World War II in real time

Day 835 of World War II, December 13th 1941

Eastern Front

General Timoshenko's Southwest Front assaulted German lines at junction of 2.Panzergruppe and 2.Armee. 2.Armee withdrew, leaving 2.Panzergruppe's flank unprotected. Feldmarschall von Bock secretly ordered Armeegruppe Mitte to withdraw to a winter line 90 miles west of current positions, without informing Hitler.

Photo: Military exercises on Chistoprudny boulevard in Moscow



Battle of the Atlantic

British battleship HMS Duke Of York departs the Clyde carrying Winston Churchill to USA, escorted by destroyers HMS Faulknor, HMS Foresight & HMS Matabele.

Photo: Prime Minister Winston Churchill Aboard HMS Duke of York For Visit To America, December 1941 Prime Minister Winston Churchill walks along the deck of HMS DUKE OF YORK with his secretary Mrs Hill. In the background is Mary Churchill, the PM's daughter and Mr Harriman, the US Ambassador and special representative to the Prime Minister



Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader

Allied troops attack Afrika Korps at Gazala. 5th New Zealand Brigade are held by Germans covering the coast road but 5th Indian Brigade overcomes Italian troops on the inland flank, allowing British tanks to move 15 miles behind the Gazala line where they are halted by 39 German tanks.

Battle of the Mediterranean

On December 11th, the British destroyers HMS 'Legion' (G 74), Maori F 24) and 'Sikh' (F 82) and the Royal Netherlands Navy destroyer 'HNLMS Isaac Sweers' leaves Gibraltar for the Eastern Mediterranean. During the night, they receive a radio message from a patrolling RAF Wellington about two Italian light cruiser steaming southwards. These ships are carrying a cargo of fuel for German forces in North The destroyers steam at 30 knots through the Skerki-channel and spot several light flashes and vague silhouettes near Cape Bon, Tunisia, at about 0200 hours. The flotilla rounds the Cape and sights the two approaching Italian light cruisers R.N. 'Alberto da Barbiano' and 'Alberico di Giussano'. HMS 'Sikh' is leading the group, then HMS 'Legion', HMS 'Maori' and finally HNLMS 'Isaac Sweers'. Two of the four fire torpedoes; torpedoes from HMS 'Sikh' strike the first cruiser, which is also hit by one torpedo of and gunfire from HMS Legion and another torpedo from HMS 'Maori'. The cruiser is ablaze and quickly starts to sink. The second cruiser opens fire but misses and is then sunk by one torpedo from HMS 'Legion' and the concentrated gunfire by all destroyers. 'HNLMS Isaac Sweers' then encounters the Italian torpedo boat 'Cigno', which is attacked by gunfire and missed with four torpedoes. The destroyer reports also the sinking of an Italian motor torpedo boat, but this is not confirmed by the Italian Admiralty. The Allied destroyers arrive at Malta on December 13th.

Photo: Destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers (1941-1942)



In the Ionian Sea, the Italians begin a major convoy to Benghazi, Libya, using their main fleet, with battleships, as escort. Two of the transports are sunk today by the British submarine HMS/M 'Upright' (N 89) about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) east-southeast of the Italian naval base at Taranto, Italy, in position 40.10N, 18.00E.

Pacific War

AUSTRALIA

Prime Minister John Curtin sends a message to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt welcoming the opportunity of co-operating with the U.S., and offering the use of Australian facilities. He also seeks U.S. help in securing the French territory of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific east of Queensland.

BORNEO

A small Miri detachment (Indian company and engineers),having destroyed the oil fields and installations in British East Sarawakand West Brunei to deny them to the Japanese, sails for Kuching, capital of Sarawak, where the rest of the Indian battalion, with local and administrative attachments, is disposed to defend the airdrome. Dutch planes based on Singkawang assist RAF units on Malaya in searching for Japanese shipping heading southward from Indochina.

COSTA RICA

USN gunboat USS Erie (PG-50) receives 50 Japanese POWs at Puntarenas, Costa Rica, from Costa Rican government, and sends a prize crew to take charge of the motor vessel MV Albert.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

The occupation of Niihau Island by Japanese Naval Aviation Pilot First Class NISHIKAICHI Shigenori ends: a party of Hawaiians sets out for Kauai to inform the outside world of events on Niihau; in the meantime, NISHIKAICHI burns his plane (it will not be until July 1942 that the U.S. Navy will be able to obtain an intact "Zeke" fighter to study) and the house in which he believes his confiscated papers are hidden. Later, in confrontation with a local Hawaiian, Benny Kanahele, a scuffle to grab the pilot's pistol ensues. Although Kanahele is shot three times, he picks up Nishikaichi bodily and dashes the pilot's head into a stone wall, killing him; HARADA Yoshio, the Japanese resident of Niihau who had allied himself with the pilot, commits suicide. Kanahele survives his injuries. On the basis of the report by the islanders who have arrived on Kauai after a 15-hour trip, meanwhile, Commander, Kauai Military District (Colonel Edward W. FitzGerald, USA) dispatches expedition (squad of soldiers from Company M, 299th Infantry Regiment) in the unarmed U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender USCGC Kukui to proceed from Kauai to Niihau.

Photo: USS Helena (CL-50) - Torpedo damage to the USS Helena being repaired on Dec., 13, 1941 from the damage done on Dec. 7, 1941



HONG KONG

Japanese troops reach the Kowloon waterfront across the harbor from Hong Kong Island. The British Governor rejects a Japanese demand for the surrender of Hong Kong. The defense of the island is organized into a West Brigade, commanded by Canadian Brigadier J.K. Lawson, and including The Winnipeg Grenadiers; and an East Brigade, under British Brigadier C. Wallis, including The Royal Rifles of Canada. British Major General Christopher Maltby, General Officer Commanding Hong Kong, deploys both Canadian units to defend the southern beaches against a seaborne attack, as heavy Japanese artillery fire and air raids begin.

