mili. Aircraft from USS Yorktown cause less damage than the attacks on the Marshall Islands, due to a scarcity of targets at the objective; nevertheless, SBDs of VS-5 bomb and strafe a gunboat at Makin and destroy two Kawanishi H6K, Navy Type 97 Flying Boats (later assigned the Allied Code Name "Mavis") at anchor, while SBDs of VB-5 bomb and strafe a cargo ship at Jaluit. Rear Admiral Fletcher detaches three of his four destroyers to look for downed TBD of VT-5 reported in the water astern of TF-17. During the search, a Japanese "Mavis" flying boat of the Yokohama Kokutai attacks (but does not damage) destroyer USS Sims (DD-409). Soon thereafter, two F4F Wildcats of Fighting Squadron Forty Two (VF-42) splash the flying boat. The TBD crew, however, is never found in the prevailing poor weather.
TF-11 (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), formed around aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) supports the operations from the vicinity of Christmas Island in the Line Islands.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps prepares to attack in Sector C to clear the enemy bridgehead from which Japanese continue to withdraw. I Corps continues its efforts to reduce pockets south of the main line of resistance with negligible success.
In the South Sector, Philippine Scouts renew the battle against the Quinauan Point beachhead but progress is still limited. Scout casualties by this time are
estimated at 50 percent. Japanese reinforcements for Quinauan Point are
spotted, during the night of 1-2 February and attacked by the remaining four
P-40s of the USAAF Far East Air Force (FEAF), motor torpedo boats, and
artillery and infantry weapons from shore. The Japanese are forced to land
instead in the Anyasan-Silaiim area.

SINGAPORE: The British defenders finally dig entrenchments, but because
of the panic and retreat, there's no civilian labor. Daily air raids sap morale and impede work. After the daily attacks, Air Raid Precautions (ARP) trucks pick up bodies and dump them in communal graves. Aviation fuel is dumped instead of being used to set the Johore Straits afire. Singapore's defenses are being prepared at the last minute.

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AUSTRALIA: HQ of the USAAF's 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) , with its
three subordinate squadrons, arrives at Melbourne, Victoria, from the U.S. with P-40s. The aircraft are in crates and must be assembled and the vast majority of the pilots do not have the skills to survive in combat and must undergo combat training. The first squadron will fly their first mission in March.

HAWAII: The Hawaiian Air Force activates the VII Interceptor Command
at Ft Shafter.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese begin a combined, concentrated
attack against Australian troops at Laha Airdrome on Ambon Island using
infantry, dive-bombers, fighter planes, warships and artillery; the Japanese capture the airfield by mid-morning. Later in the day, the surviving Australians at Laha approached the Japanese with surrender negotiations, sending at least ten representatives under the commanding officer at Laha, Major Newbury, waving a white flag. The Australian party was escorted to the village of Suakodo, where the local Japanese HQ was located, and held captive for the night at the village school.
Japanese minesweeper W.9 is sunk, and minesweepers W.11 and W.12 are damaged, by Dutch mines off Ambon Island.

PACIFIC: The submarine USS Seadragon (SS-194) sinks a Japanese army
cargo ship off Cape Bolinao, Luzon.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps attacks to clear the
Japanese bridgehead, at first employing the 31st Engineer Battalion,
Philippine Army (PA), and then reinforcing with elements of the 41st
Infantry, PA, after Japanese opposition proves stubborn. The Japanese
completes withdrawal from the bridgehead during the of night 2-3 February. In the I Corps area, an armored platoon of U.S. 192d Tank Battalion and a
platoon of the 1st Battalion, 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, attempt
unsuccessfully to reduce the Big Pocket.
In the South Sector, Company C of the 192d Tank Battalion assists the Scouts in another attack on the Quinauan Point beachhead, but results are no more satisfactory. Other Scout battalions (2d Battalion of the 45th Infantry; 3d and 1st Battalions of the 57th Infantry) attack abreast to clear the Anyasan-Silaiim sector, making slow progress except on left, where no opposition is met.

U.S.: Major General Joseph W. Stilwell is designated Chief of Staff to
Supreme Commander, China Theater, and is directed by the War Department to "increase the effectiveness of United States assistance to the Chinese Government for the prosecution of the war and to assist in improving the combat efficiency of the Chinese Army."

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AUSTRALIA: Thirteen P-40s of the USAAF Far East Air Force's 20th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) depart Darwin, Northern Territory, for Java.

BURMA: Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek agrees to let the Chinese 5th Army take over the Toungoo front and the balance of the Chinese 6th Army is ordered to move into Burma. The Indian 48th Brigade is ordered to the zone of the Indian 17th Division, under which it is to fight.
Pilots of the 2d Fighter Squadron, "The Flying Tigers" shoot down a Japanese Army bomber over Toungoo Airdrome at 1600 hours local.

