lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 27, 2020 8:16:56 GMT
Day 849 of World War II, December 27th 1941Eastern FrontGerman 46th Infantry Division (11th Army) attempts to eliminate Soviet beachheads on the Kerch peninsula but Soviet 51st Army continues to bring reinforcements and supplies ashore. Photo: Soviet Troops land on the Kerch Peninsula in the Crimea, and fight bitterly to establish a beachhead Western Desert Campaign - Operation CrusaderThe British 7th Armored Division, XIII Corps, British Eighth Army, attacks the German's Agedabia position, which is well-suited by nature for defense, but makes no headway. Battle for the AtlanticThe last two German U-boats involved with Operation DRUMBEAT, 'U-109' and 'U-130', set sail from Lorient for the North American coast. Operation Anklet, Lofoten Islands, Northwest Norway. A German seaplane bombs cruiser HMS Arethusa which is damaged by near-misses requiring 14 weeks of repair. Without air support, Admiral Hamilton decides to re-embark the Commandos (no casualties during the raid) and return to Scapa Flow. They return with 200 Norwegian volunteers for the Free Norwegian Forces, in addition to 29 German POWs. Operation Archery. At dawn, British cruiser HMS Kenya and 4 destroyers shell German defenses on Vaagso Island, Southern Norway. 560 British Commandos and 12 Norwegian troops land, despite stiff resistance from 150 German mountain troops on leave from USSR. They complete their mission to destroy fish-oil stores and production facilities (which the Germans use to manufacture high explosives) and, in addition, capture a complete German Naval Code plus 98 German POWs & Norwegian Quisling collaborators. British have 21 killed & 57 wounded and Norwegians 1 killed, while Germans lose 120 killed. Several Norwegians volunteers return with the Commandos to serve in the Free Norwegian Forces. Raids such as Archery and Anklet are of little military value but have significant psychological effect, convincing Hitler of an Allied attack through Norway; he will station up to 15 divisions (300,000 troops) there throughout the war. Photo: An oil factory burns in Vågsøy during Operation Archery, British troops can be seen on the quay in the foreground, Norway, 27 December 1941 Pacific War AUSTRALIA Prime Minister John Curtin's New Year's message includes the following: "Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom." BURMA Lieutenant General Thomas J. Hutton, Chief General Staff, India, replaces Lieutenant General D.K. MacLeod as General Officer Commanding Burma. JAPAN Most of the I-boat submarines off the U.S. west coast have depleted their fuel reserves. The Naval General Staff decides that the shelling of densely populated areas, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, will result in civilian losses and retaliation by the Americans. Vice Admiral Shimizu Mitsumi, commander of the Advance Expeditionary Force (Sixth Fleet), cancels the shellings. MALAYA British Lieutenant General Henry Pownall takes over from RAF Air Chief Marshal (U.S. General) Sir Robert Brooke-Popham as Commander in Chief, Far East Command with headquarters in Singapore. In 1942, Pownall became Chief of Staff of the American-British- Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command. Indian 11th Division rear guards (12th and 28th Brigades) begin a withdrawal to defense positions near Kampar. In eastern Malaya, a Japanese threat to Kuantan is increasing. Japanese forces near the Trengganu-Pahang border are placed under artillery fire. PACIFIC OCEAN Japanese submarine I-25 shells an 8,684 ton tanker about 10 nautical miles W of the mouth of the Columbia River which is the boundary between the states of Washington and Oregon. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS The Luzon front is quiet as the Japanese consolidate along the Agno River. The North Luzon Force withdraws toward the next delaying line, Tarlac-Cabanatuan, where it is to make maximum delaying effort. In southern Luzon, the Japanese continue to pursue U.S. columns along Routes 23 and 1; on the latter, the Japanese break through the main positions of the 53d Infantry Regiment (Philippine Army) and seize Candelaria. Six USN PBY Catalinas of Patrol Squadron One Hundred One bomb Japanese shipping at Jolo Island in Suva Province, against heavy fighter opposition; four Catalinas are lost. Japanese "Nell" and "Betty" bombers based on Formosa bomb shipping in Manila Bay and the Pasig River. Two Philippine customs cutters and a motorboat are set afire, while a lighthouse tender is destroyed by a direct hit. A steamship is scuttled in the Pasig River.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 28, 2020 3:48:53 GMT
Day 850 of World War II, December 28th 1941
Eastern Front
The Germans make some gains in the Fort Stalin area during their attacks on Sevastopol with the 22nd and 24th Divisions.
Operation Anthropoid - assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
The British commence Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer (U.S. Lieutenant General) Reinhard Heydrich, the German Protector of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. During the night of 28/29 December, two Czech resistance fighters, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubis, are dropped by parachute into Czechoslovakia landing near Pilsen. They are to get in touch with the Czech underground and help them plan acts of resistance.
Air War over Europe
The final RAF Bomber Command bombing raids of the year are made during the night of 28th/29th December when 217 sorties were flown with Wilhelmshaven, Hüls and Emden the main targets.
Battle of the Atlantic
With Germany now at war with USA, there are no restrictions on U-boats sinking US merchant shipping. U-66, U-109, U-123, U-125 and U-130 are in mid-Atlantic en route to raid shipping on the East coast of America.
Western Desert Campaign - Operation Crusader
XIII Corps, British Eighth Army, continues the assault on Agedabia with the 22d Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division, whose tank strength by this time has been greatly reduced because of mechanical failure. After a futile effort to get behind the Axis position, the 22d Armoured Brigade falls back to El Haseiat. Both sides suffer heavy tank losses. The Italian Trieste Division captures key documents in a British Command Tank.
Battle of the Mediterranean
German submarine 'U-75' is sunk about 138 nautical miles (256 kilometers) east of Tobruk, Libya, in position 31.50N, 26.40E, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS 'Kipling' (F 91); 30 of the 44 crewmen survive.
Overnight off Mersa Matruh, Egypt, U-75 attacks convoy ME-8, from Tobruk to Alexandria, sinking British SS Volo (24 killed, 14 survivors picked up by landing craft LCT-11 and landed at Alexandria).
United States
The USN Chief of Bureau of Yards and Docks, Vice Admiral Ben Moreell, requests authority from the Bureau of Navigation to create a contingent of construction units able to build everything from airfields to roads under battlefield conditions. These units will be known as the "Seabees" for the first letters of Construction Battalion.
Pacific War
AUSTRALIA
At a meeting between Australians and U.S. officials, the Australians agree,(1) to prepare several bases and refueling sites in the interior to permit flying from Brisbane, Queensland, and Darwin, Northern Territory; and (2) to provide Royal Australian Air Force pilots to assist in training raw USAAF pilots.
Convoy ZK.5 consisting of British transport SS Aquitania, the Norwegian freighter MS Herstein and British freighter SS Sarpedon carrying 4,250 Australian troops of the 39th and 53rd (Militia) Battalions and 10,000 tons of equipment departs Sydney, New South Wales, for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, escorted by the Australian heavy cruisers HMAS Australia and Canberra , light cruiser HMAS Perth and New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Achilles. This is the first substantial build up of Allied forces in New Guinea.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO
Australian National Airlines (ANA) aircraft begins the evacuation of civilians from Rabaul on New Britain Island.
MALAYA
The Japanese are attacking British forces as they withdraw from Ipoh toward Kampar and the River Slim.
MIDWAY ISLANDS
Over 850 civilian construction workers are evacuated by two USN ships.
NEW ZEALAND
The government scrapes the bottom of the manpower barrel and comes up with three battalions to defend the country. There are no tanks, very few guns, and almost no vehicles. However, the New Zealand 2nd Division is regrouping in Egypt to continue battling the Axis forces.