Photo: Japanese Army assault on Tsim Sha Tsui Station on 1941



MALAYA

Japanese troops march into Alor Star, and take a number of Indian troops prisoner. Among the POWs is Major Mohan Singh, who agrees to set up a special unit for Indians, Burmese and Thais to fight against the British. The slogan for the unit is "Asia for the Asiatics."

The British mobile column "Krohcol" concentrates in positions 2 to 3 miles west of Kroh. The Indian 11th Division begins withdrawing from the Kedah River toward Gurun, a more favorable defense position in southern Kedah some 30 miles south of Jitra.

Fighter support is increased as No. 453 Squadron RAAF with 13 Buffalo Mk. Is from Singapore joins the few fighters based at Ipoh. Reports of a Japanese convoy moving south-southwest from Saigon, French Indochina, result in a period of sharply increased British air reconnaissance from Malaya.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Japanese aircraft again attack Luzon, virtually completing the destruction of Far East Air Force and USN aircraft in the Philippines. Del Carmen, Clark and Nichols Fields are hit, as well as Baguio, Tarlac, Cabanatuan and Batangas. (Jack McKillop) First Lieutenant Boyd D Wagner of the 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), shoots down four Japanese airplanes near Aparri while on a reconnaissance mission over northern Luzon. In another action, Captain Jesus Villamor of the Philippine Air Force leads six P-26 Peashooters in an interception of 54 Japanese bombers attacking Batangas Field, Luzon; their harassing tactics minimized the damage to the field.

Photo: Tarlac, Luzon railroad station after the Japanese bombing on December 14, 1941



THAILAND

Royal Netherlands Navy submarine HNLMS O 16 enters the shallow harbor at Mueang Patani, Thailand, where Japanese are unloading troops and equipment to move into Malaya. O.16 badly damaged 4 Japanese freighters with 6 torpedoes and then escapes, although the ships will be raised and returned to service.

UNITED STATES

So far, the U.S. Department of Justice has rounded up 831 enemy aliens in on the West coast, including 585 Japanese and 187 Germans. Congress, to meet the demand for trained enlisted men, authorizes the retention of enlisted men in the Navy upon the expiration of their enlistments when not voluntarily extended.

Day 837 of World War II, December 15th 1941

Eastern Front

North of Moscow, Soviet tanks cut the road West of Klin isolating 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th Panzer and 14th Motorised Infantry Divisions (3rd Panzer Army). German troops take the only route out, cross-country to the Southwest, to avoid encirclement but leave most of their equipment. Klin is abandoned at 9.30 PM.

Photo: Soviet cavalry entering a Russian town, 15 Dec 1941



Battle of the Mediterranean

German submarine 'U-127' is sunk about 170 nautical miles (315 kilometers) west-northwest of the Tangier Zone in position 36.28N, 09.12W, by depth charges from the Australian destroyer HMAS 'Nestor' (G 02) which is escorting the 32 ships in convoy HG-76 (Gibraltar to the U.K.); all 51 crewmen are lost.

A British supply convoy bound for Malta leaves Alexandria.

Egypt

The Government in Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Hungary and Romania.

Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader

The fighting on the Gazala line intensifies. The Polish Independent Brigade joins the 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade and attacks into a small wedge the New Zealanders have driven into the line. The defending Italian Brescia and Pavia division, along with the Trento Division nearby, repel the attack. At the center of the line, the Italian Trieste Division also stands firm. The Italian divisions recover Point 204, taken by the New Zealand brigade on the 14th, and plan a further attack toward Alem Hamza. While the Axis has held the line, it also has taken huge losses. The German 15th Panzer Division, which is down to 8 tanks, moves to the rear after line stabilizes for the first time. After dark, the Afrika Korps commander General Crüwell reviews the attrition in his units and a dangerous advance by British 4th Armored Brigade to Bir Haleigh el Eleba about 30 miles (48 km) from Alem Hamza and realizes he cannot hold the line for long despite the day's successes. Crüwell reluctantly orders a retreat from the Gazala line over the bitter objections of the victorious Italian units. The move west by 15th Panzer Division is just in time to block the British tanks hoping to encircle the Gazala line and give the troops there time to escape.

Photo: Upload of Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade in Alexandria for its trip to Tobruk



Canada

In Ottawa, Ontario, the Cabinet War Committee discusses financial aid to Britain; "the billion dollar gift."

Pacific War

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

USN seaplane tender USS Tangier, oiler USS Neches, and four destroyers sail for Wake Island.

Kahului on northern Maui Island, is shelled by a Japanese submarine from the Second Submarine Squadron. Possible candidates for having carried out the shelling are I-2, I-3, I-4, I-5, I-6, or I-7.

HONG KONG

A Japanese attempt to move from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island is defeated.

JOHNSTON ATOLL

Japanese submarine I-122 surfaces and shells this U.S. possession causing slight damage to a few buildings and no casualties. One shell lands astern and another passes over her forecastle of USN transport USS William Ward Burrows (AP-6) but apparently she is unseen by the Japanese and she is not hit.

The atoll consists of two small islets, Johnston and Sand Islands, located about 712 nautical miles (1319 kilometers) west-southwest of Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.

MALAYA

The Indian III Corps remains under strong pressure on the west coast. During the night of 15/16 December, the Indian 11th Division begins a withdrawal from the Gurun positions to the Muda River. The garrison of Penang Island. fortress, opposite RAF Butterworth, prepares to withdraw as the RAF abandons Butterworth airdrome.

At 2.30 AM, submarine HNLMS O 16 sinks on a Japanese mine 22 miles Northeast of Tioman Island, Malaya (41 killed, 1 survivor Boatswain Cornelis de Wolf swims ashore 44 miles South on Aur Island after 35 hours in the water).