CANADA: The Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force is renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force (Women's Division).

INDIAN OCEAN: Port T, a top secret British naval base on Addu Atoll, in the Indian Ocean, becomes operational.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese begin preinvasion air attacks on Java. Japanese Navy aircraft from Kendari on Celebes Island attack Soerabaja, Madionen, and Malang. While returning to base, the crew of a Japanese aircraft reports the presence of Allied naval off Madoera.
At Singosari Airdrome, four fully loaded USAAF Far East Air Force B-17s are destroyed and a fifth B-17 is shot down. Three Royal Netherlands Navy Catalina flying boats are destroyed at Soerabaja and a FEAF B- 18 Bolo bringing radar technicians from Australia to Java is shot down with the loss of everyone aboard the aircraft. At the fighter base, Blimbing Airdrome, FEAF P-40s are unable to climb to altitude to intercept the bombers but they manage to shoot down two Japanese fighters and a bomber vs. one P-40 lost.

NEW GUINEA: Japanese aircraft bomb Port Moresby, New Guinea.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps, finding the enemy bridgehead clear, advances the outpost line in that sector. I Corps continues to make little headway against enemy pockets in sectors of the 1st and 11th Divisions, Philippine Army. In the South Sector, Philippine Scouts and tanks are still unable to make much progress against the Quinauan Point beachhead. Progress is also limited in Anyasan-Silaiim sector although tanks of the U.S. 192d Tank Battalion and artillery assist the Scouts there.
The submarine USS Trout (SS-202) unloads 3,500 rounds of ammunition; refuels; loads two torpedoes, and requests additional ballast. Since neither sandbags nor sacks of concrete are available, she is given 20 tons of gold bars and silver pesos to be evacuated from the Philippines.
She also loads securities, mail, and State Department dispatches before submerging shortly before daybreak to wait at the bottom in Manila Bay until the return of darkness. She gets underway that night using the gold as ballast on the return voyage to Pearl Harbor.

U.S.: The major league baseball club owners hold a special meeting to discuss wartime regulations, they decide to allow 14 night games for each club, with the Washington Senators allowed 21. Two All-Star Games will be played, one with a military All-Star team. Curfews are set for
night games with no inning to start after 0050 hours local.

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AUSTRALIA: The USAAF Far East Air Force's 7th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Squadron and 88th Reconnaissance Squadron begin a movement from Brisbane, Queensland, to Karachi, India.
The 9th is operating from Jogjakarta, Java with B-17s; the 88th is operating from Hickam Field, Territory of Hawaii with B-17s.

JAVA SEA: Japanese reconnaissance flying boats of the Toko Kokutai (Naval Air Corps) contact and shadow the allied force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, RNN) of four cruisers and accompanying destroyers, sighted yesterday by 1st Kokutai aircraft, attempting the transit of
Madoera Strait to attack the Japanese Borneo invasion fleet. The Allied fleet is now south of the Greater Sunda Islands, about 190 miles (306 kilometers) east of Surabaya, Java.
On the strength of that intelligence, Japanese naval land attack planes of the Takao, Kanoya, and 1st Kokutais
bomb Doorman's ships, damaging the heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) and light cruiser USS Marblehead (CL-12). Dutch light cruisers HNMS De Ruyter and HNMS Tromp are slightly damaged by near-misses. USS
Marblehead's extensive damage (only by masterful seamanship and heroic effort does she reach Tjilatjap, Java, after the battle) results in her being sent back to the United States via Ceylon and South Africa; despite the
loss of turret III (one-third of her main battery), USS Houston, however, remains.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The small Australian garrison on Ambon Island, largely the 2/21 Battalion, surrenders to the Japanese. What followed the surrender of the Australians has become known as "The Carnage at Laha."
Up to 100 of the allied prisoners were seriously wounded or
ill at the time of surrender and died shortly after. According to Japanese accounts ten men were summarily executed after falling into Japanese hands during the attacks, another 20 to 40 Australians were held at Suakodo
for a few days then executed between the 6 and 8 February.
These unfortunate POWs (ca. 30 Australian POWs), said a Japanese Warrant Officer after the war, were led one by one away from the native school and a little way along the road into the jungle near Laha with their hands tied behind their back. Lieutenant NAKAGAWA Ken-ichi, the head executor
made each kneel down with a bandage over his eyes. The Japanese troops then stepped out of ranks to behead each POW or bayonet him one by one. Each Australian was decapitated by a sword blow to the neck severing the head, death was almost instantaneous, and carried out by about
ten samurai wielding Japanese having despatched two or three prisoners.
The remaining Australians at Laha perished over the next two weeks, once the dead had been burned and the battleground debris cleared by the captives.

