13 December - 19 December 1941

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13 December 1941

Gazala , Libya : New Zealand and Indian troops of the Eighth Army launched an attack on the Axis held Gazala Line in Libya while the Germans launched a counterattack. British tanks exploited the gap opened by Indian troops, but the advance was soon halted by German tanks. Although the Trieste Division successfully held south of Gazala Line at Alem Hamza, 1st Battalion The Buffs from 5th Indian Infantry succeeded in taking Point 204, some miles west of Alem Hamza. They were thus left in a vulnerable salient and 7th Indian Infantry Brigade to their left were ordered to send northwards 4th battalion 11th Sikh Regiment, supported by guns from 25th Field Regiment and 12 Valentine tanks from 8th Royal Tank Regiment, to ease their position. The force found itself confronted by the Afrika Korps, fielding 39 tanks and 300 lorries of infantry and guns. Once again, the 7th Armoured Division were not in place to intervene, and it was left to the force’s artillery and supporting tanks to face the threat. They took heavy casualties but 11th Sikh Regiment and British Field Artillery managed to knock out nine German tanks and to stall the counterattack.

13th Corps commander General Godwin-Austen ordered Gott to get the British armour to a position that it could engage the Afrika Korps since he was unaware that 7th Armored Division commander General Gott and his senior commanders were no longer confident they could defeat the enemy directly (lack of confidence is never a good sign among senior officers) , despite their superiority in numbers. The Germans’ superior tactics and anti-tank artillery compels them to prefer making a wide detour to attack the enemy’s soft-skinned elements and lines of supply to immobilise them

Both sides incurred heavy casualties in men and equipment after the day’s fighting.

Russia : After a massive artillery and rocket bombartment General Semyon Timoshenko’s Southwest Front assaulted German lines at junction of 2. Panzer Army and 2. German Army in further north. 2. German Army withdrew, leaving 2. Panzer Army’ flank unprotected. Field Marshall Fedor von Bock secretly ordered Army Group Center to withdraw to a winter line 90 miles west of current positions, without informing Hitler.

Hong Kong : Chinese troops mounted an offensive against Japanese troops in the Hong Kong area; earlier on the same day, the last British troops in Kowloon on the mainland were evacuated onto Hong Kong island. Japanese 38th Division which broke mainlnd British defences in Gindrinkers Line , is preparing to land on Hong Kong island itself.

Philippines : Japanese Navy aircraft again struck the US Navy base at Olongapo at Subic Bay at Luzon, Philippine Islands. Various other bases and airfields in the Manila Bay area were attacked as well.

Mediterranean Sea : Naval Battle of Cape Bon : With decoding of Italian wireless encryption , Royal Navy Destroyer Force 4 (Royal Navy destroyers HMS Sikh, HMS Maori, and HMS Legion and Dutch destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers) sortied from Gibraltar , intercepted Italian light cruisers Alberto da Giussano and Alberico da Barbiano (full of fuel and other supplies bound to North Africa) and torpedo boat Cigno under command of Vice Admiral Antonio Toscana off Cape Bon, Tunisia at 0325 hours. In a well executed night action Royal Navy destroyers torpedoed both Alberto da Giussano and Alberico da Barbiano. The two Italian cruisers sank (1,020 killed along with Admiral Toscana , 645 survived) with nearly 2,000 tons of aviation fuel meant for Axis forces fighting in North Africa.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Upright torpedoed and sank Italian troop transports Fabio Filzi and Carlo del Greco off Cape Vito , Sicily.

Berlin , Germany : Goebbels wrote in his diary “The World War is here, the extermination of the Jews must be the necessary consequence.”

South China Sea and British Malaya : Just after 0000 hours, Dutch submarine O.16 entered Mueang Patani, Thailand and damaged four Japanese freighters with six torpedoes, sinking a number of them in shallow water. All ships would later be repaired and put back into service. On Malaya at 0200 hours, rearguard 11th Indian Division troops blew up the bridge at Jitra, British Malaya before joining the main body falling back toward Gurun to the south. Later on the same day, Japanese troops from 5th Division arrived at the abandoned airfield at Alor Setar, British Malaya, capturing bombs and aviation fuel. Now in possesion of two main airfields captured almost intact and with four times more aircraft and total air superiorty General Yamashimata’s 25th Army is ready to march towards south on British Malaya and main British naval base “Gibraltar of East” Singapore with in 100 day target set by Tokyo. British strategists at the other hand do not expect Japanese to move south from Khota Baru towards Malaya at all because of thick jungle till Japanese secured their rear in Thailand and Burma.