Photo: submarine O 16 late 30's



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Major General Lewis H Brereton, Commanding General Far East Air Force, receives permission to withdraw the few remaining B-17 Flying Fortresses to Bachelor Field, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The air defense of the Philippines is left to the few remaining fighters.

PT-33, damaged by grounding and sunk by United States forces, Philippine Islands area, 13 d. 46' N., 120 d. 40' E.

UNITED STATES

The Congress passes a military appropriation bill of US$10 billion (US$132.9 billion in year 2020 dollars) for the defense of the country.

After a brief visit to Hawaii, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox tells the press, "I think the most effective Fifth Column work of the entire war was done in Hawaii with the possible exception of Norway" -this despite the complete lack of evidence of such sabotage.

Norman Corwin's production of "We Hold These Truths," commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and starring Orson Welles, is broadcast simultaneously on all four national US radio networks CBS, Mutual and NBC's Red and Blue Networks. It reaches an estimated audience of 63 million people, the largest ever for a dramatic production of any kind.

Admiral Ernest J. King is offered the post of Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet. He accepts.

An American Federation of Labor (AFL) council adopts a no-strike policy in war industries, which include automotive plants being converted to military production (domestic automobile manufacturing stopped completely from 1941 to 1944).

WAKE ISLAND

Early in the morning, "Mavis" flying boats bomb the island.

Day 839 of World War II, December 17th 1941

Eastern Front

In the Crimea, German attacks by the 54.Korps of the German Heeresgruppe Sud begin against the city of Sevastopol despite continuing Soviet offensives in other areas.

Hitler begins to purge the Generals he feels have failed him in Russia. After the failure of Operation Typhoon to capture Moscow, Hitler relieves von Bock from command of Army Group Center, officially citing “health problems”.

The Soviet submarine 'M-59' is sunk by depth charge by Romanian destroyer 'Ferdinand' in the Black Sea.

Photo: Fresh Soviet forces going to the front from Moscow



Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine 'U-131' is sunk about 191 nautical miles (353 kilometers) east-northeast of the Madeira Islands in position 34.12N, 13.35W, by depth charges and gunfire from the British destroyers HMS 'Exmoor' (L 08 ), 'Blankney' (L 30) and 'Stanley' (I 73), the corvette HMS 'Pentstemon' (K 61) and the sloop HMS 'Stork' (L 81), and by depth charges from a British (F4F) Martlet of No. 802 Squadron in the escort carrier HMS 'Audacity' (D 10) all of which are escorting the convoy HG76 (Gibraltar to the U.K.); all 47 U-boat crewmen are lost. HMS 'Stanley' is the former USN destroyer USS 'McCalla' (DD-253) which was commissioned as HMS 'Stanley' (I-73) on 23 October 1940, as part of the destroyers-for-bases deal.

Battle of the Mediterranean

U-67, U-107, U-108, U-131 & U-434 stalk a convoy (HG-76) returning from Gibraltar to Britain. At 9.25 AM 230 miles Northeast of Madeira, a Martlet aircraft from escort carrier HMS Audacity spots U-131 shadowing HG-76. British destroyers HMS Stanley, HMS Exmoor and HMS Blankney, corvette HMS Pentstemon and sloop HMS Stork, attack with depth charges. 

Yesterday, a large Italian convoy left Naples, Italy, and by the time it had reached Sicily, it was escorted by the battleship R.N. 'Caio Duilio', the light cruisers R.N. 'Emanuele Filiberto Duca'd'Aosta', 'Raimondo Montecuccoli' and 'Muzio Attendolo' and a few destroyers. Not too far away, a second group, composed of the battleships R.N. 'Littorio', 'Andrea Doria' and 'Giulio Cesare', the heavy cruisers R.N. 'Trento' and 'Gorizia' and several destroyers, provided additional support. Such a display of force is unnecessarily caused by the mistaken spotting of two British battleships in Malta. Today, a Luftwaffe reconnaissance plane spots a British formation proceeding from Alexandria, Egypt, toward the central Mediterranean. A battleship, identified as part of the group, is actually a tanker, but the faulty identification is repeated several times. During the day British naval Force K, composed of the light cruisers HMS 'Neptune' (20), 'Aurora' (12), 'Penelope' (97) and destroyers HMS 'Kandahar' (F 28 ), 'Lance' (G 87), 'Lively' (G 40) and 'Havock' (H 43), joins Admiral Vian's Force B from Alexandria. Tonight this British force meets the Italian convoy escort. The action, the First Battle of Sirte, is spent protecting the convoy and is therefore indecisive. Both navies are simply escorting their convoys, but each thinks of the other as in pursuit of a naval engagement. The British are actually trying a double convoy attempt, one eastbound and one westbound. While the British commander Admiral Cunningham orders the convoy commander Admiral Sir Philip Vian to avoid direct contact, Italian Admiral Angelo Iachino was in active pursuit of a direct confrontation. The distance between the two groups, and some British avoidance maneuvers, did not allow the battleship R.N. 'Littorio' group to sight the British until almost dusk. The sighting is aided by the antiaircraft guns of the British forces which are actively trying to repulse an Axis aerial attack. The 'Littorio' opens fire at about 32 kilometers (17.3 nautical miles) from the British force; too far a distance for the British unit to reply. Admiral Vian immediately attempts a retreating maneuver with the aid of a smoke screen. British units receive some direct hits, but they were able to disappear into the darkness of the night. The British ships run into a newly-laid Italian minefield; the light cruiser HMS 'Neptune' (20) hits four mines and is sunk and there is only one survivor from a crew of 767 and the destroyer HMS 'Kandahar is sunk but all of her crew are taken off first. The light cruiser HMS Aurora is badly damaged and destroyer HMS 'Penelope' is slightly damaged.