PACIFIC: Asiatic Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Hart) ceases to exist. Units of Asiatic Fleet are organized into Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific Area under Vice Admiral William A. Glassford.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: HQ US Army Forces, Far East (USAFFE) takes direct control of the Panay and Mindoro garrisons, which were previously part of the Visayan-Mindoro Force, established early in January under
command of Brigadier General William F. Sharp.
On Bataan, the II Corps front is relatively quiet. In the I
Corps area, the Japanese in Big Pocket repel still another tank-infantry attack. In the South Sector, Philippine Scouts and tanks continue their attack against Canaan Point and this time succeed in compressing the Japanese into a small area at the tip. In the Anyasan-Silaiim sector, tank-infantry attacks against the Japanese still make slow progress.

SINGAPORE ISLAND: The Japanese demand the surrender of the Allied forces. The government refuses.
Tengah Airfield is abandoned after intense shelling and bombing by the Japanese.

U.K.: Canadian press baron Max Beaverbrook is appointed Britain's Minister of Production. His steamrolling determination as Minister of Aircraft Production has already resulted in Britain producing more fighters than Germany.

U.S.: Attorney General Francis Biddle orders Japanese, German and Italian aliens to leave 31 areas in the states of Washington and Oregon by 15 February.

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1942: AUSTRALIA: The air echelon of the USAAF 5th Air Force's 91st
Bombardment Squadron (Light), 27th Bombardment Group (Light), ceases
operating from Brisbane, Queensland, with A-24 Dauntlesses and begins a
movement to Malang, Java. The ground echelon is based on Bataan, Luzon,
Philippine Islands.

BURMA: General Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief ABDA Command, again visits Burma and inspects the situation west of the Salween River opposite Moulmein.

Malaya: In Malaya the Commonwealth army has retreated into Singapore and the causeway is breached by explosive demolition. Only 14 serviceable Hurricanes remain on the Island along with 6 or so Buffaloes all other aircraft have been pulled back to P1 & P2 on Sumatra. Japanese recon reported over 50 aircraft at Palembang and an air strike was planed for the following day.
General Yamashita moves into the former Imperial Palace of the Sultan of Johore on the northern side of the causeway looking down on Singapore Island. The assault across the causeway was planed for the 9th of
February.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Twelve P-40s of the USAAF 5th Air Force's 20th
Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) are refueling at den Pasar Airdrome on Bali when the field is attacked by 20 Japanese aircraft. Four P-40s are
destroyed on the ground and seven get airborne; the seven shoot down four Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters "Zekes" while the Zekes pilots shoot down four of the seven P-40s. Later in the day, the four surviving P-40's arrive at Blimbing Airdrome on Java and are merged with the 5th Air Force's 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) .
Japanese planes bomb Allied shipping off Soembawa Island; after destroyer USS Paul Jones (DD-230) is damaged by a near-miss, she then rescues survivors of a Dutch merchantman, which had run aground in an attempt to avoid Japanese bombs.

Offshore NEI: USS Houston and Dutch cruiser Tromp arrived in Tjilatjap via the Lumbok Straits; Houston has 60 dead and 100 or so wounded and her aft 8 inch gun turret is destroyed after being hit by air attacks while patrolling north of Java. The cruiser USS Marblehead arrives in the same port just after midnight. She is so badly damaged that she returns to the US via India for repair. The remaining ships in the Strike Force ~ De Ruyter and a squadron of Dutch destroyers continues on to Batavia.
HMAS Vampire leaves Batavia for East Indies Station, she escorts two ships
of trade Melchior Treub (3,242 tons) and Ophir (4,115 tons) to Colombo,
Vampire was the only ship from Admiral Phillip's Force Z to survive the
campaign, although she did not survive the war.
The mine sweepers HMAS Ballarat and Toowomba rescue survivors of the
merchant Loch Ranza (4,958 Tons) along with radar gear contained within that ships cargo manifest.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the I Corps plans to attack with all available forces against enemy pockets. In the South Sector, the Japanese are driven to the edge of a cliff overlooking beaches at Quinauan Point.
Little progress is made against the Japanese in the Anyasan-Silaiim sector.
Submarine USS Seadragon (SS-194) evacuates 21 Army and Navy personnel; 23 torpedoes; 4,000 pounds (1.8 metric tonnes) of submarine spares; and 3,000 pounds (1.4 metric tonnes) of radio equipment. The radio equipment and some of the Navy personnel are from the naval communications/ radio intelligence unit on Corregidor; they will set up facilities on
Java.