PACIFIC OCEAN
USN destroyer USS Peary is damaged when mistakenly bombed and strafed by three Australian Hudsons of No. 32 Squadron off Kina, Celebes, Netherlands East Indies (NEI). The destroyer's steering gear is damaged and she has to put into Ternate in the Halmahera Islands, NEI, for repairs.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
The Japanese begin a drive from the Agno River toward Cabanatuan. In southern Luzon, the Japanese force the 52d Infantry Regiment [Philippine Army (PA)], 51st Division (PA), back to Tiaong. Brigadier General Albert Jones, Commanding General 51st Division (PA), receives orders to withdraw speedily to Bataan. The 53d Infantry Regiment (PA) moves to Bataan for rest and reorganization. The Japanese seize Luisiana, on Route 1, and the 1st Infantry Regiment (PA), 1st Division (PA) withdraws westward. Philippines -(Far East Air Force): The ground echelon of the 17th Bombardment Squadron, 27th BG transfers from Cabcaben to Limay, Luzon. The air echelon is operating from Brisbane, Australia.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 29, 2020 3:47:20 GMT
Day 851 of World War II, December 29th 1941
Eastern Front
From Leningrad in the North to Rostov in the South, German troops are assailed by brutal cold, lack of supplies and Red Army attacks. The only German offensive is in the Crimea where Manstein’s 11th Army continues to assault Sevastopol, using siege mortars and howitzers. At 3.50 AM, Soviet 51st Army begin landing 40,500 troops, 236 artillery pieces and 43 tanks at Feodosiya (Western end of Kerch peninsula, on the South coast); this threatens to trap German 46th Infantry Division defending against the earlier landings further East on Kerch peninsula, forcing Manstein to relieve pressure on Sevastopol. General Hans Graf von Sponeck immediately begins withdrawing 46th Infantry Division, abandoning most heavy equipment including artillery.
United States
All German, Italian and Japanese aliens in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington and are ordered to surrender contraband.
Pacific War
ALASKA
In response to repeated requests by this Command to the War Department for additional aircraft to defend Alaska, the 77th Bombardment Squadron, 42d BG (Medium), arrives at Elmendorf Field, Anchorage with 13 B-26's.
AUSTRALIA
(Far East Air Force) Major General Lewis H Brereton, Commanding General Far East Air Force, arrives at his new HQ at Darwin. Colonel Harold H George remains at Manila in command of the air elements left in the Philippines, the chief center of Army Air Force activity in the S Philippines being Del Monte on Mindanao where air personnel are under the command of Major Ray T Ellsmore. (Brigadier General George is killed in an aircraft accident near Darwin on 29 Apr 42. Victorville AFB, California is renamed George AFB on 2 Jun 1950 in his memory.) The ground echelon of the 16th Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group, transfers from Cabcaben to Bataan. The air echelon is operating from Brisbane.
BURMA
From Bokpyin, the Japanese withdraw under pressure into Thailand.
CHINA
The establishment of the China Theater under supreme command of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who is to be assisted by an Allied staff, is announced. The theater is to include portions of Thailand and French Indochina in friendly hands.
NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES
The Indian detachment from Kuching, Sarawak, arrives at Singkawang II airfield, garrisoned by 750 Dutch troops, on the West coast. British and Indian troops are placed under Dutch command to defend the airfield.
MALAYA
On the Indian 11th Division front, the Indian 12th Brigade holds firmly against a strong Japanese attack but, since its position is becoming untenable, falls back through Kampar to Bidor, where it is held in reserve.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
In northern Luzon, the 91st Division [Philippine Army (PA)] holds Cabanatuan against a strong enemy thrust, but the Japanese succeed in crossing the Pampanga River near there. Another Japanese force, heading for Tarlac in the 21st Division (PA) sector, reaches a position just north of Tarlac. All elements of the South Luzon Force withdraw quickly toward Bataan. Japanese "Betty" bombers and "Nell" bombers from Formosa, attack Corregidor for the first time. Although wooden structures suffer heavily, little damage is done to military installations. Antiaircraft fire from forts guarding Manila Bay destroy a number of bombers. The 4th Marine Regiment takes responsibility for beach defense. During the bombings, submarine tender USS Canopus is damaged in Mariveles Harbor, river gunboat USS Mindanao is damaged by near-misses off Corregidor.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 30, 2020 9:54:43 GMT
Day 852 of World War II, December 30th 1941Eastern FrontWhile German Heeresgruppe Sud continues their offensive against Sevastopol, Soviet Caucasian troops make an amphibious assault against the eastern Crimea and seize Kerch and Feodosia. On the central front, the Germans continue to withdraw from the Moscow area under Red Army pressure. Map: Map of the Soviet amphibious offensive 26 December 1941 – 2 January 1942 (in Russian) Canada British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Ottawa after his talks with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt over strategy to win the war with Germany. In a speech to Parliament this evening, Churchill quips, "When I warned them (the French) that Britain would fight on alone, whatever they did, their Generals told their Prime Minister and his divided cabinet that in three weeks, England would have her neck wrung like a chicken - Some chicken! Some neck!" Western Desert Campaign - Operation CrusaderAfter another costly and unsuccessful tank battle for Agedabia, during which the British 22d Armoured Brigade is rendered ineffective as a fighting force, XIII Corps of the British Eighth Army suspends their assault pending the arrival of reinforcements. German tanks have proved superior both mechanically and in gun power. Photo: Members of a captured German U-boat crew arriving at their camp under an Indian guard. Agami, Egypt. 30 December 1941 Pacific WarBORNEO Fifteen days of vicious fighting in Borneo ends with the Japanese in control of the country and heavy Allied losses. ALASKA (Air Force, Alaska Defense Command): The 11th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), Western Theater of Operations, US Army, arrives at Elmendorf Field with 25 P-40's. NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES (Far East Air Force): HQ 19th BG and the air echelon of it's 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) transfer from Batchelor Field to Singosari, Java, Netherlands East Indies with B-17's. The ground echelon of the 28th is on Luzon and Mindanao. The air echelon of the 14th Bombardment Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), transfers from Batchelor Field to Singosari, Java with B-17's. The ground echelon is on Luzon. HAWAII Overnight, Japanese submarine I-1 surfaces and shells Hilo Bay, Big Island, Hawaii.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 31, 2020 7:47:51 GMT
Day 853 of World War II, December 31st 1941Eastern Front The Germans on the southern front break off attacks on Sevastopol in order to counter Soviet thrusts from Kerch and Feodosia. On the central front. Red Army troops seize Kaluga, southwest of Moscow. Losses on the Eastern front for the Red Army total at least 5 million casualties, 3 million prisoners, 20,000 tanks and 30,000 guns. Despite these losses the Soviets will retain initiative on the front well into spring. Western Desert CampaignOn the Libyan-Egyptian frontier, the South African 2nd Division. assisted by the 1st Army Tank Brigade of XXX Corps, British Eighth Army, attacks and penetrates the Bardia fortress, on the main road from Tobruk to Egypt. Photo: The crew of a Light Tank Mk VIB cook their Christmas dinner besides their vehicle, 31 December 1940 During the day, the British light cruiser HMS 'Ajax' (22), the Australian destroyers HMAS 'Napier' (G 97), 'Nestor' (G 02) and 'Nizam' (G38 ) and the British destroyers HMS 'Arrow' (H 42), 'Gurkha' (G 63) and 'Kingston' (F64), bombard German defenses at Bardia. United StatesThe members of the Arcadia Conference being held in Washington, D.C. order a joint American-British- Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command to be established to control all Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific. British General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in- Chief, India, will command. America's last automobiles with chrome-plated trim are manufactured today. Starting tomorrow, chrome plating becomes illegal. It is part of an effort to conserve resources for the American war effort. Pacific War AUSTRALIA Major General George H. Brett, who arrived from China three days ago, assumes command of U.S. Forces in Australia (USFIA) with headquarters in Brisbane, Queensland. NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES In the Netherlands East Indies, the air