United States

At a press conference in Washington, President Roosevelt outlines a scheme for USA to provide munitions and equipment to Britain without requiring payment. It will become known as “Lend-Lease”.

United Kingdom

Major General James E Chaney, Chief Special Observer Group, U.S. Army (SPOBS), writes to the Adjutant General, U.S. Army on the "Construction Program of U.S. Forces in UK," which indicates a shortage of accommodations for proposed U.S. forces in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Pacific War

AUSTRALIA

USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, evacuating Luzon, Philippine Islands, begin arriving at Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory. A plan is drawn up for using Australia as an Allied supply base under command of Major General George H. Brett, USA.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

The Australian "Gull Force" lands on Ambon Island, Netherlands East Indies. This force is comprised of the 2/21st Battalion of the 23rd Brigade, "C" Troop of the 18th Antitank Battery, a section of 2/11th Field Company and various other support units. The force had been transported from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, to Ambon in three Dutch merchant ships escorted by an Australian light cruiser and corvette.

WAKE ISLANDS

At 8.20 PM 25 miles Southwest of Wake Island, Japanese submarines RO-62 and RO-66 simultaneously surface to charge their batteries. In a heavy squall, RO-62 rams and sinks RO-66 (63 killed, 3 lookouts thrown overboard by the collision picked up by RO-62)

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

In a command shakeup, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel is replaced by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as Commander-in- Chief, Pacific Fleet; Lieutenant General Walter C. Short, Commanding General Hawaiian Department is replaced by Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons; and Major General Frederick L. Martin is replaced by Brigadier General Clarence L Tinker as Commanding General, Hawaiian Air Force.

A Japanese "Glen" seaplane (Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) makes its operational debut when the submarine I-7 launches the aircraft for a dawn reconnaissance over Pearl Harbor to determine the damage caused by the attack of 7 December.

HONG KONG

The Japanese control the north side of Hong Kong Harbor, the British Hong Kong Island. After a week of air bombardment, Japanese Lieutenant General SANO Tadayoshi, commanding the 38th Division, sends a captured British civilian woman (and her two dogs) across the harbor to demand surrender from British Governor Sir Mark Young. Sir Mark himself "declines absolutely to enter into negotiations for the surrender of Hong Kong."

MALAYA

Hard fighting continues on the Grik road. A weak defense detachment is reinforced but falls back under pressure of the superior Japanese forces. The Indian 12th Brigade Group is ordered to Kuala Kangsar. British Lieutenant General Sir Arthur E. Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, gives the Indian III Corps permission to withdraw to the Perak River line if necessary. The Perak Flotilla is formed to prevent the Japanese from landing on the west coast between Knan and Bernam Rivers.

MIDWAY ISLANDS

Seventeen SB2U-3 Vindicators of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron Two Hundred Thirty One complete a record 9 hour and 45 minute flight from Hawaii to Midway, bolstering U.S. positions there. The aircraft were led by a plane-guarding PBY-4 Catalina of Patrol Squadron Twenty One (no ships are available to plane-guard the flight) on this longest over-water massed flight (1,137 miles or 1 830 kilometers) by single-engine aircraft. VMSB-231 was the same squadron that was en route to Midway on 7 December aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) when reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor forced the carrier to turn back short of her goal.

PACIFIC OCEAN

Japanese submarine I-15 surfaces to charge batteries near the Farallon Islands about 29 nautical miles west of San Francisco, California. Seeing the lights of the city, Captain IMAZATO Hiroshi jokes to the crew that it was a good time to visit the famous city of San Francisco.

Japanese submarine I-175 torpedoes and sinks a 3,283 ton unarmed U.S. freighter about 222 nautical miles SSE of Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. The survivors are rescued on 27 and 28 December.

In the South China Sea, the Japanese destroyer Shinonome, part of a convoy of troop transports, heading towards the Malayan Peninsula, is sunk near Seria, 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Miri, Sarawak,by two bombs from a Dutch three engine Dornier Do-24K flying boat of the Dutch Naval Air Group based on the island of Tarakan. The crew of the Dornier drop three bombs, two making direct hits, the third a near miss. The destroyer blows apart in an enormous explosion causing fires to break out on the vessel. It takes only a few minutes for the destroyer to roll over and sink. There are no survivors; all 229 crewmen are lost.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

The Japanese Legaspi force, advancing northwest on Luzon along Route 1 toward Naga, makes its first contact with Filipino forces near Ragay.

Day 841 of World War II, December 19th 1941

YouTube (The Japanese are unstoppable everywhere)



East Front

The Germans continue their attack on Sevastopol, while the Soviets bring 14,000 men and supplies into the area as reinforcements.

Photo: Horse patrol in a street of Kryukovo village in the Moscow suburbs



Germany

With the retirement of Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch as Commander in Chief of the Army yesterday, Chancellor Adolf Hitler himself assumes personal command of the Army, especially of its operations on the Eastern front. Initial success leads Hitler to a hypnotic belief in his ability. When the success turns, Hitler remains convinced and therefore believes that the efforts of others is at fault.

Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of convoy HG-76. After sinking 2 U-boats in the last 2 days, British destroyer HMS Stanley’s luck runs out when she is sunk at 4.15 AM by U-574 with 3 torpedoes, 435 miles West of Lisbon, Portugal (136 dead). British sloop HMS Stork counterattacks with depth charges, sinking U-574 by ramming 12 minutes later (28 dead, 16 survivors taken prisoner). HMS Stork and corvette HMS Samphire pick up 25 survivors from HMS Stanley. At 6.15 AM, U-108 damages British SS Ruckinge (3 dead, 39 survivors) which is shelled and sunk by HMS Samphire.