Singapore: The Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Asia (17,000 tons) was hit by incendiary bombs dropped by Japanese aircraft. The ships were moored off Sultan Shoal in Singapore Roads. The big liner was ablaze from bow to stern, HMAS Bendigo, Yarra and Woolongong pulled along side to take off survivors, while at the same time fighting off enemy aircraft. On board were troops of the British 18th Division, most of whom at been aboard ship for three months, after an odyssey that took the ship from the UK to Halifax, Nova Scotia, then back to the Pacific via South Africa.Yarra was taking troops off the stern while Bendigo worked her way to the bow, but due to the liners bow flare couldn't get close enough; the Australian sailors told the soldiers to jump, not realizing, that being "poms" most of the soldiers couldn't swim. The medical officer aboard Yarra commented that the surf life saving & resuscitation skills
acquired earlier in life by some members of the crew came in handy on this
day. During this action Acting Leading Seaman Taylor the captain of No.2
gun aboard HMAS Yarra was Mentioned in Dispatches for keenness, courage
and the example he set to all ratings. This was the first of two MIDs for Taylor. After the Yarra took the last two survivors, the Master and the Chief Engineer off the bow of the liner Yarra had on board no less than 1,804 survivors. Yarra's Captain stated "I was becoming a little dubious of the stability of HMAS Yarra, and on getting clear gave orders for all hands to sit."
Leading Seaman Ronald Taylor refused to obey the order to abandon ship
when HMAS Yarra was sinking on 4 March 1942. As captain of the last operating gun on the ship he continued in action until he was killed and his gun silenced. Although not mentioned in dispatches, his action was not
forgotton and his name and deeds were included in the official Australian
Navy history of WW2.The commanding officer of HMAS Yarra singled out Taylor for 'for keenness, courage and the example he set to all ratings' in the
Empress of Asia blaze. On neither occasion was he mentioned in dispatches.
HMAS Yarra was a modified Grimsby class escort sloop HMAS Yarra (II) was constructed as ship number 114. It was laid down on 24 May 1934, launched on 28 March 1935, and completed on 12 December 1935. Its overall length was 266 feet and 3 inches, and full load displacement was 1,339 tons.
Commander Rankin the Commander of HMAS Yarra is honoured in HMAS Rankin - a Collins Class Submarine.

U.S.: HQ USAAF redesignates the four named overseas air forces with
an Arabic numeral: the Alaskan Air Force becomes the 11th Air Force;
the Caribbean Air Force becomes the 6th Air Force; the Far East Air
Force becomes the 5th Air Force; and the Hawaiian Air Force becomes the
7th Air Force.
An unarmed U.S. tanker is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German
submarine U-103 about 175 miles (282 kilometers) east-northeast of
Norfolk, Virginia.


In WW2 a British Commonwealth sailor could be awarded one of four
awards for gallantry in action; the Victoria Cross, the Conspicuous
Gallantry Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal or be mentioned in
dispatches. Only the Victoria Cross or the mentioned in dispatches could be awarded posthumously in WW2.

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BURMA: Two P-40 pilots of the 1st Fighter Squadron, AVG, shoot down four Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters near Rangoon at 1000 hours. One pilot shoots down one while the second gets three.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: A small Japanese force lands and occupies
the town of Gorontalo on Minahassa Peninsula, west of Menado, on Celebes
Island. On Sumatra, the first Japanese air raids hit Palembang P1 Airfield at 1100 hours; two Blenheims and four Hurricanes are shot down and two Buffaloes are destroyed on the ground.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the I Corps area on Bataan, the Japanese
receive reinforcements and attack late in the day to relieve pockets. While
some elements increase pressure against the1st and 11th Divisions, Philippine Army, others drive toward Big Pocket until stopped by the 11th Division 800 yards (732 meters) from their objective. A small salient in the corps main line of resistance is thus formed and called Upper Pocket. In the Manila Bay area, Japanese artillery, emplaced along the south shore of the Bay in the vicinity of Ternate, begins a daily bombardment of fortified islands. Forts Drum and Frank receive the main weight of shells.

SINGAPORE: General YAMASHITA Tomoyoki, General Office Commanding
25th Army, summons his top officers at 1100 hours to give them their
orders. The Imperial Guards Division, whose men are 6 feet (1,8 meters) tall
and drilled for ceremonial, will feint on the evening of 7 February, by taking Palau Ubin Island opposite Changi (today the international airport) in the northeast. Next day, the 5th and 18th Divisions will assault Singapore Island's northwest corner. The plan is a replica of British Field Marshal Allenby's victory in Palestine in 1918. That evening, British chief engineer Brigadier Ivan Simson tells Lieutenant General Ernest Percival, General Office Commanding Malaya Command, that the Japanese will probably attack the northwest corner of Singapore Island. So Percival orders Simson to concentrate supplies in the EAST.
Men of the 2/29th Battalion AIF take up positions in reserve between the
22nd Brigade on the north-west coast and the 27th brigade positions on
thenorth coast near the Causeway. [Between Singapore Island and the
Mainland] (Jim Patterson)
The merchant ship Empire Star is finally allowed the berth along side the
wharves, she had a cargo of 16 tanks and 2,000 tons of ammunition.
The local dock workers & stevedores know her cargo and refuse to unload
the ship so the ships crew had to do the work themselves. As soon as the
ship made fast to the docks Japanese aircraft appeared overhead and
attacked the ship, in a panic lines were cast off and the ship made clear of
the docks. Each time the ship tried to unload the same thing happened,
he master suspected Japanese fifth columnists were to blame.
After off loading the survivors of Empress of Asia, HMAS Woolongong's crew spent the their last day in Singapore. Her captain, Lt Gordon Keith RANR purchased a 40mm Bofors from the army store for a crate of Gin.
Japanese plans are now in place, staff advise General Yamashita to leave the Sultans palace because it comes under frequent enemy artillery fire.
Yamashita refuses!
The evacuation of Singapore continued unabated, HMS Danae, Sutlej and HMAS Yarra left Singapore escorting convoy E.M.U. consisting of
Devonshire and Felix Roussel for India and City of Canterbury for Batavia.
These ships had arrived the previous day as part of BM.12A with the
18th Division aboard.
At midnight HMAS Woolongong departed Singapore Harbor, she would be the last allied warship to enter or leave the harbor for 4 years.

