20 - 26 December 1941

1

20 December 1941

Philippines : Douglas MacArthur was promoted to the rank of full four star general.

Russia : German Army Group Center pulled back and reached a defensive line 100 kilometers to its west, where it was to stand and fight in accordance with Adolf Hitler’s order after Hitler countermanded Franz Halder and Günther von Kluge’s order to withdraw six days earlier. As his troops continued to retreat, Hitler told General Halder: ‘The will to hold out must be brought home to every unit!’ This was easier to say than to achieve; according to Soviet figures, 55,000 German soldiers had been killed in the battle for Moscow, now so decisively ended.

On the other side of the line, Soviet troops attacked west from Tula, Russia, aiming for the rail and road junction at Kaluga.

Red Army liberated Volokolamsk

Murmansk , Kola Peninsula : Allied convoy PQ-6 arrived at Murmansk, Russia.

Berlin , Germany : Goebbels made the first radio broadcast appealing for winter clothing for troops on the Eastern Front.

Burma : Pilots of the 1st American Volunteer Group, “Flying Tigers”, saw their first combat with the Japanese in China. Fighters of the 1st and 2nd Squadrons of the American Volunteer Group intercepted 10 Japanese bombers over Kunming, Yunnan, China, shooting down 9 bombers while losing 1 P-40 fighter.
Two RAF Buffalo fighters attacked the Japanese barracks at Victoria Point, Burma near the border with Thailand, inflicting heavy casualties. Meanwhile, in Malaya, Japanese troops attempted to flank the Allied positions on the Perak River while another column marched along the Grik Road.

Philippines : Japanese troops from 14th Army landed near Davao, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, seizing the nearby airfield. At Cavite in southern Luzon, Lieutenant Colonel J. P. Adams received orders to evacuate his Marines from the area

Pacific Ocean : Japanese submarine I-17 shelled, torpedoed, and sank American tanker Emidio about 25 miles west of Cape Mendocino, California, United States.
Japanese submarine I-23 shelled unarmed American tanker Agwiworld off the coast of California, United States.

Washington , USA : US Navy Admiral Ernest King was relieved of command from the Atlantic Fleet and was promoted to the Commander-in-Chief of US Fleets.

Hong Kong : After holding off the Japanese troops at Wong Nai Chung Gap in central Hong Kong island for a day, Canadian and colonial Chinese troops begin falling back suffering heavy casualties. Out to sea, Royal Navy motor torpedo boats MTB 12 and MTB 26 were sunk and MTB 7, MTB 11, and MTB 18 were damaged during an attempt to disrupt Japanese landing operations.

2

21 December 1941

Romania : Isopescu, the Romanian governor of Golta, Transnistria, Romania (now Pervomaisk, Ukraine), ordered the execution of Jews at Bogdanovka Concentration Camp. 4,000 Jews were moved into cow sheds then burned alive. An unknown number of Jews were marched into a ravine and executed by gunfire in the following four days. The massacre ended in the evening of 24 Dec 1941.

Philippines : US submarines based in Manila in the Philippine Islands withdrew to Surabaya, Java.

Burma : General Wavell arrived in Rangoon, Burma already aware that most of the promised reinforcements had already been diverted to Malaya. Wavell still entertained hopes of receiving the two East African Brigades from Kenya and most of the 17th Indian Division (Major-General J. H. “Jackie” Smyth VC). When the American Lieutenant General George H. Brett arrived in Rangoon on his way to visit Chiang at Chongqing, Wavell decided to go too, telling his chief of staff, Thomas Hutton, to take over from the GOC Burma (Major General D. K. McLeod) whose proposed replacement had been taken sick.

Hong Kong : While Canadian and colonial Chinese troops completed the withdraw from Wong Nai Chung Gap in central Hong Kong island, order began to crumble as panic built up rapidly. On the same day, Japanese aircraft sank British river gunboat HMS Cicala, killing 1 and wounding 1.

South China Sea : Dutch submarine K XVII struck a mine and sank 18 miles north of Tioman Island while exiting the Gulf of Siam; all 36 aboard were killed.