echelon of the Far East Air Force's 30th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) transfers from Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia to Singosari, Java, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. HAWAIIAN ISLANDS Admiral Chester W. Nimitz assumes command of the Pacific Fleet in ceremonies on board the submarine USS Grayling (SS- 209) at Pearl Harbor. Photo: Presenting awards on board USS Grayling (SS-209), at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base, following ceremonies in which he took command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, 31 December 1941. The former fleet commander, Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel is standing to the right, in a white uniform with two-star insignia Japanese submarines shell Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii Islands. MALAYA The Indian 11th Division now holds a relatively well-organized defense position in western Malaya, with the Indian 6/15 Brigade disposed on the main line of resistance at Kampar and the Indian 28th Brigade Group to the east. The Japanese increase pressure against the 28th Brigade Group. On the east coast, the Kuantan defense force completes a concentration west of Kuantan River and destroys the ferry. Photo: Sikh infantry of the Indian Army served alongside the British Empire troops where they were involved in a fierce battle against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in Kampar PHILIPPINE ISLANDS The evacuation of Manila is completed as the rear echelon of U.S. Army Forces Far East headquarters leaves. The North Luzon Force closes in final defense positions, Bamban-Arayat, before San Fernando and Plaridel, east of the Calumpit bridge. On the eastern flank, the 91st Division [Philippine Army (PA)] goes into reserve south of Baliuag, leaving the 71st Division (PA) to delay the Japanese briefly at Baliuag; both divisions then retire toward the Calumpit bridge. Firm contact is made between the North and South Luzon Forces in the San Fernando area after the latter crosses the Calumpit bridge. Brigadier General Albert Jones, Commanding General South Luzon Force, is placed in command of all forces east of the Pampanga River. The USN submarine rescue vessel USS Pigeon transports an armed party to Sangley Point in Manila Bay and brings out a Luzon Stevedoring Company lighter loaded with 97 mines and eight truckloads of aerial depth charges; USS Pigeon then tows the barge to a point 4.5 miles off Sangley Point and capsizes it in 11 fathoms of water. The sailors also destroy the aircraft repair shop at Cavite Naval Base and one irreparable PBY Catalina. American pilots are evacuated from the Philippines to prevent their capture by the Japanese invaders. The 17th and 20th Pursuit Squadrons (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), cease operating from Lubao with P-40's and return to their base on Bataan.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 1, 2021 8:23:36 GMT
Day 854 of World War II, January 1st 1942Eastern Front The Red Army starts an offensive against Finland on the Maaselka Isthmus between the Lake Onega and White Sea. The Soviet force includes six divisions (71st, 186th, 263th, 289th, 313th, 367th), three Marine Brigades (61st, 65th, 66th) and a ski brigade. Their objective is to recapture the town of Karhumaki (Medvezhjegorsk) and the western stretch of the Murmansk railway. The defending Finnish II Corps has two divisions (4th and 8th) and one brigade (1st Jaeger), the Soviet attackers seven divisions and two brigades. The Finnish troops are still suffering from the effects of the six-month long offensive, and the men are eagerly waiting to go home - a partial demobilization had been promised after the Finnish offensive ended in December. The Soviet offensive is able to penetrate the Finnish defences near the village of Krivi, and the fighting rages on for weeks. In early February, after both sides had suffered considerable losses, the Finns are able to push the Red Army back. (Mikko Harmeinen) The Red Army continues a broad offensive throughout January with spectacular success in some sectors, but is unable to relieve the besieged ports of Leningrad and Sevastopol. Western Desert CampaignXXX Corps, British Eighth Army, renews their assault on Bardia after nightfall. Photo: A Royal Air Force Lockheed Hudson Mk VI aircraft of the Middle East Communications Flight flying over the pyramids United Nations The Declaration of the United Nations is signed by 26 nations in Washington, D.C. The original signatories are Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, South Africa, the U.K., the U.S., the U.S.S.R., and Yugoslavia. The parties pledge to uphold the Atlantic Charter, to employ all their resources in the war against the Axis powers and agree not to negotiate a separate peace with Germany, Italy or Japan. The Atlantic Charter and its eight principles are: (1) the renunciation of territorial aggression; (2) territorial changes only with consent of the peoples concerned; (3) restoration of sovereign rights and self-government; (4) access to raw materials for all nations; (5) world economic cooperation; (6) freedom from fear and want; (7) freedom of the seas; (8 ) disarmament of aggressors are also endorsed by the signatories at the Arcadia Conference. Photo: President Franklin Roosevelt, second from left seated at the table, signing the "Declaration of United Nations" on 1 January 1942 United StatesU.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle, issues orders to all German, Italian and Japanese aliens to hand in their short-wave radios, cameras and firearms to their local police stations. They are also forbidden to change their address without permission and, if living on the east coast, to obey a 2100 to 0600 hour curfew. The U.S. Office of Production Management prohibits the sales of new cars and trucks to civilians. All automakers dedicate their plants entirely to the war effort. By the end of the month, domestic car manufacture has stopped. Automobile plants are converted wholesale to the manufacture of bombers, jeeps, military trucks, and other equipment. Soviet UnionJoseph Stalin is named "Time" magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1941. Pacific War CHINA The Chinese request lend-lease aid for construction of a road across northern Burma to link with the Burma Road. The projected road would extend from Ledo, India, to Fort Hertz and Myitkyina, Burma, and Lung-ling, China. EAST INDIES Two Japanese infantry platoons land on the 75 square kilometer Labuan Island, British North Borneo, capturing the British Resident, Hugh Humphrey who later recalled: "I was repeatedly hit by a Japanese officer with his sword (in its scabbard) and exhibited for 24 hours to the public in an improvised cage, on the grounds that, before the Japanese arrived, I had sabotaged the war effort of the Imperial Japanese Forces by destroying stocks of aviation fuel on the island." The air echelon of the USAAF Far East Air Force's 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) transfers from Batchelor Field, Northern Territory, Australia, to Singosari, Java, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. MALAYA The Japanese attack the Kampar position in western Malaya in force but are unable to break through. The Indian 11th Division is in grave danger as a Japanese amphibious force lands in the Utan Melentang area, at the mouth of the Bernam River, behind the Kampar line. The Indian 12th Brigade Group moves from Bidor to meet this threat. Japanese aircraft deliver the first severe blow against Tengah airdrome on Singapore Island. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS The South Luzon Force, upon completing their withdrawal across the Pampanga River at Calumpit by 0500 hours and destroying bridges there at 0615 hours, is disbanded. Its components continue their withdrawal toward Bataan, and Brigadier General Albert Jones rejoins the 51st Division [Philippine Army (PA)]. Photo: Japanese tank column advancing in Bataan The Japanese move through Plaridel to Calumpit but are unable to cross the Pampanga River. The Covering force [elements of 71st and 91st Divisions (PA)] withdraws from the river line toward San Fernando. Meanwhile, the 21st and 11th Divisions (PA) continue fighting withdrawals, the 21st along the route Bamban-Angeles- Poroc and the 11th on the route Malagang-San Fernando- Guagua (north of Sexmoan), arriving on the line Porac-Guagua during the night 1/2 January. Photo: Japanese flamethrower in action against a bunker on the Orion-Bagac Line HQ 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) transfers from Clark Field to Mariveles, Luzon, Philippines. The ground echelon of the 14th Bombardment Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), transfers from Clark Field, Luzon to Bugo, Mindanao. The air echelon is operating from Singosari, Java with B-17's. WAKE ISLAND A USAAF Hawaiian Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress based on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, refuels at Midway Islands and then photographs Wake Island.