US: The first Combined Chief of Staff Conference in Washington, DC.
begins. [This conference is the combined high military leaders of
the UK and the US.] This is a followup to the Arcadia Sumit of December,
1941.
The Navy Department redesignates Naval Coastal Frontiers--Eastern,
Gulf, Caribbean, Panama, Hawaiian, Northwest, Western, Philippine's
Sea Frontiers.

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1942: AUSTRALIA: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25 launches a
Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane to reconnoiter Sydney, New South Wales.

BORNEO: Nine USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based at
Singosari Airdrome on Java, attempt to bomb Japanese shipping at
Balikpapan but are driven off by fighters.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Four additional USAAF 5th Air Force P-40s
arrive at Blimbing Airdrome on Java from Australia.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the I Corps opens an all-out attack
against enemy pockets and partially encircles both. The 1st Division, Philippine Army (PA) is employed against Little Pocket. The 92d
Infantry of the 91st Division, PA, makes the main attack against Big Pocket from the west and is supported by elements of the 11th and 51st
Divisions, PA.
In the South Sector, after the Philippine Scouts on the left flank come up against enemy positions in the Anyasan-Silaiim area and are
brought to a halt, Filipino air corps troops and a Philippine Constabulary
battalion are committed to form a continuous line from Silaiim Bay
to Quinauan Point. The methodical destruction of Japanese remnants at
Quinauan Point continues. A Japanese relief force attempting to evacuate
troops from the southwestern coast is attacked by P-40s and shore guns and
forced back to Olongapo.

U.S.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9054
establishing the War Shipping Administration (WSA) to bring the
control and operation of all U.S. merchant shipping under a single head. The
WSA's most pressing task is to mobilize the shipping capacity of the
country (the majority of which is still in private hands by the end of the
year 1941) to bring it under single control so that vessels can be
allocated more readily on the basis of overall shipping needs of the U.S. and
the Allies.
The federal government orders passenger car production stopped
and the automobile industry converted to wartime purposes. The
government offers automakers guaranteed profits regardless of production costs throughout the war years. Furthermore, the Office of Production
Management allocates US$11 billion to the construction of war manufacturing
plants that would be sold to the automobile manufacturers at remarkable
discounts after the war.

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BORNEO: Japanese troops land at Bandjermasin, a small town in
southeast Borneo.

MIDWAY: Japanese submarine HIJMS I-69, which has been reconnoitering
the atoll since 21 January, shells the islands.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Nine USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying
Fortresses based at Singosari Airdrome, Java, attempt to bomb
Kendari Airdrome on Celebes. The flight is intercepted by Japanese fighters over the Java Sea and six B-17s are lost.
Off Makassar City on Celebes Island, the submarine USS S-37 (SS-142) torpedoes and sinks Japanese destroyer HIJMS Natsushio.

NEW ZEALAND: The government announce a potato shortage, which will
continue through 1942.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Lieutenant General HOMMA Masaharu, Commander of
the Japanese 14th Army, orders a general withdrawal northward to more
favorable positions where troops can be rested and reorganized while
awaiting reinforcements for the final assault on Bataan.
The Allied I Corps continues their battle to destroy Little and Big Pockets and
completely encircles the latter. The Japanese escape from Little Pocket through a small gap on the east during the night of the 8-9th. In the South
Sector, resistance on Quinauan Point ends after armed motor launches
from submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9) neutralize the beaches, then
land a party of the ground echelon of the 21st Pursuit Squadron
(Interceptor) , which works inland and meets the Philippine Scouts (PS) pushing toward the beaches. A company of the 57th Infantry, PS, and a platoon of 37-mm. guns are released at Quinauan for action against the Japanese in the Anyasan-Silaiim sector. The Japanese make a final attempt to withdraw their force from southwestern coast by water and succeed in
rescuing 34.
Filipino President Manuel Quezon, watching his country disintegrate under bombs and occupation, asks President Franklin D. Roosevelt to
grant the Philippines their independence and declare it a neutral
area. FDR, seeing the absurdity of the idea, gives General Douglas
MacArthur, Commanding General, US Army Forces, Far East, the power to
surrender Filipino troops, but not American. This calls Quezon's bluff.
Privately FDR tells his advisors that the idea the Japanese would recognize an
independent Philippine nation's neutrality is absurd.