Battle of the Mediterranean

At 1 AM, British cruisers HMS Neptune, Aurora & Penelope and destroyers HMS Kandahar, Lance, Lively and Havock (seeking an Italian convoy bound for Tripoli) run into a new minefield 30 miles Northeast of Tripoli. HMS Aurora & Penelope are damaged immediately. Between 1 and 4 AM, HMS Neptune hits 4 mines and sinks (766 killed, 1 survivor Leading Seaman Norman Walton found by an Italian torpedo boat on December 24). HMS Kandahar hits a mine attempting to assist (79 killed, 104 taken off) and will be scuttled next day.

During the night of 18/19 December, the Italian submarine R. Smg. Scir launches three SLC (Slow Moving Torpedo) human torpedoes off the British naval base at Alexandria. The SLCs are a 21-inch (53 centimeter) torpedo fitted with an electric motor powered by batteries with an explosive charge in the detachable head. The weapon is manned by two operators using breathing apparatus. After release the SLCs, the submarine returns to La Spezia, Italy. Anticipating the return of the British Force B to Alexandria, the harbor nets are left open allowing the three SLCs to slip in and direct their weapons toward the designated targets. Since the expected aircraft carrier HMS 'Eagle' (94) is no longer in the harbor, the three attach their explosive charges to the battleships HMS 'Valiant' (02) and 'Queen Elizabeth' (00) and the large tanker SS 'Sagona'.

Map: Italian map of the Decima Mas raid on Alexandria Harbor



Photo: Italian submarine Scire



Two Italian frogmen are captured, Lieutenants Luigi Durand de la Penne and Bianchi. They refuse to divulge any information until moments before the explosion (because they are being interrogated right above the area of the keel where the explosion is to occur). At 0600 hours local, the first charge detonates under the tanker SS 'Sagona' and badly damages both the tanker and the destroyer HMS 'Jervis' (F 00), which is moored alongside for refueling. The charge under HMS 'Valiant' detonates at 0620 hours, and the one under HMS 'Queen Elizabeth' at 0624 hours. The depth of water is 15 to 50 feet (4,6 to 15 meters) and the charges weighed about 300 kilograms (661 pounds). Both battleships were severely damaged and remained out of the war for a period of time. The Italians are interned in a POW camp for the rest of the war. This attack, which neutralizes the ability of the British to oppose the Italian Regia Marina with its battleships, allows deeply needed convoys to supply Axis forces in Africa.

Photo: HMS Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria harbor, Egypt. She is surrounded by anti-torpedo nets



Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader

Axis forces continue their retreat in Cyrenaica. The XIII Corps, British Eighth Army, continues to follow the withdrawing Axis forces, the Indian 4th Division advancing along the coast to Derna and the British 7th Armoured Division across the desert. Dictator Benito Mussolini requests German assistance for his hard-pressed troops in the Cyrenaica region of Libya in the form of a Panzer Division and various logistical support.

United States

The US Selective Service (draft) Act is amended requiring the registration of all males 18-64. The age for those subject to military service is 20-44.

Lieutenant General John DeWitt, Commanding General of the Fourth Army and the Western Defense Command, recommends to the War Department to round up "all alien subjects 14 years of age or over, of enemy nations and remove them to the Zone of the Interior (ZI)," because the West Coast had become a wartime Theater of Operations. DeWitt also writes, "...that there are approximately 40,000 of such enemy aliens and it is believed that they constitute an immediate and potential menace to vital measures of defense."

"all alien subjects 14 years of age or over, of enemy nations and remove them to the Zone of the Interior (ZI),"

because the West Coast had become a wartime Theater of Operations. DeWitt also writes,

"...that there are approximately 40,000 of such enemy aliens and it is believed that they constitute an immediate and potential menace to vital measures of defense."

....Vice Admiral Randall Jacobs relieves Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation.

The U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1942 is graduated early, due to the National Emergency.

Pacific War

BURMA

The Japanese overrun Bokpyin, a village about 100 miles N of Victoria Point. A controversy known as the Tulsa Incident, arises as a U.S. officer asks the Government of Burma to impound Lend-Lease material at Rangoon (a valuable part of which is loaded on the SS Tulsa in the harbor), pending a decision on its use. At the suggestion of the senior Chinese representative in Burma, a committee is subsequently formed to determine the division of supplies.

General Claire L. Chennault and his "Flying Tigers," a group of "volunteer" pilots, set up headquarters 150 miles (241 kilometers) from Rangoon. From today until 4 July 1942, they destroy 297 Japanese planes and kill some 500 of the enemy.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

The USN's Task Force 8 (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.), consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, heavy cruisers, and destroyers, sails from Pearl Harbor, Oahu, proceeding to the waters west of Johnston Island and south of Midway to cover TF 11 and TF 14 operations. (TF 11 is en route to the Marshall Islands while TF 14 is en route to Wake Island). Destroyer USS Craven, in TF 8, is damaged by heavy sea soon after departure, however, and returns to Pearl for repairs.

HONG KONG

Japanese troops surround the headquarters of Canadian Brigadier John Lawson, Commanding Officer West Brigade, at Wong Nei Chong Gap. Lawson is killed in an attempted breakout becoming the first Canadian General killed in WWII.

Canadian Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn of the 1st Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers, dies during an attempt to recapture Mount Butler. Osborn falls on a grenade to save others in the company and is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Five British naval ships are scuttled to prevent capture by the Japanese: (1) the barrage/gate vessels HMS Aldgate and Watergate, (2) the tugs HMS Alliance and Poet Chaucer and (3) the boom defense vessel HMS Barlight. Barlight is raised by the Japanese and commissioned on 20 September 1942 as Netlayer 101. She is sunk on 15 June 1944 in Tanapag Harbor Saipan Island, Mariana Islands by USN destroyer USS Halsey Powell.

MALAYA

The Japanese are active against the right flank of the Krian River line; on the Grik road, the Japanese frustrate the efforts of the Indian III Corps to recover lost ground. RAF fighters based at Ipoh are forced to withdraw to Kuala Lumpur. The Indian 9th Division continues their withdrawal southward in eastern Malaya and abandons the Kuala Krai railhead.