Japanese tanker Taizan Maru was torpedoed and sunk by Free Durch submarine HNLMS K XII off French IndoChina.

Burma : Further up Malay Peninsula, the British evacuated Victoria Point, the Burmese town nearest to the Thai border.

Borneo : Indian troops destroy oil installitions in Sarawak and Brunei.

Belgium : German Gestapo arrested Soviet Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) radio operator Mikhail Makarov in the Rue des Atrebates, Brussels, Belgium. There followed a year long series of arrests of Soviet Agents across Europe including the complete elimination of the “Red Orchestra” espionage group. By 1943 the Soviets would have no active agents still operating within greater Germany.

Kola Peninsula : Allied convoy PQ-5 arrived at Arkhangelsk, Russia.

United Kingdom : British battleship HMS Duke Of York departed the Clyde, Scotland, United Kingdom with Winston Churchill on board, sailing for the United States. The battleship was escorted by destroyers HMS Faulknor, HMS Foresight, and HMS Matabele.

The British police raided the office of Lord Sempill who had been passing military secrets to the Japanese for some years. Various secret document were discovered which he should have handed back to the Admiralty three weeks earlier.

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14 December 1941

Gazala , Libya : By direct orders from 13th Corps commander General Godwin-Austen , British 4th Armored Brigade moved south toward Bir Halegh el Eleba, Libya in a plan to outflank Axis forces on the Gazala Line. On the same day, the Polish Independent Brigade was deployed under 2nd New Zealand Division command in Libya.
On 14 December, the Polish Independent Brigade was brought forward to join the New Zealanders and prepare a new attack against north of Gazala Line for the early hours of 15 December. The attack by 5th New Zealand Division led with 23rd Battalion went in at 03:00, taking the defenders by surprise. Both brigades made good progress , overrunning Italian position with bayonet charge capturing 400 Italian prisoners from Pavia division and several Italian guns but narrowly failed to breach the line. On 14 December, to the south, there was little activity from the Afrika Korps and 7th Indian Infantry Brigade were limited to patrolling through a shortage of ammunition as supply problems multiplied. At Alem Hamza, 5th Indian Brigade renewed their attack but made no progress against determined defence and at Point 204 5th Indian Brigade’s battalion of the Royal East Kent Regiment (“The Buffs”), supported by ten I tanks, an armoured car squadron of the Central India Horse, a company of Bombay Sappers and Miners and the artillery of 31st Field Regiment and elements of 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment and some anti-aircraft guns, were attacked by ten or twelve tanks, the remnants of the Ariete Armoured Division, which they beat off.

Four ten man squads from L Detachment of SAS Regiment set of from their temporary base on Jalo Oasis 160 miles behid enemy lines to raid four undefended Axis airfields. Capt. David Stirling’s and Lt. Paddy Mayne’s squads will attack two seperate enemy airfields at Sirte. Lt. Jock Lewes squad will advance and attack raid El Aghelia airfield and one week later Lt. Bill Fraser’s squad will target Agadebia airfield

Washington , USA : US Congress authorized the US Navy to keep enlisted men in service past their enlistment expiration.

Russia : Due to severe pressure of Red Army counter offensive , German Army Chief of Staff General Franz Halder and General Günther von Kluge gave permission for a limited withdrawal for troops of the Army Group Center in the Moscow area to the west of the Oka river, without Hitler’s approval.

Philippine Sea : USS Seawolf fired a torpedo at Japanese seaplane carrier Sanyo Maru off Aparri, Philippine Islands; the torpedo hit its target but failed to detonate.

Mediterranean Sea : Royal Navy submarine HMS Urge intercepted and torpedoed Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto in the Strait of Messina between southern Italy and the island of Sicily; the heavy damage caused by this torpedo attack would put Italian battleship out of action for eight months.