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Post by lordroel on Jan 2, 2021 14:32:47 GMT
Day 855 of World War II, January 2nd 1942YouTube (The Formation of the United Nations!)Eastern FrontGerman Chancellor Adolf Hitler forbids the German 9.Armee to make any further withdrawals, "not one inch of ground."On the central front in Russia, the Soviet Army achieves a breakthrough at Rshev. Photo: A destroyed German train station in Maloyaroslavets, Russia, 2 January 1942. Soviet bombers destroyed this train. In the foreground is a German tank Pz.Kpfw.IV. On the second platform, a destroyed light tank Pz.Kpfw.II Air War over Europe During the night of 2/3 January, 27 RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons and Stirlings attack the German fleet at Brest and nine Whitleys and Manchesters bomb the port area at St. Nazaire. During the day, 12 RAF Bomber Command Hampdens conduct "roving patrols" of the Dutch and German Coasts but only one aircraft bombs, the Leeuwarden Airfield. Photo: Pilots and Hurricanes of No 56 'Punjab' Squadron at Duxford, 2 January 1942. The official caption reads: 'Fighter aircraft donated by the Province of the Punjab have been in action and have scored numerous victories over the Hun'. The pilot in the centre is Wing Commander Vernon Gifkins Battle of the Atlantic 300 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-38 is depth charged by a convoy escort. U-38 is slightly damaged but able to continue with the patrol. At 10.07 PM 250 miles West of Port-Étienne, Mauritania (part of French West Africa), U-65 sinks British SS Nalgora carrying equipment to General Wavell’s Middle East Command. 102 crew and 3 passengers take to the lifeboats. 19 crew in 1 lifeboat make land on Cape Verde Islands. 86 survivors are picked up by British freighters Nolisement and Umgeni after 8 days adrift. This completes a successful patrol for U-65, sinking 8 ships (47,800 tons) in 49 days off the coast of West Africa and becoming the first U-boat to cross the Equator. Western Desert Campaign - Operation CompassBritish air, land and sea forces prepare for the assault on Bardia. Overnight (Jan 1-2), artillery moves into position in a depression 450 m from the Western edge of the Italian defenses. During the day, monitor HMS Terror and gunboats HMS Ladybird & HMS Aphis, screened by destroyer HMS Dainty and HMAS Voyager, bombard Bardia. The flotilla is unsuccessfully attacked by Italian aircraft. Overnight (Jan 2-3), RAF Wellingtons of 70 Squadron and Bristol Bombays of 216 Squadron bomb Italian positions as the Australian 6th Division moves forward to their starting points. Battle of the MediterraneanThe British tug HMS 'Daisy' founders in the eastern Mediterranean while on passage from Alexandria, Egypt, to Tobruk, Libya. United StatesPresident Franklin D Roosevelt announces the beginning of the Liberty Ship program, i.e., the construction of 200 merchant ships of a standardized design. The first organized lighter-than- air units of World War II, Airship Patrol Group One (ZPG-1) and Airship Squadron Twelve (ZP-12) are established at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey. The USN is the only military service in the world to use non-rigid airships--also known as blimps--during the war. Photo: USS President Hayes (AP-39), shortly after launching at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, on 2 January 1942 Pacific WarAUSTRALIA Major General George H. Brett, Commanding General-Designate of the U.S. Forces in Australia (USFIA), sends a message to General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., stating that he sees little hope of effectively reinforcing the Philippine Islands until a large airbase can be established at Darwin, Northern Territory, and a large supply and repair depot established at Townsville, Queensland. MALAYA Japanese force reaches Telok Anson via the Perak River and go ashore, greatly increasing the threat to the Indian III Corps. The 1st Independent Company and Indian 3d Cavalry Squadron defending this area, are forced back through the Indian 12th Brigade Group, which in turn comes under severe pressure. Although Japanese attacks on the Kampar position are still being contained, it is decided to withdraw to the Slim River after nightfall because of the precarious situation along the coast. A Japanese landing attempt at Kuala Selangor is frustrated by artillery fire late in the day. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS Newspaper: The Daily Times-News of Burlington, North Carolina, 2 January 1942 edition One battalion of the Japanese 1st Formosa Regiment and two of the 47th Infantry Regiment make the triumphal march into Manila, watched only by a curious few. Japanese troops also take over Cavite Naval Base and find it a total wreck from their own bombs. Japanese aircraft begin daily attacks on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. The defenders on Luzon complete a successful withdrawal through San Fernando, the final elements clearing the town at 0200 hours, and organize delaying positions along a 10-mile front from Porac to Guagua. Holding this line are the 21st Division [Philippine Army (PA)] on the west, its left flank covered by 26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts) at San Jose, south of Porac, and the 11th Division PA) on the east. The Japanese attack the west flank in the vicinity of Porac in the afternoon and force the 21st Division to fall back. Meanwhile, Japanese east of the Pampanga River succeed in crossing the river and move to San Fernando, where they join with Japanese from Angeles. There are now 80,000 troops and 26,000 civilians on Bataan Peninsula. The troops are worn out and beginning to suffer malaria. There are food supplies to feed 100,000 men for 30 days and the troops are put on half rations. But, morale is high because the troops expect a huge relief convoy to arrive at any moment. Photo: Japanese bombers over Corregidor The Pentagon receives a depressing radio message from the Philippines that says: "Manila, Cavite lost; MacArthur fights on, holding Corregidor." The news from the Phillippines only gets worse as MacArthur is later forced to abandon Corregidor as well. THAILAND The American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) raid a Japanese air base in Thailand, one of the first offensive air strikes by the Allies in Asia. Security restrictions require the leader of the raid be identified only as "Scarsdale Jack." During the coming months, he will become famous. He is John Van Kuren Newkirk, a former Navy pilot from Westchester County, New York, U.S.A.
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Post by lordroel on Jan 3, 2021 8:12:01 GMT
Day 856 of World War II, January 3rd 1942Air War over Europe During the night of 3/4 January, 14 RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons and four Stirlings attack the German fleet at Brest; one Wellington is lost. During the night of 3/4 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches ten Hampdens on minelaying mission in the Frisian Islands; one aircraft is lost. Western Desert Campaign - Operation CompassRommel is so desperate for supplies that 4 Italian battleships, 5 cruisers, 19 destroyers and 5 torpedo boats escort convoy M.43 of 5 freighters and 1 tanker from Messina (Sicily), Brindisi and Taranto to Tripoli, Libya. They carry 1200 troops, 54 tanks, artillery, armored cars, 1000 tons of ammunition, 5400 tons of fuel. Photo: "A British Matilda tank in the Western Desert, recaptured from the Germans who had used it against the British in Bardia, 3 January 1942 Pacific WarAMERICAN-BRITISH-DUTCH AUSTRALIAN COMMAND U.S. President Franklin D Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston S Churchill announce the creation of a unified command in the Southwest Pacific, with British General Sir Archibald P Wavell as supreme commander of American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) forces in that area. General Wavell is directed: (1) to hold the Malay Barrier (the line Malay Peninsula-Sumatra- Java-Northern Australia) and operate as far beyond the barrier as possible in order to check the Japanese advance; (2) hold Burma and Australia; (3) restore communications with the Philippine Islands through the Netherlands East Indies; (4) maintain communications within the theater. Above all, Wavell's forces, mostly Australians and British, are to hold Australia and Burma. In another move, Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is named Commander in Chief of Allied Forces in China. The Arcadia Conference makes Chiang Kai-shek, a Chinese leader, the leader of Allied troops stationed in and a round China.Military planners come to the realization that it will be impossible to reinforce the Philippine Islands and the troops in those islands are doomed. When told of this, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson notes, "There are times when men must die." EAST INDIES In British Borneo, the Japanese invade Labuan Island, in Brunei Bay, without opposition. From there, a detachment moves to mainland at Mempakul, thence to Weston on foot, and from Weston to Beaufort by rail. MALAYA Japanese attempt another leap down the West coast of Malaya, sailing 45 miles South from Bernam River to Kuala Selangor (reusing their 40 motor launches and the 20 small boats from Penang), but Indian troops are waiting for them and repel the landings. On the East coast of Malaya, Japanese troops cross the Kuantan River forcing Indian 9th Division to withdraw South and leave the Kuantan airfield in Japanese hands. Colonel Arthur Cummings (Indian Army 12th Frontier Force Regiment) wins the VC for holding the rearguard overnight despite being bayoneted in the stomach and shot in the arm. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS On Luzon, the Japanese continue determined attacks on the western flank of the Porac-Guagua line, where the 21st Division (Philippine Army) succeeds in halting them below Pio; the Japanese exert strong pressure on the eastern flank in the vicinity of Guagua. NEW GUINEA Australian 39th and 53rd Battalions arrive at Port Moseby, New Guinea, from Sydney. They join 49th Battalion to form 30th Infantry Brigade to defend New Guinea from the expected Japanese invasion. JAVA SEA the 7,395 ton Dutch freighter SS Langkoeas, formerly the German freighter SS Stassfurt, departed Soerabaja, Java, Netherlands East Indies yesterday for the Middle East. Today, she is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-58 during this evening north of Bawean Island. Bawean Island is located between Java and Borneo about 82 nautical miles (152 kilometers) north of Surabaja. The crew (24 Dutch, 55 Chinese, 12 Java-natives) immediately began abandoning ship, and the submarine approaches and begins machine gunning everyone in the boats. There are three survivors, one Dutch, one Chinese and one Javanese. They are brought aboard the submarine and after being questioned, they are thrown back into the water. The three manage to survive and make it to a small island where they are found by a fisherman. They are later picked up by a Dutch (PBY) Catalina and brought to Soerabaja, where they tell their story.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 4, 2021 3:46:17 GMT
Day 857 of World War II, January 4th 1942
East Front
Crimea - Soviet cruiser Krasnyi Kavkaz, returning from delivering troops and supplies to the Soviet bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula, is badly damaged by German Ju87 dive-bombers. Krasnyi Kavkaz reaches the Caucasus port of Novorossiysk, escorted by destroyer Sposobnyi, and will be under repair until October at Poti, Georgia.
United States
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares lend-lease aid to the Provisional Government of Czechoslovakia as vital to the defense of the U.S.
Lieutenant General John DeWitt, Commanding General Western Defense Command, meets with the Chief of the War Department's Aliens Division to come up with a definition of strategic areas where all enemy aliens would be excluded.
Pacific War
AUSTRALIA
Major General George Brett assumes command of the U.S. Forces in Australia. One of his first orders is to divert two transports en route from Brisbane, Queensland, to the Philippine Islands to put in at Darwin, Northern Territory. This effectively ends the effort to reinforce the troops in the Philippines.