PACIFIC OCEAN

Japanese submarine I-172 torpedoes and sinks a 5,113 ton unarmed U.S. freighter about 296 nautical miles SSE of Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. Twenty five crewmen survive and are rescued.

In the South China Sea, the Dutch submarine HNLMS O-20 is scuttled by her own crew, about 22 nautical miles E of Kota Bharu, Malaya, to prevent her capture by the Japanese. The sub was damaged by depth charges from two Japanese destroyers earlier in the day.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

On Luzon, the Japanese Legaspi detachment reaches Sipoco and is reported to be pushing toward Daet. At dusk, 12 Japanese fighters based on Luzon attack Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao destroying three USAAF Far East Air Force B-18 Bolos that had just arrived from Luzon with evacuees. During the night of 19/20 December, two Japanese task forces from Palau Islands, Caroline Islands, totaling about 5,000 men, arrive off Davao.

The air echelon of the 93d Bombardment Squadron, 19th BG (Heavy) transfers from Clark Field to Batchelor Field with B-17's. The ground echelon is attached to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) and will fight as infantry on Luzon and Mindanao Islands in the Philippines.

WAKE ISLAND

Japanese "Nell" bombers based on Roi Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, bomb the islands, targeting installations on Wake and Peale islets.

Day 843 of World War II, December 21st 1941

Eastern Front

Soviet 31st Cavalry Division attacks Kaluga, 60 miles Northwest of Tula, but they are held by German 137th Infantry Division. Both sides are ordered to hold the town at all costs, beginning a week of hand-to-hand fighting.

Photo: Horsemen of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of General Pavel Alekseevich Belov enter the city of Odoev. In the foreground is a captured German 37 mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun. Odoev, Tula region



Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine 'U-751' puts three torpedoes into British escort aircraft carrier HMS 'Audacity' (D 10) causing her to sink about 441 nautical miles (817 kilometers) northeast of Lagens Field, Azores Islands, in position 43.45N, 19.54W. In the general counter-attack, German submarine 'U-567' is detected and sunk by depth charges from the British sloop HMS 'Deptford '(U 53) and corvette HMS 'Samphire' (K 128 ) about 444 nautical miles (822 kilometers) northeast of Lagens Field in position 44.02N, 20.10W; all 47 crewmen on the U-boat are lost. All of the British vessels are escorting convoy HG76 (Gibraltar to the U.K.).

The USN light cruiser USS 'Omaha' (CL-4) and destroyer USS 'Somers' (DD-381), operating out of Recife, Brazil, encounter a darkened ship that acts suspicious and evasive when challenged. USS 'Omaha' fires a starshell and illuminates the stranger; USS 'Somers' sends an armed boarding party that learns that the merchantman nearly fired upon is the Soviet freighter SS 'Nevastroi'.

Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader

While Indian 4th Division is grounded on the coast road at Derna for lack of fuel, Allied motorised infantry chase retreating German and Italian armor across the desert tracks South of Green Mountain towards Beda Fomm.

Battle of the Mediterranean

German submarine 'U-451' is sunk about 18 nautical miles (33 kilometers) west-northwest of the Tangier Zone in position 35.55N, 06.08W, by depth charges from a British Fleet Air Arm Swordfish Mk. I, aircraft of No. 812 Squadron based at Gibraltar. The Swordfish is equipped with air-to-surface vessel (ASV) radar. This is the first submarine to be destroyed by an aircraft at night. Only one of the 45 man crew in the U-boat survives.


Pacific War

MALAYA

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

PACIFIC OCEAN

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

Photo: K XVII together with minelayer HNLMS Medusa in the period 1940 to 1941



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Three Japanese convoys from Formosa and the Pescadores, bearing the main body of the Japanese 14th Army assault force, arrive in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, during the night of 21/22 December. Meanwhile, the Filipino 11th Division makes contact with the Japanese Vigan force at Bacnotan.

Naval local defense forces in Philippine Islands (Rear Adm. F. W. Rockwell) move headquarters to Corregidor.

WAKE ISLAND

The PBY-5 Catalina that arrives yesterday takes off at 0700 hours; aboard is Major Walter Bayler of Marine Aircraft Group Twenty One, "the last man off Wake." Japanese concern over the potential presence of patrol planes at Wake, occasioned by the large amount of radio traffic that accompanies the sole PBYs arrival at the island, prompts advancing the date of the first carrier strikes.

At 0850 hours, 29 Japanese carrier aircraft escorted by 18 "Zero" fighters from aircraft carriers Soryu and Hiryu, attack ground targets. At 1200 hours, 33 "Nell" bombers from Roi Airdrome in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, bomb the island.

The Wake Island relief force, Task Force Fourteen, is within 600 nautical miles of the island. The task force is composted of the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Saratoga, the heavy cruisers USS Astoria, Minneapolis and San Francisco, ten destroyers, the seaplane tender USS Tangier and the oiler USS Neches. The convoy is carrying the 4th Marine Coastal Defense Battalion, Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Twenty One equipped with F2A-1 Buffalo fighters, along with 9,000 five-inch rounds, 12,000 three-inch rounds, and 3 million 50 caliber rounds as well as a large amount of ammunition for mortars and other battalion small arms.

Day 845 of World War II, December 23rd 1941

Eastern Front

The outer ring of Russian forts around Sevastopol is finally captured by the Germans.

Photo: Soldiers from German supply units take cover among the rocks near Sevastopol



Siege of Leningrad Day 107. Trucks bring 786 tons of food across Lake Ladoga. Although many inhabitants still face death from inadequate rations and cold, the city is saved from starvation. The Road of Life can support railway freight cars which are towed out carrying machinery; 3677 railway cars haul out much of Leningrad’s industrial equipment between December 1941 and April 1942.