Just before midnight, German submarine U-557 intercepted and torpedoed Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Galatea, sinking her 35 miles west of Alexandria. 470 were killed in the sinking and 154 survived.

Atlantic Ocean : Porteguise cargo ship Cassequel was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-108

Pacific Ocean : Norwegian cargo ship Hoeg Merchant was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-4

Hong Kong : The British authorities at Hong Kong refused the Japanese demand for surrender.

Burma : A battalion from the Japanese 143rd Infantry Regiment crossed Kra Istmus from Thai border and occupied Victoria Point and three airfields, Burma on the Kra River near the Thai-Burmese border.
Invasion of Burma has began. Tokyo decided to give permission to the 15th Japanese Army commander General Iida to launh the attack because invasion of Malaya by General Yamashita’s 25th Army goes according to plan so far and requires no longer rear protection from 15th Army. General Iida’s first objective is port city Rangoon in south of Burma and cut main supply line called “Burma Road” to Chinese Nationalists led by General Chiang Kai-shek. Logistics favour Iida , he is commanding four Japanese divisions about 70.000 men from 15th Army plus 200 aircraft in air support while Burma Command has only two weak divisions

Thailand : Thai Prime Minister Plaek Pibunsongkhram signed a secret agreement with Japan which formally allowed Japanese troops to operate in Thailand.

10 Japanese troop transports departed Cam Ranh Bay, Indochina, with the Borneo invasion force on board. The convoy was escorted by three cruisers and six destroyers

Philippines : 6.500 Japanese troops from 14th Army under command of General Homma landed on northern shores of Luzon , most developed central island of Phillippines , only 250 km away from capital Manila. Japanese vanguard captured Tuguegararo from Philippine militias. Three US B-17 bombers took off from the Del Monte airfield on Mindanao to bomb the Japanese beachhead at Legaspi, Luzon , on return trip one B-17 was attacked 18 Japanese Zero fighters but despite heavy sdamage managed to land back to Del Monte , its gunners shooting down three Japanese Zeroes.

British Malaya : At 1500 hours, Japanese troopsfrom 5th Division overran British and Indian defenses near Gurun, British Malaya but failed to reach the town.

Wake Island : Japanese reconnaissance flying boats from Wotje and Roi, Marshall Islands bombed Wake Island in a pre-dawn raid, damaging Camp One facilities, the airstrip, and a fighter; Wake Atoll’s aircraft was now operating on only one airstrip. After daybreak, more Japanese land-based attack aircraft struck the atoll.

Poland : With the gassings at Chelmno having been proved effective, swift and secret, SS General Reinhardt Heydrich called a conference in Berlin to discuss the ‘future’ of Europe’s Jews. The date set for the conference was early January. ‘Do you imagine they’re going to be housed in neat estates in the Baltic Provinces!’, Hans Frank, ruler of the General Government, asked his senior officials on December 16, and he added: ‘We were told in Berlin: why all this bother? We’ve got no use for them either in the Ostland or in the Eastern Territories. Liquidate them yourselves!’ Frank himself had no objection at all to this particular ‘future’ for the Jews of Poland. ‘I ask nothing of the Jews,’ he told his officials, ‘except that they should disappear.’ What was needed, he said, were ‘steps which, one way or another, will lead to extermination, in conjunction with the large-scale measures under discussion in the Reich’. What those ‘large-scale measures’ might be, the January conference would reveal.

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15 December 1941

Gazala , Libya : Once he learned that 4th British Armored Brigade scouts began to overflank Gazala Line from south , Rommel despite objections of his staff and superiors decided to abandon Gazala line and pull back as far as El Aghelia position (where he started nine months ago) especially after learning the loss of inbobund fuel vital for Axis air operations aboard two light light Italian cruisers which were sunk the day before during Naval Battle of Cape Bon. When General Bastico and Field Mashal Kesselring raised objections , Rommel , aware of the fact that only 30 panzers left intact in entire Panzer Group Afrika and his troops were too exhausted , no reserves left plus Axis supply convoys sunk regularly in Mediterranean , replied that without air cover there was no way to hold Gazala line. (in fact after their bitter experiences in Sidi Rezegh battles three weeks ago , British armored brigade and division commanders like Strafer Gott and Gatehouse suddenly became too hesistant and pessimistic in mobile operations , doubting their forces and their own ability to destroy Afrikakorops in open battle depite 13th Corps commander General Godwin-Austen’s ortders to finish off severing Gazala line. Rommel ironically gave more value to combat effectiveness of 7th British Armored Division than British armored division generals)