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO
The Japanese begin an air offensive against Rabaul on New Britain Island, the strategic base in the Bismarck Archipelago, garrisoned by 5,400 men (principally the Australian 2/22d Battalion, 8th Division; an RAAF detachment; 100 men of the New Guinea Volunteer Reserve; and a few Royal Australian Navy officers). Located at Rabaul are a fighter strip at Lakunai and a bomber strip at Vunakanu.
BURMA
A pilot of the 2d Fighter Squadron, American Volunteer Group ("Flying Tigers"), shoots down a Japanese "Claude" (Mitsubishi A5M Navy Type 96 Carrier Fighter) over Rangoon at 1205 hours.
CHINA
The Chinese halt the Japanese drive in the Changsha area of Hunan Province.
MALAYA
The Indian 11th Division is under constant air attacks as it prepares defensive positions along the Slim River in western Malaya. A Japanese force moves south along the west coast to the Selangor River, then east along the river, threatening the communications line at Rawang. To meet this threat, the Indian 6/15 Brigade Group starts toward Batang Berjuntai.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Japanese Lieutenant General HOMMA Masaharu, Commanding General 14th Army, meets with Manila Mayor Jorge Vargas. After both smile for the camera, HOMMA imposes the Japanese Military Administration under Major General HAYASHI Yoshide.. He in turn imposes a curfew, blackout, martial law, firearms turn-in, a ban on radio transmissions and listening to non-Japanese statements. He also warns that any hostile act against the Japanese will result in ten Filipinos dying for every Japanese killed. All industries, factories, banks, schools, churches, and printing presses must come under Japanese control. The flying of the Filipino or U.S. flags or singing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" is forbidden.
Continuing strong attacks against the flank of the Porac-Guagua line, the Japanese overrun Guagua and continue along Route 7 to Lubao, cutting the planned line of retreat of the 11th Division [Philippine Army (PA)]. The 21st Division (PA) zone (the western part of the line) is relatively quiet. Withdrawal from the line Porac-Guagua begins under cover of darkness on 4/5 January with the 21st Division covering for the 11th Division. Some cut-off elements of the 11th Division make a circuitous withdrawal through San Jose, while others move down Route 7 and form an outpost line between Lubao and Santa Cruz.
USAAF Far East Air Force fighters from Bataan on Luzon, attempt the interception of a bombing raid on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. The fighters, failing to intercept until the Japanese aircraft are over the target, have little effect on the raid. Several fighters depart for Mindanao following the mission.
During the night of 4/5 January, eight B-17 Flying Fortresses based at Singosari Airdrome, Java, Netherlands East Indies, stage through Samarinda Airdrome, Dutch Borneo, and attack Japanese warships and transports in Malalag Bay, Davao, Mindanao Island, from 25,000 feet and damage heavy cruisers Myoko and Nachi.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 5, 2021 3:46:52 GMT
Day 858 of World War II, January 5th 1942Eastern FrontThe Soviet Army lands reinforcements on the Crimean coast near Eupatoria and Sudak. in an effort to break the siege of the Sevastopol naval base, but can make little headway against firm German resistance. On the central front south of Kaluga, Soviet forces hold Belev, west of the Oka River. Action on northern front along the Volkhov River is indecisive. Carried away by recent small successes and against the advice of his chief of general staff, General Georgii Zhukov, Premier Joseph Stalin orders a general offensive along the entire eastern front. Battle of the MediterraneanAt 5.42 AM North of Mesina, Sicily, British submarine HMS Upholder torpedoes Italian submarine Admiral Saint-Bon carrying 155 tons of petrol and ammunition from Taranto, Italy to Tripoli, Libya. The gasoline explodes and Saint-Bon sinks rapidly (82 killed, 3 survivors picked up HMS Upholder). However, Italian convoy M.43 arrives safely at Tripoli later in the day, with 54 tanks, armored cars, artillery, ammunition and fuel for Rommel. At 8.00 AM 73 miles Northwest of Patras, Greece, British submarine HMS Proteus torpedoes Italian troopship Citta Di Palermo (carrying 600 Italian troops from Brindisi, Italy, to Patras). Palermo sinks in 6 minutes, killing almost everyone on board Air War over EuropeDuring the night of 5/6 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 154 aircraft, 89 Wellingtons and 65 of other types, to attack German fleet units and the port area at Brest. Eighty seven aircraft are ordered to bomb the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau; 73 do. The remainder are ordered to bomb the naval docks and 65 do. A smoke-screen prevents accurate bombing but large fires are claimed. Another target is the port area at Cherbourg; 16 of the 37 aircraft dispatched bomb the port. Middle EastBritish General Claude E. Auchinleck, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, is given responsibility for Iraq and Iran. Lieutenant General Edward P. Quinan's forces in Iraq become the British Tenth Army, corresponding to the British Ninth Army under General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson in Syria. The British 18th and Indian 17th Divisions are both being moved from the Middle East to Bombay, India; Ceylon; and Singapore, Malaya, with "utmost dispatch." United StatesThe government orders all men between the ages of 20 and 44 to register for the draft (conscription) by 16 February. The U.S. Senate Committee investigating Hollywood war propaganda is dissolved. Today is the deadline for enemy aliens in San Francisco, California, to surrender radio transmitters, shortwave receivers and precision cameras to the U.S. Army's Western Defense Command. Also Japanese-American selective service registrants are classified as enemy aliens (IV-C) and many Japanese-American soldiers are discharged or assigned to menial labor such as "kitchen police (KP)." Photo: Sign posted in window of store owned by a Japanese-American the day after Pearl Harbor, shortly before the man’s internment, Oakland, CA, March 1942 A change in USN regulations, covering display of National Insignia on aircraft, returned the star to the upper right and lower left wing surfaces and revised rudder striping to 13 red and white horizontal stripes. Pacific WarAUSTRALIA In Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, the War Cabinet today agrees to a British request for the transfer of the Australian I Corps, comprising the veteran 6th and 7th Divisions, from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. In December, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill assured the Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, that he would do everything possible to strengthen the whole Far Eastern front from Rangoon, Burma, to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The U.S. Forces in Australia (USFIA) is formally activated and officially redesignated U.S. Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA). Headquarters is located in the MacRobertson Girls High School in Melbourne, Victoria. BURMA Headquarters of the Indian 17th Division is established at Moulmein. Of the three brigades that this division is to contain, only one, the Indian 16th, is in Burma. HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: CENTRAL PACIFIC (Hawaiian Air Force): The air echelon of the 22d Bombardment Squadron, 7th BG (Heavy), which has been operating from Hickam Field, Hawaii since 18 Dec 41, departs for Singosari, Java with B-17's. The ground echelon is at Brisbane. Photo: This photo of USS West Virginia (BB-48) taken on 5 January 1942 shows bomb and fire damage from the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Far East Air Force): B-17's from Malang, Java stage through Samarinda, Borneo during the night of 4/5 Jan and attack shipping in Davao Bay on Mindanao , Philippines. US Forces in Australia (USFIA), which controls FEAF, is redesignated US Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), and Major General George H Brett assumes command. The ground echelons of the 17th and 91st Bombardment Squadrons, 27th Bombardment Group transfer from Limay to Bataan. The air echelons are operating from Brisbane with A-24s. JAPAN Tokyo accepts Laurenzo Marques in Mozambique as a suitable site to exchange diplomats with the United States. MALAYA The Commander-in- Chief British Eastern Fleet, Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, moves headquarters from Singapore to Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies. Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, at a conference in Segamat, plans for a withdrawal into Johore.On the Slim River front, the Indian 11th Division repels a Japanese attack down the railway line. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS On Luzon, U.S. and Filipino troops complete their withdrawal to a new line extending along the base of the Bataan Peninsula from Dinaluplhan on the west to Hermosa on the east. During the night of 5/6 January, the withdrawal continues through Layac Junction, the funnel through which all roads into Bataan pass, the final elements clearing it by 0200 hours, after which the bridge is blown. A delaying position, called the Layac line, is formed south of Layac Junction and manned by the 71st and 72d Regiments, 71st Division, Philippine Army, the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Division, and the 26th Cavalry Regiment, Philippine Scouts. The 31st Infantry Regiment, the only completely U.S. regiment in the Philippines, has not yet been in action. Photo: Japanese tanks and infantry advance through the Bataan jungle The food ration of the Bataan defense force and of garrisons of fortified islands in Manila Bay is cut in half. The Bataan echelon of Headquarters US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) is established on Bataan under Brigadier General Richard J. Marshall. The Japanese continue daily air attacks on Corregidor and occasional attacks on other targets in the Manila Bay area. USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses from Malang, Java, Netherlands East Indies, stage through Samarinda, Dutch Borneo, during the night of 4/5 January and attack shipping in Davao Bay on Mindanao Island.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 6, 2021 3:49:50 GMT
Day 859 of World War II, January 6th 1942Battle of the AtlanticOperation Kitbag - At 3 AM British cruiser HMS Sheffield and destroyers HMS Inglefield and HMS Intrepid leave Scapa Flow, Scotland. 11 RAF Coastal Command bombers raid Sola Airfield at Stavanger to prevent Luftwaffe attack. In the evening, the warships shell Florø, Norway, destroying trawlers and fish processing facilities, and then return to Scapa Flow overnight. Air War over Europe During the night of 6/7 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 31 Wellingtons to bomb the German warships at Brest; 27 bomb the targets. No special bombing results are claimed but a bomb which fell alongside the battleship 'Gneisenau' holed the hull and flooded two compartments. Two Wellingtons also bomb the port area at Cherbourg. RAF Bomber Command dispatches 11 Whitleys to bomb Stavanger Airfield; nine bomb the field. During the night of 6/7 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches Hampdens to bomb six cities: five hit Essen, three attack Munster, two each bomb Cologne and Emden, and one each attack Aachen and Oldenburg. Battle of the MediterraneanRAF aircraft sink Italian freighter SS Perla returning from Tripoli, Libya, to Trapani, Sicily, near the Italian island of Pantellaria off the Tunisian coast. Western Desert CampaignThe government of Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Vichy France. The British 1st Armoured Division, which has recently arrived from the U. K. and relieved the 7th Armoured Division of XIII Corps, British Eighth Army, reaches Antelat. The port at Derna opens to traffic. The deployment of German and Italian troops along the line El Agheila-Marada is completed. As the Germans take delivery of 55 new tanks, the British advance reaches Mersa Brega and El Agheila. United States In his annual State of the Union message to Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said today that Americas land, sea and air forces would be sent to Britain. He also announces massive increases in war production, including more than doubling the rate of aircraft building. This was his first speech to Congress since the war began. Mr Roosevelt spoke warmly of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who recently addressed the same audience, and wished him a safe return. Roosevelt submits a budget request of US$59 billion for Fiscal Year 1943 (with inflation, that is US$707 billion in year 2005 dollars). He also announces that the first year of a supercharged production schedule would result in 45,000 aircraft, 45,000 tanks, 20,000 antiaircraft guns, and 8 million tons in new ships; this will be upped to Forecasts for 1943 of 125,000 planes, 75,000 tanks and 11 million tons of shipping in 1943. Congressmen are stunned at the proposal, but Roosevelt is undeterred: "These figures and similar figures for a multitude of other implements of war will give the Japanese and Nazis a little idea of just what they accomplished. "Leland Ford, Los Angeles, California, member of the House of Representatives, in a telegram to Secretary of State Cordell Hull, asks that all Japanese Americans be removed from the West Coast stating, "I do not believe that we could be any too strict in our consideration of the Japanese in the face of the treacherous way in which they do things."In baseball, Cleveland Indians star pitcher Bob Feller, winner of 76 games in three previous seasons, follows Detroit Tigers' outfielder Hank Greenberg into the military. Feller, saying, "I've always wanted to be on the winning side,"enlists in the Navy and reports to Norfolk, Virginia, for duty. During the 44 months he spent in the Navy, most of the time he was stationed aboard the battleship U.S.S. 'Alabama' (BB- 60) in the gunnery department where he earned eight Battle Stars. Pacific WarAUSTRALIA The government advises the British Government that the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions will be sent to the Far East. The government of Australia declares war on Bulgaria. CHINA Having accepted the nomination of Chiang Kai-shek as Supreme Commander of an Allied China Theater, the Chinese ask that a senior U.S. officer be sent to China to act as chief of the Generalissimo' s Allied staff. EAST INDIES A Japanese amphibious force lands at Brunei Bay, British Borneo. During the night, seven Japanese flying-boats attack Ambon Island, Netherlands East Indies, damaging two RAAF Hudsons and a Buffalo based at Laha. MALAYA On the Indian 11th Division front, the Indian 6/15 Brigade Group reaches the Batang Berjuntai area and takes up defensive positions south of the Selangor River. The Kuantan force completes their withdrawal from eastern Malaya through Jerantut during the night of 6/7 January and continues west in the Raub area. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS After a destructive artillery exchanges on Luzon in the morning, the Japanese, having the advantage of aerial spotting, attack the overextended delaying line south of Layac Junction in force and make a limited penetration entering Dinalupihan without opposition. The withdrawal of this line begins during the night of 6/7 January. Map: Defense of the Layac Junction approach to Bataan 2–6 January 1942 Japanese aerial bombardment of Corregidor ends except for nuisance raids. Japanese air attacks during the first week of 1942 have resulted in little damage to the fortifications on Corregidor. PACIFIC The Second Marine Brigade (Brigadier General Henry L. Larsen, USMC) embarked in troop transports (former Matson Line passenger liners) SS Lurline, SS Monterey and SS Matsonia, and cargo ship USS Jupiter and ammunition ship USS Lassen sails from San Diego, California, for Pago Pago, American Samoa. The initial escort is provided by Task Force 17 comprised of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the heavy cruiser USS Louisville, the light cruiser USS St. Louis and three destroyers.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 7, 2021 3:51:21 GMT
Day 860 of World War II, January 7th 1942Eastern FrontIn the first phase of Stalin’s new offensive, Northern arm of the planned giant encirclement of German Army Group Center around Rzhev-Vyazma-Smolensk gets underway. Soviet Volkov Front attacks German 18th Army towards Leningrad. Soviet Northwest Front attacks the town of Demyansk and Staraya Russa 50 miles away where German 16th Army has a large supply depot. Konev’s Kalanin Front attacks German 9th Army toward Rhzev. Air War over EuropeDuring the night of 7/8 January, 62 of the 68 RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons dispatched attack German warships at Brest; and 25 of 27 aircraft dispatched attack the port area at St. Nazaire. Western Desert Campaign XIII Corps, British Eighth Army, patrols to Agedabia and finds that the Axis forces have withdrawn. A convoy arrives safely at Benghazi but because of rough seas, this port is not put into full operation. Battle of the MediterraneanGerman troops launch their second anti-partisan offensive in Yugoslavia, driving Marshal Josip Tito's forces 50 miles (80 kilometers) south. Despite the retreat and heavy losses, Tito's men fight on. United States In Washington, President Roosevelt submits his budget to Congress; $29,000,000,000 (29 billion dollars) to build 60,000 planes, 45,000 tanks and 8,000,000 tons of shipping. Pacific War BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO A Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain Island, destroys a Hudson and two Wirraways and damages two other Hudson, all of No. 24 Squadron RAAF. CHINA In Changsha Province, Chinese and Japanese troops fight a fairly pointless battle which neither side wins. EAST INDIES In Borneo, Japanese troops in British Sarawak reach the border of Dutch West Borneo. MALAYA The Japanese, in a strong tank-infantry assault beginning before dawn, break through the Slim River positions of Indian 11th Division and drive rapidly 19 miles toward Kuala Lumpur, reaching positions 2 miles south of Slim village. The Indian III Corps withdraws from the Slim River line southward to Tanjong Malim, between the village of Slim and the road junction at Kuala Kubu. This action temporarily leaves the Indian 11th Division ineffective as a fighting force. Map: retreat to Slim River  General Archibald Lord Wavell, who has been named Commander in Chief American-British- Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, arrives at Singapore to find out why the British are losing. He gets an earful. Brigadier Ivan Simson, the chief engineer, shows Wavell Singapore Island's north side, which is undefended. No defense works are being built, or even planned. Wavell, furious, asks Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, why this is so; Percival replies that defenses would be bad for morale. Wavell says that the impact would be greater when retreating troops begin crossing the causeway from the mainland and orders Percival to build defenses. Percival doesn't. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS The siege of Bataan begins as U.S. and Philippine forces complete their withdrawal from the Layac Line. The North Luzon Force becomes the I Philippine Corps, containing about 22,500 men of 1st, 31st, 71st, and 91st Divisions, all Philippine Army (PA), 26th Cavalry Philippine Scouts (PS), miscellaneous troops, and supporting weapons. The Bataan Defense Force is renamed II Philippine Corps and consists of about 25,000 men of the 11st, 21st, 41st, and 51st Divisions (all PA), 57th Infantry (PS) of the Philippine Division, and supporting weapons. The defense of Bataan as far south as the Mariveles Mountains is divided about equally between the two corps, I Corps being responsible for the western half and II Corps for the eastern half. The Service Command Area is located at the southern tip below the Mariveles Mountains and is the responsibility of Brigadier General A. C. McBride; in this area are the 2d Division Philippine Constabulary, organized on this date, provisional infantry units formed from USAAF personnel and a provisional battalion of USN and USMC personnel. Defenses on Bataan are organized in depth: the main line of resistance (MLR) extends from Mauban on the west to Mabatang on the east, a distance of 20 miles (32 kilometers); the outpost line (OPL) is disposed before the MLR; and the rear line of defense is being formed to be manned by the U.S. Army Forces, Far East (USAFFE) reserve, i.e., the U.S. Philippine Division, less the 57th Infantry Regiment; a tank group; a self-propelled mount group. Photo: Filipinos and Americans soldiers behind a camouflaged barricade on Bataan Peninsula
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 8, 2021 8:22:53 GMT
Day 861 of World War II, January 8th 1942Eastern FrontFollowing the start of the Northern arm of the general offensive yesterday, Zhukov’s Soviet West Front (whose area includes Moscow) attacks towards Mozhaysk which is defended by the rested and well-dug in infantry of German 4th Army. Air War over EuropeDuring the night of 8/9 January, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 151 aircraft to bomb German warships and the port area at Brest; 69 aircraft attack the warships and 49 hit the port area. In a second raid, 11 of 31 aircraft attack the port area at Cherbourg. Western Desert CampaignAxis forces retreat from El Agheila to Agedabia. A flag of truce waving from the Italian positions around Halfaya Pass (Hellfire Pass) has for a moment brought a flash of chivalry and mercy into this ruthless war of tanks and bombs and bayonets. The white flag have immunity to an Italian medical officer bringing out five wounded Allied airmen so that they could receive attention from the South Africans besieging the position. He passes unmolested through the lines - lines from which only a few minutes before men had been sniping and shelling, aiming only to kill - and explained that the besieged Italians had no medical supplies with which to treat the wounded. It was therefore, he said only humane that the airmen - crew of a British bomber that had crashed in the Italian lines - should be brought out to their friends. Then the Italian officer is sent back under a safe conduct with a large supply of surgical dressings for his own wounded. The interesting question here-- just what were those Italians doing at Halfaya (Hellfire") Pass on 8 January 1942? The Axis forces had retreated from the Tobruk area (itself a good ways west of Halfaya) a month earlier, on 8 December, after losing the "Crusader" battle, and were now almost 500 miles (805 kilometers) to the west! The answer: a primarily-Italian garrison, built around the 55th Division Savona and under the orders of that division's commander, Lieutenant General Fedele De Giorgis, is still holding on despite being completely surrounded, badly outnumbered, 500 miles (805 kilometers) in the British rear, and (as seen by the situation with medical supplies cited below) running out of every essential. A sort of advanced outpost position to begin with (protecting the coastal route through the pass but easily outflanked by movement through the desert, which was exactly how the British began the "Crusader" offensive), they had been left behind but refused to surrender. The Italians tried to run some supplies into them using submarines (on one such run the sub in question was attacked by German Stukas as it surfaced near Sollum), but could only bring in a meager amount in that fashion. Pilots of No. 3 Squadron RAAF flying (P-40) Kittyhawks attack 35 Italian aircraft and eight Luftwaffe Bf 109s that are preparing to attack advancing British forces southeast of Agedabia. The Aussies claim seven aircraft destroyed and four probably destroyed vs. one Kittyhawk lost. Middle EastIn Baghdad, a court sentences Rashid Ali, who led an anti-British coup last year, to death in absentia. United KingdomU.S. Major General James E Chaney is designated Commanding General US Army Forces in British Isles (USAFBI); he continues as the Chief, Special Observer Group, US Army (SPOBS). United StatesThe War Department orders that only USAAF, antiaircraft and service troops be sent to Australia where the emphasis will be placed on the rapid build up of the USAAF Far East Air Force. Congress establishes the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) which will be headed by New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. The Federal Government orders the distillery industry to convert 60 percent of its whiskey-making capacity to ethyl alcohol production, a move that will sharply increase the availability of explosive smokeless powder. CanadaIn Vancouver, British Columbia, Federal Minister Ian Mackenzie announces that the Royal Mounted Canadian Police will be registering all Japanese-Canadians in British Columbia; a national security matter under the War Measures Act. They are later moved inland to detention camps. Photo: "Longueuil, Quebec. Workmen assemble a 2-pounder pompom gun mounting at the Dominion Engineering Works Ltd. plant. " Comment : This shows a front view of a 4-barrel ant-aircraft mounting of 2-pounder pom-poms Pacific WarEAST INDIES Japanese troops advance into Jesselton, the capital of British North Borneo, and haul down the Union Flag. The British had little choice but to quit the town. On 15 December, when the Japanese 124th Infantry Regiment came ashore at the burning oilfields at Miri, all the British Empire had to oppose them was one Indian battalion, the local Sarawak Rangers and the police. From Miri two Japanese battalions sailed west to the airfield at Kuching, where they are still fighting; a third sailed east and took Jesselton. Japanese forces also occupy Beaufort, British North Borneo. HAWAIIAN ISLANDS The Japanese submarine I-19 launches a "Glen" seaplane to fly a reconnaissance mission over Pearl Harbor. MALAYA General Archibald Lord Wavell, who has been named Commander in Chief Amercian-British- Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, visits the Malayan front, where preparations are being made for the withdrawal of the Indian III Corps into Johore. The Australian 8th Division (less the 22nd Brigade Group) is ordered to move to northwestern Johore to meet the main Japanese drive on the Gegamat-Mount Ophir-Muar line. The Australians will be supplemented by the last four battalions of the Indian 9th Division. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS On Luzon, the front is quiet as the Japanese regroup for a drive on Bataan and U.S. and Philippine forces organize defense positions. Map: Situation on Bataan, 8 January 1942 THAILAND The Japanese 21st Infantry Regiment and supporting units land on the Kra Peninsula at Singora and Patani. Pilots of the 3d Fighter Squadron of the American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) shoot down three "Ann" bombers over Mesoht.