Atlantic Ocean : Battle of Convoy HG-76 reaches its end. German submarine U-567 attacked Allied convoy HG-76, en route between Gibraltar and Britain, 500 miles west of Cape Finisterre, Portugal at 1923 hours, torpedoing and sinking Norwegian cargo ship Annavore; 34 were killed, 4 survived. During the counterattack, a merchant ship fired a flare in an attempt to visually find the attacker, but the flare was used by German submarine U-741at 2137 hours to spot , torpedo and sink escort carrier HMS Audacity; 73 were killed, 407 survived. At 2230 hours, U-567 attacked again, but she was discovered by Royal Navy sloop HMS Deptford and corvette HMS Samphire, which jointly sank German submarine with depth charges, killing all 47 aboard. Next day convoy entered to RAF Coastal Commanmd air cover in UK and new Royal Navy escort vessels arrived so U-Boats withdrew.

After this failure,’ Admiral Dönitz later wrote, ‘and in view of the unsatisfactory results of the preceding two months, my Staff was inclined to voice the opinion that we were no longer in a position successfully to combat the convoy system.’

Strait of Gibraltar : German submarine U-451 was detected , bombed sunk by a Royal Navy Swordfish aircraft of No. 812 Squadron off Morocco; 44 were killed, 1 survived. (this is the first U-Boat which was discovered by an airborne radar)

North Sea : British cargo ship Benmachdli struck a mine and sank off Scotland

Barents Sea : German cargo ship Emshorn was torpedoed and sunk by Soviet submarine M-174 off Petsamo

Russia : Soviet 31st Cavalry Division attacked Kaluga near Moscow, Russia.

Libya : 13th Corps troops pursued retreating Axis units toward Beda Fomm, Libya.

Philippine Sea : US submarine USS Seal sank Japanese cargo ship Hayataka Maru off Vigan, Luzon island, Philippine Islands. US submarine USS S-38 attempted to attack the Japanese invasion fleet in the Lingayen Gulf in western Luzon, Philippine Islands at 0710, but all four torpedoes missed. At 0758 hours, she attacked again, sinking freighter Hayo Maru at 0758 hours.

Malaya : Having seen previous success with the same tactic on a smaller scale, Japanese troops from 5th Infantry Division launched a large number of rafts down the Perak River toward Kuala Kangsar, Malaya in an attempt to bypass nearby roadblocks; casualties were heavy, but the Japanese troops were able to establish a bridgehead downstream, causing the British to abandon the Perak River positions and to fall back.

Wake Island , Pacific Ocean : The US Navy PBY aircraft which had arrived at Wake Atoll on the previous day departed with 26 passengers; these passengers would be the last US personnel to leave the atoll. During the day, 29 Japanese carrier aircraft from Soryu and Hiryu attack the island, followed by 33 land-based aircraft four hours later, damaging Battery D on Peale Island. Meanwhile, American intelligence indicated a large Japanese air force build-up in the Marshall Islands and a possible Japanese fleet present east of Wake Atoll, the latter of which seriously threatened the attempts to reinforce Wake.

US tanker Agwiworld and US cargo ship Dorothy Phillps was torpedoed and sunk by Japanwese submarine I-23 off California.

3

22 December 1941

Washington , USA : The First Washington Conference (Arcadia) between Roosevelt and Churchill began aboard HMS Duke of York in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, United States. The Americans and the British planned a Combined Chiefs of Staff represented by both countries.

Moscow , USSR : A week of talks and conferances between Stalin and Anthony Eden British Foreign Secretary and between their diplomatic and mnilitary advisors concluded. The talks were rounded off with a banquet in Kremlin given by Stalin. Earlier Eden was taken to battlefront , inspected the frontlines and German POWs (who lacked boots , coats or gloves to protect them from bitter cold) captured by Red Army. Official communique about conferance mentions “an identity of views in waging war against Hitlerite Germany”

Brisbane , Australia : American troops from 32nd Infantry Division originally destined for Philippine Islands arrived at Brisbane; they were the first American troops to arrive in Australia.

Pacific Ocean : Japanese submarine I-19 shelled and sank American tanker H. M. Storey southwest of Cape Mendocino, California, United States.

Thailand : The Japanese 55th Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Takeuchi Yutaka, assembled at Bangkok, Thailand and was issued orders for it to cross the Thai-Burma frontier and capture Moulmein, which happened to be held by the Headquarters of 17th Indian Division.

Beda Fomm , Libya : Allied troops from 4th Armored Brigade reached Beda Fomm, Libya while pursuing retreating Axis troops, but was halted by a group of 30 German tanks in a rear guard action. Further west, Axis forces began evacuating Benghazi by ships.