In the afternoon General Erwin Rommel ordered the Cyrenaica region of Libya abandoned, using his remaining tanks to guard Point 204 on the Gazala Line as rearguard for German Italian Panzer Group Afrika that would begin to fall back. To cover the retreat General Cruewell leading 15th Panzer Division staged a limited counter attack on British held Point 204 , routing 1st Buffs Battalion attached to 7th Indian Brigade in a suprise attack , capturing 531 prisoners , 100 trucks , 20 guns and recovering Point 204 though 8th Panzer Regiment leading this attack also suffered severe casaulties. To the southwest, British 4th Armoured Brigade arrived at Bir Halegh el Eleba at 1500 hours where they planned to outflank the Axis forces. The scout car squadrons of 4th Armored Brigade reached retreat route of Panzer Army on coastal road , causing havoc and destroying multiple Axis soft skinned vehicles retreating over road and among Axis rear area supply , logistics and repair facilities. 26 damaged panzers in repair ships were destroyed or abandoned as German and Italian rear guard abandon Gazala Line before 4th Armored Brigade

Agadebia and El Aghelia , Libya : L Detachment of SAS Regiment under command of Capt Stirling struck on three Axis airfields in well executed simultaneus night raids. Stirling’s squad attacked Sirte airfield but finding no aircraft , they retreated empty handed. Lt. Paddy Mayne’s squad raided on Tamet airfield , destroyed 14 German and 10 Italian planes on the ground plus three ammunition dumps and two fuel tanks by using Lewes bombs meanwhile Lt. Mayne and a few of his squad bursted a party nearby pilots hut , killed German and Italian aircews inside then retreated back from airfield. Lt Jock Lewes squad attacked Merse brega airfierld close by but they too found no aircraft and instead they blew up 42 Italian trucks full of weapons and ammunition and two supply depots with Lewes bombs killed about 55 Italians during a shootout while escaping on captured Italian vehicles (time bombs designed by Lt. Jock Lewes himself ) shooting up an Italian military brothel on the way. All three squads without suffering a single loss regrouped at their temporary base Jalo Oasis next day.

Russia : To the north of Moscow, Russia, Russian tanks from 32nd Soviet Army cut the road west of Klin; to prevent encirclement, the German 3rd Panzer Army abandoned Klin at 2130 hours and fled to the southwest, abandoning most of its heavy equipment. On the same day, Soviet state offices moved back to Moscow.

On the Leningrad front, Field Marshal von Leeb asked permission for Army Group North to make a general withdrawal. Hitler refused to agree; that evening, as he left Berlin for Rastenburg on board his special train, Amerika , he drafted his first ‘halt’ order for the Russian front. ‘Any large-scale retreat by major sections of the Army in midwinter,’ he warned, ‘given only limited mobility, insufficient winter equipment, and no prepared positions in the rear, must inevitably have the gravest consequences.’

Burma : Archibald Wavell received a cable from Winston Churchill, which warned him of a likely Japanese invasion of Burma.

Hong Kong : A group of 300 Japanese troops crossed the Lye Mun Channel onto Hong Kong island at 0300 hours, but the Allied defenders on the beach drove off this amphibious attack. Starting on this date, the Japanese artillery and aerial bombardment on the northern coast of Hong Kong island began.

Philippines : The US B-17 bombers at the Del Monte airfield on Mindanao, Philippine Islands were ordered to fly to Australia on the following day.

Atlantic Ocean : Naval Battle of Convoy HG-76 started. Vectored to a submarine contact by a radio triangulation report , Australian destroyer HMAS Nestor located and sank German submarine U-127 (awaiting Allied convoy HG-76 sail away from Gibraltar) with depth charges 200 miles west of Gibraltar, killing all 51 aboard.