SINGAPORE: The Japanese intensify their artillery bombardment and at
about 2230 hours begin landing in force on the northwestern coast of
the island in the Australian sector; in this sector, three depleted
Australian battalions are facing 16 Japanese battalions. The first two waves of assault craft are almost annihilated, mainly by machine gun fire, but the third wave manages to land in force and fierce hand-to-hand combat ensues. Despite opposition at the beaches, the Japanese gain a firm bridgehead and start toward Tengah airfield, driving a wedge in the Australian line in the West Area.

U.S.: A congressional committee recommends that all Japanese-
Americans on the west coast be interned in camps located at least 500 miles
(805 kilometers) inland.

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ALASKA: ALASKA - 36th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 28th Composite Group, transfers from Elmendorf Field, Anchorage to Ft Greeley, Kodiak with B-18's.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA - Between this day and 18 Feb, heavy bombers fly at least 14 missions, but they result in claims of only 3 hits on shipping.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Four destroyers from Rabaul land
troops of the Japanese 144th Infantry at Gasmata, a coastal town on
southern New Britain Island.

CANADA: Canadian Anti-conscription candidates are soundly
defeated in four by-elections.

EAST INDIES: About 8,000 Japanese troops land near Makassar City
and south of Makassar at Jeneponto on Celebes Island. They immediately
head for Makassar City, where they capture a bridge and the Dutch troops
who were guarding the bridge. A company of native soldiers opens fire on
the Japanese causing casualties and in reprisal, the Japanese tie the
Dutch soldiers in groups of three and throw them from the bridge into the
water to drown.
A flight of three USAAF 5th Air Force A-24 Dauntlesses, nine P-40s
and an LB-30 Liberator guide, on a flight from Australia to Java,
arrives over Koepang Airdrome on Timor and finds the base closed by
weather.
The LB-30 returns to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, but the
A-24s and P-40s must land. All nine P-40s are destroyed while attempting
to land and the three A-24s are shot up by Dutch AA gunners. One A-24
continues to Java tomorrow but the other two must return to Australia for
repairs.
Japanese aircraft bomb Batavia, Surabaya, and Malang, Java.

HAWAII: 12 USAAF 7th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses are detached
and released to the USN's Commander-in- Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC); they
will cover the advance of Task Force Eleven (TF 11) (Vice Admiral Wilson
Brown Jr.) into the South Pacific.

INDIA: From India, Chiang Kai-shek arrives to urge nationalists
to join the fight against Japan.

PACIFIC: Submarine USS Trout (SS-202) torpedoes and sinks a
Japanese gunboat 53 miles (85 kilometers) off Keelung, Formosa.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: In the I Corps area on Bataan, Japanese
remnants from Little Pocket are destroyed while seeking to escape. 1st
Division, Philippine Army, is now free to join in the battle against Big
Pocket, which is being compressed and from which the Japanese are trying to escape. In the South Sector, the 2d Battalion, 57th Infantry,
Philippine Scouts, replaces the 3d Battalion in the center of the line in the
Anyasan-Silaiim region and makes limited progress against the Japanese.

The Japanese get radio station KZRH in Manila on the air again, and
broadcast propaganda to the embattled American and Filipino forces,
playing American songs to make GIs feel homesick, including "Waiting
for Ships That Never Came in."

SINGAPORE: Although reinforcements are sent to the West Area from
other sectors, the Japanese reach Tengah airfield. Beginning at 2100
hours, the Japanese 4th Guards Regiment lands in the area just west of the causeway. Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Office
Commanding Malaya Command, orders the garrison to defend the southern part of the island, where Singapore town, Kalang airdrome, the reservoirs, and supply depots are located. The Far East War Council meets for the last time.

U.K.: The Pacific War Council, composed of representatives from the
U.K., Australia, Netherlands East Indies, and New Zealand, is formed
in London.

U.S.: On this day, Congress pushes ahead standard time for the United
States by one hour in each time zone, imposing daylight saving
time--called at the time "war time."
The Screen Actors Guild rejects General Hershey's plan to defer
movie stars that was announced yesterday.
The 78th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) and its three subordinate
units, the 82d, 83d and 84th Pursuit Squadrons (Interceptor) , USAAF
are activated at Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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BURMA: The 46th Brigade, Indian 17th Division, which has recently relieved the Indian 16th Brigade along the Salween River in the Martaban area, begins a fighting withdrawal from Martaban toward Thaton, since the
Japanese have bypassed Martaban.