Agadebia , Libya : A SAS squad commanded by Lt Bill Fraser from David Stirling’s L Detachment staged a night raid to Axis held Agadebia airfield , destroying 37 Italian SM79 torpedo bomber aircraft on the ground along with hangars and supply depots then retreated back to Jalo Oasis without loss

Mediterranean Sea : Out at sea, German cargo ship Spezia and Italian cargo ship Umbra Cadamosto ran into an Italian minefield off Misrata , Libya and were destroyed. German cargo ship Tinos was bombed and sunk while leaving Benghazi by RAF Wellington bombers.

Leningrad , Russia : With the ice over Lake Ladoga thickening, Soviet forces began to move tanks across the lake to reinforce Leningrad, Russia. At the same time, trucks brought in 687 tons of food, also over the lake; it was the first time over 600 tons of food were brought in on a single day, which was the minimum daily requirement to feed the population.

Philippines : 45,000 troops of Japanese 48th Division and 90 tanks , shipped in 85 transport and cargo ships sailing as a massive convoy from Formoza , landed at Lingayen, Luzon, Philippine Islands at 0200 hours. From the capital city of Manila, Douglas MacArthur sent a radio message to his superior General George Marshall in Washington DC, United States, noting that he had decided to announce Manila to be an open city to reserve the strength of his forces and to spare the lives of the civilians. In southern Philippine Islands, 9 American B-17 bombers from Darwin, Australia attacked Japanese ships in Davao Gulf, Mindanao and then landed at Del Monte, Mindanao.

Japanese cargo ship Hayo Maru was torpedoed and sunk by US submarine S-38 off Lingayen Gulf.

Sarawak , British Borneo : In Sarawak, a Japanese invasion force departed Miri for Kuching.

South China Sea : Japanese cargo ship Hie Maru was torpedoed and sunk by Dutch submarine HNMLS KLXIV off Sarawak

Japanese cargo ship Katori Maru was torpedoed and sank by Dutch submarine HNMLNS XIV

Japanese cargo ship Soryu Maru was torpedoed and sunk by US submarine USS Seal off Badoc

Wake Island , Pacific Ocean : 33 dive bombers and 6 fighters from Japanese aircraft carriers Soryu and Hiryu attacked Wake Atoll; during the aerial battle, one of the last two operational F4F Wildcat fighters of Marine Fighter Squadron 211 was shot down, while the other one was badly damaged.

4

23 December 1941

Rangoon , Burma : 54 Japanese bombers escorted by 24 fighters attacked Rangoon, Burma in the late morning, killing 1,250; of those who became wounded as the result of this raid, 600 died.

Hong Kong : Allied troops in Hong Kong withdrew to the final line, “The Ridge”, at the Stanley Peninsula. A military hospital was established at St Stephen’s College on the peninsula to treat wounded soldiers. On Christmas Day, the wounded Canadians of a platoon which had surrendered were also murdered, as were two doctors and seven nurses—four of them Chinese—who had been attending wounded soldiers at the St Stephen’s College Emergency Hospital. The wounded, more than fifty in all, were then killed in their beds.

Philippines : In the Philippine Islands, as Japanese 48th Division marched south toward Manila, US Army General Douglas MacArthur began withdrawing to Bataan, declaring Manila an open city. On the evening of December 24, General MacArthur had left Manila for the fortified island of Corregidor. Manila, in an attempt to save its inhabitants from being caught in a battlefield, was declared an open city. The Japanese continued, however, to bomb it. US freighter Si Kiang was hit by bombs and sank in Manila harbour. On the same day, USAAF B-17 bombers attacked Japanese ships at Lingayen Gulf and Davao in the Philippine Islands, while P-35 and P-40 fighters strafed landing ships in San Miguel Bay, Luzon, damaging destroyer Nagatsuki. On Mindanao, the 9 US B-17 bombers originally from Australia refueled and took off to attack Japanese ships in Davao Gulf and Lingayen Gulf, damaging Japanese destroyer Kuroshio.

Leningrad , Russia : Trucks brought in 786 tons of food into Leningrad, Russia across the frozen Lake Ladoga; for the second day in a row, enough food was brought in to feed the population.

Sarawak , British Borneo : Japanese troops landed at Kuching, Sarawak.

Washington , USA : Churchill and Roosevelt met at the White House, Washington DC during the First Washington Conference (Arcadia).

In the United States, a White House directive extended the powers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include counter-espionage throughout the Americas. By the end of the war the FBI would have grown from a strength of 2,280 personnel, in 1941, to 15,000, including 5,000 special agents (in slang, “G-men”).