Battle of the Mediterranean

German submarine 'U-79' is sunk about 69 nautical miles (129 kilometers) east of Tobruk, Libya, in position 32.15N, 25.19E,, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS 'Hasty' (H 24) and 'Hotspur' (H 01); all 44 crewmen survive.

At 7.02 PM 29 miles East of Tobruk, U-559 sinks British passenger ship SS Shuntien carrying 1100 German and Italian POWs from Tobruk to Alexandria, plus 70 crew and 18 gunners (6 crew and 700 POWs killed). 64 crew and 400 POWS rescued by British corvette HMS Salvia and destroyer HMS Heythrop. In the same area, 40 miles North of Sollum, Egypt.

Photo: The passenger and cargo liner SS Shuntien, built in 1934 for the China Navigation Co. Note her icebreaker bow



Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader

Because of supply difficulties, which increase as pursuit progresses westward, elements of XIII Corps, British Eighth Army, are forced to remain in place. However, the Indian 4th Division seizes Barce, on the coast, and forward elements of the 7th Armoured Division force the Germans to retire from Antelat to Agedabia.

Free French

Free French Naval Forces take possession of the two islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the south coast of Newfoundland without firing a shot. A strong protest is lodged by U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull but after several weeks of bickering between U.S., Canadian and British diplomats and "the so called Free French" as Hull describes them the coup remains a fait accompli.

Pacific War

AUSTRALIA

The Advisory War Council agrees that the future of Australia is bound up with the talks taking place during the Arcadia Conference in Washington, D.C., and Prime Minister John Curtin cables U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealing for more reinforcements for Singapore, Malaya. At the same time, Curtin tells Roosevelt that if the U.S. government wants, Australia would gladly accept an American commander in the Pacific.

The USAAF Far East Air Force (FEAF) comes under control of the newly created US Forces in Australia (USFIA). Major General Lewis H Brereton, Commanding General FEAF, receives orders establishing HQ FEAF at Darwin, Northern Territory.

BORNEO

The Japanese invasion convoy which left Miri in the British protectorate of Sarawak yesterday, is being escorted by the five heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, six destroyers, two minesweepers and an aircraft depot ship. Part of the escort force is sighted this morning when it is about 150 miles off Kuching, capital of Sarawak.

At 1140 hours, 24 Japanese aircraft bomb Singkawang II Airfield in Dutch Borneo, so damaging the runways that a Dutch striking force which has been ordered to attack the convoy is unable to take off with a bomb load. Despite the critical situation the Dutch authorities urge the transfer of their aircraft to Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. Air Headquarters, Far East, agrees and tomorrow afternoon, the aircraft were flown to Palembang. The Japanese convoy does not escape unscathed. This evening, it is attacked by Dutch submarine HNLMS K-XIV which sinks two transports and damages a transport and a tanker.

Photo: HNLMS K-XIV before the outbreak of the war



During the night of 23/24 December, submarine Dutch HNLMS K XVI torpedoes and sinks the Japanese destroyer Sagiri. Fires rage on the destroyer igniting the torpedoes and the ship blows up killing 121 of the 241 crewmen.

Photo: The Dutch submarine HNLMS K-XVI on the surface in Netherlands East Indies (NEI) waters before the outbreak of the war



During the evening, five RAF Blenheim Mk. IVs of No. 34 Squadron based at Tengah Airfield, Singapore, Malaya, operating at extreme range, bomb the ships at anchor in Kuching harbor but do little damage.

Photo: Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs taxying out for an air-test after assembly at RAF Tengah, Singapore, following their urgent shipment to the theatre



BURMA

Rangoon feels the first of the Japanese air strikes. There are three Allied fighter squadrons available: RAF No. 60 Squadron with Blenheim Mk. I light bombers and (USN F2A) Buffalo Mk. Is and No. 67 Squadron with Buffalo Mk. Is, and the 3d Squadron, American Volunteer Group (AVG or "Flying Tigers") with P-40Bs. These fighters are only able to offer token resistance to the Japanese. An exodus of civilian laborers hampers port operations in Rangoon. Chuck Baisden, who was an armorer with the 3d Squadron, AVG, writes this first hand report: at our base at Mingaladon Airdrome just outside of Rangoon as one of the armorers in the 3d Squadron AVG (Hell's Angels), we had completed our morning preflight and a number of us crew chiefs, armorers and radio men were standing around on a small knoll just outside our barracks and perhaps a hundred odd feet from our flightline dispersal area when the air raid siren went off with our pilots racing to their planes, starting engines and immediately taxiing to the active runway and taking off. It was a miracle there were no mid air collisions as some 14 P-40B fighters were taking off from one direction sandwiched between a number of RAF Buffaloes (I believe they were New Zealand pilots) taking off from another dispersal area in almost opposite directions. It was right hairy for a spell. Things got quiet and then from a distance we saw a rather large formation approaching our field, flying in a tight three ship V of V formation with fighter escorts swarming like a bunch of bees. Turned out there were 54 Japanese "Betty" bombers (Mitsubishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) and some 40 fighters. One of our guys started counting and when he hit 27 yelled "Hell they are not ours, we don't have that many." There was an immediate mad dash for some slit trenches a few feet from where we had been standing.