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Post by lordroel on Jan 9, 2021 14:33:12 GMT
Day 862 of World War II, January 9th 1942YouTube (Washington DC Abandons The Troops in the Field)Eastern Front200 miles Northwest of Moscow, Soviet Northwest Front is fully engaged. 3rd and 4th Shock Armies (read: hastily-assembled, poorly-trained troops with little equipment, ammunition or food) cross the icy marshes of Lake Seliger in waist-deep snow. 4th Shock, attacking Southwest towards Andreapol, is decimated by German machineguns at Peno but sheers weight of numbers overcomes the Germans. 3rd Shock fails to make progress attacking West towards Kholm. Further North, Soviet 11th Army approaches the town of Staraya Russa, defended by the experienced but exhausted German 18th Motorised Division, resting after the battles at Tikhvin. Western Desert CampaignThe South African 2d Division of 30 Corps, British Eighth Army, attacks Sollum, just across the Egyptian border, and captures it early on 12 January. 13 Corps pursues Rommel's forces toward El Agheila, a strong natural position. Battle of the MediterraneanItalian mines sink British submarine HMS Triumph, returning to the Greek island of Milos to pick up British agents dropped off on December 26, 1941 (all 59 hands lost). 70 miles Northwest of Mersa Matruh, Egypt, a British Sunderland aircraft (230 Squadron) depth charges U-568 causing minor damage. United States The plan to dispatch the U.S. V Corps, reinforced, and air and supply forces to Northern Ireland (Operation MAGNET) is approved. Pacific War BORNEO RAF planes from Malaya terminate action over Borneo with a reconnaissance flight over Kuching. JAVA SEA BETWEEN JAVA AND BORNEO Japanese submarine I.65 damages a tanker which escapes and sinks Dutch freighter SS Benkoeln (101 survivors on rafts rescued by American destroyer USS Paul Jones next day). Japanese submarine I.58 sinks Dutch SS Camphuijs (survivors also rescued by USS Paul Jones next day). CHINA As consideration of the U.S. role in China continues in Washington, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, decides to recommend against sending Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drumto China because of the small effort that is currently to be made there. MALAYA Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, issues instructions for withdrawal of the Indian 3 Corps into Johore, where a final stand before Singapore Naval Baseis to be made. The corps begins a withdrawal at once, executing a demolition program as it goes. The Indian 11th Division and line of communications troops are to delay the enemy along two lines: one covering Seremban and Port Dickson, and the other covering Tampin and Malacca; Indian 9th Division is to clear Kuala Pilah and Tampin, respectively. PACIFIC The submarine USS Pollack torpedoes and sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship 40 miles SSW of Inubozaki, Japan. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS On Bataan, the Japanese open an assault at 1500 hours. From the Dinalupihan- Hermosa area, three regimental combat teams with artillery support move forward, two against the II Corps on the east and one toward the I Corps sector on west. None of the columns reaches the outpost line. The II Corps, defending the Abucay line (from Mabatang on Manila Bay to Mt Natib) with 57th Infantry Philippine Scouts on the east, 41st Division Philippine Army (PA) in the center and the 51st Division (PA) on the west, opens fire on the enemy combat team driving down the East Road and makes patrol contact with it. To the west, another Japanese column advances unmolested down the trail from Dinalupihan to the vicinity of Album. Photo: the Abucay Line during the Battle of Bataan, 9-23 January 1942 In the I Corps area, the enemy column from Dinalupihan is slowed only by demolitions while moving west along Route 7 toward Olongapo. Disposed along I Corps' Mauban line (Mt.t Silanganan on the east to Mauban on Subic Bay) are Company K of the 1st Infantry (PA); 3lst Field Artillery Battalion of the 3lst Div (PA) organized as infantry; and the 3d Infantry of the 1st Division (PA). Additional troops are maintaining the outpost line to the front. Photo: Men of H Company, 2d Battalion, US 4th Marines moved ammunition to Longoskawayan Point, Luzon, Philippines Five of nine USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, based at Singosari Airdrome on Java and staging through Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies, strike shipping in Davao Bay, Mindanao. The other four aircraft turn back with mechanical problems. THAILAND Pilots of the 2d Fighter Squadron, American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) attack Tak Airdrome at Rahaeng and destroy four Japanese aircraft on the ground. GALAPAGOS ISLANDS A U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina "52-P-11" from Patrol Squadron 52 (VP-52), attached to Patrol Wing 2 (PATWING TWO) based at Seymour Bay, Galapagos, makes a hard a landing off Galopagoas Island due to fuel exhaustion. The crew (pilot Lt(jg) W.T. Sutherland, ENS W.J. Lahodney, RM1 L.L. Weiss (NAP), RM2 J.P. Carlson, SEA1 H.C. Martin, AMM2 J.W. Miller, and RM3 W.B. Valyou) are rescued. The crewless plane was taken under tow by USS Richmond (CL-9) eight days later but sank in bad weather. Photo: crew from the USS Richmond (CL-9) attempted to salvage the downed aircraft TRUK LAGOON A Royal Australian Air Force reconnaissance photo of Truk Lagoon is flown by flight Lieutenant Yeowart and crew in a specially fitted Lockheed Hudson Mk IV of No. 6 Squadron RAAF. This operation involved a return flight of 2261 km from Kavieng, New Britain, and was the longest sea reconnaissance which the RAAF had undertaken in a land based aircraft. Photo: The concentration of enemy shipping and aircraft seen in Truk Lagoon by the picture taken by the ockheed Hudson Mk IVs
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 10, 2021 7:50:50 GMT
Day 863 of World War II, January 10th 1942Eastern FrontGermans are unprepared for the Soviet offensive, not realizing the extensive Russian reserves of manpower, with little or no winter clothing and thin defenses in many places. Konev’s Kalanin Front begins to surround German 9th Army at Rhzev; 29th Army attacking from the North while 39th Army makes a deep penetration in the flank Northwest of Rhzev. Battle of the Atlantic First US troop convoy to Britain (convoy NA1; 2 troop transports escorted by British destroyers HMS Beverley, Hamilton and Rockingham) departs Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Battle of the MediterraneanFrom 5 PM to 8 PM 40 miles Northeast of Sidi Barrani, Egypt, British destroyer HMS Legion and Dutch destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers drop 43 depth charges on U-374, which escapes but is damaged and unable to submerge. In the Ionian Sea 120 miles West of Patras, Greece, British submarine HMS Thrasher sinks Italian steamer Fedora (from Brindisi, Italy, to Patras). Arctic naval operationsAt 7.22 AM 75 miles North of Murmansk in the Barents Sea, U-584 sinks soviet submarine M-175 (all 21 hands lost). United StatesThe USN Bureau of Ships orders that the Cleveland Class light cruiser Amsterdam (CL-59), which is under construction in Camden, New Jersey, be completed as an aircraft carrier (CV). This is the first of nine light cruisers that are completed as small aircraft carriers. The Ford Motor Company signs a contract to manufacture Jeeps. The Willys-Overland Company is the prime contractor for the vehicle but because of the demand for it, the huge manufacturing capacity of Ford is enlisted. Congress imposes price controls on most food and goods. Pacific War AUSTRALIA The landing ship HMAS Kanimbla sails from Melbourne, Victoria, escorting convoy MS.1 consisting of three ships bound for Singapore and four for the Netherlands East Indies. Meanwhile, the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra sails from Sydney, New South Wales, escorting convoy MS.2 to Singapore. HQ USAAF Far East Air Forces authorizes the activation of the 17th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) . The unit is based at Brisbane, Queensland, equipped with P-40s and manned by (1) experienced pilots evacuated from the Philippines in a convoy that reached Australia on 22 December 1941 and (2) inexperienced pilots arriving from the U.S. The latter are being trained using ad hoc courses at RAAF bases. BORNEO While on a reconnaissance flight, a Dutch Dornier Do-24K flying boat spots a Japanese invasion force consisting of transports escorted by two heavy cruisers and eight destroyers heading for Tarakan Island and gives the alarm. Tarakan is a 117 square mile (303 square kilometer) island in the East Celebes Sea off the northeast coast of Borneo. The main objective of the invasion is the capture of the huge oilfields, oil refineries and airfield located on the island but the Dutch commander gives the order to set fire to all oilfields and damage or destroy the refineries. Map: Dutch defensive positions on Tarakan, 1942 BURMA The commander of Indian 17th Division arrives in Burma to take charge of Tenasserim operations. MALAYA The Indian 3 Corps abandons Port Swettenham and Kuala Lumpur while falling back to cover the Port Dickson and Seremban area. Japanese planes, which since late December have been making night attacks on airdromes on Singapore, begin daylight raids on the airdromes. Westforce, consisting of the Australian 8th Division (less 22nd Brigade), Indian 9th Division, Indian 45th Brigade Group, the 2/Loyal Regiment (less one company), and supporting units is established. The Governor of Singapore sends out a message stating, "The day of minute papers has gone. There must be no more passing of files from one department to another, and from one officer in a department to another" to which The Straits Times newspaper responds, "This announcement is about two and a half years too late." NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES General Archibald Lord Wavell, Commander in Chief Australian-British- Dutch-American (ABDA) Command, South WestPacific area, flies to Java, where he confers with members of the ABDA staff; he then establishes headquarters at the Grand Hotel in Lembang, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Bandoeng. Wavell assumes supreme command of all forces in the area; U.S. Lieutenant General George H. Brett, USAAF, is deputy commander; and U.S. Admiral Thomas C. Hart is to command the naval forces. Photo: The first ABDACOM conference. Seated around the table, from left: Admirals Layton, Helfrich, and Hart, General ter Poorten, Colonel Kengen (at head of table), and Generals Wavell, Brett, and Brereton PACIFIC Three Allied submarines sink Japanese ships. (1) USS Pickerel (SS-177) torpedoes and sinks a Japanese gunboat at the mouth of Davao Gulf, off Cape San Augustin, Philippine Islands; (2) USS Stingray (SS-186) torpedoes and sinks a Japanese cargo ship in the South China Sea off the south coast of Hainan Island; and (3) Dutch submarine HNLMS O-19 torpedoes and sinks a Japanese army cargo ship and torpedoes a merchant cargo ship at the mouth of the Gulf of Siam. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS On Bataan, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief US Army Forces Far East, makes his only visit to the peninsula and his failure to return causes deep bitterness among the defenders. The Japanese make their first surrender demand, dropping it from the air. In the II Corps area, a Japanese force driving south along the East Road splits, most of it moving west; both forces reach the outpost line along the Calaguiman River below Samal and exerts strong pressure against it. A Japanese column pushing south in central Bataan is slowed by the jungle terrain. In the I Corps area, the Japanese Western assault force reaches Olongapo without opposition. Far East Air Force fighter units complete a movement (begun 24 December 1941) from various bases on Luzon to the Bataan Peninsula.
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