Wake Island , Pacific Ocean : Before dawn, at 0235 hours, 1,500 troops of the Japanese Maizuru Second Special Naval Landing Force landed on Wake Island and Wilkes Island in the Wake Atoll; from the air, carrier aircraft from Soryu and Hiryu provided support by attacking targets on Wilkes, Peale, and Wake Islands. Given that defeat was now imminent, acting commander of the US Navy Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral William Pye recalled Task Force 14 with USS Saratoga; the force was originally dispatched to reinforce Wake. At 0800, US forces began to surrender. On Wilkes Island, US Marines attempted one final counterattack, killing 100 Japanese troops at the cost of 11 US Marines killed and 5 wounded. Towards midnight 460 men strong US Marine garrison along with 69 US Navy personnel in the island were mostly overwhelmed and Wake officially surrendered by garrison commander Major Deveraux.

Benghazi , Libya : 4th Indian Division and 4th Armored Brigade from 13th Corps , the vanguard of 8th Army , captured Benghazi and rescued more than 300 Allied POWs in hospital or temporary POW cages which Italians did not evacuate and transfer to further east in time. The pursuit of retreating German-Italian Panzer Group slows down after this though since 8th Army fighting since mid November , men tired , machines in dire need of repair and spare parts plus the rear logistical lines all the way to Mersa Matruh and Tobruk were extended too much.

Mediterranean Sea : British troop transport Shuntien (carrying Axis prisoners of war) was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-559 west off Alexandria. More than 800 German and Italians perished in sinking.

German submarine U-79 was located , depth charged and sunk with all hands by Royal Navy destroyers HMS Hotspur and HMS Hasty during an anti submarine patrol off Bardia.

North Sea : Belgian coaster Leopold II struck a mine and sank
Greek cargo ship Rokus Vergottis struck a mine and sunk off Norfolk.

Baltics : In the German-occupied Baltic States, December 24 marked the day of a new order, issued by the German civilian governor, Hinrich Lohse, that gypsies were ‘a double danger’. They were carriers of disease, ‘especially typhus’, and they were ‘unreliable elements who cannot be put to useful work’. They also harmed the German cause by passing on ‘hostile’ news reports. ‘I therefore determine’, Lohse added, ‘that they should be treated in the same way as Jews.’ Soviet prisoners-of-war were also being murdered that winter on an horrific scale. At a prisoner-of-war camp set up by the Germans at Hola, in Poland, 100,000 Soviet soldiers were herded together in an open field and given no food. Desperately, they dug holes in which to try to get shelter from the wind and snow, and ate grass and roots to keep alive. Any nearby villagers who were caught by the Germans throwing food into the field were shot. By the end of December, the prisoners-of-war were dead. A further 7,000 were murdered in nearby Biala Podlaska.

5

24 December 1941

South China Sea : Dutch submarine K XVI sank Fubuki class Japanese destroyer Sagiri with two torpedoes off Kuching , Borneo; 121 were killed, 120 survived and were rescued by destroyer Shirakumo and a minesweeper. However same day same Dutch submarine HNLMS KXVI was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-66 off Kuching , Borneo.

Berlin , Germany : Joseph Goebbels broadcasted a Christmas Eve message over radio, urging for Germans to follow the lead of Adolf Hitler and to work and fight for a German victory.

Washington , USA : Winston Churchill broadcasted a Christmas Eve message over radio, wishing for one evening of happiness throughout the English-speaking world during this time of global conflict.

Newfoundland : The Free French seized the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the southern coast of Newfoundland, and deposed Vichy governor.

Mediterranean Sea : British tanker Phenix struck a mine a sank off Haifa , Palatine. While escorting a coastal convoy Flower class corvette HMS Salvia was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-568 west of Alexandria with loss of 106 crew and survivors from previously sunk British troop transport Shuntien

Atlantic Ocean : German tanker Benno was bombed and sunk by RAF Coastal Command Sunderland flying boat and Beaufort torpedo bombers in Bay of Biscay

North Sea : British tanker Bratton and cargo ships Stanmouth and Merchant , all three of them struck mines and sank off Yarmouth

Hong Kong : Japanese troops penetrated the final Allied defensive line, “The Ridge”, at the Stanley Peninsula on Hong Kong island. Near the coast, British destroyer HMS Thracian was damaged by Japanese aircraft and was forced to run aground to prevent sinking.