EAST INDIES: On Borneo, a Japanese landing force takes Banjarmasin and a nearby airfield on the south coast. The Japanese are only 280 miles (451 kilometers) from Java and their planes soon will dominate the Java Sea.
USAAF 5th Air Force LB-30 Liberators bomb and damage the Japanese seaplane carrier HIJMS Chitose in Makassar Strait south of Celebes Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): Air echelon of the 88th Reconnaisssance Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), begins a movement from Hickam Field on Hawaii to the Fiji with B-17's. The ground echelon is enroute from Australia to India.

LINE ISLANDS 1,320 miles south of Honolulu at about 01.57N 157.27W: A small U.S. Army defense force arrives on Christmas Island. The force consists of 2,000 troops (one each infantry, coast artillery and antiaircraft artillery battalions) plus the USAAF 7th Air Force's 12th Pursuit Squadron , 50th Pursuit Group, arrives on Christmas Island, Line from the US with P-39's.

MIDWAY: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-69 shells Midway but is immediately bombed and damaged by F2A Buffaloes of Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-211 based on the island.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the I Corps is rapidly reducing Big Pocket while South Sector forces are compressing the Japanese in the Anyasan-Silaiim area.

SINGAPORE: General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief ABDA, visits Singapore and orders the island
held and all remaining RAF personnel withdrawn to the Netherlands East Indies. The Japanese deepen their penetration to the supply depot area.
The Australian Imperial Force Malaya, which is further reinforced in the Western Area, begins withdrawing from the Causeway sector at 0430 hours and fall back to the line Kranji-Jurong. Between 1900 and 2000 hours, Japanese infantry and tanks attack the Australian 2/29th Battalion
and since the battalion lacks anti-tank weapons, the Japanese break through the line and head down the road towards Bukit Timah.

UK: The 1st meeting of the Pacific War Council in London
begins. Represented are Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Holland.

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RAAF - First mast height attack on enemy shipping of the New Guinea campaign: three Hudsons attacked and sunk two transports at Gasmata. They are attacked by A6M4 Claudes that shoot down two: Hudson A16-91 and Hudson A16-126.

AUSTRALIA: American supply officers struggle to find
charter boats and pilots who can sail supplies through the Japanese blockade to Bataan. They have no luck.
Eleven USAAF 5th Air Force A-24 Dauntlesses depart Darwin, Northern Territory, for a two-day flight to Java.

BURMA: Additional Japanese forces cross the Salween River in the Paan area and engulf a battalion of the Indian 46th Brigade.

CANADA: In Montreal, Quebecois riot against conscription plans that may call for Canadian draftees to be sent overseas to fight, in violation of government policy. Canadian troops who cannot be sent overseas are called "Zombies."

EAST INDIES: Nine USAAF 5th Air Force P-40s arrive at Blimbing Airdrome on Java after flying from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, via Timor Island.

PACIFIC: Submarine USS Shark (SS-174) is sunk by Japanese destroyer HIJMS Yamakaze about 120 miles (193 kilometers) east of Menado, Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies. There are no survivors from Shark's 58-man crew.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the I Corps makes substantial progress against Big Pocket, but the enemy succeeds in withdrawing through a gap on the north side. In the South Sector, the Japanese fall back to Silaiim Point, between the Silaiim and Anyasan Rivers, under
pressure.

SINGAPORE: At 0300 hours, a Japanese force advancing along the Jurong Road eastward towards the village of Bukit Timah, encounters and virtually annihilates an Australian battalion. The Japanese then pass through
the village. The Allies make four counterattacks against the
Japanese invaders but all fails with heavy losses and they must retreat to their final perimeter around the city itself. Lieutenant General YAMASHITA Tomoyuki, Commander of the 25th Army, now has 30,000 men on the island and calls on the British commander to surrender. Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, who has 85,000 men, rejects the demand.

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1942: EAST INDIES: Three USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses
on an antishipping damage a transport and a merchant cargo vessel.
Ten 5th Air Force A-24 Dauntlesses arrive at a new auxiliary airstrip at Modjokjerto, Java.

FIJI ISLANDS: The Anzac Squadron is formed at Suva on Viti Levu Island. This naval force is composed of heavy cruisers HMAS Australia and USS
Chicago (CA-29), the light cruisers HMNZS Achilles and HMNZS Leander,
and the destroyers USS Lamson (DD-367) and USS Perkins (DD-377).