One group of the bombers targeted our field and laid their pattern precisely down the runway and through our dispersal area. I remember those black dots getting larger and larger accompanied by a "whoose- whoose" sound and thought they were all aimed directly at me. It was nothing compared to the shock of the bombs as they walked up the field with the noise getting louder and louder. The concussion bounced us around in the trench and from the smell someone had voided in his trousers. I know one 21-year-old that grew up in a hurry. Saw a parachute coming down with a Japanese "Nate" fighter (Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighter) making a pass at the helpless guy in a parachute. Luckily one of the RAF pilots saw what the Japanese pilot was up to and forced him to break off. Neil Martin, my pilot at Langley Field, Virginia, and Mitchel Field, New York, USA, when we were pulling tow targets in an old Martin B- 10 bombers, made a pass at the bomber formation and never pulled out of his dive, evidently killed by a bomber gunner. Henry Gilbert was also shot down and killed. My comrade-in arms R.T.Smith (Tadpole) shot down two or three and landed with his fuselage full of holes, a present from a Japanese bomber gunner. I had the privilege to fly as his gunner in B-25 Mitchells with the Air Commando Group two years later. Score for this day was 15 Japanese aircraft and we lost three P-40s and two pilots.
There are a number of casualties among support personnel in the RAF at our field and some 1,000 civilians were killed or wounded in Rangoon.

CHINA

The Japanese begin a drive on Changsha in Hunan Province.

HONG KONG

Allied troops withdraw to the last fortified line "The Ridge", a large hill at the neck of the Stanley Peninsula. The island is lost but they intend to make stand in the vain hope of assistance from Chinese troops on the mainland.

LINE ISLANDS

The U.S. Palmyra Island is shelled by Japanese submarines I-71 and I-72. Palmyra Island is located about 957 nautical miles SSW of Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii.

MALAYA

The Indian III Corps completes a withdrawal of all west coast forces behind the Perak River during the night of 23/24 December. Japanese planes, which so far have concentrated on airfields, begin intensive action against forward areas.

PACIFIC OCEAN

Two Japanese submarines attack U.S. merchant ships off the coast of California, U.S.A.:

(1) I-21 attacks two ships; (1) she fires a torpedo at a 6,418 ton unarmed U.S. tanker about 17 nautical miles WSW of Pismo Beach, California but the tanker escapes and she later torpedoes and sinks an 8,272 ton unarmed U.S. tanker about 19 nautical miles WNW of Morro Bay, California;

(2) I-17 surfaces and shells an unarmed U.S. tanker located about 62 nautical miles SW of Eureka, California, but the tanker escapes.

Uncertainty over the positions of and number of Japanese carriers and reports that indicate Japanese troops have landed on Wake Atoll compel Vice Admiral William S. Pye, Acting Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, to recall Task Force 14 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher) while it is 425 nautical miles from its objective.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

On Luzon, Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General US Army Forces Far East, decides to evacuate Manila and withdraw to Bataan Peninsula to make a delaying stand. During the night of 23/24 December, a Japanese invasion force of 7,000 men arrives in Lamon Bay from the Ryukyu Islands. Another Japanese invasion force sails from Mindanao Island for Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago.

After 0000 hours, four of the Far East Air Force's B-17 Flying Fortresses take off from Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island and bomb shipping in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. They damage a destroyer and a minesweeper.
After the attack, one aircraft lands at Del Monte Field and the other three land on Ambon Island in the Netherlands East Indies. After refueling, all four proceed to Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Twelve P-40s and six P-35s, the only USAAF fighter aircraft in the Philippines, strafe Japanese forces landing in San Miguel Bay on Luzon.

Using a P-26A Peashooter, of the Philippine 6th Pursuit Squadron, Lieutenant Jose Kare shoots down a Japanese "Zero" fighter .

UNITED STATES

California Governor Culbert Olson, at the request of Lieutenant General John. DeWitt, Commanding General Fourth Army and Commanding General Western Defense Command, bans the sale of liquor to persons in uniform, except between 1800 and 2200 hours.

WAKE ISLAND

At 0300 hours, 1,500 Japanese troops land on the island and after an 11-hour fight, the garrison surrenders. The garrison consists of marines, sailors, volunteer civilians (Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases) and a USAAF radio detachment. Forty-nine Marines, three sailors, and about 70 civilians (there were many civilian construction workers on Wake) are killed during the battle. Japanese Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33 (old destroyers converted to high speed transports) intentionally run ashore to facilitate the landing of troops, are destroyed by marine shore batteries (1st Defense Battalion).

Photo: Japanese Patrol Boat No.32 (left) and Patrol Boat No.33



Planes from aircraft carriers Hiryu and Soryu, as well as seaplane carrier Kiyokawa Maru provide close air support for the invasion. Open cargo lighter YCK 1 is lost to Japanese occupation of the atoll, as are civilian tugs Pioneer and Justine Foss, and dredge Columbia.

Day 847 of World War II, December 25th 1941

Eastern Front

The Soviet winter offensives continue to gain ground. The Germans have lost significant strength at approximately 75 percent of their June strength. Guderian has less than 40 panzers available.

Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader

The British 8th Army enters Benghazi and Agedabia.

Pacific War

HONG KONG

This evening the British surrender in Hong Kong.

Photo: Major General Maltby discussing the arrangement of surrender with Japanese at Peninsula Hotel



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

The US submarine Sealion, commanded by Richard C. Voge, is scuttled at Cavite, Manila Bay. This decision is implemented after aircraft damage on 10 Dec, 1941. There were 4 hands lost.

Photo: Sealion (SS-195) photographed at the Cavite Navy Yard, Philippine Islands, after its capture by the Japanese



Eight of the original 48 P-35As are left and the 34th Pursuit Sqdn is moved to Bataan.

Photo: Damage to Cavite Navy Yard caused by Japanese bombing, late December 1941



The US forces in northern Luzon are holding their 2nd defense line.

The 3d, 17th, 20th, 21st and 34th Pursuit Squadrons (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), transfer from Ternate, Nichols Field, Clark Field, Nichols Field and Del Carmen respectively to Bataan with P-35's and P-40's. The 17th and 20th begin operating from Lubao, Luzon with P-40's HQ 27th Bombardment Group and the ground echelon of it's 16th, 17th and 91st Bombardment Squadrons transfer from Lipa Airfield, San Fernando and San Marceleno respectively to Cabcaben, Luzon.

AUSTRALIA

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

BURMA

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

PALMYRA ATOLL

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