Pacific Ocean : Japanese submarine I-17 shelled and sank unarmed US freighter Absaroka about 26 miles off San Pedro, California, United States.

Philippines : 7,000 troops of Japanese 16th Division landed at Lamon Bay, Luzon, Philippine Islands and marched toward Manila, which was only 50 miles away to the northwest. Near Ligayen Gulf on the western side of Luzon, the 26th Filipino Cavalry initially held up the Japanese invaders near Binalonian, but were forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses; meanwhile, the Japanese landed an additional 10,000 men at Lingayen Gulf. In Manila, General Douglas MacArthur met with various leaders to organize the retreat into the Bataan peninsula per WPO-3; the 4th Marine Regiment was ordered to Mariveles at the peninsula’s tip before going to Corregidor island.

Poland : 94 Soviet prisoners of war and 23 political prisoners died in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. On the same day, 37 prisoners from block 20 of Auschwitz were killed by heart phenol injection.

Sarawak , British Borneo : Japanese troops captured the town Kuching, Sarawak at 1600 hours after heavy fighting against troops of the Indian 15th Punjab Regiment.

6

25 December 1941

Leningrad , Russia : Over 3,000 people had died of starvation in Leningrad, Russia to date. The recapture of Tikhvin had meant, however, that more supplies would now get through, by rail to the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga, and then across the ice to the city.

Moscow : On the Moscow front, due to severe pressure from Soviet Western and North Western Fronts , the Germans evacuated Kaluga

Crimea , Ukranie : Meanwhile in the south, three thousand Russian troops were put ashore during the night of December 25 on the Kerch Peninsula, to establish a new Crimean front, and to relieve the pressure on Sevastopol, which was still holding out against a German siege. Six days later, in a further series of landings in the Crimea, forty thousand Russian soldiers were put ashore at Feodosiya.

Germany : Adolf Hitler sacked Heinz Guderian over conflicting visions on the strategy for war against the Soviet Union.

Delhi , India : Mahatma Gandhi resigns from Congress Party when Indian Nationalist Congress and Congress Party votes to support British war effort.

Philippines : Japanese troops landed at Jolo, Philippine Islands and captured the island after wiping out the garrison of 300 Filipino militia and policemen. Meanwhile a second Japanese landing force of 7.000 troops from 14th Army lands on Lamon Bay , east coast of Luzon and begins marching easwards to link up with main body of General Homma’s 14th Army (43.000 troops) that landed on Lingayen Gulf barely 120 km away from capital Manila two days ago.
Meanwhile, US Navy moved the headquarters of the Asiatic Fleet from Manila, Philippine Islands to Java. US Marines destroyed docks, fuel tanks, and ammunition dumps at Cavite Naval Shipyard. US submarine USS Sealion badly damaged during previous Japanese bombing raids was scuttled in Manila Bay.
General Douglas MacArthur commander in chief of US Philippine Army believes that Japanese invasion force is as strong as 100.000 troops due to intelligence over estimates , orders his main force , 30.000 strong US Philippine scouts and partially trained Philippine troops plus 50.000 Philippine militia to fortified Bataan peninsula to regroup

Hong Kong : As a result of Japanese capture of water reservoirs of island , British Governor of Hong Kong Sir Mark Young and Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong General Maltby were convinced further resistance is useless , ordered the surrender of the colony at 1515 hours, which was signed shortly after at the Japanese field headquarters at the Peninsula Hong Kong hotel by Young. At around the same time, British river gunboat HMS Robin was scuttled to prevent capture. Capture of Hong Kong cost Japanese 23rd Army 2.000 killed or wounded. British and Canadian garrison also suffered same amount of killed and wounded plus more than 9.000 captured.

Nationalist Chinese Rear Admiral Chan Chak led a group consisted mostly of British military servicemen out of Hong Kong using five Royal Navy motor torpedo boats. They made landfall on the Guangdong Province, China coast, where Chan would lead them toward the city of Huizhou on foot.

Rangoon , Burma : Archibald Wavell arrived in Rangoon, Burma by aircraft, landing amidst a Japanese air raid.

Pearl Harbour , Hawaii : US Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.

British Malaya : The Allies completed the abandonment of defensive positions along the Perak River in Malaya and established new positions at Ipoh about 10 miles to the south.

Poland : 60 Soviet prisoners of war and 23 political prisoners died in Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland.

Sarawak , British Borneo : Japanese troops captured the British airfield near Kuching, Sarawak at 1640 hours.