HAWAII: The battleship USS Nevada (BB-36) is refloated in Pearl Harbor.
Even though struck by a torpedo and possible up to three bombs, she
got underway on 7 December 1941, the only battleship that did. While
attempting to leave the harbor, she was hit again and fearing she might sink
in the channel and block it, she was beached at Hospital Point. Nevada
receives temporary repairs at Pearl Harbor and then sails for Puget Sound, Washington, for complete repairs.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the I Corps regains an important trail
junction unopposed. In the South Sector, the Japanese try desperately to
escape from Silaiim Point; they break through the Philippine line, but
are overtaken as they push north toward the Silaiim River and are
forced steadily toward the sea.

SINGAPORE: The Japanese attack strongly at several points and make
further gains. During the night of the12-13th, beach defense forces
on the eastern and southeastern coasts are withdrawn to strengthen the
defense perimeter around the town of Singapore. The Allied supply situation
is deteriorating rapidly. Singapore is in chaos, covered with smoke, full of 500,000 refugees, with military deserters wrecking liquor shops, stealing cars from showrooms, and attacking food shops. Many civilians and deserters board ships of all sorts pulling out of Singapore in a desperate evacuation, which in turn are attacked by Japanese aircraft.

U.S.: The Air Force Combat Command activates the 10th Air Force at
Patterson Field, Dayton, Ohio. This unit is intended to serve in India and
control all USAAF units in China, Burma and India.
The USAAF places a second production order for 410 Northrop P-61s.

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CANADA and U.S.: The governments of the two countries approve the
construction of a U.S. Military Highway through Canada to Alaska.

EAST INDIES: On Java, Lieutenant General John Lavarack, General
Officer Commanding 1st Australian Army, tells General Sir Archibald Wavell,
Commander in Chief ABDA Command, the he has drafted a recommendation that the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) should not be landed in the East Indies. Wavell asks him to wait until tomorrow until he can prepare a recommendation and then both are forwarded to the Combined Chiefs of Staff and the British and Australian War Offices. Wavell also suggests that there were "advantages in diverting one or both divisions of the AIF to Burma or Australia."
An RAF reconnaissance plane sights a large concentration of Japanese shipping north of Bangka Island, at the same time many boats, full
of British and Australian troops, were fleeing Singapore and found
themselves among the enemy vessels. The launch carrying Rear-Admiral
Spooner, Rear Admiral, Malaya, and Air Vice-Marshal Pulford, Air Officer Commanding, Far East, is driven ashore on a small uninhabited island
north of Bangka Island. Two months later disease and starvation forced the
survivors to surrender; the two flag officers were not among them
and are never seen again.

HAWAII: The superstitious Admiral Halsey refuses to take Task Force 13 out
of Pearl Harbor, as scheduled; the renumbered Task Force 16 will sail
tomorrow.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the I Corps, after searching entire
area of Big Pocket without finding any live Japanese, turns its full
attention to the salient, Upper Pocket, in the main line of resistance.
Elements released from the Big Pocket assault force join in the battle. In
the South Sector, troops complete destruction of Japanese troops in
the Silaiim area.

PHOENIX ISLANDS: Chartered U.S. passenger ship SS President Taylor,
transporting 900 Army troops to occupy Canton Island, runs aground
on a reef off her destination, and becomes stranded.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): Air echelon of the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrives at Nandi Airport on Fiji from Hawaii with B-17's. The ground echelon is enroute from Australia to India.

SINGAPORE:. The 85,000-man British army is now penned inside a 28-
mile (45 kilometer)-long perimeter surrounding Singapore City. The
Japanese main thrusts are against the western part of the South Area. British
forward units pull back during the night of the 13-14th, to cover the Alexandra area, where the main ordnance depot and ammunition magazine are
located. The Japanese seize or damage most of the reservoirs, leaving
the city with only seven days supply of water.
Allied forces are in full
retreat, with hordes of deserters causing chaos. Troops on duty have
had barely an hour's sleep in days, and are exhausted. The famed 15-
inch (38,1 cm) guns have been destroyed or captured. Lieutenant General
Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, signals
General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief ABDA Command, that he doesn't think he can fight for more than two days. Wavell orders Percival to fight on.
Meanwhile, the advancing Japanese themselves are desperately short on ammunition, and General YAMASHITA Tomoyoki commanding the 25th Army, is down to his last rounds. All remaining British shipping, small ships and other light craft, sail from Singapore during the night of the 13-14th. Some personnel are withdrawn in these vessels among them Rear Admiral, Malaya, and Air Officer Commanding, Far East.
British officers take time to court-martial one of their own, New Zealand-born Captain Patrick Heenan of the Indian Army, on a charge of treason. Heenan is charged with leaving RAF supplies intact on bases as British troops retreated, enabling advancing Japanese air units to take advantage of them. He has also given information about Malaya's defenses to the Japanese for years. Heenan is convicted and executed by firing squad at sundown.

U.S.: A Congressional subcommittee recommends immediate evacuation
of all Japanese-Americans from strategic areas on the West Coast. The
US Army has already drawn up plans to move the Japanese-Americans east
of California's Sierra Nevada mountains.