British cargo ship Empire Barracuda was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-77

British Malaya , South China Sea : Japanese troops overran the Allied defenses at Gurun, Kedah in Malaya, opening up the road toward Penang. On the same day, the British abandoned RAF Butterworth in Penang, flying all of of the remaining aircraft to Singapore. With capture of Butterworth Japanese would control five of the eleven total airfields in the peninsula and would be mere 360 miles away from Singapore. Dutch submarine HNMS O 16 struck a mine and sank 22 miles northeast of Tioman Island, British Malaya at 0230 hours, killing 41.

Australian New Guinea : Australian Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Erwin spotted the Japanese invasion fleet, 19 barges and 1 transport, gathering at Kapingamarangi northeast of Rabaul, Bismarck Islands. Hudson medium bombers were dispatched to attack, but they caused no damage.

Hawaii : Japanese reconnaissance flying boats bombed Wake Island. Meanwhile, US Navy Task Force 14 (USS Saratoga, USS Astoria, USS Tangier, with escorts; under Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher), carrying a US Marine Corps expeditionary force consisted of elements of the 4th Defense Battalion and Marine Fighter Squadron 211, departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii to reinforce Wake.

Latvia , Baltics : German SS personnel began killing the remaining Jews in Liepaja, Latvia, most of whom were women and children.

Crimea : In three days SS Einstazgruppen Special Task Forces execute 14.500 Jews.

Paris , France : The German occupation authorities executed 100 Jewish hostages and Communist resistance leader Gabriel Peri.

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16 December 1941

Borneo : Japanese Naval Landing Detachment troops landed on British Borneo at 0500 hours and captured the oil fields at Miri and Seria and the oil refinery at Lutong. British and Dutch authorities began to issue orders to destroy other oil related facilities to avoid further capture.

Libya : As Axis troops in North Africa began to fall back towards El Agheila in Libya in earnest, British 4th Armoured Brigade failed to outflank the retreat in the Bir Halegh el Eleba region. Early in the morning with Rommel’s orders Panzer Group Afrika began evacuating Gazala Line. However 13th Corps commander General Godwin-Austen’s constant orders to overflank the enemy from south and cut coastal route was not obeyed by 7th Armored Division and 4th Armored Brigade commanders (Generals Gott and Gatehouse) who were reluctant and hesistant to engage with mobile forces of Afrikakorps on a battle of maneuver. 2nd New Zealand and 4th Indian Divisions restarted their frontal attack on Gazala line early morning in earnest though and despite being halted by a very good rear guard action of Panzer Group Afrika , New Zealand Maori troops from 5th NZ Brigade captured Bir-en Naghia hill on the center of Gazala defences with a bayonet charge in late afternoon , bagging 200 Italian prisoners.

To supply the Axis forces operating in Libya and after latest supply convoy disasters in Mediterranean, the Italian Navy dispatched a convoy of four freighters from Taranto, Italy, escorted by a powerful fleet of four battleships, five cruisers, twenty destroyers, and one torpedo boat.

Pacific Ocean : Hiryu, Soryu, Tone, Chikuma, and two destroyers broke from the Pearl Harbor attack force to reinforce the Wake Island attack force. Meanwhile, Japanese naval land-based aircraft bombed Wake Island.

Poland : During a cabinet meeting, Hans Frank, Gauleiter of Poland, asked his peers to shed any feeling of pity for the victims of the genocide.

Hawaii : Vice Admiral William Pye replaced Admiral Husband Kimmel as the acting Commander-in-Chief of the USN Pacific Fleet; he would soon be relieved by the newly-appointed permanent Pacific Fleet chief Rear Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was already en route to Hawaii.

USN Task Force 14, centered around USS Saratoga, departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii to relieve Wake Island.

Hong Kong : Japanese continued to bombard the northern shore of Hong Kong island by artillery and aircraft.

Russia : Soviet forces captured Kalinin, on Moscow Front , Russia. The lowest temperature recorded in this region of Russia on this date was -42 degrees Fahrenheit (-41 degrees Celsius).

Mediterranean Sea : In another remarkable incident of friendly attack among Axis ranks , Italian torpedo boat Orione mis-identified German submarine U-557 as a British submarine and rammed her 18 miles west of Crete, Greece at 2144 hours. U-557 sank, killing all 43 aboard. Orione sailed to Suda Bay, Crete to receive repairs for damage sustained during the ramming. Meanwhile a British convoy of two ships escorted by Force B of Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet under command of Vice Admiral Phillip Vian sailed away from Alexandria to Malta.