Midway Atoll , Pacific Ocean : Carrier USS Saratoga launched F2A Buffalo aircraft of Marine Fighter Squadron 221, originally intended to relieve Wake Atoll, to Midway Atoll. They became the first fighters to be based in Midway, and they immediately began a daily patrol schedule.

North Sea : British cargo ship Cormead struck a mine and sank off Lowestoft , Norfolk.
German cargo ship Halverston struck a mine off Denmark and sank.

7

26 December 1941

Philippines : Despite that the Philippine capital of Manila was already declared an open city on 23 Dec 1941, Japanese bombing continued without interruption. Shortly after, US Navy Admiral Hart of the Asiatic Fleet departed Manila by submarine USS Shark for Soerabaja, Java. In Manila Bay, USS Peary was damaged by Japanese aircraft. Philippine naval defense vessels moved to the island of Corregidor at the mouth of Manila Bay, and 411 US Marines originally based at Cavite moved to Corregidor Island. In Bay of Manila British cargo ship Tantalus and US cargo ship Paz were bombed and sunk by Japanese bombers.

Moscow Front , Russia : Newly formed Soviet Kalanin Front attacked German 9th Army northwest of Moscow, Russia, aiming to penetrate between German Army Group North and Army Group Center.

Libya : General Erwin Rommel ordered the withdraw of German Italian Panzer Group Afrika to Agedabia, Libya to set up an ambush for advancing 22nd Armored Brigade (which was moving from Benghazi to El Aghelia without support of other arms or divisions due to British armored brigade commanders-Gott , Lumdsen , Gatehouse- refusal to cooperate with other arms and advancing without RAF air cover or recon) Afrikakorps , eficiently using combined arms tactics , maneuver operational culture due to Mission Oriented Operational approach (basically delegation and giving initiative to subordinates) and cooperation with other divisions , recently reinforced with an Italian convoy arrived to Tripoli.

Mediterranean Sea : German submarine U-559 damaged Polish troop transport Warszawa 20 miles east of Tobruk, Libya at 1429 hours with a torpedo, killing 4 crew members and 19 troops. 445 survivors were taken off by British corvette HMS Peony. At 1930 hours, U-559 struck again, sinking the damaged Warszawa.

Lofoten Islands , Norway : Operation Anklet : 223 British Commandos and 77 Norwegian troops landed on Moskenesøya in the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway in Operation Anklet, destroying a radio transmitter at Glåpen and capturing several German prisoners. To the north in Vestfjord, British cruiser HMS Arethusa and destroyers HMS Somali, HMS Ashanti, and HMS Eskimo attacked and captured two Norwegian coastal ships and sank a German patrol boat; an Engima machine and code settings were captured aboard the patrol boat.

Atlantic Ocean : Royal Navy submarine HMS H31 became missing while on patrol in the Bay of Biscay; all 22 aboard were never heard from again.

Sarawak , British Borneo : Dutch B-10 bombers from Samarinda, Dutch Borneo bombed and sank Japanese minesweeper W6 and collier Unyo Maru off Kuching, Sarawak, British Borneo.

British Malaya : Anglo-Indian and Japanese troops clashed at Chemor, Malaya north of Ipoh. Later in the day, the Allies withdrew from Ipoh and fell back to Kampar 25 miles to the south.

Crimea , Ukranie : Soviet troops conducted an amphibious assault on the Kerch Peninsula in an attempt to relieve the siege of Sevastopol, Russia, landing 13,000 men of the Soviet 51st Army. During landing Soviet dredger Voroshilov was bombed and sunk by Luftwaffe JU-87 dive bombers , over 450 Soviet troops aboard perished.

Arctic Ocean : Allied convoy PQ-7a departed Hvalfjörður, Iceland. Russian ship Kuzbass, straggler of Allied convoy QP-3, arrived at Iokanka, Russia under tow by Soviet icebreaker Fyodor Litke.

Norwegian Sea : German troop transport Kong Ring struck a British mine off Ulfjorden , Norway and sank with loss of 300 German troops and crew she was carrying aboard.

Washington , USA : Australian Prime Minister John Curtin sends a message to British Prime Minister Churchill and US President Roosevelt , warning that Pacific War should not be considered secondary to European war.

After giving a rousing speech in US Congress , British Prime Minister was given a round after round applause. Athe end as he left the rostrum , he turned and acknowledged the applause by raising his right hand to give a two fingered V for Victory sign that brought another storm of applause.