Bay of Biscay , France : Five German U-Boats departed from Biscay ports along the French coast for Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat) off the American coast.

Penang , British Malaya : European civilians began to evacuate from Penang, Malaya while Allied troops destroyed guns, ammunition dumps, and other military facilities to prevent Japanese capture; the radio station and the ships in the harbor, however, were overlooked and would later be pressed into Japanese service.

South China Sea : US submarine USS Spearfish torpedoed and sank Japanese cargo ship Atsutasan Maru (first Japanese vessel sunk by US submarines) south off Samah , China

Malta : Five German motor torpedo boats from Sicily, Italy entered Malta’s Valletta harbour during the night and laid seventy mines there.

Philippines : US B-17 bombers at Del Monte airfield on Mindanao in the Philippine Islands departed for Australia.

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17 December 1941

Hawaii : Seaplane from Japanese submarine I-7 conducted a reconnaissance mission on Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.

Pacific Ocean : Japanese submarines RO-62 and RO-66 collided 25 miles southwest of Wake Island at 2020 hours in bad weather while recharging their batteries on the surface. RO-66 sank; all 63 inside the submarine were killed, while the 3 men on duty atop the ship survived the sinking.

Gazala , Libya : In the first line of morning 2nd New Zealand Division scouts discovered that enemy positions in front of them are empty and the enemy had evacuated them , retreated during night. However due to Generals Gott and Gatehouse’s reluctance to engage Afrikakorps and lack of self confidence , they rerouted 4th Britsh Armorted Brigade to south instead of north , missing the chance of cutting enemy retreat.

Germany : General Walther von Brauchitsch CiC of German Army , again requested permission for him to resign due to health reasons. Hitler took over German Army Commander in Chief position upon himself

Hong Kong : The Japanese artillery and aerial bombardment on the northern coast of Hong Kong island, which began on 15 Dec 1941 and blasted every defensive position , harbour , airfield , air shelter with great accurancy , ceased at 1130 hours as the Japanese observed the raising of a white flag from the defensive positions on the beaches. At 1430 hours, Governor of Hong Kong Sir Mark Young again rejected the Japanese demand for surrender. The bombardment would resume shortly after.

Ukraine : Field Marshal Fedor von Bock was relieved as the commander-in-chief of German Army Group Center; the official reason was health concerns.(actually relieved of his duty by Hitler’s instructions due to his failure to adhere Hitler’s No Retreat orders)

Atlantic Ocean : Battle of Convoy HG-76 , German submarines U-67, U-107, U-108, U-131, and U-434 formed wolfpack “Seerauber” shadowed Allied convoy HG-76 en route from Gibraltar to Britain (escorted by 1st Escort Group trained and led by Captain Frederic “Johnny” Walker , a skilled anti-submarine warfare expert on sloop HMS Stork and escort carrier HMS Audacity.) At 0925 hours, 230 miles northeast of Madeira, a Martlet aircraft from carrier HMS Audacity discovered German submarine U-131 on the surface , just ten miles north of convoy and called Royal Navy escort vessels of 36th Escort Group to the location. U-131 crash dived but Royal Navy destroyers HMS Exmoor , HMS Blankney , HMS Stanley , corvette HMS Penstemon and Captain Walker’s flag ship sloop HMS Stork located her with a through sweep and badly damaged the submarged U-Boat with depth charges. At 1247 hours, U-131 was forced to surface. U-131 opened fire and shot down the Martlet aircraft (which was the first Allied aircraft to be shot down by an enemy submarine), but she was soon fatally damaged by gunfire from Royal Navy warships HMS Exmoor and HMS Stork. U-131 was scuttled at 1330 hours; all 47 aboard were captured by British ships.

Dutch East Indies : The 1,100-strong Australian Gull Force arrived at Ambon, Dutch East Indies to reinforce the Dutch garrison.

Germany : Five French prisoners of Oflag IV-C prisoners of war camp at Colditz Castle in Germany were sent to the town dentist for treatment. On the way back, escorted by two guards, three of them ran in three different directions; they would ultimately reach neutral Swiss territory successfully.

British Malaya : British and Indian troops established a defensive line 65 miles south of Penang, British Malaya near the Perak River.

Mediterranean Sea : Allied and Italian naval forces engaged in the First Battle of Sirte as convoys of each side unexpectedly came across each other 185 miles northwest of Benghazi, Libya. Italian battleships Littorio, Andrea Doria, and Giulio Cesare fired on Allied cruisers and destroyers (escorting a convoy inbound to Malta) from the distance of 32 kilometers, which was too far to hit accurately, but did still damage British destroyer HMS Kipling and Australian destroyer HMAS Nizam with near misses. British convoy reached Malta with supplies it carried though.

Italian tanker Lina was bombed and sunk by RAF Baltimore bombers off Tripoli , Libya.

Black Sea : Soviet submarine M-59 was depth charged and sunk by Romenian destroyer Regele Ferdinand

Philippines : American passenger ship Corregidor departed Manila, Philippine Islands with about 1,200 civilians on board; a short distance later, while still in Manila Bay, she struck a mine previously laid by Japanese submarine I-124 and sank, killing many. To the north, 24 transports with 7,000 Japanese troops aboard departed from the Ryukyu Islands, heading for Lamon Bay at eastern Luzon island.

Crimea , Ukraine : Another German assault on Fortified Sevastopol Defensive Zone held by Red Army and Soviet Navy was launched, consisted of 15,551 men.

Sarawak , Borneo : Japanese troops landed at Sarawak; British troops nearby, not strong enough to counter the Japanese offensive, destroyed oil refineries and withdrew. Japanese destroyer Shinonome struck a Dutch mine off Sarawak and sank.

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18 December 1941

Washington , USA : US Congress passed the First War Powers Act, giving the US President complete authority to reorganize the executive branch, independent government agencies, and government corporations during the time of war. It also authorized the US President to censor mail and other forms of communication between the United States and foreign countries

Hong Kong : As oil refineries on the northern coast of Hong Kong island burned with thick black smoke, 3,500 Japanese troopsfrom 38th Japanese Infantry Division crossed the Lye Mun Channel and established a beachhead at 2200 hours. Two hours later, another force of 4,000 would follow. Japanese troops executed 20 colonial Chinese prisoners of war at Sai Wan Hill, while 26 male medical personnel and 2 wounded soldiers were executed by beheading at the Salesian Mission Advanced Dressing Station; the female medical personnel at the latter location were set free after being forced to witness the beheading.

Germany : Hitler finally accepted Brauchitsch’s resignation, and took personal command of the Army and all Eastern Front operations. He fired Feldmarschall Bock, replacing him with Kluge.
Günther von Kluge’s Chief of Staff, Günther Blumentritt, took over command of the German Fourth Army pending the arrival of General Ludwig Kubler on 26 Dec 1941.

Russia : In Russia, German 3rd Panzer Army and 4th Panzer Army shook off the persuing Soviet forces and reached Lama River and Ruza River, respectively, on their retreat from the Moscow.

The Soviet Army created the Bryansk Front between the West and Southwestern Fronts.

Libya : British 4th Armoured Brigade reached Mechili, Libya, too far behind the main body of the retreating Axis forces to achieve its goal of out-flanking the retreat, specifically the German tanks.

Atlantic Ocean : Battle of Convoy HG-76 continues. Royal Navy destroyers HMS Stanley and HMS Blankney from 36th Escort Group, escorting Allied convoy HG-76, discovered shadowing German submarine U-434, one of four submarine shadowing the convoy, 560 miles west of Gibraltar at 0945 hours. After a severe and accurate depth charge attack by both HMS Stanley and HMS Blankney , U-434 was forced to surface. The 44 crew members of U-434 scuttled the submarine and jumped into the water; 42 would be captured while 2 were killed by HMS Blankney accidentally while the British destroyer approached.

China : The 1st and 2nd Squadrons of the American Volunteer Group was transferred to Kunming, Yunnan, China.

Mediterranean Sea : After a fruitless search of an Italian cargo ship , Force K (light cruisers HMS Aurora , HMS Penelope , HMS Neptune and destroyers HMS Lance , HMS Lively , HMS Kandahar) entered an Italian minefield while returning to Malta. Light cruiser HMS Neptune and destroyer HMS Kandahar struck mines and both sank with heavy loss of lives. Light cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Penelope were badlly damaged by mines but managed to return to Malta.

Philippines : Japanese troops captured Naga, Luzon, Philippine Islands. To the north, the invasion convoy for the Lingayen Gulf assault departed from Taiwan and the Pescadores islands.

Porteguise Timor : Dutch and Australian troops occupied Portuguese Timor to establish a defense against advancing Japanese forces.

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19 December 1941

Germany : Adolf Hitler relieved General Walther von Brauchitsch as army commander-in-chief and took over command of the army himself, promising “to educate it to be National Socialist”. Among the first orders he issued was the “no retreat” order, condemning thousands of troops to die in position outside of Moscow, Russia, without the chance to maneuver in defense.

Hong Kong : Japanese troops from 23rd Japanese Army reached the Wong Nai Chung Gap in central Hong Kong island where they were held by Canadian and colonial Chinese troops. Seven ships of the British Royal Navy (river gunboat HMS Tern, minelayer HMS Redstart, boom vessel HMS Watergate, boom vessel HMS Barlight, boom vessel HMS Aldgate, tug HMS Poet Chaucer, and tug HMS Alliance), along with five merchant vessels, were scuttled in the Hong Kong harbor to prevent Japanese capture.

Derna , Libya : Indian 4th Division captured Derna, Libya which was evacuated yesterday by retreating Panzer Group Afrika. To the west, 30 tanks arrived at Benghazi as Axis reinforcement with a recent Italian convoy.

Atlantic Ocean : Battle of Convoy HG-76 continues , multiple German submarines continued to shadow Allied convoy HG-76 en route between Gibraltar and Britain. At 0415 hours, 435 miles west of Lisbon, Portugal, U-574 fired 3 torpedoes at Royal destroyer HMS Stanley (old US four stack destroyer taken by Destroyers vs Bases Agreement) and sank her, killing 136. Royal Navy sloop HMS Stork having Captain Frederic Johnny Walker aboard , counterattacked with depth charges, forced U-574 to surface, and sank her by ramming at 0427 hours; 28 were killed, 16 survived and rescued by HMS Stork. At 0615 hours, U-108 attacked HG-76, damaging British transport Ruckinge (3 killed, 39 survived); corvette HMS Samphire scuttled Ruckinge by gunfire after all survivors were taken off.

Alexandria , Egypt : Italian frogmen on human torpedoes from Italian Navy elite Decima MAS underwater special forces , slipped into Alexandria harbour in Egypt during night and badly damaged Royal Navy WW1-era battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant with limpet mines; 6 Italian frogmen were captured in this mission. Although both battleships were later refloated , repaired and back to service within one year , their temporary loss coupled with the sinking in the previous month of the HMS Barham left the Royal Navy without a single capital ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea for at least six months , giving the Italian Navy superiority in the region.

Brest , France : In a daring daylight raid by 41 RAF Manchester bombers on the French port of Brest, the gates to the dock containing the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst were so badly damaged that the mighty warship would be confined at the port for a further month. Two aircraft of No. 97 Squadron were lost to ground fire and Luftwaffe fighters.

India : In India, General Archibald Wavell received a telegram from Chiang Kaishek in which the Chinese leader offered to join any plan proposed by the Allies.

Crimea , Ukraine : The Soviets landed 20,000 men on the Kerch Peninsula in Russia with the aim of lifting the siege of Sevastopol.

British Malaya : Japanese troops from 55th Japanese Division captured Penang on the Malay Peninsula.

South China Sea : Dutch submarine HLNMS 020 was shelled and sunk by Japanese destroyer Uranami

Pacific Ocean : Japanese Navy land-based attack aircraft from Roi, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands attacked Wake Atoll, seriously damaging defense battalion facilities at Camp One.

US cargo ship Prusa was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-72 , 150 miles south of Hawaii
US cargo ship Manana was torpedoed and sunk by Japanbese submarine I-75 , 108 miles south of Hawaii

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